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With Edwards winning, from the strung-out Bayliss, Corser, Bostrom, Yanagawa and Chili, it was up to eventual seventh-place finisher Lavilla and Laconi to have a short scrap, with Laconi attempting to pass for half a lap or so before Lavilla eked enough guts out of his Kawasaki to hold off the Aprilia rider. Xaus, a sedate 41 seconds behind the leaders, finished well ahead of Chambon, with privateers Bussei, Parkes, Ulm, Toseland and Marco Borciani taking the last points. RACE TWO Bostrom, who almost appeared to have jumped the start, shot into the lead from Corser, Edwards, Bayliss, Hodgson, Yanagawa, Okada and Laconi in the second race. Even on the first lap, Bostrom was practicing his favorite trick of sliding while braking on the way into Wesbank, with his rear tire backing in dramatically. It took Yanagawa only two laps of the second race to end it, crashing when his brake pads rattled back inside the calipers and he ran out of stopping power. A little light fighting broke out on lap three, when Edwards tried to pass the unyielding form of Corser, who was not for giving way to Edwards on the entrance to the Wesbank Corner at the top of the hill. With Corser immovable in this bend at least, and with the following Bayliss sniffing out an opportunity to pass, Corser and Edwards were forced to defend their lines, allowing Bostrom to take a small lead out of them on lap one, in the magnitude of 1.1 seconds. Edwards' trial run at Wesbank stood him well for a more successful repeat performance on lap three, although Bostrom was grafting out a 1.3-second gap as the rest slowed each other up. Edwards, however, started to gap his followers, just as one of them, Bayliss, started to fall into the flightpath of the approaching jetstream of riders, comprising of Okada, Hodgson, Laconi and Xaus. Bostrom's riding style, which looked to be playing havoc with his tires, was certainly effective, although the undisputed man of the day, Edwards, was charging toward him one tire-width at a time. Okada, clearly trying to salvage something from his weekend, set a new, if short-lived, lap record on his fifth circuit, inside the 1:42 barrier for the first time. Obviously catching Bayliss, his attack was to come to a halt on lap seven, as his engine stopped for the third time at Kyalami in 2001. Edwards, closing on Bostrom with the gap down to .945 of a second on lap six, was looking good for at least a chance of the win, while Bayliss (Above) Neil Hodgson (100) had an up-anddown day. He retired from race one after being black flagged for an oil leak, bu1 was ablll to bounce back in race two with a fourth-place finish. Infostrada Ducatl rider Ruben Xaus (11) finished ninth In race one, bu1 came back with a fifth place In race two. (Left) Ben Bostrom celebrates his bestever weekend In World Superblke. He took the pole position in qualifying, and then backed It up with first place In Superpole, and won his first World Superbike race, since moving to the World Superbike Series full time, In race two. was getting back into contention with Corser as the Aprilia rider's tires started to act up. Neil Hodgson, taking time to get started, was 6.2 seconds behind the leaders, just ahead of Xaus and his close challenge. On lap eight, Edwards worked himself to only .4 of a second behind Bostrom, as he set a new lap record of 1:42.934. Bayliss, seeing this lap as an obviously momentous one, made his move on Corser and slotted past the Aprilia rider. Bostrom, not to be outdone out in the final attack on the lap record, set the new best single lap of 1:42.928 on lap 10. Hodgson, getting right into his long stride a little too late to challenge for Kyalami Circuit Johannesburg, South