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2005 WORLD SUPERBIKE: SILVERSTONE

QUALIFYING & RACE PREVIEW:

BRITISH WILD CARD RIDERS

• include Craig Jones (WSS), Cal Crutchlow (WSS)

SUPERBIKE GRID, SUPERPOLE, MAY 27, 2005

• 1 Y. Kagayama Suzuki GSX R1000 1m 26.679
  "My Superpole lap was almost perfect - though I did make some small mistakes. When I was waiting in the garage and saw how quickly Nori had gone, my heart was beating so loudly, I thought everybody could hear it! I wanted to beat Nori, so I just went out and gave it everything I had. I am not sure why I was able to go so fast, but I give a lot of thanks to all my British fans - it was British power that helped me for sure. This circuit is very tough and two 28-lap races will be very hard. Today the conditions were not so easy because the wind was very strong in the morning and it was trying to push me off the track at the end of the front straight. Fortunately it was not so bad in the afternoon and maybe I was a little lucky with it on my Superpole lap. Winning Superpole was on my schedule this weekend so I am hoping to follow this schedule tomorrow as well!"
• 2 N. Haga Yamaha YZF R1 +0.306
  "I am very happy with the superpole result. My settings today were a little better than yesterday and I am also very happy because this is the best I have felt on the bike all year. Tomorrow morning we will try a few small things to improve the bike further but already the bike is very good and my decision has been made on tyre choice. Maybe I was a little disappointed to see Yuki-san go a little quicker than me but I think tomorrow we should be able to have a good fight and I am looking forward to the races very much - my only hope now is that the weather stays sunny and dry."
• 3 R. Laconi Ducati 999F05
  "We have been working well with the team and Ducati to find a good setting on this new track. It's actually a very small, physical but fun to ride track because you have to fight all the time and there is no time for a rest. My 999 is perfect, the engine is going well and the chassis is doing a good job, we have made a good improvement for this race. I didn't do a perfect lap in Superpole and these two Japanese guys ahead were very fast but third position is fine for me today. The wind tends to affect the bike in the first part of the lap because it pushes a lot and you have to be very careful. However I just wanted to be on the first row today, which we did, and I have a good setting for the race".
• 4 T. Corser Suzuki GSX R1000
  "Of course Superpole would’ve been nice but, if I couldn’t win the watch, I’m happy my team mate Yukio got it instead. Front row is OK and I am happy because I know I have a good race set-up and I also know which tyres I will use in tomorrow’s races. This new (shorter) circuit is physically very demanding, but I think if anybody can make a break and take an early lead it will be hard to catch them. I have a feeling that, although the track is shorter and more twisty, the races may not be as tight as people think. So, my aim is to get a good start and see if I can get the drop on the rest and leave them to fight each other."
• 5 Vermeulen Chris Honda CBR 1000RR
• 6 Cardoso Josè Luis Yamaha YZF R1
• 7 Toseland James Ducati 999F05
  "Seventh after being one of the quickest guys all weekend is not exactly ideal, while my time in Superpole was good but not amazing. Superpole is always half-a-second quicker than all the other sessions, but we got a little bit caught out this time. The second row will be fine, I am as fast as anyone else on race pace so I've just got to get to the front as quick as possible. We've still got a few things to try in the morning, the front is sorted out, but the balance at the rear still needs a bit of tweaking and once we get that sorted out, I know we'll have a bike that's capable of winning tomorrow. It's going to be tough to pass but you just have to be aggressive on the first couple of laps and get stuck in".
• 8 Walker Chris Kawasaki ZX10
• 9 Pitt Andrew Yamaha YZF R1
• 10 Neukirchner Max Honda CBR 1000RR
• 11 Muggeridge 12 McCoy 13 Chili 14 Abe 15 Bostrom 16 Roccoli
• 17 Bussei 18 Clementi 19 Gimbert 20 Alfonsi 21 Nieto 22 Lanzi 23 Sanchini 24 Martin
• 25 Velini 26 Nickmans 27 Praia

YAMAHA QUALIFYING REPORT:

• Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga bounced back to his best form to take second position on the grid for tomorrow's two 28-lap races at Silverstone in the United Kingdom.
• Starting the superpole session fourth after ending regular qualifying in 13th place, Nitro Nori belied his wild man image to scorch to a super smooth lap time of 1:26.985, the fastest lap of the weekend at the time. It was a lap that was good enough to see off all but one of Haga's rivals. Ironically the only man to better Nori's time was his close friend Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki), who clocked a 1:26.679 to eclipse his fellow Japanese and deny him what would have been his second pole position in the class.
• Haga's team-mate Andrew Pitt also had a productive day to claim ninth on the grid. The Australian had to dig deep after ending day one down in 23rd place, but characteristically he and his team worked hard to improve the set-up of the R1 and, combined with increased knowledge of the circuit, was able to end regular qualifying in 11th - a position he was able to further improve to ninth with a weekend best lap of 1:27.861 in superpole.
• With this year's Silverstone races being held on the shorter International configuration (unlike the Grand Prix circuit used previously) both riders made maximum use of their track time to find optimum settings for the slow and bumpy circuit. Haga used a different specification swingarm in the afternoon session while Pitt made great strides with his suspension settings.
• Joining Haga and Kagayama on the front row will be Regis Laconi (Ducati) and Troy Corser (Suzuki). Spaniard Jose Luis Cardoso set the sixth fastest time on his private R1, with young debutant Massimo Roccoli qualifying for superpole on his Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha - the 21-year-old from Rimini setting the 16th fastest lap in his first attempt at the discipline.
• Yamaha Motor France pairing Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert had a tough initiation to the British circuit. Abe qualified for superpole and improved one place to a 14th position grid slot while Gimbert starts 19th after missing out on the one-lap shootout after failing to improve his Friday time in the morning's windy second qualifying session.

SUPERSPORT GRID, MAY 27, 2005

• 1 Sébastien Charpentier Honda CBR 600RR 1m 28.750
  “For me everything is great. We made some chassis improvements from yesterday and I was able to go faster in spite of the conditions. I have been testing two slightly different engine set-ups today because we need a very strong mid-range here. Twice this afternoon I was going for even faster laps but I was held up by slower riders. But the chassis is good and I need to be comfortable because the race will be very hard tomorrow. The circuit is very bumpy and there is no chance to rest.”
  2 Kevin Curtain Yamaha YZF R6 1m 28.792
  3 *Craig Jones Honda CBR 600RR 1m 29.580
  4 Nannelli Ducati 749 R
  5 Foret Honda CBR 600RR
  6 Fujiwara Honda CBR 600RR
  7 Parkes Yamaha YZF R6
  8 Fabrizio Honda CBR 600RR
  9 Chambon Honda CBR 600RR
  10 Veneman Suzuki GSX 600R
  11 *Crutchlow Honda CBR 600RR
• *wildcard
• HONDA REPORT, TEN KATE: Ronald ten Kate (team manager): “That’s five in a row for Sébastien and the impressive thing about today’s performance was that he achieved pole position on his chosen race tyres. There may be a little fine tuning in tomorrow morning’s warm-up but he is essentially ready for tomorrow’s race. His lap times are really impressive given that fact that it is much colder and windier than yesterday. Kats was struggling a little after his crash this morning but I have no doubt he will bounce back tomorrow and be running at the front again.”

