Even though his own title-winning aspirations have long gone, a resurgent Troy Corser looms as a danger man in the final four rounds of the 2009 Superbike World Championship, starting at Nurburgring on Sunday.
After a stunning return to form in the last round at Brno, another performance of that ilk could see the BMW-backed Corser pose a real threat to the shortlist of riders battling for the championship: Yamaha’s Ben Spies and Ducati pair Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio.
The spectacular Nurburgring is also a home race for BMW, so this weekend has even more significance for Corser.
“I like the Nurburgring and it has been a good circuit for me in the past and, after a recent tests and the race in Brno in the last round, I am really looking forward to this coming weekend,” said Corser.
“There is going to be a lot of interest and attention on us this weekend… and all of us want to do well for our fans and our sponsors.”
Corser will have a new teammate this weekend, with Briton Richard Cooper filling in for the injured Ruben Xaus.
“It is a shame that Ruben cannot race this weekend, but I’m sure that the right decision has been made,” said Corser.
“It’s far better for him to return when he is stronger and fitter. I’m happy that Richard is stepping in this weekend for Ruben. I have met him a few times, especially at Brands Hatch recently. He’s young, fast and good prospect for the future and I’m sure he’ll do a good job for the team.
“I’ll give him whatever helps he needs and although he’s young (and looks even younger!), he’s pretty experienced already, so maybe he won’t need it!”
Corser won at Nurburgring way back in 1999 on a Ducati before it underwent some modifications, and the iconic circuit didn’t resurface on the world superbike calendar until last year, with his former Yamaha teammate Haga winning both races.
Haga will be hoping it’s a case of déjà vu in 2009, especially as the unflappable Spies is only 7pts (319 to 326) behind with four rounds remaining. Fabrizio is third on 273pts.
Spies has won six of the past eight races, while Haga was riding under duress at Brno after a big crash in the preceding round at Donington.
The six-week break couldn’t have come at a better time for Haga, who spent some time back home in Japan recharging his batteries for what promises to be a relentless finish to the championship.
“I got a great result at Nurburgring last year and hope to be able to do the same again this time around,” said Haga. “It’s a really nice track though last year was pretty wet for race day which made things interesting!
“Anyway I’m feeling much stronger than I was at Brno and, after a relaxing holiday back home in Japan, I’m totally ready to continue the fight for the world title.”
Like Corser, Max Biaggi (Aprilia) and Jonathan Rea (Honda) could also have major roles to play in the final four rounds, with the veteran Biaggi winning his first race for the year at Brno – and Aprilia’s first since 2001.
Meanwhile, Newcastle’s Broc Parkes is confident of an improved performance on the factory Kawasaki after recently scoring two podium finishes in a round of the British superbike title at Brands Hatch.
“After racing at the British superbikes… we found some really good things on the bike and came away with some great results which gave me and the team some confidence on our direction for the last four world superbike rounds,” said Parkes.
“It will be great to apply the team’s development to the Nurburgring race this weekend. I really enjoy racing at this circuit and I’ve had some successful results in the past.
“Last year I was unlucky not to win on the world supersport bike, as we had a problem end of race. I’ve also won a race a few years back on the short circuit for the German Superbike Championship.
“Overall I’m really looking forward to some good results this weekend. I’m also over the moon at becoming a father this week to my newborn son, young Jesse John Parkes.”
And after being let go by his privateer Suzuki team mid-season, Australian Karl Muggeridge will make a cameo return to the championship deputising for the injured Max Neukirchner in the factory Suzuki squad.
It will be the first time Muggeridge, 35, has ridden leading world superbike machinery since leaving Ten Kate Honda at the end of 2006.
In world supersport, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) and Eugene Laverty (Honda) will continue jousting for the championship lead, while Anthony West (Honda) and Garry McCoy (Triumph) are the Aussies most likely to sneak through for a win.
Reigning world champion Andrew Pitt, Mark Aitchison and Jason O’Halloran are the other Australians in action, all on Hondas. Pitt’s title defence has been in freefall since mid-season, and he will be looking to at least finish the campaign on a high note.
