Clipboard
Clipboard
RACE WATCH
Bigger Bang vs. Smaller Bang
Suzuki flew in a new “Bigger Bang” motor and a team of engineers from Japan just in time for the French GP. The engine is a refinement of the original Big Bang concept introduced by Honda and subsequently copied by the competition in 1992. The nickname refers to the fact that all four cylinders fire in close succession, almost like a big Single. This development made the 200-mph GP rocketships easier to master because it reduced wheelspin.
Tight-lipped Suzuki technicians wouldn’t divulge exact details on the new motor, but we can surmise that the revised firing order is even closer than before, making the bike more “tire-friendly.”
Scott Russell took to the new engine immediately at Circuit Paul Ricard, posting times almost a second faster than in pre-season testing and then placing fourth in the race. He noted, “The new engine sounds different, feels different and shakes a bit more, but the power comes on smoother. This suits my style. I can keep high corner speed, and then get on the gas earlier without the rear stepping out violently.”
But Suzuki’s move may be against the flow of technology. Honda is set to take a step in the opposite direction, on the advice of two-time World Champion Mick Doohan, who points out that lap times have hardly changed in five years.
The fix, he believes, would be to move away from the Big Bang machines back toward the meaner-spirited, wheel-spinning monsters of the previous generation.
The Big Bang motor made 500s easier to ride, leading to improved average race times. “But it doesn’t do anything for a single lap time,” contends Doohan. “You can’t open the throttle out of a corner like you could before. The thing has so much torque that if it does spin the wheel, it will spit you straight off. The old ones were running higher up the rev range, and you could use the wheelspin to steer it. They used to go like twostrokes, whereas the Big Bang’s more like a super-powerful four-stroke.”
As if he needs any more advantages, Doohan says, “1 think we may see something new from Honda before the end of the year.”
“Twingles” return to dirt-track
IVhile grand prix roadracing only recently discovered Big Bang motors, American dirt-track tuners have been using the trick at selected tracks for the past two decades.
When six-time Grand National Champion Scott Parker was struggling on slippery tracks last season. Bill Werner pulled out a trick he used on Jay Springsteen’s bikes 20 years ago. In less than an hour, the fabled tuner converted Parker’s XR750 V-Twin into a “Twingle.” By simply rotating the number three and four cams 180 degrees, then spinning one ignition to match, he made the cylinders fire just 45 degrees apart. This created a unique. Single-like sound hence the cute name.
Werner says the revised motor is more forgiving and tractable, so Parker doesn’t need to feather the throttle through corners. Now he can be more aggressive.
Werner’s backroom magic has generally been hush-hush, so why go public now?
After hearing the flat-sounding Twingle this year, a few tuners came to Werner for help in making their motors work like his. The factory Harley mechanic quickly made up diagrams and instructions for his competitors to modify their bikes. This in turn became the basis for a full-scale factory bulletin.
Now, most of the front-runners (except veteran holdout Steve Moorehead) are riding Twingles when track conditions become slippery.
Twingled or not, the typically slowstarting Parker is down 29 points to Harley-mounted privateer Will Davis. After six races (three others were rained out) in the 24-round series, Parker says in his defense, “Hey, you can just write me out of the Daytona short track every year. Then, I ran over my leg at LaSalle and sat out the main event, so being down 29 points isn't so bad.”
“I’m tickled to death,” Davis says. “I feel like 1 have equipment on par with Parker’s, so we just need to continue being consistent.”
Doohan and Criville re-signed for ’97
The GP rumor mill swung into operation a bit early this season. Pundits said two-time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan would walk away from his allpowerful Honda team and ink a threeyear deal worth $15 million to ride Yamahas with either Wayne Rainey or rival team owner Kenny Roberts. Another postulated that Doohan would retire and take up car racing like fellow Aussie 500 GP champ Wayne Gardner. In fact, what actually happened is almost a carbon-copy of last season’s situation, where the Australian was snatched back from Yamaha at the last minute by a huge Honda offer. He says, “The other team’s contract was so complicated that you’d need 14 lawyers following you around to make sure you didn’t put a foot wrong.”
