2005 MotoGP: MUGELLO, ITALY

2005 MotoGP : MotoGP R5 of 17: June 5, 2005, MUGELLO, ITALIAN GP

CIRCUIT:

• Mugello, Italy
• 5.245 km circuit near Florence; circuit owned by Ferrari
• fast, flowing circuit
• 23 lap race
• 2004 winner: Rossi, Yamaha; 2003 pole: Gibernau, Honda
• 2003 winner: Rossi, Honda
• 2002 winner: Rossi, Honda
• 2001 winner: Alex Barros, Honda
• 2000 winner: Loris Capirossi, Honda
• CHECA TO MAKE MOTOGP DEBUT
  World endurance rider David Checa will ride in place of injured Toni Elias

RACE RESULT: JUNE 5, 2005, Temp: 27ºC

• 1 Valentino Rossi, ITA, Yamaha
• 2 Max Biaggi, ITA
  “I have to say this is a nice welcome back to me from the first row on Saturday to the podium in front of my home crowd"
• 3 Loris Capirossi, ITA
  “I am happy to finish third for the first time with Ducati this year"
• 4 M Melandri, ITA
• 5 C Checa, SPA, Ducati
• 6 N Hayden, USA, Honda
• 7 A Barros, BRA, Honda
• 8 M Tamada, JAP, Honda
• 9 C Edwards, USA, Yamaha
• 10 S Nakano. JAP, Kawasaki
• 11. Hopkins 12. Hofmann
• 13. Bayliss: “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.”
• 14. Xaus 15. Roberts
• DNF: GIBERNAU - crash

RACE REPORT, YAMAHA

• Valentino Rossi, 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."

Rossi clinches dramatic home victory at Mugello

• 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.
• 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."

QUALIFYING:

GRID, JUN 4, 2005, TEMP 26ºC

• 1 Valentino Rossi, Yamaha 1m 49.223 *** new lap record ***
• 2 Sete Gibernau, Honda 1m 49.361
• 3 Max Biaggi 1m 49.458
• 4 Hayden
• 5 Hopkins
• 6 Capirossi
• 7 Melandri
• 8 C Checa
• 9 Nakano
• 10 Tamada
• 11 Roberts 12 Edwards 13 Barros 14 Hofmann 15 Xaus 16 D Checa
• 17 Bayliss 18 Byrne 19 Rolfo 20 Ellison 21 Battaini

YAMAHA QUALIFYING REPORT:

Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi delighted his army of fans at the Mugello circuit in Italy today with a stunning final lap that saw him seal a new pole position record and the front slot on the grid for tomorrow's fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship. The reigning World Champion was in second place behind Sete Gibernau (Honda, 1'49.361) with just two minutes remaining but made a last-gasp tyre change before returning to the track and clocking a time of 1'49.223 at the chequered flag.

The session did not end quite as spectacularly for his Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards, who set a decent race pace throughout the session but again struggled for rear grip when pushing for a fast time. Despite lapping less than a second off Rossi's pole lap the American rider, who qualified second at the last round at Le Mans before taking third in the race, will have to settle for a place on the fourth row of the grid tomorrow as he plots another characteristic charge through the field from 12th place. Rossi will be joined on the front row by Gibernau and Max Biaggi (Honda, 1'49.458).

Despite a couple of falls for the Fortuna Yamaha Team during qualifying - one a piece for Ruben Xaus and David Checa - both riders ended the session happy with their times in what was a very close qualifying session. Xaus produced a 1'51.585 to be 15th fastest and Checa finished the day 16th with a 1'51.610 in his first MotoGP qualifier.

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 1st, 1'49.223 : "It was a very difficult session but at the end very good - I'm happy. It was a great practice and a hard battle for this important pole position. At the beginning we started to work on the bike for tomorrow and at the end I tried with a qualifying tyre. I was already quite fast with the first one but then I took the second one and went a little bit faster. I saw I was in second position and I knew I didn't have much time to stop but I came in two and a half minutes from the end and the team did a great job to change the tyre in a short time. It gave me the chance to use the last lap and I was able to improve a little bit and take pole - it was a great job from the team. Tomorrow will be a hard race for everybody. There are a lot of riders near to me so we need to set the bike to the maximum in the morning."

Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 12th, 1'50.176: "We've tried everything today but we just weren't able to squeeze the extra bit of speed out that we needed. The temperature change from the morning to the afternoon is incredible and the grip levels change so much that the rear was even moving around on the qualifying tyre - we couldn't make anything stick. It's definitely not for a lack of trying and it's frustrating to see the team working so hard for 12th place. We're less than a second off pole and still on the fourth row, which is amazing really, but we'll see what we can come up with in the warm-up and take it from there."

Jeremy Burgess, Valentino Rossi's crew chief: "I suppose you could say it was business as usual! Valentino came in at the perfect time for the tyre change and put in another wonderful lap, which is what we expect from him. We started the weekend with more or less the bike we wanted after the Le Mans test and have only had to make minor adjustments, such as changing the spring settings to cope with the extra G-force in the corners here. It is always really useful to test after a race and the bike is getting better and better with every Grand Prix. We enjoyed this afternoon but it's always fun when you're winning!"

Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 15th, 1'51.585: "I'm really happy with our performance this weekend. I am giving everything I have, trying to give my best every time I go out on the track. I didn't look at my times during that session, I just focused on my riding and concentrated on getting the bike to work the way I wanted. My strategy tomorrow is simple - get as many points as I can."

David Checa (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 16th, 1'51.610:"I went out with a new base set-up and suddenly I felt very comfortable on the bike. I still need to understand these MotoGP race tyres better, but I am feeling very confident on the softer tyres we used in qualifying. A few minutes from the end of the session I saw Carlos (Checa), my brother, come by and I tried to follow him. Unfortunately I fell. Yesterday this happened because of a silly mistake, today it was because I was pushing hard. I can manage to do the odd fast lap, but I am struggling a little with doing them consistently. It means the race will be tough tomorrow, but I am still looking forward to it."

FRI, PRACTICE 2, JUN 3, 2005; Temp 30ºC

• 1 Sete Gibernau Honda 1m 50.662
  “The rhythm we set today wasn’t bad but I’m hopeful of improving it tomorrow if the weather stays good. We also have to choose which tyre we’re going to use, which will be very important for the race.”
• 2 Max Biaggi 1m 50.680
• 3 Carlos Checa 1m 50.81
• 4 Rossi
  "The bike was good in the morning which makes me very happy because it seems we now have a base setting that works at every track. The conditions were perfect for our sport - no wind, some sunshine but not too hot. In the afternoon it was much warmer and we had some problems because the tyre was moving around a lot more. Anyway, I'm very happy to be third fastest overall today and it's a good start to the weekend for us. I hope the weather stays like this because the rain has followed us around for the first part of the season. There are a lot of people here already and we want to put on a good show for them!"
• 5 Capirossi
• 6 Barros
  “I didn’t feel too much pain today, but it took me a while to shake off the rustiness after two weeks of being immobilised. I’m used to training regularly between one race and another, and when I can’t do it, I can feel the difference straight away. Nevertheless it has been quite a good day, because in comparison to this morning we have improved the set-up of the bike. In the first session it was tough to turn, and to round off the corners well, but luckily we have quickly found the right direction to go in. There is still work to be done, but in the last minutes of this afternoon the bike was riding well, and I was able to be more incisive. Tomorrow we need to choose the tyre for the race and to try and improve our pace. I’m confident that we are on the right track.”
• 7 Hayden
• 8 Edwards
  "We picked up where we left off at Le Mans and tried a few different things with the setting of the bike. We've decided to go down a particular avenue, which we still believe is the right way, but we've just got to stick at it to make sure it works. At the moment I'm getting into the corners okay but I'm having a bit of difficulty getting out again, which is crucial at this track - particularly the last corner coming onto the straight. We're trying to understand a lot of things but we're getting there and I'm confident we can take the steps we need tomorrow. I'm lapping in mid 1'51s on the current setting but I reckon a good race pace is going to be in the 1'50s, so we need to take at least half a second off - more would be nice!"
• 9 Melandri
• 10 Tamada
• 11 Nakano 12 Roberts 13 Hopkins 14 Xaus 15 Hofmann 16 Bayliss

