Sete Gibernau won the 500cc GP at Valencia on a Suzuki RGV500, beating West Honda Pons’ Alex Barros and Suzuki teammate Kenny Roberts.
A Marlboro Yamaha press release describes what happened:
MARLBORO VALENCIA GRAND PRIX, VALENCIA
Race Day, Sunday September 23 2001
MARLBORO YAMAHA MEN SURVIVE CRASH-STREWN RACE
Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi came home fourth and tenth in this afternoon’s rain-hit and crash-strewn Marlboro Valencia GP. The race started on a wet track after a brief rain shower and the damp but drying surface proved to be as treacherous as ice, with a number of riders sliding off during the warm-up lap and early race laps, the survivors just babying it around. Checa was one of the unlucky men to tumble before the start and he only got back into the race on his spare bike, starting from pit lane at the back of the pack. The Spaniard performed a miracle, coming from last, and was the fastest man on track for much of the 30 laps. Biaggi staged a late-race charge to beat series leader and early race leader Valentino Rossi (Honda).
“Carlos chose slicks front and rear because he’s not in the championship race, so he could afford to gamble, and he rode a fantastic race,” explained Marlboro Yamaha Team manager Geoff Crust. “Max is second in the championship, so he had to play a bit safer. There were so many people falling off that it must’ve been hard for them to gauge how much grip was available. This place is obviously very, very slippery in the wet and it’s so easy to make a tiny mistake and end up with nothing. We’d been pit boarding Max for 11 laps, so he knew he was closing on Rossi. We’ve shortened the points gap, not by much, but that’s better than going the other way.”
Today’s race started after a minute’s silence in honour of those who lost their lives in last week’s terrorist attacks in America and ended without a podium champagne celebration.
SUPER-FAST CHECA FOURTH
Carlos Checa’s hopes of winning this home-territory race evaporated on the warm-up lap when he slid off his Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR500. The Spanish favourite dashed back to the pits where he took his spare bike, also wearing slicks front and rear, and started the race dead last from pit lane. From there he staged a miraculous comeback, often lapping up to a second faster than the leading trio of winner Sete Gibernau (Suzuki), Alex Barros (Honda) and Kenny Roberts (Suzuki), and finishing just a few seconds behind them.
“Coming from last in those conditions was really scary,” he said. “It was like riding on ice, the rear spinning up all the time. I did my best but lost the race on the warm-up lap. The track conditions were unbelievable, I just touched the throttle and the bike went away. Once we’d started I just concentrated on doing my best lap by lap, and that was all I could do. I tried to catch the guys up front and I was closing quite fast at some stages but during the last laps I realised it would be impossible to catch them, unless someone made a mistake.”
BIAGGI TENTH IN TREACHEROUS RACE
Max Biaggi came home tenth today but he did beat World Championship rival Valentino Rossi. The Marlboro Yamaha Team rider chose an intermediate front and slick rear but had a nasty moment in the early stages and was unable to run up front. However, he later closed in on Rossi, stealing one point from his arch-rival, leaving the gap at 42 points with four races to go.
“There were a lot of guys falling off, it was like riding on ice, I had to stay upright, it was vital not to crash,” said the Italian. “When I saw Capirossi crash at the first turn I knew Rossi was my target, and when I saw I was closing on him I pushed harder. Even one point can make the difference and anyway, it’s good for morale. Congratulations to Sete, he must’ve ridden a very brave race, though the guys up front aren’t fighting for the championship so they could take more risks. It’s a shame this is the last race in Europe. We now start a long journey with four ‘flyaway’ races and they can always be difficult. No matter, I’ll keep trying to the end.”
GIBERNAU WINS FIRST GP
Sete Gibernau gambled on slicks front and rear to win his first GP success, and Suzuki’s first of 2001. The Spaniard spent most of the race locked in battle with Alex Barros and teammate Kenny Roberts, winning by just 0.293 seconds to send the local 120,000 fans wild. “The first laps were difficult, because it was so slippery and carbon brakes don’t work when you’re going so slow,” he said. “There were people on the floor everywhere but my tyre choice paid off in the end. It was a difficult race, everyone was so tense, and right now I can’t put this win into words.”
Barros finished second, running an intermediate front/slick rear combination, with Roberts third, replicating Gibernau’s choice. Series leader Rossi made a cautious choice, running intermediates front and rear, and though he led early on he slipped to 11th as the track dried.
RESULTS
1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar SUZUKI 54:39.391
2. Alex Barros (BRA) West HONDA Pons +0.293
3. Kenny Roberts (USA) Telefonica Movistar SUZUKI +1.241
4. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team +7.052
5. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Gauloises YAMAHA Tech 3 +29.809
6. Tohru Ukawa (SPA) Repsol YPF HONDA Team +29.863
7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Gauloises YAMAHA Tech 3 +31.093
8. Norick Abe (JPN) Antena 3 YAMAHA-d’Antin +31.609
9. Jurgen vd Goorbergh (NED) PROTON Team KR +32.783
10. MAX BIAGGI (ITA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team +37.774
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Valentino Rossi 225
2. MAX BIAGGI 183
3. Loris Capirossi 147
4. Alex Barros 127
5. Shinya Nakano 116
6. Norick Abe 108
7. CARLOS CHECA 102
8. Sete Gibernau 93
9. Alex Criville 91
10. Kenny Roberts 88
MARLBORO YAMAHA TWIN-SEATER MAKES THEIR DAY
The Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR500 twin-seater made its final European appearance of 2001 at Valencia this morning, giving three more VIPs the most thrilling chauffeur ride in the world.
