Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ROAD RACE' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROAD RACE SERIES Round 1: Japanese Grand Prix (left) John Kocinski didn't have a good day. First he was penalized for jumping the start, then he was further docked for breaking the pit-lane speed limit. (Right) Nobuatsu Aoki and the factory Suzuki finished sixth. just able to get by. So [ tried to pass back around the outside going into the chicane, but I went a little wide and lost grip from the rear. I had seen Harada on the big creen in turn one, so I was worried that he might pass me. But the bike had the drive to get to the line ahead of him." Though he'd managed to protect his line from assault from Matsudo, Nakano wasn't content with second. But when he accelerated to catch Katoh, he nearly high-sided in the middle of the chicane, forcing Mat udo to back off and guaranteeing Katoh:s victory. "I did not look back at all today so I thought Ukawa and Jacque were also behind me," Katoh said. "Last year's Japanese Grand Prix was soon after my car accident and J stayed back to see how everything would go. Many people told me I was lucky to win the race last year, so this year I tried to stay on the top from the start. The pace was very fast today, bu t the machine was in good condition and also the tires lasted till the end." After finishing second, Nakano revealed that his bike had a small vibration which slowed him enough to dampen his pursuit of Katoh. Still, he wa happy with the spot, especially considering the competition. "The regular GP riders are very tough, so [ was pleased to beat them," akano said. "I wanted to do my best and second is a good result:' Harada finished fourth, his Aprilia down on acceleration but strong on top peed. He wa happy to take maximum points of the GP regulars. Jacque was then 33 seconds back, and almost four in front of Kagayama and Capiro si. The Frenchman complained of liding tires and vibration, and wisely decided to ride around and collect points. The pair behind Jacque had gone back and forth for most of the race di tance, with Suzuki's Kagayama taking sixth on the final lap. 00 "The RGV was working well, partic~ ularly in the corners, and if the race had ...... lasted a couple more laps then I think that I could have caught and passed (Olivier) Jacque for fifth place," Kagayarna said. The fight for eighth was the best in the field. Though Jose Luis Cardoso held the spot for the final three laps, everything behind him was up for grabs. Team Rizla Suzuki's oriyasu Numata took over ninth on the final lap, with QUB Team Optimum's Jeremy McWilliams moving up four spot, from 14th to 10th. Then came FCC's Haruchika Aoki and Castrol 250 Team's Stefano Perugini. 500cc GRAND PRIX From the start of qualifying, it was clear that something was about to change. The names a t the top of the leaderboard weren't familiar and some of the regulars - and newcomers - were struggling. This despite most of the riders having tested at the Suzuka Circuit a week before the race. The start was ragged; a few riders jumped, but MoviStar Honda Pons' Kocinski was deemed the most offensive, and he was docked a stop-and-go penalty. When he came in to serve the 10-second penalty, he was going too fast, and had to come in a second time. "I must say that it was my mistake," Kocinski said after the race. ''I'm not used to starting from the middle of the grid and I wanted to be up front at the end of the first straight:' That spot would belong to Yamaha Team Rainey's Abe. The Japanese rider made the move from the econd row, with wild card Haga going by on the inside in the esses and anba, JeanMichel Bayle' stand-in on the Rainey team, third. When they cro sed the line the first time, Abe was in front of Haga, with Biaggi, who'd had an event-filled first lap, back in third. "The first or second lap, I don't remember, there were three Yamahas in front of me and the one guy was very close to dusty," Biaggi said. "He went near to the dirt and a big stone hit me so hard in my chest that [ cannot answer for a few seconds, it was so big. After two or three corners, I don't know which one, one of the Yamaha riders touched me and almost put me outside of the track; it was very had start. 