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2009-08-16 Rossi wins while Lorenzo crashes - Brno rider claims
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 Valentino Rossi stormed to the fifth victory of the season, leading race from pole position and wining battle with Jorge Lorenzo, who crashed with five laps remaining. MotoGP victory nymber 102 was also 160th Rossi's podium finish, which placed him in front of Giacomo Agostini to top the all-time podium list. More important for Rossi, he is now 50 points clear of Lorenzo in championship chase. Dani Pedrosa, who was briefly second in opening part of the race, was not able to follow Rossi and Lorenzo and finished race in lonely 2nd place after Lorenzo crashed. Contract time once again inspired Toni Elias to grab last step of the podium, after race-long battle with Dovizioso, who again finished in his trademark 4th place. Loris Capirossi was closest spectator of the Elias-Dovizioso battle, finishing right behind Honda duo. Read rider claims after the race.
Valentino Rossi - 1st:
This is a very important victory for us! Jorge had shown all weekend that he was very strong and, when we still weren’t feeling perfect after the warm-up, we decided to make one more small modification to improve the feeling with the front and the result was brilliant; my Yamaha really flew today. I got a good start and I was able to ride exactly how I wanted, using all of the track to get the best lines. At the end, when Jorge passed me, I thought that the fight was starting and I was really ready for it, but then he made a mistake and crashed. Of course I’m sorry; it’s really bad for him but I have to say that it’s great for us because now we have an advantage of 50 points with six races to go. However it would be very stupid to relax now because Jorge is very strong and for sure we expect another hard fight with him in Indianapolis. Today I arrived at the top of the all-time podium list and I’m very proud of this, especially here at Brno where I took my first victory 13 years ago! Thanks to Yamaha and my team for today, it was a great win.
Dani Pedrosa - 2nd:
At the start of the race I pushed really hard to stay with the leaders and for the first few laps I was with them. Then they kept getting faster on every lap and, though I was pushing to the maximum, I couldn’t maintain that sort of pace today. So for the rest of the race I just had to concentrate on not making a mistake because there was a big gap in front of me and also behind me. Second place is a good result for me and the team, though obviously we would have wanted to be closer to front-running pace. It’s great to finish a race on the podium and feel in good physical condition after the problems I had in the first part of the season – especially because it was very hot out there today and this is a demanding track. We have a test tomorrow and it is going to be really important for us to work on the areas we still have to improve so that we can challenge for wins again.
Toni Elias - 3rd:
This is a fantastic result for me. The team have done a great job all weekend – from the first session on Friday right up to the end of qualifying yesterday we have been improving the bike and we were able to put ourselves in the position to capitalise on Jorge’s crash. It was like a present to me because we never expected to be able to break up the top three riders today – they have been at a different level all weekend – but we know anything can happen in racing. Everybody knows my future is unclear at the moment but I hope this sends out the right message. I am a rider who finishes on the podium year in year out and I will keep pushing to show my worth at Indianapolis. I know my team will back me up because they have worked so hard for me so far and I want to thank them for that. We want to keep this going until the end of the season.
Andrea Dovizioso - 4th:
I was riding really hard out there and I had a tough battle for third place in the last few laps. From the start I tried to stay with Dani and the leaders but it wasn’t possible. The gap to Elias was always small and my pace was very similar to his which made it very difficult to overtake him. I tried really hard in the middle of the race without any success and then in the last few laps the grip dropped off a little and to overtake Toni I had to take some risks. I really wanted that podium finish so I was pushing very hard, and also I had Capirossi behind who was putting a lot of pressure on too. Fourth is not a bad result but I can’t say that I’m satisfied with the result today. Still, there is a day of testing tomorrow and this will give us a chance to make improvements to our machine package and prepare for the next races.
Loris Capirossi - 5th:
Overall it has been a good day for us, because we have been able to fight the whole weekend and were nearly rewarded with a podium. We had a big problem with chatter and we managed to resolve that for the race. We made the right choice of tyre today, but a couple of times I nearly lost the front which meant I didn't quite have the right feeling and that caused me to lose a bit of time. I managed to clean off the tyre by riding a bit less aggressive and then I was able to push again right till the end of the race. I lost out a bit to the other guys in front of me on acceleration and it was then difficult to overtake on the brakes because I was never quite close enough - even though I was faster through the corners. I really want to say a huge thank-you to the whole team because their effort this weekend was fantastic. I also want to thank Suzuki for giving us the chance to comeback with a better package; this is a really good thing and will help us for the rest of the season.
Nicky Hayden – 6th:
We have higher goals than this but sixth place is my second best result of the season so I have to be satisfied for today. After the disaster at Donington this has been a respectable weekend for us. The team did a great job all weekend getting the front working better for me so we've made progress and that is the most important thing. The race certainly wasn't easy - I lost a couple of positions off the line but had a good first lap and was able to get into that second group. To be honest from that point I was holding on, going as fast as I had all weekend and when we got up behind Colin I was able to make another pass. I could see the group ahead of me and as they made a couple of mistakes I could have maybe got there. I just pushed too hard and ran wide in a couple of places and had to do my best to hold my position. They were breathing all over me during those last couple of laps but I hung on and got sixth. We were only less than four seconds off the podium so we're obviously making some headway. I want to thank the team because it's not been an easy time recently but today we have something to be proud of.
