A Spaniard won the Red Bull Indianapolis GP today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but not the one who was favored.
Dani Pedrosa passed pole sitter Ben Spies on the seventh of 28 laps and led the rest of the way for his first victory of the 2010 MotoGP season.
His countryman, defending Indy champion Jorge Lorenzo — the runaway season points leader who had won seven of the season’s first 10 races — wound up third behind Spies.
Pedrosa’s 11th career win was his third this season. He took the checkered flag on his Repsol Honda 3.575 seconds ahead of Spies, whose runner-up finish on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bike is the best of the American’s rookie season. Lorenzo was 6.812 seconds behind the winner on his Fiat Yamaha.
Italian Valentino Rossi, who counts the inaugural Indy race in 2008 among his record 78 career wins, wound up fourth on a Fiat Yamaha, followed by Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso for Repsol Honda and American Nicky Hayden for Ducati.
Pedrosa, who started fifth in the 17-bike field, gained 10 points in the championship and now trails Lorenzo by 68 with six races to go.
Australian Casey Stoner, the 2007 MotoGP champion who struggled with the 2.6-mile track surface all weekend, crashed out of the race and wound up 16th.
The third American in the field, Colin Edwards, had mechanical problems early and placed 15th.
The day's biggest race was overshadowed by news that 13-year-old Peter Lenz had died after crashing and being run over by another motorcycle in the first race of the day.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 5
8:00am SPEED: MotoGP World Championship, San Marino (L)
Quote:
September 2, 2010
With the Indianapolis heat only just behind them, the FIAT Yamaha squad heads to San Marino this weekend for the Misano Grand Prix for Round 12 of the championship. And after his third place finish in the USA, Jorge Lorenzo heads to Misano with a 68 point lead in the championship, and the Spaniard hopes to increase that lead at another of the teams “home” races.
After finishing the last two races at Misano in second, odds are that Lorenzo will place well again this year and continue with his impressive run of form. Speaking in a press release, Lorenzo said, “We are going straight to Misano and I want to continue in the same way and get on the podium again. I’ve been second there for the last two years and I am feeling very motivated and looking forward to another good race. I hope the temperature is a bit cooler than in Indy because it was really too hot there. Last Sunday was my worst result this year, but I am still happy because it was still third and because it was very important for our goal, which is the Championship.”
For Lorenzo’s team mate, Valentino Rossi, Misano could be classed has his own personal home race, as the track is only 13km away from his home town. And the race is sure to bring out the Rossi tifosi in their thousands to will him on to take his first win since the opening race of the year.
Indianapolis was tough for for the nine times world champion, who is still suffering the effects of his broken leg suffered earlier in the season, but he has won in Misano for the previous two years and this will surely give him the confidence to get a good result on Sunday.
Speaking in a press release, Rossi said, “In Indianapolis we made some progress with our race setting but conditions made me realise that I’m still not 100% fit. It’s hard going straight to Misano with no break but hopefully it will be a little bit cooler than Indy! Of course it’s my home race and it’s near my house so it’s always very special to race there, in front of all of my fans. I have won there the last two years but this year we come in slightly different circumstances. Still, we will be trying our hardest and I really hope I can give the fans a good show!”
San Marino MotoGP, Misano Date: 4-5 September Spain's Dani Pedrosa kept up his winning form from the Indianapolis Grand Prix as he clinched pole position for Sunday's race in San Marino.
The Repsol Honda rider, who is second in the championship, set a fastest time of one minute 33.948 seconds, edging out championship leader Jorge Lorenzo.
Casey Stoner, who topped the sheets before a crash, was third and Valentino Rossi fourth fastest for his home race.
Lorenzo has a 68-point lead over fellow Spaniard Pedrosa in the standings.
Ben Spies, who will be Lorenzo's Fiat Yahama team-mate next season, was the highest placed non-factory team rider in fifth, one ahead of Randy de Puniet, who is still on the mend after a broken leg.
Colin Edwards, Andrea Dovizioso and San Carlo Honda Gresini pair Marco Simoncelli and Marco Melandri completed the top 10.
Earlier in qualifying for the 125cc race , Great Britain's Bradley Smith took his second pole position of the season, setting a fastest lap time of one minute 43.329 seconds right at the end of the session.
That helped him take front spot from championship leader Marc Marquez by only 0.158 seconds, with Smith's Bancaja Aspar team-mate Nico Terol, who was second in this race last year, in third spot.
Fellow Briton Danny Webb qualified ninth fastest.
And Scott Redding was just edged out for pole in the Moto2 qualifying by championship leader Toni Elias.
Reigning 125cc world champion Julian Simon was third fastest.
San Marino MotoGP qualifying result:
1 D Pedrosa (Sp) Repsol Honda 1:33.948 2 J Lorenzo (Sp) Fiat Yamaha 1:34.256 3 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 1:34.397 4 V Rossi (Ita) Fiat Yamaha 1:34.470 5 B Spies (US) Tech 3 Yamaha 1:34.472 6 R de Puniet (Fr) LCR Honda 1:34.751 7 C Edwards (US) Tech 3 Yamaha 1:34.782 8 A Dobvizioso (Ita) Repsol Honda 1:34.826 9 M Simoncelli (It) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:34.934 10 M Melandri (Ita) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:35.018 11 L Capirossi (Ita) Rizla Suzuki 1'35.096 12 H Barbera (Sp) Paginas Amarillas Aspar Ducati 1:35.259 13 H Aoyama (Jpn) Interwetten Honda 1:35.286 14 N Hayden (US) Ducati 1:35.303 15 A Espargaro (Sp) Pramac Racing Team Ducati 1:35.438 16 A Bautista (Sp) Rizla Suzuki 1:35.629 17 M Kallio (Fin) Pramac Racing Team Ducati 1'35.724
Dani Pedrosa won the San Marino MotoGP for Honda, beating the Yamahas of fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo and Italian Valentino Rossi.
But the race was overshadowed by the death of Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa in the preceding Moto2 event.
Tomizawa, who rides for Technomag-CIP, was travelling at full speed when he was hit by the bikes of Alex De Angelis and Scott Redding, a British rider.
The race continued and was eventually won by Spain's Toni Elias.
In the main feature, Pedrosa, 24, started from pole and never relinquished his grip on the race to score his fourth victory of the campaign ahead of overall leader Lorenzo.
Pedrosa's victory keeps the pressure on Lorenzo - who had a 68-point lead going into this race - for the overall title with six races left in the season.
Pedrosa made no mistake at the start and it was Lorenzo instead who briefly lost his place as Casey Stoner passed him on the first corner although the Yamaha rider regained second spot by the end of the first lap.
While Pedrosa opened a four-second lead over Lorenzo with 17 laps to go, there was a terrific ding-dong battle going on behind with Rossi finally getting the better of Stoner on his Ducati, the team that the charismatic Italian will join next season.
Stoner was falling down the field at an alarming rate as he was then passed easily by Italian Andrea Dovizioso.
Loris Capirossi's 200th Grand Prix in the elite class came to a anti-climactic end on only the second corner along with American Nicky Hayden, who exited at the same point last year.
Capirossi stormed away wringing his hands in frustration and pain - as the accident saw his little finger ground down to the bone - having remonstrated at Hayden, who had caused the accident by edging out when there was no room and sending the Italian flying.
Spaniard Marc Marquez won the 125ccrace on a Derbi ahead of compatriots Nicolas Terol (Aprilia) and Efren Vasquez (Derbi).
Casey Stoner was in fantastic form during the MotoGP qualifying session at Aragon. Stoner was able to secure his second pole position of the season, his first since the opening round, ahead of season leader Jorge Lorenzo, and an unstoppable Dani Pedrosa.
