Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Battered Bayliss does it again

When Troy Bayliss crashed down to earth after a massive highside in free practice on Saturday Colin Edwards must have thought he was on for a race win on Sunday. But the Australian kept calm, took a massage and came back to grab win number 14.

It was Texan Edwards who made the early running; he led from the start until lap 24. Then, when Edwards made a mistake on lap 24, Bayliss was there to pounce and took off for yet another race win. Despite his heavily bruised and battered body, Bayliss rocketed off to make the win all his.

“Colin rode so hard that my race plan wasn’t working. So I just tried to hang on and waited for him to make a mistake,” Bayliss said. Edwards made that error and gassed the bike just a little harder than his rear tyre could take coming out of turn five. Bayliss had been putting him under pressure prior to that, getting a wheel ahead two laps earlier only for Edwards to grab the lead straight back.

Looking carefully at the time sheets it’s clear that Bayliss is being a little modest, as usual. When Edwards did make his mistake Bayliss not only passed him but also put in a lap at 1:25.794 ­ at a time when everyone else on the track was riding in the mid-1:26 zone.

“We always knew that 28 laps was going to be hard on the tyres and it started taking its toll towards the end there,” said Edwards. The slide at turn six lost Edwards drive on the exit and Bayliss and eventual runner-up Ruben Xaus just slipped by.

“I just couldn’t ride any harder,” Edwards added. “I was doing everything I could while I was leading. Then when they got by I had no reply. We’ve got the machine set up as good as it could be but I’m just missing that grunt out of the corners.

“Race two will be different. I’ve never won at Laguna Seca and I’m getting pissed off with that – it’s going to be a win or crash approach to race two.”

Ruben Xaus managed to get his bike into the lead after Edwards’ mistake, but Bayliss was having none of it and rode by him a turn later. “Ruben was there to make things even more exciting,” commented Bayliss.

Neil Hodgson sat in third position for the first part of the race. But he was overhauled on lap nine by Nori Haga. The Japanese rider then went on to pass Bayliss, who was then back in second place, on the next lap. But when he tried to dive under Edwards going through turn two on lap 13 it proved a move too far. Haga slid off the track, remounted but then retired just a few laps later.

Hodgson got third back – but only for a few laps. Xaus got by him a few laps later and then, on lap 21, Hodgson succumbed to the incessant pressure wild card rider Nicky Hayden had been piling on. Hayden finished the race in a brilliant fourth. “I was happy with the race, Hodgson wasn’t holding me up. We were faster and slower in different places though. All I need is a little more drive grip,” said Hayden.

Eric Bostrom had a great race, beating his brother Ben Bostrom and Aaron Yates to finish sixth. His brother had to make do with eighth after suffering tyre trouble, with Yates making up the meat in the Bostrom sandwich in seventh. “I need to get a better first eight laps in race two,” admitted Eric Bostrom, “then I reckon I can be really strong in the last half of the race.”

World Superbike Race One Results:

1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 28 laps
2. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, -0.339 second
3. Colin Edwards, Honda, -2.051 seconds
4. Nicky Hayden, Honda, -2.588 seconds
5. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, -4.104 seconds
6. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, -11.734 seconds
7. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -17.661 seconds
8. Ben Bostrom, Ducati, -23.752 seconds
9. James Toseland, Ducati, -26.437 seconds
10. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -30.199 seconds
11. Chris Walker, Kawasaki, -40.945 seconds
12. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati, -41.197 seconds
13. Doug Chandler, Ducati, -43.197 seconds
14. Steve Martin, Ducati, -56.675 seconds
15. Broc Parkes, Ducati, -67.030 seconds
16. Peter Goddard, Benelli, -74.270 seconds
17. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati, -74.624 seconds
18. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati, -79.892 seconds
19. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki, -83.757 seconds
20. Mark Heckles, Honda, -1 lap
21. Mark Miller Honda, -1 lap
22. Bertrand Stey, Honda, -1 lap
23. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki, -8 laps
24. Serafino Foti, Ducati, -11 laps
25. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, -14 laps, DNF, crash
26. Marco Borciani, Ducati, -19 laps