GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM GET BACK TO WORK AT QATAR The champagne may have only just stopped flowing at Valentino Rossi’s title celebrations but the Gauloises Yamaha Team arrive in Qatar this week for the last of three consecutive races in Asia with their attention firmly fixed on continuing their dominance of the MotoGP World Championship. The fourteenth round of the season gets underway at the Losail International Circuit on Thursday with Rossi riding without the pressure of competing for the title and focusing only on taking the victory he feels he was denied at this track last year, when he was forced to start the race from the back of the grid. After clinching a decisive second place at Sepang, the 2005 MotoGP World Champion returned to his native Italy on Sunday night to celebrate his fifth consecutive premier-class crown with close friends and family before returning to the Middle East for MotoGP’s second visit to Qatar. The trip home presented an ideal opportunity for Rossi to reflect on a record-breaking year, which has seen him surpass the legendary Mike Hailwood as the third most successful Grand Prix racer of all time behind Giacomo Agostini and Angel Nieto, before turning his attentions to the final four races of the season. The Grand Prix of Qatar represents unfinished business for Rossi, who slid out of the inaugural race last season after slicing through the pack and making up nineteen positions over the opening four laps. Rossi’s Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards has travelled straight from Malaysia to Qatar with completely contrasting memories to Rossi of last year’s event. The American clocked the fastest lap of the race no fewer than six times on the way to setting a new circuit record and equalling his best ever MotoGP finish of second place, a result he would be delighted to repeat as he aims to end a run of disappointing results that stretches back to his fourth place finish at Donington Park. After two consecutive victories for Loris Capirossi (Ducati), Edwards has dropped to fourth in the championship, twenty points behind second-placed Max Biaggi (Honda) in what looks certain to be a nail-biting battle for the runner-up spot. VALENTINO ROSSI: A SCORE TO SETTLE Valentino Rossi heads from Italy to Qatar this week with the sweet taste of champagne replaced by the hunger for revenge. After leaving the celebrations of his seventh Grand Prix title behind him the World Champion will certainly not be in party mood when he takes to the Losail International Circuit for first free practice on Thursday morning, aiming to become the first Yamaha rider ever to take ten victories in a single season. “To be honest I don’t really like the circuit,” admits Rossi. “Last year it was like a motocross track, there was so much sand out there! I don’t know whether it will be better this year but I hope so. I’ve also got really bad memories of last season. You could say I have a score to settle with the circuit. We have had some problems with the bike and the tyres over the past couple of rounds but hopefully they will be solved easily at this circuit and allow us to fight for the victory again. “Racing with Yamaha gives me a great motivation to win; these last two championships have been two of the best. We made a little party in Malaysia with my mother and some of my best friends from Italy and it was fun to go back home with them to rest, even though it was only a short visit. I have been able to relax a little and now I am ready for the last four races.” COLIN EDWARDS: HAPPY HUNTING GROUND The Grand Prix of Qatar can’t come quickly enough for Colin Edwards, who is desperate to get his YZR-M1 machine to a circuit where he has a proven track record after struggling with set-up difficulties over the last few rounds. Edwards came closer to MotoGP victory at the Losail International Circuit last season than he has at any other venue on the calendar and the American is hoping to go one better this time around. “I liked the circuit in Qatar right from the beginning last season,” says Edwards. “I had one of my best races of the year and I’ve been looking forward to this weekend ever since my bad run started at Sachsenring. It has a real mixture of corners and even though the surface is a little dirty, if you can get a good grid position and get away at the front then you have a chance. Things haven’t gone our way recently but I still think I can win a race before the end of the season and there is no reason why it can’t be here. “We had a lot of unexpected problems at Sepang but we had a long meeting after the race on Sunday and hopefully things can work out in Qatar. It will be very hot again, as it was in Malaysia, but to be honest I’m not bothered by the heat. It makes life hard for everybody but I feel fit and strong and I’m looking forward to it.” DAVIDE BRIVIO: IT’S NOT OVER YET Gauloises Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is still smiling after seeing Valentino Rossi bring the MotoGP World Championship home to Yamaha for the second successive season but insists there is still plenty of hard work to be done before the year is out. The Italian admits feeling a sense of relief after his compatriot clinched the title in Malaysia but says the team have other targets to meet before the season is out. “After being under pressure for a few rounds it was a fantastic feeling to finally win the title in Malaysia,” says Brivio. “We had a couple of difficult weekends at Motegi and Sepang but in the end the advantage we built up over the first eleven races of the season was decisive. The engineers, team crew, management”¦ everybody has given 110% to support Valentino in the best possible way. “I want to thank all those people, our technical partners and anybody else who has been involved in this project and made it possible. These past two years will go down in the rich history of this sport; it is a fantastic achievement and an honour for us all to be a part of the legend. “Qatar was a strange race last year but we are going there much more relaxed this time. Everybody knows that the season is a long way from over. We have met our first objective, which was the riders’ championship, but now we want to follow that up with the constructors’ and teams’ titles, as well as giving Colin Edwards our full support as he fights for second place. It is important that we continue to do our jobs properly and continue to give 100% effort until the end of the season.” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Based on the outskirts of the capital city of Doha, the Losail International Circuit hosted the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in 2004 after an incredible round-the-clock project that took a little over a year to complete, with an investment of around $58 million USD and 1,000 full-time workers. With the only current data available coming from that inaugural Grand Prix last October, there are still plenty of questions for the Gauloises Yamaha Team engineers, mechanics and technicians to answer when practice gets underway this weekend. The 5.4 kilometre track features sixteen corners, ten to the right and six to the left, with a series of fast sweeping sections based on existing Grand Prix circuits around the world, which proved immensely popular with the riders last season. One factor that didn’t bode well with either the riders or the teams, however, was the excessive amount of surface dirt and sand, which blows onto the track from the neighbouring desert. With a long straight measuring 1,068m and a good mix of corners, as well as extremely high track temperatures in excess of 50ºC, the base setting of the bike will be similar to that used at Sepang, with the focus on finding a good balance between the brakes and suspension in order to give stability under hard braking but sufficient feel to find the required level grip. VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 26 Lives: London, UK Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 GP victories: 78 (39 X MotoGP, 13 X 500cc, 14 X 250cc, 12 X 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 152 (62 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 40 World Championships 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Qatar 2004 Results (Yamaha): Grid 21st, Race DNF COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 31 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 45 (MotoGP) World Championships – 2 World Superbike Qatar 2004 Results (Honda): Grid 10th, Race 2nd

Kids battling brain tumors got a big boost over the weekend as hundreds of motorcyclists joined Ride for Kids® events in Columbia, Md., and Birmingham, Ala., on Sunday, Sept. 25. Together they raised $242,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s medical research and family support programs. More than 800 motorcyclists, fundraisers, patient families and volunteers turned out at The Mall in Columbia on a warm, overcast morning for a police-escorted ride through the Maryland countryside. The route followed winding backcountry roads past horse farms and beautiful country estates as it made its way to Lincoln Technical Institute in Columbia. There the motorcyclists disembarked for the real highlight of the day””the Celebration of Life program, which gives Ride for Kids® participants a chance to hear directly from the children and families their donations help. Thirteen young brain tumor survivors took part in the Columbia program, including 18-month-old Paige, “tractor man” Benjamin, 3, and 11-year-old Maggie, who loves horseback riding and her guinea pig. The younger children were inspired by the achievements of Adam, Jeremy and Shannon, all of whom are PBTF college scholarship recipients. The importance of raising money for research was underscored as the group remembered Michael, a local PBTF scholarship winner who died before he could start college. As Shannon’s dad, Marc, pointed out, “¦the research today will make it possible for [her], and others like her, to have a future.” Dr. Gregory Riggins, a neuro-oncologist from Johns Hopkins Hospital, said that researchers “are very excited with the new advancements in targeting cures for [brain tumors].” The 14th annual Columbia event raised a total of $194,081. The top individual fundraiser was Bob Henig of Jessup, Md., who brought $22,074. The top club, Manassas Honda Riders Club of Manassas, Va., raised $23,967, while the customers of Bob’s BMW of Jessup/Columbia made it the top motorcycle business with $44,313 in donations. Lou Mitchell from Dale City, Va., won the grand prize, a brand-new Honda motorcycle. Heartfelt appreciation went to Columbia’s task force leaders””Kevin and Christine Merrill, Rene Hernandez, Roy Carpenter, and Taryn Wilson-Wheatley””along with their hardworking volunteers, for a fantastic event. Down south, the remnants of Hurricane Rita didn’t deter more than 250 people from gathering at the Pelham Civic Complex in Pelham, Ala., for the fourth annual Birmingham Ride for Kids®. It was wet, windy and warm as the police-escorted ride went through the rolling hills and farms of rural Shelby County. The riders then made their way to the Alabama Traffic and Safety Center, located on the campus of the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Ala. There the participants were treated to a program honoring eight young brain tumor survivors, including Karissa, Ryan, Michael, Tiffany and 2-year-old Avery, who was unable to speak due to her treatment. Not to worry, said her mom, Gene Ann. “In 10 days Avery will get her tracheotomy out, and she will be able to talk at next year’s event!” The medical community was represented by Dr. Yancey Gillespie, director of brain tumor research at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital. “You are doing God’s work,” he told the crowd. “You are providing funds used for cutting-edge technology. We now have [the] equivalent to a $40 million enterprise in terms of brain tumor research.” Alabama State Sen. Hank Erwin was also on hand to lend his support. The total raised in Birmingham was $47,961. Top individual fundraiser honors went to Claudio and Paola Chaves, who raised $9,510 in memory of their son Joshua. The top club was Southern Cruisers of Birmingham, whose members brought $9,410. The customers of American Cycle Center of Birmingham raised $6,895 to make it the top motorcycle business. Kevin Howze of Calera, Ala., won the grand prize, a brand-new Honda motorcycle. Special thanks went to task force leaders Joyce and Bill Smith, Anita and Roy Fosnight, and their dedicated volunteers, for putting together a great event. Proceeds of the events fund the medical research and family support programs of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Since 1984, the national Ride for Kids® program and PBTF have supported childhood brain tumor research and family support programs. Programs include free literature about brain tumors, two national newsletters, the Informed Parent & Survivor Internet Conference series and college scholarships. Thanks to the thousands of caring and generous motorcyclists and motorcycle dealers who have supported the program since its inception, PBTF has become the world’s largest non-governmental source of funding for pediatric brain tumor research. The next Ride for Kids® events are on Sunday, Oct. 2 in Portland, Ore., and Sacramento, Calif. For more information about the Ride for Kids® and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, please visit rideforkids.org or pbtfus.org, or call (800) 253-6530.

2005 AMA Superstock Champion Aaron Yates rode his personal Suzuki RM-Z450 to 10th and 15th-place finishes in his AMA Supermoto debut races September 25 at Music City Motorplex in Nashville, Tennessee. Race one was won by Red Bull KTM’s Jurgen Kunzel, and race two was won by Team Troy Lee Designs Honda’s Jeff Ward. Tony Meiring, who raced with Corona Extra Suzuki in the 2005 AMA Superbike and Superstock Championships, failed to make the 24-rider field for the main event.

There are still two events on the schedule of World’s Superbike Championship this year: Imola / Italy at the up-coming weekend and only one week later Magny Cours / France. Max Neukirchner: “žLast year I had my first ride at Imola and finished “šonly’ 14th in Supersport race. Imola is really fast and risky and most of the turns are blind. Especially in the mid of the track is pretty tough. It goes downhill and then immediately uphill again with full speed. It is a challenge for my Klaffi Honda Firbelade and me but I know, we are in good form. Some top results at Imola and Magny Cours would be fine cause I’m longing to finish 10th in the Championship. With 98 points I’m on 13th position at the moment. Only 20 points away from Lanzi, who is still 10th now. With some good luck I will succeed!” Frankie Chili: “žThe many ups and downs are characteristic for Imola. The different surfaces of the single parts make the track even more varied. In 2004 I finished 2nd in the first heat and 4th in the second race. During the last weeks after the Lausitz race I did a lot for my physical fitness. Especially cycling and swimming totally sports. And my mechanics used the time to optimize my Firblade even more. So the conditions for Imola are perfect. By the way, Bologna my home town is only 30 minutes away and a lot of Frankie fans will come to Imola. I’ll give my all to make some good results for them. “ . Tatu Lauslehto / Supersport: “žRookie of the Year! This is my goal. My competitor, Javi Fores from Spain, is only 4 points ahead. I’ve never been at Imola and Magny Cours before but I’ll try my best to make it. In 2004 Max Neukirchner finished already Rookie of the Year and it would be great to continue this success story of the Klaffi Honda Team.”

Rizla Suzuki’s John Reynolds and James Haydon each recorded hard-fought fifth place finishes at the 12th round of the British Superbike Championship at Donington Park in Leicestershire today. A change of fork settings before the opening dry race allowed reigning Champion Reynolds to set the third fastest lap on his way to taking fifth place. A rainstorm before the second race meant the riders started on a damp track with a drying racing line and Reynolds fell foul of the conditions when he strayed onto a wet patch and crashed unhurt early on. Haydon crashed without injury on the opening lap of the first race. His crew then made the same change to his forks that Reynolds had found beneficial and that gave him extra confidence to fight through to fifth in the second race despite a poor start. Rizla Suzuki will be racing again at the final round of the 2005 British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch GP circuit in Kent, on Sunday, October 9th. John Reynolds: “I’ll go away from Donington and focus on the positives we have achieved here. We have been struggling to set up the front end of the Rizla Suzuki but today we made a change that has given me much more feeling and confidence in my bike. “Well done to my team for working so hard all weekend. I’m just gutted that early in the second race I came off the dry line onto a wet patch and crashed without getting a proper chance to show what I could achieve”¦I guess that will have to wait until we are racing at Brands Hatch.” James Haydon: “I was disappointed to crash out of the first race when I lost the front end without any warning. We sat down after that and decided to make the same change to my forks that ‘JR’ found beneficial. Thanks to that change my bike felt much better in the second race. “I got caught behind a couple of riders from the start and because it was wet off the racing line it took time to get past them. Once I did, the extra confidence in my Rizla Suzuki let me get a move on and I was catching the leaders towards the end. I’m really excited about going to Brands Hatch and can’t wait to get racing again.” Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “Well done to the team for working so hard and providing both riders with new fork settings that gave them confidence to go faster than before. “For ‘JR’ to lap more than one second faster than this time last year shows the solid progress we have made in 12 months. The good news is that there is still more performance to come as we learn more about the GSX-R1000. On top of that, advances in tyre performance by Dunlop means that we will go to Brands Hatch with real aspirations to mix it at the front and hopefully score strong finishes with both riders at the final round.” Race One Result: 1: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 30:49.746, 2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +2.054, 3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +11.856, 4: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +14.456, 5: John Reynolds (Rizla Suzuki) +19.583, 6: Michael Rutter (Honda) +28.931, 7: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +38.386, 8: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +38.831, 9: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +38.921, 10: Gary Mason (Honda) +39.184. Race Two Result: 1: Lavilla 21:26.230, 2: Haslam +4.022, 3: Kiyonari +5.970, 4: Rutter +11.612, 5: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +14.758, 6: Thomas +17.401, 7: Mason +29.427, 8: Smart +29.974, 9: Karl Harris (Honda) +51.731, 10: Michael Laverty (Honda) +54.798. Championship Points (After 12 of 13 rounds): 1: Lavilla 416, 2: Kiyonari 403, 3: Rutter 353, 4: Haslam 305, 5: Richards 231, 6: Harris 195, 7: Thomas 176, 8: Mason 156, 9: John Reynolds (Rizla Suzuki) 139, 10: Laverty 119, 12: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 110. More, from a press release issued by Stobart Honda: SEVENTH HEAVEN FOR MASON BIRD SET TO RING THE CHANGES FOR BRANDS HATCH Stobart Honda rider Gary Mason overcame difficult damp conditions to record a best result of seventh position at the penultimate round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park today. The 26 year old from Lichfield followed up a tenth place finish in the dry opening leg with a battling seventh place finish after a torrential rain shower dampened the Leicestershire circuit. Mason steadily clawed his way through the field and stayed on board whilst others around him fell and as a result remains in eighth position in the Championship. “It was very difficult conditions and a lot of people crashed out. If you went in too hard, you went down, it was that simple. You needed to be up at the front of the grid to benefit as it was a bit of a freight train really and you couldn’t get a dry line to overtake” said Mason. Meanwhile team mate Michael Laverty weighed in with a tenth place finish in leg two after crashing out whilst well placed inside the points on the final lap in race one. The 24 year old from Toomebridge struggled during the early part of the weekend due to injury but battled back to record his first points of the Championship since his Snetterton podium back in July. “I’m reasonably happy with that considering where I qualified. I’m still not riding as strong as I could be and it’s taken time this weekend, so I have to build on that. Earlier in the season I would have been happy with a tenth place, but not now. Hopefully we can get back to normal at Brands Hatch in two weeks time and get back on the pace again” said Laverty. After a weekend of frustration, team owner Paul Bird revealed that he is planning on putting a third rider out for Brands Hatch in the championship finale in two weeks time: “We have an obligation to our sponsors and to the team to end the season on a positive note and I’m already making plans to bring in another rider at Brands Hatch who could do just that for us. Michael and Gary have struggled recently and it could just be the tonic they need to spur them on but for a team that is used to winning championships, racking up a few points here and there is not what we are interested in. We need to move on from here and fast and it has to be our aim to round the season off in style.” commented the Penrith businessman. Bennetts British Superbike Race One Result 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 30m49.746s, 2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +2.054s, 3, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +11.856s, 4, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +14.456s, 5, John Reynolds (Suzuki) +19.583s, 6, Michael Rutter (Honda) +28.931s, 7, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +38.386s, 8, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +38.831s, 9, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +38.921s, 10, Gary Mason (Stobart Honda) +39.184s. Bennetts British Superbike Race Two Result 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 31m26.230s, 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +4.022s, 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +5.970s, 4, Michael Rutter (Honda) +11.612s, 5, James Haydon (Suzuki) +14.758s, 6, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +17.401s, 7, Gary Mason (Stobart Honda) +29.427s, 8, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +29.974s, 9, Karl Harris (Honda) +51.731s, 10, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) +54.798s. Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings (after Round 24) 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 416pts 2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 403pts 3, Michael Rutter (Honda) 353pts 4, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 305pts 5, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 231pts 6, Karl Harris (Honda) 195pts 7, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) 176pts 8, Gary Mason (Stobart Honda) 156pts 9, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 139pts 10, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) 119pts

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, Suzuki Castrol has taken victory in the final round of the World Endurance Championship at Vallelunga in Italy after 79 laps and 200 miles. World Endurance Champions Keiichi Kitagawa and Matthieu Lagrive competed without team mate Vincent Philippe – who was injured yesterday – and led from the third lap to beat Yamaha Phase One Endurance by almost one-and-a-half minutes. The British-based team were the only team to finish the race on the same lap as French-run Suzuki Castrol. Yamaha Austria’s team of Igor Jerman and Thomas Hinterreiter finished in third place after a final-session battle with Phase One. The two teams had been trading places after every fuel stop but Nowland caught and passed the Austrians with only eight laps to go. Said Kitagawa: “Except for Suzuka, we have won all the races so overall I am very comfortable with this season. I wanted to win at Suzuka as well of course, but I am very happy with this result.” RESULTS: 1 Suzuki Castrol – FRA – (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – Philippe, Kagayama, Lagrive – 79 laps. 2 Yamaha Phase One Endurance – GBR – (Yamaha YZF-R1) – Nowland, Cudlin +1:29.236. 3 Yamaha Austria – AUT – (Yamaha YZF-R1) – Jerman, Hinterreiter -1lap. 4 Kawasaki Bolliger – SUI – (Kawasaki ZX10R) – Kellenberger, Morillon -1 lap. 5 Ducati Spring Team – ITA – (Ducati 999) – Colombo, Mauri, Gennari -2 laps. 6 Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se – SWE – (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – Notman, Carlbark -2 laps. 6 Shell Endurance Academy – GBR – (Yamaha ZF-R1) – Hogan, Rohtlaan, Wylie -2 laps. 8 Yamaha X-One – ITA – (Yamaha YZF-R1) – Tessari, Ricci, Clementini – 2 laps. 9 Suzuki No Limits & RT – ITA – (Yamaha YZF-R1) – Ruozi, Giachino, Codeluppi -3 laps. 10 Kawasaki RMT21 – GER – (Kawasaki ZX10R) – Fluckiger, Roth, Wildisen – 3 laps.

By Beth Dolgner Robert Jensen won four Michelin/WERA National Challenge Series races Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, but some could argue that the day belonged to a girl named Rita. The edges of the hurricane were moving through Alabama, providing high winds and sporadic rain that made tire choices difficult. Jensen won the opening race of the day, a damp Open Superstock event, on his Kneedraggers.com Suzuki GSX-R750, pulling away to win by 26.870 seconds. Shawn Conrad followed in a lonely second place on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Chris “Opie” Caylor came to Barber with a pair of bikes on loan from Corona Suzuki, and after starting from the back of the field he was able to edge past Matt Lynn on the final lap to take third on a Suzuki GSX-R1000. The 600cc Superstock race belonged to Jensen, also, as he led all 10 laps and won by 12 seconds on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Team Herrin’s Josh Herrin tried to keep up in the opening laps, eventually drifting back but hanging onto second on a Graves Yamaha YZF-R6. Caylor again made a charge from the back, taking third on a Suzuki GSX-R600. Jensen’s margin of victory dropped to just under seven seconds for the 750cc Superstock race, but he once again led all 10 laps. Vesrah Suzuki’s Tray Batey, the class points leader, followed in second the entire time with his teammate John Jacobi a short way behind in third. All three were on Suzuki GSX-R750s. Rain began to fall while riders took their warm-up lap for Formula One, the final race of the day. The wet conditions were an initial advantage for Matt Lynn, who pulled out a lead of over 10 seconds thanks to the Pirelli rains on his Team Embry Suzuki GSX-R1000. The rain stopped just after the green flag, though, and as conditions began to dry out Jensen, riding on Michelin DOT-labeled tires, began to close the gap. He passed Lynn for the lead on his Suzuki GSX-R750 with two laps to go and was quickly followed by Batey and Byron Barbour. Batey finished 2.806 seconds behind Jensen on his Suzuki GSX-R750, the closest finish of the day for Jensen. Barbour was third on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Herrin had the 600cc Superbike lead until the halfway point of the race, when Caylor got past on his AMA Supersport-spec Suzuki GSX-R600. Herrin pulled in just before the end of the race with a mechanical problem, handing second place to Mark Crozier, who was on a Kawasaki ZX-6R. Josh Smith-Moore finished third on a Suzuki GSX-R600. Ben Thompson held off Keith Marshall for four laps in the 750cc Superbike race, but he fell back to second on his Racersupply.com Suzuki GSX-R750 as Marshall got past and began pulling away on a Suzuki GSX-R600. Troy Meikle then challenged Thompson for second, taking over the spot on his Suzuki GSX-R750 on lap six. That second place became the lead when Marshall’s engine blew with three laps to go. Meikle and Thompson were followed to the finish line by Joel LaRoche, third on a Yamaha YZF-R6. Batey took his sole win of the day in the Heavyweight Twins Superstock race, riding his Suzuki SV1000 to a 34-second margin of victory. Tim Birdsong and Brad Duncan followed on their SV1000s, another half-a-minute ahead of the field. The Lightweight Twins Superstock victory went to Jimmy Wood on a Suzuki SV650. Tim Birdsong on another SV650 finished second, a few bikelengths ahead of Rod Burr and his Ducati 800SS. The Formula Two race got off to a rough start when Expert Pete Cline stalled on the grid, and a Novice racer failed to notice Cline’s stalled machine and collided with him. Two more Novices also got tangled up in the mess, and a red flag came out for the four-bike incident. Things went better on the re-start, and Avery Clark went on to take a dominant win on a Suzuki SV650. Chris Parrish and Steve Green both ran alone in second and third, respectively, on their SV650s.

Malaysian Grand Prix Sepang, Malaysia September 25 MotoGP 1. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, Bridgestone, 21 laps, 43:27.523 2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, Michelin, -1.999 seconds 3. Carlos Checa, Ducati, Bridgestone, -2.069 4. Nicky Hayden, Honda, Michelin, -9.227 5. Marco Melandri, Honda, Michelin, -15.886 6. Max Biaggi, Honda, Michelin, -16.826 7. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, Bridgestone, -17.249 8. Alex Barros, Honda, Michelin, -18.221 9. John Hopkins, Suzuki, Bridgestone, -20.125 10. Colin Edwards, Yamaha, Michelin, -22.275 11. Toni Elias, Yamaha, Michelin, -29.856 12. Makoto Tamada, Honda, Michelin, -51.672 13. Roberto Rolfo, Ducati, Dunlop, -65.365 14. Shane Byrne, Honda, Michelin, -79.106 15. Ruben Xaus, Yamaha, Michelin, -79.256 16. Franco Battaini, Blata, Dunlop, -115.882 17. James Ellison, Blata, Dunlop, DNF, mechanical, -4 laps 18. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, DNF, retired, -17 laps 19. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, Bridgestone, DNF, crashed, -20 laps 20. Sete Gibernau, Honda, Michelin, DNF, crashed, -20 laps 250cc Grand Prix 1. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, 20 laps, 43:23.138 2. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, -3.133 seconds 3. Sebastian Porto, Aprilia, -4.111 4. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, -7.569 5. Hiroshi Aoyama, Honda, -10.109 6. Hector Barbera, Honda, -26.123 7. Yuki Takahashi, Honda, -27.301 8. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, -28.006 9. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, -59.478 10. Taro Sekiguchi, Aprilia, -59.579 125cc Grand Prix 1. Thomas Luthi, Honda, 19 laps, 43:02.214 2. Mike Kallio, KTM, -0.002-second 3. Mattia Pasini, Aprilia, -9.684 seconds 4. Hector Faubel, Aprilia, -9.709 5. Gabor Talmacsi, KTM, -9.892 6. Julian Simon, KTM, -11.936 7. Fabrizio Lai, Honda, -19.632 8. Manuel Poggiali, Gilera, -19.755 9. Marco Simoncelli, Aprilia, -19.967 10. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Honda, -20.071 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Rossi secures the title as Capirossi clinches another win Valentino Rossi successfully defended his MotoGP World Championship title with a second-placed finish in the Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix on Sunday. Rossi clinched the title for Yamaha with four races to spare after a daring battle for victory with Loris Capirossi, who went from pole position to the top step of the podium for the second time in seven days after taking his first win of the season at Motegi in the previous round. Rossi started from seventh on the grid but swiftly arrived at the front and took the challenge to Capirossi until the final seven laps, when the Ducati rider launched an unstoppable charge to the chequered flag. “I am very happy because I gave more than 100% in the race today,” said Rossi. “We have been in trouble all weekend and this morning I wasn’t sure if I would finish on the podium. But I got a good start and rode a clever race whilst other riders seemed nervous and made mistakes. Little by little I moved to the front and I felt comfortable with the bike. I passed Hayden and then swapped positions with Capirossi a couple of times. In the last seven laps he changed gear and I couldn’t chase him. Anyway, I am World Champion for the seventh time, which is incredible!” Capirossi capped off an incredible day for Italian motorsport fans, taking back-to-back victories for the first time in his career. The day was complete for Ducati as Capirossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa rounded out the podium, his first top-three finish for the factory following on from fourth place at Motegi. “It was a difficult race because I knew I had a seven-time World Champion chasing me so the pressure was very high,” said Capirossi, who moved up to third place in the championship. “Thankfully the Bridgestone tyres worked well in the second half of the race and I was able to escape. To win two races in a row is unbelievable to me and I want to thank everybody at Ducati and Bridgestone.” Nicky Hayden challenged Capirossi for the lead after an excellent start to the race from the second row of the grid, eventually dropping back to fourth place following a determined but ultimately futile resistance for third under pressure from Checa. Fellow Honda youngster Marco Melandri also put on an impressive performance, fighting the pain of 35 stitches in his right foot to hold off Max Biaggi for fifth place and stay in the battle for the coveted runner-up spot with four rounds remaining. Colin Edwards now lies fourth behind Capirossi, just two points ahead of Melandri, after struggling to tenth place today behind Kenny Roberts, Alex Barros and John Hopkins. Sete Gibernau had another disappointment as he crashed out of fifth place on the second lap, taking Shinya Nakano with him and dropping to eighth in the championship behind Barros. Nakano’s Kawasaki team-mate Olivier Jacque soon joined him in the pit box after retiring with a throttle problem, after making his return to action in place of the injured Alex Hofmann. Casey Stoner closed the gap on 250cc World Championship leader Dani Pedrosa to 38 points with his third victory of the season after the Spaniard crashed out. Pedrosa uncharacteristically slid into the gravel on the opening lap as Stoner set an unrelenting pace at the front, with only Alex de Angelis able to give chase. Sebastián Porto overcame Randy de Puniet and Hiroshi Aoyama in the fight for the final podium position, with Andrea Dovizioso also crashing on the first lap and losing ground on Stoner for second place in the championship. In the 125cc class Thomas Lüthi made a remarkable recovery from a dislocated shoulder just seven days ago to clinch victory from pole position and extend his series lead to eight points over Mika Kallio. Lüthi withstood pressure from Kallio in the final laps to take his third win of the season, with Mattia Pasini returning to the podium in third place. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 ROUND 13 – MARLBORO MALAYSIAN MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX, SEPANG 25 SEPTEMBER 2005 – MOTOGP RACE RESULT GIBERNAU ENDS NAKANO’S PODIUM HOPES Shinya Nakano’s hopes of a podium finish in today’s Malaysian Grand Prix were cruelly shattered when Honda’s Sete Gibernau collided with the 27-year-old Japanese ace going into the final turn, just two laps into the 21-lap race. Desperate to make up places after colliding with Carlos Checa in the first turn, Gibernau misjudged his braking going into the tight left-hand hairpin and slammed into the side of Nakano’s Ninja ZX-RR, forcing the Kawasaki pilot from the track and out of the race. The fact that Gibernau’s race also ended in the gravel trap was no consolation to Nakano, who had charged through to second place after a brilliant start from the second row of the grid, and was confident that he had a good enough package to finish on the podium. At the time of his exit from the race Nakano was also easily ahead of Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa, who finished second and third respectively. It was little comfort, with the combination of the latest power-up ZX-RR motor and new generation Bridgestone tyres set to deliver Kawasaki’s best result of the season. The disappointment was compounded by a throttle problem, which forced Frenchman Olivier Jacque to retire his bike on lap four. Making his first race start in eight weeks, Jacque weaved his way through a dramatic first corner tangle to settle comfortably in eleventh place on lap two, before problems slowed his bike. Despite the setbacks of today’s Sepang race, watched by 47,000 spectators, the Kawasaki team are looking forward to next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix. Shinya Nakano: #56 – DNF “I was already into the corner entry at the final turn when suddenly I saw Sete’s front tyre; he missed his braking point and hit me. Sete apologised to me and said it was his mistake, but it’s no real consolation and I’m bitterly disappointed, I was riding very well and everything was perfect, the ZX-RR was fast today and I really thought I had a chance at the podium – there was no doubt I could race with the front group. There was a lot of bumping at the first turn, also by Sete, but I was able to avoid this.” Olivier Jacque: #19 – DNF “The officials held the red light for a long time at the start, but I got away well and was comfortable with my pace. The bike and tyres were feeling strong, but then on the third lap I had a problem with the throttle connection, it felt erratic and made the bike difficult to ride. I needed some racing laps today, so not finishing is a real shame.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “Shinya was very unlucky today, he got a great start and was racing well in third place. Sete looked desperate to make up positions in the early part of the race after colliding with Carlos Checa at the start, with the result that he misjudged his braking going into the last turn. It was a stupid mistake to make so early in the race and it is a real shame for the Kawasaki Racing Team, because today we had a real chance to make up for the disappointment of Motegi. Olivier was unlucky to fall victim to a mechanical problem, but I’m sure he’ll bounce back in Qatar.” MOTOGP RACE RESULT – FINAL TIMES 1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 43’27.523; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +1.999; 3. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +2.069; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +9.227; 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +15.886; 6. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +16.826; 7. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +17.249; 8. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda +18.221; 9. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +20.125; 10. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +22.275; DNF. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team; DNF. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Sepang September 25th, 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix The Party Continues: Second Straight Victory for Loris Capirossi, First Podium for Carlos Checa The party of Bridgestone and Ducati continues: After winning last week’s Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, Loris Capirossi was unbeatable again in this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The 32-year-old Italian stormed to pole position on Saturday, and took off to a clear victory in the race, almost two seconds ahead of newly crowned MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi. The supreme package of bike and tyres was confirmed by Capirossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa, who started from the third row on the grid, and ended the race with his first podium finish aboard his Bridgestone-fitted Ducati, just fractions of a second behind Rossi. Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts and John Hopkins completed Bridgestone’s day with a strong seventh and ninth position, and the score would have been even better if Kawasaki star Shinya Nakano hadn’t run into bad luck early on in the race. Nakano had rocketed from fourth place on the grid into second position, only to be taken out by Honda rider Sete Gibernau when the Spaniard lost the front in the second lap. Loris Capirossi Ducati Marlboro Team 1st position “What a fantastic week for us! We had a lot of different tyre choices for this race, and we worked very hard in practice to understand what the best solutions would be for the tough conditions out there. After the qualifying practice we were very confident not only because of my pole position, but also because I was consistently fast again. I got a good start and took the lead of the race, but I just wanted to control the pack behind me and not try too hard in order to save the tyres for later in the race. Only when I saw on my pitboard that Valentino was closing in, I started to push because I knew it wasn’t going to be easy against a seven-time World Champion! Sure enough he passed me at some stage, but I took my chances and overtook him again, and managed to stay ahead from that point on. This victory and this double podium finish with Carlos is fantastic, even better than Motegi, because we’ve arrived at the maximum better isn’t possible. We have a fantastic bike and fantastic tyres right now, and we have a great cooperation with Bridgestone in the development of our whole package. Now I am third in the championship, which is incredible and I feel strong enough to win even more GP’s this year!” Carlos Checa Ducati Marlboro Team 3rd position “I managed to get a really good start from my third row grid position, but when I wanted to flick my bike into the first corner, I saw Nicky inside of me, touched him and ran wide which changed the race for me quite a bit I was only eighth after one lap and kept my own pace from that point on, which brought me in reach of the leading group again. It was a lot of fun to fight with Nicky, even though it’s not easy to find your place when you hit the brakes at more than 200 kph. After passing him, I was able to close in on Valentino, but there was no way to attack him. He closed the inside lines in a very clever way, and there was no chance on the outside lines either, so my last option was to wait if he would run wide in one of the turns but it’s not the first time that he has been riding a bike! Even though, third place is a great result for me, and it shows that the initial sacrifices in the new cooperation with Bridgestone paid off in the long run. Bike and tyres are great now, we’ve arrived at the top, and people must recognise that there is a brave new challenger to fight Michelin who have been dominant in the MotoGP class for many years!” More, from a press release issued by Suzuki Racing: Team SUZUKI MotoGP race to top-10 finishes in Malaysian heat Team SUZUKI MotoGP racers Kenny Roberts Jr and John Hopkins finished today’s Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix in seventh and ninth places respectively. Following on from the hard work and consistently fast times that both riders have put in over the weekend, the result was another step forward for Suzuki. Roberts Jr’s position was his best dry race finish of the season his second top-10 in succession – and reiterates that the team are moving in the right direction. Both riders lost positions early on in the race due to a first lap incident – with Hopkins coming off the worst. He was relegated from his fantastic qualifying position of third down to 12th. He fought his way up to ninth and joined in a four-way battle with team-mate Roberts Jr and the Hondas of Max Biaggi and Alex Barros. His ninth place was also his second finish inside the top-10 in the last two races. Today’s race was watched by over 47,000 spectators who were treated to some fantastic racing in the high temperatures. Loris Capirossi on the Bridgestone-shod Ducati won his second race in the space of eight days. Valentino Rossi finished in second place and regained his MotoGP World Championship title for the fifth consecutive year. Team SUZUKI MotoGP now move on to Losail in Qatar for round 14 of the championship on Saturday 1st October, an event which will be held in scorching conditions and should be the ultimate test of riders, machinery and tyres. Kenny Roberts Jr: “The race in Japan was confusing, but here I was allowed to be consistent and I could pretty much ride exactly where I thought I was going to be – as far as race times. We were able to stay consistent and we had a couple of guys go down which brought us up in the order. We are really, really close in as much as if we get something engine-wise to accelerate and run with the other guys, we’ll be right there. The tyre combination that Bridgestone have given us and the torque improvements since Brno have all helped a lot. Now the biggest thing is that the traction control is working much, much better. We now need to get some kind of wheelie control on there – which will help us even more. It’s those little refinements that will put us more and more up the pecking order.” John Hopkins: “Damn, it was a hot race! We were nowhere near where we wanted to finish. It’s disappointing really but right now with our horsepower disadvantage we have to ride the bike a lot differently with a lot of corner speed. When we run a lot of corner speed that’s when our lap times come but if we get stuck behind the Ducatis and Hondas we can’t get past them and they hold us up a bit. The thing is that the Honda guys pretty much park it at the apex of the corner and worry about their drive out. When we are behind them we can’t ride how we would like to. But we did what we could and I’m not going to lie, I gave it everything I had and that’s where we ended up. We’ve just got to try and get a better start I braked way too early for the first corner, got hit on the first lap and went back to 12th. Now I’ll work a little harder in Qatar and go for that first podium!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “The result was not what we wanted but it was close to what I expected. The other guys found some improvements this morning in the areas they were struggling with yesterday and that meant that pretty much everyone was on their normal game. I have to congratulate both riders for a strong and consistent performance. Really though, for John, it was all over in the first lap when he got punted off and dropped from his third place on the grid back to 12th but there are a lot of positives to take again from today. For the second week running both bikes were safely in the top-10, we finished only 17 seconds from first place the closest we have been in the dry this season – and Kenny and John pushed hard and diced with riders like Biaggi and Barros – who are both on extremely good motorcycles. It’s hot here but it will be even hotter next weekend in Qatar, where hopefully we will continue our upward progress.” Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix Race Classification 1. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 43’27.523: 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +1.999: Carlos Checa (Ducati) +2.069: 4. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +9.227: 5. Marco Melandri (Honda) +15.886: 6. Max Biaggi (Honda) +16.826: 7. KENNY ROBERTS JR (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) +17.249: 8. Alex Barros (Honda) +18.221: 9. JOHN HOPKINS (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) +20.125: 10. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +22.275: World Championship Classification 1. Rossi 281: 2. Biaggi 159: 3. Capirossi 142: 4. Edwards 139: 5. Melandri 137: 6. Hayden 134: 7. Barros 122: 8 Sete Gibernau (Honda) 115: 9. Checa 88: 10. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) 69: 12. KENNY ROBERTS JR (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) 58: 14. JOHN HOPKINS (TEAM SUZUKI MOTOGP) 53: More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: RACE REPORT – MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX – 25/09/05 SEPANG DIFFICULT RACE FOR BARROS. BYRNE IN THE POINTS Alex Barros has struggled to find feeling in the front end of his bike this weekend, and in the Sepang race he couldn’t use one of his best weapons, late-braking. The Brazilian rider was unable to get this area right at the Malaysian track, where there are several hard-braking zones in rapid succession, and was forced to ride a defensive race which gave him eighth position in the end. Shane Byrne took his first points on a Honda even though he had higher aspirations, having concluded the whole race weekend without a single error and having put in some intense work with the team. This will help as he looks forward to the next race at the Losail circuit, in Qatar, with higher confidence and expectation. Sito Pons Camel Honda “Today Shane managed to complete this challenging race pretty well, and scored points, he didn’t make any mistakes, although he obviously he needs time to learn all the secrets of this bike to get the most out of it. In the next race in Qatar he will undoubtedly make another step forward. As for Alex, here in Malaysia he had problems finding the feeling with the front end, and didn’t have the right sensations to get the bike braking and cornering well. We tried lots of things, even in the warm up, but we were unable to improve the feeling and we had to take a step back. In the race he couldn’t attack to improve his position, but in any case he managed to bring it home, even though it will be a position he won’t be satisfied with, as for us. We have to work hard to get him in a position where he can ride as he likes in Qatar.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 8th “Today I had to ride a defensive race, without be able to attack. I was behind Roberts and I stayed there, blocked. I only tried once to pass him and I ran it wide, risking crashing. Every time I braked the bike didn’t stop, it jumped, there was no grip at the front and that meant I couldn’t attack to make up places. Probably with this heat everyone had a few difficulties and there are time you can ride over the problems, but this was not really possible on this occasion. I tried to finish the race without crashing, because I didn’t want to do as I did in Motegi and I managed that, but I can’t be happy with eighth place.” Shane Byrne Camel Honda 14th “Having got to the end of this weekend I can safely say that I expected fewer problems, but I quickly changed my opinion, after the first practice. Probably if these two races were in Europe it would have been a bit easier for me, but that’s not the case and I have to do the best I can. The team has done a fantastic job, and in the end I’m quite satisfied to have finished the race and to have not committed any serious errors. Running wide in a corner at the beginning meant I lost contact with the small group in front of me, and I couldn’t get back up there. On the last lap I did manage to enjoy myself battling with Xaus though. With a race under my belt I hope to get off to a better start in Qatar and to take a better result.” More, from a press release issued by Telefónica Movistar Honda: MARCO COMES THROUGH TOUGH WEEKEND IN STYLE The Italian clinches a creditable fifth place despite his injured right foot as Sete Gibernau crashes out on the second lap MALAYSIAN GP – MOTOGP RACE Another sweet and sour Grand Prix for the Telefónica Movistar Honda MotoGP team. Marco Melandri was immense at Sepang, finishing fifth in a race that only two days ago he did not expect to compete in because of his injured right foot. Starting from the third row of the grid, Melandri joined the front group on the opening laps and made a massive effort to stay on the bike for the entire 21-lap race. For Sete Gibernau it was another bitter race, the Spaniard crashing out again on the second lap when trying to pass Shinya Nakano. MARCO MELANDRI (5th): “I am so tired”¦ the foot wasn’t too painful but the area around the cut is much more sensitive to the heat and I almost burnt it. We worked really well with the rear end for the race because it was painful for me to push down on the rear brake but with that we lost a bit of feel for the front. Because of the problems under braking the bike was al! so sliding a lot on the exit but luckily from the halfway stage onwards, with less fuel and weight on board the bike, I found my rhythm and pushed a little. I’m happy with this result because it was unthinkable that a race could end this way a few days ago. I want to thank all the Clinica Mobile doctors for all their help.” SETE GIBERNAU (DNF): “I’m really sorry that I’ve failed to finish the race again there’s not much else to say. We had a good warm-up this morning but once again we’ve been unable to finish things off in the right way on Sunday. All I can say about the crash is that I’m sorry. I tried to pass Nakano on the inside on the brakes but made contact with his front brake lever and lost the front end.” MALAYSIAN GP 1. Loris Capirossi (Ita/Ducati) 43’27″523 2. Valentino Rossi (Ita/Yamaha) + 1″999 3. Carlos Checa (Esp/Ducati) + 2″069 4. Nicky Hayden (USA/Hond! a) +9″227 5. Marco Melandri (Ita/Honda) + 15″886 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 1. Valentino Rossi 281 points 2. Max Biaggi 159 points 3. Loris Capirossi 142 points 4. Colin Edwards 139 points 5. Marco Melandri 137 points 6. Nicky Hayden 134 points 7. Alex Barros 122 points 8. Sete Gibernau 115 points More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Marlboro Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang Race Day, Sunday September 25 2005 HISTORIC DAY FOR DUCATI MARLBORO MEN! Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi made history in today’s steaming-hot Marlboro Malaysian Grand Prix, claiming the legendary Ducati factory’s first-ever back-to-back MotoGP victory, just seven days after winning the Japanese GP. And team-mate Carlos Checa made more history for the marque by taking third place for the Ducati Marlboro Team’s first-ever double podium result. Capirossi rode an epic race from pole position, battling back and forth with World Champion Valentino Rossi, while Checa stormed through the pack after losing time in a frantic turn-one melee. The whole team dedicated this emotional result to Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo and his family. Suppo’s mother-in-law died earlier this week. “That was an exciting race for the fans!” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “But this win belongs to the whole team, to everyone back home who kept working through some hard times and to Bridgestone. And we dedicate the victory to Livio and his family. Today our package was better than the rest. It’s a combination of rider, bike and tyres, none of these three can win by themselves. After these two wins I think we can say we have the perfect mix!” The Ducati Marlboro Team didn’t get to celebrate in Japan last Sunday – they had to travel to Tokyo airport – but they intend to make up for that tonight. “I think we will spend some ringgits in Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur tonight!” added Cecchinelli. CAPIROSSI WINS AGAIN & THIRD IN CHAMPIONSHIP! Loris Capirossi was in unforgettable form this afternoon, winning the Ducati Marlboro Team’s second consecutive race by almost two seconds from Valentino Rossi. The two Italians enjoyed an enthralling battle, Capirossi leading until just after half distance when Rossi attacked, leading for two laps before Capirossi retook the lead at turn one with eight laps to go. This victory was the 32-year-old’s 25th and his third with the Ducati Marlboro Team. He now lies third in the World Championship after scoring two wins and a second-place from the last three GPs. “It’s been a fantastic week!” grinned Capirossi, who started from pole position for the second consecutive weekend. “Today was tougher than Motegi, but Bridgestone brought a great selection of tyres and we worked hard to understand which would be the best for the race. After the start I tried not to use my tyres too much, I wanted to control the race. Then my pit board told me Valentino was coming, and when you have a seven-time World Champion behind you, you know he’s coming! I did my best but he overtook, then I did some great laps in the end. I’ve been racing GPs for 16 years now but my potential is still strong and I want more wins! Thanks to everyone and I want to dedicate this win to Livio.” CHECA’S FIRST PODIUM WITH DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM Carlos Checa was the fastest man on track at several stages of today’s race as he battled back from eighth place on lap one. The Ducati Marlboro Team man was forced wide at turn one and worked incredibly well to score his first podium with the team. He fought long and hard with Nicky Hayden, finally taking third at turn nine with five laps to go. Then he zeroed in on Valentino Rossi, finishing just metres behind the champ. “I knew I had to get a good start because it’s not easy to pass people from the third row,” said ‘El Toro’. “But when I flicked into the first turn I had to run wide to avoid contact. That totally changed my race, it wasn’t easy to come back but I set my pace and saw the leaders losing time as they battled together. I had a lot of fun with Nicky, though it’s not easy to out-brake someone at over 300kmh! Then I saw Valentino struggling. The last turn was exciting but he defended his position too well. We started this year with a new package, it was tough to start with, but now we are reaping the reward. My thanks to everyone and I want to dedicate this race to Livio’s family.” More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: ROSSI TAKES SECOND SUCCESSIVE MOTOGP TITLE FOR YAMAHA Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi clinched the MotoGP World Championship for the fifth successive season after taking second place in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang today. Rossi became only the third rider in history to win the premier-class title on five occasions, emulating the achievements of Mick Doohan and Giacomo Agostini and adding to his championships in the 125cc and 250cc classes. Now a seven-time World Champion, Rossi marked the achievement by wearing a t-shirt bearing the famous number 7 worn by the legendary Barry Sheene and launching into a riotous celebration with his fan club, dressed as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to commemorate the occasion. The Italian secured the championship with four races to spare thanks largely to the swift action of his mechanics, who resolved a series of tyre and set-up problems during this morning’s warm-up session and allowed him to charge from seventh on the grid to a sensational second place behind eventual winner Loris Capirossi (Ducati). Rossi’s Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards finished in tenth place after struggling with front set-up problems all weekend. VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd – + 1.999) “I am very happy because I gave more than 100% in the race today. We have been in trouble all weekend and this morning I wasn’t sure if I would finish on the podium. But I got a good start and rode a clever race whilst other riders seemed nervous and made mistakes. Little by little I moved to the front and I felt comfortable with the bike. I passed Hayden and then swapped positions with Capirossi a couple of times, but in the last seven laps he changed gear and I couldn’t go with him. Anyway, I am World Champion for the seventh time, which is incredible! Last year was a bit of a surprise but this time everybody was out to beat me. I want to thank all my mechanics, Jerry, the engineers”¦ everybody who works for Yamaha!” COLIN EDWARDS (10th +22.275) “We made the same mistake as we did in the first round at Jerez, but in reverse. This morning we went to a different construction front tyre and we fixed the problem we had, but then the balance of the bike wasn’t right and we didn’t have time to sort it out. The rear was sitting way too low and started to go quite early in the race. From then on it was a case of survival. At least we know where we went wrong and I’m really looking forward to Qatar because I had a great race there. I want to say congratulations to Valentino because he’s done an awesome job this year.” JEREMY BURGESS ROSSI’S CREW CHIEF “Obviously the situation in Motegi meant that the celebrations were put off for a week but now we can celebrate. It has been a difficult weekend for all the teams, including ourselves, but we made a few changes in the warm-up and managed to give Valentino a bike that we knew could run for the podium. The season started with exactly the bike that we wanted and Yamaha has done everything we asked for. To win nine out of thirteen races is an excellent achievement by everybody and we have a great package. Good rider, good bike, good team”¦ what more could you ask for?” More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: ROSSI COMMENTS ON HIS SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP WIN WITH YAMAHA After finishing second in today’s Malaysian Grand Prix and clinching his fifth successive MotoGP title, his second for Yamaha, Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi commented on his title victory: “I am very happy with this championship. I know I gave more than 100% today, and we had a lot of problems this weekend. This morning I wasn’t sure if I could fight for the podium! After the start I stayed calm as some riders made some mistakes, and I was able wait for things to clear. Step-by-step and metre-by-metre I moved through the pack and I used every second of the race. I got to third behind Nicky and I thought I could fight because the bike was feeling okay and I knew that Nicky was having some of the same problems as me. Eventually I passed him and caught up to Loris and at some places I was faster, some slower. I passed him but when he passed me back I knew that he had been playing with me, like a cat with a mouse, because in the last seven laps he changed gear and I couldn’t stay with him, he was incredible! “This morning in the warm-up we made some changes and found a better feeling. Michelin worked really hard to give us a competitive package for the race and this showed, because it was a great improvement to yesterday. “So I am World Champion for the seventh time and it’s a great feeling. It’s been great to come back from the bad result at Motegi last week and do so well; we made a good race today. This title is not just down to me but to everybody involved; Jeremy Burgess, all my mechanics, all the Yamaha engineers and all the people on the management side, including Davide Brivio. “Today I put the number 7 on my t-shirt because this is the number of my championships but also because it was the number of Barry Sheene, who was a great hero of mine and a truly great racer. The celebration with my fan club, dressed as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was just a bit of fun to celebrate the seven titles, and also because I always liked the story as a child! Now I go back to Italy for a couple of days but we can also make a little party here I have my mother and some of my best friends from Italy to help me celebrate! “This year Yamaha has worked so hard again to give me the bike I need. At the start of the year we had some problems with the M1, but then we found the right way forward and the bike started to fly. The M1 has been great fun to race this year. Last year was a surprise to win but this time everyone was ready for me and I was the target. It has been a great achievement to beat all my rivals this year, because they have been very strong. “I think for me the race at Mugello was the biggest emotion of the season, because it was in front of my home fans. Every year there is a different story to the championship, and this year has been a hard battle. The emotion to win a seventh world championship is difficult to explain. The first is like a dream, the second unbelievable; there are just no words to describe the seventh! The feeling is different to when I won the 125cc and 250cc titles, but just as good! “Racing with Yamaha gives me a great taste and a great motivation to win; these last two championships have been two of the best.” VALENTINO ROSSI STATISTICS Winning the MotoGP World Championship with four rounds to spare has been the icing on the cake for Valentino Rossi after a season of unprecedented success that has seen him rewrite history at almost every round. As well as clocking up his 150th Grand Prix in all classes and taking his total win ratio to over 50%, Rossi has also reached a host of other milestones – particularly in the premier class, where he is now the third most decorated rider in history behind Giacomo Agostino and Mick Doohan. Here is a full list of Rossi’s historic MotoGP achievements in 2005: · Rossi’s victory at Jerez for the first round of the season made him the only rider other than Agostini to win the opening race of the year on five successive occasions. · At the Dutch TT Rossi became the first Yamaha rider ever to win five successive premier-class races. · At Brno Rossi became the first rider to score more than eight premier-class wins in a season on five occasions. · Rossi’s victory at Brno was the 77th of his career, overtaking Mike Hailwood as the third most successful Grand Prix racer of all time behind Giacomo Agostini and Angel Nieto. · The Brno win was also Rossi’s ninth of the year, equalling the record he set in 2004 for most victories in a single season by a Yamaha rider. · Rossi is the first rider ever to take nine wins in a second on five separate occasions. · His second place at Sepang was the 113th podium of his career, lifting him above Hailwood to fourth place in the list of all-time podium finishes in all classes. · Rossi’s pole position at Donington Park was his 30th in the premier-class, one more than Kevin Schwantz and second only to Mick Doohan’s total of 58. · Rossi has gone on to win 25 of the 30 premier-class races he has started from pole, a ratio equal to 83.3%. · Rossi has joined Mick Doohan and Giacomo Agostini as one of only three riders to have taken five or more premier-class World Championships. · With 51 victories from 93 races, Rossi’s win ratio is the fourth best of all time behind John Surtees, Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood. · With 77 podiums from the same number of starts, Rossi’s career podium ratio of 82.7% is the best in MotoGP and 500cc history. Other facts about Rossi’s career In 1997 Rossi became the second youngest ever 125cc World Champion after scoring 321 points and eleven wins. Two years later, he became the youngest ever 250cc World Champion with nine wins. In 2001 Rossi joined Phil Read as one of only two riders ever to win the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc titles. Rossi’s debut victory for Yamaha at the opening race of 2004 in South Africa made him the first rider in history to take back-to-back wins for different manufacturers. After winning the MotoGP World Championship three times for Honda, Rossi took his fourth premier-class title with Yamaha in 2004 and became the only rider other than Eddie Lawson to win consecutive premier-class titles for different manufacturers More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha: ELIAS AND XAUS COTINUE TO PROGRESS IN SEPANG The Malaysian Grand Prix iN Sepang proved another positive weekend for the FORTUNA YAMAHA riders who both achieved their aim of finishing the race and scoring points. The race took place in scorching heat with the predicted rain not making an appearance and tempertaures hit 40 degrees and 50 degrees on the track. TONI ELIAS, who has scored points in every race he has taken part in this year, finished in 11th position. The Barcelona born rider was not altogether happy with his result, though, especially at a circuit which he likes so much having won there in 2003 in the 250 class. Elias had various problems with the front end of his bike which prevented him from reproducing the fine form he had shown in qualifying. He was battling for tenth with Colin Edwards early on but could not overcome the American due to his problems it was a real shame given how comfortable he had looked on the bike over the course of the weekend. For his part, Ruben Xaus came home in 15th place. The Spaniard did battle with Shakey Byrne during the closing stages of the race but had to settle for 15th in the end. Xaus will be looking forward to the next round in Qatar where he pulled off a spectacular result last season. At the end of the race all the FORTUNA YAMAHA team congratulated Valentino Rossi who clinched his fifth successive world crown with second place at Sepang. TONI ELIAS (24): WARM UP: 13th – 2.03.606 + 1.338 (8/9 laps). RACE: 11th + 29.856 CHAMPIONSHIP: 15th, 43 points “It was a very tough race. We had problems with the front end which did not let me ride comfortably as I did not have the grip i wanted. It’s a bit starnge as we did not have any problems for the first two days and we’ll have to work hard to find a solution over the next few days. Despite everything we have worked well this weekend and must keep haeding in thsi direction.” RUBEN XAUS (11): WARM UP: 16th – 2.05.584 + 3.316 (3/9 laps). RACE: 15th + 1.19.356 CHAMPIONSHIP: 16th, 43 points “I did not feel to good yesterday and did not sleep well. I got away badly in the race and took a while to find my rhythm which did not let me ride the race i wanted. There are still four races left at circuits which I like and I hope to get some good results and enjoy myself. If i don’t have a good feeling on the bike then it makes it difficult for me, but I will keep on fighting.” HERVE PONCHARAL, Team Manager FORTUNA YAMAHA: “It was a really difficult race. I think Toni enjoyed his best weekend since joining the category he worked very well and consistently. He has the potential to finish in the top ten and I hope he will show that in the next few races. Ruben did not get a good start and struggled to find his rhythm. Ruben has good memories of Qatar and I hope he can produce the same kind of result as he did last year.” NEW RECORD: N. Hayden, 2.02.993 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: HAYDEN TAKES A FIGHTING FOURTH PLACE AT SEPANG Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) finished just shy of the podium places riding to a fighting fourth place in front of 47,000 race fans here at a sweltering Sepang. Hayden set the first fastest lap of his career so far after challenging for the lead in the early stages of the race. Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) rode to fifth place – an especially rugged ride taking into account his badly cut foot. But he was not quite fit enough to stay with the leaders or eventual winner Loris Capirossi (Ducati). Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) finished second and Carlos Checa (Ducati) was third. Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) was sixth. The 21-lap race got off to a frantic start as riders funnelled into turn one with Capirossi getting the better of his front row rivals with a clean exit that gained him at least ten metres. Checa was pushed wide on the exit of the turn and had to make up early ground to get back on terms with the front-runners. And he wasn’t the only rider pushing to stay in touch with the leaders. Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) continued his wretched season when he crashed out on lap three while trying to carve through the field, and the Spanish star also took out Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) in the crash. The early race order was Capirossi, Melandri, Hayden, Rossi before Nicky began his charge to second putting in a fastest lap of the race of 2m 02.993 seconds on lap three. He put pressure on Capirossi for the lead by lap five but couldn’t make it past the Italian despite massive efforts. Rossi was soon the man taking up the challenge to the leader. He passed Nicky for second and then began to attack Capirossi. Nicky then lost third to Checa while Capirossi responded to the Rossi threat in the closing laps, extending his lead from 0.7 seconds on lap 17 to 1.2 seconds by lap 19. Checa was now intent on stealing second place from Rossi and he relentlessly bore down on the World Champion in the final stages only to lose out by seven hundredths of a second as they crossed the line. With the track temperature at 50 degrees and ambient temperature at 38 degrees this was always going to be a hard race and so it proved. Every effort to close the gap made by Capirossi’s pursuers took its toll and all the challengers were forced to back off, unable to sustain or remount a challenge. Such was the rapid Italian’s mastery on the day. Nicky, in fourth, said, “The first few laps were fun. There were guys going for it everywhere. I think I got hit by Sete at one stage and I lost a bit of the tyre in the center that caused a little chatter. The bike came a long way this weekend – my guys did a great job. I couldn’t hold the pace in the end but I tried my hardest and tried to hold onto the podium. The tyre I ran today was a lot better than I’ve had all weekend. Michelin did a great job to give us something for the race.” Melandri, a fighting fifth, said, “I am so tired. We worked on the rear end of the bike for the race because it was painful for me to push down on the rear brake but in changin that we lost a bit of feel at the front. Because of the problems under braking the bike was sliding a lot on the exit but luckily from the halfway stage onwards, with less fuel and weight on board the bike, I found my rhythm and pushed a little.” “I’m really sorry that I’ve failed to finish the race again, said Sete. “There’s not much else to say. We had a good warm-up this morning but once again we’ve been unable to finish things off in the right way on Sunday. All I can say about the crash is that I’m sorry. I tried to pass Nakano on the inside on the brakes but my front brake lever made contact with him and I lost the front-end.” Sixth-placed Max said, “Sometimes when things are not right you have to work even harder to make the points and just to get home. Today I made it back with a machine that doesn’t go the way I want although Erv and my team tried so hard. We still have second place in the World Championship and this is a position I will defend right till the end of the season with all my spirit.” Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) finished eighth and said, “Today I had to ride a defensive race. I was behind Roberts and I stayed there, blocked. I only tried once to pass him and I ran wide, risking crashing. Every time I braked the bike didn’t stop, it jumped. There was no grip at the front and that meant I couldn’t attack to make up places. Probably with this heat everyone had a few difficulties and there are times you can ride through the problems, but this wasn’t one of them.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) struggled to 12th. The Japanese star said, “Our weekend didn’t start well and it finished that way too. Due to crashes in the first two days during practice, we didn’t get our RC211V set up right. Today I did what was possible, but I couldn’t push it any more. I’m very sad for my team who’ve done everything to give me a competitive bike. Let’s close this page of the season and think about the future. In seven days in Qatar we’ll have to do much better. It’s never my intention to give up.” Shane Byrne, standing in for the injured Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V), managed 14th place. He said “Having got to the end of this weekend I can safely say that I expected fewer problems, but I quickly changed my opinion, after the first practice. Probably if these two races were in Europe it would have been a bit easier for me, but that’s not the case. The team has done a fantastic job, and in the end I’m quite satisfied to have finished the race and to have not committed any serious errors.” Rossi is now World Champion and the fight is on for the runner-up slot. Biaggi has 159 points, Capirossi 142, Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 139, Melandri 137 and Hayden 134. It will be an even closer battle now with just four races to go. World Championship points leader Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) crashed out of the 250cc race on the second lap while holding third place. His Championship rival Casey Stoner won the race from Alex de Angelis, Sebastian Porto was third (all Aprilia). With Dani out of the running early no one had the pace to challenge Stoner and even the on-form Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) couldn’t make an impression on the front men. He finished fifth, just over ten seconds adrift of the winner. With Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) suspended for this race, it was a chance for his team-mate Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) to match his second-best result of the season with another sixth place as he gets to grips with a 250 after cutting his teeth on 125s. Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) finished seventh while his teammate Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) crashed out on the first lap. Dani said, “It was an unexpected an unnecessary crash that I still can’t explain it. I was riding carefully, allowing Stoner and De Angelis to set their pace because they were running fast. I didn’t feel comfortable with the bike, which was sliding a lot. When I arrived at the corner I went in as normal, let go of the brakes and when I went to open the gas I lost the front end and couldn’t hang on. It’s a shame because this weekend had got gradually better after a few days of rest, but it’s my fourth crash in just over a week.” Aoyama said, “There wasn’t much grip on the track, the engine temperature was higher and it wasn’t as strong as it had been in practice. I saw Dani crash in front of me and it scared me a little because I wasn’t that comfortable either. I decided not to push too hard and just finish in the best possible position.” Takahashi said, “I started from the back of the grid and when Debon crashed on the first lap, I had to brake to dodge him and lost some positions. On the tenth lap when Locatelli passed me I got into his slipstream improving my time and position till I was seventh. I’m satisfied with this result after a low-key performance this weekend. We changed the set-up for the race taking some risks – but it was the right choice.” Dovi said, “I didn’t make a good start and at the first corner Aoyama, who was in front of me, slammed on the brakes: I had to brake too hard to and I lost the rear end. The lack of points is not too bad because Pedrosa hasn’t scored any points, either.” The World Championship now takes on a greater tension with Dani’s lead now reduced to 38 points with four races to go. The table looks like this: Pedrosa 226, Stoner 188, Dovizioso 144, Aoyama 134. Tough Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) won the 125cc race with a stirring ride from pole position despite carrying injuries from his heavy Motegi crash last weekend. Mika Kallio (KTM) was second and Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) third. Luthi powered into the lead from the off and by the halfway stage the young Swiss had built up a 1.4 second lead. But Kallio slowly reeled him in and with nine laps to go Luthi’s advantage was down to just under a second. It looked as if the punishment of 19 laps of this demanding 5.548km track in searing heat would be too much for Honda’s injured World Championship points leader, but Luthi showed real steel to hold off a determined Kallio to win by the slenderest of margins at the flag – just two thousandths of a second. Luthi said, “It’s been a very difficult week after my crash. I tried everything to be able to ride here, to qualify and to race, but huge thanks must go my team because my bike was a wreck after the crash at Motegi and this weekend it was fixed and it was perfect.” Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) finished seventh while Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) rode into the top ten in tenth position. He said, “My start was good and I recovered a lot of positions in the first corners, but a mistake on the second lap kept me far away from the leaders. My engine was not so powerful today and I wasn’t able to get to the three KTMs in front of me. But I managed seventh position after fighting with Simoncelli and Di Meglio.” Koyama said, “My start wasn’t so bad, but in the first three laps I felt the suspension was too hard and I lost a few places. Then from lap four I began to feel good with the bike and got faster. I was with Poggiali and we caught the second group. In the slipstream my engine ran hot, it was up to over 60 degrees at one stage, so I stayed beside Poggiali to keep the temperature down. Those first few laps cost me some positions at the end.” The World Championship points table now shows Luthi on 189, Kallio with 181, then Gabor Talmacsi (KTM) slipping out of title contention on 131, followed by Pasini in fourth overall with 127 points. There are now four rounds of the series to go with a maximum 100 points available. HONDA TEAM RIDERS QUOTES: MotoGP: Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team: 4th:”The first few laps were kinda’ fun really. There were guys going for it everywhere. I think I got hit by Sete at one stage and I lost a bit of the tyre right it the centre that caused a little chatter. The bike came a long way this weekend – my guys did a great job. I couldn’t hold the pace in the end. I tried my hardest and tried to hold onto the podium but it wasn’t to be. The tyre I ran today was a lot better than I’ve had all weekend. Michelin did a great job to give us something for the race – really gave us a chance to fight. Fourth is not what I wanted but I learned a lot in the race – mixing it with Valentino, Capirossi and Checa.” Marco Melandri, Movistar Honda MotoGP: : “I am so tired. the foot wasn’t too painful but the area around the cut is much more sensitive to the heat and I almost burnt it. We worked really well with the rear end for the race because it was painful for me to push down on the rear brake but with that we lost a bit of feel for the front. Because of the problems under braking the bike was also sliding a lot on the exit but luckily from the halfway stage onwards, with less fuel and weight on board the bike, I found my rhythm and pushed a little. I’m happy with this result because it was unthinkable that a race could end this way a few days ago. I want to thank all the Clinica Mobile doctors for all their help.” Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda Team:6th: “I remember so well being at this track back in February when I limped onto the factory RCV for the first time, recovering from my broken foot. I was very high on emotion and we were fast on the bike. Sure it was not perfect but it was the start of the year and we had time before the season started to make a good package. When we arrived here we are in a bad shape with the bike. It is not the same machine as it was at the start of the year. As this weekend passed it seems to get worse. In the race there were times when I nearly crashed. Sometimes when things are not right you have to work even harder to make the points and just to get home. Today I make it back with a machine that does not go the way I want and me and my team under Erv tried so hard. We still have second place in the championship and this is a position I will defend right till the end of the season with all my spirit.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda: 8th: “Today I had to ride a defensive race, without be able to attack. I was behind Roberts and I stayed there, blocked. I only tried once to pass him and I ran it wide, risking crashing. Every time I braked the bike didn’t stop, it jumped, there was no grip at the front and that meant I couldn’t attack to make up places. Probably with this heat everyone had a few difficulties and there are time you can ride over the problems, but this was not really possible on this occasion. I tried to finish the race without crashing, because I didn’t want to do as I did in Motegi and I managed that, but I can’t be happy with eighth place.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 12th: “Our weekend didn’t start well and so it finished. Due to the slips in the first two days during practice, we didn’t make it to properly adjust our RC211V. Today I have done what possible, but I couldn’t make it to find the right feeling to push it more. I’m very sad also for my Team that has done everything to give me a competitive bike. Let’s close this page of the season and let’s think about the future. In seven days in Qatar we’ll have to do much better. It’s not my intention to give up.” Shane Byrne, Camel Honda: 14th : “Having got to the end of this weekend I can safely say that I expected fewer problems, but I quickly changed my opinion, after the first practice. Probably if these two races were in Europe it would have been a bit easier for me, but that’s not the case and I have to do the best I can. The team has done a fantastic job, and in the end I’m quite satisfied to have finished the race and to have not committed any serious errors. Running wide in a corner at the beginning meant I lost contact with the small group in front of me, and I couldn’t get back up there. On the last lap I did manage to enjoy myself battling with Xaus though. With a race under my belt I hope to get off to a better start in Qatar and to take a better result.” Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda MotoGP: Dnf: “I’m really sorry that I’ve failed to finish the race again – there’s not much else to say. We had a good warm-up this morning but once again we’ve been unable to finish things off in the right way on Sunday. All I can say about the crash is that I’m sorry. I tried to pass Nakano on the inside on the brakes but made contact with my front brake lever and lost the front end.” 250cc: Hiroshi Aoyama, MoviStar Honda: 5th: “There wasn’t much grip on the track, the temperature of the bike rose and the engine wasn’t as strong as it had been in practice. I saw Dani crash in front of me and it scared me a little because I wasn’t comfortable either. I decided not to push too hard and just finish in the best possible position.” Hector Barbera, Fortuna Honda: 6th: “After the race I got off the bike really upset and not happy with this result. I did better in the race than in qualifying to earn this place. I had hoped to be up with the front group but I had a problem with the rear tyre. I have to work much harder on making the best tyre choice for the race and how to save the tyre. I always look forward and step by step with a lot of work we will reach our goal.” Yuki Takahashi, Scot Honda: 7th: “I started from the back of the grid and when Debon crashed, in the first lap, I had to brake to dodge him losing positions. On the tenth lap when Locatelli passed me I exploited his slipstream improving my time and position till I was seventh. I’m satisfied for this result after a low-key performance this weekend. We changed the set up for the race taking some risks. But it was the right choice”. Dirk Heidolf, Kiefer Bos Castrol Honda: 11th. “The race was difficult. I got a very bad start and then Dovizioso crashed in front of me. I had to take avoiding action to miss his bike and lost time. But I soon found a good rhythm and caught Jenkner and closed on the group in front of me. I chose to race with the hard H tyre from Dunlop and maybe that was a mistake because the track is bumpy and I was sliding a lot, I couldn’t get on the gas as early as I wanted to so I lost a little ground. Still I’m happy with my place at the finish. Now we go to Qatar and hope we can continue in the same way. We have to build on this result.” Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda: 19th. “I had a problem with the valve going to the start line. I tried to ride with by using the kill switch but I was last so I pulled into the pit so the team could fix the problem. When I went out I was behind the leading group, one lap down just to see how fast I was against them. I didn’t come here to watch the race on TV so I rode it out.” Dani Pedrosa, MoviStar Honda: dnf – crash: “It was an unexpected an unnecessary crash that I still can’t explain. I was riding carefully, allowing Stoner and De Angelis to set their pace because they were running fast and I still didn’t feel comfortable with the bike, which was sliding a lot. When I arrived at the corner I went in there as normal, let go of the brakes and when I went to open the gas I lost the front end and couldn’t hang on. I wasn’t pushing it at all. We had a carburetion problem and the bike was getting bogged down at the end of the two straights. We leave here without scoring points and the gap in the championship is reduced, but I’m confident that the bad luck will end here and we’ll be back at our best in Qatar. It’s a shame because this weekend had got gradually better after a few days of rest, but it is my fourth crash in just over a week and we have made another mistake Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Honda: dnf – crash. “I haven’t mad a good start and at the first corner Ayoama, who was in front of me, slammed on the brakes: I had to brake too hard and I lost the rear end slid out. The lack of points is fortunately not too bad because Pedrosa hasn’t scored any points, either ” Alex Debon, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf – crash. “I went to the start very happy with my bike. I got a good start but at the corner coming onto the back straight. I opened the gas too fast and got high-sided from the bike. I’m not happy with my performance because I lost a good chance to take points and move up in the ‘Private’ rider standings.” Radomil Rous, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf- crash. “I got a bad start and was near the back that made me nervous and I pushed too hard opened the gas too early and crashed at the same corner as Alex (Debon). I am very disappointed after my good race at Motegi last week.” Jorge Lorenzo, Fortuna Honda serving one-race suspension: dns. 125cc: Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 1st. “I started a little too fast and the front end came up on me. After that I braked hard at the first and second corners and got the lead. Once in front I tried to breakaway running 2m 15s lap times but Kallio eventually caught me. We stayed together and towards the end of the race the dropped the pace to 2m 17s. Then on the last lap I put in another 2m 15s lap and held on to win. That was my tactic and it paid off. I really happy after what happened at Motegi. ” Fabrizio Lai, Kopron Racing World Honda: 7th: : “My start was good and I recovered a lot positions in the first corners but a mistake on the second lap kept me far away from the leaders. My engine was not so powerful today and I wasn’t able to get to the three KTM’s in front of me. I reached seventh position after fighting against Simoncelli and Mike (Di Meglio)..” Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 10th. “My start was not so bad but in the first three laps I felt the suspension was too hard and I lost a few places. Then from lap 4 I began to feel god with the bike and got faster. I was with Poggiali and we caught the second group. In the slipstream my engine ran hot, it was up to 64′ at one time, but I stayed beside Poggiali to keep the temperature down. The first few laps cost me some positions at the end.” Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Racing World Honda: 11th: “On this track it’s important to start from the first few rows because at the first corner all the riders are concentrated into a funnel. Unfortunately I mistakes in the second and fundamental qualifying practice and I started from the third row. My bike was ok in the cyclistic set up but the engine was good only when I stayed in. Alexis Masbou, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 14th. “It was a difficult race today. My bike was good on acceleration but not top speed so I had to use the slipstream to stay with the group. The trouble was that the engine got too hot, it was running at almost 70′, so when I pulled out of the slipstream to pass another rider I couldn’t do it.” Aleix Espargaro, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 15th. “I’m not very happy to finish 15th. I didn’t get a very good start but I could slipstream the other riders in my group but without the draft I was slow. I was a little worried about the rear tyre before the race but it was OK. The chassis was good but the engine was not as good as in practice. At the last corner I thought I would finish 17th but I pushed hard and the others ran a little wide and I was on the inside and got 15th.” Alvaro Bautista, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 26th. “I am really disappointed with that race. Somebody hit me at the second corner and I crashed. I saw the bike was not too badly damaged so I picked it up and continued. But I was in last place. I passed a few riders but I didn’t find a good rhythm after the crash so I didn’t ride at my best.” Wai On Cheung, CHN, replaces Raymond Schouten on Molenaar Honda: 29th: “I enjoyed the race and fighting with GP riders, it was a great experience. In China we don’t have high-speed corner and I was not fast there in practice but I was better today. The team helped me a lot and I have to thank them a lot.” Toshihisa Kuzuhara, Angaia Racing Honda: dnf – crash. “Today in the race I really tried my best and I’m really disappointed with my crash at the ‘S’ corner. Particularly as there were just two laps to go in the race. Now we go to Qatar where I will again give my best and hope for a better result.” Results MotoGP Race Classification MotoGP : (21 laps = 116.508 km) Pos/ Rider / Nat / Team / Motorcycle / Time/ KM/H 1 / Loris CAPIROSSI / ITA / Ducati Marlboro Team / DUCATI / 43’27.523 / 160.853 2 / Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Gauloises Yamaha Team / YAMAHA / 43’29.522 / 160.730 3 / Carlos CHECA / SPA / Ducati Marlboro Team / DUCATI / 43’29.592 / 160.725 4 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 43’36.750 / 160.286 5 / Marco MELANDRI / ITA / Movistar Honda MotoGP / HONDA / 43’43.409 / 159.879 6 / Max BIAGGI / ITA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 43’44.349 / 159.822 7 / Kenny ROBERTS / USA / Team Suzuki MotoGP / SUZUKI / 43’44.772 / 159.796 8 / Alex BARROS / BRA / Camel Honda / HONDA / 43’45.744 / 159.737 9 / John HOPKINS / USA / Team Suzuki MotoGP / SUZUKI / 43’47.648 / 159.621 10 / Colin EDWARDS / USA / Gauloises Yamaha Team / YAMAHA / 43’49.798 / 159.490 11 / Toni ELIAS / SPA / Fortuna Yamaha Team / YAMAHA / 43’57.379 / 159.032 12 / makoto TAMADA / JPN / Konica Minolta Honda / HONDA / 44’19.195 / 157.727 13 / Roberto ROLFO / ITA / Team D’Antin Pramac / DUCATI / 44’32.888 / 156.919 14 / Shane BYRNE / GBR / Team Roberts / PROTON KR / 44’46.629 / 156.117 15 / Ruben XAUS / SPA / Fortuna Yamaha Team / YAMAHA / 44’46.879 / 156.102 Fastest Lap (Unofficial new record): Nicky HAYDEN 2’02.993 162.389 Km/h Lap 3 Lap Record: Valentino ROSSI 2’03.253 162.047 Km/h 2004 World Championship Positions: 1 ROSSI 281, 2 BIAGGI 159, 3 CAPIROSSI 142, 4 EDWARDS 139, 5 MELANDRI 137, 6 HAYDEN 134, 7 BARROS 122, 8 GIBERNAU 115, 9 CHECA 88, 10 NAKANO 69, 11 TAMADA 68, 12 ROBERTS 58, 13 BAYLISS 54, 14 HOPKINS 53, 15 ELIAS 43.