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/128166
World Superbike Championship Round 1 0: Brands Hate (Above) Pier-Francesco Chili 17) had a good batUe with Xaus 111) in race two, but the Spaniard got the best of Frankie in the end. Spaziotel Ducati's Juan Borja earned himself a pair of 11 th-place finishes, with fellow Spaniard Gregorio Lavilla (the lone factory Suzuki entrant) 15th and 12th. DFX Ducati's Alessandro Antonel10, Kawasaki's Hitoyasu Izutsu, D&E Ducati's Dean Ellison, and the aforementioned Lavilla scored the last points in race one; Antonello, Hawk Kawasaki's Glen Richards, and Pedercini Ducati's Marco Borciani got the last available rewards in the second running. The World Championship points were entered into a form of wealth distribution at Brands, with Bayliss on 441, Edwards on 402, Hodgson on 257, and Haga and Bostrom both on 206. So now we have it closer to a real fight. Bayliss with a demon of a Honda and a demonic rider on his tail (Above right) Hodgson 1100) and Edwards 12) were this close for much of the first leg, with the two riders swapping positions early In the race before Edwards pulled out to win by over a second. from now until Imola in September, Hodgson playing his part as a positive spoiler, and Edwards looking to win first and try to maintain the bad luck that Bayliss had been served up here and at Laguna. The rest? Well, maybe the others will catch Hodgson, but every race since Misano he has proved himself to be worthy of the works ride he has earned himself next year - even if he didn't win in front of his baying hordes of British fans. ~[jj][fJ@!J0[fJ@[J1] ~li@[fJ &J[Ji]@ @@ It was good, old-fashioned rolJerball in Supersport again, with some surprisingly big names crashing, causing red-flag stops, and - in two notable cases injuring themselves - one seriously. Considering how relatively crash- and injury-free practice was, the race at Brands made up for it in a most unwanted fashion. Three restarts are, after all, an unprecedented way to spoil everyone's race day. And one of them didn't even count as a start in any case. It started early, after a seventh-lap crash, suffered by runaway early leader Alstare Suzuki's Stephane Chambon, called a temporary halt to the race, the first of three interruptions to the planned 23-lap event. Chambon suffered a large gash on his elbow, a bashed face and was not allowed to make the restart after a high-speed crash at the bottom of Paddock Hill Bend. The second part of the event was commenced with 17 laps still to go, but local favorite James Whitham fell on the exit of the final comer on the 'out' lap, and such was the severity of the crash that the race was stopped again. The restart did not get the chance to run that proposed distance unhindered, as Ten Kate Honda's Fabien Foret fell and lay in the middle of the track in an almost identical crash to Chambon's on lap seven, resulting in another red flag - although Foret was looking behind him in an unusual part of the track. Straight back up again once the red flags were out, some eyebrows were raised. Fortunately for the Frenchman, he was surprisingly unhurt and able to make the final restart on his number-two Ten Kate Honda, with the 23lap distance finally being covered as an aggregate of three legs. Fujiwara's excellent form and sheer aggression put him in the lead on the final section of the race, having deposed lain Macpherson on the track, and his gap over second-place finisher Foret was such that he won by a margin of .286 of a second. Third was experienced Yamaha Belgarda