Grand Prix 2000 - Round 9 - Donington

The 500 race was also declared wet. Loris Capirossi fell yesterday and hurt his already injured wrist and actually sat out some of yesterday's practice sessions but will start the race from the 3rd row, on painkillers no doubt.

Anthony Gobert makes his long awaited return to 500 racing and with a wet track may do well. Anthony found the Modenas quite a handful in the practice sessions, no doubt because of the light weight of the triple. Which is 15 kilograms lighter than the V4 500s and at least a full 50 kilograms lighter than the Bimota SuperBike he has been riding thus far this season. In road bike terms that is like the difference between an R6 and a CBR1100XX Super Blackbird!

Barros, Roberts, McCoy & Rossi made up the front row and Barros made the absolute most of his pole to lead in to the 1st turn but Laconi was in front by the time they exited the corner, Laconi must have got a fantastic holeshot. Laconi, Barros, Gibernau, Abe, Roberts, Aoki.

Laconi looks good and keeps the lead for the whole of the first lap, Barros 2nd, Gibernau, Abe. McWilliams, Roberts, Aoki. Gobert 18th.

Barros under Laconi and in to the lead. Abe closing on Gibernau for 3rd. Abe sets the fastest lap on the 2nd time around. Rossi through on Aoki and closing on Roberts.

Barros, Laconi, Gibernau, Abe, McWilliams, Roberts, Rossi, Aoki, Capirossi - is the race order as they commence lap 4. Rossi set the fastest lap on the third circuit of Donington and looks good after getting a terrible start.

26 laps to run and Barros still holds the lead over Laconi, Gibernau seems to have regained some speed to keep Abe behind him and the top 4 look to be telescoping together slightly. Barros is taking completely different lines to Laconi in to the tighter corners, possibly to protect his position from Laconi sneaking up the inside but if he is not careful Laconi will get a run on the outside.

Roberts picked up speed to record the fastest lap on the 5th time around. Gibernau through on Laconi, 3 wide in to the next corner, Laconi, Gibernau and Abe, Roberts joined the melee at the next corner and the American shoots up in to 2nd place. I can type pretty quickly but this is impossible!

This may be allowing Barros to escape a little. Abe back through on Roberts for 2nd. McWilliams through on Laconi to take 4th. Abe right on Barros' tail now. Rossi under Laconi but ran wide to allow the Frenchman back through. Abe showed Barros a wheel in to turn 1 the next time around but wisely thought better of it. McWilliams looks fast.

The leading 4 are very close together now - Barros, Abe, Roberts, McWilliams. Rossi takes Laconi for 5th. Roberts tries to take Abe but gets pushed out as the Japanese pilot holds his line. Rossi is closing in on the leading quartet now.

22 laps to go, Barros, Abe, Roberts, McWilliams, Rossi, Aoki, Gibernau, Laconi, Criville, Van Der Goorbergh, Capirossi, Okada. Gobert is nowhere to be seen.

Abe changes his line to try and put a move on Barros but this allowed Roberts to take that 2nd position from Abe. Barros looks to get off the turns better than Roberts but Roberts looks to have more corner speed. Roberts under Barros in to RedGate! Can the American clear out! McWilliams through on Abe for 3rd and right up Barros' clacker.

McWilliams looks to be getting just as much drive off the turns as the V4s in these damp conditions. Roberts, McWilliams up in to 2nd, Barros, Abe, Rossi, Aoki.

Roberts has over a second on McWilliams who has some clear track for the 1st time, can he catch the Suzuki mounted Roberts? Aoki through on Abe and Rossi for 4th and is threatening Barros for 3rd. He does it Aoki up in to 3rd. Two Suzuki's in the top 3, I can't remember that happening for a very long time.

The top 3 are separated by around 3 seconds - Roberts, McWilliams, Aoki. Rossi under Barros for 5th. Then he goes under Abe, with 18 laps to run Rossi is 4th! The young Italian always hated the rain when he was racing 250s but it seems to agree with him on a 500.

McWilliams sets the fastest lap but still has not made a lot of ground on Roberts. These guys are doing really well to fight this hard and not end up in the dirt, could that be a case of famous last words?

Rossi right on the tail of Aoki now, Roberts has 1.8 seconds on McWilliams, who in turn has 1.5 seconds on Aoki who is being closely hounded by Rossi. Rossi sets the fastest lap on the 13th time around. McCoy is near the back of the field, Gobert is up to 15th. Checa is nowhere to be seen!

The track is drying quite well now. Rossi through on Aoki and right up with McWilliams. 16 laps to go and Barros continues his backwards charge, now behind Criville and Capirossi, who just relegated his team-mate to 9th. Rossi sticks it under McWilliams, they rubbed fairings but remained upright. Can he catch Roberts?

Aoki drops it on the run in to main straight and jumps up to drag his bike out of the middle of the track. 14 laps to run. Suzuki, Honda, Aprilia, Yamaha. The gap between Rossi and Roberts is down to 9 tenths now.

Rossi right with Roberts now, and McWilliams. McWilliams through on Rossi in a completely unexpected move. McWilliams may have the goods to get Roberts, this British crowd will go mad if McWilliams can win here today.

The track is drying further so the horsepower disadvantage may show itself but no, McWilliams through on Roberts to frantic cheers from the British crowd, it will be bedlam here this afternoon if the Aprilia rider can bring this one home. Rossi through on Roberts, maybe Kenny's pit board has told him that championship challenger Checa is miles behind?

11 laps to go, Rossi is trying hard to catch McWilliams. The young Italian is spinning his yellow Honda right up on the exit of the corners but he is not closing on McWilliams. 19 years since a British rider won the British Grand Prix, is it possible? Yes I believe it is, he has cleared out some ground from Rossi and Roberts now.

9 laps to run - McWilliams still hold the advantage and his lead has grown to a full second over Rossi now. Roberts 3rd, then a brave Capirossi followed by Abe, Van Der Goorbergh, Gibernau & Biaggi.

The injured Capirossi runs wide and Abe goes through for that 4th position. Roberts is coming back, the American set the fastest lap on the 22nd time around, has he been conserving his tyres and planning this late charge? It looks as though he may have been very smart and that could well be the case. Surely the American will be in front of Rossi soon, he has 7 laps to take Rossi and McWilliams if he can do it.

Garry McCoy in to the pits and changing tyres! McWilliams is really sliding around now, the bike looks more untidy than either Rossi's Honda or Roberts' Suzuki. Can he hold on? McWilliams leaves an absolutely awesome blackie, crossed up through a high speed turn, very 'Doohanesque' (I invented that word) indeed.

Rossi really starting to slide now, not tidy slides though, grip and slip slides which are very untidy. Roberts right on his tail and eager to take that 2nd position if the young Italian makes a mistake. Roberts looks tidy but is unwilling to try and stick his Suzuki next to Rossi's bucking Honda.

Rossi really trying now and starting to show a wheel to McWilliams, he nearly got underneath him but the Ulsterman holds on. 4 laps to run but McWilliams gets a good run on to the main straight and gains a little ground on Rossi who has left Roberts behind a little.

McWilliams doing some very tidy slides here today, much smoother and more controlled than Rossi's Honda, but Rossi underneath and in to the lead, Roberts also sliding a lot now with 3 laps to run. Can McWilliams get back with Rossi, this leading trio is really sliding here as their wet tyres are now shagged from the completely dry race-line at the Donington circuit. McWilliams has got nothing to lose here today, Roberts has the most to lose. Roberts does put it next to McWilliams, but the Brit' refuses to concede and regains his 2nd place immediately.

2 laps to go - McWilliams right with Rossi who is hanging right off the Honda even though he is carrying no more lean angle than McWilliams or Roberts through the turns. In to the main straight for the 2nd last time and Rossi has pulled some ground out on McWilliams who is surely to put everything in to this last lap.

Half a second in it. McWilliams has a huge slide and has to get out of the throttle, that could give Rossi the ground he needs but McWilliams is not giving up, Roberts powers past McWilliams and up in to 2nd position. Rossi could be up for his first 500 win here, yep there it is, Rossi 1st, Roberts 2nd, McWilliams 3rd.