Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Race Results:

1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 21 laps, 43:29.146
2. Max BIAGGI, Honda, -3.666 seconds
3. Alex BARROS, Honda, -9.299 seconds
4. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -19.069 seconds
5. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -21.155 seconds
6. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -21.268 seconds
7. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, -21.881 seconds
8. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, -22.167 seconds
9. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, -23.150 seconds
10. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, -32.615 seconds
11. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, -33.958 seconds
12. Norick ABE, Yamaha, -44.302 seconds
13. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, -55.235 seconds
14. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki, -69.580 seconds
15. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, -70.376 seconds
16. Garry McCOY, Aprilia, -76.134 seconds
17. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, -115.097 seconds
18. James ELLISON, Harris WCM, -1 lap
19. Youichi UI, Harris WCM, -1 lap
20. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, -12 laps, DNF, crashed
21. James HAYDON, Proton, -13 laps, DNF, mechanical
22. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, -14 laps, DNF, mechanical
23. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, -15 laps, DNF, mechanical
24. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -19 laps, DNF, mechanical


MotoGP World Championship Standings:

1. ROSSI, 254 points
2. GIBERNAU, 224 points
3. BIAGGI, 188 points
4. BARROS, 144 points
5. EDWARDS, 136 points
6. TAMADA, 131 points
7. CHECA, 109 points
8. HAYDEN, 107 points
9. CAPIROSSI, 94 points
10. MELANDRI, 75 points
11. XAUS, 72 points
12. NAKANO, 70 points
13. ABE, 68 points
14. BAYLISS, 48 points
15. HOFMANN, 43 points
16. HOPKINS, 40 points
17. TIE, Kenny ROBERTS/HODGSON, 37 points
19. McWILLIAMS, 21 points
20. Shane BYRNE, 18 points
21. AOKI, 10 points
22. Michel FABRIZIO, 8 points
23. KAGAYAMA, 7 points
24. Olivier JACQUE, 5 points
25. HAYDON, 4 points
26. ELLISON, 3 points
27. Andrew PITT, 2 points
28. TIE, UI/Kurtis Roberts, 1 point


More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:


Nakano eight in hot Sepang race

Fuchs Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano finished eighth in today’s energy-sapping Malaysian Grand Prix, conducted at a blisteringly hot Sepang Circuit.

However, the 21-lap race, with track temperatures reaching 50 degrees, was a major disappointment for German rider Alex Hofmann who did not finish. Hofmann was forced into the pits on lap eight with a minor electrical problem on his Ninja ZX-RR.

Nakano’s result was a deserving reward for a tenacious ride on his 27th birthday, which he celebrated at the track today. After a brilliant qualifying performance Nakano started from third place on the front row.

But Nakano’s Ninja ZX-RR was swamped on the long charge into turn one, and he then lost more time on a crowded track as riders bumped and pushed for track position through the switchback into turn two.

Nakano was tenth at the end of lap one and, once clear of the Ducati of Troy Bayliss on lap four, he settled into a long chase of the group ahead, including Sete Gibernau, Makoto Tamada and Carlos Checa.

Nakano was running at the same pace as his factory rivals, but had conceded too much time on the opening lap to make a major impact. In a last ditch attack the Japanese ace secured eighth place with two laps remaining, when he passed Checa’s factory Yamaha.

At the chequered flag Nakano was just one second behind Tamada in fifth place, evidence of the closeness of MotoGP competition.

Hofmann deserved more after a strong showing throughout two days of practice and qualifying. On Friday he was fifth fastest on the provisional grid, but was unlucky with traffic in final qualifying when he dropped to 13th on the grid.

Hofmann was comfortable with his race set-up, but lost positions on the two long straights on lap one, and then battled a frustrating electrical misfire until his retirement.

The Fuchs Kawasaki team now travels to Australia for the penultimate race of the season at Phillip Island next Sunday.

Shinya Nakano: 8th
“My start was not so good, and then turn one was very busy and I touched another rider; it was very close. It took me three laps to pass Bayliss and that cost me more time, but my bike and tyres were working as normal. I was riding at my maximum and so were Sete, Makoto and Carlos, so it is very difficult to overtake – the ZX-RR just needs a little more traction off the turns to give us a chance on the straights. The conditions were very difficult, but I’m quite happy, even though I expected more after starting third.”

Alex Hofmann: DNF
“My bike didn’t feel normal from the start, and even on the first lap it felt like the motor was not running smoothly. It is hard enough on a fast track with long straights when everything is perfect, but the electrical problem just got worse, I had no chance of riding any faster. It is very disappointing because I really like this track, and I had a lot of confidence in my race set-up after Friday and Saturday.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“Even though Shinya finished eighth after starting on the front row I am satisfied with the result. Shinya did an excellent job after losing time at the start and then bumping another rider in turn one. He was able to make up time and then keep pace with his main rivals, including Sete Gibernau and Makoto Tamada. And passing Carlos Checa late in the race was an important move. A small electrical problem stopped Alex’s bike, which did not give him an opportunity to show his ability today.”

“The conditions were very difficult, but I’m quite happy, even though I expected more after starting third.” – Shinya Nakano


More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Rossi takes win as Dovizioso seals 125cc title in Malaysia

It was a perfect day for Italian race fans at Sepang today as Valentino Rossi took another step towards the MotoGP World Championship and Andrea Dovizioso lifted the 125cc title. Rossi’s clear victory, coupled with a disappointing seventh place for Sete Gibernau, means that the reigning World Champion gets the chance to retain his crown by finishing in the top two positions at the next race in Australia, the penultimate round of the season which takes place in seven days’ time.

Rossi’s victory came after an intense race in hot and humid conditions which saw the Yamaha rider battle for the lead over the opening laps with Honda rival Alex Barros. However, Rossi managed to shake off the Brazilian after four laps and opened up a comfortable advantage, leaving Gibernau to fight it out with a combative lead group.

At the halfway stage the group began to stretch out but Gibernau was unable to make progress, Max Biaggi moving to the head of the pack to relegate Barros to third place and leaving Nicky Hayden clear in fourth. Gibernau looked equally safe in fifth but a late charge from Loris Capirossi and Makoto Tamada saw him lose two places in the final six laps.

“This is a very important win for me after losing 25 points at the last round in Qatar,” said Rossi afterwards. “It was a good battle with Alex at the beginning of the race but once I got in front I was able to set my pace, which we had worked on in practice. Max also pushed hard at the end so it wasn’t easy, but I’m very happy today for myself and all my team. I can’t say anymore because I am too tired!”

Whilst Biaggi and Barros completed the podium and Nicky Hayden took fourth, Tamada overcame Capirossi on the last lap to seal fifth place and close in on fifth in the championship, currently occupied by Colin Edwards. Seventh for Gibernau represents his lowest actual finish of the season, whilst Shinya Nakano celebrated his 27th birthday with eighth place after overtaking Carlos Checa on the last lap having started from the front row.

Troy Bayliss completed the top ten whilst Edwards, who is just three points clear of Tamada, struggled to eleventh. Norick Abe, Ruben Xaus, Yukio Kagayama and Jeremy McWilliams completed the points.

Dani Pedrosa was unable to clinch the 250cc World Championship despite riding a perfect race which saw him take victory by over thirteen seconds. However, second place for Sebastián Porto after an intense battle with Toni Elías means the Spanish youngster needs a further two points to make sure of the title, regardless of Porto’s result at Phillip Island next week. Elías completed the podium to continue his strong finish to the season whilst Alex de Angelis and Randy de Puniet completed the top five. Fifth place for De Puniet means his chances of winning the title are now completely over.

Andrea Dovizioso became the fourth youngest World Champion in history thanks to second place in a 125cc race won by Casey Stoner. Whilst Stoner’s victory was his first of the season and the first ever for KTM since they arrived in road racing Grand Prix last season, the headlines will go to Dovizioso and Honda, who have had an unerringly consistent season with just one result outside the top four from the fourteen races so far. Alvaro Bautista completed the podium in third place after his team-mate Hector Barberá, who started the race as the only rider with a realistic chance of halting Dovizioso, crashed out on the second lap.


More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

ROSSI CONQUERS HEAT AND PRESSURE WITH VICTORY AT SEPANG

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) secured his seventh win of the season and extended his championship lead at Sepang today, in hot and steamy conditions. With air temperatures hitting 40°C it was a tough task for Rossi, who led from lap four to the very end, setting a new lap record no fewer than three times. The eventual record lap was set at 2’03.253s on lap eight. Rossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa finished a fighting ninth, after experiencing chatter problems.

Rossi slipped straight into second place on the first lap behind Alex Barros (Honda), with Checa fourth. Rossi and Barros switched places several times until Rossi made his final pass stick on lap four. Honda rider and eventual second place finisher Max Biaggi was close behind, and his personal best laps meant he could not be easily shaken off by the leading pair.

Rossi managed to maintain and extend his advantage, lapping inside the 2’03s, eventually finishing the race 3.6 seconds ahead of Biaggi. Meanwhile Checa was fighting his own battle, sandwiched between Gibernau and Loris Capirossi (Ducati), until the latter finally broke past Checa on lap 15. Honda’s Makoto Tamada swept past Checa shortly afterwards, and then past Gibernau on lap 16, aiding Rossi’s championship aspirations and leaving Gibernau seventh in the race. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) also passed the slowing Checa, the Spaniard finishing an eventual ninth.

Rossi now leads the championship by 30 points with just two rounds left to run, and a maximum 50 points available for any single rider. He sits on a total of 254 points, ahead of Gibernau’s 224, with Gibernau his only title contender. Checa sits seventh in the championship table with 109 points.

VALENTINO ROSSI (1st, 43’29.146s)

“That was a brilliant race. It was very important for me to make a good result here, especially after Qatar. We were very motivated, not only me but also all the mechanics, because what happened in Qatar was bad for us. We made two good tests in the winter at Sepang and we have done a lot of kilometres. We have improved the bike at this track, and I like the place a lot.

“Today the bike worked very well, even if the race was difficult. I made a good start, but Barros made a better one. I followed him and tried to attack. I thought it was possible to go faster than the 2’03s or 2’04s but today we had seven or eight degrees more temperature than yesterday and that made it very tough for the riders and the tyres. After Barros, Biaggi arrived, and we had a very good rhythm for all 21 laps. With 30 points it is a good advantage but we need to keep concentration at 100% because the championship lead was 39 points before Qatar, then much less after it. The battle is only over when it’s over, and it’s certainly not over yet!”

CARLOS CHECA (9th, 43’52.296s)

“I had a lot of chatter from the rear and I lost some places. In some areas it was not so bad but with the chatter and the spinning rear I was not able to get the drive on Sete and the rest, and pass them on the brakes. Even after three or four laps it was happening. It was quite frustrating because I had riders in front that I knew I could lap, and I could not pass them.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO – TEAM DIRECTOR

“After a bad weekend last weekend we are back to a good advantage of 30 points. The strongest point for us is that despite what happened last weekend nobody from the team or from Yamaha started to panic. Having said that, we knew it was important to win and regain the points gap. This was the way to put Qatar behind us, so we have forgotten everything that happened last Saturday. Valentino had a great reaction to what happened at the last race. Carlos made a strong start and had a good fighting race, staying in the top group for a long time. He was in the thick of the competition and I hope in the next two races we can achieve the results that Carlos deserves.”

JEREMY BURGESS – VALENTINO ROSSI’S CREW CHIEF

“The tyre Valentino used may have been softer than some of the ones the other riders used but for us it was the same one we tried in warm-up and yesterday. The team has now gone back to the lead in the Teams’ Championship. It’s good to go to Australia with a nice lead but a week is a long time in motorcycle racing, as it is in politics. It’s been a hard season and many mistakes have been made by the top three riders.”


More, from a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist:

HOPKINS SUFFERS MECAHNICAL DNF IN MALAYSIA

SEPANG, Malaysia (Oct. 10, 2004) – A solid run in the Malaysian Grand Prix came to a unfruitful ending for Suzuki’s John Hopkins on Sunday. The young Californian ran seventh and was closing on the lead group when his Suzuki failed on the third lap.

It marked a frustrating end to what Hopkins hoped would be a successful weekend.

“I feel like I’m in the movie ‘Groundhog Day’,” Hopkins lamented. “It seems like every time I’m on the verge of something good happening bad things just keep cropping up over and over again, race after race.”

After qualifying eighth on the state-of-the-art 5.5-kilometer Sepang Circuit, Hopkins and his Suzuki crew were encouraged after finding a solid race set-up during Sunday morning’s warm-up session.

“I was excited after we found the right set-up,” Hopkins explained. “We had a late start today so we wouldn’t conflict with the Formula One race, so I went back to the hotel after morning warm-up and relaxed in the pool and got ready for the race.

“I got a decent start but with the long straightaways here I was passed by the two Ducatis [of Loris Capirossi and Tory Bayliss]. I got back past them though with no problems and on the second lap I gapped them and was gaining on the lead group.”

Just as Hopkins was making his push to towards the leaders he began hearing ugly noises emanating from his factory GSV-R.

“Then all of a sudden the bike just quit,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, especially considering the excellent race set-up we’d found, but that’s how it goes in racing sometimes. I’m disappointed, but at the same time I’ve got to stay motivated. We’ve got two races left to do something positive and I’m looking forward to Phillip Island next weekend. If the bike stays together I know we’ve got a good finish in store for us.”

The DNF did not change Hopkins’ world championship standing. He remains in 16th with two rounds to go.

Hopkins races next weekend in the Australian Grand Prix.


More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Aoki 17th at Sepang, Haydon out after penalty

Nobuatsu Aoki: 17th
James Haydon: Did Not Finish – retired

Proton Team KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki finished 17th in today’s Malaysian GP, home race for the team’s long-standing sponsors, his hopes of extending the team’s four-race points-scoring run thwarted by a vibration problem that forced him to slacken his pace over the closing laps of the 21-lap race at the 5.548km Sepang circuit.

Team-mate James Haydon did not finish, after losing time with a “ride-through” penalty for a jumped start, and then a misunderstanding with his pit crew that meant he pulled in to the pits again. By then he had lost so much time that there was no point in rejoining his second MotoGP race.

The British Superbike rider will get another chance next weekend, with a third race substituting for injured Kurtis Roberts. Team principal Kenny Roberts confirmed today that Haydon will stay with the team for next Sunday’s Australian GP at Phillip Island – a track where the Briton will at least have prior circuit knowledge, as well as increasing familiarity with the Proton KR V5 MotoGP prototype.

Aoki had a lonely race, circulating just out of the points and awaiting developments. Then he ran into a puzzling vibration from the rear that made him think he had a serious tyre problem. In fact the tyre was fully intact, and he was able to make it to the finish.

The race, run in sweltering 40-degree heat after two cooler days of qualifying, was won by defending champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), extending his points lead over closest rival Sete Gibernau (Honda), who finished seventh.

Nobuatsu Aoki
Another tough race for us. The temperature was higher than in qualifying, and the tyre I picked did not work as well as it had in the morning. I was going steadily, then halfway through the race a bad vibration came from the back. The way it was jumping I thought for sure the tyre was damaged . maybe some rubber had gone, and I slowed down for more safety. When we stopped the tyre was not chunking at all, so it was a bit weird. Also the engine performance went down after 15 laps. With my fever, I was glad to finish it. I must say thanks to team physiotherapist Dean Miller for helping me.

James Haydon
The last two weekends have given me a quick view of both sides of GP racing. I’m really disappointed. As it turned out, we wouldn’t have been in the points anyway – but everyone worked so hard, with no reward for their efforts. I was getting the feeling of the clutch on the start line and the bike moved forward. I didn’t cross my line, but in MotoGP – unlike British Superbikes – just moving means you have a jumped start. I had a really good few corners, passing Melandri, Nobu and McCoy, then there were a pack of us going into the last corner, all trying to pinch a bit of time. A lot of us ran wide, and I went off the track. When I got back I could just see people ahead of me and I was trying, then I had to come in for a ride-through penalty. I was miles behind when I went out, and two laps later I came round and for the first time there was no pit board for me. I thought the team meant for me to come in, so I did – but it turned out the board just wasn’t ready! In the big picture, it didn’t change anything . now I’m really looking forward to next weekend in Australia.

Kenny Roberts: Team Principal
A pretty uneventful day. We haven’t the combination to go better at the moment. We have to find a better tyre combination mid-corner. Nobu’s tyre slipped on the rim, causing the vibration. I don’t know why James should have been penalised, just for moving on the grid, but I guess that’s the way it is. Then he missed his board, and thought we wanted him to come in again. At least we saved the mileage.


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:

Max a brilliant second in Sepang, Makoto fights back to fifth

The heat scorched the Sepang track today, the most difficult of the three days spent in Malaysia. The track surface reached temperatures of up to 60ºC, another crucial factor to take into account when trying to decide how to be competitive at the end of a race. Max Biaggi immediately went quick in the race, and grew in stature as he brought his bike home in a brilliant second place and to an eighth podium finish of the year. Makoto Tamada, who crossed the line after the first lap in eleventh spot, picked up several positions as he churned out the quick laps towards the end of the race, coming home in fifth place as he passed the chequered flag. With two Camel Honda riders in the first five, it is a telling story of the hard work done by the team in the tricky Sepang conditions. The intercontinental flyaway races finish with Phillip Island, in Australia, next week.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)

“After two unlucky races, Max reacted, and today in Sepang he took second place in a tough and challenging race. In this morning’s warm-up we made a step forwards in terms of the bike’s set-up compared to yesterday and Max showed a race pace which meant he was able to fight for the win. With Makoto in fifth, we saw two Camel riders in the top five, so a good team result. I hope we can do similarly good races in the final two races of the season.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 2nd – 43’32.812

“it wasn’t an easy race because I had to come from behind on the grid and I needed a good start. I did quite well, but then I had to pass Nicky, Checa and Barros, three real battlers in the early stages and with fresh tyres. We all made errors, the conditions were really extreme, but in the end I managed to get by. I lost time however and had taken a lot out of the tyres. When I cut the gap to Rossi to a second I had a couple of surprises which made me realise how close to the limit we were, both he and I. In any case today he rode very well and I think he would have won anyway. I want to thank my team and Honda again, because together we have done a good job and we have returned to the podium after three tough races.”

Giulio Bernardelle – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada’s Technical Director)

“Unfortunately Makoto didn’t get a good start, something which affected his whole race. With the lap times he was setting in the final laps, made us all realise that if Makoto had been up there at the beginning with the front runners he could have kept up their pace. This morning we improved the bike’s set-up and the heat, which was higher than the other two days, favoured our consistency over the whole race. So we are a little sad, but fifth place today is still important nevertheless.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres)- 5th –43’50.301

“The clutch worked well at the start, but in the early stages I wasn’t as competitive as I should have been and the other went better. With a poor start to the race you get stuck in the middle of the traffic and you have to fight back without being able to get into a rhythm. With a much higher temperature than the other days, I thought I would be in a better shape than the others, but it wasn’t to be. I wanted more from this race. Now we go to Australia, with very different weather conditions, but we will do our best to go well.”


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

BAD DAY FOR THE TEAM

MALAYSIAN GP – MOTOGP RACE

Sete Gibernau was unable to make it to the podium in Malaysia as he had done one year ago and was forced to conform with seventh place in a tough race conditioned by high temperatures and chattering problems with his Honda. Sete did not manage to find the perfect set-up for his bike this weekend and the result was a direct consequence of these problems – the chattering present during qualifying but aggravated during the race. Colin Edwards, who started from way down the grid, suffered from the same problem and found it practically impossible to make up positions.

SETE GIBERNAU (7th, + 21″881)
“I don’t want to start looking for excuses – we’ve had a bad weekend in general, both myself and the team. Things haven’t gone well for us this weekend – we were unable to solve the problems we had in qualifying and the situation got worse in the race. Despite everything we have to keep working and never lose hope”.

COLIN EDWARDS (11th + 33″958)
“I am disappointed with this result because the chattering problem has prevented me from setting a fast pace all weekend. Hopefully I’ll have a better feeling in Australia at a circuit which I love and I’ll be able to be fighting for a top result again.

FAUSTO GRESINI (team manager)
“This result was a real shame because it was the most difficult race for Sete in a decisive weekend for the championship. Now the gap is bigger and everything becomes very complicated. Now we have bigger. Now we have to study what went wrong and try and do better in Australia”.

MALAYSIAN GP
Sete Gibernau was unable to make it to the podium in Malaysia as he had done one year ago and was forced to conform with seventh place in a tough race conditioned by high temperatures and chattering problems with his Honda. Sete did not manage to find the perfect set-up for his bike this weekend and the result was a direct consequence of these problems – the chattering present during qualifying but aggravated during the race. Colin Edwards, who started from way down the grid, suffered from the same problem and found it practically impossible to make up positions.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

ROSSI’S RACE, BUT BIAGGI AND BARROS ON PODIUM

This was a typically hard MotoGP encounter in oppressive heat and after 21-laps of the demanding 5.548km Sepang circuit it was Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who prevailed. But the race marks a return to form for Max Biaggi
(Camel Honda RC211V) who was second, and Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) who finished third.

Barros had qualified well in second on the front row and made his start count as he headed the pack into turn one. Rossi was on his tail with Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) lying third.

This was only the beginning of a trial of speed and strength in 33-degree heat and with a track temperature at 55-degrees. The pace, as it has been all season, was searing, despite the conditions. The top men were reeling off laps in the low 2m 4 second bracket.

By lap three the top six of Barros, Rossi, Max, Carlos Checa (Yamaha), Nicky and Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) had made a break from the pack and as the half dozen top early runners fought for every centimetre of this 25m wide track, Rossi slipped past Barros on lap four.

By lap six Max was up to second after making a great start from the third row of the grid. Barros lay third with his team-mate Hayden close with him. Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V), riding on Bridgestone tyres, was at this stage eighth. Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) lay 11th – and he was to finish there too.

By lap 11 Rossi had a 1.3 second advantage over Max, but in the second half of the race Max, who was now fully into a race rhythm he’s been struggling to find in qualifying, made inroads into Rossi’s lead.

He reduced the deficit to under a second and looked like he could mount a late charge before Rossi stretched his lead in the final laps. The man who was making up places was Tamada. The Japanese ace first picked off Checa for seventh and then went after Gibernau for sixth.

He made it past the World Championship challenger on lap 18 and then began work on Loris Capirossi (Ducati), making it past the experienced Italian on the last lap to finish fifth.

Max was buoyed by his podium finish after a run of rotten luck. “It looks like there’s some light at the end of a very black tunnel,” he said. “I really wanted a podium after a few crashes deprived me of points. It’s not easy to overtake here because you can make mistakes on the brakes. This 20 points is good, but I’m looking for 25.”

Barros was content enough with third. “I tried to follow the two guys when they got in front,” said the Brazilian. “Under these conditions after half race distance I began losing the front-end so I just tried to keep a rhythm and finish in the points. I couldn’t do better than this today.”

Hayden still wants more after his fourth place here. “I was riding really aggressively this morning and all felt good. But there was no way I could be so aggressive in the race. I got a good start, which I was overdue this season. In the end I guess it was a respectable fourth and now I’m looking forward to getting to Phillip Island.”

Tamda was realistic about his fifth place. “In the first few laps I was not on the pace,” he said. “It was hard to achieve a rhythm. The temperature was higher and that should have been good for me – but it didn’t turn out like that. Now for Australia.”

Sete was crestfallen after finishing seventh and losing momentum in his bid for the World Championship. “In pre-season testing here I was lapping in 2 minutes 3 seconds and today the best was 2 minutes 5 seconds. I couldn’t turn the bike properly because of rear chatter and I couldn’t push. I just couldn’t fight that today.”

Edwards in 11th said, “I’m really disappointed. I just couldn’t do anything because of the chatter that affected us. The only thing I can do is go to Phillip Island and make up for this.”

Rossi now holds a significant advantage in the World Championship title race. He has 254 points to Gibernau’s 224. Gibernau must now hope that Rossi fails to score in Australia and the Spaniard wins himself. The gap would then be down to five points with everything to ride for in the final round in Valencia three weeks time.

Dani Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) did everything in his considerable powers to tie up his first 250cc World Championship in his maiden season by winning here – but his efforts were foiled by his title
rival Sebastian Porto (Aprilia) who finished second to scoop enough points to keep his late bid for honours alive. Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) was third.

Dani got the holeshot into turn one and was never headed throughout the 20-lap race. And by lap two the top three finishers, including at this stage Alex de Angelis (Aprilia), were already 3.4 seconds ahead of the second group headed by Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW).

Aoyama would eventually crash out on lap 16 while de Angelis finished fourth, 11.4 seconds behind Elias. Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) fell on lap one with Anthony West (Aprilia) while Alex Debon (Würth Honda BQR RS250R) crashed out on lap nine.

Dani’s title chances swung in the balance as Porto and Elias diced it out throughout the race. The duo swapped second place countless times in the race as Dani sped into the distance. By lap ten the 19-year old Honda
protégé held a 10.8 second lead over his forlorn pursuers.

Barring mistakes, and Dani is a error-free as any rider has a right to be, Pedrosa had the race in the bag – but not his title. With a lead the length of the 980m main straight, Dani could even have afforded to roll off the gas in the closing stages. But he kept his speed and his concentration going to press home his complete domination of this race.

“We did a good race,” said Dani. “My rhythm was good because I had a really good bike today, very constant, and with good ty