BERLIN, 17 July 2006 — Valentino Rossi kept alive the defense of his MotoGP title with a battling victory in the German Grand Prix yesterday.
The Italian Yamaha rider fought from 11th position at the start for his second straight win at the twisting Sachsenring circuit, holding off a stiff challenge from compatriot Marco Melandri on the final lap to win by 0.145 seconds.
Rossi becomes the first rider to pass 3,000 points in all categories. American Nicky Hayden completed the podium and maintained his lead in the overall championship with 169 points.
Spain’s Dani Pedrosa, fourth yesterday after starting from pole, slipped to third in the championship race on 140 points behind Rossi who has 143. The seven-time world champion in all classes, who is gunning for his sixth consecutive 500cc title, donned an Italian soccer shirt emblazoned with the name of controversial defender Marco Materazzi on his victory lap.
Materazzi, who plays for Rossi’s team Inter Milan, was on the wrong end of a Zinedine Zidane head-butt in the soccer World Cup final and has admitted goading the French captain.
On the 10 previous occasions he had qualified outside the top 10, Rossi had taken four podiums and one victory. At the British Grand Prix on July 2, he started in 12th and battled through to second despite the pain of hand and ankle injuries.
The Sachsenring offers spectators impressive views but its contrasting fast and slow sections and predominantly left-hand curves present a challenge to riders and puts a major strain on their tires.
American Kenny Roberts lost control of his machine at a corner on lap 13, sliding into Makoto Tamada of Japan and taking both riders out of the battle for the lead.
Earlier, Yuki Takahashi of Japan grabbed his second victory of the season in the 250cc class, pipping San Marino’s Alex de Angelis on the final curve. The win put the 22-year-old Honda rider third in the championship standings ahead of de Angelis in fourth. Aprilia’s Jorge Lorenzo of Spain was third and overtook Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso in the race for the overall title.
In 125cc, Italy’s Mattia Pasini also claimed his second victory of the season. The 20-year-old held off Aprilia teammate and championship leader Alvaro Bautista of Spain with the Czech Republic’s Lukas Pesek a close third.
