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claim the last point, in what is probaby the last outing for the Mk2 Modenas triple. Roberts moved into the championship lead with 55 points, heading Checa by four, with McCoy dropping to third on 48 points. Abe has 34, Aoki 32, and Barros 30. 250cc GRANO PRIX At first, it looked like a third triumph in succession for Nakano, who led from the first corner and for the first six laps, in the same sort of way as he won the first two GPs. For a short time on the second lap it was even better than that for Yamaha, with Jacque passing Katoh to hold second. Then the Japanese Honda man was back again, Ukawa's yellow Honda following him through by lap five, and the Frenchman gradually lost touch with the leading trio. They stayed in the same order for much of the race, but it was anything but dull - a relentless game of wits and inches that heated up still further toward the finish as Nakano started to push and probe even more fiercely at Katoh's defenses. The silver Yamaha moved ahead at the end of lap 15 into the fearsomely fast corner at the end of the back straight; Katoh fought straight back under braking into the chicane a couple of hundred feet later. Then, on lap 17, Nakano took the lead again into the first part.of the long Spoon curve before the straight, only to run wide mid-corner so that Katoh could dive inside him again. Ukawa had held a watching brief close behind, looking now and then as though he couldn't stand the pace - but that last exchange was his cue to take a more active role, with Nakano slowing onto the straight. He used the Honda's superior speed to hold position all the way to the chicane, then force his way past Nakano on a tighter line. There were still two laps to go, and the positions didn't change any more. But it was not for want of trying, all three giving everything they had until they were finally relieved by flashing across the finish line inches apart. "Once I got to the front, I was able to keep my rhythm," said confident winner Katoh, who admitted his previous two wins here had merely increased the pre-race pressure for a third one. "I tried to pass Katoh into the chicane, but he closed the door," said Ukawa, happy all the same to have 20 points compared with zero from Malaysia. Jacque was 15 seconds behind at the finish, and then came Marco Melandri on the factory Aprilia, Norick Abe· winner of the 500cc Japanese Grand Prix. BRIEFLY••• Aprilia's new star 500cc rider. Jeremy McWilliams, tested Michelin tires at Sepang the day after the Malaysian GP - but there is no chance that the Italian marque will switch from their usual Dunlops. So says Dunlop motorsport chief Jeremy Ferguson. who admitted that they had "discussed" the test with Aprilia. but added: "If it helps us to learn more. and to establish whether Yamaha's two-stroke beating four-stroke motocross racer - the injuries among 37 crashes. with German 250cc rider Mike Baldinger fracturing his right femur, and Leon Haslam a toe. But there was dismay at the rough treatment of fallen riders, particularly of British 250cc rider Jamie Robinson. whose third crash of the day on Friday saw him lying motionless on the track, badly knocked about. Marshals seized him firmly by the legs, rolled him over, and pulled him to the trackside. DUS VZ400. lio moves on to head the company's Commuter Vehicle division (scooters), in a promotion that he said was "a company decision." Valentino Rossi will take part in the Suzuka Eight-Hour race for a problem such as chatter is tire related or not. then we're not Honda this year for the first time. the first of the major GP stars unhappy with tests like this. We have a good, long-term relationship with Aprilia that we and they both wish to maintain." said Ferguson, adding that their tire problems in South Africa had been .. a disaster - but a one-off aberration. We had no tire problems at the second round at S,epang." As if to underline the point. McWilliams was fastest 500 in the Saturday morning session, and to be committed to the taxing but prestigious endurance race. The was knocked off the final front row position only in the last min~ utes of qualifying. Ferguson denied a rumor that Dunlop has no development budget for this year. something of a transitional phase after the company was taken over by Goodyear. "We have a full program for the 500cc class. with a raft of new tires in both 17-inch and 16.5-inch sizes," he said. Dunlop supplies Aprilia and Modenas in the 500cc class. but have a monopoly in the 250cc class, where he admitted the pace of development is slower. "We are even under pressure not to develop too much, but to give everybody the same tires," said Ferguson. Remember 1999 - it was a very good year. At least is was for Honda, according to HRC riders, who gratefully raided the com- former 250 and 125cc World Champion will race one of Honda's new V-twin RC51 s. Kenny Roberts' Modenas project got a shot in the arm in Malaysia when the prime minister - who presented the trophies for the 125cc race - spoke on national TV in support of the Grand Prix team, and the motor being developed with the backing of Malaysian car manufacturers Proton. "He came and looked at the Michelin broke a long-standing principle at Suzuka. introducing a special soft qualifying tire. This was a response to fears that Dunlop runner Tetsuya Harada would use one