Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Valentino Rossi won the pole position for the first race of the year the hard way, emerging unscathed from two practice crashes to take the pole in the first race of the year with a breathtaking final lap. With less than three seconds covering all the qualifiers, this was the closest-ever grid in the premier class in the 53-year history of Grand Prix racing. The last-ever 500cc World Champion had crashed once on Friday and again on Saturday, then waited until his last lap of the second qualifying session to steal the pole position from fellow Italian Loris Capirossi, the pair at the top of a grou.p of 12 riders all on the same second. "This pole position is more important for me than normal because I arrive after two crashes and I'm very happy," Repsol Honda's RC211V-mounted Rossi said after setting the new lap record of 2:04.226 on the slightly shortened track. "The first mistake Friday is more normal because, when you go near the limit, is possible," he said of his lowside crash, which may have been caused by gusting wind. "With the computer, I go inside only 3 kph [1.86 mph] faster than lap before, I lose the front. Is possible." Rossi crashed on Saturday morning after running along the curbing, then onto the dirt when he tried to tum in at the following left. "This morning, I don't know if I feel the pressure of the slip because the mistake was very, very stupid. We try something new in the bike, but was a little bit worse. I tried to continue, but I go to brake where don't have the track. This is a problem and crash for the second time." a clear victory over fellow countryman Daisaku Sakai in the rainsoaked event. Sakai, 20, stayed close until the closing stages, when he lost touch, finishing 6.941 seconds adrift on his RS-250 Honda. "It's very difficult to compete with the other GP machinery in dry conditions, so I suppose I had a big advantage in the rain," Sakai said. Third, 22 seconds back, went to Frenchman Randy de Puniet, on the Campetella Racing Aprilia. Then came Fortuna Honda Gresini's Emilio Alzamora and Petronas Sprinta Yamaha TVK's Sebastian Porto, 45 seconds behind the winner. MOTOGP Very few of the riders in the premier class had any rain experience on the new four-strokes. Checa had three laps, and Shinichi Itoh had some time testing the RC211 V in the rain. All the others would get was the 20-minute warm-up session. The times from that would prove deceiving. Off the start, it was Suzuki's Japanese Superbike Champion Akira Ryo in the lead, trailed by fellow Rossi patiently followed wild-card rider Ryo - riding the Suzuki GSV-R four-stroke - until the 16th lap, when he was finally able to get past the local rider In the chicane. countryman and veteran Shinichi Itoh. Both had tested their respective four-strokes and were rewarded with wild-card rides. Then came Gauloises Yamaha Tech 3's Olivier Jacque, but not for long. The Frenchman was judged to have jumped the start and was assessed a stop-and-go penalty which he'd serve on the sixth lap. Rossi said that, on his last qualifying effort, he tumed a 2:04.6 the first lap out. "I think is possible the pole position, but when I pass through my board, P-4. What's happened?" What happened was that Capirossi had gone to the fore. "Better I try another time and make 4.4, but anyway P-2. At the end, I try to make the last lap, the tires start to slide a little bit but not much, it's okay," Rossi said. "I take the slipstream of [Max] Biaggi on the backstraight and, with this wind, for sure is help and I make pole position. Four point two (2:04.226) is fantastic time." "If I gave him a tow, he can buy me a pizza," joked Biaggi after qualifying fifth. Capirossi showed that two-strokes aren't dead, at least not for now and not on this cold and blustery afternoon at the Suzuka Circuit. He held the top spot until after the checkered flag, then watched from this garage as Rossi clocked his flyer. That he was that close was an accomplishment for the Honda NSR500 rider, given what he'd seen not all that long ago. "The first time I see the four-stroke in Malaysia, I cry a lot because the level is big," said Capirossi, last year's pole winner here, after turning his 2:04.409. "This track I don't see a lot the difference. The condition is the same for all the riders." Capirossi was the beneficiary of Michelin's giant leap forward. The French tire company brought out a taller tire that offered more grip on the center, but less on the edge. It was the same tire Rossi used to clock his best time. Third fastest was the surprising Shinichi Itoh on the wild-card Team HRC Honda RC211V. Itoh hadn't taken part in a grand prix since Motegi in 1999, but he looked on the pace here. Part of it was that he's been part of the development and test team of the new Vfive since its inception. And he's spent many hours circulating around the Suzuka Circuit. "When I came out of the last corner and saw my name on the third place on the leaderboard, I couldn't believe it myself," he said, his best lap a 2:04.435. The last time he was on the front row of the grid was at the 1995 Italian GP at MugelJo. Following the three Hondas came the Yamaha YZR-Ml of Marlboro Yamaha's Carlos Checa. Checa put his results to the new chassis brought to Suzuka to improve steering and traction. "At the beginning, we had some trouble also with the new chassis and at the end today, especially today, we had a good rhythm, a good feeling," he said after his best lap of 2:04.450. "I was able to improve my lap time and be so dose with Valentino [Rossi] and the people here [on the front row of the grid]." Checa used a qualifying tire for the fast time. Just off the front row was Checa's teammate Biaggi. The Italian had been as high as second before gradually falling down the ladder. His time was only 0.006 of a second behind Checa. "We made a few more changes and today was better than I'd expected," the Roman said. "We made the bike a bit quicker, doing a lot of work on rebound damping. I feel the setup is more mine now but we did lose some stability and I still feel like I'm losing time in the same places - comer entry and on changes of direction. I could've come in near the end of the session to get a set of softer tires, but I decided to keep going with the race tires because we'd learn more that way." Daijiro Katoh, the non-defending 250cc World Champion, was sixth fastest on the Fortuna Gresini Honda NSR500. Telefonica Movistar Suzuki's Kenny Roberts Jr. ended up 10th fastest after being up as high as fourth in the standings. He admitted qualifying could have gone better, but was more concemed about Sunday's race. "I have yet to find a race tire that gives me what I need for a continuous fast lap time," he said. "We have two different machine setups to try tomorrow, to help the tire I want to use for the race." Hopkins fell for the second time on the eighth lap. He'd fallen the first nau. Gibernau pressed Checa until he finally drove around the outside exit- time on the second. This time, he ing the hairpin on the 10th lap. Ryo knew Rossi was there and was waiting for him to make his By then, Rossi had moved into third with Checa fourth and fellow Spaniard Sete Gibernau fifth, the pair entered the pits, had a footpeg replaced, and soldiered on to finish 12th and garner four points in his GP debut. Rossi moved by Itoh entering the about 1.6 seconds back. On the seventh lap, Biaggi went chicane on the seventh lap. "When I arrive with Itoh-san, I down, followed soon by Roberts Jr. Roberts Jr. said that the heat from decide to wait because the two wild cards go very fast, know the track, the four-stroke was fogging his visor. As that improved, Nakano came by. "We both got into the Spoon curve a know the condition of the track under the rain," he said. After making the pass, he set out bit hot and I was real wide, and when I tried to turn, even though I felt like I for Ryo, who was a little over a second in front. The pair soon began to edge away from the rest, Itoh alone at couldn't go much slower, the front tucked under and I was down," he said. move. "Toward the middle, I thought Rossi was in the back and I was waiting for him to take over and waiting and waiting because I wanted to see his race strategy, but he took his time," Ryo said. What also delayed his ascent was the Suzuki. The GSV-R was stronger 00 the drives out of the corners. Part of it was the powerband and part was the Dunlop tires. Rossi said his RC211 V was more difficult to control the moment, then Checa and Gibercue I e out of the corners. n e _ lIS • APRIL 17. 2002 11

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