Neil Bramwell reports from South Africa

THE world of motorbike racing thrives on images of macho bravado, hell-raising and gorgeous girls.

It's a lifestyle that most would envy.

But there is a different side to the globe-trotting circuit of the World Superbikes championship.

There was a time, not too long ago, when Carl Fogarty would have partied after the pressure of race day in South Africa was relieved.

For instance, the day after securing two second places in 1998, he suffered a particularly bad hangover while visiting a lion park on the Monday before his evening flight back to Heathrow.

That was also the planned departure time after this weekend's two races at Kyalami.

But, after arriving in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning last week, Fogarty and his wife Michaela could not wait to return home to their daughters Danielle and Claudia.

So, when the chance came up to switch their flights to Sunday straight after the races, they jumped at it.

It was probably a good job, too, because Fogarty would have been in no mood to party after his second race fall.

But he is not on his own in shunning the kind of wild celebrations that might be expected.

Colin Edwards, for instance, who won one race and was second in the other, enjoyed a quiet meal with his girlfriend back at the hotel.

Fogarty's new team-mate Ben Bostrum, and his model girlfriend Leeann Tweeden, were content to sip just one glass of wine during a meal out with friends in nearby Sandton.

It was a poignant time for Bostrum as he reflected on the difficulty of the challenge that lies ahead in his first full season, but also as he prepared to separate from his partner of three years. The couple spent a final few hours on Monday morning together on safari outside Johannesburg before Bostrum flew off to Melbourne to prepare for the next round in three weeks time, while Leeann returned to Los Angeles.

Bostrum will be on the road with his personal assistant for the next few months.

And, while there is an obvious appeal to having your thumb sucked by a lion called Hobie and visiting places like the Great Barrier Reef where he is heading next to relax next week, it is also a testing arrangement that has put a strain on their relationship.

Another ordeal for Bostrum throughout the South African was dealing with the media attention -- on Foggy.

The first question from the lips of almost every journalist was "What's it like to have Fogarty as a team-mate?"

Whether he falls off in every round, or goes on to record his fifth world title, Fogarty is by far the main attraction for an ever-expanding series.

A massive total of 59,000 fans -- double the previous year's attendance and four times the crowd for the South African GP just one week earlier -- were at Kyalami on Sunday. And, in Bostrum, Fogarty has acquired yet another new fan. "He's awesome and makes me laugh, even when he doesn't mean to. I may only have one year to learn from him and I aim to make the most of it. He is very straight with you and I think we'll get along very well," said the Californian.

With the level of media attention focused on Fogarty, it's difficult to come up with new adjectives to describe the man.

But Leeann managed to do just that when she added: "I think he's really sweet."

Try telling him he's sweet if he is heading back to Blackburn from Phillip Island on April 23 without at least one winner's trophy in his luggage.

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