Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

delay the pursuit while Beattie made his escape. That's exactly the way it did happen until the fourth lap, by which he was more than 2.5-seconds clear.. But then Doohan pushed through a typically forceful and daring pass on Criville, and after that it was only a matter of time. "I felt comfortable and r was able to run consistently at dose to my practice time," said Beattie.. "The bike felt good, and the race was going well. Then 1 noticed on my pit board that the gap was shrinking again, and 1 realized Mick was obviously coming." The difference was that while Beattie could match his practice form, Doohan was able to beat his. He set fastest lap on his nihth tour, just a fraction slower than Schwantz's long-standing 1991 lap record, and just kept ,on pulling away. "After 1 passed Daryl, I did a fast lap, but I expected him to go with me. I saw that I'd pulled a bit. Then I did another one, and pulled' a bit more. By the time we got to the end, my tires were tearing up, but I knew that if mine were then the other guys' would be as well. It's a pity Scott (Russell) was out, because it would probably have been a closer race if he was still in it. We should do something about people who do plug chops before the end of practice." Beattie was his usual calm self after a typically self-contained ride. "I was running consistent laps, but he was able to go faster. I had to settle for second," he said. Criville's third came after sustained pressure from Barros, the Brazilian having his best race ~ince making the switch to Honda. Then came the attack, three laps from the end, with Barros making one of his many outbcaking attempts stick. But he didn't gel away, and two laps later Criville did the same thing back at the penu4imate hairpin. Sadly, however, it ·did not lead to the expected last-lap fight. Instead Barros lost ground, started shaking the bike, then pulled off to slump to the ground. With just over a mile .remaining, he was out of gas. Capirossi equaled his best-yet 500 finish with fourth, promoted on the last lap by Barros's retirement. Reid up early on behind new Honda rider Checa ("He was very slow round the slow corners"), he then found himself battling with Cadalora and Itoh. He successfuly . disposed of them to finish all alone. Five seconds back came Cadalora, happy after solving some of his handling problems, though still troubled by a confidence-sapping sliding front ,wheel that tamed his aggression early in the race. Itoh, in pain after his Friday crash,was five seconds away in sixth. Hodgson was next, a career-best seventh after an up-and-down race. He and fellow British privateer James Haydon had started brilliantly, with Haydon pushing through among the slower works bikes. Then he thought he saw a way past Abe, only to find that once committed his w~y was blocked by Checa. All three collided, and Hodgson . was also delayed in the melee. The three fallers all remounted, but that was the end of racing for Checa and Haydon. Never-say-die Abe had to pit to get a broken rear brake disc replaced, but went out three laps behind the jeaders to have more fun, actually passing Itoh and Cadalora in the process, although finishing stone last. Hodgson kept on gaining g.round, and passed both Juan Borja (eighth) and Bernard Garcia (ninth) in the closing stages. Adrian Bosshard narrowly defeated Arakaki for 10th; then came Bruno Bon- only for Waldmann to get back ahead under braking for the chicane at the end of the back straight. Was the cunning little fellow setting the German up for a move there? Instead, the move came on the'very last comer, a hairpin. Waldmann ran in too fast and wide, and Harada slipped through on the inside to take the position by less than a tenth of a second. Tactics? Not so according to Harada. "I'd been trying to pass him all race. I was just lucky he made a mistake." And Waldmann: "I made a present to Harada. I went further to the inside of that comer than ever to close the door, and I managed to hit a bump as I hit the brakes." . Okada had been with this pair, but started to lose touch shortly before halfdistance. He said later he had chosen too soft a rear tire, and it was now starting to slide badly. Behind him, Jacque was riding hard, and holding off Ruggia, in spite of persistent pressure from the faster bike. Then the Frenchmen came upon the Japanese rider, and swept firmly past. At the finish Jacque was one second ahead of Ruggia for his best-ever finish. More excitement behind. Jurgen van (Above) Doohan's win was his flrst-ever at Donlngton Park, a circuit he says Is one of his Iaaat favorites on the calendar. (Right) Max Blaggl was In a class by himself In \tie 250cc Grand Prlx; he won despite CrIIshlng during qualifying and racing with pain-killing InJections. huil, Sean Emmett and Eugene McManus. The last point went to Wild Card Chris Walker, in his first-ever SOO race. Loris Reggiani retired after on!y four laps, with a rare bout of engine trouble with the Aprilia. "1 expected to do really well today, because Dunlop had a special new tire for me," he said. Wild Card James Whitham did not start. Doohan thus stretched his lead to 15· points with five races remaining. He has 170, Beattie 155. Then comes Cadalora on 110, Criville on 108, the absent Alberto Puig on 99, then Itoh (83), Barros (71) and Capirossi (61). 2SOcc GRAND PRIX The top three were in front from the start, Harada leading the first two laps while Waldmann and Biaggi sorted themselves out close behind, pressured all the while by the determined Olivier Jacque. Then Max took the lead on the third time round, and was at once pulling away most assuredly. '1 didn't know how the race would go because of the pain in my hand, but Dr. (Claudio) Costa gave me painkilling injections before the race, and they helped a lot," he said later. "Once I saw the gap was up to four seconds, I .knew the race was won." That happened after the eighth lap, by which he'd already set fastest lap of the race, well off the record pace. All he had to do after that was another 19. By the end he'd allowed the gap to shrink to just under three seconds, without feeling at all threatened for his fifth win of the year. The battle for second was excellent, ' and a little puzzling. Waldmann held the position almost all the time, Harada moving alongside two or three times, den Goorbergh had broken free from his group, and was riding all alone. Then an inspired Mackenzie also broke free, and inch by inch he closed the gap. "Jurgen was riding really well - smooth and consistent. It was really hard to catch him, and to pass him," said the Scotsman, who ended up sixth, less than a second ahead, after both had passed the stillfading Okada. For Jurgen, it was almost a relief to have some company. "It's hard to ride all alone," he said. And he was thrilled with seventh. "I'm very satisfied. Only Mackenzie could pass me, then when we caught Okada he was past him quicker than me, so 1 lost touch. Otherwise I might have passed him again in the last laps. It was one of my best races, because I didn't make one mistake." Okada was eighth, then came a fierce group, Eskil Suter's Aprilia prevailing for ninth ahead of the NSR Hondas of

• Cover