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Spaniard Sete Gibernau fought a superb battle with Tadayuki Okada and Kenny Roberts
Jr. in the first 500cc qualifying session of the season to grab provisional pole position for
the Gauloises Africa's Grand Prix at Welkom this afternoon.
In perfect conditions, Gibernau led his Repsol Honda teammate Tadayuki Okada by just
0.52 of one second round the 4.2-km Welkom circuit. Roberts Jr., riding the Telefonica
MoviStar Suzuki, was a further 0.001-of-a-second behind Okada in a session that was a
superb opening contest of the MotoGP season.
“I made a little mistake on the last lap, and without that I reckon I could have gone a little
faster,” explained a delighted Gibernau. “We've done some good work over this winter, but
this is only the first day of the first Grand Prix. It's a good start.”
World Champion Alex Crivillé was eighth fastest, one place in front of last year's winner
Max Biaggi, and less than one second separated the first 10 riders. Ulsterman Jeremy
McWilliams crashed without injury on his Aprilia debut and finally qualified in 18th place.
The 250cc world champion Valentino Rossi, making his MotoGP 500cc debut, was fifth
fastest behind another former Italian 125 and 250cc world champion Loris Capirossi, who
was fourth-quickest on the Honda Pons machine.
Two Japanese riders fought for provisional pole in the one-hour 250cc session with the
Chesterfield Yamaha Tech 3 machine of Shinya Nakano finally coming out on top. Nakano
led the impressive Daijiro Katoh by just 0.035-of-one-second with Frenchman Olivier
Jacque winning an equally close battle for third fastest from the Shell Advance Honda of
Tohru Ukawa. Seventeen-year-old Italian Marco Melandri, making his 250cc MotoGP
debut, was sixth fastest with the Aprilia of Franco Battaini fifth.
Italian Mirko Giansanti led the 125cc session riding the Benetton Playlife Honda with
Aprilia-mounted Italian Gianluigi Scalvini nearly half-a-second behind him in second place.
Frenchman Arnaud Vincent had been an early leader on the CC Valencia Aritel Aspar
Aprilia but had to settle for fourth fastest behind another Italian Roberto Locatelli. World
Champion Spaniard Emilio Alzamora was ninth fastest, riding the Telefonica MoviStar
Honda.
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