Noriyuki Haga – Ducati Xerox - 1st, 200 points
“My arm is still sore today after my run in with a bird at Monza but I’ll be fine to race this weekend. I have to think back a long way to remember the 2000 win at Kyalami! But I recall that in the other race that day I had a really close battle for the win with Colin (Edwards) and Fogarty. It’s a great track and I’m happy to go back there again. Winter testing went well there, but it was my first experience riding the 1198 so there were a few ups and downs let’s say! Now I’m at ease on the bike and we’re well into the season, it’ll be interesting to go back and see how we fare over the race weekend – it should be fun.”
Round 6 of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship has the riders flying to the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa to race the Kyalami circuit for the first time since 2002. Troy Bayliss took back-to-back wins during the last World Superbike weekend at Kyalami on a factory Ducati 998. This year the Australian’s hand-picked replacement-rider Noriyuki Haga leads the Championship on the Ducati 1198RR following last weekend’s dramatic and exciting races at Monza. Haga crossed the finish-line behind his teammate Michel Fabrizio to take second in Race 1, but was unable complete Race 2 after a pigeon struck his right arm while traveling at 148 mph, causing loss of sensation in his arm which subsequently caused him to fall. Nitro-Nori underwent physiotherapy for the hematoma on his lacerated right bicep but will possibly not be at 100 percent this weekend, which could play into the hands of Spies.
The Texan was dealt his own bad hand in Race 1 when his bike ran out of gas on the final lap, causing him to drop from first to 15th as he coasted across the finish line. However, the lanky Yamaha rider took his revenge by dominating Race 2 and narrowing Haga’s overall lead by 6 points to 54.
Michel Fabrizio – Ducati Xerox - 3rd, 125 points
“Having at last won a race this weekend at Monza I just want to win again as soon as possible! From what I learned of the track during the winter I can say that I’m really looking forward to this round. The Kyalami circuit is really fun to ride and I did well at the two “new” tracks in 2008 (Salt Lake City and Portimao) so I’d like it if this year’s new track were also to bring me similar luck. We recorded some very fast lap times during the test days and so of course we hope that conditions over the race weekend allow us to maintain that pace.”
With the winds of fortune preventing both Haga and Spies from running away from the pack, Michel Fabrizio emerged as a potential title contender. The Ducati Xerox rider had the best Superbike race weekend of his career at Monza, winning Race 1 (the first for an Italian there for nine years) and finishing runner-up in Race 2. Two more solid results could make this a three-way battle for the Championship. The Italian is looking to the challenges that the only “new” circuit on this year’s schedule will surely provide.
In December, each of the manufacturers' appointed test teams, except for Kawasaki, took part in the Pirelli development test at Kyalami. Many of the riders posted unofficial times well under the previous pole record (1’41.321) by Colin Edwards and fastest lap (1’42.178) by Noriyuki Haga. Fabrizio was the quickest of the three riders to dip under 1’40, followed by Spies and Haga respectively. Haga is the only one of the three to have raced Kyalami in the past, and the only World Superbike rider in the paddock that has won at the circuit. However, Haga’s past experience has not been a strong predictor of his performance over Spies this season, with Spies winning more races despite this being his rookie World Superbike season.
Leon Haslam – Stiggy Racing Honda – 4th, 103 points:
"We had a bit of a mixed weekend in Monza. I didn't qualify well, but was able to make my way forward in the races. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw from the first race in the last laps with a technical problem, but finished the second in seventh. I am looking forward to racing in Kyalami. I've done some testing here in 2004, but that was before they changed the track and took out the chicane. Most of the teams have tested here this winter and start with a slight advantage, but I am sure I can join the fight for a good result this weekend."
Stiggy Racing Honda’s Leon Haslam was not among his key rivals who tested at Kyalami this winter and will have to utilize his practice and qualifying time efficiently to dial-in the settings on his CBR1000RR. The British rider had a poor showing in the Superpole session at Monza followed by a disappointing DNL in Race 1. By Race 2 the 25 year-old had adjusted to riding his spare bike well enough to claim seventh, but still dropped a place in the standings. Honda is counting on Haslam to rebound in South Africa so that the manufacturer can once again be a Championship contender.
Honda, Aprilia and BMW each made some progress in their campaigns during the Italian round. The Japanese manufacturer was back on form, with Ryuichi Kiyonari moving into tenth in the standings after two excellent thirds and a fourth and fifth place from the now eighth-placed Jonathan Rea. Aprilia would have had a podium in Race 1 had Max Biaggi not been penalized 20 seconds for cutting the chicane. Instead the Italian ended with an 11th and fifth for the weekend. Ruben Xaus rode to BMW’s best finish of the season with a seventh in Race 1, followed by a strong ninth in the second heat. Unfortunately, the Spaniard’s BMW Motorrad teammate Troy Corser was one of the five riders sidelined by the ugly multi-machine collision on the first chicane of the opening lap of Race 1 when Kawasaki's Makoto Tamada and Branden Roberts made contact at the back of the pack.
