Czech Republic Grand Prix
Brno, Czech Republic
Sunday 28th August 2005

ROSSI EDGES TOWARDS TITLE WITH BRILLIANT BRNO VICTORY

Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi became the first rider in the
history of the MotoGP World Championship to score nine wins for five consecutive
seasons, as he clinched victory in the eleventh round of the 2005 campaign at
Brno today. Rossi's record-breaking ride featured an intense battle with Sete
Gibernau (Honda) that again came down to a dramatic finale, with Rossi making
his definitive pass at the end of the penultimate lap. Gibernau tried to fight
back but as Rossi edged clear through the final series of sweeping corners, the
Spaniard's slim hope of a victorious response disappeared completely as he
suffered a technical problem and was forced to retire.

Whilst Loris Capirossi (Ducati) and Max Biaggi (Honda) made the most of
Gibernau's misfortune to complete the podium, Rossi's Gauloises Yamaha team-mate
Colin Edwards was promoted one place to seventh after a tough race that again
saw the American struggle to find sufficient rear grip for his Yamaha YZR-M1
machine. Despite his disappointment, Edwards remains in the thick of the battle
for second place in the championship, trailing Biaggi by six points with six
rounds still remaining. Rossi, meanwhile, can seal the championship title in the
next round at Motegi by finishing in the top two.

VALENTINO ROSSI (1st; 43'56.539)

"That was one of the hardest races of the season. After the warm-up I saw Sete's
time and I wasn't sure that I could beat him in the race. I had confidence in
the bike but I knew I was a bit slower than him. I spoke with Jeremy Burgess to
ask for some modifications to be made to the bike in order to make a better
compromise for the whole race and, like always, he and the rest of the team
worked at 100% to improve the situation. There were a lot of fast riders out
there but Gibernau was my hardest opponent so I tried to push him and put the
pressure on from the start. It was a great fight with a lot of overtaking.  In
the middle of the race I decided to try to go and make a gap, but Sete came
back. At the end I did three or four good laps, made the pass on Sete and then
did a perfect final lap. Unfortunately Sete had a problem, which was bad luck
for him because he deserved to be on the podium. Anyway this is a good win for
me and now I just need one more for the title, but it is not over yet."

COLIN EDWARDS (7th; + 13.532)

"I started alright but after five laps we were in trouble. We changed the
setting of the bike a little after the warm-up but the track was much warmer
than we expected for the race and we loaded up the front a bit too much. It was
a repeat of the race at Mugello - the bike was spinning and I couldn't get any
edge grip on the rear. I pushed on the pegs, stood up, leaned back.everything I
could think of to make it stick! The positive side is that we still got some
points and we've got a two-day test coming up where we can work on some of these
problems and hopefully find the solution we need. We haven't tested since Le
Mans so it will be nice to have a chance to rack up plenty of hours on the track
without the pressure of a Grand Prix, as we get ready for a tough finish to the
season."

DAVIDE BRIVIO - GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR

"I have to congratulate and thank the whole team, particularly Valentino's
engineers because they followed his requests to modify the bike precisely and
gave him the package he needed to take victory today. He made the bike work and
put on a great show for the fans with Sete Gibernau, who deserved to be on the
podium. Valentino has a good advantage in the championship now and we will go to
Motegi looking for the same result. Unfortunately Colin couldn't do any better
than seventh place today but the fight for second place is still very close and
he is still in contention having collected nine points today. We will look for
some solutions with him during the test and look forward to going to Japan in
three weeks' time."

RESULTS

 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team  43'56.539
 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team      +1.837
 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda Team              +3.444
 4. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda                   +4.148
 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team            +4.363
 6. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP     +11.150
 7. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team      +13.532
 8. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team        +19.331
 9. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda                 +27.125
10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda       +27.248

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

 1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA)  261
 2. Max Biaggi (ITA)       129
 3. Marco Melandri (ITA)   126
 4. COLIN EDWARDS (USA)    123
 5. Sete Gibernau (SPA)    115
 6. Alex Barros (BRA)      114
 7. Nicky Hayden (USA)     112
 8. Loris Capirossi (ITA)   92
 9. Shinya Nakano (JAP)     69
10. Carlos Checa (SPA)      59