Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) approach the seventh round of the 2008 World Superbike Championship, at the Nürburgring in Germany this coming weekend, safe in the knowledge that they are as experienced at this circuit as almost any of their peers. Both Yamaha factory riders have raced on the 1998 and 1999 versions of the circuit, located in the Eifel Mountains close to the Belgian border, and will have little difficulty remembering the majority of the layout.
After an action-packed WSB round in the USA, Haga has had to show grit and determination to participate in the German round. His nasty collarbone fracture, plated and pinned in California last week, did not stop Haga competing and scoring ten more points than championship leader Troy Bayliss. Haga, now sporting a steel plate and eight screws in his right collarbone, will be out to score as many points as possible in Germany without taking undue risks that may cause further complications to his injury. Remarkably, Haga's fracture was his first significant injury since taking up racing, almost 30 years ago!
A rejuvenated Corser had a one-up and one-down experience in America, securing a close second place and a crash when pushing for another podium finish, he approaches the Nürburgring race safe in the knowledge that he won the last SBK race held at this track, in 1999.
The circuit has been altered somewhat since Haga and Corser battled it out in 1998 and 1999 (When Haga rode for Yamaha and Corser Ducati) with the first corner now a hairpin, followed by a stadium-style complex of corners, before the riders head back out to a more familiar full circuit layout.
Haga is ready for another challenging weekend, as he goes for win number three of the 2008 season. "We got back from America on the Tuesday evening after my operation from Doctor Ting in San Francisco. I was in so much pain right afterwards but day-by-day the pain has got less and less. I went to the hospital in Italy for checks and it all seems OK. I expect to approach the German round pretty much like any other race, and score good points, even though I need to be a little careful. All of this is a new experience for me anyway. It is the first time I have broken a bone in 29 years of racing! As for the track, I remember some of it, but everybody will be finding their way around and I am a quick learner. I am not worried about the track or anything else this weekend."
Corser is looking for his first win of the year and his return to podium status at Miller has buoyed him with confidence to get the job done in Germany. "I have been there before and a lot of guys haven't but it's been changed a bit anyway. As I remember, it's a bit like Brno, lots of straights and then up and downhill corners. We found a good setting with the chassis when we went to America, and I hope that we can get the same grip from the track surface that allowed us to use our bike the way we wanted to in Germany as well."
Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Team YZF) scored in neither American round, but is ready to step up to improve once again, with Yamaha GMT94 regulars Sebastien Gimbert and David Checa also in the same situation, albeit in 23rd and 24th places in the overall standings.
Technically speaking - The Nürburgring according to Massimo Meregalli (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team - Team Manager)"The layout of the Nürburgring seems OK for our bike and to be honest it will be almost a new track because we were there quite a few years ago now. At the moment we have no real data covering the circuit. We will work the same way we did in Miller to find the best possible set-up in the shortest space of time." "I think that Troy really can repeat his Miller performance again in Germany. Last time Troy raced here he won and he can take a lot from that. For Noriyuki, it depends on the scale of his recovery from injury. What he did in Miller was unbelievable, and after the operation he should be even better. We should hopefully have good results again." "Considering that the doctors in America felt Nori wouldn't be able to race at all, anything is possible here in Germany"
"It took some time for the bikes to come back from America, but there will be some updates and adjustments for Germany. We always put the bikes on the dynos in the workshop to check everything is OK after each race and we took that opportunity to adjust the engine mapping for Germany."
Germany Hosts the Return to Action in World SupersportWith the Supersport Championship not featuring on the Miller Motorsports Park race schedule this year the championship moves onto round six at an old favourite, the Nürburgring, for the first time since 1999.
For Broc Parkes and Fabien Foret, from the Yamaha World Supersport Racing Team, the interruption to the rhythm of the season was unwelcome in some ways, but it has also provided the recently injured Parkes with much-needed recuperation time for his injured wrists, hands and forearm.
In the current standings, Foret is second on 71 points, only six from the lead, while Parkes is on 65, in third place.
Parkes is sure his weekend in Germany will start on a high note, as he has now made a good recovery from recent injuries. "Finally my injuries are starting to heal up because for the first couple of weeks there was only a slow improvement, and that was an unpleasant surprise. The main thing is I have improved a lot now. The strange thing is that I had more problems with my sprained wrist than my broken radius bone, yet the radius bone was the one that was fractured. But it's all good now, and I'll be ready for the German race. I have raced at the Nürburgring recently; we did a German Championship race on a Superstock spec R1 in the Superbike class about three years ago. That was on half the circuit, not the full version we will use this weekend. The whole championship race has changed now and I am really looking forward to this weekend as I will be fully fit for the first time in a few races."
Foret, now a force to be reckoned with in the battle for ultimate WSS glory after some early season misfortunes, said, "I have never been to the Nürburgring before, but I heard it is a nice track. I think most of us will be first-timers there, so it will be the same. I'm not worried in any way because it's easy to learn a new track. I can't make mistakes any more so I will not push over the limit for the next races, and I will be waiting for the right moment to win. I'm really back in the championship again so I am in the position now to give 100%, but no more. If I can win again, I will."
Wilco Zeelenberg, the Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager, who grabbed a victory at Nurburgring himself in 1990 riding in the GP 250cc class, explained how the team had made best use of its time away from the racetrack. "We have had some time off from actual racing but we have been pretty flat-out anyway. We have had a lot of ideas for development and it was time to try them out. We have lost some weight from the bike, for example, and created some more working areas and an office at the team headquarters. For the coming weekend itself, the Nürburgring is a different track from before in some places, so it will be a new experience for all of us really. Broc is healing well now, and you can be sure each of our riders will be ready for the German race."
Davide De Gea from the Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team is battling to be fit in time to ride again in Germany alongside regular rider Davide Salom. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) is in 11th place overall going into the German round.
FIM Superstock 1000 Geared up for Round FourThe Nürburgring hosts the fourth round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Championship this year and Yamaha's officially supported runners are already in the mix. Michel Pirro (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) is currently fifth overall, and is out to propel himself up the championship leader board before approaching his home round in Misano at the end of June, while Sylvain Barrier (Yamaha YZF Junior Team) and Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) are looking to break into the top ten as soon as possible. After Corti's misfortune at Monza he is determined to make progress this weekend and take some valuable points away from the German circuit.
Baz is Ready for Battle in the Superstock 600 European ChampionshipLoris Baz (YZF Yamaha Junior Team) has already been victorious, the 15 year old put in a fantastic performance at Monza, riding with an ability way beyond his age. He hopes for more of the same in Germany.
Barrier,Claudio Corti , nurburnring, germany