— FG Sport Preview – The Ring gets ready to Rock with renewed Haga-Spies duel
The 2009 Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship is back in action following the summer break with the eleventh round of the championship taking place at Germany’s legendary Nurburgring circuit, an hour or so from Bonn. The German Round is the first in a series of the final four (the others being Imola, Magny-Cours and Portimao), which will lead to the crowning of the 2009 world champion. The eventual winner will now come from a short-list of three: points leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox).
The Nurburgring circuit is one of the most spectacular in the world, with its 5.137 km layout offering numerous unique features. Each lap is made up of 17 curves, some of which, in particular the three after the start-finish line, are extremely tricky from a technical point of view, while the track surface is exceptional in both wet and dry conditions.
World Superbike has been to the Nurburgring three times: twice before the track underwent modifications (1998-1999) and then last year. The winners were Aaron Slight (Honda) and Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati) in 1998, while the following year Ducati scored a double with Carl Fogarty and Troy Corser. Nine years later the German track was witness to another double win, this time by Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia), who pulled off this incredible feat just two weeks after breaking his collarbone in the previous US Round at Miller Motorsports Park.
STAR WARS – The memories of Haga’s amazing performance twelve months ago could be just what the Ducati rider needs to galvanize him into action, as he arrives in Germany in a similar position due to his recovery from the injury he suffered two races back at Donington. The Japanese rider will have to be on top form indeed to hold off his closest rival Ben Spies, who is currently on the crest of a wave with three wins in the last four races. There are just 7 points between the two at the moment and the German Round could see a sensational changeover at the top. Ducati Xerox team-mate Michel Fabrizio could also play a key role in proceedings this weekend. Not only is the young Italian in the midst of the title battle, albeit 53 points behind Haga and 46 behind the Texan (with 200 points still up for grabs), but team strategy could also play a major role. At Brno he unwittingly took Spies out of the action thus allowing Haga to keep the championship lead, but in Germany he could easily take away points from the American with careful race tactics.
APRILIA ON THE MOVE – After the last round Max Biaggi and Aprilia will now surely be key players at the German track. The win at Brno helped to boost morale in the Italian team and even though it came at a circuit where the RSV4 had already been tested, it goes without saying that the four-cylinder machine from the Noale factory is making major progress towards the top in its return season in WSB. Biaggi raced here last year and can undoubtedly give the right indications to the Aprilia engineers to get the RSV4 machine to the top this time around.
WATCH OUT FOR HONDA – The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team have had an up and down season so far but at least they have seen the rise of Jonathan Rea, the only winner for the Japanese manufacturer this year and surely one of the men to watch in WSB in the future. Rea is a true fighter and the German track, which he is familiar with after racing here in Supersport, is another chance for him to shine. Carlos Checa has shown signs of a renaissance in recent races, while over in the Stiggy Racing Honda camp Leon Haslam aims to put in another solid performance to become top Honda man ahead of Rea. Further possible surprises could come from Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati), who is having an excellent second half of the season.
BMW PLAY AT HOME – The BMW Motorrad men showed major improvement at Brno, with Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus both capable of getting onto row 2 in Superpole and the Australian bringing home the best result of the season for the team with a fifth place finish. The German squad is working hard to close the gap on the frontrunners, and with their home round ahead BMW obviously want to make a good impression. It hasn’t been an idle summer for Kawasaki either as the Paul Bird Motorsport team raced successfully in a BSB round at Brands Hatch, giving an opportunity for Broc Parkes to try out some new material, while the injured Makoto Tamada remained at home to recover for the race. Over in Suzuki Alstare the Belgian squad cannot count on their top rider Max Neukirchner, who was injured again in Imola testing. After racing singleton at Brno, Yukio Kagayama will be flanked by Karl Muggeridge, released from his contract by the Celani team, which will not be present in Germany.
