More titles to come for Rossi
BY MARTON PETTENDY | 15th Oct 2001
The 22-year-old from Urbino maintained his record of winning a world championship in his second season and became the youngest ever rider to win world motorcycle titles in three different classes.
Rossi was only the second rider of all time, alongside the legendary Phil Read, to take the 125, 250 and 500cc crowns and the Nastro Azzurro Honda rider also became the first Italian to win a 500cc title since Franco Uncini in 1982.
Another Italian, Loris Capirossi, completed the podium in fitting style, after an incredible comeback from 13th place after three lap.
Australian Red Bull Yamaha pilot Garry McCoy described the race as his most disappointing, retiring with clutch trouble on lap 10 after being as high as seventh.
Of the other Australians, Anthony West equalled his best result of the season by finishing 12th on his Dee Cee Jeans Honda V-twin, while wildcard rider Brendan Clarke claimed 20th and last place, one lap down on the leaders.
In an ominous start to the race, Rossi held out pole-sitter Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha) into the first turn and headed a gaggle of riders including Brazilian hero Alex Barros (West Honda Pons), Japanese wildman Noriyuki Haga (Red Bull Yamaha) and Frenchman Olivier Jacque (Gauloises Yamaha Tech 3).
The pace was furious as the leading quintet broke away, but the flowing nature of Phillip Island soon brought them back to the field, with Capirossi setting a cracking pace to lead the second group comprising Norick Abe (Antena 3 Yamaha), Tohru Ukawa (Repsol YPF Honda), McCoy and Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Suzuki).
Haga and Barros also had a turn out in front but as the nail-biting race entered its second half a rejuvenated Biaggi dived underneath Barros and then set his sights on leader Rossi, who he passed on lap 16 in decisive style, setting the fastest lap of the race in the process (1:32.993 - just outside Kenny Roberts' 1999 record).
Biaggi's lead didn't stick, however, with many more lead changes taking place during the last few blistering laps. At one stage Barros' rear wheel clipped Rossi's front wheel on Gardner Straight, but the tenacious Italian remained cool and dived back into the lead ahead of Biaggi, Jacque, Barros and Capirossi with three laps to go.
A determined Biaggi led over the line for the penultimate time, but Rossi came back underneath him at the MG hairpin on the last lap and held off a slipstreaming Biaggi by a wheel-length at the finish. It was a fitting way to win the 500cc GP title for Rossi, who was greeted by a team of yellow suit-wearing fans on the cool-down lap.
"Going into the race I was not thinking about the championship, just trying to concentrate," said Rossi afterwards. "It was a big show, with five or six riders fighting hard at this fantastic circuit. At the beginning I was fighting with Haga and Barros, and had to keep one eye on them and the other on the track because it was very dangerous.
"It would have been more dangerous for me to slow down and let them go though, so I knew I had to push hard for the victory. When the tyres went off Loris came through and I was really struggling because my rear wheel was sliding so much.
"I tried to break clear but it was impossible and I had to wait until the last lap. There was one point I knew I could overtake Max, and I went for it," said Rossi, who will now enter a new era of four-stroke GP motorcycle racing as favourite with Honda.
"I put in everything I could," said a reflective Biaggi afterwards. "I tried very hard at the last corner but it was not enough. Maybe with two more metres I could have won. I think about next year now." Capirossi was third, just half a second behind, with West Honda teammate Barros pressuring him all the way home. In his usual polished performance, 500cc newcomer Ukawa charged through to snatch fifth on the line from Jacque. The impressive Frenchman was sixth ahead of teammate Nakano, who also made a late surge to seal seventh in a photo finish with yet another Japanese rider in Haga.
Rossi is the fourth youngest rider ever to win the 500cc tite after Freddie Spencer, Mike Hailwood and John Surtees. With 36 GP victories before the age of 23, Rossi is far more successful than any other rider in the 53-year history of world championship motorcycle racing. The second most successful is Capirossi, who won 15 GPs by age 23.
* Honda's Daijiro Katoh turned in a convincing display to take his ninth victory of the season in the 250cc class - welcome relief from the disappointment of crashing out of his home race at Motegi a week ago. Aprilia's Tetsuya Harada finished in a comfortable second place but was powerless to stop Katoh extending his lead to 29 points and setting up the chance to become world champion next week with victory in Malaysia.
Aprilia's Alberto Rolfo was never pressured for third place and his fourth podium finish of the season once he broke away from the challenge of Aprilia riders Jeremy McWilliams and Fonsi Nieto, who finished fourth and fifth respectively. Australian wildcards Mark Rowling (Yamaha) and Shane Smith (Honda) failed to finish.
* Derby's Youichi Ui took a clear victory in the 125cc class, his fourth win of the season and his second in succession. The battle for second place, which saw nine riders in with a podium chance on the final lap, was won by Manuel Poggiali (Gilera) after Simone Sanna (Aprilia) highsided and forced Angel Rodriguez onto the grass.
Tony Elias (Honda), who had charged from the fifth row of the grid to first place after one and a half laps, took third place behind his title rival Poggiali, who extended his championship lead over the Spaniard to 16 points with two races to go.
Australian Casey Stoner (Movistar Honda) finished in a creditable 12th place, while Jay Taylor (Honda) finished 26th. Honda riders Peter Galvin and Cath Thompson failed to finish.
* Victorian 600cc Supersport rider Clinton Farr, 21, died after colliding with fellow Victorian Deon Coote's machine late in the support race on Saturday. The rider was taken to the circuit medical centre then flown by air ambulance to the Alfred hospital where he died. Victoria Police's Major Collision Investigation Unit is investigating the accident on behalf of the Coroner.
RACE RESULTS:
1 Valentino Rossi (Honda) 42:22.383
2 M Biaggi (Yamaha) +0.013
3 L Capirossi (Honda) +0.581
4 A Barros (Honda) +0.714
5 T Ukawa (Honda) +1.288
6 O Jacque (Yamaha) +2.534
7 S Nakano (Yamaha) +2.579
8 N Haga (Yamaha) +2.582
9 S Gibernau (Suzuki) +2.832
10 J vd Goorbergh (Proton KR) +19.443 RIDERS' POINTS:
1 Rossi (ITA) 275
2 Biaggi (ITA) 203
3 Capirossi (ITA) 179
4 Barros (BRA) 160
5 Nakano (JAP) 135
6 Abe (JAP) 124
7 Checa (ESP) 111
8 Gibernau (ESP) 107
9 Criville (ESP) 101
10 Roberts (USA) 97 MANUFACTURERS' POINTS:
1 Honda 317
2 Yamaha 259
3 Suzuki 141
4 Proton KR 65
5 Sabre V4 6
6 Pulse 3 Next GP (15th of 16): Sepang, Malaysia, October 21