Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ning to make his move on them from a distance. "1 got a very bad start, but we had taken a chance with tire choice and it was working very well," Barros said. "So 1 was able to pick up places. But 1 had no idea 1 could catch the leaders." Once out front, Schwantz was hoping to lose Rainey, but found it wouldn't be easy, regardless of the problems he'd seen Rainey having. "At first 1 thought 1 could beat Wayne, but after 1 got by 1 couldn't shake him," Schwantz said. "We tried a different front tire this morning which we only ran for three laps in qualifying. It worked good in some places, but it was worse on ma~i mum lean angle," Rainey said. "That was where Kevin had an advantage over us, and there are plenty of long corners. 1was chasing the front a lot." Yet the pair was able to easily pull away from the fight for third, Criville holding off Doohan as Barros began to make his move. By now, Chandler had already retire? from the race with a breken rod. "The bikes had run strong all week, then this morning my race bike lost top dollar, it seemed to go flat," Chandler said. "1 came in and tried the second bike and it did the same thing." Adjustments were made, "but then the motor fell on its face in the race. It kept Wayne Rainey (1), Kevin 5chwantz (34) and Alex Barros (9). Barros was leading until he crashed, giving the win to Schwantz. going and then coming back. 1 thought 1 could just struggle through and then it broke." On the 10th lap Barros was up to ·M artboro Roberts Yamaha's Wayne Rairrey crossed the finish line at the end of the one dry qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix, looked up at the scoreboard, saw the times, and just shook his head; Team Lllcky Strike Suzu.ki:'s Kevin Schwantz had captured his fourth pole position in a row, this time by a sizeable margin with a , blistering final lap:. . ~ "It's just the order the tire testing went," Schwantz said about why his fast lap was his Jast. But the lap before would also have put him on the pole and he was confident he'd found a tire that would go the distance.. 1'1 was trying different tires this morning and this afternoon and we managed to find a bunch that work real good and one that's out-standing. We have,a few combinations that will go race distance so we'll wait and see 'what conditions are like tomorrow before making a final decision." 'The weather on the lower Iberian peninsula had. been unsettled, Friday's first free training run in the wet and the afternoon on a mostly dry track, though times were about seven or eight secondp off the pace. In Saturday's afternoon session Schwantz " was able to lap the 2.75-mile Jerez circuit with a best of one-minute, 44.459-seconds (94.72 mph). Suzuki was the only team that had tested here in the preseason ~ he bettered his preseason times. He put the improvement down to new geometry settings .• which made it easier to steer. , .~ The testing also seemed to help his teammate, Brazilian Alex Barros, who turned in his best ever qualifying position and earned his first froni row starting spot sin,ce he · raced in the 80cc class seven years ago. Barros said he'd ridden over 3000 miles in preseason testing and, though his time was a little more than half a second slower than Schwantz's, the senior LuCky Strike teamster felt his 22-year-old teammate would be a threat in the race. "It sure looks like Alex could be a problem," the 28-year-old Texan said. "He's fast now. Ithink he equid surprise il few people." ..' < Like Schwantz; Barros turned his best time on his very last lap after haVing fallen earlier in the session. '1 was on a fast lap, but the front wheel tu,?,ed under ~n a very ~Iow corner:". he said of the spill that happened with about 10 mmutes to go m the session. After nding back to the pits, he took the rear tire off the damaged bill;e, fitted it to his second machine and, after one lap of getting to speed, set his best time. "I am sure I can go even faster than that, and if I had more time 1 would have be;en quicker. In the race I thii1.k I can stay with Kevin and possibly have a good ra~ With • him. There areno team orders and I would be trying to beat him," Barros said. Filling out the front row next to the Lucky Strike teain was the Marlboro Roberts Yamaha team of Rainey and Luca Cadalora. Like Schwantz and Barros, Rainey's last lap was his best, though he was consistently in the mid to low 1:45&, and felt he could have gone better had he not been fouled by another rider on the last lap. "1 really got held up on the last lap. A guy came out of the pits and he just wasn't looking where he was going;" Rainey said. "Everything's going to be okay though. We've been working our way through. the 'tires ancU think we're looking good for tomorroW's race. Cadalora was a surprise in fourth, the Italian having contemplated retirement af~ his disappointing showing in the previous GP, at Suzuka. But he turned up in Spain ready to race and found !bathe was happier after a few machine adjustments. ; __ fourth, moving past the struggling Doohan who knew early on it would be a long day. "1 had no chance of catching Criville after the half race distance, from then on it was a matter of keeping station. 