WSBK heading to high speed Mecca

This weekend’s round three of the world Superbike title at Assen is already shaping as a season-defining one for Australian duo Troy Corser and Chris Vermeulen, but for very different reasons.

In his distinguished WSBK career, Corser has claimed pole position at Assen on three occasions and has seven podium finishes to his credit, and last year finished with a pair of fifth places on his factory BMW – one of his most successful outings in an otherwise lean season.

That’s the type of form which Corser will have to reproduce to keep him in the championship hunt, while for Vermeulen just making it to the start line on Sunday will be a huge achievement after major knee surgery.

Corser heads to Assen after a private test session at Valencia, where he and team-mate Leon Haslam continued to chip away at set-up on their S 1000 RR four-cylinder machines.

“Assen is a fast and flowing circuit. You spend a lot of time leaning in bends, and the riders are subjected to enormous G forces,” said Corser, who’s currently 13th in the championship. “At Donington Park we had some issues, as our tyres did not give us enough grip. We are working on solving this issue, so that we do not have to cope with the same problems in the next.

“The circuit is known for its high speeds and some really fast changes of direction. For this reason it is very important to have the bike working well if we are going to battle at the front like we know we can.”

Vermeulen ambitions aren’t quite as lofty as Corser’s, and the 28-year-old just wants to make it through the entire program after he only got through the opening day in round two at Donington.

“I do not expect it to be easy physically, but I expect to be able to compete for the whole weekend,” said Vermeulen. “The hard thing is doing three days back-to-back, and then on the third day it will be two long races.

“That is going to be the hard thing physically, but mentally I have not raced for a long time, almost nine months I think since I actually raced. Just spending time on the Superbike recently I have done a total of around 60 laps, half of them at Cadwell Park (in England).

“Realistically, I do not think we are going to set the world on fire, but hopefully we can get something out of the bike and show a bit of potential and some speed again.”

Vermeulen, whose paternal grandparents emigrated from Holland after WWII, is one of four Assen WSBK winners in this weekend’s field, alongside Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia), Ruben Xaus (Honda) and last year’s dominant rider, Jonathan Rea (Honda).

“I did four previous races in WSBK at Assen in 2004 and 2005, and got three wins and a fourth,” said Chris. “That was at the older and longer track, which was my just about my favourite place in the world.

“However, it’s still like a second home for me at Assen and I get a lot of following there from the Vermeulens, cousins of my dad, and other relatives, so it’s always good to go there.”

Spain’s Carlos Checa (Ducati) leads this year’s championship after winning three of the first four races, including a majestic double at Phillip Island. He holds a 19-point buffer over Yamaha’s Marco Melandri, with Haslam, world champion Max Biaggi (Aprilia) and Jakub Smrz (Ducati) completing the top five.

Rea is next, and the Assen lap record holder will be looking to really move into top gear after being only a marginal player in the opening two rounds – inexplicable for such a prodigious talent.

Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki) will be the third Aussie on the WSBK grid at Assen.

WORLD SUPERSPORT
Italian Luca Scassa (Yamaha) has been a revelation, and he leads the championship over Australia’s Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) after winning the opening two rounds.

Assen has been something of a bogey circuit for Parkes over the years, although he did finish just 0.283 seconds behind the winner in 2008 – but was fifth in a blanket finish.

Frenchman Fabien Foret (Honda), rookie Sam Lowes (Honda) and David Salom (Kawasaki) should also be strong contenders at Assen, while Sydney rookie Mitchell Pirotta (Honda) will continue his tough initiation to world championship racing.

There will be live coverage of round three on SPEED TV from 7.30pm Sunday.

WORLD SUPERBIKE STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 2 OF 13):
1 Carlos Checa, Spain, Ducati 91
2 Marco Melandri, Italy, Yamaha 72
3 Leon Haslam, Great Britain, BMW 53
4 Max Biaggi, Italy, Aprilia 49
5 Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic, Ducati 42
6 Jonathan Rea, Great Britain, Honda 38
7 Leon Camier, Great Britain, Aprilia 37
8 Michel Fabrizio, Italy, Suzuki 27
9 Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Aprilia 26
10 Tom Sykes, Great Britain, Kawasaki 19
13 Troy Corser, Australia, BMW 16
20 Mark Aitchison, Australia, Kawasaki 1