Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Roberts Honda Streetbikes? Tearn Robens' new association wkh I Honda may bear more [n]k rhan mere- l), a revival in the team's racing fortunes - with at least the possibilir,, ofspecially buik Honda-powered streetbikes in the future. "We have lhe facilities and ability ro make exclusive small-production machines at Banbury" said Kenny Roberts. 'lt's defi- nitely somethinS we need to be looking at. to use our facilities. lf Honda sent us, for example, an in-line four enSine, we would be able to produce a road bike in four months. That's the way I see things toint for ur. We ne€d to make business for our Eroup out of our relationships. The bike would be expensive, but there is a market for that sort of exclusive machine." Roberts said he did not envisage that they would ever,nake their own €ngine again. "You can't rule it out, but our experi- ence is that it's very dillicrilt," he noted. "Our se€ond-generation V.fMe would have been much better - not a race winner, but much more competitive. But we never had the budget to do it." Team nran4ger Chuck Akland confirmed that tlEy would like to plodrre a su'eedrike, though rrc plans were yet in place. "We wanted to do the iame thinS with Proton, ahhough that never happened," he said. The other consequence of the new marriage between Honda and the rpecial- ized chassis constructordrace team has been a retom rider. Kenny Roberts Jr. has been a dour presence durint his years Kenny Roberts with Suzuki. a team on a downhill trend alrer he won the title wrth them in 2000 But some people at the l'4otocP test in Spah thrs past weekend sard rhrs was almost the first time they had ever seen him smile. /Mi.hoel S.ott o o o o o o o McWilliams And The Bue!! Former MotoGP rider Jerem), McWilliams took his first laps around the historic Daytona lnternational Speedway 2.95-mile road course on Thursday, March 2, during the Tearn Hammer ridinS school. in preparation for the Daytona 200. Mcwilhams, a three-time lrish Champion and 250cc GP and l4oto GP veteran, particF pated in the ridinS school to learn the ins and outs of Daytona - as well as Setting the new Buell XBRR sorted out. "lt's my lirst time ever on a bankinS, so it's quite daunting.' said Mcwilliams. "lt's quite different than what l'm used to." The 4l-year-old l'4.Williams, who'll com- pete for Warr's London Harley- Davidson/Buell of London, is one of the biggest international .iders to compete at Daytona in a number ofyears, "lt's ,ust tD/ing to get to know the track," said Mcwilliams, who was ioined by Pascal Picotte on the Buells during Thursday's lbam Hammer day. "That's one big thing to over- come. You're cominS to race at Daytona; it's a plus if ),/ou know where ),,ou're going. Because l've never ridden bankrn8. SettinS used to hittint the bankinS as hard as I need to hit it. "This bike is also very different than whet I m use ro, he added. "The maxrmum rpm rs about 8500, so I've 8ot to change my style quite a bit. Jumping on this bike from what I know is quite a big step all around. The guys are workinS as hard as they can to make the chantes thar I need to make ir easier for me." R!nning in the prestitious Daytona 200 By Honda is something that Mcwilliams has always wanted to atrempt. He has watched rhe presfitious race plenty of times on televi- sion, hopint that one day he would tet the opportunity to compete at Daytona. "lt's one ofthose mces that you can't real- ly ignore," said lvlcwilliams. "You see it all around the world, and it is one thing I've always wanted to do. I've always wanted to take part in the 200. fl-he track] actually looks a little bit differ€nt on TV than it does when you're out on the motorcycle. lt's a lit- tle d8ht and twisty in the infi€ld. I believe they've changed it a little bit from what I remember. The surlace is in good condition. Its just quite tricky. I'm sure k's going to make for interesting racing durinS a lonS race like Daytona, because there's a lot of track to get by. The fast sections are awesome. I real- ly enjoy the fast sections. The first thing is, we would like to go 200 miles. Secondly, I d like to be up there someYvhere." o I Jeremy McWilliom5 in o.lion on the guell ot Doytono lnternotionol Rocewoy. {+ ,{\ Capacity Debate Continues ln World Supers Despite Ducati's astonishinS turn of speed in qualilyingthe strong p€rforman.e of Troy Bay'iss against the newest multiq/linder machines, it is understood that Ducati will b€ makint a push to lift its limit in World Superbike to the previously discussed l200cc. At present, Ducati has a different, and more liberal, s€t of entine regulations to balance outthe natural disadvanta8e of hav- ing only two cylinders and not four. But with Ducati desperate to make its streetbikes I 200cc in the near future to keep up with Japanese performance levels, without shonenint en8ine life or ancreasing expense, the company is pushing the MSMA hard to bring about a rule change - maybe in exchange for a uniform set oftechnical rules, with a capacity dirferential balancing things out. It ir understood that Du(ata needs to 8et a decision soon, or it may be forced to rethink its participation as early as 2007 - if there is to be no firm decision on letting them in with l200cc bikes in 2008. lt's understood that the .lapanese are resisting strongly, but Fcsport's attitude - a consistent one since they changed the rules last time - is that the World Superbike Series should reflect the marketplace. This would impi/ that they are flexible about rule chanSes. to keep as many manufacturers in the series as possible - on the same bikes they run on the street. Expect more developments soon. Gordo, R tchie Corser And The Torch The nea.est city to Phillip lsland is Melbourne, and with that cit), the host ofthe forthcoming Common- wealth Games - like rhe Olympics for former British colonies and dependencies - there were ceremonies aplenty in the run-up to the Australian round of the World Superbike Championship. ln an early morning cere- mony, shown live on Australian morning TV Jioy Corser became one of the many to hold the "Queen s Torch" (the equivalent to the Olympic flame) as it found its way to the openint ceremony of the Games. The incredibly early start to the proceedints had Corser dressed in the same colors of green and white that the other athletes and guests had been clothed in during previous baton charges - with the current World Superbike Champion performing stunts for the cameras on a stock GSX-R lfl)0. Gordon Riachie o o o o P o Dunlop has come out fighting in its return to a factory-level MotoGP team, continuing to show strong form after fast times at Qatar tests - with Carlos Checa setting the second-fastest time in the dry in Cataluq/a, Spain, and challenging for the fastest time in the wet. "lt just toes to show how badly you need a good motorcycle and Dunlop Getting Close The Dunlop-botked Yomoho teom of Corlos Checo (left) ond Jomes Ellison (righr). a good ridei" said Dunlop racing boss leremy Ferguson, whose weekend-lon8 smile was replicated among all the Dunlop ranks. Dunlop s new venture is with the Yamaha Tech 3 team, running Checa and Erit James Ellison in yellow-and-black Dunlop-liveried machines. Dunlop has been in the doldrums for seveEl years, unable to secure factory contracts, and its reputation has b€en battered by bad results with the likes of the then-rtruggling Team Roberts and WCM squads. Progress is obviously dilficult without the input oftop teams and riders, but Dunlop soldiered on - to the extent that it was able to surprise everybody with early tesrdmes, and Dunlop hopes soon to be in a posi- tion to make the tire war between l'4ichelin and Bridgestone into a three-way battle. "We have shown we can do the lap tirne," Tech 3 team boss Herv6 Poncharal said. "We hrve done a few mce simulations, and they were maybe not good enough to be comperitive, but they were not a disas- ter. Dunlop are coming from a lonS way down, and we are not goint to beat the other tires straight away. Until now everyone wanted Hichelins, and Carlos Checa was the same. lwas worried when he llrst went out in Qatar that he might come in after one or tlvo laps, then go home- lnstead he did eight laps, and came in smiling. The good rhinS is, we have the tire factory workinS directly with us. We are hopeful." ,Vli

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