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“Sete teaches the Doctor a lesson”

[taken from a 2003 issue of Solo Moto; autotranslated from spanish; eng versions of captions under the photos are in alt text; scanned by @melatifosa <3333]

Valentino didn't ring the bell

Sete had a prodigious race and an overtake on the last corner that prevented Valentino from ringing the bell... an overtake inspired by those long dirt-track sessions at Kenny Roberts' ranch.

Valentino was slow to react when he arrived in the pit lane after Sete beat him in a race where the Italian rider had everything planned for one of his very special celebrations.

He didn't like Sete's victory at all, partly because it ruined a stunt he had prepared in case of a win.

Sete is in incredible form, and he not only feels like a winner, but his analytical and strategic abilities are strengthening him mentally to such an extent that he's no longer afraid of anyone, not even Valentino.

The Italian rider gradually pulled away during the first few laps, but then Sete chipped away at his lead tenth by tenth and was his shadow until Valentino let him pass on lap eleven, to study him and decide to overtake him again under braking.

However, on the last corner, a spectacular uphill section leading to the finish line, he made a mistake by entering too aggressively.

And that's where the best of Sete emerged.

A guy who's already won more races than Valentino and who once learned to battle American riders at Kenny's ranch, under the California sun.

To pass a rider on a dirt-track corner, you have to plan it on the previous corner. And that's what Sete did. He came out of the previous corner a little wide because he saw Valentino closing the door in a very forced situation.

The Italian rider wanted to make a move and waited for Sete's attack...

Sete let the bike run, entering the corner faster than usual, and his reaction time allowed him to pass him on the exit, after entering that beautiful uphill corner in a way he hadn't done all race...

The greatness of Sete's race materialized when, at one point, he looked up and saw, his gaze fixed on the sky, how Valentino had pushed too hard. That's when Sete reacted like the rider he's becoming... I don't think it's fair to discredit Valentino for not winning the German race, because the Italian rider is still a true icon.

But it is fair to acknowledge that Sete's magical form is no accident, since, in reality, almost nothing happens by chance. And even less so in motorcycle racing.

Sete shares laughter, races, trophies, and good vibes with Valentino, and I'm sure they will continue to do so, because above all else, they have immense respect for each other.

And the bell? Well, it didn't ring. And this is his story.

Don Cesare is 83 years old and is the parish priest of Valentino's hometown. He arrived from Tavullia in a small Fiat Multipla with an enormous bell on board, along with other members of Valentino Rossi's fan club. It was a 1,550 km journey, about 15 hours, and to arrive on time, he changed the time of the mass in Tavullia. On Sunday, though, he improvised a small altar in the hotel.

Until then, he had only seen one motorcycle race in his life, back in the 1960s. Don Cesare was scheduled to wait for Valentino with an enormous bell, so that, for once, Valentino would ring it instead of him ringing it himself in Tavullia when the Italian rider wins a race... Maybe next time.

Valentino didn't ring the bell because Sete looked to the sky, pulled out something from his extensive experience in the US and taking dirt-track lessons at the incredibly sleepy Kenny Roberts Training Ranch at the Circuit de Catalunya, and overtook him on the last corner of the last lap.

We want more.

Sete was the 'Doctor'

Rossi now knows what it's like to be beaten fair and square, without any excuses. Gibernau gave him a lesson in humility and strategy. And the Italian's face on the podium made it clear that it stung...

Rossi and Sete get along very well off the track. But something tells me that will change if Gibernau repeats another feat like the one he performed at Sachsenring. It had been a very, very long time since Valentino had to swallow such a bitter pill, which the Spaniard made sure to generously administer to him. And that's very good for the spectacle.

Because, moreover, the Movistar rider did it without any circumstances that could have influenced his victory: with the track completely dry, coming from behind, catching a Valentino who was riding alone, and closing all the doors after overtaking him. Sete won fair and square. And he won in a way no rider likes to be beaten: by exposing him and demonstrating that Rossi, with relatively equal machinery, can be beaten.

Sete's blow to Rossi's pride was so harsh that the Tavuglia native's face on the podium was a picture. He's gone four Grand Prix without a win—when Rossi has a bad race, he finishes second, which speaks volumes about his immense talent. But the media phenomenon Rossi thrives on victories, and he doesn't particularly like either Brno or Estoril, the next two rounds of the World Championship. For the first time in many years, we've seen a nervous and distraught Rossi after a race. And the man responsible is named Sete Gibernau Bultó, and he's Spanish.

And yet, the rider who seemed destined to spoil Rossi's party was, of course, his good friend Biaggi. Max, who does his own thing even in this, is one of the few riders in the World Championship who actually likes Sachsenring. The remaining 99.9% hate it to the core for being short, tiring, and a tight, twisty track. But for Biaggi, it's one of his lucky circuits. So everyone assumed that the Camel rider would shoot off as soon as the lights went out, pushing hard from the start and trying to open up a gap.

And, probably, that would have been the strategy if Biaggi had gotten a good start. But the Roman had a terrible start—crossing the finish line in seventh on the first lap—and his whole plan fell apart.

Valentino Rossi, in first place at the time, was the one who took on the responsibility of pushing hard. And only Sete, a surprising Melandri, and the tenacious Bayliss could keep up with him. The pace was very high; Sete was glued to Rossi's wheel, and Biaggi crashed while trying to catch the group after an intense back-and-forth battle with Bayliss, which rattled him. The Australian showed he wasn't easily intimidated, not even by a top rider like Biaggi. All the while, tenth by tenth, Rossi was pulling away. And tenth by tenth, Sete was closing the gap. With ten seconds to go, Gibernau overtook the Italian Repsol rider. The Spaniard closed the gaps while Rossi repeatedly warned him that he was going to make a move at the exit of the Omega corner. The Italian braked late at that point four times, and each time the Spaniard got the better of him. On the last lap, Valentino tried again. It seemed like it would be the decisive moment. But Sete was very clever. Rossi had shown him so many times where he exited the corner that Gibernau closed the gap and blocked it. The Italian had to go wide. Sete took a gamble; his wheel even touched the white line... but the Movistar rider didn't back down, he kept pushing the throttle and clawed back precious meters that gave him the victory over a dejected Rossi.

It was decisive:

• Sete's skill and cunning in closing the line when he saw Rossi pushing hard.

• Capirossi's bike catching fire in the warm-up. Loris had to start with the second bike and less precise settings.

• The precious time Biaggi lost trying to overtake Bailyss.

• Melandri's crash, which broke up the race by cutting off the link with the two leaders.

• Biaggi's incredible fastest lap, unbeaten despite the crash.

• Hayden's strong performance, his best race in MotoGP. Sachsenring is very similar to the tight American tracks where the Repsol Honda rider has raced to date.

Motorcycles that explode on the track

Colin Edwards had a monumental scare in the first free practice session when his Aprilia Cube burst into flames with him on it. Loris Capirossi's Ducati also went up in flames during Sunday's warm-up.

In both cases, the fuel tanks were made of carbon fiber, and given that MotoGP bikes (remember Aoki's in Assen, when his engine exploded) catch fire with some frequency, measures can be taken.

One would be a more thorough study of the safety offered by carbon fiber, and another would be requiring track marshals to wear special suits.

Colin Edwards' incident was truly spectacular.

The Texan rider was using one of the new chassis, of which each rider had only one, and during braking, the fuel tank cap popped off, fuel spilled into the exhaust, and immediately ignited the engine.

"I can say that I now know a track I'd never been on before much better, but I've also discovered that a barbecue can be terrible if you're on the wrong side..."

Colin didn't lose his sense of humor and referred to the burns he suffered on his forearm and chest.

"I saw some drops splashing on my visor and thought it was starting to rain. It also crossed my mind that maybe it was coolant from a motorcycle in front of me. But at one point, I felt a cold sensation on my neck and immediately afterward, intense heat... fire!"

Colin jumped off the moving motorcycle at almost 200 km/h.

"Jumping off the bike was the only thing I could do. I admit it was my first experience of this kind, and I hope it doesn't happen again: I confess... I was scared!"

Anti-Ducati exhausts turn anti-Rossi.

We all remember Doohan and his technical strategies to throw off his rivals. When everyone else was using Big Bang engines, halfway through the season he would switch to the Screamer engine. This created the question: was Doohan winning, or was the Screamer winning? Well, the same could be said for Sunday's race: did Sete win, or did the exhausts on his RC 211 V win?

When Rossi tested this new exhaust system after the Catalan Grand Prix, he declared that he wouldn't use them in races because, according to him, "they were too noisy." The truth is, they gave his bike too harsh a feel; besides, the Doctor must have thought to himself that he didn't need any innovations to keep winning... The three new silencers on Sete's bike are more open than the current two; they have a larger diameter and less sound-dampening material. This results in more power, faster exhaust gas expulsion, a higher rev limit, and... more noise! It also causes stronger engine braking when the throttle is closed, a characteristic that riders find difficult to get used to. On the other hand, it also increases fuel consumption, since more exhaust gases require more fuel to be pumped into the cylinders. The truth is, Rossi won't be entirely sure from now on: did Sete beat him, or did the new exhausts? If the Doctor thinks it's the latter, you can bet he'll be using the new exhausts in Brno...

