Ducati

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss had a luckless day at scorching-hot Catalunya today, Capirossi coming home in tenth after an off-track excursion in the first lap, Bayliss tumbling out of a frantic battle for fifth position.

The results may not bear it out but the team believes that today's race was one of its most promising outings of the season so far. Both Capirossi and Bayliss were very competitive on race tyres here, thanks to ongoing development work by the team, Ducati Corse and their technical partners Michelin and Shell Advance.

"I'm disappointed because today's results could have been so much better," said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. "Loris was unlucky to get pushed off the track on the first lap. Troy was also unlucky - he was running very strong when he fell. These things happen in racing but despite one DNF and one tenth place I still feel that this could have been one of our best races this year because rhythm was good enough to have put both our riders to the top five or six. Following our recent tests we now have a much better base set-up, so we can focus on making only small adjustments, which helps the riders get familiar with the bike and therefore more confident."

The Ducati Marlboro Team stays at Catalunya tomorrow to test the latest version of its twin-pulse engine with both riders.

Loris Capirossi had a tough Sunday at Catalunya. During morning warm-up the Ducati Marlboro Team man ran off the track at turn one and fell from his Desmosedici. Then he was an innocent victim of a collision on the first lap of the race, running off the track at turn four and rejoining in last position.

"The first-lap incident made my race very difficult," said Capirossi. "Someone touched me at turn four, pushing me off the track. I got going again but I was last, so I just pushed as hard as I could, lapping faster and faster. But tenth was the best I could do. Without that first lap the race would've been much better for me."

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss was enjoying a storming race on his Desmosedici when he crashed out with just 4 of the 25 laps to go. The Australian was in the thick of a hectic five-man skirmish for fifth place when he fell heavily at turn four. Bayliss has been checked over by the Clinica Mobile staff, and although the X-Rays show he has no broken bones he is badly battered and bruised. Nonetheless he plans to test the "Twin-Pulse" engine tomorrow.

"There was a bit of a battle going on," said Bayliss after a being checked over at the Clinica Mobile. "I ended up touching the back end of Xaus' bike and down I went. It had been a tough race from the start because I'd been getting chatter from the first lap, but that could've been a good result for us."

Kawasaki

Shinya Nakano bounced back from his huge crash at Mugello with a vengeance this afternoon. The Fuchs Kawasaki rider brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in seventh place at the Circuit de Catalunya; the best result for Kawasaki since the factory returned to Grand Prix racing at the end of the 2002 season.

Nakano's Fuchs Kawasaki teammate, Alex Hofmann, also had something to celebrate, as he finished an impressive eleventh; his best result of the season so far.

The race was a triumph for Nakano, the team and Kawasaki’s tyre partner, Bridgestone, just one week after the setback of Nakano's terrifying crash in the Italian GP. But, the Mugello nightmare was a faded memory today, as Nakano rode a superb race on a modified rear tyre that had been constructed and delivered by Bridgestone in just three days.

Before a near capacity crowd of 102,000 both Fuchs Kawasaki riders comfortably completed the 25 lap race distance aboard their Ninja ZX-RR machines with no tyre problems at all.

Nakano was ecstatic with what he described as "a back from the dead" performance, which was highlighted by his brilliant last corner passing move on Max Biaggi's factory Honda to secure seventh.

Hofmann missed a top tenth finish by just one tenth of second when he just failed to retake Loris Capirossi's factory Ducati on the final lap, after a close battle over the closing five laps. Early in the race Hofmann lost some ground in a tight battle for track position in a packed field, dropping to 17th on the opening lap, but once the race settled he made consistent forward progress.

Nakano settled in 13th place early on, beginning his forward charge on lap seven and never looking back.

For two days of practice and qualifying both riders worked together with Kawasaki and Bridgestone engineers to compensate for the limited tyre choice for this race, and their hard work and dedication certainly paid dividends this afternoon. Hofmann and Nakano were the only two Bridgestone riders to finish today's race in the points.

Shinya Nakano: 7th - "Last week I crashed at Mugello and thought I was dead, and then today I score my best result of the season. That's racing, and that's why I enjoy it so much. Towards the end of the race I could see Max Biaggi was spinning up the rear quite a lot, so I knew there was an opportunity to pass him into the last turn if I changed my line slightly. There were a lot of discussions about tyres in the paddock before today's race, but I was never in any doubt that the rear that Bridgestone gave us today would last full race distance. Both Bridgestone and my crew did an amazing job this weekend, giving me a really good race set-up so that I was able to control the slides and stay with the factory Honda guys. In some corners I had something of an advantage, but then lost out again on the straights. I have to say, my team and the guys at Bridgestone deserve a big thank you for today's result."

Alex Hofmann: 11th - "Once again there was a problem getting the bike off the line and I dropped back quite a few places off the start. Then I was involved in a seven way battle and I got held up for too long by Neil Hodgson; I could pass him into the turns, only for him to retake the position on the straights. Towards the end I had a great battle with Loris. He would overtake on the straights and I'd pass him in the corners, but on the final lap he defended his line really well and I couldn't quite manage to squeeze past him for tenth. Bridgestone did a fantastic job for us today. Like Shinya, I never had any doubt that the tyre would be good for race distance."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager - "After what happened at Mugello, I am full of respect for Bridgestone and the job they did to make such a very competitive tyre in just three days. Our team never had any doubt that the race tyre was technically safe for race distance, and our riders and engineers worked perfectly to find a set-up that would deliver maximum performance. We did not get involved in trying to predict anything before the race, preferring instead to let the final result tell the story. Today Shinya was brilliant as he showed that nothing can slow him down. It was also a strong race by Alex, and in company with Bridgestone, we have a lot of confidence for the coming races."

Suzuki

Team Suzuki MotoGP riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins had a frustrating finish to an otherwise very promising weekend at the Catalunyan GP, with Hopkins retiring from a position in the points, and Roberts 17th after pitting for safety reasons to change his rear tyre.

In fact, the 2000 World Champion’s concerns were groundless and his tyre still good, and he lost 11th place as a result of his caution. Roberts rejoined the race with a new tyre, and made up for his problems with a thrilling final six laps, running one lap down but with the leaders Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau, matching their end-of-race pace. Roberts was racing a modified version of the Suzuki GSV-R V4 engine, and his speed proved that the factory development programme is bearing fruit, and the team on target for the ultimate goal of regaining race and championship-winning positions.

Hopkins was riding in pain from a left thumb fracture that caused him to miss the last race, but put it out of his mind after his best starting position of the year, in eighth position. He was lying 12th, one place behind Roberts, when he was forced to stop by a mechanical problem.

Factory tester Gregorio Lavilla, testing new suspension parts in a wild card ride, also retired after his engine stopped.

In common with the other teams using Bridgestone tyres, the Suzuki team was concerned about the rear rubber. A rear Bridgestone failed dramatically at the Italian GP a week ago, and the Japanese tyre company built completely new reinforced tyres in the intervening days. Even so, there were naturally concerns for the race, run in blazing heat. This was the reason for Roberts’s caution, but in the event, none of the Suzuki riders had any tyre problems.

The race was run in front of 102,000 fans crowding the 4.727km track near Barcelona. It was won by defending champion Valentino Rossi, with points leader Sete Gibernau second. The next round is the Dutch TT at Assen in two weeks.

KENNY ROBERTS Jr. – 17th Position - "I got an okay start in the top ten, but I was having to use a lot of corner speed to stay with my group. When our tyres started to go down, then I had to rely on acceleration, and that’s one of our weak points at the moment. We have to come up with some better power and acceleration, and I know Bridgestone will have a better tyre. I pulled in because I had a feeling that something was wrong, and it made me a little nervous. In the position I was in, I felt it’d be better to come in and check. I think I must have hit something in the track, because everything looked good. They threw in another tyre, as you would do in that situation, and I went out again. I had the best seat in the house, I was starting for enough away not to influence the outcome of the race in any way, and for me it was a nice few laps behind Sete and Valentino. I know once we get our bike working as good as theirs later in the year, I will be able to influence the outcome. It wasn’t a great day for us, but also it wasn’t one of our worst."

JOHN HOPKINS – Did Not Finish - "My adrenalin is still up, but I’m sure the pain from my thumb will kick in sometime soon. That wasn’t why I stopped, though. I got a great start, and I was confident and aggressive, as I would have been in my last race at Le Mans if I hadn’t been knocked down. I lost a few places because I had to settle the pace and not push from the beginning. We were concerned about losing tyre grip. I was almost settled in my mind that I would pull in, but after eight or nine laps the grip was low, but it was consistent, so I knew I could stay out. I lost a little ground, and I was behind Kenny Junior. I decided to try and stay consistent then go for it at the end. Then on the front straight I had a mechanical failure. It seems that if it’s not one thing, it’s another. But our situation with the bike is good, and we have a good set-up. Now I have to hope for better luck at Assen."

