WSBK Sepang: Nicky Hayden claims debut WSBK victory

Nicky Hayden wins a wet race two at the Sepang round of the World Superbike Championship.
Nicky Hayden claims debut WSBK victory

Former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden claime𓆉d his debut World Superbike win during a 𒐪wet race two at Sepang in Malaysia.

The American, whose last world championship race victory came dur⛄ing his title-winning 2006 season, led for almost the entire 16 laps.

But the #69 came under intense late-race ꧟pressure from Ducati's Davide Giugliano, also chasing h🎀is first WSBK win, who worked his way up the order and was just one-second from the Ten Kate Honda rider on the penultimate lap.

However Hayden held𒅌 his nerve to cross the finish line 1.2s ahead of Giugliano, with world champion Jonathan Rea completing the podium in third (+3.7s) for Kawasaki.

Hayden's vic🅠tory - at round six of his 'rookie' WSBK season - makes him the 16th rider to win both a 500cc/MotoGP and WSBK race. It is also the 🅠first WSBK win for Honda since 2014.

Rea's closest title rival Chaz Davies slipped from second to fo🌳urth (+5.7s) for Ducati, followed by wet weather ace Anthony West (riding for Pedercini Kawasaki his weekend), Hayden's team-mate Michael van der Mark and former MotoGP rider Alex de Angelis (Ioda Aprilia).

Race one winner Tom Sykes (Kawasaki𒅌) dropped gradually back from f𝓡ourth to eighth while Leon Camier (MV Agusta) and Marcus Reiterberger (Althea BMW) completed the top ten.

Pata Yamaha's lone rider Alex Lowes fell and is 🐬feared to have 🙈suffered a collarbone injury.

Milwaukee BMW's Karel Abraham was the onlyও other rider not to finish, underlining the impressive wet whether grip levels from the new S♒epang asphalt.

Rea now leads the championship by an increased 42-points overꦐ Davi꧋es, with Sykes 70-points adrift heading into their home round at Donington Park.

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