Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

The next group had seen Doriano Romboni's V-twin Aprilia narrowly leading Juan Borja's Elf. Then Gobert, riding unwillingly "at 70 percent" with his front suspension bottoming out, pushed along to join them and get ahead. Another last-lap event reshuffled the order. Gobert misread his pit board and thought he was safe in ninth, and eased up a little. That gave Borja the chance to push ahead. Romboni was another three seconds behind. Beattie was next, moving steadily through after clu tch problems left him 22nd on the first lap. Then came Sete Gibernau, in pain after his practice crash, but cle\lr of the lackluster Corser. Jurgen van den Goorbergh took the last point after he pushed his V-twin Honda clear of Jurgen Fuchs's Elf. Another bad weekend for the Marlboro Modenas gang saw Kenny Roberts Jr. crash after four laps. His bike caught fire, but, with great presence of mind, he removed the fuel tank before it could get any worse. Jean-Michel Bayle soldiered on, retiring 10 laps later. Kirk McCarthy crashed on the same lap as Roberts. Doohan took another step forward in the title battle. He now leads Criville by 43 points, 145-102. Okada has 74, Nobuatsu Aoki, 67, and Luea Cadalora, 59. 250cc GRAND PRIX Jacque's premature departure left four riders to escape up front. At first, it was Biaggi ahead of Harada, Waldmann and Capirossi, Ukawa soon dropping off the back after a slide lost him the slipstream. But they were all boiling up in a tight group and, when Harada took the lead for the first time on lap seven, it was only to' be displaced next time around by Capirossi, forging through from third to lead across the line, only to Tun wide and drop back to fourth in the first corner. Biaggi led once more, but it was Harada all the way, in a steadfast performance that showed that, despite his long absence from the front, he had lost none of his tactical skill. "We made some chassis changes this morning that helped a bit, but I have had handling problems all weekend," Harada said. "But my engine was incredibly fast, so it wasn't difficult for me to stay in front." At one point,Biaggi came within tenths of inches of colliding with him when the Aprilia faltered briefly in a slow corner; at other times, both Biaggi and Waldmann nosed ahead either at turn one or at the end of the straight, where Harada- was clearly slower around the fast Signes corner. But power will tell, when it is in the hands of a master tactician, and he was even able to hold off their desperate, last-lap attacks to lead across the line, Biaggi less than a tenth behind with Waldmann on his back wheel. "Rill and I were getting'held up, but I'm not so sad about the result," said Biaggi, who gained vahiable points. "Tetsuya rode well," Waldmann added. "He wasn't the fastest out there, but he was first, and that's what matters." Capirossi's wandering front wheel meant he could do no better than a lonely fourth, eight seconds adrift by the end, but comfortably clear of Ukawa. Then came a lone Haruchika Aoki on the Matteoni Honda - another good finish - although sliding tires meant he couldn't do more than soldier on. Behind him, PR2 Aprilia-mounted Sebastian Porto had another strong ride, (Above) Second-place finisher Carlos Checa (8) gives chase to Alex Criville as Doohan and Tadayuki Okada disappear up the front straight. (Right) Anthony Gobert ended up 10th after shaking Juan Borja (14) early in the race. Gobert may have b4!en ninth, but he misread . his lap board and slowed down on the final lap. • forging through a big gang after a slow start to claim seventh, three seconds ahead of a battling Luis D' Antin (Antena Yamaha) and William Costes (Chesterfield Honda). Edo Yamaha's Osamu Miyazaki was close behind, with Jeremy McWilliams and his QUB Honda right on his back wheel for 11th. The Irishman had crashed for the second time of the weekend on race-morning warmup, after a water hose had sprung a leak for a second time. There were remarkably few crashes. Antena Yamaha's Jose Cardoso and Axo Honda's Cristiano Migliorati were both out after a first-corner melee, and wild card Bertrand Stey also fell. Nastro Azzurro Aprilia's Stefano Perugini, FCC Honda's Takeshi Tsujimura, and Molenaar Suzuki's Noriyasu Numata all retired with mechanical problems. Biaggi stretched his points lead slightly, with 111 to Waldmann's 98, while Harada moved to third on 81. Jacque is next on 61, then Ukawa (52). 