Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... The layout of the sweeping new Istanbul Park Circuit is impressive from the trackside, and from the saddle, with most riders enjoying the combination of fast comer.;, a lot of dimbs and drops, some very hard braking (to a hairpin after the fastest section), and 14 comers on the 3.3-mile lap. The relatively high average of more than 170kph reflected the speed of the track - fourth fastest of the year, behind Assen (181), Phillip Island (179) and Muge110 (172)but was compromised by what most agreed was a weakness: a very slow comer set at the end of the lap, a left-right-Ieft combination taken in first gear. Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano was one fan: "It's unbelievable - so fast, especially the f1at-in-fifth tum II. I'm really enjoying riding here. Even though it was designed on a computer. this is a very human track - very good for riders. The blind comer entries over the crests are a big challenge. You have to judge your line and braking points perfectly. The only downside is, the slow first-gear corners are really too slow, and not very interesting for a MotoGP bike." Japanese rider Makata Tamada also liked it. "I think it is second only to Mugello in being spectacular," he said. Valentino Rossi was more outspoken: "The track is not so bad - with a lot of up and down, and it has a lot of big and fast comers. together with hard braking and hairpins. But the last bit is like a joke, like parking. lunchtime yesterday I felt like going home," Rossi said. "But we made a lot of modifications, even this morning, and we were able to go faster. Unfortunately I made a big mistake at the start - I lost two seconds on the first lap behind [Makoto] Tamada. After that, I put a lot of pressure on my tires, but Marco was too fast. Congratulations to him. It is good to win races in 125 and 250, but I remember when I won my first 500cc race, and it is something very different." The third front-row starter, Hayden, had stayed close to Rossi until the last four laps before dropping back to claim a third consecutive rostrum finish - more than five seconds behind Rossi. He was pleased enough by the reward. "In warmup this morning, it was the first time I could do a I :53 lap on race tires - and in the race I did a string of them, so I am happy with my pace," Hayden said. "I am getting stronger, and improving a lot, but there were a few places on the track that I was not so good as them." Hayden also congratulated Melandri on his win. "In preseason testing, a lot of guys would be back in the air-conditioning, and only Marco and myself would be still out there riding - he deserves it," said Hayden. Gibemau had rejoined in fourth after his get-off, and he finished in that position, drawing away from Carlos Checa's Marlboro Ducati by almost 15 seconds, and just five behind Hayden. He stormed through his pit after the race, clearly angry wtth himself for yet another costly error in a year full of them. "We have wut8d another chance; race after race, things have not gone my way," Gibernau said. Checa had pulled through from I I th on the first lap after a bad start and some bumping in the first corner. "Some riders were very aggressive, but that's racing," he said, blaming a loss of rear traction for being unable to push harder. He was losing time at the finish and ended up just two seconds clear of the next group. This provided some excitement. Fortuna Yamaha's Toni Elias had started strongly, finishing the first lap in fifth, well clear of Rossi. He stayed with the pursuit group and at half-distance was still fifth, behind Checa, when a slip saw him run wide, rejoining behind Gauloises Yamaha's Colin Edwards and Camel Honda's Alex Barros, engaged with each other, and also Konika Minolta Honda's Makoto Tamada. Not daunted, the class rookie kept on pushing and by the finish had regained fifth, passing Edwards on the way into the set of corners on the last lap, losing the place again in the middle corner but running around the outside again to cross the line fifteen-hundredths of a second ahead of the former double World Superbike Champion. It was a disappointing finish to a tough weekend for the American rider, who had tried adapting his style to be "more like a 250 style," and he was still working on the change dUring the race, after slipping back to his hard·charging Superbike style when "my instinct took over at the start of the race." Tamada was four seconds adrift, and inches ahead of Barros, who was battling pain from his heavy crash at Phillip Island one week before. Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano broke free from his group in the early stages and had a lonely race to 10th. Among those he left behind was second-race rookie Chris Vermeulen, the Camel Honda rider dropped steadily backward after finishing the first lap in ninth. It was an impressive ride nonetheless, catching up again to within two seconds of Nakano, though he was less than delighted. "I managed to complete one of my objectives - to finish ahead of another Honda - but it's not enough for me," he said. ''As I ride this bike, I realize how many things I still have to learn." The Honda rider he beat was none other than the top factory man on the Repsol machine, Max Biaggi "I rode as hard as I could," Biaggi said. "To be in this position hurts me so much. My spirit is gone here, and I can only hope we have some small piece of sunlight in Valencia to end the season." Kawasaki substitute Olivier Jacque was I 3th as the rest of the field trailed in, with Fortuna Yamaha's Ruben Xaus 14th, stealing the place from a very detuned John Hopkins on the penultimate lap. "I'm in no way satisfied with myself," Hopkins said. "I put a lot of the blame on my riding. I've been ill for the weekend, and on top of that I had a tire problem from halfway through the race. The only thing we want to remember from this weekend is the way the track goes, so we can be better when we come back." D'Antin Ducati's Roberto Rolfo was 16th. Then came the Blata WCMs of Franco Battaini and James Ellison. There were no crashes, but Ducati substitute Shinichi Ito was black-nagged out of the The last part is too slow. It is a lot like China." The other problem he identified can be blamed on Formula One cars - the new circuit was inaugurated in August with the first car GP. "In the braking areas, they have made some bumps," said Rossi, describing with his hands a wave formation already familiar at other shared tracks, including Catalunya. prior to resurfacing. "We also share the track at Sepang, and we don't have this problem there - so maybe it is a problem with the construction." Other riders spoke of a polishing effect to the track, believed to be the result of a German Touring Car race here two weeks ago. "The grip is not so good," said Rossi, and several others. The surroundings of the circuit, south of the city on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, are in sharp contrast to the ultra-modem circuit. The only roads not beset with potholes and the like are the new ones to the track and to the new airport dose by, and the towns and villages very down at heel. This left a tricky choice for accommodation - a choice between staying some 30 miles away in the center of Istanbul and braving potentially horrendous traffic problems, or going far downmarket at local hotels. This will change, we were assured - Istanbul Park is part of a larger scheme, including the new airport. with modem housing, hotels, shopping facilities and suchlike. But at present, according to one Doma staffer, "It's like being in Kosovo." One notable feawre of the new track is a strong candidate for fastest comer of the year. It is the right-handed tum II, behind the extensive paddock, approached uphill from a much tighter section. The run to the corner takes the bikes up to fifth gear and toward 190 mph: then there is a slight roll off the power before committing to the apex at about 160 mph. The next section is the fastest on the track, with the best speeds topping 190. "That one really separates the men from the boys," said front-row qualifier Nicky Hayden. "It's reaJ fun, because now it's new and it's so Con,inued on page 2' CYCLE NEWS • NOVEMBER 2,2005 19

• Cover