I found this really funny clip
http://www.crash.net/tailenders/video/156065/1/rossi_gets_to_the_bottom_of_lorenzos_problem.html
I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. and thank to the guys from TailEnders Video who made it.
Showing posts with label Jorge Lorenzo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jorge Lorenzo. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Sachsenring - Germany- QP
Rossi fires back for first Sachsenring pole
Saturday, 18 July 2009
Italian tops timesheets for first time in German weekend for maiden pole at Sachsenring.
Valentino Rossi added a third pole position to enviable haul from 2009 at Sachsenring on Saturday, coming out on top in a drenched qualifying session for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Rossi’s last gasp 1’32.520 lap was not only enough to head the timesheet by over six-tenths of a second, but it was also sufficient to give him a first ever MotoGP pole at the German track.
Rossi relegated Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo to second on the grid, and the two share the front row for the sixth time this season. Joining them in the first line of attack will be fellow title contender Casey Stoner, a further six-tenths down on Rossi’s marker in the qualifying run.
Lorenzo and Stoner had experienced big crashes at Laguna Seca last time out, but this time they were two of the few riders not to have experienced a moment in preparation for the Sachsenring race. The area at and ahead of turn eight proved costly for a number of riders on Saturday afternoon, with falls for Marco Melandri, Toni Elías, Randy de Puniet, Alex de Angelis, Nicky Hayden and Niccolò Canepa adding to Chris Vermeulen’s Friday hit and James Toseland’s morning moment. Canepa first hit the gravel of his own accord, then later became involved in Hayden’s crash when the American speared him off track.
Hayden took his best qualifying result as a Ducati Marlboro rider to date with fifth place, ahead of San Carlo Gresini Honda’s De Angelis and LCR Honda man De Puniet on the second row.
The Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland begins at 2pm local time on Sunday.
MotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification PDF
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'32.520 269.326
“I’m really happy for this pole because it means I’ve already got more than in the whole of last year!” beamed the Italian. “Getting the pole position here is very important for the race because it’s such a hard place to overtake, so I’m really happy. We’ve done some good work today and my team has done a great job to set-up the bike. We’ve made a few small modifications, which have improved the feeling for me and I felt very confident today despite the bad conditions.” motogp.com
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'33.160 269.595 0.640
“Yesterday I was quite worried about my injuries but I am happy to say that today I feel a lot better and I was able to ride much more strongly and brake much later,” said the Spaniard, who leads the BMW M Award competition for qualifying results. “I was really fast in the dry this morning and then this afternoon I did a lot of consistent laps, improving all the time, which is very good because often I struggle in the wet. At the end it was very easy to crash so I didn’t want to push too much or take too many chances, it was important to be careful!” motogp.com
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'33.759 264.835 1.239
“That was a crazy session because of all the standing water on the track and the grip levels were minimal,” said the Australian. “There were riders crashing all over the place so once we knew we had a decent lap time in the bag I decided to sit out the last few minutes of the session because the last thing I needed was a crash.
“I'm still feeling the effects of the qualifying crash at Laguna two weeks ago so to be honest the first thing I'm pleased about is to have stayed upright today, the second thing is to be on the front row!” he admitted.
“I have to take my hat off to Rossi and Lorenzo today because whilst everybody else was sliding around all over the place those two looked like they were on rails," said the 2007 world champion. "They are clearly the guys to beat again tomorrow in wet or dry conditions although to be honest I'd prefer it to be wet – at least that way I know I am physically fit enough to be strong to the end of the race!" crash.net
4 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'34.404 266.140 1.884
“The session was actually a bit of a disaster, I went out on the first bike and going into turn one the gearbox locked up, I thought I was down there. It stayed in second gear so I rolled all the way back in like that. I got on the second bike and didn’t feel that comfortable as I knew I only had one bike so I was going quite cautiously, then once I got going I felt alright.”
He continued, “Then we made a couple of changes and I got right on the pace. On the last run I went out, I knew I was a bit on the limit but I felt I had a chance to maybe do something special. I was going for it, I was setting my best time going through T1, then in the downhill the rear went away and there was nothing I could do. I’m sorry for Niccolò because it was just a case of ‘wrong place, wrong time’.”
Asked whether he felt he could be competitive in Sunday’s race in the event of more rain, Hayden replied, “I have felt pretty good all year in the wet. Sometimes this bike works quite well in the wet but it doesn’t give a lot of feedback. It is stiff and sometimes it is hard to know what it is going to do, but it still goes well overall in the wet, so I’m pretty happy.” motogp.com
5 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'34.490 256.288 1.970
“We started out really well and my lap times were good in the early part of the session, when we were using a tyre that we already put a few laps on yesterday. With a new tyre it was really hard to generate the heat to get it working at optimum temperature but gradually I started to feel better. Then unfortunately I crashed in the corner where everybody else went down too. It is never a nice feeling to crash but especially when I know that I could have made an attack at least for the front row. Anyway, fifth place is a fantastic result for us and if it rains again tomorrow then we’re ideally placed. Even if it is dry we know we have a good starting position and good pace for what I hope can be my best race of the season.” motogp.com
6 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'34.564 266.337 2.044
“We have got a good grid position and I am quite satisfied but it has not been easy as a wet session is always a gamble. Everybody pushed to find the limit but sometimes we push too much and we crash. I was very fast in the first run (12 laps) and my machine's wet setup was almost perfect. Unfortunately I crashed on turn seven because I opened the throttle too much and the asphalt was like an ice-skating rink! After that I went out on my second bike but it took me some time to find the right pace. When I started to push I had some engine brake issues and at two laps to go I went out in the gravel. The guys must work hard to repair both bikes for tomorrow but I feel confident as we made a good performance in both conditions." motogp.com
7 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'34.607 261.311 2.087
“It was a bit of a struggle to be honest, so to be as high as seventh, I'm not going to complain too much. I thought we'd made a big step with the wet set-up yesterday but the rain was much harder this afternoon and the track temperature was a lot cooler. I knew two laps into it that I'd got no feeling from the rear. We made a couple of changes and the lap times were getting a bit better but each time I wanted to push the rear would just come round on me. The Bridgestone front rain tyre is just awesome and you can do what you want with it. If I could chop the bike in half and just ride the front around here it would be fantastic. But as soon as I load the rear tyre it comes round on me and picks me up. I want to push and go faster, but the faster I go the more load I'm generating and that just pushes the rear out even more. The balance isn't quite right because I feel like I'm riding well in the rain. Tomorrow is all about getting a good start with it being hard to over take. And the start pretty much determines which group you're going to be battling in. The new electronics I've got though are unbelievable. I don't want to curse myself but my starts have been phenomenal and I need to thank Yamaha because the new electronics have helped me massively.” motogp.com
8 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'34.725 262.263 2.205
“Qualifying in eighth isn’t ideal, so I’ll be trying to make another good start tomorrow. That’s going to be important here because the first turn is quite close to the start line, plus it’s difficult to overtake at this track. The conditions were quite difficult this afternoon, they were changing all the time and I was struggling to get into a good rhythm. There were a lot of riders crashing out there and I don’t have a lot of experience on this year’s wet tyres because I missed some testing earlier in the season. This was why I wasn’t going so quickly this afternoon. It wasn’t because of my crash in last year’s wet race. It was good that we had a dry practice session this morning and of course I’d prefer a dry race tomorrow. The forecast is not certain so we’ll aim to improve our set-up for both wet and dry conditions.” motogp.com
9 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'34.741 268.056 2.221
"Overall the practice has not been too bad because we were able to work on getting a good wet setting. We made a few changes half-way through to improve engine-braking and control, but the biggest problem was the amount of rain on the track in the last 15 minutes of the session”, he explained. “I did quite a good lap and then on what felt like my best lap I lost some time behind Melandri, so I decided I had to go for it on the next lap, but in turn seven as I opened the throttle to accelerate out, the rear tyre just let go and I flew a long way off the bike. The good thing for us though is that the feeling in the bike is good in the wet and this will help us if it is like this tomorrow." /www.moto-live.com/
10 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'34.771 267.062 2.251
"A very intense day”, he commented. “This morning we have done really well with a dry surface keeping really close to the first positions. Then, in the afternoon with really wet surface, we stayed in the top ten and conquered the fourth row. Any weather condition there will be tomorrow we are trustful to be able between the fastest. I am sorry for Niccolò because he was having a good qualifying session and I hope he will be ok for tomorrow's race." .moto-live.com
11 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'34.892 268.256 2.372
12 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'34.937 266.666 2.417
"I am quite disappointed with qualifying because we struggled to get the bike working well for me. That was probably due to my lack of track time at speed today, but we did make some steps during the session. Right at the end, when there was a lot of standing water, we struggled to get good grip from the rear of the bike and that is something we'll look at tonight so we can be ready if it is wet tomorrow”, he said. “With my injuries it will be a bit easier for me physically if it is wet tomorrow, but if it's dry I'm expecting it to be a tough race. My shoulder and my hip are both hurting from the crash on Friday, but I'll be ok to race and trying as hard as I can!" /www.moto-live.com/
13 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'34.938 260.052 2.418
14 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'35.005 264.641 2.485
“I'm gutted. I felt like I was riding really well, so to come in and see myself four-tenths of sixth is hard to swallow. If I wasn't riding well and not putting in the effort I know I am, I wouldn't be so frustrated. I had my best feeling in the wet for a long time and I knew I was riding well, but each time I came across the line I was seeing P12 or P13. And then to find out I'm so close to a top six is really frustrating. We kept one set of tyres through the whole session and just as I did my quickest lap time the rain started coming again and there was a little bit more water. I'd used the best grip of my tyre and I couldn't go any quicker. So instead of sitting here in sixth or seventh with a big smile on my face and feeling confident of a good result, I'm fourteenth and that makes it a tough race with it being so hard to overtake. But my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 have done an amazing job to give me a good bike for the wet and build my confidence. We kept going softer with the set-up because the edge grip on the Bridgestone rain tyre is amazing. It will be a tough race with overtaking so difficult on this track, but as always I'll be giving it my all.” motogp.com
15 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'36.012 256.106 3.492
"What a hit ! I didn't understand what happened until I saw the replay while I was in the mobile clinic. When I was on the ground after the accident I saw and heard Hayden saying to me "Sorry, sorry, sorry", but I didn't understand why”, he said. “He doesn't have to worry because this sort of things can happen and the most important is that both of us are ok and ready to race tomorrow. I suffered a hard contusion ad my back, head and ankle, but nothing is broken. I felt a lot of heat in my lower back but everything seems back to normality now. I want to thanks the mobile clinic doctors who have helped me to relax and will do all possible to put me back in top form for tomorrow's race." .moto-live.com
16 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'36.055 265.878 3.535
17 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'36.531 264.705 4.011a
“I didn’t feel as comfortable today as I did yesterday in the wet or the dry. Track temperature was 15ºC lower and I really felt the difference. It was taking too long to get any heat into the tyre and even when I did the feeling wasn’t there. It wasn’t a good day and it finished off with a crash, which I was lucky to come away from without any injury. I’d had a few warnings beforehand, the bike was sliding around in a lot of places, and then I lost control and the next thing I knew I was laying on top of the bike like I was sunbathing or something! It’s funny to watch on television but I can assure you it wasn’t so funny for me. Hopefully the fans get chance to sunbathe tomorrow because we need a dry race. I’m starting from last place so it will be a tough race for sure. My only option is to fight and pass as many people as I can. Let’s hope we have the conditions and a set-up that allows me to do so.” motogp.com
FP2 Times
1. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 1min 21.882 sec
2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 22.258 sec
3. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 1min 22.311 sec
4. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 22.340 sec
5. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 1min 22.357 sec
6. Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team 1min 22.441 sec
7. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 1min 22.721 sec
8. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 1min 22.738 sec
9. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 1min 22.892 sec
10. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 22.899 sec
11. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1min 23.041 sec
12. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 1min 23.205 sec
13. Toni Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1min 23.374 sec
14. James Toseland GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1min 23.655 sec
15. Niccolo Canepa ITA Pramac Racing 1min 23.897 sec
16. Gabor Talmacsi HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 1min 24.579 sec
17. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 24.718 sec
Sachsenring - Germany- FP1
2009 Sachsenring MotoGP FP1 Result - Stoner Smashes Lap Record On Drying Track
Submitted by David Emmett on Fri, 2009-07-17 14:58.
in http://www.motogpmatters.com
A drying track turned the first session of free practice for the MotoGP riders into a confusing and thrilling chase for times, lap times tumbling throughout. On the damp track, it was the Ducatis of Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner that led the charts, with Marco Melandri and Andrea Dovizioso constantly close. Around the halfway mark the track began to dry properly, and the top spot started swapping hands at a pace almost too fast to follow. At one point even MotoGP rookie Gabor Talmacsi took over 2nd spot, before the rest of the field started catching up.
Once the track was fully dry - with the exception of a small stream running across the track around Turn 1 - it was Casey Stoner who set the fastest time, smashing the existing lap record in the process by over three tenths of a second. The 2nd spot went to Dani Pedrosa, who had been in and out of the top ten all day, but snatched 2nd in the dying seconds, forcing Valentino Rossi down into 3rd. All of the Yamaha men started the day off slowly, languishing in the bottom half of the timesheets, but as the track dried, all four Yamahas improved.
Randy de Puniet took 4th spot, ahead of a surprising Alex de Angelis, who has a history of good results here at the Sachsenring, while Colin Edwards was 6th fastest on the Tech 3 Yamaha. Toni Elias was 7th quickest, just ahead of Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso. But with just 0.2 seconds separating places 5 through 11, those positions were taken almost at random.
Hayden was unlucky to have been shuffled down into 8th, as the American put on a very strong show for most of the session, regularly topping the timesheets. Hayden has spoken of feeling more comfortable on the Ducati, and his results are starting to show it.
