Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

* :I' " ROADRACE ' .', World Championship Superbik~ Road ,Race'Series Round 11~ Sentul, Indonesia Aaron Slight Is "anked by PIerFrancesco Chili and Troy Corser aathe three celebrate theIr results In the second race. At the halfway stage, Spencer was joined in the pits by Fogarty, his tearnmate for the day. "A few laps from the end of the first heat, the engine didn't feel too good anymore," Fogarty said. "We decided to take the second bike. During the second race, the engine kept stopping all the time. I thought it was a misfire when I returned to the pit lane. Afterward, a blocked fuel valve was found and that might have caused the trouble." Mladin had pitted after only one lap. His tearn hadn't found a solution for the power problems he had been suffering all weekend, "Same problem as in the first race - too slow," said a disappointedMladin. During the second half of the race, the battle raged on between Chili and Gobert for third place, and between their bikes for next year, After t~e Dutch ,rou'nd at Assen, Troy 'Corser was lying second in the championship, leading Aaron, SII,ght by nine points. Promotor, team manager Allred Inzinger admitted that Ducati [lad supplied his leam with special intemal engine parts for the occasion - without being more specific about it. At Honda, Only some new suspension parts were mentioned as to the modifications dohe on lhe bike since Assen, According to sources outside of the officiarHonda team, however, Slight was runnlnq a "big-bang: engine., This ru~6r w~s not deni~d or confirmed by team manager Neil Tu~orth, The "big bang" technology is not new to Honda - even on four-stroke engines, As (ar back as, five years ago, Belgian Honda-tuner The recent interest from Grand Prix managers in World Jean D'Hollander, who died. from canper some days beIQre the Superbike riders has also ha~ a favorable effect on the salaries the four-stroke specialist receiv,e, Accorqing to, Sentul, round, had develaped an R930 engine with an ignition some team managers, the salaries of the top 10 riders , timing resembling what. was later called "big bang." At that time, have risen 100 pef\:ent on average since 1994, Accord-' the engine couldn't support the extra high forces creaJed by the 'double' ignition timing, and then-Honda fac;tory rider Carl Fogaring to a rider, '1he $1 million dollar deal of Scott Russell ty' used the engine only a: few limes, With the latest-generation to stay With Kawasaki' would place him now on the low ,RC45 factory engines, Honda mlght well ,have found a solution end of the top.five positions as to salaries," , ' ' , to that reliability proble~. " Peter Goddard made 'his Worid SuperbiKe decut outThe battle'for second place in the World Championship was not side of Australia at Sen)1I1. He had come to' Indonesia the only point of interest for the 'spectators' in Sentul. On top of after an invitation from Shell and Suzuki Indonesia, who wanted him to help qualify their naiional rider Nugraha' that, ,they were also privy to the foreign debuts, of Freddie' Spencer and-Mike Hale In'the World Superbike Series. Former Dadan, The Indonesian had a week to come to grips with one of the fast Suzukis Goddard had brought wjth' World Champion Spencer had' a weekend he would like to forget. The 'trouble started a 'few, days before the race \yeekend, him from his workshop in Australia, "It was the start of a when Eraldo Ferrace; heard thaJ the bike was still at a London terrible week," Goddard said. "After the Indonesian blew airport, because of an organizational problem with British Airthe valves of the first engine, I had some more e"gine parts flown over, only to See Dadan bring back the bike ways. The bike arrived only after practice, so it couldn't be used on race day, Another bike - the Spare bike Of Mauro Lucchiari after some 15 laps )Nith a broken conrad, The guy knows how to ride. a 'bjke fast - he performs very well in t~at had been prepared in Bologna; did arrive in time, and it was that bike that Freddie rolled' out 'on, Fri~ay morning for the firSt the National Championship on an aid Suzuki, but he free practice, That lasted a lap' as the bike was returned to the lacks experience with the new bike and the quickshift system." pit with a broken 'crllnkcase, Spencer lost the whole morning On Friday and Saturday, Goddard lost some more time showing the.local,hero the way around the Sentul cirCUit, but he sqcceed- , session while the' mechanics' worked on the only bike that was available'to him"On,Friday afternoon, brake problems and oil on ~ in his original goal of putting a local rider on the starting grid' The jigsaw puzzle of who is going to ride where next ye'!r slo!"ly of the Indonesian World Superbike round for the first tir:ne, On ,the track during 'the last minutes of the session prevented the falls .into place. Still, some of, the hollest seats are available, For Saturday morning, Goddard was finaily able to get his 'own bike, unfortunate American from doing any better than 20th, On sata star!, Carl