Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) may have won here at Mugello today, but second-placed Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) proved he is back on form with a strong ride in front of 80,000 race fans. Ducati rider Loris Capirossi was third, just ahead of Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V).

The 23-lap race got underway with Capirossi getting the advantage from row two of the grid into turn one. The Italian charger was closely followed by Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) and his Ducati team-mate Carlos Checa, with Rossi fourth, Max in fifth and Melandri sixth.

By the end of lap one Rossi had hit the front, followed by Gibernau, Capirossi and Melandri. No one was getting too far away and it was clear that this would be a close race. Melandri set a fastest lap in his pursuit of Rossi before Rossi went faster still on lap four in an early bid to lose his pursuers.

Gibernau was slipping back from the lead bunch and as Max went to second place on lap six, Gibernau crashed out of the race. Rossi was in the lead as Max now worked on closing the gap the reigning World Champion had opened out.

By lap eight Max had pared it down from a full two seconds to just less than a second. But it wasn’t Max who went into the lead but Melandri who had stuck with Max as he made his way to the front. Melandri’s stay at the front was short-lived as Rossi snatched the lead back on lap 12.

Melandri slipped back to third as Max made the running in second place.
Capirossi had now edged closer to the leading trio and it was clear the Italian was going to be part of the final dispute for rostrum places.

As the closing laps loomed Rossi and Max had established a 1.35 second gap between themselves and Melandri and Capirossi: there were effectively two main fights for places, one for the win, and one for third place and the last step of the podium.

Max led into the final three laps as the Capisrossi/Melandri battle raged behind, then Rossi stole past the Roman to head the pack knowing that Max would have just less than three laps to come back at him for the lead.

Try as Max might, he had no extra speed with which to pass Rossi and at the flag he was 0.359 seconds behind, but he at least had the consolation of setting the fastest lap of the race on lap five of 1m 50.117s. Capirossi just stayed in front of Melandri across the line for third.

A delighted Max said, “Great race. I’m super-happy with the result. We’ve come out from a terrible situation in the best way: stepping onto the podium and, more than everything, fighting for the win. We almost made it.
HRC did a very good job and I thank them all: mechanics, suspension guys, tyre people, engineers, and of course, Erv. Thanks to them the bike was working well since Friday practice. Now we must keep this pace up. I’m not thinking about the Championship, I prefer to fight race by race.”

Melandri said, “An incredible race – the best of the season. I pushed to the limit to try to stay with the lead group. And even though I was losing out in the fast sections I could make it up in the slower chicanes. I almost crashed five laps from the end and had to reduce my rhythm. The fight with Capirossi was amazing and I’ll have to be happy with fourth place.”

Gibernau heads to Catalunya next week needing nothing less than a win to stay in touch at the top. He said, “Only a win would do here and I crashed trying to chase the pace. I’m not going to make excuses and I did a bad job here. I can’t explain how we did well all weekend and then did this in the race. I can’t deny that the World Championship is slipping away but I’m not going to throw in the towel.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) finished sixth, equalling his best result of the season so far. He said, “A tough race. I didn’t get the best of starts but when I actually got going we managed some pretty good lap times. I got past a few guys and had a pretty good rhythm going but we were just missing a little something – the bit we needed to get onto the next group. Obviously I’m not thrilled about sixth, but we gave it our best today and we’ll come back fighting in Barcelona next week.”

Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V), in seventh, said, “I didn’t have the best start. What I really missed was a good grid slot because with the race rhythm as expected, in the 1’51s, I kept that kind of pace. I’m happy about that but I need to improve in qualifying because if I’d started further forward I would have been fighting for the podium. Anyway, I’m happy that physically I’m okay, after two days of pushing hard here, and that I’m ready for Barcelona.”

Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) finished eighth and said, “Today I didn’t start too well and I lost contact with the leaders of the race after only a few laps. I felt well on the bike and the only problem was when getting out of the turns where maybe too soft a set-up penalized me. Next weekend we’ll solve this problem. We’re missing the kilometres we didn’t cover during the last three races and today this was clear.”

Poor Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) had a wretched time here at Mugello finishing 13th. The Aussie said, “A really, really difficult weekend. In the race I was unable to make any sort of progress. I finished thirteenth, which isn’t exactly a great position. I took some points but what I really want now is a good result. We have another race this coming Sunday, so we’ll see what happens there.”

The current World Championship points positions show Rossi way out in front on 120 points, Melandri chasing him with 73 points and Max edging ahead of Gibernau on 67 points to the Spaniard’s 53.

