Bayliss: Laguna lap record will last 15mins!

After the four home grown American riders, it is the former World Superbike competitors that can count on the next best experience of Laguna Seca ahead of this weekend's US GP.

Of the three former WSBK riders currently in MotoGP - Colin Edwards, Troy Bayliss and Ruben Xaus - Texan Edwards has the added advantage of home knowledge in addition to track time gained during the annual Superbike pilgrimage.

However, Australian Bayliss took 1-2 finishes in his last Laguna Seca visit in 2002 and will be desperately hoping to resurrect his so far disappointing season with that kind of form on a Camel Honda MotoGP machine.

"I think that the current lap record will last about fifteen minutes of the first MotoGP practice session!" smiled Troy. "I'm really curious to see what we can do with these bikes at Laguna, a real 'riders' track which is beautiful but also a little dangerous, at least in the past it was anyway.

"The first time I rode there I got pole and obviously I'd love to do as well with the Honda. One thing's for sure, Sunday's race will be one of the best events ever to have taken place at the track," he declared.

These are the best Laguna Seca lap times recorded by World Superbike (up to and including 2004) and 500cc GP machines (up to and including 1994):

World Superbike lap record: Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia) 1min 25.475secs - 94.476mph (2002) World Superbike pole record: Colin Edwards (Honda) 1min 24.888secs - 95.129mph (2002) 500cc GP lap record: John Kocinski (Cagiva) 1min 26.444secs - 91.450mph (1994) 500cc GP pole record: Mick Doohan (Honda) 1min 26.068secs - 91.850mph (1994)