2006 Australian Superbike Championship (YMF Loan) - Round Four - Queensland Raceway

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This is the big race before the summer break and the importance of this, the 11th round of a 17 race series, cannot be underestimated. The rider who goes into the holiday period with a win will be able to let his rivals worry about what is to come in the six remaining rounds.

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) won here in 2005. His maiden MotoGP victory seemed a long time coming, but when it did, it gave the genial American a springboard with which to attack the remaining races of the season – and begin this year in confident, consistent, series-leading form.

He leads the overall points standings with 169 to nearest rival Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who has 143, with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) on 140 and Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) on 134. These four are the main contenders, although fifth-placed Loris Capirossi (Ducati) cannot be ruled out of the running on 118.

Winning this race is vital, but there is also the small matter of not losing it too. Hayden knows he cannot afford to let Rossi beat him in his backyard. He also knows last year’s second-placed rider Colin Edwards
(Yamaha) still aches for a MotoGP win and Laguna Seca is likely to represent his best chance of achieving that.

Rossi knows that a win now would damage the confidence of his rivals for the World Crown, but he is unlikely to be expecting anything other than a hard fight from Hayden here. There’s also the small matter of a resurgent Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V).

Former World Champion Roberts is enjoying a new lease of life on the Honda-powered KR bike. His front row qualifying performance and third place finish in Catalunya was encouraging and his second place on the grid in Germany last weekend before crashing out of the race showed that he could be a major force here too. Kenny would like nothing better than a ‘home’
win at a track his father did so much to put on the MotoGP map.

Melandri had a torrid time here last year, struggling to 11th in qualifying and then crashing out on the first lap. But this is a chance for the Italian star to show what he can do now he has a second chance to shine here. He knows what to expect and he is almost back to a proper level of fitness after his Catalunya crash.

One title contender does not know what to expect. Dani Pedrosa in his rookie MotoGP season has never been here before and he will need all his methodical mastery of a new track to get to grips with this wild circuit.

Built in 1957 near Monterey, California, Laguna Seca ticks all the boxes for a track in terms of rider involvement. There’s gradient aplenty, long sweeping curves which invite adventurous riders to carve radical lines through. It’s track that rewards momentum everywhere except the Andretti Hairpin and the infamous Corkscrew.

If ever a turn defined a track it’s Laguna’s Corkscrew. Variously described as ‘riding off the end of the earth’, ‘surfing a 30ft wave’ and ‘dropping down a lift shaft’, this is one of the great corners in MotoGP. The approach to it has been changed this year and the whole track has been resurfaced.

The longest straight is just 996m long on a 3.610km track that winds around a compact footprint and turns back on itself providing four right-hand turns and seven lefts. Set-up requires a bike that turns-in accurately and yet remains stable for the two main braking points, the Hairpin and that critical Corkscrew

Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) managed a 13th place here last year, but the young Spaniard is now much better equipped to deal with this track than he was in 2005. With his broken shoulder now on the mend, he might not be quite at full fitness stamina-wise, but he will lack nothing in speed.

Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) is another rider who, like Dani, will have to expecdite the track learning process if he is to go well here. After a heavy fall in morning warm-up at the Sachsenring last weekend, he will be eager to stay on the bike and take what points he can.

Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) is eager to get on track again after looking like the rider he used to be in Germany last weekend. The Japanese ace has been struggling for form this season, and looked to have found it before he was accidentally punted off the track by Kenny Roberts in mid-crash.

Nicky said, “It’s a pretty good feeling to be leading the world going into my home race. Even though there’s a lot racing still to go and I really want to be leading the championship at the end of the season, I’m proud to go home to my fans out in front. Plus it’s a while since an American has been on top so I’m excited. But more importantly we’re going to go to Laguna and try to get 25 points.”

Dani said, “I’m not sure how I’m going to find things at Laguna because it’s a new track to me. It’s a long time since I’ve raced at a track I don’t already know and most of the others have seen it before, so it will be difficult for me and the other new MotoGP riders at first. My job will be to adapt to the track as quickly as possible, find a base setting for the RC211V and have another strong weekend. I was a little disappointed to finish fourth at the last race in Germany, but I believe in myself and I’m still pretty confident. We are having a great season so far and I’ve just got keep working on the areas where I can improve.”

Kenny said, “It’s going to be fun. We want to do as we’ve been doing. I’ve got a great family and friends type of thing going on here and as long as I have a safe race and I give it 100% and the team gives it 100%, I’m happy with that. That’s what I did last year and I rode around in 80th or whatever it was. This year we’re going to try to maybe have a shot at the podium or a victory. It doesn’t change the outlook or my preparations for it.”

Makoto Tamada said, “I’m still aching from last Sunday at Sachsenring. I feel confident I will recover fast and be ready to be on track again for Friday two free practice hours. I’m really sorry for the big occasion I lost in Germany; the rhythm I kept during the laps I covered was very high and I’m convinced I could remain there with the others up to the end. Last Sunday I had good feelings when riding my Honda RC211V and that’s what I want to feel again at Laguna Seca. I can’t wait to ride the track to show the competitive level we’ve reached.”

“I like the layout of Laguna Seca,” said Melandri. “It’s an impressive track where it's fun to race. Last year I made a mistake in the approach to a track that was new to me and this spoiled my race weekend. Fortunately during the warm up we found a good set-up and I started to understand the track. This year my approach will be completely different because I learned a lot from that experience.
My physical condition has improved a lot and after two incredible races in England and in Germany, I know that I have all what I need to battle every weekend for the front positions.”

Elias said, “Laguna Seca is a historic track, a legend. I remember watching races at Laguna when I was a kid, so it’s great to race there. I like the track because it’s so different from every other circuit. It’s difficult and demanding. From the TV you just don’t realize how wild the Corkscrew is. It’s an impressive curve, similar to a big wave.”

Stoner said, “It’s vital to get a good result here before the break and we owe it to ourselves to do well. We’ve just got to keep everything going in the right direction and see how we get on. The track’s new to me so we’ll have to get down to business straight away.”