1 should have done a lot more work on the machine before the race started. It's "We made some cI:uUlges to the bike and 1 can h1l:rdly believe how much better it is. It's much, much better than before," he said. "Before we weren't getting enough weight transfer to the front into the comers, but now I feel comfortable On the bike. I'm much more confident and my main aim tomorrow is to go out and enjoy the race." A lap that was one-tenth of a second slower than Cadalora's put Cagiva's Doug Chandler on the pole for the second row, the 27-year-old Californian recoverin~ from the hand injury he suffered in Malaysia. "The bone I broke in my hand isn't a problem anymore," he said. "The bike's come a long way since we tested here in February too. The engine is making good power and, though we're still sorting out the chassis, it's getting better all the time." . Alex Criville was sixth fastest and first Honda, the Marlboro Honda Pons nder putting his two morning practice crashes behind him. "Neither crash was a big problem," the 23-year-old Spaniard said. "I'm happy though, because the times are close, I'm the best Honda, and because we only had one really dry session with the new bike. When we tested here.in February we ran a '92 engine in a '93 chassis and the '93 engine has more top end power, but less bottom end. I'm confident for thence. I think we can make the podium!' , The second fastest Honda was Mick Doohan's, the Rothmans rider a few ticks behind COville while getting used to yet another new rear brake system. For the one dry session at Jerez the team had removed the rear brake pedal completely and fitted a thumb-operated lever on the left clip-on. There was some concern that he wouldn't have the strength in his thumb to operate it, but the 27-year-old Australian quickly adapted. "It's better than the other system I tried in Japan because 1 can use it in all types of comers. Mainly it's a matter of getting it in my mind and strengthening the hand to use it. I think it should be fine over race distance. But I've still got to improve my riding." Aside £ro1O not being able to use his damaged right foot for braking, he also can't use it to help steer the motorcycle and weight transfer, a necessity on the twisty Jerez circuit. "Because of a lack of mobility in my ankle 1 still can't put my foot in the position I want to put it in. I didn't really realize how much I used it until I didn't have it," . Doohan said. Team Valvoline's Niall MacKenzie was the.first privateer, eighth fastest on the ROC Yamaha, though mOl;e than a second behind ,Doohan. " Rothmans Honda's Sbinichi Itoh and Daryl Beattie sandwiched Spaniard Juan Lopez Mella on the third row with Cagiva's Mat M1adin ending up 12th fastest. World dwnpionship leader Tetsuya Harada earned the pole for the 250cc class, the TeIkor Valesi Racing Yarna.harlder returning to the circuit where he co-shared the fast time during the IRTA test in February. The 22-year-old Japanese star was happy with his time, though he said he wasn't 50 much going for a fast time as finding the proper race setup. .. Aprilia's Jean-Pbi1ippe Ruggia was -second fastest, still down on ac.celeration to the Hondas, but pleased with the progress and still further up the grid than Rothmans Kanemoto Honda's Max Biaggi, the 21-year-old Italian awa~ that speed was not the determining factor in winning at Jerez. "I think there is a strong possiblity that a Yamaha or Aptilia could win because this circult suits them as there are not many long straights and, top speed engine power is less important," Biaggi said, adding he was concerned wit;h ~ wear., . . . The tinal rider on the front row was Marlboro Team Pilen Honda s Lons CapltOSSl, the lta1im l'1IIIrlins'into ffi3 Hoi\da's Doriano Romboni during the final session,. then quickly apologizing. Capirossi was using a new HRC fairing whose contour allowed him to change direction more easily. Lucky Strike Suzuki's John KocinsIcisat ~ck on the third row after struggling while failing to equal the times he turned indurillg a. p~n test. " "We've had some new parts here and we've been going through the routine of testing them, trying to make them work," the 25-year-old Kocinski said. "For the morning warrn-!:1P we're going to try the stuff we had on dlU'ing the test here." ..z:....._......:li.._~--.!i~ ~ 15

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