Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

...... .. .. ..... . ........ ....... - 1 ... _: .-1_ I ~ • .... Happenings In Motorcycling ~.~- Schwantz On Four When Dr. For the past few years, Arai Helmets' Bruce Porter has hosted a go-kart day in Northern Califomia the day following the World Superbike/AMA doubleheader at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. This year was no different, as Porter had some of the Arai-backed racers and joumalists stick around for another day of action. One of the stars of Porter's go-karting days is always former 500<:c World Champion Kevin Schwantz, shown here at speed. D. Talks... What with the unveiling of the new YZ450F, Yamaha's dealer show in Las Vegas a couple of months ago was a big deal. No one was more involved with the testing and development of that bike than Yamaha's Doug Dubach. who bleeds Yamaha YZF blue, and whose every word was eagerly and respectfully attended by the many Yamaha dealers in attendance. As if Dr. D. needed any encouragement to spin a yam... PHOTO BY CHRIS JONNUM By ALAN CATHCART .. • Middleweight Horizon Looks Bright If rumors currently doing the rounds In Europe are to be believed, after 12 whole months of status quo in terms of new models, the 600 Supersport class looks set for a major shakeup in the next couple of months. in preparation for a fierce turf war on both showroom floor and racetrack in 2003 between the five different marques currently involved in the large·volume market segment, plus a sixth new entrant. You won't get anyone from any of the manufacturers to talk on the record about these new models, in what for all of them is 0 key product sector representing a significant slice of their trading profits, but from piecing together various slivers of leaked infonnation. it's possible to get 0 dearer picture of ",hat's about to happen. Which is that Intermot 2002 opening in Munich on September 18 will see the public debut of several new models. with just Suzuki's current QSX·R600 likely to remain essentiolly unchanged for 2003: only detail improvements will be Introduced on the current fuel·injected bike which. with Its string of rllCe victories In World and Al'oA Super.iport competition this 5ellSOl'\, would seem at present 10 be the class d the field • though the performance d the Ten Kote Honda at world level may dispute that. It's possible that Kawasaki's 3·year·oId ZX·6R may also IllINIIn untouched, and that the company wID continue to focus on the oversized 636 Ninja version that it has introduced. However, two factors ore hekllO IegiIIIate In favor of a MW 6OOcc: ZX-6R being introduced for 2003: One, K_asakI has lost its edge in the AMA Supetsport - . while at world level reigning world champion Andrew PItt Is finding it ever harder 110 flgrlt a .mgIeton battle agUlst the annada of Ten Kate·tuned Hondas and COl'OIl8 SuzukJs. T_. KBnsakIIs understood to bllve a ZX·IOR reedy In the wings for Iaundl. year from now. 11\ pa,.nti on for the lOOOtt four-cyllnder c'-In SuperIlIke rac:ing coming In 2004. It·s unIIfeIt1blt the c:ompeny -wei debut two such important new moc:IeIs simultaneousiy. However, tbafs conjecture - but wbat's seeningIy mote Cll!RIIIn Is that both Handa and Yamaha wDl be IaUIIChing d-_ 600 Super&pOlt models at ... lilt In SepIember. Uke the _·model RllauDched this year, Yamaha's new R6 will be ru,J and while ~ the lI8JIle distinc:Ihioe bail: tilnnet-.d.styllng, • likely to be ~ 1oakswIae, . . well lIS _lied. 1IeduIicIIy. HoI'IdII's _<:8R6OORR will be lIDDIher matter,ltIough: ~ ed that !be exist· Ing t aile model:a!lA6OOF w.B .naIn In prodllcticn, the 0II':sPid ~ be IepIecId by., ......... ndcKJde dinlll1cpeOlt Jlitlje¢ wI'iIch as rec:e'nlIy as the l~ MIlIa Sbow he eld )lIIlIbllcIy _ c:me to being wweIIed, ~ for It to be put Into cdll ........fD'1he d . . Dua:tr 74lrslack of c:omp_naeD ~ agalnst the em-~ of .. 18 I¢ ~ 1'be N'.A dedIi:lIlls IkeIy 110 caIffrm Apima'. l:1lesltioii 110 fast-fbli, -.dltlle~.... brinQ~~=:~=~~~==~~~~~~~~.J16 B. Bummer. Md;mth's gOin~!g~:'=~;~~;~~;;;:~: [. Im:onsequentilli. Mdimrr IIny other mllnufadurer. S Valentino Rossi's RC2IIV fIve-cylinder QP racer. ThIs means II. will be smaU, slim, light (so will certainly have to be ballasted to meet weight limits for Supersport rocIng) and aimed ot taking Honda right 110 the top of a class of crucial COCiUJlerdaI imp:litance in which, quite rernMkably, they remain the only Japenese manuI"acturet- never to have "'on the Wodd title.. Yet. It's possible of course that Fabien Foret on the Ten Kate Honda • curren:ly leading the World Supersport standings • may do the business in 2002 with the bike that's obout to be superceded. But in best Honda manner, it looks as if they're already laying the besls for repeating that success In coming seasons. Following exae:tly the same strategy as Hondo Is Triumph, whose existing TT600 will be supplemented - not replaced· by a roc:e-focused TI600R sport model with more racllcol styling ond improved engine performance, which in due course wiH form the basis of the British company's long-awoited racing debut. However, the aftennath of the fire suffered in March at the compony's Hinckley fact6ry has seen the TT6OOR's debut put back till neJrt spring, so expect 2003 to be a running-in year for Triumph in 600 Supersport racing. prior to mounting a serious campaign in both World and AMA competition in 2004, most probably by means of factory support for On existing team In each areno. About to join in for the first time next season is Qilera, whose distinctively styled Suzuki· engined Supersport model launched 0 year ogo in prototype form at the Milan Sho"'. has recent/y been observed running around Bologna in low·profile black bodywork, and is likely to be produced at the former Cagiva/MV Agusta factory at Cassinetta, on the shores of Lake Varese. Qilera has • two·rider slot reserved for them in the 2003 World Supersport grid, thus lnevII.abIy making what is alreody the most hard- fought and exciting dllS5 in world·level road racing lID evm beIter spectacle. No wonder QP promoter Coma "'as eager to replace the moriIuJd 25Oc:c QP cJaa with a thInIy-disgulsed fuU-rac:e QP2 version of the Supersport dass • UIll:I1 r1v.J SBK plOildei. Octagon IntematlonaI doubtless reminded them via their lawyers of the cut-Iran nature of 1heIr AM contract gUlU'llntee1ng the Superblke race progrom exclu· slve access to SuperlIport racIDg, or any spinoff thereof, for the forseeable future. Of CXlUrlIe, this mray d new 600cc:, four-eyJlnder contenders will also have to compete with the all-MW Duta8 749 Teetastretta lIIready revealed In this c:oIumns OS currently under development • thougIl !het'e's presently a questIon·mark over whether Ducati \viiI be able to suflideRt .productloo capac1ly In order 10 build the necessary 1000 examples of the 749 needed 110 hi ... ole QUa it for Wodd Supersport cooipetltloo by J:muery 31 of I1i!lll year. tfoMwr, ane flICIIDr likely 110 make them tt:T herder to do so is the pojected change In Al'oA Sq>eill all .... wfIk:tI has Just been -.meed for 2003, which If appiOved would for the tnt time allow 75OcI: twins to compete with the 600cc fDuns In the Wodd's biggest nationalIevet 600 Supeapoit d.- - thus pleseAtlng Duc:atI wllb a CClft8iderably enhanced pOtentlal cue • • n B _ S

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