- News>
- Motorsports
Rossi lives upto expectations to win Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang, Oct 13: Valentino Rossi wins in Malaysia to become senior world motorcycle champion for the third consecutive time.
Sepang, Oct 13: Valentino Rossi wins in Malaysia to become senior world motorcycle champion for the third consecutive time.
Italian Valentino Rossi won his third consecutive world title after a victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday (October 12). The 24-year-old Honda rider, who won the final 500cc championship in 2001 and the inuagural MotoGP championship last year, started from pole and, despite a poor start, his victory was never really in doubt. Spain's Sete Gibernau, the only rider with any real chance of catching Rossi in the title race, was second ahead of another Italian Max Biaggi.
Rossi, who also won the 125cc title in 1997 and the 250cc crown in 1999, has 307 points to Gibernau's 244 with only 50 points up for grabs in the two races remaining in the season.
125CC Spain's Daniel Pedrosa won the 125cc world championship with two races of the season remaining after victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Honda rider, who turned 18 last month, crossed the line more than two seconds ahead of Finland's Mika Kallio in second and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo in third for his fifth race win of the season.
That gave Pedrosa his first world title as he took an unassailable 64-point lead in the standings over Italian Stefano Perugini, who retired from the race on the second lap.
Pedrosa capitalised on a superb start to take the lead on the first corner and dominate all the way to the finish with a time of 43 minutes 7.647 seconds.
Perugini's determination to make up for starting ninth on the grid saw him pushing to fourth halfway through the first lap until his forced retirement.
When Casey Stoner crashed out in the 12th lap, Pedrosa took advantage of the competition between the five riders in the chasing pack -- Lorenzo, Kallio, Thomas Luthi, Alex De Angeles and Masao Azuma -- to push further ahead for the win.
250CC Spain's Toni Elias won the 250cc race ahead of San Marino's Manuel Poggiali, who took second place to extend his championship lead. Elias, who started from pole, controlled the race all the way to the finish line in a time of 43 minutes 15.925 seconds to take his fifth race of the season and move up to a share of second in the title race with Italian Roberto Rolfo, who was fourth on Sunday, on 201 points.
Poggiali was forced to battle it out with Fonsi Nieto for second place, just pipping the Spaniard at the line by 0.011 seconds.
With the Australian and Valencia races remaining in the season, the Aprilia rider has 226 points and is still favourite to take his second world title after winning the 2001 125cc championship.
250 cc Race distance: 20 laps, 110.96 km 1. Toni Elias (Spain) Aprilia 43:15.925 2. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Aprilia 43:25.856 3. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 43.25.867 4. Roberto Rolfo (Italy) Honda 43.41.764 5. Randy de Puniet (France) Aprilia 43:49.985 6. Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 43:51.929 7. Naoki Matsudo (Japan) Yamaha 44:05.370 8. Sebastian Porto (Argentina) Honda 44:09.880 9. Anthony West (Australia) Aprilia 44:13.090 10. Alex Baldolini (Italy) Aprilia 44:19.625
Riders 1. Poggalia 226 points 2. Elias 201 3. Rolfo 201 4. De Puniet 183 5. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 167
Manufacturers 1. Aprilia 345 2. Honda 217 3. Yamaha 104
125cc Race distance: 19 laps, 105.412 km 1. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 43 minutes 07.647 seconds 2. Mika Kallio (Finland) KTM 43:10.305 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Derbi 43:10.397 4. Thomas Luthi (Switzerland) Honda 43:10.653 5. Masao Azuma (Japan) Honda 43:12.679 6. Alex De Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 43:14.889 7. Mirko Giansanti (Italy) Aprilia 43:17.196 8. Hector Barbera (Spain) Aprilia 43:18.555 9. Pablo Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 43:18.844 10. Roberto Locatelli (Italy) KTM 43:20.521
Overall 125cc championship standing: 1. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 223 points 2. Stefani Perugini (Italy) Aprilia 159 3. Alex De Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 157 4. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 149 5. Pablo Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 139
Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 302 2. Honda 253 3. Derbi 66 4. KTM 66 5. Malaguti 7
Bureau Report
Italian Valentino Rossi won his third consecutive world title after a victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday (October 12). The 24-year-old Honda rider, who won the final 500cc championship in 2001 and the inuagural MotoGP championship last year, started from pole and, despite a poor start, his victory was never really in doubt. Spain's Sete Gibernau, the only rider with any real chance of catching Rossi in the title race, was second ahead of another Italian Max Biaggi.
