Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Edwards wins another double and takes the Championship

By Glenn Le Santo

He only needed to finish second behind Troy Bayliss to clinch the title. But finishing second just isn’t Colin Edwards’ style. He took the race win, the Championship, his ninth consecutive win and yet another double to finish the season in style.

Troy Bayliss’ only chance of retaining the Championship rested with his teammate Ruben Xaus. If Ruben could have squeezed in between the two and kept Edwards back in third then Bayliss would have snatched the title back at the death.

Xaus, although spurned by Ducati for 2003, tried his hardest and even caught up with the leading duo in the closing stages of the race when Bayliss deliberately slowed the pace by two seconds a lap. But Edwards knew what the Ducati boys were cooking up and decided enough was enough.

He got his Honda past Bayliss and upped the pace again. It did the trick and Xaus began to drop back, losing nearly half-a-second in a single lap to the leaders. Bayliss stuck with Edwards and the pair swapped places constantly on the final lap–they even traded a few sponsor stickers on the way around what was one of the greatest last-lap battles in Superbike history!

At the flag it was Edwards in front of Bayliss in both race and Championship standings.

World Superbike Championship
Imola, Italy

Second race result:

1 Edwards 38:13.128

2 Bayliss 38:14.108

3 Xaus 38:19.311

4 Haga 38:34.775

5 Hodgson 38:40.531

6 Toseland 38:47.315

7 Lavilla 38:54.737

8 Parkes 38:54.947

9 Bostrom 39:02.514

10 Hitoyasu Izutsu, 39:04.351

Final World Superbike championship points:
1 Edwards 552
2 Bayliss 541
3 Hodgson 326
4 Haga 278
5 Bostrom 261
6 Xaus 249
7 Toseland 195
8 Chili 167
9 Chris Walker, GB (Kawasaki) 152
10 Lavilla 130.

Manufacturers points:
1 Ducati 575
2 Honda 557
3 Aprilia 278
4 Kawasaki 208
5 Suzuki 147
6 Benelli 23
7 Yamaha 16

More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda:

EDWARDS CROWNED CHAMPION WITH EPIC DISPLAY

Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards completed the most remarkable comeback to clinch a second World Superbike championship title with two wins in today’s 13th and final round here at Imola in Italy.

His second race victory came after an incredible battle with closest rival Troy Bayliss and left Edwards 11 points clear in the final points standings.

“What a day,” said Edwards. “On paper the two race wins were ours but the job’s still got to be done. My team has done a fantastic job, especially today when we needed it most.

“I knew what Troy’s game was when he got in front and tried to slow the pace so Ruben could catch up. I had no choice but to get back in front and decide the championship that way.

“Troy’s been really good about it, a great guy and he’s given it everything today when he knew we were in better shape. It’s great that it’s all over, there’s nothing else left but to party!”

More, from another Castrol Honda press release:

Colin Edwards ­ 2002 World Superbike champion

On Sunday, July 14 Colin Edwards finished third in the opening race at Laguna Seca, USA–his dream of a home round double victory had disappeared. He now trailed championship leader Troy Bayliss by a worrying 58 points.

But, by 4:10 p.m. that day Edwards had set the tone which was to be the trademark of his 2002 world title success. His Laguna Seca victory over Bayliss confirmed what many already knew ­ Edwards did posses the steely determination to ignore pressure and stare adversity in the face.

His memorable victory in the USA round launched his charge to the title, edging out Bayliss in the Californian heat in relentless fashion ­ eclipsing his rival’s first race winning time by 4.2 seconds.

“Looking back, that afternoon was one of the biggest of my career,” recalls Edwards. “I’d set pole position at Laguna on the Saturday, we had the stars and stripes livery for my home round ­ everything was in place for two wins.

“I had the edge in the first race that day but ran wide with about four laps to go and Troy (Bayliss) and Ruben (Xaus) came by. To finish third was soul-destroying.”

Edwards, 28, continues: “Don’t ask what happened later that day, everything came together and the whole team went from despair to joy, it’s about as good as turning points get–all after the low point of my season in race one.”

From his Laguna launchpad Edwards then embarked on a remarkable run of victories, breaking records at every round as he proved that he was armed with everything needed to clinch a second world title.

