FIM MotoGP World Championship Mugello, Italy June 4 Race Results: 1. Valentino ROSSI (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, 23 laps, 42:39.610 2. Loris CAPIROSSI (Duc GP6), Bridgestone, -0.575 second 3. Nicky HAYDEN (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -0.735 second 4. Dani PEDROSA (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -2.007 seconds 5. Sete GIBERNAU (Duc GP6), Bridgestone, -3.070 seconds 6. Marco MELANDRI (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -11.793 seconds 7. Toni ELIAS (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -18.999 seconds 8. Kenny Lee ROBERTS (Hon KR211V), Michelin, -19.172 seconds 9. Makoto TAMADA (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -19.231 seconds 10. John HOPKINS (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -19.821 seconds 11. Shinya NAKANO (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -19.863 seconds 12. Colin EDWARDS (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -30.678 seconds 13. Randy DE PUNIET (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -37.198 seconds 14. Chris VERMEULEN (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -41.712 seconds 15. Carlos CHECA (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -56.256 seconds 16. James ELLISON (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -73.387 seconds 17. Jose Luis CARDOSO (Duc GP5), Dunlop, -1 lap 18. Casey STONER (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -15 laps, DNF, crash 19. Alex HOFMANN (Duc GP5), Dunlop, -15 laps, DNF, crash MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (After 6 of 17 races): 1. TIE, CAPIROSSI/HAYDEN, 99 points 3. MELANDRI, 89 points 4. PEDROSA, 86 points 5. TIE, ROSSI/STONER, 65 points 7. ELIAS, 53 points 8. EDWARDS, 49 points 9. GIBERNAU, 44 points 10. TAMADA, 40 points 11. NAKANO, 37 points 12. ROBERTS, 28 points 13. HOPKINS, 27 points 14. VERMEULEN, 21 points 15. CHECA, 16 points 16. DE PUNIET, 11 points 17. HOFMANN, 6 points 18. ELLISON, 5 points More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Capirossi and Bridgestone magnificent in Mugello Bridgestone rider Loris Capirossi came tantalisingly close to an epic home victory in a pulsating Italian MotoGP race at the Mugello circuit this afternoon. The 33-year-old finished a close second behind reigning world champion Valentino Rossi after a nail-biting 23-lap encounter packed with drama and intrigue in front of a passionate home crowd of nearly 90,000. Eighth at the end of the first lap after a sluggish start from the front row of the grid, Capirossi began a superb surge through the field on lap five when he moved into seventh by fellow Bridgestone rider Shinya Nakano, who on a ground-breaking day for the Japanese tyre manufacturer used a 16-inch rear tyre for the first time in a race. Capirossi set the fastest lap of the race just two laps later and he moved into third place on lap13 with a clinical pass on Nicky Hayden. His remarkable recovery continued when he took the lead on an incredible lap 15 to begin an epic battle with compatriot Rossi. Leading from laps 15 to 22, Capirossi’s heroic efforts just saw him miss the triumph on a nail-biting last lap. Capirossi’s fourth podium in the opening six races drew him level at the top of the world championship on 99-points with third Hayden. Ducati team-mate Sete Gibernau finished fifth as he set the second fastest lap of the race. The Spaniard was a constant threat at the front of the field until he was struck by yet more cruel luck. On lap 16 his right toe slider worked loose, and he slipped back to finish a creditable fifth on a day all six Bridgestone riders scored points. Kawasaki rider Nakano finished 11th using the new 16-inch rear tyre. The new tyre has the same rolling radius as the current 16.5-inch rear. The design gives a higher sidewall, which increases shock absorption to reduce chatter. It also gives a flatter profile, with no loss in contact patch, which makes changing direction easier. Loris Capirossi Ducati Corse Team 2nd position “That was a fantastic race. I like to make races like that even if I’m not the winner. The battle with Valentino and Nicky was so good and always correct. To win in Mugello is the best feeling but I’m still really happy with second and I hope we have a race like that again soon. When you make a battle like that it is good for the sport and good for the people watching. My start was bad and in the first few laps I was a little bit quiet. I started to push and to overtake people but it was so difficult because the pace of the front group was so fast. Making up time from the bad start I’d used the rear tyre a lot and for the last five laps I started to have a little problem. The last two laps were incredible and it is so nice to ride with Valentino. I was faster than him in T4 and planned to attack him late on the last lap, but I had a couple of moments and lost some time. But again Bridgestone have done a great job and the performance just gets better and better. We have left behind some tracks that were not so good for us last year sharing the lead in the championship, so that is proof of the progress.” Hiroshi Yamada – Motorcycle Racing Manager Bridgestone Motorsport “It was a fantastic race. The battle was so hard and the level of the race incredibly high, so we are happy to finish second with another great ride from Loris. Again he tried everything he could to win. This was another very good weekend for us. We got pole position with an amazing lap from Sete, Loris set the fastest lap of the race and finished second, and he is now joint leader in the championship. I think today we showed the improvements made with endurance and consistency of the tyres. And without some unfortunate luck I’m sure Sete could have been on the podium too. Today was also interesting for us because Shinya raced with the 16-inch rear tyre for the first time. He said the tyre was not so bad but it is clear we need more time to make a proper evaluation. But I expect him to continue using it from now on.” Bridgestone Results: 2 Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 42.40,185, 5 Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati, 42.42.680 10 John Hopkins, (USA) Suzuki, 42.59.431, 11 Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki (JPN) 42.59.473, 13 Randy de Puniet, (FRA) Kawasaki 43.16.808, 14Chris Vermeulen, (AUS) Suzuki 43.21.322 Temperature Track Air Weather Afternoon 29 C 20 C Sunny More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: NAKANO PICKS UP POINTS IN HARD FOUGHT MUGELLO RACE Watched by almost 90,000 spectators, Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in eleventh place in this afternoon’s 23-lap Italian Grand Prix, after being outpaced by his factory rivals along Mugello’s ultra-fast main straight. The Kawasaki rider, who was penalised for a jump start two weeks ago in Le Mans, has been practicing his starts all weekend, for which he was rewarded today with a lightning launch from the second row of the grid that saw him slot into third place at the first turn. But Nakano was unable to find an answer to the pace of his factory rivals, as they pulled out of his slipstream on the main straight to demote the Kawasaki rider back to sixth position, and into the clutches of the second group of riders. The 28-year-old Japanese rider pushed as hard as he could to hold off his pursuers, but again lost places