(Above) Bayliss (1) and Edwards (2)
were never farther apart than this for
both races. In the end, It was the
Texan taking the double win, and with
it the World Championship.
(Left) Edwards, Bayliss and Neil
Hodgson. the big three In World
Superblke racing. Will two of them be
gone next year?
champion by a margin of 552 points
to 541. He led by one point going in
to the race weekend, and instead of
folding under the pressure, he played
as tough as his opponent, (especially
when it mattered) holding off his
Aussie rival.
The first Imola contest delivered
an aggregate race, which was
delayed for five minutes by Hodgson's bike conking out on the start
line, too soon before the green light
for his bike to be pushed from the
grid. Once finally away. after the previous drama of a rain scare right
before the sighting laps. the race,
boldly declared dry, was led by
Edwards - before it was red-flagged
and then restarted due to oil on the
track on lap 12.
The oil spill had seen Hodgson
crash at Tamburello, yet because the
results of the first II-lap half were
calculated from the lap before. Hodgson was allowed to restart.
After the second leg, which Bayliss
won by a couple of tenths, Edwards
won on aggregate and thus had his
cue' _
n
_ _ ,.
•
OCTOBER 9. 2002
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