Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

mounted Evert s said . "I used Beauca ire as a warmup race to get used to the bike and ge t co mf ortable, a nd I will rid e a few more in ternationa l (eve nts) like Foxhills, England, th is weekend, and a few other races. I w ill also run the Belgian Na tional Cha mpio ns hip series, w hich begins soo n. I wa nt to stay busy racing bec ause it will reall y hel p prepa re me for the new Gra nd Prix season. I really don' t mind racing all the time." PireIli' s top World Su perspo rt teams rece ntly com pleted a tw o-d ay test ses sion a t Spa in's Ca rtagena track, w it h Duc at i's Paolo Casoli tu rning in th e fastest time , rep orts Cycle News contributor Paolo Gozzi. The test, run under sunny and hot condi tio ns, was used to eva lua te a new generation of tires, bo th race-co m pou n d a n d soft-co mpou nd . Casoli, rid ing a "coc ktai l Ducati" (a '97 e ngin e in a n e w chass is wit h sma lldi ameter tubes), lapped in 1:38.70 on the second da y, a new unofficial lap record . By com p a rison, En doug- Duc a ti rid er Yve s Brigu et se t a 1:39.2 at a test last month, an d this time aro und turn ed in a 1:40.1. " I' m ve ry sa tisfied reg ard in g tires," sa id Wo rld Cha m p io n Casol i, who crashe d tw ice at the test. Former 25 0cc Gr an d Pr ix ri de r C ri st iano M igliorati also se t fast times, his best lap coming in at 1:39.8. "I tried to search for a good bik e setu p, but I had so me cha tter ing trouble on th e fro n t fo rk," Migliorati sai d . "Bu t m y feeling with the Du cati 748 now is really goo d . It's not easy to pass fro m a light, 2SOcc GP bike to a heavy, s tree t-derived bike like the Du ca ti 748 - chassis, ti res , br akes a re really d ifferen t. But I thi nk I' ll be rea lly fast in tim e for th e firs t race." Suzuki Italia staff has a lot of wo rk to d o: Both its riders lapped in the 1:42 ran ge. Michelin a lso co m ple te d re cent ti re tests, the Fre nch co mpa ny ta k in g its tea ms to Misan o, February 22-24, for th ree days of in te nsive tes tin g . Tw o truckloads of tires were brou gh t along wi th a wide variety of compou nds and cons tructions. Yam aha, Bimota, Cas tro l Hon da and sev eral semi-facto ry Du cati tea ms w ill a ll be u sing Mich elin tires a n d t ryin g to w r est th e Su pe rs po r t crow n aw ay fro m Pirelli , the reignin g cha mp ion. The first day was rained ou t, but on d ay tw o Jean-Phillippe Rug gia, the n ew s tar o f the Bim ota team w as very fast in the morning sess ion with an impressive I :40 .2. But he cra s h ed a t Carro Co rn er, breaki ng his right hand, though accord ing to his doctor he wi ll return to rid in g in two to th ree weeks . Traction wa s the main problem , and the Bimot a staff will be making a new rear lin ka g e in h o p e s o f impro v e m en t. H ond a r id er Jame s T os e l a n d a lso crashed, thou gh he was unhu rt. O n the fina l day, former World Superbike rid er Pere Riba-Cabana tu rned in an im pressi ve 1:38.0, nea rly a second u nd er the o ff icia l tra ck record se t b y Fab r izi o Pir ov a no on a Duca ti (1 :38.996). RibaCabana wi ll race a 748 Ducati su pplied by the Garella team . Yamaha rid ers Vittorio Guareschi and Massimo MeregalIi tested wit h 1997 bikes and we re jus t tw o-tenths off th e Du cati tea m ' s la p times . The Alstare team, the new factory Suz uk i s q ua d, tes ted Du n lo ps two weeks ago in Spain, and rid ers Fabrizio Pirovano an d Stephane Chambon ca me to Misan o to com pa re them with Michelins . "I prefer Michelin, no doubt," said Pi rovan o . Te a m manager Frances co Batta wi ll decid e which rubber the team will use in the next few d ays. Pirovano's b e s t lap was 1:39 .0 , ju st in fro nt of Michel Paqu ay an d Tosela nd on bran dnew Castro l Ho nda CBR600s. The Ya m aha R1 r ecord e d i ts wo rl d debut race win in round one of the Au stralian Production Super bike Cham p ion ship at Mall ala, Au stralia , on March 1. Air-freigh ted in just da ys before the event, ma ny exp ected the R1 to struggle against th e so r ted Kawasaki ZX-9R of Mar t in C raggi ll an d Ducat i 916S PS piloted by Steve Martin . Benn Arch ibald pu t th e Yam ah a into a best fifth grid positio n, but was upstaged by fellow R1 rid er Kevin Cu rtain, who beat him into seco nd p lace in the first 12-1ap leg after bein g taken ou t by pole-sitter Craggill, who high -sided out of a hairpin whil e in the lead . The reig ning Australian Su perb ike Champion was knocked unco ns cious a nd t he b ik e was tota