| Product: |
General Comment on Sports Issues |
| Date: |
12/03/01 (14 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Thrills all the way
Disadvantages: None
Losing Formula one to ITV might have been a bad thing for the BBC but good old Aunty kept her grip on Superbikes which for my money is much more exciting.
The 2001 season opened in Valencia for the first of thirteen two race meetings with Suzy Perry doing her usual grid commentary before the start of each race. The first shown race was a recorded highlights affair to set the scene for the second race shown in its entirety and both ably commented upon by Leigh Diffey and Steve Parrish, if on occasion somewhat excitedly. But then Superbikes is exciting. Valencia welcomed the return of 4 times World Champion Carl Foggerty from my hometown of Blackburn but only to assist the commentary team. His horrific accident last year when another bike ploughed into his sending him flying off the track has cut short a career which could easily have included a fifth world Championship.
Five major motorbike manufacturers compete in the series but sadly there isn’t a British one. Aprilla, Ducati, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki are all familiar names with either twin cylinder bikes up to 1,000 cc or four cylinder monsters up to 750 cc.
Racing a superbike is no mean feat as the onboard cameras showed the viewing public how the bikes are leaned over to impossible angles to get around the bends. It is my estimate that the bikes must be leaned over to around 35 degrees to the horizontal and it must some kind of minor miracle that they don’t just fall over. You can’t help but admire the skill and daring of all the riders as they hurtle around the track at speeds reaching 180 mph. They are not encased in a “crash proof” cockpit like their Formula One cousins and their only protection is a set of racing leathers should they be unseated. It is absolutely astounding to see some rider get flipped off his bike at 100 mph plus to walk away with no more than a bruise or two.
It is even more amazing to watch as side-by-side one rider ove
rtakes (or should that be undertakes) another on a bend with both bikes being leaned over to the max yet only inches apart. These guys must have courage in abundance and a total trust in each other’s skills. Superbike racing is thrills all the way as riders overtake and undertake at crazy speeds whilst their bikes wriggle and squirm underneath them trying to get away. They hurtle around for 23 breath-taking laps on monsters that just ooze power.
After a mediocre season last year Troy Corser on an Aprilla took the first race by storm after a poor start from pole position and romped home three clear seconds from another Aussie, Troy Bayliss riding a Ducati, to gain himself 25 points and Bayliss 20. His overtaking manoeuvres were a joy to watch and wonder at. Those same two riders repeated the finishing order in the second race with a time difference of 5 seconds. Neil Hodgson the leading British contender came fifth just 23 seconds adrift of the winner.
The points system for Superbike racing is much better than in F1 as the first ten riders home gain points and the points differential is also better which means that riders who finish consistently are rewarded for their efforts and are always in with a shout to gain the title of British Superbike Champion. The whole championship is much more open and is rarely settled until the very last race.
The winner gets 25 points, second gets 20 points, third gets 16 points, fourth gets 13 points, fifth gets 11 points, sixth gets 10 points with 9, 8, 7 and 6 points for coming in seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.
For thrills and some spills Superbikes is the best motor racing sport even if a race last just under 40 minutes.
Summary:
|
Last members to rate this review:
(0 members total)
Overall rating: not yet rated
|