And, as the season drew to a close, the Honda Racing Corporation backed his ambition with a new, improved 999cc motor for the Castrol SP-2 machine. But Edwards believes the championship package was also complemented by other aspects of the team.

He reports: “My crew chief Adrian Gorst always had that desire in his eyes. If I had ever lost track of what we were chasing I only had to walk in the garage and be reminded of what I was paid to do.

“But I was taken by surprise when we arrived in Germany for the Oschersleben round at the end of August. We’d tested at Michelin’s test track in France the week before and that really got me dialled in after the August break.

“By Germany, our Showa technician Christian Kaye had been working on some new fork settings, Castrol had developed an improved oil and Michelin were proving why they are the biggest and best in the world.

³The improved engine wasn’t actually that noticeable at the Michelin test but when we arrived at Oschersleben the improvement on the previous year was incredible.

“It wasn’t at that point that I felt I could win the title but I certainly felt I now had what it took to win every race. That first one-hour free practice on the Friday morning at Oschersleben was the biggest boost I’d had all year.”

Edwards responded that weekend with a double victory and the tobacco-chewing Texan knew all the pieces of the jigsaw were in place for one last, concerted push towards the title.

Yet Edwards, more than anyone else in the World Superbike paddock, knew there would be one key factor in him regaining the title he won in 2000 ­somehow getting the better of Troy Bayliss.

Edwards continues: “We did the sums in Germany and even if we were going to win all the remaining races we knew that Troy still needed a bit of misfortune. And I can’t fault the guy for being in that commanding position after a faultless start to the year.

“He beat Ben Bostrom and myself at Kyalami, got the better of me at Monza ­ two events where I thought we’d see a different race winner.

“I think my win at Sugo in the fourth round was important. We knew that Troy was struggling a little bit in qualifying but quite often that counts for nothing with him–he’s like a terrier when it comes to race day and just won¹t give in.”

Edwards won the opening race at Sugo and took runner-up spot behind Honda’s Makoto Tamada in the second race but the Bayliss bandwagon was rolling on.

“The Silverstone round was also pretty significant for me,” Edwards recalls. “I know it brought about all kinds of issues regarding Ducatis failing to cut out when they crashed but there was more to that round for me.

“I’d had a first and a second place that day, Troy had a fifth and a first. That evening I was still 29 points behind him when I felt I should have been closer. But Troy had nine wins from 12 races by that point, I¹d had two wins and was little more than 25 points – or one race win – behind him.

“If I’d taken nine wins from 12 races and the next guy was little more than a race win behind me I’d be worried. I suppose that was the time in the year where I had to be mentally strong.

“I realised all I could do was keep piling the pressure on Troy and Ducati by just being there week in, week out. We¹d started making some enquiries to HRC by then about the new motor and knew exactly what the plan was with those guys.”

Two runner-up places for Edwards in the Misano round in June were welcome, especially after an uncharacteristic third and 11th place return from the Adriatic coastal venue the previous year.

“Even after the Misano event we weren’t back on the top step of the podium but we were still there, in touch with Troy. We had belief that our day may well come ­ not letting his lead drift over 50 points became psychological.”

That day came for Edwards in the 12th and penultimate round at the famous Dutch circuit of Assen. Edwards typified his resilience by powering out of a gravel trap on his Superpole lap to secure pole position.

Two wins, coupled with a second race crash for Bayliss, threw the championship wide open once more–the reward for Edwards’ efforts.

“When that happened at Assen I simply couldn’t believe it,” Edwards says. “I got the signal saying Troy was out of the race but didn’t know why. Those last few laps of racing at Assen used up about a year’s worth of concentration.”

The new World Superbike champion has clinched one of, if not the most dramatic title tussles of recent years. After Bayliss took six wins from the first six races all considered the championship over ­ all except the Texas Tornado.

“I do the easy part, I’m doing circles for a living,” states Edwards. “It’s the team I’ve got to thank. I’m working with probably the best guys in the business and they¹ve all been awesome, all year.”