led . Archiba ld scored the historic race wi n in the second race fro m Ada m Ferguson (Ho n), w it h Martin third and Craggill fourt h on a spare ZX-9R. Aus tra lian teenager An thony West creat ed hi st ory a n d marked h i ms e lf a s someo ne to watch follow ing his impressive perfor mances a t the firs t rou nd of the Aus tr ali an Roa d Racing C ha m p ions hi ps at Mallala, South Aus tralia, on Mar ch 1. The 17-year-o ld contested both t he 125cc G P a n d 250cc Prod u ct ion eve n ts, w he re he qua lified on po le in bo th classes before ru nni ng away in all four races, setting the fastest laps along the way. Mick Doohan has reu nited w it h Rothmans in a perso nal spo nso rsh ip deal for 1998, according to Cycle News con tributor Darry Flack. The four-time World Ch ampion will be seen spo rting a Winfie ld ca p th rou g h o u t th e se aso n , . altho ug h the logo of the new spo nso r of th e a ll-co n que ring Willi ams Fo rm u la O ne te am w ill n o t b e se e n o n hi s lea thers or h elm et. Dooh an is due to make his first fu ll publi c ap pearance for his new sponsor a t this wee ken d 's opening round of the Form u la One Wo rld Cha m pions hip in Melbo urne , Aus tralia. Winfield has been a leading Rothmans brand in Australia for over 25 yea rs, and is also sold in South Af rica . It is a lso ex pected to be la u nc he d in key European markets this yea r. Fe ma le roa d ra ce r Kathleen Coburn w ill race a Hooters Suzu ki in the Da ytona 200 by Arai on March 8. Cobu rn , who raced in the 200 back in 1987 a nd 1988, was the first woman to fin ish the Da y to na 20 0. For th e p a st 10 y ea rs , Co bu rn has be en activ e in mot ocro ss, end ures an d ice raci ng in Ca na d a . "I w ou ld n't miss th is for any thing in th e w orl d ," Co b u rn sai d. "Me n ta lly a nd ph ysicall y, I am more than ready. It will jus t be a matter of ge tti ng u sed to th e bike." Her husband , Jonat ha n Head - a top Ca n adia n end uro rid er - will join Cobu rn at Daytona. The AMA's board of tru stees has voted to oppose an y legislative initia tives that place further govern ment res tric tions on motor cyclists in exchange for loosening cu rre nt sta te helmet-use requi re ments, acco rd ing to th e AM A. Th is actio n by the board , tak en at its February 21 meeting, was in response to a gro w ing number of bills being cons idered by various state legislatu res - most notabl y in Kentu ck y, Florid a and Ca lifo rnia - w hic h wo u ld requir e mot or cyclists to ob tai n hea lt h ins urance in order to opera te a mot orcycle wit hou t a helmet. The AMA board of tru stees' reso lution states: "The Ame rican Motorcyclist Association reaffirms its position in support of vo lu ntar y helme t use. The AMA opposes provi sio ns co n d it ion ing rid er choice o n econo mic criter ia su ch as, but not limited to , a d d itional in surance cov e ra ge, whi ch is based on the neg ative view that motorcycli sts are a soc ial burden. The AMA beli eves that accep ti ng s u ch requirements is con tra ry to th e lon gterm in teres ts of motorcycling ." Road racer Dave Rop er is sched uled to com pe te aboard an ex-Giaco mo Agos tini MY Agusta in the AH RMA vin tageracing program at Dayton a International Spee dway on Mo n day , Feb ru ary 9 . Rop er will be joined on the Team O bsolete sq uad by Yvon DuHamel, w ho will rid e an ex-Dick Mann BSA Triple. Th ree-tim e AMA Su pe rbike Cha m pion Re g Pridmore w il l b e h on o r ed as G ra nd Marsh al o f th e second a nnual AMA Vintage Mot orcycle Day s West a t Sea rs Poin t Racew ay in Sonoma, California, Ap ril 24-26. In ad d ition, Prid m ore will pre sen t th e Reg Pridmore Award to his favorite mach ines in th e classic b ike s ho w , as w e ll as ta k in g d emons tra tion la ps and sig n ing au tog ra p hs. VMD We s t is th e o p e ni ng even t of So nomafest, a 10-d ay mot orcycle-rela te d "e nterta inm e nt m a rath o n" tha t co nclu des w it h round 5 of th e AMA / MBNA Su pe rbike Seri es on May 3. Team Suzuki Off-Road's Paul Edmondso n su ffered a sepa ra ted sho ulde r d urin g a mi d w ee k cras h d u ri ng practice. Despite the inju ry, Ed mondson plans to contest the opening round of the GNCC series in O keechobee, Florida, Mar ch 3-4. A law-en for cem ent p rototype Buell S1 White Lightn ing w ill b e u s ed as a sweep bike at the AMA /M BNA Su perbike Series races in 1998. AMA road race man ager Ron Barrick wi ll ride the bik e d u ring track inspectio ns, a nd se lected celeb rity rid er s w ill a lso take th e co ntrol s