Photo courtesy Palmeto Kawasaki
American Kenny Noyes (Palmeto Kawasaki ZX10R) took his third straight pole and his third consecutive win in the CEV Superbike race at the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya to extend his points lead from 5 to 14. The American battled four-times Spanish national champion Carmelo Morales (Calvo Kawasaki ZX10R) wheel to wheel for almost 16 of the 17 laps of the fourth race of the FIM CEV Repsol International Championship and nothing was settled as the two entered the stadium section at the end of the penultimate lap.
Noyes, starting from the pole, and Morales, starting second, exchanged the lead several times in the first half of the race. Morales then seemed content to follow until Noyes slowed to force the Spaniard to go to the front. Morales refused to take the bait for an entire lap and a half, content to shadow the American. But when the pace dropped from the 45s to the 47s, Morales made a bid to break away and managed in a single lap to open a .6 of a second lead on lap 14. Noyes needed two laps to close the gap back to a bike length. It looked like it would go down to wire, but Morales lost the front and crashed out and into the tire barriers in the second-gear right-hander three corners from the finish line.
The battling pair had pulled 16 seconds clear of the three-rider scrap for third when the crash occurred and Noyes was able to cruise home to win by over 12 seconds. He began the season by being taken out on the first lap and left Jerez with no points. Coming into Catalunya he led Morales and former champion Ivan Silva (Targobank BMW S1000RR) by 5 points. He leaves with a 14-point lead over Silva who was beaten in a battle for second by Dani Rivas (Easyrace BMW S1000RR).
“I knew the only way to beat Carmelo here was to push hard from the beginning,” Noyes said. “I tried to get away and couldn´t. and I knew Carmelo wanted to sit on my rear wheel and prepare a pass on the final lap, so I slowed the pace down so much that he decided to take the lead. He surprised me with a real change of pace. We had both done a single high 1´44 early in the race when the tires were fresh but I didn´t expect him to do a 45 flat. He suddenly took .6 of a second lead. And I had to really dig deep to close on him again. I was right on his rear wheel again when he crashed. I was planning to pass him at the end of the straight but I know he would have fought back and that last lap would have been crazy. I wish Carmelo a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in action real soon.”
Morales, who won the season opener and was second to Noyes in Race 1 at Motorland, has failed to score in the last two races, taken out on the first turn in race 2 at Motorland two weeks ago and falling here today in Catalunya. He was taken to Granollers Hospital where he was found to have broken both ankles.
The next round, at Albacete on July 6, is a double-header.
CEV Superbike results from Catalunya, Round 4 of 10 – June 22, 2014
1. Noyes (USA) Kawasaki ZX10R
2. Dani Rivas (Spain) BMW S1000RR +12.300
3. Ivan Silva (Spain) Kawasaki ZX10R +12.362
4. Angel Rodríguez (Spain) Suzuki GSX-R +12.362
5. Santiago Barragan (Spain) Kawasaki ZX10R +12.588
6. Robertino Pietri (Venezuela) Kawasaki ZX10R +12.588
Championship Points
1. Noyes-USA75 (3 wins); 2. Silva-Spain 61: 3. Barragan-Spain 54: 4. Pietri-Venezuela 54; 5. Morales-Spain 45 (1 win) 45; 6. Ferrer-Spain 36; 7. Rivas-Spain 36; 8. Rodríguez-Spain 24; Pachard-France 21; Kuparinen-Finland 20.
