Sete Gibernau ended a fantastic weekend at Mugello with second place in the race which means he can head home to the Gran Premio de Catalunya next weekend as leader of the MotoGP World Championship and with hero status. The Telefónica MoviStar Honda MotoGP rider overcame the toughest race of the year, with the Italian riders performing in front of their fans but Sete maintaining his excellent form from qualifying to take a starring role in a split race interrupted by rain just six laps from the end. The Spaniard remained calm despite two bad starts and battled head-to-head with Valentino Rossi until the end. Max Biaggi completed the podium but lost second place in the championship to Rossi, with Gibernau holding a 10 point advantage over the World Champion. Colin Edwards continued suffering from set-up problems and finished back in twelfth.

SETE GIBERNAU

(2^nd.): “To finish second after such a nice battle with Valentino and to still be leader of the World Championship is an incredible result for me. I am happy with all the work we have done this weekend and with the feeling I’ve had – now I’m looking forward to going to Barcelona, where the fans should enjoy themselves as much as the Italians here today. I’m sure it will be a lot of fun. In the first part of the race I recovered from a bad start and just when it seemed like a head to head between myself and Valentino, it started to rain. It was another tough battle in the last six laps and I’m satisfied with the result. Congratulations to Valentino”.

COLIN EDWARDS

(12^th.): “I can’t say anything about the result… The only positive thing is that here in Mugello I have understood the reason behind some of my problems this year. I think it’s important to change my preparation and go back to training by doing some motocross and dirt-track. I have changed too many things this year, but I’m confident that I’ll find the right solution soon.”

FAUSTO GRESINI

(Team manager): “It was a strange and difficult race and I think that the two starts didn’t help us at all, but don’t let me take anything away from Sete’s second place; it’s a great result for us. We fought to take victory again and we still lead the championship after a very difficult weekend. For Colin I only want to say that the team’s aims are to give him all the support we can, and hope that we can all find the right way soon so that he can be at the front.”

ITALIAN GP                                                             WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Valentino Rossi (Ita/Yamaha)                      1. Sete Gibernau (Spa) 86
2. Sete Gibernau (Spa/Honda) a 0”361     2. Valentino Rossi (Ita) 76
3. Max Biaggi (Ita/Honda) a 1”540                  3. Max Biaggi (Ita) 72

….                                                                         …

12. Colin Edwards (USA/Honda) a 9”626   6. Colin Edwards (USA) 33