Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Abbott crowned World Champion

By Glenn Le Santo

It only took him 20 years but he finally did it, by the narrowest margin­zero points!

Steve Abbott struggled throughout the race with clutch slip and in the end had to rely on his superior wins tally. Jorg Steinhausen came third to finish the season on 151 points, an identical score to Abbott’s. But Abbott has won three races this year, compared to Steinhausen’s single victory and therefore he’s the new Superside World Champion.

It was a very dramatic race all round. Steinhausen only just made it to the line after being forced to change his engine – just 20 minutes before the race was due to start!

The race was a classic Superside battle. Tom Hanks took the holeshot but within a few laps it was the old-firm fight between Steve Webster and Klaus Klaffenbock that grabbed the attention of the spectators and the television cameras.

As the battle raged in front, complete with fairing banging, the situation behind them hung in the balance. Steinhausen had now moved up to third ahead of Hanks. Abbott was struggling with clutch slip down in fifth and Schlosser was catching him fast. If the situation stayed the same Abbott and Steinhausen would share 151 points, with Abbott taking the Championship by those extra wins.

Schlosser and Hanni were closing fast and got within less than half-a-second of Abbott. If they had passed Abbott, Steinhausen would have been Champion. Then, just one lap later, Schlosser suddenly slowed, perhaps with a mechanical problem. In fact, Schlosser had realized that passing Abbott would effect the balance of the Championship and gamely he decided to slow down and allow the title to take its own course.

That course was a win for Abbott after the race was stopped after a terrible accident involving Mick Frith. Frith somehow got his arm caught between the sidecar wheel and the fairing. Despite frantic efforts, Frith was unable to attract the attention of his rider Bill Philp to tell him of his predicament and had to endure almost half a lap before Philp stopped. Frith was rushed to hospital with serious skin, tendon and muscle damage to his right hand, wrist and arm. The initial diagnosis is that he will heal and should retain most of the use of his wrist and hand.

Due to the seriousness of the incident, and the need to get an ambulance on track, the race was red flagged. The result was taken back to lap 13. Klaffenbock was leading the race, Webster was second, Steinhausen third, Hanks fourth and Abbott fifth.

Abbott and Jamie Biggs crossed the line in fifth completely unaware that this meant they had won the title. They soon found out when they pulled into the pit lane to be greeted by their entire team doing an ecstatic victory dance. To say the red wine will be flowing in the Eastern Racing hospitality tonight is perhaps the understatement of the year.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said an emotional Abbott, “but I’m sure it will after we’ve had a bit of a celebration tonight!”

However, Jorg Steinhausen put in a protest against Steve Webster, citing a rule infringement involving Webbo’s airbox. Had it be upheld then Steinhausen will have 155 points compared to Abbott’s 153, reversing the current situation.

Although the result is not yet official, the latest news is that Webster’s machine has been approved and the protest thrown out.