2005 World Superbike Championship
Round 1, Losail (Qatar)
23rd February 2005
Wednesday Preview

THE SEASON BEGINS!

The opening rounds of the 2005 World Superbike and Supersport Championship kicks
off in Qatar on 26th February and is new territory for all concerned as it is
the first time the series have visited a middle eastern state. Last year, the
Losail circuit at Qatar hosted a round of the MotoGP championship so the
organisers are keen on their motorsport. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra World
Superbike riders Troy Corser, Yukio Kagayama and World Supersport teamster
Javier Fores will, for once, be racing at a track for the first time ­ just like
every other WSBK or WSS competitor. Losail circuit is a brand new purpose-built
circuit near Qatar's capital city, Doha, and features huge run-off areas ­
designed obviously with F1 in mind for the future. The earliness of this year's
championships have given almost all teams more then usual pressure to get their
bikes ready in time, so the favourites in the SBK class should be Ducati and
Honda, who have had one year to develop their bikes. But Troy and Yukio have
been going well in pre-season tests, so an upset could be on the cards.

TROY:

"Really, it is too early to have a WSBK race because the team are still building
the bikes and Yukio and I are still getting used to them and seeing what they
can do. I am not saying that we will not be competitive right out of the crate,
but until the first tests at Losail start, it's difficult to predict how it's
going to go. At least nobody else has ridden there before, so we're all going to
be in the same boat."

PREVIOUS RESULTS:

2004 ­ No race, so no data.

TROY CORSER WEBSITE - http://www.troycorser.com