Troy Corser.  Courtesy Suzuki Racing

2006 World Superbike - Silverstone

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

Race Results
Is it just me, or is World Superbike getting boring?  Troy Bayliss took yet another double at Silverstone today, winning both races, while Yamaha's Noriyuki Haga took the podium twice with two second place finishes.

Haga raced into the lead in both outings, only to be caught by championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati).  The pair had a fantastic battle each time, with the Ducati rider just managing to pull a slight gap on the charging Haga in both races.  Having had only limited dry weather practice, the ever-popular Japanese star made a few minor suspension changes to his YZF-R1 for the second race, allowing him to run closer to Bayliss than in the first but unable to quite make a decisive move on the dominant Australian.

For Pitt the Silverstone races were made difficult after qualifying on the third row in Saturday's wet conditions, although the Australian was able to show his true pace in the dry races.  In both races Pitt made a good start and lapped faster than the leaders as he scythed through the field to challenge James Toseland (Honda) for the third step on the podium.  However, the Yamaha rider used up too much of his front tire and was unable to close the gap on the Brit, using his head to bring his YZF-R1 home for 24 points over the two races.

Race one had been delayed following two huge crashes on the first lap.  Thankfully no riders were injured but the incidents brought the red flags out and a delay while marshals cleared up the carnage. Both races followed a similar pattern with local favorite Toseland winning the battle for third.

Meanwhile, reigning World Superbike World Champion Troy Corser and the Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra team suffered a disappointing day at the Silverstone fifth round today as the Australian was knocked off in race one then took sixth in race two.

Corser was hit from behind at the first turn on the opening lap of race one and crashed, but fortunately the race was red-flagged and he was able to take part in the restart.  He crashed in the final chicane on the second lap, but remounted and got going again in last place, then, after a series of lurid slides, he was forced to retire.

His team mate Yukio Kagayama was riding in severe discomfort after crashing heavily yesterday, but grittily kept going to finish 14th in race one and 13th in race two.

After five rounds, Corser holds second place in the series with Kagayama 16th and Foret 19th.

Troy Corser - Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 6th:  “By our standards, that was a day to forget. It didn’t start well when I was hit from behind in the first turn on the opening lap of the first race!  I was lucky because the race was red-flagged and I was able to get back to my garage and jump onto the spare bike for the restart.  But we had only done about four laps in the dry on it and, although it should’ve been the same, it felt very different.  The front tire was too hard and I lost control in the final chicane after one lap. I got back on and tried to carry on but it was no use.

“In race two I had problems with the throttle response and that made the bike very difficult to ride.  I just could not get the power on when I wanted and every time I tried to do what I do normally, I nearly crashed.  We had a similar problem last season, so now we’ll have to sit down and work out how to solve it.  I suppose the only good news is that in my two falls today I never hurt myself.”

In the championship Bayliss extends his lead to 76 points over second place Corser.  Haga moves up two places to third in the championship, just 16 points behind Corser, with Pitt maintaining his sixth place in the points standings.

Round six of the series takes place at Misano on 25 June.

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia):  "I enjoyed the battles with Troy today and all weekend I had a good feeling with the bike in both the wet and dry. It's a shame that we weren't able to test much in the dry.  I had to make some suspension changes between the races and it improved the bike but still I did not have enough traction in the last laps.  But I am happy with the results and to move up the championship.  We have some more testing planned before the race in Misano. We have already had a good test at Misano so I am looking forward to a good race there as well."

Tommy Hill (Virgin Mobile Yamaha)
"I was very nervous on the grid, until remembered that I was on pole because I won Superpole, which calmed me down a bit.  We finished pretty much were we expected to finish, but I couldn't believe the speed of the World Superbike guys from the very first lap.  Normally in a British championship race people build up to speed but here everyone races at 110 percent from the very first lap."

Qualifying
Wild card rider Tommy Hill (Yamaha) surprised everyone by setting the quickest lap of the Superpole qualifying session today for the fifth round of the 2006 World Superbike Championship at Silverstone.

Series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) qualified second, Chris Walker (Kawasaki) third and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) fourth.

