2004 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 2004 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 56th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season. The season consisted of 16 races, beginning with the South African motorcycle Grand Prix on 18 April 2004 and ending with the Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix on 31 October.

MotoGP class

At the end of 2003, HRC and Valentino Rossi had parted ways, and HRC held Rossi to the letter of their contract which stipulated he could not ride another manufacturer's machine until 31 December 2003. [ 1 ] Rossi's move to Yamaha , therefore, was a gamble on a manufacturer that hadn't had won a world championship in 12 years. Rossi won the first round of the season and lay to rest doubts about whether the rider or the motorcycle was more important when he achieved what no rider since Eddie Laws...

Runner-up Sete Gibernau gave Rossi a strong challenge initially, but faded towards the end of the season. The friendship between him and Rossi frayed over the season, and snapped completely at the Qatar round .

Another change in 2004 was also d'Antin Team , who switched their alliance from Yamaha to Ducati motorcycles after five-year alliance with Yamaha , marked the first time Ducati MotoGP manufacturer introduced a satellite customer team.

At the Italian round , the race ran for 17 laps before rain started, and according to the rules at the time, the race was decided on a second, 6-lap race and the previous 17 laps only counted for grid positions. Conditions dried enough that the riders started the new race in slicks instead of wet-weather tires. In 2005 the rules were changed so that rain would no longer stop a race in MotoGP.

The Rookie of the Year was Rubén Xaus .

250cc class

The 250cc title was won by Daniel Pedrosa on a Honda.

125cc class

The 125cc title was won by Andrea Dovizioso on a Honda.

2004 Grand Prix season calendar

On 19 August 2003, the FIM released the initial 2004 calendar. [ 2 ] In it, both the Japanese and the Pacific GPs were originally scheduled to take place. On 24 October 2003, the FIM confirmed the 2004 calendar. [ 3 ] In it, the Japanese GP at Suzuka had been scrapped and was moved to Motegi and the all-new Qatar GP were to be held on a Saturday. [ 4 ] On 16 December 2003, changes were made to the calendar. [ 5 ] The date of the British GP was moved from 11 to 25 July and the date and day of the...

The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 2004: [ 6 ] [ 7 ]

Regulation changes

The following changes are made to the regulation for the 2004 season: [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ]

Sporting regulations

This rule was additionally added on 27 March 2004:

Technical regulations

These rules were additionally added on 27 March 2004:

Standings

Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.

Standings

Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap

Standings

Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.

Standings

Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap

Standings

Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.

Standings

Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap

Table 1

Round	Date	Grand Prix	Circuit
1	18 April	betandwin.com Africa's Grand Prix	Phakisa Freeway
2	2 May	Gran Premio Marlboro de España	Circuito de Jerez
3	16 May	Grand Prix Polini de France	Bugatti Circuit
4	6 June	Gran Premio Cinzano d'Italia	Mugello Circuit
5	13 June	Gran Premi Gauloises de Catalunya	Circuit de Catalunya
6	26 June ††	Gauloises TT Assen	TT Circuit Assen
7	4 July	Cinzano Rio Grand Prix	Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet
8	18 July	Veltins Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland	Sachsenring
9	25 July	Cinzano British Grand Prix	Donington Park
10	22 August	Gauloises Grand Prix České republiky	Brno Circuit

Table 2

Round	Date	Grand Prix	Circuit	125cc winner	250cc winner
1	18 April	South African motorcycle Grand Prix	Phakisa	Andrea Dovizioso	Daniel Pedrosa
2	2 May	Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix	Jerez	Marco Simoncelli	Roberto Rolfo
3	16 May	French motorcycle Grand Prix	Le Mans	Andrea Dovizioso	Daniel Pedrosa
4	6 June	Italian motorcycle Grand Prix	Mugello	Roberto Locatelli	Sebastián Porto
5	13 June	Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix	Catalunya	Héctor Barberá	Randy de Puniet
6	26 June ††	Dutch TT	Assen	Jorge Lorenzo	Sebastián Porto
7	4 July	Rio de Janeiro motorcycle Grand Prix	Rio de Janeiro	Héctor Barberá	Manuel Poggiali
8	18 July	German motorcycle Grand Prix	Sachsenring	Roberto Locatelli	Daniel Pedrosa
9	25 July	British motorcycle Grand Prix	Donington	Andrea Dovizioso	Daniel Pedrosa
10	22 August	Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix	Brno	Jorge Lorenzo	Sebastián Porto

