TAOBAO.COM GRAND PRIX OF CHINA Shanghai Circuit MotoGP Race Classification after 22 laps = 116.182 km 1. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha 2. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki, -1.7 seconds 3. Marco Melandri, Honda, -16.574 seconds 4. Sete Gibernau, Honda, -18.906 seconds 5. Max Biaggi, Honda, -19.551 seconds 6. Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Honda, -21.622 seconds 7. John Hopkins, Suzuki, -25.883 seconds 8. Colin Edwards, Yamaha, -31.033 seconds 9. Nicky Hayden, Honda, -39.299 seconds 10. Ruben Xaus, Yamaha, -40.991 seconds 11. Alex Barros, Honda, -44.014 seconds 12. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, -44.401 seconds 13. James Ellison, Blata WCM, -53.449 seconds 14. Toni Elias, Yamaha, -65.853 seconds 15. Tohru Ukawa, Moriwaki, -69.480 seconds 16. Roberto Rolfo, Ducati, -75.293 seconds 17. Franco Battaini, Blata WCM, -6 laps, DNF, crash 18. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 19. Troy Bayliss, Honda, -18 laps, DNF, crash 20. Carlos Checa, Ducati, -18 laps, DNF, crash 21. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, -20 laps, DNF, mechanical More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Rossi takes historic win in first ever race at Shanghai Valentino Rossi became the first ever winner of a MotoGP event in China as he took an authoritative victory in torrentially wet conditions at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday. Rossi took the lead from Kenny Roberts on the fifth lap after the Suzuki rider suffered from a mechanical problem, opening up a clear gap over the rest of the field and looking comfortable until a thrilling finale. Surprisingly the man to challenge Rossi with a late charge was Olivier Jacque, returning to MotoGP as a replacement for the injured Alex Hofmann at Kawasaki to score his first podium in the class. With seven laps to go Jacque overcame Sete Gibernau in second place and closed in on the World Champion at the front, taking chunks out of the Italian’s lead with every lap but running out of time as Rossi took the flag by 1.7 seconds. “I got off to a good start in the race and I was quite surprised to be at the front so quickly,” explained Rossi after the race. “There was a lot of water on the track so I had to keep my concentration at 100%. When I saw Olivier’s name on my pit board I didn’t understand who it was because they only put an ‘O’ on there. I thought “who is O?”. I thought perhaps it was a Chinese rider then I realised it was OJ!. At the end of the race he was faster than me but I managed to keep out front and win the race.” Gibernau’s disappointment at losing out on second place was compounded on the last lap when he conceded third to his team-mate Marco Melandri after apparently suffering with a mechanical problem. Melandri’s second podium of the season moves him up to second place in the championship, 25 points adrift of Rossi, whilst fourth place for Gibernau means he is now fifth overall behind Alex Barros and Max Biaggi, who finished eleventh and fifth respectively today. Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh capped a day full of surprises as he clinched sixth place on his return to MotoGP as a replacement for the injured Makoto Tamada on the Honda. The Dutchman held off a late charge from John Hopkins, who previously ran off the track after leading the race on the opening lap, fighting back to take a creditable seventh. Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden and Rubén Xaus completed the top ten. Casey Stoner took his second successive victory in the 250cc class after a close battle with Andrea Dovizioso. Stoner made a poor start from pole position but recovered to take the lead by the end of the opening lap and never looked back. Dovizioso stalked the Australian all the way to the line but was happy to settle for a second place finish that lifts him above Dani Pedrosa to the top of the championship standings. Stoner also moved ahead of Pedrosa to second place overall, with the defending World Champion dropping to third after taking sixth place today. Hiroshi Aoyama clinched his first podium of the season in third after Randy De Puniet retired with a technical problem, with Alex de Angelis and Sebastián Porto completing the top five. Mattia Pasini clinched his first victory in a 125cc rain delayed for half an hour by standing water on the track surface. Pasini led for the majority of the race in a close battle with fellow Italian Fabrizio Lai, taking the flag by just 0.065 seconds after overtaking his compatriot in the final corner. Gabor Talmacsi took his first podium in third whilst eleventh place for his team-mate Mika Kallio was enough to maintain the championship lead by a single point from Lai. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai Race day, May 1 2005 SHANGHAI STORM SPOILS IT FOR DUCATI MARLBORO MEN Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa had a miserable day at rain-lashed Shanghai today, recording a 12th-place finish and a DNF. The results were an unfair reward for the tireless work put in by the entire team, which showed real promise during qualifying when Capirossi and Checa scored impressive first- and third-row starts. Rain affected all three days of the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix at the spectacular Shanghai circuit but instead of the light rain and drizzle that dampened the track on Friday and Saturday, today’s action was dominated by monsoon-like downpours, first during morning warm-up and then again during this today’s race which was won by Valentino Rossi ahead of Olivier Jacque. “Of course we can’t be happy with today’s result,” said Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. “We were going okay in the dry but the rain didn’t help us at all. We know that the Bridgestone rain tyres worked well, thanks to Jacque’s amazing result, but we weren’t able to put together a good race ourselves. Wet races like today’s can always be a bit of a lottery.” CAPIROSSI TAKES 12th-PLACE FINISH Loris Capirossi scored a dogged 12th-place finish after 22 waterlogged laps of the Shanghai circuit. The Ducati Marlboro Team man had been looking forward to a much better result after qualifying third fastest in yesterday’s dry qualifying session. “The track was badly flooded in warm-up, so we ended up choosing quite a soft rear tyre for the race, too soft as it turned out,” said the Italian. “There was less water on the track during the race, so things got difficult for me. Overall the machine worked pretty well but I still had some problems in the lower gears.” CHECA SLIDES OFF ON LAP FIVE After qualifying just off row two, Carlos Checa had high expectations for today, especially since his practice pace on race tyres had been impressive. But the torrential rain changed everything for the Ducati Marlboro Team rider who fell on lap five while starting to make forward progress. “There was a lot of standing water, some areas were really bad, other areas I could catch people,” explained the Spaniard. “In warm-up I didn’t feel too confident, so I took my time in the race. I was beginning to build confidence when I lost the front at turn 16, maybe I used a little too much brake with a little too much angle. I guess I found the limit.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF ROUND 3 – SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, CHINA 01 MAY 2005 – MOTOGP RACE RESULT JACQUE DELIVERS HISTORIC RESULT FOR KAWASAKI IN SHANGHAI Olivier Jacque delivered Kawasaki’s best-ever result in the premier class of motorcycle grand prix racing, with a masterful second place in a water-logged Chinese Grand Prix today. The podium position was also a personal best for the 31-year-old Frenchman in the premier class. Previously he was fourth in the 2003 French GP at Le Mans. In surging from 15th on the grid to second at the finish of the rain-hit race, Jacque and Kawasaki also delivered the best-ever result for Bridgestone in a MotoGP race using full wet specification tyres. It was a spectacular debut ride for Kawasaki by Jacque, who was a late replacement for the injured Alex Hofmann. The Frenchman, starting 15th, finished the 22-lap race with a dramatic surge for victory, finishing just 1.7s adrift of race winner, and four-time world champion, Valentino Rossi. Jacque closed almost four seconds over the final five laps with a near perfect display of bike and throttle control, which emphasised the step forward made with the latest motor powering the Ninja ZX-RR. The Kawasaki pilot was ninth on lap two and, when he splashed past Spaniard Sete Gibernau to secure second place on lap 15, the Frenchman was still 6.1s behind Rossi. In his chase of Rossi, Jacque overcame a fogging visor and windscreen which made it almost impossible to read his pit board and race position. After the race Rossi said: “I read that Olivier was coming to MotoGP for two races and that China was just for training, so now we must watch out for him at Le Mans.” Jacque’s teammate Shinya Nakano failed to finish, retiring his Ninja ZX-RR with an electrical problem at the end of lap two. Nakano was hugely disappointed with this outcome, which resulted in him dropping to eighth place in the world championship. Olivier Jacque: #19 – 2nd “For sure Valentino’s crew didn’t have my name ready to put on his pit board over the final laps, and I still don’t really understand how it all happened. It’s magic, better than winning the world title. When I arrived as a replacement rider on Thursday I said I felt like ‘a hair on the soup’ but today I felt like fish in water. I was comfortable with the conditions, had good grip from the tyres and my team gave me a confidence-boosting set-up. It’s strange to be here on the podium, I’m not sure how to feel.” Shinya Nakano: #56 – DNF “On lap one I had a strange feeling from the motor, and then on lap two it felt like I lost power from one cylinder with a misfire. I’m very disappointed, I don’t like losing championship points like this, although there are still a lot of races to go.” Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director “Incredible, I can’t believe this result and I don’t understand why a rider like Olivier is not in MotoGP full time. I hope the sport will see more of him. I worked with him at Yamaha for the 250 world championship so this result today with Kawasaki is very special for both of us.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “A fantastic result, and full credit to Olivier in very difficult conditions. Two weeks ago at Estoril we saw that he still had what it takes to race at this level, and today’s result just goes to prove that the decision to put him on our bike for this race, and for the next at Le Mans, was the right one. The result also proves that Kawasaki’s engineers have built an engine that is suited to these conditions. Finally, I must say a big thank to our tyre partner Bridgestone, they have done a lot of work on their wet weather tyres.” MOTOGP RACE RESULT 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 50’02.463; 2. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.700; 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +16.574; 4. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +18.906; 5. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +19.551; 6. Jurgen vd Goorbergh (NED) Konica Minolta Honda +21.622; 7. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +25.883; 8. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +31.033; 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +39.299; 10. Ruben Xaus (SPA) Fortuna Yamaha Team +40.991 More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: Grand Prix of China Shanghai International Circuit, China Sunday 1st May ROSSI TAKES HISTORIC VICTORY IN FIRST EVER RACE AT SHANGHAI Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi made history once again today, becoming the first rider to take a MotoGP victory at Shanghai, with a stunning performance in torrentially wet conditions at the inaugural Grand Prix of China. Despite starting from sixth place on the grid Rossi took control of the race on the fifth lap, passing early leader Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) and opening up a clear gap over the chasing pack. It was an advantage the reigning World Champion would never let slip, holding his concentration for the next seventeen laps despite the attentions of surprise challenger Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki), riding in place of the injured Alex Hofmann. Jacque passed Sete Gibernau (Honda) for second place with seven laps to go and closed in on Rossi at the front, but was unable to seriously threaten the Italian’s charge to his second victory from the opening three rounds of the championship. With Marco Melandri (Honda) eventually passing Gibernau on the final lap to snatch third place, Rossi’s advantage at the top of the World Championship now stands at 25 points over his Italian compatriot. A determined performance from his team-mate Colin Edwards, who rode from thirteenth on the grid to take the flag in eighth, means Gauloises Yamaha now lead the teams’ championship, with Yamaha also on top in the manufacturers’ standings. VALENTINO ROSSI 1st place (Race time 50’02.463) “Out of all the victories in my career, this was the one I least expected I am really surprised. It is the first time I have won in the wet on the Yamaha, so it is a special victory. We had some problems with the set-up of the bike this weekend but the team made some modifications