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RACE WATCH
Honda sweeps Suzuka
Hot off near-domination at the Isle of Man, Honda continued to roll through the year’s international racing events, celebrating its 50th anniversary in winning style. Indeed, more than 70,000 fans gathered at Japan’s Suzuka circuit to watch Honda go 1-2-3 at the country’s most prestigious roadrace, the Suzuka 8-Hours.
Seventy-thousand may seem like an impressive attendance figure, but that’s less than half the crowd from the race’s heyday. Some 160,000 fans flooded the circuit in 1990, when four-time 500cc World Champion Eddie Lawson, paired with Japanese hot-shoe Tadahiko Taira, won the race on a Yamaha. But in those days, Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rainey, Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and other big names regularly took part in the event. These days, the biggest names in Grand Prix tend to run away from the event, which is held during the middle of the GP season. It is hot and humid at Suzuka this time of year, and many seek to save their energy for the remaining races in the world championship.
For Doohan, the climate is the least of his concerns. “Passing slow riders is the biggest problem at the 8-Hours; you can’t expect what they’ll do,” he has said. “It’s dangerous.” Still, the entry roster included Americans John Kocinski, Colin Edwards and Scott Russell, plus GP and World Superbike contenders Tadayuki Okada, Simon Crafar, Aaron Slight, Noriyuki Haga and Akira Yanagawa.
Kocinski, who finished second last year with Brazilian Alex Barros, was one of a handful of non-Japanese riders eager to take part this year. His GP season on the MoviStar Honda has been less than successful (his best finish so far is a fourth in the French GP), so he was looking for a change. Unfortunately, the ’97 WSB champion crashed at Jarama, Spain, during the Madrid GP. The resulting skin graft on his little finger meant the Arkansas native would not compete. Doohan’s teammate Alex Criville also was to have piloted one of the Castrol Hondas, but in a sponsorship dispute was not released by his GP backer, Spanish petroleum giant Repsol.
Slight, 1993 and ’95 8-Hours winner, was also absent due to injury. The New Zealander was still recovering from a collision with Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates during the WSB race at Laguna Seca, where he hurt his right shin and foot.
During the week preceding the race, there were more injuries. Barros crashed in Wednesday’s practice when he was hit by another rider, and suffered a bruised left shoulder. Crafar went down during the first qualifying session on Friday morning and damaged his left shoulder and left ankle. “My ankle isn’t too bad, but my shoulder is hurting,” Crafar said after his tumble. “The bike is heavier than my GP bike, and I have to push the handlebar hard and quickly to get it to turn left. The pain is like jabbing myself with a knife.”
On Sunday, at 11:3() a.m. local time, the race began, and the 8-hour clock began its countdown. For the first hour, it was a sprint race among Japanese riders. Okada, still nursing a wrist injury incurred during practice for the Italian GP, recorded the race’s fastest time on lap three at 2 minutes, 11.49 seconds.
After 25 laps, the top teams began to pit. The Honda crew had been practicing pit drills seven days a week, and ripped through tire changes and refueling in a scant 12 seconds. When the pace settled after the first round of stops, it was 250cc GP star Tohru Ukawa leading Yuichi Takeda by 10 seconds. Then came Edwards on another factory Honda, wdth Yamaha’s Haga in fourth, and Russell’s teammate Norihiko Fujiwara in fifth.
The first top-team failure was in the third hour, when the chain on the leading RC45 snapped, forcing Daijiro Kato to push the machine more than a mile back to the pits. Sadly, when the chain let go it damaged the crankcase, and the mechanics pulled the bike into the garage w ith tears in their eyes. Soon afterward, Edwards’ machine began suffering from rear-axle problems, resulting in precious time lost in the pits.
Most entertaining battle of the day came in the fourth hour between Haga and Barros. Haga, who has a reputation as a wild hard-charger, went after Barros, another rider known for his exciting style. While others might have hesitated, Haga and Barros aggressively swapped positions. The battle ended when Haga steamed into the pits with a misfire. His crew swapped black boxes and sent him back out. “It was exciting,” Barros said afterward. “I really enjoyed the fight w'ith Haga.”
At the end of the fifth hour, the pace car came out due to oil on the track. Hondas held the first three positions, and there were almost 40 seconds between third-place Edwards and fourthplace Russell on the Yamaha. From that point on, Russell struggled with engine problems, gradually slipping to fifth at the end of the seventh hour.
