Jorge Lorenzo kept the MotoGP title race alive with victory at the Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday as world champion Valentino Rossi crashed out.
Valentino Rossi ploughed into the grass alongside the Indianapolis circuit when he crashed out.
Valentino Rossi ploughed into the grass alongside the Indianapolis circuit when he crashed out.
Rossi saw his lead halved to 25 points with five races remaining as the Italian failed to finish for the first time since 2007.
He went down on lap nine of 28 when battling for the lead with Yamaha teammate Lorenzo, and was able to remount -- but then had to retire two laps later due to his damaged motorcycle.
Lorenzo had started the American race from second on the grid, ahead of Rossi but behind his fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa.
Pedrosa, who won at Laguna Seca in California earlier this year and is fourth overall, suffered a crash on just the fourth lap while still leading.
He picked up his Repsol Honda machine and rejoined the race in last place, but could only finish 10th.
Don't Miss
Lorenzo cruised to victory more than nine seconds clear of Alex de Angelis, who earned his first podium finish after starting fourth on the grid for San Carlo Honda Gresini.
The 22-year-old now has 187 points, behind eight-time world champion Rossi's 212.
"Before this race I was telling the press that it was almost impossible, whereas now I would say it is difficult, but not impossible," Lorenzo told the MotoGP Web site of his title chances.
He was delighted after having himself failed to finish the last two races at Brno and Donington.
"Today the situation has changed completely and now it has happened to Valentino and Dani, unfortunately for them. However, for me, the situation is good," Lorenzo said.
"It was difficult to keep my concentration for 20 laps, because it was a little bit boring. Bit you cannot relax when it is like that because if you think about something else you could crash. Anyway, I had some fun on the last lap and it is a very nice feeling!"
Former world champion Nicky Hayden finished third in his best result since joining Ducati, with the American having finished second in the inaugural Indianapolis event last year before switching teams.
He managed to hold off a late challenge from Andrea Dovizioso, his replacement at Repsol Honda, while American Colin Edwards came home in fifth on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3.
British rider James Toseland equaled his best finish in MotoGP when he claimed sixth for Edwards' team after Italian Marco Melandri crashed late on.
Did Valentino Rossi new that he is going crash? Valentino Rossi put on his best on that game.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
MotoGP racers in Indy aim to give fans better show
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Valentino Rossi will never forget his first motorcycle race in Indianapolis.
Yes, the 30-year-old Italian won last year's rain-shortened event, surviving the gusty winds that sent debris flying across the track's road course. The poor conditions forced competitors to play it safe rather than push the limits - not the way MotoGP organizers wanted to introduce new fans to the sport.
So Rossi, the six-time world champion and current points leader, wants to show Midwestern fans what real international motorcycle racing is like.
"If we have good weather (Sunday), all the people, all the crowd will see another type of show,'' Rossi said before Friday's first practice session. "This track is great, especially because the surface has an incredible grip. We also have some different surfaces during the lap. So I think if we have sun it is a lot more enjoyment than last year.''
Unfortunately for competitors, the rain returned Friday.
It started during a practice round for one of circuit's developmental series, and a steady, light rain persisted while the headliner riders spent an hour fine-tuning their equipment. Spain's Dani Pedrosa, fourth in the points this season, posted the fastest lap on a day rooster tails were commonplace. The Repsol Honda rider finished 2.621-mile course in 1 minute, 51.07 seconds, 84.58 mph.
Rossi, the defending race winner and early favorite, was third. He turned the lap in 1:51.814.
Weather has dominated the talk at the track.
Forecasters are calling for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s for Saturday's qualifying and partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 60s are expected for Sunday's race. The best news: Zero percent chance of rain Sunday.
If it actually plays out that way, the competitors will finally have an opportunity to make a better second impression.
"Last year was difficult for everybody on the track, but it looks like this year it's going to be better,'' Pedrosa said. "So we hope we can have the three races this time and the fans can enjoy all the classes.''
The big question is whether Rossi will be as dominant in good conditions at Indy as he was in the rain.
Last year, Rossi posted the best speed in practice, won the pole and beat American Nicky Hayden by nearly six seconds before the remnants of Hurricane Ike stopped the race early.
This season, Rossi has won five of the first 11 races and holds a 50-point lead over Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, of Spain. Rossi also has won five poles this season and won the series' most recent race in the Czech Republic.
He has enough experience to know what it takes to win - rain or shine.
"When there's a lot of rain, there's a big amount of water on the track, and it's quite dangerous,'' Rossi said. "This track is funny, and a good way from dry. Everybody hopes for a good condition after the bad condition of last year.''
American fans will be following Hayden, the 2006 world champion who competes for the Ducati Team and lives about three hours away in Owensboro, Ky. The only other American expected to make the field is Houston's Colin Edwards of Monster Yamaha Tech 3.
Both have higher expectations, for themselves and the spectators this year.
"Apart from the weather and the cooler styrofoam lids flowing across the track and tents falling over, I think everybody was pretty surprised how many people did show up,'' Edwards said. "This should be should be a lot better.''
SOURCE:
Yes, the 30-year-old Italian won last year's rain-shortened event, surviving the gusty winds that sent debris flying across the track's road course. The poor conditions forced competitors to play it safe rather than push the limits - not the way MotoGP organizers wanted to introduce new fans to the sport.
So Rossi, the six-time world champion and current points leader, wants to show Midwestern fans what real international motorcycle racing is like.
"If we have good weather (Sunday), all the people, all the crowd will see another type of show,'' Rossi said before Friday's first practice session. "This track is great, especially because the surface has an incredible grip. We also have some different surfaces during the lap. So I think if we have sun it is a lot more enjoyment than last year.''
Unfortunately for competitors, the rain returned Friday.
It started during a practice round for one of circuit's developmental series, and a steady, light rain persisted while the headliner riders spent an hour fine-tuning their equipment. Spain's Dani Pedrosa, fourth in the points this season, posted the fastest lap on a day rooster tails were commonplace. The Repsol Honda rider finished 2.621-mile course in 1 minute, 51.07 seconds, 84.58 mph.
Rossi, the defending race winner and early favorite, was third. He turned the lap in 1:51.814.
Weather has dominated the talk at the track.
Forecasters are calling for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s for Saturday's qualifying and partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 60s are expected for Sunday's race. The best news: Zero percent chance of rain Sunday.
If it actually plays out that way, the competitors will finally have an opportunity to make a better second impression.
"Last year was difficult for everybody on the track, but it looks like this year it's going to be better,'' Pedrosa said. "So we hope we can have the three races this time and the fans can enjoy all the classes.''
The big question is whether Rossi will be as dominant in good conditions at Indy as he was in the rain.
Last year, Rossi posted the best speed in practice, won the pole and beat American Nicky Hayden by nearly six seconds before the remnants of Hurricane Ike stopped the race early.
This season, Rossi has won five of the first 11 races and holds a 50-point lead over Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, of Spain. Rossi also has won five poles this season and won the series' most recent race in the Czech Republic.
He has enough experience to know what it takes to win - rain or shine.
"When there's a lot of rain, there's a big amount of water on the track, and it's quite dangerous,'' Rossi said. "This track is funny, and a good way from dry. Everybody hopes for a good condition after the bad condition of last year.''
American fans will be following Hayden, the 2006 world champion who competes for the Ducati Team and lives about three hours away in Owensboro, Ky. The only other American expected to make the field is Houston's Colin Edwards of Monster Yamaha Tech 3.
Both have higher expectations, for themselves and the spectators this year.
"Apart from the weather and the cooler styrofoam lids flowing across the track and tents falling over, I think everybody was pretty surprised how many people did show up,'' Edwards said. "This should be should be a lot better.''
SOURCE:
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Spectacular Indianapolis Grand Prix Awaits MotoGP
he second ever World Championship visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes place this weekend following 2008’s historic inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, with last year’s race-winner Valentino Rossi looking for another victory to augment his standings lead at the twelfth round of the season. It is another special occasion for MotoGP as the event coincides with Indy’s 100th anniversary, the circuit having been constructed in 1909.
In the first ever premier class MotoGP World Championship contest at the famous ‘Brickyard’ last year Rossi took maximum points as he was awarded the win, leading by six seconds when the scheduled 28 lap race was curtailed on the 20th lap, with Nicky Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo placing second and third respectively.
Rossi and his MotoGP rivals will hope for good weather this time out - following last year’s event when the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit raceday at the iconic American venue – with the Italian star hoping to increase his current 50 point championship advantage, on the back of yet another success story in the Czech Republic at the last round.
Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo finished just in front of him on the timesheet in the second and final post-race test of the year on the Monday after the Czech race and the Spaniard will aim to bounce back from his two DNFs at Brno and Donington Park, as he attempts to claw his way back into the title battle with six Grands Prix remaining. Lorenzo is to compete at Indianapolis with his 2010 ride already sorted, following the news that he is to continue with Yamaha for another year.
In the continued absence of the recuperating Casey Stoner, who remains in Australia and is expected back on track at Estoril early in October, the bookies’ favourite to feature on the podium with Rossi and Lorenzo is Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa – who was second in the Brno race and sits fourth in the general classification, 77 points adrift of Rossi.
For Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards the second U.S. visit of the year gives him the chance to consolidate his top five championship position as he attempts to improve on a disappointing 15th place finish in last year’s Indy race. Edwards’ fellow American Hayden - 14th in the championship at present - would love to repeat his 2008 Indianapolis result and get on the podium for the first time with Ducati.
Also aiming for the same goal is Pedrosa’s team-mate and Hayden’s replacement at Honda, Andrea Dovizioso, who just missed out on the rostrum again at Brno and was fifth in the inaugural MotoGP Indianapolis contest last September. Dovizioso lies sixth in the standings, just ahead of Honda satellite counterpart Randy de Puniet who has ridden consistently in 2009 and is due to make a decision soon on where he will ride next year.
Eighth placed Marco Melandri will compete at Indianapolis safe in the knowledge that a ride with San Carlo Honda Gresini has been confirmed for next year, whilst his fellow top ten representatives Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen, of the Rizla Suzuki team, are also likely to confirm their future plans in due course, with both hoping for strong Indy performances.
The weekend will see Finnish rider Mika Kallio continue in the factory Ducati team as Stoner’s temporary replacement, whilst young Spaniard Aleix Espargaró gets an exciting chance to ride for the Pramac Racing team on the satellite Ducati Desmosedici GP9 vacated by Kallio.
250cc
For 250cc standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama and the majority of his World Championship rivals this Sunday’s race will be their first ever at The Brickyard, after last year’s cancellation of the intermediate category’s racing due to the intervention of the aforementioned Hurricane Ike.
With six rounds remaining Aoyama’s closest threat for the championship lead comes from Álvaro Bautista, who has just announced that he will move into MotoGP with Suzuki in 2010. Japanese rider Aoyama could be making the move up to the premier class too, but first comes the business of this year’s World title, with Indianapolis next up.
Scot Racing’s Aoyama, who was fourth at Brno in the last round, holds a 12 point lead over Spaniard Bautista, with the Mapfre Apsar rider having closed the gap slightly with his third place finish in the Czech Republic.
World Champion Marco Simoncelli re-emerged in the title race at Brno with his third victory of the year, as he seeks to defend his crown before joining San Carlo Honda Gresini in MotoGP next year. Simoncelli would have started last year’s 250cc Indy race in pole position had it not been cancelled and he will aim for another high level performance as he seeks to chase down a 32 point deficit against Aoyama.
Héctor Barberá trails Simoncelli by a further 17 points in fourth place in the standings and he qualified in second place last year at Indianapolis, before a serious back injury ended his season prematurely at the subsequent round in Japan. The Spaniard has bravely returned to action this year and earned himself a MotoGP ride with the new Ducati-Aspar team for 2010.
In fifth place in the championship, Italian rider Mattia Pasini has just had a first ever taste of MotoGP himself, riding for Pramac Racing in the Monday test in the Czech Republic – having crossed the line just 0.684s behind compatriot Simoncelli in second position in the 250cc Brno race.
The category’s current top ten also comprises Raffaele de Rosa, Alex Debon, Héctor Faubel, Roberto Locatelli and Thomas Luthi.
125cc
Julián Simón will also make his Indianapolis race debut on Sunday in the 125cc class, having been part of the 2008 250cc field which was unable to race due to the weather conditions.
Nonetheless, the clear title favourite will go into the weekend in a confident mood, having secured his eighth podium of the season last time out in second place in the Czech Republic – which gave him a 54.5 point standings lead with six races remaining. Simón had qualified in tenth place last year at Indy on a 250cc machine, but the Spaniard has proved to be far more effective on 125cc machinery this season.
Nico Terol sits second in the championship behind his countryman and he too will be brimming with self-belief as he heads across the Atlantic Ocean to Indiana. Terol was last year’s 125cc winner in the historic first ever Indianapolis race (a contest also shortened due to the weather) and was victorious in the Czech Republic just over one week ago.
Below Terol in the standings are Simón’s Aspar team-mates Bradley Smith and Sergio Gadea, with Smith eight points behind Terol and Gadea just half a point adrift of the Englishman.
Ongetta Team ISPA’s Andrea Iannone - who is fifth in the championship - saw his rollercoaster season continue with third place in Brno, whilst Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) was fifth in the Czech Republic and will look to repeat or better his 2008 result of second place at Indianapolis. Completing the present 125cc top ten are Sandro Cortese, Marc Márquez, Jonas Folger and Stefan Bradl.
The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix takes place from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th August, with free practice commencing on Friday afternoon.
SOURCE:
In the first ever premier class MotoGP World Championship contest at the famous ‘Brickyard’ last year Rossi took maximum points as he was awarded the win, leading by six seconds when the scheduled 28 lap race was curtailed on the 20th lap, with Nicky Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo placing second and third respectively.
Rossi and his MotoGP rivals will hope for good weather this time out - following last year’s event when the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit raceday at the iconic American venue – with the Italian star hoping to increase his current 50 point championship advantage, on the back of yet another success story in the Czech Republic at the last round.
Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo finished just in front of him on the timesheet in the second and final post-race test of the year on the Monday after the Czech race and the Spaniard will aim to bounce back from his two DNFs at Brno and Donington Park, as he attempts to claw his way back into the title battle with six Grands Prix remaining. Lorenzo is to compete at Indianapolis with his 2010 ride already sorted, following the news that he is to continue with Yamaha for another year.
In the continued absence of the recuperating Casey Stoner, who remains in Australia and is expected back on track at Estoril early in October, the bookies’ favourite to feature on the podium with Rossi and Lorenzo is Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa – who was second in the Brno race and sits fourth in the general classification, 77 points adrift of Rossi.
For Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards the second U.S. visit of the year gives him the chance to consolidate his top five championship position as he attempts to improve on a disappointing 15th place finish in last year’s Indy race. Edwards’ fellow American Hayden - 14th in the championship at present - would love to repeat his 2008 Indianapolis result and get on the podium for the first time with Ducati.
Also aiming for the same goal is Pedrosa’s team-mate and Hayden’s replacement at Honda, Andrea Dovizioso, who just missed out on the rostrum again at Brno and was fifth in the inaugural MotoGP Indianapolis contest last September. Dovizioso lies sixth in the standings, just ahead of Honda satellite counterpart Randy de Puniet who has ridden consistently in 2009 and is due to make a decision soon on where he will ride next year.
Eighth placed Marco Melandri will compete at Indianapolis safe in the knowledge that a ride with San Carlo Honda Gresini has been confirmed for next year, whilst his fellow top ten representatives Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen, of the Rizla Suzuki team, are also likely to confirm their future plans in due course, with both hoping for strong Indy performances.
The weekend will see Finnish rider Mika Kallio continue in the factory Ducati team as Stoner’s temporary replacement, whilst young Spaniard Aleix Espargaró gets an exciting chance to ride for the Pramac Racing team on the satellite Ducati Desmosedici GP9 vacated by Kallio.
250cc
For 250cc standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama and the majority of his World Championship rivals this Sunday’s race will be their first ever at The Brickyard, after last year’s cancellation of the intermediate category’s racing due to the intervention of the aforementioned Hurricane Ike.
With six rounds remaining Aoyama’s closest threat for the championship lead comes from Álvaro Bautista, who has just announced that he will move into MotoGP with Suzuki in 2010. Japanese rider Aoyama could be making the move up to the premier class too, but first comes the business of this year’s World title, with Indianapolis next up.
Scot Racing’s Aoyama, who was fourth at Brno in the last round, holds a 12 point lead over Spaniard Bautista, with the Mapfre Apsar rider having closed the gap slightly with his third place finish in the Czech Republic.
World Champion Marco Simoncelli re-emerged in the title race at Brno with his third victory of the year, as he seeks to defend his crown before joining San Carlo Honda Gresini in MotoGP next year. Simoncelli would have started last year’s 250cc Indy race in pole position had it not been cancelled and he will aim for another high level performance as he seeks to chase down a 32 point deficit against Aoyama.
Héctor Barberá trails Simoncelli by a further 17 points in fourth place in the standings and he qualified in second place last year at Indianapolis, before a serious back injury ended his season prematurely at the subsequent round in Japan. The Spaniard has bravely returned to action this year and earned himself a MotoGP ride with the new Ducati-Aspar team for 2010.
In fifth place in the championship, Italian rider Mattia Pasini has just had a first ever taste of MotoGP himself, riding for Pramac Racing in the Monday test in the Czech Republic – having crossed the line just 0.684s behind compatriot Simoncelli in second position in the 250cc Brno race.
The category’s current top ten also comprises Raffaele de Rosa, Alex Debon, Héctor Faubel, Roberto Locatelli and Thomas Luthi.
125cc
Julián Simón will also make his Indianapolis race debut on Sunday in the 125cc class, having been part of the 2008 250cc field which was unable to race due to the weather conditions.
Nonetheless, the clear title favourite will go into the weekend in a confident mood, having secured his eighth podium of the season last time out in second place in the Czech Republic – which gave him a 54.5 point standings lead with six races remaining. Simón had qualified in tenth place last year at Indy on a 250cc machine, but the Spaniard has proved to be far more effective on 125cc machinery this season.
Nico Terol sits second in the championship behind his countryman and he too will be brimming with self-belief as he heads across the Atlantic Ocean to Indiana. Terol was last year’s 125cc winner in the historic first ever Indianapolis race (a contest also shortened due to the weather) and was victorious in the Czech Republic just over one week ago.
Below Terol in the standings are Simón’s Aspar team-mates Bradley Smith and Sergio Gadea, with Smith eight points behind Terol and Gadea just half a point adrift of the Englishman.
Ongetta Team ISPA’s Andrea Iannone - who is fifth in the championship - saw his rollercoaster season continue with third place in Brno, whilst Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) was fifth in the Czech Republic and will look to repeat or better his 2008 result of second place at Indianapolis. Completing the present 125cc top ten are Sandro Cortese, Marc Márquez, Jonas Folger and Stefan Bradl.
The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix takes place from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th August, with free practice commencing on Friday afternoon.
SOURCE:
Monday, August 17, 2009
MOTOGP Brno MotoGP test times - Monday
Following Sunday's Czech Republic Grand Prix, round eleven of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship, most riders returned to Brno for a day of testing on Monday.
Jorge Lorenzo set the fastest lap time during the morning, with rain showers interrupting the afternoon.
The test was the second and last to be held during the present racing season and saw 250GP star Mattia Pasini making his MotoGP debut for Pramac Ducati, Repsol Honda trying Ohlins suspension and David de Gea testing (and crashing) the Blusens BQR-Honda Moto2 machine.
As well as the sidelined Casey Stoner, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards and James Toseland, LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet and Gresini Honda's Alex de Angelis also skipped the test.
Round twelve of the world championship, the Indianapolis Grand Prix, takes place on August 30.
1. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team min 56.171 sec
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team min 56.622 sec
3. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team min 56.747 sec
4. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP min 57.543 sec
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team min 57.764 sec
6. Toni Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini min 57.841 sec
7. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP min 57.891 sec
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team min 57.928 sec
9. Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team min 58.045 sec
10. Mika Kallio FIN Ducati Marlboro Team min 58.051 sec
11. Niccolo Canepa ITA Pramac Racing min 58.120 sec
12. Gabor Talmacsi HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP min 59.008 sec
13. Mattia Pasini ITA Pramac Racing min 59.614 sec
2009 Czech Republic Grand Prix:
Pole position:
Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha 1min 56.145sec
Fastest race laps by manufacturer:
Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha 1min 56.670sec
Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda 1min 57.228sec
Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki 1min 57.964sec
Mika Kallio FIN Ducati Marlboro (B) 1min 58.105sec
Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team 1min 58.153sec
SOURCE:
Jorge Lorenzo set the fastest lap time during the morning, with rain showers interrupting the afternoon.
The test was the second and last to be held during the present racing season and saw 250GP star Mattia Pasini making his MotoGP debut for Pramac Ducati, Repsol Honda trying Ohlins suspension and David de Gea testing (and crashing) the Blusens BQR-Honda Moto2 machine.
As well as the sidelined Casey Stoner, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards and James Toseland, LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet and Gresini Honda's Alex de Angelis also skipped the test.
Round twelve of the world championship, the Indianapolis Grand Prix, takes place on August 30.
1. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team min 56.171 sec
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team min 56.622 sec
3. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team min 56.747 sec
4. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP min 57.543 sec
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team min 57.764 sec
6. Toni Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini min 57.841 sec
7. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP min 57.891 sec
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team min 57.928 sec
9. Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team min 58.045 sec
10. Mika Kallio FIN Ducati Marlboro Team min 58.051 sec
11. Niccolo Canepa ITA Pramac Racing min 58.120 sec
12. Gabor Talmacsi HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP min 59.008 sec
13. Mattia Pasini ITA Pramac Racing min 59.614 sec
2009 Czech Republic Grand Prix:
Pole position:
Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha 1min 56.145sec
Fastest race laps by manufacturer:
Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha 1min 56.670sec
Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda 1min 57.228sec
Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki 1min 57.964sec
Mika Kallio FIN Ducati Marlboro (B) 1min 58.105sec
Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team 1min 58.153sec
SOURCE:
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Rossi races to MotoGP pole despite Brno fall
World MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi overcame a fall late in qualifying to take pole position for Sunday's Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno.
Valentino Rossi is seeking to extend his championship lead over Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo.
The Italian will head the grid for the fifth time in 11 races this season as he edged out Yamaha teammate and closest title rival Jorge Lorenzo in Saturday's session.
Rossi, who leads the Spaniard by 25 points in the overall standings, clocked a circuit-record time one minute 56.145 seconds on the 21st of his 23 laps after a fierce battle between the two.
He is expected to be fit for Sunday's race despite suffering a minor finger injury when he went down in the closing minutes, sliding along the track after his bike flipped.
"Pole position is great, but the most important thing is that I'm okay after the crash. I have a bit of pain in my right thumb but that's all, so I think I've been quite lucky," Rossi told the MotoGP offical Web site.
"I'll get it checked out later but I don't think it's anything bad. This weekend only one of the front tires is working well for us, which means we only have four for the weekend, so we're putting quite a lot of stress on just a few tires.
"I arrived to brake very deep and just lost the front, it was unlucky. Anyway, we did a great job in the session and being on pole again is important. We have a good race pace and I think it's possible to be competitive tomorrow."
Lorenzo, who set the fastest pace in Friday's practice session, was 0.05 seconds adrift with compatriot Dani Pedrosa third on his Repsol Honda 0.383s behind Rossi.
Toni Elias, who will not be retained by San Carlo Honda Gresini for next season, was fourth ahead of American former world champion Colin Edwards and young Italian Andrea Dovizioso.
Elias and Alex de Angelis will be replaced by Marco Simoncelli and his fellow Italian Marco Melandri, who returns to the team he raced for from 2005-07.
The 27-year-old Melandri was runner-up in the world championship in 2005 but was less successful last year with Ducati and has done well with limited resources at Hayate this season.
Rounding out the top-10 on Saturday were De Angelis, Ducati's former world champion Nicky Hayden of the U.S., Italian Loris Capirossi on a Suzuki and Finland's Mika Kallio -- despite a crash in his stint as a temporary stand-in rider for Ducati.
SOURCE:
Valentino Rossi is seeking to extend his championship lead over Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo.
The Italian will head the grid for the fifth time in 11 races this season as he edged out Yamaha teammate and closest title rival Jorge Lorenzo in Saturday's session.
Rossi, who leads the Spaniard by 25 points in the overall standings, clocked a circuit-record time one minute 56.145 seconds on the 21st of his 23 laps after a fierce battle between the two.
He is expected to be fit for Sunday's race despite suffering a minor finger injury when he went down in the closing minutes, sliding along the track after his bike flipped.
"Pole position is great, but the most important thing is that I'm okay after the crash. I have a bit of pain in my right thumb but that's all, so I think I've been quite lucky," Rossi told the MotoGP offical Web site.
"I'll get it checked out later but I don't think it's anything bad. This weekend only one of the front tires is working well for us, which means we only have four for the weekend, so we're putting quite a lot of stress on just a few tires.
"I arrived to brake very deep and just lost the front, it was unlucky. Anyway, we did a great job in the session and being on pole again is important. We have a good race pace and I think it's possible to be competitive tomorrow."
Lorenzo, who set the fastest pace in Friday's practice session, was 0.05 seconds adrift with compatriot Dani Pedrosa third on his Repsol Honda 0.383s behind Rossi.
Toni Elias, who will not be retained by San Carlo Honda Gresini for next season, was fourth ahead of American former world champion Colin Edwards and young Italian Andrea Dovizioso.
Elias and Alex de Angelis will be replaced by Marco Simoncelli and his fellow Italian Marco Melandri, who returns to the team he raced for from 2005-07.
The 27-year-old Melandri was runner-up in the world championship in 2005 but was less successful last year with Ducati and has done well with limited resources at Hayate this season.
Rounding out the top-10 on Saturday were De Angelis, Ducati's former world champion Nicky Hayden of the U.S., Italian Loris Capirossi on a Suzuki and Finland's Mika Kallio -- despite a crash in his stint as a temporary stand-in rider for Ducati.
SOURCE:
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sick Stoner forced out of MotoGP races
Australian Stoner, the 2007 champion, has been suffering from severe fatigue since the Grand Prix of Catalunya in June -- and was a dismal 14th in the British round at Donington in his last race.
Doctors have now advised the 23-year-old Marlboro Ducati rider, who lies third in the standings behind Fiat Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, to sit out the next three rounds beginning at the Czech MotoGP in Brno this Sunday.
Stoner told the official MotoGP Web site: "After five extremely difficult races due to my health, I have returned to Australia to visit the sports doctors who have looked after me for many years.
"We have taken the difficult decision not to contest the next three rounds of the championship, to allow my body time to recover from the recent stress.
"The doctors believe that during the Barcelona race I was suffering from a virus, and that I subsequently pushed my body too hard, leading to problems that have caused my fatigue since then.
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"The doctors are continuing with many tests to try to understand these problems and make sure it does not happen again. I have spoken with Ducati and thank them for their understanding at this time.
"I feel very sorry for the factory, my team, my sponsors and the fans and I am also disappointed because the bike in the last few races has been very competitive. I will be doing everything possible to come back at full strength for Portugal."
His place, alongside Nicky Hayden in the factory Ducati side, will be taken by Finnish rider Mika Kallio, who has been competing for the Pramac Ducati team.
SOURCE:
Doctors have now advised the 23-year-old Marlboro Ducati rider, who lies third in the standings behind Fiat Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, to sit out the next three rounds beginning at the Czech MotoGP in Brno this Sunday.
Stoner told the official MotoGP Web site: "After five extremely difficult races due to my health, I have returned to Australia to visit the sports doctors who have looked after me for many years.
"We have taken the difficult decision not to contest the next three rounds of the championship, to allow my body time to recover from the recent stress.
"The doctors believe that during the Barcelona race I was suffering from a virus, and that I subsequently pushed my body too hard, leading to problems that have caused my fatigue since then.
Don't Miss
"The doctors are continuing with many tests to try to understand these problems and make sure it does not happen again. I have spoken with Ducati and thank them for their understanding at this time.
"I feel very sorry for the factory, my team, my sponsors and the fans and I am also disappointed because the bike in the last few races has been very competitive. I will be doing everything possible to come back at full strength for Portugal."
His place, alongside Nicky Hayden in the factory Ducati side, will be taken by Finnish rider Mika Kallio, who has been competing for the Pramac Ducati team.
SOURCE:
Friday, August 7, 2009
Dorna claims it would not be concerned if Silverstone hosted the British MotoGP and F1 events next season.
Having apparently lost the F1 grand prix to Donington Park from 2010, Silverstone helped engineer a switch in the other direction for MotoGP - making it Silverstone's new headline event.
However, with Donington a long way from finishing the extensive track and infrastructure modifications needed for F1, it would be far from surprising if F1 stayed at Silverstone next season - when the first MotoGP event at the Northamptonshire track since 1986 will be held on a modified version of the present F1 circuit.
When asked about the possibility of Silverstone hosting both F1 and MotoGP next year, Dorna managing director Javier Alonso insisted he had 'no concerns' about such a scenario.
The only venues both MotoGP and F1 currently race at are Sepang (Malaysia) and the Circuit de Catalunya (Spain), but Alonso stated that the decision to leave Donington for Silverstone had not been made simply to avoid 'sharing' with F1.
“We started talking about [Silverstone] nearly three years ago,” he revealed. “We've been going to Donington for 23 years now, and we believed we had to make a change.
“We've been growing MotoGP at Donington for the last five, six or seven years and we believed this was the right time for a change.”
Dorna now wants MotoGP to stay at Silverstone for the foreseeable future.
“We like long contracts. We have a five-year deal at the moment, but we really like to be at places for long periods of time,” said Alonso. “It helps to grow the sport in the country.”
Silverstone previously hosted the British motorcycle grand prix round from 1977 to 1986.
SOURCE:
Having apparently lost the F1 grand prix to Donington Park from 2010, Silverstone helped engineer a switch in the other direction for MotoGP - making it Silverstone's new headline event.
However, with Donington a long way from finishing the extensive track and infrastructure modifications needed for F1, it would be far from surprising if F1 stayed at Silverstone next season - when the first MotoGP event at the Northamptonshire track since 1986 will be held on a modified version of the present F1 circuit.
When asked about the possibility of Silverstone hosting both F1 and MotoGP next year, Dorna managing director Javier Alonso insisted he had 'no concerns' about such a scenario.
The only venues both MotoGP and F1 currently race at are Sepang (Malaysia) and the Circuit de Catalunya (Spain), but Alonso stated that the decision to leave Donington for Silverstone had not been made simply to avoid 'sharing' with F1.
“We started talking about [Silverstone] nearly three years ago,” he revealed. “We've been going to Donington for 23 years now, and we believed we had to make a change.
“We've been growing MotoGP at Donington for the last five, six or seven years and we believed this was the right time for a change.”
Dorna now wants MotoGP to stay at Silverstone for the foreseeable future.
“We like long contracts. We have a five-year deal at the moment, but we really like to be at places for long periods of time,” said Alonso. “It helps to grow the sport in the country.”
Silverstone previously hosted the British motorcycle grand prix round from 1977 to 1986.
SOURCE:
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Chris Vermeulen to teach Prince Harry to ride!
Prince Harry has asked MotoGP star Chris Vermeulen for riding tips after meeting him at the British MotoGP round.
Vermeulen’s mother told the Brisbane Times the Rizla Suzuki rider invited the bike-mad Royal to the Donington MotoGP round after seeing a picture of Harry riding his Triumph Daytona 675 wearing a Vermeulen-replica Shoei X-Spirit helmet.
Julie Vermeulen told the local newspaper: Harry's asked him to give him some lessons. He's got a Triumph he rides and he looking at getting a Ducati."
Chris Vermeulen also handed Prince Harry the helmet he wore for his 13th-place finish at the Donington race, plus another to give to his older brother Prince William – to keep the peace in the Royal household!
She added that a date hasn’t been set for the one-to-one training, but it will take place on a UK circuit.
SOURCE:
Vermeulen’s mother told the Brisbane Times the Rizla Suzuki rider invited the bike-mad Royal to the Donington MotoGP round after seeing a picture of Harry riding his Triumph Daytona 675 wearing a Vermeulen-replica Shoei X-Spirit helmet.
Julie Vermeulen told the local newspaper: Harry's asked him to give him some lessons. He's got a Triumph he rides and he looking at getting a Ducati."
Chris Vermeulen also handed Prince Harry the helmet he wore for his 13th-place finish at the Donington race, plus another to give to his older brother Prince William – to keep the peace in the Royal household!
She added that a date hasn’t been set for the one-to-one training, but it will take place on a UK circuit.
SOURCE:
Monday, August 3, 2009
MotoGP mid-season stats.
With ten of 17 rounds gone, the 2009 MotoGP World Championship is currently enjoying its summer break before round eleven begins at Brno on August 16.
Here are some stats from the season so far...
Note that Pramac’s Mika Kallio missed Laguna Seca due to injury; Sete Gibernau started six races before the Grupo Francisco Hernando team folded; Yuki Takahashi made seven starts before being dropped by Scot Honda; Gabor Talmacsi has made five race starts for Scot and Toni Elias has a factory spec RCV21V at Honda Gresini.
Le Mans and Mugello saw the whole grid change bikes during the race, while a handful of riders changed bikes at Donington Park. Qualifying at Motegi was cancelled due to bad weather and free practice times used to determine the grid.
Wins, Podiums, Poles and Fastest Laps.
The stats that matter most. Ranking by championship order.
1. Valentino Rossi: 4 (wins) 8 (podiums) 4 (poles) 3 ('laps)
2. Jorge Lorenzo: 2 (wins) 8 (podiums) 4 (poles) 2 ('laps)
3. Casey Stoner: 2 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 2 ('laps)
4. Dani Pedrosa: 1 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 3 ('laps)
5. Colin Edwards: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
6. Andrea Dovizioso: 1 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
7. Marco Melandri: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
8. Randy de Puniet: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
9. Chris Vermeulen: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
10. Loris Capirossi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
11. Alex de Angelis: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
12. James Toseland: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
13. Nicky Hayden: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
14. Toni Elias: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
15. Mika Kallio: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
16. Niccolo Canepa: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
16. Sete Gibernau: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
18. Yuki Takahashi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
2009 Summary:
Most race wins: Valentino Rossi (4)
Most podiums: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo (8)
Most poles: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo (4)
Most fastest laps: Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa (3)
Different race winners: 5
Different podium finishers: 8
Different pole position qualifiers: 4
Different riders with a fastest lap: 4
How close is the 2009 competition?
Closest, largest and average figures for pole position, race victory, top 3 and top 10 for 2009 rounds so far, the first season of a single-tyre rule. Figures for previous 800cc seasons also given
2009 - victories:
Closest race victory: 0.095sec (Rossi - Catalunya)
Largest race victory: 17.710sec (Lorenzo - Le Mans)
Average victory margin: 3.775sec
2008:
Closest race victory (full season): 1.817sec (Lorenzo - Estoril)
Largest race victory (full season): 15.004sec (Rossi - Brno)
Average victory margin (full season): 5.428sec
2007:
Average victory margin (full season):5.748sec
2009 - Top 3:
Closest top 3 finish: 1.600sec (Dovizioso, Edwards, de Puniet - Donington)
Largest top 3 finish: 23.113sec (Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner - Assen)
Average top 3 finish: 9.091sec
2008:
Closest top 3 finish (full season): 3.343sec (Pedrosa, Rossi, Stoner - Catalunya)
Largest top 3 finish (full season): 26.609sec (Rossi, Stoner, Vermeulen - Laguna Seca)
Average top 3 finish (full season): 11.041sec
2007:
Average top 3 finish (full season): 11.041sec (the same as 2008)
2009 - Top 10:
Closest top 10 finish: 34.814sec (Mugello)
Largest top 10 finish:53.218sec (Le Mans)
Average top 10 finish: 43.615sec
2008:
Closest top 10 finish (full season): 25.516sec (Sepang)
Largest top 10 finish (full season):89.275sec (Sachsenring)
Average top 10 finish (full season): 40.356sec
2007:
Average top 10 finish (full season): 44.788sec
2009 - Pole positions:
Closest pole position: 0.005sec (Pedrosa - Le Mans)
Largest pole position: 0.640sec (Rossi - Sachsenring)
Average pole margin: 0.161sec
2008:
Closest pole position (full season): 0.032sec (Stoner - Assen)
Largest pole position (full season): 1.189sec (Stoner - Brno)
Average pole margin (full season): 0.328sec
2007:
Average pole margin (full season): 0.215sec
2009 Factory v Satellite.
Wins, podiums, poles and fastest laps for factory riders compared with satellite riders. Factory riders were classed as those riding for a factory team.
Factory riders: 10 (wins) 27 (podiums) 10 (poles) 10 ('laps)
Satellite riders: 0 (wins) 3 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
Average qualifying position for the top satellite rider in a 2009 grand prix: 6th
In 2008 (full season): 4th
Average race position for the top satellite rider at a 2009 grand prix: 5th
In 2008 (full season): 4th
Average time difference between the top factory rider and the top satellite rider during 2009 qualifying: 0.905sec
In 2008 (full season): 0.623sec
In 2007 (full season): 0.713sec
Average time difference between the top factory rider and the top satellite rider at the end of a 2009 race: 23.208sec
In 2008 (full season): 17.611sec
In 2007 (full season): 19.462sec
2009 Team-mate v Team-mate
Team-mate vs. team-mate in terms of who finished higher in qualifying and race results. Only events where both riders were present are included. If both riders failed to finish, both received 0. Ranking by least difference, shown in brackets.
