The latest round of MotoGP action takes place on August 31st, with a visit to Misano on the agenda.
MotoGP group in action
With 50 points separating the top two in the MotoGP premier class, the World Championship heads to Misano for the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini with the stakes raised for the leading set. Sunday´s race promises be one of the most crucial Grand Prix events for the title picture in a year of twists and turns so far.
Misano is truly a home track for series leader Valentino Rossi, who has a number of objectives for round thirteen. Aside from extending his advantage in the standings over rival Casey Stoner, the Italian has the opportunity to equal Giacomo Agostini´s record of 68 premier class victories. Agostini, regarded by many as the greatest rider of all time, is likely to be in attendance to watch what could be an historic occasion.
The circuit is one of only two on the World Championship calendar at which Rossi has never taken victory, although he has only had one chance to do so. The other track is Indianapolis, coincidentally next up on the MotoGP schedule. A win at Misano, in front of the hordes of fans set to make the 10km trip from his home town of Tavullia and beyond, would enable the five-time MotoGP World Champion to put further distance between himself and the chasing pack.
Last year´s winner from pole position at Misano, Ducati Marlboro´s Casey Stoner has seen his title campaign complicated by two consecutive Rossi wins at Laguna Seca and Brno. The 50-point deficit will be difficult to overhaul, but not unassailable for the 2007 MotoGP World Champion. Stoner has been tearing it up in practice for the past six races, and will be looking to respond to a first DNF since joining Ducati with a return to winning ways.
The leader of the series before the German round last month, Repsol Honda´s Dani Pedrosa has conceded considerable ground in the title fight with just one point from the past three races. The Spaniard is still suffering from the after-effects of his Sachsenring crash, and has been vocal about the fact that the Michelin tyres he is running in contrast to his Bridgestone-shod rivals have not allowed him to perform to his lofty expectations as of late. He has 65 points less on the board than Rossi, with Stoner 15 ahead and perhaps a more realistic target to pursue.
Fiat Yamaha´s Jorge Lorenzo was the winner of last season´s 250cc race at Misano, and currently lies in fourth place in the classification in his rookie MotoGP season. He is just ten points ahead of fellow newcomer and perennial quarter-litre rival Andrea Dovizioso, who suffered a devastating mechanical problem when leading the 250cc showdown in 2007.
Colin Edwards, Chris Vermeulen and Nicky Hayden also feature in the top ten, ahead of Shinya Nakano and Loris Capirossi - who will set a new appearance record for Grand Prix events when he lines up at Misano. Repsol Honda rider Hayden will return to action after missing the Brno visit with a foot injury.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Misano set for Italian Grand Prix milestones
This weekend's race at Misano could see new records set by Italian riders.
Italian riders Loris Capirossi and Andrea Dovizioso in action (MotoGP)
The most successful nation in the history of the World Championship, Italy has the chance to set a series of milestones at the Misano circuit on Sunday. Four Italian riders are making the short trip to the San Marino track to represent their country, and all have the chance to put their name into the record books.
The record everyone will be watching out for is that targeted by Valentino Rossi, who could equal MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini´s record of 68 premier class victories with a win in front of his hordes of fans. The Fiat Yamaha rider has drawn ever-closer to the feat with two consecutive triumphs at Laguna Seca and Brno.
A Rossi victory or one for Loris Capirossi, Andrea Dovizioso, Marco Melandri or any number of 125cc & 250cc competitors would also provide an outstanding feat for Italy itself. The country has provided 699 race wins in the various classes of the World Championship, and the magic 700 could be achieved this Sunday should the red, white and green flag be raised before the end of the afternoon.
Capirossi simply has to line up on the grid to claim the record for Grand Prix event appearances, having equaled Alex Barros´ feat of 276 last time out. The Rizla Suzuki rider took a podium finish in the Czech Republic, and could reach the 100 rostrum milestone on appearance number 277.
Italian riders Loris Capirossi and Andrea Dovizioso in action (MotoGP)
The most successful nation in the history of the World Championship, Italy has the chance to set a series of milestones at the Misano circuit on Sunday. Four Italian riders are making the short trip to the San Marino track to represent their country, and all have the chance to put their name into the record books.
The record everyone will be watching out for is that targeted by Valentino Rossi, who could equal MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini´s record of 68 premier class victories with a win in front of his hordes of fans. The Fiat Yamaha rider has drawn ever-closer to the feat with two consecutive triumphs at Laguna Seca and Brno.
A Rossi victory or one for Loris Capirossi, Andrea Dovizioso, Marco Melandri or any number of 125cc & 250cc competitors would also provide an outstanding feat for Italy itself. The country has provided 699 race wins in the various classes of the World Championship, and the magic 700 could be achieved this Sunday should the red, white and green flag be raised before the end of the afternoon.
