Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Race Results:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 21 laps, 44:13.182
2. Max Biaggi, Honda, -6.445 seconds
3. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, -8.209 seconds
4. Sete Gibernau, Honda, -13.209 seconds
5. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, -23.099 seconds
6. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, -29.040 seconds
7. Nicky Hayden, Honda, -29.126 seconds
8. Alex Barros, Yamaha, -30.526 seconds
9. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, -33.447 seconds
10. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, -40.200 seconds
11. Norick Abe, Yamaha, -44.790 seconds
12. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, -63.358 seconds, crash
13. John Hopkins, Suzuki, -63.950 seconds
14. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, -64.085 seconds
15. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, -69.990 seconds
16. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, -76.572 seconds
17. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, -77.380 seconds
18. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki, -83.605 seconds
19. Tamaki Serizawa, Moriwaki Honda, -95.459 seconds
20. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, -117.128 seconds, crash
21. Makoto Tamada, Honda, -9 laps, DNF, crash
22. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, -14 laps, DNF, retired
23. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, -15 laps, DNF, crash
24. Daijiro Kato, Honda, -19 laps, DNF, crash
25. Chris Burns, Harris, DNS

Fastest Lap: Rossi, 2:04.970, lap 6 (new Circuit Record Lap)

Fastest Top Speed: Capirossi, 196.7 mph (316.5 kph)


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

CHECA DISAPPOINTED IN TENTH WITH ABE ONE PLACE BEHIND

Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Carlos Checa made a disappointing start to his 2003 MotoGP World Championship campaign today at Suzuka in Japan. The Spaniard took the holeshot from the fourth place on the starting grid on his Yamaha YZR-M1 but gradually slipped back to 10th at the flag. The race was won easily by reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda) who finished six seconds ahead of his fellow Italian and arch rival, Max Biaggi (Honda). Third place went to Loris Capirossi who made an impressive debut for new arrivals Ducati in the MotoGP class. The race was marred by an accident in which Japanese rider Daijiro Kato suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital.

“I didn’t have a good feeling today with the bike,” explained a disappointed Checa. “I got away well but I just didn’t feel comfortable and couldn’t push. I know that I am capable of doing better lap times than that here and I am very disappointed with this result.”

Team replacement rider Norick Abe finished just behind Checa on the Yamaha prototype YZR-M1 machine. The official factory Yamaha test rider gave up his wildcard entry yesterday to become the replacement rider for Melandri this weekend.

“Today I made a good start and got up to about eighth at the end of the first lap,” explained Abe. “At that point I thought I could have a good race but then I developed some problems with rear tyre grip and was sliding more with each lap and my lap times got worse. We had changed the set-up this morning but it didn’t really work as well as I hoped.”

Abe and Checa are due to test at Suzuka tomorrow and Tuesday with Yamaha test rider Wataru Yoshikawa. Brazilian Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Alex Barros, who finished a brave eighth today after hurting his knee in a morning warm-up fall, will no longer test but use the time to rest his knee. The test was scheduled in advance of this weekend, but it is likely that the Fortuna Yamaha Team will be forced to nominate a test rider for the South African Grand Prix, that takes place at Welkom on 27th April, after the two days.

“Our own problems seem pretty small when compared to what happened to Daijiro Kato” reflected Fortuna Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “I am not aware of the extent of his injuries, but our thoughts and prayers are with him, his team and family. This has not been a good weekend for injuries but it would be too easy to criticise anybody now until we have looked back at all the evidence over the weekend.

“For our team it was certainly not a good start to the Championship. Marco’s injury on Friday was a huge blow and I just hope that he recovers quickly. We will give him all the time he needs to get fully better so that he comes back strongly.

“As a team we set ourselves very high standards and I was certainly expecting a better result today after all the work we’ve done last year and during the winter. It has been a very disappointing day and we need to sit down together and analyse what happened and make sure we come back much stronger in South Africa.”

Fortuna Yamaha Team new-boy Marco Melandri was unable to make his MotoGP debut following a high-speed fall in the opening practice session of the weekend. The 20-year-old 2002 250cc World Champion suffered a double fracture of his ankle and a small chipped fracture of the femur in a high-speed crash during yesterday’s opening practice session. After one night in a local hospital Melandri returned to the circuit yesterday and spent the night in the team hotel. Speaking from the circuit medical centre while watching an enthralling 250cc race, the young Italian said: “I slept well last night and feel much better now. My body feels OK now and the haematoma on my thigh is going down. I’ll travel back to Italy tomorrow morning with the Clinica Mobile staff and check out what course of action we need to take with my ankle when we are back in Italy.

“I’ve been very happy to receive so many e-mail messages,” he continued, referring to the hundreds of e-mails that have arrived from all over the world to the [email protected] e-mail address set up by the team yesterday. “It is really nice to get them and I shall try to be back in action as soon as possible for all those people who have written!”


RESULTS
1. Valentino Rossi ITA Repsol HONDA 44’13.182
2. Max Biaggi ITA Camel Pramac Pons HONDA +6.445
3. Loris Capirossi ITA DUCATI Marlboro Team +8.209
4. Sete Gibernau SPA Telefonica Movistar HONDA +13.209
5. Troy Bayliss AUS DUCATI Marlboro Team +23.099
6. Colin Edwards USA Alice APRILIA Racing +29.040
7. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol HONDA +29.126
8. Alex Barros BRA Gauloises YAMAHA Team +30.526
9. Shinya Nakano JPN d’Antin YAMAHA Team +33.447
10. CARLOS CHECA SPA Fortuna YAMAHA Team +40.200
11. NORICK ABE JPN Fortuna YAMAHA Team +44.790

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Valentino Rossi 25
2. Max Biaggi 20
3. Loris Capirossi 16
4. Sete Gibernau 13
5. Troy Bayliss 11
6. Colin Edwards 10
7. Nicky Hayden 9
8. Alex Barros 8
9. Shinya Nakano 7
10. CARLOS CHECA 6
11. NORICK ABE 5



More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

MOTOGP CHAMPIONSHIP 2003
ROUND 1 – SUZUKA, JAPAN
SUNDAY 6TH APRIL 2003 – RACE DAY

Garry McCoy ended the first MotoGP of the 2003 season in Suzuka today just outside the points in 16th place.

The Australian, who walked away unscathed after a crashing his Kawasaki ZX-RR in this morning’s warm-up at turn one, had managed to fight his way through from 20th on the grid into a points-scoring position.

By the 13th lap, McCoy found himself in 14th place, dicing with the Yamaha of Olivier Jacque, with team-mate Andrew Pitt also in pursuit of a morale-boosting top 15 finish.

Unfortunately McCoy wasn’t able to maintain his pace as grip from his rear Dunlop tyre began to dictate his pace on the latest generation ZX-RR, and he dropped back to 16th two laps later.

In the closing few laps, McCoy came under intense pressure from Pitt, who had also shown his grit and determination after starting in 24th position on the grid.

McCoy though maintained his 16th position by just 0.8s at the end of a tough 21-lap race.

Development rider Akira Yanagawa was 18th, and Kawasaki is hoping to build on the information it gathered in Suzuka to make further improvements for the Welkom GP in South Africa later this month.

Garry McCoy – 16th
“It was a bit tough because I got a little bit boxed in off the start. The guy in front of me who didn’t really get off the line too good came in my direction and held me up a little bit. As the race got going, I was just trying to ride around and move up as much as I possibly could. The rear tyre dropped off a little after six to eight laps and then it started to slide more and more as we got towards the end of the race. It made it more difficult and I had some near moments when I nearly crashed a couple of times. Halfway through the race I lost the front fender and it caused a bit of destruction on the bike around where the front wheel is. It’s disappointing to miss the points.”

