World Superbike 2006 - Round One

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra World Superbike Champion Troy Corser missed a front row start for tomorrow’s opening round of the series in Qatar by just a tenth of a second.

Team mate Yukio Kagayama made a couple of small mistakes on his Superpole lap and finished seventh quickest, starting on the same row.

Team rookie Fabien Foret continued his steep learning curve and was happy to get dry track time today and start working with his Alstare Suzuki in earnest.

Troy Corser - 5th, 2:00.206:
"In my Superpole lap we tried a soft front tyre - to get more feel - but we hadn't tried it before and I wasn't fully confident that I could really stick it in the turns as I wanted. We tried it because, with the harder tyres, I didn't have much front end feel and couldn't turn the bike in like normal. The soft one definitely felt better, but I don't think we could use it for the race because it wouldn't last. Also, because the track is a bit dirty after the rain yesterday, the good line is quite narrow.

“When we tested here in December, I used different lines going into the turns, but today I had to follow everybody else's lines. The bike is feeling a bit different here compared to December, but maybe that is because I am five kilos lighter, and we may need to alter the settings to compensate. Overall though, I'm reasonably happy and all I need is a couple of good starts."

Yukio Kagayama - 7th, 2:00.895:
"Today was a bit mixed. I had a big crash in the morning and broke my bike. I think my front tyre may have been a little too hard and I couldn't feel it very well. I lost the front and the bike went a long way before somersaulting in the gravel. Fortunately I was lucky and had no injuries - but I have given my mechanics a lot of work to do! I tried many different tyres today, but I am not sure which to use for the race. I really wanted a front row grid place, but I made a couple of small mistakes on my Superpole lap and they were enough to push me down to the second row. Now I must make a good start in both races because I want to be on the podium."

Fabien Foret - 25th, 2:03.798:
"It was good to get dry laps today and finally I began to start understanding my bike. Yesterday was a waste of time for me because I learnt nothing. In the morning today, I didn't have a good feeling about the front, but in the afternoon I became a bit more comfortable and improved my time by nearly one-and-a-half seconds. Every time I get on the bike I get a better feeling. For me, the result here is not so important. What is important is that I understand my bike. Having said that, I would still like to get into the points and that will be my goal."