Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

had tl'Ie best line coming out, so I got the place. Apparently, the bike likes bigger tracks like this." . Fogarty took the best Ducati to fourth place after a race-Iol)g battle with fellow twin riders Hodgson and Chili. Edwards lost ground on the last couple of laps and had to be happy with seventh. "It didn't work out as I had planned it," the young Texan said. "I couldn't dl:aft anyone all race and ended up on my own. It was still slippery out there." Edwards was quite possibly referring to the morning warmup, which had been interrupted after a rider had spilled some oil on the track. Mike Hale recorded a season-best . ninth, finishing on the tail of the Kawasaki-mounted Yanagawa. "I am really pleased to get a decent finish in the bag at last," Hale said. "Starting from the third row, I didn't get the benefit of a draft early in the race,·and that would have made a big difference." Jamie Whitham had been with his teammate' for most'of the race, but .then ran into engine trouble on the final.lap, finishing 14th as a result. . '1t was a very hard race," Fogarty said.. '1 was a little bit down on top speed, even compared to Neil Hodgson. Everybody passed me on the straights. We still have a lot of work to do. The bike is still fighting the bumps instead of riding over them. It was really scary out there. I don't really enjoy storming onto chicanes five abreast.. Hockenheim is not one of my 'favorite circuits, but I keep taking lots of points here." Fogarty had also used his spare bike for this race, as the other one with the fresh engine had seemed even slower. "Slim Jim" Whitham attributed his excellent and un'expected result to a good start. "Once I caught and passed PierFrancesco Chili, I knew I would be able to stay with the leaders and' finish in the top three," W·hitham said. "We have the fastest bike on the track; a .Iittle more work on getting'it round the comers faster and we will be winning races." Hale went out on the· final lap when he was lying in 10th position. "The engine lost power constantly," Hale said. . Russell and Edwards took fourth and fifth. Russell had a good chance to win the race until the first drops of rain cooled him down a bit. "The bike had been running good, and I knew that I could close any gap that a guy pulled on me with the brakes," Russell said. '1 had them all' beat and was just sitting back. But when the rain came with two laps to go, I was careful. I have already crashed twice this year, and I didn't want to do that again. Fortunately, it only rained a little bit in the stadium .RACETWO The first race might have offered its share of heart-stopping moments, but that was nothing compared to what the riders had in store for the second race. Crafar got the holeshot, but his lead w<\s short-liv.ed. In the first chicane, Hodgson went past, only to be passed himself in the Ostkurve by Fogarty. Hodgson again passed teammate Fogarty on the straightaway leading toward the stadium. The young Briton would also pass the finish line with the lead after the first lap, and for almost every other lap that followed. He was getting the best of Fogarty, with superior acceleration out of the stadium comers and higher speed on the long straights. Still, it witS out in the German forest that things really happened. Crafar, Yanagawa, Fogarty and Russell all were up front for some time or another, but they could. not prevent Hodgson from leading the race at the end of the stadium section. At one point, 10 riders were fighting over the first position, oftentimes with up to four· riders storming toward the chicanes fully on tile brakes. Kocinski had been up there with the others for about a lap and a half, but then he and Fogarty ran into each other. Despite a damaged fairing, the American continued his race, hoping to get some points. "I was behind Neil Hodgson coming into the stadium when Carl came around the outside of me and took my front wheel away," Kocinski said. "I thought I was down. The bike was bucking, and I managed to save it, but I ran wide and lost the ground. Then I realized the fairing was hanging off." Things really went spur for the Castrol Honda team when Slight crashed on lap . 10. With four more laps to go, he, Fogarty and Hodgson finally seemed to be able to run away from the rest of the group. Slight went down in the chicane, lying in second position and almost taking Carl Fogarty with him. "It was so difficult. to get past the Ducatis; they were like mobile chicanes," Slight said. "So I was trying that little bit harder on the brakeS, and down I went my fault entirely." Slight 'may also have panicked a bit too soon when some raindrops had fallen. "I was desperate to be in front if t-he rain was going to stop the race," Slight said. "I had a bit of brain-fade, went in later on the brakes, but then I found Hodgson parked there, and I could do nothing but crash." With Hodgson now some 10 bike lengths al1ead in first place, it looked as if the Briton was finally going to take his first World Superbike victory. Fogarty, Yanagawa, Whitham and Chili looked like the best bets for the rest of the rostrum positions, with 'the two Yamal1a riders, Russell and Edwards, one second further down. But then Chili made a mistake in tile chicane, dropping back behind the Yamaha riders and the seventh-placed Crafar. Then Fogarty started his charge, with Yanagawa and tile amazing Whitham just behind the Ducati rider. Braking into the stadium section for the very last time, Hodgson threw it all away when he went straight. Fogarty took over, with Yanagawa and Whitham in second and third, respectively. In the· next comer, Hodgson did it all over again, getting off the track and finally resuming the battle after Russell, Edwa"rds, Crafar and Chili had passed hirn. In the last corners, Fogarty stayed al1ead and took his second victory of the season, in front of Yanagawa and Whitham. (Above) Aklra Yanagawa (8) leads Carl' Fogarty (1), Nell Hodgson (9) and. Scott Russell (22) during the second race. (Right) Carl Fogarty extended his lead in the championship with his fourth and first. (Below) As many as eight riders led race two, Yanagawa (8), Neil Hodgson (9) and Scott Russ.ell among them. secfion, but not in the forest. I am still learning the bike. After Daytona, I thought I could win the title easily, but I have changed my opinion on that." Edwards appeared to be quite happy with fifth, after having a rather trouble·somerace. "My clutch got a bit hot at the start, so it wasn't great, but tllat's never a problem here," Edwards said. "Then some grit got into my eye. I dropped off for a bit, because I couldn't see a thing. But when the rain came toward the end, I knew it was my chance, so I just had to go for it. I kept my normal racing pace and began to catch the leading group, but it was all a bit too late.".

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