Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Race Results:

1. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 19 laps, 42:39.006
2. Max Biaggi, Honda, -10.111 seconds
3. Valentino Rossi, Honda, -13.875 seconds
4. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, -36.978 seconds
5. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, -40.345 seconds
6. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, -42.177 seconds
7. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, -50.518 seconds
8. Alex Barros, Yamaha, -59.023 seconds
9. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, -93.536 seconds
10. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, -96.403 seconds
11. Nicky Hayden, Honda, -99.033 seconds
12. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, -102.398 seconds
13. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, -103.690 seconds
14. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, -1 lap
15. John Hopkins, Suzuki, -1 lap
16. Makoto Tamada, Honda, -1 lap
17. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, -1 lap
18. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, -1 lap
19. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, -2 laps, DNF, crash
20. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, -5 laps, DNF, crash
21. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, -5 laps, DNF, mechanical
22. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, -9 laps, DNF, crash
23. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, -10 laps, DNF, crash

MotoGP World Championship Standings:

1. Rossi, 151 points
2. Gibernau, 113 points
3. Biaggi, 105 points
4. Capirossi, 71 points
5. Barros, 62 points
6. Ukawa, 56 points
7. Bayliss, 53 points
8. Checa/Nakano, TIE, 47 points
10. Jacque, 43 points
11. Hayden, 38 points
12. Tamada/Edwards, TIE, 34 points
14. Haga, 21 points
15. Norick Abe, 17 points
16. Hopkins, 16 points
17. McWilliams, 14 points
18. Aoki/Kiyonari, TIE, 11 points
20. Melandri, 9 points
21. McCoy/Hofmann, TIE, 8 points
23. Pitt, 3 points


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Dutch TT, Assen
Race Day
Saturday, June 28 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN GRAB TOP-TEN FINISHES AT SOAKING ASSEN

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss finished today’s rain-lashed Dutch TT in sixth and ninth positions, a meagre reward for a hard afternoon’s work in appalling conditions. Capirossi had qualified on pole but suffered wheelspin woes in the early stages, while Bayliss rocketed into third place from a fourth-row start, only to crash due to a minor technical glitch. He bravely remounted to complete the race.

The seventh round of the 2003 MotoGP World Championship got underway late after a rain storm hit Assen halfway through the warm-up lap. The race was ‘neutralised’ and started 20 minutes behind schedule after riders had completed two further warm-up laps on rain tyres.

“In the end, and considering the conditions, that wasn’t too bad,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “Both our riders finished, and both had a very good pace through most of the race. If Loris hadn’t had some trouble in the first laps, and if Troy hadn’t slid off, maybe both could have made the podium, but that’s racing… “Apart from tyres, we made only a few changes for the rain – just a few clicks of damping and a little spring preload to soften things up. It’s been a hard weekend, and as always I’d like to thanks all our technical partners, especially Shell Advance and Michelin.”


POLE-MAN CAPIROSSI COMES THROUGH TO SIXTH
Loris Capirossi had every hope of repeating his recent Catalan GP victory at Assen this afternoon, but heavy rain spoiled the Italian’s chances. The Ducati Marlboro Team man had qualified on pole position for his sixth-successive front-row start, but the conditions were so bad in the early stages of the race that he struggled with wheelspin, finishing the first lap way down in 12th. Keeping his cool despite minimal visibility in the gloom and spray, Capirossi began to work his way forward, moving through the pack to finish sixth, less than two seconds behind fifth-placed Olivier Jacque.

“I was getting a lot of wheelspin immediately after the start, so I lost contact with the leading group,” said Capirossi, now fourth in the World Championship. “Then I lost some more time when a couple of riders collided in front of me, but overall my pace was pretty good, so in the end I was pretty happy. The rain was unfortunate – my crew worked well to give me a great bike during practice and qualifying, and it was even better in warm-up this morning. A dry race was what we wanted.”

BAYLISS TAKES NINTH AFTER TUMBLE
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss was looking good for a second podium finish on his Desmosedici until he slid off at turn one on lap six. The Australian had overtaken Valentino Rossi the previous lap despite having problems with his quickshifter, a glitch that he was trying to fix when he ran off the track at speed and fell. Typically determined, Bayliss dug his bike out of the gravel with some help from the marshals and regained the track in 16th place, a minute down on the leader. From there he gradually picked his way past rivals for a well-deserved top-ten finish.

