Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

flag, with the more experienced Corser getting the better of Toseland a couple of corners from the end. Up ahead, a lackluster few Japs saw Xaus take an emotional first World Superbike win in dominant style, a full 9.938 seconds ahead of reigning champ Edwards. (Kaw). Time: 41 min.. 23.687 mins. Distance: 63.65 miles Average Speed: 92.27 mph Third was Bayliss, followed by Bostrom, Laconi, Chili, Lavilla, Okada, Yanagawa, Hodgson, Corser, Toseland, and Chambon on the second Suzuki and Steve Martin on the Pirelli-shod Ducati. Xous (Duc); 3. Ben Bostrom (Duc); 4. Akirll Yanagawll (Kaw); 5. Tedayukl Okada (Hon); 6. Pier Francesco Chili (5uz); 7. Nell Hodgson (Duc); 8. Regis Laconi (Apr); 9. Troy Corser (Apr); 10. James Toseland (Due); 11. Gregorio Lavilla (Kaw); 12. Stephllne Chambon (Suz); 13. Juan Bautista Borja (Yam); 14. Giovanni Bussei (Due); 15. Betrand Stey (Hon); 16. Peter Goddard (Ben); 17. Mauro Sanehini (Due); 18. Berto Camlek (Yam); Ferdinando Di oMaso CN IIIIbIp.lrIl VlII'lIIIlta/Iungs IIscenleben, &el1llllny lInalts: September Stb,2001 QUALIFYING: 1. Neil Hodgson (1 :27.325); 2. Troy Corser (1:27.442); 3. Ruben Xaus (1:27.480); 4. Colin Edwllfds (1:27.738); 5. Ben Bostrom (1:27.808); 6'. Troy Bayliss (1:27.844); 7. Regis Loconi (1:28.074); 8. Akira Yanagaw. (1:28.266); 9. Jomes Toseland (1:28.512); 10. Tadayuki Okada (1:28.517); 11. Steve Martin (1:28.594); 12. Gregorio Lavill8 (1:28.725); 13. Pier Fnmcesco Chili (1:28.748); 14. Giovanni Bussei (1:29.069); 15. Steph.ne Chambon (1 :29.256); 16. Robert Ulm (1:29.394); 17. Lucio Pedercini (1:29.447); 18. Juan Bautista Borja (1:29.494); 19. Martin Ctaggill (1:29.620); 20. Betrand Stey (1:29.728); 21. Peter Goddard (1:29.768); 22. Mauro Sanchini (1:30.138); Margin of victory: 3.355 sees. Fastest lap: Colin Edwllrds, 1:27.988, lap 7 RACE TWO: 1. Ruben Xaus (Due); 2. Colin Edwards (Hon); 3. Troy Bayliss (Due); 4. Ben Bostrom (Due); 5. Regis Laeoni (Apr); 6. Pier Francesco Chill (Suz); 7. Gregorio Lavilla (Kew); 8. Tadayukl Okadll (Hon); 9. Aklra Yanagawa (Kaw); 10. Neil Hodgson (Due); 11. Troy Corser (Apr); 12. James Toseland (Due); 13. Stephane Ch8mbon (SUI); 14. Steve MartJn (Due); 15. Robert Ulm (Due); 16. Lueio Podereini (Due); 17. Peter Goddard (Ben); 18. Broe Perkes (Due); 19. Mauro Sanchini (Due); 20. Betrand Stey (Hon); 21. Berto Camlek (Yam). Time: 41 min.. 17.957 mins. Distance: 63.65 miles Podium veteran Colin Edwards pettlsho_ first-timer Ruben )(aus how It's done. Aver.ge Speed: 92.48 mph Margin of victory: 9.938 sees. Fastest lap: Ruben Xaus, 1:27.669. lep 4 WORLD SUPERBIKE POINTS STANDINGS (After 11 of 13 rounds): 1. Troy Bayliss (319 4/wins); 2. CoLin Edwards (295/4); 3. Ben Bostrom (276/6); 4. Troy Corser (238/2); 5. Neil Hodgson (232/1); 6. Pier Freneeseo Chili (199/1); 7. Akira Yanagawa (152); 8. Ruben Xaus (151/1); 9. T.dayuki Okada (137); 10. Gregorio Laville (136); 11. Regis Laconi (111); 12. Stephane Chambon (107); 13. James Tosel.nd (77). 23. Marco Borciani (1:30.142); 24, Bree Pearkes (I :30.817); 25. Michele M.I.test. (I :32.616); 26. Ferdimmdo Oi Meso (1:32.704); 27. Berto Camlek (1 :32.709); 28. Jiri Mrkyvk. (1 :33.247). RACE ONE: 1. Colin Edwards (Hon); 2. Ruben Upcoming Rounds: Round 12: Assen, Holland, September 9 Round 13: Imola, Italy, September 30 BRIEFLY••• Sometime during the first 15 days of October, Honda will answer Mondial's request for 2001 engines to allow the small but determined Italian concern to carry on and still be able to attract a good caliber of rider. Aaron Slight is still in the frame. but only if he receives full factory motors. If Mondial is unsuccessful in its claim, they will be forced to design a management and development structure to force-feed the engine of the streetbike. Their next test is scheduled for the beginning of October. after the Milan show. when they will have a test at Rijeka with Walter Bartolini, their regular test rider, at the controls. Peter Goddard once more could not qUite get the Benelli triple into the top 16 in timed qualifying and thus qualify for Superpole. but he did crash trying. "I was fine. but the bike took a lot of stone damage to the chassis, so