Preview - From the Aussie perspective

Australian Troy Bayliss has described himself like a “dog on a chain” as he chases a second World Superbike title at Imola this Sunday.

After unexpectedly being forced to defer victory celebrations in Germany last month, 37-year-old Bayliss (Ducati 999F06) is poised to finally wrap up the title in Italy, irrespective of how main championship rivals James Toseland (Honda CBR1000RR) and Japan’s Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha YZF-R1) fare.

“I am like a dog on a chain and I have to keep it on until the job is done,” Bayliss was quoted as saying on his personal website. “But if we can sort it out by the first race the chain comes off for the second and I can run rampant.

“I remember Imola from 2001 and 2002. It’s a great track in the middle of town, a place where you can hear and feel the atmosphere -- and it seems to make for close racing.
“This will certainly be a hectic weekend, as Imola is only 30km away from the Ducati factory, so as far as the hospitality for sponsors and guests go it will be tough.”
A podium finish for Bayliss in race one will be enough to finish the job, although there are still a number of other possible scenarios which would get him over the line -- including a strong result in race two.
With a maximum of 100pts on the table in the final two rounds, Bayliss is currently on 357, miles ahead of Haga (270), Toseland (264), Troy Corser (Suzuki GSX-R1000, 211) and Yamaha’s Andrew Pitt (YZF-R1, 210).

If Bayliss, as expected, completes formalities on Sunday, he could well be joined in celebration by compatriot Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany YZF-R6), who holds a 27pt lead over reigning world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda CBRR600RR) in the Supersport battle.

Curtain, a four-time Australian road racing champion, has been a picture of consistency all year, and returns to a circuit where he finished second in 2005 – albeit in atrociously wet conditions.

Curtain, 40, will become the fourth Aussie World Supersport champion since 1999 if one of the following occurs: he completes the race ahead of Charpentier; finishes with no more than 1pt less than Charpentier; or finishes outside the points and Charpentier is 15th.

"I never expected to go to Imola with such a big lead," said Curtain. "I had hoped that maybe I could have something like a 10pt advantage after Lausitz (Germany) so to be in this position is something we couldn't dream of.

“It's all a credit to the team, which has worked so hard to put us in this situation. We had a new bike at the start of the season but straight away we have been competitive. With a lot of hard work we now have a bike which is as good as anything else out there.

“Imola is where I had my first ride with Yamaha Germany, in 2003, and I've gone well there in the past. I'm not thinking too much about the championship and am going with the same attitude as always, to pick up as many points as possible and let everything look after itself."

If Curtain is crowned, it will mark the second time that Australians have claimed the Superbike and Supersport double in the same year, after Bayliss and Pitt in 2001.

Imola, which was first inaugurated in 1953, remains one of the most venerated race tracks in the world, and still hosts the Italian leg of the F1 title.

Superbike racing only joined the Imola roster in 2001, and one year later nearly 100,000 spectators assembled around the 4.933km perimeter to see American Colin Edwards lead home Bayliss in both races.

In fact, Edwards is one of only four riders to have tasted success at Imola; the others winners are Frenchman Regis Laconi, Spaniard Ruben Xaus and current lap record holder, Australian Chris Vermeulen.

Laconi and Xaus have both struggled all year, and are not expected to circulate with the leaders on Sunday. That’s in contrast to the Aussie quartet of Corser, Pitt and Karl Muggeridge (CBR1000RR) and, to a lesser extent, Steve Martin (Foggy Petronas FP1).

While Corser, who has a pole position and two seconds at Imola, will enjoy carte blanche on Sunday, Pitt and Muggeridge will probably be called upon to ‘assist’ their respective teammates – Haga and Toseland – in keeping alive their championship aspirations for as long as possible.

Corser, who made a welcome return to the podium in the last round, has enjoyed an attention-grabbing lead-up to Imola, which includes a police-escorted tour through Paris, as well as a royal engagement.

To promote the final round at Magny-Cours on October 8, Corser led a group of racers on a 10-minute ride through the streets of the French capital to the city’s most famous landmark -- the Eiffel tower.

“This whole event has been fantastic,” said Bayliss. “Driving through the streets of one of the world’s best cities on motorbikes with a police escort was amazing. I have been to Paris before, but the queues to go up the Eiffel tower were too long then, so (my wife) Sam and I didn’t bother. When I tell her what I’ve just done, she will so jealous! I’m going to have to bring her back so she can see it for herself.”

Following Paris, Corser then winged his way to London for a gala reception to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the charity organisation Riders for Health, with Princess Anne as guest of honour.

“Princess Anne was very easy to talk to and she seemed to know about motorcycle sport because of the comments she made. This was the first time I’ve ever met British royalty and I was impressed with the way she was able to talk to all of us and also her interest and dedication to Riders for Health.


“I have been a supporter of Riders for Health for many years and will continue to do so for many years to come.”