“I was trying to fix the quickshifter on the dash, switching it on and off, got into turn one too deep and ran off the track,” explained Bayliss, who now lies seventh on points. “The problem was there from the start, so I ended up shifting gears manually, which is the first time I’ve had to do that for years. The crash was a real shame because everything else was going pretty good with the bike in the wet.”


More, from Desiree Crossman, with John Hopkins:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Another one down and now on to England

In the beginning of the race, we all went on the grid and did the normal routine. The track was damp from the showers earlier in the day, but the officials declared it a dry race. From a distance, we could see this huge grey cloud and it was coming fast. When the riders went for their warm-up lap, Nori’s bike broke on the start so he ran back. After the warm-up all the riders went in ’cause the track was too wet for the tire choices. Then it started pouring!

All the teams had about 5-10 minutes to prepare and then we had to go back out again. This time, Nicky wasn’t on the grid, so he started from pit lane, and then Jeremy McWilliams’ bike broke so he had to start from pit lane. They all took off and Sete was on it. There were a few crashes here and there. Both Proton bikes broke and the riders crashed out. No one was hurt. Troy was doing really well in 4th, but he ended up crashing. He made it back up to 9th from like 16th-17th position. Marco came into the pits halfway during the race, so maybe he had a mechanical problem. Colin and Nori did really well, too. They were battling it out for awhile, eventually Nori crashed. Looked like the tire slipped, and so did he.

It was a strange race, all the riders were everywhere. The gaps between groups were so far apart, and it was hard to tell where everyone was at. Could only tell by the screen we were watching. I’m trying to remember if Jeremy crashed and slid on the track? Anyway, I think it was him, if not then it was somebody who crashed, slid on the track, and Alex Barros (I don’t know how he saved it) nearly ran him over, but somehow dodged him. It set him back abit but he still crossed the line. Olivier and Checa were going back and forth but Checa took over and got 4th.

In the front pack, Sete pretty much led the whole race. Max and him were going at it for a bit, but after that, Sete took the lead. Max was on his tail for most of the race, and Vale fell back abit. Halfway during the race, Max got caught up in some riders so he fell back from Sete. So Sete ran away with it. So it was him, Max, and then Vale.

Yukio was doing pretty well, too, for his first time here. But he ended up crashing out. He said he was on Ukawa’s back wheel, barely clipped it and down he went.

John did OK. At least he got 1 point, woo-hoo! On his start, he slid, but then when he was riding around, I overheard him telling his crew chief that the bike was acting up, back-shifting on its own in the back straights, and other stuff. I wasn’t paying too much attention, but he rode thru it and came home. For awhile he was falling back to 20th, but kept it up and brought it home. It was dissappointing for sure, but at least he brought it home and rode anyway.


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

Assen TT
Saturday, 28 June 2003
Assen, The Netherlands

ANOTHER STRONG FINISH FOR CHECA; MELANDRI BLIGHTED BY POOR VISIBILITY

Fortuna Yamaha front row starter Carlos Checa produced a gritty ride in what was a typically wet Dutch TT in Assen today. The Spaniard finished the 19-lap race in fourth position – the top Yamaha YZR-M1 rider for the second consecutive Grand Prix after his fourth place finish in Catalunya two weeks ago. The restarted wet race, which was declared after the initial warm-up lap for a dry race, saw the 30-year-old exit the jostle at the first turn in tenth place, after some hardcore paint-swapping action.

The following few laps revealed a number of lead changes, between Sete Gibernau (Honda), Max Biaggi (Honda) and Valentino Rossi (Honda), until the field settled into a race rhythm around lap four. At this point Checa began a run that showed the Fortuna Yamaha Team rider’s full potential, carving his way through the highly competitive field while still matching the lap times of the leading trio until mid-race distance. The Spaniard’s momentum lifted him to fifth position on lap 12, and eventually fourth on lap 17 after he passed Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia), who crashed moments after Checa’s red and silver M1 slipped by.

Although Checa continued to pressure Rossi for the third and final podium place, the deficit was too great with only a few laps remaining, and the factory Yamaha rider was forced to settle for a respectable fourth place finish behind race winner Gibernau, second placed Biaggi and championship points leader Rossi. Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Olivier Jacque completed the top five.

