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/128171
It wasn't this close for long before Edwards (2) cleared off into the distance, but Hodgson (100) and Bayliss (1) battled hard in both races. BRIEFLY••• HM Plant Ducati team boss Colin Wright has been struck by a mystery illness. which is restricting the circulation of blood to his fingers and toes. It was first thought to be the result of an lap. I went through the first leh. and as I tipped it into the right. it felt like the back locked. I went up in the air and crashed. hurting my wrist in the process. Looking at the data. I was going 30-mph slower than normal. so I can't explain the crash at all. I'm very disappointed because I felt that I could go well here. I was lapping consistent 1:27s. which is about what anyone couid do on Dunlops... adverse reaction to a recent undelWater diving holiday. but it has got his worried doctors baffled at present. as Wright's blackened fingers and toes refuse to react to treatment. Mark Heckles had an even more eventful meeting than usual. He crashed his mountain bike when out training with Chris Walk- Dunlop had two new fronts at Oschersleben - a direct result of their MotoGP development program. Newer rears are also promised for Assen. his ankle for his trouble. According to his team. when he suffered a severe highside in timed qualifying on Saturday. he was not wearing his back protector. and suffered hand and coccyx injuries. meaning he missed final untimed qualifying and did not qualify for Superpole in any case. er, and received a significant amount of bruising and joint pain in especially as the series may go through a lull in 2003 in reiative terms. Castrol and Honda made a joint public-relations push. making a big deal about their new oil. specifically designed to reduce engine friction in a highly tuned machine. The SBK Winter tests in Valencia have been confirmed for February 21-23 - part of the deal to keep Valencia as a World Superbike venue until at least 2005. There may also be a test at Sepang. for familiarization with a new track to the series. most likely in the last week of January. Benelli, under pressure to perform from now on in to continue racing in 2003. canceled a mid-August test which was supposed to evaluate some new engine parts that have been available for some time. The test was never carried out. however. leaving Goddard riding his heart out for not even the satisfaction of qualifying for Superpole again. and then the reward of his best-ever threecylinder finish. It's likely that the always cash-strapped Oschersleben will be the missing World Superbike race on the calendar for next year. with maybe Hockenheim coming on board on August 31. in place of the usual Lausitzring race. which has been a victim of the unpopularity of the venue and the financial problems of the track. A groundswell of World Superbike opinion will want to put Kyalami on the schedule again. but financial problems with the South African Rand (the country's currency). and South African politics in general. are conspiring to prevent a race at one of the best With the Kawasaki team leaving the delights of World Superbike racing for the altemative delights of MotoGP at the end of the season. many of the Eckl team members took up the offer of the VIP sidecar rides at Oschersleben. They also organized a party on home SOil. to say goodbye two rounds early. venues in global racing, Magny Cours was a surprise inclusion in around an aD-percent attendance. was called by riders' represen- the 2003 calendar (see In The Wind). but it's not the first time that the class has visited Magny Cours. There was a World Superbike race there in 1991. tative Peter Ingley. to discuss - among other things - the furor of . Yamaha: In Superbike. there is not expected to be a full factory Superbike team in 2003. but maybe the year aher. and certainly the muitiple red Aags. which blighted the World Supersport race the sort of support enjoyed by some Supersport teams. Supposat Brands. It is believed that the riders will present an ultimatum edly Nicky Hayden has joined the Yamaha MotoGP team. alongto the organizers. demanding that any rider who causes an acciside Carlos Checa. according rumors from the U.S. dent. or who makes a 'professional foul' (lying on the track to get the race stopped and then gelling back on his bike thanks to a Suzuki: Back with Gregorio Lavilla (on the second half of a twomiraculous recovery). will be barred from restarting. Also. the year deaD but on what bike? It's unclear whether the team plans request is that. aher two-thirds distance. any red flag will call a on using 1000cc or 750cc machines. It has to be a 1000cc - comhalt to the race as a contest. It appears that no such move will be mon sense demands it. even if it is only for development reasons made by the organizers. until next year at least. Some riders have for a full 1000ccc effort in 2004. threatened to commit a professional foul deliberately. if the rule is not changed. Other topiCS under discussion include having all requests for charitable donations brought under the control of the Kawasaki: Gone to MotoGP. with maybe Eric Bostrom. riders' representative - to ensure the credentials of all charities although he has apparently been offered a larger-than-life salary are properly vetted and to allow tne riders to give of their time. to stay in the AMA series for one more year with Kawasaki. With memorabilia and cash donations in an organized fashion. Loris Capirossi looking to have gone to Ducat!. they may run two MotoGP rookies. Andrew Pill and Erlc Bostrom. or simply drah in Everyone at Oschersleben was ready for the first qualifying