WSBK News

Andrew Pitt believes he has to win his home round of the World Supersport Championship at Phillip Island after being forced to retire from the season opener in Qatar last weekend.

Yukio Kagayama looks likely to miss the second round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island after suffering a suspected broken collarbone in Qatar.

Team Alstare Suzuki might have worked flat out during the winter to find a replacement for departing sponsor Corona, but only on the eve of the season can general manager Francis Batta confirm the health of his squad.

Former double world champions Troy Corser and Troy Bayliss proved to be the men to beat in the opening qualifying session of the 2008 World Superbike season in Qatar, as they dominated a wind-affected first qualifying to leave their rivals wilting under the desert sun.

The Parkalgar Honda World Supersport team staged its official 2008 launch ahead of the official presentation of the venue it hopes to promote this season, the impressive Aut?dromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao.

Noriyuki Haga believes the 2008 World Superbike season will be more exciting than MotoGP.

The bike was unveiled during an official presentation at Jerez. Bayliss was absent from the event as he continues to recuperate from a fractured collarbone - but the Australian will return to the track at the next test session, to be held at Qatar on February 12.

Jones finished fifth in the hotly contested World Supersport Championship in 2007 and is a definite title contender this year after securing Factory Honda support and the backing of Parkalgar, the futuristic motor-sport circuit under construction in Portimao in Portugal that will host the final r

The list reveals that there will be six of the new 1200cc Ducati 1098Rs on the grid this year, with single-rider entries for former factory pliot Lorenzo Lanzi (R.G.Team) and Czech Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Racing) adding to the two-rider Xerox and Sterilgarda line-ups.

The Ducati Xerox rider's pre-season preparations have been thrown into turmoil after he fell while attempting to overtake PSG-1 Kawasaki rider Regis Laconi, during Thursday afternoon.

"It's gone very well. We spent the days testing new parts, the results are good so now I am just waiting for the race," began Haga, who finished the test sixth fastest but just 0.3secs behind Suzuki's Yukio Kagayama.

Former MotoGP star Biaggi, who finished third in the 2007 world championship on an Alstare Suzuki, will ride alongside Ruben Xaus for the satellite Sterilgarda Go Eleven team this season.

Biaggi, who hasn't ridden a Superbike since splitting from Alstare Suzuki shortly after the end of the 2007 season, will join most of the leading WSBK and WSS teams in testing at the challenging Australian race track from January 8-10.

Ducati Corse's superbike press officer and factory spokesman, Julian Thomas, has left the company to assume the role of communications director for World Superbike championship organiser's FG Sport.

2005 BSB champion Lavilla has joined forces with Paul Bird's team, which won the BSB crown in 2002 and 2003, for its graduation to WSBK next year - and completed almost 200 laps doing his first encounter with the Honda CBR1000RR.

Fellow Australian Steve Martin may have endured a torrid time with DFX Honda last season, but that hasn't stopped countrymen Karl Muggeridge and Russell Holland joining the outfit for 2008.

Gregorio Lavilla is to return to the World Superbike Championship in 2008 after being confirmed as the lone rider for the Paul Bird Motorsport team.

Troy Corser doesn't expect any major changes to the Yamaha Italia R1, which Noriyuki Haga took to within two points of the 2007 World Superbike championship, next season - but is looking forward to a power boost.

Ideally the team wants to take these young riders up through the ranks developing their talent both on and off the track. For the 2008 season they have signed up British Superstock riders Peter Hickman and Paul Veazey to ride in the 1000cc Superstock class.

As has been rumoured for some weeks, the reason for the split is money related. Alstare's title sponsor Corona Extra is withdrawing from motorsport and Francis Batta's team says it is unable to find the finance required to re-sign the triple 2007 race winner.

After enjoying Ducati's advanced traction control electronics, the Briton admits he was shocked the first time he rode the Ten Kate tuned Fireblade, during pre-season testing, prior to the start of the 2006 season.

The Dutch-based team will run a three-man WSBK squad consisting of MotoGP contender Carlos Checa, current World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu and defending British Superbike champion Ryuichi Kiyonari.

2005 winner Lanzi, taking part in his final event for the factory team, lapped three-tenths quicker than his double world championship winning team-mate during a rain-affected hour.

Starting from his first ever WSS pole, Jones led confidently for much of the race - despite being caught by world champion Kenan Sofuoglu.