After the flyaway trip to Qatar and Australia, the Superbike World Championship returns to European soil with his weekend’s third round in Valencia. The race will be a special one for Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto, as it will be his home race, and will also be an important one for one of the team’s Spanish sponsors - Pepephone. For Yukio Kagayama and Max Neukirchner it will be a chance to improve on last year’s so-so results.
FonsiRacing at home is always a bit special and I want to put on a good show for all my fans this weekend - especially after my pair of DNF’s last year! I am second in the championship at the moment and will be chasing a couple of podiums for sure. Valencia is a track where it is important to have a really good bike set-up if you want to go fast, so that’s what we’ll be trying to do from the very start of practice. There are quite a few Spanish riders in the championship this year and I am hoping that we get a good crowd for the race and can give them something to shout about.
YukioThe recent tests showed that my collarbone was OK and now that I’ve had a bit more time off, I feel even better. I don’t think that I will have any trouble with the injury, but Valencia is quite a physical track, so I’m sure it will get a good work out! Last year in Valencia I was recovering from my crash in Donington, so my results were not good at all. This year, I feel that I can challenge for podiums in both races and that’s what I will be trying to do.
MaxI am sure that I can improve on my 12th and 10th places from last year and realistically I shall be chasing top six finishes this weekend. I am getting more and more comfortable with my bike every time I go out and as long as we can find a good set-up in practice, I think I can make a good show. Valencia is a tough track and you need a very good set-up if you want to be at the front, but I am hoping that Sunday will be a good day for me and the team.
2007 Results:
Race 1:
1 Xaus (E-Ducati)
2 Haga (J-Yamaha)
3 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati)
12 Max Neukirchner (D-Suzuki)
15 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki)
Fonsi Nieto DNF.
Race 2:1 Toseland (GB-Honda)
2 Biaggi (I-Suzuki)
3 Haga
10 Max Neukirchner (D-Suzuki)
13 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki)
Fonsi Nieto DNF,
