World Superbike Championship
Round 3: Kyalami Circuit
Edwards was once more slow off
the line in race two, engulfed in the
first corner by Hodgson" and then left
to try and pick up the pieces too late.
Once more, the Honda factory team
made a big tire gamble, adopting a
different rear-rim size for race two,
and just like Assen last year, when
the World Championship slipped from
his grasp one race early, Edwards'
tire did not have the desired effect in
the second running.
"We made a change to the reartire width from race one, making it
wider and it did the job," claimed
Edwards· strangely for a man who
dropped a place from race one.
"Bayliss and Xaus upped their
pace in the second race. I got the
extra time I needed but we're
working our socks off and still not
winning. I'm feeling very frustrated
with it all at the moment. We've
got a great machine in the SP-2,
great tires from Michelin, but it's
just not happening for me right now.
I suppose if someone had told me
I'd have five podiums from three
rounds and not be closer to the title
lead than I am I wouldn't have
believed them. What Troy [Bayliss]
is doing has never been done
before. We've got a lot of racing left
this year and I know we're capable
of winning this title. Let's see how
Sugo goes for us."
Bayliss (11 leads Ben Bostrom (1551.
Neil Hodgson (1001. and Colin Edwards
(21 Imo tum one at Kyalaml.
Infostrada Ducati's Ruben Xaus,
fighting through to third in the opener, made some awesome passes on
his way to scoring the first of his two
podiums, bashing Haga out of the
way on one occasion, but once more
used up his rear tire in the pursuit of
the leading pack, a punishment for
his lowly Superpole performance, and
an incorrect ratio choice.
"In the first race, the gearing was
longer than it was in race two and it
was easier to ride in race two, easier
to overtake other riders," said Xaus.
"When I went to try and pass Bayliss,
he changed the rhythm and it was
impossible to stay too close. If I had
started on the front row, it would have
been possible for me to win the
races."
In race two, Edwards' and Xaus'
positions were reversed, and Xaus
even looked ready to depose his own
teammate, but once more he used up
his tires and could not match the
pace of Bayliss, running a different
choice of Michelins.
Once more, this season the Dunlop-supplied Ducati riders, Ben
Bostrom (L&M Ducati) and Neil
Hodgson
(HM Plant Ducati)
Noriyukl Haga (411 was In the hum all
weekend. Here. he leads Xaus (111.
and Bostrom (1551.
28
APRIL 17, 2002'
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