#mb03

Max Biaggi’s crazy wheelie save at Brno 1998

Renaissance Man

[article about Mugello 2004 taken from ‘2004 MotoGP Season Review’ by Julian Ryder]

Italian motorsport hadn't seen a day like it since the Ferrari one-two at Monza the month after Enzo Ferrar's death in 1988. An entire nation screamed its approval of Rossis home win

There may have been more dramatic races in the history of the World Championship, it's just that nobody could quite recall when they might have happened. Far, far in the future, ageing race fans will bore their offspring with tales of Mugello 2004, the race that was decided by a six-lap sprint after 17 laps that would, on their own, have qualified as one of the best races ever seen. Add in the fastest crash in the history of GPs and the most intense crowd celebrations since Gardner won the first Australian GP at Phillip island and you have an all-time classic. It is probably no coincidence that it took place on one of the finest tracks (alongside Phillip Island) in the calendar. Who else but Valentino Rossi could have won such a race?

Or should that be races? The opening 17 lap dry non-race was also won by Valentino but only after over 35 changes of the lead. This was the first of two races where the Hondas were supposed to outposer the Yamahas on kilometre-long straights, and indeed Max Biaggi did drive past Rossi on the first flying-lap only to be repassed at the first turn, Then a second yellow bike appeared at the front as Makoto Tamada turned up to demonstrate his splendid ride to fourth here the prevaus year hadn't been a fluke. That was the first time the paddock sat up and took notice of the all-Japanese combination of Tamada and his Bridgestone tyres; this time he made his point by riding round the outside of Blaggi and Rossi on more than one occasion.

Another all-lapanese combination, Nakano's Bridgestone-shod Kawasaki, then supplied some unwanted drama. As he came across the start/finish line within touching distance of 200mph, his rear tyre chunked and spread lumps of rubber and green bodywork all over the track Shinya managed to hang on until the pit-lane exit where he was flipped off, only to tumble for what seemed like forever before coming to test against the concrete wall on the inside of the track As the shocked crawd started baying for a red flag, Nakano had the astonishing presence of mind to wave his arms to indicate he was not just conscious but okay: Well-coordinated action by the marshals cleared the track of debris so the race could continue.

Back in pit lane the Kawasaki team at first thought they'd suffered another engine failure and it took them a couple of laps to ascertain the facts Hofmann, meanwhile. had seen a lot of green debris and slowed of his own accord. As Bridgestone were realising what had happened, Tamada felt a vibration from his rear tyre and pulled to a halt at the end of the front straight, smacking his tank in frustration. The only other Bridgestone user in the race, Kenny Roberts, had already retired. And then came the rain.

Under the regulations that came into force in 2003, those 17 dramatic laps counted only for grid position for what would now be a Grand Prix run over the remaining distance: six laps.

And that's how the men who were still standing after 17 laps found themselves sitting on the grid for a six-lap dash for the points. Almost all of them had slick tyres on theit bikes and they were looking at the fastest stretch of tarmac in the championship with a soaking wet Turn 1 at the end of it.

Valentino, Sete and Biaggi during the pre event press conference at Jerez, 2005

[taken from sete’s 2001 interview which I’ll post sometime later; autotranslated from spanish; thanks @melatifosa as always:)]

What do you think of...?

Kenny Roberts "Good rider and a good person."

Valentino Rossi "Very good rider and a good person."

Max Biaggi "Great rider. As a person, no comment."

Álex Barros "Good rider and a very good person."

Álex Crivillé "Great rider and an even better person."

Loris Capirossi "He has great innate talent and is a funny guy."

Assen 2003

[autotranslated from japanese]

The Dutch Grand Prix, boasting the longest tradition and history of any Grand Prix, is also famous for its frequent rain, and this year, that tradition was certainly carried on. The two days of qualifying were held under perfect conditions with clear blue skies. However, on race day, intermittent rain fell from the morning, resulting in typical "Dutch weather." This was the second wet race of the year. Rossi, who qualified third, got off to a good start, followed by Biaggi in second place, and Gibernau, who made a strong surge from the second row. However, Gibernau, exceptionally strong in the rain, easily took the lead during braking at the first corner. True to his reputation as a "rain master," he steadily pulled away from the pursuing Biaggi and Rossi, and by the halfway point, he was in a commanding lead. He ultimately built a massive 10-second lead to claim his third victory of the season. This marks his second clean sheet victory in a rainy race this season, following his win at the French Grand Prix. Biaggi, who struggled with tire sliding from the midpoint of the race as the track began to dry slightly, persevered to finish second. Rossi, behind him, couldn't pick up the pace due to poor visibility from his shield and finished third. Bayliss, who was chasing the three, crashed early and retired. Checa, who has been in good form in the middle of the series, finished in fourth place for the second consecutive time, following his performance at the Catalan GP. From the winner, Gibernau, to Nakano in 13th place, everyone finished on the same lap. It was a chaotic race with many lapped riders, but the one who stole the spotlight was Haga's spectacular riding. Starting from 14th on the grid, he steadily climbed the ranks lap by lap, rising to fourth place towards the end. Although he crashed and retired, his performance, which brought Aprilia, which struggled in dry conditions, so close to the podium, provided a bright spot among the struggling Japanese riders in this race.

— from ‘グランプリ・イラストレイテッド年鑑 | grand prix illustrated yearbook 2003’