After what most expected and many hoped would be a shock to the system, the arrival from retirement of two time SBK champion Max Biaggi did nothing to shake up the otherwise dull and repetitive 2015 SBK season.
Starting from 5th position on the second row, Biaggi was all fire and made a strong attempt at the front for the first laps of race 1, but was quickly overtaken by the usual suspects in the leadership race for the championship. Both Kawasakis, both factory Ducatis and his Aprilia teammate Leon Haslam stretched out ahead of him. The Emperor, as he was known, crossed the line in 6th in both races.
“I am to have done it. It was a beautiful thing.” Biaggi said after the races.
Tom Sykes stormed away from Jonathan Rea in race one, finishing 3.6 seconds ahead of his teamster. Rea had elected to use the harder compound rear tire, thinking it would give him an edge on the newly resurfaced track, but it did the opposite. The factory Ducatis of Chaz Davies and Davide Gugliano took 3rd and 4th, while Haslam nabbed fifth.
In race 2, it was the same affair only this time, Rea was on the same soft rear tire and took his eleventh race win of 2015, while Gugliano, Haslam, Davies and Skyes followed.
“We made a great race and I think at the end we are using our rear tires better than some others.” said Rea. Tires aside, the advantage Kawasaki has over others is so clear that even at Misano, where the Ducati and Aprilia riders have significant testing advantages, they were barely able to compete against them.
Rea heads into round 9 with a commanding 133 point lead in the championship ahead of his teammate Sykes, the only person who can realistically challenge him.
