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| October 15, 2001 | Monday | Rajab 27, 1422 |
Italian Rossi crowned 500cc world champion
PHILLIP ISLAND (Australia), Oct 14: Italy’s Valentino Rossi seized the lead on the final lap to win the Australian 500cc Grand Prix and clinch the world title Sunday.
Honda rider Rossi, in only his second year in the 500cc championship, also won the 125cc and 250cc titles at the second attempts in 1997 and 1999 respectively.
Rossi, who boasts 11 wins from 30 starts in his two years of 500cc racing, swapped the lead with compatriot and championship rival Max Biaggi in an exciting two-man battle in the closing laps.
With two laps left, Biaggi was ahead by 0.012 seconds.
The flamboyant Rossi regained the advantage, however, and triumphed in 42 minutes 22.383 seconds to take an unbeatable 72-point lead over Biaggi with two races remaining.
Rossi, whose mother Stefania flew out from Europe especially for the race, did a victory lap holding an Italian flag.
Biaggi, who said he had tried everything he could in the race, finished 0.013 seconds behind in second place, ahead of another Italian Honda rider, Loris Capirossi, who is also third in the riders’ standings.
He had needed only eight points to clinch the title but made a final burst to grab first place and 25 points to take him to 275.
Rossi, who won the Australian 250cc grands prix at Phillip Island in 1998 and 1999, said he planned to keep his number 46 plate next year rather than use the champion’s traditional number one.
Rossi becomes the first rider to win world championships in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes since Briton Phil Read completed the treble in 1973 and again in 1974.
Rossi became the first Italian 500cc world champion since Suzuki rider Franco Uncini in 1982.
Meanwhile, a rider competing in one of the support races died after a high-speed accident, Motorcycling Australia (MA) said.
“Motorcycling Australia, as the controlling body of national motorcycle racing in Australia and on behalf of the motorcycle community, expresses its deepest sympathies to the family of Clint Farr, the young motorcycle rider who died following an accident Saturday in a support race at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix,” MA chief executive David White said in a statement.
Australian Farr, 21, died at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne following an accident in a Supersport race late on Saturday afternoon.
White said two motorcycles collided in the race and Farr was injured.
He was taken to the circuit medical centre at the Phillip Island track and then flown to Alfred Hospital in an air ambulance.
Results:
500cc (over 27-lap race): 1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda 42 minutes 22.383 seconds; 2. Max Biaggi (Italy) Yamaha 0.013 seconds behind; 3. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Honda 0.581; 4. Alex Barros (Brazil) Honda 0.714; 5. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 1.288; 6. Olivier Jacque (France) Yamaha 2.534; 7. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Yamaha 2.579; 8. Noriyuki Haga (Japan) Yamaha 2.582; 9. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Suzuki 2.832; 10. Jurgen vd Goorbergh (Netherlands) Proton KR 19.443.
250cc (25-lap race): 1. Daijiro Katoh (Japan) Honda 39 minutes 48.180 seconds; 2. Tetsuya Harada (Japan) Aprilia 5.644 seconds behind; 3. Roberto Rolfo (Italy) Aprilia 8.518; 4. Jeremy McWilliams (Britain) Aprilia 14.303; 5. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 14.389; 6. Emilio Alzamora (Spain) Honda 14.749; 7. Roberto Locatelli (Italy) Aprilia 17.546; 8. Luca Boscoscuro (Italy) Aprilia 37.456; 9. Naoki Matsudo (Japan) Yamaha 50.872; 10. Shahrol Yuzy (Maldives) Yamaha 53.951.
125cc (23-lap race): 1. Youichi Ui (Japan) Derbi 38 minutes 14.688 seconds; 2. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Gilera 4.709 seconds behind; 3. Toni Elias (Spain) Honda 4.743; 4. Masao Azuma (Japan) Honda 4.938; 5. Lucio Cecchinello (Italy) Aprilia 4.974; 6. Alex De Angelis (San Marino) Honda 5.053; 7. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 5.562; 8. Max Sabbatani (Italy) Aprilia 5.881; 9. Eric Bataille (Andorra) Honda 9.506; 10. Gino Borsoi (Italy) Aprilia 17.16.—Reuters
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