Username
Password
Alex Barros wins the Portuguese MotoGP

Alex Barros 2004
By Dan Moakes April 17 2005
Sete Gibernau arrived at Estoril, for the Portuguese Grand Prix, keen for his on-track actions to speak louder than words, in the wake of the last lap drama at Jeréz. But the track, with its fast sections offset by a couple of tight corners, has seen Valentino Rossi win the last four times.

Barros on the 2004 Repsol Honda - photo © Elliot L Doering

Controversy reigned after the final corner clash between Rossi’s Yamaha and Gibernau’s Honda in the Spanish GP, which resulted in a win for the Italian world champion, and a shoulder injury for his rival. No protests had been made, however, and Sete was looking to wipe out the memory in the best possible way, by winning the very next race, and preferably in emphatic style.

The first part of his task was accomplished in out-qualifying Rossi and, in fact, the Gauloises Yamaha didn’t even make the front row. But Gibernau was beaten to pole by experienced Brazilian Alex Barros, on the Sito Pons-run Camel Honda. It was his fifth time heading up the grid, in a top class career stretching back to 1990, and he had also been quickest man in all the practice sessions, plus race day warm-up.

The MoviStar Hondas of Gibernau and Marco Melandri were second and fifth, with Rossi in fourth, behind the Marlboro Ducati of Carlos Checa. Team-mate Loris Capirossi had the second Desmosedici sixth, while Colin Edwards was next on the second Yamaha, joined on row three by the Repsol Hondas of Max Biaggi and Nicky Hayden.

Kawasaki and Suzuki machines followed on, ridden by Shin’ya Nakano and John Hopkins, and then came Rubén Xaus, Troy Bayliss, Kenny Roberts, Toní Elías, Roberto Rolfo, James Ellison, Shane Byrne and Franco Battaini. Gibernau and Bayliss had both crashed in practice, as had Makoto Tamada, who had hurt his wrist and was unable to race. In a similar position was Alex Hofmann, although the Kawasaki rider had earned his injury in a pre-race street demo.

The race got going in overcast conditions, with some damp patches on the track, and with the lurking spectre of the new flag-to-flag rules. These mean that, once a wet race has been declared, the riders have to choose between staying out, or pitting to change to a second bike with wet settings and tyres. The race will not get stopped, and this eliminates the potentially confusing aggregate result system.

Spaniards Gibernau and Checa headed the field off the line, but Carlos quickly lost out to both Rossi and fast starting Biaggi, and soon found himself down in the main pack. As Rossi and Biaggi traded second position, Gibernau got moving with an almost immediate gap to his pursuers, and the next two ahead of Barros, Melandri, Edwards, Hopkins, Checa, Bayliss, Hayden, Nakano and Capirossi. A problem for Byrne’s Proton-KTM saw the Englishman make a delayed start from the pits, but with cut slick tyres so as to gain an advantage if it rained.

Having gone by Rossi, Barros took second from Biaggi at turn one, a tight right-hander, whilst Melandri tried to overtake Rossi but instead let him back ahead. Gibernau’s lead was already impressive, and Barros was the man who tried to chase after him. As the race rhythm got established, Barros headed a group of six, with Biaggi and Rossi close, then Melandri and Edwards, and with Hopkins clear of the remaining runners.

Before long, Barros was stretching away from his Italian pursuers, with Rossi getting third from Biaggi at turn one, after Edwards had overtaken Melandri. These last two started a race long battle, with Edwards getting ahead at the painfully slow left-handed Saca-Rolhas hairpin, which follows a fast right and immediately turns into a climbing chicane, switching back to the right. These moves established Rossi and Biaggi in a private battle, clear of the Edwards-Melandri scrap, and Hopkins.

Gibernau and Barros were setting the fastest pace, so that they both moved clear of the rest, with Rossi apparently having to settle for running round ahead of Biaggi. Melandri and Edwards continued their battle, with passing most frequently going on when braking for turn one, at the end of the high speed main straight. But by now the rain had begun to spit, without much effect on the track, but enough for the white flags to be shown, allowing for bike changes if conditions dictated.

Gibernau’s 1.7-second lead began to diminish gradually, as Barros closed in, and was reduced to under a second. With the rain letting up, the first two remained close to lap record pace, and the gap behind Barros grew from seven seconds, going out to about ten. Sete started to pull away again, but then there was drama as he slid off the track, and was soon joined by Hopkins. The rain had returned sufficiently for the track to get wet around the back section, and Gibernau had been a victim.

With ten laps remaining, Barros now led by eight seconds, but this began to reduce even as the rain intensified and, although all runners were forced into a reduced pace, Rossi was beginning to leave Biaggi and chase the leader. As the four-lap signals came out, the lead was around five seconds but, despite a bit of a slide for Barros on the final tour, the Brazilian maintained his lead for a popular and deserved win, ahead of Rossi and then Biaggi.

The late arrival of particularly slippery conditions made a stop to change machines into a gamble - the first to blink would potentially gift the victory to a non-stopping rival. For this reason, no riders made pit stops, and both Edwards and Bayliss managed to slide out in separate lowside crashes. The former Superbike rivals both rejoined for the loss of places, and thus Melandri came home fourth, narrowly ahead of the thrusting Checa and his late charge.

Edwards had been far enough ahead to score a solitary sixth, with Hayden, Nakano, Capirossi and Xaus next home. Bayliss had stood to inherit seventh, but needed a push start out of the gravel and ended up eleventh, in front of Roberts, Rolfo, Elías, Ellison and Byrne. For the difficult mixed conditions, surprisingly only Gibernau, Hopkins and Battaini had failed to finish.

Having switched from the factory Honda squad back to the Pons customer team, with whom he had won five times in three years, Alex Barros added a seventh win at Grand Prix level - twelve years after his first. Sete Gibernau’s misfortune played into the hands of Valentino Rossi, as a potential four point deficit ended up as a seven point lead for the Italian over Barros; and with Sete falling to fifth. Max Biaggi made up for disappointment in Spain with third here, while Marco Melandri’s performance spoke of new found maturity, and put him third on points. The next race is the first ever Chinese Grand Prix.

Standings after two races: Rossi 45; Barros 38; Melandri 29; Biaggi 25; Gibernau 20; Nakano 19; Edwards and Checa 17; Bayliss 15; Capirossi 10; Hayden 9; Tamada 8.


Bookmark or share this story with: