For the first time since the 2004 season the World Superbike title fight will go to the very last round of the year, and once more the title decider will be played out around the 4.411km circuit of Magny-Cours, in the centre of France. After a startling series of events in the previous round, just one weekend before the season finale, three riders are still in with a chance of absolute title glory - two seasoned SBK campaigners and one 'rookie'.
Toseland, Biaggi And Haga All Potential 2007 Champions Top of the trio is still long-time championship leader James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) who left his home round at Brands Hatch in August as virtual champion elect, with a 66-point lead and eight race wins to his credit.. After two subsequent tough weekends, at Eurospeedway Lausitz and Vallelunga, Toseland's championship lead is now 29 points. His two main championship rivals, Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) have been encouraged by the recent slump in raceday form and fortune for the lead rider in the Hannspree Ten Kate squad, but despite the recent dramas for James, both Max and Nori would pay a princely sum to have Toseland's advantage going into the final two races. There are a total of 50 points up for grabs from any rider capable of winning both races in France. It is also worth noting that last time Toseland came to Magny-Cours needing to win the world title he did so in some style - and that was after coming to France with a four point disadvantage, not a 29-point lead. There are almost endless points permutations that would allow any of the top three riders to be crowned in France, but should Toseland win race one the title would be his, no matter the outcome of the second race.
Bayliss Out For A Quick Double As Whole New Era Approaches Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) is the only rider capable of overhauling Toseland's total of race wins this year, having scored his seventh victory at the previous round. In addition to this incentive, the double World Champions will be all-out to wave goodbye to the 1000cc twin-cylinder era in emphatic fashion, with a win or two in France. Next year SBK racing will allow 1200cc twins to compete in the championship, albeit with numerous performance checks and balances in place, but having won the world title on a 999 in 2006, Bayliss wants to leave a final milestone or two for historians to find on the road from Bologna to Bourgogne.
Last Chance Saloon For Corser
Another double SBK champion, Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) has been his usual fixture near the top of the results sheets on many occasions in his first Yamaha SBK season, but he still finds himself without a race win, despite scoring eight podiums. Magny-Cours will be his final opportunity to secure a win in 2007, and thus the King of Superpole (with 40 pre-race pole positions to his credit thus far) has as much to shoot for in France as any of his rivals.
Only 15 Points Separate Lanzi, Xaus And Rolfo Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) leads in the battle behind the first echelon of factory, with a race one crash last weekend in Italy putting Valencia race winner Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) five points behind in the run-up to the final races. Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) is now 15 points behind Lanzi after he was forced to retire from the opener in Vallelunga. Rolfo is still looking for his first podium of the 2007 season, so we can expect Rolfo to be in even more determined mood than usual, to achieve his current ambition in either or both of the last two contests.
Young Rider Race Hotting Up For Final Round
With a significant financial incentive up for grabs to the youngest rider to finish inside the top ten, ninth and tenth placed riders Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) and Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda) are now locked in a personal battle for supremacy for more reasons than just personal pride and team honour. Although 134 points behind Neukirchner, Fabrizio is the younger rider, and thus if he continues in the top ten, he will take the prize money on the last day. He just has to have a better final day than best-placed current Kawasaki rider Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse), who is only one point behind Fabrizio in 11th place as he enters his home round. We are still unsure if 12th placed Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) will be able to ride at Magny-Cours, after injury ruled him out of the previous round, but he travels to the French track in any case.
Nieto Ready To Fight To The End
Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) will be out to end his Kawasaki Superbike career on a high, and has hopes that a pair of top tens will not be beyond his grasp. Currently 13th behind Kagayama, Nieto heads Jakub Smrz (SC Caracchi Ducati) Vallelunga top ten talent Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha YZF Team) and ever-combative Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda). Muggeridge's team-mate Yoann Tiberio ends his first few races in SBK with a home meeting, looking to secure points in both races, as he did at Vallelunga.
World Supersport - Sofuoglu Goes For Record, Foret Defends Second Spot Should World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) score the race win at Magny-Cours he would carve out his own little piece of history in the Supersport class. Currently he is on seven race wins in a season, equalling the record of another former Ten Kate Honda champion, Karl Muggeridge, but a victory in France would set him out on his own on eight. He has reasons to be hopeful, as he was on for the win in 2006 and finished an easy second, riding for the same team as this year. Fabien Foret (GIL Kawasaki) had a dreadful time at Vallelunga but the mercurial French talent hopes his machine set-up will be optimised enough to allow him to keep second overall, as Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) is only 15 points adrift now. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda) will have to win the race at Magny-Cours and hope that Parkes does not score to get back into the third place he held for a long time this year but - while still nursing a recently broken left foot - he may have more to worry about from behind, as Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) is now only nine points adrift of the Japanese ace, despite a DNF in Italy.
Superstock 1000 FIM Cup - Nine Points Separate Top Four Vallelunga changed everything in the race to the title, and now Matteo Baiocco (Umbria Bike Yamaha) and Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox 1098) are only separated by a single point. Indeed the top four are separated by only nine points, with Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) eight points behind Baiocco, and Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) only a point adrift. After Vallelunga, no fewer than eight riders have won at least one race this year, but only Baiocco and Canepa have won two.
Superstock 600 European Championship - Berger Home As Champion
French rider Maxime Berger (Trasimeno Yamaha) has now secured the championship win overall, but behind things could not be closer. Michele Magnoni (Bevilacqua Yamaha) is second equal with Andrea Antonelli (Team Italia Megabike Honda AX), setting up a fabulous battle between the two Italian riders. Briton Greg Black (Capaul Black Racing) is currently fourth, looking for his first win in a class where six riders have already taken race victories this year.
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