World Superbike Champ Series - Hockenheim, Germany

14 September 1999

1999 World Superbike Championship Series
Round 12: Hockenheim-Ring
Hockenheim, Germany
September 12, 1999

Castrol Honda rider Aaron Slight thought he had the win in the first 14-lap leg
of the World Superbike round at Hockenheim in Germany, and rightly so.

The pole-winner had survived a race-long slipstreaming battle at the ultra-fast
Ring with Akira Yanagawa, Troy Corser, Pier-Francesco Chili, Carl Fogarty, and
teammate Colin Edwards in front of 50,000 fans. Chili was the first to drop out,
with smoke pouring from his bike, on lap 10. Corser's bike also failed, this
time three laps from the end. That left Fogarty, Slight, Yanagawa and Edwards to
duel to the finish, and on the last lap Slight took his RC45 past Fogarty for
the lead and rode under the checkered flag.

Unfortunately, a two-rider crash on the last lap brought out the red flag, and
race stewards took the finishing order back to the 13th lap, making it Fogarty,
Slight, Yanagawa and Edwards.

"I'm gutted," a disappointed Slight said. "I took the checkered flag, won the
race and ended up second. It's just typical of the sort of luck I've had this
year. It was a difficult race, though, I had to play it tactically. I knew that
14 laps would be tough on the rear tire, so I was happy to be somewhere near the
front of the race. I tried a lot harder in the closing stages and was desperate
to get a victory under my belt. It had been such a great weekend at Hockenheim
until that decision."

"I knew, like Aaron, that the rear tire would take a beating so I held back,
knowing I could catch the front guys with a bit of slipstreaming," Edwards said.
"In the end I was lacking the traction I needed, but I'll take a fourth place
and hope we can improve the setup."

The second leg was another race-long dogfight between the two Castrol Honda
pilots, Fogarty, Yanagawa and Chili. The slipstreaming battle again went down to
the final lap, and once again Slight swept his RC45 into the lead on the last
lap$B!>(Band once again he would be denied his first win of the season. Chili
drafted past Fogarty and Slight just three corners from the checkered flag, and
Slight bobbled and let Fogarty past into second. Edwards finished fifth$B!>(Bjust
1.1 second behind winner Chili.

"I knew I could get in front at just about any point, and I gambled on it going
into the chicane for the final time," Slight said. "I held a wide line and swept
in, but then on the run down to the stadium I lost the line. Hockenheim is a
difficult circuit to control a race from the front, but I was certain I could
make up for my disappointment of earlier in the day. I've got a third place and
victory is something I'm really aiming for at the final round in Japan next
month."

"I knew I had a good chance of winning that second race, but I played it too
cautious," said Edwards. "Like the first race I was saving my rear tire, but it
was such a close race. I found it difficult to plan a move, knowing that someone
would get in my slipstream and pass me back on the next straight."

Fogarty's fortunate win in the first leg clinched the championship again for the
Englishman, but Slight and Edwards have a shot at second overall for the season.
Tune in one month from now for the final round of the World Superbike
Championship at Sportsland Sugo in Japan.

Race one, top-5 finishers
1. Carl Fogarty-Ducati
2. Aaron Slight-Honda
3. Akira Yanagawa-Kawasaki
4. Colin Edwards-Honda
5. Noriyuki Haga-Yamaha

Race two, top-5 finishers
1. Pier-Francesco Chili-Suzuki
2. Carl Fogarty-Ducati
3. Aaron Slight-Honda
4. Akira Yanagawa-Kawasaki
5. Colin Edwards-Honda

WSC points standings, top-5
1. Carl Fogarty-Ducati-458 points
2. Troy Corser-Ducati-351 points
3. Colin Edwards II-Honda-347 points
4. Aaron Slight-Honda-320 points
5. Akira Yanagawa-Kawasaki-267 points

Final round:
Round 13-Sportsland Sugo, Sugo, Japan, October 10

END