sesAkira Yanagawa. sion. all except the marshals and the department of Oschersleben organization that was supposed to sort out the waming Aags for Ducati: For definite Colin Edwards is the new World Superbike the marshals to use. Action was thus delayed until enough marpartner of Hodgson in World Superbike. according to Davide Tarshals and pieces of colored cloth were found to man and decodozzi. This means that Troy Bayliss is a sure-fire MotoGP rider. rate the trackside. All subsequent sessions were thus delayed alongside Loris Capirossi. who has all but signed on the dolled on the opening day. adding an extra sense of urgency to the line to ride the new four-eylinder Duke. Chris Walker and James retum to the fray aher the summer break. Toseland have already signed for the HM Plant team. Colin Edwards' speed. from the first session right through Superpole. was not just down to him being the man with a three out of four winning record in Oschers', but was also due to an enhanced spec of engine in his VTR. The main changes run to a completely new twin-silencer exhaust system. a new engine specification giving four or five horsepower throughout the range. a more efficient lubrication system, new combustion-chamber and cam profiles. and fitment of the smaller of the two homologated throllie bodies - the 62mm versions. not the 64mm. The rev-ceiling is not any higher than usual. The alterations. combined with new mapping. has made a huge difference to the machine. according to Edwards. with the Suzuka 8 Hours-derived spec engine gelling his approval. putting him on a more level footing with Troy Bayliss' apparently faster and more powerful 998 F02 Ducati. .. HRC have certainly done their homework and improved the SP-2 motor." said Edwards. "There's no doubt that the championship is still alive for me and Castrol Honda. " A widely reported boating accident suffered by the Bostrom brothers. Eric (pictured on right) and Ben. and even more seriously Ben's ex-girlfriend. Kat. had long-reaching repercussions for Eric. Suffering from badly bashed ribs all weekend. the extensively tonsured Californian was in great pain from his injuries from day one of qualifying ... Right now. my body is so sore from the boat crash and I almost can't ride the bike." Eric said on Friday. "I had some injections from our team physio' and my chest is definitely beller. The problem now is my back. which feels like I have a knife stuck in it." His tales of woe continued as he fell on Saturday and broke his wrist. ruling himself out of the race itself. "I can't really explain the crash." he said... I came into change bikes and we swapped the wheels over. so the tires were hot and I already had a good feel. On my out A riders' meeting on Thursday at Oschersleben. which had The Castrol Honda team has been the center of much enquiry recently. aher the news of Colin Edwards' defection to Ducati for 2003 was published. A natural sense of cynicism regarding Honda's plans for Superbike racing. especially when they hope to supply eight to 10 MotoGP teams in 2003. was stoked to fever pitch when no news about the future of the Castrol Honda World Superbike team came to light at Oschersleben. Apparently. even the top people in Honda Europe and their counterparts in Japan have not made a final decision about the future of Honda factory invoivement in World Superbike racing in 2003. Rumors suggest that the only (almost) definite scenario is that the All-Japan Honda team. running Makoto Tamada (and managed by Tadayuki Okada). will be on location in the series in 2003. The Castrol Honda team. understandably upbeat about their chances of retuming. cite the revamped racebike. and the fact that Castrol wants to continue one more season, to reach their 10th anniver- sary of involvement in the championship with Honda. Many a tale was recounted at Oschersleben about Honda personnel looking for jobs in other areas of the paddock. but it is known that Ducati would be very put out to see Honda leave a championship which has great contemporary significance for the Italian manufacturer. cue How about a lillie silly season update? Let's start with Honda. They will have either no bikes. no riders. or no team. Or two-rider teams. continued sponsorship and two big name riders. Anything is possible with Honda. There exists a strong possibility of Ben Bostrom being shipped back the states to ride for Honda in the AMA series. for top dollar of course. Aprilia: They intend to run a two-rider team in World Superbike again. and a two-man MotoGP effort as well. The World Superbike team is most likely to feature Haga again. plus new favorite Ruben Xaus. who is about to be displaced by Ducati. Ben Bostrom appears to be a less likely bet. uniess he drops his price. Talk of his refusing to ride for any World Superbike team running Dunlops was rejected. and indeed a high-ranking Aprilia source claimed that swapping to different tires for the World Superbike team would be no problem. because Aprilia streetbikes run rubber from all three main manufacturers - Michelin. Dunlop and Pirelli. They are. however. not keen on leaving Dunlop. Benelll: Prospects gloomy. no news as yet. Steve Webster and Paul Woodhead stormed through to take a comprehensive victory in a two-part. action-packed round eight of the FIM Worid Sidecar Championship at Oschersleben. Aher taking an emphatic win at Brands Hatch four weeks ago onboard the new Suzuki 1000. Webster started where he leh of and dominated qualifying to secure and unassailable eight consecutive pole positions in 2002. and an incredible run of 16 poles in a row. dating back to Phillip Island 2001 . I e n e .. s SEPTEMBER " , 2002 13