Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ROAD RACE WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP .e Laguna Seca Raceway AMA P H O 600ccS ro onda ils upersport R 9: L naSeca Raceway ound agu Chandler comes home By Henny Ray Abrams Aaron Slight (111) leads Jamie Hacking (92) and Ch ili through the Corkscrew. Hacking had a good weekend in what was his World Superbike debut. , M i x equal p arts frustration and elati o n and you h ave a goo d idea h ow t he Pro H ond a O i l s 60 0cc Su per sp ort r ace w ent o n a su n ny aftern oon at Laguna Seca Raceway . The r i d er with the sm ile w as Salinas r esid en t Dou g C h a n d ler, th e Muz z y K awa saki r i der w h o h as n early erased the d amage d one b y back-to-bark n onfi n is hes a f ew races ago: a m echanical DNF at Sear s Poi nt follo w ed b y a v ery r are c ras h i n th e n e xt r a c e a t R o ad Atla nta . H e h as done n othing bu t win si n ce th en, fi r s t a t El k ha rt L ake, then Lou don, now h ere. Th e f r u st r a t ion was o n t h e p art of Yosh i m u ra Su zu k i ' s Steve Crevier, the C an adian v eter an w ho wres tl ed H yperCy cle Su zu k i 's you n g u p s t art N icky H ayd en to the finish , losing o ut o n third i n th e en d an d w a tch ing h i s ch a m p i o ns h i p l ead co n tin u e to d windl e. It ad ds u p t o a c h a m p i o ns h i p i n w h ich 10 p o i n t s cover th e t o p thr ee. laugh. " But there's no wave-offs. I really liked it. I think the spectaGrand Prix. they always say. 'Hey, Wayne. if you are going to do tors like it and the team really liked it. " . superbike racing. we can justify the budget you need to go racing: So I think just looking around and seeing what's going on. With the "The truth? ' M at Mladin said whe n asked what he thought of emissions and stuff. everybody is looking into four-strokes. I also think that four strokes are a bit safer to ride. a bit easier to 'controi Superpole. " I think it's quite hard. I wo n' t say what I said to my Race pro moter Dan Murphy announced thai attendance' for the mechanics about Superpole. but ifs very difficult. You'd like to go than a modem-day GP bike. I think there could be a lot more interest Wo rld Superbike race ai Laguna Seca was 43.000 - up slightly and put a 100-percent effort in. but there's a' good chance you can generated from outside the specialty press if we had four-stroke racfrom last year's 41.000 spectators. end up like Colin Edwards or whoever else crashed out there - and ing. I think the nules are going to have to be open enough so that you're back on the fourth row. You have a good practice and you've they can work on different engine configurations and whatnot. I think .Miguel DuHamel was an interested spectator at Laguna· Seca. it would benefit all the factories. especially in Grand Prix. if we can . got a good race setup ' but if you crash in Superpole. basically your wearing a knee brace to protect the leg he broke at New Hampshire race isover. From the fourth raw -.you're not going to catch 'em get them all involved. I don't think World Superbike really challenges ·International Speedway on June 19. DuHamel was in good spirits from the fourth row by the time you get through everyone." the factories as far as building new products. I think the nules would and says his injuries are coming along fine. In fact . DuHamel felt have to be closely watched so that everyone can compete:' . good enough to ask the docto r about racing at Mid-Ohio next week: Troy Corser was asked what he thought was the problem that caused He didn 't get th'e re spon se he wa s ' Iooking for .· Realist ically . so many accidents on Sunday at Laguna Seca. "I think the track Learning f ro m the mi stak es of ot he rs dept : N at urally . Ben DuHamel is taking it day by day. though the.final round in Las Vegas may have been a little bit high in temperature: Corser said. "Other in early Octobe r will most likely mark his comeback. " I've got gO Bo strom drew rave reviews from the for eign med ia on hand for the than that. I don't know: People were just out there pushing hard ' World Superbike round with his fourth- and third-place finishes. yet degrees of movement in the knee." DuHamel said, "and I can shift. because it was race day. During practice you're trying to save it for he was quick to point out that he isn't ready for the World Superbike But the doctor said I have to be able to put weight on it before I can .Championship just yet. "I think I need to win here in the U.S. first. " race day. and on race day people just go out there all out and forget even thin k abou t racing again." about finishing. I hope the peopie that were involvedin the crashes are Bostrom told the media on Sunday aftemoon. "I've got guys here. that I have to beat. Some of the best guys are here and I haven't . all okay. I don't think Akira CYanagawa) is doing very good. but I hope With Troy Corser's nonfinish in the South African round the weekhe's definitely better later on. I hope to see everyone back soon." beaten my teammate (Miguel DuHamel) yet. If I Can s tart beating end prior to Laguna Seca. Aaron' Slight took the lead in the,World Miguel every now and then. and (Doug) Chandler and the boys. then . Superbike Championship by a single point. effectively meaning that According to Pier"FrancesCo Chili. he had approached the RM maybe I'd go off and do the World circuit. But right now I'm not beatthe Laguna round wo uld be the start of a whole new series. according M iguel. S0 , . ... . with what he thought was a problem with the start line at Laguna ing to Corser. " lt's more or less that the championship has started Seca during meetings with the governing body over the winter. Chili again." Co rser said: " lt's like it's the first round of the championship had asked that the riders be staggered by two extra meters C1. 3 feetl and we only have five races left. It doesn'tmatter what's happened . Most oft he Wo rld .Superbike regulars have already voiced their disto give everyone,more room on the funnel-like nun up the hill at Lagu- . approval of the new Superpole qualifying system that has the top 16 in the past now. Youforget all about that andstart \Mnning- gei out front." . . riders running by themselves against the clock in a one-lap timed na Seca. Chili was upset on Sunday night at the race track because his recommendations hadn't been taken seriously. and there ended session. " II' s a tough call: Doug Chandler said. " II's kind of On Friday. Troy Corser canie close to rear-ending a slower rider up being·a bad crash on the start of the restarted first race. unique how they've got their deal run. But I think to do it. and to do it at the crest of the hill t~at makes up tum one at Laguna Seca. It was fairly. you have to do every one that way..Make all the practice free a scary moment for the Australiim. "They got rid of the one guy who According to sources close to the' teams. Ducati's problems of late practice. and then you've got your qualifying session. Then again. was super-slow: Corser said on Saturday afternoon. " He shouldn't have stemmed from faulty fuel lines: A bad fuel line knocked Troy have been ·out there at all. I didn't have any problems at all today.' you don't know if that' S. going to work either. because if you pitch it. yo u'reat the very end. or maybe not even in the s how .,I thought Corser out of the first leg of the recent South African round in KyalaThey listened tom e when I told them to stay out of the way and not mi. and it cost Carl FOgarty any hopes of a finish in the second leg . coming in here that Superpole was for pole oniy. I didn' t think that it to shut it off at the top of the hill and to keep going into the first corner. It felt like I missed him by about two inches. I was flat out COrTI-. had anything' to do \Mth the rest of the order. I thought everyone got ' at Laguna Seca. Pier-Francesco Chili .also had problems with a bad to go out. the top 16 got'to go out for the pole position. That was fuel line during practice for Laguna. according to the source. ing over the .hill and he was in t he middle of the track looking back the only time it would be changed. Then if you didn't get it. you'd over his shoulder; Fort unately. he we nt one way and I w ent the res ume yo ur