MotoGP four-stroke Grand Prix racing - latest news

This page covers the 2004 MotoGP season, starting with the first race at Welkom. It is in reverse chronological order, so has the latest news at the top. 2003-2004 Winter or pre-season testing news is on the 2003 page.

» Latest racing calendar - dates for MotoGP plus World & British Superbikes.

End of season reflection - 2004

Before the season started I, along with many GP watchers, could not have expected Rossi and Yamaha to come out with such a strong package. After Welkom we still thought it could be a one-off, or perhaps the first of a few wins. But we had no idea he could take nine victories in a season, aboard a bike that was clearly inferior to the Honda RC211V.

However, Rossi, accompanied by a group of engineers headed by the now legendary crew chief Jeremy Burgess, turned the Yamaha M1 from a promising prototype into a winning package. The new 'big bang' style motor, which made the inline four sound more like a close-firing V4, gave more traction. But the area they could visibly exploit most potential was the handling. All season long Rossi has managed to hold tighter lines than his rivals. He also appeared to run into corners with considerably more corner speed and still fire out at the same pace. Only down the straights did the Yamaha suffer next to the Honda, and even this deficit was shrinking as the season wore on.

Proof of Rossi's pre-eminence came not only from his number of wins, but also the gulf between him and the other Yamaha riders. On occasion Checa may have been quicker, but most of the time the Spaniard was languishing just inside the top ten or (more often) spitting gravel from his helmet. Marco Melandri showed more promise, but a series of nasty falls sidelined him for too long. If he can stay injury-free in 2005 he could do well. Next year Colin Edwards is to join Rossi in the team, while Checa replaces Bayliss at Ducati (are the Italians totally mad??!). Colin might just show his potential in a team where he is supported better than in 2004. Remember Donington? He rode brilliantly there, and can do so again with the right backing.

Among the Honda ranks it is rumoured that Biaggi will join Nicky Hayden in the Repsol Honda team, so it is thought Barros will leave. However, the Roman Emperor's high corner-speed riding style is his weakness; great at twisty tracks like Valencia, he lacks the ability to make the bike work at many circuits. He still rides too much like a 250cc rider. It is thought that the Repsol boys fared poorly because neither is a good test rider or developer, and both were overwhelmed with shiny new parts to try. Winning races was lost in the melee, and the hole left by the exit of much of the crew was never filled.

And Sete? Nearly man again this year, he showed great strength but also some weakness (the latter mainly in his psychology). If he can get more factory support and get into a winning frame of mind he can do even better. Also, if the team can deliver a more consistent Honda beneath him then he will not suffer the poor performances that allowed him to lose the championship lead with only a few rounds remaining.

The 2005 calendar will be published here as soon as possible.

Apologies, and Rossi + Yamaha = No. 1

31/10/04: I am afraid that this page has not been updated as frequently as I would have liked. As well as having missed several recent races I have had rather more urgent demands on my time.

However, I was fortunately able to see both rounds from Phillip Island and Valencia. Valentino only needed to finish within a few places of his nearest rival, Sete Gibernau, to secure the title. But this is not the way to take the World Championship, and Vale had a ding-dong battle with his season-long rival. Rossi's Yamaha had a clear advantage at several points on the spectacular circuit and, once past the Spaniard he was never headed.

At the final round at Valencia Rossi was third on the grid, with Gibernau fourth. Rossi had a poor start, but moved steadily through to the front. This as aided by a block-pass by Gibernau that caused Biaggi to run wide and Rossi nipped through the gap. Rossi chased down pole man and leader Tamada. He eventually passed the hard riding Camel Honda pilot, and eventually finished 1.5 seconds clear of Max Biaggi. Tamada's pace dropped off towards the end of the race as his Bridgestone tyres were worn.

