Moto GP Round 7 - Catalunya
Rossi acknowledged the quality of his opposition after the race "What a race! . . .It's a great emotion to be part of a race like that and fantastic fun!", Rossi said. ". . with Stoner, it was a great fight and honestly, I couldn't have tried harder to win, but he was a very hard rival. . .today he rode like a god and he's a fantastic rival".
Starting from pole, Rossi had fallen back to fourth by the end of lap one, He was then forced to push hard to overhaul John Hopkins (Rizla Suzuki). Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was the next obstacle, and Rossi overcame him on lap eleven to start his pursuit of Stoner. The rest of the race was an enthralling arm wrestle between the Yamaha and Ducati riders. Stoner lead the way initially, then, from lap 18 to 22, the pair swapped the front spot every lap. Stoner was able to finally keep Rossi behind him for the final three laps, but only just. A last lap lunge from Rossi wasn't enough and Stoner secured the win by a bike length.
Hopkins had good pace early, but couldn't stay with the leading trio as the race unfolded. However, his fourth place finish shows the continuing improvement of the Suzuki GSV-R. Equally impressive was Randy de Puniet's (Kawasaki) fifth place finish while still carrying a knee injury from Mugello. Team mate, Olivier Jacque, crashed in Saturday practice - yet another spill in an injury plagued season. After some good signs in the previous round, Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) struggled at Catalunya, running at the tail end of the top ten throughout the race. However, he did pass Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda)and also made a last lap pass on Loris Capirossi (Marlboro Ducati), but he couldn't make the second pass stick, Capirossi repassed the Aussie to take sixth place.
MotoGP - Rd. 7
1. C. Stoner Ducati 43'16.907
2. V. Rossi Yamaha + 0.069
3. D. Pedrosa Honda + 0.390
4. J. Hopkins Suzuki + 7.814
5. R. de Puniet Kawasaki + 17.853
6. L. Capirossi Ducati + 19.409
7. C. Vermeulen Suzuki + 19.495
8. A. Barros Ducati + 24.862
9. M. Melandri Honda + 24.936
10. C. Edwards Yamaha + 35.348
Championship Points - after 7 rounds.
1. Stoner - 140, 2. Rossi - 126, 3. Pedrosa - 98, 4. Melandri - 75, 5. Vermeulen - 72 6. Hopkins - 72, 7. Capirossi - 57, 8. Barros - 51, 9. Elias - 45, 10. Edwards - 45.
250cc
Jorge Lorenzo decided the best way to avoid the problems he experienced at Mugello was to lead from the front. So that's exactly what the Spaniard did, securing pole, then dominating from flag to flag to secure his fifth win of the year. Both Andrea Dovizioso and Alex de Angelis tried to mount a challenge on Lorenzo, but neither could get within striking distance, as Lorenzo held or stretched his lead every lap. The win extends Lorenzo's championship lead to 36 points over Dovizioso. Anthony West's last ride with the Sicilia Aprilia team ended badly after Alexis Espargaro crashed into him on the final lap.
125cc
KTM starred in the 125cc race, with Tomoyoshi Koyama securing the win from Aprilia's Gabor Talmacsi. Koyama's team mate, Randy Krummenacher completed the podium. The race was a seven bike dogfight for most of its 22 laps, the lead changing continuously. At the flag, only half a second covered the top four finishers. Lukas Pesek crashed in the closing laps. Although he did remount, the result handed the championship lead to Talmacsi.
PI MotoGP Park Safe
If you're planning on riding down for this October's Australian MotoGP round at Phillip Island, you'll be interested in the offer of free secure motorcycle parking (normally $33) if you book your tickets before July 15. The early bird offer also includes helmet storage and priority entry and exit from the circuit.
Go to www.motogp.com.au or call Ticketek 131 931 to take advantage of this offer.
