Moto GP

[duc13]

Hats off to the man dont think i'll ever see better in my lifetime!
Bring on Laguna, along with the island , my favorite track .

[Ruffy]

Whats the GO with Stoner - 2 GP's in a row straight off the track and off to the medical centre and obviously struggling with the pace at the pointy end

Cheers Ruffy

[duc13]

Crook i think Ruffy , maybe a virus of some sort?
He looked f*%#ed when he was on the rostrom.
Still it would of been good to see him make the effort to go to the post race interviews.

[Rev004]

Laguna action gets underway with Rossi leading the way
Friday, 03 July 2009

The hour-long first MotoGP free practice session at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix concluded with Valentino Rossi in front of his World Championship rivals on Friday.

In perfect conditions at the Laguna Seca circuit on Friday afternoon, with blue skies, Californian sunshine and temperatures of 24°C, the MotoGP riders got the eighth race weekend of the year underway – the World Champion Valentino Rossi putting down the fastest time late in FP1.
The current MotoGP ‘big three†were on top again as the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix commenced, Rossi followed on the timesheet by his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Ducatiâ€s Casey Stoner.
Rossiâ€s 1â€21.981s lap around the shortest track on the MotoGP calendar, on the last of his 32 laps, was enough to put him 0.112s ahead of the young pretender to his crown Lorenzo.
A first lap crasher in the 2008 race on his Laguna Seca debut, Lorenzo will aim to put the memories of last yearâ€s contest behind him and already looks comfortable around the picturesque American track.
Stoner was just 0.189s down on Rossiâ€s pace himself as he tested his condition following the severe exhaustion he has experienced in recent weeks. The 2007 Laguna race-winning Australian is out for revenge over Rossi this weekend following their epic 2008 battle which Rossi won in such style.
In fourth place was Repsol Hondaâ€s Dani Pedrosa. The Spanish rider is still fighting back to 100% fitness this weekend, although he is already in far better shape than last year when he went home after the Friday practices due to injuries he sustained at Sachsenring.
There was a good start to the weekend for San Carlo Honda Gresiniâ€s Toni Elías who immediately benefitted from the introduction of the new chassis on the Honda RC212V to lap fifth quickest.
Italian pair Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) were sixth and seventh, respectively 0.899s and 1.159s down on the pace.
Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen crashed at the beginning of the session but soon got back out on track to complete 27 laps in total and still managed to go round eighth fastest.
Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) rounded out the top ten, whilst Edwards†compatriot Nicky Hayden made a sluggish start to his American Ducati debut in 14th place.

RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'21.981 262.901
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'22.093 256.227 0.112
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team Ducati 1'22.170 262.518 0.189
4 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.637 258.373 0.656
5 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'22.682 255.863 0.701
6 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.880 258.744 0.899
7 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'23.140 256.776 1.159
8 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'23.217 254.957 1.236
9 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.285 259.117 1.304
10 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.406 254.357 1.425
11 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'23.439 256.166 1.458
12 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'23.637 255.379 1.656
13 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.690 253.521 1.709
14 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 1'23.747 252.277 1.766
15 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'24.533 249.077 2.552
16 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'24.926 234.273 2.945
17 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'25.511 244.842 3.530



Rossi satisfied but with improvements still to make
Friday, 03 July 2009

World Champion Valentino Rossi spoke to motogp.com on Friday after starting the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix in good form.

In search of GP victory 101 this weekend in California the sensational winner of last yearâ€s Laguna Seca race Valentino Rossi was the fastest man at the track on Friday as the round eight action got started.
Topping the FP1 timesheet ahead of his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Ducatiâ€s Casey Stoner by 0.112s and 0.189s respectively, with a 1â€21.981 lap, Rossi knows he needs to stay on the pace and to improve his setting on Saturday in order to keep in front of his young rivals.
“It was a good first practice because Iâ€m in first place and also because we worked well on the bike,” said the iconic Italian rider. “We checked some interesting things, we tried to improve the feeling with the bike and we gathered important data in order to improve on Saturday.”
The 30 year-old continued, “Already the lap time is not too bad. We are very close together again with Stoner and Lorenzo but it looks like we are competitive and our Yamaha is good here at this track.”
Asked about the specifics as to where he will focus on Saturday, Rossi replied, “We have to improve the setting still, because on certain corners it is possible to make it better. We are also working a lot on the electronics so that we control the ‘wheelies†because on this track there are lots of bumps and jumps, so tomorrow we will continue to work in this way.”


Edwards with suspension issues to resolve
Friday, 03 July 2009

Colin Edwards found the going bumpy at Laguna on Friday as he prepared for his home race.


Arriving at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix full of confidence after his strong performance and fourth placed finish at Assen, Colin Edwards was further down the timesheet than he would have liked on Friday at Laguna Seca.

In search of his 100th point-scoring GP finish this weekend in California the Texan is confident he can improve on his Friday pace, having finished the first session in ninth place with a best time of 1â€23.285.

Making his first U.S. appearance on Bridgestone tyres, having struggled with grip last year as he finished the race 14th, the 35-year-old was more than half a second down on fourth placed Dani Pedrosa in FP1, having encountered some front and rear suspension issues at the West Coast circuit.

“It hasnâ€t been that great really,” commented Edwards after the practice. “The tyres are great but the bike is feeling way too stiff. We need to do some work on Friday night on our springs and damping to figure it out. I had some similar problems last year, with not enough movement from the suspension, because the seat and the handlebars are moving too much and nothing is getting absorbed.”

He continued, “There are a lot of bumps out there on the track and we do go to a few rough tracks but I forgot how rough it was here. There are some humungous bumps out there and they are not round, they are square so we need to get that figured out.”


Stoner expecting Assen/Barcelona-like fatigue at Laguna
Friday, 03 July 2009

Third in Fridayâ€s free practice session, Casey Stoner was frank about his continued lack of fitness when talking after the run-out.


2007 racewinner Casey Stoner opened up this yearâ€s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix weekend with the third fastest time of the first free practice session, with a 1â€22.170 lap of the Laguna Seca circuit belying his still-fragile physical state. The Australian has been battling a mystery virus over the past pair of races and, unfortunately for the Ducati man, is predicting just as hard a fight this Sunday.

“The bikeâ€s working well, which is once again a disappointment for me because I donâ€t think that we can really keep up for the race this weekend,” a downbeat Stoner acknowledged on Friday afternoon.

“Everythingâ€s been working well these past three races, and I feel like we should have been fighting at the front -even if we finished in the same positions. It looks like itâ€s going to be a similar weekend to the last two, but at least this time we are kind of expecting it, whereas at Assen I thought that all my problems were over.”

Stoner was experiencing fatigue as early as the midway point of the session, causing him to make running modifications to his riding style in order to conserve his energy. In order to maintain his endurance for the session, the former MotoGP World Champion is having to make sacrifices to his lap strategy.