Capirossi simply has to line up on the grid to claim the record for Grand Prix event appearances, having equaled Alex Barros´ feat of 276 last time out. The Rizla Suzuki rider took a podium finish in the Czech Republic, and could reach the 100 rostrum milestone on appearance number 277.
Rossi out to make amends at home race return
Valentino Rossi hopes to put his 2007 Misano demons to rest and send the home fans away happy on Sunday.
Valentino Rossi in action (MotoGP)
MotoGP´s return to Misano in 2007 was supposed to be Valentino Rossi´s day. The Italian, chasing a sixth premier class title, was finally able to undertake a true `home race´ at the circuit located just 10km from Tavullia, and thousands of fans would be present to spur him on. However, it all ended on a sour note when he was forced to retire early on with a mechanical problem, and this year `The Doctor´ is determined to alleviate the pain of last year.
`I´m really excited to be going to Misano in such good shape and leading the championship,´ says the Fiat Yamaha man, 50 points clear of reigning World Champion and 2007 Misano racewinner Casey Stoner.
`Last year the race was a huge disappointment for us, a very low point of the season and especially sad because it happened in front of my home fans. But this time things are very different; we´ve had two fantastic races in a row and we are feeling very strong and very confident. We are out to make up for 2007!
The driven Italian is never in need of motivation and, as has become a regularity during his MotoGP career, he has a record in his sights. Having equaled and then bettered Angel Nieto´s all-time total of race victories early on in the season, Rossi now targets parity with MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini´s premier class win record of 68. Agostini is sure to be watching on, as will the hordes of Rossi fans preparing once more for their march to Misano.
`Misano is so close to my home town of Tavullia that I know there will be an army of Italian fans there, and I hope it´s going to be a great party for all of them. Last year there was some terrible weather before the race as well so I really hope that this year we have sunshine and we can enjoy a fantastic race by the sea!´ says the 29 year-old, who has warmed up for the event with consecutive victories at Laguna Seca and Brno.
Valentino Rossi in action (MotoGP)
MotoGP´s return to Misano in 2007 was supposed to be Valentino Rossi´s day. The Italian, chasing a sixth premier class title, was finally able to undertake a true `home race´ at the circuit located just 10km from Tavullia, and thousands of fans would be present to spur him on. However, it all ended on a sour note when he was forced to retire early on with a mechanical problem, and this year `The Doctor´ is determined to alleviate the pain of last year.
`I´m really excited to be going to Misano in such good shape and leading the championship,´ says the Fiat Yamaha man, 50 points clear of reigning World Champion and 2007 Misano racewinner Casey Stoner.
`Last year the race was a huge disappointment for us, a very low point of the season and especially sad because it happened in front of my home fans. But this time things are very different; we´ve had two fantastic races in a row and we are feeling very strong and very confident. We are out to make up for 2007!
The driven Italian is never in need of motivation and, as has become a regularity during his MotoGP career, he has a record in his sights. Having equaled and then bettered Angel Nieto´s all-time total of race victories early on in the season, Rossi now targets parity with MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini´s premier class win record of 68. Agostini is sure to be watching on, as will the hordes of Rossi fans preparing once more for their march to Misano.
`Misano is so close to my home town of Tavullia that I know there will be an army of Italian fans there, and I hope it´s going to be a great party for all of them. Last year there was some terrible weather before the race as well so I really hope that this year we have sunshine and we can enjoy a fantastic race by the sea!´ says the 29 year-old, who has warmed up for the event with consecutive victories at Laguna Seca and Brno.
San Marino 2007: Stoner victory makes it `Misano Impossible´ for home hero Rossi
A flashback of last year´s visit to Misano, a return to the track some 15 years in the making. Relive the race with this video highlight.
It threatened to be a washout due to the Friday rain, but the sun was out on last year´s raceday Sunday at Misano. It was just as well for the Valentino Rossi fans making the pilgrimage from Tavullia to the circuit on the morning of the race, but their spirits were to be dampened by the retirement of their idol and a World Championship lead-extending victory by Casey Stoner. Relive the action in the following video review of the 2007 race.
Kawasaki pairing expectant of Misano result
Anthony West and John Hopkins are in positive spirits following a Brno boost.
Kawasaki Racing garage
Anthony West´s prayers were answered last year at Misano when rain fell on the opening day of practice - the Australian having expressed his desire for a washout in order to counteract the extra practice time given to the MotoGP riders at their first ride of the track. West had already ridden the circuit in Supersport competition.
