World Superbikes

Year: ALL

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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)...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Latest WSB test news: Walker, Edwards, Sauber

02 December 2001

CHRIS WALKER is now eight days into a hectic World Superbike testing schedule in preparation for his return to world championship racing. In contrast, Neil Hodgson has not even seen his new Ducati...

The background to Petronas

25 November 2001

PETRONAS is one of the biggest names to join WSB since the championship started in 1988. It was formed in 1974 as the national petroleum company of Malaysia and having established itself in the...

Lavilla is sole factory Suzuki in World Superbikes

25 November 2001

The team will continue to compete in the Superbike and Supersport series as a factory supported team, but with a slight change in personnel. Japanese rider Katsuyaki Fujiwara will continue in the...

The Foggy/Petronas road bike is coming

25 November 2001

CARL FOGARTY road bike will be in our showrooms later next year after the four-times World Superbike champion announced one of the biggest deals in British motorcycle history last week. He has signed...

Exclusive: Foggy, "This deal is a gamble – but it’ll pay off"

25 November 2001

IN an exclusive chat with MCN Carl Fogarty has admitted that his WSB deal is risky, but he reckons it will pay off. With the preliminary stages already well under way, Foggy believes with his name and...

Ellison set for Kawasaki Supersport ride

25 November 2001

European superstock champion James Ellison is likely to race alongside Andrew Pitt in Kawasaki’s 2002 World Supersport team. The 20-year-old from Cumbria has won the superstock title for the past two...

Hislop rejects Sauber WSB offer

18 November 2001

STEVE HISLOP has turned down an offer to ride Sauber’s triple in WSB next year – though Carl Fogarty is likely to be involved. The Scot wants to concentrate on winning the British title that evaded...

Foggy and Ducati split

18 November 2001

FOUR-TIMES World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty officially split from Ducati today. And he’s now expected to be installed as the man to spearhead Sauber’s surprise World Superbike effort in 2002. Ducati announced this afternoon that they have decided to end their long-standing relationship with the British legend, who is currently still recovering from a broken leg he suffered while testing a CCM...

Okada quits – will Edwards go it alone for Honda?

18 November 2001

SPECULATION that Castrol Honda will run just one full-factory SP-2 in WSB next season was reinforced when Tady Okada announced his retirement after finishing second in the final round of the All Japan...