2005 MotoGP: AUSTRALIA

2005 MotoGP : MotoGP MotoGP R15 of 17, Oct 16, 2005, AUSTRALIA

• Phillip Island, Australia
• 4.5 km (2.7 ml) circuit;
• fast circuit (2nd fastest to Assen); often windy; fast left turns
• 27 lap race
• lap record: 1m 31.984s Biaggi 2001
• 2004 RESULT:
• 1 Valentino Rossi, ITA, Yamaha M1
• 2 Sete Gibernau , SPA, Honda
• 3 Loris Capirossi, ITA, Honda
• 4 Colin Edwards, USA, Honda
  5 Alex Barros, BRA, Honda
  6 Nicky Hayden, USA, Honda
• PREVIOUS WINNERS

  2004 winner: V Rossi, Yamaha
  2003 winner: V Rossi, Honda
  2002 winner: V Rossi, Honda
  2001 winner: V Rossi, Honda
  2000 winner: M Biaggi, Yamaha
• VERMEULEN'S MotoGP DEBUT - HE'LL RIDE IN PLACE OF BAYLISS
  "It's especially exciting to be able to ride Honda's RC211V at Phillip Island. It's always good to ride at home because we only get one race there each year - nice to have friends and family there to support. Phillip Island is one of the best circuits in the world; it's fast and flowing and that really suits my riding style. You get a great view of the ocean coming down the start-finish straight, but maybe I won't get the chance to appreciate that so much on a factory Honda GP machine at something like 320kph! I've always struggled a bit on the two hairpins but that's mostly because of the way I've had the bike set up. Because the rest of the circuit is so fast, there always has to be a bit of a compromise. Otherwise I love the place and Lukey Heights has to be one of my three favourite corners anywhere."
• TROY BAYLISS REJOINS WORLD SUPERBIKE DUCATI TEAM FOR 2006:
  Troy Bayliss will go back to World Superbike championship after 3 years in MotoGP. He'll rejoin the factory Ducati team with whom he won the title back in 2001. He and Lorenzo Lanzi will replace the current rider line up of James Toseland and Regis Laconi.
  BAYLISS: "The biggest thing is that it feels like I'm coming home ... I'm really looking forward to hopping back on a Ducati Superbike. Even though the bike has changed quite a lot, the engine is still very similar and has been much improved since I've been away so it's a built-in package already waiting there for me. I have a lot of good memories from the past and I aim to continue having more of them ... I've been there and done it before, it's still all in the memory bank so hopefully I can come back and have a good season next year. It's going to be awesome and I just can't wait to start. The championship is looking strong now, all the manufacturers are back and it's going to be great to be there with Ducati and challenge all the other guys for the title".

RACE RESULT

• 1 Valentino Rossi, Yamaha 41' 8.542
  2 Nicky Hayden, Honda +1.007
  “That was a tough race and I enjoyed it. Valentino was setting a good pace so I just sat there. It all felt good running at that speed – just nice and comfortable. A couple of times Rossi picked up the pace and I could respond. Then the others caught up and me and Marco battled a bit and just gave a slight advantage to Valentino. You can’t give a guy like him a one-second lead round here with a few laps to go."
  3 Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati +4.215
  4 M. Melandri Honda ITA +4.232
  5 S. Gibernau Honda ESP +14.088
  6 C. Edwards Yamaha USA +33.200
  7 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN +45.055
  8 M. Tamada Honda JPN +45.103
  9 T. Elias Yamaha ESP +45.104
  10 J. Hopkins Suzuki USA +50.260
  11 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS +50.697
  12 R. Xaus Yamaha ESP +1' 8.324
  13 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA +1' 31.737
  14 J. Ellison Blata WCM GBR +1 lap(s)
  15 F. Battaini Blata WCM ITA +1 lap(s)