Spanish superstar Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) won the 250cc race from Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) who at 18 years and one month had become the youngest ever rider to qualify on pole on a 250 grid.
Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) was third.

Pedrosa dived into turn one ahead of the pack after getting a flying start from the second row of the grid. Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda
RS250RW) was up in second with Randy de Puniet (Aprilia), who eventually crashed out on lap four, holding third.

Just before the half-way point of this 21-lap race, a five rider group had broken clear of the pack; Casey Stoner (Aprilia) in the lead, followed by de Angelis, Pedrosa, Dovi and Lorenzo. But Dovi dropped back on lap nine and then lost touch at the front, eventually finishing eighth.

In the closing stages Lorenzo hit the front for three laps only to be hauled back by Pedrosa on lap 18. Dani held the lead to the flag with Lorenzo just beating de Angelis across the line after elbowing his way past the Italian on the last lap.

After his 10th win in the 250cc class Dani said, “That was a hard race after a hard qualifying session. But we did our best and I’m really happy that this long, hot race is over. I could see that de Angelis had rear tyre problems and that Lorenzo’s engine wasn’t quite as strong as mine, so I was fortunate.”

Lorenzo was delighted with his first 250 podium finish and said, “That was almost a perfect weekend with a pole position and a second place finish. I did my absolute best but just could not make the win. Dani rode a great race and he’s the man to beat in this class at the moment.”

Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) finished sixth and Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) was seventh.

The World Championship table currently shows Dani in front on 98 points, Dovi holding second with 77 and Stoner in third with 76 points.

KTM rider Gabor Talmacsi won a pulsating 125cc race from Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) by just 0.060 seconds across the line. Joan Olive
(Aprilia) was third. It was the Hungarian’s first win, but with series points leader Mika Kallio (KTM) crashing out on the final lap, Luthi now heads the World Championship points table.

Kallio led into turn one with Luthi on his tail and Aprilia riders Marco Simoncelli and Hector Faubel in close pursuit. As early as lap three a five rider group had broken away with Talmacsi as the fifth man.

But Simoncelli crashed out on lap 12 leaving just the front four to fight for the final laps – they were all within a tenth of a second of each other with five laps to go. But as the last lap came around Kallio and Faubel had broken clear and it looked as it the win would be decided between them.

But racing is an unpredictable business and on the final turn on the final lap, Kallio lost control and took out Faubel with him. Talmacsi and Luthi who had been fighting for third were now locked into a fight for victory and Talmacsi got the verdict by the narrowest of margins.

Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) rode a strong race to equal his best result of the season so far for with another fifth. Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) was eighth and Toshihisa Kuzuhara (Angaia Racing Honda RS125R) ninth.

“The race was hard,” said Luthi. “But the result was good because I’m now leading the World Championship. Gabor followed me the whole race, but those last few laps were really fast. Gabor had a good plan on the last lap and I just couldn’t get past him.”

Koyama said, “I’m happy with that result considering my crash in practice yesterday. My back and my arm hurt a bit, but the bike was good. Racing with Pasini I had many slides in the final laps and that was tiring. Maybe if I was not injured I could have done a bit better and maybe even made the podium.”

Luthi has 74 points to Kallio’s 66 with Talmacsi now on 62.

MotoGP:
Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda Team: 2nd: “Great race. I’m super happy with the result. We come out from a terrible situation in the best way: stepping on the podium and, more than everything, fighting for the win. We almost made it. HRC Team did a very good job and I thank them all: mechanics, suspensions’ guys, tyre people, engineers and, of course, Erv. Thanks to this job the bike was working well immediately, since Friday practice. Now we must keep this pace. I’m not thinking about the championship, I prefer to fight race by race.”

Marco Melandri, Motivstar Honda MotoGP: 4th: “That was an incredible race – probably my best of the season. I pushed to the limit from the start to try and stay with the lead group and even though I was losing out a little in the fast sections I was able to make it up in the slower chicanes. I almost crashed five laps from the end and had to lower my rhythm a little.
The fight with Capirossi was amazing – I could hear the crowd cheering and I wanted to do my best. We arrived in the final corner together and I am happy with fourth place. I feel good riding on the limit and I hope we can continue improving in Barcelona next week.”

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team: 6th: “A tough race. I didn’t get the best of starts but when I actually got going we managed some pretty good lap times. I got past a few guys and had a pretty good rhythm going but we were just missing a little something - the bit we needed to get onto the next group. Me and Checa had a good race – I really wanted to beat him but it wasn’t to be. On the positive side it’s the closest I’ve been to the leaders in terms of time all season and by quite some margin so it give the whole team some cause for optimism. Obviously not thrilled about sixth. We gave it our best today and we’ll come back fighting in Barcelona next week.”

