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N .... Q) ยง -. Kevin Schwantz (34), Michael Doohan (2) a~d Alex Barros (hidden) race for the lead in the Austrian GP. Schwantz barely beat Doohan for the win, his thi.rd of the season. Schwantz takes points lead with win in Austria By Michael Scott Photos by Gold &; Goose SAlZBURG, AUSTRIA, MAY 16 evin Schwantz and some backmarkers won the Austrian Grand Prix at the Salzburgring. The Lucky Strike Suzuki rider cleverly used lapped riders to help him defeat a determined challenge from Rothmans Honda's Michael Doohan. Marlboro Roberts Yamaha's Wayne Rainey was a lucky third, heading Schwantz's teammate Alex Barros by less than a tenth of a second, after the young Brazilian had attempted an extraordinary high-speed fist-fight with a backmarker on the last lap. The return to the fearsome Austrian circuit after an absence of a year yielded the usual ultra-close race which in the early stages had a pack of six bikes disputing the lead. Sadly, the best spectator circuit in the world attracted a smaller than usual crowd of only 35,000 to the superb natural grandstands. Schwantz waited until the final laps to show his full strength after the muchrevived Australian Doqhan had led most of the race. Then he snuck through traffic that this time worked in his favor to lead Doohan home by almost half-a-second. It was his 22nd career 500cc GP win, putting him on level pegging with old rival Rainey, and it also moved him into the World Championship points lead. Schwantz pronounced himself pleased to see Doohan back with the front-runners, while Doohan graciously K 6- refused to blame the backmarkers. "I'd have been closer if they hadn't been there, but it would have been hard to beat Kevin today," he said. He claimed a new lap record as consolation, as well as by far his best result since he crashed at Assen and broke his leg last year. Rainey was thrilled with third, after lagging in practice and coming through from a second-row start, only to lose touch with the front-runners in lapped traffic. Barros had led at one stage, but had also lost touch among backmarkers. Then on the last lap Barros was slowed again, and was by then so angry that he took the time to shake his fist at Spaniard privateer Juan-Lopez Mella. Rainey could hardly believe his eyes, but didn't need a second invitation. He rode right over the white line onto the grass at close to top speed to pass the pair of them, to claim a lucky third by less than a tenth of a second. Much later, he still couldn't stop himself grinning. Rainey's Marlboro Yamaha teammate Luca Cadalora was fifth, Rothmans Honda's Shinichi Itoh sixth, the Salzbw-gring first-timer's speed proving how the simple but fast Austrian circuit favored the ultra-fast Honda NSRs. Australian Daryl Beattie was a lonely seventh on the third Rothmans Honda, with early leader Doug Chandler and the Cagiva dropping to eighth after a variety of problems, including trouble with a sticking throttle that was an uncomfortable reminder of his Malaysian accident. The 250cc GP, utterly dominated by the ultra-fast Hondas, saw an even closer gang fighting for the lead until Rothmans-Honda rider Tadayuki Okada crashed spectacularly in the middle of the group, breaking his arm. This left HB Honda's Doriano Romboni, Marlboro Honda's Loris Capirossi and HB Honda Germany's Helmut Bradl up front. They finished in that order, covered by less than half a second, after a desperate race-long battle. Loris Reggiani used all his veteran's racing wile to slip his Unlimited Jeans Aprilia into fourth at the last lap, leaving Rothmans Honda's Max Biaggi and title leader Tetsuya Harada on the Telkor Yamaha fifth and sixth; with Kocinski bringing the Lucky Strike Suzuki through to seventh after an epic ride to overcome a top-speed deficit at a track where top speed is everything. After the race, Kocinski eyed Biaggi's . Honda and said: "Maybe I should ask Erv (Kanemoto) to put new tires on that thing and let me ride it in the 500 race. I'd finish seventh there too." The 125cc GP was another classic, with the Hondas of Kazuto Sakata, Dirk Raudies and Ezio Gianola disputing the lead well clear of a huge pack. Then Takeshi Tsujimura broke through the pursuit pack, closed the gap on the lead- ers and brought his Honda through to win. FCC Technical Sports teammate Sakata was second, and Raudies third, with the group covered by less than twotenths of a second. 500cc Grand Prix An unusual sight: the red Cagiva of Chandler leapt away into an instant lead, and held it for two laps before Cadalora's Yamaha displaced him for two more. "It was strange to be leading, but I knew they would soon pass me," said Cadalora, a 500cc-class newcomer. "But it was frightening when the Honda came past -like a jet going over you." Sure enough, the usual leaders had formed up behind them, led by Doohan's Honda. But Chandler had extra trouble coming, slowing suddenly at the chicane when the throttle jammed open. He dropped to sixth as he blipped to check its operation, fearing another crash like that -in Malaysia for just that reason. Then when he got going again, out of touch, he suffered the return of practice handling problems that meant he was fighting vicious weaving through the fast corners. Thus Doohan swept through to the lead on lap five, gaining a slight advantage before Barros and Schwantz moved past Cadalora on lap seven, soon followed by Rainey and then Itoh. Doohan was still making all the running, saying later: '1 don't want to say: