ROAD RACE
WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Crafar got home sixth on his spare bike
with a slower engine - a meager consolation·pfter his excellent performances in
practice and race one.
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Hockenheimring
Hockenheim, Germany
Results: June 8, 1997 (Round 4 of 12)
(2:11.186): 29. Vittorio Seatola (2:11.688): 30. Lothar
Kraus (2:11.802): 31. A. Lelek (2:12.m).
Distance: 14 laps, 58.954 'miles
Average speed: 122.393 mph
Margi.n of victory: 0.035 sec.
Fastest lap: John Koc;inskt 2:02.155/124.102 mph
RACE TWO: 1. Carl Fogarty (Duc); 2. Akira
Yanagawa (Kaw); 3. James Whitham (Suz); 4. SC9tt
Russell (Yam); 5. Colin Edwards (Yam); 6. Simon CraEar
(Kaw); 7. Pjcr-Francesco 'Chili (Due); 8. Neil Hodgson
(Due); 9. Jochen Schmid O.I)'·RC45s. According to the lates.t neWs,.however•.BiaQgi h~s
.RusseU:(192.51 O· mph),. Colin Edwards ·11 091.889 mph), Akira Yanagawa
refused 'to· take part in the race" officially for financial reasons. The final teams
(191.889 mph), 1'J",il Hqdgson <1!:JUi89 mphf, Simon Crafar ('190.026
will be est~bl!shed after the Grarld Prix riders: have. had thei~ test sessions at
mph), Igor Jerman (190.026 mph), Andreas Mekiau <188.784 mph).. Chris- .SUZlIka one week afte(the· Frencli Grand Prix, ·but it is Iikeiy that Okada .and.
ter Lindholm (la8. 784· mph) and Mike Hale (188.1 6:j mph).· Apart from
Siigh(will join up ~Qain and tl)' to avenge the defeat th.at.w~s dealt them· fast
year by the Yam.aha cbupie of Noriyuki Haga and Colin Edwarqs II.. That·d.uo
showing that most of the· fa9tOl)'.bikes are 'pretty closely !)'latched -. with a
will·be backed by. two other factol)' Yamaha· teams consisting of Scott Rus·
surprisingly good result for Suzuki -the yearly· high,speed experiment :also
selllTroy Corser andWataru Yo;>hikawa/Norihiko Fujiwara,
shows that any progress in this·..field will likeiy .be realized mostiy on the
aerodynamic side, .as several :extra ho.rsepower would be necessary to
Talking abo~t endurance, the ·second Worid Endurance race of the year: the
yield 1 or 2 more·mph: And·on top of that. 'the top speedS .go down.drasti·
24 hours of Lige. at Spa (to be run the same weekeQd as· the lqguna ·Seca·
calli(6·' o-mphi as soon.as something of a head wind Starts t6 blow.
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World Superbike rouhd), is also on the shbppin-g listof Honda. In the Belgian
Andreas Meklau ;>cored some" premiers" during .the German -race weekArdens, they'will field one factol)' bike manned by frenchmen Christian
Lavieille and IMlliam Costes arid local hero Stepharie Mertens, Th!l Belgian.
end. The Austrian, who ceiebrated his 30tli birthday on Saturday, was just
who is performin9 very well aboard a Suzuki GSXR600 in ·the Worid :Series
married a ,few weeks earlier and will become a father for the firSt time before
the end·oJ the year. He·was plso the first rider to enter·an international SlIper·
Supersport SeAes th·is year, was preferred bi the French Honda importer· to
hi. younger countryman Michael Paquay, despite the fact that the iatter.is one
sport race as well as a World .S.lIpeibike round on .the same weekend. The
of the feyv Supersports riders to be followed. closely by Honda Europe.
