Rossi closes the gap with another hard-earned podium

Race Report from Yamaha Team

Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi now trails MotoGP World Championship series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) by just twelve points with two rounds remaining thanks to his fourth consecutive podium, his eighth from the last ten races, in Japan today.

Rossi took second place in a race dominated and won by Loris Capirossi (Ducati), with Marco Melandri (Honda) completing the podium in a carbon copy of the front row order. The 20-point reward for Rossi moved him another nine closer to Hayden, who finished fifth behind Sete Gibernau (Ducati).

Valentino Rossi (2nd; +5.088)
"I'm really happy with this second position today. It wasn't a great battle like in Sepang, but my rhythm was really good and my bike worked very well. We had a few problems in warm-up this morning and, like always, my mechanics, the Yamaha engineers and Michelin did a great job to make some last-minute changes to our race set-up.
At the start my M1 was a little bit hard to ride but slowly I found my rhythm and then bit by bit I started to come closer to Marco. Once I passed him I started pushing to try to reach Loris and made the fastest lap, but once he realised I was coming closer he opened the throttle again and he was just too fast for me to catch. My bike worked brilliantly since Friday morning and I want to thank everyone for all their hard work, it seems that when everything is working for us then it's hard for the others!

20 points is a great result for me at this track, which isn't one of my favourites, and now we're only 12 points behind in the championship. We have two races left and if we can continue in this way then it's possible!"

Rider Standings（Up to 24/09/2006）

1. Nicky Hayden/Honda/USA/236
2. Valentino Rossi/Yamaha/ITA/224
3. Marco Melandri/Honda/ITA/209
4. Loris Capirossi/Ducati/ITA/205
5. Daniel Pedrosa/Honda/ESP/202

Rossi ready to show who's the boss

Valentino Rossi is confident he can further close the gap on MotoGP points leader Nicky Hayden in Sunday's race at Motegi.

The Camel Yamaha rider start the Japanese round from the front row of the grid after setting the second fastest time in qualifying behind the Ducati Marlboro machine of fellow Italian Loris Capirossi.

"I am very happy to be on the front row again for the fourth race in a row," said Rossi."My (Yamaha) M1 has worked well from the start here so we've been able to work on the setting with various different things and then mix everything together to find the very best race set-up."Now it seems we're in good shape. The bike worked very well also with the qualifying tyre and I had very good grip."

Capirossi struck a significant blow for Ducati by putting Japan's major manufacturers in the shade in qualifying.Capirossi rider topped the qualifying session for the Japanese round of the championship with a lap of one minute 45.724 seconds. Another Italian, Marco Melandri, completed the front row to show his win last time out on the Fortuna Honda in Malaysia was not an isolated example of his pace.

Rossi trails current championship leader Nicky Hayden by 21 points, with Motegi the first of the three remaining races in the series.American Hayden could only manage the seventh best time and will start from the third row of the grid on the Repsol Honda.

Brad Pitt : Rossi Is Poetry

Actor Brad Pitt mentions MotoGP racer Valentino Rossi in a story in the current issue of Esquire magazine.

Pitt, who we understand is a fairly devoted motorcycle and racing fan, lists Rossi in a feature self-penned by the Fight Club star titled Fifteen Things I Think Everyone Should Know.

Pitt mentions motorcycles, saying he has a problem with them (as in the same problem you probably have with them), I have sport bikes. And I have dirt bikes. ...I don't want to talk about it; I'll just say that I have a problem.

Pitt mentions Rossi in a separate entry, writing He is a magician. He's mesmerizing. ... he's the fastest man on two wheels. It's speed but it's also balance. ... (Rossi) has a sort of innate sense of balance that's beyond mortal man. Pitt rides a variety of bikes including a Ducati Monster.

Rossi Closes Gap

VALENTINO ROSSI cut the MotoGP World Championship lead of Nicky Hayden on Sunday as rain at Phillip Island resulted in the first white flag wet weather race in the series.

Rossi finished third on the Camel Yamaha behind fellow Italian Marco Melandri, who won the race on the Fortuna Honda and the Rizla Suzuki of Australian Chris Vermeulen who took his first MotoGP podium finish.

Ahead of Spaniard Sete Gibernau and the Repsol Honda of US rider Hayden, Rossi was able to pick up five points on Hayden, as the race was dominated by the changing weather conditions.

Predicted rainfall led to a delay in the start of the race and then, as the weather changed, the white flag was shown to indicate that riders were able to change machines to be able to use tyres better suited to the conditions.

Japan's Shinya Nakano had led on the Kawasaki, but saw his early advantage reduced to nothing during the machine changes. Hayden had a disastrous first lap from pole position and dropped back to 16th before making the most of the machine change.

Melandri was rewarded for a controlled race as he led home Vermeulen and Rossi, who grabbed third off Gibernau with a late pass. Hayden still leads the series, but saw his advantage over Rossi drop to 21 points with three races remaining. Melandri moved up to joint third alongside Spaniard Dani Pedrosa who struggled in the conditions.

Pedrosa, who was still suffering with a badly gashed knee picked up at the previous round, finished 15th on the Repsol Honda and was lapped during the closing stages of the race as his lack of wet-weather riding ability was once again exposed.

Rossi and Hayden fears Ducatis

Valentino Rossi believes he and pole-sitter Nicky Hayden will have to make a quick break for it to avoid an all-out attack from the Ducatis in tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix.

Ducati riders Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau could only manage 12th and 13th on the grid in what was one of their worst performances of the season as their Bridestone tyres failed to perform on the day.

But five-time world champion Rossi, 27, who will start from third on his Yamaha, believes that the Italian machines will be totally different in the race if their riders can start well.

He said: “I'm surprised that Capirossi and Gibernau are so far back because they have got a very strong race pace so I suppose me and Nicky will be pushing hard from the start to try and escape.”

Rossi himself was happy with the performance of his bike, but thinks that his team will have to make some serious set-up changes overnight if he i sto have a chance to win the race and close the 26-point gap to Hayden in the championship.

He added: The team did a really good job today because we had some difficulties setting the bike up yesterday, but today it worked really well and I was able to qualify on the front row.

“Because of the temperatures here we are finding it hard to get heat into the rear tyre and we struggled a bit again today, which is why I had to leave it so late before trying for the fast time on the qualifying tyre.

“We still have some work to do in this aspect on the race setting but with the qualifying tyre the grip was there and I was able to go third fastest, even though I ran off the track on my out lap.”

Rossi : Pedrosa racing danger

Five-time world champion Valentino Rossi has hit out at the racing skills of title rival Dani Pedrosa.

Pedrosa accused Rossi of being "very aggressive when overtaking" at last month's Czech GP. But Rossi said: "The problem with Pedrosa, at this moment, is that he is not able to overtake. "He arrives at the front always over-shooting, so the danger is him, not me. He needs more experience and to understand the way to overtake."

Rossi is bidding for his sixth consecutive Australian MotoGP victory on Sunday and is unbeaten around the Phillip Island circuit since 2001. His win over Loris Capirossi in last Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix pushed him to within 26 points of championship leader Nicky Hayden, and just four points behind second-placed Pedrosa with four MotoGPs left in the season.

Pedrosa only moved up to the premier class this year after winning the 250cc world championship last season, but Rossi reminded him he was now in a different league.
"I don't know the situation in 250 but this is MotoGP," Rossi said. "It's a battle, especially when you are fighting for the second-place position with three laps to go."

Rossi aims to continue momentum

MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi has set himself the target of being in contention to retain his title at the final round of the series next month.

The Camel Yamaha rider thought his chances of retaining the title were gone after failing to score in several rounds. But victory in the last round at Sepang in Malaysia has seen Rossi close the gap on points leader Nicky Hayden to 26.

American Hayden has seen his form dip since winning his home race at Laguna Seca at the end of July. With four races remaining Rossi is closing in on the Repsol Hondas of Hayden and his Spanish team-mate Dani Pedrosa who heads the Italian by four points. Rossi aims to go into the final round at Valencia, Spain, on October 29 with a chance of retaining the title with the first of those four rounds at Phillip Island in Australia on Sunday.

Rossi has won at Phillip Island for the last five years and is looking to continue that winning run. "I always look forward to this race a lot, and especially now, when my bike is working so well," said Rossi. "Phillip Island and Australia in general is a special place, very beautiful. This race is very important for my team, because many of them are Australian and it's their home race, like Mugello for me. I want to thank them for all their hard work by doing well."

Rossi hopes to keep the winning feeling at Phillip Island and then use his recent momentum to reel in Hayden. "Phillip Island is a magic track for me. I've won a lot of races there and some championships too, I love it," added Rossi. "It's one of my favourite tracks, an 'old style' track. We didn't test there this year but anyway the (Yamaha) M1 always works well there and I love riding there. It's very cold this year, so it's going to be difficult with the tyres, but I am really looking forward to it.

"After Laguna I didn't entirely believe in my chances for the championship any more, but then after Brno I said to myself 'okay we still have a chance, we can try'. "Now my objective is to win as many races as possible, then we will see in Valencia."

