Rossi wins third world title after victory on Malaysia GP

Rossi wins third world title after victory on Malaysia GP

Abdul Rahman, Reuters, Sepang, Malaysia

Italian Valentino Rossi won his third consecutive world title
in style on Sunday with victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old Honda rider, who won the final 500cc
championship in 2001 and the inaugural MotoGP championship last
year, started from pole and, despite a slow start, his victory in
43 minutes 41.457 seconds was never really in doubt.

Spain's Sete Gibernau, the only rider who had any real chance
of catching Rossi in the title race, was second on Sunday ahead
of Rossi's compatriot and arch-rival Max Biaggi.

"I'm very, very happy," said Rossi, whose 57th grand prix win
gave him a fifth world title as he took the 125cc title in 1997
and the 250cc crown in 1999. "It was a good fight throughout the
year, winning some and losing some."

"We were quite consistent and so we were able to finish
first."

Rossi's seventh victory of the season took him to 307 points,
while Gibernau had 244 with only 50 points up for grabs in the
two races remaining in the season. Biaggi was on 215 points in
third place. All three were on Honda bikes.

Last year Rossi ran away with the title, winning seven races
and wrapping it all up with four rounds to spare, and the fact
that this season was not quite as cut and dried was in the main
down to Gibernau.

"The whole season we have tried to push Valentino as hard as
we could," said Gibernau, who has won four races and finished
second four times this season. "It has been a great season and
congratulations to Valentino as he is the strongest guy in the
championship."

Even though he started on pole, Rossi was patient on the
opening lap and allowed Gibernau, Carlos Checa and Loris
Capirossi to dictate the early pace as he slipped down to fourth.

But it was only a matter of time before the irrepressible
Rossi moved up to second on the second lap to close the gap on
Gibernau before making a successful move to overtake five laps
later.

Gibernau had a solitary race for second place with Biaggi
forcing his way past Checa in the early stages to claim his third
podium finish in the last four races.

American Nicky Hayden had an impressive second half of the
race, getting past the Yamaha of Spain's Checa and Ducati of
Italian Loris Capirossi to claim fourth place and more points for
Honda, who had already wrapped up the manufacturer's title.

Gibernau, 31, said he would not be easing off now the title
had been decided and would be racing hard in the final two rounds
at Phillip Island, Australian and Valencia.

"There are two races to go and I will be trying to beat
Valentino again," he said.