MELANDRI SHINES IN FRONT OF HIS FANS
Marco takes fourth in a great race but Sete unable to finish
after a crash on the fifth lap
ITALIAN GP -MOTOGP RACE
The Mugello circuit once again proved to be talisman for
the Italian riders in MotoGP, with Marco Melandri one of the
stars of the Grand Prix. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda
rider produced his best performance of the season so far in
front of his home fans, leading the race at the midway stage
and keeping a cool head under pressure from experienced compatriots
Rossi, Biaggi and Capirossi. Marco went on the attack from
the start of the race, charging through from the third row
of the grid and fighting for the podium with his Ducati rival
until the final corner.
Sete Gibernau did not pick up the result he was after despite
getting a good feeling throughout qualifying. The Spaniard
crashed out of fourth place on the fifth lap as he chased
the men at the front. Marco Melandri remains second in the
World Championship standings whilst Sete is hopeful his home
Grand Prix can be the turning point in his season.
SETE GIBERNAU (crash):
“I decided that only a victory would do for me at this
Grand Prix and I crashed because I was trying to chase the
pace at the front. I’m not going to start looking for
excuses – we’ve done a bad job here, myself more
than anybody, and that’s it. I can’t explain why
we can do such a good job all weekend and then not come out
with the result in the race because we are capable of being
competitive. I can’t deny that the championship is slipping
away from me already but I’m not going to throw the
towel in. I just want to win as many races as possible and
not think any further than that. I’d like Catalunya
to be a turning point”.
MARCO MELANDRI (4th):
“That was an incredible race – probably my best
of the season. I pushed to the limit from the start to try
and stay with the lead group and even though I was losing
out a little in the fast sections I was able to make it up
in the slower chicanes. I almost crashed five laps from the
end and had to lower my rhythm a little. The fight with Capirossi
was amazing – I could hear the crowd cheering and I
wanted to do my best. We arrived in the final corner together
and I am happy with fourth place. I feel good riding on the
limit and I hope we can continue improving in Barcelona next
week.”
ITALIAN GP
1. V.Rossi (Ita/Yam) 42’42”994
2. M. Biaggi (Ita/Honda) + 0”359
3. L. Capirossi (Ita/Ducati) + 3”874
4. M.Melandri (Ita/Hon) + 3”979
5. C. Checa (Esp/Ducati) `+ 7”898
6. N.Hayden (USA/Hon) + 8”204
7. A. Barros (Bra/Honda) + 11”572
MOTOGP STANDINGS
1. Valentino Rossi 120 points
2. Marco Melandri 71 points
3. Max Biaggi 67 points
4. Sete Gibernau 53 points
5. Alex Barros 52 points
6. Colin Edwards 48 points
7. Loris Capirossi 39 points
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