Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Nagai on the first lap; he was using all the tarmac - and even more. We touched a couple of times and when I finally got ahead of him, I gave him the finger and walked away." Nagai finished second and knew that was the best he could have hoped for, "Of course, I would have liked to win both heats, but this time Fogarty ·and his machine were better. I tried to stay in his slipstream in the first couple of laps, but that turned out to be impossible." Slight finished fourth after having rid himself of Aoki on the last,1ap. "I should have put a new clutch in for this race," Slight said. "It kind of slipped too much and the engine bogged; and A.oki hit me from behind. I was only 18th in the first corner, so I suppose I shouldn't be complaining too much." Corser was very disappointed with eighth place. "The engine lost power from the third lap onward, and i't only got worse and worse as the race went on. Four laps before the end, I waved Anthony (Gobert) past because I knew I was holding him up. When Aoki got it wrong in the last chicane, Anthony aTho lost some ground and I finally managed to finish in front of him." The Kawasaki Muzzy rider was grateful for his countryman's generosity, but had problems of his own.. "Sure, he waved me past," Gobert said. "But I simply couldn't get past him that easily. The bike went a bit better than in the first heat, with a slightly softer rear suspension and slightly harder rear tire, but I had to do with ninth." Edwards finished just behind Gobert, in 10th position. "We lowered the back of the bike a little bit, but that didn't change much," the Texan explained. "It just wasn't my day. We need some more acceleration and I think we made a few wrong decisions on tires and engines. I still think I'll be up there at Assen and hopefully the guys will work hard on the bike over the next week." Simon Crafar finished 15th. "Even though this isn't a good result, it could have been worse, especially after the suspension problems we had during practice," Crafar said.. "Fortunately, the Castrol Honda guys found a solution for me before this morning's warmup, and that seemed to work all right for me. But I still had to come back CN from a long way back at the grid." I (Above) Csrl Fogarty (1) passes Nagai (25) to take over the·leed In the second rsce. The Brit went on to win, meklng up somewhst for his first-race crash (left). Sllgo Circuit Sugo,JlIP8n Results: August 27, 1995 QUALIFYING: 1. Carl Fogarty (UO.887); 2. Troy Co...,. (1:31.254); 3. Piergiorgio Bontempi (1:31.732); 4. Yasulomo Nagai (1:31.812J; 5. Colin Edwards (1:32.107); Pirovano (1:33.249); 20. Adreas Meldau (1:33.286); 21. Noriul:i Haga (1:33.487); 22. Mauro Luechiari (1:33.528); 23. Gianmaria Liverani (1:33.569); 24. David Jett:eries (1:33.761); 25. Toshiyuki Arakaki (1:33.778); 26. Katsuyosm Takahashi (1:33.852); 27. Hiroshi Maruyama (1 :33.872); 28. Takashi Toda (1 :34.023); 29. Tomohiko Kaneyasu (1:34.051); 30. Toshiya Kobayashi (1 :34.225); 3L Tamaki Serizawa (l :34.265); 32. Katsunori 6. Katsuaki FUjiwara (1:32.135); 7. Aaron Slight (1:32.146); 8. Anthony Gobert 0:32.166); 9. Keikhi Kitagawa (1:32.192); 10. Wataru Yoshikawa (1:32.320); 11. Takuma Aoki 0:32.391); 12. John Reynolds (Hon); 3. Yasutomo Nagai (Yam); 4. Keiichi Kitagawa (1:32.408); 13. Akira Ryoii (1:32.423); 14. Shinya Takeishi (Kaw); 5. Anthony Gobert (Kaw); 6. Colin Edwards II (J:32.471); 15. Pier-Francesco Chili 0:32.521); 16. Norihiko Fujiwara 0:32.620); 17. Yukio Nukumi (1:33.085); 18. Simon erafar (1:33.241); 19. iabrizio (Yam); 7. Wataru Yoshikawa (Yam); 8. Norihiko Fujiwara (Yam); 9. John Reynolds (Kaw); 10. Simon Crafar (Hon); 11. Akita Ryoii (Kaw); 12. Yukio Nukumi Fogarty's fourth p-=-=ol:.....