SUPERBIKE FRI QUALIFYING, MAY 26, 2005

• 1 R. Laconi Ducati FRA 1m 27.578
  "This morning I did the best lap time and this afternoon also, so that's good for me and good for Ducati to have both riders at the front for the first time this year. On this track we have to say that we are in a better position than we have been so far. I feel very good on the bike, and all the changes we made, made it go faster. The circuit is very hard because there is no time to recover. You are pushing hard all the time but it's very enjoyable. Some of the corners you have to arrive very quick and brake very hard but that's the sort of track that I like".
• 2 J. Toseland Ducati GBR 1m 27.627
  "We're back and it's nice to be back for my home race. It was nice for Monza and I knew it would continue here after the Mugello test, where I managed to find that little something extra. The front tyre is working well, the rear we're just struggling with a little bit but we have been right on the pace since this morning. We needed to get it together after the first three rounds, Davide has done a fantastic job of getting the team to rally around me and getting the morale back. The circuit's actually not too bad, it's interesting and still enjoyable to ride round, but it's going to be difficult to pass in the races. I think I can make up a bit more time in the first part because we're struggling with the bumps in the first corner, just 'pogoing' and taking the weight off the front a bit, but on the rest of the circuit we're fine".
• 3 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1m 27.696
  "I put on my qualifying tyre and, up until the final chicane, I was all set for a pretty quick lap. But, I got into it a bit too deep, overshot and lost my drive on the exit and onto the start-finish straight and that cost me provisional pole. But its not a big drama and I'm not worried, because tomorrow and Sunday are far more important. All the work we did today worked out really well and I feel and we've almost got the set-up we want. The new Silverstone layout is very physical and there are no places at all to have a rest - its that kind of a track and quite different to the one we've raced on the past two seasons - and I have no idea why they have changed it this way. We did a half race distance today and the tyre was pretty consistent, so I am pretty happy with that side of things. All well do tomorrow is a bit of fine-tuning and see if we can get the bike even better. I wasn't pushing 100 per cent today, so Im pretty confident of a good result tomorrow."
• 4 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN
• 5 P. Chili Honda ITA
• 6 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS
• 7 N. Haga Yamaha JPN
• 8 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS
• 9 B. Bostrom Honda USA
• 10 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR
• 11 McCoy 12 Bussei 13 Roccoli 14 Cardoso 15 Gimbert
• 16 Alfonsi 17 Abe
• FOGGY RACING, FRI REPORT:
  Garry McCoy led the Foggy PETRONAS Racing challenge on the first day of the fifth round of the Superbike World Championship at Silverstone, Great Britain, today. The Australian finished the afternoon qualifying session in 11th place, but within 0.8 seconds of the fastest time around the shorter International circuit, set by Regis Laconi. Team-mate Steve Martin struggled with set-up throughout the day and finished day in 24th position, although both riders were pleased with ignition system developments. Garry had improved his race pace by more than three quarters of a second before challenging the leading pack with a qualifying lap of 1:28.449.

WORLS SUPERSPORT, FRI QUALIFYING

• 1 Sébastien Charpentier, Honda 1m 29.55
  "The weather didn't seem to know what it was doing here this afternoon. It has been very warm all day and then it decided to rain on our qualifying session. Luckily the track temperature was very high so the water quickly evaporated and we were able to set the fastest time again. We still have some work to do on the chassis tomorrow but we have decided which tyres to run with on Sunday after we spent most of the time on them today. My quick lap was really good fun - there was no traffic and I was enjoying sliding the rear everywhere!"
• 2 Fujiwara, Honda 1m 29.91
• 3 Curtain, Yamaha 1m 29.94
• 4 *Crutchlow
• 5 Parkes
• 6 *Jones 7 Fabrizio 8 Corradi 9 Nannelli 10 Foret
• *wildcard

RACE PREVIEW:

DUCATI

• TOSELAND: "After Monza I'm really looking forward to every round from now on but in particular Silverstone. All I can do is apologize to my British fans for my start to the season. For Silverstone and the home crowd I just want to prove exactly why I've got the number 1 on the bike. I didn't buy it, it was earned last year and I want to prove that we can keep it, especially as it's my first time back for a race in Britain since winning the title. I was a bit sceptical at first about racing on the short circuit because we haven't ridden it, but in fact there's not much there that we don't know so it should be OK. I really benefited from the Mugello test after Monza, because we tried a few things and I went 1.2 seconds quicker than last year so now I'm really looking forward to getting out there at Silverstone on Friday"
• LACONI: "I believe we are coming better and better now. At Valencia I was on the pace but unfortunately I didn't race, while at Monza I was very close to the win so I feel that the bike is getting more and more competitive as the season goes on. I was surprised to learn that we are racing on the short Silverstone circuit, but for me it doesn't matter if it is long or short, I will give everything as always to get a good result. It will be important in qualifying to get the bike set up right for the tight chicane, because we go through there more times in this year's race. Now the circuit is not so fast, so the settings will be different, but it will still be a great track to race on".

