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/128172
\!i!J@fJf}@j ~[JJJ[j)@~[?(J @[Jo(i]fJfJi)[j)O@[]f)0/JDf1{]J [p@[f@a aDD@ and the drastically underpowered Honda of Mark Heckles who took the last points. Heckles', almost as frequent a faller as Xaus, pain this weekend was worth a point. Hogson leads his young teammate James Toseland. Toseland went on to score his first-ever World Superbike podium when he finished third in the second race behind Edwards and Chili. "I was having to ride so hard out there just to stay in touch: said the big Brit. "I thought I could get more than one point and passed Antonello, but once I was past I couldn't stay in front down the straights. With four laps to go, I decided to bite my tongue and settle for 15th and another point." After race one, an announcement was made that Assen and SBK International had agreed to a four-season deal to run World Superbike events on the circuit, from 2003 to 2006. Some 78,000 souls visited Assen over the weekend, with the very small track invasion, opposite the pits, dispersing very quickly, quietly and without fuss. As a circuit staff member put it: "World Superbike fans appear to be self-regulating. Not like the MotoGP fans." Ruben Xaus was fast all weekend, but he could do no better than fourth In the first race. A mechanical problem forced him out of the second race. For Edwards, on this form, a return to Assen in September of 2003 seems like good news, for Bayliss it's immaterial - as he'll be off to MotoGP. But no doubt Edwards left Assen the happier, even if Bayliss was putting an extraordinarily brave and smiling face on his tum of bad luck. Said Edwards after the second race and his first taste of the rarefied air at the top of the World Superbike tree, "That feels pretty sweet. It feels great to be leading the championship. I've been busting my ass all season, and it's finally paid off. Now, going to the last round at Imola, it's all to shoot for and it's a one-race championship. 1 was being given 'plus four' on my pit board and then 'plus five' and then 'plus six' and I thought 'I'm gaining a second a lap here.' Then there was nothing, no plus or minus and some guys hanging over the pit wall going mad, so I thought something was fishy. The next lap I came !ZDmr:v @(] @DD&J@~ It was chaos finally, and mostly visual carnage, that determined the Supersport race, and despite a couple of serious injuries, it could have been a whole lot worse. It couldn't have looked much worse at the time, however. Thus the scheduled 16-lap World Supersport Championship race at Assen was declared a result from the 11 th lap, after a multiple-rider pile up on the approach to the final chicane on lap 12 caused chaos on track. The engine on Christian Keller's Yamaha blew up in spectacular style, causing him to fall and hit the trackside barriers hard, not before covering the entrance to the chicane in oil. As a result, a succession of following riders crashed out at high speed, and the race was redflagged in an effort to stop the carnage. One of the medical track marshals sustained a broken leg when a crashing machine struck him. A certain Mr. Visser was the injured party and in a nice gesture of support, Kellner later charged the riders' rep Peter Ingley with the job of handing over his race crash helmet as a mark of appreciation for Visser - and all the marshals' - efforts. The full list of crashers included Matthieu Lagrive, Werner Daemen (who rebroke his collarbone), Christophe Cogan (bad elbow bruising), Stefano Crudani, Barry Veneman and Rob Frost. Kellner was incredibly fortunate to be missed by the out-of-control machine of Cogan, as rider after rider fell spectacularly on the oil. Cogan's CBR sailed only inches over the Gennan rider's head, at very high speed, before burying itself into the barrier on top of Kellner's machine. Even with oil-flags waved from early in the drama, there were voices of concern raised about how long it took for the race to be red-flagged, but red-flagged it was and the result was called from the proceeding lap, with full points awarded for the finish. The race itself was an ever-changing affair, with a host of riders putting on a fantastic battle in their bid for the top three places on the rostrum. It was not a good day for some of the practice or championship front-runners who suffered from poor luck earlier in the race. Pole man Chris Vermeulen did not score after