Fogarty announces retirement.

Four times World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty has announced his retirement from bike racing after failing to recover sufficiently from his arm-breaking accident at Phillip Island this past April.

The English rider, whose total of 52 World Superbike victories is unsurpassed, felt that even if he trained all winter he would not be fit enough for the 2001 season and he could not face running round in the middle of the World Superbike pack.

The Blackburn Bullet told BBC's Ceefax service on Thursday "The time has now come to have the strength to leave racing. I knew that it would come sooner or later."

Foggy's retirement leaves a void at the pinnacle of World Superbike racing as Carl was known at the 'King' of Superbikes. However the decision is not unexpected and Carl has indicated many times over the summer that, at this late stage in his career, he may do himself more harm than good if he tried to make a comeback. Fogarty had been expected to retire at the end of the current season or at the end of 2001 at the very latest, leaving him enough time to pursue other sporting interests.

Fogarty scored all four of his World titles on Ducati bikes and he is largely responsible for the increase in popularity in the series since its inception in 1988. Fogarty made his WSB debut in 1991 aboard an ageing Team GB Honda although it took no time at all for people to realise the immense talent he possessed.

Winning his first WSB race in front of a passionate British crowd at Donington Park in 1992, Carl won his first title in dominant fashion in 1994 and went on to add the '95, '98 and '99 titles to his C.V. He may have won another title had he not moved to Honda for the 1996 season but even on a bike that he did not like, Fogarty still outscored team-mate Aaron Slight, the rider whose style Honda built that year's bike around.

However a glorious career came to an end on a wet April afternoon in Australia when Fogarty was nudged off the track by Ducati privateer Robert Ulm. The impact broke his humerous bone and despite intense physical therapy in the following months, Carl became resigned to the fact that his riding days may be over.

A few slow laps in front of his home crowd at Brands Hatch in August partly confirmed Carl's fears but he wanted to have one test on his factory Ducati to see if he was anywhere near his best. Sadly it wasn't to be and when Carl stepped off the bike, the decision was already made.

Carl's competitive instincts will not allow him to stay out of action for too long however and now that the pressure is off he can take his time to fully recuperate and spend some time with his family and friends as he plans his next move. A future in car racing hasn't been ruled out and a possible berth for him in the British Touring Car Championship could come to fruition within the next couple of years.

Thanks for the memories 'King Carl'.