Round 10 of the World Championships, held at Brno in the Czech Republic, marked the start of the
second half of the season, and all three categories provided thrilling races. Valentino Rossi, 2nd on
the starting grid, and Max Biaggi (Yamaha) were locked in a battle for first place in the 500cc event,
until Biaggi fell and handed Rossi an easy victory. With Alex Criville finishing in 2nd place and Loris
Capirossi in 3rd, this was Honda's 2nd podium monopoly of the season including Round 2 at South
Africa. This victory is a significant step towards a first Championship title for Rossi, who is now 29
points ahead of second placed Biaggi in the riders' rankings. In the 250cc class, Daijiro Katoh made
the holeshot from second spot on the grid but finished the race in 3rd position after failing to hold
off challenges from Tetsuya Harada (Aprilia) and Marco Melandri (Aprilia). Like Rossi, Katoh is still
well placed for a first title, as this valuable podium finish keeps him 35 points ahead of Harada in
2nd place. Meanwhile, Toni Elias, who began to hit peak form in the middle of the 125cc season,
won his second race of the year. This 5th consecutive podium finish lifts him to the top of the
rankings. With Honda riders now leading in all three classes, this was a terrific start to the final half
of the season as Honda goes for a clean sweep.
|
