Yamaha World superbike preview – Vallelunga, Italy

The previous round at Lausitz could well prove to be a corner stone in Haga's title fight as he took a win and second place, cutting the gap between him and first place by 25 points. The impact of this result will only really be understood after this weekend's race.

Vallelunga is a new circuit on the WSB calendar but it won't be totally new to all the riders following a testing session there in July. Built in 1959, the track was originally a sand mile oval but it has been upgraded over the years and is now set to host its first WSB race. The July test session gave the Yamaha Motor Italia team the chance to start the process of finding the right set-up and tyres for the circuit and both riders came away feeling positive about the track layout as well as knowing what settings worked best for the conditions.

With a fast section at the start and a slower section at the end of the lap, the track is quite technical and will prove to be challenging for set-up this weekend.

Following on from his success at Lausitz, Haga is fired up and determined as he pulls his leathers on this weekend. His last outing at Vallelunga was the two-day test in July where he was seventh fastest overall. "I don't think I've ever felt closer to the championship title than I do now; everything is coming together and the bike is feeling the best it's ever done. My focus for this weekend is to chip away at that points margin a bit more; it's all about winning this weekend," Haga says of the championship. "I liked the Vallelunga circuit when we tested there earlier this year. It's challenging because of the combination of blind corners and twisty sections, but I like circuits like that. This circuit is new to virtually everyone and I think it will level out the playing field. I don't under-estimate those behind me but my main focus this weekend is on the one place in front of me."

Corser's last trip to Vallelunga proved successful, with him overall third fastest in testing just behind Xaus and Bayliss. After grabbing third and fifth at Lausitz three weeks ago, he is positive for even better results this weekend. "I went well in testing there even though I had a scary moment going into turn two at one point, which slowed me down a bit. I feel we've got something even better in the bike now than we had when we tested there, and I was third then. So, I'm pretty positive about it all! Tyres will be the main focus for me as we've got a fairly good base setting already," Corser says. "The track layout is good and the undulations make it fun, although the track gets narrower in the second section, which will make for close racing. The idea will be to go fast from the start, get to the front and go; there's not a lot of room for passing and when there is it's on the brakes. It's going to be an interesting race to watch as well as ride in!"

WORLD SUPERSPORT
Australian rider BrocParkes couldn't have asked for more from the last round of the World Supersport Championship at Lausitz. He took his second consecutive win of the season and boosted his championship standing up to third place, only 26 points behind second place. Team mate Tommy Hill also had a good weekend at the German circuit taking fifth. Hill, who is confirmed to ride for the Yamaha World Supersport team for the remainder of the season, made good headway through the pack after a poor start to successfully challenge fellow Yamaha riders Roccoli and Checa for the fifth position.

Parkes has tested at Vallelunga already this season, participating in the same test session as the WSB team, when he took third overall. With 109 laps under his belt from the test he is confident of a good race this weekend. "We had a good test there earlier in the season although we had to work quite hard to get where we did. We've done our homework since, though and we've got a few different ideas which I'm sure will make sure we're up there this weekend," Parkes says. "It's going to be a hard race because the track is really technical; there's a bit of everything which makes it hard to get the bike set up for any one part of the circuit. What feels good at one point feels bad at another. But I'm really motivated after my two recent wins and I'm now determined to get as many points as possible in the last two races and grab second position in the championship.

SUZUKI ON THE NEW SUPERBIKE TRACK
A huge turn out of fans is expected at the track, situated 15 minutes or so from the Italian capital of Rome. Although it will be a 'home race' for Biaggi, he has not raced there for over 10 years; he has tested at Vallelunga two times - once last November and in July this year - but knows that the weekend ahead will not be an easy one, as the other top teams have also tested there. His team mate Yukio also took part in the July tests, but the coming race weekend will be a hard one as he has not yet fully recovered from his recent knee and hand injuries.

Max Biaggi:

"Although everybody is calling this my home race, the last time I raced here was in a 125 sports production race over 10 years ago. Vallelunga is quite a narrow track compared to the other tracks we race at, though there are some passing places - usually on the brakes. Because of that, it's important to do well in qualifying and Superpole and be on the front row of the grid. For me though, that's the same for any race track. Although we've tested at Vallelunga, I'm sure the conditions will not be the same this weekend. We didn't get the set-up 100% before, so there will be work to do in practice and qualifying. It is an interesting track, quite technical and has a very slow first gear hairpin, so gearing is going to be important. I do not feel under any extra pressure because it is a 'home race' and the only pressure I have is what I put on myself to do well. For me, racing in front of my fans is a pleasure and I hope I can give them a couple of good results."

Superbike rankings:

1 Toseland 375, 2 Haga 334, 3 Biaggi 322, 4 Bayliss 296, 5 Corser 254, 6 Xaus 177, 7 Lanzi 173, 8 Rolfo 166, 9 Neukirchner 130, 10 Kagayama 116.

Sources: Yamaha-racing.com, Suzuki-racing.com