King Carl

King Carl

RACE WATCH

Foggy gets clear

ALASTAIR WALKER

IF YOU'RE NOT A CARL FOGARTY FAN—OF WHICH there may be few in the U.S.-you might argue there was a helluva lot of luck involved in his recapturing the World Superbike Championship. Fogarty’s Ducati teammate, Troy Corser, who was leading the 1998 title chase going into the final round at Sugo, Japan, took himself out on the warm-up lap. Honda-mounted Aaron Slight, second in points, also faltered at Sugo, with uncharacteristic seventhand sixth-place finishes.

You could also argue that champions make their own luck. And Fogarty had raced all season to put himself in the position to do the unprecedented: win a third WSB title. In Japan, he needed to show the grit that had earned him two previous championships. The 32-year-old, Lan;

cashire-bom Englishman did just that. But postrace, it was a different Carl Fogarty, on tF“" ;; podium, one with celebratory tears in his tes

“I always felt deep down that it was possible to win the championship,” he said. “I mean, you never give up. You can’t. But the mid-season races were disappointing, no doubt about it. Things like bike setup, poor qualifying times, breaking down at Laguna Seca... All those things get to you eventually.” Fogarty is like many racers, in that he lets his track performance do most of the talking. He’s shy by nature and armors himself at public appearances with that infamous granite-faced expression. The steely gaze definitely fazes some people, but that’s the Brit’s great defense mechanism.

Those who mistake that iron facade for arrogance are missing the point about serious roadracers, especially champions. “When I’m at the track, I can’t wait to get on the bike and race,” Fogarty said. “I haven’t got any particular ritual, or psychological preparation. In fact, I’m quite often looking around the motorhome for one of my boots 20 minutes before I’m due on the start line. I know some riders like playing mind games or whatever, but I’m not one of them. Although having said that, I do focus very hard on the job once I’m trackside.”

Fogarty stormed to consecutive titles with Ducati in ’94 and ’95. Then, he returned to Honda. He lost the number-one plate to Corser and finished fourth behind teammate Slight > and Ducati-riding American John Kocinski. In ’97, Fogarty finished second to Kocinski after the two swapped seats. This season, Fogarty seemed to be running deep into those famous reserves of self-motivation, which once prompted another threetime world champ, Kenny Roberts, to call Fogarty “perhaps the mentally strongest racer on track today.”

In fact, 1998 provided perhaps the fiercest competition in WSB since the series’ inception 10 years ago. Honda fielded a strong squad based around Slight, with American Colin Edwards definitely not content as the numbertwo rider. Corser returned to the series after a fruitless 500cc Grand Prix campaign. Then, there was the evercompetitive Italian Pier-Francesco Chili. Japan’s Akira Yanagawa and the larger-than-life Noriyuki Haga were determined to make their respective marks, too. On top of that, Suzuki’s WSB effort finally came together, with Aussie Peter Goddard and Brit James Whitham pushing for the podium at every opportunity.

Were there any moments when Fogarty saw the title slipping inexorably away from him? “Even at the worst point in the season, I don’t think I was more than 30 points adrift of the lead, which is basically the difference between one good meeting and a bad one,” he said. “After Laguna, I just sat down and told myself, ‘From now on, don’t finish out of the top four. You have to be consistent because there’s only one way to win a title-get on the podium every time if you can.’

“It was much harder this time,” Fogarty added. “But I long to win, I really do. And in a way, losing the title in ’96 and ’97 made it special again. It will never be as special as the first time, because that was all I thought about in ’94. Throughout the whole season, winning was everything. Now, it’s surprised me how much interest there’s been in me doing it all over again. But I value the title and the number-one plate so much more now that I’ve had to come back and win it the hard way.

“I can’t wait for next season to get started and wheel that Ducati out onto the grid, thinking, ‘Right guys, take this number one from me-if you can.’ Looking ahead, I think I can win it again, perhaps easier than ever before.

The whole Ducati setup is so much more organized now than in the past, it will make us stronger in ’99.”

Talk of next year brought the names of a few rivals to mind. For example, who does Fogarty see as his main threat to title number four? “It’s wideopen,” he replied. “There are plenty of guys out there capable of beating me. But I’m not gonna let ’em, of course. Slight is consistent, fast and he’s been on the Honda for a while now. It helps sticking with one team, developing a bike that suits your riding style.”

Fogarty is well aware of the value in sticking with the same team. “It’s so rare to have a team dedicated 100 percent to making everything right for you,” he said. “Slight has that with Honda, which is what makes him the man to watch in ’99. But I have the same strength with Ducati. In another way, you only have to look at guys like Haga to see there’s always three or four top guys out there.” Does Fogarty see the new generation of Japanese roadracers like Haga, Yanagawa, Tadayuki Okada and Nobuatsu Aoki dominating WSB and GP racing in the same way that the Americans did during the Eighties and early Nineties? “I don’t think that it’s ever been anything to do with where you come from, I really don’t,” he respond-

ed. “I know some people used to say you needed to master rear-wheel steering or ride like Eddie Lawson or whatever. But it’s all crap. Some people hang the back end out all over the place, get wild like Haga, who’s very similar to Kevin Schwantz 10 years ago. But others ride very smooth. It comes down to doing it your way, and if that gets you the win, great. It was obviously the right way.”

Fogarty’s almost natural association with Ducati, now backed by considerable financial muscle from the Texas Pacific Group, hasn’t stopped other teams from approaching Fogarty. The latest offer came from Alstare Suzuki, a rumored $2 million bid. “It was a large offer, very respectable,” admitted Fogarty. “But I feel settled with Ducati, and I can see myself sticking with them until I retire-although I don’t know when that moment will come. In a way, I don’t want to think about it, because while I’m still riding well I need to set my sights on another title-nothing else.”

Fogarty may one day be associated with Ducati as Giacomo Agostini is with MV Agusta. Will we see Fogarty selling replica Ducati 996s in his own franchise? “Maybe, although I can’t see myself standing behind a counter flogging sprockets. I could perhaps be a sort of roving ambassador for Ducati, couldn’t I? That would be okay.”

Carl Fogarty, an ambassador? Anything is possible. His shift in attitude is apparent to even jaded detractors. But that’s just one possibility, several years down the line. Right now, he’s a three-time world champion, the guy all the others have to beat.