they have changed that just in case there is some interior damage. I think the gravel they use in the traps here is dredged up from the bottom of the sea. because it's made up of really hard. polished pebbles. " GSE Racing may have had a somewhat painful and costly introduction to World Superbike racing way back in the early rounds. but their place at the top table is now firmly established. To the point now that they have taken overall responsibility for the running and preparation of their own machines. despite the fact that they are the demanding and fickle 2000 factory spec 996s. Neil Hodgson's recent performances on the machine have drawn attention from many quarters with Honda partiCUlarly interested in his services. Hod9S0n himself. reigning British Champion, stated at Oschersleben. "I would really like to stay with GSE because we ail work well together and I'm happy there. I would really like to have full factory spec bikes next year though. but I wouldn't necessarily leave if we couidn't get them." Hodgson. who's aff;lirs are dealt with by former GP rider and IT winner Roger Bumett, denied that he had personally spoken to Honda. despite the fact that Honda are keen to sign him to their VTR squad alongside Edwards - as they were last year. "I haven't spoken to Honda myself. but I know Roger Burnett has." Hodgson. who has had more than one bad experience with his previous World Championship teams, is genuine enough in his desire to stay in GSE's loving embrace. and at their present rate of development. the sky is the limit for both rider and race team. Honda. Wheeling out a specific type of new tire construction at the official SBK test in Imola before the 8-Hour race itself. Michelin has been busy trying to overcome some of their more obvious longevity worries this season. Oschersleben will see Michelin debut the new rubber in SBK competition proper. according to Michelin spokesman Nicholas Goubert. "There is always an ongoing development program so we bring new types of tires to all the races. but we did have a new front and rear construction at Suzuka and we have versions of them here. They worked very well in Japan and we will see if they can work as well at Oschersleben, which is a very different track. Basically the construction allows us to use a softer compound. relative to any of the other tires we use in the same circumstances. At the moment Tady likes them more than Colin. but a lot of it is down to individual rider preference." Goubert also claimed that the performance fall off experienced by some Micheiin ,riders has not been due to temperature effects. It also appears that Michelin has taken a leaf out of the Dunlop book in the development of their new tires. which go against the conventional Michelin characteristic of giving maximum side grip with a sudden breakaway at the point where they lose traction. "The tires make it easy to have a smooth breakaway by gMng traction while they spin." explained Goubert. Cynics suggest that Michelin have had to do this. such is the upper hand taken by Dunlop in recent races, and with talk of the main Michelin teams thinking about swapping tires next year. Part of Michelin's ability to deliver the new rubber is down to the fact that they do not supply any of the factory four-cylinder teams. and have a more defined task in developing their tires for Honda and Ducat;'s big Vs. "Two years ago," said Goubert "we could see there was occasionally a bit of difference between the needs of the four cylinder and the twin, but now that we supply the twins exclusively the tire choice now just comes down more to individual rider preference. That is a very important part of tire development." Colin Edwards concurred with the slide-but-drive theory about his new tires. "They spin and yet still have forward drive accelerating out of the comers. They can take the load and yet still push the bike out of the corner. They weren't just a little better than the old ones they were more than that, even if I didn't like the fee! of them as much as some others." Troy Bayliss denied that he had used the new rubber on Friday. "I haven't had any special Michelins on the bike just yet. but there is something