Baz bags Silverstone win

Loris Baz: Secured first ever World Superbike Championship win

Loris Baz enjoyed the best of a rain-hit round 10 of the World Superbike Championship at Silverstone as he claimed his first ever victory in the series.

The Frenchman battled treacherous conditions to cross the line first on his Kawasaki in an opening race which had to be stopped twice following crashes.

Baz then followed up with a second place in race two behind Ducati rider Sylvain Guintoli, with organisers red-flagging the contest at the halfway stage as the weather finally won out.

The lead changed hands several times in race one as heavy showers caused havoc, but it was eventually Baz who prevailed by 0.383 seconds ahead of BMW duo Michel Fabrizio and Ayrton Badovini.

Both Badovini and fourth-placed Jonathan Rea (Honda) came off their bikes in the final moments but had crossed the lines before the incidents.

No points

Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) was fifth, but championship leader Max Biaggi failed to pick up any points for Aprilia Racing after skidding off the track.

The second race was packed with even more incidents, with Guintoli declared the winner on his debut for PATA Ducati.

The Frenchman took the lead on the first bend and stayed there until the race was abandoned, with half points awarded to the riders.

Baz finished second on countback despite crashing, while Jakub Smrz (Ducati), Maxime Berger (Ducati), Rea, Checa and Badovini also came off their bikes within the space of just two laps.

Smrz was declared to have finished the race third ahead of Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) and Berger. Biaggi's miserable day was compounded with an 11th-placed finish.