Reigning World Superbike Champion Troy Corser suffered grip problems and the Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider finished a disappointing 10th in a wet qualifier with team mates Yukio Kagayama and Fabien Foret 16th and 25th.

Yamaha-riding British wild-card Tommy Hill, who normally competes in his national championship, had a sensational world championship debut, taking pole position on his Virgin Mobile Yamaha YZF-R1.

For the first time this year, Superpole was run under wet weather regulations, giving each rider 50 minutes and 12 laps in which to set their qualifying time, rather than the usual one flying lap in dry conditions.

The 21-year-old former British R6 Cup champion did all his laps in one stint, riding spectacularly to head the times for much of the Superpole session.  Hill slid off on his final lap while try to improve his pole position time of 1:38.001.  Despite the slip-up, no other rider could knock the Virgin Mobile Yamaha rider from the top of the time sheets and he will start his first ever world superbike races from the front of the grid tomorrow.

Tommy Hill (Virgin Mobile Yamaha):  "I can't believe that I'll be starting my first world superbike races ahead of the guys that I am used to watching on television!  I'm not sure what to expect from the races and I think that it'll only really sink in when I'm sitting on the grid tomorrow.  It was probably just as well that I crashed as we are so far down the pit lane that I couldn't read my lap board properly.  I was feeling really comfortable and I would probably have stayed out even longer if I hadn't come off and been penalized for doing too many laps!  It's great to be here and riding on the same tires as everyone else.  I like the wet but it'll be nice for the fans if it's dry tomorrow as we have had so many wet races in the British championship this year.  In the dry I'd love to get a top eight but for now I'm just enjoying what we've achieved today."

Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga also grabbed a front row start at Silverstone, powering his YZF-R1 to the fourth fastest time at the British circuit.  The Japanese star has been consistently strong in both the wet and dry, although he was forced to use his spare machine for the Superpole after his number one machine developed a a vibration in the preceding free practice session.  Haga used all his experience to stay upright in the slippery conditions and get a valuable front row start at a circuit where he has excelled in the past.

It was an unhappy Superpole for Kagayama, who crashed after eight laps. He high-sided at the end of the start-finish straight and landed heavily on his back and damaged the index finger of his right hand in the process.  Fortunately he didn’t break any bones but he will be very sore when he lines up on the grid tomorrow.

Troy Corser - 10th, 1:40.181: "Obviously I’m not happy being so far down the grid, but I was lucky to complete Wet Superpole without crashing!  I could’ve crashed on virtually every lap - that’s how bad my grip problem was.  I didn’t want to hurt myself or damage the bike with two races to do tomorrow, so I just tried to stay upright and go as fast as I could.  Every time I touched the throttle, the bike just wanted to come round. Funnily enough, the grip felt better when the track was soaking wet.  When the rain eased and then stopped, my problems began.  The weather forecast says it’s going to be dry tomorrow and I know that we’ve got a pretty good set-up for a dry race, so if that’s so, all I need is a couple of really good starts.”

Yukio Kagayama - 16th, 1:42.262: “I am so sore!  I highsided at the end of the front straight and I went over the front of the bike while I was still holding on! I remember looking at my front wheel and thinking I would wait for the situation to improve, but it never did! I hit the ground very hard and cut my finger bad enough to have three stitches in the wound.  When the track was fully wet, I think the grip felt ok.  Maybe it is because we were going slower and controlling the bike better.  In Superpole, the grip did not feel good at all and it was very difficult. I will have an early night tonight and hope I feel ok in the morning.”

Race Preview
Circuit: Silverstone
Country: United Kingdom
Track length: 3619m
Opened: 1948
Fastest lap ever: 1:26.679 (Yukio Kagayama, 2005)
Lap record: 1:27.130 (Regis Laconi, 2005)
Last year's winners: Troy Corser (Suzuki) and James Toseland (Ducati)

Suzuki Racing:  Reigning World Superbike Champion Troy Corser is aiming to put his Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000 on the top of podium at this weekend’s fifth round of the series at Silverstone in Britain.