SUPERSPORT – Just when everything appeared to be going Cal Crutchlow’s way, the gremlin that sidelined the Yamaha man at Brno has meant the battle for the title is wide-open once again. The Coventry rider now has just a 17 points advantage over Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), the only man who can take the title away from him. Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) is still in with a mathematical chance but the 2007 champion is 57 points down with four rounds remaining and has little chance of making up that disadvantage. Crutchlow can count on the full support of his team-mate Fabien Foret, who scored his first win of the season in the Czech Republic. Another surefire frontrunner will be Spain’s Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Provec), who is having an excellent season, while following his re-emergence at Brno, Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda) will be hoping to continue his good run of form. Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) officially abdicated the title he won in 2008 one race ago, but wants to salvage something from this season in a race he won last year. Other Supersport men to watch will be evergreen Garry McCoy on the dark green Triumph ParkinGo 675 bike, and Italians Massimo Roccoli (Intermoto Czech Honda) and Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini), who comes to Germany just days after taking his first-ever domestic title in the category.
SUPERSTOCK 1000 – Maxime Berger’s crash at Brno as the Ten Kate Honda man was heading for victory handed victory on a plate to Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox), who now has a clear run to the title with a one-win gap to second-placed Claudio Corti (Suzuki Alstare), and almost two to Berger, his chief rivals. With four rounds remaining Simeon is in a good position to administer his points lead and not make any mistakes. The Nurburgring race could also see Davide Giugliano (Suzuki Celani) up at the front, especially seeing as the talented Italian has excellent memories of the German track, seeing as he finished runner-up last year behind winner Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox). In his rookie Superstock 1000 season Daniele Beretta (Ducati Xerox) is also showing positive form and the Nurburgring race will be the start of a late-season effort to get onto the podium.
SUPERSTOCK 600 – Five riders are still in with a chance of taking the 600 title. Young Italian Danilo Petrucci (Yamaha Trasimeno) leads the way but he would have an even bigger advantage had he not been taken out twice in two races while in the lead. Petrucci now finds himself just 13 points ahead of Belgium’s Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha), 14 ahead of Britain’s Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda), 19 ahead of Frenchman Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Yamaha) and 22 ahead of team-mate Marco Bussolotti. The German race could see a break-away by Petrucci however as the Italian has shown himself to be the strongest overall performer this year.
— Team Previews
— HRC Preview
Round 11 of the World Superbike Championship takes place at the 5.137km Nürburgring circuit in Germany this coming weekend with three Honda riders inside the top eight positions; the highest placed being Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) in fourth.
WSB rookie Rea took his debut race win at Misano in June and now has a clear target in mind for Germany, and the rest of the championship rounds, mixing it with the podium riders each time out.
Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) made up ground in the overall championship fight in the World Supersport class at the previous Brno round, cutting long-time leader Cal Crutchlow’s advantage to 17 points. Laverty has never raced at the Nürburgring before, but was able to complete a short test session recently, which should allow him to save time in practice for what is yet another crucial round.
Nürburgring now hosts WSB for the second time in the most recent history of this race series, although it has been used before in earlier times. Located immediately adjacent to the former GP venue of the Nordschleife, the ‘new’ Nürburgring is something of a modern classic, with a great variety of corners and elevation changes.
Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) has experienced some strongly contrasting fortunes this year, having posted two fine wins yet struggling unexpectedly at some other rounds. He is currently third in the rankings, 40 points from second place and 57 from the lead.
Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) was the top ranked Honda rider for some time this year, but has recently slipped back to sixth place overall. His most immediate target is Max Biaggi, 20 points ahead in fifth place. Haslam arrives in Germany looking to add to his total of four podium finishes in 2009 so far.
A remarkable ride to second place at Brno last time out was the best finish for Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) since a runner-up spot in round three at Valencia. His 20 Brno points helped place him fifth in the championship, just ahead of race winner, Fabien Foret.
Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) rode well at Brno on his ever-improving technical package to go eighth overall, with his fellow Ten Kate rider Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) now 11th in the standings. Checa was second in race one at Brno, jointly his best individual result of the year.
American star John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) has had good reason to enjoy his summer break, as he used the time to help his seriously injured hip heal back to its previous strength. He is another Nürburgring new boy, as this is his first WSB season. A great, if unexpected, mid-season introduction to WSB for Matthieu Lagrive (Honda Althea CBR1000RR) has seen him improve his go 19th in the standings after only three rounds.
