According to Benelli (see release below), Australian Peter Goddard has been testing the new Tornado 900 triple in Italy, with an eye toward a race debut in the World Superbike championship on June 24 at San Marino.
These are the best photos we have seen of the bike, and they include a close up of the unique radiator location (beneath the tail unit).
Benelli celebrates in 2001 its 90th birthday and it is nearly ready for the
come back in the competition with an official Tornado 900 in the Superbike
World Championship.
After two World Championship titles and three winners at the Tourist Trophy
obtained some years ago, after the presentation of the Tornado 900 to the
press of all over the world and the first dynamic appearance at the Isle
of Man last year, in front of thousand of enthusiastic, now Benelli is
making the final step of the tests, in order to complete the Tornado
preparation.
Peter Goddard, the Australian 37 years old rider, former Endurance World
Champion and third absolute at the 8 Hours of Suzuka last year, is living
now in the San Marino Republic at disposition of the Benelli Sport Team, in
charge to take Tornado 900 in competition.
The most challenging step for the drive test started the last 23 and 24
April at the Mugello circuit, in Italy. The first raining day limited the
established program, but the sunny second day permitted Goddard to test for
a long time the bike in the definitive version for frame and cycling parts.
The tests revealed a general behaviour absolutely satisfactory and now can
start the trial of a new engine with more performance than the actual, not
sufficient to take an interesting position in the starting line.
The official Tornado coming-out in the Superbike World Championship 2001 is
fixed on June 24, in occasion of next San Marino Gran Prix, on the track of
Misano Adriatico.
It will be a debut surely difficult, but we hope it can satisfy the large
interest that the public showed since now, considering Tornado one of the
most interesting bike in the world and waiting for the beginning of the
selling.
There is a large waiting also from the specialized world press, that many
times would like to “learn by experience” the Benelli Tornado 900
behaviour, a bike entirely projected by the Benelli Technical Office
starting from a “white paper”, with a three cylinders engine and, above
all, from an innovating cooling system with a rear radiator.
