Today sees the World Superbike Campionship roll into Losail, Qatar for this season’s series opener. Here’s what the main protagonists reckon to the coming months:
Carlos Checa: "I am very excited to start the new season and face the new challenges ahead of me. I have already completed a successful test here in Qatar on the 2007 machines and know the track well from the MotoGP races I have done here. It will be different on the new CBR1000RR Superbike but I am happy with the performance of the bike and the progress we have made so far. There is still a lot of development to be done but I am
confident we can be competitive."

Ryuichi Kiyonari: "I am a little bit nervous because it will be my first time in the WSB championship. I know the track well as we did a test here last November on the old machines. My new team feels like a family to me, which helps me out a lot. I still have a long season ahead of me, but I am very much looking forward to starting for real on Thursday. The qualifying practice that afternoon will tell me were I stand within the whole field of competition."

Kenan Sofuoglu: "It’s going to be an exciting weekend for me as it will be my first race in World Superbike competition. It’s a dream come true for me to participate in the World Superbike competition this year. When I was younger I used to watch the races on television and saw Bayliss, Haga and so on compete; now I will be riding with them. For sure the start will be difficult for me as I am still getting used to riding the new CBR1000RR, but I have set myself a big goal and I’m ready to achieve it."

Troy Bayliss: "I hope that staying here to train between testing and this weekend’s races has been beneficial. I’ve been going to the gym, cycling and generally doing everything I can to be ready for the first round. We’re finally under way today, starting with the FGSport press event this morning, and now I feel like we’re back in race mode. I’m looking forward to getting on track, although I hope the strong winds that we have here today calm down for the next couple of days. We’ll see how we go tomorrow and hopefully improve on our performance each day. We’ve had a bit of a tough time at this track in the past so hopefully that wont be the case this year."

Michel Fabrizio: "I’m ready to get going and take the bike out on track. The championship officially starts tomorrow so we will see how we go but I can say we’re at a good starting place. I was happy with the way we progressed last week when we tested here and so we start from that point tomorrow. I’m just hoping the wind dies down a bit as it will be very difficult to race if it stays this way."

Yukio Kagayama: "Last season was one to forget and I am determined not to have so many hurtful crashes. The winter tests have gone well and now it’s time to see how well we will stack up against our competitors in a race situation. I think that the competition will be even harder then last year, but I am excited about the prospect of lots of tough racing because this is what I enjoy!"

Fonsi Nieto: "It took a while to get used to the Alstare Suzuki GSX-R, but every time I rode the bike I became more and more comfortable with it. Testing is one thing, but now it’s time to see how we go in a race. There are so many different factors in a race compared to testing and it’s going to be very interesting for sure. Of course, this year is going to be very hard because the series has become stronger and there are many good riders and bikes out there, but I am looking forward to the challenge."

Max Neukirchner: "My new experience started with the winter tests, but I feel I know the team and mechanics now and we are working together really well. The Suzuki I rode last season was nothing like the Alstare Suzuki, so there has been lots to learn. But I am so happy to get this chance with a team like Alstare Suzuki and I am determined to give it everything I have. There are so many good riders this year, but I think I can get some good results and have some fun at the same time."
Ruben Xaus: “We did and excellent job here in Qatar two weeks ago therefore I’m pretty confident about our performance at the first round. I aim at improving the last year result thanks to my excellent feeling with the motorbike.”

Max Biaggi: “I start the season with the same target ever: the victory. I’ve never saved my strength and I’m going to work hard in order to give big satisfactions to my supporters. The season is bound to be a great battle but I trust to have the right conditions to go fast since the first round."
Noriyuki Haga: "We will have 30 individual races this year and many good riders have now entered the World Superbike series, including six Japanese! I’m looking forward to a good battle with all of them. I think World Superbike will be more exciting than MotoGP this year, so people should come along to their local race to see the close battles. I feel that the performance of all the riders and teams will improve a great deal so the biggest threat is difficult to see right now. We must see more of the competition first."

Troy Corser: "I know Yamaha has been working hard over the winter and after the last couple of days of testing, we will really be ready to go. I think it’s going to be a tough championship but I haven’t been looking at the other riders too much at this stage.”

Gregorio Lavilla: "I am looking forward to the challenge and am very excited to be back in World Superbikes. We still have lots to learn - many new circuits and the new tyres - and also racing a four-cylinder bike after three years on a twin. I know it will be tough. Also, there are at least fifteen factory-supported riders out there, all of whom will be very fast. So we have to be realistic about our chances, especially early in the season. I feel that I have been riding well in testing and will be trying my best as always."