“I had a bad start, as it was difficult to see anything,” said Checa. “The rear tyre spun and there wasn’t much traction. I couldn’t see well for the first part of the race but then I got used to it. It’s a very scary feeling, going from line to line like that, trying to make out the shapes of the other bikes. But it was so important to finish this race and I’m happy that I have achieved that. We need to continue working the way we have this weekend, to see what went right and what didn’t go so well, and hopefully we’ll continue to improve every time.”

It was a disappointing end to the weekend for Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Marco Melandri as the young Italian was hindered by a leaking visor. With his vision impaired, and safety clearly an issue, the 250cc World Champion and winner of the 250cc race here last year, was forced to retire on lap 14. The 20-year-old was running 14th at the time.

“I could hardly see anything at all right from the beginning of the race,” explained a disappointed Melandri. “There was just a tiny part of the visor that I could see out of so I had to hold my head in an awkward position to try to see anything. When the other riders overtook me it was impossible, because of their spray I could only see immediately in front of me. Every time I got onto the straight I tried to clean the visor with my hand, then I found myself close to the white line and touched the ground for a second so I decided it was too dangerous to continue. Obviously I’m disappointed about today because I have felt good on the bike during this whole weekend. I hope I can take that positive feeling with me to the next race.”

“Fourth position is not so bad at all,” said Team Director Davide Brivio after the race. “Things are starting to go much better for Carlos, after the Catalunya result and here. We have now had good results in the dry and the wet, and we’ve built up a steady base. Now I hope we can improve on that even more. Marco was starting to get a good pace but had a problem with his visor, as did Carlos, but Marco’s problem was much worse as it forced him to stop. The same problem prevented both of them from doing better. Considering the difficult conditions it wasn’t such a bad day. It was very stressful for the team to change everything, because of the heavy rain before the race, but they all worked really well. We look forward to being on the podium next time.”


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2003
ROUND 7 – GAULOISES DUTCH TT
28TH JUNE 2003 – MOTOGP RACE RESULT

TOP TEN FINISH FOR KAWASAKI AS RAIN OVERTAKES THE SUN AT ASSEN

German wild card rider, 23-year-old Alex Hofmann, rode a superbly judged wet weather race to finish tenth for the Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team in today’s rain-lashed, low visibility Dutch TT at Assen.

The result equalled his previous best MotoGP performance, achieved during last year’s German GP at the Sachsenring. Australian team-mate Andrew Pitt joined Hofmann in the championship points with a hard fought 14th place, while Garry McCoy finished in a distant 18th position.

Hofmann’s performance was a reflection of the forward progress being made with the Ninja ZX-RR development process – now guided by the Kawasaki Racing Team’s recently appointed Technical Director, Hamish Jamieson.

After the morning warm-up Hofmann was forced to switch to Pitt’s spare race ZX-RR after a problem was discovered with the frame of the German rider’s bike. Kawasaki technicians had a busy time transferring the test and development suspension set-up used by Hofmann to Pitt’s back-up machine, which performed flawlessly for Hofmann in the wet race.

Unfazed by the garage dramas, Hofmann raced from 17th to 10th place on lap six and then rode a controlled race to hold that position to the finish. Pitt made up three places from 20th on lap one, but then struggled with grip having selected a slightly harder rear wet tyre in anticipation of a dry line appearing later in the race.

Alex Hofmann – 10th
“I’m really happy for this result, especially as I had to switch to Andrew’s spare bike. I hadn’t raced with the new front Dunlop wet before, but I knew from Garry’s result at Le Mans it was good and that’s how it turned out. The first couple of laps it was almost impossible to see because of the spray, but when the front guys pulled a gap the view got better and I just concentrated on not making mistakes.”

Andrew Pitt – 14th
“I got going at the start, but I had selected slightly harder rear wet tyre thinking that if it dried out a little the tyre wouldn’t tear up as much and would go the distance. But then it rained some more and the rear was just aquaplaning in the water, all the way from the hairpin through the back section of the track. It was a matter of hanging on and getting some points.”

Garry McCoy – 18th
“Right from the start my bike was aquaplaning really badly, especially when there was a lot of water on the track. It was like riding on ice and I thought it was only a matter of time before I got flicked off. I used the same wet tyres that worked so well for ninth place at Le Mans; maybe we had something wrong with the set-up today.”

Harald Eckl – Team Manager
“This is excellent for Alex, who had many fans here at this race. He doesn’t have a lot of experience and managed the pressure of the wet conditions very well, showing he is rider of great potential. Andrew did a good job in the conditions and we have to check if there was perhaps a problem with Garry’s bike or set-up.”

