The 43-year-old Brit is returning for 500GP, sitting in for injured Norval. He's riding a very un-competitive Honda V-twin. It looked long as if he wasn't even going to make it on to the grid, but with 20 minutes to go of the first qualifying session, he was 19 (out of 20) and "only" needed to shave 5.5 seconds off his time to take pole. The question is, will he be able to take a point in Sunday's race? 17 years after he got his first point ever in 500GP?
With 15 minutes to go, Ron is now more than 6 seconds behind pole.
While we are waiting for the closing of this Q1 session, let me try to explain just how hard these dudes rides. In my crazier days, I was about 15% faster over a twisty section than my then fastest mate. My bike had more power than his, but was a lot heavier, had poorer brakes, much worse handling and less cornering clearance. His bike, on that sort of road, should be the faster one. On that particular ride, he taxed his outer limits, the brakes turned blue and he heeled the bike over until the tyres slid. I, too, rode my bike to the max and it was very hard work since it was so heavy to turn. Still, I probably had more in reserve than he and abused the bike less as well. How come I was quicker then?
That is hard to tell, but it has to do with being able to brake at the right moment and accelerate at the right time as well as judging the correct cornering speed. Also, it is possible to corner faster with less lean, simply by upsetting the suspension less.
Now, understand that this was very hard riding, sometimes spinning the rear wheel out of corners and always leaning the bike over to the tyre edges and scraping the lower parts of a bike that was very good in that respect back then. The sickening part is that a racer probaly could have outrun me by 20% or even more. I cannot comprehend how they could possibly do that (since I'm so great in my own eyes
), but they can.
I suppose some of you have gone go-carting? I've done it twice, on 10.min session and one 25-min session. I was more than 15% off the lap record the first time out and well over 10% slower on the other. Thinking that somebody like Michale Schumacher could shave another 20% (or more?) off the fastest time boggles the mind, since the very tight and twisty track still can be taken at full throttle on the slow machines most of the time.
Time is out (how it flies when I'm writing), and Ron is on provisional last spot with a 1:45.61, Roberts in pole with 1:39.70
On the grid, its' Suzuki, Yamaha, Yamaha, Honda, Honda, Yamaha, Yamaha, Yamaha, Honda, Honda, Honda, Aprilia, Suzuki, Honda, Honda, Aprilia, Modena, Honda, Honda, Honda
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