MCNEWS.COM.AU - The ultimate in motorcycle news 125 GP 2002 - Round 15 - Phillip Island
October 20th, 2002		 MCNEWS.COM.AU - The ultimate in motorcycle news
 

Tim Inkster had a bad run of luck during the weekend and was the only wildcard entry for the 125 race that failed to qualify within the 107% qualifying cut-off mark.  Peter Holmes and Jeremy Crowe just sneaked inside it.  Josh Waters had a little bit more of a buffer and started from 32nd place on the grid from a total of 36 qualifiers.

Manuel Poggiali had earned pole position during Saturday's final qualifying session, his sixth pole thus far in 2002.  But young Daniel Pedrosa was quickest in morning warm-up but could only manage 10th fastest during qualifying, his lowest grid position since the previous Australian GP where he qualified 11th. 

The fastest number in the speed trap during warm-up this morning was recorded by Finland's Mika Kallio with 233.7kph.  In comparison Josh Waters recorded 220.5, Peter Holmes 206.7 and Jeremy Crowe only 197.6, taking that in to consideration it is a wonder that Crowe managed to qualify at all.

Poggiali got a great run off the line but it was Arnaud Vincent who led the field through turn 1 before Pedrosa then shot to the front momentarily before Vincent took the advantage once again.  But Spain's Daniel Pedrosa got the lead once again before Simone Sanna took the lead on lap 2.  Bianco retired and Simoncelli crashed out.

Poggiali took the lead on lap 3 and Lucio Cecchinello moved up to 2nd position.   Cecchinello celebrates his 33rd birthday the Monday after the GP. 

Josh Waters had moved up to 27th position on lap 3.  Peter Holmes and Jeremy Crowe were running at the back of the field. 

Cecchinello took the lead as they started lap 4.  Waters had trouble under brakes and ran in too deep at Honda Corner and ran off the circuit but managed to collect himself together and rejoin the race 8 seconds behind Jeremy Crowe.

Cecchinello continued to lead the next couple of laps and Daniel Pedrosa moved back past Poggiali and Co. to take 2nd place.  Nieto recorded the fastest lap on their 6th time around the circuit with a 1m38.239.  Pedrosa took the lead again on lap 7.  Pistoni retired while Gino Borsoi also entered the pits at this stage of the race.  Luthi crashed out.

Joshua Waters had worked his way back past Crowe and Holmes by lap 8.

Manuel Poggiali took 2nd place from Cecchinello on lap 9 and then went past Pedrosa for the lead but young Pedrosa came back at him early on lap 10 to hit the front once again.  Arnaud Vincent also got the better of Poggiali to slot in to 2nd place behind Pedrosa, half a lap later Vincent also got Pedrosa to take the lead.

Cecchinello then shot to the lead early on lap 12 with team-mate Alex De Angelis following him through. Poggiali got back past De Angelis for 2nd though out of Southern Loop but Cecchinello held on to his lead as they started lap 13.  Only 1 second covered the leading seven riders with 9 laps to run as they started to lap the Australian wildcards.  Mika Kallio crashed out of 12th spot.

De Angelis moved up in to 2nd position on lap 15 to sit on the tail of his team boss Cecchinello.  But De Angelis ran in way too deep under brakes into MG and went out of the race as Poggiali started pressuring Cecchinello for the lead and actually pulled alongside the Italian as the crossed the line to start lap 17 but Cecchinello's Aprilia had a speed advantage over Poggiali's Gilera which enabled him to retain the lead as they entered turn 1 with 6 laps to run.  Cecchinello recorded 243.2kph down the main straight, incredible stuff from a 125.

Daniel Pedrosa picked up his pace again and started to threaten Poggiali's 2nd spot.  The windy conditions were making things difficult for the tiny 125 machines.  Both Lorenzo and Fabrizio went out of the race.

With only a couple of laps remaining it was still Cecchinello from Poggiali and Pedrosa but only 1 second covered the leading six riders; Cecchinello, Poggiali, Nieto, Vincent, Pedrosa and Sanna.

Nieto got under Poggiali for 2nd at Honda Corner but the reigning world champion regained his second spot on the entry to Siberia.

The leading four, Cecchinello, Poggiali, Nieto and Vincent braked for Honda four-wide, Poggiali took the advantage around the back of the circuit to take the lead and with it the win to keep his championship hopes alive.  Arnaud Vincent finished fourth after setting a new lap record and goes in to the final round with an 8 point advantage over Poggiali.

All the Aussie wildcards finished the race with Waters 1 lap down, Holmes 22 seconds further behind him and Crowe another 24 second down to cross the line for last place out of 27 finishers.

 

  • Race Result
  • Championship Points
  1. Poggiali
  2. Cecchinello
  3. Nieto
  4. Vincent
  5. Pedrosa
  6. Sanna
  7. Jenkner
  8. Azuma
  9. Olive
  10. Dovizioso
  11. Ballerini
  12. Perugini
  13. Ui
  14. Barbera
  15. Giansanti
  16. Talmacsi
  17. Sabbatani
  18. Nohles
  19. Angeloni
  20. Baldolini
  21. Ueda
  22. Davies
  23. Toth
  24. Giuseppetti
  25. Waters
  26. Holmes
  27. Crowe
  1. Vincent  253
  2. Poggiali 245
  3. Pedrosa 218
  4. Cecchinello 172
  5. Jenkner 157
  6. Nieto 129
  7. Sanna 104
  8. Azuma 101
  9. Kallio 78
  10. Borsoi 76
  11. De Angelis 74
  12. Olive 69
  13. Ui 65
  14. Giansanti 42
  15. Dovizioso 42

Images from the race

 

 

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