MotoGP – Rossi Notched A Hattrick of Qatar GP
The indomitable Valentino Rossi stole the crown of ‘King Of The Gulf” after securing his 3rd ever win at the Losail Circuit in Qatar. It is the perfect start for the Italian to begin the defence of his MotoGP world title, or more appropriately his quest for the ultimate 10th world championship in MotoGP.
Rossi took the lead on the 6th lap when pole sitter Casey Stoner fell while holding a 2 second advantage. Stoner, who were chasing his fourth successive Qatar win, made a mistake when he lost the front end of his bike going into a turn and slid out of the race.
Rossi switching to an alternative transport to Parc Ferme after his bike ran out of fuel on the parade lap
After Stoner crashed, Rossi controlled the pace, putting in consistent lap times to win the night race in 14:50.099, 1.022 seconds ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo. His win today also makes him only the third rider in history to have scored points in 200 Grands Prix.
Lorenzo make sure of Fiat Yamaha 1-2 when he overtook Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso on the final lap. A splendid result for the Spaniard, who were riding with stitches in his right hand after an accident in testing recently.
Loris Capirossi of Rizla Suzuki spotting a gold platted helmet and the number 300 on his bike to commemorate his achievement of participating in 300 Grand Prix. He finished the race in 9th place.
Valentino Rossi : “I got a fantastic start but I wasn’t quite fast enough and was suffering on the straight. I lost some time passing Pedrosa and by then Stoner was quite far from me, I thought then that it was going to be hard to catch him! Then he made a mistake and crashed, which was bad luck for him but crucial for us. After that I expected it would be easier but in fact it was very hard to stay in front of Dovizioso, who was very strong. We had a good battle and then I did three or four laps at the maximum and was able to stay in front, but it wasn’t easy! I haven’t won at the first race since 2005 and these 25 points at this stage are like gold dust, it’s a fantastic result for the team to make a one-two at race one. It’s especially good to win here because it doesn’t suit our bike, we worked very cleverly throughout the practices and this is the reward, so thanks to all my guys. We definitely have some work to do but this is a good base to start from. I ran out of fuel on the slow down lap, I think I used more than expected early on because I was sliding quite a lot, but it was very funny to come to Parc Ferme riding a scooter!”
Alvaro Bautista : “This has been a disaster of a race for me! Seriously though, I had a bad start and Barbera pushed me out on lap two and I lost everything. I used the next part of the race like a practice because I had no other riders to fight with. In the middle of the race I got a better rhythm and it was not so bad. I caught two riders, but in the last corner I crashed. I feel like I cannot say that I have done my first MotoGP race because I never finished. The positive thing is that my rhythm was not too bad and for the next race we can only improve. We must continue to work hard and to try to make things better.”
Jorge Lorenzo : “Today I had to disconnect my brain and just ride with my heart, and I am so happy about this second place. My hand was a bit sore but the bigger problem was the rear sliding, and early on with a full fuel tank I found it quite hard. My plan was to take it quietly and not risk too much, but after a while the adrenalin built up and I couldn’t do that, I had to ride at the maximum! Once I had less fuel it was easier and I started to get closer, but I was on the limit physically and with the bike, so it was quite risky! I made some good overtakes at the end and this is a fantastic result for our team, with Valentino winning as well. Now we go to Motegi, where I won last year, and I will be in better physical condition by then and ready to be even stronger.”
Loris Capirossi : “I am a bit upset about the result because we thought we would go better than that. We have worked hard all weekend, but we struggled with the conditions today, because it was so different to yesterday with a lot more humidity tonight. I struggled in the third section of the track and was not very fast there, but in other sections I was quite strong. My rhythm was not too good and in the end I was just trying to defend my position. We don’t need results like this; we need to be nearer the front, especially for all the effort that everybody is putting in. It was not easy, but we need to keep working well and feeling well. I feel sorry for Alvaro because he has had a tough weekend, but we will continue to work hard together and makes things happen.”
Full race results :
1 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha 42:50.099
2 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha +01.022
3 Andrea Dovizioso Honda HRC +01.865
4 Nicky Hayden Ducati MotoGP +01.876
5 Ben Spies Yamaha Tech 3 +03.903
6 Randy de Puniet Honda LCR +09.322
7 Dani Pedrosa Honda HRC +16.508
8 Colin Edwards Yamaha Tech 3 +19.867
9 Loris Capirossi Suzuki MotoGP +20.893
10 Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda +21.100
11 Marco Simoncelli Honda Gresini +31.638
12 Hector Barbera Ducati Aspar +32.573
13 Marco Melandri Honda Gresini +40.780
14 Alvaro Bautista Suzuki MotoGP RET
15 Aleix Espargaro Ducati Pramac RET
16 Casey Stoner Ducati MotoGP RET
17 Mika Kallio Ducati Pramac RET
Meanwhile Japan’s Shoya Tomizawa created history in winning the inaugural Moto2 Grand Prix at the season’s opening race. The race has a strong huge grid of 41 riders, all riding in Honda-built 600cc four-stroke engines and Dunlop tires.
Malaysia’s Muhammad Zulfahmi of Team Air Asia – Sepang International Circuit finished the 125cc race in 21st position. This is his first full season in MotoGP. The race was won by Nicolas Terol, leading a top 4 finish for Spanish riders.
Editorial : Nazim Idris
Photo : Fiat Yamaha Team and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
Wow the images are stunning!! pity stoner didn’t make it to finish.