Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

World C h a mpio n s h ip R o a d R a c e C h a m p io n s h ip R o u n d 1 1 : G r a n d P r ix o f P ortugal west (110/1 win); 8. Sebastien Porto (109); 9. (TIE) 15. Nicky Hayden (1 :40.069 ); 16. Jeremy Sylvain Guintoli (75) /Naoki ~tsudo (75) ; 11. Alex Debon (52); 12. Joan Olive (27); 13. Hect or Faubel (2 4) ; 14. Alex Baldolini (21 ); 15. Hiroshi A oyem e M cW illiams (20). (1: 1.020); 21. David De Gea (1:41.105 22. Garry 4 ); McCoy ( I :4 1.485); 23. Ncbuatsu Aoki ( I :41.656); 24. Chns Bums ( I :42.199). (1 :4 0. 3 2 5 ) ; 17 . J ohn Hopk in s Norf yuki Haga ( 1:40.779 ): 19. Ryuichi K iy on ari ( 1:40 .883) ; 20 . And rew Pit t (1:40.766 ); 18. MO T O CiP Q UALI FY I N G : I . Lor is Cap ir oss i (1 :38 .412): 2. Max Biaggi (1:3 8 .7 18) ; 3. Valentino Rossi (1;38.744); 4. Sete Gibemau ( 1;38.920); 5. MO T OG P : 1. Valen tin o Rossi ( Ho n) ; 2. Max Biagg i ( Ho n ) ; 3 . Lor is Cep troest ( D ue) : 4 . Sele G ibe rnau ( Hon ); 5. Toh ru Uk aw a (H on ) ; 6 . Tr oy Bayli ss (Duc): 7 . Marco Melandri (Ya m ); 8 . Carlos Chece (Yam ); 9. Nick y Hayden (Hon); 10. M.o koto Temede (Hon) ; 1 1. A lex Barros (Yam ); 12. Sh inye Naka no (Yam); 13. O livier Jacque (Yam ); 14. Colin Oliv ier Ja cque ( I :3 9 .0 4 2 ); 6 . Shinya Nakano (1;39.159); 7. Carles Chece (1;39.225); 8. Troy Bayliss (1:39.344); 9. Makoto Temade (1:39.368); 10. Tohru Ukawa (1 :39 .541) ; 1 1. Mar co Melandri (1:39.557); 12. Alex Berres ( 1:39.571); 13. Colin Edw ards (1:39.837): 1 Kenny Roberts (1:39.839); 4. BRIEFLY••• Honda's RC2 11V V-five MotoG P racer is now putting out 240 horsepower. some 20 more than last years model. And the dominant bike in Ih e to p class still has more development left . This was the news . discou raqinq for the oppos ition . from HRC president Siguru Kanazawa. at a special technical briefing at Est oril to describe the changes fro m last years machine to this. Accompanied by new 200 3 project leader Shogo Kanaumi and HRC managing direc tor Koji Nakamura. Kanazawa presented a list of changes that in some cases left as many questions as answers. The changes are small but significant, explained Kanaumi. a former racer with a best result of 10th in the B·Hou, in 19B9. who was also the first person ever to ride an RCV . The power increase had come from revised camshaft profiles and valve timing. as well as the triple exhaust system. he explained, but cruoal Iy it had been achieved while at the same time improv ing rideabihty. Horsepower and torque curves released (without revealing rpm) showed that the biggest increase had come in the lower part of the mnge and again at the top end. Another change had been an engine bmking •deceleration control : to supplement the slip· per clutch . which had proved troub lesome on comer entry toward the end of last year. Honda 's system has an ECU operated by several pammeters. including speed. gear position and revs (they wou ld not rev eal full details). which triggers solenoid valves. wh ich open a pipe between the airbox and the throttle bodies . downstream of the throttl e butterflies. It seems surpris ing that this reduction of vacuum is alone enough to reduce engine braking signi ficantly. But withou t knowing whether the system also supplies a litt le fuel to give a temporary fast idle. it is impossible to understand it fully. Neither Kanaumi nor Kanazawa was willing to reveal these details. so that all one knows for certain is that the system seems to work pretty well. Chassis changes came front and rear, with a revised swingarm pivot pos itio n and rear linkage improving traction out of the corners. while a new rotary steering damper (at present fitted only to the Repso l HRC bikes of Valen t ino Rossi and N icky Hayden) offe red more efficiency and better adjustability . along with a cornpact and lightw eight unit with all working parts inside a casing. so thai it was less prone to accident damage. This sys tem is eventually inl ended for product ion machines, said Kanazawa. ' This is one important reason for racing· to develop street machines." he said. The fai'ing had been further developed. mainly to improve ram pressure . which is now also more consiste nt. Last yea r. Kanazaw a had said there was 