Noriyuki Haga

Noriyuki Haga (芳賀 紀行) is a Japanese former professional motorcycle racer.

He won 43 world championship superbike races during a 25-year racing career, making him one of the most accomplished competitors never to have won a Superbike World Championship.

Haga was the runner-up in the championship three times and, four times finished in third place.

His 43 victories ranks fifth all time in the history of the Superbike World Championship behind Jonathan Rea, Carl Fogarty, Alvaro Bautista and Troy Bayliss.

Haga ranks fourth behind Troy Corser, Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea in career World Superbike race starts with 313.

Haga started his racing career by competing in the Japanese Superbike Championship in 1993, riding a Ducati bike.

He then moved to Yamaha in 1995, and won the championship with Yamaha in 1997.

During his stint with Yamaha in Japanese Superbike, Haga was chosen to represent Yamaha in the 1996 Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race.

He teamed up with Yamaha's World Superbike rider Colin Edwards and won the race.

Before Haga began racing full-time in the World Superbike Championship in 1998, he had already been racing occasionally in WSBK since 1994.

In, Haga received a wild card entry to race in the Japanese round of WSBK at Sugo.

He surprisingly finished second in Race 1, collecting his first podium in WSBK at his first attempt.

However, he failed to finish in Race 2.

In, while still racing in his home championship, he was given another chance to race in WSBK.

He was chosen to replace the injured Colin Edwards for the last two races of the season in Sugo, Japan, and Sentul, Indonesia.

He performed well in both rounds, collecting his first win in WSBK along with 2 more podiums.

In, Haga began racing WSBK full-time.

He also adopted the number 41 that he has used ever since.

Haga joined Yamaha's Superbike team, replacing Colin Edwards who moved to Honda.

He started the season brilliantly by winning 3 of the first 4 races.

Unfortunately, his performance declined and he dropped out of championship contention.

He won another two races in the season and finished 6th in the championship standing.

During the year, Haga also received a wild-card entry to the 1998 500cc Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Haga scored an unexpected third place podium in his 500cc debut.

This was his only podium in his brief 500cc/MotoGP career.

The following season, Haga finished 7th in the championship.

He only managed 1 race win and 1 third-place finish on the new Yamaha YZF-R7.

As a result, another Japanese rider, Akira Yanagawa finished 5th, above Haga.

This marks the only time Haga was not the highest placed Japanese Rider in every season in which he competed in WSBK.

Haga improved his performance to challenge for the title in.

However, his season was disrupted when he was tested positive for a banned substance.

Haga was tested positive for the substance Ephedrine after the race in South Africa, though it was later learned that Ephedrine occurs naturally in the herbs used in the Ephedra supplement that he'd taken during the off-season.

He initially received a one-month ban beginning on June 5 and had his points from both South African races deducted.

However, after a series of appeals the points from Race 1 in South Africa were reinstated and the ban was delayed and reduced to a 2-week ban, resulting in Haga missing the final round at Brands Hatch, Great Britain.

With Haga losing 25 points and sitting out a 2-race weekend, Colin Edwards comfortably won the 2000 championship.

After an eventful year, Haga left WSBK and joined the 500cc World Championship for the 2001 season.

Haga initially did not want to join the 500cc Championship as he wanted another chance to challenge for the WSBK crown.

However, Yamaha had already announced that they were withdrawing from WSBK and focusing on the challenge to win the 500cc Championship.

Haga joined the factory-backed Red Bull Yamaha WCM team, riding the Yamaha YZR500.

He last competed in the 2018 CIV Supersport 600 Championship, aboard a Yamaha YZF-R6.