# 2002 Superbike World Championship

The 2002 Superbike World Championship was the fifteenth FIM Superbike World Championship season. The season started on 2 March at Valencia and finished on 29 September at Imola after 13 rounds.
Colin Edwards won his second championship in what has been hailed as one of the most impressive comebacks in the history of motorcycle racing. The season started with Troy Bayliss winning the first six races and by the end of race 1 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca he had 14 wins and was leading the championship by 58 points. Race 2 at Laguna Seca was the start of Colin Edwards' comeback, he went on to win all nine remaining races and combined with a race 2 crash for Bayliss at Assen Edwards won the championship at the final race of the season at Imola. The final race of the season saw both riders fighting wheel to wheel for the entire race. The race is known to fans as the "Showdown at Imola".
The manufacturers' championship was won by Ducati.

## Race calendar and results

| Round | Round | Circuit | Date | Superpole | Fastest lap | Winning rider | Winning team | Report |
| 1 | R1 | Valencia | 10 March | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 1 | R2 | Valencia | 10 March | Troy Bayliss | Ben Bostrom | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 2 | R1 | Phillip Island | 24 March | Colin Edwards | Colin Edwards | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 2 | R2 | Phillip Island | 24 March | Colin Edwards | Colin Edwards | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 3 | R1 | Kyalami | 7 April | Colin Edwards | Noriyuki Haga | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 3 | R2 | Kyalami | 7 April | Colin Edwards | Noriyuki Haga | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 4 | R1 | Sportsland SUGO | 21 April | Noriyuki Haga | Noriyuki Haga | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 4 | R2 | Sportsland SUGO | 21 April | Noriyuki Haga | Makoto Tamada | Makoto Tamada | Cabin Honda | Report |
| 5 | R1 | Monza | 12 May | Neil Hodgson | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 5 | R2 | Monza | 12 May | Neil Hodgson | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 6 | R1 | Silverstone | 26 May | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 6 | R2 | Silverstone | 26 May | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 7 | R1 | Lausitzring | 9 June | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 7 | R2 | Lausitzring | 9 June | Troy Bayliss | Rubén Xaus | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 8 | R1 | Misano Adriatico | 23 June | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 8 | R2 | Misano Adriatico | 23 June | Troy Bayliss | Colin Edwards | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 9 | R1 | Laguna Seca | 14 July | Colin Edwards | Noriyuki Haga | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Report |
| 9 | R2 | Laguna Seca | 14 July | Colin Edwards | Neil Hodgson | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 10 | R1 | Brands Hatch | 28 July | Neil Hodgson | Troy Bayliss | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 10 | R2 | Brands Hatch | 28 July | Neil Hodgson | Colin Edwards | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 11 | R1 | Oschersleben | 1 September | Neil Hodgson | Colin Edwards | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 11 | R2 | Oschersleben | 1 September | Neil Hodgson | Colin Edwards | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 12 | R1 | Assen | 8 September | Colin Edwards | Colin Edwards | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 12 | R2 | Assen | 8 September | Colin Edwards | Rubén Xaus | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 13 | R1 | Imola | 29 September | Colin Edwards | Colin Edwards | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |
| 13 | R2 | Imola | 29 September | Colin Edwards | Troy Bayliss | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Report |