1. Repsol Honda:
Qualifying: Pedrosa 6 - Dovizioso 4 (2)
Race: Pedrosa 5 - Dovizioso 4 (1)
2. Fiat Yamaha:
Qualifying: Rossi 5 - Lorenzo 5 (0)
Race: Rossi 7 - Lorenzo 3 (4)
3. Rizla Suzuki:
Qualifying: Capirossi 6 - Vermeulen 4 (2)
Race: Capirossi 6 - Vermeulen 4 (2)
4. San Carlo Honda Gresini:
Qualifying: de Angelis 3 - Elias 7 (4)
Race: de Angelis 6 - Elias 4 (2)
5. Pramac Racing:
Qualifying: Kallio 8 - Canepa 1 (7)
Race: Kallio 3 - Canepa 6 (3)
6. Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Qualifying: Edwards 10 - Toseland (10)
Race: Edwards 9 - Toseland 1 (8)
7. Ducati Marlboro:
Qualifying: Stoner 10 - Hayden (10)
Race: Stoner 10 - Hayden 0 (10)
Team Scot, Grupo Francisco Hernando, Hayate and LCR Honda one-rider teams
Satellite stars.
Top satellite rider in 2009 races to date:
1. Colin Edwards: 4 times
=2. Marco Melandri: 2 times
=2. Alex de Angelis: 2 times
=4. Randy de Puniet: 1 time
=4. Toni Elias: 1 time
=6. James Toseland: 0
=6. Mika Kallio: 0
=6. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=6. Sete Gibernau: 0
=6. Yuki Takahashi: 0
=6. Gabor Talmacsi: 0
Top satellite rider in 2009 qualifying:
1. Colin Edwards: 4 times
2. Randy de Puniet: 3 times
3. Toni Elias: 2 times
4. Alex de Angelis: 1 time
=5. Marco Melandri: 0
=5. James Toseland: 0
=5. Mika Kallio: 0
=5. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=5. Sete Gibernau: 0
=5. Yuki Takahashi: 0
=5. Gabor Talmacsi: 0
2009 v 2008.
Who is doing better this year than last? Whose 2009 team change turned bad? 2009 v 2008 for wins, podiums, championship position and points after the first ten rounds of both seasons. Ranking by points improvement.
Key: +1 means one more than at same point in 2008, = means the same number as in 2008, -1 means one less than in 2008 etc
1. Jorge Lorenzo: +1 (wins) +4 (podiums) +2 (championship) +48 (points)
2. Marco Melandri: = (wins) +1 (podiums) +9 (championship) +47 (points)
3. Randy de Puniet: = (wins) +1 (podiums) +9 (championship) +44 (points)
4. Alex de Angelis: = (wins) = (podiums) +1 (championship) +22 (points)
5. Toni Elias: = (wins) = (podiums) -1 (championship) +10 (points)
6. Loris Capirossi: = (wins) = (podiums) +1 (championship) +6 (points)
7. Colin Edwards: = (wins) -1 (podiums) = (championship) +5 ('points)
8. Andrea Dovizioso: +1 (wins) +1 (podiums) = (championship) +4 (points)
9. Valentino Rossi: +1 (wins) = (podiums) = (championship) = (points)
10. Chris Vermeulen: = (wins) -1 (podiums) -2 (championship) -6 (points)
11. James Toseland: = (wins) = (podiums) -3 (championship) -10 (points)
12. Casey Stoner: -2 (wins) -2 (podiums) = (championship) -17 (points)
13. Nicky Hayden: = (wins) = (podiums) -5 (championship) -26 (points)
14. Dani Pedrosa: -1 (wins) -3 (podiums) -2 (championship) -56 (points)
Best and worst 2009 race finish.
Best and worst race finish of the year so far for each rider, not including DNFs. Ranking order decided by best race finish, then worst.
1. Jorge Lorenzo: 1st - 3rd
2. Andrea Dovizioso: 1st - 8th
3. Dani Pedrosa: 1st - 11th
4. Casey Stoner: 1st - 14th
5. Valentino Rossi: 1st - 16th
6. Colin Edwards: 2nd - 12th
7. Marco Melandri: 2nd - 14th
8. Randy de Puniet: 3rd - 14th
9. Alex de Angelis: 4th - 15th
10. Loris Capirossi: 5th - 11th
11. Chris Vermeulen: 5th - 13th
12. Nicky Hayden: 5th - 15th
13. Toni Elias: 6th - 15th
14. James Toseland: 6th - 16th
15. Mika Kallio: 8th - 14th
16. Niccolo Canepa: 8th - 17th
17. Sete Gibernau: 11th - 15th
18. Yuki Takahashi: 12th - 15th
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 12th - 17th
Best and worst 2009 qualifying.
Best and worst qualifying positions of the year so far. Ranking order decided by best qualifying, then worst.
1. Jorge Lorenzo: 1st - 3rd
=2. Valentino Rossi: 1st - 4th
=2. Casey Stoner: 1st - 4th
4. Dani Pedrosa: 1st - 14th
5. Loris Capirossi: 3rd -14th
6. Andrea Dovizioso: 4th - 11th
7. Chris Vermeulen: 4th - 13th
8. Nicky Hayden: 4th - 16th
9. Colin Edwards: 5th - 7th
10. Randy de Puniet: 5th - 16th
11. Alex de Angelis: 5th - 16th
12. Toni Elias: 5th - 17th
13. Marco Melandri: 7th - 17th
14. James Toseland: 9th - 15th
15. Mika Kallio: 10th - 17th
16. Yuki Takahashi: 10th - 18th
17. Sete Gibernau: 12th - 16th
18. Niccolo Canepa: 13th - 18th
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 16th - 19th
2009 DNFs.
'To finish first, first you must finish'. This shows the number of times a rider has failed to reach the finish so far in 2009. 0 means a rider finished every race he started. Ranking by least DNFs, then number of race starts.
=1. Valentino Rossi: 0
=1. Casey Stoner: 0
=1. Colin Edwards: 0
=1. Marco Melandri: 0
=1. Chris Vermeulen: 0
=1. Alex de Angelis: 0
=1. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=8. Randy de Puniet: 1
=8. James Toseland: 1
=8. Nicky Hayden: 1
11. Gabor Talmacsi: 1*
=12. Jorge Lorenzo: 2
=12. Dani Pedrosa: 2
=12. Loris Capirossi: 2
=12. Toni Elias: 2
16. Sete Gibernau: 2*
17. Andrea Dovizioso: 3
18. Mika Kallio: 3*
19. Yuki Takahashi: 3*
* Did not take part in all 10 rounds.
Bike v Bike.
2009 tally of wins, podiums, poles and fastest laps for each bike so far this year. Ranking by wins, then podiums etc
1. Yamaha YZR-M1: 6 (wins) 17 (podiums) 8 (poles) 5 ('laps)
2. Honda RC212V: 2 (wins) 7 (podiums) 1 (poles) 3 ('laps)
3. Ducati Desmosedici GP9: 2 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 2 ('laps)
4. Kawasaki ZX-RR: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
5. Suzuki GSV-R: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
SOURCE:
Here are some stats from the season so far...
Note that Pramac’s Mika Kallio missed Laguna Seca due to injury; Sete Gibernau started six races before the Grupo Francisco Hernando team folded; Yuki Takahashi made seven starts before being dropped by Scot Honda; Gabor Talmacsi has made five race starts for Scot and Toni Elias has a factory spec RCV21V at Honda Gresini.
Le Mans and Mugello saw the whole grid change bikes during the race, while a handful of riders changed bikes at Donington Park. Qualifying at Motegi was cancelled due to bad weather and free practice times used to determine the grid.
Wins, Podiums, Poles and Fastest Laps.
The stats that matter most. Ranking by championship order.
1. Valentino Rossi: 4 (wins) 8 (podiums) 4 (poles) 3 ('laps)
2. Jorge Lorenzo: 2 (wins) 8 (podiums) 4 (poles) 2 ('laps)
3. Casey Stoner: 2 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 2 ('laps)
4. Dani Pedrosa: 1 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 3 ('laps)
5. Colin Edwards: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
6. Andrea Dovizioso: 1 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
7. Marco Melandri: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
8. Randy de Puniet: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
9. Chris Vermeulen: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
10. Loris Capirossi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
11. Alex de Angelis: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
12. James Toseland: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
13. Nicky Hayden: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
14. Toni Elias: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
15. Mika Kallio: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
16. Niccolo Canepa: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
16. Sete Gibernau: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
18. Yuki Takahashi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
2009 Summary:
Most race wins: Valentino Rossi (4)
Most podiums: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo (8)
Most poles: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo (4)
Most fastest laps: Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa (3)
Different race winners: 5
Different podium finishers: 8
Different pole position qualifiers: 4
Different riders with a fastest lap: 4
How close is the 2009 competition?
Closest, largest and average figures for pole position, race victory, top 3 and top 10 for 2009 rounds so far, the first season of a single-tyre rule. Figures for previous 800cc seasons also given
2009 - victories:
Closest race victory: 0.095sec (Rossi - Catalunya)
Largest race victory: 17.710sec (Lorenzo - Le Mans)
Average victory margin: 3.775sec
2008:
Closest race victory (full season): 1.817sec (Lorenzo - Estoril)
Largest race victory (full season): 15.004sec (Rossi - Brno)
Average victory margin (full season): 5.428sec
2007:
Average victory margin (full season):5.748sec
2009 - Top 3:
Closest top 3 finish: 1.600sec (Dovizioso, Edwards, de Puniet - Donington)
Largest top 3 finish: 23.113sec (Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner - Assen)
Average top 3 finish: 9.091sec
2008:
Closest top 3 finish (full season): 3.343sec (Pedrosa, Rossi, Stoner - Catalunya)
Largest top 3 finish (full season): 26.609sec (Rossi, Stoner, Vermeulen - Laguna Seca)
Average top 3 finish (full season): 11.041sec
2007:
Average top 3 finish (full season): 11.041sec (the same as 2008)
2009 - Top 10:
Closest top 10 finish: 34.814sec (Mugello)
Largest top 10 finish:53.218sec (Le Mans)
Average top 10 finish: 43.615sec
2008:
Closest top 10 finish (full season): 25.516sec (Sepang)
Largest top 10 finish (full season):89.275sec (Sachsenring)
Average top 10 finish (full season): 40.356sec
2007:
Average top 10 finish (full season): 44.788sec
2009 - Pole positions:
Closest pole position: 0.005sec (Pedrosa - Le Mans)
Largest pole position: 0.640sec (Rossi - Sachsenring)
Average pole margin: 0.161sec
2008:
Closest pole position (full season): 0.032sec (Stoner - Assen)
Largest pole position (full season): 1.189sec (Stoner - Brno)
Average pole margin (full season): 0.328sec
2007:
Average pole margin (full season): 0.215sec
2009 Factory v Satellite.
Wins, podiums, poles and fastest laps for factory riders compared with satellite riders. Factory riders were classed as those riding for a factory team.
Factory riders: 10 (wins) 27 (podiums) 10 (poles) 10 ('laps)
Satellite riders: 0 (wins) 3 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
Average qualifying position for the top satellite rider in a 2009 grand prix: 6th
In 2008 (full season): 4th
Average race position for the top satellite rider at a 2009 grand prix: 5th
In 2008 (full season): 4th
Average time difference between the top factory rider and the top satellite rider during 2009 qualifying: 0.905sec
In 2008 (full season): 0.623sec
In 2007 (full season): 0.713sec
Average time difference between the top factory rider and the top satellite rider at the end of a 2009 race: 23.208sec
In 2008 (full season): 17.611sec
In 2007 (full season): 19.462sec
2009 Team-mate v Team-mate
Team-mate vs. team-mate in terms of who finished higher in qualifying and race results. Only events where both riders were present are included. If both riders failed to finish, both received 0. Ranking by least difference, shown in brackets.
1. Repsol Honda:
Qualifying: Pedrosa 6 - Dovizioso 4 (2)
Race: Pedrosa 5 - Dovizioso 4 (1)
2. Fiat Yamaha:
Qualifying: Rossi 5 - Lorenzo 5 (0)
Race: Rossi 7 - Lorenzo 3 (4)
3. Rizla Suzuki:
Qualifying: Capirossi 6 - Vermeulen 4 (2)
Race: Capirossi 6 - Vermeulen 4 (2)
4. San Carlo Honda Gresini:
Qualifying: de Angelis 3 - Elias 7 (4)
Race: de Angelis 6 - Elias 4 (2)
5. Pramac Racing:
Qualifying: Kallio 8 - Canepa 1 (7)
Race: Kallio 3 - Canepa 6 (3)
6. Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Qualifying: Edwards 10 - Toseland (10)
Race: Edwards 9 - Toseland 1 (8)
7. Ducati Marlboro:
Qualifying: Stoner 10 - Hayden (10)
Race: Stoner 10 - Hayden 0 (10)
Team Scot, Grupo Francisco Hernando, Hayate and LCR Honda one-rider teams
Satellite stars.
Top satellite rider in 2009 races to date:
1. Colin Edwards: 4 times
=2. Marco Melandri: 2 times
=2. Alex de Angelis: 2 times
=4. Randy de Puniet: 1 time
=4. Toni Elias: 1 time
=6. James Toseland: 0
=6. Mika Kallio: 0
=6. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=6. Sete Gibernau: 0
=6. Yuki Takahashi: 0
=6. Gabor Talmacsi: 0
Top satellite rider in 2009 qualifying:
1. Colin Edwards: 4 times
2. Randy de Puniet: 3 times
3. Toni Elias: 2 times
4. Alex de Angelis: 1 time
=5. Marco Melandri: 0
=5. James Toseland: 0
=5. Mika Kallio: 0
=5. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=5. Sete Gibernau: 0
=5. Yuki Takahashi: 0
=5. Gabor Talmacsi: 0
2009 v 2008.
Who is doing better this year than last? Whose 2009 team change turned bad? 2009 v 2008 for wins, podiums, championship position and points after the first ten rounds of both seasons. Ranking by points improvement.
Key: +1 means one more than at same point in 2008, = means the same number as in 2008, -1 means one less than in 2008 etc
1. Jorge Lorenzo: +1 (wins) +4 (podiums) +2 (championship) +48 (points)
2. Marco Melandri: = (wins) +1 (podiums) +9 (championship) +47 (points)
3. Randy de Puniet: = (wins) +1 (podiums) +9 (championship) +44 (points)
4. Alex de Angelis: = (wins) = (podiums) +1 (championship) +22 (points)
5. Toni Elias: = (wins) = (podiums) -1 (championship) +10 (points)
6. Loris Capirossi: = (wins) = (podiums) +1 (championship) +6 (points)
7. Colin Edwards: = (wins) -1 (podiums) = (championship) +5 ('points)
8. Andrea Dovizioso: +1 (wins) +1 (podiums) = (championship) +4 (points)
9. Valentino Rossi: +1 (wins) = (podiums) = (championship) = (points)
10. Chris Vermeulen: = (wins) -1 (podiums) -2 (championship) -6 (points)
11. James Toseland: = (wins) = (podiums) -3 (championship) -10 (points)
12. Casey Stoner: -2 (wins) -2 (podiums) = (championship) -17 (points)
13. Nicky Hayden: = (wins) = (podiums) -5 (championship) -26 (points)
14. Dani Pedrosa: -1 (wins) -3 (podiums) -2 (championship) -56 (points)
Best and worst 2009 race finish.