FOOTNOTE: The Fuchs Kawasaki team would like to congratulate Anthony West on becoming the first Australian for 25 years to win a 250cc Grand Prix. West’s victory ended the long standing Kawasaki record of fellow Queenslander, Gregg Hansford, who raced a KR250 to victory in the 1978 Yugoslav Grand Prix.


More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

Pramac Honda Team Press Information
Assen – (Holland) 26/27/28 June 2003
Saturday – Race

Tamada 16th in rain at Assen

Bridgestone tests on artificially wet track set for next week

Assen was hit by rain, with a new starting grid being decreed as the race officially turned “wet” 25 minutes after the planned start. This was the first real race in the rain for Makoto Tamada on the saddle of his RC211V with Bridgestone tyres under his powerful Honda five-cylinder engine. Makoto was affected by a loss of grip that prevented him from making his customary climb up through the field, and he only overtook a few rivals and then maintained the position he had gained.

The almost total lack of rain in the first part of the 2003 season has made it impossible to develop rain tyres properly. This is why next week’s Bridgestone tests on 1 and 2 July in Catalunya, which will take place on an artificially wet track, are going to be crucial for further development of wet tyres.

This will be an important opportunity for the rider, and for the technicians of the Tokyo-based tyre manufacturer, to work hard and thoroughly on developing tyres for the wet.

Makoto Tamada did the warm-up lap on rain tyres, but then switched to intermediates for the first starting grid. For the second line-up, and for the race in the wet he was on “Full Rain” tyres.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 16th – at 1 lap – in 43:55.348
“This is the first time I’ve been lapped: it’s terrible, and it made me feel really bad. Otherwise, I can only say I just didn’t have the grip I needed, and I found myself on the defensive rather than attacking the way I’d have liked. I couldn’t have done better but at least I managed to finish the race, so this will be useful for further development of rain tyres. Next week’s tests in Catalunya on an artificially wet track by going to be really important. It’ll be a good opportunity to get things worked out for races in the north of Europe, where we may well find plenty of rain.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

HOPKINS HOME IN POINTS AT ASSEN

Saturday, June 28, 2003

Team Suzuki rider John Hopkins overcame foul conditions for a steadfast finish in today’s rain-hit Dutch TT. In a race of attrition, Hopkins rode steadily to save 15th place, in the point scores for his efforts.

Temporary team-mate Yukio Kagayama crashed out of the race after holding a higher position. His fall came with only five of 19 laps of the classic 6.027km circuit remaining, when he was attacking to secure what would have been an eventual 12th place.

Hopkins’s race started slowly, finishing the first lap barely in the top 20 as the Anglo-American rider measured up the conditions and built up his confidence. He gradually gained positions, on a track that was drying by the end, but still treacherous.

Kagayama was taking the place of the absent 2000 World Champion Kenny Roberts, who is recovering from injuries. He started better than Hopkins, and was involved in a midfield battle for much of the race, chasing fellow-Japanese rider Tohru Ukawa as they fought with other riders. Towards the end he was challenging strongly when both were caught by Troy Bayliss, who had remounted after a crash. Kagayama hoped to follow him past Ukawa, but instead Ukawa’s slower mid-corner speed caught him out. His front tyre just touched Ukawa’s rear, sending the Suzuki rider flying.

The race was won by Sete Gibernau, after the start was delayed by almost half an hour after heavy rain fell during the warm-up lap.

A crowd of more than 90,000 fans braved the rainy conditions, which came after two days of bright sunshine for practice and qualifying.


JOHN HOPKINS – 15th Position
We achieved the goal of bringing it home and getting it into the points. Luckily for me but unluckily for them a few people fell off, which helped my position. It took me a bit to get my confidence up. Last time I rode in the rain was at Le Mans, where I had three highside crashes in one weekend. Once I got going I dropped my lap times. One thing we are developing on this bike is the engine mapping, but riding in the rain is all about feel and being smooth. Our electronics aren’t helping us in the rain at the moment, and we need to do more work to make it more predictable.

YUKIO KAGAYAMA – Did Not Finish, crash
I was enjoying the race. The bike felt not too bad, the tyres were not too bad – though I was still having trouble getting tight cornering lines. The biggest problem was trying to see where I was going in the spray. I had been following Ukawa wondering how to pass him when Bayliss came past both of us. I thought it was time to attack, but the problem was Ukawa has a different bike and a different style from me. His mid-corner speed is quite slow, where I am faster there. I was trying to pass when my front wheel just touched his back tyre. He probably didn’t even feel it, but I crashed.