Results of the MotoGP FP1 session:
| Pos No. Rider Bike Time Diff Diff Previous 1 27 Casey STONER DUCATI 1'22.779 “If there are wet conditions over the next two days like it was earlier today it is perfect for us, because we can go further in the race and maybe have a chance to win in these conditions, if we find a good setting,” Stoner commented at the end of Free Practice 1. “At the moment we still need to work a lot with the bike.” The former World Champion went on to add, “The feeling is quite good also in the dry. But we need to work a lot more in the wet, so if it is wet on Saturday that will be a good situation for us. The team did a fantastic job last year and I was able to finish the race in a good condition, but I didn’t feel like this. Anyway everything is feeling quite good and the bike is working really well again. The last few races it has really been working fantastic so it’s a big ‘hats off’ to all my team and Ducati for their hard work. Now we just have to see if we can last the weekend and be competitive for the race.” MotoGP.com 2 3 Dani PEDROSA HONDA 1'23.034 0.255 0.255 “I have to say that at the beginning in the wet I took it easy after what happened last year, but actually, when I saw the rain before the session I thought, OK, we can pick up from where we left off and change the outcome,” said Dani, who crashed heavily out of the lead one year ago. “We rode with the new engine today although, because of these mixed conditions, it wasn't really possible to draw definite conclusions - but the feeling was positive. We need more laps to fully evaluate the engine, so we'll continue with that tomorrow,” he added. Crash.net 3 46 Valentino ROSSI YAMAHA 1'23.088 0.309 0.054 "This was quite a strange session because we had all sorts of track conditions and then at the end it was basically dry and I was quite fast. It was a good chance to work on the rain setting and I am pretty happy because the bike felt good and our times were also quick on the wet track. It seems we have a good setting immediately here for all conditions, because it continued to feel good as the track dried and the nature of the asphalt changed. We have some things to improve, especially the feeling and general balance in the faster parts of the track, so we will concentrate on this tomorrow. Right at the end we had a bit of traffic or we could have been faster, but anyway we're still third so I think we are in good shape. It seems Bridgestone have brought good tyres for this track, of course there is no intermediate tyre which is always going to be a bit difficult in these sorts of conditions, but I don't think it was a big problem today." www.yamaha-racing.com 4 14 Randy DE PUNIET HONDA 1'23.133 0.354 0.045 “It was a good first session and I am quite satisfied about our performance,” said the Frenchman. “After the storm we started in the wet as everybody but since the first laps I was very comfortable with the bike. Once the surface started to dry up I came out on soft tyre but I was very careful at the beginning; when my lap times became more consistent we decided to continue on soft tyres. I made a 23-lap run [Sunday's race is 30 laps] with a good pace at the end on used tyres so I am pretty confident for tomorrow's qualifying. Basically we found the correct overall package and we just have to fine-tune the chassis and the suspensions”. crash.net 5 15 Alex DE ANGELIS HONDA 1'23.282 0.503 0.149 “I waited until I saw a few other riders on slicks before changing because we didn't want to risk anything and when we went back out I was able to hold my position near the top,” said de Angelis. “We had a bit of a problem with the bike not turning in the tight corners, which is the thing you really need here, but we improved that. Now the main issue is the rear spinning up and we need to sort that because every tenth you lose around this circuit is crucial. “I was the fastest in T3, the same as last year I think. I have always said my strong point as a rider is in fast corners and this is one of the fastest and most technical sections on the calendar. It is helping me make up some time but to be honest we still don't have the package I need to be fast and consistent around the rest of the circuit.” crash.net 6 5 Colin EDWARDS YAMAHA 1'23.295 0.516 0.013 "Looking at last year's race I knew the Bridgestone rain tyre was awesome, so it gave me chance to sort some of the issues out I've had in the wet recently. Previously I've had too much weight on the rear but now we've got it more balanced and it felt really good. For the dry we went back to my old setting that I pretty much rolled out at the first race in Qatar with and it was like coming home. We'd gone off the right path and I've not had any feeling with the front in the last few races. The bike hasn't been turning but the changes we've made with the front forks have transformed the way I feel. Now the bike is doing what I want it to because before I couldn't get the front set-up, I couldn't get into the corner and I had too much weight on the front with no feeling and no confidence. Now there's more weight on the rear and I can control weight transfer more without it all pushing to the front. I tried some new electronics today too and they are fantastic. It used to be so much effort to manage the bike under acceleration, but now it is incredible. I want to say a massive thanks to Yamaha because what they have put on my bike is like gold dust. It's a lot less effort to control the bike when I'm accelerating and it is giving me some crucial tenths." www.yamaha-racing.com 7 24 Toni ELIAS HONDA 1'23.351 0.572 0.056 “I'm struggling a little bit here with a stomach problem and some 'flu symptoms – but don't worry, it's not swine 'flu!” said the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider. “It was quite a good session today because we were able to get a feel for the conditions in the wet and then work on the bike in the dry. “We were pretty good in both conditions and even though I finished up in seventh place the gap to the top is only 0.5 seconds and with the way I'm feeling today that is not much. I have to be happy with the way things have started here.” crash.net 8 69 Nicky HAYDEN DUCATI 1'23.367 0.588 0.016 “It is nice to be able to come to a track and not have to be trying something radical with the set-up on the first day and today we started out with pretty much the settings from Laguna, making a few changes as the session went on. Having said that we are trying a new handlebar here, which isn’t normally the kind of thing you do at this stage of the season, but we have changed a lot on the back of the bike so we just needed to compensate a little at the front. Up to now we’ve been using data from Casey or previous riders to find a base set-up on a Friday but now hopefully we can work from my own data on a consistent basis. My final position today isn’t too great but early in the session we were going really well, especially in the wet. We were on top for a long time and in this paddock if you’re P1 in the wet, dry or intermediate you have to be riding well and be comfortable with the bike. I think I was third up until the last lap, and it is a thing we need to improve – when I try to really dig in we don’t seem able to go faster and it’s an area we still need to address in order to improve qualifying in particular. Anyway, here we’ve started very well so we’ll see where we go from here.” motogp.com 9 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO HONDA 1'23.370 0.591 0.003 “Even though the track conditions were not ideal, we already felt some improvements from the new engine that Honda has brought for us this weekend,” stated Dovi. “The situation wasn't perfect for a comparison test because we started with a wet track and then it started to dry, so we began with the current version of the engine and then we did the last run with the new one. “The feeling was good both in wet and dry conditions and we did a lot of testing without focusing too hard on setting ultimate lap times, so I'm confident for tomorrow. We'll continue with the set-up and tyre testing work tomorrow, and continue to evaluate the new engine,” he added. crash.net 10 33 Marco MELANDRI KAWASAKI 1'23.466 0.687 0.096 11 99 Jorge LORENZO YAMAHA 1'23.496 0.717 0.030 "I am not at 100% and in fact my injuries don't feel as good as I had hoped on the bike, which is disappointing. I have decided for the first time to use the leathers with the airbag and I want to say that I feel much more safe! This isn't the best track for me, the slow corners don't really suit my style and when I am not at full fitness it makes it more difficult, but today was okay considering the conditions. During the early part when it was wet I was reminding myself of the track, and then when it was dry later on I didn't really have enough time to go fast because we had some things to check on the setting. But there are 12 riders all very close together, within seven tenths of a second and I am not worried because it was a strange day and not one for making conclusions. The forecast tomorrow looks similar tomorrow but let's hope it is wrong!" www.yamaha-racing.com 12 65 Loris CAPIROSSI SUZUKI 1'23.705 0.926 0.209 13 36 Mika KALLIO DUCATI 1'24.090 1.311 0.385 14 52 James TOSELAND YAMAHA 1'24.317 1.538 0.227 "It wasn't a bad session even though I'm down the timesheets because we've gathered a lot of information in the wet and dry. It was important to do a few laps in the wet and we found we didn't have a great setting. So that was good to discover because it looks like there's a big chance of rain for the rest of the weekend. I spent a bit too much time on the wet tyres basically, even when it was drying up while the other guys were already out on slicks. I wanted to check on the wet tyres and get a feel for them just in case it does dry up for the race like it did in Le Mans and Mugello. In the damp conditions I had a big moment too and really hit my right leg hard. I was out of the seat at Turn Eight and I smacked my foot on the rear brake lever so hard that it was all bent. It was painful but luckily it caught me on the protective part of my boot, otherwise I could have done myself some damage. By the time I put the slicks on and made a few changes to my set-up it was a little bit too late to get close to the speed of the others but I'm sure I could have got in the 1.23s. We had some new electronics from Yamaha and it is a big step. I've got to say a big thanks to Yamaha for helping me out. These bikes have got so much horsepower that with a bit more control under acceleration, it's amazing how much easier it feels. It has really helped me coming out of the corner and I can control the bike much better." www.yamaha-racing.com 15 88 Niccolo CANEPA DUCATI 1'24.908 2.129 0.591 16 7 Chris VERMEULEN SUZUKI 1'25.161 2.382 0.253 17 41 Gabor TALMACSI HONDA 1'25.416 2.637 0.255 | ||||
Friday, July 17, 2009
Sachsenring - Germany- before the race
Racing numbers for Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Numbers and statistics for the latest round of the MotoGP World Championship.
159 – At Sachsenring, Valentino Rossi is scheduled to make his 159th successive premier-class GP start without missing a race. This will take the record for successive premier-class starts from Alex Barros, who started 158 successive races.
61 – With his tenth place finish at Laguna Seca, Marco Melandri has scored 61 points from the first eight races of the year. This is four more than top Kawasaki rider of last year John Hopkins scored throughout the complete 2008 season.
18 – Dani Pedrosa’s win at Laguna Seca ended an 18 race sequence without a win for Honda in MotoGP, since Pedrosa won in Catalonia last year. This is the longest sequence of races in the premier-class without a Honda win since they re-entered Grand Prix racing in 1982.
16 – Valentino Rossi has been on the podium sixteen times in the seventeen races since finishing second in Germany last year. The only occasion he has not finished on the podium during this period was when he crashed at Le Mans and re-started to finish 16th.
15 – Spanish riders have started from pole on fifteen occasions across the three classes in 2009. None of these riders have gone on to win the race after starting from pole.
11 – Race day in Germany will be the 11th anniversary to the day of the very first Grand Prix event to be held at the newly built Sachsenring circuit in 1998.
3 – Sachsenring is one of just three current circuits where Rossi has not started from pole in the premier-class; the others are Laguna Seca and Misano.
3 – There are only three riders in the 250cc class who have scored points at all seven races held so far in 2009; Hiroshi Aoyama, Hector Barbera and Raffaele de Rosa.
And now lets hear wht the boys have to say:
World Champion and standings leader Valentino Rossi was the first man to speak in Thursday’s press conference at Sachsenring, as he, Dani Pedrosa, Chris Vermeulen, Nicky Hayden and Mika Kallio commented on their 2009 experiences to date and offered their views on riding at the hilly German venue.
On his Sachsenring record Rossi stated, “It is always a difficult track for me personally but I have had some good victories here in the past, one in the 250cc class, one in MotoGP in 2002 and two in a row with Yamaha more recently. In 2007 I made a mistake in the race and lost a lot of important points in the championship, but last year was good in difficult conditions. It was very cold and there was a lot of rain but arriving in second position was an important result.”
Moving on to explain his approach the ninth GP weekend of the year, which he goes into with a nine point championship lead, Fiat Yamaha rider Rossi added, “This year we arrive here with a good pace and having got some good results. We also have a clear idea on our setting so we hope to start well from Friday.”
Meanwhile, Repsol Honda’s ‘comeback kid’ Pedrosa, who finally returned to full form with victory last time out at Laguna Seca less than two weeks ago, referenced his U.S. win saying, “It was a good result for me and for all our team, so we went out afterwards for dinner to celebrate and it was nice.”
Currently fourth in the classification, Pedrosa turned his focus to Sachsenring, where he dramatically crashed out last year, but normally goes well, adding, “I’ve also had some good times here but last year especially was not the greatest moment! It is a track where things are tight, the lap times are very close between the riders, so you have to work very hard to get on the front row.”
Rizla Suzuki representative Vermeulen, who lies eighth in the championship and was on the podium in 2008’s wet race in Germany despite starting 14th on the grid, stated, “Like Valentino said last season it was a very tough in the race, with conditions so different to practice and qualifying. We had struggled to get the most out of one lap on the tyre but I was very happy to be back on the podium in the race. It looks like the weather could be unstable again this weekend so it will be important to be fast in all conditions.”
Ducati’s fast-improving former World Champion Hayden arrives at round nine having boosted his confidence in his home race at Laguna. The American remarked, “In my last four races I’ve gone twelfth, tenth, eighth and fifth, so we know we are going in the right way. The next step, to put myself in with the front group, is the hardest one, but there is a lot of racing to go this year. We just have to keep our heads down and see what happens.”
Stoner diagnosed with mild anaemia
| By Pablo Elizalde from autosport.com | Tuesday, July 14th 2009, 13:28 GMT |
Casey Stoner has been diagnosed with a slight gastritis and mild anaemia after the Australian underwent further tests in the United States last week.
Stoner has been affected by the illness since the Catalunya Grand Prix and doctors were yet to discover the reasons for his slump during the races.
After staying in the United States following the Laguna Seca race, the former world champion underwent further tests and was finally given a verdict.
The Australian says he will now follow the doctors' indications to try and make a full recovery.
Ducati said doctors are sure that with the right treatment Stoner will be back to full fitness in a matter of weeks.
"I have been in USA until Saturday to do all the tests," Stoner said. "First of all I'd like to thanks all the doctors involved in this, Dr. Ting and Dr. Tuan in the Fremont Surgery Center, Dr. Macchiagodena, Dr. Catani, Dr. Ceccarelli and of course my physiotherapist Freddy.
"Hopefully step by step I will feel better with their indications. I still don't feel like I am 100 per cent but the biggest problem now is the ribs that are very painful after the crash in the USA GP qualifying.
"It will be probably another hard weekend, but as always, we will do our best to stay as much as possible close to the lead of the championship".
Team boss Livio Suppo added: "This is a delicate time for Casey but we know he is made of stern stuff. He will continue to fight like a lion, as he has done in the past few races, even though the crash at Laguna left its mark on him and that certainly won't help.
"Nicky again rides at a circuit where he has always gone well at in the past and I'm sure he will be able to confirm that the improvement made at Laguna is only the start!"
Nicky Hayden: "I'm Starting To Enjoy Riding The Ducati"
Submitted by David Emmett on Thu, 2009-07-16 19:27.
at motogpmatters.com
At the pre-race press conference for the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring, Nicky Hayden spoke about the progress he'd been making on the Ducati, after a difficult start to the season. Speaking to a packed press room, under questioning from MotoGP.com's official commentator Nick Harris, the American revealed how the hard work put in by him and the team were starting to pay off. Below is a transcript of part of Hayden's interview:
Your 5th place at Laguna must have given you a great boost.
Last couple of races we've been 10th, 8th, 5th, we've made a lot of progress. That makes me happy that we're moving in the right direction, and we've found a way with the team. I'm enjoying riding the bike more. It's pretty good, and we need to keep going. But now I know that to stick my nose in the next group is when it's going to get real hard. That's the big step, that final group up front. We're going in the right way, just keep our head down and there's a lot of racing left to go.
What made the difference or did it just start to click? You've changed personnel, you've all been working very hard to make it work?
It was a lot of little things. In the beginning everything was wrong; I didn't feel any confidence in the bike, and a lot of bad luck, and it was just a disaster really. But slowly we've just started eliminating problems and working through it. Sure we've had some setbacks along the way and it hasn't just come over night - not that anything at this level ever does. It hasn't been just one thing that fell in place. We're still a long way off where we want to be and there's still a lot of work left to do. But certainly a lot of people have worked hard, and the team is starting to understand me better and the communication has certainly improved since the beginning of the season so now we're able to make a lot more progress through the weekend.
And there's a lot of work with Bologna and from the test team and they spend a lot of time testing. I spend a lot of time in Bologna with Filippo talking about things. We'll see if we can't keep it up because now I'm enjoying it. The bike is good, but that's the thing, sometimes it's hard to get it out of the bike, though when the bike is right it has huge potential but when it's off a bit it can often be a nightmare.
