Catalunya, June 16: Honda rider Rossi, the world championship leader, was in his usual commanding form at the start of the race on Sunday (June 15) but lost the lead to Capirossi on lap 15. The world champion got too close to his fellow Italian in trying to take back the lead on the next lap and ran off the track into the gravel, losing more than eight seconds. Rossi produced a furious ride from down the field, bringing the crowd to their feet as he slalomed in and out of rival riders to move back up to second but Capirossi was able to hold on for victory. Spanish Honda rider Sete Gibernau came in third after Italy`s Max Biaggi had spun out on his Honda. Rossi`s second place was enough to extend his lead in the world championship to 47 points after six grands prix, with Gibernau his closest rival and Biaggi three points further back. While Rossi provided the most compelling drama, the day belonged to Ducati, who are competing at the highest grand prix level for the first time since 1972. For an ecstatic Capirossi, it was a first victory since Italy in 2000. "This day for me is fantastic, the first victory", Capirossi said. "This is the first one for Ducati, for Marlboro, for all my team.”

"The race today is unbelievable, especially the beginning, I have a big fight with Valentino (Rossi). But for sure the rhythm is not so fast but when Valentino tried to go faster we go just a half a second faster than normal". Rossi went into the race with three wins from five races and Catalunya looked like providing a fourth.

Capirossi took the lead going into the first corner but Rossi had reclaimed it by the end of the first lap.

He ran comfortably until a brief lapse in concentration allowed Capirossi into the lead and he lost the race on the next lap as he just managed to stop himself from touching bikes with his Italian rival only to run off the track. Spain`s Daniel Pedrosa edged out Swiss rider Thomas Luthi to win the 125cc race, with Alex De Angelis in third, while Frenchman Randy de Puniet took the 250cc category ahead of Spain`s Fonsi Nieto and Anthony West of Australia.

Leading results from the Catalan motorcycling Grand Prix on Sunday: MotoGP (25 laps): 1. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 44 minutes 21.758 seconds

2. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda 44:24.433

3. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Honda 44:26.102

4. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 44:26.693

5. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Yamaha 44:26.761

6. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 44:42.345

7. Makoto Tamada (Japan) Honda 44:44.740

8. Alex Barros (Brazil) Yamaha 44:46.747

9. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Honda 44:48.917

10. Troy Bayliss (Australia) Ducati 44:52.134

11. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Japan) Honda 44:54.951

12. Noriyuki Haga (Japan) Aprilia 45:02.201

13. Marco Melandri (Italy) Yamaha 45:02.203

14. Max Biaggi (Italy) Honda 45:04.083

15. John Hopkins (U.S.) Suzuki 45:10.417

16. Nobuatsu Aoki (Japan) Proton KR 45:26.479

17. Garry McCoy (Australia) Kawasaki 45:58.672

Leading overall standings after six races: 1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda 135 points 2. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Honda 88 3. Max Biaggi (Italy) Honda 85 4. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 61 5. Alex Barros (Brazil) Yamaha 54 6. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 52 7. Troy Bayliss (Australia) Ducati 46 8. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Yamaha 44 9. Makoto Tamada (Japan) Honda 34 10. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 34

Constructors: 1. Honda 145 points 2. Ducati 90 3. Yamaha 70 4. Aprilia 34 5. Proton 21 6. Suzuki 16 7. Kawasaki 10

250 cc (23 laps): 1. Randy De Puniet (France) Aprilia 41 minutes 59.893 seconds 2. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 42:00.137 3. Anthony West (Australia) Aprilia 42:02.534 4. Toni Elias (Spain) Aprilia 42:04.222 5. Naoki Matsudo (Japan) Yamaha 42:07.789 6. Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 42:11.325 7. Sebastian Porto (Argentina) Honda 42:11.776 8. Sylvain Guintoli (France) Aprilia 42:15.654 9. Roberto Rolfo (Italy) Honda 42:24.163 10. Joan Olive (Spain) Aprilia 42:29.263

Leading overall standings: 1. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Aprilia 88 points 2. Elias 81 3. De Puniet 81 4. Nieto 81 5. Rolfo 76 6. Battaini 58 7. West 53 8. Porto 53 9. Matsudo 53 10. Guintoli 42

Constructors: 1. Aprilia 150 points 2. Honda 91 3. Yamaha 53

125 cc (22 laps): 1. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 41 minutes 16.672 seconds 2. Thomas Luthi (Switzerland) Honda 41:16.809 3. Alex De Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 41:16.987 4. Steve Jenkner (Germany) Aprilia 41:18.261 5. Stefano Perugini (Italy) Aprilia 41:36.546 6. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Derbi 41:39.232 7. Mika Kallio (Finland) Honda 41:39.319 8. Gino Borsoi (Italy) Aprilia 41:39.528 9. Gabor Talmacsi (Hungary) Aprilia 41:39.588 10. Roberto Locatelli (Italy) KTM 41:40.087

Leading overall standings: 1. Pedrosa 116 points 2. Lucio Cecchinello (Italy) Aprilia 91 3. Jenkner 73 4. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 67 5. Peruigini 65 6. De Angelis 53 7. Youichi Ui (Japan) Aprilia 51 8. Pablo Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 47 9. Mirko Giansanti (Italy) Aprilia 40 10. Luthi 39

Constructors: 1. Aprilia 127 points 2. Honda 119 3. Derbi 11 4. KTM 11

Bureau Report