Stoner raised the bar for the MotoGp riders, by being the first and only rider to finish under the 1'49 mark. Stoner scored his 1'48.942 time on the penultimate lap, to take the top spot on the time sheet away from Lorenzo.
Lorenzo didn't earn the pole position, but he did earn his 15th consecutive front row start. Lorenzo has made it a habit of finishing in the top 3, and has yet to finish a race this year off of the podium.
Dani Pedrosa will take the third spot on the grid. Pedrosa has taken race wins at the last two events, but hasn't been able to chip away too much at Lorenzo's lead. Pedrosa has been in top form this weekend, and should finish toward the top tomorrow, but he'll need a rare screw-up from Lorenzo if he wants to challenge for the Championship.
Nicky Hayden had another solid finish, coming in just .16 seconds behind his Ducati teammate. Hayden will lead the second row of the grid, ahead of Ben Spies and Randy de Puniet.
Valentino Rossi finished more than a second behind Stoner for 7th place. Rossi will be joined by Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli on the third row.
MotoGP - Aragon - Qualifying Results Rider Nation Bike Time Casey STONER AUS Ducati 1'48.942 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha 1'49.251
Dani PEDROSA SPA Honda 1'49.343
Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati 1'49.506
Ben SPIES USA Yamaha 1'49.565
Randy DE PUNIET FRA Honda 1'49.952 Valentino ROSSI ITA Yamaha 1'50.017
Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Honda 1'50.046
Marco SIMONCELLI ITA Honda 1'50.088
Hector BARBERA SPA Ducati 1'50.323
ALCANIZ, Spain — Australia's Casey Stoner notched up Ducati's maiden MotoGP victory of the season when he dominated the Aragon Grand Prix from pole to the chequered flag on Sunday.
The 2007 world champion, who started from pole for the 20th time of his career, finished 5.148sec ahead of Spain's Dani Pedrosa (Honda) at the Motorland Aragon circuit in north-east Spain.
American Nicky Hayden, also on a Ducati, made it a memorable day for the Italian bike manufacturers when he trumped Spain's Jorge Lorenzo on the final lap to claim third, at 9.496sec, and deprive the Yamaha rider a podium finish for the first time in 14 races.
"It's been too long between wins, that's for sure," said Stoner, who last won in Malaysia in October last year.
"We started out pretty well this weekend, and we got on with the track. We progressed and got better."
Stoner admitted to having fallen in final preparations ahead of the race, taking a tumble over the white lines at turn 14.
"I was a little bit nervous this morning, but I'm really happy to bring it home," he said. "It was unexpected for us."
Second-placed Pedrosa paid credit to the Ducati team: "Ducati were very strong, with both riders on the podium.
"I tried everything, I didn't start well but I recovered," he said of his battle with Casey.
"But I was too far from Casey. We did many laps at the same pace but couldn't get him on corners. He did good."
Lorenzo finished fourth on Hayden's coat-tails, but retained his lead in the overall standings.
"I didn't mean to leave it that late," said Hayden of his nail-biting fight with Lorenzo. "In the final laps, Jorge kept the doors shut.
"It's been a very good weekend for us."
With five races of the 2010 season remaining, Lorenzo has now amassed 284 points, with Pedrosa on 228 and Stoner in third place with 155.
Six-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi of Italy came in sixth, more than 27sec off the pace, and sits fourth in the standings on 140 points.
In the day's other racing, Italian Andrea Iannone of the Speed Up team won the Moto2 for his third victory of the season.
The Italian dominated the race, securing victory from pole position by a margin of 6.203sec over Spain's Julian Simon (Suter), with Hungarian Gabor Talmacsi (Speed Up) in third.
Championship leader Toni Elias finished fourth to retain his place atop the overall standings on 224 points, 76 ahead of Simon. Iannone moves into third and is now four points off Simon.
