Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) rode a typically brave race in front of his adoring home fans here in Barcelona today, but second was the best he could do as Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) won his fifth race from five starts in 2005. Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) rode to a fighting third.

A baying crowd of 106,000 race fans watched the action unfold in hot conditions with the track temperature elevated to 40 degrees as the MotoGP race got underway. Despite the resurfacing work carried out to the circuit, tyre wear was to be the critical issue here in the heat.

Gibernau stormed off the line from pole into turn one with his team-mate Melandri right on his shoulder and with Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) in third and fourth. The fast-starting Loris Capirossi (Ducati) lay fifth with Rossi sixth.

But it didn’t take Rossi long to make his way to the front of the field. He was up to second as lap two began, with Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) charging through from the third row of the grid to fifth.

Into turn one at the start of lap two and Rossi was squeezed to third by the RC211Vs of Gibernau and Melandri, with Sete retaking the lead from his team-mate Melandri. Barros snatched fourth from Hayden as the Brazilian set one of the early fastest laps.

The action was never less than intense as six riders fought for supremacy at the head of the field: Melandri from Rossi, from Gibernau, then Barros, Hayden and Biaggi with Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) now making up ground on the leaders.

The fight was so frantic that Sete touched Marco’s rear wheel on lap three as Tamada made the most of the fierce in-fighting to get on the tail of the group. The Japanese also set another fastest lap as he made his way forward.

Gibernau then put in a fastest lap before Rossi briefly led on lap five while Barros was trying to secure third from Hayden who was trying everything to get it back. Tamada was the fastest man on the track, but was to crash out a lap later.

As Gibernau upped the pace to try and break the will of his pursuers he put in another fastest lap of 1m 43.253 seconds. And only Rossi could stay with the flying Spaniard now. By mid-race the pair were 3.2 seconds ahead of the three rider struggle for third place between Melandri, Hayden and Barros.

Max was by now 2.7 seconds adrift of the fight for third place in sixth and there he would remain until the flag. At least he was close enough to see the three riders ahead of him ride three abreast into turn one as they tried everything to grab that third podium place.

Rossi then forced the pace in the final three laps. He led into turn one on lap 22 of the 25-lap contest, and Gibernau had no answer to the reigning World Champion’s speed as the Italian set a fastest lap of 1m 43.195 seconds on lap 23.

Rossi maintained a gap of at least 0.5 seconds in the final two laps and as the pair crossed the finish line, Gibernau had clearly settled for second place and a points finish – the gap at 1.094 seconds. Melandri came out on top in the fight for third.

Gibernau said, “I was putting in some good laps, but then eight laps from the end the front-end began sliding too much going into turns. I thought I had something left in reserve for the end of the race – but not as much as Vale had at the end. I’m looking forward to Assen now and trying to stay positive and keeping the pressure on.”

His team-mate Melandri said, “I’m a bit disappointed because I lost time at the start with a foot-peg problem. It was hard to stay with the leaders, but as long as I keep improving race by race that’s OK with me. Riders are fighting more and more as the season goes on – but I won my battle for the podium and it’s good to be here again.”

Barros said, “I’m quite happy because it was a while since I had a race like this. I enjoyed myself. Towards the end I overtook Nicky and then waited until the last lap to try and pass Marco too. I wanted to get him at turn six, but I was too far back, I then tried it at turn nine and didn’t manage it. It’s a shame, but in the end it was a good race and now we can look forward to the next one at Assen, a track which I really love.”

Nicky said, “The whole race was a bit of a dog fight really. We were really going at it. I got a good start and made a few overtakes stick in the opening laps. I got up to third and wasn’t that far behind the leaders when I made my fastest lap of the race trying to close the gap. Then Melandri came past with a big move that cost me time. I got back to third and just tried to get a steady rhythm and pull away. On the positive side the bike went well, the Michelins hung on well and my boys did a great job.”

Max in sixth said, “It went bad. We rode a different bike from the one we used at Mugello, with a set-up meant to improve braking. In those sections the feeling was good but it really worsened handling and cornering, with consequent problems for tyre life. I could never take part in the game and it makes me very sad. I look to the next Assen Grand Prix knowing that it’s not going to be easy, but we must push harder.”

Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V), who finished eighth after starting from 15th said, “Qualifying didn’t go as planned yesterday, but in the free practices I was quick, so I knew that in the race today I could go fast. I had the worst start of my career – I couldn’t believe it, I was something like seventeenth or eighteenth at the end of the first lap. We’re improving, but now we need to make another step forward and I’m hoping we can do it in testing here tomorrow.”