Africa Results: April 1, 2001 QOALIFYING: 1. Ben Bostrom (1:4 1.6B9); 2. Troy Bayliss (1:41.916); 3. Colin Edwards (1:42.199); 4. Troy Corser (1:42.249); 5. Neil Hodgson (1:42.606); 6. TadayukJ Okada (IA2.769); 7. Pier-Francesco Chili (1 :42.802); 8. Akira Yanagawa (1:43.01 i); 9. Regis Laconi (1:43.065); 10. Ruben XliUS (1 :43.143); 11. Gregorio Laville (1:43.314); 12. Giovanni Busse! (1:43.326); 13. Broc Parkes (1:43.963); 14. James Toseland (1:44.006); 15. Marco Borciani (1:44.837); 16. Stephane Chambon (1:43.146); 17. Robert Uim (1:44.331); 18. Lucio Pedercini (1:45.055); 19. Mauro Sanchini (I :45.103); 20. Steve Martin (I :45.255); 21. Juan Borja (1:45.332); 22. Bertrand Stey (1:45.424); 23. Michele Mllilate.sta (1:45.863); 24. Marty Craggill (1:45.66); 25. ~dovi<: Holon (1:46.542); 26. Javier Rodriguez (1:47.202); 27. Jiri Mrkyvka (1:47.771). RACE ONE: 1. Colin EdwlIrds (Hon); 2. Troy Bayliss (Due); 3. Troy Corser (Due); 4. Ben Bostrom (Due); 5. Akirl~ Yangllwa (KlIw); 6. Pier-Francesco Chili (Suz); 7. Gregorio Lavillll (Kaw); 8. Regis Laconi (Apr); 9. Ruben Xaus (Duc); 10. Stephane Chambon (Suz); 11. Giovanni Bussei (Due); 12. Broe Plirkes (Due); 13. Robert Ulm (Due); 14. James ToseJand (Due); 15. Marco Borciani (Due); 16. Lucio Pedercini (Due): 17. Bertrand Stey (Hon); 18. Michele Malatesta (Kaw); 19. Steve Martin (Due); 20. Mlluro Sanchini (Duc); 21. Marty Cr.ggill (Duc); 22. Ludovic Holon (Kaw); 23. Javier Rodriguez (Han); 24. Jiri Mrkyvka (Duc). Time: 43 min., 17.222 sees. Distance: 25 laps. 66 miles Average speed: 91.58 mph Margin of victory: 1.848 sec. RACE TWO: 1. Ben Bostrom (Due); 2. Troy Bayliss (Due); 3. Troy Corser (Apr); 4. Neil Hodgson (Duc); 5. Ruben X.us (Duc); 6. Regis Laconi (Apr); 7. Gregorio Lavilla (Kaw): 8. Pier-Francesco Chili (Suz): 9. Giovanni Bussei (Due); 10. Stephane Chambon (Suz); II. Broc Parkes (Duc); 12. Robert (JIm (Due); 13. Michele Malatesta (Kaw); 14. Lucio Pedereini (Duc); 15. Bertrand Stey (Hon); 16. Mauro ~nchini (Due): 17. Steve Martin (Due). Time: 43 min., 13.513 sees. Distance: 25 laps. 66 miles Average s~d: 91.71 mph Margin of victory: 4.305 sec. F1l'\ WORLD SOPERBIKE C'SHIP SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 2 of 13 rounds): 1. Troy Corser (62!2 wins); 2. Troy Bayliss (60); 3. Ben Bostrom (54/1) 4. Colin Edwards (46/1); 5. Gregorio Lavilla (45); 6. Pier-Francesco Chill (36): 7. Regis Laconi (31); 6. Akir. Yanag.w. (29); 9. Ruben Xaus (26); 10. (TIE) Neil Hodgson! Stephane Chambon (24); 12. (TIE) Giovanni Bussei/Broc Parkes (12); 14. Robert Olm (II); 15. (TIE) James Toseland! Mareo Barciani (9). between himself and Corser to only two seconds and looked like he was going to have the 1996 World Champion at some point, as Xaus and Laconi rode along on his coattail. Edwards, attempting to go inside Bostrom at the ultra-fast turn two, only just failed but took no time to regroup and start again. Having forced his way past the startled Bostrom at the Goodyear Sweep, it only took Edwards another third of a lap to exit the race, his engine dying at just the wrong time. As a contest, that was that, with Bayliss now 2.377 seconds down on Bostrom, and the American looking strong and assured as he rode his flat-track Ducati into the steel-shoe zone and back. Toseland, one of nine retirees in podiums, had reduced the gap 17, while his teammate Hodgson, who had broken Xaus' challenge easily by the final laps, took a good fourth place. It was hardly a classic race, but there were plenty of talking points; sadly in the case of Honda and Edwards and the thrice-thwarted Okada. CN race two, left the proceedings on lap cue' • Upcoming Rounds: Round 3 - Phillip Island, Australia, April 22 Round 4 - Sugo, Japan, April 29 n • _ S • APRIL 11, 2001 9