Noriyuki Haga claimed a brilliant World Superbike victory in the first
race of the day at Lausitz in Germany to trim James Toseland's
championship lead from 66 points to 48. The 32-year-old Japanese
rider was in outstanding form on his Motor Italia Yamaha and
rocketed up to second place at the start from eighth on the grid. And
he then edged inside Troy Bayliss on lap 16 to claim a lead he would
never lose and ran away to an 11-second victory, which was the 24th
of his career and his fourth of 2007. Afterwards Haga dedicated the
win to his good friend Noriyasu Numata, who was killed in a testing
crash at Okayama last week. "First I'm, very happy for the result," he
said. "I'm glad it was dry because if it was wet then I would be done
for. "I made quite a nice start but then I managed to catch Bayliss,
pass him and win. "I'm very sorry because last week my friend died
in a test. This win is for him." From the lights it was world champion
Bayliss who made the best getaway on his Ducati, and the Australian
built up a three-second lead inside... click on ozzy go to the full story