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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128226
World Championship Road Race Series Round 9: Sachsenring Valentino Rossi (46) led early and established a solid lead over Marlboro Ducati's Loris Capirossi (65) and Troy Bayliss (12) and Telefonica Movistar Honda's Sete Gibemau at the German MotoGP. Amazingly, Gibemau would catch the reigning World Champion and go on to score a thrilling win. Once again, Gibemau beats Rossi on tile last lap this year in a straight fight - in South sive points margin of more than one Africa and in France. It was the By MICHAEL SCOTT PHOTOS BY GOLD £, GOOSE race over Gibernau. And he is still Valentino Rossi. Spaniard's fourth win of the year, one SACHSENRING, GERMANY, JULY 27 (1f]is status may be godlike, but Lr1JValentino Rossi is definitely human. He proved it again at the Sachsenring, flustered by last-lap nerves into a last-corner blunder. His torturer was Telefonica MoviStar's Sete Gibernau, the same ri.der who has beaten Rossi twice already more than Rossi has achieved. And it As important, he drew further is seven weeks since Rossi's last victory, at his home Italian GP. But let's not write off racing's boy ahead of deadly rival Max Biaggi. The Camel Honda rider had been threatening all weekend after inheriting vic- wonder just yet. The Repsol Honda tory at Donington Park, where Rossi star may have lost another race, and was penalized 10 seconds and dropped to third for overtaking under a yellow flag. Biaggi had been fastest he may even be overdue for a criSIs of confidence. But he still has a mas- at pre-race tests at Brno and qualified on pole position at the slightly modified Sachsenring, the shortest circuit of the season. But his race ended in disaster after 13 of 30 laps. Biaggi had fought his way to third after dropping back to 10th after too much caution on the first lap, setting a new lap record as he did so. Glbemau's victory made him the wlnningest MotoGP rider of the season. He now owns four wins to Rossi's three. 8 AUGUST 6, 2003' cue I e n e vv s His last victim was a charging Troy Bayliss on the Marlboro Ducati, who gave the Honda rider all sorts of problems before he finally got by. Biaggi crashed on the very-'next lap;leaving a second rostrum to the GP rookie - a triumph for Ducati in its first time at this very technical track, where its vaulting power and speed provided little advantage. A crowd of more than 90,000 fans basked in yet more blazing sunshine and sweltering heat, in a European summer more reminiscent of the tropics, to watch a race packed with high drama and fierce battling. The excitement overload began in racemorning warm-up, when front-row qualifier Loris Capirossi's Ducati exploded after a high-speed crash, while marshals were manhandling it off the track - one was taken to the hospital suffering from mercifully minor burns. This was the second conflagration of the weekend: Colin. Edwards' Aprilia had exploded while he was at high speed on the first day of practice, forcing him to bailout. Capirossi, comprehensively bruised and riding his spare machine, was fourth behind Bayliss, narrowly managing to repass a highly impressive rookie Nicky Hayden on the last lap. Gibernau's race was hugely impressive. Rossi had taken off in a lead that he rapidly built up to more than two seconds by the time Gibernau had passed Capirossi for second on lap three. But soon Gibernau was chipping away, claiming back a 10th or two each lap, and on the 21 st he took the lead. He was under relentless pressure from then on, and Rossi dived back past into the last corners, a pair of uphill left-handers, on the final lap.