How To Win A Superbike Championship
HOW to Win a Superbike Championship
RACE WATCH
polen and Russell rate the field, make their picks
Jon F. Thompson
ANYBODY OUT THERE INTERESTed in winning the AMA Superbike Championship this year, listen up. Cycle World recently talked with two of the best Superbike racers on the planet about how it’s done. The news is good. All you need is lots of talent, a great bike, a great team, huge amounts of poise and consistency, and a fair degree of luck.
So, is that really all there is to it? Obviously, no. But those are the high points, agree both Scott Russell (World Superbike champ last year and AMA Superbike champ in 1992) and Doug Polen (AMA Superbike champ last year, and World Superbike champ in 1991 and 1992). These two guys know. They’ve been to the Superbike well. They’ve tasted its waters. Here’s what they have to say about the coming AMA Superbike season, about its riders, bikes and teams.
CW: What does it take to win an AMA Superbike Championship?
Polen: It takes a rider with talent and ability, and he has to have a team that can support his level of riding. And emotionally, he has to be able to keep himself consistent all year. You can see it on the racetrack. The person who can deal with problems and keep his emotions at a constant level is more effective. He’s got to keep his emotions out of the equation as much as possible.
Russell: You’ve got to have the right team behind you. There’s a lot of good competition over here, with Kevin (Magee) and Fred (Merkel) coming. They’ve got the new Honda RC45 and that’s gonna make Honda a lot stronger. It’s just gonna take consistency, and that’s what wins it most of the time. I think the guy who can keep his head screwed on straight and ride smart will be champion.
CW: Let’s take a closer look at the teams and riders. Tell us about the Fast by Ferracci Ducatis, to be ridden by Pascal Picotte, who teamed with you last year, Doug, and Troy Corser,
who won the Australian Superbike championship last year on a suppos edly obsolete Honda RC3O. Polen: I was able to get some idea of what Troy's riding was about when we had practice in Daytona last December. He seemed confident and caught on quickly, and seemed composed the whole time he was there. As long as he doesn’t crash, he should do pretty well. Pascal has already proven he can run at the front, so now it’s down to him maturing so he can put some consistency together and be there at the end of the race. They’ll be on 888s at the beginning of the season, they won’t have 916s. The 888s are quite good, actually, except at Daytona, but until they get 916s I don’t think they’ll be much of a threat.
Russell: I know nothing about Corser, but Picotte showed signs he could do well on occasion last year. He’s got one of the best bikes made under him, and with Ferracci tuning, there’s no doubt the 888 is still capable of winning the championship. The bikes are really good, but it’s not going to be easy. I don’t think either rider has what it takes right now to win. I rate their chances as fair.
CW: Commonwealth Honda, the Smokin’ Joe’s team, will have Mike Smith and Kevin Magee on RC45s. Doug, you’ve just come back from an extended RC45 test session in Australia. What do you think?
Polen: I’d say they have as good a chance as anyone to win the championship. The motorcycle is quite good. I think that Daytona will show everyone what they’re in for. As far as Honda is concerned, after Daytona it only gets better, because the RC45 is in its infancy and it will grow up as time goes on. The Ducati and Yamaha and Kawasaki will all be basically the same as last year, with minor modifications.
Smith probably will do well, he’s got a pretty strong head on his shoulders. He’s maturing, and when the situation is right I think he’ll be able to strike. Magee has obviously already proven, time and time again, that he will be a contender. He understands everything about racing and what it takes to win. I think this team won’t start out on top. But it’ll finish well. I rate its chances as being very good.
Russell: It’s a good team, with good riders and good equipment. Every time Honda comes out with something new, it normally succeeds in winning. I think these guys will be the guys to beat. I know Mike well. He’s fired up. He’s got a point to prove. The same with Magee. He’s won 500cc GPs, but he’s kinda been written off. I think those two are gonna be up front all the time, as long as the bike is as good as everybody says. I also rate their chances as very good.
CW: Over at Muzzy’s Kawasaki team, Fred Merkel, Steve Crevier and Takahiro Sowha will be at the controls. What about that team’s chances?
Russell: I think it’s hard to say. Rob (Muzzy) has always been right there. It’s easy to get lost out there, and it’s good to have him there to settle down with and talk to. But with the World Superbike thing, he can’t be in two places at the same time. The bikes are definitely capable of winning. I rode one at the Daytona test session. I think Fred (Merkel) is really excited about coming back to the U.S. He’s a good rider and he knows what it takes to win a championship. The thing is, it’s real hard now to win. It takes a lot of want and drive. I don’t know if Fred is hungry enough to do it-I didn’t race with him last year in World Superbikes, because he was on inferior equipment. I just hope he gets back on top again. I think his chances are good.
I think Crevier’s chances are good, too. He’s never really had a front-running ride, and now he’s got a good team and good equipment. I hope he does good, for Kawasaki’s sake, and for Rob’s sake.
Sowha’s on his last leg. I hope he does well, but I think he knows this may be the last year. Sometimes that’s all a person needs. 1 think he lacked confidence, but when we did the Daytona test he went as fast as I did, and that really boosted him. I look for good things out of him.
Polen: I think that team has a pretty good combination. The motorcycle obviously proved itself last year in the World Superbike championship with Scott racing it. Fred won’t have a problem understanding the racetracks here. He’s as good as they get; he just needs to establish a good relationship with the team and be able to communicate. I see him as having an excellent chance of winning the championship.
With Crevier, it all depends on whether he gets the same equipment as Fred. If he does, he’ll probably do quite well. But not as well as Fred. Steve’s never really shown a lot of consistency. Emotionally, he’s a little looser than the other riders are, and that hurts his chances.
