- Round: 6 - Catalunya MotoGP
- Circuit: Catalunya
- Date: 12 June 2005
- Crowd: 105600
- Temp: 32°C
- Weather: Sunny
Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi re-ignited his love affair with the Spanish public today as he stormed to a fifth win from the opening six rounds of the 2005 MotoGP World Championship in front of a record crowd of 105,698 at the Catalunya Grand Prix. After losing places in a combative opening to the race, the reigning world champion stormed through the field to go head to head with local favourite and pole setter Sete Gibernau (Honda) in another nail-biting finish. Just as he had done with Max Biaggi (Honda) at Mugello last weekend and Gibernau himself two weeks previously at Le Mans, Rossi timed his victory charge to perfection, passing the Spaniard with three laps remaining and setting a stunning time of 1'43.195, almost 1.5 seconds inside the previous circuit record, to open up a decisive advantage over the final two laps.
Whilst Marco Melandri (Honda) won a dramatic battle to the line for the final podium finish ahead of Alex Barros (Honda) and Nicky Hayden (Honda), Rossi's Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards could only manage seventh place behind Biaggi. Despite showing podium pace through the weekend practice sessions, the American took a gamble with his tyre choice that backfired in the race as he struggled for rear grip at the demanding Spanish circuit. Despite today's result Edwards remains sixth in the MotoGP World Championship, which is now led by Rossi with an advantage of 58 points over Melandri.
For the Spanish Fortuna Yamaha Team pair of Ruben Xaus and David Checa it was positive day in front of a home crowd. Xaus scored his third top ten result and Checa, who replaced the injured Toni Elias, scored in the points in only his second MotoGP ride.
Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 1st;
"The first lap was a hard fight with a lot of riders coming crazy, everybody wanted to be at the front and it was so much fun. Gibernau set a fast pace and I tried 100% to follow him. I had some problems on the right side of the tyre early in the race but Sete started to slide too. At the end it was difficult but the bike was so good into the corners and great fun to ride. To do the fastest lap three laps from the end at a track like this is amazing - my last lap was around two seconds faster than the last lap last year and it shows the fantastic job Michelin have done with tyre endurance. I was a little worried before this weekend about the reaction from the crowd but I was so happy with the reception I got. It shows that motorcycle fans are the best kind and especially here in Spain, where it is always a pleasure to ride. The advantage in the championship is allowing the team to work in a relaxed way and we are having a lot of fun, which is an extra motivation in itself."
Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 7th;
"We made a mistake by testing the race tyre yesterday morning when the temperatures were much cooler than they were this afternoon. We thought we were being sly by choosing a tyre only one other rider had but it didn't work out. I had no rear grip at full lean in the second half of the race, so I had to stand the bike up through the corners and ran wide all the time. It's a shame because we had a great front tyre but I couldn't push it. Not the best finish but we've learnt a lot of things that we will now take to Assen."
Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director;
"The whole race was run at a full second inside lap record pace, which is incredible. It shows the great job done by our engineers and the wonderful partnership we have with Michelin. I am so pleased to hear Valentino say he is enjoying riding the bike - that is a great compliment to everybody in the team. It is a pity Colin could not confirm his excellent progress in the race but we know he is on the right tracks and I'm looking forward to seeing him at Assen, a circuit he likes and knows well."
Max Biaggi, 6th place:
"It went bad. We rode a different bike from the one we used at Mugello, with a set-up meant to improve braking. In those sections the feeling was good but it really worsened handling and cornering, with consequent problems for the tires' life. I could never take part in the game and it makes me very sad. I look to the next Assen Grand Prix knowing that it's not going to be easy, but we must push harder."
Nicky Hayden, 5th place:
"The whole race was a bit of a dog fight really. We were really going at it. I got a good start and made a few overtakes stick in the opening laps. I got up to third and wasn't that far behind the leaders when I made my fastest lap of the race trying to close the gap. Then Melandri came past with a big move that cost me time. I got back to third and just tried to get a steady rythmn and pull away. The last few laps were amazing - we were all just back and forth - we were just duking it out. I so wanted that podium but it just wasn't to be. It's fruntrating to have such a good overall weekend and go away with a fifth. On the positive side the bike went well, the Michelins hung on well and my boys did a great job."
Alex Barros - Camel Honda - 4th
"I'm quite happy because it was a while since I had a race like this. I enjoyed myself and even thought I would have obviously preferred to have got on the podium, I think I had a nice battle with Marco and Nicky. I got away well and had a good first lap, tagging along with the front group straight away. Towards the sixth lap though, I began to have a problem when braking. I just couldn't brake properly and went too deep on a couple of occasions. So I had to work with the problem, without losing ground. Towards the end I overtook Nicky and then waited until the last lap to try and pass Marco too. I wanted to get him at turn six, but I was too far back, I then tried it a turn nine and didn't manage it. It's a shame, but in the end it was a good race and now we can look forward to the next one at Assen, a track which I really love."
Troy Bayliss - Camel Honda - 8th
"Qualifying didn't go as planned yesterday, but in the free practices I was quick, so I knew that in the race today I could go fast. I had a start though which will rank alongside the worst in my whole career. Incredible, I couldn't believe it, I was something like seventeenth or eighteenth at the end of the first lap. I got my head down though and began to fight back, riding consistently at a good pace. We're improving, but now we need to make another step forward and I'm hoping we can do it when testing here tomorrow."
MotoGP Race Result;
- 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 43'16.487
- 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +1.094
- 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +7.810
- 4. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda +8.204
- 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +8.273
- 6. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +12.051
- 7. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +18.762
- 8. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda +42.631
- 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +46.638
- 10. Ruben Xaus (SPA) Fortuna Yamaha Team +46.692
- 11. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1'00.357
- 12. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1'03.864
Rider Standings;
- 1. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha (ITA) - 145
- 2. Marco Melandri, Honda (ITA) - 87
- 3. Max Biaggi, Honda (ITA) - 77
- 4. Sete Gibernau, Honda (ESP) - 73
- 5. Alex Barros, Honda (BRA) - 65
- 6. Colin Edwards, Yamaha (USA) - 57
- 7. Nicky Hayden, Honda (USA) - 47
- 8. Loris Capirossi, Ducati (ITA) - 43
- 9. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki (JPN) - 40
- 10. Carlos Checa, Ducati (ESP) - 33
- 11. Troy Bayliss, Honda (AUS) - 32
- 12. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki (FRA) - 25
- 13. Ruben Xaus, Yamaha (ESP) - 24
- 14. John Hopkins, Suzuki (USA) - 16
- 15. Makato Tamada, Honda (JPN) - 16
- 16. Toni Elias, Yamaha (ESP) - 15
