Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Biland and Waltisberg (2) lead winners Steve Webster/Tony Hewitt (1) and Egbert Streuer/Bernard Schnieders (3) at the start of the Sidecar GP. and the '89 version, Rainey said. "Last year I was learning, this year I'm racing." Schwantz thought for a while there was a chance of catching up. "I caught hi~ for two or three laps, but he put his head down and got going. I was pushing the bike hard and had to calm down. The bike ran good, but I don't think we had the suspension set up right. It was sliding." 250cc Qualifying "I did all my laps on that tire," polesitter and Ja~ese GP winner' John Kocinski saId. "Those guys are using qualifying tires. That Ruggy (Ruggia) guy's tires looked like bubble gum when they pulled them off. " The ever-confident Kocinski had turned a 1:30.163 in the second session for an average speed of 87.681 mph on the Dunlop-clad Yamaha YZR250. Second quickest was Italian Luca Cadalora on the Marlboro Yamaha, clocking a 1:30.248 in the final session. Frenchman Ruggia .(1:30.331) was the third Yamaha rider on' the front row despite a last session practice crash in turn two. Defending U.S. GP champion Filice (1:30.486) was the first Honda rider on the grid, joined by defending World Champion Pons (1:30.598). Row two housed Garriga (1:30.693), Cardus (1:30.946), Cornu (1:30.956) and Roth (1:3I.365). The first eight qualifiers were on the same' second. The 36th and final 250cc qualifier, Jean-Francois Balde, was only some three seconds off Kocinski's pace, a far cry from the 500cc grid. "You use different lines and different .gearbox and gearing," Filice said of the track changes. "It's different but it's the same." AMA regulars who qualified, besides the factory bikes of Kocinski and Filice, included: Alan Carter (18th), Rich Oliver (19th), Thomas Stevens (32nd), Ric1Iard Moore (34th) and Donnie Greene (35th). "I don't think Filice will be able to take off like last time," Kocinski said. "I feel confident I can run whatever pace those guys run. If the tires work good, the bike works good and I keep my concentration I'll be okay. I hope it clouds up so the tires work better. We'll see how it turns _ OUL" 250cc Grand Prix Cloud up it did. At the start of the 32-lap GP it was a cool and overcast 57 degrees on the Monterey Peninsula. One had to rub one's eyes to realize it wasn't deja vu as Filice again shot into the lead in the same manner as last year. The Californian put his head down and appeared to be able to once again leave the others behind. At the end of the first lap, Filice led Cornu with a three-second ~p to Cardus, Pons, Kocinski, GarrIga, Roth, Ruggia and Cadalora. Cornu was staying with the Michelin-using Filice qn the Dunlop-clad Lucky Strike. Honda, and together they were making a break for it. Pons faded quickly to sixth, and came under the. strong challenge of Cadalora, but the Italian ran into the corkscrew too hard and had to exit via the curbing on the inside. By lap five Filice led Cornu, who was now under pressure from Cardus and Kocinski. A gap behind came Garriga, Pons, Ruggia and a remotivated Cadalora. A lap later and both Cardus and Kocinski were past Cornu, with . Cardus doing the honor in tum five and Kocinski diving under the Swissman in turn 10. On the sixth lap, Filice started to feel the consequences of a bad tire choice - he had spotted the cloud cover and picked too soft a compound. The problem became evident when he ran onto the dirt exiting turn three. Kocinski, meanwhi-le, shot past Cardus and immediately started after Filice. It didn't take long and on the 12th lap Kocinski barged up the inside of Filice in turn two, taking the lead that would last to the finish. Garriga, showing his 1988 form after two mediocre performances in Japan and Australia (10th and' fourth), was on the move and would shortly take over the third spot. He would later crash in tum two while reeling in Filice, tearing tendons in a finger. With Garriga out of the picture, Cadalora and Pons continued to struggle over third place with Cadalora eventually prevailing. The Italian closed to within just over two seconds of Filice, but the American by this point was feeling secure in second spot. Pons came home a lonely fourth, but well pleased in putting Garriga many points behind. It now appears to be a two-horse, Pons/Cadalora, race in the 250cc World Championship. The battle for fifth went to the wire with Cornu and Cardus battling - Cornu got past prior to turn lIon the final