Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ROAD RACE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROAD RACE SERIES (Left) The 250cc Grand Prix gets under way. The race was stopped because of rain and then restarted. (Above) Tetsuya Harada (31) leads eventual winner Marcellino Lucchi. Lucchl won when the times from both portions of the race were added together. Castrol's Stefano Perugini, the pair at the front of a very tightly bunched 10rider group - one of whom they lost with a spectacular high-side in turn one on the 14th lap. That spill separated the trailing pack somewhat, with five now chasing the Aprilias, though at a distance of 23 seconds. It wasn't long before the others caught up and the pack numbered nine. Meanwhile, Harada was efficiently cutting into the hme he had to make up on Capirossi, trailing by just over a second with six laps to go. Rossi was another second .more in front. Lucch;'s cushion over Rossi, on combined hme, was cJ ose to seven seconds with five laps to go. Harada moved into third on aggregate time with three laps to go, now more than a second behind Rossi, but closing. With Lucchi just behind and pushing. him, Harada took over second on the next lap and opened up a cushion that it looked like Rossi couldn't close. But Harada slowed over the last two laps and Rossi sped up. With a lap to go, Rossi suddenly had a margin of nearly two se~onds. Lucchi was cruising now, with better than seven seconds in hand. He crossed the line just behind Harada, with his first-ever Grand Prix victory. "The first start, I had not such a good . tire and I was lucky that the rain stopped the race," Lucchi said. "In the second start, I had a good one and Tetsuya (Harada) had a really good start and I could see that Valentino (Rossi) and (Loris) Capirossi had some problems and I could pull away." Rossi said it was a " ... Very strange race because it was in two parts. The first part is not so bad because I am first, but I am not very fast. My lap hme is not good. The second part of the race, I am more happy because my start is very bad and maybe I am 14th or 15th, but coming up and my lap time is okay because I see Harada is fast and if Harada give me more than eight seconds, he arrive in front of me (on aggregate time). I push very hard, 15 laps like they're all the last lap. I am happy because Capirossi stay behind and not (pass) me with slipstream." Capirossi's problem was also a fronttire choice. . "The bike was so bad over the bumps after the restart, so there was nothing I could do. But otherwise I'm happy because I'm still leading the World Championship and that's important." The fight for fifth lost two more with less than two laps to go, with QUB Team Optimum's Jeremy McWilliams going out with a mechanical problem and Edo Racing's Osamu Miyazaki lowsiding in turn one after losing the front. The run to the line had CastroJ's Ste- fano Perugini crossing first, and then Antena 3 Yamal1a's Jose Luis Cardoso, FCC TSR's Haruchika Aoki and Cardoso's teammate Luis d' Antin. But on combined time, it was Perugini in front of Aoki, Ukawa, Cardoso and d'Antin. 500cc GRAND PRIX From the start it was Barros getting the holeshot, then Doohan, Criville and Biaggi, with Doohan taking the lead in a right-hand corner named <;:asanova. First wasn't the place to be, though, with both Barros and Biaggi drafting by on the run to turn one on the second lap as Doohan suddenly found himself behind the oddly braking Barros. "Alex Barros is always difficult on the brakes, and because he's so late on the brakes, he has to slow up so much in the tum, so it took a while to get by," Doohan said. "Max got by and was able to stay out in front." Early on, the Australi'ln's biggest problem was track temperature. The morning warmup had been cooler than in previous days, and with the temperature being so low, the tires shredded. "This afternoon was not looking that much better," Doohan said. "On the start line, the Michelin guys were saying to take it easy the first few laps to build temperature in the tires. slowly. 1 knew that was a problem because the other guys were not thinking like that." Certainly Biaggi wasn't. He tried to set sail and had a one-second lead on Barros, but it went under a second as soon as Doohan moved up. It would be the ninth lap before Doohan got by Biaggi. But he couldn't pull away and it looked like the Italian was just sitting there, trymg to pressure Doohan into making a mistake, or waiting for a laterace charge. Neither happened. Doohan kept his cool, then got down to business. A lead that had been under a second at the end of the 19th lap went to 2.22 seconds on the 20th as the Australian laid down a string of laps in the 53s. By the end of th.e 21st lap (two from the end), Biaggi had conceded and the victory went to the champion. Biaggi said the plan was to put Barros between them and try to split. It didn't quite work. After Doohan passec\ Barros, Biaggi realized that he caught him "... Quite easy and :when he pass me, I cannot pass him on the brakes. And he's very fast and I try to follow him th~ whole race, and then I make a few mistakes and it's difficult to catch him and I decide to slow doWl)." Doohan turned out to be the least of Biaggi's worries. He was engulfed by fans on the cool-down lap and was forced to ride on the grass on the outside of some of the gravel traps just to get b~ck to the pod ium. "It was a little bit of trouble," the immensely popular Italian said. "I never see this crowd in Italy and many pe.ople in track, many people on track, even if I go outside, they go everywhere. They break my tank and roy screen, they take off roy (knee) slider. I had a very hard time, more difficult than race. In some ways I appreciate this because it gives me chance to race andl'mhappy." . Bayle. the Yamaha Team ·Rainey rider who is still recoveri'ng from · can't confirm' if I'll be back .this seas.on or not. but riding the head injuries suffered in a .preseason testing crash. Kydji Nanba. · YZR500 in GPs has been a dream for me and l'ln very proud: . the 35-year-old Yamaha test rider, h'as been filling. in for Bayle since the start 0.1 the season.' . World Superbike Championship leader Noriyukl H~ga of the B.ecause' of the success of ~ Bieggl. Va"nti~o Ross, and .. Yamaha World Superbike team was a 'spectator at Mugeilo, stiil Loris Capirossl. iI's Virtually impossible to ignore the growth of Yamaha Team Rainey's Jean·Mic","1 Beyla. Vo/ho has been side- . recoveiiryg from the injuries. he suffered at Monza t.he previous motorcycle racing'ln Italy. ,Blaggi's ascent to the 500cc .ciass a'nd lined this season 'as a result of' a pres.eason testing crash in. w~ekend. Through an interpreter. Haga. whose hair is no.w a his early season success has ianaed him a cont,act with Asics" the' M~laysia, sat out the Italian. GP .at Mugello following an abortive muted fluorescent greeo. said of ,the high-side that injured him: :'It footwear and sportswear company. Life-Sized cuiouts of Biaggi'in test a.t. the Jarama circuit iust outside of Madrid: Spain..Mil ".. was'a ·v.erY big acciden.t (one that sent him some 15 feet io the airl. Asica' ge~r can'be' seen .at a number 'of sporting,goods stores, QS', When asked when .he would return. Bayle said: -I've no idea yet: One of the top' fille '(worst spills)." Htl'landed .on his back and' the oJi. company that is pne of his prima~ sponsors', has, plastered" Thafs why l'm here now. to watch the race today and then test tlie' 'head: and cut the inside' of, his mouth. There' was also 'damage to his image. in all of their gas ~tations. as well' as on billboards, prjnt bike again tomorrow and see how I feel, Ifs been great io have ,the his right hand, (mostly swelling, which 'h,as subsided), but he had ads and buses: Just 15 clays prior to the race; they stepped in as. suPPort ofWayne (Rainey) an9 the team. and they're 'not hurrying 'c\ifficulty orea'thirig jmmediately afterward. a condition 'Vfhich the primary sponsor of the Italian GP: The 26-year-old from ROl)1e me to come qack.