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/127994
D o D (Left) The race came down to Alex Criville (3) vs. Max Biaggi (2). Despite constant pressure from Biaggi, Criville was able to win the Spanish Grand Prix for the third straight year. (Below) The battle for third was intense to the finish, with Tadayuki Okada (8), Sete Gibemau (15) and Norick Abe (6) fighting to the very end. Gibemau ended up third. In winning the ninth 500cc GP of his career, Criville completed the 27-lap, 74.21-mile race in 47 minutes and 38.667 seconds at an average speed of 93.452 mph. Last year's record race time was 47 minutes, 21.522 seconds. . Criville beat Marlboro Yamaha's Max Biaggi to the line by .157 of a second. "I was leading the race, and think now I have 25 points, and I have to think about the championship," Criville concluded. Biaggi was a constant threat to Criville, waitii\g for the mistake whicll never came. It appeared he'd make a run in the hairpin on the final lap, but Criville effectively blocked his line. That - and the fact that the Yamaha was down on acceleration to Criville' Repsol Honda NSRSOO - sealed Criville's victory. "We need to work a little bit more on acceleration," Biaggi said, "because we need a little bit more; that's why 1 couldn't attack him." Repsol Honda's V-twin-mounted Sete Gibemau was the second Spaniard on the podium, ta king a third and rna tching his career-best finish. He did it the hard way, fighting to the end with teammate Tadayuki Okada and Antena 3 Yamaha-D' Antin's Norick Abe. There was some pushing and shoving, and Gibernau apologized, but he was happy with his third. Okada and Abe finished within seven-tenths of a second of Gibernau, with Abe getting passed on the last lap. Kanemoto Honda's John Kocinski finished sixth after leading the first two laps. After getting a flier of a start, Kocinski began to fade with tire troubles, front and rear, dropping back to seventh before recovering a spot seven laps from the end when he picked up his lap times. His fastest lap was on the 24th of 27. The team is in dire financial straits, and this may be one of the team's final races (see "Briefly... "~. Seventh went to RegiS' Laconi, the eager Frenchman whose early pace put him in third but burned up his tire and forced him to back off. Luca Cadalora gave the Team Biland GPI MZ its best finish ever, an eighth, getting the better of a racelong fight with MoviStar Honda Pons' Juan Borja, who ended up ninth. Marlboro Yamaha's Carlos Checa was 10th. In his third ride on the bike and his first'in Europe, Proton KR Modena rider Mike Hale was 16th. Aprilia's Valentino Rossi took his first win of the sea- '" '" '" ~