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/128161
them were Americans. Significantly, he rated all three of them as his toughest opponents, even if Foggy's injury contributed to Edwards' eventual championship win. On home soil, at the Laguna Seca round, American riders have had surprisingly little success. Even the much vaunted and numerous wild cards may have podiumed, but few have won, the most recent to win being Ben Bostrom in 1999. Laguna's peculiar mix of corners and gradients, the eye-popping corkscrew, the peculiar grip from the different sections of the track, the lack of regular testing, and thus the sheer unfamiliarity of it make it one of the hardest tracks to learn, well enough to win on. This does not account for the fact that only two of the previous five riders to win at Laguna have been American - even if Kocinski and Bostrom have won three apiece. Three is obViously Laguna's magic number, because two of the other winners, Corser and fellow Aussie Anthony Gobert, have also scored three races each. Noriyuki Haga is the odd man out, because he's 'only' taken two, and - more tellingly - he's the only one who hasn't ridden in the AMA Championship as a full-time entrant. Depending on who rides as wild cards this time around, and doubles up with his AMA commitments during the always-fascinating combined World Superbike/AMA meeting, the wild card exclusion zone at the top of the podium could come to an end. Laguna may only have been on the calendar since 1995, but it has packed some drama, welcome and otherwise, into its World Superbike weekends. The twice stopped and shortened first race in 1998 was one of the more destructive races in World Superbike history. The 1999 win for Bostrom was one of the most exciting for the local crowd. If there is one circuit where upsets look like impinging on the Bayliss and Edwards duopoly, then Laguna is it. The template has already been drawn out on a beautifully folded piece of paper at Sugo, because the only other rider to win a 2002 race bas been Cabin Honda wild-card rider Makoto Tamada - riding a twin on Dunlops. Here are some questions. At Laguna, will Ben Bostrom be on? Will Hodgson (a big fan of the track) be on? Will Former winner Haga be on? Will all the wild cards be on? Yep, 10 out of 10 for saying 'twins' and 'Dunlops.' And that's before we've even started on Eric Bostrom and the AMA four-cylinder warriors. For the sake of variety, if nothing else, seeing these guys mixing it up with Troy B and Colin for full-race distance will be a welcome novelty. Not to mention an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon. CN Team Green's Chuck Woodford and Michelin· TIres Grab Two Big Off-Road Wins In Two Weeks! You may not have heard much about Chuck Woodford, but that could soon change. The Team Green Kawasaki rider just snared two big off-road wins in two consecutive weeks, using the same Michelin' 512' tires you can buy. Chuck came home first at the tough Moose Run in Illinois on June 9, then followed it up a week later with his first-ever GNCC win in Pennsylvania. Of course, you don't have to be afactory rider to get this kind of performance from your tires. Chuck's favorite tire, the Michelin' 512", is available at your dealer, along with the complete line of Michelin' off-road tires. Check 'em out! 217·623·4429 wWW,countrymotorsinc,com .. • WHY WAIT? CALL! R DON PEDEN & DONNIE LITTLE cycla n a _ s • JULv3,2002 19