| MotoGP World Championship 2003 Grand Prix of South Africa April 25, 26 and 27 |
The Phakisa Freeway circuit was built in 1999 and staged its first Motorcycle Grand Prix the same year. Camel Pramac Pons star Max Biaggi won the first 500cc race at the 4.242 km circuit which is situated on the outskirts of Welkom in the Free State Province. The road circuit is surrounded by a NASCAR Speedway style banking and was constructed through an initiative of the South African Government to bring new employment and economic growth to the gold fields area.
It’s isolated location had meant small crowds until last year when glorious weather and the four-strokes brought the fans flocking from the large areas of population such as Johannesburg. Also its location means the track is often covered with a layer of sand and grit causing the surface to be very slippery in the early practice and qualifying sessions.
Last year Tohru Ukawa inflicted the first defeat of the season on World Champion Valentino Rossi at the circuit and so the Camel Pramac Pons team face the 28 lap race with great confidence – fielding two previous winners at the circuit where Ukawa also holds the lap record.
Grand Prix Motorcycle racing started in South Africa in 1983 at the Kyalami circuit on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The last grand prix was held there in 1992, where Max Biaggi won his first grand prix, before returning at Welkom in 1999.
TRACK FACTS
Length: 4.242 kms
Width: 12 metres
Direction: Clockwise
Pole position: Right
Right corners: Nine
Left corners: Five
Longest straight: 413 metres
Constructed: 1999
Lap record:
Tohru Ukawa (Honda) 1m34.834s – 161.030 km/h 21/4/2002
Pole-setting lap 2002:
Valentino Rossi (Honda) 1m34.660s
MotoGP Race winner 2002:
Tohru Ukawa (Honda) 44m39.467s -159.581 km/h
Tohru Ukawa 2002: First
Max Biaggi 2002: Ninth
Grand Prix of South Africa
April 25, 26 and 27
MotoGP MOVES TO WELKOM IN SUBDUED BUT RESOLUTE MOOD
MotoGP mourns the loss of Daijiro Kato who died last weekend from injuries sustained in a third lap crash at the opening Grand Prix of the season at Suzuka in Japan on April 6. Teams and riders were universally affected by
the tragedy and move on to Welkom this weekend in quiet remembrance of Kato.
The 4.242km Phakisa Freeway near Welkom lies deep in the Free State Province. It has been re-surfaced for 2003, but whether this work has ironed out any of Welkom’s notorious bumps remains to be seen during first free practice. The dusty track has a tendency to get faster as race-day gets closer. Each practice and qualifying session lays down more rubber which provides increased levels of grip but in turn brings more set-up difficulties as teams struggle to second-guess prevailing track conditions. Even during the race itself conditions can change markedly between the opening laps and the final stages.
There are no long straights (the longest straight section is only 413m) and there’s a balanced blend of nine right-hand and five left-hand turns on a track which is 1350m above sea level. This elevated altitude robs the engines
of power owing to the lack of oxygen. Power outputs can sometimes be reduced by as much as 20%. But suspension set-up and tyre choice are the critical factors for success on this track. Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) made a masterly set-up choice last year to win the race from his then team-mate Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V). The duo recorded a race lap record of 1m 34.834s and a pole-setting lap of 1m 34.660s respectively in 2002.
The current World Champion Rossi who won the curtain-raising Grand Prix at Suzuka is looking for another win, albeit in subdued circumstances. “I said that nothing was really that important after hearing the news of Kato. I was shocked then and am greatly saddened now. Out thoughts are with Kato’s family and friends and we can only hope that the whole Grand Prix world learns something from this very bad situation and acts on it. As to the race, I can only hope to do my best and will do my job as a professional.”
