Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Defending World Champion Raymond Roche and the works Ducati didn't start the new season on an up note; blown motors in both races resulted in zero points. Fred Merkel had little to smile about. .. Continued from page 34 replay of the problem that beset th e team here in 1990. Finally the RC30 . cried enough o n lap 13, locking th e crankshaft up a long the straight o n lap 13. " I decid ed I wasn 't go ing to slo w do wn ," sa id Merkel later , " a nd I ca ught up to th e boys. They were holding me up, I had them on a plat e . , . then it just dumped its gu ts." At the same tim e Phillis was dropping awa y from the lead group as hi s 'spec ial' Michelin rear began to lose gri p. Pi rovano was losin g to uch as th e gustin g win d ra n h im. off the track twice. That left the lead twoso me a nd Pol en smooth ly took ove r the frontrunning spot o n la p 18 a t th e ch ica ne , sp ittin g rain addi ng a nothe r loo se can no n to the eq ua tio n: " I decid ed I'd better go th rough to the lead in case they red-fl ag ged it if the rain reall y came down." . ) But it held off a nd fro m that point, with no pr essure from beh ind to worry about, it ca rne down to a battle . of tactics and eventua lly the last corner. " I had to have a go," said a smil ing • Rymer afterwa rds. " I fired it in there, he tipped in , a nd then I had to let back off to get under him." Rymer ended up on the grass, turned the Yamaha around and got going again to preserve second place, still 16 seco nds a head of Pirovano, Pol en , as usual, admitted no concern : "I kn ew he would have to go, it's the only pl ace he could. I went as deep as anyone - deeper - I wasn 't worried because I kn ew if he went past he'd run wid e and I'd get ba ck past. " Phillis held off McElnea for fourth. Morrison survived a hairy moment on tail-ender Steve Will iams' o il at Goddard - Williams' OWOI ending up in the sand-tra p o n fire - his oil managing to bring Amatriain down. Macken zie strugg led in seventh, th e Honda intermittently popping out of fifth gea r. Teammate Fo ga rt y lasted on ly five la ps before the gear-lin kage broke. One of the best battles was between factory str ugglers Fal appa a nd Manley over an eventual 14th a nd 15th pl ace. Manley, fighting th e d isconcerting tendency of the Tesi to weave a t high speed in th e wind, led th e patentl y unfit Italian bri efly only to nearly go over the back wh en th e front end came up too far as he ga ve it a handful. He bu ckled the front on landing and sett led for a solita ry po int. Race Two Mertens made it a Du cati I-I with his second leg win and it was o ne that the Belgian hadn 't really expected. " It was a little bit of a surprise how easy it was for me in the race. I expected top five or podium, because in practice I had been a bit behind. With a new Former World Champion Fred Merkel, like his Rumi Honda teammate Baldasarre Monti , also had a downer day, fighting crankshaft and head gasket failures. , bike, new tires and a new team you can 't say you are going to win, but I co u ld hope with my ability a nd the Du cati's abi lity." He had a dose of good fort u ne, whi ch was probabl y appropriate, co nsidering hi s first leg fate. Pol en had ranged upon him in a quite o mi nous fashion, only for the Ducati to em it a sma ll puff of smoke a nd lock up as he slipstreamed Mert ens down the back stra ig h t on lap 24. The Belgian literally never looked ba ck to th e checkered flag . Rymer and then McElnea had led ea rl y, but Rymer , who had suffered rear suspe ns ion problem s in race one and now found both ends o ut, was unabl e to sustai n the challenge and fin ish ed fo urth . McEln ea led for severa l laps before hi s wri st - wh ich he'd iced for