Suspense at Monza for the 4th round
Out of 26 Superbike races contested at Monza, 15 saw the two leading bikes finish less than a second apart! This weekend, several pilots could again finish in a pocket square … A little tour of the forces involved.
Monza is the fourth most visited circuit by the world Superbike: it is the fourteenth time that handlebar madmen have come to ignite the Italian public. This track is renowned for its Dantesque fights and its breathtaking finishes, as evidenced by the 0.005 s which separated Fogarty from Edwards during the second race in 1999 or the same 5 thousandths between Kocinski and Slight in 1997. In 1996, the second race also saw Chile win ahead of Slight at 0.007 s !
Local for the stage, Pierfrancesco Chile (Klaffi Honda) is one of the specialists on this track, whose lap average is close to 200km / h! He took part in twenty races on this track, won four, climbed nine times on the podium and signed six lap records … In short, this is the opportunity for the Italian to express everything its potential and to erase a mixed start to the season !
Regis Laconi (Ducati Xerox) is with Chile the only competitor in 2005 to have won on the Italian track. Last year, he even achieved the double, which allowed him to relaunch in the race for the championship. Let’s hope that this year’s heats will also give him confidence !
In any case Ducati is counting on him: the Italian firm did not score any points in the last race, which had not happened since the test in Japan during the second Superbike season in 1989. !
Corser and Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare) are once again the big favorites due to their thunderous start to the season, but the time for a change may have come, as statistics give Ducati the favorite on this track with 14 wins and 12 best time in the race. In comparison, Yamaha and Honda have won just five wins and Suzuki have only one, thanks to Pierfrancesco Chile !
In addition, Troy Corser has never won on the Monza circuit in 16 participations … However, the Australian will be hard to dislodge from the top step of the podium, a place he occupied at the end of the last four races. Monza, a very fast circuit, requiring from the driver a particularly strong heart and from his machine a powerful and enduring engine, will he be able to withstand the Australian tornado and his GSX-R? The person concerned has already reflected: "Aspiration plays a vital role in race strategy and it is possible to come out of the Ascari chicane in fifth position and still win the race. The worst would be to be in the lead with four or five guys hanging on my back wheel". For Troy, the technique is simple:"Go ahead and widen a big gap on the others."A method widely proven in Valence !
Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda) is the current fit rider. With his two second places in Valencia, the Australian arrives with excellent morale, especially since he has already won at Monza in the Supersport category..
Unlike MotoGP, private testing – during the season – is not limited to circuits already visited. The riders of the World Superbike are therefore authorized to test on all tracks, even one week before the official event. Ducati, Suzuki and Yamaha, for example, carried out tests on Monza last week. But only Yamaha Motor Italia broadcast some news … "The tests were very satisfactory"says Massimo Meregalli."We were able to test a lot of things and Andrew like Noriyuki are very tired".
In the end, Pitt was able to test a new front brake-suspension combination and Haga a new swingarm. Hopefully these changes will allow these riders to reach – finally – the podium and will also benefit Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert of Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone. Couldn’t Rossi do a few extra hours? ?
Supersport side, we count on Charpentier and Fujiwara to make us vibrate once again (read) and on Fabien Forêt as well as Stephane Chambon to complete the podium! See you on Monday for the full report !
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