now means that Bayliss has pretty much secured third position. The gap to Rossi has meanwhile been shrinking and is now only +0.873 seconds. On lap fifteen, Melandri is now forming a train behind him consisting of Capirossi, Checa, Ukawa and - further back - Hayden. Gauloises Yamaha rider Alex Barros is out of the race, crashing out at the end of Turn 1 after fighting with McWilliams for tenth place. The rider is unhurt and walks away in a disappointing manner. At Turn 13, Ukawa tries to make a move but isn't able to but with Checa going wide, he can get side by side with the Spaniard, positioning his Camel Pramac Pons Honda at his inside at Turn 14 and making the move, moving up to sixth place. As lap sixteen begins, Hayden is now eyeing Checa as well. He looks to be making a move at Turn 1 but instead stays behind for now. At the front, the gap Gibernau has to Rossi has decreased even further and is now only +0.478, which then increases to +0.480 seconds. Lap seventeen and the gap to Rossi has increased to +0.706, then decreased again to +0.621 seconds. On lap eighteen, the gap is once again cut and now is only +0.591 seconds, then decreasing again slightly to +0.511 seconds. Lap nineteen and Gibernau just puts the fastest lap of the race with a 1:24.8. The gap is +0.364 seconds but halfway into the lap, he has caught Rossi and is all over the back of him. As lap twenty begins, the Spaniard goes side by side with the Repsol Honda rider, even looking at him as they blast down the start/finish straight, with Gibernau taking over the lead at the end of the straight. Rossi tries to fight back but eventually decides to stay behind in second position. Rossi then shadows Gibernau for half the lap, then tries to dive down the inside at Turn 13 with the Spaniard closing the door on him. On lap twenty-one, Rossi is still all over the back of Gibernau but does not try to make a move. Both riders now start to slide around a bit as the tyres start to wear off. Lap twenty-two and Rossi looks to be making a move at the downhill Turn 1 hairpin, but thinks better of it and stays behind Gibernau. The Italian is still