Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127768
Preseason Grand Prix testing But even if eve ry th in g fa ll s int o p lac e, Ca d a lo r a ' s b ig ge st h urdl e re m ai ns Doohan and his HRC Honda . th at have d omi n at ed th e las t two seasons. "Yes, for sure, he is the cha mpion and the m an to beat:' Cadalora said. "But Daryl (Beat tie) had a good 1995, and he will be hard to beat also." Cad alora had a strong finish to the '95 season aboard his Marlboro Yamaha YZR500, thanks to ru naway victories at th e Czech and Brazili an Grands Prix, forcing Doohan to commen t omi no usly: "When Luca wants to ride it, yo u can't catch him." If he can challen ge Doohan at every tra ck rem ains the big questi on , given the Qu eens lander's punish in g consistency in recent years. During his 500cc career; Cadalora has been a hot and cold rid er, unbeat abl e on h is d ay yet indifferent when things aren' t to h is liking. And whether the NSR500 will ins till sea son -lon g en th usiasm into h is effort rem ains unclear. Co m men ting on th e d ifferen ces between the Yamaha and the Hond a, the qu iet-spoken Italian sa id he n eed e d m o re laps to m a ke a p ro p e r judgment. The fact rem ains that the Hond a SOD has b ee n designed arou nd Doohan's (Left) Luca Cadalora had his fi rst ride on a Honda NSR500 during recent tests at Eastern Creek In Australia . (Below) Cadalora confers with team owner Erv Kanemoto . (Left) Team Marlboro Rainey 's Tetsuya Harada rode Yamaha's new 250 at Eastern Creek, spe nd ing a lot of hi s time adjusting to Mich elin tires. (Below) Dary l Beatt ie rides th e new Suzuki RGv500 in preparation for the 1996 Wor ld Champ ionship Road Race Series , which begins in March . By Da ry l Flack Photo s by Lou Martin EASTERN CREEK, AUSTRALIA,JAN. 14-18 orm er Marlboro Roberts rider Luca Cada lora is ou t to be the first man s in ce Ph il Re a d to w in th e 125 / 250 / 500cc World Tr ip le Crown, now that he h as secured a ride on the coveted Honda NSR500. Ca d a lo ra tu rns 33 in May, and ha s conceded th at tim e is running out in his bid for a 500cc World Cha m p ionship . Bu t now that he is under the direction of Erv Kane rno to, who steered the Ita lian to co nsecu tive 250cc Worl d Ch ampions h ips in 1991- 92, Cadal or a h as h is best cha n ce o f sec u ring the title 'and denyin g Michael Doohan a 500cc hat trick . Sp eaking a fter hi s firs t run on th e F 38 1996 Honda NSRSOO at Eastern Creek on Jan uary 14-18, Cadalora believes his first 500cc champion ship may have come in 1993 on a Mar lboro Yamaha. "Maybe if con dition s were better, I co u ld've bee n Worl d Cha m p io n tw o yea rs ago," Cadal ora sa id o f h is fir st year in 500cc ra cing, a se ries tha t w as ultim ate ly won by Kevin Schwantz after Wayne Rainey' s tragic Misan o cras h. But for 1996, Cadalora faces new barriers to his holy grail, including so rting ' ou t an un famil iar bike with ou t d ir ect factory su p port, and a new team th at ha s ye t to an nou nce its full range of s po nso rs. Cad a lora co n fi r med t h a t Marlb or o will help sponsor the Hon daKan em ot o team and expects to m ak e further a n nou ncements by Feb ruary with Castrol an d Bennetton believed to be heading the list.