CARL Fogarty is coming up to an important milestone in his career as the race for the 1998 World Superbike Championship enters the penultimate lap, writes ANDY NEILD.

It will be 10 years at the end of this month since the Blackburn ace's first major championship victory on the international stage.

Foggy became the toast of East Lancashire when he came fifth at Donington in a dramatic final race of the season to beat legendary Ulsterman Joey Dunlop to clinch the Formula One World Championship.

"I remember it very well," said Fogarty.

"I had to finish in the top four or five or so at Donnington to win the title so it was a tense situation.

"But it was a great feeling to win my first world championship title.

"That was one of the blue-ribbon titles as well."

A decade on, and Foggy finds himself in another tense battle for a major championship which once again could go right down to the wire.

The Ducati king currently trails leader Troy Corser by 19 points with two rounds left as he chases his dream of a third World Superbike crown.

And he is confident he will be talking double dutch by the end of the weekend after winning nine of his last 10 races on the Assen track. "It is a very flowing track and it's all about cornering because there are a lot of fast corners," said Foggy.

"Cornering is something I have always been good at and I've always done well on this track because it seems to suit my style of riding so hopefully that will continue this weekend.

"I know what I have got to do which is to win both races. "If I don't win both races or I find myself more than 10 points behind Corser and (Aaron) Slight going to Japan then I am out of the running."

Foggy closed the gap on Corser with second and third palce finishes at the last round in Austria.

And he would have been even closer had he not mis-read a pit-board on the penultimate lap of race two which allowed Slight in to take the chequered flag.

The New Zealander's impressive double allowed him to close the gap to just 1.5 points on Corser to make it a three-way battle for the championship.

"I think it's between the three of us now," said Foggy.

"Although if it's wet this weekend Pier-Francesco Chilli is more than capable of winning both races to put himself back in the frame."

Meanwhile, Burnley's Neil Hodgson will be looking over his shoulder for different reasons this weekend.

The Kawasaki ace is in grave danger of losing his place in the Japanese team unless he can impress team-bosses sufficiently enough in the last two rounds.

"The way he has been riding he will be very lucky if he gets another chance on a factory machine next year," said his former Ducati team mate Foggy.

Hodgson had a frustraing time in Austria where he could only finish eighth and ninth.

But he did set some red-hot times in a recent practice session with his Kawaski team at the Assen track.

"My results may look poor on paper.

"But I don't feel that they reflect on how much I have achieved with the KRT in the second half of the season," said Hodgson.

"The test at Assen was a good example.

"And we should have a good starting point for settings on the Kawasaki.

"I just couldn't get it right last weekend and I desperately need some good results at Assen.

"This is the only circuit where I have raced on each of the past six years in Grand Prix and World Superbike racing.

"It's a technical track with long sweeping bends and one on which it pays to concentrate for fast lap times.

"Hopefully, I can find the consistency and come up with the goods."

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