overnight, changing the front fork setting, and already in the warm-up it felt good. I got off to a good start in the race and I was quite surprised to be at the front so quickly. There was a lot of water on the track so I had to keep my concentration at 100%. I was smooth and in control all the way to the end and the race worked out perfectly for me. All I can say is big thanks to Jeremy Burgess, the rest of the team and Yamaha because we have worked especially hard for this win.” COLIN EDWARDS 8th place (Race time 50’33.496) “I got a good jump from the line but there were a couple of guys trying to be heroes in the first corner and they messed things up for me a little. After that I just tried to make up positions but the spray made it difficult and it was risky to get off the racing line. As soon as I had clear track in front of me my pace was as good as the guys at the front, but I had a problem shifting down through the gears and, coupled with the tyre wear, I couldn’t do much more than bring it home in eighth. I’m disappointed but it’s good to have a race in the wet and we know we’re on the right lines for the rest of the season. ” DAVIDE BRIVIO TEAM DIRECTOR “It was a fantastic day for us Valentino was simply great. It was our first race in the wet since Jerez last season and I think we saw how much the bike has improved, so a big thank you goes out to all the team and engineers, who have worked hard under a lot of pressure. Colin’s starting position made it hard for him but his pace was good and he picked up some important points. It’s a pleasure for us to take the first win in China and it was important because we’re now leading in the rider, team and manufacturers’ championships. Now let’s continue like this!” RESULTS 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 50’02.463 2. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.700 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +16.574 4. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +18.906 5. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda Team +18.906 6. Jurgen vd Goorbergh (NED) Konica Minolta Honda +19.551 7. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +21.622 8. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +25.883 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +31.033 10. Ruben Xaus (SPA) Fortuna Yamaha Team +39.299 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) 70 2. Marco Melandri (ITA) 45 3. Alex Barros (BRA) 43 4. Max Biaggi (ITA) 36 5. Sete Gibernau (SPA) 33 6. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) 25 7. Olivier Jacque (FRA) 20 8. Shinya Nakano (JPN) 19 9. Carlos Checa (SPA) 17 10. Nicky Hayden (USA) 16 More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: Barros takes points after penalty troubles; currently lies third in championship It was a difficult day for the Camel Honda riders today. Alex Barros was unable to make the most of the competitive pace he had showed in the race after a ride through penalty for jump-starting, which relegated him to last position, however he recovered and picked off the riders in front of him until he reached eleventh spot, riding faster than the race leader even though he was overtaking. From a race in which he could have fought for the podium there is still the satisfaction of having set the fastest lap, and the fact that he can fight with the top riders in any conditions, and is third in the championship. Troy Bayliss was the victim of the harsh conditions, sliding out on the fourth lap whilst preparing to attack, after having shown good pace in the wet morning warm-up. Sito Pons Camel Honda “I’m sorry about how today went because we have the rider and the conditions to win. Alex was the fastest rider in the race, but he jumped the start and unfortunately you pay for those kinds of errors. Without the penalty, today we would have been fighting for the win and the championship situation would also have been much better. Anyway, we are only three Grands Prix in, we may have lost a few points, but Alex has shown that he is a rider fighting for the title. He is quick in all conditions, whether the wet, like today, or in the dry, like two weeks back. It was a shame also because of Troy’s crash, and perhaps it was a little early to try and make up ground, when he could have waited to work out the track conditions a little more and how the tyres worked on it. He is a fighter though, and he gave everything.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 11th “It was a lost opportunity. The ride-through changed my race, and I had to make up ground from then on. I also had big problems with my vision being fogged, so much so that every lap I not only had to open the visor, but I had to pass my glove over it to clear it some more. I didn’t realize I made a jump start, I thought the bike just imperceptibly moved; then I got a bad start and I was in amongst a group of riders who were making lots of mistakes. It was hard to get by, because they were riding strange lines, but I managed to get past and made it up to seventh behind Melandri, when I realised I had been given the penalty. I went straight in to the pit-lane because you have to if your team and race direction are telling you. It’s a shame because I could have picked up points on Rossi, but instead I didn’t get the chance. I don’t want to think about it any more, and will concentrate on my next objective, Le Mans in two weeks time.” Troy Bayliss Camel Honda retired on the fourth lap “I’m disappointed because I could have got a good result today. This morning in the warm-up I had a really good feeling in the hard rain and I was confident for the race. However later, in the race was not the same, I got a lot of wheel spin, and after the start I was in about tenth place. There was so much water and on the fourth lap on the long left I lost the rear end. What can I say, sometimes racing’s like this. All I can say is that I’ll be aiming to go well in the next GP.