With only 23 minutes remaining in the race, Edwards suddenly roared onto pit road, then returned to the track without stopping. His surprised crew donned their fire suits in the event Edwards might pit on the next lap. Okada, who said his hand was so numb he couldn’t even move it, geared up for a rider change. On the next go-around, though, Edwards blew past the pit entrance, riding smoothly and fully up to speed. After the race, Edwards explained that he saw the number 45 on the penalty pitstop board, and pulled in thinking it was for him (45 is his WSB number).
On the 212th lap. Ukawa and teammate Shinichi Itoh made it official: two consecutive 8-Hours wdns, and the first time the same pair of riders had ever w'on tw'o in a row. “I can’t believe we have achieved this for a second year," Ukawa said. "You never know what your fortunes will bring, but it's another win and I'm so happy."
Hondas swept the podium, with Sete Gibernau/Barros second and Edwards/Okada third. Despite considerable effort, Haga and Crafar finished sixth. “I am really tired,” Crafar conceded. “My shoulder was so painful, I couldn’t do any better.” Russell and Fujiwara came home eighth. “I’m disappointed about machine problems, but happy that we finished,” Russell said. “Our lap times weren't so bad, so if we hadn't had the problem we could have made the podium.” Suzuki 's highest-finishing bike was 11th, six laps behind the winners.
Honda’s presence at Suzuka was so strong, the other teams appeared to just fade away. No one seemed to begrudge the company’s success during its half-century celebration. Echoing the sentiment of nearly all non-Honda personnel, Kawasaki’s Team Manager Takashi Ysui said, “It’s their 50th anniversary, so I just say congratulations to them. Still, we finished fourth, fifth and seventh, and that's not bad.”
Yoko Togashi
The Mighty Mighty Bostroms
We knew it was only a matter of time before a Bostrom won an AMA Superbike race; we just figured it would be series regular Ben. But the first Bostrom atop the Superbike podium turned out to be younger brother Eric, subbing for the injured Miguel Duhamel on a factory Honda RC45.
At Brainerd, Eric pulled a slick, penultimate-lap pass down the Minnesota racetrack’s mile-long front straight, getting past his brother and Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking, who had been swapping the lead for most of the race. Eric held on to capture victory in only his second-ever Superbike outing.
The younger Bostrom is already one of the busiest guys on the AMA roadracing tour. The 21-year-old competes in the AMA’s Formula Extreme series on his Erion Racing CBR900RR, while also contesting the 600 Supersport title on an Erion CBR600F3 (Ben pilots a factory-backed 600 in the same series). Since Duhamel’s injury at Loudon, Eric has joined his older brother on factory Superbikes.
Round nine at Mid-Ohio was actually Eric’s first stint on the Superbike. One of the most difficult things was juggling his already full racing regimen. “The way the schedule works, on Friday I was in my leathers for eight-and-a-half hours,” Eric explains. “1 think I rode five hours that day. That was a lot.”
His first taste of the Honda Superbike was initially underwhelming. “When 1 first got on the RC45, it wasn’t superimpressive, because it was like an electric motor. The thing would pull so smooth that I thought. ‘Wow, this thing’s kind of a puppy.’ But it got to the end of the straightaway really fast—it was wheelying in fourth gear and there was nothing I could do about it!”
Considering the impressive talent running in the family, you have to wonder how long it will be before one Bostrom or the other jumps to the international racing scene. “Eric has a contract with American Honda, a twoyear deal, which started at the beginning of 1998 and goes until the end of 1999,” explains Kevin Erion. owner of the Erion Racing team. “Eric doesn’t work for Erion; he's basically on loan to the team from American Honda. I just provide equipment for him. Where he goes in the future is up to American Honda and Eric.” Bens Honda contract is up at the end of 1998, and Miguel Duhamel is signed through 1999.
“I definitely couldn’t be more happy than where I’m at right now,” Eric says. “I've got a lot to learn, but I learned so much just in the course ofthat one race at Brainerd.”
The younger Bostrom hopes to earn a permanent Superbike ride, then a ticket overseas. When his American Honda contract expires in ’99, Eric says he’s not sure if he'll have the experience for World Superbike or GPs: “I don't want to go over there until I'm good and ready. And not just in speed, but in mind. 1 was pretty prepared for the Superbike, because I’ve ridden against all the guys on the 600s, and I’ve beat them all. Then, the 900 got me used to (Superbike-like) power and brakes. But your mind has to be ready.” Eric says the perfect gameplan would involve winning the AMA Superbike title, heading to World Superbike, then on to GPs. “I'd like to do it all,” he says.