Fogarty has yetta make up his mind:"l'd e~pected set up and he knocked a hall second off his best qualifying time, .urday morning, everything seemed to fall into place for the first .to be one of the ficst to have it aU sorted out, but now it seems time, and he took the factory Ducati to a provisional and unoffiGoddard, who was mentioned as a possible candidate to ride that I will be one, of the last.once again,' the Englishman said:on cial 16th time, The thunderstorm on, Saturday afternoon kept one of the official Suzukis in. 1996, knows that the Japanese facsatuiday, "I'd,started with some s'even offers and over the last tory has got something cooking for him, but he'doesn't ,know him - like most of his 'colleagues - hiding ,in the pit tane, resigned couple of weeks; I've narrowed that down to three cealistic to the fact that the, Friday times would establish the final starting exactly what. "Next week I go test ride the new bike in, Japan options, Right now; I am waiting for an answer frpm Kenny order. Sunday didn't go much better, with only a 14th place in and I will also compete 'in an international race at Sugo on a Roberts, I hope to have that within the next tw,o or three weeks, . Lucky Strike 500 Suzuki, I don't know what my place will be in the first heat Despite this disastrous experience, Spencer is If that doesn't' work, I'm still considering offers from the officlal Suzuki's projects for next year, As I gathered, the World Superconsidering have a go at the whole series neXt year, "Next year Honda and Suzuki Superbike teams." Fogarty's finaricial I would like to work with the' factory, as I'm already well bike team is belng formed by Garry Taylor and with Lucky Strike demands s,eem 'to hav,e exceede~ the Ducati budget. ""'ith acquainted with Virginia Ferrari anq the Castiglione brothe.rs, money, The team is said to operate from the Harris, workshop in Michaei Doohan having come to an agreement with Honda' Englaod." Like Fred Merk.el and Thomas Stevens in the St~tes, The' World SlIperbike series has potential because' of the fact '(despite s'6me other rumors), and most of the top 'Grand prix ridthat the fans can reiaie to 'it. The main difference with GP seemS the Australian hllS been' testing some stuff for the new Super'to be !he aPsenceo.f big crowds in the grands't'!nds. But that ers having fouOd their place for the next season; Fqgarty still, , bike in the national races.this ~eason." stands a 'chance of manning the 'second Marlbor.o Yamaha ih might cQme with, the growing of the series." Accordi"g to Virginia' Roberts' team. At Qucatl, they don't expec! Fogarty )0 cut his Alfred Inzinger, team' manager with Promotor Ducati, does'n't Ferrari, the pos~ibilities of working with Spencer depend' solely original demands, and Virginia Ferrari is iookin'g for a .replace- . have to worry anymore about who will ride (ar his learn in 1996, on the availability of enough, sponsorship money'. This question should be resoiv,ed at the end of NoverT\ber, ' ment rider now _ ' , On October 1, Mike Hale signed a two-year contract with the team, which will see him team with Troy Corser in next year's One of the candidates to, take Fogarty's place in the Ferrari-run, championship, The young Texan was the revelation of ttie AMA David Jefferies will not be Part of. the Brhish Reve Kawasaki Ducati' team is Plerglorglo Bontempl, the Italian rider who Superbike Champ,ionship in 1'995, winning two races 'for Hon~a Team in 1'996, Manager Stewart Hicken is already looking' at seemed, to have rusted into the seat of a Bertocchi-Kawasa'ki. and for the Smokin' Jcie',s team. Together with teammate Miguel possible candidates to replace the young Briton, Mat Mladln is "Virginio has taiked to me,' the Italian admilled', "But I am only DuHamel, he dominated ttle series, "HRC wanted me to stay in , one of the names at the top of his sh.opping Iisj, "We had been one pf several candidates for that bike, Much will depend on the the States, but couldn't guarantee me any opportunities to talking to Mat'some,time before David injured himself in Brands budget 01 Kawasaki,ljaly; a decision'aboutlhat 'l'ii! be made, progress as a rider,' Hale, said, "There was no I'l)ore testing Hatch and made a premature end to his season. We'd been only after the ,PhillJp Island race."', Bertocchi himself" who has planned or World Superbike fivents, The last couple of mo"ths ,I planning to run a three-man team ',in Sentul. But there will be entered the Kawasakis of. the Italian im,porter in the'series - ' , had several' offers from Superbike teams - Yamaha, Suzuki, som.e more ril:lers having a chance to ride the, bike before the intends on continuing his World $uperbike campaign, "If we do Cagiva, Honda, Rumi, Ducati:and,even Hariey-Davidson. I finalend of the year." John Reynolds has already signed a new con- ' tract with the team, ' not reach an agreement, it is likely that Fabrizio Pirovanp wilLbe Iy opted for the Promotor team, ,who had impressed me during on board of a Bertocchi,l

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