MotoGP 2006 - Round One

Valentino Rossi was the delighted victor of the 2006 Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar today, amidst strong winds and high temperatures at the Losail Circuit. The win is his second at the track, putting him on level terms with MotoGP legend Mick Doohan on 54 premier class victories.

Starting from sixth, the reigning World Champion got off well and worked his way through the field. He finally made his move on pole-man Casey Stoner on lap ten, passing the young Australian for first place whilst coming into the first corner.

After a hard duel with Rossi for the lead, Nicky Hayden extends his run of podium finishes to six, a record which started at the Losail Circuit back in October. He briefly led Rossi having pulled off an exciting overtaking manoeuvre on lap 19, only to see the Italian retake the position in the same place a lap later.

Loris Capirossi still leads the championship, having added to his win in Jerez with a third place in Qatar. The Ducati rider headed his team-mate Sete Gibernau, who had an inauspicious race but diligently went about his work to earn his first points of the season.

Casey Stoner couldn't quite maintain the speed which had seen him continually fastest at the Losail Circuit over the practice sessions, but led the race for a third of its duration. The Honda rider held out for a fifth place finish, still improving from his impressive debut place in Jerez.

A fierce battle raged behind the Australian, with Dani Pedrosa and Marco Melandri involved in a back-and-forth shootout for sixth place. After a series of thrilling exchanges, the Honda factory rookie Pedrosa eventually took the position.

Toni Elias started on the front row, but didn't start well and eventually finished eighth. The Spaniard had been suffering from gastroenteritis during the week, which made racing difficult for the young rider.

Two Americans completed the top ten, Colin Edwards coming in ahead of Kenny Roberts Jr, who had been fastest on Thursday in free practice.

Both Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen were forced to retire with mechanical problems, whilst a first lap crash for Randy de Puniet gave him an early exit from the race.

The lower cylinder classes were something of a repeat from the season curtain-raiser in Jerez, both having the same winners in Qatar. Jorge Lorenzo took victory ahead of a determined challenge from Andrea Dovizioso, in a near repeat of the tightest ever Grand Prix finish in 2004's 125 race at this track which featured the same two riders.

Roberto Locatelli had a phenomenal race, during which he took the holeshot, crashed his bike and then came back to earn third. He moved through the 250cc pack like a man possessed, and stepped onto the podium for the first time this season.

Hector Barbera came home fourth ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama, Sylvain Guintoli and Sebas Porto, whilst Marco Simoncelli and Yuki Takahashi snatched eighth and ninth spot on the last lap from Jakub Smrz, who was perhaps unlucky not to maintain the positions so close to the line after a steady ride.

Alvaro Bautista took his second victory in a row, with a video finish for second place between Mika Kallio and Sergio Gadea with the wind seriously affecting the 125 riders. The Spaniard broke the circuit record to add to his fastest pole time from yesterday. It is the first time that a rider has put together consecutive victories in the class since 2002.

A last lap battle between Kallio, Lukas Pesek and Pasini gave Gadea a chance to get away, but disaster struck for Derbi rider Pesek as he crashed onto the run-off area and lost the chance to repeat his podium finish from Jerez.

Mattia Pasini came in fourth, ahead of Pablo Nieto and Hector Faubel. Angel Rodriguez was ahead of a resurgent Thomas Luthi, who continues on the road to full recovery. Simone Corsi and Julian Simon completed the top ten.

1st, Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) :
"I’m very happy, it is a pleasure to equal Mick Doohan's record of wins, the numbers are always important. We came out of this difficult situation with the chattering problem so I need to thank Jeremy Burgess, all my mechanics and the Japanese engineers, who helped fix the bike. Today is for me the first race, after what happened in Jerez. Today the M1 was very good and I could push hard like I wanted. I was able to come back from a lower position on the grid and battle with Stoner and Nicky. Nicky had a great race, and I also saw Loris coming on strong so I thought I’d really have to push for the last two laps"

1st, Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) :
"I thought I wasn't going to do it. Being in front for so many laps is not good because the rider behind can watch you and decide what he wants to do. I tried to shake off Dovizioso but I could not manage it which worried me as he is a very clever rider who can take advantage at any moment. But I have won here again, just as I did in the 125s two years ago although the level is a bit higher this time. The wind made it difficult for us but the important thing is that we have two wins and have a little advantage in the championship already. The team is working together perfectly and now we just have to keep it up."

1st, Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) :
"It was very difficult, as it was so windy and hard to control the bike. I found a good rhythm and took the lead, getting used to the wind and I knew the others weren’t going to catch me and I’m really pleased to have broken the record for back to back wins in 125cc, but the record wasn’t my objective