Kawasaki WSB / WSS - Qatar
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:52 am
Second Round Beckons For Superbike Duo
WSBK, Losail, Qatar, 9 March 2009
For Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada the second round of the championship offers the chance to score points in what is already proving to be one of the most closely-contested WSB series ever held. After some high points in winter testing the recent Phillip Island races proved to be less rewarding then expected and thus the Ninja ZX-10R WSB riders approach the Losail circuit with even greater determination to get onto the leader board.
Losail, at 5.380km, is a relatively lengthy circuit, which boasts several fast corners and one very long main straight, making engine performance and clean aerodynamics particularly important at this round.
Tamada raced a 2008-spec Kawasaki at Losail last year, finishing 12th in race two, but Parkes will be a first time Superbike rider in Qatar, having spent the past few seasons as a leading light in Supersport racing.
Losail is a very significant circuit for Broc, as he won the World Supersport race there in 2008.
Despite the lack of testing at the Qatari circuit this year, each Kawasaki Superbike rider is confident that their Phillip Island experiences can be translated into raceday improvements this coming weekend.
The Qatar race will be run on Saturday 14th March, with first qualifying starting on Thursday 12th, then the new-for-2009 three stage elimination-style Superpole takes place on Friday 13th.
Broc Parkes: “I want to put Phillip Island behind me and look forward to some progressive improvements for the Qatar Race. We will need to try a few things and we need to makes some changes to the bike so we can find a good direction and hopefully get in the points. That has been my objective since the start of the season. The Phillip Island race has highlighted to me that we've still got a lot of work to do but as a team we will work hard and hopefully start to see some improvements in Qatar.”
Makoto Tamada: “I can see that the team and I are making progress. We are moving in a positive direction and although I am realistic about where we are and the problems that we have, I can see that we have the potential to be in the top 10 in the not so distant future. Each race we will get better and better and I am looking forward to the challenge at Qatar and also getting back to Europe where I feel we will be considerably stronger. If we got some things sorted we should be much better in Qatar.”
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New Bike Offers Much To Lascorz And Fujiwara
WSS, Losail, Qatar, 9 March 2009
Joan Lascorz and Katsuaki Fujiwara continue the next stage in the development of their 2009 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R machines at Losail this coming weekend, with high hopes of strong race results. Their bikes and equipment have had to be shipped straight to Qatar from the previous round in Australia, where Lascorz was fast in qualifying and ultimately eighth in a thrilling 21-lap race.
Fujiwara missed out on a points-scoring finish at Phillip Island, spending a lot of time working on various machine settings in qualifying, and having a busy race in company with two other riders contesting the final point on offer.
He knows that Losail has been a kind circuit to him in the past, having scored a win there in 2005, and a third place in 2007.
Lascorz also has form at Losail, having been only 0.048 seconds from his first WSS career race win there last year.
The 2009 WSS race, to be held on Saturday, is scheduled for 18-laps, the same length as each of the two WSB contests.
Joan Lascorz: “I am not sure how we can go in Qatar until we get there. For sure the gap between the top bikes and us, even though we are early in the development cycle of this bike, is now small. The level is very high in this class so everything counts, and if you have not had the time to spend on engine development on a new bike then it is very hard.”
Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I have had good results at Losail before and I like it because it has some fast corners. The long straight is a big factor in this race, but we will see how things are. We made progress in Phillip Island and worked though a lot of different machine settings. We want to score good points at this race and move forward again.”
WSBK, Losail, Qatar, 9 March 2009
For Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada the second round of the championship offers the chance to score points in what is already proving to be one of the most closely-contested WSB series ever held. After some high points in winter testing the recent Phillip Island races proved to be less rewarding then expected and thus the Ninja ZX-10R WSB riders approach the Losail circuit with even greater determination to get onto the leader board.
Losail, at 5.380km, is a relatively lengthy circuit, which boasts several fast corners and one very long main straight, making engine performance and clean aerodynamics particularly important at this round.
Tamada raced a 2008-spec Kawasaki at Losail last year, finishing 12th in race two, but Parkes will be a first time Superbike rider in Qatar, having spent the past few seasons as a leading light in Supersport racing.
Losail is a very significant circuit for Broc, as he won the World Supersport race there in 2008.
Despite the lack of testing at the Qatari circuit this year, each Kawasaki Superbike rider is confident that their Phillip Island experiences can be translated into raceday improvements this coming weekend.
The Qatar race will be run on Saturday 14th March, with first qualifying starting on Thursday 12th, then the new-for-2009 three stage elimination-style Superpole takes place on Friday 13th.
Broc Parkes: “I want to put Phillip Island behind me and look forward to some progressive improvements for the Qatar Race. We will need to try a few things and we need to makes some changes to the bike so we can find a good direction and hopefully get in the points. That has been my objective since the start of the season. The Phillip Island race has highlighted to me that we've still got a lot of work to do but as a team we will work hard and hopefully start to see some improvements in Qatar.”
Makoto Tamada: “I can see that the team and I are making progress. We are moving in a positive direction and although I am realistic about where we are and the problems that we have, I can see that we have the potential to be in the top 10 in the not so distant future. Each race we will get better and better and I am looking forward to the challenge at Qatar and also getting back to Europe where I feel we will be considerably stronger. If we got some things sorted we should be much better in Qatar.”
------------------------
New Bike Offers Much To Lascorz And Fujiwara
WSS, Losail, Qatar, 9 March 2009
Joan Lascorz and Katsuaki Fujiwara continue the next stage in the development of their 2009 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R machines at Losail this coming weekend, with high hopes of strong race results. Their bikes and equipment have had to be shipped straight to Qatar from the previous round in Australia, where Lascorz was fast in qualifying and ultimately eighth in a thrilling 21-lap race.
Fujiwara missed out on a points-scoring finish at Phillip Island, spending a lot of time working on various machine settings in qualifying, and having a busy race in company with two other riders contesting the final point on offer.
He knows that Losail has been a kind circuit to him in the past, having scored a win there in 2005, and a third place in 2007.
Lascorz also has form at Losail, having been only 0.048 seconds from his first WSS career race win there last year.
The 2009 WSS race, to be held on Saturday, is scheduled for 18-laps, the same length as each of the two WSB contests.
Joan Lascorz: “I am not sure how we can go in Qatar until we get there. For sure the gap between the top bikes and us, even though we are early in the development cycle of this bike, is now small. The level is very high in this class so everything counts, and if you have not had the time to spend on engine development on a new bike then it is very hard.”
Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I have had good results at Losail before and I like it because it has some fast corners. The long straight is a big factor in this race, but we will see how things are. We made progress in Phillip Island and worked though a lot of different machine settings. We want to score good points at this race and move forward again.”
... and aitcho is in 5th!!! 
Fucking site