Aprilia's Max Biaggi heads to the Czech Republic with two consecutive wins and is leading the series by 37 points.
Fresh off his double victory in Italy,
Aprilia’s Max Biaggi and the rest of the
World Superbike paddock will be skidding into the Czech Republic for Round 9 of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship. With a total of eight wins so far in the ’10 season, Biaggi looks to extend his 37-point lead in the series ahead of Alstare
Suzuki’s Leon Haslam. With only five rounds remaining in the 2010 SBK season, let’s take a look at what the upcoming round may offer.
Biaggi has a commanding lead over the field and is showing no signs of stopping. Not only did Biaggi take the double at Misano, but he also crushed the spirits of Haslam and others when he went 1-1 in the U.S at
Miller. The Roman Emperor has listed Brno as his favorite venue, and the fact that he won there last year on his Aprilia RSV4 doesn’t hurt either. Including his SBK victory at Brno in 2009, Biaggi can boast eight previous wins at Brno circuit in multiple racing classes, including
MotoGP. Biaggi also had a period between 1994 and 1998 where he put together five successive wins in the 250cc and 500cc class at Brno, so it’s enough to say that the Italian has enjoyed a dominating history at the Czech circuit.
"To say the least, Brno is a track I like and that's no mystery for anyone,” said Biaggi. “It's a track where I can really express my full potential and I have obtained a lot of important wins there. For sure I like to remember last year's, the first with Aprilia in Superbike. It was an important moment, because our bike was still in an early stage of development, but we got that great result anyway. Now that we have scored more wins we must not forget how much work has been put into the project by everyone all together, to reach this level of competitiveness.”
Alstare Suzuki's Leon Haslam will face stiff competition from Biaggi as he attempts to earn some points at Brno.
Meanwhile, Haslam will be looking to make up ground in the series by scoring a victory at Brno. However, with BIaggi’s record there the Englishman faces a daunting task. But Haslam also cites Brno as a personal favorite.
"I like Brno circuit because it has a bit of everything really, “said Haslam, “There are a lot of ups and downs and it is a challenging track to ride and one that requires a good bike set-up. Max Biaggi is obviously the rider to beat at the moment because he and his bike are working really well together. But, I'm going to fight all the way this weekend and hopefully claw some of the points back.”
In the second day of Imola testing Haslam suffered a collision with Althea
Ducati’s Shane Byrne which resulted in Haslam bruising his back. The Suzuki rider claims his injuries will not affect him while on the bike, but this remains to be seen. (For more info on the recent superbike tests, visit our
2010 World Superbike Imola Test Day 1 Insider and
2010 World Superbike Imola Test Day 2 Insider.)
The Althea Ducati team of Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne will be one less this weekend as Byrne is out with an injured left hand which he sustained in the aforementioned collision with Haslam. Still leading Factory Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio, Checa remains more than 90 points adrift of Haslam in the championship with
Honda Ten Kate’s Jonathan Rea close behind him by 14 points. Meanwhile, Fabrizio will be heading to his ideal venue where he’s had success as both a privateer and a factory rider. While Fabrizio has landed on the podium at Brno every year since 2006, he has yet to earn a win there.
BMW's Troy Corser is currently sixth in the championship and is confident in his ability to perform strongly at the Brno circuit.
Motorrad's Troy Corser is one rider on the rise this year, exhibiting strong performances in the past at Brno. In speaking about the upcoming event, Corser said: "I'm confident going into Brno. Last year I earned my best result of the whole season there when I finished in fifth-place. I like the track itself a lot, as it suits my riding style. The set-up you run here is quite unusual. There are corners that you brake into going downhill and others which you brake into uphill. That means you have to find a compromise."
Meanwhile, Corser’s teammate, Ruben Xaus, will be racing this year in an effort to erase the memory of a fractured femur which he incurred at the same circuit last year.
Pata B&G’s Jacob Smrz will be coming to his home circuit for Round 9 with all new machinery after his team switched from Ducati to Aprilia recently. While the team has had just days to prep the new machinery, Smrz and his crew are hopeful they will see themselves back in the upper-tier of results this weekend.
Other teams who will be attempting to increase their performance levels at Brno include the
Yamaha Sterilgarda duo of James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow as well as
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Tom Sykes and Chris Vermeulen. After a productive test session at Imola, Sykes and Vermeulen are confident of their ability to finish better in upcoming rounds after making some enhancements in their setups. With just five rounds left, both teams will be looking to squeeze every last resource imaginable to boost their position in the championship.
Parkalgar Honda's Eugene Laverty overtook Kenan Sofuoglu in the last round at Misano to take the lead in the Supersport championship by three points.
In the last round at Misano the championship lead was lost by Honda Ten Kate’s Kenan Sofuoglu and taken over by Parkalgar Honda’s Eugene Laverty. With only three points separating the two it appears the Supersport championship may go down to the last race, especially considering that just 13 points separate the top-three riders. Laverty, Sofuoglu and Kawasaki’s Joan Lascorz have all taken wins so far in the ’10 season, so each round seems up for grabs.
Sitting fourth currently in the championship is ParkinGO Triumph BE-1 rider Chaz Davies, who remains 33 points ahead of his teammate David Soloman in fifth. The Intermoto Czech Honda team of Gino Rea and Massimo Roccoli will be meeting up at their home circuit in the Czech Republic for Round 9, and are currently eighth and 12th in the Supersport championship, respectively.
