Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Right) After a first-lap incident with Mick Doohan that left the reigning SOOCc World Champion In the gravel and out of the race, Biaggi (6) rode to a sixth-place finish. Regis Laconi (55) was just behind at the end. (Below) Tetsuya Harada (31) leads Valentino Rossi (46), Jeremy McWilliams (9) and the rest of the 250cc field. Harada led the race from start to finish. fending pH Takeshi Tsujimura's Semprucci Yamaha over the line. Jay Vincent had been with this group but dropped away in the closing stages for a creditable eighth. Roberto Rolfo was 10th, with just 16 finishers. Sebastian Porto-Stefano Perugini and Noriyasu Numata were among those who retired, the last-named after crashing and rejoining. Harada extended his title lead, with 104 points to Capirossi's 90. Ukawa (62) moved past Rossi (60) into third, with Jacque fifth on 56. 125cc GRAND PRIX through nonetheless to arrive in third on lap 17. As he pulled away, Fuchs followed him at a distance, and they held this ord er to the ·finish. For the other three, the battle went almost all the way, McWilliams leading the group until Cardoso managed to slip underneath into the slow S-bends before the climb up the hill. The game wasn't over yet - until they ran into the first corner for the last time. Aoki left his braking too late and lost the front wheel One more for Doohan T he usual 1998 battle for pole position was a little different at )arama, because it wasn't just the usual Honda gang. Luca Cadalora was not just in the thkk of it - he was actually ahead ,,~th some 10 minutes to go. TI,en Doohan went out for hi> normal late-session charge on new tires and edged ahead. It was his fourth pole af the six-race season, and the 54th of his career. It was narrowly achieved - by less than two-tenths of a second - though by 1998 series standards this is a yawning gap. Nter the first day of practice, the first 12 riders were within nine-tenths of a second; and though it stretched out slightly on the second day, there were still nine riders within one second. Doohan was casual as usual. Pole had not been important, but he was glad to get it; he'd been concentrating On tire testing and getting the race setup right. As for the bumpy track, it was the same for everybody, and he was not so sure that it wasn't better than the last time there were here. "There was a place where the bikes used to get launched, and this time i~s not happening," Doohan said. This may have been a comment, of course, on improved suspension. On the other hand, only the first two riders were faster than john Ko inski's 1993 pole time, set on a Cagiva, which suggested that in fact the circuit, much used for truck racing, was a bit worse than before. . Cadalora was delighted with his second place. "I was going far pole, but when I saw someone had gone faster, I knew it was Mick," the Italian said. The Yamaha was a good base bike, and worked well, but he wasn't sure if he could race at the same pace hehad practiced. "Tha~s a bit difficult," he said. right underneath McWilliams, bringing both of them down as Cardoso escaped. A livid McWilliams remounted and finished ninth - a poor reward for a good day's work. Luis d' Antin inherited sixth, just Third went to Checa, who wore a puzzled frown and was a full half-second away. "We have been making suspension changes all through practice, and '1 am still not completely happy," fhe Spaniard said. "I try some more things tomorrow morning. The gap on the leaders is quite big on such a short track." Final front-row man was Alex Criville, who had looked wild several times in practice but said it was only "because I was testing different front forks." Leading the World Championship for the first time in his life, he was acutely aware of the pressure of the hopes of his home fans. "1 don't think the race pace will be as fast as practice," he said. ''If it is in the 1:33s, I will be able to stay with Mick and whoever else i up there." Row two was highly unusual - led by two more Yamahas, ridden by the Red Bull pair who were well ahead of their usual form. Simon Crafar had even been in tI,e top four for much of the session but he ended up sixth, behind his teammate Regis Laconi, who put in a flier at the end of the session. Then came Kocinski, who struggled through practice and went fast only at the end. His Honda was sandwiched between Yamahas, witl, Norick Abe eighth, completing row two. Nobuatsu Aoki was knocked down from an earlier fifth overall to ninth by the finish, the Suzuki still up with the fast bikes but at the back of the group. This represented a big improvement from day one, however. "We fitted a harder rear spring today witl1 some new damper settings, and it went faster right away," he explained. Only then came Max Biaggi, down in 10th for his first-ever time not on tlle front row. He blamed a bad gearing choice. "I chose a first gear that was too high, so I was losing time out of the hairpins, and also because I was then in second gear for such a short time before changing up again. I~s a mistake, but we can fix it," he said. Ralf Waldmarm was 11th, with jurgen van den Goorbergh 12th and the top V-twin Honda closing off row three. Only then came Alex Barros' V-four, the Brazilian strangely detuned; Sete Gibemau's works V-twin was next; then cam juan Borja and Mac Honda's Masao Azuma took the early lead, but soon it was Giansanti and Manako making the most of running at the head of a gang of 10 that only started to spread out at about halfdistance. By lap 14, there were six left, Azuma having crashed out and the others fading behind. - The next to go was front-row starter Emilio Alzamora, who lost power and stopped by the side of the track, brokenhearted after his first strong performance this year. Then the perennially luckless Roberto Locatelli also had problems, pu1li'}g into the pits for his fourth non-finish of the year. Meanwhile, pole qualifier Kazuto Sakata, suffering from a debilitating fever, was also dropprng back__ This left three up front, within inches Garry McCoy -the V-twins not making the expected good showing at the bumpy and twisty circuit. There were only 21 qualifiers - both Kenny Rollerts jr. and Sebastien Gimbert were out after practice crashes. Both had broken bones in their feet, the latter having broken rather more of them than the former. It was anotl,er Aprilia playground in 250cc qualifying, with Loris Capirossi ending up on top by virtue of a first-day time, and Tetsuya Harada nosing up to within less than.a tenth on the second day. Both remembered their 1993 confrontation here, with Capirossi on a Honda and Harada on a Yamaha. The latter had won the race and the championship at jarama. "I have bad memories here, but it was a long time ago. Now my bike is almost perfect, and I am confident," said Capirossi. Harada chimed in, "I don't like this track very mucl" but it is a lucky circuit for me." ... There was a Honda among them - the determined Tohru Ukawa had pushed through to third, and was angered by a uggestion that he had done the time following Harada. "1 did it alone," he aid. But he was not optimistic. "The new engine parts have improved acceleration, but we still lack a lot of top speed cOl;npared with the ApriJias." Valentino Ros i was pushed down to fourth. "Every race this year there seems to be one Aprilia that is not as fast as the other two. TI,is tin,e it is my turn," he said. Olivier jacque, nOw on one ratl,er than two crutches, led the second row, three-tenths down on Rossi and only narrowly al,ead of Yamaha rider Franco Battaini. But the Italian fell and fractured his arm, and he was out of the race. Thus )urgen Fuchs and jeremy McWilliams moved up one place each, and Haruchika Aoki (another to fall) moved onto the second row. Stefano Perugini's works Honda was down in 13th, one place ahead of Noriyasu Numarn's Suzuki. There were 26 qualifiers.

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