Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.ROAD RACE. . World Championship Road Ra~ Series Round 13: Catalunyan Grand Prix Alex Criville, Michael Doohan, Luca Cadalora and Kenny Roberts Jr. give chase to Cheea, who is already out of the picture. ·Briefl ••• Lucky Strike Suzuki's Daryl B.eatti. (jnset( returped to racing after a 14-week absence, and the rust' showed io the very first qualifying session. BeattIe was 16th-fastest 'in a very closely bunched field. "I'm just trying to get up to speed: he. said. "It's hard to adjust your eyes and your brain to how fast you're.going. I go into comers and know ~ could have gone quicker, I must admit I thought it would be easier, I need time on the bike to close up t~at gap. I wanted to get saddle tirpe before the eod of this year to get ready for next season. I could have done that in private 'testing, b~t I might have kiq- . ded myself I. was going fast when I wasn't. .1 needed to be on the track with other people." Beattie had a number of ba9 spills this year, the most damaging of which was a practice crash at the French GP where he broke his left arm. Normally not a complicated break, his was made so because during the winter he'd had an operation on his left' arm 'to remove a vein and tissue. which was implanted in his leg 10 8 aid In the circulation to his toes, which never healed properly from a long-ago accident. , Another reasOn to get . back in the saddle was machine development: The Lucky. Strike Suzuki RG\(500' has' stagnated most of the year apd Scott Russell has repeatedly asked' for . .changes to be made. ':We're pr"oably a little' bit behind in certain' areas of·handJing·and .develop. meot of the 'bike," Beattie s!lid. "My time' com' ing ba'ck is to get up to 'speed and race with these guys and all that goes into the package for next season, - Beattie qualified 16th and afterward said, "I'll have to be quick' enough tomor: row so I don't get passed by Mick (Doohan) 'or he'll give me the finger," Thai never happened, but Beattie did pull out on the .13th lap while running in 15th place, "The ·bike was the problem today, rather than my lack of strength in my arm. I was really fighting with the- bike,. and though it might have been easier if'my arm was at full .strength,. it wouldn't 'have made a whole lot of difference, I got a cramp in my leg and there wasn't much point in gqing on." . Neither of the Elf 560s fi'nished the race, .wIth both Juan .Borja and Chris Walker suffering from the same p.roblem. Team oWner Michel Metraux said t.he failures couid have been 'caused by a bad ,batch of crankshaft bearings. "The failed bearing allowed the crank to move to the right and then the piston touched the spark plug," he said, adding that the team forsook their newer' big-bang engines for, the older, niore con" ventional model. - Ait.hough the bigbang engine is much smoother and IS better for acceleration, it is not yet so powerful as tlie old engine,' Borja said. The question of who will ride the Honda NSR500V V·twin in 1997 should be answered this week. 1'hough it's widely assumed that current V-pilot Tadayuki Okada will return to Honda, It's not known in what capacity, and the rider for the second seat. if there even is one, has fostered widespread speculation. Honda's All, JaRan Championship Superbike rider 1aku' nia Aokl was in ,Barcelona, p.resumably to seal up' a .deal, .for ) 997, but Honda Racing CorjJoraflon boss Takeshi.Shinizakl·was non-commital. At.a press· conference. to announce the signing of. a two'Y'lar extension of' the pact between Flepsol ancf Honda, he said, 'Acco'rding to HFlC'- Iylr,' Aok;' can race in tlie GPs next year, That's alII' Mr. Shinizaki went on to say there would only be one works V-tw'in raced next year, The current tbinki(lg h~s Aoki very hard not to make any mistakes. From the blackboard (pit signal) I could see the gap getting bigger, but I cUd not lower my pace to keep my concentration. I think this is the beginning of a new phase for me where a lot will be expected of me and I think I like that" A lot was expected of his fellow countryman Criville, especially on this day. Having qualified on the front row, and needing a win, basically, to keep his championship hopes alive, Criville was a man on a mission. Unfortunately, he had to get by Doohan and Doohan was content to let Checa slip away. "That made it a lot easier for me," Doohan said. "I knew exactly what the finishing order had to be pretty much, and if Alex was leading I had to basically finish second to clinch the championship today. When Carlos (Checa) went in front it was the best thing that could happen. Even when Luca (Cadalora) was in front I was thinking, 'Yeah, take off.' When Carlos (Checa) got in front and took off I thought that was great, and I seen Alex (Criville) was dropping him a little bit and I got in front of Alex and slowed the pace about two or three-tenths a lap to try to keep Alex (Criville) behind me and let Carlos (Checa) get away, so it put me in a better position for the championship." on the V-twin with Okada'moving up to a V-four HB Honda's Jurgen Fuchs ·confirmed at and Shiniehi Itoh getting' the boot. A,1other