“Braking is one of the hardest points for me at the moment. Iâ€m taking the corners however I can at the moment, which is what you do when you get fatigued. My braking points are getting way too early though, so it all just combines to give a slower lap time,” he lamented, before giving credit to those who he believes have been the driving force behind his recent podium damage limitation.

“For me itâ€s been the bike these past two races. If it wasnâ€t working so well I wouldnâ€t have been on the podium. The bike can still do quick lap times even when Iâ€m backing off.”


Pedrosa fourth as he reacquaints himself with Laguna
Friday, 03 July 2009

Having missed last yearâ€s Laguna race Dani Pedrosa had an important session on Friday at round eight, riding the American circuit for the first time on Bridgestone tyres.


Dani Pedrosa finished FP1 at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix in fourth place on the timesheet and felt there was room for improvement as he got to grips with his Bridgestone tyres for the first time on Californian soil.

After 31 laps of the Laguna Seca circuit Pedrosa marked his best time of 1'22.637 right at the end of the session, making steady improvements as he continues to find his way back from injury.

Pedrosa suffered a DNF at Assen in the last round as he crashed in The Netherlands when riding through the pain barrier with an ongoing hip injury. Although he is still to regain full fitness the Spaniard is doing far better then last year at Laguna when he had to leave on Friday evening due to injuries picked up in a costly crash in Germany shortly before.

Just over half a second behind paceman Valentino Rossi on Friday, Pedrosa looked back on the session saying, “It was good to try the track again. At the beginning I took my time and tried to get some rhythm, then finally I tried to push a little bit more. We are still some distance from the top but for a first run it looks ok for the moment.”

He continued, “Itâ€s a different feeling on the Bridgestone tyres but they feel ok and we will try to improve on Saturday.”

On his physical condition, Pedrosa added, “We did a lot of laps and at the end of the session my hip was a little bit painful, but it wasnâ€t too bad and I was able to ride the bike as normal. Thatâ€s important here because this is a circuit where the machine wheelies and shakes quite a lot so you need to be able to control it.”


Marathon man Lorenzo relearning Laguna Seca
Friday, 03 July 2009

Extended sighting mission for Fiat Yamaha rider in opening Laguna Seca session


38 laps –the fastest of which a 1â€22.093- was all it took for Fiat Yamaha Jorge Lorenzo to make up for any lack of track time at Laguna Seca. The current second-placed rider in the MotoGP World Champion crashed out of his U.S. debut last year before even crossing the start/finish line once, although on Friday in 2009 he quickly reacquainted himself with the technical circuit.

“I was very fast today and I feel good here at this track in the California sunshine! I know that this is a very complicated circuit to get used to and that you have to make a lot of laps to learn it, but I did have some time on it last year and I feel great here now,” said the Spaniard, once again edged out at the last moment by teammate Valentino Rossi in the Friday run by just a tenth of a second.

“Today I stopped after a few laps and changed the tyre to the harder Bridgestone one and then I felt even better; I was having a lot of fun riding the bike and I was able to do more or less race distance with consistent lap times. We will work on further improving our setting tomorrow and I hope that I can continue in the same way again.”

Lorenzo is riding this weekend without Team Manager Daniele Romagnoli accompanying him on his side of the garage, the Italian attending to a family matter back in Europe.


Dovizioso confident of upping the pace
Friday, 03 July 2009

Andrea Dovizioso was sixth fastest on Friday at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.


Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso reviews the opening day of action in California.

Andrea Dovizioso – 6th
“The lap times came easily today and Iâ€m quite happy with the pace we were able to achieve. We did three runs with the soft Bridgestone tyres and then the last run with the hard tyre option and the results were promising. It took a while for the hard tyres to warm up though, so in the end I couldnâ€t push as hard as I wanted to improve my lap time. Because of that Iâ€m confident we have room to go quicker tomorrow. Despite the fact that it was quite easy to get the rhythm, Iâ€m not totally happy with my feeling from the front of the bike in the middle of the turn so we will need to work on that and try a few options tomorrow. I like the challenge of this track and the atmosphere here, so Iâ€m looking forward to getting back out there in the morning.”


Vermeulen progress halted by crash
Friday, 03 July 2009

Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen crashed during the early part of the first practice session at Laguna Seca, usually one of his favourite tracks.


Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi provide the Rizla Suzuki perspective on the first day of practice at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

Chris Vermeulen – 8th
“I was really looking forward to coming back to Laguna as it is obviously a track I enjoy, but it wasn't the start I wanted! On the fourth or fifth lap I was just starting to build up my pace and as I entered turn two I locked the front wheel and went down. Unfortunately the bike was on the outside of the circuit so I was unable to get it back for the rest of the session. I got back to the pits and went out on the other bike but it was set up very differently - geometry wise - and it didn't quite work as well as we'd hoped around here. The main thing we did find today was that we are still struggling a lot with the front feeling of the bike as it feels quite a bit different to last year. Bridgestone has brought a different front tyre this time to the one I used in 2008 and we're trying to make that work better for us. Apart from that the bike feels quite good and it is accelerating quite well off the corners. I do love riding around here so hopefully tomorrow we can get the bike working better and get closer to the front.”
Loris Capirossi – 12th
“We tried to do something big with the setting today and we started with two very different bikes. We never really found the best solution with either bike and went back to the first one and modified that a bit to try and find the best settings for this track. On the last run we did improve a bit but we still need to work harder and improve a lot more tomorrow. We still need a bit more grip and although overall things are ok we need to make some big steps in certain places tomorrow.”


Slow start for Hayden on West Coast
Friday, 03 July 2009

The 2005 and 2006 Laguna racewinner Nicky Hayden needs to get on the pace at round eight having started the weekend in 14th place on Friday.


The biggest event of the year thus far for Nicky Hayden commenced in modest fashion on Friday with the Kentucky rider lapping down in 14th on the FP1 timesheet at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

Ducati have a significant fanbase in the United States and with Hayden this weekend making his first American appearance for the Italian factory the pressure is on for the former World Champion to at least try and match his top five result from last yearâ€s race.

Although Hayden also has Indianapolis to look forward to late in August the visit to Laguna is a key moment in his first season with Ducati as he looks to kickstart his campaign, at the track where he took home victories in â€05 & â€06, having only twice featured in the top ten so far this year.

On the first day of action at Laguna, Hayden said, “Itâ€s a new bike and new tyres for me here but I have been riding it all year and it shouldnâ€t have taken this long to get used to. This is not what I wanted from the first practice and I certainly hoped to be a lot closer to the pace.”

“Change of direction was quite slow and I didnâ€t feel that the acceleration was good. Coming out of the corners it felt very flat and not enough power, so hopefully we can find something with electronics or fuel mapping and make a big step on Saturday.”

