Sete blows his big chance, Rossi pounces.

Sete Gibernau blew his big chance of beating Valentino Rossi for the first time this season with a crucial mistake just two and a half miles from the finish of Sunday's German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring.

The Spaniard was leading the world champion and US GP winner Nicky Hayden by just 0.4secs as the last of 25 laps began.

Until then, Gibernau had ridden the perfect race, but his first mistake came at the wrong time when he missed his braking point for turn one and ran wide, leaving the door wide open for Rossi.

The Gauloises Yamaha rider needed no second invitation and went on to cross the line with over half a second to spare, while Gibernau just held of Hayden for second.

It was cruel luck for the Movistar Honda rider, who was expecting a typical last lap attack from his bitter rival and simply couldn't afford to back off heading into one of only two main overtaking areas.

Rossi, who recently said that he can't bear to finish behind the Catalan, later confirmed that he would have mounted an attack - but that it would have been 'very hard' to stop Sete without his error.

"It is easy to make a mistake when you are racing on the limit like we were the whole time and Gibernau made it at a very important time," explained Rossi, after his eighth grand prix victory of the season. "I was planning to make a move on that last lap but it would have been very hard.

"The battle with Gibernau and Hayden was very tough for sure; it was a great, great battle. We were all very close right to the end. In some places I was very good in other parts I lost a bit.

"At one moment I lost second place and I started to slide a lot on the lefts with the rear tyre, but I was able to come back and was ready for the battle with Gibernau on the last lap," said the six-times world champion. "For sure it would have been hard, but he made a small mistake and went wide so it was more easy."

Nevertheless, it would be an exaggeration to say that Sete was crushed by his mistake - and he even managed a wry smile when asked to describe how he'd lost his desperately needed first victory of the season.

"At the end of the day Rossi won the race and that's it. I thought my mistake would be a birthday present for Nicky but it went to Rossi. That's okay," he shrugged with a smile, before turning more serious: "At the end of the day if I make a mistake then whoever is behind gets the benefit. Rossi was there and he took it.

"We gave away this possible win but I think our team is doing well. It's a difficult year for us - we have been having small problems and have not been too lucky - but today the bike worked well and we could have won if not for this mistake. I got distracted and lost a precious tenth of a second that cost me victory.

"But I'm really happy to have been fighting to win again - this should be our natural habitat and I promise it will continue to be so after the holidays. This weekend I had fun on the bike once again - I can guarantee that I will win races this season," he claimed.

Round eleven of the 2005 MotoGP World Champion will take place at Brno in the Czech Republic on August 28.