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2006 WORLD SUPERBIKE

• WINNER: “I love coming to Monza and I’ve got fond memories of the place ever since I first arrived here with Ducati in 2000 but to win like I did today is pretty special."

2006 R4 OF 13: for latest update

• MONZA CIRCUIT
  length: 5792m ; opened in 1922
  2005s winners: Troy Corser (Suzuki) ; Chris Vermeulen (Honda)
  Superbike lap record: 1'47.434 (Troy Bayliss, 2002)

• Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) extended his World Superbike winning streak to five as he notched up another two wins at Monza to add to his race 2 triumph in Australia and his double at Valencia. The 37-year-old, whose return to the championship this year after three years in MotoGP, has been nothing short of sensational, now leads the table by 36 points from his closest rival Troy Corser (Suzuki), who twice finished on the podium today. The wins were Troy’s fifth and sixth at the high-speed Autodromo, and his third double win at Monza to go with the same results in 2001 and 2002.
• “I love coming to Monza and I’ve got fond memories of the place ever since I first arrived here with Ducati in 2000 but to win like I did today is pretty special. Ernesto Marinelli, my main man, had a few solutions this morning to solve the bike’s stability, he’s normally right and we didn’t really have any problems at all” declared Troy after race 1.
• “The second race was a bit harder, because the guys got a bit of a jump and Corser and Haga made a good first few laps, while I was with James for a bit and it was difficult to get past. Eventually I caught the two in the front. Troy and I played a bit of cat-and-mouse but the most important thing was that we got away from Nori and it came down to us two in the last few laps. I love to do well here in front of all the Italians, there’s just something special about the place, I’ve done the double here today and the last time I was here I was lucky enough to get the same result. I think I’ve got the best team in the paddock and a big thanks to everyone for these wins today”.
• Two disappointing races for Lorenzo Lanzi, who was unable to repeat his Valencia form after struggling to get to grips with the Monza circuit from Friday onwards.
• “After the excellent results at Valencia, I thought I could do better at Monza because I had always done great races here with the Superstock and the 749” commented Lorenzo. “But the fact that I had never been here before on a Superbike maybe conditioned my entire weekend. I tried to be the best Italian on the track, and came close but it wasn’t to be. I clearly had problems right from the Friday morning and I had to struggle. We will now try and get back to the front at Silverstone”.

SUZUKI RACE REPORT

• Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser rode his heart out at today’s World Superbike fourth round at Monza to take two well- deserved podiums on his GSX-R1000.
• The reigning world champion showed his ‘never give up’ spirit in both 18-lap races: He had front brake problems in race one and nearly crashed twice, but still managed third place behind Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Alex Barros (Honda). And in race two, he and Bayliss traded the lead for most of the 18-lapper, but his Suzuki could not quite match the Ducatis’ acceleration out of the turns and when Bayliss pulled out a small advantage Corser could not push any harder and catch up. Bayliss crossed the line to take his second win of the day, with Corser second and Noriyuki Haga third.
• It was an unlucky day for team mate Yukio Kagayama: In the first race, he got taken out when James Toseland highsided next to him and crashed. And in the second, he was forced to retire with clutch problems.
• Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Fabien Foret finished 13th in both races and scooped six points.
• Troy Corser - Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 2nd:
  “Today, like at Valencia, I rode as hard as I could and when you do that and don’t win, you just have to reach out and shake the hand of the winner. In race one, I had some front brake problems. The lever was inconsistent and sometimes it’d be ok and sometimes it would come nearly all the way back to the bar! That made it a bit entertaining, I can tell you! I nearly crashed a couple of times, so in the end I was happy to get on the podium.
• “There were no real problems in race two and there was just no way I could have ridden any harder. The Ducati can accelerate out of the turns like no other bike - especially the four cylinder ones - and their traction control allows Bayliss to get on the gas hard when the bike is still leant over. We cannot do that, and that is where we lose ground and time. It’s a little frustrating to ride so hard and not win, so we’ll have to figure out what to do and try and get our own back in Silverstone.”
• Yukio Kagayama - Race 1: DNF, Race 2: DNF:
  “Today I am not a lucky man. Really, it’s not that I had no luck, I did have luck, but it was all bad luck! In the first race I was next to Toseland when he highsided and we touched. I went down and crashed but the impact of my bike helped to stay on his bike and recover, so he was a lucky man. In race two, I had clutch problems and it was impossible to continue so I had to pull in. I hope for better luck next time.”
• Fabien Foret - Race 1: 13th, Race 2: 13th:
  “I was not so happy with my result in the first race because we had some small problems, I made a good start but then a little problem with my front tyre meant I couldn’t push hard and so I didn’t enjoy the race. I was much happier with race two because I was involved in a good battle with Lanzi, Nakatomi and Fabrizio. We used the same bike as race one, but just changed the settings a little and it felt much better. Also, my lap times were much more consistent. I am a little disappointed overall because before this weekend I wanted to get into the top 10, so now I will try and do it in the next round in Silverstone.”

