MotoGP Barcelona

Valentino Rossi used every ounce of his expertise to edge out title rival Sete Gibernau and win a breathless battle for victory in the Catalan MotoGP in Barcelona. The Yamaha rider, who won his home grand prix in Italy last weekend, snatched the lead from Catalan Gibernau with just under two laps to go. Fellow Italian Marco Melandri, also riding a Yamaha, crossed the line in third while Rossi's team mate Carlos Checa of Spain finished fourth. Gibernau retains the lead in the world championship with 106 points from five races, but Rossi is now just five behind in second.

Rossi, who appeared in confident mood after his masterful win at Mugello last weekend, was fastest off the grid, leading Gibernau and Biaggi into the first corner of the 4.7-km Circuit de Catalunya. But Gibernau, who set a scorching pace in qualifying to post a new lap record and claim his third successive pole position, slipped past on the inside to take the lead on the second lap when Rossi was forced wide into a corner after a wobble.

The leading duo, who had shared out the spoils in all four of the previous rounds of the championship, proceeded to pull away from the rest of the field, leaving Melandri, Biaggi, Makoto Tamada and Checa trailing in their wake. While riding in third place, Alex Barros accelerated too early coming out of a turn and lost control, skidding sideways into the gravel, he was unhurt.

The pace set by the leading pair was far too quick for the rest. Makoto Tamada, who had been in fifth place, could not keep traction and had to retire. Lack of traction also affected U.S. rider Nicky Hayden, who dropped back to ninth, having started third. Troy Bayliss took a savage tumble with three laps to go. His bike skidded off the track and he flew off at high speed. Fortunately, it seems that the likeable Australian, while battered and bruised, hasn't suffered any serious injury.

Rossi took the lead briefly when he slipped past Gibernau on the inside of a corner on lap 14, but the Catalan used the superior power of his Honda to hit the front once more a lap later. But the Italian never let up the pressure and repeated the manoeuvre at the start of the penultimate lap, this time giving Gibernau no chance to regain the lead, to the disappointment of the 102,000-strong crowd that had packed the circuit in the hope of seeing a home victory.

VALENTINO ROSSI - “I’m really really happy to have won, first in Mugello and now here; they’re both very important races for me. We’ve done a lot of fast work this weekend and my team and Michelin have worked so hard to improve the bike; we’ve literally been working every second we’ve had. After warm-up today we made another change to the bike, which paid off. It was a really hard race at the top level, and we went at a very hard pace. Sete and I were more than ten seconds ahead of the others. At one point Sete was able to get away but then he started to spin and slide so I was able to get in front again. To have won three races at this stage of the Championship is fantastic. I’m really happy to see the other M1s up front as well. Today was less dramatic but more tactical than Mugello, but still a great race.”

CARLOS CHECA - “That was a good race as I started from 12th and finished fourth. I passed many riders during the race and for me this is proof that I could do well after what happened in Mugello. I had much more confidence in the front braking today so it was easier to pass people. By the time I caught up with Marco he was pushing hard but I couldn’t keep the same pace anymore because of the tyres. I am so pleased with this result after yesterday’s qualifying and my fall yesterday morning. This afternoon I recovered the feeling and pace. Tomorrow we have a test and I hope we can make some more improvements, especially on the softer tyres for qualifying.”

1. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha, 44’03.255
2. SETE GIBERNAU (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda, +0.159
3. MARCO MELANDRI (ITA) Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3, +13.923
4. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha, +19.213
5. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda, +21.205
6. RUBEN XAUS (SPA) D’Antin MotoGP, +22.847
7. SHINYA NAKANO (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team, +24.014
8. MAX BIAGGI (ITA) Camel Honda, +24.104
9. NORICK ABE (JPN) Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3, +35.676
10. LORIS CAPIROSSI (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team, +40.775

Sete Gibernau (SPA) 106
Valentino Rossi (ITA) 101
Max Biaggi (ITA) 80
Carlos Checa (SPA) 49
Alex Barros (BRA) 48
Colin Edwards (USA) 44
Marco Melandri (ITA) 38
Loris Capirossi (ITA) 34
Norick Abe (JPN) 28
Nicky Hayden (USA) 27