of that company's mock-up of the new motor, and we spent about 45 minutes together," said Roberts. "He takes a strong interest in the project. and he's very impressed with what we've achieved so far." range of special soft tires to claim pole position - fears that proved groundless. The soft tire was used by Sete Gibernau to leap from low in the top 10 to the front row of the grid. while sec- As a result, Proton has reaffirmed their backing for the Modenas. and Roberts is ftying to Malaysia again after the Japanese GP for further meetings. Jhe team still hopes to introduce the important Mk3 machine at the next race at Jerez. "We've lost a bit of time in getting the new motor onto the dyno. but there is a bit of slack ond-row starter Norick Abe also improved his time late in the ses- sion. Similar moves by Max Biaggi and Loris Capirossi, however. were performed on race tires, while other riders. including polesitter Kenny Roberts Jr" also steered clear of the one-lap specials. Dunlop has always denied making special qualifying tires. though admitting to having some short-lived super-sticky com· pounds available. Michelin have always opposed the policy. on in the program, and we have a couple of corners to cut if ne,ces- sary to get the bike to the track," said manager Chuck Aksland. the smaller rim size. Unusually there was only one wild card in the 500cc class - but Suzuki's Akira Ryo made an impressive GP debut. fast throughout practice, and qualifying on the front row of the grid. Ryo nor· mally rides a factory Suzuki superbike. and last year won one of the World Superbike rounds at Sugo. finishing second in the other. Two weeks before the GP. he had won the opening round of the 2000 All-Japan Championship at Suzuka. Switching from Alex Criville was next to make the switch. and also Sete Gibernau, obfuscating the issue with vague comments. HRC's appar- Suzuka's safety was called into question yet again by 500cc pole qualifier Kenny Roberts Jr.. who said: "The faster the 500s 32-year-old rider apparently unfazed. though he did say: "The GP bike is twice the fun of a Superbike and three times more scary." ent wrong turning in engine development had left their teams in a state of near panic at the first two races and factory staff in a go, the closer those barriers get." Roberts echoed previous comments by many top riders about the classic track. Suzuka is loved Tetsuya Harada's all-new Aprilia made its debut in practice at spin. as well as leading to a dismal start to the season. making for for its long 3.64"mile lap. complex curves combining high-speed what is building into a record run without a Honda SOOcc-c1ass sections with a great variety of corners, and its unique figure-eight design. But it is feared not only because it has a number of concrete walls as well as Armco barriers protected by foam-rubber the grounds that riders are better off concentrating on finding settings on race tires rather than confusing the issue for one or two pany parts bin upon arrival in Japan, to record at least some fast laps. Michelin. meanwhile. has promised a special new 17- improvement after a difficult start to the year. Actual details were scant. in normal HRC fashion, but Tadayuki Okada was the first to go fast, on the opening day of practice at Suzuka. saying later: "We have found something that has solved our problems, but I inch tire for Le Mans, two races down the road, which will "com- bine the best of the 16.5-inch and the 17-inch." The issue had become confused with the success achieved by Garry McCoy on cannot say what. It's a secret." Er - not so secret. Just a '99 bike. victory, and threatening to end years of NSR domination of the class. HRC riders were to stay on at Suzuka after the GP for special emergency tests on the Tuesday after the race. Yamaha's head of racing, the popular and charismatic Mr. Toshimitso lio. is to be replaced ... by a four-stroke specialist. In a move seen by some as significant, with four-strokes expect- ed to be introduced to the 500cc class from 2002. his place as general manager of the motor sports engineering division has been taken by Yoshiharu Nakamura. who was project leader for Dunlops to Michelins and from four-stroke to two-stroke left the Suzuki, but only briefty, with the Japanese rider switching back to his "intermediate" machine, and still lagging behind teammate McWilliams on the '99 bike. "The new engine does not fit the intermediate chassis, and the machine is not ready as a pack- blocks that are easily dislodged, but also because the unforgiving topography means those barriers are hard in several places by the trackside. "Dorna and IRTA must both know what the problems are with this track." said Roberts. "It's time we stopped gritting our teeth and hoping nothing goes wrong. As the modern 500s get faster. we need to let the circuits know what needs to be done." Roberts continued. "The consequences of falling off here are not good." In fact. luckily enough. there were few seri- 0:: age." explained an Aprilia spokesman. "We want to get the new motor out as soon as possible." World Champion Alex Criville was fined 1000 Swiss Francs ($608) after the race for failing to take his helmet off on the starting grid after the end of the sighting lap. Riders are obliged to do so during the five-minute wait. for the benefit of roaming TV cameras. Y 0:: I EI n e vv s APRIL 19, 2000 9