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World Superbike Championship Round 11: Oschersleben, Germany because I didn't have my rhythm. I had some other small problems, and my lap times were about two to three tenths slower than race one. Once 1 got through my rhythm, it was good, but it was not possible to catch Haga." NCR Ducati's Pier-Francesco Chili was in sparkling form in race one; taking fifth and a similarly impressive seventh in race two, only giving way to the factory-supported machines. There's life in the old dog yet, if only when everything is right, and he can summon up the aggression he used to pass Haga in race one like the Japanese was a beginner. "I made a mistake and lost the tow of Xaus," Chili said. "The second part of the circuit, I am struggling, especially through the chicane. At the start of the race, I could run 1:27s, but as the race progressed I lost the feeling. For the second race, maybe I change a few things - maybe it will rain!" The four-cylinder, 750ccc factory bikes were represented best by Alstare Suzuki's Gregorio Lavilla and Kawasaki's Chris Walker, with LaviJia winning both duels; the first to finish eighth, the second ninth. Walker's two places from pole and thought that it could be five places, so 1 went into tum one very fast - because it's so important to make the start here due to difficulty to pass." Best of the rest of the factory twins and Dunlop riders was arguably Ben Bostrom, who scored fourth- and sixth-place finishes, and now stands one point ahead of PlayStation 2 Aprilia's Noriyuki Haga in the championship table, rather than sharing fourth place. "I switched to the rear tire that Neil used in the first race, but I shouldn't have as it was worse," Bostrom said. "I should have stuck with my raceone tire, which is what Haga was on, but I had to try something. I'm not happy because 1 wanted to be racing with Troy and Colin here today." Haga, for his part, was a somewhat lowly seventh and then a fighting fourth, being overtaken in race one by the ever-pugilistic James Toseland on the other HM Plant Ducati. The young Englishman finished eighth in race two, and now sits seventh in the championship. He almost finished up squashed by Haga's Aprilia, as he went for a gap that he said was there, but camera angles said was not, making Haga lift up dramatically in the middle of the last corner of race one. Nothing wrong with Toseland's guts or hunger then, and his racing gets better slowly 10 SEPTEMBER 11, 2002' cue I (Above) Hodgson (100) leads Bayliss (1). Ben Bostrom (155). who was fourth In race one and sixth In race two. and Ruben Xaus, who crashed out of race one and finished fifth in race two. (Right) Haga (41) had an up-and-down weekend. After getting stuffed by James Toseland (52) In the last comer on the last lap In race one - losing sixth position - he battled with Hodgson In race two for a solid fourthplace finish. but surely as well. The gilded highs and gravel-caked lows of World Superbike racing was once more demonstrated by Spaniard Ruben Xaus, who fell while fourth in the first race, then took 11 points for fifth place in the follow-up. An enigma wrapped in a mystery, Xaus crashed while hunting down Hodgson in the opener, disproving the Michelin longevity advantage this season. The target of Aprilia (now he knows he has no Ducati berth in 2003), Xaus was happier leaving Oschers' than he had been arriving, looking more like the calm and happy fellow he normally is. When he's not falling off. His season total thus far: 17 crashes. "I had a sticking clutch at the start, it was grinding and 1 made a bad start," Xaus said after his race-two result. "It was then very difficult to get past Parkes, Chili and Bostrom n • _ s e