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World Championship Road Race Series Round 6: Catalunyan Grand Prix [ljJ@DD @(] uDD@ [ljJ@@fSODD[j)a \Y@D@DDfSoDD® [J]®~~O To make a mistake and lose a lead is careless. To make a bigger mistake and then lose another four places is something that for many riders might result in a further catalogue of catastrophe. But Valentino Rossi's measured frenzy of a recovery from two disasters on consecutive laps in the MotoGP showdown was the work of a racer who maybe enjoys racing for its own sake as much as winning - maybe. Anyone who saw him demolish three quality riders in front of him in one lap after he ran off track on lap 17 will remember it as one of the great performances of the new MotoGP four-stroke era. He made Shinya Nakano, Carlos Checa and to a lesser extent Max Biaggi look almost like backmarkers as he scythed past them on the penultimate lap of his great leap back onto the podium. And very few riders have ever done that. West was less than two seconds ahead of Elias, who had stormed through from last but used up his tires on the way so he was unable to attack. The rest trailed in at intervals: Matsudo clear of Battaini, who narrowly beat Porto. Sylvain Guintoli was impressive again on his production Aprilia, four seconds off Porto and well clear of a disappointed Rolfo, who had moved through the slower riders but was too far back to do better than ninth. Then came Olive, Debon and substitute rider Klaus Noehles, with Johan Stigefelt, Erwan Nigon and Christian Gemmel taking the last points. Poggiali was philosophical about his retirement. "Sometimes these things happen because of the rider, sometimes the bike," he said. It put some life into the title chase. Poggiali has 88 points, but de Puniet, Elias and Nieto are equal with 81 points apiece. Rolfo dropped to fifth on 76; Battaini has 58. 125cc GRANO PRIX Scot Honda's Andre Dovizioso took the lead from MX Onda Aprilia's Hector Barbera by the end of the first lap. Cecchinello was right there, and also Youichi Ui and Pedrosa, while Stoner was ninth and Luthi 12th. But the track lends itself to brawling, and there was a lot of sorting out to be done. After eight laps, the front group was taking shape: Cecchinello had led most of the tiroe, with a one-lap interruption by Stoner; Dovizioso was still there, and de Angelis, Jenkner, Pedrosa and Nieto, with Barbera at the back, and Luthi making his way up to join in soon afterwards. They were frighteningly close, and two laps later, Stoner was sent flying after Dovizioso missed a gear on the way out of a corner. The Australian had to pick it up and run off the track, crossing the gravel trap and falling just before the barrier. He head-butted the air fence and was later taken to the Clinica Mobile to investigate compression injuries to his spine. Another lap, and Cecchinello ran wide and off the track. He re-joined off the back of the group, only to retire soon afterward. Then on lap 15, Dovizioso and Barbera crashed together at the top of the hill, de Angelis now about to start a spell in the lead. The end game began on lap 20, when Pedrosa took the lead and tried to make a little break. Before they finished the next one, Nieto slid off, leaving just four, still packed up together. Then at the start of the last Lucio Cecchinello (4) led early, but a mistake saw him pull in with nine laps remaining. Daniel Pedrosa (3) eventually went on to secure the win. lap, teenager Luthi took the lead on the first corners over the hill. Pedrosa had it covered. however, getting a better run onto the short back straight and taking the lead into the tight left that ends it. With no more chance to pass, the race was his, with Luthi inches behind, then de Angelis, who by then (he said) had settled for third and the