Any advantage that the 27 year-old rider had then is certainly not present now. All of his premier class rivals have some form of experience at Misano in both wet and dry conditions. However, eighth place in the 2007 visit and a recent career-best finish of fifth at Brno means that West can still expect a strong performance this weekend.
`I am looking forward to going to Misano following my best ever result in MotoGP last time out at Brno,´ says the Australian, on his way out of Kawasaki´s MotoGP factory setup at the end of the season.
`We had a positive post-race test there, and we managed to make further improvements to the bike, which has certainly made it easier to ride. I hope that we can continue with our development this weekend because I am determined for us to be fighting for more strong results in the dry.´
West will be aiming to put his name in the shop window at the last six races of 2008, and has been preparing for the task with a continuation of his training regime near to the Misano track.
`I have spent the last few days in Italy, where I´ve been out cycling, so I feel relaxed and ready to take on the challenge. There´s a good atmosphere at this circuit, but after last year´s washout on the opening practice day, the weather could play a really big part in proceedings.´
West´s recent result at Brno has also spurred on teammate John Hopkins, who made his comeback in impressive fashion at the Czech round. Unfortunately for last year´s third-place finisher at Misano, Hopkins was unable to play anything more than a minimal part in the post-race test, due to a rib injury that has now cleared up.
`We had a positive weekend in Brno following my return to the track after a long absence through injury and we managed to put the Kawasaki on the front row. Although I didn´t quite achieve the result we were hoping for, Anthony got into the top five, which just shows that the Kawasaki is improving all of the time and is capable of gaining good results,´ says the Anglo-American in the run-up to the San Marino race.
`I really enjoy the Misano circuit, I managed to get on the podium there last year so it´s certainly a track I like. I´ve spent the last week in Miami resting and training just to give the injuries that I am still carrying the best possible time to recuperate, so I´m feeling stronger and ready to achieve the results we are more than capable of.´
Kawasaki Racing garage
Anthony West´s prayers were answered last year at Misano when rain fell on the opening day of practice - the Australian having expressed his desire for a washout in order to counteract the extra practice time given to the MotoGP riders at their first ride of the track. West had already ridden the circuit in Supersport competition.
Any advantage that the 27 year-old rider had then is certainly not present now. All of his premier class rivals have some form of experience at Misano in both wet and dry conditions. However, eighth place in the 2007 visit and a recent career-best finish of fifth at Brno means that West can still expect a strong performance this weekend.
`I am looking forward to going to Misano following my best ever result in MotoGP last time out at Brno,´ says the Australian, on his way out of Kawasaki´s MotoGP factory setup at the end of the season.
`We had a positive post-race test there, and we managed to make further improvements to the bike, which has certainly made it easier to ride. I hope that we can continue with our development this weekend because I am determined for us to be fighting for more strong results in the dry.´
West will be aiming to put his name in the shop window at the last six races of 2008, and has been preparing for the task with a continuation of his training regime near to the Misano track.
`I have spent the last few days in Italy, where I´ve been out cycling, so I feel relaxed and ready to take on the challenge. There´s a good atmosphere at this circuit, but after last year´s washout on the opening practice day, the weather could play a really big part in proceedings.´
West´s recent result at Brno has also spurred on teammate John Hopkins, who made his comeback in impressive fashion at the Czech round. Unfortunately for last year´s third-place finisher at Misano, Hopkins was unable to play anything more than a minimal part in the post-race test, due to a rib injury that has now cleared up.
`We had a positive weekend in Brno following my return to the track after a long absence through injury and we managed to put the Kawasaki on the front row. Although I didn´t quite achieve the result we were hoping for, Anthony got into the top five, which just shows that the Kawasaki is improving all of the time and is capable of gaining good results,´ says the Anglo-American in the run-up to the San Marino race.
`I really enjoy the Misano circuit, I managed to get on the podium there last year so it´s certainly a track I like. I´ve spent the last week in Miami resting and training just to give the injuries that I am still carrying the best possible time to recuperate, so I´m feeling stronger and ready to achieve the results we are more than capable of.´
Stoner vows to keep fighting in title push
MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner is not thinking of throwing in the towel as he aims to end Valentino Rossi´s winning streak this weekend.
Ducati Marlboro riders Casey Stoner and Marco Melandri
Casey Stoner left Misano last year with an 85-point lead in the MotoGP World Championship, having taken another outstanding victory whilst rival Valentino Rossi fell by the wayside. Returning to the San Marino round this year, things have made a sharp 180 degree turn; Rossi now holds the advantage with just six races to go, 50 points clear of the Ducati Marlboro man. Stoner has been riding well in recent races, and is not going to lie down with the title still hanging in the balance.
