World Superbike 2008 – Round Four – Assen – Preview
Bayliss ready for another surprise party
Runaway world Superbike leader Troy Bayliss is banking on another “pleasant surprise” when the championship reconvenes at the iconic Assen circuit in Holland this weekend.
The Australian, who holds a whopping 48pt lead after just three rounds, has already benefited enormously from the all-new and torquier Ducati 1098 in 2008, and he hopes the bike will continue to hold its own at “The Cathedral”, one of the truly great motorcycle racing circuits.
“The (old Ducati) 999 always went well at Assen, and so far the 1098 has been consistently better than the 999, so I hope we’ll have a pleasant surprise at Assen,” said Bayliss.
The dual world champion is a big fan of the technical and twisty Assen layout, although it does leave precious little room for error, as evidenced by a number of high-speed crashes over the years.
Assen was originally over 7km long, but recent alterations, which included removal of the “Northern loop”, have brought it back to 4.555km. Bayliss is a fan of the shorter layout.
“I like the track how it is now. Before it was more flowing and a lot more physical, and this track now is less so, so I can say I actually prefer it now,” said Bayliss. “I don’t normally mind a hard workout but hey, maybe that’s me getting older!
“Assen has always made for great racing, on the old and new track. I’ve had some good battles there. It’s also a track where tyre issues come into play. You can afford to sit back and wait but it depends on the day, how everyone is riding, and on the unpredictable weather conditions.”
Although he certainly expected to be a front runner in 2008, Bayliss still can’t quite believe how far he’s leading by as he sets out to finish his world Superbike career with title No. 3.
“It’s a bit strange to have such a points lead so early on, but a few of the other riders have had a slow start and from now on in I think it’s going to be more consistently difficult,” said Bayliss. “I’m still treating every session the same way, working as hard as possible to improve the bike and feel more comfortable on it, and then we see how we are on race day.
“If it’s possible to have a couple of wins at Assen, I’d really love to, of course!”
Bayliss is already a four-time winner at Assen, which includes one clean sweep – in 2001, when he claimed his maiden world Superbike title.
Bayliss leads the championship on 128pts, ahead of a tight battle for second between Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki, 80pts), Troy Corser (Yamaha, 72pts), Carlos Checa (Honda, 72pts) and Ruben Xaus (Ducati, 68pt). Top guns Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha, 47pts) and Max Biaggi (Ducati, 44pts) are sixth and seventh respectively.
Xaus has always been a feisty performer at Assen, and was third in race one last year behind eventual world champion James Toseland and Japan’s Noriyuki Haga.
After a dreadful start to the year, Haga, the world No.2, finally returned to form in round three at Valencia, catapulting himself back up the standings.
Assen has been hard work for Corser in recent seasons, although he was a regular podium finisher in the late 1990s when four-time world champion Carl Fogarty was the dominant player. Fogarty won 12 races between 1993-1999, including eight in a row during one imperious stretch.
Corser was hoping to find a partial solution to his persistent tyre woes in testing at Monza two weeks ago, but the outing was spoilt by heavy rain.
Although Bayliss holds a comfortable championship lead, he certainly hasn’t been doing all the winning in 2008, with Nieto, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) and Haga also greeting the chequered flag in the opening three rounds.
German Max Neukirchner (Suzuki) was also en route to victory in race one at Valencia before being brought down by Spain’s Carlos Checa (Honda) and breaking his left collarbone.
Neukirchner is expected to compete at Assen, albeit not at full fitness, while Checa is now a bona-fide front-runner on his Honda and will be chasing his first win of the year.
Biaggi has also been on the injury list after breaking his wrist at Phillip Island, and he’ll need a couple of good results at Assen to keep his championship aspirations alive.
Meanwhile, Aussie duo Karl Muggeridge and Russell Holland have been acquitting themselves well in the privateer ranks, with Muggeridge an excellent sixth in race one at Valencia.
The level of competition in world Superbike is set to become even more intense over the next few years, with BMW, KTM, MV Agusta and Aprilia all expected to field factory-backed teams.
In world Supersport, everyone’s now chasing Spain’s Joan Lascorz (Honda). The hard-charging 23-year-old displayed deft touch at Valencia, and opened up a 16pt (54 to 38) lead over Australia’s Broc Parkes with his wire-to-wire victory.
Gold Coast’s Andrew Pitt (Honda) and Bringelly’s Josh Brookes (Honda) are also expected to circulate feature prominently at Assen, while Triumph duo Garry McCoy and Mark Aitchison are still working hard to set-up their British tackle – although McCoy appeared to be well on his way when he finished in a stirring sixth place at Philip Island’s round two.
2008 WORLD SUPERBIKE STANDINGS (after 3 of 14 rounds):
1 Troy Bayliss, Australia, Ducati 128
2 Fonsi Nieto, Spain, Suzuki 80
=3 Troy Corser, Australia, Yamaha 72
=3 Carlos Checa, Spain, Honda 72
5 Ruben Xaus, Spain, Ducati 68
6 Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Yamaha, 47
7 Max Biaggi, Italy, Ducati 44
8 Lorenzo Lanzi, Italy, Ducati 42
9 Max Neukirchner, Germany, Suzuki 39
10 Michel Fabrizio, Italy, Ducari 37
14 Karl Muggeridge, Australia, Honda 20
20 Russell Holland, Australia, Honda 10
