Rossi, Spies capture world motorcycle crowns

Yamaha comes out the big winner; Moto GP, Superbike champs both aboard Japanese bike

Oct 31, 2009

Special to the Star

The two major world motorcycle racing championships were settled Oct. 25 on opposite sides of the world.

At the Moto GP race at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, Italian ace Valentino Rossi added another jewel to his glittering crown by taking his ninth world championship, the seventh in the premier Moto GP class. There's one more race in the series, at Valencia, Spain on Nov. 8, but Rossi's points total can't be overhauled.

About eight hours later at the magnificent new Portimao circuit in the Algarve region of Portugal, in the last race of the World Superbike championship, Texan Ben Spies eked out a narrow six-point victory in his first attempt at the series. With 700 points available in the 28 races, that's as close a margin as you'll ever find.

Spies's rival Noriyuki Haga fell in the first race of the day while Spies won, and that was the difference. Haga finished ahead of Spies in the second race, but Spies' fifth was enough to give him the title.

Yamaha was twice a winner, as both Rossi and Spies were riding bikes built by the Japanese manufacturer. It was Yamaha's first WSB win, as well, making the three-time American champion's title all the sweeter.

MOTO GP

Everyone started the race virtually blind, as all practice and qualifying had been done in the usual dry but humid Sepang conditions. A massive cloudburst flooded the circuit just before the race started.

When the lights changed, Ducati's Casey Stoner – back in incredible form after missing three races mid-season to a yet-undiagnosed illness – simply split. Stoner was in his own world, building an unbelievable four-second lead after only two laps and continuing to stretch it by a second or more a lap until, with a 17-second gap, he eased off a bit and cruised to the win.

Meanwhile, Rossi (who needed to finish only fourth to secure the title) got pushed wide in the first-corner melee after the start and was back in 10th place, shortly to have his teammate and only title rival Jorge Lorenzo come past on a remarkable charge from the back of the grid.

Rossi decided to follow Lorenzo, who cut a path through the riders ahead of them for both the Fiat Yamahas, then he slipped past at about two-thirds distance with the two factory Hondas of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, running second and third, in his sights.

When Dovizioso fell in the treacherous conditions, the canny Rossi decided to settle for a safe third and his seventh Moto GP title.

WORLD SUPERBIKE

Ducati's Noriyuki Haga is one of the veterans of the World Superbike circuit, while 2009 is Ben Spies' first year. The two have been at each other hammer-and-tong all season, with Spies taking a remarkable 11 of 14 pole positions and winning more races, while the "Samurai of Slide" racked up some wins but also a good number of seconds and thirds to stay close.

In the final contest in the Algarve, Haga had a slender 10-point lead; with 25 for each race win (there are two races each day in the series), that basically meant that both had to go for victory.

Haga started with a disadvantage. Suffering from influenza, he wasn't at his best and qualified poorly.

In the first race, Spies got a lightning start and led the entire race, while Haga, trying desperately to get on terms with the leader, crashed out. That left Spies with a 15-point advantage, but again, both had to go for the win.

Haga tried a different front tire, which worked better for him and he quickly scythed his way to the top three, while Spies appeared to be in trouble and drifted back to fifth.

At the flag, Haga finished second, while Spies held on to fifth, which was good enough for the title.

It was a fairytale year for the young American, who is leaving the series after this one season to join the Moto GP circus in 2010.

Toronto Star