Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

World Superbike Champion Scott Russell By Henny Ray Abrams coltRussell won hisfirst Wurld Superbike Championship in thefi1UJ1 race if 1993, theMexico City round which was baycolted as unsafe. It had come down to Russell and Ducati's Carl Fogarty, andonce Fogarty agreed not to race, the title was decided. "I was going to win it anyhow," Russell said at thetime, andhewasprobably right. For 1994, Russell believes that Fogarty, again, is theman to beat. But hesays his greatest challenge comes from within. Early season testing turned up a suspension problem on the Muzzy Kawasaki and Russell was still wurking through it at the opening round in Donington Park. Despite the troubles, Russell earned the pole position in qualifying and went on to card 4-1 finishes in the two races. But if he was worried, he didn't show it. His confidence is overwhelming, both in the Muzzy Kawasaki crew andhimself. His racing year began at Dayt01UJ where he won from the 16th row of the second wave, taking his second Dayto1UJ 200 in three years. Had it not been for a late pit stop in the 1993 race, Russell's 1994 win would have been his third in a row. Sincethe Dayt01UJ race in thebeginning of March - where Russell discovered problems with his suspension - he has tested onlyonce, at Laguna Seca in North ern Californ ia. Despite considerable progress, Russellfound thatthere's still uork to bedone. Wesatdown with the Wurld Champion the day prior to the opening round in England. S What did you fin d out at Laguna? We found that our new suspension and the stuff that OhIins has come up with, combined with the new tires, has proved to be an improvement. There's more traction. And a new engine combi n a tion p roved to be bett er in the en d. Th a t' s when I was able to go really fast on the last day. - Wha t does the engine comb ina tion do? It just goes a lot faster. It's stronger everywhere - all the wa y th rou gh. It rea lly wasn't changed much from what we had at Daytona. I tested the first two days at Laguna with the Daytona engine that I ran the race with and the other one that was usedin practice, so those engines had some miles on them. Then, on the last day, we pu t a real fresh one in and everything was real fresh and we went real fast. They'd come up with some stuff before Daytona that made it better. Everything th ey've done has turned out to be good stuff. The sus pens ion hasn't been hard to get dialed in? Yeah, it has. I struggled at Daytona more than we ever have. Seems like we went back to what we used th e re the yea r before. For the race? Yeah. We couldn't really get some of the new stu ff working. It wa s all right, we always had something to fall back on. I think the times weren't much faster. He (Pascal Picotte) broke my track record by just a click. We should have been in the 49's. Because we struggled setting the bike up, when it came qualifying time we really weren't ready for that. We did what we could and that's all we could do that day. But back to Laguna, ev ery th ing we've done has made the bike better. We figured out what makes the bike better and what doesn't, and we've been through all the stuff they've come up with and we know what works and what doesn 't. I went two seconds faster - exactly two seconds faster than I went there last year. And that's what you're using he re at Donington? Yeah. How's it working here? It's getting there. I think we had the bike a little oversp run g today on the rear. When you get it like that it gets harsh in the corner. When you lean the bike all the way over on its side, it's a harsh feeling and you can't drive off like I like to. I like to steer it with the rear. It's just not a good feeling today. It's too hard on the tire and the tire wasn't giving me any gnp because of that. When you changed to the new suspension d id you have an idea that it was going to b e b etter all year long, or are you go in g to have to do this at every track? Ever since I we nt to Ohlins suspens ion two years ago, I found out that it requires more work. But when you get it right, it's better - which is good. It keeps me working hard . It keeps yo u think ing all the time. I like that. And, like I said, when you get it right, it's good. For the most part, it works good . Most places it just h as required more work at each track. And this year, especially, with the new stuff, be cause you're getting more gri p and everything's working better and you 're going faster, it makes things happen. Here, we' re go ing to go back on one bike to where we were last year as a baseline, and then we've go t our new stuff and we 're just going to change it a little bit around. And I think it's going to be better. Have you n oticed any difference since the rules allowed the bike to weigh 11 poun ds less ? I'm sure it's a little lighter than last year. It seems like it wants to wheelie more. Does it make it harder to ride? Yes, when.you're racing through a comer and still leaned over, the thing's wanting to hea d to the sky. But it's good. I like w ork in g with it like that. I think the Ducatis have a little more trouble with tha t than we do from just watching. It's a problem. You've got to get the stick open, wide