These sentiments were mirrored by Rossi’s team-mate, the US rookie and current AMA Superbike Champion Nicky Hayden. “I guess I’ll remember my first Grand Prix for all the wrong reasons. I wish Kato’s family strength. Turning to this Grand Prix I’m really looking forward to going to another new circuit. I got to know Suzuka quite well in the end and Welkom will be like quite a lot of circuits this year I’ll start riding a new track on Friday morning and then I’ll be racing on it by Sunday. I’ve never been to South Africa before and it will be another learning experience going to a new country and hopefully I’ll get up to speed fast. I’ve just got to keep learning and chipping away.”
Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) lies second in the World Championship standings after his second place at Suzuka and Rossi’s erstwhile rival will be determined not to let the World Champion stretch his lead further. “I’ve been working hard on my fitness,” said the Italian. “At Welkom the temperatures can be quite high and the race can become a fitness test. I want to keep applying the system and working methods we used at Suzuka and maintain my concentration throughout the race. We don’t have the advantage of extra testing time here, but it will be an important race to see more of our potential on the racetrack.”
Biaggi’s team-mate Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) brings a typically measured approach to the race, a tactic that won him last year’s race when he selected a harder compound rear Michelin than his team-mate Rossi to snatch victory in the closing laps. “You have to think harder at Welkom than at many other tracks,” said the methodical Japanese. “It’s a very different track to many others because it’s so hot, bumpy, dirty and therefore slippery. You can get a lot of wheel-spin and so you have to be very steady on the gas and if you don’t stay on top of this you can easily wear out your tyres. “The front end can also be very difficult to control here where if you are too aggressive it can slide too much. So you need to be really smooth and try to find the smoothest lines through the turns. But that is hard too because if you get too much off the usual racing line it’s dusty, there’s much less grip and that brings another set of problems.
The most important parts of the track are the high-speed twists after turn one. It’s really hard to get through here on full throttle because it’s so bumpy, but you really can make a lot of time here if you can do that. It’s too bumpy and slippery to be a really fun track, but maybe that will change this year because of the resurfacing work.”
In the 250cc class Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda Gresini RS250RW) and Sebastian Porto (Telefonica Movistar Junior RS250RW) are aiming to give themselves an early season boost at a track that is equally unfamiliar to all the riders. “I like Welkom because it really levels everybody out,” said Rolfo. “In Europe riders have their Oown’ circuits which they know really well and in Japan there are always the Owild card’ riders who go well at home. But at places like Welkom we are all equal so the racing is tough. In recent years the
track has been slippery because of the dust, but I really like the layout and I’m confident of a good performance.” The 125cc riders are relishing the chance to put on another scintillating race performance to rival last year¹s showdown when the first eight riders across the line were covered by a mere 1.8 seconds. And Telefonica Movistar Junior Team rider Danny Pedrosa is among those shooting for the win after finishing third in 2002. “I’m sure it will be close again at Welkom. Suzuka was close and the result here will depend on a combination of race tactics and tyre conservation.”
AFRICAS GRAND PRIX, 27/04/03 WELKOM – RACE REPORT (27/04/03)
————————————————————————
MAX MAKES PODIUM WHILE TOHRU TAKES SIXTH
Max Biaggi racked up a second consecutive podium result for the Camel Pramac Pons Team in third place while Tohru Ukawa notched up valuable points in sixth. The race was won by Sete Gibernau (Honda), team-mate of the late Daijiro Kato, and his victory was as hard won as it was emotional. Valentino Rossi (Honda) was second.
In hot, sunny conditions with a track temperature of 36 degrees, the race start was delayed by oil on the track after an oil pipe fractured on Kenny Roberts’ Suzuki during the sighting lap. And the eventual start itself was marked by a crash that removed Colin Edwards (Aprilia) and Jeremy McWilliams (Proton) from the reckoning.
Troy Bayliss (Ducati) made strong early running and it wasn’t until lap 11 of the 28-lap race that Gibernau managed to overhaul the rapid Australian. At this point Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons) was lying in a strong third place behind the leading duo with Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons) holding a solid fifth spot.