In Supersport reigning champion Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) is out to regain the form and machine set-up that allowed him to secure two podiums in the first two races of the year. He won the Nürburgring race last year, on his way to his second world championship success. Mark Aitchison (Althea Honda CBR600RR) is two places behind his countryman Pitt in the current order, ninth overall.
Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) is one of the riders who has good memories of the Nürburgring track from last year, while some new technical parts will also help the challenge Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR), who is currently 16th overall.
Round 12 of the 14 round season for both WSB and WSS classes takes place at Imola, between 26 and 28 September.
WSB Rider comments:
Jonathan Rea: “The Ten Kate Honda package in Brno felt really good, so we’ll just concentrate on fine tuning it for Nürburgring when we go out on Friday after this long break. The guys back in the workshop never stand still though, and I know the data boys have been looking closely at the electronics package, so there’ll be some new things to try for sure. I’ve had one race win this year and, although it wasn’t gifted and I rode well to earn it, it’s not enough. There have been three guys on it all season and I want to be in that group for the rest of the year and finish each race on the podium. I’m really motivated to make that next step now and I’ll try to start on that this weekend.”
Leon Haslam: “Brno was a tough weekend for us and we ran into a few issues, so we are looking to eliminate a lot of them this weekend. The Nürburgring will be a new circuit to learn for me but from what I have seen on TV it looks it like it should be a good one for the Honda. The summer break was needed, but it went on a bit too long so I am looking forward to getting back on the bike in Germany.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari: “I’ve had a good holiday, lots of relaxing every day at home, but now I’m really looking forward to racing again. Nürburgring was not so good for me last year and it was not an easy track for me to learn. I did learn a lot though and I think we can start the weekend in a better position. In race two at Brno, I felt a definite improvement in the bike and the new suspension.”
Carlos Checa: “I’ve had a good few weeks off, cycling and trekking in the Pyrenees and just relaxing. But I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike and continuing the progress that we found possible at Brno. I like the Nürburgring very much, it’s one of my favourite circuits, but we struggled to find the right grip levels last year. This year, with the new Öhlins suspension, you could say we are starting again from zero, but actually the faster parts at Nürburgring are not so different from Brno and the bike felt really good there.”
John Hopkins: “I have never been to the Nürburgring before but have seen the racing there on television. I have tried to learn the track by playing video games and will hopefully adapt to the track as quick as I can this weekend. It looks like a cool track to ride, and I would definitely like to get a good result for my team and prove the Honda can work well there.”
Matthieu Lagrive: “I like the Nürburgring a lot. It’s a circuit that I have a good feeling for, even though I have never been on the podium there. We have some work to do and we’ll try to find a good setting as soon as possible. I’m happy with the development that the team has made on my CBR1000RR and will be trying very hard for some positive results in the last part of the season.”
WSS Rider Comments:
Eugene Laverty: “I had the chance to ride the Nürburgring recently and it is a difficult track as it’s so bumpy. There are a lot of bumps off-line too. The more laps you do the more you can learn about it. We should do well there; Cal’s bike will be strong but we will be fighting for the win.”
Kenan Sofuoglu: “I feel really motivated now to get back to winning ways with the team on the CBR600RR. It’s not my favourite circuit, but we had a test at Nürburgring two weeks ago and another test at Assen on Tuesday this week. I think this shows the commitment that the team has to improving the bike. Now I want to finish the season in the same way that we started, by winning.”
Andrew Pitt: “There’s been some work going on during the break and we’ve had a couple of tests since Brno, one at Nürburgring and another at Assen, looking for something that we can start a race weekend with, rather than trying to re-invent the bike all the time. I watched last year’s Nürburgring race recently and my win there looked pretty easy. I can’t think it’s going to be like that this year, but I’ve had faith in the Ten Kate boys for a long time and I know they can deliver.”
Anthony West: “The Nürburgring is a new track to me and I’m looking forward to riding it this weekend. It will be a new challenge. After our success at Brno it will be interesting to see if we can repeat that in Germany. After my summer-break in Australia I am fully charged again and confidently looking forward to the next race.”