The 285-kph machine – ridden by former 500 GP winner Randy Mamola – made three outings, with Michelin Group CEO Edouard Michelin, TV personality Lorenzo Mila and popular film actor Jorge Sanz.
Monsieur Michelin, making his first visit to a bike GP, was astounded by the ride, which gave him a first-hand feeling for the amazing powers of his company’s bike-racing slicks.
“I was worried how far we were away from the limit” said Michelin, a keen sports car driver who will later witness his company’s 50th consecutive 500 Grand Prix victory. “I’ll never, ever forget that ride, and my thanks to everyone who made it possible. You know that the racing world is a big family and Michelin feel we are a part of this family.”
After the ride, Mamola added “I’m glad we’ve finally got the Michelin man on the bike.” To which Michelin replied “I’ll have to put on some weight before I look like the Michelin man”
Keen biker Sanz, who counts many of Spain’s GP stars as personal friends, said “Impressive, and sooo fast But I felt very secure – the leaning was the most spectacular thing. I found the braking very tiring, on the last lap I had to hold my elbows against my knees to secure myself.”
Even TV personality Lorenzo Mila found himself stuck for words, initially, at least. “I have no words” he said. “Really it’s just the way he accelerates and changes gear. It’s like vertigo. The changes of direction were also very impressive. My arms wouldn’t have lasted much longer, he was braking so late and so hard. You can’t think because everything happens so fast. I was shouting inside my helmet”
The twin-seater YZR500 was introduced to GP racing last year to give celebrities and VIPs a fascinating insight into the high-speed world of 500 GP racing. The machine is virtually identical to those raced by Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa. Mamola will give the bike another outing at next month’s Australian GP.
Additional 500cc Results:
11. Valentino Rossi, Italy, Honda, +40.512 seconds
12. Garry McCoy, Australia, Yamaha, +96.743 seconds
13. Anthony West, Australia, Honda, -1 lap
14. Johan Stigefelt, Sweden, Sabre, -1 lap
15. Barry Veneman, Holland, Honda, -2 laps
16. Leon Haslam, Great Britain, Honda, -2 laps
17. Jose Luis Cardoso, Spain, Yamaha, -4 laps
18. Brendan Clarke, Australia, Honda, -16 laps, DNF, retired
19. Alex Criville, Spain, Honda, -23 laps, DNF, crash
20. Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Yamaha, -29 laps, DNF, crash
21. Haruchika Aoki, Japan, Honda, -30 laps, DNF, crash
22. Loris Capirossi, Italy, Honda, -30 laps, DNF, crash
250cc Results, Part 1, 9 laps (run in two parts)
1. Daijiro Katoh, Japan, Honda, 14:46.268
2. Tetsuya Harada, Japan, Aprilia, -0.155 seconds
3. Fonsi Nieto, Spain, Aprilia, -4.882
4. Jeremy McWilliams, Great Britain, Aprilia, -6.091
5. Naoki Matsudo, Japan, Yamaha, -6.438
6. Roberto Rolfo, Italy, Aprilia, -7.296
7. Emilio Alzamora, Spain, Honda, -9.104
8. Alex Debon, Spain, Aprilia, -9.971
9. Roberto Locatelli, Italy, Aprilia, -11.079
10. Randy de Puniet, France, Aprilia, -11.299
26. Katja Poensgen, Germany, Honda, -43.596
31. Marco Melandri, Italy, Aprilia, -6 laps, DNF
250cc Results, Part 2, 18 laps (run in two parts)
1. Daijiro Katoh, Japan, Honda, 29:15.585
2. Tetsuya Harada, Japan, Aprilia, -4.788 seconds
3. Emilio Alzamora, Spain, Honda, -5.868
4. Fonsi Nieto, Spain, Aprilia, -7.489
5. Jeremy McWilliams, Great Britain, Aprilia, -14.954
6. Roberto Locatelli, Italy, Aprilia, -15.544
7. Naoki Matsudo, Japan, Yamaha, -19.379
8. Roberto Rolfo, Italy, Aprilia, -19.480
9. Alex Debon, Spain, Aprilia, -25.401
10. David DeGea, Spain, Yamaha, -33.610
24. Katja Poensgen, Germany, Honda, -99.662
29. Marco Melandri, Italy, Aprilia, -18 laps, DNF, crash.
250cc points
1. Katoh, 247
2. Harada, 198
3. Melandri, 169
4. Rolfo, 136
5. Nieto, 114
125cc Results
1. Manuel Poggiali, Italy, Gilera, 42:45.422
2. Toni Elias, Spain, Honda, -0.022 second
3. Daniel Pedrosa, Spain, Honda, -0.263
4. Youichi Ui, Japan, Derbi, -0.305
5. Gino Borsoi, Italy, Aprilia, -0.561
6. Simone Sanna, Italy, Aprilia, -0.586
7. Steve Jenkner, Germany, Aprilia, -0.654
8. Lucio Cecchinello, Italy, Aprilia, -1.596
9. Max Sabbatani, Italy, Aprilia, -2.005
10. Joan Olive, Spain, Honda, -2.078
125cc Points
1. Elias, 178
2. Poggiali, 170
3. Ui, 132
4. Cecchinello, 116
5. Sanna, 105