YAMAHA RACE REPORT: Yamaha clinches constructors' crown with Rossi's 11th win

• Yamaha completed a clean sweep for 2005 today as the Constructors' World Championship was added to the Riders' and Teams' titles thanks to Valentino Rossi's eleventh win of the season at Phillip Island. The Gauloises Yamaha Team rider held off a strong challenge from Nicky Hayden (Honda) to continue his undefeated run at this circuit, which stretches back to 2001.
• Rossi started well from second on the grid and chased pole setter Hayden over the opening two laps before taking the lead and making several attempts to escape. However the American hung on and was presented with the opportunity to retake the lead when Rossi dropped the pace at the halfway stage. After studying Hayden for three laps, Rossi regained control on lap nineteen and managed to open out a one-second cushion as Hayden became embroiled in a scrap with Marco Melandri (Honda).
  Hayden eventually got the better of the Italian but Rossi was able to control his lead until the end of the race, winning by 1.007 seconds.
• Colin Edwards remains in the hunt for second in the riders' championship after a battling sixth place finish today. The Texan had struggled all weekend to match the excellent pace he found here during pre-season testing and was unable to hang on to the front group after starting from fifth on the grid. Edwards now lies in fourth place overall, eight points behind Hayden and Melandri, who are tied for second with two rounds remaining.
• Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha team) 1st
  "It has been an amazing season and today we have won the constructors' title for Yamaha in the year of their 50th Anniversary, so I am very happy. Congratulations to everybody. Eleven wins in the year matches my own record and to do it at Phillip Island is very special for me. I have won a lot of important races here, especially the 2001 500cc title and the title last year for Yamaha and it is a magic track for me - I love it.
  Today was tough, I had a great rival in Nicky Hayden and it was a great race. I got to the front after two laps and had a good rhythm so I pushed two or three times to escape. Every time Nicky came with me so I let him pass me just to see how it was. Then some more riders arrived so I tried again and this time I managed to get a one second advantage, which was like gold! I managed to hold it until the last lap and to celebrate the win in front of this great crowd is always a magnificent pleasure. Thank you to them and to everybody else who has made this season so special."
• Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 6th
  "That wasn't great. We've been chasing our tail a little bit all weekend with the set-up and unfortunately we ran out of time and ideas. In the winter everything seemed okay here but this time we've been playing catch-up. In the end we went towards Valentino's setting, which was obviously working well for him, but for me it was just spinning up too much, even with the front wheel off the ground, which isn't normal. I want to thank the whole team for their hard work and congratulate Yamaha for the constructors' title. It's just a shame it didn't work out for me today."
• Jeremy Burgess - Valentino Rossi's crew chief
  "It's been a good weekend for us, starting off with some fast and consistent times on Friday and Saturday and then staying in good shape as the other riders got better in the build-up to the race. Valentino controlled the race today and gave another example of why he is World Champion - he rides with his head as much as his wrist. It was nice for the Australian guys in the team to win their home race but more than that we are delighted for Yamaha to win the constructors' title. It was our only remaining target for the season so now we can look forward to the last two rounds and see what comes up."

2005 250cc WORLD CHAMPION: D PEDROSA

• Dani Pedrosa: “Well, I wasn’t thinking about winning the World Championship when I got up this morning all I wanted was to have a good race. I don’t like this track and we had struggled with the set up in practice. In the opening laps I was a little worried about the front tyre. Stoner’s crash also put De Angelis out and Lorenzo led but Porto passed him so I had went with him because I knew Porto would push hard all the way. I got onto his rear wheel to follow him and stayed there I thought that for sure with the 20-points for second place it would make it impossible for Stoner in the championship. Coming onto the last straight I caught Porto’s slipstream and passed him before the line. This title is very special because it was a tough championship. My crash in practice at Motegi left me with a cracked bone in my shoulder I saw it on the photo but I didn’t say anything to the team because they might not have let me race, or worried about me. It was difficult to race in Malaysia and Qatar but I flew home to Barcelona for treatment and arrived here in better shape. The press and some other riders criticised me for my performances and that made me angry. So I am especially pleased with this title.”
• Alberto Puig, Team manager MoviStar Honda: “These last few weeks have been a little bit stressful for us but we never doubted Dani at any time. It was an exceptional day for us. Even in the closing stages of the race I thought Dani would clinch the title. It’s difficult to say if this is the best championship title of the three the team have won but it is very special.”

QUALIFYING: HAYDEN ON POLE

• His 3rd MotoGP pole. He set a new lap record of 1 min 29.337 seconds.
• Casey Stoner is on 250cc pole - he'll turn 20 on race day Sunday
• VERMEULEN'S MotoGP DEBUT - HE'LL RIDE IN PLACE OF INJURED BAYLISS*
• ROSSI AIMING FOR 5TH CONSECUTIVE WIN AT PHILLIP ISLAND
• CAPIROSSI & ROBERTS TO MISS RACE:
  KENNY ROBERTS HAS FRACTURED HIS WRIST DURING PRACTICE ; CAPIROSSI HAS INTERNAL BRUISING

GRID, OCT 15, 2005 (2004 pole: 1m 30.1)

