The Yamaha World Superbike team didn’t achieve the results that they had hoped for at the previous round at Misano. Marco Melandri made it to the podium in race 1, but crashed out of race 2. Eugene Laverty also crashed out of second race while running up at the front of the pack. But as the World Superbike series heads into the second half of the season, the Yamaha duo will be pushing hard to finish the season strong.
The Aragon circuit is a new addition to the World Superbike calendar this year. The World Superbike riders haven’t raced at the Spanish circuit for three years, but the Yamaha duo got to test at the track just last month.
Despite the recent testing session, Marco Melandri is looking at this weekend’s race with a skeptical eye.
"I really like the track. It's fast flowing and rides very well,” Melandri said. “I'm glad we had the chance to test there last month but the conditions were't ideal. The track was cooler than usual for the time of year and there seemed to be traces of rubber, so it wasn't as fast as it should be and I'm not sure what to expect now.
“I was in Aragon last year with MotoGP but the track layout they use is also a little different. After the difficulties I experienced in Misano I'm not really sure what awaits me in Aragon. I'll do my best and hope to be in the condition to perform to my potential."
Eugene Laverty, on the other hand, is looking at Aragon as an opportunity to bounce back from Misano.
“I'm really looking forward to Aragon,” Laverty said. “We tested there after Monza and it went pretty well. It's a new track most riders haven't raced before so hopefully this will be an advantage for us. I had a tough weekend in Misano but I intend bouncing back in Aragon, pushing forward to try and gather more valuable points for the championship."
Melandri and Laverty are currently in third and fourth behind Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi. At this time, it doesn’t look like anyone will be able to catch Checa, but with 7 events left in the 2011 World Superbike season, anything could happen.
