Noriyuki Haga endured a tough start to his World Superbike Championship campaign in Qatar after two disappointing races left him well off the pace in the early season standings.
The Japanese rider qualified on the second row of the grid at the Losail circuit but a good start to the opening race enabled him to dice for the lead with team-mate
Troy Corser and Alstare Suzuki man Max Neurkirchner.
However, contact with Max Biaggi saw Haga fall on lap seven and drop to the rear of the field. Although able to restart, Haga was unable to climb any higher than 14th – at least ensuring a place in the points.
In the second race, Haga was again amongst the front-runners in the early stages but when his tyres lost grip, 'Nitro Nori' was unable to match the pace of the leaders and could do nothing to stop him slipping down to 13th place, leaving him with just five points from the opening round of the year.
"Not such a great day after we started so well in each race," he said. "In the first race Biaggi took my front tyre and what can I say, it was a mistake.
"In race two I was following Troy and saving my time until the end but after nine laps I had chatter from the rear, then more the next lap, then it started moving, then there was no grip and I could not push any more. My wrist is sore so I have to rest that before the next race."
