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Grand Prix season update
,
By Michael Scott
Photos by Gold & Goose
and Henny Ray Abram s
(Left) John Koc inski won In
Australia and Michael
Doohan won In Malaysia,
giv ing Caglva and Honda
victories In the first two
500cc Grands Prix of the
year. (Right) The th ird man
to win a GP In 1994 Is Lucky
Strike Suzuki's Kevin
Schwantz; the Texan won
In Japan .
obod y can deny it - the 1994
season has the m akin gs of a
vintage year of Grand Prix road
racing. It is but three races old,
but alread y there's been drama '
and variety, su rp rises and turnabouts,
and ne w heroes in number. And that's
just in the 500cc class.
The season be g in s in earnest in
Europe at Jerez on May 8, with the troops
battle-hardened by the long-haul Pacific
Rim events, racing out of crates in Australia, Malaysia and Japan. Now they
have an eight-race grind around the Continen t There's the rou tine of racing, but
with the advantage of a "home" environmen t, including a battalion of vehicles,
mobile workshops, offices, hospitality
units, service industries...
At this stage, all major participants are
fit, and the outcome is far from clear. So
far, a different machine has won each of
the opening rounds.X'agiva took Australia, taking the Japanese emperors of
the class by surprise; Honda took Shah
Alam; and Suzuki won in Japan.
Each race was a little masterpiece in
its own way. Correction: only the first
two. The Japanese GP was d ifferent - a
sweeping epic of classic proportions, at a
long fast tra ck whe re 500cc Grand Prix
racing can really be seen at its finest.
John Kocinski was the story in Australia. His sheer dominance in practice
and in a runaway win at Eastern Creek
N
(Left) Spaniard Alberto
Pulg has been a surprise
In his rookie season of
SOOcc Grand Prix racing,
qualify ing on th e front
row In Malaysia and
finishing strong In each of
the three races. (Below
left) Shlnlch lltoh has
been on the rostrum In
two of the three 500cc
GPs. (Below) The fans, as
always , have their
favorites.
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