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Toseland is fitter than Beckham

11 March 2002

Toseland is fitter than Beckham

James Toseland is fitter than football superstar David Beckham, our tests at Lilleshall have revealed. GSE Ducati WSB rider Toseland, standing 10th in the world championship after the opening races in...

Foggy in Valencia to reveal more on Petronas project

04 March 2002

Foggy in Valencia to reveal more on Petronas project

IT may be four months before we’re due to see Carl Fogarty’s new Petronas World Superbike contender on the track, but Foggy will be at this weekend’s opening round in Valencia to reveal more details...

Xaus on provisional pole for Valencia

04 March 2002

Xaus on provisional pole for Valencia

Ducati’s Ruben Xaus was fastest in qualifying on Friday for Sunday’s WSB opener in Valencia. His time was more than half a second under the fastest qualifying time set last year. Reigning world...

Bostrom misses out as Bayliss takes pole

04 March 2002

Bostrom misses out as Bayliss takes pole

Ben Bostrom staged an amazing recovery to come within a tenth of a second of taking pole in Saturday’s Superpole at Valencia. But it was reigning world champion Troy Bayliss who came out No1. Baylisss...

Free eight-page WSB preview

04 March 2002

Free eight-page WSB preview

Buy MCN on Wednesday (March 6, 2002) and you’ll get a free eight-page pull-out preview to the WSB season which kicks off this weekend. In it you can win VIP passes worth £600, Carl Fogarty rates the...

Win a KBC Chrome helmet

04 March 2002

Win a KBC Chrome helmet worth £229. Entry costs 50p per competition, per entry. This competition runs from May 29-June 5. Other entry mechanisms are published in MCN. South Korea-based manufacturer KBC claims to be the first company to make a completely chrome-coated helmet after perfecting the process to cover lids with the shiny metal – and you can win one. MCN has teamed up with the firm to...

Benelli pulls out of WSB for first three rounds

04 March 2002

Benelli is out of the opening WSB races in Valencia on Sunday citing cash shortages. Essentially, they have blown up too many engines and don’t have enough left to compete. The factory, which has been showing off its road bike in Valencia, says it will have to miss the first three rounds of the season, but is confident it will be back for the Monza WSB round. MCN learned of the decision on...

Your bids raise £4537 for Clinica Mobile

04 March 2002

Your bids raise £4537 for Clinica Mobile

Your bids have helped raise £4537.22p for the Clinica Mobile in an auction on this site which closed at midnight on March 1. Chili, Edwards, Bayliss, Toseland and Haydon went under the hammer with...

Play MCN Fantasy Racing online – and win a ZX-7

04 March 2002

Play MCN Fantasy Racing online – and win a ZX-7

THERE’S more than £10,000 worth of prizes – including a new Kawasaki ZX-7R – up for grabs in the biggest ever MCN Fantasy Road Race competition. And for the first time this year you can play the game...

Bayliss socks it to ‘em in Valencia

04 March 2002

Bayliss socks it to ‘em in Valencia

WSB champion Troy Bayliss got the perfect start to his title defence with two wins in Valencia on Sunday afternoon…thanks to his lucky socks. Bayliss had worn the same pair in his successful...

Whitham banned from morning practice

04 March 2002

Jamie Whitham was seething after having to sit out the Friday morning practice session in Valencia while his World Supersport rivals got a head start on their set-ups. Whitham was banned from the morning session by an FIM official because he had missed the riders briefing held on Thursday. He was angry because a representative of his Belgarda Yamaha team had been granted permission by SBK...

Walker WILL ride in WSB opener

04 March 2002

Walker WILL ride in WSB opener

Chris Walker is looking better and will ride in Sunday’s opening WSB round in Valencia, Spain. Walker still has partial facial paralysis as the result of a bout of Bells Palsy and is struggling to...

Foret fastest after opening WSS qualifying

04 March 2002

Honda rider Fabien Foret was fastest after first qualifying at Valencia in WSS. He took provisional pole on a CBR600, more than half a second ahead of Italian Yamaha rider Alessio Corradi. Stephane Chambon was third quickest and Stefano Cruciani completes the provisional front row. German Yamaha riders Christian Kellner and Jorg Teuchert are fifth and sixth with Aussie Chris Vermeulen seventh.

MacPherson lands Riba’s WSS ride

04 March 2002

MacPherson lands Riba’s WSS ride

Scot Iain MacPherson has landed Pere Riba’s vacant Honda World Supersport ride. MacPherson clinched a deal with the Dutch-based Ten Kate team on Monday morning after Riba quit on Friday to take up...

