Troy Corser may have found the circuit breaker to ignite his 2009 world superbike campaign at Italy’s Monza circuit this weekend.
The historic 5.793km track near Milan is one of the few places on this year’s calendar where Corser’s BMW team has already tested, giving the Australian some meaningful engine and suspension data to utilise from the get-go when practice begins for round five on Friday.
“The great thing is that we will not be trying to play catch-up as much as we have to do normally,” said Corser. “Monza has some fast straights and is a track where slipstreaming can play an important part. It’s possible to be in fourth place exiting the Ascari chicane on the last lap and still win if you can take advantage of the draft.”
However, before Corser can even contemplate some epic slipstreaming battles against championship leader Noriyuki Haga and American star Ben Spies, he knows that he has to find a remedy for his qualifying woes.
Corser’s best qualifying position so far in 2009 has been 14th, which has been perplexing for someone with the most pole positions in world superbike history.
“Superpole has not worked out well for us so far and, considering that, I think we’ve done well to get the top 10s we have,” said Corser, who won at Monza in 2005. “I hope that we can qualify better at Monza and get even better results.”
Corser will be joined by the full roster of Australians at Monza, with Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) returning from a shoulder injury to line up alongside Karl Muggeridge (Suzuki) and Brendan Roberts (Ducati).
“I had a displacement operation to remove the gap between the collarbone and the shoulder and I’m recovering well,” said Parkes. “I’m still pretty sore all over, but I was lucky to not break anything and to have this time in between races to recover.”
Parkes crashed at high-speed in a private UK test session and, as well as the shoulder injury, he broke his nose and received bad bruising and swelling to his knee, elbow and ankle.
Haga is the runaway championship leader after four rounds, and already holds a 60pt lead over American Ben Spies (Yamaha).
Haga is also the form rider around Monza, winning three of the last four races on a Yamaha. But he’s now in the Ducati factory team, which is a scary proposition for his opponents.
That’s because since 1999, Ducati factory riders Carl Fogarty, Neil Hodgson, Régis Laconi and Troy Bayliss have all come away with maximum points at Monza.
If Haga wins race one on Sunday, history suggests that he’s a fair chance to complete the double, as 11 of the 17 rounds at the circuit have resulted in clean sweeps.
However, Spies, who was fastest in a recent test session at Monza, will be desperate to scramble back some points on Haga after crashing out in race two at Assen, while Italians Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) will be out to put on a show for their local supporters.
Leon Haslam (Honda), Max Neukirchner (Suzuki), Laconi (Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Honda) will also be pushing hard in round five.
Monza is steeped in motorsport legend and, with its long straights punctuated by such iconic corners as the Parabolica and the Ascari chicane, is renowned for spectacular slipstreaming battles at speeds of more than 300kmh.
Haga’s current lap record comes at an average speed of 196km/h — 23kmh more than Phillip Island.
In world supersport, Australia is still looking for its first win of the year, but it will surely come soon as Andrew Pitt, Anthony West, Mark Aitchison and Garry McCoy continue to push hard.
Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) leads after podiums in three of the first four rounds, for one win, with fellow rookie Eugene Laverty (Honda) second, just ahead of Turkey’s Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda). Laverty is the only multiple winner so far in 2009.
— Team Previews
— HRC Preview
The oldest permanent racetrack in Europe is the venue for the fifth round of the 2009 World Superbike and Supersport championships this weekend, with the 5.793km-long Autodromo Nazionale di Monza hosting the WSB series for the 18th time.
Honda riders will, as ever, be in contention for the top honours in each class on raceday, Sunday 10th May, with Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) currently overall third in WSB and Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) second in WSS.
Because of the hip injury suffered by John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) in practice at Assen last time out, Jake Zemke moves over from the AMA series to be Haslam’s temporary team-mate this weekend, in what will be his first WSB race and his first visit to Monza.
Haslam has had the most settled early season of all the supported Honda riders in World Superbike, and took another career step at the previous round in Assen, by riding to his first ever second place race finish at this level of competition.
Laverty has had a truly impressive start to his rookie full-time WSS season, having secured two race wins, at Qatar and the Netherlands. He is also in close company with championship leader Carl Crutchlow’s Yamaha and has a quartet of other supported Honda riders ranged out behind him after four of 14 rounds.
Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) sits only three points behind Laverty, partly due to the 2007 champion’s opening round win in Australia, while Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR), Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and Mark Aitchison (Honda Althea CBR600RR) fill out the top six. Pitt, the defending champion, is expected to be back to his best after a crash and subsequent left hand injury at Assen.
Behind Haslam in the current WSB points table Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) is the next best Honda rider in ninth and Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) is now 11th overall.
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Racing Honda CBR1000RR) rounds out the top 15 in the championship and of all the Honda riders on show he has the best memory of Monza 2008, having almost won his first race at the historic Autodromo on leg two last year.
Tommy Hill (Honda Althea CBR1000RR) is 20th after a double DNF in the Netherlands, with the luckless Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR) yet to score.
In Supersport, Matthieu Lagrive (Honda Althea CBR600RR) dropped to ninth overall after a DNF in the Assen race, while his fellow Honda riders Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) and Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) are also looking to get back on the score sheet at Monza.
WSB Rider Quotes
Leon Haslam said: “I’m really looking forward to the next round in Monza, especially after achieving such a good result at Assen. I think it might be a little bit more difficult this time because of the fast nature of the track and the fact that most of the top teams have tested there, but I like a challenge and I hope we can have a similar result if not better.”
Jonathan Rea said: “Assen was much more positive for the whole team after a difficult first few rounds. Monza is very fast, which should suit the bike quite well. I didn’t have much luck last year in Supersport and lost the clutch in the race, but it’s an amazing circuit – unlike anywhere else in the world – and it has some really nice features. I’ll be going there hoping to reward my crew for all the hard work they’ve put in over the last few weeks.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari said: “The last round in Assen was not so good for me. Everything was fine on the first day but after I crashed in free practice on Saturday, I lost some confidence in the front end of the machine. It returned in the second race but then I had a technical problem so was unable to use it. I like Monza and had a good result last year. It requires three days of very intense concentration but the three long straights should suit my bike, which is very fast. If I ride OK and have some luck, I think I will make a good result.”
Carlos Checa said: “Last year at Monza was not so good for me so I am very confident that things will be better when we visit this season. It’s a very historic circuit and has a great name in Motorsport and it has its own special character. Our main rivals tested there before Assen but, by Saturday, I hope we’ll be up there. Everyone in the team has been working really hard and there’s a good atmosphere. I don’t think we’ll have an issue with the bike’s power so I aim to be fighting at the front in Sunday’s races.”
Jake Zemke said: “I am extremely excited to race for the Stiggy Racing Honda team this weekend. They have a first-rate team and have had some excellent results. The Monza track has a deep history of racing, and I know how passionate the Italian people are about racing. I know the odds will be against us, learning a new bike, new track, new tyres, but I will give it my all at Monza for the Stiggy Racing Honda team.”
Tommy Hill said: “I have never raced on the track before so I will have to familiarize myself with the circuit starting from Friday’s practice sessions. I’m eager to ride and get to know this historic circuit. After the first four rounds of my first Superbike season I’m more confident with my bike set-up and at Monza I want to qualify for Superpole, because I would like to take home two good results for my team and for all my sponsors.”
WSS Rider Quotes
Eugene Laverty said: “I’m really looking forward to it even through it will be a new track to me. The good thing is that it doesn’t seem to be of the toughest to learn; I think some others on the calendar will be harder to learn. It is a fast track and horsepower is needed as well, so we should be OK in that regard. It’s probably the fastest circuit on the calendar and with the slipstream to help we will be approaching 300kph on a Supersport bike down the straight, which is incredible really.”
Kenan Sofuoglu said: “I was very disappointed with the result from Assen because I was so confident going into the race from the front row. But there was one section of the circuit where I lost a lot of time and I had to push very hard everywhere else, so it was difficult. Monza is nice, though, and we will start again with some extra power, which the crew has been looking for after Assen. I like Monza very much and I won in my last Supersport race there, in 2007. I want to do the same again on Sunday, but there is a lot of work to do before then.”
Andrew Pitt said: “My injured hand is pretty good now, although it felt tight for a while after the last race. I’ve been doing some hours on the pushbike so I should be in good shape for the weekend. It wasn’t a great result in Assen but at least I was at the front after some problems in qualifying. There was a much better feeling with the front end from warm-up and I’m hoping we can find it a bit earlier than that in Monza. It’s a circuit that has its own special place on the calendar and I aim to be up there on Sunday.”
Anthony West said: “I was struggling throughout the weekend in Assen with some small issues and mistakes I made in qualifying. I had set my goal on winning the race, after coming so close to it in Valencia. I still lack some corner exit speed, which held me back from catching up with the front group. The team has been working hard on making some technical improvements to my bike, and I will be testing some new parts in Monza as well. Hopefully, this will give me what I need so I can fight for a top position again.”
