Superbike World Championship preview - round six: San Marino

22/6/2005

Circuit: Misano, San Marino
Country: San Marino
Track length: 4060 m
Opened: 1972
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 33.525 (Troy Bayliss, 2002)
WSB lap record: 1' 34.913 (Troy Bayliss, 2002)
Last year WSB winner: Regis Laconi, Pierfrancesco Chili
Circuit web site: http://www.misanocircuit.com

Round six of the Superbike World Championship takes place at the Misano
Adriatica circuit near Rimini in Italy.

The Yamaha Motor Italia team goes into the event in high spirits after Noriyuki
Haga took the team's first podium finish of the season at Silverstone last time
out. Haga and team-mate Andrew Pitt recently completed a two-day test at Brno in
the Czech Republic where they were able to test a new specification gearbox and
revised chassis settings to further increase their confidence in the R1.

Also testing since the last round was Yamaha Motor France rider Norick Abe, who
spent two days at the Magny Cours circuit in France. Like his counterparts in
the Yamaha Motor Italia team, the Japanese was able to try out a range of new
parts and settings ahead of his debut at Misano circuit. The Japanese rider did
test at the Adriatic circuit two weeks ago, but torrential rain meant he was
unable to gather any meaningful data.

Just eight points separate the three riders in the R1's first full year in the
championship. Pitt is the leading Yamaha rider, with 70 points and seventh in
the championship. Haga is two points adrift on 68 while Abe is tenth on 62.

Rider's view - Andrew Pitt's guide to Misano "Misano is a circuit that I enjoy
going to. It's normally very hot there, which along with the fact that you're on
the left side of the tyre so long, means that it's a hard track on the tyres.
It's also hard on the rider. I've only raced supersport there so this is my
first time doing two races there in one day, but if you're not doing your
training then you're going to be found out at Misano.

"It's mostly left hand corners around here and you're on the side of the tyre
for a big part of the lap. There are only one or two right handers and a couple
of chicanes. The most critical part at Misano is the triple left hand corner
leading into the back straight. You need to get that right to get a good run
onto the back straight, because in the race that's really the only chance you
get to overtake. The place to overtake is into the slow left at the end of the
straight. You have to push hard here as you are braking from probably over
270kph on a superbike. Other than that it's pretty much a simple one line
circuit.

"We haven't had the R1 at Misano yet, so we'll have to work to find a good
setting, but it is quite bumpy, so we'll be looking for a set-up that works well
over the bumps, but the main thing is that it must be stable on the brakes,
because as I said there is really only one good overtaking place here and you
must make sure that you can pass here - and not be passed by other riders."

Supersport World Championship

Kevin Curtain goes to Misano as the leading R6 rider in this year's Supersport
World Championship. The 39-year-old Australian has proved to be one of only two
riders capable of taking the fight to series leader Sebastien Charpentier this
year finished and is looking at the very least for another podium finish to go
alongside the three he already collected this year. Curtain finished second at a
wet Misano last year, after Broc Parkes crashed out while holding a commanding
lead. This season Parkes is riding alongside his fellow countryman in the Yamaha
Motor Germany squad and lies just two places behind in the race to the
championship. While Parkes has yet to score a podium finish this season, the
23-year-old has proved to be ultra consistent as he adapts to the revvy
characteristics of the R6. With a season's best finish of fifth last time out in
Silverstone and two full days of testing at Brno, Parkes believes he is now
ready for the podium on his Yamaha. Both riders were also able to get in some
additional track time at last weekend's Nurburgring round of the German
superbike championship, where Curtain showed the regulars the way by winning
both races on an R1.

FIM Superstock 1000 Cup

Misano is the home round for Yamaha's Massimo Roccoli, who hails from nearby
Rimini. The youngster was the man of the match in Silverstone, winning an
exciting race as well as making his superbike debut at the tight British
circuit. He goes to Misano second in the championship and fired up to take the
series lead from Yamaha Motor Germany's Turkish hotshot Kenan Sofuoglu, who will
be absent after breaking his left scaphoid in an off track accident. The Turkish
rider underwent an operation in Cologne two weeks ago as he aims to be fit for
the following round in Brno. "It was an unfortunate accident on my motocross
bike. I would like to race this weekend but I know it is better to sit it out
and come back fit to Brno. I know that I will probably lose my championship lead
but with six races to go after Misano I know that things will still be in my own
hands." Replacing Sofuoglu at Misano will be German superbike championship
leader Stefan Nebel. The 23-year-old is no stranger to the squad as his national
championship squad is also backed by Yamaha Motor Germany and run by superstock
team coordinator Michael Gallinski.