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RACH WATCH
Honda, Doohan dominate GPs
How good is Honda's GP effort? Well, in the 500cc class it doesn't seem to matter if the Honda in question is a V-Four or a V-Twin, factory or semi-privateer-it's still better than anything else. Besides winning the first six races, Honda has pulled off 1-2-3-4-5 finishes three times.
To date, defending series champion Mick Doohan has dominated. The three-time title-winner has won every race but the Spanish GP, where he fin ished second. This incredible perfor mance has given Doohan a huge psychological advantage over his Rep sol Honda teammate Alex Criville, who is Doohan's only true challenger. Both riders know Doohan can win with either the so-called "Screamer" or "Big Bang" engine, while Criville has tried and rejected the former.
For Yamaha, the closest thing to competition comes in the form of Ital ian Luca Cadalora. So far, his best fin ish on the factory YZR has been second at Mugello. Cadalora began the year with Austrian Alfred Inzinger's Power Horse team, but he was riding unpaid, as was teammate Troy Corser. As a result, the pair's factory 500s are now painted in the colors of rival health-drink manufacturer Red Bull.
For the new Red Bull team owner, American Bob MacLean, access to works bikes fulfills a long-standing dream. A long-time team owner and sponsor, he’s come close to a factory deal before, but this is the first time he’s gone all the way to the top. As for Inzinger, it’s the end of a dream. Successful in World Superbike competition-Corser won the ’96 title on one of his factory-backed Ducatis-Inzinger ran into cash-flow problems. With many bills unpaid, he left lots of long faces behind in the GP paddock.
One such face belongs to Corser, who along with former teammate Mike Hale is still waiting to be paid for last season. As if that wasn’t enough, ex-Superbike star Corser is finding the transition from the loping Ducati to the feisty two-strokes more difficult than expected. He’s crashed out of three races, each time a victim of front-tire adhesion.
Both Yamaha and Suzuki have employed back-to-the-future thinking in an attempt to beat the Hondas. In France, Team Rainey Yamaha rider Norifumi Abe switched to last year’s bike, while Lucky Strike Suzuki rider Daryl Beattie has been racing a hybrid-a ’97 engine in a ’96 chassissince the second GP. Neither has found this to be an instant solution to his problem.
Kenny Roberts knew that challenging the Japanese establishment would be expensive and difficult, but the Modenas KR-V3 has exceeded even his dire expectations. Jean-Michel Bayle’s eighth-place finish at Mugello was respectable given the task, but Kenny Jr. has been having a particularly tough time. Attempted innovations have resulted in failures, and Roberts is not satisfied-even the Modenas pitbikes have proven troublesome!
The Triple has a small frontal area, but ducting to the underseat radiator has proven inadequate. Wind-tunnel tests have dictated a fairing redesign, expected in time for the Dutch TT. Engine vibration has also been cause for concern, and a lack of flywheel has haunted Kenny Jr.’s corner entries. “KR carburetors,” believed to be closely related to fuel injection, operate through a pressurized fuel supply instead of traditional float bowls. Given the other problems, the inevitable niggles caused by this system are unwelcome. Roberts doesn’t rule out a complete redesign, or more. “We’ll build a V-Four if that’s what it takes,” he said.
If one sure way to achieve GP success is to ride a Honda, another, apparently, is to be one of the Aoki brothers. There are three of them, and what a trio they are! Nobuatsu, 25, is the oldest and most experienced. He made his GP debut in the 250cc class in ’92, and although a winner in that category, he has shown greater potential on a 500. A front-row regular in qualifying and twice on the podium, the eldest Aoki and his NSR500 seem > made for each other.
Haruchika, 23, is the youngest and most decorated Aoki. Twice 125cc world champion, he’s moved up to 250s this year. So far, his best finish is sixth, very respectable for a newcomer in a class with several established masters.
Middle brother Takuma is the latest Aoki to hit the GP scene. He rides a factory Honda NSR500V, and more than once has led GPs in his freshman season. -Michael Scott
Parity in racing, World Superbike-style
A new FIM rule pertaining to World Superbike competition requires a machine to race at its homologated displacement. This means Ducati’s 996 SPS can be run, but the previous 955 and 995cc versions of the 916 cannot. Besides meeting the new requirements, the 996 avoids the 1.75mm cylinder-liner thickness that caused so many blow-ups last season; the new engine has a larger cylinder-stud pattern. Despite the displacement growth, though, valve sizes have remained the same. This has continually boosted midrange acceleration to the point that Carl Fogarty has been heard to complain of too much midrange.
Another recent rule permits homologation of alternative induction systems, and Ducati’s latest is a pair of giant 60mm injectors. On the question of power, sources differ; some say the bigger engine and smaller valves add up to reduced peak-power rpm, and that new 98mm forged pistons can crack after two hours of hard use. Others say that revs remain as high as ever, and power higher.
Halfway through the AMA Superbike season, Daytona questions still stand. Were Ferracci’s bikes off the pace because of this piston situation? The new engine is said to overheat at sustained high speed; yet the bikes were fast in ’96, if short-lived. The new bikes display three-core radiators and new, corrugated-tube oil coolers. Time-and more data-will tell. -Kevin Cameron
Springer masters Mallory Park
Dirt-track legend Jay Springsteen proved his pavement skills by beating several great names from roadracing’s past during the annual Past Masters race at England’s Mallory Park, held in conjunction with the Leicestershire circuit’s traditional post-isle of Man TT meeting.
Springer won one leg of the two-race event, topping former grand prix stars Graeme Crosby, Wil Hartog and Phil Read, as well as fellow U.S. legend Gary Nixon.
Similar to the BMW Battle of the Legends at U.S. events, Past Masters participants ride identically prepared machines, in this case Triumph T509 Speed Triples. Although the races are “fixed”-no one is allowed to lead more than two laps-it’s every man for himself in the final dash to the flag.
Read, whose first roadrace was at Mallory in 1956, won leg one. Then, in the second race, amid damp conditions, Springsteen slid his way to victory ahead of the seven-time world champion. “I guess my dirt experience came in there,” grinned Springer. Nixon scored fourthand seventh-place finish-
es, respectively.
Mick Duckworth
