Yamaha Motor Italia riders
Noriyuki Haga and
Troy Corser will have the option of running full electronic suspension for the first time at this weekend's Donington Park round of the World Superbike Championship.
The new Ohlins units use electronic damping control and performed admirably during July's Vallelunga test.
"We will have one important technical advance to try at
Donington, because we will have Öhlins electronic suspension to use for the first time in a race scenario," confirmed team manager Massimo Meregalli. "The feeling we had with the suspension in Vallelunga during a summer test was very good, so we asked Öhlins for the possibility to get two sets for the last few races of this season.
"They have gone ahead and made it happen. In the end they have completed a great job to make us not only two sets but also some spares, so we can use them right through from Donington to the end of the season. We are expecting that we can do better with this suspension than the conventional set-up.
"They should assist Troy in particular, as he used this system at Vallelunga and he was very happy with it. It should be good at some braking points at Donington, where we should really find an improvement with this type of system. We will run one bike for each rider on normal suspension and one with the new electronic system," he added.
Corser will start the weekend just 10 points behind second place Max Neukirchner, and has his heart set on an overdue first R1 win.
"I'm looking forward to Donington because our results there last year were quite good, and it's a track that I like. I had my first European wildcard ride there back in 1994 and I got two podiums there last year. Right now I am looking to Donington to get my first win for Yamaha, that's my aim this weekend," declared Corser, who took a double Donington podium in 2007. "We will be using Öhlins electronic suspension and I think it will be most useful for bump absorption."
