MotoGP Race Results: 1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 29 laps, 52:58.675 2. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -3.169 seconds 3. Alex BARROS, Honda, -4.006 4. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, -10.292 5. Carlos CHECA, Ductai, -13.020 6. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -23.321 7. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -37.833 8. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, -44.617 9. Toni ELIAS, Yamaha, -1 lap 10. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, -1 lap 11. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -2 laps, crash 12. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, -4 laps, DNF, crash 13. James ELLISON, Blata, -22 laps, DNF, crash 14. Shane BYRNE, Proton, -25 laps, DNF, crash 15. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, -26 laps, DNF, crash 16. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, -26 laps, DNF, crash 17. Max BIAGGI, Honda, -26 laps, DNF, crash (twice) 18. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, -27 laps, DNF, crash 19. Troy BAYLISS, Honda, -27 laps, DNF, crash 20. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -27 laps, DNF, crash 21. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, -28 laps, DNF, crash MotoGP World Championship Point Standings: 1. ROSSI, 211 points 2. MELANDRI, 107 points 3. EDWARDS, 106 points 4. BIAGGI, 100 points 5. GIBERNAU, 95 points 6. BARROS, 90 points 7. HAYDEN, 85 points 8. CAPIROSSI, 65 points 9. NAKANO, 55 points 10. Carlos CHECA, 51 points 11. BAYLISS, 47 points 12. TAMADA, 36 points 13. XAUS, 33 points 14. HOPKINS, 32 points 15. ROBERTS, 31 points 16. TIE, ELIAS/Olivier JACQUE, 25 points 18. HOFMANN, 21 points 19. ROLFO, 13 points 20. Jurgen vd GOORBERGH, 12 points 21. TIE, ELLISON/David CHECA, 4 points 23. TIE, BYRNE/ Tohru UKAWA, 1 point More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: HOFMANN IN TOP FORM AT RAIN SOAKED DONINGTON Kawasaki rider Alex Hofmann scored a career-best MotoGP result, with a fighting eighth place aboard his Ninja ZX-RR in a rain soaked British Grand Prix today. In torrential rain Hofmann rode a superb race in cold and treacherous conditions, after racing bravely through blinding spray from 15th on the grid. The 25-year-old German is now full of confidence as he heads to his home race at Sachsenring next Sunday. Hofmann made a storming start and tagged onto a charging group that included teammate Shinya Nakano and Carlos Checa on the opening lap. However, on lap two, as Nakano moved into 11th position, Hofmann was baulked by Toni Elias and dropped five positions. He fought his way back into eighth on lap five, as the water-logged conditions again showed the performance potential of the Bridgestone rain tyres. Today’s 30-lap race, run in cold 15 degree conditions, was a huge disappointment for Hofmann’s teammate Shinya Nakano, who crashed out on lap four. Nakano had a strange feeling with the clutch on his Ninja ZX-RR, which caused the engine to stall at the beginning of the final sighting lap. After a quick adjustment by crew chief Fiorenzo Fanali, Nakano took his place on the grid but the clutch problem returned almost immediately after the race start. As a result Nakano had difficulty downshifting and at the beginning of lap four, he missed a gear and crashed out of 12th place on the entry to turn one (Redgate). Nakano’s DNF cost him valuable points in the championship, and he slipped one place to ninth and is now ten points behind nearest rival Loris Capirossi. Alex Hofmann: #66 – Eighth “That was a cold and tough race, but my best ever result so I’m very happy about that. The conditions were unpredictable and very slippery, but I was able to control the sliding and over the final ten laps I was running at the same pace as Capirossi and Tamada ahead of me, but we had lost contact with the front group. At the start I was in the group with Shinya and Carlos when we got to Elias and he was braking very early and I ran wide to avoid him at the chicane and lost five places. I had to do it all again and would have liked to have been closer to the front, but I can’t complain, it was a good result for me today.” Shinya Nakano: # 56 – DNF “On the grid leaving for the final sighting lap I had a strange feeling with the clutch and the engine stalled. After restarting I took my place on the grid, but then in the opening laps I still had a problem and it was difficult to downshift. I missed a gear on the entry to Redgate and crashed, which is disappointing as it cost me points in the championship. The conditions were very, very difficult today.” Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director “The clutch on Shinya’s bike would not open properly and this led to the downshift problem, so we need to investigate this situation. In the heavy rain conditions of today’s race we again saw the potential of the Bridgestone wet weather tyres.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “That was great effort by Alex to achieve his best ever MotoGP result in these conditions, it was a very difficult race. It was unfortunate that Shinya had a problem and crashed, which has cost him some valuable points in the championship.