• 1. Nicky Hayden, Honda 1m 29.337 *** new lap record ***
  "Everything felt really good today with the bike and the grip"
• 2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha +0.106
  "Congratulations to Nicky, that was a fantastic time. But we'll see how the race pans out. I hope we've saved our best for Sunday."
• 3. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Honda +0.39
• 4. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati +0.43
• 5. Colin Edwards (US) Yamaha
• 6. Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda
• 7. Toni Elias (SPA) Yamaha
• 8. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda
• 9. Makoto Tamada (JAP) Honda
• 10. Shinya Nakano (JAP) Kawasaki
• 11 Hopkins 12 Barros 13 Jacque 14 Vermeulen
• 15 Xaus 16 Rolfo 17 Ellison 18 Battaini

FRI PRACTICE, OCT 14, 2005 (2004 pole: 1m 30.1)

SESSION 2

• 1 Valentino Rossi, Yamaha M1 1m 30.349
  “This was a fantastic first day for us, especially the afternoon. In the race at Sepang a few weeks ago we had a few problems even though we had been very fast in preseason, and here it has been the opposite way around. We had a few difficulties in the morning but we worked them out in the afternoon and found a really good setting. The balance of the bike is excellent and when you have a good feeling at this circuit you can have a lot of fun. It is an old style track – very fast and very technical – and you need courage to set a quick lap time. Normally we start the weekend behind a few people but today we’ve been in front and held the advantage all afternoon so I’m really happy. We have some more work to do tomorrow, mainly with the rear tyre, but at the moment the pace is good. The motivation in the team is still very strong even though we already won the championship and we want to stay that way for the final three races of the season.”
  2 Carlos Checa, Ducati +0.27
  "We did a good job all day, focusing on race set-up. We didn't even use qualifying tyres at the end of the afternoon because we lost some time in the morning because the track was damp for the first few minutes, so we wanted to devote all our time to race settings and race tyre choice. We have some clear conclusions from the tyre tests we've done, we are going in the right direction, so if we can continue like this the result will come. The Desmosedici definitely likes this track - it is fast and it's stable, which is what you need here."
  3 Nicky Hayden, Honda
  4 Gibernau
  5 Barros
  6 Melandri 7 Edwards 8 Elias 9 Biaggi 10 Hopkins
  11 Tamada 12 Nakano 13 Capirossi 14 Xaus 15 Vermeulen 16 Jacque

SESSION 1

• 1 Sete Gibernau Honda 1m 31.55
  2 Alex Barros 1m 31.71
  3 Checa 1m 31.76
  4 Rossi 1m 32.02
  5 Edwards
  6 Melandri 7 Hopkins 8 Hayden 9 Biaggi 10 Capirossi
  11 Tamada 12 Elias 13 Nakano 14 Roberts 15 Vermeulen

KENNY ROBERTS TO MISS RACE AFTER CRASH/WRIST INJURY: “The bike felt better today than it did in testing in January which is a positive step forward in development for Suzuki. As far as the session and the crash go there is not a lot that makes sense at the moment. I thought initially there would have been a mechanical failure or something to that effect, because I’ve never high-sided going 200k’s at the end of the straight like that before. The guys are looking over the bike now but there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong. It’s disappointing to have a crash that takes you out for the whole weekend when you didn’t do anything to cause you to fall down in such a way – it just happened! Loris Capirossi had a similar sort of crash and high-sided at speed in the same place as I did. I’ve heard that he thought the same as I did - that it was something mechanical, so I don’t know whether it was just a chain of events or circumstances that led up to it. We were in the top three during the session and I was still on used tyres so I know what the situation would have been for the weekend, and I was looking forward to a strong finish. I’d like to thank Dr Wei and everybody at the medical centre. I was having a bit of a hard time when I first got there and was struggling to stay in the situation because I had hit my head pretty hard when I got thrown around. Dean, Gerry Biasi, the doctors and everybody from the team were great and tried to make everything as comfortable as possible. We will now try everything we can to get better from here and try to get back as soon as possible.”

