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one tip-over - a slow crash at Road America. So far, he's already thrown the Ducati down the road at a high rate of speed on two occasions. On the same day, no less - at Misano. "Those crashes were ridiculous," Bostrom said. "We were testing some things, and I literally crashed twice in six laps. That kind of beat me down, you know. I really had to climb out of it - it put me in a hole. We had a little glitch. We tried something different, and I crashed. We tried something else different, and I crashed. I tell myself that those crashes were not my fault, but when you get tossed on the ground, it takes a little life out of you. I told my guys I basically didn't crash at all last season, so now I should be good for a few more years." Bostrom's plate is indeed full. New competition, new tires, new racetracks. And a new lifestyle. He'll head to Europe with a recently purchased motorhome - off to the see the world. It'll be easy to get lost - both on the way to the track and even when he gets there. "It's all three of those things [new tracks, new competition, new tires] combined that worry me," Bostrom said. "That's what's stacked against me. In AMA, I know all of these superbike guys. I know exactly what they are going to do because I rode with them for two years. You can feel 'em out really well. You know if you pass a guy if he's going to lean on you, or if he's going to try and re-set you up for the next corner. It's really all about knowing the other riders - for your safety and theirs. That's how you win races. "The tires are a big issue because there is good and bad with both the Michelin and the Dunlop, and right now I'm trying to learn the good and the bad of the Michelin. I've got that to do." So what is it about the tires that makes the change so imposing? "It's both the front and rear," Bostrom explained. "It's mostly the front, but it's just strange. I didn't realize how easy we had it in the AMA. They would give us a tire and say, 'Okay, you've got three different ones to chose from. This is the one we recommend, but if you don't like it we've got three more.' The Michelin guy says, 'Okay, we're going to start you out on this tire, and we've got 20 to test. Your teammate will test the other 15 or 20, and you have to try and find the best tire.' That's ridiculous. You end up spending the whole weekend testing tires, and it's hard to get your mind straight. You go out and you have different feel. The Michelins have a different giving feel. When the Dun lops give, it's a really friendly give - it just slides away. With the Michelin, it's harder - it lets go quicker. The front has a different release feel as well. You've got to get in, get the bike up and get out of there. The exit with the Michelin on the back is great. I really don't know how to explain it. There's a lot to learn just because there are so many tire choices. And with Michelin, they build a tire for the rider. You tell the Michelin guy you want this tire, and he doesn't say, 'Well, we're not going to build one tire for one rider.' They just say, 'Okay.' At the next test, they have that tire for me. "I believe Carl [Fogarty] gets to the point where he finds a few tires that he likes, and he sticks with those," Bostrom added. "He tests a lot of tires through the course of the weekend, but he's a pretty hard-headed guy. He's funny - he always runs the 17 [inch tirel; he has certain set ways with what he likes. That's what he sticks with, whether it's the best or not. He just makes it go fast because he believes in it. I'm going to try and do the same a bit. The MicheIins are more finicky. One thing Dunlop does really good is all their tires are really good. With Michelin you can find some really bad ones and some really good ones. It's a mixed bag. Both tire manufacturers are really great, they just have their different ways of thinking." As if adapting to the Michelins and his new competition isn't enough, Bostrom will be forced to learn a new track during Friday's practice, then be ready to qualify on Saturday and race on Sunday. He goes into the season knowing which direction to go on five race tracks: Phillip Island, Misano, Valencia, Imola and Laguna Seca. "I'm going to be a like a moving chicane on the track for these guys on Fridays," Bostrom said. "It cue' e n e vv S • APRIL 5. 2000 25