Portimão (spoilers)

Race one: Ben Spies winning and Haga failing to finish

1 Ben Spies
2 Jonathan Rea
3 Max Biaggi
4 Shane Byrne
5 Michel Fabrizio
6 Leon Camier
7 Carlos Checa
8 Ruben Xaus
9 Matthieu Lagrive
10 Matteo Baiocco


Race two: Fabritzio wins, Haga second, Spies fifth

1 Michel Fabrizio
2 Noriyuki Haga
3 Jonathan Rea
4 Shane Byrne
5 Ben Spies
6 Max Biaggi
7 Leon Camier
8 Jakub Smrz
9 Troy Corser
10 Sylvain Guintoli

Congratulations Ben Spies; 2009 World Superbike Champion

If Fabrizio had let Haga take the win and 5 points at Imola in race 2, and again here today in race 2, Haga would be champion.

Okay it's a big IF, and letting him take those 5 extra points at Imola could have changed all sorts of other results since, but it's still bizarre.

They were discussing that on the show on Eurosport today, but, would you want to have a championship that was given to you by a team-mate slowing down!?

I know I wouldn't and I hope Noriyuki wouldn't.

You want to be champion you got to beat everyone, even your own team mate.

Ben did a very good job and got Yamaha their first WSB championship (although, there are two times in the past they should of had one and atleast one of them should have been with Noriyuki.)

Anyway, Noriyuki will be back next year, hopefully a year wiser on a Ducati 1198 and with more fire in his belly.

Originally Posted by Cymraeg_Atodeg

They were discussing that on the show on Eurosport today, but, would you want to have a championship that was given to you by a team-mate slowing down!?

I know I wouldn't and I hope Noriyuki wouldn't.

You want to be champion you got to beat everyone, even your own team mate.

Ben did a very good job and got Yamaha their first WSB championship (although, there are two times in the past they should of had one and atleast one of them should have been with Noriyuki.)

Anyway, Noriyuki will be back next year, hopefully a year wiser on a Ducati 1198 and with more fire in his belly.

Yes, I agree in a way, but he's a team-mate. In some respects the team earn the privilege to help their contender by having good bikes and 2 good riders, it's all part of the game. I certainly wouldn't have thought ill of Fabrizio or Haga for doing it anyway. A championship is a season-long affair, you don't win one simply by being given 5 extra points by your team-mate.

With Spies out of the picture it's Haga the favourite (again), but the Yamahas will be strong, as will be the Hondas, and the Suzukis, and the other Ducatis, and the Aprilias, and perhaps the BMWs. I hope he'll romp it, but it's easy to envisage that he never gets another chance as good as he had this time around.

[Biker Biggles]

Haga has binned it too many times this year.If he had stayed aboard in race one he would have been in a position to expect fabi to give him the title,but once again he crashed.Best man won it.

I was well gutted for Haga. He has come so close now a good few times...

As people said he did throw it away a bit and lets be honest he kinda lost it at Donnington with that big crash! Yes he races in the next few rounds but he didnt exactly do what would be expected if he wasnt injured.

Next year should be very interesting! I wont begrudge Haga winning it, but of course ill be behind the brits! I just hope Shakey can get a ride worth having. Shame he couldnt have Fabrizio's ride...

Originally Posted by sinbad

If Fabrizio had let Haga take the win and 5 points at Imola in race 2, and again here today in race 2, Haga would be champion.

Okay it's a big IF, and letting him take those 5 extra points at Imola could have changed all sorts of other results since, but it's still bizarre.

Eh? So that is how a world championship should be decided, by other people letting racers win? This isn't wrestling!

Originally Posted by lukemillar

Eh? So that is how a world championship should be decided, by other people letting racers win? This isn't wrestling!

The championship isn't decided by the last race any more than it is by the first. All I'm saying is it's odd that Ducati let it happen like that, don't you agree? It wouldn't be the first time that a team in motorsport has tried to win something by helping their contender.

You think if Jorge needed 1 extra point to take the title ahead of Stoner next year, and was running in 5th place in the final race with Rossi ahead of him in 4th, that Rossi wouldn't let him through? "Eh?"

Spies had way more pace available in race 2, so this is really a moot point.

Originally Posted by sinbad

The championship isn't decided by the last race any more than it is by the first. All I'm saying is it's odd that Ducati let it happen like that, don't you agree? It wouldn't be the first time that a team in motorsport has tried to win something by helping their contender.

You think if Jorge needed 1 extra point to take the title ahead of Stoner next year, and was running in 5th place in the final race with Rossi ahead of him in 4th, that Rossi wouldn't let him through? "Eh?"

No - I don't find it odd! Remember when Barrichello stopped on the line coming out of the last corner, to let Schumacher take the win in Austria 2002? There was a massive outcry, took the **** out of the sport and a lot of people lost a lot of respect - Even the drivers looked embarrased on the podium as neither wanted to take the top step. Is that how you would like motorsport to become?

Besides, Championships should be won or lost on the merits of a a racer and a team supporting their own rider. Just because two guys have the same coloured bike underneath each other, doesn't mean they owe each other anything. Just look at the number of "walls" splitting pit garages in motoGP!