PREVIEW:

• ROSSI, YAMAHA: "Australia is one of my favourite countries. I always have a good time in Melbourne and in Phillip Island and once I made a trip to Surfers Paradise with some of my team. I really like the country and I always have fun there. It's an important race for me because most of my mechanics are Australian so it's their home race, like Mugello is for me.
• “Phillip Island is a great track, maybe my absolute favourite, and I have some wonderful memories of racing there. Winning the 500cc championship for the first time in 2001 was very special and of course winning the championship for Yamaha last year, which was probably the best title of them all. The track is very fast, very beautiful, and the Yamaha seems to work well there.
• “I have had some great, great battles there in the past - two years ago I managed to escape from Capirossi but last year was a hard battle with Gibernau until the last lap. In some parts I was faster than him and some other places slower and for sure it was a lot of fun for everybody watching. I have many rivals who can do well at Phillip Island so we will see this weekend.
• “Sometimes the weather is not so good and I hope it's a bit warmer than last year! Still, I am looking forward to it. We had some small problems testing there in the winter but when we tested at Sepang everything was great but during the race weekend we had some problems, so I hope that for Phillip Island it's the opposite!"
• BIAGGI, HONDA: "All I can really hope for is that we can find something good for this weekend. It has been really hard over the last few races. I just can't understand why things change so much. One race the bike is great like at Motegi. We get a great podium and at last I feel that there is some hope for the rest of the season, then we go to Sepang where I usually go well and it was a disaster as it was in Doha. I wish we can find a good solution for Phillip Island. I have won there in the past and for sure it is an amazing circuit to win at. Every view is just like a post card; it is spectacular and I only hope that from Friday morning in first qualifying we can report back some good news to give my fan club, who are always so supportive, something to be proud of."
• BARROS, HONDA: “Phillip Island is a track I really like, it's one of the best on the calendar; it's fast, technical, with super-fast corners where the front of the bike is worked really hard, and as such has to be set up perfectly. So I hope that, with Michelin's help after a week of being able to analyse the problems we have had in the last few races, we can get back to finding a good set-up between the tyre-forks combination. Compared to Qatar and Malaysia, Phillip Island will be a lot cooler, so conditions will be very different. We'll see, I hope to have a good race.”
• VERMEULEN, HONDA - MOTOGP DEBUT: " It's especially exciting to be able to ride Honda's RC211V at Phillip Island. It's always good to ride at home because we only get one race there each year - nice to have friends and family there to support. Phillip Island is one of the best circuits in the world; it's fast and flowing and that really suits my riding style. You get a great view of the ocean coming down the start-finish straight, but maybe I won't get the chance to appreciate that so much on a factory Honda GP machine at something like 320kph! I've always struggled a bit on the two hairpins but that's mostly because of the way I've had the bike set up. Because the rest of the circuit is so fast, there always has to be a bit of a compromise. Otherwise I love the place and Lukey Heights has to be one of my three favourite corners anywhere."
• Sito Pons (Camel Honda): “It's a real shame that Troy hasn't recovered in time for his home Grand Prix in Australia. We hope he is able to make a speedy recovery. In his place we have another Australian this weekend, Chris Vermeulen, who is a really quick rider but we mustn't forget that it is his MotoGP debut. I think the fact that he knows the track so well will help him in his first experience on board the RC211V, and he can also rely upon an experienced team of expert technicians. We will also be trying our hardest to get the feeling back that Alex has missed in the last two or three races, and that should see him back on the pace.”
• HAYDEN, HONDA: “Phillip Island is a fantastic place. It was somewhere I had heard of when I was a kid and I was so excited to go there for the first time testing back at the start of 2003. It's a real riders track. If you like riding bikes fast then you have to like it there. The last long fast left hand turn onto the start finish straight is one of my favourite corners on any track in the world. But it's not just the track; it's the atmosphere around the place as well and of course it was the circuit I stood on a MotoGP podium first as well which has special memories. This weekend I'm just focused on getting off to a good start early. It hasn't happened recently and I guess we just got lucky with the race day set-up at Doha as we hadn't been too good up to there. I moved up in the points table with the podium and further up is where I want to finish. It's all pretty tight and these last few races are going to be so competitive."
• EDWARDS, YAMAHA: “Phillip Island I like, Valencia also, and we don’t know what to expect from Turkey so my mind is still set on winning one of those races and taking second in the championship. I’ve got a lot of family in Australia and obviously my connection with the country is very strong. Phillip Island is a race I always look forward to going to for those reasons and this year is no different. As for the circuit, we had a good test there in preseason and it is fast, which is the kind of track I have always liked. It has a bit of everything, from fifth gear to first, elevation, positive and negative camber, slow turns, fast turns… all in the space of ten corners! But the biggest thing for me right now is that we learn from the problems we had in the race at Qatar. If we don’t then it doesn’t matter how much I like the track!”

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