On whether the data gathered by his team-mate Casey Stoner on the Ducati in the Australianâ€s successful 2007 and 2008 appearances at the track would be helpful over the weekend, Hayden commented, “As far as base set-up and base transmission are concerned sure his data is important and we have our electronic mapping in place from that so it is useful.”

[Rev004]

Late Lorenzo tops timesheet in first Saturday run
Saturday, 04 July 2009

Jorge Lorenzo stated his intentions with a late fast lap in the Saturday morning practice at Laguna Seca.


Out to prove a point this weekend having finished second to his team-mate Valentino Rossi in the last two MotoGP races and having crashed out on the first lap of the race last year at Laguna Seca, Jorge Lorenzo was the top man in the Saturday morning practice run.

The young Spanish Fiat Yamaha rider took his M1 round the Californian track in 1â€21.799 right at the end of the session, to push Casey Stoner off the top spot, ahead of qualifying later today.

Fears about Stonerâ€s ability to perform this weekend at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix subsided somewhat in the first Saturday outing as the Ducati star put down a marker of 1â€21.835s that only Lorenzo was able to beat on his final lap. Of course Stoner will need more than one fast lap in Sundayâ€s eighth race of the year and doubts linger about his current stamina levels, having only completed 23 laps in FP2 compared to Lorenzoâ€s 35.

Valentino Rossi was around three tenths off Lorenzoâ€s best in third place and will look to increase the pace in qualifying later on. The Italian himself completed 34 laps, his best time of 1â€22.177 coming early in the outing.

A revitalised Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) lapped fourth fastest, just ahead of Repsol Honda counterparts Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa, who lapped in similar times – around 0.75s slower than Lorenzo – in fifth and sixth respectively.

Eighth fastest participant Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) was in the middle of an American sandwich behind Monster Yamaha Tech 3â€s Colin Edwards and in front of Ducatiâ€s Nicky Hayden - with all three lapping at a similar speed. Edwards†Tech 3 colleague James Toseland completed the top ten


RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'21.799 256.227
2 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team Ducati 1'21.835 259.927 0.036
3 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'22.177 263.478 0.378
4 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'22.367 255.379 0.568
5 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.552 256.837 0.753
6 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.561 258.558 0.762
7 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'22.781 260.178 0.982
8 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'22.917 256.714 1.118
9 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 1'22.935 256.227 1.136
10 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.127 253.699 1.328
11 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.368 258.868 1.569
12 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'23.451 254.897 1.652
13 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'23.452 254.957 1.653
14 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'23.849 257.265 2.050
15 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'23.951 255.138 2.152
16 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'24.114 244.953 2.315
17 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'24.202 252.868 2.403

Crashes for Lorenzo as he takes Laguna pole
Saturday, 04 July 2009

Jorge Lorenzo will need a medical check on Sunday to see if he is fit to race, after he crashed twice in qualifying at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix but still ended up in pole position.

Best images of MotoGP QP in Laguna Seca


Further medical checks will be required on Sunday for poleman Jorge Lorenzo after a dramatic qualifying session at Laguna Seca, which ended with the Spaniard being stretchered away having set the pole position time - a 1â€21.678 hot lap.

Fiat Yamahaâ€s former 250cc World Champion Lorenzo was unaffected by a lowside crash on the fourth corner with 20 minutes to go, jumping on his second M1 to grab pole for Sundayâ€s race, before a massive highside crash saw him taken away from trackside and straight to the medical centre. Initial tests showed a partially dislocated right shoulder and a bruised right foot, but Lorenzo will not be passed fit to ride, or ruled out of action, until Sunday morning.

Second fastest qualifier Valentino Rossi stood alone in parc fermÃ, having lapped 0.167s behind Lorenzo, with third fastest rider Casey Stoner also crashing heavily on turn three in the final minutes. Stoner appeared to be walking unaided, albeit unsteadily, after the session and is said to be ok to race.

The second row for Sundayâ€s eighth MotoGP contest of 2009 will be an all Honda affair, with factory pair Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso qualifying fourth and fifth respectively, in front of San Carlo Honda Gresiniâ€s Toni Elías – all three less than half a second down on Lorenzo.

MotoGPâ€s American representatives Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati) will be joined on row three by Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), who like Hayden has a good record at Laguna.

The top ten qualifiers list was completed by Vermeulenâ€s veteran teammate Loris Capirossi.

RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX
MotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'21.678 261.058
2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'21.845 264.058 0.167
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team Ducati 1'21.910 262.901 0.232
4 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.113 260.492 0.435
5 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.135 260.554 0.457
6 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'22.146 260.303 0.468
7 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'22.490 262.326 0.812
8 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 1'22.540 259.241 0.862
9 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'22.633 260.303 0.955
10 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'22.662 262.326 0.984
11 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'22.842 256.532 1.164
12 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.004 260.617 1.326
13 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'23.106 256.959 1.428
14 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'23.147 254.777 1.469
15 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.390 256.837 1.712
16 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'23.912 256.349 2.234
17 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'24.528 248.905 2.850

Rossi wishes rivals well after crashes
Saturday, 04 July 2009.

Second fastest qualifier and World Champion Valentino Rossi hopes crashing poleman Jorge Lorenzo and third placed Casey Stoner, who also hit the deck, will be fit to race on Sunday.


Fiat Yamahaâ€s Valentino Rossi was quick to wish his World Championship rivals Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner all the best on Saturday afternoon at Laguna Seca having seen both of them carried away from trackside in a dramatic qualifying session.

Rossi, who leads the general standings by five points from team-mate Lorenzo and is nine points in front of Stoner, qualified in second place on the grid for Sundayâ€s American MotoGP contest, while both of his big rivals suffered nasty crashes.

Poleman Lorenzo partially dislocated his right shoulder and heavily bruised his right foot in a huge highside on the Yamaha M1, whilst Stoner highsided the Ducati Desmosedici GP9 and was also helped away from trackside, prompting a concerned Rossi to wish all the very best to both afterwards.

Stoner is uninjured, but Lorenzo will not be cleared to race, or ruled out until Sunday, with Rossi commenting, “Firstly I just hope that Casey and Jorge are fit and are able to race, because for sure it would be a great battle between us, as our pace on race tyres is very similar.”

On his own performance in qualifying he added, “Iâ€m very happy with my second position. Actually today we did not have two perfect practices and we still have some problems to fix. At the end, especially in the last part of the track I am not strong enough so we have to work on Sunday to improve our setting. So Iâ€m happy that we still managed to qualify second, not far from Lorenzo, considering our problem.”

Lorenzo explains big highside crash
Saturday, 04 July 2009

Fiat Yamahaâ€s Jorge Lorenzo faces an anxious wait overnight to see if he can ride at Laguna on Sunday, due to the QP highside crash which he described to motogp.com afterwards.

Jorge Lorenzo 2nd. crash during QP in Laguna Seca


Title chasing MotoGP star Jorge Lorenzo is hopeful of riding in Sundayâ€s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix race despite the massive blows he sustained to his right shoulder and foot in the second of two crashes in Saturdayâ€s qualifying session, which he remarkably concluded on pole.

The Spanish rider faces a late medical check on Sunday morning after partially dislocating his right shoulder and severely bruising his right foot in QP, at a track where he also spectacularly crashed out in last yearâ€s race.

Explaining what had happened Lorenzo stated, “We were really comfortable and competitive on this track, but when I had my last chance to do a quick lap time I found some slower riders on track and they wanted to follow me. I decided to slow down for a while because I wanted to be alone but the rear tyre was too cold for the speed I was doing. I went into the corner and I crashed.”

“Iâ€m disappointed for these two crashes but I am okay and I am optimistic that I will be able to ride tomorrow,” Lorenzo added. “Now the American doctors and the Clinica Mobile are working together to try to help me as best they can and make me more comfortable.”

Indeed, as Clinica Mobile's Lello Rubbini commented, “Jorge dislocated the collarbone in his right shoulder and took a big blow on the front of his right foot. He needs to decide if he wants to race and we have to wait until the morning. Now we will work with him to give him painkillers and to help reduce the swelling.”

Stoner cautious about Laguna chances
Saturday, 04 July 2009

Ducati MotoGP Team rider Casey Stoner was in competitive form in qualifying practice for the USGP at Laguna Seca today, with the Australian sealing a front row start for tomorrowâ€s race.


However, it wasnâ€t all plain sailing for Stoner, who crashed out heavily at the end of the session. The 2007 World Champion is nevertheless confident he will be able to ride tomorrow although he is expecting a gruelling race, not least because of the physical exhaustion he has been suffering in recent weeks.

CASEY STONER (Ducati MotoGP Team) (3rd; 1â€21.910)
"To be honest the bike had given us a few warnings in a lot of places around the circuit today and Iâ€m sure there were a lot of other guys in a similar situation. The tyre is quite hard on the right-hand side and needs a couple of laps to warm up properly. Unfortunately on the lap before the crash, in the most important corner for heating that side of the tyre up I was held up by two riders having a disagreement and then I got stuck behind one of them into the next right-hander too. I was wary that the tyre would be cooler than I needed it to be on the next lap so I went into turn three a lot more carefully than normal, but as I closed the gas on the way into the corner the rear just came around. I tried to pick the bike up and go straight into the gravel but it didnâ€t want to and that was it – it threw me straight up in the air! It hurt when I landed but I thought Iâ€d only winded myself - now it looks like I might have torn something in my groin, which is not the best thing to happen before the race. Anyway, we have a great bike for this track so weâ€ll see what we can do."

Edwards determined to please crowd from seventh
Saturday, 04 July 2009

Lower down the grid than he hoped to be at Laguna Seca, home rider Colin Edwards still intends to give the American crowd something to shout about on Sunday.


Colin Edwards, who has yet to qualify lower than the third row in 2009, will start Sundayâ€s 32-lap Laguna Seca race from seventh position after he clocked a best time of 1â€22.490 in qualifying.

Despite encountering front-end issues on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1, the 35-year-old was just over half-a-second away from a front row start.

Edwards, who lost most of the fingernail off the third finger on his right hand in a heavy crash at turn ten on Saturday morning, is still confident he can become only the 14th rider in history to score points in 100 separate Grand Prix races on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a crash at the final corner just 15 minutes into the QP session dented James Toseland's hopes of securing a third consecutive top ten grid position. The British rider lost the front-end at the left-hand corner, and riding his spare YZR-M1 machine for the rest of the session, he was unable to find a comfortable setting as he finished in 15th position.

Colin Edwards - 7th
“The bike felt better than yesterday but I'm still not completely happy and I've still got a few issues to iron out before the race. I made a mistake this morning and did a bit of damage to a finger on my right hand, but nothing that is giving me too many problems. It wasn't fun though high-siding at Turn 10 because that's not a slow corner. I was on my head and then my back, so just to take a fingernail off I feel pretty lucky. But the big issue is the feeling from the front-end. I've got too much movement and as soon as I go into the corner it doesn't feel stable at all. To be seventh I'm pretty happy because I didn't feel like I could push as hard as I want or need to. But if I can eliminate a couple of problems in the warm-up I'm confident of a good race. I know it is going to be tough to get a podium tomorrow but I'll be giving it my all for the American fans and for Monster. There are a lot of people here to support me on a big weekend for America and I'm determined to give them a good result.”
James Toseland - 15th
“It was a tough session and pretty obvious that we've got a lot of work to do. After such a good race in Assen when we made massive progress with the set-up of the bike, I just can't get the same confident feeling I had last weekend. I wasn't pushing too hard at the last corner when the front tucked and I was down. I was running a different setting on the front and I never really felt comfortable with it. The crash forced me to switch to the spare bike and we tried a new setting on the front and it just didn't really work. I'm nowhere near where I expected to be and that is disappointing. But as always I'll be working as hard as ever with my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 to find some improvements for the race.”

Bruised Vermeulen battles onto third row
Saturday, 04 July 2009

Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen fought through the pain barrier in qualifying at Laguna Seca to earn himself a third row start for Sundayâ€s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix race.


Chris Vermeulen suffered a huge high-side crash at the end of the morning practice in California which left the Australian with heavy bruising all down his left side, but thankfully no broken bones. Vermeulen showed consistent race pace throughout both of Saturdayâ€s sessions and managed to qualify in ninth place.

Loris Capirossi made some progress towards the end of the afternoon qualifying session as he finally found a setting he was comfortable with on the Suzuki GSV-R. He qualified just 0.029s behind team-mate Vermeulen in tenth place.

Chris Vermeulen – 9th
“I managed to stay upright this afternoon for a whole hour, so that was a first for this weekend and the mechanics are also very pleased about that! Firstly though, I want to thank my crew because they worked so hard between sessions today after I wrecked a bike this morning. The crew has done a great job and managed to get the bike ready for this afternoon. When we went out we made quite an improvement and took some big steps in lap-times. I was able to do the lap-times very consistently and I think we can do that tomorrow in the race. We still need to find a bit more pace to be right at the front, but the front feeling certainly got better today, although we are still looking for a bit more rear grip. We still have a couple of things to work on tomorrow morning, but we should be in good shape for the race. I am a bit disappointed to be on the third row as I feel like I had the pace to be nearer the front of the grid. It will be important to get a good start and get right up there early on and work on things from there.”
Loris Capirossi – 10th
“I think we tried to do too much in the first two sessions of this weekend and I felt more like a test rider because I really tested everything we had and we never really found anything that worked. Then, this afternoon, we went back to a more standard setting like we have used in the past, and we finally got a rhythm and improved lap-by-lap. It is still not great and to be 10th on the grid is not that good, but compared to where we were yesterday, and after this morning, it is a lot better. The thing is that we have really lost a couple of hours of testing and now we will find it hard to make any improvements in warm-up tomorrow morning because the conditions will still be a bit cold. I am really positive for the race because we have improved so much and we will have to wait and see what can happen tomorrow.”

