2004 MotoGP Estoril Results

Valentino Rossi emerged victorious at the Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. The Fortuna Yamaha pilot jumped out early in the contest and cruised to a five second win over pole sitter Makoto Tamada.

The win solidifies Rossi's position at the top of series standings and gives him a 29 point lead over Sete Gibernau, 209 to 180. Max Biaggi failed to make up ground on Rossi or Gibernau as his day ended in a hail of gravel after he crashed on the first lap while trying to avoid running into Loris Capirossi.

Alex Barros managed the to grab the final podium position with a third place. Sete Gibernau had to settle for fourth, while Carlos Checa rounds out the top five.

John Hopkins led the way for the American contingent taking sixth place, while Colin Edwards took ninth and Kenny Roberts secured 14th position.

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha) – 1st
"This was a super important race for us. It didn't rain last night so the bike had more grip today and my team worked so hard this morning on the bike to improve the set up. My start was not great but I managed to stay first for the first few laps and the tires held out really well, so I was able to push through right to the end in the lead. I really wanted to push a lot from the beginning because I knew that if someone else was close at the end it would be really hard, because everyone's tires would be moving around a lot. The bike was great today so thanks to Yamaha and everyone in the team for all the hard work."

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda) – 2nd
"We were able to get the bike set up well and to eliminate the serious chattering that we got in the practices. It was a good start and the first part of the race I tried to contain the gap Valentino was pulling out. In the middle part of the race I made up some time and closed in on Rossi but he was going strong and got the race under control. I didn't quite have that edge to make a final attack, but it was a good race anyway, great to start from the front and to be able to decide what movements to make. Motegi is up next, an important race because it's my home. The place I most want to win."

Alex Barros (Repsol Honda) – 3rd
"I am so tired but very very happy. That was a very hard race from the start to finish. At the start I tried to follow Valentino and Tamada but it was impossible. My tires go off a little and I tried to keep my rhythm. I knew Sete was very close. I didn't need a pit board to tell this – I could hear him. I tried to reduce the pace in the middle of the race to conserve my tires for the end. I defended my position and took the tight line wherever possible. It was a very physical and mental race but a race that was very important after some of the recent results. We need to build on this performance in preparation for the rest of the season. My team have worked very hard this weekend and I am very happy to be able to give them and my sponsors something to smile about!"

Sete Gibernau (Movistar Honda) –4th
"We got what we deserved today because we've had a bad weekend in general and we've paid for it in the race. I made too many mistakes in qualifying, we changed the bike again for the race and we didn't get it right. These things happen when everything is not perfectly in its place and we have to learn from it."

Carlos Checa (Fortuna Yamaha) – 5th
"I am satisfied with the race result because I started from tenth on the grid and I've improved a place in the Championship. After a few laps I felt the tire go down a bit so I am pleased that I could hold onto my position. However I can't accept the difference between Valentino and I; I know he's the best rider but I feel that I must improve and close the gap between us. We need to analyze my performance today and I am going to push myself and my team to improve for the last five races."

John Hopkins (Suzuki) – 6th
"That was a good race but unfortunately I lost touch with the leaders in the early stages. I got a good jump off the line but they came piling past me before we got to the first turn. The leaders set a blistering pace, and though I was riding as hard as I could, they were too far ahead for any hope of catching up. It was close at first, but eventually the field started to get a bit scattered. I was keeping the gap on Checa and waiting for that, because I knew the Bridgestones would be good at the end of the race. On the last lap I managed to get ahead of him onto the back straight, but then I ran onto the white line and went wide and he got by again. Horsepower is our biggest issue at the moment and you have to ride the corners really hard to make up for it. My team gave me a good bike today and the tires were exceptional. In my eyes, that was a great race and my best result … though I really wanted the top five. There will be more good results to come."

Loris Capirossi (Marlboro Ducati) – 7th
"I started great, then took some big risks to get into turn one first. It was a pity that Max tried to pass me so soon - he could have waited for a better place to attack. Once I had regained the track I started my comeback, passing a lot of riders, but the leaders were too far ahead, so I just made sure I maintained my position. My pace was close to the leaders' which proves we are improving the bike, though we still have work to do."

Colin Edwards (Movistar Honda) – 9th
"The chattering was my biggest problem once again. It was worse than ever today and if you look at the lap times it was the same all the way through because I couldn't push any harder. We chose a slightly softer tire than Brno because there are more bumps here but even so I couldn't do any more."

Max Biaggi (Camel Honda) – DNF
"Obviously I'm disillusioned with today's events, even though I know it's all part of racing. It was an involuntary accident which came about from a misunderstanding with Capirossi. He probably had a lot to do on the first lap, he was ahead of everyone from the first bend on the track. He was ahead and detached from the rest and he went very wide, going well outside the normal line on that turn. I was right behind and with Loris going wide, as well as slowly, I held my line as he closed the throttle suddenly. Trying not to crash into him I jammed on the brakes so hard that my rear tire left the ground. We made contact then and I crashed. It's a shame, today I was in the right shape to do a good race. I don't want to think about the championship at the moment, but it's obvious the situation is very difficult now. There are still five races left however and we will wait to see what happens."

Estoril Results:
1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)
2. Makoto Tamada (Honda)
3. Alex Barros (Honda)
4. Sete Gibernau (Honda)
5. Carlos Checa (Yamaha)
6. John Hopkins (Suzuki)
7. Loris Capirossi (Ducati)
8. Troy Bayliss (Ducati)
9. Colin Edwards (Honda)
10. Norick Abe (Yamaha)

MotoGP Standings:
1. Rossi, 209
2. Gibernau, 180
3. Biaggi, 158
4. Edwards, 111
5. Barros, 102
6. Checa, 93
7. Tamada, 89
8. Capriossi, 84
9. Hayden, 83
10. Melandri, 64