Valentino Rossi got the best of his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo again at the Cardion AB Czech Republic Grand Prix on Sunday with the young Spaniard crashing out with five laps to go, as the pair battled for the race lead, handing Rossi a 50-point title advantage with six races to go.
In front of a crowd of nearly 140,000 fans the Fiat Yamaha duo had built up a 10-second lead over the rest of the field but with Lorenzo desperate for points after his Donington DNF the 22-year-old from Mallorca pushed too hard again and slid out, with Rossi eventually finishing more than 11 seconds ahead of second placed Dani Pedrosa.
Although Rossi started on pole the practice performances of his team-mate and closest championship rival Lorenzo suggested the pair would be set for another head-to-head duel at the front of the race. That proved to be the case but Rossi got the better of the young Spaniard again in front of the huge Czech crowd as Lorenzo overtook him towards the end of the race only to hit the ground.
Afterwards Rossi stated humbly, “First of all I have to say thanks to all my team because this weekend we did a great job from Friday. During the practice we were struggling a little bit with front feeling and we were quite fast but not enough. After today’s warm up we made another small modification which gave me a better feeling with the front tire.
“I knew that today would be tough because Jorge had gone with a fantastic pace in the practices. So I tried to make the perfect race, great start, stay at the front and push like a devil! I was making it hard work for him and then when he overtook me with six laps to go I was ready for battle and to put on a good show.
“On turn three he lost the front and it is very bad for Jorge, it is a pity, but it is good for us as we now have a 50-point lead. There is still a long way to the end of the season but we have a good advantage, so we have to keep pushing and stay focused.”
Lorenzo ruefully commented, “I got a bad start and had to get by some people, and then I just didn’t have the same pace that I’d had all weekend. I was slower than in the practices and it really wasn’t what I was expecting. Unfortunately for me Valentino was just as strong as he’d been all weekend and I had to push very, very hard to stay with him. Towards the end I began to close the gap and after I passed him I was doing everything to stay in front, but then I made a mistake and crashed.
“There’s nothing more I can say except that I’m so sorry to the team and to Yamaha and I will do everything I can to make it up in America.”
Behind Pedrosa, two more Honda riders, Toni Elías and Andrea Dovizioso, dueled for the final podium slot, with San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Elías just outdoing Repsol Honda’s Dovizioso.
Repeating his 2008 Brno podium was a perfect reaction from Elías as he learned he has lost his Gresini ride for next year.
Just over a 10th of a second behind his compatriot Dovizioso there was a morale-boosting result for Loris Capirossi in fifth place for the Rizla Suzuki team. Nicky Hayden, meanwhile, bolstered his confidence in sixth, from eighth on the grid.
Hayden’s countryman Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) will be disappointed to have ended up seventh after qualifying fifth and both Americans will be looking for top five results at the next round in Indianapolis.
The Brno top 10 was completed by Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini), James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda).
Mika Kallio and Marco Melandri were left bickering in the gravel after the pair crashed out when Kallio braked too late on the penultimate lap and both riders hit the deck.
In the 250cc GP, MotoGP-bound Marco Simoncelli was in great form as he took a third 2009 win in hot temperatures at Brno.
The Italian produced a World Champion’s performance from pole position, leading for most of the race and eventually crossing the finishing line just over half a second ahead of his compatriot Mattia Pasini (Team Toth Aprilia), who had tried to chase him down from seventh on the grid.
Metis Gilera rider Simoncelli managed his tire durability intelligently as track temperatures reached 51°C, while things tightened up in the standings as Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar Team) and leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team) finished third and fourth respectively. Simoncelli now trails Aoyama by just 32 points and Bautista by 20 points, with six races remaining.
In a strange incident on the warm down lap Bautista crashed his Aprilia prototype, causing considerable damage, as he lost control whilst pulling a celebratory wheelie in front of the fans.
Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Team) continued his excellent recent form in the 125cc class to secure his first 2009 victory ahead of World Championship leader Julián Simón (Bancaja Aspar).
Holding off Simón on the last lap, he crossed the line 0.168 secs. ahead of his Spanish compatriot.
The result extended Simón’s championship advantage to 54.5 points, with Terol moving into second place in the standings.
Jakub Kornfeil got the best of an intense five-man battle to take his third race victory of the season and take the 2009 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup by two points.
The 16-year-old Czech had to fight all the way with arch rival Sturla Fagerhaug but when the 17-year-old Norwegian came together with 15 year-old Japanese Daijiro Hiura with three corners to go his chance of battling with Kornfeil across the line disappeared.
MotoGP Race Results
1. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 43:08.991 (165.283 km/h)
2. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +11.766
3. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +20.756
4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +21.418
5. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +21.538
6. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +25.544
7. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +25.676
8. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +34.109
9. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +35.617
10. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +39.824
11. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +40.776
12. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +50.661
13. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +59.188
Not classified
Mika KALLIO (FIN) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +2 Laps
Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +2 Laps
Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +5 Laps
Michel FABRIZIO (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +16 Laps
MotoGP Point Standings
1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha) 212
2. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha) 162
3. Casey STONER (Ducati) 150
4. Dani PEDROSA (Honda) 135
5. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha) 112
6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda) 107
7. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda) 80
8. Marco MELANDRI (Kawasaki) 79
9. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki) 77
10. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki) 72
11. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda) 68
12. Toni ELIAS (Honda) 63
13. James TOSELAND (Yamaha) 62
14. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati) 57
15. Mika KALLIO (Ducati) 34
16. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati) 32
17. Sete GIBERNAU (Ducati) 12
18. Yuki TAKAHASHI (Honda) 9
19. Gabor TALMACSI (Honda) 8
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