Mark Aitchison: “This weekend in Germany I am aiming to get my consistency back during both the practice sessions and qualifying. In Brno we suffered a few problems with the bike, plus I made some mistakes, and the result was a very difficult race weekend. Now my plan is to attack each session as it comes and just keep everything positive on and off the track.”
Miguel Praia: “We raced this track last year, and although we didn’t find much speed on Friday and Saturday we improved things for the race. The summer break was good for us. I was still recovering from some of the injuries I suffered at Miller during the last few races but now I am 100% fit. The team has been working hard developing the bike, so we should have an even stronger package in Germany. Nürburgring is a difficult racetrack; the corners have lots of contrasts. You need confidence, and to be able to understand it pretty well.”
— Ducati Preview
Ducati tests at Mugello and declares Haga ready to race
This week the Ducati Xerox Team has been on track at the Mugello circuit, as guests of the Ducati MotoGP Team, to carry out two days of testing and to verify at the same time the physical condition of Noriyuki Haga, two months after the incident at Donington Park in which the Japanese rider fractured both his right ulna and left scapula.
After the six-week long summer break, during which time he continued with a combination of physiotherapy and training, Nitro-Nori got back on his Ducati 1198 yesterday and although his shoulder injury caused him some discomfort at the start, he was able to ride much more comfortably today and the team is therefore feeling confident ahead of this weekend’s race.
Under clear skies Noriyuki and his squad worked on different set-ups and made adjustments regarding forks and shocks, making about 90 laps in total during the two-day test, with positive results and encouraging lap times. Engineer Ernesto Marinelli, technical director of the Superbike project, declared himself satisfied with the work completed, having identified two promising directions to try out this coming weekend at the Nürburgring.
Yesterday Michel Fabrizio was also on track and he also is back in shape after suffering muscle damage in practice during his recent MotoGP outing at Brno, a problem that fortunately seems to have resolved itself.
The Ducati Xerox Team departs tomorrow for Germany and this weekend’s Nürburgring round. At this point the two Ducati Xerox riders declare themselves to be fit and ready for the season’s crescendo. After ten of fourteen Superbike rounds held so far, Noriyuki continues to lead the championship with 326 points while Michel occupies third place in the overall standings, holding 273 points.
— BMW Preview
This year’s eleventh round of the Superbike World takes place at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany and will see a new face in Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Ruben Xaus has been advised by his doctors not to race this coming weekend, so the team are giving a chance to young Briton Richard Cooper to ride with Troy Corser.
Twenty-six year old Richard has been racing in the British Superstock 1000 Championship this season, but also had a one-off British Superbike ride at Mallory Park, when he finished a superb 5th after leading the race for three laps. He is no stranger to BMW, having raced the BMW HP2 Sport in the World Endurance Championship last year and has also been a regular competitor in the BMW Boxer Cup. He tested the S 1000 RR racebike at the Eurospeedway Lausitz recently, but the Nürburgring will be his first ever WSBK race.
Troy
I like the Nurburgring and it has been a good circuit for me in the past and, after a recent tests and the race in Brno in the last round, I am really looking forward to this coming weekend. There is going to be a lot of interest and attention on us this weekend because it is the team’s ‘home’ race and all of us want to do well for our fans and our sponsors. It is a shame that Ruben cannot race this weekend but I’m sure that the right decision has been made. It’s far better for him to return when he is stronger and fitter. I’m happy that Richard is stepping in this weekend for Ruben. I have met him a few times, especially at Brands Hatch recently. He’s young, fast and good prospect for the future and I’m sure he’ll do a good job for the team. I’ll give him whatever helps he needs and although he’s young (and looks even younger!) he’s pretty experienced already, so maybe he won’t need it!
