SPECTACULAR VICTORY FOR MARCO MELANDRI AT PHLLIP ISLAND
Toni Elias finishes ninth in a race hit by the flag-to-flag
rule
Marco Melandri claimed his third victory of the season in
a difficult race at Phillip Island in which the flag-to-flag
rule had to be introduced. With 193 points, the Fortuna Honda
rider is now third in the World Championship, 32 points behind
leader Nicky Hayden.
After the start was delayed by rain and the subsequent application
of the flag-to-flag rule, it was Marco Melandri who made a
good start, making up places as he set off on what was to
be a superb ride. The Italian lapped amongst the top four
over the first few laps and it was on lap nine that he came
into the box to change his bike because of the rain. He quickly
returned to the race and it was on lap 16 that he moved to
the front of the field, a lead he was never to surrender.
It is the third time that he has made it on to the podium
in Australia podium, (he won in 1999 - 125cc, 2002 - 250cc)
and means he has now climbed to third in the championship.
His team-mate Toni Elias, who did not initially make a good
start, got stronger as the race progressed. The Spaniard,
a big fan of the Australian circuit, would have been looking
for a better result at the Australian track, but in the end
had to settle for ninth position.
MARCO MELANDRI (1st ): "It was an incredible
race and it came just at the right time for me. To win at
Phillip Island, (the track where I won the 250 title), in
whatever conditions, is an incredible feeling. I was really
motivated because I went well in the warm-up this morning
thanks to a good set up and made some small changes for the
race. The weather conditions then made things even more tense.
I made a good start and got into third position on the first
lap. It then started to rain and so I had to ride with care.
When it started falling harder I came into the pit-land to
change the bike. It was a strange situation, like when you
play on the playstation, because there were a lot of people
in the pit-lane and it was hard to get to your own box. Back
on the track I had to ride without forcing because it was
hard to keep the feeling in slippery conditions. When I started
to feel comfortable and increased the pace I was able to get
past Vermeulen and Gibernau. The bike and the Michelin tyres
worked very well and it helped that I know the circuit so
well. During the winter tests I did lots of laps here in different
conditions and knowing how things would work really helped.
I am happy and want to thank the team and Honda and Michelin
because everything worked perfectly."
TONI ELIAS (9th): "It was a strange
race. For the first time they used the flag to flag rule which
was introduced two years ago. It made things more tense and
infact nearly came together with Vermeulen as I went to change
on the second bike. In general, though, it was an enjoyable
race. I did not make a good start and after I had changed
bikes it was difficult to get the feeling because the rain
made conditions slippery and I realised I had put on a compound
that was a bit too hard. In the end I had to be content with
ninth place and there are now three more races to go. I hope
to get a good result as we have been working hard."
MOTOGP RACE
1. M.Melandri (Ita/Honda)
2. C.Vermeulen (Aus/Suzuki)
3. V.Rossi (Ita/Yamaha)
9. T.Elias (Spa/Honda)
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