Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

"I was desperate to get into the 41 s and had to go half a second quicker, which I did. I just don't enjoy races like that where you end up lapping on your own," said Walker. "It's not a bad result, but we were playing catch-up compared with the other riders because we had no track time in the first race. It just made the race more difficult not having the opportunity to test the bike and learn how it was going to perform in the later laps. We've finished first four-cylinder again, which is good, and I'm looking forward to Misano in two weeks' Once the Ducati tech man performs the old control/alt/delete funetlon on his laptop, Bayliss can go out and win his 10th and 11th races of the season. time." Ducati-mounted Lucio Pedercini earned both available 10th-place finishes, ahead of the odd factory machine as he proves again that the new privateer Ducatis are a far more competitive package than the ones we've seen before. DFX Ducati's Steve Martin, who had such a happy qualifying in 2001, was a reasonable ninth and 11 th on Edwards, Honda has a superb stalk- tarmac his Pirellis like more than any ing horse. He knows he can't live with other. He watched his teammate Bayliss or the big red Duke in most Alessandro Antonello fall from grace conditions, but he has been towering in the second race, with 19 of the 24 above the others just as surely as laps completed. In the opener, Broc Parkes, Marco Bayliss has been on tiptoes over him. Borciani and Antonello were the last like a starving rottweiler. The slip point takers on private bikes. seems less likely every week, however. One slip and Edwards will be on him Local rider Alex Hofmann had an Hodgson, an unsafe third after his assured and competent World Super- down day, is fully 106 points behind bike debut, scoring a 15th- and 13th- Edwards. So the title will be decided place finishes as a stand-in for regular Kawasaki rider Hitoyasu Izutsu who is hoped to return to the fray in the next round at Misano in two weeks' time. "I felt a lot better in that race. I got into a good rhythm quickly, as I had experience from the first race," said the German Super-sub. "I went haIfa-second quicker nearly every lap, and I set my fastest lap of the weekend in the race, quicker than my qualifying or Superpole laps. I am happy to score more World Championship points, and three points from the second race is even better than one point from the first. I am speaking with the team now and hope to ride the bike again in Misano. We will see." Mauro Sanchini was 14th in the second running; and the lone factory Benelli machine, ridden by Aussie Peter Goddard, scored a DNF and a point for 15th. The World Championship is now a fight between traditional rivals, Ducati and Honda, and their lead riders BayliSS and Edwards, with Bayliss on a whopping 310 points and Edwards on a hardly less impressive total of 271. Looking at the statistics in terms of race wins, there is only one potential champion: Troy Bayliss. But the margin of his lead - 'only' 39 with a possible 300 points left in the final six rounds - dictates that Edwards, and only Edwards, can still catch him. Bayliss' season has been one stage from unbelievable this year, but in between two men, no more, but even for the modem Ducati miracle worker that is Bayliss, it's not over yet. I:N SBK Super1llke World Cbempionship lausltz, SenllllDY Results: June 9, ZOOZ QQAUFYING: 1. Troy Boyliss (1:39.395); 2. Ben Bostrom (I :39.552); 3. Colin Edwords (I :39.569); 4. Neil Hodgson (1:39.855); 5. Ruben Xous (1:40.009); 6. Pier-Francesco Chili (1:40.361); 7. James Toselond (I :40.545); 8. Noriyukl Hogo (1 :40.816); 9. Gregorio Lavilia (1:40.865); 10. Steve Martin (1:41.131); 11. Juon Borjo (1:41.245); 12. Chris Wolker (1 :41.529); 13. Lueio Pedereinl (1:42.143); 14. Marco Borcitmi (1:42.427); 15. Brae Parkes (1:42.685); 16. Alex Hofmonn (1:43.042); 17. Peler Goddord (1:44.829); 18. Mauro Sonehini (1:45.034); 19. Mork f1eekles (I :45.113); 20. Alessondro Antonello (1:45.185); 21. Ivon Clementi (1:45.246); 22. Serafino Forti (1 :46.391): 23. Thierry Mulot (1:46.639); 24. Jiri Mtkyvko (1:48.184). RACE ONE: J. Troy Boyliss (Due): 2. Colin Edwards (Hon); 3. Ruben Xaus (Duc); 4. Noriyuki Haga (Apr); 5. Ben Bostrom (Due); 6. Pier-Francesco Chill (Duc); 7. James Toseland (Due); 8. Gregorio Lavilla (Suz); 9. Steve M.artin (Due); 10. Lucio Pedercini (Due); 11. Broc Parkes (Duc); 12. Marco Borciani (Due); 13. Alessandro Antonello (Duc); 14. Mauro Sanchini (Kaw); 15. Alex Hofmann (Kew); 16. Serafino Forti (Due); 17. Mark Heckles (Hon); 18. Ivon Clementi (Kow); 19. Thierry Mulot (Han). Tune: 40 mln. 6.073 sees. Distance: 63.46 miles Average .peed: 94.95 mph Margin of victory: .651 seconds Fostest lop: Troy Boylls>, lop 5,1:39.704 RACE TWO: I. Troy Boyliss (Due); 2. Colin Edwards (Han); 3. Ruben Xeus (Due); 4. Ben Bostrom (Due); 5. Noriyuki Haga (Apr); 6. PierFroneesco Chili (Due); 7. Jomes Toselond (Due); 8. Neil Hodgson (Due); 9. Chris Walker (Kaw); 10. Lucio Pederclnl (Due); 11. Steve Martin (Due); 12. Marco Borcieni (Due); 13. Alex Hafmenn (Kaw); 14. Moura Sonehlnl (Kaw); 15. Peter Goddard (Ben); 16. SeroAno Fort! (Due); 17. Marl< Heckles (Han). Time: 40 min. 9.633 sees. Distence: 63.46 miles Averoge speed: 94.81 mph Margin of victory: 1.650 seconds Fostest lop: Ruben Xous, lop 7. 1:39.679 WORLD C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 7 of 13 rounds): I. Troy Beyliss (310/11 wins); 2. Colin Edwords (271/2); 3. Neil Hodgson (165); 4. Noriyuki Hogo (153); 5. Ruben Xous (152); 6. Ben Bostrom (143); 7. Jomes Toseland (99); 8. Chris Wolker (80); 9. Gregorio Laville (68); 10. Pier-Frencesco Chili (58); II. Juon Bo~o (53); 12. Hitoyosu Izulsu (47). Upcoming Rounds: Round 8 - San Marino, June 23 Round 9 - Laguna Seca, July 14 World Suoersoort· Round 7 It all started out, and even ended, in unbelievably dull fashion, hard though that is to believe of a class that always serves up close races and excitement. After Fabien Foret had speared his way past the fast-starting Katsuaki Fujiwara and his A1stare Suzuki, he stuck to his task of leading like a little yellow limpet, and the race was over as a contest from then on. In a dramatic post-race development, however, three riders - Fabien Foret, James Whitham and Paolo Casoli - were excluded from the results for various small technical irregularities. Foret's Honda had a too-light rear-wheel spindle, and neither Yamaha would start after the race on the starter button. Casoli's bike was also underweight due to excessive fuel consumption and a too-light fuel load. The method of weighing Supersport bikes includes all fluids, and the teams put in only as much fuel as they need to ballast the bike to the weight limit. There is a one-kilo 'gray area' but Casoli's bike was way under that. Having calculated his fuel load from practice figures they had made with one carb setting, an alteration of Casoli's main jets before the race saw over a kilo less fuel in the tank than there needed to be. Foret's exclusion was comical for all but the Ten Kate Team. The winner's bike was being inspected by the tech inspectors, the engine of the bike that is, and to make life easier they opted to take the rear wheel out and release the chain, to drop out the engine. A passing tech man liked the rear-wheel spindle, a standard Honda racing kit part according to Gerrit Ten Kate, as used by all other Honda teams, weighed it and found it less than it should have been, and as such, not as homologated. Ten Kate himself was annoyed at the outcome after what he saw as a fair-and-square win. "If someone is cheating in the engine, then it is right to exclude them - I did not like cheating. But this is harsh for such a small thing, and would not have happened had we taken the chain off the front sprocket. This is a standard kit part, only lightly polished to make it go out and in the spindle hole easier.- In the race itself, before all the problems, an otherwise clean first few comers at this tricky circuit allowed the early leaders to find their rhythms in good order, and thus frontrow starter Fujiwara held the pack at bay on the first few laps until the dramatic and ebullient Foret rode into the lead in his inimitable fashion on the fourth circuit. Karl Muggeridge fell shortly after taking third place from his fellow Aussie Andrew Pitt (Kawasaki Racing Team) but rejoined the race, finishing 14th after the new points table was issued. Closely pressed by Fujiwara for the entire race, PirelJj runner Foret was nonetheless in control from the fourth to the very last circuit, when he crossed the line 0.7 of a second ahead of Fujiwara, with the fast-finishing Pitt third (now second after the revised results) on his EckI Kawasaki, 1.354 seconds behind. Stephane Chambon finished an eventual third, and his new haul of 16 points extended his championship lead over the no-scoring Foret and new second-place rider Pitt. Christian Kellner, who had looked good for a podium finish at one time, had to settle for fourth place, and was the last finisher in the breakaway front group. Behind, Chris Vermeulen had repassed James Whitham to take sixth place, while Whitham almost crashed on the final comer, trying to pass the teenage Australian rider under power. Detuned by a practice crash and unable to find a proper rhythm on his Yamaha Germany R6, Jorg Teuchert was a disappointed and somewhat subdued sixth, although he managed to hold off OPCM Yamaha rider Kevin Curtain and Yamaha Belgarda star Paolo Casoll, who would have rounded out the top 10 until he was later disqualified. With all the subsequent finishers moving up a cool three places, Stefano Cruciani (Team Italia), Piergiorgio Bontempi (NCT Ducati) and lain Macpherson all moved up to the top-10 positions. In the Supersport Championship standings, Chambon now leads Pitt, 112- 103, with Foret on 99, Fujiwara on 84, and Kellner on 65. "The track is good for my style and my bike and tires are working very well," Foret said later. "I just went out and rode like I know I can and the race was perfect, but I am very tired now. I am the rider and it is not my fault or the teams. We get the parts direct from Honda. I am angry, but I must try to forget about this now. For me, I know that I won the race. I do not know why we need to make the bike any lighter, we have such a good package already." cue' e n • _ S • JUNE 19,2002 35

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