World SuperBike 2000 - Round 9 - Laguna Seca

Troy Corser - "The first race was the hardest I've ridden the bike all year. It was really tough out there. The chassis is working well, but we're still just a little short on acceleration out of the turns. I feel I'm having to ride harder then anybody out there just to be in with a chance and that's a hard thing to do for 28 laps. I lost ground when Bayliss crashed right in front of me. I was so close I only just about managed to avoid hitting his head. I wouldn't be surprised if his helmet had rubber from my tyre on it! I thought about passing Ben (Bostrom) about four laps from the end, but I knew he'd only repass me, so I waited until the end. I made my move by out-braking going into the last turn and pushed him out wide as he tried to get past me again. We both went out to the paint, but he couldn't get the drive and I managed to out-drag him to the line - but it was close. In race two, I started steadily and conserved my tyres because I knew it was going to be tough at the end. I made my move into the lead on lap seventeen and after that I began to pull away from the rest and from then on it was relatively easy. Once I was in the lead I could run my own lines and keep up good corner speeds and that is what I need to do to be able to win races. The Aprilia boys and the Ohlins technician had worked hard and I think we all reaped the reward this afternoon. I'm also pleased to have closed the gap on Colin. The next few races are going to be crucial, bit I hope they're going to be fun - for me anyway!"

Noriyuki Haga - “I’m very satisfied with the way the weekend worked out. I had a good start in race one, got past Edwards and then put a good gap between him and me, lapped consistent times and held everyone off to the end. The race two tactic was much the same and it looked to be working but I couldn’t settle into a quick pace so easily. The rear tyre was slipping more and I had less machine control. I also made a couple of mistakes that upset my concentration and let everyone get by, but I always tell myself to never give up so I took some laps to recover and then attacked again. After I passed Colin, I knew I could get close to Bostrom. He ran wide in the final turn and let me through the inside. It’s a good result.”

Colin Edwards - Race 1 - “Second place is not what I wanted but I'll take it. There's not that many places to pass here so I was psyching myself up for half an hour before the race to make a good start and it all worked to plan. I was really aware of Ben Bostrom and Troy Corser being right behind me, in fact I concentrated on them so much that I got a big shock when I saw the chequered flag - I thought we were only about halfway through the race. I'm getting desperate to win again so we'll have a talk about some changes for race two." Race 2 - "The temperature got up and it caused me a lot of problems with rear traction. I felt like I was riding on ice, it was hard work with the rear spinning a lot but not something we didn't anticipate. I would make up a little bit of ground on Ben (Bostrom) lap by lap then I'd have a big slide and lose all the ground I'd worked for - it was so frustrating out there. I think Ben was using the same compound tyre as me, I could see him opening the throttle gently too. I've lost a bit of ground in the championship but it's not a worry."

Ben Bostrom - "The combination of the bike and tyres was perfect and I finished on the podium in race 2 after my fourth place in race 1. I am really pleased with today's result on my home track, now we've got the final races in Europe and I really want to win one of them."

Troy Bayliss - "I had a few problems with the front of the bike and I had to deal with these problems all weekend. Here, due to the track layout, I had to use a different set-up to the one I normally use, and maybe I was penalised by this change. We have learnt a lot from this experience. Now we're going to Brands Hatch, a track I know very well, and I want to do well there."

Aaron Slight - Race 1 - "I felt good while the tyres lasted but it was a struggle towards the end. I've got a slightly different motor to Colin and I was missing out on that little bit of extra power where I needed it. We'll change the rear spring for a harder one, I'm pretty confident that will help the tyre wear." Race 2 - "We changed to a harder rear suspension spring for the second race and it definitely gave a better feeling once the rear tyre was worn. The rear was spinning right from the start of the race though. Once I made a mistake I didn't have the traction to claw back the disadvantage. It was a tough race but I enjoyed it. I felt like I was riding as fast as anyone out there and am pleased to be leaving this place in one piece after the crashes and injuries I've suffered here before."

Akira Yanagawa - Race 1 - "I had a bad sliding rear, but that was easy to control. Later on I could close the gap to Chili, but I got vibrations from the rear which got worse, so I had no chance to catch him. After all I am happy with the result." Race 2 - "This bike felt much better! I liked it and was able to push much harder. I still had a lot of wheel spin and the gearing was not perfect too, but I had much more fun. We didn't change much, just a few slight adjustments at the rear that helped a lot. I'm happy right now!"

Peter Goddard - Race 1 - "I was running a different rear setup to Akira, and I think that ruined the tire completely. I've tried everything but there was no chance to be any quicker under that circumstances." Race 2 - "We went back to yesterday's setup and that was much better. I had a very good start, but the fight with Borja ruined my laptimes. I could go much quicker as the group in front of me, but I was running out of time."

Juan Borja - "In the second race, things went much better. For sure I had a difficult race, my crash in Superpole forced me to recover in both races from row 4 of the starting-grid, and it wasn't easy. On the eighth lap, I lost the front end when I braked going into the turn before the straight, the bike tightened up and I ended up in the run-off area. This weekend has been one to forget and all my hopes now lie in the next few races."

Pierfrancesco Chili - "The first race was a very hard race for me. I had a couple of wheelies on the start line and nearly crashed, so it wasn't a good start for me. Because I cannot change direction as quickly as I like (because of my shoulder) I was losing ground exiting the Corkscrew every lap. But, I pushed hard six laps from the end and managed to hold off Yanagawa. At the end of the race my left arm was sore and stiff and the tyres were sliding around but I think that was the same for everybody. The second race was even harder. I couldn't hustle the bike through the turns properly and it was all I could do just to keep going. The pain in my shoulder and left arm was so bad, I thought about pulling in, but I kept going. I was so relieved to see the chequered flag at the end."

Katsuaki Fujiwara - "I made a good start in the first race, but then I got stuck behind Slight and it was difficult to pass him. His bike was faster then mine, so I had to try and make up the ground on the brakes. The bike was quite good, but the tyres were sliding around for about the last ten laps. We made a small front suspension change to the bike for the second race and it was a bit better. But I had bigger problems with the tyres and I had lots of slides. I think the left side of the front tyre was wrecked. And once again I had a big fight with Slight. I am not very happy with my results here today. I think the problem started in Superpole when I didn't make a very good lap. At Laguna Seca, you have to be on the front row or be in the top four going into turn one. Otherwise it's hard to make a good result."