2005 CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW ROUND 4 MONZA (ITALY) 6 – 8 MAY 2005 WORLD SUPERBIKE EMBRACES MAGNIFICENT MONZA ONCE MORE Classic SBK Season Takes In Classic Circuit: The evocative and historic venue of Monza hosts World Superbike once more this coming Sunday, with the oldest permanent racing circuit in Europe always one of the most popular venues on the SBK calendar. Set in former Royal Parkland, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is a blisteringly fast ribbon of tarmac, with challenging corners as well as high speed sections testing courage and skill far more than the simple looking circuit layout may first suggest. History and Modernity Meet: With extensive reworking carried out on the circuit’s facilities in 2004, yet the basis of the modern circuit laid on sections of the original 1922 track, Monza is a fascinating mix of old and new. The original oval banking, used for high-speed record attempts for decades, rings most of the current circuit, a monument to how long men and machines have accepted the unique challenge posed by such a magnificent monument to speed. The current SBK pace palace, Monza shows average lap times to be – despite the huge numbers of speed-attenuating chicanes still over 190kmph. Of all the current SBK competitors only Pierfrancesco Chili and Regis Laconi have won Monza Superbike races; Chili four times in total, with Laconi taking the double last season. Story So Far: Despite so many attendances at the Monza circuit the current championship leader Troy Corser (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki GSX-R1000) has never quite taken a win at the Autodromo Nazionale, something he will be favourite to rectify this year. In contrast to Corser’s near perfect five-wins-from-six record so far, even his team-mate Yukio Kagayama’s challenge slowed somewhat at the last round in Spain, with the looming threats now seeming to come from other four-cylinder manufacturers, Honda and Kawasaki. Four Front: The Spanish round at Valencia saw Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR rider Chris Vermeulen score two second place finishes, and even more pleasingly for the non-partisan SBK fans, Kawasaki re-emerged as a true threat, with Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10) also tasting top-three champagne, in race two. The presently all-conquering Suzukis have been fastest out of the starting blocks this year, but Honda and Kawasaki have already shown that any of the current breeds of litre road bikes can form the basis of a race-winning challenge. Twins Tough It Out: The factory Ducati squad, and the few Ducati privateers in the series this season, will be hoping that home advantage for their machinery will turn the recent tides of their fortune. After an unfortunate entanglement with a back marker in morning warm-up at Valencia, Regis Laconi (Ducati Xerox 999F05) could not start either Spanish race and dropped down the leader board, to sit fourth in the current rankings. 2004 champion James Toseland (Ducati Xerox 999F05) has had a troubled start to his championship campaign continue through all three rounds and six races to date, his tenth place in the championship a true reflection of how hard his title defence has been. Ducati privateer Lorenzo Lanzi (SC Ducati 999RS) will be present at Monza, albeit still recuperating from collarbone surgery after a high-speed crash at Valencia, when avoiding a competitor’s somersaulting motorcycle. New Names Monza Bound: The relatively new technical rules and regs in World Superbike, combined with the latest generation of Japanese road going machinery, have allowed several new and existing SBK teams to mount serious challenges, even with riders new to the whole discipline of Superbike racing. Yamaha’s multi-pronged effort is being led at present by an SBK rookie yet experienced Grand Prix competitor – Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France), currently fifth overall. One of several former WSS Champions in the field, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) has had a fraught but fast introduction to his SBK career, frequently running with the leaders. Abe’s team-mate Sebastien Gimbert is another fast rookie who has shown his speed more than once. Proven World Supersport runners in the biggest league this year, Klaffi Honda, have adopted the most experienced current SBK competitor of all, Pierfrancesco Chili, and promoted 2004’s WSS Rookie of the Year Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR). Having already been on the podium, Neukirchner is one of the stars of the show after only three rounds. Chili and Neukirchner have each lost points due to high speed falls, but enter Monza with the knowledge that they should be giving nothing away in terms of outright performance to any of their rivals. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) is another high-profile SBK rookie this year, showing his obvious speed despite some misfortunes in race situations. Prodigals’ Progress: Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji CBR1000RR) returned to the top ten fold at Valencia, overcoming some early season machinery issues just as soon as his technical package was completed. Both Bostrom and his Renegade team (In Ducati guise last year) are serial SBK race winners, and want to return to their days of glory before the season is out. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) is an old sparring partner of Bostrom’s and also awaits his first 2005 season podium. Petronas Continue Development: Aussie pairing Garry McCoy and Steve Martin front-up the Petronas attack this year, running the unique three-cylinder 900s in their recently updated guise. Results in races have not quite matched some of their impressive qualifying performances, but it seems only a matter of time before one of the experienced duo rejoins the elite. At Monza, most of the other 1000cc machines may just be too much for either Petronas runner to overcome, but in the case of bad weather, anything will be possible. Another technical interest will be present at Monza, as Italian wild card Andrea Mazzali points at the future for an historic racing manufacturer with ambition, riding a privately entered MV Agusta F4 1000 MT. Supersport: Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Sebastien Charpentier has shown strength and pace to secure two wins from three, and the championship lead. His team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara has shown that the Ten Kate squad is once more the team to beat in World Supersport; especially now they are armed with a heavily revised CBR600RR. Currently sitting 1-2 in the championship, with all race wins taken between them thus far, their main competitors are Yamaha Motor Germany pilot Kevin Curtain and the Team Italia Megabike Honda runners Fabien Foret and Michel Fabrizio. When fully fit, Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) will be another serious threat to the Honda hegemony. After Monza, the championship moves to Silverstone for round five, 27 to 29 May. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2005 Round 4, Monza – Italy Race Preview 6 8 MAY 2005 HONDA RIDERS AIM TO BE SPEED KINGS AT MONZA For any rider the prospect of racing at Monza promises two very different but linked experiences ultra-high top speeds on the many straights and long curves, and heavy braking for the multitude of chicanes. Brought in over the last decades to reduce speeds, the chicanes at Monza are frequent and on a large scale, the continual full throttle to closed throttle demands of the circuit layout adding more complication to an already difficult set-up task. In World Supersport few machines are quite so capable of high top speeds and stability under braking as the Honda CBR600RR, now in its second guise since taking over from the CBR600FS in 2003. Honda riders have won the last three Monza Supersport races, with a host of supported CBR600RR entries out to extend that run to four in the 2005 event. Winston Ten Kate Honda riders Sebastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara have scooped all the wins this year, with Fujiwara taking the opener in Qatar, while Charpentier has now won the subsequent Australian and Spanish affairs. He leads the championship battle by 12 points from ‘Kats’. They are not alone as pedigree Monza entries mounted on fast Honda machinery, with no less a rider than 2002 World Champion for Ten Kate Honda, Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR), teamed up with 2003 European Superstock Champion Michel Fabrizio in the Italian-based Megabike squad. Foret was the victor of last weekend’s Italian Championship race at Monza, by a full 12 seconds, with his young team-mate practicing at a high pace, but electing not to race, due to an injured foot. Rounding out a high-class quintet of supported Honda talent is Finnish rider Tatu Lauslehto (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR), a 2005 WSS rookie, but one with sizeable experience in the European Championships. Charpentier, having secured all three pole positions this year, in addition to two wins and a second place in race conditions, acknowledges that he has to build on his success so far. “Yes, it’s been a fantastic start to the season for me and for my new team,” acknowledged Charpentier. “Perhaps without the problem in Qatar I might have three wins to go with my three pole positions. Valencia was as good as it can be for a race weekend because I had pole position, a win and the fastest lap. Everything is just working really well and there’s not much more to say. The bike is great, the atmosphere in the garage is really strong and my team-mate is pushing me all the time so I cannot relax for a minute.” Fujiwara, like Charpentier a new inductee into the Winston Ten Kate Honda squad, also reflects on the first quarter of his championship season. “I have a new bike and a new team this year so I cannot be unhappy with my championship position especially after winning the first race of the season,” said a smiling Fujiwara. “Valencia was a great battle between me and Sebastien and I think I gave my team a bit of panic when I tried to pass him on the last lap! But I am desperate to win again, not