`We´ll see what happens (at Misano) but we´re in good shape - the gap in the championship is big but we´ll keep fighting until it´s over,´ states a determined Stoner, the winner of the 2007 Misano race from pole position.
`We had a great result at Misano last year and that, added to the fact that we´re in good shape with the set-up and the tyres, means we can be reasonably confident of another good result here. After the last few races and in the recent test at Brno we´ve managed to improve the set-up even more so we´re confident of putting on a good show for the home fans at Misano.´
Stoner is on a six-race streak of pole position starts, although his most recent Grand Prix outing ended in disaster when he crashed out whilst leading in Brno. With the Australian having dominated the practice sessions on race weekends for the past three months, even Rossi has acknowledged that 50 points is not a big enough gap to afford early celebrations.
On the other side of the Ducati factory team garage, Marco Melandri is preparing for his final six races on the Desmosedici GP8. Whether he is confirmed as a Kawasaki rider for 2009 over the course of the weekend remains to be seen, with the deal pending the official `Team Green´ stamp of approval from HQ in Japan, but the Italian is determined to end his year on a positive note, especially at his home race.
`I was born a few kilometres from Misano and I really feel at home at this circuit. It is still quite a new circuit for us and this year they´ve altered turn one again,´ says Melandri, who suffered a nasty crash at last year´s race in an extended practice session.
`There are a lot of slow corners and it´s not easy to overtake so qualifying well and getting a good start are even more important than usual. In the Brno test we found a few set-up modifications that I liked and we hope they also work at this track. Obviously it would give me great satisfaction to have a good race here - more than anything for the team.´
Ducati Marlboro riders Casey Stoner and Marco Melandri
Casey Stoner left Misano last year with an 85-point lead in the MotoGP World Championship, having taken another outstanding victory whilst rival Valentino Rossi fell by the wayside. Returning to the San Marino round this year, things have made a sharp 180 degree turn; Rossi now holds the advantage with just six races to go, 50 points clear of the Ducati Marlboro man. Stoner has been riding well in recent races, and is not going to lie down with the title still hanging in the balance.
`We´ll see what happens (at Misano) but we´re in good shape - the gap in the championship is big but we´ll keep fighting until it´s over,´ states a determined Stoner, the winner of the 2007 Misano race from pole position.
`We had a great result at Misano last year and that, added to the fact that we´re in good shape with the set-up and the tyres, means we can be reasonably confident of another good result here. After the last few races and in the recent test at Brno we´ve managed to improve the set-up even more so we´re confident of putting on a good show for the home fans at Misano.´
Stoner is on a six-race streak of pole position starts, although his most recent Grand Prix outing ended in disaster when he crashed out whilst leading in Brno. With the Australian having dominated the practice sessions on race weekends for the past three months, even Rossi has acknowledged that 50 points is not a big enough gap to afford early celebrations.
On the other side of the Ducati factory team garage, Marco Melandri is preparing for his final six races on the Desmosedici GP8. Whether he is confirmed as a Kawasaki rider for 2009 over the course of the weekend remains to be seen, with the deal pending the official `Team Green´ stamp of approval from HQ in Japan, but the Italian is determined to end his year on a positive note, especially at his home race.
`I was born a few kilometres from Misano and I really feel at home at this circuit. It is still quite a new circuit for us and this year they´ve altered turn one again,´ says Melandri, who suffered a nasty crash at last year´s race in an extended practice session.
`There are a lot of slow corners and it´s not easy to overtake so qualifying well and getting a good start are even more important than usual. In the Brno test we found a few set-up modifications that I liked and we hope they also work at this track. Obviously it would give me great satisfaction to have a good race here - more than anything for the team.´
Lorenzo hoping to move on from Brno `disaster´
Having struggled with grip in the Czech Republic, Jorge Lorenzo is out to turn things around in Misano.
Jorge Lorenzo in the Fiat Yamaha garage
Whilst Bridgestone-shod Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi extended his lead in the MotoGP World Championship to 50 points at Brno, Michelin-using teammate Jorge Lorenzo was finding things hard during the Czech Republic race. The Spaniard nonetheless stuck it out for two days of post-race testing, and is ready to turn the page at Misano this weekend.
`After the disaster of Brno I´m going to Misano with the belief and the will that everything goes much better and that we're able to score a positive result in my team´s second home Grand Prix,´ says a now injury-free Lorenzo, whose goal at recent rounds has been regaining confidence following a spate of painful crashes.
`I´m riding well at the moment and in the post-race test in the Czech Republic we were able to shave off a few tenths that will be vital for the next GP. Misano is a small track for MotoGP but it is safe. Last year I won in 250cc so my only memories of it are good ones!´
Lorenzo´s optimism about the latest round is shared by Team Manager Daniele Romagnoli, who notes that the Misano track is a sharp contrast to Brno.