as they passed out of the slipstream along Mugello’s 1100 metre front straight. Nakano held onto tenth position for the majority of the race, but missed out on a top ten finish on the final lap, as John Hopkins slipstreamed past him to demote the Kawasaki rider to eleventh position at the line. Randy de Puniet knew that starting from the sixth row of the grid would make today’s race a difficult one, but the 25-year-old Frenchman made things even harder for himself by making an uncharacteristically bad start from sixteenth position. After a hard first lap the Kawasaki pilot managed to fight his way back up the field to twelfth place, but then started to suffer pain in his lower back; a legacy of the first corner crash that brought his home Grand Prix in Le Mans to a premature conclusion two weeks ago. De Puniet pushed on regardless, but was unable to counter a move from Colin Edwards in the final stages of the race and was forced to settle for thirteenth place at the chequered flag. The Kawasaki Racing Team will stay on at Mugello, where Nakano, de Puniet and test and development rider, Olivier Jacque, will complete a one-day development test on Monday. Shinya Nakano: 11th “I’ve been practicing my starts this weekend, and it seems to have done the trick; today I got my best start of the season to jump from fifth to third place by the first corner. But that’s where the problems started. I just couldn’t stay with the leading group, they simply drove past me on the straight and they were gone. The same was true with the second group; I could run with them through the corners, but they’d just disappear when we reached the straight. I had no problems with the bike today, the tyres worked well throughout the race and I was pushing as hard as possible. But we still ended up outside the top ten, after John Hopkins passed me on the very last lap. I knew he was coming, but there is little you can do to defend your position when it’s so easy to pass our bike on the straight. We know we need to find more top-end power, and we know we need to improve the driveability of the Ninja ZX-RR, and I think this can be seen quite clearly from today’s result.” Randy de Puniet: 13th “That was a very difficult race, mainly because I started so far back on the grid and then made things worse by getting a bad start; I think I might have been close to last going into the first turn. I got my head down and managed to pass a few riders to move up to twelfth position, but then I started to get a lot of pain in my back, which I injured in the crash at Le Mans, and that made it difficult to do a good lap time. When Edwards came past me at the end I tried to stay with him, but it was impossible. But, although I would obviously have preferred to finish higher in the race, it wasn’t such a bad result given our qualifying position. I’ve got one more race finish under my belt and I learnt a lot this afternoon as a result of having to fight through the field. Without the handicap of a bad start from the sixth row, and the problems with my back, I think there was potential to be up there fighting with the group that Shinya was in today. The bike worked well this afternoon, my crew did a great job and I just hope we can go to Catalunya in two weeks and come away with a good result.” Harald Eckl: Team Principal “This weekend we have a number of key people from KHI in Japan visiting the team, and I think that they will leave here with a better understanding of where our development efforts need to be focussed after today’s race. Improvements in the driveability of the Ninja ZX-RR are important, but as Shinya showed today, we also need more top speed if we are not to concede positions on the straights at fast circuits like Mugello and Catalunya. Both riders rode a good race today, but the end result doesn’t really do their efforts justice.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Rossi back on track in breathtaking Mugello race The sun was shining at Mugello, and 89,200 of MotoGP’s most passionate aficionados were treated to a phenomenal race and a home one-two in the Gran Premio Alice d’Italia. Valentino Rossi’s popular victory was vital for his title chances, as he put on a racing masterclass to come in ahead of Loris Capirossi and Nicky Hayden. The bright yellow Yamaha grandstand erupted with delight as they saw their hero fly by in the lead on lap one, having overtaken holeshot man Sete Gibernau on one of the opening corners. The race was a spectacular display of the depth of quality present in MotoGP, with any number of riders looking like potential race winners. Italy’s resident ‘Doctor’ gave a racing clinic early on alongside Gibernau and Marco Melandri, then later with Capirossi before breaking past his countryman once and for all on lap 21. Capirossi had a poor start onboard the specially decorated Ducati Desmosedici, dropping down to eighth from second on the grid. By the middle of the race he had fought his way through the pack and taken the lead, and pushed his bike to the limit in the final moments when it seemed all but spent, however Rossi eked out enough of a gap going into the final straightaway to hold him off. Nicky Hayden showed that when not suffering from the flu he is always a formidable rider, back on the podium after his Le Mans blip. The Kentucky Kid looked to be waiting for the front two to force each other into mistake, stalking the two Italians and attempting opportunistic moves, however as none of them stuck for long enough he was forced to settle for third by the time the flag dropped. Although never involved in the leading battle, Dani Pedrosa still made his way up the order with a strong performance. Last year’s 250cc winner at the Italian Circuit earned valuable points with a fourth place. He finished just ahead of countryman Sete Gibernau who rode superbly for the first half of the race, duking it out with Rossi until he slipped down the pack. Marco Melandri rounded off the top six, although could have placed higher had he not run off onto the grass whilst challenging for the lead on lap 16. Team-mate Toni Elias finished in seventh ahead of Kenny Roberts Jr , Makoto Tamada and John Hopkins. Casey Stoner suffered a spectacular crash whilst making a move on the leading riders, flying off the track after a huge highside although without serious consequences. It is the first race that the young Australian has failed to finished, having not been outside the top six this season. Capirossi now leads the World Championship by virtue of having won the first round in Jerez, level pegging with Hayden on 99 points, with Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa close behind. Reigning champion Rossi upped his points tally to 65 as he fights back from his worst start to a premier class season. 250cc Jorge Lorenzo took his third victory of the season after a closely fought 250cc race, ending the drought which started after wins in the opening two races of the season. The race was one of the tightest of 2006 so far, with a heartstopping finale. San Marino’s Alex de Angelis was second, followed by Italian Andrea Dovizioso. Humangest Honda’s World Championship-leading star Dovizioso maintains a 20 point gap between himself and Lorenzo, who jumped to second. The third placed rider in the Championship, Yuki Takahashi, finished in fourth at Mugello ahead of Alex Debon and early leader Roberto Locatelli. Marco Simoncelli was just outside the top six, ahead of Anthony West who had a stirling performance. Shuhei Aoyama and Andrea Ballerini completed the top ten. There were spectacular early crashes from Hiroshi Aoyama and Jakub Smrz, heartbreaking for the Czech rider after his superb performance in practice at the Italian circuit. Hector Barbera was another rider forced to retire from the race just after the start. 