Xavi Artigas has been crowned the first FIM Sportbike World Champion. The Spaniard sealed the title at the Jerez finale with eighth place in Race 2. He rides for MTM Kawasaki.
A race-long duel decided by eight points
Race 2 began at one o'clock under an overcast sky, and the feared rain held off. Torres led off the line as Artigas and David Salvador lined up seventh and eighth, Artigas just ahead on the grid. Four riders crashed out on the opening lap in two separate incidents.
On Lap 2 Salvador took the front and tried to break clear, while Artigas moved into second. The rivals nearly came to blows at Turn 6, and Salvador made an aggressive move at Turn 2 on Lap 6. Carter Thompson pulled away while the two title men held each other up.
By Lap 8 Artigas had dropped to sixth before fighting back onto the rostrum places. Both title men then ran wide at Turn 13 and fell down the order. Going into the last lap Salvador was fifth and Artigas ninth; Salvador recovered to fourth, but Artigas held eighth to take the crown.
From 35 points down to the first name on the trophy
Thompson won the race in 19:48.855 over 11 laps — his second win of the season — with Artigas 7.196 seconds behind. Pepe Osuna took his first WorldSPB rostrum in third, behind Antonio Torres; Salvador finished fourth. Thompson ended the year third overall and Torres fourth.
Earlier in the season Artigas had trailed by 35 points, and he reached the finale 12 points behind Salvador. Winning Race 1 turned that into a 13-point lead, and he ended the year champion by 8 points, 245 to 237. The campaign brought four wins and seven podiums, plus the first WorldSPB Riders' Championship for MTM Kawasaki.
"I'm a World Champion. Not everyone can say that," said Artigas, who had taken his first WorldSPB win earlier in the year at his home round, MotorLand Aragón. His path to this stage ran through the European Talent Cup, Moto3 and Moto2. For a rider who had been well adrift, the first name on the WorldSPB honours board is now his own.
