World Superbike

Silverstone: Benelli Sport race report

Benelli rack up more championship points. Benelli Sport continued to make progress in the World Superbike championship despite appalling conditions at Silverstone this weekend. Peter Goddard rode the Benelli Tornado to thirteenth in the first ...

Published: May 29, 2002, 4:08 PM

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Benelli rack up more championship points.

Benelli Sport continued to make progress in the World Superbike championship despite appalling conditions at Silverstone this weekend.

Peter Goddard rode the Benelli Tornado to thirteenth in the first race in conditions that many riders agreed were dangerous. "It was a really tough race," said Goddard, "it rained so hard the engine was sucking water into the airbox. That cut the power down on the bike and made it even harder for me. In the circumstances thirteenth was a good result."

In race two the track was still wet at the start of the race, and the skies looked foreboding and dark. Based on the performance of the weather for most of the weekend, which was basically rain, rain and more rain, the team decided to go for a 'very wet' set up. It turned out to be a mistake. "It stopped raining and the track dried out, not completely but enough to mean my tyres weren't working properly," said Goddard, who finished race two in fifteenth place. The two results added another four championship points to the team's tally.

During the weekend, the FIM announced new rules to commence from the start of the 2003 season. These allow 1000cc four-cylinder bikes into the championship but with restrictors placed in their inlet tracts. Initially it was thought that this may mean a change in the rules for three-cylinder machines, but this seems not to be the case as no concessions have been made for triples. "I am a little disappointed," said Benelli Sport owner Andrea Merloni, "I was hoping that they might give us a little something to even things up some more."

The team now head home for more work on the Benelli Tornado, before returning to the competition in Lausitzring on 9 June.

-bs-

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