Incredible Battle, Incredible Win

The Italian, who started from the pole in dry conditions in the 21-lap race Sunday, fought off an intense challenge from his countryman Loris Capirossi on a Ducati at the wide and twisting 5.5-kilometer (3.4-mile) Sepang circuit.

Title contender Spain's Daniel Pedrosa on a Honda finished third, while championship leader Nicky Hayden of the United States (Honda) was fourth. With the victory, Rossi claimed valuable points to narrow the gap with title leader Hayden in his bid to claim an eighth world title. The injured Pedrosa, who started fifth, snatched an early lead from Rossi in the first lap but Rossi successfully regained the top spot. Then Capirossi, last year's winner in Sepang, became the new dangerman for Rossi.

In lap 17, Capirossi overtook Rossi in a tight corner and maintained his lead despite a stiff challenge from the Yamaha rider. It was a cat-and-mouse game between the two riders but Rossi managed to outsmart Capirossi in the final laps to win the race.

Rossi described the race as an "incredible battle," saying the win brought with it valuable points for his championship title. "This time I win. The battle was incredible. I think we overtook each other at least 10 times or more," he said. "I think it is one of my best races in my career."

Capirossi, meanwhile, described the race as one of the most exciting of the season. "We have four more races to go and I hope it will be like that," he told reporters, adding that the "championship title remains open." Hayden, of the United States, leads the pack with 214 points, followed by teammate Pedrosa with 192. Rossi has 188 with four races remaining.

Rossi Fastest in Final Practice

World champion Valentino Rossi posted the fastest time in the final free practice ahead of the Malaysia Moto Grand Prix at Sepang.

The Italian Yamaha rider set a blazing pace to clock a new circuit record with a time of 2min 00.605sec on the 5.5-kilometer (3.4 miles) course. Rival championship points leader Nicky Hayden of the United States, riding a Honda, was second-fastest with a time of 2:01.043. Veteran Italian rider Loris Capirossi on a Ducati was third quickest at 2:01.167.

Qualifying for Sunday's race was scheduled for later Saturday on a wet track.

Difficult Day for Rossi

MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi remains confident of success in Malaysia despite trailing in the wake of fellow Italian Loris Capirossi on the first day at Sepang.

Valentino Rossi (6th - 2'02.970; 41 laps)
"It's been a difficult first day - more so in the morning than the afternoon, which means we are working in the right way. I was confident after the Brno test, especially about the tyres and the way they are working now with our M1. Unfortunately in the conditions we have found here that setting doesn't work so well and we had a few problems with tyre life. So in the afternoon basically we adapted the setting using the data we gathered in the January tests, when I was very fast, and things improved a lot. Tomorrow we'll move even closer to that setting and I'm very confident we can make a big improvement again. Loris was very fast today and it looks like it will be a tough challenge to beat him, but we have good base data for this circuit and I'm sure we can get back to the pace I know I am capable of here."

Valentino Rossi: One of my favourite

Valentino Rossi is predicting a repeat of last year's tough battle with fellow Italian Loris Capirossi this weekend as he looks to get one over on his compatriot after another memorable duel between the pair at Brno.

The Yamaha man cites Sepang as one of his favourite tracks and he is hopeful that recent developments with the 990cc M1 machine will make it equally inclined towards the Malaysian venue.

"As everyone knows, Sepang is one of my favourite tracks and it's always great fun to ride the M1 there," says Rossi. "We made some really good progress in Brno so hopefully everything will work well from Friday morning and we can fight at the top all weekend.

Last year Loris was incredibly strong in Sepang, similar to how he was two weeks ago in Brno and I am sure that this will be the case again this time! "This year I can't win the title in Malaysia so our aim once again is to finish on the podium and take as many points as possible in order to stay in the fight. These three races in a row are going be very important and at the end of them the championship could be much clearer. It's always hard work, with a lot of flying and time changes in a short amount of time, but we will stay focused and do the best we can!"

A-Class Status

Valentino Rossi is not only a star on the track but also off the track. The reigning MotoGP worldchampion attended the famous Venice International Film Festival.

Jaeger Le Coultre, a famous watchmaker, organised a party before the screening of Hollywoodland. Valentino Rossi stopped in at the party and this didn’t go by unnoticed.

Valentino Rossi proved that he has the status of an A-list movie star, as the party organisers had to call in the help of local police to control the crowd of enthusiastic fans.

The festival director, Marco Mueller, is a fan of the MotoGP star as well and took the opportunity to meet Rossi. Marco Mueller confessed that he always watch him race on TV whenever he can find the time for it.

Apparently Valentino Rossi didn’t talk to the press, but he did say that if he was asked to make a movie with Brad Pitt, that he better bring his girlfriend Angelina Jolie with him!