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Roche dethrones Merkel, wins World Superbike ChamPionship

Frenchman Raymond Roche be-

came the first rider other than Fred Merkel to wear the crown of the World Superbike Champion following conservative finishes in the penultimate round of the 1990 series at Phillip Island. Australia.

The 33-year-old factory Ducati rider virtually dominated en route to his first world title, winning eight times and finishing the season a whopping 57 points ahead of his nearest rival, Italian Yamaha rider Fabrizio Pirovano.

Coming into the Australian round, only Pirovano and Belgian

Stephane Mertens stood a mathematical chance of defeating Roche for the title, but a collision between the pair on the last lap of the race's first leg resulted in Mertens crashing, ending his hopes for another year. A fifth-place finish by Pirovano in the second leg ended

his chances.

Mertens crashed again in the final round at Manfeild, New Zealand, which gave second place in the standings to Pirovano; Mertens wound up third.

What of American Fred Merkel, until now the only rider ever to hold a World Superbike title, having won the first two? He was sidelined following a neck injury suffered at the Suzuka 8-Hour endurance race, and the points lost by his absence cost him dearly. Merkel, though out of the running for the title, made a token comeback later in the season, but when the series headed Down Under for the final rounds, his team opted to stay in Italy and save some money. El