“What happened?” said Makota Tamada. “I wasn’t pushing my bike so much. I could stay with the fastest riders easily without pushing my bike to the limit. But something went wrong. I was doing a simple turn just behind Barros when suddenly I found myself on the ground with the bike beside me.
I think I lost the front.”

The World Championship points table now shows Rossi with 145 points, Melandri with 87, Max on 77 and Sete fourth overall with 73.

A fraught 250cc race was won by local superstar Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) who triumphed in a fierce race from Casey Stoner (Aprilia) and heroic Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW), who finished third despite riding injured.

Dani got a poor start from pole and was outside the top ten on lap one, but by lap three he was sixth after setting a fastest lap. Early front-runner Sebastian Porto (Aprilia) had crashed out on lap two and it was Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) who led before he too crashed on the next lap.

Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) then inherited the lead although within a lap Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) stole it from him. The front group was bunched tightly and the order was De Angelis, Barbera, Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW), Dani, and Dovi.

Simone Corsi (Aprilia) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) were riding hard to get on the tail of that group and Casey Stoner (Aprilia) was also on a charge to the front. By mid-race Dani was up to second, and then he took the lead as Lorenzo hit the rear of de Angelis and took them both out of the race.

As Pedrosa established a two second lead over Stoner, Dovi had moved up to third despite riding with heavy bruising to his right side after a heavy practice crash yesterday. Corsi then punted Barbera out of the track after they touched under braking into turn one.

And as Pedrosa established a five second cushion over Stoner, Dovi held third while Aoyama eased past Corsi for fourth. Randy de Puniet finished sixth after remounting. Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) finished seventh – equalling his best result so far.

Dani said, “That was a tough weekend. Qualifying was hard and it was struggle to get the right set-up here. I had to ride really hard to get to the front after my bad start and the bike was sliding at the front from about half-race distance. That was great team effort to get the win.”

Dovi said, “I’m so happy, that was fantastic result. Dani won well here but I’ve had a lot to deal with this weekend. There was the pain itself – and then a hard decision over whether to ride or not. Now it’s all gone well and that’s as much as I could have hoped for after being in hospital yesterday.”

Pedrosa heads the World Championship points table with 123, Stoner lies second with 96, Dovi third on 93 and Aoyama comes into the reckoning with 58.

Mattia Pasini won the 125cc race from Marco Simoncelli (both Aprilia) with Mika Kallio (KTM) third. World Championhsip points leader (until now) Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) was seventh while Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) finished fifth.

Luthi got the holeshot from the third row of the grid, but by lap two Pasini was in control of the race and he led until the flag 21-laps later.
Luthi gradually slipped down the order as tyre grip became an issue for the young Swiss rider.

Kallio did his best to stay in touch with the flying Pasini but the Finn was always at least two seconds adrift of the Italian as the order established itself in the second half of the race. Simoncelli was the only man on track who could make an impression in the closing laps – eventually stealing second from Kallio.

Koyama said, “At the beginning of the race I had a lot of chatter from my rear tyre in the high-speed turns. So I changed my riding style and ran through them a gear lower and that helped me get back some ground. Then it was hard to get past Poggiali – so I out-braked him.”

Luthi said, “That was a race of slides. My rear tyre was gone after about ten laps and that was my own fault because I chose too soft a compound. The engine was very good all race and I did my best – but that was all I could achieve today.”

MotoGP:
Sete Gibernau, Movistar Honda: 2nd: “The team have done a great job and I had a good feeling with the bike today. I set a good pace over the opening laps which gave me a couple of tenths advantage and allowed me to lead for the majority of the race. At eight laps to go the left side was sliding too much and I wasn’t able to maintain my pace. I’m disappointed for the fans, who have given me great support all weekend, but I’m sure they enjoyed the excitement in the race and a great show all round.”

Marco Melandri, Movistar Honda 3rd: “It was a tough but incredible race for me. I got a good start and tried to stay with the lead riders over the opening laps. I had a good pace and even managed to lead for a few laps but I ran wide when Nicky Hayden passed me and Barros also came through to send me back to fifth place. The fight with Barros and Nicky for third meant that I lost contact with the front two and I was never able to make the ground up. Even so, I am really happy with third place. I won a personal battle today – my race pace was much better compared to Mugello and the podium confirms that we are getting constantly better. I want to say a special thanks to the whole team, to Fausto and to Michelin, that has helped me a lot in the right tyre choice.”

