The World Superbike Championship goes to Brno this weekend for the ninth round in the 2007 season. Since the last race at Misano in June, the teams have been in the thick of testing at Brno and Vallelunga and are now raring to clarify their race winning potential again. There has been a race circuit at Brno since the 1930s and it first hosted a motorcycle world championship in 1965, though this year will only be the fifth time the World Superbike Championship has stopped at the Czech circuit. Its first appearance on the calendar was in 1993, then 1996 and then it didn’t reappear until 2005 when it was the scene of Yamaha’s first WSB win, with Haga taking the honour for the team when he went from 18th to win with over three seconds lead. Almost all the riders in the championship like Brno with its flowing elevation changes and wide, grippy surface. The Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team returns to Brno after testing there only three weeks ago. During the two-day test Corser posted the second fastest time with a 2’00.4 on both race and qualifying tyres. This time was matched only by Kagayama on the Suzuki. Haga came in a close third fastest over the duration of the test, posting a 2’00.8 on race rubber. The objective of the test was to try a variety of tyres and to find the right set-up for the forthcoming race but cooler temperatures than normal and windy conditions may have affected the results of the test. Haga goes to Brno third in the championship standings but only five points behind Bayliss and an achievable 26 points behind Toseland in first place. Haga’s podium at Misano reinforced his championship standing although he was fiercely disappointed to be stopped from taking away further points due to a race one incident in which Biaggi took him out. Misano proved better for team mate Corser as he took his 111th podium with a second place as well as finishing fifth in the second race. He goes to Brno still fifth in the championship standings. 2006 proved to be a good year for Haga at Brno – he took the Superpole, best lap and race record (for race two) and finished third and fourth there. He also previously won there in 2006 and showed good form at the test last month, posting the fastest time on day one before finishing the test in third overall. “I like Brno because it’s such a challenge to ride properly. You need to have a good amount of power to be quick on the uphill sections but you also need to have the bike set up well in order to shave time off in all the tight corners,” Haga says of the Czech circuit. “The test at Brno was good for getting a base setting but with the conditions cooler than we expect for the race we know that we will still have some work to do at the start of the weekend finding the best set-up. I am confident though! My main aim for Brno is to cut the points gap as much as possible but you just never can predict what will happen until the chequered flag has dropped. One thing is for sure – I’ll be doing my best this weekend to get maximum points in both races!” Corser has had a good relationship with the Czech circuit to date, with him racking up three out of six wins there, including a double win in 1996, and two pole positions so far. His recent form at the test in June suggests that this good relationship is set to continue this weekend. “The test last month was very useful; the times we managed are what we will need to achieve in the race this weekend but it is totally achievable,” Corser says of June’s testing session at Brno. “The weather was a bit cooler than we’d have expected but, in that respect, the test at Vallelunga a couple of weeks ago gave us some good information which we’ll be able to use. I like the circuit with all its elevation changes and on/off camber corners; it’s fun to ride but also a technically challenging place that demands the bike to be set up just right. I think I’ve had good results there in the past because it is similar to my home circuit of Phillip Island; they’re both fast and flowing and just the kind of tracks that I like. I’m looking for a win this weekend; it’s about time I got on the top spot of the podium!” World Supersport Championship This weekend will only be the third visit to Brno for the World Supersport Championship but the Yamaha World Supersport Team is positive of a good round following on from their test there last month in which Parkes finished third fastest. Last year’s round at Brno was fruitful for the team with a first and second in the race and they will be looking to repeat this success this year. Having won the last two rounds the team is very upbeat and hoping to continue their winning ways going into this weekend. “I rather like Brno as it is one of the few tracks we go to that’s wide and open, a bit like Phillip Island. I normally go quite well there and am looking forward to the race this weekend after the progress we made in testing last month. We tried lots of different things at the test and I’m told to expect some good chassis developments for the race following on from what we found at the test, so I can’t wait to see what’s new!” says Parkes. “The weather conditions at the test weren’t normal for the circuit at this time of year so our set-up results may not be totally useful this weekend but everyone is in the same boat so I don’t feel that it’s a big issue. We’ll also be able to use some of the data gathered at the Vallelunga test; the two circuits are similar. We actually went to Vallelunga with the Brno settings and it worked fine, which gives me confidence that we’ve now found a good base set-up for the rest of the season.” Following on from his participation in the recent Vallelunga test, Jason O’Halloran will ride as Curtain’s replacement for the Yamaha World Supersport Team this weekend. Jason put in a solid performance at Vallelunga, using the two day test to get to know the bike and tyres, and impressed the team with his maturity and ability. The 19 year-old R6 rider has been drafted in from the Australian Supersport Championship where he is currently lying in second place, and only six points behind the leader, with one round to go. FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Brno marks the seventh round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup and the return of the Team TTSL-MGM Racing rider Didier van Keymeulen. Didier suffered back and wrist injuries at Silverstone in May when he crashed in free practice, breaking one of the lower vertebrae in his back as well as his wrist. He has recently started training again following a six week recovery period and is keen to make up time and lost points from the Misano round, which he was forced to miss. Van Keymeulen currently holds the best lap and pole records in Superstock at Brno and he will be keen to shake off his injuries and get back to racing. Misano proved a very good round for Matteo Baiocco who took his second win of the season for the Team Umbria squad and reclaimed his championship lead. Yamaha Team Italia rider Claudio Corti also had a successful weekend, finishing fourth despite picking up an elbow injury in practice earlier in the weekend. His team mate, Michele Pirro could only manage 13th following a crash in qualifying which lost him valuable set up time. Unfortunately, Corti’s race luck didn’t extend to the fourth round of the Italian Championship, which took place at Misano a couple of weeks later. He took a tumble during the weekend and broke his right foot and was unable to participate in the race. Following a period of recovery, he tested last weekend at Monza to see if the injury is repaired enough to allow him to race. After eight laps Corti and the Yamaha Team Italia squad were satisfied and have declared him fit enough to ride at Brno this weekend. “My foot hurts a little when I change position on the bike but the most important thing is that I am able to ride without too much difficulty,” Corti says. With Van Keymeulen back in the saddle, there will be several Yamaha-shod riders all keen to fill the podium this weekend but with Didier holding two records and Baiocco’s fourth finish there last year, the Yamaha Team Italia riders are certain to show their fighting spirit right to the finish line. Track Data Track length: 5403m Track opened: 1986 2006 WSB winners: Kagayama (Suzuki), Kagayama (Suzuki) 2006 WSB fastest lap: 2’00.457 (Haga, Yamaha, Race 1) WSB lap record: 2’00.457 (2006, Haga, Yamaha)