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his competitors. However, Valencia is a strange place to race at even for the top men. After our first look, it's Bayliss against the best of the rest (Haga, Bostrom and Edwards, realistically) with Ruben Xaus very possibly racing against his own ability to crash, without warning, at full pace. The balance of the field looked like the bit players on the first day of school, but it's a long season in Superbike, always has been, and as long as there are two races per race, it probably always will be. eN Circuito Ricardo Tonno Valencia, Spain Results: Man:h 10, 2002 QUAUFYING: 1. Troy Bayliss (U4.814); 2. Ben Bostrom (1 :34.959); 3. Colin Edwards (I :34.982); 4. Noriyuki Haga (1:35.015); 5. Neil Hodgson (1 :35.065); 6. Juan Borja (1 :35.891); 7. Hitoyasu [zutsu (1:35.904); B. Lucio Pedercini (1:35.909); 9. Ruben XI:IUS (l :35.937); 10. Pierfrtlncesco Chili (1 :35.948); 11. Chris Walker (I :36.589): 12. Gregorio Lavilla (1 :36.767); 13. James Toseland (1:37.131); 14. Steve Martin (1:37.373); 15. Marco Borcian; (1:37.521); 16. Serafino Forti (1:37.749): 17. Alessandro Antonello (I :36.796); 18. Brae Parkes (1:37.005); 19. Ivan Clementi (1:37.188); 20. Thierry Mulot (1:37.672); 21. Mark Heckles (1:38.116); 22. Bertrand Stey (1:38.632); 23. Mauro Sanehini (I :38.391); 24. Peter Goddard (I :38.845): 25. Vann Gyger (1 :40.20 I). RACE ONE: 1. Troy Beyl;ss (Duc); 2. Noriyuki Haga (Apr); 3. Ben Bostrom (Duc); 4. Colin Edwards (Han); 5. Ruben Xaus (Due); 6. Neil Hodgson (Due); 7. Hitoyasu Izutsu (Kaw); B. Gregorio Lavillll (Suz); 9. Pierfrancesco Chili (Duc); 10. Chris Walker (Kl:lw); 11. Juan Borja (Duc); 12. J8mes Toseland (Duc); 13. Alessandro Antonello (Due); 14. Lucio Pedercini (Due); 15. Broc Plukes (Due); 16. Mllreo Borcillni (Due); 17. Steve Mllrtin (Due); 18. Iwm Clementi The race-one victory podium, with Bayliss the winner (center1, Haga In second (Ieftl, and Bostrom in third (right). Bayliss brought his daughter up onto the podium with him to be his personal flower giri. quite simply this year, like it has in many years past. Beat the top Ducati rider to win the championship, just like the GP boys have always got to beat the top Honda rider. The fact that Bayliss is demonstrating a Fogarty-like desire to win and more importantly all the equipment needed to make his dreams come true - may be a real worry for (Above) Aistare Suzuki Corona Extra's Stephane Chambon (12) leads fellow Frenchle Fabien Foret (99). Foret took his Ten Kate Honda to victory In the Worid Supersport event over Chambon, with Christian Kellner (behind Foret) taking third. (Below) The Supersport podium (from left to right) Chambon, Foret, and Kellner. The result was a foregone conclusion, surely. Fabien Foret was not only the fastest thing on a 600 in the race's history, but consistently so, and on the best tires for the track; PirelJis. His closest rival in practice was Chambon, his countryman, and he was on a slower Suzuki and on Dunlops. Well, the pole-position man made unnecessarily hard work of the first race of the season, but walked away the winner nonetheless, during what was a sometimes-spectacular attack on the podium at Valencia. Frequently out of the seat and running wide on comer entries and exits, Foret was visibly determined to win. Or equally determined to chuck it all away, as he was on the grass on the exit of the final comer many times. "I was very relaxed but my start was no good," Foret said. "It was a long race and I was in fourth and managed to overtake and get to second behind Stephane [Chambon]. I wanted to lead the race and pull away and I take the le.ad but Stephane stays with me throughout the race. With two laps to go, I push hard and stay in front to the end. I am very happy with the team and the bike and am confident for the rest of the season." Despite his confidence, Foret even had to catch Charnbon, who took the best holeshot in living memory on his Suzuki Alstare machine, and sat in the lead for the first section of the race, at a pace Foret did not find easy to match. He was to swap the lead with Foret as the Ten Kate rider alternated between putting a gap between himself and Chambon and almost crashing, dropping back to fourth place for a period as he ran wide at times without measure. It was, however, after a few laps of tussling only a fight between Foret and Charnbon, with the rest dropping back as time wore on. Just behind the leaders, Jorg Teuchert crashed out of contention on lap five, while lying third, and remounted, to flOish agonizingly out of the points in 16th. Much to his and his team's chagrin. A drag race to the finish line for the fmal podium place was won by Teuchert's teammate, Christian Kellner, from the highly impressive young Aussie rider Chris Vermeulen. Kellner is back to full fitness and full speed. making him another possible champion in this year when one type of machine - a Ten Kate Honda· nonetheless looks likely to be a bike for all circuits. Vermeulen was desperately unlucky not to finish on the podium for the first time, and raced like a rider of 29, not 19 years. Just off the pace of the leaders for the whoie race, reigning champ Kawasaki Racing Team's Andrew Pitt and his shadow Yamaha Belgarda's James Whitham fought out a game of cat and mouse; but with Pitt always in control, and Whitham delivering on his promise to be a more restrained and controlled title challenger this year. Alessio Corradi was disappointed with his otherwise fine seventh place, a remarkably pessimistic outlook for one who was riding with a cracked bone in his right shoulder. The European Champion has been a brilliant inclusion so far and - as a wildly tonsured, Hendrix·coiffured human being· can only add some sparkle to the class. Werner Daemen slotted in behind Corradi on a Honda Van Zon CBR, the same as Vermeulen used to such great effect. One place aft of them was Paolo Casoli on the second Belgarda Yamaha, in 11 th, overcoming the pain he experienced in his injured finger during the last few laps. Another challenger who rode safe on a track that he hates the most experienced rider in the field was taking no chances this early in the season. The Injured Karl Muggeridge was impressive for a man with an unpinned broken ankle, one ahead of Kawasaki rookie James Ellison who scored the last point. Ellison was particularly worthy of praise after his harsh treatment by the stopwatches in qualifying, but he showed all the determination of the twice European Superstock Champion he is to beat some bigger names. cue. D n e "" s MARCH 20, 2002 25