Scoring points 5 times out of 6 Shinichi Nakatomi is confident coming at Monza because the Yamaha R1 he is riding is reliable and performing well. He scored some points 5 times in the last 6 WSBK races. The Italian circuit has a layout that is very different of the other tracks because of several long straight lines. So it is necessary to use different settings and to have a powerful engine to achieve a good performance on the Milanese track. Martial Garcia (team manager): “We had a good top speed during the previous races this year, so we hope to achieve a good performance in Monza.” The fastest track of the Championship Monza is the quickest of the tracks used for the 2008 Superbike World Championship. The fastest lap was done last year by Noriyuki Haga on a Yamaha, with the average speed of 198.730 kph. This is not the quickest lap ever, as Pierfrancesco Chili on a 750 Suzuki averaged 203.960 kph at Hockenheim on June 4th, 2000. Last year in Monza, Michel Fabrizio had the best top speed on his DFX Corse Honda. It was during the first race and he went 322.7 kph, which is the fastest speed ever recorded in world Superbike. A track with a great history Monza was built in 1922 (in only 100 days!) by the Milan Automobile Club. The “Autodromo Nazionale di Monza” is only 15 km from Milan. It is the oldest permanent racing circuit still used in Europe and the third such circuit to have been built after Brooklands (GB / 1907) and Indianapolis (USA 1909). The track is 5.793 km long and features a 2.405 km long oval, which is no longer used. The main straight is 1.195 km long. The first Grand Prix of the Nations (September 8, 1922) was won by Amadeo Ruggeri on a 1000 cc Harley-Davidson. In the 500 class, the winner was Italian Gnesa on 2-stroke 350 Garelli. A very special circuit Monza is the fastest circuit on the World Superbike calendar. The track has two very slow chicanes, the “Prima variante” and the “Variante della Roggia”. It also has a long right-hander called the “Curva Parabolica”. Monza only has one real left-hander, the “Curva Del Serraglio” after the Lesmo double right-hander. Monza is different because the bike is upright for so much of the lap, during acceleration, top speed and braking phases. Monza is unique in that the bikes are running more often in a straight line than in a corner, the opposite of the other World Superbike circuits. World Championship standings: 1-Bayliss (Ducati) 178 points, 2- Checa (Honda) 108, 3- Corser (Yamaha) 89, 4-Nieto (Suzuki) 85, 5-Xaus (Ducati) 81″¦21- Nakatomi (Yamaha) 9 Monza stats Practice record (2007): 1’44.941 Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) 198.730 kph (Nakatomi: 1’48.093 / 20th) Lap record (best race time 2007): 1’46.064 Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) 196.625 kph Race 1 result 2007: 1-Haga (Yamaha), 2-Bayliss (Ducati), 3-Biaggi (Suzuki), 4-Toseland (Honda), 5-Corser (Yamaha) “¦Nakatomi (Yamaha) DNS Race 2 results 2007: 1-Haga (Yamaha), 2-Toseland (Honda), 3- Bayliss (Ducati), 4- Rolfo (Honda), 5- Corser (Yamaha) “¦Nakatomi (Yamaha) DNS 6th round of the Superbike World Championship: June 1st, Miller Motorsport Park (Utah / USA) Team YMF Yamaha Superstock YZF Yamaha Junior Team FIM Cup Superstock 1000 Superstock 600 European Championship Baz in great shape, Barrier to have surgery Loris Baz, who is now in second position in the Superstock 600 European Championship, is confident for the Monza race. Sylvain Barrier (in the FIM Cup Superstock 1000) will have surgery soon after the event and he will do his best in Italy. Martial Garcia (team-manager): “Sylvain Barrier’s crash in Assen did show us that he has an arm pump problem. We will try to save it as much as we can in Monza and he will have surgery immediately after the event.” The Superstock 1000 class is not new to our team. When the class started in 1999, Fabien Foret finished 12th of the race on a Yamaha Racing France motorcycle. Some of the riders entered in the Superstock 600 European Championship (Linfoot, Beretta, Rea”¦) raced last weekend a national event in Monza. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Loris Baz who is only 15, when you need to be 16 to participate in this kind of race. Martial Garcia (team-manager): “Loris must keep going to show his ability and his knowledge. During some short testing sessions here, he went 1’56, while the lap record is 1’54.4.” Loris Baz: “I do not know this track very well because I tested here only 2 times 30 minutes. It is a very fast circuit, but my motorcycle in one of the three fastest of the championship so I am not worrying. I think I can have a good result in Monza.” FIM Cup Superstock 1000 standings: 1-Berger (Honda) 34 points, 2- Siméon (Suzuki) 32, 3- Pirro (Yamaha) 30, 4-Giugliano (Suzuki) 28, 5- Polita (Ducati) 26″¦21-Barrier (Yamaha) 2 Monza stats: Practice record (2007): 1’49.741 Michele Pirro (Yamaha) 190.040 kph Lap record (best race time 2007): 1’49.575 Mark Aitchison (Suzuki) 190.324 kph Race result 2007: 1-Baiocco (Yamaha), 2-Aitchison (Suzuki), 3-Dionisi (Suzuki) 4-van Keymeulen (Yamaha), 5-Simeon (Suzuki) Superstock 600 European Championship standings: 1- Linfoot (Yamaha) 41 points, 2- Baz (Yamaha) 36, 3- Beretta (Suzuki) 26, 4- Vostarek (Honda) 25, 5- Petrucci (Yamaha) 20 Practice record (2007): 1’54.462 Michele Magnoni (Yamaha) 182.200 kph Lap record (best race time 2007): 1’54.543 Domenico Colucci (Ducati) 182.070 kph Race result 2007: 1-Magnoni (Yamaha), 2-Black (Yamaha), 3-Bussolotti (Yamaha), 4-Barrier (Yamaha), 5-Colucci (Ducati)