day before he i!'if!· hi;> Spieiberg home in Austria, the EQdollg team (which
fields Mauro Lucchiari in th·e Worid Series SuperspOrll calle,!' him to ask If he
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was interested .in riding the second bike for the team. Meklao, who has
Suzuki. will soon have a gear-liriven camshaft kit available for priva·always been k~en on riding a Ducati 748 (and who had. planhed a World
teers. The gear·drive mechanism was first going· to be introduc.ed at HockenSeries Supersport campeign with sU';:h a Duck at the beginning of the seal1eim by lhe f~Gtoiy team, but that debut and. the introduction of the kil_ hpve
· ·son), accepted the offer, taking on an extra challenge after·having entered his
been delayed by reliability problems, due to one of the gears breakiog:These
916 in tlie World Sup\,>rbik", race. And finaliy, the first. four-stroke rider ever to
problem. are said to be solvep now, and the kit will be available within a cou· have been sponsored by the; now-infamous Power Horse ·company· of Alfred
ple of weeks. The·works team is expected to have the· riew 'mechanism avail·
abie at Monza.
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Inzinger, showed up in Red. Bull livery afthe Hockenneimring. His switch fr.om
one Austrian power dank to ariother had been announced in ·Donington - at
The World Series Supersport race ·~as a thriller, with the underdog
about the same time !tiat the factol)' Yamalias of the· former 500cc Grand
winning ·at the end. Right from the st.art, four ri~ers had. escaped, v.:ith three .
Prix Power Horse team were aiso ~epai~led ~ith the Red Bull logos.
Ducati riders taking Honda's Michaei Paquay on a·ride he is not likely to·for·
"I stopped hating eVerybody on the track anq in the paddock,:' is·howformer .get. Struggling to keep up with the twins of Stephane· Chambon, Paolo·
Casoli and F.i3brizio Pirovano on the long straights and in acceleration, the
World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty explained his presumed lack of
former European champion mad" up for all last ground \Jnder braking_ Things
motivation at the start of what. might be.his last season. which may culminale
with his third Superbike title. "Anyone who says that. after on·e or two world.· got even more cqmplicated when Suzuki rider Yves Beguel. Yamaha rider
titles_ he. is still as motivated as at the beginning of his career, is telling a load
Vittoriano Guareschi and Bimota rider Roberto Panlchi joined· the party with
of -bullshit. ,. The likable Englishman. still does not Know ·;vhat his life wm' be
three more laps to go. It all went down to the last lap.-when Paquay grabbed
the or:ilkes·veryjate·"oming into the stadium: with Pirovano going·straight·
made of after tbi.season. "I might tl)'.and have· a go at the 500ccc:;rands
Prix," Fogprty. said, ,hinting at. the proposition which. he. had· received from· and finally dropping back to I Hh. Paquay stayed· in front for tn!! remaining
kilometer, and ·crossed the line first to take his firsi .victory of the seasori in
Peter. Clifford, manag",r ·of the foimer Promotor team. -Or I might ;>tay one
more ye.ar in World Superbikes. But I.will still be racing - whether on two or
front of·Casoli, Chambon and Guaresclii. Mauro Lucchlari was a non·starter
.. on· four wheels. Don't expect me·to run a team in World Superbikes when I
after ·he disioc~ted his shoulder in a high-speed ciash on Saturd~y. In the.
·quit racing the bikes: myself, I don't think. i wduld fino aily (acers. wanting t.o· point standings, Paqua/is the new I.eader with:49 points, follqwed by·Casoli
· get: onto my team. I would constantly whip their asses when they would .not . (45) anp Meregaili. tJ8), who aid not even get to. the stprting line due, to. a
.90. fast enough. "
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910tch problem. -.
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(qualifying and free) sessions, were pushed down
to third and fourth, but stayed on the first row of
the grid. JohnKocinski took third position.
"I am happy that I }"we got the right bike to
win at Hockenheim, despite not getting pole position:' Kocinski said. "We have got the bike just
about as we want it here, so 1 will be going for two
wins tomorrow. It has not been that easy to get a
good lap with the amount of slower riders; but it is '
not that important, as long as I am on the froot
. row."
Kocinski teammate Aaron Slight qualified in
lourth position.
"The second session was not what.l hoped it
would be:- Slight said. "A lot of. people were looking around to get a good tow, but I neve.r seemed
to get the fast lap I wanted. But I feel like I am
dialed. into Hockenheiln mode, wnere getting used
to the speed is what it is all about. Trying to get
my bike settled at the
