Slight advantage

Dear CR Have to say it was good to see something on Aaron Slight – it brought back lots of memories for me and of a time when World Superbikes was – well – super!

For me the 1990s were the time when WSB just had so much more going for it than the years when Mick Doohan dominated 500cc Grands Prix – no disrespect, Mick, but it never seemed to be as good a show as the 1990s WSB era.

Okay, I know that you could argue that Carl Fogarty dominated – or you can't argue that the Ducati V-twins didn't dominate – but it just seemed to me back then that the action was full-on and brilliant to watch.

It's not just that it was a Brit winning, either. For example, I was never, ever, a Foggy fan. For further proof, I used to love Formula 1, but in this era with Lewis Hamilton doing amazing things, I'm just still not ‘into' it – nor am I with the current WSB scene even with the talented Jonathan Rea doing his thing and being a record-breaking rider.

Nope, for me, I happily sit in front of the DVD player and watch (and listen) to the glorious howl of the four-cylinder Jap bikes (I always backed the underdog) and that mournful howl of the V4 Hondas, oh and those V-twins. What made it interesting was to see Honda get their backsides kicked, but despite this I always wanted Slighty to do the business and win. I was gutted when John Kocinski won it for Honda in 1997. I was lucky enough to meet Aaron at Donington Park one year and found him to be a top bloke. So, more on 1990s non-two-stroke racing please! Pete Smith

The Editor says: “Glad you liked it Pete – indeed, the 1990s was a great time for World Superbikes and the Brits and bikes therein. I covered the series for a season in 1996 and I had the offer to ride Kocinski’s RC45 at the end of 1997 when working for another magazine but… I’d broken my arm in a bike crash! Gutted?”