Countdown to a Wide Open Season
Added on Saturday, February 17th, 2001 by Carole Nash Editor
Countdown to a Wide Open Season
The 2001 Grand Prix 500 season looks set to be even more open than last year, with an astonishing array of riding
talent ready to do battle for the race win in every round. As the factories prepare for the revival of four strokes
in GP racing in 2002, it’s likely that the bikes will be fairly evenly matched, with limited development taking place
during the off-season. Those two factors virtually guarantee close racing.
Gentlemen (and Katja Poengson in the 250s), start your engines…
Either way, there will be a good deal of tension on the 250 grid.
CAN THE STALKER LIVE THE DREAM?
If GP results were allocated on rider skill and the will to win, then there’s no question that Chris Walker would
have at least one 500 win to his credit this year. In the world of GP racing however, politics and money often drive
a wedge between ambition and ultimate glory. On the upside, Chris has got two years to prove to Honda that he is the
real deal, which gives him a huge psychological benefit this season - he can honestly regard this as a learning experience
and a few bad results, or DNFs will part of the overall package.
Honda of course have a slightly different agenda from Chris, which is to revive four stroke engine technology in Grand
Prix motorcycle racing - which will then hopefully allow their V5 motor to establish a dominance that Yamaha and Suzuki
cannot match. That ambition allows Honda the luxury of supporting many riders this season, and the next, in the hope
that two or three of them will emerge as truly gifted in the arcane techniques of developing new racebikes —
whether they have two or four stroke engines. The other consideration of course, is money, particularly sponsorship
money which Honda would very much like to have in its back pocket.
Here, stars like Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi and Alex Criville have a good chance of staying with Honda in the
near future, so long as their major sponsors don’t want to play musical chairs too often. To see the importance
of sponsors’ buying power, look at Spaniard Sete Gibernau in the Telefonica Suzuki team, or Olivier Jacque at Gauloises
Yamaha, or the relatively poor, but talented, Jurgen Van Goodbergh stuck at Modenas.
The problem for Chris after the next two years, is that unless a major company decides to support his cause, his GP
career may well stall - unless he has won a couple of GPs by then. Let’s hope he does, Britain needs another Sheene
or Fogarty urgently, preferably one with Sheene’s uncanny ability to generate large amounts of sponsorship cash. The
harsh truth is that when four strokes return to GPs, money will matter even more than it does now in deciding who
rides in each of the top teams.
WIDE OPEN SPACE
The 2000 season was stacked with surprises, jaw-dropping overtaking moves, plus some barnstorming finishes to major
races. There were almost as many winners as races last year and the 2001 season looks just as wide open.
Obviously Roberts and the Telefonica Movistar Suzuki squad start out as favourites, but the level playing field this
season should make it a close run thing. Suzuki must also contend with having Spaniard Sete Gibernau alongside Roberts.
Sete may well decide to go 110% at any home GP, regardless of team orders, but Roberts is probably skilled enough
in pitlane politics to effectively relegate Sete to the sidelines during crucial races.
Suzuki’s main problem of course, is Honda, who not only have the superbly talented Valentino Rossi on board, but are
also supporting Walker, Barros, Capirossi, Criville and Ukawa. Any of those riders is capable of staying with Roberts,
on the right circuit, on the right tyres, which will make life interesting. In addition, many Honda riders will be
only too aware that the prestigious V5 four stroke project is just around the corner - and wouldn’t you like to be
part of something that may well make GP history ? Even Roberts himself may consider that scenario which will persuade
everyone to impress Honda with their ability to win races. Honda like winning races.
If the 500 GP championship was run between just two riders this season, then the Red Bull Yamaha team have the pairing
of the century; Noriyuka Haga and Garry McCoy. Whatever the secret plans for Yamaha’s four stroke GP effort - which
must be exciting now that Toyota owns a percentage of Yamaha - both McCoy and Haga have much to prove on their V4
two strokes this year. Consider this; if the battle between the Red Bull guys is an awesome prospect from a spectators
point of view - imagine how it looks to the other riders who have to overtake them…
THE BEST OF THE REST, THE BEST OF BRITISH TO THEM…
British interest is of course centred on Chris Walker and the Shell Advance Honda squad, but team-mate Leon Haslam
is another lad well worth watching, assuming he gets any TV coverage. Leon had a rotten year on a less than impressive
Italjet 125 in 2000, but his talent to learn rapidly makes him perfect for GPs. Leon may only be a teenager, but he
has been riding - and racing bikes - since he could walk. He also has a family who protect him from the GP political
mind games, which undo many a young prodigy.
Which brings us to Jason Vincent, an exceptionally fast racer in our opinion, who has the usual sponsorship problem
of being British to contend with. His team this season is French based Pulse Racing, who are using the V4 Swissauto
engines, in a Kenny Roberts/Modenas chassis. Jay is quick enough to grab a decent result, given some luck, on this
four cylinder bike - he deserves it.
There is another man who also deserves a bit of luck, especially when there is a genuine - no holds barred - race
on the cards; Alex Barros.
A veteran for sure, but the Brazilian shut the doubters up in 2000 with a run of decent results which gave the world
a glimpse of the old late 80s/early 90s fireworks that Alex was renowned for. The Sito Pons team is a kind of second
home for Alex and the Honda is up to the job of winning — Barros may yet surprise the paddock. Let’s hope that
the open nature of this season has a moment in the sun for Mr Barros before he retires
.
He’s long since earned some glory.
The other wild card tip from insidebikes is Frenchman Olivier Jacque, who recently broke his arm in testing at Sepang.
Jacque comes from the nip and tuck world of 250cc GP racing and knows that carefully building up a tally of points
is the name of the game. He is also in the right team for a Frenchman, backed by Gauloises - a state owned tobacco
company. So long as Jacque doesn’t suffer another unlucky fracture, he will be a strong contender by the close of
the season.
The scene is set then for a vintage year in GP 500s. No Doohan domination, no huge manufacturer advantage in terms
of bhp or budget. You want action? You got it. Let’s all make the effort to cheer Chris on at Donington.
The GP circus kicks off at Suzuka in Japan, on 8th April 2001. insidebikes has Sky’s Julian Ryder trackside to
bring all the latest results and news.