KEVIN SCHWANTZ – 1993 World Champion - "I was here a year ago, and things have changed a lot for Suzuki since then. Judging by the morale of the team, there are a lot of positive things, though the results are not yet what they should be, and they would be a lot better if they weren’t having a tyre struggle. I can see light at the end of the tunnel. A year ago, the tunnel was going round corners and up and down hills, and it was pitch dark."

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager - "It was cool watching Kenny stay with the leaders. I’m not so naïve as not to know why that was. But Kenny reminded everyone today what he could do, on a level playing field. John got a good star and was riding well in spite of the pain until he had a mechanical problem. Everybody knows we were monitoring the tyre situation very carefully, but none of our riders had tyre problems in the race. Gregorio also suffered a minor technical problem, though he helped us learn a lot today. I’m very grateful to him and to Kenny and John. It’s been a very tense and difficult weekend for us, and they all persevered in a highly professional manner."

Yamaha

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider and reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi won his second consecutive Grand Prix in Catalunya today, his third so far – leading a charge of three Yamahas into the top four places. Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 pilot Marco Melandri landed the first podium of his MotoGP career after a brilliant ride, finishing third behind Honda rider Sete Gibernau, while Rossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa rode a fantastic home race to finish fourth after starting 12th on the grid.

Starting from second on the grid, Rossi took a close lead from Gibernau for two laps before running wide and surrendering his place to the Spaniard. He then stuck close to Gibernau’s heels as the two quickly opened up a distance from the chasing pack. Rossi and Gibernau swapped the lead twice more; before Rossi passed his rival once again two laps from the end, hanging on to win by less than two tenths of a second ahead of Gibernau. His back-to-back victories are the first for Yamaha in the premier class since Garry McCoy scored two in a row in 2000.

Melandri stormed to a fine third place after working his way up through the field. The Italian charger showed what a fighter he is, defying the ‘arm pump’ trouble that had plagued him at Mugello, to finish a gruelling race looking as strong as his former 250 days.

Checa meanwhile moved up through the field with a series of bold passes, finding himself in fifth by lap 12 and fourth a few laps later. Rossi (101 points) now sits five points behind Championship leader Gibernau (106pts) in the standings, whilst Checa (49pts) moves up to fourth behind Max Biaggi (Honda, 80pts).

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha), first “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 (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha), fourth - “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.”

Davide Brivio, Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha team director - ”What a race! It’s been a very good day; unbelievable. We’ve had two victories at two circuits which we expected to find very difficult. Yamaha and the team have worked so well and we’ve got a fantastic rider. Valentino rode a perfect race. This is a good day for Yamaha; Carlos had a brilliant race too; it was very difficult for him starting from the fourth row but he didn’t stop fighting for the whole race and finished fourth. It’s good to see Marco doing well and Yamaha filling three out of the four top places. We are now really looking to enjoy the rest of the season! Thanks to everyone involved, today all their hard work and effort has paid off, again.”

Jeremy burgess, Valentino Rossi’s crew chief - “We made some changes this morning and maybe they worked! This is a terrific result. We’ve now won consecutively at Mugello and Catalunya, which are fast circuits where the opposition has the advantage on speed, so we are really pleased with the results.”

Marco Melandri (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3), third - “This is a great day. I’ve waited a year and a half for this. And after I thought I’d get a podium at Jerez this year, this is a very good feeling. Thanks to the team, to Yamaha, to Michelin – we’ve done it here! After five laps everything felt okay and I didn’t push too hard once I saw I had the advantage over Biaggi. I just raced smart, stayed focussed and that’s why I’m on the podium.”

Norick Abe (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3), ninth - “I couldn’t get past Hodgson in the early stages and he really slowed me up, but I got past him on about lap six. But by mid-race grip was becoming a problem and I’ve never had so many slides ever before. My lap times went down and then finally I had so little feeling that I knew it was better to finish than risk crashing.”

