Preview: Round 3, Valencia, Spain - April 6
FONSI LOOKING FORWARD TO HOME RACE.
After the flyaway trip to Qatar and Australia, the Superbike
World Championship returns to European soil with his weekend’s
third round in Valencia. The race will be a special one for
Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto, as it will be his home
race, and will also be an important one for one of the team’s
Spanish sponsors - Pepephone. For Yukio Kagayama and Max Neukirchner
it will be a chance to improve on last year’s so-so
results.
Fonsi
Racing at home is always a bit special and I want to put on
a good show for all my fans this weekend - especially after
my pair of DNF’s last year! I am second in the championship
at the moment and will be chasing a couple of podiums for
sure. Valencia is a track where it is important to have a
really good bike set-up if you want to go fast, so that’s
what we’ll be trying to do from the very start of practice.
There are quite a few Spanish riders in the championship this
year and I am hoping that we get a good crowd for the race
and can give them something to shout about.
Yukio
The recent tests showed that my collarbone was OK and now
that I’ve had a bit more time off, I feel even better.
I don’t think that I will have any trouble with the
injury, but Valencia is quite a physical track, so I’m
sure it will get a good work out! Last year in Valencia I
was recovering from my crash in Donington, so my results were
not good at all. This year, I feel that I can challenge for
podiums in both races and that’s what I will be trying
to do.
Max
I am sure that I can improve on my 12th and 10th places from
last year and realistically I shall be chasing top six finishes
this weekend. I am getting more and more comfortable with
my bike every time I go out and as long as we can find a good
set-up in practice, I think I can make a good show. Valencia
is a tough track and you need a very good set-up if you want
to be at the front, but I am hoping that Sunday will be a
good day for me and the team.
2007 Results
Race 1: 1 Xaus (E-Ducati), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati),
12 Max Neukirchner (D-Suzuki), 15 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki),
Fonsi Nieto DNF.
Race 2: 1 Toseland (GB-Honda), 2 Biaggi (I-Suzuki), 3 Haga,
10 Max Neukirchner (D-Suzuki), 13 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki),
Fonsi Nieto DNF,
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