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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127996
Valentino Rossi
(46) leads
Stefano Perugini
(7) and the rest of
the field in the
250cc Grand
Prix. Rossi had
the race in the
bag until his
Aprilia threw its
chain.
"I was close to taking off over the
handlebars," he said. "I was ready to
race on, but the screen and fairing were
broken so badly that 1 had to pull in."
His teammate Jurgen van den Goorbergh was close behind and watched it
all. Then, on lap seven, his engine went
flat, refusing to rev past 6000 rpm, and
his race was done.
Jean-Michel Bayle retired his Modenas with an electrical problem. His
teammate Mike Hale was already out,
ha ving crashed and injured his hand in
morning warmup.
Criville's second straight win turned
a one-point advantage into 26 points - 79
to nonscorer Roberts's 53. Checa moves
to third on 47, followed by Gibernau's
46, Abe's 37 and Doohan's 33.
250cc GRAND PRIX
Rossi started the warmup lap from
the pit lane after swapping to his spare
bike. He'd had electrical problems in the
morning, and they persisted in spite of
swapping the black box. But he took the
lead on the econd lap after pa ing
faster starters Loris Capirossi and firstlap leader Perugini and then started to
pull away steadily. He was a full second
ahead by one-third distance, and then
the stretched it to four seconds oon
after half-distance as Capirossi started
. to drop away, later blaming a power
drop-off.
'1 knew from the first lap my engine
was not running right," he said later,
though he did claim fastest lap of the
race, just short of the reqlrd.
Ukawa had claimed third from
Nakano on lap four, and as the race
wore on, he started ·to close up on
Capirossi. He was on his fellow Honda
rider's back wheel by lap 20 and passed
him easily on the exit from the fa t corner at the end of the Mistral Straight.
Could he close a four-second gap on
Rossi? Not very likely, though he did
keep pace with him. But in the end he
didn't need to.
As Rossi started his last lap, he
slowed to avoid a slower rider into the
first corner.
"When 1 opened the throttle, it was
as though 1 was in neutral," he said. '1
tried another gear - same thing. 1
stopped and saw my chain had come off
both front and rear sprockets, so 1 could
do nothing."
Thus Ukawa's first-ever win - after
seven second places, three this year
alone - was a gift, which he accepted
happily.
"1 have worked very hard for this,"
he said, "and so has the team. The bike,
the tires - everything was perfect
today."
Capiro si's race had lasted only one
lap more.
"I was riding relaxed - then suddenly
1 was on the ground," ~ said.
He'd fallen 'victim to the left-hander
syndrome, and though slightly concussed he escaped serious injury.
The close fighting had been behind,
with fast starter Jay Vincent struggling
successfully to keep his private Honda
with the faster bikes of akano, Perugini, Battaini and Jeremy McWilliams,
with the last-named getting his '98-spec
Aprilia away ahead from about half-distance..
He seemed to have third place in the
bag, but then, with 10 laps to go, his rear
brake failed, and he was having trouble
holding his line. So when Nakano
closed up in the final laps, he had to ride
even harder to resist the Japanese rider's
pressure. Nakano did nose ahead at the
start of the last lap, but McWilliams'
Aprilia outpowered the Yamaha down
the Mistral, and he was ahead again
when he ran too fast into the first lefthander. The front slid and he was down,
gifting what had become second place
with Rossi's retirement to Nakano. Furious, McWilliams remounted and finished 11th.
The next group were locked together
over the line, with Perugini leading the
Sunday evening after dev",loping complications following a crash . an 'apartment close by to continue hi~ recuperation after e~tensive .
on the first lap of the 12ScC Grand Prix. At first he·",;as diagnosed
surgery last Friday. Three surgeons w<;lrked on the five-time World
· as liaving .only broken his collarbone. but he later iost corisciou's- 'Champion sirriultaneQusly. repairing his shoulder, ,leg and wrist
ness' and was taken into intensive care. Dactors planned a brain injuries sustained three weeks ago at Jerez in a 3 I.t-hour opera·
.
.
..
~
tion. Doohan "s collarbone was. pinned and other work done on
'The GP future of last year's' British Grand Prix winner. Simon scan and said they would not be able to give any definite informa.
damaged tendons in his right shoulder; his left wrist was plated
Crafar. is in jeopardy after the New Zealander has found himself tion until Monday.
'and his rillht leg fitted witli two plates and 12 screws. Doohan
struggling after his. Red Bull Yamaha team's enforced switch to
Aprllia denied rumors that II would quit the 500cc class after a
hopes to be back on the GP. scene at Assen, on June 26. and at
Michelin tires after the withdrawal of Dunlop from the class. Crathe British GP a week later - but to visll rather than race. In the
far crashed in preseason testing and has struggled even to beat poor showing in the first three races for new rider Tetsuya Harada
on the lightweight Y-twin. Harada pulled out of the wet Japanese case of the British.race. he plans to attend the Riders for Health
the Y-twins. at the first four races of this year, He was 14th in
GP. blaming poor performance from his Dunlop tires. and withdrew charity day. Racingwise. he hopes to be fit enough to compete in
Malaysia and Spain. crashed out in the first comer in Japan. and
also just after the start of tpe Spanish GP at Jerez. after gearthe 10th round. at Bmo on August 22. at the earliest. But he has
was 11Ih in France in a race with only 14 finishers. 'I don't know
changing problems on the first lap. "I still have faith in the Y-twin,
told close contacts that he is determined to race again, despite
what to do about it. but I don't think the team can cany on· much
longer with me going like this," Crafar told a TV interviewer. Team and I am sure we can get some .good results this year.· Harada the' severity of his crash.
explained on the eve of the French GP. - But I did not want to con. m~nager Peter CliffOrd said: 'It's a sensitive issue 'at the moment.
tinue in Spain because a gearbox problem can be dangerous. If the Wayne Gardne... and Freddie.Spencer were invited to race
I know that Simon' is not happy any mOre than I·am. It's very puzengine seizes, the rider can pull in the clutch; but if the gearbox at this year's Suzuka 8 Hours race in'a Honda factory dream team
zling,. but w~ hope we can find a .solution, "
locks up. you ca'n. do nothing except crash.· Just "to prove the
- but aneast one' of them has declined. This was confirmed by
After 'the race." Max .Blaggi took.a .heiicopter to Monaco for. point; Haraaa vyas fastest in the first day of practice. when' hig", Gardner, woo visited Jerez and ran a lap of the track on Saturday
surgery c1<;lser .to ·home. on' his badly dislocate'd left Iittie finger.. wil;ds made conditions tr!"acherous. It was the ·first time·a twin-. . on' a -BMW tWin - in his -shirl·sleeves. -I still -miss racing motorcycles and everything' that· goes with it.' the 1987' S00cc World
cylinder 500 has .topped p\