MotoGP 2004 Brno

August 2004 - Motogp

Sete Gibernau took victory in the Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske Republiky to boost his hopes of wrestling the MotoGP World Championship title from Valentino Rossi, who he now trails by seventeen points with six rounds remaining. Gibernau led the majority of the race from a chasing pack made up of Rossi, Max Biaggi, Alex Barros and Nicky Hayden. However, both Barros and Hayden crashed out to leave a three way scrap which Gibernau controlled to perfection.

After allowing Rossi a brief spell at the front at two-thirds distance, Gibernau swiftly moved back in front and gradually increased his pace to an unstoppable crescendo, lapping close to record time and leaving Rossi floundering in second. Biaggi was also powerless to prevent the Spaniard, settling for third place and a welcome return to the podium after taking twelfth in the last round at Donington Park.

“This is a big win for us and I’m pleased for the team because we had a big decision to make and it paid off,” commented Gibernau, who will now stay for two days of testing alongside Rossi and several other MotoGP riders at the Czech circuit.

“Honda had brought a new engine here and some other parts but we didn’t have a good opportunity to set things up because of the weather so we decided to stick with what we had, which we knew was a motorcycle capable of winning this race. I was able to prove that today and I am delighted. Now we can concentrate on testing the new engine and hopefully take another step forward before the next round in Portugal.”

The fight for positions further down the field became more intense after Barros and Hayden’s misfortune, with the extra available points inspiring Makoto Tamada to fourth place after a long battle with Loris Capirossi. Carlos Checa eventually got the better of Colin Edwards to take sixth whilst Norick Abe, Marco Melandri and Kenny Roberts completed the top ten.

High hopes for Troy Bayliss, who started from the second row and finished on the podium here last year, ended two laps from the end when he was forced to retire with mechanical problems which had dogged his Ducati from the start. Meanwhile John Hopkins, who was also confident after setting the fastest time in the weekend’s only dry practice yesterday morning, was forced to retire with an engine problem after working his way from 19th on the grid up to eighth.

"That was an incredible race - entertaining but at the same time very hard. If that's the way it looked from the outside, then just imagine what it was like for us! First of all I want to say thanks to Honda, to Mr Kanazawa, for all the support they have offered us from the start of the season and for the new material we have received here at Brno. Unfortunately we didn't have time to test it because of the weather. We wanted to win this race and it was a tough decision but the whole team thought it was best to go with what we knew despite a big effort from HRC. We were competitive in the wet and the dry and the result was ideal. Michelin also contributed with a good tyre choice despite the fact that there was very little time to decide what was best. I am sure we will get to Estoril even stronger and more motivated."

“We tried! The race was at a top level, the rhythm was very good and it was a great fight. I tried to follow Sete and understand a good point to overtake. With five or six laps to go I made my attack. But we had lost grip with the rear tire and I had lost a little bit too much time. In the earlier part of the race the bike was good under acceleration but not later, and then it also became difficult under braking. When our bike loses rear grip it becomes very difficult to stop. In the end Sete was too strong and had a better rhythm than mine. It was impossible to beat him. Anyway I’m quite happy, we’ve worked well but we need to get our bike to 100% for the whole race next time. Now we have two days of testing where we will look at solving that.”

“First of all I have to thank my team and Honda because despite the problems we had during the weekend, in the short time between the end of the warm-up and the race they managed to get in shape to fight for the podium. I think I put the rest in, firstly with a good start, probably my best of the year, and then fighting tooth and nail for the top spots. We weren’t right in the braking areas, and now we have two test days where I want to get the bike ready to take on Estoril.”

“It was a shame about the grid position, my whole race depended on the start to see if I could get amongst the top guys. I would have preferred a fourth place where I fought with the top riders. Anyway, the race served to get some important information for our development, and to improve our chances, especially because after Estoril comes Japan, my home race and I want everything right so I can return to winning ways there!”

"I'd be a liar if I said I was happy with the result," said the Ducati Marlboro Team man. "It was a difficult race and I gave 100 per cent and more. The bike has definitely improved but it still lacks some stability, so it was quite difficult to ride. Certainly we weren't helped by the weather because we needed more time in the dry to come up with better settings. We need to work on stability and also on improving the bike's maneuverability in the direction changes, so our tests over the next two days will be vital in continuing improvements."

