Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Results
CINZANO RIO GRAND PRIX
24 laps, 118.392 km

1. Makoto Tamada, Honda
2. Max Biaggi, Honda, -2.019 seconds
3. Nicky Hayden, Honda, -5.764
4. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, -11.145
5. Alex Barros, Honda, -12.951
6. Colin Edwards, Honda, -13.904
7. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, -23.493
8. Norick Abe, Yamaha, -27.498
9. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, -27.802
10. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, -36.808
11. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, -37.713
12. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, -48.924
13. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, -57.102
14. Jeremy McWilliams, Aprilia, -63.046
15. John Hopkins, Suzuki, -70.296, crash
16. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, -72.548
17. Shane Byrne, Aprilia, -79.734
18. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR, -91.512
19. Kurtis Roberts, Proton KR, -103.627
20. Chris Burns, Harris WCM, -1 lap
21. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, DNF, crash, -12 laps
22. David De Gea, Harris WCM, DNF, crash, -17 laps
23. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, DNF, crash, -21 laps
24. Sete Gibernau, Honda, DNF, crash, -23 laps


More, from press releases issued by various teams and riders, posted in order of receipt.

From a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist:

HOPKINS SCORES 15TH-PLACE FINISH AT BRAZILIAN GP DESPITE FINAL LAP CRASH

JACAREPAGUA, Brazil (July 4, 2004) – John Hopkins had his best Brazilian Grand Prix finish in his grasp until an impact with Kawasaki’s Alex Hofmann on the final lap resulted in an off-track excursion and low-speed crash dropping the young Californian to a disappointing 15th-place at the checkered flag. Hopkins hurriedly picked up his Suzuki GSV-R and rushed home to the finish line after the accident to salvage the point-paying result.

It was a hard-luck ending to, which up to the crash, was a better than expected race.

“I got into a little battle with Ruben Xaus early on and wanted to get by him as quickly as possible,” said Hopkins, who ran as high as eleventh. “I moved past Xaus and then tried to chase down the next group in front of me. I made some mistakes trying to get up to them and that gave Hofmann the chance to gain on me.

“Hofmann got past me and we continued the battle for the rest of the race. On the last lap I drafted him going down the back straight and was setting up to make my move. I thought about going low, but the track was a little dirty on the inside line so I decided to try to out-brake him on the outside. Alex didn’t know I was there and drifted out into my line and clipped me. My back wheel came off the ground and I ran off the track at a high rate of speed into the gravel trap. I hit the tire barrier and fell over. I got back on the bike, rode back through the gravel trap and was able to finish the race.”

Hopkins went on to explain that getting past Hofmann wasn’t his only goal.

“In the process of our battle we’d chased down (Carlos) Checa,” Hopkins added. “I was hoping to get by both of them and score a top-10 finish. In the end it wasn’t the result that I wanted, but I can’t feel too bad since I came so close to a really good result. I didn’t want any ‘what-ifs’ to look back on so I did all I could to get the best possible result. No regrets.”

Hopkins is very pleased with the rapid progress being made by Bridgestone tire.

“Bridgestone obviously have done their homework. A pole and a race win. That’s great. I had a good tire under me and I wanted to give our team two riders inside the top-10. We’ll gear up and get ready for the next race.”

Hopkins scored a single point today and is tied for 19th in the world championship standings.

The next round at the Sachsenring, in Germany on July 18, marks the mid-point of the MotoGP season.


More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

Rio Grand Prix
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sunday 4th July

GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA ENDS TOUGH WEEKEND IN RIO

After a difficult couple of days of qualifying for Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa, raceday at Rio proved to be equally demanding today, with Rossi falling after losing the front on lap 13 and Checa fighting through from a fourth row start to finish tenth.

The 24-lap race began brightly for Rossi, the reigning World Champion, as he jumped from a starting position on the third row to fifth place at the very first corner. His main championship rival Sete Gibernau (Honda) crashed out on lap two, just as Rossi began to really turn up the pace on his Yamaha YZR-M1. Moving up to fourth and past pole position man Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) after passing up the inside at turn one, Rossi seized a chance to pass Alex Barros (Honda) and began the task of reducing the 1.6 second gap to race leaders Max Biaggi (Honda) and Nicky Hayden (Honda).

Simultaneously defending pressure from eventual race winner Makoto Tamada (Honda) while still cutting the gap to 0.8 seconds on lap ten, a mistake on the twelfth lap allowed Tamada to pass for third. Pushing hard to stay in contention for a podium, Rossi fell on lap 13, at the last left hand corner on the 4.933km Jacarepagua circuit.

Excellent progress from the determined Checa, 12th in qualifying, put him up to ninth after a quarter race distance, until Marco Melandri (Yamaha) ran both riders onto the grass while attempting an outbraking manoeuvre. Battling his way back on track Checa was to finish tenth overall. The race win was taken by Tamada, his first win in the premier class, Biaggi second and Nicky Hayden (Honda) third.

Despite his raceday misfortune Rossi still leads the championship, sharing a 126-point total with Gibernau, but ahead because of his better win ratio of 4 to 2.

CARLOS CHECA (10th, 44:58.784)
“We seemed to change everything through the weekend and in warm up but I still didn’t feel comfortable; It was a difficult weekend. Here in Rio we had a very negative feeling from the beginning and this has not been the case anywhere else this year. During the race Marco Melandri lost the rear and then could not brake properly as he tried to pass. He went straight on and then we touched. Luckily I saw him coming just as I was about to flick it in, I stood the bike up, we touched and then ran off the track. Luckily nothing happened and I don’t think it changed my race result. At that moment maybe I could have caught Capirossi but I could not have kept doing the lap time, as I was already at the limit.”

VALENTINO ROSSI (DNF)
“We made some modifications before and after warm-up this morning. Even though I was riding better the set-up was still not quite right. What a shame. I lost the front and that was it. I haven’t fallen in a race since Mugello 2001. We’ve been having problems all through the weekend, but we were having a strong race and I felt I was catching the leaders. Even though I was up with the front group it was very difficult on the left hand corners. If I had managed to finish in fourth place it would have earned us some good points.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO, GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
“Not a good day for us and we’ve had a difficult weekend trying to find the best settings for our machine. Valentino’s fall brought it to an end but that’s racing. It’s a missed opportunity because we could have gained some points on Sete. Valentino is a fighter and that is probably what has helped him get so many victories in the past but today it didn’t work out that way. The main thing is that we restart in Sachsenring still leading the championship, so that is the positive side of the story. For Carlos, he didn’t manage to get a good feeling from the machine, struggled all the race and could only finish tenth.”

RESULTS
1. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda 44:21.976
2. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda -2.019
3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team -5.764
4. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team -11.145
5. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda Team -12.951
6. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda -13.904
7. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP -23.493
8. Norick Abe (JPN) Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 -27.498
9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team -27.802
10. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha -36.808

DNF – VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha (fell on lap 13)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) 126
2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) 126
3. Max Biaggi (ITA) 113
4. Colin Edwards (USA) 64
5. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) 62
6. Alex Barros (BRA) 59
7. Marco Melandri (ITA) 57
8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) 55
9. Nicky Hayden (USA) 54
10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) 44


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
CINZANO RIO GRAND PRIX – NELSON PIQUET CIRCUIT
4TH JULY 2004 – MOTOGP RACE RESULT

NAKANO AND HOFMANN ON THE CHARGE IN RIO HEAT WAVE

The Rio Grand Prix lived up to its hot and humid reputation with Kawasaki Racing Team riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, battling exhausting conditions to finish ninth and eleventh respectively.

Hofmann made a superb late race charge, and just missed joining his teammate in the top ten when he failed by less than one second to run down Spanish Yamaha rider Carlos Checa.

However, Nakano was disappointed with the outcome of the 24-lap race, and his inability to launch a stronger challenge on the high-speed Rio circuit.

The 26-year-old Japanese rider finished less than half a second behind Norick Abe, but was frustrated that a horsepower deficit compared to his rivals limited his passing opportunities on the Rio straights.

After settling in eleventh place from the start, Nakano shadowed Abe from lap six, and over the final ten laps staged close battle against his fellow countryman.

Just before the start mechanics worked overtime to change the fuel injection throttle bodies on Nakano’s Ninja ZX-RR, after a problem in the pre-race warm-up.

Hofmann faced a big challenge when he was nineteenth at the end of lap one, after a crowded start from 14th on the grid. Once the 24-year-old German rider found some clear track he hunted down John Hopkins and Ruben Xaus and passed both to claim 11th place on lap sixteen.

