LE MANS, France, 16 May 2005 — Valentino Rossi extended his domination of MotoGP racing yesterday with victory in the French Grand Prix.
The world champion made it three wins out of four races by narrowly beating Honda rider Sete Gibernau into second place at the Le Mans track.
Rossi has moved on to 95 points in the overall standings with compatriot Marco Melandri on 58 and Gibernau on 53.
The 26-year-Italian, chasing a fifth world title in the premier class, seized the lead on his Yamaha with just over seven laps remaining in a race held in cloudy but dry weather.
Spaniard Gibernau, winner here for the past two years, failed to become the first rider with three Le Mans wins in the showcase category. Gibernau threatened until the last few bends but Rossi showed his class under pressure, beating the circuit record in the last lap. Rossi’s teammate Colin Edwards led for most of the race but the American had to be content with third place, his first podium finish this season.
