Rossi targets title at the Island
BY JUSTIN LACY | 12th Oct 2001
Following his eighth grand prix victory of the season in last Sunday's Pacific Grand Prix of Motegi in Japan, Rossi needs just eight more points in the final three rounds to add the 500cc title to his 125cc and 250cc crowns.
He arrives at Phillip Island holding a massive 67-point lead over his great rival Max Biaggi, who crashed out of the race in Japan while leading.
"When we returned after the summer break I held a 10-point lead over Biaggi but in four races I've increased that to 67 and so I'm very happy," Rossi said.
"I need eight points in the next three races to win the title and I would love to do it in Australia. I really like the Phillip Island circuit and finished third there last year in a great race."Eighth position or better at any of the three remaining races will give Rossi the title.
Biaggi won the race in Australia last year after a superb battle with Rossi and the Honda Pons pair of Loris Capirossi and Alex Barros.
He returns lacking in confidence after three front-end crashes on his Yamaha in the past four races.
Italian Capirossi has happy memories of the flowing Phillip Island circuit, having won his first 125cc world title there in 1990. He is third in the championship, just 20 points behind Biaggi, while teammate Barros is only 16 points adrift in fourth place after finishing second in the last two races.
Local heroes Garry McCoy, Anthony West and Brendan Clark will be hoping for a strong finish before the Aussie crowd and will be joined during the event by 10 other Australian riders.
Among the wildcards are the top four riders from the Australian 125cc and 250cc championships - including the first woman rider in a decade, Cath Thompson - as well as teenage sensations Casey Stoner and Josh Brookes, who have been nominated by the sport's international governing body the Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme (FIM).
Yamaha rider McCoy will be hoping to put on a good show in his one and only appearance in front of the home fans. His season has been interrupted by injury, highlighted by his spectacular accident in the morning warm-up at Motegi.
There is a close fought battle for fifth in the championship with just 30 points separating fifth though ninth places in the standings. Japanese rider Shinya Nakano is currently in fifth, but is under intense pressure from fellow countryman Norick Abe, as well as Carlos Checa, Sete Gibernau and former world champions Kenny Roberts Jr and Alex Creville.
RIDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Rossi (ITA) 250
2 Biaggi (ITA) 183
3 Capirossi (ITA) 163
4 Barros (BRA) 147
5 Nakano (JAP) 126
6 Abe (JAP) 121
7 Checa (ESP) 111
8 Gibernau (ESP) 100
=9 Creville (ESP) 96
=9 Roberts (USA) 96