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Victory for Haga in World Superbike at Eurospeedway
Category: Racing News
Date: 15 Sep 2007
Time: 12:04:53 -0400Comments
Noriyuki Haga put in near perfect 1-2 race finishes in the 11th round of the 2007 Superbike World Championship at the Eurospeedway in Lausitz, Germany on Sunday, Sept. 9. His incredible effort aboard his Yamaha Motor Italia YZF-R1 edges him closer to series points leader James Toseland – who did not score a podium finish in either race – while building a gap over Max Biaggi, who lies third in the points. Meanwhile, teammate Troy Corser scored 3-5 race finishes and remains fifth in the standings with two rounds left to go. In race one, Haga put on a dazzling display of race-craft at the start, slicing his R1 through the world’s toughest superbike traffic to move from eighth to second in just a few laps, and then locking leader Troy Bayliss in his sights. He passed Bayliss for the lead on lap 15 and eventually built up a crushing 11-second margin over Biaggi as Bayliss faded. Corser pulled off nearly the same miracle, suffering a poor start and then riding from ninth to third during the 24-lap race. Both Haga and Corser faced similar challenges in the second race. After launching in fifth, Haga quickly moved up-field in pursuit of leader Bayliss, whom he caught by lap nine. After stalking Bayliss for five laps, Haga finally seized a chance to pass when the leader made a mistake on lap 14. But Bayliss returned the favor and found a way past Haga with four laps remaining to take the win. “I feel happy with my result in both races today,” Haga said afterwards. “I’m now feeling more focused than ever and I’m going to push right to the end for the title.”