There was some home joy, however, when Pol Espargaro, riding a Derbi, won the 125cc race ahead of compatriot Nicolas Terol and Briton Bradley Smith, both on Aprilias, for his third win of the season.
The championship was blown wide open after pre-race leader Marc Marquez crashed out on the first lap.
Terol's second place saw him move atop the overall standings on 208 points, with Espargaro moving into second on 202, whilst Marquez drops to third and remains on 197.
A DISAPPOINTING DAY FOR FIAT YAMAHA AT ARAGON
2010-09-19
The inaugural Aragon Grand Prix was a disappointing affair for the Fiat Yamaha Team today, with Jorge Lorenzo losing out in a last lap battle and finishing off the podium for the first time this season and Valentino Rossi coming home in sixth. It brought to an end an impressive run of 47 consecutive podiums for Yamaha, with the Factory having had at least one of its riders on the podium at every race since Valencia 2007 until today.
Championship leader Lorenzo got a good start from second on the grid but it was soon clear that he lacked the pace to stay with eventual winner Casey Stoner as the Australian quickly began to open out a gap, while the Yamaha man came under pressure from compatriot Dani Pedrosa behind. On lap three Pedrosa passed the Mallorcan and, hampered by a lack of grip, Lorenzo was unable to run with him and spent most of the remainder of the race in third, just ahead of Nicky Hayden. He did everything he could to hold onto the final podium spot but a determined Hayden mounted a strong last-lap challenge and Lorenzo, not wanting to put his championship lead in jeopardy with too many risky moves, was powerless to keep the American from passing him on the final part of the track and missed out at the line by less than a tenth of a second.
Rossi's problems were evident all weekend, as his shoulder issues meant he unable to run the best set-up for this track. He had hoped he might be able to improve a little under race conditions but it was not to be, dropping to ninth at one point before clawing back to his starting position of seventh by passing Hector Barbera and then fellow Italian Marco Simoncelli. A last-lap crash from Andrea Dovizioso elevated him to sixth but it was a disheartening weekend for the nine-time World Champion and his crew.
Despite today's result Lorenzo's championship lead still stands at a healthy 56 points from Dani Pedrosa, with five rounds remaining. Rossi is still in fourth, one point ahead of Dovizioso and 15 behind Stoner. The next round comes in two weeks in Japan, the first of three consecutive race weekends in the Far East and Australia.
Lorenzo - Position: 4 Time: +9.580
"My start was very good, but during the race I struggled a lot with Nicky always behind me, very close! We can't be happy with the result and I am disappointed to finish my podium run, but the most important thing is that we did finish and we still took points for our championship. We have five more races to go and, although this is a complicated moment for us and we have some things to address, I am confident that we can improve again. Now we go to Motegi and I am looking forward to a good result at the home of Yamaha."
Rossi - Position: 6 Time: +13.771
"This was a very difficult race for us; we had a lot of problems all weekend and I was very slow today. I had to try to arrive to the end but I couldn't do better than sixth. All the Yamahas have suffered here but my shoulder problems made it even worse for me and this, combined with the problems with our package at this track, made it extra hard. We're very sad this afternoon and we hope for better in Japan."
Zeelenberg - Team Manager
"Over the last couple of races we have struggled a bit to keep up with some of our rivals, so we were quite worried about this race and today wasn't great for us. We're at a point in the championship when we can't afford to take risks but there are other riders who have nothing to lose, and this was the story today. Jorge didn't have enough grip and in those last few laps he didn't have the confidence in the front to push hard and get away from Nicky, who clearly had a good feeling here. Finishing off the podium for the first time we're obviously disappointed, especially because he had to push to even finish fourth! It's definitely time to make a change so we will think hard about Motegi, which is luckily a track which Jorge likes and where the Yamaha goes well."
