YRC News
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MotoGP : Rossi edges towards title with brilliant Brno victory
Round: 11 - Czech MotoGP
Circuit: Brno
Date: 28 August 2005
Crowd: 78818
Temp: 20ēC
Weather: Dry
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 (Gauloises Yamaha Team), 1st
"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 (Gauloises Yamaha Team), 7th
"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."
Toni Elias (Fortuna Yamaha Team), 14th
"When you get away well, and when you are winning, that is when you really enjoy
a race, not when you are fighting to get in the points. But it seems we are
slowly solving the problems we have, although starting from so far down the grid
does not leave you with any real options. The most positive thing was the
consistent rhythm I found especially when the tyres were going off and I still
managed to match the times of some of the quickerriders for example. I had a
couple of moments that made the race exciting. I am not happy with the result,
but the important thing is to fight and to progress race by race and to try to
match the leading riders. The next two days of testing at Brno will hopefully
bring us forward to where we should be."
Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team), 18th
"I didn't come to Brno in the best ossible shape and I just wanted to get
through this race as quickly as possible. Now I have done so, I will keep on
working hard and I hope the Ruben Xaus that everyone knows will now be back soon."
Race classification MotoGP
Round: 11 - Czech MotoGP
Circuit: Brno
Circuit Length: 5403m
Lap Record: 1' 58.787 (Valentino Rossi, 2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 57.504 (Sete Gibernau, 2005)
Race: 22 Laps
Pos.Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 43'56.539
2 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA +1.837
3 M. Biaggi Honda ITA +3.444
4 A. Barros Honda BRA +4.148
5 N. Hayden Honda USA +4.363
6 M. Melandri Honda ITA +11.150
7 C. Edwards Yamaha USA +13.532
8 C. Checa Ducati ESP +19.331
9 T. Bayliss Honda AUS +27.125
10 M. Tamada Honda JPN +27.248
11 K. Roberts Suzuki USA +27.684
12 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN +27.803
13 J. Hopkins Suzuki USA +28.278
14 T. Elias Yamaha ESP +28.571
15 A. Hofman Kawasaki GER +29.768
18 R. Xaus Yamaha ESP +1' 8.082
Fastest Race Lap:
Pos.Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'58.787
Championship standings MotoGP
Pos.Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 261
2 Max Biaggi Honda ITA 129
3 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 126
4 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 123
5 Sete Gibernau Honda ESP 115
6 Alex Barros Honda BRA 114
7 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 112
8 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 92
9 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 69
10 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 59
11 Troy Bayliss Honda AUS 54
12 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 48
13 Kenny Roberts Suzuki USA 41
14 Ruben Xaus Yamaha ESP 36
15 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 35
16 Toni Elias Yamaha ESP 31
Manufacturers standings MotoGP
Pos.Manufacturer Points
1 Yamaha 265
2 Honda 218
3 Ducati 102
4 Kawasaki 97
5 Suzuki 65
6 Blata WCM 5
7 Proton KR 1
8 Moriwaki 1
Team standings MotoGP
Pos.Team Points
1 Gauloises Yamaha Team 384
2 Repsol Honda Team 241
3 Team Movistar Honda MotoGP 241
4 Honda Camel 168
5 Ducati Marlboro Team 151
6 Kawasaki Racing Team 116
7 Team Suzuki MotoGP 76
8 Fortuna Yamaha Team 71
9 Konica Minolta Honda 60
10 D'Antin MotoGP 15
11 Blata WCM 5
12 Team Roberts KR 1
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