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: DUCATI MARLBORO MEN SHINE IN DONINGTON GLOOM Ducati Marlboro Team riders Carlos Checa and Loris Capirossi were an impressive fifth and sixth in this afternoon’s rain-lashed, crash-strewn British GP, coming back from a tough two days of practice and qualifying to score one of the team’s best results of the year. Despite starting from the fifth and fourth rows of the grid, both Checa and Capirossi moved through the pack, maintaining control on the flooded track, while many of their rivals slid off. At one stage during the second half of the race no one was faster than the Ducati Marlboro men. “This result is another world from where we were yesterday,” said Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo, referring to his riders’ performance in yesterday’s dry qualifying session. “The final positions still aren’t fantastic, but both riders rode great races, coming back from a difficult first few laps to run the same rhythm as the leading group, even riding faster than them at one point. The Bridgestone rain tyres worked really well, so our thanks go to Bridgestone for their hard work. Their tyres are now great in the wet, and I’m sure that by continuing to work hard we can reach the same level in the dry. It has been a difficult weekend but it has ended pretty well, so we are really looking forward to the next race next weekend.” 75,000 fans braved today’s miserable conditions to watch World Championship leader Valentino Rossi win ahead of former champ Kenny Roberts Junior and Alex Barros. CHECA RIDES THIRD FASTEST LAP OF RACE Carlos Checa rode the third fastest lap of today’s race on his way to fifth place. It was an amazing performance from the Ducati Marlboro Team rider who had qualified 13th and completed the first lap down in 17th position, after suffering wheelspin as he roared away from the soaking grid. “That wasn’t an easy race but we got a good result, which gives the whole team a chance to breathe,” said Checa, who had given some indication of his potential by placing fourth in this morning’s damp warm-up session. “I got a lot of wheelspin at the start, then I wanted to get the feeling with the tyres before I began to push. A lot of guys were crashing and I couldn’t see much, so it took me a while to feel confident. I was trying not to be too aggressive because it was so easy to fall. Considering where we were yesterday, fifth and sixth is a good result for the whole team.” CAPIROSSI: FROM 16th TO SIXTH Like his team-mate, Loris Capirossi started from a lowly grid position and had a poor start, ending lap one in 16th place. But the Ducati Marlboro Team man kept his head in the tricky conditions, steadily moving forward as he gained confidence in the atrocious conditions, setting the fifth fastest lap of the race in the process. “Thank God it rained,” smiled a sodden Capirossi. “We were pretty fast in the damp warm-up, so I was hoping for a wet race and that’s what we got. At the beginning I had an engine glitch, maybe some rain got in an ignition coil, which lost me contact with the front group. If I hadn’t had that problem and I’d got a better start, maybe I could have made the podium. The track was very dangerous, flooded and with small rivers everywhere, plus visibility was really bad. In these conditions I prefer to get sixth, rather than lose everything with a crash. Today’s race showed that the bike and tyre package worked well – Bridgestone has made great progress with its rain tyres. A difficult weekend, but I’m finally satisfied.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: ALEX CELEBRATES 250th GP WITH SUPERB PODIUM FINISH The rain which had been forecast for a few days came right as predicted at the Donington Park circuit, falling from the early hours of the morning and making conditions impossible for the MotoGP race. Alex Barros celebrated reaching 250 grands prix with a superb third place after running the entire race at the front and showing bundles of intelligence and courage. Troy Bayliss, who made a brilliant start, was fighting for top spots on the second lap when he was unfortunately caught up in Marco Melandri’s crash, who lost control of his bike coming into the home straight and who forced the Australian to go wide onto the grass, where he himself crashed out. Sito Pons Camel Honda “I’m happy with today’s podium from Alex, mainly because of the conditions it was achieved in. It was so difficult out there and to get to the front really was something. It’s possible he had a few visibility problems which didn’t help him much during the race, as well as not being completely happy with the bike under braking. Nevertheless he rode really hard, was at the front throughout keeping a rhythm going for the other riders and claims a creditable podium finish for his 250th GP. I’m sorry that Melandri once again caused, although absolutely involuntarily, one of our riders to exit the race. However I understand that these things happen, that’s racing, I’m just sorry for Troy because he was up there and didn’t get the chance