Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

A k lra Ya nagawa IS) finish ed fifth In the only World Superbike l eg, c o ndi tio ns, took sixth , a n d Ch ili a wa s a mi dd ling seventh , jus t a s ing le seco nd a hea d o f his t e ammat e Chambon. Ulm and Cr aggill threw th emselves fo rward in to the mist and ca m e out with a n inth and 10th , respectively . Hodgson, smarting fro m his fall , was 1 1th, with Ste ve Martin , Alista ir Maxwell , Tosela nd (with no good wet setu p) in 14th a nd Mrk yvk a in last p lace , bu t still with a point. eN PIIl11ip Island Circuit: PIIi11ip Island, Australia Results : April, ZZ Okada kn ew th e best he would get wa s seco n d . And compare d to a ll his prev ious lu ckl e s s S upe rbik e re s ul t s, seco n d m u st have fe lt as s we et as a win . E dw a rds, o n a m iss io n from his personal ra in go d for the dura tion of th e ra c e , la pped everyone d own to e ighth , with O kada four-s econds and Bayl iss 22 -s econds down at th e flag . Ya n a g a wa, hav ing ye t an o th e r a nonymo us but impress ive ra c e , fin ish ed fourth with Parkes a n excellent co nfide nc e -bo o sting fifth . Corse r, who believed tha t no o ne sh ould b e m ade to ra ce in t hese BRI EF L Y••• Troy Corser. ev er one to c o me over all flash . was showing of his newe st toy at Phillip Island, a dark-purple Lambo rghini Diablo. boasting 12 cylinders. 5.8 lite rs and over 600 horsepower. Q(]AUI'YING : I. Troy Corser (I :33 .576) : 2. Neil Hod gso n ( 1:33 .740): 3 . Colin Edward s (1:33.822): 4. Ben Bostrom (1 :33.922) ; 5 . Troy Bayllss (1 :34 .018 ); 6 . Reg is Laco nl ( 1:3 4. 1 13 ); 7. Gr eg ori o Laville (1 :34 .440 ); 8 . Brcc Perke s ( 1:34 .5 17); 9. Ted eyuk i Ok ece ( 1:34 .536 ); 10. Akir. V.n'9'w, ( 1:34 .876); 11. Rube n Xau s (1 :35 . 0 4 1); 12. S t e ve Mllttin (1 :3 5.1 10 ); 13. Hltc yesu IzulSu (1 :3 5.244 ); 14. Pier abo ut to generate more po sitive pub licity for motorcycling when she was invited to do a shoot for the British based OK ! M agazine in M elbourne, after the Phillip Island race . A busy wee k for A ussie motorsport saw the Broad ford World Motocross G rand P rix' held near M elbourn e the very week· end before the Phillip Island Superbikes. W orld Superbike rider s in atte ndance included St ephane Chamb on. Fabrizio Plrovano and old boy Aaron Slight. The hig h w ind s tha t often plagu e th e Phillip Island c irc uit returned to haunt Saturda y ' s pract ice . with occasional rain thrown in for good measur e . Lo cat ed clo se to the Tasman Sea . Phillip Island in the Aussie w inter always has unpredict able wea ther. but the 40·p lus mph winds on Friday and the 30-plus mph average gales blow ing the riders around the track during qualifying on Sat urday , turn ed int o a storm co me Su nday morn ing . W a rm up for the Superbike race was held in possibly the worst conditions possible. with the high w inds causing the drenching rain to fall almost hori zont ally . Pter-Francesco Chili suff ered a bizarre crash on the exit of a left -hand co rner. when he slipped off the bike , held onto the handlebars. but had to admit defeat when the machine headed to the grass . Uninjured, C hili jog ged back to the pits· as much to get out of the rain as anything else. we must surmise . Kawasaki team boss Harald Eckl. justi fiably proud of the perfo rmance of his ancient Kawasaki ZX7 RR, has even gone as far as to say that he likes the fact that his machine runs carbureto rs, and is the last machin e in the factory fo ld to do so . ' If I cou ld have the choice to run fuel injection the machine I would hesitate befo re using it. It wou ld take a lot of time , maybe a w hole season .to make it work better than the sys tem w e have at the mom ent. To make changes to the carburetors is easy . and we have a great deal of knowledge about the ca rbs ." Eck l confirmed tha t t he 4 1mm Ke ihin carb s the team use s almost exc lusively can be swapped for 3gmm units at a circ uit like Kyalami, where the thin air makes the larger carbs harder to set up. A lsta re Suzuki team bo ss and ow ner Francis Batta spoke about the impact that the new four-stroke G P regulati o ns in Superbike at Phillip Island. " I think wha t we plan to do will depend on the philoso phy of the Japanese factory." he said. " If Suzuki decide to run a full-factory rnachtne . and It must be a full-facto ry machine - then we would be happy to carry on in Supe rbike .' A fter lowly results in the first two rounds of the champions hip. Suzuki introduced a host of changes to their GS X-R at Phillip Island . Pier-France sc o Chili has been w orkin g on rem ovi ng han- dling prob lems, plus missing a lack of low -down power and torque since the beginning of the yea r. and the new part s have be en specifically designed to count eract the se problems . A claimed six hor sepower has been liberated low down , in an eff ort to help the ( 1:37. 150); 25 . Alister M. xwell ( 1:3 7.44 1); 26 . J iri Mrkyvk. ( 1:38 .221 ); 2 7. .Iey Normoyle ( 1:3 8.25 3); 28 . Betra nd Stey ( I :3 8.327) ; 29 . L ud ovie Hol on (I :3 8 .433 ); 30. Warw ick Nowland ( I :39 .86 5) . RACE ONE: I. Colin Edwa rds (Hon); 2. Tedeyuk l Oka da ( Ha n); 3 . T ro y Bayl iss (D ue) ; 4 . Aki ra Yanagawa (K aw ) ; 5. Broe Parkes ( Du e) ; 6 . T roy Co rser (Apr); 7 . Pier Fra ncesco Chili (Suz ) ; 8 . Stephene Chambon (Suz); 9 . Robert Ulm (D ue) ; 10. Marti n Crag ill (Du e); 11. Neil Hod gson (Du e); 12. Steve Martin (Due) ; 13. A listai r Maxwell (Kew) : 14. J am es Toseland (Due) ; 15. Ji ri Mrk yvk a (Due) . Time: 39 m in. 58 .665 sec. Distance: 2.75 m iles Margi n of victory: 4.455 sec. Fastest lap : 1:47.07 1, Coli n Edwards. Lap 5 RACE lWO: Canceled due to weath er. WORUl S(]PERB IKE C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (A fte r 3 of 13 round s) : I. Troy Bayliss (9 6) ; 2. Troy Corser (92 2/Wins); 3. Colin Edward s (73/ 2) ; 4 . Ben Bostrom (54 /1 ); 5. (Tie) Gregorio Lavilla (45)/ Pier Fra nc esco Chili ( 45) ; 7 . Akira Yanagawa (42); 8 . Stephene Chambon (3 2); 9. Regis Leconi (31 ); 10. Neil Hodgson (29) ; 11. Ruben Xaus (2 8); 12. Broc Perk es (23 ); 13 . Te dayu ki Ok ada (20) ; 14. Robert U lm ( 18 ) ; 15 . Giovanni Bu ssei (12 ) ; 16 . Jam es T o selend (11) ; 17. (Tie ) Stev e Martin (9) / Ma rco Boreian i (9 ); 19 . (T ie) Hit oy as u Izutsu ( 7) / L ue io Pedereini . Fr an c c esco Chill (1 :35 .797 ) ; 15 . Luci o Pede rc lnl ( 1:36 .147 ); 16 . J u. n Borja ( 1:36 .356) ; 17. Steph e ne C ha m bo n ( 1:35 . 63 2) ; 18 . Gi ov ann i Bu sse i ( I :3 5. 7 7 5 ); 19 . .Jemes To seland ( I :35.955 ); 20. Mar co Bor c lan i ( 1:36.0 10) ; 2 1. Ma u ro Sa nc hini ( 1:3 6.572 ); 2 2. M. rtin Cr.ggi ll ( 1:36 .677); 23 . Upcoming Rou nd s: Round 4 -Sugo. Jap an. Apri l 29 Ro und 5 - Mon za, Italy , May 13 tran sit ory thro ttl e re sponse . On th e chassis side . an all new and eve n tested the machine yet. Bu t th ey see m ve ry se rio us about larger diamet er 47mm fork has been devised by Showa, to help it . ' A sked if he wo uld co nsi der a ret urn to W orl d Su perbi ke Champi onship racing, or a new four-stro ke GP team. Slight was adamant. ' If I did go back to racing bikes I wo uld want to test to reduce fr on t -wh eel c hatter. plus t hro w so me more w eight o nto the front wheel to aid the bike' s steeri ng and speed of direct ion changed. Chi li appeared to be ove rwhelmed by all these changes and spe nt yet ano ther weekend scra tch ing his head and strug gling on . Even more new parts are scheduled to arrive at Monza on M ay 13. Suzi Perry, BBC Sport 's roving W orld Superbi ke repo rter , former model and British TV pers onality of a certain standing, was Mi c h ele Ma late sta ( 1:3 6. 