The Eclectic Biker: November 2003

Racing Wrap-Up: World Superbike

No rain on the Ducati parade

Brit Neil Hodgson ran away with the Ducati Cup -- I mean, World Superbike -- title aboard his factory Ducati 999, beating teammate Reuben Xaus by a comfy margin, despite Xaus picking up a string of victories after Hodgson stopped caring.

The Man from Man (Hodgson lives on the famed Isle of Man) wrapped up the title in Assen in the first race by finishing second, then ended the day in style by winning the second race in a start-to-finish battle with his Spanish teammate.

And so it went for most of the season, the 999s -- the only factory team in WSB -- battling for the win with a string of last year's 998s fighting for the leftovers. Only a crash by Xaus -- which he does often -- or a rare miscue by Hodgson changed the results. Only regulars James Toseland -- his first -- and the ageless Frankie Chili managed to beat the Fila Ducatis to the top of the podium. And then there's Shane "Shaky" Byrne, the British Superbike rider who surprised everyone by taking two runaway victories at Brands Hatch as a wild card.

But those were rare occasions this "Superbore" season, with every race coming down to a small group of riders -- Hodgson and Xaus, Regis Laconi on the Caracchi Ducati 998, James Toseland and Chris Walker on the HM Plant Ducatis (last year's factory bikes) and Chili, also on a 998.

In fact, the only non-Ducati bright spot -- and, really, the only one to come close -- was Gregorio Lavilla on the big, bad Suzuki GSX-R1000. Beleaguered by an unfair restrictor and a lack of confidence nurtured by years of riding non-competitive bikes, the Spaniard managed to wrestle the big four-cylinder on the podium a number of times, and was by far the highest-ranking non-Ducati in the championship. The big Gixxer also was notorious for eating tires -- the same problem that afflicted the AMA bikes -- but the lack of power caused by the restrictor meant he couldn't pull away when needed, and usually wound up fading away as races progressed. Lavilla's part-time teammate, Vittorio Ianuzzo, was a waste, barely finishing in the points.

And poor, poor Petronas. Even the great Carl Fogarty couldn't instill some magic in the under-performing FP1. Despite being beautiful bikes with great, flaming (no kidding!) exhaust, they just didn't have the power to stay at the front. Even with some inspired riding by Troy Corser -- one of the best development riders in the world -- the mint-green bikes barely broke the top ten. Despite new rules allowing triples to displace 1000cc, the team elected to stick with the current 900cc engine, presumably to try out "new parts," but mostly to avoid having to homologate the bike all over again. Let's wish them luck -- they'll need it.

World Superbike, at one point, was the pinnacle of production-based motorcycle racing. This past year, the lack of competing factories -- Honda and Aprilia pulled out to concentrate on MotoGP -- hurt the series more than most realize. Even die-hard racing fans like myself found the races tedious and boring, especially when Lavilla (had to root for the underdog not riding a Ducati) faded away, his superior bike held back by rules intended to protect the v-Twin Ducatis. The series needs a shot in the arm, preferably from a couple of factories willing to back world-class teams.

Rumors and Assorted Silliness

The future of World Superbike is uncertain at best. The next few months will be crucial to the survival of the series. Why? The answer is right where the rubber hits the road.

You see, FGSport -- the "owners" of World Superbike -- signed a spec tire deal with Pirelli. Which means, teams can use any tires they want, as long as they're Pirellis. This causes some contractual problems with teams and riders. Ducati, for example, has a long-standing relationship with Michelin. The thought of a factory-sponsored Ducati racing around on Pirellis would be heresy, but it apparently will happen. I guess the symbiotic relationship between Ducati and FGSport -- one is only successful with the other, and vice-versa -- overshadowed any potential Pirelli-Michelin issues. Ducati will also be racing in the AMA next year -- the Ducati Austin team will now be factory-backed -- where they can run Michelins until they run out of rubber.

The Pirelli spec-tire deal leads many to believe the AMA Superbike series will become the leading production-based series in the world, supplanting World Superbike, largely because teams can run whatever they want. Good news for the US, bad news for the rest of the world.

Rider-wise, Hodgson's already gone -- he's been given a seat on the new d'Antin Ducati team in MotoGP, the factory's first customer bikes. Xaus' future remains unclear. A lot of it -- for most riders and teams, in all series world-wide -- hinges on Valentino Rossi's decision. Does he go to Yamaha or stay with Honda? Xaus may get the job with Honda (Spanish sponsor Repsol really wants a Spanish rider) or he may get the second d'Antin ride. Ducati also wants him to ride in the AMA series in the US, but Xaus is keen on MotoGP, and I won't be surprised if that's where he ends up, one way or another. Corser may get a ride with Aprilia -- a good use of his development skills.

Lavilla will be back, still with a restrictor, but hopefully with a teammate. I'm hoping for an American rider, perhaps Aaron Yates from the Yoshimura Suzuki team. The GSE Racing/HM Plant Ducati team is no more. The long-standing second-string Ducati team will close their doors after this season. That leaves Walker without a ride. Toseland and Laconi have been chosen to pilot the factory Ducati 999s in 2004. Shaky Byrne may make the jump from British to World Superbike next year.

Another plus, and the one thing that may keep the factories in WSB, was the announcement that KTM will be joining the series. After learning how much it costs to lose in MotoGP (KTM fielded a less-than-successful 125cc team this season), the Austrian bike maker decided production-based racing is their future. Although no timetable was given, the addition of KTM may be the shot-in-the-arm the series needs.

But the Pirelli deal is still clouding up the works. Although FGSport confirmed the deal, both Michelin and Dunlop have filed suits in court to stop it. And, Honda and Suzuki are prevented from running factory teams due to previous tire contracts, although they could "help" private teams, much like Suzuki does with Lavilla's Alstare Suzuki team, and Honda will do for the Ten Kate team as they move from World Supersport, where they dominated the championship with Australian rider Chris Vermeulen, who will also be making the jump with the team. They'll be racing the new Honda CBR1000RR (known as the Fireblade in Europe), the first of the new-for-2004 machines confirmed for any superbike championship next year. Kawasaki Bertocchi will run two new ZX-10Rs in the championships next year.

Neither Yamaha, nor Aprilia has announced any WSB plans for 2004. Each manufacturer has a brand-new liter-class bike that would perform well in Superbike, and any one of them would be welcome to join Suzuki, Kawasaki and Honda to break up the Ducati parade.