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/128110
Wor ld Championsh ip Roa d Race Series R o u n d S : C a t a lu n y a n G rana Prix • • (U Alex Crlvllle (2 8 ) leads Max Blaggl (3 ), Valentino Rossi 146) and Carlos Checa. Criville ended up finishing 11th after a near crash m id-race In tum one. po intment to me in front of my own f ans , and Frida y 's crash d id not im p ro ve my humor. Now I feel m uch , much better. " Top rookie Shinya Nakano on the Gauloises Yamaha was fourth , equal ing his best results from earlier this year after yet another front -row start. He had overtak en an inspi red Sete Gib ernau on th e T elefonic a MoviStar Suzuki on th e last lap , after what ma y well have been the rid e of his life. In spite of a sp eed de ficit ( "I was onl y ever o vert ake n on t h e str a igh t" ) Gibernau h ad been b attl ing fo r the B y M ICHAE L S COTT P HOTOS B y G O LD & G OOSE MONTEMELO, SPAIN, JUNE 17 he Catalunya n Grand Prix was a hot race in every wa y - b lazing sunshine, fiery racing and a fin ish tha t saw the first sev en riders across th e line in less than five seconds - Valentino Rossi at the front for the fou rth time in th e six -race-old season . It got hotter afterward, as tempers flared and fists flew as the top three riders climbed the stairs to the rostru m . The Nastro Azzurro Honda rider 's d eadl y riv al Max Bi aggi and his Marl bo ro Yamaha was second, with Loris Cap irossi's West Honda third fo r an all-Italian rostrum. Ca pirossi m a n ag ed to k eep his coo l, but an altercation between Rossi, T 28 .JUN E 27 . 200 1 • c u e • e Biagg i and Rossi's m ana ger Givo Paddioli flared up into a full -blow n fi stfight on the stairs (see Briefl y ...) . Rossi's win had been con v in ci ng , after he was pushed wide into the first comer, fi nishing the first lap down in 12 t h p lace . He m o v e d stea d i ly through a tightly pa ck ed field of fac to ry riders , joini ng the leading pa ir of Capirossi and Set e Gibern au on th e seventh o f 25 l ap s, and taki ng th e le ad on the 13th. From th en on he pulled awa y steadil y , throttling back on th e last lap so that an adva nta ge of almost four seconds was just o ver 2.5 as he st ood high on the footpegs over the li ne. "It was a very important race and a very important v ictory ," sa id Ross i afterwa rd . " M u g ell o [whe r e h e cras h ed twice] was such a disap n e vv s lead for most of the race , with Rossi the only rider able t o get away convincingly. Antena 3 Yamaha 's Norick Abe was sixth, then came Repsol Honda 's T oh ru Ukawa in sixth, still less than five seconds beh ind the leader. On ly nine seconds away , Marlboro Yama ha's Carlos Checa j ust p ipped Jurgen van den Goorbergh 's three-cylinder Proton, repass ing the fly ing Dutchman in the closing st age s. Van den Goorbergh had a slow start from th e second row, but for a second race c augh t up the leading pack of V-fours , and even passed some of them - a go od ome n for the fo rthc om ing races at A ssen, Doningto n Park and other twisty circu its, witho ut a long straight like that at Cata lunya. The day brought fresh disaster for the beleaguered World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. , also troubled by the Suzuk i's speed deficit. He crashed out of fifth on only the fourth of 25 laps. " It was a case of try ing too hard too so o n - I d i dn ' t w an t to l et the lead ers get awa y , and I o ut b raked