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RACE WATCH
Doohan unstoppable in 500cc GPs
Okay, enough already. What’s this Australian trying to do, run away with the thing? Well, after the first four rounds of this year’s 500cc world roadracing championship, it appears that Mick Doohan is doing exactly that. The 26-year-old Rothmans Honda pilot has been undefeated so far this season, and, as of this writing, enjoys a huge lead over defending champion Wayne Rainey in the series point standings, 80 to 45.
After blitzing the field in the rainy season opener at Suzuka, Japan, and in his home-country’s GP at Eastern Creek, Doohan headed to Malaysia and Spain, where he again spanked Rainey and the rest of the grand prix contingent.
“Things are obviously going very well,” said Doohan, who promised not to get complacent. “We have still got to keep working hard on the machine so that we stay in front. It is far too early to start talking about championships.”
“Doohan and his team have really got their act together,” echoed Rainey. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to catch up.”
Of the other Americans, Team Lucky Strike Suzuki newcomer Doug Chandler remains the most successful, with a second, two fifths and a 10th; he currently lies third in points. Kevin Schwantz and John Kocinski both sat out the Malaysian round with hand injuries, but returned in Spain, where they finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Amazingly, Doohan’s Australian teammate, Wayne Gardner, is already talking about returning to racing, perhaps in time for round five of the series in Italy, just nine weeks after he badly broke his leg at the seasonopening Japanese GP.
Rothmans Honda’s Luca Cadalora equalled Doohan’s performance in the first three 250cc GPs of 1992, until Italian Aprilia rider Loris Reggiani stopped his streak with a win in Spain. Cadalora finished fourth there, but still has a commanding 70-37 points lead over second-place man Helmut Bradl.
Bayle to make roadracing debut
IVhen Team Honda motocrosser Jean-Michel Bayle announced earlier this year that he would hang up his shoulder pads at the end of this season and switch to grand prix roadracing, the skeptics doubted him. How could someone with no roadracing experience expect to be competitive at the world championship level?
Well, Bayle is not concerned with the critics. At a press conference in Paris, the Frenchman announced that
he would make his roadracing debut in the 250cc class of the July 19 French GP at Magny Cours. Though initial reports indicated that he had signed with Rothmans Honda, Nick Harris, the team’s press relations director, flatly denied this, saying that the deal had been struck with Rothmans France, a subsidiary of the giant tobacco company. Bayle will not be aboard a factory bike, either; he’ll ride a production Honda RS250 originally meant for Italian Corrado Catalano, who has graduated to the 500cc class.
According to Harris, Bayle has been testing, but “his times have not been that impressive. Still, it ought to be interesting.”
Now that’s an understatement.
Things looking up-and down-for Doug Polen
If you have to take the good with the bad, then Doug Polen is having an excellent season.
After losing by a whisker to Team Muzzy Kawasaki's Scott Russell at Daytona, Polen took revenge at Lagu na Seca, where he camped out on Russell's rear wheel until two laps from the finish. He then darted out of the Georgian's draft, and pulled away by more than a second per lap to take a comfortable win. Russell finished second, and the two left Laguna tied for the AMA Superbike points lead.
A funny thing happened at the next race in Charlotte, North Carolina: Neither Polen nor Russell won. Polen caught the front-brake lever of his Fast By Ferraci Ducati on a hay bale and crashed unhurt, and Russell finished second behind Vance & Flines Yamaha’s Jamie James, who took the third Superbike win of his career. James outlasted early leader Freddie Spencer, who retired his Two Brothers Honda with tire problems.
When the series left Charlotte, Russell headed the charts with 54 points, with consistent Mike Smith (third at Laguna and sixth at Charlotte on his Commonwealth Honda) second with 40 points and Polen third with 37 points.
Meanwhile, in the World Superbike Championship, the tables are turned. Defending champ Polen went winless in Spain and England, but won both legs of the series’ third round in Germany. The Texan now lies third in the series standings behind Frenchman Raymond Roche and Italian Fabrizio Pirovano.
Russell has not fared as well overseas as he has at home, and languishes sixth in the standings.
“It’s tougher this year,” Polen said at Laguna Seca. “The Kawasakis are really working well, here and in Europe. But we’ve had our share of problems. I think once we’ve got them sorted out, it’ll be pretty much the same story as last year.”
Parker vs. Carr, over and over again
IViii this be Chris Carr’s year in the Camel Pro Series? Or will it be Scott Parker on top again, as the winningest dirt-tracker ever tries to notch a record fifth-straight title? It’s still too early to tell, but the way the four races run so far this season have panned out, it looks like it’s going to be another one of “those” years.
After winning the season-opening Daytona Short Track, Carr won the Sacramento Mile, finishing inches ahead of Parker. But from there, it’s been downhill for the Californian. Parker ran away with the Pomona Half-Mile, then won the San Jose
Mile, as well. Carr finished second at Pomona ahead of the third HarleyDavidson factory rider, Kevin Atherton, and then traded places with Atherton at San Jose. As a result, Carr’s lead in the series has dwindled to just five points.
Saga of the Las Vegas Supercross
Team Yamaha’s Damon Bradshaw had an excellent supercross season going. Until he got to the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada, that is.
There, series points leader Bradshaw collided with-some would say, took out-Team Kawasaki’s Jeff Matiasevich. Though both riders fell, they remounted to finish, with Matiasevich seventh at the flag and Bradshaw ninth.
After the race, Matiasevich complained to the officials about Bradshaw’s rough riding. The referee disapproved of Bradshaw’s tactics, and slapped him with a $500 fine for endangering another rider. The AMA then went one step farther, and fined Bradshaw an additional $1000. Both amounts are the maximum allowed under the current rules.
Meanwhile, Team Yamaha protested Team Honda, claiming that JeanMichel Bayle’s and Jeff Stanton’s CR250s had modified frames, with illegally relocated swingarm pivots.
The rules clearly state that frames must be production-based, though they can be gussetted for extra strength. The red bikes were torn down and their frames shipped back to the AMA’s Westerville, Ohio, headquarters, where they were pronounced legal. And Yamaha was stuck with the freight bill.
As for the racing, Team Honda’s Bayle and Stanton finished a close 1-2. With three rounds remaining in the series, Bayle leads Stanton in the standings by a scant two points, with Bradshaw a further four points behind in third.
