Can Yamaha overcome their mechanical gremlins?
Even though six rounds remain (and 300 points are up for grabs), the fight for the title appears to be a three-way affair between the Ducati Xerox duo of Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio, and Yamaha World Superbike's Ben Spies. Nitro-Nori has led the standings since the start of the season, but has not had a positive run recently and has given the impression of racing somewhat in defense. He still has a 48 point lead over Spies, who picked up his eighth win at Misano, but had it not been for the various technical problems that have afflicted him, the Texan would be right there with his rival. At least this time around Spies is not faced with a totally unfamiliar track, having raced here last year for Suzuki in MotoGP as stand-in for the injured Loris Capirossi, finishing 14th. As for Fabrizio, after unleashing all of his talent in race 2 at Monza, the Italian has just kept on going and has accumulated a constant sequence of podiums without however stepping onto the top rung. Fabrizio is in excellent form, has nothing to lose and will surely be a contender this weekend.
This weekend the trio will cross the 'Channel' and battle it out at Donington Park. The British circuit, situated directly under the East Midlands Airport landing strip, measures 4.023 km, has 15 curves and is a difficult track to master, a severe test for the resistance and concentration of riders, especially if it should rain.
Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) might not be a part of the title battle as he is 125 points behind, but he may yet have a say in the matter. Race 2 at Misano brought out the Northern Ireland youngster's talent, and this, together with the improved competitiveness of the Hondas following a switch to Ohlins suspensions, means that he will be a potential winner this weekend at the only British round in this year's championship. Eyes out as well for Tom Sykes (Yamaha World Superbike), who finished runner-up to Bayliss last year in race 1, Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda), Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati), galvanized by his Misano podium, and also Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda) who, despite clearly not being British, twice won the BSB championship as well as the second race here last year. It will also be interesting to see how the young wild-card, and current BSB points leader, Leon Camier fares on the Airwaves Yamaha R1 machine against the WSB regulars at his home track.
The American contingent in the championship goes up by one at Donington after the Alstare Suzuki team, while waiting for the return of Max Neukirchner, opted to replace Fonsi Nieto with the young American Blake Young. The 21 year-old from Wisconsin is thought to be one of the best young talents around and comes with the 'backing' of racing legend and former champion, Kevin Schwantz. Young joins his fellow Americans Ben Spies, Jamie Hacking and John Hopkins in the series.
Noriyuki Haga - Ducati Xerox
Last year I didn't have much luck at Donington at all, but if I put that aside, over the years I've done ok there and have had some race wins. I'm still in the lead but I'll be doing all I can to extend the advantage I have. I realise that some of the Brits will be up there fighting for the podium places at their home track but I'll be giving them a run for their money.
Michel Fabrizio - Ducati Xerox
Well, after the results in Misano, two more podiums, I can't help thinking about the title but I realise that to be in the running I need to secure more race wins, so that's my aim, starting from this weekend at Donington. The best I've done there until now is 5th but I'd always done badly at Misano too, and then that changed this year, so we'll see if I can make a similar improvement in the UK.
Ben Spies - Yamaha
Misano was another mixed race weekend. We worked hard all weekend and it showed on both races, unfortunately without the right result in the second one, although we still took more points and got closer to the lead. It’s good to come to a circuit I know and have raced on before, giving me more time to work on the set up instead of learning the track. I really enjoyed racing here in MotoGP last year, so Sunday should be exciting! We need to leave here having taken more points away from Nori, so we can go to Brno with the championship lead in sight.
Tom Sykes - Yamaha
After Misano I think we’re definitely heading in the right direction towards getting the right balance on the bike for me. I should know what I need from the R1 for Donington from previous track experience. I had a good run last year as a wildcard so if I can improve on race one where I finished second I’ll be happy. There are a couple of set up options to try, I already understand the circuit so I should really get to grips with the changes we make quite easily and hopefully we can do well. I want to come away with a perfect base setting for the remainder of the season and a podium or two and some decent points!
Ruben Xaus - BMW Motorrd
It was a great feeling leading a race last weekend, even though the final result was not the best. Last Friday’s practice in Misano was definitely a positive day for us and it is a pity that the weather did not allow us to continue our progression on Saturday and Sunday. But we learnt a lot more about the bike and have some ideas about what has to be done. Unfortunately, having another race so soon does not give our team enough time to prepare some solutions and new ideas and we will have to use Friday afternoon to try out many things. But that’s the way it is at the moment and it is up to me and Troy to do the best we can and think positively about the way ahead.
Troy Corser - BMW Motorrd
The best thing I can do is forget Misano and concentrate on Donington and that’s what I am doing. Crashing out before the first race in Misano was very unfortunate because I think I would’ve managed OK in the wet on the bike. Donington is a tough track and it’s certainly going to give us something to think about, especially in the first two sessions. We have a lot of work to do, as usual, but if we can get a good set-up early on and qualify better in Superpole, then we can chase a far more positive result.
Blake Young - Alstare Suzuki Brux
I’m really excited to race the Suzuki Alstare Brux GSX-R1000 at Donington Park this weekend. I’ve been racing motorcycles for as long as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to race Superbike and I got the chance to do that with the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team in America. Now, getting the opportunity to do a World Superbike race with the Suzuki Alstare Brux team in Europe is like a dream come true. I’m looking forward to it and want to make the most of this opportunity.
Yukio Kagayama - Alstare Suzuki Brux
For me, once I am on the bike, I am a racer and I forget my injuries. I have many fans in England and I want to put on a good show for them and do well. Of course, this championship is not so easy and this year is much more competitive than last year. I hope the weather will be better in Donington than Misano and the results will also be better than last year.
Jonathan Rea - Hanspree Ten Kate Honda
I think the changes we've made since Valencia and the development with the CBR1000RR that we've followed for the last few races were demonstrated quite well in Misano. Of course, it felt amazing to get that first win under my belt and I think it all bodes well for the remainder of the season. To be honest, I've never set the world on fire at Donington, but it was that same at Misano before I went there last week so I hope it'll be good. We need to keep making progress to have a good Friday and Saturday to set us up for the race on Sunday. I hope it's good racing, too, because the British fans will only get one World Superbike meeting this year. We'll just try to make more progress with the new suspension. The wet setting in race one at Misano wasn't spot on, so we'll need to find something there if the forecast is anything to go by.
Carlos Checa - Hanspree Ten Kate Honda
Donington is not my favourite circuit, I must admit, but we will try our very best to make it enjoyable! We made some good improvements at the weekend in Misano and Johnny showed with his win in the second race that the package is getting very strong now. Every part of the circuit at Donington is very important - not just the fast part, or the slower part - the whole lap, including the up and down parts, needs to be just perfect. So we will work very hard on the set-up of the CBR to get some more good results for the team. The weather is very important I believe so I hope it stays dry.
Ryuichi Kiyonari - Ten Kate Racing
I hope for the same result as last year at Donington, but I don't mind if the weather is wet or dry - as long as I can go faster! I think we made the wrong tyre choice in Misano and Sunday seems to be the day when we have problems. In the last two races, we have had good pace on Friday and Saturday but then have problems or bad luck on Sunday. I will try the new Ohlins suspension on Friday and compare the data to see the best way to go for me. But this weekend, I know we have to work even harder for a good result on all three days.
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