With six laps remaining Hofmann was seven seconds behind Checa, but closed that gap to less than a second at the finish, as he surged to try and claim tenth place. Hofmann’s race pace was consistent and a valuable test of the revised engine mapping used on his Ninja ZX-RR today.

The 24-lap race, with midday track temperatures touching 35 degrees, was watched by an impressive crowd of 55,000 fans.

Shinya Nakano: 9th
“I’m very disappointed because it was not possible to fight any harder today. We know we need more performance from the engine, and hopefully this is being addressed, as finishing 27 seconds behind the race winner is too much. At the beginning of the race I had a good feeling with the bike and could see the leading group, but I just couldn’t stay with them. For the last ten laps I tried to pass Norick Abe, but it wasn’t possible. I have to say thanks to both my crew and the crew of my teammate, who worked so hard together to change the fuel injection system on my bike before the race.”

Alex Hofmann: 11th
“The first three corners were very crowded and everyone passed me on the outside. Then Jeremy McWilliams came past on the straight and, suddenly, I found myself in 19th position. Not a good start to a race by any means. Once I got clear of the traffic I was able to chase down John Hopkins and Ruben Xaus and that was a good battle. There are not many passing places here, and I think a top ten finish was possible with a more aggressive first lap. The revised engine mapping I used today felt very comfortable; it was definitely a step forward. On the last lap I was expecting John Hopkins down the inside at the end of the straight. As I prepared for the corner he came on the outside and we touched, at 310 kph, and he went straight on. I’m sorry for that; I didn’t think he would go for the outside.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“I’m delighted with the performance of both riders today, although we missed my wish for both to finish in the top ten by just one position. What is obvious from this race is that we need more engine power to make the next step, and that is the target for us now. The handling consistency of the bike and Bridgestone tyres was our strong point today. I’d also like to congratulate Bridgestone on their first MotoGP race win today. They put the work in after the problems at Mugello and it’s good to see them reap the benefit of that work this weekend.”



More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda:

RIO GRAND PRIX – RACE

SETE SUFFERS HIS FIRST FALL IN RIO

Colin Edwards finishes sixth to put Telefonica Movistar back at the top of the Team Championship.

Sete Gibernau finished the Grand Prix of Brazil empty-handed, but still level with Valentino Rossi at the top of the World Championship. Sete made a small error on the second lap which led him to suffer his first fall since the race at Jerez last season. Gibernau lost control of his front wheel after passing Alex Barros, but some ten laps later the same thing happened to Valentino Rossi at the same point of the circuit to ensure the two remain locked together in the standings. Colin Edwards finished sixth and now sits fourth in the World Championship.

SETE GIBERNAU (dnf): “It was a shame because after doing some excellent work with the team, a small error by me cost us dear. We had found a great rhythm and had a really good chance of winning here, but in the end the circumstance! s of the race did not allow us to. The sad thing is that we could have opened up a big lead. I feel sorry for the team because they gave everything, as always, but it wasn’t to be. I am sad because of what happened, but the championship is still wide open and my moral is really good to come back in Germany.”

COLIN EDWARDS (6th): “What a shame for Sete he fell! I was sure he was going to win this race. When I saw him fall I could not believe it, but then the same thing happened to Valentino so the championship remains level. I concentrated on maintaining my rhythm – I passed Kenny Roberts and then thought about saving my tyres. I pushed very hard, but when you feel the tyres going it is very easy to make mistakes and so I concentrated on being steady. It was a difficult weekend overall, but I hope to take a step forward in Germany.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team manager): “It’s a shame to lose an opportunity like this, but! these things happen in races. We leave Rio in the same shape as when we came here, and we have to try and take the positives – it could have been much worse. We must now think about the next Grand Prix in Germany and be positive, as always. Colin rode a good race and his sixth place allows us to go back to the top in the Team Championship. We are still lacking something to fight with the rest of the Hondas, but we are sure it will arrive.”


