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MotoGP Wolrd Championship, Brazil Round 7

Tamada Claims his first MotoGP Win,
Biaggi closes in on title leaders Rossi and Giberneau


Jacarepagua, Brazil, July 4, 2004:
There was no shortage of drama under a beating Brazilian sun here in Rio, before a packed crowd of 56,000, as mighty Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V), riding on Bridgestone tyres, recorded his first (and the tyre company’s first) win in the premier class. Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) was second and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) third.

Honda Riders Look Strong in Battle for the Pole
Two sun-drenched days of qualifying finished here at Jacarepagua today with Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) qualifying on pole with Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) joining the former World Champion on the front row in second and third places. Row two comprises Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) in fourth, local hope Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) in fifth and Loris Capirossi on the revitalised Ducati in sixth. The track proved a tough proposition for everyone. The heat (track temperature at 37 degrees and ambient at 28) and the bumps made life exceptionally hard.

This is a track that is only visited once a year by teams, there is no testing here. And although the bumps are a known quantity, their severity varies form year to year owing to subsidence on the reclaimed land the track is built on.

Everyone struggled here, but with the exception of Roberts, it was the Honda runners who made the best of things. Teams are setting great store by race distance work completed in this final hour, but the ability to qualify well remains at a premium.

Gibernau was the only rider, with the exception of last-placed qualifier David de Gea (WCM), who failed to better his time from yesterday, but his Friday time is only slightly shy of the laps put in by the front row qualifiers at 1m 48.618. He is only two tenths of a second away from the pole time.
Hayden made his move with 10 minutes of the session remaining and powered his RC211V to second. But there was more to come from the rest of the field and the young American managed another storming lap at 1m 48.580s to secure his third front row start of the season.

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres qualified seventh on row three while Colin Edwards (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) has to make the best of a fourth row slot in 11th.
Max is back on form and knows the start will be key. “The rear can really spin-up at the start and you have to be careful, but I’m happy with the second fastest time. Our qualifying tyres are really fantastic and you can open the throttle so much earlier than usual. We’re also strong in race trim and I’m so happy for my team because they just never give up. I was disappointed with provisional seventh yesterday and today we worked hard and solved the problems.”

“I’m happy to be on the front row,” said Hayden. “I’ve had a few front rows this season that didn’t amount to much in the races, but I’m hoping to make this one count. Hopefully the inside of the track won’t be too dirty. On the last lap of qualifying I was really just holding on and I didn’t expect it to be a front row time. We’ve still got some front-end problems to sort out if we’re to have a real chance tomorrow.”

Gibernau is sure he has the race set-up to shine tomorrow. “The work we did on set-up was good,” he said. “I lost the chance to do a final quick lap but the race tyre we have is good. I’m not worried about the second row start because I’m on the left side of the track where it’s clean. If I had to choose between a pole and a good race set-up – I’d choose race set-up.”

Barros was delighted with a strong home race showing in qualifying. “We’re in much better shape than yesterday,” he said. “I made a lot of laps on the race tyre and it felt good enough to maintain a really fast race rhythm. We now have a lot more feel and I’m ready to race tomorrow.”

Tamada is typically optimistic about tomorrow despite his third row start. “I’m ready for the race,” said the Japanese. “I was really pushing hard all session because the temperature could well be the same in the race at 11:30am tomorrow. I’ve got good settings and a good race tyre. All I need is a super start.”
Edwards is less happy. “The track is bad, but it’s bad for everyone,” said the Texan. “We’re really struggling with set-up, the bike just doesn’t want to turn. We’ve ended up making changes and losing direction. I’m a bit confused to be honest.”


Tamada heads the Honda freight train with Biaggi and Hayden.

The Race - Championship Leaders Gibernau and Rossi
come Ungripped with the Rough Brazilian Track

The all-Honda podium in Brazil was missing 2 major figurse in this season’s race for the title – Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) who crashed out on lap 3 while trying to make his way to the front from his second row start. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) then crashed on lap four. Valentino Rossi (DNF) crashed out on lap 13, while lying fourth. The result has left the championship wide open after Rossi’s main rival Interestingly both Giberneau and Rossi riders fell on the same corner. .

Gibernau’s long trudge back to his garage must have been hard yards. He would have watched the action on his pit garage TV monitor as Max led the field with Hayden and Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) in second and third. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was fourth by lap six. Then Marco Melandri (Yamaha) took out fellow Yamaha rider Carlos Checa. Neither fell but their joint visit to the gravel trap effectively ended their races for meaningful places. But there was more dramatic action to come.

The 24-lap race began brightly for Rossi, the reigning World Champion, as he jumped from a starting position on the third row to fifth place at the very first corner. Sooner after his main championship rival Gibernau crashed out on lap two, just as Rossi began to really turn up the pace on his Yamaha YZR-M1. Moving up to fourth and past pole position man Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) after passing up the inside at turn one, Rossi seized a chance to pass Alex Barros (Honda) and began the task of reducing the 1.6 second gap to race leaders Max Biaggi (Honda) and Nicky Hayden (Honda).

Rossi passed Barros for third on lap eight and Tamada was making big inroads on the leaders too. The doughty Japanese was now fourth and working on Rossi for third. And just 1.13 seconds covered the top four of Max, Nicky, Rossi and Makoto.

On lap 12 Makoto made it past Rossi for third, on lap 13 he took Hayden for second. And on that same lap Rossi crashed out. He remounted and tried to restart his machine, but failed. One can only imagine the relief Gibernau must have felt as he saw his current title rival dismount and return to pitlane.

“We made some modifications before and after warm-up this morning, said Rossi afterwards. “Even though I was riding better the set-up was still not quite right. What a shame. I lost the front and that was it. I haven’t fallen in a race since Mugello 2001. We’ve been having problems all through the weekend, but we were having a strong race and I felt I was catching the leaders. Even though I was up with the front group it was very difficult on the left hand corners. If I had managed to finish in fourth place it would have earned us some good points.”Even though I was riding better the set-up was still not quite right. What a shame. I lost the front and that was it. I haven’t fallen in a race since Mugello 2001. We’ve been having problems all through the weekend, but we were having a strong race and I felt I was catching the leaders. Even though I was up with the front group it was very difficult on the left hand corners. If I had managed to finish in fourth place it would have earned us some good points.”


Rossi's bull pup was down on the ground for the day, but certainly not out of the hunt for the bone.

Now it was Max and his team-mate Makoto out front with Hayden hanging onto them. But as the final laps approached Hayden began to drop off the lead duo. This was when Tamada made his move taking the lead on the final turn on lap 21 of this 24-lap race.

He held it to the end for a popular victory that he dedicated to Daijiro Kato who was killed at Suzuka last year. “A perfect race,” he said. “The team did a great job and the race went to plan. And this is a reward for everyone’s hard work. This race is also a gift for my friend Daijiro Kato.”

Max was delighted for his team-mate. “What a great race – even if I didn’t win,” he said. “I’d like to congratulate Makoto, not only a very good rider, but also a friend. I could hear him coming in the last few laps and I could also hear him opening the throttle earlier in the turns when I couldn’t. I knew he would be a danger. I think after three races we are back in the hunt.”

Hayden was happy with third. “I’ve never got to finish a race from a front row start in MotoGP,” he said. “And I definitely needed a good solid finish here today. I was up with Max and saw we were pulling away. I thought we were going to be okay then I saw a ‘Tamada + zero’ on my pitboard. He just came from nowhere. I’ll take this result and build on it.”

Barros, who finished fifth, said. “I’m very, very disappointed. After five laps I had big problems with the front end and I could do nothing for the rest of the race. We need to look at the data with the team and with Michelin because we are nearly half way through the season and still the results are not coming.”

Colin Edwards (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) finished sixth and said, “I was sure Sete was going to win this race. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him fall. I just concentrated on my rhythm and then thought about saving my tyres. When you feel the tyres going it’s very easy to make mistakes so I took it steady.”
A relived Gibernau said, “A small error cost us dear. We had a good chance of winning here and we could have opened up a big lead. I feel sorry for the team because they gave everything but it wasn’t to be. But the Championship is wide open and we’ll take another step forward in Germany.”

The World Championship points table now shows Gibernau and Rossi still tied on 126 points apiece. But now Max Biaggi is within range of them with 113 points with seven rounds of the 16 race series gone.


Max congradulates his team mate Makao on the podium.

