World Superbike Monza: Pre-Race (updated regularly)

Andrzej Chmielewski

The upcoming weekend sees Andrzej Chmielewski taking part in round three of the European Superstock 600 Championship at the world famous, Italian circuit of Monza.

The historical track, most famous for hosting Formula 1 races, was the venue of the Italian Championship last weekend with Chmielewski in attendance in the Supersport class. Despite riding his lesser-spec Superstock machine, double Polish champion managed to come home in twentieth position amongst thirty one finishers.

During the two qualifying sessions Chmielewski was easily in the top thirty, with more than forty riders making in into the Sunday finale. A result that might not look ground breaking on paper, is still solid and satisfying nonetheless for the Polish rider bearing in mind the specification of his Yamaha and missing the first practice session.

19-year-old rider, ninth in the European Superstock 600 series after two top ten finishes at Valencia and Assen, makes his return to the championship he contested in 2005-2006 after two successful seasons in the Poland. His previous best at Monza was tenth on the grid and eight at the flag in 2005.

With precious experience from last weekend, Chmielewski approaches round three of the European Superstock 600 series with high hopes, gunning for glory on home turf for his Italian team, Trasimeno Yamaha. Sponsored by OtoMoto.pl, the Polish rider is expecting to figure amongst the front runners.

After a disappointing weekend at Assen, race one winner, Danilo Petrucci is keen to retake the series lead with a victory in front of his home fans at Monza. Everything looks set for a terrific weekend for the Trasimeno squad, founded and ran by Moreno Bacchini and Flavio Egidi.

Weekend starts with Friday’s first free practice before Saturday’s second timing run and then the qualifying session, each of thirty minutes. Sunday’s eight lap race will start at 2:30PM. With World Superbike, World Supersport and Superstock 1000 Cup riders also in attendance this weekend, Monza is set for another classic.

Andrzej Chmielewski
“I’ve raced a Superstock bike in the Supersport class in the CIV championship last weekend and couldn’t fight for the top positions.  I’m very pleased  with my lap times though as my pace was a second quicker comparing with the tests we’ve done here in March. I know the Monza circuit very well and really like the layout so I’m expecting a solid weekend and an improvement from  my ninth position from the first two races of the season. It will be an important race for the whole team so we will do our best!”

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Yamaha World SBK

The World Superbike Championship is gearing up for round five this weekend at the legendary circuit of Monza in Italy. Fresh from an adrenalin packed race weekend in Assen, the Yamaha World Superbike Team are ready for what is their home race. The Monza circuit, built in 1922 is now the oldest European circuit to still be used regularly and is steeped in tradition. There are sure to be a huge number of Yamaha supporters out in force at the weekend as the Team’s workshop is very close to the north corners of the track at Gerno di Lesmo.

Whilst Monza is another new circuit for the Yamaha pair in race terms, they have had the opportunity to test here recently so will start the weekend with a much needed base set-up already in place and some understanding of the track layout. Ben Spies comes to Monza still second in the championship on 120 points, chasing leader Noriyuki Haga with a 60 point deficit and looking to close the gap. Team-mate Tom Sykes arrives at the Italian circuit in confident mood having consistently improved over the season and taken good points away from both races at Assen. As the British rider gets more familiar with the new 2009 R1, podium finishes are looking inevitable. He currently sits sixth in the standings on 70 points, leading Max Biaggi by 15 points.

Spies is philosophical following a mix weekend’s action at Assen, “Assen was a really mixed bag,” he stated. “During the first race I didn’t have the same feeling I’d had all weekend on the bike and had to ride really hard through it. The second race felt really good but I made a small mistake, I barely touched the grass going in to turn one and lost it. Now we’re moving on to Monza and I’m going to ride as hard as I can as always. There will be a lot of family and friends there so I’m going to give it everything I’ve got and still try to have some fun. We’ve made a couple of mistakes this year in the championship but it’s still there for the taking, just a bit further off. Hopefully both Tom and I will have a good weekend and we can fight with Nori for some points. The circuit is awesome, having tested here I can see why it’s so special so I’m really excited about turning the wheels on race day and really experiencing it.”

