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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127746
Round 10: Assen, Holland
(Left) Fogarty and
family celebrate his
second s~esslve
World Superblke
Championship.
(Below) Fabrizio
Plrovano crashed
his Ducati In the
second race, but
escaped without
Injury.
Nothing happened at first, and when [
tried again I'd already run into Simon's
bike. Perhaps things· wouldn't have gotten out of hand if [ started to learn to
brake with more than just one finger."
Crafar also went down as both bikes
hooked into each other and ended up in
the grass. Crafar was able to jump off
the "tandem" without getting hurt and'
'Briefly---,--~
•__
in
prevent the catastrophe that was about
to happen.
On lap 15 (of the 16-1ap race), Nagai
crashed while trying to avoid the oil
patch. During his fall he was struck by
his own motorcycle and sustained a
number of serious injuries, the most
serious of which were to the head. He
was taken to the nearby' Assen Hospital
in a coma. According to Dr. Corbascio,
who is responsible for the medical team
at every World Superbike race, the head
injuries were life-threatening and that
proved to be the case as Nagai later succumed to his injuries.
Corser also escaped unscathed. Two
laps later, Pirovano - who had been running 11th - slid off the track on an oil
patch. The former motocrosser managed
to stay on board for a few yards, until he
hit a pool of mud and went down at a
very slow pace. Pirovano got up and
urged the marshals to put the oil flag
out. The flag went out, bui that didn't
Doohan does ieave Honda and has HRC left
'wlth a cO(lslderablfil budget to spend on' a .top·
rider for their Grand Prix team. The decision
does, however, have an effect on the availability
of top superblke riders."
.
clai situation, Ruml wii/ probably once agai'; be
the nUl)1ber-two' team. with Hon~a, behind th~
official.Castrolteam. .
and .then go to' Donington Pail< , 'Hoc~enheim,
Monza or Mlsano, Albacete, Salzb.urg, Laguna
Seca, 'Brands Hi3tcn; Sent':'l, Sugo, Assan .and
Phillip fsland on October ,27. Th.e 'Flammlni
Group Is stili trying to fit in .an extra round in .
. Japan, Malaysia or China one week before 1he
'. Australian rouna. TM Salzburg round mig!1t be .
replace!l by a raca In Smo' if Flamminl and the
..Austrlans· do· not .reach all aglee·menl.. Arid'
Brands Hatch might·.also .lose its place on the
calendar' If the track Is not· chl!ngec;l· In somEl
places, In ·that case, the superblke' riders might
go to Silverstone. .
Another veteran who has .chased the 'world title
Talks' abe~t who will go where
World Supersince 1988 is Fabrizio Plrovano, who has done
bike ra91ng next. year were comp/e.tely pvermore than a fair job abeard a private Ducaii this'
.shadowed In Assen by the question of whether. Grand Prix 'team managers (whether at Yamaha
or not Michael Doohan had signed for Yamaor Honda) will try to lure superblke riders to .their year. If ·the Supersport dass is award!9d W.ona
Championship status nl!xt year, this might be
.ha. Not that .the A:ustralian' wifl' ride' a YZF. teams. Fodhe time being, Aaron Slight seems
where ttl.e "pocket rocker' from Milan. end~ uP'.
Sup.erbike next year, but his decision to' ride'a
to be· willing to carry on with his current·employHonda NSR5GO or Yamaha YZR500 sure will
er. "It would be E! pity. to leave now after a twQ- He hppes to !Jet an official Qucati 748. for that
campaign.
create possibnltles for.some top superbike ria- ·year development period," h~ said. No one Is
ers. 'Carl Fpgarty Was espeCially anxlo.us for
sure, however, how Slight '\Vould' react If Honda
.'
Th
WOuld offer him a place in its 500ec Grand Prix . Some 6oocc'riders, on the other hand, are defi.'
f
f
con Irmatl. Michal Paquay, Peter Haug, Stephana
·had made an offer" for him to ride. their brana-'
Maillard in the superbike· races: Bui It looks like. Chambon, Marlo Inamoratl, Manuel Luque
new GSXR intheWor.ld Superbike'Serles In
At Yamaha. the question of who would rlde'ior 'Assen will be his only Wo'rld Superblke·race·.· Rossi. Jehan d'Qrgeix and ~auro Marohlnl will
.' them In 1996 seemed to be settled'- at least" Next year. the Swiss ace-wlll have another go'at have an opporlunity to test the factory bikes and
'1996. Ducat.! Is.~lso p.uttlAg pressure on their
before Vasutomo Nagal'straglc'accldent on
the Thunderblke Trophy. Michal Paquay. who- hepefuily .fill some vaca~Cles after .that.test.
