BBC SPORT | MOTORBIKES | Ukawa takes maiden win

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Japan's Tohru Ukawa sped past championship leader Valentino Rossi on the last lap of the Africa Grand Prix to snatch his first ever MotoGP victory.

Ukawa took advantage of a rare mistake from his Italian team-mate to finish first at the Phakisa Freeway circuit on his four-stroke 990cc Repsol Honda.

Rossi, who qualified on pole, entered a corner too quickly and lost the back of the bike, forcing him off line and allowing Ukawa to slip by on the inside.

Valentino Rossi still leads the MotoGP championship
Rossi had to make do with second spot

Italy's Loris Capirossi, on a two-stroke 500cc West Pons Honda, completed a Honda sweep of the podium.

The four-stroke machines dominated the race from the start, quickly opening up a gap on the rest of the field.

Rossi led into the first corner and held it through 18 laps on the gruelling 2.6-mile circuit.

Ukawa slipped by on lap 19, but Rossi stayed with his team-mate and retook the lead on lap 25, holding it all the way to the final lap.

In the 250cc event, Italian Marco Melandri took victory, but compatriot Franco Battaini finished second to protect his lead in the overall standings.

San Marino's Manuel Poggiali won the 125cc race to close the gap on championship leader Arnaud Vincent, who finished second on the day.

Sunday's leading finishers:

MotoGP
1. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 44 minutes 39.467 seconds
2. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda 44:40.399
3. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Honda 44:47.726
4. Daijiro Katoh (Japan) Honda 45:06.429
5. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 45:06.694
6. Olivier Jacque (France) Yamaha 45:07.356
7. Norick Abe (Japan) Yamaha 45:09.682
8. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Yamaha 45:10.248
9. Max Biaggi (Italy) Yamaha 45:23.263
10. Garry McCoy (Australia) Yamaha 45:24.968

Overall standings
1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda 45 points
2. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 27
3. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 25
4. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Honda 23
5. Akira Rya (Japan) Honda 20
6. Norick Abe (Japan) Yamaha 20
7. Daijiro Katoh (Japan) Honda 19
8. Shinichi Itoh (Japan) Honda 13
9. Alex Barros (Spain) Honda 10
10. Olivier Jacque (France) Yamaha 10

250cc
1. Marco Melandri (Italy) Aprilia 42:52.922
2. Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 42:55.884
3. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 42:58.135

Overall standings
1 Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 26
1 Randy de Puniet (France) Aprilia 26
3 Osamu Miyazaki (Japan) Honda 25
3 Marco Melandri (Italy) Aprilia 25

125cc
1. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Gilera 41:26.120
2. Arnaud Vincent (France) Aprilia 41:26.390
3. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 41:26.946

Overall standings
1. Arnaud Vincent (France) Aprilia 45
2. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Gilera 41
3. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 24


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