HONDA

• VERMEULEN: "The second race win at Monza was long overdue but it felt pretty good all the same. It would have been a better points haul if I hadn’t had the DNF in race one but that’s how it goes sometimes. We found the right direction at Monza and we’ll definitely be looking to carry that progress through to Silverstone. We basically lifted the bike at the front and the rear and changed the offset to keep it steering good and it seemed to work pretty well. Silverstone is a place that holds good memories for me, having won the Supersport race there in 2003 and then taking my very first Superbike victory last year. I remember the shorter circuit from my days in the British championship but it’ll take a few laps to familiarise myself with it again.”
• MUGGERIDGE: "It finally started coming together at Monza, although my race day luck looked like continuing when I was hit at the start of the first race and lost the clutch lever. It was tough coming back from about 20th on the first lap to take sixth but the bike was that much better right through the weekend and that allowed us to qualify on the front row for the first time. I enjoyed race two at Monza and felt I might have got on the podium but for a mistake on the last lap. We’ll be getting some things underway again when we hit Silverstone and try to carry on that Monza form. The two tracks used to be pretty similar but now they’ve cut all that cool stuff from the back Silverstone – the Hanger straight and Stowe corner – which is a shame, I think. We’ll have more to say on Friday when we’ve been round the International circuit.”

SUZUKI

• CORSER: "I quite like Silverstone ,except for the final chicane which is just plain crazy and far too slow. My results last year were not bad so I am really looking forward to racing at Silverstone on the Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 and taking a couple of podiums."
• KAGAYAMA: "Unusually it seems I may be one of the few riders who has raced this layout at Silverstone before. I think I have raced this layout in the past two years in the British Superbike championship. It is quite different to the full circuit but I like it and, as I have been on the podium there in my first BSB season, it has good memories for me. I was disappointed to DNF in the second race at Monza in the last round and I want to make up for that with a pair of podium finishes in Silverstone. I have many fans in Britain and so it is a bit like a home race for me. I think the Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 will be a good bike for Silverstone and maybe this time I can get the better of my team mate Troy-san."

FOGGY RACING

• McCOY: “As the team is based in England we are hoping that the English round will be the first where we can score good points. We are due to test a new ignition system before going to Silverstone and, even if we do not have time to have it working 100 per cent, it will hopefully help improve the ‘backing in’ problem that we have been having. The final chicane is real tight, but you just have to deal with it and it makes it exciting for the fans. We are also hoping that using the shorter International circuit might suit our bike better.”
• MARTIN: “We have been testing an awful lot of new parts over the last few months and this weekend will be the first time we have had the whole package. I’m not saying we will be able to go out and win but we are hopeful this is now the right package to go forward with. I have never ridden the International circuit at Silverstone but a lot of riders will be in the same boat and the small bit there is to learn looks pretty straightforward. We are going there with the same gearing as last year as the part of the track that is critical is the Grandstand section and that remains the same on this shorter circuit. It is the first time I have ridden in Britain for a British-based team so I think there will be lots of support, which will add to the atmosphere.”

YAMAHA

• The Superbike World Championship moves from one famous Formula One circuit to another this weekend, with round five of the series taking place at Silverstone in the United Kingdom.

  From the cozy parklands of Monza the circus crosses the English channel to the vast and often bleak former aerodrome that is the self proclaimed 'Home of British Motorsport'. Yamaha Motor Italia riders Andrew Pitt and Noriyuki Haga go into the race lying fifth and ninth in the championship in the YZF-R1's first year of world superbike competition. The team made good progress last time out in Italy and are looking to continue that trend in the UK. With a new specification engine due to arrive in a few rounds' time, the team will again focus its attentions to refining the R1's chassis settings at Silverstone and working their way towards the podium placings at a circuit that has served them well in the past. In three outings, the Yamaha Motor Italia team twice won the supersport race at this venue.

