Cagiva To Sell Grand Prix Two-Strokes?
CAGIVA TO SELL GRAND PRIX TWO-STROKES?
ROUNDUP
TWO-STROKES ARE DEAD. Long live two-strokes! Just as MotoGP's fourstroke revolution enters its second season, Cagiva announces it will produce for sale 25 duplicates-ycs, duplicates-of the fearsome 500cc two-stroke that carried John Kocinski to victory at the 1993 United States Grand Prix and third overall in the '94 500cc World Championship.
Intended to commemorate the Italian company’s silver anniversary in the bike-building business, the blood-red machines will be built in the Varese race shop by many of the same employees who were involved with the bike on its first go-around. According to company boss Claudio Castiglioni, all of the original castings, jigs and molds still exist.
Last raced by Picr-Francesco Chili at the Italian GP in 1995,
where it qualified third and finished 10th, the 498cc, twincrankshaft, 80-degrce, liquid-cooled V-Four was alleged to produce 177 horsepower at 12,600 rpm. Boasting a hybrid carbon-fiber/aluminum twin-spar frame and a carbonfiber swingarm. the entire bike weighed just 286 pounds.
Beginning in 1988, top Americans Randy Mamola, Eddie Lawson, Doug
Chandler and Kocinski all raced for Cagiva, as did Aussie Mat Mladin, Brazilian Alex Barros and the Italian Chili. Four-time 500cc World Champion Lawson recorded the team’s first win-at Hungary in 1992-while former 250cc GP and World Superbike
title-winner Kocinski topped the field at Laguna Seca in ’93 and again at Phillip Island, Australia, in ’94.
“Production” is scheduled to begin this fall. Price has not been announced, but is likely to reach six figures.
Matthew Miles
