WSBK: 2014 Round 12 - Losail (SPOILERS)

Circuit Information:

Length: 5380
Pole position: Right
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 10
Corner radius: 10
Max slope: 0%
Finish length:1068

Weather courtesy of weather.com:


Remember the Titans

Kawasaki Racing Team



A famous racer once said that the heaviest plate is that of #1. You wouldn't be able to tell it in MotoGP, but in World Superbikes the reigning champion certainly knows that it is true. After a solid start to the season with 7th and 3rd place finishes, Sykes mounted a very respectable defense of his hard won title. The podium was followed by a win, the win became a double, and before long Sykes was flying on cruise control to the end. Where it all went pear shaped is a matter of conjecture. The injury sustained during a race collision with his teammate certainly hasn't helped his year.

Regardless of the past few races, Sykes enters the final race in real damage control mode. Only 12 points adrift of title contender Sylvain Guintoli, Sykes is on the verge of being the only rider since Carl Fogarty raced to win back to back championships. It's a tough ask. He has stiff competition from all sides, mostly from Aprilia's revival in the second half of the season. However he didn't get that number 1 plate by playing it easy. If he can just hold off Guintoli's charge he has the chance to make history.

The ace up his sleeve may turn out to be teammate Loris Baz. While Sykes has had a (mostly) storied season, Baz has failed to mount the top step even once for 2014 with the season drawing to a close. Since his contract was not renewed with Kawasaki for 2015, he's somewhat of a free agent. However with Sykes struggling somewhat for the past couple of rounds he has been kind enough to step aside and allow Sykes to score the maximum points available for his performance on the day. Should Sykes struggle again this weekend, he might be counted on again to help boost his almost-former teammate to the title.

Aprilia Racing Team



12 points. That's all that stands between Sylvain Guintoli and his very first title in World Superbike competition. It's been a tough hill to climb thus far. Guintoli made his typically strong start for 2013 with a podium finish in race 1 and clinching the win in race 2. Leading the championship from the opening bell he seemed a strong contender to reigning champion Sykes, however his title challenge took a wrong turn early. While Sykes' performance became stronger in the opening races, Guintoli's definitely faded. In contrast to the Kawasaki rider's accumulation of wins with the odd bad finish Guintoli found himself unable to secure the top step again until round 11 at Magny Cours, and then only under circumstances that remain entrenched in controversy. Heading into the unknowns of World Superbike's first race under the lights at Qatar, Guintoli knows that he must not only beat Sykes in both races but put a healthy amount of space - in terms of bodies - between them.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to Guintoli's dream sits across the table from him at every team meeting. To call Melandri's start to 2014 abysmal would possibly but to insult the abyss. Melandri came to Aprilia with high potential and higher expectations and the result was... well the results speak for themselves. Most telling perhaps were the rumors that had started to circulate by a third of the season that Melandri would be leaving Aprilia, so dire were his circumstances. With the media and social media abuzz with his struggles it is easy to lose sight of the fact that Melandri is a world champion racer and winner at the highest levels, and that Aprilia have been known to tune a competitive bike or two. When mid-season updates finally gave Melandri the feeling that he needed from the RSV4 Factory the difference was night and day. Melandri's string of wins and podiums would have propelled him into title contention had they come just a little sooner. As is, while the Italian's resurgence has served to frustrate Sykes' title run it has had the consequence of also taking points away from contender Guintoli.

Which brings us to the matter at hand. In the dark corners of Qatar the two Aprilia protagonists will need to decide who truly gets to finish first. Sylvain will leave Aprilia for Pata Honda in 2015, but his departure would be much sweeter if he got to leave with the #1 plate. Despite losing its highest finishing rider (for a second year in a row), Aprilia no doubt relishes the marketing opportunity afforded to running the number 1 plate in the months until his contract expires. Melandri has shown that he can be amenable to assisting his team and teammate with that goal, however there are limitations to the Italian's generosity. While he moved aside to give Guintoli the win in race 1 at France, he blatantly ignored every request to do so in race 2. Some of the biggest questions for the weekend will be just how many points Melandri may be asked to give away to assist another rider, and how many he actually turns over.