Andrew Pitt – 17th
“We wanted to finish the race and we did that. We were struggling for a bit of grip out there and it was obvious that Garry and I were capable of running at the same pace. It would have been nice to have got some points but it wasn’t to be. The bike was working as good as it’s capable of doing at the moment, it stayed pretty consistent but about halfway round the last lap I started to run out of fuel so that’s what stopped us having our own little race that was going on.”

Akira Yanagawa – 18th
“I’m disappointed with this result because my lap times were similar to the Suzuki and they both finished in the points. On the first lap, I ran off the track because the front brake didn’t grab. I guess the carbon brakes weren’t quite up to working temperature. And then later on the first lap, I nearly high-sided because the engine kept cutting out, and then the power would rush back in. My mechanics said it was down to a problem with an electrical wire.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Japanese GP, Suzuka
Race Day
Sunday, April 6 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM MAKES REMARKABLE MotoGP DEBUT

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss scored extraordinary third- and fifth-place finishes in today’s season-opening Japanese GP at Suzuka. The pair were contesting the Italian factory’s first premier-class GP in over three decades, racing against rival marques with a full year’s MotoGP experience and competing on the Japanese manufacturers’ home tarmac.

Their performance was all the more incredible considering that both men started from the fourth row after weather-hit qualifying. That didn’t stop Capirossi from leading the first lap after unleashing the Desmosedici’s awesome power in the rush to the first turn.

“We are very happy,” said a delighted Federico Minoli, president of Ducati. “To score third place in our first MotoGP race, especially in the Japanese manufacturers’ backyard is simply incredible. This is a big, big result, my thanks to everyone in the team and at the factory.”

Claudio Domenicali, managing director of Ducati Corse, was also thrilled by the result. “This is at the high end of our expectations!” he grinned. “It was a difficult weekend because the weather changed in every session, so we couldn’t learn as much about the track as we wanted to. We had some bad luck with both riders having to start from the fourth row, but their starts were incredible! Now the bikes go to Welkom, but we return to Italy where Loris, Troy and Vittoriano Guareschi will ride development bikes at Mugello on April 14 and 15. We expect Welkom to be harder.”

Although a newcomer to MotoGP, Ducati has won nine World Superbike riders’ titles and 11 manufacturers’ crowns over the past 12 years.

CAPIROSSI SCORES STORMING THIRD

Loris Capirossi rode a brilliant Japanese GP this afternoon: second into the first turn after starting from the fourth row, leading the first four laps and finishing a strong third behind Honda riders Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi. It was all the hard-riding Ducati Marlboro Team man could have expected, and more.

“For sure I didn’t expect such a result in my first race with Ducati, especially with my fourth-row start,” beamed the Italian who headed the Suzuka top-speed chart at 316.5 kmh. “The Ducati people have worked very hard, the bike improves day by day and for sure there are better days to come. My start was unbelievable! After that I pushed so hard and to get third place is very good. I have to say thanks again to Ducati – we are still in the early stages with this bike but already we have shown that our potential is very high.”

Sadly, Capirossi derived little pleasure from the result after hearing the news that Daijiro Kato was seriously injured when he crashed during the race. “With Kato getting hurt, this doesn’t feel like a great day to me,” he added.

BAYLISS TAKES GREAT FIFTH IN MotoGP DEBUT

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss astounded the MotoGP regulars with a fighting ride to fifth in his first MotoGP race. The former World Superbike champion was the only rider in today’s GP who had never raced at this ultra-complex track, but he used the speed of his Desmosedici to devastating effect, coming through from the fourth row to end the first lap in sixth place.

Typically humble in his assessment of the race, Bayliss said: “It wasn’t a win but we got a race under our belt and we’re happy. We’ve shown that the Ducati is competitive and that’s what it’s all about. I couldn’t do any more, I was pretty consistent the whole race but we’re still missing a couple of things, I still don’t feel myself on the bike. When we find what we’re looking for, the bike will be really nice. I’m looking forward to all the other races, I’ll be doing my best everywhere we go.”

Bayliss, who has raced World Superbikes for the past few years, and is thus more used to a two-race format, joked to Domenicali after today’s race: “Hey Claudio, what time’s the second race? I think we can make some changes to the bike!” Like the rest of the Ducati Marlboro Team, Bayliss is totally serious about racing but that doesn’t stop him having fun.


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

PROTONS RETIRE FROM SUZUKA GP

Round 1: Japanese GP, Suzuka Race: Sunday, April 6, 2003

Nobuatsu Aoki: DNF – retired
Jeremy McWilliams: DNF – crash

Proton Team KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki went home from Suzuka today with no points. Neither of the only two-strokes on the grid completed the 21 laps of the 5.824km Suzuka circuit, compounding a troubled two days of practice, and making all the team members even more impatient for the arrival of their own new 990cc four-stroke racing prototype.

McWilliams had only qualified for the GP after heroic efforts in the wet final qualifying session, after circumstances had kept him in the pits during a brief window of dry-track opportunity the day before. The misfortune consigned him to last place on the grid.

The race went no better for the rider from Ulster, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Friday. He was running well, and had passed several riders to be lying 16th on the sixth lap when the front end slipped away at one of the very technical Suzuka circuit’s right-hand corners, and he crashed out, without injury.

Team-mate Aoki was close behind McWilliams, but retired to the pits at the end of that same seventh lap. He had been troubled by the transmission jumping under power, and fearing that the gearbox might lock up he pulled into the garage. Later investigation showed that in fact the drive chain had stretched, and was jumping on the sprocket.

The race was won by defending champion Valentino Rossi (Honda), with the similarly mounted Max Biaggi second, and Ducati rider Loris Capirossi third.

NOBUATSU AOKI
After three or four laps, I started to feel something wrong – the transmission was jumping. I thought it might be a problem with the clutch or the gearbox, and it was getting worse – real bad by the time I stopped. When my team checked, they found it was because the chain had stretched and was jumping on the sprocket teeth. Perhaps I could have finished if I had carried on, but I was so worried that the gearbox might lock up, and I decided to stop before there was a disaster.

JEREMY McWILLIAMS
I’m not sure why I crashed. I think it must have been my fault, but I didn’t do anything different that time than the previous laps …but I just pushed the front into Turn Five, and fell. I’m not hurt. Just surprised. I didn’t think I’d done anything stupid – all you can do is just roll into that turn. Really we just didn’t have long enough in practice to check tyre performance or durability, so it was a complete gamble for the race. Nobu and I had totally different tyres.

KENNY ROBERTS – Team Owner
There’s not much to say about today’s race. By the middle of next week we should know more about the progress with the new four-stroke. It would be nice to have one or two at the next race in South Africa, but realistically we don’t even know what spring rates to use, so the target now is to have the bike for the third race, the Spanish GP at Jerez.


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

Hopkins takes 13th in MotoGP season opener

SUZUKA, Japan – John Hopkins rode his Suzuki to a disappointing 13th-place finish at the MotoGP season opener in Suzuka, Japan. For Hopkins, who started on the third row, trouble started early when he got caught in a bad position going into the first turn.

“I got a decent start, but I was boxed out at Turn One,” Hopkins explained. Things went from bad to worse after his factory Suzuki GSV-R was bumped in the esses and he lost a few more positions. “My first lap was pretty disappointing for sure.”

Hopkins came around on the first lap in 17th. He tried to make up lost ground quickly as evidence his fastest lap being the second go around. From there he chipped away and worked his way up to 12th, but was passed by a surging Nori Haga on the final lap.

Hopkins and teammate Kenny Roberts Jr., ran together much of the race. On lap 8 Hopkins took advantage when Roberts slowed for a second and Hopper was able to pass his teammate. He held off Roberts, but could not hold off Haga, who charged past on Hopkins on the final lap.

“By then everything had gone off and I was sliding everywhere,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins finished one minute, 3.950 seconds behind race winner Valentino Rossi. Fellow Americans Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden finished sixth and seventh respectively, and teammate Kenny Robert 14th, just over a 10th of a second behind Hopkins.

“I tried to ride at 100 percent the entire race,” Hopkins concluded. “Right now the bike is still in full development. I’m staying positive and keeping the faith in Suzuki that they’ll come out with a competitive bike real soon. I think we can get his bike to perform quite a bit better in the next couple of races. I think this was a real difficult track to measure the performance of the bike.”

The Suzuka event was overshadowed by a horrific crash involving Daijiro Kato late in the race. Kato suffered serious injuries in the event and Hopkins said his thoughts are with his fallen competitor.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:
HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka. April 6, 2003.

Medical report Daijiro Kato.

Japanese rider Daijiro Kato crashed heavily on lap three of the Japanese Grand Prix, at Suzuka, today. Kato was treated at trackside and at the circuit medical center before being airlifted to hospital at Yokkaichi. He underwent a CAT scan that revealed he has sustained serious head, neck and chest injuries in the crash. Kato is in a coma, his condition is critical, and he is fighting for his life.

Our thoughts are now with Kato’s family, his friends and his team, at this moment.

Should the hospital staff issue further medical bulletins on Daijiro’s condition in the near future we will communicate this to all our colleagues.


2003 MotoGP 500 World Championship, Round 1
Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
April 4/5/6 2003

ROSSI AND BIAGGI SCORE HONDA 1-2

Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) opened his 2003 account with a win at the first round of the season in Japan, outdistancing his closest rival Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) by 6.445 seconds after a three rider fight in the early laps. The world champion made this his 12th win on the mighty RC211V Honda, sprinting clear of early leader Loris Capirossi (Ducati).

In dry and sunny conditions, a marked change from the rain that interrupted qualifying, Rossi set the new lap record for the modified 5.824km circuit at 2:04.971. His best time was achieved on the sixth lap, as he pulled away from the otherwise strong challenge of his great rival Biaggi. Capirossi held onto third place for an all-Italian rostrum.

For Rossi the impressive gap back to Biaggi gave a false impression, as he felt he had to push hard throughout.

“The weather conditions of the weekend were difficult but because we tested last week the settings of the bike were not so bad,” explained the four-times World Champion, still only 24 years of age. “We did a lot of testing for rhythm and life of the tyre at that time, and it helped us a lot in this race. I had a hard win, a difficult ride. Winning at Suzuka is special and the 25 points for the championship are very important.”

Behind Rossi, Biaggi had a satisfying real-race introduction to his new Camel Pramac Honda Pons team, racing the RC211V five-cylinder machine in anger for the first time. His second place was as much as Biaggi himself could have hoped for in a field that featured such strength in depth.

“This is a great welcome for my debut in this team,” said Biaggi in the post race interviews. “I am riding a Honda for the first time in five years so I am very happy to have this result first time out. The 20 points are a good to score for the championship and I hope we can improve even more because there are another 15 races in the season.”

Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) paid the price for not getting away in the leading group of three, but had a clear ride to fourth place for the most part, and like Biaggi was another rider having his first competitive outing on an RC211V.

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) made a massive improvement on his 23rd fastest time in qualifying, finishing seventh on his first MotoGP race. Hayden had to put in some sterling work in the later laps, and showed the competitive edge that made him AMA Superbike champion in 2002.

Lack of familiarity made for some peculiar experiences for the American rider. “Some of the guys I’d never even seen on the track before,” he stated. “I just tried to get the rhythm I wanted to move forward. At times in the first few laps I was a little bit soft in passing. I just wanted to come here and get a result and gain some experience. I’ve now got a race under my belt. I stayed upright and finished. I had a good battle with a lot of guys and even Colin (Edwards). I’ve come all this way to Japan to race him and I could have just gone to Texas.”

Tohru Ukawa (Camel Honda RC211V) was challenging for fourth place when he attempted to pass Troy Bayliss around the outside at the Hairpin. Unsighted momentarily the local rider missed his normal braking point, ran onto the grass on the inside of the corner and shot across the track, falling shortly before he and his bike came to a halt in the trackside safety barriers. Ukawa dusted himself off and bravely restarted, to no avail, as he had lost so much time. He finished 20th.

Said Ukawa: “When I was alongside Bayliss we were almost touching. It made me miss the braking marker and I ran onto the grass. Once I was on there I knew I would run on but I tried to stop before the barrier. I fell and went into the barrier and I thought maybe that was the end of my race. I re-started because I thought it would be possible to score some points but I had lost too much time. I really wanted to have a good result here.”

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) fell on lap 11, pushing hard to stay in contention but by no means out of his depth in his first MotoGP race.

“I got off to a good start but I lost a few places on the very first corners,” said a rueful Japanese. “Then I saw I could keep up a good pace and I tried to work my way up. I got to fifth, which is an excellent position considering this is my first MotoGP race. Then I lost grip from the front tyre and slid off. I was probably demanding too much from the front and it suddenly deteriorated in a way that I had not noticed in the tests. We’ve certainly acquired an awful lot of data and gained some good experience that will help us to continue our work.”

Tamaki Serizawa (Moriwaki MD221V) scored 19th, after some spirited riding against the lower order factory machines.

Daijiro Kato (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) suffered serious neck and head injuries during a fall in the braking zone for the final chicane on lap three. He was taken by helicopter to the local intensive care unit at the hospital in Yokkaichi.

The MotoGP championship moves onto Welkom in South Africa on 27 April, the second of 16 rounds in total.

Honda team quotes Sunday April 6.

MotoGP

Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda Team, 1st : “We worked very had over the winter to get a good race rhythm – we actually did five full race simulations to make sure the life of the tyre is good. At the beginning of the race we had a good fight with Biaggi and Capirossi. I think it is possible to go a little bit faster so I go. I make the 8-hours here so 21 laps for me is easy! The win for me here is good. It is special for Honda and 25 points for me at the beginning of the championship is important. But after hearing about Kato nothing is very important.”

Max Biaggi, Camel Pramac Pons: 2nd: “An excellent debut with my new bike and my new team. I am very happy with the result and with the work that we have done in the team. This Grand Prix has not been an easy race and in the beginning I fought hard with Rossi and Capirossi, but after so long riding with Yamaha I am satisfied with the race and the final result. To start the season with 20 points is not bad at all, but there is still a long way to go and we must try to improve in the future. The championship is long.”

Sito Pons: “I am very happy with the result of this race, in which we have started a new project with new riders and new sponsors. Both Max and Tohru were on the front row of the grid and Biaggi scored a brilliant second position on his debut with the Camel Pramac Pons team. .On the other hand it was a shame that Ukawa made a slow start because he had enough pace to be with the leaders. I am very happy for our team but I am also very worried about the condition of Kato, who we hope makes a swift recovery.”

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 4th: “What can I say I think I don’t have to explain my feelings this is a tragedy. As riders we arrive at point when we are all involved in this and we will have to sit own and analyse the situation. When I say all of us I mean us the riders, Dorna, IRTA and the FIM. It’s not a big complaint to anybody. During many years they have been working to make bikes quicker and to professionalise to the maximum this sport, in all senses. We all want to make things better but we have got to the point where the sport has to reassess some of the older tracks. We have all got to be smart enough to take decisions to help the sport, positive and constructive steps, for the good of our sport. We have all got to work together to ensure that every aspect of our sport matches the development of the equipment we race. We have to do this constructively and as a group, and immediately. We are all good people and all of us are involved in this.”

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team, 7th: “That was good. I got a good start – it was all pretty hairy out there! Some of the guys I’d never even seen on the track before! I just tried to get in a rhythm and wanted to start to move forward. At times in the first few laps I was a little bit soft in passing – I just wanted to come here and get a result and just get some experience. I’ve now got a race under my belt – I stayed up and finished. I’m happy I did that! I had a good battle with a lot of guys and even Colin. Funny – I’ve come all this way to Japan to race him – could have just gone to Texas!

Tohru Ukawa, Camel Pramac Pons, 20th: ” I made a mistake at the start and that affected the whole race as I found myself suddenly a long way down the field and I had to work my way back up. As I overtook Bayliss we nearly clashed and I was forced off the racing line which made me crash. Even tough I managed to rejoin the race, I am still very disappointed because I had high expectations here. With the times I set in the IRTA tests and the fact that I felt very comfortable with the bike, I had hoped to be fighting for victory. It is a shame, but the championship is long and I hope to get over this disappointment in the next race.”

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): DNF: “I was having a great race”, said Makoto Tamada, visibly preoccupied by the first worrying news from the Mobile Clinic about the condition of his Japanese colleague and brand-mate Daijiro Kato. “I got off to a good start, but I lost a few places on the very first corners. Then I saw I could keep up a good pace and I tried to work my way up. I got to fifth place, which was an excellent position since this is my first ever race in the MotoGP. But then I lost grip on the front and went for a slide: I was probably demanding too much of my tyres and they suddenly deteriorated in a way that we hadn’t noticed during the tests. We’ve certainly acquired an awful lot of data and gained some good experience that will help us continue our work.”


RESULTS

MotoGP
Race Classification MotoGP : (21 laps = 122.304 km)

1/Valentino ROSSI /ITA /Repsol Honda /HONDA/44’13.182/165.949

2/Max BIAGGI /ITA /Camel Pramac Pons /HONDA/44’19.627/165.547

3/Loris CAPIROSSI /ITA /Ducati Marlboro Team /DUCATI/44’21.391/165.437

4/Sete GIBERNAU /SPA /Telefónica Movistar Honda /HONDA/44’26.391/165.127

5/Troy BAYLISS /AUS /Ducati Marlboro Team /DUCATI/44’36.281/164.517

6/Colin EDWARDS /USA /Alice Aprilia Racing /APRILIA/44’42.222/164.152

7/Nicky HAYDEN /USA /Repsol Honda /HONDA/44’42.308/164.147

8/Alex BARROS /BRA /Gauloises Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/44’43.708/164.061

9/Shinya NAKANO /JPN /d’Antín Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/44’46.629/163.883

10/Carlos CHECA /SPA /Fortuna Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/44’53.382/163.472

11/Norick ABE /JPN /Fortuna Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/44’57.972/163.194

12/Noriyuki HAGA /JPN /Alice Aprilia Racing /APRILIA/45’16.540/162.079

13/John HOPKINS /USA /Suzuki Grand Prix Team /SUZUKI/45’17.132/162.043

14/Kenny ROBERTS /USA /Suzuki Grand Prix Team /SUZUKI/45’17.267/162.035

15/Olivier JACQUE /FRA /Gauloises Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/45’23.172/161.684

Fastest Lap: Valentino ROSSI 2:04.970 167.771 Km/h Lap 6

World Championship Positions:
1 ROSSI Valentino 25
2 BIAGGI Max 20
3 CAPIROSSI Loris 16
4 GIBERNAU Sete 13
5 BAYLISS Troy 11
6 EDWARDS Colin 10
7 HAYDEN Nicky 9
8 BARROS Alex 8
9 NAKANO Shinya 7
10 CHECA Carlos 6
11 ABE Norick 5
12 HAGA Noriyuki 4
13 HOPKINS John 3
14 ROBERTS Kenny 2
15 JACQUE Olivier 1