Troy Bayliss rode a very impressive race to finish third on the Ducati, only two weeks after being sacked by the factory. Admittedly his season has been below expectations, but now the bike is coming together but he is out of a job. He is expected to get a good ride for 2005. Nicky Hayden rode strongly and was heading for a podium position before lowsiding out of the race. Checa, Melandri and Xaus all exited in more dramatic fashion, each running off the track hard into the extensive gravel traps.

Rossi back on top at Estoril

05/09/04: Valentino Rossi won convincingly at the 'schizophrenic' Portugese circuit, being unchallenged to the chequered flag after taking the lead from Loris Capirossi on the first lap. Hard-charging Loris ripped through from the third row thanks to his Ducati's launch control electronics, but was punted into the gravel trap by Max Biaggi just after Rossi made his move. The Roman appeared to miss his braking point and, despite lifting the rear wheel, tapped Loris's back tyre, causing him to run off into the gravel. Biaggi's Honda ended on the floor, and he never restarted. Capirossi made his way through the pack to finish a valiant fourth.

Rossi meanwhile slowly pushed to build an advantage, with only pole man Tamada providing any pressure. By two thirds distance the Camel Honda rider, running Bridgestone tyres (which some thought might have an advantage at this abrasive, wind-blown circuit) appeared to be taking time from Rossi. However, the champ dropped his time by half a second for a series of laps and almost effortlessly retained a gap of about four seconds to the flag.

His main championship rival Gibernau was stuck behind Alex Barros, the most difficult man to pass in the class. Barros's machine appeared to have better top speed down the long main straight, and Gibernau finished where he spent most of the race - in a frustrated fourth place.

Some distance behind these two Checa kept ahead of John Hopkins, who finished sixth, several places above his teammate. Behind them were Capirossi and Bayliss, then Colin Edwards, who had a disappointing weekend to finish ninth. Both D'Antin Ducati riders failed to finish. With Shane Byrne out through injury Fabrizio took his place in the Aprilia team and finished

Gibernau recovers some form to win at Brno

Sorry, I didn't get to see this race, so can't provide a report. However, I believe Sete put on a good show, which boosted his confidence and keeps his championship hopes alive.

Rossi dominates at Donington

26/07/04: Valentino Rossi recovered from a (for him) disappointing fourth place last week to win convincingly around the winding Leicstershire circuit yesterday. Having put the Yamaha on pole with a stunning 1min 28s lap during qualifying, he made a good start, headed only by Capirossi on a much improved Ducati for the first lap.

However, he quickly passed the no. 65 Ducati, and once Rossi hit the front he immediately pulled a gap on the field. Capirossi soon slipped back to fourth as Gibernau took up the chase in 2nd place with teammate Edwards close behind in 3rd. Edwards, showing his best form since joining the MotoGP class, passed Gibernau and while chasing Rossi clocked the fastest lap of 1min 29.973s. Soon afterwards he backed off after seeing raindrops on his visor (it has drizzled repeatedly through the day) and could not subsequently make an impression on Rossi, who coasted home for the win after riding a superbly smooth race on a bike that looked a world away from the one he rode 7 days earlier.

Behind the leading trio Bayliss rode well, but lost fourth places to a hard charging Nicky Hayden in the late stages of the race. Max Biaggi, who tasted victory for the first time in ages the week before, dropped through the pack to finish 12th. On finishing his blood-stained foot showed how his quickshifter failed on the warm-up lap and he had to use force to change gear throughout the race. The Bridgestone riders all struggled, with the notable exception of John Hopkins, who shone throughout to finish an impressive seventh.

Norick Abe had a horrible looking crash on Craner Curves, coming only a week after a similar leap from his Yamaha in Germany. On that occasion Marco Melandri crashed in front of him. Melandri was unable to race at Donington due to a fractured wrist.

Standings

1   Rossi           164
2   Gibernau        142
3   Biaggi          142

Biaggi hits form at the Sachsenring

19/07/04: Max Biaggi signalled his continued intentions to run for the championship with a superb win at the twisty German circuit in front of 93,000 spectators. He led from the start, from pole, which he secured with a time of 1min 22.7s. Checa looked threatening until he slid off on lap 4. Gibernau too crashed on lap 8, recording his second consecutive DNF.

