Gibernau's patience rewarded with first triumph

A passionate crowd of 120,000 greeted the Grand Prix of Valencia with fireworks, observed a fiasco of a start and eventually celebrated with a fiesta, prompted by the first win for the Spaniard Sete Gibernau.

The Telefonica MoviStar rider was one of a number who opted for the patient approach as a heavy downpour shortly before the formation of the grid disrupted preparations. The championship leader, Valentino Rossi, was among the hares who gambled, incorrectly, that conditions would remain wet throughout the race and opened an early lead before the tortoises, who predicted that the surface would eventually dry, profited from their use of slick race tyres.

Those riders, including Gibernau and his Suzuki team-mate Kenny Roberts, struggled to remain upright in the precarious opening stages. Three riders even crashed on the warm-up lap and the early leader Loris Capirossi, Luis Cardosa and Noriyuki Haga all perished before the emerging sunshine had chance to take effect.

Although Rossi, who opted for intermediate tyres with minimal tread, was able to build a five-second lead, he was quickly overhauled as his tyres disintegrated on the drying surface. Max Biaggi, his championship rival, who chose the correct tyres but the wrong kind of brakes, was able to beat his fellow Italian into 11th place but could only reduce his championship deficit to 42 points with four rounds remaining.

As race conditions stabilised, the two Suzukis broke away with Alex Barros, and Gibernau was perfectly placed to take the inside line on the second turn of the penultimate lap. The win sparked extensive celebrations, including a somersault into the gravel trap, where he planted a Spanish flag alongside the Stars and Stripes of his team-mate.

Gibernau said: "It's impossible to say what I went through. The first lap was really tough, as the carbon brakes were not working. When I saw that Valentino had a cut slick tyre on his rear wheel, I knew that I just had to bide my time."

Daijiro Katoh won his eighth of 12 races to expand his commanding championship lead in the 250cc class, while an enthralling 125cc race saw the Spaniard Toni Elias pipped by his championship rival Manuel Poggiali.