2006ausgp.gifThere was some history in the making today as riders opted to change their bikes during the race, the first time since the ‘’white flag” rule was introduced back in 2005.

Marco Melandri took victory in a race of two halves from local hero Chris Vermeulen with Valentina Rossi in a stunning third place after pulling off a thrilling last minute pass on Sete Gibernau with the chequered flag in sight.

A fog affected morning had delayed the morning warm ups but soon gave way to glorious sunshine for the 125cc and 250cc races.

However the sky turned bleak as threatening clouds rolled overhead before the main event started, with spits of rain starting to appear as the MotoGP riders gridded up.

Shinya Nakano got the holeshot from second on the grid and proceeded to carve out a 5 second lead over nearest challenger Sete Gibernau. Polesetter Hayden found himself languishing in 15th position after a terrible start.

Ten minutes into the race, the rain began to intensify into a light drizzle, forcing all riders to pit for their second bikes. James Ellison led the way followed closely by Tech 3 team mate Checa and Jose Luis Cardoso from the D’antin team. All the other riders followed soon afterwards in a steady chaotic stream.

All but one. Nakano had made a critical mistake in continuing for one more lap. It soon became apparent that he couldn’t continue in the treacherous conditions and pitted for his spare bike.

Suddenly MotoGP had turned into a Formula one race, as spectator confusion reigned over the actual race order.

Sete Gibernau emerged as the new race leader after the dust settled, followed by Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen and Marco Melandri on the Fortuna Honda.

The young Australian was soon overhauled by the storming Italian, who easily deposed Gibernau on lap 16 as he continued his way to the top of the leaderboard. Vermeulen in the meantime was hot on the heels of Sete Gibernau. He made his move at MG corner, drawing alongside the Ducati and winning the drag race to the final corner, much to the delight and roars of the jubilant crowd. Chris then proceeded to power away steadily from Gibernau. Meanwhile Melandri pulled out an unassailable lead from the chasing pair.

The unfortunate Nakano found himself in 6th place after his pitstop, before eventually dropping to 8th, while 7th placed Rossi tussled with championship leader Hayden for a number of laps before making it.

On the final corner of the final lap, with Gibernau seemingly assured of a podium position, Rossi pulled into his slipstream and outdrafted him to cross the finish line in an incredible third place to the cheers of his many fans. Melandri romped away to his 3rd victory of the season while Vermeulen took a well deserved second position. Fellow Aussie Casey Stoner came home in 6th place.

  1. Marco MELANDRI ITA Fortuna Honda HONDA 44′15.621
  2. Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 44′25.320
  3. Valentino ROSSI ITA Camel Yamaha Team YAMAHA 44′26.147
  4. Sete GIBERNAU SPA Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 44′26.236
  5. Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 44′26.315
  6. Casey STONER AUS Honda LCR HONDA 44′26.944
  7. Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 44′42.176
  8. Shinya NAKANO JPN Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 44′42.287
  9. Toni ELIAS SPA Fortuna Honda HONDA 45′12.855
  10. Makoto TAMADA JPN Konica Minolta Honda HONDA 45′17.852
  11. Randy DE PUNIET FRA Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 45′18.053
  12. John HOPKINS USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 45′34.430
  13. Alex HOFMANN GER Pramac d’Antín MotoGP DUCATI 46′03.854
  14. Kenny ROBERTS JR USA Team Roberts KR211V 44′23.691
  15. Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 44′31.119
  16. James ELLISON GBR Tech 3 Yamaha YAMAHA 45′35.526
  17. Jose Luis CARDOSO SPA Pramac d’Antín MotoGP DUCATI 44′57.572

Not Classified

  • Carlos CHECA SPA Tech 3 Yamaha YAMAHA 28′26.506
  • Colin EDWARDS USA Camel Yamaha Team YAMAHA 11′11.818

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