Okada turns up the heat in qualifying practice

Okada turns up the heat in qualifying practice

JAKARTA (JP): Japanese 500cc rookie Tadeyuki Okada kept up his
pressure on established riders, clocking the fastest time in the
qualifying practice of the Indonesian Grand Prix yesterday.

Okada, who only made sixth place in the 250cc category last
season, finished yesterday's practice in a best time of one
minute and 27.064 seconds he clocked in the 23rd of his 26 laps
around the 3.9-kilometer Sentul circuit, Bogor, West Java,
overshadowing his Repsol Honda team mate and defending champion
Michael Doohan.

Australia's Doohan, bidding for his third successive world
championship title, managed only the second placing in 1:27.138
he set in the 24th lap.

Okada upstaged Doohan en route to pole position in the season-
opening race in Shah Alam, Malaysia, last week. The Japanese,
however, crashed his bike in the 11th lap of the championship
race, giving room to Italian Luca Cadalora of Kanemoto Honda to
take the title. Doohan was only fifth in the season opener.

Cadalora failed to live up to past form yesterday, clocking
1:27.990 for seventh place, behind countryman Loris Capirossi on
his Yamaha.

Brazil's Alexandre Barros, runner-up to Cadalora in Malaysia,
rode his Honda Pileri to third place.

The 500c race proceeded without last year's second-best rider
Darryl Beattie of Lucky Strike Suzuki team. The 25-year-old
Australian opted to abide by his doctor's suggestion not to race
in the Indonesian GP following an accident in Malaysia. Beattie
said he would return to the track in the Japanese GP on April 21.

Heavy rain drenched the three-year-old circuit when the
qualifying practices were about to finish, with 250cc riders
completing their race.

The organizers, however, shrugged off any worries about
unexpected disturbances caused by rain during the championship
races tomorrow, scheduled to be set off by President Soeharto.

World 250cc reigning champion Massimiliano Biaggi of Italy,
riding an Aprilia, ruled his favorite race in 1:29.692. Ralf
Waldmann of Germany, on a Honda, was second-fastest ahead of last
year's runner-up Tetsuya Harada of Japan.

Indonesia's 125cc young hopefuls, Ahmad Jayadie and Petrus
Canisius, making their world championship debut as wildcard
recipients, finished among the four bottom-placed riders
including world number two Kazuto Sakata of Japan.

Ahmad and Petrus, who were more than six seconds slower than
front runner Naboru Ueda of Japan yesterday, will decide their
fates in today's second round qualifying practice, the final race
to determine pole positions for tomorrow's races. (amd)

Results

125cc:
1. Naboru Ueda (Jpn) Honda 1:36.014
2. Akira Saito (Jpn) Honda 1:36.136
3. Peter Oettl (Ger) Aprilia 1:36.238
4. Emilio Alzamora (Spa) Honda 1:36.243
5. Haruchika Aoki (Jpn) Honda 1:36.490

250cc:
1. Max Biaggi (Ita) Aprilia 1:29.692
2. Ralf Waldmann (Ger) Honda 1:30.340
3. Tetsuya Harada (Jpn) Yamaha 1:30.720
4. Nobuatsu Aoki (Jpn) Honda 1:30.993
5. Oliver Jacque (Fra) Honda 1:31.145

500cc:
1. Tadayuki Okada (Jpn) Honda 1:27.064
2. Michael Doohan (Aus) Honda 1:27.138
3. Alexandre Barros (Bra) Honda 1:27.547
4. Carlos Checa (Spa) Honda 1:27.569
5. Doriano Romboni (Ita) Aprilia 1:27.712