More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati:

Rio Grand Prix, Jacarepagua
Race Day
Sunday July 4 2004

GREAT RIO RACE FOR DUCATI MARLBORO MAN CAPIROSSI

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi scored his best result of the season so far in baking-hot sunshine at Rio de Janeiro today. Riding the factory’s new Twin Pulse engine for only the second time, the Italian stormed through the pack after a sluggish start to complete the race in fourth place, just 11 seconds behind winner Makoto Tamada. Team-mate Troy Bayliss was less fortunate, sliding off during the early stages of a torrid race that also claimed world title rivals Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau. None of the riders were hurt in their falls.

“Although we feel sorry for Troy, I think we can be very happy with today’s result,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “We already saw at Assen that the bike is growing with the new Twin Pulse engine. Loris did an unbelievable job in tough conditions today. He recovered superbly from a bad start, without which I think he could have run with the leading group. His result is very, very positive for us. I feel proud that both the factory and the team have reacted so well after a difficult start to the season. Of course, Troy’s crash was a real shame, but these things sometimes happen in racing, especially at this track which is really tricky and claimed several other top riders today.”

The Ducati Marlboro Team stays on at Rio to test tomorrow. “We are now heading in a good direction but we have to keep working, that’s why we are staying on to test,” added Suppo. “I would like to thank all our partners for the great support they are giving us, especially Shell Advance and Michelin. Their products really helped us to be so good today.”

CAPIROSSI “100 PER CENT SATISFIED”
Loris Capirossi had high hopes of a brilliant result at Rio today after he had qualified his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4 on the second row of the grid yesterday. And the Italian wasn’t disappointed. Despite a slow getaway from the grid he rocketed through from tenth on the first lap to fight his way through to fourth, using the user-friendly Twin Pulse engine to great effect around this slippery and bumpy racetrack.

“I’m 100 per cent satisfied with that result, so my thanks go to Ducati Corse and the team for all the work they’ve done,” beamed Capirossi.

“This is our best result so far this year. It demonstrates that we are heading in the right direction with the bike, and we’re going to continue working in that direction. It was a tough race. I started from the dirty side of the track, so I got a lot of wheelspin away from the grid, which put me way back at the first corner. But I overcame that to get up to fourth. Once I was there I realised the first three guys were too far ahead, so I decided to consolidate my position by keeping Barros behind me.”

BAYLISS OUT OF LUCK AT RIO
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss fell victim to Jacarepagua’s super-slick surface today, sliding out of the race on the fourth lap as he was starting to work his way through the pack. The Aussie, riding with his Four Pulse motor, had made up two places before he fell.

“I was struggling a bit with front-end grip, then I just lost the front mid-corner,” he explained. “I ran the Four Pulse simply because we went good on it in warm-up this morning, so it seemed like the way to go for this race.”


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda:

Brazil GP – Round 7 – MotoGP
Rio (Brazil) – Sunday – 4 July 2004

Camel Honda RC211Vs Shine at Rio
Makoto and Max 1st and 2nd

Rio was painted yellow as the two Camel Honda RC211Vs made their brilliant performance in the MotoGP race. Makoto Tamada stormed to victory – his first top spot in the premier class of the world championship – closely tailed by Max Biaggi whose second place gives new impetus to his challenge for the world MotoGP title.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“A fantastic day with our bikes coming first and second. The team performed brilliantly with Makoto, who achieved his first victory, and with Max, whose second place is extremely important for him and for his position in the world ratings. Our thanks go to Camel and all the other sponsors for their constant support, and to Honda who have never failed to give us all the assistance we needed to win.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 2nd
“What a tough race! But wonderful, even though I didn’t make it to victory. And here I’d like to congratulate Makoto: he’s not just a fine rider – he’s a true friend. Great. I could hear him coming during the last laps, opening the throttle as he came out of the corners while I still had to wait, and I realised I was in danger. But I’m still really pleased with my bike, with my Michelins, and especially with all the work my team has done together with Honda. I started off well, with only Kenny in front, but I managed to get past him after a lap. I set my pace, trying to save the tyres, but it was too hot to try and break away from the pack, even though we were racing three hours earlier than usual. I tried not to make any mistakes, as conditions were pretty treacherous. These twenty points are really worth a lot for the championship, but now I want to get back onto the top of the podium.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“An extraordinary day. Here in Rio last year Makoto showed what he’s capable of when he made his first podium, and now just short of a year later, he’s given us his first MotoGP victory. We had a long talk yesterday and knew what we were capable of. When I saw him lying in wait behind Max, preparing to pounce, I knew he’d be first over the line. He did it his way, with style and talent. Thanks to Honda, for a great bike, and thanks to the people at Bridgestone who, after a moment of difficulty at Mugello, just gave it all they’d got and made it to the top spot of the rostrum today with Makoto. And with Max’s brilliant achievement, the Camel Honda colours just dominated the day.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 1st
“A perfect race, with the bike settings and the tyres as good as they could possibly be. The team did a magnificent job and I did the rest. I’d like to dedicate my victory to all of them and to my dear friend Daijiro. I think that’s the greatest homage I could pay to him. I miss him. I’m grateful to Bridgestone for the incredible work they did to make sure I could be fast and effective in all the tests this week, right through to the race itself when the tyres on my Honda gave me all the performance and endurance I needed.”