points to go with it. Jenkner was a little way back, then a gap of almost 20 seconds to Perugini (Aprilia), with Jorge Lorenzo (Derbi) and Mika Kallio (Honda) out in a gang going for sixth another three seconds back. The win to Cecchinello's no-score took Pedrosa into the points lead, 116-91. Jenkner has 73, Dovizioso 67, Perugini 65 and de Angelis 53. eN Calal.. &rend Prix Blrcell.., SIII;n Results; June 15, 2003 125 GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING, I. Pablo Nieto (1:51.043); 2. Andrea Dovizioso (1:51.220); 3. Lucio Cecchinello (I :51.281): 4, Hector Barbera (1,51.349); 5. Alex De Angel;s (1,51.417); 6. Don;el Pedrosa (1,51.453); 7. You;chi (J; (1,51.686); 8. Steve Jenkner (1 :51.977); 9. Stefano Perugini (1,52.011); 10. Casey Stoner (1'52.076); II. Jorge Lorenzo (1:52.295); 12. Gabor Talmacsi (1:52.386); 13. Gioele Pellino (I :52.954); J 4. Thomas Luthi (I'52.994); 15. M;ke De Megna (1,53.052); 16. Simone Corsi (I :53.1 J 1); J 7. Arnaud Vincent (1'53.122); 18. Gino Borsa; (1,53.148); 19. Mika Kallio (1:53.160); 20. Mirko Giansanti (1:53.168); 21. Fabrizio Lai (1 :53.387); 22. Marco Simoncelli (153.464); 23. Roberto Locateln (1,53.494); 24. Masao Azuma (I :53.51 I); 25. Emilio Alzamore (L53.600); 26. Andrea Balledn; (1,53.648); 27. Sergio Gadea (1 :53.744); 28. Julian Simon (1 :53.875); 29. Alvaro Bautista (1 :54.044); 30. Imre Toth (1,54.246); 31. Dav;d Bonache (1,55.148); 32. Leon Camier (1 :55.493); 33. Max Sabbatani (1,56.270); 34. Christopher Mortin (1 '56.835); 35. Jordi Carchano (1 :56.934); 36. Peter Lenart (157.152). 250 GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING, 1. Randy de Puniet (1:47.117): 2. Manuel Poggiali (1:47.284); 3. Toni Elias (1:47.551): 4. Franco Battani (1:47.904); 5. Sebastain Porto (1 :48.022); 6, Fonsi Nieto (1,48.122); 7. Naoki Matsuda (1.48.133); 8. Roberto Rolfo (1.48.891); 9. Anthony West (I '48.892); 10. Sylvain Guintoli (1:49.126); II. Hugo Marchand (1,48.294); 12. Klaus Nohle, (1'48.404); 13. Johon Stigerel' (1,49.442); 14. Joan Olive (1.49.708); 15. Erwan Nigon (1:49.713); 16. Hector Faubel (1,49.824); 17. Alex Debon (1'49.832); 18. Edc Bataille (I :49.906); 19. Christian Gemmel (1,50.546); 20. Choz Dav;es (1,50.712); 21. Jakub Smrz (1,50.787); 22. Lukas Pesek (1,50.974); 23. Alex Baldolini (1:51.534); 24. Henk vd Lagemaat (L52.995); 25. Kat)a Poensgen (1,53.222); 26. Christophe Rastel ( 1:53.927). MOTOGP QUALIFYING: I. Valentino Rossi (1 :43.927): 2. Loris Capirossi (I :44.333); 3, Olivier Jacque (1,44.358); 4. Sete G;bemau (I '44.366); 5. Alex Barros (1 :44,642); 6. Shinya Nakano (1 :44.672); 7. Colin Edwards (I :44.708); 8. Carlos Checa (1,44.790); 9. Max Bi099i (I '44.848); 10. Makoto Tamada (I :44,922); I I. Tohru Ukawa (1.45.039), 12. Troy Bayliss (I ,45.128); 13. John Hoplcins (1,45.516); 14. Marco Melandri (1,45.804); 15, Noriyuki Haga (1:46.108); 16. Akira Yanagawa (1@gj@[l @(] uDD@ [ljJ@@(10[jf)@8 [ft@[jf)00 !J!)O@(1@ How can one rider finish second (Valentino Rossi) and be declared Man Of The Meeting and another finish second in the 250cc race and receive the Loser Of The Meeting award? Well, Fonsi Nieto was the victim of a mistake that perhaps deprived him of a home win in front of 96,000 adoring fans - and that makes him a man who lost out. So technically he was a loser. But his behavior in the aftermath of a botched pitboard signal that informed him there were two laps to go, when in fact he was beginning the last lap, was the -mark of a big man. Every crew member in every team dreads making an error that reduces the huge efforts of a rider and every other member of the outfit to dust. But Fonsi made light (publicly at least) of the error. "It is just a small mistake, and we shouldn't think any more about it," he said. That is class. 20 .JUNE 25. 2003' eye I e nevvs