Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Fred Merkel (1) lead. overall winner Malcolm Campbell. Merkel won the first race but crashed in the second after it had rained. American Dan Chivington IC) cra.hed out of contention in the second leg while trying to avoid hitting a downed Merkel. Neither rider was injured. International Superbif(e Masters Aussie tops Yanks in Down Under RR By Bruce Newton Photos by Lou Martin/Photocycle MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, SEPT. 21 Camel Pro Road Racing Champion Fred Merkel had his chances of victory washed away in the Coca-Cola International Superbike Masters at Keilor International Raceway. Merkel riding a VF rather , d b than. VFR750 prepare . y Amencan Honda, won the fust 25-lap heat race but crashed 10 without injury in wetconditionsduring the second heat. That handed the overall victory to Team Honda Australia's Malcolm Campbell on a VFR750. The veteran rode two intelligent races in the changeable conditi?ns while hisrivals fell down around hIm. BesIdes Merkel those rivals included 28-year·old Ohio motorcyde dealer and top AMA pri· vateer Dan Chivington and Texan ~ttis Lance, both aboard ~o~ Ra~109 Yamaha FZ750s. ChlvlOgton s chances were destroyed by a second leg crash, while Lance fell in both races. The other international star on hand was Japanese Formula One Champion Satoshi Tsujimoto who rode a Yoshimura R&D built Suzuki GSXR750 Limited Edition. Tsujimoto, who impressed all with a fine ride in the Daytona 200 this year, had little chance to show his best in Australia, with bad luck dogging him all day. Qualifying for the AUS$ 10,000 race showed the field to be intensely competitive, with just 1.64 seconds separating the top 10 qualifiers on the newly extended and renovated 2.4 kilometer circuit. Australian Michael Dowson took the pole on his Marlboro Yamaha Dealer Team FZ750 (59.48) followed by Merkel (59.70), Tsujimoto(59.80), Dowson's teammate Kevin Magee (59.98), Campbell (60.63), Craig Trinder (60.85), Chivington (60.90), Team Honda Australia's lain Pero (61.08), five-time Australian Superbike champ Rob Phillis (61.08), and Lance (61.12). Practice had shown that Tsujimoto's bike, fitted with an engine that he brought with him £rom Japan, was the fastest in a straight line, while the U.S. Honda and Yamaha were also quick with the best of the Australian machinery not far behind. The regulations for Superbike in Australia and the United States are very similar, with the AMA allowing £ront suspension £reedoms while Australian rules dictated standard forks. The locals were allowed to uprate front suspension units if they wished. The first heat, run in dry, sometimes sunny but very windy conditions saw a sensational early race battle between Merkel, Campbell and the two Marlboro Yamahas. Keilor is essentially two long straights connected by some tight bits and it was at the end of the straights that most passing was taking place. Magee, rated by many as the best up and coming rider in Australia, passed all three of his rivals to go from fourth to first in one hit at the end of the back straight on lap six. By this stage Tsujimoto had been forced out with what was diagnosed as a cracked spark plug. Lance and Pero were next to go, crashing in the esses when Trinder dragged a knee through a puddle and sen t water spraying under their heeled over front wheels. Neither were hurt but they were out until the second heat. The toll mounted when both Marlboro Yamaha riders fell at the end of the straight. Magee ran into Campbell's rear wheel and crashed while Dowson bailed avoiding his teammate. Both were unhurt but only Dowson's machine was able to be repaired in time for the second heat. All that had happened in just seven laps, leaving Campbell and Merkel with a clear lead over Chivington and Trinder while Rob PhiIlis was in a distant and disappointing fifth place. The two leaders were cruising in the61-second bracket, Merkel because he was mothering a soft rear Dunlop slick to prevent it going 0(£ while Campbell had an ignition problem, which was killing off the bike's topend horsepower. Frustratingly, it was an inconsistent