just for me, but also for this new team who have made me feel so at home. I think on a Ten Kate CBR I have the best chance to succeed here at Monza. I was third here in 2002 and dropped out of third place with a technical problem last year. I like the circuit and now I want to win here.” Foret, after his recent race experience and set-up breakthroughs at Monza, feels he is now in a position to challenge for the biggest prizes again. “On Friday at Monza I was not completely satisfied with practice,” said Foret of his Italian Championship race at Monza, “but after fantastic work with our suspension technician and the team we understood the set up problems that have made us slower then the Winston Ten Kate bikes during the opening rounds of the season. In qualifying and the race I ran with the same tyres that I will use in the World Supersport race. I kept a rhythm of 1:53.400 consistently, the same as Muggeridge’s race winning times in 2004. I was very happy with that and on Sunday I think I can run a fantastic race.” Fabrizio, not wanting to risk further injury to his recuperating right foot, is nonetheless bullish in the run-up to his home race. “I preferred not to run in the Italian Championship race because my right foot is not OK again,” quoted Fabrizio. “I pushed so hard with my feet on the pegs during the practice sessions that I wanted to rest my injury. We worked hard in practice and I think that we resolved all the problems we had with the suspension settings, especially in the new forks. Fabien was so fast at the Monza race and I ran with 1:53.500 times, which put us on pace with the 2004 race already. So I am smiling.” Lauslehto, a rookie to the class, is still learning many of the circuits as he goes along. “This is my first race at Monza but the Klaffi Honda CBR600RR is one of the fastest bikes in the World Championship,” said the young Finn. “Our technical conditions are optimal, so now it is my task to realise good results.” World Superbike Round 4 of 12 SPEED KINGS PREPARE TO JOUST FOR GLORY AT MONZA As the World Superbike series approaches Monza the resurgence in the depth of field has had many knock-on effects, even after only three rounds. With more competitive entries than there are points available on many occasions, Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) has once more proved capable of podium finishes, despite the sudden increase in competition for the top places. Vermeulen, four times a race winner on a Ten Kate CBR1000RR in 2004, has already taken three podium finishes in 2005. Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) has been the new find of the year, with a podium finish in Australia and two front-row starting positions. Experiencing a dramatic high-speed highside crash on lap one of Valencia race one, Neukirchner was eventually diagnosed with a broken bone in his throttle hand, and on expert medical advice has had to withdraw from the Monza event. Once more Karl Muggeridge will compete alongside his Aussie countryman Vermeulen for the Winston Ten Kate Honda team, the 2004 World Supersport Champion looking for his first big result in the bigger class. Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) returns to action once more, having spent the last two weeks since his gritty rides at Valencia recuperating after racing at Valencia with a broken and plated collarbone, suffered in Australia. Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji CBR1000RR) posted highly encouraging results of 12th and then sixth at Valencia, hoping to enhance his championship position of 14th at the classic venue of Monza, most of which he knows well from his earlier SBK career. For Vermeulen, his CBR1000RR is a strong part of the possible key to ultimate Monza success, and he is particularly motivated to make up for an ultimately disappointing 2004 raceday. With a new exhaust system to handle the sustained high speeds at Monza, and extensive work on the front forks, Vermeulen has every right to look forward to Monza. “I’ve just had a positive medical scan on the wrist that I broke at the end of last season and I’m really looking forward to Monza it’s a special place and always a great event on the SBK calendar,” said Vermeulen. “It’s a fast track, and technical, but in a different way to Valencia, and I’ve had some decent results there in the past. Last year was our first on the CBR1000RR and I managed to lead race one for a while until clutch problems dropped me back to fourth. Then I finished second in race two, but we were excluded because of a technical problem. With a year of development behind us, the Honda should be strong at Monza, although Troy (Corser) is bound to be fast again. Brakes are really important here but hopefully, the issues we’ve had with the front of the bike in the first three rounds won’t create so many problems.” Muggeridge, battling against illness in round one, and on-track misfortune since then, wants to put all this behind him and get on with his rookie SBK season. “As they say, Valencia was not a good weekend for me just one to forget,” said Muggeridge. “I left feeling pretty sore with a