My little welcoming present to you all: Videos of every moment from the 1997 WSB season, with live commentary from Keith Huewen and Julian Ryder.
Round 1 - Phillip Island
Qualifying
Pierfrancesco Chili has a huge get-off coming onto the start/finish straight, with Piergiorgio Bontempi narrowly avoiding him.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:50
Size: 29.6MB
Scott Russell is his typical self in '97, having a disagreement with a backmarker.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:48
Size: 12.7MB
The final moments of qualifying and Neil Hodgson has a big moment while trying to improve his time.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:31
Size: 8.38MB
Simon Middleton drops his Kawasaki at the corner that would become infamous during race one.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:31
Size: 8.38MB
Warm-Up
A compilation of the accidents in warm-up. The riders are Peter Goddard, Simon Crafar, Jason Love, Stephan Tozer and Akira Yanagawa.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:04
Size: 17.3MB
Race 1
James Haydon begins what was to be a dire season with a crash on lap 1.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:09
Size: 2.50MB
Pierfrancesco Chili crashes at high speed at the start of lap 2. He wouldn't start the 2nd race.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:48
Size: 13.0MB
Jamie Whitham highsides on lap 3.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:19
Size: 4.91MB
On the same lap, Peter Goddard becomes the first casualty at this particular corner.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:16
Size: 4.35MB
Neil Hodgson crashes at the same corner on lap 4.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:55
Size: 14.6MB
That turn again, this time it's Aaron Slight crashing on lap 6.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:09
Size: 18.4MB
Same corner, Mike Hale crashing on lap 8.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:15
Size: 3.79MB
Scott Russell highsides the Yamaha on lap 9, but through sheer determination he remounts and goes on to finish 7th.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:40
Size: 27.0MB
Aussie wildcard Craig Connell crashes on lap 10.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:30
Size: 7.91MB
A young Troy Bayliss crashes on lap 11 and chases his Suzuki's clutch lever, much to the amusement of Keith and Julian.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:35
Size: 9.16MB
Colin Edwards is the last rider to fall at the 'Star Trap', on lap 11.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:37
Size: 9.74MB
John Kocinski's obviously not happy with Andy Meklau for some reason. :P
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:32
Size: 8.50MB
Race 2
Mike Hale runs wide on lap 1.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:12
Size: 3.08MB
Akira Yanagawa crashes in a big way at very high speed as they come up to lap John Orchard.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:02
Size: 16.7MB
The incredible last lap battle between Colin Edwards and Aaron Slight
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 2:09
Size: 34.7MB
Round 2 - Misano
Race 1
Akira Yanagawa's enthusiasm gets the better of him on lap 1.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:46
Size: 12.2MB
Gerhard Esterer splashes through the gravel trap on lap 6.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:24
Size: 6.17MB
Mike Hale crashes on lap 10.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:14
Size: 3.72MB
His team-mate Jamie Whitham crashes on lap 13.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:19
Size: 4.77MB
James Haydon's bad luck continues when, on lap 15, the sump plug falls out of his bike and dumps oil on his rear tyre.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:13
Size: 3.30MB
On the last lap, Scott Russell crashes at 130mph when his hands go numb leaving him unable to feel the throttle or brake.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:52
Size: 14.0MB
Race 2
Luigi Aljinovic crashes on lap 5 but remounts to finish 3 laps down.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:10
Size: 2.52MB
Igor Jerman retires on lap 7.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:13
Size: 3.45MB
Jamie Whitham crashes on lap 11.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:16
Size: 4.07MB
Round 3 - Donington
Qualifying
Anton Gruschka has an absolutely massive accident at Craner Curves, completely destroying his Yamaha.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:37
Size: 9.90MB
Sean Emmett does the same thing with his Ducati.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:35
Size: 9.27MB
Akira Yanagawa highsides at the Old Hairpin, resulting in qualifying being stopped. He didn't compete in the races.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:51
Size: 13.6MB
Race 1
Pierfrancesco Chili crashes at Goddard's.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:02
Size: 16.6MB
Round 4 - Hockenheim
Race 1
Simon Crafar's bad luck continues when his engine blows up.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:17
Size: 4.21MB
Race 2