so~Barcelona tha~ he'd been approached by teani nario 'has Okada stayin9 on the twin and Aoki officials to, follow team orders in support.of going straight to the V·fouL The decision is' teammate and title contender Ralf Waldmanri. expected to be announced ,in Barcelona in the Fuchs said .he was first approached at the Ausmiddle of the we.ek_ A n.umber of hiah-Ievel . tnan GP, where he replied it was more importarit Honda officials are expected to be in.Barcelona tbat he !ill'lfd his third place in the. standings .to launch a, new single-cylinder off.road bike. - from- Cbestedield Tech-3.Honda's blivier One sign that Shinichi Itoh doesn't think he'll be· Jacque.s - than it 'was to give up the spot for back is that be is advertising ~is motorbome for . Waldmann. In Spain he said the subject .was sale, again broached and he said he'd agree, b~t only If the team issued a statement saying th~t he As for the production Honda' V -twins, the was under team orders. Since team orders are deadline far' ordering them' for 1-997 has passed '1lIegai in GP racing, it seems highly unlikely. that will bappen .. with, 10 being ordered. according to an HRC crew chief, In an unprecedented arid 'hugely embarrassing move, Wayne' Rainey replaced former 250cc . Depending on who you listen to at Honda, yo'u 'can get varying accounts of the company's plans World' Champiori.Tatsuya HaraCla with Sp'''ln,iard Sete Gibernau for the Catalunyan GP, and for next year. One HRC employee said that the Repsol Honda team' would have two NSR500 Vpmbably the resi of the Y\lar, blaming Harada'" lack of. motivation fo'r the move, "It's been an up fours,'for Michael Doohan and Ale. CrlviIIe, and one NSR500V V·twin. He also' said ~nd dOwn, probably more down, season,' Rainey .said at a, press cqnference in 'the Marlthere would be a second-Senetton-sponsored team run by Giacomo' Agostini with one Vboro hospitality 'unit on Friday: "It started off four and one NSR250·. Vet another said that the well. but has gone down fast. The last 'couple of rates there were mechanical problems and motiBenetton deal was dead and that Agostini would vational problems with Harada. In lmola (the prebe running a Ducati World Superblke team for John Kpcinski. Of the tWo scenarios. the former vious GP), Harada pulled' in the pits. again. I decided to put Sete on the bike, It's just a oneis considered ~ore likely. . .race deal." 'But 'by Sunday afternoon he had a different response. "It looks as though Sete will' Erion Racing's Andrew Stroud replaced the 'injured James Haydon for the Catalunyan race ride for us again ~ Rio so that we can continue to test what we wanted to." That Gibernau on the World Championship Motorsports Vamaha. Haydon crashed at Imola, breaking the would cQntinue as the replacement rider comes fibula near his ankle. He could have returned as no surprise. According to, Intemabonal -Racing for the Barceiona race, but since he isn'! racin-g Teams Assoclation (JRTAJ President Paul Botler, the change is for the rest of the season, "Eacb for the cbampionship and doesn't often finish in the points, it was decided to let him recover In team is allowed to 'replace its contracted nder time for the next GP in Brazil on October 6. one time per. year," Butler'sald, adding that he'd been contacted by Team Rainey, which informed Stroud crashed. out of the race on ·the 10th lap . while in 19th place when he lost the front end him that it was replacing Harada with GiOOmau. Asked if Gibemau would finish the season, Butin one of the hajrpins. Haydon may return in Brazil. . ler ~aid, "He has tel be. TheY've had their one . replacement.' Rainey said he wanted' to try to Absent from the GPs since the end of 1994, get a result· in the three races left and that he Ducat,'s John Kocinski returne.d at the and Haradaagreed on the change, "Sete will try Catalunyan GP to' talk with former colleagues har.d. I know' for a fact that Tetsuya wesn't going . and speqtate at Djrt 'rack USA, the Fridal( and ,to do that.' RaineY'said that the season began' Saturday night dirt track races On 'the grounds of ,to Cqme apart for Harada in the third race of the the Kenny RODerts Training Ranch (KRTRl .. year in Japan. "Ill the beginning he haa what be Kocinski, who said he trains atthe facilil¥, was needed. Th.e accident. Tetsuya had in Japan . . non-c'ommhtal about his plans for next year, started tiis con.fidence 'loss.' He went' to Spain' other than to say. that.he has been assured of a and fell'off. In Tetsuya's case, h'e wants to race Ducatl factory. ride by -the Castiglioni brothers. 'for. the World ·Champ,ionship. When that was who' are part:owners of Duc.atl/Cagi~a. ThIs gone, he coul9n't push any more,' Rainey said. -. . . . despite the It,alian marque's recent signing 'of Carl Fogarty and its commltm\>nt to Brit Neil Spe.culatiori 'all' year, long. has' focused' on HaraHodgson for another year. Kocinski 'said he aiso· da's dispiea.sure. with the Michelin tires, "It was contemplating taking another year off, then , takes a very special rider to go from Dunlop to, returning in 1998. Michelin,' Rainey said. "l:etsuya has been on

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