CARL Fogarty faces the biggest race of his career as the World Superbike Championship is set to go to the wire in Sugo, Japan tomorrow.

The Ducati king is six points behind leader Troy Corser going into the last two races as he chases a third world crown.

And if he pulls it off then he will regard it as the biggest achievement of his amazing career.

"I'd love to win it because no-one has ever won it three times and no-one has ever lost the title and then won it back," said the Blackburn bike ace.

"It would mean more to me than the first two I am sure.

"Once you win a world championship it is very hard to get it back.

"So to bring the title back home and run that number one plate again next season would just be incredible."

Fogarty recovered from an early crash to chalk up the third fastest lap time in the first qualifying session yesterday.

"I was pleased with that because normally at this stage, I am about 12th fastest so I am feeling confident, especially as the times were set on race tyres."

But despite being the man in form, following first and second places in the last round at Assen, he faces the biggest challenge of his career on the Sugo circuit.

With a host of Japanese wild card riders set to take part in what is their home Grand Prix, it's not just Corser and championship rival Aaron Slight he will have to watch out for. "I couldn't think of a worse place to come to have to win the world championship when I'm six points behind.

"The Japanese Grand Prix is always regarded as the toughest one.

"The Japanese riders have raced on the circuit three or four times already this year so they are bound to be fast.

"It's a one-off race so they will push hard because they are not too bothered if they crash out because they don't need the points.

"So I could actually beat Corser and Slight in both races and still not win the championship because the Japanese beat me."

Foggy started off the season in fine style with a win in the opening round at Phillip Island in Australia.

But technical problems dogged his next few races and it needed a storming second half to the season to drag himself back into contention.

"I think Spain was the perfect example of my season.

"I finished ninth in the first race and won the second race.

"But from Brands Hatch onwards I've got a bit of a run together and managed to pull it back."

The last lap drama of the penultimate round in Holland, which saw Foggy take the chequered flag as Pier-Francesco Chili crashed out and destroyed his own championship challenge, made it a three horse race going into Japan.

That caused a bitter feud between the two Ducati riders which threatened to spill over into tomorrow's races but they looked set to bury the hatchet this weekend.

Add to that Ducati's reluctance to sort out Foggy's future -- an issue which was resolved earlier this week -- and it has been a stressful time in the Fogarty household.

Fortunately, Carl's wife Michaela has been there to bring calm. "She's been great.

"It's hard for her as well sometimes because when things aren't going right she has to put up with my bad moods.

"The last few weeks have been difficult and I cannot wait for it all to be over with."

The choice of tyres could prove crucial on what is a notoriously technical circuit.

And as he and Corser have both won the championship before, Foggy believes the heat is on Slight.

"If the pressure's on anyone then it's on Aaron.

"He has the fastest bike, he's riding for Honda in Japan, and he's never been the world champion.

"But he's also the biggest danger. Troy hasn't been that fast this year.

"He's only won one proper race all season and that's the only time he has impressed me.

"He's just been very consistent.

"I cannot see him winning at Sugo but if he does still win the championship after winning just one race that will be incredible."

But not quite as special as a Fogarty hat-trick.

Neil Hodgson will race for the last time on a Kawasaki at Sugo tomorrow.

The Burnley rider has not been offered a new deal by the Japanese giants for next year when his present contract runs out.

Hodgson has struggled to find any kind of consistency over the course of a miserable season.

And he struggled to make an impact in qualifying yesterday, prompting team manager Harald Eckl to say: "I think Neil Hodgson has probably been trying too hard as he finds his feelings for the bike on this circuit."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.