2005 United Kingdom general election, Ballot
Sunderland North was the next to declare, followed by Houghton and Washington East, both of whose Labour MPs retained their seats but with reductions in the incumbent majorities of up to 9%. The first Scottish seat to declare was Rutherglen and Hamilton West — another safe Labour seat, also a Labour hold, but with the majority reduced by 4%. The first seat to change hands was Putney, where Labour's majority of 2,771 fell to a strong Conservative challenge, with a total swing of about 5,000 (6.2%). This was also the first seat to be declared for the Conservatives. The first Liberal Democrat seat to be declared was North East Fife, the constituency of Lib Dem deputy leader Sir Menzies Campbell which he had held since 1987.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Ballot
The constituency of Crawley in West Sussex had the slimmest majority of any seat, with Labour's Laura Moffatt holding off the Conservatives' Henry Smith by 37 votes after three recounts.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Polling
Following problems with exit polls in previous British elections, the BBC and ITV agreed for the first time to pool their respective data, using results from Mori and NOP. More than 20,000 people were interviewed for the poll at 120 polling stations across the country. The predictions were very accurate—initial projections saw Labour returned to power with a majority of 66 (down from 160), and the final result (including South Staffordshire, where the election was postponed due to the death of a candidate) was indeed a Labour majority of 66.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Polling
The projected shares of the vote in Great Britain were Labour 35% (down 6% on 2001), Conservatives 33% (up 1%), Liberal Democrats 22% (up 4%) and other parties 8% (up 1%). The Conservatives were expected to make the biggest gains, however — 44 seats according to the exit poll — with the Liberal Democrats expected to take as few as two. Whilst the Lib Dems' vote share predicted by the exit poll was accurate (22.6% compared to the actual 22.0%), they did better in some Lib Dem-Labour marginals than predicted on the basis of the national share of the vote, and achieved a net gain of 11 seats.


2005 United Kingdom general election, 2001 notional result
There were major boundary changes in Scotland, where the number of seats were reduced from 72 to 59. As a result of this each party lost some seats, and this notional election result below is based on the 2001 election results if they had been fought on these new 2005 boundaries.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
At 04:28 BST, it was announced that Labour had won Corby, giving them 324 seats in the House of Commons out of those then declared and an overall majority, Labour's total reaching 355 seats out of the 646 House of Commons seats. Labour received 35.3% of the popular vote, equating to approximately 22% of the electorate on a 61.3% turnout, up from 59.4% turnout in 2001. Increased turnout was mostly attributed to the extension and promotion of the postal voting system, which has been criticised as being too insecure increasing the risk of electoral fraud.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
As expected, voter disenchantment led to an increase of support for many opposition parties, and caused many eligible to vote, not to turn out. Labour achieved a third successive term in office for the first time in their history, though with reduction of the Labour majority from 167 to 67 (as it was before the declaration of South Staffordshire). As it became clear that Labour had won an overall majority, Michael Howard, the leader of the Conservative Party, announced his intention to retire from frontline politics. The final seat to declare was the delayed poll in South Staffordshire, at just after 1 a.m. on Friday 24 June.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
The election was followed by further criticism of the UK electoral system. Calls for reform came particularly from Lib Dem supporters, citing that they received only just over 10% of the overall seats with 22.1% of the popular vote. The only parties to win a substantially higher percentage of seats than they achieved in votes were Labour, the Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Féin, and Health Concern, which ran only one candidate. The results of the election give a Gallagher index of dis-proportionality of 16.76.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
The Labour Government claimed that being returned to office for a third term for the first time ever showed the public approval of Labour's governance and the continued unpopularity of the Conservatives. Nevertheless, Labour's vote declined to 35.3%, the lowest share of the popular vote to have formed a majority government in the history of the UK House of Commons. In many areas the collapse in the Labour vote resulted in a host of seats changing hands. Labour also failed to gain any new seats, almost unique in any election since 1945. As well as losing seats to the Tories and the Liberal Democrats, Labour also lost Blaenau Gwent, their safest seat in Wales, to Independent Peter Law, and Bethnal Green and Bow to Respect candidate George Galloway.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
The Conservatives claimed that their increased number of seats showed disenchantment with the Labour government and was a precursor of a Conservative breakthrough at the next election. Following three consecutive elections of declining representation and then in 2001 a net gain of just one seat, 2005 was the first general election since their famous 1983 landslide victory where the number of Conservative seats increased appreciably, although the Conservatives' vote share increased only slightly and this election did mark the third successive general election in which the Conservatives polled below 35%. In some areas the Conservative vote actually fell. The Conservatives claimed to have won the general election in England, since they received more votes than Labour although Labour still won a majority of seats.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
The Liberal Democrats claimed that their continued gradual increase in seats and percentage vote showed they were in a position to make further gains from both parties. They pointed in particular to the fact that they were now in second place in roughly one hundred and ninety constituencies and that having had net losses to Labour in the 1992 general election and having not taken a single seat off Labour in 1997, they had held their gains off Labour from the 2001 general election and had actually made further gains from them. The Liberals also managed to take three seats from the Conservatives, one notable victory being that of Tim Farron over Tim Collins in Westmorland and Lonsdale, through the use of a "decapitation strategy", which targeted senior Tories.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
The Liberal Democrats increased their percentage of the vote by 3.7%, the Conservatives by 0.6%, and Labour's dropped by 5.4%.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
The UK media interpreted the results as an indicator of a breakdown in trust in the government, and especially in Prime Minister Tony Blair.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party improved its position in Scotland, regaining the Western Isles and Dundee East from Labour, having lost both seats in 1987. In Wales Plaid Cymru failed to gain any seats and lost Ceredigion to the Liberal Democrats. In Northern Ireland the Ulster Unionists were all but wiped out, only keeping North Down, with leader David Trimble losing his seat in Upper Bann. For the first time the DUP became the biggest party in Northern Ireland.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
It was the first general election since 1929 in which no party received more than ten million votes. It was the most "three-cornered" election since 1923, though the Liberal Democrats failed to match the higher national votes of the SDP–Liberal Alliance in the 1980s either in absolute or percentage terms. The total combined vote for Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats proved to be the lowest main three-party vote since 1922.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Results
The figure of 355 seats for Labour does not include the Speaker Michael Martin. See also the list of parties standing in Northern Ireland.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Post-election events, Formation of government
Following the election, Labour remained in power with Tony Blair remaining as Prime Minister. The morning after the election, Blair travelled to Buckingham Palace to inform The Queen of the election result and to receive permission to form a government, consequently beginning his third term as Prime Minister. Blair reshuffled his Cabinet and junior ministers over the following weekend, with formal announcements made on 9 May 2005. The most senior positions of Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary remained the same (Gordon Brown, Charles Clarke and Jack Straw respectively), but a few new faces were added.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Post-election events, Formation of government
Most notably, David Blunkett returned to cabinet as the Work and Pensions Secretary, although he was forced to resign again due to another scandal before the end of the year that spawned a national press and opposition campaign for his dismissal. Patricia Hewitt became the new Health Secretary, Tessa Jowell remained as Culture Secretary, whilst Alan Johnson was promoted to Trade and Industry Secretary. Meanwhile, Ruth Kelly retained the Education job and Margaret Beckett stayed put at Environment.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Post-election events, Formation of government
The new Parliament met on 11 May for the election of the Speaker of the House of Commons.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Post-election events, New party leaders
On 6 May, Michael Howard announced he would be standing down as leader of the Conservative Party, but not before a review of the leadership rules. The formal leadership election began in October, and was ultimately won by David Cameron. On 7 May, David Trimble resigned as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party; Sir Reg Empey was elected as his successor at an Ulster Unionist Council meeting on 24 June.


2005 United Kingdom general election, Post-election events, End of the term
Blair's successor as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown (who came to office on 27 June 2007) visited Buckingham Palace on 6 April 2010 and asked the Queen to dissolve Parliament on 12 April. The next election was held on 6 May 2010.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Edinburgh
These are the results of the 2005 United Kingdom general election in the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The 2005 General Election was held on 5 May 2005 and four constituencies returned Labour Party MPs, with one returning a Liberal Democrat MP.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Edinburgh
For individual results see Results of the 2005 United Kingdom general election.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England
The 2005 United Kingdom general election in England took place on 5 May 2005 for 529 English seats in the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won an overall majority of seats for the third successive election.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England
Within England, the Conservative Party received 72,544 more votes than the Labour Party, but Labour won an overall majority of English seats. The Liberal Democrats made modest gains, finishing with 23% of the vote and 47 seats. The only other parties to win seats were the Respect Party, who gained Bethnal Green and Bow from Labour, and Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern, who won Wyre Forest for the second election in a row.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Results table
Below is a table summarising the results of the 2005 general election in England.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Regional results
Regional vote shares and changes are sourced from the BBC.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Analysis
The total Labour vote in England declined by 6% and by varying amounts in every English Region, but with sharp variations locally. For example, in Bethnal Green and Bow, London, former Labour MP George Galloway, running as a candidate for the anti-war Respect, defeated Oona King (Labour) who in the previous General Election had a majority of 10,057. Labour polled 70,000 fewer votes in England than the Conservatives, but won ninety-two more seats. Labour regained one of its by-election losses, Leicester South, but saw an increased Liberal Democrat majority in the other, Brent East. Overall, Labour lost 37 English MPs compared to 2001.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Analysis
The Conservatives made gains in most regions of England, though their vote declined in some areas, notably the East Midlands and Yorkshire (2% and 1.5% declines, respectively). However, even in regions where the Conservative vote declined, the Labour vote declined by a greater margin, allowing the Conservatives to make gains against Labour. Overall, the Conservatives gained 0.5% of the vote in England compared to 2001, and gained 29 seats. In Enfield Southgate, Conservative David Burrowes ousted Labour Stephen Twigg, who had famously defeated Michael Portillo for that seat in the 1997 elections.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Analysis
The Liberal Democrats made modest gains in all regions of England, improving by at least 1% in every region. The party made a net gain of 7 seats, winning a total of 47, the best result for the Liberal Democrats or Liberals in England since 1923.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Analysis
Former BBC presenter, Robert Kilroy-Silk, who had joined the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) before leaving to set up Veritas, came fourth in Erewash in what was the best performance by Veritas, receiving 2,957 votes. The seat was won by Labour's Liz Blackman.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Analysis
There were regional surges in support for the British National Party, who however failed to win any seats, their highest poll being 16.9% in the Labour stronghold of Barking, East London. The party fielded 119 candidates in seats throughout the country, gaining 0.7% of the total votes cast. The 119 candidates fielded represented a significant rise as in 2001, the BNP only fielded 33 candidates.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Analysis
The Green Party came third in Brighton Pavilion (with Keith Taylor as candidate) behind Labour and the Conservatives, taking 21.9% of the votes cast. Despite this unprecedented high share of the vote Taylor was not selected to contest the seat in the 2010 general election, losing his prospective position to Caroline Lucas.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Analysis
The English Democrats gained their highest percentage of the vote in Greenwich and Woolwich, winning 3.4% of votes cast.


2005 United Kingdom general election in England, Analysis
The Independent Working Class Association stood for the first time in a general election, having previously only stood in local council elections. The party gained 2.1% of the vote in Oxford East.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland
The 2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 5 May 2005 and all 18 seats in Northern Ireland were contested. 1,139,993 people were eligible to vote, down 51,016 from the 2001 general election. 63.49 % of eligible voters turned out, down 5.1 percentage points from the last general election.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland
The election resulted in the Ulster Unionist Party losing its place as the largest Northern Irish political party at Westminster, being replaced by the Democratic Unionist Party. Both the DUP and Sinn Féin increased their share of the vote as well as their number of seats. The Social Democratic and Labour Party were unable to regain its formerly held status as the largest nationalist political party in Northern Ireland, though they retained 3 seats overall, albeit with a reduced share of the vote.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland
Both John Hume and David Trimble, 1998 Nobel Peace Prize laureates for their roles in the Peace Process, did not retain their seats in parliament. The UUP's dismal electoral performance led to Trimble's resignation as leader.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Background
Northern Ireland has a distinct regional political scene compared to the rest of the United Kingdom. The major mainland UK political entities maintain a nominal presence in the country and local parties campaign to represent Northern Irish issues. Politics is mainly split on unionist and nationalist divides, with those wanting to remain part of the United Kingdom on one side and those wanting to unite with the Republic of Ireland on the other. Cross community parties exist, but have not gained as much political support.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Background
Following the previous general election in 2001 and the 2003 Assembly elections, both moderate unionist and nationalist parties continued to lose support as the electorate turned towards the DUP and Sinn Féin. Policing and the fallout from Stormontgate dominated the election campaign. The devolved government in Northern Ireland was suspended in October 2002 after an alleged Provisional IRA spy ring was uncovered at Stormont. Policing in Northern Ireland was a sensitive topic for nationalists, who associated the Royal Ulster Constabulary with the unionist community for their actions during the Troubles. In November 2001, the Police Service of Northern Ireland was established to replace the RUC. Done as an attempt to reform policing, it was viewed with skepticism by Sinn Féin.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Background
The UUP continued its decline under Trimble's leadership. After a poor showing at the 2001 elections, following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the party experienced more defections to the DUP in the run up to the 2005 elections. At the start of 2004 Lagan Valley MP, Jeffrey Donaldson, along with assembly members Norah Beare and Arlene Foster announced that they had left the UUP and joined the DUP. Many were disillusioned by the concessions made in the 1998 agreement and supported the DUP's harder line against nationalist demands.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Background
Stormontgate, along with the Northern Bank robbery in December 2004 and murder of Robert McCartney the following month, reaffirmed to unionists that the IRA were still active and, by association, planted further distrust in Sinn Féin. Towards the end of January, veteran UUP MP Martin Smyth announced that he would not be contesting his South Belfast seat in order to spend more time with his ailing wife. In March 2005, the Orange Order formally separated its ties with the UUP, ending a 100-year association with the party.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Background
In the early 2000s, the SDLP went through a period of political upheaval, when long term leader John Hume and his deputy Seamus Mallon began their gradual withdrawal from politics. Having stepped down from his assembly post towards the end of 2000, Hume resigned the party leadership due to ill health less than a year later and was replaced by his former Foyle MLA colleague, Mark Durkan. Hume did not defend his MEP seat in 2004 and also announced that he was standing down as MP for Foyle. Similarly, Mallon resigned his Newry and Armagh assembly post in 2003 and chose not to contest his Westminster seat in 2005.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Background
Sinn Féin maintained its policy of abstentionism at Westminster in 2005; refusing to recognise the legitimacy of British government in Ireland.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Election constituencies
Northern Ireland returned eighteen Members of Parliament to House of Commons, one for each of its 18 parliamentary constituencies.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Results
The DUP won the most out of the 2005 parliamentary elections, taking four seats from the UUP to become the largest Northern Irish political party at Westminster. Sinn Féin managed to take Newry and Armagh from the SDLP, though the SDLP did gain South Belfast from the UUP.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Results, Unionist
The UUP lost all but one of their previously held seats. UUP leader, David Trimble was unseated in Upper Bann by David Simpson of the DUP, despite declaring that his party would not lose any seats. Sylvia Hermon managed to retain her seat in North Down for the UUP. The loss led to Trimble standing down as UUP leader.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Results, Unionist
The DUP was the major beneficiary of the UUP's demise. Along with Simpson's seat, the DUP took East Antrim, Lagan Valley and South Antrim. Sammy Wilson defeated incumbent Roy Beggs in East Antrim. Jeffrey Donaldson kept the seat he previously won for the UUP in Lagan Valley. William McCrea unseated his 2001 general election opponent David Burnside in South Antrim. DUP leader, Ian Paisley kept his long held seat in North Antrim, as did DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson in East Belfast. His wife, Iris kept her Strangford seat she won in 2001. Both Nigel Dodds and Gregory Campbell retained their seats in North Belfast and East Londonderry respectively.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Results, Nationalist
The SDLP maintained three seats at Westminster. SDLP leader, Mark Durkan regained his party's seat in Foyle and Eddie McGrady kept his South Down seat. Alasdair McDonnell took South Belfast after a split in the unionist vote, following Martin Smyth's decision to stand down.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland, Results, Nationalist
Sinn Féin bettered its 2001 total by taking Newry and Armagh. Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams successfully defended his seat in West Belfast, as did Martin McGuinness in Mid Ulster. Michelle Gildernew strengthened her mandate in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, the seat she won in 2001 by just 53 votes. Pat Doherty also retained the West Tyrone seat he won in the same election. Conor Murphy won in Newry and Armagh after Seamus Mallon's departure.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland
These are the results of the 2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland. The election was held on 5 May 2005 and all 59 seats in Scotland were contested. This was the first election to occur under the new boundaries which reduced the number of Scottish seats from 72 to 59. Previously, Scotland had a greater number of MPs per person than the rest of the UK to compensate for its distinct political nature and distance from Westminster. With the introduction of the Scottish Parliament, Scottish constituencies were brought into line with those found in the rest of the UK, so that they had similar electorates.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Changes
Several years after the Scottish Parliament had been established by the Scotland Act 1998, the target electorate (population) size of Westminster Parliamentary seats in Scotland was adjusted to bring it in line with England's constituencies.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Changes
Before this reform, Scotland had a smaller target electoral size per constituency resulting in more seats per head of population, which had been intended to compensate Scotland for its status as a nation, its lower population density (which causes larger constituencies geographically), its distance from the Parliament in Westminster and finally, because prior to 1999 Scottish law had been wholly determined by the UK Parliament in Westminster. These problems were perceived to have been addressed with the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament in May 1999.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Changes
The Boundary Commission for Scotland therefore produced a plan in 2003 in which there would be 59 constituencies, reduced from 72. In 2004, Parliament passed the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 which instituted these changes and broke the link between UK and Scottish Parliamentary constituencies.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Changes
Three constituencies were left unchanged; the island seats of Orkney and Shetland, the Western Isles, though the latter changed its official name to the Gaelic "Na h-Eileanan an Iar", and Eastwood, which changed its name to "East Renfrewshire". Several other new constituency names were also implemented; in all these cases the new seats had altered boundaries.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Predictions
Although it was impossible to guarantee a wholly accurate prediction of the strength of the parties within the 59 Scottish seats, estimates had been made prior to the poll on 5 May on the basis of a ward-by-ward breakdown of local council election results. An agreed set used by all media reports and most political commentators suggested that had the new boundaries been in effect for the 2001 general election, Labour would have won forty-six seats, the Liberal Democrats nine, the Scottish National Party four, and the Conservatives none. This would have represented a loss of ten seats for Labour and one each for the Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and the Conservatives. The arithmetic was however complicated by the fact that the boundary revision had produced some seats that were notionally highly marginal.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Predictions
The results of the 2005 general election showed some of the highest changes of the share of the vote for particular parties occurring in Scottish seats, leading some commentators to speculate that either the notional results were in error and/or they were unable to take into account factors such as tactical voting and people voting differently between general and local elections.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Results
Labour won 41 seats, the Liberal Democrats 11, the Scottish National Party six, and in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale the Conservatives won their only Scottish seat. Compared to the actual general election results of 2001, this meant a loss of fourteen seats for Labour, a gain of one seat for the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats, and no change for the Conservatives.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Results
Results in Scotland for Labour were also down, though less so than in England. Labour lost approximately 4% of the vote in East Scotland and approximately 6% of the vote in West Scotland. Labour's vote declined the most in the Edinburgh area and in the north of Scotland (where Labour lost all of its rural seats).


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Results
The Conservative vote declined marginally in both East and West Scotland, but the Conservatives nevertheless managed to win a seat in the South (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale), so maintaining their sole Scottish seat in the House of Commons. Having once been the largest party in Scotland (most recently in 1959), the 2001 and 2005 general elections had done very little to reverse the downward trend that culminated in the loss of all eleven Conservative seats in Scotland in 1997.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Results
The Liberal Democrats made gains against Labour in both regions of Scotland and picked up a modest number of seats. On average, their vote rose approximately 5% across Scotland, though again this translated into few gains as the Liberal Democrat vote was not particularly concentrated.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Results
The SNP's vote declined slightly across Scotland, but they managed to win one rural and one urban seat from Labour.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, Results
The Socialist Labour Party achieved its highest ever result in one constituency, gaining 14.5% of the votes cast in Glasgow North East, but yet failed to win the seat.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Wales
These are the results of the 2005 United Kingdom general election in Wales. The election was held on 5 May 2005 and all 40 seats in Wales were contested.


2005 United Kingdom general election in Wales, Results
Below is a table summarising the results of the 2005 general election in Wales.


2005 United Kingdom local elections
Elections for local government were held in England and Northern Ireland on 5 May 2005 along with the 2005 general election across the entire United Kingdom. In addition, the Isle of Wight held a local referendum on the issue of a directly elected mayor.


2005 United Kingdom local elections
Despite losing the general election held on the same day, the Conservatives made some gains at Labour's expense, providing some comfort to the party. Conservative leader Michael Howard resigned soon afterwards and was succeeded by David Cameron, who had a decent platform to build on in his challenge to lead the Conservatives to a general election victory; the party had increased its share of council seats and importantly its share of seats in parliament.


2005 United Kingdom local elections, Summary of results
Like in 2001, many results were in line with the general election on the same day.


2005 United Kingdom local elections, Summary of results
The Liberal Democrats gained Cornwall, whilst simultaneously winning Camborne & Falmouth from Labour, and thus holding every parliamentary seat in Cornwall. Similarly in Somerset too, where they regained Taunton from the Conservatives.


2005 United Kingdom local elections, Summary of results
The Conservative gain in Gloucestershire coincided with their gain of Forest of Dean from Labour, the swing towards them in Cheltenham where the previous Lib Dem MP had retired and their near-miss result where Labour narrowly held on to Stroud. Worcestershire's result coincided with reduced Labour majorities in Worcester and Redditch, whilst overtaking Labour for second place in Wyre Forest. The Isle of Wight was also in line with the general election, which saw a huge increase in the Conservative majority on the island.


2005 United Kingdom local elections, Summary of results
Northamptonshire coincided with Labour's losses in Kettering, Wellingborough and Northampton South, all of which were extremely marginal seats that the Conservatives narrowly lost in 1997 and where they failed to make any progress in 2001. Shropshire similarly coincided with 3 gains in the general elections for the Conservatives, where they took The Wrekin and Shrewsbury & Atcham from Labour and took Ludlow from the Liberal Democrats. Suffolk coincided with no actual seat gains in the general election, but swings to the Conservatives of at least 3% in all seven constituencies. The swings were larger in their own five constituencies, with a swing of almost 7% in Bury St Edmunds.


2005 United Kingdom local elections, Summary of results
The Liberal Democrat gain in Devon, however, happened despite a mixed bag of results in the general election. They lost Devon West & Torridge to the Conservatives, and in Torbay, the Conservatives reduced their majority. There were small swings to the Lib Dems in Totnes, Teignbridge and Devon North, though a big swing away from them in Tiverton and Honiton.


2005 United Kingdom local elections, England, Non-metropolitan county councils
In 34 shire county county councils, all seats were up for re-election.


2005 United Kingdom local elections, England, Unitary authorities, Whole council
In two unitary authorities the whole council were up for election and one had a third of the council up for election.


2005 United Kingdom local elections, Northern Ireland
All seats were up for election in the 26 districts of Northern Ireland. The many parties and the use of the single transferable vote meant that most councils ended up in no overall control. The DUP gained majority control of three councils: Ards, Ballymena, and Castlereagh.


2005 United Kingdom snow events
The year 2005 saw 25 heavy snowfall days, which is the joint snowiest year with 1876 across the United Kingdom, between the years 1861-2005.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, January
The first event occurred on the weekend of Saturday 1st and Sunday 2 January. Belts of rain sweeping west to east across the UK turned to snow on the leading edge over parts of Scotland and Northern England, particularly the Scottish Highlands on the 2nd. The snow caused some travel disruption with some roads being forced to close. The snow was accompanied by gale-force winds, peaking at 70 mph (110 km/h) during the period.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, January
Snow showers continued to affect Highland Scotland on Wednesday 12 January, with blizzards caused by 100 mph (160 km/h) winds. Snow showers also affected parts of Southern Scotland, Northeast England and the Midlands.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, January
After a brief spell of settled weather, a series of Atlantic depressions affected all of the United Kingdom on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18 January. Rainbands pushed eastwards across the country, turning to snow across Scotland, and also Northern Ireland and Northern England on the 18th. All of the schools on the Western Isles were closed on the 18th as up to 25 cm (9 inches) of snow fell in central and eastern regions of Scotland. Several roads were forced to close.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, January
As an anticyclone dominated the weather between Sunday 23rd and Thursday 27th, cold northerly winds plagued eastern coasts of both Scotland and England. Frequent heavy snow showers affect Eastern and Northern Scotland, Eastern England and also Central Southern England. County Durham received 29 cm (11.5 inches) of lying snow on the 23rd, whilst 4 cm (1.5 inches) was reported in Dover and Folkestone, Kent, on the 25th and some minor snowfalls also affected the Midlands and the higher ground of South West England.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, February
After a relatively mild but unsettled first half of February, Arctic air flooded southwards behind a cold front on the 18th. Snow showers affected the Midlands, Northern England, Southeast England and Northern Scotland between Sunday 20th and Monday 28th. North Yorkshire received 8 cm (3 inches) of lying snow on the 21st, whilst blizzards and 13 cm (5 inches) of lying snow forced more than 30 schools to close in Aberdeenshire. Temperatures also struggled to climb above freezing, with Buxton, Derbyshire, only reaching 0.8 °C (33.4 °F) as a maximum temperature on the 22nd. By the 25th, 30 cm (12 inches) of snow lay over the Pennines, with drifts of 1.5 metres (5 feet) reported, 50 cm (19 inches) of snow lay in County Durham and 7 cm (about 3 inches) in the Dover area of Kent.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, February
The cold, arctic weather continued right to the end of February, with further frequent snow showers in eastern regions. 54 flights were cancelled from Heathrow and hundreds of schools across the southeast were forced to shut as 27 cm (11 inches) of snow fell across Kent.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, February
50 cm (19 inch) snow drifts were reported in Kent and East Sussex on the 27th, causing several road accidents.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, March
Snow continued to fall across Scotland and Eastern England into March, with 30 vehicles involved in an accident on the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh, on the 1st. The snow caused more than 140 schools in Fife and 30 schools in Aberdeenshire to close or partially close, along with 20 schools and nurseries in Angus.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, March
The heaviest March snowfall for 10 years occurred across Kent on the 2nd. 30 cm (12 inch) drifts on the North Downs caused the closure of 400+ schools and the M2 and Operation Stack was implemented on the M20 motorway. 200 homes also lost their electricity supply in Kent, Surrey and East Sussex. Snow continued to fall in these regions on the 3rd and 4th, temporarily closing Luton and Stansted airports. Meanwhile, further snow affected Northeast Scotland and Northeast England, with significant accumulations reported and hundreds of school closures.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, March
However, milder weather made a return across the UK, however as showers pushed eastwards they turned to snow across Northern Scotland during the night of the 13th and 14 March. March continued and ended on a relatively mild but unsettled note.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, April
Typically, a showery start to April was replaced with a return to cold, northerly winds as a weak cold front passed eastwards on 7 and 8 April. This brought a period of heavy snow to the Scottish Highlands, blocking many high level routes in the area.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, April
Showers also turned briefly to snow as far south as the Derbyshire Peaks on the night of the 15th. This was the last snow event of the season.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, November
As two cold fronts pushed eastwards on the 24th, squally showers turned to sleet and snow across East Anglia, Wales and Southwest England. Up to 30 cm (12 in) of snow was reported in Devon and Cornwall on the 25th, with 2-metre (6 ft 7 in) drifts. The snowfall trapped approximately 1,000 people on the A30 near Kennards House, across Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, after several snow related accidents blocked the road. The snow caused a 6-mile (10 km) tailback and people were advised by the police to remain in their vehicles. A Royal Marine and two RAF and Navy helicopters, and a convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles, organised by Devon and Cornwall police, took stranded drivers to leisure centres and emergency shelters for the night. 68 schools across Cornwall were forced to close because of the bad weather.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, November
Blizzards also affected Northern Scotland and Northern Ireland, where four men were stranded on the Cairngorms. Heavy snow showers continued to fall over the Grampians and the Highlands on the 28th, and snow showers also reported in Manchester, over the Pennines and North York Moors. These also pushed southwards into the Midlands and Lincolnshire during the afternoon, before affecting Gloucestershire during the evening, especially between 17:00–20:00 GMT. Approximately 400 cars were abandoned on the A417 between Gloucester and Cirencester due to snowy conditions, and the A57 Snake Pass in the Peak District was closed for a time.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, December
A brief northerly blast mid-month brought frequent hail and snow showers down the east coast, where a covering of snow was reported in Norfolk on the 17th.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, December
Then, after a quiet and relatively settled Christmas period, showers over Essex and Kent turned increasingly wintry on Boxing Day night as cold air arrived from the east. Here the snow settled, and frequent snow showers in Southeast England and East Anglia on 27 and 28 December gave a covering of 30 cm (12 in) across the Downs in Kent, causing some roads and the Channel Tunnel terminal to close for two hours. By the 28th, the snow showers began to affect other northern regions, including Norfolk, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire and Northeast England. North Yorkshire received 20 cm (8 in) of snow over high ground, whilst the snow caused huge tailbacks on the A1 between Alnwick and Berwick. The snow showers petered later on the 29th as outbreaks of rain, sleet and hill snow moved into western areas.


