Masterbike Xi

MASTERBIKE XI

Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer

MARK CERNICKY

THERE IS NO MORE COMPETITIVE OR HIGHLY focused sportbike track test in the world than MasterBike. In addition to all the incredibly rapid hardware from the top Japanese and European factories, the rider roster is stacked with racer ringers. Complicating things this year were wet and windy conditions at Circuito Albacete in southeastern Spain. And as if carrying the weight of the (Cycle) World competing in MasterBike wasn’t pressure enough, I was representing Old Glory as the lone American.

Competition is fierce, among both manufacturers and magazines. Thirteen test riders from 11 countries are pitted against each other, all searching for the best times possible so they can make it to the final, where the six fastest riders hot-lap the single quickest bikes from each of the three categories-Supersport, Supertwin and Superbike-for the coveted top prize of MasterBike. Machines entered this year included those from two new manufacturers: KTM and BMW. Would Albacete favor tractable Twins or better suit rev-happy 600 Supersports? In either case, they still would have to match performance against the all-new Kawasaki ZX-10R and Honda CBR1000RR, plus all the other literclass players, including last year’s winner, the MV Agusta F4 1000 312 R.

Organized by Spain’s Motociclismo magazine, the four-day happening began as factory mechanics fitted their bikes with the Dunlop D209 “control” tires, and then did their best to sort suspension settings. Who knew these tires would cause such an unexpected outcome, at least for one manufacturer.

Albacete is no GP jewel like Jerez-host track for the last two MasterBike events-but the World Endurance series races at the circuit and it once hosted Spain’s World Superbike round. This tricky and technical 13-tum, 2.2-mile circuit is completely flat and offers a variety of challenges. There are decreasing-radius high-speed esses, hard-braking-to-hairpin turns that open up on exit, a high-speed kink and a sweet chicane before a fast right and the front straight.

I only got eight or 10 laps of practice before the heavens opened and rain washed us out. It was enough seat time to learn that Albacete and its technical nature would bring out the best and the worst of this field of 2008 sportbikes, as well as the best and worst of the cast of riders who help make MasterBike unique.

Next morning, cold winds blew threatening clouds over our 15-minute warm-up, yet riders pushed hard from the first lap. Example? Jerker Axelsson, a giant Swede who the night before at Hotel Parador was elbowing people aside to be first at the fingerfoods, was out for blood from the outset. On just the third practice lap, as I was overtaking Adam Child from England’s Motor Cycle News on the outside, Axelsson (Motorrad Switzerland) ran it in hard, stood up Mr. Child and took me to the curb!

Kei Nashimoto, an eight-time MasterBike finalist for Japan’s Motorcyclist, quickly found the smooth way around Albacete, while Oriol Fernandez of Spain’s Motociclismo and Jurgen Fuchs of Germany’s Das Motorrad were already flying. As they should be: Both raced World Endurance here in the past.

Albacete’s Critical Corners: Sure, aU the corners are important, but screw these up and your lap is over. Associate Editor Mark Cernicky shows us the way: Turn 1 Go in way deeper than you think you should to set up for the slight left arc that follows. T4 Critical turn-make the exit count because it leads to a very fast section. T5 Don’t be scared! Try not to downshift (but you will...) and then rail. T8 Hard trail-braking to a late apex a necessity for good drive, but the exit is slick-watch wheelspin! T11 Click up a gear after the chicane and try not to brake but just scrub speed on the front.

A big fast turn that leads to the long front straight. Don’t blow it!

The faster I went, the more people in the paddock reminded me that MasterBike wasn’t a race. But everyone knows who’s in the top six-and in the end, only those six, and the three quickest bikes, make it to the final. It’s not a race?! Yeah, right.

Supersport was the first timed category. The catch was that

the quickest six riders during practice went out first-and got to run on new tires. I just squeaked in with the sixth-fastest practice lap and rode my stint on the Kawasaki ZX-6R. Its best traits were chassis balance and an unmatched ability to change direction. Pablo Berardi {Motociclismo Brazil), who set his best time on the Kawi, said, “Minimal forward weight transfer means it doesn’t change the way it steers even when braking hard.” The downside was slightly flighty front-end feel when diving into comers. The key to a good lap time was momentum; keeping the 6R’s engine revving and chassis rolling with high comer speed was essential. I didn’t care for the wooden brake feel (a complaint lodged by many) but this would be my second-quickest run in the class-a result of the ZX-6R’s composure through the chicane-on its way to third place in Supersport. My second spin was on the Triumph Daytona 675, and after five fun laps I was sure my quickest Supersport time would be on this lone British machine. Fernandez enjoyed the 675, too. “I love the maneuverability of the chassis and how much lean angle can be used,” he said. “And it is easy to control at the limit because of the linear power.”

