Troy Corser has set himself a twin target going into the final round of the World Superbike championship at Magny Cours, France, this weekend.
The Australian’s main aim, along with team-mate James Haydon, is to secure enough points to lift PETRONAS ahead of Kawasaki into third place in the manufacturer’s standings at the end of their debut season in the championship.
But Troy has also set his personal sights on climbing into the top ten of the rider standings. With just 20 points separating four riders, a storming finale could lift the former world champion up into eighth place. And, having unofficially been the fastest rider when World Superbike teams tested at Magny-Cours for the first time recently, Troy is full of optimism.
He said: “I’ll be aiming for the top five and would like to think I could even pull a podium! But fifth or sixth place would be like a win for us really, as we would only be behind factory bikes. Hopefully, if we can score some good points, PETRONAS can finish third in the manufacturers championship, ahead of Kawasaki. And I am just eight points behind tenth place in the rider standings, Lucio Pedercini, so it would be nice to finish in the top ten.”
Team owner Carl Fogarty said: “Troy was very impressive in our recent test and was even faster than the factory Ducati riders. And, for the first time this season, we are racing at a circuit where we have as much set-up data as any of the other teams. So we are very hopeful of finishing our first season on a positive note.”
James said: “It was nice to do a few laps at the test and we found a good tyre for dry conditions, although we struggled in the damp. It’s the final round of the year so it would be nice to go out on an upbeat note.”
Manufacturer standings: 1 Ducati 550; 2 Suzuki 280; 3 Kawasaki 117; 4 PETRONAS 110; 5 Yamaha 63; 6 Honda 25
Rider standings: 1 Hodgson 464; 2 Xaus 341; 3 Laconi 257; 4 Toseland 240; 5 Lavilla 230; 6 Walker 202; 7 Chili 197; 8 Martin 119; 9 Borciani 109; 10 Pedercini 107; 11 Corser 99; 12 Sanchini 96; 26 Haydon 12