Ben Spies (Yamaha) will graduate to MotoGP next year as the 2009 World Superbike Champion, after doing exactly what was needed to secure the title in the final event of the 2009 WSBK season at Portimao.

Spies contributed to an outstanding weekend for Yamaha, who won three rider championships, in MotoGP, World Superbike (A first in 21 years of participation), and World Supersport, on the same day.


In the first Superbike race on Sunday, pole sitter Ben Spies stayed in front by diving inside Max Biaggi (Aprilia) at the first corner, ahead of Shane Byrne (Ducati), Jonathan Rea (Honda) and Leon Haslam (Honda).

Meanwhile, Championship contender Noriyuki Haga (Ducati), starting tenth, was stuck behind Ducati rider Fonsi Nieto for two laps. Haga was then handed fifth place as Haslam ran wide at turn one. Haga's charge up the order came to a dramatic halt just a lap later when, pushing hard to catch Byrne, his bike got away from him. Despite his best efforts, Haga couldn't get going again and was forced to concede.

In the end, Spies took the chequered flag with a 1.6 sec advantage over Rea and more than 2.1 sec over Biaggi.

After dominating the first race and opening up his Championship lead over Haga to 15 points, the American played for points and crossed the finish line in fifth place, thereby winning the Championship. Haga rode hard, to try and bait Spies into an error, but that was not to be, the two rivals ending their season-long battle separated by just six points.

The race itself was won by Haga's team-mate Michel Fabrizio, who passed Jonathan Rea on the final lap. Pundits are already predicting a 2010 rider championship for the determined Italian Ducati rider.

In the end, rookie WSBK rider Ben Spies wins the rider championship after fourteen wins out of 28 hard-fought races, on tracks and a bike he did not know at the start of the season – a remarkable performance.

WSBK Portimao Race 1 – Results
Pos. Rider Bike Gap
1. Ben Spies Yamaha 22 laps
2. Jonathan Rea Honda +1.697s
3. Max Biaggi Aprilia +2.113s
4. Shane Byrne Ducati +2.757s
5. Michel Fabrizio Ducati +14.753s
6. Leon Camier Aprilia +20.044s
7. Etc……


WSBK Portimao Race 2 – Results
Pos. Rider Bike Gap
1. Michel Fabrizio Ducati 22 laps
2. Noriyuki Haga Ducati +1.195s
3. Jonathan Rea Honda +1.494s
4. Shane Byrne Ducati +5.553s
5. Ben Spies Yamaha +5.842s
6. Max Biaggi Aprilia +7.374s
7. Etc……

WSBK Final Standings
Pos. Rider Points
1. Ben Spies 462
2. Noriyuki Haga 456
3. Michel Fabrizio 382
4. Max Biaggi 319
5. Jonathan Rea 315





Photo Credit : Yamaha