Newsgroup: it.sport
Titolo: Dorna NEWS - Lucky Strike Riders

5 July 1996 - 17:00 CET
First Qualifying Practice
LUCKY 'RING new boys pick up the pace
Team Lucky Strike Suzuki riders Scott Russell and Terry Rymer both 
claimed top-ten positions in a streaming wet first day
of practice for Sunday's German GP, quickly getting to grips with a 
track that is new to both riders.
Russell had been fastest in the "untimed" session in the morning, 
proving the fastest of learners as he found his way round the
modern circuit, built adjacent to the historic Nurburgring circuit.
Neither he nor Rymer, substituting for a second successive race for the 
injured team regular Daryl Beattie, had even seen the
circuit before.
Russell's best time was just over a second off provisional pole 
position, held by class rookie Kenny Roberts Junior.
Defending champion Michael Doohan was eighth overall.
SCOTT RUSSELL: Sixth Position - 1:57.510
I guess I like the track. It's dead easy to learn. I was still feeling 
my way round this morning, then I put on intermediate tyres
at just the right time to set best lap. Alex (Criville) was in the same 
position, but he seemed a little scared of the conditions.
The track is difficult. There are a lot of new patches of tarmac, and 
they seem real slick when it's fully wet; and you have to
be careful all the way round. But the grip seems to come back quite 
quickly when it starts to dry.
I'm using the same bike I raced to fourth at Assen last weekend, using 
chassis settings we put in the night before and raced
without testing them. It's all to do with steering geometry, and we've 
got a good in-between feeling that's neither real stable
nor real twitchy. It means the bike's better for me than it's ever been.
TERRY RYMER: Tenth Position - 1:59.048
I know which way the corners go now, but I'd much prefer to learn the 
track in the dry. Wet conditions require different bike
settings and brakes and all sorts of things, and you don't learn 
anything about how the bike or the track will be if it does dry
up.
I'm happy so far, though. The bike feels good, the way we had it in 
Assen; and I'm working well with the team.
This is just like the last race for me - a ride I wouldn't have had if 
Daryl hadn't been unfortunate enough to get hurt. So it's the
same again, no pressure. I just want to make sure of finishing. Any 
result is better than not riding at all.
GARRY TAYLOR - Team Manager
We're running a depleted team. Scott's regular race engineer Stuart 
Shenton has had to stay at home, as well as mechanic
Tim Palmer. Hamish Jamieson, who is usually Beattie's race engineer, has 
taken over Russell's bikes, and Rob Toomey is
standing in with Rymer's crew. So far it's going well.
It's a bit surprising to see Scott on top in the first session - usually 
he starts off slowly and gets quicker and quicker as the
weekend goes on. If he does that here he'll be hard to catch!
http://www.speednet-pro.com
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6 July 1996 - 19:00 CET
Final Qualifying Practice
FRONT-ROW RUSSELL AIMS FOR THE TOP
Team Lucky Strike Suzuki riders Scott Russell and Terry Rymer qualified 
on the first and second row for tomorrow's German
GP, continuing the team's revival of fortunes begun with fourth and 
seventh places at last weekend's Lucky Strike Dutch GP.
The pair had qualified 15th and 12th, but overcame their problems in the 
race.
Russell, running inside the lap record, had earlier been leading the 
final timed practice, which was effectively cut short by rain
shortly after the mid-point of the hour-long session. By then, the 
American had been narrowly pipped by Honda riders Alex
Criville and Michael Doohan, and was working on getting back on top when 
a heavy shower drenched the twisting 2.83-mile
circuit.
Third equals his best-yet qualifying position, achieved at Donington 
Park last year, and is his first front-row start of the year.
Neither he nor Rymer, substituting for the injured Daryl Beattie, had 
even seen the Nurburgring circuit before. Rymer, who
was fourth fastest earlier in the session, is in only his third GP on 
the Suzuki, and the fourth in a long career, mainly on
four-stroke machines.
Rain was a problem throughout the two days of practice, as the Eifel 
Mountain weather produced a string of showers; with
more of the same forecast for race day.
SCOTT RUSSELL - Third Position, 1:41.078
I need to win the race tomorrow. But I know that will be very, very 
difficult. This is my best qualifying position this year, but I
hope to go better still at the next race, in Britain. With Stuart 
Shenton away, I've been working with Hamish (Jamieson,
usually Beattie's race engineer). He has a different approach, and it's 
pretty relaxed in the pit.
