MotoGP Race Results

Photo Courtesy Kawasaki Racing

Race Results - Rossi Pulls Out Yet Another One
Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi moved another step closer to the summit of the MotoGP World Championship today thanks to a breathtaking victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

After starting from pole position the Italian was part of an entertaining battle for positions over the first half of the race before breaking clear alongside compatriot Loris Capirossi (Ducati).  Just as they have done on so many occasions in the past, the pair became embroiled in a cat and mouse chase that had the 43,182 spectators on their feet until the very last lap.

With half a lap of the Sepang circuit remaining Rossi dived past Capirossi for the final time, opening out a crucial advantage within the next two corners and denying his rival the opportunity to make a last-gasp pass in the final hairpin.

Dani Pedrosa (Honda) clinched the final podium position in third place despite riding with an injured knee.  Rossi's victory moves him up to third in the championship, four points behind the Spaniard and 26 adrift of series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda), who finished fourth.

Colin Edwards managed a top ten finish despite struggling all weekend to find the appropriate set-up for his YZR-M1 machine at this track.  The Texan was up against it as he started out from eleventh on the grid after yesterday's decision to base the qualifying positions on aggregate free practice times and he struggled to make an impression after losing touch with the leading pack.  The series now moves on to Australia for the second of three races in as many weekends before returning to Europe for a tantalizing double header in Portugal and Spain.

Valentino Rossi (1st; 43'07.829):  "That was another legendary battle between myself and Loris - very hard but also very fair.  At Brno he escaped but today I was able to hang on to him.  When both our bikes are working well it is always spectacular because his performs better in some sections and mine in others so it makes for a beautiful fight.  I enjoy racing with him so much because there is a lot of respect between us and a great trust - he is probably the hardest rival I have ever had but also one of my best friends in the paddock."

"At one point I thought I'd got away but then he appeared again and I knew it was going to be a battle to the end.  He tried to break free but I stayed with him and I think we passed each other about ten times in the last few laps, it was amazing.  I want to say a huge 'thank you' to everybody at Yamaha because they virtually cancelled their summer holidays to get this bike working at the maximum again and I was able to push at 100% today.  I also need to say another big 'thank you' to Michelin, who have worked really hard to help us to get back to this level of competitiveness.  For the two Honda riders to finish third and fourth is not ideal but all I can do is keep winning races so that is what I will try to do."

2006 MotoGP Sepang - September 10, 2006:  1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 43'7.829; 2 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 0'0.849; 3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'3.863; 4 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'5.780; 5 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 0'9.301; 6 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 0'11.081; 7 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 0'11.838; 8 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 0'12.267; 9 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'15.019; 10 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'19.909; 11 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'23.371; 12 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 0'30.884; 13 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 0'36.335; 14 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 0'48.777; 15 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 0'59.081; 16 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'5.787.

Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 2'2.127

Rider Standings as of September 10, 2006:  1. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 214; 2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 192; 3. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 188; 4. Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 171; 5. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 168; 6. Casey Stoner Honda AUS 109; 7. Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 101; 8. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 96; 9. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 93; 10. Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 75; 11. Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 69; 12. Makato Tamada Honda JPN 69; 13. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 66; 14. Toni Elias Honda ESP 64; 15. Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 58; 18. James Ellison Yamaha GBR 20.

Team Standings September 10, 2006:  1. Repsol Honda Team 406; 2. Camel Yamaha Team 284; 3. Ducati Marlboro Team 247; 4. Fortuna Honda Team 232; 5. Rizla Suzuki 159; 6. Honda LCR 109; 7. Team Roberts KR 101; 8. Kawasaki Racing Team 101; 9. Tech3 Yamaha 78; 10. Konica Minolta Honda 69; 11. Pramac D'Antin 23.

Manufacturer Standings - September 10, 2006:  1. Honda 278; 2. Yamaha 226; 3. Ducati 180; 4. Suzuki 111; 5. Team Robert KR 101; 6. Kawasaki 86.

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Photo Courtesy Suzuki Racing

Race Preview
One of the closest MotoGP racing seasons in history heads into its final stage this weekend as the series heads out to Malaysia for the first of a five-race spell across three continents.

Races at Sepang, Phillip Island Motegi, Estoril and Valencia, will decide the destiny of a title which for the past five seasons has been lifted by Yamaha superstar Valentino Rossi.  For the Italian to retain that honor he must turn around a 38-point deficit to current leader Nicky Hayden, although no fewer than nine riders still have the mathematical odds to win the championship.

Brno witnessed Rossi's 87th appearance on the podium in the premier class and another top-three finish in Malaysia would equal Giacomo Agostini’s tally of 88 – a record bettered only by Mick Doohan.  Rossi has finished on the podium at Sepang for the last five years, including a memorable victory for Yamaha in 2004 and a title-clinching second place behind Loris Capirossi last season. 