Alex Barros, Camel Honda, 7th: “I didn’t have the best start, well, not a ‘super’ one anyway, it wasn’t too bad. What I really missed was a good grid slot because with the race rhythm as expected, in the 1’51s, I also kept that kind of pace. I’m happy about that but I need to improve in qualifying because if I had have started further forward I would have been fighting for the podium. Anyway, I’m happy that physically I’m okay, after two days of pushing hard here, and that I’m ready for Barcelona”.

Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda Rider: 8th: “My ambitions are much different, but due to what happened until this moment I consider my self satisfied to have ended the race, because my right hand has caused me some problems, anyhow the eight place is the same position I finished the first Grand Prix of the season. Today I didn’t start too well and I have lost contact with the leaders of the race after only a few laps. I felt well on the bike and the only problem was when exiting the turns where probably the maybe too soft set up has penalized my performance. During the next weekend we’ll surely solve this problem. We are missing the kilometres we didn’t cover during the last three races and today this fact has clearly emerged.
I want to thank the Konica Minolta Honda Team for the great job done during these three days of work to adapt the bike to my characteristics. I hope I will have the chance to cover as many laps possible in Catalunya.”

Troy Bayliss – Camel Honda, 13th: “A really, really difficult weekend. In the race I was unable to make any sort of progress. I finished thirteenth, which isn’t exactly a great position. I took some points but what I really want now is a good result. We have another race this coming Sunday, so we’ll see what happens there.”

Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda MotoGP: crash: “I decided that only a victory would do for me at this Grand Prix and I crashed because I was trying to chase the pace at the front. I’m not going to start looking for excuses – we’ve done a bad job here, myself more than anybody, and that’s it. I can’t explain why we can do such a good job all weekend and then not come out with the result in the race because we are capable of being competitive. I can’t deny that the championship is slipping away from me already but I’m not going to throw the towel in. I just want to win as many races as possible and not think any further than that. I’d like Catalunya to be a turning point”.

250cc:
Dani Pedrosa, MoviStar Honda: 1st: “This is a very special victory because I had finished second here for the past two seasons and really wanted to win. I’ve always had to grit my teeth at this circuit, I’ve never quite known why we’ve struggled to get things perfect here, but it was worth the wait. It was a very tough race and my team have worked very well after the problems we had in qualifying. The bike was competitive in the race and I think it was the most balanced machine out there. I could see that De Angelis had tyre problems over the last few laps and Lorenzo was a bit down on power, so I did everything I could to escape them on the last couple of laps. Hopefully I can keep going like this next week!”

Jorge Lorenzo, Fortuna Honda: 2nd: "At Le Mans I showed I could be up there, and I confirmed that today. I am now in shape to challenge for the podium regularly. I always go into races wanting to win, but today the Honda was not going quite as well as in qualifying. The engine was not as smooth and you could feel it on all the straights. But both the team and I gave it everything and I must thank them for their work as the bike is now quicker on the straights. I think I have to get a few more podiums to make up for some of the mistakes I have made, but at least this is the first. I did not get away well, but I rode right on the limit at a track that does not suit me that well. I think that at Montmelo and Assen I can improve further. I am not worried about the championship, I am only interested in winning races at the moment.”

Hector Barbera, Fortuna Honda: 6th: "I was suffering a lot throughout the race. My arm hurt a lot and I could not change direction easily. By the end, though, I was enjoying myself despite the pain. I believe we took an important step forward in the race, we’ll have to see if we are closer to the podium at Montmelo. Tomorrow I’m going to visit a doctor in Spain, the World Championship doctors have advised me to rest it as much as possible, but I want a clearer diagnosis because the next race in Barcelona is only next week.”

Hiroshi Aoyama, MoviStar Honda: 7th: “At the start of the race I found it hard to find a good rhythm although I did feel better with the front end than I had done in qualifying. We made a good tyre choice and, little by little, I got up to pace. By the end I was setting the same lap times as the guys at the front but it was a bit too late for a comeback!”

Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Honda: 8th: “I started fast but today we had some cyclistic problems. The bike lost the front when I was among the firsts and I used the knee to not fall down. From that time the bike lost the front for other three times and consequently I lost confidence in the bike and I slowed down. The problem with the front was the same we had during the practices but we couldn’t solve it. I would have done a good race also for my fan club that come here to support me but the championship is still long to the end and still open”.

