Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

G RACE 250(( World Championship_R_oa_d_a_ce_e_ri_s__ou_nd_l_3 ROAD R S e :R _ e Jean-Ph ilippe Ruggia (17) led the race until running into gearbox problems. Loris Capirossi won the 250ccGP and now leads the title chase by 10 points. UNIT D E DP 17 . Frederic Pr ot a t (1 :29 .856); 18 . An d y Pr ei n in g (1:29.908); 19. Juan Borja (1:30.120): 20. Simo n Crafar (1:30.211); 21. P.Y.O. Goorbe rg (1:30.568); 22. Adrien Bossherd (1:30 .634); 23. P. Riba (1:30.66 1); 24. jea nMichel Bayl e (1:30.704); 25 . Berna rd H ae nggeli (1:30.714); 26. Carlos C beca (1:30.727); 27. Luis Ma urel (1:31.408); 28. Bernd Kassn er (1:31.648); 29. J.P. Ieandat (1:31.8 53); 30 . Ma ssi mo Pe nnacchioli (1:31.941); 3l. Volker Bahr (1:32.19 1). 2S0cc GR AN D PRIX: 1. Loris Ca pirossi (Hon); 2. Dor ian o Romboni (Hon); 3. Lo ris Reggia ni (Apr); 4. Albe rto Pu ig (Ha n): 5. Tets uy a Har a da (Yam); 6. PierFrance sco C hili (Ya m); 7. N o bua tsu Aoki (Han) ; 8. Hel m ut Bradl (Hon); 9. Tad a yu ki O kada (Hon); 10. Kenny Roberts Jr. (Ya m); 11. Luis D' Antin (Han): 12. Juan Borja (Hon); 13. Frederic Proia ' (Apr); 14. Carlos Checa (Ho n); 15. Adrie n Bossha rd (Hon); 16. P.V.D. Goorberg (Apr); 17. P. Riba (Hon); 18. Berna rd Haenggeli (Apr); 19. Luis Maurel (Ap r): 20. Bernd Kassner (Ap r); 21. J.P . [ea ndat (Apr); 22. Massim o Pennacchioll (Han) ; 23. Max Biaggi (Ho n); 24. Andy Prei ni ng (Apr); 25. Eskil Su ter (Ap r); 26. Simo n C rafar (Suz) ; 27. Wilco Zeelenberg (Apr); 28. jean-Philippe Ruggia (Apr); 29. [ochen Schmid (Yam); 30. Jean-Michel Bayle (Ap r). T ime 46 min., 4.505 sec. D istance: 31 laps, 67.92 mile s. Ave rage Speed: 88.45 mp h. Margin of Victo ry: 1.381 sec. Fastes t Lap: Loris Capirossi. 1:27.959/89.67 mph . 250cc WO RLD C05HIP POINT STANDINGS (All er 13 of 14 roun d s ): 1. Lo ris Ca pi rossi (182 / 3 wins) ; 2. Te tsuya Ha rad a (172/3); 3. Loris Reggi a ni (138/ 1); 4. (TIE) Ooriano Ro mbo nilJ.P. Ruggta (129/2); 6. (TIE) Ma x Biaggi /Helmut Bradl (126/1); 8. Tadayuki Okada (120); 9. Nobuatsu Ao ki (100/1 ); 10. Pie r-Francesco Ch ili (98); 11. Albe rto Pu ig (93); 12. jo hn Kocinski (80); 13. Wileo Zeelenberg (48): 14. Iochen Schm id (45); 15. Lui. 0' Antin (43). First-tim erCaR_iro_ss_i-fn_ e 0 ol_ talian Loris Cap irossi (right) had little p roblems in so lvi ng the technically d ifficult Lagu na Seca Racew ay, in his first visit to the track that's nestled in the hills ju st east o f th e Pacific Ocean on th e Monterey Peninsula. Cap irossi was the only rider to crack the 1:28 barri er as he ro de h is Marlboro-back ed Ho nda NSR250 aro und the 2.19-mile in one-minute, 27.756 seconds at an average speed of 89.88 mp h for a new lap record. The 20-year-old turned his quick lap on his 19th goaro und in the second qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, and he followed it up with two more su b1:28 laps to somewhat demoralize the competition. It was Capirossi's sixth pole position in 13 attempts . "I worked very hard on the setup of the bike," Cap irossi explaine d. "Tom or ro w is very impo rta n t because I'm very close to (Tets uya) Ha ra da in the championship. But I'm trying not to think abo ut that." Despite citing some safety problems with the circuit, Capirossi was enjoying Laguna Seca: "I like it a lot. There are some problems with safety, bu t it is very good. It is difficult from the Corkscrew to the finish line." Second quickest was Jean-Philippe Ruggia, the winner of two of the last three 250cc GPs in 1993. Ruggia, who rode a Yamah a France YZRSO in the 500cc GP here in 1991, O used his familia rity with the track to post a 1:28.044, desp ite run nin g in to some suspension pr oblems. "The titl e is finis hed for me, " Ruggia said. "I will just try to fight with (Loris) Cap irossi in the race." Rothm ans Honda's Max Biaggi ju mped from fifth to third in the closing stages of the final session, clicking off a 1:28.401 for the third quickest time and a starting position on the front row . "The onl y problem is the tires," Biaggi said. "I am the only rider on Michelins and we can 't follow the same line as the Dunlops. I hav e to tum larger and open the thrott le later. That's the d ifference between me and the others right now . I like the track, but not so much the Corkscrew." Filling the front row wa s HB Honda's Doriano Romboni (1:28.429), who was fortunate to keep his position after seizing both of his motorcycles in the final session. Ironically, both ended up parked in the same place on the exit of tum four. "I only had just a few minutes in the last session," Romboni said. "We broke one bike and had a problem w ith both bikes w ith engines. It was important to finalize the best setup so I missed som e positions." His view of the race track were in accord ance with the others: "Some parts are quite d angerous, but you don 't push so hard wh ere there is no run-off." The second row was led by Ducados Honda's AlbertoPuig (1:28.446) with fellow Span iard Luis D'Antin (1:28.666), and Italians Pier-Francesco Chili (1:28.731) and Loris Reggiani (1:28.746) filling the second row . Only 1.4 seconds separated po le sitter Capirossi from 12th fastest Nobuatsu Aoki, the last ride r on the third row . Championship hop eful Tetsuya Harada qualified 10th on the Teklor-Valesi Yamaha. In all 31 riders wo uld start the 250cc United States Grand Prix, I (From left to right) Doriano Romboni, Loris Capirossi and Loris Reggiani celebrate. Doriano Romboni (10), Max Biaggi (5) and Loris Reggiani (13) scrap for second pla ce. 12 Ruggia 's engine bro ke a nd Bia g g i crashed . I am lucky - I should have been fifth toda y." Instead it was Harad a who was fifth, clear of teammate Chili, who in tum had handily beaten Nobua tsu Aoki on the Kanemoto Hond a NS R250. Ge r m a n Helmut Bradl on the HE-backed Honda NSR250, Rothman s Honda's Tadayuki O kad a, an d Team Roberts ' Ken n y Roberts Jr. filled the top 10 positions. Fo rmer multi-time N a tional a nd World Motocross Champ ion JeanMichel Bayle retired after onl y eigh t laps w ith a front brake problem. ~ Results 2S0cc Q UA LI FYI N G : 1. Lo ris C ap tre ss! (1:27.756/89.88 mp h); 2. J.P. Ruggia (1:28.044); 3. Max Biaggi (1:28.401); 4. Oo riano Romboni (1:28.429) ; 5. Alberto Pu ig (1:28.446); 6. Luis 0 ' Anti n (1:28.666); 7. Pier -Fran cesco Ch ili (1:28.731); 8. Loris Reggian i (1:28 .746); 9. H e lm u t Bra d l (1:28 .749): 10. Te ls u ya Harada (1:28.858); 11. jc ch en Schm id (1:28.894); 12. N ob u a ts u Ao k i (1: 29.166); 13. Ta d ayuki Ok ad a (1:29.3 11); 14. Eski l. Su te r (1:29.5 72) ; 15 . Wilc o Zee lenberg (1:29.B04); 16. Kenny Roberts Jr. (1:29.817); _

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