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/127777
1996 World Championship Road Race Series 1994 cha m p io n an d '95 runner-up is p robably t he b est 250c c ri der in th e world, early test results wer e far fro m encouraging. Har ad a w as off the pace in Malaysia and Indonesia on the updated '95 bike (the planned disc-valve replacement has been shelved) . Mo re worryingly, when he got the '96 bike at Jerez, he was even fu rther a way. Th e new m ach in e h as an extraordinarily la rge rear seat fai ri ng, but a ny top -s p eed gains expected were not evi dent. Team boss Rainey said the reason was u nsuit able Michelin tir es - H arada has u sed Du n lops througho u t hi s career. But Rainey was confide nt after revised rubber saw him close to th e track record at Eastern Creek. "Wh en M ichelin get it right, they ge t it really right, " he sai d . Wh at yo u reall y need to ch allenge Biaggi is probabl y a w orks Aprilia on Dunl op s - but the dominant Italian ha s m ad e sure tha t hi s con tra ct precludes that. Closest is Aprili a's protege Roberto Locatelli, in his seco nd full season. On past records, h ow ever, the factory will reserve th e best of th e lat es t bit s fo r Max , while Loca telli is also one of the handful of Michelin men. , Eskil Suter rides a '95 bike, a nd p robl ems. Biaggi' s weakness last year came under braking an d in sl ow corners. The Aprilia factory have addressed both d ifficulties, he sai d, and th e new bike is a big improvement. Bad new s for the others. Quite th e o p p osi te of wh at Ralf Waldmann said about his new Honda. Th e HB-ba cked rid er rode a prototype '96 NSR for th e firs t tim e in Mala ysia, and leaped off in high dudgeon, saying it was th e wor st bike he had eve r rid den, and going home early without continui ng the program. He had his knuckles rapped for that, but by the time the bik e returned for the joint Jerez tests HRC had cl e arl y d one something important in turning prototype to final production bike. Wa ldmann ended up fracti ona lly fa ster th an Max at Jerez, which h as never be en a goo d Aprili a track, and now sai d th is was the best bike he'd ever ridden. Other Honda riders were not so sure. Last year's top privateer Olivier Jacque now ha s a works NSR ju st like that of Tech -3 teammate Jean-Philippe Ruggia, but both the yo un g risin g star and hi s vetera n teammate left Jer ez with "a lot of work to do on the bike," accord ing to team b o s s H e r v e Poncher a!' Oth er work s H ond a m en are Luis d ' Antin , N obu ats o Ao ki, and T oh ru Uka wa, HRC's latest prot ege fresh from Jap an. Ukawa was qu ickest at the Sentul tests a week after tho se at Shah Alam, but the tra ck w a s in b ad co n di t io n a n d th is sho u ld not be taken to mean too much. The la st n ew wo r ks m an is Jurg en Fu ch s, teammat e to Waldmann, w ho was impressiv e in his first fu ll season last yea r. Yam aha's shri nk ing in flue nce in the class is reflected by jus t one entry. It is for the redoubtable Tetsuya Harad a, in Team Marlb or o Rainey, but w hile th e (Above) Will anyone be able to match Max Blaggl ln 19961 The Italian wiltry to win his third straight 250cc World Championsh ip on his facto ry Aprllla. (Right) Kenny Roberts J r. had a toug h sta rt to his debut 500cc GP season by breaking a leg, but he's expected to be ready for the opening round. (Below) Dorlano Rombonl has been fast all winte r on the Aprllla V-twin. sh owed well in tests; othe rs who may im press on their Ap rilias incl u de ex125cc m an Oliver Pe t ru cci an i a n d Sp aniard Jose-Luis Ca rdoso, an d lon e , Bri ton Jam ie Rob in s in, o n th e exMa ck enz ie Doc-Sh op Aprilia. Watch a ls o for Dut chm an Ju rgen van den Goorbergh , on a factory-k illed Honda RS. 125CC - WHO WIL L PAY FOR AOK I? Th e strangest th ings happe'e in racin g - one bein g the fact th at the dominant 125c c ra cer of las t yea r, Wo rld Champion a nd th en so me, h as so far been unable to find a sponso r. Har achu ki Aoki' s Arie M ol en aa r H onda will carry the number-on e p late, but nobody is ye t quite su re wh at co lor it will be painted. Aoki won by a combina tion of ridin g skill and precocious racecraft (he turns 20 just before the first race of the year), an d is the tar get this year for top Honda rid ers like fast yo u ng Spaniard Em ilio Alzarn ora, former cham p Dirk Raudies, Tomomi Man ako, No bo ru Ueda an d a clutch of others . But it is reckoned to be Ap rilia's tum aga in thi s yea r - b y th e It a lians, i f