“The conditions were the same for me as everyone else but we had some limitations because of the lack of set-up time. I started quite well in the big group at the front, and the lap time was good but then the rear grip dropped down and I got involved with Edwards. His bike was a little bit faster than mine so that made it difficult to pass him on the brakes, as I was not close to him on the corner entry. One time I tried and ran a little bit out but I was able to pass him eventually, as he had a problem that slowed him down. We need to keep working but I was pleased that the lap time was good at the beginning.”

"We put a soft tyre on in the warm-up which we ruled out for the race because it was spent after six laps. We went for a harder tyre - the same as the other Honda and Michelin riders - but it didn't work well with my chassis. I started to get some chattering problems after a few laps and it prevented me from pushing forward. To really get over the chattering problem I need the new chassis from Honda - I am the only Honda rider on Michelin tires using the same chassis as at the start of the season."

“I made a mess of the start and the first two laps were really hard. Then by mid-race I could feel I was losing a bit of rear grip because of the higher temperatures this afternoon. Then it felt a bit better at the end of the race and I could pass Marco, so I’m happy about that. Tire choice was always going to be tricky because we only got one dry session, and I had to concentrate so hard all race to keep the slides under control.”

“I’m very disappointed. In the only dry session we had I could only manage a few laps and even though we tried to makes some progress this morning the bike was never really right. I nearly fell on lap one and through the whole race I could never get on the gas early enough and I even had to be really gentle on the throttle on the straights. I thought I could go much better than this. The hand wasn’t a big problem, but the lack of set-up time was.”

"The start was not so great. Everybody was kinda packed up and I just tried to stay out of trouble. I'd thought we'd be able to get by a few people earlier than I did, but it didn't work out. Three or four laps into it John came by. I got back by him then he came by again and though I was stronger in a couple of places, I didn't know what his rhythm! was like, so I just tried to stay behind him. I can't compare myself to other bikes because the engines are completely different, but compared with John, he had a little bit different set-up that I want to try in testing tomorrow and he had superior grip to me at the rear. He could run a lot more lean-angle, corner speed and accelerate harder. Hopefully we can mess around with settings tomorrow and see if it offers us anything for tracks like this where you need a lot of corner speed and grip. At the end I was with Abe and Melandri and I tried to stay close to them in case one of them made a mistake, but I was riding as hard as I could just to be there."

"I made a good start, but in the early part of the race I couldn't push hard; I didn't feel comfortable with the set-up and I think we probably made a wrong rear tire choice. The problem was lack of dry practice time, and I also suffered with front end chatter. Over the last five laps I pushed to stay in front of Alex, but even though I finished in the points after starting at the back of the field, I don't enjoy racing so far from the front. The test here over the next two days is now very important to me and to Kawasaki."

"It was a really enjoyable race, especially towards the end with Shinya and Jeremy McWilliams. I thought I had a chance to pass Shinya coming to the final corner on the last lap, but the yellow flags were out because of a crash. After the start it was difficult to pass in the early laps, but once the race settled down I found a good rhythm and got to the front of the group with McWilliams, Shinya and Xaus. After that it was a hard race right to the finish. It was a frustrating two days of qualifying in wet conditions, so getting some points is a bonus, but I hope we can make a step forward at the tests over the next two days."

I was really pleased to get that championship point. Everything worked perfectly today – the bike and the tires, and I really appreciate the efforts of all the engineers. We need to take one step higher again, and again, because the others are also improving all the time. All race long I had Andrew right behind me. I knew he was there, and that kept me pushing not to let him get past me. I just kept going at 100 percent effort all the way … and I made it.

"After the dry practices and again this morning I knew we could run the lap times of the front runners, but unfortunately I was starting from 21st position. I had to get a good start and get by as many as possible in the first lap. I ate, drank and slept that first lap from yesterday afternoon until the end of lap one, contemplating any situation that might arise. I didn't get a great launch, but I passed quite a few on the outside into Turn One, then some more under brakes and on the outside into Turn Three. I picked up about seven places right there. After that I was on a mission and I had to keep passing people as quickly as possible. Out of every corner I had my sights set on the leaders. I had a tight battle with Checa then I got held up a bit by Colin Edwards. But when I got behind him, that's when the bike started losing horsepower. I tried to carry on in case it was a little glitch, but then the engine stopped on the back straight. I had my sights set on the podium, and fourth would definitely have been achievable. I'm disappointed, but from now on we'll go to every race knowing we can run at the front."

