The second round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship, due to take place in Qatar this weekend, had a watery prologue today as seven top riders took to offshore boats of the Qatar Powerboat Team around the Corniche bay area of the capital, Doha. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati), Ben Spies (Yamaha), Max Biaggi (Aprilia), Max Neukirchner (Suzuki), Troy Corser (BMW), Jonathan Rea (Honda) and Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) were all invited by Sheikh Hassan Al Thani, Qatar Marine Sports Federation President and Class 1 offshore champion on board two Nor-Tech Mercury 36′ catamarans for a different kind of speed trip, this time on water, in the build-up to this Saturday’s WSBK round. “It wasn’t my first time onboard this kind of boat but it was quite exciting”, declared Phillip Island race 1 winner Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox). “I’m thinking I want to buy this kind of boat but it’s just to throw away for the money and I need to check with my wife first!. As for this weekend’s race, Ducati have good experience and settings for here, now I have started the season well from the first round so we will see from here in the next races.” “We knew we had the pace to battle at Phillip Island, not necessarily to win, but it was important to get the first win out of the way” commented Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike). “I’ve kind of been like trying to prove myself on Superbikes for quite a long time, so my win in Australia felt like it had been a long time coming. Qatar is a track where I’ve never turned a wheel on, it seems OK, I’ll just have to go out and learn it. 110 mph on water is a different feeling totally, but luckily we survived that and now I can go to work tomorrow!” “Phillip Island was high performance on qualifying, nobody expected to see us on the front row and fighting for pole position until the end” said Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing). “But something at the moment is still a bit ‘raw’ and we need to find the right conditions to make it ‘well done’ and explore different ways to go for development. At the moment we’re in early stages. This morning was a completely new way to go for me, we went fast on the speedboats. It was interesting to see the steering round the buoy, they go very quick and this type of boat is very stable, almost double the speed on the tarmac!” On TV: Eurosport (pan-European): Sunday 15 March, 08.30 race 1 (delayed), 09.15 race 2 (delayed). The Qatar Round of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship takes place from Thursday 12 thru Saturday 14 March. World Supersport and World Superbike free practice and qualifying takes place on both days, with WSBK Superpole scheduled for Friday at 15.00. The two 18-lap Superbike races are scheduled to run on Saturday at 12.00 and 15.30, with the 18-lap Supersport race at 13.25 local time. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group/InFront Motor Sports: Losail International Circuit hosts World Superbike Round 2 in Qatar After the exciting spectacle served up in the opening round at Phillip Island in Australia, the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship is back in action once again this weekend at the desert circuit of Losail in Qatar, the second of four overseas races and the second event in this year’s 14-round calendar. FIRST WINS FOR DUCATI AND YAMAHA Phillip Island confirmed that Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) will be one of the favourites this year, the Japanese rider winning one race and finishing runner-up in the second. But at the same time it also highlighted the competitive and balanced nature of the series, with several riders in with a chance of fighting for the win. One of these was Yamaha World Superbike rookie Ben Spies, the three-times AMA Superbike champion spectacularly winning race 2 and demonstrating that he will also be one of the men to beat this year. Germany’s Max Neukirchner also began the season well for Suzuki Alstare, fighting side-by-side with Haga right down to the chequered flag. Two more riders to watch in Qatar will be Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) and Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who this time will be aiming for a podium place. PRIVATE PROGRESS Even with the presence of seven manufacturers (Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha), the championship also offers the possibility for private teams, thanks to the technical regulations, to score good results. In Australia Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda) stepped onto the podium and Régis Laconi (Ducati DFX) came very close. Further surprises are expected at Losail. APRILIA AND BMW ON THE PACE Both the Italian and the German machines immediately proved to be competitive in their debut race, so much so that Troy Corser (BMW) recorded the fastest lap in race 1 and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) fought for a podium position right until the very end. The layout of the Losail circuit should reward the characteristics of the two four-cylinder machines, even more so given the fact that Corser and Biaggi have both won on this track. Kawasaki are the only factory team who appear to be struggling at the moment, but the Japanese manufacturer is working hard and improvements are expected in Qatar. THUMBS UP FOR NEW SUPERPOLE The new Superpole format passed its first test with flying colours. The knock-out formula (20 riders become 16 and then 8 for the front two rows) has added further excitement to Saturday qualifying and also looks good on television. At Losail the teams and riders will have to perfect their strategies, which are fundamental if they do not want to be left out for the battle for the front row of the grid. SUPERSPORT The opening round of the Supersport World Championship offered an amazing spectacle and Losail will be another chance to see some more slipstreaming action, in particular down the long pit straight. The favourites are still the two Supersport champions Kenan Sofuoglu e Andrew Pitt (both Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), but Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda) and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) can’t be ruled out as well in the battle for the top places, while even the young Spanish talent Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki) has winning potential. Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) was also on the pace, while Garry McCoy and Gianluca Nannelli (Triumph) still have to get the new three-cylinder machine up to the leaders’ competitive level. Pre-event media activity The pre-event media activity for the Qatar Round will take place on Wednesday morning at the Corniche seafront in the capital Doha. Seven top riders, one from each manufacturer, will have a Meet & Greet with national and international media and Qatar Marine Federation President and F1 boat champion Sheikh Hassan Al Thani, who will give a welcome speech. Riders will then have a chance to be in the boat for a ride around the Cornice sea area. Lap records: Race Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki) 1’59.156 (2008); Best lap Troy Corser (Yamaha) 1’58.053 (2008). The Qatar Round of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship takes place from Thursday 12 thru Saturday 14 March. World Supersport and World Superbike free practice and qualifying takes place on both days, with WSBK Superpole scheduled for Friday at 15.00. The two 18-lap Superbike races are scheduled to run on Saturday at 12.00 and 15.30, with the 18-lap Supersport race at 13.25 local time. About the Losail International Circuit LIC is the only circuit in the region with both FIA and FIM homologation licenses for car and bike racing. The state-of-the-art circuit, which was inaugurated on October 2004, is fully equipped with the latest facilities and services. 1000 workers took just under one year to build it at a total cost of $USD58million. The circuit is 30 Kilometers from Doha International Airport. It measures 5.380 km, including a main straight of 1068 m, and has a total of 16 turns, 10 right and 6 left.