WORLD SUPERSPORT - IMOLA PREVIEW
20 September 2004 - Yamaha Racing

The Supersport World Championship makes its third and final visit to Italy this season when the penultimate round of the 2004 campaign takes place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, on the outskirts of the town of Imola, a 20 minute drive from the city of Bologna, this weekend (September 24-26).

This undulating 4.9km circuit is one of four circuits shared between the supersport and Formula One car racing series, which means that teams and fans alike can expect to find great facilities.

Yamaha YZF-R6 set-up report - an interesting circuit
Imola, like so many circuits used by Formula One cars, is bumpy with a lot of surface changes making chassis set-up critical. The many chicanes added to slow down the cars over the years have emancipated fast and challenging corners like Tamburello and Villeneuve and contribute to the stop-start nature which puts a premium on front-end feel. For the riders it is an interesting track to ride, although one of the more challenging tracks at which to find an optimum machine setting.

These slow corners provide a good opportunity to outbrake rivals, making stability and front-end feedback vital. To cope with the bumps, which are small and rippled, the riders will normally run a fairly soft front spring to provide a plush ride, although this does cause the bike to bottom out under hard braking. To compensate, a smaller air chamber will be used in the front forks.

Power counts up these hills, and the Yamaha has generally worked well on these types of circuit, with the R6 regularly recording the fastest speed trap figures thanks to strong acceleration out of the slow corners. Kevin Curtain proved the pace of the R6 around Imola last year, when he set a new lap record on his debut for the Yamaha Motor Germany squad, and with further development for 2004 another good showing is expected.

Season so far - Muggeridge and Van den Goorbergh lead the way With two races remaining only two riders are still in contention for the title: Yamaha Motor Italia''s Jurgen van den Goorbergh and Honda rider Karl Muggeridge. Of those two, only Muggeridge can tie up the title at Imola. The Australian has been in irresistible form, winning five of the last six races to pull out a 38 point advantage over the Dutchman but the unpredictable nature of supersport racing means that nothing can be taken for granted: Van den Goorbergh should be fighting to the very end.

Luck has deserted Yamaha''s other supported riders this season. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) would surely be higher than fifth in the standings had it not been for three non-scores, two of which were no fault of the amiable Australian. Likewise Fabien Foret (Yamaha Motor Italia) is eighth in the points after scoring in just three out of the eight races, including a win at Silverstone. The Frenchman rode with a broken ankle in Assen and will be closer to full fitness this weekend. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) will make his second appearance on the R6 at Imola after finishing on the podium on his debut is Assen.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh''s guide to Imola
''At the end of the start straight there is first left/right flick. It is important to exit Tamburello as fast as possible for the following straight that leads to Tosa corner, where I use first gear before accelerating uphill to Piratella. This is a blind, downhill corner where it is important to accelerate as soon as possible for the following uphill straight. Variante Alta is a blind chicane with a difficult exit because of the lack of grip. I then accelerate through to sixth gear down the hill and then brake hard before Rivazza. Rivazza is two flat, second gear corners where it is easy to go wide and lose the ideal line. I brake hard before the last chicane, the Variante Bassa and the exit of this corner is quite difficult because there is not much grip.''

European Superstock Championship - Vizziello and Alfonsi go head to head Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni team-mates Gianluca Vizziello and Lorenzo Alfonsi continue their head to head battle for the European Superstock Championship in Imola.

The Italians have been the class of the field on their YZF-R1s and between them have won all seven rounds held so far, with Vizziello holding a 16 point advantage. Behind them, the battle for third place is raging. Yamaha Motor Germany''s Kenan Sofuoglu holds that position and is a man in form with three podiums in the last four races, while team-mate Didier van Keymeulen is fifth. The Belgian rider is now almost fully recovered from the pelvis injury he suffered at Brands Hatch and has his sights set on overhauling Ricardo Chiarello (Suzuki) in the points standings.

www.yamaha-racing.com

More News
  For September 2004
  From Yamaha Racing
  For Racing General
  Biker247.com Home Page