Hervé Poncharal, Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 team director - “This is such a great day for the team and it’s been so long coming. We all thought we’d got there at Jerez and then we lost out. When we threw that away I really thought we might struggle to get another podium this season. But Marco qualified well and we were really confident about him. Biaggi couldn’t catch him here early in the race, nor could Checa later on – a great result.”

Wayne Rainey - “The race went pretty much as I expected, it was really only between those two. Once the tyres went of the bikes seemed to move around quite a lot, but that’s probably to do with the extra weight and the pace they were going. There were a few more mistakes from the guys than I expected, but they were clearly pushing the limit. Rossi seemed to be digging in deeper, and at the end of the race when the tyres went off the Yamaha seemed to be dealing with the situation better – very different story from last year. But in the end its simple… the Yamaha won.”

Dorna

Valentino Rossi followed up the ecstasy of home glory at Mugello last week with a second consecutive victory in the backyard of MotoGP World Championship leader Sete Gibernau after an intense 25-lap battle with the Spanish rider at the Gran Premi Gauloises de Catalunya. Gibernau, born and raised just down the road in Barcelona, did all he could in front of a record crowd of 102,301 but was powerless to prevent a late charge from the Italian, who made his final pass of an enthralling duel with two laps to go and squeezed out a slight advantage to take the flag by just 0.159 seconds.

"To win at Mugello and Catalunya is like a dream because we knew they would be two difficult tracks for us with the long straights and the extra top speed of the Honda," commented Rossi. "Yamaha have done a great job and our bike is really good in the turns, which meant I could go with Sete today. The race probably wasn't as much fun as Mugello, it was definitely more intense, but the points are just as important."

Marco Melandri clinched his first MotoGP podium in a lonely third place after shaking off the attentions of Max Biaggi in the first half of the race and maintaining a comfortable advantage over Carlos Checa, who came through strongly in the second half of the race to make it three Yamahas in the top four. Biaggi gradually lost positions as he suffered tyre problems in the second half of the race and dropped a place on each of the final three laps to cross the line in a disappointing eighth. Biaggi now lies 21 points adrift of Rossi in third place in the championship, with the World Champion closing in to just five points from Gibernau at the top.

Honda rider Colin Edwards was the first to pass Biaggi, continuing his steady adaptation to life in MotoGP with fifth place, whilst his former WSBK sparring partner Ruben Xaus clinched the best result of his rookie season so far on the Ducati with an impressive sixth place in front of his home crowd. Meanwhile, Shinya Nakano rode bravely to take Kawasaki's best ever MotoGP finish in seventh place, just seven days after a frightening 200mph crash at Mugello.

There was an equally intense head-to-head in the 250cc race and, unfortunately for the home crowd, fortune also swayed away from their local favourite. 125cc World Champion Dani Pedrosa took an enthralling challenge to series leader Randy De Puniet which went down to a tense last lap, the Frenchman winning out with an aggressive late braking manoeuvre just four corners from the end to take victory by just 0.109 seconds.

Toni Elias, who like Pedrosa was born just a few kilometres from the Montmeló circuit, rode to a lonely third to clinch the final podium spot after his team-mate Roby Rolfo had been knocked out of the battle for front positions by Manuel Poggiali on the fifteenth lap. Neither Rolfo nor Poggiali were able to return to the race, leaving Sebas Porto and Fonsi Nieto to complete the top five ahead of Japanese rookie Hiroshi Aoyama.

There was a dose of local joy in the 125cc race, Valencian youngster Hector Barberá taking his first victory of the season after a sensational fight-back from 23rd place. Barberá recovered from a mechanical problem on the second lap to beat series leader Dovizioso for the win, with fellow Spaniard Pablo Nieto, who himself came through from a dreadful start which saw him finish the first lap in 17th, completing the podium.

HRC

Epic premier class races are becoming regular events now and this race was no exception. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) got the verdict over Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) by a mere 0.159 seconds at the line after 25 gruelling laps of the 4.727km track in front of 102,000 roaring Spanish race fans. Marco Melandri (Yamaha) was third.

This was always likely to be a race which determined whether Rossi’s title challenge had real substance. Gibernau was racing at home and with two wins apiece going into the fifth race both riders were aware of the importance of levering an early season advantage.

Gibernau looked strong in qualifying and his times were not bettered over two days of wrestling for grid advantage. But the Spanish idol knew that grip was a major issue here and so it proved as Rossi seemed to get better drive in the closing stages of the race – when it really counted.