`Hopefully Misano will be another story because it´s a completely different kind of circuit. It is not as fast, it is flat, and last year Michelin were competitive there,´ says the Italian.
`We did a lot of work on the tyres in the test at Brno and found something with durability on the front and a solution for the rear that helps under acceleration. Hopefully we can carry those improvements through to this weekend because Jorge is riding well, this is a circuit he likes and we saw earlier in the season what he is capable of if he has the necessary tools.´
The MotoGP newcomer - currently fourth in the World Championship classification and the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year honour - took victory by over 3.5s at the first 250cc race for 15 years at Misano in 2007.
Jorge Lorenzo in the Fiat Yamaha garage
Whilst Bridgestone-shod Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi extended his lead in the MotoGP World Championship to 50 points at Brno, Michelin-using teammate Jorge Lorenzo was finding things hard during the Czech Republic race. The Spaniard nonetheless stuck it out for two days of post-race testing, and is ready to turn the page at Misano this weekend.
`After the disaster of Brno I´m going to Misano with the belief and the will that everything goes much better and that we're able to score a positive result in my team´s second home Grand Prix,´ says a now injury-free Lorenzo, whose goal at recent rounds has been regaining confidence following a spate of painful crashes.
`I´m riding well at the moment and in the post-race test in the Czech Republic we were able to shave off a few tenths that will be vital for the next GP. Misano is a small track for MotoGP but it is safe. Last year I won in 250cc so my only memories of it are good ones!´
Lorenzo´s optimism about the latest round is shared by Team Manager Daniele Romagnoli, who notes that the Misano track is a sharp contrast to Brno.
`Hopefully Misano will be another story because it´s a completely different kind of circuit. It is not as fast, it is flat, and last year Michelin were competitive there,´ says the Italian.
`We did a lot of work on the tyres in the test at Brno and found something with durability on the front and a solution for the rear that helps under acceleration. Hopefully we can carry those improvements through to this weekend because Jorge is riding well, this is a circuit he likes and we saw earlier in the season what he is capable of if he has the necessary tools.´
The MotoGP newcomer - currently fourth in the World Championship classification and the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year honour - took victory by over 3.5s at the first 250cc race for 15 years at Misano in 2007.
San Marino promises tough battle for 125cc class
Who is in form and who is looking for improvement as the 125cc World Championship heads to Misano.
125cc Group in action
Comprehensively leading the way in 125cc, Mike di Meglio has a 44-point cushion between himself and Simone Corsi in the classification. The Frenchman took his most recent podium at Brno to put further space between himself and the Roman challenger, with a first World Championship in his sights.
Opening his win account in Brno, Stefan Bradl will aim to keep up his momentum when the series arrives at the San Marino round. Bradl is currently third in the standings in his full comeback year, having leapfrogged 2007 World Champion Gabor Talmacsi.
Joan Olive, Nico Terol, Bradley Smith, Pol Espargaro, Sandro Cortese and Scott Redding form the pursuing pack for the top spots in the 125cc class, with all having come close to –or in Redding´s case achieving- a first Grand Prix victory.
The Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini takes place on August 31st, with practice sessions scheduled to begin on the preceding Friday.
125cc Group in action
Comprehensively leading the way in 125cc, Mike di Meglio has a 44-point cushion between himself and Simone Corsi in the classification. The Frenchman took his most recent podium at Brno to put further space between himself and the Roman challenger, with a first World Championship in his sights.
Opening his win account in Brno, Stefan Bradl will aim to keep up his momentum when the series arrives at the San Marino round. Bradl is currently third in the standings in his full comeback year, having leapfrogged 2007 World Champion Gabor Talmacsi.
Joan Olive, Nico Terol, Bradley Smith, Pol Espargaro, Sandro Cortese and Scott Redding form the pursuing pack for the top spots in the 125cc class, with all having come close to –or in Redding´s case achieving- a first Grand Prix victory.
The Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini takes place on August 31st, with practice sessions scheduled to begin on the preceding Friday.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Nakano getting positive feeling from new RC212V
Shinya Nakano´s good feeling with the new Honda RC212V continued in testing this week at Brno, on the back of a great debut race for the Japanese rider on the updated machine.
San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Shinya Nakano made the most of two days of sunshine on Monday and Tuesday at Brno to accumulate further valuable experience on the new RC212V, the satellite 2009 version of the machine which he successfully debuted during the Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceske republiky.
Despite limited dry set-up time with the new bike before Sunday´s race the 30 year-old Japanese rider ran to a season-best result of fourth in the Czech contest, before putting in 94 test laps over two subsequent test days at Brno, ending up fifth fastest overall with a best lap of 1´57.559 on Tuesday.
After the test, Nakano told motogp.com, `After the mixed weather over the weekend it was useful to test on Monday and Tuesday and we looked at tyres and suspension. We also confirmed the correct race set-up. Everything we did over the two days was an improvement, on both the front and the rear, so I am happy about the test.´
`The combination of the new bike and the Bridgestone tyres is good,´ Nakano continued. `Especially with the front end feeling, corner entry is much more stable. I was able to use quite a hard front tyre, which should be good for races. This track at Brno is quite special, so I hope everything works well at Misano.´
With his future in MotoGP as yet unconfirmed beyond the end of the current campaign Nakano revealed his thoughts on the subject, declaring, `I would like to stay with the Gresini team. This is my first year with them but I already feel at home and everybody works very hard. The team is at a high level and we get very good support from Honda.´
Monday, August 18, 2008
Stoner gets back in the saddle at Brno test
Nineteen MotoGP riders were on track for the first day of post-race testing at Brno on Monday, with Casey Stoner the fastest at midday.
MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner was one of nineteen MotoGP riders staying on at the Brno circuit after the Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceske republiky, and the man who had continually laid down the fastest times of the weekend reassumed the top spot at midday on Monday.
Emerging from the Ducati Marlboro garage at 11am local time, it took Stoner less than five laps to make his mark on the testing session. The Australian –who crashed out of Sunday´s race whilst leading from pole- laid down a 1´57.403 lap to assert his authority early on. He did so using the Desmosedici GP8 machine, with no GP9 activity scheduled for either he, teammate Marco Melandri or test rider Niccolo Canepa.
The satellite version of the 2008 bike was once again put to good use by Brno runner-up Toni Elias, one of the rider performing the most laps of the track on Monday morning. The Alice Team rider was just over three-tenths of a second slower than factory man Stoner in the run-up to the lunch break.
Another podium finisher continued to go round in the top three in testing, as Loris Capirossi experienced his first laps with the 2009 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R prototype. Both he and teammate Chris Vermeulen are using the machine over the course of the two-day test, with test rider Nobuatsu Aoki set for some laps on Tuesday.
Racewinner Valentino Rossi rolled the M1 out of his Fiat Yamaha garage at just before midday, in order to test tyres and the new engine electronics brought to the Czech Republic for his assessment.
Despite saying that he saw little point in testing following a `disaster´ in tyre performance, Dani Pedrosa joined in the development work for Repsol Honda. He had been pencilled in to use the pneumatic valve RC212V engine at this latest test, but will perhaps leave that particular task for test rider Tadayuki Okada –drafted in to replace the injured Nicky Hayden onboard the American´s version of the machine.
The final test rider on track is Olivier Jacque, taking turns with Anthony West in riding the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR at Brno on Monday.
A full report –plus times from today´s test- will follow at the conclusion of the day.
Brno Paddock Girls
The umbrella-toting MotoGP Paddock Girls present at the Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceske republiky.
Even before the red lights went out at Brno there was plenty for the fans in attendance to look at, with the MotoGP Paddock Girls on the grid and throughout the paddock in the Czech Republic. You can watch some of the eye-catching Paddock Girls in the following video.
Pedrosa: `Disastrous tyres have made me embarrassed´
Repsol Honda´s Dani Pedrosa lay the blame for his lowly Brno result firmly at the door of tyre supplier Michelin, claiming embarrassment at the performance afforded to him.
In statements likely to reverberate around the MotoGP paddock for a long time to come, Dani Pedrosa sensationally slammed tyre manufacturer Michelin for their efforts in the Czech Republic.
The French fabricants had brought a wide range of compounds to Brno in order to avoid a repeat of their Laguna Seca whitewash, none were suitable for Pedrosa to push for the top positions. For him, such an error was unforgiveable, and he let rip with a tirade in the immediate aftermath of his fifteenth place finish.
`I would say that this was the most difficult race of my career. I did all that I could from the start, and was close to crashing on three or four occasions. From then on I had to settle for finishing the race,´ said the Spaniard, in need of a good result after two consecutive DNFs.
`I´m embarrassed –I don´t think I´ve ever been so embarrassed- because of the feeling of impotence that I had on the bike… the tyres didn´t work well at any point in the weekend, which has been a disaster.´
So disappointed was the 2007 World Championship runner-up with the events that he also contemplated aloud the possibility of skipping the scheduled two-day Honda test that begins on Monday.
