Casey Stoner proves too slick for Valentino Rossi in Qatar MotoGP

April 14, 2009

Australian 2007 World MotoGP champion Casey Stoner has started the new season in style, storming to his third successive Qatar Grand Prix victory.

Torrential rain delayed the desert showdown by 24 hours but it didn't slow Stoner, who eased home on his Ducati ahead of 2008 reigning champion Valentino Rossi on a Yamaha. Rossi's team-mate, Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, was third.

The 23-year-old victor professed himself to be happier with his overall physical condition than he was last year.

"I'm not quite there yet but I am almost at 100 per cent fitness," Stoner said.

"However, I am not surprised by winning here as I felt great physically and definitely better than last year."

For his part Rossi was satisfied enough with his first race.

"We have made worse starts to a season than this, so I have to be content with the performance,'' said the charismatic Italian.

"The second-half of the race wasn't great but I am still happy.''

Stoner led from the start with Rossi dropping back to third, though the latter's compatriot Marco Melandri paid for trying to overdo it at the corner of the home straight after the first lap and ended up ploughing into the dirt.

He rejoined the race but found himself at the back of the 18 rider field.

Rossi moved into second with 20 laps remaining and with a two second deficit on Stoner.

The Australian managed to keep it around the two-second mark for the next three laps while Italians Andrea Dovizioso and Lorenzo had their own duel for third and were a further second adrift.

Loris Capirossi came to grief in spectacular fashion with 14 laps remaining.He crashed and bounced several metres into the gravel, picking himself up gingerly to walk back to the pits.

Rossi brought the gap between him and Stoner down below the two second mark for the first time after nine laps of the 22 as the duo looked to have put enough distance between themselves and the rest of the field.

Indeed with 12 laps remaining Rossi in second had an eight second advantage over third-placed Lorenzo but Stoner was not allowing the vibrant Italian to close any further on him and with 10 laps to go he had almost a three-second lead over him.

He was up by three second with seven laps remaining and Rossi seemed powerless to do anything to reduce it but the Italian known as 'The Doctor' was safe and sound in his runner-up spot as Lorenzo was well back nearly 15 seconds adrift.

From then on Stoner had no problems in extending his overall lead as with three laps remaining it stood at over five seconds and he cantered home to victory.



Qatar MotoGP Results

1. Casey Stoner (AUS/Ducati) 42min 53.984sec
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) at 7.771sec
3. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Yamaha) 16.244
4. Colin Edwards (USA/Yamaha) 24.410
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Honda) 27.263
6. Alex De Angelis (SMR/Honda) 29.883
7. Chris Vermeulen (AUS/Suzuki) 33.627
8. Mika Kallio (FIN/Ducati) 34.755
9. Toni Elias (ESP/Honda) 39.481
10. Randy De Puniet (FRA/Honda) 42.284
11. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 48.526
12. Nicky Hayden (USA/Ducati) 48.883
13. Sete Gibernau (ESP/Ducati) 52.215
14. Marco Melandri (ITA/Kawasaki) 56.379
15. Yuki Takahashi (JPN/Honda) 1min 00.286sec
16. James Toseland (GBR/Yamaha) 1:14.978
17. Niccolo Canapa (ITA/Ducati) 1:15.028
Did not finish: Loris Capirossi (ITA/Suzuki)

Season Standings

1. Casey Stoner (AUS/Ducati) 25pts
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 20
3. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Yamaha) 16
4. Colin Edwards (USA/Yamaha) 13
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Honda) 11
6. Alex De Angelis (SMR/Honda) 10
7. Chris Vermeulen (AUS/Suzuki) 9
8. Mika Kallio (FIN/Ducati) 8
9. Toni Elias (ESP/Honda) 7
10. Randy De Puniet (FRA/Honda) 6
11. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 5
12. Nicky Hayden (USA/Ducati) 4
13. Sete Gibernau (ESP/Ducati) 3
14. Marco Melandri (ITA/Kawasaki) 2
15. Yuki Takahashi (JPN/Honda) 1

Chris Vermeulen is looking good for the season. He should be able to get closer on his Susuki this year.

coops

Put Rossi on Stoner's bike and he wins every race.