Radomil Rous, Wurth Honda BQR: 13th: “I had to make a good start from way back on the grid and I did. The first three laps for me were very good for me and I made some progress. From then on it was a solo race for me. The carburetion problems we had yesterday was fixed and the bike was perfect in the race.”

Yuki Takahashi, Scot Honda: dnf – crash: “The set up of my bike was not perfect today, I had front end problems during the race it kept turning in on me I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike particularly in the fast corners and I lost confidence. Then I made a mistake and crashed. I don’t understand it because didn’t have the problem with the front end in qualifying. I injured my elbow in the crash fortunately it isn’t broken. I have to look forward to Barcelona.”

Dirk Heidolf, Kiefer Castrol Honda: dnf – clutch problem: “I am not very happy I burnt out the clutch getting away from the start, there was no way I could continue. Maybe it was for the best because of my injuries, my knee was swollen double size and my hip has a huge lump on it. At least I have the time to get in better shape for Catalunya next week.”

Alex Debon, Wurth Honda BQR: dnf – crash: “I was not so lucky in the race today. Locatelli crashed right in front of me, there was a rider on the inside of me and I had nowhere to go and ran over Locatelli’s bike. The situation is not all bad because the riders closest to me in the championship all had problems.”

Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda: dnf – crash: “I’m not really sure of exactly what happened, I banged my head in the crash. At the second part of the chicane Guintoli took a wide line through he corner and came across the front of me and I hit his rear wheel. He crashed and I ran into the gravel trap and fell off.”

125cc:
Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 2nd: “That was a crazy race, really hard physically and mentally but I enjoyed it immensely. The group that led from the start was very fast and when we were down to four riders it was even faster. At the end Talmasci was right behind me and I wanted to push hard to try and get away from him but I didn’t have the tyres for it. If I had pushed any harder I was sure to crash. The bike was just great today and I’m now leading the championship so it has been a good weekend for me.”

Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 5th: “I’m happy with the result considering my crash yesterday. My injured back and arm hurt right from the start. The bike was good and I was racing with Pasini but on the last two laps I had many slides and almost high-sided twice. If I had no pain from my back maybe I could have been on the podium.”

Fabrizio Lai, Kopron Racing World Honda: 8th: “I started fast but my knee hurt and every now and then I have to stretch my leg in order to relax it.
The first group set a fast pace and we, in the second group, have tried to catch them again. But my engine wasn’t so powerful on the straight and I couldn’t exploit the slipstream of the other riders in front of me. Instead I was very fast in corners and there the others riders held me up. When Pesek crashed out I lost two important seconds. In short small problems, a little bit with the engine and a little bit with my knee so I couldn’t do better.”
Toshihisa Kuzuhara, Angaia Racing Honda: 9th: “It was a very, very hard race today but my machine was really good and I could use the slipstream very well. But I found it hard to change direction because of my injured shoulder. My objective was to score points and I was successful. Now we go to Barcelona where I hope to improve on this result.”

Alexis Masbou, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 10th: “My bike was a little faster today than qualifying we found a few tenths of a second in the warm up. I was racing with Lai and Kuzuhara but I could not get passed them on the straight but I’m happy with my result.”

Alvaro Bautista, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 12th: “It has been a very tough race. I started from a very low position and I have made a good start, moving up some positions. The problem we are having are not solved, but we have made a little progress. Let´s see if we can continue improving for the Barcelona race, to see if we have more chances of finish in a better position. I have finished the race, I have been able to ride during all the weekend in the same weather conditions, and I have caught back some points. I hope I can do even better next weekend”.

Aleix Espargaro, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 17th: “It has been a very beautiful race, and tough too, where I have fougth a lot. The Aprilia were really good here. When Zanetti passed me, I could go with him without problems, but it was difficult on the straights. I have taken risks on the last lap, and I have tried to overtake him but I touched him at Arrabiata and I went out of the track. The good thing is that I have learnt a lot, although I finish this GP without points, so, I can’t consider this as a very positive race”.

Raymond Schouten, Molenaar Honda: 26th: “That was not a good result for me.
Yesterday the handling was much better I just could not hold the racing line in the fast corners and lost many places. The ear end was sliding all the time, strange because it was the same tyre we ran in qualifying. I don’t know why that should be because we changed nothing on the set up overnight.”

Sandro Cortese, Kiefer Boss Castrol Honda: dnf – crash: “Not a good day for me today. The bike was very fast for the first ten laps but at the end of the straight something in the engine broke. We don’t know what it is yet.”

Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Racing World Honda: dnf – crash: “I got a really good start but very quickly I realised I was a little down on power and started to lose positions. Then two laps from the finish De Rosa hit me and pushed me off the track.”