“This morning was really good. It was nice to be fastest. We decided to use a slightly harder tyre in the race as I wanted to be there at the end fighting. In the race everything felt okay. I could run at the pace of the leaders but I didn’t really have anything on them. There were a few places on the track I was loosing on them but generally I was having a quiet race just learning. Towards the end I could see the guys in front moving around and I thought with my conserved tires I could be in with a chance. I just made a little mistake in turn 1. Max got in really hot under Valentino and I got kinda’ sucked in. I saw what was going on out of the corner of my eye and just lost concentration for a fraction of a second. One moment the door was opening the next I was on the floor. I just wanted to keep pushing and not cruise around in fourth; that would have been no good. It’s not cool to crash out with only a few laps left but it’s all definitely part of learning.”

“For the first time this weekend the front tyre felt a little bit on the limit in the warm up this morning. In the race I made some small mistake in the early stages and Valentino and Max get past me. I then have to really concentrate and get my position back again. The machine did not feel as good as in the qualifying days; the front was not giving me so much confidence. When I took back second position I open the throttle, not using any break and the front just goes. We need to look at the telemetry. It was a very small crash, very little damage but it was impossible to get going again. We test here for the next few days and we need to find and answer to the front grip problems before we get to Portugal.”

"I knew it was going to be tough," said Bayliss. "The bike didn't feel right in the dry, from the middle of the corner to the exit. It's strange really because the bike worked great out of the box at Donington, but I couldn't ride it here. Then I hit something with a couple of laps to go and down I went, then Ellison crashed at exactly the same spot a few moments later."

"Today it was important not to make any mistakes and to get some points back in the championship. It wasn't easy to leave the new material in the box but Sete preferred to concentrate on the race and use the bike he already knew so this is a great result for him and the team. It was fundamental to get back on the top step of the podium. Tomorrow we'll concentrate on the tests we have organized alongside Honda, who are keen to prepare as well as possible for what promises to be a very tough end to the season."

“All in all a good result. I think that we had a good race and a good fight to the very end for the win with Valentino. We are still leading the championship and so we are still going forward. We are testing after this race for two days, starting tomorrow, with a new fairing and some electronics. For Carlos his result is not so bad, considering that both riders had a very short time in the dry to set up the bikes. Normally this year we have needed as much time as possible because Valentino has not so much experience on this bike.”

“It was a great day for our team with Max on the podium and Makoto fourth. I can’t say I’m 100% satisfied though, because we lost points in the overall standings to our main rivals. Nevertheless that is recoverable if we remember that there are still six races left this year. Now we will focus on the two test days here tomorrow and Tuesday in Brno, to refine the bike’s set-up and because we can hope for better days than these in terms of the weather.”

“I really happy with the work Makoto and the team have done, They found a good balance on the bike even though there were many more things to try to get it better. It was also a fortunate race, which Makoto ended with a positive result, and all from his sixth row start with a time set in the wet, conditions in which we are still not competitive. Nevertheless we fought back, Makoto gave everything, and took this great result.”

"It is satisfying to score points after starting from the back of the grid, but it was hard work for both Shinya and Alex. At the moment we don't have enough top end power, and that makes it difficult to pass on the straights, with the result that both riders lose time in the early stages of the race. If we had started closer to the front I'm sure we could have challenged the group for a top ten place. It was a tough weekend, but the test over the next two days, with new chassis, suspension and engine components, will hopefully provide some solutions for the coming races."

"John had an amazing first lap, making up ten places. He was riding right on the limit, as he had to. He carried on picking up places and pushing hard until a mechanical problem robbed him of what would have been a good result. I'm sure that, the way he was riding and the way the tires were working, he could have been in the top five. Kenny wasn't able to get the same level of grip as John, which we will be investigating, but as always he made the best of what he had."

“That was a tough race and it must have been very difficult for Marco. He struggled towards the end and his lap times came down. Norick is improving all the time and it’s great to have two bikes in the points. It’s not a fantastic result, but after the Sachsenring and Donington we have to be happy with this.”

Nobu got a good result, very well deserved. He was consistent all race long and did his best. He earned that point. Kurtis’s injury aside, it was a great weekend for the team, they did a good job. The engines were consistent all weekend. We have modifications coming for Portugal with more performance, so our aim is to keep on improving.

MOTOGP RACE - FINAL TIMES:
1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 44'03.480;
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +3.514;
3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda Team +4.330;
4. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda Team +16.257;
5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +17.930;
6. Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +21.181;
7. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +22.471;
8. Norick Abe (JPN) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +31.079;
9. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +31.158;
10. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki Grand Prix Team +31.625;

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 10 OF 16 ROUNDS:
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 184;
2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 167;
3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda Team 158;
4. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 104;
5. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda 86;
6. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 83;
7. Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 82;
8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 75;
9. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda Team 69;
10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 64