## Championship standings
### Riders' standings

2002 final riders' standings :
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | ESP | ESP | AUS | AUS | RSA | RSA | JPN | JPN | ITA | ITA | GBR | GBR | GER | GER | SMR | SMR | USA | USA | GBR | GBR | GER | GER | NED | NED | ITA | ITA | Pts |
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | Pts |
| 1 | Colin Edwards | Honda | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 552 |
| 2 | Troy Bayliss | Ducati | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Ret | 2 | 2 | 541 |
| 3 | Neil Hodgson | Ducati | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | Ret | 8 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Ret | 4 | 4 | 5 | 326 |
| 4 | Noriyuki Haga | Aprilia | 2 | 2 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 6 | 3 | 5 | Ret | 3 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 278 |
| 5 | Ben Bostrom | Ducati | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | Ret | 9 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 261 |
| 6 | Rubén Xaus | Ducati | 5 | Ret | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Ret | 9 | 6 | Ret | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 19 | 5 | 6 | Ret | 5 | 4 | Ret | 3 | 3 | 249 |
| 7 | James Toseland | Ducati | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 5 | Ret | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | Ret | 9 | 6 | 9 | Ret | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 195 |
| 8 | Pierfrancesco Chili | Ducati | 9 | Ret | Ret | Ret | DNS | DNS | | | 4 | Ret | 4 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | Ret | 167 |
| 9 | Chris Walker | Kawasaki | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | Ret | 10 | 14 | 4 | Ret | 9 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 15 | Ret | 7 | 11 | 12 | 152 |
| 10 | Gregorio Lavilla | Suzuki | 8 | Ret | 7 | 8 | Ret | 11 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 5 | Ret | 14 | 8 | Ret | 10 | 6 | DNS | DNS | 15 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 7 | Ret | 8 | 7 | 130 |
| 11 | Broc Parkes | Ducati | 15 | DNS | Ret | 13 | 11 | 14 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 | Ret | 12 | 11 | Ret | Ret | 14 | 15 | 12 | Ret | 18 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 77 |
| 12 | Juan Borja | Ducati | 11 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 11 | Ret | Ret | 7 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | | | 11 | 11 | DNS | DNS | 10 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 74 |
| 13 | Lucio Pedercini | Ducati | 14 | 11 | 10 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 16 | 18 | Ret | 6 | Ret | Ret | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 16 | Ret | Ret | 13 | 12 | Ret | 10 | 14 | 13 | 71 |
| 14 | Hitoyasu Izutsu | Kawasaki | 7 | 6 | 6 | Ret | 7 | 7 | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | DNS | DNS | | | 13 | 17 | 11 | Ret | DNS | DNS | 15 | 10 | 62 |
| 15 | Marco Borciani | Ducati | 16 | 12 | 11 | Ret | 10 | 13 | Ret | 17 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | Ret | 18 | 16 | 15 | Ret | 11 | 11 | 9 | 16 | Ret | 55 |
| 16 | Steve Martin | Ducati | 17 | 9 | 13 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 17 | 20 | 10 | 11 | Ret | 19 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 19 | 16 | DNS | DNS | Ret | DNS | 13 | 14 | 52 |
| 17 | Eric Bostrom | Kawasaki | | | | | | | 13 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 16 | | | | | 6 | 4 | | | DNS | DNS | | | | | 49 |
| 18 | Makoto Tamada | Honda | | | | | | | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 45 |
| 19 | Mauro Sanchini | Kawasaki | 19 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 12 | 13 | 15 | Ret | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 15 | Ret | 19 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 15 | 41 |
| 20 | Alessandro Antonello | Ducati | 13 | Ret | 14 | 11 | Ret | Ret | Ret | DNS | 8 | Ret | Ret | 13 | 13 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 18 | Ret | 12 | 13 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | 12 | Ret | 38 |
| 21 | Shane Byrne | Ducati | | | | | | | | | | | 9 | 5 | | | | | | | 10 | 10 | | | | | | | 30 |
| 22 | Peter Goddard | Benelli | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | 14 | 17 | 13 | 15 | Ret | 15 | 15 | Ret | 16 | 14 | 18 | Ret | 12 | Ret | 12 | 11 | Ret | DNS | 23 |
| 23 | Akira Yanagawa | Kawasaki | | | | | | | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 20 |
| 24 | Aaron Yates | Suzuki | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | 8 | | | | | | | | | 17 |
| 25 | Serafino Foti | Ducati | Ret | 14 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 15 | | | Ret | 12 | Ret | Ret | 16 | 16 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 17 | | | 14 | Ret | 14 | 16 | Ret | Ret | 17 |
| 26 | Nicky Hayden | Honda | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | 13 | | | | | | | | | 16 |
| 27 | Wataru Yoshikawa | Yamaha | | | | | | | 8 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 16 |
| 28 | Mark Heckles | Honda | 21 | Ret | 16 | 14 | DNS | DNS | 21 | Ret | 15 | 18 | 6 | Ret | 17 | 17 | 19 | Ret | 20 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 20 | Ret | 15 |
| 29 | Takeshi Tsujimura | Yamaha | | | | | | | 10 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 |
| 30 | Michael Rutter | Ducati | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | Ret | | | | | | | Ret | 9 | | | | | | | 11 |
| 31 | Ivan Clementi | Kawasaki | 18 | 13 | Ret | 15 | DNQ | DNQ | 18 | 19 | 17 | 14 | Ret | 18 | 18 | Ret | 17 | Ret | Ret | 21 | Ret | 21 | Ret | 13 | Ret | 14 | 18 | 16 | 11 |
| 32 | Doug Chandler | Ducati | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | 9 | | | | | | | | | 10 |
| 33 | Mat Mladin | Suzuki | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10 | Ret | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| 34 | Alex Hofmann | Kawasaki | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15 | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| 35 | Alessandro Valia | Ducati | | | | | | | | | 13 | 15 | | | | | 18 | Ret | | | | | | | | | 19 | 17 | 4 |
| 36 | Michele Malatesta | Ducati | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | 13 | | | | | | | | | Ret | Ret | 3 |
| 37 | Bertrand Stey | Honda | Ret | 17 | Ret | 16 | 14 | 17 | | | Ret | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | | | 20 | 15 | 22 | 23 | Ret | Ret | | | | | | | 3 |
| 38 | Glen Richards | Kawasaki | | | | | | | | | | | Ret | Ret | | | | | | | 20 | 14 | | | | | | | 2 |
| 39 | Dean Ellison | Ducati | | | | | | | | | | | 16 | Ret | | | | | | | 14 | Ret | | | | | | | 2 |
| 40 | Jerónimo Vidal | Honda | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15 | Ret | Ret | 18 | 1 |
| 41 | Yuichi Takeda | Honda | | | | | | | 15 | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | ESP | ESP | AUS | AUS | RSA | RSA | JPN | JPN | ITA | ITA | GBR | GBR | GER | GER | SMR | SMR | USA | USA | GBR | GBR | GER | GER | NED | NED | ITA | ITA | Pts |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

### Manufacturers' standings

| Pos. | Manufacturer | ESP | ESP | AUS | AUS | RSA | RSA | JPN | JPN | ITA | ITA | GBR | GBR | GER | GER | SMR | SMR | USA | USA | GBR | GBR | GER | GER | NED | NED | ITA | ITA | Pts |
| Pos. | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | Pts |
| 1 | Ducati | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 575 |
| 2 | Honda | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 557 |
| 3 | Aprilia | 2 | 2 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 6 | 3 | 5 | Ret | 3 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 278 |
| 4 | Kawasaki | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 208 |
| 5 | Suzuki | 8 | Ret | 7 | 8 | Ret | 11 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 5 | Ret | 14 | 8 | Ret | 10 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 7 | Ret | 8 | 7 | 147 |
| 6 | Benelli | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | 14 | 17 | 13 | 15 | Ret | 15 | 15 | Ret | 16 | 14 | 18 | Ret | 12 | Ret | 12 | 11 | Ret | DNS | 23 |
| 7 | Yamaha | | | | | | | 8 | 8 | | | | | | | | | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | 22 | 19 | 16 |
| Pos. | Manufacturer | ESP | ESP | AUS | AUS | RSA | RSA | JPN | JPN | ITA | ITA | GBR | GBR | GER | GER | SMR | SMR | USA | USA | GBR | GBR | GER | GER | NED | NED | ITA | ITA | Pts |

