Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

It's a 50-50 deal. Last year I won Daytona because I rode well and I had the best mechanic there at that particular time. And that same thing is gonna hold true for the Yoshimuras. Nabe can't work on all three of the bikes. They are going to have to have some mechanics and I don't know who they are_ They could have problems. Then there is the bad will and ill feeling that their team practices create. They insist on having a number one rider, which means that they have to have a number two and a number three rider. In 1979 the selected number one rider was Wes, and he got all the best stuff. For example, at Daytona 1979 our machines were basically equal, but Wes had a couple horsepower advantage. But David Erode was the number three rider and he had a left-over-from-1978 machine that wasn't nearly as good as ours. Team Moriwaki/Kawasaki I don't know about Moriwalti's superbike chassis but I know that his engine should be very powerful. I understand he has equivalent powe!" ~c the Yoshi"lUra machines. So his engines are going to be very fast, and t'hey will be very tough competi.tion at Daytona. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for Moriwaki. If he can put together a number one effoTt for Daytona, he is gonna be a problem. Both of his riders, Pat Eagan and Masaki Tokuno will be tough. Eagan always rides the wheels off everything he gets on, and the only reason nobody outside of Cali· fornia has heard of him is that he has never had a decent Superbike ride. I've seen that guy ride since he brought his Triumph half-miler out to the club races in about 1975, and he is very good. If he didn't ride trashy bikes all the time he could win some races. With Moriwaki maybe he'll be able to get a good ride in. Tokuno went fast at Suzuka, qualifying second fastest, but crashed. And that was a Japanese track he had experience on. The trouble with Japanese riders coming to Daytona for the first time is that they tend to try so hard to do well that they get in over their heads and crash in a banzai attack. Maybe Tokuno can keep his cool and not do that. Still, the Daytona speedway is a simple track but very difficult to go real fast on. Experience is going to show there. Tokuno hasn't ridden there, and neither has Eagan. That will be a tremendous factor as far as they're concerned_ As far as confidence goes, going into corners, because like I said, the track surface is different than that of any other racetrack in the world. I've never raced on a racetrack that has the same kind of surface. You have to build yqur confidence up there and I think that your confidence comes with experience at Daytona_ Team Kawasaki Team Kawasaki will have Gregg Hansford of Australia and Eddie Law- son riding bikes prepared by Donny Dove with advice from Randy Hall. The new bikes have trick heads on engines built by the Kawasaki factory, with two spark plugs per cylinder. Kawasakis sometimes have problems finishing races. The bikes last year seemed to be fast and handle relatively well. I've done battle with Gregg Hansford before at Daytona and he's probably one of the most respected competitors there. He is one of the ,hardest brakers in the history of grabbing motorcycle brakes. He's a very strong rider and never gives up. He's going to be a very tough competitor if Kawasaki has the power for Daytona. They haven't had the power in the past. They haven't had quite enough power but Hansford should add a couple horsepower to their motorcycle. I think Hansford will Kawasaki Motors Superbike By Pat Eagan Kawasaki uses many parts from the old KR750 road racers. Morris magnesium wheels are pirated from the works two-stroke along with the brakes. Suspension Is handled by special S&W shocks at the rear while the front end is basically standard KZ1000 Mk. II with some modifications to the damping. Uke almost everyone else. the factory uses the 31mm Kelhln CR carburetors. These feed the heads which have been ported and polished by Jerry Branch and modified to use two spark plugs per cylinder. Valves are opened by special camshafts supplied by Kawasaki Japan. Ignition is handled on one bike by special Kawasaki COl and by total loss system on the other bike using standard Mk. II parts. Yoshimura pistons apply pressure to the standard Mk. II crankshaft. Power flow through the close-ratlo gearbox is transmitted by a standard shaft drive clutch, Both bikes use Karker exhaust systems. Riding one of the Kawasakis will be the Australian Gregg Hansford. If thare is anyone who can consistently outbrake him. we want to know who he is. Backing up Hansford is the southern CIhifomIa rocket who has established lap records at every track he reced. on both his TZ2SO and now on his Superbike. Eddie Lawson. be the strongest member of the Kawasaki team. Lawson may be good but I'll go with