MELANDRI SECURES SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON
 FORTUNA
HONDA rider Marco Melandri, after a spectacular race, clinched
his second win of the season at the GP of France held at the
Le Mans circuit. In changeable weather conditions, the Italian
rode an intelligent and consistent race, maintaining a superb
pace throughout. He knew exactly when to attack and, in doing
so, made sure he ended on the top step of the podium. The
race, which was incident-packed, proved to be one of the most
entertaining of the season with the riders somewhat unsure
due to the conditions. Melandri lapped consistently and, when
leader Valentino Rossi was forced out, timed his attack to
perfection to emerge victorious. His second triumph of the
season sees him move up to second in the championship with
79 points.
MARCO MELANDRI (1st, 2nd in championship - 79 points):
"It was an incredible race! Obviously I am very satisfied
as I was not expecting it. At the start the weather conditions
were very changeable and I put on a hard rear tyre for the
race after talking to the Michelin mechanics. I got away well
and that allowed me to lead on the first lap. Hopkins then
overtook me as my bike was suffering a bit due to the hard
tyre, but after a few laps it began to work better and better
and I was able to lap near the front. As the laps went by
I started to think about winning and I overtook Loris and
then, when the time was right, Pedrosa as well. I want to
thank the whole team for the great job they did.”
TONI ELIAS (9th, 7th in championship - 44 points)
“It was a very difficult day. We still had the same
problems in the warm-up and could not find a solution. I got
a good start but could not then keep up the pace I wanted.
Tomorrow we will stay at the circuit to test and I hope to
find some solutions. We will look at the situation and I hope
to be back where I deserve soon. I want to congratulate Marco
who rode a very intelligent race.”
|
