Ducati Xerox Team
Haga is looking for a win at Losail to continue his lead.
Just eight days after Noriyuki Haga’s debut win with the Ducati Xerox Team at Phillip Island, the Borgo-Panigale based squad departs for Qatar today for Round 2 of the 2009 World Superbike Championship.
Both Noriyuki and his Ducati Xerox team-mate Michel Fabrizio made a strong start to the season on board their Ducati 1198 machines, as Noriyuki’s win and second place took him straight to the top of the leader board, with a 15-point advantage over second-placed rider Neukirchner, while Michel lies in sixth position after securing strong fourth and fifth place finishes in the two Australian races. Noriyuki’s results also mean that Ducati currently leads the constructor’s championship.
Last year Qatar hosted the opening round of the championship and it was not an easy weekend for either Noriyuki or Michel. Both Ducati Xerox riders will be looking out for Corser and Biaggi, the riders that have faired the best at this track since it’s inclusion on the Superbike calendar for the first time in 2005.
Noriyuki Haga
A third place in 2006 is Noriyuki’s best result thus far at the Losail International Circuit.
“Well I can say that I’m very happy with how things went at the first races at Phillip Island and I’ll be trying my best to have an equally successful weekend at Qatar. I am very pleased with the performance of the 1198 and my team have been fantastic so we’ll be working hard to repeat our Phillip Island success. Each of the fourteen rounds will be a big challenge for me, and I will face each one in the same way, with the aim being always to win!”
Fabrizio hasn't seen the podium at Losail since 2005 and he's hoping to change that in 2009.
After a third place finish in the Supersport race in 2005, Michel has not visited the podium here since moving to Superbike, his best result so far a fifth place last year.
“To be honest I hoped to do better at Phillip Island but what I didn’t do there I’ll be trying to do at Qatar of course. I’ve had ups and downs at Losail and the last time I was on the podium was in 2005 so it’s about time I stepped up there again! I’m in shape, I’m feeling comfortable on the 1198 and I’m ready to race. As long as we don’t get the rain that the GP guys just experienced over there, then we’ll be fine.”
THE CIRCUIT
Name: Losail International Circuit
Country: Qatar
Length: 5.380 km
Pole Position: right
Finish line length: 1068 metres
Race distance: 2 x 18 laps/96.840 km
LAP RECORDS:
Best lap: Nieto (Suzuki), 1'59.156 (2008)
Superpole: Bayliss (Ducati), 1'58.053 (2008)
Honda Motorsports
"The results at Phillip Island weren’t fantastic but ... I’m pretty convinced that we’ll not suffer the same problems here."
- Jonathan Rea
For the past few years Losail has been the starting point for the World Superbike and World Supersport classes, but in 2009 that honour went to Phillip Island in Australia, where success for some top Honda riders came along at the first time of asking.
The spectacular levels of competitiveness everyone was expecting in the run up to this season arrived in force at Phillip Island and in the Superbike class Leon Haslam (Stiggy Honda CBR1000RR) scored a famous third place in what was his team’s first ever WSB race weekend. Leon (25) currently sits third in the championship table, on 26 points, thanks to additional points from his sixth position in race one.
Three Honda riders disputed the podium places in World Supersport at Phillip Island, with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR team-mates Kenan Sofuoglu and Andrew Pitt, and Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) separated by only 0.153 seconds.
In the second round of each championship, to be held at the 5.380km long Losail circuit near the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday 14th March, Honda riders are expected to be competing at the front once again, with Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) arriving in Qatar overall eighth and Carlos Checa, who rode injured last time out, 12th.
Full-time WSB rookie Tommy Hill (Hannspree Honda Althea CBR1000RR) overcame practice problems to record two points scoring rides at the last race, and this has given him confidence for his first visit to Losail. He arrives 16th overall, on four points.
Roby Rolfo (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) has put concerns about his own recent shoulder injury behind him as he approaches the Qatar weekend, having scored three points for 13th place in race one last time out.
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda Racing CBR1000RR) rides in Honda colours this year and had a less than sparkling opening round, crashing after a collision in race one and finishing out of the points due to a lack of traction in race two. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR) is looking for his first race finish in his all-new team.
