World Superbike & Supersport Results From Brands Hatch

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 10/WORLD SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDNINE; SUNDAY JULY 28 2002- BRANDS HATCH, ENGLAND

Weather: Hot, sunny
Temperature: 24 degrees
Attendance: 126,000

EDWARDS DOUBLE VICTORY SETS UP CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE

Colin Edwards was in rampant mood as he scored a double win in the 10thround of the World Superbike championship at Brands Hatch, GB on Sunday.

The Castrol SP-2 Honda rider was determined to make the most of two days ofsolid, problem-free practice and his confidence was evident as he took thelead on the third lap of the opening race from Neil Hodgson, at theleft-hand Stirlings corner.

Once ahead, Edwards built up a one-second lead which he maintained to theend of the 25 laps for his fourth win of the year. Edwards said:

"I knew that win was possible but then I made a mess of the start. I dug deep andmanaged to get ahead pretty early in the race. Once in front I just watchedthe pit board and tried to keep the gap at about one second. It was a tough race in the hot conditions and for 25laps all I could hear was 100,000 screaming fans. We've hardly changed athing on the SP-2 since we got here on Thursday and Michelin have done agreat job again with the tyres."

Hodgson held off the challenge of Troy Bayliss to take secondplace welcomed by a huge cheer from a section of the 126,000 partisancrowd as the British rider took the chequered flag.

Bayliss, battered and bruised following a practice crash after a collisionwith team-mate Ruben Xaus, completed the podium while Noriyuki Haga heldoff Xaus and survived a final corner scare to secure fourth place.

Xaus, eager to pass Haga on the run to the finish line, ran into theAprilia rider on the exit of the fast, sweeping final corner. Xaus heldonto his machine and finished fifth having started from 14th place on thegrid.

Edwards started race two as favourite after his opening race display andthe buoyant Texan didn't disappoint as grabbed his second win of the day.Again he took the lead from Hodgson and again at the tight left-handStirlings, this time on the fourth lap.

He quickly opened up a gap of four seconds and his fifth win of the yearand the fifth double victory of his career never looked in doubt. TheCastrol Honda ace eventually cruised across the line 2.3 seconds ahead oftitle rival Bayliss.

"It feels great to win the double again here," said Edwards after repeatinghis 1999 double. "I really felt like the double was on today and I'm sopleased to achieve it. I realised that Troy (Bayliss) may be strugglingafter his crash yesterday but if I started thinking too much about him I'dstart forgetting how good Hodgson is around here. The team's worked hardfor this and, after the Suzuka 8 hours race next week, I'm sure HRC willcome up with something extra for the final three rounds."

Second place for Bayliss meant Edwards moved 14 points closer to thechampionship leader with a gap of 39 points now separating the two withthree rounds remaining.

Bayliss held off Hodgson in the battle for second place while last year'sBrands Hatch double race winner Ben Bostrom improved from a first raceseventh place to take fourth. Haga again won a thrilling battle with Xaus,this time for fifth place.

Second place in the World Supersport race was enough for CBR600 Honda pilotFabien Foret to extend his lead in the championship after anincident-packed race at Brands Hatch.

Japanese Suzuki rider Katsuaki Fujiwara won his second race of the year andhas become Foret's nearest challenger. The original, 23-lap race wasstopped when leader Stephane Chambon crashed at the right-hand Paddock Hillbend on the seventh lap, escaping injury. In the first re-start Britishhero James Whitham crashed in spectacular fashion at the end of the firstlap, sustaining a broken elbow.

Then, on the third start, Foret crashed while leading, escaping injury andreturning to the pit garage to prepare for the fourth start. Fujiwara tookthe lead in the race when Paolo Casoli and Foret clashed fairings with twolaps to go, relegating the pair to fourth and fifth places respectively.

That was enough for Foret to lose out to Fujiwara on aggregate time, by0.2s. Casoli took third place with Foret's team-mate Iain MacPherson ridingto a strong finish in fourth.

Foret said: "That was about the craziest race I've ever been in. I made amistake and crashed but luckily I was able to re-start and after all thedrama I'll take second place and keep the lead of the championship."

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