69 0) ; 2 4 . Rob er t Ulm The Team G helfi outfit had a difficul t first few days at Kyalami. They received unwe lco me news that their Honda machines were stuck in customs at Singapore and woul d not be arriving at Phillip Island until approximately noo n on Friday. W ith the need to build up the machines once they finally did arrive , the team missed the moming ses sion, alt hough new signing W arwick Now land did get out for some practice on Saturday. The machines did not make it in time becau se of a mix up about the dates on which the transport crates sho uld leave the team' s base in Italy to arriv e on time in Austra lia, especially with the Easter holiday coming right before the Phillip Island race . Nowland was confirmed as the new full lime replacement for Hernandez for the res t of the 2001 season at Phillip Is!and , although the Ghelfi team may deci de to miss the S ugo race due to interventi on by so me of th e team' s spons ors. Hernandez will now concentrate on the Spa nish C hampio nships. T e am A l stare had a lucky escape when they discovered one of their airf re ig ht c as es with a hug e bash in the fro nt q uart er. Luckily, neither the enclosed GSX -R nor the ancillary equipm ent was damaged . Wayne G ardner, the 1987 500 cc W orld Ch ampion. performed five laps on his prot ege Broc Parkes' NCR Duc ati on Thursday at Phillip Island, partly to help publicize the Phillip Island race and partly to help Parkes wi th his machine setup. ' It' s a pity that the rac e. not just to test. I co nsider myself to be a great test rider , but the reason yo u tes t is to go racing. so I wo uldn ' t want to go test ing without going racing. I still love riding moto rbikes , so that has mad e it hard t o g ive up . " Of mo re Jmm ed iat e interes t to Slight are his ca r-rac ing ambi tio ns , w ith the N ew Zealander all se t to start his real car-racing caree r in th e summer. " I have my first B ritish Touring ca r cha mp ions hip race for Peugeot at D on ingt o n on July I , then I race at Snett ert on, Silvers tone , and Donington again." Slight is penciled in to race a full season for Peugeot in 2002, but it is underst ood that there is the possi bility he could co mbine car rac ing with co ntinued involvement with bike s . K a r l Muggeridge, a local hero in Australia. is the iatest rider to suffer something of a hair drama . Self-dying his locks a couple of days before the race, his black looks took on a tinge of the purple his Alstare Suzuki is painted in. ' I did it myself and that' s w hy it didn't turn out as planned! " said a laughing Mugg eridg e. Wo rld Super sport Champion Jorg T euchert, attempting to put the disappointment of the opening Valencian W orld Supersport race behind him at Phillip Island. was foremost among riders w ho found the five·week break between the first race and the secon d a touch unsettling. " lt is terrible to have to wait so long between one race and the next . especially as we do not know why we could not go to Kyalami as planned . It has been about five week s since Valencia. but it feels like foreve r. We have a big gap and then the next few races very quickly . W e are ready for the races, however, and I am very keen to get back onto the track, and I hop e t o make a good point s sc o re thi