World SuperBike 2000 - Round 11 - Assen - Preview
| The World Superbike and World Supersport championships return from their
summer break with the Dutch Round at the 6.049 kms Assen circuit in the Netherlands, which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary.
With three rounds left in the WSBK championship and 150 points still up for grabs, it has been confirmed that the final round will be held at Brands Hatch (England) on 15th October in place of the Imola race. Ducati continue to aim for the constructors' title, thanks in particular to the performances of Troy Bayliss. Ducati Infostrada's Australian rider, race 1 winner at Brands Hatch, has accumulated the most points (187) in the last six rounds of the championship. Other Ducati riders have also given vital support, in particular INS Ducati GSE's Neil Hodgson with 25 points for his race 2 win at Brands Hatch. Bayliss's team-mate Juan Borja (Ducati Infostrada) and Ben Bostrom (Ducati NCR) will also aiming to help in Ducati's quest for the constructors' championship, in which the Italian manufacturer has a lead of 39 points over its closest rival Honda. Castrol Honda's Colin Edwards knows that two wins in Sunday's 11th round of the World Superbike championship at Assen in Holland would set the American rider on course for a first world title. Edwards leads the series and is keen to put a disappointing performance at
the Brands Hatch, UK round four weeks ago behind him. "I won both races at Brands Hatch last year, to come away with 10th and
sixth places at this year's event was dreadful," says Edwards.
"Assen is a circuit I really like. It's the first time there with the new twin cylinder
Honda but I'm pretty certain it's a circuit which will suit the machine." Twelve of the Assen Superbike races have been won by reigning World Champion Carl Fogarty (Ducati). The Champion will not be at Assen as his season ended when he was taken out in a collision with a lapped rider during the second round of the series badly injuring his arm. The man who has consistently ran closest to Fogarty at Assen in recent years, Pierfrancesco Chili, will be favoured to take advantage in the absence of the World Champion. Chili has four Assen Superbike podium places to his credit, including a win over Fogarty while racing for Ducati in 1997. Last season he took his Suzuki to fourth and fifth places respectively in the two races. Chili will be tough to beat on Sunday. Superbike success apart the former grand prix rider won the 250cc grand prix at Assen in both 1991 and 1992, while racing for Aprilia. Australian Troy Corser is another who has raced in the immediate shadow of Fogarty at Assen. Corser chased Fogarty home in both races last season after finishing third in both races in 1998, while racing a factory Ducati. Now with Aprilia he is in even better form. Corser holds second place in the series following his five wins and a string of high scoring finishes. He will certainly start the favourite of many to win on Sunday. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) holds third place in the point's standings and will hope Assen delivers more for him than on his previous visits. In four races Haga has been eighth three times and seventh once. Haga's performances this season have been a real revelation when measured against performances over the last two seasons. If he continues his good form at Assen he will threaten Corser and Edwards at the top of the points table. However, on October 12, just three days before the final race in the series, Haga has to face a tribunal investigating his use of an illegal substance. If found guilty he could be banned from racing for a considerable time which would end any hopes the Japanese rider may have harboured of championship success. The winners are almost certain to be among the men already mentioned. If an
outsider is to spring a surprise it will be Akira Yanagawa (Kawasaki). Yanagawa is riding at his best and has ample experience of the circuit. His
best result at Assen was a fourth place in race two last year. A podium place is not beyond him on Sunday. Castrol Honda's Pere Riba and recent signing Chris Vermeulen go in search of victory at the Assen circuit in Holland on Sunday in round nine of the World Supersport championship. Riba has hit form on the CBR600F in recent rounds and is confident of challenging for victory at the popular Dutch venue. The 31-year-old from Barcelona, Spain believes: "We've got the machine going really well now and we can be confident of being on the pace at every circuit we visit. I've had front row starts and top three finishes in recent rounds so I've no reason to believe that can't continue in Holland on Sunday." Riba is joined the Castrol Honda Supersport squad by young Australian rider Chris Vermeulen. The 18-year-old from Yandina in Queensland will contest the final three rounds of the championship for the team. "This is a great opportunity for me and I can't wait to get going. I know the team and the machine will be capable of doing the job in hand so it's down to me to learn the track and get dialled in as soon as possible." Andrew Pitt talks about what he has been doing to ready himself for this weekend in another
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