Mark Aitchison said: “Monza is a good track for me because our Honda has good speed and it should work well there. We tested at this track in April and so in terms of set-up we will probably start the weekend from where we ended testing, before we try anything different. I need to score some big points at this race. My form is good and my motivation is still high and I just try as hard as I can to win races. I like Monza, also because there are many Honda supporters and it is our team’s home race. I will try to get as many points as possible.”
Matthieu Lagrive said: “My physical conditions are now better than in Assen and so I really hope to reach a good result in the Monza race. We have tested there already this year, so that will help us to find good settings for the track. Our main goal is to be very fast from the first practice day, and I will try to do my best as always. I know that I have to work hard during practices, to be able to start in good position, this is of fundamental importance at this circuit.”
Miguel Praia said: “I’m really motivated because of our bad luck in Assen and the fact that our bike is fast on the fastest tracks and Monza has a very long straight. The guys in our team did a fantastic job in preparation during the winter and I am looking forward to some help from the engine to put myself in the top ten.”
Gianluca Vizziello said: “I had a very unlucky race in Assen last week and I am aiming for better results for my home round. My crew has made some improvements to the bike after I had some issues with the front in the last race. I hope I can repay their hard work by finishing the race in a good position.”
— Ducati Preview
Eight of the 2009 World Superbike season’s twenty-eight races have already been run and Ducati Xerox rider Noriyuki Haga has powered his Ducati 1198 machine as far as the podium in 100% of the races held so far, winning four of them and finishing second in the rest. Next stop Monza, the first of three “home” rounds for the Italian factory squad and their riders, particularly for Noriyuki who resides in Milan.
Noriyuki has led this season’s championship right from the opening round and now holds a 60-point advantage over the chasing pack while Michel’s strong results at Valencia and Assen mean that he maintains his fourth place on the leader board. At this stage last year, heading into fifth round Monza, Noriyuki and Michel found themselves in sixth and thirteenth place respectively in the classification, so for both riders the situation at this point is already much improved with respect to 2008. At the latest round, held two weeks ago in Assen, Noriyuki took his fourth win of the season and a second place while Michel boosted his points total by finishing the two races in ninth and fourth position.
Last month the Ducati Xerox factory squad completed a successful two-day test session at Monza’s Autodromo Nazionale and thus hopes that the work carried out during those days will come to fruition this weekend.
For Noriyuki the event is as close to a “home” race as he gets as, although there is no Japanese round, he has been a resident of Milan for several years, meaning that support for Nitro-Nori, and his Italian team-mate Michel, will definitely not be in short supply.
It is interesting to note that the track has, historically, been extremely kind to the Ducati factory squad, with riders Carl Fogarty, Neil Hodgson, Régis Laconi and Troy Bayliss having tallied up six double wins between them since 1999.
In his role as Ducati ambassador, reigning Superbike World Champion Troy Bayliss will also be present at the track this weekend to support both Noriyuki and Michel and meet with the countless Ducatisti who, in turn, can benefit this year from a dedicated Ducati grandstand, “Ducati Village” and bike park.
Noriyuki Haga (1st in championship, 180 points)
Nori’s recent results at Monza have been outstanding with three wins and a second place finish in the last four races held here in 2008 and 2007, a similar result this year would certainly boost his points advantage.
“We did some testing at Monza recently and it was my first chance to rider the 1198 there. Although we had a few problems, I know these will be resolved for the race weekend. I am already really excited about the Monza race. I am not thinking about the possibility of winning the championship, I just think about each race, taking one weekend at a time. Of course at Monza I hope to win again, especially because it is my home circuit!”
Michel Fabrizio (4th in championship, 80 points)
Michel won the Superstock 1000 round here in 2003, the year he went on to take the title in that category, but has not been back on the podium since.
“I am in a hopeful mood ahead of Monza, the first of three “home” races so I want to do well of course. We’ve done some testing there and the results of those tests were very positive. The tyres that Pirelli provided us with performed well and we hope this is the case during the race weekend too. A year ago I finished Race 2 here in fifth place, let’s say that this time around I hope to dramatically improve on that result in front of the Italian fans.”
— BMW Preview
The fifth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship takes place at the historic Autodromo di Monza and both BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus are looking forward to tackling the 5.793 kilometre circuit.
It is one of the few circuits in this year’s calendar where the team have tested already and so, for once, they will be not be starting at a big disadvantage. Monza is renowned for its high speed straights and close finishes and last year’s first race saw the top four separated by just 0.771 at the flag. Race two’s top three were covered by 0.051, with the winner taking the chequered flag by only 0.009 of a second!
