A newer and an old face in the 1998 Superbike World Championship – Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) ahead of Aaron Slight (Castrol Honda). The Japanese would soon become one of the most famous and beloved characters in WorldSBK history.

The first half of the 1998 season – the 11th year of WorldSBK

In the previous year, John Kocinski had shown the Dominator of 1994 and 1995 the championship on the Castrol Honda. Carl Fogarty had returned to Ducati, but failed in the 1996 title fight against the American. The latter did not appear at all a year later because he had switched back to the 500 cm³ World Championship. However, he was unable to build on his earlier successes and after a second season he retired to the USA. With Troy Corser, however, the 1996 world champion made his comeback ruefully after having tried his hand at promoter Red Bull WCM Yamaha with little luck. There was a lot of excitement and Ducati had followed up with the model 996, with which Foggy competed in the Ducati factory team in the 1998 season. On the other hand, the Australian rode alongside Pierfrancesco Chili on the previous year’s model 916 R for the Ducati Racing ADVF Team. As the successor to Kocinski, Colin Edwards was signed by Castrol Honda, a combination that would be very successful together for many years to come.

Simon Crafar (Kawasaki) in front of John Kocinski (Honda) and Carl Fogarty 1997 in Sentul (Indonesia) – The New Zealander, who is in the lead here, also competed in the 500 cc World Championship like Kocinski the following year.

The calendar for 1998 – again with 12 rounds

For the fourth time in a row, the calendar again contained twelve rounds and this time, as a special feature, Kyalami had been added to Indonesia instead of Sentul. For this, the season finale took place for the first time in Sugo, Japan. In Germany, instead of the Hockenheimring, this time the Nürburgring, which was rebuilt in 1984, took place. That leaves only Donington Park and Sugo as the last two tracks left unchanged in the calendar since the premiere in 1988.

Season opener in Phillip Island

On the entry list, with John Kocinski was missing for the second time in a row the number 1 and thus the defending champion. The American was renouncing the title defense. He, too, had switched back to the 500 cc prototype world championship. Exactly like Troy Corser as WSBK world champion of 1996 one year before. But the American failed and left 2 years later. This time, however, the Australian was back again and had the number 11. A total of 36 drivers had registered for the season opener.

As in the previous year, it was the first event of the season down under. Aaron Slight had switched to the number 111 this time, but in the opening race it did not bring him any luck. In turn 2, Noriyuki Haga passed Jean-Marc Delétang (Yamaha) to be lapped on the inside on the last lap and the New Zealander tried it on the outside at the same time. The Frenchman was visibly overwhelmed and pushed the Honda driver into the grass, where he fell and was later able to continue driving. The victory went to Carl Fogarty in front of his Ducati brand colleague Troy Corser and Yamaha Ass Haga. Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati) took fourth place ahead of Akira Yanagawa (Kawasaki), the Australian Mark Willis (Suzuki) and Colin Edwards (Yamaha). Neil Hodgson (Kawasaki), Slight, who had fallen before, and Scott Russell (Yamaha) followed on P8.

Peter Goddard – the Australian before his home race. Together with the Englishman Jamie Whitham he formed the Suzuki works team for the 1998 season. In the first race he crashed on the ninth to last lap, but in the second race it should go much better for him (© Peter Goddard).
Carl Fogarty (Ducati) – the already two-time world champion from 1994 and 1995 had a perfect start to the new season when he won the first race of the season in front of local hero Troy Corser in his home country. It was victory number 46 and the second of his career at Phillip Island for the fast Englishman in the second year after his return to Ducati.

The second race from Phillip Island
The winner in the second run could not be seen with the naked eye when, as is so often the case on the island south of Victoria’s capital Melbourne, a photo finish took place. Right from the start, Noriyuki Haga took the lead on his Yamaha in front of the two Ducatis from Pierfrancesco Chili and Foggy. In the fourth lap, the Italian was in front of the Englishman and the Japanese only on P3, while Aaron Slight flew up from behind and caught up with the leading group. A little later, Chili drove straight ahead in the curve and gave up in the 10th handling of tire problems. After the remaining three drivers took turns at the front several times, Fogarty fell back slightly towards the end. Haga won 0.071 seconds ahead of Slight and Peter Goddard on the best Suzuki made it to fourth place just seconds behind the Ducati factory driver. Yanagawa, Corser, Edwards, Russell, Willis and Steve Martin on Ducati followed.

