From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Aoki takes first points for new Proton KR

Nobuatsu Aoki: 14th
Kurtis Roberts: Did Not Finish

Team Proton KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki splashed round a sodden Jerez circuit to 14th place in today’s rain-hit Spanish GP, claiming his first world championship points of the season, and the first also for the latest version of the Proton KR V5 MotoGP prototype.

Team-mate Kurtis Roberts, in his first GP of his rookie MotoGP season, retired after 13 of the race’s 27 laps. He was lying outside the points at the time, and his lack of familiarity with the machine and the conditions meant that as minor problems developed, he judged it wiser not to take further risks. Kurtis missed most of the tests and withdrew from the opening race as a result of a dislocated shoulder in a pre-season crash.

This was the second race for the Mk2 version of the radical 990cc V5 racing prototype, which is still not in its final form as the team await engine revisions and parts. It was also the first wet race on Dunlop tyres.

Aoki was running strongly in the early laps. Starting from 21st on the grid, he was up to 12th after two laps, and held the position until the 11th lap. Then he started suffering grip problems, and “almost crashed six or more times” before deciding to slow down to be sure of making the finish.

Roberts was at the back after the first lap, but moved up to 18th, ahead of factory Suzuki rider John Hopkins, before minor problems developed. He pitted before they could get worse.

The race was won by Spanish Honda rider Sete Gibernau, with Honda-mounted riders Max Biaggi second and Alex Barros third. Defending World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) fourth. The next race is the French GP at Le Mans, in two weeks.

Nobuatsu Aoki
The weather was really wet, just as we wished, so that was okay. For the first ten laps, things were working really well. I was running the same lap times as Nakano, and I was thinking that perhaps I could catch up. Then things started to get bad. The tyres lost grip and something happened also with the gearbox and suspension, I am not sure what. It also started raining harder, and the standing water became a problem. As soon as I touched a puddle, the bike would slide badly. I almost crashed many times, so then I decided it was maybe better to go a bit slower. Still, I brought a few points for the team, and that made them smile a little bit.

Kurtis Roberts
I made half distance … that’s the most laps I’ve ever done in one stretch on this bike. Things were working pretty good, and my shoulder was okay. I was racing with John Hopkins, just like I did a few years ago in the US. Then a few little problems started creeping up, making the bike harder to ride. I didn’t know if it was me or the bike, and I felt it was better to pull in. At least I got some laps in, and you learn a lot in race conditions. You have to start somewhere. We’ll go on from here.

Kenny Roberts – Team Principal
I am not particularly pleased. We’re still having trouble into the corners, with too much back pressure making the rear wheel slide. We’re testing a different firing order tomorrow to try to eliminate that. We need to test, whether it’s wet or dry. The rain magnifies the back-pressure problems going into the corners. We have to solve that.


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:


Rain dashes Aprilia hopes

MS Aprilia Racing’s British dup Shane Byrne and Jeremy McWillliams failed to finish this afternoon’s rain-hit Spanish GP.

Shakey was the victim of a first lap crash when he high-sided his RS Cube at the Curva Angel Nieto, while McWilliams retired on lap 11 while holding 18th position because of stability problems as the earlier rain turned the 4.423km track into an ice rink.

Byrne, who impressed in the wet free practice and final qualifying sessions yesterday when he was placed fifth quickest in both, suffered a bad knock to his right hand, but medical checks confirmed he hasn’t broken any bones. He was still nursing nasty looking cuts and bruises on his right knuckles but will be fit to race at the French GP in Le Mans later this month. “It was unfortunate because I always go well in the wet and had done well in the rain yesterday even though it was my first time in those conditions riding the Aprilia. I fell quite hard on my head and my right hand but I will be fit and raring to go in Le Mans, “said the British superbike champion.

McWilliams had put his RS Cube in contention to score his first world championship points of the season. By the third lap the 40-year-old had moved up from 19th on the grid to 15th position. But as steady rain quickly developed into monsoon style conditions, McWilliams opted to retire with stability problems worsening with the weather. McWilliams said: “I think we chose a rear tyre that was too hard, but it was hard because we don’t really have much experience with this bike in the wet. We have learned a lot though this weekend.”