special planned for tomorrow." Rumors of Aprilia switching away from Dunlop and toward Pirelli have continued, but not in the way things have been expected. Aprilia is expected to try out the Pirelli rubber before the year is out. and there is a possibility that there will be a satellite Aprilia team using the Italian tires for the 2002 season. Italian rider Michele Malatesta returned to the World Superbike paddock at Oschersleben after the horrific leg break that he suffered at Laguna Seca. His return was welcomed by his Kawasaki Bertocchi team. which has been forced to replace both its regular riders. Malatesta and Ludovic Holon this season through injury. Malatesta's return means the exit of Kim Ashkenazi from his role as stand-in. Bertocchi has agreed to run a Superbike team once more next year, making the team the elder-statesman of the World Superbike privateer paddock. According to paddock talk, Zolder has been touted as a poSSible World Superbike or Grand Prix venue. as soon as the 2003 race season, but only once the required work has been carried out on the track. Colin Edwards won his second Suzuka 8-Hour race earlier this year but at the usual cost. apparently. Edwards commented about the stresses of the 8-hour after untimed qualifying at Oschersleben although not verbally at first. Asked how he had recovered from the harrowing mental and physical ordeal of riding for four-hours at the limit in atrocious heat and humidity. Edwards just stared into space and shook his head with a rueful smile on his face. The silence was telling. He was more verbose. if not any more clear when he stated that "Winning Is the only result there. To go through that race and not win is terrible." Some other riders. like Neil Hodgson, complained that the five-w_k mid-season break was too long. -Having a real break was good. but after a week of having a couple of drinks, doing nothing and just chilling out. I get a bit bored and frustrated. I find it hard to switch off from racing so I was really glad to get back into it here and get on with it. " The Suzuka 8-Hour race has had its usual impact on the World Superbike paddock, with some notable beneficiaries being the Michelin riders, especially Colin Edwards and Tady Okada from Another Aprilia rumor with great credence is that Noriyuki Hega is at the top of their shopping list. or would be if he were not asking for what they see is unrealistically big money to sign. With the final hurdle of the championship about to be leapt or stumbled over by all the top riders. the King of Cool, Troy Bayliss, was chilled out about the pressure he would be facing to maintain his championship lead. Even from the first blows on Friday, he was chanting out the same mantras about not letting complacency creep in - something a man more than two whoie race wins ahead of his rivals can afford to do. "Today and all through qualifying I will be going out to try and win the race, and I only start to think about the championship itself about halfway through the race on Sunday.said Bayliss. "I am not complacent about my championship position because I saw a 51-point lead in the British Championship in 1999 go down to one point through no fault of my own - crashes and so on - before I won the title. " Klaus KlaHenbock moved 25 points ahead of his old sparring partner Steve Webster when he won the 28-lap Sidecar race at Oschersleben. With rain appearing to fall at one time the race may have been red-flagged but it stayed dry. allowing the battles through the field to continue unabated. There were numerous retirements in the race. but none more noticeable than that of the leader Steve Webster on lap 20. Feeling his engine tighten up he decided to pull in rather than risk a blow up which would spill oil on the circuit. K1affenbock. on his fourth engine of the meeting. was out to make the most of this opportunity. and held off a determined Steve Abbott by only 0.3 of a second. Tom Hanks took his first podium in third place. 44 seconds from the leaders. There were two brothers on the podium. Abbott's passenger Jamie Biggs and Hanks' passenger Phil. a U a •• n __ • • SEPTEMBER t2, 2001 13

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