Biaggi, with Rossi chasing hard, pulled a 2 second gap on Hayden, who was promptly passed by teammate Barros, who set a fastest lap of 1min 24.056s on lap 15 of 30. Rossi took the lead, but was unable to put space between himself and Biaggi, Barros and Hayden. Seven laps later Biaggi retook the lead, and a mistake by Rossi let Barros into 2nd. The Yamaha lost traction (apparently through excessive tyre wear), allowing Nicky Hayden past into 3rd place.

Tamada wins a race of suprises in Rio

04/07/04: Makoto Tamada scored his maiden MotoGP victory aboard the Bridgestone-shod Camel Honda RC211V in an eventful race at the Brazilian circuit. The Japanese superbike ace, 10th in the championship before the race, cut through the pack in confident style, taking the lead 3 laps from the end of the race.

Kenny Roberts had taken a shock pole - his and the team's first since his championship winning season of 2000 - and led for two laps. Biaggi then took the lead, and was riding confidently on the slippery track as Roberts' bike, still 15kph down on the Hondas along the 1km long straight, was gradually passed by several riders. On lap two Sete Gibernau slid off, leaving Rossi in third place and in a position to stretch his lead. However, the Italian was under pressure from Tamada, whose bike appeared to have better grip in the corners than those of the Michelin runners. After passing Rossi he closed in on the Hondas of Biaggi, Barros and Hayden. Rossi was working hard to keep up with the Honda in front when on lap 11 he suddenly lost front grip in the same place as Gibernau. This meant the two main title contenders would score nothing today.

Nicky Hayden passed Barros to move into third after Tamada quickly passed both Repsol riders for second place. He followed Biaggi for a number of laps, and it was clear he still had superior grip in the corners. With 3 laps to go he dived up the inside just before the start/finish straight. Biaggi had nothing with which to respond to Tamada's confident move, and the latter quickly pulled a lead of a few bike lengths. Similarly, Hayden remained in touch with both of the yellow bikes, but could not muster a pass on either.

The trio came home together while Loris Capirossi passed Barros to bring the Ducati, running the new twin-pulse engine, home in fourth place. This must be a real achievement for a team that has struggled so much this year. Barros stayed ahead of Colin Edwards, who finished sixth, while Kenny Roberts' seventh place, finishing 23 seconds behind Tamada, suggests the Suzuki is making progress.

The championship remains at stalemate, while Biaggi's 20 points move him closer to the leaders.

Standings after Rio

1   Rossi           126
2   Gibernau        126
3   Biaggi          113
4   Edwards          64
5   Checa            62
6   Barros           59
7   Melandri         57

Rossi makes it three in a row at Assen

26/06/04: Valentino Rossi won a fascinating duel with Sete Gibernau after a race-long two-bike challenge. Having qualified on pole Rossi gained the holeshot while Gibernau, starting from second place, was outdragged to the first corner. However, the pack soon split, and the two championship contenders were well ahead of the chasing field.

They were caught by a seemingly revitalised Alex Barros. Sadly the Brazilian slid off his Honda into the gravel before he could challenge for the lead. Rossi and Gibernau continued, with the Spanish rider leading for much of the race. Going into the last lap it appeared Gibernau had pulled out a small gap, apparently enough to prevent Rossi catching and passing him. Rossi took advantage of his Yamaha's superior turning ability, diving into corners with almost reckless speed, to make up the gap, and used the momentum to push past Gibernau with only a few corners remaining. The two were so close Gibernau's bike made contact with the Yamaha's back tyre, snapping the front mudguard. As he picked the bike up to compensate he lost momentum and Rossi held the advantage to the finish line. They are now level on points in the championship.

Marco Melandri inherited third place after Barros's exit, and was soon pulling away from Max Biaggi. A mistake at the final chicane saw him lose the advantage, but he held on to take third place at the flag - his second podium in sucessive races.

Rossi again at Barcelona

13/06/04: Valentino Rossi once again showed his mettle by winning the Grand Prix of Barcelona ahead of a frustrated Sete Gibernau. The Spaniard was confident after an impressive lap at the very end of qualifying to claim pole, as well as being fastest on Friday and Sunday. However, Rossi, whose team had struggled to find a good setup, rode as hard as ever and, after leading for much of the race, held of Gibernau to take the chequered flag.

Behind the two men there was plenty of action, with both Repsol factory riders failing to finish the race, as well as a spectacular crash by Troy Bayliss, who thankfully sustained no serious injuries. Marco Melandri took the final podium spot, bringing two Yamahas in the top three places.

Rossi defies the odds - and the weather - at Mugello

06/06/04: Valentino Rossi today won an impressive race, and did it twice. The Italian Grand Prix was stopped because of rain with only six laps remaining. The rules state that, in the event of a restart, the result of the laps so far are not counted; the result would be based on the restarted race only. This meant that there was effectively a six-lap 'sprint' race for the points.

The track was dry, but soon after they set off it rained again. However, the rules dictate that the riders must complete the race, so there would be no red flags. Some unlikely riders sprang to the fore in the slippery, unpredictable conditions. Troy Bayliss and Ruben Xaus took turns at the front, and rookie Shane Byrne impressed onlookers as he cut through to join the leading group.

As the track dried so the established order began to return. Rossi moved to the front after starting out in fourth, while a slow starting Gibernau, realising that the conditions were good enough to move through, also started picking off places. But there were too few laps remaining, and as Rossi and he diced in the dying laps the Italian threw his squirming Yamaha around his home circuit with panache and secured the win.

Ducati Desmosedici for the road

On 22nd May 2004 Ducati announced their road-going GP4 machine Desmosedici RR. The Italian manufacturer chose to unveil their road bike to thousands of fans of the marque who were at World Ducati Weekend 2004 at Misano. Ducati CEO Federico Minoli said in a press release:

"Today we are launching an ambitious, important project: it will be two years before the Desmosedici RR will be available, but we wanted to celebrate this historic occasion with all of you. We look forward then to WDW 2006, where we will deliver the very first Desmosedici RR' - right here, on this very stage, at another great Ducati festival, an event we can all share and enjoy together."

The 989cc engine features gear-driven camshafts (two per cylinder bank) with Ducati's traditional desmodromic timing. A sand-cast aluminium alloy crankcase and cylinder heads, titanium con-rods and valves, plus magnesium engine covers. Dimensions and bodywork will be based on those of the MotoGP bike.

Ducati say owners of the 999R will have priority in reserving the new bike, and Ducati intends to limit production to no more than one bike per day. Estimated price is €50,000 (incidentally €10,000 more than a Foggy Petronas FP1). More information will be provided at www.ducati.com from 1st July 2004.

So then Honda, where's that V5-engined road bike?

Gibernau dominates Le Mans

17/05/04: Sete Gibernau took the lead in the MotoGP world championship this weekend, with an emphatic victory at the Grand Prix de France. The Spaniard led almost from start to finish, and despite the attention of a revitalised Carlos Checa, who had a great start from second place on the grid to lead the race, Sete had an untroubled run to the chequered flag.

Checa's Yamaha appeared noticeably better than Rossi's. For once the world champion was struggling to hang onto the back of others. He caught the leading trio of Gibernau, Checa and Biaggi and passed Max briefly for third place, but could not make it stick. Despite his obvious efforts, he conceded defeat and trailed home in fourth place behind Biaggi. Checa's sudden improvement in form may be partly down to changes made to the bike since Rossi's arrival in the team (Carlos is no development rider), but it was heartening for Yamaha fans to see more than one of their riders at the front of the race.

Those same fans would have had their hearts in their mouths as Rossi stalled as the pack left the grid for the sighting lap. His machine was restarted and he assumed his appointed grid position of fourth. Since the race there have been mumblings that the FIM officials didn't apply the letter of the rulebook to Rossi, which states that he should have had one mechanic with him (he had four) and possibly even should have started from pit lane.

Paddock rumours suggest that Gibernau is now the 'favoured son' at Honda, and speculation is rife that he is already getting special treatment from HRC and receiving new parts before other riders. Once again, the factory Repsol riders of Barros and Hayden trailed in further down the sheet, behind Edwards (5th) and Melandri (6th).

More info in this report at superbikeplanet.com.

990cc bikes 'too powerful'

04/05/04: The Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers' Association (MSMA) have announced plans to reduce the capacity of MotoGP bikes from 990cc to 900cc by 2007:

"In the interests of safety, the manufacturers have unanimously decided that it is necessary to place a limit on the increase in motorcycle performance," explained Takanao Tsubouchi, secretary general of MSMA.

"This will already start in the year 2005 when fuel tank capacity will be reduced from 24 to 22 litres, but in the long term this measure would not have been sufficient.

"For this reason the MSMA has decided to propose a reduction in engine capacity from 990cc to 900cc, starting from 2007. The intention is not to reduce performance but to prevent a continuous improvement in speed and lap times.

"It has (also) been proposed (to have) a new weight rule from 2007:

2 Cylinders: 133kg
3 Cylinders: 140.5kg (currently 135kg)
4 Cylinders: 148kg (currently 145kg)
5 Cylinders: 155.5kg (currently 145kg)
6 Cylinders: 163kg (currently 155kg)


"A possible reduction of the 22 litres fuel tank capacity will be defined during 2005."

Veteran correspondent Michael Scott commented that the capacity reduction could in fact lead to peakier bikes that are more difficult to ride than the current machines. Also, that such restrictions merely present a challenge to engineers to extract more horsepower from fewer cc's. This may be the case, but one has to wonder where it will lead.

The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly On Jerez

03/05/04: Sete Gibernau led virtually from start to finish to win the Spanish Grand Prix in torrential rain. The Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera was awash for the whole of the race, providing Gibernau, who proved his ability in the wet last year, with the opportunity for a welcome home win. He was shadowed all the way by Max Biaggi, who appeared to have the measure of the Spaniard. However, Biaggi was unable to do more than follow him, and dropped back slightly in the final laps to secure a safe second place.

Gibernau and Biaggi were clearly faster than anyone else, and the field became strung out very quickly. Meanwhile Rossi, who qualified on pole in the dry, had a somewhat difficult race, trying to find grip aboard an M1 that was clearly less user-friendly, stepping out sideways and looking less predictable than the Hondas under braking. However, this didn't stop the world champion from bringing the bike home in fourth position, after Alex Barros rode steadily to a lonely third spot on the all-Honda podium. A disappointed Marco Melandri had been riding well and looked to be on for a top three finish, but crashed after the rear tyre let go on his Yamaha. Rossi's fourth position finish ended a record run of podium finishes by the Italian; the last time he finished off the podium was Brno in 2002. It is also the first time in four seasons that he has not led the standings.

Nicky Hayden finished fifth, at the front of a small group of riders, including Carlos Checa and Colin Edwards. Shinya Nakano brought the Kawasaki home in an impressive ninth place, and was the fastest finisher to be lapped by Gibernau and Biaggi. Jerez was a bad day for Ducati, with three of their four riders retiring, either through crashes or mechanical failure. Capirossi struggled to finish 12th.

Rossi stuns HRC and thrills crowd with Yamaha victory at Welkom

19/04/04: Yesterday Valentino Rossi won the first race of 2004 under the glorious blue skies of South Africa. The Italian took the fight to Honda from the beginning, dominating practice and qualifying, before winning with a dazzling display of riding.

During the 28 lap race only Max Biaggi put Rossi under pressure. Max's Honda, running a new wider rear tyre supposedly for more cornering grip, appeared to have more speed and smoother handling. However, Rossis' determination meant that Max was always going to have to give it everything to get in front, and in the end that still wasn't enough to secure victory.