GARRY TAYLOR
The conditions were horrible for everyone, and I’m pleased for John. Getting the finish in the points should help him to regain confidence in the rain. We know our bike isn’t yet one of the easiest to ride in the wet, and he did very well. We always know Yukio will give 100 percent, but unfortunately this time it didn’t work out. We’ll miss him at the next race at Donington Park in England, when we are expecting to have Kenny back.



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Results Dutch Grand Prix, Assen, The Netherlands

Track temperature: 26 degrees C
Humidity: 77%
Ambient temperature: 21 degrees C, dull, raining

Raceday Saturday June 27

GIBERNAU MASTERS RAIN-LASHED ASSEN FOR THIRD WIN OF YEAR

Conditions were truly appalling at Assen today, but that didn’t deter a 90,000 raceday crowd from enjoying spectacular, if mildly processional racing, for the podium places in the later stages of the seventh MotoGP round of the 2003 season. Spanish title challenger Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) won with Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) second and reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) third.

The first attempt at getting the MotoGP race underway was scuppered by a cloudburst on the sighting lap. Just as the riders were heading onto the back part of the track, the rain began. It worsened as the re-start was taking place – this time as a ‘wet’ declared race, although no one need have been in any doubt – such was the deluge.

Gibernau stormed away from the line and made the rush to turn one just in front of Biaggi and Rossi. He emerged from the chaos in front at the exit and Biaggi began to pressure the Spaniard heavily as he tried everything to get out of Gibernau’s wheeltracks and the drenching, blinding spray that came with them.

By lap two Max had made his move but Sete was having none of it and re-passed Biaggi on the next lap. The pair locked horns for three consecutive turns and Gibernau eventually came out on top, never to be headed for the rest of the race. Max opted for discretion too at that stage and played a waiting game behind the Spaniard.

But when it came to passing backmarkers, as early as the tenth lap – such was the discrepancy in speeds here – Max lost out badly. As Gibernau slipped past Garry McCoy’s Kawasaki, Max was badly baulked and the time he lost was enough for him to lose touch with Gibernau. The gap had been down to a manageable 0.9 seconds and by the next lap, after the incident, it was up to 2.8 seconds.

Mindful perhaps of his crash two weeks ago in Catalunya when he fell while disputing third place with Gibernau, the Roman preferred the points haul for third to a wet trudge back to the garage if he did the same thing here. And by the time Max had settled for a finish, Rossi was making the same plan for a solid third instead of a fretful attempt at making ground, never mind making a pass.

“The weekend started badly and ended well,” said Gibernau. “The team did a great job. We won again in the wet but the bike was going equally well in the morning warm-up. I stepped up the pace in the race because I didn’t want Max to be too close at the finish. Now we got to Donington to try and be equally competitive in the dry too.”

Max was happy enough with second. “The conditions were very difficult,” he said. “The start was especially hard with the rain, the tyre changes, the re-start… And all that with the adrenaline running really high. After the lights I was able to make a fast rhythm, but lapping behind Sete meant it was almost impossible to see the track with all the spray. But in the end it was okay as I lapped fast enough to keep Rossi behind me and I earned 20 very important points.”

Rossi was realistic about his points haul and surprised at the amount of grip he had in the conditions. “That was strange,” he said. “Because the grip was incredible. The lap times are only ten seconds slower than in the dry and we were on our knee-sliders in nearly every corner. I got behind Sete and Max but I could hardly see a thing. The end result is that I didn’t lose too many points in the Championship and now we wait for Donington and some dry weather.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) finsished just outside the top ten in 11th and was happy to finish a race where visibility was a real problem for the riders. “That was real tough,” said the American rookie. “I made a good start like I knew I had to, but I’ve never raced anywhere where it’s been that hard to see. I had a few good battles in the race and managed to get past Ukawa. I had a good feeling about this weekend and it’s a pity about the conditions.”

Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) in 12th was bitterly disappointed with his race. “It’s difficult for me to say anything at the moment because it sounds as if I’m just making excuses,” said the super-honest Japanese. “I just want to get to Donington and concentrate on the bike and forget about the problems we have had here.”

