Driving report Benelli Tornado 900 Racing

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Driving report Benelli Tornado 900 Racing

The one-man show

Peter Goddard started in 2001 as a lone fighter in the Suerbike World Championship. With a small, dedicated team and an extraordinary machine, he nevertheless caused a stir. MOTORCYCLE drove his bike.

Superbikes through the ages, that means more and more performance, better tires and ever shorter lap times, but also new acoustics. At the end of the eighties, screeching four-cylinders were still in charge, the deep thunderous two-cylinder sound of isolated Ducatis was the exception, frenetically acclaimed by the fans. It now takes an expert ear to distinguish the V2 from Aprilia, Ducati or Honda. And four-cylinder engines only appear sporadically in the front rows. How good that Benelli’s three-cylinder is at least acoustically far ahead and sets new accents.
The unmistakable, hoarse hiss echoes through the pit lane. There are only short bursts of gas to warm up the engine, and yet the aggressive character of this superbike can already be guessed at. The first impression should be confirmed. After the mechanic crew removed the tire warmers from the Dunlop slicks in the now common 16.50-inch format, MOTORRAD is allowed to intensively test the exclusive bike on the Misano race track.
It only takes a few meters to find your way on the silver-green sweetheart. The bench, which rises slightly towards the rear, also gives tall pilots enough leeway. The tornado around the hips looks significantly fuller than the two-cylinder competitor. No wonder, as the cooling air for the cooler mounted under the seat bench has to be directed to the rear of the cladding front via two massive carbon tubes at knee height. The fan wheels planned for the production motorcycle in the rear can be safely dispensed with on the superbike.
As spontaneously as the three-cylinder reacts when warming up, it hangs directly on the throttle on the route. Maybe even a tad too direct. Because with every correction with the right hand, no matter how small, a hard jolt goes through the tornado, which does not contribute to a comforting, safe feeling, especially in a full incline. The noticeably strong braking torque of the 898 cm3 triplet does not make a harmonious driving style easy either.
As the number of laps increases, you get used to the strong load change reactions and begin to explore the performance limit. Whereby the tornado doesn‘t really do justice to its name. The expected hurricane is kept within limits, even if it is queued in seconds through the cassette gear, which is unique in this class. Compared to the two-cylinder superbikes recently ridden by Aprilia, Ducati and Honda, the Benelli lacks a little pulling power from medium revs. So you are constantly tempted to turn into corners at too high a speed in order to have enough thrust on the rear wheel when exiting a curve. However, this trick only works to a limited extent, as the Italian three-of-a-kind loses its appetite at 12,000 rpm and the constant switching leads to unnecessary hectic despite the automatic switch. Peter Goddard has it a little easier because the technicians set the electronic rev limiter to 13500 rpm during the race.
Although Benelli officially specifies more than 165 hp, Goddard’s work device is not a performance beater in terms of driving experience. The fact that the digital tachometer is difficult to read and the even, only very finely perceptible vibrations hardly allow any conclusions to be drawn about the current speed of the wonderfully aggressive hissing aggregate does not make things any easier. Even after ten laps you always find yourself in a gear that is way too small.
On the chassis side, however, the Tornado is not inferior to the competition. Equipped with tried and tested Ohlins products at the front and rear, it impresses with its great handling. Whether when turning on the brake or in full lean, the machine reacts to the smallest steering correction in a flash and with millimeter precision. Only at the exit of the curve does the hindquarters show a bit too soft for a pilot weighing 83 kilograms. With slightly pumping movements, the Italian storms towards the next corner.
Where these very finest Brembo stoppers are once again used. One finger is enough and the pads literally bite into the large steel discs on the front wheel. The controllability is a dream, even until shortly before the apex of the curve, energy can still be converted into heat with a clear conscience. The rear brake can be safely forgotten, since the braking torque of the motor takes over its function. Annoying stamping is effectively prevented by the perfectly functioning dry clutch with anti-hopping system.
The fact that there is a lot of manual work in the Benelli becomes apparent when you stay in the box at the latest. Without a cladding, a large, welded aluminum box behind the cylinder bank, which is used for engine ventilation, stands out. Obviously, the standard case volume was not enough to ensure perfect ventilation. The timing chain tensioner also has a more rustic charm. The component that was subjected to oil pressure in series production was replaced by the technicians with a simple screw with a lock nut.
In order to achieve the smallest possible overall width, the mighty alternator is not sitting directly on the crankshaft, but piggybacking behind the left cylinder. It goes without saying that the oil pan and all housing covers are cast from lightweight magnesium. The frame design, on the other hand, is unusual: two steel tubes on each side are screwed to the solid cast aluminum parts of the steering head and swing arm mounting. The undercarriage gains additional stability from the four-point screwed engine, under which a spotlessly finished three-in-one-in-two exhaust system made of ultra-light titanium is laid. Their elbows are thermally favorably cooled by the airstream thanks to the water cooler placed under the seat. Only a small oil cooler is mounted above the manifold. A solution that allows the engine to be positioned further ahead than the competition’s four-cylinder in-line engines, in favor of a balanced weight distribution.
B.One can only hope that the first 150 limited series machines, which should finally be built in 2002, can celebrate a debut that is as spectacular as it is successful, as did Peter Goddard in the Superbike World Championship.

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