MotoGP Race Results From Mugello: 1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 23 laps, 42:42.994 2. Max BIAGGI, Honda, -0.359 second 3. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -3.874 seconds 4. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, -3.979 seconds 5. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, -7.898 seconds 6. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -8.204 seconds 7. Alex BARROS, Honda, -11.572 seconds 8. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -25.394 seconds 9. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, -25.485 seconds 10. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, -36.549 seconds 11. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -41.637 seconds 12. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, -43.659 seconds 13. Troy BAYLISS, Honda, -43.916 seconds 14. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, -51.575 seconds 15. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -70.275 seconds 16. Shane BYRNE, Proton KR, -72.582 seconds 17. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, -73.047 seconds 18. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, -1 lap 19. David CHECA, Yamaha, -1 lap, pitted 20. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, -18 laps, DNF, crash 21. James ELLISON, Blata, -23 laps, DNF MotoGP World Championship Point Standings: 1. ROSSI, 120 points 2. MELANDRI, 71 points 3. BIAGGI, 67 points 4. GIBERNAU, 53 points 5. BARROS, 52 points 6. EDWARDS, 48 points 7. CAPIROSSI, 39 points 8. HAYDEN, 36 points 9. NAKANO, 33 points 10. Carlos CHECA, 28 points 11. JACQUE, 25 points 12. BAYLISS, 24 points 13. XAUS, 18 points 14. TIE, HOPKINS/TAMADA, 16 points 16. Toni ELIAS, 15 points 17. Jurgen vd GOORBERGH, 12 points 18. HOFMANN, 9 points 19. ROBERTS, 8 points 20. ROLFO, 5 points 21. ELLISON, 4 points 22. Tohru UKAWA, 1 points More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: NAKANO AND HOFMANN IN THE POINTS AT HOT MUGELLO Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, both finished in the world championship points in a hot and humid Italian Grand Prix at Mugello today. Nakano scored his fourth top ten finish of the season with a determined ride into tenth place, while Hofmann made an impressive comeback from injury to finish twelfth. This was Hofmann’s first race since the opening Grand Prix of the season at Jerez, after being sidelined for eight weeks with a fractured left wrist. After a week of intense physiotherapy Hofmann was able to race today without the use of painkillers. In a late charge the 25-year-old German won out in a close battle with Honda rival Troy Bayliss to secure twelfth by just three tenths of a second. After settling into 13th place on lap six, Hofmann matched the early pace of teammate Nakano before his progress was slowed mid-race when his Ninja ZX-RR developed a small engine misfire for three laps. Hofmann then overcame an inconsistent engine braking system to chase down Bayliss before moving ahead of the Honda rider on lap 15 of the 23-lap race. Nakano started sharply from ninth on the grid, but was frustrated in not being able to stay with the lead group on the long and fast Mugello circuit. From lap six Nakano engaged Suzuki rival and fellow Bridgestone rider John Hopkins in a torrid battle and eventually moved ahead of the American and into tenth place on lap eleven. Over the remaining 12 laps Nakano’s Ninja ZX-RR pulled a five second gap over the Hopkins Suzuki and easily held tenth position. Kawasaki Technical Director Ichiro Yoda said after the race that today’s performance at Mugello reinforced his view that rear traction and acceleration will remain the focus of Kawasaki’s on-going development programme. The next race is the Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona in just seven days, on June 12. Shinya Nakano: #56 – Tenth “Tenth place is not the result I wanted, but that was the maximum I could do today in these conditions. My start was okay, but I couldn’t really stay with the front group and then I had a very hard battle with John Hopkins. It took a long time to pass him, but then I was able to hold tenth place to the finish. I raced with the best tyre and chassis set-up that was available to us, but for this track but we need to work on getting more acceleration, and also braking.” Alex Hofmann: #66 – Twelfth “That was a very hard race, it has been a long time I’ve been away from the track and I’m just happy to score some good points today. From the start the speed came easily and I was comfortable and able to close the gap a little to Shinya. But then my engine sounded strange, it felt like a misfire and I slowed for a couple laps. For the rest of the race the engine braking was not constant, but I was able to chase Bayliss and pass him as I could carry more corner speed. For sure my wrist is not yet 100% but today’s race was good therapy, and I didn’t need to use painkillers.