The 31-year-old champ says, “I’m happy that the decision is made and I’m staying where I’m comfortable.” It is believed that Doohan re-signed with Honda for about $4.5 million. Teammate Alex Criville is believed to have accepted around $1 million, plus the assurance that he’d receive the same equipment as Doohan. Criville admitted to being approached by other outfits, but wanted to continue with his current team.
One of these Honda riders seems to have a lock on the ’96 title, as Doohan is 57 points ahead of Criville, who in turn is 12 points ahead of Luca Cadalora. Seven rounds remain in the series.
GSX-R750—Supersport king, Superbike prince
Suzuki’s new GSX-R750 has taken 750-class sportbikes to a new level, yet has had mixed success on the racetrack.
When Vance & Hines found out that a stock GSX-R750 streetbike went as fast as its championship-winning YZF750R supersport bike in pre-season testing, it pulled the plug on Tom Kipp’s title defense. Knowing they were in trouble, team owner Terry Vance says, “After we dyno-tested what was on the market, we felt that it would be in our best interest to concentrate on the Superbike class.”
Kawasaki made it a bit further into the season on the new-for-1996 ZX7R. While running 10th in 750cc Supersport with three rounds remaining, though, Muzzy Kawasaki yanked Doug Chandler out of the series. With Chandler in contention for his second Superbike title, team boss Rob Muzzy, says, “I figured there was everything to lose and nothing to gain in the class.” “The thing has good speed,” Chandler says of the supersport bike, “it just doesn’t have the acceleration off the corners.”
Muzzy confirms that excess weight is the supersport ZX’s biggest problem. “Being 55 pounds heavier than the Suzuki, it’s obvious our bike’s not in the hunt. If they weighed the same, the ZX-7R would be there,” he says.
The Kawasaki’s weight is not a problem in the Superbike class. When modifications are almost unlimited, it’s feasible to bring the bike down near the AMA-mandated 355-pound minimum. In this arena, the GSX-R has been outmatched by more developed machines, including the limitedproduction ZX-7RR.
Yoshimura’s Pascal Picotte, who leads the supersport series and stands fourth in Superbike, analyzes the situation succinctly: “Suzuki made a great streetbike, but not a competitive Superbike. Kawasaki did the opposite. My bike is lacking a bit everywhere, especially in midrange power. I think Suzuki put more emphasis on the World Superbike team this year. It’s not my team’s fault, we just need more help from the factory.”
This may be so, but the GSX-R is experiencing troubles abroad. In fact, World Superbike riders John Reynolds and Kirk McCarthy have yet to break into the top 10 on their factory machines. Team Manager Simon Buckmaster defends the GSX-R. “New bikes have to be developed and refined continually,” he says. “We’re clearly heading in the right direction.”
Sadowski makes F-USA comeback
Former AMA 600cc Supersport Champion and Daytona 200 winner Dave Sadowski is back after injury sidelined him for most of last season. In addition to winning a round of the TransAtlantic Challenge in Britain and doing color television commentary for Prime Network, the Georgian found time to run away with both Formula USA legs at the newly repaved Brainerd International Raceway.
Followers of the “run-what-ya-brung” series have seen four men on very different machines take double victories at each of the rounds so far: Yamaha TZ250-mounted Rich Oliver won the first two races at Willow Springs; Doug Chandler and his now-claimed 750cc Muzzy Kawasaki Superbike scored a pair at Daytona; Fritz Kling, on a hybrid Yamaha FZRlOOO-motored YZF750, took the Road Atlanta races; and now, Sadowski, on a Mike Velasco-tuned Honda CBR900RR, aced Brainerd. Through consistency, Team Valvoline Suzuki’s Tray Batey leads the series on a GSX-R 1100. U
