Xerox Ducati's Noriyuki Haga is the man to watch out for in 2009 after his double podium at Phillip Island.
The Samurai of Slide. "Nitro" Nori Haga has reached icon status with race fans around the globe. It all started with a pocket bike his father bought him and from there, the rest is history. His meteroic rise to fame in Japan was highlighted by his 1997 Suzuka 8 Hour victory while teamed alongside Colin Edwards. Before that he raced the All Japan Roadracing series where he became a fan favorite with his sliding style. In his first 500GP as a Wildcard in the Japanese round in 1998 he finished 3rd. He was an impact rider as soon as he joined the WSBK circuit, but the title eluded him. After coming in 2nd in the 2000 WSBK Championship, Noriyuki moved on to the 500 GP class for 2001. For the 2002 season, Nori re-joined the Worldsuperbike series and was expected to make an immediate when he rode for Aprilia aboard the proven RSV Mille platform.
The 2002 WSB series was not too kind to Nori. Despite finishing 4th in the standings, he did not do as well as planned. Aprilia moved the charismatic rider to GP. He rode alongside former WSB rival Colin Edwards aboard the RS Cube.
Returning back to WSB in 2003, he has been third-best for three consecutive seasons. For 2007, Haga began his 10th season in Superbike, scoring 11 podiums but only managed one win in 2006. Nitro Nori still has a lot of racing in him and 2007 was the closest title in many years, as Haga took Toseland right down to the final race, falling by a meager handful of points.
Career Highlights:
2008 - 3rd WSB
2007 - 2nd WSB
2006 - 3rd WSB
2005 - 3rd WSB
2004 - 3rd WSB
2003 - 14th MotoGP
2002 - 4th WSB
2001 - MotoGP - Didn't do so well.
2000 - 2nd WSB
1999 - 7th WSB
1998 - 6th WSB
1997 Suzuka 8 Hour Champion.
1997 - 13th WSB
1996 - 22nd WSB