Today’s 27-lap race was watched by a 125,000 rain-soaked fans.


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:


Max lightning in the rain. Hundredth career podium. Second in the championship by just a single point

The rain was relentless and the track barely rideable this afternoon in Jerez in the second round of the MotoGP World Championship, Max Biaggi rode precisely and with determination in another race to remember. With factory colleague Sete Gibernau ,Max gave life to a fantastic battle right up to the end of the race, and the four-time World Champion crossed the line finally in second place. Twenty precious points, and just one behind the leader. A hundredth career podium also.
It was a difficult race for Makoto Tamada who set off from row two from fifth on the grid. Not having found a good feeling in the wet, the Japanese rider was forced to come into the pits after five laps to solve his problems, but once he rejoined the race, he then had to retire definitively on lap eleven.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“I’m very satisfied, we’ve finished the second race of the year and we’re just a point away from the championship leader. It was a difficult race, in tough weather conditions and we didn’t make any mistakes. Max worked hard throughout the race to keep the chance of victory alive, never putting a foot wrong. If he could win, then fine, but it’s best to think about working towards the title, and that’s what he’s done today. I feel for Makoto, who didn’t finish the race after starting from such a good grid position, and I hope that in the next race we can have a good result from bnoth riders. The Spanish GP has been a great event despite the rain, with 200,000 people coming throughout the weekend. A great motorcycling festival.

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) – 2nd – 52’06.745
“We’re at the second race of the year, and since 1998 I’ve never been as well placed in the standings. It’s a statistic which just shows the determination with which we’ve begun this season. This morning in the warm-up we had some slight issues and so we changed the set-up to find a solution. Hats off to the team, they worked exraordinarily and it’s enabled me to be competitive in the race. During the race the gap kept increasing and decreasing and I was always close to Sete. Only two laps from the end, after a dangerous skid, I decided to content myself with second. I had lost ground and tried to make it up. Congratulations to Sete, a great race.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“We weren’t happy with the wet settings. In the rain things weren’t working well and .Makoto didn’t have feeling in the rear of the bike. He came in and we tried a different tyre solution, but again Makoto didn’t have the necessary feel and so decided to retire from the race. It was material we’d used before, but the conditions on track this afternoon were the worst they’d been in three days here in Spain. So we await the next race to make up for this disappointing result.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – DNF
” I had a grip problem and the track conditions were terrible in my opinion. I decided to come into the pits, not thinking about the race any more but trying to find a different solution and to get some experience and data so we can improve. However the second attempt didn’t give me the necessary confidence, and I preferred to retire then.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:


Unlucky weekenf for Ducati Marlboro men

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss endured the toughest of times at Jerez this weekend, Capirossi the team’s only finisher in a rain-lashed race. Both men had prayed for rain after a challenging two days of practice but if their prayers were answered, the race didn’t go to plan. Bayliss was fastest in the wet morning warm-up session but crashed out on lap two, while Capirossi ran off the track twice, eventually bringing his bike home in 12th spot.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t our day,” said Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali. “We actually had quite high expectations for the race after Troy was fastest in morning warm-up. We thought Troy had the possibility of a good result but it didn’t work out for him. Loris had a difficult race with two off-track excursions but at least he was able to finish and get some points. We stay here to test over the next two days, so we are hoping for some dry track time. We have many minor new things to test, including engine, chassis and electronics parts.”

Capirossi gets points in atrocious conditions
Loris Capirossi brought his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4 home to score four World Championship points in atrocious conditions at Jerez this afternoon. The Italian rode almost blind in torrential rain and survived two off-track excursion to finish 12th.

“Xaus fell in front of me on lap two, which put me off the track,” explained the Italian. “After that I passed three or four guys but I couldn’t really see where I was going because water got inside my visor. Then somebody cut me up and I ran off the track once again. After that I had just one target – to finish the race. This has been a difficult weekend, but that sometimes happens in racing, better times will come.”

Slow-speed mistake ends Bayliss’s race
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss had hopes of a good result after topping this morning’s warm-up session but his race came to an end on lap two when he slid off at the Dry Sack hairpin. The Australian had been making good progress, running ninth on lap one after starting from the sixth row.