2005 United Kingdom snow events, December
On Friday 30 December, a band of heavy rain pushed eastwards, with heavy snow on the leading edge. This brought several hours of snow followed by rain, where 20 cm (8 in) fell in some parts of Yorkshire, with snowdrifts of 1 m (3 ft 3 in) reported. The snow caused hundreds of drivers to be stranded on the A1079 during the late morning at Arras Hill in the East Riding of Yorkshire. There was a marked temperature difference on the 30th, with Redesdale, Northumberland, only reaching 0.4 °C (32.7 °F) as a maximum, whilst some places reached 12 °C (54 °F) in Southwest England.


2005 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The 2005 United Nations Climate Change Conference took place between November 28 and December 9, 2005, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The conference included the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and was the first Meeting of the Parties (MOP1) to the Kyoto Protocol since their initial meeting in Kyoto in 1997.


2005 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The conference was one of the largest intergovernmental conferences on climate change ever. The event marked the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol on 16 February 2005. Hosting more than 10,000 delegates, it was one of Canada's largest international events ever and the largest gathering in Montreal since Expo 67.


2005 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The Montreal Action Plan was an agreement to "extend the life of the Kyoto Protocol beyond its 2012 expiration date and negotiate deeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions" by starting negotiations, without delay on an extension of the protocol. Canada's environment minister, at the time, Stéphane Dion, said the agreement provides a "map for the future".


2005 United Nations Security Council election
The 2005 United Nations Security Council election was held on 10 October 2005 during the 60th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The elections were for five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 2006. The countries elected were the Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Peru, Qatar, and Slovakia with Qatar and Slovakia being elected for the first time.


2005 United Nations Security Council election, Geographic distribution
In accordance with the rules whereby the ten non-permanent UNSC seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes, the five available seats were allocated as follows:


2005 United Nations Security Council election, Results
The five members (elected by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly, in as many rounds of voting as it takes to achieve that majority) served on the Security Council for the 2006–07 period.


2005 United Nations Security Council election, Results
There were six candidates for five spots on the Council: Congo, Ghana, Nicaragua, Qatar, Peru, and Slovakia.


2005 United Nations Security Council election, Results
There was a total of 191 ballots in each of the three elections. For each geographic group, each member state could vote for as many candidates as were to be elected. Voting was done by secret ballot.


2005 United Soccer Leagues
The 2005 Season was the 19th edition of the United Soccer Leagues season.


2005 United Soccer Leagues, First Division, Playoffs, Awards and All-League Teams
First TeamF: Fabian Dawkins (Atlanta Silverbacks); Jason Jordan (Vancouver Whitecaps) (MVP & Leading Goalscorer); Mauricio Salles (Puerto Rico Islanders)M: Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar (Portland Timbers); Mauro Biello (Montreal Impact); Steve Klein (Vancouver Whitecaps); Kirk Wilson (Rochester Raging Rhinos)D: Gabriel Gervais (Montreal Impact); Taylor Graham (Seattle Sounders) (Defender of the Year); Scot Thompson (Portland Timbers)G: Greg Sutton (Montreal Impact) (Goalkeeper of the Year)Coach: Nick De Santis (Montreal Impact) (Coach of the Year)


2005 United Soccer Leagues, First Division, Playoffs, Awards and All-League Teams
Second TeamF: Dan Antoniuk (Portland Timbers); Johnny Menyongar (Minnesota Thunder); Melvin Tarley (Minnesota Thunder)M: Darren Caskey (Virginia Beach Mariners); Jeff Matteo (Minnesota Thunder); Rodrigo Rios (Atlanta Silverbacks); Petter Villegas (Puerto Rico Islanders))D: Ben Hollingsworth (Charleston Battery); Peter Luzak (Richmond Kickers); Nevio Pizzolitto (Montreal Impact)G: Preston Burpo (Seattle Sounders)


2005 United Soccer Leagues, Second Division, Playoffs
Charlotte lost 0-1 and then on the second leg won 2-1. The tied series in aggregate then went into overtime periods where Charlotte scored 2 goals.


2005 United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit opinions of John Roberts
John Roberts served his third and final year on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2005. He was nominated to the Supreme Court of the United States by President George W. Bush originally on July 19 for the seat being vacated by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement and later nominated on September 5 to be Chief Justice of the United States after William Rehnquist's death two days prior. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 29 and left the circuit bench. He was succeeded on the D.C. Circuit by Patricia Millett. The following are opinions written by Judge Roberts in 2005.


2005 United States Grand Prix
The 2005 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 19, 2005, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was the ninth race of the 2005 Formula One World Championship. The event is one of the most  notorious motor races in motor sports history. Out of the 20 cars that entered the race, only the six cars from the teams using Bridgestone tyres (Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi) competed. The remaining fourteen entrants, all using Michelin tyres, completed the formation lap, but retired to the pit lane before the race started.


2005 United States Grand Prix
Following several tyre failures before the race, which caused major accidents for Ralf Schumacher's Toyota during Friday practice and then for his Toyota stand-in Ricardo Zonta, Michelin advised its seven customer teams that without a reduction in speed in Turn 13, the tyres provided for the race would only be safe for 10 laps. Michelin had been providing working tyres for the race since 2001. The situation was worsened by the 2005 Formula One rules, which forbade tyre changes during the race, and a repave of the oval portion of the course after the 2004 Brickyard 400.


2005 United States Grand Prix
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the sport's governing body, refused a compromise proposal from Michelin to allow a chicane to be installed, maintaining that such rule changes would be grossly unfair to the Bridgestone-shod teams, who had come prepared with properly working tyres, and that a last-minute change to the track layout would be dangerous in case of crashes. The Michelin teams, unable to come to a compromise with the FIA, decided not to participate. It was later stated that the Michelin-shod teams could have potentially exposed themselves to criminal liability under Indiana state law had they competed.


2005 United States Grand Prix
It was also thought that since Bridgestone also provided tyres to the two Indy Racing League series (IndyCar Series and Infiniti Pro Series) via its Firestone brand, and had encountered issues during testing that caused them to return with different IndyCar tyres, it understood better the loads the Formula One tyres would be under. Thus, Bridgestone was able to provide a safe tyre.


2005 United States Grand Prix
Of the six competitors, Ferrari's Michael Schumacher was the eventual winner, with his teammate Rubens Barrichello finishing second. The result moved Schumacher to third in the World Drivers' Championship—no driver above him in driver championship points took part in the race. The final race result was the lowest number of finishing entries ever seen in a major open-wheel motorsports event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since the institution of the 500-Mile Race (surpassing the previous record low of seven finishers in 1966, a race marred by a major first lap accident that eliminated a full third of the starting field). The situation created enormous negative publicity for the sport of Formula One, especially in the United States, a market in which Formula One had struggled to establish itself over the preceding twenty years; some even called the race "Indygate".


