Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(1057.650); 10. Christiano Migtiorati (1057.m); 11. Jurgen van den Goorbergh (1,57.790); 12. Regis Laconi (1057.794); 13. Sebastian Porco (1:57.875); 14. GianJuigi.Scalvini (167.881); 15. Sete Gibernau (1,58.088); 16. Roberto Locatelli (1,58136); 17. Christophe Cogan (168.155); 18. Jamie Robinson (1058.202); 19. O. Petruceiani (2,58.262); 20. Alessandro AntoneUo (1:58.433); 21. Davide Bu.lega (1:58.533); 22. Jose-Luis Cardoso (1:58.978); 23. Luca Boscoscuro (1:59.241); 24. Yasumasa Hatakeyama (1,59.276); 25. Eskil Suter (1059.470); 26. Osamu Miyazaki (1,59.854); 27. J. Garro.,. (1,59.975); 28. Christian Boudinot (2:00.516); 29. M. Payten (2,00.940); 30. F. Flores (2'l4.l06); 31. J. Barresi (2,04.339). 500« QUALIFYING, 1. Michael Doohan (1,53.293); 2. Norfumi Abe (1:53.404); 3. Jean-Michel Bayle (1:54.253); 4. Carlos Checa (1:54.286); S. Luca Cadalora (1054.316); 6. Tadayuki Okada (1054.389); 7. Alex Criville (1,54.418); 8. Scott R"-'seU (1,54.446); 9. Alex Barros (1054.496); 10. K...my Roberts JT. (1054.676); 11. Alberto Puig (1,55.115); 12. Shinichi Itoh (1,55.272); 13. Lucio PedeTcini (1,55.374); 14. Loris Capirossi (1055.810); 15. 'Juan Borya (156.028); 16. Eugene McManus (1057579); 17. Frederic Protat (1:57.602); 18. Chris Walker (1057.788); 19. Jeremy McWilliams (1,57.831); 20. Paul Young (1,57.983); 21. Daryl Beattie <,1,58.121); 22. Laurent Naveau (1:58.nO); 23. Chris Taylor (1:59.373); 24. Stephane Mertens (2:00.031); 25. T. A[akaki {2m.23S). l25ec GRAND PRIX: 1. Haruchika Aoki (Hon); 2. Emilio A1zamora (Hon); 3. Masaki Tokudome (Apr); 4. Jorge Martinez (Apr); 5. Garry McCoy (Apr); 6. Noboru Ueda (Han); 7.lucio Cecchine.llo (Han); 8. y. Vi (Yarn); 9. Stefano Perugini (Apr); 10. Dirk Raudies (Hon); 11. Kazuto Sakala (Apr); 12. Yoshiako Katoh (Yam); 13. Josep Sarda (Hon); 14. Frederic Petit (Hon); 15. Jaroslav Hules (Hon); 16. Manfred (Apr); 17. AkiTa Saito (Han~ 18. Luigi Ancona (Apr); 19. Gabriele Debbia (Yam); 20. M. Giansanti (Hon); 21. Tomoro Manako (Han); 22 Heni Torrontegui (Hon); 23. Ivan Goi (Hon); 24. Look Bodetier (Hon~ 25. Valentino Rossi (Apr~ Time: 42 min' 48.872 sec. Dist.tnee: 21 laps, 64.228 miles. Aven.ge Speed: 90.009 mph. Geiss'''' l Bri·efl V-four and V-twin, and the 250 - at Eastem .creek ·alter the Australian ·GP; but ,Daryl Beattie withdrew fr'om the B·razilian·. Gp· and also will' mis.s the AustfaJian G·p alter f(esh complications to his trouble$ome lelt wri·st injUrY. The Australian, who· turn.,.d' 25 the. week beicre the ra~, was suffering pain· in the. left wrist. ·and alter .practice was over we~t ·for an X-ray. which revealed a loos~ chip of bone -floating- ·in his W1jst. The Lucky S.trike Suzuki Mer withdrew from the race to fly to Australia for immediate surget)' to remove the bone. hoping that !his would finally clear up an injury that kept bim out of racing for 17 weeks, the longest he had been off a motorcycle since his early bqyhood. This brings his nightmare season to · a premature end. He has fallen three times. but each time injuries that at first seemed relativelY minor resulted in costly comPlications. 'Of course I'm very disappointed - the only good thing is it explains Why my ","st took such a loog time to get better: he said. :Now I'll· have surgery as soon as possible,.so I can come back for a full winter test program and be as strong as I can for the first race next year. - The first crash-was in pre-season testing in Malaysia, and he·suffered a concussion and en·inner-ear problem that affected his balance badly en~ugh to keep him out 01 the first two races. He was filth in Japan and fourth ·in Italy. then craShed again in· Spain, .trying to make up for.a firstolap·run into the dirt. This may hallE! been when he fractured his· skull, but the terminal accident came ·at the next round in France; when he fell heavily in practice. ·Beattie. missed· the ,next seven races·. with the wrist proving· more troublesome ana slower to heal than his skull fracture, and· returned still well off his usual form for the last round of the European season in · Catalunye, where he retired after dropping oack down the field, blaming -poor h~nd lirig. Then came tbe probiems at the very bumpy Nelson Piquet circuit in Brazil. -I've been ·having some pain and stiflhess alter Catalunya, so the damage may have happened there. - he said. . . '. ~ The 250cc Suzuki may return to Grand Prix racing next season alter an absence of three years - and DUtch rider Jurgen van den Goorhergh is a candidate to ride the third works Japanese machine in a team nln by his compatriot Arie MoIe~aar. -It's about 90 percent certain, bUt I am I\Ot sure 'yet about riders or sponsorship,said Molen.aa·r, whose currenl teem toOk Harachuki Aoki to life t25cc World Championship last year. and leads on points again this year. •Everyone is. waiting to s~ Where Max. Biaggi will go - then .ever)(!hing else will start to Jail into p1~e .