World SuperBike 2002 - Round 4 - Sugo

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada-Michelin) is making history. After six races, the 2001 Superbike world champion is still unbeaten! An incredible winning streak that has put him straight in the record books. Since the World Superbike Championship was created in 1988, no-one has ever won the first six races of a season. Bayliss is still one race short of the outright record set by Doug Polen in 1991. The American won seven races in a row that year, but not at the start of the season. "It's unbelievable," smiles the Australian. "I never thought it would be possible." Bayliss obviously comes to Japan as the undisputed championship leader. "I don't have anything against Sugo but the place has just never really been good to me," he adds. "I can't wait for Monza! I'd much rather have a week-end off than go to Sugo but I am determined to score as many points as possible there."

Bayliss leads the championship with 150 points a 45 point lead on second-place man Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda-Michelin). "The SP-2 is a very good bike," says the American, "and Michelin is supplying us with great tyres. If someone had told me that I would be so far back in the points after getting 5 podium finishes in 6 races, I would never have believed it. Troy (Bayliss) is doing something that's never been done before. But we've still got a lot of races left this year and I know I can still win the championship. We'll see how we go at Sugo."

After 4 podiums in 6 races, Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada-Michelin) is an excellent third in the provisional standings. So far, Michelin riders have won all six races and taken 15 out of a possible 18 podium places. In the past, Michelin's results have been good at Sugo, but last year the races were disappointing. However with such a strong showing so far this year, the outlook for Sugo 2002 is very promising. Last year, Michelin riders set their fastest lap times during practice: Edwards 1m29.803, Bayliss 1m30.658, Xaus 1m31.064. Their race times were slightly slower: Edwards 1m30.351, Bayliss 1m30.878, Xaus 1m31.994. Tests run since then have yielded encouraging results so Bayliss and Edwards will be concentrating on leaving Sugo with their one-two championship positions intact. They will then be in the perfect position to continue pressing home their advantage for the following round at Monza.

"Our main challenge at Sugo is grip," explains Nicolas Goubert, chief of Michelin's motorcycling competition department. "The track has about the same number of left-handers and right-hand corners. Traction is very important at Sugo. Both grip and traction are very important on the exit to the chicane just before the start/finish straight. If traction isn't good enough there, the rider will lose ground. He won't be able to overtake and that will end up costing him places. The track surface is different compared to other circuits we go to and that makes it difficult for us to find grip. To be fast at Sugo, riders have to be confident with the front, especially in the first part of the circuit. When it's cold, the first left-hander always creates problems. So we need tyres that warm up fast, that give good grip and that last long."

Troy Bayliss: "Sugo, what a nightmare! I just don't like going to Japan. I love the circuit at Sugo but for some reason I never had any luck there as yet. So we are hoping to change that. I went there last year feeling good and having to do a good result, but really it didn't go so well for me. So I go again this year, hoping for a good result and hopefully I can get one."

Colin Edwards : "Sometimes I have a good day here whenever we come and test. But it just never seems to work out for the race. Last year we went testing after the WSBK race and we lapped faster than Tamada did when he won the race. I'm excited to come here and prove that Honda and Michelin can do well."

Ruben Xaus : "This is a difficult circuit because it's very technical. The Japanese riders know it really well. We tested there last year after Imola and both the bike and the tyres worked well. I hope to get a good result. That may change my opinion of the track! The chicane is something else very interesting!"

Opened in 1975, Sugo is 300km North of Tokyo, between Shibata and Murata. Built by Yamaha as a test track, it has a wide variety of corners, from chicanes to fast corners (250m maximum radius). It is 3.737m long and the uphill run up to the start/finish line gives engines a real workout. There is a 70m difference between the highest point on the track and the lowest. The start/finish straight is 704.5m long.

"Our biggest challenge is to beat the many Japanese riders using local tyres," adds Nicolas Goubert. "They know the circuit like the back of their hands. The Japanese championship takes them racing there at least twice a year."

"The difficult thing for us is that we are unable to test there as much and as often as we'd like," says Jean Hérissé, Michelin's Superbike manager.

Michelin brings a total of 600 tyres (400 rears and 200 fronts), wet and dry, for this race. Sizes are 19/67-420 (16,5 inch) for rear slicks, rain tyres and intermediates. Front tyre sizes are 12/60-420 (16.5 inch) tyres.

Michelin"s on-site personnel includes one team manager, two technicians, four tyre fitters and one press officer.