2005 United States Grand Prix, Background
The race was the 9th of the 19 rounds in the 2005 Formula One World Championship, and the sixth to be held at the 4.192 km (2.605 mi) 13-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield road course, located in Speedway, Indiana. It took place on June 19, 2005 and was formally called the XXXIV Foster's United States Grand Prix. Before the event, Renault driver Fernando Alonso led the World Drivers' Championship with 59 points, ahead of McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen with 37 points and Toyota's Jarno Trulli with 27 points.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Background
Nick Heidfeld of Williams was fourth with 25 points and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher was fifth with 24 points. Renault with 76 points led McLaren in second on 63 points at the top of the World Constructors' Championships. Williams and Toyota were tied for third with 47 points each and Ferrari were fifth with 45 points.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Qualifying
The qualifying session for the United States Grand Prix was held on June 18. During the session, each competitor recorded one timed lap with the running sequence set by the results of the previous Grand Prix reversed. All non-classified drivers were sorted according to how many laps they completed, with the one with the highest number going out last. Trulli achieved pole position by posting the fastest lap time, 1 minute, 10.625 seconds. Trulli, driving for Toyota, was the team's first driver to claim a pole position for a Formula One race. The second-place qualifier was Räikkönen, followed by Jenson Button, Giancarlo Fisichella, and Michael Schumacher. Alonso qualified in sixth, while the rest of the top ten consisted of Rubens Barrichello, Takuma Sato, Mark Webber, and Felipe Massa.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Michelin tyre failures
During the afternoon's practice session on June 17, 2005, Ralf Schumacher, driving for Toyota, crashed badly in Turn 13 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, as a result of a left-rear tyre failure. He was unable to continue racing, and was replaced for the rest of the weekend by the team's test driver, Ricardo Zonta, who himself suffered a left-rear tyre failure during practice as well. Schumacher had crashed in the same spot as a result of a tyre failure the previous year, while driving for the Williams team.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Michelin tyre failures
Turn 13 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course was a high-speed banked turn, unique at the time in Formula One racing, which causes a greater than usual tyre loading. This section of the track had been repaved since the previous Grand Prix with a more abrasive surface which may have placed the tyres under even greater load than before.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Michelin tyre failures
On June 18, Michelin reported that it did not understand why the tyres it had provided for its seven customer teams – BAR, McLaren, Red Bull, Renault, Sauber, Toyota, and Williams – had failed in this turn, and announced its intention to fly in tyres of a different specification from its Clermont-Ferrand headquarters. The replacement tyres flown in, which were of the type used in the Spanish Grand Prix earlier that year, turned out to have the same problem when tested.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Correspondence between Michelin and the FIA
In a letter to FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting dated June 18, Michelin representatives Pierre Dupasquier and Nick Shorrock revealed that they did not know the cause of the Toyota tyre failures, and unless the cars could be slowed down in Turn 13, they could not guarantee the tyres' safety for more than 10 laps. Whiting replied on Sunday, June 19, expressing his surprise that Michelin had not brought suitable tyres, suggesting that the teams should limit their drivers to the maximum safe speed specified by Michelin in Turn 13.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Correspondence between Michelin and the FIA
He also addressed several solutions which had been proposed by the teams, insisting that use of the new specification tyres flown in overnight would be "a breach of the rules to be considered by the stewards", and the placement of a chicane in the turn was "out of the question" – the race would not be sanctioned by the FIA (making it a non-championship race) if the track layout was changed. He deemed the Michelin teams' proposals to be "grossly unfair" to the Bridgestone teams.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Correspondence between Michelin and the FIA
In a second letter, also dated June 18, Dupasquier and Shorrock confirmed that they would not permit their teams to race on the Michelin tyres used during qualification without changes to the circuit, and reiterated their request to slow down Turn 13. Whiting's brief reply maintained that no such change would be permitted, and gave the teams the choice of limiting speeds through Turn 13, using tyres of a different specification to those used in qualifying, subject to a penalty, or changing tyres repeatedly, which would have been permitted if a driver's safety were at issue.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Attempts at compromise
Paul Stoddart, then owner of Minardi, a team using Bridgestone tyres, published an account on June 22, of the events leading up to the race. Stoddart recorded a meeting around 10:00am on the day of the race, to which Speedway president Tony George, two senior Michelin representatives, Bernie Ecclestone (president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration), the team principals, and the teams' Michelin technical representatives were summoned. All invited were present except Jean Todt, Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Attempts at compromise
The Michelin representatives stated their position that the tyres provided to the teams could not safely complete the race distance, and requested that the Bridgestone teams, represented by Stoddart and Jordan's Colin Kolles, permit the installation of a chicane in Turn 13. Those present discussed and agreed to reject the FIA's solution of speed-limiting the Michelin cars in the turn because of the potential for accidents. They likewise dismissed the possibility of making pit stops every ten laps, resolved that a chicane was the best solution, and instructed several technical representatives  to prepare plans for its installation. Bernie Ecclestone offered to consult Todt, who had not come to the meeting, and the president of the FIA, Max Mosley, who was not present at the race, and reconvene the meeting when he had responses.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Attempts at compromise
Ecclestone returned at about 10:55 to inform the group that Todt had refused to agree to the chicane, maintaining that it was an FIA and a Michelin problem and not his. By the time Stoddart's account of the meeting was published, Todt had already denied that he had ever been consulted, but stated that, if asked, he would not have agreed to the chicane. Furthermore, Ecclestone reported that Mosley had "stated that if any attempts were made to alter the circuit, he would cancel the Grand Prix forthwith".


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Team principals' plan
The group, according to Stoddart, continued to propose alternative solutions, including "a non-championship race, or a race in which the Michelin teams could not score points, and even a race whereby only the Michelin teams used the new chicane", but eventually agreed that the best option was to install the chicane and run a non-championship race, without Ferrari if necessary.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Team principals' plan
To ignore the FIA's instructions and carry on the race would have resulted in the FIA's withdrawing its staff, so the group appointed delegates to fill the various offices, including a race director to replace Charlie Whiting and a safety car driver to replace Bernd Mayländer. The team principals were instructed to convey to their teams and drivers that, in the absence of FIA scrutineers and equipment, the technical rules could not be enforced, and that they were to conduct themselves honourably and in the interest of an entertaining race.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Team principals' plan
They proceeded to summon the twenty drivers and present their plan. Of the drivers' opinions, Stoddart writes: "While I cannot testify that each and every driver agreed with what we were proposing, what I can say with certainty is that no driver disagreed." The Ferrari drivers expressed no opinion in the matter, leaving the decision to Todt, who was not present. The nine team principals who were present then resolved that, unless they and the FIA could come to a decision in the best interest of the sport, they would not participate in the race.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Team principals' plan
After a short break, the group gathered again in Ecclestone's office to find Renault team principal Flavio Briatore on the phone with Max Mosley. Mosley had apparently rejected all of their proposals, and it was stated that "Mosley had informed Mr. Martin, the FIA's most senior representative in the USA, that if any kind of non-championship race was run, or any alteration made to the circuit, the US Grand Prix, and indeed, all FIA-regulated motorsport in the US, would be under threat". On the same day that Stoddart's version of events was published, the FIA issued a statement denying that Mosley had made the reported threat, or that any such conversation had taken place.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Team principals' plan
Having exhausted their options, the Michelin team principals, Stoddart, and Bernie Ecclestone – but not Jordan's Colin Kolles – discussed whether their cars should proceed to the grid, and decided that they should participate in the formation lap but that they could not race. Stoddart asked Kolles if he would be allowing his cars to take part and  was informed that Jordan would indeed be racing, despite having previously agreed not to.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy, Team principals' plan
Stoddart was then approached by a Bridgestone representative and told that Bridgestone wanted him to race; he has also stated that given his "current relationship with Mr Mosley, [he] felt certain heavy sanctions would follow if [he] did not [race]." Stoddart too decided to allow his drivers to start, but reported that he would retire them if the Jordans did not finish the race.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Race report
At the start of the race, all the cars lined up on the grid per FIA race procedure. As Charlie Whiting signalled the green light to start the formation lap, a full field of twenty cars set off as normal for a single lap before forming the starting grid. At the banked Turn 13, the entrance to the pit lane (and the turn that was the centre of the controversy), all teams that ran Michelin tyres returned to their pit box areas, leaving just six cars from the three Bridgestone teams (Ferrari, Jordan, and Minardi) to start the race.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Race report
The move by the teams, to come to the grid and then pull out after the formation lap into the pit lane, infuriated the fans, who did not know about the plan. BBC Radio broadcaster Maurice Hamilton said of the event, "Without question, it was the strangest race I commentated on in F1." Because of the retirement of the drivers who qualified ahead of them, Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari teammate, Barrichello, were the foremost starters, though using the grid positions they had qualified in; the pair were followed by Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan, both driving for Jordan.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Race report
Rounding out the remaining field of six were Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher of Minardi. Schumacher retained the lead when the race started, and the only changes in positioning came when Albers overtook Karthikeyan but lost the position again later on in the race. The two Ferrari drivers quickly built a significant lead over their rivals. By lap 10, many of the estimated 100,000 to 130,000 attendees had begun to leave the grandstands. Thousands of fans were reported to have gone to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ticket office to demand refunds, and police were called to keep the peace. Boos were heard throughout the race, and some upset fans threw beer cans and water bottles on the track.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Race report
The race was a story of pit strategy, as the only passing on the circuit was of lapped traffic. Albers was the only car to run a three pit stop race, as all other drivers chose to stop only twice. The only lead changes came on lap 26, as Schumacher's 32-second stop gave Barrichello the lead, and on lap 51, as Schumacher turned in the quickest pit stop at 23.615 seconds, giving him enough time to exit pit lane at the same time as Barrichello, with the result of forcing Barrichello into the grass of Turn One.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Race report
After this incident, which was not investigated by race officials, both Ferrari drivers were reminded over their radios not to crash out of the race, and they both settled into a slower pace, comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. Schumacher ended up with the victory his 84th career win and 4th win overall in the US Grand Prix and the 3rd consecutive win in this event. He finished  ahead of Barrichello who was 2nd 1.522 seconds behind. Monteiro and Karthikeyan finished 3rd and 4th respectively, more than a lap down.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Race report
The Minardis of Albers and Friesacher were fifth and sixth, two laps behind the race winner. All four of the drivers for Jordan and Minardi scored their first points in Formula One at this race. Karthikeyan's points were the first for an Indian driver in Formula One. This was also the final race at which the Minardi team tallied points.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Race report
At the podium ceremony, at which none of the scheduled dignitaries were present, all Ferrari team members quietly accepted their awards, and quickly exited. Monteiro stayed behind to celebrate his first and only podium finish, and the first for a Portuguese driver.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath
The win, Schumacher's only victory of 2005, moved him from fifth to third in the World Drivers' Championship. Alonso and Räikkönen remained first and second in the championship standings, with 59 and 37 points respectively, while Schumacher moved up to 34 points. With his second-place finish, Barrichello went into fourth in the drivers championship, with 29 points, and Trulli dropped to fifth with 27 points. The Ferrari team moved into joint second in the Constructors' Championship, matching McLaren with 63 points; both teams trailed Renault, which retained the lead with 76 points. Both Jordan and Minardi scored points, moving out of a tie with BAR-Honda at the bottom of the constructors' standings. The result of the race were overshadowed by the withdrawal of the Michelin-shod teams, and by the inability to find a solution which would have allowed them to race.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath
Bernie Ecclestone, in answer to a question by ITV's Martin Brundle in an interview just before the start of the race, described the future of Formula One in the United States and the future of Michelin in the sport as "not good". He also said that the "incident's not the fault of the teams, to be honest with you".


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath
The race was labelled a farce, and David Coulthard said that "it throws into doubt the future of the race in US". Associated Press writer Stephen Wade pointed to the boycott as an extension of previous disagreements between the teams and Max Mosley, which had led to the threatened creation of a rival series as an alternative to Formula One. The Guardian's Richard Williams considered the prior disputes a factor in the failure to reach a compromise and felt that the events at this race had increased the risk of a complete rupture.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath
Minardi boss Paul Stoddart said immediately after the race that nine teams – all but Ferrari – agreed not to race, and had Jordan not reversed its decision at the last minute, Minardi would also have boycotted the race.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath
In his later, lengthier, statement, he indicated that although it had been Michelin's failure to provide a reliable tyre which had initiated the events, he laid the full blame for the failure to reach some accommodation (which would have allowed a race to happen, for the benefit of the many fans who had paid considerable money for travel and tickets) to Mosley and the FIA, with a small share of the blame going to what he characterized as the obstructionist Ferrari team leader, Jean Todt. He furthermore called for Mosley's resignation.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath, FIA's reaction
The following day, the FIA published a justification of its refusal to permit a change in tyres or the installation of a chicane. It contended that Formula One operated under "clear rules" which could not be altered when a team "brings the wrong equipment to a race". It further claimed that a chicane would have resulted in the race being run on a track that had been significantly altered "without following any of the modern safety procedures", which would have exposed FIA to significant legal liability in the event of an accident.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath, FIA's reaction
The FIA also summoned the seven Michelin-shod teams before the World Motor Sport Council at their headquarters in France, for a hearing on June 29, to explain their failure to participate, by which they had presumably violated the terms of the Concorde Agreement. It later published copies of the letters sent to each team "in the interests of transparency". They were charged with violating article 151c of the International Sporting Code, which refers to acts prejudicial to the interests of competition or motorsport generally. Specifically, it was charged that they had:


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath, FIA's reaction
On June 22 the FIA produced a press release from Max Mosley, in the form of a question-and-answer session, in an effort to clarify the FIA's stand on the controversy. In it Mosley drew an analogy to a hypothetical situation where the engines from one manufacturer had oil starvation problems due to high lateral loading in one corner, and pointed out that those cars would simply have been forced to run slower as a result. He reiterated that the reason for not installing the chicane was purely that it had never been tested and was thereby deemed unsafe. He pointed out that the alternatives that the FIA suggested were feasible, and wondered why the teams did not use the pitlane as an alternative, especially when, with only six Bridgestone cars, the Michelin teams could still compete for the points scoring seventh and eighth places.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath, FIA's reaction
On June 29 the FIA World Motor Sport Council found the teams guilty of not being in possession of suitable tyres, "but with strong mitigating circumstances", and failure to allow their cars to start the race. The teams were found not guilty of the other three counts. The punishment was not decided, and was not to have been announced until September 14.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath, FIA's reaction
On July 22, the FIA World Motor Sport Council voted to overturn its previous decision, and exonerated the Michelin teams of all charges. The decision was due to "evidence previously submitted to the FIA Senate". According to BBC Sport, Dennis and Red Bull principal Christian Horner told Mosley and the FIA Senate that Indiana state law left the Michelin teams no option but to pull out of the race. They contended that had they competed, they potentially faced criminal charges for knowingly putting others at risk even if no accident actually occurred. Horner later stated in an interview that whilst it was "incredibly difficult" pulling out of the race, "there were things going on that were bigger than the sport that day".


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath, Compensation
On June 28, Michelin announced that it would offer compensation to all race fans who had purchased tickets for the Grand Prix. The company planned to issue refund cheques through the Speedway ticket office for the price of all tickets for the race by the end of September. Additionally, Michelin purchased 20,000 tickets for the 2006 United States Grand Prix to be distributed to spectators who attended the 2005 race.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath, Compensation
In addition to the refunded tickets, there was some discussion about holding a second, non-championship race at Indianapolis. On July 2, at the 2005 French Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Ron Dennis suggested that an additional race could be held at the American circuit after the last official race of the season, in Shanghai. The teams had, apparently, already discussed the idea with Bernie Ecclestone. But the next day Tony George dismissed the possibility: "There will be no race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this fall."


2005 United States Grand Prix, Aftermath, Compensation
At the 2005 Champ Car World Series Grand Prix of Cleveland, held one week after the US Grand Prix, free admission was granted to all bearers of ticket stubs of the US Grand Prix.


2005 United States Grand Prix, Friday drivers
Teams that were not in the top four of the 2004 Constructors' Championship standings were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race, with the exception of Ricardo Zonta, who replaced Ralf Schumacher after his practice accident.


2005 United States House of Representatives elections
There were three special elections to the United States House of Representatives in 2005 during the 109th United States Congress.


2005 United States Olympic Curling Trials
The 2005 United States Olympic Curling Trials were held from February 19 to 26 in McFarland, Wisconsin. The trials determined which teams would represent the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics. The trials also constituted the 2005 United States National Curling Championships, qualifying teams to the 2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship and the 2005 Ford World Women's Curling Championship.


2005 United States elections
The 2005 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 8. During this off-year election, the only seats up for election in the United States Congress were special elections held throughout the year. None of these congressional seats changed party hands. There were also two gubernatorial races, state legislative elections in two states, numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races in several major cities, and a variety of local offices on the ballot.


2005 United States elections, United States Congress
There were three total special elections to the United States House of Representatives during 2005: California's 5th congressional district, California's 48th, and Ohio's 2nd. In each of these special elections, the incumbent party won.


2005 United States elections, Gubernatorial races
Only New Jersey, Virginia, and the Northern Mariana Islands featured off-year gubernatorial races in 2005.


2005 United States elections, Gubernatorial races, New Jersey
Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Corzine defeated Republican businessman Doug Forrester, taking the open seat held by an acting governor since Democrat Jim McGreevey resigned.


2005 United States elections, Gubernatorial races, Virginia
Democratic Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine defeated former Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore in the race to succeed term-limited Governor (and Democrat) Mark Warner.


2005 United States elections, Gubernatorial races, Northern Mariana Islands
Benigno Fitial, who belonged to the local Covenant Party, narrowly defeated independent Heinz Hofschneider and incumbent Republican Governor Juan N. Babauta to win the governorship in that U.S. territory.


2005 United States elections, Mayoral races
Many additional cities across the United States held mayoral elections; this list is representative, not inclusive. Nationally, the vast majority of mayors were reelected, often by wide margins, and there were few partisan upsets.


2005 United States elections, Citizen initiatives
As with mayoral races, every referendum item nationwide is not included


2005 United States elections, Citizen initiatives, California
California had eight questions on the ballot for the voters to consider. The election was seen as a referendum on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (who is up for reelection in 2006), as he sponsored and actively campaigned for four propositions on the ballot, Propositions 74 - 77. All eight propositions failed by varying margins.


2005 United States elections, Citizen initiatives, Maine
In Maine, voters decided a number of issues. Question 1 considered whether to repeal a law passed by the state legislature banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (see gay rights). The initiative to make discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation legal failed, and the legislature's law was upheld for the first time by Mainers. The state was also considering whether to pass a constitutional amendment designed to lower property taxes for fishermen by taxing property based on current use, rather than potential resale value. The measure passed overwhelmingly.


2005 United States elections, Citizen initiatives, New Jersey
As the last two elected governors (Christine Todd Whitman and Jim McGreevey) had resigned, forcing a series of acting governors, New Jersey considered whether to create the post of Lieutenant Governor; the measure passed.


