With crests come troughs though and this low point was arguably at Donington Park. Suffering an engine blow on his Yamaha half-way around the lap, Haga should have pulled off the circuit immediately but instead made his way back to the pit lane, leaving a trail of oil that caused carnage at one corner (including a fall for his team-mate Troy Corser) and forced the race to be stopped.

His punishment was a drive-through during the second race, but when Haga took it too early, he was black-flagged and disqualified. Parking his bike up on the pit-wall, Haga enamoured himself to few people on that day.

Nonetheless, while he lost his record for finishing ahead of every team-mate he has raced against, Haga did enough in 2008 to convince Ducati Xerox that he is the man to front the defence of their title next year.

As such, Haga will once again go into 2009 claiming 'favourite' status – only this could be his best, and last, chance to truly deliver...


2nd – Noriyuki Haga
3rd – Troy Corser
4th – Max Neukirchner
5th – Ryuichi Kiyonari
6th – Ruben Xaus
7th – Carlos Checa
8th – Max Biaggi
9th – Jakub Smrz
10th – Michel Fabrizio

Tomorrow: Who is the winner in your WSBK Rider of the Year poll?