More, from a press release issued by series organizers:

Tamada takes first win as Rossi and Gibernau crash

Makoto Tamada took his first ever MotoGP victory in a dramatic race at the Cinzano Rio Grand Prix which saw joint championship leaders Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau both crash out. With neither Rossi or Gibernau on the front row for the first time this season, both were forced to push hard to fight their way through the group as pole setter Kenny Roberts and Max Biaggi set the pace over the first lap. Gibernau’s charge ended on the second lap when he crashed his Honda just moments after overtaking Rossi for fifth place, whilst the Italian’s Yamaha slid out of fourth place some twelve laps later.

With Roberts dropping back through the group, Biaggi was chased for the lead by Nicky Hayden until four laps from the end, when a stunning late charge from Tamada sealed a first ever win for Bridgestone tyres, who took their first podium with the same rider at the same circuit less than a year ago.

“It was a perfect race – the set-up of the bike and the tyres were at the absolute maximum, the team have done a great job and I have completed the show,” commented Tamada after the race, dedicating the win to the late Daijiro Kato, who would have been celebrating his birthday today. “This victory is dedicated to all of them and to my great friend Daijiro. I think this is the best way to honour his memory – I miss him. Thanks to Bridgestone for a great job which put me in conditions to be fast and effective all weekend up to the race.”

Second place for Biaggi sealed a one-two for Camel Honda and moves the Italian to within just thirteen points of Gibernau and Rossi at the top of the standings, with Rossi still leading the way thanks to a superior win ratio. Nicky Hayden clinched his first podium of the season, the third of his career, in third place after pushing Biaggi and Tamada all the way to the line, with Loris Capirossi some eleven seconds behind in a lonely but welcome fourth place for Ducati.

Alex Barros was unable to challenge for the podium in front of his home crowd, suffering from the pain of a hand injury sustained in a practice crash on Friday afternoon. The Brazilian rode bravely to fifth place ahead of Honda colleague Colin Edwards, who now moves up to fourth in the championship after another top six finish.

Kenny Roberts took a best finish of the season for Suzuki in seventh place, just ahead of the first Yamaha, ridden by Norick Abe. Shinya Nakano brought his Kawasaki home in ninth, with Carlos Checa completing the top ten and consequently conceding fourth place in the rider standings to Edwards.

Manuel Poggiali broke the front fairing of his Aprilia as he smashed his first down in delight after clinching his first win of the season in the 250cc class. The reigning World Champion had not stood on the top step of the podium since victory at this circuit last season but announced his return with a bang, leading from the fourth lap under intense pressure from Dani Pedrosa. A mechanical problem for Randy De Puniet, which saw the Frenchman drop out of the battle for lead positions at the halfway stage and eventually cross the line in eighth, means that Pedrosa now leads the championship by eleven points.

Sebastian Porto also suffered a mechanical problem when pushing Poggiali and Pedrosa for the lead with just four laps remaining, failing to pick up any points at all and losing important ground in third place in the rider standings. Third place in today’s race went to Toni Elias, who held off a late challenge from Alex De Angelis to seal the final podium position.

Hector Barberá won a typically combative and exciting 125cc race to the delight of the watching Brazilian football star Roberto Carlos, a major collaborator in the Seedorf Racing team. Other than a brief cameo from Jorge Lorenzo, who stormed to the front before crashing on the eleventh lap, Barberá shared the lead almost exclusively with Casey Stoner until a late charge from Andrea Dovizioso.

