Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128136
December 10, was virtually drowned out due to rain, but the next day Haga got down to some serious laps, scoring best time of 1:35.752. according to World Superbike contributor Gordon Ritchie. Even after just a single day, Haga was talking tough about his return to World Superbike racing. "Even from the first lap the bike felt really good and I believe it will be good enough to let me fight for the championship battle from the first race to the last." Haga said. "I must confess that to retum to World Superbike makes me feel good: I really didn't connect with the atmosphere in Mota GP. In realistic terms I only had a relationship with my Japanese countrymen and Valentino Rossi. although on many occasions I was asked to stay in GPs. But I had to have -the chance to be successful and I needed a competitive four-stroke." Haga is expected to test again at the official World Superbike session at Phillip Island in Australia at the end of January 2002. After a final day of testing for the Ducati duo of Ben Bostrom and Troy Bayliss, the Californian left Valencia with the fastest lap firmly stuck inside his starspangled leathers. His best single circuit on qualifiers was a blistering 1:34.56, just a fraction of a second away from the outright circuit record. 1:34.496. set by Max Biaggi on a Marlboro 500 Yamaha, Bayliss, the reigning World Champion, was marginally behind, with a best of 1:34.70 on qualifying tires. Bayliss also set a time of 1:35.36 on race tires during his 55-lap stint on the last day. although still marginally slower than Bostrom's comparable time (1 :35.3 t) on race rub- ber. Valencia is known as a Dunlopfriendly track, but nonetheless Bostrom's times were highly impressive, even though he felt he could do better. "We just needed an extra half-hour and I would have smashed the lap record because the bike just keeps getting better and better," he said. "' found a great Q-tire, but there was traffic on the final lap and the sun was in my eyes. otherwise I would have done a 1 :34" flat with it. I did my fastest lap on qualifying tires this morning, but the bike feels great on race tires as well. We've got a good set-up, and I already feel really excited about next year. Troy Bayliss was equally confident that 2002 would be a good year for his title defense, but sees at least two potential blots on his horizon. "I'm very pleased because we made a few small modifications to the settings since the last time we tested here in November and you can see the results." said a plainly happy Bayliss, "A time of 1 :34 shows the progress we have made. the problem now is to find that little bit more, because for sure we won't go as fast as this in the race. The last time we were here I didn't try a qualifying tire, but now we got very close to the circuit record. On the results of these tests. I'll have to keep an eye on. [Noriyukil Haga and Ben [Bostrom] next year because both went really quick here. The dice I had with Haga for a few laps yesterday reminded me of Assen and it should be great racing against him again next year." Ruben Xaus was not in attendance at the tests, due to being "involved in promotional activities for the The 2001 Bologna Motor Show may not have thrown up too many surprises regarding new motorcycles, but there was a surprise when World Superbike legend Carl Fogarty used the occasion to formally announce the formation of his very own team at a dinner hosted by Paolo Flammini - President of Superbike Intemational. Four-time World Superbike Champion Fogarty will be contesting the 2002 World Superbike Championship with his own team and on his own bike - the FPl - in conjunction with Malaysian petrochemical giant Petronas. Petronas - if you remember - was behind the Sauber/Petronas GPl four-stroke bike unveiled at the recent Malaysian Grand Prix, but suddenly the project has now shifted from GP to Superbike. According to a Petronas spokesperson, the decision to switch was solely a Petronas idea and the tie-up with Fogarty is seen as a viable commercial decision. The FP1 (Fogarty or Foggy Petronas 1) will be built in workshops in Britain - not far from Donington Park - by SPE (Sauber Petronas Engineering), a company jointly owned by Sauber and Petronas. The engine is an 898cc triple - based on the now defunct GP1 bike. The FP1 means that Fogarty will be the manufacturer as well as the team owner. Fabrication Techniques - a company that makes chassis for Derbi and MuZ, among others - will make the chassis, The streetbike version will be built in Malaysia and is expected to be an exclusive luxury bike - aimed somewhere along the lines of the F4 MV and the Ducati. At the moment, the FP1's first race is expected to be at Laguna Seca on July 14, as the team will just miss the first homologation date. The team will consist of two riders at Laguna, but as yet only James Haydon has been contracted to the team. In Bologna. the normally reticent Fogarty was more then enthusiastic about the project. "Ducati could not give me what I have now - my own race team and I'm really excited about it," Fogarty said.. "It's all come about because, 10 years ago, a Malaysian businessman [David Wong] helped me out when I raced there and we've kept in touch, He called me earlier this year and since then we've been working on this idea. The bike is going to look the business. It's going to be something else, I can tell you, It'll look a lot different to the one that Niall [Mackenzie) rode before the Malaysian GP and will be better in every way. The plan is to test in March and A ril and race at Laguna Seca. At the moment, Niall may continue with e test program, but I'm on the lookout for a couple of riders - maybe one experienced and one 2 JANUARY 9, 2002' cue I e n e _ s Italian manufacturer." Like the lone Castrol Honda rider Colin Edwards, the