125cc Mattia Pasini was the first victor of the day at the Mugello Circuit, providing the Italian crowd with a perfect start to their spectacular raceday. Pasini took a last lap win from team-mate Master MVA Aspar Alvaro Bautista and Lukas Pesek in a 125cc photo-finish thriller, with a winning margin of just one thousandth of a second. The front three were out on their own by the end of the race, with both the Aprilia riders running wide twice in two laps to let Pesek pass before reclaiming the top spots. Pesek tried a number of unorthodox lines to try and take the win, but was held off masterfully. Sergio Gadea, Hector Faubel and Mika Kallio completed the top six, ahead of Julian Simon, Gabor Talmacsi and brave reigning World Champion Thomas Luthi, who was doubtful for the race after a repeat of his collarbone injury. Simone Corsi rounded off the first ten past the chequered flag. With his second place and fifth podium of 2006, Bautista extends his lead to 31 points in the championship over Kallio, whilst Pasini jumps up to third. 1st, Valentino Rossi (Yamaha): “For sure the start of the season was not perfect. I remember all my most difficult races with Marco Melandri, Nicky and especially with Loris, and this was one of the most epic battles of my career. I didn’t know if first or second was possible before the race, and our two bikes were equal in terms of performance. I tried to get away at the beginning because I saw that Loris had a bad start and I knew that he would be my biggest rival today.” 2nd, Loris Capirossi (Ducati): “I started so bad, and I had problems with the tyres because I had made the wrong choice. Everyone had great rhythm so it was hard to make up the ground with it being so close. On the last five laps I had a rear tyre problem, so I thought that I would ease off, wait and then fight for the last 3 laps.” 3rd, Nicky Hayden (Honda) : “I thought that I might be able to steal a win and spoil the occasion for these Italians. Everyone was out for blood, there were some good battles all the way down the field, I would like to give an excuse but the truth is I just couldn’t get it done. Me and Dani were able to go fastest this morning, we answered the bell after a poor Le Mans, and we made a few changes overnight from Saturday to Sunday. It was nice to be back on the podium but as always you want to be at the top.” 1st, Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia): “I’m happier than ever about this victory, because we had problems in the last three races. It is unbelievable. The race was a bit crazy, with riders hitting each other. I have to be happy with victory here.” 1st, Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) : “Alvaro and Lukas were very fast, and it was such a fun race, but right now I am so happy. It was really fun, a fantastic race for me, and at home too! I tried to escape at the start but Lukas and Alvaro were too fast to manage that. I want to thank everybody who helped me to take my first victory since last year.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing/Fortuna Honda: MELANDRI FINISHES 6TH AFTER AN INCREDIBLE RACE Toni Elias finishes 7th and improves his feelings The 86,200 fans who turned up to attend the 2006 Italian Grand Prix saw one of the most spectacular races of this, or any season. Marco Melandri and Toni Elias, the FORTUNA HONDA riders, finished in sixth and seventh positions respectively in the sixth round of the championship at Mugello. Melandri, who spent almost all of the race battling it out with the leading riders, put in a great performance. Marco was pushing hard when, six laps from the end, he left the track in the attempt to overtake Nicky Hayden who was in third position. With the 6th position in Mugello, Marco Melandri now is third in the championship with 89 points. Team-mate Toni Elias, who started in 12th, got stronger as the race went on and moved through the field to ultimately claim seventh position. MARCO MELANDRI (42’51.403 6th) 3rd in Championship – 89 points: “I knew it would be a long and hard race from the off so I tried to take it easy early on, although I stayed with the lead riders. My bike was a little slower in changing direction and so tried to make up some time on the braking. By the end I was pushing very hard and, as I was battling Nicky Hayden for third, I made a mistake which put me back to sixth, well behind the lead group. It was a shame as I would have loved to have got a podium for these great fans.” TONI ELIAS (42’58.609, 7th): 7th in Championship – 53 points: “I have the potential to be getting better results but am being troubled by a traction problem. After qualifying yesterday myself and the team decided to make a radical change to the set-up of the bike and that made a real difference. I am quite satisfied as I started in 12th and finished seventh in the end. Tomorrow I hope that the weather is kind to us and that we are able to stay at the circuit to do some testing. I am really looking forward to racing in front of my home fans in the next round.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Top 10 for battling Hopkins at Mugello John Hopkins raced his Rizla Suzuki to a top 10 finish during today’s Gran Premio d’Italia Alice at Mugello in Italy, with team-mate Chris Vermeulen also in the points. Hopkins didn’t make one of his customary good starts and was fighting to stay in touch with the leaders on the first few laps, but the never-say-die attitude of the Anglo-American racer saw him involved in a race-long five bike battle for seventh place. Hopkins never gave up the challenge and, despite struggling for top speed on Mugello’s many fast sections, he managed to stay with the Hondas of Toni Elias, Kenny Roberts Jr and Makoto Tamada, plus the Kawasaki of Shinya Nakano. As the race drew to a close Hopkins made a last ditch overtaking manoeuvre on Nakano and passed him before the finish line to grab a deserved 10th place. Chris Vermeulen was also in the points during his first ever race at Mugello. He got off to a slow start and was down in 18th place at the end of the first lap, but he showed that he was able to adapt to the race and soon moved up the field. His lap-times in the later half of the contest were comparable to the group in front of him, but he was never able to make up the deficit and brought his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R home in a creditable 14th position. Today’s race was held in sunny conditions and temperatures reached a pleasant 20°C, although the temperature of the 89,200 fervent Italian fans was raised even further as World Champion Valentino Rossi won a fantastic race with fellow Italian Loris Capirossi in second. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will now remain in Mugello for a day’s testing on Monday, before the MotoGP circus moves onto Barcelona on Sunday 18th June for round seven of the championship. John Hopkins: “I didn’t get the best of starts and never got off the line like I normally do. It was a horrible first lap really and I wasn’t where I wanted to be and I had to fight my way up. I tried to claw my way towards the front, but as it happened I got involved in the second group and basically just hung in there with them and at the end I just managed to get past Shinya for 10th. I can’t say I’m ecstatic with the race but I’m certainly not too disappointed, as Mugello is a tough track for us. We needed to get through this and now we will move onto Barcelona with some high hopes as we tested well there earlier in the year. I am now looking forward to the rest of the season with a positive attitude and to getting some good results.” Chris Vermeulen: “My first time in Mugello and I really enjoyed it, there was a big crowd and a great atmosphere! It wasn’t the result I would have liked, but it was a very tough race. I didn’t get the best of starts and I got eaten alive into turn one. I finally got through the field and was doing similar lap times to the group in front which I was happy with. I brought the bike home safely and got some points and next it is off to Barcelona a track that I know so I will certainly be looking to improve on today’s position.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Rizla Suzuki MotoGP’s results today don’t look spectacular, but to be honest I’m not dissatisfied. Essentially we were beaten by Valentino, the two Ducatis and a group of Hondas. On a track like this where you need a lot of power to maintain a good lap time that really isn’t too bad. To some extent John’s start dictated his result, but I am pleased that he hung in there and managed a top 10 finish. “Chris certainly learnt a lot from the race and I’m sure he will learn more from the test tomorrow. During the middle section of the race he maintained a very good pace. This is a difficult track to come to for the first time and get a top result. “We are looking forward to testing a new engine specification tomorrow and hope that will take us to the next step in performance. Our improvement from 2005 is significant but it is still not enough. My personal target was a top eight finish for John and as it was he was half a second off seventh. With further improvements from Suzuki with the motor and Bridgestone with the tyres we are looking forward with optimism to Barcelona.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: CAPIROSSI FINISHES 2ND TO RETAKE SERIES LEAD Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau played starring roles in today’s enthralling Italian Grand Prix, both riders leading to the delight of the Italian fans before finally finishing second and fifth. Capirossi came back brilliantly from a sluggish start to take the lead on lap 15. From there he fought a thrilling duel with compatriot Valentino Rossi, ending the race just 0.575 seconds down to retake the World Championship lead, though equal on points with third-place finisher Nicky Hayden. During the early stages Gibernau was Rossi’s biggest threat, the Spaniard leading on several occasions before the toe-slider on his right boot got damaged. Gibernau slipped back before mounting a spirited comeback, rapidly closing on fourth-place finisher Dani Pedrosa. By the finish he had worn right through the boot and his little toe was bleeding. Capirossi and Gibernau raced with special livery to celebrate three anniversaries: Ducati’s 80th birthday, the 60th anniversary of the company starting motorcycle production and the 50th anniversary of its first use of the desmodromic valve system. LORIS CAPIROSSI, finished 2nd, 1st overall (99 points) “My start was so bad and I had chosen quite hard tyres so I was a little bit quiet in the first few laps. When my rhythm came good I started overtaking guys, though it wasn’t easy because everyone was going so quick today. The battle with Valentino and Nicky was great, we overtook each other many times but always in a correct manner, it’s always so nice to ride with Valentino. I enjoy races like that even if I don’t win! To win here at Mugello is the best, but today I’m happy with second. Everyone in the team made a really great job this weekend, so thanks to them all. Bridgestone are coming better and better, we’re at a very high level now and I hope we can continue improving. Our season started so well and it continues to go well, now I want more of this!” SETE GIBERNAU, finished 5th, 9th overall (44 points) “We had a few moments out there but we had good fun and I enjoyed it a lot, it’s been a while since I’ve been riding to win a race. I led a few laps, it was nice to be up there again and we fought good, so it was perfect. The team did a great job and Bridgestone did a great job too, they gave me a real good bike and tyres, so all credit to the guys, though the bike was a little wobbly on the main straight! When I had the problem with my boot it was difficult to adapt, it took two laps or so to adjust, then I came back. It was just a pity what happened with my boot, but that’s racing. I’m starting to enjoy riding again and I’m beginning to really understand how to get the best out of the Ducati.” FEDERICO MINOLI, Ducati Motor Holding CEO and president “That was a great way to mark the three anniversaries we are celebrating this year. We had a one-two on the grid and we were in the thick of the action for the race win. Loris rode like a lion, making an unbelievable comeback, while Sete showed once again that he’s a great rider, without that boot problem he would also have fought for the win. ” Temperatures: Ambient: 20 degrees. Track: 29 degrees More, from a press release issued by Michelin: LOCAL HERO ROSSI WINS AGAIN, HAYDEN SHARES POINTS LEAD Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) secured a crucial victory in sensational style at Mugello this afternoon, winning a titanic battle with Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici) and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) to claw back valuable World Championship points after a run of ill luck. Rossi beat Capirossi by half a second to secure his fifth consecutive home-race success, Hayden another two tenths back in third spot. Michelin riders filled seven of the first nine finishing positions with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) taking fourth place, just two seconds behind the winner, and Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin) finishing sixth, another second behind Pedrosa. With six of 17 rounds done, Hayden shares the championship points lead with Capirossi on 99 points while Rossi sits in fifth spot, 34 points down on the leaders. “That was a great race, very entertaining for everyone and faster than last year’s by a whisker,” said Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “We also had strength in depth with seven of the top nine riders using our tires. Valentino’s pace was very consistent, plus he had enough grip to make the difference over the last lap. He rode a great race and it was good to see Nicky up front again, he’s strong everywhere this year. Valentino chose different tires from our other top finishers but he chose what was right for his bike and for his riding style. The Hondas also seemed very well suited to their tires choices, Kenny Roberts Junior (Team Roberts KR211V-Michelin) enjoying an excellent ride in front of many factory bikes. It was also nice to see that another great Italian rider, Max (Biaggi, Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), still holds the lap record from last year!” Top five Michelin riders’ tire choice Rossi: soft compound front, narrow-profile medium compound rear Hayden: medium compound front, wider-profile hard compound rear Pedrosa: medium compound front, wider-profile hard compound rear Melandri: medium compound front, wider-profile hard compound rear Elias: medium compound front, wider-profile hard compound rear More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: HAYDEN GRABS FIGHTING THIRD IN ITALIAN THRILLER MotoGP provided one of the best races so far seen this season in front of a passionate 89,000-strong crowd here at Mugello. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) won from Loris Capirossi (Ducati) with Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) a tenacious third. After intermittent rain over the first two days of this Grand Prix race day was bright for the most part and despite drops of rain falling during the 250cc race, the main event remained dry to provide enthralling racing over 23-laps of this magnificent 5.245km course. Sete Gibernau (Ducati) led from pole into turn one with Rossi hard on his tail and Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) in third who got a flier of a start from row two. Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) was up there in fourth with Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) in tow in fifth. Melandri made an early move to set the pace on lap four and squeezed past Rossi to take second place. While places were changing hands at the front Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) set an early fastest lap of the race at 1m 50.300s as he tried to move up from seventh. As Rossi hit the front on lap seven, Capirossi was making up for his poor start by setting a fastest lap of 1m 50.195s as he fought to get on terms with the front-men from seventh place on that lap. Rossi and Gibernau meanwhile had stretched out a 1.2 second lead over Hayden in third. Stoner who was holding fourth place then crashed out of the race on lap nine. It was a big off and the young Aussie, although unscathed, went for a precautionary medical check. Capirossi meanwhile was closing relentlessly on the leading riders. The experienced Italian was fourth on lap 11, third by lap 13, and then on lap 15 he slipped inside both Rossi and Gibernau to head the pack as the lead duo both went wide at turn one. There was now a six-rider bunch in close formation at the front and the action would get more furious yet. As Gibnernau dropped back it was Capirossi and Hayden at the front until Rossi made a move for second at the downhill chicane. Melandri meanwhile ran wide and out of the running for a possible podium place. As the final laps counted down the fight at the front became a three-way affair as Pedrosa lost contact in fourth with Gibernau behind him. Rossi took the lead on the penultimate lap, again at the high-speed downhill chicane, but on the final lap into turn one Capirossi outbraked the reigning champ until he ran wide allowing Rossi to re-pass. Hayden, try as he might, could not quite make enough ground to challenge either of them and third place had to be consolation for a gritty ride. Dani finished fourth and Melandri sixth with his team-mate Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) in seventh. But Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) had a great ride to eighth, using a new chassis on the KR machine, ahead of Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) in ninth. Nicky said, “It was a good battle and everybody was out for blood today. I’ve had a few hard battles like that for seventh but it’s fun when it’s for the lead. Everyone was trying hard but nobody did anything too crazy. Melandri came up under me one time and I got into the corner hotter than I had all weekend and he was in two bikes hotter than me so I didn’t think he was going to keep it on the island. With the atmosphere here and the crowd, these are the days you really enjoy.” Dani was happy enough with fourth and said, “Today was a good race for me I’m happy with the result because this track is very tiring to ride and I was expecting to lose more time on the leaders. So I’m happy because being only two seconds behind the winner at my first time on a MotoGP bike at Mugello is perfect for me. We had some problems with the settings during the race, especially in the last ten laps, but it’s not serious and is something we can fix.” Melandri said, “I knew it would be a long and hard race from the off so I tried to take it easy early on, although I stayed with the lead riders. By the end I was pushing very hard and, when I was battling Nicky Hayden for third, I made a mistake which put me back to sixth, well behind the lead group. It was a shame as I would have loved to have got a podium for these great fans.” Elias said, “I am quite satisfied as I started in 12th and finished seventh in the end. Tomorrow I hope that the weather is kind to us and that we are able to stay at the circuit to do some testing. I am really looking forward to racing in front of my home fans in the next round.” “We are getting closer now,” said Kenny. “This is the first time I’ve felt the bike doing what we need it to. I’m really pleased for the team. Everybody has worked real hard on this project. Basically we were making changes to the bike but we were not getting the results we wanted. At China we sat down with Honda and got a few suggestions, and together with our own theories, we built the chassis we raced today.” Tamada said, “Today the temperature definitely rose and we had to revise our race tyre choice. Unfortunately I had little rear tyre grip and this stopped me staying in touch with the leaders. In the end, I tried to force the pace to re-pass Elias and Roberts but I did not have enough confidence to be aggressive enough.” “I feel a little average, said Casey. “My neck is quite sore but there is no problem. Unfortunately I made a small mistake and the front-end went on a bump. I was a little frustrated by Melandri holding me up he was very hard on the brakes. But there are lots of positives because I was very competitive here.” Nicky and Loris Capirossi are now joint leaders of the World Championhsip with 99 points apiece. Melandri lies third with 89 and Dani is in close contention with 86. Rossi shares fifth with Stoner, both men on 65 points each. Jorge Lorenzo won a tight 250cc race from Alex de Angelis (both Aprilia) with series points leader Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) a fighting third. Dovi’s team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) was fourth. Takahashi got the holeshot into turn one and led through the first few turns before Lorenzo took the lead closely followed by Dovi. Within four laps a seven-rider lead group had established itself at the front. At the mid-way point Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) looked strong as he took up the front-running duties from Lorenzo. With the eight-placed rider nearly 15 seconds behind the lead group, the finish looked as if it might be a messy affair as the final laps loomed. But with two laps to go of this 21-lap race, de Angelis, Dovi, Lorenzo and Takahashi left Alex Debon and Marco Simoncelli (both Aprilia) in their wake as they fought for position for the crucial drive out of the final turn on the final lap. Lorenzo led the final lap until de Angelis swept past him, but then the San Marinese man ran wide on the last bend allowing Lorenzo back into the lead, Dovi too dived inside but the two Aprilias had the speed to cross the line first and second. Dovi said, “I really couldn’t do better than this today! I was recovering in the braking points and in the curves what I lost on the straights. It was difficult to beat Aprilia here with a finish-line that is very far from the last curve. I did my best trying to pass De Angelis at the ‘Bucine’, but I didn’t get it. I’m happy about this podium as it strengths my lead in the World Championship, but I want to win.” “I made a very good start as always this season,” said Takahashi. “At the beginning, Lorenzo overtook me and I followed him, but then the other riders caught us and so I tried to stay with the top group until the last lap. Here the Aprilias were very fast and, also, Dovizioso had a good pace. Anyway, fourth place is a good result at this fast track.” Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) finished ninth and said, “I didn’t make a bad start, I think I recovered one position at the end of the straight, but I made a mistake so I was tenth after the first lap, more than two seconds behind the leading group. It’s a shame because I was hoping to have another race like Le Mans.” Fabrizio Perren (Stop And Go Racing Honda RS250RW), who finished 15th in his first race on a 250, said, “My objective was to ride out the race and gain experience on the bike. My start was not too special and another rider ran into the back of me at turn one. After that I raced alone. The group ahead of me, Tizon and Porto I think, were just a few seconds ahead of me. I could run the same times as them but I could not catch them. I have to thank the team for all the work they did for me this weekend.” With six rounds gone the World Championship points table shows Dovi in charge on 108 points to Lorenzo’s 88. Takahashi now lies third on 80 with Hector Barbera fourth overall on 78. Barbera failed to finish this race due to machine failure. Italian Mattia Pasini won the 125cc race from his team-mate and series points leader Alvaro Bautista (both Aprilia) by one thousandth of a second with Czech rider Lukas Pesek (Derbi) third. Two of Honda’s main hopes in this class were riding injured at this race: Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R) injured a shoulder while engaged in on-bike promotional work, while Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) broke a collarbone testing last weekend and rode with the bone plated. They finished eighth and ninth. The man most likely to feature in the results here was Fabrizio Lai (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125R) who started on the front row and held second place on the opening lap before dropping down the field as the 20-lap race unfolded to eventually finish 11th. Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) finished a very creditable 19th in a 43-rider field at a track the 15-year-old only saw for the first time this weekend. Talmacsi said, “I did my best with this bike. Unfortunately, Luthi, Corsi and I passed several times each other and this slowed us down losing space with the front group. Then, in the last three laps I just pushed as hard as I could in order to finish in front of my group. It was a difficult race for me, we have to improve in the general settings of the bike.” Luthi said, “My start was so-so, but I made up a lot of places braking for the first turn. I felt I could run faster than the group I was in but every time I tried to break away Corsi outbraked me into a turn and slowed us both. He should have stayed behind me and we would both have gone forward. On the last lap he got in my way and that let Talmacsi past.” The World Championship points table now shows Bautista leading with 119 points, Mika Kallio (KTM), who finished sixth here, lying second with 88 points and today’s winner Pasini third on 74. Reigning World Champion Luthi is currently eighth with 44. HONDA TEAM RIDERS QUOTES: MotoGP: Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 3rd: “After Le Mans I needed to come back this weekend and answer the bell, and today I did that. I didn’t help myself with the start – I mean there’s no excuses for getting a start like that! Regardless, it was a good battle and everybody was out for blood today. I’ve had a few hard battles like that for seventh but it’s fun when it’s for the lead. Everyone was trying hard but nobody did anything too crazy. Melandri came up under me one time and I got into the corner hotter than I had all weekend – and he was in two bikes hotter than me so I didn’t think he was going to keep it on the island. With the atmosphere here and the crowd, these are the days you really enjoy. Towards the end I was on the leaders and I actually felt a little bit stronger so I thought I might be able to try and spoil it for them a little bit. But there’s no excuses today – I didn’t get it done. Thanks to the Repsol Honda Team. We made some big changes on Friday which helped me a lot. Now the season has really started, we know who’s going to be there every week and it’s starting to get good. We’re coming to a few tracks I really like and tomorrow we’ll do some testing which should help. I’m having fun but I definitely want to win some races along the way.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 4th: “Today was a good race for me I’m happy with the result because this track is very tiring to ride and I was expecting to lose more time on the leaders. So I’m happy because being only two seconds behind the winner at my first time on a MotoGP bike at Mugello is perfect for me. We had some problems with the settings during the race, especially in the last ten laps, but it’s not serious and is something we can fix. I was always behind the pack watching what was going on rather than being in the middle of the battle. I’m looking forward to watching it on TV which because I know Capirossi was sliding a lot. I got fourth and I’m quite happy.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 6th. “I knew it would be a long and hard race from the off so I tried to take it easy early on, although I stayed with the lead riders. My bike was a little slower in changing direction and so tried to make up some time on the braking. By the end I was pushing very hard and, as I was battling Nicky Hayden for third, I made a mistake which put me back to sixth, well behind the lead group. It was a shame as I would have loved to have got a podium for these great fans.” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 7th. “I have the potential to be getting better results but am being troubled by a traction problem. After qualifying yesterday myself and the team decided to make a radical change to the set-up of the bike and that made a real difference. I am quite satisfied as I started in 12th and finished seventh in the end. Tomorrow I hope that the weather is kind to us and that we are able to stay at the circuit to do some testing. I am really looking forward to racing in front of my home fans in the next round.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 8th. “We are getting closer now. This is the first time I have felt the bike doing what we need it to. It was good to be racing again we were all so close that not one of us could break out of the group and getaway. I’m really pleased for the team, everybody has work real hard on this project. Basically we were making changes to the bike but we were not getting the results we wanted. At China we sat down with Honda and got a few suggestions from and together with our own theories we built the chassis we raced today. We were half-way there at Le Mans and we’re closer now but we have to work a bit more on stability under braking and I have to work on my pace early in the race, its not fast enough. Give us two more races and we will be even better.