__________________
The more you bet the more you win

April 26, 2009

Spain's Jorge Lorenzo led home a Yamaha one-two finish at the Japanese Grand Prix, finishing ahead of reigning world champion Valentino Rossi.

The win was the 2008 rookie of the year’s second MotoGP win and his first ever win in any class at the Motegi Circuit.

Rossi, also runner-up in the season opener in Qatar two weeks ago, took an early advantage after starting on pole. But Lorenzo was able to pass the Italian and finish 1.304 seconds ahead. Honda's Dani Pedrosa finished in third, a further 3.763 seconds back.

"It was a difficult race because I didn't make a good start," said Lorenzo, whose first MotoGP victory came in Portugal a year ago.

"I passed Rossi and he followed me very hard. I had to ride as fast as I could to grab the victory."

Qatar race winner and 2007 world champion Casey Stoner re-grouped from a bad start, where he lost four places in the opening lap, to storm home to finish fourth.

Australia's other rider in the top class, Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen finished in 10th position.

Rossi said his second place was very important for the overall MotoGP championship.

"I think this championship will become very interesting because four riders are ready to battle for the win at the end."

"It was a great race, long and difficult," Rossi said. "In the last part of the race, I was able to take my pace and take my line. I made a good lap time and came back. But Lorenzo was too far."

The win put Lorenzo, in only his second year of MotoGP, at the top of the 2009 MotoGP rankings with 41 points, one point ahead of Rossi and three ahead of Stoner.

Rossi started on pole after rain washed out qualifying and he clocked the fastest time in free practice on Friday. The Italian led the pack around the first corner, with Stoner (who was second on the grid), dropping to sixth.

Lorenzo overtook Rossi on the ninth lap, widening his lead to more than a second after 15 laps and two seconds after 17. Stoner meanwhile was trapped behind Pedrosa and Italian Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso.

Pedrosa overtook Rossi on the 18th lap but the Italian quickly regained the second spot on the next lap. Stoner passed Dovizioso to claim the fourth spot in the next-to-last of the 24 laps.

Stoner said he heard a lot of chatter from the front brakes on the warm-up lap and "I wasn't confident over the first five or six laps."

"I spent too much time battling to get past," said the 23-year-old. "When I got close to the front, it was too late, unfortunately."


Motegi MotoGP Results

1. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP-Yamaha) 43:47.238
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA-Yamaha) +1.304sec
3. Dani Pedrosa (ESP-Honda) +3.763
4. Casey Stoner (AUS-Ducati) +5.691
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA-Honda) +9.207
6. Marco Melandri (ITA-Kawasaki) +30.555
7. Loris Capirossi (ITA-Suzuki) +32.756
8. Mika Kallio (FIN-Ducati) +39.416
9. James Toseland (GBR-Yamaha) +43.106
10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS-Suzuki) +43.245


2009 MotoGP Standings

1. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP) 41
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) 40
3. Casey Stoner (AUS) 38
4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) 22
5. Dani Pedrosa (ESP) 21
6. Colin Edwards (USA) 17
7. Mika Kallio (FIN) 16
8. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) 15
9. Alex de Angelis (SMR) 13
10. Marco Melandri (ITA) 12

May 03, 2009

Reigning world champion Valentino Rossi has clinched his first MotoGP race of the year and the championship lead, with victory in in front of 120,000 fans in Jerez.

Local Dani Pedrosa took the lead for the first half of the race, but Rossi was able reel him in to take a comfortable win.

Australia’s Casey Stoner finished in third place, for his best ever result at the Jerez track in southern Spain.

The win was Fiat Yamaha rider Rossi's 98th of his career and he now leads the championship from Ducati's Stoner by 11 points.

However the Italian admitted it should be a fight to the death for this season's crown.

"There's been three winners in three races, so it looks like the championship will be very tight this year. I will have to stay very concentrated at each and every race," said Rossi, who was surprised with his victory.

"It's been a strange weekend. On Friday (free practice) I was very fast then Saturday I had a lot of problems with the bike. We then made a few technical changes before the race and things seemed to work better as of this morning."

