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

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."

WSBK: race results from Assen

Rossi earns 100th career victory

Report - Rossi takes Dutch MotoGP news.bbc.co.uk

Valentino Rossi romped to his 100th career victory as he won the Dutch MotoGP at Assen to go clear in the MotoGP world championship standings.

The reigning world champion came home ahead of Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, with Australia's Casey Stoner, who led early on, finishing third.

Honda duo Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso crashed out from threatening positions on the same corner.

Their exits helped James Toseland to sixth, his best result of the season.

"I'm so happy, it was a great race," Rossi told BBC Sport.

"I felt good from the first lap, so I decided to push to the maximum.

"I know Jorge Lorenzo is hard to beat but I have great pace, the tyres worked very well and Yamaha is fantastic on this track."

His victory was a lot more straight forward than his dramatic win over Lorenzo in Barcelona, and he joked "this was more boring from the outside, but another battle with Jorge like that is too much for old people like my grandmother."

Stoner's third place finish was all the more impressive considering he was suffering from stomach cramps for the second consecutive race, and after the race he was clearly in pain.

"It's not my fitness, I know I've trained hard enough, it's something a bit strange", said the Australian.

"Luckily the bike was working well on a bad day."

Once Rossi got past Stoner there was no great battle for the podium places, with the main area of excitement being the battle for sixth place.

Toseland was at the front of the pack for a lot of the time, holding off the attentions of Mika Kallio, but going into the closing stages, it seemed his chance of sixth place was gone.

But Toni Elias and Loris Capirossi went on to the grass at the final corner, opening the door for Toseland to go through, and Kallio skidded off into the gravel and failed to finish.

"I was getting ready to pass Mika at the last corner when Elias came under me at Turn 10. That let Loris through too and I'd gone from sixth to ninth!," said Toseland.

"It was so chaotic I didn't even see Kallio crash and I thought when Elias dived under Loris at the last chicane that they might run off. Fortunately for me they did and I took advantage - leading that group for so long, I think I deserved sixth."

Earlier, in the 125cc race, Spain's Sergio Gadea claimed his first win of the season as he came home ahead of Nico Terol and Julian Simon, with Bradley Smith fourth.

But Smith was promoted to a podium position after Terol was penalised 20 seconds for a clash with Gadea.

That result ensures Smith remains in close contention in the 125cc championship standings.

And Hiroshi Aoyama took the lead in the 250cc standings after winning his race, ahead of Hector Barbera and Marco Simoncelli.

Previous championship leader Alvaro Bautista failed to finish after hitting the back of Aoyama's bike.

---

Dutch MotoGP race result:
1 V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 42 minutes 14.611 seconds

"This is a very emotional moment and for sure I will remember this 100th victory for the rest of my life. When I reached 70, 100 seemed a long way away but here I am and it has been great, great fun getting here. It is down to so many people, like Jeremy and my guys who have been with me for ten years and all of the team who always give 100% and always give me the best bike possible. Especially however I have to thank the friends who have been with me my whole life and my father Graziano, who won here in Assen 30 years ago when I was a baby, and my mother Stefania, because they have always supported me. It's great to reach this moment here at Assen because it's the 'Cathedral' of motorcycle racing and the most historic track we go to. Today was a perfect race - I got a great start and my bike was incredible which meant that my pace was very strong. In fact I think it was better for everyone's hearts not to have another last-lap battle like in Barcelona! I had a good advantage from Lorenzo in some parts of the track and it was a great ride for me. Now I have 100 wins and I'm only the second rider to arrive at this number, but Agostini still has 22 more and for me he is still the greatest. 100 is a great result but the atmosphere in our team is wonderful and the motivation is still as high as ever - we want to win a few more races together yet!" yamaha-racing.com
2 J Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 42:19.979

"First of all I have to say congratulations to Valentino because this is an incredible thing to achieve and this day belongs to him. Unfortunately I didn't get a good start today and I had to take a few risks to pass people and come back to the front. Once I did I tried to go after Valentino but in some places I just wasn't as fast as him; he was riding 36.5s every time and I didn't really have quite enough confidence to push that hard today because the bike didn't feel perfect. As the race went on I started to feel the front tyre 'close' a bit and I decided that it was safer to come home in second! Another podium is a great result; it's my fiftieth and we continue to be very strong this season so I am happy. I am only five points from the lead and we are in a good position going to Laguna, which I am very excited about." yamaha-racing.com

