be sure
MAX BIAGGI - CAMEL PRAMAC HONDA PONS
me lee expected in 2004, and you can
Fast and precise , few can string pe rfect laps toge ther as well as
Biaggi. High comer-speed style is a bit one-dimensio nal, how-
up. Definitely capable of winning a race , but his Bridgestone
The unknown son of a Bulgarian woodsman... well , you know.
tires are the question.
If Rossi's bike is equal to the rest, he' ll win almost every time .
The only question is how long Yamaha will take to tame the
light-switch MI. Might take four month s, might never happe n.
ever, and costs him at the end of the race wh en tires are worn.
This is com bined w ith a temperament that leans toward win o r-cras h mode. If he succum bs, inco nsistent results might blow
his big chance to bea t Rossi.
MAKOTO TAMADA - CAMEL PRAMAC HONDA
Ever-smiling, Tarnada (age 27) is kind of o ld-schoo l Japanese in
his riding: plenty of press-on and hard- braking moves and an
urge nt need to overtake. Pre tty good tactics, in the sort of
12 APRIL 21, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS
he'll never give
CARLOS CHECA - GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA
VALENTINO ROSSI - GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA
Carl os might seem to have run out of last chances, but appar-
But just a littl e step. and a string of top-three finishes could still
ently not so, according to the Spanish sponsors. Highly errati c
tho ugh gutsy on tw o-strokes, he was expected to shine on the
four-strokes. He hasn't yet, but the o bviouslydelicately balanced MI Yamaha hasn't helped . Maybe if Valentino gets the
bike sorted, Chu bby can finally prove the doubters wrong . Be
good - he's pretty cool.
see him win the title .
40th Anniversary
NOBUATSU AOKI - PROTON TEAM KR
Easy to underrate, veteran Nobu seldom quaJifies as well as he
races. In other words, when the bullshit sto ps, he's good .
Noted for unbelievable lean angles on the two -stroke Proton,
