Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

: . : . ~ I~ :"k'l ... ··. ... < .•. ... . .. • •. •.•.•• ..•.. . ....... .. •... • : . . . ' . . Hodtetowit:' Sto~kto~ Califo~la'" . ' . ..' :.... .. ... . '. " .'. .'.." . . . Who knows how good Fred Merkel is? He's been go ne for so long itis diffl: .: CUlt to really gauge.the Californian ..'Based on his .past record, you simply .can't wri tehim :". off: Though .he 'sstruggled lately in his Wo~ld .Sup erbike efforts ; his . resul~ ' ~ave lacked · : mainly because he hasn ' t .ha d th e s up port .you .need to. 'stay'.at the.top . For his return to. . 'AMA superbike racing; the form er three-time Nationa l and.two-time'World.Champion will ... :.hav'e .tI-ia t stipport; and it'~ come fro m Rob Muzzy's Kawasaki team -; ' "' : .' .: :. ' :.,. : .: : .: : . '. -;Merkel is another .whocould end .uP w:iM4tg'the championship.He' sdone it beforeand ' : th: changeof team and change of series.could be enough to rejuve na te his.career. He could :.,.alSo end u p ~triJggling to keep pace With the horde of young !,pstarts, but :we.doubt it,. ;.' . " ... ' . '... ~' . ; " ". . ... .. . ' .. : .: ' ... ' . ... .. '. ' ," ~ . '. ' ." · . ~ ;:-- ~ike Smi~' -:,'.... .. . :.. ' . .'. . .' . : :-. ,' :: " ..:: '.' '-:-:. ~~e; ~~ . '.:- .....-':..'".:<..:.':.'.. .. ' :.. .' . . .. : : . ..': : .' " .,. . .. . Hometown- A tl anta, Georgia- . ...' . ' ' " . ' ;.... . . · ' . .. . :. : Yet.anotherin the longlist ofsuper!Jikemenwhocould.su<;ldenly estab- " '; '. ,lish ·the. Selves as bemgt h e best.Mike Smith js our piek to finish fifth in the final st<¥td.:, : m : ings , Seventh in the ci,\amp:ionship.last.year, Smith earned two second place' finishesthat" . :wou ld .h ave .been·YiCtori es .if not for Doug ' Polen (Road Atlanta) and ScottRussell :'. '(Loud on) .: :'.' ,;.: : . :-'. . : ' . . ,'. : . . ' ' ' ' .' .: · ':SrrUth 's patiencewith the old' Honda RC30 !llily.fu\ally payoff he will si~ astride the riew Honda ~t45 in 1994,. · teamed.with Magee .on the Smokiil' Joe's.'Racing team. This ' could be' a make .or.b reak year tor the Georgian; and we fullyexped .to win races -.If h¢ can tID.;! .the cons isten cy to' g\l \VIth .hisspeed, he could erid upmuch higher than. predicted ~ere. .. . · . .' ' ., . " .~ . . ' , ' , .. ., 1 "'_- ===-:-'= as WID . . ~' '< :·:Dd~· Qu~~~iey . ·.': . " >::.::... .::.. :-, .': : < '. '. :< : .' ':',." -: :.'<' :. :.: .'::, ::. . . ' .' . .. '.' :..: .. :~ 33 .::: ,,: . . ~: ~ .~. : . . .-.' .Hometown: Rockland, Massachusetts: " . ' :'. . .. . . . . :." . '.:'. . .. • .. We' can hear-him alr.eady. <'Sixth. ·Are· you nuts?N'Quartetley'prove(tis . :..wrongwith .oUr ·pre<;!ictim\:for him a .seasciri .ago. ~. and he 'd love to.d o it aga in. The New : .Englander seems to get better, ~th age. and he's -another year: older than' when he finished ' '.second in the stand ings in 1993. . ' : ',', . :. . ' .: . . '. . ., . , : : .: . .' : . . ;: . . . ... .. ' . : .' . . : ': ".:Back formore with Team Mira ge in'Q4, Quarterley will.again·ta kidull advantage of his : : ;·erigm e.excharige-·p rogram w illi Rob MUzzy. The system worked well last 'year; and the part: . '. l\erSliip ' sho~d only get stronge r. The team 'will featur:ea new.crew chiefJor the com mg . · · . : yeat,. butQuarterl~y is confidellt that tl)e :>qliad won't missa. bea~: ~ ~ictoIY. in¥idcohio . '. p ut an .exclamation ma r!<.on wh '!t w~ already.an:impressive seasoJ.'l~ now that. he's ta'st~ . ' victory, he. wants more:.Quarl erley says he'll rim at the ,fr.:lil t in.·each and every race '~ maybe.' ·::w e shoi1ld bell.eve ltinv : ·· . .. . , ' . .' . .' . .:: . ' . . ' :: .:; . : .' . . ':, ', :; '. : .... . " >: : ' . :..·:i~~:~ ·.~iC~~~··· '.'.,: : :':.'. ::--~' . . ::: . .~ : :. ' .Age' 24 .. : . :. :. ' . : . : . . . ' '• . Hodteto~: Gra~by, Q~ebec, Caniid~ " , . . : .. ...', .' ·Ori!Y. t!i.ose ·close·tp the F ast By FeiTacci Ducati ieam. ymuld knowifhav~ · irig Doug Polen as a .teammate helpe d or hurt Pascal Picotte. Did he race' in .theshadow.. . ·of the Texan and n ot.get the attention that·he ·needed?· Or ,was ·he able to use Poten ·to . . . '---:-:--:--...,......,.-..--~..,...., h elp him set up ·his·Duca ti V-twin~ . : ..' " ' : ' ...... ,,: '. : .' . : ', : '.. · :': PiCotte .fiitished .loth in· the series last season, but .that was .m,!WY.due. to two n on: " . . ' ,' .. " '. sta rts an d one no n-finish. His season started with a bang when he finish ed second to Polen at PhOenix m temational . · Raceway; ~ut i~ sagged..ffiid~af thrQugilthe year 'wh en he and Edwards c;ollided' . '. . "'. . . .' . " I:Io~etown: 'W gQ Australia ' olori' ng, ' . : . .. .. .. . . . : .' ," ~ n· . " ' ., : ' . . '. ' .. . " . .: .:. ' " .": ... .. .... '. . . . . . . '. Troy Corser climb ed quickly through the ranks in Australian roa<;l racing, :his car eer Do~ Und er "hi ghligh ted by his y!ctory in the Austr~lian Super-bike Champi;onShiji last yea r. Corser v:as imp reSsive in his initial rid e u n the Ducati V7twindurmgDun- , lop tire 'tests.in December of .last year.- so ,impressive that Eraldo Ferrai:~i waflted him to s.ign . up for three years. The youngA'ustralian Will have to learn new .race tracks' in 1994, butDaY7 . . ' . :' .: ' . ... : .': . . ': . ;. . . .' ' :. .. . . . .: .'.' . ' : tqn a ~ :no longer one of them: : . .. We think he'll learn fast, but he'll .also make mis takes. Still,.he cou ld be a factor and a th orn .in the side of :liis' teammate Pascal Picotte..Eithe r.vay, ' having another nOn-American.' : p~rticipa.tirig can' onl y add'further 'credibility to the seri es. .. . .' . : :' ..... '. : : .'. ' . . . '.. :: ": . ' . " :', "' . '. 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