From a press release:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2002
CZECH REPUBLIC GRAND PRIX, BRNO
Race Day, Sunday August 25th

KATO SECOND IN FOUR-STROKE DEBUT

Daijiro Kato (Fortuna Honda Gresini RC211V) enjoyed a dream debut on his new five-cylinder four-stroke Honda, taking second place behind race winner Max Biaggi (Yamaha). Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V) scored third place despite a morning warm-up crash. In contrast Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V), lost his chance of at least second place when he was forced to pit to change his rear tyre, then opted to retire altogether, ending his run of seven straight race wins and nine consecutive podium places in 2002.

Kato, the reigning 250 World Champion was fast from the start of the race, forming the final part of a three man breakaway group with Biaggi and Rossi, and taking a new lap record of 2:00.605 in the process. Looking set to score third place after a somewhat processional race at the front, he unwittingly benefited from the misfortune of the current championship leader Rossi and gained the highest place finish of his rookie MotoGP season so far.

“I am very happy to have taken second place in my first ever four-stroke MotoGP race,” said Kato in the post-race press conference. “In the first part of the race I just wanted to stay smooth on the machine, in the second half I tried pushing hard to catch Valentino. He eventually had a problem, so you never know what can happen in racing. I don’t know when it may be possible for me to win because I still have a lot to learn about suspension and tyres on a machine like this.”

Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V) saw a gritty ride turn into a deserved podium after Rossi’s initial exit. Running at a good pace, but unable to join the leading trio at any stage, Ukawa’s performance was hampered by the huge high-side crash he suffered in the morning warm up.

“After my crash at Donington I was still not perfect, so I knew when I fell this morning it would not be good,” explained the third place man. “It did not make my old foot injury worse but I hurt my hip and back and I was in a lot of pain. I tried to push forward in the race but I found it hard to concentrate. Also, because of the crash, my machine was not perfect, but I am very satisfied to get third. It is not the way to I want to close the gap on Valentino but I am still happy with my position in the championship.”

Retirement was a bitter blow for Rossi, who was sitting in second place shortly before his tyre problem, biding his time for the final laps to come around. He suddenly slowed, pitted for a new rear, and rejoined the race out of the points scoring positions. Circulating in 18th and last place, and with no chance of scoring points, he retired with two laps remaining.

“The race was going fine,” affirmed Rossi. “Me, Kato and Biaggi had a good pace. The bike had a few little problems but this seems to be a Yamaha track and not a Honda one -because I couldn’t seem to make any impression on Biaggi. Half way through the race the tyre went and that was that. I came in to change the tyre, went out again, but I had lost a lot of time so I came in again. It will be interesting to see what they say about the tyre. This has never happened in my career before. Anyway, I still have a good lead in the championship with six races left. Not a disaster.”

The first two-stroke home belonged to Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500), who had a lonely race to sixth position, despite not being fully fit after his Assen wrist injuries.

“Considering my present physical condition, and the lack of mobility and strength in my right arm, I had quite a good race,” understated Capirossi. “I think we had a good tyre compound and our machine settings were ideal.”

In ninth place Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) was far from his best 2002 form, after some radical pre-race changes in machine set-up.

“This morning we changed the front forks during warm-up and instead of finding a solution to the problems we are having, we made matters worse for the race,” said Barros. “The positive aspect is that I was able to score some points, which is important for my overall classification in the championship.” Barros retained his status as top two-stroke rider in the series, fifth overall.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) had an eventful race, eventually taking his Bridgestone-shod two-stroke to 12th.

“I got a good start, for a two-stroke,” said the Dutch rider. “Only the chicane proved difficult, as one of the Suzuki riders missed his braking point and cost me time. I got in a good fight with Barros, Jacque and McCoy at one stage and I really enjoyed that. Then I got some vibration and I decided to slow a bit. I had picked up some rubber on my rear tyre.”

Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) experienced problems once more in a race situation, but stuck to his task to take the final point for 15th place.

“I tried to stay with the riders ahead but it was really impossible,” said a frustrated Harada. “From the first laps the rear tyre slid and I could not push hard without risking a crash too much. I thought it better to finish the race and at least I scored a point. That part at least was good.”

Despite Rossi’s no-score he still enjoys a handsome lead in the overall championship after 10 of the 16 rounds. Rossi’s unchanged total of 220 heads Ukawa, on 140, with Biaggi third on 134.

Robby Rolfo (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) lost out on an almost certain podium finish in the final stages of the 250cc Grand Prix, crashing after losing the front in his pursuit of eventual race winner Marco Melandri (Aprilia).

Taking the lead on lap five, Rolfo headed 12 of the 20 laps, before succumbing to Melandri and then the fates on lap 18. Clearly disappointed with his misfortune Rolfo stated; “In the early part of the race riding in a group was breaking my concentration. Everyone was taking so many different lines, so I decided to push to the front early.”

Rolfo continued; “I am sorry to have crashed and obviously I am not happy about it but I only wanted to win, nothing less, and I pushed hard to take the win. After Melandri passed me I was studying where I could pass him and I made a small mistake, holding the front brake on too long going into a corner. The front closed on me and my dream ended.”

Despite his misfortune, Rolfo maintained his third place in the championship with his 127 points, 68 behind Melandri’s total of 195 and 31 adrift of Aprilia rider Fonsi Nieto’s 158.

David Garcia (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) finished his first 250 race of the year in tenth place, a sterling effort from Emilio Alzamora’s temporary replacement in the Fortuna camp. Garcia was enthusiastic about his performance, especially after a long lay-off from GP racing.

“The plan before the race was just to finish, especially after falling on Saturday morning and losing some set-up time,” he said. “So for me to finish in the top ten is a good achievement first time out on the NSR. I have not been in a 250GP for a year, and I think it shows people what I can still do.”

After Rolfo’s untimely exit Haruchika Aoki (Arie Molenaar Racing Honda RS250R/W) had the honour of taking top Honda slot, in ninth. Riding an evolution of the privateer RS250R/W, Aoki said; “The bike felt good in the warm-up, in the race a little slower. But we did some really good lap times, so I am not so unhappy. I benefited from the exit of Checa and Battaini, and gained a couple of places; I’m not so happy to be beaten over the line by Matsudo.”

The top fully private Honda was ridden by Jason Vincent (By Queroseno Racing Honda RS250R/W) who took 12th place, with his team-mate Leon Haslam 17th. The last two finishers, in 19th and 20th places, were Henk van den Langemaat (De Graff Grand Prix Honda RS250RW) and Gabor Rizmayer (Bird Racing Team Honda RS25R/W).

Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R) took second place in what transpired to be another desperately close 125cc race, with the last five of the 19 laps being contested like they were the final one.

The young Spaniard was leading at one stage, until the multi-rider fight for supremacy temporarily demoted him to eighth. A clever strategy saw him resurgent in the final laps and fight back to be in a podium position at the flag.

“I am happy with second because there were so many riders in the leading group, so much overtaking and touching of fairings that I did not want to be in the middle of it on the last laps,” said Pedrosa. “I tried to get to the front with two or three laps to go, but I couldn’t quite get into the lead. I was sliding a bit by that time so I could not try for the win on the last few corners.”

The race was won by Lucio Cecchinello (Aprilia), and with World Championship leader Manual Poggiali (Gilera) in fifth, Pedrosa made some ground in the overall championship chase. Poggiali now leads Arnaud Vincent (Aprilia, third in Brno) 171 points to 169, with Pedrosa close behind on 160.

Joan Olive (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R) crashed out after falling on lap seven, undoing the good work he had done to jump from 12th on the grid to fourth after a single lap.

