DUCATI XEROX TEAM ARRIVES AT MONZA ON CREST OF A WAVE
Monza (Italy), Thursday 4 May: The Ducati Xerox Team riders
Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi come to the legendary Autodromo
Nazionale di Monza on the crest of a wave following sensational
results in the recent round 3 of the World Superbike Championship
at Valencia.
The 37 year-old Australian Troy Bayliss racked up a full
haul of points at the Spanish Round to increase his lead over
reigning champion and fellow Aussie Troy Corser (Suzuki) to
22 points. He returns to Monza with two double wins and two
fourths already under his belt at the high-speed parkland
circuit.
“Last time I was at Monza I had a double win!”
declared Troy. “I'm very fond of the place and I just
love racing there. Out of all the races I've done, I've done
six at Monza and I've always had great results there. It's
going to be very important for me to do a good job this weekend
and it's not going to be easy. Every race is difficult but
I'd like to shine there.
“Things are going quite well so far this year, although
strange to say, I feel the season has been a little bit below
expectations. Judging how well the tests went in the winter
the first two races were a little bit of a reality check actually
and we expected a little bit more. We've always been right
at the front but we haven't done exactly what we thought we'd
do”.
His 24 year-old Italian team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi kicked his
2006 season into gear at Valencia with two gritty races that
earned him two third places and his first podiums of the year.
“The two races at Valencia were very positive, and
we came back on form in a big way” declared Lorenzo.
“The two podiums, especially the one in race 2, gave
me a lot of satisfaction. Now we are here determined to do
well, just like in every race, because we know that I can
run up at the front with the leaders.
“Monza is a place that I like, I’ve always had
a good rapport with this track. The variante Ascari is my
favourite point of the circuit, but you have to work to get
a good setting for the entire track because at Monza it’s
difficult to get a break and get away. You get the classic
group of the quickest riders, and the second group of those
who are unable to keep the slipstream. I want absolutely to
stay with the leading group so as to be able to fight it out
for the win at the end”.
CIRCUIT HISTORY. Construction of the Autodromo
di Monza was decided in January 1922 by the Milan Automobile
Club, started in May of the same year and the work was completed
in a record 122 days. Today Monza is one of the most functional
and safest tracks in the world with a history that is incomparable.
The WSBK round has been held at the Autodromo since 1990 and
Troy Bayliss holds the circuit win record of four victories,
on a par with Carl Fogarty, Pierfrancesco Chili and Fabrizio
Pirovano.
THE CIRCUIT. Name: Autodromo Nazionale di
Monza. Length: 5.793 km. Pole Position: left. Corners Left/Right:
5/8. Longest straight: 1195 metres.
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 3 of 13 rounds).
Riders – 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 125; 2. Corser (Suzuki)
103; 3. Toseland (Honda) 86; 4. Haga (Yamaha) 64; 5. Barros
(Honda) 62; 6. Pitt (Yamaha) 58; 7. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 47;
8. Abe (Yamaha) 40. Manufacturers – 1. Ducati 126; 2.
Suzuki 113; 3. Honda 91; 4. Yamaha 84; 5. Kawasaki 40; 6.
Petronas 4.
STATISTICS. Best lap: Hodgson (Ducati) 1m46.981s
(2003). Lap record: Bayliss (Ducati) 1m47.434s (2002). Superpole:
Hodgson (Ducati) 1m46.981s (2003). Race distance: 2 x 18 laps/104.256
km.
2005 RESULTS. Race 1: 1. Corser (Suzuki);
2. Kagayama (Suzuki); 3. Toseland (Ducati Xerox). Race 2:
1. Vermeulen (Honda); 2. Laconi (Ducati Xerox); 3. Corser.
TV COVERAGE. Eurosport (Pan European): Sunday
7 May, 1400 Race 1 (as live); 2300 Race 2 (delayed). La7 (Italy):
Sunday 7 May, 1615 Races 1 & 2 (as live).
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