Yamaha WSB Riders Head to Magny Cours for the Penultimate Round of the Season Melandri and Laverty have just completed a tough race weekend in Imola and are setting out for Magny Cours, France for the 12th and penultimate round of the 2011 World Superbike Championship this weekend. Marco Melandri fought hard at his home race in Imola to gain valuable points to keep the championship open by preventing Carlos Checa from earning the advantage he requires to claim the title. Marco Melandri remains 97 points behind Carlos Checa in the standings. The WSB Rookie will have to face the huge task of winning both races this weekend and in the case that Checa does not pocket more than 3 points, Melandri will remain a contender for the title. The Italian is heading to the French circuit this weekend determined to take the championship battle to the grand finale in Portimao. Following Eugene Laverty’s solid performance last Sunday in Imola, the Northern Irish rider now remains just 25 points from Biaggi in third place in the standings, a position he aims to reach this weekend. The Yamaha WSB team is heading to Magny Cours confident they can be highly competitive and fighting for victory, following Cal Crutchlow’s strong race win and podium in last year’s season showdown on the French track. Eugene Laverty made his debut on a World Superbike machine last October in Magny Cours, testing the 2010 YZF-R1 and immediately gaining confidence on the powerful machine, was the fastest rider to lap the track. Marco Melandri, Yamaha World Superbike Team “Magny Cours is another new track for me. I didn’t have the chance to test there last year at the end of the season like quite a few other riders did, so I’m not sure what to expect. I haven’t seen much of the circuit on TV or on the internet, but I’m looking forward to discovering it. Going by last year’s results, where Cal took a race win and a second place on the podium, it looks like it could be a good track for the R1. My ambition is to be at the front, pushing for a podium and even a race win or two.” Eugene Laverty, Yamaha World Superbike Team “I’m really looking forward to returning to Magny Cours this weekend. At the end of the 2010 season I tested the R1 and was the fastest rider on track, so I know the bike works well there. We knew Imola wasn’t a suitable style of circuit for our machine and we had a tough weekend there but managed to come away with solid race results, which I am pleased with. I’ll be aiming for better results in Magny Cours and hope for a race win or two.” Magny Cours technically speaking according to Silvano Galbusera, Marco Melandri’s Crew Chief “Marco has never ridden this Formula One style circuit before so we have no data to work from. It has some tight chicanes so we will need to set the bike up for hard braking but agile enough to take the fast corners in the tight sections. We will try out our base set up on Friday morning and see where to go from there in light of all this. Unfortunately the weather can be variable in Magny Cours and there is always a high chance of rain so we have to take this into consideration and prepare a wet set up on the second bike. Our R1 has worked well here in the last few years and hopefully will be successful again this year.” Magny Cours technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, Eugene Laverty’s Crew Chief “Imola was one of our toughest rounds yet, unfortunately our base set-up didn’t work and we had to use all our experience to get two more top five finishes. At Magny Cours we will go back to our normal setting, and work from there. It is the complete opposite to Imola, very flat with a smooth surface and usually has a lot of grip. Eugene was fastest at the pre-season test first time on the bike at Magny Cours, and we are confident we can be at the front in both races. We are within reach of Max in the championship standings and our goal is to finish top three” Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “Marco and Eugene will be aiming to be back on the podium in Magny Cours, a track which Yamaha has been very competitive on in the past years. Marco needs to put the difficult weekend in Imola behind him and aim for a race win on yet another unfamiliar circuit. He has proved already this year, that learning new track layouts is not a problem. Eugene won the 2010 WSS category and has fond memories from Magny Cours. His goal is to Reach Max in third place in the Championship and I am confident he can do this on Sunday.” 2011 World Superbike France Magny Cours 27/09/2011 Circuit Length: 4411 Lap Record: 1’38.619 (Noriyuki Haga, 1/1/2009) Fastest Lap Ever: 1’37.699 (Cal Crutchlow, 10/3/2010) Last Years Winner: Max Biaggi Davies Aims for the Title in Magny Cours The Yamaha ParkinGO team, determined to put Sunday’s disappointing race day behind them, is gearing up for the penultimate round of the 2011 World Supersport Championship which will take place in Magny Cours this weekend. Chaz Davies and Luca Scassa are setting out for the French circuit, for what can only be a more positive weekend. The Yamaha riders were delivering a textbook perfect race, occupying first and second place when both riders fell victim to a technical issue, preventing them from completing the 19 laps. Despite the lack of points in Imola, Chaz Davies still remains title favourite, leading the championship by 35 points with 50 points still up for graps. If Foret, currently in second place in the standings, were to win next Sunday, Davies would need to secure a third place finish to claim the well-deserved championship title that he is ever more motivated and determined to snatch this weekend. Mathematically also Salom, being 48 points behind Davies, still has a chance on the title. The Yamaha ParkinGO team is confident that the French circuit at Magny Cours is well suited for the Yamaha R6, the same machine on which Crutchlow claimed the second spot on the podium in 2009.