.
.
World Champion. Fogarty is. expected to m~t. Sunday. "The team will propably remain the. cli'1ched the European SupersPort title In 1993
witli th'e -Castiglione brothers ·the week after same: said Yamaha Europe's Helkki Penttila on .and 1995. I]as his slgrls set On World' Superbl~e' J~mle Whitham has lost 1he'British Superbike
Ass~n in order to confirm whethe, or not he will Friday. 'Colin Edwards and Yasutomo Nagai racing. One da:y after the ASS8fl race, the Be.l- title in th~ lasUloi/o races oi jhe season. 'The
co.ntmue with t/iem I'n WOJld $uperbike. next wiU have faqtor'y bikes at ,their. disposal. next glan had' a test pianned with'a Ducati 916, which .Brlt, who was' diagnosed With cance( some
year.. "After six 'four-stroke worid titles, the time
year, with Paolo Casoli in the separate Belgarda' will be beefed up with a factory engine for 'the
days after the Brands Hatch round.of the World'
has coine to have a real go at the Glands Prix," team. CasoiL has.a two-year contrad with the
rounds In Indonesia and Aust'lIlia. The 21-year-' Superbike Series, tried to enter the penultimate
·Fogarty said in Assen·. '''If Ooohan signs for .Italian. importer." Belgarda, meanwhile,. doesn't old.Paquay has had his name mentioned In sev, .race, but had to retire afte~ only a' few laps dur:
· Yamaha, there seems· to be some possibilities . seem to. be In ve'ry stable financial situation eral'top s4peibike teams already this year (Pro-' ing practice -.not so: surprising for somebody
wl.thln HRC, where' I could become the sueces- and Masslmo,Meregalll. Casoli's teammate: motor, Ferrari, etc.)" after his domination of the
who had just· had his ·second ~ession of
sor to DOohan." - . .
might be better off trying to loOk for a dlffere~t
European Supersports series aboard a 748. .'
chemotherapy. Steve Hislop is the 'new 'champion.. ,!
·employer.·:
Even .team maflaget Vlrglnlo. Ferrafl admitted
Anthony Gobert tested a Honda NSR500 irom
that he 'wasn't very opctlmlstl.c ·atiout the
While. some teams make plans for. next year, Team PI!erl at Mlsano the day before. he came. My luc.ky number Is seven... Mic~el PaqL!l!Y
chances of keeping. Fogarty in his team. "I will
other teams only hope. to survive an.a get·thelr . to Assen for the Wond Superbike race. His lap
stamped his .authorlty 'once. again on. the Euro-'
· have to. com~' UP. with a good :budg!'t for next 'b'udgets toget.her for another seasoh In the
times were very good, until the ,,"ustralian
pean'Supersports field wh~n h'e logged his sav·year,~ the ltailan. sala. 'We hope to have a two- . World Superblke series. Apart from Virglnio Fer~ crashed the bike after 25 'Iaps: Gobert has. had .' enth consecutive victory of the SElason. With the
. rider telim again,. but if that doesn't work out;
rari and the Belgarda yamilha 'leam, Team
an'offer from his cur·rent employer (Muzzy
title battle 'already decided, the young Belgian
Mauro (Lucchl~rl) could. go and concentrate on . Ruml is 'serlously considering tM option of get-. Kawasaki)', but also. has 'other options - in beth . had "oniy one. thing on his mind before going to
Ducati's WOrld E~dur",nce Championship pro- iing out of motorcycle' racing aitogether The Ital- . Grand Prix and Wond' Superbike, "I am considAssen:. shattering the lap times set by the Thunject.· We h'ave already started talks with Mike' ian team, run by millionaire Oscar Ruml, won
ering: the Muzzy offer," Gobert' said. "But I also .derbike riderS In June during·the TT week in ari
Hale,' Anthony Gobert, Freddie Spencer arid
wortd ·titles In 1'988 and ·1989 with ·Fred Me'r1