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

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

Dani Pedrosa The first Free Practice session for the US Grand Prix took place at Laguna Seca today with Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso finishing the one-hour period in fourth and sixth places. Under sunny skies at the highly-technical Californian circuit, the factory Honda pair began the intricate process of tailoring their RC212V machines to the unique challenges of Laguna's flowing corners and relentlessly undulating layout. Pedrosa made continuous steady progress today as he and his crew continued to familiarise themselves with the improved feeling from the RC212V's modified chassis. Though he missed last year's race here due to injury, the 23-year-old Spaniard looked comfortable and relaxed on track today and steadily climbed the timesheets, setting his fastest time on the last of the 31 laps he completed this afternoon. With a gap of 0.656s to today's fastest time, set by Valentino Rossi, and with a further i ncrease in pace expected in tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions, Pedrosa looks on course for a competitive weekend. “I'm quite happy with how this session went on my return to Laguna Seca after missing most of last year's race meeting. I took my time this afternoon, getting familiar with the layout again before working up to full pace later in the session”, he said. “We did a lot of laps and at the end of the session my hip was a little bit painful, but it wasn't too bad and I was able to ride the bike as normal. That's important here because this is a circuit where the machine wheelies and shakes quite a lot so you need to be able to control it. We have to work a little more to get the correct gearing and to improve the set-up so I think tomorrow morning's session will be very important to prepare for qualifying. I'm feeling confident for tomorrow.” Dovizioso took a more direct approach to today session than his Repsol Honda team-mate, almost instantly appearing towards the top of the timesheets and holding first place early in the hour.It's only the second time Dovizioso has ridden at the Laguna circuit - after his impressive debut in last year's race when he finished fourth - but once again he showed his immediate grasp of the peculiar demands of the track, ending the session in a competitive sixth place and just 0.243s behind Pedrosa. The Italian will work with his crew to improve the feeling from the front of his RC212V, and when that's achieved Dovizioso too is destined for a strong showing in qualifying tomorrow. “The lap times came easily today and I'm quite happy with the pace we were able to achieve. We did three runs with the soft Bridgestone tyres and then the last run with the hard tyre option and the results were promising”, he said. “It took a while for the hard tyres to warm up though, so in the end I couldn't push as hard as I wanted to improve my lap time. Because of that I'm confident we have room to go quicker tomorrow. Despite the fact that it was quite easy to get the rhythm, I'm not totally happy with my feeling from the front of the bike in the middle of the turn so we will need to work on that and try a few options tomorrow. I like the challenge of this track and the atmosphere here, so I'm looking forward to getting back out there in the morning.” Melandri relieved to be on the pace By Matt Beer from autosport.com Saturday, July 4th 2009, 05:22 GMT Marco Melandri believes Hayate Kawasaki is back on the pace at Laguna Seca after a run of poor events. The Italian took seventh place in Friday practice and hopes to maintain that form in qualifying. "It's been a good day for me," Melandri told the official MotoGP website. "I really like this track and it looks like the bike is working quite well, so we've had a good start to the weekend. "Now we've got to keep working hard and see what's going on for the race, because 32 laps on this track is going to be very, very tough." After a very promising start to the season for the new team formed in the wake of Kawasaki's departure, Hayate and Melandri's fortunes have declined in recent weeks. Melandri took three straight top six finishes, including an incredible podium at Le Mans, but for the past three races he has been unable to get into the top ten, apart from some brief heroics during the wet part of the Italian Grand Prix. Given those frustrations, he said he was relieved to only have minor issues to attend to after practice at Laguna Seca. "We have to improve the turning a little bit, especially when the tyre drops off a little bit. Also rear grip can be not so bad for us," he said. "Just normal things, so I'm quite happy because compared to the last three races, where we've been struggling a lot, this is a good step forward for us." Tech3 riders confident of big improvements In Laguna Seca moto-live.com 04/07/09 10:48 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland are confident they can make big improvements in Laguna Seca after an encouraging start to the American Grand Prix this afternoon. Home favourite Edwards and British rider Toseland were both challenging for the top five in the early stages of a session run in gloriously sunny California conditions. Brimming with confidence after equalling his best result of the season with fourth place in Assen just six days ago, Edwards eventually finished ninth with a best time of 1.23.285. Looking to score his 100th point-scoring Grand Prix finish in Sunday's 32-lap clash, Edwards is confident he can drastically improve his pace having encountered some front and rear suspension issues today. The 35-year-old though was only 0.6s away from fourth place. “It wasn't the great start to my home race I was looking for and the bike feels just way too stiff. The main problem is in the hard braking because I've no feeling with the bike bouncing around on me. There's just not enough movement from the suspension”, he explained. “When you've got the handlebars moving and up and down and the seat moving up and down it's obvious the suspension is not absorbing the bumps enough. There are some huge bumps out there and today it felt a bit like motocross. So we'll soften it up for tomorrow and make the suspension react faster and let it move more freely rather than having a jerky and bouncing sensation. It feels like there's a second