Former four-times world champion Carl Fogarty, the most successful rider in WSBK history, has told the 2007 field to expect a challenging treat when the series returns to Donington Park this weekend.
World Superbike last raced at
Donington, Foggy's favourite circuit, in 2001 - while 'King Carl' won his last-ever UK race at the same track back in 1999, before becoming head of his own WSBK team, Foggy Petronas Racing.
"I love Donington Park," said Foggy, whose team was reluctantly forced to withdraw from the 2007 season due to a lack of sponsorship. "It's by far the best circuit in the country for riding as far as I'm concerned. It seemed to suit my kind of riding and I had a lot of success there."
After retiring from racing eight years ago, Foggy's famously fierce competitive edge has softened slightly, and the Donington Park specialist - who even has a corner at the circuit named in his honour - has revealed the best way to ride the spectacular Craner Curve complex.
"Some guys find it really hard to go fast at Donington for a year or two," said the 41-year-old, who won six WSBK races, scored four pole positions and recorded seven fastest laps at Donington Park during his career. "They can't figure it out. People try too hard. You've just got to let the bike run through the corners; let the bike do all the work.
"I liked going through Craner Curves, it's where I made up time. The first part of it is all on the right side. When you lift the bike up and flick to the left, some people take their time, but I didn't do that. I kept the throttle open and went very fast. I usually went up the inside of a few people through there."
The crowd-favourite was also present for the first-ever WSBK race, held at Donington Park in 1988, competing in a support category.
"I had just recovered from a broken leg," he recalled. "Somebody was leading and was brought down on the last lap if I remember. And I think the points scoring system was a bit crazy. I think you only got points if you finished both races; something weird like that.