Olive gave it his all, but paid the price of being forced to override in the later stages. “The crash was a pity because I made a good start and even got as high as third,” said the Junior team rider. “I saw I could run with the leading group without problems, but the bike started to slide… to the point where it became unrideable. I had to take a lot of risks to keep the pace and eventually crashed.”

An all Honda battle between Mika Kallio (Red Devil Honda RS125R), Gabor Talmacsi (Pev Moto ADAC Sachsen Honda RS125R) and Masao Azuma (Tribe by Breil Honda RS125R) finished in that order, with Kallio eventually tenth.

HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

MotoGP:

Daijiro Kato, Fortuna Honda Gresini, 2nd: “I think that I have made a good race and I’m really satisfied. At the beginning I felt I could go faster because I had no problems. The bike is fantastic and the team prepared it perfectly for the race. At the end of the race I wasn’t too sure about tyre performance and how long they would stay good. Then I preferred to check the situation and only think of a positive result. If this first time had to be a test I can say I was really fast and that from the next race I can begin to think of taking a victory.”

Fausto Gresini: “Honestly the Rossi tyre problem gave us an advantage, but the team is really happy. For us this was a really important event. It had to be a test and we are on the podium: this means that the bike, the rider, and the team are of great value. Now our objective is to improve what we know about this machine. Our adventure has just started.”

Tohru Ukawa, Team Repsol Honda: 3rd: “A podium is great and so are 16 points. After the big crash I had in the warm-up this morning I really didn’t think I would be standing on the podium. I fell heavily on my back. I was just beginning to feel better after Donington! The bike was going well this morning and I caught a neutral between gears. It’s not the way I want to close the gap on Valentino but I am still happy with my position in the championship. The final 6 races will be very close.”

Loris Capirossi, West Honda Pons: 6th: “Considering my present physical condition, and the lack of mobility and strength in my right arm, I had quite a good race and I am satisfied with my performance. I think we chose a good tyre compound and the bike settings were ideal. I was very motivated at the start and I was determined to stay with the leaders but when the four-strokes overtook me I could not stay with their pace. Everyone knows the situation and it is not necessary to repeat it. But there is one thing worth pointing out: Kato has always been behind us up until now. He gets a new bike at Brno and suddenly, curiously enough, he is fighting for victory.”

Alex Barros, West Honda Pons: 9th: “I am unhappy with the result, not so much for finishing in ninth place, but more over for not having lapped in the times I should have. I guess I was lapping slower than I thought. This morning we changed the front fork during the warm-up, but instead of finding a solution to the problems we were having, we made matters worse for the race. The positive aspect of the race is that I was able to score some points which is important for my overall classification in the championship.”

Sito Pons: “Loris Capirossi has a very good race indeed, especially after a two-month lay-off. He gave it his all on the bike, as is always the case with him, and he finished as the fastest two-stroke bike. Alex’s race, on the other hand, was disappointing. I think that after Saturday’s fall during Free Practice he did not find the right settings for his track and as a result he did not perform as well as he might. In normal conditions he could have fought hand in hand with Loris to be the fastest two-stroke bike here.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Kanemoto Honda, 12th: “I got a good start, for a two-stroke, and ran wide at the first turn and carried good speed. Only the chicane proved difficult as one of the Suzuki riders missed his braking point and that cost me time. After that I got into a good fight with Barros, McCoy and Jacque, and really enjoyed it. When McWilliams came past us I couldn’t stay with him. Then I got some vibration and decided to slow a bit, I had picked up some rubber on my rear tyre. In terms of tyre performance we made a step forward today. I ran a hard front and a medium rear and it worked out well for us.”

Team owner manager Erv Kanemoto: “That was a good race for us, Jurgen rode really well, and the tyres performed today. From yesterday indications were that we could run well here. The front wheel chatter we had yesterday was minimised for the race, all in all that was the best combination we could have run with. It has been a really encouraging weekend. The tyres looked good at the end, they looks if they performed constantly through the whole race. We now go to Valencia for a Bridgestone test, next Thursday and Friday, where Shinichi Itoh will test for us. Bridgestone are working really hard and they want us to test new tyres. This race was our first really promising step.”

