Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

·:R ~hampio,R Race5eries Round 1: Australian Grand Prix O nshipRoad. :World AD AcE:. Cagiva's John Kocinski (11) leads the way In the Australian Grand Prix. Kevin Schwantz (1), Daryl Beattie (4) and the rest of the 500cc pack give chase . p la ced Lu is d ' Antin on the MX-Onda Honda NSR250. The 125cc race was a wa lkov er for Kazuto Sakata, the first Japan ese rider to gain a Europea n works ride. Although newcomer Yoshiako Katoh's new Yamaha led the first lap, he crashed on the second, and from then on Sakata's Aprilia simply romped awa y. Peter Oettl was second, but the hero of the day was Australian Garry McCoy. The freckle-faced local hero from Camden was almost last away, after stalling on the start line, then charged through to claim third , giving Aprilia a full house on the rostrum. Fausto Gresini, in fourth, was the first Honda, with Oliver Petrucciani's Aprilia, fifth. The first race of the year also heralded a loosening up of the hitherto sterile approach by the new Bernie Ecclestoneinspired regime, now in their third year of control. The crowds saw a full program of supporting events, including jet fighters, aerobatics, stunt driving, and a transparently contrived but still nice-sounding series of touring-car "races" between former World Champions Wayne Gardner and Alan Jones. There were no serious accidents in a day of racing that began with a lap of honor by Wa yne Rainey, riding in a Cadillac convertible to the acclaim of the crowd. The season began with a banishment of the bad memories of the last one. 500CC GRAND PRIX Kocinski on fop DownUnder By Michael Scott Photos by Gold & Goose SYDNEY, AU STRAUA, MAR. 27 " I t doesn't get any better thanthis," The Italian motorcycle industry will doubtlessly take this slogan of the Foster's Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix to heart, after their machines triumphed over the Japanese establishment in every one of the three classes at the opening round of the 1994 World Championship Road Race Series. The results sent people scurrying for the record books, and it seems the last time not one race was won by a [apanese machine was at the German Nurburgring in 1976, when Cagiva team manager Giacomo Agostini shelved his Yamaha and pulled out the MV Agusta for one last ride. Two out of the three Italian wins in Australia were resounding victories none more so than that of American badboy of racing John Kocinski on the once ill-favored Cagiva. In front of 45,000 fans at the Eastern Creek circuit outside Sydney, Kocinski leapt into the lead from his pole-position start, and embarked on an exercise in humiliation for his Japanese-mounted rivals. Nobody could get near him, and he made hay with a gap that stretched to almost 10 seconds at middistance. "Cagiva is the only team that has ever understood me," crowed Kocinski after the race, in a sideswipe not only at the Suzuki 250cc team of last year, but especially at former mentor Kenny Roberts. With the plaster-casted Kevin Schwantz and the Lucky Strike Suzuki fading from second after the first lap, pursuit was left to pre-race favorite Michael Doohan and the Honda NSRSOO. But the gap continued to grow, until Marlboro Yamaha's Luca Cadalora moved into second with a dazzling mo ve around the outside of Doohan into one of the tight track's hairpin bends just before the halfway point. At the end, Cadalora had closed the gap to less than seven seconds, but it might as well have been a week for all the chance he had of catching up. He had the consolation of the fastest lap, but it was not a record, in spite of signs in practice that the 500s might at last be getting faster rather than slower. In fact, the race average of the first three finishers was faster than that of last year's w inner Schwantz, on a track in good enough condition to yield a new record in the 250 class. Thus winter development has not been entirely wasted, even if there were widespread complaints from defeated rivals that they hadn't done enough of it. . The loudest complaints came from a .d isgru n tled Doohan. He made determinedly non-specific complaints about . suspension problems, and his HRC team was hoping to run emergency extra tests at Eastern Creek before jetting o ff to Malaysia for the second Grand Prix on April 10. Doohan had been the strong favorite for a home-country win. Only Schwantzhad an y reasonable excuse, being short of physical condition as well as testing time: Due to his injured arm, he had opted out of the IRTA tests which were held the weekend prior to the GP, and though he'd tested the prototype machine extensively at the Creek before tha t, the finished bike was slightly different. "Sure it cost us . Even the dumbest rider ' s go n na learn som e thin g in six hou rs of track time." He retained a safe four th, nursing his left arm as he crossed the line. . Australian honor was further denied a . chance of salvation when Daryl Beattie's firs t Marlboro Yamaha race ended prematurel y. The bike was mysteriously down on power on the warm-up lap, and failed to respond to some desperate fiddling on the start line. After six laps, Beat.tie decided to retire "before I was going as slow as the 125s." .' The 250cc GP was somewhat closer, with the three Italian stallions fighting it out to the line. Marlboro Honda's Loris Cap irossi had dominated, but - as so often before - he muffed .the last lap in an excess of enthusiasm over adhesion. The double 125-champion's error cost him dearly. Not only did it let Max Biaggi through on his Chesterfield Aprilia, after harrying Capirossi all race long, but then his humiliation was compounded when HB Honda 's Doriano Romboni drafted past him across the line, knocking him down to third. Biaggi's ApriIia win was achieved on a 1993 mach ine w ith an updated engine, the Italians thus managing to avoid the syndrome that has cost them dearly in the past when their new bikes only picked up the pace later in the year.· Jean-Philippe Ruggia was fourth on a second Chesterfield Aprilia, after running wit h th e leade rs ear lier on . Teammate Jean-Michel Bayle, in his first works-bike race, was a strong 10th, pipped by Wilco Zeelenberg's ERS-Honda for ninth after a fierce scra p that also included eighth- Awesome is the only word to describe John Kocinski's seaso n-opening ride. He led into the first bend, and out of the last bend , a nd t h ro ugh ev e ry bend in between. Nobod y came close, nor did he ever put a wheel wrong. It was an exemplary victory, reminiscent of his old days of domination in the 250cc class in 1990, but Kocinski was strangely diffident. "I don't know nothin' about no 250," he said. "That was the past, I'm only interested in the future.". He was full of praise for Cagiva, though he insisted they need more work and more acceleration to stay ahead. "They did a great job with the bike, and Michelin came up with the right tires. I just had to stay on it." He also fingered Doohan for tipping him off to the winning tactic, after "...reading somewhere how he said it is really hard to catch up with someone at this track. I tried to make .a break from the start, and the plan worked out just right." Schwantz followed him for almost two laps, delaying the others somewhat and helping Kocinski gain a gap of almost a second after just one lap. Doohan powered past the World Champion as they started the third, then Cadalora also moved past on the sixth lap. Then began a game of cat and mouse for second place , with Cadalora unable to pull the usual overtaking move into Turn One because of the Honda's straight-line speed. It took the Italian until lap 13 . before he found an alternative - a daring run round the outside into the hairpin Turn Two. After that he pulled away from the Honda, but had no hope of catching the Cagiva. " I had a good bike and tires, but I think I should have tried harder earlier in the race," was the Italian's typically wry comment. Doohan had to be content with third, and he was not pleased . "It's a long season ahead, but we 're going to have to get our act together. I knew from the second

• Cover