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World Superbike scrambled
RACE WATCH
New Zealander Aaron Slight, riding for Castrol Honda, took over the World Superbike points lead in late August when his lost points from the series’ opening round, at Donington Park, in England, were reinstated. Slight finished second in both of Donington’s motos-he’s been very consistent about doing just that all season long, with six second places at presstime leading to his current points standing-but was disqualified when a post-race check of his Honda RC45 turned up traces of illegal fuel.
Slight’s Donington finishing position was reinstated when the FIM, World Superbike racing’s governing body, DSQed itself, saying that “the procedure followed during the fuel sampling was not correct.”
All of this means that the former red-hot battle between Muzzy Kawasaki-mounted Scott Russell and Ducati-powered Brit Carl Fogerty is even more important to those two contenders. At presstime, following the Dutch round of the series, in which he again finished second, Slight remained eight points ahead of Fogerty, who won the Dutch round. Russell is third in the standings, 21 points behind Slight.
In other World Superbike news, Ducati pilot Giancarlo Falappa, whose survival was in question after a testing accident in which he sustained a very serious head injury, now appears to be on the mend.
“The lion is back,” announced thrilled Ducati team members, and while that seems premature, Falappa has regained consciousness and made good progress. His treatment has been similar to that used on F-l racer Karl Wendlinger, who also appears on the verge of a racing comeback following a life-threatening head injury. That treatment involves use of drugs to control brain swelling.
LaRocco, Henry and Aaron all collect championships
M ike LaRocco and Doug Henry gave Kawasaki and Honda, respectively, reason to smile by wrapping up championships in the AMA National Motocross Series, while Geoff Aaron rode his Beta to his first AMA Trials Championship.
LaRocco, last year’s 500cc champ, clinched his first 250cc title with two rounds to go by winning at Washougal, Washington, ahead of a streaking Jeremy McGrath. He won seven of the series’ 11 rounds, and amassed a 150point lead over John Dowd, his closest competitor in the points standings.
Henry, meanwhile, waited until the series’ final round, at Delmont, Pennsylvania, to wrap up his secondstraight 125cc title. This final race was not without controversy for Henry, who finished third in the first moto and 16th in the second after first crashing into, and then fighting with, Ryan Hughes. Both riders finally rejoined the race, with Henry’s 16th good enough for ninth overall. That gave him a 21-point lead over Honda-mounted Steve Lamson, who finished second in the championship, ahead of Hughes.
Things were less hectic for Aaron, who wrapped up this year’s AMA National Observed Trials Championship at the series’ final round at > Nehawka, Nebraska.
In winning his first trials championship, Aaron put an end to the amazing six-championship string of Gas Gas rider Ryan Young, and made his mark as a trials contender to watch.
Ryan said afterward of Aaron, “He’s in better physical shape. After six years, I’ve started to slack off.” He added, speaking about Aaron, “He’s the best in America. I’d like to see him go to Europe, and not just to get him away from us. I think he can score World Championship points.”
U.S. stopped at MX des Nations
The British finally did it. The 13-year American win streak at the Motocross des Nations, held this year in Roggenburg, Switzerland, was put to an end by the British squad of Paul Malin,
Rob Herring and Kurt Nicoll. The U.S. team of Mike LaRocco, Mike Kiedrowski and Jeff Emig was defeated, nine points to 11, by the Brits.
Malin turned heads with a perfect 1-1 score in the 125 division, with teammates Herring and Nicoll posting 2-6 and 3-2 in the 250 and 500 classes, respectively. American scores were consistant-Emig on the 125 with 2-2, Kiedrowski riding a 250 posted 4-5, and on the 500, LaRocco posted a near-perfect 2-1. Good, but not good enough. Each country drops its worst moto score when points are tallied. France rounded out the top three with 13 points.
Corser triumphs in AMA Superbike
Australian Troy Corser bounced back from a crash at Sears Point Raceway to finish fourth at Road Atlanta, earning the Fast By Ferracci Ducati rider the AMA Superbike Championship. Rival Jamie James-the series points leader going into the final roundcame home seventh, the victim of a malfunctioning EXUP valve. Reigning World Superbike Champion Scott Russell, taking a break from the WSB series, notched the win, followed by FBF’s Pascal Picotte and Vance & Hines’ Colin Edwards in third.
James was more successful in 600cc Supersport, winning the championship for Yamaha over the Smokin’ Joe’s Honda of Mike Smith, who scored the class win at Road Atlanta. Suzuki’s Tom Kipp beat teammate and defending champion Britt Turkington for the 750cc Supersport championship.
With the ’94 season drawing to a conclusion, news of potential problems for the AMA were circulating. Ex-AMA roadracing manager Roger Edmondson and former AMA public relations and marketing manager Pat Murphy announced the formation of a rival program, the North American Superbike series. In addition to a March 5 Daytona Superbike event, Edmondson and Murphy hope to run at least four other races in 1995. According to Edmondson, 600cc supersport, Open supersport and Twinsport races will support NAS’s Superbike class. □