Carl Fogarty (Ducati) – the overall winner of the first round at Phillip Island traveled back to Europe as World Championship leader for his home race in Donington Park.

World Cup round 2 at Donington Park – where it all began

For the host, Carl Fogarty, his home race in England was anything but a triumph. Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga initially fought for the lead, followed by Pierfrancesco Chili and Aaron Slight. Foggy, on the other hand, was only on P10 behind Scott Russell and ahead of Troy Bayliss. The latter fell out on lap 3 with his Ducati. In the 10th lap the world championship leader was a little more than 6 seconds behind P6. With three laps to go, Haga was clearly ahead of Corser, Chili and Slight. In the end, the Japanese won his 2nd race in this still short year. Troy Corser crossed the finish line four seconds behind him and Chili saved the last place on the podium just before Slight. Akira Yanagawa on the best Kawasaki followed in front of Colin Edwards (Honda) and a disappointed Carl Fogarty, 21.616 seconds behind the winner. Jamie Whitham finished eighth ahead of his Suzuki team-mate Peter Goddard and Steve Hislop (Yamaha).

Noriyuki “Nitro Nori” Haga (Yamaha YZF750SP) – In his first full WorldSBK season, the belligerent Japanese was able to inspire the fans immediately and after a short time developed into an absolute crowd-pleaser.

The second run of Donington Park
After the start, Corser led in front of Haga and “Franky” Chili, behind Gregorio Lavilla and Foggy, at least in the top ten, turned onto the start-finish straight. A little later, Haga led Corser and a group of four with Slight, Chili, Edwards and Fogarty. As a result of an engine breakdown on Chris Walker’s Kawasaki, it was canceled with a red flag and a restart. Again Corser and Haga scrambled for the lead, followed by Foggy and Slight. In the end, the local hero crossed the finish line first on his Ducati, followed by Haga and Corser. However, adding up the times resulted in a victory for the Japanese on his Yamaha ahead of the two Ducati riders Corser and Fogarty. Slight on the best Honda took 4th place ahead of Chili, Niall Mackenzie (Yamaha) and Castrol Honda newcomer Colin Edwards. Jamie Whitham was eighth ahead of Steve Hislop (Yamaha) and Peter Goddard. Yamaha works driver and ex-world champion Scott Russell only managed to finish 11th this time ahead of Chris Walker, Piergiorgio Bontempi (both Kawasaki), James Haydon and Terry Rymer (both Suzuki).

Aaron Slight (left, Castrol Honda) and Piergiorgio Bontempi (Kawasaki Bertocchi) – Both drivers had been regular drivers since 1992 and were already driving their seventh full season.

The 3rd round of the World Championship in Monza

After the first run, no European should be on the podium. On the first lap, Carl Fogarty was leading in front of Aaron Slight, Troy Corser, Colin Edwards and Akira Yanagawa. However, the Japanese fell out on the third lap and his Kawasaki literally torched afterwards. In the meantime Edwards had taken second place behind Castrol Honda team-mate Slight. In the 8th round, Chili had fought his way to P3 and the two Honda drivers were fighting for the lead at the front. A little later, the Italian also got involved. Speeds of over 300 kph have already been stopped on the fast track in northern Italy. Neil Hodgson had also fought his way up to the 4 leaders on his Kawasaki and passed Foggy shortly afterwards.

Typical scrum in the Monza chicane with Carl Fogarty in the lead in front of Troy Corser (both Ducati), behind Colin Edwards with the number 45 in front of Chili (7) and in the middle Aaron Slight with number 111.