YAMAHA FRI PRACTICE REPORT:

• The Gauloises Yamaha Team's challenge for success at the Italian Grand Prix began with a day of hard work at Mugello today as riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards completed valuable set-up work with their YZR-M1 machines. Following on from successful tests with the base setting of the machines at Le Mans after the last round, the riders quickly found their feet today and began making minor refinements to suit the fast and flowing Mugello circuit.
• After making a positive start to the morning free practice, when they set the first and sixth fastest times respectively, Rossi and Edwards were hindered by the increasing track temperatures in the scorching afternoon sunshine and were unable to improve their times in the second free practice - dropping to third and ninth overall as they encountered minor rear traction problems. However, both riders are confident of making the necessary improvements tomorrow.
• Sete Gibernau (Honda) and Max Biaggi (Honda) were the only riders capable of bettering Rossi's morning time, with Gibernau clocking the fastest effort of the day with a lap of 1'50.662.
• For David Checa, brother of fourth fastest man Carlos Checa (Ducati), it was a positive debut ride with the Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1. The young Spaniard enjoyed the speed and handling of the championship winning machine, despite a late afternoon fall.
• Davide Checa replaces the injured Toni Elías, who is still recovering from an injury sustained during a day of tests following the French Grand Prix at Le Mans. Elías underwent an operation in Barcelona after fracturing the radius and scaphoid of his left wrist and rupturing the ligaments that link the triquetral bone and the radius. The rider also fractured the outside of his left fibula and his leg was put in a cast.

BEFORE RACE:

HONDA REPORT

• Max Biaggi: “The Grand Prix of Italy is something special. Competition is in the air, you can feel people's passion and the track is so technical and spectacular at the same time. There are few other places that reward riding so greatly. At Mugello I have always ridden great races and I really hope that next Sunday the positive result my team and I are looking for will come. We've been working hard and we deserve much more than what we have picked up until today. I'm also looking forward to seeing my fans as always at the Casanova Savelli's hill. I would really like to give a smile to my team, my fans and, why not, to myself too.”
• Sete Gibernau: "I am taking on the Italian Grand Prix with my usual motivation. I am sure of my potential and the potential of my team. It will be a difficult race as the Italian riders, riding for their home fans, will have an extra motivation factor. Mugello isn't really a track I particularly love, but this is irrelevant as every time I get onto the race track, I am there to race. I have many Italian fans and it would be a wonderful gift for my Italian mechanics and for my team if I win here."
• Nicky Hayden: "I'm looking forward to getting back out there after this short spring break which actually has been pretty busy with a whole load of promotional pre-US GP work. Although the last race was not too good we had a good test right after and I'm hopeful we found some things that should work well in Mugello. The circuit was quite hard to learn but it's surely one of the most incredible circuits I've ever seen with a fantastic atmosphere over the race weekend. It's built on an impressive site, on top of a hill, and it needs a very good set-up for a good lap time. We qualified there okay last year but I crashed out in the race so we didn't make the finish. The schedule is pretty mad in June with three races so it'll be important to start the month well and get a good momentum."
• Alex Barros #4: “After Le Mans I went to Brazil for a couple of weeks, where I have undergone lots of physiotherapy to recover from the back pain I’ve been suffering from after the crash in France. I still haven’t got rid of it completely, so I’m not moving freely, but I’ll only find out whether I can ride at 100% or not once I get on the bike. I am obviously hoping that I can be in decent shape, because I love the track; it’s fast and technical, and one of the best in the world. I know that I’ve ridden in worse physical conditions than this though, so I’m intending to be up there with the Italians on Sunday, because they are always highly motivated to go well there.”
• Troy Bayliss #12: “The tests we did in Le Mans after the race went well, and I left France more happy with the answers we found. On Sunday we’ll ride at Mugello, a track I really like and where I have lots of experience. The race was great there last year, I enjoyed myself and even though I haven’t ridden the Honda there before, I’m sure I can put in a good race on Sunday.”

