The Magic Number Eight

Eight or nine ? Eighth place it was. Shinya was actually ahead of Valentino Rossi at one point in the race, riding as high as 5th place. And then it fell to pieces. Rossi nudged past him (he eventually brushed everyone ahead of him off like the flies they must be to him, and won the race). Watched in dismay as rider after rider whizz past by him. Here comes Biaggi behind Shinya, there goes Biaggi in front of Shinya, here comes Barros, there goes Barros. Shinya would have finished in his other favourite number, 9, if it wasn't for Barros crashing out later. He said he felt a misfire in his engine and decided to go slow and steady to reap some points. Better an eighth than a DNF then.