Alex Barros , Camel Honda: 4th: “I’m quite happy because it was a while since I had a race like this. I enjoyed myself and even thought I would have obviously preferred to have got on the podium, I think I had a nice battle with Marco and Nicky. I got away well and had a good first lap, tagging along with the front group straight away. Towards the sixth lap though, I began to have a problem when braking. I just couldn’t brake properly and went too deep on a couple of occasions. So I had to work with the problem, without losing ground. Towards the end I overtook Nicky and then waited until the last lap to try and pass Marco too. I wanted to get him at turn six, but I was too far back, I then tried it a turn nine and didn’t manage it. It’s a shame, but in the end it was a good race and now we can look forward to the next one at Assen, a track which I really love.”

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team: 5th:The whole race was a bit of a dog fight really. We were really going at it. I got a good start and made a few overtakes stick in the opening laps. I got up to third and wasn’t that far behind the leaders when I made my fastest lap of the race trying to close the gap. Then Melandri came past with a big move that cost me time. I got back to third and just tried to get a steady rythmn and pull away. The last few laps were amazing – we were all just back and forth - we were just duking it out. I so wanted that podium but it just wasn’t to be. It’s fruntrating to have such a good overall weekend and go away with a fifth. On the positive side the bike went well, the Michelins hung on well and my boys did a great job.”

Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda Team: 6th: “It went bad. We rode a different bike from the one we used at Mugello, with a set-up meant to improve braking. In those sections the feeling was good but it really worsened handling and cornering, with consequent problems for the tires’ life. I could never take part in the game and it makes me very sad. I look to the next Assen Grand Prix knowing that it’s not going to be easy, but we must push harder.”

Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda: 8th: “Qualifying didn’t go as planned yesterday, but in the free practices I was quick, so I knew that in the race today I could go fast. I had a start though which will rank alongside the worst in my whole career. Incredible, I couldn’t believe it, I was something like seventeenth or eighteenth at the end of the first lap. I got my head down though and began to fight back, riding consistently at a good pace. We’re improving, but now we need to make another step forward and I’m hoping we can do it when testing here tomorrow.”

Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: dnf - crash“What happened? I wasn’t pushing my bike so much. I could remain with the fastest riders easily without pushing my bike to the limit. I was serene and charged up at right level to remain there; my goal was to conquer the podium. Yes, because everything, the bike, the tyres, and the set up of the bike found in these days of work was more than satisfying. But something went wrong; I was doing a simple turn just behind Barros when suddenly I found my self on the ground with the bike beside me. My sensation is that the front tire lost adherence and made me slip, but before making a final evaluation of what happened we have to analyze the images showed on television and check the telemetry. I am very sorry for my Team; I thought the time to give them back what they have done for me in this beginning of the season was arrived.”

250cc:
Dani Pedrosa, Telefonica Movistar Honda: 1st: “I’ve never won three in a row before so to do so at my home race is fantastic. I’m really happy because we’ve worked very hard all weekend and it was so tough at the start of the race. I was a bit nervous as the start – I didn’t know if first gear was in properly, let the clutch go too quick and almost stalled it. I was really surprised. I got going again but it was a bad start – a schoolboy error. It was difficult to get to the front in the race although I put my rhythm together as soon as I saw that the pace wasn’t too hot. Once I was leading I managed to get a few crucial seconds ahead and held on to the gap until the end. We’ve also had front tyre problems here although that’s been the same in every category. We’ve worked all weekend to improve my position on the bike so that the tires wouldn’t suffer as much. We’ve had three great races so I hope that continues at Assen”.

Andrea Dovizioso, Team Scot: 3rd: “First of all I want to thank my team for the great work they have done. I have heavy pain in my shoulder: it was a bad briuse but in Clinica Mobile have done good ‘work’. I started as normal and I could run with the leaders.
We have chosen a too soft tyre and,on the fifth lap, in a corner I lost the front… I used my knee to not crash out. I was in the first group but I couldn’t recover the gap from Pedrosa because of the problem with the front. From the middle of the race the pain started to get bad again to … I gritted my teeth. Considering this morning I didn’t know if I had the force to start I’m now very happy. During the race I gave my best. After the crash of yesterday these 16 points are really a good result but, even if the championship is still long to the end, I’m sorry to loose important points. The Spaniard has one year experience more but one good race is enough to reach the top of the standing. Lorenzo is really competitive but today he made a mistake colliding with Alex De Angelis, who, with Aprilia, was making a good race. I reached the podium thanks to this mistake, too”.

Hiroshi Aoyama, Telefonica Movistar Honda: 4th: “We’ve made an important step forward with respect to Mugello and that gives me a lot of optimism.  On the third lap I got my finger stuck on the brake and it made my run off track, which cost me 8 seconds. I came back on prepared to give it everything and move forward through the positions, so I’m really happy with fourth.”

