Rio Grand Prix reports: 250 & 125
250s
Valentino Rossi was crowned the youngest-ever 250 world champ at Rio on Sunday after another all-dominant ride to his ninth victory of the year. Before the 20-year-old wrapped up the title the youngest 250 champ had been the late, great Mike Hailwood, who won the 1961 title for Honda aged 21.
After the race joker Rossi celebrated in style, giving a victory-lap pillion ride to his 'guardian angel', a mate dressed up in an angel's costume. The big-hearted youngster had paid for 20 of his best friends to fly to Rio from his home town of Tavullia. The angel was the 21st of the party, who had paid for his own flight! The Italian Aprilia star only needed to finish the race in 13th to make sure of the crown but unlike 500 champ Alex Criville he wanted to be crowned in true champion's style.
But he didn't make things easy for himself - he started disastrously to finish the first lap down in 12th place. Undaunted and staying cool he began a remarkable comeback to grab the lead seven laps later. From then on he was locked in a thrilling skirmish with four rivals - Honda men Tohru Ukawa (his only remaining title rival), Loris Capirossi and Stefano Perugini and Yamaha's Olivier Jacque.
In the late stages Ukawa and Perugini held the upper hand but with three laps to go Rossi got his head down to retake the lead. By the flag he was 1.3 seconds ahead of Ukawa, with Capirossi, Jacque and Perugini not far behind.
"It's fantastic to be champion again," said Rossi, who won the 125 title for Aprilia two years back. "I can't say which means more, the 250 or 125. Of course, the 250 is more important and tougher to win, but the 125 crown will always be my first, so it's very special.
"The race was hard because I made a mistake at the start. Once I got past a few people and got some clear track ahead of me I was able to find a good rhythm and catch the leading group. I got ahead but I couldn't break away, then it was really hard to beat Ukawa and Perugini."
Sebastian Porto ran with the leaders for half of the race on his privateer Yamaha TZ, a prototype for next year's production TZ, but dropped off the pace as his tires wore. Then the Argentine was chased hard by Jeremy McWilliams, who's QUB Optimum hit engine problems at half distance. "I don't know what I've got to do to get through this run of bad luck," said McWilliams, riding his first race after he broke a hand when he crashed out of the lead of the Australian GP three weeks ago.

125s
Honda title rivals Emilio Alzamora and Marco Melandri go into Sunday's final GP of the season in Argentina separated by just six points after a fraught 125 Rio GP. Italian Melandri closed the points gap on Alzamora after dominating the race until the last few laps when Nobby Ueda (Honda) got the upper hand.
Meanwhile Spaniard Alzamora came through from a third-row start in typically aggressive style, to grab third in the final two laps. The race was closer than many recent 125 GPs with Melandri towing along a string of eighth riders. Just two seconds covered the first eight men home.
A win would have left Melandri just one point away from his number-one rival and the teenager wasn't happy with second place. "I'm disappointed, now I will have to try extra in Argentina," said Melandri. "But that's okay because that's the way I like to race."
Italian-based Ueda was unrepentant after taking valuable points off Melandri. "I know Marco is fighting for the title but I really needed a victory!" he smiled after his first win of the year. Alzamora ran fifth for much of the race but dug deep and raised his game over the final five laps, passing Mirko Giansanti and Roberto Locatelli to gain another five vital championship points.
"That was such a tough race," said Alzamora, who got knocked out of the last GP in South Africa by team-mate Ivan Goi. "Finishing third after qualifying 12th is fantastic, I could not have hoped for any better than that in the circumstances."
Only one other man has a chance at the title - Melandri's Benetton team-mate Masao Azuma - but the Japanese had another disastrous GP, ending the first lap 16th and doing well to claw his way back to sixth at the finish.

He goes to Buenos Aires 11 points behind Melandri.

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