Round 7: Dutch Grand Prix
The 70th Anniversary of the
Dutch TT feetured not only
a party for the retired Kevin
Schwantz (below. left - with
Wayne Rainey), but also a
parade feeturlng fanner
champions and their
motorcycles. (left)
Giacomo Agostini takes the
outside line while fellow MY
Allusta rider Kef carruthers
takes the-lnsIde; Dutchman
Wli Hartog follows. (Right)
Schwantz also. took some
final Ie. . on his Lucky
Strike SuzukI.
most, along with a touch of foolhardiness at the chicane.
Peter Oettl, who broke his arm only
two races ago, made most of the running in pursuit, and thoroughly
deserved his narrow second place over
Akira Saito, who came through bravely
in a major melee at the chicane.
Masako Tokudome (Ditter Plastic
Aprilia) was the only victim of this,
tumbling within sight of the line after
trying too hard and running into the
back of Nakajoh, who narrowly stayed
on board. Sakata took fourth, then came
Aoki, Herri Torrontegui (Aprilia), Stefano Perugini (Aprilia) and Nakajoh in
eighth, with Tomomi Manako (Honda)
just off the back in ninth.
Then came a big gap to Scalvini in
10th.
Aoki's title lead remained huge: 136
points to Perugini's 82. Then came Sakata (73), Saito (66), Raudies (56.5) and
Manako (53).
(N
•
32. M. Noo,en (2020.386); 33. R. Filart (2024.050); 34. P.
Den Hey... (2:25.066).
25Oe1'>lh (2.'08.113); 13. Carles
Checa 0..'08.2(8); 14. Alessandro Cr.umgro U:06.243); 15.
Jurgen Fuchs (2:08.456); 16. Takeshi TsujUnW'll (2.'08.600);
17. Nobuatsu Aold U:08.753); 18. Luis d' Antin (2.'08.900);
Circuit van Drenthe
Aasen. Holland
Results: June 24, 1995
125(c QUALIFYI C: 1. Hideyuki
akajoh
(2:15.237); 2. AId.a Saito (2;15374); 3. Emilio Alzamo..
(2:15.448); 4. Kazuto Sakata (2:15.456); 5. Herri
Torrontegui (2:15.626); 6. Peter Denl (2:15.786); 7.
Haruchika Aold U:15.929); 8. Noboru Ueda (2:15.958); 9.
Masaki Tokudome (2:16.133); 10. Tomoko Manako
Criville's lastsecond ole
M
8
ichael Doohan was fastest throughout qualifying,
until the dying minutes. Then Alex Criville put in
a flyer to oust his Repsol-HRC teammate by three
tenths. It was not merely his first pole position, but the
first ever in the class by a Spanish rider. '1 put on a soft
tire five minutes from the end, but I wasn't expecting
pole. I was surprised when I saw it," he modestly said.
This broke what would have been a seven-race run of
poles for Doohan, but he cared very little. Though it
looked as though he was trying hard, his bike skittering
over the crests, he insisted that was only because of the
unusually bard suspension he needed here, and he was
just trying to find a good race setup and get safely
through the weekend.
He had a point. Pole was just s10wer than last year's
and more than a half-second off Kevin Schwantz's '91
race lap record.
All sorts of hdeJesting things had happened - notaWy,
Daryl Beattie was within tenths of Doohan's time over
and over again, and looked smoother, more comfortable,
and safer - until he feD off, and" out of the race. And
Schwantz replacement Scott Russell was at one stage second-fastest after avowedly throwing caution to the
wiftds in an attm.lpt to get right on top of his new steed.
But the order on the starting grid was settled by a
flurry of fast laps in the dosiJIg minutes, with Russell
pushed to sixth and Beattie to eighth, culminating in
CrmlIe's glorious swoop from fifth to first.
Loris Cap1rossi had come through a little earlier to
end up third. but was far from his usual chirpy self,
cleariy sobered by the significant speed diflerence
between a 2SO aRd a 500 at wbat was now a daUJ1tiDl
prospect rather than a fun track. Then came IJberto
(2:15.197); 11. Dirk Raudies (2:16.726); 12. Stefano
Pel"Ugiru (2:16.726); 13. Stelan Kurliss (2:16.956); 14. J<.
Miyasaka (2;17.030); 15. Olive, Koch (2:17.079); 16.
Ginvani Scalviru (2:17.152); 17. T. Yamamoto (2:17.286);
18. Manfred Geissle, (2:17.362); 19. Y. Sugai (2:17.595)
20. T. 19a1a (2:17.658); 21. J""8e Martinez (2:17.765); 22.
Yoshiako Katoh (2:17.810); 23. Lwg; Ancona (2:17.900);
24. J. Sa,da (2;17.901); 25. H. Kikuchi (2;18.255); 26.
Gabriele Debb;" (2:18.432); 27. M. D' Agnano (2.18.623);
28. Stefan P,ein (2.10.058); 29. A. Ballerini (2:19.258); 30.
B. Den B,eejeo (2:20.058); 31. Loek Bodelle, (2:20.077);
Puig, who had clearly been trying bard, and was disappointed not to have been faster.
Norifumi Abe was an Assen first-timer, but as many
are finding, the track is much easier to learn since it was
widened and resurfaced for 1991, Abe cut his lap time
from 2:fJ7.7 on Thursday morning to a respectable 2:03.8
by Friday afternoon, and was actually on the front row
of the grid before Criville moved everybody down one.
Now he led row two from Russell, a different kind of
novice, having raced Superbikes here twice in the past.
His biggest difficulty in adapting to a GP bike remains
the front wheel - braking and turning in to the comers and there is little of that sort of action at the fast and
sweeping track. 1£ anything, the banked turns take the
emphasis away from the front wheel.
Russell recognized a chance to take a forward leap in
his sWl'tehover program, and took it. "Until now I've
. been riding carefully and trying to stay on. You don't
learn much that way. I have to adapt fast so I have to
start taking risks." Accordingly he was showing an
aggressive and muscular style, and going respectably
fast. By the end, he said: '1'm ready to race right now.
Those guys who went faster than me at the end used
qualifying tires. In the race they'll come back toward
me."
Alex 8an"os was alongside, with no complaints except
his lap time. '1 want nothing except one second faster,"
he said.
Beattie remained eighth, but his place on the grid was
taken by the next man, Shinichi Itoh, who had also
crashed, hurting his left hand once again. Already he
was riding with a special pad wired on to the handlebar
to ease the injury.
This left the lackluster Luca Cadalora to head row
three, dutifully if unmnvincingly saying, '1 thiJlk we am
improve on the settings so I am go faster QIIOIrow." .
Then came Loris Reggiani, who'd lost the chance to
get the V-twin Aprilia perfectly dialed in because of
engine problems as weD as some uroexpeded chassis
probIeDlS, poesibIy the Iepcy of his hewy crash in Jerez.
19. Oliver Petrucciani (2:08.960); 20. Adi Stadler
(2:09.173); 21. Jose C . . doso (2:09.230); 22. Wileo
ZeeJenbe'g (2;09.287); 23. 5. Hikata (2:09.714); 24. Renzo
Laconi (2:09.799); 25. Niall Mackenzie (2:10.270); 26.
G;ovani lovilia (2:10.280); 27. P. RJba (2.10.314); 28. Luis
Maurel (2:10.556); 29. Bernd Kassner (2:11.796); 30.
Manuel Castilla (2.12.158); 31. M. Bolwe,k (2:13.068); 32.
R. Markink (2;14312); 33. F. Van Zutphen (2:16.912); 34.
R. Muld... (2;17.793).
5OOc<: QUALIFYING; 1. Alex Criville (2.03.151); 2.
Michael Dooban' (2.03.443); 3. Lom Cap;rossi (2:03.671);
4. Alberto Puig (2:03.716); 5. Norifumi Abe (2;03.874); 6.
Scott Russell (2:04.155); 7. Alex Banos (2;04.173); 8.
Daryl Beattie U:04.284); 9. ShiJUchi Itoh (2.04.543); 10.
Luca Cadalo.. (2.04.565); 11. Lam Reggwu (2.-04.688);
12. Juan Borja (2:04.809); 13. B..-nMd Gam. (2.0()6.478);
14. James Haydon (2:07.213); 15. Neil Hodgson
(2.-()7.4:l0); 16. J...emy McWilliams (2.-()7518); 17. Adrien
Bossbard (2:07.582); 18. Uistiano Miglimati U:07.712);
19. Bmno Bonhull (2.-()7.724); 20. MMC GMcia (2.'08.113);
21. Jean Jeandat (2:08.394); 22. Bemd Haenggeli
(2:08.407); 23. Eugene McManus (2:08.621); 24. Frederic
Then came top privateers Juan Borja and Bernard
Garcia, with impressive Assen first~ James Haydon
leading row four.
There were 30 qualifiers, with last place going to
Jimmy Filice. .
Max Biaggi's superiority was massive and demoralizing in the 250cc class. He led every session, and ended
up a full 1.2 seconds ahead of the next man. He exuded
confidence, happy to remember his runaway win here
last year, and adding, '1t is definitely my favorite circuit."
Who could come close? Not even Tetsuya Harada,
though he was trying when he made a most uncharacteristic mistake, under-braking in the last session, and slid
off for his spectacular crash (see Briefly...).
Before then, he had been growing increasingly vocal
in his impa.tient waiting for the new disc-valve bike;
afterward he came back fighting, even testing in racemorning warmup before finally deciding to give in to his
injuries and miss the race.
This moved Tadayuki Okada up one place, at the
head of a hatful of Hondas, but with his gap to Biaggi
nigh on 15 seconds. '1 think we will be racing for seamd
tonlOllOW, n he said, a not unreasonable prophecy.
He could see with whom, too, Ralf Waldmann was
alongside, right up with him, and lookiDg tbreateDing.
"It went slowly at first in practice, but finally we found a
better chassis setting. That is the most important thing
here."
J,p, Ruggia's NSR Honda thus moved up onto the
front row, leaving his production-Honda-riding teammate Olivier Jacque in a career-best hoaoraty fifth, leading the third row of the grid. Then came the ApriIias of
JeaII-Michel Bayte, Locatelli and privateer EsJcil Suter, the
times closing up DOW.
Ju:rgen van den Gooabergh led row three from Kenny
Roberts Jr., Pat:rick van den Goorbe.tghlllld Cades Checa.
Wilco ZeeIenberg was way down, 22nd f88telJt OIl the
injured DmaDo Komboni's NSR.