Richard
It’s a great honour to be asked by the team to ride in place of Ruben and I will do my very best for sure. This ride is like a dream come true, but I am under no illusions about the massive task waiting for me this weekend. I have never raced at the Nurburgring before, but at least I have tested the S 1000 RR racebike, so I have some knowledge of it before going out for my first laps. My first impressions of the bike were very good and I was surprised and pleased how smooth it felt and how good the power delivery was. I will be under no pressure from the team this weekend and all they want me to do is ride the bike and try and enjoy the experience. Ruben and I are very different physically – I am a lot shorter and weigh a lot less – so my first job is to get the bike set up for me. It’s not nice stepping into somebody else’s shoes, and I wish Ruben a speedy recovery, but this is a great opportunity for me and I will be giving it my best shot.
Ruben
I saw my specialist today (Monday) and he advised me not to race and, for once in my life, I am going to be sensible and do what a doctor says! It was always going to be difficult getting fit enough to race at the ‘Ring and although my physio and rehabilitation has been going better than expected, I think the decision not to race is the right one. I didn’t want to come to the Nurburgring and ride at only 80%. I am still on crutches at the moment and cannot put my full body weight on my right leg, so it is better that I sit this one out because I will then have another three weeks and be much stronger for the Imola race at the end of September. It would’ve been a disaster, if I raced this weekend and did some more damage, but I shall miss getting on the bike for sure – especially as it is the team’s ‘home’ race. I would like to wish the team all the best this weekend and hope that Richard does well and enjoys himself.
— Yamaha Preview
Spies charged up and ready to fight for the championship lead in Germany
Yamaha World Superbike riders Ben Spies and Tom Sykes are ready for action at the famous Nurburgring circuit in the Eifel Mountains this weekend. Following a five week break for the summer, Spies is refreshed and raring to take the fight to rival Noriyuki Haga for the championship lead with only seven points separating them after the last round in Brno.
With only four rounds remaining the closing races of the 2009 season look set to be a hotly fought contest for the championship title. Spies could potentially walk away from Germany having taken the lead from Haga should the races go his way on Sunday. As with most of the tracks this year, neither Spies or Sykes have raced on the Nurburgring circuit before, although this has long since ceased to be an issue for them as they have adapted quickly and taken valuable championship points and victories from a variety of unknown tracks.
“It has been great to have some time out to relax at home in the US”, said Ben Spies. “I’m fully recharged and really excited about getting stuck into some more racing. We’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain so I’m just going to keep on giving it 100% and see what we can do to catch Nori this weekend.”
Nurburgring technically speaking according to Tom Houseworth, Ben Spies Crew Chief
“Heading into the Nurburgring we have a couple of issues to address, this will force us to change just a bit from our normal routine. By now it seems normal going to a circuit we have never seen. From what we have heard the corners are a bit slower than Brno with braking very important into them, so we will start with a different setup for our #2 machine. For the first session Ben will learn the track as quickly as possible on our #1 machine and evaluate chassis, gearbox and overall performance. The second session we are planning to start on the #2 machine to evaluate a setup targeting performance under very heavy braking. If all goes well the #2 machine will do everything the #1 machine does plus what we’re looking for under braking. Friday will be a busy first day as we have quite a bit to sort out in the two sessions including very important gearbox ratios. Saturday will provide us time to sort race rubber and try some different links or geometry depending on the mechanical grip we have and be ready for Sunday. If all goes well Sunday we hope to see ya on the box!”
“I’m very much looking forward to it”, said Tom Sykes. We’ve had a long break, after two weeks I start getting a bit bored so am fired up and ready to go for it. It’s my first time at the track so I’ve got some learning to do, it’s easy to learn a track but tricky to find the last little bit. Hopefully we’ve made some improvements over the break with the bike as well so I’m looking forward to putting them to good use.”
Nurburgring technically speaking according to Sergio Verbena, Tom Sykes Crew Chief
“Apart from the gearbox settings I don’t feel we need to start with a special setting for this circuit, we have a base setting we will be starting with that we use for all races. Based on Tom’s feedback from the first sessions we will make adjustments to the suspension, steering, geometry and braking to fit to the track. We shouldn’t need to make any big changes as the settings we’re using so far have been working ok almost everywhere. So for first practice on Friday we’ll concentrate on fine-tuning the setting for the track, and we’ll start to check tyres as well. We’ll have many options with the Pirelli tyres, so it’s important to start work on tyres from the first practice. By the first qualifying session we must understand which tyre can have the best performance, because we will need a good lap time in case it starts to rain on Saturday!”