Valentino Rossi (Honda) was in the picture in fourth place and it wasn’t long before a Rossi/Biaggi dogfight developed by lap nine. They soon devoured Bayliss but leader Gibernau was making the most of a clear track and although hounded by Rossi in the final few laps he was to prove uncatchable on the day.
Bayliss eventually finished fourth some 13 seconds adrift of the leaders while Alex Barros (Yamaha) made good progress from ninth on lap one to finish fifth after dicing with Tohru Ukawa and Norick Abe (Yamaha) for most of the race.
Ukawa dropped back to seventh in the closing stages but the determined Japanese rallied to claw back sixth on the final lap from Abe. Nicky Hayden (Honda) finished a strong seventh in his first race at the track, also overhauling Abe who came home eighth.
Carlos Checa (Yamaha) and Olivier Jacque (Yamaha) finished ninth and tenth respectively in a punishing race that was entirely absorbing for a crowd of more than 44,000.
Results:
1. Sete Gibernau (Honda) 44m 10.398s
2. Valentino Rossi (Honda) 44m 10.761s
3. Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons) 44m 15.471s
4. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) 44m 23.004s
5. Alex Barros (Yamaha) 44m 29.328s
6. Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons) 44m 29.511
7. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 44m 30.544
8. Norick Abe (Yamaha) 44m 31.268s
9. Carlos Checa (Yamaha) 44m 32.523
10. Olivier Jacque (Yamaha) 44m 35.616s
World Championship standings after two rounds:
1. Rossi 45 points
2. Gibernau 38 points
3. Baiggi 36 points
4. Bayliss 24 points
5. Barros 19 points
6. Hayden 18 points
7. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 16 points
8. Abe 13 points
9. Checa 13 points
10. Shinya Nakano (Yamaha) 12 points
Max Biaggi (third): “I think third in these conditions has to be a good result. I knew from as early as the warm-up that I was in a bit of trouble. I was losing engine power and there was nothing that we could do about it. I couldn’t really race and I couldn’t catch Sete. Of course I’m pleased for him and his team because our memories of Daijiro Kato are strong.”
Tohru Ukawa (sixth): “That was a very tough race. The early laps were not good for me because I chose hard tyres and so by the time they were working I had lost touch with the leading group. I tried to push harder but my machine set-up was not perfect and I nearly crashed a couple of times. The bad track conditions made things worse, but then again, they were the same for everyone.”
Raceday Sunday April 27
GIBERNAU WINS EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER RACE
Under yet another burning South African sun in a cloudless sky, 44,000 race fans prepared for a race that was already charged with atmosphere. But the Africa¹s Grand Prix in the aftermath of Daijiro Kato¹s death was brimming with an extra emotional content that was palpable even before the pitlane observed a heart-rending minute¹s silence for the hugely missed Japanese star.
The drama unfolded even before the race began when the Suzuki of Kenny Roberts laid a trail of oil around the first third of the track when an oil line fractured and sprayed the racing line with the treacherous fluid. The start was delayed for 50 minutes while the marshals cleaned up the mess and rendered the 4.242km track race-ready again.
Then the delayed start itself was a chaotic affair with Colin Edwards (Aprilia) clipping another machine after losing traction on a dirty part of the track. His bike collected his team-mate Noriyuki Haga, while Edwards himself mercifully slid through the field unscathed largely thanks to the efforts of Jeremy McWilliams (Proton) who took to the grass to avoid the Texan.
While all this unfolded Troy Bayliss (Ducati) took the opportunity to make headway at the front of the pack with Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) behind him and Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) and Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) in unfamiliarly distant pursuit.
Bayliss was making the most of his chance at the front but Gibernau was relentlessly pegging the Aussie back and by lap 11 he scythed past him and prepared to put more daylight between his RC211V and his pursuers. His biggest threat would prove to be Rossi who hunted him down in the closing stages of the race, but could not catch the scintillating Spaniard.
