WorldSBK: Nicky Hayden Does it!
Gordon Ritchie | May 15, 2016
Nicky Hayden gets a soaking from world champion Jonathan Rea.
Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) enjoyed his first win in the WorldSBK paddock in a full wet second 16-lap race which he led almost from start to finish.
Catching him behind, as the track slowly dried out, were the Ducati duo of Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) but Davies was to slow to fourth and Giugliano was to take second after a tough pass on his team-mate on lap 12.
He looked ahead to try and catch Hayden but the gap was just too large to the former MotoGP world champion. This was the first Honda win since 2014, at Portimao via Jonathan Rea.
In third place Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) secured a podium finish in third, 3.6 seconds back.
With Davies fourth the wild card wet wonder that is Anthony West (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) scored fifth after a strong start and a smart finish.
Sixth place went to the final corner charge of Michael van der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team), with the resurgent Alex De Angelis (IodaRacing Team Aprilia) seventh.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) dropped to eighth after his strong start from pole, with Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) ninth and Germany’s Markus Reiterberger (Althea BMW Racing Team) tenth.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) did not finish, Josh Brookes (Milwaukee BMW) was 12th and Josh Hook (Grillini Racing Team Kawasaki) 15th and in the points again.
