Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

· MOTOGP with the impressive Italian roo kie Michel Fabrizio claiming the last point on his R1basedWCM. Earlier, Telefonica MoviStar Honda 's Dani Pedrosa added to his growing stat ure with a convincing 250cc win, the 12Scc champion's third of the season, and achieved in utterly dominant style. He took the lead on the second of 29 laps and simply pulled away steadily. At the finish he had slacked off, but he stillhad 4.2 seconds in hand over Sebastian Porto 's Repsol Aprilia. "I knew that if I pushed hard in the beginning, I could make a gap over the other riders, but not as much as that," the IB-year-old glowed afterw ard. There was a race-long battle for third, narrowly won by class rookie Alex de Angelis, w ith Pedrosa's teammate Hiroshi Aoyama right on his heels to equal his best finish of the season . Both passed a frustrat ed Randy de Puniet in the final lap; Fortuna - Round 8 July 18 , 2004 World Championship Road Race Series Honda's Toni Elias crashed out of this battle with 12 laps to go; his teammate Roberto Rolfo, leader on lap one , was just off the back of it at the finish. Roberto Locatelli and his Aprilia took a brilliant win in a close I25cc GP. breaking free from the second group to close a 2.5second gap on the leading trio, then pushing through to shade long-time leader Hector Barbera and Pablo Nieto over the line for an all-Aprilia rostrum, with Dovizioso's Honda a whisker-close fourth . "My race was very incredible," the veteran winner said. "The best of my life. I didn't think I could catch the leade rs, but I pushed and pushed ." Barbera set the fastest lap, a new record. MOTOGP It was always going to be hectic, with the track funneling an ultraclose pack into an ultratight right-hander soon after the start , but everybody made it aro und, though not without a lot of pushing and shoving. The front-row starters assumed their positions - Biaggi, Rossi and Roberts, with Capirossi bullying his way to fourth from the fourth row of the grid and Gibemau in his wake . Roberts was soon losing places, all too literally powerless to resist first Gibernau, and then on lap four Checa, who was on a serious mission until he lost the front in the penultimate left-hander at the bottom of the hill next time around , just after taking third from Gibemau . By lap six, Capirossi was also ahead of Roberts, but the three leaders were a little way ahead already, and hard at it, Rossi leaning on Biaggi, and Gibemau doing the same to him. This lasted two more laps, then on the ninth Gibernau was gone , the front tucking on the left at the bottom of the hill where the track starts to open up after the first tight section. 'i<\fter two crashes in two weekends, it feels like a lot of work for everybody for nothing," Gibernau said ruefully. "The championship is going to be harder now." Capirossi was now third, 2.5 seconds adrift, but his race was goingsmoothly, and he felt confident he could catch the leaders . And he was closing - until he, too, slithered off. Now it looked like a two-horse race, and Rossi was poised to attack. Biaggi's trump card was his better acceleration, so he could keep slamming the door in his rival's face. But Rossi is Rossi, and sure enough , at the start of lap I7, he out braked Biaggi at turn one and too k the lead. By now, another dynamic was develop ing. The factory Hondas had both suffered in the first lap melees but were coming through rapidly. Hayden had bee n leading Colin Edwards (45) has been the model of consistency but has yet to finish better than fifth. Here he leads Rio race winner Makoto Tamada (6) and Marco Melandr; (3 16 JULY 28, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS 40th Anniversary the way, past Roberts on lap seven, inheriting third from Capirossi on lap 10, and just 2.5 seconds adrift, with the gap closing. He'd passed Barros on the way, but his senior teamate was coming with him, and when Rossi took the lead, he was ahead of Hayden, and both were with the leaders. So now there were four horses . Rossi's lead never did open up as expected, and though the order didn't change over his six laps up front , he was going to have his work cut out to stay ahead of three faster motorcycles . And Biaggi was biding his time. He attacked at the bottom of the downhill back straight at the end of lap 23, and now his position became clearer as he quickly gained a small but distinct cushion over Rossi. And Rossi was struggling, short of grip on the fast turns, short of acceleration on the straights. Barros nailed him on lap 24 as he had a major moment; then he ran wide into turn one at the start of the next lap, and Hayden dived underneath him. And that was the order until the finish, though not without further drama . Biaggi had to ride both fast and defensively to keep Barros at bay; Rossi came back for a last atta ck on Hayden on the final lap, narrowly failing to get by. What a race . The next group had so rted itself out as Roberts dropped gradually back, with Abe surprisingly the strongest, heading Edwards, who was back and forth with a charging Tamada at half distance. Both were ahead of Abe as Melandri came through , passing Abe on lap 20 and shortly afterward running onto the grass and taking his teammate down with him. The Honda riders battled it out to the end, with Edwards prevailing narro wly. Behind them Nakano had passed Roberts on lap IB, but the forme r World Champion stuck w ith the Kawasaki while his teammate Hop kins caught up from behind. At the finish this trio had spread out somewhat, having seen so many other riders pay the price for pushing too hard. Hofmann was a way back, having gotten past Xaus after half distanc e, managing to preserve a gap to the flag. McWilliams had been heading Hodgson for most of the race, and he managed to hold on to that too. Track first-timer Byrne was a long way back; Kurtis Roberts

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