Muggeridge, who reaped his best harvest of the year in Germany with 5-6 results, has won two World Supersport races at Imola, including one in his 2004 championship-winning year.

Martin, whose partner Sandra is expecting the couple’s first child early next week, has also been a heady performer at Imola, which includes a third place in 2004. The 37-year-old recently signed with his pre-Petronas team, DFX, to campaign a Honda in next year’s championship – one which will also feature the talents of four-time world 250 GP champion, Max Biaggi, on a Suzuki.

The final Australian in action at Imola, Josh Brookes (Kawasaki ZX-10R), will initially be shooting for a top 16 spot in regular qualifying, which would give him his first shot at the one-lap Superpole shootout.

Meanwhile, Alex Barros (CBR1000RR) is looking to Imola for his first win in World Superbike, having raced for Honda at the classic Italian venue during his 500cc GP career, and finishing second there in 1999.

Barros is now sixth overall on 186pts, just in front of the rider who has the most wins this season behind Bayliss – Corser’s teammate Yukio Kagayama (GSX-R1000, 177).

CURRENT WORLD SUPERBIKE STANDINGS (after 10 of 12 rounds):
1 Troy Bayliss, Australia, Ducati 357
2 Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Yamaha 270
3 James Toseland, Great Britain, Honda 264
4 Troy Corser, Australia, Suzuki 211
5 Andrew Pitt, Australia, Yamaha 210
6 Alex Barros, Brazil, Honda 186
7 Yukio Kagayama, Japan, Suzuki 177
8 Chris Walker, Great Britain, Kawasaki 134
9 Lorenzo Lanzi, Italy, Ducati 133
10 Fonsi Nieto, Spain, Kawasaki 127
13 Karl Muggeridge, Australia, Honda 97
20 Steve Martin, Australia, Petronas 19
31 Josh Brookes, Australia, Kawasaki 1

CURRENT WORLD SUPERSPORT STANDINGS (after 10 of 12 rounds):
1 Kevin Curtain, Australia, Yamaha 171
2 Sebastien Charpentier, France, Honda 144
3 Broc Parkes, Australia, Yamaha 119
4 Kenan Sofuoglu, Turkey, Honda 117
5 Robbin Harms, Denmark, Honda 107

**** WORLD SUPERBIKE RETURNS TO PHILLIP ISLAND NEXT MARCH 2-4 ***

WORLD SUPERBIKE QUOTES

Troy Corser
“I still think I can finish in the top three this year and that’s what I’ll be shooting for at Imola and Magny. It’s been a real up and down year - literally in some cases - but I’m aiming for strong consistent finishes in the remaining races and a good end to the season. I had mixed feelings last year when the second race was cancelled because I would’ve liked to have taken the title in normal conditions. But our team had worked so hard over the winter months and we were all set from the very first race - and so our title was well-earned. It’s not going to be so easy these last few races because Bayliss and his Ducati are working so well - particularly his traction control. Also, Imola is a ‘home’ race for Ducati because their factory is just down the road, but that’s a big incentive for me and the rest of the boys to put one over them. That’s what I’ll be trying to do, for sure.”

Andrew Pitt
"The result at Lausitz was disappointing because we made the wrong tyre choice in race one and then just touched the footrest down and crashed in the second. I was disappointed to slip back to fifth in the championship but the bike was working really well and we were lucky that Barros and Corser also missed out on the big points. Imola's a circuit that I like. I've some good memories of the place, as I won the Supersport title there in 2001. It's a challenging track with a lot of blind corners. To go well there you need a lot of confidence in the bike, which is good for us as the R1 is working really well. Who knows where we can end the season? Second place is not out of the question but my aim is just to keep finishing on the podium in these last two weekends and then the championship positions will sort themselves out."

Karl Muggeridge
“We’re getting close to the end of the season and I really want to step on the podium at least once. It hasn’t been a lucky racing year for me, due the injury right at the beginning of the season, which held me back for a while. It was hard to recover from it, but in the last few races I’ve felt good again. In Imola I will give all I have to get on the podium. The weather forecast promises sunshine and warm temperatures, and this should help us to reach our goal.”

Steve Martin
“Unless the baby is born in the next couple of days she (his partner Sandra) will be coming to Imola this weekend and I have left it up to her whether she travels to Magny-Cours. As long as we are always within half an hour of a hospital then everything should be okay. This project has always been on the edge so it’s nothing new! The last two rounds have shown that we can consistently score points on the Petronas FP1 so if everything goes well and we have a bit of luck, we can score points again at Imola. It is one of the classically-styled tracks like Brands Hatch or Phillip Island. It’s not an easy track to ride and that helps us a little bit. I had my best result there last year with a fifth, when the conditions were a bit ‘iffy’. That’s when team-craft comes into play and the FPR team has always been strong in that department.”