Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

"I saw the pair of them going for it and decided I didn't want any of that," said Polen. Roche, Mertens and Fogarty were right in there on the Ducatis while Team Moving Kawas.aki's riders were in tandem with Slight seventh just ahead of Phillis. Everyone expected a repeat of the Spa rolling thunder show on the fast, flowing course and they weren't disappointed as nine bikes shaped up to do battle at the front. Pirovano took up the early running followed by Polen, Phillis, Mertens, Falappa, Roche, Slight, Tardozzi and Fogarty. Just a tad further back, Merkel, Amatriain, de Vries, Austrian, Karl Truschees, Crafar and another local rider, Meklau, were contesting 10th place. Phillis took a brief turn up front before Roche went ahead OR the fourth lap. At the same time Slight's clutch packed in. "Shit, I don't believe this," said the exasperated Kiwi. "There are places here where you downshift halfway through comers. It would be so easy to get neutral. I never missed a shift, but I was nearly running into people in comers and I kept losing the drive." A lap later Crafar was ahead of the lOth placed pack and at last able to cut some clean, fast laps without getting balked in the turns. Polen made his play at middle distance (nine laps) and almost immediately got the break. The Texan was helped by Mertens when the' Total Wanty Ducati sprung an oil leak while in second place. All the riders following him saw the trail of smoke and backed off, unsure where to make a safe pass. Phillis alone lost two seconds in the one lap. . Mertens pulled in after 12 laps with the oil leak after both Falappa and Roche had gestured to him, but the Belgian had been in trouble since the third lap with a burned out clutch. Polen's lead evaporated when Roche got a good drive out of turn four onto the back stretch. With a clever piece of drafting, he managed to get by the Team Police Ducati going into the Bosch Curve. On the 14th lap, Phillis moved up to third at the _chicane by passing Falappa on the inside going in to dive under the Ducati as they flicked left. But a lap later, the Frenchman's Ducati hit problems in the Bosch Curve and Polen got badly balked. Polen was clearly annoyed after the race: "He just stopped in the middle of the corner and I nearly ran into him. He had his hand up like he was going to retire," said Polen. "So I went to pass him, then the guy gasses the thing up. He did the same thing in the next corner, and the next one. I don't know why he does things like that. If you got a problem you move over." By the time Polen had gotten by Roche, who was parked with a blown motor, they hCMl been caught by Falappa and Phillis. The Aussie took the lead two laps from the end at the Hella Licht with the outstanding passing move of the race. Going in on the brakes, Phillis charged hard under the Ducati and Falappa had to pick up and move over. Despite the stands being full of Ducati banners, the fans went wild. "It's the 'sort of thing Falappa does all the time," grinned Phillis. But Falappa repassed Phillis at the top of the course. "He came by me outl of control," said Phillis. "Then I tried to get him on the fast kink but he moved across and nearly ran me off the track. I had to back off and that gave him the edge." Falappa had the advantage off the final faster two turns and held on to win the race by 0.2of-a-second. While all this was happening up front, Pirovano had dropped off the pace, having lost the tow when Mertens started dropping oil. Further back, Tardozzi and Fogarty had gotten by Slight, who was soldering on with his stricken ZXR. The local fans were ecstatic when Austrian Karl Truchsees got ahead of the second bunch on the track consisting of Merkel, Cr?£ar and Co., but the Kawasaki rider crashed heavily at the exit of the Hella Licht chicane - on lap 16. Phillis in turn had to work hard to keep Polen back in third. Polen said, "I planned to get him going into the Bosch Curve of the final turn but both places, Robbie was having trouble getting the drive and was moving about on the race track so I had to back off. " Pirovano finished fourth, and less than a second covered the first four. Pirovano was lapping a second quicker all race than he had managed during his fraught qualifying days. He wasn't happy with the final result but the team was pleased to get a result. Tardozzi was fifth, just outdrafting Fogarty to the line while Slight was a dejected seventh. Amatriain outdrafted his group for eighth ahead of Merkel and the outstanding Crafar. The young Kiwi said, "I'm really pleased with that. No one passed me in the corners, they all came by on the straights and there was nothing I could do." Amatriain got the better of the eighth place battle while Merkel finished ninth to score his first World Championship points of the season. Amaiz went out after seven laps. when an exhaust pipe popped off its retaining springs. Race two Mertens, riding his spare bike,· got the jump in the second leg which quickly developed into a repeat of the first race - only better! He led the first lap but after that the lead changed hands virtually. every turn. On the sixth lap the packed grandstands at the Hella Licht were treated to the sight of three riders - Mertens, Polen, and Falappa - coming in side by side on the brakes. At the halfway point, Phillis went from fourth to first in one lap with Roche, Polen, Mertens, Slight, Pirovano and Fogarty right on his heels. And behind them was another serious scrap involving Tardozzi, De Vries, Crafar, Meklau, Merkel