3 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 42:37.724

Ducati’s MotoGP Project Director Livio Suppo spoke to motogp.com on Saturday afternoon in the Netherlands, saying, “There is something wrong with Casey’s condition and we are trying to understand what is wrong and trying to help. What we have done so far is not enough and we have to investigate more. Dr Claudio Macchiagodena from Clinica Mobile has done a lot to help after the race and he has some ideas for Laguna so let’s just hope.”

Stoner was quoted by Ducati as stating, “I’ve been feeling fine all week but started to feel run down again on Friday and I’ve just got worse as the weekend has gone on. I’ve taken every kind of supplement and vitamin tablet you can think of but nothing seems to have worked, so it is obviously something we need to have looked at closer because I can’t keep going like this and it is costing us points.”

“Thankfully I had a fantastic bike underneath me again today and I owe the team for that. A big thank also to Dr Macchiagodena and our physiotherapist Freddie (Dente), who took good care of me both in Catalunya and here. Unfortunately we don’t have much time to get fit for Laguna but we’ll see what we can do.” motogp.com

4 C Edwards (USA) Yamaha 42:43.725

"When [Andrea] Dovizioso came by I was biting my teeth to stay with him and keep the pressure on. But then I saw him crash in front of me and just before that I'd had a moment with the right side of the front," he added. "I'd done 32-laps on that tyre yesterday but coming in and out of the pits all of the time it's hard to get an accurate assessment of what's going to happen.

"I just held station after that because I could see I wasn't catching [Casey] Stoner and I was holding [Chris] Vermeulen off comfortably."

Edwards added that because of the quality of the riders in the factory squads it's become difficult to pick up podiums in 2009, though he believed his performance in Assen was worthy of one.

"My target was just to ride without making any mistakes and keep the momentum going," he said. "I rode my hardest but this year in MotoGP it is so hard just to get a podium. The field is so strong now and it's the hardest year I've ever had in MotoGP. I've ridden nowhere near as hard as that in the past and been on the podium." autosport.com/

5 C Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki 42:48.216

"I'm obviously happy because this is my best result of the year and we have shown that we have made a step with the bike after the Barcelona test - especially on the chassis side of things,” said Chris.

“At this track - and the next couple that we are going to - it is not so important on the motor front, so the slight speed disadvantage that we have is not so bad and we can still be competitive.

“I got a good start to the race and got in with the front guys early on. I tried as hard as I could to stay with them, but didn't quite have the lap-times to hang in there. I kept pushing all race and when Colin came past I tried to hang on to him, but he seemed to have a bit more rear grip than me.

“Most of the race after that was pretty boring as I was on my own,” he admitted. “I'm happy with fifth and it gives us some valuable points in the championship and a good result to take forward into Laguna Seca."

"It is nice for the team to have been in the top-five at the last three GPs,” said Suzuki team manager Paul Denning. “It is also great for Chris to find a good improvement here at Assen that will give him a step forward in confidence as we head to three of his favourite tracks. He rode a strong race today and it's a good platform to build on.” crash.net
6 J Toseland (Gbr) Yamaha 42:53.958

"I was a bit nervous on the start because I'd no experience with a new clutch set-up we were running," he said. "I did a pretty good start but still lost three or four places. I knew I'd got a pretty good race set-up so just tried to stay calm and in the first couple of laps I took advantage of that to get into the top ten.

"It was an incredible battle for most of the race and I knew I wasn't much stronger than the rest and I knew if I got to the front that it wasn't going to be a case of me pulling away.

"I knew once I was at the front of the bunch that it would be a case of protecting it. That's exactly what I did but it was nearly all spoiled on the last lap. I was getting ready to pass Mika at the last corner when Elias came under me at Turn 10. That let Loris through too and I'd gone from sixth to ninth!

