Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) Kiwi Simon Crafar (5) does battle with Vasutomo Nagai (25). (Below) Freddie Spencer (119) holds off Aaron Slglht (3) In the flrat race; Spencer was seventh with Slight ninth. Both riders failed to finish race two. Hale had his head down and· he was able to make an immediate break as Gobert, Corser (who had switched bikes when a water leak was discovered in his race-01Ie bike) and DuHamel were stuck behind Edwards. The two Australians jetted by the factory Yamaha on the next lap, with DuHamel following suit shortly thereafter. Hale, meanwhile, continued his run at the front - but the Aussies were coming. On the fifth lap, Gobert shot up the inside of Hale under braking for turn 11, balking the Texan and allowing Corser to get the better drive - and Hale was suddenly third. "When Anthony (Gobert) passed me in 11, .it just killed my drive out of that {;orner and Troy was able to get" by as well," Hale said later. '1t just gave me a really bad lap. It just messed up my drive. That was it. It was hard to gather it back up and make time on 'em because they had some momentum going." '1 went into that comer and I wasn't really going to pass him (Hale)," Gobert Corser's·sub-27 pole even men smashed the existing Superbike lap record at Laguna Seca Raceway dUring qualifying for the first-ever World Superbike Championship round at the facility. And those seven were led by the three riders many feel hold the future of World Championship road racing - 23-year-old Troy Corser (above), 22-yearold Mike Hale and 20-year-old Anthony Gobert. Of the three, it was Corser who was the quickest. The Australian and his Promotor Ducati were tile only pair_ ing to break into the one-minute, 26-second tmrier, earning Corser his third pole position oi the lIelISOIl with a 1:26.784 in the final session on Saturday aflI!moon. His quick lap came late in the session with soft.oompoand MicheIins mounted front and rear to his 916. "The bi8gest thing was that I had to get a clear lap," Corser said. '1 put a soft tire on about halfway through. and was fortunate enough to get three good 1aps. For sure, racing here last year was a big help for me. It's a hard circuit to just come in and go fast on, and you can see how the other World Superbike guys are doing. N Of the "other World Superbike guys,N those having the biggest problems were World Championship leader Carl Fogarty and second-place holder Aanm c:Ji..l.t Both were struggJing to get comfortable with the-;:; track, both also fighting to find a race setup on a difficult race track that emphasizes "compromise.N FOgarty and his factory Ducati ended up 12th quickest.. the first time all season that the Brit had failed to qua1ify on the front row. The World'Champioa also suffered a aash in the Fridayaftemoe:m session. Slight was even worse off, ending the two timed seasions as the 18th-fastest rider. Both were experiencing front~ problems, and both had gone the wrong direction in an effort to find a cure. Throughout qualifying they were taking wei~~ front ends. Come Sunday morning, they'd . that in fact they Deeded more weight on tile front Both riders iIIlpoved dramatically in the morning warmup, and Fogarty aduaIIy led the 2O-minute session. It was Hale who provided perhaps tbe biggest surprise of tile weekeud. at least to the iDIemIl:ir:laal ~ gent on hand. In qualifyiaIg for what would be oaI:y the 11tit superbike race of his young career . . . his firlIt S World Superbike effort, the Texan was, for lack of a better word, awesome. Hale and his Merlyn Plumlee-tuned RC45 lapped at l-:O:lJ)5 to qualify second, and as always Hale was calm and collected - in spite of the company he was suddenly keeping. "I felt good outthere,N Hale said. "I've had the opportunity to test and race here as well. I'm really happy. It feels really good. I really didn't know what to expect. I knew what times we could do. I probably benefit hom having more track time. There's no substitute for track time and seat time. Merlyn's really done a great job. I think we can do \ow 285 in the race, no problem. Finding a tire that will go that pace may be a little hard. I really didn't know what to expect coming in here. With five minutes left, I put another soft tire on. But on my flying lap there were guys sitting up in the middle of the track. I think a high-26 would have been possible, but I don't know if it would have got pole. We're just looking for a something (a tire) that has some durability." According to Dunlop tire technician Jim Allen, the AMA regulars had received the same front tires as those used by Dunlop's number-one World ·Superbike rider (Gobert) on Saturday. On Sunday monUng they would have the opportunity to try the same rear tire that Gobert had been using, Allen said. It was Gobert who ended the day as the third-fastest qualifier, the young Aussie clodting a 