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another to lead, before tumbling out for his second no-score of the season. In the 250cc GP, Axo Gresini Honda's Daijiro Katoh triumphed for a third Suzuka victory in succession the first two as a wild card - after a superb, three-strong, all-Japanese battle that started on the first laps and intensified all the way to the finish, with Shell Advance Honda's Tohru Ukawa second and, Shinya Nakano third on the Chesterfield Yamaha. Nakano had led for much Of the race, while Ukawa timed his attack for the closing laps. Frenchman Olivier Jacque was fourth on the second Chesterfield Yamaha, blaming his tires for losing tc.uch with the leaders. Youichi Ui reversed his heartbreak of the week before when he claimed his first-ever 125cc GP win, and Derbi's first since 1989, heading an all-Japanese rostrum, with popular former winner Noboru Ueda second on the Givi Honda, and Masau Azuma third on the Benetton Play life Honda in his first good showing of the year. Last week's winner, Roberto Locatelli, seemed to have the race in the bag, with a steady two-second lead and just four of the 18 laps to go, when he crashed on the way out of the chicane. The race went down to the very end with Morick Abe (6) holding off Kenny Roberts Jr. (2) for the win, the third of his career and his second at Suzuka. SOOcc GRANO PRIX "To me it felt the same as a 17incher, but Michelin told me it would last better," the surprised and delighted 24-year-old Japanese rider said. Second-placed Kenny Roberts Jr. on the Telefonica MoviStar Suzuki attested the truth of this assertion. Roberts had started from pole position, did most of the leading, and fin· ished less than three tenths behind the pair putting almost two seconds on third-placed Tadayuki Okada on the Repsol Honda and the rest of a gang that had been eight-strong for most of the race. "When I was racing other guys on 17 -inch tires, I could sneak up on them on the fast corners," Roberts said. "But once Abe got ahead, I couldn't do that any more." Rather puzzlingly, Roberts insisted that he didn't regret hjs tire choice. "Tires sure have become important in the last half-season or so, but I still think the 17 is a better tire," he said. He left with the World Championship points lead as consolation. This is the second of three races this year won on the new smaJrer tire - Garry McCoy's victory in South Africa was the first, with Roberts winning the next round in Malaysia. McCoy was out of luck today, howev· er, leading the next group over the line in ninth on the Red Bull Gauloises Yamaha, and complaining that Michelin couldn't offer him a tire soft enough for a slow-paced race on a cool track. A brave fourth went to Nobuatsu World Champion Alex Criville a close Aoki, on the second Telefonica sixth - the Repsol Honda rider lucky MoviStar Suzuki, racing full of to regain the track after running off painkillers after a heavy practice while disputing the lead. crash the day before - the second in a Marlboro Yamaha's Max Biaggi week. He forced his way through the was not so lucky, crashing out after a group to leave Marlboro Yamaha's braking error at the chicane with 11 Carlos Checa fifth, with defending A clear start saw everybody leave the front row cleanly except Akira Ryo, who was left trailing after muffing this first-ever 500cc-class takeoff to finish the first lap down in 17th. Okada and Jeremy McWilliams were notably quick off the second row, but hadn't jumped the flag. Still, it was of 21 laps remaining. The Italian was Max Blaggl exited the race for the lead stage left. The Italian crashed after losing control entering the chicane. cue I e n e _ S • APRIL 19, 2000 7