Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.ROAD RACE·.. World t~arhpion$hip.superbike were out to win - as if nothing else mattered. It was Kocinski leading over the hill and into tum two for the first time after a somewhat botched start caught some off guard and others jumping. "1 don't know who the idiots were who were doing the lights," Edwards said later. "It usually goes red, green, with a second or so difference between the two. This time it went red green. A lot of guys jumped." If Corser's concerns were on the championship, he didn't show it on the first lap as he dived into the lead going into turn six. Gobert followed with Kocinski third, Hodgson ·fourth, and Slight fifth at the end of the first Jap. Chandler was faring much better than he had in the first race. The Muzzy Kawasaki rider was sixth after the first lap and with some shuffling here and there, that's where he would ultimately finish. "1 can't be too upset," Chandler said later. "1 felt 1 could have run with those guys, but the rotors were pulsating and 1 was fighting to get feeling in my hands. Still, we weren't that far off." Edwards' race was already over, the Texan sliding off in the Corkscrew after just one and a half laps. "The bike wasn't set up as good in the first one," an uninjured Edwards said later. "When the fuel load got lighter it would chatter and that's a problem we had all weekend. We repositioned the bike for the second race with more weight on the front and it was heaps better. 1 got in there fine and wasn't pushing hard. I was biding my time and I went into the Corkscrew just 'like every other lap. 1 just clipped the footpeg on the curb. It was a stupid move and it was just assholes and elbows after that." Gobert took over at the front on the fifth lap, zapping Corser again on braking for turn 11. The pair went side by side over the hill that makes up turn one, bu t Gobert got the better of tl1e exchange and held the lead. As they headed up the hilJ out of tum six, Gobert had opened up a lead of 0.79 second. This time he wouldn't crash, though it wasn't from a lack of pressure from his pursuers. Kocinski wasn't about to let Gobert go, and he passed Corser going into turn two and quickly latched on to Gobert's back wheeL They stayed that way for the duration, with ·Corser gaining ground at times and losing it at others. He would ultimately let them go, his rear Michelin wearing out late in the race. "We went slightly harder on the front tire," Corser said later. "In the first race that was the problem. The front tire was good, but the rea1(ttire went off about halfway through the race. I could sort of sit behind Anthony and John, but the last couple of laps the tire was shot. So I just sort of rode around. I was sitting there to see what would happen for the last couple of laps. 1 knew that John would put everything in to try to win and I knew Anthony was going to try to win, so I wasn't sure because with that turn 11 you can get caught out pretty easy and slow each other up. Anthony was too hard for me; he. was pushing really hard and I was just happy to get the points." The Gobert/Kocinski fight went to the final lap, but Kocinski never led. Instead he stalked, applying constant pressure to the Australian. But on the final lap, the pressure only lasted until the pair headed up the hill toward the Cotkscrew. It was there that Kocinski Road Race'Series . Round 6: Laguna Seca Raceway Crafar said. "The fork was bad, but I figured it out and the second race was more enjoyable. Doug (Chandler) and I have very similar styles, but I spent too long behind Doug. I went half a second better after I got by him." Fogarty had chosen a harder-compound rear Michelin for the secoDd race, and his results were better because of it. "I was a bit nervous of the start and was desperate to make a good start, but it took a lot of -concentration and I had to battle through the first couple of laps before I had my mind on the race again," Fogarty said. "Edwards' crash lost me the two to Aaron (Slight), but I'm really pleased to come away with the points I have and 1 know I can win at a lot of the circuits remaining in this · ear's championship. The second race today was the first time I've ever found any sort of rhythm around here." DuHamel was fortunate to escape injury when he crashed his Smokin' Joe's RC45 'on lap eight while running ninth; Grarnigru was forced out when the shifter bolt fell out; Pegram was 14th and Mike Smith ended up 15th. fN (Above) Kocinski (left) and Gobert (right) were the stars of the day In the U;S. round of the World Superbike Championship. (Right) Mike Hale made his return to Laguna Seca on the Promotor Ducati, finishing sixth and 10th. slowed, his Ducati's engine no longer firing. He coasted down the hill and through Rainey Corner, turn 10, and tum 11, barely making it up the hill and across the finish line in 12th place. "It went going up the hill," Kocinski said, claiming that the bike was down on horsepower for the entire race. "And I had no power coming down the hilL We made some changes and the bike