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World Superbike Championship Round 5 : Monza, Italy "One of the engine lugs broke in the first race and that loosened an o il line : said Hodgson ruefully . '" was gutted at having to stop. I lost the tow early in that race as well, and it was impossible to get back with the leading bunch. In race two , 1 had a vibration so bad that m y hands were in agony after the race , and it was knocking my feet off the footpegs. I almost wanted to pull in with two laps le ft, but then I went crazy trying to catch Xaus, but I had left it too late." The top pr ivateer of the day was unquestionably local rider Lucio Ped- (Above) Neil Hodgson (100) and Regis Laconl (55) do battle In race two. Hodgson was seventh with Laconi eighth. (Right) Bayliss scored the first World Superblke double of his career and moved into the le a d in the Wo rld Superblke Championship po in ts standi ngs afte r do ing so. late , knocked off Pier-Francesco Chili who had to restart the race with a p us h fro m the marshals and finished 14th , "I clashed with Frankie when I tried to brake late into the chicane. But I couldn 't get onto the righ t line ," con firmed Corser. "Sorry to Frankie for that, but I was out of th e race myself. During race two the rea r tire got out of ba lance and when I was leaning int o corners I was getting a lot of ch a tt e ring , which was getting worse a nd worse. I realized it was getting da nge ro us . I had the feeling that a bit of rubber was detaching itself from the tire. A really bad day and I just have to forget it." The gravel Chili le ft lying on the track then did it for Okada, who fell from his Honda on the gritty track as he ex ited the Ascari Chicane. "My shoulder isn 't too so re , despite the crash in race one: Okada said. "Frankie Chili was behind me in the second race? I didn't see him all race long . I really loo k forward to Don in g to n now, a track I like and know very well. I hope we can find a better tire balance for that race. " Chili later gave rea sons wh y he wa s behi nd . "We ha ve the same thing as be fo re , no rea l power coming ou t of the corner , so I have to brake really late to sta y with the other riders into the corne rs . But when the y go , they go . Yanaga wa ca me past me like a mis - sile when he caught me in race two. " The much -dreaded accident at the first chicane, an evil dead stop from top speed, with a 90-degree right to negotiate, occurred in race one, when Robert U1m and Steve Martin clashed and fe ll, bring ing off James Toseland and a few o th e rs , although serious injury wa s avoided. "I was inside Martin after we went round the rig ht- ha nd comer, but then he moved across on me at the sec ond part and we hit : said U1m afterward . Tose land w a s forced to retire shortly afterward , after his c ra s h e d machine gave out. Even fo r those who escaped the first-lap sort out, there was much fun to be had late r. Xaus and Hodgson , both of whom looked ready to take their first pod iums of the sea so n a t one sta ge in th e opener , crashe d a nd re tired , re spec tively , on la p 16 . But each m a n rallied in race t wo , with Xaus tak ing sixth and Hodgson seventh - ahead of Laconi , Stephane Chambon and wild ca rd rider Alessandro Gram ign i. 16 ne MAY 23,2001 • eye I e vv s