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ROAD RACE. . World 'Championship Superbike Road Race Series Round 5: Albacete, Spain = • Briefl' ~G ••• According 10 M~ Kawasaki team manager Steve Johnson, Ihe team won't make a decision as 10 who will replace SCott Ru.aell until aftlilr the World Superbike round al (Left) Aaron Slight (center) celebnrtes hi. - flrst-leg victory with Carl Fogarty (lett) and Troy Cor.... (right); It was Slight'. first win since 1993 when he rode a Muzzy Kawasaki. (Below 111ft) Slight (3) IeMla Corser (11) and Colin Edwanls H(45) In the first nICe; Edwards ran Into tire problems and slipped out of contention. The Casllglion'e brothers (owners of the Cagiva Group) already seem 10 regret their decision 10 puH out. of Grand Prix racing, Gianfranco, one of the two bosses of the Cagiva concern, seemed pretty impressed by the performance of Pier-Francesco Chili al the Italian Grand Prix al Mugello a couple of weeks ago. The former 250cc rider rode the "old" Cagiva to third on the grid, A few days before the Dutch TT. (and the Superbike race at Albacete), CastigflOll8 called Chili to ask W he would be interested in ~ting in the remaining Grands Prix of the season. Chili, who is under contract with the Gattolone racing team, had to refuse the offer because 01 conflicting dates for most of the Grands Piix (Asseh, Doninglon). He mighl, however, enter the Cagiva in the ImoJa Grand Prix In the b:89inning of September, Sugo, "'Doug Polen proposed hi~ services 10 AndreU MeIdlIu flTrived in the Albecete padus for the .rest of 'the Superblke season," dock a, battered,man, On Sunday evening, he' Johnson. said. "But we would rather have him on our !eam for the SuzlJka 8-Hour race., was doing soIne laps around the Monza track Doug Is a vel}' consistent rid8r, and he has' OIT ,his scooter after the ~an MarinO round, proven to be a verY good endurance rider .at ,Unfortunately, he Came -across a hare on the .Suzuka, For the time' b6ing, it's not known barely I~ track. Meklau, who nat wearing , .wIlo will te~m up wilh AntholJY Gobert'llt ttie. a h8lmet" crashed and injured his he8d, a"" Japanes.e rae,-e. K,-!liichi Kltag'awa wa,s th,e ana .side. But)\ didn't, stop, him frqm'quallfying • fifth' for Albecete. When'asKed the reason for first option" but he's still in,the, !lospital' his improving resuHs 'slnce,Monza, he because 'of a blood. c1ot.in his. brain due to,a crash,during p,riVale p(actl.ce, If. he has. 'explained thaI tl)e team had finally found.8 recovered, he COuld ride for the team at salll-tiOn to' his problems wltli the 'Promotor Suzuka and .posslbly 'In the remaining World' 91,6', 'It see.ms that he!d belin' using the exact same setup, used by T'roy Corser" but It Sup'erblke rounds. The bikes stay at the team's European headquarters in Germany. ' 'wasn't the best· solUtion !Or the tal! A~an, ' No oontacts bave been e'stab'lished' wIth who neveJ found ~ comfort!lble position cm' European riders. There are no more leading' the bike alid ",asn't able to. !Jse, the gear Superb.ike riders' without'8 contract ,and 'shiftllr p(Operly becaulle of the "compact" we're not inlarested in riders irom' another' dlmensions'of the bike, ,Before the Monza , claSs:" ' . 'race, the positions of ,seat, tocitpegs and handlebarS were rilodlfied and that seemed to do On Sunday evening, the ,rumor'th~t Sc'ot!, .the trick.. Russell might ride a KaWlisaki' althe Suzuka' , 8-Hour,was confin'ned. The deal is said to It is very,posslble that'the Wolld Superbike have been .made po~bl8 by Lucky, Strtka, riders 'have visited the south-Spanish clrcu~ the sponsor 01 the Suzuki Grand Prix team of ~ tOr the last time. As we reported (Russen's employer) and of the. faclol}' SOme weeks ,ago" the manager of the track Kawasakis for the Japanese endurance cJas- had been fired because of heavy financial sic, losses. In the meantime, it was discovered that there may have been sOme Illegal bookkeeping done and the man was placed under A Russell rumor that is still urrconfirmed houSe arresl 'Additionally"the city council is. would !'lave 'him, making a World Superbike comebaCk eanier than expected. When the .unllkely to continue its financial sullPOl1 of the circuit" since the socialist mayor has been American qu~ the World Supertlike scene a r.eplaced 'by II' con~rvative. Maybe this Is tbe few weeks ago and logged some promising last chapter in the short existence of the "La, results in his first Grands Prix, his future in thaI series seemed assured, Insiders, howev- 'Torrecica" circuit,. that was' constructed only five ,years ago, l!nd where.the Spanish