was just fabulous. It's only one time a year that it gets like that. If the engine just would have been normal... Midway through the race we could have gotten ahead of him (Gobert) and just gone." Gobert said he felt no pressure, and in fact thougJit it was Corser who was behind him the whole time. ."1 feel pretty good," Gobert said. "I knew coming in here that this would be a race track where we could start our year again. It's been quite up and down. I won the first round, but kind of got pushed to the side there when we got disqualified with some sort of machine problem. I haven't really looked at the points or anything, I just look at it race by race. I want to win every race. The way I look at it is if I win as many as I can, hopefully I'll be World Champion at the end of the year. As it turns out, our machine has really been underpowered all year. This kind of track is tight and it doesn't give the Ducatis or the Honda the straightaway to really get away from us. It really enables me to push hard in the corners to keep the guys off. I really didn't feel much pres.sure. I knew Troy (Corser) was right there, but I knew he wasn't pressuring. I felt he was struggling to stay with me, so I felt confident that we· could. win the race or both of them today. Unfortunately, I crashed in the first one because I really wanted to make a big break straight 'away and to prove to everyone that I can do it as a rider. Fortunately enough, I managed to stay on the bike and prove it in the second one. It's good when a Ducati is behind you because you can hear how close or far away it isbecause of the noise. I just knew that Troy was right behind me and I wasn't sure who was right behind him. I just felt that if I stayed smooth and not make any mistakes, then I felt I could win the race. That's just what I focused on." Corser crossed the line almost five seconds behind with Slight another seven seconds back, happy to be on the rostrum at 'a track on which he's struggled. "Yeah, I was rapt with that," Slight said. "Last year we struggled so bad here and to come away with that many points from Laguna is really a big effort for the team. I was coming to grips with the track and really enjoyed the race. It was hard for sure and the guys at the front were going good. I could keep up for a while, but that was all I could do. I . made a muck-up one time of the hill and ·ran wide a bit in the Corkscrew and that was that. I lost the tow and had to do my own race. I think we're only four points behind and we're halfway, so we're sort of starting from scratch. again. It's really great and the tracks to come are just so good for me and the Honda." Then came Fogarty, having ditched Crafar, who spent most of the race battling with Chandler. Chili was seventh followed by Yoshikawa, who set the fastest Jap of the day (a 1:26.926) trying to catch Chili on the final laps. Hodgsen, who ran off in turn two while in the lead group, ended up ninth, a second in front of Hale. "The first race I didn't enjoy at all," Laguna Seca Raceway. Monterey, California Results: July 21, 1996 (Round-6 of 13) SUPERB IKE QUALIFYING: 1. John Kocinski 2. Troy Corser (1:26.284); 3. Anthony Gobert (1:26.380); 4. Neil Hodgson (1:26.433); 5. Colin Edwards II (1:26.800); 6. Aaron Stght (1:26.974); 7. Doug Chandler (1:27.083); 8. Simon Crafar (1:27.349); 9. Mike Hale (1:27.388); 10. Miguel DuHamel (1:27.415); 11. Carl Fogarty (1:27.476); 12. Wataru Yoshikawa (1:27.476); 13. John Reynolds (1:27.748); 14. PierFrancesco Chili (1:27.835); 15. Kirk McCarthy (1:28.989); 16. Mike Smith (1:28.138); 17. Alessandro Gramigni (1:28.181); 18. Paolo Casoll (1:28.187); 19. Larry PegTam · (I :28.206); 20. PiergiorgiQ Bontempi (1:28.448); 21. Michael Barnes (1:29.180); 22. john BouSlas (1:29.239); 23. James Randolph (1:29.555); 24. [gor Jerman (1:30.966); 25. Mark Miller (1:32.643). RACE ONE: 1. john Kocinski (Due); 2. Troy Corser (Duc); 3. Neil Hodgson (Duc); 4. Colin Edwa.rds n (Yam); 5. Aa,ron Slight (Hon); 6. Mike Hale (Due); 7. Simon Crainr (Kaw); 8. Carl Fogarty (Hon); 9. Wataru Yoshikawa (Yam); 10. Kirk McCarthy (Suz); 11. Paolo Casali (Due); 12. Larry Pegram (Duc); 13. Piergiorgio Bontempi (Kaw); 14. John Boustas (Due); 15. Mike Smith (Kaw); 16. Mark Miller (Suz); 17. Alessandro Gramigni (Due); 18. Anthony Gobert (Kaw); 19. John Reynolds (Suz); 20. Pier-Francesco Chili (Ouc); 21. Doug Chandler (Kaw); 22. James Randolph (Suz); 23. Igor Jerman (Kaw); 24. Miguel DuHamel (Hon); 25. Michael Ban;te5 (Due). Time: 4] min., 3.153 sec. Distance: 28 laps, 61.6 miles. Margin of Victory: 0.1] 7 sec. Fastest Lap: Anthony Gobert, 1:27.112, lap 9. RACE TWO: 1. Anthony Gober! (Kaw); 2. Troy Corser (Due); 3. Aaron Slight (Hon); 4. Carl Fogarty (Hon): 5. Simon Cra£ar (Kaw); 6. Doug Chandler (Kaw); 7. Pier-Francesco Chili (Due); 8. Wataru Yoshikawa (Yam); 9. Neil Hodgson (Duc); 10. Mike Hale (Due); 11. Paolo Casoli (Due); U. John Kocinski (Due); 13. Kirk McCarthy (Suz); 14. Larry Pegram (Due); 15. MilCe Smith (Kaw); 16. Piergiorgio Bontempi (!

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