s we ekend . rains ca me because I rea lly w anted to te st a d iffe re nt setup on his machine ," said G ard ner, wh o co nfe ssed t hat he missed the unique thrill of riding race bikes. " I've always missed it. since the day that I ret ired · but you' ve got to grow up so met ime! " he joked . ' It 's strange becau se , desp it e having retired from t he sport. I raced bikes for so long that, even afte r five laps I co uld tell exact ly wh at need ed t o be don e to t he bike . ' Po sting very respectable lap times for a rider who retire d almost eight years M James Whitham , one half of the Gerno di Lesrno-based Yamaha Belgarda Superspo rt squad , has mor e than just a race to look forw ard to In M onza on M ay 13. Being based very close to the circuit of M onza, the city of M ilan is almos t home territory for the Belgarda team and, to ce lebrate the race, W nitham's ow n rock band. The Po Boys. will playa spe cial co ncert in M ilan on the night of the race. "lt should be a great night ," said Whitham . " W e will be running special buses for the other racers and people from the paddock to the nightclub we 're playing at." before . Gardner was en thu siastic abo ut his ride on the booming V -twin. and wa s c restfa lle n whe n his sec o nd attempt to put in so me mor e laps. o n Park es' spa re machin e th is ti me , was cur- tailed by a sudde n rain showe r. The heavily overcas t skies added to the air of unreality as the top eight S idecar co mpetitors took their places on the Phillip Island Superpole competition . Even setting off marginally early , the last An attempt to run an Aussie l e g e n d s suppo rt " race " wa s anot her plan beaten int o submiss ion by the co ndition s. Set to ride, amo ng others, we re Daryl Beattie , Gardner, Kevin M agee, M ike Dawson , Robbie Phillis. few co mpetitors com pleted their allocation of laps in almo st co m- plete darkness, wit h the last ve stige s of the sun blotted out by the leaden skies. With the cancellation of the race itself, the top riders all agreed that there was only one decis ion to make . not race . As Steve Abbo tt put it to his old sparring partn er S teve Webster, " he said that he was in Finland racing the day Jock Taylor [a legend among the sidecar community! go t killed In co nditions like this. so that sort of sealed it for everyone." The Superpole co mpetition, held under wet rules, was itself something of a lottery. won by Jorg Steinhausen, who was dumbfo unded at how dark it was on the trac k. ' Superpole was unbelievable. We had The Aprilia factory team announced a new main spon sor at Phillip Island . in the shape of Italian Intem et company Virgilio. The exac t natu re and magnitude of the spo nso rship has not ye t been made publi c. but it adds another twi st to th e Co rse r/ Bayliss , Duca ti/Aprilia story, as Virgilio is a direct market competito r with Ducati's main sponsor. Infos trada. Aaron S light. wh o has rejected th e offe r t o co ntinue racin g in the A MA Ch ampionship, was in att endance at Phillip Island, having ret umed from a visit to the headquarters of M ondial. His name has been linke d with the retum of this famou s name to W orld C hampionship competition, and he was impresse d w ith wha t he saw in Italy. ' For sure they have got good backing , but I haven't so me lap s left in o ur sessio n but w e decided not to g6 out again beca use it was so dark. It got dark really sudde nly, wit hin ten minutes . For next year we have to improve the schedule and calendar overall because this is a bad time of year to come to Au str alia. " c ue I e n e vv s MAY 2 . 200 1 19

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