Hayden upbeat after best qualifying result of ‘09
Saturday, 04 July 2009

Ducatiâ€s Nicky Hayden is ready to give it his best shot in Sundayâ€s race in front of his supporters, having qualified in eighth place at Laguna.


Hoping to repeat some of his past glories and kickstart his 2009 season on home territory this weekend Nicky Hayden took some steps forward despite an FP2 crash on Saturday in California and hopes to be competitive in the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix race.

The ‘Kentucky Kid†has qualified in his best grid slot to date with Ducati ahead of his American race debut for the Italian firm and he summarised Saturdayâ€s action by saying, “In the morning we made a good step, we changed some of the electronics and I was coming off the corners better and immediately able to drop a second on my times, just from hitting the right buttons on the computer, so my data guy did a good job. Then I had a crash and it set us back a bit.”

“In qualifying it wasnâ€t easy, but we got on the third row which is not great but is by far my best qualifying this year. I was hoping to hold onto the second row start when I did my best time and I thought I might have a chance. Itâ€s still the best this year and normally in qualifying recently Iâ€ve been going backwards or down at the end of the sessions, but this time I managed to stay up and move up a few places.”

Referring to the big crashes suffered by his team-mate Casey Stoner and poleman Jorge Lorenzo, Hayden added, “Qualifying was wild today, I havenâ€t see a dry session in a long time in the MotoGP class like that, so I really hope everybody is ok. The race will be tough but I have certainly helped by qualifying in a decent way and weâ€ll just have to see.”

Dovizioso quietly confident of sticking with top trio
Saturday, 04 July 2009

Repsol Honda rider believes he has pace to keep up with leaders at Laguna Seca.


Starting from the second row for his second Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix and with some principal rivals riding injured, Andrea Dovizioso has not had a better chance of taking a first podium of the season in 2009. The Italian had struggled with colder morning temperatures at Laguna Seca, but as things heated up he was able to take his Repsol Honda RC212V round in 1m 22.135s and take fifth on the grid.

“As I expected this afternoon, with the higher temperatures and using the hard Bridgestones, I could improve my lap times by a decent amount over this morning. Thatâ€s good because these are the tyres weâ€ll use for the race and weâ€re in pretty good shape,” revealed Dovizioso after the Saturday afternoon session.

“I think I have a good race pace and starting from the second row is not bad. Towards the end of qualifying I think I could have gone even quicker with the last soft tyre but I was on track when Lorenzo crashed so I had to slow down because there were yellow flags,” he added, referring to the nasty tumble suffered by his former 250cc title rival.

“Anyway Iâ€m happy with qualifying and tomorrow weâ€ll aim to make a good start and stay with the leaders. In the heat of the race I think I should be able to grit my teeth and shave a few more tenths from my lap time too. This track is really special and the atmosphere here is unique, so and Iâ€m really looking forward to tomorrowâ€s race. I hope we can be competitive and give the team a strong result before we head back to Europe. We have the pace to keep with Stoner, Rossi and Lorenzo, but I will really need to make a good start for this to happen.”

Dovizioso was unable to finish last weekendâ€s race in Assen after crashing out before the midway point

Rainey impressed by Lorenzo but backing Rossi
Saturday, 04 July 2009

MotoGP Legend goes for Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner podium prediction.

Rainey gives Laguna race predictions


There is no rider who knows Laguna Seca better nor lives closer to the scene of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix than Wayne Rainey, former 500cc World Champion and MotoGP Legend.

The American gave his thoughts on what was expected of Sundayâ€s race just after qualifying, and was left impressed by the Yamaha new generation.

“I watched qualifying from different points on the track, and to me Lorenzo looked the best. He looked the fastest, the smoothest and the most consistent,” said Rainey, before emphasising that the riderâ€s late crash had changed his prediction. “Then he made a couple of mistakes, and now it looks as if Rossi is going to be the strong one and Lorenzo could possibly get second place.

“With those two being injured, and Laguna Seca being possibly the most physically demanding circuit out there, I would think that Rossiâ€s got the edge, and that Stoner will be up there.”

Pedrosa content with fourth on grid
Saturday, 04 July 2009

Spaniard looks to get faster to challenge leaders.


Qualifying on the second row of the grid for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, Dani Pedrosa is looking to make some small improvements to challenge the front line starters. The Repsol Honda rider is targetting a three-tenths of a second drop on his practice times in order to find the ideal race pace on Sunday.

Dani Pedrosa -4th
“We started this afternoonâ€s session really well and were able to lap consistently quickly straight away. Towards the end it became a little bit more difficult to improve the lap times because they tyres werenâ€t quite getting up to temperature and it was easy to make a mistake - we saw a few crashes out there later in the session. Fourth on the grid is not bad - I would have liked to be on the front row of course but fourth is ok. For tomorrow Iâ€d like to improve our race pace by about three tenths per lap and thatâ€s what weâ€ll work on in the warm-up. We did a lot of laps today on the tyres weâ€re planning to race on and this was one of our targets this weekend so Iâ€m satisfied with that. Itâ€s a short lap here and there isnâ€t any chance to rest which is going to make it a tough race tomorrow. You have to stay very focused and concentrated because itâ€s easy to make a mistake. In the sessions today I was mostly riding on a clear track, so Iâ€m confident that if I can get away with the front group then this will help my rhythm and pace even more.”

[Rev004]

Well people if you haven't seen the race don't read on as the results are after the reports of the warm up session.


Stoner shows pace again in warm-up
Sunday, 05 July 2009

Casey Stoner was ahead of his rivals in the warm-up session on Sunday at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.


Ducatiâ€s Casey Stoner almost matched his own pace from Saturday qualifying as he topped the timesheet in the final practice outing ahead of Sundayâ€s Laguna Seca race, putting down a 1â€21.918 marker to signal his intent.

Having put himself third on the grid yesterday Stoner suffered a huge highside crash towards the end of QP so his bruised body, which has also been severely fatigued in recent races, may be the only hindrance to him repeating his dominant 2007 Californian victory.

Also on the pace in the warm-up session and ahead of Stoner on the grid, Valentino Rossi was second fastest as the only other participant to lap under the 1â€22 mark.

Poleman Jorge Lorenzo showed he is fit to ride despite his right shoulder and foot injuries as he lapped in fifth place with a time of 1â€22.512s – so like Stoner his stamina in the race will be a key factor.

Lorenzo sat just behind Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) on the timing screen, as they went round third and fourth quickest respectively.

