P128
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
T
here you go then, that
proves it: MotoGP riders
are a rung above their
brothers in world superbike.
Send Nicky Hayden back long
after he's dropped down to the
grand prix midfield (on a good
day), and he goes and wins a
world superbike race. In his first
season, and coming up to his
35th birthday, fully 10 years after
winning the MotoGP title ahead
of Rossi.
You want further proof? Here
it is: No superbike champion has
ever made the reverse journey
up to GP level, and then won
races.
Well, no one except Ben
Spies.
Oh, and Troy Bayliss. And
very nearly Colin Edwards, if he
hadn't crashed at Assen's last
corner, a blunder that let none
other than Nicky Hayden through
in his place.
And (if you count U.S. super-
bikes) Eddie Lawson, Wayne
Rainey, Kevin Schwantz and
again Nicky Hayden.
Mmmmm–that hypothesis
seems to be falling apart.
I've been lambasted over
the years for being prejudiced
against superbikes and towards
the GPs. Not without some jus-
tification. It's surely clear to any-
body which is the senior series,
for proper carbon-braked racing
HAYDEN AND WORLDSBK