waiting right in front of me but I'm a bit handcuffed at the moment. Once we fix these issues, and I know we will because my guys at Tech 3 are awesome, I'm not going to have to push and hang it out to find the time. I know it will come immediately as soon as we get the bike working. I'm confident we can find what we need and put on a good show for the American fans and for Monster's home race.” Boosted by his season best sixth place in Assen last weekend, Toseland finished in 13th place with a best time of 1.23.690s, though he was less than a second off sixth in another close session. With Fiat Yamaha Team Director Masahiko Nakajima again helping the 28-year-old this weekend, Toseland will work hard with his team tonight to find a setting to improve rear grip ahead of title sponsor Monster's all-important home race on Sunday. “The position isn't that great but I feel like it was a pretty decent session. We've got a bit of work to do but there is no need to panic. We're just missing a bit on the set-up really”, he said. “I'm lacking a bit of edge grip on the harder rear tyre, and that is the one we're going to have to race with looking at the temperature. This track isn't quite as good for grip as Assen and we know what we've got to do to get more grip from the rear but we just ran out of time at the end of the session. And I'm still adapting to the new set-up we had in Assen because that changed the balance of the bike quite a lot. With the tighter corners and the undulation it just takes a bit of getting used to being so different to Assen. I'm confident with the bike a bit more comfortable that I can go quite a bit faster and be up there challenging for a good result for Monster in what is a massive race for our sponsor.” Elias made an impressive start and was in the 1'23s on his first run, making two pit-stops as he adjusted the base setting of his factory spec. RC212V machine and briefly leading the time sheets as he eventually broke into the 1'22s. “We're happy to have started the weekend in this way. We know everybody will go faster tomorrow and we'll have to wait and see how much margin for improvement we have but for now it is important to start like this because so far this year at every circuit we've had a bad first practice”, he said. “We've made some pretty major adjustments to the suspension here because this is a very aggressive circuit in that respect, in terms of the elevation changes, the bumps and the hard-braking areas, and we need to improve it even more tomorrow if we are to keep pace with the others. Tomorrow I'll be working with two identical chasses for the first time and that will be important if we want to try something radical because we can quickly revert to a setting we know is working. Hopefully that can help us improve more than usual in the time available.” Elias and De Angelis make positive start moto-live.com De Angelis worked diligently on ironing out front-end problems suffered during the race at Assen before himself breaking into the top ten with a lap made all the more impressive by the fact that it was set on a used front tyre and a hard compound rear.As such, the San Marino rider is confident that a few set-up tweaks overnight can help him make an even stronger challenge in tomorrow's final free practice and qualifying sessions. “I did my fastest time at the end of the session on the harder tyre and the track temperature today probably wasn't as hot as it could be, so I'm really pleased. We have worked a lot today on the problem I had in the race at Assen, which was with the front folding, and I think the fact I spent the whole session today on the same front tyre without virtually any trouble shows that we've made some good decisions”, he explained. “We still have to work the set-up of the bike around the intricacies of this circuit but to have set the tenth fastest time on a used front tyre and a hard rear – I have to be happy with that. We've also worked a lot on rear traction since the Barcelona test and whilst the front guys clearly have a bit more than us in this aspect we're getting closer. This circuit in particular is a place that gets grippier as the weekend goes on so hopefully we can make more improvements tomorrow.” Vermeulen frustrated by early crash By Matt Beer from autosport.com Saturday, July 4th 2009, 05:28 GMT 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. Vermeulen had high hopes for the weekend given his excellent record at Laguna Seca, having taken pole on his MotoGP debut at the track in 2006 and finished on the podium for the past two years. But he fell at Turn 2 within the first few minutes of the opening practice session and was unable to get his primary bike back to the pits. He was eighth fastest on his spare by the end of the afternoon, but was unable to complete the team's planned programme. "I was really looking forward to coming back to Laguna as it is obviously a track I enjoy, but it wasn't the start I wanted," Vermeulen admitted. "On the fourth or fifth lap I was just starting to build up my pace and as I entered Turn 2 I locked the front wheel and went down. Unfortunately the bike was on the outside of the circuit so I was unable to get it back for the rest of the session. "I got back to the pits and went out on the other bike but it was set up very differently - geometry wise - and it didn't quite work as well as we'd hoped around here." Vermeulen's team-mate Loris Capirossi was also unhappy, having ended the day in 12th. "We tried to do something big with the setting today and we started with two very different bikes," he said. "We never really found the best solution with either bike and went back to the first one and modified that a bit to try and find the best settings for this track. "On the last run we did improve a bit but we still need to work harder and improve a lot more tomorrow." Randy de Puniet – 11th “In the beginning I faced some front end problems but we quickly fixed them with the guys. After that I came in on a harder rear tyre but struggled with the rear grip on the maximum angle in the corners so I could not go faster. Unfortunately my machine no. two had some brake problems so we could not really use that bike to adjust our problems. However we knew our issues and we’ll try to fix them for tomorrow’s qualifying. Obviously I expected a better base set up but we still have track time to improve the grip."

