Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Rsssi's Luckg Escape Valentino Rossi's crash was only a brief sensation for the Spanish crowd' intent on Dani Pedrosa and Toni Elias- But it was of more than passinS interest to the World Champion, who had a really lucky escape. "l was on rhe white line when Elias touched me. He's young, he's Spanish, and it was his first race on a Honda, so there was a lot of pressure on him. Toni's bike touched my helmet after I fell, and I thought, 'F---, now we have another l0 behind ' But the corner is slow and the other riders didn't hit me, ''He lElias] said he made a mistake in braking. These things haPpen. I have known Toni for many years and he is a good rider He apologized to me after the race, so I told him nor to worry - only to remember to brake next time, and if it is too late, to hit another bike instead of me. After the crash, I was very angry Usually when I crash my bike is totally destroyed, and it took me a few seconds to realize that the bike was running." at EY -:l "He apologized to me ofter the roce, so I told him not to worry - only to remember to broke next time, and iF it is too late, to hit onother bike insteod of me'" - valentino Rossi Toni Elios (241 rode o solid roce to tourth, Yery neorly beoling HoYden or ihe finish line while olso topping his leommdl€ Morco Melondri (33). Czech rider Lukas Pesek was second on his Derbi, taking the only lap record of the day, with pole-qualifier Mattia Pasini winning a lierce five-strong bacle for third. World Champion Thomas Luthi crashed out, while in a lowly l6th. MOTOGP Perhaps the problem was that almost everybody got a good start, and they were very tightly packed as they funneled into turn one. Rossi's flip-and-fall hap- pened right near the front, and while it iumbled most of those behind him. it helped Capirossi, Melandri and Gibernau escape up front, with Hayden and Nakano in €lose pursuit. Gibernau was suddenly out on lap two, and Hayden was ahead of Melandri after four iaps - btrt by then Capirossi had seized a commanding lead of 2.13 seconds. Stoner had iumped ahead of Nakano on the second lap, but fellow rookie Pedrosa followed one lap later, and took one more motorcycling challenge is to be blunted, in the interests of reducing speeds. The modifrca- tion is to the first corner and the subcequent chicane before the famous Dunlop bridge. Sadly, tum one was about the only interesting and difiicult comer on the l'lickey Mouse gutatti circuit, entered at high speed but taken under braking for the subsequert chi- cane, The new version means that "the riders swing right earlier, and have to brake much more heavily," accordinS to a state- rnent issued at lerez. An innovation for the crowd will be a fuicated radio station, broadcasting live from the track throughout the \,^/eekend. All spectators will be Siven an FM walkman radio to u.rne in to the station. I q I t 7) I!7-- \ aaa The vandafization ol Assen is well advanced, widr the ner/v shon tight section d|at replaces the clEllensinS nonh loop already coostructed. Not only has $d loop been lo6t, but the characterful Veenslang (ditch snake) sedion behind the paddock ha5 also been straghtened, deleting the high- speed kink thd har/e elw4/s been so effective at sorting the fterl from the boys, The nevr short sectron means th?d instead of fast to- and-fro through the countryside, rilers will now tum through no l€ss than 5'10 diigree-s in the fiIs:t half-mile, all at the feet of a trBssive new grandstand. However, this stand is not as close to fie track as the old Smrbben stand outside the hairpin - which has been moved but reproduced for $e new layout. The cathedral of motorcyale racing has takefl a massive step towards modemit,, and sterilit/. On the bright side, the siorter lap does mean $d spectators will see more laps. And also that they will not have to go as far as China to see MotoGP nders battling around first-tear hairpins vrith the loop bent over on itself. The Assen announcement also confirmed the {orthcoming creation of a massive amus€ment pa*. TT World, on the land regained by deleting the north loop. M.kirE it a f4id

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