P118
CN
III TRACKSIDE
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
I
t is, of course, necessary for
a would-be World Champion
to be possessed of vaulting
ambition.
It is a mistake to take that too
literally. A mistake that Andrea
Iannone (variously known as
"Maniac Joe" or currently just
"The Maniac") has made several
times in a career combining
massive quantities of skill and
daring with a propensity for do-
ing lots of vaulting. Often with
other riders in the way.
The latest exhibition for the
26-year-old, now in his second
year as a factory Ducati rider,
was in Argentina. At the first
corner of the first lap, he created
mild havoc when he slammed
into Marquez's seat. Pedrosa
was one who suffered in the
aftermath, pushed out and drop-
ping from the front to 15th place.
Iannone's race was strong, his
overtaking typically pushy: on
the last lap he dove under Rossi
at the end of the back straight
then ran wide, giving the shad-
owing Dovizioso the chance to
pass both of them.
His piece de resistance was
saved for the final pair of corners.
With a trademark giddy
lunge—too fast and too far off
the rubbered-up racing line—he
lost it while running inside team-
mate Dovi. It was a hopelessly
over-ambitious attempt to steal
second place.
He did the high jump again.
So too did Dovi. Along with the
TO VAULT, OR NOT TO VAULT
