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RACE WATCH

Japanese homeboys win Suzuka 8-Hour

This year, the Suzuka 8-Hour en durance race celebrated its 20th an niversary with...a typhoon! Torrential rains and gusting winds plagued the popular event. Nonetheless, three Americans-John Kocinski, Scott Russell and Doug Polen-were among the top-five finishers. The 8-Hour is the most important roadrace for the "Big Four" Japanese manufacturers. Attendance (a whopping 75,000 with a nationwide audience watching on television) is tremendous, and a victory is guaranteed to boost sales. As a result, bike-makers give the event top priority. Honda reportedly bud geted $10 million for the race, enough for an entire season of GP racing.

Up-and-coming racers have often used the 8-Hour as a springboard to factory rides. Japan's Tadayuki Okada, for example, won the 8-Hour in 1995 and was rewarded with a GP ride. Many top riders, though, aren't willing to risk injury or battle the extreme heat and humidity. Mick Doohan de clined Honda's request to participate this year, saying his right leg (injured at Assen in `92) hurts after more than two hours of riding, and that he would rather concentrate on defending his 500cc GP title.

Others, like Kocinski, consider Suzuka an opportunity. It's no secret the 29-year-old wants another shot at

GPs. "Of course, my main aim is to win the World Superbike title this year, but I think we're in a good position for the 8-Hour, as well," he said after prac tice. Initially, Kocinski was to pair with Doohan's Repsol Honda teammate, Alex Criville. But the Spaniard crashed while practicing for the Dutch GP and injured his hand. Then, Criville's sub stitute, Takeshi Tsujimura, fell in Italy,

so GP regular Alex Barros was called upon to partner Kocinski on the Cas trol Honda RC45.

Other American front-runners in cluded Russell on the factory Yamaha YZF75O and Polen on a Suzuki GSX R750. Russell, who won the event in `93, was teamed with `96 WSB Cham pion Troy Corser. Polen was contracted to ride with Australian Peter Goddard, with whom he won the Le Mans and Spa 24-Hours earlier this year. Cohn Edwards had hoped to duplicate his `96 Suzuka victory, but the Texan's wrist, broken in Italy, had not healed. Besides Kocinski and Barros, Honda had Okada and WSB regular Aaron Slight. Also under the factory umbrella were the Aoki brothers, Nobuatsu and Takuma, and ex-GP rider Shinichi Itoh paired with 250cc GP ace Tohru Ukawa. Kawasaki's ef forts were headed by WSB hotshoes

Simon Crafar and Akira Yanagawa. During Saturday's press conference,

the Dunlop-sponsored riders expressed concern over weather, as Michelin has an advantage in wet conditions. Yama ha's Noriyuki Haga even declared if it rained on Sunday, none of the Dunlop riders would make the podium.

IIUCIS WOUIU 111d1~C LIIC pOUIU!!!. The typhoon hit nearby Shikoku on Saturday night. At the racetrack, strong winds necessitated shelters be arranged for fans who were camping. Anniversary celebrations were called off, and there was talk of shortening the race or canceling it altogether.

Generally, typhoons dissipate quickly in Japan, leaving clear skies and sunshine in their wake. Not this time. Kocinski, who rides well in the rain, turned the quickest lap in Sun day morning's warm-up. Based on improved wet-weather fuel consump tion, most of the top teams revised their pit plans, opting for one less fuel stop. Only Itoh and Ukawa stuck to their original, seven-stop strategy.

At the start, Kocinski quickly worked his way to the front, lapping a full sec ond quicker than anyone else. But on lap 7, he suddenly entered the pits, complaining of a fogged faceshield. "It must have been the humidity," he said. "I've had a little misting be fore, but nothing like this."

Unfortunately, Kocinski's problems were only beginnings Two laps later, he was back in the pits for a new rear tire, re-entering the fray in 55th position. Five hours into the race, the rain per sisted. Itoh and Ukawa led, with hard charging Kocinski and Barros one lap down. Goddard and Polen were com fortably in third, and Russell, the vic tim of a flat rear tire, was fourth.

By the seventh hour, Kocinski and Barros were on the same lap as the leaders. With more than 2 minutes separating them from the leaders, though, victory seemed unlikely. Meanwhile, Russell was waging a fierce battle for third with Kawasaki mounted Akira Ryo.

After 186 rain-soaked laps, Ukawa took the checkered flag. Barros stormed past 2 minutes later. "We never gave up," Kocinski said later. "Still, I'm happy a Honda won." Else where on the circuit, Ryo's ZX-7RR had run out of gas and Russell darted past, only to run wide on the final lap, forfeiting the podium position.

"We were looking for the win here, so it's disappointing to finish fourth," Russell said. "Even third place would have been good for the team, but the track was so slippery, and I had some scary moments. I didn't want to risk crashing and ruin everything."

Polen and Goddard were fifth, one lap down. "ihe conditions were very difficult, and I was concentrating so hard that I didn't even know we were

Lam pkin leads trials chase

in second place during the middle of the race," said Polen. For their efforts, Polen and Goddard locked up the World Endurance Championship. "It's nice to be world champion again," said the 37-year-old Texan. Yoko Togashi

Last year, Spaniard Marc Colomer accomplished the unthinkable: He de throned seven-time World Trials Champion Jordi Tarres. This season, it's another newcomer up front, Brit Doug Lampkin.

Lampkin's points lead has come amongst some controversy. Competi tors are now allowed to do nearly anything they please once they've put a foot down, or "dabbed"-back up, move the bike around, rest, etc.without losing more than one point per incident. (Previously, each dab cost a point, and riders had to main tain forward motion or be given a "five," trials' most severe penalty.)

While traditionalists favor a no-stop ping, forward-motion-only rule, or ganizers prefer the more lenient format, which allows for difficult, crowd-pleasing sections. As a result, riders want greater control over course layout. In Italy, they picketed over safety concerns. - -

Viewing the competition at the U.S. round of the world championships

held at Donner Ski Ranch near Lake Tahoe, California, it was hard not to be impressed by the control and skill with which the top riders negotiated the course. Some consider trials a te dious spectator sport. Hah! These ath letes leap 10-foot crevasses from a standing start, scale vertical rocks and

balance precariously on cliff edges, preparing to lunge over yet another impossible blockage. More than 10,000 fans were in attendance for the two-day event. All left impressed.

Beta-mounted Lampkin was un stoppable on both days, each of which counted as a separate champi onship round. It seems trials runs in the Lampkin family. Between Doug, his father Martin (the first-ever world champ in `75) and two uncles, Lampkins have won the Wagner Cup four times.

Tarres finished a close second on Saturday aboard his Gas Gas, then slid to fourth the following day. Upand-coming Japanese star Takahisa Fujinami was fifth on day one and second on day two, dropping 14 points to Lampkin's five. Spaniard David Cobos was fourth and third on the two days. With four rounds re maining in the series, Lampkin is in command with a 53-point lead over Colomer. The latter managed third and fifth-place finishes.

The top American riders were Jess Kempkes and reigning National Champion Geoff Aaron. Unfortunate ly, neither cracked the top 15. Jimmy Lewis>

Criville on the mend

Alex Criville, the only rider to beat three-time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan this season, may return to racing at the Czech Republic GP. The Repsol Honda rider suffered a se rious hand injury when he crashed his NSR500 during practice for the Dutch TT in early July. "I was shocked when I saw my hand," said the Spaniard. "I knew from the pain that I'd done something serious." Although skin grafts from Criville's thigh have helped speed healing, GP doctor Claudio Costa's initial progno sis-that Criville might be fit for the German GP, three weeks after the inci dent-was grossly optimistic.

Despite his injuries, Criville, who finished second in the 500cc world championship to Doohan last year, re mains a hot property. Don't look for him to share garage space with the af fable Aussie next year, though.

"It is very difficult for me to be in the same team as Mick," Criville lamented. Pitlane pundits speculate Criville will abandon the Repsol squad next year for ex-250cc world champ Sito Pons' Movistar Honda 500 team, on which he would be paired with fellow countryman Carlos Checa. -

Andy Tresser, 1964-1997

Dirt-tracker Andy Tressér of Red wood City, California, died from head injuries suffered during practice for the Rapid City Half Mile in Rapid City, South Dakota. Tresser, the 1996 Peoria TT winner, lost control of his Ducati 750 and struck a concrete wall lining the track's backstretch. The 32year-old was taken to a nearby hospi tal, where he was taken off life support the following morning.