WSBK – The serene test of the SBK World Cup turned upside down –

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The serene event of the SBK World Cup turned upside down

WSBK - The serene test of the SBK World Cup turned upside down -

To receive MotoGP in 2007, Misano has undergone significant modifications and change direction. The Superbike sees its test in San Marino modified and the drivers confused. Presentation and video interviews with Sebastien Charpentier and Fabien Foret.

Located a few kilometers from the Serene Republic of San Marino – the third smallest state in Europe after the Vatican and Monaco – the Misano track is hosting the World Superbike this weekend for the 16th time. But with the changes to the layout, the counter could very well be reset. !

This will be the first visit by Superbike riders to the new version of the circuit, renamed for the occasion "Misano World Circuit", even if some riders have already had the opportunity to test this "new" track….

"It was good to go there and learn the new route", admits Troy Corser, whose official Yamaha team participated in the tests carried out in mid-May with the Ducati Xerox, Ducati Sterilgarda, Kawasaki PSG-1 and Honda DFX teams..

In the opinion of all the pilots gathered on this occasion, the track would not be very difficult to learn but would force them to take one and the same trajectory, thus limiting overtaking. In addition, the teams allegedly blamed the circuit officials for the excessive presence of bumps..

"They said they would do something with the asphalt and it could well be that the results of the tests we did are getting wrong", points out Corser. Fortunately, all will not be lost so far since the parts which Troy the" Croco "tested in Misano enabled him to improve the performances of his R1, in particular at the level of the chassis..

Author of the double in 2000 riding his Aprilia RSV, Troy Corser is therefore waiting for this race "impatiently". But another Troy is also particularly optimistic, with good reason to be. !

Indeed, Troy Bayliss has enough to land on the Adriatic coast morale at the zenith: winner of the only round disputed at Silverstone three weeks ago (read), the reigning world champion gradually returns to his opponents in General classification…

Bayliss is now 12 points behind Biaggi, 25 from Haga and 48 from leader Toseland! "I think the championship will be played in the last race between three or even four drivers", predicts Troy who will still have to collect many points this weekend to put his plan into action. !

But the kangaroo and his team maintain excellent relations with the Italian track: four victories for the Australian and 23 (out of 30 races in total) – for Ducati! "The track has good grip but it is quite bumpy", confirms n ° 21.

May his fans be reassured: "some guys will enjoy the circuit, others will struggle, it all depends on their feeling with their machine. But personally I felt very good !", warns the fastest driver of the tests (1’35.300 against 1’35.600 for Corser and 1’35.900 for Lanzi)…

Since Suzuki did not take part in these tests, its charismatic driver Max Biaggi will have to show a keen sense of adaptation in order to defend his third place in the provisional classification … A little slower "on ignition" than his opponents, he will have to be incisive from the first round of the first round !

"I always go out to give the best of myself in every race and although I know it’s a tough championship with a lot of experienced Superbike specialists I will fight until the end of the last lap", promises the Roman Emperor !

James Toseland is in a similar situation since his team did not believe this winter that the work on the Misano track would be completed in time for testing there: "we had not selected it as a training track", regrets the British.

Suddenly, his last tests took place in Suzuka, a technical and fast track that he did not know and on which everything went wellDriver Ten Kate should therefore not have too much trouble relearning Misano and joining the fight for victory on Sunday.

"I took pole last year and I hope to do the same this year", points out James who will have especially not to leave to the fault as he did in the rain of Silverstone … Despite this fall, the n ° 52 had managed to finish 8th, just in front of Ruben Xaus, that James will have more hard to beat this weekend, even without falling…

Because the Spaniard was present during the two days of tests which he considers "very important"!"First of all because I started to get an idea of ​​the new track while trying to forget the old one as quickly as possible", explains Ruben.

Finally, the change of meaning does not seem to have disturbed the n ° 111, moreover satisfied with the "good grip"that the new surface offers. However, its opinion is much less flattering as regards"ripples and holes that will cause some trouble when going around"…

Fifth fastest time in practice, Xaus was unable to test the very latest developments in Pirelli tires but he will benefit from these compounds for the race. The pilot of the private 999 of the Sterilgarda team will therefore be one to watch closely. !

Roberto Rolfo will certainly be one of the most encouraged drivers this weekend, after his "revelation" from Monza (read). "I can’t wait to race on the new Misano. I’m curious what the weekend has in store for us", says the Toseland teammate who has not yet put these wheels on the new track..

Third Italian rider, inevitably eagerly awaited by the public, Lorenzo Lanzi, for his part, assures us that he really likes this new track even if overtaking is limited because he is "much more technical than before".

Only once on the podium during the very first round of the year in Qatar (read), the young Ducati rider has decided to lose interest in his championship ranking – 6th with 116 points, which is half less than Toseland – and wishes find the way to the podium, "or at least fight for !".

Yukio Kagayama obviously makes the same observation: while there are only five races left in the championship, the Japanese – who shared the top bill with his teammate Corser in 2005 – would like "do some podiums"at the controls of his inseparable GSX-R 1000 !

On the contrary, his compatriot and great friend Noriyuki Haga will try to maintain his excellent pace: since his first victory of the season at Donington, the Japanese have only come down from the podium once! But nothing is decided in advance and his problems encountered during the tests in May are not to reassure Nitro Nori…

"The new track has a lot of grip with the new surface but it also has a lot of bumps which make it difficult to adjust the brakes and the overall behavior of the machine.", warns the Yamaha rider, who has long accustomed us to surpassing ourselves during the races.

In Supersport, Kenan Sofuoglu will be keen to prove that his crash at Silverstone – from the first corner! – was just a careless mistake! Despite his fall, the Turkish driver and his CBR600RR kept a comfortable 45 point lead over Fabien Foret and his ZX-6R, but the Frenchman is watching … Just like Charpentier, Gimbert, Tiberio, Leblanc, Enjolras and our favorite Spanish David Checa !

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