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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128222
World Championship Road Race Series Round 7: Circuit van Orenthe the Honda man's slow midcorner speed and collided with his back wheel when he tried to attack, crashing out unhurt. Andrew Pitt was a lap down in 14th, ahead of Hopkins's Suzuki. "Riding in the wet is all about feel and smoothness - our electronics make it pretty hard for us in the wet right now," the American said. Makoto Tamada was mortified at being lapped, finishing seven seconds behind the Suzljki and three ahead of rookie Kiyonari's Honda ... but clearly Bridgestone wets didn't suit the track. Aoki fell off his Proton KR on the sighting lap, then again in the race; McWilliams also fell off. "With hindsight I'd have been better off not trying too hard," McCoy said memorably. "But that's not in me." McCoy was 18th and last after another depressing day. Rossi's title lead is still majestic, 151 to Gibernau's 113. Biaggi has 105, Capirossi 71 and Barros 62. 250cc It was damp but lifting for a 250cc race with many upsets. The first was to front row starter Elias. "The only time my bike went right was on the start straight," he said as they went into the chicane. And and Poggia!i losing second place to a on Poggiali, new companion Porto on later. He was swallowed up from then on that was that for him, in an on-the- charging Sylvain Guintoli on the third. the Honda, his teammate Rolfo, and His senior teammate Battaini was Fonsi Nieto, closing up from behind. and never figured except in the dis- limit demonstration that saw him pull away rapidly, better than five seconds right behind Poggiali, Rofo at the tant midfield. ahead after four laps. back of the group. A long way back, rain specialist Matsuda was moving through fast from a five. Poggialr and Rolfo made the early running, but West was on a mission By then there had been some sorting out in the spray, with de Puniet The Campetella pair were on fire, and when Battaini took second from from the third row and took the lead crashing out of 10th on the first lap Guintoli, they had already put a gap the first under two minutes (at least it hadn't been Max), and was confident enough also for the race. He'd been back and forth between the new three-pipe bike, on which he'd been fastest on the first day, and his older bike, and in the end he decided to race the latter. One factor was the noisier pipes: Rossi prefers to hear what's going on around him. "We have worked very much for the race today: Rossi said. "I have good setup; I have found good rhythm." Treacherous weather in abeyance, Assen basked in sunshine He'd gone for pole but made a mistake with an oversoft for practice, and the new four-strokes - one year older and rear tire. Too much spin. wiser - made the most of it. The lap record was compreAnd along with the Italian trio? Carlos Checa, gloomy hensively smashed, with the first ten qualifiers also . - _ -...._ as anything in a prepractice briefing, but close all inside last year's pole time. And the two-minute four sessions and nipping through at the end to barrier also went down. oust not only on-form Olivier Jacque but also That was to Capirossi, who was manhanAssen past-master Barros. It cheered him up, dling the Ducati on its wave of sheer horsebut only a bit. power to claim pole position for the second "It's not easy to say I am confident of time in the Desmosedici's brief seven· race fighting for victory, because the competi· career. tion is tough: Checa said. "But we're get"We made a lot of small changes over ting close." the two days, and we made a lot of Back to last year's chassis, he admitimprovements: Capirossi said. ted also an improvement in overall feel, Among them being able to keep up still his biggest personal obstacle. the key momentum in spite of the usual He was two-tenths down, the first sigplentiful wheel spinning and sliding out nificant gap, if you can caB it that over a of the corners. The tires are tolerant, long track. Jacque was just over another however, and were not a worry to the tenth away, leading row two and enjoying Italian rider. a long-awaited return to form after Two others got below 120 seconds, Barcelona tests improved their prospects which took average speeds beyond 11 J and feel. Teammate Barros, sticking with mph for the beguilingly long lap of 3.73 this year's Yamaha chassis, was right alongmiles. They were the usual suspects: Biaggi side and highly rated for the race; Gibemau shading Rossi by 23-thousandths for second was only half a tenth slower on his factory place, and pleased as he might be to be the Honda. Melandri, visibly gaining confidence as fastest Honda. he also regains physical condition, completed the "Even though it's only over one lap, it is imporsecond row. tant for me," Biaggi said. Edwards led the third after running strongly from the They'd cleared up some tire chatter problems, and though start. Experienced at the track, he is looking smoother now he complained. of a lack of bottom-end power, he could be as the Aprilia progresses and was still just eight-tenths off expected to produce a good race. pole. Rossi was cheerful enough, congratulating Loris on being Nakano's Yamaha was alongside, then a baffled Ukawa, ©@[fJD[f@fBfBD u@[ft@fB D71 20 JULY 9, 2003' eye I e nevws bad start only to crash out on lap By half distance, Battaini was over a second off the pace. He was only a shade ahead of Assen first-timer Nicky Hayden, who spent a lot of the sessions following Rossi and picked up the pace faster than at recent races. "I've been going faster each time," Hayden said. "It feels good when you're constantly going better. It's better than I've qualified for a while, and if I can get another good start, we should have a good race." Bayliss was an unlucky 13th to lead row four, running into a difficult patch at a track where he has good experience and even wondering after the end of qualifying if he might not take a chance on switching to the more nervous settings that Capirossi prefers. "I'm not getting on with the bike, so we're going to have to try something different: Bayliss said. "Looking at Loris' times (almost 1.4 seconds faster), I'd be crazy not to have a go in his direction." Haga was alongside, after a clean run on the improving ApriJia; then the Suzuki pair. .. one-race man (and Assen firsttimer) Kagayama picking up a tow from Biaggi in the last session to slot in faster than the more consistent Hopkins. Both were still struggling with the f1y-by-wire Suzuki, plagued with unpredictable responses. Hofmann was back as a Kawasaki wild card and was once again the quickest, heading row five from struggling Assen first-timer Tamada, and McWilliams's Proton. The newest four-stroke was struggling and smoking, with Aoki's blowing an oil seal on the first day as it came past the pits, the oil then catching fire on the hot exhausts. By the second day the bikes were running a bit more reliably, though a gearbox failure thwarted McWilliams' plan to try to move higher up the grid than J 9th. Pitt's Kawasaki was alongside. fully half a second slower, McCoy almost equal, Honda rookie Kiyonari struggling through the challenging sweepers to place 22nd, and Aoki's Proton last, after a sea of problems meant he spent more time in the pits than on the track.