Sowha is still trying to figure out the routine over here in America, which is a lot different than what he’s used to in Japan. I watched the bike in Daytona, and it’s got plenty of speed. I give him a good chance.
CW: Over at Vance & Hines Yamaha, Jamie James and Colin Edwards will be the pilots. What about that team?
Russell: The bike’s fast, but last year (with this same lineup) they didn’t have a fast rider. I don’t know how much drive Jamie’s got to win again. He’s definitely capable, it’s a matter of wanting to do it. Colin for sure wants to do good, and he définitely has a lot of talent. He rode pretty well last year on occasion, but I think he’s still got a lot to learn. I don’t know what the crew’s all about, and if you don’t have the right package you’re not gonna win. To be honest, I think those guys are gonna have a tough year. I think their chances are no better than good.
Polen: I think this should be one of the top teams. They’ve got a lot of information from last year, and they’ve got a good motorcycle. 1 think you’ll see a big effort from both riders. The bike definitely has the speed, and it looks like it handles quite well. If it gets much better than it is now, it’ll be quite good. So they’re dug in. Nothing’s new to them. There’s some new team personnel, but the riders and the motorcycle are the same, and that’s a good situation. The Yamaha guys will be hot right out of the gate. It’ll be that way all year. I rate their chances as excellent.
CW: That brings us to the Yoshimura Suzukis, ridden by Donald Jacks, Thomas Stevens and Tom Kipp.
Russell: They’re gonna need a lot of luck. The Suzuki isn’t up to par with the rest of the competition. It just isn’t as fast-the whole package is suffering. I don’t know why Suzuki hasn’t made a big push for Superbike. They’re not too worried about it, and that’s what’s killing that deal. I don’t know what Donald’s capable of doing, he got hurt last year and spent most of the season out.
Stevens, I think, won’t go fast unless everything is just perfect. When it is, watch out, he can go quick. But there’s not a lot of times when it’s like that; there are problems, and you have to ride around them.
Kipp-he’s going to have a long year. He showed signs last year he has what it takes, but to be champion, you have to have an all-around better package. When you start out on a bike that’s already behind, you’ve got a long row to hoe, and I don’t think they’re gonna be able to do it, not against the people they have to race against this year.
Polen: With the motorcycle they have, they won’t have a very good chance to win the championship. They don’t seem to be able to get the bike to work well enough to be competitive.
Jacks is coming back from an injury and he’ll start out the season trying to vindicate himself, trying to establish himself as a front-runner.
He never really has been, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the possibility of becoming a front-runner. 1 rate his chances fair to good.
Stevens at times seems comfortable, at times not. If they can put together a good combination that Thomas takes a liking to, 1 see them doing a lot better. But they had all last year to get to that point and they never did.
Kipp is also coming back from an injury, and he’ll be looking to put himself right back in front right off the bat in Daytona if he can. I rate his chances the best of the three. He will ride as hard as possible regardless of the situation with the motorcycle, unlike the other two. Overall for the team, I don’t think their chances are the best-maybe they have the worst chance of all of them.
CW: What about the privateers, led by Dale Quarterley on the Mirage Kawasaki?
Russell: He’s riding good, the bike he had last year was pretty good. I was real happy to see him win last year, but I don’t think you’ll see him win this year. He’s got too many good people to go up against-I just keep thinking about this new Honda with Magee and Smith on it. On the right bike with the right team, Dale’s championshipcaliber, but I don’t think he’s gonna be able to outrun those guys.
Polen: I don’t know, Dale ended up second in overall points at the end of the season. I see his chances maybe diminished somewhat this year because the level of talent at the factory level has increased. The number of people who are capable of winning has increased. That’s what we wanted to see. I rate his chances no better than good.
CW: How do you rate David Sadowski on Team Weathertight’s leased Ferracci Ducati, a ’92 ex-Polen machine?
Polen: The bike should be pretty good. The ’92 was an 851 instead of the 888 and it may be the best choice of all the bikes at Ferracci’s. As a rider, he has a real good chance of winning; we just have to see if he’s got the equipment to do the job. The team is the big question mark. If he has good balance in the team and they don’t run into financial problems, David should have a good chance.
Russell: He’s gonna be good. Dave’s got a lot of heart. 1 know Dave pretty well, and I know he’s hungry to come back and do something. I think on the ’92 bike he’s gonna be behind the 8-ball a bit. I don’t think Doug had the stuff last year that Carl Fogarty had in World Superbike. That’s how (Ducati is). If it’s not a real priority, they’re not gonna bother with it. If they give Dave the new stuff, he’s gonna go good, for sure. If he’s on the old stuff, I think it’s gonna be a real
tough deal for him. One thing about the Ducati, though: Anybody can get on one and go real fast.
CW: Okay, it’s time to name your pick for the AMA Superbike Championship.
Polen: 1 pick Fred Merkel. He’s got the team, rider consistency, experience and equipment.
Russell: I like Mike Smith for the championship; he’s worked hard, and he’s from Georgia. I like that. But to be honest with you, if Kevin Magee’s as good as I think he is, he’ll win it. I’ve seen him in action, I know how fast he can go. When he puts his head down, he’s real, real fast.
That’s how racing’s two greatest Superbike racers read the coming season’s tea leaves. There’s just one unknown quantity left out of the mix. It’s Miguel DuHamel aboard the Harley-Davidson VR1000. There’s certainly no doubting DuHamel’s abilities, but even if the bike does run at Daytona, there is this question: Will this completely new machine, and this completely new team, be ready and competitive for the 1994 season? It ought to be an interesting year.