“I was so disappointed after the two races at Phillip Island – especially after we had got the bike working well during practice and qualifying and we believed our race pace was good. But, after I got T-boned in the first race and had no rear grip in the second, I have had to put the disappointment behind me."
- Ryuichi Kiyonari
In the Supersport class, the ‘big three’ of Sofuoglu, Pitt and West are joined in the Honda corral by Mark Aitchison and Matthieu Lagrive, each on Hannspree Honda Althea CBR600RR machines. Aitchison was a fine sixth at Phillip Island, Lagrive 11th.
A fantastic first Honda ride in WSS saw Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) go fifth in the Championship table after round one, while his team-mate Miguel Praia will be hoping for a strong finish in Qatar, after a crash put him out of contention at Phillip Island.
West’s team-mate Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) was unable to finish the PI race, but he knows Qatar well and will be out for major points scores on raceday.
Raceday in Losail is a Saturday, with first qualifying taking place on Thursday, and final grid positions decided on Friday.
WSB Rider Quotes
Leon Haslam: “We are back to where we were before the season started in terms of recognising that there are 15 factory machines out there, we are a private team so we need to have that in perspective then start to build on that from Thursday morning. If we can quickly adapt the base setting we found in Australia to the Losail circuit then we’ll be well under way with an excellent starting point for the three days ahead.
Checa will look to get back on track at Losail.
I don’t think we’ll be miles away from the front but in the World Superbike Championship this year one tenth of a second can separate four or five places so it’s really important to be focussed from the first lap of practice to the last lap of the second race.”
Jonathan Rea: “I like Qatar, which is lucky, because I’ve done a lot of laps here. As well as the Supersport race last year, which we’ll skip over quickly, I’ve been involved in a couple of Honda CBR launches here, so I know the place pretty well. The results at Phillip Island weren’t fantastic but if you’d offered them to me before we left, I would’ve taken them. I’m pretty convinced that we’ll not suffer the same problems here – instead of looking after the rear, it’ll be more a case of looking after the front tire, and I think I’m pretty good at that.”
Carlos Checa: “I really like the circuit in Qatar very much, but last year everything was new to us, including the bike, so with the disappointment of Phillip Island behind us, we’re ready to go again. I’m looking forward to racing again this weekend – my shoulder is much better and I should be able to ride the bike without any restrictions. I believe we can be more competitive and in a position that better reflects the quality of the CBR1000RR and the hard work of the team. The Losail circuit is flat and smooth and should allow us to operate with a better combination of tires than in Australia.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari: “I was so disappointed after the two races at Phillip Island – especially after we had got the bike working well during practice and qualifying and we believed our race pace was good. But, after I got T-boned in the first race and had no rear grip in the second, I have had to put the disappointment behind me. Losail is not my favourite circuit but I am sure we will start over again here and get our season going with some better results.”
Roby Rolfo: “I expect a lot of this race, it's a track I like best. The rider skills are very important on this track, you need a good compromise between the bike and the rider. After Phillip Island, where my lap times were good but I couldn't keep up in the race, I hope to be fighting for a better position in Qatar."
Tommy Hill: “I have been staying in Phillip Island for a few weeks and now with the first round completed I just want to get riding again.
Qatar circuit is new for me, so I need to learn fast and get into the pace. I will try and run in the top ten and keep moving up the ladder. That will not be easy but I am determined to progress forward.”
BMW Motorsports
New Territory for team BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Working without previous season data will be difficult, but judging from their Phillip Island results the BMWs should perform well.
Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport head to the Losail circuit in Qatar knowing that it will be harder to get another superb top ten position than it was in the opening round of the championship in Phillip Island, Australia. In Phillip Island the team benefited from a two-day test prior to the event, but their first chance of seeing the Losail racetrack will be the first practice session on Thursday morning. The circuit in Qatar will be just the first of many tracks about which the team have no data or information from previous seasons and their task will be that much harder than that of the competitors. The first two sessions will be vital for the Troy, Ruben and the team, but hopefully the experience of the riders will help the technicians do their work smartly and provide a good platform for raceday.
