Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128385
Biaggi Nailed for Incidents ontroversy in MotoGP is often spelled "Max Biaggi," ilIld this was certainly the case in at least three incidents in the final qualifying session for the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen, resulting in a hefty $6000 fine for the beleaguered Repsol Honda rider. First, Biagg; demonstrated the fiaws in a new "safety" chicane - running straight in the first part then colliding with Franco Battaini's WCM as he rejoined the track. Battaini fell after clinging briefly and desperately to the back seat of the Honda - and Biaggi stayed upright. Then Biagg; misjudged the end of the session, stopping prematurely to practice a start at the designated point of the track, but in the middle rather than over to one side. Several riders approaching at racing speed got a nasty surprise when they came upon him - one being Marco Melandri. At· around the same time, Biaggi was touring in the middle of the track, again balking Melandri. The third was a continuation. Melandri remonstrated with Biaggi, and then they met up again at the chicane later on the slow-down lap. Biaggi swerved across Melandri, one elbow out wide. Far from intimidated, Melandri may have picked up his bike a little. In any case, they collided, and Blagg; C came off worse from this one, almost falling, his clutch lever bent by the contact. Melandri was third fastest and was thus pulled into the parc ferme after the session - where he was surprised to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck by a gray-haired man. It turned out to be Max Biagg;'s uncle. Race control imerviewed both riders, and while Melandri escaped punishment, they threw the book at Biagg/. He was fined $5000 for riding "in an irresponsible manner, causing danger to other riders" (thiS taking into account dawdling on the racing line and his tangle with Melandri), and a further $1000 for stopping to practice a start. His uncle, Valerio Biaggi, had his permanent pass withdrawn for his attack on Melandri, which left scratches on his neck. "It is a pity that the crash with Melandri got uglier," Biagg; later said. "My uncle Valerio is the nicest man in the world." Biagg;'s first collision gave the lie to the "safety modification" at that point on the track - but to be fair, he was far from the only rider to go straight at that point, hanging on over the gravel and bouncing back onto the track, barely in control. The others all missed collisions as much by luck as good judgment; this was an accident waiting to happen. The change is a section of the track already altered two years ago, when the "Veenslang" zigzags and subsequent fastcurve "back straight" were modified to extend space in the paddock. The zigzags were reproduced, but the fast left was replaced by a high-speed right-left section. This was criticized at the time because of the risk of a rider running off on the first right only to cany on to cross the track on the left Hawk Takes the Wisp Am Pro Yamaha's Bany Hawk has won countless Suzuki Grand National Cross Country events, but few have ever felt as good as his latest victory at the series' most prestigious round: the Parts Unlimited Wisp GNCC. "It feels so good, it's like I just won my first race," Hawk said. He also welcomed his first baby boy, Talon, into the world just I I days ago. "On the last lap, I started thinking, 'I really am going to win this race,''' he said. "I started getting chills. I probably wasn't charging like I should have been. So I put my head back down and charged some more." Hawk's win was made sweet by the arrival of his son, and also due to the amount of work he put in to get back to the spot. KfM's Juha Salminen has dominated GNCC racing this year, while Hawk struggled with setup, crashes, bad starts and bad luck. But Hawk kept fighting, and that will to fight carried him on a brutal course many said was the worst they had ever faced. 8 JULY 6,2005 • CYCLE NEWS Max Blani'. uncle, Valeria Biaggi, ljIot into a .cuHIe with Marco Melandri after Meland" and Max carne together during qualifying ot the Dutch Grand Prix. - and just such an accident accounted for a fatality in the 2004 Superstock race. The first right-hander was changed to a much slower comer, and likewise the subsequent left - the riders dubbed it "a chicane." But the same risk was clearly present, although at a lower speed. "It is very difficult to judge your braking there and easy to make a mistake," confirmed Valentino Rossi and several other riders, even before the Biaggi-Battaini incident. Later, Rossi elaborated on his views. "We tried to make it safer, but it is still dangerous," he said. "Not so much for a very fast accident, like before, but maybe it is not The rocky course even claimed Salminen, who crashed so many times he said, "When I would get up and start riding it was like I was just waiting for the next crash." Salminen was unhurt, but it was the first GNCC he has ever raced where he failed to make the podium. The Wisp runner-up was just as emotionaJ as the winner. FMF[Thronlehead.com/Kawasaki's Josh McLevy finally got to the GNCC podium after years of trying. Always fast but rarely consistent, McLevy had the speed to lead a good portion of the race but also the stamina to hole! on for three hours. In the end, he would take second, his first-ever GNCC podium finish. "I didn't think - I just rode my dirt bike today," McLevy said. "I didn't take any big chances. I would pass someone, and if I saw someone up ahead, Iwould just try to stay with them and go. It feels so good to finally get up here, and Iwant to thank my mom and dad for putting up with me for all of these years. I finally made it." Am Pro Yamaha's Jason Raines put in a phenomenal comeback to make the Wisp podium for the third year in a row. "Today, I was okay off the start, but Iwent down at the sec- slow enough. Also, the gravel should be replaced with hard concrete, so if you go off, you can still stay in control. It's an improvement for really bad accidents but not the perfect solution." Marco Melandri concurred. "I went straight there also," he said. "It's easy to make a mistake, and very hard to brake when you are in the gravel." The fear of an admittedly slower but still potentially very damaging accident remained as race day approached, particularly with the thought of massed 125cc riders equally prone to making the same mistake. Michael Scott ond hill," Raines said. "I knew I had 29 guys in front of me, so I knew it was going to be a long day. I just kept plugging away, putting in good lap times and not making any mistakes. This is a really special race for me a lot of stuff has gone down here, and I'm glad to get it up here on the podium." Fourth went to KfM's Mike Lafferty, who rode brilliantly all day and led early, before falling into the clutches of the super-fit Raines on the final lap. Fifth went to SCR/jayco Suzuki privateer Doug Blackwell. Am Pro Yamaha's Amateur sensation Charles Mullins logged another amazing ride for sixth overall, while Salminen was seventh - plenty enough to preserve his big points lead. "It was so tough, there were many big stones," said Salminen, who remained upbeat after the race. "I tried hard to catch up, but all of the crashes I had, they were big crashes. 1have a big points lead, but I ride to win every race, so I am still disappointed." R.E.R. Motorcity's Nathan Kanney logged another great race with eighth overall, with FMF[Throttlehead.com/ Kawasaki's Steve Hatch in ninth and FMF Suzuki's Fred Andrews in 10th. Jason Weigand