MotoGP is coming to Laguna Seca-USA

(from wiki)

MotoGP heads west to Laguna Seca

Monday, 29 June 2009 motogp.com

The riders in the premier class this week make a dash across the Atlantic to the West Coast of the US, to the superb Californian track of Laguna Seca.

This weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca is the first of two World Championship visits to America this year and is the second of four GPs in a five week period as the 2009 season really begins to gather pace.

With Indianapolis to come in August the MotoGP riders will this weekend enjoy their first Stateside trip of the campaign as they head to California, with visits to Sachsenring and Donington Park still to come on the busy schedule before the summer break.

After seven rounds so far this year things are tight at the top, with three main protagonists emerging as the title candidates. Heading to Assen in the Netherlands last weekend, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner were all square on points at the head of the standings and even though Rossi has pushed ahead with the superb 100th GP victory of his career at the Dutch track his young rivals are still snapping at his heels.

Last year at Laguna Rossi took a hugely important win over Stoner, passing him brilliantly on infamous Corkscrew corner and scoring a significant psychological blow against the Australian. This year, however, he has two key rivals to contend with.

World Champion Rossi goes into round eight in great from, with a five point lead over Lorenzo in the general classification, having relegated his Fiat Yamaha team-mate to second place in the last two races at Catalunya and Assen. The Italian looks as strong as ever, with his Yamaha M1 machine working brilliantly as he looks to turn up the heat on his rivals.

Lorenzo, meanwhile, has never completed a race at Laguna having crashed out on the first lap on his debut at the Californian track last year. He insists however that this year he is finding things more comfortable at tracks which did not favour him in the past and can be expected to be pushing Rossi hard at the front again this weekend.

Fitness doubts for Stoner could be the major factor hindering the Ducati star following another grueling race in The Netherlands, where for the second round in succession he finished third, but was totally exhausted on the podium. If he can recover full strength he will be confident of another good performance on Sunday, at a track where he won in 2007 and finished second in 2008.

Behind the leading three in the championship, the Repsol Honda duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa will be desperate to bounce straight back from their Assen disappointments having both crashed out of the Dutch contest, in separate incidents at the same corner, when well positioned to earn some decent points. Dovizioso is currently fourth in the standings, some distance behind the top three, but with just a two point advantage over Pedrosa and Colin Edwards.

Texan rider Edwards arrives for his home race in good form following his fourth place at Assen and is hoping for another good result as he seeks to extend his MotoGP career. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider was on the podium at Laguna Seca in 2005 but since then has struggled for good results there and will aim to correct that pattern on Sunday.