Troy Corser
Getting an eighth in Phillip Island was a fantastic result and gave us all great hope for the season. But now we are going to a track and we have no data about if for our bike and that is going to be a big disadvantage. The race weekend in Phillip Island was real eye-opener for our team and things happened during the three days that don't happen in tests, so the team gained a lot of experience. We all have to build on that but all the guys are very committed and are working hard to push this project forward as quickly as possible. Qatar will be an interesting test for us all, but we're going to give it 100% and see what happens.
Ruben Xaus
I think that Phillip Island showed that our team is going to be competitor - and sooner rather than later. If I hadn't had two or three collisions in race one, I am sure I would've had a much better result and probably been able to challenge for a top ten place. But at least, I stayed on the bike and I'm happy because Troy got a great result in the first race and we managed to finish both races. Qatar is going to be harder because our bike will be racing there for the first time and so we don't have any data or telemetry to work from. We all have to be at 100% right from the start and push all the way to end, but this is a great team and who knows what may happen?
Berti Hauser (Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
It was great to finally start our big adventure and fantastic to get such a good result in the first race. If there hadn't been a problem in Superpole, who knows what result would've been possible? Our team have a tremendous work ethic and I am so happy because I think everybody can see that we mean business and that we are going to be a competitive force before too long.
Alstare Suzuki Team
After grabbing two podium spots in the first race, Alstare Suzuki plans to go for more in Qatar.
After their recent podiums in the opening round of this year's Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island, Team Suzuki Alstare Brux riders Max Neukirchner and Yukio Kagayama are looking forward to more success in Qatar this coming weekend.
This is the fifth year the desert state is holding a WSBK race and both riders are hoping that the all-new 2009 GSX-R1000 K9 will prove as competitive at the Losail circuit as it did at Phillip Island.
Max Neukirchner:
"It was good to start the year with a podium and now I am looking forward to more podiums. The 2009 K9 is a very good bike and my team has worked hard over the winter and the bike is very competitive. Of course, because the bike is new, I think that there is still more to come from the K9 and it will get better and better and hopefully the results will be good also."
Yukio Kagayama:
"Phillip Island was a good start to the season and I am happy because neither Max nor I crashed all weekend! The team and I have worked hard with the new GSX-R1000 K9 and a podium in Phillip Island was a good reward for all the work done, so thank you to my team. I've had good results in Qatar before, though last year was not so good because I ended up in hospital after a collision with Carlos Checa in race two. I hope this year will be better!"
Kawasaki Racing Team
Second Round Beckons For Superbike Duo
After a poor start to the world superbike season Parkes and Tamada look to make up lost ground in Round 2.
For Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada the second round of the championship offers the chance to score points in what is already proving to be one of the most closely-contested WSB series ever held.
After some high points in winter testing the recent Phillip Island races proved to be less rewarding then expected and thus the Ninja ZX-10R WSB riders approach the Losail circuit with even greater determination to get onto the leader board.
Losail, at 5.380km, is a relatively lengthy circuit, which boasts several fast corners and one very long main straight, making engine performance and clean aerodynamics particularly important at this round.
Tamada raced a 2008-spec Kawasaki at Losail last year, finishing 12th in race two, but Parkes will be a first time Superbike rider in Qatar, having spent the past few seasons as a leading light in Supersport racing.
Losail is a very significant circuit for Broc, as he won the World Supersport race there in 2008.
Despite the lack of testing at the Qatari circuit this year, each Kawasaki Superbike rider is confident that their Phillip Island experiences can be translated into raceday improvements this coming weekend.
The Qatar race will be run on Saturday 14th March, with first qualifying starting on Thursday 12th, then the new-for-2009 three stage elimination-style Superpole takes place on Friday 13th.
Broc Parkes: “I want to put Phillip Island behind me and look forward to some progressive improvements for the Qatar Race. We will need to try a few things and we need to makes some changes to the bike so we can find a good direction and hopefully get in the points. That has been my objective since the start of the season. The Phillip Island race has highlighted to me that we've still got a lot of work to do but as a team we will work hard and hopefully start to see some improvements in Qatar.”
Makoto Tamada: “I can see that the team and I are making progress. We are moving in a positive direction and although I am realistic about where we are and the problems that we have, I can see that we have the potential to be in the top 10 in the not so distant future. Each race we will get better and better and I am looking forward to the challenge at Qatar and also getting back to Europe where I feel we will be considerably stronger. If we got some things sorted we should be much better in Qatar.”
