MOTOR SPORT: Valentino Rossi tore motorcycling's record books to shreds when he won the Australian MotoGP here yesterday. The 25-year-old Italian claimed his sixth world title and gave Yamaha the championship for the first time in 12 years.
It was his 100th podium performance and also his fourth consecutive championship in the premier class of grand prix racing. Further, he became only the second rider in the 55-year history of grand prix racing to win back-to-back championships in the senior class on different makes of motorcycle. And his eighth victory of the year broke the record for the number of premier-class wins in a season by a Yamaha rider.
"That was my best ever championship," Rossi said after beating Honda's Sete Gibernau in a blazing, 27-lap tussle on the 2.76-mile circuit near Melbourne. "We used a very hard rear tyre and it was a great choice. I made a bit of a bad start, but I wanted to stick with Sete. When my fuel load dropped I got a good feeling from the bike, and in some places on the track I was faster than him.
"The last lap was incredible. I overtook him going into the first corner and then we passed each other two or three more times, I don't remember exactly."
Rossi's frantic struggle for his 67th race win was totally unnecessary because he needed only to finish second to clinch the title. But it is a tribute to his competitive nature that he declined to play it safe and gave the 42,000 spectators one of the closest races of the season.
Spain's Gibernau finished less than a 10th of a second behind but was totally dismayed at finishing runner-up to Rossi in the championship for the second consecutive year.
"I struggled for the whole race with a problem with my throttle control," he said.
"I had to anticipate what was happening with the throttle and I couldn't just focus on pushing hard to win."
Loris Capirossi revived the fortunes of Italy's Ducati team by finishing third on the factory's revised twin-pulse Desmosedici V4 machine.
The flair with which Rossi dominates MotoGP racing has made him the outstanding rider of his era and a rival to the 1960s legend, the late Mike Hailwood, for the accolade of the greatest racing motorcyclist of all time.
"Rossi (is) probably the greatest rider in history," the former world champion Wayne Gardner said yesterday.
"He is a great world champion, a great professional and an entertainer. It's not often you see someone who is that good on and off the track."
Rossi won his three previous championships in MotoGP's senior class with Honda, but switched to Yamaha during the winter for a new challenge.
Without any support from the three other Yamaha riders on the grid, he has thrashed six Honda riders this year, including the former world champions Max Biaggi and Colin Edwards.
The likeable Italian now carries an unassailable 35-point lead into the final round in Spain on October 31st.
Honda's only consolation was to take the constructors' championship for the 16th time, equalling the record held by the Italian maker MV Agusta.
MotoGP rd 15: 1 V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 41mins 25.819secs, 2 S Gibernau (Spa) Honda at 0.097secs, 3 L Capirossi (Ita) Ducati at 10.486, 4 C Edwards (USA) Honda at 10.817, 5 A Barros (Bra) Honda at 10.851, 6 N Hayden (USA) Honda at 12.210, 7 M Biaggi (Ita) Honda at 12.847, 8 M Tamada (Jpn) Honda at 12.965, 9 T Bayliss (Aus) Ducati at 18.607, 10 Carlos Checa (Spa) Yamaha at 21.245, 11 R Xaus (Spa) Ducati at 23.173, 12 S Nakano (Jpn) Kawasaki at 25.718, 13 A Hofmann (Ger) Kawasaki at 35.137, 14 J McWilliams (Gbr) Aprilia at 45.155, 15 JHopkins (USA) 15 Suzuki at 45.197
Championship Standings: MotoG: 1 V Rossi (Ita) 279pts, 2 S Gibernau (Spa) 244, 3 M Biaggi (Ita) 197, 4 A Barros (Bra) 155, 5 C Edwards (USA) 149, 6 M Tamada (Jpn) 139, 7 N Hayden (USA) 117, 8 C Checa (Spa) 115, 9 L Capirossi (Ita) 110, 10 R Xaus (Spa) 77
Constructors Standings: 1 Honda 335, 2 Yamaha 303, 3 Ducati 153, 4 Kawasaki 86, 5 Suzuki 69, 6 Aprilia 36, 7 Proton KR 15, 8 Haris WCM 12, 9 Moriwaki 7 250cc: 1 Honda 329pts 2 Aprilia 328, 3 Yamaha 36 125cc: 1 Aprilia 304pts, 2 Honda 281, 3 KTM 204, 4 Derbi 179, 5 Gilera 60, 6 Malaguti 36, 7 Yamaha 7.