Starting fourth on the grid behind teammate Jorge Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Stoner, Rossi overtook the Australian on the sixth of the race's 27 laps before then trying to chip away at Pedrosa's advantage.

The Spaniard had led for the first 17 laps of the 4.423km circuit but on the 18th he could only watch as Rossi slipped past him and into the race lead.

Lorenzo, championship leader after the Motegi race, crashed with four laps remaining as he lost the front end of his bike. He was forced to go back into the pits after pushing too hard to snatch third position from Stoner.

Australia's Chris Vermeulen finished a disappointing 10th on board his Suzuki.

Spaniards Lorenzo and Pedrosa sit third and fourth respectively in the championship after three of 17 races.

The MotoGP now moves to France for the fourth race of the season in two weeks time.


Jerez MotoGP Results
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA-Yamaha) 45min 18.557sec
2. Dani Pedrosa (ESP-Honda) +2.700sec
3. Casey Stoner (AUS-Ducati) +10.507
4. Randy de Puniet (FRA-Honda) +31.893
5. Marco Melandri (ITA-Kawasaki) +33.128
6. Loris Capirossi (ITA-Suzuki) +34.128
7. Colin Edwards (USA-Yamaha) +34.421
8. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA-Honda) +34.625
9. Toni Elias (ESP-Honda) +42.689
10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS-Suzuki) +45.183

MotoGP Standings
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) 65
2. Casey Stoner (AUS) 54
3. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP) 41
4. Dani Pedrosa (ESP) 41
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) 30
6. Colin Edwards (USA) 26
7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) 24
8. Marco Melandri (ITA) 23
9. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) 21
10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) 19

May 17, 2009

Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo won the French MotoGP at Le Mans just a year after he finished second despite riding with two broken ankles.

The 22-year-old - a two-time 250cc world champion - enjoyed a trouble-free ride on his Yamaha to coast home ahead of Italian Marco Melandri on a Kawasaki while pole sitter Dani Pedrosa of Spain was third on a Honda.

Casey Stoner finished fifth after suffering a slight problem on his Ducati mid-race.

Fellow Australian Chris Vermuelen was sixth for Suzuki.

Lorenzo's joy was the reverse of Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi who had a nightmare as he sought his 99th career victory but in the end trailed in without scoring a point.

Lorenzo took the lead off his compatriot Pedrosa after the first lap, passing both him and Australia's former world champion Casey Stoner in an audacious manoeuvre.

Stoner was suffering the most of the contenders as he then was passed by Rossi with 26 of the 28 laps remaining and the Italian great then overtook Pedrosa.

Lorenzo - who has a difficult relationship with Rossi - held a lead of just over two seconds on the Italian.

However, disaster struck for Rossi with 23 laps remaining. Having just come into the pits to change bikes and go on to dry tyres he came to grief on a corner, and with his bike damaged, he guided it back to the pits to get on a new one.

His day went from bad to worse as he was then penalised for speeding in the pit lane.

French MotoGP finish
1. Jorge Lorenzo, (ESP), Yamaha, 47 minutes, 52.678 seconds.

2. Marco Melandri, (ITA), Kawasaki, 48:10.388.

3. Dani Pedrosa, (ESP), Honda, 48:12.571.

4. Andrea Dovizioso, (ITA), Honda, 48:13.133.

5. Casey Stoner, (AUS), Ducati, 48:23.217.

6. Chris Vermeulen, (AUS), Suzuki, 48:30.140.

7. Colin Edwards, (USA), Yamaha, 48:32.869.

8. Loris Capirossi, (ITA), Suzuki, 48:38.099.

9. James Toseland, (GBR), Yamaha, 48:42.985.

10. Toni Elias, (ESP), Honda, 48:45.896. Overall

Standings (After 4 of 17 races)

1. Jorge Lorenzo, (ESP), Yamaha, 66 points.

2. Valentino Rossi, (ITA), Yamaha 65.

2. Casey Stoner, (AUS), Ducati, 65.

4. Dani Pedrosa, (ESP), Honda, 57.

5. Marco Melandri, (ITA), Kawasaki, 43.

5. Andrea Dovizioso, (ITA), Honda, 43.

7. Colin Edwards, (USA), Yamaha, 35.

8. Chris Vermeulen, (AUS), Suzuki, 31.

9. Loris Capirossi, (ITA), Suzuki, 27.

10. Randy De Puniet, (FRA), Honda, 26.

May 31, 2009

Casey Stoner held off the fast-finishing Jorge Lorenzo to win the Italian Grand Prix and bring to an end Valentino Rossi's seven-year reign at Mugello.

