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

The original Donington circuit pre-dates the various former airfield circuits in the United Kingdom, and the modern version, home to the race since 1987, retains much of the character. It also offers more challenges than some of those flatter venues, with flowing runs through gradients both downwards and up again, and with fast sections and overtaking opportunities into heavy braking zones for a few tighter corners.

Qualifying took place in dry weather, and the usual front runners emerged, with the same three riders on the front row as in three previous meetings. This meant a fifth 2005 pole position for Rossi, on the Gauloises Yamaha, with the MoviStar Honda pair of Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri joining him as they aimed to push on with their title challenges. The other five Honda RCVs were on the next two rows - Alex Barros leading Nicky Hayden, Troy Bayliss, Max Biaggi and Makoto Tamada - but with sixth man Colin Edwards getting in amongst them on the second Yamaha M1.

Tenth place went to Suzuki’s John Hopkins, ahead of Loris Capirossi (Ducati), Shin’ya Nakano (Kawasaki), Carlos Checa (Ducati), Rubén Xaus (Yamaha), Alex Hofmann (Kawasaki), Kenny Roberts (Suzuki), Toní Elías (Yamaha), Shane Byrne (Proton), Roberto Rolfo (Ducati), James Ellison and Franco Battaini (both WCM).

Sixteenth starter Roberts emerged as a realistic threat during the rain affected warm up session, in which he was fastest, but conditions had deteriorated further by race time. Heavy rain continued to fall, and the grip available looked to be somewhere between zero and highly treacherous, with standing water in many places. The riders did at least get two sighting laps, after Nakano’s ZX-RR stalled and delayed the start, but for some even that wasn’t enough.

The thirty laps scheduled were down by one, and the start saw Rossi beaten into the right-hander at Redgate by six riders: Gibernau, Melandri, Bayliss, Barros, Biaggi and Edwards. Sete’s wet weather riding skill is well known, and he proceeded to find more grip as he started to ease into a useful lead even on the first lap. Biaggi’s race was over very quickly, as he went down at the sharp right of the Old Hairpin at the bottom of the hill, and the action remained frantic as the riders all tried to gauge the conditions and at the same get the better of their rivals.

Rossi’s race was properly underway as he somehow managed to brake late enough into the left-right Foggy Esses but stay in control and overhaul Bayliss, Barros and Edwards. Camel Honda rider Barros responded at the following right-handed Melbourne hairpin, re-passing Valentino, and he then got second from Melandri as they went back left onto the start-finish straight through Goddards hairpin. Rossi followed his lead at the Old Hairpin, with Melandri now followed by Bayliss, Edwards, the impressive Byrne, Tamada, Roberts, Hayden, Xaus and Hopkins.

Gibernau stretched into a decent lead, but the early stages where chaotic to say the least, and there was no let up in the bad weather. Rossi saved a dodgy looking moment, but others were not so lucky. Xaus was the second man to crash out, and he was soon joined by Hayden, who went down at Goddards and could only then get the Repsol Honda back to the pits. Barros had a wobble that let Melandri and Rossi through, but the pace of competition was eased for some as Melandri went down at Goddards, and Bayliss was forced onto the grass to avoid him. The Australian also went out on the spot.

Gibernau’s chance of a first 2005 victory ended when he was caught out and crashed, and in no time he would be joined by the likes of Nakano, Byrne (who had been sixth) and Ellison (eleventh at the time). The accidents meant that Rossi now led Barros, in his landmark 250th GP, with the Suzukis of Roberts and Hopkins emerging ahead of Edwards in a race for third. Next men Tamada, Checa and Hofmann were some way down.

The race was now between five riders, all of whose fortunes took fluctuating turns. A loss of control out of Redgate for Rossi let Barros past, while the Suzuki pair engaged in a bit of place swapping for third. Hopkins took a turn in the lead, passing Rossi at Melbourne and Barros at Goddards. Valentino took Alex again at the Esses, but the return move came at the Old Hairpin, with Barros then moving back ahead of Hopkins at the far McLeans right-hander.

The conditions meant there was always a risk of overstepping the limit, so it was no surprise to see the odd ‘moment’. Hopkins and Rossi each suffered such an incident as Barros now led Roberts, Rossi, Edwards and Hopkins; and when Kenny tried one attack on the leading Brazilian he had to put a foot down. Worse was to follow for ‘Hopper’, as a fogged up visor led to an off-track moment and subsequent fall. He rejoined the race and made it back to the pits. With the number of runners it was worth getting him back out, which Suzuki did for the loss of a couple of laps.

Now the victory race was between just four men, and the event was less than half gone. Edwards looked lively as he passed team-mate Rossi at Old Hairpin, and then Roberts, but the two GP champions pushed him back in short order, and he lost a bit of ground. Roberts led when he passed Barros at Redgate, and Rossi did the same at the Esses, only for a slide out of Goddards to let the Honda back ahead.

The shuffle continued as Barros passed Roberts, with Edwards catching the group again. Rossi came past Roberts on the main straight, but floated wide at the Esses and only just turned before running out of road. Some fast laps allowed ‘the Doctor’ to come back at Barros, Roberts and Edwards, where he was soon able to settle back into second, getting by Roberts on the outside at the Esses.

They carried on in the order Barros, Rossi, Roberts, Edwards, without any significant gaps opening in the group. Then Valentino made a move for the lead on the inside for Melbourne hairpin to finish another new fastest lap. Improving this straight away, the break had been made. From here the gap just opened to 2.4s, 3.3s, 3.7s, 4.3s and on beyond 7.8s. With a few laps remaining, Rossi’s superiority had been made clear and he backed off to bring it safely home. It was another impressive day’s work in difficult, not to say cold, conditions.

Barros and Roberts had got clear of Edwards in their efforts to match Rossi, but to no avail. They remained close, and Kenny came back after a moment at Goddards. On the final lap the American made a move at Coppice, the right turn onto the back straight. The Suzuki was inside for the first apex, but ran wide. However, as Barros came back this left a gap on the inside at the second apex, which Roberts took to secure second in a close race to the line through the final section. Edwards was secure in fourth.

The race for fifth had seen some fast laps by the Ducati pair, as Capirossi moved through on Hofmann for seventh, and both he and Checa overtook Tamada, the Spaniard leading the way. Carlos faced an eleven second gap to the leaders, and was fastest man before Rossi upped the pace. But the task was too big, and Checa wound up in a good but solitary fifth. Capirossi was next, with Tamada, Hofmann, Elías, Rolfo and Hopkins the only other finishers.

With Honda’s likely title challengers all going out, Valentino Rossi capitalised on another display of skill, winning in similar style to the Chinese GP and putting himself into an impressive 104-point lead. The scores of the next two men together would only just overhaul him. A costly meeting for Marco Melandri, Max Biaggi, Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden meant that Colin Edwards moved right into the middle of their battle for second overall, with Alex Barros moving into the group after his second best result of the year.

Kenny Roberts proved that his main problem lately has been bike rather than rider, and as in China he was again a feature of the leading group. This time his machine lasted, and second place jumped him up the points table to just behind Tamada, Xaus and Hopkins. More importantly, it was the first podium visit for both Kenny and Suzuki since 2002. It had also been a fairly positive day for Ducati, with the best team finish bar the home race at Mugello.

Standings after nine races: Rossi 211; Melandri 107; Edwards 106; Biaggi 100; Gibernau 95; Barros 90; Hayden 85; Capirossi 65; Nakano 55; Checa 51; Bayliss 47; Tamada 36.

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