125cc GRAND PRIX After all the attrition, the expected great slipstreaming gangs never materialized. Pole qualifier Garry McCoy was also absent from the front, getting away slowly, then being pushed back further as "a couple of desperates" pushed past into the first corner. Rossi's victory was another classic, achieved, however, without pressure from earlier title leader Noboru Ueda. The Japanese rider was in fourth, also coming through from a slow start, when he fell off his Pileri Honda. He remounted, only to pit a few laps later. Meanwhile, Australian Garry McCoy and his Marlboro Aprilia caught and passed Youichi Vi's Kurz Yamaha just after two-thirds' distance. This left room in the points for junior riders. Frenchman Fred Petit (RMS Honda) was a distant fifth; promising young Italian Mirko Giansanti and his Matteoni Honda even further back in sixth. Axo Honda's Gianluigi Scalvini won the closest battle of the race for eighth, from LB Honda's Masao Azuma and former champion Dirk Raudies (Finsco Honda), with Kurz Yamaha's Juan Maturana a close 11th. Rossi gained a valuable break in the points with Ueda's non-finish. He has 120, Ueda 99, with Manako on 71, Sakata 69 and Martinez 57. tN Circuit Paul Ricard Le Castellet, France Results: June 8, 1997 (Round 6 of 15) 125« QUALIFY1NG, 1. Garry McCoy (1,28.774); 2. Roberto Locatelli (1:29.134); 3. Valentino Rossi (10.29.201); 4. Noboru Veda 0,29.223); 5. Katzuto Sakata (1029.231); 6. Tomomi Manako (1029.519); 7. Frederic Petit (1:29,524); 8. Youichi Vi (1:29.542); 9. Masaki Tokudome (1:29.622); 10. Jorge Martinez (1:29.686); 11. Manfred Geissler (1:29.955); 12. Mirko Giansanti 0:29.995); 13. Gianluigi Scalvini (1:30.068); 14. Lucio Cecchinello (1:30.150); 15. Dirk Raudies 0,30.466); 16. Yoshiaki Katoh 0:30.500); 17. Juan Maturana 0:30.737); 18. Nicolas Dussauge (1:30.810); 19. ]osep Sardn (1:30.916); 20. Masao Azuma (1:31.127); 21. Steve Jenkner (1,31.239); 22. Gino Borsio 0,31.509); 23. Angel Nieto Jr. 0:31.689);'24. Jaroslav Hules 0,31.757); 25. Ivan Goi (1031.848); 26. Erie Bizera 0'32.992); 27. Benny Jenenbeck (1:33.504); 28. Fabien Rousseau (1033.517); 29. Vincel\'t Philipe (l :33.818); 30. Patrick Detot (1 :34.765); 31. Mike Lougassi 0:34.778). 250« QUALIFYlNG, I. Olivier Jacque 0,23.059); 2. Max Biaggi 0:23.232); 3. Loris Caeirossi 0:23.236}; 4. Ralf Waldmann 0,23.530); 5. Tohru Ukawa 0,23.852); 6. Tetsuya Harada (1:23.880); 7, Takeshi Tsujimura (1,24.124); 8. Stefano Perugini 0,24.442); 9. Haruchika Aoki 0'24.477); 10. Jose Luis Cardoso 0,25.035); 11. William Costes 0:25.265); 12. Sebastian Porto (1,25.276); 13. Luis D'Antin 0:25.361); 14. Noriyasu Numata O:25.493}; 15. Jeremy McWilliams (1:25.590); 16. Franco Battaini 0,25.623); 17. Sebastien Gimbert 0:25.682); 18. Osamu Miyazaki 0:25.777); 19. Cristiano Migliorati (1:26.304); 20. idalia Gavira (1:26.529); 21. Claudjo Vanzetta (1:27.262); 22. Bertrand Stey (l:27.308); 23. Eustaquio Cavira (1 :26.529); 24. Kurtis Roberts (1 :28.000); 25. GiJles Ferstler (1 :28.373); 26. Frederic Boutin 0,28.403); 27. Franck Poulle (1029.370). 500cc QUAL1FYlNG, 1. Michael Doohan (121.082); 2. Alex Criville (1021.166); 3. Nobuatsu Aoki (1021.380); 4. Tadyuki Okada 0:21.393); 5. Takuma Aoki 0,21.456); 6. Alex Barros 0:21.661); 7. Carlos Checa (1021.707); 8. Luca Cadalora 0,21.710);· 9. Alberto Puig (1 :22.282); 10. Anthony Gobert (10.22.435); 11. Norfumi Abe 0,22.588); 12. Kenny Roberts Jr. (1:22.599); 13, Juan Borja (1,22.696); 14. Doriano Romboni (1:22.810); 15. Daryl Beattie 0,23.155); 16. Sete Gibemau 0,23.184); 17. JeanMichel Bayle (1,23.215); 18. Jurgen van den Goorbergh (1,23.358); 19. Jurgen Fuchs (1,23.480); 20. Kirk McCarthy 0,23.493); 21. Troy Corser 0,23.554); 22. LUClO Pederom 0,23.849); 23. Bernard Garea 0'23.941); 24. Laurent Naveau (l :24.343); 25. Frederic Protat (1,24.696). 12ScC' GRAND PRIX: 1. Valentino Rossi (Apr); 2. Tomomi Manako (Hon); 3, Garry McCoy (Apr); 4. Youichi Vi (Yam); 5. Frederic Petit (Hon); 6. Yoshiaki Katoh (Yam); 7. Mirko Giansanti (Hon); 8. Cianlugi Scalvini (Hon); 9. Masao Azuma (Hon); 10. Dirk Raud.ies (Hon); 11. Jaun Maturana (Yam); 12. Gino Borsoi (Yam); 13. Steve Jenkner (Apr); 14. Josep Sarda (Hon); 15. Angel Nieto Jr. (Apr); 16. Ivan Goi

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