Superbike World Championship preview – round 12: Magny Cours Round: 12, Magny Cours – France 9 October 2005 Circuit: Magny Cours Country: France Track length: 4411 m Opened: 1961 Fastest Lap Ever: 1:40.754 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) WSB lap record: 1:41.219 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Last year WSB winner: James Toseland, Noriyuki Haga Circuit Nevers Magny Cours in France is the venue for this weekend’s finale to the 2005 Superbike World Championship. The technically interesting circuit is host to many other high profile events, most notably the annual Bol d’Or 24-hour race, the classic endurance event previously held at Paul Ricard, and the French Formula One Grand Prix car race. It’s also a favourite circuit of Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga, who won the last race of the 2004 season to take third in the championship. That’s the same position Haga occupies this year, his first on the Yamaha YZF-R1, and another win would be much welcomed as he looks to cement his third place in the championship and extend his current run of eight successive podium finishes. “I like Magny Cours very much,” says Haga. “Last year I was able to push hard and make a first and second in the two races. It is an interesting circuit with some long straights, fast corners and very slow hairpins. There are a lot of places where you can make the pass on the brakes and this is where me and the R1 have been strong. I want to keep my third in the championship but also I always race to win – so this is first priority. If I make the good results then the championship will be ok.” Team-mate Andrew Pitt goes to Magny Cours after a crash saw him fail to score at Imola and slip back to ninth in the rankings. The Australian has been tantalisingly close to a podium finish several times this season, recording a best of fourth place in the opening race of the year in Qatar. The hard-working former supersport champion is keen to end the year on a high and prove both his and the R1’s credentials in their first full year in the championship. Yamaha Motor France have been looking forward to the opportunity to race at home and on their nominated test track. Norick Abe has enjoyed several tests at the circuit during the year, while few riders know the circuit better than team-mate Sebastien Gimbert. The Frenchman has completed thousands of kilometres at Magny Cours as part of the Yamaha GMT94 endurance team and he has caused a stir 12 months ago when he bagged a pair of fourth places as a wild-card for Yamaha Motor France. The championship itself was decided in favour of Troy Corser (Suzuki) with the cancellation of the second race in Imola meaning he cannot be caught by second placed Chris Vermeulen (Honda). Haga is currently third with a 27 point advantage over outgoing world champion James Toseland (Ducati). Supersport World Championship The main places have also been decided in the supersport class, with Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) crowned champion and Yamaha Motor Germany’s Kevin Curtain confirmed as runner-up. That doesn’t mean Yamaha’s German squad won’t want to end the season on a high. After taking a one-two finish at Eurospeedway Lausitz, they found themselves in a similar position at Imola last weekend – only for the race to be stopped due to heavy rain. In the wet restart discretion proved the better part of valour and Curtain brought his R6 home to seal his championship position while Parkes struggled with grip in the wet. With a new YZF-R6 being introduced next season, the Australians are keen to send the old machine into retirement on a high in France. FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Sunday’s race action will begin with the battle for the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, with teamsters Didier van Keymeulen and Kenan Sofuoglu hoping to emulate their Yamaha Motor Germany team-mate Stefan Nebel, who last weekend won the German IDM Superbike title, by lifting a title of their own. Belgium’s Van Keymeulen has just a one-point advantage over his Turkish team-mate going into the finale, ensuring a winner takes all showdown between the R1 riders. The only man capable of denying the Yamaha men the title is former Australian superbike champion Craig Coxhell (Suzuki), who is 13 points behind Van Keymeulen and will be ready to pounce should the Yamaha riders slip up. A Yamaha rider also leads the way in the Superstock 600 class, with Claudio Corti heading the field on his YZF-R6. The Italian leads Yoann Tibero (Honda) by 24 points, with a 14th place assuring Corti the crown in Magny Cours.