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Haga steals the show at Brands
Category: Racing News
Date: 19 Aug 2005
Time: 14:45:20 -0400
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Noriyuki Haga was the star of the show at Brands Hatch today, taking his second win of the season in a thrilling second race. The two 25-lap races proved to be two-men shows, with Haga and championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) constantly swapping places as they dominated both affairs. Corser took the honours by less than two-tenths of a second in the opener, but Haga gained his revenge in the second after holding off a late challenge that saw Corser run across the gravel on the final lap. Noriyuki Haga Haga delighted the crowd with his spectacular riding style.
The Japanese, now looking totally comfortable on his R1, showed amazing confidence in his front suspension as he braked deep into the corners in a spectacular race one duel, which was decided when Corser gained superior drive as they came out of out final corner for the penultimate time. Race two was equally dramatic, with Haga narrowly avoiding a crash as the pair accidentally touched as they crossed the line in the early laps. From then on, the race was one of tension as Corser stalked the Yamaha rider throughout – his move on the final lap resigning him to second place. Team-mate Andrew Pitt had two strong races at Brands. The Australian qualified alongside Haga on the second row of the grid and made to good starts to run with the group battling for third place, taking a seventh place in race one and improving to sixth in the second outing. Yamaha Motor France riders Norick Abe and S?astien Gimbert had a difficult day in Brands. Abe made two lightning starts but struggled due to a lack of track knowledge, finishing 11th in the opener and retiring after crashing with Steve Martin (Petronas) in the second. Gimbert bagged two points for 14th in race two.
The results see both Yamaha Italia riders move up the championship table. Haga’s 45 point haul takes him to fifth, just five points behind countryman Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki), who occupies fourth, while Pitt moves up to ninth. Championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) left the United Kingdom with an improved advantage. He leads second placed Chris Vermeulen (Honda) by 110 points. Abe slides back to tenth in the standings. The championship now makes a four week break before the Dutch round takes place at Assen, where Haga is scheduled to make his 150th world superbike appearance, and his 100th for Yamaha. From Yamaharacing.com