## Entry list

| No | Rider | Team | Motorcycle |
| 1 | Troy Bayliss | Ducati Infostrada | Ducati 998 F02 |
| 2 | Colin Edwards | Castrol Honda | Honda VTR1000SP2 |
| 5 | Mark Heckles | Castrol Honda Rumi | Honda VTR1000SP2 |
| 6 | Peter Goddard | Benelli Sport | Benelli Tornado Tre 900 LE |
| 7 | Pierfrancesco Chili | Ducati NCR Axo | Ducati 998 RS |
| 9 | Chris Walker | Kawasaki Racing | Kawasaki ZX-7RR |
| 10 | Gregorio Lavilla | Alstare Suzuki Corona | Suzuki GSX-R750 Y |
| 11 | Ruben Xaus | Ducati Infostrada | Ducati 998 F02 |
| 12 | Broc Parkes | Ducati NCR Parmalat | Ducati 998 RS |
| 14 | Hitoyasu Izutsu | Kawasaki Racing | Kawasaki ZX-7RR |
| 17 | Alistair Maxwell | Alistair Maxwell | Kawasaki ZX-7RR |
| 19 | Lucio Pedercini | Pedercini | Ducati 998 RS |
| 20 | Marco Borciani | Pedercini | Ducati 998 RS |
| 23 | Jiri Mrkyvka | JM Racing | Ducati 996 RS |
| 28 | Serafino Foti | Pedercini | Ducati 996 RS |
| 30 | Alessandro Antonello | DFX Racing Ducati Pirelli | Ducati 998 RS |
| 32 | Eric Bostrom | Kawasaki Racing | Kawasaki ZX-7RR |
| 33 | Juan Borja | Spaziotel Racing | Ducati 998 RS |
| 36 | Ivan Clementi | Kawasaki Bertocchi | Kawasaki ZX-7RR |
| 40 | Giuliano Sartoni | Vemar Giesse | Ducati 996 RS |
| 41 | Noriyuki Haga | PlayStation 2-FGF Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 1000 |
| 42 | Makoto Tamada | Cabin Honda | Honda VTR1000SP2 |
| 43 | Wataru Yoshikawa | YSP Racing & PRESTO | Yamaha YZF-R7 |
| 45 | Takeshi Tsujimura | YSP Racing & PRESTO | Yamaha YZF-R7 |
| 46 | Mauro Sanchini | Kawasaki Bertocchi | Kawasaki ZX-7RR |
| 47 | Kenichiro Nakamura | Blue Helmet MSC | Honda VTR1000SP2 |
| 48 | Yuichi Takeda | Sakurai Honda | Honda VTR1000SP2 |
| 49 | Akira Yanagawa | Kawasaki Racing | Kawasaki ZX-7RR |
| 50 | Alessandro Valia | Ass. Sportiva Bassani | Ducati 996 RS |
| 52 | James Toseland | HM Plant Ducati | Ducati 998 F 01 |
| 53 | Steve Hislop | Monster Mob Ducati | Ducati 998 RS |
| 54 | Michael Rutter | Renegade Ducati | Ducati 998 RS |
| 55 | Shane Byrne | Renegade Ducati | Ducati 998 RS |
| 56 | Dean Ellison | D & B Racing | Ducati 996 RS |
| 57 | Glen Richards | Hawk Kawasaki | Kawasaki ZX-7RR |
| 60 | Jeronimo Vidal | White Endurance | Honda VTR1000SP1 |
| 61 | Marjan Malec | Magnat Auto | Ducati 996 RS |
| 66 | Alex Hofmann | Kawasaki Racing | Kawasaki ZX-7RR |
| 68 | Bertrand Stey | White Endurance | Honda VTR1000SP1 |
| 69 | Nicky Hayden | American Honda | Honda RC51 |
| 69 | Thierry Mulot | Pacific | Ducati 996 SPS |
| 70 | Yann Gyger | White Endurance | Honda VTR1000SP1 |
| 72 | Mark Miller | White Endurance | Honda VTR1000SP1 |
| 75 | Luca Pini | Pedercini | Ducati 996 RS |
| 77 | Redamo Assirelli | Pirelli | Yamaha YZF-R7 |
| 93 | Cristian Caliumi | Pedercini | Ducati 996 RS |
| 99 | Steve Martin | DFX Racing Ducati Pirelli | Ducati 998 RS |
| 100 | Neil Hodgson | HM Plant Ducati | Ducati 998 F 01 |
| 101 | Mat Mladin | Yoshimura Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R750 Y |
| 110 | Doug Chandler | HMC Ducati Racing | Ducati 998 R |
| 113 | Paolo Blora | Pacific | Ducati 996 RS |
| 120 | Aaron Yates | Yoshimura Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R750 Y |
| 151 | Michele Malatesta | Pro.Con. | Ducati 996 RS |
| 155 | Ben Bostrom | Ducati L & M | Ducati 998 F02 |