thing, sometimes happening and sometimes not. Trinder had claimed third place for good on lap 15 as Chivington's throttle wrist pumped up while Phillis and Glenn Taylor filled out the top six a long way back. On lap 21 Merkel made his decisive move, out-braking Campbell at the end of the kilometer long front straight and cutting a series of 60 and 59-second laps to win by close to two seconds. Behind him, the rest of the order remained the same. Between the heat Campbell complained about the strong wind and also of shock fade, but his main prob- lem was not getting to the checkered flag first: "I hate getting beaten, particularly by a bloody Yank." The 'bloody Yank' in question was exuding confidence after his first heat win, particularly as he was going to a harder compound rear tire for the second heat: "There ain't nothing going tl? beat us now - no way," said Merkel. Merkel's definition of nothing obviously didn't include the rain storm which swept the track 20 minutes before the second leg was due to get underway. Mass confusion reigned, as riders decided between intermediates or wets, Merkel even went for a lap of the track in a car to inspect the surface and elected to go for full wets, as did virtually everyone else, although it was no longer raining. Tsujimoto was the only star not to go with wets, his team taking too long to make up its mind, leaving him with a full slick on the rear and a hand-grooved slick on the front as they blasted away from the line. Lance was having his first race on full wets and it didn't take him long to find their limit and go over it, crashing in the extremel y greasy esses first time through: "Those rain tires aren't all they're made out to be," the cheerful Texan said later. Uninjured, he quickly remounted dead last, as a fired-up Phillis and a surprisingly quick Taylor led. Campbell and Merkel, the two title protagonists were fourth and sixth at this stage. Chivington was seventh and Tsujimoto 10th. Taylor hit the lead and then hit the deck, low-siding in the esses to retire on lap four, while Trinder followed him down the road in the same comer seconds laterl That left Phillis with a strong lead over Campbell, Dowson, Merkel, Pero, Chivington, Honda CB750 mounted Brad Heywood and Tsujimoto. Merkel was charging in the wet conditions, out-braking Campbell at the end of the back straight for second, then much to the delight of the parochial crowd Merkel low-sided and slid onto the grass in the esses. To make mallers worse, Chivington also crashed, missing the apex for the next corner after watching Merkel fall. Both were okay. It was Merkel's third fall of the meeting, having run off at low speed on Friday and tipped over in some mud. His first crash was his most spectacular, happening on Thursday in the pit lane, when he was knocked off the bike by a fence cross-bar he failed to seel Once Campbell realized that Merkel had not gotten back up and kept riding he knocked orr the pace, allowing both Dowson and Pero by after Phillis. As the track dried off a little and became greasy rather than wet Pero was able to use the superior torque of his VFR to get past the in-line fours of Phillis and Dawson and set about creating a race winning lead. Tsujimoto became the final victim of the esses but quickly got going again and as the track started drying he became by far the fastest man still competing.. Behind Pero at the checkered came Dowson, Phillis, Coca Cola International Superbike master Campbell, Tsujimoto, Trinder and Lance. • Results 1ST HEAT: 1. Fred Merkel (Hon); 2. Melcolm C8mpbell(Hon); 3. Chrio Trinder (Suz); 4. Den ChlvingIon (Vom): 5. Rob Phlllio (Suz); 6. G. Toylor (Suz); 7. T. Arm01rong (Suz): 8. 8. Heywood (Hon~ 9. K. Richardo (Suz); 10. 8. Thompoon (Yom). 2ND HEAT: 1. "In Pero (Hon): 2. M. Dowoon (Yom); 3. Phillis; 4. C8mpbetl; 5. S. Toujimoto (Suz); 8. Trinder: 7. Ottio (Yom); 8. Arm01rong: 9. Thompoon; 10. K. Rlc:hordo. OVERALL: 1. C8mpbell (20); 2. Phillis (18t 3. Pero(15);4. Triclner(151; 5. MertceI(15):8. Dowoon (12); 7. ChMngIon (8); 8. Armotrong (7~ 9. ToujlmiJco 18); 10. Toylor (5). unce

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