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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127940
(Left) The 125cc
Grand Prix battle
was intense, with
Noboru Ueda (2)
holding off
Tomomi Manako
(3), Mirko
Giansanti (32) and
Masao Azuma (20)_
(Right) Ueda was
naturally pleased
with his first
victory of the
season. He is now
third in the series
point standings.
Tsujimura (1:32.159);, 15. LuCAl Boscosuro (1:32.216); 16.
Kazuto Sakata (Apr); 7. Frederic Petit (Han); 8. Angel
Nieto Jr. (Apr); 9. Masao Azuma (Hon); 10. Arnaud
Vincent (Apr); 11. Stev-:, Jenkner (Apr); 12. Lucio
Cecchinello (Hon); 13. Cianluigi Scalvini (Hon); 14.
Jaroslav Hules (Hon); 15. Ivan Goi (Apr); 16. Emilio
AL1.amora (Apr); 17. Yoshiaki Katoh (Yam); 18. Paolo
Osamu Miyaz..1ki 0:32.244); 17. Jason Vincent (,.:32.283);
18. Luis d'Antin (1:32.578); 19. Noriyasu Numata
(1:32.661); 20. William Castes (1:32.824); 21. Franco
Battaini (1 :32.879); 22. Federico Gartner (1 :32.908); 23.
Shahrol Yuzy (1 :33.528); 24. Davide 8u1ega (1:33.691);
Tessari (Apr).
25. Yasumasa Hatakeyama 0:33.710),
500 QUALIFYING, 1. Mick Doohan (1:28.225); 2.
Max BiaggHl:28.410); 3. Carlos Checa (1:28.698); 4.
Time: 41 min., 34332 sec.
Distance: 26 laps, 62.2 miles.
Average speed: 89.978 mph.
Margin of victory: 0.277 sec.
Kyoji Nanbn (1:28.7571; 5. Yukio Kagayama (1:28.925); 6.
Tadayuki Okada (1,28.954); 7. Norid< Abe (129.096); 8.
obuntsu Aoki (1:29.218); 9. John Kocinski! (1029.224);
US WORLD C'SHlP POINT STANDINGS lAtter Z 01
15 rounds); I. Tomomi Manako (36); 2. Kazuto Sakata
10. Alex Barros 0:29.312); 11. Simon Crafar 0:29.374);
12. Norihiko Fujiwara 0:29.632); 13. Ralf Waldmann
(35/1 win); 3. Noboru Veda (25/1); 4. Masao Azuma
(23); 5. Masaki Tokudome (21); 6. Mirko Ciansanti (20);
7. Lucio Cecchinello (17); 8. Frederic Petit (14); 9.
Gianluigi Scalvini (13); 10. (TIE) Nobuyuki
Osaki/Roberto Locatelli/ Angel ieto Jr. (11); 13.
(1:29.707); 14. Sete Gibemau (1:29.727); 15. Juan Borja
(1:29.938); !6. Garry McCoy (1:29.967); 17. AleX Criville
(1030.036); 18. Jurgen van den Gombergh (1030.065); 19.
Kenny Roberts Jr. (1 :30.292); 20. Sebastien Gimbert
(l :30.690); 21. Matt Wait (1 :31.367); 22. Doriano
Hiroyuki lGkuchi (9); 14. Takashi Akita (7); 15. (TIE)
Romboni (1:32.444); 23. Fabio Carpani 0:33.001) 24.
Marco Melandri/ Araud Vincent (6); 17. Steve Jenkner
(5); 18. Yoshiaki Katoh (4); 19. (TIE) Kazuhiro
Takao/Jaroslav Hules/Tvan Goi (2).
250 GRAND PRIX: 1. Tetsuya Harada (Apr); 2.
Tohru Ukawa (Hon); 3. Olivier Jacque (Hon); 4.
Russe! Wood (1 :34.243).
125 GRAND PRIX: 1. Noboru Veda (Hon); 2.
Mirko Giansanti (Hon) 3. Tomomi Manako (Hon); 4.
Masaki Tokudome (Apr); 5. Roberto L.ocatelli (Hon); 6.
Briefly..:.....:..-•_ _
••
Nature lovers had a sad moment during 12.5cc free practice on
Saturday morning, and riders a lucky escape, .when a deadly 5foot long king cobra met an untimely end after being hit by Italian Aprilia rider Gino Borsot. The snake, captured by an alert TV
cameraman. was crossing the track. and paused to bask right on'
tne' racing line. Lucio Cecchinello passed within inches: an.d .the
aggressjve snake reared up, hood .spread impressiVely: A secpnd
late" Borsoi came 'upon the scene with his knee out. "I thought it
was' a piece of deb'ris or tire, ' he said. "I hit it o~ .the head with
my knee. 1.\ Was only the next lap) saw it was a cobra, an.d I'm
'glad' that it came out of the encounter worse than me. _. The
snake, whose bite is usually fatal if a victim does not receive·treat'ment within minutes. was killed insta~tly, and the session was
.red-flagged.
