Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

World Championship Road Race Series Round 2: South African Grand Prix BRIEFLY••• Daijiro Kato's entire team flew to Japan in the week before the South African GP to attend the late rider's funeral. Kato died on Saturday night. without ever regaining consciousness after crashing heavily on the third lap of the Japanese GP, sustaining serious head, neck and chest injuries. Telefonica MoviStar team boss Fausto Gresini and Kato' s pit crew joined a large funeral. attended by a number of Japanese and intemational racers. Among them was Norick Abe and Youichi Ui, who had raced pocket bikes with the young Kato before they all moved on to greater things. Of them all, Kato was considered the greatest in Japan, earmarked for future glory beyond his 2001 250 World Championship. Many riders paid tribute to the tragic victim, both in words and in actions. All Honda riders wore black armbands, as did some others, while teammate Sete Gibemau was just one of several riders to affix a small number 74 (Kato's number) to his machine. Kato's Telefonica MoviStar Honda team boss Fausto Gresini was visibly emotional all weekend, saying: "Because he didn't speak English, not many people knew Dai-Chan very well, but he was a really wonderful person, - The team pit. fielding just one rider, Sete Gibernau, displayed a sign outside their pit: "DAI-CHAN. YOU WILL BE IN OUR HEARTS FOREVER. THANK YOU," Gibemau dedicated his pole position to his late teammate, saying: "It is the best way to honor him. Today several times I felt he was pushing me from above," Other tributes came from all over the paddock. "He was a great competitor and will be sadly missed," said Max Biaggl. while Kenny Roberts said: "The best way to remember him is if we make sure that safety is completely reviewed." Daijiro Kato, who was mamed and had just had a second child days before he died, was a long-time factory Honda rider who had brought the NSR first to success at home, winning the All-Japan Championship and making his mark on the world scene w~h two Japanese GP wins (in 1997 and 1998) as a wild card. They were the first of 17 race wins in the class. Bom in Saitama on July 4, 1976, Kato moved to Italy to be close to the Gresini team soon after comin9 to full-time GP racin9 in 2000, when he finished third overall at his first attempt. In 2001 he powered to a decisive championship win with 11 more wins, In 2002 he was moved to the MotoGP class by Honda, finishing second at Jerez in only his third GP. He repeated the position at Bmo later in the season, in his first ride on a MotoGP four-stroke. A diminutive and very private figure, Kato had few close friends in the paddock, often prefemng to spend time with his wife and young daughter. But he was widely respected, not only for his race results and extraordinary skills, but also his independent approach and obvious dedication. Honda will set up an independent committee to investigate the mystery crash that fatally injured Daijiro Kato at the Japanese GP at Suzuka three weeks ago. With no clear video footage of the crash and no indication of any machine problems from on-board data collection, the crash remains unexplained. But at least one of several theories about the crash has been eliminated. Some privately shot footage has emerged that shows that Kato did not (as some had thoughtl collide with another rider at the start of the braking zone. He was alone when he lost control suddenly, the bike swinging right then left before spearing off into the trackside wall. Some suspect it was a rider error, in a zone of very hard braking, with the possibility that his small stature meant he didn't have the strength to fight a bucking MotoGP machine. There was also a question of some sort of brake failure, with one of the machine's disc brakes shattered after the crash - although this might as easily have happened in the impact. Another rumor was that his fly-by-wire throttle may have stuck open, as happened to fellow HRC rider Nicky Hayden in practice, Honda's decision to establish an independent committee might serve to scotch these rumors, "Since immediately after the crash, Honda has been analyzing the accident vehicle with HRC in order to clarify the cause of the accident," read a written statement. "However there has been no analytical data retrieved thus far which would suggest that there was any type of irregularity with the motorcycle." The committee will be chaired by Professor Ichiro Kageyama of Nihon University's College of Industrial Technology. Doma released a statement pledging full support to the committee. The riders have responded to Kato's crash by forming a four-man safety committee of their own, which will meet with Oema boss Carmelo Ezpeleta at every GP to discuss short-term and long-term safety issues raised by the new levels of performance of the MotoGP machines. The new problems come both from the greater speed and the greater weight: A combination of these factors has changed machine behavior under braking and opened up new problem areas. Max Biaggi explained the problem. "With a two-stroke if you came to a comer too fast. you would just go straight on. The four-stroke has three possibilities. It can also go straight on, or because of the way the back moves around, it can go left, or it can go right." (In the case of Kato, this might account for his unexpected left tum into the trackside wall.) Kenny Roberts Jr. agreed. "That's exactly right. Also, the bikes have just got too fast for Suzuka," he said. "I'd already complained about the place where Barros and Melandri were hurt before it happened, but there are maybe six other places where the barriers are too close." The first meeting took place on Friday, when plans were formulated to give the riders a coherent voice within racing. On Saturday a second meeting was attended by Ezpeleta, and the four-man committee was named: Valentino Rossi, Kenny Roberts Jr., Sete Gibemau and Nobuatsu Aoki. Ezpeleta gave his full support to the new system and to the aim to review safety. Roberts said: "It's not as though the situation was bad. Personally, I've found Uncini (Safety Officer) has always responded to any problems I've raised. What's needed is a complete review of the safety. The whole evolution of what these new bikes do needs to be examined... When will the Kawasaki become competitive? Perhaps this year, according to team boss Harald Eckl. "We are currently two seconds off the pace. If we can find half a second from the chassis, half a second from the tires and half a second from the engine, then the riders will be exc~ed with the possibilities and will find another half-second themselves," he said. The Rio GP may be dropped from this year's calendar, a year earlier than expected, and there is not likely to be a replacement race if it does fall through, cutting the calendar to 15 rounds. The race, backed by the city of Rio de Janeiro, is scheduled for September 20, but a change of local government has thrown