`Things are very clear; I was going very, very slow and despite that I still only had half the tyre at the end. It is even difficult to think about how to prepare a practice schedule for Monday. With these conditions, we won´t prepare anything in the test.´
With this in mind, and just one point from the past three races, the MotoGP title is moving ever-further away from Pedrosa. 76 points separate him and leader Valentino Rossi –a margin that will be hard to recover with just six races remaining.
`It´s bad for the title as well. We obviously knew that it was going to be difficult, but now it´s practically impossible. Above all, the worst thing to come out of this race is the feeling of powerlessness that one feels when putting up withDovizioso dissatisfied despite achieving objective
Tyre troubles hit Andrea Dovizioso in the Czech Republic, but he was still the first Michelin rider home.
Andrea Dovizioso achieved his goal of being the first Michelin rider to cross the line at Brno, but was still left wanting more.
Andrea Dovizioso - Ninth
`My goal for the race was to be the first Michelin rider home, which is what I have achieved, but things were too difficult to do better. I started fully motivated and wanting to give the maximum and exploit fully the material at our disposal, but today I cannot be satisfied with the result. I had difficulty with the front tyre and was forced to change my style of riding, which meant not being able to exploit my speed in the corners. I had to stop hard and fire the bike out of the corners, rather than have a smoother style. This difficulty penalised us in the race.´
De Puniet out of luck on Czech date
After Saturday´s good qualifying session result in the wet, LCR Honda racer Randy De Puniet ended up out of the points at Brno.
Randy de Puniet made a good start from seventh place on the grid in the 22-lap race at Brno on Sunday but crashed out on lap six. Luckily the Frenchman aboard the Michelin-shod LCR Honda RC212V escaped unhurt from the incident and rejoined the twelfth round of the season, ending up sixteenth.
Randy de Puniet - sixteenth
`Honestly I am very angry. I made a good start but could not race as I would like because struggled a lot for front-end feel. Many riders passed me in the corner entry and in the first laps I lost the front a few times. So I decided to slow down but the feeling with the front was very bad. When I tried to pass Pedrosa in the chicane I crashed out in the gravel but rejoined the race. I suffered the same crash of Friday afternoon and, although my crew worked hard to find a solution, we did not solve the problem with the front tyre. I want to forget this bad weekend.´
source motoGP.com
`Something inside´ leads Elias to podium
Toni Elias was spurred on to his Brno second place by a strong self-belief
Returning to the MotoGP rostrum for the first time since the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix, Toni Elias was one of the standouts of the Cardion ab Grand Prix Ceske republiky. The Spaniard defied the odds to take second place at Brno, a result that few would have predicted after his having qualified 13th on the grid.
Elias was quick to credit Ducati for their part in his podium comeback, having seen his troubles this season addressed by the addition of some new parts and some personal advice from Desmosedici mastermind Filippo Preziosi. On a personal level, his motivation came from a gut feeling that a top three finish was possible.
`There was something inside me that told me that we could get it. My confidence –even in the hardest moments of the year, when things were really difficult- has always been the same, but now I have something to hang onto where once there was nothing,´ said the Spaniard.
`Thanks to Ducati, who provided us with the new parts since Sachsenring that have really helped out. We could have done the same at Laguna Seca, but for a mistake when I ran off. I am very happy with second here.´
From a more technical aspect, Fabiano Sterlacchini explained some of the updates had been made to the Desmosedici Sat.
`We have a new power delivery system that is used by the factory team now, and for Toni specifically looked at the ergonomics of the bike. He´s quite a small guy, so things are different for his style.´
Elias famously saved his MotoGP career with his maiden victory at Estoril in 2006, and his latest podium certainly comes at a crucial time for the current Alice Team rider. Sterlacchini described the result´s impact as `quite interesting. We are happy to work with him, and maybe this second place will be repeated as the season goes on.´
Rossi elated with easier-than-expected Brno win
Having psyched himself up for another battle with Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi could hardly believe his luck when the Australian crashed out in front of him.
50 points -the equivalent of two races- separate Valentino Rossi from his nearest rival after consecutive victories at Laguna Seca and Brno. Whilst his was a day to remember, Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo had a difficult fight with his Michelin tyres for tenth place.
