After the disappointment of race two in Qatar last weekend,
Troy Corser will hope for a strong result on home soil as the World Superbike Championship heads to Phillip Island for the second round of the year.
The Yamaha man secured a podium finish in the opening race of the year at Losail but was unable to match that result in race two when tyre issues meant he slipped down the order as the race progressed and had to settle for seventh place when the chequered flag fell.
However, the Australian now heads to one of his strongest circuits on the calendar with the double champion having already won on six occasions on home soil, the last of which came back in 2006. Having posted a quicker lap time on his YZF-R1 than ever before in pre-season testing at the picturesque circuit, Corser will now aim to secure his first WSBK in Yamaha colours at a circuit he rates as one of the best there is.
"Starting the season with a podium at Qatar was good and I've already put the race two result from last weekend behind me," he said. "We will just be taking things one race and one round at a time from now on. It's good to be going to my home circuit, it's one of the best tracks in the world and I always look forward to riding there."
Team-mate
Noriyuki Haga heads to Phillip Island in a somewhat battered and bruised state after a difficult season opener that saw him fall in qualifying and then again in race one after an incident involving Max Biaggi while dicing for position.
Down in the championship standings as a result, the Japanese rider will battle through the pain in Australia but said he was confident that the solid showings in pre-season testing would mean he can hit the ground running.
"After two big crashes at Qatar I am quite sore but I'm pretty confident I will be OK for Phillip Island," he said. "We have to work well to get a good race set-up but as we have tested there recently we should start from a good position. I need to get my mind focused for this race, but first I just need a small rest to let my injured right wrist heal a little bit."
