Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Ice cool Foret is Champion

By Glenn Le Santo

Fabien Foret is the new Superspor World Champion after riding with his head at Imola for a fifth-place race finish.

Foret’s Championship rival Katsuaki Fujiwara did all he could to try and to wrestle the crown out of Foret¹s hands at the final round by taking a
convincing win. But with Foret enjoying the benefit of a 17-point cushion at the front of the Championship that just wasn¹t enough. Foret’s fifth place secured the title, 184 points to Fujiwara¹s 181

The victory means that the Number One plate will remain on the front of a Kawasaki for yet another year. Foret has quit the Ten Kate Honda team to ride for Kawasaki in 2003.

There was a nervous moment for the Ten Kate team when Chris Vermeulen caught Foret during the middle of the race. The two looked set to battle it out for the rest of the race until Foret remembered just what was at risk and sensibly
allowed the young Van Zon Honda rider, who was obviously on a mission to get a podium
finish, past.

Fujiwara’s team mate Stephane Chambon also tried to assist in the title race, he protected Fujiwara for the entire race and finished second, despite a last-lap challenge by Vermeulen. The young Australian will run
alongside Karl Muggeridge in the Ten Kate Honda squad in 2003. Vermeulen posted the fastest lap in the race on lap 16 when he was trying to catch Chambon.

Britain’s Jamie Whitham was fourth after Vermeulen got the better of a race-long battle with the Yamaha rider.


More, from a press release issued by Honda:

HONDA GEARS UP FOR CBR600RR SUPERSPORT CAMPAIGN

After leading the Championship assuring exciting and impressive performances, Fabien Foret was crowned “2002 WSS World Champion, at the end of today’s final race.

Honda wishes to thank Fabien, for the great result achieved, and the whole Ten Kate team, together with the mechanics, for their efforts and for the precious teamwork assured during the season.

Honda started four years ago to support the Supersport World Championship with the CBR600. The sportive life and the market image of the current version have culminated in the World Championship activities.

We are now ready to start the forthcoming season with the new version that has just been presented to the public at Intermot in Munich.

Honda is pleased to announce an exciting and comprehensive programme for its new CBR600RR in the 2003 World Supersport championship.

Four supported teams will represent Honda in the championship, all armed with the much anticipated new 600cc machine, the 2003 plan includes joining forces with:

The G. Ten Kate Racing Team
The Van Zon Racing Team
The BKM Racing Team
The OPCM Racing Team

Honda Europe Senior Manager Silvio Manicardi comments: “We’re very pleased with the level of consistency given to Honda by our supported teams this year and we’re certain they can contribute to success in 2003 for the new CBR600RR”.

He adds: “Judging by the response to the launch of the CBR600RR I think 2003 should be an exciting year. Supersport is one of the closest classes of racing in the world and we know we will have to work hard to be successful”.

Of the teams supported by Honda in the 2003 campaign, the following riders are confirmed:

TEAM, TEAM MANAGER, RIDER

Ten Kate, Gerrit Ten Kate, Karl Muggeridge, Chris Vermeulen

Van Zon, Jamar Ludo, I.MacPherson, W.Daemen

BKM, Michael Bartholemy, C.Cogan, B.Parkes

OPCM, Klaus Klaffenböck, Kevin Curtain, Robert Ulm



More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda:

HONDA’S FORET TAKES SUPERSPORT CROWN

Honda’s Fabien Foret won the World Supersport title at Imola in Italy on Sunday after taking a calculated fifth place in a race won by Katsuaki
Fujiwara.

Fujiwara won the 12th and final round of the year but it was Frenchman Foret second for much of the race ­who dropped back to fifth to secure his first world title and a first for his Dutch Ten Kate Honda team.

New world champion Foret commented: “I’ve won races this year without putting as much thought in as I did into today’s race. Katsuaki knew he had to win and he did that, I knew I could afford eighth place so I did what I had to do.”

Fujiwara¹s team-mate Stephane Chambon finished runner-up while young Australian Chris Vermeulen put in a late burst of speed, setting the fastest lap of the race, as he moved through from fifth to take his second podium finish of the year in third.

Briton James Whitham battled to fourth place with German Jorg Teuchert taking sixth behind Foret. Honda UK¹s Karl Muggeridge retired with brake problems while his team-mate Michael Laverty took 16th on his world championship debut.

World Supersport race result:
1 Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan (Suzuki) 40:15.186
2 Stephane Chambon, France (Suzuki) 40:18.847
3 Chris Vermeulen, Australia (Honda) 40:19.746
4 James Whitham, GB (Yamaha) 40:23.246
5 Fabien Foret, France (Honda) 40:24.336
6 Jorg Teuchert, Germany (Yamaha) 40:26.036
7 Antonio Carlacci, Italy (Yamaha) 40:33.051
8 Iain MacPherson, GB (Honda) 40:40.547
9 Stefano Cruciani, Italy (Yamaha) 40:55.509
10 Christophe Cogan, France (Honda) 40:56.252

Final world championship points:
1 Foret 184
2 Fujiwara 181
3 Chambon 162,
4 Paolo Casoli, Italy (Yamaha) 162
5 Andrew Pitt, Australia (Kawasaki) 126
6 Christian Kellner, Germany (Yamaha) 94
7 Whitham 93
8 Vermeulen 90
9 Teuchert 89
10 MacPherson 82

Manufacturers’ points:
1 Suzuki 229
2 Honda 209
3 Yamaha 194
4 Kawasaki 133
5 Ducati 61