Dramatic racing and a red flag were the order of the day for the final race of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s weekend at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Niccolò Canepa secured a solid eighth place finish on his Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK YZF-R1 in the restarted 21-lap contest, after a red flag on the fifth lap of the opening race brought the afternoon to a pause. A final corner incident saw Alex Lowes complete his American visit in 14th.

Making his 75th WorldSBK start, Canepa initially dropped to 12th as the second US race began, before quickly finding his pace and returning to his starting positon of ninth. Fighting with the riders around him, the Italian promoted himself to eighth on the fifth lap and continued to chase the tightly-packed group in the battle for fourth. Showing consistent and impressive pace on his YZF-R1, Canepa maintained his position until mid-race distance before being outmaneuvered by his teammate, then choosing to wait and pick his moment carefully, regaining eighth on the final lap. A dramatic final corner incident had threatened to derail his progress but a clever save saw him consolidate his eight point finish at the line.

Strong off the lights from 10th on the grid, Lowes was running eighth on the opening lap as the final Laguna race restarted. Continuing his charge toward the front, the Briton held sixth in as many laps and was firmly in the hunt for fourth. An intense six-rider battle ensued for the mid-race distance, with Lowes ultimately holding eighth from his teammate for the closing stages when a mistake at the final corner saw him briefly grounded, picking up his YZF-R1 to finish 14th.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team now returns to its UK base ahead of a long summer break. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returns to action at the Lausitzring in Germany on Friday 16th September.

资料提供 [ Yamaha Racing ]