the above image shows Troy Corser on the 2004 Foggy Petronas

The championship returned to Europe, and the familiar off-season testing venue of Valencia. Although it has a long straight, this is a relatively flat circuit with plenty of tight turns fitted into a fairly small area. Corser had won here three times with Aprilia, and his margin of superiority this year gave him his 31st pole position in WSBK - ten clear of anyone else in the series’ history.

Suzuki team-mate Yukio Kagayama experienced a slight wobble during his Superpole lap, ending up ninth on the grid, and with a variety of different makes lining up ahead of him. Behind Corser there were two Honda riders, Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate) and Max Neukirchner (Klaffi), but they were split by the Xerox Ducati of Régis Laconi. The first Yamaha was Andrew Pitt’s in fifth, ahead of the Honda of Karl Muggeridge, and then came the yellow PSG-1 Kawasaki of Chris Walker, and Norick Abe’s Yamaha.

Defending champion James Toseland had not been quick enough in qualifying to make Superpole, and would start 23rd, but Ducati’s fortunes were about to plummet even further. A crash for Laconi in the warm-up had seen the Frenchman knocked out, and he was subsequently unable to take part in the two races.

The start of race one went well for three of the Australian riders, with Corser leading Pitt, and Vermeulen quickly passing Norick Abe for third. Kagayama was already up to fifth, from Noriyuki Haga, Walker, Muggeridge, Neukirchner and Lorenzo Lanzi. There was drama round the back of the circuit on lap one, as Neukirchner’s Honda slid away from him at the rear, then gripped and flipped him high and back onto the tarmac. Lanzi’s Ducati was taken out by the FireBlade, whilst Muggeridge was forced into the gravel, and could not keep the bike upright. No-one was badly hurt, and Karl was able to get going again.

Meanwhile, Corser was already starting to stretch an advantage, and it was one that he would never lose. By the end it was over nine seconds, but at this stage it meant the battle would be for second. Vermeulen had a trio of Yamahas in pursuit, with Abe taking third from Pitt, and Haga now fifth. The pace of Pitt meant that Vermeulen and Abe were able to get away, leaving him to race with Haga, Kagayama and Walker. Frankie Chili led the next bunch, ahead of Toseland, wildcard David Checa, Fuertes, Gimbert, Nieto, Clementi, Martin, McCoy and Vizziello.

Corser’s supremacy allowed him to indulge in some tyre smoking slides on the last lap, but most eyes were on the battle behind him in the closing stages, between Vermeulen and Abe. The experienced Japanese rider seemed to be having less difficulty with his tyres, and a slide or two from Chris gave Norick the odd half-chance to convert his attack into a pass. But somehow Vermeulen resisted, and in the end it was Abe who crashed out when the front slid away from him. The three-time GP winner missed a first WSBK podium.

Pitt had already crashed out, and both Kagayama and Walker had passed Haga, so that third was between these two. Yukio held the advantage, with Chris finishing fourth ahead of Noriyuki. Sébastien Gimbert came through to take sixth from the still injured Chili, and Toseland got up to eighth from his lowly start position. The other points went to Fuertes, Checa, Clementi, Bostrom, Bussei, Alfonsi and Silva. Steve Martin was another to crash out, whilst Muggeridge had again had to pick up the Honda to carry on.

Race two didn’t go quite as well for Corser, but only because Pitt beat him into the first corner. However, the former champion soon made up the place with late braking around the outside at a left-hander, and again he was able to clear off for a comfortable victory. Vermeulen had been third away, with Walker rapidly moving past Abe for fourth, then Muggeridge leading Haga, Kagayama, Neukirchner, Checa, Chili and Gimbert.

Vermeulen was again quick to go by Pitt, who would soon hold up others as Chris moved off trying to catch Corser. The Yamaha Italia rider came under pressure from Walker, and when the Englishman got past he was able to pull away. Meanwhile, Abe and Haga were contesting fifth, ahead of Muggeridge, and Kagayama managed to run wide, and was faced with having to come through from ninth, behind Chili.

Iván Silva and Garry McCoy crashed out together, and Toseland was involved in an off-track incident with another rider, leaving the order behind Kagayama as Checa, Gimbert, Bostrom, Alfonsi, Clementi, Neukirchner, Martin, Fuertes, Vizziello, Nieto, Sanchini, Borciani and Cardoso. Michel Nickmans was another to crash out, later joined by the accident prone Muggeridge, and Toseland was into a pitlane visit after his trip through the gravel.

Corser motored on his lonely way, ending the race with more spectacular tyre smoke, but Vermeulen and his rear sliding Honda had no such luxury, as Walker closed in. The Kawasaki man pushed hard for a way through, and looked capable of doing it, but Vermeulen had enough in hand to cover all eventualities, and indeed pull a small margin on the final lap. Nevertheless, third place was good going for Walker and the best yet for the ZX-10R.

The Yamaha tussle was resolved in favour of Haga, with Abe fifth, and in sixth was Ben Bostrom’s Renegade Honda, after the American rider came through from twelfth. He beat Kagayama and Pitt in the process of an encouraging run, and they headed Checa, Chili, Gimbert, Neukirchner, Clementi, Vizziello and Alfonsi.

Twenty-eight World Superbike race victories put Troy Corser firmly in position three on the all-time list, behind only Carl Fogarty and Colin Edwards. At this rate, he will not have long before moving up into second, and he is also looking good to add to his 1996 title. Yukio Kagayama is obviously the most likely challenger, with a chance of more wins, and both Chris Vermeulen and Régis Laconi will surely be in the mix on track, if not so much in the points battle. But can either of them stop a Suzuki clean sweep of race wins?

Standings after six races: Corser 141; Kagayama 110; Vermeulen 90; Laconi 54; Abe 44; Neukirchner 41; Haga 40; Pitt 39; Walker 38; Toseland 30; Chili and Gimbert 26.

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