Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

SATURDAY Sunny but cold weather greeted the competition on the first day. The Scottish-style format of this competition, one loop each on Saturday and Sunday, with 20 and 30 sections respectively, is one aspect of Brianza that the competitors enjoy. The first rider started at 10:30 a.m. There were four different ways in each section, the red gates for the top riders, the blue gates for the advanced, the green for the intermediate and the yellow for the amateurs. At the start, classes were mixed, but all the favorite riders were in the middle of the pack. After 10 sections there was a card change. The start was smooth, with sections quite easy for all the "bigs.» Section one, which was an indoor-style section near the pits, was cleared by all. Last year's winner, Italian number two rider Fabio Lenzi, seemed determined to repeat his 2002 performance. Daniele Maurino, one of the Italian hopes, also rode very well, showing the competition that his time training in Spain was well-spent. But at section six, only Pons climbed the high wall, which had slippery roots at the top. Pons held this small points advantage for the rest of the day, finishing on 15 points, while Maurino carded 16, Lenzi 17, and Valerio Bauce, another Italian showing lots of promise, carded 18. Finishing fifth was the pluri-Italian Champion, Diego Bosis. Astonishing fans with her brilliant sections, Sanz ran fourth in her class (Blue sections) at day's end. SUNDAY Starting in reverse order at 8:30 on a cold morning, all the participants had to ride on a loop of about 100 kilometers, with 30 hazards included. The sections were now more difficult, above all in the top class. Maurino lost his cool, made some stupid mistakes and saw his chances to win faded away. The battle for the victory came down to Lenzi and Pons. By the end, time also figured into the overall scores, because many riders took some penalties for being over the time limit. Pons not only finished faster than Lenzi but also scored three points less in the hazards. Thanks to this win, Pons has become the unofficial king of the event, having collected four wins. Lenzi and Maurino climbed the other steps of podium. Jarvis and Cabestany drew a lot of interested onlookers, but their concentration and their determination appeared to be subpar when compared to their performances in World Championship competition. It eemed as though both were there just to practice rather than to compete. On the other hand, thanks to great riding by Sanz, she vaulted to the top of her class, winning against more than a few celebrated riders. eN en • Motorcycle Racing LIMITED EDITION MOTORCYCLE ART BY HARRY MILLER ~.~ li.~ "tl '- day Springsteen · 21" X 30" Watercolor Portrait Full-Color • Ready to frame • Printed on Heavy 100 lb. stock • Only 250 in each series ""f.. Unsigned Print $30. 00 Two O.YS of Bri.... Mo.... ltaly R8Iurb: Febru.ry 22-23, 2003 O/A: 1. JO

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