Track Length: 4.933 kilometres
Race distance: 118.392 kms.
Pole position in 1999: K Roberts 1m52.227s
Fastest lap in 1999: M. Biaggi 1m52.869s
Circuit Record Lap 1997: T. Okada 1m51.928s 

Last year's Rio 500 GP proved that the Brazilian track is the kind of venue that can serve up seriously thrilling action. Mostly fast, bumpy and slippery, the circuit may not allow gravity-defying cornering like some grippier tracks but Jacarepagua's long back straight promotes slipstreaming, which helps keep riders bunched together all race long.

Slipstreaming is a crucial game of cat and mouse played out on any straight worthy of the name. Riders can gain advantage by chasing another machine, using the vacuum created by the lead bike to improve their speed and slingshot ahead. At 1.1km, Jacarepagua's back straight is one of the longest in GP racing and was a major element in last year's superb battle between Max Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha Team), Norick Abe (Yamaha) and Kenny Roberts (Suzuki).

Horsepower is obviously a major consideration at Jacarepagua -- which has hosted GPs in 1995, '96, '97 and '99 - but chassis set-up is also crucial. Without too much grip, riders are always sliding the front and rear tyres, so they need a user-friendly chassis to help them stay in control.

American Kenny Roberts will be crowned 500cc World Champion of 2000 if he finishes sixth or above at the Cinzano Rio Grand Prix in Brazil on Saturday. If current form is any indication the Telefonica Movistar Suzuki rider has one hand on the championship trophy. A mechanical problem prevented him finishing just one of the 13 MotoGP races so far this season and Roberts has not finished below sixth place in any of the remaining events. His nearest rival, 21-year-old Italian Valentino Rossi trails Roberts by 66 points in the title chase with three rounds remaining. History could be made in Rio on Saturday, with Roberts becoming the first son to emulate the achievement of his father by winning the World 500cc title.

"When I was a kid, it was my dream to win the 500cc title and I'm only in this position because of my dad", said Kenny who has been resting at his Californian home before flying to Rio for round 14 of the MotoGP World Championship.  

Last year Roberts finished the third round of the fast bumpy 4.933km (3.065 miles) Autodromo Nelson Piquet circuit after a tremendous battle with the Yamaha of eventual winner Norick Abe and Max Biaggi. The long straight at the circuit makes for slipstreaming and overtaking opportunities but Roberts will want to keep out of trouble in his quest for the championship. All Rossi can do is try and win the last three races of the season riding the Nastro Azzurro Honda to put pressure on the American. He won the 250cc race at Rio last year and nothing short of victory will do on Saturday.

The only other rider in with a mathematical chance of the title is Spaniard Carlos Checa but he is 73 points behind Roberts and so that chance is extremely slim.  Checa has had an up-and-down 2000 season. The Marlboro Yamaha Team man started the year in stunning style, finishing second in four of the first six GPs, but a mid-season run of difficult races blunted his bid for the 500 World Championship. However, the recent Marlboro Grand Prix of Valencia proved that he's back to his best.  The Spanish star was the fastest man on the track at one stage of the race, storming through to challenge for second until an off-track excursion demoted him to seventh. The result was a poor reflection of Checa's renewed aggression and he aims to get the result he really deserves at Rio.
"I was fighting hard at Valencia and that makes me very confident for Rio," says Checa, who qualified fourth at Rio '99 but fell in the early stages of the race. "The track is good for Yamaha, that's obvious because Abe and Max were first and second last year. "I think I'll feel comfortable there. I was fast last time, until the crash, and we've once again improved the feeling I'm getting from the bike. We have a clear idea of which way to go on settings, I can't wait to get out there and attack again."

Although this year's 500 World Championship is effectively out of Checa's reach, he still has a good chance of scoring his best-ever 500 series result. Currently third overall, he is only seven points behind Valentino Rossi (Honda), after the Italian crashed out at Valencia.  "That's my main focus, to get as many points at the last three races and see if I can get back ahead of Rossi," he adds. "It won't be easy, but that's what I want to do."

Max Biaggi had one of his best-ever 500 races at Rio last year, finishing second, just 0.161 seconds behind the winner. This year the Marlboro Yamaha star aims to go one better and score his second victory of the 2000 World Championship season.  Rio '99 was indeed one of the best 500 battles of recent years, with Biaggi going head to head with eventual victor Norick Abe (Yamaha) and Suzuki's Kenny Roberts. The lead changed no less than four times on the last lap alone, Biaggi and Abe bumping and barging as they fought to cross the line first. "I had a lot of fun in that race and I know the fans loved it, so I think we're all hoping it'll be another good one this weekend," says Biaggi. "We lacked a little speed against Abe's Yamaha in that race because he ran a different engine spec with more top end but I'm confident we can fight for the win again."

Last time out at Valencia three weeks ago, Biaggi continued a strong run of form with a rousing ride to third, less than a second behind World Champion-elect Roberts. "That was a really hard race and I expect Rio will be close too," he adds. "It's a bumpy track with strange grip, it's very inconsistent, so you've got grip, no grip, grip as you go through some of the corners. But the Yamaha works well there and that will be important."

Mark Willis will be back on the KR3 for the last three rounds, after missing a GP to win the Bol d'Or 24-Hour Race. And the rider from Narrabri in New South Wales is looking forward to the chance to gain familiarity for a big end-of-season push at his home circuit of Phillip Island.  "Brazil and Japan will be only my second and third races on the new bike," said Willis. "By the time we get to Australia, I'll be more familiar with it. And of course I know the track really well. With the technical corners and the downhill straight it should suit the Modenas.  "Over the last three races, I'll be aiming towards giving the new bike its best results so far."

Australian Garry McCoy will certainly be attacking the circuit with relish after winning the last two Grands Prix. Riding the Gauloises Red Bull Yamaha in his very own style, McCoy has dominated the last two races. He moved into fourth place in the championship, just seven points behind Checa, after his third MotoGP victory of the season in Valencia. McCoy could be challenging Rossi for second place before the end of the season, especially with the last race at Phillip Island in Australia.

Brazilian Alex Barros returns home after securing two grand prix victories this year, while his Emerson Honda Pons team-mate Loris Capirossi will have benefited from the three-week break to allow his injured hand to heal.

It's an important last three races of the season for a number of riders hoping for new contracts next season, including impressive Dutchman Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Nobuatsu Aoki, Regis Laconi and Jeremy McWilliams.

The Brazilian Grand Prix holds some very special memories for the Repsol YPF Honda team and 1999 World Champion Alex Crivillé. Last year, it was here that Crivillé took his first 500cc crown when he finished the race in sixth position.  "Brazil is sure to bring back good memories," agrees Crivillé. "But as far as this season is concerned, I'll be taking the Rio race as just another race. I might have a better opportunity to win this year, however, because last year, because of the pain of the wrist I broke in Australia and the pressure of the title fight, I couldn't hope to do that."

Of course, those happy memories from last year will be slightly overshadowed by the fact that for Crivillé and the rest of the Repsol YPF Honda team, the 2000 season hasn't gone to plan.

Unforeseen technical problems have prevented Crivillé and his Repsol YPF Honda team-mates Sete Gibernau and Tadayuki Okada from getting the results they would have liked. But everyone has worked very hard to cure these problems and the situation has improved greatly over the last few races. "My feeling with the bike is now much better," Crivillé explains. "I still think that if I hadn't crashed out of the Valencia Grand Prix, I could have won there. Now I'm really looking forward to Brazil and to taking a good result in the last three races of the year."

This year's difficulties have also taken their toll on Sete Gibernau. The Spaniard has already announced that he would no longer be racing with the Repsol YPF Honda team next year. So naturally, he's anxious to leave the team on a high. "Both the team and myself need a good result before the end of the season," says Gibernau, who still feels some of the effects of a recent crash. "I'm okay physically although my back was still a little painful in Valencia. But I'm sure I'll be fully recovered for this week-end's race. Last year, qualifying went quite well in Brazil but I had a few problems in the race which prevented me from fighting for the win. But in the end I was fifth, only four seconds behind the race winner Norick Abe, and that is really encouraging."

Tadayuki Okada is also keen to push his 2000 season points tally up and Brazil could be the perfect opportunity for him to do that. Okada had a great race there last year and was on the card for a fine win when a near-collision with another rider sent him off the track. By the time he re-joined, Okada was too far down the standings to hope for even a podium finish. "That was quite a moment," Okada admits. "But it's all in the past. Now I'm concentrating on this year. The bike has been improving steadily and I've started to enjoy riding it again. Let's hope Brazil is where I start to win with it again."

250

The 250cc title can't be decided in Rio with Frenchman Olivier Jacque leading his Chesterfield Tech 3 Yamaha team-mate Shinya Nakano by 22 points. It promises to be a tense time within their team at the last three races, with Nakano bouncing back to form by winning the previous round in Valencia. However, consistency is the key factor to Jacque's success. He's finished every race this season, winning two and finishing on the podium on eight other occasions. Nakano has won two of the last three races with a crash spoiling his chances in Estoril. Even victory in the last three races would not ensure him the title.

Japanese Honda riders Tohru Ukawa and Daijiro Katoh are mathematically still in with a championship chance but realistically it looks like a battle for third place as they are separated by just five points. The two most impressive teenagers in the championship, Italian Marco Melandri and Australian Anthony West are tied in fifth place with German veteran Ralf Waldmann just five points behind them in seventh. Last year Melandri finished second in the 125cc race.

125

Italian Roberto Locatelli has produced three brilliant rides since the mid-season break to lead the 125cc championship by 24 points. Riding the Diesel Vasco Rossi Racing Aprilia, Locatelli has secured two wins and a second place while his great rival Youichi Ui has faltered. The Derbi rider, who has won five grands prix this season, crashed out in Estoril and finished third in Valencia and needs to win on Saturday to put pressure on the confident Italian. World Champion, Spaniard Emilio Alzamora virtually kissed his championship chances goodbye when he finished fifth in Valencia. He trails Locatelli by 43 points although his third place looks safe and secure. Last year's winner Noboru Ueda shares sixth place with Masao Azuma.