rider Paolo Casali, who ran at the front throughout but managed to keep out of the carnage which was frequently developing around him. 34 AUGUST 7, 2002' cue I ... n ... _ s The trickiest, most tantalizing denouement in the book, however, came just after the second Superbike race, and just before the re-scheduled Superstock race, Part II. The Daddy of all SBK winners, Carl Fogarty, and his grand FPR project finally rolled into the world's consciousness, in aU its turquoise glory. Sounding healthy, lapping slow, Foggy, Troy Corser and James Haydon's triples went down well with the Brits at Brands. The future's bright, the future's turquoise? Some of it is, anyway. CN Brands IIW:h Circuit llIngfield, .ent, En.land Results: July 28, 2002 QUALIFYING: I. Nell Hodgson (I :25.752); 2. Colin Edwards (1 :26.050); 3. Michael Rutter (1:26.771); 4. Troy Bayliss (J:26.801); 5. Pier· Frencesco Chlll (1 :26.871); 6. James Toseland (1 :26.970); 7. Ju.n B.utist. Borj. (1 :26.987); 8. Ben Bostrom (1:27.036); 9. Sh.ne Byme (1:27.162): 10. Chris W.lker (1 :27.170); 11. Noriyukl H.g. (1:27.246): 12. Ruben X.us (1:27.490); 13. Glen Rlch.rds (1:27.653); 14. Steve M.rtln (1:27.702); 15. Gregorio LevUla (1:28.001); 16. Dean Ellison (1:28.297); 17. Lucio Pedercinl (1:27.575); 18. Marco Borciani (1 :27.919); 19. Mauro Sanchini (1:27.967); 20. Alessandro Antonello (1:27.987); 2J. Hitoyasu Izutsu (1 :28.031); 22. Mark Heckles (I :28.726): 23. Peter Godd.rd (1 :28.928); 24. Iv.n Clementi (1:29.286); 25. Betr.nd Stey (1:30.025); 26. Brock Parkes (1 :30.111). Bostrom 1155) had an uneventful race one, well oft of the leaders In seventh at the line, but a strong second-race performance netted him a fourthplace finish. RACE ONE: 1. Colin Edwards (Hon); 2. Nell Hodgson (Duc); 3. Troy Bayliss (Duc); 4. Noriyuki Hega (Apr); 5. Ruben Xaus (Duc); 6. Chris Walker (Kew); 7. Ben Bostrom (Duc); 8. Pier·Francesco Chili (Duc); 9. James Toseland (Duc); 10. Shane Byrne (Duc); 11. Jue" Bautistll Borj8 (Duc); 12. Alessandro Antonello (Duc); 13. Hitoyesu Izutsu (K8W); 14. Dean Ellison (Duc); 15. Gregorio llIvill8 (Suz); 16. Marco Borciani (Duc); 17. Mark Heckles (Hon); 18. Peter GoddZlrd (Ben); 19. Steve Martin (Duc); 20. Glen Richards (K.w). Time: 36 min. 27.555 sees. Distance: 65.42 miles Margin of victory: 1.173 sees. Fastest lap:Troy Bayliss, lap 11. 1:26.690 RACE TWO: 1. Colin Edwards (Hon); 2. Neil Hodgson (Duc); 3. Neil Hodgson (Duc); 4. Ben Bostrom (Duc); 5. Noriyuki Hege (Apr); 6. Ruben Xeus (Due); 7. Pier·Frencesco Chili (Duc); 8. Chris Welker (Kew); 9. Michael Rutter (Due); 10. Shane Byrne (Due); 11. Juen Beutiste: Borje: (Due); 12. Gregorio Laville (Suz): 13. Alessandro Antonello (Due): 14. Glen Richerds (Kaw); 15. Marco Borciani (Due); 16. Steve Mertin (Due); 17. Hitoyasu Izutsu (Kew); 18. Broc Perkes (Due); 19. Mauro Sanchini (Kew); 20. Mark Heckles (Hon); 21. Ivan Clementi (K.w). Time: 36 min. 27.655 sees. Distance: 65.42 miles Margin of victory: 2.326 sees. Fastest lap: Colin Edwards. lap 9, 1 :26.711 WORLD SUPERBIKE C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 10 of 13 rounds): 1. Troy Bayliss (441/14 wins); 2. Colin Edwards (402/5 wins); 3. Neil Hodgson (257); 4. Norlyukl H.g. (206): 5. Ben Bostrom (206); 6. Ruben Xaus (193): 7. James Tosel.nd (131): 8. Chris Wolker (126); 9. Pier· Frencesco Chili (107); 10. Gregorio Ulvilla (89); 11. Juan Borje (63); 12. Lucio Pedercini (53); 13. Hitoyasu Izutsu (50); 14. Eric Bostrom (49); 15. Steve M.rtin (47). Upcoming rounds: Round 11 : Oschersleben, Germany, September 1 Round 12: Assen, Holland, September 8