Despite taking the lead three times during the race, the Roman couldn't shake off his compatriot and arch rival, and Rossi led into the final lap, crossing the line just 0.2 seconds in front. The Yamaha team were ecstatic, and Rossi was genuinely overwhelmed with their achievement. Against the odds, Rossi, Jeremy Burgess and Yamaha had made the Yamaha M1 into a race-winning machine. After the race Rossi expressed his delight, and suprise, at the win:

"I wanted this victory. Motivation, and in our case also the rider, counts for a lot in sport.

A race like this does not happen as if by a miracle. We've a lot of hard work behind us and Yamaha, my mechanics, my team have made an exceptional effort. Let's say I surprised myself, I did not think I could be so fast so soon."

Those words will be cold comfort for Honda and its riders. If anything, it will have cemented Rossi's exceptional ability in the minds of his rivals, which will make it even harder for them to beat him. Motivation is something they may struggle to find. John Surtees, the only man to have won world championships on both two wheels and four, echoed the thoughts of many seasoned GP watchers quoted in an article for The Observer newspaper the following weekend:

"Rossi destroyed Biaggi in South Africa. If Biaggi had kept his head, he had enough squirt in the Honda to get to the line first. Now Rossi has a psychological advantage over him worth a second a lap."

Third place Sete Gibernau conceded that, while front-end chatter prevented him going any faster, the two riders in front of him were simply faster than him. He stayed with the Italians for about seven laps before dropping away slightly. Further down the field teammate Colin Edwards was disappointed with seventh, and both will want to do better at Jerez on the 2nd of May.

As if to emphasise the magnitude of Rossi's achievement, the next Yamaha behind Rossi was test rider Abe, 36 seconds behind Rossi in ninth place. Ducati showed they still had work to do with their new bike, while Shane Byrne scored his first MotoGP world championship point on the Aprilia.

Result

1.  Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)    43'50.2
2.  Max Biaggi Camel (Honda)       +0.2
3.  Sete Gibernau (Honda)          +6.8
4.  Alex Barros (Honda)           +18.7
5.  Nicky Hayden (Honda)          +24.1
6.  Loris Capirossi (Ducati)      +24.4
7.  Colin Edwards (Honda)         +28.9
8.  Makoto Tamada (Honda)         +36.5
9.  Norick Abe (Yamaha)           +36.6
10. Carlos Checa (Yamaha)         +39.3
11. Marco Melandri (Yamaha)       +43.8
12. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki)      +43.9
13. John Hopkins (Suzuki)         +56.0
14. Troy Bayliss (Ducati)         +56.5
15. Shane Byrne (Aprilia)       +1'04.2
16. Jeremy McWilliams (Aprilia) +1'12.2
17. Nobuatsu Aoki (Proton)      +1'16.9
18. Michel Fabrizio (Harris)    + 1 lap 

Updated Rossi book and DVD/Video

Mat Oxley's comprehensive book 'Valentino Rossi - Moto Genius' has been updated for the second edition, and a Duke Video titled 'Valentino Rossi - Moto GP Trail Of Glory' is now available on DVD/VHS. Both are detailed on the books page.

New rules for 2004

There are a number of small rule changes for the 2004 season, most notable of which is an alteration to the minimum weight limits:

Cylinders	Weight
up to 3	138 kg
up to 3 oval piston	148 kg
4 or 5	148 kg
4 or more oval piston	158 kg
6 or more	158 kg

Compare these with the original figures below. More detail at www.crash.net MotoGP. The official site (motograndprix.com) is so awful I wouldn't suggest it to my worst enemy.

For older GP1 four-stroke news visit the news archive pages:
Original weight limits for the class

Cylinders	Weight
3	135 kg
4-5	145 kg
6	155 kg

The two-strokes were restricted to a maximum of 500cc, 4 cylinders, and 131kg.

Relevant links

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