Burgess - Crew Chief
"We ran into troubles from the start here and unfortunately we couldn't find a way to put a competitive package together. Valentino's shoulder is causing him problems too and this, together with the set-up issues, meant we couldn't finish any higher up the order today. We're disappointed but we have some ideas and we hope for a better weekend in Japan."
Source: Fiat Yamaha Team
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Time for a rest? Valentino Rossi has sustained a shoulder injury and a broken leg this season.
Time for a rest? Valentino Rossi has sustained a shoulder injury and a broken leg this season. (Reuters: Max Rossi)
The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix next month could be the last race this season for MotoGP star Valentino Rossi.
Rossi is being troubled by a nagging shoulder injury which has become a bigger issue than the broken leg he suffered in June.
The Italian seven-time world champion says his performance at Victoria's Phillip Island circuit, where he has won five times, will be crucial to his decision.
Rossi damaged a shoulder tendon in a motocross crash in April and the injury has failed to respond to intensive treatment.
Surgery following Phillip Island would require two months rehabilitation and mean missing the final two races in Portugal and Spain.
A suffering Rossi finished a distant sixth, 27 seconds behind Casey Stoner, who broke through for his first victory this year in Sunday's Aragon Grand Prix in Spain.
He now faces a brutal physical period with three consecutive flyaway races.
Next week's Japanese GP is followed on consecutive weekends by Malaysia at Sepang and then Australia on October 17.
"Phillip Island and Sepang are good tracks that will be important to understand the extent of my injury in relation to the final two races," Rossi said.
"Both these tracks are easier for me but unfortunately Motegi (Japan) will be the worst for my shoulder. But I have decided to try these three races.
"I only have 50 per cent power in my shoulder, it is now a bigger problem than my leg.
"I cannot ride like I want. I don't want to have surgery but the pain is constant and the situation has not improved."
With its flowing layout and predominantly left-hand corners, Rossi says Phillip Island will ease the stress on his right shoulder as he makes a crucial fitness assessment.
Japan's compact Motegi circuit is a non-stop combination of short straights, hard braking and tight right-hand corners that Rossi fears will punish his shoulder.
Rossi has won just one race this season, the opening GP in Qatar, and missed four races after suffering a compound fracture to his right tibia at Mugello in June.
Meanwhile, Stoner answered his critics - including Rossi who said recently he did not push his Ducati hard enough - with his win in Aragon.
"It has been frustrating and too long a wait for this win, it's a big relief," Stoner said.
"People will say I'm back now but I wasn't retired, I just haven't been able to win."
"We finally got the set-up right and at this new track I maybe caught a few people off guard and just pounced."
Pedrosa crashes out of MotoGP, Lorenzo eyes victory
Quote:
MOTEGI, Japan — Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo stepped closer to his first MotoGP season title Friday after second-ranked Dani Pedrosa crashed in practice, forcing him out of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
With Pedrosa out of the Motegi race, Spaniard Lorenzo saw his chances to win the season improve considerably, particularly if Pedrosa, who needs an operation, also misses next week's race in Malaysia, as seems likely.
"Obviously, the best way to win the world title is with all the riders in the best condition and all the races competed," Lorenzo said after the practice.
"Bad luck for Dani. It's not good news for the championship," the Yamaha man added.
Pedrosa, also from Spain, was to immediately fly home for an operation to plate the fractured collarbone, his team Repsol Honda said in a statement.
The rider crashed at a V-shaped corner within the first five minutes of practice, after completing only two laps at Motegi.
A problem with the bike meant he could not close the throttle when he started braking for a turn, the team said.
"Another injury to contend with is really not what I needed," Pedrosa said. "I hope (the operation) goes as well as possible and that I can return to racing soon."
With five races remaining, including Motegi, Lorenzo leads the field with 284 points, 56 points ahead of Pedrosa and 129 ahead of third-ranked Casey Stoner on a Ducati.
Two consecutive victories or strong finishes would give Lorenzo an unbeatable points lead over Pedrosa, who, until his crash, was the only racer with a chance of overtaking Lorenzo in the race for the title.