Gibernau won by 0.363 seconds from Rossi with Max Biaggi in third just over five seconds adrift of the winner. Gibernau’s win was one of the most warmly received victories MotoGP has seen and his dignified determination under dreadful circumstances will be long remembered. “There are no words that can
say how I really feel,” he explained. “I felt Daijiro with me in qualifying and in the race and I’d like to thank everyone in the sport for giving me the courage to do this for someone we will hold in our hearts for the rest of
our lives.”
Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) who had been suffering form flu all weekend recovered sufficiently to feel reasonably satisfied with second. “That was a very fun race and I am very happy with the result,” he said. “Really this is the best second place I’ve ever had. I am so happy for Sete, he rode
very well and really had the feeling he was riding with a little help from Daijiro. I had a good battle first with Bayliss, then Biaggi and in the end Sete. Who knows what would have happened if there were a few more laps.”
Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) suffered a slight drop in power that was enough to prevent him making as strong a challenge as he would have liked. “On the warm-up lap I’d already noticed that the engine had lost about 10% of its power,” he said. “It was a shame because I think that we could have done even
better in this race. But in any case I’m happy that Sete won, which was the best way to remember Kato.”
For a man who won here last year Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) had every right to feel slightly deflated with sixth. “I hoped for more from this weekend,” he said. “We picked a tyre that was too hard and the grip was not great in the first few laps. Despite that I pushed hard but it was really impossible to go any quicker. I wasn’t physically perfect after my Friday crash and set-up wasn’t perfect either.”
Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) continues to impress in his rookie MotoGP season and his determined attitude continues to reap results. He finished seventh. “I got a really good start,” he said. “Then some guys got past me and I fell back. But I just stayed calm and went to school on these riders and
learned something. It’s another seventh place but I’m happier about this seventh than at Suzuka. I felt I really earned this one.”
Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) had a torrid time in qualifying but toughed it out in the race for 14th place. “I braked hard at the start to avoid hitting the riders who’d collided in front of me,” he said. “I was already back on the fifth row and the fact I had to slow down prevented me from achieving my main objective of moving up through the pack. Even so I think the race was important for my technicians.”
The MotoGP World Championship points table now shows a Honda top three with Rossi leading with 45 points, Gibernau second with 38 and Biaggi in close touch with 36.
Manuel Poggiali (Aprilia) won the 250cc race from Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) after making up for a poor start with a steady progress into the lead by lap six. The pair exchanged fastest laps throughout their battle but Poggiali never relinquished his lead despite the best efforts of de Puniet on the final lap. Franco Battaini (Aprilia) was third.
Sebastian Porto (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) made the utmost of a finely-tuned chassis set-up to compensate for a lack of power that plagued him all weekend. He finished fourth after dicing with Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) for the final third of the race.
“The early stages of the race were not so good for me,” said the tough Argentine Porto. “I was short of grip for the first half of the race which I didn’t expect although we knew the engine was down on power. In the second half of the race everything worked better although I want to be fighting for wins, not for fourth place.”
The same power shortfall plagued Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) but once again astute machine management kept the Italian at the right end of the points table with a fifth place. “The race was not too bad,” said Rolfo. “Although the weekend itself has been a bit of a struggle. I had a clutch problem at the start and then I made a mistake a few laps from the end which let Porto past. At the start I lost touch with the group I needed to be with, but the chassis was good enough for me to make progress in the race. I’m feeling better about this result considering the problems we had.”
Eric Bataille (Troll Honda BQR RS250RW) was 13th while his team-mate Alex Debon (Troll Honda BQR RS250RW) was excluded from the results for failing to enter the pits for a stop-go penalty. Poggiali leads the World Championship standings with 50 points, with Battaini second on 27. Porto is third with 26 while Rolfo has now clawed his way into the reckoning with 20 in sixth position.
Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS125R) won the 125cc race with a last lap charge from third into the lead in the space of two consecutive turns. He then held the lead despite the close attentions of Youchi Ui (Aprilia) who had led the race from the start after starting from pole.
Pedrosa had only qualified on row 2 after suffering engine problems over the qualifying period, but his team found a solution and Pedrosa was always in touch throughout the race. “It’s been a difficult weekend for us,” he said. “But today was good. I’d like to dedicate this win to Daijiro Kato’s family and the Gresini Team.”
Andrea Dovisioso (Team Scot RS125R) scored his first ever podium finish with a fighting second place after qualifying on the front row for the first time. “I’m really happy,” said the Italian. “The only trouble I had was with the front tyre towards the end. But this is a good result.”
Mika Kallio (Ajo Motorsport RS125R) was seventh after working his way up the field from 12th place on the opening laps. “I got my usual poor start,” said the Finn. “I went from eighth to twelfth. I had to work hard but at least I got somewhere further up at the end”
Masao Azuma (Ajo Motorsport RS125R) finished in the top ten in ninth spot while 16-year-old rookie Italian Simone Corsi (Team Scot RS125R) put in an impressive ride to 14th in his first visit to the track. Pedrosa now leads the World Championship with 33 points, Steve Jenkner (Aprilia) is second with 32
with Dovisioso third on 31.
Honda team quotes:
MotoGP
Sete Gibernau, Telefonica Movistar Honda, 1st: “I dedicate this victory to Daijiro, it was as if he was riding with me today. I would like to thank everyone, from Fausto to the whole team who knew how to find the strength to react after the loss of my team-mate. As I said yesterday, it has fallen to me to be the visible head of a tribute I think is on behalf of everyone teams, riders and motorcycle fans in honour of Daijiro. I give my thanks for all the support we have received because this has given us the energy to win. I really wanted victory today and I have no words to express how I feel.”
Fausto Gresini, Team Manager: “I am excited, happy and proud of Sete and the team. At a time like this the emotion is so strong that the words just don’t come out. Daijiro is with us, we felt him strongly today.”
Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda Team: 2nd: “That was a very fun race and I am very happy with the result. Really this is the best second I have ever had. I am so happy for Sete. I feel he rode very well and really had the feeling he was riding with a little help for Daijiro. I had a good battle first with Bayliss, then Biaggi and in the end Sete. Who knows what would have happened if there were a few more laps!”
Max Biaggi, Camel Pramac Pons: 3rd: “This podium finish is worth as gold, for the way it came. This morning, in the warm lap, the bike was perfect, but in the warm up lap of the race, I soon got the feeling that the engine had the same problem of Friday. It lost some power. It’s a shame because the bike normally has a higher potential, and today I could really fight for victory. I made a good start, I soon felt confident enough to ride fast on the filler also (the start of the race was delayed to allow the stewards to clean the track by the oil left by Roberts’s bike) and I can assure, it affects you when you have to put the tyres on it. But I couldn’t ride as fast as in the morning and I had to take many risks and, when Rossi passed me I had my feet in the air trying to control the bike. But is ok, I started the season in a positive way. Sete won the race, and this was also good, for his team. So, I look forward to the next race”
Tohru Ukawa, Camel Pramac Pons: 6th: ” I’m disappointed because after having won here last year, I hoped more from this weekend. We picked a tyre which was too hard and the grip was not great in the first few laps. Despite that I pushed hard, but it really was impossible to go any quicker. Apart from this error with the tyre, I wasn’t physically perfect after my crash on Friday and also the bike setup was not exactly perfect.”
Sito Pons, Camel Pramac Pons: “The oil which leaked onto the track and which delayed the start basically affected the outcome of the race because overtaking became very difficult. Despite the fact that Max had a few problems with the power output he got his second consecutive podium and Tohru finished his first race; I think they’ll both be up front in Jerez. Meanwhile, I want to point out that after we were not able to win, I’m glad that it was Fausto Gresini’s team which won. It made the whole race into an emotional homage to Daijiro Kato”.
Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team, 7th: “I got a really good start was really aggressive on the first lap, but not so hard for the next few. Some guys got past me and I feel back. I just stayed calm and went to school on these riders and learnt something. It took me a few laps to get past Checa. I just put my head down and rode. Another seventh place but I’m more happy about this seventh than at Suzuka. I felt I really earned this one and put in my fastest lap at the end of the race. I rode my hardest and will take what I learnt this weekend and build on it.”
Makoto Tamada, Pramac Honda Team: 14th: “I braked hard at the start to avoid hitting the riders who’d collided in front of me. I was already back in the fifth row and the fact that I had to slow down prevented me from achieving my main objective, which was to move up through the pack. I didn’t have much grip on my rear wheel during the race and this meant I couldn’t ride cleanly and change gear exactly when I wanted to. Even so, I think the race was important for all the technicians and, after the one cut short at Suzuka, it will provide some very useful information for the team. In Jerez too we’re going to be up against a new experience and you can be sure we’ll do our best to make the most of it”.
250cc:
Sebastian Porto, Telefonica Movistar Jnr Team: 4th: “I knew that the race would be hard but I didn’t think it would be so complicated the bike had a few chassis problems and at the start of the race I had no grip on the rear end. This, along with the fact that we had the same problems with the engine that we have had all weekend, meant that I was too far back at the start of the race. As the race developed the engine stayed the same but the bike began to handle better and this allowed me to fight for fourth place, with the fast lap right at the end. We know we have a lot of work ahead but I am very satisfied with third place in the championship so far.”
Roberto Rolfo, Fortuna Honda Team: 5th: ” I am pleased with how both myself and my team have worked the overall result is positive. I made a couple of mistakes which no doubt cost me places but in general I feel we are on the right track. My first mistake was that I got the clutch stuck coming off the line which caused me to lose contact with the front of the race. Then I made my second mistake right at the end while trying to hold off Sebastian Porto. I’d managed to keep him at bay for a number of laps but then ran wide in a corner and let him through. Obviously I regret those two errors, but on balance it has been a good weekend.”
Jakub Smrz, Elit Honda, dnf: “I’m not so happy, I crashed on the 10th lap. I had problems with the front end pushing, right from the start, maybe because of the full fuel load. But it’s hard to understand because I had no indication of a problem in qualifying.”
125cc:
Daniel Pedrosa, Telefonica Movistar Jnr Team: 1st: “This has been without doubt one of the toughest races of my career. I was hopeful because in the warm-up we seemed to have resolved our problems with the engine. The bike was not that fast but it worked perfectly. I got a pretty bad start so tried to make up positions and ensure the lead group didn’t escape, but when I got to Ui it was impossible to pass him. His bike was much faster than the rest so I decided to wait until the end of the race. On the last lap I went for it with two overtaking moves the first one was quite straightforward but I risked it with Ui, though the important thing is it worked out. I want to thank Alberto and the team for a great job not just this weekend but throughout the preseason, also the sponsors and the Spanish fans who I am sure will be pleased to see me arrive at Jerez as the leader of the championship.”
Andrea Dovizioso, Team Scot Honda, 2nd: “Before arriving here I was thinking I could arrive in a podium position, I also thought the same before the Suzuka race. Why? Because we are Regazzi’ (children). The race was really good, from start to finish. I’m really happy with my first podium. The bike was good, the slight drop in temperature helped the engine. I almost touched Ui when I passed him on the last lap. Pity for him that he tried too hard to pass me again, if he hadn’t he would have got third.”
Mika Kallio, Ajo Motorsports Honda, 7th: “I got a rather poor start, as usual, which was not so good. At the end of the first lap I was 12th from eighth on the grid. The lead group was already moving away from the rest of us and I knew I would have to work very hard. It took me a while to get into a good rhythm but once I did my lap times were getting better and better and I began to get guys one by one but it’s hard to pass here. Towards the end f the race I got passed Azuma San and Cecchinello but the guys in front were out of reach by then.”