Pedrosaâ€s teammate Andrea Dovizioso and Edwards†Ducati-equipped compatriot Nicky Hayden were sixth and seventh


RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX
MotoGP Warm Up Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team Ducati 1'21.918 258.311
2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'21.998 261.248 0.080
3 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.252 257.326 0.334
4 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'22.459 258.992 0.541
5 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'22.512 252.868 0.594
6 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.514 256.227 0.596
7 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 1'22.777 257.265 0.859
8 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'23.051 253.164 1.133
9 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'23.136 253.759 1.218
10 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.208 253.580 1.290
11 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'23.281 257.695 1.363
12 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.360 253.580 1.442
13 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.421 255.319 1.503
14 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'23.624 255.500 1.706
15 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'23.683 255.621 1.765
16 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'24.163 247.139 2.245
17 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'24.271 250.115 2.353

Pedrosa ends Honda win drought in stunning fashion
Sunday, 05 July 2009

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa took a dominant win at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday in the Californian sunshine.


After more than a year without a victory for Honda, since his own win at Catalunya last season, Dani Pedrosa triumphed at Laguna Seca on Sunday, taking the holeshot from fourth on the grid and not looking back - to cross the finishing line ahead of his closest rival Valentino Rossi.

Following a string of crashes and injury problems Pedrosa was finally back to his very best, lapping at a pace which none of his opponents could match. At one stage he had built up a significant gap at the front and although Rossi chased him down on the final lap there were no mishaps this time.

Pedrosa still has some way to go if he is to challenge at the head of the standings however, as current leader Rossi picked up more good World Championship points in second place, whilst Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner were third and fourth respectively.

Riding with an injured shoulder and foot, Lorenzo had a chance to overtake Rossi for second with four laps to go but got his move wrong and had to settle for the final podium place. Stoner ran with the frontrunners for most of the race but although he tired in the final stages he stayed within touching distance of Fiat Yamaha pair Rossi and Lorenzo at the top of the standings courtesy of his fourth place.

A good ride from Nicky Hayden at his favourite track saw him register his first top five result since joining Ducati, the American rider finishing just ahead of a similarly revitalised Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini).

Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) completed the top ten.

There was disappointment for Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) who lost ground in the championship when he crashed out for the second race in succession on lap seven. Indeed only twelve riders completed the race as the likes of Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Racing), Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), Sete Gibernau (Grupo Francisco Hernando) and James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) went home with DNFs to their names.


RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX
MotoGP Race Classification
Pos. Points Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Total time Km/h Gap
1 25 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 44'01.580 157.433
2 20 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 44'01.924 157.412 0.344
3 16 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 44'03.506 157.318 1.926
4 13 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team Ducati 44'14.012 156.695 12.432
5 11 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 44'23.243 156.152 21.663
6 10 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 44'23.621 156.130 22.041
7 9 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 44'31.781 155.653 30.201
8 8 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 44'34.437 155.498 32.857
9 7 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 44'41.905 155.065 40.325
10 6 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 44'49.608 154.621 48.028
11 5 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 44'50.390 154.576 48.810
12 4 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 45'20.111 152.887 1'18.531
Not classified
4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 8'23.703 26 Lap
59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 8'32.190 26 Lap
65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 4'19.395 29 Lap
41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 4'22.278 29 Lap
Excluded
52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha


World Championship

MotoGP
Pos. Rider Nation Team Points
1 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 151
2 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 142
3 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team 135
4 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team 92
5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 76
6 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team 69
7 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team 61
8 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 61
9 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 58
10 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 56
11 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 39
12 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team 38
13 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 37
14 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 36
15 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing 26
16 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing 16
17 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando 12
18 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 9

[Rev004]

Well it's been a bit of a mixed bag so far with the weather in Germany so here is the results for the first and second free practice sessions yesterday and today. Qualifying is in a couple of hours so will have to wait and see how things pan out.

Stoner on top of the weather in first Sachsenring session
Friday, 17 July 2009

Ducati Marlboro rider fastest in Free Practice one in Germany.

Sachsenring 2009 - MotoGP FP1 Highlights


He has been under the weather in recent weeks, but Casey Stoner proved to be on top of conditions at the Sachsenring on Friday afternoon. A damp track following rainfall in the 125cc Free Practice session gave the riders plenty to think about in their first run for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, but in the end it was the Ducati Marlboro man who proved most at ease.

Stoner was some three tenths of a second quicker than any other rider, with a time of 1â€22.779. Whilst he was the standout rider, behind him was a group of three riders separated by less than a tenth of a second. Laguna Seca racewinner Dani Pedrosa headed said pack, showing no fear in the face of a track that so viciously took him out of action on raceday last year.

World Championship leader Valentino Rossi and LCR Hondaâ€s Randy de Puniet also made their presence felt, whilst Alex de Angelis and Colin Edwards showed their versatility in preparation for an important race for their respective MotoGP futures.

Still feeling the effects of his qualifying crash in the United States, Jorge Lorenzo was nearly two seconds down on Stonerâ€s initial time. The Fiat Yamaha rider has had little time to rest after receiving the big knock under two weeks ago.

The only faller in the Free Practice session was Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen, who fell with fifteen minutes remaining in a highside that left him limping away, whilst James Toseland nearly came unstuck with a loss of rear grip early on.

ALICE MOTORRAD GRAND PRIX DEUTSCHLAND
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'22.779 278.350
2 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'23.034 281.250 0.255
3 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'23.088 276.073 0.309
4 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'23.133 275.019 0.354
5 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.282 274.739 0.503
6 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.295 271.016 0.516
7 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.351 274.459 0.572
8 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'23.367 273.003 0.588
9 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'23.370 275.580 0.591
10 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'23.466 276.003 0.687
11 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'23.496 275.089 0.717
12 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'23.705 274.250 0.926
13 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'24.090 273.486 1.311
14 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'24.317 272.865 1.538
15 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'24.908 270.541 2.129
16 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'25.161 270.337 2.382
17 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP


Lorenzo makes upward surge for Free Practice 2 lead
Saturday, 18 July 2009

Spaniard moves from eleventh to first in second MotoGP session.

Best images of MotoGP FP2 in Sachsenring


Languishing in eleventh in Friday afternoonâ€s practice for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, Jorge Lorenzo answered back on Saturday with the quickest time of the weekend to date. The Fiat Yamaha rider posted a 1â€21.882 time on a dry track to boost his hopes of a strong result in Germany.

Lorenzo was the only rider to breach the 1â€22 mark, trailed by previous leader Casey Stoner. Nearly four-tenths of a second separated the duo.

Laguna Seca racewinner made a charge for the top spot in the final moments of the session, but fell short in his latest run with the new Honda engine introduced to his RC212V. He had been unable to get a full assessment of the motor on Friday due to the wet conditions.

Pedrosa placed third, ahead of former teammate Nicky Hayden –now with Ducati Marlboro. Haydenâ€s confidence has been boosted by a positive result in his home race and a decent showing for most of Friday afternoon.