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Superb fight back for Hopkins, as luckless Roberts Jr retires while leading 21 year-old Team SUZUKI MotoGP racer John Hopkins had his best finish of the season to date at the Taobao Grand Prix of China today, having fought back from an off-track excursion to a superb seventh place. Team-mate Kenny Roberts Jr was cruelly forced to retire whilst comfortably leading the race, his Suzuki GSV-R and Bridgestone tyres looking unbeatable until fate intervened. Both racers led the first ever MotoGP race to be held at the futuristic Shanghai International Circuit, which was held in heavy rain throughout. Hopkins was first to hit the front but was soon passed by Roberts Jr, a position the former World Champion capitalised upon as he built a strong early lead. Disaster struck for the American when a mechanical problem caused him to retire. Roberts Jr said: “I don’t think there is much to say to make it any better. We easily let a first or second place slip today. “I made a decent start and got to the front on the first lap. Valentino (Rossi) and I pulled away and I was quite comfortable till the bike broke. “I was nearly a second up on Rossi and a further five seconds up on the next group before the bike stopped and that was that. “It would be nice to have some good luck as I’ve been struggling to find any in the last couple of races or even last couple of seasons. Maybe this is a sign that things will soon start to improve for me on that side.” Hopkins made a great start today and led a MotoGP for the first time in his career. Having found his rhythm in a solid fourth position, a big slide in heavy rain caused him to go into the gravel on lap seven, but Suzuki’s young star fought back from this mistake to finish seventh at the flag. Hopkins commented: “To be honest I’m pleased with the way I rode, but unfortunately I ran off and lost some places when I was up in fourth. I was comfortable on my Suzuki GSV-R but I pushed too hard and made the error. “I was trying to make up more time on the riders in front of me – in a place that I knew I could do that – but just overshot and went into the gravel. “This is my and Suzuki’s best result of the season – so far – and I led a MotoGP for the first time. Now that I’ve done that I really want to do it a lot more!.” Team Manager Paul Denning had mixed emotions on a day that he witnessed both the Team’s riders lead a Grand Prix. He said: ” It was great to see Kenny pulling away at the front of the field and being so aggressive – and yet so in control. “Suzuki hasn’t had many opportunities to win a MotoGP recently and we definitely had one today. “It was soul-destroying to see Kenny looking so strong only for the bike to suffer a mechanical problem. We’re sorry for ourselves but even sorrier for Kenny – he was on a mission and deserved so much more. “John rode a great race and when he got into his rhythm he set some of the fastest laps. “A podium was on the cards but he ran off track when the rain was at its heaviest and gone were his chances of his best ever finish. “Having said that though, he fought back brilliantly and caught the group challenging for the podium but trouble with visibility at the end of the race hampered him from making any more passes. “We still have a lot of improvements to make in all areas but today’s potential just goes to prove that Team SUZUKI MotoGP is fighting hard in every department.” The race was watched by 25,348 spectators who witnessed World Champion Valentino Rossi win his second race of the season. The fourth round of the MotoGP World Championship is on May 15th at Le Mans in France. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Shanghai May 1st, 2005 Grand Prix of China Second place in Chinese thriller: Olivier Jacque’s magic comeback When Olivier Jacque jumped in on short notice to replace injured German Kawasaki rider Alex Hofmann, the Grand Prix of China was planned just as a practice run. But when rain set in on race day, the traction of Kawasaki’s new big bang engine, the grip of Bridgestone’s new rain tyre generation and Jacque’s supreme talent in wet conditions made for an irresistible combination: With a thrilling ride and top speeds up to 325 kph, the 31-year-old Frenchman stormed from eleventh place after the start to a magic second place in the end, passing superstars like Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau with ease. Jacque, who had not been on a racing bike in seven months, even started to close in on race leader Valentino Rossi, and just ran out of time to mount an attack on the World Champion. Suzuki star Kenny Roberts, who had put in the best time of all 21 MotoGP riders in dry conditions on Friday afternoon, also seemed to be set for success. The 31-year-old Californian took the lead right from the start and dominated the race for the opening four laps, but was then forced to retire with engine problems. Olivier Jacque’s Kawasaki team-mate Shinya Nakano suffered a similar fate on his 100th Grand Prix, when one cylinder stopped after one lap. John Hopkins, team-mate of Kenny Roberts at Suzuki Racing, finished in a strong seventh position despite running through the gravel bed. Ducati rider Loris Capirossi, who had achieved his first front row starting position of the year, dropped back to twelfth place. Carlos Checa, who was seventh in practice, crashed out of the race Yutaka Yamaguchi Director of Tyre Development The new generation of rain tyres we have developed for MotoGP proved its strength here in Shanghai. Our development team worked very hard, so congratulations to them, and also to Kawasaki Racing Team and Olivier Jacque who did a tremendous job providing all of us with a thrilling podium finish. Although there is still much work to be done, we are happy to celebrate our first podium of this season ! Olivier Jacque Kawasaki Racing Team 2nd position “Right from the start, I saw that I could go faster than the others, and it was no problem to settle into a good and comfortable rhythm. When I had passed Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau, I saw another blue bike ahead and even thought of winning for a while. But Valentino had a good gap, and was controlling the race very well, so I decided to settle for second and be happy with it. My bike and the Bridgestone tyres made for a great combination today. We definitely had great corner speed, and I could ride at 100 per cent all the way. My only problem was that my visor fogged up, and in the corners, I had to turn my head and try to peek out with one eye. That’s when I made a mistake behind Sete, and took longer than expected to pass him. But other than that, I felt like a fish in water. Now I can’t wait to get to Le Mans after this success, the atmosphere at the French Grand Prix will be incredible!” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: ROSSI WINS BUT MELANDRI SHINES IN SODDEN RACE Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) won a rain-lashed MotoGP race from stand-in rider Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki), but Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) established himself as a consistent points scorer with a mature ride to third place in atrocious conditions here in Shanghai. After two days of wet and then dry conditions, the weather turned properly wet for race day. But the surface of the one-year-old Shanghai track proved exceptionally grippy where there wasn’t standing water and the best of the wet weather specialists revelled in the conditions. John Hopkins (Suzuki) got a flier of a start from row two to head the pack into turn one with his team-mate Kenny Roberts right up with him from row three. Then Hopkins lost ground late in the lap to let Rossi and Tony Elias (Yamaha) through as lap two began. The established order had been dismantled already, but the efforts of Elias, and then Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) who was seventh in the early stages, were ruined by ‘ride through’ penalties. Both were judged to have jumped the start and were punished by a speed-limited ride along pitlane, putting them out of contention. Roberts was holding onto his lead until he slowed with machine trouble on lap five. Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) had fallen a lap earlier, then Hopkins ran off track two laps later. Rossi now led from Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) who was riding steadily at second, with Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) in third. Max, who had a nightmare time in qualifying, starting from 14th on the grid, had found some speed in the dreadful conditions. So had stand-in riders Olivier Jacque (replacing the injured Alex Hofmann at Kawasaki) and Jurgen van den Goorbergh who was riding in place of Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) who has a broken wrist. Jacque lay fourth and van den Goorbergh fifth as riders approached mid-distance. Jacque then overhauled Max for third and by lap 14 was up to second. Rossi held a six second advantage over the flying Frenchman who was now 2.2 seconds ahead of Gibernau in third by lap 16 of this 22-lap contest. Jacque was the fastest man on the track. And Gibernau was in trouble as the flag loomed. Melandri was up with the Spaniard and passed him for third on the final lap while Rossi hung onto his lead to deny Jacque a fairytale comeback to MotoGP by just 1.7 seconds at the flag. Gibernau finished an anguished fourth as rear grip deteriorated, with Max fifth and van den Goorbergh a creditable sixth. “That was hard race,” said Melandri. “I’m happy with the result. I would have liked to have fought for a win, but the bike didn’t feel too good in the opening laps. Once I’d got some confidence in the grip, I could pass Sete. This is a good podium, although obviously I want to step higher still.” Sete said, “Very disappointing, because we worked well this weekend. This morning I was confident and did eight fast laps in a row. Then we chose a harder tyre for the race, which should have given us an advantage. But during the warm-up lap it didn’t feel too good. I had bad vibrations and no confidence.” For Max this result was something of a miracle. “In dry conditions, with our set-up problems, things could have been much worse,” he said. “But I can’t be happy with fifth place. That’s not what HRC and me are here for. In the rain a rider’s ability counts for more and I could close the gap, but I was forced to go beyond the limit and had to slow down.” “I’m very happy,” said van den Goorbergh. “There was a lot of water and it was impossible to see who I had in front of me, but thanks to the great settings we found in warm-up I was able to pass many opponents. I have to thank the team both for their welcome and their competence.” Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) finished ninth after suffering from electrical trouble in the conditions. “That was a tough race in those conditions,” he said. “The start was okay but I didn’t make much progress in the early laps. I picked up the pace, got into a rhythm and then picked up a problem and lost places at the end.” Barros said, “The ride-through changed my race and I had to make up ground from then on. I also had big problems with fogged vision. I didn’t realise I’d jumped the start. It’s a shame because I could have picked up points on Rossi. But let’s concentrate on Le Mans in two weeks time.” Troy Bayliss was disappointed. “I could have got a result today. I had really good feeling in the hard rain in the warm-up and I was confident for the race. But the race wasn’t the same. I got a lot of wheelspin and then I lost the rear on the fourth lap. Sometimes racing’s like this.” Former MotoGP star Tohru Ukawa rode an RC211V-engined Moriwaki machine to 15th and said, “Finishing 15th is obviously not satisfactory when my personal challenge is a top ten. There’s a lot we need to do to get the bike to work with the Michelin tyres. It takes time to perform at this level of competition.” The World Championship points table looks like this after three races of this 17-race season: Rossi on 70 points, Melandri with 45, Barros on 43 and Max with 36. Casey Stoner (Aprilia) won the 250cc race from Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) with Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) in third. This was another soaking wet affair of 21-laps and Dovi was happy enough with the points. Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) led into turn one but was overhauled on the back straight by both Stoner and Dovi on lap one. Dani looked uncomfortable in the rain and eventually finished a distant sixth. But at least he finished where others failed to go the distance. Stoner and Dovi were in a race of their own. By lap five they had pulled out 6 seconds on the pursuers headed now by Randy de Puniet (Aprilia). Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) soon joined de Puniet in the hunt, but they were well adrift of the flying front men. At mid-race distance the leading duo were 18 seconds ahead of the rest of the field and it would be their battle, and theirs alone, that determined the outcome. Stoner held on while Dovi sensibly settled for the points that take him to the top of the World Championship table in his debut 250 season. “That was a difficult race in the rain,” said Dovi. “At the halfway point I thought about making an attack on Stoner. Then about five laps from the end it rained hard again and then I thought about the World Championship and I just made sure of second place.” Aoyama said, “The beginning was okay and maybe if I had got closer to the leaders at the start I could have stayed with them, but the gap got too big too soon and I lost touch. But the team did a great job for me here in tough conditions.” Dovi now heads the overall World Championship points table with 53, Stoner has 50 and Dani is third with 48 points. The 125cc race was won by Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) who only just beat Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) across the line by 0.065 seconds, again in wet conditions. Gabor Talmacsi (KTM) was third. Lai led the pack into turn one after getting a storming start from the second row of the grid. He was closely followed by Mika Kallio (KTM) and Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R). Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) was another strong starter from row two holding seventh as the pack completed the first lap. Lai looked to be pulling out a lead in the early stages, holding a 0.6 second advantage on lap two. But Pasini edged past on lap three and held it until lap nine with Talmacsi, Koyama, Julian Simon (KTM) and Luthi chasing. It was Lai, Pasini and Talmacsi who then made the running, dropping Koyama and Luthi by three seconds at the halfway mark to race on their own. As the closing laps loomed Talmacsi could not match Lai and Pasini’s pace and the result depended on the duel between Lai and Pasini. Lai led all the way until the final turn where he ran slightly wide allowing Pasini to get the power down earlier and elbow his way past for a narrow win. But the consolation for Lai is an elevation to second place overall in the World Championship points table. “That was a really tough first lap,” said Lai. “I made a slight mistake on the last turn and Mattia got better drive. But I’m on the podium and now lie second in the standings and that’s the main thing.” Luthi came home fourth and said, “I was careful at the beginning. I let the gutys around me go until I found the limit then I went fast. When I saw Koyama on the outside of me I went harder, but then I had a big slide so I just decided on making sure I finished.” Koyama finished fifth and rookie Aleix Espargaro (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125R) a creditable seventh. The points table shows Kallio on 50 points, Lai on 49 and Pasini with 36 as the riders head back to Europe and Le Mans in France in two weeks time. Honda Team Quotes: MotoGP: Marco Melandri, Movistar Honda MotoGP: 3rd: “I’m very happy of this result. It could have been a great weekend for the team if it was dry. unfortunately the rain spoiled everything. This morning I had difficulties i made only a few laps. At the first laps of the race I was not very confident and lost a lot of positions. lap by lap I started to know better my bike on wet and started to go faster. Being 9th,I started to recover positions till I was 4th. In the last laps I saw that I could push harder so I finished third. I’m very happy for this result and my 2nd position in the championship.” Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda MotoGP: 4th: “I’m very disappointed because during the weekend we had done a good work. this morning on wet I was confident and made 8 fast laps in a row. For the race we chose a harder tyre that, according to Michelin technicians, should have given us advantages with less water on track than this morning. During the warm up lap i had not a good feeling but i couldn’t change tyre. The bike vibrated since the beginning and i had no confidence. I did my best to finish the race and get as much points as possible in these difficult situations.” Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda Team, 5th: “In dry conditions, with our set-up problems and the 14th qualifying time, things could have been much worse. But I can’t be happy with fifth place. That’s not what I and HRC are here for. Surely, under the rain the rider counts much more and I could partially close the gap between me and the fastest. But with these cornering problems I was forced to push it to the limit and even beyond the safety border. I gave my best for the entire race, but we are not doing well, not at all. We must grow much more and very soon or I won’t be able to compete for the top three positions.” Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Konica Minolta Honda Rider, 6th: “I’m very happy about my performance. It has been really hard in the first few laps because there was a lot of water on the track and it was impossible to see who I had in front of me, but thanks to the great setting we found during the warm up I made to pass many opponents. The bike had a great balance which allowed me to be fast, constant and don’t wear out the tyres, therefore after having reached the fifth position I felt I could aim for the podium. But in the last few laps I decided to don’t jeopardize the hard work carried out during the weekend and I controlled the situation of the race. I have to thank the Team for how they have welcomed me and for their competency in approaching the race.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team, 9th: “That was a pretty tough race in those conditions. The start was reasonably okay but then in the first few laps we really didn’t make much progress. We then picked up the pace and started moving forward and got into a pretty good rhythm and I was making a bit of a charge but then towards the end we picked up a bit of a problem. The bike started vibrating a bit and I lost a few places at the end which wasn’t cool. In the last few laps I just wanted to hang on and bring the bike home and pick up some points which we did. We just gotta’ learn and move on.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda, 11th: “It was a lost opportunity. The ride-through changed my race, and I had to make up ground from then on. I also had big problems with my vision being fogged, so much so that every lap I not only had to open the visor, but I had to pass my glove over it to clear it some more. I didn’t realize I made a jump start, I thought the bike just imperceptibly moved; then I got a bad start and I was in amongst a group of riders who were making lots of mistakes. It was hard to get by, because they were riding strange lines, but I managed to get past and made it up to seventh behind Melandri, when I realised I had been given the penalty. I went straight in to the pit-lane because you have to if your team and race direction are telling you. It’s a shame because I could have picked up points on Rossi, but instead I didn’t get the chance. I don’t want to think about it any more, and will concentrate on my next objective, Le Mans in two weeks time.” Tohru Ukawa, Moriwaki Racing: 15th: “To finish the race in 15th position is obviously not satisfactory when my personal challenge is to come in the top ten. There is a lot we need to do to suit the character of the Michelin tyres, which we studied on Friday in our first shake down attempt in dry conditions. Anyway, it takes time to learn, we are focused on the world level of Motorsport. Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda, retired on the fourth lap: “I’m disappointed because I could have got a good result today. This morning in the warm-up I had a really good feeling in the hard rain and I was confident for the race. However later, in the race was not the same, I got a lot of wheel spin, and after the start I was in about tenth place. There was so much water and on the fourth lap on the long left I lost the rear end. What can I say, sometimes racing’s like this. All I can say is that I’ll be aiming to go well in the next GP.” 