Masao Azuma, Ajo Motorsports Honda, 9th: “My result was not so good, so-so, but better than qualifying. I got a good start and was seventh on the first lap. My problem was that I was racing my second bike, which I had only used in one qualifying session and the suspension was not perfect. The engine was OK, I had no problem to follow the Aprilia’s. I was a little slow in the corners today with the second bike.”
Simone Corsi, Team Scot Honda, 14th: “For sure I’m pleased with my race, I scored points again. Welkom is another track I had not ridden at before practice started. The bike was good, the front end was turning in a little but nothing to worry about. At the end the rear end was stepping out but that’s normal. ”
RESULTS:
MotoGP:
Race Classification MotoGP (28 laps = 118.776 km)
Pos/Rider/Nation/Team/Motorcycle/Time/Km/h
1/ Sete GIBERNAU /SPA /Telefónica Movistar Honda /HONDA/44’10.398/161.331
2/ Valentino ROSSI /ITA /Repsol Honda /HONDA/44’10.761/161.309
3/ Max BIAGGI /ITA /Camel Pramac Pons /HONDA/44’15.471/161.023
4/ Troy BAYLISS /AUS /Ducati Marlboro Team /DUCATI/44’23.004/160.568
5/ Alex BARROS /BRA /Gauloises Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/44’29.328/160.187
6/ Tohru UKAWA /JPN /Camel Pramac Pons /HONDA/44’29.511/160.176
7/ Nicky HAYDEN /USA /Repsol Honda /HONDA/44’30.554/160.114
8/ Norick ABE /JPN /Fortuna Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/44’31.268/160.071
9/ Carlos CHECA /SPA /Fortuna Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/44’32.523/159.996
10/ Olivier JACQUE /FRA /Gauloises Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/44’35.616/159.811
11/ Shinya NAKANO /JPN /d’Antín Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/44’46.301/159.175
12/ Nobuatsu AOKI /JPN /Proton Team KR /PROTON KR/44’49.656/158.977
13/ John HOPKINS /USA /Suzuki Grand Prix Team /SUZUKI/45’00.628/158.331
14/ Makoto TAMADA /JPN /Pramac Honda /HONDA/45’11.839/157.676
15/ Kenny ROBERTS /USA /Suzuki Grand Prix Team /SUZUKI/45’14.540/157.519
Fastest Lap : Valentino ROSSI 1m33.851 – 162.717 Km/h
World Championship Positions:
1 ROSSI 45, 2 GIBERNAU 38, 3 BIAGGI 36, 4 BAYLISS 24, 5 BARROS 19, 6 HAYDEN
18, 7 CAPIROSSI 16, 8 ABE 13, 9 CHECA 13, 10 NAKANO 12, 11 EDWARDS 10,
12 UKAWA 10, 13 JACQUE 7, 14 HOPKINS 6, 15 HAGA 4.
250cc:
Race Classification 250cc (26 laps = 110.292 km)
Pos/Rider/Nation/Team/Motorcycle/Time/Km/h
1/ Manuel POGGIALI /RSM /MS Aprilia Team /APRILIA/42’14.305/156.670
2/ Randy De Punet /FRA /Safilo Oxydo-LCR /APRILIA/42’14.920/156.632
3/ Franco BATTAINI /ITA /Campetella Racing /APRILIA/42’19.946/156.322
4/ Sebastian PORTO /ARG /Telefonica Movistar jnr Team/HONDA/42’26.452/155.923
5/ Roberto ROLFO /ITA /Fortuna Honda /HONDA/42’27.272/155.873
6/ Anthony WEST /AUS /Team Zoppini Abruzzo /APRILIA/42’33.874/155.470
7/ Fonsi NIETO /SPA /Team Repsol Telefonica Movist /APRILIA/42’37.385/155.256
8/ Toni ELIAS /SPA /Team Repsol Telefonica Movist /APRILIA/42’41.601/155.001
9/ Sylvain GUINTOLI /FRA /Campetella Racing /APRILIA/42’44.492/154.826
10/ Naoki MATSUDO /JPN /Yamaha Kurz /YAMAHA/42’45.752/154.750
11/ Hector FAUBEL /SPA /Aspar Junior Team /APRILIA/42’45.816/154.746
12/ Alex BALDOLINI /ITA /Matteoni Racing /APRILIA/42’53.616/154.277
13/ Eric BATAILLE /FRA /Troll Honda BQR /HONDA/42’54.514/154.223
14/ Johan STIGEFELT /SWE /Team Zoppini Abruzzo /APRILIA/43’01.061/153.832
15/ Chaz DAVIES /GBR /Aprilia Germany /APRILIA/43’09.138/153.352
Fastest Lap: Manuel POGGIALI – 1m36.649 – 158.006 Km/h
World Championship Positions:
1 POGGIALI 50, 2 BATTAINI 27, 3 PORTO 26, 4 AOYAMA 20, 5 DE PUNIET 20,
6 ROLFO 20, 7 NIETO 19, 8 TAKAHASHI 16, 9 MATSUDO 14, 10 GUINTOLI 13,
11 WEST 10, 12 ELIAS 8 13 KAYO 7, 14 DEBON 5, 15 FAUBEL 5.
125cc:
Race Classification 125cc (24 laps = 101.808 km)
Pos/Rider/Nation/Team/Motorcycle/Time/Km/h
1/ Daniel PEDROSA /SPA /Telefonica Movistar jnr Team /HONDA/40’46.694/149.797
2/ Andrea DOVIZIOSO /ITA /Team Scot /HONDA/40’47.050/149.775
3/ Steve JENKNER /GER /Exalt Cycle Red Devil /APRILIA/40’47.242/149.764
4/ Youichi UI /JPN /Sterilgarda Racing /APRILIA/40’47.448/149.751
5/ Pablo NIETO /SPA /Master-MXOnda-Aspar Team /APRILIA/40’47.533/149.746
6/ Alex De ANGELIS /RSM /Racing World /APRILIA/40’48.659/149.677
7/ Mika KALLIO /FIN /Ajo Motorsports /HONDA/41’00.691/148.945
8/ lucio CECCHINELLO /ITA /Safilo Oxydo-LCR /APRILIA/41’01.484/148.897
9/ Masao Azuma /JPN / Ajo Motorsports / HONDA/41’03.484/148.776
10/ Casey STONER /AUS /Safilo Oxydo-LCR /APRILIA/41’07.343/148.543
11/ Gino BORSOI /ITA /Racing World /APRILIA/41’08.503/148.474
12/ Arnaud VINCENT /FRA /KTM-Red Bull /KTM/41’08.709/148.461
13/ Hector BARBERA /SPA /Master-MXOnda-Aspar Team /APRILIA/41’10.508/148.353
14/ Simone CORSI /ITA /Team Scot /HONDA/41’10.565/148.350
15/ Mirko GIANSANTI /ITA /Matteoni Racing /APRILIA/41’11.480/148.295
Fastest Lap : Daniel PEDROSA 1m41.006 – 151.191 Km/h
World Championship Positions:
1 PEDROSA 33, 2 JENKNER 32, 3 DOVIZIOSO 31, 4 PERUGINI 25, 5 UI 23,
6 GIANSANTI 21, 7 CECCHINELLO 21, 8 NIETO 20, 9 KALLIO 14, 10 BORSOI 11,
11 DE ANGELIS 10, 12 LUTHI 7, 13 AZUMA 7, 14 STONER 6, 1 5 CORSI 6.