SBK Losail preview: Good hope for Nakatomi

After a learning season in the Superbike World Championship last year, Shinichi Nakatomi is able in 2007 to give his best as he knows better the circuits and the series. Negotiations are still going on for a second rider to join the team after the first two races.

Nakatomi, only rider in the team after Norick Abe went back to Japan and Sebastien Gimbert moved to Supersport, had recently a satisfying test session at the Valencia circuit. It was the opportunity for him and the team to tune the Kayaba suspensions that will be used this year on his new Yamaha YZF R1.

The Team YZF Yamaha (formerly known as Team Yamaha Motor France) is managed by Martial Garcia and his company MG Competition. The French squad is also responsible for the development and testing of YEC (Yamaha Engineering Company) customer racing kit parts, available through www.yamaha-racingparts.com.

Martial Garcia (team manager): “For the first two races, we have only one rider, Shinichi Nakatomi. But we hope to be able to find the financial possibilities for a second rider to join our team. There are important negotiations going on right now with two important sponsors.”

Shinichi Nakatomi

The Japanese rider is born on October 30, 1978 in Fukuoka. Champion of Kyushu in the 250cc class in 1996, he wins two years later the 250 Western Japanese title. In 2000, he is All Japan Champion in the 250 category, then finishes third of the Superbike All Japan Championship four years later. For his first World Championship season last year, he ended up 17^th in the final standings, earning points 11 times and with an 8^th position for best result.

The track

The circuit of Losail features 16 bends (10 right, 6 left) and is 5380 m long, 12 m wide. The main straight is 1068 m long. This will be the third time the WSBK championship comes to this circuit, which was opened in July 2004. It was built in about two years at a cost of around $58 million.

December 2006 tests:

1-Bayliss (Ducati) 1’58.1, 2-Corser (Yamaha) 1’58.9, 3-Biaggi (Suzuki) 1’58.9, 4-Toseland (Honda) 1’59.1, 5-Laconi (Kawasaki) 1’59.2, 6-Lanzi (Ducati) 1’59.3, 7-Nieto (Kawasaki) 1’59.5, 8-Haga (Yamaha) 1’59.7, 9-Kagayama (Suzuki) 2’00.1, 10-Rolfo (Honda) 2’01.7

February 11 and 12, 2007, tests:

1-Corser (Yamaha) 1’59.1, 2-Biaggi (Suzuki) 1’59.3, 3-Haga (Yamaha) 1’59.9, 4-Kagayama (Suzuki) 2’00.3