next spot. " . . . Y~shimura ' Suzuk;"s Aaro'; Yates 'crashed out of the second leg other. It was a bit of luck, I had to go outside endout in the gravel on the exit o f tum ' 11. sliding well up the front straightaway. " ' there..and just managed to get back on the track. I didn't want to go ' Going into the race. Ben Bostrom didn't think Super'pOle was such down because it wasn't my fault. " . bnuised my ass a bit. " Yates said later. "f was just trYing to get out . a hot idea, Aft er Saturday' s session. though: he liked ii a bit better. . of there as gOOd as I could and I got a Iittle-wide'. - "A litt le wide" , Th ree-tim~ sooee W orld 'Champio~ Wayne Rainey held a press . " 1was like. 'lt's such a bad idea: I'm sure (Colin) EdWards and a few ' was in the dirt. caus ing the Suzuki to slide .and flick Yai es off the conference on Saturday afternoon at Laguna Seca and he comment9uYSare pretty sad ,about what happened because Edwards was ' high side. ed for the first time on the possibility of the SOOcc GP class going to really going good. but once it started I was like. 'This is the coolest Yam~ha' s Rich Oiiver' was invo~ed in t'he start~lirie mele~ in the .1ooocc four-strokes. " I think the manufacturers are what are supthing ever: When I did dirt track. we used to do one flying lap and porting our series..and J think there are just three in the Grand Prix . everybody would stand there and listen to the P.A. because we second race and was lucky to escape with just a bnnsed and batclass - and it's all two-stroke: Rainey said. : If you look at the lap didn't have TV. (Scott) Parker or somebody wo uld go·out and rip off tered right hand. Aft er the first leg had been stopped for the Yanatimes and the technology that's' come dow n the last toyears, it a fast lap and then everyone had to go out and try and go' quicker. gawa/Chandler crash. Oliver, was all smiles .and was having fun. hasn't chimged much. I know that sponsorship is tough righi now The spectators loved it. too ." But with Superpole. there are no "This is great. " he said during the break. "This is fun. I dig this . and every time I go back and talk to Yamaha about sponsorship of ' . wave-off s. " I. wa nted to wave off that lap. " Bostrom said with' a Everyone is the same and they'reall good riders." .- Briefl 10 MONTEREY, CA,)ULYII C rev i er, w ho h asn ' t won ye t thi s year, lea ds with 253; th en co mes C h and ler at 2 4 7 ; with A me r ic a n Ho n d a ' s B en Bo strom, fifth t od ay o n a very ill-hand ling m otorc y cl e, t hir d a t 24 3 . B en's you n g er bro t h er Eric, o f Erion Racing, en ded the d ay in fo u r t h in the ch am pio ns h i p with 220 p oin ts after taking seco n d to Chandler . " Y ea h, I was -ab l e to d o what w e w an ted to d o a n d wa s abl e t o d o at L oudon: get o u t and set a pace and do o u r o w n th ing ," Chand ler sa i d after winning his si xth 600cc final of the year. " It took m e a while to get back in th e g roo ve o f the 600 after qualifyin g t he su p er b ike a n d ju mping s t raig h t o ut - th er e. I k new I w as goin g to struggl e the first co u p l e o f l ap s. I didn ' t want to let those guy s k eep trying . I wanted to g o . I finally got it so r ted ou t an d we did so me low 3 1s a n d st ar te d g et tin g a gap and w e finally cru is ed u n til w e came up on so me traffic." By then h e was h ome free, even tually winning the 17-lap, 37.4-m ile ra ce- in 25 minutes, 4 8 _ 071 se co n ds at an aver age speed o f 88 .159 mph. H i s m argin o f v icto ry w as 3.81 9 secon ds. C ha n d ler jumped t o th e f ro n t a nd was never h eaded . Erion Racing ' s Eric B o str om w as sec o n d a n d wa s n ev-er c ha l le nged . B o s tr om wa s h a vin g a rou gh day . H e'd crash ed in turn three in t h e sh o r t m orning pra ct ice session an d h e wasn ' t r eally su r e w hy. It h appen ed ' su d den l y . W hen the r ace got under wa y,' h e ha d l e t C h a n d ler g e t awa y p n t h e first l a p a nd k new he co u l d n' t get the d i stance ba ck. t A t th e s t a r t Bos tr o m sa i d h e w as

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