Next came the redone-for-’08 Suzuki GSX-R600, which was plush, relatively speaking, and well-balanced. Brakes, chassis and stability were awesome, with good feedback at both ends. “The Suzuki is easy to ride,” said former Grand Prix star Randy Mamola, on hand once again as master of ceremonies. “But the setup is just not as aggressive as some of the other bikes. The power is good but not great.” Despite Suzuki’s claim of increased low-to-midrange torque, the engine had to be kept on the boil and the tach needle hugging the 16,000-rpm redline. Even so, the GSX-R600 was a little slow off two important second-gear corners. This emphasis on revs rather than torque kept the Suzuki from being a frontrunner. Not a single rider set his personal best time on this otherwise-likeable bike. It finished fourth in category.

Honda’s CBR600RR suffered from poor setup-Honda staffers worked on appearance, not adjustments. First-round bikes on new tires were allowed tire-warmers but the CBR’s were taken off too early. The bike’s strength is its low-end torque, which allows it to pull harder from lower revs than the others. Predictable brakes didn’t fade and chassis stability didn’t falter. Where did the Honda lose? Cornering clearance! It was dragging the footpegs everywhere and wanted to run wide. I let it. Trying hard, sliding out of the chicane, my rear tire touched the paint and I almost high-sided myself back to America. We all had the same complaint, and no rider set a personal best on the Honda, holding it to fifth in class, last place, an unfamiliar ranking for the bike that’s been CWs Best Middleweight for two years running.

Yamaha’s YZF-R6 is so aggressive on turn-in that at first I had trouble getting comfortable. It’s also got a very GPbike-like feel with its sloped handlebars and extreme riding position. I kept my head down and my arms close to my body because I felt if I didn’t, I’d have dragged my elbows! From halfway up the tach, the engine pulled hard to redline. Once I adjusted to its right-now, no-windup handling, I loved the chassis. I was able to step out the rear under braking as I slipper-clutched my way to my fastest Supersport time. Others had similar feelings: Said former GP racer Fuchs, “The R6 is my favorite because it’s like a racebike with lights.” Eight more riders agreed, and the speedy R6 would represent the Supersport category in Thursday’s MasterBike final.

Now onto the 1000s and serious power. In the Wednesday

morning Superbike warm-up, Fuchs came past me in a blur. No surprise, really, because he was fresh off two wins and two lap records in the German national roadracing series.

His tires seemingly sizzled as he rode! Fernandez, on the other hand, took unusual lines and appeared to be struggling. For the Spaniard, it was tire contrast-he’d spent the last three months testing MotoGP tires for Michelin, so his brain was simply trying to get a “grip.” Axelsson just forces bikes to do what he wants-a motorcycle mugger. Although we all had the same goal of ultimate speed, everybody took a different path to get there.

I was assigned first to the MV Agusta. It was equipped with new tires and full fuel, and when I tipped into Turn 1, lap one, the front end tucked a little. I got on the gas to pick it up only to have the back start coming around! I closed the throttle and the MV hooked up, shaking my feet off the pegs. Wow! What next? I gathered myself up and made sure I put some heat in the tires, an easy task on the 312 R with its amazing speed on the straightaways. The burly Italian slows even faster thanks to its reassuring Brembo brakes. Transitioning into some corner entries often was uncomfortable for me due to a resistance to turning while trail-braking. Getting a drive on the MV was also tough because its initial throttle delivery is abrupt, which forced me to wait a little longer after apexing before firing out of corners. Despite all this, the MV inspired some riders, as two set their personal best on it. Alkiviadis Synioris, “The Greek,” who writes for Moto and races an MV, was one of them: “I would have been even faster but the setup was bad,” he declared. Mexico’s Supersport Champion Jonathan Gomez, riding for Mexicociclismo, said he loved the raw power. “The engine is quite fierce, and it feels like a racebike with its aggressive nature.” But the 2007 MasterBike winner struggled to fifth at the complicated Albacete circuit.

The MV’s antithesis is the GSX-R1000-easy to ride fast, with nice suspension and lots of reassuring chassis feedback. Its throttle feels like it has a solid connection with rear-wheel traction, and the transition from braking to acceleration is friendly. Fuchs continued his run as top rider on every bike until the GSX-R1000 when Fernandez-clearly with his mental tire issue sorted out-bested the Motorrad rider for the first time. Oscar Peña, the second Motociclismo rider alongside Fernandez, set his personal best literbike time on the GSX-R. “I was comfortable because power delivery is as controllable as a 600’s,” he explained, adding with a laugh that his motivation was to beat me and be fastest actual journalist. Most MasterBikers are hired-gun racers who come to the event with a keyboard jockey in tow. Peña was also the first to say MasterBike isn’t a race but first to tell you your times.

Quick times by Italian Alex Gramigni {Moto Sprint) and Axelsson pushed the Suzuki to third place in the Superbike category. Had there been an award for Mr. Congeniality, though, it would have won!

It was nice to jump directly from the 1000 onto the GSXR750, thrown into the Superbike mix because Motociclismo thought it might be the perfect compromise for Albacete. It had supple suspension, solid braking stability and predictable traction feel-almost like traction control after dealing with the tire-punishing 1000s-but the 750 lacked the power to punch toe-to-toe with the big bikes. And, as I carved my initials into the pavement with the pegs, it was clear that cornering clearance was an issue.

Nashimoto enjoyed riding the middle Gixxer, saying, “It’s like riding a really fast 600.” No rider set a personal best on the 750, relegating it to sixth in category.

Then jet-lag hit my concentration like heavy, wet clothes.

I felt like / was the 750-where was my missing 250cc? But I climbed aboard the ZX-10R anyway and was comfortable, lying on the tank, reaching forward to the racy clip-ons.

The 10R felt like it could be ridden like a 600 because of its super cornering clearance-but it’s not a 600! Beware of the throttle at full lean; engine torque instantly had the rear Dunlop sliding. Every MasterBiker had this experience and commented on the Kawi’s vague throttle connection and distant sense of available traction.

Down the front straight, I stared at the 100-meter board for my braking reference. On the 10R, I had a “defocus” moment and in an instant was in too deep. To recover, I braked so hard I could hear myself grunting, tensing my gut to support myself against the deceleration. My eyes must have been Frisbee-sized, but I also set my fastest time of all the literbikes on the Green Monster.

Three other riders also set personal best times on the Kawi. MCN’s Child, speaking of approaching turns on the ZX-10R, said, “It’s like petting an angry dog: You know it’s going to bite you-you just don’t know when!” Nashimoto’s subtle and smooth style gave him a personal best on the 1 OR, which secured its position as second-quickest Superbike. Last year, Yamaha’s YZF-R1 impressed at MasterBike by setting the fastest outright lap of the whole test. So the fact that it is essentially unchanged from 2007 is not a bad thing at all. The precise, intuitive feel for front traction and ability to steer into comers while trail-braking helped it excel here. And like the R6, it has seemingly infinite cornering clearance. I started riding the front end harder on comer entry. Soft lowend torque-poor man’s traction control-allowed me to pick up early throttle and roll in power that built progressively, until it finally would send the tach upward in a screaming top-end rush. At first, the shock felt too soft and I didn’t like that at all. But the techs firmed up the damping, which helped a lot; the rest was made up with the bike’s handling strengths:

“I have total confidence in the front wheel on the Rl,” said Peña. Meanwhile, Fuchs set his personal best time on the tuning-fork bike, but others were not as fast and the Yamaha was fourth in Superbike.

Flonda had never in the 11-year history of MasterBike won in any category, yet five riders turned their quickest times at Albacete on the new CBR1000RR. Strong brakes and a great fork got the Honda into comers at max entry speed. Excellent cornering clearance let riders take advantage of the short wheelbase and ability to hold a tight line. Acceleration was strong out of the second-gear comers thanks to a combination of throttle response and traction feel-despite the absence of a test rider on site to set up the bike. I asked the Honda tech in the paddock for another click of shock rebound but he refused, saying, “It’s perfect.”

The Honda did perform well, and although the rear would slide, it did so while offering excellent feel for when and how much. Perhaps he should have said it was “perfect enough”?!

Unfortunately, I didn’t make the top six in this group.

It might not be a “race” but don’t you want to win anyway?! Gramigni, who hadn’t showed his speed on the 600s, smoked-off a 1:36.58, the fastest time of the meeting, on the CBR1000RR.

I was on the verge of not making the final. But it wasn’t over yet. Like many, I turn to a Higher Power in times of trouble and started reading in the Book of Romans. I noticed a scribble I’d previously written in the margin: “Focus, Psalms 139.” I read it when I woke up, and during Thursdaymorning practice, I tried to remember the words that had previously given me such peace.

