WSBK – Last battle before the truce –

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Last battle before the truce

WSBK - Last battle before the truce -

Kagayama, winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours, Toseland in MotoGP from 2008 … Superbike riders will continue to be talked about this weekend in England, for the most awaited event of the season! Paddock tour.

A crowd of around 120,000 spectators is expected this weekend near London, an audience comparable to that which could arouse the concerts of the Beatles, Deep Purple, Led Zep or Queen. !

But this Sunday, the one from whom the English are expecting a flawless recital is James Toseland, at the controls of his CBR1000RR. Leading the championship, driver Ten Kate is set to race on his land for the third time this year…

After Donington and Silverstone (read and), the World Superbike therefore crosses the round one last time to settle on the superb Brands Hatch circuit, before enjoying a well-deserved summer break.

Adored by some, feared by others, this atypical track offers a particularly high challenge for pilots and their mechanics. Located on the hillside, the route undulates strongly from left to right as well as from bottom to top. !

Thus the settings of the cycle part are particularly difficult to find, the layout comprising all turns different from each other, more or less on a slope. In short, a profile radically opposed to that of Brno, mainly made up of beautiful rows while supporting…

However, it is precisely in the Czech Republic that Max Biaggi had found his best level (read). Second in the 1st round then winner of the second, the Italian has a great opportunity to prove that he can legitimately seek the world title, as the fifth star, adorned with a question mark sewn on his leather, suggests. !

"It was good to get a win and another podium in Brno", rejoices Biaggi,"and I want to continue like this, get on the podiums at Brands and the rest of the season". But on a track deemed difficult where he has never put a wheel, Max’s weekend promises to be difficult and the Roman Emperor does not start as the favorite….

Among the drivers most eagerly awaited by fans and by the podium steps is Noriyuki Haga. "You can hear the crowd when you run and it helps a lot", describes the Japanese driver, who will perhaps once again benefit from the support of one of his biggest supporters, a Londoner by the name of Valentino Rossi !

Sunday, Nitro Nori will have a lot to do but his four victories in the last three visits to Brands Hatch are enough to give him heart to the work. In addition, the Japanese’s attention is resolutely turned towards the championship: being 45 points behind Toseland, the n ° 41 knows that anything is possible, with eight races to go or 200 points to gain..

"I know it has rained a lot recently in England", notes Haga. But that does not worry him in the least, quite the contrary!"I’ll be happy whether it rains or not", warns the Yamaha Santander team rider.

Last year, dressed in his "Superman" costume – donned for the release of the movie Superman returns (read) – Bayliss narrowly missed the double.

Blame it on a supercharged Haga, which we must be wary of again this time … "Haga, Corser and Toseland will be the guys to watch this weekend, but I expect Haga to be particularly strong as Yamaha has improved their bike a lot this year.", analyzes the reigning world champion.

No doubt the Australian will have to tap into his superpowers if he wants to keep his world crown! Two weeks ago on a Czech track cut for 4-cylinders, the driver of the n ° 21 Ducati let many points slip away: he is now 4th overall and is 56 points behind “Giacomino”. Troy the Kangaroo must bounce !

Quoted by Bayliss himself as one of the drivers to follow closely, Troy Corser has already won three times on the English track: in 1996 and 1998 on Ducat 916 and in 2005 on Suz GSX-R (read). Distanced in the championship, the Australian crocodile is far from being on the track on the handlebars of his Yam R1…

"Can’t wait to be at Brands, it can only get better after Brno", jokes Corser, forced to retire in the second run as he kept pace with the best … Even if Brands Hatch is not his favorite track"because of the proximity of the walls more than anything else", the n ° 11 will undoubtedly be the referee of this end of season.

Unless Ruben Xaus comes to add his two cents? "We have limited the breakage to Brno and now I consider that we can raise our hopes", says the Spanish pilot !

Pilot of a private 999, the n ° 111 is particularly confident: "Ducati is very competitive at Brands Hatch", recalls the Catalan. Totaling 19 victories in 28 races, the Borgo Panigale firm is indeed the queen of this circuit, and will have to take full advantage of it to move up the constructors’ standings: it is 3rd with 302 points behind Honda (319) and Yamaha (303) …

Also ignored by Bayliss and yet perfectly armed to play this "last battle before the truce", Yukio Kagayama returns to us from Japan with high morale. !