YAMAHA RACE REPORT:

• Noriyuki Haga gave the Tifosi plenty to cheer about with a fine podium finish at Monza today. The ever-popular Yamaha Motor Italia star equaled his best ever result around the historic circuit with third place in race two to the delight of his locally based team and a large and passionate crowd.
• Race one saw Haga involved in a three-way battle for second place with Troy Corser (Suzuki) and Alex Barros (Honda), which ultimately saw him finish fourth at the end of 18 grueling laps. For race two the Japanese star made some small changes to the suspension of his YZF-R1, allowing him to lead the way with Corser and Troy Bayliss (Ducati) until a lack of grip in the closing stages forced him to consolidate his podium finish.
• Team-mate Andrew Pitt also gave two stirring performances despite failing to get off the line cleanly. The Australian found himself boxed in at Monza's notoriously slow first chicane, which meant that he was unable get away with the leading group. In both races Pitt was able to run similar lap times to the leaders, allowing him to work his way up to the second group. In both instances he was able to finish at the head of the pack, for fifth place in race one and sixth in race two.
• Bayliss won both races to extend his lead in the championship to 36 points over Corser, who was third and second in today's races. Haga lies fifth in the championship but with a reduced gap to third. The Yamaha rider is just four points behind James Toseland (Honda) and two adrift of fourth placed Barros.
• Yamaha Motor France's riders had mixed fortunes in Monza. World superbike rookie Shinichi Nakatomi continued to impress with a season best tenth in race one and 12th in race two. The Japanese rider came from 20th on the grid and was dicing with illustrious company throughout the races, one of whom was team-mate Sebastien Gimbert, who finished 12th in race one before retiring with clutch problems in the second.
• But Norick Abe suffered a nightmare in Monza and received no reward for a gritty performance. After missing the Saturday practice sessions through injury, Abe must have wished he had stayed in his motorhome after becoming one of seven riders to go down in a first corner pile-up in race one. For race two he came from 27th on the grid to finish the race 16th, a fine performance for a rider suffering neck and wrist injuries but unfortunately not one which brought any championship points. Despite his failure to score, Abe remains in the championship's top ten, dropping just one place to ninth. Nakatomi moves up to 17th and Gimbert 22nd. The next race takes place at the Silverstone circuit in three weekend's time.
• Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia)
  "I'm very happy to finally get on the podium in Monza. We had two hard races and in the second I thought that I could stay with Bayliss and Corser but I had a small problem with rear grip. Our bike has worked very well this weekend and I am pleased for that I can make this good result at the home race of my team. I am now looking to get another good result in Silverstone as this is a track I like very much and where we had the first podium for the R1 last year."
• Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia)
  "It was all about making a good start and unfortunately in both races I couldn't get cleanly through the first chicane. I thought that I rode well and my lap times were the same as the guys in the front group but they had already made a break and it was impossible to catch them. I'm disappointed as I expected more and thought we could be on the podium today but in both races I beat the guys I was racing with and that's about as much as I could do."
• Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France)
  "I was too far behind on the start but on the track I could catch people. After ten or 11 laps I was catching again but l missed a gear and lost about five positions. After that, I had to work very hard but we got some points in both races. It was a positive for us."
• Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France)
  "It was a difficult weekend, for the team and for me. We had big problems with the clutch. In the first race it was not so bad but the second race was no good for me."
• Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France)
  "We had very bad luck this weekend. My big crash on Friday was my mistake but also caused by the rainy conditions. So in first race I made a good start but somebody made a big mistake and many riders went out. That one was not my fault. In race two my right hand was in more pain than the first race and we didn't not have ideal settings because we had to miss practice sessions."
• Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "On Friday we felt that a podium was possible and although it didn't go so well in final qualifying I was confident that both riders could challenge after a good performance in the warm-up this morning. I'm pleased for Noriyuki because on Thursday he said to me that he never finishes on the podium here. Andrew also rode well and has been strong all weekend, so we can go to Silverstone confident of challenging for the podium again."
• Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "Nakatomi confirmed his good result of the first race in the second one, although this time there was no big crash like in race one, so more riders finished. Gimbert had a big problem with the clutch so he could not ride the bike. For Abe the situation was clear and he only rode for the team, only for us, so true thanks to him. He tried his heart out but missed a point by only one position in race two."
• Italian youngster Massimo Roccoli had his best result as a world supersport rider, bringing his Yamaha YZF-R6 home fourth at Monza today.
• The Yamaha Team Italia rider survived a last lap scare when he touched Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) as he entered Parabolica corner for the final time. The pair, who had an intense battle in last year's superstock 1000 race at Monza, crossed the line side-by-side with the Yamaha man getting the verdict by just two-tenths of a second.
• Roccoli had been running a quiet race just behind the leading group for much of the 16 laps, only to be caught as he succumbed to arm pump in the latter stages of the race. He was unable to fend off the challenge of championship leader Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), who was charging through the field after a ride-through penalty, but successfully defended his place from Sofuoglu and the intense race-long battle between Yamaha Motor Germany's Broc Parkes and Ducati rider Stuart Easton.
• After qualifying down in 11th position Parkes had a difficult race. He found himself baulked at the first chicane and after picking off a few places he was unable to find a way past Easton and came home a disappointed seventh.
• It was day that promised so much but delivered so little for Yamaha Motor Germany. Kevin Curtain led for much of the way, until a technical problem halted him with four laps remaining. The Australian had been involved in a thrilling battle with eventual winner Yoann Tiberio (Honda) when his engine expired at the end of the home straight. Despite failing to score Curtain retains his second place in the championship standings. Third place for Charpentier sees him extend his lead over Curtain to 31 points with second-placed Monza finisher Robbin Harms (Honda) a further eight points adrift in third. Parkes remains fifth in the championship with Roccoli sixth.
• Roccoli's team-mate Gianluca Vizziello was another rider to leave Monza without any points. The Italian had been in sparkling form to qualify second but he spectacularly crashed out of sixth place after being baulked by another rider on lap three.
• Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia)
  "I got a good start and felt that I could fight for the podium today, but in the end I had some problems with my arm. When Charpentier came past me I wanted to try and stay with him but he was just too fast and I had to concentrate on getting the best result possible. The pain in my arm made it hard for me when entering the corners but I was determined to get a good result and when Sofuoglu passed me I fought straight back. I'm happy to get a good result today and finishing so close to the podium has only made me more determined."
• Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany)
  "The main problem was qualifying back on the third row. I was able to make some good progress until I came across a Ducati that I had difficulty getting past. Sometimes I was able to get past on the brakes but I was never quite able to make enough of a break to stop him coming back at me down the straights."
• Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany)
  "It's disappointing not to be able to take advantage of Charpentier's penalty and to take some points back but that's life and no one will go through a season without some bad luck, so hopefully this is ours for the season. There are still a lot of positives to take from this weekend and we just have to work hard and focus on Silverstone."
• Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha Team Italia)
  "I'm not happy because I knew that I could fight for a good position and possibly the podium today. Someone cut across me going into Ascari so I had to brake hard and this made me crash out with Fujiwara."

• Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser lived up to his ‘Mr Superpole” reputation with a stunning performance at the end of the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out in today’s World Superbike qualifying at Monza in Italy.
• Series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) had stormed his way round the 5.793 kilometre course and looked a certainty to claim pole position. But after a cautious start, Corser stormed back into contention with a faster second split. The third split was pure magic, with his drive through and out of the Parabolica virtually perfect that put him three-tenths-of-a-second ahead of his rival.
• Third quickest was Alex Barros (Honda) with Regis Laconi (Kawasaki) fourth - making it four different manufacturers on the front row of the grid.
• Corser’s team mate Yukio Kagayama struggled with a very painful right hand and then made a small mistake at the first chicane on his Superpole lap. It was enough to relegate him to the ninth fastest time and a third row grid place. Joining him on row three is Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra Fabien Foret after posting his best qualifying result of the season so far.
• Troy Corser - 1st, 1:46.058: “After taking things pretty steadily yesterday because of the weather, it was good to be able to push harder today. The bike worked pretty well and the guys gave me a great package to use on my Superpole lap. In the free practice before Superpole we tried a new qualifying tyre and decided to use it for Superpole. I was a bit cautious on the brakes going into the first chicane, but when I felt that the tyre was going to stick ok, I started to go for it.
• “The second split was good and the third was perfect. For that I have to thank the whole team. Races at Monza are never easy because it’s so difficult to get a gap on the field and I think there's going to be a lot of tactics going on. My aim is to stay in the front group, see how it goes, and then make my move when I think the time is right.”
• Yukio Kagayama - 9th, 1:47.156: “My right hand is a problem. I put on some strapping and that helped a lot, but after one lap or so I started to lose feeling in the hand so I don’t think it’s going to be possible to race with it strapped up. Although there are many fast corners here, there are also some chicanes and that’s where I find it hard getting the bike to change direction quickly enough.
• “I made a small mistake at the first chicane on my Superpole lap and the back end came off the ground. That lost me a lot of time and I could only finish ninth today. I need two very good starts tomorrow and my hand to last the distance without any big problems. It’s not going to be an easy day!”
• Fabien Foret - 12th, 1: 48.009: “On the positive side I managed to qualify for Superpole ok and that was good considering the problems I had in practice: things mainly to do with the rear shock. We solved the problem in the afternoon untimed practice and I felt more comfortable straight away. But I don’t think I was aggressive enough on my Superpole lap and so ended 12th. It’s going to be two long, hard races tomorrow and I need good starts if I am to have any chance of good results.”

DUCATI QUALIFYING REPORT    (TOP OF PAGE)

• Troy Bayliss will line up on the grid for tomorrow’s two World Superbike races at the Autodromo di Monza in second place after a thrilling Superpole battle with his arch-rival Troy Corser (Suzuki), who took the pole.
• Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi was unable to make much headway both in qualifying and the one-lap dash and will start the Italian Round from the fourth row of the grid.
• “In general I’m pretty satisfied because everything’s going quite well” declared Troy. “I’m happy with the performance on the race tyre but all weekend we’ve just been struggling with the bike which is a little bit unstable at high speed. We’ll try some minor change in the morning warm-up but I can deal with the problem. Apart from that the bike is working well and I put a good Superpole lap together. My lap looked a bit hairy but it would be nice if I could relax a bit more on the straight instead of having to work so hard. We’re reasonably happy, but we just want a good day tomorrow with some good weather and I’m sure we’ll see some great racing at the front.”
• “It wasn’t a good day” commented Lorenzo. “Quite simply we were unable to get the right set-up on the bike and then I was unable to get the best out of the qualifying tyre. I also made a couple of errors during my Superpole lap and here I am, forced to start from the fourth row of the grid instead of the second. Let’s hope for the best tomorrow, it’ll be tough to recover from so far back, if you don’t latch on to the leading group, you can forget about getting back up with the frontrunners”.