Sachsenring, a karting track

The small Sachsenring circuit is one of the slowest in the championship and possibly the smallest and most twisty.

At 3,508 meters long, just 8 meters short of the minimum required for homologation, with 13 left-hand and 6 right-hand corners, the Saxon track, located 100 km from Dresden in the former East Germany, is visually striking and spectacular.

Its significant elevation changes, flowing corners, and proximity to the spectators make Sachsenring a very special circuit.

Races were held here in the 1920s, and between 1961 and 1972 it hosted the German Grand Prix races. But in 1990, its international homologation was no longer accepted, and a major renovation was undertaken after eleven months of work.

The result is a practically new circuit, where the facilities are rather basic. Working at the Sachsenring is quite inconvenient for everyone, as the paddock is divided by the track itself, and to access the hospitality area, you have to cross it through a tunnel.

There aren't enough pit boxes for everyone, and many 250cc teams and all of the 125cc teams don't have space in the pit lane, so they have to work in their own trucks located far from the track. It's surprising to see a team like Norick Abe's (Yamaha) working under a makeshift tent, and since the Japanese rider had to go out on the track, he had to cross the paddock. In the 125cc class, the teams would crowd into the pit lane during practice sessions because there wasn't enough space or pit boxes for them.

Sete's Column: Valentino and me....

Hello friends of Solo Moto.

As you can imagine, I'm super happy with this new victory, which I want to dedicate in a special way to my family.

They supported me completely during the bad times, and that's why now, when things are going well, I want to thank them for their help during those difficult moments, and especially my sister Cristina. It's the first time I've won without her here, and I want to give her and her husband Alvaro the trophy they gave me.

In this Grand Prix, I worked all weekend thinking about the race. In practice, I did 12-lap sessions to fine-tune the bike, and I didn't want a repeat of what happened in Great Britain, where at one point I didn't have the necessary feeling to be with the leaders. I sacrificed a fast lap to find a good rhythm, which is what decides the race.

My bike was running really well, and so was Valentino's. I think we were on the same level, and we both had the same tires.

Having beaten a rider like Valentino four times makes you a bigger deal, but he's still a great rider whom I admire just as much as before I beat him.

You can't lose respect for him, or Max, or anyone here.

On the other hand, Valentino is admirable for his desire to win races. Even as the championship leader, he doesn't let up and fights for the win until the very end.

Valentino Rossi hates losing, and he's lost four times this year, but he's the world champion, and I'm not. We respect each other a lot, we enjoy riding, we love our jobs, and we also like to enjoy life and have a drink out. We have a good time. We've barely had time to talk, but he told me he wanted to win at any cost, however... today I won!

In their own words...

Valentino Rossi: I'm a little disappointed with the final result of the race. At the beginning, I tried to break away from the other riders, but it wasn't possible. Sete followed me, and we rode very close together for ten laps. The race was decided on the last lap, when I had planned my attack. I made a good overtake, but then I don't understand why I needed to come in to close the line. I thought Sete would try to overtake me on the inside of the corner, and that was my mistake. I closed the line and touched the brake, losing a bit of control of the bike. I needed too long to open the throttle again. Other times this season, I've had bad luck with the weather or the regulations, but this time it was my own fault.

Nicky Hayden: "It was a lot of fun. I needed a race like this. On the last lap I was a bit conservative and Capirossi overtook me. In the morning warm-up I felt comfortable riding with Valentino and Max. I learn a lot at every circuit where this happens."

Max Biaggi: "My back, leg, and hand hurt... My whole body aches. I'm very disappointed, although I can't go back. I had a discreet start, but in the first two corners I was a bit hesitant and many riders passed me. Then I was forced to make up a lot of positions and I had to push hard. I saw that I was going very fast, overtaking several rivals. When I got to Bayliss, he made me lose a little time, and when I finally passed him, I crashed. It happened so fast that I don't know how it happened. The responsibility for a crash always lies with the rider, but at that point the front suspension had been giving me problems all weekend."

Kenny Roberts: "The best thing I can say is that the teammate I had last year, who was very competitive with me all year, has won the race. Congratulations to him."

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