Team-mate Tom Sykes was happy to have finally tried the classic Assen circuit. “I very much enjoyed Assen, I had wanted to race there for a long time so it was great to finally do it. I was fairly happy with the race weekend apart from the second race where I had a bad start and left myself a lot to do. Still, I’m looking forward to Monza, overall I’m feeling confident. We’ve learnt a lot recently so moving forward I think we can do well. When we tested at Monza recently I was able to run very consistent times so I think we’re on the pace for it. We’ve got a couple of changes in mind for the bike and we’ll be on for good result. It’s going to be a really exciting race as there are half a dozen riders able to do similar lap times there so it’ll be good for great battle!”

Technically speaking – Monza according to Tom Houseworth (Crew chief for Ben Spies)
“Monza is one of the tracks where we have a couple days of testing under our belt so it’s a more familiar circuit to some of the others so far. The time we had there was very important as now we have what we think is a good base set up to start the weekend on our Yamaha R1. Gearing, which is critical on the circuit, should be very close and geometry and overall setup should be in the ballpark according to our data and the lap times Ben ran at the test.
The track is quite a bit different than the last round at Assen, with long straights and chicanes connecting them although surprisingly the settings are not that far from the Assen settings with just some tweaks here and there. To race well here stability on the brakes is very important as well as having the bike transition well. It should make for interesting racing as the ability to draft on the straights may allow quite a few guys to swap the lead in the race.

In terms of setting up in practice we’re going to try doing things just a bit differently this time, both bikes will start with the same basic setup and we’ll try both and see if there is any difference. If we are close on the settings we’ll chose the bike Ben is most comfortable on and fine tune from there. We are hopeful everything is close and the feeling is there so we can start looking at race rubber early and be able to adjust for track temp and conditions. Once this looks good we’ll do any fine tuning with the traction control and be ready for Sunday. Of course we want to be near the front; we’ll see how it goes! It should be a fun weekend as it’s the home race for the team and almost everyone will have friends and family there as well.”

Across the water in the UK, Leon Camier is continuing to uphold the dominance of the new 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1, taking a resounding double victory at the last British Superbike round, a championship that shares the same technical regulations as World Superbike.

Yamaha World Supersport Team set-up for Monza
Both Yamaha World Supersport riders showed they have the pace to be at the front in Assen two weeks ago, and are determined to show more of the breathtaking speed at Monza this weekend. The classic Italian circuit is well suited to the Yamaha YZF-R6 with its dominating turn of speed. French rider Foret won here on his last outing so will be looking to prove to his team-mate that he’s not the only one who can win races. Although he’s never ridden at Monza Crutchlow has proved to be undaunted by new circuits so is expected to get on the pace quickly and adapt to the circuit with no problems.

Crutchlow comes to Monza having extended his World Supersport Championship lead in Assen to six points over second placed Laverty whilst Foret sits in seventh position on 28 points, one ahead of Lascorz.

“It was really disappointing not to have won at Assen,” commented Crutchlow. “I’m really hoping to make amends at Monza. I’ve never been to the circuit before but have watched it on TV for years and have always wanted to come here. I’m confident we can pick up some track experience during the first session on Friday and set ourselves up to do a good job over the weekend. I’m taking it as it comes and looking to finish the weekend on the podium again as that will be a benefit for us.”

“Assen was great for me,” said Foret. “I really got my confidence back and enjoyed fighting at the front for the points, I was just disappointed not to finish on the podium. I’m really looking forward to Monza, I had a fantastic race there last year and love riding on the circuit. I’m hoping for lots of sunshine and a podium finish on Sunday!”

Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager
“Leaving Assen with a 2nd and a 4th, 6 points ahead in the championship was great. Both Fabien and Cal rode very well and we clearly saw our bike was quick. Fabien won last year in Monza, it’s a track he likes and it suits him so he should perform well there. Whilst Cal has never raced or ridden on the circuit before, Monza is not too difficult to learn so I think he should do well. I believe we have the bike that everyone wants for the Monza circuit. It’s the combination of top speed, especially in 5th and 6th gear, combined with the fact our engine is one of the strongest in paddock. There are obviously other considerations to winning a race but a strong engine means you can lead the race and make up a lot of ground at Monza because you spend approximately 50% of the track at full throttle, compared to others where its maybe 25% or so. From Qatar we’ve had a really good base set-up so the bike doesn’t change much between circuits now, this means the guys get used to it quicker and can focus on the track conditions at the weekend.”

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World SBK

The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, deep in the heart of the splendid Monza parkland, is gearing up for this coming weekend’s fifth round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship. This classic high-speed appointment has been part of Superbike since 1990 and this year arrives at its 18th edition. With a lap of 5.793 km Monza is the longest circuit on the calendar and its long straights, wide curves and fast chicanes all help to exalt the power of the bikes, which remain at full throttle for over 50% of the lap. Monza has been the scene for many epic slip-streaming battles in the past, and the winners include all the top names in Superbike racing. The most successful rider of all time at Monza is Troy Bayliss, with six wins to his name, followed by a trio on 4 made up of Pierfrancesco Chili, Carl Fogarty and Fabrizio Pirovano. Amongst current SBK riders, the most successful is Noriyuki Haga on 3, followed by Regis Laconi on 2 and Max Neukirchner on 1. In the manufacturers ranking, Ducati leads the way with 17 wins, followed by Yamaha (7), Honda (6), Suzuki (3) and Kawasaki (1).

DUCATI-YAMAHA BATTLE CONTINUES – In the last two seasons, Noriyuki Haga has won three of the four races held at Monza, but he did so on a Yamaha, which this year is now in the hands of Ben Spies. The two riders have so far dominated the championship, sharing the wins between them (4 apiece) with the points difference coming from Spies’ three zeros. The Monza round offers the Texan a chance to partly reduce the 60-point gap to Haga, but the Japanese rider will also be galvanized by the fact that Ducati have not won at Monza since 2006 and he will be aiming to interrupt that negative sequence.

NEUKIRCHNER ONE YEAR ON – Last year the battle between Haga and Neukirchner set the Monza public alight; the German took his first-ever SBK win by 0.058 seconds in race 1 and Haga then took revenge in race 2 by 0.009 seconds! This year Neukirchner and Suzuki have had a mixed start to the season but the Monza circuit could be the best opportunity so far to show off the power of the Japanese four-cylinder machine and to record Suzuki’s first win of the year.

LOOSE CANNONS – And neither has Honda Europe’s flagship team, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda with its power trio of riders, Carlos Checa, Jonathan Rea and Ryuichi Kiyonari, had a particularly positive start to the season. But like Suzuki, the Monza track has often been a prestigious showcase for the squad, as demonstrated by Kiyonari’s form and third place finish in race 2 last year. Sheer engine power has always been a trademark of the Dutch team, which will be attempting to redress the balance. Luckily for Honda, Stiggy Racing’s Leon Haslam is producing some great results and the British rider could again emerge as a contender for the podium, if not outright victory. Haslam will be flanked in the Swedish team by American Jake Zemke, who will step in for the injured John Hopkins for the Monza round.

ITALIANS AT HOME – On their home track Italian riders and manufacturers will also be searching for their slice of glory and expectation is especially high to see how well the Aprilia RSV4 will go on such a fast circuit. In the races so far the four-cylinder machine from Noale has demonstrated top speed on a par with its rivals and it could come to the fore on a track where slipstreaming plays such a vital role. On the rider front both Max Biaggi and Michel Fabrizio will be trying to score a first win for an Italian at Monza since Pierfrancesco Chili in 2000. Biaggi is still dealing with the Aprilia RSV4’s teething problems, but the potential is there, while Fabrizio is still looking to make that jump in quality that will take him from being a podium finisher to a race winner.

BMW FAST TRACK – The opening rounds showed that BMW Motorrad are finding it difficult to make their S 1000 RR machine competitive on technical circuits, but Monza will be an ideal opportunity to get the new bike closer to the front-runners. Troy Corser, a previous winner here in 2005, and Ruben Xaus know the track like the back of their hands and their experience will be vital in the team’s attempts to obtain some good results, especially in view of the second half of the season.