• Yamaha Motor Italia riders Andrew Pitt and Noriyuki Haga go into tomorrow's Monza races in good spirits after a strong showing in today's final qualifying sessions.
• Both riders have run consistently at the top of the timesheets, with Pitt third and Haga fourth at the end of the two one-hour qualifying sessions. Both men were to lose places in their grid deciding one-lap superpole runs, but with the leading riders covered by just fractions of a second around this long and fast circuit, Pitt and Haga are confident they can challenge at the front in what looks like being a pair of thrilling races.
• Haga, who was fastest in yesterday's practice session, went into superpole as the fourth fastest rider but was hampered by a vibration from the rear of his machine. The Japanese star parked his machine immediately after crossing the finish line, with the source of the vibration being traced to a faulty component. The problem caused Haga to slip back to 10th on tomorrow's grid, although the rider is confident of running with the leaders in tomorrow's races.
• Pitt ended regular qualifying as one of only three riders to break into the 1:46 bracket but was unable to replicate his best time on his superpole lap. The Australian was hampered on his flying lap due to the engine mapping switch not being set to the optimum position. Despite this handicap, Pitt was on schedule to take pole position at the second intermediate point, only to make a mistake on entry to the Parabolica corner. He ended the day in sixth position, confident he can make a good start and join the leading slipstreaming group around this unique circuit.
• Yamaha Motor France's three riders missed out on superpole at Monza. Frenchman Sebastien Gimbert was 18th fastest in the two one-hour sessions, only just missing out on a top 16 superpole place when his best time was eclipsed in the dying moments of the second session.
• Norick Abe missed the morning's final qualifying session as a result of the crash he had yesterday. Abe's best time of 1:49.497, set in Friday's less favourable conditions, was still good enough to qualify him for the races and the former MotoGP rider has been passed to ride by medical staff. Should he be fit enough to ride, he will start tomorrow's races from 27th. Team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi improved his Friday time by over a second to start from 20th place in his first visit to the historic circuit.
• Pole position for tomorrow's races goes to world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki) from his countryman Troy Bayliss (Ducati). Alex Barros (Honda) and Regis Laconi (Kawasaki) complete the front row.
• Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "My superpole lap wasn't that great. We only realized afterwards that we were using the wrong engine map setting and that would have cost us a little bit of power. Probably someone knocked it when they were taking the bike back to the pits after I ran out of fuel, but it's not a big deal, as I made a mess going into the last corner of my superpole lap and that has probably cost us a place on the front row. I'm quite happy though, because we are able to do good lap times on the race tyre. It's all about getting away with the leading group around here and from the second row I'm quite confident that won't be a problem for us."
• Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I felt a problem from the back of my bike throughout the superpole lap, a banging or vibration that said something was not right. I also had some fluid come up on my visor as I went into Parabolica, so I thought that it was best to park the bike at the end of the straight, just in case something serious was wrong. Superpole was not so good but for the race I think we are in good condition. The races will be close but I will try my hardest to go for the win."
• Massimo Meregalli (Team Corodinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "Noriyuki wasn't as fast today as he was yesterday but I am confident that he will find his best form for the races as he always does. Andrew was also able to do a good race simulation today and we are ready for what should be some interesting races."
• Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "We made some progress today and I was able to go faster in the afternoon practice session than I did in qualifying. This looks good for the race and after some good results in Valencia hopefully we can find some more points in the races tomorrow."
• Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "I am planning to race tomorrow but today I had too much pain in my back and wrists to ride. It was a very big crash and thankfully I cannot remember anything about it. Nothing is broken and the doctors say that I can race, although I decided not ride today so that I can be in the best condition for tomorrow."

