Rossi takes giant lead to Germany for Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

The MotoGP World Championship winds up for a month-long summer break this
weekend as the Sachsenring circuit in Germany prepares to host the tenth round
of the season, the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Traditionally one of
the highest attended events of the MotoGP season, a crowd of over 100,000 people
is expected for this Sunday's Grand Prix, where Valentino Rossi will defend a
mammoth lead of 104 points in the championship.

Rossi's seventh win from nine races just two days ago at Donington Park was also
the 75th of his Grand Prix career in all classes and a repeat performance at the
Sachsenring would see him go level third in the all-time winners' charts
alongside the legendary Mike Hailwood. However, the Italian struggled to find a
set-up for his Yamaha M1 machine at the tight and twisty German track one year
ago and could only manage fourth place - one of only three occasions he actually
finished a race without making the podium last season.

The only rider ever to win at the Sachsenring on a Yamaha is Max Biaggi, who
also took victory there last season riding the Honda. It was Biaggi's only
success of 2004 and the Italian has not won since - a seventeen-race dry spell
that matches his longest ever run without a victory since he made his Grand Prix
debut back in 1992. Biaggi's crash in the wet race at Donington Park last Sunday
also saw him lose third in the championship to Colin Edwards, who now lies just
one point behind Melandri in the chase for second place.

Melandri will also be looking for a change of fortune in Germany after only
completing one full lap out of the last two races, with successive crashes at
Laguna Seca and Donington Park bringing his early-season form to an abrupt halt.
Whilst Rossi is now seemingly out of reach at the top of the standings, Melandri
will be keen to hang on to second place before the season takes a four-week
summer break. The Italian youngster has won at the Sachsenring three times in
the 125cc and 250cc classes, including his maiden quarter-litre success in 2001,
but has crashed out of the MotoGP race there for the past two seasons.

Kenny Roberts and Alex Barros arrive at the tenth round of the championship on
top confidence after their morale-boosting podium finishes behind Rossi at
Donington. Both riders have previously won the premier-class race at the
Sachsenring and will be looking to turn their impressive wet performances into a
dry result this weekend. Sete Gibernau won the MotoGP race there two years ago
but crashed out last season and has now failed to finish in three rounds of the
current campaign after sliding out of the lead in Great Britain.

One more previous Sachsenring winner will be added to the mix this weekend, with
former 250cc World Champion Olivier Jacque returning to the MotoGP field as a
wildcard entry for Kawasaki. Jacque scored a memorable podium finish for the
factory in China earlier this season and has a strong record at the German
circuit, with his only premier-class pole here on a Yamaha in 2002 adding to his
250cc victory in 2000.

Current 250cc World Champion Dani Pedrosa saw his championship lead reduced by
Casey Stoner last Sunday but the Spaniard is still 34 points clear of the
Australian and will be boosted by the confidence of his best ever wet result
after taking fourth place at Donington Park. Pedrosa secured his first
Sachsenring win last year and he will be looking for a repeat success with a
number of his rivals coming into form. Third place for Stoner last Sunday was
his fourth podium of the season whilst Randy De Puniet was back to his best with
a victory that could prove to be the turning point to the Frenchman's season.
Sebastian Porto has started from pole for the last two years in Germany and
finished on the podium both last year and in 2002, whilst Pedrosa will also be
keeping an eye on Anthony West after a stunning debut by the KTM machine at
Donington Park that saw the Australian finish second.

The 125cc World Championship could not be closer with just eight points
separating the first four riders. Joint series leaders Mattia Pasini and Gabor
Talmacsi both left Donington Park empty-handed after the Italian crashed on the
warm-up lap for the second race and the Hungarian slid out twice once the red
lights were out. Thomas Luthi now lies just one point behind the pair with Mika
Kallio a further seven points back. Meanwhile Julian Simon, the only rider in
the 125cc class to have scored points at each of the first eight races of the
year, now lies eighth in the championship after becoming the sixth different
winner of a 125cc race this season with his maiden success at Donington.

INFO 2005/110. 26-07-2005
DORNA COMMUNICATIONS
www.motogp.com