Rate this article:
Victory By Design: Ferrari DVD
Alain de Cadenet, a long-time Ferrari enthusiast and aficionado, drives some of the great sports racers and sports cars.
Our Price: $24.95
Racer Magazine - Subscribe Now
Get all of the inside information from America's Premiere Motorsports Magazine
Our Price: $29.95
SPEED Khaki Sandwich Bill Cap
Washed chino twill, constructed mid crown w/ pre-curved sandwich visor.
Our Price: $14.00 ON SALE!
Written by:
SPEED Staff
SPEEDtv.com
SPEEDtv.com
05/07/2008 - 10:56 PM
Monza, Italy
Ducati Xerox's Troy Bayliss and Yamaha Motor Italia's Nori Haga (Photo: Yamaha Racing) ยป More Photos
Following his double victory at Assen, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) will come to Monza for the IDS Italian Round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship this weekend with a healthy 70 point lead in the table over his closest rivals as the series reaches third distance. In eight races so far on his Ducati 1098 F08, the 39-year-old from Taree has taken the chequered flag on five occasions, finished second twice and has only been off the podium once, in race 2 at Losail. This sort of steamrolling form will guarantee Bayliss an ample cushion from his 178 points in the next few races should a challenge be mounted by the chasing four-cylinder contenders.
Another man who has consistently been in the points since the start of the season is Spain's Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who has impressed in his rookie season so far. A veteran of many a year in 500cc/MotoGP, the 35-year-old from Barcelona has taken his Japanese machine to two runner-up slots in his 108 points this season, but the win is still eluding him. Monza will be a bit of an unknown quantity for Checa, but the speed of his four-cylinder CBR machine will certainly prove to be of assistance as he chases his maiden win.
Three podium appearances this year, including a second place at Phillip Island, are the results that have helped to take another double world champion, Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), to the third slot in the table with 89 points. Corser has been winless since Phillip Island in 2006, but Mr. Superpole's qualifying form (41 poles to his name, on five different makes of machinery) continues to be outstanding and a breakthrough for the 36-year-old Australian on the YZF-R1 machine is surely not far away.
Two Spanish riders Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki Alstare) and Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) are next up, fourth and fifth with 85 and 81 points respectively. Nieto appears to have lost
The last two rounds have seen Noriyuki Haga hit superb form on the YZF-R1 factory machine from the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB team, based a stone's throw away from the Autodromo. The 33-year-old from Japan picked up a win and a second place at Valencia and Assen, but would certainly be much further up the table than his current sixth place had he not scored two DNFs in the first race of each round. However Haga scored a dominant double victory at Monza twelve months ago and is aiming to do the same again this weekend to restart his title ambitions.
Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) scored a podium and a fifth place in the Netherlands and is fast becoming the top Suzuki contender. The 25-year-old German from Stollberg has been in World Superbike since 2005 but now he has the right machinery to emerge Max is becoming a regular front-runner. From one Max to another, this time Biaggi, whose positive recovery from a wrist fracture took a wrong turn at Assen as a lack of feeling with the front end of his Ducati 1098RS caused him to miss out on Superpole and score two disappointing results in the two races.
Gregorio Lavilla (VentAxia VK Honda) and Lorenzo Lanzi (RG Ducati) make up the top 10, the Italian recovering from his Assen crash, in which he fractured a bone in his right elbow, while Michel Fabrizio will also be fit to race following recent forearm surgery. Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) is another rider to watch as he tries to transform his recent impressive qualifying form into positive race results. Meanwhile Makoto Tamada and Régis Laconi will be looking to make further progress at Monza after both ran comfortably inside the top 10 on their improving PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki ZX-10R machines.
Page 1 of 2
View All Comments
