World Superbike / Supersport 2005 - Round Six - Misano

Winston Ten Kate Honda riders, Chris Vermeulen – who celebrated his 23rd birthday last Sunday – and Karl Muggeridge, head for round six of the World Superbike championship this weekend at Misano in Italy. The 4.06km Autodromo Santa Monica circuit lies near the Adriatic coast, 35km from San Marino.

With summer heat sure to play a part in this weekend’s proceedings, the Australian duo’s confidence is high following a successful test at Magny-Cours in France two weeks ago. The team tried a variety of rear swingarm and linkage combinations in an effort to improve driveability on their Honda CBR1000RRs and both riders declared themselves happy with the improvements.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager: “We found a good direction at our recent test in France and head for Misano with the new components that we need to give both riders the combinations they prefer. Having lost a lot of testing time before the season started, this was our first real chance to address some of the problems we have encountered. Hopefully, our rivals haven’t improved as much as we have and this should give us the chance to finish strongly and get the kind of results that the team’s efforts deserve.”

Chris Vermeulen – championship position 3rd, 141 points: “I’ve spent the last few days in Florence with my leathers supplier so I’m getting acclimatised but I think it’ll be pretty hot this weekend. We’ve definitely made some improvements to the bike which I hope will help me fight for at least a couple of podiums this weekend. Last year’s Misano race was the fourth round of the season so we were still getting used to the new bike and the weather was a little more unpredictable. I like Misano but I’ve never had much luck here and never finished on the podium in Supersport, although I did qualify on the front row in 2003. As far as this year’s championship goes, I have to be looking at podium finishes and would like another win this weekend. Troy (Corser) is fast in Misano and the Ducatis will be strong here so I’ll be looking to get the most of the recent improvements we’ve made.”

Karl Muggeridge – championship position 12th, 50 points: “The two days at Magny-Cours were really good for me – we got to test properly for the first time and tried a load of new things on the rear of the bike to improve grip and the driveability out of corners. We need as much grip as possible this weekend because when it’s hot in Misano, any problems you have seem to get exaggerated, so the test in France came at just the right time of the season for us. I think the new swingarm and linkage combination we’ve gone for should work well here. I really like the place because I had my first official World Supersport race here for Castrol Honda in 1998 and I won the race last year. But, after the test two weeks ago, I felt that I was really getting somewhere with the bike so I’m looking forward to putting that feeling to good use this weekend.”

Supersport

Winston Ten Kate Honda’s World Supersport pairing of Sébastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara head for the 4.06km Autodromo Santa Monica circuit in Misano this weekend for round six of the championship that they have dominated all season.

Charpentier took his third win of the season last time out at Silverstone, GB, while his team-mate Fujiwara has scored two victories himself. A successful test at Magny-Cours in France two weeks ago sees the Winston Ten Kate Honda squad brimming with confidence for this weekend’s 23-lap outing.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager: “The test at Magny-Cours allowed us to try some new ignition and injection mapping components which enhanced the riders’ feel for the CBR600RR and improved acceleration a little. We were also able to experiment with some different chassis settings to see if there are any areas where we can make some positive changes. We’ll try some of these on the spare machines when we start practice at Misano, where the heat will be an influencing factor. The season has started fantastically with five wins from five races and, if we can get another win in Misano, it will be the team’s tenth consecutive World Supersport race win. That will be good to celebrate.”

Sébastien Charpentier – championship position 1st, 115 points: “I just want to continue with more of the same this weekend because the start to the season has been a dream. Three wins and two second places is fantastic for me and Kats (Fujiwara) is second in the championship which is also great for the team. There is a fantastic atmosphere in the garage and everyone is very relaxed and, after our test at Magny-Cours, we are confident that we can continue with our good performance. The last round at Silverstone was perfect for me with pole position, the fastest lap and a win. I would like to repeat that at Misano this weekend so I have been doing some cycling in the hot weather in France to prepare the conditions this weekend.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara – championship position 2nd, 90 points: “Silverstone was not so good for me because I had a crash during practice and a bit of a cold as well. In the race I experienced some gear selection problems and that allowed Sébastien to have a bigger lead in the championship. I have to try very hard for another win this weekend to close the gap and after the test in France I think I have a good chance. I am feeling fit now and the shoulder that I injured at Silverstone is much better. I’m looking forward to Misano, where I have been on the podium before. But now I would like to win there.”