Troy
“At least we have tested at Monza this year, so we will not be trying to play catch-up as much as we have to do normally. Monza has some fast straights and is a track where slipstreaming can play an important part. It’s possible to be in fourth place exiting the Ascari chicane on the last lap and still win if you can take advantage of the draft. But, before we even get to that stage, we have to be in a good qualifying situation. Superpole has not worked out well for us so far and considering that, I think we’ve done well to get the top tens we have. I hope that we can qualify better at Monza and get even better results.”
Ruben
“Each time out we learn something new about the bike and get ideas about what to do to make it better. The other teams have a big history compared to us and so I feel we have done very well so far. But that doesn’t mean that we all don’t want more, because of course we do. Our top tens are very good, but Troy and I are racers and we are always want to higher finishes. If we can get a good set-up early on (and I can get rid of my ‘black Fridays’), and do well in Superpole, then we might have a better chance of good results.”
Berti Hauser (Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
“Monza will be interesting for sure, but at least we have been there before. Even so, the experience we gained in our two day test is relatively small compared to our competitors and so we need to do well in practice and qualifying. Superpole has been a problem for us so far and we haven’t been able to get the bike to perform consistently well enough on qualifying tyres in Q1 and Q2. It would be good to get into Q1 and not have to start from the back of the grid for a change. If we could do that, it would be very interesting to see what would happen.”
— Suzuki Preview
Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Max Neukirchner won his first ever WSBK race at Monza last year and is hoping that history will repeat itself this coming Sunday at the 5.793 kilometre circuit for round five of the 2009 series.
His win in the first race was the first by a German rider in the 21-year history of the series and was followed by runner-up spot in race two.
Team mate Yukio Kagayama had a mixed day last year, taking fourth in race one and a DNF in race two, so is hoping for an improvement this time round.
Max Neukirchner:
“Last year was a wonderful occasion for me and I will never forget my first win in World Superbikes. They always say that the first win is the hardest and really I should have got it in Valencia when I was on the way to victory when I go knocked off within sight of the chequered flag. It’s important to have a fast bike at Monza and know how to play the slipstreaming game. It’s easy to be at the front of the pack and lose out on the draft and get beaten to the flag, so it’s something you have to watch out for. I like fast tracks and I think our bike will be well-suited to Monza. For sure, my intention is to finish on the podium in both races and if I can repeat my win of last year, I would be very happy.”
Yukio Kagayama:
“My season has been a bit up and down and this does not make me so happy so far. I have a good bike and know my results should be a lot better. Sometimes the bike is not so easy because some little changes can produce big effects – and not always in the right direction. But my job is to race, so I and the team have to find ways of making the bike work better so that I can challenge for the podium again. This is what I want, and I will do my best to try and achieve it.”
— Triumph Preview
The fifth round of World Supersport starts on the Monza track on Friday and is the first of the three meetings taking place on Italian soil. It is a great opportunity for team ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing to race in front of their fans as the Italian circuit might be considered as home ground for manager Giuliano Rovelli’s team. Last year, Mark Aitchinson finished eleventh after starting from the tenth place of the grid.
Garry McCoy and Gianluca Nannelli will try this year to improve last season’s result as the Italian rider will be supported by his numerous fans starting Saturday.
The race will take place on a 5793 metres long circuit which is definitely the fastest in the entire WSS where engines will be put to test on the long straights preceding the Parabolica corner, where hard battles have been fought in the past and the First Variante as well.
GIULIANO ROVELLI – TEAM MANAGER: “Racing on home ground always motivates us more. Last year, at our debut, we did pretty well. But now we aim higher even if our three-cilinder Triumph doesn’t really adapt to this type of track. I know nonetheless that both Garry and Gianluca would love to fight for the top spots. However, we’ll have to perform well during the qualifying sessions in order to start from the first rows as to avoid incidents in the First Variante and consequently avoid losing contact with the front runners”.
SBK Championship
1. Haga 180
2. Spies 120
3. Haslam 94
4. Fabrizio 80
5. Neukirchner 75
6. Sykes 70
7. Biaggi 65
8. Laconi 64
9. Rea 53
10. Smrz 44
SS Championship
1. Crutchlow 74
2. Laverty 68
3. Sofuoglu 65
4. West 52
5. Pitt 43
6. Aitchison 34
7. Foret 28
8. Lascorz 27