- Crowd: 90,000
- Temp: 27ºC
- Weather: Sunny
- Round: 5 - Mugello MotoGP
- Circuit: Mugello
- Circuit Length: 5245
- Lap Record: 1' 50.117 (Max Biaggi, 2005)
- Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 49.223 (Valentino Rossi, 2005)
Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi produced one of the best performances of his career today as he outwitted a trio of Italian compatriots to take a stunning home victory at Mugello. The World Champion was passed by a handful of riders from pole position but fought his way aggressively through the pack to lead the way at the end of the first lap. Chased by Marco Melandri, Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi (all Honda) in the opening stages, Rossi set an electric pace but was unable to shake off his pursuers. He was passed by Melandri on the 11th lap as he began to struggle with front-end problems.
By that time Gibernau had already crashed out of the race and it was left to Loris Capirossi (Ducati) to join in the combat and provide a home crowd of over 90,000 with a thrilling all-Italian battle. Biaggi grabbed the lead on the 17th lap but was stalked all the way by Rossi, who planned his move to perfection and passed his rival with just three laps remaining, opening up a crucial advantage that saw him take the chequered flag by 0.359 seconds. The fight for the final podium position raged behind them, with Capirossi clinching third place after holding off an attack from Melandri in the last corner.
Whilst Rossi's win extends his championship lead to 49 points, his Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards continued to struggle with the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine today and could only manage ninth place. However, the American will look to bounce back as the season continues at the Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona next weekend.
In the lead up to the Spanish Grand Prix Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) finished a credible 14th after a lonely race ahead of Kenny Roberts (Suzuki). Meanwhile his temporary team-mate David Checa ended his MotoGP debut in 19th position after being forced to pit with traction issues. He returned to the fray to continue familiarizing himself with the M1 just in case Fortuna Yamaha rider Toni Elias is unable to make his comeback and Checa receives the opportunity to ride again in Barcelona.
Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 1st;
"That was an incredible race and the best possible finish for the crowd, with four Italian riders in the top four positions. It was a great battle - full of passes and full of attacks. In the beginning I tried to go alone but I had some problems with the front and decided just to concentrate on my rhythm. Then Melandri arrived and we had a great fight, also with Biaggi after that. We set a high pace to the finish, I made my attack with three laps to go and it worked so of course I am very happy. My team once again did a great job and everybody at Yamaha has worked so hard to provide me with the bike I wanted - this is our reward. I want to thank them and also the amazing crowd here at Mugello; it was an honour to race in front of them."
Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 9th;
"It's hard to know what to say after a weekend like this because I'm as mystified as anyone else. We made a great start to the weekend on Friday morning but didn't seem to move on from there. Every refinement we made to the bike seemed to leave us in exactly the same position. Today my start was not good and I was way back at the first split. I passed about four people on the first lap but from then on it was an uphill battle. We made a lot of progress with the base set-up at Le Mans but we've struggled to get it working at this track - hopefully we can be back where we need to be in Barcelona."
Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director;
"Another 25 points and another win! Of course, being an Italian team this is more special for us and to see all the fans from up on the podium was incredible. To win four of the first five races is a lot and, as Valentino said, it is a sign of the great job we are doing. Gibernau and Biaggi have both been in good shape to win races but they haven't been able to and we are proving very hard to beat. But there are 12 races left and we have to keep our concentration. Colin has had a difficult weekend but we will aim to get him back on the right path for Catalunya to find again the level of result he achieved in Le Mans."
lOris Capirossi (Marlboro Ducati) 3rd;
"I think this race shows that the Ducati Marlboro Team is back!" smiled
Federico Minoli, Ducati Motor president. "It was a fantastic race, with
Loris close to the front all the way to the flag. As fans of racing, we
were jumping all over the place as he fought with Melandri during the
final laps. I think we really deserved this result, but we still need a
little more to get in front, we just need to open the door a bit more.
Congratulations to Loris and Carlos, who also rode a good race, and I'd
like to say that I'm very happy that Livio can now shave off his beard!"
(Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo had recently vowed not to
shave until the team made it back onto the podium.)"
Race: 23 Laps;
- 1. V. Rossi, Yamaha (ITA) - 42' 42.994
- 2. M. Biaggi, Honda (ITA) - +0.359
- 3. L. Capirossi, Ducati (ITA) - +3.874
- 4. M. Melandri, Honda (ITA) - +3.979
- 5. C. Checa, Ducati (ESP) - +7.898
- 6. N. Hayden, Honda (USA) - +8.204
- 7. A. Barros, Honda (BRA) - +11.572
- 8. M. Tamada, Honda (JPN) - +25.394
- 9. C. Edwards, Yamaha (USA) - +25.485
- 10. S. Nakano, Kawasaki (JPN) - +36.549
- 11. J. Hopkins, Suzuki (USA) - +41.637
- 12. A. Hofman, Kawasaki (GER) - +43.659
- 13. T. Bayliss, Honda (AUS) - +43.916
- 14. R. Xaus, Yamaha (ESP) - +51.575
- 15. K. Roberts, Suzuki (USA) - +1' 10.275
- 16. S. Byrne, Proton KR (GBR) - +1' 12.582
- 17. R. Rolfo, Ducati (ITA) - +1' 13.047
- 18. F. Battaini, Blata WCM (ITA) - +1 lap(s)
- 19. D. Checa, Yamaha (ESP) - +1 lap(s)
Fastest Race Lap:
- 1. M. Biaggi, Honda (ITA) - 1' 50.117
Championship standings MotoGP;
- 1. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha (ITA) - 120
- 2. Marco Melandri, Honda (ITA) - 71
- 3. Max Biaggi, Honda (ITA) - 67
- 4. Sete Gibernau, Honda (ESP) - 53
- 5. Alex Barros, Honda (BRA) - 52
- 6. Colin Edwards, Yamaha (USA) - 48
- 7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati (ITA) - 39
- 8. Nicky Hayden, Honda (USA) - 36
- 9. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki (JPN) - 33
- 10. Carlos Checa, Ducati (ESP) - 28
- 11. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki (FRA) - 26
- 12. David Checa, Yamaha (ESP) - 26
- 13. Troy Bayliss, Honda (AUS) - 24
- 14. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda (NED) - 18
- 15. Ruben Xaus, Yamaha (ESP) - 18
- 18. Toni Elias, Yamaha (ESP) - 15
Manufacturers standings MotoGP;
- 1. Yamaha - 120
- 2. Honda - 101
- 3. Kawasaki - 53
- 4. Ducati - 46
- 5. Suzuki - 23
- 6. Blata WCM - 4
- 7. Moriwaki - 1
