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Exclusive Invitation...  Mad Max on the factory Honda takes pole for the Pacific Grand Prix. MotGP World Championship, Pacific Grand Prix at Motegi, Round 13 of 16 Max Biaggi
Dominates at Motegi Motegi,
Japan, Oct 4-5th: Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) was
way ahead of the controversy that was eventually to surround the Pacific
Grand Prix when he won by 3.754 seconds from Valentino Rossi (Repsol
Honda RC211V) in front of 56,000 Japanese race fans in fine autumn
weather. But although Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) crossed
the line third after barging his way past Sete Gibernau (Telefonica
Movistar Honda RC211V) on the final lap, the Japanese rider was later
disqualified for what Race Direction described as “riding in
an irresponsible manner.” Biaggi revelled in the conditions and now he has the measure of his RC211V, the Roman used his precise, inch-perfect style to put in a 1m 47.696s lap in the final seconds of the session. He timed his lap perfectly and no one had any answers to his sheer speed around the 4.801km of Motegi. Saturday’s final qualifying session began with
Loris Capirossi launching his Ducati skywards when he ran off-track
and then hit a pot hole that buckled the front wheel rim and catapulted
him and his machine into the air. Meanwhile Biaggi was taking his
time before venturing on track ten minutes into the session. Events
followed the usual pattern for the first half-hour with riders perfecting
set-up and testing tyre endurance. Biaggi bettered his first qualifying
time from yesterday within that first half-hour and Gibernau was holding
pole with a 1m 48.707s lap from that same session. Carlos Checa (Yamaha)
then hoisted himself to second place with a 1m 48.767s lap, but that
was his best shot and the Spaniard had to settle for seventh place
by the end of the hour. Then it was another rookie sensation’s turn to grab the limelight as local hero Makoto Tamada posted a 1m 48.245s lap to hold pole for a time. The Japanese, running Japanese Bridgestone tyres, clearly had the measure of this track. He had said after yesterday’s session that there was more to come from him and his RC211V – and so it proved. But his efforts were bested first by Rossi who briefly held pole, and then by the storming Biaggi. Max waited until the opportune moment mere seconds from the end of the session before firing his machine around Motegi’s 14 turns in a rapid 1m 47.696s lap. “There were many riders out there capable of setting a fast time,” said Max. “It was a really exciting session and extremely competitive. It always seems like the air is special in Japan and I must congratulate Tamada because he was really quick today. I have a good rhythm and riding the bike is a joy. It’s the first time since Brno that I’ve felt comfortable on the bike.” MAX
BIAGGI WINS AS HONDA RIDERS NET TOP FOUR PLACES This elevated Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) to third and Gibernau to fourth although the Spaniard made the finish in fifth before the authorities stepped in. Gibernau, who did not make a protest, later said, “I’m sure it’s the correct decision, I don’t want revenge or anything.” Gibernau had to take to the gravel trap after Tamada made contact with him in the downhill braking area to the second tunnel section on the race's final lap and although he did not fall off, the move was deemed sufficiently beyond usual forceful racing manoeuvres to warrant a disqualification. Race director Paul Butler said, “We want to give a message to the riders that these things (MotoGP bikes) are fast, heavy and dangerous. We’ve spoken to the rider and there was an element of ‘it’s a fair cop’ to his reaction.” Tamada’s Pramac Honda Team appealed, but the appeal was thrown out by the FIM stewards. There was further off-track involvement when John Hopkins was served a ban from next weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix for a first turn, first lap incident when he collided with Carlos Checa (Yamaha) and Troy Bayliss (Ducati). Hopkins’ Suzuki Team appealed against the decision. The appeal was thrown out. On track, events were typically compelling. A dramatic first turn incident right off the start and subsequent avoiding action taken by those who rode through it unscathed deprived the riders stationed behind the chaos of getting in touch with the early leaders. Gibernau made it out of turn one in the lead with Biaggi tucked in behind him, with Hayden, Rossi and Tamada in touch. After a very strong qualifying performance during the opening two days of the Pacific Grand Prix, race day eventually brought mixed results for the Fortuna Yamaha Team. The highlight saw Marco Melandri ride a very determined 24-lap race to finish a respectable fifth place on the YZR-M1. It was a result that came after the first turn crash – involving Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and John Hopkins (Suzuki) – which forced the 21-year-old MotoGP rookie off the racing line, relegated him back to 19th on the opening lap. The news, however, was not so positive for Fortuna Yamaha Team-mate Carlos Checa, who was unable to avoid the incident and was hit from behind, forcing the Spaniard off the track and out of the Pacific Grand Prix along with Bayliss and Hopkins.
