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/128122
Gany McCoy put the Red Bull YanNlba on the podium at Estortl; here, he leads teammate NoriyukJ Haga, who later crashed. themselves just to stay in the same race. It was Capirossi who set the fastest lap - a new record, of course but it was Rossi who made the biggest improvement so far this year in the overall race time: more than 40 seconds faster than last year. The first eight finishers were all inside that time this year. The 11th round took place in baking 30-degree heat and blazing sunshine, watched by a crowd that included Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, a weekend visitor who also sampled the two-seater Marlboro Yamaha the day before the race. He and the 32,999 others saw something of a feast of good racing even though a multiple pile-up at the first comer took out four factory riders - fortunately without injury. It seems to have been triggered by Kenny Roberts Jr. and his Telefonica MoviStar Suzuki when he was forced to lift the bike after being squeezed onto the inside rumble strip. He survived, but teammate Sete Gibernau lying in second place at the time - did not. Alex Barros (West Honda) and Norick Abe (Antena 3 Yamaha) were also out, with Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda) crashing independently nearby, remounting, only to crash again at the second corner when he discovered that his brakes had been damaged in the first fall! Rossi was gleeful after his seventh win of the year, and his second in succession. "I think the team and I did a very good job today,' Rossi said. "We found some settings yesterday evening, and the bike was very, very good in the warmup. Then some other riders forgot to brake for the first corner, and I was lucky to escape. The 43-point lead is a good advantage, although there are still five races to go. What is important is, we have got over the bad patch we had at the Sachsenring.· Capirossi blamed backmarker Brendan Clarke for ultimately spiking his determined challenge. Rossi managed to put the V-twin Honda-mounted teenager between the two on a twisty section of the track, which helped him maintain a gap that had The 250cc GP returned to the season's usual pattern after two Aprilia wins - Telefonica MoviStar Honda's Daijiro Katoh prevailing by more than 15 seconds, breaking the lap record repeatedly as he prevailed over the persistent Marco Melandri, whose MS Aprilia teammate Tetsuya Harada had started from pole but faded to third with tire problems. Katoh's dominance aside, the ride of the race came from star privateer Roberto Rolfo (Safilo Oxydo Aprilia). Forced off on the first corner, he rejoined in 18th and charged through the field to steal fourth place off Jeremy McWilliams in the closing laps. Katoh stretched his points lead to 44, and - like Rossi - looks unbeatable. The day began with a breathtaking 125cc race, where youth triumphed over experience by the narrowest of margins - twice. Victory went to Gilera's teenager Manuel Poggiali, who overtook longtime leader Youichi Ui's Oerbi over the line, to win by just over one-hundredth of a second. A short way behind, points leader Toni Elias (Telefonica MoviStar Honda) fought a desperate last-lap blocking battle with Simone Sanna (Safilo Oxydo Aprilia) to take third by less than two-tenths, the pair swapping positions three times on the last lap alone. This quartet had been together for the first half of the race, the leading pair only breaking free in the closing stages. Championship contenders Lucio Cecchinello (Aprilia) and Masao Azuma (Honda) both retired; only just grown to more than a second. "After that, I wasn't able to reduce the gap again,' Capirossi explained. "When I tried to push more, Valentino was even faster. But I'm happy because I am much closer to Max now, and I will keep on fighting for second place in the championship.' Marlboro Yamaha's Carlos Checa was fourth, Biaggi fifth, and Roberts sixth, equaling his best result so far this season after outpacing Jurgen van den Goorbergh's three-cylinder Proton and Olivier Jacque's Gauloises Yamaha. Caplroaal (85) leada Max B1aggl (3) earty In the race before the Roman c....hed for the second race In a row. auale n • _ 'IS