With the WSB series becoming a bit of a one make championship, the Misano round needed a bit of spicing up. And who better to throw a spanner in the works than former multiple WSB champion (and pretty handy GP rider) Max Biaggi? Could the Roman Emperor's return from retirement be a triumphant one?
Lights to flag in race one from Sykes
In practice Biaggi actually managed to top the timing sheets, however come qualifying the Aprilia rider put his bike on a very creditable fifth spot with Sykes on pole and Haslam alongside him on the other Aprilia.
Race one saw Sykes make the most of his pole position, leading all 21 laps of the race with team mate Rea behind him. Chaz Davies gave the Italian crowd something to cheer about when he put his Ducati on the remaining podium slot, securing the firm's 800th WSB podium. But in truth it was more of the same with the Kawasakis once again dominating the race. Would race two be a bit more competitive?
Thankfully for race fans, Davide Giugliano stepped up to the mark in race two, giving Rea a run for his money and stirring up a bit of excitement. It wasn't until five laps from the end that the loopy Italian surrendered his race lead to Rea, but at least a red bike was ahead for a good few laps. Rea's double podium matched Troy Corser's record from 2005 of 16 on the bounce. It's pretty fair to assume he will beat it at the next round.
Not a bad return for Biaggi!
In the end Max Biaggi secured a very creditable fifth in race one and sixth in race two. However what does this say about the state of WSB? Yes, Max has extensively tested the Aprilia, knows Misano like the back of his hand and he is a former multiple world champion. But still, he has retired and gets two top six places on returning. Is WSB lacking a bit of depth in its field or is the Aprilia (and Kawasaki) that good?
In Supersport a technical issue on the sighting lap ruled Smith out of even starting the race while Rea finished a strong fourth. Cluzel took the win while championship leader Solfuolu crashed out of third on the last lap, remounting to take 11th.
Race 1:
1. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)
2. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
3. Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati SBK Team)
Race 2:
1. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
2. Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati SBK Team)
3. Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils)
Leon Haslam (Aprilia) - 5, 3
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) - 2, 1
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) - 1, 5
Alex Lowes (Suzuki) - 12, DNF
Chaz Davies (Ducati) - 3, 4
Leon Camier (MV Agusta) - 13, 16
Gino Rea (Honda WSS) - 4
Kyle Smith (Honda WSS) - DNS