World Superbike / Supersport 2005 - The Aussie speak prior to commencing battle at Silverstone

Chris Vermeulen – Winston Ten Kate Honda - Championship position 3rd, 115 points: “It's been a good couple of weeks since Monza and I'm waiting for a car that I bought recently to arrive from America. It's a 1933 Model Ford Coupe but it's been tricked up a bit. My dad and I spent a couple of years doing up a '54 Ford F-100 pick-up in Australia but the work's already been done on this one and I'm hoping it'll be here in time for me to take it to Silverstone. That second race win at Monza was long overdue - especially after the DNF in race one - but it felt pretty good all the same. It would have been a better points haul if I hadn’t had the first race retirement but that’s how it goes sometimes. We found the right direction at Monza and we’ll definitely be looking to carry that progress through to Silverstone. We basically lifted the bike at the front and the rear and changed the offset to keep it steering good and it seemed to work pretty well.

“The thing was that we were getting too hung up about these new, almost prototype forks from WP that we've started using this season. The first few rounds gave us some handling problems and I think we just concentrated too much on the front of the bike. Taking a step back and looking at the bike as a whole seems to have found us the direction we've been looking for so hopefully we can make even more progress at Silverstone this weekend.

“Silverstone is a place that holds some good memories for me, having won the Supersport race there in 2003 and then taking my very first Superbike victory last year after a second in race one.

“This time, though, instead of the full Grand Prix circuit, we're using the shorter International circuit, which I remember from my days in the British championship. It's only just long enough to meet the FIM homologation rules but I guess it'll be OK, although it might take a few laps to familiarise myself with it again.”

Karl Muggeridge – Winston Ten Kate Honda - Championship position 12th, 38 points: “It finally started coming together at Monza, although my race day bad luck looked like continuing when I was hit at the start of the first race and lost the clutch lever. It was tough coming back from about 20th on the first lap to take sixth but the bike was so much better right through the weekend and that allowed us to qualify on the front row for the first time. I enjoyed race two at Monza and felt I might have got on the podium but for a mistake on the last lap. We’ll be getting some things underway again when we hit Silverstone and try to carry on that Monza form but we've still got work to do. The two tracks used to be pretty similar but now they’ve cut all that cool stuff from the back Silverstone – Hanger straight and Stowe corner – which is a shame, I think. We’ll have more to say on Friday when we’ve been round the International circuit.”

Steve Martin – Foggy Petronas Racing - Championship position 31st with 1 point - “We have been testing an awful lot of new parts over the last few months and this weekend will be the first time we have had the whole package. I’m not saying we will be able to go out and win but we are hopeful this is now the right package to go forward with. I have never ridden the International circuit at Silverstone but a lot of riders will be in the same boat and the small bit there is to learn looks pretty straightforward. We are going there with the same gearing as last year as the part of the track that is critical is the Grandstand section and that remains the same on this shorter circuit. It is the first time I have ridden in Britain for a British-based team so I think there will be lots of support, which will add to the atmosphere.”

Garry McCoy – Foggy Petronas Racing - No points to date - “As the team is based in England we are hoping that the English round will be the first where we can score good points. We are due to test a new ignition system before going to Silverstone and, even if we do not have time to have it working 100 per cent, it will hopefully help improve the ‘backing in’ problem that we have been having. The final chicane is real tight, but you just have to deal with it and it makes it exciting for the fans. We are also hoping that using the shorter International circuit might suit our bike better.”

Andrew Pitt – Yamaha Motor Italia - Championship position 5th with 60 points “Every race we’re learning more about the bike and improving bit by bit in all areas. Monza showed what good progress we’ve made: our straight line speed was good and we’re managing to make our tyres last much better than at the start of the season. We always knew that the first half of the season would be about development work and racking up consistent finishes which is exactly what we have done so far. I was able to run with the leading group for much of the race in Monza so I think we can go to Silverstone confident of doing well.”

Kevin Curtain – Supersport - Yamaha Motor Germany - Championship position 3rd with 60 points - “Silverstone is a circuit I have gone well at in the past and it should suit us better than Monza, that’s for sure. WP (suspension supplier) has sent a new technician to work with us and I think that this will be a big benefit to us. Even though Monza was his first race you could see that he’s a really switched on guy and that should help us find a better race set-up… and more quickly. If we can get a good set-up then there is no reason why I can’t be up there fighting for the lead like I was in Phillip Island.”

Broc Parkes – Yamaha Motor Germany - Championship position 6th with 38 points - “After two years riding Hondas I’m still learning about the Yamaha and how to get the best out of it. Silverstone has always been good for the Yamahas and I was on the podium there last year, so that’s a good sign. The first target is Kev. He’s finished ahead of me in every race so far this year so I will be looking to run with him. If I can do that then the podium is definitely possible.”