World SuperBike 2001 - Round 7 - Preview - Lausitzring
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The recently-built EuroSpeedway Lausitzring in the former East Germany and close to the Polish border will be the scene for this weekend’s seventh round of the World Superbike Championship. The brand-new circuit will provide a clean playing-field for all riders, adding an extra element of uncertainty in a championship that has so far provided six different winners in 12 races and seen four different manufacturers take race wins. The spectacular, ultra-modern complex, constructed on a former open-cast mine, has facilities for 130,000 spectators. It was opened in August 2000 and contains four tracks, including a 4.5 km F1 circuit, a 4.265 km motorcycle course used for Superbike, a 3.2 km tri-oval circuit for ChampCar events and an 11.3 km endurance track. Sunday’s WSBK event will be the biggest held so far at the Lausitzring. At the mid-point of the 13-round series, Ducati Infostrada rider Troy Bayliss leads the standings with 160 points, 17 ahead of his closest rival, Aprilia’s Troy Corser and 19 ahead of Texan Colin Edwards (Honda). With their wins in Donington, Neil Hodgson (Ducati GSE) and Pierfrancesco Chili (Suzuki) are now in the frame, while Ducati L&M rider Ben Bostrom is also still in contention for the title in sixth place. In the Manufacturers’ battle Ducati lead the way with a 31-point advantage over Honda. During pre-race testing on Wednesday, Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) set the pace on the Ducati 996R Factory, just a shade ahead of Edwards, and the 32-year-old from Taree, Australia is confident he will be able to repeat his Monza form, where he picked up a brace of wins. “It’s an amazing complex and I like the track, it’s very physical in a few spots and it should make for some good racing”, declared Bayliss. “It’s going to be a tough weekend here in Germany but I feel sure that the battle will be really close, not like in Donington. We went really well in pre-race testing and I hope to be able to continue this weekend”. Fresh from his performance at Donington, Ducati Infostrada team-mate Ruben Xaus is aiming to continue his recent run of good form which has seen the 23-year-old Catalan rider come close to a podium finish on occasions. “It’s my first year in World Superbike and I’m racing against a lot of good riders and big names I used to dream about”, said Xaus. “I’m very happy with everything in this first half of the season. I know I’m fast now but I need to be more consistent and learn in every race. I’m really enjoying my first year in Superbike but I think next year it will be even better and I will be much faster”. Ducati L&M rider Ben Bostrom has now fully recovered from his Monza crash which left the 27-year-old from Redding, California nursing a sore right shoulder and knee at Donington as he brought his 996R Factory home to fourth and sixth in the two races. Bostrom has had an up-and-down year so far but is confident he can repeat his early-season form that saw him take a win at Kyalami. “I feel sure that I could have done a lot better this season”, commented Bostrom, “and that I haven’t lived up to expectations. But there’s still a long way to go and I’m confident I can get some good results, starting this weekend in Germany, where I was very satisfied with my pre-race testing performance”. In the Castrol Honda camp Colin Edwards and Tady Okada are both confident of success in Sunday's seventh round of the World Superbike championship. The VTR-SP2 mounted pair, along with the World Superbike regulars, tested at the 2.65-mile circuit on Wednesday with Edwards recording the second fastest time while Okada was second quickest until a crash left the Japanese ace with a slight injury to his right hand. Edwards said: "I like the track, It's a banked oval but we're only using the infield but it seems OK. The Michelin tyres worked well in Wednesday's test so I'm sure I'll be in with a chance of two wins come Sunday." Okada commented: "My crash was very slow but I just hurt my right thumb a little. I'll be fine for Friday's first practice session. The VTR machine and the tyres worked well in the test so I'm really looking forward to a good weekend here." The official Aprilia riders had their RSV Mille bikes going all day during Wednesday's tests. Corser covered 362 kilometres and Regis Laconi 375. The test sessions also helped the team and technician from Noale to perfect the setup of the bikes. "The track's fun and the fine-tuning's going just right", said Troy Corser, "It's just that jet lag after the trip back from Australia started taking its toll towards the end of the day. Still, I feel OK about the work so far and it's given me the chance to get well prepared for Sunday's races." "This is a really technical circuit with some pretty tough changes of direction," says Regis Laconi. "What makes it worse is the asphalt's almost smooth as ice. But the grip got much better as the hours went by. The only slightly tricky bits are the two very long curves which you have to get just right if you want to go really fast. We've already done a great job on setting up my RSV Mille and this should help us right from the first qualifying session on Friday." Team Suzuki Alstare star Pierfrancesco Chili is looking forward to the next round of the championship and is looking for results similar to those he achieved a couple of weeks ago at Donington where he scored a 1st and 2nd. "Nobody has been to this track before, so we'll all be starting off the same. It looks very modern and has probably been designed for cars, so that probably means that it is not so good for bikes we'll have to see. I like tracks where you can keep up good corner speed and really race for me that's what a motorcycle race is all about not slow corners and chicanes that destroy the rhythm. After winning and getting another podium in the last round at Donington, I'd like to keep the momentum going and make the second half of the season much better then the first." commented Chili. Chili's team-mate, Stephane Chambon (FRA), is hoping for his best results of the season at this track, which is new to all competitors. "I'm looking forward to going somewhere where we all start off the same and nobody has any real advantage. Usually, I'm at a track I've been to before but now on a Superbike instead of a Supersport. Lausitzring will be the first place where I will be in the same position as everybody else, so it will be very interesting. I'm reasonably satisfied with my season so far, but I really want higher finishes. For the second half of the season that's what I'll be chasing." 1999 Australian SuperBike Champion Steve Martin is the only World SuperBike rider running Pirellis and was a surprise 7th quickest on Wednesday. Maybe they have found him some good bits for that DFX Ducati? Friday's World Superbike
action begins with a one-hour practice in the morning followed by
qualifying in the afternoon with the Superpole final qualifying at 4pm on
Saturday then Sunday's two races at 12noon and 3.30pm. |