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “Both Shinya and Alex did an excellent job today, their results were the maximum that was achievable at this track. We came away with some good points, but for sure Mugello remains a circuit that does not exactly suit the ZX-RR in its current stage of development. Alex made a very strong comeback from injury and overcame a small electronic problem with his engine which slowed him mid-race.” More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: ROSSI CLINCHES DRAMATIC HOME VICTORY AT MUGELLO Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi produced one of the best performances of his career today as he outwitted a trio of Italian compatriots to take a stunning home victory at Mugello. The World Champion was passed by a handful of riders from pole position but fought his way aggressively through the pack to lead the way at the end of the first lap. Chased by Marco Melandri, Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi (all Honda) in the opening stages, Rossi set an electric pace but was unable to shake off his pursuers and was passed by Melandri on the eleventh lap as he began to struggle with front-end problems. By that time Gibernau had already crashed out of the race and it was left to Loris Capirossi (Ducati) to join in the combat and provide a home crowd of over 88,000 with a thrilling all-Italian battle. Biaggi grabbed the lead on the seventeenth lap but was stalked all the way by Rossi, who planned his move to perfection and passed his rival with just three laps remaining, opening up a crucial advantage that saw him take the chequered flag by 0.359 seconds. The fight for the final podium position raged behind them, with Capirossi clinching third place after holding off an attack from Melandri in the last corner. Whilst Rossi’s win extends his championship lead to 49 points, his Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards continued to struggle with the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine today and could only manage ninth place. However, the American will look to bounce back as the season continues at the Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona next weekend. VALENTINO ROSSI (Winner; 42’42.994) “That was an incredible race and the best possible finish for the crowd, with four Italian riders in the top four positions. It was a great battle full of passes and full of attacks. In the beginning I tried to go alone but I had some problems with the front and decided just to concentrate on my rhythm. Then Melandri arrived and we had a great fight, also with Biaggi after that. We set a high pace to the finish, I made my attack with three laps to go and it worked so of course I am very happy. My team once again did a great job and everybody at Yamaha has worked so hard to provide me with the bike I wanted this is our reward. I want to thank them and also the amazing crowd here at Mugello; it was an honour to race in front of them.” COLIN EDWARDS (9th; + 25.485) “It’s hard to know what to say after a weekend like this because I’m as mystified as anyone else. We made a great start to the weekend on Friday morning but didn’t seem to move on from there. Every refinement we made to the bike seemed to leave us in exactly the same position. Today my start was not good and I was way back at the first split. I passed about four people on the first lap but from then on it was an uphill battle. We made a lot of progress with the base set-up at Le Mans but we’ve struggled to get it working at this track hopefully we can be back where we need to be in Barcelona.” DAVIDE BRIVIO TEAM DIRECTOR “Another 25 points and another win! Of course, being an Italian team this is more special for us and to see all the fans from up on the podium was incredible. To win four of the first five races is a lot and, as Valentino said, it is a sign of the great job we are doing. Gibernau and Biaggi have both been in good shape to win races but they haven’t been able to and we are proving very hard to beat. But there are twelve races left and we have to keep our concentration. Colin has had a difficult weekend but we will aim to get him back on the right path for Catalunya to find again the level of result he achieved in Le Mans.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Rossi leads Italian top four at home Grand Prix Valentino Rossi extended his lead at the top of the MotoGP World Championship standings to 49 points after a dramatic home victory ahead of a trio of compatriots at the Gran Premio Alice d’Italia on Sunday. As Sete Gibernau sensationally crashed out of the race on the sixth lap to the delight of the 88,367 crowd, Rossi came under intense pressure from Max Biaggi, Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi. All three took turns leading the race before a typical late charge from Rossi that saw him take the flag by 0.359 seconds from Biaggi, with Capirossi holding off an attack from Melandri in the final corner to clinch Ducati’s first podium of the season in third place. “That was an incredible race and the best possible finish for the crowd, with four Italian riders in the top four positions,” said Rossi. “It was a great battle full of passes and full of attacks. In the beginning I tried to go alone but I had some problems with the front tyre and decided just to concentrate on my rhythm. Then Melandri arrived and we had a great fight, also with Biaggi after that. We set a high pace to the finish, I made my attack with three laps to go and it worked so of course I am very happy.” Fourth place for Melandri maintains second place in the championship for the youngster whilst Biaggi now moves up to third ahead of Gibernau with fifteen rounds still remaining the first of those coming in just a week’s time at the Spaniard’s home circuit of Catalunya. Carlos Checa completed an enjoyable home round for Ducati as he clinched fifth place after a race-long battle with Honda’s Nicky Hayden, whilst Alex Barros fought his way from the 13th on the grid to take seventh at the flag. Makoto Tamada returned from injury in style with an impressive eighth place ahead of Colin Edwards just seven weeks after breaking his wrist in Portugal, whilst Shinya Nakano banished the memories of his 300km/h crash here one year ago to clinch the final top ten position. Alex Hofmann also made an encouraging return from his wrist injury to take twelfth behind John Hopkins, with Troy Bayliss, Rubén Xaus and Kenny Roberts completing the points. Dani Pedrosa became the first Honda rider to win the 250cc race at Mugello since 1997 as he clinched his second successive victory and extend his championship lead to 21 points over Andrea Dovizioso, who suffered from technical problems and could only take eighth. Jorge Lorenzo clinched his first podium finish in the class in second place after starting from pole position, making him the second youngest rider in history to do so by just five days from Marco Melandri. Alex de Angelis completed the podium after snatching third place on the line from Casey Stoner, who now lies just one point behind Dovizioso in the championship. The day had got off to a dramatic start with the 125cc race, which was decided in the final corner when race leader Mika Kallio crashed his KTM and was hit by Héctor Faubel, who also went tumbling into the gravel trap. Whilst both riders miraculously escaped without serious injury, their loss in the race was Gabor Talmacsi’s gain, the Hungarian rider taking his maiden victory after passing Thomas Lüthi in the final corner. Whilst Joan Olivé pipped Mattia Pasini at the line for third place, the biggest smile came from Lüthi, who now leads the championship by eight points from Kallio. More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: Alex Barros seventh in hard-fought Italian Grand Prix Alex Barros finished the Italian Grand Prix in seventh place in front of some ninety thousand fans, after a weekend in which the only thing missing was a good position on the starting grid. The Camel Honda rider made a great fightback, but was unable to catch up the front group who had escaped from the front row. He showed once more that he has the pace of the leaders, and above all that he was unaffected by the injuries he suffered in the crash two weeks back, and that he had no problems in completing the race. Troy Bayliss, after some difficulties in practice, was unable to show his true potential as he had no real feeling for the bike on a track as technical and testing as the Tuscan one is. Sito Pons Camel Honda “We paid the price for a low grid position. Alex was unable to hunt down the front group. His race pace was identical to them, but not superior enough to be able to catch them up. I think that if he were able to have started from a better spot, he could have fought for the podium. In any case, I think the positive thing to take from today is that after two unlucky races, Alex has shown he is competitive once again. Troy had the race we expected from him after the difficulties he experienced in practice. In the first half of the race he didn’t have the best rhythm going, and now we will see if he can make the step forward we are all hoping for in Barcelona.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 7th “I didn’t have the best start, well, not a ‘super’ one anyway, it wasn’t too bad. What I really missed was a good grid slot because with the race rhythm as expected, in the 1’51s, I also kept that kind of pace. I’m happy about that but I need to improve in qualifying because if I had have started further forward I would have been fighting for the podium. Anyway, I’m happy that physically I’m okay, after two days of pushing hard here, and that I’m ready for Barcelona”. Troy Bayliss Camel Honda 13th “A really, really difficult weekend. In the race I was unable to make any sort of progress. I finished thirteenth, which isn’t exactly a great position. I took some points but what I really want now is a good result. We have another race this coming Sunday, so we’ll see what happens there.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Mugello June 5th, 2005 Grand Prix of Italy Ducati’s First Podium on Bridgestone Tyres Ducati and Bridgestone celebrated a fantastic Italian Grand Prix today, with Loris Capirossi storming to third place in the MotoGP race. Capirossi, who had qualified for the second row of the grid, lead the pack into the first corner, but couldn’t quite match the speed of the front runners in the opening laps and dropped back to fifth. However, his choice of a hard rear tyre compound paid off towards the end of the race, when he closed in on the race leaders at an amazing pace. In a breathtaking final with Marco Melandri, where both riders passed each other several times, Capirossi made sure of Ducati’s first podium on Bridgestone tyres, and was able to celebrate an all Italian finish that saw four Italian riders on the top four positions something that hadn’t happened since the Grand Prix of Monza in 1968. Capirossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa reconfirmed Ducati’s return to the top in MotoGP racing with a great fifth place, keeping hard-charging Nicky Hayden firmly under control on the last five laps of the race. All six Bridgestone riders, with Kawasaki riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann in tenth and 12th place, and Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Kenny Roberts in 11th and 15th position, took points in Mugello, and showed the impressive performance of Bridgestone’s latest generation of rear tyre slicks. Loris Capirossi Ducati Marlboro Team 3rd position “This was an amazing race, and a great weekend altogether. My team, Bridgestone and I achieved a good set-up early on this weekend, and our good work started to pay off with a very promising qualifying practice yesterday. After the warm-up this morning, we then decided to use a harder rear tyre compound. That’s why I couldn’t ride quite as hard as the others in the beginning of the race. But in return, my rear tyre grip was very consistent, and I was able to push more and more as the race went on. I had a great battle with Marco Melandri in the end, we must have passed each other four or five times, which allowed Rossi and Biaggi to edge away. But still, a podium finish is a great result for us here, and from now on, we can expect to be up within the top guys more often. I changed my riding style after Le Mans, from my usual on-off style to a somehow smoother throttle control, which now also helps us with the bike set-up and with tyre life!” Carlos Checa Ducati Marlboro Team 5th position “I am very happy with today’s result. My main goal was to finish the race, and not to take any unnecessary risks after two races without any points. Now, I will stay here for another day of testing. We will try to improve the handling, because the rear end of the bike moves around too much, and I can’t open the throttle the way I’d like to. Capirossi’s podium finish however is good for all of us. Maybe I will be the next one to finish up there I will certainly try and go for it next week in Montmeló!” Hiroshi Yamada – Motorcycle Racing Manager Bridgestone Motorsport “A fantastic day for all of us! Congratulations to Ducati, both riders and the team did a fantastic job, and it was great to see Loris fight within the front group, and finish third, which is the first podium in our young and promising partnership with Ducati. Both riders, Capirossi and Checa, were able to use their bikes to the maximum potential today, and we are very happy that our tyres played an integral part in this performance. The fact that all our six riders finished in the point rankings further confirms the qualities of our latest tyre generation, and that we are on the right track with our tyre development. But even this is just a stepping stone we continue to aim higher, and we hope for even greater success in the future!” Bridgestone Results: 3. Loris Capiro ssi (ITA) Ducati,&# 160;42.46,868, 5. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati , 42.5 0,8 92, 10. Shinya Nakano (J PN (USA) Suzuki, 43.34,631, 12. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki, 43.26,5 63, 15. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki, 43.53,269 More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: MELANDRI SHINES IN FRONT OF HIS FANS Marco takes fourth in a great race but Sete unable to finish after a crash on the fifth lap ITALIAN GP -MOTOGP RACE The Mugello circuit once again proved to be talisman for the Italian riders in MotoGP, with Marco Melandri one of the stars of the Grand Prix. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda rider produced his best performance of the season so far in front of his home fans, leading the race at the midway stage and keeping a cool head under pressure from experienced compatriots Rossi, Biaggi and Capirossi. Marco went on the attack from the start of the race, charging through from the third row of the grid and fighting for the podium with his Ducati rival until the final corner. Sete Gibernau did not pick up the result he was after despite getting a good feeling throughout qualifying. The Spaniard crashed out of fourth place on the fifth lap as he chased the men at the front. Marco Melandri remains second in the World Championship standings whilst Sete is hopeful his home Grand Prix can be the turning point in his season. SETE GIBERNAU (crash): “I decided that only a victory would do for me at this Grand Prix and I crashed because I was trying to chase the pace at the front. I’m not going to start looking for excuses we’ve done a bad job here, myself more than anybody, and that’s it. I can’t explain why we can do such a good job all weekend and then not come out with the result in the race because we are capable of being competitive. I can’t deny that the championship is slipping away from me already but I’m not going to throw the towel in. I just want to win as many races as possible and not think any further than that. I’d like Catalunya to be a turning point”. MARCO MELANDRI (4th): “That was an incredible race probably my best of the season. I pushed to the limit from the start to try and stay with the lead group and even though I was losing out a little in the fast sections I was able to make it up in the slower chicanes. I almost crashed five laps from the end and had to lower my rhythm a little. The fight with Capirossi was amazing I could hear the crowd cheering and I wanted to do my best. We arrived in the final corner together and I am happy with fourth place. I feel good riding on the limit and I hope we can continue improving in Barcelona next week.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: CAPIROSSI DELIGHTS MUGELLO CROWD WITH PODIUM FINISH Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi helped send the 88,000 Italian GP crowd into raptures of delight at Mugello today, grabbing third place with a breathtaking last lap to score the team’s first podium finish of the year. And team-mate Carlos Checa wasn’t far behind in fifth, confirming that the Italian-based squad is well and truly back on form. The race was a real thriller, Capirossi battling back and forth with Marco Melandri, just a few seconds down on winner Valentino Rossi and runner-up Max Biaggi, the four Italians monopolising the action. “I think this race shows that the Ducati Marlboro Team is back!” smiled Federico Minoli, Ducati Motor president. “It was a fantastic race, with Loris close to the front all the way to the flag. As fans of racing, we were jumping all over the place as he fought with Melandri during the final laps. I think we really deserved this result, but we still need a little more to get in front, we just need to open the door a bit more. Congratulations to Loris and Carlos, who also rode a good race, and I’d like to say that I’m very happy that Livio can now shave off his beard!” (Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo had recently vowed not to shave until the team made it back onto the podium.)” SMOOTHER CAPIROSSI ROARS TO THIRD PLACE Loris Capirossi was back to his brilliant best at Mugello today, unleashing a stupendous end-of-race charge to snatch third place from Melandri and finish just 3.874 seconds behind race winner Rossi. The Ducati Marlboro Team man led into turn one (as he had predicted after qualifying), then slipped to fourth as he battled to stay on terms with the other Italians. But his best was yet to come. Having chosen a hard compound rear tyre, he had enough grip to attack Melandri, the pair swapping places maybe half a dozen times during the last two laps. “Ducati arrived in a good position today and we can expect better and better from now on,” beamed Capirossi after his first podium finish since last October’s Australian GP. “The race seemed more like a 125 race, I was even looking at the giant TV screens to see what was going on, but everyone rode very correctly. The team worked well all weekend to get the best settings and we also worked really well with Bridgestone, the bike was perfect. After warm-up we chose a slightly harder tyre, which is why I wasn’t so fast early on, but I got better. Also, I have changed my riding style to look after the tyres. Normally I am on or off with the throttle, but now I am trying to be smoother. I’m so happy for the team, especially after our unlucky start to the year. Thanks also to my fans, there were a lot of people cheering for me which gives me a lot of emotion.” CHECA FASTEST MAN ON TRACK MID-RACE Carlos Checa finished the race fifth, easily his best result of the year so far, but possibly even more crucial was his race time, just 7.898 seconds slower than the race winner’s. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider was most impressive mid-race when he was the fastest man on track as he hunted down Nicky Hayden. “Overall I’m quite satisfied because Loris and I were third and fifth, and not so far behind the winner,” said Checa. “This is by far our best weekend of the year, and after two DNFs from the last two races I feel like I’ve learned a lot about the bike. I wasn’t 100 per cent comfortable early on, I didn’t have the grip to put the bike on its side and it was also moving around on acceleration. But as the fuel load went down I could keep a better rolling speed into the corners and ride more smoothly. Tomorrow we stay to test here, we have a few settings ideas to try out and we’re also going to try and improve my performance on qualifying tyres.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Hopkins battles hard as both Team SUZUKI MotoGP racers score points Both Team SUZUKI MotoGP riders finished in points scoring positions during today’s Gran Premio Alice d’Italia at Mugello in Italy. John Hopkins dug deep into his mental and physical resources to bring his Suzuki GSV-R prototype race bike home in 11th place. The hard working Anglo-American was in a positive mood following the race. He said: “I wouldn’t say I was surprised where we finished. It wasn’t that I didn’t want it better, but if you look at all the qualifying sessions that is exactly where we have been. “Bridgestone came out with such an awesome qualifying tyre yesterday, it showed that when we have grip we definitely have pace and can get the full potential out of the GSV-R. “Today I just kept my head down and tried to stay with the leaders as long as possible. I got into a rhythm and then into a race with Nakano and did all I could to stay with him – but he rode really well. I figured that three laps from the end I could either not finish another race, or finish and get a couple of points and move onto Catalunya where our bike will react better – so that’s what I did.” Today’s race was held in warm but overcast conditions and turned into a major celebration for the 88,377 adoring Mugello fans with the first four positions being filled by Italian riders. Current championship leader Valentino Rossi won the race. Kenny Roberts Jr finished in 15th position after a difficult race where he struggled to find what he wanted from his bike. Roberts Jr was very disappointed with result as both his crew and he had worked tirelessly all weekend. Team Manager Paul Denning was encouraged with certain aspects of today’s race. “John’s effort and discipline were first class. We got everything we could have done out of the tyre and bike combination. The position isn’t what we want but I’m encouraged by the level of commitment, there will be better tracks for us and better results to come. “Kenny couldn’t get the bike to do what he wanted over race distance and seemed quite lost in terms of the direction to go. We’re going to have to take the short break before Catalunya with Kenny and hope that we can come out fighting with the new parts that the factory are delivering there. “Good points to take from the weekend are John’s performance – particularly in qualifying – and the reliability of the GSV-R – the bikes were consistent all race distance. Both riders finished inside the points for the first time this season, so we have some positives to start building on and let’s start building on those next weekend in Catalunya. The sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship is next Sunday at Barcelona in Catalunya on the 12th of June. Gran Premio Alice d’Italia Race Classification 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 42’42.994: 2. Max Biaggi (Honda) +0.359: 3. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) +3.874: 4. Marco Melandri (Honda) +3.979: 5. Carlos Checa (Ducati) +7.898: 6. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +8.204: 7. Alex Barros (Honda) +11.572: 8. Makoto Tamada (Honda) +25.394: 9. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +25.485: 10. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) +36.549: 11. JOHN HOPKINS (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) +41.637: 15. KENNY ROBERTS JR (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1’10.275: World Championship Classification 1. Rossi 120: 2. Melandri 71: 3.Biaggi 67: 4. Sete Gibernau (Honda) 53: 5. Barros 52: 6. Edwards 48: 7. Capirossi 39: 8. Hayden 36: 9. Nakano 33: 10. Checa 28: 14. HOPKINS 16: 19. ROBERTS 8: More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha: THE FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM KEEP ON WORKING AWAY Ruben Xaus left Mugello having taken two more World Championship points in the Italian Grand Prix. The Fortuna Yamaha rider keeps on progressing, even if it is only small steps, and will be hoping to put on a good show at the next round in Barcelona. For his part, David Checa took the positives from his first MotoGP race despite having encountered problems early in the race that forced him to return to his box. The Spaniard did not manage to score any points, but did finish the race. Rubén Xaus, 14th – 13th in the championship with 18 points “I did not get away well and, although Colin started as badly as me, I let him through because I did not want to take any risks. It was different with Roberts, though, and I did not let him through. It took me a while to get past Rolfo because his Ducati was very fast on the straights and in those five or six laps I fell behind the group of Nakano and Hopkins who I could have competed with easily. The important thing was to score some points and see how the M1 rode and learn some more about it. Although I am making slow progress it will allow me to make a big jump in the future, and I hope that is soon. In fact, I am looking forward to racing at Montmelo next week, I can’t wait. You have good days and bad days, but the most important thing is to score points when things aren’t going well.” David Checa, 19th “As soon as I started I felt problems in the rear of the bike which I did not know about, and they forced me back to the box. I came back out a lap down and decided to take things easy, enjoy myself, ride my own race and get a few kilometres under my belt. With the weekend as a whole I feel satisfied. Qualifying went well for me and I knew the race was going to be difficult on this bike as I didn’t have great rhythm on it. I am happy and I hope that Yamaha are happy with me. I will be at Barcelona next weekend but I don’t know if I will be riding yet. I hope Toni Elias is back as soon as possible and if he says he is ready to race next weekend then I will be happy for him. However, if they ask me to continue, I will be very motivated.” HERVE PONCHARAL “It was a very hard race. I believe Ruben rode his best race of the season and is getting better on the bike all the time. He lapped on his own for most of the race and was catching the group ahead of him all the time. I hope his progression continues next week. David did well even though he had a problem that forced him to go back to the box. I am speaking with Toni every day on the phone and he is working very hard. I hope to have him back as soon as possible.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: MAX PUSHES ROSSI ALL THE WAY IN ITALIAN THRILLER Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) may have won here at Mugello today, but second-placed Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) proved he is back on form with a strong ride in front of 80,000 race fans. Ducati rider Loris Capirossi was third, just ahead of Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V). The 23-lap race got underway with Capirossi getting the advantage from row two of the grid into turn one. The Italian charger was closely followed by Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) and his Ducati team-mate Carlos Checa, with Rossi fourth, Max in fifth and Melandri sixth. By the end of lap one Rossi had hit the front, followed by Gibernau, Capirossi and Melandri. No one was getting too far away and it was clear that this would be a close race. Melandri set a fastest lap in his pursuit of Rossi before Rossi went faster still on lap four in an early bid to lose his pursuers. Gibernau was slipping back from the lead bunch and as Max went to second place on lap six, Gibernau crashed out of the race. Rossi was in the lead as Max now worked on closing the gap the reigning World Champion had opened out. By lap eight Max had pared it down from a full two seconds to just less than a second. But it wasn’t Max who went into the lead but Melandri who had stuck with Max as he made his way to the front. Melandri’s stay at the front was short-lived as Rossi snatched the lead back on lap 12. Melandri slipped back to third as Max made the running in second place. Capirossi had now edged closer to the leading trio and it was clear the Italian was going to be part of the final dispute for rostrum places. As the closing laps loomed Rossi and Max had established a 1.35 second gap between themselves and Melandri and Capirossi: there were effectively two main fights for places, one for the win, and one for third place and the last step of the podium. Max led into the final three laps as the Capisrossi/Melandri battle raged behind, then Rossi stole past the Roman to head the pack knowing that Max would have just less than three laps to come back at him for the lead. Try as Max might, he had no extra speed with which to pass Rossi and at the flag he was 0.359 seconds behind, but he at least had the consolation of setting the fastest lap of the race on lap five of 1m 50.117s. Capirossi just stayed in front of Melandri across the line for third. A delighted Max said, “Great race. I’m super-happy with the result. We’ve come out from a terrible situation in the best way: stepping onto the podium and, more than everything, fighting for the win. We almost made it. HRC did a very good job and I thank them all: mechanics, suspension guys, tyre people, engineers, and of course, Erv. Thanks to them the bike was working well since Friday practice. Now we must keep this pace up. I’m not thinking about the Championship, I prefer to fight race by race.” Melandri said, “An incredible race – the best of the season. I pushed to the limit to try to stay with the lead group. And even though I was losing out in the fast sections I could make it up in the slower chicanes. I almost crashed five laps from the end and had to reduce my rhythm. The fight with Capirossi was amazing and I’ll have to be happy with fourth place.” Gibernau heads to Catalunya next week needing nothing less than a win to stay in touch at the top. He said, “Only a win would do here and I crashed trying to chase the pace. I’m not going to make excuses and I did a bad job here. I can’t explain how we did well all weekend and then did this in the race. I can’t deny that the World Championship is slipping away but I’m not going to throw in the towel.” Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) finished sixth, equalling his best result of the season so far. He said, “A tough race. I didn’t get the best of starts but when I actually got going we managed some pretty good lap times. I got past a few guys and had a pretty good rhythm going but we were just missing a little something – the bit we needed to get onto the next group. Obviously I’m not thrilled about sixth, but we gave it our best today and we’ll come back fighting in Barcelona next week.” Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V), in seventh, said, “I didn’t have the best start. What I really missed was a good grid slot because with the race rhythm as expected, in the 1’51s, I kept that kind of pace. I’m happy about that but I need to improve in qualifying because if I’d started further forward I would have been fighting for the podium. Anyway, I’m happy that physically I’m okay, after two days of pushing hard here, and that I’m ready for Barcelona.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) finished eighth and said, “Today I didn’t start too well and I lost contact with the leaders of the race after only a few laps. I felt well on the bike and the only problem was when getting out of the turns where maybe too soft a set-up penalized me. Next weekend we’ll solve this problem. We’re missing the kilometres we didn’t cover during the last three races and today this was clear.” Poor Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) had a wretched time here at Mugello finishing 13th. The Aussie said, “A really, really difficult weekend. In the race I was unable to make any sort of progress. I finished thirteenth, which isn’t exactly a great position. I took some points but what I really want now is a good result. We have another race this coming Sunday, so we’ll see what happens there.” The current World Championship points positions show Rossi way out in front on 120 points, Melandri chasing him with 73 points and Max edging ahead of Gibernau on 67 points to the Spaniard’s 53. Spanish superstar Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) won the 250cc race from Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) who at 18 years and one month had become the youngest ever rider to qualify on pole on a 250 grid. Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) was third. Pedrosa dived into turn one ahead of the pack after getting a flying start from the second row of the grid. Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) was up in second with Randy de Puniet (Aprilia), who eventually crashed out on lap four, holding third. Just before the half-way point of this 21-lap race, a five rider group had broken clear of the pack; Casey Stoner (Aprilia) in the lead, followed by de Angelis, Pedrosa, Dovi and Lorenzo. But Dovi dropped back on lap nine and then lost touch at the front, eventually finishing eighth. In the closing stages Lorenzo hit the front for three laps only to be hauled back by Pedrosa on lap 18. Dani held the lead to the flag with Lorenzo just beating de Angelis across the line after elbowing his way past the Italian on the last lap. After his 10th win in the 250cc class Dani said, “That was a hard race after a hard qualifying session. But we did our best and I’m really happy that this long, hot race is over. I could see that de Angelis had rear tyre problems and that Lorenzo’s engine wasn’t quite as strong as mine, so I was fortunate.” Lorenzo was delighted with his first 250 podium finish and said, “That was almost a perfect weekend with a pole position and a second place finish. I did my absolute best but just could not make the win. Dani rode a great race and he’s the man to beat in this class at the moment.” Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) finished sixth and Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) was seventh. The World Championship table currently shows Dani in front on 98 points, Dovi holding second with 77 and Stoner in third with 76 points. KTM rider Gabor Talmacsi won a pulsating 125cc race from Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) by just 0.060 seconds across the line. Joan Olive (Aprilia) was third. It was the Hungarian’s first win, but with series points leader Mika Kallio (KTM) crashing out on the final lap, Luthi now heads the World Championship points table. Kallio led into turn one with Luthi on his tail and Aprilia riders Marco Simoncelli and Hector Faubel in close pursuit. As early as lap three a five rider group had broken away with Talmacsi as the fifth man. But Simoncelli crashed out on lap 12 leaving just the front four to fight for the final laps – they were all within a tenth of a second of each other with five laps to go. But as the last lap came around Kallio and Faubel had broken clear and it looked as it the win would be decided between them. But racing is an unpredictable business and on the final turn on the final lap, Kallio lost control and took out Faubel with him. Talmacsi and Luthi who had been fighting for third were now locked into a fight for victory and Talmacsi got the verdict by the narrowest of margins. Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) rode a strong race to equal his best result of the season so far for with another fifth. Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) was eighth and Toshihisa Kuzuhara (Angaia Racing Honda RS125R) ninth. “The race was hard,” said Luthi. “But the result was good because I’m now leading the World Championship. Gabor followed me the whole race, but those last few laps were really fast. Gabor had a good plan on the last lap and I just couldn’t get past him.” Koyama said, “I’m happy with that result considering my crash in practice yesterday. My back and my arm hurt a bit, but the bike was good. Racing with Pasini I had many slides in the final laps and that was tiring. Maybe if I was not injured I could have done a bit better and maybe even made the podium.” Luthi has 74 points to Kallio’s 66 with Talmacsi now on 62. HONDA TEAM QUOTES: MotoGP: Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda Team: 2nd: “Great race. I’m super happy with the result. We come out from a terrible situation in the best way: stepping on the podium and, more than everything, fighting for the win. We almost made it. HRC Team did a very good job and I thank them all: mechanics, suspensions’ guys, tyre people, engineers and, of course, Erv. Thanks to this job the bike was working well immediately, since Friday practice. Now we must keep this pace. I’m not thinking about the championship, I prefer to fight race by race.” Marco Melandri, Motivstar Honda MotoGP: 4th: “That was an incredible race – probably my best of the season. I pushed to the limit from the start to try and stay with the lead group and even though I was losing out a little in the fast sections I was able to make it up in the slower chicanes. I almost crashed five laps from the end and had to lower my rhythm a little. The fight with Capirossi was amazing – I could hear the crowd cheering and I wanted to do my best. We arrived in the final corner together and I am happy with fourth place. I feel good riding on the limit and I hope we can continue improving in Barcelona next week.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team: 6th: “A tough race. I didn’t get the best of starts but when I actually got going we managed some pretty good lap times. I got past a few guys and had a pretty good rhythm going but we were just missing a little something – the bit we needed to get onto the next group. Me and Checa had a good race – I really wanted to beat him but it wasn’t to be. On the positive side it’s the closest I’ve been to the leaders in terms of time all season and by quite some margin so it give the whole team some cause for optimism. Obviously not thrilled about sixth. We gave it our best today and we’ll come back fighting in Barcelona next week.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda, 7th: “I didn’t have the best start, well, not a ‘super’ one anyway, it wasn’t too bad. What I really missed was a good grid slot because with the race rhythm as expected, in the 1’51s, I also kept that kind of pace. I’m happy about that but I need to improve in qualifying because if I had have started further forward I would have been fighting for the podium. Anyway, I’m happy that physically I’m okay, after two days of pushing hard here, and that I’m ready for Barcelona”. Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda Rider: 8th: “My ambitions are much different, but due to what happened until this moment I consider my self satisfied to have ended the race, because my right hand has caused me some problems, anyhow the eight place is the same position I finished the first Grand Prix of the season. Today I didn’t start too well and I have lost contact with the leaders of the race after only a few laps. I felt well on the bike and the only problem was when exiting the turns where probably the maybe too soft set up has penalized my performance. During the next weekend we’ll surely solve this problem. We are missing the kilometres we didn’t cover during the last three races and today this fact has clearly emerged. I want to thank the Konica Minolta Honda Team for the great job done during these three days of work to adapt the bike to my characteristics. I hope I will have the chance to cover as many laps possible in Catalunya.” Troy Bayliss – Camel Honda, 13th: “A really, really difficult weekend. In the race I was unable to make any sort of progress. I finished thirteenth, which isn’t exactly a great position. I took some points but what I really want now is a good result. We have another race this coming Sunday, so we’ll see what happens there.” Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda MotoGP: crash: “I decided that only a victory would do for me at this Grand Prix and I crashed because I was trying to chase the pace at the front. I’m not going to start looking for excuses – we’ve done a bad job here, myself more than anybody, and that’s it. I can’t explain why we can do such a good job all weekend and then not come out with the result in the race because we are capable of being competitive. I can’t deny that the championship is slipping away from me already but I’m not going to throw the towel in. I just want to win as many races as possible and not think any further than that. I’d like Catalunya to be a turning point”. World Championship Positions: 1 ROSSI 120, 2 MELANDRI 71, 3 BIAGGI 67, 4 GIBERNAU 53, 5 BARROS 52, 6 EDWARDS 48, 7 CAPIROSSI 39, 8 HAYDEN 36, 9 NAKANO 33, 10 CHECA 28, 11 JACQUE 25, 12 BAYLISS 24, 13 XAUS 18, 14 HOPKINS 16, 15 TAMADA 16.