Pete Graves Superbike Racing - 1998 Results

<BODY> <BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"> <BLOCKQUOTE> <CENTER><B><FONT COLOR="#993366"><FONT SIZE=+1>This page site is designed for browsers capable of showing frames, but we would hate for you to be dissapointed so here's the content of this page anyway....</FONT></FONT></B></CENTER> </BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE> <CENTER><PRE><A HREF="Home-set.html"><IMG SRC="but-home.gif" HEIGHT=21 WIDTH=129></A></PRE></CENTER> <CENTER><PRE><IMG SRC="chequered.gif" BORDER=0 NATURALSIZEFLAG="0" HEIGHT=70 WIDTH=75 ALIGN=BOTTOM><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099"><FONT SIZE=+3>1998 - The Full Story</FONT></FONT></FONT></B><IMG SRC="chequered.gif" BORDER=0 NATURALSIZEFLAG="0" HEIGHT=70 WIDTH=75 ALIGN=BOTTOM></PRE></CENTER> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><FONT SIZE=-1> </FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099"><FONT SIZE=+1>Pete Graves Racing - with - Yamaha</FONT></FONT></FONT></U></B> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><B>1998</B> was a sensational racing season for Pete Graves Racing and Yamaha. Pete left hospital</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">after finishing Leukaemia treatment at the end of January, and by the end of March had won</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">the first round of "The People Privateers Cup" in the MCN British Superbike Championship. He went on to win 6 more rounds of the series: more than any other rider, but did not win</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">overall after breaking down five times while leading. He also humbled multi-million pound</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">factory teams, by beating their riders on his two year old private race bike.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Meanwhile Yamaha won their third successive British Superbike Championship with their</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">YZF75O. Pete also rode a new YZF 1000 R1 Yamaha in the new Powerbike British</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Championship. By the end of the year the team were third overall in the British Championship</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">with two wins. They were best Yamahas, best non-factory bike, and the team to beat in the</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">second half of the season.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Pete and the team also attracted huge coverage for Yamaha and their R1. Full-page articles in</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">the Daily Express and the </FONT><A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000523201311016&rtmo=a4du9u4J&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/98/2/16/smphil16.html" TARGET="Main">Telegraph previewed Pete’s comeback to racing</A><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">, and race reports</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">continued throughout the season. After the last round Motor Cycle News tested the team R1,</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">declaring it the fastest R1 in the UK, and giving it a four-page colour spread.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">After a season such as this there is only one place further to go, and that is No. 1. Pete and the</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">team propose to continue their winning association with Yamaha in 1999, by winning the</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Supersport 600 British Championship with the new Yamaha YZF600 R6.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <PRE><FONT SIZE=-1>     </FONT><B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099"><FONT SIZE=+1>The Results - British Superbike & Powerbike Championships</FONT></FONT></FONT></U></B></PRE> <B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099">March</FONT></FONT></U></B> <P><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><FONT SIZE=-1><B>Brands Hatch: - </B>Won the first race back, and broke down while leading the second.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099">April</FONT></FONT></U></B> <P><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><FONT SIZE=-1><B>Donington Park: - </B>Retired from the first Powerbike race with a trapped fuel line, while lying 5th.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Oulton Park:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Crashed in the rain in race 1. Retired from race 2 with flat tyre, while lying a close 2nd privateer.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099">May</FONT></FONT></U></B> <P><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><FONT SIZE=-1><B>Thruxton: - </B>Third Privateer in both races, but beat all but one of the factory Ducatis.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Snetterton:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Double win in the Superbike Privateers, and fourth on the Powerbike R1.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099">June</FONT></FONT></U></B> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><B>Donington Park: - </B>Missed practice, so started from the back row of the grid. Took the lead in race 1, then broke down.</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">2nd in race 2.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099">July</FONT></FONT></U></B> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Donington Park:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">British Grand Prix. Fourth again in the Powerbikes, but the Yamaha R1 is improving rapidly.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><FONT SIZE=-1><B>Oulton Park: - </B>Won race 1 in the dry, but rode to a steady 4th’ in the wet second race.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099">August</FONT></FONT></U></B> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Brands Hatch:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">World Superbikes. Won the British Powerbike Championship race, setting a new Lap record.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Knockhill:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Leading Privateer in race 1 when the fuel filter came loose and caused a huge crash. Could not start race 2.</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">In Powerbike race 1 Pete broke the lap record to catch the leader, but broke down on the last lap. Could not start race 2.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Mallory Park:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">The frame was still bent from Knockhill. Pete only managed 5th and 4th privateer in the two</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Superbike races.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Cadwell Park:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Passed all the championship contenders to take the lead in race 1, when the engine failed. In race 2</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Pete was leading again when he crashed, colliding with a factory rider two bends from home.</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Remounted to finish 3rd privateer.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099">September</FONT></FONT></U></B> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Silverstone:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">With problems in Superbike race 1, finished 3rd Privateer. Second privateer by just 0.04 of a second in race 2.</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">In the Powerbike race Pete led over the line, but took 2nd in an aggregate result by 0.4 of a second.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Brands Hatch:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Back to normal with a double victory in the Superbike Privateers Cup.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Donington Park:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">3rd Privateer in the damp first race, but could not start race 2 with mechanical problems.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><B><U><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099">October</FONT></FONT></U></B> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Thruxton:</FONT></FONT></B> - <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Pete was 3rd in his first ever Aprilia 250cc race, then resoundingly won the Powerbike International.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <PRE><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><FONT SIZE=-1> </FONT></FONT></FONT></PRE> <CENTER><PRE><IMG SRC="chequered.gif" BORDER=0 NATURALSIZEFLAG="0" HEIGHT=50 WIDTH=54 ALIGN=BOTTOM><B><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#000099"><FONT SIZE=+3>The 1998 British Powerbike<IMG SRC="chequered.gif" BORDER=0 NATURALSIZEFLAG="0" HEIGHT=50 WIDTH=54 ALIGN=BOTTOM> Championship - Roundup</FONT></FONT></FONT></B></PRE></CENTER> <PRE><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><FONT SIZE=-1> </FONT></FONT></FONT></PRE> <FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">After a late start to the season, caused partly by Pete’s 6 months in hospital, the RI was</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">barely finished for the first race. With the development well behind, the best the team could</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">manage in the early races was a pair of 4th places at Snetterton and Donington Park. They</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">also suffered a DNF in the first round, missing out on a probable fourth place. However all</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">this changed for the second half of the season.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">By the Oulton Park round of the championship the major problems with the RI had been</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">ironed out, and it was a fully competitive machine. Pete qualified it third at Oulton Park,</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">before finding that the two factory Hondas had been running illegal air-boxes. Although</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">he was the quickest legal rider on the grid, the race was a wet-weather disaster, yielding</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">only 8th place.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">However the next round at Brands Hatch was a resounding win, at the World Superbike</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">event, and in front of 83,000 people. It also marked a year to the day since Pete started</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">chimotherapy in 1997. For the rest of the season we were the team to beat, but as luck</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">would have it only able to take one further win.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">At Knockhill we broke the lap record and caught the factory Honda on the last lap, before</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">the clutch broke and destroyed the engine. This meant we were unable to start the second race, the following day.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">With Yamaha’s considerable support the bike was re-built for the Silverstone round.Here</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">we led over the line as the flag came out, but as the race had been stopped an aggregate</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">result was declared, and we were awarded second place by a fraction of a second.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">The final round of the series at Thruxton was declared a two-part race to fill the grid. In</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">addition to Powerbikes the race was open to 1300cc and Superbikes. The Honda team had</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">already won the series, so they elected to tune their machines beyond the scope of the</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Powerbike rules, in the hope of winning the overall result. Our Yamaha continued in</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">powerbike trim, and still we beat the Honda team to win the final round of the Powerbike</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">Championship, and the Powerbike International race outright.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=-1><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">This left us third overall in the championship, best private team, best Yamaha, with two</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">wins. Although equal on points to one other rider we were third after two wins to the other</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">team’s none. We beat them in every round of the championship where we both finished.</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">These results are with particular thanks to Yamaha for the use of the RI, and their support</FONT></FONT> <FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF">with spare parts and the engine rebuild after Knockhill.</FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><FONT SIZE=-1> </FONT></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><FONT SIZE=-1> </FONT></FONT></FONT> <CENTER><PRE><A HREF="mailto:webmaster@thatsfantastic.co.uk?subject=Superbike Racing"><IMG SRC="but-mail.gif" BORDER=0 NATURALSIZEFLAG="3" HEIGHT=22 WIDTH=126 ALIGN=BOTTOM></A><FONT FACE="Footlight MT Light"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF"> </FONT></FONT><A HREF="form.html" TARGET="_top"><IMG SRC="but-supp.gif" BORDER=0 NATURALSIZEFLAG="3" HEIGHT=21 WIDTH=126 ALIGN=BOTTOM></A></PRE></CENTER> </BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY>