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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127578
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I
A superb race made up. for the troubles of practice, with little Dirk Raudies
qualifying second, but leaping directly
into the lead as he had at the first three
races. But the Salzburgring is seldom a
track for breakaways, and pole qualifier
Kazuto Sakata was soon joined by a
third Honda rider, Ezio Gianola, for a
fine three-way battle.
Gianola was the only one never to
lead, but it was someone quite different
who won. Takeshi Tsujmura was in fact
fourth for most of the race, and mixed
up with a huge group from fourth to (in
the early stages) past 15th place.
It was only on lap 20 that he suddenly found extra speed to break free from
the pack, and he rapidly closed the three
or four-second deficit and was among
the tripartite struggle.
It was on the last lap that he finally
moved through to take the lead on the
last fast run over the hill, with his FCC
Tech Sports teammate Sakata trailing
him over the line by less than: two-hundredths, and Raudies in third place
another lS-hundredths away.
Gianola was half-a-second behind in
fourth.
"I could go round the comers faster
than them, but not fast enough to make
up the speed difference on the straight,"
said Raudies after the race. "Their bikes
were really quick."
or
The 125cc GP saw a struggle between Kazuto Sakata (8), Takeshi Tsujimura (36), Ezio Gianola (16) and Dirk Raudies (5).
Results
John Kocinski rode hard just to firiish seventh on an underpowered Suzuki.
Dirk Raudies (1:29.197); 3. Bruno casanova (1:29.899); 4.
125cc QUAUFYING: 1. Kazuto Sakata (H9.623); 2.
8
icate his own first win to the memory of
Nobuyuki Wakai, who was killed at the
Spanish Grand Prix.
Second was also Capirossi's best-ever
250cc finish, and he was just five-hundredths behind Romboni. "That was
hard," he said later. '1 knew after practice
it would be us three, and 1 knew it would
only be decided on the last lap. Now 1
know it will soon be my tum to win too."
The first three were all on Dunlop
tires, and the next-best Honda rider,
fifth-placed Max Biaggi, blamed his
problem firstly on losing time avoiding
Okada, but secondly on trouble with his
Michelins. "I feel certain 1 could have
been on the podium otherwise," he said.
He had been locked in combat with
Reggiani and Harada, and while he
clearly had the speed, Harada's Yamaha
was as clearly the best-handling bike of
the group. Lap after lap he'd come onto
the pit straight not only tighter than the
rest but looking reliably five or more
mph faster, an advantage as reliably lost
to the Honda as it powered away again.
But Reggiani was the most experienced, and it was this that gave his
Aprilia an excellent fourth place. While
Harada lined up to attack Biaggi in the
Fahrerlager: "I was surprised to see
Reggiani very cleverly slipping past both
of us," the sixth-placed Japanese rider
explained. "I learned a lot today."
Kocinski's problems continued, and
he rode like a man possessed to recover
from his poor starting position and his
relative lack of speed up the straight.
Fourteenth at the end of lap one, he was
always right on the grass on the inside of
the chicane, and said later: "I was taking
it in third gear instead of second, so 1
could make up two or three lengths."
Gradually he gained places, until by the
finish he picked off Andy Preining's
Aprilia, Alberto Puig's Honda and PierFrancesco Chili's to claim se,!,enth by less
than a tenth.
Eskil Su ter was 11th after losing
touch with this group; Luis d' Antin took
12th ahead of Adrian Bosshard (both RS
Hondas); Jochen Schmid's works
Yamaha was 14th, and the last point
went to Patrick van den Goorbergh's
Exact Software Aprilia, at the back of
this six-strong group.
There were 22 finishers. Ruggia's factory Aprilia had been up with Kocinski
and Chili, but ran into ignition trouble
and retired with one lap to go. Aoki's
works Kanemoto Honda was never on
the pace, and he pulled in with 12 laps
left after running no higher than a distant ninth.
Wilco Zeelenberg also retired after his
Aprilia lost a big-end on the first lap.
The Honda heyday went a little way .
to making the championship more competitive. Harada still leads, with 105
points. Romboni is now second on 68;
Biaggi and Kocinski equal third with 58
points; and Okada fifth with 55. Bradl is
catching up fast, lying sixth with 52
points.
Bradl took the fastest lap, a new
record, as consolation for his defeat.
Ezio Gianola (1:30.177); 5. Takeshi Tsujimura (1:30.193);
6. Fausto G....ini (1:30.228); 7. Alcira Saito (1:30.290); 8.
Manfred Baumann (1:30.414); 9. Gabriele De.bbia
(1:30.444); 10. Noburo Ueda (1:30.498); 11. Hern
Torront