Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ROAD RACE , World Championship Superbike Road Race series Round 3: Donington Park, England (Left) Scott Russell had litt le to celebrate in England. The Georgian finished sixth In the first race and didn't get past the warm-up lap In the second. (Above) Wh itham (69) and Slight (3) battle over third place. (Below) Pier-Francesco Chili continued to imp ress, fin ishing second in the second leg after crashing out of the first race. Margi n of victory: to .80 sec. Fastest la p: Ca rl Fogarty , 1:35.41/94.32 mph WORLD SUPERB IKE C'SIIIP POINT ST ANOINGS (After 3 of 13 round~) : 1. C.ul Fogarty (140); 2. Mauro Lucchiari (12); 3. Troy Corser (66); 4. Fabrizi o Pirova no (60); 50. Aaron Slight (SA b. Piee-Prencesco Chib (54); 7. ); Pie rgiorg!o Bonternpi (50 ); R. Simo n C rafar (48); 9. JOCht.1f Schm id (44); 10. Yasutomo N agai (40); 11. Scott · Russell (34) ; 12. John Reyn olds (30); 13, Co lin Edw ards (24); 14. AndrPas M...kLtu (21); 15. Morilla s (2Q). Casch (Yam); lb. Mett Llewellyn (Due); 17. Cianmaria Livcra ni (Du e): 18. Co lin Ed ward s (Yam); 19. Davi d Iefferies (Ka w); 20. Massi mo Mereg alli (Yam) ; 21. Brian Morrison IHon) : 22. Stepha ne Mert en!" IHcn). Ti me: 41 min ., 40.53 sec Distan ce: 2b laps , &5miles verage speed. 93.5R mp h M.argi n or victory: 1.00 St'C Fast est l.lp: Ca rl Fogarty. 1:35.43/94.30 mph RACE TWO: I. Ca rl Fogar ty (Due) ; 2. P ierFra ncesco Chi li (Du e): 3. Aa ro n Sl ig ht IHo n ): 4. Picrgiorgio Bontcmpi (Kaw): 5. Fabrizio Pirovano (Due); n. Simo n Crafar {Hon ): 7. Yasutomo Nagai (Ya m ); 8. jome, Wh itham (Due); 9. Ad ricn Ma rillas ( Due): 10. Mau ro Lucchiari ( Due); 11. John Reyn olds (Ka w): 12. Colin Edward (Ya m) ; 13. Pao lo Casoli (Ya m ); 14. Andreas Meklau (Due); 15. Matt Llewe llyn (Due); 16. Gia nrn aria Liverani (Du d : 17. [ochen Schm id (Kaw): 18. • . Niall Mackenzu.. ( Due); 19. Davi d jefferies (Kaw): 20. Nick Ho pkins (Due); 21. Step hane Mertens (Due); 22Brian Morriso n (Hen): 23. Jean -Yves Mo unter (Dud; 24. Andrea Persel li (Dud. Ti me: 41 min ., 47.90 !Ot. . 'C Di!'ltan ce: 26 laps , 65 miles Average s peed; 93.30 mph Brieflv. • • , ~ - -'--,--- -- . "dril.""" Upcom ing Rounds Round 4 - Monze , San Marino , June 18 Round 5 - Albacete. Spain, June 25 - As expected, Bimota didn't show up in Donington . Prior to the . race in Misano, rider Terry Rymer had informed the Italians that he didn't want to. co ntin ue deve loping the SB7 dur ing I .race weekends: He said he wouldn't go to Misano and Donington , and that he'd evaluate the situation atter the Bntishround. For those two races, he was scheduled to be 'replaced by test rid er Gianluca Galasso, But then everything changed. A few days before the race at Donington , both Rymer and Bimota decided to end their relationship and Rymer hoped to get a ride for the weekend , He talked with (among others) the Mot6c inelli team boss , and hoped that he could introduce him to Ducati. Acco rding to sources, the Italians weren 't interested in providing another rider with one of their Vtwins , given the growing Japanese opposition of the dominance the red bikes have shown this season , Rymer wasn 't overly concerned and he promised that" he 'd be ' back by the Monza round of the series on June 18,. is, however , becoming more and rno re likely that Crafar will also ride a factory Honda for the' rest of the season - at least if a solution can be lound that is a cce pta b le fo r all sp ons or s' involved , If not, Crafar might stay on the Rumi team and receive the special pa rts which were p romised to. him at the beginning of the sea son, also ente r the World Superbike rounds at Br and s Ha tch and As sen . Wh itham is now ca mpaigning 'his Ducat is very successfully in ' the British Champ ionship ,.where he has won six out of the eight races. Mackenzie entered a nearty standard 916 in the Donington races, a loane r from the ow ner of the Docsh op Grand Prix racing team, Morrison got ·one ,of his old sets of Team Rumi leathe rs out of the closet and he rode an ex-crater Honda at Doninqton . It is also not known who will ' replace Kevin Schwantz on the Lucky Strike team , According to some, Polen - who was absent in England There is a slight possib ility that the Albacete round of the series will be cancele d, The circuit is negotiati ng with the Grand Prix team, but his chances seem slim because his two-stroke manager was recently fired with the Spanish circuit in financial trouble, With the track being experience is very limned , For the Suzuka 8· Hour, Suzuki is already looking for replacement in the govemment's hands and elections comriders lor Schwantz and Daryl Beattie because ing up, a new local govemment in the region of Albacete