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World Championship Road Racing Series Round 4: French Grand Prix Fonsi Nieto celebrates his secondconsecutive 250Cc win after qualifying on pole. back chicane; again he pushed past once more on the exit. "Neither of us wanted to lead onto the last lap," said Nieto, who realized earlier that he couldn't run away and was awaiting a game of tactics. He was obliged to lead, however, and was made sure that he stayed there, while Melandri looked increasingly desperate as he tried in vain to oust the Sparuard. Six seconds behind, Locatelli had closed up again on the sliding de Puniet, but the Frenchman just managed to keep him behind over the line. Roberto Rolfo had been boxed on the early laps and never ·managed to get closer than five seconds to the last of the Aprilias. Had the race been a couple of laps longer, he might have had trouble from Elias, who had a remarkable catch-up ride after colliding with Aoki in the early laps and dropping to 13th. He set third-fastest lap as he charged through, catching Alzamora with two laps to go, and quite easily dispatching the factory Honda rider for sixth, his best result so far in the class. Sebastian Porto's Yamaha had been with Alzamora, but was seven seconds behind at the finish; another eight seconds back, Aprilia's Alex Debon came through to take ninth by inches from Aprilia's David Checa, himself narrowly ahead of Yamaha's Matsudo. Nieto extended his lead, 69 points to Rolfo's 52, with Alzamora on 47, Melandri 45 and de Puniet 42, with no-score Battaini displaced from third to sixth on 39. 125cc RACE The tight track kept the pack close, with accidents and attrition whittling away at a leading group that the leading group, until he crashed out in spectacular style on the 10th lap, just as slow-starting Franco Battaini's Aprilia had caught him up and was challenging. Battaini also fell a little later, leaving a quartet to stretch steadily away, and after half distance away also from one another, Melandri sticking with Nieto, de Puniet and Locatelli falling slightly away behind. Toward the finish, the procession became more exciting, as Melandri closed right up on Nieto with the first of a series of fastest laps on the 15th time round. On the 23rd, Nieto broke the ·record yet again, only for 32 MAY 29. 2002' cue • e 1Ab0ve) Nieto (10) leads Marco Melandri during the closing stages of the race. The two Aprilia riders were In a class of their own and gave the crowd a real show on the final two laps as they swapped positions back and forth, with Nieto securing the win at the line. (Right) Lucio Cecchlnello (4) took his second-consecutive win ahead of Gilera's Manuel Pogglali (i). Melandri to do the same, slightly faster on the following lap. Then came an extraordinary 25th lap. Nieto seemed to let Melandri past at the first slow right, only to dive back inside at the next left. Again he offered Melandri some space into the n _ vw s had been nine-strong at half-distance. Pedrosa led away and held off the pack, led by Azuma, for three laps. The Japanese rider forced through to lead for one lap, and then Poggiali took over for three. But Cecchinello had the speed, cut inside into the fast first corner, and stayed there right until the end, resisting fearsome pressure from Poggiali on the last lap. The pair had a minuscule breathing space in the final laps, after Azuma broke up the pack with a desperate move repassing Vincent into the chicane, pushing the points leader wide and spoiling his chance of a rostrum. It was the second time for Vincent, who had been up to second on lap II, only to be dropped to seventh when Cecchinello's teammate Alex de Angelis pushed past and then crashed right under his wheels. By that time, Honda's Noboru Ueda, the luckless Derbi rider Youichi Ui, and from the leading group Aprilia's Angel Rodriguez had already crashed out, as well as Joan Olive and Simone Sanna after a collision at the first chicane. Azuma was as desperate as Cecchinello was steadfast. The front gang went back and forth until the Japanese rider's fjnal fling - over the inside curb into the last corner to take third, only to run wide before the apex, letting Pedrosa and Vincent back in front. Aprilia's Pablo Nieto was inches behind after another strong race. Vincent's worst result after a win and two seconds was still enough for him to retain the title lead, on 78 points to Poggiali's 61, Cecchinello's 57, Pedrosa's 53 and Jenkner's (11th) 35. Grand Prix of France Le Mns, France Results: M.y 19, 2002 125 GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING: I. M.nuel Poggi.1; (1:44.002); 2. Meseo Alum. (1:44.251); 3.