WSBK – 500th World Superbike race this weekend! –

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500th race of the World Superbike this weekend !

WSBK - 500th World Superbike race this weekend! -

This Sunday in Brno will take place the 499 and 500th World Superbike races! After a three-week break, the pilots have an appointment on the Czech track, which generally smiles more on 4-cylinder than on twin-cylinder… Trailer.

Three weeks – already – have passed since the last racing weekend in Misano (read). Fortunately, in order not to lose control, the majority of the field rode two days on the track of Vallelunga, which will host the championship on September 21.

To present the next event which will take place this weekend on the magnificent Brno track – recently resurfaced – we will therefore rely on the results of the drivers during these last Italian tests. But it will of course be necessary to take into account the fact that the Czech circuit on which they will evolve on Sunday is different….

Back on the SBK World Cup program since 2005 (read), the Brno circuit has only awarded 4-cylinders with in order: the Suzuki of Corser and the Yamaha of Haga the first year, the Suz ‘of Kagayama twice in 2006 then the Honda of Toseland and the Suz ‘of Biaggi last year.

Likewise, pole positions and fastest race times were all done on GSX-R or R1! To find a victorious Ducati on this track, you have to go back to the first two editions in 1993 and 1996…

Thus, the Ducati riders who dominated the Italian tests last week are warned: their task promises to be difficult, if only to get on the podium !

Xaus in great shape

Winner of the last race disputed three weeks ago in Misano, Ruben Xaus again rose to the top of the standings during the Vallelunga tests by completing the track in 1’36.032, i.e. 7 tenths faster than his Superpole time. last year.

Only Bayliss and Corser had then turned faster than the Spanish, respectively in 1’35.890 and 1’36.016 … "We did a good job collecting some useful info on a track where we lacked data", indicates n ° 111.

Fast on qualifying tires as well as on racing tires at Vallelunga, the rider of the private Ducati Go Eleven team must now concentrate on Brno, where Ruben already trained last month. "I hope to maintain my great form at the moment", admits the one who will drive the BMW S1000RR next year (read).

The Canepa surprise ?

Less than 4 tenths behind Ruben is a new kid: Niccolo Canepa, the test rider of the Ducati factory team, who drove the 1098 for the first time this year! Wild card this weekend in Brno, the 2007 Superstock 1000 world champion – already on 1098 – could well recreate the surprise…

Without necessarily winning a race – we saw that Brno was not Ducati’s favorite circuit – the young Italian could once again upset the holders of the Ducati Xerox team, at the controls of the 1098 F09: understand the factory 1098 – "Factory" in english – 2009 model !

"After taking part in many tests in recent months, in MotoGP and Superbike, I miss the competition and I can’t wait to get back to racing alongside such prestigious riders."exclaims the n ° 59 which will therefore have to be closely monitored…

Bayliss still in the lead

Leading the championship with 259 points – 49 more than Neukirchner and 52 more than Checa -, Troy Bayliss was "only" third in Vallelunga. And this weekend, his place at the end of the two races could be even more modest.

Because in Brno, the best result of the Australian kangaroo is only 6th place, obtained with difficulty last year in the second round, after being knocked out by Muggeridge in the first round when the n ° 21 occupied the 10th place…

"For the past two years we were lacking acceleration with the 999s and that was obvious in Brno, but with the 1098 we should see some progress on this point.", predicts Bayliss whose goal Sunday will be to sign his best results on this somewhat" cursed "track.

Fabrizio in the shadows

Hidden in the shadow of his teammate Bayliss, like Lanzi last year, Michel Fabrizio has already been on the podium three times in Brno – on the seven podiums he has climbed in his career in the SBK World Cup – and could take advantage of this ordeal to shine.

"I really like the Brno circuit", confirms No. 84:"I’ve done a few podiums here, in Superbike and Supersport, and it seems that this track fits my riding style pretty well.". So even without the benefit of a Japanese 4-cylinder – he had been on CBR for the past two years – Fabrizio could again slash the champagne on Sunday….

Satisfied – not to say reassured – with its tests at Vallelunga, the Italian hurricane knows that it is capable of correctly conducting its 1098 "in the dry as in the wet, which is useful since we cannot predict the weather here !", remarks Michel !

Corser’s first victory on R1 ?

It was at Brno in 2005 that the R1 won its very first race, masterfully led by Noriyuki Haga (read). Engaged for two years in the official Yam ‘team, Troy Corser has still not won a race with the Yamaha…

"Everything will depend on the tires", predicts the Australian croc,"and the number of laps it will allow us to perform thoroughly"… Victim of an engine failure last year in the second round, the double world champion knows that this year his bike is working well: Haga has already won four rounds !

Author of the double in 1996 on Ducati and winner of the first round in 2005 on Suzuki, Troy "Poleman" Corser will inevitably be well placed in the tests … It will therefore be a question of transforming them into a race !

Kiyonari in front of Checa !

In Vallelunga, Ryuichi Kiyonari was the first Honda rider, but the former British Superbike star intends to continue this momentum: "I need to enter a good result", reiterates the n ° 23 of the Ten Kate team.

Regular at the start of the season, Ryuichi suffers from a drop in speed "since Monza, but my motivation remains stronger than ever", reassures the Japanese rider! Forgetting his bad tire choices, Kiyonari would have found in Vallelunga a front tire which greatly improves his feeling on the bike…

"We haven’t made any big changes on the bike, but my times have improved", explains Honda’s great hope,"I chased the tuning worries out of my mind: now I can focus on driving and results". Sunday check !

Plagued by grip problems for two events – like all his Honda comrades – Carlos Checa had to give up his 2nd place in the provisional classification to Max Neukirchner … But he remains three points behind the German and a double from Bayliss !

The clear advantage of Japanese motorcycles over Italian ones – over the 999 in any case – does not seem to fully reassure the Spanish: "the Brno track will be difficult for us", announces the Honda rider,"especially when it comes to handling in slower sections".

Despite his words, and provided they resolve their rear axle concerns, Carlos and his CBR1000R will undoubtedly be serious customers on Sunday … "We collected important data during the Vallelunga trials and will be experimenting with new ideas during the trials this weekend.", warns the famous n ° 7 !

Haga prepares his final sprint

"We carried out correct tests in Vallelunga and obtained good results in race settings", assures Noriyuki Haga who was not running after the final stopwatch. This weekend, the goal of the official Yamaha rider will be"to go the distance while remaining fast".

Beaten by his compatriot Kiyonari – and nine other drivers – at Vallelunga, Haga now hopes not to lose any more points against his opponents: with 68 points behind Bayliss and six events – so 12 races – to compete, the Japanese commits in a difficult final sprint … but which he is quite capable of winning !

Falling in the United States on his right shoulder, the brave n ° 41 reports that his physical condition is better "but where I broke my collarbone, it’s still sensitive: I think it’s because it heals !"…

Biaggi on his favorite track

"I am satisfied with the results achieved and I was able to turn at a good pace", concluded Max Biaggi after two days of testing in Vallelunga, during which he did not wear qualifying tires on his private Ducati n ° 3 of the Go Eleven team.

"However, I keep in mind that we will be racing in different conditions in September", adds the Roman Emperor who noted on the Italian track a temperature of 62 ° C! And with regard to the coming weekend, Max is also being very careful…

"I saw that the weather forecast this week was not very good so it could be a GP (sic!) rainy. Hope this doesn’t spoil the weekend", says Max on his official website.

Anyway, Biaggi approaches this Brno event calmly: "I won it on almost all the motorcycles I have ridden (except with the Honda MotoGP … and I have no regrets!), Brno is my favorite track", launches the sulphurous transalpine, capable of the worst as well as the best on his 1098RS.

