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/128608
World Superbike Championship Round 1 : Kyalami. South Africa STRRO'A .....-" STRADA ~ By GORDON RITCHIE PHOTOS BY GOLD & GOOSE KYALAMl, SOOTH AFRICA, APR. 2 ith the World Superbike Championship billed as a straight fight between Carl Fogarty in the Ducati Infostrada camp and Colin Edwards on the allnew Castrol Honda RCS1, the racing world fully expected a battle roya I between two of the great modern-day Superbike racing talents at Kyalami. The racing world was right. The expected riders were wrong. Or at least one of them was. Edwards lived up to the pre-race billing of potential race winner with a stunning performance in the early laps of the first outing. Carl Fogarty, on the other hand, had to play sec- 6 APRIL12,2000' cue I e ond fiddle to the rejuvenated Noriyuki Haga, who pushed the World Champion into the fina I podium slot in race one and pushed his Dunlop-shod Yamaha right to the brink all race long like in the days of old. Not quite able to make his audacious overtaking maneuvers stick on Edwards once he had caught the surprised American in race one, Haga took his revenge in race two to share one win and one second with the Honda rider. "I'm back with a vengeance," Haga said. "The first race was really exciting - and maybe a little bit dangerous. The testing here this week was a big help. Everyone is going on about how the V-twins will be better this year, but I prefer to ride the fourcylinder and show that it can win. I think I've proved that point." n e vv s For Fogarty, having constant treatment before and between races on an injured shoulder, his weekend was one of slog and sweat and then even more pain - and the lap record, of 1:43.270 in race two. "If anybody had said to me this morning that I would have got third place this morning I would have taken it immediately because of the condition I was in," Fogarty said. "I have the Clinica mobile people to thank for that, and I will be giving my trophy to them. I don't know why I was losing the front and I have no idea why I crashed. It's been a disastrous weekend for me and I'm pissed off." Fogarty's first race podium finish was, as usual, a disappointment to the Lancastrian perfectionist, but his crash while doggedly attacking the leading bunch in the second race, a few laps after Haruchika Aoki had slid and almost crashed in front of him on the first lap, finished off a poor weekend for Ducati's favorite son. If his task of going for an unprecedented fifth world title was not already hard enough with the arrival of Edwards' consistently fast and reliable Honda on the World Superbike stage, then his 16 point first race meeting has just made it a hell of a lot harder. Edwards, on the other hand, was all smiles after two strong rides and given the more erratic nature of his main rival Haga at Kyalami, should be looking forward to this season more than he was already. "Before the race I thought I could