Race 2 at Laguna Seca saw another green bike at the top of the podium. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) held on for a close win over the two factory Ducatis ridden by Davide Giugliano (second place) and Chaz Davies (third place). Nicky Hayden (Honda) finished in fifth today.
Follow this link to Race 2‘s full results. Jonathan Rea retired with a mechanical issue today, but still leads the champion points. Visit the official WSB site for additional details.
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So what is the correct pronunciation of Chaz Davies last name?
I figured it was like Ray Davies of The Kinks but Greg White kept calling him Davis.
“Davis” is how Chaz pronounces it
I thought Giugliano was just thrilling to watch at that race.
I don’t know how many times i thought he was going to do an ‘Iannone’, but he rode the ragged edge. Davies was faster but couldn’t make it stick. The two Ducatis perhpas tripped themselves up somewhat, but Sykes gave them no opportunities.
The slightly shorter race might’ve suited Sykes. He’s so demanding of his tyres – giving nothing away on entry, being savage on exit. It worked yesterday, but you can see how this helps Rea over the course of a season.
Rea’s pass at the top of the corkscrew defied belief. He didn’t need to take to the gravel, but cleanly passed the two bikes in front at WSB’s most notorious turn. Sensational.
Fair play to Nicky for keeping the home fans excited, and Forres in fourth was very focussed. It was the best race of the season so far for me. Looks like such hard work at that track too.
I enjoyed watching Giugliano run that race as well. I surely thought he was going to either find his way into the gravel or onto the highest block of the podium.
I think tire wear, while an issue, isn’t Sykes’ biggest problem. There has been at least one turn (though usually several) at each circuit so far this year where his preferred line leaves the door wide open for anyone close enough to carry more corner speed into the turn. They just cut on the inside of Sykes which in turn forces Sykes to slow down and yield the corner to the overtaker and lose some pretty valuable drive in the process. It seems like Rea does this to him every race, and the Ducatis will do it frequently as well. What surprises me is that Sykes never seems to adjust. A particular turn at Laguna (turn 3 I think?) always had Sykes leaving the door wide open. Rea picked him off there, and I am pretty sure Giugliano did as well if I remember correctly. Yet Sykes never changed his strategy. He is very lucky that Rea ran off and that Giugliano and Davies dropped back for a bit while sparring with each other. Otherwise, I don’t think he would have won that race. But it is a common theme with Sykes. Everyone figures out Sykes’ weak spot at each particular circuit except Sykes.
Nicky is doing pretty darn good considering his bike is so far from the performance of the Kawi’s and Duc’s. He’s giving it his all, and that’s fun to root for.