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