RACE REPORT - DUTCH TT - ASSEN
EDWARDS MISSES OUT ON FIRST WIN AS ROSSI BRINGS HOME
THE POINTS
Camel Yamaha Team rider Colin Edwards came within metres
of his first MotoGP World Championship victory today after
dominating the Dutch TT until a breathtaking finale at Assen.
Starting from the front row of the grid Edwards led the way
from the first turn and set an electrifying pace that only
American compatriot Nicky Hayden (Honda) was able to follow.
With two laps remaining Hayden closed in and made his first
lunge for the lead, forcing Edwards off the track and onto
the escape road.
The ‘Texan Tornado’ looked consigned to second
place but he produced a stunning fight-back to pull level
with Hayden on the final lap and retake the lead with just
a few corners to go. When Hayden launched one last attack
into the final chicane, only to run straight onto the gravel,
Edwards seemed certain to win but there was one final twist
in the tale as he ran onto the grass on the exit from the
corner and lost control of his YZR-M1 machine, which threw
him into the air. As Edwards slid to the ground within touching
distance of the finish line Hayden returned to the track to
snatch his first win of the season, leaving the Yamaha man
to pick his bike up and limp across the line in 13th place.
Edwards’ Camel Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi also
produced one of his best rides of the season so far as he
battled through the pain of cracked bones in his hand and
ankle to take the flag in eighth place. Rossi started from
the very back of the grid after struggling to qualify with
the injury he picked up during Thursday morning’s free
practice session. However he made up ten positions in a brave
ride to seal eight valuable championship points.
VALENTINO ROSSI (8th; +23.591)
“That was a really hard race for me but Doctor Costa,
Marco Montanari and the entire Clinica Mobile team did a great
job on my hand and I was able to race until the end. I was
in some pain, especially at the start and I wasn’t able
to ride at 100% of my ability, but it was okay. At the start
I was worried how it would go, but when the adrenalin kicked
in I started to feel like I could race and by the time we
got to the midway point I was feeling much better and having
some fun. I lost strength in my hand over the last three laps
but I was able to hang on and we picked up some decent points
in eighth place. The team have done a great job this weekend
in difficult conditions. I wasn’t able to do many laps
in practice so they didn’t have much data but the bike
and the tyres felt great so I have to say a big thanks to
everybody. I feel very sorry for Colin – he rode a great
race and he was unlucky to make the mistake at the end because
he deserved to win.”
COLIN EDWARDS (13th; +40.412)
“What can I say? Obviously I’m really
disappointed because I know I should have won that race. The
bike felt great from the start and I was really enjoying riding
it out there. I knew my pace in practice would be hard for
the other guys to cope with and that’s how it proved
to be. I got the start I wanted and just kept my head down,
doing those times. When Nicky came up inside me two laps from
the end he left the pass pretty late and there was nowhere
for me to turn the bike into. I had to go straight and luckily
it was at a point of the track where I could run back on again.
I was determined not to lose hold of him and just gave it
everything to give myself a chance on the last lap. I got
past him and then tried to keep a really defensive line out
of the final corner – I had no idea Nicky had run onto
the gravel otherwise I wouldn’t have needed to do it.
Unfortunately I ran it a bit too tight onto the grass and
the rear just spun up as I opened the throttle and it threw
me off. I’m gutted but fair play to Nicky, it was a
great race.”
DAVIDE BRIVIO – CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
“It was a great race and Colin missed out on the win
by just a few metres. It’s disappointing because we
could already taste the victory champagne and we didn’t
expect that final twist. He made some wonderful moves on the
last lap and he didn’t deserve to go down like that,
but that’s racing! Valentino also rode brilliantly today,
surprising everybody once again with his mental and physical
strength. As a team we are very proud of both our riders today.”
|