The race began at a frantic pace with Sete setting a fastest lap on lap two at 1m 44.641s. Rossi had nudged past him into turn one on the opening lap after Gibernau appeared to have the advantage, but Sete capitalised on a Rossi wobble into the La Caixa turn on lap two and took the lead.

By lap five Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) had crashed out and Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) was experiencing severe grip problems, eventually finishing eighth. Melandri was holding station in third and Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres was as high as fifth before he dropped back on lap 12 and then pitted.

Gibernau and Rossi were in a class of their own and had stretched their advantage over Melandri to five seconds by mid-race distance. And at turn four Rossi swooped to lead Gibernau as both riders’ tyres started to feel the strain of a hot pace – the total race time was a full 18 seconds faster than last year.

Gibernau was looking slightly more ragged than Rossi in the closing stages and by lap 20 Rossi had a 0.6 second lead over Sete. But Gibernau was not done and on the next lap he was right on Rossi’s tail and on lap 22 he passed the reigning World Champion on the straight. But Rossi out-braked him into turn one on the penultimate lap and held on for the win.

“I said that tyre wear would be the big factor,” said Sete. “And we knew that the Yamaha had better traction so I used a slightly harder tyre. Yamaha has done a good job here – no other Hondas were close to me. There’s only one winner here and that’s Vale so congratulations to him.”

Colin Edwards (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) was fifth after a bad start had dropped him to 15th from 11th on the grid. “I was actually doing well at the start until I hit fourth gear and then nothing happened. But then the bike got going again and I started to pass people. I got stuck behind Bayliss and his bike is so fast that he always stayed ahead on the straights. But I got a good pace going again at the end.”

Max was philosophical about his eighth place. “We’d used the type of tyre I chose before and had no problems with it, but something was not right today. The bike became unrideable and the data confirmed that. Sometimes you have bad days like this and you just have to forget about it and keep working hard. And that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Barros felt bad about his result. “The team did a great job and I let them down,” he said. “In the race I knew I had to push and I had no warning when the tyre just let go. Trying to look on the positive side I can see we are more competitive both here and at Mugello than we were earlier in the season.”

Tamada too is staying positive. “I had some bad vibration,” said the tough Japanese. “I couldn’t ride properly eventually and knew I had to come back to the garage. But we’re staying here to test some new rubber and I’ll be back at Assen fighting at the front again.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is looking forward too after attaining his second front row start of the season but retiring from the race. “The race was a disaster,” he said. “During the race the bike seemed to lose power and I must have lost water because when the bike eventually stopped we discovered the radiator had been holed. Onto the next race!”

The World Championship points table lead is still Gibernau’s territory. He has 106 points to Rossi’s 101. Max is right up there with 80 and now Carlos Checa, who finished fourth, has grabbed fourth place in the title race with 49, one ahead of Barros on 48.

The chance of a 250 home win went down to a pulsating last lap duel between homeboy Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW), the darling of Spanish crowd, and French interloper Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) with de Puniet getting the verdict by 0.108 seconds. Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) was a distant third, 9.5 seconds behind the demon duo.

The race pattern was set by the end of the first lap with the eventual rostrum finishers rampaging away from Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW), Fonsi Nieto, Sebastian Porto and reigning World Champion Manuel Poggiaili (all Aprilia). And by the end of the fourth lap the front runners had pulled out a five second gap over Rolfo.

Rolfo’s race was to end on lap 15 when Poggiali took out himself and the Italian Honda man with what appeared to be an ill-judged move. Rolfo was generous enough to put a consoling arm around the current Champion when other riders might have opted for a gravel trap confrontation.

After those two went out of the race, the fight at the front began to get serious. Pedrosa and de Puniet were riding so close, and so cleanly, that the two bikes were often only distinguishable by their colour schemes. They swapped the lead from lap to lap until the final tour of the 4.727km track.

Then it was a nail-biting final lap. They swapped the lead four times and just when it looked like there was no way back for either rider, the pair contrived to find a way through until World Championship points leader de Puniet kept Pedrosa at bay on the penultimate turn.

“I have to be happy with second,” said Pedrosa. “The race was really hard on tyres, especially the rear and we both rode at an absolute maximum. De Puniet was too good on the brakes in the final turns and I did all I could. That was a great race for the fans.”