His compatriot Nicky Hayden, the only other American rider in the premier class at present, boasts two of his three MotoGP career wins at Laguna and would love nothing more than to get his first top five result of 2009 on his Stateside debut for Ducati this weekend.

The Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix promises to be a memorable event, coinciding with the American 4th July celebrations and commencing this Friday, 3rd July, with Free Practice 1 at 1.55pm local time, (9.55pm GMT, 10.55pm CET). The 250cc and 125cc classes do not compete at Laguna and will be back in action at Sachsenring on the 17th-19th July weekend.

World Championship - riders standing

Pos. Rider Nation Team Points

1 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 131

"Back to normal!"
"The wonderful memory of the 100th win is still fresh, but now we have just a few days to recover before the next race, which is hard for everyone. We have to try to relax as much as possible and recharge the batteries a little, because Laguna is always a tough weekend and often very hot. Last year I had a great battle with Stoner and for me it was for sure one of the turning points of the championship and a very important win; I have some good memories. I think this year it will be hard again because Lorenzo is in brilliant form and I am sure Stoner will also be back to his best. Laguna is a great place to race and an exciting track, I also have a little trip to Los Angeles and Yamaha US first which I am looking forward to. The championship is very open at this point so we need to keep focus, get back to normal after Assen and try to get another good result this weekend." yamaha-racing.com

2 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 126

"Looking forward to the challenge"
"Last year Laguna wasn't good for me but I don't think about this. It's the only time I've been there but I don't see that as a problem - until 2008 I'd never won in Portugal before and I won my first race there in MotoGP, and then again this year I won in Motegi where I'd never won before, so I don't consider any track 'bad' for me - the past doesn't matter. We are feeling very strong after the last races and everyone is very motivated to continue in the same way so I am looking forward to the challenge and learning more about the track. I will do my best and hopefully that will mean we can run at the front again." yamaha-racing.com

3 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 122

“We have had some setbacks over the past couple of races that have prevented us from showing our full potential. We have done a lot of work on the bike and found a great set-up for the race on both occasions but I have not been in good shape when it was the moment to take advantage of that work”, he said. “We have come straight to America from Assen and there hasn't been much time to recover, although I do feel better already. What we learned from last weekend is not to underestimate the symptoms. I have always liked Laguna, with its natural elevation changes, I love racing in America and the Ducati has always gone well here. We have the potential to challenge for a good result again but we'll wait until we get out on track and see how things shape up.” moto-live.com

4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team 69

“I really look forward to the race in Laguna Seca,” said the Italian. “The track itself and the whole atmosphere makes coming to Laguna a fascinating experience. Last year was the first time that I had raced in the United States and I was impressed by this track.

“Some parts are quite dangerous and very different from the European standard of racetracks we are used to, but the whole atmosphere is incredible and I like it a lot.

“I'm confident that we can have a good race here. Last year I had a good battle and finished fourth, which I was pleased with. I feel as though I've come fourth enough times this year though, so I hope to make the step up.

“At each race we're getting closer to the leading riders but we're still not close enough yet. So we need to work hard to get the speed and consistency we need." crash.net

5 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team 67

“I'm actually really looking forward to getting to Laguna and I'm feeling confident going into the weekend - as I was before Assen,” said Pedrosa, who crashed out of fourth place in the Dutch TT. “The result there wasn't great, but there's no reason why we can't have a strong race in the US.

“I felt much better on the bike in Assen than I did in Barcelona and, although my physical fitness is not at 100 per cent because I haven't been training as usual for quite a while, the injury is getting better and isn't giving me any problems on the machine.

“The Laguna track itself is unique and it can be a lot of fun to ride - as long as you're going quickly. When you're struggling it obviously isn't quite as much fun! As a team we've got to continue working hard and bring the whole machine package up to a level where we can compete for wins again.

“We're making progress and with luck Laguna will take us closer to that target,” he declared. crash.net

6 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 67

“I don't think there was a home-track advantage [for the American riders] after the first year,” said the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider.

