Rossi edges closer to the title at Brno

[Cakes206]

Valentino Rossi inched closer to another new MotoGP crown as he scored an impressive victory in this afternoon’s Gauloises Ceske Republiky Grand Prix. Having now boosted his points tally to 261 points, he can hope to clinch the title in the next round at Motegi.

The Italian had a tough race against arch-rival Sete Gibernau. The Movistar Honda rider, who started from pole position, took the lead after an intense fight against the World Champion in the opening laps of the race. Rossi regained the lead by mid-race, but the Spaniard counter-attacked with five laps to go although it always appeared that the final result would be decided in the last couple of laps. Rossi made his move on the penultimate lap and quickly escaped, while Gibernau suffered a mechanical breakdown halfway through the last lap.

As a result, Loris Capirossi inherited the second position; the Ducati rider made a strong comeback after a mediocre start from the front row. A gritty performance from Max Biaggi saw the Roman Emperor clinch third position, a result which allows him to move up to second overall, 132 points adrift of Rossi.

Brazilian veteran Alex Barros took fourth ahead of Nicky Hayden and Marco Melandri. Rossi’s Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards took the chequered flag in seventh, followed by Carlos Checa and Troy Bayliss, while Makoto Tamada completed the top 10.

[benellis]

I'm a Rossi fan, but I have to admit, I thought he outsmarted himself this time by letting Sete go, but then took the lead late and pulled away. He(Rossi) proves me wrong every time!

[FigNewTon]

I felt bad for Sete...running out of gas on the last lap. He wasn't quite close enough to make a move on Rossi but he may have been able to get there.

BTW.....The Doctor is in

[Vin]

Originally Posted by WSprtuaL

I felt bad for Sete...running out of gas on the last lap. He wasn't quite close enough to make a move on Rossi but he may have been able to get there.

BTW.....The Doctor is in

What happened in that case -- did he ignore fuel warnings from his pit or did the pit crew fail to do their job? Sounds like it could be a very stressful few days for some of the crew.

[Cakes206]

Originally Posted by Vinny

What happened in that case -- did he ignore fuel warnings from his pit or did the pit crew fail to do their job? Sounds like it could be a very stressful few days for some of the crew.

Don't know what kind of on board fuel guide they use...but normally they fill the tank with just enough to finish the race...to run out during the last lap like that is pretty damn close...a lap or two at a faster pace than estimated is all that comes down too.

[IrocRob]

According to Superbike Planet, Gibernau's team mate had
over a liter in the tank at the end of the race.
Bikes aren't supposed to run out of fuel, somebody screwed up.
Next race - 9/18/05 @ Japan - Rossi takes the title... :wave2: