Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127723
ROAD-RACE . ,.W orldChampionship Road Race series _ Round 2: Malaysian Grand Prix World Champion Max Biaggi won his first 250cc Grand Prix of the season in Malaysia. The Italian led from start to finish on his Chesterfield Aprilia. At the finish he was two tenths ahead after being outpowered on the straight again, only to suck Okada into running wide at the next bend. " I rode at -my ma ximum, and I'm pretty happy with second, " Harrada said afterw ard. Waldmann a nd Ruggia were left behind in the last laps, with the German three second s beh ind Ok ad a and t wo tenths ahead of the persistent but frustrated Ruggia. " It was a tough race," he said lat er. "Like mountain biking in a sa una." Bayl e came throu gh a lonely six th , with Aok i th ree seco n ds adrift in seven th. ..... 1-+ 0... -e 24 Then came the next mega-dice - a thriller between d'Antin, Roberts Junior and the rising Jacque, on a year-old kitted private RS Honda agains t th e two '95 works bikes. D'Antin used experience and extra p ower to d e feat th e impressive Roberts; Jacque lost touch in the closing stages. Jur gen vd Goorbergh had been wi th this grou p until near the en d,. the former European vice-cha mpio n (to Biagg il und erg o in g a ca reer renai ssan ce after swi tchi ng from Yoko hamas and Ap rilia to a Dunlop-sh od Maxell Honda RS. Eskil Suter won a three-Aprilia battle for 12th , dropping Juan Cardoso by three seconds in the closing laps. Patrick vdGoorbergh was a similar di stance behind in 14th ; the last point went to Oli vier Petrucciani's Aprilia, after ano ther good battle with Stadler and Fuchs. Doriano Romboni retired his works Honda soon after the start with a burnt-out clutch. Thu s Biaggi to ok a sli m ti tle lead, with 41 points to Har ad a' s 40. Waldmann has 38. 125cc GRAND PRIX The rain that began without en thusiasm after the 500 race su dde nly redo u- bled shortly befor e the sched u led start o f the 125s. They were went out for 20 minu tes of p ractice in wet conditions, then lined u p for the sta rt, at which point the storm became a cloudburst. ' The va riab le co nd ition s mad e tir e choices diff icult. The lucky ones ch os e full wet s, or wet front /interm ed iate rear. A gamble on interm ediates spoiled se ve ral rid ers' efforts, including Dirk Raudies and Loek Bodelier . McC oy had go ne for full wets, and leapt away into an immediate lead . Behind him Perugini emerged from the pack and after four laps was ahead of Saitoh and the fading Raudies; then qu ickly closed up on McCoy. The pair battled va lia n tly, bu t the conditions were getting steadily worse. This cons idered, ther e were am azingly few crashes, with Bod elier a victim of his tire choice on the seventh lap, slid ing off unhurt. So hea vy was the ra in th at at some bends th ere were deep pu ddles at the ape x. " It was pretty da ngerous because you couldn't see the m thr ou gh o u r visors. We'd jus t hit them a nd aq ua-plane through," said McCoy, who was