“We did the first year, and everything was great, and then they hacked up the track, pulled some off of Turn 1, changed the entry to the Corkscrew and repaved it.

"All the home-court advantage is really knowing where all the bumps are. Once they repaved it, everybody pretty much had to start from scratch.” crash.net

7 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 56

"I wasn't at full strength at Laguna last year following my crash at Assen and all the changes in direction really made it a painful race for me. This year I am going there fully fit and the bike seems to be improving every time I ride it, so we are hoping to be right up amongst the front guys this weekend”, he said.

“The season still has a long way to go and I am now in-touch with the top-five in the championship and that certainly has to be our target - to break into that group and go from strength-to-strength at every race." moto-live.com

8 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team 55 9 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 53

"I'm really looking forward to Laguna Seca, it's certainly one of my favourite circuits and I've been on the podium there for the last two years, as well as a pole position in 2006. I certainly want to try and repeat those performances and get the Suzuki on the podium for the first time in 2009”, he said. “I hope it is a good race for all the fans and that the weather is as nice as it usually is. I am sure we can be competitive from day one and put on a good show." moto-live.com 10 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 51

"Laguna is a very special racetrack - I love the challenges that it throws at you. We had quite a challenging time there last year, but came out of it all with a not so bad sixth-place finish. This year we have the potential to do better if Friday and Saturday go well for us. I feel really good on
this year's bike and tyres, so I'm really looking forward to the race." superbikeplanet.com

11 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 39

Designed to improve rear traction, Toseland told MCN: “I just had more grip on the rear and it was much more consistent and that allowed me to do some consistent times in Assen .

"It kept me in front of the group and without it I wouldn’t have been able to keep them at bay. I’m just pleased because there wasn’t a lot of pressure in Holland, but I didn’t realise Nakajima was going to be in my box for every second.

"And with that support it gave me some pressure and it’s just nice to repay his effort and help. When you get help from the boss you’ve got to deliver and hopefully that’s what I did.”

The 28-year-old added that he had never doubted that he would rediscover his best form after a hellish start to ’09.

Toseland suffered massive testing crashes in Sepang and Jerez and he added: “Those crashes could have finished my career let alone injured me and I didn’t like that for one bit.

"But Assen has given a platform to build on and I like Laguna Seca, so hopefully I’ll be battling for the top six again.

"I’ve always pushed every single corner of every single lap, but my performances haven’t been good enough. My effort has always been the same and it shows what can happen if you keep the belief and keep working hard no matter what, things will start to come right.

12 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 31

"I am extremely motivated going into this race because we're finally finding the right way with the bike and working through our problems”, commented De Angelis. “We know that sometimes when you solve one problem you can create another and finding the ideal package isn't easy, but the point is that we are solving our biggest issue, which is rear traction, and that is important. I don't think anything more problematic than that is going to crop up! I love Laguna Seca, I went fast from the first day on my debut there last year and we know the tyres work well there too, so I am excited. The target is to get involved with that second group again but this time be fighting with them all the way to the final corner." moto-live.com

13 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team 27

“We still have a lot of work to do but it has been nice to see a little progress over the last few weeks and at Laguna I really need to take another big step. I don't have any big plan or anything – it's not that easy! All I know to do is keep trying and working at it and hope it will come”, he said. “Laguna is a great track and very challenging. There are a few points that stick out but in general it is different to most tracks, which usually have a few different sections, whereas Laguna is basically just one section and you have to put it all together to make a good lap. This year we're racing in America on the 4th of July weekend and it's perfect - I can't think of a better way to celebrate the holiday than at the US Grand Prix! Also the fact my brothers will be racing on the same weekend in the AMA championship helps make it special for me. This will be the first time my American fans get to see me on a Ducati so that will be cool because there are a lot of strong Ducati fans in the states. No predictions or anything but we'll go full gas and see what happens. ” moto-live.com

14 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 27

“I left the last race at Assen feeling frustrated with the result, having been relegated to twelfth by Race Direction for an aggressive move in the final corner, but even the eighth place I managed before the penalty was below our expectations”, said Elias. “Having said that I was encouraged by the performance and to have passed so many riders in the race gives me motivation and determination to continue where I left off at Laguna Seca. I'll receive another frame like the one that I like and that should allow us to work a bit more calmly and make quicker progress in adjusting the set-up. Our recent pace suggests that we're not far from making another step forward – not into the top four just yet but at least a little closer to them.” moto-live.com

15 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing 26

"Mika's condition is better than what we thought straight after the race, but still we preferred to give him a weekend off to recover, " said team technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini.

