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/127794
Round 3: 24 heures de Liege, Belgium (Left) The 24 hours of Liege gets .under way. The three factory teems entered by Honda (3), Suzuki (2) and Kawasaki (11) led the earty going, with Suzuki's Doug Polen taking over the lead on the second lap. Polen led for his entire shift. (Below) The factory Kawasaki team of Bontempl, Coutelle and Morrison (11) _ had a secure lead by 8 a.m. Sunday morning and would hold It to the end. In second place one lap down was the official Suzuki entry piloted by Polen, Gomez and Bonhull (2). I By Johan Vandekerckhove 30 LIEGE, BELGIUM,JULY 13-14 fter a' one-year interruption, when the Mattioli/Mertens/ ~ Simeon team took victory on their "home track," Kawasaki once again won the ba We in the Belgian Ardens, in the face of stiffer competition than ever. Three manufacturers sent their factory bikes to the third round of the World Endurance championship Suzuki even had former World Superbike champion Doug Polen fly over to try to take the new GSXR750 to a full points score. And while the battle between Kawasaki and Suzuki remained excitin-g right until the end, not even Polen could keep the ultraconsistent Kawasaki team from scoring another victory. Brian Morrison, who joined Piergiorgio Bontempi and Stephane Coutelle in the team's victory march, is now in an excelrent position to take the world title even though the Scotsman will probably not go to Suzuka for the fourth round of the series. The factory Honda team of Alex Vieira, Christian Livieille and William Costes led briefly during the race, but a long pit stop dropped them to third and they could not make up the distance on the second-placed factory Suzuki. The Guignabodet team once again proved to be the best privateers. Fourth place for 39-year-old Brussels resident Michel Simeon was almost as much acclaimed by the 25,000 Belgian spectators as the victory of the factory Kawasaki. Unfortunately, the event was overshadowed by a fatal accident which claimed the lives of racer Lee Pullan and a Belgian marshal. The 25th edition of the 24-hour race at Liege got under way only after a 50minute delay. During the second warmup lap, Frenchman Cuzin's machine lost oil and the organizers' decided to delay the start until all the oil was aeared. When the lights were finally put to green, LavieiUe and the two. other factory teams got away first. On the second lap, Suzuki's Polen took over command and the American would not be passed again during his shift. Honda's Lavieille and Kawasaki's Bontempi followed closely, but were unable to match the blistering lap times of the Texan, who would break the lap record several times during his shifts. Behind the leading trio, a fierce battle was waged for the honor of the first privateer team. Guignabodet's Simeon showed the way first, then it was Swiss Peter Linden from the Honda-mounted Motosport Coumevien Team. After three hours of racing, the pace car came out for the first time. A Kawasaki rider had crashed in the exit of the infamous Raidi1lon corner after the start/Bnish line. For inexplicable reasons, the ambulance driver who was sent out drove into the gravel pit and got stuck two yards in. Four marshaIss tried to push the vehicle back on the track, and when that did 'not work out, the pace car was called out. Only then could the crashed rider be attended to. Some 20 minutes later, the battle was resumed - but with all three factory riders now within striking distance of each other. These top three riders blasted around and offered the spectators a superb battle for several hours. For . Polen, this was the moment to go even faster and better the lap record again with a 2:29.857 (the former official record being 2:31.037). After four hours of racing Polen / Gomez/ Bonhuil were leading the way, followed at only some five seconds by the Honda of Vieira/Lavieille/ Costes and the Kawasaki of Bontempi / Coutelle / Morrison. Nicotte / Linden/Legaudu were fastest privateers, with Mattioli / Simeon/ Guigou in fifj:h. Surprise, surp_ris_e _ _ D espite the predictable race result, the third round of the world endurance championship was one full of surprises. And it all be,gan with qualifying. Things started well for Honda during practice when the official team took its first pole in quite some time. And interestingly, the best time was not made by the more experienced endurance specialists Alex Vieira or Christian Lavieille, but by newcomer William Costes. who had competed in the Thunderbike Trophy race during the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, just across the Belgian-Gerrnan border, a couple of-days earlier. Second position on the grid went to the official Suzuki team. which had undergone some drastic changes during the week preceding the eveRt. First of all. Terry Rymer had been called off due to his injuries sustained at the Nurburgring during his guest ride on the Lucky Strike Suzuki for the German Grand Prix. So Doug Polen and Eric Gomez were to be accolI\panied by Giles Ferstler. But when reserve rider Bruno Bonhuil proved to be faster during practice, it was Bonhuil who would run the race with Polen and GolI\ez. The Kawasaki 'factory team qualified third, but team manager Christian Bourgeois had also had to change his riding staff. Tehan d'Orgeix decided after Sunday moming's warmup that his injuries from a crash at the Thunderbike Trophy race. in Assen would not allow him to go flat out all the way; his place was taken by Stephane CouteUe. . The Guignabodet team qualified fourth and was the fastest privateer team. Michel Simeon, 39, notched up ihe fastest time for the team, which was unable to go faster on the second qualifying day due to cylinder-head problems. In all. 52 teams qualified for the race.