Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127582
------------------------------~------ - - - - - - - - - - - - eR~DAAa.ili~~~_~_~_R_~_es_m_ยท~_:R_oOO_d6 e Michael Doohan tries to break free from Schwantz, Beattie and Shinichi Itoh; he succeeded but a rear tire failure put him out of the race. Helmut Brad! (4), Doriano Romboni (10), Max Biaggi (5) and Loris Capirossi duke it out at the height of their 250cc GP battle. 24 On lap 15, Doohan made his move, breaking the lap record as he took a small but apparently decisive lead. Just as two years ago it looked like his sprint over the last few laps would be successful. The similarities to the 1991 race were all too strong,. however, and for a second time Schwantz watched as a chunk of something flew off the back of Doohan's bike, and he slowed suddenly, to tour back to the pits. It seems in spite of his avowal of complete confidence after practice, his tire had shed a chunk. Now the final drama involved Beattie and Schwantz. At this stage, the Suzuki was ahead, but Beattie was able to power past, and he led the secondlast lap. But he wasn't able to break away as Doohan had done, and Schwantz was poised for the same devastating move into the stadium that had conquered Rainey in their 1991 epic. The joker was Itoh, a little way behind, and seemingly not in contention. But his bike was the fastest of all. Two minutes worth of my own notes tell it all: Beattie big slide turn one, Schwantz alongside. Beattie leads chicane one, Schwantz there, Itoh not close enough. Beattie leads Ostkurve, Itoh closing fast. Beattie leads chicane two, Itoh almost with Schwantz. Into stadium - Schwantz third, takes second on entrance. Beattie away. Schwantz tried several more times in the stadium, hoping to unnerve the youngster into an error that would give him room to get by. Bu t Bea ttie gave him no room, and crossed the line 0.084of-a-second-ahead. The interference from Itoh was crucial to Beattie's first victory, but Beattie knew nothing of it. He didn't even know Doohan was out. "As far as 1 knew there were three guys right behind. 1 expected Kevin on the last lap, so 1 just kept my head down. And it worked. It feels good, but a little unfair, because the track suits the Honda. I'd like to win one somewhere else." Schwantz refused to blame Honda ~ teamwork, though he expected to win before the unexpected arrival of 200 mph Itoh. "I could pass him again, but there's only so much you can do under brakes. I'd have preferred to be one position higher, but considering where everybody else except Daryl finished I'm pleased." (He meant Rainey, nine points further back.) Beattie had already commented on his speed advantage. "It was a matter of tucking in. I guess Kevin had to tuck in more than us." A TV interviewer asked Schwantz if it had been a big difference. He looked quizzical. "Didn't you watch the race? Yeah - it was a coupla mph. But we got everything out of our bike, and then some." All race long, he'd been losing gearbox oil, which smeared his fairing, but the Suzuki held together and made up chunks of ground under brakes and in the comers. Criville was almost six seconds adrift at the finish, and was not given a time penalty for his chicane antics, though he was fined. _ Rainey was another 23 seconds down, but the leaders had pulled so far ahead in the early stages that he was quite safe. Chandler was sixth, another 20 seconds back, after starting in third place but losing ground hand over fist from lap one. He blamed a drop-off in power and big-time rear suspension problems. "I just couldn't get off the corners with the others. Something must have gone wrong - it was better than that in practice, and it got worse during the race." A little way back, Cadalora had been touring round in a cautious seventh on the second Marlboro Yamaha, making a prime target for Mladin's Cagiva. The Australian newcomer rose to the challenge, catching him in the closing stages and outbraking the 250 double champion to lead him across the line by just over a tenth, and only four seconds behind Chandler for his best-yet GP finish. . Mackenzie, again top privateer, was another half-second behind, after catching up but not quite having the power to attack. There were five crashes, the first to go being Sean Emmett, going strong in 12th place before being caught out by a cold left-side of the tire at the first chicane after one lap. Jose Kuhn was next, injuring his leg. Then Catalano - charging hard and lying a strong 10th - fell a few yards further on than Emmett, who thought he had brushed the curb. He followed his bike into the bales, and it bounced back into him. He sustained serious head injuries, was revived at the trackside, then flown b'y helicopter direct to Mannheim Hospital for emergency surgery. His condition was described as critical. . Thus a brilliant race was marred- and Hockenheim's dangerous reputation confirmed. Schwantz's second place extended his title lead, with 131 points to Rainey's 117. Beattie reinforces his third with 93; Criville has 61, Itoh 59 and Doohan 55. 250cc Grand Prix The first race of the day was a trial of strength and determination for the riders, and a magnificent spectacle for the sparse crowds, as nine riders screamed round the ultra-fast circuit locked together for almost the full race distance. They weren't all Hondas, either. Though the fleet NSRs dominated in the end, both Telkor Yamahas and both works Aprilias were up with them. And it was a better day for the old guard too, mixing it with the youngsters for the first time this year. with Reggiani a possible winner right until the last lap, and Bradl claiming a second successive rostrum finish. At first, the three Italian Honda youngsters led the bunch, Capirossi, Biaggi and Romboni all taking turns in the front; then the partisan spectators roared as Bradl took the lead for the first time on the fourth lap. He held the position across the line three times in all, but there were different leaders at different points as the battle raged back and fourth. A hair's-breadth behind the NSRs and also swapping back and forth were the Yamahas of Chili and Harada, Reggiani's Aprilia and Carlos Cardus' Honda, with Patrick van der Goorbergh dropping away to join a second fierce group, including the soon-to-retire Andy Preining, Aprilia-mounted Eskil Suter, Alberto Puig's NSR, Luis d'Antin's RS Honda and a struggling Kocinski's Suzuki. They were soon joined by slow starter Ruggia's Aprilia, with the Frenchman making his way