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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128401
MOTOGP
Marco Simoncelli holding his ground in
third, two-thousandths of a second
behind the Japanese rider.
Then came Mattia Pasini, just eightthousandths of a second later, with Kallio
next, and Master Aspar's Hector Faubel
in sixth. The second Red Bull KTM rider,
Gabor Talmacsi, atoned for his mistake in
Qatar by finishing two spots behind Kallio
in seventh. Team Toth's Angel Rodriguez
was at the end of the seven-rider string.
Earlier in the weekend, the team had
issued a press release from the suddenly
contrite Talmacsi, who'd passed Kallio at
the end of the race in Qatar.
"Now I want to put the events of
Qatar, and what happened at the finish of
the race, behind me and just concentrate
on my job with KTM," he said.
MOTOGP
Hayden got the holeshot, with Checa up
the inside. Then Hayden was back in
front, with Rossi third.
Biaggi highsided in Honda Corner,
ironically, maybe on the cold right side of
tire. The first lap ended with Hayden in
front of Rossi, who'd passed Checa. Then
there was a gap back to Melandri,
Gibernau, and Edwards.
Rossi drafted up the inside to take the
lead on lap three.
The next lap, Melandri went up the
inside of Hayden in the long, left-hand
Southern Loop.
It was already clear that Hayden had an
improved package.
"I mean, nothing too major, but I used
a different tire today than the one I
thought yesterday afternoon I was going
to use," Hayden said. "We didn't do a
whole lot, just a little bit stiffer on the
spring to stop a lot of the moving, and I
think it helped the tire life a lot. So it definitely made it steer better and stopped a
lot of the moving."
Behind them came Checa, Edwards
20
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Round 15
October 16, 2005
World Championship Road Race Series
and then Gibernau, who then ran up the
inside of Edwards to take over fifth.
Hayden took back second on the
approach to Lukey Heights on the sixth
lap. The lap ended with Hayden .5 IS of a
second behind Rossi. Then came Melandri,
the gap widening to Checa, now 1.5 seconds. Then came Gibernau and Edwards.
The lead trio tightened up on lap
seven, first to third covered by .657 of a
second; then it was two seconds to Checa
and Gibernau, with Edwards falling out of
the frame.
The leaders took a second out of
Melandri on the 14th lap, the Italian now
2.6 back and a little over a second on the
ChecaiGibernau battle.
Very little was happening behind,
with most solidifying their spots for the
long haul.
Hayden took a few exploratory looks
on lap 16, first in Honda Corner, and then
again in Lukey Heights. Finally he took
back the lead with a power move down
the front straight to end the 16th lap.
In a span of two laps, Melandri found
over a second and was now
1.6 back, on lap 16, and
bringing
Checa
and
Gibernau with him.
When the 18th lap
ended, the top four Hayden, Rossi, Melandri,
Checa - were covered by
.721 of a second, with
Gibernau close by in fifth.
Rossi dived by Hayden
going into turn one to start
lap 19, with Melandri taking
Hayden a few turns later.
Rossi was on his way now
- his lead was .537 secondsbut Hayden was hoping to
keep him close. Hayden
passed Melandri going into
Hopkins (21) checks on the progress of turn one and fronted a tight
MotoGP rookie Chris Vermeulen (17).
Hopkins possed the Austrolion on the trio that would continue to
last lap in their battle for 10th place. lose ground with their intramural warfare.
"Nicky overtook me, but after we lost
Rossi said he wanted to push from the
time and the other guys arrive, so it
beginning.
become too risky," Rossi said. "I try
"But Nicky come with me," Rossi said.
another time, and in that moment I was
"I try very strong two or three times to
able to gain one second, and was very
go alone, but was impossible. So I decide
important for the last laps. I know I'm
to wait a little bit because for me, for
okay, alone, I have a good pace."
everybody, is impossible to make 27 laps
Rossi's lead ending the 20th lap was
in 1:30."
