Noriyuki Haga

Noriyuki Haga 2008 on a Yamaha at Brands Hatch

Noriyuki Haga ( Japanese 芳 賀 紀行 , Haga Noriyuki ; born March 2, 1975 in Nagoya , Aichi Prefecture , Japan ) is a Japanese motorcycle racer .

Haga is known for his extremely spectacular driving style, his enthusiasm and his fighting spirit and is therefore extremely popular with motorcycle sports fans around the world. His virtues also earned him numerous nicknames such as Nori , Nitro Nori , Haga-san or The Master Of Going Faster . One of his other trademarks is his starting number 41.

Career

Beginnings

Noriyuki Haga started riding a motorcycle at a young age after his father gave him a pocket bike in 1979 . In 1980 he competed in his first pocket bike race. In 1993, the Japanese took part in the 250 cc class for the first time in the Japanese motorcycle championship and finished 13th. Between 1994 and 1996, Haga finished ninth, tenth and eighth overall in the Japanese Superbike Championship. In 1996 he was with the American Colin Edwards on Yamaha the Suzuka 8 Hours win. He also competed in the Superbike World Championship at the Sugo run , where he came second.

The following year, 1997, Haga won the Japanese Superbike Championship. In the Superbike World Championship he replaced the injured Colin Edwards at Yamaha at the last two events. In Sugo he finished second in the first run and even won the second run.

Superbike World Championship

In the 1998 season , Noriyuki Haga competed permanently in the Superbike World Championship with Yamaha and competed for the first time with the 41. The Japanese drove a Yamaha YZF750 SP alongside US veteran Scott Russell . Haga started the season furiously and was able to win three of the first four races. At the end of the season he finished sixth in the overall standings with five wins and 258 points, although he had never driven on most of the tracks before and the YZF750 SP was now five years old. In the same year , Haga also made his debut as a wildcard rider on a Yamaha at his home race, the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka , in the 500 cc class of the motorcycle world championship , where he surprisingly came third.

The 1999 season with the new Yamaha YZF-R7 and his new team mate Vittoriano Guareschi was rather inconspicuous for Haga. He could only take one race win and a third place and was seventh overall.

In the 2000 season , Noriyuki Haga, with the runner-up world championship behind Colin Edwards, celebrated his best result so far in the Superbike World Championship. To this day, many fans believe that Haga would have won the title had he not been punished after testing positive for a prohibited substance. After the second race of the first event in Kyalami , South Africa , in which the Japanese had achieved second and first place, he was tested positive in a doping test, then disqualified and suspended for a month with effect from June 5, although the suspension was suspended for the time being Not translated. A protest against this decision, which dragged on until October 12, was only partially successful. Haga got the 20 points back from the first run, but was banned for the last event at Brands Hatch . It was later revealed that the substance found was ephedrine , which was contained in a dietary supplement that the Japanese had taken in winter to lose weight. In the overall standings, Noriyuki Haga finished second, 65 points behind Colin Edwards.

Noriyuki Haga 2003 on Aprilia RS³

Motorcycle world championship

For the 2001 season, Noriyuki Haga moved to the 500 cc class of the Motorcycle World Championship, where he competed for the Red Bull Yamaha WCM team alongside Garry McCoy . A fourth place at the Grand Prix of Great Britain was by far his best result, with 59 points he was 14th overall.

In 2002 , Haga signed a contract for the Superbike World Championship with the Italian manufacturer Aprilia . He achieved seven podium finishes and was fourth overall with 278 points.

The 2003 season denied Noriyuki Haga for Aprilia again in the MotoGP class of the Motorcycle World Championship. With the RS3 Cube, the Italians use a completely newly developed four-stroke engine . His teammate at Alice Aprilia Racing that year was an old acquaintance - the American Colin Edwards. The motorcycle, which had been developed together with the automotive specialists at Cosworth , turned out to be a mistake. Haga was regularly in the points, but again did not get beyond 14th place in the overall standings.

Noriyuki Haga 2007 on a Yamaha at Brands Hatch

Return to the Superbike World Championship

For the 2004 season, Noriyuki Haga returned to the Superbike World Championship and competed for the Renegade team, where he drove a Ducati 999 . His teammate was the young Briton Leon Haslam . The Japanese was able to achieve six race wins and achieved nine podium positions. With the Ducati factory drivers James Toseland and Régis Laconi he fought for the title until the very end and finally took third place in the world championship, just 37 points behind world champion Toseland.