“I’m really disappointed with myself,” said Bayliss. “I got a reasonable start. I wasn’t going crazy or anything, but I made up a lot of places in the first lap and saw that the guys in front weren’t that far away. I told myself to relax, but maybe I relaxed a little too much as I braked into the hairpin. I got in there a bit hot, ran wide, got on the grass and went down at walking pace. I mucked up. It sometimes happens but I’m still disappointed with myself.”


More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:


Rossi fourth and Checa sixth at a soaking Jerez

Persistently wet conditions at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez upset the pre-race qualifying predictions and delivered a fourth and sixth place finish respectively for the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha pairing of Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa. The 27-lap race was held in fully wet conditions throughout making most riders opt for medium compound wet tyres front and rear. The race was something of a battle against the elements for all riders, with only 15 of the 23 classified as finishers.

Rossi and Checa, both starting from the front row, filed into the first turn behind early leader and eventual race winner Sete Gibernau (Honda). Coming under pressure from the riders behind, Rossi chose discretion at the start, as first Checa and then second place finisher Max Biaggi (Honda) passed him. A fight for second place saw the position swapped between Checa and Biaggi twice, but ultimately Biaggi made a small break, finding himself behind leader Gibernau, whilst Yamaha rider Marco Melandri powered through to take third place on lap four. Checa and Rossi held fourth and fifth positions respectively until Rossi mounted a successful attack on lap nine and Barros passed Checa one lap later.

Rossi survived a huge near-high-side at the exit of the first hairpin on lap 12 and Alex Barros (Honda) took the opportunity to glide past on the sodden track surface. With Melandri out on lap 19, after falling on the slippy track, Barros was promoted to third, Rossi fourth. After experiencing traction and vision concerns, Checa made a late attack on Colin Edwards (Honda) and duly passed him to finish in sixth place.

Valentino Rossi (4th)
“Finally I am happy and relieved because it was a miracle not to fall off. It’s a great shame because I couldn’t go so fast at the end. I didn’t have much grip, mostly from the rear and we’ll have to work on set-up to improve this. It’s strange not be on the podium because the last time was in Brno in 2002, when I had a tyre problem. Each lap I was trying to be more aggressive and the front of the bike felt okay. I think we have quite a gap to make with Honda in wet weather, but in general we have had a good weekend, with another pole position. One thing is for sure, this is going to be a great championship! Like I have always said, Sete and Max are going to be my main competitors.”

Carlos Checa (6th)
“From the beginning I had some slides from the back. I had a problem with some water getting into my visor but basically I lost some traction from the rear and that was all. Then I got some confidence again in the rear tyre and was able to fight with Edwards. Some areas held more water than others but it is always a delicate job in these conditions. The set-up was not so bad overall, just not enough side grip to go any faster.”

Davide Brivio – Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team Director
“This is not the weekend we expected. We knew it would rain but if it had been dry I think it would have been much different. We have to learn from today where we have problems in the wet, even if we are very competitive in the dry. Things were not so bad; we remain close to the top of the championship points with Valentino. Now we have to look forward to the next race and hope for dry conditions. This was a good experience to get information and to improve the bike.”


More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:



Top Ten for Nakano as Hofmann scores first points

Shinya Nakano gave the Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team their first top ten finish of the season, as he overcame atrocious weather conditions at the Circuito de Jerez this afternoon to bring his Ninja ZX-RR home in an impressive ninth place.

The Jerez circuit may have been enshrouded by rain clouds this morning, but the unseasonably wet weather wasn’t enough to dampen the enthusiasm of the Spanish fans. With thousands of Spaniards packing the roads around Jerez, many of the teams and riders competing in today’s Spanish Grand Prix were forced to abandon their vehicles by the side of the road and walk the last four kilometres into the circuit; to the accompaniment of a symphony orchestra of car and bike horns.

With a damp track for morning warm up, opinion amongst the riders as to which tyres would suit the conditions best was split. Most, including Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, opted for a full wet set up, while a small minority also tested an intermediate or cut slick in the rear towards the end of the session. But there were to be no such problems with tyre choice for the race, as the rain returned with a vengeance mid-morning, and it was still falling as the MotoGP riders exited pit lane to take their place on the grid for today’s 27-lap Spanish Grand Prix.

Starting from the second row of the grid, Nakano was unlucky to find himself pushed back down the field at the first turn, after getting boxed in on the inside of the corner by the battle for the lead. The 26-year-old Japanese rider wasted no time in fighting back, but by the time he’d worked his way through the traffic the leading group of riders had already pulled out a considerable gap at the front of the field. From that point on it was a lonely race for the Fuchs Kawasaki rider. Unable to close the gap on the frontrunners, and with a comfortable advantage over his pursuers, Nakano was left with just the rain and the cold for company as he endured a few scary moments on his way to equalling Kawasaki’s best ever result in MotoGP.

After a disappointing start from the fifth row of the grid, Alex Hofmann found himself held up by slower riders as he tried to make up places during the early stages of the race. No sooner had the 23-year-old German fought his way through the pack to find a clear track ahead of him than the rain got heavier and aquaplaning through the standing water on some parts of the track started to become a serious – and somewhat scary – problem. Having crashed out of the opening race of the season in South Africa, and with the slides getting longer and more frequent, Hofmann made the decision not to risk all and, instead, bring his Ninja ZX-RR home in a safe 13th place, to collect his first championship points of the season.

Shinya Nakano: 9th
“We knew it was going to be hard work if it rained today, and we weren’t wrong. I didn’t feel too confident in the wet, so I was unable to stay with the leading group of riders when they started to pull out a gap at the start of the race. But I gave it 100 per cent and tried to keep my lap times as consistent as possible. When the rain got heavier towards the middle of the race I started to have some grip problems. I lost the rear many times in the race, but the biggest scare came on the final lap. The bike went completely sideways and I was convinced I was going to crash. Luckily it came back to me and I was able to make it to the chequered flag. I would have much preferred a dry race, but despite the conditions, we still managed to achieve our aim of a top ten finish this afternoon.”

Alex Hofmann: 13th
“Although it was a relief to get the bike off the line after what happened in South Africa, I have to say that it wasn’t one of my best starts. It was difficult in the opening laps, because I was trying to squeeze past riders who were fighting with each other for position and, although I was faster, I just couldn’t find a way around them. Once I got clear the rain started getting heavier and the bike began aquaplaning badly through the standing water that built up on the track. It was pretty scary and it forced me to back off a bit towards half distance. It wasn’t an enjoyable race by any means, but after the disappointment of not finishing in Welkom, scoring my first championship points of the season today is at least some consolation.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“I’m happy that both of our riders finished in the points in a race run under such difficult conditions. Shinya achieved his aim of a top ten finish, but I can’t help thinking that if the weather had stayed dry, and he’d been able to use the Bridgestone slicks that proved so competitive here on Friday, he would have finished even higher up the order. Both riders need to learn to be a little more aggressive off the start. Shinya lost quite a few positions after getting boxed in at the first turn and a bad start from Alex meant that he got stuck behind slower riders in the opening laps. Having said that, I think both riders will be fairly happy with their results today; Shinya clinched our first top ten finish of the season, while Alex stayed on the bike to claim his first championship points of the year.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

SUZUKIS DOUBLE POINTS IN RAINY SPAIN

Team Suzuki Press Office – Jerez, Spain, May 2, 2004.
Team Suzuki MotoGP rider Kenny Roberts Jr. opened his 2004 World Championship account with a top ten finish in today’s rain-soaked Spanish GP, splashing through the puddles to finish eighth, two places higher than his qualifying position.

Roberts stayed smooth and strong in conditions that saw eight other riders either crash or retire, making up for his non-finish in the opening South African GP a fortnight ago.

Team-mate John Hopkins had a more difficult afternoon, battling to find confidence in the conditions – but he too kept the bike out of trouble, finishing 15th and in the points for a second consecutive score.

Roberts had qualified tenth in dry conditions, and had run strongly also in wet practice on Saturday, but in spite of his known prowess in the rain, he had hoped that the weather forecasts would be wrong, and the race dry. Instead it rained steadily all day, and all riders started the race on full wet tyres. The circuit was packed with more than 124,000 fans, in spite of the inclement weather.