Aaron Slight crashes at the chicane and Fogarty just avoids him.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:17
Size: 4.21MB
The last lap is an amazing 4-way battle between Fogarty, Hodgson, Yanagawa and Whitham.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 2:24
Size: 38.8MB
Round 5 - Monza
Race 1
Fast tracks make great racing. Another slipstreaming battle leads to a side by side finish.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:35
Size: 9.05MB
Race 2
Andy Meklau slides off on lap 7.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:50
Size: 13.3MB
Akira Yanagawa has a collision with Aaron Slight on lap 17.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:25
Size: 6.63MB
Scott Russell almost throws it away on the last lap.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:13
Size: 3.31MB
Round 6 - Laguna Seca
Race 1
Neil Hodgson crashes out after being held up by backmarker Mike Krynock.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:49
Size: 13.1MB
Race 2
Simon Crafar crashes on lap 7.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:15
Size: 3.94MB
Jamie Whitham and James Haydon crash out in the space of 30 seconds.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:51
Size: 29.8MB
Round 7 - Brands Hatch
Race 1
In the restart of race 1, Carl Fogarty highsides on lap 5, in front of his home crowd. Poor Simon Crafar has nowhere to go and gets taken out.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:26
Size: 36.3MB
Race 2
James Haydon tags Bret Sampson at the start of race 2 and is lucky not to get hit by someone else. Giorgio Cantalupo manages to stay on the bike when they all bunch up.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:46
Size: 19.3MB
Carl Fogarty has another moment, but this time it's Chili who comes off worse.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:59
Size: 24.5MB
Round 8 - A1-Ring
Race 1
At the start of race one, Christian Haüsle's Ducati catches fire on the grid. An interesting fact about Christian: his right leg is cut off below the knee.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:56
Size: 14.7MB
Action at the back of the pack on lap 2. Ossi Niederkircher outbrakes himself, Jiri Mrkyvka crashes, and Julian Ryder attempts to pronounce Mrkyvka's name.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:21
Size: 5.58MB
Race 2
Neil Hodgson gets a nudge at turn one and goes motocrossing.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:58
Size: 15.4MB
Neil has rejoined but crashes out again.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:51
Size: 13.5MB
The luckless Simon Crafar gets torpedoed by Pierfrancesco Chili on lap 8.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:40
Size: 26.8MB
On lap 19, Carl Fogarty tries a do-or-die manouevre on John Kocinski and takes himself out.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:21
Size: 21.3MB
Round 10 - Albacete
Race 1
Scott Russell wipes out Jamie Whitham on lap 9.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:37
Size: 9.86MB
Carl Fogarty crashes on lap 22.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:20
Size: 21.4MB
Race 2
Gregorio Lavilla tries an outrageous move on the two Ducatis at the start and shoves Carl Fogarty into the sand.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:43
Size: 27.6MB
Having rejoined the race, Carl Fogarty crashes again.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:44
Size: 28.0MB
Round 11 - Sugo
Race 2
Piergiorgio Bontempi triggers a massive pile-up at turn two.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 2:56
Size: 46.9MB
A replay of the start crash from the helicopter.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:31
Size: 8.01MB
Scott Russell takes out Japanese wildcard Keiichi Kitagawa and then has a tantrum.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 1:28
Size: 23.5MB
Carl Fogarty crashes on lap 21 and loses the world championship.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:33
Size: 8.48MB
Shinya Takeishi gets sideways on the last lap and crashes into the foam barriers.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:29
Size: 7.63MB
Round 12 - Sentul
Race 1
Pierfrancesco Chili torpedoes another rider, this time Neil Hodgson.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 2:16
Size: 36.4MB
Simon Crafar reaches a new level of bad luck: his mudguard explodes while he's leading his first ever WSB race and he thinks his engine's blown.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 0:52
Size: 13.8MB
John Kocinski gets a bit full of himself on the last lap and shows no mercy to his team-mate Aaron Slight.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 2:16
Size: 36.6MB
Race 2
Simon Crafar's final, and worst, WSB season comes to an end in the worst way possible. On the last lap, he's on course for his only win in 108 races and John Kocinski decides to try the same move on him that he tried on Slight in race one.
Dimensions: 640 x 480
Duration: 3:15
Size: 52.0MB
Thanks to Darcy for the webspace.
It's worth noting that I do have footage of Graeme Ritchie's fatal accident at Brands Hatch, but I won't be posting it.