Injured Lorenzo says podium realistic
| By Matt Beer at autosport.com | Monday, July 13th 2009, 13:44 GMT |
Jorge Lorenzo thinks a podium should still be possible at the Sachsenring this weekend even though he admits he will not be back to full fitness following his Laguna Seca accident.
The Yamaha rider managed to take third in America despite damaging his shoulder and breaking bones in his foot when he had a violent high-side shortly after taking pole position in qualifying.
He said his condition had improved since then, but was not yet perfect.
"Following my injuries in Laguna Seca, I am feeling a lot better after a week of rest but I won't be at 100 per cent this weekend," Lorenzo warned.
"I have some pain in my foot when walking and also in my shoulder joint, so the first thing I will do when I get to Sachsenring is go to the Clinica Mobile."
He expects this race to be a damage limitation exercise.
"My aim as ever this weekend is to be on the podium and to try to get as many points as possible compared to the rivals that are in front of me," he said.
His team manager Daniele Romagnoli is confident that Lorenzo can still take home plenty of points despite his injuries, having shrugged the discomfort off very effectively as he battled team-mate Valentino Rossi for second at Laguna.
"We're happy to report that Jorge's condition is a lot better after a week of rest," Romagnoli said. "He won't be in perfect condition but he will be a lot stronger and therefore able to push harder on the bike this weekend than he could in Laguna.
"In America Jorge showed once again that he has a great determination to achieve his potential whatever condition he is in and so we hope that in Germany we can be in good shape once again, be at the front and fight for the podium. We need to try to recover some points as we look to the summer break."
Lorenzo currently holds second in the world championship, nine points behind Rossi, and seven ahead of Casey Stoner.
Gresini team bring progress back to Europe
Toni Elias
“It is important that we have started to find the right way forward at this stage of the season because there is still a long way to go and perhaps if we had taken any longer it would be too late. We have had eight tough races but we're starting to find the limits of this bike and we still have nine races left in which to push it to the maximum”, he said. “To be honest I don't like Sachsenring much but looking back I have raced there injured on three occasions so maybe that's why I don't have good memories or good results to reflect on! Last year could have been much better but it rained so hopefully this is the year my fortunes change in Germany. I stayed on in America for an extra day to go sightseeing in San Francisco, which was great fun, but after that I was straight home to train and get ready for another important race.”moto-live.com
Alex De Angelis'
"I have had so many good results at Sachsenring in the past, just the kind of results we could do with right now! Unfortunately we made the wrong choice with the setting for the race at Laguna but there were a lot of positives about the weekend as a whole and we are looking to bring those to the fore in Germany”, he said. “The German Grand Prix is definitely one of my favourites. I have a lot of affection for the Sachsenring circuit because I took my first pole there and I was on the podium every year from 2002 to 2007. The track is very technical, varied and without any long straights so it is important to have a good chassis set-up, more than a powerful engine. We're going through a difficult phase right now but we won't give up."moto-live.com
Kallio: Not as bad as it looks!
Mika Kallio will return to MotoGP action in this weekend's German Grand Prix after a nasty finger injury forced him to miss the recent Laguna Seca round.The MotoGP rookie fell from his Pramac Ducati just a few corners short of claiming a career best sixth at Assen, then had part of his left ring finger ground away when his hand became trapped under the bike.
“It looks quite bad, but the pain is ok now,” said Kallio on Thursday in Germany. “I think it's not so bad for riding, but if I feel too much pain we just need to get an injection and that's it. Of course it would be much nicer to ride without this, but this is how it is.
"I would say I am at 90% of my usual physical condition," he added. "I will have to wear a special glove made by Alpinestar with much more space for my left ring finger due to the big bandage I have on it. For sure in the next few weeks I will not be able to get married as the ring would never fit!"
Kallio scored two eighth places in his first two MotoGP rides, but has claimed points in only two of the six races since (including his American absence).
“It's really tough in MotoGP,” said the Finn. “The start of the season was really good but then we get some little problems and struggled with some settings, so the feeling with the bike was not what exactly what I wanted. That it why the results were a little bit down.
“But now I think we are coming back. Like we saw in Assen, when everything was quite good. My speed and lap times were constant and good during the race.
“For sure it will be a tough weekend here," he continued. "Qualifying is really important here and we'll see what happens, because my finger is not so good. But wherever we qualify, we will push in the race.”
"It is so nice to have Mika back with us," stated Pramac Racing technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini. "We really missed him in America, but I am still convinced that we took the right decision by leaving him at home for one weekend to recover in the best way possible and not ruin the rest of the season.
"From the beginning of the season Mika has been telling me that this is one of his favorite tracks, if not the favorite, this is why we expect a lot here. For sure it will not be easy due to the injury, but we believe that Mika will almost be in the best physical condition possible to compete at the maximum level." crash.net
And the real sad news this week, another team runs into financial difficulties and another rider loses his sit.
So good bye to Gibernau- hopped to see more of you this year. better luck somewhere else
Gibernau's team quits MotoGP grid
http://news.bbc.co.ukGerman MotoGP, Sachsenring
Date: 18-19 July
Saturday 18 July: Qualifying: 1150-1500, BBC Red Button/online Sunday 19 July: 125cc & 250cc races 0950-1205, BBC Red Button/online Race live: 1230-1400, BBC Two/online ; MotoGP Extra, 1400-1430, BBC Red Button/online
 Gibernau's career has been blighted by a string of injury problems |
Sete Gibernau's future in MotoGP is in doubt after his Ducati satellite team Grupo Francisco Hernando withdrew from the championship for financial reasons.
The Spaniard returned to the series this season after two years away and competed in six races, missing two others because of a broken collarbone.
"I am the most surprised at this decision," said Gibernau.
"It's a shame that just as we're getting close to picking up the results we were after we have had to pull out."
The former world championship runner-up has yet to make a statement over whether he plans to continue riding.
He retired for the first time in 2006 after a crash at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Gibernau's most recent race of his comeback also ended in disappointment, crashing out of the United States Grand Prix at Laguna Seca.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
MotoGP- Laguna Seca - Race
Drought Over
July 6, 2009 by Jacob Black - motogpmagazine.com
Pics by Scott Jones from motogpmatters.com
Repsol Honda pilot Dani Pedrosa revisited the top step of the podium for the first time in over a year at the Red Bull US Grand Prix in Laguna Seca. An action packed Laguna Seca grand prix saw just 12 riders finish a race of attrition, with six crashing out and James Toseland copping a disqualification. But it was the diminutive Spaniard who stood firm. Pedrosa holding off a last lap attack from Rossi to win after riding to the front off the line and dominating all race.
Starting from pole with a separated collarbone was too much for Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard dropping to eighth before turn one as Pedrosa and Stoner led the way from Valentino Rossi.
Rossi, clearly on a mission rounded up Stoner for second on the way into the famous corkscrew and set off after Pedrosa but in shades of 2008 Rossi lost the spot to Stoner again just one lap later, and the battle between the two saw Pedrosa take a small advantage into lap three.
At the end of three short laps Pedrosa led Stoner, from Rossi, Dovizioso and Lorenzo, the top five separated by less than 1.5 seconds.
Lap four saw the first crash of the race, Galbor Talmasci crashing out of his second MotoGP on the Team Scot Honda.
Settling back into a rhythm after yet another horror start, the injured Lorenzo closed on the front runners as Loris Capirossi crashed out of the race on lap five.
