Rocket men.

It looked more like an Elton John concert with so many wide rimmed glasses being worn. Although there was no piano or the man himself to entertain the guests at this very special celebration, his Rocket Man song or in this particular case Rocket Men, was the perfect anthem.

The Rocket men on this occasion were Alex Barros and Loris Capirossi. Those wide rimmed glasses worn by their respective West Honda Pons team members told their own story.

Behind Capirossi, his proud team sported the glasses with the large 2000 logo while alongside, Barros's team preferred the 200 theme. Their message was clear and simple. The team had come to honour the men who week in and week out put their ultimate trust in their ability to build and maintain the fastest motorcycles on earth.

Capirossi's team were celebrating with their rider after he'd scored 2000 world championship points in a 12-year grand prix career that has also brought the hard riding Italian three world titles. Barros's team celebrated the 200th grand prix appearance for the popular Brazilian before donning the glasses and getting back to work on his NSR two-stroke Honda in time for the final qualifying session the next morning.

The location was perfect. The West Honda Pons Hospitality Unit in the
Barcelona paddock, the home town base of the team, was packed by people who understood just what both Capirossi and Barros had achieved in such a demanding and dangerous sporting arena. The champagne flowed and a giant cake was cut to celebrate. A quick glance at the record books showed just why.

Capirossi is only 29 years old but has been grand prix racing for the last 12 years. His sixth place just two weeks earlier in the MotoGP race at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello brought him his 2000th world championship point. It also put him on a very distinguished role of honour.

Only four other riders have scored 2000 points or more. Australian five times World 500cc Champion Mick Doohan heads the list with an incredible total of 2298. Second is four-times World 250cc Champion Max Biaggi followed by 125 and 500cc World Champion Alex Criville and 13 times world champion Angel Nieto. The points scoring system has changed since the early days and that probably explains why the likes of Mike Hailwood are not on the list and 15 times world champion is only seventh.

However to put Capirossi's considerable achievement in context, Valentino Rossi who's won 125,250 and 500cc world titles is only ninth with a points total of 1621. Capirossi also joins Rossi in a very special club. They are the only two grands prix riders competing today that have won 125,250 and 500cc grands prix.

Capirossi also made his 176th grand prix appearance when he finished sixth in Barcelona. The only current rider with more starts - his team-mate Alex Barros.

It was over 16 years ago a raw rookie arrived from Brazil to compete in the 80cc race at Jarama in Spain. Alex Barros has stayed since that day to ride in another 199 grands prix. One hundred and sixty nine of them have come in the 500cc and new MotoGP class, 14 in the 250 and 17 in the now defunct 80cc class.

Six hundred and thirty grands prix events have been staged since the very first world championship race 53 years ago, the 1949 TT event on the Isle of Man. Incredibly 31-year-old Barros has ridden in 31.7% of all those events. In those 200 starts Barros has won four 500cc grands prix. Three coming with the West Honda Pons team, the 2000 Dutch and German and the 2001 Italian races.

That's not the finish for the Rocket Men and the record books. When Barros finished fifth at the Grand Prix of Catalunya in Barcelona he'd scored points in 146 of his 200 grands prix appearances. Only two other riders have a better record and they have 28 world championships between them.
Giacomo Agostini tops the list with 172 points scoring finishes on his way to 15 world titles. Spaniard Angel Nieto won 13 titles in the smaller classes and scored points in 163 races. Behind Barros comes Italian 125 and 250cc World Champion Luca Cadalora. Sharing fifth Capirossi joins Alex Criville with 143 points scoring finishes, only three behind Barros.

The performance of Barros and Capirossi in the searing Barcelona heat two days after the party was the perfect illustration why the record books do not lie. It's been a tough frustrating year for two men who are used to fighting it out at the front. It's not been easy racing against the frighteningly fast new 990 cc four-stroke machines that have decimated lap and race records throughout the world.

The race in Barcelona was no exception as Rossi and his four-stroke friends fought it out at the front. As always leading the 500cc two-stroke charge were the two West Honda Pons men. Barros chose a soft rear tyre and finished a brilliant fifth, the first two-stroke home. His race time was ten seconds faster than Rossi's race winning time from last year. Capirossi was just one place behind him despite an off-track excursion when he almost collided with his own teamate, Barros. Typically once back on the track he re-passed former World Champion Kenny Roberts to regain sixth place.

It was a typical display by the two Rocket men who will be re-writing those record books for many years to come. Better start ordering some new glasses.