The crowning of Thomas Chareyre for the fourth time as World Champion marked a successful return to Austria for the final Grand Prix of the 2015 FIM Supermoto World Championship but while the Frenchman celebrated his success, the Austrian fans found a new hero of their own as Lukas Hoellbacher roared to a double moto victory for the first time this season.
Chasing a fourth World Title TM Racing Thomas Chareyre took the holeshot in race one with KTM Rudolph Bauer and HUSQVARNA Lukas Hollbacher tucked in neatly behind. Chareyr’s closest rival HONDA L30 Racing Ivan Lazzarini was just inside the top ten in seventh. Chareyre led for the first three laps but by lap four had been caught and passed by the highly motivated Hollbacher, riding in front of his home fans.
With Chareyre in a comfortable second position, it was up to Lazzarini to make his move and the Italian put on a brave charge to third before the halfway mark, but was unable to do anything about Chareyre, who came home second behind Hollbacher. The Title would have to be decided in the final race of the season.
S1GP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. HOLLBACHER Lukas (AUT, Husqvarna) 14 laps in 19:30.042; 2. CHAREYRE Thomas (FRA, TM) +04.583; 3. LAZZARINI Ivan (ITA, Honda) +09.178; 4. MAIER Hannes (AUT, KTM) +14.558; 5. MONTICELLI Teo (ITA, Honda) +16.166; 6. BURBANO David (COL, Suzuki) +24.731; 7. VERMEULEN Devon (NED, Honda) +25.916; 8. RAVAGLIA Christian (ITA, Honda) +26.348; 9. VERDEROSA Massimiliano (ITA, Honda) +28.978; 10. BAUER Rudolf (AUT, KTM) +42.838.
S1GP Race 2
After giving the home fans something to cheer about with his victory in race one Lukas Hollbacher was ready to do it again in race two. When he crossed the line at the end of the first lap though the Austrian was down in fourth behind Thomas Chareyre, Rudolf Bauer and Hannes Maier – three Austrians in the top four though was good enough for the home crowd. Ivan Lazzarini meanwhile was buried in seventh and his hopes of that elusive first World Title was slipping further away. After three laps the race looked to have settled down, Chareyre holding off the three Austrians with Pavel Kejmar fifth, Teo Monticelli sixth and Lazzarini, making no progress still in seventh.
Bauer dropped from second to fifth promoting Maier to second and Hollbacher to third but despite that slip Chareyre was still under pressure from Maier. But you sensed that the Frenchman was doing just enough to maintain his advantage, careful not to make any mistakes. He also looked like a man who wanted to take the title with a win. However, that all changed on Lap nine when TC4 slipped back to fifth leaving Hollbacher as the new race leader ahead of Hannes Maier; an Austrian one-two with Kejmar third.
Three laps later it was all over, Hollbacher crossed the line to secure his first double victory of the season, extra special as it was at home, but it was somewhat overshadowed by Thomas Chareyre’s fifth place being good enough to secure the S1GP World Championship.
S1GP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. HOLLBACHER Lukas (AUT, Husqvarna) 12 laps in 16:53.324; 2. KEJMAR Pavel (CZE, Husqvarna) +00.803; 3. MAIER Hannes (AUT, KTM) +02.935; 4. BAUER Rudolf (AUT, KTM) +03.592; 5. CHAREYRE Thomas (FRA, TM) +05.095; 6. MONTICELLI Teo (ITA, Honda) +05.499; 7. LAZZARINI Ivan (ITA, Honda) +06.733; 8. VERMEULEN Devon (NED, Honda) +09.373; 9. SITNIANSKY Milan (CZE, Honda) +28.146; 10. BURBANO David (COL, Suzuki) +32.682.
Point standings pending on the outcome of the C-fuel test results of riders Kingelin and Vermeulen
S1GP Overall Top Ten: 1. HOLLBACHER Lukas (AUT, Husqvarna) Pts. 50 (25+25); 2. MAIER Hannes (AUT, KTM) Pts. 38 (18+20); 3. CHAREYRE Thomas (FRA, TM) Pts. 38 (22+16); 4. LAZZARINI Ivan (ITA, Honda) Pts. 34 (20+14); 5. MONTICELLI Teo (ITA, Honda) Pts. 31 (16+15); 6. BAUER Rudolf (AUT, KTM) Pts. 29 (11+18); 7. VERMEULEN Devon (NED, Honda) Pts. 27 (14+13); 8. KEJMAR Pavel (CZE, Husqvarna) Pts. 26 (4+22); 9. BURBANO David (COL, Suzuki) Pts. 26 (15+11); 10. SITNIANSKY Milan (CZE, Honda) Pts. 22
S1GP Championship Top Ten: 1. CHAREYRE Thomas (FRA-TM) points 291; 2. LAZZARINI Ivan (ITA-Honda) p. 274; 3. HOLLBACHER Lukas (AUT-Husqvarna) p. 256; 4. KEJMAR Pavel (CZE-Husqvarna) p. 237; 5. RAVAGLIA Christian (ITA-Honda) p. 190; 6. HERMUNEN Mauno (FIN-TM) p. 188; 7. VERMEULEN Devon (NED-Ktm) p. 176; 8. MONTICELLI Teo (ITA-Honda) p. 166; 9. VERDEROSA Massimiliano (ITA-Honda) p. 162. ; 10. KINGELIN Asseri (FIN-Honda) p. 135
S1GP Manufacturers: 1.TM 327 points; 2. Husqvarna 297; 3. Honda 277 p.; 4. KTM 211 p.; 5.Suzuki 140 p.; 6. Kawasaki 8; 7. Yamaha 0 p.
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