World Championship Road Racing Series
Round 2: Malaysian Grand Prix
Kenny Roberts Jr. is nowhere to be found on the first lap of the Malaysian 500cc Grand Prix. Carlos Checa (7) leads Horick Abe (61. Loris Capirossi (hiddenl and World
Champion Alex Criville (1).
By MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOS BY GOLD & GOOSE
SEPANG, MALAYSIA, APR. 2
~enny Roberts Jr. proved his masntery of Malaysia, with a second
win in succession at fhe magnificent
Sepang circuit.
After starting from pole position, a
hiccup from Roberts' Telefonica
MoviStar Suzuki as he changed from
first to second gear dropped him out
of the top 10, and handed him a
minor mountain to climb. He probably would have won anyway, but the
Repsol Hondas made it all the easier
for him, as the factory HRC team
floundered for the second straight
race, with all three riders finding ways
to suffer as Roberts and the Yamaha
riders took full advantage.
Defending World Champion Alex
Criville was out early after struggling
through practice with the light-switch
power delivery of his new engine.
He'd hardly gotten going when frontrow starter Loris Capirossi performed
a spectacular high-side just in front of
him on the first lap. Criville ran into
the fallen bike, and also crashed out,
lucky to avoid any injury worse than
a banged left leg.
Criville's teammate and the day's
top Honda rider, Tadayuki Okada,
struggled to finish a distant sixth.
The third Repsol man, Sete Gibernau, was. in a similar condition. He
was losing ground in seventh when the
race was red-flagged after 15 of 21
18
APRIL 12, 2000'
eye
I
Checa continued his strong 2000 season, running at the front until Roberts (2) reeled him in to take the win. Checa held tough
for second place.
scheduled laps because of rain that
had caused the leading riders to hold
up their hands and slow dramatically.
e
ft
e
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!IS
Roberts had come through to displace the early leader, Carlos Checa,
but the Marlboro Yamaha man hung
on impressively after the Suzuki got
by, and he claimed a close secondplace finish for the second consecutive
