Shinichi Nakatomi. Photo Courtesy Yamaha Racing

Text and Photos Courtesy Kawasaki  Racing, Suzuki Racing, Yamaha Racing and World Superbike.  Edited by webBikeWorld.

Race Results
April 29, 2007 - James Toseland is nearly running away with the 2007 World Superbike Championship, with a first place in Race 1 and a second place in Race 2 putting him at 196 points so far, with Max Biaggi at 164 points in second.

The Yamaha team had a strange and disappointing race today.  Both Haga and Corser suffered a day of ups and downs in today's round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen.  Haga took second place in race one but suffered a technical failure in race two and was forced to retire. Corser suffered a mechanical fault in race one causing him to crash at high speed but rode through pain in race two to take fourth slot.

Race one started so well for Haga, who had qualified in 15th following a mistake during his Superpole lap yesterday cost him valuable seconds.  By the end of the first lap he had already pushed through the field to take seventh and he then carried on through to first place but settled back in fourth with team mate Corser just behind in fifth.  On lap 15 Haga made another charge for the front of the pack and overtook Bayliss for second place with only two laps to go. He also contended for first place but had to settle for second.

Corser put in a strong performance and was in a comfortable fifth place for much of the race, moving up to third on the penultimate lap when he overtook Bayliss and Xaus.  Both riders were on track for podium finishes but Corser suffered a broken radiator hose clip causing fluid to spray over his rear tyre and making him high-side at a fast part of the circuit.

Both riders got a good start in race two with Corser moving up to fourth and Haga taking fifth slot on lap one.  Haga went through to challenge Lanzi and then Bayliss using his usual wild sliding riding style.  Haga then focused on closing the gap between him and front man Toseland and he took the lead on lap nine.  The two riders were battling for first place when Haga had to pull off the track on lap 11 with an electrical-based engine problem.

Corser spent the main part of the race in a battle for fifth place with Lanzi but took fourth when Lanzi crashed out.  The Australian fought the pain of his injuries received in race one to bring his bike home in fourth.

The weekend finished on a good note for Team Yamaha YZF rider Shinichi Nakatomi with him finishing in the points in both races. Settings alterations made throughout the weekend gave the team one of their best results so far this season with the Japanese rider taking seven points away from Assen.

The weekend's results means that Haga goes to Monza third in the championship, 20 points behind Biaggi who is in second. Corser lies in fifth in the championship.

Noriyuki Haga (2nd and DNF - Yamaha Motor Italia) - "In race one I got a good result considering where I started. From the fourth row to the podium isn't bad for one race!  The bike was feeling good and the suspension modifications we made worked well.  In race two I made a good start but then a problem forced me to retire which is unlucky as I was on target to get a good result again.  This has been a bit of a mixed day but I am sure Monza will be better."

Troy Corser (DNF and 4th - Yamaha Motor Italia) - "The incident in race one was so unlucky.  I can't believe that such a small part can do that - it shouldn't have happened.  That just put me out of serious contention for race two.  I have a very sore left hip which has been X-rayed and they say nothing is broken.  I am going to get further checks tomorrow as I can't believe how sore it is.  Everything else feels okay at the moment, we will see."

2007 World Superbike - Assen - April 29, 2007

Race 1 - 22 Laps, Temp: 19, Weather: Sunny

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

1 James Toseland Honda GBR 37'2.097

2 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'0.663

3 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 0'3.698

4 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 0'7.134

5 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'9.312

6 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'9.534

7 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'18.286

8 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'18.403

9 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'19.873

10 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'22.914

11 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'29.602

12 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'40.961

13 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'41.008

14 Dean Ellison Ducati GBR 1'12.714

15 Marek Svoboda Yamaha CZE -2 Laps

Race 2 - 22 Laps

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 36'54.133

2 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'0.009

3 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'7.439

4 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'12.379

5 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'23.052

6 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'23.158

7 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'23.311

8 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'24.147

9 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'29.660

10 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'32.301

11 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'32.389

12 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'39.091

13 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 0'39.128

14 Luca Morelli Ducati ITA -1 Laps

15 Marek Svoboda Yamaha CZE -1 Laps

Best Lap

Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'39.906

Rider Standings

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points

1. James Toseland Honda GBR 196

2. Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 164

3. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 144

4. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 128

5. Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 114

6. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 99

7. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 98

8. Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 70

9. Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 64

10. Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 47

11. Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 46

12. Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 43

13. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 41

14. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 37

15. Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 35

16. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 19

Manufacturer Standings

Pos. Manufacturer Points

1. Honda 205

2. Ducati 173

3. Yamaha 167

4. Suzuki 164

5. Kawasaki 69

Qualifying
April 28, 2007 - A Honda and two Ducatis make up the front row for the 2007 World Superbike Championship race in Assen, Holland on Sunday.

