World Superbike 2008 – Round Five – Monza – Preview Troy Bayliss has the perfect opportunity to extend his already commanding world Superbike lead in round five of the championship at Monza this weekend. The Australian has always been a prolific performer at the historic Italian circuit, winning six of his 10 starts and never finishing worse than fourth – and that was in 2000 when he was drafted into the factory Ducati squad as a mid-year substitute for the injured Carl Fogarty. Bayliss’ incomparable record at Monza, on top of his sizzling form so far in 2008, has the 39-year-old a short-priced favourite to put further distance between himself and his major rivals before the championships heads into unchartered territory at Miller Motorsports Park on June 1, which will be the first American round held outside Laguna Seca. “Monza is pretty much a “home” race for the Ducati team and it always seems like the majority of the fans at the track are Ducati followers,” said Bayliss. “The track itself is full of character and that always makes for close racing. “I just really like the place, I had a good start there in 2000 and that has continued from then on. The Ducatis go well there and I guess we’re spurred on by the fans too. “Riding wise, I’m in as good a form as ever and have a good feeling with the bike, which is going well. I’m also feeling pretty fit, although I did pull a stomach muscle at the gym the other day!” Bayliss is 70pts (178 to 108) in front of Spain’s Carlos Checa (Honda), which is the second biggest lead in the history of the championship after four rounds – something which the dual world champion was unaware of. “That’s not bad, I didn’t realise that!,” Bayliss continued. “I’m just happy with the lead I’ve got, but if all goes well this weekend and I can gain some more points, it would be nice.” Australian Troy Corser (Yamaha, 89pts) is sitting in third, but with Spanish duo Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki, 85pts) and Ruben Xaus (Ducati, 81pts) right on his hammer. Monza, situated north of Milan, is a shining example of a high-speed grand prix circuit, with Yamaha’s Noriyuki Haga recording an average speed of 195km/h en route to winning last year’s races, around 25km/h faster than Phillip Island. Bayliss declared at the last round in Assen that Haga and Checa will present him with the biggest headaches over the next few rounds, and that’s how it’s shaping up for Monza. When he hasn’t been taking himself out with unforced errors, Haga has matched Bayliss’ pace in recent times, while Checa is desperate to add even more polish to his rookie season with his first world Superbike victory. “Carlos has been very consistent so far, so I guess he’s the biggest threat, but Nori did the double at Monza last year and I know there’ll be other strong guys this weekend, so it’ll be tough,” said Bayliss. Corser will also be in the mix, as he always is, as he tries to conjure up his first win since Philip Island’s round two in 2006. “We had some small problems in the past races, but as far as the season goes I would rate it an eight out of 10,” said Corser, who won at Monza in 2005. “Although I haven’t won a race yet I am still sort of up there in the championship standings and my form is good. “I just have to ride the bike harder when the package of bike and tyres are not working great. My motivation is still high and I just try as hard as I can to win races. “Monza is different from all the others on the calendar. We need to have the bike set-up for hard braking after the long and fast straights, and there will be a lot of slipstreaming involved. Overtaking options are limited around there, mainly on braking.” Italian riders dominated the Monza leg of world Superbikes in the early years, winning eight of the first 12 races thanks to the deeds of Fabrizio Pirovano, Giancarlo Falappa and Pierfrancesco Chili. Since then, the well has dried up, although Ducati’s Max Biaggi will be doing his best to restore some pride on Sunday after a listless performance at Assen. Other front-runners at Monza should include German, Max Neukirchner and Japanese duo, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) and Yukio Kagayama, while Frenchman, Regis Laconi (Kawasaki) is a former winner at the circuit. Australian Russell Holland will be making his first appearance at Monza, while his Swiss-based countryman Karl Muggeridge has completed plenty of miles at the venue, even winning the 2004 world Supersport race there. In world Supersport this year, Australians, Andrew Pitt (Honda) and Broc Parkes (Yamaha) have combined to win three of the four races, but it’s Spaniard Joan Lascorz (Honda) who leads the title by a comfortable 20pts from Pitt. The last round at Assen was a classic exhibition of high-speed racing, and the similarly free flowing Monza promises more of the same, with Jonathan Rea (Honda), veteran Fabien Foret (Yamaha) and Aussie Josh Brookes (Honda) also expected to figure prominently. Foret was second last year, behind eventual world champion Kenan Sofuoglu and ahead of Queenslander Anthony West. Another Australian, Mark Aitchison, is now really starting to hit his straps on the British-made Triumph, and he could be one to really watch on Sunday – as will be Garry McCoy (Triumph) if he can manage to qualify higher up the grid. 2008 WORLD SUPERBIKE STANDINGS (after 4 of 14 rounds): 1 Troy Bayliss, Australia, Ducati 178 2 Carlos Checa, Spain, Honda 108 3 Troy Corser, Australia, Yamaha 89 4 Fonsi Nieto, Spain, Suzuki 85 5 Ruben Xaus, Spain, Ducati 81 6 Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Yamaha 67 7 Max Neukirchner, Germany, Suzuki 66 8 Max Biaggi, Italy, Ducati 54 9 Gregorio Lavilla, Spain, Honda 48 10 Lorenzo Lanzi, Italy, Ducati 42
