World Superbikes
Aprilia plays down reliability fears
04 February 2002
Noriyuki Haga’s Aprilia team has dismissed the mechanical disasters it suffered at the Phillip Island WSB tests as a normal part of pre-season shake-downs. Haga blew up three of the latest versions of...
Bostrom: In his own words
01 February 2002
Belfez: Ben, During last season you had a terrific run of form with back to back wins. But then at the next race you seemed to only do a little practice, (according to the commentators) and you were seen lounging around the pit lane as if you couldn’t be bothered trying, or perhaps you had proved a point and/or had orders from above. So do tell, why did things go pear-shaped? BenBostrom: After...
Bayliss fastest, Walker slowest in Oz
01 February 2002
Troy Bayliss made it clear to his rivals that he won’t be giving up his world title without a struggle, after posting the fastest time of the first official test of the WSB year. As everyone suspected...
Bayliss fastest, Hodgson and Walker happy after day one of Oz test
28 January 2002
Reigning World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss was fastest after Wednesday’s first sessions of the official WSB testing at Phillip Island in Australia. Bayliss managed to take his new Ducati 998R to a...
Foggy: We’re on course despite Suter switch
28 January 2002
Carl Fogarty remains upbeat and is convinced his team is on schedule to start testing the new FP1 superbike early in April, despite the switch from Sauber to Suter Racing Technology (SRT). According...
Edwards says Honda needs more bhp to compete
28 January 2002
Colin Edwards matched world champion Troy Bayliss on time in the first major WSB test of the year, but said his Honda needed more power to have a chance of catching Bayliss’s new Ducati in the heat of...
Walker among crashers in Oz test
28 January 2002
Strong winds stopped any faster times being logged by the top World Superbike riders at Phillip Island on Thursday – but did cause a spate of crashes. Winds whipping in off the sea, just a few yards...
Bostrom Webchat: Full transcript added
28 January 2002
Ben Bostrom has his fingers crossed for Chris Walker this season and he’s hoping to see him among the front-runners in WSB. In a live web chat on this site on Thursday morning, Bostrom said: ” I want...
Chili badly battered by crash in testing
28 January 2002
Frankie Chili’s first test on the NCR Ducati at Valencia has ended in a highside on cold tyres which sent him to hospital with concussion. Chili had completed 12 laps of the final afternoon session on...
Edwards has trouble with birds at Ducati WSB test
21 January 2002
Colin Edwards got his first taste of his new Honda VTR SP-2 on Wednesday but spent more time missing the local wildlife than going for fast times. Former WSB champion Edwards finished the first of...
Petronas admits Sauber is off Foggy project
21 January 2002
Rumours that the Foggy Petronas racing team is no longer using Sauber to continue developing its bike have turned out to be true with the appointment of replacements, Swiss firm Suter Racing...
More WSB, and Suzi, on the Beeb
21 January 2002
The BBC is kicking off its ” bigger and better ” coverage of WSB a week before the first round of the series. Their 30-minute preview show will include a round-up of all the news from the official...
Chili tries his Duke for the first time
21 January 2002
Frankie Chili took his first ride on the Ducati 998R he’ll race this year on Friday, and declared he loves it – even if it does feel weird compared to the Suzuki GSX-R750 he has ridden for the past...
Petronas’ official statement
21 January 2002
PETRONAS, Malaysia’s national petroleum corporation, has appointed Suter Racing Products (SRP) to further develop and manufacture its high-performance motorcycle engine in preparation for the Foggy PETRONAS Racing team’s entry in the World Superbike Championship later this year. SRP is a Swiss-based company with expertise and competency in advanced motorcycle engineering and development as well...
Foggy welcomes Suter on board to develop engine
21 January 2002
Carl Fogarty has welcomed the news that Eskil Suter has been appointed as the engine developer for the Petronas race and road bike projects. The former racer’s Swiss company, Suter Racing Products,...
Hodgson’s new-look Ducati unveiled
14 January 2002
The new look of Neil Hodgson and James Toseland’s GSE Ducatis was unveiled on Tuesday lunchtime. Here we’re bringing you the first pictures and later this week we’ll be adding video interviews with...
Hodgson and Toseland exclusive video interview
14 January 2002
Who does Hodgson see as his greatest threats in 2002? Where does Toseland see himself finishing in the new WSB season? Both men were ready with all the answers when we filmed this exclusive video...
GSX-R750 chassis updates for 2002
14 January 2002
Suzuki is hoping a raft of chassis changes to the GSX-R750 will change its fortunes in World Superbikes next year. This year’s changes include a different swing-arm pivot point and revised steering...
