Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) came a narrow second to Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) in a tense MotoGP race here in windy Qatar. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) was third. This is Hayden’s sixth consecutive rostrum finish as he bids for his first win of the 2006 season. With a 33km/h wind, erratic in direction, blowing throughout the day, turns two and nine seemed to be the worst affected. There was also a 44 degree track temperature to contend with, although the elevated ambient temperature that is so often a debilitating factor here was ‘only’ 25-degrees now that this is an April race instead of an October fixture.
Pole man Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) simply stormed away from the line as the lights went out and he looked strong as the field struggled to establish an order and make chase. Capirossi was nearest to the young Aussie, but the Italian couldn’t stay with him as the first lap unfolded.
At the start of lap two the order was Stoner, Hayden, Rossi, Capirossi, Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki), Sete Gibernau (Ducati), then Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V). Hayden put in an early fastest lap as he went all out to hound Stoner in those early stages. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) was down in 11th place following a slow get away from the starting light.
Then it was Rossi piling on the pressure as he chased Hayden, a fastest lap belonging to the Italian rider on lap three. On lap six Rossi and Hayden swapped places twice in both final loops as they fought for dominance in the struggle to reel in runaway Stoner. Rossi eventually got the upper hand and had a 0.77 second gap to close on the swift Australian.
On lap ten Rossi nipped past Stoner into turn one, then it was Hayden’s turn to demote Stoner to third on the next lap. Rossi now held a 0.6 second advantage over Hayden and it was only another two laps before Capirossi squeezed past the Aussie to put the ‘old firm’ in charge at the front.
As lap fifteen ran its course Rossi and Hayden had an advantage of more than a second over Capirossi and Stoner, with Gibernau losing ground in fifth. Hayden now knew he had to size up Rossi to see what his plan should be in the closing laps. He moved past Rossi at turn one on lap 19.
Rossi repaid the compliment on lap 20 at the same place and Hayden could not respond and Rossi won by 0.9 seconds at the flag with closer to Hayden than the American was to Rossi. But Hayden rode a mature race and it can’t be long until the Kentucky Kid notches up a second career win in MotoGP.
“We gambled overnight on some changes,” said Hayden. “The team got it right but I didn’t quite do it right today. I had fun though. The six podiums in a row are OK but we need to take another step up. We’ve got two weeks to put some hard work in to find the extra second a lap we need.”
Stoner in fourth said, “The start was really good and I felt really good out in front. But as the fuel load went down and the pace went up I lost a bit of rear wheel grip. Physically I wasn’t 100% so today wasn’t a bad result. After 10 laps I had leg cramps.”
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) finished a tight sixth after an intense battle with Melandri and said, “When I caught Melandri we had a big battle. My bike was really fast and I could overtake him, but he was braking so late! I’m not angry, but I’m upset because today I lost a good opportunity to be battling at the front. In the race I learned a lot of things and I know I performed as well as I could have. Although I’m frustrated today, the two races so far have been really positive.”
Melandri was seventh after the epic duel with Dani and said, “It was a really difficult race. I got a good start and tried to make up some positions but I made a mistake towards the end of the race that cost me a position. I had a really good battle with Dani Pedrosa, he was passing me on the straight but I was able to get him back on the brakes. I’m still not riding as I’d like, but tomorrow we stay for a day of tests and hopefully it can help us take another step forward.”
Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V), despite being ill with a stomach bug, finished eighth. He said, “We’ve done a great job over the two days of practice and I was hoping for more than this today. I didn’t get a good start and I paid the price for that. Then Hopkins’ engine began to drop oil and I had to get off the throttle, sending me even further back. My visor was covered in oil and after losing contact with the lead group it became a really hard race for me. I’m disappointed because I know I could have had a nice race today.”
“The bike and tyres were great today,” said Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) in tenth. “But I could have been better if I had got clear of the group quicker – but with the oil incident you had to be careful. I have to thank the team for all they did this weekend, a great job. Still, if you had said in November that we would have finished the first two races in the top 10 we might not have agreed with you.”
Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) finished 14th and said, “I didn’t expect to have such a difficult start to the season. I’m not able to ride my RC211V properly yet. It is hard to be fast in the corner without having the right feel from the bikee. I’m sorry about this.”
Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2nd“Battling for the win is so much more fun than battling for fourth place! I pushed Valentino hard today and I pushed myself about as hard as I could too. We had the bike that could win today, but on the last lap in a left-hander I got into a nice little slide, Valentino gapped me pretty good and it was hard to recover. We gambled a bit with set up today, we rolled the dice, and it worked well for me in the race, helping a lot in the fast corners. So a big thanks to my crew. Its my second year with my crew chief and were working really well together. All the guys have been working hard and making some good improvements on the bike. We’ve still got some work to do and well be back here in the morning testing, but the new bikes definitely getting better and were heading in the right direction. Six podiums on the trot is cool, but it would be nice to get a few wins along the way!”
Casey Stoner, LCR Honda: 5th"The start was great and I felt really comfortable out front and just concentrated on doing my own thing but as the fuel got lighter I wasn't able to up the pace as I lost some rear grip. My physical condition was also a factor today and I wasn't feeling 100%. I thought I could have got a better result today. I missed a lot of pre-season training and then I had the flu and after ten laps my leg began to cramp up. When Valentino came passed for the lead I wasn't surprised, it was only a matter of time, and over the second half of the race I had a good battle with Loris and Gibernau."
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 6th"Its easy to say this now, but I believe I could have finished further up, at least in 4th, if I'd made a better start. We had a problem with the clutch, like Nicky when he was practicing his starts yesterday. At first I thought the wheel was spinning but actually it was the clutch. Then, when I was behind Elias and we were both overtaking Hopkins his bike put oil on our visors. Elias closed the throttle and we lost a lot of time on the leaders at least 3 or 4 seconds. When I caught Melandri we had a big battle. My bike was really fast and I could overtake him, but he was braking so late! I'm not angry with the result, but Im upset because today I lost a good opportunity to be battling at the front. In the race I learned a lot of things and I know I performed as well as I could have. Although Im frustrated today, the two races so far have been really positive.”
Makoto Tanaka Repsol Honda Team Manager“Ahhh! How disappointing today's result is! Nicky has worked hard to finalize his set-up since he came here and he did a really excellent job both in yesterday's qualifying and today’s race. He’s become really strong mentally since last year and I want sincerely to praise his work today. Dani lost many positions at the start because of an uncertain feeling from the clutch which caused him to wheelie. However, he did very well to finish sixth. He’s a really professional rider who doesn't stop racing until he crosses the line. We didn’t win, but Nicky took 2nd place and Dani is in 3rd place in the riders championship which bodes well for the rest of the season. We still have work to do to improve the bikes performance but I think we are close to our target. So, watch this space.”
Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 7th"It was a really difficult race. I got a good start and tried to make up some positions but I made a mistake towards the end of the race that cost me a position. I had a really good battle with Dani Pedrosa, he was passing me in the straight but I was able to get him back on the brakes. I'm still not riding as I would like to - tomorrow we'll stay for a day of tests and hopefully it can help us take another step forward."
Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 8th"We've done a great job over the two days of practice and I was hoping for more than this today. I didn't get a good start and I paid the price for that. Then Hopkins' engine began to drop oil and I had to shut off the throttle, sending me even further back. My visor was covered in oil and after losing contact with the lead group it became a really hard race for me. I'm disappointed because I know I could have had a nice race today."
Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 10th"Start was not too bad but I got boxed in by a lot of guys in front of me who were not going to be racing for the lead. Some of them were loosing oil Chris Vermeulen was dropping oil all over me. I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When I got clear of those guys the gap to the riders in front of me was too big to close down. The bike and tyres were great today but I could have been better if I had got clear of the group quicker but with oil everywhere you have to be careful. I have to thank the team for all they did this weekend, great job. Still, if you had said in November that we would have finished the first two races in the top 10 we might not have agreed with you."
Kenny Roberts Senior, Team Owner KR Honda."We are still looking for the ideal base set up and we're trying too many things in a short time. You can loose your way a bit when you do that. We are also held back a little by having only one rider but all in all we have made progress so far."
Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 14th"I did not expect to have such a difficult season starting. I'm not able to drive as I would my RC211V yet. It is hard to be fast in the corner without having the right feeling. I am sorry I have not had to possibility to give any satisfaction to Konica Minolta, to Honda and to all team guys that are constantly working to create the best conditions."
The World Championship points standings look like this after two of 17 rounds: Capirossi 41,
Hayden 36,
Rossi 30.
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