CARL Fogarty would have preferred to have given the Nurburgring the elbow - but not literally!

The famous German track stages its first World Superbike Championship races this weekend with round five of the competition.

And the lay-out of the track is expected to be a disadvantage to Fogarty's Ducati team.

Fogarty and his new Ducati Performance outfit have struggled with bike problems throughout this year's championship.

New gearing hitches contributed to Fogarty's spectacular crash during free testing on Wednesday.

But a badly bruised elbow, and heightened uncertainty about the bike, were the only blows suffered by the Blackburn maestro.

Coming out of the Veedol Schikane and accelerating up the hill, Foggy lost control of the back of the bike.

He said: "I didn't have a positive feeling from the rear because of the gearing problems.

"The bike changed dircetion and just flicked me over the front. "I don't like those sort of crashes because you do not really know what caused it."

Although Fogarty was impressed with the lay-out of the wide open track, he feels that will play into the hands of the faster Hondas and Kawasakis of Burnley's Neil Hodgson. And that is doubly frustrating as Fogarty and the rest of the Ducati outfit have been secretly testing new parts which could help put their bikes on level tearms.

But Ducati have decided not to use the revised airbox - which let the bike rev quicker and boosted top speed by 3mph - at the Nurburgring until reliability is proved.

Foggy said: "The engine pulled harder out of the corners. We would be closer to the Hondas and Kawasakis.

"We definitely need to do something to the bike because we are getting left behind a little bit."

Ducati hope to have the new parts ready for the next round in Italy on June 21.

But of more pressing concern for Foggy before today's first official practice are his gearing problems.

He said: "I struggled to get the right gearing for the corners.

"I could get second right but first would be wrong.

"And there are a lot of corners and so a lot of hard accelerating. The Hondas were a lot quicker."

Having said that Fogarty lies second behind another Ducati rider Troy Corser in the championship standings.

But that does not increase the rivalry factor for Fogarty. "I just go out and want to beat every person on the track.

"But if I don't win I would rather see another Ducati rider win."

Hodgson is hoping to put down the pit lane misunderstanding of last weekend's All-Japan series meeting behind him to capitalise on his form of Monza last month.

And, not only will the Bavarian track suit his powerful ZX-7RR, Hodgson is one of the very few Superbike riders with prior knowledge of the circuit.

He said: "I rode here in a 500cc Grand Prix in 1995 and I just love the place.

"It's a real rider's circuit, a proper race track and one that would always be there in my top five.

"It will be quite easy for the others to learn, though, so the fact that I have been there before will be of no advantage to me."

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