Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.ROAD RACE'.·' .'World ~ship Su~ Ro8d Race'Series Round 10: Assen, Holland . By Johan Vandekerckhove Photos by Gold & Goose HOLLAND, SEPT. 8 rl Fogarty was definitely the .....inan of the hour at Assen. The a-time World Champion not ounced his future racing plans during the Dutch round of the World Superbike Series (see sidebar story), but he also stormed to two victories on the racetrack - the fourth time in a row that the Brit has scored a double win at Assen. Fogarty's dual victories also gave new fife to his championship hopes as he moves to within 22 points of his Castrol Honda teammate and championship ,leader, Aaron Slight. Following two exciting races in Holland, the battle for the title has ~ blown wide open as only 29 points separate Slight from fourth-place racer John Kocinski. With two rounds and four races left to be run, anything can happen. ~ While Fogarty owned the day, the 0\ other championship hopefuls basically .-4 swapped positions without gaining 00 much on each other. Championship .-4 leader Slight ended up with 3-5 finishes; ~ second-placer Promotor Ducati's Troy .os Corser, went 4-2; and Kocinski wound up with a 5-3 tally. Q) Another who fared well in Assen ... was Italian Pier-Francesco Chili. The ~ Ducati-mounted Chili raced to second in (J) the first race and followed that with a fourth in race two, but with 208 points he is well out of the battle for the title 4 RACE ONE Fogarty immediately took the lead in &ont of an estimated 35,000 spectators, many of whom had crossed the English Channel to watch their World Champion in his efforts to prolong his series of undefeated races at Assen, wins that date back to 1994. On the second lap, Chili stormed past Fogarty, but his lead wouldn't last long. One lap later, the Honda-mounted Brit was back in &ont. Even though Fogarty put some bike lengths between himself and his immediate pursuers, his lead never looked very comfortable. After five laps, Fogarty was leading Chili and Corser, with Slight, Kocinski and Yamaha's replacement for Colin Edwards II, Jamie Whitham, battling it out for fourth at a safe distance. Meanwhile, Kocinski's teammate Neil Hodgson, Muzzy Kawasaki's Simon Crafar, Christer Lindholm, Suzuki's John Reynolds, Promotor's Mike Hale and Yamaha's Wataru Yoshikawa were leading the group behind. 1n the second half of the race, J<;ocinski proved to be the man in the biggest hurry. With Whitham dropping away Fogarty siQns with Ducati for 97 T wo-time World Champion Carl Fogarty (right) announced on Friday, September 6, that he has signed a letter of intent with Virginio Ferrari to ride a Ducati 916 in the 1997 World Superbike Championship, leaving the Castrol Honda team after only one season. "Next year might be my last season," the Brit said. "This year I found it very difficult to come to terms with the bike (the Honda RC(5). Everywhere we came, I had the impression that 1had to make up two practice sessions with everybody, as I couldn't start from last year's experience. I'd like to end my racing career with another title, and it seems daft to try and do ·that with a bike that does not suit my style as much as the Ducati. I have been with Ducati for four years, so 1know what to expect." Asked why he made his decision so early, he said: "1 just wanted to get it sorted out as early as possible so I can concentrate on the next few races, where 1 will try to get my third consecutive title." Things may not be as simple as they appear, however, at least if you listen to John Kocinski. "Nobody at Ducati knew about the deal with Fogarty - not even Oaudio Castiglione," Kocinski said. "He had to read all about it in an Italian newspaper this morning. I've talked to Gaudio and he's confirmed to me that there will be only one Ducati factory team next year, and tha.t I will have a factory bike. If Virginio has a team next year, it will be a privateer team." Although the Italian team manager wouldn't confirm nor deny tha.t he had acted on his own, his move to organize a press conference.as soon as possible with several joumalists attending might have placed the Castigliones in a situation where they can't step out of the deal. After all, a multiple World Champion like Fogarty deserves the best equipment and team - especially after it has been announced that he would defend Ducali's honor again in 1997. "I have no problem if Kocinski signs for Ducali again," Ferrari said. "But he will have to find another team. Right now, we are discussing with the Castigliones if we will field two or three official riders next year. We are also talking with (Pier-Francesco) Chili.'

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