2006 Superbike World Championship Preview: Round 9, Assen Netherlands – 3rd September After a couple of weeks break, Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra are refreshed and ready for the ninth round of this year’s championship at Assen. The Assen round marks the first of four rounds taking place in just six weekends and so all at Alstare are eager to get things rolling with a good performance at the Dutch circuit. Assen has been a long-standing favourite of riders and fans alike, but this year the track has been dramatically changed and will be a new experience for all concerned. The major changes have taken place in the Northern Loop section and now riders will have to negotiate a series of slow turns before beginning the back straight. Both Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama are determined to finish the last four rounds strongly and are looking for podium places at Assen. TROY “I was at a presentation at Assen recently and had an opportunity to look at the new layout – from a course car. For me, Assen always was a fantastic track – flowing and a blast to ride. From my two laps in the course car last week, I think that it is now a completely different track to ride and the first five or six turns are going to ruin the flowing nature of the track somewhat. I don’t think the new layout is going to suit our bike so well and getting the gearing right for the first part is going to have an effect on the second part. The set-up is going to have to be a compromise for sure and it’ll be vital to get a good set-up as quickly as you can and then make really good starts in both races or you’ll be left behind and struggling. I will need to qualify well and be at the front of the pack to have any chance of podiums, but that’s the plan.” YUKIO “The new Assen layout is very different and I don’t think it is going to be as good as before – too many slow corners! I like big, fast turns. But, this new design will be different for everybody, so it is up to me to learn it quickly and get a good bike set-up. I have had a good break and now I cannot wait to get on to my racebike again. After my success in Brno, I want to get podiums in all the last four rounds and end the season well. I am sure that Assen will not be easy, but I will try my hardest – as usual – and go 110% for the podium.” 2005 Results: Race 1: 1 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda), 2 Toseland (GB-Ducati), 3 Haga (J-Yamaha), 4 TROY CORSER (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 6 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), Race 2: 1 Vermeulen, 2 Haga, 3 Toseland, 4 TROY CORSER (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 11 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), DEBUT FOR TEAM ALSTARE ENGINEERING RIDER MAX NEUKIRCHNER 2006 Superbike World Championship Preview: Round 9, Assen Netherlands – 3rd September German rider Max Neukirchner will make his race debut for Team Alstare Engineering in the ninth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship at Assen this coming weekend. He takes over the Alstare GSX-R1000 K6 bike of Fabien Foret at the Dutch circuit and will also be in the saddle for the remaining rounds of the championship. MAX “Recently, I had a chance to test the Alstare Engineering bike and my initial feeling is that it has a lot of potential. I wasn’t fully fit a the time, because of an injury earlier in the season, but I have been getting stronger day by day and hope to be able to put on a good show in Assen. Like every other rider, Assen is one of my favourite tracks but now that they’ve changed it so much, I’ll have to see how it rides. It was always a fast track, but very technical, and you needed a good bike set-up to do well there. Now, because of the big changes to the first section (the Northern Loop), it’s going to be a series of relatively slow turns before getting on to the back straight. But at least, nobody will have any advantage over me because none of the World SBK riders has raced there with this new layout. In Assen last year, I finished in the top eight in both races, but this year is going to be so much more difficult as the field is stronger in depth and it’ll also be my first race on the bike. In Assen, my priority is to learn the bike and help develop it, but of course I’d love to get a couple of good results and maybe a top ten finish.”