and Amatriain. A lap later Roche took over the helm and Phillis was dispatched back to fourth. It was that sort of race. By now, Pirovano and Fogarty, though, were struggling to stay in the draft. Come lap 12 and Roche looked to have the vital break. There was daylight between wheels for the first time but a couple laps later everyone was back as one - except poor Slight. His motor had blown, just when he was starting to move through the pack. "I was cruising," said Slight. "I was happy just following everyone in the first few laps. Then I decided I was going to go but just as I made my move the motor quit." And Polen, too, was struggling. "My engine slowed after 12, maybe 13 laps. It lost some revs off the comers and' i had to draft to stay up front. I didn't have enough to stay in front." On lap 16 Phillis became the first rider to dip into the 50s with a 1:50.707. I The only trouble was the entire pack It was all Giancarlo Falappa at the Oesterreichring; the Italian won both races. (From left to right) Rob Phillis, Giancarlo Falappa and Doug Polen on the podium. drafted and we now had five bikes together, with Pirovano just a bike's length behind with Fogarty now welI back. . "I missed' a gear and that was it, I lost the tow," admitted Fogarty. "I could only just hang on anyway. I had to make my time on the brakes and in the corners but on the straights it was hopeless." Pirovano, although lapping a second a lap quicker again than he had in the first race, told a similar story. "With all the problems this weekend we used a motor with a lot of miles on it and didn't quite have the steam. We changed the gearing by half a tooth to top the rpm by maybe 300 revs to get a couple miles per hour but I still couldn't pass people." As the leading five started the last lap, Roche led at the chicane but Mertens went by for the lead. Falappa was fifth going into the Hella Licht, but picked off Polen. In turn four he got by Phillis and Roche then it was all down to the final turn. Anyone could have won, but it was Falappa who came charging past Mertens on the brakes to take the vital last comer and grab his second win of the day. "In the race I was looking at all the other drivers to see where I could pass," said Falappa. "I was sure I could win on the final lap. It was not so difficult in the final comer to pass Mertens." Mertens said: "I think it was me and Falappa who were the hardest brakers in the group. If Roche or Polen had been behind me going into the last corner it would not have been a problem. Unfortunately, it was Falappa who suddenly came by me, out of control as usUal!" Falappa's elation at winning two races was tinged by the knowledge he will still suffer on the tighter track~ because of his weak left shoulder. "Sure I am happy to win races but I will only be happy when I can win on all the tracks," he said. Roche had to be content with third. "When my best engine broke, I had to use a slower engine. I could slipstream but could not pass and when I was in front it was easy for the other riders to overtake me." Phillis took fourth, ahead of Polen to increase the all important points lead. "I've got an ear-to-ear grin," he said. "I've increased my points lead. That will do me. That was some race though. I like to think that I'm a safe rider but today I threw that out of the door. Maybe I rode too aggressive. You ask Doug (Polen) about my passing out there." Phillis also hinted Polen was not aggressive enough and the Texan almost agreed. "Lotta bikes out there," he grinned. "You want me to pass on the grass?" CN Results RACE 1: I. Giancarlo Falappa (Due); 2. Roben Phillis (Kaw); 3. Doug Polen (Due); 4. Fabrizio Pirovano (Yam); 5. Davide Tardozzi (Due); 6. Carl Fogarty (Due);7. Aaron Slight (Kaw); 8. Daniel Amatriain (Due); 9. Fred Merkel (Yam); 10. Simon Crafar (Hon); II. Ernst Gschwender (Kaw); 12. Andreas Meklau (Due); 13. Jeffry De Vries (Yam); 14. Piergiorgio Bontempi (Kaw); 15. Virginio Ferrari (Due); 16. Jari Suhonen (Yam); 17. Massino Broccoli (Kaw); 18. Christer Lindholm (Yam); 19. Michael Lied) (Kaw); 20. Udo Mark (Yam); 21. Arpad Harmati (Yarn); 22. Vittoria Scatola (Kaw); 23. Mauro Lucchiari (Due); 24. Urs Zwicker (Yarn); 25. Kai Uwe Schmid (Kaw); 26. Aldeo Presciutti (Kaw); 27. Anton Berchammer (Yarn); 28. Raymond Roche (Due); 29. Friedrich Graus (Kaw); 30. Karl Truchsess (Kaw). Time: 33 min., 56.202 sec. Distance: 18 laps, 65.317 miles. Average SJ>-I: 115.461 mph. Margin ofVietory: 0.209 sec. . RACE 2: I. Giancarlo Falappa (Due); 2. Stephens Mertens (Due); 3. Raymond Roche (Due); 4. Robert Phillis (Kaw); 5. Doug Polen (Due); 6. Fabrizio Pirovano (Yam); 7. Carl Fogarty (Due); 8.' Davide Tardozzi (Due); 9. Daniel Amatriain (Due); 10. Fred Merkel (Yam); 11. Simon Crafar (Hon); 12. Jeffry de Vries (Yam); 13. Andreas Mekllau (Due); 14. Jari Suhonen (Yam); 15. Udo Mark (Yam); 16. Vittoria Scatola(Kaw); 17. Richard Arnaiz(Hon); 18. Michael Lied) (Kaw); 19. Christer Lindholm (Yarn); 20. Arpad Harmati (Yarn); 21. Aldeo Presciutti (Kaw); 22. Peter Klampfer (Yam); 23. Anton Berghammer (Yam); 24. Kai Uwe Schmid (Kaw); 25. Urs Zwicker (Yarn). Time: 33 min., 51.081 sec. Distana: 18 laps, 65.317 miles. Average Speed: 115.762 mph. Margin of Victory: .141 sec. WORLD C'SHIP POINT STANDINGS: I. Rob Phillis (178); 2. Doug Polen (167); 3. Raymond Roche (145); 4. Giancarlo Falappa (141); 5. Fabrizio Pirovano (119); 6. Aaron Slight (116); 7. Stephane Mertens (88); 8. Daniel Amatriaian (85); 9. Scott Russell (83); 10. Carl Fogarty (73). 19

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