After three seasons of competition on the full length Grand Prix circuit of
Silverstone the Corona Extra World Superbike Championship will be held on the 3.561km International circuit this coming weekend, to allow great spectator enjoyment by increasing the number of laps of each feature race to 28.
The new layout changes the nature of the circuit substantially, with the previous fast sections replaced by the more technical elements, with great emphasis on cornering ability.
Only America has a greater record of producing World Superbike Championship winning riders than the UK, with three riders in total - Carl Fogarty, Neil Hodgson and James Toseland - having secured the coveted crown for Britain. This success has made Britain a nation of stalwart SBK supporters, with extensive crowds attending not just the Silverstone but also the
Brands Hatch meetings that take place each year. Fogarty is rightly a legend in the sport, having won a record four titles and 59 race wins. Following on from his success Neil Hodgson, in 2003, and
James Toseland, in 2004, earned their championship honours.
With a 2005 record of six race wins and two third places from eight race starts 1996 World Champion Tory Corser has made an almost immaculate early push in the championship this season. Also armed with the new-for-2005 GSX-R1000K5 his Alstare Suzuki team-mate
Yukio Kagayama has been his closest rival, scoring a race win in the second leg at Qatar, but nonetheless is now some 52 points adrift of Corser. As a former British Superbike competitor, Kagayama has experience of the current Silverstone layout, which may give him an early advantage over at least some of his opposition.