"It was so chaotic I didn't even see Kallio crash and I thought when Elias dived under Loris at the last chicane that they might run off. Fortunately for me they did and I took advantage of it, and leading that group for so long I think I deserved sixth." autosport.com/

7 R De Puniet (Fra) Honda 42:54.154

It has been a thrilling and stressful race for me. The grid position did not help us and I took a bad start but after the first corner I overtook some riders and was up to ninth by the end of the first lap. After that I caught a group of riders faster than me with better engines and could not pass them. Suddenly Toseland passed me after the back straight but he was on the limit and hit my machine. Once again I had to push to catch the group but then Elias came up and hit me on turn no. 3. However I stayed focused and when Capirossi and Elias made a small mistake in the last corner I was ready to take the chance to pass them. After a difficult qualifying we deserve this 7th place. My squad made a very good job on the electronic system between the warm up and the race." motogp.com
8 T Elias (Spa) Honda 42:54.385

"I'm happy because it looks like little by little we're making progress. The problem here was that I qualified badly yesterday, I got a bad start today and a lost so much time at the start of the race fight with Sete, Talmacsi, Takahashi and Canepa. It was only three laps but it felt like a lifetime! Once I got free of them I was able to keep passing riders until there was three seconds of clear track in front of me to the second group, which I was able to close down. There were some really hard riders in that group and it was a lot of fun. I want to publicly apologise to Capirossi though because I was very late into the last chicane and ran us both off track. I feel bad for him but I just had to give it everything I had today. Race Direction have decided to penalise me for it, which I have to accept, but the most important thing about today was the performance and not the result." motogp.com
9 N Hayden (USA) Ducati 42:54.434

"When you start from 13th you are always going to have a lot of work to do but that was the best bike I've had underneath me all season so I want to say a huge 'thank you' to the team for that, they have worked so hard. I got a great start and was able to lead the second group for a while until a couple of guys came past and I lost my rhythm a bit. I made a little mistake under braking on the back straight, ran wide and lost a lot of time but I fought back and got in with the group again. I was having great fun but unfortunately the left handlebar came kind of loose about halfway through the race and cost me a lot of time - that's when a lot of the guys got past me. I know I'm coming out with a lot of excuses this year but a loose handlebar at that speed is pretty scary! The guys are looking at how it happened. Anyway, man it was a hard battle. I know we were only fighting for fifth or sixth but it felt like there was a title on the line out there! Big respect to everybody in the group though. Elias made a big mistake but everybody left it all out on the track today and we all shook hands afterwards. It was good to be a part of the battle." motogp.com
10 L Capirossi (Ita) Suzuki 42:55.284

“This first practice has been quite good for us today because I didn’t have a lot of information from last year as I only did one session, so it felt quite new for me here on a Suzuki. The bike was working well and we only changed a few things during the practice. I did the whole session with one front tyre and at the end when I tried to push a bit harder it started to move a bit more, but it still felt good so I’m happy with that. Overall it has been a good first day and now I want to get straight back on the bike and make things even better!”motogpworld.net
11 A de Angelis (RSM) Honda 43:00.621

"From the first lap to about three quarter distance it was a good race for me, fighting in a group for seventh place. We've been working hard to find rear traction recently and made some progress at the Barcelona test that has helped us here and I think we have gathered more interesting data to help us move forward. Unfortunately it was the front tyre that we struggled with today. From about halfway through it was pretty worn and the front was folding on me more and more. I almost crashed on a few occasions so decided it was best to back off and settle for the position I was in. It is not exactly where we want to be but I think we are getting closer and I'm excited about taking this progress to America."
12 M Melandri (Ita) Kawasaki 43:12.388
13 S Gibernau (Spn) Ducati 43:19.977
14 N Canepa (Ita) Ducati 43:24.508
15 Y Takahashi (Jpn) Honda 43:24.541

World Championship

1 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 131
2 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 126
3 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 122
4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team 69
5 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team 67
6 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 67
7 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 56
8 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team 55
9 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 53
10 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 51
11 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 39
12 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 31
13 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team 27
14 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 27
15 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing 26
16 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing 12
17 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando 12
18 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 9

Rossi reflects on reaching century of Grand Prix wins

Saturday, 27 June 2009, motogp.com

Italian thanks teams and family after riding ‘perfect race’ in Assen.

