MotoGP 2005

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa gave Ducati its best ever overall MotoGP result after Loris won the 24-lap Motegi race and Carlos finished fourth. Capirossi added his win to his pole position and took a new lap record at the Japanese circuit. It was Ducati's second win in MotoGP, and Capirossi's tenth podium finish on a Ducati in MotoGP. It was also the first MotoGP win for an Italian rider on an Italian bike in Japan. Such was Capirossi's early pace that he broke the previous lap record at the second attempt, then again on lap three, dipping under the magic 1'48 bracket to record a new lap record of 1'47.968. His desire to lead took him inside Marco Melandri on lap 10 but he pushed the front too hard on the final left of the lap and almost fell, recovering to rejoin third. He regained second on lap seven, and took the lead on lap 19, to enjoy a final margin of victory of 1.479 seconds.

Checa, ninth on the grid, made a strong charge in the early laps, sitting in sixth place until a crash between Melandri and Valentino Rossi promoted him to fourth. He rode at high pace until the end, proving the all round prowess of the entire Ducati Marlboro team this weekend.

"It's fantastic for everyone involved in the team," said Livio Suppo, Ducati MotoGP Project Manager. "It was especially satisfying to win here in Japan. A win is a win, but here it is even better. We must thank Loris first of all, because he rode perfectly the whole weekend, then Bridgestone, because the tyres worked well all weekend, and of course the guys who have been working on the bikes, both here and back in Italy. It's not just the tyre and the rider; it is also the machine. It is a dream that has come true. Carlos also made a good race, and even if a lot of people crashed he was still not far away. A good team result and very good for our morale, with the next races coming up so soon."

Loris Capirossi took the jump from 2005 podium finisher to race winner at Motegi, fighting hard in the early laps with Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi, but easing away in the final laps to score a clear win. He earned himself sixth place in the championship standings, as well as his victory.
It's great to take the win today, but it has not just been about today," stated Capirossi. "From Friday to Saturday to the race it has been good for Ducati Marlboro, for Bridgestone, for the team. Bridgestone made a great job here at Motegi and the tyres have been working well; we did a lot of consecutive laps in practice at high speed. I had good rhythm in the race but sometimes when I tried to overtake I was past the limit. When I went into the lead I knew I was faster than Max and then I knew it would be my race. It's great to win for Ducati and Bridgestone in Japan."

Carlos Checa had the disadvantage of starting his Motegi race from the third row, but he worked hard in the early laps, passing riders to sixth, then capitalising on dramatic events up ahead to score fourth place. He now sits ninth overall. "The most important thing is that we made good progress here," said Checa. "We had some problems both and in Brno but we grew up a lot over this weekend. We knew that the tyres had a lot of potential but we had been unable to use them but here we went one step in front. I am actually happier for the performance rather than the result. I have to give my compliments to Loris and they tyres have definitely made some difference to us today, so thanks to Bridgestone for their good work."

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