Rossi Takes Another Victory At Mugello :: 07-06-2005

Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi produced one of the best performances of his career today as he outwitted a trio of Italian compatriots to take a stunning home victory at Mugello. The World Champion was passed by a handful of riders from pole position but fought his way aggressively through the pack to lead the way at the end of the first lap. Chased by Marco Melandri, Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi (all Honda) in the opening stages, Rossi set an electric pace but was unable to shake off his pursuers. He was passed by Melandri on the 11th lap as he began to struggle with front-end problems.

By that time Gibernau had already crashed out of the race and it was left to Loris Capirossi (Ducati) to join in the combat and provide a home crowd of over 90,000 with a thrilling all-Italian battle. Biaggi grabbed the lead on the 17th lap but was stalked all the way by Rossi, who planned his move to perfection and passed his rival with just three laps remaining, opening up a crucial advantage that saw him take the chequered flag by 0.359 seconds. The fight for the final podium position raged behind them, with Capirossi clinching third place after holding off an attack from Melandri in the last corner.

Whilst Rossi's win extends his championship lead to 49 points, his Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards continued to struggle with the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine today and could only manage ninth place. However, the American will look to bounce back as the season continues at the Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona next weekend.

In the lead up to the Spanish Grand Prix Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) finished a credible 14th after a lonely race ahead of Kenny Roberts (Suzuki). Meanwhile his temporary team-mate David Checa ended his MotoGP debut in 19th position after being forced to pit with traction issues. He returned to the fray to continue familiarizing himself with the M1 just in case Fortuna Yamaha rider Toni Elias is unable to make his comeback and Checa receives the opportunity to ride again in Barcelona.

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 1st

"That was an incredible race and the best possible finish for the crowd, with four Italian riders in the top four positions. It was a great battle - full of passes and full of attacks. In the beginning I tried to go alone but I had some problems with the front and decided just to concentrate on my rhythm. Then Melandri arrived and we had a great fight, also with Biaggi after that. We set a high pace to the finish, I made my attack with three laps to go and it worked so of course I am very happy. My team once again did a great job and everybody at Yamaha has worked so hard to provide me with the bike I wanted - this is our reward. I want to thank them and also the amazing crowd here at Mugello; it was an honour to race in front of them."

Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 9th

"It's hard to know what to say after a weekend like this because I'm as mystified as anyone else. We made a great start to the weekend on Friday morning but didn't seem to move on from there. Every refinement we made to the bike seemed to leave us in exactly the same position. Today my start was not good and I was way back at the first split. I passed about four people on the first lap but from then on it was an uphill battle. We made a lot of progress with the base set-up at Le Mans but we've struggled to get it working at this track - hopefully we can be back where we need to be in Barcelona."

Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director

"Another 25 points and another win! Of course, being an Italian team this is more special for us and to see all the fans from up on the podium was incredible. To win four of the first five races is a lot and, as Valentino said, it is a sign of the great job we are doing. Gibernau and Biaggi have both been in good shape to win races but they haven't been able to and we are proving very hard to beat. But there are 12 races left and we have to keep our concentration. Colin has had a difficult weekend but we will aim to get him back on the right path for Catalunya to find again the level of result he achieved in Le Mans."

Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 14th

"I didn't get a good start today and I found myself making a hard pass on Kenny Roberts to make up for it. I also had a good fight with Rolfo, but it took me a while to get past him because his Ducati is just so fast down the straight. By the time I did the group in front had already made a huge gap, so it was a lonely race. The main goal today was to finish in the points, and we did manage to do that. Because I kept a good rhythm I've managed to get more comfortable on the bike and that put me in a good frame of mind for Barcelona."

David Checa (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 19th

"I had some problem with the rear of the bike so I had to come into the pits. Even though I knew I would be one lap down I wanted to spend more time on the bike so I went back out. I'm happy with the way the weekend went - the practices and the qualifying. But I always knew the race would be hard given the limited time I have spent on the bike. I hope Yamaha was happy too. I wish Toni all the best with his recovery and hope that he's ready to return for the next race, but if he's not ready to ride I'd be more than happy to give it another go in Barcelona."

ace classification MotoGP

• 1 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 42' 42.994
• 2 M. Biaggi Honda ITA +0.359
• 3 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA +3.874
• 4 M. Melandri Honda ITA +3.979
• 5 C. Checa Ducati ESP +7.898
• 6 N. Hayden Honda USA +8.204
• 7 A. Barros Honda BRA +11.572
• 8 M. Tamada Honda JPN +25.394
• 9 C. Edwards Yamaha USA +25.485
• 10 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN +36.549
• 11 J. Hopkins Suzuki USA +41.637
• 12 A. Hofman Kawasaki GER +43.659
• 13 T. Bayliss Honda AUS +43.916
• 14 R. Xaus Yamaha ESP +51.575
• 15 K. Roberts Suzuki USA +1' 10.275
• 16 S. Byrne Proton KR GBR +1' 12.582
• 17 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA +1' 13.047
• 18 F. Battaini Blata WCM ITA +1 lap(s)
• 19 D. Checa Yamaha ESP +1 lap(s)