to demonstrate the massive progress he has made in the last two races. He will be strong again at the Sachsenring”. Alex Barros Camel Honda 3rd “The track was in terrible conditions today: in those situations you have to know how to deal with the race, you have to know where the limit is and how far you can push it. I had a few problems with the front tyre under braking, on several occasions I could hardly control the front end but it probably was happening to a lot of my rivals because they were racing in the same conditions. Somehow it was an enjoyable race, despite how difficult it was. When Valentino overtook me I was unable to maintain his pace. On the last lap Roberts won the duel for second place, taking advantage of having been behind and seeing where I had problems. I’m a little bit disappointed, but that’s racing and he played his card. Being on the podium is a great way to celebrate my 250th GP: it’s a nice record to have, there have been so many races now but I still have the desire to race and to battle it out, and I will do so once more at Sachsenring next week.” Troy Bayliss Camel Honda crash on lap two “I got a good start, and despite the conditions being awful, I felt comfortable in the front group, and I was right in there. Unfortunately when Marco crashed in front of me he was too close and I tried to avoid him but I touched him and I was forced out onto the grass where I couldn’t control my bike. There’s no point saying how disappointed I am, but it was just a racing incident.” More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: ROSSI SPLASHES TO SEVENTH WIN FROM NINE AT DONINGTON Gauloises Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi extended his advantage at the top of the MotoGP World Championship to 104 points, with his seventh victory from nine races this season in the British Grand Prix today. The Italian splashed his way through several centimetres of standing water and lashings of torrential rain to clinch his fourth MotoGP win at Donington Park after a treacherous race that saw no fewer than eleven riders crash. Rossi didn’t get the best of starts as he dropped from pole position to seventh but fought his way back to the front by the fourth lap. A slight mistake at the midway point saw him lose ground on the lead group but two fast laps brought him back into contention. Another burst from the Italian seven laps from the end shaved over 2 seconds from the fastest lap of the race up to that point and left Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) and Alex Barros (Honda) trailing in his wake. Rossi’s Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards joined in the battle for a top three finish but settled with fourth place at the end of the intense race, another solid points haul moving him up to third in the championship, just one point behind Marco Melandri (Honda), who crashed out of the race. VALENTINO ROSSI (1st; 1’45.377) “That was one of the most difficult races of my career the conditions were incredible. It was very, very cold and the track was very slippery. At the beginning I was lucky because I made a mistake on the start and spun the tyre but after that I came back fast to the front. Biaggi crashed in front of me, then Gibernau”¦ there were a lot of people making mistakes, also me, so I preferred to wait. Alex had a good rhythm so I stayed behind him but I made a mistake at the chicane when I was fighting with Kenny and locked the brakes. Today was not like riding a bike, it was like riding a boat because there was a lot of water between the wheels and the track always spinning the rear and locking the front. I tried to understand the points where I could push more and said to myself: ‘Now I try and we see what happens!’ I was able to go a lot faster and keep the advantage. It was a great job by the team because the bike worked well even though we only had 20 minutes this morning to find the wet-weather set-up. Yesterday when I looked at my best lap time I thought it was like a symphony of violins perfect, so I decided that if I won I would do this celebration across the finish line!” COLIN EDWARDS (4th; + 10.292) “After the warm-up I was a bit down because it wasn’t great. We made some changes to the spring settings but we weren’t really sure whether it was the right option. Anyway, I got out on the warm-up lap and the balance of the bike was awesome. The race was basically a case of survival. My start wasn’t as good as it might have looked and the pace felt really slow to start with, but then it picked up and it was a pretty eventful first few laps. Then the front locked when I was braking in a straight line and I almost ended up in the dirt! I caught up very quickly but about 12 laps from the end I had another scary moment and the bike spat me up out of my seat, so I thought about the situation and decided to wait and see what happened in front of me. Towards the end I was keeping an eye on Checa behind me because he was quite close. The points are really important; it’s great to have moved into third place and to be so close to Melandri. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but I’m really pleased with what we’ve achieved this weekend.” DAVIDE BRIVIO GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “Another special win! Every time Valentino races there is something special about it today it was those two incredibly fast laps when he needed them at the end. All the way through he rode unbelievably well and it was amazing to watch. Colin also rode really well today and both riders scored important points for the championship. Now Colin is very close to second place so we hope to continue with the trend of having both riders at the front. A big thank you to the whole team, they are working really well together and it shows in our results.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Rossi extends MotoGP lead at drenched Donington Valentino Rossi came through one of the most accident-strewn races in MotoGP history to seal his seventh win of the season in today’s betandwin.com British Grand Prix at Donington Park. With torrential rain throughout the day leaving several centimetres of standing water on the track, Rossi was one of only ten riders to stay on two wheels throughout the race although he had to avoid several scares before eventually shaking the attentions of Kenny Roberts and Alex Barros with a breathtaking surge to victory seven laps from the end. “That was one of the most difficult races of my career the conditions were incredible,” reflected Rossi, who crossed the line imitating a violin player by way of celebration. “It was very, very cold and the track was very slippery. Today was not like riding a bike, it was like a boat because there was a lot of water between the wheels and the track always spinning the rear and locking the front. I tried to understand the points where I could push more and said: ‘Now I try and we see what happens.’ I was able to go a lot faster and keep the advantage. It was a great job by the team because the bike worked well even though we only had 20 minutes this morning. I did the violin celebration because after my pole lap yesterday I decided it was a fine art like the violin!” Second place for Roberts represented a first podium for the former World Champion and his Suzuki team since Rio in 2002, whilst Honda’s Alex Barros was able to celebrate his 250th Grand Prix appearance in style by joining the rostrum in third place. However, the biggest celebrations in the paddock took place at Yamaha, where Rossi’s team-mate Colin Edwards picked up fourth place to move ahead of Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau into third in the championship, just one point behind Marco Melandri in second. Biaggi, Gibernau and Melandri all fell victim to the treacherous weather conditions, with Biaggi the first rider to crash out at the end of the opening lap. Melandri soon followed, crashing at the same point as his compatriot on the exit of Goddards corner and taking Troy Bayliss with him into the dirt, whilst Gibernau, who was leading the race, went down on lap four. John Hopkins briefly led on the Suzuki before gradually losing positions and then himself sliding out of fifth place at the chicane, returning to the track to take eleventh. By that time local favourite Shane Byrne was already dreaming about what might have been after delighting the 75,661 home crowd with a charge to sixth place on the Proton KR-KTM machine before also crashing out, following Rubén Xaus, Nicky Hayden, Shinya Nakano, James Ellison and Franco Battaini back to the pits. Carlos Checa and Loris Capirossi produced a late charge to close the gap to Edwards but were forced to accept fifth and sixth place respectively ahead of Makoto Tamada, Alex Hofmann, Toni Elias, Roberto Rolfo and Hopkins the only eleven riders to finish the race. The 250cc event was equally chaotic, with several riders falling by the wayside before a four-way battle for victory ensued between Hiroshi Aoyama, Randy de Puniet, Casey Stoner and Anthony West, riding the quarter-litre KTM machine on its race debut. When Aoyama crashed out with fifteen laps remaining it was left to the other three to do battle in a race decided on the final lap, when Stoner ran straight into turn one and West had a major slide in Craner Curves to hand victory to De Puniet. Pedrosa came home in fourth place to maintain his championship lead over Stoner, which now has now been reduced to 34 points after the Australian returned to the track to take third place behind his compatriot West. The two men leading the 125cc World Championship both crashed out today, Mattia Pasini sliding out of the warm-up lap in the second part of a race split by rain, when Gabor Talmacsi crashed twice. Julián Simon took his debut victory whilst Mike Di Meglio clinched his first podium in second place ahead of his team-mate Fabrizio Lai. More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: RAIN LEADS TO CRASHES FOR SETE AND MARCO Gibernau and Melandri go down on the third lap of a race that ends with just 11 riders BRITISH GRAND PRIX – MOTOGP RACE The British Grand Prix proved to be a difficult weekend for the Telefónica Movistar Honda team. Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri both crashed out of a race which was conditioned by intense rain and turned into a lottery. It is enough to say that only 11 riders finished the race on two wheels. Sete Gibernau got a good start and led from the front from the first lap, followed closely by Marco Melandri, boosted by a positive warm-up session in the morning. Sete didn’t want to push too hard at the start and simply concentrated on keeping his rhythm together and avoiding any mistakes, especially at a track with such little grip in the wet as Donington. However, neither of the two had chance to come to terms with the track surface because on the third lap they both went to ground without any prior warning. Firstly Marco and then, a few metres later, Sete. Despite leaving the British Grand Prix empty handed, Marco Melandri maintains second place in the general standings and Sete is fifth ahead of next week’s German Grand Prix, the final round before the summer holidays. SETE GIBERNAU (crashed): “It is obvious that this is not going to be our year. I tried to get a good start and set my pace. I wasn’t pushing at all and the first scare I had was the crash. Other times you get a warning but not this time. It was a fast crash but nothing else. I’m sorry for the team and for the work they have done. It’s tough for all of us but we have to keep trying in the next few races”. MARCO MELANDRI (crashed): “It’s a real shame because this morning I felt good in the warm-up and I was looking forward to the race. There is not much I can say about the race itself because it only lasted three laps. I got a good start and I was feeling relaxed but when I opened the gas out of the final corner it threw me off. That was it before I realised it I was on the floor.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Roberts Jr and Suzuki take stunning second at Donington Kenny Roberts Jr produced one on the best rides of his career at today’s betandwin.com British Grand Prix, to storm to a stunning second place in torrential conditions. Roberts Jr started the race in 16th position and by lap three had moved up to fourth place. He then became involved in a five way tussle for the victory – at the rain-soaked Donington Park in England with Valentino Rossi, Alex Barros, Suzuki’s own John Hopkins and Colin Edwards. The lead changed hands between all the riders before a break away from World Champion Rossi gave him the victory, leaving Roberts Jr to battle it out with Barros for second. As the rain continued to fall heavily, Team SUZUKI MotoGP racer Roberts Jr made a fearless last-lap overtaking manoeuvre to seal a fantastic second place at the end of the exciting 29-lap race. Over 75,000 fans braved the sodden conditions to witness one of the best races of the season. Hopkins made a great start to the race and was leading by lap three, but a serious misting problem with his helmet visor caused him to run off the track and fall from his Suzuki GSV-R. The brave Anglo-American re-mounted his bike and forced his way back to the pits to repair the damage before re-joining the race and finally finishing in a courageous and points scoring 11th place. Team SUZUKI MotoGP now travels to Sachsenring in Germany for round 10 of the MotoGP World Championship next weekend, hoping to build on today’s result. Kenny Roberts Jr: “This was a tough race today, but when you’re up front it’s a lot easier than where we’ve been recently. I had a fun day and it’s nice to be able to ride with these guys and to cross the chequered flag with them just behind or just in front of you. “Today was one of those days when you really had to concentrate and not get ahead of yourself and start thinking about winning. I looked at my pit-board and it said 20 laps to go so I made an effort not to look at it again until later in the race. I didn’t want to see what was happening behind if I’d made a bit of a gap because it’s easy to lose concentration and run wide. Today was so easy to fall down and I just wanted to be there at the end not to necessarily win the race but to have a good race and be up there with these guys. “It’s been a long time since we have been on the podium and this is great for all crew and I hope that we can build on this and get something underneath me to be competitive next time out.” Stuart Shenton John Hopkins’ Chief Technician: “Today was a great day for the team. A fantastic result from Kenny’s side. It was very unfortunate for John, he felt the bike and the tyres were working well. Unhappily for him his visor misted up. He thought if he got in front it would clear but it didn’t so he dropped back and then ran off the track. “The guys did a good job to get the bike fixed and get him back in the race and 11th was as good as we could have hoped for but it could have been an awful lot better. Both riders could easily have finished in the top three or four today!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “This result is nothing less than the whole team by that I mean Kenny’s crew, John’s crew and all the Factory staff deserve. The work-rate that everybody has put in so far this year, the motivation and the pro-active attitude to improving our position has finally resulted in an extremely positive position and a fantastic podium for Kenny. “The way Rossi has been going this year I almost think it’s fair to say we won the race and that Valentino doesn’t count! “Bridgestone did a great job with the wet tyres that it put under the guys and on a weekend where we were struggling a bit with grip in the dry this made it even more an achievement. “John is massively disappointed with 11th place but then again there are so many positives for him to take away from this race. It wasn’t his fault that his visor fogged and cost him his rhythm, causing him to run off the track. He showed such great pace in the wet, he was able to get back to the pits and repair the bike, and for the rest of the race he rode a rather bent and battered GSV-R at similar times to the lead group and collected points. This also shows the strength and reliability and improvements that the bike has made. “As for Kenny I am somewhat lost for words. The Shanghai result stayed with us for all the wrong reasons and this will stay with us for all the right reasons. It’s his birthday tomorrow and this was a great present for him and all the team. He rode as well today as he did when he won the World Championship. I hope that Kenny and John can take all the positives forward from this weekend to Sachsenring next week and build on this result.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: BARROS SPLASHES TO FIGHTING THIRD IN THE RAIN In front of a rain drenched crowd of 75,000 race fans the remarkable Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) completed his 250th Grand Prix with a podium finish in atrocious conditions. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) won the 29-lap race from Kenny Roberts (Suzuki). Rain had been predicted and sure enough it fell hard from just after mid-day with a fierce easterly wind blowing across Donington Park’s 4.023km track. Only 11 riders from a grid of 21 completed race distance. And seven riders had fallen by lap five of this 29-lap contest. The scheduled 30-lap race was reduced to 29-laps when Shinya Nakano’s Kawasaki stalled on the grid. The field completed a second sighting lap and at the second extinguishing of the lights it was Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) who stormed into an early lead. The Spanish charger was followed by his team-mate Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) with Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) and Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) in third and fourth. Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) lay fifth and the race looked set for Honda domination. But the awful conditions conspired to spoil the picture. Rossi had climbed to third from eighth by the end of lap two and Max Biaggi had fallen at the Old Hairpin. Then Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) went down at Goddards. It was all most riders could do to stay on board in the deluge with grip and visibility at a minimum. Things got worse on lap three when Melandri fell at Goddards and Troy Bayliss crashed on the grass run-off trying to avoid the stricken Italian. Then it was Gibernau’s turn to suffer in the appalling conditions. He fell having just started lap four and could not restart. Barros led lap five from Rossi while the Suzukis of Roberts and John Hopkins were getting on terms with the front men. The order by lap six was soon Hopkins, Rossi, Barros, Roberts, Colin Edwards (Yamaha), followed by Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V). Barros then made a bid for the lead and succeeded in passing Hopkins in the spray while the hard-charging American went onto the grass and eventually out the race on lap nine. The lead group soon became a four-rider affair when Tamada lost touch, and no one else was even close to front-running foursome. It was Barros all the way until lap 23 when Rossi snatched the lead at the Melbourne Loop and then pulled out a lead setting faster lap times than anyone else could muster. By lap 27 he had an 8.7 second advantage over Barros. And worse was to come for the Brazilian when Roberts slipped past him on the final lap for second place. Tamada was the only other Honda finisher in seventh but this race was something of a lottery. With an ambient temperature of only 14 degrees in soaking conditions all the finishers were shivering wrecks at the flag. Barros said, “Somehow it was enjoyable, despite how difficult it was. When Valentino overtook me I was unable to maintain his pace. On the last lap Roberts won the duel for second place, taking advantage of having been behind and seeing where I had problems. I’m a little bit disappointed, but that’s racing and he played his card. But being on the podium is a great way to celebrate my 250th Grand Prix.” Tamada, in seventh, said, “It wasn’t easy to handle the power of the RCV in these conditions. The rear was spinning-up all the time and things were tough at the limit. But this was my first race on Michelins on a soaking track. I managed to get more confident on the bike between laps 15 and 25 and maintain as good a rhythm as the fastest riders this bodes well for the Sachsenring.” Sete