Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

feren t planet as far as the rest o f the wo rld wa s concern ed. Slight fina lly hit the lead on lap eight, soon followed by Edwards as Corse r' s tires ma de a charge for the back an d Fogarty eased the pace to preserve his ow n rubber . "Easing the pace" were the op erative words as a ll the top riders, mindful of the first-race rubber problems, raced in the 2:01s or 2:02s to preserve tire life (a nd po te ntially one a nother's) as the continua l lea pfro ggin g and slips treaming continued apace. . Ch ili, cru e ll y robbed in ra ce o ne, found his inspiration to lead on lap 10, with a sud denly spee d ed-u p Yanagawa proving to the world tha t indeed Dunlop has mad e progr ess thi s yea r. Tw o Dunl op bik es s till in the hun t in these temperatures and a t thi s p ace wou ld have been unthinkable even four rounds ago, but there they were, making up for lost tim e in the past. Yan a ga wa ' s cha rge wa s actua lly a s light tactical error, as he went one lap (A b o v e) Stephane Chambon didn 't win the 600cc Supersport fi nal at Ho c kenheim , but he d id w in the World Champio ns h ip. Th at was all it took for h im to ce lebrate. (R ight) The Sidecar World Cup went to Steve Webster an d h is passenger David J ames. too ea rly (by his post -ra ce co u n t) a nd two lap s too early by the lap cha rts, and go t hi mself in the perfect po sition too soon, before getting swamped by Ch ili, who wanted th is o ne so bad he co u ld taste a nd feel it. By lap 11, w ith three to go , Corser was lon g gone, and Meklau jus t a near distant mem ory, a llow ing the last of the stree t-fighting men to sort ou t their d iffere nces in the rela tive peace of a fiveman fo rma tio n. Sligh t was fir st d ow n with a 13th-lap gauntlet, slam ming pas t Fogarty and Chili to go first at the Sen na Ch ican e, try ing to pull a lead which las ted all of one la p when Fog gy pa ssed him at Senna on ce mor e - the weekend's Colin Edwards II was anot her RC 45 rider who was keen to play down any spee d advantage that he mayor may not have had at Hock enheim before he had even taken the gree n light for the first race .. "The Honda works good here in terms of speed, but that' s not everything, " the Texan said. " I thought I had wo n two races at M onza, but Ca rl prove d me wro.ng twi c e. " It took all of 10 minutes of the first (de layed) unofficial qualify ing sess ion at Hockenhe lrn for the fir st 300 kmph lap ( 186 mph) to be put in, co urtesy of the man who wou ld almos t make the times hee ts his ow n over the race weekend - A aron Slight. It seemed like 'both Colin Edwards and Troy C orser had almost conceded their title hopes at Hocken heirn wit h thei r comments during practice. " I do n't really care whether I finish seco nd or third (in the championship) ," Edward s said. " For me, win ning is everything. Sure I'd like to w in more races befor e the season's o ut. I came into the yea r wanting to win 10 races and for sure seve n or eight sounds a lot bett er than five. " Corser. on the o ther hand, seemed determ ined that if he couldn' t have the title, then seco nd wou ld have to do. " Second is bett er than third , and realistically, earl has go t such a points advantage that he really ju st has to finish races ." Wh en asked abou t w hat w ill happen in the future, Troy Corser was as blun t and evas ive as th e rest o f his. as-yet nomadi cally unsig ned peer group: "I'm gonna get olde r... " P i er-Fra n c e sco .C h ili , buoyed