DUCATI REPORT

• CAPIROSSI: “Mugello is a great track and I still have great memories of 2003, when we finished second on the first Desmosedici. I love the track, so does the bike and I'm confident that the Bridgestones will be really good there. Mugello is always a major challenge for riders and engineers, because there is so much to understand. You need a very well-balanced bike, so you have confidence to attack the fast, downhill corners with negative camber and bumps. My favourite part of the circuit is Arrabbiata, especially the final part, because it's really fast, bumpy and difficult, plus the exit over the brow of the hill is totally blind. When you get it right it's a real thrill!"
• CHECA: "I've always really liked the character of the Mugello circuit, and I think it should work well for the Ducati and me. The track is very fast and so is the bike! It should go well there, though we'll be working to improve the way the bike steers through the high-speed changes of direction. This is one area of performance we've been working on, though overall the bike is performing really well for me at the moment. I feel really fast and comfortable on it - all I need now is a little luck! We are also working on tyres with Bridgestone, they're doing a good job, always moving forward. It will be great to race a Ducati in Italy for the first time. I know the fans really get into it at Mugello, so I want a really good result for them and, of course, for Ducati and myself."

YAMAHA REPORT

• ROSSI: “Mugello is always the busiest weekend of the year for me, but the most important thing is what happens on the track. Of course Mugello is very special because it is my home race, and I hope a lot of people will come. Last year was unbelievable – it was hard to explain the emotion I felt when I heard the crowds cheering for me on the last few laps. It’s nice to arrive there on top of the championship and hopefully we can put on a good show.”
• EDWARDS: “I’ve got a lot of fans in Italy after the win at Imola in 2002 and I always enjoy going back there. My chief mechanic is Italian, most of the team are too and we’re based just down the road from Mugello, so it’s a big race to do well in. Obviously it is Valentino’s home Grand Prix, which also makes it special. It pretty much goes crazy wherever he is in the world, so in Italy it should be bananas!. At the test we played around with the suspension and the mapping to try to find ways to make the bike easier to ride and more forgiving. It’s definitely getting better. We tested some tyres, found a new front that we’re happy with and spent a lot of time on the settings, so that we can hopefully just fire away when we get to Mugello. I’m 100% positive that we’ve found a good setting to enable us to get there and be quick from the start – just like we did at Le Mans. It’s been a tough start to the year for me but a lot of things came together in France and now we just want to take the next step on from there.”
• 2004 MotoGP race summary
  Valentino Rossi held his nerve and maintained his race-long aggression to outpace his rivals not once but twice at Mugello during the 2004 Italian Grand Prix. In doing so he seized his second win since joining Yamaha, in outstanding style. The initial race was stopped with five laps remaining after rain interfered. Ultimately a six-lap restart would determine the final classification of the race, with the first section now nullified under the 2004 rules.
• Rossi, who'd led Sete Gibernau's Honda on the last of the laps in the first running, repeated the trick in seemingly impossible damp conditions while on slicks. The 25-year-old (at the time) from Tavullia won by 0.361 seconds in the restart. With treacherous conditions to deal with Rossi was last in a six-rider group at one stage, before asserting his class and quality to outrun Gibernau and third placed Max Biaggi (Honda) in what proved to be a sprint race run on a knife-edge.
• If the second running was a minor classic, the opener was conducted on a no less grand scale. Rossi drew roars from the crowd as he took the advantage from the start, leading into the first corner with his great Italian rival Biaggi in second place. A huge 300kmh crash on the main straight for Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) saw debris littering the track surface; the Japanese rider escaped serious injury by a whisker, although the race continued until the rains descended on lap 17.
