These damn ex-superbike riders...

Chili, Roche, Lucchinelli, Magee (as a wildcard), Kocinski, Laconi & McCoy
have won Supers races after winning 500 GPs but there have been a few
notable failures too (like Okada!).
(Actually; Roche may have never won a 500 race but I'm too lazy to check)
Clem

 

Could have been, both were very talented and seemed to be around for
ever...

 

Simon Crafar and Andrew Stroud had identical bikes - Yamaha 0W01.
Sponsored by Super Angel - an Asian company who had a team (Crafar &
Stroud) racing in the late 80s Asian Superbike series. I think they
won a title one year.

Hah, found it - 1991 Simon Crafar
1st Malaysian Superbike Championship (Yamaha)

and 1992 Chris Haldane
2nd Malaysian Superbike Championship (Yamaha)

Haldane was probably on one of those bikes in 1992 & 1993....although
there could have been several of them.

1993 Chris Haldane
3rd Malaysian Superbike Championship (Yamaha)

Crafar buggered off to the UK in 1992 to race in the BSB series where
he sort of made a name for himself.

Stroud & Crafar kept their bikes and took them back to NZ. I believe
Crafar still has his (possibly stored at one of his Gold Coast
properties) and the other was in pieces in Christchurch last time I
saw it, although it could have been resurrected by a club racer by
now.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

Stroud is still racing and winning NZ titles.

Crafar is working for Ohlins in MotoGP helping all and sundry with
their suspension. He was a very methodical person the way he
approached his racing so would probably be ideal for suspension work.

Was smart with the money he earned racing and owns rental properties
in NZ and up on the Gold Coast and still lives in Andorra where he
bases himself during the European part of the season. Still has a road
bike from what I hear.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

Nev,

If memory serves me correctly when he decided to lunch the motor he was
riding a suzuki 250 and was sacked immediately. This did occur after at
least 1 stint in the 500's and when trying to resurrect his career via the
250 class. It didn't work well.


Gaz

 

Vermuelen will not disappoint. Only riders of exceptional talent can do what
he has done in the Ducati Cup races this year


Garry

 

~
Absolutely!! He rode a borrowed bike of Kevin Magee's to a rostrum finish
in his first 500 GP. (Although Subsequently that leg of the race was
declared void).
~

~
He's from Little Rock Arkansas (UFO-abduction capital of the world) and he
won on the Cagiva that Mat Mladin should've had (until Cagiva royally
shafted him!)
~

~
Actually he GOT the ride on the Cagiva 500 after that!!
That was the Suzuki RGV250 GP bike that he was sacked for killing.
Clem

 

Such wisdom in one so young....
Clem

 

I'm trying to think where that footage came from and I think it was
Swann-Series at Oran Park.
Thanks for the "Super Angel": I knew it was a Jap sponsorship but all I
could think of was Tiger Angel and that just didn't seem to be right!!

Or was the footage from the first Aussie round of the World Supers in 1998
(also at Oran)? (That seems a bit early for an OW01 though)

 

Cagiva shafted him, after Barry Sheene mentioned every thirty seconds that
"it's such a joke that Mladin got vis ride, there's plenty of uvvers wot
could go much faster van im"

 

How many current GP riders have come through SBK anyway? A good percentage
seem to have come through the European championships and many front line
riders have been there for a long time now. Some too long perhaps not
mentioning any names *cough* Lil' Kenny.
--
Deevo

Geraldton
WA, The Nanny State (® Corks)
http://members.westnet.com.au/mckenzie

 

Yep; this is correct.
He did 250s on a YZR (Actually a TZ rebadged for that year and run as a
works bike) then 500s on a YZR winning at least 2 races then 250s with
Suzuki (after a retirement) 500s in a Cagiva, American Supers on a Ducati,
Word Supers on a Ducati, WSB on Honda and than back to 500s on a Honda.
He won the 250s on the Yam in 1990 and the Supers on the RC45 about 1997.
Clem

 

Yeah, but keep his achievement in perspective. Garry McCoy won more races
than both Max and Valentino that year.

Nev..
'03 ZX12R

 

Yeah Barry definitely had it in for Mladin early in his career.
I remember him reporting Mladin's first World Supers race as a wild-card at
Sugo. Mladin crashed while duking it out for the lead and Barry reported
that he was a legend in his own lunchbox and he'd been well-and-truly
shafted up the anal cavity! (Or did he finish 4th...?)
Sheesh; what more do you want from a wild-card rider?!!?

In retrospect; it WAS a shame that Mladin got the Cagiva ride. If only
he'd had a chance to serve a proper apprenticeship in a well-managed team
(like wot Mick did.....).
Clem

 

Perhaps he didn't worship sufficiently at the foot of the Bazza?

I reckon Mladin's achievements in the US rank with Doohans in GPs. Let's
face it, they'd be looking every year for a local to replace him, but he's
held them all off for the best part of a decade, and wiped their noses in
it, on a Suzuki which has done ****-all anywhere else.

 

Now that I think more about it it was actually Australia (Phillip Island)
where Mladin crashed fighting for the lead (at MG corner).
I don't recall what his results were at Sugo in 1992 but he must've scored
points somewhere because he's credited with 27th place in the championship.
Clem

 

Knobdoodle said....

How many, though, have won the championship, or who've consistantly been
at the top? I think that was the point Foggy was making - that, a GP
rider doesn't necessarily a WSB champion make...

 

Ah Foggy, the man that claimed he could have beaten Doohan in the GPs after
both had retired. There's credability for you.
--
Deevo

Geraldton
WA, The Nanny State (® Corks)
http://members.westnet.com.au/mckenzie

 

If its the one I think its Eastern Creek.

 

Knobdoodle said....

So, that's what happened to Bill Clinton....