go-around, but it was Cardus winning the race to the flag. Kocinski was on' the pegs and pumping his fists into his chest as he made the victory lap. He was recovering from the flu and had received injections of glucose base and water from doctors to fight fatigue. It was also part of a fluidreplacement testing program that physiotherapist Dean Miller is work109 on for the Roberts team in preparation for the Suzuka Eight Hour. Kocinski was rushed from the post-race press conference back to the paddock where he had blood taken to check the chemical balance. "I was worried at first when 'Jimbo' (Filice) got away," Kocinski said. "I didn't know where to pass the Europeans. I stayed behind him until I was able to make a break and things worked out okay." "It was my exact game plan," Filice said. "I got a good start and broke away. I think I got the tire hot in the beginning and it staned skating around. I thought it would stay overcast and I chose a softer tire. I should have chosen a harder one, but it was my choice. I'm happy. It's only my third GP. It was a good race and I knew I wasn't going to be able to leave John." Olivet was the top finisher of the other AMA competitors, finishing 20th. Moore ended up 23rd with Greene 24th and Alan Carter 26th. Stevens retired with a broken power valve. Sidecar GP The stan of the sidecar GP saw Switzerland's pole-sitting brothers Markus and Urs Egloff take the early lead. Egloff led the way followed initially by Rolf Biland and Kun Waltisperg and eventually by Webster/Hewitt. . Egloff would lead until the ninth lap, opening a gap as large as six seconds at one pomt. On the lOth lap, however, Webster took over and would hold the lead to the finish. Biland took over the second spot on the 17th lap but would begin a fade on the 21st lap that eventually saw him coast to a stop on the start straight with a suspected grenading piston. From there it was a struggle for second as Egloff and Michel went at it, with Michel making the pass stick in turn lion the 27th lap. That order held La the end of the 30-lap GP with the Japanese/Swiss team of Masato Kumano/Markus Fahrni holding on for fourth. The English pair of Barry Brindley/Grahame Rose filled the top five. • Results o 500cc: 1. Wayne Rainey (Yam); 2. Kevin Schwantt (Suz); 3. Eddie Lawson (Hon): 4. Kevin Magee (Yam); 5. Niall Mackenzie (Yam); 6. Christian Sarron (Yam); 7. P.F. Chili (Hon); 8. Michael Doohan (Hon); 9. Bubba Shobert (Hon); 10. Oominique Sarron (Hon); 11. Ale.sandro Vale.i (Yam); 12. Marco Gentile (Fiori; 13. Simon Buckmaster (Hon); 14. Bruno Kneubuhler (Hon); 15. Micheel Rudroff (Han). RACE DISTANCE: 40 laps. B8 mile•. TIME: 58 min•.• 56.179 sec. AVERAGE SPEED: 89.425 mph. 25Occ: 1. John Kocin.ki (Yam): 2. Jimmy Filice (Hon); 3. Luca Cadalora (Yam); 4. Silo Pons (Hon); 5. Carlos Cardu. (Hon); 6. Jacques Cornu (Han); 7. Jean.Phili""" Ruggia (Yam); 8. Reinhold Roth (Hon); 9. Lo"s Regianni (Hon); 10. Masahiro Shimizu (Hon); 11.lvan Palazzese(Apr); 12. Alberto Puig (Hon); 13. Jochen Schmid (Hon); 14. Didier de Radigue. (Apr); 15. Gary Cowen (Yam). RACE DISTANCE: 32 lap•• 70.4 miles. TIME: 48 min... 19.96 sec. AVERAGE SPEED: 87.23 mph. SIDECAR: 1. Ste.. Webster (Kra); 2. Alain Michel (Kra); 3. Marcu. Egloff (Yam); 4. Masato Kumano (Yam); 5. Barry Brindley (Kra); 6. Yoshisada Kumegaya (Yam); 7. Fritz Stolzle (Kra); 8. Alfred Zurbruw (Yam); 9. Bernard Scherer (Kra); 10. Rene Progin (Kra); 11. Wolfgang Stropek (!(ra); 12. Doug Drew (JPX); 13. Tony B.er (Yam); 14, Gary Thomas (Kra); 15. Oarek Jones (Yam). RACE DISTANCE; 30 laps. 66 miles. TIME; 46 mins.. 48.240 sec. 500cc WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANO· INGS: 1. Wayne Rainey (54); 2. Eddie Lawson (41); 3. Kevin Schwantz/Kevin Ma_ (37); 5. Christian Sarron (34); 6. Wayne Gardner (33); 7. Niall Mackenzie (21); 8. Tadahiko Taira (18); 9. Michael Doohan (16~ 10. Ron Haslam (13). 250cc WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Sito Pons (50); 2. Luca Codatora (45); 3. John Kocinski (40); 4. J.P. RUlIlIia (37); 5. Carlos Cordu. (28); 6. Jacques Cornu (27); 7. Jimmy Filice (22); 8. Reinbold Roth/Juan Garrige (19); 10. Toshihiko Honma (13). SfDECAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Webster (20); 2. Michel (17); 3. Egloff (15); 4. Kumano (13); 5. Brindley (11); 6. Kumegaya (10); 7. Stolzle (9); 8. Zurbrugg (8); 9. Scherer (7): 10. Progin (6); 11. Str_k (5); 12. Drew (4); 13. Baker (3); 14. Thomas (2); 15. Jones (1). 9

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