Round 1: South Africa
WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
By Gordon Ritchie
Photos by Gold & Goose
KYALAM!, SOUTH AFRICA, MAR. 28
arl Fogarty's reputation as the master of
World Superbike racing was underlined in
emphatic fashion from the green light to the
flag in both races in the series opener in Kyalami. His victory in the second race was his 50th World
Superbike success and another landmark for the
series.
Fogarty's celebrations were somewhat subdued,
however, after the official announcement that local
wild-card rider Brett MacLeod had been fatally
injured in the earlier Supersport event.
Despite the all-pervading gloom of this sad news,
Fogarty also left the tortuously sweeping and twisty
South African circuit with a new lap record of 1:43.477
and a blissful ignorance of why he was quite so fast
compared to the best efforts .of some of the greatest
four-stroke riders in l1\e world.
"1 felt that the second race was going to be a lot
harder than the first, but it actually felt easier," Fogarty said. "1 was sliding around a lot but still managing
to pull away. Within six laps I had started to rev the
bike a little less to save the engine and the tires."
Fogarty's bike has undergone a slow process of
growing backward in the winter tests, with 42mm
Ohlins forks the most obvious of changes, returning
Fogarty to a bike that feels like his favorite 1995
model.
"1 haven't experienced anything like this for three
or four years," he said. "Maybe this is the 1995 season
all over again. I'm getting the bike to start to do exactly what 1 want again, and if 1 can get the bike to go
where I want, 1will win races."
No one came close to Fogarty in either race, and
despite his brave words, the dejection of two race
defeats was written all over the face of his teammate,
Troy Corser. Even after being easily the most comfort§! able qualifier in Superpole once more (equaling Fogar.... ty and Doug Polen's record in the process), Corser,..: and the rest - were in a different race today.
~
"Carl was too far in front of me today to worry
4:
about," Corser said. "(Noriyuki) Haga balked me a bit
22 in the first race and that stopped me getting any dos-
(lJ
.
(Above) Carl Fogarty (1) leads Aaron Slight (111), Troy Corser (11), Dorlano Romboni (20) and Akira Yanagawa (4) through the
chicane during the second race of the World Superbike opener in Kyalami, South Africa.
(Below) World Champion Carl Fogarty surprised even himse" with two easy victories on his factory Ducati.