30 percent development left in the machine. About half of that had been spent. he said. "There is now 15 percent remaining." Nak ajima responded to questions about the threat from Ducati. "Their development speed is very fast. and we are trying to speed up our development time also." he said. Kanazawa firmly denied persistent rumors that they are developing a V -six machine. in response to a website report that had run quotes from former GP racer Shinichi ltoh. who had supposedly been testing the machine. ' That was news to us also. ' said Kanazawa. "Itoh is no longer an HRC factory rider, so even if we had such a machine. he would not be testing it. ' There wouid be six Hondas on the grid next year, and they wou ld all be V ·fives. •not the six cylinder that you are looking forward to.' he said. He also denied rumors that HRC had requested a reduction in minimum weight. from 155 to l 50kg. for six-cylinder machines. 'We have not asked that, and there has been no such request from anyone with in the MSMA Irnanulacturers associa nonl . " he said. The reduction of the number o f Ho ndas. from seven this year to six. trigge,s fevered speculation as to who will have to go and also co nt radicte d rumor s that Dorna plans to make spac e for another two -rider team for Prarnac Honda. racing this year with Makoto Tamada on Bridgestone tire s on an entry leased from the d'Antm team . HRC would run its own two-rider team. as thiS year. probably with Rossi and Hayden, said Nakajima, but did not yel know detai ls of the other teams. The likeliest outco me is that bolh the Camel Honda Pons team (Max Biaggi. Tohru Ukawa) and the Telefonlca MoviStar team (Sete Gibernau . Kiyonari) woul d sur· vive. but that one will lease one of their places to P,amac. HRC expect s to finalize another two-y ear contract with V a le nt ino Rossi "in the near future." according to Nakajima. They we'e curren tly finaliZing details . But if Rossi does jump ship to Ducati, as some expect . 'We will have to build a bette r bike and try to beat him.' he said. 16 S EPTEM BER 17 ,2003 ' e y e I e n e Edwards (Apr) ; 15. Noriyuki H.oga (Apr) ; 16. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hon); 17. Kenny Roberts (So2); 18. John Hopk ins ( Suz); 19. Jeremy McWilliams (Pro) ; 20 . Nc bua tsu Aoki (Pro ); 2 1. Andrew Pitt ( K e w) : 22 . Devld De Gea (WCM ). Time : 46 min.. 48 .005 sec. Distance: 72 .59 miles Average Speed: 93 .07 mph Margin of Victory: 2.094 sec. Fastest lap: velenuno Rossi. lap 3 , 1:39. 189 MOTOGP WORLD C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS ( After 11 of 16 rounds): 1. Valentino Rossi (23 7/ 5 wins); 2. Sete Gibe rne u ( 191/4 wins); 3 . Max Biaggi ( 16 1/1 win); 4 . Loris cecirossr ( l 13/1 win); 5 . Troy The MotoGP chanty Rid e rs fo r Health has had a big boost from Honda. with the company to give them 25 XL125 motorcycles a year for Ihe next thre e years. to use for health care in Africa. The anno uncement prec ed ed t he press brie fing . with charity co founder Randy M amola making a heartf elt speech of grati tude . Each motorcycle wou ld brinq essential medical care and disease contro l to 20.000 people, he said. Honda's announcement was a sharp contrast to Y amaha 's ob sessive se crecy, at a wee kend where a new cylinder head seemed to have made a significant improvemen t, with its M 1 for the first time heading the top -speed reading s in practi c e. It is understood that the new head retains the trad emark five-valve cylinder head . rath er than switc hing to the mor e popular four valve layout. as Yamaha did with its F1 car engine. M ax Biaggi didn't admit as much, but the evidence was plain to see · he has now outst ripped Camel Honda Pons teammate Tohru Ukawa in the pecking order for part s. and at Estoril for the first time he had a pair of the three-pipe RCV Hondas. so far reserved first for Rossi and then also for Gibemau. The exhaust system. which has turne d th e Vcfrve Hon da from one of the quie tes t machines into the noisies t bike out there . replaces the three-intoone of the fron t bank of cylinders with a two -into-o ne for the outer cylinders (matching the rear cylinder pair). adding a Single short megaphone for the

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