Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Bayliss makes it eight wins from ten races

The Ozzie Express continued to steam his way through World Superbike Championship today with another double win. Troy Bayliss took two wins to stretch his championship lead to 38 points, with Colin Edwards now looking an increasingly distant second.

Bayliss fended off a strong challenge from Neil Hodgson, Nori Haga and Edwards to take the second race win. It was Neil Hodgson who took the holeshot from his pole position grid slot, but Bayliss only waited until the exit of the first chicane to make his move into the front. The pair jostled for position over the next few laps but Bayliss kept his grip on the lead until lap nine when Edwards took a brief turn at the front.

Behind him Pierfrancesco Chili and James Toseland had a battle that ended badly when Chili’s Ducati vented oil took the pair down at the entry to the first chicane on lap seven. That let Haga in to join in the tussle up front between Edwards, Bayliss and Hodgson. The racing stayed incredibly tight up front, with the four riders continually competing for the same bit of track, swapping places several times a lap and even several times in one turn!

They continued to treat the crowd to some vintage World Superbike racing but Bayliss decided he’d had enough of swapping sponsor stickers and around lap 12 Bayliss took advantage of Haga, Edwards and Hodgson tripping each other up by stretching out in front. At the end of the race Bayliss was enjoying a lead of over two seconds.

Behind him the trio of world class riders continued to fight over the crumbs off of Bayliss’ table. Hodgson was by now almost losing a tail pipe, leaving him down on power. He used all his riding skills to keep up with Edwards and Haga, often outbraking both of them into the various Monza chicanes.

Edwards got the better of them both when it mattered, out of the final turn, to take second by the narrowest of margins. Haga just beat Hodgson to the line by about the width of a tyre valve, to secure the last step on the podium.

Behind them other personal scores were being settled as Gregorio Lavilla just beat Lucio Pedercini and Eric Bostrom to the line in a fierce battle that had lasted race distance. Broc Parkes showed the new promise of the Pirelli slicks as he stormed his Ducati into eighth just ahead of a disappointed Ben Bostrom. The pair only narrowly beat Chris Walker to the line. Steve Martin brought the next Pirelli-shod Ducati into eleventh.

Monza World Superbike Race Two Results:

1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998F02, 18 laps, 32:51.693
2. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, -2.226 seconds
3. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, -2.267
4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998F01, -2.291
5. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, -21.844
6. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -21.958
7. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -22.333
8. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998RS, -34.485
9. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998F02, -34.542
10. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -34.622
11. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, -42.748
12. Scarfino Foti, Ducati 996RS, -61.098
13. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -67.542
14. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -78.619
15. Alessandro Valia, Ducati 996RS, -81.925
16. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS, -83.688
17. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900, -97.105
18. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, -1 lap
19. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, -3 laps
20. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, -6 laps
21. Alessandro Antenello, Ducati 998RS, -9 laps
22. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -12 laps, DNF, crash
23. Christian Caliumi, Ducati 996RS, -12 laps, DNF
24. James Toseland, Ducati 998F01, -13 laps, DNF, crash
25. Thierry Mulot, Ducati 996RS, -13 laps, DNF
26. Bertrand Stey, Honda RC51, -14 laps, DNF
27. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998F02, -16 laps, DNF, crash


World Superbike Championship Point Standings:

1. Bayliss, 224 points
2. Edwards, 184 points
3. Hodgson, 131 points
4. Haga, 103 points
5. Ben Bostrom, 102 points
6. Xaus, 96 points
7. Toseland, 68 points
8. TIE, Lavilla/Walker, 58 points
10. Hitoyasu Itzutsu, 47 points

14. Eric Bostrom, 21 points


More, from an Aprilia press release:

HAGA ON THE PODIUM THRILLS 82,000 AT MONZA

Monza (Milan), Sunday 12 May 2002 – Noriyuki Haga made a spectacular performance in the second race of the Italian Superbike Grand Prix at Monza. The Japanese Playstation2-FGF Aprilia Team champ managed to snatch a fantastic third place, crowning his efforts in the most challenging weekend since the start of the Championship. This visit to the rostrum is the best result achieved by the Aprilia RSV Mille in the three times it has raced on this circuit. Haga and the twin-cylinder from Noale gave a taste of their potential as they were driven on by a huge public in Monza: 82,000 spectators. In the first race, a broken bearing in the water pump forced Haga out.

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team rider) declared: “It was a tough race, because in the first leg we only went round a few times, so we had to start the second without any references about tyre wear. Then, after just a few laps, there was an incident on the first chicane which pushed me back from the leading pack. But I gave it all I’d got and managed to catch them up: I just had to make it onto the podium – I couldn’t let my thousands of Italian fans down.”

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager, Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team) commented: “All things considered, we’ve come away with a great result – third place is fantastic. Even so, we really did have a bit too many problems this weekend to be truly satisfied. We’ll be working flat out to be even more competitive in the next races.”


More, from an HM Plant press release:

Hodgson rides through problems to take fourth

Race two at Monza saw HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing rider Neil Hodgson miss out on a podium position by the narrowest of margins. After an epic race-long display of tactics, skill and courage, the #100 HM Plant Ducati crossed the line less than 0.07s from second-placed Colin Edwards and just 0.024s behind third-placed Noriyuki Haga. Hodgson’s team-mate James Toseland was unable to complete the 18-lap race after he fell victim to spilled fluid on the track and slid off his bike while on target for a fifth-placed finish.

Hodgson had fronted the contest in places, but it was Troy Bayliss who eventually eked out a lead that he was to maintain to the chequered flag. Behind him the race became a furious battle for the subsequent three positions and Hodgson rode remarkably throughout. After countless laps of astonishing overtaking and spectacular slipstreaming action, the final placings were decided on the very last corner.

“Something split in my exhaust system during the race and I lost a load of power,” explained Hodgson. “Nobody’s to blame for that happening – it’s just one of those things – but I suddenly found myself right down on acceleration. I was drafting past the other two pretty easily but I just couldn’t get the drive back out of the chicanes and that was what I needed right at the end. Although I’ve reinforced my third place in the championship standings, I’m more than a little disappointed in the way things turned out, mainly because I’m riding really well and potentially could have won both races.”

James Toseland: “I’m really frustrated not to have been able to finish the second race because I was right up there. The pace may have been slower than the first race, but I was well in touch with the leaders until I came off. Something was leaking from Chili’s bike and I don’t think he saw the black flags. I was trying to get past him and it was just really unfortunate that I hit some of the fluid at that exact point on the track. That aside, I’ve had a really encouraging weekend and picked up my best ever result in the process.”