With Roberto Locatelli and Mirko Giansanti in close attendance but unable to mount a serious challenge, the last two laps were a desperate three-way battle for the line, with Barberá holding off Stoner for the win and Dovizioso completing the podium. Barberá’s second victory of the season moves him up to second in the championship, sixteen points behind Dovizioso.



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Brazilian Grand Prix, Jacarepagua, July 4, 2004

TAMADA WINS AND BIAGGI CLOSES IN ON TITLE LEADERS

There was no shortage of drama under a beating Brazilian sun here in Rio, before a packed crowd of 56,000, as mighty Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V), riding on Bridgestone tyres, recorded his first (and the tyre company’s first) win in the premier class. Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) was second and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) third.

The all-Honda podium was missing a major figure in this season’s race for the title – Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) who crashed out on lap two while trying to make his way to the front from his second row start. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) then crashed on lap four.

Gibernau’s long trudge back to his garage must have been hard yards. He would have watched the action on his pit garage TV monitor as Max led the field with Hayden and Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) in second and third. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was fourth by lap six.

Then Marco Melandri (Yamaha) took out fellow Yamaha rider Carlos Checa. Neither fell but their joint visit to the gravel trap effectively ended their races for meaningful places. But there was more dramatic action to come.

Rossi passed Barros for third on lap eight and Tamada was making big inroads on the leaders too. The doughty Japanese was now fourth and working on Rossi for third. And just 1.13 seconds covered the top four of Max, Nicky, Rossi and Makoto.

On lap 12 Makoto made it past Rossi for third, on lap 13 he took Hayden for second. And on that same lap Rossi crashed out. He remounted and tried to restart his machine, but failed. One can only imagine the relief Gibernau must have felt as he saw his current title rival dismount and return to pitlane.

Now it was Max and his team-mate Makoto out front with Hayden hanging onto them. But as the final laps approached Hayden began to drop off the lead duo. This was when Tamada made his move taking the lead on the final turn on lap 21 of this 24-lap race.

He held it to the end for a popular victory that he dedicated to Daijiro Kato who was killed at Suzuka last year. “A perfect race,” he said. “The team did a great job and the race went to plan. And this is a reward for everyone’s hard work. This race is also a gift for my friend Daijiro Kato.”

Max was delighted for his team-mate. “What a great race – even if I didn’t win,” he said. “I’d like to congratulate Makoto, not only a very good rider, but also a friend. I could hear him coming in the last few laps and I could also hear him opening the throttle earlier in the turns when I couldn’t. I knew he would be a danger. I think after three races we are back in the hunt.”

Hayden was happy with third. “I’ve never got to finish a race from a front row start in MotoGP,” he said. “And I definitely needed a good solid finish here today. I was up with Max and saw we were pulling away. I thought we were going to be okay then I saw a ‘Tamada + zero’ on my pitboard. He just came from nowhere. I’ll take this result and build on it.”

Barros, who finished fifth, said. “I’m very, very disappointed. After five laps I had big problems with the front end and I could do nothing for the rest of the race. We need to look at the data with the team and with Michelin because we are nearly half way through the season and still the results are not coming.”

Colin Edwards (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) finished sixth and said, “I was sure Sete was going to win this race. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him fall. I just concentrated on my rhythm and then thought about saving my tyres. When you feel the tyres going it’s very easy to make mistakes so I took it steady.”

A relived Gibernau said, “A small error cost us dear. We had a good chance of winning here and we could have opened up a big lead. I feel sorry for the team because they gave everything but it wasn’t to be. But the Championship is wide open and we’ll take another step forward in Germany.”

The World Championship points table now shows Gibernau and Rossi still tied on 126 points apiece. But now Max Biaggi is within range of them with 113 points with seven rounds of the 16 race series gone.

The 250cc race was won by Manuel Poggiali (Aprilia), his first win of the year. Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) was second by just 0.076 seconds as they pair crossed the line. Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) was third.

Poggiali and Pedrosa were the best of a five-rider group that circulated together for most of this 22-lap race. Elias kept the closest to them as Sebastian Porto and Randy de Puniet (both Aprilia) also stayed in the hunt at the front.

But as the gruelling race unfolded in 27 degree heat only Poggiali and Pedrosa had the speed needed to contest the win. The last lap was intense with Pedrosa trying everything to get a draft on the straight. He got tucked in behind, but Poggiali is strong on