Elias is getting back to form and said, “That was a good result from a difficult weekend. I tried to stay with Pedrosa and de Puniet and I had to ride at 120% to do that. I couldn’t, but third is okay and race by race I’ll get closer. The next race I should be able to stay with them.”

De Puniet now heads the points standings with 98 to Pedrosa’s 90 with Sebastian Porto, who finished fourth, now getting into the reckoning with 63.

If anyone was looking for early entertainment today, the 125cc class was where it was to be found with a six rider group fighting for every inch of track on the final lap. The winner was Spanish flyer Hector Barbera (Aprilia) who was down in 23rd place on lap two having badly fluffed his start from second on the grid. Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) was second and Pablo Nieto (Aprilia) third.

Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia), who eventually finished fifth, made much of the early running and was never out of the tightly packed leading group – a group that was covered by only 0.7 seconds at the flag. The 1km long straight was where much of the action took place – and it was just as frantic as last week’s epic at Mugello.

Barbera’s third win of his career was without doubt his hardest fought victory. Dovizioso shadowed him for the final half of the last lap and looked in prime position to draft past him on the long sprint to the line. But Barbera had enough speed to deny the Honda man what would have been his third win of what is turning out to be a gripping season.

“That was so hard,” said Dovizioso. “I was second by just 16 1000ths of a second but at least the last lap turned out better than last week for me. The tyres were right on the limit in the final few laps and when I got overtaken by a few of the group two laps from the end I really had to work to get back to the front.”

Julian Simon (Angaia Racing Honda RS125R), who qualified 11th, finished 14th and said, “My start wasn’t so bad,” he said. “But Barbera caused me problems when he ran into Corsi and knocked him into my path. I couldn’t get into a good race rhythm after that. But I passed four riders in the closing stages.”

The World Championship points after fifth round shows Dovizioso out front with 96 points, Barbera now in second overall with 73 and Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia), who crashed out of the race on lap 18 of the 22-lap contest while riding in the leading group, holding third with 73 points.

HONDA TEAM QUOTES:
MotoGP:
Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 2nd : “I tried to play my cards well again today and we did the best we could with what we had. We knew we couldn’t use the same tyre as Yamaha and used a softer compound to try and have the same traction that they would have with the harder one. Obviously that meant that at the halfway stage their tyres would improve whilst mine deteriorated. I don’t want to give any excuses, I never have done, and I have to congratulate Valentino although I knew this could happen even though I gave 120%. I hope to keep going on the same path, have a chat with Honda about how we can improve the situation and do everything I can to make them understand that we have to face up to Valentino and Yamaha, who are improving a lot. I don’t feel as though I lost today – as far as I am concerned we have won because I am getting 100% out of what I have at every race”.

Colin Edwards , Telefonica MoviStar Honda : 5th : “I made a good start but I couldn’t stop them from coming past me and ended up fifteenth after the first lap. I kept my clam and started to pass riders but I lost a lot of time trying to get past Troy Bayliss. When he crashed I just concentrated on getting my rhythm together and in the end I was able to finish fifth. Now we go to Assen – a circuit I know well after winning there several times in Superbikes – and I’m hoping to take a big step forward”.

Fausto Gresini: (Team Manager) : “Another exciting race in which Sete has given everything to try and win. It’s a good second place for him because he still leads the championship, even though the advantage over Valentino has been reduced a little. Sete was once again the first Honda rider and I am very happy because the only two Hondas in the top five were from our team”.

Max Biaggi, Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres),8th: “I’m very disappointed, after the practices I was ready to get a top result. In the warm-up I went out with a used tyre to prepare the second part of the race. I got a good start which took me into the top group. Then I began to get a problem in the rear tyre that just made everything impossible. In the analysis at the end of the race we realised that it was defective and that was the cause of the chattering that made the bike virtually impossible to ride. It’s a big disappointment and we need to put this result to one side and continue with our work in tomorrow’s tests at this track. I’m completely confident in Michelin and in the brilliant work they have always done. This is just a one off, a lucky one, but a one off.”

Sito Pons , Camel Honda (Team Principal) : “Max had a clear problem with his rear tyre and because of that was unable to fight for victory and above all to complete the fine work he had done in qualifying. The data analysis we did as soon as he got off the bike confirmed that Max was affected by a strange vibration that disturbed his control of the bike. Tomorrow we are staying on in Catalunya for another day to test and our objective is to resolve all the problems of this race.”