-Paul Seredynski
Doohan nabs 50th, 100th for Honda NSR
Mick Doohan’s victory at the new Sachensring circuit during July’s German Grand Prix was his 50th career GP victory. It was also the 100th victory for Honda's NSR500. The two-stroke V-Four made its debut victory 14 years ago. when Freddie Spencer took it to the top of the podi urn for the first time at the I 9~4 Rat ian UP at Misano.
The German GP also marked the beginning of a five-week break in the 1998 schedule, much-needed time for several injured riders. Most astonishing in the recovery category is Carlos Checa, who suffered internal injuries at Donington Park during practice for the British Grand Prix. After what initially appeared to be a season-ending
(if not a career-ending) crash, Checa’s spleen was removed, and then he suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot. The stroke left him partially blind and temporarily paralyzed in one arm.
After emergency surgery to remove the clot reversed the loss of vision and paralysis, physicians said Checa should make a complete recovery, and some of the more optimistic predictions forecast a return for the Czech GP at the end of August. More likely, his return will come at a later race, but it is nonetheless astonishing
considering the initial prognosis.
Also expected back for the Czech GP is Yamaha Team Rainey’s JeanMichel Bayle. The French rider was injured in pre-season testing in Malaysia, suffering a concussion that affected both his vision and balance. Bayle has tested intermittently since the incident, but has suffered from blurry vision and dizziness.
On the machinery front, Brno looks to be the debut circuit for Kenny Roberts’ new “balanced” Modenas Triple. Power output is expected to remain similar, but with fewer vibes, both rider and material fatigue should be reduced. -Paul Seredynski
Gobert to finish season
Australian Superbike rider Anthony Gobert, who was suspended for the remainder of the 1998 AMA season after testing positive for marijuana, will have the opportunity to race again this year.
An AMA appeals board reduced Gobert’s punishment to a three-race suspension (Mid-Ohio, Brainerd and Pikes Peak-the August 9 Joliet round was canceled following a rider protest). The ruling will allow the Vance & Hines Ducali rider to contest the season finale at Las Vegas.
Conditions of the decision state that Gobert must pass another drug test prior to the race. Also, the 23-year-old will remain on probation next season, should he choose to participate in an AMA-sanctioned series.
Gobert w ill bear the costs of future drug screenings, and the appeals board recommended that he participate in a
community service program in the area of substance abuse before the beginning of the 1999 season. At presstime, Gobert was enrolled in a 30-day rehab program in Oxnard, California.
Deaths in the family
Motorcycling suffered two tremendous losses this past August. Dave Coombs, 57, who was a major influence on the growth of off-road racing in the U.S., died August 3 of complications arising from leukemia treatment.
One of the most successful and energetic promoters in motorsports, the West Virginia native created two venues for the AMA Motocross National Championship (Mt. Morris and Steel City), helped develop the AMA National Hare Scrambles series and promoted the legendary Blackwater 100 off-road event, held for 19 years near Davis, West Virginia.
“1 feel a certain amount of dread about facing our future without Dave Coombs,” said AMA President Ld Youngblood. “We can ill afford to lose this kind of leader. We have plenty of achievers in motorcycling, but too few who are also moral and ethical role models.”
Coombs is survived by his wife Rita, and children Tim. Carrie and Davey, editor of the moto-journal Racer X.
Also in early August, three-time NI IRA Winston Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion John Myers was killed in a streetbike accident near his home in Birmingham. Alabama. Reportedly, Myers, 40. lost control of his motorcycle and struck a guardrail. He later died from internal injuries.
Myers won 33 NHRA nationals with George Bryce's Star Racing Team, and never finished worse than second in the Winston Championship. “Over the last 10 years of his life, he and I were probably closer friends than anyone I’ve ever known.” said Bryce. “He was my hero and a champion forever.”
Myers left Star Racing earlier this year with plans to start his own race team. He is survived by wife Kerry and 2-year-old daughter Christina. Donations to the John Myers Memorial Fund can be made in care of Christina Myers, South Trust Bank, P.O. Box 2554. Birmingham, AL 35290. □
