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Briefly Continued . .. was actually well within prescribed limits. Carlos Checa had another explanation. "We crash because we try to go fast." he said. but added: "The grip level is not very high. " The tire wars took a step further at Donington. Michelin had a new dual-eompound rear tire. to cope with the dearth of left-hander bends. and a new front as well; while Dunlop's traditional affinity for the track was a key to putting Tetsuya Harada on the front row of the grid. The biggest advance may have come from class first-timers Bridgestone. with a new rear that Proton rider Jeremy McWilliams was moved to describe as "a breakthrough." "It's only two or three 10ths slower than a qualifying tire· but it has endurance." he enthused. "I haven't tested it over distance yet. but Nobu rAcki. his teammateJ did 20 laps on one yesterday. and it was still good." Disappointingly for Jurgen van den Goorbergh. the same effect did not work on his heavier and more powerful V-four Honda. "The engine character is much more fierce. and it seems to make the tires very unpredictable." said his brother and engineer Patrick van den Goorbergh. McWilliams used the new "wideline" Proton chassis. which has been built to accommodate the team's forthcoming V-five four-stroke motor for next season. "It's better under braking - but I'm not adjusted yet. I'm still using the same braking points as for the standard chassis, then having to let them off again." R1X Loris Capirossi will have two more weeks with his right arm in a cast. after a double wrist fracture at Assen two weeks ago. Capirossi is recuperating at home in Monaco, missing both the British and next weekend's German GP before the summer break gives him a chance to recover for the Czech Republic GP in August. "I had high hopes for Donington and the Sachsenring. which might have been good for our two-stroke - but now the most important thing is to rest." said Caplrossi, in a written statement. it's a good year for readers, with two more books launched at Donington. in the wake of Jon Ekerold's searing autobiography, published at Assen two weekends ago. The highest-profile launch was for a fourth biography of Valentino Rossi. written by Mat Oxley. Given that Rossi is only 23. and still relatively early in his motor sport career, this must be regarded as a story so far rather than the definitive work. But it is laVishly illustrated. especially strong in pictures from his childhood and early life, and fills in a lot of the background information on his primrose path so far. The next morning, bacon sandwiches gave a more homely feel to the release of Niall Mackenzie - The Autobiography. Written in conjunction with Stuart Barker and published the week before by Collins Willow, the 317-page hardback tells the British champion and former multi-factory rider's story in the friendly style that made him so popular. Kanny Roberts' new V-five four-stroke is not a copy of the Honda, according to the revitalized team owner. Although the overall layout is broadly similar, with three forward cylinders and two at the rear. this was just the obvious way to do it. The Proton V-five is built around a different vee angle - 60 degrees against 75.5 for the Honda - embracing different balance principles. "We looked at the regulations. considered the possibilities... and like Honda we decided that five cylinders was the best option," said Roberts.• Four- and five-cylinder engines have the same 145kg minimum weight limit. Why would you want to make a four?" Roberts was aiming to have the bike testing in November. and ready to race as soon as possible. As a result. he was sticking with conventional design, and steering away from pneumatic valves or other Fl tech· nlques. "We're a small. independent engineenng company, and we're not in a position to spend three years on research and development. We want to make something that can nun decent from the start," he said. Dummy engine parts in resin had already started to arrive from Proton's rapid prototyping facility, while the new wideline chassis raced by McWilliams was being readied for the four-stroke. "It's what we believe we'll need when we have more horsepower," said Roberts. Roberts launched a new Web site at Donington. with pictures of the engine parts and design draWings of the completed bike on display. The plan is to expand the Web site to provide one-stop coverage of the whole MotoGP series. You can visit the site at www.teamkr.com. Diminutive 125cc rider Max Sabattani. who broke his leg badly at Mugello at the Italian GP, was back and racing again at Donington Park, just six weeks after the injUry. Saballani suffered a compound double fracture when his leg was trapped in the rear wheel of his bike. At first. it was feared that he might lose his leg. (Above) Rossi won the 46th Grand Prix of his career at Donington, in just his 1 OOth start. It was his seventh win of the year and his sixth in a row. (Left) John Hopkins has the MotoGP paddock paying attention. Another top" 1 0 finish, and a perfect finishing record for the season, should quiet the critics of the teenaged rookie. cue I ... n eVIl's JULY 24, 2002 39