World Superbike / Supersport 2005 - Silverstone preview from the Australian perspective

All indicators point to an antipodean world superbike shootout this weekend (May 29) between a resurgent Chris Vermeulen and current pacesetter, the rampaging Troy Corser, when action moves to the iconic Silverstone circuit in the UK for round five of the championship.

Riders will face a whole new ball game at Silverstone this year, with the series adopting the shorter 3.6km “International” Silverstone circuit for the round with the promise of closer, more spectacular racing and two added overtaking opportunities.

The supremely gifted Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR), emboldened after scoring his first victory of the year in round four at Monza (Italy) on May 8 (his fifth in the 1000cc production-based class) is returning to a circuit which has traditionally been a happy hunting ground, and on a machine which has recently made enormous developmental strides.

In 2003, Vermeulen, then 20, scored a resounding win in the world supersport round at Silverstone; and last year clinched his first world superbike victory at the British track.

His 2004 success kickstarted a sizzling mid-year stretch which saw him greet the chequered flag in four of the next seven races – and move into title contention. However, a point-less final round in France proved to be his death knell, and he eventually finished fourth behind Ducati trio James Toseland, Regis Laconi and Noriyuki Haga.

As it stands, Vermeulen’s currently got the better of his 2004 conquerors in this year’s championship, and is now intent on consistently mixing it with the man of the moment, Wollongong’s Corser.

“That second race win at Monza was long overdue - especially after the DNF in race one - but it felt pretty good all the same,” said Vermeulen, the 2003 world Supersport champion. “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 year, Vermeulen, and the rest of the superbike throng, have all played second fiddle to the runaway Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000s of 1996 world champion Corser and his Japanese teammate Yukio Kagayama.

Combined, the duo has won seven of the opening eight races, with 33-year-old Corser already a 52pt (182 to 130) leader over Kagayama, followed by Vermeulen (115pts), Laconi (Ducati Xerox 999F05, 87pts) and another Australian, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia YZF-R1, 60pts).

Corser, who won both races at the Phillip Island leg of the championship on April 3, is relishing a return to the pointy end of the field after three frustrating years with the Foggy Petronas, Anglo-Malaysian collaboration.

With Suzuki yet to register a win at Silverstone since the circuit began hosting world supers in 2002 – Ducati and Honda have dominated – Corser will be out to redress the imbalance, and to add to his already imposing 29 world superbike wins.

However, should Corser stumble, then compatriots – and championship rookies – Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and Pitt will be ready to pounce.

Pitt has repeatedly shown he has the speed to go all the way, but a fourth place in round one still remains his best result. But now, on the strength of a more comfortable union with his YZF-R1, the 29-year-old is on the cusp of joining the raft of 2005 podium finishers, with his long-term goal to win Yamaha’s first SWC race since 2000.

“Every race we’re learning more about the bike and improving bit by bit in all areas,” said Pitt. “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.”

Meanwhile, Muggeridge, the reigning world supersport champion, is harboring the same goals as Pitt, and his form at Monza belies his current championship position – 12th place on 38pts.

“It finally started coming together at Monza, although my raceday bad luck looked like continuing when I was hit at the start of the first race and lost the clutch lever,” said the recently married Muggeridge. “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.”

The final two Australians in this year’s SWC, Foggy Petronas pair Steve Martin and Garry McCoy, will be aiming for more modest returns on their FP1 triples at Silverstone – just to score points.

The Adelaide-born Martin, 36, has only scored one point in his fifth year of world superbike competition, while 33-year-old McCoy, a five-time 125 and 500 GP winner, has failed to trouble the scorers in what has been a nightmare year.

“The Foggy Petronas team is based in England, so we are hoping that the English round will be the first where we can score good points,” said McCoy. “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.”

One rider who was at the top of his game at Silverstone in 2004 was Haga, who swapped first and second places with Vermeulen. However, the 17-time superbike winner has been unequal to the task so far in 2005 on the Yamaha Motor Italia YZF-R1, and it’s more likely that Laconi and the Britannia brigade – world champion Toseland and the ever-improving Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R) – will provide the sternest test for the top-shelf Aussies.

Also, wily veteran Pierfrancesco Chili (Team Klaffi CBR1000RR) is just about due for another cameo, while his young German teammate Max Neukirchner (CBR1000RR) and Norick Abe (IPONE YZF-R1) are capable of running up the front in the two SWC races.

In the corresponding world Supersport race at Silverstone, Aussies Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes, who both ride for Yamaha Motor Germany, will be looking to extinguish Honda’s monopoly on proceedings. Curtain, a two-time world Supersport winner, is currently third on 60pts, behind the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RRs of Sebastien Charpentier (90pts) and Japan’s Katsuaki Fujiwara (83pts). Parkes is equal fifth on 38pts.