Hansford being Kawasaki's fastest rider at Daytona. The Kawasaki Superbikes were fast last year, but I think it was more acceleration and handling. I don't know if they have the brute horsepower to go down the long straightaway. When we got on the faster tracks, when we went to Pocono my lap times were about four seconds a lap quicker than the second quickest guy, and that was ~ith a long straightaway, so I think that Kawasaki may be lacking on that brute horsepower to go down the long straights. I have yet to see that kind of power from Kawasaki. Team Honda Riding with me on the Team Honda Superbikes will be Steve McLaughlin and Freddie Spencer. I can't say enough about how Honda is treating their riders. This year Honda increased my salary by about 1000% compared to what Suzuki paid me to ride the Yoshimura machines last year. I'm getting paid very good money, and this puts a big smile on my face and gives me more confidence and fewer headaches. Last year I made an awful lot of money riding for the Yoshimuras, but based on prize money, not salary. This year Honda has guaranteed me more money before the season starts than I won all last year. Plus I get my prize money and bonus money. Honda is laking the pressure off its riders by paying them a salary that they can live with and they can travel with, enough money to support a family and a home and not be in a financial pressure situa- tion. Honda has a great deal of respect for motorcycle racing and motorcycle racers. Honda people in Japan told me that their company was based on competition and racing, and that they wanted to pay their riders well because a rider's career was far too shoTt. That was an outlook I'd never heard before from any motorcycle manufacturer, and it made me feel quite good to be on the team. Steve and Freddie feel the same way. Our job is to beat the Yoshimuras. Right now, Pops is king, and I've switched brands. Honda is a very KOOd company and nothing would prease me more than to dethrone Pops and his stronghold on the Daytona Superbike race. I want to win that race again. Just as in the case of the GP bikes, the question is time. I know that my Honda Superbike is better than any other superbike I've ever ridden in both br4ko and handling. It steers quick like a 250. It stops like nothing I've ever ridden. It definitely has Diu' Brakes, and Okimeans big inJapanese. About the power, I'm not so sure. I know it is close to what we had with Yoshimura last year, but is it close enough? Can we get more before Daytona? I don't know. I hope so. Between Steve and myself we've won three Daytona Superbike races. Steve knows Daytona. Freddie ran a Ducati in founh at Daytona last year until it· broke, and he was hurting on horsepower. If we have the power, my stiffest competition could come from my own teammates_ If we don't have the same or more power as everyone else, nothing we do will win that race, unless everybody else blows up or crashes. Power is where it is at. We'll know soon enough. Team'lUcecraftenlKawaaaki Team Racecraften is Harry Klinzmann on a Racecraften Kawasaki. I've known Harry'for a long time, and I helped him when he tint started racing. I've always really like Harry and the only disadvantage he has is that his legs are too long. If he can keep those things out of the breeze. he's gonna be a threat at Daytona. He's just genoa get better and better. The whole point is if Racecrafters can get his bike up to speed. I don't know why, but I never heard anything about their machine. Last year part way through the season their bike was starting to perform quite well; Steve McLaughlin was riding for them. I just don't know what they've got this year. But I know that Harry's got the ability to ride right up front. Chuck Parme/Kawaaaki Chuck Parme, on a private Kawasaki tuned by his brother Larry, is without a doubt the most potent unsponsored rider in the country. At Sean Point last year, Chuck finished futh, beating a lot of fast guys including Reg Pridmore. Larry has one of the most organized and effective race preparation and preventative maintenance programs in racing, and Chuck's bike is always immaculate and very fast. It handles good, too. Parme is top 10 material, easy, even though he is a new rider to Daytona_ OtherguJS Somebody I haven't talked about. like John Bettencourt on the Yoshimura East Suzuki or Roberto Pietri on a non,factory, back-door-support Honda will probably show up near the front, just to show that I don't know everything. OK. I'm no astrologer. I have no crystal ball. I can only guess according to what I know and believe, and that is what I've done here_ Remember, they hold races to settle this kind of argument, to figure out who really will win. I plan to be there in winner's circle again this year. See you there. • ; 11II • ~ E o 00 0") 19

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