Down in fifth and half a second down on Fiat Yamaha colleague Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi ran off track when trying to tuck in for a tight turn. He kept his Yamaha M1 vertical, an achievement that Monster Yamaha Tech 3â€s James Toseland had been unable to manage earlier on with a high speed lowside. Niccolò Canepa also crashed during the session.

ALICE MOTORRAD GRAND PRIX DEUTSCHLAND

MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'21.882 280.811
2 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'22.258 281.176 0.376

3 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.311 286.016 0.429
4 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'22.340 277.492 0.458
5 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'22.357 280.155 0.475
6 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'22.441 281.176 0.559
7 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'22.721 277.563 0.839
8 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'22.738 280.228 0.856
9 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'22.892 278.637 1.010
10 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'22.899 279.503 1.017
11 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.041 278.063 1.159
12 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'23.205 279.647 1.323
13 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.374 278.565 1.492
14 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.655 276.568 1.773
15 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'23.897 275.229 2.015
16 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'24.579 277.492 2.697
17 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'24.718 275.159 2.836

[BLACKZOOK]

Thanks for these updates Rev I check this thread prior to every GP, I hardly ever get the chance to catch the news.

Good on ya

[bigfoot]

what time is the race tomorrow on one HD

[BUSGO]

+1 I also rely on you to keep me up to date.
Great job.
Also, now that we have ONE HD to show the race, it is like going back 3 or 4 years to see it on free to air.

[Rev004]

Well not to much to talk about with it being an extremely wet qualifying so lets hope the weather clears for a dry race even though our man Stoner is wanting a wet race. We have the usual Suspects on the front row with some of the other big names a little further down than they are probably wanting but anyway lets se what tomorrow brings.

Oh thanks BLACKZOOK & Busgo all in a days work I will try and keep you and everyone else interested up to date when I'm around and near a computer.

Rossi fires back for first Sachsenring pole
Saturday, 18 July 2009

Italian tops timesheets for first time in German weekend for maiden pole at Sachsenring.


Valentino Rossi added a third pole position to enviable haul from 2009 at Sachsenring on Saturday, coming out on top in a drenched qualifying session for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Rossiâ€s last gasp 1â€32.520 lap was not only enough to head the timesheet by over six-tenths of a second, but it was also sufficient to give him a first ever MotoGP pole at the German track.

Rossi relegated Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo to second on the grid, and the two share the front row for the sixth time this season. Joining them in the first line of attack will be fellow title contender Casey Stoner, a further six-tenths down on Rossiâ€s marker in the qualifying run.

Lorenzo and Stoner had experienced big crashes at Laguna Seca last time out, but this time they were two of the few riders not to have experienced a moment in preparation for the Sachsenring race. The area at and ahead of turn eight proved costly for a number of riders on Saturday afternoon, with falls for Marco Melandri, Toni Elías, Randy de Puniet, Alex de Angelis, Nicky Hayden and Niccolò Canepa adding to Chris Vermeulenâ€s Friday hit and James Toselandâ€s morning moment. Canepa first hit the gravel of his own accord, then later became involved in Haydenâ€s crash when the American speared him off track.

Hayden took his best qualifying result as a Ducati Marlboro rider to date with fifth place, ahead of San Carlo Gresini Hondaâ€s De Angelis and LCR Honda man De Puniet on the second row.

The Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland begins at 2pm local time on Sunday


ALICE MOTORRAD GRAND PRIX DEUTSCHLAND

MotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap

1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'32.520 269.326
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'33.160 269.595 0.640
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'33.759 264.835 1.239
4 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'34.404 266.140 1.884
5 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'34.490 256.288 1.970
6 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'34.564 266.337 2.044
7 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'34.607 261.311 2.087
8 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'34.725 262.263 2.205
9 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'34.741 268.056 2.221
10 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'34.771 267.062 2.251
11 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'34.892 268.256 2.372
12 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'34.937 266.666 2.417
13 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'34.938 260.052 2.418
14 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'35.005 264.641 2.485
15 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'36.012 256.106 3.492
16 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'36.055 265.878 3.535
17 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'36.531 264.705 4.011

[Gnarbunkle99]

Yep I like to read whos where also.

[Rev004]

Gee look at that a dry track does wonders for Pedrosa but he is still starting a couple of rows back so the work is ahead of him.

Rossi down the order in warmup but always has good race pace so you can never count him out, Lorenzo will be on the pace as usual one would think and lets hope Stoner can hold the pace for a whole race but that will still be the question that everyone will be asking.

Anyway the Race is on One HD around 2100/2200 I think or on Ten after midnight.

Pedrosa dashes as Hayden crashes in MotoGP warmup
Sunday, 19 July 2009

Spaniard quickest in the dry as former teammate crashes.


With the benefit of dry weather at the Sachsenring circuit, Dani Pedrosa came out swinging on Sunday morning with the quickest time of the MotoGP warmup session. The Repsol Honda rider put down a fastest lap of 1â€22.391 with his updated RC212V, besting Casey Stoner by nearly three tenths of a second.

Andrea Dovizioso completed the factory Honda fightback with third in the session, but both he and his teammate will start the race itself behind the front two rows.

Front row starter Jorge Lorenzo was fourth quickest, whilst poleman Valentino Rossi was sixth.

Ducati Marlboroâ€s Nicky Hayden had a late crash before the fastest descending part of the circuit, lowsiding his Desmosedici GP9.


ALICE MOTORRAD GRAND PRIX DEUTSCHLAND

MotoGP Warm Up Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.391 284.285
2 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'22.664 280.155 0.273
3 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.793 281.176 0.402
4 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'22.814 278.853 0.423
5 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'22.869 282.500 0.478
6 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'23.078 278.494 0.687
7 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'23.157 279.720 0.766
8 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'23.164 276.852 0.773
9 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.232 274.809 0.841
10 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.269 279.792 0.878
11 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.275 276.923 0.884
12 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'23.413 277.065 1.022
13 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'23.570 278.709 1.179
14 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.631 278.278 1.240
15 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'24.054 277.634 1.663
16 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'24.105 275.019 1.714
17 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'24.319 274.599 1.928

[Rev004]

Another great race by the front runners and it was good to see Stoner getting stronger and lasting a bit longer, I would have to say that with the break coming up after Donington next weekend hopefully we will have all the riders fit. At the moment Rossi is the one on the game and is 100% fit with the others carrying some sort of bruising etc.

There was also another awesome race with the 250's as well gee I reckon one more lap and it would have been a totally different outcome.

Anyway here is the results and reports from the MotoGp.