an hour - again ga ve him probl em s. But he was sti ll able to hold o nto fifth . Merkel a nd Monti both went ou t wi th cra nkshaft failures, lea vin g T eam Chief o rris Farrow with a lot of wor k to ge t the new RC30s righ t for j a rama in four weeks. " Bearings, I think," said Fa rro w in the g loo m y bowels of the Rum i garage, " I don 't know wh a t it is, bu t the o il tem pera tu re is way too h igh a nd the wa ter tem perature has been too high for the co nditions. "The bi kes ha ven 't been tested in . tru e European superbike co nd itio ns before we go t them, " he conti nued. "T he J a panese test rider is good, but not as good as o ur two r iders. Our o ther problem is spare parts - we don ' t ha ve a ny. I' ll be o n the ph o ne to japan in half -an -hour. " T he lead er of most of th is race was none of the a bo ve riders, th ou gh . It was Phill is who led most of th e wa y, pu ll ing the best move of the da y by pa ssin g bo th Pol en a n d Merten s around the o u tside brak in g for th e chicane o n h is way from seven th to first after seven laps. But br ak e ho t-spotting ca use d a vibration which sto pped him brak in g ri ght into the apex of the corn er, a nd hi s hard-w on 1.4 second adva ntage was gradua ll y eroded by the two Duca ti riders . In th e end, o nce Phill is had been pu sh ed asi de, Merten s a n d Pol en sett led down to a ding-d ong battle wh ich seemed certain to go to the flag. , But lik e Mert en s in race one, Pol en ended up onl y with a new lap record - 1:37:89 - a nd no points. Roche earned a " Bra vo" and a hug from Lu cchinelli for a br ave rid e to second, H e expect s to be full y fit for jarama. T eammate Falappa will al so have to look forward to Spain, a stretched chain end ing his run. Rounding out a mis erabl e day for Italian riders, Pirovano could manage only eigh th as hi s Michelin rear went away, hi s decision not to go back to the standard tire lik e Phillis working against him, Morrison and Mackenzie at separa ted him from McElnea. Results RACE ONE: 1. Do ug Pol en (Due ); 2. Terry Rym er (Yam ); 3. Fabriz io Pi ro van o ( Yam): 4. Rob Philfis (Ya m ); 6. Bria n Morriwn (Yam) ; 7. Nia ll Macken zie (H o n ); 8. Ray S tri nger (Yam]: 9. J. doVries (Va m); Reynolds (Kaw); 11. Md la (H o n ); 12. C. Lav iel 0 (Due); 13. F.dwin Wel})(ol (H a n ); 14. Gianca rlo Fa lappa (Due); 15. Steve Ma nl 0 mph Margm o(Vieto ry: 3:32 sec. Fast tst La p; Stephane Merten s, 1:37:98. 91.85 mph RA CE TWO: I. Srephane Mert en s {Due) : 2. Ra ym on d Roche (Due); 3. Rob Phillis [ Ka w ]: 4. T erry R ym er (Yam); 5. Rob McEIrn:a (Ya m); 6. Bria n Mo rr iso n (Ya m); 7. Ni al1 Mackenzie (H o n ); 8. Fabrizio Pirovano (Ya m); 9. Ca rl Fog art y (Ho n ); 10. J. deVries (Yam ); II. J. Mella (Ho n ); 12. J. Reyn olds ( Ka w): 13. D. Ama triai n (Ho n): 14. Edwi n Weibel (He n ): 15. L Ma u rel (Yam): 16. P. Rabau c (Yarn): 17. T . Bourne (Ka w ); 18, R. Delab y (H o n): 19. M. Mar es-ali i (Yam ); 20. Steve Ma nl ey (Bim ); 21. R. Bon ha ll (Yam) ; 22. W. Anmann (Yam). Time: .41 m in .• 20:65 sec. DisUlncc: 25 laps. 62.50 miles A"cra$e Speed : 90.69 m ph Margm o(Victory: 3:47 M'C • • Fa..... Lap: Doug Pol en. 1;37:82. 91.93 m p h (now record ). WORLD C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS; I. Tal')' Rymer (30 ); 2. Rob Phill i!> (28); 3. Fab rizio Piro van o (23); 4. Rob MeF.lnea (22); 5, (TIF. ) Do u g Polen / Stephane Mertens/Brian Mor rison (20); 8. Nia ll Mack en zie (18); 9. Ra ym ond Roch e (17); 10. J, do Vries ( 13); I I. (Tl F.) J. Reynol ds/Mella ( 10); 13, Ra y Stringer (8); 14. Car r Fogarty (7); 15. Edwin Weibel (5) ; 16. C. Lavi eile (4); 17. U. Amatrtai n (3); 18. Gianca rlo Falappa (2); 19. (Tl F.) S. S,

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