Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

important thing for me is tha t Loris and Card us were mo re than th ree seconds behind in the second leg." The only thing Zeelenberg sa id he'd changed between races was tires. Reggiani said he didn 't even do that. " The bike was going very , very good for the first race. I think in Europe we could be on the podi um every race," Reggiani said. The differ ence, he found, between his Aprilia and the H ondas was o n acceleratio n. "I lose something going o u t of th e co rners. Top speed is co m pe titive," he said. Cardus, still upset over th e star t, had the matter taken up with the race director, but to no ava i l. He would have to settl e for fourth and go on to his home GP in Spain. Fifth-place finish er Shimizu, wh o speaks very little English, said he'd encountered no problem s with either the NSR Honda or h is tire s. Th e 29-year-old Preining, who finished sixth overa ll , earned himself a motorcycle. The Austrian had co me to Laguna without a spare mach in e, but aft er th e race he was offered a spa re sta nda rd mach in e by Ap rilia . He was especiall y happy abo ut fin ish ing the first leg in sixth pl ace a head of the factory Aprilia of Ch il i. In the second leg he said he knew he had Wimmer beaten on overall tim e a nd didn 't . a ttack him. " It's our third GP. Now we've made so me progress," a pl eased Wim mer said. " T he chassis is p rett y close now . The Hondas a re not so fast in the corners. We need accelerat ion in firs t Ita lian Lu C2 Cadalora wo n his third successive 250cc G P after winning both segments of the red -flag interrupted race. a nd seco nd gear. T hey were bett er tha n my bik e o u t onto th e straight and o u t of th e Co r kscrew." He also said tha t WHco Zeelenberg (5) leads Carlos Cardus in their ba ttle for second place. Cadalora takes l101e,~gJ=ain -- _ _ = R o th mans Honda's Luca Cadalora kept alive his perfect qualifying record for 1991 with ' a third consecutive pole position, hi s I:29.0!W the fastest time by more than half a second, but slower than the time he set to win the pole at the U.S. Grand Prix last yea r. " The track is not the same as last year, it seems much more slippery," Cadalora said after nearly crashing in the first untimed practice session and sporting a red mark across his neck where he hit the edge of the windscreen. By the third timed session he was consistently the fastest and any of four laps wou ld have put him on the pole. "We had some problems this morning because the surface was not so grippy, " the 27-year-old Italian said. "The afternoon was much better." Qualifying was held mostly in cool weather and because of that. getting heat into the tires, especially the right side , was a problem. In order to improve grip, Cadalora's crew chief, Erv Kanernoto, had asked Michelin to cut di agonal razorthin grooves into the tires at three-inch intervals. "It will be a very careful race," Cadalora predicted. " I don 't want to take too much risk. " Qualifying second, in something of a surprise, was Aprilia Unlimited's Loris Reggiani with a time of 1:29,657 on his final quarifying lap. Reggiani, 31, said he'd changed bikes with five minutes left in q ualifying, had found the settings perfect on Iris second 'bike, and Had reeled off a perfect lap. " The lap was perfect, but to do 1:29.657 was out of my dream," he said. Equally surprising was the third fastest qualifier, Martin Wimmer in his third race on tile Lucky Strike Suzuki. A 1:29.936 put him in the middle of the first row. . "When they told me my new time I told them it wasn't true, but it was," the 33-year-old German veteran said after setting the time with less than five minutes left in practice. "We tried some new settings in the last session and six minutes before the end of the session I put on a new tire." Dutchman Wilco Zeelenberg .was fourth fastest on the Samson-Sharp Honda with Spaniard Carlos Cardus filling out the front row on the Repsol Honda. Cardus was using a combination front brake system with one carbon and one iron rotor. "It gives more power and that's very important because I am harder on the brakes than most riders. " The