said, “It’s obvious this is not our year. I tried to get a good start and set my own pace and I wasn’t pushing. My first scare was my crash. It was a fast crash and nothing more. I’m sorry for my team after all the work they’ve done, this is tough for all of us, but we’ll get back to work next week and go from there.” Marco said, “This is a shame because in the morning I felt good and I was looking forward to the race. There’s not much I can say about my race because it only lasted three laps. I got a good start and was feeling comfortable but then I got thrown off. We just have to look forward now.” Max said, “On the sighting lap we had absolutely no traction. In the five-minute stop before the race we made some adjustments but it seemed to make no difference. We were spinning-up on the straight in second, third and fourth gears. It was strange to have no feeling. I made a good start but very soon crashed out. I managed to get back on but then fell again. I feel very sorry for my team, as I know they work so hard and I couldn’t repay them. All I can say is I will come back strong at the Sachsenring.” “I wanted to get into a good rhythm but just didn’t get time,” said Nicky. “I’m mad at myself for crashing at that corner. I almost crashed there this morning and I watched lots of guys crashing there in earlier races. It was just so slippery. It was so quick and I was down. Unfortunately I broke the handlebar it was an easy crash. It’s frustrating being so high from the last race and so low from this one. It’s a cruel game sometimes.” Troy Bayliss said, “I got a good start, and despite the conditions, I felt comfortable in the front group, and I was right in there. Unfortunately when Marco crashed in front of me he was too close and I tried to avoid him but I touched him and I was forced out onto the grass where I couldn’t control my bike. There’s no point saying how disappointed I am, but it was just a racing incident.” The World Championship table now looks like this with nine races completed and now with eight to go: Rossi 211, Melandri 107, Edwards 106, Biaggi 100, Gibernau on 95 and Barros with 90 points. Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) won an engrossing 250cc race from Aussie Anthony West who rode the new 250 KTM to a fine debut finish for the team in second. Casey Stoner (Aprilia) was third while Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) consolidated his World Championship lead with a measured fourth place. Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) led the early stages of the race and had built up a significant lead before he fell while passing a backmarker into Redgate Corner (turn one) on lap 13. The race could have been his, but a maiden win was cruelly denied the Japanese star. De Puniet, West and Stoner were the only riders in the hunt for the rostrum places. All three of them had hair-raising moments out of the saddle as they fought to control their machines in the torrents of rain and standing water, but even though de Puniet had to take to the grass at the 120mph Craner Curves, he stayed on to regain the track and get back on terms with West and Stoner. Eventually he prevailed over his rivals. When West was launched out of the seat at Coppice on the final lap the race belonged to de Puniet. But Pedrosa was happy enough to score points in conditions like these with a fourth. “This is my best result in the wet,” said Dani. “And this is important because it was so slippery out there. I eased up over the last ten laps because the gaps both to the front and to the riders behind me were too big. This is a good result in terms of the World Championship and that’s important.” Aoyama was crestfallen. “I don’t know what to say,” said Hiro. “I was riding with a good rhythm, with confidence in the conditions, and then I came across a slower rider and had to go wide to pass him. It was really slippery and I crashed. It’s such a shame as this really could have been my first win.” The World Championship points table now shows Dani still in control with 156 points to Stoner’s 122, with Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) lying third overall with 111 points despite only managing to finish seventh here. Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) finished eighth. The 125cc Grand Prix, which opened the Donington Park race programme, was stopped on lap eight when the heavy rain that affected the 250cc and MotoGP races began to fall. The in-form Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) had been one of the front-runners, but a new nine-lap race was started and under the current rules, only the result of the second race would stand. Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) led the pack into Redgate at the restart, after series points leader Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) fell on the sighting lap such were the conditions. But Gabor Talmacsi (KTM) was soon on terms and then passed Lai only to fall two laps later. Mike Di Meglio (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125R) then led from Julian Simon (KTM) as Lai slipped down to fourth. On lap six both Alvaro Bautista (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125RW) and Aleix Espargaro (Seedorf Racing Honda RS125R) fell leaving Di Meglio and Lai to fight things out at the front with Lai a distant third having his own struggle with Marco Simoncelli (Aprilia). Simon prevailed over Di Meglio while Lai beat Simoncelli. But Luthi’s eventual sixth was enough to elevate him in the World Championship standings after Pasini and Talmacsi failed to score here. “That was a tough race,” said Di Meglio. “I tried to go it alone and get away from trouble but Simon got me and then I just tried to finish and get some points for my team who’ve worked really hard to get me this result.” Lai was realistic about today. “A good result in terms of the World Championship,” he said. “In the first race I felt quite happy, but in the second race the rear suspension wasn’t quite what I needed. But my team have got back in contention and I can go further from here.” The World Championship standings show Pasini on 100 points, Talmacsi on 100 points, Luthi on 99, Mika Kallio (KTM) on 91 and Simoncelli with 85. HONDA TEAM QUOTES: MotoGP: Alex Barros, Camel Honda, 3rd : “The track was in terrible conditions today: in those situations you have to know how to deal with the race, you have to know where the limit is and how far you can push it. I had a few problems with the front tyre under braking, on several occasions I could hardly control the front end but it probably was happening to a lot of my rivals because they were racing in the same conditions. Somehow it was an enjoyable race, despite how difficult it was. When Valentino overtook me I was unable to maintain his pace. On the last lap Roberts won the duel for second place, taking advantage of having been behind and seeing where I had problems. I’m a little bit disappointed, but that’s racing and he played his card. Being on the podium is a great way to celebrate my 250th GP: it’s a nice record to have, there have been so many races now but I still have the desire to race and to battle it out, and I will do so once more at Sachsenring next week.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 7th: “Today it wasn’t easy to control the power of the RCV with this track’s conditions. While accelerating the rear tyre skidded a little. The track was at its limit. For me this has been the first race with Michelin tyres on a completely soaked track. Today’s positive thing is that after having found the right confidence with the bike, between the fifteenth and the twenty-fifth lap, I made it to keep a good rhythm at the same level of the fastest. This made us think well to be at a good level of competitiveness also in these conditions in the next Grand Prix.” Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda Team: dnf: “In the sighting lap we had absolutely no traction. In the five-minute stop before the race we made some adjustments but it seemed to make no difference. We had spinning in the straight – in second, third and fourth gears. It was strange to have no feeling. I made a good start but very soon crashed out. I managed to get back on but then fell again. I feel very sorry for my team, as I know they work so hard and I couldn’t repay them. All I can say is I will come back strong at the Sachsenring.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team, dnf: “I got a terrible start and in the first lap or two had a few guys crash right in front of me. I only just avoided Biaggi and Xaus. I made a mistake in the Melbourne loop and ran a bit wide but generally in the opening few laps the bike felt pretty good. I just wanted to get into a good rythmn but just didn’t get time. I’m mad at myself for crashing at that corner. I almost crashed there myself this morning and I watched lots of guys crashing there in earlier races. It was just so slippery. It was so quick and I was down. Unfortunately I broke the handlebar it was an easy crash. It’s frustrating being so high from the last race and so low from this one. It’s a cruel game sometimes.” Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda: crash on lap two: “I got a good start, and despite the conditions being awful, I felt comfortable in the front group, and I was right in there. Unfortunately when Marco crashed in front of me he was too close and I tried to avoid him but I touched him and I was forced out onto the grass where I couldn’t control my bike. There’s no point saying how disappointed I am, but it was just a racing incident.” Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda, dnf: “It’s obvious this is not our year. I tried to get a good start and set my own pace and I wasn’t pushing. My first scare was my crash. It was a fast crash and nothing more. I’m sorry for my team after all the work they’ve done, this is tough for all of us, but we’ll get back to work next week and go from there.” Marco Melandri, Movistar Honda: dnf: “This is a shame because in the morning I felt good and I was looking forward to the race. There’s not much I can say about my race because it only lasted three laps. I got a good start and was feeling comfortable but then I got thrown off. We just have to look forward now.”