1 was third or fourth. I tried to cool down and tried to go back. After, when 1 passed Abe, Haga, Nanba, I tried to go the way I know, to be very smooth in the corners and to not use so much rear tires." It would be on the second la p tha t Biaggi would take the lead, a spot he would never relinquish. For a couple of la ps, it looked like the Yamaha riders were going to stick with him, but by the fourth lap, when the Italian set a new lap record, it was clear the pace was too hot. He was one of only two riders to use the soft Michelin compound tires front and rear, and the choice proved to be a wise one. Once he got away, not only could no one race with him, they couldn't even see him. For a few laps it seemed like he was adding a second per lap to his cushion, which would top out at 10.213 seconds on the 15th of 21 laps. After that, it shrank a bit, but not so much that Biaggi had to worry. "When the tires dropped down I was already pJus-lO seconds," Biaggi said. "Just in the last few laps, Okada caught me one or two second, but that was already late." Though he wasn't gloating, Biaggi clearly understood the scope of his accomplishment. "A lot of 250 champions have tried going into 500s, but it's been a long, long time since anyone did what 1 did today," Biaggi said, despite having only 11 days of preseason testing. And he couldn't resist getting in one last dig at Honda. Biaggi's Honda is SWS, a factory support mount, unlike the full factory bikes of Doohan, Okada, Criville and Kocinski. "I hope Honda takes care of me. I'm only on an SWS bike, not a factory bike. Don't forget that." Forgetting is something that Abe would like to do. He was riding well, right in the hunt, when Okada forced him off the track and into the gravel and a near spill. "It's unfortunate what happened with Abe-san," Okada said. "We were fighting very hard again t each other during the race and 1 slid badly and hit him." "At the Spoon Curve, Okada lid and hit me and I went off, but 1 thought that I could stiIJ catch up because I had good pace," Abe said. It happened on the 12th lap and, though Abe didn't 10 e a spot, Criville was able to catch up to and then pass him. Abe was back on the boil once he hooked up with the Spaniard, turning his second-fastest lap on the 16th goaround. His final mistake came in Dunlop Corner, a one-lined right-hander. The line he tried was impossible, and he went skittering off into the gravel, riding straight into the tires, then tipping over. After throwing a small temper tantrum, Abe got going again to finish 14th. "My second piece of bad luck was at Dunlop Corner when I was going past Alex round the outside," Abe said. "He also went wide and I had to run straight on. I was so angry and 1 was going to give up the race, but when I saw the officials pushing my machine I thought I could still race. Without these accidents 1 could have been at least second." Even with Abe gone, Haga was under constant pressure from Okada and it wasn't getting any easier. Haga had forgotten to put the anti-fog on his faceshield, so he was having vision problems from the 10th lap on. '1t was a difficult situation because I couldn't see everything in front of me," Haga said. '1 lost confidence a bit and thought maybe third was okay, but I really wanted second, so I pushed again. On the last lap J wasn't really sure where Okada was. 1 could see him on the big screen in turn one, but 1 was willing myself to beat him. 1 was sure he was coming and he made it at the last chicane. At the entrance of the chicane he took the inside. 1 tried to keep tight, but 1just couldn't do it." "The final battle with Haga was a great lesson for me to race with worn tires," said Okada, who was using Michelin tires while Haga's Yamaha was fitted with Dunlops. '1 passed Haga on the final lap at the exit of the fast left corner before the chicane because I knew he was slow there:' Criville was fourth and happy to have the weekend over. After crashing three times during the winter, twice very hard, his confidence was shaken. "You lose your self-confidence, but today 1 got that confidence back," Criville said. "During the race I did the same lap times a the guys who were in front, except for Biaggi, who left US all speechless today." Criville first had to deal with Abe, but once he went away, Nanba made-a run at the Spaniard. He came up just short. "I learned a lot about race strategies of GP riders, so I would like to go faster in the next race in Malaysia," Nanba said. Nobuatsu Aoki finished sixth, mostly alone after losing touch with the Criville-Nanba duo in the last handful of laps. His finish was better than his start, when he was hit from behind and nearly. taken down. "I didn't see who it was, but it was a heavy impact and 1 was lucky not to fall," Aoki said. "After that, I was worried that there might be some damage to

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