Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128341
Continued from page 13 990cc for the MotoGP class in 2007 did not go far enough in the direction of improving salety. "We wanted 800cc, " he said. Sp ider-Man made a racing return at Estoril, when big Ian Marco Melandri donned specially made leathers to celebrate the launch of the second Spider-Man movie in Italy. Melandri had a web motilon his fairing as well, as he did in 2002 lor the launch 01 the first movie . The venture raised more than 13,000 Euros lor his lavorite charity, Emergency, which provides medical aid to civilian V(3.f victims in a number of coun- tries , including Alghanistan, and Melandri hopes to exceed that figure, auction ing his one-oil leathers, gloves, boots, helmet and lairing on E-bay. This time , the project did not start well, with Melandri crashing minutes alter taking to the track in his new suit. Nic ky Hayden was out 01 the Portuguese GP alter breaking his right collarbone and injuring his knee in a Supermoto crash the weekend before. The fracture was plated immediately, and the young American spent the next days at Dr. Claudio Costa's clinic in Italy, hoping to be fit to race . It was only on the eve 01 the race that the decision was made to withdraw him Irom the race . "Tell the truth, I wanted to ride, " said Hayden, a reluctant tracks ide spectator on the first day 01 practice, "but Honda said no." HRC is said to be less than delighted at the injury, sustained at an A1pinestars function. Italian teenage rising sta r Michel Fabrizio switched from his usual WCM team to Aprilia for the Estoril race, to take the place 01 injured team regular Shane Byrne, recovering from injuries sustained at the Czech Republic GP. Fabrizio had a quick setup test at Mugello and then impressed in his first practice session, placing 17th, ahead 01 teammate Jeremy McWilliams. The order was reversed in the afternoon. however, and in the wet on Saturday morning, Fabrizio was 13th, one place behind McWilliams, and obviously finding the Aprilia more of a handful in the conditions than the WCM, on which he has prev iously shonein the rain. Jobless former 250cc World Champion O livier Jacq ue will make a return to racing at the Japanese GP at Motegi, riding the Moriwaki Honda as a wild card . Jacque, who te sted the steel- framed machine at Brno alter the last race, takes the place 01 regular ride r Andrew Pitt, who has ret urned to the Superspo rt 600cc class to take the place 01 the injured Fabien Foret. Jacque rode lor the Tech 3 Gauloises Yamaha team lor the past tw o years but was displaced when Rossi joined Yamaha this year. KTM's V-four MotoGP engine lives - and had its first run in a motorcycle at secret tests the weekend before the Portuguese Gp, when Nobu Aoki ran shaked own laps at Brno. The res ults were highly impressive, acco rding to both rider and team , w ith the motor both powerfu l and well-sorted, although it has only ever been bench- tested. The real test was sched uled lor Estoril afte r the GP, according to tea m manager Chuck Aksland. "We wanted to blowout any cobwebs and see il there were any pro blem s - to check that it shilted gears, didn't overheat, and so on," Aksland explained . "There we re a lew little problems, but first impre ssions were good." Continued on page 16 15