SUPERSPORT – A healthy balance continues to reign in World Supersport, with exciting racing and a good dose of old-fashioned ‘aggression’ helping to evoke the golden days of the category when the ‘wild bunch’ fought for the win at every race. Monza is looking to provide more of the same, because the power of the various Supersport machines and the track layout make it difficult for anyone to pull out a commanding lead. In a championship in which the top 3 – Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport), Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) – are separated by nine points, the Monza round could shuffle the cards considerably seeing as there are numerous other contenders for victory. Starting with reigning champion Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda), Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport) and Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Provec), one of the most interesting youngsters around in Supersport. These could be joined by Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini), the most competitive Italian at the moment. Pirro won the domestic championship CIV race at Monza on Sunday and has fully recovered from his crash at Assen.

SUPERSTOCK – The third round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup will probably be another private affair between Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda), Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) and Claudio Corti (Suzuki Alstare), the three main contenders, with Frenchmen Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Yamaha) and Loris Baz (MRS Yamaha), as well as Italian Davide Giugliano (MV Agusta) aiming to get a look in. In the European Superstock 600 encounter, Danilo Petrucci and his Yamaha Italia team-mate Marco Bussolotti are the favourites for the win, both looking to make up for their errors at Assen. Their chief rivals will be the points leader Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda), Joey Litjens (VD Heyden Yamaha), Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha) and Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Yamaha).

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Stiggy Racing

After a successful performance on one side of the garage in Assen last weekend – where Leon Haslam claimed his first double podium for the team – and the loss of John Hopkins to injury after a dramatic crash on the other side, the Stiggy Racing Honda team are now getting ready for the first Italian round of the World Superbike Championship in Monza, this weekend.

Leon Haslam showed grit and determination throughout the qualifying sessions in Assen by claiming a front row start, and followed up his superb performance with a third place in race one, and a second place in race two. Haslam will be eager to extend his growing momentum and fight for another great result in the Monza races.

Haslam will find a new team-mate in American Jake Zemke, who will replace the injured John Hopkins for the Monza round. Zemke successfully participates in the AMA Formula Extreme Championship – where he took the title in 2008 – and will make his first appearance on the WSB stage with the Stiggy Racing Honda team in Monza.

On the Supersport side of the garage, Anthony West is equally motivated to settle for his loss in Assen, after issues with the acceleration of his bike and a run off-track made him finish the last race in seventh place. His crew has made some improvements to his bike, and the Australian will mount a fresh charge for a top position on the fast Italian track this weekend.

Gianluca Vizziello struggled to find some flow throughout the weekend in Assen, and had to withdraw from the race early. He is expected to step up again and get within a top position in the race in his home country.

Leon Haslam, WSBK:
” I’m really looking forward to the Monza round, especially after setting such a good result at Assen. I think it might be a little bit more difficult this time because of the fast nature of the track and the fact that most of the top teams have tested in Monza before the race, but I like a challenge and I hope we can have a similar result if not better “.

Jake Zemke, WSBK:
” I am extremely excited to race for the Stiggy Racing Honda team this weekend. They have a first rate team and have had some excellent results. I would like to wish Hopper a quick recovery and thank him and the team for the opportunity to make my first World Superbike start. I also have to thank my current team, Erion Honda and my sponsors for their support.

The WSBK Championship is the most competitive championship there is, and making my start in the series is the next step in my career. I have been succesful racing on America, but am really looking forward to joining the World Superbike paddock. The field is very fast and deep. The Monza track has a deep history of racing, and I know how passionate the Italian people are about racing. I know the odds will be against us, learning a new bike, new track, new tires, but I will give it my all at Monza for the Stiggy Racing Honda team “.

Anthony West, WSS:
” I was struggling throughout the weekend in Assen with some small issues and mistakes I made in qualifying. I had set my goal on winning the race, after coming so close to it in Valencia. I still lack some corner exit speed, which held me back from catching up with the front group in Assen. The team has been working hard on making some technical improvements to my bike, and I will be testing some new parts in Monza as well. Hopefully, this will give me what I need so I can fight for a top position in Monza again.