Infostrada Ducati boys are planning to be at Michelin tests in Kyalami. South Africa. January 25-26. The GSE Racing pairing of Neil Hodgson and James Toseland only managed a single day of testing at Valencia, after picking up their all-new Ducati Testastretta machines. Neither was on full race pace. with Hodgson setting a best of 1:37.39 and with Toseland on the 1:39.3 mark. Hodgson declared himself happy to get back on a race bike again, even if was robbed of the chance to stay on for more tests in better weather conditions. "We only had about half a day of testing but the new bike feels a lot smoother and easier to ride than the old one," said Hodgson, "Even the suspension feels a bit better, more supple and plusher. which was something of a bonus. It actually felt no faster than the other bike but it's really hard to tell when you don't have the 2001 bike to ride against it. The power is certainly less aggressive. I'm happy with the test. but it would be nice to have had the chance to ride it more." Steve Martin and Alessandro Antonello. from the DFX Ducati team, tested their new Testastrettas and their latest Pirelli tires at Valencia. and set good times. Martin. who had completed a Valencia test the month before. set a best of 1:35.7 on a qualifier and a best of 1:36,20 on a race tire, Antonello, a former Aprilia test rider and part time World Superbike racer. improved from the previous day and set a best of 1:36.9. young [this was prior to the announcement of Haydon as the number-one rider). The bike will use proven technology for its suspension and brakes - Ohlins and Brembo - but the tires will depend on the rider. I'd like to give the number-one rider the choice of what tires he'd like, as he's the one at the sharp end, Fuel and lubricants will be Petronas - of coursel When I was racing, I used to complain a bit about all the traveling, but this project has got me all excited again and I'm really looking forward to it all. Europe was never a problem anyway - it was only the long-haul trips that used to get me down a bit. I'm happy to have one of the biggest companies in the world behind me and I think we're going to bring something different to the World Superbike scene. We'll see you at Laguna." SBK International President Flammini was happy at the thought of yet another manufacturer joining World Superbikes. "The important fact is that one of the world's largest companies has decided to enter World Superbikes," Flammini said, "It is a clear demonstration how important they rate the championship and that they feel that they [PetronasJ will derive great benefit from competing in the series. The fact that they are working with a great Superbike legend means that everybody very interested in what's going to happen. And that can only be good for the fans and the sport." By Kel Edge The World Superbike debut meeting at Silverstone in England is, according to an Octagon spokesperson, under no threat from the recent ructions between Bemie Ecclestone and Octagon regarding access and facilities at the former airfield circuit. Work to improve access is not enVisaged to affect the lot of spectators or teams come May 26. As yet there is no news on which of Silverstone's many track configurations will be used for the race. Former Supercross promoter Mike Goodwin was arrested on December 13 and charged with the murder of offroad legend and Supercross promoter Mickey Thompson and his wife, Trudy. according to reports in the Orange County Register. Goodwin, who currently lives in Dana Point, Califomia, has long been considered the prime suspect in the murders that took place 14 years ago, According to the newspaper report, Goodwin, 56, is accused of conspiring to kill Thompson and his wife for financial gain while lying in wait, making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. The Thompsons, 59 and 41, were shot to death March 16, 1988, by gunmen who sped away from the couple's San Gabriel Valley, Califomia, mansion on bicycles. The newspaper has reported that authorities say the arrest puts them one step closer to closing the books on one of Southem Califomia's highest-profile murder mysteries. The complaint was filed December 7 and Goodwin was anraigned on Monday, December 17, Goodwin pleaded not guilty to the allegations and judge Gary Paer ordered Goodwin to be held without bail. Prior to his arrest, Mike Goodwin was walking around the Long Beach Motorcycle Show, telling people of his plans to persuade the courts to re-open the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group's bankruptcy claims case. Goodwin hand-delivered the court documents to the Cycle News booth at the show, then faxed the same papers to our office on Tuesday. December 11, addressed to editor Paul Carruthers, In the opening page of the documents, Goodwin outlined his reasons for wanting to investigate what he claimed to be "fraud" by the MTEG group. The following is a portion of the statement that Goodwin gave us. "This pleading is significant for at least two reasons if they (the alleged perpetrators of these schemes to deprive MTEG bankruptcy creditors of a significant asset, the Supercross business), have no defense that will stand up to scrutiny. Those are 1) that the Supercross business originally owned by MTEG and illegally transferred to PACE Management and then sold to SFX/Clear Channel may still belong to the creditors of MTEG. This could substantially impact. hopefully positively, the current dispute over future Supercross between PACE (the Clear Channel subsidiary), JAMS & AMA. Secondly, 2) I, Michael Goodwin, have long maintained that the reason Ms, [Colleen] Campbell [the sister of Mickey Thompson] has tried so hard to frame me in the Thompson homicides was that she knew I was onto both this bankruptcy fraud by her, her husband and Danny, as well as her earlier Continued on page 96