The Australian also took over the lead in the world championship standings with his second win of the season having also triumphed in Qatar in the opening race of the season.

He now leads Lorenzo, who started on pole on Sunday, by four points in the championship standings with Rossi third, a further five points back.

In a dramatic race that began in wet conditions, Stoner seized the advantage when switching bikes after 10 laps for a change of tyres.

He was the fastest man on the track by some margin in those first few laps after the switch and although Yamaha pair Lorenzo and Rossi were quickest at the end, they had both lost too much time and too many places to hit back.

Stoner completed the 23 laps in 45min 41.894sec to win by just over a second to Spaniard Lorenzo.

In an exciting race the pole-sitter got off to a terrible start in the wet and immediately dropped to eighth.

Quickest off the mark were Australian Chris Vermeulen, who started 11th, and Andrea Dovizioso, who began seventh but Stoner passed them both on the long straight at the beginning of the second lap.

Vermeulen quickly started heading backwards, eventually finishing 10th, as Rossi started to move up from fifth.

However Italian Marco Melandri on a Kawasaki, who started 15th on the grid, was clearly fastest in the wet.

Rossi took the lead from Dovizioso, who had got back past Stoner, on the seventh lap and two laps later he lost that to Melandri.

However, on the 10th lap all the front runners came into the pits for a change of bikes and when they came out, Stoner was quickest to find his pace.

Melandri immediately started heading backwards, eventually finishing 11th and 35sec back, while Loris Capirossi propelled himself into race contention with Stoner and Dovizioso.

Lorenzo and Rossi initially struggled with their bikes down in fifth and sixth and the time they lost over those first three laps coming out of the pits, essentially cost either of them a chance of victory.

While Stoner had soon taken the race lead, both Yamaha riders had to then pass Melandri, Capirossi and Dovizioso and by the time they had done so, Stoner was over a second ahead and with only a couple of laps remaining.

Meanwhile former Superbikes champion James Toseland from Britain got his best finish of the season in seventh, benefitting from being the first man into the pits to change his bike.

It meant that his tyres were warm and he was flying as the fastest man on track for a few laps when everyone else was simply trying to get temperature into their new tyres.

Italian Grand Prix results MotoGP
1. Casey Stoner (AUS-Ducati) 45:41.894
2. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP-Yamaha) +1.001
3. Valentino Rossi (ITA-Yamaha) +2.076
4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA-Honda) +2.129
5. Loris Capirossi (ITA-Suzuki) +3.274
6. Colin Edwards (USA-Yamaha) +24.451
7. James Toseland (GBR-Yamaha) +25.621
8. Randy de Puniet (FRA-Honda) +26.046
9. Niccolo Canepa (ITA-Ducati) +31.815
10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS-Suzuki) +34.814

Overall Standings
1. Casey Stoner (AUS) 90
2. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP) 86
3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) 81
4. Dani Pedrosa (ESP) 57
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) 56
6. Marco Melandri (ITA) 48
7. Colin Edwards (USA) 45
8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) 38
9. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) 37
10. Randy de Puniet (FRA) 34

July 06, 2009

The US MotoGP turned into a one-man show at Laguna Seca in California, and the star was an unlikely winner - Spaniard Dani Pedrosa

Pedrosa led from first lap to last on his Honda for his first MotoGP victory of the year, holding off Italian Valentino Rossi on a dramatic final lap.

Pedrosa's winning time was 44min 1.58secs for 32 laps on the 3.61-kilometre track.

Rossi, who increased his margin atop the championship standings, was second on his Yamaha, 0.344 seconds behind Pedrosa.

Pole starter Jorge Lorenzo from Spain was third on a Yamaha despite painful shoulder and foot injuries suffered in a qualifying crash that nearly knocked him out of the race.

Pedrosa, who now has seven career grand prix wins, had failed to finish two of the previous three races and finished sixth in the other - and has struggled all year with a series of injuries.

"It's been a long, tough year for me. I'm happy to be back and win a race," Pedrosa said.

Pedrosa jumped into the lead on the first lap despite starting fourth on the grid and gradually built his lead to three seconds halfway through the race. He maintained that lead until the final lap, when Rossi nearly overtook him on the final turn.

"Perhaps the only mistake was on the last lap when I was too slow," Pedrosa said. "I thought I had more of an advantage."

Rossi, who earned his 100th career win last weekend at the Dutch MotoGP, was seeking his third straight victory.

"I didn't expect Dani to be so strong today," Rossi said. "I was pushing a lot on the final lap and I saw Dani slow down. I got close, but not close enough."

Australian Casey Stoner was fourth on a Ducati and his teammate, American Nicky Hayden, was fifth.

It was the first MotoGp race this season not won by Rossi, Lorenzo or Stoner, who have dominated the class all year.

Lorenzo, who appeared to struggle in the morning warm-up and gingerly got off his bike after 13 laps in that morning session, said he had trouble sleeping the night before because of pain.

He briefly caught Rossi for second place with four laps to go, but wobbled while making the pass and fell back to third for good.

"I did very close to my best," he said. "I did one of the best races of my career. My physical condition was very poor."

The second-place finish allowed Rossi to increase his lead atop the championship standings as he seeks a ninth world title and seventh in MotoGP. Rossi now has 151 points, followed by Lorenzo on 142, Stoner on 135 and Pedrosa on 92.

Rossi matched a record with his 158th consecutive grand prix start. Rossi, who has never missed a GP race since moving up to that class in 2000, equalled the record set by Alex Barros in 1992-2003.

The 250cc and 125cc categories had the weekend off.

The withdrawal of Yuki Takahashi from motorcycling's premier class this past week made the Laguna Seca race the first MotoGP without a Japanese rider since 1991.


US MotoGP results
1. Dani Pedrosa (ESP-Honda) 44:01.580
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA-Yamaha) +0.344
3. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP-Yamaha) +1.926
4. Casey Stoner (AUS-Ducati) +12.432
5. Nicky Hayden (USA-Ducati) +21.663
6. Toni Elias (ESP-Honda) +22.041
7. Colin Edwards (USA-Yamaha) +30.201
8. Chris Vermeulen (AUS-Suzuki) +32.857
9. Randy de Puniet (FRA-Honda) +40.325
10. Marco Melandri (ITA-Kawasaki) +48.028

Overall standings
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) 151
2. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP) 142
3. Casey Stoner (AUS) 135
4. Dani Pedrosa (ESP) 92
5. Colin Edwards (USA) 76
6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) 69
7. Marco Melandri (ITA) 61
8. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) 61
9. Randy de Puniet (FRA) 58
10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) 56

July 19, 2009

Valentino Rossi held off Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo to win a thrilling German MotoGP race here on Sunday, for his 101st career victory.

The Italian series leader, who started in pole position, finished ahead of Spaniard Lorenzo, with Honda's Dani Pedrosa, also of Spain, taking third place ahead of Ducati rider Casey Stoner.

“It's an important win at this stage of the season,” said championship leader Rossi.

“It was another fantastic battle with (Casey) Stoner until the last lap. I knew that on this circuit it's very difficult to pass so I stayed ahead on the final lap.”

Early on during the race, French rider Randy De Puniet suffered a dramatic tumble when pressing in third position behind Rossi and Pedrosa, sliding off the track as his bike bucked.

Australian Stoner, last season's winner here, took advantage to move swiftly past Rossi and Pedrosa to take the lead on the seventh lap.

