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/1542352
The firsr step along the path ot the llrsl- I ever night Grand Prix was taken in Qatar. with three ride6 takinS to a partially lit track on the Thursday evening prior to the race. After nitht fell on the desert racelrack, Valentino Rossi. Loris Capirossi, and Kenny Roberts Jr.. the three members of rhe Rider's Safety Commi.rion, did a few explorator/ laps to judSe the feasibility of a night race. With temperatures here nor- mally aboye 100 degrees, and very sparse crowds. nlce organizers are considerinS a nitht lace as a way to dmw fan interest in a country that has a nascent motorcycle market. Roberts lr rode a Honda CBR600RR with Michelin (ires, Rossi an R6 on Dunlops (one ofhis mechanics put a Michelin sticker on the front fender), and Capirossi a Ducati 999 on Michelins. The trio completed two laps at speed, the first at 2:54 and the second at about 3:30, plus an out-and-in lap, on a track where only the first three corners were bathed in light. "lt would be possible to race here dur- ing the night, but they need to improve the illumination, which, at the moment, does- n't allow us lo ride safely," Capirossi said. "Shadows that depends on lhe liSht posi- tion create some problems and also brak- ing markers are not clearly visible. Anyway, if the liShting was improved it would become possible to race here at night." Capirossi add€d that if they organized a niSht race, free paactices would begin at5:30 p.m. and the rest ofthe schedule would follow making for very late nights. "Before th€ next terts or next Far they will illuminate all the track and we will haw the chance to test, in the dark, in better conditions, and with our own MotoGP bikes.'' Rossi's view was that "it's not impo$ible, but they have to do bit, big work. The lights like they are norr/ ere not enouSh. I think it'5 a good idea for the cir.uit because with the light5 it's possible to use the rack during the summer. gut to make e race for MotoGB I think they ne€d double or triple the amount ot lights. They need spe- cial paint for the white liner, special boards forthe braking. lt needs a bi8 organization to try and race durint the niSht- The other bit, big problem is the TV where the ride. needs the ltht, it is completely the opposite for where the TV would need the li8ht. we need the lithts at the side and it would be in fron! of the camera. This is what the guys from the TV said. The problem is also with rhe shadows. When you pass through the light your shadow ovenakes you. You can see the shadow and it goes in front of you. It's diflicult to know if it's youi own shadow or another bike." Roberts Jr.. after his first-ever ride on a Honda CBR600RR, said. "l think rt s feasi- ble, but it needs to be taken in a lot more aggressive way." He said that they would need to have many more lights, a surplus, in fact, whi(h could be turned off if not needed. ''We need lit brake markers, we need maybe reflective paint, a little bit of glass in it- So there're a lot of things, buc I think it can work. lt s lusr a maner ofadapring to ic. ks just kind of werrd berng rn the dark. Other than that, it's not a big issue." The worst thrn8. Roberts lr said, "is see. in8 somebody's brake lights in front o[ you. Valenrino would brake and rhen Capirossi would go 'F k!' and he would brake, and l d go 'F-k!' and we'd scare each other to death. And liSh$ are bouncingaround. That was insane." Of the middleweight Honda he said he was shiftang at 10,000, but you re sup- posed ro shift I guess at 15,000. The red srarts at 16.000." A few problems cropped to mind. Firstly, what happens if there's a power outage midway into the race? Chaos, for certain. More importantly is how badly the sponsors would suffer Trackside signage would be cloaked in darkness, negating a considerable financial commitment in a country that doesnt yet restrict tobacco advertisinS- Henny R4y Abrums Rain Lashes Out At British Superbike Series Airwaves Ducati's Gregorio tavilla and Vivaldi Suzuki's Scott Smart split race wins in soakinS wet second round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park on April 9. The first race was stopped on the l4th lap with rain and hail fallint on the track and with both of the Rizla Suzuki rid- ers, James Haydon and Shane Byrne, crashing out ofthe race. with the race taken back a lap, the linal results had Lavilla beatint Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari by just .134 of a second. Lavilla's teammate Leon Haslam ended up third with Michael laverty's Honda fourth and Byrne being credited with fifth. ln the second race, it was Smart taking the win over Haslam with Lavilla ending up third. Both of the Rizla Suzukis crashed out of the raae again, with Byme crashint out on th€ warm-up lap rn the soaking wet conditions. Lavilla leads the championship after two of lJ rounds over Kiyonari,82-58. ''We were very happy with this morninS and to 8et anoth- er win and lap record was great. For the second race we had to look to just finishing because the conditions were so bad," Lavilla said. "The bike wai working well, but the conditions were hard and I was having problems with visibility. The sPray coming from Scott Smart in front of me meant I had to let him go away from me so I could see mo.e. After that I had to be happy with finishing the race, as it would have been hard to catch him and overtake. lt was so cold; I couldn't feel my hands, so braking wa5 diIficult. Leon [Haslam] just passed me on rhe last lap, but I am happ), that I had two podium finishes today and gained valuable poifits in the championship." o o o o rhor kiad of o doy oi Bronds lronr of Gregorio Smort neorlv Lovillo- Borlr os S(otl IO APRIL 19,20Q6 . CYCLE NEWS ond lovillo on the doy. rl t P Vqlentino Roisi, Kenny Roberls Jr. ond Loris Copirossi do o little night riding on sportbikes in Glotor to see il it would be po$ible for lhol roce lo be held ot night. -' :: -r=:=!=: !!- n / +r- EZ r! I I t t t MotoGP? a s ! rit F.l e hr acin uture ln