On lap three Biaggi took the lead from Gibernau and began to make a gap, which by lap six stood at 1.236 seconds on lap seven. Rossi was pushing hard in second having disposed of Hayden and Gibernau – hard enough to run wide at turn one on that lap and take to the gravel before rejoining the track in ninth place. But the reigning World Champion set a fastest lap of 1.48.885 seconds on lap 16 as he dug deep to make up the final few yards on Biaggi’s immediate pursuers. He soon made short work of them taking Tamada on lap 18, Hayden on lap 19 and then Gibernau two turns after he’d disposed of his American Repsol team-mate. But Biaggi had now carved out a 5.007 second lead over his pursuers and there was little even Rossi could do in the remaining four laps to put any real pressure on Biaggi, who was riding a composed and rapid race. He won with comparative ease, but no MotoGP win is ever easy. “This was a tough and complicated race because the rhythm was fast from the start,” he said. “I made a good start and got ahead of Gibernau on the brakes. When I learned what happened to Rossi I just tried to maintain the rhythm and build up a good lead. Two laps from the end I nearly fell and it was a miracle I managed to stay on the bike. This has been one of the best Grands Prix of the year and I would like to dedicate it to Daijiro Kato.” Rossi had to be content with extending his points advantage over title rival Gibernau. “After a few laps I made a mistake braking,” he said. “I went straight on and the situation was very bad with Gibernau in second place and me in ninth. After I recovered I made the fastest lap and got back to the second group. Now I’ll arrive in Malaysia with a big advantage.” Hayden who was bounced up to third by the disqualification of Tamada was happier with his continued competitiveness at the front of the field than his inherited result. “It’s not the way I want to move up the tables,” said the American rookie. “I want a proper podium and that’s what I’ll be working for.” Gibernau was sanguine about the result and happy to come away with what he did after suffering from a fever. “It was one of my most difficult races,” said the Spaniard. “Luckily I didn’t fall and I can look forward to the next race when I hope to be in better shape. I felt very weak when I got off the bike.” Tamada said, “I know what I can do when braking and I’ve got a front tyre I can trust, so I decided to play all the cards I’ve got. When I saw that I was on the inside and half a length in front of Gibernau I started taking the corner. I’m sorry that Sete took exception to what I consider to be a normal race manoeuvre. I’m also upset about the sentence that I feel is exceptionally harsh.” Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) finished eighth. “I didn’t make a great start,” he said. “But it wasn’t that bad either. What really affected my race was the incident involving Hopkins which made me lose touch with the leaders. I can’t be happy when I finish 20 seconds behind the winner.” Rossi leads the World Championship points table with 282 points to Gibernau’s 224, with Biaggi on 199 and Capirossi on 131. Results
MotoGP World
Championship Positions: 250
MotoGP to Elias on Aprilia But although Elias hauled
himself into remote title contention with his win, Rolfo was the man
who did the most to improve his Championship chances by taking points
off Poggiali. And perhaps more crucially, Rolfo showed the San Marinese
title leader that he simply will not give up his chase for 250 honours
this year. Rolfo had to use all his wiles to get the better of Poggiali and the Italian made his move on the penultimate lap. But Poggiali pounced back before Rolfo finally made his pass stick and when Poggiali got his machine a bit too loose in his bid to re-pass Rolfo he lost touch and Rolfo netted second in comparative comfort. “There’s huge satisfaction to be had from second on the podium,” said Rolfo. “We had some huge problems during practice but we knew how to rescue the situation. The result is very important for the Championship and second place was in my hands – that’s why I fought so hard.” The World Championship points tallies show Poggiali on 206, Rolfo with 188 and Elias in the hunt with 176.
FIM
World Superbike, Supersport Championship 2.4.2
Minimum Weights 2.4.4.1
Carburation Instruments for 1000cc 3 and 4 cylinders 2.4.6.15
Carburettors 2.4.6.19
Cylinder Head 2.4.6.22
Crankshaft 2.4.6.31
Clutch 2.5.6.2
Front Forks
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