Valentino Rossi has won nine of the 11 races in this year’s MotoGP championship and, following Sunday’s Czech Grand Prix victory, the Italian needs only one more win to secure his fifth consecutive title.
Valentino Rossi has won nine of the 11 races in this year’s MotoGP championship and, following Sunday’s Czech Grand Prix victory, the Italian needs only one more win to secure his fifth consecutive title.
Rossi started fourth on the grid in Brno, but moved up through the field and overtook leader Sete Gibernau on the penultimate lap.
Gibernau’s Honda then developed a mechanical problem on the last lap and the Spaniard retired from the race, promoting Ducati’s Loris Capirossi to second and Honda’s Max Biaggi to third.
Rossi leads the standings with 261 points, followed by Biaggi on 129 points and Italy’s Marco Melandri, who was sixth in Sunday’s race, on 126. Gibernau, third overall before Brno, has now slipped down to fifth.
“I saw how strong the riders were out there, like Gibernau, (Alex) Barros and (Max) Biaggi and I knew it would be a tough fight,” Rossi said after the race. “I tried to pull away and find rhythm. I’m happy with my start and finish.”
