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Preview: Superbike World Championship - Assen, Holland, September 3, 2000. Round 11 of16 round series

The Superbike World Championship enters its closing stages with round 11 of the 13 round series taking place at the magnificent 6.049km Assen circuit in Holland on Sunday September 3.

The championship is nicely poised to deliver another exciting finale in the classic Superbike manner. Texan Castrol Honda rider Colin Edwards leads the series but has seen his massive points lead cut by half in recent races and he will need to return to his best from at Assen to on course to win his first world championship title. He is now just 24 points clear of second placed Troy Corser with three rounds remaining in the series.

Edwards said. "I'm ready for Assen and I've had a great break following the Brands hatch round but, more importantly, following a tough few months in the middle of the season. All the testing for the Suzuka 8 Hours really took its toll on me and by the time I got to Brands Hatch I was still tired but relieved to be able to concentrate on winning the World Superbike Championship."

"Assen is a circuit I really like and one I know I can do better than in previous years. I'm really looking forward to getting the Honda VTR going around Assen, I think it's a circuit which will really suit the new twin." Concluded Texan Edwards.

The Texan has never stood on the Assen podium. Edwards has taken three fifth place finishes and one fourth place from his last four races at the Dutch circuit.

By contrast his team-mate, New Zealander Slight, has a string of top-three finishes at Assen, no less than seven in his in his eight visits to the circuit.

"I've been chasing a rostrum finish since I cam back from the brain operation and I'm very optimistic that Assen can provide it." Slight said. "Having ridden the Honda RC45 there in past years I'm confident the new Castrol VTR will be the machine to do the job around Assen. The track has some fantastic corners and it's a really flowing track if you can get the perfect lap together. I wouldn't be surprised to see the lap record go this year and I hope it's me getting it."

Edwards' tongue in cheek assessment of V-twin success at Assen could not have been more accurate - V-twins have won 15 of the 16 World Superbike Championship races held at Assen. The one race that fell to a four-cylinder machine was won by John Kocinski and the RC45 Castrol Honda in 1997.

Twelve of the Assen Superbike races have been won by reigning World Champion Carl Fogarty (Ducati). The Champion will not be at Assen as his season ended when he was taken out in a collision with a lapped rider during the second round of the series badly injuring his arm.

The man who has consistently ran closest to Fogarty at Assen in recent years, Pierfrancesco Chili, will be favoured to take advantage in the absence of the World Champion. Chili has four Assen Superbike podium places to his credit, including a win over Fogarty while racing for Ducati in 1997. Last season he took his Suzuki to fourth and fifth places respectively in the two races.

Chili will be tough to beat on Sunday. Superbike success apart the former grand prix rider won the 250cc grand prix at Assen in both 1991 and 1992, while racing for Aprilia.

Australian Troy Corser is another who has raced in the immediate shadow of Fogarty at Assen. Corser chased Fogarty home in both races last season after finishing third in both races in 1998, while racing a factory Ducati. Now with Aprilia he is in even better form. Corser holds second place in the series following his five wins and a string of high scoring finishes. He will certainly start the favourite of many to win on Sunday.

The man attracting the most attention at the moment is another Australian - Troy Bayliss, the man drafted in to replace the injured Fogarty. Bayliss has two wins and four other podium finishes to his credit from his late start to the season, enough to give him sixth place in the points standings. Bayliss has no Assen experience to call upon and this will hamper his performance on the long track, difficult and demanding circuit.

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) holds third place in the point's standings and will hope Assen delivers more for him than on his previous visits. In four races Haga has been eighth three times and seventh once. Haga's performances this season have been a real revelation when measured against performances over the last two seasons. If he continues his good form at Assen he will threaten Corser and Edwards at the top of the points table.

However, on October 12, just three days before the final race in the series, Haga has to face a tribunal investigating his use of an illegal substance. If found guilty he could be banned from racing for a considerable time which would end any hopes the Japanese rider may have harboured of championship success.

The winners are almost certain to be among the men already mentioned. If an outsider is to spring a surprise it will be Akira Yanagawa (Kawasaki). Yanagawa is riding at his best and has ample experience of the circuit. His best result at Assen was a fourth place in race two last year. A podium place is not beyond him on Sunday.

Castrol Honda team Manager Neil Tuxworth was in optimistic mood as he assessed his teams potential for the Assen races..

Tuxworth said. "I'm hoping Colin can rid himself of a little of the bad luck he's had in the last couple of rounds and get going again with a win. To win the title in the first year with the VTR would be a great achievement and I know it's something HRC are now working very hard towards. Aaron is always strong at Assen so we expect a good result from him."

Supersport World Championship - round 9 of 11 round series.

On form Riba aims for Assen Supersport success

The Castrol Honda Supersport World Championship line-up features a new face at Assen. Chris Vermeulen will race alongside Pere Riba on the Castrol Honda CBR600. He replaces the injury plagued Shinya Takeishi who has returned to Japan to rebuild his fitness in time for the 2001 season.

Australian Vermeulen makes his debut in the team following a string of solid results in the British Championship. Still just 19-years old Vermeulen, from Brisbane, formerly a very successful dirt track racer, finished eighth in the Australian Superbike Championship in 1999, winning the privateer championship on the way.

"This is a great opportunity for me and I can't wait to get going," said Vermeulen. "It's an honour to be part of a great team like Castrol Honda and I'm really looking forward to getting to grips with the Castrol Honda CBR600. I'm hoping I can come to terms with the Assen circuit as quickly as possible."

Team-mate Pere Riba, sixth at Assen last season, has been in the best form of his Honda career in recent weeks and goes to Assen brimful with confidence.

The Spaniard, third and fifth respectively in the last two championship races, said. "The last couple of races have been good for me and the team. The team have been working hard since the Brands Hatch round to get some extra power from the CBR600 and I hope to be even faster on Sunday. We go to Assen in good shape and very confident of a good result - I'd love to predict a win for me but in Supersport you can never be certain of anything!"

Neil Tuxworth said of his Supersport charges. "Pere has really shone in the last two World Supersport rounds so we're hoping he continues that trend on Sunday. If young Chris Vermeulen lives up to expectations then we're sure he will also impress on the CBR600."

The opposition the two Castrol Honda riders' face is formidable indeed. Championship leader Jorg Teuchert (Yamaha) offered his rivals a chance to close the point's gap when he fell at the last round but retained the series lead. He leads the series by seven points from his team-mate Christian Kellner and Paolo Casoli (Ducati).

However, the three men did not shine at Assen in 1999 when the race was won by the Kawasaki of Scotsman Iain MacPherson. The Scot will be favoured to repeat his success as he set a new lap record in the race having started from pole position.

Other possible contenders for the podium places are, reigning Supersport World Champion Stephane Chambon (Suzuki), fifth last year, local hero Wilco Zeelenberg (Yamaha), Ten Kate Honda rider Karl Muggeridge who finished second to Casoli at Brands Hatch, Ruben Xaus (Ducati) and possibly James Whitham (Yamaha).

But, as Riba so rightly said. "In Supersport you can never be certain of anything."