WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST TIME MOTOGP WAS IN BRAZIL
MotoGP returns to Brazil this weekend, so let’s take a look at what happened the last time the series raced in Brazil.
The 2004 Brazilian round of MotoGP took place at the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet in Rio de Janeiro on the weekend of 2–4 July. It was the seventh round of the 2004 season, and coming into it, Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau had shared all six of the previous wins, with Yamaha rider Rossi taking four and Honda’s Spaniard Gibernau taking the other two.
However, a huge surprise occurred as Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts Jr. took pole position for the race. The American had only scored two top-15 finishes in the opening six races but managed to take pole.
On the second lap of the race, disaster struck for title contender Gibernau, who fell and became the race’s first retirement. At this point, Kenny Roberts Jr. had dropped to third on the Suzuki due to its inferior engine, with the Honda duo Max Biaggi and Nicky Hayden leading.
Troy Bayliss and José David de Gea also retired before more carnage unfolded, as championship leader Valentino Rossi crashed his Yamaha from P4, meaning there would be a third different winner.
That winner would be Camel Honda’s Japanese rider, Makoto Tamada, who rose through the field and held off teammate Biaggi and Repsol Honda rider Hayden. It was Tamada’s first of his two MotoGP wins. Brazilian fan favorite Alex Barros came home in fifth. Young rider Diogo Moreira will be looking to replicate that feat at his first home race.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s round, could we see a brand-new winner at a brand-new circuit? The Brazilian GP is a welcome return to the calendar and is sure to be an exciting race.
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