Both Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) have good reason to look forward to the forthcoming WSB weekend in France, as each is enjoying a late season flourish of form.
Haga won both of the most recent WSB races at Vallelunga, while Corser has scored three podium finishes in the past three races. They each have good memories of Magny Cours as well, boosting their collective confidence still further.
Haga took a double at the French circuit in 2007 and Corser has won two of his record 42 Superpole qualifying contests at the 4.411km circuit near Nevers. Haga now has six race wins to his credit this season, contributing to a career total of 32.
The results of Vallelunga two weeks ago now leave Corser second and Haga third in the championship table, and with championship leader Troy Bayliss leaving Italy with a reduced championship advantage of 79 points over Corser, the goal this weekend for both Yamaha riders is to score wins.
The Magny-Cours circuit has been a regular on the World Championship calendar since 2003, and its flat elevation and smooth tarmac should help the experienced team find good machine set-up early on in race weekend. The track layout was originally designed as a compendium of corners from other Formula One Grand Prix circuits, hence the names of the some of the corners, like Adelaide, Imola, Estoril and Nürburgring.
For Corser, the penultimate round will offer him more chances to take his first win in Yamaha WSB racing colours
. "We have been going very well in the last few rounds and at Magny-Cours the bike should be as good as it's ever been again. I've pretty much always had strong results there and the bike seems to work there pretty well too. I think we have had the bike and the settings worked out since Monza and I have felt strong on the bike every weekend. We go to Magny-Cours with good results in the last few races and that helps us going into another weekend. It keeps us moving forwards. We're out to win because that's always what we aim to do."
Haga is fully charged and ready to go this weekend.
"Magny-Cours is always good for me. Last year we won both races so of course we would like to do the same this year too. Anyway, scoring a double at Vallelunga was fantastic so we will keep it the same for the rest of the races. We never give up!"
Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Team YZF) was energised by his fabulous top ten performances at Vallelunga, and enters his team's home round full of bounce and vigour.
The GMT 94 is another French-based WSB team looking out for top results at home, confident in the knowledge that Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) has taken Yamaha machinery close to podium finishes at this circuit more than once in the past. His team-mate David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) is just ahead of Gimbert in the championship standings.
Technically speaking - Magny-Cours according to Massimo Meregalli (Yamaha Motor Italia Team Manager)
"We won't see any new technology at Magny-Cours and the reason is simple. We won both races in Vallelunga, so the bike is clearly very good right now. We can win two races again this weekend. The set-up for the bikes should not be a problem because Magny-Cours is always good for us. The surface is very flat, has good grip and we have seldom had any problems there. I think we can record two top results. Overall, podiums are not enough now, we need wins."
Parkes Aims to Put Pressure on in France
Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) will be going all out to secure a win at the Magny-Cours round as he continues his championship challenge. He has scored a podium finish in every Magny-Cours race he has competed in since 2004.
Now 30 points from the championship lead, Parkes has three riders in front of him, but with 50 points still up for grabs all things are possible for the Australian rider.
Parkes got his championship challenge back on track at the previous round when he finished second in the Vallelunga race, after recording his sixth pole of the season. He has already recorded a win on the 2008 specification YZF-R6, at the opening round in Qatar.
Team regular Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport Team) has been cleared by his own doctor to return to action at his home round, after suffering head and spinal injuries at Brno in July. Foret, World Champion in 2002, will be taking things steady on his initial return, and both team and rider stress that there is no pressure on him this weekend.
Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) enters the Magny-Cours race with a victory in his domestic Supersport championship at Misano last weekend helping his confidence. He is currently 11th in the World Supersport Championship, with 48 points.
Parkes has a strong record at Magny-Cours, having won the race for Yamaha in 2005, his first ever in the WSS series.
"I do go well there and I've scored some good results there over the years. After the last race I'm back on top again, back on my game. The idea this weekend is to put a little bit of pressure on the other guys at the front and try to come out of there with the championship still open."
Foret is relieved to be back in the mix after his long lay off.
"It's been a long time away for me but now I am close to the end of it. I have decided to ride this weekend and I will take it like a test more than a race to begin with. The championship is done for me so I just want to get back into riding again. If I feel good, maybe I can push a bit, but we will see. For sure it's a bit better for me to come back to race in the French round, but I am not coming back just because of that. Part of me is now looking at preparing for 2009 anyway, so in some ways it's almost like starting the new season now."
Wilco Zeelenberg, the Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager, said of Magny-Cours.
"Another race weekend is coming around and we are looking forward to it. Broc has shown over the years that he loves the track, and he has won there in the recent past. Fabien will be with us again this weekend and I think it is a good thing for him to come back now if he is able to. It was very unfortunate that Fabien was injured at that stage of the championship , of course, particularly as he was second in the standings at the time. But now there is no pressure on him because his championship position is not the priority, his health is. As Fabien has said, to get fit for riding you have to ride. You cannot simulate that so easily in the gym. As far as the machinery is concerned, we don't want to take too many risks at the moment so we will not be using our latest new electronics system. We have a real good set-up at the moment, and we will try to win at Magny-Cours, rather than being second or third."