Table 3

Team	Constructor	Motorcycle	Tyres	No.	Rider
MS Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	RS Cube	M	67	Shane Byrne
MS Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	RS Cube	M	84	Michel Fabrizio
MS Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	RS Cube	M	24	Garry McCoy
MS Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	RS Cube	M	99	Jeremy McWilliams
Ducati Marlboro Team	Ducati	Desmosedici GP4	M	12	Troy Bayliss
Ducati Marlboro Team	Ducati	Desmosedici GP4	M	65	Loris Capirossi
D'Antin MotoGP	Ducati	Desmosedici GP3	M	11	Rubén Xaus
D'Antin MotoGP	Ducati	Desmosedici GP3	M	50	Neil Hodgson
WCM	Harris WCM	Harris WCM	D	35	Chris Burns
WCM	Harris WCM	Harris WCM	D	41	Youichi Ui

Image Gallery

content image from 2004_Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing_season

F1ABY Commentary

Consider this: does a championship, forged in the crucible of betrayal, truly belong to the victor, or does it carry the indelible mark of the hand that shattered the initial promise? Rossi, a tempestuous current, swept through the paddock, Yamaha’s audacious bet suddenly shimmering with the undeniable gleam of victory. The Italian’s first triumph, a brutal assertion of dominance, wasn't simply a win; it was a defiant exhale, a refusal to be defined by Honda’s rigid control. The air crackled with the unspoken tension – a silent acknowledgment of the game that had been played, a testament to the enduring power of a rider’s will. Was this a triumph of skill, or a calculated act of rebellion? The question, I suspect, will haunt the sport for years to come.

The desert wind carried more than just sand in Qatar; it carried the shattered remnants of a legend. Valentino Rossi, adrift from Honda, was not merely seeking victory, he was excavating a new identity, a testament to the brutal alchemy of motorsport. This wasn't about speed, you see, it was about proving that a man, even a fallen one, could forge a kingdom anew.

F1ABY Trivia

The rain in Imola clung to the asphalt like a desperate plea, mirroring, perhaps, the anxieties swirling around Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha. That Mellow Y2004 engine, a 990cc beast, wrestled with the slick surface, spitting gravel and a frustrated blue flame – a stark contrast to the controlled aggression he’d displayed in Qatar. Honda’s V5 engine, churning out 184 horsepower, seemed almost serene in comparison, a testament to the relentless refinement of the RC45 chassis. It was a brutal reminder: winning wasn’t simply about raw power, but about coaxing every last ounce of potential from a machine and the rider's will.

The rain in Imola clung to the asphalt like a desperate plea, mirroring, perhaps, the fractured ambition of Toni Elias. Observe the pattern: only twice in the history of the championship has a rider secured pole and then failed to convert it into a win. Yamaha, a behemoth of technological investment, seemed to be wrestling with a phantom, a ghost of past dominance, as their riders consistently surrendered the lead in the final laps.

F1ABY Tales

The rain hadn’t relented, not a blessed drop. Miller’s face, a mask of white-knuckled fury, reflected in the slick asphalt. He’d been so close, a sliver of blue Yamaha ahead, and then – a jarring twitch of the throttle, a momentary loss of grip. The crowd, a damp, murmuring mass, sensed it, tasted the bitter tang of defeat. Rossi, meanwhile, simply continued, a silent, predatory force, his Yamaha a sculpted extension of his will. Twelve years. Twelve years since Yamaha last tasted victory, and he was building a narrative around it, brick by agonizing brick. A gambler’s wager, this season, a testament to faith and, perhaps, a touch of audacious arrogance.

The rain in Qatar clung to the asphalt, mirroring the tension in Casey Stoner’s eyes. He’d spent the morning meticulously adjusting his Ducati, a quiet ritual born of a fierce, almost obsessive need for control. A flicker of something – frustration? – crossed his face as he wrestled with the rear suspension, a subtle shift in posture betraying the immense pressure he carried. It wasn’t just the championship, of course; it was the weight of expectation, the silent accusations from Honda, the knowledge that a single misstep could shatter the fragile truce he’d painstakingly constructed. He wasn’t a man given to grand pronouncements, but the set of his jaw spoke volumes. This wasn't about speed; it was about proving he could conquer this new, unforgiving landscape, a solitary warrior against the established order. The desert air held a palpable sense of anticipation, a silent question hanging over the circuit.