· As ,to the ",mors that the crash had caused . imprOves pally. He said in the.aften:nath ,of the spill that' he couldn't can aiso be seen In ads f"r Vogue sunglasses. Since moving up tl? him to consider'a retirement from racihg. the Frenchman. said:· lift anything of any weight', There was also damage to his .right the.250s. 125cc World Champion Valentino Rossi has also be~e- . "There WaS never'reaily a question of gMng up. ·The desire' to race ,ankle and knee. but notbing that ",il] keep him Off the, Yamaha at ,fitI'd, inking deals with Nastro Azzurro beer (Rossi's team .spon--· is still there. Thafs never been a problem." Regardless of the out. next week's'World Superbike round, In Albacete. AS to when he'd sorl, Brico sunglasses: ilnd·the tourist board of the Marche r.,gion . come of the test. Bayle wiil hot oe racing at the French GP at Paul be joining the' GPs .. Haga said that his goal this year is, to win the of Italy. All of the exposure hasled fa an increase in telEivision rat-" Ricard in two weeks. Team owner Wayne Rainey said .that when World, Superbike 'title: then' he'd' think about the future, Haga was ings. The 500cc race from Jerez' that was broadcast on RAIDUE-. a. . he tested in Jarama. he would ride a couple of laps and then take a pressed into service on race .day as the umbrella boy on the startnational channel. .was seeQ by' an audience 'of about 4.5 million, break for a couple of hours: The problem isn't riding the bi~e or his' ing grid for Red Buil Yamaha'~ WCM Simon Cralar. which means that of. all televisions turned on. 27 perqent were, baiance: it's when he gets .off the bike that he develops a tuned to the race. No prE;viouS race had'drawn more than.four mi, headache. Ra.iney said that Bayle was slowly'emerging from a tY.Pe Randy Mamola, who··retired f~om racing at t.he e~d' of 1992, lion'. In addition, race attendance was up 30 percent.over.last.~ear. 'of depression as a restilt.of-the accident. Various stimuli would. tested the Modenas KR3 for the second time at an IRTA test at. . . , . '. prodlice heapaches in ,a 'pattern that sent him into a depressive the Jarama circuit.. just outsige the 'Spanish ~apitai of Madrid. Pre-' Italian Lilea Cad.lorio, the' former 250cc World .Champion and. state. Ba'yle, made a few attempts to get back on t,h.e bike.· and it, 'viously ne'd te·sted,th." machine,in'England, Riding the newer ver'500cc rider. was· c'ruising the pits in Mugello. insisting, that he was when he was finaily feeling weil that they decided to ride dur: · sion of the bik€. with the Lotus. Engineering' designed seat and' hadn:t retired but that the proper situation hadn 't .de~eloPed for . ing an IRTA test at J"rama. Bayle rode·a tota! of 32. laps over tw'? fairing. Mama/a said tnere wa's a ".. ;I;i~ge· differenoe, B~ck t~en It him to retum to racing, The Ifalian said that he had turned down days and was the slowest of the 15 5QOcc riders. Rainey said that had the radiator under the seat and it was running hotter. They've the' chance to ride the MuZ 500. ,aliowing, compatriot D9riano .' the 'decisiqn would' be made on Mortday as to when Bayie Would . chang~ tire fr~me. Because of the bodywork. arid lower foot-. ' · pegs. it's.a comple\ely different motorcycle with bugs ~till ,t9 work Romboni to take ihe seat.. · "-I'm not retired. but. at tlris momem I return. out. Let's just say they' need to do more: work. The difficulty for. nave no racing," Cadaiora said. "I had.the chance to r:ace since the .wint",r. but the cOhditio_ns are nev.er right." Of tire MuZ p(O- Kyojl Nanba said he'was' irt~pired by watqhing .41-year·old Mar. this team especially is th?t (Kenny.Robe.rts) JuniOr an<;l Ralf CWaJQject, Cadalera said, 'It was interesting because it looks like the cellino Lucchi take his first win ever in. GP .racing in .the 250cc.· mann) now test at tlie GPs. I. understood why Junior. and Ralf.· engine has a ,good' performance: bu.t jf there i.s the opportunity· to class. "He's Aprilia's version of ine. b'ut he's even older.' Na~ba ':didn't do:a lot of riding ·00. it The seat. tank. fairing,. everything

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