Kenny got away cleanly and was running seventh in the early laps, holding his position until the conditions obliged him to opt for caution. All the same, he lost only one place overall to claim eight championship points.

Hopkins was less confident about the wet conditions and he dropped back in the early laps, soldiering on as others fell by the wayside to finish 15th.

The race was won by Spanish rider Sete Gibernau with defending champion Valentino Rossi dropping to fourth in the treacherous conditions.

Team Suzuki MotoGP will remain at the 4.423km Jerez circuit for two days of testing before moving to Le Mans in France for the third race of the season in two weeks time.

KENNY ROBERTS Jr: Eighth Position:

“We know we’re not yet in the same race as far as grip and power are concerned … control and rideability. At some tracks and conditions you can hide it, but today was one of those days we couldn’t, with the conditions and the layout of the circuit. At the beginning, I could just about stay with everybody but there was a strong chance of crashing, and I was also trying to stay out of the way, so I lost some ground. We have a lot of work to do. We need stuff from the factory to improve our situation and Bridgestone need to make some more progress with the tyres, then we can keep going forward.”

JOHN HOPKINS – 15th Position:

“The bike was fine, the tyres were fine. I just didn’t feel like much of a rain rider today. I need to spend a lot of time in wet conditions … I need to go out and slide around a bit. I need to work on my rain riding.”

GARRY TAYLOR – TEAM MANAGER:

“Both riders brought their bikes home in the points, which in these conditions is an achievement … but we’re a little disappointed with the result. We felt we might have expected better. Kenny rode a very solid race. Unfortunately I think John paid the price for having missed a lot of testing in the winter through his injury. We’re staying on to do some testing – this weekend has given us some areas to look at.”


More, from a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

Hodgson and Xaus unlucky again
[02.05.2004]



The d´Antin MotoGP riders have done well in spite of the rain which has presided in all the Spanish G.P races, but neither of them have managed to finish the race for different reasons.

Neil Hodgson produced a fantastic performance after starting in eighteenth place, but a mechanical failure ruled him out of the race on the seventeenth lap. Rubén Xaus crashed out of the race on the second lap when he was in eighth position.

NEIL HODGSON : ” I couldn´t finish the race but the truth is I´ll be leaving Jerez feeling happy. I started near the back of the grid and the first lap was crazy because there were a lot of riders in front of me and I couldn´t see anything because of the rain. I took it easy for the first laps even though the rain isn`t a problem for me as being a true Englishman I´m used to it and I find it easy to ride in these conditions. In the race I improved my position until I reached seventh behind Hayden and nine laps from the end I felt something was wrong and had to stop. It´s a shame I wasn´t able to finish and collect any points but in spite of everything I´m happy because I have enjoyed riding and we´ve shown that we are able to improve.”

RUBÉN XAUS : “The weather has been crazy this weekend and I´m a bit frustrated. Like Welkom, I´m convinced I could have had a better race and I´m leaving again without collecting a single point. I´m comfortable riding in the wet and I started very well, full of motivation as usual and even more so with these incredible fans who have stuck by us despite the rain. I was eighth when Bayliss overtook me and we touched. He came through on my inside, and so as not to get hit I had to run wide, which in the wet is a bit delicate. I crashed and was sorry I had this conflict with my ex team-mate. I wanted to get back in the race but the clutch lever broke and I had to retire. I must say it´s a real shame because I feel I could have finished well, however I must look on the positive side and concentrate on the forthcoming French Grand Prix.”

LUIS D´ANTIN : “It´s been a very intense and complicated weekend due to the weather conditions which has left a bitter taste. On one side it´s clear that we have improved but we haven´t obtained a good result. Neil has done a great job, but he was unable to finish like Rubén and now we must concentrate on France. We´re all putting in 100% and we will get the results we´re looking for.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Early exit for Poggiali

Reigning world champion Manuel Poggiali was an early victim of appalling conditions at today’s Spanish 250 GP in Jerez.