Corser was hit in the back of the head by another bike at the start of Race 1 in Monza. The battered rider restarted the race but took another high speed stumble. He was already riding with a cracked bone in his left hand and had to have painkillers and special strapping in order just to compete in Italy. Corser and the BMW team sat down together and jointly made the decision that it would be better for him to sit out Kyalami and get fit for USA. However, the team will still have two riders on track in Kyalami as Troy’s place will be taken by BMW Motorrad Motorsport test rider Steve Martin.
The Monza crash was probably most disastrous for the Suzuki Alstare team, who lost their number one rider Max Neukirchner. The German entered the round fifth in the standings with 75 points, but left with broken and dislocated bones to his right leg. The most favorable prognosis for treatment time places Neukirchner out of action for two months, just in time for the last race at Brno before the summer break. The Alstare Brux team has opted to replace him with Fonsi Nieto, who rode for the team in 2008. Fonsi knows the crew very well, but he has no experience with the GSX-R1000 K9 and will be starting the first day of practice on a completely new machine.
Brendan Roberts, who was also involved in the same incident, did not suffer any broken bones but will be absent after suffering considerable bruising. Team Guandalini will replace the Australian with former British Superbike Champion Gregorio Lavilla.
Broc Parkes – Kawasaki WSBK – 17th, 17 points:
“Monza was our best weekend so far. I think Kyalami will be a little bit harder on my body but I have another four or five days to get fitter again, and every day I am getting better. We didn’t test there so we are going to start a little bit behind, but it was the same at Monza. Hopefully by Sunday we will be there to fight again for good points.”
Makoto Tamada will also miss the Kyalami race after breaking his left wrist in the Monza carnage. His Kawasaki teammate Broc Parks had a strong return to World Superbike after a testing injury interrupted his early-season push. The Ninja ZX-10R rider took a commendable top ten finish in Race 1 and a second points scoring finish in Race 2. The Australian is still not at full health and does not have the benefit of having tested in South Africa this past winter.
John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) is still injured after crashing in practice at Assen and will not be racing in South Africa. The American’s Monza stand-in Jake Zemke will return to California to take part in the AMA Superbike action at Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway.
Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR) will also not be attending the Kyalami or Miller rounds due to the global economic crisis.
Other World Superbike Rider Quotes
Jonathan Rea – Hannspree Ten Kate Honda – 8th, 77 points:
"I really enjoyed Monza and, although it would've been great to get on the podium, it was really encouraging that we were able to build on the big step forward we made between Valencia and Assen. I feel like the bike is getting close to where I want it to be now. Everyone in the whole team has been working so hard and they deserve some real reward for their efforts now. We had a good test at Kyalami in December and got through a lot of work. Hopefully, it won't take us too long to find a good setting and then we can start to fine tune things, but I'm definitely looking for another step forward this weekend. Maybe a step up as well, to the podium."
Ryuichi Kiyonari – Ten Kate Honda – 10th, 65 points:
"I am still very happy from the two visits to the podium at Monza last Sunday and I would like to thank my team again for all the hard work they have done to give me such a good bike to ride. I want more again at Kyalami this week but I know we will all have to work even harder now, especially the rider! I liked the circuit at Kyalami and did many laps when we tested there at the end of last year. I was not as fast as I would like to be but it was good to spend some time getting to know the circuit - hopefully this will allow us to concentrate on finding the right setting for this weekend and then I will go fast!"
Carlos Checa – Hannspree Ten Kate Honda – 12th, 53 points:
"I felt a little frustrated after Monza because after an encouraging start to the weekend, the bike developed a little bit of chatter again. The development is definitely going in the right direction and we could see this at Assen, but still there are some problems to look at, like the opening of the throttle while still on the side of the tire. But I'm sure we can keep the momentum going when we arrive at Kyalami. The track is quite bumpy and I also had some chatter problems during the test, but the circuit is fun to ride and I'm looking forward to returning there."
Yukio Kagayama – Suzuki Alstare Brux – 13th, 52 points:
“When we tested in Kyalami in December, it was only the second time on the new K9 bike, so we were having to do a lot and learn as much as possible. The track is very bumpy and so it is very important to get a good bike set-up. Of course, it is important to have a good set-up at all tracks, but bumpy tracks pose more problems. Also, the track is at high altitude, so the engine always feels down on power compared to the tracks we normally race at. This weekend will be a big challenge for the whole team, but everybody is working well and I hope we get some luck and good results.”
Fonsi Nieto – Suzuki Alstare Brux - Max Neukirchner's Replacement Rider
“Firstly, I want to wish Max all the best for a quick recovery. His crash at Monza was not his fault and he is lucky that the injuries are not worse than the are. I am very grateful to Francis Batta for giving me this opportunity to ride for the team again and I will do my best to repay his faith in me. Although I know the team, I do not know the bike because it is a completely new and different bike to last year’s model. So, I will have to learn the bike and learn the track at the same time and that is not so easy, but I will do my best for sure.”