Brilliant winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours with his compatriot Kousuke Akiyoshi, Kagayama and the Yoshimura Suzuki team put an end to ten years of Honda hegemony: "it’s hard to understand how important this race is for the manufacturers and the fans", insists pilot n ° 71, exceptionally n ° 34 for the endurance test.

"My victory at Suzuka last week was a very special feeling that I will remember and cherish all my life.", explains Yukio. However, the Japanese do not intend to fall asleep on their laurels! After their results"so-so"last year (5th and 7th), Biaggi’s teammate would like to get on the podium … Answer Sunday !

"I’m 43 points ahead now and to be honest after Misano I couldn’t believe it", does not believe James Toseland, reconciled with his Honda and more particularly its electronic management.

With his two excellent races in Brno (1st and 2nd), the rookie of the French team Tech 3 Yamaha regains confidence and has the firm intention of winning a second World Superbike title before taking over MotoGP (read) !

"Can’t wait to be at Brands Hatch and repeat my Brno performance, if not better", launches" DjiTi "who has never won on this track and only climbed twice on the podium in 2003 then 2006. After his breakage at Donington and his fall at Silverstone, the British will be keen to shine a last time in SBK in front of his audience !

On the French side, Regis Laconi will try to make us vibrate again: 4th after a superb race in the second round last year, the Kawasaki rider allowed himself to tax James Toseland and Troy Corser on the wire. . To be continued !

To be continued, the performance of the official PSG-1 Corse team will also be in 2008, since the Italian team received this week the confirmation of its official team status from the big boss of Kawasaki Motors Europe, Mr Honda. (sic). A Japanese by the way very disappointed not to have taken part in the modification of the rules of the World Superbike, which will allow from next year to the twin cylinders to cubize 1200 cc…

However, another story will end this year: the one that links Corona Extra to the World Superbike Championship. In a press release this morning, Francis Batta – manager of Team Alstare Suzuki – informed that the famous brand of beers will no longer be the title sponsor of the SBK World Cup "for commercial reasons".

Probably replaced by Hannspree with regard to the Mondial SBK, Corona Extra will no longer appear on the Belgian team’s GSX-R 1000s. A page turns…

In Supersport, attention and tension will be riveted on Kenan Sofuoglu’s helmet! With a 70-point lead over Fabien Foret, the Turkish must "simply" score 5 more points than the French to secure the 2007 title.

Suddenly, Kenan aims only one thing: victory, synonymous with crowning whatever the result of our national Fabien. Fortunately, our tricolor Ninja does not intend to give up !

"I will give everything to win at Brands Hatch. On a regular basis, there is not much to look forward to in the championship. Now putting the pressure on him, Sofuoglu is not faultless. If I can delay his consecration it will always be taken", exhibits the n ° 7 of the Kawasaki Gil Motor Sport team.

As for Sebastien Charpentier, he is just as combative despite his black season. "Brands Hatch is one of my favorite circuits and I hope I can finally express myself without holding back. For me the championship is now lost but my motivation remains intact and if I can play the victory I will not be shy", remarks our – double – reigning world champion.

Although he doesn’t particularly like this circuit, Broc Parkes should also be a serious customer for Sofuoglu. Winner of the 2006 edition, the Australian intends to achieve the "double" on this track "which looks more like a motocross circuit with all its drop-offs and technical turns" !

The Australian n ° 23 of the official Yamaha team and Robbin Harms will be keen to erase their draws from Brno – when they were one turn off the podium -, while the young Craig Jones will want to shine in front of his home crowd and drink a new sip of champagne !

But as is often the case this season, the 600 cc category – with the sole exception of the Nannelli 748 and while waiting for the Daytona 675 and Kenny Foray, why not? (read) -, could be pushed around by a guest pilot…

But this weekend, Tommy Hill seems perfectly capable of playing the spoilsport! New replacement for Kevin Curtain on the official R6, the British Superbike rider was already noticed last year in SBK at Silverstone (read), by nabbing the Superpole at Troy Bayliss! What does this fanatic in SSP have in store for us? Wait and see…

Finally, Christophe Guyot’s GMT94 team will seek to confirm its excellent results obtained by its two drivers two weeks ago in Brno: David Checa finished 7th and Sebastien Gimbert 9th. Gregory Leblanc, Julien Enjolras and Matthieu Lagrive will also try to score new points, the biggest possible !

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