INTERVIEW World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty
Is this man
,
By Stephline Van Gelder
Photos by Bertrand Thiebault
1t
ot long after winning his second successive World Superbike ·crown, England's Carl
Fogarty shocked the sport with an
announcement that he was making a
switch - from the all-conquering Ducati
916 to a motorcycle which has yet to
meet with any real success in World
Superbike racing, the Honda RC45. He
would also go from the number-one
rider in Virginio Ferrari's factory team,
to a mfmtber of a team that already featured an established star, Kiwi Aaron
Slight.
Why? Had Fogarty gone completely
crazy?
That was one of many questions we
asked on a visit to Fogarty's home in
Blackburn, England.
Did the Honda deal just come suddenly, or is it something you've been
thinking about for a while?
I've been thinking about it for a while
because they approached me this summer, in June or July. Back then I said,
"Obviously, I'm interested but let's get
this year out of the way first and then
decide." I think I started thinking about
it more and more after I'd won the
World Championship in Assen. Not just
World Superbike
Champion Carl
Fogarty feeds his two
pigs - which he's
named alter two of his
World Superbike
rivals, Anthony
(Gobert) and Colin
(Edwards).
•
the Honda thing; I needed a change - or I thought
I did. One part of me wanted to change
and the other part wanted to stay. It
took me another two months to decide
which part was the strongest, and in the
end it was to change.
How different will it be working at
Honda?
It will be different because everybody
works in different ways. Even as far as
eating at different times. But 1 have been
there before and I don't think it's going
to be a problem. I know the people
there. I've got my own mechanics again.
I've had Slick (Anthony Bass) for the last
three years and he's coming with me,
plus another guy I know well. Basically
it's a British team so everything's probably going to be easier to settle into than
when I went to DucatL But they do
work in different ways. For one thing, I
think the Japanese are a lot more organized.
So that will make a nice change for
you?
Yeah, it will do, I hope (laughs).
Is it very important for you to work
with people that you know?
Oh yes, for sure. When I sign a contract,
it's the mechanics first and then the
bike. It's important for me to have a
good relationship with the mechanics.
