Qatar World Superbike at Losail Wednesday 11 March 2009 World Superbike and World Supersport preview DESERT DATE FOR HONDA RIDERS IN WSB AND WSS For the past few years Losail has been the starting point for the World Superbike and World Supersport classes, but in 2009 that honour went to Phillip Island in Australia, where success for some top Honda riders came along at the first time of asking. The spectacular levels of competitiveness everyone was expecting in the run up to this season arrived in force at Phillip Island and in the Superbike class Leon Haslam (Stiggy Honda CBR1000RR) scored a famous third place in what was his team’s first ever WSB race weekend. Leon (25) currently sits third in the championship table, on 26 points, thanks to additional points from his sixth position in race one. Three Honda riders disputed the podium places in World Supersport at Phillip Island, with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR team-mates Kenan Sofuoglu and Andrew Pitt, and Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) separated by only 0.153 seconds. In the second round of each championship, to be held at the 5.380km long Losail circuit near the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday 14th March, Honda riders are expected to be competing at the front once again, with Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) arriving in Qatar overall eighth and Carlos Checa, who rode injured last time out, 12th. Full-time WSB rookie Tommy Hill (Hannspree Honda Althea CBR1000RR) overcame practice problems to record two points scoring rides at the last race, and this has given him confidence for his first visit to Losail. He arrives 16th overall, on four points. Roby Rolfo (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) has put concerns about his own recent shoulder injury behind him as he approaches the Qatar weekend, having scored three points for 13th place in race one last time out. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda Racing CBR1000RR) rides in Honda colours this year and had a less than sparkling opening round, crashing after a collision in race one and finishing out of the points due to a lack of traction in race two. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR) is looking for his first race finish in his all-new team. In the Supersport class, the ‘big three’ of Sofuoglu, Pitt and West are joined in the Honda corral by Mark Aitchison and Matthieu Lagrive, each on Hannspree Honda Althea CBR600RR machines. Aitchison was a fine sixth at Phillip Island, Lagrive 11th. A fantastic first Honda ride in WSS saw Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) go fifth in the Championship table after round one, while his team-mate Miguel Praia will be hoping for a strong finish in Qatar, after a crash put him out of contention at Phillip Island. West’s team-mate Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) was unable to finish the PI race, but he knows Qatar well and will be out for major points scores on raceday. Raceday in Losail is a Saturday, with first qualifying taking place on Thursday, and final grid positions decided on Friday. WSB Rider Quotes Leon Haslam said: “We are back to where we were before the season started in terms of recognising that there are 15 factory machines out there, we are a private team so we need to have that in perspective then start to build on that from Thursday morning. If we can quickly adapt the base setting we found in Australia to the Losail circuit then we’ll be well under way with an excellent starting point for the three days ahead. I don’t think we’ll be miles away from the front but in the World Superbike Championship this year one tenth of a second can separate four or five places so it’s really important to be focussed from the first lap of practice to the last lap of the second race.” Jonathan Rea said: “I like Qatar, which is lucky, because I’ve done a lot of laps here. As well as the Supersport race last year, which we’ll skip over quickly, I’ve been involved in a couple of Honda CBR launches here, so I know the place pretty well. The results at Phillip Island weren’t fantastic but if you’d offered them to me before we left, I would’ve taken them. I’m pretty convinced that we’ll not suffer the same problems here instead of looking after the rear, it’ll be more a case of looking after the front tyre, and I think I’m pretty good at that.” Carlos Checa said: “I really like the circuit in Qatar very much, but last year everything was new to us, including the bike, so with the disappointment of Phillip Island behind us, we’re ready to go again. I’m looking forward to racing again this weekend my shoulder is much better and I should be able to ride the bike without any restrictions. I believe we can be more competitive and in a position that better reflects the quality of the CBR1000RR and the hard work of the team. The Losail circuit is flat and smooth and should allow us to operate with a better combination of tyres than in Australia.” Ryuichi Kiyonari said: “I was so disappointed after the two races at Phillip Island especially after we had got the bike working well during practice and qualifying and we believed our race pace was good. But, after I got T-boned in the first race and had no rear grip in the second, I have had to put the disappointment behind me. Losail is not my favourite circuit but I am sure we will start over again here and get our season going with some better results.” Roby Rolfo said: “I expect a lot of this race, it’s a track I like best. The rider skills are very important on this track, you need a good compromise between the bike and the rider. After Phillip Island, where my lap times were good but I couldn’t keep up in the race, I hope to be fighting for a better position in Qatar.” Tommy Hill said: “I have been staying in Phillip Island for a few weeks and now with the first round completed I just want to get riding again. Qatar circuit is new for me, so I need to learn fast and get into the pace. I will try and run in the top ten and keep moving up the ladder. That will not be easy but I am determined to progress forward.” WSS Rider Quotes Kenan Sofuoglu said: “Phillip Island was the perfect start to the season for me and it felt fantastic to win again on the CBR600RR. It was a really tough race and it was clear that the championship is very competitive this season, especially with my team-mate, Andrew! Of course, I won the Supersport race here at Qatar in 2007 so I like the circuit, too. The team is strong, so we will aim to do it all over again this weekend to keep momentum up after our good start to the season.” Andrew Pitt said: “I like the place and got my first World Superbike podium here, so it’s been good to me apart from last year, which was a little blip on the start to our season. I think the tyres will suit the circuit here a little better than they did in Australia, although the result there was pretty good, considering the problems we’d had before the race. I’ll be looking to go one step higher on the podium this weekend but I know Kenan will be there and have something to say about that!” Anthony West said: “The track here is always slippery to begin with, there’s a lot of dust blowing around, so I’ll take it easy in the first session. We just have to do lots of laps to get used to the bike on this track. It has a long straight, that’s where I got beaten last time out in Australia, so we’ll have to work on finding the speed there. I’ll try and stay in a good position for the race and hopefully beat the competition.” Gianluca Vizziello said: “The bike feels very good, I have never been on a bike that is so incredibly fast and am still adjusting to it. I like the Losail track and am looking forward to racing this weekend and am eager to improve my results. The team has put in a lot of work to get everything ready so I will have to reward them for their efforts.” Eugene Laverty said: “Even when I led in Phillip Island it was to try and break the pack up as I knew Andrew and Kenan would come back at me. But now I have a different plan for Qatar and it is to win the race. We have a good haul of points from the first round, so I’m happy.” Miguel Praia said: “Previously I have had to fight hard to get into the points but now I am in a new position and level and I must make a more relaxed start on the first laps, make my position and start from there. I am confident for the coming season.” Mark Aitchison said: “I am really looking forward to this weekend in Qatar. I had fun during the Phillip Island race and now I can look ahead to getting some more solid points for my championship push. I hope to improve a few areas of the bike, which will make us more competitive in the final laps of the race. We just need to stay focused our main goals for the season and take each race one at a time.” Matthieu Lagrive said: “I like this track, it’s technical and it also suits my riding style. After my race in Phillip Island I understand that I have the possibility to have a good result in Qatar and I don’t want to lose this opportunity.”