HONDA TEAM QUOTES:
Makoto Tamada, Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 1st: “A perfect race, with the bike settings and the tyres as good as they could possibly be. The team did a magnificent job and I did the rest. I’d like to dedicate my victory to all of them and to my dear friend Daijiro. I think that’s the greatest homage I could pay to him. I miss him. I’m grateful to Bridgestone for the incredible work they did to make sure I could be fast and effective in all the tests this week, right through to the race itself when the tyres on my Honda gave me all the performance and endurance I needed.”

Gianluca Montiron, Camel Honda,(Makoto Tamada Team Manager): “An extraordinary day. Here in Rio last year Makoto showed what he’s capable of when he made his first podium, and now just short of a year later, he’s given us his first MotoGP victory. We had a long talk yesterday and knew what we were capable of. When I saw him lying in wait behind Max, preparing to pounce, I knew he’d be first over the line. He did it his way, with style and talent. Thanks to Honda, for a great bike, and thanks to the people at Bridgestone who, after a moment of difficulty at Mugello, just gave it all they’d got and made it to the top spot of the rostrum today with Makoto. And with Max’s brilliant achievement, the Camel Honda colours just dominated the day.”

Max Biaggi, Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) 2nd : “What a tough race! But wonderful, even though I didn’t make it to victory. And here I’d like to congratulate Makoto: he’s not just a fine rider – he’s a true friend. Great. I could hear him coming during the last laps, opening the throttle as he came out of the corners while I still had to wait, and I realised I was in danger. But I’m still really pleased with my bike, with my Michelins, and especially with all the work my team has done together with Honda. I started off well, with only Kenny in front, but I managed to get past him after a lap. I set my pace, trying to save the tyres, but it was too hot to try and break away from the pack, even though we were racing three hours earlier than usual. I tried not to make any mistakes, as conditions were pretty treacherous. These twenty points are really worth a lot for the championship, but now I want to get back onto the top of the podium.”
Sito Pons, Camel Honda (Team Principal): “A fantastic day with our bikes coming first and second. The team performed brilliantly with Makoto, who achieved his first victory, and with Max, whose second place is extremely important for him and for his position in the world ratings. Our thanks go to Camel and all the other sponsors for their constant support, and to Honda who have never failed to give us all the assistance we needed to win.”

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team: 3rd: “I’m happy. I’ve never got to finish a race from a front row MotoGP start. I definitely wanted a good solid finish today. It’s been a good weekend all the way through to finish with a strong result is pleasing. The race was a lot of fun. Early I was right there with Max. I saw we were pulling away and I thought we were going to be OK. Then all of a sudden I saw ‘Tamada + zero’ on my board ; he just came from nowhere. Towards the end of the race I had a few big moments and I thought I needed to chill out a bit to get a result. It’s nice to finish on the podium but I’m not here for podiums or front row’s I want to win races. I defiantly want to go the next level. I’ll take this result and build on it. Tamada did a great job as did my team.”

Alex Barros, Repsol Honda Team, 5th race place: “I’m very, very disappointed. After five laps I have big problems with the front end. The machine felt good in qualifying and in the warm up this morning we were in good shape but then in the race it was a disaster. I almost crashed four of five times. Just like Valentino sand Sete. I was very lucky to stay on two wheels. For the rest of the race I can do nothing. It was very hard to turn the machine; we had to use more angle to turn the machine; more angle equals less grip. The combination makes it very difficult. We need to look at the data with the team and Michelin and move forward. We are nearly half way through the season and still the results don’t come yet. We need to do something to improve our chances. I am sorry for all the fans who give me such support here, and for the team who worked so hard.”
Colin Edwards, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 6th: “What a shame for Sete he fell! I was sure he was going to win this race. When I saw him fall I could not believe it, but then the same thing happened to Valentino so the championship remains level. I concentrated on maintaining my rhythm - I passed Kenny Roberts and then thought about saving my tyres. I pushed very hard, but when you feel the tyres going it is very easy to make mistakes and so I concentrated on being steady. It was a difficult weekend overall, but I hope to take a step forward in Germany.”