by his A -1 Ring victo ry even after a w hole three we ek s , differed fro m his coll eague s in at least indi cating whic h team he would prefer to ride for in 2000. ." I said to Francis Batta (Alstare S uzuki team ow ner and manage r) that I was sad to com e to his tea m at the age of 35 . Better if I was a much you nger rider because this is . the best team in 'this paddock . W e have not agre ed a deal for next year, but it is ve ry clo se. " Akira Yanagawa , still not fully functioning afte r his A -Ring co ncussion , wa s experienci ng problems negotiating left-hand co m ers , of w hich there are rem ark ably few at Hocken heim, " It's lik e sea sick ness." said th e plucky Japanese rider, alth ough many felt that rest wou ld be a better trea tment for his co ndition than riding, especially as he suffe red another ' big crash in final qualifying. He also reported seei ng w hat he thought was a snake on the track only to find out later it was bou ndary tape, blowi ng across the grass . lain MacPherson be ca me th e on ly rider in th e .W orl d Super sport Ch amp ion ship to take th ree wi ns in 19 99 wi th a masterful display of co ntro lled and tact ical ridin g on his Eckl Kawasaki, ti ming his run to the flag to per fec t ion . A ty pi c all y c lose co nte st, the Hock enhei m race o ffe re d mo re changes of lead and aggre ssive tact ics from all the top riders than even the M onza race earlier in the sea son , proving once more that fast track s always de liver exci ting , close races , Yamaha's Ruben Xaus ended up seco nd 'w i th Stephane Chambon ta king t hird , Chambon was cro wned W orl d Ch ampion before eve n turn ing a wheel win in Germ any becaus e the only man capable of catc hing him in the favo rite o ve r ta k ing s po t. But it w a s Chili, the man wh o felt destin ed by the hand of God to win, w ho stuck it inside all of them on the entrance to the Motodrom , block in g and accelerating a ll a t once to be the first into the Sachs Curv e. He was first ou t and, barring a di saster, first across the line. He duly gave Alstare thei r first dry w in of the year, with Fogart y, Slight and Yanagawa all wi thin .4 of a seco nd and Edwa rds a seco nd or so beh ind . Behind Co rs er ca me Lavill a, Haga, and Fu jiwara insi de th e top 10, w it h Malatesta, C ua resc hi, Schmid, Grami gn i and Lan ce Isaacs takin g the rest of the eN poin ts. point standings -. P iergiorgio Bontempi - cou ldn' t rage because of injury , MacPherson was obviously delighted wit h his win, and the announcement of his re-signing with the official Kawasaki squad for 2000 must be one worry off Harald Eckf's mind. "I completely destroye d a bike in practice so this is my way of saying thank you to the team for the new bike. " said MacPherson , " and it feels good to be the only guy to have Won three races this year. ' The story of the seas o n ? Well only one man had w hat it to ok " whether that was the machinery, the tires or the sheer riding co nsistency to be in there every weekend almo st wi thout fail -'and that was St ephane Charnbon. His one no-score in the Austrian rain was the only real blot on a tenacious map o f th e world and altho ugh he inherited his crown from his teammate, he thoroughly deserved it. " The seaso n was long and hard. I know I am taking Pore' s (Fabrizio Pirovano) crow n fro m him, but I am the happiest man in the world," And the future? " If it were up to me I would lik e to go Su perbike rac ing next year, but S uzuki hav e as ked me to defend my number one plate next year , " P iergiorg io Bontemp"i, t he o nly man w ho cou ld have ove rtaken . St ephane Chambo n at Hock enheim to take the 19 99 World Supersport ti tle, was missing from the final rou nd of the champ ionship due to the injuries he sustained at Assen last wee kend . His tearn manaqer . Gi ulio -Bardi, spo ke on his behalf, " Piergiorg io is obviously very disappointed not to be able to race, but right now he's undergoing treatm ent for his do ublearm fract ure' and dislocated shoulder. His fractures are not co mplicated . but they had to be realigned and he now has a cast on up to his armpit to help th e healing." Bonternpi's misfort une means that the Belgarda team has just 'missed out on the Supersport crow n three years in a row , twice 'w ith Superbike rook ie Vi tonano Gu areschi. . Larry P e g r a m , who was still riding a D ucati Perfo rmance 748 .. qualified 18th afte r only .one timed session, Pegram managed only 'tw o laps in the' race, " I feel like I'm on a track back hom e becau se of all th e ' bumps , altho ugh th ere 's nothing quite like the fast sec tio ns though the trees back home, " Pegram said. " I've enjoyed my time in Europe, but I'm getting real homesick now so I'm looking forwa rd to gettin g back to the States. " Steve ' Webster and David James had a close-fought victo ry in the dec iding race of the Side car W orld Cup : but not w ith main championship rivals Klaffenbock and Hanni. Instead it wa s Steve Ab bott who tailed him all the way aro und Hock enheim's rapid geog raphy , finishing sec ond" only .3 75 o f a seco nd behind . We bster was delighted with his win and knew he had to work for the win , " It was terribly hot out there and really hard to find drive. We c ho se hard tires and we had no problems w ith them . " Webster' s sixth win of the seaso n gives him 190 points to Klaffe nbock's two wi ns and 179 points, . Kawasaki announced that Andrew Pitt, the curren t Austra lian Supersport Ch ampion ship leade r, will be the much-anticipated bac kup rider for team Eckl in 2000, lain M acPherson, seco nd-place finishe r in the W orld Supersport Ch ampion ship. will be retai ned alongsi de the 23 -year-old Au s' tralian im port , product of Kawasa ki Australia, a Hockenheim Hockenheim , Germany Res u lt s: September 12, 1999 Q UA LIFYING: 1. Aaron Slig ht (2:00.280); 2. Tro y Co rse r (2:00.617); 3. And v Mcklau (2:00.72Q); 4. Akira Yanagawa (2;00.901); 5. Co lin Ed wa rds II (2:0 1.218); 6. Pie r -Fra n ces co C hili (2 :0 1.244) ; 7. Ca r l Fo gart y GW1.318); 8. Noriy uki Ha ga (2:01.675); q. Pet er Cod da rd (2 :02 .27 1) ; 10. Ka ts ua k i Fu ji wa ra (2 :0 2.293 ); 11. Vit to ria no C ua resch i (2:02.4 19); 12. G reg o rio Lavitla (2:02.669); 13. Igo r Jerman (2:02.923); 14. M. Malates ta (2:03.347); 15. Robert Ulm (2:03.585); 16.1 . Oe lschlacgcr (2 :03 .8 19); 17. [oc hen Sc h m id (2 :0 4.243); 18. R . Kell enberge r (2:04.507); 19. Lucio Pederci ui (2:04.561); 20. Alessa ndro C rami gni (2:04.717); 21. Fred eric Prota t (2 :04 .9 67) ; 2 2. La nce I S., .l CS (2 :05 .456 ); 23 . M.1Uro Lu cchiar i (2:05 .650); 24 . C . Bu s st.'i (2:05.823 ); 25. Vlada mir Karban (2:08.335); 26. T. Mulo t (2:08.757); 27. W. Dimperl (2:08.798); 28. [i ri Mrk yvka (2:08.658); 29. N. Ma nz (2:09.328) ; 30. Giulia no Sa rt on l (2:10.950) ; 3 1. Ca rlos Macias (2:11. 193); 32. L. Krau s (2:12.300). RACE ONE: 1. Carl Fogarty (Du d ; 2. Aaro n Slig h! (Ho n);.3. A kira Yanaga wa tKaw): 4. Co lin Edward .. II (Hon) : 5. No riy u ki Ha ga (Ya m) ; 6. C rego r!o Laville (K,lW); 7. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suz) : 8. Pe ter Godda rd (Ap r); 9. Igo r Jerma n (K.1W); to . Vinonano Cuareschi (Yarn): 11. M. Malatesta (Dud; 12. Alessa ndro Gramigni (Ya m ); 13. Robert VIm (K.1W); 14. Lucio Ped ercin i (Due); 15. Fred eric Prota t (Dud; 16. Iochen Schm id ( )(a w); 17. W. Dirnpe rl (Dud; 18. Mau ro Lucchia ri (Ya m) ; 19. T. ); Mulot (DuC); 20. [iri Mrkyvka (Du e); 21, N. Manz (5u:£ 22. Ca rlos Macias (Dud; 23. Giu liano Sarto ui (Due). Time: 26 min .• 19.818 sec. Distance: 13 lap s. 54.743 miles Average speed: 124.74-6 mph Margin of vic tory: 0.227 St'C. Fas test lap : Ca rl Fogarty, 2:00.428/125.881 m ph, la p 5 RACE TWO : 1. Pie r-Francesco Chili tSuz): 2. Ca rl Fogarty ( Duel; 3 . Aaro n Sli ght ( He n ): 4. Akirn Yana gawaIlcaw): 5. Co lin Edwards II (H e n): 6. Andy Mdd.1U (Du e); 7. Tro y Co rse r (Due); 8. Grego rio Laville (K,lW); 9. Noriy uki Haga (Yam ); 10. Kat sua ki Fu jiwara (S1Iz); 11. M. Mala testa (Dud; 12. Vinoria no Cuareschi (Ya m ); 13. [ ochen Schm id (K aw) : 14. Ales sa nd ro Gram lgni (Ya m); 15. Lance Is aacs (D ue ): 16. Fred e ric Protat (Due); 17. W. Dimpcrl (Due); 18. Ma uro Lucchiari (Ya m ); 19. [ iri Mrk yvka (Du e); 20, Vlada rnir Kar ba n (s uz ); 21. N. Ma nz (Suz): 22. L Krau s (K.1W). T ime: 28 min ., 26.624 ~'C. Di sta nce 141.1ps . 58.954 miles Ave rage spe e d: 124.360 m ph Margin of victo ry: 0.342 Sl."C. Fas test lap: Ak ira Yanagawa, 2:00.783. 125.512 mp h. lap 10 WO RLD SU !'E R BIKE C'S H IP POI NT STANDINGS (Aft er 12 of 13 rou nds): 1. C ui Fogarty (458/11 w ins) ; 2. Trov Corser (251/3); 3. Co lin Edwa rds II (347/5); 4. Aa ro n Slig ht (320); 5. Akita Yanagawa (267); b. Pie rFran ces co Chi li (233 /2); 7. No riyu ki Ha ga (179 /1); 8. Gregorio Lwilla (154 ); 9. Kats uaki Fujiwara (119); 10. Vit tori ano C ua res chl (9q); 11. An dy Mt.'kla u (94); 12. Peter God dar d (84); 13. Rober t Ulm (59); 14. Igor Jerma n (56); 15. Ben Bostro m (45/0. W ORLD SUPE RS PO RT : 1. lai n Ma cf'he r son (Kaw ): 2. Rube n Xaus (Ya m); 3. Srepha ne C ha m bo n (Su z): 4. Ka rl H.. rris (SUl ); 5. Jnr g Tcu ch ert (Yam); 6. s Fabriz io Pirc vano (SUl); 7. Cr istia no Miglicra ti ISuz ): 8. Pe rl' Riba (H un ); 9 . Wi leo Zeelenbe rg (Ya m ); 10 . Chri stian Kellner (Yam ); 11. Sebas tie n Carpentier (He n): 12. Ch risto phe Coga n (Yam); 13. W. Torto roglio (Suz); 14. V. Lannuzzc (Yam ); 15. William Cos tes (Ho n); 16. R. Tcn cggi (Due); 17. Davide Checa (Due); 18. I. Anton ell i (Ya m ): 19. Wern er Da e me n (Ya m ); 20 . M . San ch ini (Suz); 21. M. Pissette (Yam ); 22. J.lmt."S Tosela nd Il-lon): 23. M. Risi ta no (Kilw ); 24. F. Mona co (Dud ; 25. L. Conforti (Suz); 26. C. Ma rio tfini (Due); 27. M. No rcfani (H un); 28. M . Stief (Yam) . Ti me: 30 min.•5.421 sec. Distance. 14 laps . 58.954 miles Ave rage speed: 117.555 mph M.a~i n of victory: 0.446 St.'C. W O R LD SUPERS PORT C ' S HI P P O IN T STANDING S (A fter 11 of 11 ro unds]: 1. Stepbane Cha mbo n 053/2 w ins); 2. ' ol in Macl' hcrson 030/ 3); 3. Piergiorgio Bontcmpi 016/1); 4. [e rg Te uchert 008 /2); 5. Ruben X.HlS (101 / 1); 6. C h ris tia n Kell ne r (94); 7. Fabri zio Pir o vano (84); 8. Cri stia no Migli ura ti (8 1); 9. \- Hco Z.·t'lenbt.·r g (79 / 1); to . William Costes (73); 11. " J., mes Tosl'1.m d (59); 12. Massim o Ml·rega lli (53); 13. Pt.rt> Riba (50); 14. !'.loll, Ca ::;uli (45); 15 C h r i ~ t o ph l~ · Cogan (27). '" '" '" N N 1l E ~ c. Q) Upcoming Rou nd : Round 13 - SU90, Japan, October 10 UJ 13

• Cover