Valentino Rossi appears to reach a Grand Prix milestone with every victory added to his legacy, and the Italian reached a century of World Championship wins with his latest triumph on Saturday in Assen. The Fiat Yamaha rider had less of a battle on his hands than two weeks prior in Barcelona, and was in better condition to give an animated celebration –this time an unraveling of a celebratory banner and a photo with an ‘old school’ camera.

“It’s a fantastic achievement. 100 victories is a great number. Thanks to all the guys who have helped me to reach this number –my teams over the past ten years, Jeremy Burgess and especially all my close friends and family for giving me motivation. We hope to win some other races though!” said Rossi after stepping onto the podium with a custom made ‘100’ flag.

On the race itself, which he led for almost the entirety after starting from pole, the reigning World Champion commented that: “I had a good feeling and knew that I was very fast on two or three points in the track, so I tried to get out to the front as soon as possible and impose my rhythm. It was a perfect race because any mistakes would have a high cost. I knew that Lorenzo was very strong, so I tried to take an advantage.

“It’s been two races that the bike has had a good setting. This year the bike is fantastic, and we hope to continue in this way.”

Rossi will have little time to savour the win, as the MotoGP World Championship takes a swift transatlantic flight to Laguna Seca, California for next weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. The 30-year old was a winner there in 2008, but knows that things won’t be easy stateside.

“Last year was great, but it will be hard with just 3-4 days of rest. We are in a good moment, and I hope to have a good race like last year.”

Honda riders frustrated by crashes

By Simon Strang from autosport.com

Saturday, June 27th 2009, 17:52 GMT

Factory Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso left Assen frustrated after both crashed out of the Dutch TT while in strong positions.

Pedrosa started the race on the front row and briefly led before dropping behind Casey Stoner and eventual winner Valentino Rossi. He was racing for a podium when he crashed out of the race on lap four.

"The good news is that I didn't hurt myself in the fall and, considering my recent run of luck with injuries, this is a big relief," said Pedrosa, who is still covering from leg and knee injuries. "But of course I'm disappointed with the result today because, even though it's unlikely I could have won the race, I was feeling strong on the bike again and believe I could have made the podium.

"My feeling on the machine this weekend has been much better and I have been able to ride close to my maximum potential, so I was quite confident coming into this race.

"I made a fast start and found a good rhythm, so the crash was very unexpected - for the whole weekend I had no warning this might happen."

Pedrosa remains positive despite the crash and believes the HRC team, which has now gone 12 months without a victory, is on the cusp of a breakthrough in form.

"We have to forget this race and remain positive and focused because we have been the best in the past and I believe we can be the best again," he said.

"The whole team deserves better than this and I know we will work even harder to take the fight to our rivals, even though they are very strong.

"Laguna is the next race and we will go there with the same positive mood that we brought to Assen this weekend."

Dovizioso was chasing Stoner for third position when he fell at the same place as his team-mate within a couple of laps.

"I had a good start but I was trapped by a bunch of riders and it took me a few laps to get by them," he said. "Once I was past I was feeling quite comfortable, although I wasn't sure I could catch Stoner.

"Then, while I was in the middle of the corner at the maximum lean I lost the front. I wasn't on the brakes when it happened – we have to lean a long way over in the middle of the turn and that's when it caught me out."

Opening MotoGP session at Montmeló ends with Rossi on top

Friday, 12 June 2009

The first MotoGP free practice session of the Catalunya weekend saw the World Champion lap three tenths of a second faster than his premier class rivals.

Valentino Rossi stamped his authority on the opening MotoGP practice of the weekend with the fastest time of Friday afternoon at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, lapping the Barcelona track on his Fiat Yamaha M1 in 1’43.038.

The Italian star has never finished outside the top three in a premier class race at the Mediterranean venue and he signaled his aspirations for victory at round six, having not won since the third race of the year at Jerez, by starting the weekend on the front foot.