the event into doubt. Doma boss Carmelo Espeleta told pressmen: "Negotiations are still under way with the local govemment and the promoter, but if it is cancelled, there will not be a replacement race. - 8 MAY 7, 2003· III U III I Ell n Ell _ S The South African GP has been reprieved, with a "letter of intent" signed at Welkom that will safeguard the race "for at least three more years. " The contract for the race expires at the end of this year, and it had been considered a dubious prospect for the future. Renewed commitment from the local govemment. plus a complete resurfacing program to the 4.242km track, obviously played a part in the decision. Meanwhile, plans to return to the United States for a GP in 2004 are taking shape, with the circuit at Birmingham, Alabama, currently the favorite choice, replacing earlier plans for a race at Homestead, Florida. The first U.S. GP since 1994 is expected to be MotoGP class only. Other news breaking at Welkom suggested further changes to the schedule. The Chinese GP, Originally planned for 2004, is now not likely to take place until 2005 and then probably at Shanghai, though Peking remains a candidate; Austria may return to the schedule, after Red Bull purchased the A l-Ring circuit for 200 million Euro, announcing plans for a major refurbishment to create a motor sport center including motocross and racing training. The home-brewed Harris"WCM team was disqualified from the South African GP on the eve of practice, after a special ruling by the FIM on the grounds that their M I-based machine is not a true prototype. The move is a Victory for World Superbike owners Octagon, understood to be dismayed at an apparently production-based bike racing as a prototype, but was Widely condemned within the GP paddock. The Hams WCM is based around an Ml Yamaha and for the first two races was still using a number of Yamaha parts, including crankcases and cylinder heads, while the team awaits delivery of their specially made redesigned parts (including a four-valve rather than five-valve cylinder head). This means it was something of a "loophole special," which makes a very loose interpretation of already loosely worded rules. But it was being allowed to race, since true prototype parts were under construction, and plans were in place to independently develop a full racing bike from the R1 source. But the bike raises issues that affect World Superbike, since the R1 is basically a candidate for the new lOOOcc rules. It is understood that the FIM is under covert pressure from World Superbike, especially since the FIM had applied the rules to the letter in its own case, with the homologation of the Foggy Petronas FP1. A statement from the FIM said simply, "The FIM has decided to take action against the participation of the Hams WCM motorcycle in its current technical configuration... The affair had begun in February, when the FIM asked the team to provide evidence that the motorcycle complied with the technical prototype rules. Subsequent drawings had been provided, "together with the information that the motorcycle would not be ready and would not be compete in the first two GPs, Japan and South Africa," Nevertheless, WCM had been present in Suzuka, though in fact they had not raced after running short of engines. According to the statement. FIM Technical Panel president Oriol Puig Bulto and vice president Fabio Fazi examined the Hams WCM at Welkom and "concluded that this motorcycle was not in conformity with... the regulations. " They put the matter to the four-man Race Direction commission, comprising race director Paul Butler, FIM safety officer Claude Danis, Doma safety officer Franco Uncini and a Doma representative. They had voted three to one to allow the WCM to race. Undismayed, the FIM appealed to its own FiM Stewards, who decided that the bike should be disqualified. The team has five days to appeal. Unusually, in spite of written and verbal requests, it would not allow the team to continue to race while awaiting the outcome of the appeal. This was in line with a rule change applied after Nori Haga had been allowed to race on, while appealing (unsuccessfully) against a drugs ruling. After that. the rules were changed, so it became discretionary whether the appellant would be allowed to race. In this case, the RM decided that the WCM should not be allowed out. "As far as I know, this is unprecedented in GP racing," said WCM team manager Peter Clifford, who also revealed in a lengthy written statement that the Hams WCM was not merely a stop-gap special designed to fill in a season while they waited for something better, but the first stage of a long-term plan whereby Hams-WCM might become an independent racing manufacturer, in Fl style. "We are not yet using our own new engine, but even with this one the crankshaft, bore and stroke, pistons, crankshaft, camshafts and valves are all unique," said Clifford, The grounds for complaint were that the engine design was" not original." said Clifford, and that it "uses components from industrial production, But there is no definition of what industrial production means, Honda has made a number of RCVs. Is that not classed as industrial production?" Clifford also queried the comment that the engine was not original in design. "Is our in-line four design less 'original' than the Ml Yamaha or the Kawasaki? Have they been asked to demonstrate that their engines are original designs?" he asked, The ruling meant that rider Chris Bums and new team recruit David de Gea (replacing Ralf Waldmann) had nothing to do for the weekend. But the battle is likely to continue long past the weekend. WCM's appeal is now before the FIM, while Bulto has admitted that the loose wording of the rules "requires clarification." There was widespread astonishment in the paddock that a small independent team should be so severely punished on rules that the RM admitted were unclear, The South African GP might mark the last-ever appearance of a 500cc two-stroke, if Proton Team KR's plans to introduce its new V-five four-stroke at Jerez come to fruition. While McWilliams and Aoki took a last chance to tease the slower four-strokes, team owner Kenny Roberts was giving the V-fIVe its first-ever rolling test back in England, and both riders were scheduled for first track tests in the week after the Welkom race, Heavy rain curtailed the first tests, at Bruntingthorpe airfield in England, and there were also some mechanical problems for the new engine. "Kenny got a few runs yesterday, and the motor is back on the dyno today," said team manager Chuck Aksland on Saturday, as McWilliams and Aoki chalienged for top ten qualifying positions, "Both riders did a tremendous job today. They just keep pushing the bike to the limit. and it's great to see it. It will be great to get the new four-stroke going and give them some more power. We're shooting to have both riders test the bike on Thursday, and we're planning to race it at Jerez."

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