World Championship Road Race Series
Round 2: South African Grand Prix
By MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOS BY GOLD £, GOOSE
WELKOM, SOOTH AFRICA, APR. 27
motions ran high at Welkom. One
week after Daijiro Kato succumbed to the injuries he sustained
at the opening round at Suzuka, his
teammate Sete Gibernau took the
remaining Telefonica MoviStar Honda
to a narrow but clear victory over
defending champion Valentino
Rossi's factory Repsol Honda.
Gibernau won by less than half a
second, after keeping smooth and
fast under almost devastating pressure from Rossi, who had pulled
through from fourth after starting on
hard tires in the blazing heat.
The Spaniard had qualified on pole
position, saying at the time: '" felt
Daijiro pushing me from above."
He said much the same after the
thrilling race, watched by more than
40,000 people enjoying blazing sunshine at the Phakisa Freeway, venue
of the South African Grand Prix.
"I'd like to thank everyone in the
sport for giving me the courage to do
this, for someone we will hold in our
hearts for the rest of our lives," Giber-
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MAY 7, 2003'
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