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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127570
GROADRACE~dQm~~p_b_~_R_~_es_m_'eS_:R_ou_n_d2~~~~~~~~_
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Nobuatsu Aoki (14) battled Tetsuya Harada (31) for the 250cc GP win as Japanese riders continued their domination of the class.
Aoki's GP win was his first and it moved him to second in the championship.
8
finish; while Capirossi said: "The
Japanese are hard to beat in this heat. I
think they are more used to it than we
are."
A second group had been battling
over fifth. Romboni had fallen back while
Kocinski had moved forward after a bad
start, the bike dying momentarily. As in
Australia, the American was riding the
wheels off the Suzuki in the comers, only
to lose it all again on the straights - a
demoralizing business for a lesser rider.
But he pressed on, outpacing Jochen
Schmid's Yamaha and Cardus's Honda to
dose on Romboni by half-distance.
Max Biaggi and the Kanemoto
Rothmans Honda had also started badly.
(Ironically enough he later complained of
others jumping the start, only to be one of
those penalized), and he was also working his way up. The closing laps were
enlivened by an exciting battle between
this trio, with Kocinski dropping off the
back at the finish, and Biaggi moving
ahead of Romboni to claim a temporary
fifth.
Kocinski was disappointed after earlier assuming his horsepower disadvantage would be less of a problem at this
track without a real straight. "I did my
best, but we were out of power:' he said.
"We need to find something soon."
Bradl was ninth, unable to catch up,
but pressing on to fend off Reggiani's
Aprilia by six seconds. The Italian had
been left at the start (another to complain
bitterly of "unprofessionalism" among
over-eager riders); and had worked his
way from the back of the pack past
Alberto Puig on the Ducados Pons
Honda and Pier-Francesco Chili on the
Ve1kor Yamaha at the finish.
Of course, much was to change with
the later imposition of one-minute penal-
only real challenge coming early in the
race from countryman Saito, who obligingly crashed spectacularly and almost
under Sakata's front wheel after only
eight laps. And third went to Takeshi
Tsujimura, Sakata's teammate, who was
alone until the last lap when he was
almost caught from behind by a fierce
dice for fourth.
That was between Noboru Veda
(Honda), Ralf Waldmann (Aprilia), and
Masafumi 000 (Honda), who finished in
that order, with Veda making a small
break at the finish after Waldmann
almost crashed.
Oliver Koch was sixth, while Fausto
Gresini was seventh, overtaking Herri
Torrontegui's Aprilia on the last lap after
the Spaniard suffered engine trouble that
spiked his earlier challenge.
Carlos Giro started the factory Aprilia
from the front row, but was out of luck
again. This time the Spaniard crashed
after six laps, breaking his collarbone. He.
had been lying fifth.
IJ'
ties on Capirossi (provisional third),
Biaggi (fifth), Cardus (eighth), Ruggia
(Aprilia - 14th) and retirees Schmid and
Wilco Zeelenberg (Aprilia). This elevated
Bradl to sixth, Reggiani to seventh; with
Puig, Chili, fast-starting Spaniard Luis
d'Antin and Adrian Bosshard also gaining places. Capirossi was classified 12th,
with Patrick van den Goorbergh up to
13th after a steady ride. Andy Preining
was 14th with Eskil Suter claiming the
last point.
Zeelenberg had pulled out after one
lap, with a broken piston ring that collapsed at the end of the back straight;
Schmid dropped out at the end after running into hopeless sliding problems;
Japanese privateer Suzuki rider
Nobuhiko Wakai crashed for a second
time of the weekend.
The reshuffle also meant an allJap,anese/top-three rostrum for the first
time in modem GP racing. Japanese riders also head the championship table,
with Harada leading Aoki and Kocinski.
125« QUAUFYING, 1. IMk Raud;.. (1:31.951); 2.
Kazuto Sakata (1,32.464); 3. Kinya Wada (1:32.581); 4.
Carlos Giro (1:32.666); 5. Oliver Koch (1:32.87l); 6- Noburo
Veda (1:32.875); 7. Takeshi Tsujimura (1:32.928); 8. Akira
Saito (1:32.951); 9. Ralf Waldmann (1:33.040); 10. Jorge
Martinez (1:33.1U); 11. Hem Torrontegui (1:33.146); 12.
Fausto Gresini (1:33.208); 13. Masafumi Ono (1:33214); 14.
Haruchika Aoki (1:33.229); 15. Oliver Petrucciani
(1:33.231); 16. Loek Bodelier (1'33.267); 17. Erio G;anola
(1:33.480); 18. Julian M;ralles (1,33.765); 19. Manuel
Hernandez (1:33.844); 20. Stefan Proin (1:33.951); 21.
5tefan Kudisa (1034.082); 22. An Molenaar (1034.310); 23.
Lwgi Ancona (1034.4h1); 24. Maile Stief (1034528); 25. Mark
Geissler (1:34.877); 26. Gary M'cCoy (1,35.071); 27.
Manfred Baumann (1 :35.210); 28. Hans Spaan (1:35.564);
29. Neil Hodgson (1:35.986); 30. Lucio CecchineJlo
(1:36.1n); 31. Stefano Caracchi (1:36.610); 32. Giovanni
Palmieri (1:38.387).
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