round ' er, say that the man from Georgia has recently signed a con.tract with Suzuki to relum ',for the Wond'.Superbike ChampiOnship was sl.aged four tlm.es'. with,Ihe(1l lo.World Superbike racing from 1996 onward. The leam will enter a· comDucali 'Is also doing well in the European pletely new'bikll, and ine tel\m may be spon'Supersports, Ch,ampionshlp (which FiamniiOi sored by Lucky Strike, . would like to promote to World Championship status beglnring .in '1996 - sOrnE!thlng that, has , An,other former World Champion ,who will soon make hIs comeback'in .world Superbike .yet to be. cQnlirr(led by the ·FIM). Belgiari iaclng,is Doug P0kir1. The Te.xan is expected 'Michael Paqliey' lOOk his thlid viCtory In fIVe to show up in Salzburg, riding a Ducati from' raCllS alter an Jnterestlng duel with' Kawasaki ih,e Germ'afl' ONL leam; the same team for, ' rider Jehan d'Org~ix, ~aq'uilY {Europeaf) Supersports champion In 1993 before he which he rode Ii 91 \l'ln Misano. As a prllParation to the Wond, Superbike ~ce, Polen, will made a· di~lntiilg Wond Supertlilui debut particlpale in a, German intemational champi- , in 1994),has a factory Ducatl 748 ,and runs in onship race (Pro Superbike Saries) one week t~e same i\.Ista,re Bacing team es former before al the Qesterreichring. SOOCc w.orld Champion Marco Lucchinelll. was Corser ended up fifth, behind Fabrizio Pirovano. 'The harder compound tire I used worked for about half a dozen laps, then it had no more grip; I even had the feeling that the rear went flat," he said. Crafar finished 10th, and Gobert didn't even make it to the grid after finishing the warm-up lap with a smoking engine. "No idea what caused it," Gobert said. Edwards was once again a very disappointed man, crossing the line in 11tho "Right from the star! I knew that we'd made a bad lire choice. There was no wa I could keep the guys coming back from behind." c:N La Torrec:lc:ll AIb8cete, Spain Results: June 25, 111115 QUALIFYING, 1. Troy Corser (1:33,453); 2, Carl Fogarty (1:33,706); 3. Piergiorgio Bon_pi 0:33,790); 4. John Reynolds (1 :33,962); 5, Andreas Meklau 0 :34,038); 6. Aaron Sligh. (1:34,041); 7, Anthony Gobert 0:34,066); 8_ V.sutomo Nagai (1:34,105); 9, Colin Edwards 0:34.268); 10, Fabrizio Pirovano (1 :34.483); 11, Pier-Francesco Chili (1 :34.536); 12. Paolo Casoli (l :34.557); 13. Massimo Meregalli (1:34.n5); 14, Mauro Lucchian (1:34,736); 15, Simon Crafar (1:3•.829); 16. Gianmaria Liverani 0:35,142); 17, Terry Rymer 0:353]6); 18, Adrien Mori1las 0:35,441); 19, David jeff"';es (1:35.835); 20, jean·Yves Mounier 0:36.167); 21, Sutoshi Tsjuimoto (1:36369); 22. A1deo Pre!ciutti (1:36,451); 23. Florian J'enacci (1:36.532); 24, Ferdinando [); Moso U:36.821); 25. Russell Wood (1:37.348); 26. Andnes Penelli (J:37.562>, RACE ONE: 1, Aaron Slight (Hon); 2. Carl ~ (Dud; 3. Troy Corser (Dud; 4. Pier·Francesco Chili (Due); 5. Piergiorgio Bontempi (Kaw); 6. Fabrizio Pirovano (Duc); 7. Anthony Gobert (Kawl; 8. Andreas Meklau (Dud; 9. Yasutomo Nagai (Yam); 10. Colin Edwards (Yam); 11. Si.mon Crafar (Hon); 12. John Reynolds (Kaw); 13. Paolo Casoli (Yam); 14, Adrien Morillas (l)uc); 15, GWunaria Uverani (Due); 16, David Jefferi6 (Kaw); 17. Jean-Yves Mounier (Dud; 18. Sutoshi Tsujimoto (Hon); 19, A1deo Pre!ciutti (Due); 20, Florian Ferracci (l)uc); 21, Ferdinando [); Maso (Due); 22. Andrea Perselli (Due), Timr. 44 atin., 10,059 sec. DiMmce: 28 laps, 61,573 miles Avenge .peed: 83.58 mph Mup. of vidory. 0379 sec. F.....tl... Chili, 1:33.642/84,540 mph RACE TWO: 1. Carl Fogarty COu,e); 2. PierFrancesco Chili (Due); 3, Aaron Slight (Hon); 4, Fabrizio Pirovano (Due); S. Troy Corser (Due); 6. Yasutomo Nagai (Yam); 7. Andreas Me.klau (Due); 8. John Reynolds (Kaw); 9. Paolo Casali (Yam); 10. Simon Crafar (Hon); 11. Colin Edwards (Yam); 12. Massimo Meregalli (Yam); 13. David Jefferies (Kaw); 14. Clanmana Liverani (Duc); 15. Sutoshi Tsujimoto (Hon); 16. Andrea Perselli (Due). Time: 44 min., 12.784 sec. o;.Wtce: 28 laps, 61.573 miles AveraS" .peed: 83.558 mph Margin of victory: 4.759 sec. F.....tl... Chili, 1:33,779/84.417 mph WORLD SUPERBIKE'C'SHlP POINT STANDINGS (Aftft 5 of U round.): 1, Carl Fogarty (230); 2, Aaron Slight (135); 3. Pier-Francesco Chili (112); 4. Fabrizio Pirovano (99); 5, Troy Corser (93); 6, Mauro Lucchiari (92); 7, (TIE) Simon Cralar/Yasutomo NagiU (81); 9, Piergiorgio Bontempi (70); 10. Colin Edwards II (62); 1l~ John Reynolds (55); 12. Andreas Meklau (45); 13, jochen Sclunkl (44); 14, Scott Russell (34); 15, Anthony Gobert (29), Upcoming rounds Round 6 - 8aJzburgring, Austria, July 9 Round 7 - Laguna 5eca, CA, July 23 new