Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

leg and was involved in a melee at the start of the second one. Despite not having much success in Monterey, Sligh t I~kes the track - at least the layout. "I don't dislike the track," he said, 'Tve never had good fortune here. I don't' dislike the layout. I dislike coming here because the pit facilities, all that stuff - we shouldn't be here. lt's not good. We don't go anywhere else in the world where you work out of tents. It's just not good. So maybe that subconsciously puts something in the back of your mind before you come here. You're coming back to work out of a tent and all that sort of stuff. So, I don't like the track; it doesn't work for us." At the end of the day, he'd turned in a best lap of 1:27.6, below his best, though he wasn't strictly going for a fast lap. The lap record at Laguna is held by Mat Mladin at 1:25.6, set during qualifying for the 1998 AMA Superbike National. '1 wanted to sort out which brakes I want to use, which swingarm combination I wanted to use, and an injection thing I wanted to use, and 1 sorted that out:' Slight said.. '1t's new for this year, so it's a bit of a choice. I'm going to stay with Nissin (brakes) - I mean, that's for the first race." Edwards had clocked a 1:28:00 before crashing on Tuesday and knew there was more in it. The lap on which he crashed might have been his best yet since he was chasing Slight when he spilled. As Edwards lifted the front wheel in the transition from the left to right in the Corkscrew, the drag from the brakes stopped the front wheel. When he set it down, there was no saving it, he said. It's a problem he's faced his entire time with the Castrol Honda team and one that he's grown tired of. "I know I would've gone faster:' Edwards said after receiving medical treatment on Wednesday. James ToseIand was on the ground four times during last year's race and again on Wednesday afternoon. This crash was more a preventive measure: He'd missed his brake marker and set the bike down entering the Corkscrew, and it didn't slow him down. He went right back out and did another 14 laps. Despite crashing four times, ToseIand said he knew why those crashes happened and why they wouldn't happen again. "Last year, it was just, basically, it was the old bike:' said the 18-year-old, who finished 18th in an injury-filled season. "I think me and my teammate, Kirk McCarthy, 1 think we were quicker than the old 600 and we were trying to ride it harder than it could go. It had a smaller - rear tire, which was basically no good. You just didn't have the rear traction, and once it went, it was in the dirt. You were riding on the knife-edge all the time. Riding like that, you're bound to end up in the dirt. Everybody had a lot of crashes last year - 1 th4tk there was 52 crashes in the 600. "With the new bike, we've got a new mechanic, new team; we're confident now of just staying on the bike, getting more and more confident with the bike, so the time5< are coming. The pressure's not on at the moment. We're just riding (Above) James Toseland returns for another season on the Castrol team and he Is hoping for better results with the new CBR600 F-4. (Above right) Aaron Slight. (Right) Edwards negotiates Rainey Comer on the first day of the test. and we're getting good times. 1 did a 31.1 - which was four-tenths off the lap record and Pere (Riba) was, 1 think, three-tenths under the lap record. 1 think he did a 30.4. He can run 30s no problem, he said. Pere's quick, he's got the experience, he's been around this track many times, but 1 think my time wasn't so bad. We're getting there now; the time is coming." As for his crash, Toseland said he was la te on the brakes in the kink left just before the Corkscrew. "I just went over the rise there, a little bit late on the brakes - it's a bit hard to get your apex right there - and gave the brake a bit of an armful; the rear came up and I just had to let go of the brake just to run straight on:' he said. "The tire wall was coming up a bit quick, so 1 just laid it on its side. Nothing was broken. It dashed me confidence a little bit, but I went out straight away and did 14 laps just to get back in it, and we were back on the pace again and so not a problem." His teammate Pere Riba also crashed, a cold-tire spill in turn three which did little damage. The Spaniard finished seventh in World Supersport last year on a Ducati, so he was still adjusting to the Hpnda F 4 in Laguna Seea. 