MOTOGP
Round 13
September 2S, 2005
World Championship Road Racing Series
~
CAPIROSSI
WINS
SECONDIN
AROW,
ROSSI
TAKES
SEVENTH
TITLE
By MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOS BY GOLD
&
GOOSE
lentino Rossi got beaten in
Malaysia. Valentino Rossi also
won. And if the sight of his
friend Loris Capirossi's Marlboro Ducati crossing the line
ahead of him took any of the luster off his
fifth straight World Championship, he
certainly didn't tell Snow White, who was
waiting for him on the slow-down lap,
with her seven dwarves in attendance.
Actually, the conquering hero needed
to be paying more attention to the other
Ducati behind him, as a charging, slowstarting Carlos Checa closed a gap of 1.5
seconds over the last two laps to pull
almost alongside over the line.
Ducati's double rostrum, the team's
best-ever result, was a dramatic vindication of its choice of Bridgestone tires, as
well as clear proof of the massive step
forward made by the Japanese rubber
V
ware since a new-generation tire was
introduced at Bmo.
But Rossi's second place was enough
for the crowning glory.
22
The trackside fairy-tale tableau was
well chosen: two dwarves for his 125 and
250cc titles, another for his 500cc win,
and the remaining four for his MotoGP
titles, won in a crescendo of domination
that has shown no sign of tailing off - not
until the last two races, anyway, with a
crash at Motegi and a mere second place
at Sepang. Note that also he has not been
on the front row of the grid for the past
four races. But to suggest this is enough
to show a turning of the tide would surely make the mirror crack from side to
side.
Run in blazing heat, the Malaysian
round was the middle of a trio of punishing flyaway races, followed soon afterward by two more, in Australia and
Istanbul, before the season finale at
Valencia. In other words, Rossi tied it up
this time with four races to spare.
Rossi donned a white helmet and a
white T-shirt, both decorated with a list
of title wins and the number "7" (also
because it was Barry Sheene's number),
and he was happier about coming second
than ever in his life.
"I am very happy with this championship,"
OCTOBER 5,2005 • CYCLE NEWS
