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Stiggy Racing Honda>> Stiggy Team Ready For South-African Round

May 14 2009

World Superbike Championship
Stiggy Racing Honda

Round 06 Kyalami
Thursday, 14th May
Preview

The Stiggy Racing Team has landed in South Africa for the sixth round of the Superbike World Championship in Kyalami, and was greeted by the Management of Honda South Africa, in their Johannesburg headquarters on Wednesday afternoon.
President Yoshiaki Nakamura, a former racer himself, credited the Stiggy Racing team on their successful performances in the Superbike series so far, and was delighted to present the fastest Honda Superbike rider, Stiggy Racing's Leon Haslam, to the staff at his Johannesburg office.

When asked about the successful development of the Stiggy Racing Honda Superbike, Leon Haslam noted that they had started the development on a stock-standard machine only four months ago, but succeeded to turn it into a competitive Superbike that already holds four podium finishes to it's tally after five WSB rounds.

Haslam heads to Kyalami fourth in the championship, after another strong performance in Monza last weekend. Despite qualifying low on the grid, and retiring from the first race due to issues with the electronics of his bike, he pushed hard all weekend and secured a perfect seventh place in the second race.

The competition arrives at Kyalami a step ahead in preparation, as they tested their machines at the track in the official Pirelli test in December last year. But Haslam is no stranger to the track himself, and is confidently looking forward to starting the preparations ahead of Sunday's race. With the bikes crated immediately after the Monza race, the first qualifying sessions on Friday will prove particularly important to find the right set-up for the machines at the technically challenging South African track.
 
Haslam will be flying solo in Kyalami, as team mate John Hopkins is still unfit to compete after the injuries he sustained in Assen, and will not be replaced for the South-African round.
Anthony West, currently fifth in the championship rankings, suffered a disappointing race in Monza, but will mount a fresh charge for the podium this weekend. Team mate Gianluca Vizziello showed improved his performance and took a 14th place home.

Leon Haslam, WSBK:
" We had a bit of a mixed weekend in Monza. I didn't qualify well, but was able to make my forward in the races. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw from the first race in the last laps with a technical problem, but finished the second in seventh. I am looking forward to racing here in Kyalami. I've done some testing here in 2006, but that was before they made some changes to the track and took out the chicane. As soon as the bikes arrive from Monza, we'll start preparing and work towards raceday. Most of the teams have tested here this winter and start with a slight advantage, but I am sure I can join the fight for a good result here this weekend ".

Anthony West, WSS:
" I have put the Monza race behind me, and I'm fully concentrating on the race in South Africa this weekend. We will have to work hard in the qualifying sessions to make the necessary development to our bikes. We are still trying to find some more acceleration in the bikes. I hope this weekend will be a more positive one than the last one, I am going out to set a good result ".

Gianluca Vizziello, WSS:
" I am satisfied with my results in the last race in Monza, it looks like we have finally found the way forward. I hope I can continue the progress. The Kyalami circuit is a new track to me, but I hope I can adapt to the track quickly, and set a good result in the race here this weekend ".

Johan Stigefelt, Teammanager:
" I am looking forward to the next round in South Africa. It will be interesting to see what our bikes can do on this technical track with its differences in elevation. We have never been here before, but the track looks great, and I am confident we can chase some good results for both sides of the garage. After the Monza round, everyone in the team is fired up again and ready to set out for a good performance ".

Stiggy Honda is sponsored by Hotbodies Racing and uses our windscreens on all of their bikes. Hotbodies Racing specializes in manufacturing high-performance parts for high-performance sportbikes, and is the North American distribution of KR Tuned performance parts. Hotbodies Racing is the market leader in Undertails, Huggers, Windscreens, Flush-Mount Signals, Megaphone Exhausts and full-race Bodywork. Hotbodies Racing supports the sport with sponsorship around the world and encourages dealer and distributor inquiries. For more information visit: www.HOTBODIESRACING.com.