Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport's Leon Haslam put in a gutsy performance at round one of the 2012 World Superbike Championship.
Only four days after an operation to insert two screws to fix his fractured right tibia, Leon Haslam fought the pain barrier, scoring a 12th and a strong fifth place.
The Brit had finished 12th in the two qualifying sessions. In race one, despite his injuries, he was fighting for the top ten until the very last lap. At the start of race two he catapulted himself up to third, and fought for the top positions over the next laps going on to finish fifth in front of team-mate Marco Melandri.
"Overall I'm really happy. We had a problem in race one, which I couldn't ride around," Haslam explained.
"Even though just scoring points was the objective, I knew I could have done better. The boys worked really hard between races: They changed engines, electronics and the balance of the bike, and straightaway we were able to fight for a top five position. It's a big credit to all the team and the medical staff who managed to get me out there in the first place! I also want to express my condolences to the family and friends of Oscar McIntyre, who died in that tragic crash yesterday."
Bernhard Gobmeier (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director) paid credit toi his rider "Leon having finished the second race in the top five is very impressive and makes everyone at BMW Motorrad very proud."
Main Photo: Leaon Haslam battles with team-mate Marco Melandri
Photo: BMW Press