in a promo tiona l pa rtnership with AMA Pro Racing. Speaking of law enfo rceme nt, a sy m pa thetic office r with the Lake Elsinore, California, p olice d ep artment called to let u s know that the River sid e County She riff's Depa rtment w ill be crac ki ng down on illegal riding on pri va te prop erty in Riversid e County after a recent increase in comp laints. Riders will face fines and possible im po und ing of their bike if they d on 't have w ritten per missio n fr om land owne rs to rid e in the a r e a . Fo r m ore i n fo r m a tio n, ca ll 909/245-3300. The 1998 IT Lap of Honor, schedu led for Monday, Jun e 8 at the Isle of Man, is sha ping u p to be one of the be st ever, acco rd ing to even t p r o m o te r s . Th e parad e will help celebra te Honda's 50th annive rsa ry , and forme r Honda racers Jim Redma n, Stua rt G ra ha m, To m my Robb and Luigi Taveri are scheduled to rid e on ex-factory Hondas, includi ng an ex-Mike Hailwood Ho nda 500. Vo rte x Sprocke t s h a s a n no u nced a $47,450 continge ncy fu nd for the WERA road racing series. Racers must run Vortex rear sporckets and decals to qualify for the contin gency mon ey. Fo r mor e in forma tion, call 800/ 440-3559. Stu n t rider G ary Rothwell will o nce a g a i n a p pea r a t t he Formula U S A ro und held at Will ow Spri ngs Int ernatio nal Raceway in Rosamond , California. The eve nt, scheduled for March 1415, is the open ing ro u nd of the 1998 series. Spectators wi th a valid mot orcycle license a nd pro p er rid ing a ppa re l will also have the op portu nity to take a lap around the tra ck in the EBC Brakes Para de Lap . Passes will be a va ila b le wit h advance-pu rchase tickets o r at local dealers. For mor e informa tion , call 530/582-1061. Ke r ke r h as been n amed the o fficial ex ha ust sys te m of th e Form ula US A Series in part of a multifaceted spo nso rship d eal. Th e Ram ada Inn o n Route 8 in New Ha rtfo rd , New York, has been named t he officia l ra ce hea d q ua r te rs of t he AMA 125 /250cc Na tio na l Mot ocross Series rou nd , sched uled for [ulv 18-19 at the Unad illa Valley Spo rts Ce n ter. For more informa tion, call 315/735-3392. The eig hth an nual Paci fic Coast Dream Ma chines Show wi ll be held on April 26 at th e Ha lf Moon Bay Ai rpo rt in H alf Moo n Bay, California . The s how w ill featu re motor cycles of every sty le a nd era , a nd th e p ro ceed s from the sh ow w ill b enefi t the Coas tsi d e Ad u lt Da y He alth Cen ter . For mo re in forma tio n, call 650/ 726-2328. Ano the r Bay Area Sport Rider Night has been sched uled in San Leandro, Californ ia, at Ricky' s Spo rts Theater, 15028 Hes pe rian BI., on Mar ch 10. Raffles are sc hed u le d a nd AFM Cha m p io n Rob Mesa will be on hand . Kawasaki Team Green wi ll be on hand for trackside sup po rt at a pair of Texas even ts, the Mosier Valley GNC finals, Ma r ch 12-15, and the Lak e Whitn ey Sp ring Na tio nal a t t he Lake Whitney Cycle Park, March 19-20. Remind er dep t.: The World Mini Grand Prix will be held at the Las Vegas Mot or Speedway, Apri l 15-19. For mo re informati on, call 909/657-6782. BOR N: Alex Ray Tayl or , to Cycle News con tribu tor Kent Taylo r a nd h is wife, Darylene, in Lincoln, Ne braska, on Febru ary 20. CORRECTION: Co nt ra ry to info rmation orig ina lly su pp lied by Kaw asaki, full race kits for the new ZX-6R will not be available in the United States . RESCHEDULED : Th e Qu icks il ve r Enduro, for Su nday, April 5. Because of sched u ling co nflic ts, the Salinas Ram blers-hosted even t will no longer be an AMA N ati ona l End uro, thus th e AA th ir d loop w ill be dropped a nd more fire-ro ad sections and longe r rese ts will be ad ded . For more in formation , ca ll 408 /484-0964. CORRECTION: O ur news item in last week's issue about Mazda's involvemen t in the AMA 125 / 250cc Na tiona l Mo tocro ss Se ries left ou t the m id dle payout of $30,000. In all, Mazd a w ill pay $100,000 in points fun d money. A UTOGRAPH SIGNI NG: At J&W Cy cles , 4550 Sta te Route 47, Washi ngton, Missouri , on March 27 fro m 7 to 8 p .m . T ea m Kaw a s ak i' s Je ff Em ig, Damon Hu ffm a n a nd Rya n Hughes, and Tea m SplitFire /Pro Circu it' s Ricky Carmic hael , Casey Joh nson, Ni c Wey and Na tha n Ramsey are sche d u led to a p pea r. Fo r m o r e info rma t io n , call 314/239-5575. BORN Remington Christopher Gardner, to former SOOcc World Champion Wayne Ga rdner and his girlfriend, Toni Aktinl~ son, on February 23 in Australia.

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