- News>
- Motorsports
Hodgson hogs the limelight with World Superbike championship victory
Assen, Sept 08: Neil Hodgson wins World Superbike championship.
Assen, Sept 08: Neil Hodgson wins World Superbike championship.
Briton Neil Hodgson won the superbike world championship with five races to spare after finishing second in the opening race at Assen on Sunday (September 6).
The 29-year-old Ducati rider needed a fifth-place finish or better to become the second Briton to win the title after four-times champion Carl Fogarty, and looked determined to do it in style when he took an early lead at the Dutch circuit.
He was passed early on by Spaniards Gregorio Lavilla and Ruben Xaus, the latter Hodgson's team mate and the only rider who could have deprived him of the crown.
By the halfway stage of the 16-lap race, Hodgson was back in front but, after a ding-dong battle with Xaus, settled for second place behind the Spaniard and 20 points.
The Lancastrian, who won the first nine races of the season and 11 in total, has 406 points to Xaus's 271 with only 125 up for grabs in the second race at Assen on Sunday and the last two rounds in Italy and France.
Looking exhausted after the race, Hodgson could barely lift the hefty championship trophy.
He said: "I'm made up. It was a real tough race and I was so tense. I was relaxed all weekend but it was like every bit of tension was in that race. I rode like a novice, every muscle was pumped up, I just could not relax, there was too much on my mind, I just wanted to be world champion so badly. It's taken a long time to get here, but I'm here finally and I just feel fantastic."
To complete his winning day, Hodgson won the second race after another takeing the lead at the first bend and staging another fierce wheel to wheel battle with Xaus. The Spanish rider managed to get past only once, only to see Hodgson streaking ahead again just seconds later.
Lavilla, who kept pace with the leading pair through most of the 16 laps, decided to opt for caution and slackened off to finish a comfortable third ahead of Regis laconi of France.
Hodgson, who became a father for the first time earlier this week, is expected to follow his two immediate predecessors as superbike champion -- American Colin Edwards and Australian Troy Bayliss -- into the rival MotoGP championship next season.
Bureau Report
The Lancastrian, who won the first nine races of the season and 11 in total, has 406 points to Xaus's 271 with only 125 up for grabs in the second race at Assen on Sunday and the last two rounds in Italy and France.
Looking exhausted after the race, Hodgson could barely lift the hefty championship trophy.
He said: "I'm made up. It was a real tough race and I was so tense. I was relaxed all weekend but it was like every bit of tension was in that race. I rode like a novice, every muscle was pumped up, I just could not relax, there was too much on my mind, I just wanted to be world champion so badly. It's taken a long time to get here, but I'm here finally and I just feel fantastic."
To complete his winning day, Hodgson won the second race after another takeing the lead at the first bend and staging another fierce wheel to wheel battle with Xaus. The Spanish rider managed to get past only once, only to see Hodgson streaking ahead again just seconds later.
Lavilla, who kept pace with the leading pair through most of the 16 laps, decided to opt for caution and slackened off to finish a comfortable third ahead of Regis laconi of France.
Hodgson, who became a father for the first time earlier this week, is expected to follow his two immediate predecessors as superbike champion -- American Colin Edwards and Australian Troy Bayliss -- into the rival MotoGP championship next season.
Bureau Report