Fausto Gresini (Team manager): “It’s a shame to lose an opportunity like this, but! these things happen in races. We leave Rio in the same shape as when we came here, and we have to try and take the positives – it could have been much worse. We must now think about the next Grand Prix in Germany and be positive, as always. Colin rode a good race and his sixth place allows us to go back to the top in the Team Championship. We are still lacking something to fight with the rest of the Hondas, but we are sure it will arrive.”

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda (dnf): “It was a shame because after doing some excellent work with the team, a small error by me cost us dear. We had found a great rhythm and had a really good chance of winning here, but in the end the circumstance! s of the race did not allow us to. The sad thing is that we could have opened up a big lead. I feel sorry for the team because they gave everything, as always, but it wasn’t to be. I am sad because of what happened, but the championship is still wide open and my moral is really good to come back in Germany.”

MotoGP Results Race Classification MotoGP : (24 laps = 118.392 km)
Pos/ Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time/ KM/H
1 / Makoto TAMADA / JPN / Camel Honda / HONDA / 44'21.976 / 160.110
2 / Max BIAGGI / ITA / Camel Honda / HONDA / 44'23.995 / 159.989
3 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 44'27.740 / 159.764
4 / Loris CAPIROSSI / ITA / Ducati Marlboro Team / DUCATI / 44'33.121 / 159.443
5 / Alex BARROS / BRA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 44'34.927 / 159.335
6 / Colin EDWARDS / USA / Telefonica Movistar Honda Mot / HONDA / 44'35.880 / 159.278
7 / Kenny ROBERTS / USA / Team Suzuki MotoGP / SUZUKI / 44'45.469 / 158.710
8 / Norick ABE / JPN / Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 44'49.474 / 158.473
9 / Shinya NAKANO / JPN / Kawasaki Racing Team / KAWASAKI / 44'49.778 / 158.455
10 / Carlos CHECA / SPA / Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha / YAMAHA / 44'58.784 / 157.927
11 / Alex HOFMANN / GER / Kawasaki Racing Team / KAWASAKI / 44'59.689 / 157.874
12 / Ruben XAUS / SPA / D'Antin MotoGP / DUCATI / 45'10.900 / 157.221
13 / Marco MELANDRI / ITA / Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 45'19.078 / 156.748
14 / Jeremy McWILLIAMS / GBR / MS Aprilia Racing / APRILIA / 45'25.022 / 156.406
15 / John HOPKINS / USA / Team Suzuki MotoGP / SUZUKI / 45'32.272 / 155.991
Fastest Lap: Makoto TAMADA 1'49.789 161.753 Km/h Lap 7

World Championship Positions:
1 ROSSI 126, 2 GIBERNAU 126, 3 BIAGGI 113, 4 EDWARDS 64, 5 CHECA 62, 6 BARROS 59,
7 MELANDRI 57, 8 CAPIROSSI 55, 9 HAYDEN 54, 10 TAMADA 44, 11 ABE 41, 12 XAUS 36,
13 NAKANO 27, 14 BAYLISS 23, 15 ROBERTS 21.

250cc GP to Aprilia's Manuel Poggiah
The 250cc race was won by Manuel Poggiali (Aprilia), his first win of the year. Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) was second by just 0.076 seconds as they pair crossed the line. Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) was third.

Poggiali and Pedrosa were the best of a five-rider group that circulated together for most of this 22-lap race. Elias kept the closest to them as Sebastian Porto and Randy de Puniet (both Aprilia) also stayed in the hunt at the front. But as the gruelling race unfolded in 27 degree heat only Poggiali and Pedrosa had the speed needed to contest the win. The last lap was intense with Pedrosa trying everything to get a draft on the straight. He got tucked in behind, but Poggiali is strong on the brakes and Pedrosa could not make a pass.
He tried again at the next turn, but Poggiali just seemed to have the advantage at every turn. Even a last ditch last turn move up the inside failed to yield a result and with a finish line close to the final turn, it was the San Marinese rider’s race.

Pedrosa said, “I tried to attack Poggiali but I knew it would be very difficult. We had many problems in practice with the front forks. In the end I preferred to finish the race than risk a crash. I’m happy with second.”

Tony Elias was realistic about his race. “This third position is okay but I want more. This weekend our team worked very well. I got a good start, but the leaders gradually worked away from me and there was nothing more I could do.”