Yuki Takahashi, Team Scot:7th: “I’m happy even if I could have done a better result. I had some rear end problems and chattering in the fast corners, but I could catch the seventh place in the last corner of the last lap. Tomorrow we have a test session and we hope to solve our setting problems”.

Alex Debon, Wurth Honda BQR:11th: “The 11th place is not so bad after a very, very difficult week for us. We had a problem with the front end in qualifying but the bike was better in the warm up. The big problem for me was my engine. We could not get it how we wanted it to run, it felt as if it was rich off the corners it would not accelerate. I spoke with the tam and maybe we will stay at the track and test tomorrow to see what was wrong.”

Erwin Nigon, replacement for the injured Dirk Heidolf, Kiefer Castrol Honda: 13th: “I am very happy for my team they listen to me and I listened to them. The race was good for me. I’m happy with my race but not happy that I could not go with Guintoli when pushed. The Honda is good for my style I had only raced Aprilia and Yamaha before but this is my best result at Catalunya. The only small problem I had today was running into the very fast corners. Other than that it was a good race for me and the team. I’m very happy.”

Héctor Barberá, Fortuna Honda: 16th: “I was racing ith Corsi for fourth place when we clashed, twice. My bike was not the same afterwards so I had to settle for a place outside the points.”

Jorge Lorenzo, Fortuna Honda: dnf: suffered a double fracture of his left collarbone. To ensure the quickest possible recovery, the best thing will be to operate as soon as possible to place a small titanium plate over the broken bone. Lorenzo is now in a Barcelona hospital.

Radomil Rous, Wurth Honda BQR: did not race due to injuries sustained in practice.

Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda: dnf –crash: “I got a really bad start but I started passing riders in front of me. I wanted to get to the group with Debon and Takahashi but then I crashed at the fast right-hander when the front end closed on me. It was so fast there was no way I could save it.
Now we go to Assen my favourite circuit where I will have a new chassis.”

125cc:
Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 5th: “At the beginning of the race I had a lot of rear end chattering, especially in the high speed corners. So I changed my riding style a little and used one gear lower at some places and that helped a lot. As the race went on I was fighting with Poggiali but I couldn’t get out of the slipstream and pass him so I had to outbrake him. A good race and I’m happy I could fight for this result.”

Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 7th: “That was a race of slides for me, my rear tyre was finished after ten laps. We just chose a tyre that was far too soft for the conditions and the pace of the race. The engine was very good and I did the best I could in the situation. I got a good start and everything was fine till I started sliding. It was a hard race but I really enjoyed it.”

Fabrizio Lai, Kopron Racing: 10th: “I couldn’t do a better result. In the last races we have had some engine problems and it wasn’t possible to solve them at the circuit: unfortunately Barcelona is only seven days after Mugello. The maximum speeds speak for themselves. Now we have to work hard at home to be competitive again in Assen. 21 points from the leader in the standing are not a big problem”.

Alvaro Bautista, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 14th: “I tried to push from the first lap but the engine would not pull like it had I qualifying. Then I ran into tyre problems, we chose too soft a compound for the race.
The only positive thing I can take away from here is we have almost completely resolved the problems we had with the front end.”

Aleix Espargaro, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 15th: “This has been a very hard week for me not at all easy. We had a few problems at the beginning of practice but had found our way before final qualifying. This morning the bike was really good. I got a good start but at the fourth corner Masbou touched me and crashed. From then on I just raced hard and even though my tyres were finished at the end I raced with D Meglio. It was a hard last lap but I beat Di Meglio to get the last point.”

Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Racing: 16th: “My bike had a good maximum speed but I had problems in the corners where the engine lost power. I hoped to catch at least one point but Espargaro overtook me in the last corner”.

Toshihisa Kuzuhara, Angaia Racing Honda: 21st: “I couldn’t ride as well as I did yesterday in the corners. The engine was OK today and I was in a good position when I was hit by another rider on the back straight and that dropped me back into a slower group and I could not get away again.”

Sandro Cortese, Kiefer Boss Castrol Honda: 23rd: “For the first nine laps of the race everything was very good then I had the same front brake problem I had in final qualifying. Once the tyres started to go off I had to be slow into the corners and use our good acceleration to get off the corners to beat the riders I was with.”

Raymond Schouten, Molenaar Honda: 25th: “I’m a little bit disappointed. I got a good start but Olive crashed at the first corner and I had to go into the gravel trap to miss him. When I got back on track I was second last. After that I just tried as hard as I could and passed some riders. My lap times were good and but for the incident wit Olive I could have been close to the points. That was the best I have ridden all season and it ame at the right time because the next ace is at my home track at Assen.”