Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Leader Capirossi was executing vast slides as he held a slender lead; Rossi pounced under braking for the last hairpin and was never headed again. Two laps later both Gibernau and Biaggi had pushed past the fast but wayward Ducati, which now had teammate Bayliss close behind. Gibernau was the first to go. He'd already fended Biaggi off once, and he was doing the same when he lost the front at the second corner. He slumped to his knees in the gravel, heartbroken. "What ashame," he said. "I still have to adapt to the factory bike, but I didn't want to settle for second at Jerez, in front of this great crowd." His win in South Africa had been responsible for adding an estimated 20,000 to attendance figures. There was a prayer that Biaggi may be able to close down what was now a gap of less than two seconds on Rossi, but it didn't last when Rossi stretched it by three tenths next time around. The pattern was set. The Ducatis were losing on Biaggi at the same rate, Capirossi ahead. Then came his fall - a curious loss of control on corner entry, at least partly the result of his painful arm and bent handlebar. "Maybe I had some tendon problems," he said. This left a dull rocession up front, but the next group enlivened the afternoon. Hopkins had dropped.to the back of it, still exceeding the performance so far of the new Suzuki and staying close, as Barros, Ukawa and Tamada battled back and forth; Tamada used some impressive late braking to head the group briefly before the more experienced riders took over again. At the finish Ukawa was a couple of seconds clear of Barros, who blamed poor setup; with Tamada losing ground at the finish and Hopkins another seven seconds down. In the latter half of the race, Nakano had managed to get clear of a big gang in pursuit and closed right up on Hopkins, but the American proved too determined, and Nakano settled for eighth rather than risking a crash. Haga's Aprilia led that group at half distance, but it was as close as paint, with Jacque, Aoki, McWilliams and Melandri in attendance, the lastrtamed soon to run off into the gravel, re-joinm out of touch. McWilliams also lost the grou when he found a false neutral going into th hairpin. [jj)fiJ[JiJ ®(! fJDD@ [jj)@@fJD[JiJ[f)g 1l®[JiJ[l §ODfiJrB Toni Elias, from Mamesa outside aar<:e1ona, made a huge impression as one of the Telefunica MoviStar Junior 125 riders in 200 1 but fell foul of team politics when he declined to sign up again before the end of the season and found his factory-backed Honda was no longer available. His chance for the title disappeared with the horsepower. Elias, a friendly youngster with a toothy grin whose father was a motocross champion, was too good to be dropped, however, and in 2002 he was signed up to the Repsol Telefonica 250 team alongside Fensi Nieto. Several times he had to defer to his teammate, who was in contention for the title. By the end of the year, with Melandri tying up the crown, he was free to open the throttle the whole way and won his first 250cc GP at Motegi. With the same team again this year, he is likely soon to be thought of as the senior rider, simply because he is so damned good. And determined. He fell in qualifying in South Africa and fractured a bone at the base of his left thumb. Didn't stop him finishing eighth. The pain was little better at Jerez, but he is tough as well as talented. "This weekend was very difficult: he said after receiving a standing ovation for his fine ride in the post-race press conference. "The pain was unbearable. Today I had a painkilling injection like yesterday, but once again the pain continued. But when I saw I had a good chance, I started to ride very hard. "I wanted to make up for missing out on my home wins two years ago, in Barcelona and Valencia. Today I was finally able to win in front of my home crowd." "There was an almigtlty crunch, and I thought for a I - . t my I'IlICe was over," he said, adding: "ThIs is a Vert dIfticuIt way to I1IIIke a living.• AoId was inspired. "My tire choice was too soft, which made me hesitate to attack in the only' place we can pass the four-strokes,- he SIlIid. "I bad to wait until the tires got worse • for me and everybody else, too. Then because my race setup was so perfect, I could do it.· He picked off Haga and then Jacque in the space of two laps and even pulled out a margin at the end, only Jacque going with him, and Haga coming under serious pressure from McWilliams. There were some big names and champions behind them. Edwards was battling a f1y-by-wire engine braking reduction system that had gone haywire and was driving him into the corners. a U a I • "When Aoki passed me earlier, I him on the straight on the way t of the corner· but then I figured tie only pass me again a few comers later, might as well let twn get C¥I with his •_.~"".... Edwards said. -I rolled off to let him go. I've never done that before. I had to swallow a bit of pride.' Roberts, his early days AMA 250<:c OP rival, has been complaining of similar f1y-by-wire problems... the engine pushing the bike into the turns in unpredictable fashion. Way down the grid, he had been tentative in the early laps, "because I didn't want to get in anybody's way, because ['m still not comfortable with the braking," he said. Now he found himself closing on Edwards, and the pair had something of a tussle before the Suzuki pulled clear. A long way back, Pitt and Hofmann were having a private Kawasaki battle pUJIt!1~lll(ongside n • _ 50 ' MAY 21. 2003 23

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