The 250 title race is now led by Pedrosa with 130 points. Randy de Puniet, who finished seventh, is second with 119 points, with Sebastian Porto on 88 and Tony Elias on 86.

250cc Race Classification 250cc: (22 laps = 108.526 km)
Pos / Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time / KM / H
1 / Manuel POGGIALI / RSM / MS ApriliaTeam / APRILIA / 41'56.561 / 155.249
2 / Daniel PEDROSA / SPA / Telefonica Movistar Honda 250 / HONDA / 41'56.637 / 155.244
3 / Toni ELIAS / SPA / Fortuna Honda / HONDA / 42'00.353 / 155.015
4 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / Aprilia Racing / APRILIA / 42'01.239 / 154.960
5 / Fonsi NIETO / SPA / Repsol - Aspar Team 250cc / APRILIA / 42'16.954 / 154.001
6 / Hiroshi AOYAMA / JPN / Telefonica Movistar Honda 250 / HONDA / 42'17.137 / 153.989
7 / Roberto ROLFO / ITA / Fortuna Honda / HONDA / 42'26.960 / 153.396
8 / Randy DE PUNIET / FRA / Safilo Carrera - LCR / APRILIA / 42'31.303 / 153.134
9 / Alex DEBON / SPA / Wurth Honda BQR / HONDA / 42'32.582 / 153.058
10 / Franco BATTAINI / ITA / Campetella Racing / APRILIA / 42'33.037 / 153.030
11 / Hugo MARCHAND / FRA / Freesoul Abruzzo Racing Team / APRILIA / 42'47.552 / 152.165
12 / Sylvain GUINTOLI / FRA / Campetella Racing / APRILIA / 42'48.757 / 152.094
13 / Chaz DAVIES / GBR / Aprilia Racing / APRILIA / 42'50.137 / 152.012
14 / Naoki MATSUDO / JPN / Team UGT Kurz / YAMAHA / 42'58.202 / 151.537
15 / Dirk HEIDOLF / GER / Grefusa - Aspar Team 250cc / APRILIA / 42'58.575 / 151.515
Fastest Lap: Sebastian PORTO 1'53.573 156.364 Km/h Lap 2
Championship Positions:
1 PEDROSA 130, 2 DE PUNIET 119, 3 PORTO 88, 4 ELIAS 86, 5 NIETO 75, 6 DE ANGELIS 64,
7 POGGIALI 63, 8 ROLFO 57, 9 AOYAMA 51, 10 DEBON 48, 11 WEST 46, 12 BATTAINI 30,
13 GUINTOLI 17, 14 MATSUDO 15, 15 BALDOLINI 15.

Barbera Closes on Points lead with another Aprilia win in 125cc GP
Hector Barbera (Aprilia) won a red-hot 125cc Grand Prix from Casey Stoner (KTM), with Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) in third place as they stormed over the line. The lead changed hands three times in the last two laps, but it was the Spaniard Barbera who timed his pass to perfection.
The race got underway at a fast pace with three riders exchanging fastest laps as early as the second tour of the 4.933km Jacarepagua circuit. Dovizioso held it at 1m 58.080s until Barbera, who’d been in flying form all weekend, cracked a 1m 57.789s time on lap four.

The blatant horn dogs that we are, we're sure you wanted to see a picture of lovely Marketa Janakova (left and above, rather than race winner Barbera ) who didn't score too well in the race, but certainly earned high marks with us on her Honda 125.

A six-rider scrap then unfolded until Jorge Lorenzo (Derbi) who had been lying second for the early laps crashed on lap 11. The five-rider train then stuck together as the race drew to a conclusion in the final two laps with Dovizioso first to make a move to the front. The action was as vicious as we have come to expect in 125cc racing. Dovzioso made contact with Barbera on the last lap as he fought to keep his second place after Stoner had slid past. Then it was Locatelli’s turn to get hit as Dovizioso defended his third position when Barbera got through.

Dovzioso said, “That was hard work and we all knew it would be. There were a few big fights out there and yes a few of us touched. But that’s how it is and making contact often happens in the last laps. I’d have liked a win, but third will have to do here.”

The World Championship points table now shows Dovizioso in the lead after seven of sixteen rounds. He has 125 points to Barbera’s 109 and Locatelli’s 106.