In a race that was rapidly turning into one of attrition, Andrea Dovizioso was the first of the front runners to falter, his crash on lap seven came at turn five, the Repsol Honda tucking the front and sliding out on the left hander while Sete Gibernau was the fourth rider out on the final corner of the lap.
James Toseland received a pit lane penalty for jumping the start, but either didn’t see his pit board or didn’t care, and was disqualified from the race for ignoring the penalty, leaving just 12 riders in the race.
Meanwhile Dani Pedrosa skipped out by two seconds over Stoner and Rossi, forcing Rossi’s hand. Rossi managed to retake Stoner for second on lap 12 but Pedrosa was still almost half a second faster than the rest of the pack and pulling away.
The injured and ever tenacious Lorenzo clawed his way into third on lap 21 as Stoner’s recurring mystery illness saw his slide slowly backwards to fourth. Stoner’s Ducati teammate Hayden, lurked in fifth at his home grand prix but the 10 second gap between the two was already insurmountable for the American.
Lorenzo steadily closed on Rossi by two-tenths a lap and the battle for second ignited as Pedrosa stabilised his lead over the duo.
With the injured Lorenzo monstering the back of his teammate, it was a wild dive down the inside of the final turn that seemingly undid the Spaniard’s hopes to peg back points on championship leader Rossi. Lorenzo’s bike picked up the rear tyre deep under brakes, bucked and almost threw its pilot in a harrowing moment that showed just how disadvantaged the #99 rider was by his injured collarbone.
The moment seemed to trigger something in Rossi, who used his new found freedom from Lorenzo to push for the lead, with around a second gap to Pedrosa heading into the final lap Pedrosa could be forgiven for feeling safe but Rossi closed enough to have a lunge into the final turn.
The dramatic last lap had the Honda camp pulling their hear out but Pedrosa did enough to win Honda’s first race since Catalunya in 2008 from Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner and Nicky Hayden in fifth, his best result on a Ducati in a race only 12 riders made the finish.
Today’s second place leaves Rossi still leading the championship by nine points from Lorenzo, 16 from Stoner and 59 points from Dani Pedrosa heading into the next round in Germany. .motogp.com
1. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 44min 1.580 sec
"The performance was very good. I was comfortable, I was doing great laps, and just in the last lap I relaxed a little bit too much.
"When I saw in the last lap the bike of Rossi I thought maybe I was too slow. But it's a good feeling to be back winning for me and my team." news.bbc.co.uk/sport2
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 44min 1.924 sec
“The first half of the race was quite difficult because we weren’t at 100% today. I didn’t expect Dani to be so fast but he was very strong and there wasn’t much I could do to go with him! The last ten laps were very exciting because Lorenzo was pushing me so hard that I had to really make another step and then Dani slowed down and suddenly he was right in front of me! I thought there was a chance to pass on the final corner but unfortunately I was just too far off and it was too much of a risk. Second is good today because we were not in perfect shape here, we missed something in the setting and this is always a hard track anyway, so we have to be happy with these twenty points. We have extended the championship lead so it’s a good result for us and we have shown that we are still strong this year even when things are not perfect. This consistency is the most important thing for the championship. Now I am happy that we have some time to rest because these have been a hard two weeks and the next two races are very important because we are all so close!”yamaha-racing.com
3. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 44min 3.506 sec
“I always try to do my best and I think that is what I have done today, considering my physical condition. I am really proud and I think that this was one of my best races. My foot was okay but I had a lot of pain in my right shoulder, which meant I wasn’t strong in my right hand and I had to over-compensate with my left; I am really tired now! I want to thank the Clinica Mobile because they made it possible for me to finish the race. After a while I started to forget about the pain a bit and I just wanted to do my best and I knew that it was possible to pass Valentino. Unfortunately I hit some bumps when I braked deep and my rear tyre moved a lot and I was lucky not to crash – maybe without this mistake, if I had been able to pass him, it would have been possible to win but anyway third is good in the circumstances and we have taken good points. Now we have some time to recover; I am fit and strong so I hope that by Sachsenring I will be back to my best.” yamaha-racing.com
4. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 44min 14.012 sec
“I can’t be happy with fourth place, even though I know that we have performed some damage limitation in terms of the overall standings. It’s a weekend to forget,” said the Ducati rider.
“Today I didn’t feel as bad at the end of the race as I have done in the last two, but I’m still not right,” he added, referring to his physical condition that has suffered over the past month. The fatigue also brought with it the return of a previous problem in his scaphoid.
“I found it really difficult to keep my concentration over the last few laps and I was in a bit of a daze by the end. My left arm was feeling really tired by the end because of the fact there are so many left-handers here and my left wrist still doesn’t have the full range of movement after my operation in the winter,” he explained. “Now we’ll focus on trying to find out the root of the problem because racing in this condition is not much fun.”
Stoner will now stay on in the United States for extensive tests at the Fremont Surgery Center with Dr. Arthur Ting and Dr. Tuan, to try and understand the source of the problem. .motogp.com
5. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 44min 23.243 sec
“It was certainly a lot better than my other races so far this year. I have some great memories from here so it’s hard to get too excited by fifth place but I’m happy.”
On the weekend as a whole he commented, “I’ve had a tough season, on Friday I was at the bottom and feeling miserable, just thinking it would break my heart to ride like that all weekend. We changed some stuff on the bike and just kept working our way forward, and in the end we got into the top five. Now we need to try and build on this.”
Looking ahead to the next round in Germany, Hayden added, “We have to enjoy this moment and then see what Sachsenring brings. We’ve made a lot of changes on the bike so this has been a big adjustment for me. The team is just working as hard as ever and I am happy with my guys and the support they give me so if we can get some momentum that is all I can ask for.” .motogp.com
6. Toni Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 44min 23.621 sec
“Finally I finished sixth and Nicky was very strong. I tried right up until the last corner but I couldn’t pass him, and although I wanted more, to be higher up, I think we have to be happy with sixth because it’s our best result this season.”
On the improvements he made in California he continued, “We are thinking positively, we must continue working like this. We are doing well, every race we are getting closer and I hope to take that next step to get closer to the best riders.”
“I was hoping the front guys would be a little slower than that and allow us to challenge them but the pace was very quick so compliments to them. In general this weekend has been much better than previous races and so was the result, but we always want more.” .motogp.com
7. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 44min 31.781 sec
It’s great to score my 100th points finish in front of my home fans and doing it for Monster, Yamaha and Tech 3 who have given me great support. But I expect more than finishing seventh. I’m pretty tired now and it was a really physical race because I couldn’t get the bike to turn. Each time I threw it on its side it just went straight out to the kerb. I was using a lot of effort to get the bike to turn and it felt like the front forks were sitting between my legs. When I braked the front didn’t feel like it was coming back up. It felt like the front was buried in the ground and just pushed me out to the edge of the track. I ride over the front a lot but today it felt like I was crawling all over it, almost like I was sitting on top of the tank. It wasn’t super special and we’ve got to go back to the drawing board I think for Germany. My pace was consistent and I was doing between 22.9 or 23.1 the whole race, but that just wasn’t fast enough.”yamaha-racing.com
8. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 44min 34.437 sec
“It was a little bit difficult, because I was sore from the crash I had on Saturday and that didn’t help things. To be honest we really struggled with the bike set-up to improve on what we had last year, even though our race time was quicker than last year, because everyone else has taken a bigger step forward. So it was tough for us.”