Colin Edwards says that his target for the remaining five races is to assist Rossi’s title quest in any way he can whilst turning a consistent run of points-scoring finishes into at least a string of podiums.  Tenth place in the last round at Brno was the 33rd successive race at which he has scored points – a MotoGP record again bettered only by Doohan on 37 – but the Texan’s goal is a return to the potentially winning form he showed earlier in the season.

Rossi is predicting a repeat of last year’s tough battle with fellow Italian Loris Capirossi this weekend.   The Yamaha man cites Sepang as one of his favorite tracks and he is hopeful that recent developments with the 990cc M1 machine will make it equally inclined towards the Malaysian venue.

“As everyone knows, Sepang is one of my favorite tracks and it’s always great fun to ride the M1 there,” says Rossi.  “We made some really good progress in Brno so hopefully everything will work well from Friday morning and we can fight at the top all weekend.  Last year Loris was incredibly strong in Sepang, similar to how he was two weeks ago in Brno and I am sure that this will be the case again this time!"

“This year I can’t win the title in Malaysia so our aim once again is to finish on the podium and take as many points as possible in order to stay in the fight.  These three races in a row are going be very important and at the end of them the championship could be much clearer.  It’s always hard work, with a lot of flying and time changes in a short amount of time, but we will stay focused and do the best we can!"

Colin Edwards is used to long haul trips and is therefore undaunted by the demands of three ‘flyaway’ races in as many weekends.  The 32 year old insists that thoughts of a poor run of form over the summer are now firmly behind him as he simply concentrates on a grandstand finish to his season over the final five races.

“Things really haven’t gone to plan lately and I think it’s fair to say that I hoped to be in a better situation going into the final run of races,” admits Edwards.  “But there’s no point dwelling on the past - we made some positive steps at the test in Brno so we’ll see if that helps.  We discovered last year that what works in Brno doesn’t necessarily work everywhere else but we definitely understand the bike better after that test so hopefully we will be in a better position come Friday morning in Sepang."

“I really like the Sepang track and then Phillip Island is one of my all-time favorites, so I am definitely looking forward to these races.  We have two aims – one is to keep working with the team to find the best bike in order to give Valentino the tools to win the title, and the other is to get some good results and get on the podium.  Having three ‘flyaway’ races in a row is always intense, but I am feeling ready for the challenge!”

Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is asking for one final effort from his team over the next two months as they cling on to the possibility of defending the crown they have won with Rossi for the past two seasons.  The complicated logistics of five races across three continents always puts a further burden on every member of staff but Brivio is confident their extra exertions will once again be rewarded by results on the track.

Malaysia - Kawasaki Report
The Kawasaki Racing Team head for the Far East this week, and an intense schedule of three races in as many weekends, starting with the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, and taking in the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island before bringing their whirlwind tour of Asia to an end with the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

It's a punishing schedule for both teams and riders alike, with Sepang in particular making huge demands on the physical fitness and endurance of Kawasaki's riders, Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet, due to the strength sapping extremes of temperature and humidity experienced at the Malaysian circuit.

But both Kawasaki riders head into this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix with their sights set firmly on a strong performance, and confident that hundreds of testing laps completed during the winter at the 5.548 km Sepang circuit will stand them in good stead once practice gets underway on Friday.

For Shinya Nakano, Friday's two free practice sessions will allow him the first opportunity to test a revised Ninja ZX-RR engine and exhaust system, designed by Kawasaki engineers in Japan to improve torque at the bottom of the rev range, as well as outright power at the top end - both essential characteristics at the Sepang circuit.

The 28-year-old Japanese rider rates the Sepang track as one of his favourites, and is confident that the latest specification Ninja ZX-RR will suit the characteristics of the high-speed, but technical, Malaysian circuit. The Kawasaki pilot heads for Malaysia from his home in Japan determined to secure a good result for Kawasaki, as he builds up the momentum for his home Grand Prix at Motegi in three week's time.

Nakano's Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, has been on a mission in recent weeks, to improve both his qualifying performance and his race starts.  The 25-year-old Frenchman saw an improvement in qualifying at Brno, after regaining his confidence in Bridgestone's super-sticky qualifying tyres during free practice, and a series of successful practice starts during the one-day, post-race test at the same circuit means that de Puniet heads for the Far East in determined mood.

The rookie Kawasaki pilot likes the challenges offered by the Sepang circuit, where he completed three successful tests aboard the Ninja ZX-RR over the winter.  And, the demanding conditions in Malaysia will certainly hold no fears for de Puniet, who is one of the fittest riders on the MotoGP grid.

Sunday's 21-lap Malaysian Grand Prix will get underway at 15.00 local time (GMT+8 and CET+6) on Sunday 10 September.