Tetsuya Harada, Team Pramac Honda: 15th: “I tried to stay with the riders ahead but it was really impossible. Since the first laps the rear tyre slipped too much and I could not push hard risking to crash. I took many risks even if I was slower than the others so I thought only to finish the race.”

Valentino Rossi, Team Repsol Honda: Race position; DNF
“The race was going fine. Me, Kato and Biaggi had good pace. The bike had a few little problems but this seems to be a Yamaha track and not a Honda one. I couldn’t seem to make any impression on Biaggi. Half way through the race the tyre went and that was that. I came in to change the tyre. I went out again but lost a lot of time so I pulled in again. It will be interesting to see what they say about the tyre. This has never happened in my career before. Anyway I still have a good lead in the championship with 6 races left. Not a disaster.”

250cc:
Haruchika Aoki, DeGraaf RS250R-W Honda, 9th: “The bike was very good in the morning warm up, better than yesterday but in the race it was a little slower. It was difficult to make a really good lap time. Still, I’m not so unhappy. I was lucky with the crash between Checa and Battaini, which gave me two places, but I’m not happy about being caught by Matsudo. We are making progress each time we take the bike out and I pleased with that. We shall see more improvements by Estoril.”

David Garcia, Fortuna Honda Gresini, 10th: “I’m really happy to finish 10th at such a difficult track, and the first time on an NSR250. I think that I used Emilio Alzamora’s bike very well. Now is the time for Emilio to return. Next Sunday I race in the Spanish Supersport Championship. I say goodbye to grand prix racing but you will see me again in Valencia, on a KR3 Proton MotoGP machine.”

Roberto Rolfo, Fortuna Honda Gresini, crashed: I’m so sorry because I was having a great race. I stayed in the group for some time and then attacked when I understood that I could maintain my line and my concentration. The race finished in a way that I couldn’t imagine: after Melandri passed me I was studying where I could pass him and I made a mistake holding the front brake too long going into the corner. The front end closed on me and my dream ended. Anyway my objective was only a victory and I can say I tried.

Fausto Gresini: Roberto went very well because he tried to win. Unluckily during the race anything can happen. My congratulations to Garcia: he made a good race and showed he is really professional.


125cc:
Dani Pedrosa, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 2nd: “We made some good improvements in practice, but we still had some doubts about the race performance of the bike. In fact from the sixth lap, it started to slide … but the problem didn’t get any worse. The front group was big, and changing places constantly, which made us ride at a slower pace, but with a lot of risk. Three laps from the end I decided it was time to fight for victory. It wasn’t quite possible, but these 20 points are very valuable. It’s a good way of starting the second part of the championship after the summer break, and I am looking forward to getting to Portugal to keep up the hard work.”

Mika Kallio, Red Devil Honda, 10th: “I got a good start but on lap one Ui ran wide and took me with him. It cost me about four places but more importantly I did not get on the back of the lead group. After that it was always going to be a difficult race for me. The bike was very good and I could run the same lap times as the leaders, so I’m happy about that.”

Gabor Talmacsi, PEV Moto ADAC Sachsen, 11th: “I’m little bit disappointed with my result. I normally make good starts but not today. Points are very important at this stage of the season but the bike was just not fast enough today. It’s a pity because many fans came here from Hungary to watch me race.”

Joan Olive, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, crashed: “The crash was a pity, because I made a good start, and even got as high as third. I saw I could run with the leading group without problems, but the bike started to slide … to the point that it was unrideable. I had to take a lot of risks to try to keep the pace, and finally I crashed. Such a pity, because immediately afterwards the group started to ride a second slower, which would have played to my advantage. The team has been working to the maximum to try to solve our problems, but this time it wasn’t possible.”