• 2005 MotoGP Set-up report YZR-M1
  Located in the beautiful Tuscan hills, Mugello boasts a sequence of undulating medium to high-speed corners combined with a straight where even the former 500 two-strokes were capable of producing an outright top speed of 315kmh. The four strokes are now comfortably pushing beyond the 240kmh barrier.
• Although picturesque, the Italian circuit has a reputation as a very demanding venue on chassis set-up and engine performance. In fact Mugello is a circuit that requires the best from every aspect of a race motorcycle. The main aim for each team will be to find a balanced geometry that will provide the rider with the ability to change direction quickly through the high-speed switchbacks, and especially through the tricky right-hander at the end of the main straight. This corner, to some extent, is the key to a fast time around Mugello as it influences the next sequence of turns dramatically. Make a mistake in this area and the lap-time will pay the price through the next series of turns.
• Yamaha's chassis technicians will also need to provide a front-end which will offer the rider the feedback while braking into the numerous downhill Mugello turns. This is especially the case onto the front straight as it influences corner exit speed and eventual top speed.
• The set-up involves lowering the front of the M1 to improve front-end feel and lighten the handling response through the chicanes. Mugello doesn't require a front-end to be dialed in as firm, regarding fork springs, as some circuits, but still the braking needs aren't quite as extreme - especially at the end of the mai9n straight. There is no major issue concerning bumps entering the turns, as at some circuits of similar age, resulting in a more linear medium-damping characteristic, a must to aid feel.
• Where bumps are an issue will be on the exit of the turns. To ensure Yamaha riders will be able to find the necessary drive a medium to high rear spring-rate will be used, along with progressive rear suspension linkage rates. It will also be necessary to prevent squatting as riders wind the power on in the well-banked, high G-force corners.
• David Checa to race at Mugello with Fortuna Yamaha
  Reigning World Endurance Champion David Checa will compete in the Italian Grand Prix next weekend with the Fortuna Yamaha Team. The Spanish rider will replace Toni Elías, who is still recovering from an injury sustained during a day of tests following the French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
• Elías underwent an operation in Barcelona after fracturing the radius and scaphoid of his left wrist and rupturing the ligaments that link the triquetral bone and the radius. The rider also fractured the outside of his left fibula and his leg was put in a cast. According to Doctor Xavier Mir from the Instituto Dexeus in Barcelona, who has been responsible for the treatment issued to Elías, the Fortuna Yamaha rider requires a five-week recovery period from the time of the crash, assuming the injuries recover in a favorable manner.
• Elias' misfortune gives Checa the opportunity to make his debut in MotoGP, the world's premier motorcycle racing series, with a factory he already knows well. This season Checa and Yamaha already enjoyed a spectacular victory at the 24 Hours race at Le Mans.
• Checa, 25, competed in the 250cc World Championship from 2000 until 2002, firstly with Honda and then later with Aprilia, taking a best ever finish of sixth place in his final appearance at the 2002 Valencian Grand Prix. The rider from Sant Fruitós de Bages (Barcelona, Spain) has been racing since 1996 and regularly competes in four-stroke categories such as the World Endurance, Supersport and Superbike championships.
• David will travel to Mugello, Italy on Tuesday and will link up with the rest of the team directed by Hervé Poncharal. Antonio Jiménez, Chief Mechanic to Elías and previously to David's elder brother Carlos Checa, will be using all his MotoGP experience as he presides over David Checa's debut.
• Checa will also meet up with his new team-mate Ruben Xaus, who has only recently completed the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. The pair are already great friends and often train together riding Supermoto.
• This year, as well as his participation and victory in the Le Mans 24 hours, Checa was planning to compete in the Bol d'Or, which will take place at the Magny Cours circuit in France.