Nicky Hayden
With the disappointing result at Assen, Rossi took second place in Great Britain and another win in Germany, fighting tooth and nail with the three Honda's of Marco Melandri, Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa. However, he retired once more in the United States round due to mechanical problems at the last few laps whilst local hero Nicky Hayden won the event for a second consecutive time. This extended Hayden's lead over Rossi with 34 points from 17 to 51, dropping Rossi to fourth in the championship.