Colin Edwards – 2002 – the year that was:

Eleven race wins

Five pole positions

Twelve front row starts

Recorded the Castrol Honda team¹s 50th race win ­ race one at Oschersleben

Recorded the most number of podium finishes in a season ­ at 25 (Previous best,­ Doug Polen, 21 in 1991)

Recorded the most race wins for Castrol Honda in a year at 11 (Previous best ­ John Kocinski, nine in 1997)

Recorded the most successive race wins in a season at 9 (Previous best ­ Troy Bayliss, six in 2002)

Recorded the most successive podium finishes at 25 (Previous best ­ Carl Fogarty, 12 in 1995 and 1999)

Set a new record of double wins for a Castrol Honda rider at 8 (Previous best ­ Aaron Slight / John Kocinski, two each)

Set a new record of all-time wins for a Castrol Honda rider at 31 (Previous best ­ Aaron Slight, 11)

Recorded the 20th double win for Honda ­at Assen, Holland

Recorded the 100th win by USA riders in World Superbike ­race two at Oschersleben

Set a new record of pole positions for a Castrol Honda rider at­ 13 (Previous best, Aaron Slight, six)

Colin Edwards
Castrol Honda
World Superbike record
1998, 5th, 279.5 points
1999, 2nd, 361
2000, 1st, 400
2001, 2nd, 333
2002, 1st, 552

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Round 13 – Imola (Italy)
27-29 September 2002

BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) RACES TO TWO SECOND PLACES BUT WSBK TITLE GOES TO EDWARDS (HONDA) – DUCATI CLINCH ELEVENTH CONSTRUCTORS’S CROWN

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) handed over his World Superbike Championship crown to Colin Edwards (Honda) but not without a fight today, after two extraordinary races at the Enzo & Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola. In front of 97,000 spectators, the largest crowd ever for a motorcycle race in Italy, the Australian gave 110% in an attempt to overturn the one-point deficit to his Honda rival, but just missed out on both occasions. The podium was identical in both races, with Edwards winning by a whisker from Troy, but Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) did his best to give team support by finishing third. With Troy’s two second places, Ducati took the Constructors’ title for the eleventh time in World Superbike’s 15-year history. Out of the 2002 championship’s 26 races, Troy’s final victory total was 14, with Edwards taking 11 wins and Tamada 1 in Japan.

Troy and Colin put on an awesome display of riding in both races, with heart-stopping passes around the fast Imola circuit and the results could have gone either way. He was closing rapidly on Colin when red flags brought race 1 to a halt after Hodgson crashed on lap 11. Troy won the restart by two-tenths of a second from Colin, who picked up the aggregate victory by half-a-second, while race 2 saw Troy set the outright Imola lap record of 1’48.389 during his battle with Colin. “I really wanted to win the championship today” declared Troy. “I did everything right, and tried to slow Colin down in that second race but he also wanted to win and he knew what to do. I pulled a rabbit out of the hat in this morning’s warm-up and got on the pace. The race was a real showdown, I did pretty good but it just wasn’t enough. Whoever won today deserved it so congratulations to Colin!”

Troy, who will be leaving to race the brand-new factory Ducati Desmosedici in next year’s MotoGP championship, added that he had had three successful and enjoyable years with Ducati in World Superbike. “Everyone seems to know what I’m doing next year, but all I want to say is that I’ve been in World Superbike for three years now, I’ve had a really good time and the atmosphere is very friendly. I’m sorry to be leaving it, and I will certainly miss it”.

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) had two of his best races this year to finish sixth overall in the championship. “We worked really well all weekend, it was just the starts were not so good for me today” commented Ruben. “We changed the clutch for the second race to try to get a bit more feeling and it was really good. I was so close to Colin and started to do 1’48s again but with a couple of laps to go I had a few problems and couldn’t do any more to help Troy win the title. I tried my best, and I have to say that I’ve been learning a lot this year and it’s been a real privilege to race against these two kings of Superbike.”

Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M), who will be returning to the USA to race in AMA Superbike next year, concluded today’s final two races in tenth and ninth place, which earned him fifth overall in the championship. “It’s been a long year and the results haven’t been what I expected. I’ll miss all the people in World Superbike. A big thanks to all the guys at Ducati and L&M for the opportunity they gave me. I was planning to go out with the best result I could but just couldn’t get the opportunity because things didn’t go well at all for me today.”