Neil Bramwell with Carl Fogarty in Italy

IT'S not hard to spot Blackburn world champion Carl Fogarty on the beach at Cattolica.

For one, everyone looks so bronzed, beautiful and, well . . . Italian.

Secondly, there is hardly a British accent to be heard. And when the shrill voice that rises above the constant public address adverts is shouting "faster, daddy faster," four-year-old Claudia stands out as the daughter of the most famous motorbike rider in the world.

Her ride on the beach roundabout with sister Danielle, propelled by an attentive Fogarty, is a rare glimpse of an essentially private family at play.

But, when the Fogartys retreated to the sanctity of the hotel swimming pool, the prying eyes of those sun-worshippers who had recognised Carl furtively tried to prolong that precious glimpse through the hotel fencing.

For Fogarty has superstar status in bike-mad Italy, where motorsport is second only to football in the passion its generates.

Pedestrians shout "Yo, Foggy" as he shoots past on a scooter. Chefs come scurrying out of the kitchens in the resort's fancy restaurants for a closer look.

Having ridden for manufacturers Ducati, who are based only a matter of miles from the Misano Circuit, it is no wonder he looks at home even if he doesn't look Italian.

"I drive like an Italian. I just drive through the red lights over here. I have got a lot of Italian habits and when I go back to England it doesn't go down very well. "If I had to choose somewhere to live other than England, it would probably be Italy," he confessed. "This is the best spot. I like the Italian rounds for the atmosphere, the food and the weather is good."

Serving drinks to family friends behind the hotel bar, he appears entirely removed from the intensity and dangers of his profession. Three days before a key race, this is a rarity.

Fogarty used to travel around Europe in his own motorhome, but that was sold last year.

He now prefers to fly in on a Thursday and back home on a Monday. The excitement of world travel has long since evaporated.

"I'm just so much of a home person, going to California doesn't do anything for me any more. In the past, I just liked getting to an airport or catching a ferry - I couldn't wait. Now I just want the quickest way of doing it."

Missing the privacy that the motorhome brought at a race meeting was an initial drawback. He has, however, a room set aside in the hospitality area and a smaller mobile home is often hired so that Carl can relax alone between races.

For this San Marino round, because of his love for Italy, Fogarty took the chance of an extended break.

He flew out last Wednesday and, after an aborted testing session last Thursday, spent some time with his mechanics near Bologna.

After a visit to team manager Davide Tardozzi's home nearby, he picked wife Michaela and their children up at Rimini Airport on Sunday evening. Cattolica is a newish resort, further down the Adriatic Coast and, as yet, undiscovered by the Brits. The team hotel is the biggest on the front and one of the most recent additions to this chic town. It is lavish but, like Fogarty not flash and, importantly, a matter of minutes from the track.

Although named the San Marino round, the Misano track is not actually in the Principality. This is just a way in which Italy can stage two rounds, in the same manner that England hosts the British and European rounds.

But, on one of his least favourite tracks, the break has allowed Fogarty to switch off and attempt to banish memories of a disastrous fall in Germany two weeks ago.

"I generally do not find it easy to relax, but this is different than I am used to," he said.

Today, however, the steely focus had to return as the round got under way with pre-qualifying practice sessions.

Then, before the crucial and controversial Superpole tomorrow, when riders have just a single lap to determine their start positions for the races proper, Carl was booked to fit in a late afternoon cruise on the yacht of some sponsors.

Those boat guests, though, should not expect the Fogarty that was on view on the Cattolica beach.

He explained: "It sounds nice but, when I'm racing, I'm just in a different world."

Foggy on holiday stops here.

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