might decide to have the race can they don't want to jeopardize Beattie's chances celed , in the 500cc World Championship by having him race in Japan. Herv Moineau is likely to be one of the men on the Lucky Strike Suzuki One wee k before the Donington race , Troy Corser renewed his contract with Promotor for in the world's most important four-stroke race , another three years , This does mean , however, The former World Endurance Champion is now that the Australian will stay in Wortd Supert>ike managing a ,French junior team in the Euro pean 2SOcc championship, and he wa~ asked racing for that period of time . Promot or - an a few days before the Donington race if he association of Austrian sponsors - introd uced would be available during the Suzuka weekbig bucks in World Superbike racing at the beginning of 1994; when they decided to swap tt is still unknown as to .wbo will replace Doug , end, . their (extremely expensi ve) semi-factory RC45 Polen in the Castrol Honda team. It was generfor Ducatis after disappo inting winter tests prior ally accepted that a decision wou ld be made Some Su perbike·veterans made the ir cometo the start of the seas on , At the end of that prior to the Doningto n round, especia lly since backs at Doninqton. Thundert>ike Trophy rider year, they were also willing to spend a big pile Stephane Mertens ' rode one of the semi-offiBritish-based team sponsor Castrot wanted to of Aust rian Shi llings' in an effort to lure Scott cia tHonda RC45 s his cou ntryman M ich al be well represented at their home race , On FriRussell onto their team. II an opportunity comes day momi ng (I) HRC decided to lend the offiPaquay had used in 1994. The Belgian was not up to go Grand Prix racing with top machinery, cial ex- Polen bike to Simon Crafar for a onerea lly. mot ivat ed , part ially because he didn't the team might seriously consider the option, race ,deal (as they'd done in Hockenheim and want to take any chanc es that would hurt his For the time being , though, all effort is being Misano): Only this time there was no Rum; fairstronq-thus-tar Thunderbik e results , James placed on their World Superbike progra m with ing wra pped aro und the facto ry engine , and Whitham, Niall Mackenzie and Brian Mo rri· their two riders, Andreas Meklau and Corser, Crafar raced in the official red, white and green son were the.other "old-timers' makin g their comeba cks , Of the f our , Whitha m was the Castrol col ors . In ord er to keep Team Rum i and Crafar's sponsors happy, the New Zealanfastest in both practice and during the races , , Yasutomo Nagai had a scary moment during p racti ce when he was on a fly e r in a final der was allowed to keep his Rum;"leathers on, ' The Briton still has the factory Ducatis he used attempt to better his 15th-fastest time, ' My'last Befo re Monza , a definite decision should be' last year, wit h updates' like a new swi nqarm lap was my quickest 'and may have been even found as to who.will officiall y replace Polen'. It and a rear linkage system fitted, Whitha'm will 14 quicker: . the Japane se said, "But som ething , flew up from (Mauro ) Lucchiari's bike , landed between my front tire and the fender and broke the fenderoft completely, It gave one of the shock when I came back to. the mechan ics pits as he thought it must have been his tauttt" a In the crash department, James Wh itham suecee ded in sliding off. his bike twice in exactly the same spot. The final crash occ urred just a few min utes before the end of second timed practice - after he had set his best time, Alt hough Colin Edwards II was leaving for Japan the day after the Donington round to test for the July 30 Suzuka 8-Hour, he still didn 't ' kno w who his teammate would be for the Japanese endurance race - although one possibility is his World Supert>ike teammate Yasutomo Nagai. Aside from World Supert>ilike Series again this year, "I' wouldn't mind bringing a bike over there if they (Vance & Hines Yamaha)needed help in winning the champ ionship: Edwards 'said, Scott Russell was limping notice ably with his two broken toes ,and he needed three pain killing injections prior to the race on Sunday, .Bussell was scheduled to have the foot put in a cast immediately following the, Donington Park race, but the cast will be taken off after a week, Legalized gam bling ' on motorcycle racing is allowe d in Great Britain , and Ladbrokes: a British gambling conce m, set up shop at Donington Park, For the second race, Ducati's Carl Fo garty wa s th e favorite at 1-2 , Promoter Ducati's Troy Corse r was seco nd at 4- 1 and Aaron Slight and Jam ie Whitham were both 61. Muzzy Kawasaki's Scott Russell was 10-1 after going off at 6·1 in the first race,

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