It was unclear when Pedrosa could return to racing, a race medical officer said.
"When he crashed he suffered a multiple fracture of the left collar bone, and that requires an operation to have the best chance of returning to racing as soon as possible," medical director Michele Macchiagodena told MotoGP.com.
"First we need to know when he can be operated on, then we will know when he can race again. We will see him in Australia," where a race will be held a week after the Malaysian Grand Prix, Macchiagodena said.
Injury-hit reigning champion Valentino Rossi, who clocked the fastest practice time of 1:48.174, called it "a strange crash."
"He lost control in braking," said Rossi who was trailing behind Pedrosa. "It was very strange that the throttle stuck."
"This (season) is finished," the Italian star added. "I think Lorenzo does have it."
Meanwhile, Lorenzo said Pedrosa's injury had not changed his own strategy for Sunday's race in Motegi.
"I don't race with a calculator," he said, referring to his point advantage. "I race more or less at the limit. I will race the same always."
For the first time of the 2010 MotoGP season, Andrea Dovisioso grabbed the pole position, the Italian starting first on the grid at the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi.
The Respol Honda rider piloted his RC212V to a 1:47.001, 0.054 of a second ahead of Friday's fastest rider, Valentino Rossi. Completing the front row with the two Italians is Ducati Team rider Casey Stoner, who won the previous MotoGP race in Aragon.
Andrea Dovisioso says: "I'm really happy to be on pole and also surprised because I didn't expect to get so close to going under a 1:47-second lap here. This is like my second home race because it's the home of the team, which makes it even more special to get my first pole position here. I'm also so happy about the performance of the RC212V. We're looking good for the race because my style is usually not to go at my absolute maximum pace in practice and qualifying, so I'm hopeful for tomorrow."
Dovi's teammate, Dani Pedrosa, missed qualifying after a crash on Friday. The Spaniard, the only capable of catching series' leader Jorge Lorenzo, will miss Sunday's race, and possibly the following round in Sepang.
Rossi, who will joining factory Ducati next year, will have his second first-row start since Le Mans.
Valentino Rossi says: "It is a good feeling to be back on the front row after so long, the last time was at Le Mans, before the Mugello crash! We have improved in every area here, firstly we have made a big step with our setting, then we have the new engine from Yamaha which is enabling us to push more and be faster on the straights, plus we also have slightly harder Bridgestone tires here than in Aragon and they are working better for me. As I said yesterday I expected to suffer more with the shoulder but I am feeling quite good and when I brake in a straight line here I don't have too much pain. I am so happy about all of this. This front row is going to be very important for tomorrow, we really hope for good weather and let's see what we can do."
As for Lorenzo, the 23-year-old led most of the qualifying session until his times were passed by the top three within the last moments of qualifying. The biggest candiate for the 2010 Championship was 0.205 of a second behind Dovi's time.
The quickest American at qualifying was Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colind Edwards, the Texan's starting position his best of the season. Finishing the second row behind Lornezo and Edwards is the rookie Ben Spies.
Starting in seventh is LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet, who had two run-offs during the qualifying session. Rounding out the top 10 were Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) and the Rizla Suzuki duo of Álvaro Bautista and Loris Capirossi completing the top ten.
2010 Motegi MotoGP Qualifying Results:
1. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team
1'47.001 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team
1'47.055
3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team
1'47.105
SECOND ROW 4. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team
1'47.206
5. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3
1'47.464
6. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3
1'47.648
THIRD ROW
7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP
1'47.752
8. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini
1'47.914
9. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
1'48.002
FOURTH ROW
10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
1'48.068
11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team
1'48.182
12. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini
1'48.238
FIFTH ROW
13. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team
1'48.371
14. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP
1'48.396
15. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team
1'48.535
SIXTH ROW
16. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team
1'49.480
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