Watch the three-minute video
14 January 2002
Watch as MCN’s WSB reporter Andy Downes introduces us to the official launch of Hodgson’s 2002 Ducati team and goes on to interview its riders. Select from Quicktime (MOV) or Real Player (RM)...
Neil Hodgson: In his own words
14 January 2002
Geoff: Congratulations on last years performance. Did you see Hizzy over Christmas and how do you fancy your chances against him in the 2 UK WSB rounds? NeilHodgson: I’ve not seen anything of Steve actually. I think he went to Tenerife or somewhere like that for Christmas, and I didn’t see much of him before because I was really busy with getting married, doing stag dos, and doing the 2 week book...
Full transcript of latest Hodgson webchat
14 January 2002
World Superbike star Neil Hodgson joined in a live web chat on this site on Thursday at 5pm… and joked about his initimate relationship with his glove puppet, why Bayliss has the worst style in WSB...
Bayliss is relaxed and ready to win again
07 January 2002
It would be easy to assume reigning WSB champion Troy Bayliss is more stressed than ever as he considers the defence of his title in 2002. But the Australian reckons he has never been so relaxed in...
Aussie showdown for Walker and Hodgson confirmed
07 January 2002
Rivals Chris Walker and Neil Hodgson will go head-to-head on the track for the first time since 2000 when they line up for first official WSB test in Australia later this month. The final decision to...
No Petronas test until April… if all goes well
01 January 2002
Troy Corser and James Haydon will test the all-new Foggy Petronas FP1 World Superbike for the first time in April if the next stages of development go to plan. With the Christmas break over,...
Rain cut Hodgson’s test time
16 December 2001
Neil Hodgson’s first test of his 2002 Ducati was a washed out. The MCN Man of the Year was desperate to get on his Testastretta 998R and claw back some of the ground he’s already lost to Chris Walker,...
Whitham grinning after first test on 2002 R6
16 December 2001
Jamie Whitham has been given a first taste of his new 2002-spec Belgarda Yamaha R6 in a test at Cartagena in Spain. Riding with team-mate Paolo Casoli, the test gave Whitham a chance to put new...
Aprilia lets us loose on Corser’s RSV
16 December 2001
Aprilia hasn’t exactly made a habit of letting anyone other than racers and factory testers on its works machinery, yet here I am, waiting to ride the bike that took Troy Corser to fourth in the World...
Borja returns to Ducati for 2002 WSB season
16 December 2001
Spaniard Juan Borja will be making a return to Ducati in 2002… but with a customer race bike rather than the works 996R he had in 2000. Borja will be racing for the De Cecco Ducati team – the same...
Foggy reveals more about his new WSB bikes and team
09 December 2001
Carl Fogarty launched his new WSB team in Italy at the weekend, and revealed that up to 10,000 of the Foggy Petronas triples could be put into production. They will follow the first 75 very expensive...
Foggy targets Corser
09 December 2001
Troy Corser has been approached by Carl Fogarty to ride the new Petronas World Superbike. He hasn’t said yes to the offer yet because he’s still considering buying his job back at Aprilia. He told...
Hodgson and Toseland on Radio One
09 December 2001
Neil Hodgson is looking forward to renewing his rivalry with Chris Walker in World Superbikes next season. Speaking on a Radio One interview on Monday night, Hodgson added: ” but this time I hope...
Heckles joins the Brits in WSB
09 December 2001
Liverpool rider Mark Heckles, 25, will ride a kit-bike Honda VTR SP-2 for the Rumi Honda team in WSB in 2002 in a one-rider team. The kit bike is a far cry from the uncompetitive kit-bikes that were seen in the BSB series in 2000 and are said to be on a performance level with the 2001 bike Colin Edwards had. A delighted Heckles who raced in the European superstock series on a Rumi Honda FireBlade...
Bayliss’ big race shakedown – in the wife’s runabout
02 December 2001
WORLD SUPERBIKE king Troy Bayliss has been getting in some last minute practice for a four-wheeled fun race with fellow motorsport champs… using his wife’s estate car. Bayliss, who has never been near...
Castrol Honda UK to campaign World Supersports
02 December 2001
HONDA BRITAIN has confirmed that it is entering John McGuinness and Karl Muggeridge in the 2002 World Supersport championship. The switch is a dream come true for two-times TT winner McGuinness. The...
Foggy quits Ducati – but where next?
02 December 2001
Carl Fogarty is remaining tight-lipped about his future after speaking about his decision to end his long-standing relationship with Ducati today. He did however admit that his next move will be “the...
WSB signings latest: Haga, Emmett and Chili line up
02 December 2001
THE tantalising prospect of Noriyuki Haga sliding his way around the World Superbike series on an Aprilia will become a reality after the Japanese rider signed for the Italian factory. Haga has been...