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Racing Honda, 2nd: “The bad weather and Pedrosa behind advised me to stay in touch with Stoner and in case trying to overtake him at the end of the race. But during the last 6, 7 laps the rain was getting heavier and many invisible puddles could have threatened the grip of the ground. I preferred to not take any risk. With about three laps to go I saw that Stoner had some problems with visor but then I thought to the standing and I was first anyway! Pedrosa remains my rider of reference: very clever and with experience. But the next races are on tracks I like very much and I can ride very well. Aprilia has more engine power but is slower in the corners: there will be great fights! I’ve never thought a so great season beginning!”. Hiroshi Aoyama, MoviStar Honda 250: 3rd: “To come to a completely new circuit and make the podium was always going to be tough, it was unthinkable yesterday, but I think I had a good race. At the start I didn’t feel too comfortable with the pace of the second group but when I saw that the gap was getting smaller I gathered more confidence. That gave me the strength to move to the front of the group, with Stoner and Dovizioso out of sight. It’s my first podium this season and now we’re going to Le Mans, a circuit I really like.” Dani Pedrosa, Movistar Honda 250: 6th: “I’ve always found it difficult to ride in the rain but I think sixth place is good for me; it’s my best result in the wet. I tried as well as I could to follow the pace of the second group because Stoner and Dovizioso were really fast, but I had a gearbox problem. Sixth gear was too short for this circuit and I was losing a lot of time in the straight but I didn’t want to break the engine. Even though I was a bit behind at the end I spent the majority of the race lapping with riders who are good in the wet and that’s positive for me.” Hector Barbera, Fortuna Honda: 7th: “I’m not too happy with my result. This is the second race we have had in difficult weather conditions and we are far from the leading riders in the 250. Friday and Saturday were difficult with wet and dry conditions but I was confident of my possibilities if the race was held in dry conditions. We have everything we need to do well and I just hope the results will come soon.” Jorge Lorenzo, Fortuna Honda: 9th: “I have been practicing my starts and improved a lot. But today the bike bogged down off the start and I was badly away from the start and it took me a long tome to recover. I’m not so confident in the wet but during the last laps I was riding much better. In the dry my hope was to fight for the podium but in the wet it’s a completely different movie..” Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Honda 250: 10th: “In the warm up I was very steady. I liked the behaviour of my bike on the track. However, we made some changes to the settings and during the race I hadn’t got the same feeling anymore. I lost the front-end a several times so I decided for low risks and some points but I’m not satisfied.” Alex Debon, Wurth Honda BQR: 11th: “That was a 50-50 race for me. I was 11th, the best Honda kit rider to score points today and now I’m 10th in the championship. The only real problem I had was the engine power was killed a little because the temperature never got higher than 43” much too low. Tyres and chassis were perfect. Now we return to Europe and some tracks I like.” Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda: 14th: “At the start of the race I didn’t know the limit with this bike because it’s the first time I have raced it in the rain. Once I was confident I was faster and faster and ended up fighting for 13th with Baldolini, Heidorf and Locatelli. I made a small mistake on the last lap and that meant I was 14th. But two points are welcome for the championship standings.” Dirk Heidorf, Kiefer Bos Castrol Honda: 15th: Not too bad. In the beginning, maybe two three laps I could not find a rhythm but slowly I found my way and got better and better. At the end of the race I was fighting with Kuba (Smrz) but my gearbox was too short and the engine was running over 13,500rpmfor a long time down the straight. Still we are happy this is the first 250cc point the team has scored since July 2002. I’m happy to be the rider to give it to them because they have all worked really hard for me.” Radomil Rous, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf crash: “I was in the group with Smrz, Baldolini and Heidorf for most of the race but I lost the front end on lap 17 and crashed. It just turned in on me so fast I could not save it.” 125cc: Fabrizio Lai, Kopron Racing World Honda, 2nd: “The duel with Mattia was really exciting. It is a pity for the mistake at the last corner probably because of the worn-out tyres. There was a contact with Mattia but in 125 class it is normal, the races are always hard fought competition: at Jerez all the race was full of contacts. During the race I decided to overtake him when I saw the other riders recover positions. I always thought to the standing, looking the position of Kallio (8) and of the other rivals on the big screen. “¦I regret a bit not to being able to catch the victory!”. Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 4th: “At the beginning of the race I was careful I let the guys around me go until I found my limit in the conditions then went fast. The only problem I had was when I Koyama on the outside of me at one corner and went harder but I got into a big slide so big I hit my elbow was the track surface. Still I’m happy with the points. The bike was good all through the race and he tyres held up until the last few laps.” Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ajo Motorsport: 5th: “In the opening laps I was racing with the leading few riders but didn’t think I could pass them so I eased the pace a little to sit behind them. The season is just starting and I didn’t want to crash. It sure feels good to race in the top group, it’s good experience. That was my first wet GP race. One thing is certain, all GP riders are fast in the rain. I almost fell twice on the last lap but I’m really satisfied with my performance.” Aleix Espargaro, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 7th: “Very, very happy, this is my best race ever, it’s a dream for me. I have to thank everyone in my team they have worked so hard for me we had a few problems in qualifying but they gave me a good set up for the race. I really enjoyed the race and I learned a lot.” Toshihisa Kuzuhara, Angaia Racing Honda: 16th: “I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike from the start and didn’t make much improvement during the race. I was in 14th place until the last lap but two riders passed me and I scored no points.” Alvaro Bautista, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 17th: “I had some front-end problems again, I just could not get the bike to steer into the corners the way I wanted it to. I can’t understand why because we had the bike working well in the last wet session. I’m disappointed with today because the engine was really fast.” Raymond Schouten, Molenaar Honda: 19th: “That was a real Dutch race with all that water but I took too long to find my rhythm. When I got going I caught the group fighting for 13th place but could not get amongst them. Normally in these conditions some riders in front of you stop or fall but not today. My problem was my first three laps, I was too cautious.” Mike Di Meglio, Kopron racing World Honda: 20th: To get into the points scoring positions today the opening laps were very important. Unfortunately I felt uncomfortable with the front-end in these conditions, even though we found good solutions for the front end yesterday it was not enough for the conditions out there today.” Alexis Masbou, Ajo Motorsport: 21st: “I was not happy with my machine settings I never felt easy with the bike today. On about the eighth lap I caught two riders but they braked too early for one corner and I crashed while trying not to run into them. I got back into the race but 21st was the best I could do.” Federico Sandi, Angaia Racing Honda: 25th: “I got a good start and gained a few places but at the first corner the front-end turned in on me and I lost a little confidence. From then on it was difficult to run into the corners as fast as I wanted to. A great pity because the engine was very good today.” Sandro Cortese, Kiefer Bos Castrol Honda: dnf crash: “Not much to say about my race apart from I am very disappointed. On lap 12 the front end turned in and I crashed out.” More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: SECOND PODIUM OF THE SEASON FOR MARCO Sete Gibernau finishes fourth racing with difficulties while his team mate Marco Melandri finishes third. GP OF CHINA – MOTOGP RACE Another difficult day for the Team Movistar Honda MotoGP. Heavy rain spoiled what could have been a great weekend for Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri. Sete Gibernau was very fast during the warm up session this morning. He made 8 very fast laps in a row on wet, while Marco had more difficulties and made only a few laps. Rain continued for the race and the most difficult choice was the election of tyres. Sete Gibernau opted for a harder rear tyre but he suffered from vibrations and had no grip. He pushed hard, racing with difficulties and finished 4th. =0D Marco Melandri was very good at recovering positions. After some difficulties at the beginning of the race when he had not a good feeling with the bike, he started to gain confidence pushing harder. He recovered from the 9th to the 4th position, he finally finished 3rd. With the second podium of the season, Marco is 2nd in the world championship. MARCO MELANDRI: “I’m very happy of this result. it could have been a great weekend for the team if it was dry. unfortunately the rain spoiled everything. This morning I had difficulties and I made only a few laps. At the first laps of the race I was not very confident and lost a lot of positions. lap by lap I started to know better my bike on wet and started to go faster. being 9th, I started to recover positions till I was 4th. In the last laps I saw that I could push harder so I finished third. I’m very happy for this result and my 2nd position in the championship.” SETE GIBERNAU: “I’m very disappointed because during the weekend we had done a good work. this morning on wet I was confident and made 8 fast laps in a row. For the race we chose a harder tyre that, according to Michelin technicians, should have given us advantages with less water on track than this morning. During the warm up lap I had not a good feeling but I couldn’t change tyre. The bike vibrated since the beginning and I had no confidence. I did my best to finish the race and get as much points as possible in these difficult situations.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha: THE FORTUNA YAMAHA RIDERS PUT IN A GOOD PERFORMANCE ON THE DIFFICULT SHANGHAI TRACK The Fortuna Yamaha riders Ruben Xaus and Toni Elias finished the Grand Prix of China in 10th and 14th position respectively. Toni made a great start which saw him move into third position on the opening laps. The ‘rookie’ demonstrated his true potential, but bad fortune robbed him off the chance to remain with the lead riders. The authorities decided the Manresa rider had badly positioned his bike on the starting grid and imposed a ‘drive-through’ penalty that saw him have to return to the pit-lane before rejoining the race. Team-mate Ruben Xaus was thinking only of scoring points and making up some of the ground lost in the first two races of the season, and eventually finished in tenth place. 10th Ruben Xaus: “I am progressing, at least I was able to score some points and finish in the top ten, although I still owe my team a lot for the mistakes I made in pre-season. I rode very well in the warm-up and had a lot of confidence on the damp track, but I took it easy on the first corner as I did not want to risk anything. I let a few riders pass me and took the first few laps easy thinking about conserving my tyres. In the end that helped me and I was able to lap with times the same as the lead group, and score some points.” 14th Toni Elias: “I got away very well and was lapping comfortably for the first few laps with Rossi and also Gibernaua and Biaggi. But the race authorities warned me I had to enter the pit-lane for a penalty because I was not in the right position on the starting grid. I got confused with the positioning in 250 because in MotoGP you only have three bikes on each row. It’s devastating, but in the end it was my own fault. I was having a great race. After the penalty I was able to climb back up the field a bit but it did not help much.” Herve Poncharal (Team Manager Fortuna Yamaha): “Toni was having a great race, but unfortunately the penalty for his wrong positioning did not allow him to continue when he had a great rhythm going. It was a real shame! Despite that, Toni showed his great potential, not only during the race but throughout the weekend. He was quick both in dry and wet conditions, that is very important. The potential is there. As concerns Ruben, he put in a good showing and that is the second race that he has finished tenth. He rode a very intelligent race and little by little is showing the potential he has that everyone knows about. He is adapting to the M1 and you can see that in the results.”