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November 2008 |
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World Superbike Valencia Previews |
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Written by Moto Hero
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Thursday, 12 April 2007 |
From Various Sources:
Yamaha looking for more wins going into the fourth round at Valencia
The Ricardo Tormo Circuit will host its first international race of the season this coming weekend, with the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship coming to this popular track for its eighth consecutive year.
Valencia is a tight and twisty circuit built with spectators in mind. The venue was designed to be a 'circuit within a stadium' and this has been achieved with over 65,000 grandstand seats that allow spectators to view the track, and the action on it, from the one position. The popularity of this circuit is evident, with over 3 million spectators visiting since its opening in 1999.
Valencia's complicated track, excellent facilities and favourable winter weather conditions make this circuit ideal for all kinds of racing. It is in demand by national and international championships and is not restricted to just motorcycles. Everything from trucks to Formula One cars use this circuit which means that grip levels can be unpredictable, causing conditions to change by the hour and requiring constant adjustments to the set-up of the bike.
Pirelli held their official tyre test here in March, with Yamaha's World Superbike, Supersport and Superstock teams all taking part. The data gathered at this test could be of a big help to put all the Yamaha teams in a good position for their race set-up this weekend.
The last round at Donington saw Haga take the team's first win of the season, showing the potential of the new R1. This was supported by Corser's second and third finishes. Haga goes into the fourth round in third place in the championship standings with 88 points with Corser just behind on 81 points. Both riders want to win at this round, so the gloves will be off from the outset.
In 2006 Haga claimed two fifth places in Valencia but as he has won here previously in 2000 and 2004, he is keen to add another race win to his one from Donington. "Valencia is one of my favourite circuits and I have won there before," he says. "It is a technically challenging circuit though, and chassis and tyre set-up are very important there. With the testing we have done there recently with Pirelli I am hopeful. After winning at Donington I am feeling very positive and looking forward to winning again!"
Team mate, Corser is looking to take some race win glory himself this weekend, after just missing it at Donington. Last year he took second place in both races and is looking to better that result this year.
"Valencia has a good layout and the weather is normally makes for good riding conditions, although it can get a bit windy and, depending on which way it blows, it can sometimes be a problem. The track grip is different every time we go there because it depends on what's been racing there previously - trucks or Formula Ford - and what rubber they've left."
With regard to the bike, Corser says, "The bike feels good following the testing we have done there, although every team has done testing there so it's going to be a close race."
The third round at Donington was a very tough one for the Yamaha World Supersport Team, with both Curtain and Parkes crashing and breaking their collar bones in practice, putting them out for the race. The team goes into the fourth round with a lot of hard work to do. They know they need a good result to put them back into contention for the championship, but are very conscious of both riders still nursing injuries. Both riders had operations immediately following the race and are determined to ride at Valencia if at all possible. Currently, Curtain lies in fifth in the championship with 25 points and Parkes lies in tenth on 16 points.
"I'm feeling pretty good despite the crash at Donington. A friend in Belgium helped me get operated on straight away and I now have a late and eight bolts in my left shoulder, which is lucky as I'm right-handed. As soon as I was out of surgery I started exercising the injury because the longer you leave it, the longer it takes to get going again. I now have full movement and a fair amount of strength in my left arm, though the scar is a bit tender," says Kevin of his injuries.
When asked about Valencia and his expectations, Kevin said, "I'm looking forward to returning to the championship this weekend. I'd like to get on the podium' that's what I'll be aiming for."
At the time of going to print, it is expected that Broc Parkes will race at Valencia, though this will be confirmed in the next 24 hours.
Claudio Corti got his Superstock Championship fight off to a good start at Donington with a second place, just in front of Didier van Keymeulen on another new R1. Corti's team mate, Michele Pirro has something to prove this weekend after crashing out of the last race. He had been showing great potential in his rookie season in the Superstock Championship prior to the crash and is keen to make up for his mistakes with a good result at Valencia.
ALL EYES ON INJURY-HIT BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) AT VALENCIA
Valencia (Spain), Thursday 12 April: The World Superbike Championship resumes its championship trail in Valencia, two weeks after the Donington Park round that produced a major setback for the Ducati Xerox Team. Defending champion Troy Bayliss suffered a nasty crash at the British circuit in the first race and was left reeling from injuries to his right hand and his groin.
Following the immediate amputation of the top two joints of his little finger and an exploratory check in the groin area, Troy has now had ten days' rest to recover for the next round of the championship this weekend. The final medical check was scheduled to take place Thursday afternoon at the Valencia circuit for Troy to be given the all-clear by the Clinica Mobile medical staff to face up to this weekend's Spanish round, but at the time of writing the Australian was stuck in Paris with flight delays and was scheduled to arrive late in the afternoon.
Troy Bayliss, 6th in championship (64 points)
Troy has taken four victories in eight Superbike races at Valencia, both double wins in his 2001 and 2006 title years. Two second places and a third, together with sensational MotoGP win at the end of last year, make up an incredible record for the Australian around the Valencia track.
"I'm feeling OK but the situation is a bit unknown until I get on the bike" declared Troy. "I've got to be careful not to hit myself down below obviously but the hand feels good. It's certainly going to be different, after all I've only been racing with my little finger for the last twenty years! I've had many worse crashes over the years, this one was just unlucky as far as losing a finger goes. If you looked at me you wouldn't think I'd been in a motorbike accident, you'd think I hadn't paid some bill and the mafia had come and chopped one finger off with a pair of scissors and hit my nuts with a hammer because I haven't got another mark on my body!"
Lorenzo Lanzi, 5th in championship (66 points)
In 2006 Lorenzo scored his best results of the year at Valencia, the Italian twice stepping up onto the podium in third place and he will be looking to at least repeat those results this time round.
"Last year I scored my best results of the season here, two podiums but the conditions were different and this weekend doesn't look" commented Lorenzo. "I am optimistic, I feel quite good in the wet conditions and I'll try and get the best start in qualifying tomorrow. The tests here one month ago went well, unfortunately we've been here four times and we've never found wet conditions. The track is a good one for Ducati, we have shown that in testing and in the previous years' races. I am currently lying in fifth in the championship, 22 points down on third place, so I'll try and move up this weekend".
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