Gianluca Vizziello, WSS:
” I had a very unlucky race in Assen last week and I am aiming for better results for my home round. My crew has made some improvements to the bike after I had some issues with the front in the last race. I hope I can repay their hard work by finishing the race in a good position”.

Johan Stigefelt, Teammanager:
” We will not have John on our bike for the next two races, so we had to look for a replacement rider that will fit our team and structure. I know that Jake (Zemke) has been trying for a while to get a decent chance to come to Europe and race within the Superbike World Championship, and I am very happy that we can be the team to provide him that chance.

It is a tough championship, and it will not be easy to jump straight into the action at a track you have never been on before, but Jake has a lot of experience and knows the Honda bikes very well. Our team has a lot to offer him and I think we will be able to get him on the pace quickly “.

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Suzuki Alstare/Brux

Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Max Neukirchner won his first ever WSBK race at Monza last year and is hoping that history will repeat itself this coming Sunday at the 5.793 kilometre circuit for round five of the 2009 series.

His win in the first race was the first by a German rider in the 21-year history of the series and was followed by runner-up spot in race two.

Team mate Yukio Kagayama had a mixed day last year, taking fourth in race one and a DNF in race two, so is hoping for an improvement this time round.

Max Neukirchner:
“Last year was a wonderful occasion for me and I will never forget my first win in World Superbikes. They always say that the first win is the hardest and really I should have got it in Valencia when I was on the way to victory when I go knocked off within sight of the chequered flag. It’s important to have a fast bike at Monza and know how to play the slipstreaming game. It’s easy to be at the front of the pack and lose out on the draft and get beaten to the flag, so it’s something you have to watch out for. I like fast tracks and I think our bike will be well-suited to Monza. For sure, my intention is to finish on the podium in both races and if I can repeat my win of last year, I would be very happy.”

Yukio Kagayama:
“My season has been a bit up and down and this does not make me so happy so far. I have a good bike and know my results should be a lot better. Sometimes the bike is not so easy because some little changes can produce big effects – and not always in the right direction. But my job is to race, so I and the team have to find ways of making the bike work better so that I can challenge for the podium again. This is what I want, and I will do my best to try and achieve it.”

2008 results:
Race 1: 1 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 4 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare), 5 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare).

Race 2: 1 Haga, 2 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 3 Kiyonari (J-Honda), 4 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare). Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) DNF.

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Ducati Xerox

Monza (Italy), Monday 4th May: eight of the 2009 World Superbike season’s twenty-eight races have already been run and Ducati Xerox rider Noriyuki Haga has powered his Ducati 1198 machine as far as the podium in 100% of the races held so far, winning four of them and finishing second in the rest. Next stop Monza, the first of three “home” rounds for the Italian factory squad and their riders, particularly for Noriyuki who resides in Milan.

Noriyuki has led this season’s championship right from the opening round and now holds a 60-point advantage over the chasing pack while Michel’s strong results at Valencia and Assen mean that he maintains his fourth place on the leader board. At this stage last year, heading into fifth round Monza, Noriyuki and Michel found themselves in sixth and thirteenth place respectively in the classification, so for both riders the situation at this point is already much improved with respect to 2008. At the latest round, held two weeks ago in Assen, Noriyuki took his fourth win of the season and a second place while Michel boosted his points total by finishing the two races in ninth and fourth position.

Last month the Ducati Xerox factory squad completed a successful two-day test session at Monza’s Autodromo Nazionale and thus hopes that the work carried out during those days will come to fruition this weekend.

For Noriyuki the event is as close to a “home” race as he gets as, although there is no Japanese round, he has been a resident of Milan for several years, meaning that support for Nitro-Nori, and his Italian team-mate Michel, will definitely not be in short supply.

It is interesting to note that the track has, historically, been extremely kind to the Ducati factory squad, with riders Carl Fogarty, Neil Hodgson, Régis Laconi and Troy Bayliss having tallied up six double wins between them since 1999.