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“After Brno we have worked really hard during the summer break. We have increased the performance of the bike and I think we have a good possibility to catch Nori now. Both the riders have had a good rest and we are just waiting for the next weekend now to get back onto the track and race and see if we can take the championship lead.”
The 2009 Yamaha R1 has already won a European championship, having carried Jorg Teuchert to victory in the IDM German Superbike Championship.
Crutchlow looking to extend championship lead in Germany
Following the DNF at Brno, British rider Cal Crutchlow is back from his holidays and determined to make the points up at the German round of the World Supersport Championship this weekend at the Nurburgring circuit. Yamaha World Supersport rider Cal is still leading the championship with a 17 point lead over rival Eugene Laverty with four races to go. Team mate Fabien Foret was clearly back on form with an incredible win in Brno, having found the ideal set up for his bike the French rider is looking to repeat his performance in Germany and take another podium.
“I’m very keen to get back onto the track”, said Cal Crutchlow. “It was really disappointing to lose out on the points at Brno so I’m determined to get them back in Germany! It’s the home race for my team as well so I want to do well for them and see if we can extend our championship lead some more. I did a few laps testing here last month and I really like the circuit so I think it’s going to be a good weekend.”
“I hope we get ok weather in Germany”, said Fabien Foret. “Obviously I would like to have the same result as Brno, it was such a great race and I’m happy to be back on form. I want to stay on the podium again this weekend and for the rest of the season.”
Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager
“We planned a test on the 18th of August with Cal at the ring as part of a track day. It went ok, he liked the track and was fast and we adjusted the bike as best we could. We have a good set up now to start with so we’ll have no lost time looking for the right gearing and we’ll be ready to go. We’ve made some changes to resolve the problem from Brno as well. Fabien is of course delighted with the Brno win and likes Nurburgring so I hope we can give him the same feeling with his set up to be on the podium again this weekend.”
— PBM Kawasaki Preview
After a five week break, the Hannspree World Superbike Championship returns with round eleven of the fourteen round series as it heads for the iconic Nurburgring in Germany this forthcoming weekend (September 4/6).
Whilst many of the teams have been relaxing since the previous round at Brno in July, the Paul Bird Motorsport Team has been doing anything but as they look forward to building on their recent success with riders Australian Broc Parkes and Japanese Makoto Tamada hoping for another share of the points for the Penrith, Cumbria-based team.
Having scored a hat-trick of runner-up placings to runaway leader Leon Camier when guesting as a wild card rider at the British Superbike Championship round at Brands Hatch last month, 27-year-old Parkes gained valuable data and track time which should stand him in good stead for this round and following on from a hand injury sustained at Brno, Tamada, 32, is hoping to get back to the form he was showing in recent races prior to his latest injury setback aboard the www.supercasino.com, Vent-Axia, Kick Energy and Henleys-backed Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team Ninja ZX-10Rs.
Broc Parkes: “After racing at the British Superbikes at Brands Hatch in early August, we found some really good things on the bike and came away with some great results which gave me and the team some confidence on our direction for the last four WSB races. It will be great to apply the team’s development to the Nurburgring race this weekend. I really enjoy racing at this circuit and I’ve had some successful results in the past. Last year I was unlucky not to win on the World Supersport bike as we had a problem at the end of the race. I’ve also won a race a few years back on the short circuit in the German Superbike Championship. Overall I’m really looking forward to some good results this weekend. I’m also over the moon at becoming a father this week to my new-born son, young Jesse John Parkes.”
Makoto Tamada: “After another unfortunate crash in Brno I am happy to confirm now after the August break that my finger doesn’t hurt at all, and I am ready 100% to race this weekend. The Kawasaki ZX-10R performed much better during the Brno race and I predict that we can finish in the top ten in both races at Nurburgring. I just can’t wait to be back on the bike again and continue where we left off after some exciting developments from Brno.”
— Suzuki Preview
TBC
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