Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

World Championship Road Race Series ) Final Round: Valencia Grand Prix GRAN ELAC found himself in a no man's land in fourth. He'd started from the pole position, but today he was inexplicably off the pace from the start. "Already, from the morning, I couldn't match the lap time, I couldn't go even close," Biaggi said. "I don't understand why. Nobody knows. The answer is when these two guys [Barros and Rossi] passed, they were - bang - more than half a second qUicker than me. I couldn't do anything. I tried, but no way." From Biaggi to seventh was a procession, first with Kato in fourth. The Japanese rider said his bike was sliding, and he couldn't run the same pace as the leaders, finishing seven seconds behind Biaggi. Another 13 seconds back came mistake in tum one, confounded by the engine-braking on the West Honda Pons' RC211V. Rossi closed in and was briefly ahead, but Barros struck back in the following corner, the first of two hard lefts, then defended the inside 'line to the flag. "In the last five laps, he push a lot and reduce the gap again, and I make a mistake in the last lap in the first turn, and I almost go off the track," the Brazilian Barros said. ·Well, that moment he passed on the inside, I say, 'Oh, Jesus, I lead the whole race; now I lost the race.'" Barros didn't know Rossi's strengths and weaknesses, having led for most of the race, so he knew he needed to be on the inside line. "So I say I need to take over, so I make a very hard brake, and I can keep the inside line. I didn't lose the line into the corner." Rossi had qualified sixth, continuing his string of late-season secondrow starts. The machine wasn't right and wouldn't be much better on Sunday. For those who thought he was toying with Barros, he assured them he wasn't. "I'm not able to overtake him anywhere," Rossi said. "I'm able to stay with him because from behind is maybe a little bit more easy. "In the last lap, he make a mistake, and at the braking of the hairpin I was inside, and I had the chance for a win. But anyway, he braked 10 or 15 meters later than me and come in Blaggl started from pole position but was unable mil< It up with Barros and Rossi. eventually finishing 15seconds back. Here he leads Daijiro Kato (74). front, so no win." Rossi said the track wasn't his favorite and the settings were never right. "Alex from Friday morning was faster than everybody quite easy and today he continue on his rhythm. I try to go faster than the warm-up, but is not enough," Rossi said. As the leader sped away, Biaggi 10 NOVEMBER 13,2002' cue I • n • _ s The top of the victory podium was occupied by Barros (left) for the second time this season. He is joined by Rossi, (centert who finished second and Blagg; (rightl. in third. Ukawa, whose gamble on setup didn't payoff from the start. Nakano was riding for his life, under the threat of losing his job if he didn't finish sixth or better, it was believed. He made his sixth but was 50 seconds behind the winner and 35 seconds behind the Yamaha of Biaggi. The amusing fight was for seventh, eventually going to van den Goorbergh, over McWilliams, though others had held the spot earlier. First among them was Roberts. After a bad start, the Californian had to work hard to make his way forward and used up his tires in the process. Without any drive, he had to rely on engine power to move forward, and it eventually proved fatal. "It's another pointer to how the engine is so critical these days and how important to lap time," Roberts said. Roberts was chasing Nakano at the time, having retaken sixth from West Honda Pons' Loris Capirossi, who crashed just after passing him. "I lost the front of the bike on tum six, and J could not do anything to avoid falling," Capirossi said. Roberts' departure gave McWilliams seventh. The Ulsterman tried to stay in front of the Honda NSR500 of Dutchman van den Goorbergh, but he wore out his tire in the process. "That was as hard as I can push, but I lost so much traction in the last couple of laps that I had to back off, otherwise I would probably not have finished," he said. Van den Goorbergh said he could see McWilliams having trouble and took advantage, taking first twostroke honors. Jacque got by Abe on the last lap, despite clutch problems, with Hopkins and Pitt the final two runners. Hopkins said he had to change his riding style in the race to cope with the way the bike was behaving as the tires lost grip. "I'd just run into a comer, park it in the middle, stand it up, and then drive," he said. 250cc GRAND PRIX Melandri led the 250cc race from start to finish, pulling away early on to take his ninth win of the year, this one by 4.318 seconds. From the rider's point of view, it wasn't as easy at it looked. "Even without having a duel like the one at Phillip Island, today's race

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