Italy’s Marco Melandri took the lead on the last lap to win the Turkish Motorcycling Grand Prix in Istanbul on Sunday for the second year in a row.
Australian Casey Stoner looked all set to become the youngest MotoGP winner to date but lost the lead in the closing corners to take second ahead of American Nicky Hayden.
Melandri was delighted to earn his first win of the season, although he admitted to struggling in the early part of the race.
”I had problems in the first part of the race and couldn’t push in the first part of the corners,” he said. ”When I pushed a bit more, I was able to pass Casey.”
Stoner was happy despite missing out on breaking a record. ”I was as close as I could have got to the win I think,” he said. ”I’m happy to be on the podium, even though I couldn’t quite break the youngest rider record.”
After a rain-disrupted qualifying session, the clouds eventually held firm to leave race conditions dry.
Surprise pole sitter Chris Vermeulen could not hold off his charging rivals for long and was quickly overtaken by Spain’s Sete Gibernau.
However, it was Melandri along with Stoner, Hayden and Spain’s Daniel Pedrosa who came to the fore to battle for the victory in the second half of the race.
Pedrosa led for four laps before he was passed by Stoner and then Melandri. Hayden was dropped from the lead quartet with a few laps remaining and the race was poised for a grandstand finish.
But Pedrosa’s nerves got the better of him and he crashed out on the final lap, before getting back on his bike to come home a disappointing 14th, and Melandri’s pressure told in the final corners as Stoner succumbed.
Seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi had a quiet race and came home fourth after starting from 11th on the grid.
Hayden is the new championship leader by one point, taking command of the race for the rider’s title from Italy’s Loris Capirossi who finished sixth.
However, Hayden was not entirely pleased.
”To be leading the championship is something to be proud of, but like I said in Qatar [the previous race], it would be nice to get a win on this long run of podium finishes.”
Japan’s Hiroshi Aoyama, riding a KTM, won the 250cc race after hitting the front on the final lap to record his first-ever grand-prix victory ahead of Spain’s Hector Barbera and Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso.
Spain’s Hector Faubel won his first 125cc race ahead of fellow Spaniards Alvaro Bautista, winner of the first two legs of the 2006 season, and Sergio Gadea. — Sapa-AFP