NORIYUKI HAGA SULTAN OF Slide
Bike SA|January 2021
Rare in-depth interview with Nori-chan himself explains how the Sultan of Slide rode the bike - and the crucial differences between Superbike and 500 GP
Alan Cathcart
NORIYUKI HAGA SULTAN OF Slide

The trackside banner displayed at Brands Hatch in front of 102,000 ardent spectators in August 2000 said it all: Nori-chan = Foggy #.2! The massive British World Superbike crowd had taken the Sultan of Slide to their hearts, as no Japanese rider had ever been so acclaimed by European race fans before. It came thanks to the 25year old Yamaha star’s all-action, crowd-pleasing riding style, in which nothing less than 100% was ever on display, matched to a warm, fun-loving personality as far out of keeping with the cliché of the inscrutable Oriental as it's possible to be. Imagine their disappointment when he was forbidden by FIM mandate to take to the track before them….

With paid attendance at the corresponding British 500GP round just a few weeks earlier barely exceeding 15% of the Brands Hatch WSBK crowd, Haga's switch to Grand Prix racing in 2001 as part of the Red Bull Yamaha team was a major coup for then-struggling GP promoters Dorna, together with Yamaha's corporate decision to shut down their WSBK factory race team in favour of focusing completely on developing their OW-M1 four-stroke MotoGP project for the 2002 season, which Haga was being groomed to ride. There was some feeling that the protracted appeal process surrounding Nori-chan’s controversial race ban for taking a health preparation found to contain Ephedrine, which both Haga himself but most significantly Yamaha had fought all the way down the line, played a part in this decision - but whatever the case, one of the strongest trump cards in rival World Superbike promotor Octagon's hand had been wrested from them, after a thrilling season in which Haga and Yamaha - and Dunlop - were in constant contention for the World SBK title, right up until the final round in which he was eventually prevented from taking part.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2021 من Bike SA.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2021 من Bike SA.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من BIKE SA مشاهدة الكل
A Ladies Perspective What a Surprise Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX
Bike SA

A Ladies Perspective What a Surprise Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX

I’m sure as everyone knows by now there is little that compares to my BMW K1200S and out of the 13 different bikes I’ve been lucky enough to ride over the 18 months I’ve been riding, I finally came across one that I’m almost certain I’d swap my bike for…

time-read
4 mins  |
June 2022
Goodwood's 79th Members Meeting - Hunting, Shooting and - Racing
Bike SA

Goodwood's 79th Members Meeting - Hunting, Shooting and - Racing

For that’s what marked the 79th Goodwood Members Meeting aka 79MM, held this year on April 9-10, which this time included two thrilling motorcycle races, each with a blanket finish which in Race 1 saw less than a second covering the first four bikes home.

time-read
10+ mins  |
June 2022
MIDWEIGHT PUNCH - TRIUMPH TIGER SPORT 660
Bike SA

MIDWEIGHT PUNCH - TRIUMPH TIGER SPORT 660

The Triumph brand seems to be going from strength to strength worldwide. New models are seeing the light of day in various sectors, and here in South Africa there is a carefully planned dealer expansion program in action.

time-read
7 mins  |
June 2022
NORTON ROTARY RACERS HISTORY - Rotary Race Record
Bike SA

NORTON ROTARY RACERS HISTORY - Rotary Race Record

For eight successive seasons the world’s first - and so far only - Rotary-engined racebikes swept to serial success on British racetracks. Here’s a timeline on their ebb and flow.

time-read
7 mins  |
June 2022
DRYSDALE HISTORY PART 4/5: 25 YEARS ON FROM CREATION OF FIRST 750-V8
Bike SA

DRYSDALE HISTORY PART 4/5: 25 YEARS ON FROM CREATION OF FIRST 750-V8

2002 1000-V8 Bruiser mega-Monster was a Naked roadster with added muscle - the answer to the question of how to out-max a Yamaha V-Max!

time-read
4 mins  |
June 2022
Unnecessarily Fast, or Unnecessarily Dangerous?
Bike SA

Unnecessarily Fast, or Unnecessarily Dangerous?

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” This truism comes from boxing, but applies to all walks of life. Innovative MotoGP superstar Marc Marquez, however, adds a new twist.

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2022
Bike SA

Wet Weather Riding

Wet roads can make you faster and smoother. They also open up a whole new world of riding possibilities.

time-read
10 mins  |
May 2022
Bike SA

The Perfect Surprise

Anniversary Getaway

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2022
International Female Ride Day 7 May 2022
Bike SA

International Female Ride Day 7 May 2022

It is that time of the year again and the ladies are coming together to promote female riders and ladies in biking. This international event is celebrated globally and in SA we are not shy to participate. Last year’s event brought together about 300 ladies on various motorbikes and we are aiming for 400 participants this year.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2022
MotoGP Springtime for Aprilia
Bike SA

MotoGP Springtime for Aprilia

Don’t ask me how that happened. Aprilia, I mean. From bottom of the class to the top of the podium, in one easy move. Well, perhaps not one … it’s actually taken seven years of dogged persistence in the face of serial humiliation. But it still seems to have elements of all-of-a-sudden.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2022