Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

"It was too dangerous for the other riders behind me, because it would miss when I opened the throttle and the other riders were almost hitting me up the arse," Goddard said. Doriano Romboni was one former •GP star in respectable form with a fighting seventh and eighth, and only once did he suffer the embarrassment of one of the hotshot locals, Steve Martin, beating him across the line. On very similarly rapid Ducatis to Romboni's, Martin and his Ducati Dealer Team Australia rider, Craig Connell, were a constant thorn in Romboni's side. The only blot on their neat and fast copybooks was Martin's crash in race one. Martin made amends to finally overcome "Rambo" in race two. Neither Alstare Suzuki rider, PierFrancesco Chili nor Katsuaki Fujiwara, were capable of beating any works rider with the exception of Guareschi. Fujiwara had the top Suzuki of the day, taking ninth and 10th, but the weekend was a disaster for Chili, WWl one breakdown in practice (crash cutout switch) and one during the race (fuel pump). With a best finish of 13th in race two, it was a terrible performance. "The beginning of the second race was not so bad, but after a lot of problems it was not possible to open the gas to go any faster," the likable Italian said. "Also, I lost my complete visor with five or six laps left to go in the second race, so I had to slow down. The first time it has ever happened to me, so it is not a lucky time for me! But seriously, something is wrong in the suspension, I think, because I see Akira has a good race on Dunlops. Very good in race one." Dogging Chili's teammate Fujiwara was Austrian privateer rider Andreas MekIau, who had two strong rides in 10th and 11th to round off a great weekend. And all with just one 1998 Ducati. "Friday to Sunday, no problems," Meklau said. "I had a good fight with Fujiwara and Chili. I got held up in the last comer of the last lap of race two by a privateer Honda, but the bike was good, the tires were good, everything was perfect. I really enjoyed both races." Austria's other top privateer, Robert (Above) It was once again a Ducati runaway, with Carl Fogarty (leading) finishing second behind Corser in both races. (Right) Colin Edwards II (5) leads teammate Aaron Slight (111) and Yamaha R7mounted Noriyuki Haga. The trio was locked In battle during both races. Slight wants chang_e _ A aron Slight was happy to be on (or at least near) home ground again after the altitude of Kyalami robbed his Honda RC45 of its biggest asset - power. "It feels good to ha've a bike with Some horsepower again," Slight said. "It feels good to ride a normal bike. We're only competing against the red bikes, so it doesn't really matter. I don't think the Ducatis have ever not had an advantage. They always have done in the 10 or 12 years the championship has been going. Just look at today (Friday). (Doriano) Rornboni's been going fast, and he hasn't ridden for three years and he can jump on and go fast - and he hasn't been to Phillip Island for I don't know how many years. He's not that great a rider, otherwise he would have been doing something. I've always thought the Ducatis have had an advantage. We've never been on the same playing field as far as I'm concerned. I'm still optimistic for Sunday. For sure it's gonna be hard, and I know it's gonna be a lot easier for them." So how could Slight explain Carl Fogarty's dominance at Kyalami during the opening round? Even over his Ducati teammate Troy Corser? "He didn't have any problems, for starters - he had a really clean weekend. Troy? Don't know, who knows what goes wrong with Troy? He always goes fast in qualifying and his races aren't much to speak of, so...? I dunno.". So how is this year any different from the last few, when Slight has come so close to winning the title and not quite ever made it? "I think we do everything right in the off-season to get the bike right, but you've got to work very, very hard," Slight said. "I think we have to work harder than others. That's why maybe last year we had a few problems - a few more than anybody else, because we stretch it to the limit. Other people don't have to." So is the new Honda twin the answer? "If that's the way they decide to go - that probably is the way to go - buJ I personally don't like twins. I don't like the sound of them, I don't like to ride them, they don't wheelspin, they're not hard to ride. The ones I've ridden have been very easy to ride. It's probably a bit like the Michael Ooohan thing with the screamer engine. It's not as big a challenge. I like a 750 because they all rev and they all spin, so I'd rather it was a 750 championship. All the 750s seeIIJ. to be doing the same time. Only the twins are the ones which seem to pe doing any good. Because superbike is based on production, a lot of that seems to be based on marketing, so you have to ride what they're trying to selL" Slight's lack of concern for his tires' longevity was very much at variance with that of the bulk of his peer group. "I actually think that the tires last better that what they used to on the old track. The new Michelins have a construction and a compound which seem to be really right for here. It's a different race. Normally here you have to wait to the last five laps before you can really go for it because the tires are done otherwise. Now I think you can go a bit earlier. I think Phillip Island is a great track because it's got a bit of everything. It's got first-gear corners, fourthand fifth-gear corners, fast straights, short straights. And it's safe!" VIm, had a much harder time, struggling all weekend, finishing 13th in race one and failing to score even one point in race two. "We cannot get the full choice of Dunlop tires, so they did not last race distance," Ulm said. "In Kyalami they were very good, but because we also have very little time for testing and not enough time to find a good setup, we cannot always moose the right tire. I am not happy with my work today either. I am disappointed with my performances." Last of the hot-shot Aussies was Shawn Giles, who took his Ansett Airfreight Suzuki big-game hunting in both races, scalping Guareschi in race one and two and collecting Chili's scalp in race two. There were very few strong local riders present in 1999, unlike some other years when the top 10 has been littered with them, a sign that the rumors are true and Aussie racing is maybe not the force it once was. The final points were shared out between Igor Jerman (l2th) and Jiri Myrkivka (15th) in race one and Lucio Pedercini (14th) in race two. RACE ONE Having witnessed the demoralizing sight of Fogarty disappearing into the African sunshine at Kyalami three weekends before, Corser was determined to repay the compliment at Phillip Island. • en en en ~ 13

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