.
.
GP racing's new boss, a· director of Cye Capital .Partners,
paid a first visit to the race in Malaysia. Hardy McLean. who
heads the Lonc;lon head office "Of the firm that is in the process 01
buying Doma, toured the paddock facilities and the pits, escorted
by Dorna officials. He was unable to comment on the purchase,
which is stilr in the "due diligenCe - stage of completion. but said:
"I've seen ·GP racing on lV, but I wanted to see it for' myself. It's
like sex - you can read about jt and see pictures, but it's 'not the
same as haVing the experience.' CVC Partners have offered
about $80 million to buy Doma, which holds a lease on all GP
rights until 2006.
Th~ Johor Bah"; circuit was universally popular with riders, in
Haruchika Aoki (Hon); 5. Loris Capirossi
(Apr); 6. Stefano Perugini (Hon); 7. Jeremy McWilliams
(Hon); 8. Jurgen Fuchs (Apr); 9. Sebastian Porto (Apr);
10. Jose luis Cardoso (Yam); 11. Takeshi Tsujimura
(Yam) 12. Roberto Rolfo (Hon); 13. Noriyasu Numata
(Suz); 14. Jason Vincent (Hon); 15. Osamu Miyazaki
(Yam); 16. Federico Gartner (Apr); 17. Shahrol Yuzy
(Hon).
Time: 42 min., 55.30Tsec.
Distance: 28 laps, 67 miles.
Ave.rage speed: 93.894 mph.
Margin of victory: 1.259 sec.
250 WORLD C'SHlP POINT STANDINGS IAiter 2 01
15 rounds): 1. Tetsuya Harada (38/1 win); 2. Olivier
Jacque (27); 3. Dajiro Ka.toh (25/1); 4. (TIE) Tohru
Ukawa/Loris Capirossi/Shinya Nakano (20); 7.
Haruchika Aoki (8); 8. Naoki Matsudo (6); 9. Jeremy
McWilliams (15); 10. (TIE) Stefano Perugini/Jose Luis
Cardoso (14); 12. (TLEl Yukio Kagayama/Noriyasu
Numata (10); 14. Jurgen Fuchs (8); 15. Sebastien Porto
(7);
16. Takeshi
Tsu~mura
"by
Garry McCoy (Hon); 11. Kenny Roberts Jr. (Mod); 12.
Matt Wait (Hon); 13. Sebastien Cimbert (Hon).
Time: 45 min., 15533 sec.
Distance: 30 laps, 71.7 miles.
Average speed: 95.395 mph.
Margin of victory: 2634 sec.
SOOcc WORLD C'SHlP POINT STANDINGS (Alter
two of 15 rounds): 1. Max. Biaggi (41/1 win); 2. Carlos
Checa (28); 3. Alex Criv;]}e (26); 4. M;ck Doohan (25/t);
5. Tadayuki Okada (20); 6. Noriyuki Haga (16); 7. John
Kocinski (l4); 8. Kyoji Nanba (11); 9. (T[E) Nobuatsu
Aoki/Yukio Kagayama/Kenny Roberts Jr. (0); 12.
Barros/ orihilco Fujiwara (9); 14. Jorgen van
den Goorbergh (8); 15. (TIE) Ralf Waldmann/Simon
(TIE) Alex
Crafar (7); 17. (TIE) Sete Gibemau/Garry
(TIE) Doriano Romboni/Matt Wait (4).
McCoy (6); 19.
(6); 17. Roberto Rolfo (4); 18.
(TIE) Choujun Kameya/Osamu Miyazaki (3); 20. Jason
Vincent (2).
500 GRAND PRlX: 1. Mick Doohan (Hon); 2.
Carlos Checa (Hon); 3. Max Biaggi (Hon); 4. Alex
end of last year, finishing a strong seventh in t~ Australian GP.
Since then he has played a major role in testing the all-new 1998
bjke, which is cleariy a big improvement on last year's machine.
By the second day of practice he was ahead of team leader Nobuatsu Aoki and challenging strongly for a front-row start. Switching.
to the 500 team means abandoning his original role as Suzuki factory rider in the important All-Japan 250cc championship, at least
unti.1 Fujiwara retur:ns. Kagayama was second in the series last
year and finished sixth in the 250cc class of the ~ecent Japanese
GP at SvzuJ