Behind Rossi on the time-sheet was his factory Yamaha colleague Jorge Lorenzo who was 0.302s off the World Champion’s pace on a far better Friday than last year at his home track – where he crashed in practice and missed the race due to concussion.

Third on the timesheet was Mugello race-winner and 2007 Barcelona victor Casey Stoner who went round just over half a second slower than Rossi on his Ducati Desmosedici, as MotoGP’s current big three showed their pace again.

Fourth on the timesheet, just as he has been in the last two MotoGP races, Andrea Dovizioso put in a similar time to Stoner. Dovizioso’s injured Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa was down in 14th place as he tested the condition of his injured hip.

At one of his favourite tracks Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) was fifth fastest, whilst a big improvement by Ducati Marlboro’s Nicky Hayden saw him finish sixth quickest in one of his best sessions of the season so far – around a second off the pace.

Veteran riders Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) were seventh and eighth respectively. Yuki Takahashi was number nine on the timesheet, trying to push hard after seeing new MotoGP recruit Gabor Talmacsi join the Scot Racing Team on Friday.

Talmacsi was unsurprisingly the slowest participant in his first 800cc session, four seconds behind Rossi, whilst satellite Yamaha rider James Toseland completed the top ten.

MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification PDF
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'43.038 324.226
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'43.340 324.324 0.302
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'43.636 324.714 0.598
4 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'43.684 322.580 0.646
5 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'43.871 318.960 0.833
6 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'44.152 320.665 1.114 ---well done Nicky
7 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'44.340 321.332 1.302
8 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'44.419 320.665 1.381
9 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'44.484 318.114 1.446
10 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'44.580 314.960 1.542
11 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'44.649 320.665 1.611
12 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'44.678 318.490 1.640
13 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'44.744 318.021 1.706
14 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'45.043 327.173 2.005
15 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'45.101 320.950 2.063
16 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'45.126 321.046 2.088
17 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'45.394 322.773 2.356
18 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'45.454 321.524 2.416
19 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'47.654 307.955 4.616

Hayden delighted with breakthrough

By Matt Beer from: http://www.autosport.com

Friday, June 12th 2009, 17:20 GMT

Nicky Hayden believes his sixth place in practice at Catalunya marks a breakthrough in his adaptation to the Ducati GP9 after a very tough season so far.

The 2006 world champion has been a long way off the pace since joining Ducati from Honda at the end of last season, but the team has worked hard to make the bike more suitable for riders other than team leader Casey Stoner, who has always had a big margin over his team-mates on the 800cc Ducatis.

Today in Spain Hayden was not only sixth fastest, but was only half a second behind Stoner - a much smaller gap than at previous rounds.

"I know it's only sixth position but still I'm pretty happy because I was running up front throughout the session and having fun, which is what racing is supposed to be about," he said.

The American praised the work done by test rider Vittoriano Guareschi, who has been tasked with helping make the Ducati more suitable for a wider range of riding styles. The team had also reshuffled its engineering line-up in recent weeks to devote more resources to getting all its bikes on the pace.

Hayden said this project had resulted in massive - and successful - changes to his set-up.

"Basically Vitto stayed on in Mugello and tested a lot and we have changed almost everything on the bike other than the handgrips," he said.

"We've altered the electronics and the geometry a lot to help me get the bike turning and we've taken a big step. I don't want to get too excited because it's only Friday and we've got to keep working hard but I want to say that I am very grateful to the team and to Vitto, [technical director] Filippo [Preziosi] and 'Pippi' [engineer Cristhian Pupulin] and the test team in particular."

He also praised the team for standing by him during his struggles.

"Nobody here has given up on me even after a few bad races and I have always made it clear I won't give up on them," said Hayden.

"We have had to stay mentally strong and keep positive, even though that hasn't been easy. Hopefully we're on to something here and all the hard work will start paying off."

Stoner expects better pace on Saturday

By Matt Beer from http://www.autosport.com/

Friday, June 12th 2009, 17:13 GMT

Casey Stoner is confident Ducati can get to the bottom of the small issues that kept him behind the Yamahas in free practice for the Catalunya Grand Prix today.