125cc: Race Classification 125cc (21 laps = 103.593 km)
Pos / Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time / KM / H
1 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Seedorf Racing / APRILIA / 41'41.459 / 149.086
2 / Casey STONER / AUS / Red Bull KTM / KTM / 41'41.555 / 149.081
3 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO / ITA / Kopron Team Scot / HONDA / 41'41.661 / 149.074
4 / Roberto LOCATELLI / ITA / Safilo Carrera - LCR / APRILIA / 41'41.818 / 149.065
5 / Mirko GIANSANTI / ITA / Matteoni Racing / APRILIA / 41'42.196 / 149.043
6 / Marco SIMONCELLI / ITA / Rauch Bravo / APRILIA / 41'49.073 / 148.634
7 / Pablo NIETO / SPA / Master - Repsol Team 125cc / APRILIA / 41'49.228 / 148.625
8 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Red Bull KTM / KTM / 41'54.184 / 148.332
9 / Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / Seedorf Racing / APRILIA / 41'55.409 / 148.260
10 / Mattia PASINI / ITA / Safilo Carrera - LCR / APRILIA / 42'01.397 / 147.908
11 / Andrea BALLERINI / ITA / Sterilgarda Racing / APRILIA / 42'07.442 / 147.554
12 / Mike DI MEGLIO / FRA / Globet.com Racing / APRILIA / 42'08.092 / 147.516
13 / Simone CORSI / ITA / Kopron Team Scot / HONDA / 42'08.455 / 147.495
14 / Julian SIMON / SPA / Angaia Racing / HONDA / 42'08.590 / 147.487
15 / Lukas PESEK / CZE / Ajo Motorsport / HONDA / 42'12.156 / 147.279
Fastest Lap : Hector BARBERA 1'57.789 150.767 Km/h Lap 4
Championship Positions:
1 DOVIZIOSO 125, 2 BARBERA 109, 3 LOCATELLI 106, 4 STONER 104, 5 NIETO 72,
6 GIANSANTI 63, 7 LORENZO 58, 8 JENKNER 58, 9 SIMONCELLI 53, 10 BAUTISTA 31,
11 PASINI 31, 12 KALLIO 29, 13 DI MEGLIO 27, 14 BORSOI 22, 15 BALLERINI 19.


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Preview
Brazilian Grand Prix,
Jacarepagua - Rio de Janeiro, June 2,3,4, 2004.
RIVALS LOCKED ON POINTS AS TITLE RACE HITS RIO
With Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) both sharing 126 points at the top of the table after six races, the MotoGP circus now heads to Brazil for an intriguing contest over the 4.933km of the Circuit Nelson Piquet, 20km south of central Rio de Janeiro.

Coming just after the pulsating Dutch TT where Rossi beat Gibernau and posted his third straight win over the Spaniard, Sete is determined to halt the Italian's progress here in Brazil - neither rider will be lapping up the party atmosphere of this race until the flag on Sunday.
Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) also needs a result here - but for different reasons. The Italian is 33 points adrift of the leading pair and has yet to achieve a win this season. He's scored points at every race (as have Rossi and Gibernau), but two second places and two thirds are not enough to keep him in the hunt while the main men share wins. He needs a victory in Brazil.

But Rossi has ruled Rio. He has won the last four races here and will be out to make a fifth win this weekend a signal to Gibernau that his rival's title challenge has stalled. Gibernau will want to use this race to demonstrate to Rossi that the ten races remaining will not follow the same pattern as the last three where Rossi has shadowed him for most of the race and then pounced in the closing stages to snatch a win.
Gibernau has scored points at 19 consecutive races now, but consistency is of little value in this intense title struggle if it doesn't feature a consistent visit to the top step of the podium. Both riders rarely drop points and yet neither can afford to wait for one another to make a mistake - this year the psychological impact of beating the other into second would seem to be the most important tool available.

This is why the re-emergence of Biaggi is such a factor. He is a proven race winner and after a run of mediocre results, the 12 times winner in the premier class is overdue a return to winning ways. The canny Italian knows he can't leave it much later than now to put the squeeze on the two men in front of him.