Gianluca Montiron, Camel Honda , (Makoto Tamada Team Manager): “Makoto Tamada suffered a serious deterioration in his rear tyre performance, which made the bike very difficult to ride. Despite having been up there for the first 12 laps of the race, he decided to retire, knowing that staying out there wouldn’t even have brought us any new data or information. We understand his decision and now we focus our attention on tomorrow’s test. As well as Makoto, tomorrow Bridgestone’s official test rider will come down to the track to help solve the problems quicker.”

Makoto Tamada, Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – Retired on lap thirteen: “I unexpectedly lost grip and then got these strong vibrations that made the bike difficult to control. To continue made no sense, not even to help with development. Tomorrow we will test some new material and we will try to find some solution to the difficulties we are currently having. I know Bridgestone will react and things will soon return to normal.”

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team: retired: “Just so disappointed. This morning I went out on used tyres to get a feel for the conditions and it all felt pretty positive. I seemed to have problems all weekend with practice starts and in the race it was a disaster. Just couldn’t get any power down right up to turn one by which time half the grid had got past. During the race the bike seemed to loose power and I noticed some fluid on the windscreen that I guess must have been water because when the bike eventually stopped we discovered the radiator had been holed a small stone I guess. I’m definitely disappointed not to get a result again. Onto the next race!”

Alex Barros, Repsol Honda Team: crash: “I made a reasonable start and in the early laps was battling with Tamada and Max. The bike felt okay and the package was not so bad. I managed to overtake them both and I believed I could close the gap on the leaders and wait for the end of the race to take advantage of the harder compound Michelins that would have been in better condition after 20 laps. This was the only tyre that seemed to work for me this weekend. I had had front problems all qualifying. Push, push. In the race I knew I had to ride the machine I had make the best of it. In the end I have no warning no push. It just let go. Trying to look on the positive side I can see we are more competitive both here and at Mugello than we were earlier this season. I now want to fight for the front row and a race result. I feel very bad for the team they did a great job and I let them down.”

250cc:
Dani Pedrosa, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: (2nd.): “It was a really nice race and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a real learning experience for me riding so hard on spent tyres. In the head-to-head with De Puniet he was passing me on top speed and on the brakes, whilst I was quicker through the corners and on acceleration with the worn tyre. On the last lap I tried everything I knew I had to get to the stadium section first if I wanted to win but it wasn’t to be. In any case I am happy because we have completed our objectives I had a good race, the bike was fantastic thanks to the hard work of my team and we are back on the podium. I have to thank the crowd for the incredible support they have given me all weekend”.

Toni Elías (3rd) “I have to be happy with this result after a problematic weekend for us. It’s been tough but at the end of the day I’ve been able to score some really important championship points”.
“I got a good start and tried to go with the lead group but it wasn’t possible. I’m getting closer to them with every race and I hope that in the next few rounds I can catch them”.
“I gave 120% to follow De Puniet and Pedrosa but it just wasn’t going to happen”.

Hirosi Aoyama, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: (6th.): “I was way back on the grid and was relying on a good start but it didn’t work out that way and I found myself having to work really hard to get up to sixth place. I’m really happy with the way I lasted the race from a physical point of view it was something I have been working on and I am improving. We’ll stay here for two days here now and hopefully we can make some progress on the set-up because Assen will be another tough one”.

Alberto Puig: (team manager): “We are really happy with Dani’s race because he fought to the end and you can’t ask for any more that that. We saw a clear difference in the top speed of the bikes De Puniet’s Aprilia was a bit stronger in that aspect. But the important thing is that Dani gave 120%, tried his best until the last lap and there’s nothing more to say other than thanks to him for a great effort. I am really happy with Hiro too he was sixth and that makes the overall result a good one for the team”.

Alex Debon, Wurth Honda BQR, 8th: “A very good race, I’m happy with the result. We found solutions to the ignition problem we had and we finished well and I have climbed up the championship classification. The bike is really good but we have been using the same specification since the first GP and it’s difficult for me to stop myself pushing myself passed the potential the machine has in it!”

Eric Bataille, Wurth Honda BQR, 11th: “Everything went well today and I’m happy to take points. The bike ran really well till the engine temperature started to rise and I lost a little power. We needed a bigger radiator. The rear tyre went off after 15 laps but you expect that in this heat.”

Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda, 15th: “That’s the first time I have scored points here so it’s something. My start was not so good then at the second gear right hand corner after the chicane I was sliding around under hard braking and I lost many places. Still I fought back from27th place to finish 15th.If I had another lap I would have got Chaz Davies.”

Roberto Rolfo (crashed): “I felt good even though I wasn’t as high up as I would have liked, when Poggiali hit me from behind and from then on I couldn’t do anything. I still don’t have enough confidence in the bike – especially when the tyres go off and that means I have to ride cautiously. Today I was really focussed at the start and got away well but, even though I tried to follow the leaders, I couldn’t quite get into their slipstreams. It was a real shame but that’s racing and it’s a mistake that anyone of us could have made”.

125cc:
Andrea Dovizioso, Kopron Scot Honda, 2nd: “I knew it would be a very difficult race with many riders fighting for the win, and also because he temperature of the asphalt was high causing me problems with the rear tyre. I started with the idea that it could be a dangerous race. As always I decided to keep all I could for the closing laps. With one lap to go I was fourth but dare not pass because the others would use the slipstream to attack me. Luckily my bike has good acceleration and I could recover the ground and go for the win. Not quite but 16/1000ths of a second is close! Looking at the championship it was a good result as I have a 22-point advantage which is a little comfortable.”

Julian Simon, Angaia Honda, 14th: “That was a difficult race for me. I got a good start but the Barbera – Corsi incident when caused me a problem and after that I could not find my rhythm fast enough on this track to catch the group in front of me. At the end I was the second Honda to finish, 22 seconds behind Barbera, one second a lap! But I got passed four others near the end of the race for my points so it’s not all bad.”

Dario Giuseppetti, Elit Honda, 16th: “There was a lot of positional changes in the group I was racing with. Two laps from home I got away from them on the back straight but Rodriguez made a mess of his braking and we bunched up again and I had no chance to hold Simon off when he came passed us.”

Simone Corsi, Kopron Scot Honda, DNF crash: “I’m not so happy with what happened to me. I got a really good start and had a good position on the first lap but on lap two I turned into a corner and Barbera hit me ad knocked me down. That’s a pity for me, and the team because the bike was really good and I’m sure I could have been in the top ten.”

Lukas Pesek, Ajo Motorsport Honda, DNF crash: “I’m not at all happy. I was in a good position on the last lap when I passed Jenkner on the inside but he moved over to quickly and his handlebar hit the seat of my machine and knocked me down."

John Hopkins

Suzuki’s John Hopkins had a plan for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Catalunya, but his strategy fell to the wayside 18 laps into the 25-lap final when his Suzuki GSV-R fell down to two cylinders and he was forced to pull off the circuit and park the bike. It ended a weekend that left Hopkins with mixed feelings of both hope and frustration.

“I knew with the tire situation being what it was that I was going to have a challenge this weekend,” Hopkins said. “I got off to a decent start and found myself in a good group of riders. I established a good rhythm out there, which is something I haven’t been able to do in some time.

“As the race shook out I was tucked in behind a good battle between my teammate Kenny Jr. and Nicky Hayden. About halfway through the race I decided to pick up the pace and try to close in on those two and that’s when Nicky’s bike blew up in front of me. Then I regrouped and was going to try to get up with Junior and I heard something a little strange in the motor. On the next lap as I powered down the front straight the bike went down to two cylinders and I just pulled off, leaned the bike on the wall and walked back to the pits.”

Hopkins said he enjoyed his race while the race lasted.  “The tyres we ran were so hard that I was spinning it up everywhere,” he explained. “That was really pretty fun. The computer showed that the rear wheel was spinning as much as 59 kph (37 mph) faster than the front exiting nearly every turn.”

Hopkins said adrenaline took care of the pain with his broken thumb. “I’m just now getting the throbbing sensation,” he said an hour after the race.

Hopkins now turns his attention to Assen, Holland, which will run on Saturday, June 26.  “Even though this weekend ended badly I feel we came away with some positives,” Hopkins said. “Qualifying proved Suzuki is really beginning to make positive strides. I think we had a top-10 finish in the works today before the engine problems. By Assen, Bridgestone will have some time to get the tyre issues sorted out and I’ll have a few weeks to heal.”