SPECTACULAR WIN FOR TONI ELIAS AT ESTORIL
Elias claims his first MotoGP victory whilst Melandri finishes
eighth and maintains third place in the championship
Toni Elias scored a thrilling first win in the MotoGP class
at Estoril, edging out Valentino Rossi in a photo-finish after
a race that saw Nicky Hayden taken out by his Honda team-mate
Dani Pedrosa.
After an incredible battle with first Colin Edwards and then
Rossi, he beat the seven-time World Champion on a sprint down
the final straight to claim victory by just two thousandths
of a second.
Still third in the championship standings, Marco Melandri
finished in eighth after a difficult weekend. The crash he
suffered on Friday spoiled the race preparation. Despite the
hard work with the team and Michelin, Melandri couldn't find
the good feeling. He looks forward to Valencia to defend his
third position in the championship with a great race.
TONI ELIAS (1st): "It's incredible,
I can't believe it. I am really happy. It was a very hard
race, really hard. I made a good start and over the first
few laps felt very comfortable on the bike. I was behind Colin
and realised that he was holding me up, so I pushed hard to
get past him. I pushed until I closed up on Valentino and
then passed him to lead a MotoGP race for the very first time.
The next lap I made three errors all at once and I decided
not to risk too much by trying to get past him again at that
stage. I felt very comfortable at the first corner all race
and was able to out-break people and so I did not want to
let the opportunity pass on the final lap. At no time did
I give up, that's my riding style. I want to thank the team
for the great job they have done and thank all the fans that
came to see the race."
MARCO MELANDRI (8th): "It was a very
difficult weekend. I started the weekend with a fall which
impeded my performance. Along with my team and Michelin we
worked really hard, but we couldn't find what we needed. The
bike was working well but I had not enough grip to go fast.
Considering that it was such a strange race and the difficulties
I have had, a 8th result is not so bad. I have maintained
third place in the championship and I hope to put in a good
performance at Valencia. I want to congratulate Toni, it was
a great win, but I also feel very sorry for Nicky."
MOTOGP RACE
1. T.Elias (Sp/Honda)
2. V.Rossi (Ita/Yamaha)
3. K.Roberts jr (Usa/Honda KR)
8. M.Melandri (Ita/Honda)
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