Faultless Rossi holds Lorenzo off for Sachsenring win
Sunday, 19 July 2009

Reigning World Champion denies Spanish upstart victory at Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

Sachsenring 2009 - MotoGP Race Highlights


Valentino Rossi was never under any illusions that he would have it easy in his defense of the MotoGP world title, and once again the Italian was made to fight for glory at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Fiat Yamaha rider took the win at Sachsenring by just the smallest of margins from persistent rival Jorge Lorenzo in a breathtaking race to extend his lead in the World Championship.

After starting from pole for the first time at the German track, Rossi took the lead of the race after thirteen laps. Both the Italian and teammate Lorenzo eked out an advantage to make it a two-way battle to the chequered flag, with a last lap battle reminiscent of the Barcelona round of the series one month ago. Rossiâ€s definitive pass had come at the end of the home straight with two laps to go, and he brushed off the young pretenderâ€s overtures for his fourth win of the 2009 season.

Starting from eighth on the grid, Dani Pedrosa had established his credentials in the dry with the best lap in the morning warmup. He had another storming start at Sachsenring to move up to the lead group, and put up a bold fight both amongst and behind the Yamaha duo. The Repsol Honda rider completed the podium with a race time under three seconds down on the top two.

Early leader Casey Stonerâ€s condition lasted longer than he had expected in the dry race, and he was able to mount a serious challenge for the win. With five laps to go, however, he was passed by Pedrosa going into the first turn, and one lap later a sit-up meant that he lost touch of the Spaniard.

Alex de Angelis and Toni Elías had a successful salvage operation for the San Carlo Honda Gresini team, placing fifth and sixth, respectively. Elías was particularly impressive, having started from last place.

The only retirees from the race were Randy de Puniet -who crashed on the opening lap- and Andrea Dovizioso. The latter fell victim to excessive front tyre wear and was forced to call it a day before the end of the 30-lap Grand Prix.

ALICE MOTORRAD GRAND PRIX DEUTSCHLAND

MotoGP Race Classification
Pos. Points Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Total time Km/h Gap

1 25 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 41'21.769 159.752
2 20 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 41'21.868 159.745 0.099
3 16 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 41'24.668 159.565 2.899
4 13 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 41'31.995 159.096 10.226
5 11 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 41'43.291 158.378 21.522
6 10 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 41'52.621 157.790 30.852
7 9 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 41'53.070 157.762 31.301
8 8 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 41'53.495 157.735 31.726
9 7 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 41'54.634 157.664 32.865
10 6 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 42'05.695 156.973 43.926
11 5 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 42'19.144 156.142 57.375
12 4 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 42'22.308 155.948 1'00.539
13 3 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 42'25.414 155.757 1'03.645
14 2 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 42'25.924 155.726 1'04.155
15 1 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 41'22.338 154.391 1 Lap

Rossi: Lorenzo battle “fun but tough”
Sunday, 19 July 2009

“It is always more difficult to fight with Jorge,” says Sachsenring racewinner.


Valentino Rossi had to contend with all three of his main rivals for the 2009 world title en route to victory at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on Sunday, facing particular resistance from first Casey Stoner and then Jorge Lorenzo in the fight for the win.

It was his duel with the latter that was to prove decisive for the victory, as Rossi once again bested his young Fiat Yamaha teammate on the final laps of the race. Lorenzo had tried to repay the Italian for his last corner move in Barcelona one month previous, but Rossi resisted and took victory number four of the season.

“It was fun, but very tough,” admitted the reigning World Champion after the race. “The top riders made different tyre choices, all the bikes were behaving differently.”

Starting from pole position from the first time at Sachsenring, Rossi was unable to take the holeshot and spent the early stages exchanging blows with Stoner. Passing the gutsy Australian was only the beginning of his problems, however, as he explained.

“Halfway through the race I was able to overtake Casey, but then I saw that Jorge passed him straight away and I thought ‘oh no, another time!†Itâ€s always more difficult to fight with Jorge. I tried to push a lot, but he was able to overtake. I made my attack and knew that here it is very difficult to overtake, so I tried to stay in front. On the last lap I was fastest in the crucial points.”

Rossiâ€s victory gives him a fourteen point advantage over Lorenzo in the standings, and also draws him level on career podiums with record holder Giacomo Agostini.

Lorenzo stays cool after close defeat
Sunday, 19 July 2009

Like in Catalunya Fiat Yamahaâ€s Jorge Lorenzo lost out to colleague Valentino Rossi right at the death in Germany, but was still pleased with his performance.


Another second place for Jorge Lorenzo at round nine of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship kept the Spaniard in the title hunt in his second premier class season, although he had to stay positive having missed out by just 0.099s to team-mate Valentino Rossi.

Another superb battle between the pair at the Sachsenring ultimately ended in another win for the more experienced Italian who extended his standings lead to 14 points.

Lorenzo nonetheless continued his excellent run of podium finishes, with his fourth second place in the last five rounds, even if he was not quite fast enough to catch his illustrious Italian team-mate in the dash to the line, having got close to Rossi on the final corner.

Afterwards Lorenzo stated, “Like at Montmeló we lost the battle, but itâ€s not a problem. I think we have to be happy because we are always towards the top and we are improving. It was a very hard race because this track is quite slow and you have to push your body to the maximum, so to keep with the pace of Valentino was difficult. It was hard to get past him because he was braking so hard and so late.”

He continued, “Of course Iâ€m disappointed to lose another very close race, it is always sad but I know that we are capable of fighting with Valentino and considering his experience this is something I must be proud of. Second is important today and we still have a long way to go in this championship.”


Pedrosa says he could have won Sachsenring showdown
Sunday, 19 July 2009

Front tyre problem blamed for Spaniardâ€s not being able to take victory.


Dani Pedrosa took a praiseworthy podium at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on Sunday afternoon, following up his Laguna Seca victory with third place in the German race.

The Spaniard made one of the flying starts that have become his trademark with the Repsol Honda RC212V, having started from a lowly eighth on the grid. He was unable to take off out in front as he had done before crashing in 2008, but says that a race win was still a possibility.

“A podium is good, but I think that we could have won. We were strong enough to win, but I had a front tyre problem when I was going fast,” said the Spaniard on the same difficulty that forced Andrea Dovizioso out of the race.

“My teammate seemed to have a big problem with it, so Iâ€m happy to have got on the podium, but anyway I thought that today we could have been faster.”

Pedrosa raced with a new Honda engine this weekend as the Japanese factory look to beef up their 2009 machine, and Sunday saw his most extensive run yet with the new motor. Reviewing his feeling with the latest novelty, he added that “we have some experience now for the next round with the new spec.”

Pedrosa is currently fourth in the overall classification, 68 points behind leader Valentino Rossi.

[busakid08]

Stop blaiming everything on something else other than the fact tha Rossi is GOD on a motorcycle!!!!
(heh)
Going to a great season and its anyones championship at this stage, Rossi is going to have to work hard to have this one which is great! 2fiddys and 125 great race as well - really is good racing all round this season.



(Rossi still God though :) )