SUPERBIKE legend Carl Fogarty has admitted it's 'make or break' for his Foggy Petronas Racing team as they prepare for the first round of the new season in Qatar this weekend.

Fogarty believes the return of major Japanese manufacturers Suzuki and Yamaha will make the championship more competitive than at any stage during the last five years.

And that could spell bad news for the Foggy Petronas Racing team, who know they must show clear signs of progress over the next six months if they are to establish the FP1 bike as a major player in the World Superbike Series.

Fogarty's team, which is backed by the Malaysian oil giants Petronas, endured a difficult season last year as a series of mechanical problems hampered their progress on the track.

Now with the championship promising to be even more competitive this time around, Foggy is fearful of what the future might hold for his team and, indeed, the whole project, as they attempt to narrow the gap on the big boys.

"This is a big year for us," said Fogarty.

"Win or lose, it's a year where a lot of decisions have got to be made in regard to the future of this project.

"When you've done something like we've done, in terms of building a bike from scratch, you've got to look at your third year as being your strongest and I've got say I'm a bit worried, if I'm being honest.

"It's make or break. A decision has got to be made at some point in regard to where this thing is going.

"Is it going to stop or continue? Are we going to try MotoGPs? Or do we rehomologate a new bike? I really don't know.

"There's a lot of options that Petronas could consider so it's a big year for us in a lot of ways."

The Foggy Petronas team have come a long way in the three years since they first dreamt up the idea of creating the FP1 but the pressure is now on to deliver tangible results.

Last season, the team were never competitive as engine and chassis problems blighted their progress, resulting in Troy Corser and Chris Walker finishing a disappointing ninth and 11th respectively in the final championship standings.

For a man who won the World Superbikes title four times himself, Fogarty finds that level of performance incredibly frustrating but, although he recognises the need to improve, he's trying to be philosophical when assessing the team's overall progress so far.

"When I tell myself what we're trying to do here and what we've already achieved in such a short space of time, I think we've done pretty well," said Foggy.

"But because it's me and my name, people tend to have a go saying 'you've not won anything yet.'

"In some ways, though, I think we have won. Forget my name and forget me as a person for a minute and what I was like as a rider, and let's look at what we've done.

"We've qualified on pole position, and we've had second and third places competing against the mighty Honda and Ducati, who have been out there racing for 50 years.

"In that respect, I think we've already won but just because it's me and my name, people are waiting for us to win races and it might never happen.

"So, frustrated as I am that we haven't won a race as yet, I'm still very pleased with the progress we've made in the last two years but if that progress stops now, I'll be very disappointed."

F

oggy Petronas will certainly have their work cut out if they are to make a lasting impression on the track this season.

In recent years, the championship has been dominated by Ducati, who have cashed in on the defection of several leading manufacturers to MotoGPs, but the Japanese are making a mass comeback, which promises to make the 2005 championship far more competitive.

"It's going to be very tough, for sure, and we need to improve and make progress, otherwise we could get blown away," admitted Foggy.

"We've got Suzuki back, Yamaha are back, Honda will be stronger and so will Kawasaki, so the championship is definitely going to be a lot more exciting in 2005.

"That's great for the championship but for a new, improving team like us with a bike that's not the quickest thing out there, it's going to make it doubly difficult.

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Foggy Petronas Racing will have two new riders on board their FP1s at Losail this weekend as Qatar makes its debut on the World Superbike scene.

Australians Steve Martin and Garry McCoy have replaced Corser and Walker .

"I would describe Steve as probably the most under-rated rider in World Superbikes," added Foggy.