Chilis almost horror crash and the exciting showdown
In the Parabolica, the long target curve of Monza, the local hero had all the lucky angels on his side. With a near-highsider, Pierfrancesco Chili was barely able to prevent a horror fall when his rear wheel began to break out, dropping him back to P5. It was Colin Edwards who ended up just getting his nose ahead of his Honda teammate Aaron Slight. Troy Corser on the best Ducati followed, 5.634 seconds behind the winner, ahead of Hodgson, Chili and Foggy. Peter Goddard finished seventh on the best Suzuki ahead of team-mate Jamie Whitham, Nori Haga and Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati).

Colin Edwards (Honda) in front of Carl Fogarty (Ducati), Aaron Slight (Honda), Troy (Ducati) and Local hero Pierfrancesco Chili on Ducati. The American won his first WorldSBK career on May 10, 1998, in Monza.

The second race of Monza
Apparently the Yamahas lacked top speed, at least Noriyuki Haga, as a three-time winner in the first two laps of the season, fought with blunt weapons and had to be content with 10th place after P9 in the first run. After all, the Japanese fared even better in the second race than Aaron Slight, who had to retire with an engine failure one lap before the end. The New Zealander hadn’t gotten off to a good start with his Honda, and it took a moment to catch up with the leaders Fogarty, Corser and Edwards. In the 7th of 18 rounds, Chili had also stalked the top group. Slight was even in the lead in between and had easily pulled away from the American when his Honda went up in smoke. Edwards took the double victory with a 2.697 second lead over Fogarty, Chili and Corser. Whitham finished in 5th place ahead of Yanagawa, Hodgson, Goddard, the Austrian Andy Meklau (Ducati) and Haga, who was still world championship leader.

Colin Edwards, also called “Texas Tornado” – after 3 years for Yamaha he was the newcomer to Castrol Honda at the side of Aaron Slight. As the successor to world champion John Kocinski, with his one-two victory in the royal park of Monza, he impressively demonstrated that he was the right choice for the Honda factory team.
View into the Castrol Honda box with the bike of Aaron Slight, the unlucky person of the 2nd run in Monza. The Japanese missiles were definitely not lacking in tospeed and engine power. The Kiwi’s record lap was 1: 46.866 and an average of 194.374 kph (120.78 miles/hour).

World Championship round 4 in Albacete

The first run, which started at noon, was the first wet race of the season. Ideal conditions for the Italian Chili, known as a specialist in wet conditions, on his Ducati 916R. Initially, when it was raining heavily, local hero Lavilla led his private Ducati 916, but once again there was no herb against the “rain king” from the Adriatic. Chili won 1.316 seconds ahead of Troy Corser and with 3rd place the Spaniard Gregorio Lavilla made his first career podium in the Superbike World Championship. Aaron Slight finished fourth on the best Honda ahead of team-mate Colin Edwards and Scott Russell. Behind them Neil Hodgson (Kawasaki), Alessandro Gramigni, Carl Fogarty (both Ducati) and Noriyuki Haga.

The winner Pierfrancesco Chili on the lap of honor in front of his compatriot Alessandro Gramigni (both Ducati). The Italian’s first triumph of the season should not be his last this year.

The second run of Albacete with turbulent start scenes
On a dry track, Nori Haga and Neil Hodgson came into contact after the start, which went off lightly. But in the first corner Akira Yanagawa had a slide inside, causing him to bump into his Kawasaki teammate, whereupon Hodsgon collided with Lavilla and the two flew off together. Suzuki driver Jamie Whitham also rowed out of the gravel after he was unable to avoid them. In the lead, Fogarty and Haga dueled after 5 laps, while behind them Corser and Yanagawa followed by Slight, Russell, Bontempi and Chili tried to reconnect.

Aaron Slight (Castrol Honda) took 2nd place behind Foggy in Albacete. The Kiwi competed with the number 111. Actually, he would have driven the number 3 on his Honda for the fourth time in 1998.

Fogarty takes race win number two in Spain
While Haga had already won three times, it was only his second race win of the season for Carl Fogarty in Albacete. The Englishman crossed the finish line with a wheelie before Aaron Slight followed suit shortly afterwards. Third place went to Troy Corser and the Japanese, who was initially on P2, crossed the finish line in fourth. Before he went to Germany, Corser was the new leader in the World Cup and by then had collected 135 points. Haga had dropped to P3 behind Foggy (128) with 123 points, followed by Slight (106), Chili (103) and Edwards (98).

