SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW - ROUND SIX: SAN MARINO
22 June 2005 - Yamaha Racing

Circuit: Misano, San MarinoCountry: San MarinoTrack length: 4060 mOpened: 1972Fastest 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

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.

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