  "Every race we're learning more about the bike and improving bit by bit in all areas," commented Andrew Pitt. "Monza showed what good progress we've made: our straight line speed was good and we're managing to make our tyres last much better than at the start of the season. We always knew that the first half of the season would be about development work and racking up consistent finishes which is exactly what we have done so far. I was able to run with the leading group for much of the race in Monza so I think we can go to Silverstone confident of doing well."

  While Pitt has started to feel at home on the R1, team-mate Haga admits his legions of fans have yet to see the best of him and the Yamaha. Nonetheless the Japanese ace remains upbeat, commenting: "I had two good races at Silverstone last year so I hope that this is a good sign. So far I have not been able to get the right feeling with the bike. Still we are working very hard and I think that we can make big improvements. Last year I won three out of the four races in Britain and I always like to ride in front of the British fans. I know that I will have a big support at Silverstone and I want to give them something to cheer. So far this year I have only been Normal Nori... but I want to be Nitro Nori again!"

  Making their Silverstone debuts are the Yamaha Motor France pairing of Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert who currently lie eighth and 14th in the championship. This will be the second circuit of the season of which Abe has no previous knowledge, but the Japanese rider hopes that his Monza outing, where he experienced set-up problems, will not be repeated.

  "At Monza we made progress in every session but the set-up changes for the second race and they just did not work at all," he said. "Silverstone is a circuit which I do not know at all so it is important that I do not repeat the same thing there."

  Added the world superbike calendar for the first time in 2002, the bikes will this year run on the shorter 3.6km International circuit instead of the 5km GP circuit used in previous years.

  This is the configuration used in the popular British Superbike Championship. The shorter layout provide the fans with more action, the International circuit also features two added overtaking opportunities: under braking, where the GP track turns right onto the International configuration at Becketts and also at the tight Abbey section where the bike course rejoins the Formula One circuit.

  Although the latest incarnation of Silverstone lacks much of the character and atmosphere it had 25 years ago thanks mainly to the large gravel traps separating the fans from the racetrack, spectator facilities are good and the wide tarmac and long straights generally promote good racing. Turn one, Copse, is a fearsome fourth gear corner that is one of the toughest tests of man and machine on the calendar, while the extremely slow chicane at the end of the lap is not so popular with the riders but a guaranteed action spot as the riders plan last gasp maneuvers.

  Silverstone is a circuit with long straights and a wide variety of corners, although the change to the short circuit will see the fastest section of the track, Hangar Straight, bypassed. The track is also extremely bumpy, a legacy of the Formula One cars which regularly test here, and it is this that makes a good bike set-up so difficult to find.

  These bumps cause chassis settings to be compromised. Ideally riders would like to run high compression damping and spring ratings to cope with the high G-forces generated on the fast corners like Copse and Abbey. But the stiffer suspension will not be able to absorb the bumps, so a softer compromise will have to be found.

  Riders will also have to look out for the suspension being upset by camber changes where the various layout configurations cross over, while wet weather - always a possibility in the UK - will make the surface extremely slippery

SUPERSPORT

• HONDA: Charpentier, championship leader: “Everything is great for me this year – fantastic bike, fantastic team and fantastic team-mate. I was disappointed not to win at Monza because I do not like to come second but it was a good result for the team and the championship. I am OK with Silverstone although I am sorry they have decided to race on the short circuit; but it is the same for everyone I guess, so we will just have to go out and put on another good show. I know who my strongest rival will be, although the team cannot relax for a minute. I haven’t had much success at Silverstone in the past so maybe the new circuit will be good for me after all!”
• YAMAHA: Curtain: “Silverstone is a circuit I have gone well at in the past and it should suit us better than Monza, that’s for sure. WP has sent a new technician to work with us and I think that this will be a big benefit to us. Even though Monza was his first race you could see that he’s a really switched on guy and that should help us find a better race set-up and more quickly. If we can get a good set-up then there is no reason why I can’t be up there fighting for the lead like I was in Phillip Island.”