• WORLD SUPERBIKE
• 1 NORIYUKI HAGA (JPN) YAMAHA 1M 47.007S
  2 TROY BAYLISS (AUS) DUCATI 1:47.043
  3 TROY CORSER (AUS) SUZUKI 1:47.591
  4 JAMES TOSELAND (GBR) HONDA
  5 REGIS LACONI (FRA) KAWASAKI
  6 ALEX BARROS (BRA) HONDA
  7 ANDREW PITT (AUS) YAMAHA
  8 RUBEN XAUS (SPA) DUCATI
  9 MICHEL FABRIZIO (ITA) HONDA
  10 ROBERTO ROLFO (ITA) DUCATI

YAMAHA FRI REPORT    (TOP OF PAGE)

• Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga gave his team reason to cheer at their home race as he sped to provisional pole position for Sunday's races at Monza.
• Light drizzle throughout the afternoon's one-hour qualifying session meant a reduced number of laps for the 30 superbike entrants but, despite the tricky conditions, Haga's best lap of 1:47.007 was only a fraction slower than Neil Hodgson's three-year-old ultimate lap record.
• Team-mate Andrew Pitt was happy with his day's work. The Australian ended the day in seventh but felt he could have been higher after taking a cautious line through the fast Parabolica curve. Both riders have been able to take advantage of improvements to their YZF-R1 machines, including a new specification swingarm. The team is hoping for dry conditions in tomorrow's final practice and qualifying sessions to allow them to make further improvements for Sunday's two 18 lap races, for which the final grid positions will be decided in tomorrow's superpole session.
• Yamaha Motor France had a tough day in Monza with Norick Abe destroying his machine in a spectacular highside mid-way through the session. The Japanese rider lost control of his YZF-R1 while exiting the Ascari chicane and was taken to hospital for precautionary checks. Tests confirmed that the rider has not broken any bones, although the team will wait until the morning before deciding if he is fit enough to take any further part in the weekend. Frenchman Sebastien Gimbert was the team's fastest rider, in 15th, with Japanese rookie Shinichi Nakatomi ending the day 23rd on his first visit to the circuit.
• Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "A good session. We've made some changes to the bike and they seem to be working well here. The team has brought a new swinging arm for us to try and it seems to have some benefits, although there are also a few disadvantages too. We need to test more tomorrow to make a final decision, but the bike feels good. I ran a lot of laps along with Troy Bayliss and we were able to have some fun passing and repassing each other. Hopefully we can make some more improvements for the race. The team has many fans and sponsors here this weekend and I have some friends coming over from Japan tonight. I hope that we can put a good performance on for them."
• Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We've come to Monza with a new set-up and so far it's working well for us. I'm feeling really confident with the bike and should probably be higher than seventh. On my fastest lap I was up at the first two splits but lost it all at the end. I probably just took it too easy going into Parabolica as I could see the spots of rain beading on my visor and wasn't sure how much grip there actually was. I'm quite happy though. We should be able to make some more improvements tomorrow and I'm confident that we'll be up there on Sunday."

RACE PREVIEW   (TOP OF PAGE)

TEN KATE HONDA

• After a hard Valencia weekend, the Winston Ten Kate Honda Team is looking to the Monza round with a sense of anticipation. The Team has worked hard to analyse the problems which arose in Spain and on the Italian circuit there will be some new parts to improve traction, the Achilles heel in Valencia. The power of the Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR suits Monza and this give good hope to the Team to repeat last year results, when Chris Vermeulen won race 2. James Toseland, who is still fighting for the Title in third place overall, restarts full of determination, with the only objective to score podiums in each of the two Superbike races. On the other side of the garage, Karl Muggeridge makes his comeback after a hard fall during the recent Valencia test. The Australian is fully recovered, largely thanks to his great determination, and he wants to give an important result to the Winston Ten Kate Honda Team.
• Ronald Ten Kate – Team Manager: “The Valencia race is now in the past even if it was one of the hardest weekends we have ever experienced at the Spanish track. In Monza we will try some new components which should improve our control and grip of the bike and we will test them from Friday. Regarding the riders, I have seen that James is strongly motivated; convinced he will take an important result after the Spanish race, even if he did all that was possible. We have Karl back with us and we are really happy about it. Last year on this track he scored one of his best race results and we hope he will be able to repeat that, or even improve.”
• James Toseland : : “I really like the Monza circuit. In the last couple of years I have stepped on the podium in three out of four races and therefore I am determined to continue this “tradition” especially now that I’m racing for the Winston Ten Kate Honda Team. But there is another reason why I want to do well in Monza: what happened in Valencia must remain an isolated incident. If we want to try to win the Title we have to stay in the top positions at every race. This is why we have to think of Monza as a form of revenge. It’s also important because I’ve got a lot of supporters, and I don’t want to disappoint them.”
• Karl Muggeridge: “I am looking forward to getting back on the bike at Monza and I think everybody can understand why. I believe that not participating in the Valencia race was the right decision because I needed to get back to my best physical shape best after the hard fall in the test. Now I feel good, I never stopped training and I am also mentally ready to do well. I hope to post good results right from Friday’s free practice, and it would be good for my morale to try and take a good result at one of my favourite tracks.”