We were using my Assen chassis set-up yesterday, but we've changed it a 
little to the steering geometry Daryl used to win
here last year. It's a bit steeper and pulled back, but it's not too 
twitchy. It feels good. It's not bad for my first time here. You
have to be careful, with the cold conditions, and maybe allow a lap more 
for the tyres to warm up. But I'll be going for it
tomorrow.
TERRY RYMER - Seventh Position, 1:42.067
I'm happy. I'm still learning the bike as well as learning a new track, 
but I'm feeling quite confident. I've been working all the
time with just one of my two bikes, to simplify things; and working on a 
race set-up. With more experience I'd probably use
two bikes. We're using the same basic set-up as at Assen, with a couple 
of little changes. It's a good starting point. The worst
thing about the track is the patches of different surface. They have a 
different grip, and in the cold it's hard enough to get the
tyres biting well anyway.
My old team-mate Rob McElnea has been out on the track spotting for me, 
and helping me out. That also helps at a new
track - there's things you can see from the trackside that are harder to 
notice when you're riding, and he can also see how the
other top works riders are tackling different sections.
GARRY TAYLOR - Team Manager
It was obvious that the weather was going to change, so we went out hard 
from the start to get good times in as early as
possible. We'd have gone even earlier if they organisers hadn't advanced 
the starting time by five minutes without telling
anybody. Scott is going as well as we always knew he could. It's 
particularly good to see Terry going so well in only his third
race on the bike. Neither of them have ever been here before, so we 
didn't know what to expect. So far, they've done us
proud.


7 July 1996 - 18:00 CET
Race
STRONG FOURTH FOR RUSSELL IN DAY OF DRAMA
Team Lucky Strike Suzuki rider Scott Russell scored a second successive 
fourth place in today's German GP, in another
strong ride as he leads the improvement in the factory Suzuki team's 
fortunes.
The American rider, former World Superbike Champion, moved closer to 
fifth place in the world championship with the
result, and is now only three points behind Japanese GP winner Norifume 
Abe.
He started from the front row of the grid for the first time this year, 
but lost several places in a near-crash in the second corner
on the first lap. He quickly made up ground to tag on to the five-bike 
leading group, moving through to fourth at the finish.
But temporary team-mate Terry Rymer, riding in place of the injured 
Daryl Beattie, did not finish. The British rider fell heavily
in the warm-up lap, innocent victim of another rider’s crash. The race 
was started then red-flagged immediately: Rymer
bravely restarted on his spare bike, only to fall again while lying 
tenth, as he speeded up on a spare bike set up for a possible
wet race.
Rymer injured cartilege on his left ankle and broke his left little 
finger in the spectacular warm-up crash, but did not hesitate to
rejoin the race.
The race was won by Italian Honda rider Luca Cadalora, from the similar 
machines of defending World Champion Michael
Doohan and team-mate Alex Criville.
SCOTT RUSSELL - Fourth position
I'm happy with the position. I lost three or four places in the second 
corner of the first lap, when I had a big slide, and I lost
some time passing some guys I shouldn't have had to pass. But in the end 
I don't know that I could have been any higher than
fourth, so it'll have to do.
The front was pushing on me a bit, and that kept me honest the whole 
race. I could close up on the leaders, but I couldn't
attack them, and when they picked up the pace a bit I had to let them 
go. But I'd been able to catch up Roberts Junior's
Yamaha, take him for fourth, and keep ahead of him.
Now I'm really looking forward to the next GP at Donington Park. It's 
one of my best tracks. I should be in the top three
every race, and maybe a bit better there.
TERRY RYMER - DNF
The first crash was really nothing to do with me. Someone fell in front 
of me and his bike came across into mine.
I really wanted this race, so I forgot the pain and had another go. I 
was just getting moving when I lost the front and fell again.
At least I didn't hurt myself any more.
GARRY TAYLOR - Team Manager
It's been good and bad today. Scott went very well - he went a second a 
lap faster than Daryl Beattie did when he won here
last year. So we know that the bike has improved and that Scott is 
pushing hard.
Terry had a couple of really lucky escapes. He didn't deserve anything 
like this, and it was really brave of him to decide to get
straight back on the spare bike after his first heavy crash. He didn't 
even pause for a second.
His injuries - cartilege damage to his left ankle, a broken left little 
finger and bruised hands - would have stopped most people;
but when he had his second crash he was matching the lap times of the 
leaders.
