Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Laguna Seca's World Superbike Weekend Nell Hodgson (right! and teammate .lames Toaelalld Pen) both had good races at laat par's event. Hodgson flnlshed second in race one and third In race two, while Superblke rookie Toaeland went 10-7. Look at the history of American riders in World Superbike, and of the Laguna Seca round in particular, and a few facts jump out. The first is that, naturally enough, Americans, the inventors of Superbike racing, have been more adept than any other nation at riding race-prepped streetbikes. While Europeans were still running more-exotic Formula One machines, with the odd street component left over, but GP-style chassis and high levels of engine tuning, Superbikes were rampant in the USA. 18 .JuLv3. 2002' G U G I • By the time World Superbike came into existence, in 1988, Fred Merkel (Rumi Honda) was in charge in world terms, and his one-man, one-van team beat the European aristocrats of Bimota and Ducati to the first draw. The first two draws in fact, after he won the 1989 series on another Honda. Doug Polen was nothing short of a phenomenon in his two championship-winning years, 1991 and 1992. The Fast By Ferracci rider was immaculate and still holds World Superbike records for the most wins in a row from his first year. Scott Russell followed on from these American successes with the World Championship, Kawasaki's only one, in 1993, beating Carl Foga- n • _ s rty in what was another classic managainst-man, close-quarter struggle. Only the winningest World Superbike rider ever prevented Russell or anyone from taking the crown in '94, and then again in his own immaculate '95 season. The first of the Aussie contingent to take the top prize had a strong American connection, as former AMA Superbike Champion Troy Corser gave Ducati its sixth riders' championship in '96. Stars and bars fluttered to the top again in '97, thanks to American racing's greatest modern enigma, John Kocinski. The former 250cc World Champion and GP refugee couldn't do it on a Ducati the year before, but with a Castrol Honda team desperate for success on their disappointing RC45, and thus willing to bend their English stiff upper lips to Kocinski's jazzy demands, he was triumphant. Fogarty, back to his best and back on a bike that was rejigged to suit his fast cornering style, took another two wins in the following years, until injury ruled him out in 2000. Edwards, the man Fogarty most respected as a rider and a determined competitor at the turn of the millennium, made his mark in World Superbike, becoming champ in 2000, the fifth American to win a World Superbike title, and America's seventh World Champion in 13 years. Some record. In terms of race wins, America is still by far the most successful country, with Edwards' pre-Misano total of 22 making it 95 to Great Britain's 66 (59 for Carl Fogarty alone!). As well as the aforementioned quintet of U.S. Champions, Bostrom, Tom Kipp and Doug Chandler have scored World Superbike victories. Peculiarly, and unlike the golden years of 500cc GP racing, when there were four or five legendary Americans queuing up for race wins, there have been traditionally been only one or two full-time Americans in World Superbike in each season. The high-water mark was 1997, with four (Kocinski, Edwards, Russell and Mike Hale) all on factory machinery. Most of the time, however, the Americans have been few in number, heavy on results. How come? Too many reasons to list here, but a strong domestic series, relative national wealth, a pool of 250-million souls to draw upon (just under the size of the entire European Community States combined!) and an expectation to win - simply because it's ingrained into the American psyche have all played their part. Even the man for whom winning was a religion, the very essence of his peculiarly shaped racing persona Fogarty - has only given season-long best to four riders in his 'proper' World Superbike career - and three of Race _ laat ~r was all HocIgaon (100), until .... Bostrom (155) wort

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