Top 10 racing rivalries
Motorcycle racing can be an unfriendly business
WHEN riders are so evenly matched that there's nothing to choose between them, they can be prepared to go to any length to gain an advantage. From crashing into rivals and knocking them out of the way, to courtroom battles, wars of words in the press, ignoring team orders, and even fisticuffs, it seems there's nothing that highly-motivated racer won't do to ensure success. Here are 10 of the best racing rivalries and incidents that prove just how hard you've got to be to beat the best.
10. Neil Hodgson and Aaron Slight, WSB, 1998
On the grid at the Brands Hatch World Superbike round in 1998, Kiwi Aaron Slight asked Neil Hodgson to stay out of his way as he intended to challenge Carl Fogarty for the world title. Hodgson, quite naturally, opted to actually race his motorcycle rather than play supporting act to a man who wasn't even his team-mate. Slight was so furious that he lashed out at Hodgson on the slow-down lap. The two then dropped their multi-thousand pound race bikes on the track to have a proper set-to. They were pulled apart by marshals before going the distance.
