Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

R ound12: United States G P rand rix (Above) The top three In the 500cc class celebrate - John Kocinski, Luca Cadalora and Michael Doohan. (Left) Spaniard Alberto Pulg . (17) leads Japan's NorlfumeAbe (56) through the Corkscrew; Abe was sixth, Pulg ended up seventh. Doohan's last dash' results," he said. "With the gap I have, 111 do everything I can just to keep the leaders in sight, and hope I can do something at the end of the race:' Schwantz was fifth-fastest on the strength of his Friday time, ole was hotly contested and would surely have improved. Instead, his crash on Saturover the two days, with day morning ruled him out of the race, bringing his titleLuca Cadalora making defense season to a premature close. the first claim on Friday, His place leading row two went instead to Doug Chandler, deposed on Saturday by 1993 who was happy to have improved after lowering the whole w inner John Kocinski, who bike, though that brought problems ofbump absorption. "It's ' w as in tum moved down'to so much stop and go here and I felt like I was getting thrown second in the closing minutes. over the front under brakes:' But he had another preoccupaEventual victor ' w as new tion: nearby, at home in Salinas, his second child was already World Champion Michael .,o verd ue, and he left the track promptly after practice to be with Doohan (right); whoset ilIle , his wife Sherry. was justeighHhclUsandths ; Alongside was the returned Daryl Beattie, a strong and quicker, albeit enough. " . courageous showing considering his foot and hand injuries are Doohan was determined to " not fully healed. "I rode a dirt bike at Kenn y' s ranch. Now, be determined. "The champF though I can 't feel my foot too well and I can't put a lot of onship may be ove r, butthe weight on the left peg, I can ride," he said . season isn't," he said . "Maybe Alex Criville was eighth-fastest, but was a doubtful star ter I'd like to quit now so I could start treatment on my leg sooner, s after fracturing a bone in his right hand in the closing minutes but I'm committed to the last three races, and as long as I'm of practice. This would leave the second-row position open to here I'll try and win them. Cruising around getting in other his great rival Alberto Puig, making his 500cc debut at Laguna. people's way would be dangerous for me and for them :' ·Puig crashed unhurt on Friday, then failed to improve on his He didn't necessarily think the task would be easy after first-day time, and though the gap on the leader was now 1.7 searching for grip, making more changes for this tight track seconds - a lot at such a short tight track - the second-stringers than he is used to since getting the bike settled for the fourth were packed up close, with fourth to 11th places within just race of the season. "It feels different each time I go out, apart over one second . from the changes" he said. "But 1 think we have it good enough Next up , an off-form Alex Barros might serape onto the secnow." ond row thanks to the absence of Schwantz and Criville, but the Kocinski was frustrated by losing pole, but more because the Brazilian was baffled by his failure to improve on the second times were slower than those set in 1991. "It's not so much my day . "We' ve got the bike good . Perhaps we need to chan ge the time against the other guys, but the fact that we just haven't rider," he said. improved. We should be doing 1:24s, not 1:265. I don't know Just behind him came the last of the second-string group , exactly what changes should be made, but something needs to Norifume Abe. The Japanese rider was see ing the track for be done to the design of the bikes to regain development: ' the first time , and seems to have learned his lesson from his He likes Laguna, and w ith Kevin Schwantz crashing, his overly impetuous performance at the British Grand Prix. He chances of achieving second overall in the championship was running steadily, lap after lap rather than pitting every improved considerably. One year before he had achieved Cagi- few minutes, but with his excitingly aggressive sty le still eviva 's first-ever dry-weather victory here, but he didn't believe dent. "I'm still find ing new lines , but I' m always faster in the ' this nor the fact that this was his home Grand Prix would make race ." any difference to his level