The championship leader was third quickest behind Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, and also had a minor accident at the end of the backstraight.

"We didn't have such a good feeling in the beginning," Stoner admitted.

"We're trying a few different things on one of the bikes and it's working really well apart from in two areas. One is when I'm at full lean on the way into the corner, it feels a bit vague and wants to push me a metre or so wide. When I'm on the gas again it turns really well.

"The other point is that we're not getting much traction, but we're getting loads of corner speed and it's turning really well. It's a case of working to find a balance and unfortunately we lost a bit of time at the end because I tipped off it in the hairpin at the end of the back straight."

He put the accident down to over-caution on his part.

"Basically I'd had a couple of moments before that so I was being a little careful," Stoner explained. "Probably too careful because I didn't push the front hard enough in that corner and it went a little light and tucked."

The Australian reckons the potential is there to challenge the Yamahas in qualifying.

"We've ended up with some reasonably competitive lap times and I'm confident we can go much faster tomorrow," said Stoner. "I'm happy because we know what we're capable of and it's just a matter of getting it done now."

Elias and De Angelis show top ten pace At Barcelona

Moto-Live.com

San Carlo Honda Gresini Team riders Toni Elias and Alex de Angelis are both looking forward to tomorrow's second free practice and qualifying sessions after struggling to make an impact on the timesheets at the Catalunya circuit today.

This afternoon's opening free practice saw the Spaniard and the San Marinese struggle to the 15th and 16th fastest lap times respectively, both complaining of chassis set-up issues around the notoriously technical and demanding track.

For both riders the road to improvement lies in experimenting with different chassis solutions and it is a process that requires time, a rare commodity with the current practice format. Elias is desperate to make major improvements tomorrow in front of his home crowd, the Catalan favourite paying tribute to local patrimony today by wearing a helmet featuring a design typical of Antoni Gaudì, a late, great exponent of modernist Catalan architecture and a symbol of Barcelona around the world.

“We haven't started well but it is early and we have to stay positive. We have a lot of work to do on the chassis, because there is far too much load on the front. I know I am always complaining about that but at this circuit in particular it is just too much”, explained Elias. “We don't have anything new to test so it is down to us to keep coming up with new ideas, experimenting and trying to find a solution with what we have. Unfortunately sometimes you have to go down the wrong road in order to realise which is the right one so hopefully that's the case for us today.
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My Gaudi helmet design is from when we raced here in 2007 and I decided to wear it again simply because I love it!”

“We're still struggling for rear grip, as we have been doing all season, and the bike is sliding around a lot but the truth is that this is our only problem”, said De Angelis. “We really need to sort it out because other than that the bike feels great. The engine is really strong and in a straight line we are really fast but we need to transfer that to the corners. We had a little problem with the front forks in the first part of the session, they weren't working well and I ran wide in one corner but luckily the run-off was asphalt and I was able to keep it upright. We changed the forks and it improved things a lot, even on a used tyre, but we still have plenty to do tomorrow.”

Pedrosa still hampered by injury

By Matt Beer from: http://www.autosport.com

Friday, June 12th 2009, 18:21 GMT

Dani Pedrosa admitted that his hip injury had been a major impediment during practice for his home race at Catalunya today.

The Honda rider won this event last year and expected to go extremely well at the track again, but has been struggling with the latest in his string of injuries - a hip problem sustained when catching a slide at Mugello a fortnight ago.

Although Pedrosa had hoped that a well-targeted pain-killing injection would allow him to ride normally, he was in discomfort throughout practice and only managed the 14th fastest time.

"This wasn't one of the best days of riding for me," said Pedrosa. "I had a pain-killing injection before I rode this afternoon but it's still very uncomfortable on the bike and this means I wasn't able to ride at my normal pace."

"MotoGP machines are very physical to ride - it's not like a street bike - so it's tough when you are not at full strength."

He said he had no intention of withdrawing from the event and hoped his condition might ease as the weekend progressed.

"It's frustrating because this is one of my favourite circuits of the season and also one where I have had a lot of good results," Pedrosa said.

"However, we certainly aren't going to give up. It's a long season and although today didn't go too well, we'll come back tomorrow and see what we can do."

