Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Alex Barros Like fine wine, Alex Barros seems to get better with age By MICHAEL SCOTT PHOTOS BY GOLD & GOOSE T o the cynics among us, Alex Barros' long career seemed to peak last year. Four races on a Vfive Honda, and he won two of them. Never mind that Valentino Rossi had already secured the title by then - they were well-won races, and they added another 50 percent to his tally of wins over the previous 13 years in the top class. Then it see~d to go wrong. The Brazilian veteran of the 80, 250 and 500cc classes lost his Honda ride. With the future of his Pons team uncertain and lots of rival factories knocking on his door, Barros was off to Yamaha. But not to the factory squad. This was to a satellite team. On the experience of the first season of MotoGP, this would leave him doubly disadvantaged. At 32, perhaps those wins at Motegi and Valencia, plus second at Phillip Island and third at Sepang, were the height of his all-time achievement. Perhaps that was it for the only rider more experienced than (though younger than) Jeremy McWilliams. After the early season tests, however, the water was rather muddied. Not only had the Yamaha M1 taken a distinct step forward with the lap times to prove it, but Alex Barros was the man at the top of the times every time they went out. This was true at the all-Yamaha tests and true also at the IRTA tests. At least those before the Honda squad arrived. And Barros was getting plenty of backing direct from Yamaha's on-the-spot factory squad. We spoke to Barros at the first of the IRTA tests, at Jerez. He was obviously enjoying his status fastest guy out there and in muc:b4limand from the media. Alex is good compan • cheerful and 48 MARCH 19,2003· cue I • n EI VII' Last year you almost beat Valentino Rossi on a two-stroke at Assen. then you did beat him at Motegi. But after that race. he said he had clutch trouble. Was that why you beat him? AII the Hondas had clutch problems. I also. It was getting too hot and very inconsistent. At that race, I was able to ride around the problem. But at Phillip Island it worked the other way. When I ran into the hairpin too fast and went wide, it was because into the comer I had no clutch. A frank. What we couldn't help noticing this time WlIS II new air of spoke about it, too, but it was plain words in his demeanor and his . Here is a man at the top of his propeek of his ability. It has taken a long S After you won those races last year, you had a ot of interest from other factories. Who were they? Why did you choose Yamaha? ThiS started to happen before the four-stroke. There was Aprilia, Kawasaki, Honda and Yamaha. It all started round Brno, then when I rode the fourstroke, the interest increased. My racing on the four-stroke confirmed it. This had never happened to me before, to have A

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