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 9th: “Today the temperature definitely rose and we had to revise our decisions regarding the racing tyre. Unfortunately I had a little rear tyre grip and this impeded me to try to stay in touch with the leaders. In the end, I tried to force the rhythm to overpass Elias and Roberts but I did not have enough trust to try to be more aggressive.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: dnf crash I feel a little average, my neck is quite sore but I’ve had it checked out at the medical centre and there is no problem. Unfortunately I made a small mistake, I lost the front and then I got it pulled back, but then the bike got nervous and the front-end went again on a bump. I was frustrated by Melandri holding me up, he was very hard on the brakes but overall I’m happy — there are lot of positives because I was very competitive with the top Italian riders on their home track and running a fast pace up front .” 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 3rd: “I really couldn’t do better than this today! I was recovering in the braking points and in the curves what I lost in the straights. It was difficult to beat Aprilia here with the finish-line that is very far from the last curve. I did my best trying to pass De Angelis at the ‘Bucine’, but I didn’t get it. I’m happy about this podium as it strengths my gap in the championship, but I want to win. It’s the first time here at Mugello and for sure is a great emotion, but it’s a shame I can’t fight for the victory. I want to thank my team as the bike was okay and my fan club that supported me during the all weekend”. Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: 4th. “I made a very good start as always this season. At the beginning, Lorenzo overtook me and I followed him, but then the other riders caught us and so I tried to stay with the top group until the last lap. Here Aprilias were very fast and, also, Dovizioso had a good pace. Anyway, the fourth place is a good result in this fast track”. Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 9th. “I didn’t make a bad start, I think that I recovered one position at the end of the straight, but I made a mistake so I was tenth after the first lap, more than two seconds behind the leading group. That’s where my fight for the leading positions ended; there was nothing I could do to get closer to the lead. It’s a shame because I was hoping to make again a race like in Le Mans.” Sebastian Porto, Repsol Honda: 13th. “Complicated. The truth is that it is a difficult situation. Considering the weekend, being in the scoring area isn’t bad, but as always, it’s not what I’m looking for. We’ve really been far back this weekend. We knew that it would be more complicated here because it’s a difficult circuit, very technical and if you have problems it gets worse. But the truth is that I’m very angry, because there are more problems than normal, and the situation is a bit difficult. So now I have to calm down and wait if there are new things to test, because if we go on like this it will be very difficult, we haven’t found the way and I think it’s going to be difficult to improve in the future like this, so now we have to see where we can improve.” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 14th. “I got a good start but at the end of the straight on the first lap Hiro Aoyama hit me and pushed me wide. I managed to catch Porto and the two of us rode out the race together, we couldn’t catch the group ahead of us. The bike was very good today, it handled well and I had good speed.” Fabrizio Perren, Stop and Go Racing: 15th. “I am very, very happy with my race, it was my first ever in 250. My objective was to ride out the race and gain experience on the bike. My start was not too special and another rider ran into the back of me at turn one. After that I raced alone. The group ahead of me, Tizon and Porto I think, were just a few seconds ahead of me. I could run the same times as them but I could not catch them. I have to thank the team for all the work they did for me this weekend Martin Cardenas, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf crash. “I’m very disappointed I was running a good race, on 11th place but with three laps to go I lost the front end and crashed out. It’s a pity because everything was running so good. I did make a small mistake early in the race that lost me the slipstream of the group in front but I recovered fro that to work my way back into the race.” Arnaud Vincent, Molenaar Honda: dnf crash. “This has been a bad weekend for us all round. Practice was bad but the team gave me a good bike for the race. I was about 12th at the fist corner but when I got to the first right-hander after the fast corner I gave it too my gas and was high sided off the bike.” 125cc: Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda: 8th. “I did my best with this bike. Unfortunately, Luthi, Corsi and I passed several times each other and this slowed us down loosing space with the front group. Then, in the last three laps I just thought to push as hard as I could in order to finish in front of my group. It was a difficult race for me, we have to improve in the general settings of the bike”. Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 9th. “My start was so so but I made up a lot of places braking for the first turn. “I felt I could run faster than the group I was in but every time I tried to brake away Corsi out braked me into a turn and slowed us both. He should have stayed behind me and we would both have gone forward. On the last lap he got in my way and that let Talmacsi pass me. Fabrizio Lai, Seedorf Racing World: 11th. “Looking back at yesterday something strange happened, probably the higher temperature today robbed the engine of power. In qualifying yesterday my Honda accelerated very fast I set my qualifying time easily. We have to look for what happened and prepare for Catalunya.” Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 19th: “Starting from thirty-second didn’t do me any favour but we made a good start. I followed Olive along the first corner and we went really wide, maybe I lost a bit of time there but it wasn’t possible to get to the inside so that was the option. Then I made a mistake; I pushed hard in the first laps trying to pass some people and braked too late into the first corner. The back end came up and I nearly went in the grass so it was difficult to turn and get back. I lost the contact to the second group, the big group, and then I went on the race on my own. I just tried to do consistent lap times but it is difficult when you’re on your own. Nineteenth is something you should be happy but I’m not happy. I still want to be in the top fifteen and I want to be fighting for higher positions. I’m looking forward to Catalunya, because it’s a track I’ve been to and we’ll have more time to test and try different things.” Hiroaki Kuzuhara, Seedorf Racing World, 20th: “If I had started one row ahead of my grid place I would have made the top 15. The bike was not perfect today but I could keep the pace of the group I was racing in.” Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World: 29th. “I had a problem with the motor probably electrical. The bike was running god on the warm up lap but in the race the engine just stopped coming off a corner.” Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: dnf crash. “My start was not so bad and I was running okay in the second group. But as the race went on I started sliding badly and with about seven laps to go I had a huge slide and was high-sided and the race was finished.” Lorenzo Baroni, Humangest Honda: dnf -“In the warm-up lap I suddenly realized that something was wrong with my bike. At the start, then, the clutch burnt and I had to retire after few laps. It’s a shame, because I would have liked to finish at least the race in front of all these incredible spectators”. Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda: dnf crash “This morning I was satisfied of the chassis of the bike; the engine was a bit better but it wasn’t yet perfect. I didn’t start very well but I rejoin the 15th position and I saw quickly that I couldn’t follow. My machine accelerated quite well but there was a lack in speed limit and each lap in the straight line all the rider of the group overtook me. I stayed the entire race with Koyama and Zanetti, fighting for points and in the last lap I wanted to arrive first of this group but I made a mistake and then I crashed. Even if I’m a bit disappointed I could improve my lap time, made in qualifying practice, during the race of three tenth. We didn’t ride enough on dry track since the beginning of the season and I hope that in Barcelona we will be able to ride in good weather conditions. Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf engine problem. “My start was not so bad and I held my position but after a few laps my rear tyre was sliding and I lost a few places. Then my engine lost power and I could not stay in the slipstream of the rides in my group. With five laps to go the engine stopped at the end of the long straight. We don’t know why yet.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: dnf damaged exhaust pipe. “Its a pity my race ended the way it did because I got a great start. The set up was good and the engine was fast and I felt I was riding really well but the clutch was playing up and it was difficult to change gear. Then on the fourth lap I got hit from behind, by Grotzkyj I think, and I had to run straight across the run off. I didn’t crash but my exhaust pipe was broken and my race was over.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: ROSSI TAKES DRAMATIC HOME VICTORY AT MUGELLO CLASSIC The dramatic scenery of the Mugello circuit in Tuscany provided the backdrop to one of the most exciting MotoGP races in living memory today as Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi clinched his second victory of the season in a heart-stopping Italian Grand Prix. The local hero produced one of his best ever performances in front of the adoring 89,200 crowd, emerging from an intense battle with his compatriot Loris Capirossi (Ducati) and a host of other riders to take the chequered flag with a 0.575 second advantage after 23 laps of pure drama. Rossi got an excellent start from the front row of the grid, passing early leader Sete Gibernau (Ducati) on the first lap and attempting to escape a hungry chasing pack. However, the Spaniard refused to lie down and after a brief battle between the pair the Italian took control to lead for ten laps. Capirossi soon recovered from a bad start and by lap fourteen he was in the hunt for the lead, passing both Gibernau and Rossi, who dropped back to fifth place as Marco Melandri and Nicky Hayden (both Honda) also came through. Within four laps Rossi was back on Capirossi’s tail and the pair went head-to-head in a thrilling finale, which saw the Yamaha rider snatch the lead on the last lap and open out a crucial gap that carried him to the line. Rossi’s team-mate Colin Edwards, meanwhile, battled through another tough race after being run wide into the gravel on the second lap. The Texan fought back from last place to finish in the points in twelfth place but has lost ground in the championship, dropping to eighth. Rossi’s win moves him up to fifth overall, 34 points behind leaders Capirossi and Hayden, who are currently tied on points. In addition to the activity on the track, Valentino’s dance around the Mugello hills were enjoyed today 1,500 Yamaha fans at the Factory’s Materassi stand. Every time the Yamaha riders passed the Yamaha tribune, the sound of the engines was accompanied by a standing ovation from a sea of yellow. VALENTINO ROSSI (1st; 42’39.610) “That was for sure one of the toughest battles of my entire career. I got a really good start and after I passed Sete I tried to escape but it was impossible, he was so strong today. For a long time I didn’t know where Loris was because he had a bad start but once he arrived I knew I was in for a hard fight. I decided to let him pass and run behind him for a while but I didn’t realise so many other riders were so close and they all came through! Suddenly I was down in fifth and had it all to do again. It was just an amazing fight for everybody and I think it is fantastic that it went down to the final lap between two riders, two factories, two tyre manufacturers but just one country! This is great news for our sport. If I had to bet on who would win the last lap I honestly wouldn’t have been able to choose. I don’t think I took a breath over the last two laps but I made it and I am unbelievably happy. To do it in front of so many fans, family and friends is a special emotion and I won’t be thinking about the championship tonight just this wonderful race.” COLIN EDWARDS (12th; + 0’30.678) “We made a dramatic change this morning and I went for the new chassis with Valentino’s settings because I knew the bike we had from yesterday was not going to be good enough for the race. Basically I braked a little earlier than normal into turn one and Makoto Tamada drafted up the inside, pulled straight in front of me and left me with nowhere to go but the grass. After that the race was just a test session for me really with the new chassis. It felt good but we need to adapt the setting to me because I didn’t have enough grip on the rear. We’ve got a day of testing tomorrow so we will have time to do that and get the chance to complete some of the work that we weren’t able to do during the Grand Prix.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “It has been a perfect day for Valentino and for Italy after this fantastic battle to the final corner. It was just what we needed after the bad luck of recent races Valentino needed to win and you could see how much it meant to him. Yamaha have done a great job to bring our package back up to a competitive level and now I hope we can keep fighting for wins until the end of the season. My sincere thanks to all our staff because it has been difficult over the last few weeks but once again we have seen that this is a team that never gives in and this is a great reward for all the hard work and belief. Colin’s race didn’t go as we had hoped it might, after the problem he had on the second lap, but he’s taken some important information away from here and hopefully he can come back to the top in Barcelona next week.”