Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

: ;:;.&. . :..· R O·:RAC . . "..'...... , OA· . ' ..E" . . . ~ :/ ' " :World ChimPonship Road '~ Seiies 'c': By Henny Ray Abrams ~ 0\ 0\ ,..-( -.D N I-< OJ ..a .8 u o 10 CATALUNYA, SPAIN, ocr. 9 -"-~.. here were two Italian heroes at the season-ending European Grand Prix, Marlboro Roberts Yamaha's Luca Cadalora, the winner of the 500cc race, and his fellow countryman Max Biaggi, who clinched the 250cc World Championship by topping the 250cc race. Of the two, Biaggi's was more impressive. Refusing to bow to the pressure of a safe fin ish, the 23-year-old Roman, who'd entered the race needing to fi nish no worse than second if Kanemoto Honda's Tadayuki Okada won, scrapped from the start, taking the lead for good from Okada on the 15th of 23 laps. He'd made an exploratory push, answered quickly by Okada, then made a second surge with five laps to go, edging away to win by 1.940 seconds over Marlboro Team Pileri's Loris Capirossi before a crowd of 50,000 spectators. Capirossi had passed fellow Italian Doriano Romboni and the HB Honda on the final lap with Okada finishing fourth, one ahead of Yamaha Motor France's Tetsuya Harada, after encountering tire troubles at the end of the race. Final Round: European GP "My signals told me I was one second ahead of Okada, then it was 0.5 seconds, then nothing and then he passed me," Biaggi sai d . " Th a t wa s a problem, because I knew if another rider passed me I'd lose the championship, so I went ahead again, and ri sked every thi ng because tha t was the only way I was going to win the title. I was one second a head , then two, then three, then I looked behind on the last lap and there was no one there, so I thought, 'Okay: and pulled a few wheelies to celebrate and say hello to everyone. Now I'm happy, but I don't feel any differerent now that I'm World Champion." Okada's team had struggled with finding a usable combination all weekend, hitting on a compromise after Sunday morning's warm-up. But the rear tire troubles he encountered in the race meant he was unable to accelerate as early as Biaggi. "I did my best today, all I could do. I'm not too disappointed," Okada said. "I got quite a good start from the third row and ran with the leaders early on . The Aprilia was faster than the Honda, but the Honda was better in the infield. About half race-distance the rear tire started to slide; it was the same for Rom- Grand Prix of Europe winner Luca Cadalora (5) leads Alberto Pulg (17), Mlek Doohan (4) and John Kocinski (11). boni and Capirossi, we were all sliding the rear tire after 10 laps. When Max started to pull away in the closing stages there was nothing I could do about it. I was at maximum when I had passed him early in the race." Biaggi 's win gave Ap rilia their second title of the year - Kazuto Sakata had clinched the 125cc crown in Argentina a nd gave a European factory its first 250cc title since Mario Lega won on a Morb idelli in 1977. Biaggi completed the 23-lap, 67.85mile race in 42 minutes, 44.818 seconds at an average speed of 95.228 mph. His final point tally was 234, 20 better than Okada, who had a IS-point cushion on the 500cc-elass-bound Capirossi. Team Marlboro /Rainey's Kenny Roberts Jr. ended the season in 18th plac e after placing 11th in Spain. After qualifying 11th, Roberts Jr. tangled with Spaniard Jorge Cardoso on the first lap, dropping back to 19th. On the next lap he overshot the first comer while trying to make up time and dropped back to last place, fro m w he re he began his march through the field . "I got in th er e (turn one) with the back wheel in the air and got in too hot:' Roberts Jr. said. "After that I was trying not to think about it. I just tried to keep going faster and learn something from the whole ordeal. I don't want to do the same again." Marlboro Team Roberts Yamaha's Cadalora won the final SOOcc race of the year by taking risks as the race wore on, like his Italian compatriot Biaggi, but it was for an entirel y d iff erent reason. About halfwa y into the 25-lap race, rain began to fall lightly, th en intensified . While the rest of the field backed off, Cadalora kept the ga s on and pulled away. At the end he had 3.488 seconds on HRC's Mick Doohan, wh o admitted he wasn 't will ing to take as many chances as Cad alora. "I w asn't prepared to crash and I knew in those conditions you wouldn't even feel the tires slide, you' d just be on th e ground," Doohan said. "Everyone else slowed and Luca was the only one getting away. I thought his helmet shield migh t've been too dark and he couldn't see it was raining." Cadalora finished the 25-lap, 73.73mile race in 46 minutes, 3.356 seconds, at an average ~peed of 96.072 mph. By winning his second race of the year, the 31-year-old Italian moved into second in the championship, two points . ahead of third-p lace finisher John Kocinski in what was likely the Californian's final race with the Cagiva team. After running second in the opening laps, Kocinsk i d ropped back in the second h alf of th e race to scrap with Sp an iard Alex Criville. The race came down to the final lap, with Criville running into the back of Kocinski in a slow left-hander, causin g him to back off and giving Kocinski the break he need ed. Cagiva is rumored to be leaving the 500cc class, and released Kocinski from his contract immediately after the race: "I'm just real disappointed. I hate losing battles. Cagiva just didn't come up with a bike that was fast enough:' Kocinski said. Criville was fourth on the HRC Honda, and fifth went to Marlboro Roberts' Daryl Beattie in his final race with the team ; he'll be racing alongside of Kev in Schwantz next year on the Lucky Strike Suzuki team . Ironically, he held off Lucky Strike Suzuki's Alex Barros - the man he's replacing - at the end . Seven th went to Ducados Honda Pons' Alberto Puig. the Spaniard having led early before dropping back when his forearms pumped up, a recurring problem that will require off-season surgery. Slick 50's Ni all Mackenz ie was slowed to ei g hth b y worn tires with Team ROC's Bernard Garcia ninth. Cagi- . va's Doug Chandler rounded out the top 10, his effort hampered by both tire and bike p roblems, and he was able to lead privateer John Reynolds across the line. '" had a probl em with the tire sliding from the start and the engine was not 100"10 right either on acceleration or top speed:' Chandler said. "No excuses, though, and , as I said through practice, I didn't have the right setup all weekend and I was never at ease on the bike,"

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