On the track just outside London, Noriyuki Haga has always raced superbly and he is an idol for British fans. In the past, numerous banners have been unfurled in his honour around the circuit. Brands Hatch is the event which attracts the greatest number of spectators in the Superbike World Championship: the 2000 race, with 122,000 spectators, still holds the record for the highest ever number for any motor racing event, Formula 1 included!

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2 - FGF Aprilia Team rider) - "I like the circuit: it's very technical, it's a constant up and down and there are all sorts of turns. Even so, I haven't been here for two years now and I've got to get the feel of it again, especially in the fastest and most difficult parts. And it's also the first time I've raced here on Aprilia, which means we don't have the references yet, so we're bound to take a bit longer than the competition. But the potential's all there and I'm raring to go."

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager of the Playstation2 - FGF Aprilia Team) - "We're quite a long way back and we're certainly hoping for better than tenth place. But since it's only Friday, we've got nothing to worry about. And it must be said the gap separating us from Bayliss is pretty small - just one second - it also took us some time to analyse the various technical solutions. And the tyres also gave us some good results. We've got lots of things to try out and we're sure we'll be able to get a better place on the grid.