2005 United States elections, Citizen initiatives, Ohio
Ohio was considering whether to move the electoral redistricting process from the authority of the legislature to a non-partisan panel. Ohio also considered (in separate measures) whether to reduce individual financial contributions to political candidates, move election oversight to a bipartisan panel and away from the Secretary of State, and whether to allow all voters to vote early by mail. All four measures failed. These measures were placed on the ballot as a response to the controversies of the 2004 Presidential election in Ohio.


2005 United States elections, Citizen initiatives, Texas
In Texas, 76% of voters supported a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, making it the 19th state to enact such a ban. This result was largely expected.


2005 United States elections, Citizen initiatives, Washington (state)
An initiative to shorten the planned expansion of the Seattle Monorail was denied, meaning no expansion will be built at all. Four previous initiatives to cancel the project had been unsuccessful. However, a state Fuel Tax, which is earmarked for transportation improvements including the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, was not repealed.


2005 United States elections, Pennsylvania judicial election
Perceiving the Supreme Court's decisions as supporting corruption and secrecy in Harrisburg, voters refused to grant State Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro a retention vote. Nigro lost very narrowly, becoming the first justice in Pennsylvania history to lose a retention vote. Fellow Justice Sandra Schultz Newman was retained. The vote was closely connected with backlash against the Harrisburg establishment and the 2005 legislative pay raise which increased judges' and legislators' salaries.


2005 United States federal budget
The 2005 United States Federal Budget began as a proposal by President George W. Bush to fund government operations for October 1, 2004 – September 30, 2005. The requested budget was submitted to the 108th Congress on February 2, 2004.


2005 United States federal budget, President's proposal, National Security
• proposes increasing defense spending by 7%• proposes increasing homeland security discretionary spending by 10%• proposes $1.2 billion for rebuilding Afghanistan• proposes over $5.7 billion in military and economic assistance to countries supporting the United States in the War on Terror• proposes a 3.5% pay raise for military personnel• proposes privatizing 90,000 military housing units by the end of 2005• proposes a 20% increase for the Transportation Security Administration• proposes a 9% increase for the Coast Guard• proposes doubling the level of first responder preparedness grants targeted to high-threat areas• proposes a 180% in funds for a new agriculture and food defense initiative • proposes $274 million for a new biosurveillance initiative• proposes an 11% increase for the FBI, including a $357 million increase for counterterrorism activities


2005 United States federal budget, President's proposal, Economy
• proposes holding discretionary spending growth to below four percent, and non-security related spending to 0.5 percent, less than the rate of inflation• proposes extending the tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003• proposes new initiatives for tax-favored savings and retirement accounts for all Americans• proposes a new $250 million grant program for community colleges• proposes $333 million to help students make the transition from high school to college• proposes more than $20 billion in small business lending and equity programs• proposes a 10% increase in funding for the SEC


2005 United States federal budget, President's proposal, Education
• proposes increasing Title I funding by $1 billion, 52% more than in 2001• proposes $1 billion more for Special Education, a 75% increase since 2001• proposes a 12% increase for early reading programs• proposes increasing Pell Grants by $856 million• proposes to increase funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and minority-serving institutions by 30%• proposes raising loan limits for first-year students, expanding options to offer courses on-line, and increasing loan forgiveness for those teaching certain subjects in high-poverty schools


2005 United States federal budget, President's proposal, Environment
• proposes $237 million to develop the world’s first "zero-emissions" coal-fueled power plant • proposes a 44% increase for hydrogen and fuel cell R&D• proposes $58 million more for removing excess wood and brush that fuel fires (Healthy Forests Initiative)• proposes $65 million for an expanded diesel school bus retrofit program to reduce harmful bus emissions• proposes $45 million, nearly a 500% increase, for Great Lakes clean-up• proposes increasing Superfund long-term cleanups by $124 million (nearly a 50-percent increase).


2005 United States federal budget, President's proposal, Health Care
• proposes allowing small businesses to purchase coverage for employees through Association Health Plans• proposes a refundable tax credit for low-income Americans to access to health insurance• proposes allowing individuals to deduct the premiums associated with HSAs• proposes vouchers for substance abuse treatment services to an estimated 100,000 people• proposes an additional $8.3 million, a near 40% increase, to enhance FDA enforcement of Federal regulations to prevent the introduction or spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy


2005 United States federal budget, President's proposal, Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
• proposes a four-year $300 million Prisoner Re-Entry initiative• proposes doubling the Access to Recovery program to $200 million• proposes more than doubling resources for the Compassion Capital Fund, ($100 million)• proposes $50 million for mentoring children of prisoners• proposes over $1 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service; includes $442 million to support 75,000 AmeriCorps members;• proposes $225 million to expand the National Senior Service Corps to 600,000 volunteers• proposes $1.9 billion in charitable tax incentives


2005 United States federal budget, President's proposal, Other Priorities
• proposes linking the paychecks of government employees to performance• proposes examining 100% of the government’s program spending within three years• proposes increases the VA medical care budget 41 percent above 2001 level• proposes a $400 million increase and the 2nd installment of the five-year HIV/AIDS plan• proposes $2.5 billion for the [Millennium Challenge Corporation | Millennium Challenge Account]• proposes $3 billion over five years in Federal and State funds to promote marriage and healthy family development including abstinence by teens• proposes doubling the funding for Abstinence Education grants• proposes $52 million increase for child abuse prevention through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) State Grants and the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program.


2005 United States federal budget, President's proposal, Other Priorities
• proposes $240 million annually in dollar-for-dollar State match program to develop innovative approaches to promoting healthy marriage and reducing out-of-wedlock births• proposes $50 million to assist non-custodial fathers in becoming more involved in their children’s lives• proposes an additional $23 million for schools that want to use drug testing to save children’s lives. • proposes completing the International Space Station, retiring the shuttle by 2010, and focusing on a new space exploration vehicle capable of new space exploration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.


2005 United States federal budget, Congressional action
On March 5, 2004, Senate Concurrent Resolution 95, sponsored by Senator Don Nickles, was introduced in the Senate. Debate occurred in the Senate from March 8 to 12 and the Senate adopted an amended resolution shortly after 1 a.m. Friday March 12, 2004 with a vote of 51 to 45 along strict party lines except for Zell Miller, Democrat of Georgia, voting Yea. The resolution was then sent to the House.


2005 United States federal budget, Congressional action
House Concurrent Resolution 393 was introduced in the House on March 19, 2004 sponsored by Representative Nussle. The resolution was agreed to in the House on March 25 by a vote of 215 - 212; all 215 Yea votes came from Republicans while all Democrats, the Independent Bernie Sanders, and 10 Republicans voted Nay. On March 29, the House amended Senate Resolution 95 to contain the text from House Resolution 393 and agreed to the resolution as amended.


2005 United States federal budget, Congressional action
The versions from each chamber being different, a conference committee was convened. The House appointed Representatives Nussle, Portman and Spratt; the Senate appointed Senators Nickles, Domenici, Grassley, Gregg, Conrad, Hollings, and Sarbanes. The committee filed its conference report () on May 19, and the House agreed to the conference report later that day by a vote of 216 - 213. The Senate never took up consideration of the report, therefore Congress ultimately did not finalize a budget resolution for fiscal year 2005.


2005 United States federal budget, Congressional action
In lieu of a budget resolution, the House passed H.R. 649 which resolved that once the House adopts the conference report: "(1) the provisions of the conference report and its joint explanatory statement shall have force and effect in the House" and "(2) for purposes of title III of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the conference report shall be considered adopted by the Congress." The Senate laid out the budget allocations as part (Section 14007) of the Defense Appropriations Act, 2005.


2005 United States federal budget, Total revenue and spending, Deficit/Surplus
The proposed budget contained an estimated deficit of $364 billion. The actual deficit for the fiscal year was $318.3 billion (2.5% of GDP).


2005 United States gubernatorial elections
The 2005 United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 8, 2005, in the states of New Jersey and Virginia as well as in the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.


2005 United States gubernatorial elections, National effect
Shortly before election day, U.S. President George W. Bush returned from a trip to Latin America to provide last-minute campaigning for Virginian gubernatorial candidate Jerry W. Kilgore. After the defeat of Kilgore and Doug Forrester in New Jersey, Democrats ascribed these victories to the President's decreasing popularity. Republicans then tried to downplay these Democratic triumphs as victories exclusive to those states and their candidates.


