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RACE WATCH

Edwards wins Suzuka

Colin Edwards scored major points in the international racing community by winning this year’s Suzuka 8Hours, following in the footsteps of past American winners Scott Russell, Doug Polen and Eddie Lawson.

The 22-year-old Texan and his 21year-old teammate, All-Japan Superbike Champion Noriyuki Haga, won the grueling endurance race in hot, humid conditions by more than a minute. For their efforts, they made more than $50,000 each. It was

Yamaha’s first victory on the 3.5-mile Honda-owned circuit in six years.

Once a showcase for the Big Four’s highest-paid talent, Suzuka is no longer the domain of top grand prix riders. Honda kept A-string stars Mick Doohan and Alex Criville tucked safely away, and the entire Yamaha GP contingent was nowhere to be seen. After a narrow defeat at Daytona and little success with its new GSX-R750 in the World Superbike series, Suzuki sent GP rookies (and former Kawasaki WSB teammates) Scott Russell and Terry Rymer into battle for company honor.

Although Ducati dominates WSB, there wasn’t a single Desmo-mounted duo in the 64-bike field. This left a handful of WSB riders and a few select others, teamed with fast local riders, on center stage.

At 11:30 a.m., more than 100,000 spectators were on hand to witness the start of Suzuka’s 19th running. Polesitter Tadayuki Okada got away first from the LeMans-style start. The Japanese GP ace ran away from the field after 10 laps and handed the factory-backed Honda RC45 to teammate Aaron Slight in the lead. The Kiwi WSB contender quickly ended their chances of a second consecutive win, though, when he crashed on his second go-round, breaking a toe and injuring his ankle. “I’m gutted,” Slight said from the sidelines. “It should have been the easiest race to win.” Defending World Superbike champ Carl Fogarty upheld Honda honor at the front after Slight’s crash, but was passed by Haga on lap 41. “Foggy” attempted to recapture the lead, but crashed, ending Honda’s stronghold on the race. Edwards and Haga ran through their remaining hour-long stints like clockwork, holding their lead until darkness and the checkered flag fell after 214 laps. Team Muzzy Kawasaki’s Anthony Gobert and Simon Crafar were the runners-up, followed by a remounted Fogarty and teammate Takuma Aoki. The “Un”Lucky Strike team of Russell and Rymer retired with motor troubles in the fourth hour.

“We were the best pairing,” said Edwards afterwards, “and that’s why we won. I didn’t expect the others to fall off, but it worked out well.”

Current AMA Superbike Champion Miguel Duhamel, teamed with Japanese 250 GP rider Tohru Ukawa, and former U.S. and World Superbike Champion Doug Polen, riding with French endurance specialist Eric Gomez, were the only other Americans in the top 10. Duhamel, riding an RC45 for the private effort of Team Valkyrie Honda, ran as high as fourth before Ukawa crashed, relegating the pair to eighth. Polen, riding on Suzuki’s official World Endurance squad, brought the team’s GSX-R home in ninth, one spot ahead of the Suzuki World Superbike duo of John Reynolds and Kirk McCarthy.

World MX wonder boy

Sebastian Tortelli, a 17-year-old French rider, set a pair of records en route to his first 125cc World Motocross Championship-taken a full three rounds early at the Czech GP. First, he put his name in the record books for the most consecutive wins (10) and then became the youngest champion in the 39-year history of the FIM series.

After countrymen Jean-Michel Bayle and, more recently, Mickael Pichon shook up American motocross, should we look forward to a third French motocross invasion? Apparently so, as Tortelli, led by his mentor, former 250cc World Champion Jacky Vimond, plans to make a fullon U.S. assault next year.

Team CW does Peoria

We were beginning to think Cycle World's Honda CR500 project bike had a built-in jinx. Conceived as a Supermotard-style racer equally at home on dirt or asphalt, the ex-MXer couldn’t seem to find a suitable showcase. We wanted to race it at the bumpy Pomona road course in AMA SuperTeams competition, but new ’96 rules specified street-based machinery. No go. Former GNC champ Ricky Graham came real close to riding the CR in this year’s Pikes Peak Hillclimb, but the deal fell through. “How ’bout the Peoria TT?” someone asked. We immediately signed Graham up again. He promptly broke his shoulder at the Oklahoma City Half-Mile. Game over? No way. Enter dirt-track veteran and three-time national TT winner Mickey Fay.

Dirt-tracking two-strokes haven’t been in vogue since the early 1980s, but the CW CR was a major hit in the pits. More importantly, in a field dominated by Rotax Thumpers, Fay and our White Brothers-prepped stroker made the main event and placed 15th. With a bit more horsepower and minor setup changes, Fay declared that the bike could be a top runner.

Fear not, the Team Cycle World CR500 will not become a dusty museum piece.

Another Hines, another win

Matt Hines, son of legendary tuner Byron Hines, won his first NHRA Pro Stock drag race at the recent MileHigh Nationals in Denver. In the finals, the 24-year-old rookie went up against none other than 14-time National Champion Dave Schultz. Hines

took his 260-horsepower Suzuki to a 7.954-second/ 168-mph run in the thin, mountain air.

Schultz, who rode for Vance & Hines in 1991, wasn’t surprised by the youngster’s performance. “He’s certainly cut out of the right mold,” the 48-year-old veteran says.

With five rounds remaining in the series, Hines sits third in points, behind Schultz and John Myers, the men who have dominated the sport since 1988 when Terry Vance, Matt’s mentor, left the scene.