The San Marino rider crashed his RSW250 on the first lap of a rain-soaked race and was unfortunate not to be able to rejoin the action. The MS Aprilia Racing rider made a good start from the front row of the grid, but as he tried to consolidate his position he lost the front end of his RSW shortly after the Curva Michelin. Before bad weather disrupted Saturday’s final qualifying session and today’s race, Poggiali had finished second fastest in the dry and is confident of a much better performance when round three of the world championship takes place at Le Mans on May 16.

Poggiali said: “I made a mistake and I’m sorry for that. It was an error but the conditions were very tricky. Hopefully things will be much better at the next race in Le Mans.”


More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

Rostrum clean sweep for Aprilia

Aprilia claimed a clean sweep of the podium in today’s wet Spanish 125 GP at the Jerez circuit.

Led by a superb debut victory for 17-year-old Italian rider Marco Simoncelli, Aprilia dominated the podium with German Steve Jenker and home favourite Hector Barbera claiming second and third respectively. Bravo Rauch rider Simoncelli had never claimed a podium before this race, but he enjoyed a dream weekend. Not only did he take his first ever victory but he also scored his maiden pole position after two days of weather interrupted qualifying.

The 23-lap race, which was run in deteriorating conditions as the rain got worse, was led by Casey Stoner until the Australian crashed with less than three laps remaining. That promoted Simoncelli to first place, and he kept his cool in atrocious conditions to win as Aprilia claimed eight out of the top 10 positions.

Simoncelli said: “This was my first podium and my first victory together so I am really very happy. I had hoped that the weather would be better after the wet conditions yesterday, but we found a good setting for the wet as well. It was a shame for Casey, but I am so glad to have won.”

Behind Simoncelli, Jenkner took second after a long battle with Barbera. Jenkner managed to keep his composure after saving himself from a spectacular high-side crash on lap nine to move him into second place in the championship. Barbera held on to the third place even though he ran off the track on the last lap, delighting a huge Spanish crowd who braved the rain.


more, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

Alex claims top six in Spanish rain

Aprilia Racing rider Alex de Angelis maintained his impressive start to his first world 250 championship campaign with a battling sixth place in Jerez this afternoon.

The San Marino rider has now scored two top six finishes in his first two races on board the RSW250, and today was yet another excellent performance from de Angelis who had never raced a 250 in the wet. The 26-lap race took place in appalling weather conditions as pre-race forecasts turned out to be correct, with the circuit swamped by torrential downpours.

Undaunted by the challenge, de Angelis’s sixth was even more impressive considering he had no feeling in both hands in the closing laps of the race. With a sharp wind accompanying the heavy rain, de Angelis’s hands got so cold that when he returned to the garage after the race, he needed the help of his mechanics to remove his gloves.

“I am very happy because this is a very good result in my first wet race on the Aprilia 250, “said de Angelis. “The last ten laps seemed to take forever. I had a problem with the cold on my hands. I completely lost all feeling in both hands for the last three laps.”


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

HONDA RIDERS BACK IN CONTROL IN SOAKING SPANISH SHOWDOWN

Under leaden skies and on a soaking track Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) took a home win, Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) scored a solid second and Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) stepped up onto the third tier of the podium. It was a dominant performance in front of 125,000 saturated race fans. And as the season unfolds, this was a timely reminder that Honda has a tradition of winning it is keen to maintain.

Gibernau excels in the wet and with the track awash since the morning and with even more rain falling as the day went on, he was clearly the man best equipped to shine on this dull, dank day. After his fall here last year this was precisely what the Spanish star needed. He now heads the World Championship points table.

Gibernau qualified second on the front row and led the pack into turn one from the lights. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who qualified on pole was right behind him with Biaggi in close attention and Carlos Checa (Yamaha) who also started from the front row was up with the leaders.

But by lap four a pattern to the race was emerging. Sete and Max were the fastest men out there and their RC211Vs were clearly in a class of their own in the appalling conditions. Marco Melandri (Yamaha) was riding an excellent race and was now running third after starting from the fourth row of the grid.

But this was to be the Sete and Max show and as they duelled in the deluge setting fastest laps they opened a gap on Melandri that grew to nearly 13 seconds before their pursuer fell off on lap 19 of this 27-lap contest. Max had lead Sete for one lap before he ran wide and allowed his rival through on lap 17 and then Sete began to stretch his advantage.

As the race closed Sete worked a one a half second lead