After a dismal season racing a Red Bull sponsored Yamaha in Grand Prix, Aprilia sources say that Nori Haga has now signed a letter of intent to ride the Aprilia Superbike next season in World Superbike.

Haga was an exciting personality in World Superbike and frequent race winner. He finished second in the championship in 1999, a season fraught by news that Haga had failed a drug test early in the season. Ultimately, Yamaha and Haga pulled out of the series over the situation.

Although he returns now to a championship series he knows well and is accepted in, in the final retrospect it's debatable which season will have meant more in terms of change for Haga, 2000 or 2001. Haga went from a stealthy R7 Superbike on Dunlop tires to a Michelin-shod YZR500 in 1999/2000 and met with little success. Now he makes perhaps as big a jump-to a V-twin powered Superbike on Dunlop tires.

Haga fans come in all shapes, sizes and with appropriate face painting.

Haga has never ridden a (World Superbike spec)Twin, and if the way in which Peter Goddard, Troy Corser and Regis Laconi ride the Aprilia Superbike is any indication of how it should be ridden successfully, Haga's loose and aggressive riding style will be of little use to him on the Italian bike. Corser, Goddard and last-race winner Laconi have been successful on the Aprilia by being very smooth and very precise on the machine.

Can Haga ride like Troy? Assuredly. Can he do that and still win races? Or, can the Aprilia be ridden in ways in which those three did not explore?

Then, there is example of Ben Bostrom on the L&M Ducati, a machine (Ducati) most ride with the smooth and precise fashion, yet Bostrom--on Dunlops--rides with much dirt-track inspired aggression.

Perhaps the question is, can Haga ride like Ben? We shall soon see.