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ROAD RACE WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP GUIDE By .Johan Vandekerckhove Photos by Gold & Goose ........................................... ~ ~.~~~.~ ~.~~.~~.~ a _ . Much has changed in the last 10 years of World Superbike C~pi~nship r~ ing. Even so, Ducati and Honda - the dominant marqu~ of the ~nes still have their hopes pinned on only the second generation of therr respective fourstroke canons. They now face factory efforts from three other manufacturers who don't intend to stand by and watch - Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki. ~ each year, championship promotors predict that several other makes are prepanng an attack on the World Superbike title. Only this time, we'd better believe them. Aprilia and MY Agusta are both tipped to enter the fray in 1999. And another notable evolution is the imminent fielding of at least two Japanese twins, once the exclusive territory of Ducati. Last year, Suzuki was already toying with the idea of entrusting a TL1 ODOR to a second factory team for this season. A full championship effort didn't pan out for '98, but the Alstare Suzuki team run by Italian Belgian Francis Batta was asked to start a development program for the bike to be run next to his World Supersport campaign; The blueand-white TLloooR will be brought up to speed by Stephane Mertens In the German Open Superbike championship and, if things go well, may make some cam,:" perfonnances in the World Superbike races toward the end of ~ year. Part of this TL-R development program also includes the two bikes runnmg m the AMA Superbike Championship, so you can bet Suzuki is serious about its effort for 1999. As for the VTR1ooo, even though Honda has been tight-lipped about development of a competitive racing version of its big twin, you can be sure HRC ~ been burning the midnight oil. And in case there were any doubts that the proJect IS moving forward, a full-fairing, twin-spar-frame VTR1 DOOR has been spotted testing in Japan recently. Is it a coincid~~ce tftat right next do~r to the Ca~trol Honda superbike team headquarters a Bntish tuner has been fooling around Wlth a Honda twin? In short, the year 2000 looks set to be the start for a completely new.era ~ World Superbike racing. Who would have thought that when Marco Lucchinelli pushed his Ducati 851 to the starting line in Donington Park on tllat spnng day ill 1988 that there would be such a proliferation of men and machinery? Even with 1998 being somewhat of a transitional year, th~ ever-increasing cc:mpetitiveness of the series has ~roug~t faster and faster lap times - times becommg quite comparable to the results of Mick Doohan and comp~y. Troy Corser started this battie of prestige in 1996, when he shattered the Donmgton Park record for motorcycles, diving under the lap record held by Kevin Schwantz on the 5~c Grand Prix Suzuki. This trend has continued in 1997 and the "refined" street bikes are on some tracks nearly as fast as the pick of the bunch in the world of top-level motorcycle racing. hist?"Y - . . . . . . . . . . . .I~~ ...... ~ < 18 ~~~.~ ~'- ~.~ ....•.~.~.~ _ . Until recently, the premier division in four-stroke racing wasn't considered an~ where near being in the same league as GP racmg by sponsors, media or the public at large. Just take a look at the numerous big-money sponors - tobacco giants Lucky Strike, Rothmans and Marlboro, for instance - and the lucrative personal sponsorship packages Grand Prix riders were offered, adding to their already big salaries. But with the withdrawl of all the tobacco majors except Marlboro, and ilie European Union's decision to ban tobacco publicity from 2006 onward, Grand Prix racing looks like it may have lost some of Its sponsorshIp lure. Factor in iliat all ilie World Superbike races will be broadcast live by Eurosport this year and one can only expect the competition between the series for outsi?e money to increase in the coming years - Just not this year. For while. this m~ exposure card was surely played heavily in off-season negotiations Wlili potential World Superbike sponsors, it doesn't look as though many more bIg-money underwriters will be joining Diesel, Corona or Castrol m ilie Superbike arena for the com. . . ingseason. However, since most of the factory teams In World Superblke racmg have .always been financed mainly by the motorcycle companJes that field th.em, it shouldn't be much of a blow. Surely factories would like fmanoaJ help WIth ilie heavy burden running a top-level team imposes (rumors have Honda shelling out about $10 million per year for its factory effort), but they are accustomed thus far to . . . footing the majority of the bill. Time will tell if a year of TV exposure for the World Superbike-senes will generate enough interest to pull in the big boys. Eleven factory riders will have a go at the title in this 11 ~h e?ition of the ~. With ilie departure of World Superbike Champion John Koanski t<;> Gran~ Prix racing, ilie number-one plate will once again be gone for the season - JUSt as It was last year with Troy Corser. So ilie plate will change hands at the end of the season. Will it stay on a Honda? It could finally be Aaron Slight's year. . . In order to help his cause, Slight has taken ilie precaution of usmg tl1e number 111 this year. The Kiwi, who has been in ilie hunt for ilie title on three or f<;>ur oa:asions, chose this number because it brought him luck m the beginning of his career. This year, Slight has a good hand: Former teammate Kocinski showed ~ 1997 that the RC45 is good enough to win ilie title, and Slight feels he can once agam count on the undivided attention of his pit crew, something he didn't think was the case last year when shared his pit box with Kocinski:. . . Honda is naturally eager to keep ilie title, so It'S no surpnse that BIg Red has been working very hard the last few months, showmg up on the WInter tests at S~h Alam and Phillip Island wiili single exhaust systems, double exhaust systems, smgle-sided swingarms, double-sided swinl?arms, and who knows what else. As usual, lips were sealed about the mternal modifications to the engmes. The enonnous technical effort of Honda and Slight's legendary consistency might just do ilie trick this year. . In 1998, Slight will have Colin Edwards II at his side. The Texan ~pent most of ilie winter trying to get used to the team, the character of the V-four ill ilie Honda and the available grip from ilie Michelin tires. Edwards faced a tough season .last year. It all started wiili his getting punted off his YZF750 by fellow Yamaha nder Jean-Philippe Ruggia at Monza, leading to injuries that left him out of ~ g~e !or the balance of the season. When it came time for Edwards to start looking to his 98 season, there appeared to be several viable offers for him to ride in Grands Prix. As negotia tions for these wore on, Yamaha signed Noriyuki Haga to take over his superbike spot next .to Scott Russell. The GP deal never materialized and Edwards was rideless - but then a spot was left vacant at Honda... (Right) Always the bridesmaid: Honda's Aaron Slight has been amazingly consistent In his World SUperb/ire career with Honda - so consistent he keeps just missing the top spot In the championship. Don't count the gritty New Zealander out. (Bottom) Joining Aaron Slight on the Castrol Honda World Superblke team Is Texan Colin Edwards II. This will be a cruc.lal year for Edwards as he Is on a bike that's been shown to be capeble of winning - It's time for him to prove he is.