Any hope of salvaging another difficult weekend ran out with 10 laps remaining, when Valentino Rossi entered the pit lane with a destroyed rear tire. "It was impossible to keep going - the Italian rider explained afterward - Spies and Barbera also had the same problem, but it happened to them with only 4 laps remaining. I couldn't have made it to the finish line. Our setup was identical to what we used in the warm-up, and this morning I did 13 laps on the soft tire without any problems. Immediately after the race start I felt some chatter in the rear, and that has never happened before. It was difficult to ride."
As for the exact cause of the tire issue, they still aren't sure. "The Ducati stresses the tires more than other bikes - Rossi continued - but this time we were losing large chunks from the tire, something that only happens when the tire overheats. It was a wasted occasion because, thanks in part to the numerous crashes, we could have scored a good result. I got a good start, and before my problems I was studying Hayden to see where I could attack him. Nicky was stronger in the first part of the circuit, but I regained the ground in the faster sections."

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