Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

b er, we know that Paul Malin can ride a 125, but the 23-year-old Brit has been notoriou sly in cons is ten t since 1991 when he wo n three consecutive 500cc GP motos. Both of the tracks w here he registered GP moto success are on th is year's 125cc schedule an d he has identical Yamahas from the Rina ldi workshop to those he used at the Nations. While Michele Fa nton, 28,can be considered mo re as 'a n advisor to Vialle in the Platini team, h is 1994 250cc GP teamm ate Alessandro Puzar is the surprise packet of the ea rly season races . The 1990 World 250cc Cha mpion has struggled with h is knees since they were butchered by a surgeon at the end of the following summer, when he was disputing the title again against Trampas Parker an d Mike Healey. 'Sand re, 26, almost disappeared into oblivion las t year and actually retired, only to be talked into a com eback by Corrado Maddii, the most gentle and sym pathetic of all team managers, . From the first lap of tra inin g at Beau- : cair e last month, one co u ld see th e ren ew ed zest in Pu zar's riding and his re sults have b een phenom enal , and he now s ta n ds a lon gs id e fellow It alian Ch iodi a s join t fa v orit e for the crown. Pu zar ri des under Maddi i' s w ing but not a s a member of the fed erations u p po r te d Te am It ali a which is reserved spe cifically for yo ung rid er s. Am erica ' s only 125cc co n te n der thi s yea r ' is Jimmy Button , '[he 21year-ol d, le ft with ou t a rid e in th e U .S . when Su zuki sig n ed Albertyn, will rid e a Honda for the Magic Bik e team, w hich supp orted Bader Manneh on a Suz u ki last year. Young Americans desperatel y need an experienced advisor in their first yea r in Eu rop e, an d But ton will not be left wan tin g, as h e wi ll ha v e Danny LaPorte at his side. Many years a Eu ro res ident, Ame rica's very first Wor ld motoc ross champ ion won the 1982 World 250cc crow n in hi s fir st year! 500cc GP CLASS The big bikes which once held undi sp ute d cen ter s ta g e have gon e through an awkward coup le of ye a rs as the FIM has tried to d ir e ct all efforts t o w a rd th e ir appointed' "premier" clas s, the 250s, b u t the ' class ha s survived. While the Japanese factori es keep their distance, -th e fou r-stroke manufacturers have jumped at the chance to s tea l some of the limelight, w hile private teams and individua ls are no t afraid to com pe te, mainly on Honda CRSOOs. And for 1995, KTM returns to the ranks of po tentia l winners, last year's 250cc su pported riders Trampa s Parker and Austrian Rupert Walkner campaigning the new 360 model alongside the Missolton team of Belg ia n Ro nny We ustenrae d and Kiwi Shayne King . Parker, 27, has been getti ng good (Right) Jimmy Button (left), who lost his ride here in the U.S. when Albertyn signed with Suzuki, will campaignthe 125cc series on the Magic Bike Hondateam, managed by former World champ Danny laPorte (right). (Below) American Bobby Moore won't be back to defend his 125cctitl e. Instead, he'll compete in the 250ccclass as a member of the Rinaldi Yamaha squad. he devast ated the four-st rokes and the factory 250cc Suzukis at the Belgian seaso n opene r . Inconsist ency h as a lways been his handicap in the past, though. Ki w i te ammate King, a lso 24, is anot her rider who mu st not be discounted - h e act ua lly won a m ot o a t last year's op ener b e fore go ing o n the injured list. ' Eld er brother Darryll, 26, will, once agai n, campaign Kawasaki s an d is the only potenti al champion on the marque. He went int o 1994 without a race after breaking a thigh at the previous year 's Tokyo Supercross, bu t by June he w as winning the first moto in Franc e, o nly to suffer back injuries in race two . That is now behind him and for 1995 he joins force wit h ace tuner [ohan Luyten, who ha s in th e past d ecad e prepared GPwinning bikes for [ob e, Nicoll, Mart ens, Liles and Boonen, but is stil! look ing for that elus ive title. The Honda privateers are led by the 250cc CLASS ' , , '- DeGroat Kawasaki: Stefan Everts (Belgium); Tallon Vohland (USA); Bemy VanRees (Holland),' • Rinaidi Yamaha.:Bob Moore (USA); Yves Demaria; Aridr~a Bartolini (Italy), ' ' ., - Yamaha France: FredericBolley (France), , ' , - Bieflli Suzuk Mamicq Bervoets (Belgium); Wemer Dewit (Belgium), , i: -,Van derVen Suzuki: Pedro Tragter (Holland);Leon Giesbers (Holland), - HRC Honda: Kurt Nicoll (Great Britain); Jaimy Scevenels (Belgium), " " - RWJ HonCla: Rob Herring (Great Britain); Joakim Karlsson (Sweden), : , - JobeHonda; Marcus Hansson (Sweden); Danny Theybers (Belgium)". ', PamoHonda: peter Beirer (Germany); Jerome Dupont (Switzerland). , " " ' - Pepsi Ho~da: B~de~ Manneh (~SIi) . '" ": " . . 500cc CLASS . - 630 Hasqvarna: JackyMartens (Belgium); FrancO Rossi' (lta~); Johan Boonen (Belgium); Peter ', ' - ,' : ' Johansson (Sweden), ~ 600 Husaberq; JoelSmets (Belgium); Dirk Geukens (Belgium); Chris Jacobs (Belgium); Ton Van , Grinsven (Ho lland). ' ,, ': 530 Vertemati;Gerald Delepine,(B~lgium); Mike,Young' (USA); GertJari Van Doom (Holland); , Meivyn linstie (Great Britain); Peter Dirkx (Belgium); Rudi Van Leeuwe~(Belgiun;); Christian " " Burnham (Great Britain); Dietmar Lacher (Germany);'Edwin Evertseri (Holland); John Van den Berk (Holland), " . ,- 360 KTM:'Ranny Weustenraed (Belgium); Shayne King (New Zealand); 'Tiampas Parker (LJSA); RupertWalkner (Austria): . ' .',,' results in the warmup races and, with th e 1989 125cc tit le and 1991 250cc crown already against his name, is bidding to emu late Eric Geboers an d become only the seco nd rider to w in world championships in all th ree di splacement categories. Belgian ,Weu stenraed, 24, has been winning motes, but not an overall since 1991, and he has already registered the first internationa l win for the 360 when 125ccCLASS - Yamaha: AlessioChiOdi,(Italy); Claud Federici (Italy); PaulMalin (GreatBritain). .. . . io . . , -.suzuki: Dave ~trijbos (Holland).. ,, - Kawasaki: Frederic ViaJl~ ('France); SabastianTorte!li (Fra~ce); Michaele Fant n(Italy). o - Honda: MauroDallago (Italy); toea Pr~tio (Ita Alessandro Puzar (Italy); Jimmy,BUtton (USA). ly); • TM: Massimo Bartolini (Italy); Walter Bartolini (Italy):, , "

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