1:27.327 on his Muzzy Kawasaki. Gobert was one of the few World Superbike regulars who seemed to be enjoying Laguna Seca's 2.215-miIe layout. It was the rookie's first trip to the front row through six rounds of the series. ~y main qualifying goal was to get on the front row,N said the likable 20-year-old, who had led Friday's session. '1 haven't been there all year long. I'm not too surprised. I thought Troy (Corser), he's been up there all year. I know he (Corser) can't do those times during the race ~ our times are pl'etty comfortable. I think I could have got in the 26s with a clear lap. I'm feeling good and we're in with a good chance loIIKJlrow.N . Surprisingly, Gobert said that his Muzzy Kawasaki hasn't changed since the Italian round in Monza, three rounds ago. "We haven't changed the bike at all since Monza," Gobert said. ~oday we put an extra 5mm of oil in the forb. That's the only change in four races. We put the extra oil in to stop it from bottoming on the brakes. It's a good track. I think it's a little dangerous and I ike that. I think maybe being younger has something to do with it. I've noticed &om following (Aaron) Slight and (Carl) Fogarty that they're more cautious in a few spots. I think we'll run low 285, consistent Jaw 285, in the race. I want to ay and get away if I can. I know Troy (Corser) won't go as fast. Michelin has soft fronts and rears. Dunlop only has soft rears. Sti1L the start and stops here suit the characteristics of the Ducati. FiDing the front row was true Laguna Sees first-timel' Yasutomo Napi·on the factory Yamaha Y2:F1SO. Unlike Gobert, Fogarty and 5Iight, Nap bad newr seen LaguDa Seca until his first lap of practice. Still. he was another ------------- N in the 1:27 range, docking a 1:27.561 on his final lap. '1 am very happy because I wasn't expecting to be on the hont row after seeing how far away I was yesterday," Nagai said. "In fact, I did my fastest lap on the last lap so I didn't know I was fourth until I got to the tent The track is v.ery difficult and I am learning it all the time, and also learning the bike and how it reacts to the circuit so I can get a good balance and have more' confidence. It's going to be very difficult to pass tomorrow, so I must get a good start and not lose my position, and if I have a few chances I will go for them. I was on pole in Austria and I missed out on my first podium, so of course that has to be my goal here." Proving once again that he can still compete with the world's best, Freddie Spencer was only bumped from the front row at the very end, with Nagai's flying final go-around. Spencer would lead the second row with his 1:27.686, a time he set on race tires. '1 tried the other tire, but it'd step away on me," the three-time World Champion said. "It came right around on throttle. Doing those times is with a dean race track, using every inch of it. I think in the race we'll see some low 285, mid 28s and 295. Here you have to be able to ride the bike when it's not perfect. If you can do that you're okay. It's all about compromise here." After a hellish early session, Colin Edwards D was able to finally qualify in the sixth spot, the Texan docking a 1-:0.708 lap fairly early in the final session. "I'd like to say we got it sorted out, but no, we haven't," Edwards said. "We still have a problem with tile front that we're trying to sort out. We're still doing stuff. Well be doing stuff until the second race tomorrow. We're in the stands, but at least we're in the ballpark. There's a &ont tire we've had since Austria that I really ike, but we can't run it here. I'm pretty happy, but I'm not expecting it to be easy. I'm riding my balls off and I'm a second off. We've changed springs, ride height, linkage, offset. We've changed everything.N As for the others predicting a race pace in the 1:28range, Edwards said: "'They're smokin' weed. For the first five to seven laps it'll be in the Vs - easy." The final rider to lap in the l-:Os was Smokin' Joe's Honda's Miguel DuHamel, the winner of the last four AMA Superbike Nationals: '1 think we're looking really good for therace,N DuHamel said. "We've done a lot of testing, tire testing. I went almost as fast on the race tires as I did on the qualifying tires. We just ran a little bit out of time. If the race is in the low 285, or mid to high 285, we're really solid in that area. We've got a really, really good tire. I think we1l see five to eight guys at the front Qualifying is not my strong point. My plan was not to go out then! and get pole. 1 think we had a good shot at the front row, but as long as the tires bep sticking we'll be &ne. N The second row was filled by R.umi Honda's Simon Crafar. Row three would consist of Vance IE Hines Yamaha's Tom. Kipp, Kawasaki's 10lvl Reynolds, and Foprty. In all. 29 riders qualified for the two races.

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