Noriyuki Haga insists he can still catch
Troy Bayliss as he heads to the United States for round six of the World Superbike Championship.
After scoring his first win of the season at Monza to move up to third place in the standings, 82 points behind the Ducati rider, Haga is now treating the first WSBK event to be held at Miller Motorsports Park as his opportunity to go in pursuit of Bayliss.
Indeed, while the Yamaha rider admits the circuit will pose a challenge, he is confident he can maintain the momentum from his Monza triumph and begin pegging back his rival.
"I am very focused now, and I am determined to close the gap on Troy from now on. It will be a real learning weekend for all the teams and riders, as it is a new track for us all. I don't know that much about it but that's the same for everyone. But after Monza my confidence is high, because we were competitive in each race."
Despite having scored three podiums this season, team-mate
Troy Corser is keen to get on top of the podium for the first time in the USA. He is also looking forward to sampling the much revered Utah circuit.
"It's always nice to go back to the USA, I've got some really good old friends there as well so it's great to make some time to catch up. I think it's great for the WSB Championship to be coming here. I haven't heard too much about the track to be honest, the layout looks good and the safety is supposed to be great.
“I've spoken to a few guys who've done trackdays there on bikes and in cars and they give it the thumbs up, so I'm looking forward to racing there. We've had some tough races this year but the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team is ready to race and win in the US."