experiencing an engine failure with his Honda on the opening lap, and reigning World Champion Andrew Pitt dealt himself out of this year's championship after colliding with Alessio Corradi on lap seven and crashing out of the race. The Aussie rider was taken away by ambulance, but declared himself fit from the medical center afterward. Corradi blamed Pitt for the accident, and in a post-race statement; Pitt maybe blamed himself as well. The net result: one rider out of the previous four-way championship light. The best race of the year from Ian Macpherson delivered him a well-deserved second place and the Ten Kate Honda team a one-two finish on home soil, much to the delight of the 78,000 fans. A photo fmish was called for second place, but the existing result was vindicated by .003 of a second. Longtime leader Paolo Casoli nonetheless scored a fine third place, and the Oschersieben race winner was the only Dunlop rider in a gaggle of Pirelli-sponsored competitors. The aggressive Kevin Curtain continued to impress after breaking into the top five at Oschersleben last week, and he took a season-best fourth on his OPCM Yamaha, holding off Katsuaki Fujiwara, who looked good for a podium place for long periods of the race, but wasn't in contention when the race was abandoned. In sixth, a battered and bruised Karl Muggeridge stayed onboard the leading non-Ten Kate-sponsored (albeit Ten Kate-powered) Honda rider to secure some confidence-boosting championship points, ahead of James Whitham, who fought back from 12th place to take seventh, still suffering the effects of his horrendous crash at Brands Hatch in July. Jorg Teuchert took eighth place, happy to avoid hitting the oil or his teammate, with Stephane Chambon a disappointed ninth - and another one out of the World Championship battle one round early. Despite his dramatic crash, Kellner was credited with 10th place, although he received a dislocated bone in his upper torso. The order at the end of the race gave Foret his fourth win of the year, and a substantial 17-point lead to take into the final round of the championship at Imola in three weeks time. It is now between the Fujiwara and Foret for the title, at the final race in Imola, with Foret the obvious favorite, He would be well to remember last season, when Casoli entered lmola as a red hot favorite, 11 points in front, only to lose it aU before the end of the first lap. Foret, excitable and edgy as he is, could well be another man to lose his head, but even if he does, even if it all goes wrong, Fujiwara still has 17 points to make up. around, it said 'Bay Out' and it kind championship. And you did get the of screwed me for a lap. I don't wish feeling that, because they are hardcore racers all the way, they may him bad luck, but for the amount I've been pushing, I wasn't disappointed actually be relishing in it. May the to see him out. Every race this year best man and package win. I've had the same attitude, not to win Circuit Ven DreDIhe or crash but to keep it on two wheels Assen,Nethe~ds Results: September 9 and win. Last year at Assen, we didn't Q(JAUFYING: I. Colin Edwords (2:01.743); 2. Ruben Xous (2:01.752); 3. Troy Boyllss (2:01.913): 4. Nell Hodgson (2:01.958); 5. Pier·Francesco Chill (2:02.106): 6. Noriyuki Hogo (2:02.127); 7. Jome. Tosefond (2:02.619); 8. Juon Borjo (2:03.202); g. Ben Bostrom (2:02.730); 10. Brae Parkes (2:02.991): 11. Gregorio Lovillo (2:04.121): 12. Chris Wolker (2:04.211): 13. Moreo Boreioni (2:05.585); 14. Hitoyasu Izutsu (2:06.404): 15. Steve Martin (2:06.562); 16. Lueio Pedereinl (2:07.944); 17. Ivon Clementi (2:05.882); 18. Mouro Sanehini (2:05.996); 19. Mork Heckles (2:06.506); 20. Peter Goddord (2:06.516); 21. Serofino Forti (2:06.952); 22. expect Bayliss to win, and this year after first practice I thought that this may be the changes ... place where it all Change it did and as the evidence of the points table suggests. There will be no telling which rider will enter the 2003 season as Champion until Ale~ndro Antonello (2:07.678): 23. Jeronimo Vidal (2:08.042); 24. Thierry Mulot (2:08.414). Imola. Each had bad luck in the RACE ONE: Colin Edwerds (Hon); 2. Troy Bayliss (Duc); 3. Noriyuki Hage (Apr); 4. Ruben Xaus (Duc); 5. Pier·Frencesco Chili (Due); 6. James Tosehmd (Duc); 7. Gregorio uvilla (Suz); 8. Ben Autodromo last season, so in terms of previous form, it's anybody's cue I e n eN e _ s • SEPTEMBER 1 8, 2002 19