In 2005 , Haga returned to Yamaha and signed a contract with the works team for the Superbike World Championship and was again third in the championship. In the following season, 2006 , he repeated this placement. The 2007 season was the best in Noriyuki Haga's career to date. He started again for Yamaha, his team mate at Yamaha Motor Italia was the 1996 and 2005 world champion, the Australian Troy Corser . Haga won six races and stood on the podium a total of 15 times. In the overall standings he was only narrowly beaten by Briton James Toseland with 413 to 415 points and became, as in 2000, vice world champion.

For 2008 , Noriyuki Haga was confirmed at Yamaha Motor Italia and again appeared on the side of Troy Corser. The Japanese achieved the best result of his career so far with seven race wins, but did not score any points in as many races. Until the last race weekend in Portimão, Portugal, Haga fought for the runner-up title, which he ultimately had to cede to Corser. Ducati rider Troy Bayliss became the superior world champion .

Noriyuki Haga 2009 on Ducati in Valencia

2009 season

In the 2009 season , Noriyuki Haga competed for the Ducati works team Ducati Xerox in the Superbike World Championship. There the Japanese succeeded Troy Bayliss, who ended his career after winning his third world title. His teammate was the Italian Michel Fabrizio . In his very first race, after an exciting battle with Max Neukirchner , Haga clinched his first victory as a factory driver for the Italians in Phillip Island , Australia . In the first nine races of the season, Noriyuki Haga achieved four wins and five second places. On May 10, the Japanese suffered the first retirement of the year after a fall at the second run in Monza, Italy, after he had collided with a bird. This was followed by two wins and four less successful races.

On June 28th, Haga finished third in the first round of the British event in Donington Park , the 100th podium of his career in the Superbike World Championship. In the second race of the day, the Ducati rider, lying in second place, had a hard crash at the exit of the Coppice curve and was hit several times by his own motorcycle. Haga was admitted to the Derbi Royal Hospital , where fractures of the right shoulder blade , the eighth and ninth vertebrae and an open fracture of the right elbow bone were diagnosed, which would have meant the early end of the season for him. The following day it was announced that the vertebral injuries were from a previous accident, that the shoulder had not been broken and that Haga could possibly start again after about a month of recovery. The lead over his toughest World Cup opponent, the US Yamaha rider Ben Spies , thus melted down to 14 points.

On July 26, 2009, Noriyuki Haga started again at the run in Brno in the Czech Republic and, with great pain, achieved eighth and six important points in the championship fight. At the next race at the Nürburgring at the beginning of September, Haga was almost completely fit again and only had to let Spies go in the first race. In the second race of the day he retired after a collision with the Northern Irishman Jonathan Rea and thus lost the championship lead for the first time of the season.

2010 season

For 2010 the driver duo Haga / Fabrizio was confirmed in the Ducati works team.

2011 season

In 2011 Noriyuki Haga competed for the PATA Racing Team Aprilia.

Start of the BSB run 2012 in TT Circuit Assen : Haga, Michael Laverty , Shane Byrne and Joshua Brookes (from left to right)

2012 season

In 2012, Noriyuki Haga played a season for the Swan Yamaha Team in the British Superbike Championship and finished eighth overall. After this disappointing debut year, no further contract was concluded for the 2013 season.

statistics

title

• 1997 - Japanese Superbike Champion on a Yamaha

In the motorcycle world championship

season	class	team	motorcycle	run	Victories	Second	Third	Poles	Nice Race laps	Points	position
1998	500 cc	Yamaha Racing Team	Yamaha YZR 500	1	-	-	1	-	-	16	20th
2001	500 cc	Red Bull Yamaha WCM	Yamaha YZR 500	15th	-	-	-	-	-	59	14th
2003	MotoGP	Alice Aprilia Racing	Aprilia RS³	16	-	-	-	-	1	47	14th
total				32	-	-	1	-	1	122

