above: Rossi on the 2004 Gauloises Yamaha - photo © Elliot L Doering

The annual four week mid-summer break had started with Rossi in a commanding 120-point lead, and with 175 still available. An eighth place in every race would be enough for the Italian, but a couple of wins would end it sooner. Valentino’s approach left no room for speculation and, even though the Brno circuit is not a favourite for him, ‘the Doctor’ had four past wins to add to his confidence. Repsol Honda’s Max Biaggi has seven track victories, but last year had seen Sete Gibernau on top.

The Yamaha and Honda crews had no doubt been busy through August, but other manufacturers were making the news. The big story was the premature split between engine suppliers KTM and Kenny Roberts’ Proton team. The V4 units had been withdrawn, leaving KTM contracted Shane Byrne without a ride. Team KR had resolved to carry on, and a last minute decision had seen former KR5 rider Jeremy McWilliams take to the circuit with the old V5-powered bike, and Byrne left to watch.

Elsewhere, the long awaited début of the V6 Blata, in the Harris WCM bike, still failed to happen. It is hoped that the union will come to fruition, but it may not be until the start of the 2006 campaign.
In other news, Rossi had been confirmed for another year with Gauloises Yamaha. Meanwhile, Bridgestone tyre tester Nobuatsu Aoki was to make a racing return as a Suzuki mounted wildcard at Brno.

In fact, the Bridgestone tyres were looking good on this occasion, with the Marlboro Ducatis third and sixth on the grid, Loris Capirossi ahead of Carlos Checa. Capirossi matched his best slot, at round three, with Checa going better than he had since round two. John Hopkins had the first Suzuki up in eighth place.

But, as ever, the leading positions were dominated by the Michelin tyres and Honda and Yamaha motorcycles. Making his ninth front row start of the year was Gibernau, in pole position, and MoviStar Honda team-mate Marco Melandri was fifth. Nicky Hayden was second for Honda, with partner Biaggi in a lowly tenth. Rossi led row two with his M1, five spots ahead of Colin Edwards on the other blue machine; and Alex Barros was seventh with the Camel/Pons Honda.

Shin’ya Nakano had the first Kawasaki behind Biaggi, with Makoto Tamada and Troy Bayliss in between the Japanese rider and Alex Hofmann on the other ZX-RR. Toní Elías led Aoki and the unwell Kenny Roberts Jr, with James Ellison, Rubén Xaus, Roberto Rolfo, Franco Battaini and McWilliams following on.

The start of the race saw Gibernau and Melandri ahead, but with Rossi quickly forcing into second place. Hayden was fourth, from Checa, Hopkins, Capirossi, Barros, Edwards and Hofmann, but with Hopkins quickly demoting Checa to sixth. Already the likely rivals were racing it out up front, with Rossi getting through on the inside of Gibernau at a left-hander, and Sete trying to fight back without success.

The early shuffle continued as Checa looked to re-pass Hopkins, and Capirossi joined in as the two Ducatis moved ahead of the Suzuki. Loris then overtook his team-mate for fifth, while John began to slip back as faster bikes came at him. Rossi soon led Gibernau, Melandri, Hayden, Capirossi, Checa, Barros, Hopkins, Edwards, Hofmann, Biaggi, Bayliss, Tamada, Roberts and Rolfo.

Hayden attacked Melandri, with Capirossi right in behind, and meanwhile Gibernau broke the lap record as he tagged onto Rossi and they started to ease clear. Sete regained the lead at the penultimate corner, the turn 14 left-hander, but Rossi got it back in the right at turn one. The left of turn three saw the Spaniard once again ahead, and Hayden swapped third with Melandri, in the first move of a sustained battle.

Edwards had passed Hopkins at turn one, and now the American Suzuki rider fell away from the leading group of eight riders, soon to fall victim to a charging Biaggi. Rossi was right with Gibernau until he ran wide at turn 14, but a new fastest lap saw the 46 Yamaha close up again. As the first two sped on their way, the Hayden-Melandri battle meant that Capirossi, Checa, Barros and Edwards were all in touch. But as the two Hondas traded places several times, fellow RCV man Barros was the man moving up.

Having passed Carlos, and joined onto the trio ahead, Alex overtook Loris at a left-hander. It then wasn’t long before he was with Melandri, and then through to fourth. Meanwhile, Gibernau had seemed to be getting away from Rossi, but the champion closed back up as the pair of them moved clear of their pursuers. Hayden and Barros had made a gap over Melandri and the attacking Capirossi, but by the time Rossi took the lead at turn 14, it was Barros into third and homing in.

Capirossi had got the best of Melandri in an active few moments, and the Ducati man joined Hayden behind Barros, as Marco fell back. Indeed, Loris was coming good again as they went into the last third of the race, passing Nicky and catching back to Alex. Further behind, Biaggi was still going well as he despatched Melandri at turn one and closed on team-mate Hayden. Edwards and Checa were now out of the equation.

With five to go, Rossi and Gibernau had not made as much as two seconds on the men behind, and their own race was not over as Sete went through inside at the right-hand turn 11. As Capirossi got involved, after passing Barros, the leading six became almost one group again. The last of these had been Biaggi, but he soon overtook both Hayden and Barros.

Going onto the final lap it was Rossi leading again, having gone through on the inside at turn 15, the right-handed last corner. Gibernau tried to respond at turn one, and could not, but stayed behind looking for another chance. Then, with just a few corners to run, the Honda man was struck with more bad luck as his bike slowed, and he had to tour off the track as the others raced on. It looked from the outside as though his fuel had run dry, but the cause didn’t change the outcome.

Rossi had motored on for a deserved ninth victory this year, with Capirossi elevated to a surprise second, after a fine display from both the rider and his harder compound Bridgestone rubber. Biaggi, Barros and Hayden were still close as they finished in that order. Melandri, Edwards and Checa were next, with Bayliss having moved through from twelfth to ninth bringing Tamada (tenth) and Nakano (twelfth) with him as Hopkins (13th), Roberts (11th) and Hofmann (15th) faded.

Elías finished 14th, with Aoki, Rolfo, Xaus, Ellison and Battaini coming home outside the points. Apart from the luckless Gibernau, McWilliams was the only non-finisher, having dropped out early on with electronics problems.

Max Biaggi’s race up from eleventh to third had elevated him to second overall in the points standings, which otherwise might have gone to Sete Gibernau. But yet another win for Valentino Rossi took the lead out to 132 points. With six races left to run, he needs only finish second next time to secure his latest crown. Nicky Hayden is now 17 points behind team-mate Biaggi, but a close group of four riders sit between the pair, but with Gibernau dropping to fifth on the day.

Standings after eleven races: Rossi 261; Biaggi 129; Melandri 126; Edwards 123; Gibernau 115; Barros 114; Hayden 112; Capirossi 92; Nakano 69; Checa 59; Bayliss 54; Tamada 48.

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