open. There's different ways to deal with it. I'm just trying to figure out what's best for me. What els e have you noticed about the Ducatis here ? They're fast, but it's hard to say because the straigh taways aren 't very long here. My bike seems to run close enough with them to where I'm not worried at all that they're going to run away and leave me. The re ar e tracks where they shine, for su re . Th ere a re so m e . tracks out here where the y shin e and the y come off the comer and run right by you. Sugo's one of them, coming off that last comer and up th e hill. That's life; that's the way it 's going to be . Th e motor that we 've got no w will get up that hill . Last year we ch an ged a mo tor, changed some stuff around, and it got better for us. We know what to do there as far as that stuff goes. Sometimes you' re just not going to be able to hang right with them - but I don't feel tha t they're ever going to keep on pulling. We'll find ou t next weekend at Hockenheim (Germany). You're generally equal on top speed, aren't you? . Close. But this new bike (Ducati) is supposed to be a little more aerodynamic and it's supposed to be faster on top. It's what you hear: It'll be interesting to see next w eekend. I th ink the Hond a guys are going to be real trouble n ext weekend speedwise. But they're struggling here. But at Daytona, Doug's (Polen) bike had good speed, it just wouldn't get there by its elf. It had to ha ve somebody to pull him. They've got to get the power to the ground. I followed him around a little bit today . Even when I was having my troubles, I was gaining on him pretty fast. I knew he was struggling just getting it to the ground; just (making) qui ck slides leaving black marks. I think mine's hooking up a lot better. . . Doug Polen and the Du catis, is that who you think you're going to have to beat to win another title? I think I'm the main guy I've got to deal with. I can handle these gu ys. I think if there is one guy it's probably going to be (Carl) Fogarty. It's hard to say with the new bike. Last year you didn't win all th at many races. I won five out of 26, I think. I was always right there. I only DNF'ed twice in 26 races and that, in the end, is what won it forme. How has your riding improved? Last ye a r, chasin g Carl (Foga rty) , we upped the ante quite a bit from where I was. It mad e me ride really hard. Comer speed is where I p icked it all up. I noticed that on just about an ybody out he re, I com e up on them in the com er - I can't believe how slow they'r e going thro ugh the corners. They're braking and I' m already letting off the brak e - they're still braking and you almost run into the back of them. That's one area where I've definitely improved. (That) and being able to slide the bike. Fron t and back? . Fro n t, not so much . With the fr ont it might look like it's pushing, bu t it's hard for me to feel that. I rarely have a problem . pushing the front around. It's mostly just steering with the rear that I like to do. But now, w ith some of th e new s tuff that we've come up with, the bike hooks up better so it's making it harder to do that. Yet coming off the comer, it's hooking up better and we're making better lap times. All that sliding and stuff is not necessarily the fastest way around the race track. It looks good and all. Tum one at Daytona is a perfect example.. I could come through there, turn the throttle wid e open in first gear, and just smoke the rear tire. And a gu y in front of you could come through there easing it off - just easing through there not wide open - and I'm not gaining an y ground on him. That's because I' m spinning. That's with Daytona tires, but that's a whole other world . That's just something to compare it to. Here, you're not sliding the bike nearly as much. The bike's getting the power to the ground and it's making it do weird things. So you have to learn to ride it differently? Yeah, right now. You have to be more careful because now, the way it's hooking up, it's more snappy when it goes. It's got more power, better grip, and when it lets go...In that one session today, I felt like I was almost on my head 10 times. And that never happens to me. But I think the suspension was a bit wrong for it. It was too stiff and it was making it work the tire too hard. And when it loads the tire to a certain point, the tire gives up . There was nowhere for the tire to go . It . was just putting too much on it. Still, I can go quicker than these guys right now even w ith all these problems I' ve got. It's so hard in practice because you can never get a clear lap. I've never run into so many slow guys in my life. In the race, I get out front and get clear - yeah, I can reel those laps off and probably go quicker. Sure I can. Once I get the bike righ t I can go a lot faster. I think we're goin g 34's for sure. Last year in the race I did a 1:35.2 That' s half a second quicker than what we're going right now. Are you goi ng to do any mo re AMA races? Th e only one I want to do is Road Atlanta. That's right in between Assen and Mugello - the weekend between. .I ha ve th e bike th at I won the championship on last year. It's mine; Rob gave it

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