Corser, who collected a pair of second places at last year’s event, hopes to go one better at the former RAF airstrip in Northamptonshire to put pressure on fellow countryman and current series leader Troy Bayliss.

Corser’s team mate Yukio Kagayama won a brilliant Superpole last year, but a crash in the first race put him out of contention - though he did remount and finished 11th. In the second race, he fared little better - finishing seventh.

Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Fabien Foret didn’t race in the Superbike class last season, but is looking forward to riding his GSX-R1000 this year and will be searching for a pair of solid top ten places.

Troy Corser:  “I almost won a race at Silverstone last time and it would be good to get a win or two under my belt this year and put pressure on Bayliss.  Depending on which circuit layout they use, Silverstone could be a good track for our bike so I am hoping that they chose a good one!  It has been a tough season so far - but we all knew it was going to be like that.  The racing has been very good for the fans I’m sure, but it’s about time we - or somebody - else got the better of the Ducati.  We have been losing out to them, exiting the turns, so we have to find a way round that problem if we are to beat them. We’ll try a few ideas in practice and see if we can solve our problem.”

Yukio Kagayama:  “I do not have good memories of Silverstone last year - except my Superpole victory. This year has not been so good and I have had too many crashes so far.  I have been trying very hard - my usual style - and maybe I have been trying too hard. It is difficult for me to change my style but I have to do something to get back on the podium because I miss it!”

The 2006 World Superbike Championship has provided a surprise for motorcycle race fans, with much more excitement than in the past couple of years, even though Troy Bayliss seems to have a lock on winning.  This week it's Britain's Silverstone circuit which will become the venue for the fifth round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship.

Silverstone Race Circuit.  Courtesy Yamaha Racing

Yamaha Racing:  So far the season has been a case of so near but so far for the Yamaha Motor Italia squad.  In the eight races run so far this year, Noriyuki Haga, who has provided some outstanding racing, has twice finished on the third step of the podium and never finished lower than fifth place. 

One DNF (crashing on the final lap while contesting the lead at the first race in Qatar) puts Haga fifth in the championship, although the Japanese star knows he now needs to start winning races if he is to stop the so far dominant Troy Bayliss (Ducati) from running away with the championship.

Silverstone has proved a successful track for Haga in the past.  He took a first and second position there in 2004 and gave the still-developing Yamaha YZF-R1 its first ever world superbike podium finish at last year's race.  With the R1 now developed into a consistent front runner, the Yamaha Motor Italia squad sees Silverstone as a great opportunity to make their presence felt in the championship.

"I have done well at Silverstone in the past so I am looking forward to racing there again this weekend," said Haga.  "The last round at Monza was not so bad.  I don't normally get on the podium there so to finish third in race two was a good result for me and the team.  Silverstone is a track that we know suits me and the R1. We got our first podium there last year and we should be able to fight with the fastest riders again this year."

Team-mate Andrew Pitt lies one place behind Haga in the championship standings.  The Australian has also been very consistent this season and is looking to forget a nightmare outing at the British track last year.  Pitt struggled to come to terms with the shorter International layout used for the first time last year and picked up a nasty leg injury during practice.

Despite this, Pitt insists a top three finish is not out of the question this year, commenting: "I was a little disappointed not to be on the podium at Monza, because the improvements we've made to the bike means that this is a realistic target for us at every circuit. 

Silverstone wasn't the happiest of races for me last year and I'm not a big fan of the shorter circuit we use now.  But at the end of the day it's just another race and you go there with the same target as always, which means getting on the podium."

Yamaha Motor France rider Norick Abe arrives in Silverstone in the championship's top ten, despite failing to score in Monza. The Japanese star had a tough weekend in Italy, missing Saturday's practice session and bravely riding but failing to score in the races. 

Rapidly improving team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi had his best result in Monza with a tenth in race one and will be looking to continue his superbike education at the short and technical British circuit.

In the Supersport World Championship Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain will look to get his season back on track after the heartache of retiring through mechanical problems in Monza.  The Australian remains second overall in the championship, 31 points behind defending world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda).

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