=-.e_ E ven before the Superl>ike caravan arrived in Sugo, Yasutomo Nagai was considered the favorite for victory on his home track. Nagai, surprise pole-sitter and near-raee-winner of last year,didn't make it. And he had to be content with fourth place at the end of qualifying, behind traditional pole-fighters Carl Fogarty and Troy Corser, as well as Piergi.orgio Bontempi, another surprise at the Japanese track. "I am not very happy about this result," Nagai said. "A few mistakes cost me a lot of time. Apart from that, I should have parked the bike on the first row." Nagai and Colin Edwards n had received some special engine parts before the race w~, which made the bikes a little bit faster, but also a little bit peakier. Edwards preferred his "older" engine. Third place 011 the front row went to Piergi.orgio Bontempi, even though he had broken a few bones in his foot in a crash on Friday. Another crasher 011 that first practice day was Corser. . "Things didn't go well at all on Friday, and I never got the bike h.andIing well:' the Aussie said. "The offset was a bit too tight, which made the steering too vivid. It ended in a crash, in which I totaled the bike. On Saturday, we changed the offset and the gear. ing, and things went much better. I even got 011 pole position some five minutes before the end. But then Carl (Fogarty) came back and got in front again with only some two minutes to go." As always, the final minutes in the last sessioJI were quite hectic, even though fogarty seemed cnmpletely in cordroI out on the track. "I .didn't even know that Troy was 011 his way to beat my best time when I got out £or a final go at my own pole," Fogarty explained.. "We bad beea cba'Wng so many thiJ:lss 011 the bike during the whole weekead, arid it __ oaIy in Ibat lest hour that I ~ was happy about the way the bike waS hancPiDg. I hadn't expected to go anotheraeamd fastei 6Ian OR Friday;" Hasegaway 0:34.746); 33. Adrien Morillas (1:35.687); 34. Hideo Senmyoh (1:35.719). RACE ONE: 1. Troy Co"",r (Due); 2. Aaron Slight (Dud; 13. Fabrizio Pirovano (Due); 14. Piergiorgio Bontempi (Kaw); 15. Pier-Francesco Chili (Due); 16. Andreas Meldau (Due); 17. Katsualci Fujiwara (Kaw); 18. Noriyui:i Haga (Yam); 19. David Jefferies (Kaw); 20. Hauro Lucchiaki (Due); 21. Hiroshi Maruyama (Hon); 22. Toshiyuki Arazaki (Hon); 23. Tamaki Serizawa (Suz); 24. Toshiya Kobayashi (Hon); 25. Tomohiko Kaneyasu (Hon); 26. Takashi Toda (Dud; 27. Hid,eo Senmyoh (Hon); 28. Katsunori Hasegawa (Yam). . Time: 38 min.. 43.351 sec. Dis.... cc: 25 laps. Aver.ge speed: 89.91 mph. Margin of victory: 0.049 sec. Fastest lap: Takuma Aoki, 1:31.756/9l.<)6 mph. RACE TWO: 1. Carl Fogai'ty (Due); 2. Yasutomo Nagai (Yam); 3. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kaw); 4. Aaron Fogarty, who had still been su.fIering from jet lag on Friday, logged his fourth pole position of the year. The second row was filled by Edwards in fifth, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Aaron Slight and Anthony Gobert Edwards was pleased with the result, especiaIIy as practice bad not quite gone the way he had hoped. On Saturday morning he had an electrical failure due to a faulty fuse, and that left him nmning up the hill to the pits on foot In the afternoon qualifying session he suffered the same problem, but finished the session on his second bike. "After having learned the rack yesterday, today was scheduled to get to leam the two different engine characteristics of the two. bikes. I made my fastest time today .aboard the backup bike, which I used in Brands Hatch. The other bike, with the new engine, seems. to be a little peakier and less easy to handle." Slight was seventh after struggling again with the traditional handling problems. "Today, the bike would steer a bit better," said Slight "We'd changed the suspension settings and perhaps the different racing lines also helped. After Suzuka, only very minor modifications have been made to the bike Oighter eUlaust), but we should finally find a solution for the handling problems." Gobert was eighth quickest: "We had a few problems the whole w~," the Australian said. "The engine of OIIe bike stopped, and 011 the ot:he!: engine we hit carbu:retion problems. I h.ad hoped to clinch pole here after the successful Brands Hatch weekeDd, but after the first free practice, I knew that was going to be very difficalt to get. On top of that, the Muzzy Kawasaki rider also str1.lggIed with the aftermaJ:h of his foot injuries, which had not permitted him to train as much as he would have liked during.the weeks leading up to the Sugo race. Fabrizio Pirovano crashed twice heavily 011 FJjd.ay and Saturday, and even missed out 011 the second quaIi!ying sessioA. The dimillative ItaHan would have to start from 19th position; a result which was O111y sJightly bettered by Pier-FrancescD<::hiIi in 1Sth and SiDIoD Cratar in 18th.: . N 21

• Cover