Rossi : Best of The Best

Valentino Rossi said his battle for victory with Jorge Lorenzo in the Catalunya Grand Prix was among the hardest fights of his career.

The two Yamaha riders swapped the lead repeatedly on the final lap, before Rossi secured victory with a bold dive at the very last corner of the race.

The reigning champion reckoned the dice out-ranked even his now-legendary dice with Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca last summer.

The Best of Yamaha Team

The Italian star continued, “It was a great race and we know that Lorenzo is very strong, so to try and beat him in the future we have to be at 100%. I’m so happy about today and my 99th GP win. It was so important to take this victory here in Barcelona, more than just the 25 points, because for me, for my team and for the crowd it is just fantastic, so I think the show was unbelievable.”

Rossi admitted he will need some rest before the next race, commenting, “We have to test on Monday, to work hard on the bike and then after I just need to relax. I have a bit of a problem with my neck so I need to stay at home, in my own bed, relaxing and waiting, so I can be ready with the batteries recharged for Assen.

Result

1	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Fiat Yamaha Team	106
2	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Fiat Yamaha Team	106
3	Casey STONER	AUS	Ducati Marlboro Team	106
4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Repsol Honda Team	69
5	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	67
6	Colin EDWARDS	USA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	54
7	Marco MELANDRI	ITA	Hayate Racing Team	50
8	Loris CAPIROSSI	ITA	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	49
9	Randy DE PUNIET	FRA	LCR Honda MotoGP	42
10	Chris VERMEULEN	AUS	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	42
11	James TOSELAND	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	29
12	Mika KALLIO	FIN	Pramac Racing	26
13	Alex DE ANGELIS	RSM	San Carlo Honda Gresini	25
14	Toni ELIAS	SPA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	23
15	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Ducati Marlboro Team	19
16	Niccolo CANEPA	ITA	Pramac Racing	10
17	Sete GIBERNAU	SPA	Grupo Francisco Hernando	9
18	Yuki TAKAHASHI	JPN	Scot Racing Team MotoGP	8

Jorge Lorenzo To Pole in Catalunya

Catalunya Grand Prix pole-winner Jorge Lorenzo believes the very hot conditions in Spain will make tomorrow's race one of the toughest of the year. The Spaniard is confident that he is fit enough to cope with the weather, but expects the event to be a test of endurance - and extremely close-fought.

Result
1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m41.974s
2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m41.987s + 0.013s
3. Casey Stoner Ducati 1m42.426s + 0.452s
4. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m42.594s + 0.620s
5. Toni Elias Gresini Honda 1m43.139s + 1.165s
6. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m43.168s + 1.194s
7. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda 1m43.175s + 1.201s
8. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m43.207s + 1.233s
9. James Toseland Tech 3 Yamaha 1m43.233s + 1.259s
10. Mika Kallio Pramac Ducati 1m43.336s + 1.362s
11. Loris Capirossi Suzuki 1m43.365s + 1.391s
12. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 1m43.411s + 1.437s
13. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m43.414s + 1.440s
14. Alex de Angelis Gresini Honda 1m43.422s + 1.448s
15. Sete Gibernau Hernando Ducati 1m43.714s + 1.740s
16. Yuki Takahashi Scot Honda 1m43.777s + 1.803s
17. Marco Melandri Hayate Kawasaki 1m43.792s + 1.818s
18. Niccolo Canepa Pramac Ducati 1m43.991s + 2.017s 19. Gabor Talmacsi Scot Honda 1m45.833s + 3.859s