(Kaw); 16. John Boustas (Duc); 17. Michael Paquay
(Duc); 18. Piergiorgio Bontempi (Kaw); 19. Igor Jerman
(J remove ,the pin frpm Hale's
foot on Thursday, but,didn't arrive until Friday, Only after an
"emergency" operation before the. first quaiifying practice could
Hale,ride his hike again'after four weeks of h:lac~vity,
Simon Cra'(ar had some, awkward health p'roblems as well:
After his crash at Menza, the Kiwf had been taken to the circuit
hospital. The'local doctors had failed to dlagnose the broken bone
in his 'right foot:and let the'ridefgo without a cast. Only when the'
pain didn't stop during official practi<;e at Bmo did Crafar visit the
local circuit d,octor to haVe his' foot checked, The noctor told him
that his foot should have been in a cast right from'the start,'."1
didn't lielieve him at,fir:st." Crafar said, "I tho~ghtthat iNas a nat, ural reaction over 'there, and that they still worked as they, had
, ceen doing the last 20 years, Only when Dr, Coroascio confirmed
the diagnosis, I sta"ed to worry ,aboul.my participation In, the
race," Finally, Crafar found a compromise and ,"sat on his bum'
betWeen practice sessions and ,the ,races wit~ ilis foot i)'l a plastic
cast, lent to him by Troy Corser,
The ,rain on Saturday caused a big, problem for the official S"'zliki
team, ,It was the first time ,that the bikes had been out,in the' wet
and, after,some laps, the riders came' into 'the pit with the ,underside o.f the' fairing full 6f waler, The FIM had deCided afte' the fatal
, 'accident of Yasutomo Nagai in Assen' at the' end, of last year t~at
the superbikes' had to have a completely sealed fairing With a
, basin at'the cottom in 'which all the engine oil could be contain'ed
in the ,case of an oil leak, Afte.ward.. the federation decided that a
, hole of 25mm 'diaITleter could be drilled inta the fairing in' order to
allow water to flow away in a wet race (with a plastic. plug sealing'
the, h?le in other conditiOnS), This plece, of engineering wa~ performed on the Suzukis only on Saturaay evening.. as the team had
not been' updated abo~tthe change :in regulations,,'
,
former official pucati, Supert>ike rider ·lltIauro 'Luechlari finaily
' seer)'ls to have broken tbe sp.ell of bad luck,that ,had I;>een Jollow:
ing him sin,ce the beginning of the European Champioriship, sea: '
, son, The quiet Italian took his second consecutive ViCtory of the
season at Bmo, after having notched up his sixth pole position of
the year.. Meregalli and Guarshi joined their countryman on the
ro"strum, Fabrizio Pirovano dropped, to siXth in the final stages of
the race'but is still leading the champiOnship with quite a comfortable margin,,"
,
,
