From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

World Supersport Championship 2004 – Round 5
Oschersleben Race Preview
28 – 30 MAY 2004

OSCHERSLEBEN ALMOST THE HALFWAY POINT FOR HONDA RIDERS

With only ten rounds of the World Supersport championship to be run in the 2004 season the forthcoming Oschersleben event in Germany marks a halfway point of the series, appearing on the calendar after four rounds of incident and changing fortunes for all the top Honda competitors.

The Honda CBR600RR has proved to be the potent force in real race situations that all expected it to be, after an impressive pre-season of hard testing.

From Valencia to Phillip Island, from Misano to the most recent event at Monza, the more experienced Honda riders have been well in the top five mix in qualifying and racing, with Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) leading the charge.

After four rounds, Honda riders have won three races. Wildcard Josh Brookes scored a win at Phillip Island, but for the past two rounds one man has rocketed up the championship table to second overall. Karl Muggeridge has scored a perfect 50 points in his last two outings, and the 30-year-old Australian now sits a mere 11 points behind Valencia race winner and championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha).

A combination of a fourth and a second place finishes has given the second Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR rider Broc Parkes fifth place overall before Oschersleben.The 22-year-old from the Hunter Valley in Australia was promoted to second at Monza after the exclusion of another rider, but having been on the receiving end of some terrible luck in previous races, every point now earned by Parkes is a form of payback.

The constantly twisting Oschersleben circuit, with seven left and seven right-hand corners around its short 3.667km length, is as close to a home round as contemporary Supersport racing allows the Austrian based Klaffi Honda team. The most experienced Klaffi rider is Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR). The Frenchman set pole at Misano but otherwise has been unfortunate in races, scoring two DNFs, taking a fifth at Phillip Island and a fourth at Monza, the latter after a ride-through penalty for jump-starting. Just inside the top ten at present, Charpentier is ready to make a good showing at one of his best tracks.

As Oschersleben beckons Charpentier’s 20-year-old team-mate Max Neukirchner(Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) is on home ground and this particular weekend the class rookie even has the pleasure of racing at a circuit on which he has gleaned some previous experience. With a best of sixth so far at Monza, Neukirchner has another opportunity to learn the intricacies of Supersport racing, in what will be only his fifth ever 600cc race meeting.

Team Italia Megabike Honda relocates from two home rounds in Italy to Oschersleben, with proven WSS force Alessio Corradi (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) looking for his third points scoring finish of the year.

Denis Sacchetti (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) is another supported Honda rider undergoing the highs and lows of a rookie season. Just outside the top ten at Monza Sacchetti, like Corradi, will be running an updated engine in Germany.

Despite his recent dominance Muggeridge is approaching Oschersleben like any other race, aware of how tough the opposition can be in Supersport. “It’s going to be close racing for sure in Germany, because of the nature of the track,” he affirmed. “Last year there were something like 20 riders in one second or so after qualifying. I think our bike is working well and we also did a test last week at Assen, so we’ve improved it bit more. We’ll go through exactly the same routine as other races and I’ll be riding to win.”

For Parkes, Oschersleben will have a special attraction as he goes for his first race win. “Monza was pretty good for us and now we go to Oschersleben, which is one of my favourite circuits of the whole year. It’s very different from Monza but we should be alright there.”

Charpentier is determined to have a textbook weekend, after his recent dramas. “I will try for the podium because last year I was fourth on the grid and finished ninth – not a good result. This season is completely different. I will try a new way of starting, with a rear brake on until the lights change. I like the Oschersleben track; it offers us a good a possibility of a strong result. We also have a new engine and it should have very good under
acceleration exiting the corners.”

Track knowledge for Neukirchner could allow him a good chance to continue his rapid growth in this tough series. “In 2002, in the German Championship, I took second position at Oschersleben. I like the layout but maybe it will feel completely new on the 600. All this year the Honda has been a very good bike for me and it should suit this track well.”

Recovering from a heavy fall at Monza, Corradi stated; “Oschersleben I will be fit for, despite my big crash at Monza, and we are much happier with the set-up of the bike now. We are waiting for the new HRC kit and I expect at Oschersleben we will have all we need to be competitive again.” His teammate Sacchetti is keen to rack up more championship points. “If I can get good points again from Oschersleben I will be happy. Monza ended up better than it could have been so we’ll be trying to improve even more in Germany.”

After Oschersleben a two-week gap leads up to the sixth round of the year, at Silverstone on June 13.