World Championship Road Race Series
Round 7: Dutch Grand Prix
By MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOS By GOLD f, GOOSE
ASSEN, HOUAND, JUNE 29
mot even Valentino Rossi had ever
~ seen anybody ride a 500cc
Grand Prix bike as well as Alex Barros rode his West Honda NSR in HoIland - and the last-ever 500cc
World Champion was happy
to say so.
Unfortunately, both for
the Brazilian and for
defenders of the twostroke faith, it still wasn't
good enough to beat
Rossi and his alI-conquering Honda V-five fourstroke. The Repsol rider
watched and waited behind Barros until the start of the 16th of 19
laps of the classic 3.736-mile
Dutch TT circuit, which was slightly
altered this year. Then he pulled out
all the stops, powered past on the
(Top) Max Biaggl (3) leads Tohru
Ukawa (11), Valentino Rossi (46),
Kenny Roberts Jr. (10), and the rest of
the pack at the start of the MotoGP
race.
(Left) Alex Barros (41 was on fire at
Aasen, leading much of the race
ahead of Rossi 1461. Rossi eventually
passed Barros and his two-stroke,
clearing off into the distance for the
win.
20
JULY
10. 2002'
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