BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Marco Melandri’s Superbike World Championship title dreams were prematurely ended in a thrilling second race at Magny-Cours in France today, when a cruel highside on lap seven caused the brave Italian to crash out of contention, leaving Max Biaggi and Tom Sykes in the fight to become 2012 World Superbike Champion. Nevertheless, BMW Motorrad achieved a great 2nd place in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

In the end, it was Tom Sykes who was dealt the cruellest blow, for despite winning the second race of the day (and finishing on the podium in the first) he lost the 2012 title by the narrowest of margins – just half a point – to Biaggi, who had crashed out of the first race and only finished fifth in race two. Melandri’s podium finish in race one helped him secure third place in the championship, and also helped BMW to consolidate second place in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

It had been a great start to race day, with Sylvain Barrier winning the 2012 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup title on the S 1000 RR for the BMW Motorrad Italia Goldbet STK team earlier this morning. Then in the first WSBK race, three RR riders finished in the top six, with Melandri coming second in his 50th WSBK race, followed by Leon Haslam in fifth and Ayrton Badovini in sixth place.

As Biaggi had crashed out of the first race, this meant that the title fight would well and truly go down to the wire, with just 18.5 points separating the top three riders going into race two. Treacherous earlier conditions that had seen only 12 riders complete race one, had improved significantly for the second race of the day, although the track was still greasy with damp patches in places.

It turned out to be a gripping contest in the early stages, with Biaggi languishing down in tenth place, Sykes out in front and Melandri chasing down the five riders in front of him, including his own team-mate. However, pushing hard to close the gap to leader Sykes, Melandri had a big highside on lap seven and was unable to continue.

Leon Haslam looked intent on finishing his time with the BMW Motorrad team in style, as he was involved in a tremendous battle for the podium in the early stages, but he also crashed out with just seven laps remaining. With all eyes on Sykes in front, and Biaggi down in fifth, the remainder of the race was a thrilling climax where any serious mistake by either rider would cost them dearly. As it turned out, the experienced Biaggi knew he had done enough to win the title by finishing in fifth, making it a bitter pill to swallow for Sykes, who played his part in the closest championship finish in history, and definitely one of the most memorable.

With the 14-round championship now done and dusted, BMW Motorrad Motorsport can reflect on an extremely successful year in World Superbikes, with 16 podiums achieved by both riders, including six race wins by Marco; and 421 points achieved in the Manufacturers’ Championship. Marco secured third place in the rider standings on 328.5 points, with Leon finishing his time with the team in eighth overall, on 200 points.

Marco Melandri:

“It felt good to finish a race on the podium again after the last two unfortunate race weekends. My BMW S 1000 RR was working very well. In the first couple of laps of race one, I was still struggling a bit with warming up the tyre, but once the tyre was working, I could go at quite a good pace. Anyhow, it was a tough race and I did not want to overpace and risk too much. Unfortunately the track dried up more and more which did not work in my favour. When I finally passed Tom, the track was not really wet anymore, and in these conditions I had no chance to follow Sylvain, who really showed a strong performance today.

“The track conditions were very difficult in race two. I pushed 100 per cent but I could not change direction quickly. When I crashed I must have hit a wet patch, and I lost the rear of my RR. My back and my leg are very sore now. Overall, this was a great season for us. We can be proud of what we have achieved. When we started the season we were quite far from the top guys. We closed the gap quickly and fought with them for the rest of the season. We won races, but we also had some bad luck and I made mistakes. Everything was possible this year, and we can be happy. I hope to start from that point next year. A big ‘Thank You’ to all the team in Germany and at the track.”

Leon Haslam:

“In race one I had a few issues with the grip and the electronics, on top of that I made a few mistakes. Finishing the race in fifth is a bit disappointing as I know that a podium would have been possible. I had a good start in the second race but struggled getting into first gear in a few corners. I also got a false neutral coming down the hill in the last stadium section. I had to release the brakes not to hit Eugene Laverty and ran off the track. I came back in eighth position and tried to follow the group around Max Biaggi when I hit a wet patch. This put me down again.

“I am a bit disappointed about finishing the season this way, and I am also disappointed for my crew and the team who did an outstanding job all season long. Thanks to all of these guys. Max Biaggi again was Mr Consistent, congratulations to him for winning another World Championship. I feel a bit sorry for Tom who showed great racing this year. Losing the World Championship by only half a point is hard to take.”

Bernhard Gobmeier (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director):

“The final race Sunday of the 2012 season was virtually a day of mixed emotions for us. In race one, Marco cleverly managed the race – like he has done more than once this season. This was impressive. Leon finished the race in a solid fifth position. In the second race lady luck was not on our side once more. Both Marco and Leon crashed on wet parts of the track and could not finish the race.

“This result does not reflect the season for BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Until the very last race of the year we fought for the World Championship. At the start of the season we all would not have dreamt of this. We all are proud having finished the riders’ standings in a very good third position and the constructors’ standings in a fantastic second place. These results are due to the efforts of the entire team. Everybody involved has played his part and can be proud of this outcome. That’s why I would not only like to say ‘Thank You’ to Marco and Leon but to all team members in Munich, Stephanskirchen and at the track. Congratulations to Tom Sykes and his team who showed an unbelievable will to win and to the 2012 World Champions Max Biaggi and Aprilia.”

.