Best test times of Saturday and Sunday

25 February 2002

Valencia, Spain, WSB test, February 23-24, 2002 1. T Bayliss: 1’34.922. 2. N Haga: 1’34.957. 3. C Edwards: 1’35.168. 4. B Bostrom: 1’35.260. 5. R Xaus: 1’35.260. 6. P Chili: 1’35.668. 7. S Martin: 1’35.962. 8. L Pedercini: 1’35.962. 9. H Izutsu: 1’36.032. 10. J Toseland: 1’36.305. 11. N Hodgson: 1’36.358.12 G Lavilla: 1’36.595. 13. J Borja: 1’36.728. 14. C.Walker: 1’36.930. 15. A Antonello:...

Slight to race in UK

25 February 2002

Slight to race in UK

Aaron Slight will be racing a 500bhp V8 this year. No it’s not Moto GP gone mad, he’s on four wheels for the ASCAR oval racing series in the UK and Germany. Slight is driving the TJ Motorsports Ford,...

Hodgson reveals his go-faster diet

25 February 2002

Hodgson reveals his go-faster diet

We’ve now added the full transcript from Neil Hodgson’s Thursday lunchtime web chat in which he reveals his recipes for success. Neil starts a WSB race day with porridge, tucks into bananas and fig...

Neil Hodgson: In his own words

25 February 2002

Jo d: You were very pleased with the Philip Island test but seemed more frustrated during the Valencia test. Do you think this is essentially down to your style being incompatible with the circuit rather than a more wide-ranging problem? NeilHodgson: Erm, yes. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there. I do have a slight problem with the set-up of the bike, but I think it’s more a case of my...

Walker 14th fastest despite partially paralysed face

25 February 2002

Walker 14th fastest despite partially paralysed face

The effects of Bell’s Palsy have left Chris Walker with blurred vision and unable to complete more than a handful of laps at a time. Yet he toughed it out to rack up 72 laps and end up 14th fastest...

Walker will test despite paralysis

18 February 2002

Walker will test despite paralysis

Chris Walker will test his Kawasaki WSB bike this weekend despite continued problems with partial facial paralysis caused by Bell’s Palsy. Walker has been having treatment all week to try and...

Smart replaces injured McGuiness

18 February 2002

Smart replaces injured McGuiness

Injured John McGuinness will be replaced by Scott Smart for this weekend’s crucial final test at Valencia before the start of the World Supersport season. McGuinness injured himself while filming a...

Walker’s face paralysed by illness

18 February 2002

Walker’s face paralysed by illness

Chris Walker has partial paralysis of the face caused by a disease known as Bell’s Palsy. One of his eyes doesn’t blink, he can’t move his lips or swallow properly. He’s having to wear a patch over...

Chat live with Neil Hodgson

11 February 2002

Chat live with Neil Hodgson

WSB star Neil Hodgson will be in our VIP Lounge for a live web chat on Friday, February 22. The session will be held in the afternoon, as soon as he’s finished his first day of WSB testing at...

First Hodgson column of 2002

04 February 2002

First Hodgson column of 2002

MCN has again signed up top British rider Neil Hodgson to write a regular column for us throughout the new World Superbike season. In the first instalment of 2002, Neil gives you a behind the scenes...

Aprilia plays down reliability fears

04 February 2002

Aprilia plays down reliability fears

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...

Moodie back in the saddle

04 February 2002

Moodie back in the saddle

It’s been more than a year, but Jim Moodie has finally returned to full-on riding action in preparation for the World Supersport season. He has been out of action recovering from a badly smashed...

Walker: I’m going slow what ever I try’

04 February 2002

Walker: I’m going slow what ever I try’

Chris Walker is facing an uphill battle to restore his shattered confidence before for the next WSB test at Valencia, Spain. He came away from Australia’s first tests as the slowest of all the WSB...

Foggy WSB project up against it

04 February 2002

Foggy WSB project up against it

Foggy won’t know if his WSB project has any hope of getting off the ground this year until the end of April. By then the first three-cylinder engine must have completed extensive bench testing, or the...

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

Bayliss fastest, Walker slowest in Oz

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...

Foggy: We’re on course despite Suter switch

28 January 2002

Foggy: We’re on course despite Suter switch

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...

Bayliss fastest, Hodgson and Walker happy after day one of Oz test

28 January 2002

Bayliss fastest, Hodgson and Walker happy after day one of Oz test

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...

Walker among crashers in Oz test

28 January 2002

Walker among crashers in Oz test

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...

Edwards says Honda needs more bhp to compete

28 January 2002

Edwards says Honda needs more bhp to compete

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...

Chili badly battered by crash in testing

28 January 2002

Chili badly battered by crash in testing

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...

Bostrom Webchat: Full transcript added

28 January 2002

Bostrom Webchat: Full transcript added

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...