He continued, “I really struggled with the front tyre that Bridgestone had here, it was very different to last year. But that’s the single tyre supplier rule, it is the same for everyone and you’ve got to make your bike work around it. Anyway I got a pretty bad start, pretty bad couple of laps in which I got tangled up with (Colin) Edwards and (Loris) Capirossi and eventually came through for eighth. I felt our pace was probably good enough for sixth or seventh but it wasn’t as good as we needed to be at the front.” .motogp.com
9. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 44min 41.905 sec
“I am quite satisfied as it was hard to expect a better result starting from the fifth row on this ‘up-and-down’ track. I struggled with grip problems from Friday and we tried to make some adjustments but in the end the bike was not at 100%. My start was not brilliant and I hit some traffic in the first few laps, but after that my rhythm was good enough to pass a few riders.”
He went on to say, “We decided to go for a softer rear tyre which was a good choice for the beginning of the race, but grip from the rear tyre dropped with ten laps to go. Still, this is another productive result for me and the team as I am sitting in ninth place in the championship.” .motogp.com
10. Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team 44min 49.608 sec
“We had quite a good set-up and I was confident but I had a small crash,” said Melandri of the incident. “We tried to repair the bike and use the same one but it was a big mistake because the settings were completely different to the morning and were not working well. I had a completely different feeling on left and right corners and the throttle wasn’t smooth, so it was tough.”
He continued, “I was just riding to finish the race because I already knew from the warm-up lap that I wasn’t going to do well. It’s disappointing because I think we had everything to do a good race, so now we have to look forward to the next one.”
Giving some further thoughts on the forthcoming visit to Sachsenring, Melandri added, “It’s a strange track because it’s very, very tight and you stay on the left side a lot. We’ll have to see about the weather too because sometimes it can be very unpredictable.”.motogp.com
11. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 44min 50.390 sec
“We made some changes to the bike for today but with the conditions being so much cooler for the warm-up this morning than they were for the race in the afternoon, we hadn’t really tested them. I was really struggling over the first few laps and the bike was moving around a lot but the problem eased in the second half of the race and I was able to push harder. I honestly thought I could run with Vermeulen today and that would have been a battle for eighth place so it’s a shame we suffered this setback. Anyway, at least we picked up a few points.” motogpworld.net
12. Niccolo Canepa ITA Pramac Racing 45min 20.111 sec
"Hard race for us today. In the first laps I couldn't push more because I didn't have enough grip with the front part of the bike, in addition I saw other riders fall in front of me and I thought the track wasn't in the best condition in that moment”, he said. “Once the front tyre was warmer it was too late because I found myself practically alone. I maintained yesterday's afternoon rhythm, but it wasn't enough to reach the riders in front of me. We will try to do better in two weeks at the Sachsenring."moto-live.com
DNF:
Gabor Talmacsi HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP
"I had a very good feeling with the bike, and a good start. Then suddenly, when I was 15th, I lost the front. I cannot say why,” shrugged the Hungarian. “I'm fine, but it is really a pity because I was in a condition to get a good result. I stay confident for the next race."
Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
“I am really upset about this because we have worked so hard over weekend to find the best solution and we thought we would be ok with the setting. I started quite well and was really aggressive in the first couple of laps, but on turn six I lost the front on the second lap and then on the next lap I did the same in the same place, but that time I crashed.”
“The truth is this has been a terrible weekend for me as we never really found a good solution. Fortunately we have another nine races in front of us and we will keep working really hard to get some good results.”.motogp.com
Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team
“We were in good shape, I’d got into a fast rhythm and I’m sure we could have had good result, so I’m very disappointed. Unfortunately I made a mistake and I spoiled my opportunity.”
Explaining what had occurred in more detail he added, “During the first laps, I was behind Valentino Rossi, I wanted to overtake him and I was very close at the end of the straight. It’s a blind point and I was so close that I didn’t see the plastic poles that separate the track from the pit lane. I hit a few of them and in the impact the clutch lever bent, and from that moment on I couldn’t control the engine braking. It was my mistake as my line was too far to the left but after that it was tough to ride and change gear properly.”
He continued, “Nevertheless, I tried to stay up with the leaders. Then I lost the front and crashed after having had a couple of warnings. I’m really disappointed because we are getting closer to front-running pace at every race and here we could have done well. Still, I believe in myself, in the machine and in my team, and I really hope to get a good result soon.”.motogp.com
Sete Gibernau SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando
DSQ:
James Toseland GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3
“There’s not much I can say really other than it was a tough weekend. I feel like the jump start was pretty harsh. I knew it was close but I didn’t think I’d jumped the start and that early in a 32-lap race I’m not looking at my pitboard. I was just concentrating on catching the guy in front and the first thing I realised that I’d been penalised was when I saw the black flag and my number. Obviously if I’d known I’d jumped the start then I would have come in but I’ve watched the TV replay and you can’t see anything. I didn’t gain any places either so in my opinion it’s pretty harsh. It’s a setback but I’ve just got to get on with it and bounce back in Germany.” yamaha-racing.com
Mika Kallio was absent this weekend due to a finger injury, while Gabor Talmacsi will be Scot Honda’s only rider from this event onwards..motogp.com
Sunday, July 5, 2009
motogp- Laguna Seca - QF
Crashes for Lorenzo as he takes Laguna pole
Poleman Lorenzo partially dislocated his right shoulder and heavily bruised his right foot in a huge highside on the Yamaha M1, whilst Stoner highsided the Ducati Desmosedici GP9 and was also helped away from trackside, prompting a concerned Rossi to wish all the very best to both afterwards.
Stoner is uninjured, but Lorenzo will not be cleared to race, or ruled out until SundaySaturday, 04 July 2009
Jorge Lorenzo crashed twice in qualifying at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix but still ended the session in pole position.
Medical checks will be required for poleman Jorge Lorenzo and his World Championship rival Casey Stoner after a dramatic qualifying session at Laguna Seca, which ended with the Spaniard being stretchered away having set the pole position time - a 1’21.678 hot lap.
Fiat Yamaha’s former 250cc World Champion Lorenzo was unaffected by a lowside crash on the fourth corner with 20 minutes to go, jumping on his second M1 to grab pole for Sunday’s race, before a massive highside crash saw him taken away from trackside and straight to the Laguna medical centre for checks on an apparently injured right leg.
Second fastest qualifier Valentino Rossi stood alone in parc fermé, having lapped 0.167s behind Lorenzo, with third fastest rider Casey Stoner also crashing heavily on turn three in the final minutes. Stoner appeared to be walking unaided, albeit unsteadily, after the session.
The second row for Sunday’s eighth MotoGP contest of 2009 will be an all Honda affair, with factory pair Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso qualifying fourth and fifth respectively, in front of San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elías – all three less than half a second down on Lorenzo.
MotoGP’s American representatives Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati) will be joined on row three by Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), who like Hayden has a good record at Laguna.
The top ten qualifiers list was completed by Vermeulen’s veteran teammate Loris Capirossi.
MotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification
| Pos. | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Motorcycle | Lap time | Km/h | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Fiat Yamaha Team | Yamaha | 1'21.678 | 261.058 | |
| 2 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Fiat Yamaha Team | Yamaha | 1'21.845 | 264.058 | 0.167 |
| 3 | 27 | Casey STONER | AUS | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1'21.910 | 262.901 | 0.232 |
| 4 | 3 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1'22.113 | 260.492 | 0.435 |
| 5 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1'22.135 | 260.554 | 0.457 |
| 6 | 24 | Toni ELIAS | SPA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 1'22.146 | 260.303 | 0.468 |
| 7 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | USA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1'22.490 | 262.326 | 0.812 |
| 8 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | USA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1'22.540 | 259.241 | 0.862 |
| 9 | 7 | Chris VERMEULEN | AUS | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | Suzuki | 1'22.633 | 260.303 | 0.955 |
| 10 | 65 | Loris CAPIROSSI | ITA | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | Suzuki | 1'22.662 | 262.326 | 0.984 |
| 11 | 33 | Marco MELANDRI | ITA | Hayate Racing Team | Kawasaki | 1'22.842 | 256.532 | 1.164 |
| 12 | 15 | Alex DE ANGELIS | RSM | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 1'23.004 | 260.617 | 1.326 |
| 13 | 59 | Sete GIBERNAU | SPA | Grupo Francisco Hernando | Ducati | 1'23.106 | 256.959 | 1.428 |
| 14 | 14 | Randy DE PUNIET | FRA | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | 1'23.147 | 254.777 | 1.469 |
| 15 | 52 | James TOSELAND | GBR | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1'23.390 | 256.837 | 1.712 |
| 16 | 88 | Niccolo CANEPA | ITA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1'23.912 | 256.349 | 2.234 |
| 17 | 41 | Gabor TALMACSI | HUN | Scot Racing Team MotoGP | Honda | 1'24.528 | 248.905 | 2.850 |
Saturday, July 4, 2009
MotoGP- Laguna Seca - FP1
Video: the Yamaha boys (Rossi, Lorenzo, Edwards and Toseland) star in hilarious 'The Office’ spoof
this is so funny- you have to see it again and again
Laguna action gets underway with Rossi leading the way
Friday, 03 July 2009
The hour-long first MotoGP free practice session at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix concluded with Valentino Rossi in front of his World Championship rivals on Friday.
In perfect conditions at the Laguna Seca circuit on Friday afternoon, with blue skies, Californian sunshine and temperatures of 24°C, the MotoGP riders got the eighth race weekend of the year underway – the World Champion Valentino Rossi putting down the fastest time late in FP1.
The current MotoGP ‘big three’ were on top again as the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix commenced, Rossi followed on the timesheet by his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Ducati’s Casey Stoner.
Rossi’s 1’21.981s lap around the shortest track on the MotoGP calendar, on the last of his 32 laps, was enough to put him 0.112s ahead of the young pretender to his crown Lorenzo.
A first lap crasher in the 2008 race on his Laguna Seca debut, Lorenzo will aim to put the memories of last year’s contest behind him and already looks comfortable around the picturesque American track.
Stoner was just 0.189s down on Rossi’s pace himself as he tested his condition following the severe exhaustion he has experienced in recent weeks. The 2007 Laguna race-winning Australian is out for revenge over Rossi this weekend following their epic 2008 battle which Rossi won in such style.
In fourth place was Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. The Spanish rider is still fighting back to 100% fitness this weekend, although he is already in far better shape than last year when he went home after the Friday practices due to injuries he sustained at Sachsenring.
There was a good start to the weekend for San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elías who immediately benefitted from the introduction of the new chassis on the Honda RC212V to lap fifth quickest.
Italian pair Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) were sixth and seventh, respectively 0.899s and 1.159s down on the pace.
Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen crashed at the beginning of the session but soon got back out on track to complete 27 laps in total and still managed to go round eighth fastest.
Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) rounded out the top ten, whilst Edwards’ compatriot Nicky Hayden made a sluggish start to his American Ducati debut in 14th place.
Rossi satisfied but with improvements still to make
Friday, 03 July 2009 motogp.com
World Champion Valentino Rossi spoke to motogp.com on Friday after starting the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix in good form.
In search of GP victory 101 this weekend in California the sensational winner of last year’s Laguna Seca race Valentino Rossi was the fastest man at the track on Friday as the round eight action got started.
Topping the FP1 timesheet ahead of his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Ducati’s Casey Stoner by 0.112s and 0.189s respectively, with a 1’21.981 lap, Rossi knows he needs to stay on the pace and to improve his setting on Saturday in order to keep in front of his young rivals.
“It was a good first practice because I’m in first place and also because we worked well on the bike,” said the iconic Italian rider. “We checked some interesting things, we tried to improve the feeling with the bike and we gathered important data in order to improve on Saturday.”
The 30 year-old continued, “Already the lap time is not too bad. We are very close together again with Stoner and Lorenzo but it looks like we are competitive and our Yamaha is good here at this track.”
Asked about the specifics as to where he will focus on Saturday, Rossi replied, “We have to improve the setting still, because on certain corners it is possible to make it better. We are also working a lot on the electronics so that we control the ‘wheelies’ because on this track there are lots of bumps and jumps, so tomorrow we will continue to work in this way.”
Marathon man Lorenzo relearning Laguna Seca
Friday, 03 July 2009 motogp.com
Extended sighting mission for Fiat Yamaha rider in opening Laguna Seca session
38 laps –the fastest of which a 1’22.093- was all it took for Fiat Yamaha Jorge Lorenzo to make up for any lack of track time at Laguna Seca. The current second-placed rider in the MotoGP World Champion crashed out of his U.S. debut last year before even crossing the start/finish line once, although on Friday in 2009 he quickly reacquainted himself with the technical circuit.
“I was very fast today and I feel good here at this track in the California sunshine! I know that this is a very complicated circuit to get used to and that you have to make a lot of laps to learn it, but I did have some time on it last year and I feel great here now,” said the Spaniard, once again edged out at the last moment by teammate Valentino Rossi in the Friday run by just a tenth of a second.
“Today I stopped after a few laps and changed the tyre to the harder Bridgestone one and then I felt even better; I was having a lot of fun riding the bike and I was able to do more or less race distance with consistent lap times. We will work on further improving our setting tomorrow and I hope that I can continue in the same way again.”
Lorenzo is riding this weekend without Team Manager Daniele Romagnoli accompanying him on his side of the garage, the Italian attending to a family matter back in Europe.
Stoner expecting Assen/Barcelona-like fatigue at Laguna
Friday, 03 July 2009 motogp.com
Third in Friday’s free practice session, Casey Stoner was frank about his continued lack of fitness when talking after the run-out.
2007 racewinner Casey Stoner opened up this year’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix weekend with the third fastest time of the first free practice session, with a 1’22.170 lap of the Laguna Seca circuit belying his still-fragile physical state. The Australian has been battling a mystery virus over the past pair of races and, unfortunately for the Ducati man, is predicting just as hard a fight this Sunday.
“The bike’s working well, which is once again a disappointment for me because I don’t think that we can really keep up for the race this weekend,” a downbeat Stoner acknowledged on Friday afternoon.
“Everything’s been working well these past three races, and I feel like we should have been fighting at the front -even if we finished in the same positions. It looks like it’s going to be a similar weekend to the last two, but at least this time we are kind of expecting it, whereas at Assen I thought that all my problems were over.”
Stoner was experiencing fatigue as early as the midway point of the session, causing him to make running modifications to his riding style in order to conserve his energy. In order to maintain his endurance for the session, the former MotoGP World Champion is having to make sacrifices to his lap strategy.
“Braking is one of the hardest points for me at the moment. I’m taking the corners however I can at the moment, which is what you do when you get fatigued. My braking points are getting way too early though, so it all just combines to give a slower lap time,” he lamented, before giving credit to those who he believes have been the driving force behind his recent podium damage limitation.
“For me it’s been the bike these past two races. If it wasn’t working so well I wouldn’t have been on the podium. The bike can still do quick lap times even when I’m backing off.”
epsol Honda riders fourth and sixth
| In Laguna FP1 moto-live.com | 04/07/09 11:09 |
Marco Melandri believes Hayate Kawasaki is back on the pace at Laguna Seca after a run of poor events.
Suzuki ended Friday practice for the United States Grand Prix frustrated after Chris Vermeulen's early accident spoiled the team's plans for the afternoon.
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