Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127710
Like Polen, Smith was ad jus ting to the new tires, but with something more of a reaction. "It' s scary becau se it' s someth ing di fferent. And tires are basically all you' ve go t," the Georgian said during the lunch break on Tuesday. "So you have to do it slow . When you're learning something. things pop up . I want it to be a gradual process, no t real sha rp . I wa nt to run them on a good solid base of wha t they are and what they do. I've ru n the Du nlops so much, but I raced Micllelins in Japan at the Suz uka 8-Hour and th ey work real goo d . You get a good cons istent s lide out of them . Bu t as we go through th e year I'll be able to see if the y 're bet ter or h o w much differen t they are." In add it ion to th e new tires, Smith had to get used to a new bike and found he wa s learnin g to r ide differently . Despite all that, he was well up to spee d and his times we re d ropping wh en he had an eng ine failu re on hi s 916 th at was caused by the higher weight limit s . of the AMA Supe rbike ru les. On e of the weight gaining measu res wa s the ad dition of the electric starter - which wasn't used - but it cracked the case where it was bo lted on and Smith parked the bike with the engine smoking. Because of that he never got to try a qu alifyin g tire and his race-tire laps were curtailed. "Actually, I only rode the race tire for four laps but I had done some 525 with the earlier race tire, which was harder," the Georgian said . "So, the real race tire, I wasn't ready for it . It took me three laps to get used to it because where you get on the throttle it is so much different. You go into the comer, you get on the throttle and it pushes the front. I got one clean lap and that was a 52 flat. I think it's very pos sible that that race tire can do low 51s. Not cons isten tly low 51s but maybe, ma ybe. That's a possibility beca use we've still got a lot of suspension stuff to test, a lot that I want to try and that hurt me coming in." Spen cer agreed wit h Smith that there was a lotto learn. " Fo r me track time is what's most impo rtant . To build up kind of slowly and setting up the bike, because they haven't run this bike here. It' s no t like I showed up and the bike was already set up . Th ere w e re some adjustmen ts to make, suspension-wise, and it just all came together," Spencer said . As far as tires go, Spencer didn't see a problem . "Tha t's one of the things I'm really impressed with," Spencer said. "The last time I raced here, Michelin didn't reall y have a tire for me that I could push for a long time witho ut having heating p roblems . That's kind of what got to me in '91 an d '92. For them to go out there and almost imm ediately go out there and h ave tires th at wo rked good , and not have to worry ab out th at, is a nice change," he added. As it turned out, Spe ncer and Polen were the only two World Champions on hand. John Kocinski wasn 't able to test because Ferracci had only recentl y taken delivery of two 916s, one each for Smith and Spencer . In order to get a true test, Kocinski wo uld need two bikes for himself for two days, accord ing to Ferracci, and th at w as so meth ing h e couldn 't de liver . Whether he races the Day tona 200 is up in the air, Ferracci said . Corser's no-sh ow was for a different reason . Becau se he's racing for the Austrian- based Promotor team, it's thei r decisio n, and not the Cagiva factory's as to whethe r he'll race at Daytona. Ferracci al so sa id tha t h e d idn' t th in k that Corser wo u ld d o any AMA races, for n the same reason. Donate to .. ~ THECLAYTON ~ FOUNDATION ~ II) 2201 Cherry Avenue Long Beach, CA 90806 0\ 0\ rl , rl rl e-, l-l 310/427-7433 "We want to be yourfll'lXlrite chlJrity" co ;j l:: -co 13