Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127736
A couple of days before Monza, the Bergamo-based Rumi team finally received the special stuff from Japan, but Crafar was allowed to have one more go on the factory Honda. Then it was decided on SUnday that the team would have one of the factory bikes at their disposal for the rest of the year (but only for this one year,. we suppose). Crafar has adapted well to the factory bike, even though the Ohlins suspension in his Rumi bike seemed to be a little more adjustable than the Showa parts used by the factory. Colin Edwards II and the rest of the official Yamaha squad had hoped to be battling for victories from the second half of the season onward. Fine results at Hockenheim seemed to prove that the newcomers in World Superbike racing hadn't been bluffing. Unfortunately, things didn't go so well at the following races - except at the other high-speed circuit of Monza. Edwards (one of the best- and the Aussie was impressive in Monza where he even led the pack. Watch this guy - his slow start to the season hasn't shown his true potential. Naturally, the regulars in the World Superbike Series will be joined at Laguna Seca by many of the AMA Superbike Series competitors - and those riders should provide the most competitive group of non-regulars the series will see all season. Heading the group will be the factory Honda RC45s ridden by AMA championship leader Mike Hale and his teammate Miguel DuHamel. Both know the circuit well, both have had success in 1995, and both would like nothing more than to beat the series regulars. The slofY--=-so-=----=-==fa=...-r_ _ A brief reminder 01 how tbinp wem in Ewope before the bikes were crated and sbipped 110 the United Stales: At Hoc::kenheim. Cad Fogarty gave his OFf cments DO cha:nce. He grabbed the boleshot in the first race aDd was threatened only for a few laps by Fabrizio Pirovano, t:aIdng a relatively uncbaJ1eRged win over Pirovano and the amazing Jodlelt Schmid. Piel-F.aIlOI!SCO Chili aashed while trying Iloo hard in the infamous Sachs Kurve, .-I Colin EdwaIds aoesed the finisIlline i1111ft'e1tth position, surprised 110 see the checkered Sag 80 soon. Scott Russell finjebecl eighth on a Kawasaki that was dearly down on poM!l'. In the seamd race, Fogarty tumed in a carbon copy of his first race. Behind him. a group of 10 riders battled it out for the remaining rostrum positions. Schmid filIlished aealIld in £root 01 Aaron Slight and the Yamaha duo 01 Nagai and Edwards. RuseeJl fiuished 10th. Pole sitter Troy CoDer had to make do with disappointing 1~ and eigblh-pIace positioas. Two weeks 1ateI', Mauro Lucchiari gaft the ItaIiaDs IlOIllething 110 cheer about in Misano. The ItaIiaD Dacati facllory rider eamed two victories, each time after a hefty battle with Corser (twice third) and pole-man Fogarty (twice secoDd). Chili finished fourth in both races. Slight had a terrible weekend because of suspeusion troubles, and Russell was not much better off_ The Georgian had to be happy with 14th- and eighth-place finishes. Comeback man Doug Polen raced a semi-i>fficial 916 to 17th position in the first heat and :retired in the second heat because of tire problems. Edwards retired a few laps before the end of the first race. Things went well for Fogarty at DoniDgton Park. Just as in Hockenheim. the World Champion cruised to a double victory (after having set the fastest time in practice). Corser took second place in the first heat, and was on his way 110 a similar result a few hours later when the engine broke. Third place in the first heat Wt!llt 110 James Whitham, and Fogarty was joined by Chili and Slight on the rostrum after the secoDd heat. Russell was back on track again, despite a foot injury. He led the pack for a few laps in the first heat, but finally dropped 110 sixth. Edwards took home an 18-12 tally. Fogarty and Chili shared victories in Monza, after Slight had scored a hisIIoric first pole position for HODda's RC45. Slight joined Fogarty and third man Edwards on the rostrum after the first heat, after Corser had bumped into Gobert and Chili had gone down all on his own in the closing stages. In the second heat, OWl. took his cha:nce on the last lap, when the Ducati of leader Fogarty started misfiring. Fogarty got home second in front of Slight. Edwards finished fifth. Corser crashed, this time in the oompany 01 Piergiorgio Bontempi. Slight c0ntinued his rise 110 the top in Albacete, where he ~ the Honda RC45 its first victory in the series, finisbiDg in front of Fogarty aDd poIe-man Corser. In the second heat, Fogarty got away from the rest in the opening laps and was never headed. At the end of the race, Chili held second after yet another terrible start; he finished ahead of Slight, who ended up third. Edwards ended the day with 10th- and 11th-place finishes. (Top) Muzzy Kawasaki'. Anthony Gobert ha. had a rough time thus far In the aeries, but he'. likely to be a threat In the second ha" of the ...son. (Above) The .urprlse of tha World Superblke serle. thus far has been the performance of PIerFrancasco Chili (27) • the winner of one race and a threat In each of the others. (Right) Fabrizio Plrovano _me to be returning to the consistent' form that has been hi. trademark In World Superblke racing. liked riders in the paddock) and teammate Yasutomo Nagai (ditto, but only to those who speak Japanese) are struggling - most notably with their Dunlop tires as the rest of the package is close to being right. The last new boy who has attracted the attention of everybody since the beginning 'of the season onward is Anthony Gobert. The Australian hasn't delivered the goods everybody expected from him, as the late arrival of the new Kawasakis and a lack of pre-season testing have made things difficult for the talented youngster, who suddenly found himself on his own in a severely shaken team following Russell's departure. But Gobert and the team recovered quickly, Rob Muzzy's Kawasaki team will be bolstered by the addition of his two AMA riders, Pascal Picotte and Steve Crevier; the duo will join Gobert on the green bikes. Also slated to compete are the Vance & Hines Yamahas of Jamie James and Tom Kipp. The team which may end up proving to be the biggest thorn in the side of the series regulars is the Fast By Ferracci team of Freddie Spencer, Mike Smith and Takahiro Sohwa. The trio are armed with 916s that should be similar to those ridden by Fogarty and Company Spencer won at Laguna Seca in May and a World Superbike victory would further bolster his already impressive road racing resume. CN