In his role as Ducati ambassador, reigning Superbike World Champion Troy Bayliss will also be present at the track this weekend to support both Noriyuki and Michel and meet with the countless Ducatisti who, in turn, can benefit this year from a dedicated Ducati grandstand, “Ducati Village” and bike park.

Noriyuki Haga (1st in championship, 180 points)

Nori’s recent results at Monza have been outstanding with three wins and a second place finish in the last four races held here in 2008 and 2007, a similar result this year would certainly boost his points advantage.

“We did some testing at Monza recently and it was my first chance to rider the 1198 there. Although we had a few problems, I know these will be resolved for the race weekend. I am already really excited about the Monza race. I am not thinking about the possibility of winning the championship, I just think about each race, taking one weekend at a time. Of course at Monza I hope to win again, especially because it is my home circuit!”

Haga’s Superbike form at Monza:
2008: Race 1 – 2nd, Race 2 – winner
2007: Race 1 – winner, Race 2 – winner
2006: Race 1 – 4th, Race 2 – 3rd
2005: Race 1 – 11th, Race 2 – 9th
2004: Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – DNF
2002: Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 3rd
2000: Race 1 – DNF , Race 2 – 5th
Michel Fabrizio (4th in championship, 80 points)

Michel won the Superstock 1000 round here in 2003, the year he went on to take the title in that category, but has not been back on the podium since.

“I am in a hopeful mood ahead of Monza, the first of three “home” races so I want to do well of course. We’ve done some testing there and the results of those tests were very positive. The tyres that Pirelli provided us with performed well and we hope this is the case during the race weekend too. A year ago I finished Race 2 here in fifth place, let’s say that this time around I hope to dramatically improve on that result in front of the Italian fans.”

Fabrizio’s Superbike form at Monza:
2008: Race 1 – 9th, Race 2 – 5th
2007: Race 1 – 8th, Race 2 – 11th
2006: Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 14th

CIRCUIT DATA:

Name: Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Country: Italy
Circuit length: 5.793 km
Pole position: Left
Corners left: 5
Corners right: 8
Length of race: 18 laps = 104.274 km

LAP RECORDS: Best lap – Haga (Yamaha) 1′45.882 (2008). Superpole – Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1′44.931 (2008).

2008 RESULTS: Race 1 – 1. Neukirchner (Suzuki); 2. Haga (Yamaha); 3. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) Race 2 – 1. Haga (Yamaha); 2. Neukirchner (Suzuki); 3. Kiyonari (Honda)

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Paul Bird Motorsports

The historic high-speed circuit of Monza is the venue for the fifth round of the 2009 World Superbike Championship next weekend and Paul Bird Motorsport Team riders Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada are hopeful of a good result following disappointment in the previous round.

Aussie Parkes missed the Dutch round at Assen after a testing accident in the UK sidelined him with an injured shoulder and Japanese rider Tamada couldn’t add to his points tally either so both are keen to get the
www.supercasino.com, Vent Axia and Kick Energy-backed Kawasaki ZX-10Rs as high up the leaderboard as possible at the iconic Italian track just outside Milan.

27-year-old Parkes enjoyed a visit to the podium last year when racing in World Supersport so is hopeful his injuries have healed sufficiently to allow him to be challenging for points but 32-year-old Tamada failed to see the finish on both occasions in last year’s races, retiring on the last lap in race two after crashing out of race one with just two laps.

Broc Parkes: “I had the displacement operation to remove the gap between the collarbone and the shoulder over a week ago and I’m recovering well. I’m still pretty sore all over but I was lucky to not break anything and to have this time in between races to recover. I’ve just started training again and although I’m not 100% fit at the moment, I have another week to recover and I’ve come a long way so I’m confident I’ll be lined up on the grid at Monza and will do my best.”

Makoto Tamada: “I had a disappointing and frustrating race at Assen so I’m happy to put this behind me and give it my best shot next weekend. Monza is one of my favourite tracks and we are also expecting new parts, and if all goes to plan and things work out the way I hope, I should have no trouble having a good result and getting closer to the front.”