World Superbike 2013 Photo Gallery

Leon Camier has minor surgery to remove screw in his wrist.

Johnny Rea puts some laps down at a wet day one of the Jerez World Superbike test.

Fixi Crescent Suzuki's Leon Camier led the World Superbike private tests at Phillip Island in Australia. Photography By: Courtesy of Suzuki

Carlos Checa nails down pole at Phillip Island. Photography By: Gold & Goose.

Eugene Laverty (58) and Sylvain Guintoli (50) split wins at the opening round of World Superbike at Phillip Island. Photography By: Gold & Goose.

Michel Fabrizio is fastest on day one of Phillip Island. Photography By: Gold & Goose.

Leon Camier is fastest at the World Superbike test at Phillip Island. Photography By: Gold & Goose.

Checa and the Panigale head into the World Superbike season on top. Photography By: Andrea Wilson

It was Italian Marco Melandri striking the first blow by topping Friday’s practice sessions at Motorland Aragon. Melandri was fastest in the first morning session, turning a 1:58.510 on his BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK BMW S1000 RR. (Photo by Gold & Goose)

Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes scored a mild surprise by running to the top of Tissot Superpole at the second round of the Eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Motorland Aragon on Saturday. Sykes clocked in a weekend best 1:56.339 on his factory Kawasaki ZX-10R to earn the pole for Sunday’s races. It marked the first pole of the season for Sykes, his 12th-career pole. (Gold & Goose photo)

It was an eventful race one in World Superbike action at the scenic Motorland Aragon in Spain. BMW’s Chaz Davies emerged as the winner after both Eugene Laverty and Tom Sykes each had bikes issues while leading and were forced to drop out of the race. The victory vaulted Davies from 10th to third in the championship standings.

If Motorland Aragon was any indication, there is a new favorite in World Superbike in the form of Chaz Davies. It was a perfect day for Davies, the Welshman winning the second race by 5.035 seconds on his factory BMW Motorrad GoldBet S1000 RR, after scoring victory in race one to make it a clean sweep. It was the first World Superbike double for the former Daytona 200 winner. (Gold & Goose photo)

Carlos Checa heads to Assen this weekend with optimism

Damian Cudlin may ride for Leon Camier at Assen this weekend.

World Superbike riders battled less than ideal conditions at the Dutch round in preliminary qualifying at TT Assen Circuit on Friday. Light rain, wind and cool conditions greeted competitors and it was Tom Sykes who best overcame the dicey conditions to set the fastest Friday qualifying time of 1:57.190 aboard his factory Provec Kawasaki ZX-10R.

It will be an all British Isles front row for the Assen World Superbike round Sunday, as Saturday’s Tissot-Superpole at the TT Circuit Assen was dominated by Brit Tom Sykes, who turned a 1:35.043 on his factory Kawasaki. He’ll be joined on the first row by Irishmen Jonathan Rea (1:35.639) and Eugene Laverty (1:35.814). (Gold & Goose photo)

Tom Sykes turned in one of the most dominating performances ever seen at Assen in World Superbike action in race one Sunday. After getting around Jonathan Rea on the second turn on the first lap, Sykes simply walked away on his factory Kawasaki ZX-10R, building a 9.5 second lead before backing off in the closing laps to win by 8.786 seconds at the flag. (Gold & Goose photo)

Eugene Laverty beats Tom Sykes in a close one at Assen. Photography By: Gold & Goose

Marco Melandri has had a crazy 2013 World Superbike season so far, with crashes, a nagging shoulder injury and bizarre bike issues that kept him from starting a race earlier this season. Coming home to Italy looks to be the medicine the five-time MotoGP race winner needed, as Melandri not only set the pace at Monza Friday in qualifying aboard his factory BMW, he also broke a three-year-old qualifying lap record of on still green track, freshly dry from early rains. (File photo courtesy World Superbike)

Tom Sykes earned his 14th pole position at Monza.

Marco Melandri took an amazing last-lap victory over Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty in World Superbike race one action in Monza.

Marco Melandri won race one at Monza in Italy.

Eugene Laverty won race two at Monza.

It was Tom Sykes who laid down the first marker of the weekend at Donington Park by setting the fastest time in Friday’s qualifying session with a time of 1:30.278. Almost immediately after setting the time Sykes crashed out, possibly caught up in light rain falling on the far reaches of the 2.5-mile circuit. (Gold & Goose photo)

World Superbike 2013 Photo Gallery

Photos from the 2013 World Superbike Championship