sprained right ankle and thigh muscle from the second race crash but I’ve had some rest and I’m feeling fine now. I would’ve gladly taken those points from a safe seventh place in Valencia and I’d eased off a bit just to bring it home. But now we head to Monza it’s a place I like and I’ve some good memories from winning the Supersport race last year. I’ve spent a lot of days thinking about how the CBR1000RR will work there and I reckon we should be OK. As long as we can stop the bike coming up as fast as it has been and gas it out of the corners well, speed won’t be a problem. I’m still getting used to the bike I guess, and we’ve still got work to do, but I’m definitely feeling positive about it.” Chili, on home tarmac, has two main points to provide extra impetus for his home weekend, a friendly crowd and memories of riding another type of machine in 2004. “Monza – that means a lot of fun for me – action and thousands of fans. Only last year it was not so much fun. In race one I had an engine blow up and then I crashed in the second heat. The result was a little bit disappointing, to say the least. But now I can attack again. My Klaffi Honda Fireblade is perfect – and I want revenge for 2004.” For Bostrom, an encouraging Valencia race two experience could be bettered at Monza, if his team continues to improve set-up and full race readiness, and he himself gets more aggressive during qualifying and starting. “If we can get good launches, from better places on the grid, then we will be in with a good chance for even better results soon,” affirmed Bostrom. “It’s taken a while to get used to the tyres and to get the bike ready after our late start in the winter, but it felt really good to post a top six finish at Valencia. Now we have to work to get inside the top positions consistently.” Neukirchner, forced out this weekend but with one eye on his long-term 2005 prospects, is philosophical about his current predicament, looking to the next round for inspiration. “It is such a pity that I cannot ride at Monza. Last year I finished 6th in the Supersport race, which was a high point for me. I like the track and the slipstreaming ‘games’ you can play there. But it is better to stay at home for one round than suffer a disadvantage for all the rest of the season. After two weeks I can get rid of the plaster cast. Then I’ll have special therapy and at Silverstone I’ll ride again.” After the high speeds and history of Monza, another renowned and rapid track beckons on May 27 29 Silverstone, Great Britain. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: WSB LEADERS WANT MONZA WIN May 4, 2005. World Superbike Championship leaders Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra head to this weekend’s fourth round at Monza in Italy with a 100% win record and with high hopes of continuing their dominance aboard the all-new GSX-R1000 Suzuki. The 5.793 kilometre Monza track – one of the most famous race circuits in the world – is set in luscious parkland close to Monza’s historic centre and has been a regular fixture on the calendar since 1990, when Fabrizio Pirovano – now working on the Suzuki GSX-R European Cup – took a double victory. It is a feat that 2005 series leader Troy Corser would like to emulate as he has never won a race at the track. This year though, he and the all-conquering Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000 have dominated the championship with Troy winning five races and team mate Yukio Kagayama winning the other. Troy Corser: “We tested at Monza recently and I am happy with all the stuff we did and I feel confident about the race. Monza is a great track and it is one of those tracks where you can win, even if you do not have the fastest bike. Slipstreaming plays a vital part in race strategy and it is possible to exit the Ascari chicane fifth and still win – if you are in a tight group and use the slipstream effect best. For me the best place would be at the front, with a big gap on the rest. The worst would be at the front with four or five riders hanging on to my rear tyre. “So far, the season has been great for me and the whole team. The hard work we all did over the winter and pre-season meant that we started strong right from the outset. I think our rivals were a bit surprised, to say the least! Now it is up to us to keep up the pace, or maybe increase it – if required. Monza has not been good for me in the past, so I am hoping that this year will be better. Yukio Kagayama: “I am very happy that we tested at Monza recently because now I have some knowledge of the track. It was my first time there and it is a very interesting track to ride. Troy-san has told me about the importance of slipstreaming and I shall have to remember it in the races. At the recent test, slipstreaming was not an issue, but now that I have done some laps, I think I can see what could happen – and maybe where! It is a quite a fast track, with some very fast corners and I like that! My aim is to be on the podium at Monza – in both races.” 2004 results: 1 Laconi (F-Ducati), 2 Toseland (GB-Ducati), 3 McCoy (Aus-Ducati), 9 CORSER (Aus-Petronas). KAGAYAMA – DNS.