"This would have been the first time at Laguna Seca for him and with his precarious physical condition we preferred not to take any more risks and we hope he will be at his best in three weeks time at Sachsenring.

"Mika will not undergo surgery before the German GP, but will continue to take medication and have the injured finger cleaned daily to avoid infection and further complications." http://news.bbc.co.uk

16 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing 12

"I am really sorry Mika will not be here with us this weekend and it will be strange. I hope he will be able to get back on track really soon. He is a really nice guy and a great rider and I hope to see him again in our box for the German race. It will not be easy for us this weekend as it's my first time in my career here. For what I have seen on the television in the past years it isn't a really fast track but with many insidious turns. I think that my heart rate will be really fast at my first time at the corkscrew. On paper this is a really fascinating track and I hope to be able to be fast from the first few laps. On Indianapolis track, when I have ridden on it for the first time last year, I registered very interesting lap times straight away: who knows that maybe the same will happen here." londonbikers.com

17 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando 12

"I first went to Laguna in 1993, just to watch that year's GP. It's one of those tracks that everyone knows about even if they haven't raced there, because of the Corkscrew and layout, which is so different to what we're used to.
"I raced there for the first time last year and really enjoyed myself. I enjoyed the atmosphere, I enjoyed the crowd and I enjoyed being in the US. In fact everything was really good except that I had two difficult days of practice, so it seemed like a difficult track for me but I think this visit will be very different. The team is working so well with me that I believe we will be able to have some fun but much will depend on the condition of my shoulder. It wasn't good in Germany but I've been back to my surgeon in Barcelona, and I hope that it will be a bit stronger for Laguna because it is a tough track, tight and bumpy." roadracingworld.com

18 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 9

19 Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda)

says: "I never have been there. I'm really curious. I asked for information from my more experienced companions and everybody told me that Laguna is different and difficult. Well, the great majority of things are new for me in the MotoGP class. So, I'm getting used to facing new challenges. I will try
to understand by myself as many things as I can about Laguna Seca, then I will knock on Nicky
Hayden's motor home and ask for his advice; he declared himself glad to teach me the secrets of
his home circuit. We reached a point at which I feel necessary to work a little bit more on the
set-up, to improve my performances. In the first races, the target was simply - not to do silly
things and learn as much as I could. Now I want to make a step ahead and leave the last position to some other guy." superbikeplanet.com

Gabor Talmacsi sole rider for the Scot Racing Team from Laguna Seca onwards

Thursday, 02 July 2009 motogp.com

Official press release announces new plans for MotoGP project and departure of Yuki Takahashi.

From the US Grand Prix onwards, the Scot Racing Team will continue in the MotoGP class with the Hungarian rider Gabor Talmacsi. With great regret the Team announces that - due to unavoidable circumstances - Yuki Takahashi will not continue.

The decision was reached after exhaustive attempts to find a way to continue with two riders, but the economic realities facing the Team due to the increased cost involved in running two riders, combined with a health problem of Yuki, has led to this regrettable decision.

Cirano Mularoni Scot Racing Team Manager, said: "The Team would face a lot of new costs to line up two riders and without the possibility to improve its results with Yuki because he has suffered a slipped disc in his back, most likely caused by recent falls. So our team has decided to stop racing with Yuki and to wait for his recovery before taking any decisions on his future".

Shuhei Nakamoto, vice president of HRC said: "For Honda as well as the Scot Racing Team, this is a sad announcement and one we wanted to avoid if at all possible. But we understand the Team's problems with regard to the increased costs of running two riders. Takahashi was the only Japanese rider in the MotoGP championship and of course Honda wanted to see him continue. But in the end the Team made it clear that this outcome was impossible and we respect their decision. Honda will continue to support the Scot Racing Team in MotoGP with Gabor Talmacsi riding".

Press release courtesy of Scot Racing.