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/128150
World Superbike Championship Round 3: Kyalami Circuit ed his World Superbike career late, but with a burning desire locked behind the darkest of visors, both literal and figurative. After Colin Edwards took Superpole, and Ben Bostrom was in equally fine qualifying mettle, the result did not look like a foregone conclusion this weekend, but that's how it all turned out for the man from Australia. He makes it look easy, and at least part of his success is down to the most regimented and organized team in the paddock, and their cumulative wise tire choices. And a no- bull attitude to battling on track. "The first race was crazy in the opening laps," said Bayliss. "I just sat back a little and watched Nori [Haga] and Ben [Bostrom] go at it. I gave them a few laps to settle down and then decided it was time to get going. From that point, I just put my head down and did my long run of laps as I do in practice." By GORDON RITCHIE PHOTOS BY GOLD & GOOSE JOHANNESBURG, SOOTH AFRICA, APR. 7 nfostrada Ducati's Troy Bayliss made history twice in one day at Kyalami as his championship defense continued in perfect form. By winning race one, his fifth straight victory since the start of the season, the World Champion broke his own previous record of taking the first four races in a season. In the second race, Bayliss took an unprecedented sixth straight maximum points scores, more wins in succession than any other rider in the 15-year history of World Superbike racing. It's a case of sheer class, matured over a surprisingly short World Superbike career of only one and a half full seasons. Just to underline Bayliss' meteoric, nay stratospheric ride to greatness, these were only his 13th and 14th race wins in 54 attempts. At age 33, he has start- 26 APRIL t 7, 2002' cue I _ n __ s Despite a small slip, which let Edwards back into contention, Bayliss was away and clear and took his win by over two seconds. "As for the second race, it was just unbelievable to get the win and get a new record at the same time," Bayliss said. "I'm not one for records, really; I just like to win races. I did enjoy the second race. The pace was a lot faster and Ruben [Xaus] gave me hurry up in the middle stages, but I was then able to settle and do a lot of laps in the closing stages that I was happy with." As a nugget of hope for ~is rivals and the interest of the championship itself, Bayliss reckoned that Sugo could be something of a nemesis for him as it has been in the past. "All I can say about the next round in Japan is that if someone puts some money on me winning the double there, then they've got rocks in their head. I haven't had the best of results there in the past two years, Troy Bayliss (1) has been unstoppable thus far in 2002 with six wins In six races. Here, Bayliss leads 1eammate Ruben Xaus (partially hidden). but for sure "II be there, trying my best as always." Bayliss' immaculate displays were hindered only by the attention of the other factory men for short periods of each race, although some of the action was spectacular in the extreme. Noriyuki Haga overtaking Bayliss around the outside on the entrance to Wesbank was a particular highlight. In race one, Castrol Honda's Edwards was the closest chaser, two seconds down at the flag, although Haga had played his part by leading until he dropped back and then fell, probably thanks to a broken engine which chucked him off at the entrance to Nashua.