Stoner forced the pace, with only the final podium finishers able to stick to him. By the 11th lap there were already five seconds between the Australian and fifth place occupied by Alex De Angelis of San Marino.

Rossi retook the lead on the 16th lap, with Lorenzo and then Pedrosa overtaking Stoner, who finished fourth.

The two Yamahas then edged away, with Lorenzo taking the attack to Rossi and assuming the lead with five laps to go.

In a nail-biting climax, Rossi moved back into the lead with one lap to go and held off Lorenzo as the Spaniard tried one last desperate pass on the final bend.

Rossi has 176 points after nine races with Lorenzo on 162 and Stoner, 148.

July 27, 2009

Italian rider Andrea Dovizioso won the British MotoGP here on Sunday on its farewell appearance at the track.

The 23-year-old Honda pilot beat home American Colin Edwards on a Yamaha while Frenchman Randy de Puniet was third on a Honda.

Overall championship leader Valentino Rossi failed to make the podium after crashing whilst in the lead, but still extended his advantage in the standings as he finished fifth while Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo went out early on.

Australian Casey Stoner had a disappointing day in finishing 14th, one spot behind compatriot Chris Vermeulen, but he remains third on the standings.

Dovizioso was ecstatic to have given the team a much-needed victory.

“I won on the wet here in 2007 in the 250cc class, so I knew the conditions well,” said the Italian.

“The emotion this tine is very different as it is in another class. The start of the season has not been easy so it gives me great pleasure to get this victory for the team,” added Dovizioso, who was crowned world 125cc champion in 2004.

Edwards for his part bemoaned the fact that having changed tyres, they took too long to warm up which could have made a difference to between breaking his MotoGp duck after over a hundred races.

“I am too old for this s*&#!” joked the 35-year-old.

“My tyres were too cold towards the end after I changed them (because it was raining). There was just not enough warmth in the tyres.”

De Puniet was over the moon to have got onto the podium.

“It was a very good race for me,” beamed the personable 28-year-old.

“It was pretty difficult. I had a big fight with Dani Pedrosa then Colin (Edwards) came up to me. It was very slippery out there but it is fantastic for me and the team to get onto the podium.”

With both Lorenzo gone, and 2007 champion Casey Stoner struggling - he was to finish 14th - it left Rossi well out in the lead.

But holding a comfortable advantage, with 11 laps to go, the Italian came a cropper as he slid and crashed.

He was able to remount the bike and keep it going but returned to the fray in 11th and last position some 20 seconds down the field to new leader Dovizioso while de Puniet was in second.

The rain started to come down with eight laps remaining and several riders scrambled to change their tyres.

De Puniet really put his foot down and with four laps remaining he reduced the Italian's lead by three seconds whilst Rossi had moved up to sixth.

With three laps to go Dovizioso's lead was down to less than two seconds over de Puniet and Edwards but was able to stabilise it and hold on for a landmark victory.

Earlier Japanese rider Hiroshi Aoyama won the 250cc race to record his third victory of the season and extend his lead in the overall standings.

Aoyama was an easy winner ahead of Spaniard Alvaro Bautista while Mattia Pasini of Italy was third.

Spanish rider Julian Simon had started off proceedings by winning the 125cc Grand Prix. The Aprilia rider beat home Italy's Simone Corsi and Scott Redding of Great Britain.

Results
1. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Honda) 48min 26.267sec,
2. Colin Edwards (USA/Yamaha) at 1.360sec,
3. Randy de Puniet (FRA/Honda) 1.600,
4. Alex de Angelis (SMR/Honda) 8.958,
5. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 21.622,
6. James Toseland (GBR/Yamaha) 22.465,
7. Marco Melandri (ITA/Kawasaki) 35.284,
8. Niccolo Canepa (ITA/Ducati) 38.769,
9. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 42.112,
10. Mika Kallio (FIN/Ducati) 45.845,
11. Loris Capirossi (ITA/Suzuki) 53.190,
12. Gabor Talmacsi (HUN/Honda) 1min 12.315sec,
13. Chris Vermeulen (AUS/Suzuki) 1:20.398,
14. Casey Stoner (AUS/Ducati) at one lap,