2005 United States gubernatorial elections, National effect
Some speculate that these two elections were harbingers of the positive momentum around the Democratic Party, and it could be said that they had some positive effect on the landmark victories in the 2006 midterm elections and the 2008 presidential election for the party. Republicans, however, maintain that the Democrats' advantage in 2005 was due simply to the fact that they were the incumbent party.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix was the eighth round of the 2005 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of July 8–10, 2005 at Laguna Seca. Only the MotoGP class raced here because of the Californian law on air pollution, which forbids 2-stroke engines in the state.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix
This round was the first motorcycle Grand Prix hosted by the United States since 1994.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
This race was most notable for the dominant win on home soil by American Nicky Hayden, as well as the second place of the other American Colin Edwards, followed by then six-time world champion Valentino Rossi in third place.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Valentino Rossi leads the standings with 170 points, followed by Marco Melandri with 107 and Max Biaggi with 87 points.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On Saturday, American Nicky Hayden scored his first ever pole position on Saturday with a time of 1:22.670. Valentino Rossi was second, +0.354 seconds behind and Brazilian veteran Alex Barros qualified third with a +0.642 deficit. The second row of the grid consists out of Troy Bayliss, and the two other Americans Colin Edwards and John Hopkins.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
For this race, two teams chose special liveries for this race - Suzuki and Yamaha. The Factory Yamaha Team chose to race in its original, yellow-white combination to commemorate Yamaha's fiftieth anniversary in the sport. The Factory Suzuki Team chose to display its own one-off livery after a partnership with the Austrian energy drink company Red Bull, having unveiled it two weeks earlier at the Dutch race.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Before the start of the race, one minute of silence was held to remember the victims who had fallen in the recent 7/7 bombings in London.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
All riders take off and do their usual warm-up lap before lining up in their respective grid slots. The lights go out and it's Hayden who has a fantastic start and retains the lead on the opening lap. Behind him is the Honda Pons of Bayliss and the Yamaha of Rossi as they pass the fast Turn 1 and enter Turn 2 - the Andretti Hairpin. Half a lap has passed and the top six consists out of Hayden, Rossi - who has just repassed Bayliss between Turn 3 and 4 -, Bayliss, Biaggi, Hopkins and Checa. As they come up to the Corkscrew corner, Hayden already has a significant gap back to Rossi, the American being helped by his earlier experience on this venue from his AMA Superbike days. Behind the top six, Edwards has lost seventh to Sete Gibernau.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
As lap two begins, two riders lie in the gravel trap at Turn 11. It is revealed to be Barros and Marco Melandri, who tangled with each other as Melandri tried to pass Barros but failed, touched him and caused both to retire. At Turn 5, Biaggi slides past Bayliss on his Repsol Honda and takes third place. He however runs a bit wide exiting the fast bend, allowing the Australian to get back at him and retain his spot.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap three and Rossi has pulled a big gap to Bayliss, who is starting to form a small train of riders behind him. Hayden still leads at the front. Edwards has managed to gain two places from the last lap shunt and also passed Gibernau to position himself behind Hopkins in sixth. He also managed to overtake Hopkins for fifth and was all over the back of Biaggi halfway into the lap.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap four, Hayden has pulled a gap of +1.794 seconds to second place Rossi. Behind them, Bayliss is now under pressure from Biaggi, who himself is being hounded by the more experienced Edwards. Biaggi makes his move at Turn 5, diving down the inside of Bayliss but running wide upon exit once again, allowing the Honda Pons rider to come back at him and battle him at the straight. They go side-by-side, but has to give up the position to the Italian before the start of Turn 6.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
However, Bayliss managed to take a tighter line and repass Biaggi at the Rahal Straight, with Edwards making a daring double-pass by going to the outer left, almost going on the gravel, managing to overtake both riders before they enter the Corkscrew sequence. Gibernau meanwhile managed to catch up due to the fighting and made a late lunge down the inside of Biaggi, shoving him out of the way and taking fifth place by force. Biaggi had lost three positions in one corner.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap five and Gibernau has managed to take fourth from the struggling Bayliss at Turn 1. Exiting the Andretti Hairpin, Checa tries to take seventh by overtaking the Red Bull Suzuki on the outside before Turn 3, failing and having to slot in behind. At the front, all is stable - Hayden leads Rossi by +2.1 seconds whilst Edwards has pulled a gap to Gibernau and is now slowly catching his Yamaha teammate. Between Turn 3 and 4, Biaggi took fifth from Bayliss, as did Checa from Hopkins. Meanwhile, the diminished gap Hayden has to Rossi - +1.666 seconds - has increased to +1.836 seconds.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap six, the gap to Rossi decreased slightly to +1.781 seconds. Third place Edwards sets the fastest lap and is still slowly hunting down Rossi. Gibernau has also managed to pass Biaggi for fourth position during this lap.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap seven and the duo of Gibernau and Biaggi start to create a small gap to sixth place Bayliss. Biaggi is all over the back of the Spaniard for the duration of the lap, but is not able to make a move. The gap Hayden has to Rossi has meanwhile increased again, from +1.712 to +2.003 seconds.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap eight, Edwards is still slowly catching Rossi. The gap he had to Edwards was +1.5 seconds last lap but that has now decreased to +1.4 seconds.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap nine and Biaggi is still all over the back of Gibernau, trying to take fourth place. Checa has gone down at the Andretti Hairpin, the rider desperately looking over his bike as his race is now over. He lost the front end of his bike exiting the corner, sliding out of contention as a result.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap ten, the gap Rossi has to Edwards has shrunk again - from +1.4 to +1.1 seconds. Biaggi, still right behind Gibernau, finally makes a move for fourth after the Spaniard runs a little wide at Turn 3, going through the corner side-by-side with the 'Roman Emperor' coming out on top.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap eleven and Edwards is now inching ever closer to his Italian teammate. Biaggi behind them has opened up a slight gap to Gibernau.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twelve, Hayden now has a gap of +2.775 seconds to Rossi, who himself is slowly losing ground to Hayden. No overtakes happened.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap thirteen and Edwards is still slowly making up ground to Rossi. The gap Rossi has to Edwards has now shrunk to a mere +0.3 seconds. No overtakes happened.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap fourteen, Edwards is almost behind Rossi by now. Still no overtakes have happened.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap fifteen and the gap Hayden has to Rossi has decreased slightly to +2.5 seconds. Edwards is still trying to come closer to Rossi but has not yet been able to.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap sixteen - the halfway point -, Edwards has now managed to fully close the gap to Rossi. He patiently waits behind 'The Doctor', then pounces at the Corkscrew, going up his inside and manages to pass Rossi for second place under a loud cheer from the predominantly American crowd.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap seventeen and Rossi is not giving up, staying right behind Edwards. However, entering the Andretti Hairpin, Rossi runs wide and allows the American to easily ride away.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap eighteen, Hayden's gap to Edwards is +2.424 seconds. Behind them, Biaggi is still ahead of Gibernau, who is shadowing Biaggi's moves.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
With a jubilant American crowd cheering on Edwards as he crosses the line on the start of lap nineteen, he now wants to give chase to leader Hayden. He took +0.2 seconds from Hayden and decreased the gap to +2.1 seconds. The gap comes down even more in sector 1 - from +2.163 to +2.045 seconds as Hayden has to overtake a backmarker in the form of James Ellison. In sector 2, the gap diminishes again, from +2.045 to +1.905 seconds.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty and Rossi also passes backmarker Ellison before Turn 1. The gap Edwards has to Rossi is +1.8 seconds. At the short straight before Turn 4, Ellison lets Biaggi and Gibernau past as well. The gap has since increased to +2.071 seconds, then decreased again to +2.001 seconds.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-one, Hayden starts to increase the gap he has to Edwards again.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-two and the top six is as follows: Hayden, Edwards, Rossi, Biaggi, Gibernau and Bayliss. Behind them, Shinya Nakano and Makoto Tamada are fighting for eighth place. The Konica Minolta rider is right behind the Kawasaki but is unable to make a move so far.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-three, the front is still very much stable with Hayden in the lead. Biaggi meanwhile has pulled away from Gibernau and is now looking to close the gap to Rossi.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-four and Tamada has passed Nakano for eighth on the previous lap. No overtakes happened at the front.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
The American crowd is cheering on Hayden as he crosses the line to start lap twenty-five. The gap to Edwards is now +2.202 seconds.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-six, the gap Hayden has to Edwards has dropped to +1.997, then dropped again to +1.927 seconds in sector 1. At sector 2, the gap increased slightly to +1.988 seconds.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap twenty-seven, Tamada overtakes Hopkins at Turn 1, the Japanese making good use of his superior Honda top-end speed to blast past on the inside.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap twenty-eight, the gap Hayden has to Edwards has increased from +2.182 to +2.397 seconds.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
The Americans fans get ever more jubilant as they see Hayden cross the line to start lap twenty-nine. Further behind, Loris Capirossi on the Ducati in tenth spot has caught Nakano's Kawasaki and is right behind him. Tamada is now harassing Bayliss' Honda Pons for sixth position.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Lap thirty and the positions are still stable. The gap Rossi has to Biaggi is +1.558 seconds, increasing to +1.732 seconds at sector 2.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
On lap thirty-one, the penultimate lap, Rossi has started closing the gap to his teammate again. Hayden is still leading at the front and no overtakes happened.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
The final lap - lap thirty-two - has begun and the American crowd goes wild as there are still two Americans in front. Hayden leads Edwards by a dominant +2.6 seconds whilst the other American now has to do everything to keep Rossi at bay as he starts closing in. Rossi tries all throughout the lap to get close enough to make a move, but Edwards bravely defends and hangs on. Gibernau meanwhile has closed up on Biaggi and tries to make a late lunge at Turn 12 but fails.


2005 United States motorcycle Grand Prix, MotoGP race report
Hayden crosses the line in celebratory fashion to win the race - his first win on home soil, as well as his first ever win in total - with Edwards crossing the line in second, just ahead of Rossi who completes the podium. Biaggi crosses the line in fourth, Gibernau in fifth and Bayliss just manages to hold off a charging Tamada for sixth.