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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128329
W ith all t hree riders tak ing turns to
lead over the line , the action was clo se
and often exciting, as Muggeridge and
Foret jousted throughout the entire final
lap. Foret was the conqueror on the very
last section. after a move only he was in a
position to envisage working. Around the
outside then when that failed go up the
inside, block-passes by any means and
hang the consequences.
With no realistic title ambition left.
Foret could afford to ride in an expansive
and uniquely adrenalized fashion . and
after living in the shadow of jurge n van
den Goorbergh on occasion, Foret is back
at his race-winning best. Allez, allez say all
of us , for one of the most exciting talents
of recent years.
W it h Parkes third , Lorenzo Lanzi
(Ducati) capitalized on an excellent sta rt
and ran ou t fo urth. despite a fading set of
tires. while Yamaha riders Kevin Curtain
and jurgen van den Goorbergh completed
the top six. Curtain was another slo wed
by his c hoice of tire. van den Goorbergh
not at his ea rly season peak. but still the
man most likely to o utgun Mugge ridge
come season e nd .
The early race pace was as hot as t he
track tem perature o f 46 °C . an d it stayed
that way unti l the en d .
D es pite setting the fastest lap of t he
race, a 1:57 .26 1. Sebastien Charpentier
would slip back to finish e ighth, dropped
from his podium form by an inexplicable
lack of pace.
!vi early lap mixer with a salsa kick was
Pere Riba, following the leading duo after
Muggeridge shot into a lead with Kevin
Curtain third. Lorenzo Lanzi forced his way
past to second and within two laps was in
the lead . for a nanosecond or so , as
Muggeridge got out his biggest speed cudgel and bashed the litt le Italian into submission with it. Local wild-card hopes rested on
two riders in the early laps, Luke Q uigley
(who fell off on lap three) and Craig jones
(Triumph) who would finish 12th.
Parkes was on one of his charges to the
front. this time from an unaccustomed
lowly position. The fro nt three, with
Curtain just on the tail. were be ing reeled
in by the pack. just as Foret took his first
turn to lead and got the same treatment as
Lanzi go t fro m Mugge ridge , w ho would
ultimately lead ten of the 19 laps.
Giovanni Busse i (Ducatl SL) went out
of the race after crashing at Woodco te on
lap six.
With I I laps of the 19 completed. the
order was Foret. Muggeridge, Parkes,
Lanzi . Curtain and. a small distance
behind, jurgen van den Goorbergh.
Parkes overtook Muggeridge on lap 15
on his way to Foret and his single lap turn
at the lea d .
The younger Aussie closed in on Foret
immediately, and Muggeridge was showing
that he may have the beginning of a problem , such was the ability of Parkes and
Foret seemingly to go faster. It was an illusion , as Muggeridge hit the lead again on
lap 17. and but for Foret's mindbending
willingness to run o n the dirty tarmac and
ride around the outside o f any fast moving
obstacle. he might have stayed there.
O n the last lap Muggeridge. Foret.
Parkes and the lurking but too distant Lanzi
looked ready to win or crash. Muggeridge
slipped pas t for the lead fo r his last time up
the inside at Ab bey, along so me kind of
Honda lane t hat even Fo re t cou ld no t
ex ploit . In the inside at Bridge . Fo ret made
it back for keeps, taking a wide ou tside line
into the final Luffield complex. forcing
Muggeridge to the inside be fore cutting
him o ff. With the bikes in first gear on the
exit of the Mickey Mouse Luffield Chicane,
it was slide the tire all the way out, and last
man home buys the beers.
Lanzi was left to post the Peronis to
the leading trio. with Foret a deserved
winner. Muggeridge an eventually discrete
second and Parkes a waiting third.
In the low e r orders, Riba, now a British
Championship regular. showed what a
Kawasaki could do by securing seventh.
Mugge ridge lea ds the championship,
w ith his total of 107 heading van den
Goorb e rgh by 15 points. Parkes lies t hird
o n 69 .
eN
SILVE RSTONE CIRCU IT
13 , 2004
Briefly.••
I
SILVERSTONE , ENGLAND
RESU LTS: JU NE
I
(ROUND
6)
_'"""""'0
RACE I: I. Noriyu lci Haga (Due ); 2. Chris Venneu\en
Chi' (Due ); 4. Gany McCoy
(Hon ); 3.
(Due) ; 5. Leon Hulam (Due ); 6. Steve Maron (Due ); 7.
eo.... (Pet) ; 8 . MMco Bortiani (Due ); 9. ~
Bontempi (Suz) ; 10. Ivan Clementi (Kaw); I I. Wvwld<
Nowland (Suz) ; 12. Jin Mri