Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

rider Ukawa closed up impressively over the next few laps, so that on the 15th time round they were right on his tail, and not infrequently alongside. The battle to the finish was exciting, with Capirossi taking the lead for the first time at the start of lap 17, only to lea ve his braking for the first comer too late, and he narrowly escaped crashing. He seemed to lose touch, but he hauled his way back using his Honda's speed, and with one lap remaining Ukawa was in front, with Capirossi on his tail, the Yamaha simply outpowered. The battle between the two Honda riders was bitter, with Ukawa in front right up until the final corner. It was there that Capirossi outbraked him to lead across the line by just over a tenth. "My bike was a little better under braking," the Italian explained later. Ukawa was despondent. "I really thought I could win my first GP, but in the last comer I realized I was wrong," he said. Nakano had to be happy with third a podium in the YZR's racing return. '1t was exciting to be lead ing for so Brief·lv... - Honda has helped the revival of Yamaha and Suzuki· with a lack of Improvement to their l\ISR500. That is Mick Doohan's view, anyway, according to members of his team, who had watched their rivals exercise new motorcycles at joint preseason tests while they soldiered on with various versions of their 1998 machines, Doohan did briefly test a new chassis at the final Motegi tests. but at the first GP at Sepang he was back on a newly quilt but unchanged version of the 1998 machine. "We expect to get the new bike at Motegi," said one of his team crew. "It seems HRC have put such a lot into improving the 250 and Into developing the new Y-twin Superbike that they left the 500 on the back burner," he added. Doohan himself suffered a rare spill in the first morning practice session, and he complained of a lack of feel. "We're obviously having problems with the bike - that's all I can say at the moment," was the five-time World Champion's terse officiai comment. Later, he said: "The prob. lems are the same as we've always had, but they were no problem before because all the good riders were also on Hondas. I al}'lays said that we'd be in trouble when the. other bikes got some good riders." , Honda's ill-favored NSR250 works bike has taken a quantum leap forward compared with last year's machine. "It's better in .every way," said new rider Loris Capirossi, the defending 250cc champion dumped by Aprilla iast'year after' his controversial crash with teammate Harada in the final race. "When I tested the '98 bike for the first time, for sure it was very uncompetitive. But durin9 the winter, Honda have made a lot of improvement. It's almost 'as fast as the Aprilia now. But there is still more improvement to come - I am getting a new engine in Japan... The MuZ Y-four may be due for a change of name, after the for- long, and I felt I had a chance to win but this is GP racing, and there are many good riders," he said. Chesterfield Yamaha teammate Jacque was fourth, never quite able to get in touch with the leaders and 14 seconds down at the finish. He took comfort at least from Rossi's problems. The Italian was another 10 seconds behind, with Marcellino Lucchi's Docshop Aprilia sixth. "I have to thank Marcellino for letting me pass," said Rossi. Jeremy McWilliams was seventh, mer East German firm, now Malaysian·owned, ran into money problems. The machine is essentially a SwissAuto motor in a special chassis - made last year by ROC, this year by an English racing specialist firm, Fabreation Techniques, which also makes the Modenas chassis. And the new 1999 team, run by sidecar giant Rolf Biland and also based in Switzerland. has found new backing from ano'ther Swiss engineering firm, Weber, as well as from a consortium of Swiss financiers, Who will leave the fairing sides blank in the hope of attracfing new sponsorship_ The team had expected backing from a major tobacco company, said Biland at Sepang, but the support bad fallen through at the last minute. At Sepang. the bikes wore the name MuZ-Weber, but this may change in the future. MuZ. born out of the ashes of the oncefamous MZ firm, is still based in Zschopau in the former East Germany near the Sachsenring CIrcuit. and makes a small range of road bik!,s based ~round a Yamaha single-cylinder motor. Weber is developing a 750cc motor for a road motorcycle and currently makes a number of parts for the SwissAuto concern. IRTA has proposed the sale of paddock passes, part. of a package of sweeping changes contained in a confidential "discussion document" prepared by general secretary Mike Trimby during the winter. This represents a major change of heart from the teams' association - but there is method in their about-face. Entry to the paddock and pit lane would be strictly controlled, and limit- • ed to Friday and Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings. This Is similar to pit-lane walks at a few GPs last year, and in line with longstanding practice in Japan, Teams would be obliged to leave garage doors open and, if possible, liave a machine on display, Funds from the sale of these premium-price 'lickets could be .used to bring celebrities and YIPs to race~, in an attempt to raise the profile of motorcycle racing. Sales of insect repellent boomed as GP folk gathered for the first round in Malaysia, after a near epidemic of the life-threatening disease Japanese Encephalitis in rural areas close to the new Sepang circu~. This was in spite of assurances from track officials that World Champion Loris Capirossi (1) leads Olivier Jacque (19), Shinya Nakano (56), Tohru Ukawa (4)", Marcellino Lucchl (34), Stefano Perugini (7) and the rest of the 250cc Grand Prix pack early In the race. fending off Naoki Matsudo on a third factory Yamaha by less than half a second after a battle for much of the race. Stefano Perugini lost touch with this group to take seven th, with Roberto Rolfo 10th, and then Luca Boscoscuro pipping Jay Vincent for 11th in a private the area was safe, The nearest problem area was only 12 miles from the circuit. but a communique' from the' organizers said that the mosquitoes that carry the germ were unable to fly this distance. GP folk shared the hope that no strong winds would spring up to assist their Right, or that one might find its way into a car. A new book abolll l\Ilick Doohan celebrates his success, and also delves into the preeminent multiminiooaire rider's rip-roaring early years as a beach-bum hippie, living in a squat on the Gold Coast and digging holes lor a living. Author Mat Oxley, a former IT winner and lap record holcjer, also examines tlie psychology that has driven Doohan to five World Championships. The book also runs through the sequence of eve"ts of his Assen crash, shedding a clearer light on exactly What went wrong, Published by Haynes, the book is called "Mick Doohan - Thunder from Down Under." The new Oerbi made a strong debut at Sepang, with Youichi Ui placing 10th in the first-ever timed practice session of the year, The bike was'designed and built in 100 days. according to a statement from the team ' though in fact designer Harald Bartol was working on the concept for somewhat longer. "I'm surprtsed and pleased after only 100km (62' miles) of testing,' said former Yamaha rider Ui. Yamaha has reintroduced wings on the sides of its factory-bike fairings in an attempt to improve down-force on the front wheel at high speeds. Team manag.er Geoff Crust said, "We tried them in testing at Barcelona, and we've ~een flying ever since,' But others doubted just how much effect the stubby appendages really had, other than a cosmetic advantage. Suzuki used similar winglets in the late '70s. "A lot of work's been done on them, including wind-tunnel tests," said Crust. "They work at all speeds, but especially at high speeds they counteract the natural aerodynamic lift of a motorcycle.' What about a reverse effect during a high-speed wheelie? "The inverted aerofoil shape means that there's no problem," said Crust. 0.. « 27

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