Best and worst race finish of the year so far for each rider, not including DNFs. Ranking order decided by best race finish, then worst.
1. Jorge Lorenzo: 1st - 3rd
2. Andrea Dovizioso: 1st - 8th
3. Dani Pedrosa: 1st - 11th
4. Casey Stoner: 1st - 14th
5. Valentino Rossi: 1st - 16th
6. Colin Edwards: 2nd - 12th
7. Marco Melandri: 2nd - 14th
8. Randy de Puniet: 3rd - 14th
9. Alex de Angelis: 4th - 15th
10. Loris Capirossi: 5th - 11th
11. Chris Vermeulen: 5th - 13th
12. Nicky Hayden: 5th - 15th
13. Toni Elias: 6th - 15th
14. James Toseland: 6th - 16th
15. Mika Kallio: 8th - 14th
16. Niccolo Canepa: 8th - 17th
17. Sete Gibernau: 11th - 15th
18. Yuki Takahashi: 12th - 15th
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 12th - 17th
Best and worst 2009 qualifying.
Best and worst qualifying positions of the year so far. Ranking order decided by best qualifying, then worst.
1. Jorge Lorenzo: 1st - 3rd
=2. Valentino Rossi: 1st - 4th
=2. Casey Stoner: 1st - 4th
4. Dani Pedrosa: 1st - 14th
5. Loris Capirossi: 3rd -14th
6. Andrea Dovizioso: 4th - 11th
7. Chris Vermeulen: 4th - 13th
8. Nicky Hayden: 4th - 16th
9. Colin Edwards: 5th - 7th
10. Randy de Puniet: 5th - 16th
11. Alex de Angelis: 5th - 16th
12. Toni Elias: 5th - 17th
13. Marco Melandri: 7th - 17th
14. James Toseland: 9th - 15th
15. Mika Kallio: 10th - 17th
16. Yuki Takahashi: 10th - 18th
17. Sete Gibernau: 12th - 16th
18. Niccolo Canepa: 13th - 18th
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 16th - 19th
2009 DNFs.
'To finish first, first you must finish'. This shows the number of times a rider has failed to reach the finish so far in 2009. 0 means a rider finished every race he started. Ranking by least DNFs, then number of race starts.
=1. Valentino Rossi: 0
=1. Casey Stoner: 0
=1. Colin Edwards: 0
=1. Marco Melandri: 0
=1. Chris Vermeulen: 0
=1. Alex de Angelis: 0
=1. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=8. Randy de Puniet: 1
=8. James Toseland: 1
=8. Nicky Hayden: 1
11. Gabor Talmacsi: 1*
=12. Jorge Lorenzo: 2
=12. Dani Pedrosa: 2
=12. Loris Capirossi: 2
=12. Toni Elias: 2
16. Sete Gibernau: 2*
17. Andrea Dovizioso: 3
18. Mika Kallio: 3*
19. Yuki Takahashi: 3*
* Did not take part in all 10 rounds.
Bike v Bike.
2009 tally of wins, podiums, poles and fastest laps for each bike so far this year. Ranking by wins, then podiums etc
1. Yamaha YZR-M1: 6 (wins) 17 (podiums) 8 (poles) 5 ('laps)
2. Honda RC212V: 2 (wins) 7 (podiums) 1 (poles) 3 ('laps)
3. Ducati Desmosedici GP9: 2 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 2 ('laps)
4. Kawasaki ZX-RR: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
5. Suzuki GSV-R: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
SOURCE:
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Dovizioso wins maiden MotoGP race
Andrea Dovizioso claimed his first top-level race victory during an incident-packed British MotoGP which saw motorcyling's top riders struggle in the wet at
Andrea Dovioso claimed his first race victory in only his second season of competing in MotoGP.
The 23-year-old Italian came home 1.360 seconds ahead of American veteran Colin Edwards after championship leader Valentino Rossi and his Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo both slipped off the slippery circuit.
Pole-sitter Rossi came off his bike when leading with 11 of the 30 laps to go, but was able to keep it running and resume the race. The Italian dropped back to 11th place but stormed through the field to finish fifth and extend his lead to 25 points.
Rossi's nearest title rival Lorenzo had a more spectacular fall after appearing to go too wide at a corner and slipping on the white line and skidding on his back across the track, ending his race.
The Ducati teammates were more than a lap behind Dovizioso after making the mistake of going with full wet tires from the start of the race despite a lack of heavy rainfall.
Frenchman Randy de Puniet took third place for LCR Honda as both he and Edwards finished on the podium for the first time this season, while Alex de Angelis placed fourth for San Carlo Honda Gresini.
Rossi had a thrilling late duel with home hope James Toseland, eventually finishing less than a second ahead of Edwards' Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate.
Marco Melandri was seventh for Hayate Racing ahead of Pramac's Niccolo Canepa, while Dani Pedrosa remained in fourth place overall after finishing ninth despite starting second on the grid.
Edwards revealed that he was just glad to finish the race, which was the last MotoGP event to be held at Donington.
"That was 48 minutes of hell. I wouldn't wish that race on my worst enemy," he said. "Every corner you didn't know if you were going to fall off or not as half the circuit was wet and half of it dry. I did not enjoy that at all.
"But I have a new tactic for riding in the wet. I now use a dark visor so you can't see where the wet patches are, as everyone rides faster when they can't see where they're going."
SOURCE:
Andrea Dovioso claimed his first race victory in only his second season of competing in MotoGP.
The 23-year-old Italian came home 1.360 seconds ahead of American veteran Colin Edwards after championship leader Valentino Rossi and his Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo both slipped off the slippery circuit.
Pole-sitter Rossi came off his bike when leading with 11 of the 30 laps to go, but was able to keep it running and resume the race. The Italian dropped back to 11th place but stormed through the field to finish fifth and extend his lead to 25 points.
Rossi's nearest title rival Lorenzo had a more spectacular fall after appearing to go too wide at a corner and slipping on the white line and skidding on his back across the track, ending his race.
The Ducati teammates were more than a lap behind Dovizioso after making the mistake of going with full wet tires from the start of the race despite a lack of heavy rainfall.
Frenchman Randy de Puniet took third place for LCR Honda as both he and Edwards finished on the podium for the first time this season, while Alex de Angelis placed fourth for San Carlo Honda Gresini.
Rossi had a thrilling late duel with home hope James Toseland, eventually finishing less than a second ahead of Edwards' Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate.
Marco Melandri was seventh for Hayate Racing ahead of Pramac's Niccolo Canepa, while Dani Pedrosa remained in fourth place overall after finishing ninth despite starting second on the grid.
Edwards revealed that he was just glad to finish the race, which was the last MotoGP event to be held at Donington.
"That was 48 minutes of hell. I wouldn't wish that race on my worst enemy," he said. "Every corner you didn't know if you were going to fall off or not as half the circuit was wet and half of it dry. I did not enjoy that at all.
"But I have a new tactic for riding in the wet. I now use a dark visor so you can't see where the wet patches are, as everyone rides faster when they can't see where they're going."
SOURCE:
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