of effort. "1 try and win every race," Jeremy McWilliams was 12th, leading the privateers and less he said., <1 han two-tenths down on Abe while better than fou r-tenths Cadalora also improv~on the final day, finishin g up less ead of John Reynolds, who pushed Niall Mackenzie down by than a tenth ofasecon~ adrift of Doohan, if no longer fast much smaller margin. Then came Jean [eandat, Bernard Gar: "The problem today was traffic," he said . "It's very hard to 'a/ Laurent Naveau and Sean Emmett. .. ' anybody here." Hepraised !new front tires from Dunlo Out of 30 entrants, ollly Roc-mounted AndreaS Leuthe (proadding: "The front wheel i s so important here ." A Laguna f nounced "loiter") failed to make the qualifying time; but Calihe insisted: "This track is real fun on a 500:' fornian Chuck Graves, placed an impressive 21st in his first Then came the first gap after the closeness of the leaders. ever 500cc ride, would also miss the start. Riding the spare Shinichi Itoh was almost a full second down on Doohan, and Roc-Y amaha previously used by the dep art ed Julien Miralles, little less behind Cadalora, at the head of his own tight pack. he crashed on both days of practice, and wrecked the bike the "Like Mick, we' ve been getting unpred ictable handling second time. P 8 after a' fourth-place start so that, at one point, he was ove r ta ke n by pri vate Yamaha rider Jerem y McWilliams. He got back in front, if narr owly, with the Irish rider dropping away in the closing laps . "My front suspension was too stiff and I had no confid ence," said Barros. " Th e team alrea dy ha s o ne in jured rider, and we don 't need another one." McWilliams was five seconds behind at the finish, but seven seconds ahead of Niall Mackenzie's Roc, after the Scotsman had a mediocre race. Sean Emmett was another four seconds behind, after defeating Bernard Garcia and finishing as the last rider on the same lap as the leaders. Th en came Lau rent Na veau, Jean Jeandat and Lucio Pedercini, claiming the last point, less than a second ahead of Marc Garcia. There were 21 finishers - not among them Darryl Beattie, who had started strongly in his comeback ride , onl y to lose power and retire after 10 laps. . Kocinski claimed the fastest lap as he chased Cadal or a, eigh t-tenths slower than Schwantz's 1990 lap record. Doohan left Laguna Seca with 272 points; non -starter Kevin Schwantz still held second on 169. But the pursuit is getting closer, wi th Kocin ski on 140, Cadalora on 139, Puig on 132, Itoh on 128, and injured non-starter Cr iville dropping to seventh overall with 122. CN Laguna Seca Raceway M onterey, California Results: September 11, 1994 SOOet Q UALIFYI NG : 1. Mi chael Daoha n (1,26.068/91 .647 mph); 2. lohn Kocinski (1:26.076); 3. luea Cadalora (1:26.128); 4. Shinichi Itoh (1:21.015); 5. Kevin Schwantz {l,v.355); 6. Doug Chandler (1:27.401); 7. Daryl Beattie (1,v525); 8. Alex Criville (1,v.716); 9. Alberto Puig (1,v.786); 10. Alex Barros (1,v.808); 11. Norifu me Abe (1:28 .073 ); 12. Jerem y McWilliams (1:28 .239); 13. John Reyn old s (1:28.671); 14. Ni all Mackenzie (1:28.696); 15. Jean Ieandat (1:28.959); 16. Berna rd Garcia (1 :29 .0 50) : 11. Laurent Nav eau (1,29 .124 ); 18. Sean Em me tt (I :29 .17S ); 19. Lucio Pederci ni (1,30.824); 20. Marc Ga rcia (1,3\.063); 2\. Chuck Graves (1:3 1. 084) ; 22. Bernd Haenggeli (1:31.168); 23. Bruno ·Bonh uil (1:31.178); 24. jea n Lopez Mel1l (1:31.188); 25. Cristiano Migliorati (1:31.765); 26Ce es Doo rakkers (1:31. 863); 27. Kevin Mitchell (1:3\.967); 28. le an Fora y (1:32.207); 29. Mara> Papa (1:32.676). SOOcc GRAND PRI X: 1. Luca CadaJora (Yam) ; 2. John Koci nski (Cag) ; 3. Michael Doo ha n (Ha n); 4. Shinichi Itoh (Hon ); 5. Doug Chand ler (Cag) ; 6. Norifume Abe (Yam); 7. Alberto Puig (Han); 8. Alex Barros (Suz); 9. Jeremy McWilliams (Yam); 10. Nia ll Mackenzie (Yam); 11. Sean Emmett (Yam); 12. Berna rd Garcia (Yam ); 13. Lauren t Naveau (Yam) ; 14. Jea n Jeandat (Yam) ; 15. Lucio Pedercini (Yam) ; 16. Marc Garcia (Yam); 17. Cristiano Migliorati (Yam); 18. Bernd Hae nggeli (Yam); 19. Bru no Bonh uil (Yam); 20. Cees Doora kkers (Yam); 21. Jean Foray (Ya m). Time: 48 min., 0.370 sec. Distance: 33 la ps , 72.305 mile . s Average Spud: 90.370 mph . Margin of Victory: 7.896 sec. Fas.es. up' Iohn Kocinski. 1,26.#1 / 91.248 mph. 500

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