Foggy: What other racers really think

Just what do the British WSB riders who followed in his tyre marks make of Foggy’s achievements? First published in 2010

 

Cal Crutchlow

I was 14 when he stopped racing, but I remember him on the Ducati, the Castrol Honda and then back at Ducati. He was a big inspiration to me because he is the best World Superbike rider of all time. 

When he retired in 2000 he was injured after the crash at Phillip Island, but I honestly think that if he hadn’t stopped he would have carried on winning.

When I speak to Tardozzi [Foggy’s former boss] he says that I remind him of Carl. He tells me we have the same attitude and approach to racing, which is an overwhelming compliment.

He was a normal guy from Blackburn so to do what he did is an incredible achievement and I don’t think any British rider will ever be as successful. I’ve got two WSB wins, but he had 59! He won his championships when the series was tough and he had to fight hard for every win. He was beating riders who are still at the front now, including Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser, so who’s to say he couldn’t still be at the front? 

He was amazing on the roads. Nowadays, road riders don’t really make it on short circuits, but Foggy and Steve Hislop were the exceptions. Those guys could do both, which shows how clever they were. There is no one in world championship racing now who could win a TT. 

 

James Toseland

I remember watching the races. Foggy got the British public and youngsters like me interested – he was an inspiration.

In 1998, I’d signed to ride the Castrol Honda CBR600 in World Supersport and we had a test in Phillip Island. It was an open test and I was flat out down the start-finish straight and Foggy came past me on his Ducati like I was standing still. He had the No1 on his back. I was only 17 at the time and I’ll always remember that.

He was the best in the world and he didn’t mind telling you. But you couldn’t disagree because he proved it time and time again. He talked the talk, but he also walked the walk. I can remember talking to Davide Tardozzi about him and Pier-Francesco Chili. Davide actually told me that Chili was probably a more talented rider, but Foggy had greater determination. He knew he had a factory bike capable of winning so it was just mind over matter that made him so strong. 

 

Leon Camier

I can remember watching WSB when I was a kid and he really divided our family. Some of us liked him and some of us didn’t. My mum thought he was arrogant and didn’t like him whereas I’d be flat out cheering for him. I thought he was a legend. 

He was a big inspiration to me when I was growing up. He had so much confidence because he knew he was the best. 

When riders are interviewed on TV now they are generally humble and don’t really say much, but he just used to say it how it was. He didn’t hold back, which  was brilliant.

He had an aggressive way of riding and he nearly had a fight with Chili in Assen. He gave the fans what they wanted and I’m all for that, but nowadays that sort of behaviour is really frowned on. 

 

Jonathan Rea

I can remember meeting Carl when I was a kid in a service station on the way home from a British motocross race. He knew my dad from racing at the TT and he was a cool guy, asking me how I was getting on. We used to rush home on Sunday nights after our own races to watch Foggy on TV. 

He’s got a never-say-die attitude and as a rider he had so much self-confidence. It didn’t matter if he qualified on the first or third row, if he thought he could win the race then he would, and I admire that. He had a lot of critics but if you walked down the street in the UK and asked people to name a bike racer – eight out of 10 of them would say Foggy. People either loved him or hated him but he made such a big impact. 

It was incredible what he did on the roads too and there is no one in MotoGP or WSB that could rock up at the TT and win. In terms of WSB he is the GOAT and I can’t see his record of wins and championship being beaten for a long time.

 

Tom Sykes

I watched Doohan in GP and Fogarty in WSB. As far as his riding goes you can’t take anything away from him. He put everything he had into it and as a result he achieved a great deal. He was a real racer and there were often times where he’d qualify OK, but on race day he’d give it his all and always improve. The other day I was watching footage of him racing at Assen with Chili. Obviously, things have moved on, but those guys were shifting and the lean angles were incredible. He was pushing so hard.  

Four titles is a fantastic record. Bayliss spoke about coming back to try to beat it. I think it is beatable, maybe if a rider like Spies stuck around, but it wouldn’t be easy.

 

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne

Carl won four WSB titles so you can’t take anything away from him. Everyone bitches about the fact that he was on the best bike but you have to remember that there were other Ducatis out there too, and he beat all them. He also switched bikes and rode the Castrol Honda, and he won races on that too.

The only question mark for me is whether he should have retired – because he’s able to ride motocross now with his shoulder and if he’d carried on racing I think he would have carried on winning. 

People either loved or hated him. He was outspoken, but at the end of the day he got results so he got away with it. I think the industry is far too fragile, people don’t say what they mean and riders race for free. Legends like Carl, Gobert and Russell wouldn’t have put up with that, they were badly behaved at times and they got away with it. If someone said they weren’t going to pay, Carl wouldn’t have ridden – those guys didn’t take any shit.

To win in WSB, World Endurance and at the TT is a mega achievement and I can’t see that it will ever happen again.