Rossi, who also won the 125cc title in 1997 and the 250cc crown in 1999, has 307 points to Gibernau's 244 with only 50 points up for grabs in the two races remaining in the season.
125CC Spain's Daniel Pedrosa won the 125cc world championship with two races of the season remaining after victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Honda rider, who turned 18 last month, crossed the line more than two seconds ahead of Finland's Mika Kallio in second and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo in third for his fifth race win of the season.
That gave Pedrosa his first world title as he took an unassailable 64-point lead in the standings over Italian Stefano Perugini, who retired from the race on the second lap.
Pedrosa capitalised on a superb start to take the lead on the first corner and dominate all the way to the finish with a time of 43 minutes 7.647 seconds.
Perugini's determination to make up for starting ninth on the grid saw him pushing to fourth halfway through the first lap until his forced retirement.
When Casey Stoner crashed out in the 12th lap, Pedrosa took advantage of the competition between the five riders in the chasing pack -- Lorenzo, Kallio, Thomas Luthi, Alex De Angeles and Masao Azuma -- to push further ahead for the win.
250CC Spain's Toni Elias won the 250cc race ahead of San Marino's Manuel Poggiali, who took second place to extend his championship lead. Elias, who started from pole, controlled the race all the way to the finish line in a time of 43 minutes 15.925 seconds to take his fifth race of the season and move up to a share of second in the title race with Italian Roberto Rolfo, who was fourth on Sunday, on 201 points.
Poggiali was forced to battle it out with Fonsi Nieto for second place, just pipping the Spaniard at the line by 0.011 seconds.
With the Australian and Valencia races remaining in the season, the Aprilia rider has 226 points and is still favourite to take his second world title after winning the 2001 125cc championship.
250 cc Race distance: 20 laps, 110.96 km 1. Toni Elias (Spain) Aprilia 43:15.925 2. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Aprilia 43:25.856 3. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 43.25.867 4. Roberto Rolfo (Italy) Honda 43.41.764 5. Randy de Puniet (France) Aprilia 43:49.985 6. Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 43:51.929 7. Naoki Matsudo (Japan) Yamaha 44:05.370 8. Sebastian Porto (Argentina) Honda 44:09.880 9. Anthony West (Australia) Aprilia 44:13.090 10. Alex Baldolini (Italy) Aprilia 44:19.625
Riders 1. Poggalia 226 points 2. Elias 201 3. Rolfo 201 4. De Puniet 183 5. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 167
Manufacturers 1. Aprilia 345 2. Honda 217 3. Yamaha 104
125cc Race distance: 19 laps, 105.412 km 1. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 43 minutes 07.647 seconds 2. Mika Kallio (Finland) KTM 43:10.305 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Derbi 43:10.397 4. Thomas Luthi (Switzerland) Honda 43:10.653 5. Masao Azuma (Japan) Honda 43:12.679 6. Alex De Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 43:14.889 7. Mirko Giansanti (Italy) Aprilia 43:17.196 8. Hector Barbera (Spain) Aprilia 43:18.555 9. Pablo Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 43:18.844 10. Roberto Locatelli (Italy) KTM 43:20.521
Overall 125cc championship standing: 1. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 223 points 2. Stefani Perugini (Italy) Aprilia 159 3. Alex De Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 157 4. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 149 5. Pablo Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 139
Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 302 2. Honda 253 3. Derbi 66 4. KTM 66 5. Malaguti 7
Bureau Report