Colin Edwards - 7th:
That was a pretty tough race. Right from the start of the weekend I said I thought my engine felt a bit flat and today I couldn't do anything. I was getting passed easily and I couldn't stay in the slipstream at all. I could do the lap time but I couldn't race them. I couldn't get within ten bike lengths at the end of the straight but then I'd nearly be running into the back of them at the exit of the corner because I was trying to make up all the time on the brakes and on corner speed. I lost the group with Toni, Andrea and Loris for a bit early on but I only came back at them for a while because I was pushing the front so hard. I got the right side of the front tyre way too hot and after that I kept losing the front. I was nearly running into them in the middle of the corner but I couldn't get close enough to pass them on the brakes going in. At the end I was locked in a battle with Nicky but I think I could have been behind him all day and not be able to pass him. I got another load of points and I was close to the top six, but I've been beating those guys in front of me consistently all year and that's a pity because maybe I could have got another podium today. I'm back home again for Indianapolis next time out and I'll be looking for a much better weekend.
Alex De Angelis - 8th:
I set a target of a top eight today so I am satisfied to achieve that but it could have been so much better. I was comfortable running with Edwards, Hayden and the others until I suddenly got a butterfly trapped in my helmet. It was flapping around in front of my eyes and I couldn’t see a thing! When it finally settled down I was able to focus again but my chance had gone. At the moment I’m not feeling too well and I have some pain in my back so I am heading straight to the Clinica Mobile but I’m sure I’ll be fine for the next race, where I hope we can continue to show our potential.
James Toseland - 9th:
It has been a tough weekend and I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit fortunate to get into the top ten. I rode as hard as I could every lap and never gave up but at the moment I'm struggling with a problem with the front for the first half of the race. I get a hopping sensation on the front and it really hurts my corner speed. We've been struggling with it for a while now but after half distance, how the feeling comes better is unbelievable. It's almost like somebody is tweaking my bike while I'm riding because it improves so much. On lap 20 I did a 58.4, which is only one tenth off my qualifying time, so it shows how good the bike eventually feels. But I lose so much in the first half of the race that it really costs me. My pace in the second half of the race should be getting me in the top six. If we can solve this front-end issue then I know I can be running much higher up the field, which is where the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team deserves to be.
Randy de Puniet - 10th:
It’s a like a miracle! Fourteen days ago I was in hospital having surgery and now I am seventh in the championship! This has been the hardest race of my life and I want to thank the doctor who made the surgery in my left ankle, the Clinical Mobile Staff and my squad. Honestly, I think nobody could do better than this with six screws in the ankle. At the end of the race I could not breathe anymore and was not able to come back to the garage but I battled with my injury throughout the weekend and we all deserve this unbelievable result. Obviously I won’t stay for the test tomorrow as I will proceed with my rehabilitation programme in readiness for the Indy GP.
Chris Vermeulen - 11th:
I got quite a good start, but on turn one I got blocked and was then passed by a few people - that's what you get I suppose when you start from the fourth row of the grid! I then got pushed very wide on the first lap and lost a few more places. Everybody was going very quickly and it took me quite a few laps to get past the guys in front that I had more speed than and by then the main pack was well away in front. I am a bit disappointed with my own performance, I couldn't get down to the lap-times I expected to do. I kept pushing till the end and gave it 100% and caught up to De Puniet and Toseland near the end, but there was not enough laps left to get past. We got some points from today, but it hasn't been a great weekend again for us. We have made a significant step with the bike and I am looking forward to the test tomorrow and then getting to some good tracks for me and Suzuki.
Niccolò Canepa - 12th:
I was ready to have a good race but today nothing went in the right direction for us. After Friday and Saturday's sessions I was trustful and concentrated to have a good race but in the second part of the race I lost some grip with the rear. It was a bit warmer compare to yesterday and this has caused us some problems. We believe to be able to do much better in Indianapolis in fourteen days on a track that I really like.
Gabor Talmacsi - 13th:
The first laps were not bad – I was able to overtake three riders and I enjoyed a good fight. But when the bike began to slide I decided to keep the best possible rhythm to the end. It is still the same problem: we do not possess good rear grip, so that keeping the line out of the corners is not easy. I’m certain we can find a solution – we all are working hard to get that target.
Mika Kallio - DNF:
My start was typical of this year - not good but not bad - and I pretty much held my grid position into the first turn. After that the bike was similar to how it's been all weekend - there is still something missing with the front feeling and even though I could stay with the second group I couldn't pass anybody because I don't have that front-end confidence you need to brake late or take a more risky line. The proof of that was when De Angelis had his problem and slowed down, I was able to pass him and improve my lap times by half a second to catch Nicky and Edwards. Then came the crash with Melandri, who tried to pass me where it was impossible to, so that finally our lines crossed! Anyway, it has been an interesting weekend and I think if we can find something that gives me more feel with the front we can make a big step forward.
Jorge Lorenzo - DNF:
I got a bad start and had to get by some people, and then I just didn’t have the same pace that I’d had all weekend. I was slower than in the practices and it really wasn’t what I was expecting. Unfortunately for me Valentino was just as strong as he’d been all weekend and I had to push very, very hard to stay with him. Towards the end I began to close the gap and after I passed him I was doing everything to stay in front, but then I made a mistake and crashed. There’s nothing more I can say except that I’m so sorry to the team and to Yamaha and I will do everything I can to make it up in America.
Michel Fabrizio - DNF:
There isn't much to say today. After some laps I felt more and more pain on the right shoulder injured on Friday and I couldn't almost use the brake anymore. I had to stop otherwise I would have risk to fall. I torn the right shoulder muscle and it seem to have a golf ball under the skin. I am sorry for the Pramac Racing that gave me this opportunity.
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