James Toseland took pole position on his Honda with a lap time of 1'38.603, while Lorenzo Lanzi is second on his Ducati at a distant 1'39.226, followed by Troy Bayliss, also on a Ducati at 1'39.256.

The Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team had mixed fortunes in today's Superpole session but are confident of a good race tomorrow following a weekend of consistent lap times and good practice sessions.

Having made some adjustment alterations overnight Corser was confident of improving his provisional fifth place from yesterday.  This confidence was rewarded with a move up to second place in this morning's qualifying session. A small mistake on his Superpole lap saw Corser slip to sixth position.

Haga's Superpole lap was looking good for a front row start until he almost lost the front tire going into Mandeveen and had to take to the grass.  He remained on board and re-joined the circuit but was unable to push for the remainder of the lap due to dirty tires.  Haga had been running in sixth place going into the Superpole session but had to accept the near miss putting him on the fourth row for his 137th race start with Yamaha.

Shinichi Nakatomi had less success in today's qualifying when setting changes made prior to the morning's session failed to improve the rider's position.  Even though Nakatomi managed to go almost half a second faster compared to yesterday's qualifying, he dropped to 17th overall as other teams made more progress than the Team Yamaha YZF squad.

2007 World Superbike - Assen, Holland - Qualifying

Circuit Length: 4555, Temp: 24, Weather: Sunny

Superpole

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time

1 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'38.603

2 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'39.226

3 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'39.256

4 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'39.320

5 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'39.411

6 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'39.422

7 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'39.648

8 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'39.928

9 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'40.057

10 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'40.288

11 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 1'40.328

12 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'40.376

13 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'40.561

14 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'40.674

15 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'41.093

Race Preview
The 2007 World Superbike Championship goes to Assen this weekend for the fifth of thirteen rounds.  The popular Dutch round, normally held in September, has been moved to the first half of the season to spread the various international races and events the circuit hosts throughout the year.

The infamous Assen circuit was revised in 2006 when it was shortened from 6km to 4.555km to allow for improved spectator facilities.  The fast northern loop section has been removed to make room for a new car park and spectator viewing area.  This revision has disappointed some riders who miss the fast and flowing section of the old track, but the improvements offer great scenery for some spectacular racing.

With Assen hot on the heels of a mixed round at Valencia, both Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga will be looking to add to their points standings this weekend.  With Haga only 27 points behind front man Toseland and Corser just 23 points behind Haga there is still everything to play for.

Haga goes to Assen following on from a good round at Valencia where he took second and third spot, securing his place in the championship fight.  His last race win at the Dutch circuit was in 2000 with Yamaha and he is looking to repeat this success after a below par round here in 2006.

“I had a bad day at Assen last year getting no points at all. In race one I had a big lead of about 20 seconds when I crashed because of the heavy rain.  Then, in race two I crashed at the first corner when someone crashed into me,” he says.

Talking about his performance at Valencia, Haga says, “I am only happy with my result when I win but Valencia’s result was okay considering the bad conditions.  The points gap between me and the championship leader is still the same and I even managed to close the gap on second place.”

Regarding this weekend’s round, the Japanese star says, “I’m looking forward to a more successful race at Assen this year.  The new R1 will go well there and, even though I liked the old circuit, the new layout will suit the bike.”

Corser is fired up for a good result this weekend.  Even though he has yet to win a World Superbike race at Assen he showed his potential there last year by taking the Superpole record. 

“I’m looking forward to Assen and I think the bike should go well there.  It’s a shame the track has been shortened but I still like it,” he says.  “It’s about time I got on the top of the podium and this round would be a good place to do it, especially after I had such a terrible round here last year when I crashed out of both races.  Right now, it’s about getting the results we need on the track.”

Assen also hosts the third round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Championship this weekend and the Yamaha Team Italia squad goes there following a successful weekend at Valencia.  Michele Pirro proved his capability by taking second place in a difficult two-heat race, while Claudio Corti struggled with the wet conditions but managed to claim enough points to remain third in the championship.

Having won at Assen in 2006, Corti will be looking to repeat that success – he will just have to watch out for his team mate who will be looking to go one better than his second place at Valencia.

Assen Race Circuit
Track length: 4555m
Track opened: 1955
2006 winner: Chris Walker (Kawasaki), Troy Bayliss (Ducati)
2006 fastest lap: 1’40.767 (Troy Bayliss - Ducati)
WSB lap record: 1'38.629 (Troy Bayliss - Ducati)
Circuit tel: +31 592 321 321
(Website)

Yamaha Team Report - The World Superbike Championship goes to Assen this weekend and with Queen’s Day falling on the Monday after the race the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team will be celebrating this Dutch national holiday by wearing special team clothing over the weekend.

Queen’s Day, or Koninginnedag as it is called in Dutch, is a day of celebration of the Dutch monarchy.  Queen Juliana started the festival on the date of her birthday (30th April) and when Queen Beatrix succeeded the throne in 1980 she kept the same celebration date as the weather on her own birthday in January often prohibited outdoor festivities.

The team shirts are orange and feature the Dutch coat of arms and will be worn by all team personnel in the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team.  These shirts have been provided by team sponsor and clothing manufacturer DayGas Krum.Hero.

“Race day at Assen is the day before Queen’s Day, when most of the Dutch population will be wearing orange. I’m sure that the Dutch crowd in Assen will appreciate the team for wearing a very appropriate uniform on this special occasion!” said Leon Oosterhof, Racing Communications Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division.

Rider Signing Session
In preparation for the weekend celebrations, staff and riders from the World Superbike and Supersport teams visited the Yamaha Motor Europe’s head offices this week.

During their two hour visit, Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga from the Superbike team along with Broc Parkes from the Supersport team answered questions from staff at Yamaha Motor Europe as well as signing shirts and memorabilia, prior to traveling to Assen for the fifth round of the World Superbike Championship.  In addition, all employees were given one of the limited edition team shirts to proudly wear this weekend at the races.

Talking about the visit, Leon said, “There are many Yamaha Motor Europe employees that follow Yamaha’s teams and riders in the World Superbike and World Supersport Championships.

Many are passionate about racing and this was the perfect opportunity for them to meet the riders and teams in person and ask them questions. It was also nice for the teams to visit Yamaha's European headquarters and get an impression of all the activities and the atmosphere.”

Assen Race Circuit

Suzuki Team Report - Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Max Biaggi and team mate Yukio Kagayama are looking forward to this weekend's Assen World Superbike fifth round for different reasons.

For Biaggi, it will be another chance to put pressure on current series leader James Toseland in his title challenge.  For Kagayama, it will be an opportunity to end a disappointing run and get back his form and confidence.

Although Biaggi has raced many times at the Dutch venue before, this will be his first time on the newly-revised circuit, so he will have to relearn it when practice begins on Friday morning.  Kagayama rode the circuit last year, failing to finish the first race, held in atrocious conditions, but he made up for that by taking fourth position in race two.

Max Biaggi:  "I like Assen but I don't know how it will be for me now because the circuit has changed since the last time I was there.  Most of the Superbike regulars were there last year so I will be at a small disadvantage because I will have to relearn the track before I can push hard.  But normally I learn tracks pretty quickly, so I don't think it'll be a big problem.  I am enjoying this Superbike format a lot and I have no problems at all doing two races a day.  It gives you two chances to do well, so if you miss out in the first race, there is always the second to do a good job."

Yukio Kagayama:  "Normally I like Assen but last year's first race was not so good because of the very bad weather.  The rain was terrible and there was much standing water on the track and that made it very difficult.  The second was much better and I had a good fight with Bayliss for most of the race.  This year has been a bit strange for me and I have missed too many races because of injury.  My aim for Assen is to have a good qualifying, be right up with the top guys in both races, and score some good points. I need two good finishes for sure."

2006 Assen Results:
Race 1: 1 Walker (GB-Kawasaki), 2 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha), 3 Fabrizio (I-Honda). Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) DNF.

Race 2: 1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 2 Pitt, 3 Nieto (E-Kawasaki), 4 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra).