FIM MotoGP World Championship Estoril, Portugal October 15, 2006 Race Results: 1. Toni ELIAS (Hon RC211V), Michelin, 28 laps, 46:08.739 2. Valentino ROSSI (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -0.002 second 3. Kenny Lee ROBERTS (Hon KR211V), Michelin, -0.176 second 4. Colin EDWARDS (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -0.864 second 5. Makoto TAMADA (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -18.419 seconds 6. John HOPKINS (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -25.181 seconds 7. Carlos CHECA (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -29.348 seconds 8. Marco MELANDRI (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -31.813 seconds 9. Chris VERMEULEN (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -40.117 seconds 10. Randy DE PUNIET (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -41.496 seconds 11. Alex HOFMANN (Duc GP05), Dunlop, -41.533 seconds 12. Loris CAPIROSSI (Duc GP05), Bridgestone, -44.776 seconds 13. James ELLISON (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -79.113 seconds 14. Jose Luis CARDOSO (Duc GP05), Dunlop, -100.716 seconds 15. Garry McCOY (Ilmor X3), Michelin, -4 laps 16. Nicky HAYDEN (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -24 laps, DNF, crash 17. Dani PEDROSA (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -24 laps, DNF, crash 18. Casey STONER (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -27 laps, DNF, crash 19. Sete GIBERNAU (Duc GP06), Bridgestone, -27 laps, DNF, crash 20. Shinya NAKANO (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -28 laps, DNF, crash MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (After 16 of 17 races): 1. Rossi, 244 points 2. Hayden, 236 points 3. Melandri, 217 points 4. Capirossi, 209 points 5. Pedrosa, 202 points 6. Roberts, 126 points 7. Stoner, 119 points 8. Edwards, 117 points 9. Hopkins, 111 points 10. Elias, 106 points 11. Vermeulen, 98 points 12. Gibernau, 95 points 13. Tamada, 92 points 14. Nakano, 83 points 15. Checa, 69 points 16. De Puniet, 37 points 17. Hofmann, 30 points 18. Ellison, 24 points 19. Cardoso, 10 points 20. Kousuke Akiyoshi, 3 points 21. McCoy, 1 point More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: FIRST TOP TEN FINISH FOR DE PUNIET IN HARD FOUGHT ESTORIL RACE Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet posted his best result of the season so far at Estoril, overcoming the rear grip problems that have plagued him all weekend to bring his Ninja ZX-RR home in tenth place in this afternoon’s 28-lap Portuguese Grand Prix. De Puniet’s was the only Kawasaki to make the finish, as Shinya Nakano crashed out of the race on the opening lap, after being hit from behind at the left-hand turn four. The 29-year-old Japanese rider crashed heavily, but was passed fit to return to the Kawasaki pit box after a precautionary examination by circuit medical staff. A quick start from the sixth row of the gird, and an aggressive opening lap, saw de Puniet battling with Suzuki’s John Hopkins for tenth place, but then rear grip started to deteriorate after just five laps, and the 25-year-old Frenchman was unable to maintain his previous fast pace. A change in riding style to account for the lack of traction meant de Puniet was, once again, able to close the gap on the battle for ninth place, but after passing Loris Capirossi with just two laps to go, the Kawasaki pilot was forced to settle for tenth place at the line, after an abortive last lap passing attempt on fellow MotoGP rookie, Chris Vermeulen. Although happy to have posted his best result of the year so far this afternoon at Estoril, de Puniet remains convinced that, without the grip problems he struggled with all weekend, a much stronger performance was possible in this, the penultimate race of the season. Randy de Puniet: 10th “I got a good start, and a couple of aggressive moves in the opening lap put me just outside the top ten, but then the rear tyre went off after just five laps, and I couldn’t stay with the group ahead of me. I’ve never felt anything like it before. I was still pushing really hard and, by changing my lines through the turns, I was able to improve my lap time, which allowed me to close onto the back of Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi. We were both able to pass Loris towards the end of the race, but I just couldn’t get close enough to Chris to steal ninth place away from him. This is my best result so far this season, but I can’t help feeling it would have been even better if we hadn’t struggled so much for grip in every session. It’s been a hard weekend for Kawasaki, but everyone in the team, together with the guys from Bridgestone, have done a great job under the circumstances, and for that I would like to say thanks to them.” Shinya Nakano: DNF “I don’t really know what happened. I had a clear line through turn four and everything was looking good. But then I felt someone hit my rear wheel, and the bike just disappeared from under me. It’s frustrating for everyone. The whole team have worked hard this weekend, only for our race to be over after less than half a lap. We must put this behind us now, and concentrate on ending with a good result in the last race of the season in Valencia.” Harald Eckl: Team Principal “Another difficult weekend for us, especially after the disappointment of Motegi. I feel particularly sorry for Bridgestone. All year they’ve worked hard to make improvements, with a lot of success, so it’s a shame that they were caught out by the track surface here. Shinya was unlucky to go out of the race early on, but Randy did a good job under difficult circumstances to record his best result of the season so far. We need to learn from this weekend, so that we come back better prepared next year.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac D’Antin: GREAT RACE FOR THE TEAM PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP IN PORTUGAL The Portuguese GP has seen both riders of the TEAM PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP end the race in the points with their DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP06 “Sat.”. The German ALEX HOFMANN rode constantly with a great rhythm during the whole race. 11th at the arrival, he conquered 5 points, really deserved by himself and the whole Team; while the Spanish JOSE LUIS CARDOSO passed under the chequered flag in 14th position, obtaining 2 points. The Team is now ready to face the last round of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship with the same determination, in two weeks on the Ricardo Tormo Circuit at Valencia, Spain. ALEX HOFMANN #66 (11th): “I’m happy because today I had the possibility to show I can be fast. I admit I wasn’t really motivated before the race but it was important to make the maximum today. Aggressive at the start, I followed Melandri but I didn’t manage to ride immediately in the right laptimes, that’s why I lose some ground. After about 8-9 laps, I found my pace and, then, my rhythm became really constant. I got back some precious seconds and this allowed me to join the group of Capirossi, De Puniet and Vermeulen. I passed Capirossi, but a bit late and I had no more time left to pass the other two riders as well. I have to say this has been the best race of the year. I wouldn’t have imagined it and it has been a real pleasure to ride on track today, I had a lot of fun. I was aggressive as one has to be and I really pushed to the maximum! Besides, it’s a big satisfaction for me to have ended the race as first of the DUCATI riders. I want to thank my whole team for the great work they did. See you in Spain!”. JOSE LUIS CARDOSO #30 (14th): “Today things went a bit better than during the practice. I wanted to make more but the rear of the motorcycle was sliding a lot and this didn’t allow me to ride faster. We must keep on working on the set-up but the tyres we have at our disposal don’t really help us. Anyway, we obtained two points and this is something very important for me. The aim is to obtain more of them during the next and last race of the season in Valencia. I will be at home there and it motivates me a lot”. LUIS D’ANTIN (Team Manager): “Today, the race has been a good opportunity exploited at the best. The Team, DUCATI and ALEX HOFMANN really made a good job!”. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone Motorsport: HOPKINS SALVAGES SIXTH IN ESTORIL Suzuki rider John Hopkins was able to salvage a fine sixth place result in Estoril this afternoon after a troublesome weekend for Bridgestone in Portugal. The lack of grip that has blighted Bridgestone riders all weekend continued into today’s race which, coupled with tyre longevity issues over the full 28-lap race distance, made the Portuguese GP one of disappointment for the Japanese tyre manufacturer. An emotionally-charged race saw Bridgestone-shod Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano escape unharmed from a first lap accident and Ducati’s Sete Gibernau also retire in the early stages of the race following an incident with Casey Stoner on lap two. Of the four remaining Bridgestone riders it was Hopkins who led the charge in difficult conditions to claim his sixth top six finish of the season, setting the fourth quickest lap of the race. His team-mate and Estoril rookie Chris Vermeulen finished in ninth position, just one place ahead of Kawasaki’s Randy de Puniet who scored his first top ten result of the season. All Bridgestone teams ran with the same harder rear tyre compound with the only difference being Ducati who used an alternate shape rear in the race after struggling more than the other Bridgestone teams in qualifying yesterday. Unfortunately it was a gamble that did not pay off for the Italian team with Loris Capirossi crossing the chequered flag in twelfth place 20s behind Hopkins’ Suzuki. John Hopkins Suzuki 6th Place: “I didn’t get off the line very well. The clutch was dragging a bit and I had to hold the brake on to stop the bike moving and then the red light went out so that screwed up my start really. From the first lap on I had to be on a mission to make some passes. We didn’t have the best grip we have ever had, but we seemed to make it work and my crew worked their butts off this weekend. Bridgestone also worked hard here to try and give us that bit extra. I can’t complain at sixth place, it is well inside the top ten which is where I want to be. We are looking good for a top ten place over the season and I really want to get some good points at Valencia and finish the season strong.” Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Racing: “I’d like to congratulate the Suzuki team on a good job in difficult circumstances this weekend. John rode a committed race to take sixth position which, even considering the five retirements from the race, is a good result. Chris and Randy too turned their lower qualifying positions into solid top ten results after 28 tough laps this afternoon. We are the first to admit that we have struggled a lot here at Estoril this weekend. The difficulties we have faced today have been the same as we have encountered all weekend with a lack of grip at this circuit, which has certainly not been helped by the new asphalt in areas around the track. We tried a variety of options to get our three teams in the best shape possible for today’s race and we even tried some last minute things in warm-up this morning, but unfortunately nothing offered that required step forward. As the race progressed, it became clear that our riders were also experiencing increasing wear on their rear tyres which subsequently dropped them further back from the top five. I can assure each of our teams that we will work hard to determine the cause of our troubles in Estoril and thank them for their co-operation all weekend.” Bridgestone Race Results/Front/Rear: P6 John Hopkins Suzuki 46m33.920s +25.181s Slick Hard Slick Hard P9 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 46m48.856s +40.117s Slick Medium Slick Hard P10 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 46m50.235s +41.496s Slick Hard Slick Hard P12 Loris Capirossi Ducati 46m53.515s +44.776s Slick Hard Slick Hard DNF Sete Gibernau Ducati 1m45.744s + 27 laps Slick Hard Slick Hard DNF Shinya Nakano Kawasaki Did not finish first lap Slick Hard Slick Hard Weather: Dry. Air 20°C, Track 26°C, Humidity 55% More, from a press release issued by Ducati Marlboro: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN ENDURE A TOUGH DAY The Ducati Marlboro Team was very much out of luck at Estoril today, Loris Capirossi struggling home in 12th position, Sete Gibernau knocked down by another rider. The pair were set for a challenging race anyway, Gibernau having qualified eighth quickest yesterday, Capirossi tenth. Both men made great starts, Capirossi completing the first lap in sixth place, just ahead of Gibernau, but that was as good as it got. On lap two Casey Stoner crashed at Turn Four, right in front of Gibernau, who couldn’t avoid Stoner’s fallen bike, careering over the top of the machine and landing heavily. The Spaniard, who was taken immediately to the Clinica Mobile for treatment, sustained a broken bone in his right hand and further damage to the left collarbone he broke in June. Capirossi held fifth for several laps but then slipped backwards due to rear grip problems. In an effort to gain more grip on the partially resurfaced track Bridgestone brought tyres from their European base in Germany overnight but the gamble didn’t work and Capirossi had to ease his pace. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team, finished 12th, 4th overall, 209 points “It’s been a difficult weekend. We never found a good solution for our tyres here, they just didn’t work on the new tarmac. Bridgestone brought some different tyres overnight which we tried in warm-up and although we had some problems we decided to use this tyre for the race. But I started losing grip after a few laps, I had to fight to make the finish. In fact I started well, I was up with the leaders and thought I might be able to get a good result. However, after a while I had to ease off and it’s not normal for me to go so slow. This season we have had some great moments with Bridgestone but this is the worst, so we have to think carefully about how to avoid these situations in the future. If we want to win, we need to go fast at every track.” Sete Gibernau, Ducati Marlboro Team, DNF, 12th overall, 95 points “We had worked well over the past two days, making things better and better. I got a good start, felt good on the bike and was ready to go. I passed a few guys on the first lap, then Stoner crashed just in front of me and I couldn’t miss his bike. The fifth metacarpal in my right hand is broken and it seems I may have bent one of the plates that’s screwed to the collarbone. But I’m lucky it’s not more serious, it could have been worse. Anyway, we need to think positive and keep working. This has been an unlucky day but I am sure things will come right for us eventually.” Federico Minoli, Ducati Motor Holdings president and CEO “Today has been a very difficult day. Now we will put everything into scoring a good result at Valencia, where we want to finish what has been a wonderful year for us on a high note.” Livio Suppo, Ducati MotoGP project manager “A terrible day for us. It was dreadful luck for Sete and for Loris also, because he doesn’t deserve to finish 12th. We we must keep looking forward and work as hard as ever. When things go our way we can be unbeatable, but we must avoid having bad days like today, that is our main goal at the moment.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: ELIAS WINS AS HAYDEN CRASH GIVES ADVANTAGE TO ROSSI Only on the rarest of occasions could anything overshadow this season’s stunning MotoGP title chase, but an incredible maiden victory for Toni Elias might just have done it. The Spaniard’s unbelievable win went against everybody’s expectations, in a race that saw Nicky Hayden’s title hopes dented by a crash with team-mate Dani Pedrosa. As a result of the controversial incident, Valentino Rossi now leads the MotoGP World Championship for the first time this season. A truly breathtaking bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal started with Rossi on pole, alongside team-mate Colin Edwards and series leader Hayden. After an epic duel between the leading three and Pedrosa in the early stages, the Spaniard pushed too hard and lost the front going into a left-hand hairpin. The rookie slipped under his fellow Repsol Honda rider, taking him out of the race and giving him his first DNF of the season. A fuming Hayden cursed to the skies as his normal laidback manner went out of the window. Pedrosa made a hasty exit with the backdrop of stunned faces in the Honda garage looking on. It then seemed a relatively straightforward task to claim the championship lead for Rossi, as he set about trying to establish a gap. However, Elias stuck with the Italian and passed him on lap 20 as he powerslid his bike through the corners. A few laps later, the reigning World Champion came back, and Elias lost more ground as Kenny Roberts Jr. passed him. The American, who eventually came in third behind Elias and Rossi, even took the lead on lap 26, but as he battled with the Camel Yamaha rider, Elias burst through from nowhere. With Rossi eager to take a win, he passed on the chicane as Elias tried to hold him off, then just ran out of tarmac on the finishing straight as he attempted to clinch victory. A photo finish confirmed Elias’ first win in the MotoGP class by 0.002 seconds, leaving Rossi eight points ahead of Hayden in the standings. Edwards finished a comfortable fourth, ahead of Makoto Tamada in the Japanese rider’s best performance of the season. John Hopkins took sixth, ahead of Carlos Checa on the Spaniard’s 34th birthday. Marco Melandri, Chris Vermeulen and Randy de Puniet completed the top ten. Alongside the Hayden-Pedrosa incident, there were also crashes involving Sete Gibernau and Casey Stoner, who collided early on causing a shoulder injury to the Ducati rider, and Shinya Nakano, who was stretchered off after failing to complete the first lap. Garry McCoy earned Ilmor their first MotoGP point on their debut performance, despite having to come into the pits on two occasions. The teams will be back in action again in two weeks time, for the all-important final race of the seventeen-round season in Valencia. 250cc The scene has also been set for a final race showdown in the 250cc class, with Andrea Dovizioso taking victory at Portugal with an inspired ride. The Italian’s consistency in the category has never been in doubt, but he firmly established himself as a big race rider when the chips were down. Needing victory to give himself the best possible chance of edging out Jorge Lorenzo for the title this season, Dovizioso proved himself up to the task to take his second victory of 2007. He was given a tough time in the final stages by Hiroshi Aoyama, who was looking for consecutive victories in the quarter-litre category and exchanged a series of daring overtaking manoeuvres with the Humangest Honda rider before finishing second by just 15 thousandths of a second. Alex de Angelis, still looking for his first victory, stalked the front two waiting to pounce on any mistake, but finally had to settle for yet another podium spot. He came in ahead of Roberto Locatelli, who had led for seven laps after a flying start from pole. Jorge Lorenzo, who could have crowned himself champion today, wasn’t able to achieve the result needed to clinch the crown after coming in fifth, meaning the gap now stands at 12 points. If he is to lift his maiden title this season, then it will come in his homeland at Valencia in two weeks time. 125cc Alvaro Bautista stormed to his eighth victory of the 2006 season with a dominant performance in the final race of the afternoon. The Spaniard who already had the championship title under his belt now becomes the rider to have scored the most points in one season (325) and the most podiums (14). Over fifteen seconds behind there was a photo finish for second place, with Bautista’s teammate Hector Faubel snatching third place on the line from Mika Kallio. The Finn was content nonetheless, as an earlier crash for Mattia Pasini means he is guaranteed as the runner-up in the championship with the battle now on for third place between the Italian and Faubel. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril Sunday October 15, 2006 ELIAS TRIUMPHS AS HAYDEN ENDURES DISASTER This epic MotoGP race will be remembered as much for a stunning maiden victory for Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) as it will for the misery suffered by the Repsol Honda Team Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) crashed taking out team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) as he tumbled. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was second, Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) third. A race of high drama played out in front of a 41,000 crowd, with overcast skies and a track temperature of 26-degrees and an ambient 20-degrees. Rossi hit the front from the lights followed by his team-mate Colin Edwards with Dani and Nicky in close pursuit. Dani wasted no time disposing of Edwards for second while Nicky rode around the outside of the Yamaha man at turn one on the next lap. Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) crashed on lap two taking down Sete Gibernau (Ducati) with him, while Edwards re-passed Hayden for third and then retook Pedrosa for second on lap three. Rossi meanwhile put in an early fastest lap of 1m 39.019s. The race was hotting up. Roberts, making his way through the field from a fifth row start, showed he was right on the early pace with a fastest lap of 1m 38.4 seconds, while Hayden wanted to get on terms with the two front men and barged past Pedrosa for third. Then on lap five the incident that every team dreads unfolded. Dani outbraked himself at the same tight left turn where Nicky had passed him and lost the front end. Dani’s bike skittled Nicky and the two hit the gravel Dani’s race over, Nicky’s title hopes compromised by the crash. Toni Elias who had been fifth until the demise of the Repsol duo, was now third and working on Edwards for second. Roberts had now eased past Loris Capirossi (Ducati) for fourth setting another fastest lap of 1m 37.9s in the process. By mid-race distance Elias had secured second after a hard fight with Edwards and the Spanish star was now working on reducing the 1.1 second gap that Rossi held for the lead. By lap 19 of the scheduled 28 Tony was just 0.4 seconds adrift of Rossi and Roberts was shadowing Edwards who was still third. On lap 22 Elias swooped up the inside of Rossi on the brakes at turn one before the reigning Champion grabbed back the lead on the next lap at the uphill chicane. But Roberts had now taken Edwards and then he moved on Elias for second. On the penultimate lap Roberts made his bid for the lead at turn one and held onto it for the lap (Kenny would later reveal he miscounted the laps and expected to see the flag at the end of that lap). But on the final tour of Estoril’s 4.182km Elias made the same move from third place taking both Rossi and Roberts in one hit. Rossi stole second back from Roberts and then slipped past Elias at the final chicane but Toni held his ground and kept the power down on the outside and as the pair rounded the Parabolica onto the finish straight, Elias slipped out of Rossi’s draft to win by two thousandths of a second. The World Championship has now swung in Rossi’s favour. The Italian has 244 points to Hayden’s 236 with the final round to be played out in Valencia in two weeks time. Elias said, “That was perfect. All weekend I had been having big problems and now I have this incredible moment. I got a good start and when Stoner crashed out and then Dani and Nicky I was on the leaders and thought I could get a podium. Then I saw that Vale was only faster in some parts and I saw an opportunity that I had to take. Thanks to everyone who is supporting me”¦ Honda, Michelin, Fortuna, my fans”¦ everyone.” Roberts said, “We’d improved quite a bit from Japan and I knew if I got a good start I’d be OK, but I didn’t want to be taking anyone out so I tried to get past Rossi on the last lap. But I miscalculated and when I crossed the line I thought I’d see the chequered flag but there was one lap to go. I probably should have pulled this one out but I won’t make the same mistake in Valencia if I get the chance.” Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) finished fifth and said, “During qualifying I found a good race set-up and in the warm-up I found a good rear tyre. The tyres worked well for the first half of the race then I had some understeer in the turns. So I didn’t force things and just kept my position.” “A difficult weekend,” said eighth-placed Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V). “It started badly with the Friday crash and we did a good job to get back from that but we couldn’t quite find what we needed. The bike was Ok but I never had quite enough grip to go fast. I tried to push but whenever I did I made a mistake. Eighth wasn’t bad under the circumstances and I’m still third in the World Championship. Well done to Toni, but I feel sorry for Nicky.” A dejected Nicky said, “It just hurts. I had a really hard race tyre on especially for the left-handers and I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt in the first few laps. I was a lot faster than Edwards and I felt I could go and see what Valentino had. I didn’t expect Dani to pull over and let me past but I didn’t expect him to do that. We’re professionals and Dani did come by my motorhome and we shook hands. I proved this weekend that I wasn’t going to give up without a fight and even now I believe I’m still pretty strong. The World Championship is still possible.” Dani said, “I made a mistake and I’m really sorry. It’s the first time I’ve hit another rider in my career. It’s never happened in six years and then now at the worst possible moment. I’m unhappy and so is Nicky and I just want to apologize. I wish I could change it. I braked and my rear wheel came off the ground and then when it came down again I got a little more speed and couldn’t stop the bike. I have a fractured finger but I should be OK for Valencia.” Stoner said, “I don’t know if I lost the rear in the middle of the corner. It seemed to slip a bit and as it came back it flicked out on me. All I remember is another bike hitting me pretty hard. I think Sete’s bike smashed into the lower part of my right leg, but nothing’s broken. I was waiting to make a move and didn’t get the chance.” Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) rode a superbly determined 250cc race to win here and keep his World Championship hopes alive. His series rival Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) could do no better than fifth here and Dovi now goes to Valencia in two weeks time with his title hopes firmly alive. Lorenzo has 276 points to Dovi’s 263. Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) powered away from pole to lead into turn one with Lorenzo in pursuit, Hiroshi Aoyama (KTM) holding third and with Dovi fourth. But by lap two Dovi had disposed of Aoyama to begin hounding Lorenzo for second. It took one more lap, and as Dovi began eating into Locatelli’s lead, Lorenzo was off the pace and dropping back. Alex De Angelis (Aprilia) was now in the running by mid-race distance of this 26-lap contest and a front four of Dovi, Locatelli, Aoyama and De Angelis would now fight for the win while Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) and Marco Simoncelli (Gilera) relegated Lorenzo to seventh. The final laps were a master-class in race tactics from Dovi. He led into turn one on the final lap, using his Honda’s superb stability under braking, and then rode defensively while De Angelis and Aoyama fought for second. Dovi got superb drive out of the final turn to cross the line just one hundredth of a second ahead of Aoyama in second and De Angelis third. Lorenzo eventually finished fifth ahead of Takahashi in sixth, while Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) retired with machine trouble with 11 laps remaining. Aprilia leads the Constructors’ World Championship by 332 points to Honda’s 280 points. Dovi said, “I’m so happy to win here, but I had problems with my visor and couldn’t see that well. Under braking, that made things so difficult. But I managed to go fast enough to get the result I needed here and we now have some hope going to Valencia.” Takahashi said, “I didn’t start well and although I managed to pass some riders I didn’t get past as many as I expected. But once I began lapping with a good rhythm I passed Lorenzo but then tyre went off and I started to slide and with a few laps to go I made a big mistake and Lorenzo passed me back.” The 2006 World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) walked away with the 125cc Grand Prix winning by a margin of 15 seconds from his team-mate Hector Faubel and KTM rider Mika Kallio in third. This is Bautista’s eighth win of the season so far. It was Julian Simon (KTM) who made turn one first from the off but by lap two the dominant Bautista had overhauled him and would never be troubled by anyone. The four-rider fight for the remaining podium places was intense with Faubel drafting Kallio over the line to get the verdict for second but it was a mere sideshow with Bautista so far ahead. Fabrizio Lai (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125R) finished seventh and Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) was eighth. Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) and Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) both crashed out of the race. Lai said, “I made a good start and I could stay without problems with the leading group”¦ If Pasini hadn’t crashed out in font of me I could have reached the podium. He had problems maintaining the rhythm of the group and I was expecting what happened as I was trying to pass him without taking risks “¦but he crashed out just in front of me.” Talmacsi said, “Today the bike was competitive and I should have got a better result. I tried to get past Lai at the end and made a mistake at the chicane, but to be the first Honda rider in the overall standings is some consolation.” Honda GP rider quotes: Estoril Sunday. MotoGP: Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 1st. “It’s incredible, I can’t believe it. I am really happy. It was a very hard race, really hard. I made a good start and over the first few laps felt very comfortable on the bike. I was behind Colin and realised that he was holding me up, so I pushed hard to get past him. I pushed until I closed up on Valentino and then passed him to lead a MotoGP race for the very first time. The next lap I made three errors all at once and I decided not to risk too much by trying to get past him again at that stage. I felt very comfortable at the first corner all race and was able to out-break people and so I did not want to let the opportunity pass on the final lap. At no time did I give up, that’s my riding style. I want to thank the team for the great job they have done and thank all the fans that came to see the race.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 3rd. We improved the bike quite a bit in testing the day after the last round in Japan, and it was good in practice – but my qualifying got messed up. I had to get a good start, and that worked out well. When I got up to Valentino in the lead, I’d seen Pedrosa take Hayden out, and I wanted to be real careful, because I didn’t want to do the same thing to him. At the end, I mistook two laps to go for one, and when I crossed the line next time I thought I’d get the chequered flag. But there was one more lap. It took me off guard, or maybe I could have blocked them better in turn one. Earlier in the year it was hard to get within ten seconds of Rossi, my old championship rival. Now I’m happy that I was within a tenth of two. With the momentum we’ve built up this year, next year could be really good. I just hope I get the chance to make the same mistake in Valencia in two weeks time. Kenny Roberts Team Owner: We had the race pace today, obviously – we got that after Japan. We’re getting closer and closer every time. We thought we took a step backwards in qualifying, but he never did seem too bothered by it. He said when I get race tyres on I’m okay, and if I get a good start I’ll be fine. We were probably more worried than he was. Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 5th: “During yesterday’s qualifying, I realized I had found a good race set up and this morning, during the warm up, I was able to easily define the choice of the rear tyre. Tires worked very well for the first half of the race, while, for the remaining time, I had understering problems when entering the corners. At that point, I preferred not to force too much and keep my position.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 8th. “It was a very difficult weekend. I started the weekend with a fall which impeded my performance. Along with my team and Michelin we worked really hard, but we couldn’t find what we needed. The bike was working well but I had not enough grip to go fast. Considering that it was such a strange race and the difficulties I have had, a 8th result is not so bad. I have maintained third place in the championship and I hope to put in a good performance at Valencia. I want to congratulate Toni, it was a great win, but I also feel very sorry for Nicky.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: dnf crash: “I don’t know what to say really it just hurts. I had a really hard tyre on for the race, especially for the left handers, and it came in and I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt in the first few laps. I was a lot faster than Edwards and I’d just made up my mind that I’d pass him right there on the brakes and I felt I could go and see what Valentino had. I don’t expect Dani to pull over and let me by but I definitely didn’t expect him to do that. We’re professionals and Dani did come to my motorhome and talk to me afterwards and we shook hands. I’ve proved this weekend that I wasn’t going to give up without a fight and even now I believe I’m pretty strong. This was not one of my best track and I’ve come here and gone quick I was fastest in one session, got on the front row and had a good race pace. I need Dani’s help now because anything could happen in Valencia, so I hope his hand’s ok. I told him there’s a way to make it up to me and that’s if we run one-two in Valencia the championship’s still possible. It’s racing.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: dnf crash: “What can I say? I made a mistake and I’m really sorry. It’s the first time I’ve hit another rider in my career it’s never happened before in practice or racing in six years and it’s happened at the worst moment that I could do it. Obviously I’m very unhappy and Nicky is not happy and I just want to apologize because I made a mistake. I said sorry to Nicky and that I can understand that he is very upset I wish I could change it. I didn’t want to pass him at that moment. I braked and my rear wheel came off the ground and then it touched the ground again I got a little more speed and I couldn’t stop the bike and there was nowhere to go. I have a fracture in my little finger but we have time for it to be ok for Valencia.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: dnf – crash. “I don’t know if I lost the rear in the middle of the corner, it seemed to slip a little bit, and as it came back it flicked out on me. All I remember is another bike hitting me and feeling that pretty hard. I’ve got no idea exactly what happened. I think Sete’s bike smacked into the lower part of my right leg, it’s very sore, and I hope nothing is broken. My rear tyre wasn’t gripping the best and it was easy to stay with the leaders, I was waiting to start making a move but I didn’t get a chance. ” 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 1st: “All the races are difficult, but this time has been particularly tough because I suffered a problem at the visor of the helmet. It kept getting foggy despite I prepared it for wet conditions. So, I wasn’t sure I could win here also because at the beginning Locatelli pushed very hard and I struggled a bit to catch him. It has been a very strange race; I actually knew I could be competitive but I didn’t expect to have such a good rhythm. I tried everything to win today because it was the only way to keep the championship open and in the last lap I pushed hard even though I wasn’t sure it was the final one. Now we go in Valencia and see what happens: he still has a good margin to manage, but I don’t have anything to loose. Maybe Lorenzo could feel the pressure like here”. Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: 6th: “I didn’t start very well and I passed some riders but not as many as I expected. Then, I was able to lap with such a good rhythm that I even passed Lorenzo, but then the tyre start to slide and I had to slow down. At three laps to go, though, I made a big mistake and Lorenzo passed me and I couldn’t recover anymore”. Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: 13th. “My start was not so bad and I was up with the front group and I had a good rhythm but very quickly the bike started to slide and I could not understand why. Slowly the problem got worse and the slides bigger I had to drop back. After the race I discovered that the rear tyre had been leaking air on the rim. I finished 13th but when you start from eighth lace on the grid you expect more. I am very disappointed but what could I do but try and take as many points as possible.” David de Gea replacement rider for martin Cardenas, Repsol Honda: 14th: “I’m happy. It was important to finish the race today, although I was hoping to finish somewhat more in the front despite starting from the back. I had trouble getting the pace because he bike went as well in the beginning as in the end and I only managed to do well towards the end. This means that I’m lacking experience with this bike and that I still need to find the pace. But, well, I have finished the race which was out aim for today, as well as getting experience on this bike, and now I know it much better. I have one more race of experience for Valencia as well as the feeling during the 27 laps of the race which will be very important for the next race. I hope to be able to do better in Valencia, both in the practices and in the race.” Fabrizio Perren, Stop and Go Racing: 17th. “I got a good start and made up a few positions. I was racing with De Gea and comfortable Then after half race distance I felt something in the engine and the noise was strange so I eased off the gas. I didn’t want to risk too much because of the feeling I was getting from the bike. When I got back to the pits at the end of the race we found one tooth missing from third gear so I was lucky not to crash. When the front tyre started to slide I just took 17th place.” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 20th. “I have not felt comfortable on the bike all weekend and it is a painful experience to be so far behind in a race. In the race I did not get a very fast start and made little progress. I was alone towards the end of the race no one to follow. Now we go to Valencia and I have to find my rhythm on Friday and keep going that way all weekend.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: dnf – technical problem. “I made a quite god start, and the first part of the race was good as well. Then I made a little mistake that made me loose some time but I was able to recover positions. And then the engine broke down at the end of the straight, when I was going into the first corner. Just when I was braking before the corner I noticed the rear tyre sliding and then the engine was gone. I’m very disappointed.” 125cc: Fabrizio Lai, Seedorf Racing World: 7th. “I made a good start and I could stay without problems with the leading group”¦ If Pasini wasn’t crashed out in font of me I could have reached the podium. He had problems to maintain the rhythm of the group and I was expecting what happened and I was trying to pass him not to take risks “¦but he crashed out just in front of me: I could avoid him but I lost many positions and important seconds impossible to recover with a bike with lower performance. My Honda, with this cool temperature, was ok but the new Aprilia of Bautista is another thing”. Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda: 8th. “Today the bike was very competitive and I could have achieved a better result. But I wasn’t so aggressive, if I brake too hard I went wide loosing too much time. At the end, I tried to beat Lai and Koyama, but I made a small mistake at the chicane, where actually I was struggling a bit since the first laps, and so I couldn’t battle for the sixth place. Anyway, I am happy because I recovered one position in the championship and now I’m the first Honda rider in the general standing”. Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: 10th. “My start was so-so and on the first lap there was a lot of traffic. I was in a group with Terol, Olive and Tom (Luthi). Corsi came passed and hit Tom and Olive and that cost me some time. I was two seconds behind Terol but the bike was good only second gear was a little short but in fifth and sixth gear I could catch hem. Then Bradley (Smith) fell off in front of me and I had to try and miss him and that was the end for me I had to accept 10th place at the finish.” Tito Rabat, Wurth Honda BQR: 17th. “I had a good race I really enjoyed it. I got good start and I as riding well and quickly made up some positions. Towards the end of the race I was 10th racing with Abraham and Pol (Espargaro). Then on the last lap I tried to out brake Abraham but touched his bike with my handlebar. My hand was pulled back and I had no control and had to run onto the gravel. I got back onto the track but could only get 17th place.” Kazuma Watanabe, Humangest Honda: 20th. “Again, I want to thank you the team and the sponsors for this opportunity and for the great support. After crashing at the last lap in Japan, I’m very happy to finish the race here, even though I could have done better today. But anyway, it has been fantastic to take the chequered flag along with all these very strong riders”. Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World: 21st. “I started well recovering many positions but I couldn’t do better than I did. The bike performance is lower than the others, but I gained experience on this track that I like”. Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 25th: “I was racing with Leigh-Smith, Frohlich and Agenter and it was really difficult to break away from them, we were fighting for every meter. We tried everything under braking and were getting in each others way and Hernandez caught us. We immediately went faster racing with him and if I had done the same speed al race I would have easily finished in the top 20, not 25th.” Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: dnf crash: “I made a good start, but then I wasn’t so good at the brake point. It was ok during the first part however; I pushed hard and moved up to eighteenth. I passed Terol and tried to get away from him but he passed me back. Then I was behind him again for a few laps, but I wanted to go again. I tried to get past him and I was trying to get closer to get the slipstream but I got too close and highsided. It hasn’t been good, but I can’t restart it now and such are races. It’s good that we still have one race in Valencia.” Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda: dnf -“The warm up happened well this morning. I had some problems with the chassis but it did not disturb me at all. I improved my lap time from yesterday and I really felt comfortable on the bike. During the race, I was in the first group and after two laps, at the exit of a corner, I wanted to accelerate sooner to catch the leading group but I was too “generous” and unfortunately, I crashed. I suffered from different fractures: my left collarbone and my left scaphoid are broken; my right hand is also probably broken. I’m very disappointed because I won’t be able to participate in the last race in Valencia.” Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: dnf – crash. “I got a good start and I was really good on the brakes and made up lots off places. I was racing in 10th place and the bike was good after out problems in qualifying. I was racing with Olive and I was trying to outbrake him into a corner when Corsi came up the inside and hit me. I crashed and unfortunately took Olive with me.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: Grand Prix of Portugal Estoril, Portugal Sunday 15th October 2006 ROSSI TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD IN DRAMATIC FASHION AT ESTORIL A fantastic team effort from Yamaha today saw Valentino Rossi take the lead in the MotoGP World Championship by eight points ahead of the final round of the season at Valencia, after taking second place in a race that saw Nicky Hayden (Honda) dramatically crash out at Estoril. Rossi missed out on victory by just 0.002 seconds after a photo finish with Toni Elias (Honda), the Spanish youngster slipstreaming the Italian to the line to take his maiden success in the class. Nevertheless the 20-point haul means that second place for Rossi at the final race in two weeks’ time will be enough for the title, regardless of who wins. Colin Edwards also played a crucial role for the team today, turning in one of his best performances this season to battle with the lead group throughout the race before being forced to settle for fourth in that breathtaking finale. The Texan got a great start from the front row of the grid and fulfilled his promise to help out Rossi for the opening laps, protecting his team-mate from the attentions of Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and Hayden. Whilst Rossi tried to escape at the front, a pass by Edwards on Pedrosa for second place on lap three proved critical, as the Spaniard then became involved in a tussle with his own team-mate Hayden before sensationally colliding into the American to send them both tumbling into the gravel. Rossi and Edwards looked set for a one-two finish, mirroring their qualifying result, but a late charge from Elias, who was followed by Kenny Roberts JR (Team KR) put paid to those hopes as the top four crossed the line separated by just 0.864 seconds. VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd ; +0.002) “I’m really happy to be finally leading the championship; this is the most important thing for today, even if I am disappointed not to have won! I made a good start and was in front after turn one, but I knew that my pace wasn’t as fast as yesterday, because it was about ten degrees colder and this gave us some problems. When I saw that Colin was behind me this made me quite relaxed because I knew he would help me as much as he could. He rode a great race and I have to say a big thank you to him, I am so sad that he’s not on the podium with me today. It was a very hard race for me and I had to push all the way because Kenny, Toni and Colin were very fast too. Going into the last chicane I knew I had to come out in front, but then Toni was just a little bit faster than me to the line. Well done to him for his first win, he really rode a hard race today! Now we have two weeks until the final showdown, so we need to relax and stay focused and try to do another weekend like this in Valencia! Once again of course I need to thank my team and everyone involved, I think we’ve really shown today that we have real ‘team spirit’ at Yamaha and Colin and I are really lucky to be able to race in a team like this.” COLIN EDWARDS (4th; + 0.864) “I got a decent start and just tried to help Valentino out, holding the other guys up where I could because in practice our pace was around the 1’37.9 mark so I thought if I could hold it at 1’38.5 he might be able get away. My plan was to put the hammer down once he’d gone and hopefully shake off the rest of the guys to seal up second place but Valentino couldn’t quite match his practice pace and we were just hanging behind him. It was a real scrap out there at the end and to be honest I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t make it onto the podium because we had the pace all weekend, the guys have done a brilliant job with the bike and I wanted to give them something to celebrate. Anyway, as a team things couldn’t have worked out much better so it’s been a very satisfactory weekend for us and now we’ll aim to go out on an even bigger high in Valencia.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “Our main target throughout the second half of the season was to arrive in Valencia with the championship still possible and we have done that so we are very pleased. We are delighted that Colin was able to get back to the kind of pace he is capable of this weekend and it couldn’t have come at a better time because he played a brilliant role and showed what a great team player he is. The two riders have a great relationship with each other and that team ethic runs throughout the staff. Today was a perfect example of why that is so important. Now we have to keep doing what we have done since Brno for one more race. Personally I wish it was tomorrow but we’ve got two weeks to wait so we will have to just use this time as best we can and make sure we are ready to try and win the title at Valencia.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: SPECTACULAR WIN FOR TONI ELIAS AT ESTORIL Elias claims his first MotoGP victory whilst Melandri finishes eighth and maintains third place in the championship Toni Elias scored a thrilling first win in the MotoGP class at Estoril, edging out Valentino Rossi in a photo-finish after a race that saw Nicky Hayden taken out by his Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa. After an incredible battle with first Colin Edwards and then Rossi, he beat the seven-time World Champion on a sprint down the final straight to claim victory by just two thousandths of a second. Still third in the championship standings, Marco Melandri finished in eighth after a difficult weekend. The crash he suffered on Friday spoiled the race preparation. Despite the hard work with the team and Michelin, Melandri couldn’t find the good feeling. He looks forward to Valencia to defend his third position in the championship with a great race. TONI ELIAS (1st): “It’s incredible, I can’t believe it. I am really happy. It was a very hard race, really hard. I made a good start and over the first few laps felt very comfortable on the bike. I was behind Colin and realised that he was holding me up, so I pushed hard to get past him. I pushed until I closed up on Valentino and then passed him to lead a MotoGP race for the very first time. The next lap I made three errors all at once and I decided not to risk too much by trying to get past him again at that stage. I felt very comfortable at the first corner all race and was able to out-break people and so I did not want to let the opportunity pass on the final lap. At no time did I give up, that’s my riding style. I want to thank the team for the great job they have done and thank all the fans that came to see the race.” MARCO MELANDRI (8th): “It was a very difficult weekend. I started the weekend with a fall which impeded my performance. Along with my team and Michelin we worked really hard, but we couldn’t find what we needed. The bike was working well but I had not enough grip to go fast. Considering that it was such a strange race and the difficulties I have had, a 8th result is not so bad. I have maintained third place in the championship and I hope to put in a good performance at Valencia. I want to congratulate Toni, it was a great win, but I also feel very sorry for Nicky.”