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CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE T he AMA Superbike round at Phoenix International Race- way in 1994 wasn't a particu- larly important race in the grand scheme of things. It was the second round of the 10-round AMA Superbike Championship. The title was not necessarily go- ing to be won or lost there, but it was at this race, in late March of that year, where American racing fans found out that Australian newcomer Troy Corser was the real deal. His victory over Fac- tory Kawasaki's Fred Merkel and Vance & Hines Yamaha's Colin Edwards was significant. Merkel was already a two-time World Su- perbike Champion, and Edwards was America's leading up-and- coming racer who would also go on to become two-time champ of the series as well. Any doubts that Corser would be able to be an AMA title contender in his first season in America were wiped clean that day. Here is a little background on how Corser came to race in America. Eraldo Ferracci had to think outside the box. His Fast by Ferracci Ducati team domi- nated the 1993 AMA Superbike Championship, mostly on the strength of Doug Polen's riding at his absolute peak. By '93, Polen was already a two-time World Su- perbike Champion. Polen badly wanted to win the AMA title be- P150 CORSER IS FOR REAL Australian road racing. Corser was a former motocross racer- turned flat tracker, who moved to road racing in 1990 and immedi- ately became a success on the pavement, winning the Australian 250 Production Series on a Su- zuki. By 1992, he was a factory Yamaha rider in Australia and fin- ished fourth in the series, before winning the Australian Superbike Championship in 1993 aboard a Honda RC30. Sheene was good friends with the Castigliones, the family that owned Cagiva, and at the Cas- tigliones' request, Corser was given a test with Ferracci during Daytona Tire Testing in Decem- ber of '93. Sheene accompanied fore moving on to new horizon's, and he got it done with one of the most lopsided performances in series history in '93. Then, Polen took a "could not refuse" offer from Honda to race World Super- bike in 1994. Ferracci was left without his star rider. Ferracci had a fast, young and improving French-Canadian named Pascal Picotte on his squad, and Ferracci thought Picotte might have a decent shot at winning the '94 AMA Superbike title, but he certainly wouldn't be a lock like Polen had been. Enter GP legend Barry Sheene. Sheene was living in Australia at the time and had watched Corser's rapid rise in Aussie Troy Corser (center) stamped his arrival with his Phoenix Superbike win in 1994.