Colin Edwards joins the party with second place
Sete Gibernau will go down in history as the first ever winner of the Grand Prix of Qatar after an incredible race today which he led from start to finish, clocking up his fourth win of the season and reviving his chances of winning the World Championship. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda MotoGP rider returned to his best form in a tense weekend after his disappointing results in Japan and high temperatures which made the race a massive test of endurance. Colin Edwards was equally impressive, taking second place and the circuit record lap in a time of 1’59”293. The Texan was the only rider capable of coping with the rhythm set by Sete, having started from the fourth row of the grid. This result leaves Sete Gibernau just 14 points behind Valentino Rossi with three rounds remaining, whilst Colin Edwards is back up in fifth.
SETE GIBERNAU
(1st): “We’ve taken a big step forward with the best possible result of a high-pressure weekend. Once again my team knew how to manage it and I am delighted. We gave maximum concentration to the job because I know that if we focus all our energy we are capable of progressing. I’m happy for the 25 points and for the great race but I don’t want to get carried away. We are back at our best and that is important. The advantage has been reduced but I’m looking at the next round in Malaysia as just another race.”
COLIN EDWARDS
(2nd): “Together with the team and Michelin we have done a great job this weekend. I was sure I had a good chance at this circuit because it was new for everybody and that’s how it turned out. I didn’t get a good start because I had a clutch problem and I had to recover as many positions as I could without getting too far off line because you cannot do that at this track. I knew I had a good rhtyhm and when I passed Checa and moved up to second I just pushed as hard as I could, I don’t want there to be any doubt about that. Congratulations to Sete because he was also really strong and had a great race.”
FAUSTO GRESINI
(Team manager): “It was a fantastic day for the Telefónica MoviStar team, a really important first and second place at this crucial time of the season. Now the championship is wide open and we have to enjoy this moment, although it is still very tough. Sete had a fantastic race and the victory will give him a lot of confidence. I am also happy for Colin because he has found a good feeling with the bike and the results he deserves are starting to come.”
GP OF QATAR
- S. Gibernau (Esp/Hon) 44’01”741
- C. Edwards (USA/Hon) a 1”315
- R. Xaus (Esp/Duc) a 23”844
- A. Barros (Bra/Hon) a 25”458
- N. Hayden (USA/Hon) a 31”417
- M. Biaggi (Ita/Hon) a 39”209
- N. Abe (Jap/Yam ) a 53”373
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
- V. Rossi 229 p.
- S. Gibernau 215 p.
- M. Biaggi 168 p.
- C. Edwards 131 p.
- A. Barros 128 p.
- M. Tamada 120 p.