Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Don't Let go to Fred Merkel first and filter down to Donald Jacks or does everybody get the same-spec equipment? Everybody gets the same stuff. That's one thing that we stress here - all three guys on equal equipment at all times. Each guy's setup is a little different but the base starting point is the same. It is just a matter of each guy getting his own equipment set up. Donald is coming along, he did fairly well at Daytona and we're just hoping to see him continue to improve and continue to move forward. One could say that Yoshimura has long had a big-horsepower-on-top, nomidrange-and-little-bottom-end theory in building engines. Do you think that has changed significantly in 1995? I'd say the engines are now more userfriendly and it is much easier to control the wheelspin. We're -realizing now (smiles) that you are not wide open all the time on the race track and it is much more of an off-and-on throttle situation. You've got to have acceleration and that is a big departure for us. Really, though, the way our program has changed is that we are now directly working with the engineers over in Japan for the first time in perhaps 10 years. How does that process work? Do you request work in one area and they send you parts to address that, or do you just get parts that have worked for them? It must be difficult to develop parts for America with Japanese riders on Japanese tracks. They send us pieces that we test and they do the testing as well over there. That makes development time twice as fast, 1 think. It is slightly stressing to them (Suzuki Japan) that the U.S. courses and Japanese courses are so dramatically different, and that U.s. riders and Japanese riders are so different. There is a big difference in how the machine needs to be developed if it is going to America, chassis parts and suspension comp-onents need to be very different because, typically, the course conditions are pretty bumpy here. They send over a lot of parts that were designed on the smoother courses in Japan and they don't work too well here. But communication is very good so we are really looking forward to next year. How would you compare Fred Merkel's setup to the other riders on the team? Very close. The riding styles are totally different but the actual setup on the machine is fairly close. When did you realize that Yoshimura was definitely going to be a player in 1995? You had a good result at Daytona, but that could be read several different ways. Did you know at DaYtona you had a flyer? From the second race, at Pomona, where from right out of the gate we were pretty competitive in the times. For us to be competitive right out of the gate at a bumpy course like that, 1 thought we would probably do well. Like I said, Fred (Merkel) has been getting more and more comfortable on the bike and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. I think he'll probably win a race this year because he's qualifying well and his race setup ... if we get a good setup I'm sure he'll do well. The other riders as well. This almost seems surreal. If somebody had told you in the middle of last season that you would be running at the front and threatening to win a race in 1995, what would you have said? Last year, it would have seemed pretty far-fetched because we were really struggling. But now we're working together really well and we just need to keep it going. a the World Pass You By. u.s. Toyota SUperbike World ionship July 21-23, 1995 Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, .;;:. ...... WOIID LAGUNA Califom~a IUPflllKf SECA RACEVVAY '95 • AMA 600 Supersport and .Harley-Davidson Supertwin Races. • Meet Carl Fogarty, Doug Polen and Colin Edwards for their only U.S. Appearance. • Race Fan Party • Limited Paddock Access • Reserved Grandstand Seating (with Big Screen). CallI (800) 327-SECA For Tickets ANA Natianal SuperTeams Series June 17 • Loudon, New Hampshire 15t Cycle Motion Racing (Suzuki) 33

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