[Acidreign]

By Alan Baldwin

LONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - Injured MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi needs all the help he can get in Britain this weekend in an increasingly desperate battle to defend his title from American Nicky Hayden.

Honda’s Hayden has a 46 point advantage over the Italian after winning the Dutch TT at Assen last weekend while Rossi gritted his teeth to take eighth place with broken bones in his right hand and ankle.

Donington Park is a favourite track for Rossi, who has won five times there in the top category including the last two years with Yamaha, but the Italian is clearly worried at the season’s halfway stage.

He can see his crown slipping away and victory in Sunday’s race will be a tall order even for a rider of his genius, given his state of fitness.

Rossi is also well aware that his Kentucky-born 24-year-old rival is dangerously consistent with 10 podium finishes from the last 11 races.

Hayden leads the championship on 144 points thanks to his first win of the year, 42 clear of team mate Dani Pedrosa, with Ducati’s Loris Capirossi third on 100 and Rossi fourth on 98 alongside compatriot Marco Melandri.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for me to stand on the top of the podium on Sunday,” Rossi conceded.

“But as long as my hand continues to improve throughout the week, then I think we can try.”

The British-based rider has been receiving treatment all week to recover as much strength as possible in the hand he injured when he fell in the first practice session at Assen.

“We have a lot of work to do to improve the situation with my wrist and try to reduce the swelling and heal the bone as much as possible,” he said in a team preview.

“It would be better to have a month now to recover... Anyway I hope we can improve it as much as possible so that I can ride well at Donington.”

While Rossi hopes for the best, his American team mate Colin Edwards is out for revenge after seeing a first MotoGp win slip away when he fell while leading Hayden into the final chicane just metres from the finish.

“I can’t deny that I’m still disappointed after what happened at Assen, but now I have to put that behind me and focus on Donington, which is one of my best tracks and a place I have always gone well,” the Texan said.

“I have to forget about what happened at the end of the race in Assen and focus on the fact that my bike worked perfectly all weekend, I was consistently fast and I was able to do a really great race up to the last chicane.”

Spain’s Sete Gibernau remains absent after breaking his collarbone in the big first corner crash in Barcelona earlier this month. Germany’s Alex Hofmann again stands-in on the Ducati.

In the lower categories, Aprilia’s Spanish teenager Jorge Lorenzo is on a charge—just 16 points behind Italian Andrea Dovizioso in the 250cc standings after his fourth win of the season at Assen.

Honda’s Dovizioso, the former 125cc champion, is the only rider in all three categories to have finished on the podium in every one of the eight races this year.

Spaniard Alvaro Bautista is a comfortable 47 points ahead of Finland’s Mika Kallio in the 125cc class.

((Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by John O’Brien; Reuters Messaging; alan.baldwin.reuters.com@reuters.net: +44 207 542 7933))

[SuperDave]

For Rossi, that's still got to hurt pretty bad for only a week (or so) healing.
That last race was gutsy to even finish, let alone 8th place.

It's good to hear Colin "putting it behind him" and concentrating on the next race.

Did Sete ever explain what happened when he grabbed the front brake and flipped it into the pack? Was it just that he didn't notice himself drifting towards the other Ducatis and panicked?

[LUCIDDREAM57]

Sete said his handle bar clipped another bike and the lever got mashed down, as per the motogp website, as I recollect.

[SuperDave]

Thanks Lucid.

[tigerblade]

Originally Posted by LUCIDDREAM57

Sete said his handle bar clipped another bike and the lever got mashed down, as per the motogp website, as I recollect.

The same thing happened to Steve Rapp in a superbike race at Road America in 2000. Kocinski braked way early or something and Rapp ran his brake lever right into Kocinski's tail, flipping the bike end over end several times. The whole fork when flying off. After the red flag, Rapp rode his spare bike to finish around 7th I think.

[Acidreign]

Originally Posted by tigerblade

The same thing happened to Steve Rapp in a superbike race at Road America in 2000. Kocinski braked way early or something and Rapp ran his brake lever right into Kocinski's tail, flipping the bike end over end several times. The whole fork when flying off. After the red flag, Rapp rode his spare bike to finish around 7th I think.

I remember that race - Rapp pretty much came up running for the pits to get his back-up bike. I was impressed that he came out unscathed and still had presence of mind enough to remember there was still a race that was going to be run. That was one UGLY crash in slow motion.

[ND4SPD]

Wow...I think that's the first time I've ever heard CE say his bike worked well.

[smoothrideronli]

Although its too bad for Rossi as far as his injury goes...it does make the season a bit more entertaining when he doesnt run away with the championship. This season has had some of the best MotoGP races I have seen and I imagine more are to come. Who would have thunk Suzuki on pole!! CE fighting for a win...Nicky Hayden leading the championship midway...every week seems unpredictable...gotta love competitive racing!!