Here is the complete list of results from the 2nd race in Albacete:

The WorldSBK premiere on the Nürburgring with round 5

As in Albacete one lap before, the first run was a rain race and after the start Akira Yanagawa took the lead this time. Behind the Kawasaki rider was Colin Edwards on a Honda, Noriyuki Haga on a Yamaha and Troy Corser on the front Ducati, followed by Aaron Slight, the second Castrol Honda rider. After the first third of the race the same 4 drivers were still in the lead, supplemented by rain specialist “Frankie” Chili. Carl Fogarty, on the other hand, was only 14th, more than 22 seconds behind the leaders. Kawasaki ace Neil Hodgson had just fallen in the 7th round. Shortly afterwards, Haga made a trip to the gravel trap, but was able to continue his race.

Scott Russell (World Champion1993 on Kawasaki, left) and Noriyuki Haga – the Yamaha works team for the 1998 Superbike World Championship season. The fast Japanese usually outshone his experienced teammates on routes that were new to him.

The first win of the season for Aaron Slight
As a known good driver in wet conditions, it was no surprise in the end that Aaron Slight was on top of the podium. His new Castrol Honda team-mate Colin Edwards finished second, 6.608 seconds behind, ahead of Pierfrancesco Chili on the best Ducati. Behind them followed the two Japanese Yanagawa and Haga, as well as Peter Goddard (Suzuki) and Chili’s Ducati ADVF Racing team-mate Troy Corser. Eighth place went to Kawasaki privateer Piergiorgio Bontempi, ahead of Jamie Whitham (Suzuki), Alessandro Gramigni (Ducati) and Scott Russell (Yamaha). Fogarty had to make do with the ungrateful 13th place behind Lucio Pedercini (Ducati). The latter became a successful team boss in WorldSBK from 1993 as one of the many who later remained in the sport.

Aaron Slight (Castrol Honda) here with his famous red mohawk hairstyle – for the first time in the 1997 season on top of the podium. It was 1992 in Albacete when the Kiwi was victorious for the first time on a Kawasaki ZXR750 for the Moving Kawasaki team and at the Nürburgring it was his ninth triumph of his career.
Pedercini Racing Team – Presentation with group picture at the start of the 2020 season with the last minute German Sandro Cortese as driver in Phillip Island. Unfortunately, the “Italo Schwabe” was injured early in the Corona season and a replacement had to be found for him (© Pedercini Racing).

The second race on the Nürburgring
In contrast to Albacete, the second run in Germany was also rainy. After the start, Colin Edwards took the lead in a bright red top, followed by Haga, who was overtaken by Chili and Slight shortly afterwards. Together with Troy Corser, these drivers first formed a leading group before Edwards and Chili could easily break away. Shortly thereafter, the Italian was alone in the lead and Slight had passed his team-mate Edwards. But the New Zealander made a mistake afterwards, flew off and immediately got up again. With that he had fallen behind Corser, but was still on P4. With a lead of 11.117 seconds over Colin Edwards, Frankie Chili once again lived up to his reputation as the rain king. Corser finished third just behind Honda rider Edwards and Slight finished fourth, 34.889 seconds back. The following is the official result of the second race at the Nürburgring.

The starting device from the golden 90s of WorldSBK looks very improvised from today’s perspective, but it did its job to the satisfaction of all involved.
Carl Fogarty (Ducati) – twice thirteenth was not the result the Englishman had hoped for from his trip to the Eifel. It was his worst event of the season so far, which had started very promisingly in Australia with his opening win.

The 6th round on the Adriatic coast

After the disaster at the Nürburgring with the two 13th places, Carl Fogarty hoped for dry conditions. His wish came true and on the Autodromo di Santamonica, which at that time was still running in a counterclockwise direction, the first race started in glorious weather. But the Englishman didn’t get off to a good start. At the beginning of the second lap, Troy Corser led ahead of Colin Edwards and his Castrol Honda team-mate Aaron Slight had just passed Noriyuki Haga. Foggy was 8th behind Whitham, Goddard and Yanagawa at this point in time. Shortly afterwards Piergiorgio Bontempi flew off on his Kawasaki and a little later it was his compatriot Chili, who threw his Ducati into the gravel.