fastest American, in 15th place, was Jimmy Filice in possibly his last ride on the Gallina Yamaha. The former U.S. GP winner was struggling with engine and gearbox settings and turned his fastest laps in the second timed session after replacing the Yamaha "speed kit" exhaust pipes with the stock pipes. "In the final session we put different parts in the motor and went a second slower," Filice said .after posting a best lap of 1:31.509. "Two years ago I did a '29, so I'm two seconds off." Other Americans who qualified for the 34-rider field were Chris D'Aluisio, 21st; Allan Scott, 25th; Nick Ienatsch, 28th ; Rick Kirk, 31st; and Mike Sullivan, 32nd. Canadians Jon Cornwell and Rick Tripodi were 30th and 33rd , respectively. th ey've learned mor e fro m the th ree races than a ll of th e testing th ey d id before th e season . " When there a re o the rs a rou n d yo u ca n know the direction you 're going." . Eighth overall went to Bradl who said he kn ew he cou ld ha ve stayed with the leaders if not for the " brain less" Casoli who 'd cras hed in front of him on the opening la p of the first leg. Earn ing h is fir st cha m p io n sh i p points of the year after a pair of nonfini shes was nint h- placed Alex Crivill e. The 21-year-old . Spaniard had recently spe nt two da ys in a Ba rcelo na hospi tal wi th a fever a nd his H on da RS250 engine was also shi pped back to Spain for so me restora tive work. " We're fin ally ma ki ng some progr ess with the engine tuning a nd it's workin g well now ," he said. CN Results - 17. J ea n.Pi""" je~ndat ( 1:51:899); 18. Albert o Pui g (1:52. 151); 19. Stelan Prein ( 1:52. 175); 20. Berna rd Haenggeli (1:52.198); 21. Chris D'Alu sio (1:52.429): 22. Frederic Protat (1:52.500); 23. Leon V.D.H eyden (1:52.688); 24. Kevin Mitch ell (1:55.006); 25. Allan Scott ( 1:55.200); 26. Uri j ucker (1:55.449); 27. Ja ime Mari an o (1:55.888): 28. Nick leu arsch (1:55.994); 29. Co rra do Ca talano (1:54.458): 50. J o n Cornwell ( 1:54.69 1); 51. Rick K" k (1:54.880): 52. Mike Sulli van ( 1:56. 155): 55. Rick T ripodi ( 1:56.542): 54. Ia n Newt on (1:36.546). 25Oa: GP: I. Lu ra Cadalora (H on ); 2. Wilro . Zeelen berg (Hon); 5. Lo ris Reggia ni (Apr); 4. Ca rlos Car dus (Hon ): 5. Masah iro Sh imiz u (Hon ); 6. Andy . Preining (Apr); 7. Manin Wimm er (Sw); 8. Helmu t Bradl (Ho n ); 9. Alex Criville (Co b); 10. J och en Schmi d (Ho n); II . j ean -Pierre Jeandat (Hon ); 12. Ca r los Lavado (Ya m ); 13. Doriana Ro mbo n i (Ho n); 14. H ara ld Eckl (Apr): 15. Stefan Prein (Ho n): 16. Ji m Filice (Ya m); 17. Berna rd H aen ggeJi (Apr); 18. U" Ju cker (Ya m); 19. Leon V.D. H eyden (H o n); 20. Jaime Ma riano (Apr); 2 1. Nick Iena tsch (Yam ); 22. Chris D'Alu sio (Yam ); 25. Rick Kirk (Ya m); 24. Crooado Catalan o (Hon); 25. Jo n Corn well (Yam); 26. Mike Su lli van (Ya m ); 27. Ian New lo n (Yam ); 28. Pier-Fran cesco Chil i (Apr): 29. Albert o Puig 25Oa: Q UAUFYING : I. Lu ra Cada lor a (1:29.05); 2. Lo ris Reg gia n i ( 1:29.657); 3. Martin Wi mmer (1:29.956); 4. Wilro Zeelen berg (1:29.984): 5. Carlos Card us ( I:50.oo l ); 6. Hel mu t Bradl (1:50. 105); 7. Pi erFra n ce sco Chili ( I:30 .262);8. Andy Pr e in ing (1:50.6841; 9. Masahiro Shim izu (1:50.856); 10. Carlos Lavado (1:51.286): I I. Alex Criville ( 1:51.52 1): 12. J och e n Schmid ( 1:5 1.5 60); 15. Pa o lo Ca soli (1:5 1.366); 14. Har ol d Eckl (1:51.408): 15. Jimm j' Filice (I :51.509r. 16. Dorian o Rom boni ( 1 : 5 1. 67 1~ Fastest Lap: Lura Cada tora. 1:29.912. La p 14. 25Oa: WORLD C-SH IP POINT STANDINGS: (Yam) ; .!SO. Frederi c Pro tat (Ap r ); 31. Kevin Mitch dl (Yam); 52. Alla n Scou (Ya m); 55. Rick Tripodi (Yam ). Time of Race: 45 min .• 7.590 sec. Disaance: 30 laps, 65.88 m iles. Average Speed : 87.594 mp h. 1 Lu ra Cada lora (60) : 2. (TIE) Wilro Zeelenbe rF; Carl os Cardus (45): 4. Helm ut Brad l (54): 5. Lo ris Regg ia n i (33); 6. (TIE) Ma sahiro Shim izu/Alex Prein in g (19); 8. J ochen Schmid (17); 9. Taguchi (15): 10. (TI E) Aoki / Manin Wimmer ( II): 12. (T IE) T . Har ada lP.F. Ch ili/) . jeandar/Carlos Lavad o (10): 16. (TIE ) Alex Cnvillel Paolo Casoh (7); 18. Udagawa (6); 19. KOLOno (5): 20. Na mba t-t). 11

• Cover