• · Molenaar continued. 'One possibility is backing from Lucky Strike in Spain. If that takes piace, then theY,want Emilio AJzamo.~ on· the bike. There ·are other possibie sponsors, and one of them would want Jurgen to ride the bike. In any case, the ·secqnd rid~r would· be Noriyasu Numata, who rides tile m~ch";e ·in Japan.' Van den Goorbergh confirmed that he hopes to ride:the.Suzuki next year: 'I have been hoping to get a works bike. so I will be very happy·if it works out.' he said.•The Vtwin Suzuki last raced in GPs·in 1993, when John Kocinski ran haifa season before he was fired alter a variety of difficulties. New Zealander Simon Crafar took over for the rest of the year. But it has continued t"campaign successfully in Japan. and last year took Numata 10 the AJI-Japan title. Max Biaggi now seems likely to switch from Aprilia to Honda next season, still in the 250cc class. rather than stay put and ride alongside great rival Tabuya Harada. He had made no announcement. but is known to have approached HRC directly with a reques.t for a machine. Current betting puts him on a works bike sponsored by Benetton, whose own plans for a 500cc team may come to nothing. Aprilia racing boss Carlo Pemat confirmed for the first time in Brazil that he had Harada for next year, adding: -He will test the bike for the first time the day alter the Australian GP - Yamaha .has given its per.mis~ion. Harada was sacked from the works Marlboro-Rainey leam two races ago after ayear of disillusionment "Vith the team's Michelin Wes. We have made an offer to Biaggi, and it is still qpen. This year, Biaggi in.sisted on being the team's only. rider. and is believed to ·have made· the same demand for next year. Aprilia is bigger now. and we have a duty to run two riders - in case one has an accident or soene problem like that. • Kavin Schwantz is to return to GP raciog - on a Honda. But the former World Champion and career-long Suzuki man will only be testing Mick Doohan's machine as a journalist for American magazine Cycle WoM and then only if HRC officials approve; Honclli invited pressmen to test their works machines- the 500 Schwan·lz's application was trealed rather differently liom those of other writers, who had to persuade Honda that they are capable of riding a· GP bike. No such question arose in the case- of Schwantz: but it raises complex questions of protocor between rival Japanese factories. If the test goes ahead, it will be interesting ·to see the response of other journalists, who regulariy track test machines and then.write about thei1) as if.their (nevitably"slow lap times arefasi.enough to give · serious insight intO the "'achine's character. . . a Thiavary was rife in Brazil. "Vith two team ·computers stoien on the first day of practice alone. But nobody had more gall than tha thief who marched into the control t()Wer and rifled the wallets of the Delta Tre timing staff. He was apprehended· and handed over to the police, but only part of the stolen money was found, and he was obdurate in his denials that he haa taken more. It ",as only a£!er some notso-gentle .persuasion by the notorious Brazilian police thill he coughed up a confession (if that is the word). T)le other money was wrapped up in plastic and concealed up his bottom. A catalogue of typically B"!Zilian problams m~e a shambl~s ,?f the only surviying Latin American Grand Prix, and made it unlikely thatthe series will return in the foreseeable (uture. The list was long: A makeshilt podium construc;ted by the· track collapsed onto an ambulance. Luckily, the medical 'staff was taking a tea ·break_at the tim a: po",er to Ihe control towar an

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