Things weren’t much better for Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) who finished 16th. “This is the first time I’ve been lapped,” said the disappointed rookie. “That feels bad. I couldn’t have done better although I managed to finish the race so this will be useful development work on the tyres. I didn’t have the grip I needed and I found myself on the defensive instead of attacking.”

Rookie Ryuichi Kiyonari (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) finished 16th. “In terms of gaining experience that was a big step forward,” he said. “I’ve learned not to push the bike beyond its limits in these conditions and I’ve also learned that this track is a tough one if you’re new to it.”

Rossi now has 151 points, Gibernau has 113 and Biaggi is on 105.

Anthony West (Aprilia) won a wet 250 race from Franco Battaini (Aprilia) and Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) was third. West is the first Australian to win a 250 Grand Prix since Gregg Hansford won the Yugoslavian 250 Grand Prix at Rijeka on a Kawasaki in 1978.

The young Australian West rode a smart race in the conditions, taking the lead on the second lap after early leader Tony Elias faded, eventually finishing 13th. Manuel Poggiali (Aprilia) who finished fourth got the jump off the start and led into turn one, but Elias took him on the exit and West was already up to third from a third row start on the grid.

The only man who could stay with the rampaging Aussie was Battaini, but no matter how hard the Italian piled on the pressure, West was equal to it, keeping a close eye on his pit board and responding immediately whenever Battaini mounted an attack. The gap was as high as 6 seconds and never lower than three until the last lap when West could afford to ease off.

Sebastian Porto (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) finished a fighting fifth. “My reflection of the weekend is positive,” said the Argentine. “We set some fast times in the dry and we also did that today in the wet. Today was a complete lottery for everyone and it wasn’t so good when the track began to dry towards the end of the race. But this is a good result and again we are the first Honda finisher.”

Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) finished sixth but more importantly the Italian regained second place in the Championship points standings. “We suffered today,” he said. “I had visor misting problems at the start but the bike worked well in difficult conditions and we have to keep this progress going when we get to England.”

Christian Gemmel (Keifer Castrol Honda Racing RS250RW) finished in the top ten with a strong ride.

The World Championship points table now looks like this after seven races: Poggiali leads with 101 points, Rolfo is second on 86, and Tony Elias third with 84.

Steve Jenkner (Aprilia) won a somewhat processional race, by 125 standards at least, from Pablo Nieto (Aprilia) with Hector Barbera (Aprilia) third. The German ace is the country’s first 125 Grand Prix winner since Drik Raudies won here on a Honda in 1995.

Jenkner, who started from the front row for the first time this year, got a good start and led into and out of the first turn – and he was never headed all race. Casey Stoner (Aprilia) was the only man to get close to him on lap one, but Stoner fell on the second lap and left Jenkner alone in the lead.

Nieto, who inherited second after Stoner’s demise, managed to close the 15 second gap to ten seconds by lap nine, but by the flag it was a comfortable 11 second cushion for Jenkner.

Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) finished seventh and Championship leader Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS125R) eighth. “Perfect,” said Luthi. “I saw Pedrosa and I overtook with one lap to go, but I couldn’t get quite get de Angelis on the last lap.”

The World Championship points standings now reveal Pedrosa at the top of the table by 26 points from Jenkner now on 98. Lucio Cecchinello (Aprilia), who finished 16th here, lies third with 91 points.


Honda rider quotes – Assen Sat.

MotoGP:

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 1st :”It has been a weekend that started badly but ended perfectly. I was not happy with the bike on Thursday but on Friday we started to find the right way, and today I took the victory. I want to thank Honda and my team for all the support they have given me. I think we have all done a good job. I have won again in the wet but also this morning in the warm-up the track was dry and I was second quickest. As far as the race is concerned I had it pretty much under control. I spent a few laps behind Max and then I stepped up the rhythm because I didn’t want him near me in the last few laps. Today we equalled Valentino’s win record this season which I think is important and now we have to work to be just as competitive in the dry. I hope this is the case in the next race at Donington.”

Fausto Gresini, team manager, Telefonica MoviStar Honda
“I feel like I am on a cloud. It was a fantastic race made difficult by the technical characteristics of the circuit, which demonstrates the good form Gibernau is in. Sete is an exceptional rider – he is complete and he has shown that now on several occasions.”

Max Biaggi, Camel Pramac Pons, 2nd : “I am happy with the result because a wet race is always complicated, unpredictable and very difficult. At the start of the race I tried to stay with Sete Gibernau and I was not finding it too difficult to keep up with