2002 MotoGP Rd 2 – South Africa – Welkom – 21st April
Conditions – Dry
Race Summary:
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Tohru Ukawa triumphed over Valentino Rossi in a dramatic 28-lap battle at Welkom.
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Despite Rossi leading most of the race, Ukawa was closely following and capitalized on two final-lap mistakes by Rossi to take the victory.
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This marks Ukawa’s first-ever MotoGP win, coming after 18 races in the premier class. His previous best finish was third at Welkom in 2001
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Loris Capirossi: Finished third, just over 8 seconds behind Ukawa. He struggled with tyre issues toward the end of the race.
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Daijiro Kato: Finished fourth, after climbing from a fourth-row grid position and passing Checa on the final lap, making it a Honda-dominated top four finish
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Checa led a pack of six Yamaha riders, with Olivier Jacque narrowly holding off Norick Abe for sixth place
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Nakano dropped to eighth place in the final moments due to pressure from other Yamaha riders
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McCoy finished tenth after a strong early performance
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Suzuki Riders: Both had issues, with Roberts retiring due to a seized steering damper, and Gibernau failing to score points due to tire problems
Notes:
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First 500cc bike across the line: Loris Capirossi in 3rd