The track features the third fastest straight in the MotoGP calendar and the 1000m chute with its wide entry and exit is where much of the overtaking is done here. But the track, built on reclaimed land, is bumpy. Subsidence, despite massive rebuilding efforts in 1995, is still a problem. The surface is not very grippy and is rippled in many key areas.

Corner speeds are high here and stability under braking at the end of the straight is a key area engineers will look at when setting-up these 220bhp machines. Top-end power is also critical and any changes to engine-mapping will factor-in the need to have plenty of power available in the higher registers of engine rpm.

The track, like Welkom in South Africa, is never used for testing, so riders tend to come to it 'raw' and speed from riders and crews in assessing the exact machine requirements is essential if teams are to get to grips with conditions early on. As we have seen this season, the pressure is such that even the first free training session on Friday morning will be an intense affair.
Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) who will start his 201st Grand Prix on Sunday has never won here. The Brazilian was on better form in Holland last weekend than he has been in for a while and if he can build on that here, the veteran cannot be ruled out for a win. But he remains a long shot while Rossi and Gibernau carve up the wins between them.
"I'm ready for a new battle with Valentino," said Gibernau. "I'm going to fight for the win again here and I'm sure it will be a great show. I like the track and I love the atmosphere but it will be strictly business here."

His team-mate Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) who has been consistent if not spectacular so far this year is close to recapturing the form that made him such hot property and the Texan will be keen to taste a rostrum after so many races without real success. "I'm confident," he said. "Last year the Hondas were good here. Sure, the Yamaha has improved a lot but I'm ready. I need to qualify well and get onto the first two rows of the grid. If I can do that then I know I can stay with the front runners. I've just been too far down the grids in these first races this season."

Barros is feeling the pressure - but liking it. "I actually enjoy it," he said. "The fans are really passionate and I know I'll get huge support. The last few results have been disappointing for me, but I've been encouraged by the balance my crew has now found with the bike. The team has worked hard to get me to the front of the field - and now I need a result. After my crash at Assen I'm fit to ride although my shoulder is maybe not quite 100% yet."

His team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is ready for action too. "It should suit the Honda," he said. "It's bumpy but not too bad and not too technical either. I'm glad this race is coming up now because I need to string a few results together after my recent disappointments and need to be mixing it with the guys up front. I'm also going to visit a Honda factory in the jungle - it's all pretty mad at the moment."

Max Biaggi is ready to go and starts his 101st premier class Grand Prix here. "Honda gave us massive support in Assen, doing some great work after the qualifying, giving me confidence for the race and demonstrating that with collaboration, even the most difficult situations can be resolved. This is what gives me a big lift to be able to take on the Rio race in confident mood."

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Tyre industry evolving
as globalisation
forces change

OVER past decades, the tyre industry has been a relatively stable market, dominated by only a handful of major names.
Historically, domestic tyre markets prospered and the main players were able to thrive as sales in motor vehicles boomed. This was particularly true in America, whose production of tyres overshadowed that of the rest of the world.

Today, the situation is very different, with fierce competition from Europe and, more importantly, from developing industries in the Far East.
In the USA, only Cooper and Goodyear-Dunlop remain. The main competitors are: in Japan, Bridgestone-Firestone; in France, Michelin; in Germany, Continental, Metzeler and the Italian Pirelli brand; in the UK, the Cooper subsidiary Avon. Of course, many of these firms exist now in a very different corporate format to that in which they started out, with numerous brand purchases and mergers.
The growing Asian tyre market comprises Japanese companies such as Toyo and Yokohama, Hankook and Kumho in Korea, and Vee Rubber in Thailand. The latter firms are forcing down prices and increasing pressure on the industry by profiting from low labour costs.

Goodyear is still the world's largest tyre company, and its plant in Tonawanda, New York, has recent and continuing capital investments in excess of $6.8 million (€5.61 million), which include a development programme for motorcycle tyres. That said, the company is facing significant financial problems and has incurred a high amount of debt. Over the past three years, the manufacturer has lost more than $2 billion (€1.7 billion). This has led to job cuts, the closure of plants and the refinancing of loans. The outcome of this dynamic phase in the history of tyre manufacturing is difficult to predict, but the battle for domination of global trade continues to intensify.


Robin Cunningham, Fast Dates
Superbike Supermodel for Laguna Seca
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