Suzuki still as powerful ?

Absent from the Vallelunga tests, the Suzuki and Kawasaki will be back in Brno! The GSX-Rs should give their rivals a hard time on the climb to the pit straight, "a gradient of 7.5% before the last chicane, which makes it possible to see who has the most efficient engine", recalls the Yamaha press release.

Author of the double in 2006 (read), Kagayama should be in possession of all his means after the three week break: "my left hand is getting better and better and I hope to be 100% in Brno. It’s not the broken bones that are the problem, but the ligaments: they take longer to mend but I’m sure I’ll be stronger in Brno than I was in Misano", assures n ° 71 !

For his part, Fonsi Nieto notes four determining factors for his weekend: the fact that he does not ride the same bike as last year – he was racing at Kawa at the time -, the need to get a good place on the grid, the rain which can occur at any time and the fact that the coating has been changed … "For sure, we will have to work hard from the start of the weekend !", concludes the Spanish n ° 10 !

As for Max Neukirchner, number two in the championship – but number 76 on his plate – he notices that the Czech Republic is not very far from his native Germany: "it’s almost a second home race for me", notes the young driver Suz ‘who is counting on the arrival of many compatriots.

"It is a difficult but good and very varied trail", sums up" the other "Max. Winner of the first round in Misano, he hopes to win another victory in Brno …. And why not sign the double like Kagayama two years ago ?

Kawasaki finally in the game ?

The official Ninjas were also not present at the Vallelunga trials. As always, Makoto Tamada and Regis Laconi will do their best to mingle with the leaders … which our national No. 55 has managed to do in the very last races. !

Unfortunately, at Misano, luck was not on the Greens’ side: neither of the two drivers crossed the checkered flag during the two rounds of San Marino, the "home" event of their PSG-1 Corsican team..

We can bet that the Japanese and the French will be at the finish of the two Czech races this Sunday and that they will improve their best race result: 8th in Assen for Makoto and 8th in Valence for Regis…

New points for GMT94

Finally, as always, we will follow the performances of the shocking duo: Sebastien "Starsky" Gimbert and David "Hutch" Checa! "New knights with a big heart, but who are never afraid of anything", two slightly dreamy and laughing pilots … and who will win in the end ?

For the victory, we will have to be patient … But that does not prevent Captain Guyot from setting the bar high enough: "on a circuit which had placed the two drivers in the top 10 last year, with a Sebastien who will regain the sensations of the Nurburgring, a David completely cured of his injuries and a final engine development from Michel for Sebastien, the whole team is optimistic to see his two bikes in Superpole and in points from the next race !", proclaims the big boss of GMT94 !

And in Supersport…

In the Supersport category, Andrew Pitt will try to increase his lead in the championship: he has 16 points more than our national Fabien Foret. The Australian has never ridden in Brno in this category but wants to be very optimistic: "I really like this circuit", guarantees the n ° 88 of the Ten Kate team.

"We have had good results lately and there is no reason for it to stop", continues the winner of the last two events … Jonathan Rea, his teammate on the podium in Misano, will also be one to watch.

Besides the two Ten Kate riders, the CBR600RRs of Josh Brookes, Craig Jones and Robbin Harms will be dangerous adversaries for the official Yamaha riders: Fabien Foret and his teammate Broc Parkes !

"I think we found in Vallelunga what could be a good solution for Brno"reveals our favorite # 99."Our goal is to gain new points and get closer to the leader. As always, I’ll try to win the race", concludes Fabien…

Finally, we hope that Matthieu Lagrive’s black series will come to an end: struck by Harms at the Nurburgring, the n ° 14 had overthrown Salom at Misano. This Sunday, Matthieu, who will be riding a little "at home" with his Intermoto Czech team, will he be able to return to the Top 10? ?

Visit the Site on Monday to find out everything about this weekend in the Czech Republic !

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