Former All-Japan 250 champion Ukawa was ecstatic with his first MotoGP win, achieved over reigning 500 World Champion Rossi, the man who beat him to the 1999 250 World Championship. The pair ended the race eight seconds ahead of Capirossi and 26 seconds ahead of the rest of the pack, making it look easy around this slippery and notoriously bumpy circuit.

"Today was just like when we were racing 250s, but the result was not!" smiled Ukawa, who scored his first MotoGP podium at last year's Welkom GP. "I think we both showed that the RCV is already performing well and the bike seems to get better at every race with many new parts coming through from HRC. I was able to win when Valentino made a mistake on the last lap. I had chosen a hard rear Michelin while he had chosen a medium tyre and I could see he was having a lot of slides through the rights during the final laps. When he made a mistake I passed him okay and though he came back at me again I won. I'm very happy!"

Despite his defeat, Rossi extended his lead in the World Championship because Ukawa crashed out of the Japanese GP two weeks ago. The Japanese is now third on points, behind Carlos Checa (Yamaha) who finished fifth today.

"My rear tyre was a little too soft for the right handers towards the end of the race," said Rossi who led most of the way until he let Ukawa past with eight laps to go to study his rival. "My plan had been to get a good start and run a very fast rhythm but Ukawa came with me. After those few laps behind him I went ahead again and pushed harder to break away but still he came with me. I made my first mistake braking for a hairpin and though I recovered from that to make another attack, I arrived too fast and I couldn't make the corner."

Capirossi rode a determined race on his NSR well ahead of the rest of the pack. He crossed the line almost 18 seconds ahead of Daijiro Katoh (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR500) riding his first dry race in the MotoGP class.

"I'm happy to be the first two-stroke finisher," said Capirossi. "But this race proved that the gap between the two-strokes and the four-strokes is already quite big and I expect it to get bigger. I tried my best over the first few laps and was able to stay quite close to Rossi and Ukawa, but as my tyres went down I wasn't able to run their pace."

Katoh rode a brilliant race, coming through from ninth on the first lap after struggling to a third-row start in final qualifying. He enjoyed an excellent skirmish with Yamaha men Olivier Jacque, Norick Abe, Shinya Nakano and Garry McCoy, picking off these more experienced 500 riders one by one and then diving past Checa on the very last lap.

"That was a hard race and I tough fight but I enjoyed it immensely," said Katoh who won last year's 250 GP at Welkom. "The bike was perfect, though the front tyre was well worn by the finish. After yesterday's difficulties we found a good set-up, so thanks to my team for their great work."

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) took 11th, 13 seconds ahead of Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500), both men riding their first dry race on their NSRs. "In the beginning I rode to save the front tyre and to get points," said van den Goorbergh. "I knew if I rode too hard I wouldn't finish, so I'm happy to finish and gather plenty of information for the team and for Bridgestone."

Harada also considered the race a learning experience. "The bike didn't feel good with a full fuel tank, especially going into the turns," he said. "The situation improved as the race went on, so I could ride at a better pace. We need to work on our full-tank set-up at the next races."

Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) had been running ninth when he slid off with two laps to go. The Brazilian wasn't seriously hurt. "I hit a bump as I opened the throttle and the bike threw me off," he said.

Tohru Ukawa, Repsol Honda Team, 1st: "That was great. I am very happy. Basically I like this circuit. I made a good tyre choice with my team today and the Michelin's were fantastic. At the start of the race Valentino goes fast and I can stay with him. Towards the end of the race I overtake but he comes back. On the final lap he had less grip than me and made a little mistake. I am very, very happy for me and the team to take my first MotoGP win!"

Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda Team, 2nd: "I chose a slightly softer tyre combination for the race. I made a good start and I tired to go fast. Tohru comes with me. The tyre was a little bit too soft on the right ad about half way through the race Tohru overtakes. I stay behind for a while and then pass him a few laps before the end. On the last lap I make a couple of mistakes and go into the corner too fast and loose some grip. I did not have enough grip on the edge. Anyway, I try! The result is important for the championship.

Loris Capirossi: West Honda Pons: 3rd: "I am very satisfied because I have scored my first podium of the season and I will continue to work very hard to make sure I am there on the podium as many times as possible. At the start I tried to tuck behind Rossi and Ukawa and stay with them as the race unfolded, but when I saw what a big gap had opened up behind us I let off the pace towards the end of the race. It's a fantastic result for me and the team."

Daijiro Katoh, Fortuna Honda Gresini: 4th: "It was a very hard race and a tough fight, but I enjoyed it immensely. My Honda NSR 500 worked perfectly today, even though the tyres were worn towards the end due to the high temperatures, especially the front one that started to slide very much. I fought with the four-strokes which are not easy to overtake, because when they open the throttle, they simply pull away. After yesterday's difficulties, we found, thanks to the great work of the team, the right settings for a motorcycle that was easy to ride, stable and delivering good engine power. I can't wait to go out again in Jerez in two week's time."

Fausto Gresini, Team manager: "Katoh did a heroic race, he was very brave and I want to congratulate him. Right from the beginning, Daijiro battled like a rider who was in the top category for years. He and the team did a fantastic job."

Fabrizio Cecchini, Fortuna Honda Gresini, chief technician: "We tried so many solutions in order to adapt the bike to Katoh's liking who likes to carry a lot of speed through the corners and who has a very fine riding style. The problem is that when you are in a pack of riders, you need a bike that is more "aggressive" in terms of set-up, which means it has to be more stable under brakes. But let's leave the technical side aside: Katoh showed that his potential is enormous and that he can reach out to the stars even in this category. He really amazed me today!"

Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Kanemoto Racing Team: 11th: "My best lap time was 1m 37.3. In advance I had hoped to run consistently at 1m 37s lap times, we did, so I'm happy with that. I rode my own race, I knew that, if I dipped into 1m 36s I would not finish the race. The team, and Bridgestone, got a lot of information from the race. There was no sense in pushing past the limit I felt comfortable with on the set-up. In the beginning I rode to save the front tyre and raced to get points. I'm pretty satisfied with my ride. It was important to complete the race and learn as much about the bike and tyres as I could, and give Bridgestone information. I did just that."

Erv Kanemoto: (Team owner-manager): "We're happy this race is over. That was the first dry race for us with Bridgestone. From this we have gathered a lot of information to go forward, data that will be very useful in future races. The race was good for us, for many reasons this was the first time we have run in a race with a full fuel tank, and on these tyres. We didn't run the race average speed I anticipated but we are encouraged by the fact we set our fastest lap on the 25th lap of the 28 lap race. We can leave Welkom in confident mood, knowing we have achieved something that will benefit us bit later in the season."

Tetsuya Harada, Pramac Honda Racing Team: 12th: "With a full tank, I wasn't able to ride the way I wanted, I didn't have the feeling especially when entering the curves. But as the race went on, lap after lap, the situation was improving and in the end I was riding with a better pace. I need to work during the practice sessions to improve the bike with a full tank. Anyway, compared to Suzuka, I am satisfied because we are doing better."

Alex Barros, West Honda Pons: crashed: "I pegged back a few positions off the grid and joined a big group of riders who were continually changing places. I made three errors which made me lose positions because when you come off the racing line at this circuit you must slow down a lot in order to stay on the track. In the end I didn't feel comfortable with the front tyre which was losing grip and I couldn't brake as I would have liked. I think that I hit a bump as I opened the throttle and the bike threw me off. It's a shame because I have lost important points in the World Championship."

Antonio Cobas (Technical Director) West Honda Pons: "We have seen the first real race of the season and just as we feared it is clear that the V5 Honda is a long way ahead of the field although I think we should value even more Capirossi's performance. In addition another factor, uncertain up until now, has been made clear: The 4-strokes have less tyre-wear than the 2-strokes because they deliver power more evenly."

Sito Pons: West Honda Team: "Loris put in an incredibly strong performance. I haven't got words to describe his performance and we should take our hats off to him. He raced like a real champion. It's a shame that Alex crashed because he too was putting in a good performance."