In the Superbike World Championship

season	team	motorcycle	run	Victories	Second	Third	Poles	Nice Race laps	Points	position
1994		Ducati	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1995		Yamaha	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1996		Yamaha YZF750 SP	2	-	1	-	-	1	20th	22nd
1997	Yamaha World Superbike Team	Yamaha YZF750 SP	4th	1	1	1	-	1	72	13.
1998	Yamaha World SBK Team	Yamaha YZF750 SP	24	5	-	2	1	4th	258	6th
1999	Yamaha WSBK team	Yamaha YZF-R7	26th	1	-	1	-	-	196	7th
2000	Yamaha WSBK	Yamaha YZF-R7	24	4th	4th	3	-	3	335	2.
2002	Playstation2-FGF Aprilia	Aprilia RSV Mille	26th	-	3	4th	1	4th	278	4th
2004	Renegade Ducati	Ducati 999 RS	22nd	6th	2	1	-	7th	299	3.
2005	Yamaha Motor Italia WSB	Yamaha YZF-R1	23	2	3	5	-	6th	271	3.
2006	Yamaha Motor Italia WSB	Yamaha YZF-R1	24	1	5	5	1	3	326	3.
2007	Yamaha Motor Italia	Yamaha YZF-R1	25th	6th	6th	3	2	12	413	2.
2008	Yamaha Motor Italia WSB	Yamaha YZF-R1	28	7th	4th	-	1	4th	327	3.
2009	Ducati Xerox team	Ducati 1098 R.	28	8th	9	2	1	10	456	2.
2010	Ducati Xerox team	Ducati 1098R	26th	2	1	3	-	-	258	6th
2011	PATA Racing Team	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	26th	-	2	2	-	3	176	8th.
total			312	43	41	32	7th	58	3685

In the British Superbike Championship

season	team	motorcycle	run	Victories	Second	Third	Poles	Nice Race laps	Points	position
2012	Swan Yamaha	Yamaha YZF-R1	27	-	1	-	1	-	160	8th.
total			27	-	1	-	1	-	160

Private

Noriyuki Haga has lived in Lombardy , Italy , not far from Monza for years . He is married and has two sons.

References

Web links

Commons : Noriyuki Haga  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website (English)
• Website (English, Japanese)
• Noriyuki Haga on the official website of the Motorcycle World Championship (English).
• Noriyuki Haga on the official website of the Superbike and Supersport World Championship

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Noriyuki Haga Biography. www.motorbikesport.co.uk, December 17, 2007, archived from the original on May 21, 2009 ; accessed on June 29, 2009 . 
2. ↑ Haga leads championship after storming victory. (No longer available online.) Www.yamaha-racing.com, April 2, 2000, archived from the original on August 19, 2014 ; accessed on May 11, 2009 . 
3. ↑ Banned Haga wins at Hockenheim. news.bbc.co.uk, June 4, 2000, accessed May 11, 2009 . 
4. ↑ Haga takes championship second place after CAS reduces penalty. (No longer available online.) Www.yamaha-racing.com, October 15, 2000, archived from the original on July 18, 2011 ; accessed on May 11, 2009 . 
5. ^ World Superbikes »Ducati Xerox confirms Haga, Fabrizio. www.crash.net, October 14, 2008, accessed October 14, 2008 . 
6. ↑ David Pergler: Haga - Success all along the line. www.motorsport-total.com, March 1, 2009, accessed March 4, 2009 . 
7. ↑ Britta Weddige: Fabrizio: “I'll get the one-two next time!” Www.motorsport-total.com, May 10, 2009, accessed on June 29, 2009 . 
8. ^ Christian Nimmervoll: Haga seriously injured after an accident. www.motorsport-total.com, June 29, 2009, accessed June 29, 2009 . 
9. ↑ Antonio Gonzalez: Haga is being operated on today. (No longer available online.) Www.speedweekmagazin.com, June 29, 2009, formerly in the original ; Retrieved June 29, 2009 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  
10. ^ Ivo Schützbach: Haga: Also a broken shoulder. (No longer available online.) Www.speedweekmagazin.com, June 30, 2009, formerly in the original ; Retrieved June 30, 2009 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  
11. ↑ Britta Weddige: Haga: "I thought that was the end ..." www.motorsport-total.com, July 8, 2009, accessed on July 8, 2009 . 
12. ↑ Mike Powers: Haga: "Like Electric Shocks". www.speedweek.ch, August 5, 2009, accessed on September 21, 2009 . 
13. ^ Roman Wittemeier: Nürburgring: Spies storms to the top of the table. www.motorsport-total.com, September 6, 2009, accessed on September 21, 2009 . 
14. ^ Haga and Fabrizio re-signed by Ducati. www.crash.net, September 21, 2009, accessed September 21, 2009 . 
15. ↑ Provisional 2013 BSB grid. www.crash.net, January 2, 2013, accessed March 6, 2013 (English).