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/127592
e R~D ~CE ~ili Q~~~~_R_oa_d_~_ce_seri_e~_:R_ou_nd l_l~~~~~~~~_ _ _ m Wayne Rainey entered the Czech Republic GP with a three-point deficit, but in winning, left with an n-point lead. John Kocinski fin ished fourth in his debut ride ab oard the factory Cagiva, wearing his number 3 for the first time. • zee rna e 0 aID e By Michael Scott Photos by Gold & Goose B RNO, CZECH REPUBLIC, AUG. 22 r ip le W orld Cham p ion Wa yne Rainey rekindled his title hope s and put a match under those of Kevin Schwantz with a d ecisive victory in the Czech Republic GP at Brno last wee kend. In bla zin g su ns hi ne a nd 28-d egre e te mperatu res infr on t of the bi gges t crowd since Jerez, Rainey used his heatloving Dunlop tires to mak e the majestic Brno circuit his own. It was his third victory in succession at the d ifficult track, wh ere a preponderance of downhill corner en tries puts a heav y premium on front-tire adhesion. . The Californian had started from his firs t pol e position since 1991, and was T 22 followed home by his Marlboro Yamaha Roberts teammate Luca Cad alora in the team 's second one-tw o in two races. Rothmans Honda's Michael Dooha n was third, narrowl y fend ing off John Kocinski, rid ing a Cagiva for the first tim e, and as hi ghl y motivated as any rider on the grid. But Schwantz could do no better than fifth, and the Lucky Strike Suzuki ride r saw the titl e lead th at had s h run k to three points wh en he was knocked off in Britain turn to an I I-poi n t defi ci t. Stricken by minor b ut costl y tire and handling problem s, he on ly just manag ed to hold o ff Da ry l Bea t tie's Rothmans Honda aft er th e Aus tralian had hu ng on his back wheel alm ost all race long. It was not a good weekend for Doug C ha nd le r, who finish ed n inth . Inevitably his performance was poor com pared with that of unwanted teammate Kocins ki, since he was struggling to regai n form in his first race since his heavy practice crash at Mugello, but the comp arison was uncomfortable all the sa me . (Tea m m a te Mat Ml ad in wa s for ced to concede his spare bike to Koci n s ki, then broke down on the warm -up lap .) !t was also a huge d isappointment for Fredd ie Spencer, who returned still far from fit for only his second race of the year. Well down the field, unabl e to use th e- rear brake, he rac ed an yway, only to be forced to re tire early with a seized -up gea rshift. The 250cc race brou ght Aprilia a second s uccessive vic to ry, th is tim e for Lo ri s Reggi ani af te r tea m ma te Jean Phi lippe Ruggia retired fro m an ea rly lead. Th e ra ce wa s ago niz ing fo r titl e leader Tetsuya Harada and the Telkor Yamah a, carrying sho ulde r injuries from hi s crash in Britain, and g rit ti ng his teeth to finish sixth; and hardly less so for h is cha llenger Marlboro Honda 's Loris Capirossi, who collid ed w ith second -placed Ma x Bia ggi , on th e Kanem oto Rothmans Honda, while the pair were di sputing the lead, and was lucky to stay wheels down to rejoin and com e through to fifth aga in, se tting a new lap record as he did so. He needed to win to keep his title hopes alive. Ducados Honda Pons' Alberto Puig was third aft er a canny race awaiting developments, with returned Assen injury victim Doriano Romboni on the HB Honda a heroic fourth after leading early on, in sp ite of riding w ith his right leg in a protective cast. The finish of the day came in an electrifying 125cc race. Title lead er Dirk Raudies had led for almost all of it, with Kazuto Sakata nosing ahead just once . Then on the last lap they changed places three times, with Sakata on the grass once. Then the Japanese rider came out best afte r a sid e-on collision in the final chicane, to beat Raudies by four-hundredths of a second. Takeshi Tsuj imura on the second FCC Honda beat Noboru Ved a by a similar margin after an equally tense battle for third. Rolf Biland , already confirmed as sidecar World Champion, won th e three-wheeler race. 500cc Grand Prix Th is was not a particularly " exciting ra ce. Rain ey took the lead from teammat e Cadalora on the first run d own the hill , and th e o ra nge Yam a has , bot h using the Roc fra me as specially modified for Team Roberts, held those 'positions until the end, th e ga p g rad ua lly growing to some five seconds as Rainey gave a disp lay of fast-and-loose riding, front and rear wh eels skipping and sliding as he broke his own 1991 lap record by a tenth of a second , "It' s s till sinkin g in ," Rainey sa id lat er , as he contemplated an ll -po int title lead an d a complete change in the World Ch am p io nship picture. "Tires, bike an d susp ension were reall y working well. The only guy who could lose the race was me, so it was very in tense." H e add ed : "If I knew why the bike worked so well here after our problems all year, then I'd tell you." But observers put a lot of credit down to the Dunlop tires, with all the Michelin runners strug gling. . Kocinski mad e a fly ing s ta r t, and held third as the three Rothmans Hondas sorted themselv es out behind him, with Doohan in control. The Au stralian pa ssed the Cagiva after the high-power hillcl imb at the end of lap two, but he could n't shake him off, and they remained in close formation as the lead ers dr ew stead ily ahead , Then Kocinski moved back in front shortl y after half-distance, and it was his turn to try unsucces sfully to esc a pe . Both w ere s u ff e r ing wit h sli thery Michelins, Kocin ski blamin g hi s own wrong choice as a resul t of a gap in his 500cc-c1ass expe rience; Doohan's team simply blaming a lack of an avo idable alternative. Doohan was d isap po in ted that he was unable to run with Rainey, "If it