Honda team manager Kazuhiko Yamano shared both Pedrosa's frustration and his optimism that the situation could improve tomorrow.

"Unfortunately he wasn't able to ride to his maximum potential which is a shame because he is extremely strong at this circuit in normal circumstances," said Yamano. "We'll have to monitor his physical condition tomorrow and hope that he can move forward step by step."

Dovizioso leads the way for Repsol Honda At Catalunya
Moto-Live.com

The first practice session for this weekend's Grand Prix of Catalunya took place today with the Repsol Honda Team beginning its meticulous machine set-up process at the Montmelo circuit near Barcelona.

It was a positive day for Andrea Dovizioso, who finished the hour-long practice period in a competitive fourth place with a lap time of 1m 43.684s - just 0.646s back from today's pace-setter, Valentino Rossi. This is a track that Dovizioso enjoys and the 23-year-old Italian is intent on making further improvements tomorrow.

"Today's result was pretty good and we are not too far from the front which is encouraging - though we still need to close the gap”, he said. “This afternoon we worked on the set-up of the bike to improve the handling during corner entry and in the turn, which remains our main issue. We tried a different set-up solution on the second bike that worked well and I was able to improve the lap time and reduce the gap to the frontrunners. Fourth place today is a good start but we are still too far from the first three top riders, so we'll continue to work on this tomorrow."


The day was less productive for local hero Dani Pedrosa who wasn't able to ride at 100 per cent pace today as he nurses his problematic right hip. The 23-year-old Spaniard received a pain-killing injection prior to this afternoon's session but remained in considerable discomfort from the unfortunate injury he picked up at the last round in Italy. Pedrosa won the race in Catalunya last year and, in spite of his injury, remains determined to pursue the best possible result here in front of his home fans in Sunday's 25-lap race. Due to low grip conditions here today, all the riders' lap times today were well off the pace of Pedrosa's lap record.
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"It's my home race and already the atmosphere and support is incredible, but of course this wasn't one of the best days of riding for me”, he confessed. “I had a pain-killing injection before I rode this afternoon but it's still very uncomfortable on the bike and this means I wasn't able to ride at my normal pace. MotoGP machines are very physical to ride - it's not like a street bike - so it's tough when you are not at full strength. It's frustrating because this is one of my favourite circuits of the season and also one where I have had a lot of good results. However, we certainly aren't going to give up. It's a long season and although today didn't go t oo well, we'll come back tomorrow and see what we can do."

Talmacsi amazed by first MotoGP encounter

Friday, 12 June 2009 (motogp.com)

Premier class debutant ends packed Friday with culmination of a dream.

Gabor Talmacsi was undoubtedly the busiest rider in the MotoGP paddock on Friday afternoon, making a ‘shotgun debut’ in the premier class with the Scot Racing Honda team and having to start completely from scratch.

The Hungarian had barely put pen to paper on his contract before being whisked off to undertake further preliminaries, including kitting out his new Honda RC212V and leathers with personal and sponsorship logos. Dressed to ride, Talmacsi was then shown the myriad details of the 800cc bike in preparation for his first practice session. He may have received explanations in the garage, but nothing could prepare him for being out on track.

“The bike is amazing. It’s so difficult to explain, as I’ve never felt this kind of power, this kind of braking feeling, the grip of the Bridgestone tyres… it’s another world! Of course, I need more laps in order to improve, but I think that I can do it!” said a determined Talmacsi, seemingly destined for a complicated search for a ride after a split with the Balatonring 250cc team one month ago.

Even finishing an understandable last on the timesheet was of little concern for the former 125cc World Champion, who will never forget the events of June 12th.

“It has been an exciting opportunity for me. I’m happy to be back on track, with this kind of chance. This is my dream. You know, I come from Eastern Europe, and had to work very hard to get here. Myself and the Team Manager, Cirano Mularoni, know each other from 2006 in the Humangest Honda 125cc team, and he’s more like a friend to me.”

Debutant Talmacsi will continue alongside Yuki Takahashi for the remainder of the 2009 season, running the number 41 in a ‘switcharound’ of his previous number 14.