And so came the V-Twins. Ducati had pulled out because,

despite their best efforts, the factory chassis setup guys couldn’t stop the Dunlop 209 front tire from hitting the leading cylinder head of the 1098R during hard braking. Pirelli had first been announced as the supplier for MasterBike this year but couldn’t provide the rubber in time, so Dunlop stepped up. For Ducati, this was an unfortunate move. “Following two days of testing and assessments, we were forced to make a decision we would have preferred to avoid,” said Ducati Communications Director Francesco Rapisarda. “Unfortunately, the type of tires chosen for the test differ from those originally announced. This resulted in considerable changes to the setup of the bike, which has seriously compromised the balance of the machine’s overall performance.”

It was a shame, because the traction-control-equipped homologation special is an incredible motorcycle. It is hard to think it wouldn’t have done well.

And so, I went out first on the BMW HP2 Sport. There are reasons to like this bike for track work: It has an electroshifter and its computer records things like percentage of time spent at wide-open throttle, how many shifts, top speed attained and highest revs on a given lap. Formerly, I had little interest in such extra-large machines when it came time to set a quick lap, but the HP2 achieved surprising speed if it was run one gear higher than on other bikes, letting the big flat-Twin torque its way around. High revs just caused vibration and engine braking that chattered the rear wheel under decel. It was more fun to ride than I’d have guessed, and for me, dragging the sliders on the cylinder heads was the limiting factor that landed the HP2 third in category.

A good night’s sleep cures many ills, plus I like the new KTM RC8 (available in the U.S. this September) and was enjoying its superb handling and linear power. I had a great time on the Austrian machine around Albacete’s 13 turns, and it helped me loosen up and just start riding right. As I pulled off my helmet in the pits, there was Oscar, telling me I’d set my fastest time-a 1:39.17, despite missing a downshift and smoking a knee-puck while catching a front-end tuck. If not for the RC8’s very balky fourth-to-third downshift (it was rough on upshifts, too), I felt KTM’s first go in MasterBike could have been a winner. As things were, it was second Twin on overall points even though it set the fastest time. And, no, the KTM guys weren’t happy.

After my success on the RC8,1 was sure that riding in the second rotation on scrubbed tires and reduced fuel load was a better scenario for me. Missing out on a top-six finish the previous day had actually helped!

The Aprilia RSV Mille, winner of 2006’s MasterBike but little-changed since then, felt heavy when it came off the stand. Stretching into its long-reach riding position was uncomfortable, but the sound and feel once under way were good. The 60-degree Twin’s torque just flat worked. And critical corner entries were made easy with excellent and smooth braking response. Drifting, backin’-’er-in slides down to the apex were only a downshift away thanks to a sweet slipper clutch and sorted suspension. The Aprilia showed again that it was a capable machine by making it to the final this year. Top Twin.

As quickly as the applause for the

Aprilia died, we quick six readied ourselves for the final-yes, my times on the Twins had floated me into the top tier!

“Everything up until now was just qualifying,” event coordinator and Motociclismo Editor Victor Gancedo told me. “Only the fastest times in the final count. Are you ready?”

Instead of pressure, I felt worry wash away. I was back in the game and able to start riding “happy” on the first bike, the R6, having fun with the Yamaha’s precise steering and knife-edge handling, tucking right into its racy riding position. I could dive straight to massive lean angles-no tapering in-thanks to its superb slipper clutch. Incredible rear traction feel helped propel the R6 to competitive lap times, especially in light of its displacement deficit vs. the two literbikes it was up against.

My second Aprilia ride bettered the previous time by nearly a second; I enjoyed every moment of the minute and 39 seconds I was on the bike. But it was edged out of second in overall scoring by the new R6. Third overall in MasterBike is still an impressive result-think of all the amazing motorcycles that finished behind it! The Mille still has great performance balance, and the 60-degree V-Twin is super tractable with throttle response that made traction at the limit easy to read and control. Plus, the harder the bike is ridden, the more it comes into its own. The Aprilia spokesperson’s response to not winning overall? “That’s fine, we’ll be back next year with our new V-Four.” Can’t wait!

But there is only one MasterBike. This year, it was as definitive a victory as a manufacturer could hope for. Not only did I set my personal best time on it, the other five riders in the final also set their best times on the very same machine: the Honda CBR1000RR. Riders praised the chassis for its incredibly nimble handling and its stability, a very hard engineering combination to achieve. The Honda’s light weight also made it easy to stop and transition through Albacete’s complex corners, critical to a good lap time on this technical circuit. Add in the fact that its killer engine had the power to match the nimble cornering with excellent throttle response and drive on corner exits, followed by blistering acceleration on the straightaways. This resounding result was Honda’s first-ever MasterBike victory and proof that these red wings really know how to fly!