'Tm happy for the test here because I can work with the suspension and chassis and engine," the 29-year-old Spaniard said in heavily accented English. "It's very 'important because this bike is a new bike this year and here we have problem with the crash one time and now finish I test two tires, new tires Briefly-----,- ,. .- ',~~--,•... from Michelin, I'm happy. I think last year in the race, 1 make the best lap of 1:30, in qualifying. The race is 31, 31, 31. And now I do 12 laps, all in 30, 30.4, 30.5,30.7,30.4." Riba has considerably more experience than Toseland here, having first raced a Honda NSR250 in the 1993 U.S. GP. He came back two years ago on an RC45, and raced a Garel1a Ducati last season. "1 think it's a big difference with all new 600:' Riba said. '1t has better suspension in front, much better, and the chassis is more rigid. And engine is a little bit more fast." At the end of the day, team manage Tuxworth said: "The supersport test went brilliantly. We're pleased with our time here." But the real test comes in July. _ . Colin Edwards II's paSSiO~ is golf. but his' training schedule prevented . hi;" froin playing for 2 ", mOnths. since jU,st before Christmas. Just before . the.l.1!guna Sees test. the Texan went to a course near Houston anq shot a 76. Three days later he shot a 72. !'.!Vo under his best-ever round' in the United States of 74. His best round ever was played in Switzerland,. where he carded a 70. . '.' '.. '. . . . when'askeO abou't the-spy p,?otos that were published showing him rid, ing a mystery bike. Colin Edwards II said: ·"No·commeni. yOtive got pic.tures on me on'a bike and I don't know what bike you 'guys think it is or what bike you might know iris. but Iwill say it is the easiest machi~e I've What's a test like thiS ~st?Abput 49.000 British pounds. or around ever. ridden in my life. It's tOCi easy. It's like riding a to-speed:lt went, . $64,000. according to te'lm spokesman Chris Herring. Herring .based where You wanted it to go : {hat's alii can say. Iknew in advance wewere those numbers' .on the price ofa Ky.ilami test last year that cost 30.000 riding it. I can't tell you anything. I·think You guys are pretty much on the pounds. Adding the Super.sport team' upped the cost by abo:ut W,OOP right track.- ' , . pounds..he said. Where does' the cost come from? How about flying 33 . people; 'riders ana technicians, on open tickets, mostly from the team's ~ron Slighi's comments were similar. Slight had first ridden the v-twin at British b.ase blit also·from,other places, 'to San Francisco. The team need: 'SUZLtka...ool.long, after. the endof laSt season. He'~lso'testE!c;l it at Phillip .~ four shipping containers to get the !ligHt.bikes (tWo per rider) and all Island, and .agaj~ at Eastem Creek. After the Svzuka, ·test: wbere he' went tools and spares to the track. . nearly as fast as he'd'-gone on his RC4!1, he'd also commented' on how . . . .' easy it was to ride ana how it didn't wear liim.outlike the four-cylinder. In A cudoms problem.prevente<) the .team from,gettjng their a!lotinent of 'certain .sections.· he waS dramatically quicker. than on the four-cylinder.' Elf fuel On the first day of the teSt. Th"t meant there',was ,no fuel for. the The bike ~as l?ckiniJ about;' sec'ond per lap;. bui the team expects that tei 'suRersport team and only ,26 ·g~lIons.' of NuTec for the sURerbike team. 'co~e from the engine:which is'in the very 'e~rliesl stages qf develo~- ,tI,fter the Edwards clash". orieteam n-iember j?king!y askea, "Did you spill , 'ment.-Becaus",·of I)omo[ogatipn rules, thiS will be the last year Honda. can . any· petrol?: . "'It was a ini}Crup at customs· in San Francisco." Castrol rac.e the RC45. It'was:originally rreantto be fiye-year hO,molegation. but 'Honda 'tea~ ;"anag.er Neil TUxWorth :saiq: "Th~ 'fue'; ""Is not releaseq·. It they. were given a one-year elClensiqn, "It's oQvious they need a new bike" <:!ic;!n't affect. the. superbikes. but. the superspor! team had to sit." Castrol for .next' year:" Castrol. Honda spokesman Chris Herring said. Slight Hon<:!a, like most teams', purchases. their race fuel. 'even though they. in . said there'were' three options: the twin. an iriline.four.. or another V-feur.. ' particular. are sponsored bY'an oil cOmpany. The team currently uSes Elf. The VFR~BOO is ·based· directly :on ttie engine wi~h which J.ohn Kocinski ,but may use NuTec Jf the company. :wh~h is headquartered.in London'lind won the 1997 World Super1;>ike title. But Herring said. "Nothing else is backed by American money; can.deUver their product by'next Friday. the being tested. " .:. . ' ", .. .. 'first day 6f practice for the Kyalami s"':soo open.er.. . a e C ') .r. CD ::E 29

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