Aaron Slight (Castrol Honda) – the “Kiwi” from New Zealand was in top form and with only 2 exceptions he was in the top 4 every time.
Scott Russell on the works Yamaha – the US-American had retired from Germany in the second run with braking problems, which had already forced him to give up after 2 laps. In Misano he should finally be the best Yamaha rider.

The decision in the first race at Misano
In the 5th lap, Peter Goddard also flew off on his Suzuki. At the front, Slight Leader Corser, who had meanwhile passed his team-mate, put a lot of pressure under pressure. The first 4, along with Edwards and Haga, were within a second and a half. Corser was overtaken by Aaron Slight, Colin Edwards and Nori Haga one after the other and Foggy in 5th place was 6.5 seconds behind the leaders shortly after halftime. In the end, Slight took his second victory after the first race at the Nürburgring. Troy Corser had worked his way up again and crossed the finish line just 0.72 seconds behind the New Zealander. Colin Edwards came in third and Fogarty took 4th place because Haga had crashed 3 laps before the end. P5 went to Akira Yanagawa in front of Jamie Whitham, Neil Hodgson, Scott Russell, the Austrian Andreas Meklau (Ducati) and the German Suzuki driver Udo Mark. Behind only the two best Italians Alessandro Gramigni, Lucio Pedercini and Paolo Blora (all Ducati).

Aaron Slight (Castrol Honda) 1998 in Misano – by the middle of the season, he was in top form. From lap 4 in Albacete he was never worse than fourth and had just secured his second victory in the first race at Misano.

The second run on the Autodromo di Santamonica
This time Carl Fogarty was in front, after the start, followed by Ducati brand colleague Troy Corser and Suzuki rider Jamie Whitham. On the second lap, Aron Slight had overtaken his Honda team-mate Colin Edwards and shortly afterwards also passed Whitham. Corser was in the lead and Foggy was overtaken and distanced shortly after by the unleashed Slight. A little later, Chili turned into the box and Jamie Whitham ended his ambitions in the gravel. While Fogarty and Edwards couldn’t keep up with the two leaders, Akira Yanagawa had also stalked the American. At the finish, Slight was in front again and Corser had to be content with P2, a little over 2 seconds before Foggy. Behind them, Yanagawa Edwards passed the checkered flag in fourth, just ahead of Yanagawa Edwards. Scott Russell took P5 and Yamaha team-mate Haga had flown again with two laps to go. Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati), Neil Hodgson (Kawasaki), Andy Meklau and the Slovenian Igor Jerman (Kawasaki) completed the top ten.

Local hero Enzo Chiapello (Kawasaki), the Czech Jirí Mrkyvka (Honda), Bruno Scatola (Italy, Yamaha), the Greek Stavros Stavroulakis (Ducati) and the Slovak Vladimir Karban in a Suzuki went without points.
Aaron Slight in the Castrol Honda box – the Kiwi had already won three times this season with his one-two at Misano, like Nori Haga before that. It was the victories number 10 and 11 of his career and behind returnees and Ducati rider Troy Corser he was currently second in the interim ranking of the world championship.

The intermediate result of the World Championship at halftime in 1998

At the top was Troy Corser with 200 points ahead of Aaron Slight (194), Colin Edwards (167), Carl Fogarty (164), Pierfrancesco Chili (144) and Noriyuki Haga (143). Akira Yanagawa, who only totaled 101 points, was clearly lagging behind, before heading to South Africa two weeks later and only a week later to the USA in Laguna Seca in California.

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) – after three victories right at the start of the season, the performance curve of the fast Japanese went down to the low point in Misano with two falls. Together with Aaron Slight he was the only one with 3 wins by half-time.

The second half of the year: coming soon..

Unless otherwise mentioned, applies to all images (© WorldSBK).