YAMAHA   (TOP OF PAGE)

• Round four of the Superbike World Championship sees the series move to the historic Monza circuit in Italy, the fastest racetrack on the entire calendar.
• With top speeds often exceeding 300kph down the long home straight, the first of three Italian races this year is always an exciting slipstream battle on this unique circuit.
• For the Yamaha Motor Italia world superbike team this race takes on an extra importance, as their headquarters is based just a few kilometres from the circuit. While the points on offer are exactly the same as at the 12 other rounds of the championship, the emotional boost of a good result in their backyard will provide extra motivation for the team and their riders - especially after a difficult weekend at the last round in Valencia.
• Both the team's riders struggled for traction at the Spanish circuit, with a pair of fifth places for Noriyuki Haga and a couple of top tens for Andrew Pitt, keeping both riders in the top six of the championship - Haga fourth and Pitt sixth.
• And while historically the Monza circuit may not be one of the strongest for Yamaha's YZF-R1, both riders are confident that they can fight up front this weekend.
• Fans' favourite Haga had a difficult time in Monza last year, finishing ninth and 11th in the two races. This season the Japanese rider has consistently been among the frontrunners, finishing third once, fourth twice and fifth twice in the five races he has finished. Surprisingly Haga has never won in his adopted homeland. The Japanese star has won 19 races in his illustrious superbike career, but his best results in Italy are two third places (Monza 2002 and Imola 2005).
• Despite this, Haga still looks forward to Monza, as he explains: "Monza is not such a difficult track and good fun... if you have a fast bike! Valencia was difficult for us in many ways but now we must put it behind us and look forward to the championship. Monza is a very important race for the team and I will be doing my best to get a good result for them. Monza was my worst race of 2005 but our bike is definitely much better now than it was this time last year and our top speed is generally quite good, so if we can find a good setting and get away with the front group then anything can happen."
• With fifth and sixth place finishes, team-mate Pitt was the highest placed Yamaha rider at Monza last year. "Front end grip was the big problem at Valencia but it shouldn't be a factor in Monza. At Valencia you are leaned over on the side of the tyre for so long but Monza is completely different, mostly long straights and slow corners. Because of the slipstreaming it is important to get away with the leading group at Monza. Our starts have been pretty good this year so there is no reason why we can't be up there in the races."
• Yamaha will also be represented by the Yamaha Motor France team in Monza. The squad travel to Italy in high spirits after gaining their best results of the season in Valencia, where Norick Abe scored two fourth places and fellow Japanese rider Shinichi Nakatomi scored his first world championship points with a pair of 12ths. The team's other rider, Sebastien Gimbert, returns at Monza after missing Valencia due to his world endurance commitments.
• As always, Yamaha will be well represented in the supporting classes at Monza. In the Supersport World Championship, Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes lie second and fourth in the points after three rounds. Italian young guns Massimo Roccoli and Gianluca Vizziello are both running in the top ten of the series and go to Monza having finished first and second in the Italian championship round there last weekend. One rider who will not be present in Monza is last year's FIM Superstock 1000 champion Didier van Keymeulen. The Belgian had been riding a Yamaha YZF-R6 for the Moto 1 squad in world supersport but has split with the team following irreconcilable differences regarding machine and team set-up.
• Roccoli and Vizziello's Yamaha Team Italia team-mate Claudio Corti was another winner in the national championship race, won the superstock class. After taking a top 10 in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup opener in Valencia, the European Superstock 600 champion is looking for his first world championship win at his home circuit this weekend.