Valentino Rossi - Winner
`I was confident today because my bike was fast from Friday practice, and with Jeremy we made a small modification to the front after warm-up to allow me to be a bit faster in some sections, and it worked very well. I lost about half a second getting past Hopkins at the start and Casey was incredibly fast at that stage, like he´d already done ten laps! For a short time I was worried but then, after two laps, I understood that my bike was working very well and that I was fast enough to try to catch him. I had closed a little bit already and gradually the red bike was becoming a bit bigger in front of me, and I think this is when he started to push harder and made his mistake. I was anticipating a very hard battle if I did catch him, so when I saw the red bike slide out I could hardly believe it – this made things a lot easier for me! After that I just enjoyed riding my bike; my Bridgestone tyres worked very well until the end and my M1 felt very good. Of course I can't count this as a complete victory because Casey fell, and I am sorry for him, but this is racing and I have to be happy with this result. We are 50 points clear which is a lot and I am very excited to be going to Misano in this situation. However we know that 50 points is still not always enough when you have someone as strong as Casey and so we won´t relax. Now we have two days of testing and we will try some new electronics in order to help me open the throttle earlier and also, of course, test some Bridgestone tyres.´
Jorge Lorenzo - Tenth
`This race is a bit sad for me because we have the potential to do a lot better. However considering what has happened this weekend and, above all, the problems with the front tyre, I think we have done almost as much as we could. At the start I didn´t want to take too many risks and I could feel that the front tyre was getting worse on each lap, but on the other hand the rear tyre was getting better each lap! I know that we have had had problems this weekend but I know that Michelin are working very hard, so now we will try to use the test to make some improvements. I want to say thank you to all of my team for their hard work, congratulate Valentino for his victory and finally also Toni Elias for his podium.´
Pedrosa working in Wings for Life ambassadorial role
The Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation has a new ambassador in the form of Repsol Honda star Dani Pedrosa.
Pedrosa supports Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research FoundationMotoGP World Championship hero Dani Pedrosa is adding his support to the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation, in his new role as an ambassador for the highly worthy cause.
Attending an event for the charity in the Brno paddock Pedrosa made a personal donation to their funds, which go towards clinical research into a putative cure for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Paralysis.
Lotus Aprilia´s Alex Debon took victory in Brno on the final lap of the 250cc race.
Debon on song to snatch 250cc win
Lotus Aprilia´s Alex Debon took victory in Brno on the final lap of the 250cc race.
Alex Debon put on a late, late show to take the second victory of his 250cc career, using every ounce of his experience to slip past Marco Simoncelli on the final lap in Brno.
The Lotus Aprilia rider´s chance of victory looked to have fallen by the wayside with two laps to go, as poleman Simoncelli ducked inside him and established what seemed to be an unassailable gap. However, Debon was not in the mood to settle for second, and pinned his hopes on a final lap fightback that paid dividends for the Spaniard.
Fellow Spaniard Alvaro Bautista also took advantage of a Simoncelli slip-up, taking a hard-fought second place from tenth on the grid. The Bancaja Aspar rider had less than a tenth of a second ahead of his Italian rival as the twosome crossed the finish line, continuing his attempt to salvage something from a 2008 season blighted by misfortune.
Metis Gilera rider Simoncelli completed the podium at the track where he had first tested the RSA machine, and extended his advantage in the World Championship classification. The man with the points total closest to him – Red Bull KTM man Mika Kallio- came in fifth behind Hector Barbera.
Yuki Takahashi, Mattia Pasini, Hector Faubel, Roberto Locatelli and Aleix Espargaro were the final riders in the top ten, whilst the only crashes of the race came from home rider Karel Abraham and Swiss star Thomas Luthi.
Bradl opens 125cc win account with Czech victory
Starting from thirteenth on the grid at Brno, Stefan Bradl became the third 125cc rider to win a first Grand Prix in 2008 with an assured ride.
Ending a long drought for German riders in the World Championship, the Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing rider worked his way up to the frontrunners on the opening laps, before taking the lead definitively just before the midway stage. A series of fastest laps allowed Bradl to break free, putting enough of a gap between himself and the podium battle to avoid any late surprises.
The Czech Republic win was Bradl´s third career podium, coming off the back of his home runner-up spot at the recent German round of the 125cc series.
World Championship leader Mike di Meglio set himself the task of stalking Bradl on the final laps of the race, closing the gap down to under a second as the lap counter ticked down. The Ajo Motorsport rider was unable to catch the eventual winner, but extended his lead in the standings with a sixth podium of the 2008 season.
The large Hungarian following present at Brno to cheer on Gabor Talmacsi left without the chance to see their hero on the podium, as the Mapfre Aspar rider missed out on the podium in a final lap duel with Joan Olive. A last gasp attempt to draft the Spaniard was unsuccessful, and the reigning 125cc World Champion was eliminated from the rostrum by less than a tenth of a second.
Nico Terol and Bradley Smith were both involved in the early fight from the front row of the grid, but tailed off towards the end of the 19-lap race to finish fifth and sixth, respectively. Sandro Cortese, Pol Espargaro, Andrea Iannone and Simone Corsi concluded the top ten.
source: motogp.com
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