1.266 seconds, and Hayden knew that
Behind the six, the order was becommeant trouble.
ing processional, led by Barros, Tamada
"I got back into second and really put
and Elias.
my head down and tried to just maybe
Melandri dropped off the pace on the
chip into it," the Kentuckian said. "I
eighth lap, while Hayden was on the boil.
thought if I could get to withRossi was .161 of a second ahead, and
in half a second and get in that
Melandri was now a second behind. His
draft, you can really suck a
comfort was a gap of two seconds to
guy up through turn one and
Checa and Gibernau.
two and a few places. But I
The leaders continued to escape,
just couldn't get that window
Melandri losing a tenth of a second per
that I needed."
lap, while Hayden hung tough with Rossi.
The trio behind Rossi took
Gibernau made his move to fourth on
the 10th lap, with Barros in Edwards'
two-tenths back on the 21 st
shadow. Barros made the pass on lap I I,
lap, but the lead was still over
dropping the Texan to seventh.
a second. And Checa was
"Two-lap wonder today," Edwards said.
starting to lose the tow.
"It worked pretty good for two laps and
Rossi's lead finally went
then just lost traction. If I didn't know any
under a second at the end of
better, I would come in and say that is the
lap 23 of 27.
worst tire I've ever been on in my entire
Then Barros was down in
life. But everybody was on exactly the
Hayshed, a fast left just
same tire, so that's obviously not the case.
before Lukey Heights, he and
The bike was just wrong, just wrong."
the RCV tumbling end over
Checa drafted his way back into fourth
end into the gravel trap. It
at the start of lap 12.
moved everyone up one, and
OaOBER 26, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS
now Edwards was in sixth at a gap of 17
seconds to the fifth-placed Gibernau.
Three laps from the end, Hayden had
over a second on Melandri, with almost
the same gap to Rossi. Melandr;'s problem was Checa, with Gibernau too far
away to be a threat.
Rossi's lead was .852 of a second with
two laps remaining, with Melandri now two
seconds back with half a second on Checa.
The final lap started with Rossi holding
.758 on Hayden and Checa about to pass
Melandri. Then Melandri took it back in
Honda Corner, with Checa fighting him
on the exit. Several turns later, the pair
raced to the flag, Checa taking his second
podium of the year by .017 of a second.
"I passed him, but then he passed me
again, and then on the last turn I was so
close," Checa said. "He started his acceleration, but was not so stable. And then,
with the power we have - I was determined to pass Marco. It was very close. It
was the first time I arrive in a kind of race
like this and I pass one very close margin
and, well, is a really good satisfaction."
Hayden couldn't get close enough to
use the draft.
Rossi summed up the weekend thusly:
"So I I victories is fantastic, and always
race in this track is different, is magic. Iwin
a lot of times here, a lot of important races
for my career, and I love this track." eN
PHIUIP ISLAND CIRCUIT
PHIUIP ISLAND, AUSTRAUA
RESULTS: OCTOBER 16, 2005
(ROUND 15 OF 17)
MOTOGP QUALIFYING: I. Nicky Hayden
(I :29.337); 2. Valentino Rossi (I :29.443); 3. Sete Gibemau
(1:29.729); 4. Carlos Checa (1:29.775); 5. Colin Edwards
(1:29.943); 6. Max Biaggi (1:30.070); 7. Toni Elias
(1:30.094); 8. Marco Melandri (1:30.322); 9. Makoto
Tamada (I :30.621); 10. Shinya Nakano (I :30.628); II. John
Hopkins (I :30.667); 12. Alex Barros (I :30.757); 13. Olivier
Jacque (1:31.079); 14. Chris Vermeulen (1:31.654); 15.
Ruben Xau, (UI.728); 16. Roberto Rolfo (1;33.673); 17.
James Ellison (I :33.673); 18. Franco Battaini (I :35.933).
MOTOGP: I. Valentino Ross! (Y=); 2. Nd