Team Guandalini Racing - Donington Park - Races - Sunday 28 June 2009
Warm Up
During the twenty-minute warm-up both the team Guandalini riders carried out a “flag-to-flag” simulation, rapidly swapping bikes, in case this needs to be carried out during today’s races. Jakub Smrz rode with a good race pace and and finished with the third fastest time while Gregorio Lavilla finished in 19th.
Race 1
Both Jakub Smrz and Gregorio Lavilla lost several positions straight off the start line, to find themselves in 14th and 16th position respectively. For several laps the riders rode more or less together, making up places until, during the seventh lap, Lavilla was forced to retire after a fall, though fortunately he was unhurt. Smrz put together a sequence of fast laps to pass Kiyonari and Checa on the Hondas and, on lap 15, the Ducati of Michel Fabrizio. Aware that he couldn’t improve on that position, and thinking of the points situation, Jakub completed the race in an tactical way, following behind Team Stiggy’s John Hopkins. A pass was not possible and so he concluded the race in ninth position just 55 thousandths of a second behind Hopkins. The seven points gained move him one more position up the leader board. The race was won by Ben Spies who, having dominated in Superpole and warm-up, didn’t make a single error, getting off the line first and finishing first. In second place was Max Biaggi on the Aprilia and third Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati 1198.
Race 2
Following on from the positive results of the practice sessions prior to race day, Team Guandalini’s race did not go as planned and after only two laps, Jakub Smrz, who had made up three places in just one lap, ended his race after he fell while in ninth position. Gregorio Lavilla, in 18th place on the first lap, made up a few places only to drop back again in the later stages of the race. Unfortunately he today finished out of the points zone. Ben Spies again dominated, winning the race in front of Lean Haslam (Honda) and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox).