Valentino Rossi - MotoGP 2010

Rossi makes triumphant return to podium with 3th place!

Administrator — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:52:40 +0000

Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo took a brilliant sixth victory of the season at Laguna Seca today, romping home to win by over three seconds from Casey Stoner. His team-mate Valentino Rossi made a triumphant return to the podium just seven weeks after breaking his right leg, overhauling Andrea Dovizioso during a thrilling last ten laps to finish third.

Starting from pole for the fifth time in a row, Lorenzo lost ground to his rivals at the fearsome downhill turn one and was relegated to third first time around. For the first few laps there was little he could do except hang on behind Pedrosa and Stoner but on the sixth lap Stoner ran wide and Lorenzo stormed through to take second. By now Pedrosa was nearly a second clear but Lorenzo’s pace had begun to improve and he started to push as hard as he could and exert some pressure on his fellow Spaniard. On lap twelve, with the gap now narrowed to half a second, Pedrosa crashed out and left Lorenzo in the lead and from then on it was plain sailing for the 23-year-old as he expertly controlled his advantage over Stoner to bring it home and take his second win on US soil. Today’s victory was his 11th in MotoGP, his 32nd in all classes and his 10th successive podium.

Rossi had suffered all weekend with pain in both his leg and his shoulder and today looked like it was going to be a tough day for the reigning champion, unable as he was to make any further headway after passing Nicky Hayden for fifth position. Once Pedrosa had crashed out however and with Ben Spies exerting pressure on him from behind Rossi’s fighting instinct kicked in as he spied a podium possibility, gradually closing down a two second gap to Dovizioso to come within striking distance with six laps remaining. On the 27th lap he made his move and passed his countryman, managing to hold him off over the last couple of laps to make a popular return to the podium.

With exactly half of the season gone Lorenzo heads the championship with an impressive 72-point lead over Pedrosa, whilst Rossi is 120 points adrift of his team-mate in fifth position. Both riders will enjoy a two and a half week holiday now and the Italian will be more glad than anyone for the time off, during which he will be working on his fitness in an effort to be back to his best next time out in Brno.

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1st Time: 43.54.873
“I am so happy to win here at Laguna Seca, it’s something I’ve always dreamed of. I rode so well today, right on the limit and I had to push very hard to stay in touch with Dani. He is always so strong on race day but I knew if I kept the pressure on him then there was a chance he would make a mistake and I would be able to catch him. I’m sorry he crashed but from then on it was very easy for me because I had a big gap from Casey. I really enjoyed riding my M1! I have a big lead in the championship but there is half of the season left and it wouldn’t be the first time a rider has lost the title with such a big lead, so we can’t take anything for granted. I am really looking forward to some time to relax now after two very busy months. Thanks to everyone in my team for doing a brilliant job.”

	Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi – Position: 3rd Time: +13.420
“The start of the race was very hard for me because I had a lot of pain and I was far from the podium. But then I saw Pedrosa on the gravel and I just had to try to catch Dovizioso! I just pushed as hard as I could for a few laps and that brought me closer to him and then I couldn’t give up, somehow I caught him and it was a great feeling to pass him to take third. It’s a great result after my injury and it felt so good to be back on the podium in front of the fans. There are so many people I have to thank who have helped me to get back to this position. I am very happy that we have some time off now because I have a lot of work to do on my body to try to be back to my best for Brno, which I love.

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“This was a fantastic ride from Jorge. It was clever to push Dani to the limit but not easy as well because Jorge is the championship leader and he had the most to lose, he really had to ride at the maximum to do this. We’re happy Dani isn’t hurt and now we have an amazing 72-point lead as we break for the half-way point of the championship. Six victories and three seconds is brilliant, thanks to Jorge for doing such a great job but also to all of the team, everyone deserves their holidays!

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“This was a great race and the result is so much more than we expected today. These were supposed to be the two ‘rehabilitation’ races for Valentino after his big injury while he just got used to being back on the bike, but he’s come fourth and then third which has amazed us all. This track was very demanding on his body and he had a hard time all weekend but he was still able to battle for the podium. It was brilliant and we’re so happy now. Everyone is looking forward to a break but also to coming back strongly in the second half of the season.”

Super sixth for Spies, seventh for Edwards at Laguna Seca

Ben Spies had a big home crowd on the edge of their seats at the spectacular Laguna Seca track today after the Texan produced a brilliant podium challenge in the American MotoGP race. The 26-year-old made a fantastic start from the second row and instantly gained three places by the first corner. Spies lost a few places as the frantic pace increased in the early laps, but gradually building his confidence with his rear Bridgestone tyre, he started a rousing fightback in front of a passionate home crowd of 51,436 fans in California. Spies was over half-a-second adrift of an intense battle involving compatriot Nicky Hayden and fellow Yamaha YZR-M1 rider Valentino Rossi shortly before the halfway stage.

Reeling off a series of impressive fast laps, Spies was able to hunt down Hayden and expertly pass the 2006 world champion on lap 21. Next in Spies’ sights was reigning world champion Rossi, who was himself honing in on Italian Andrea Dovizioso in an exciting battle for the podium. But just as Spies was preparing to make a decisive move on Rossi, he made a small mistake in the braking zone for the final corner on lap 25. Spies lost over three seconds and despite a heroic effort in the closing stages he was unable to regain the fifth place lost to Hayden. Spies though was still satisfied with his performance, his pace as the race reached its climax undoubtedly good enough to have put him in podium contention.

Colin Edwards produced his best result of the season in front of his home crowd to score a thoroughly deserved seventh position. The 36-year-old showed all of his experience to patiently stalk Marco Simoncelli and Marco Melandri in the opening laps as the trio became embroiled in a thrilling fight for seventh. Edwards passed Melandri on lap 10 exiting the spectacular Corkscrew section and he grabbed seventh from Simoncelli on lap 15. Edwards’ superior pace saw him immediately pull away from the Italian duo to secure a seventh that puts him on the fringes of the top ten in the overall standings.

Ben Spies

Ben Spies – Position: 6th Time: +19.037
“I got a really good start and was third but then for the next couple of laps I just couldn’t get my speed up fast enough. The group in front pulled a bit of a gap on me but once I found my rhythm I caught Nicky and Valentino pretty quickly. I passed Nicky and got right on the back of Valentino and it was a good fight with him. I was actually going to attack him on the next lap when I had a problem entering the final corner on lap 25. I ran wide and lost out and although it wasn’t the podium I wanted in front of my home crowd, I’m happy because I had the speed to come through the field and I had the speed to be on the podium. I couldn’t quite finish the job and that was down to me. But I’d rather leave here knowing I could have been on the podium rather than leave here in eighth place and not on the pace. I can’t ask for a lot more because I’m in the top six again, leading non-factory rider in the race again and putting up a strong fight, so I’m not too upset.”

	Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards – Position: 7th Time: +40.721
“I’m really happy with the way I rode all weekend and there was nothing more I could have done. Fighting for seventh is not really where I wa nt to be in my home race, but compared to where I have been recently it is a big improvement and thanks to all my guys at the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew for all their effort. I had a good early battle with Melandri and Simoncelli and that was fun and I made a couple of good moves on them because I was quite a bit faster. Once I got by Simoncelli I put my head down to see if I could break them and that’s what I did. But I couldn’t even see the group in front of me and I just slowed my pace up a little bit because it made no sense to crash out of my home race when I was never going to catch them up. I was pretty much stuck in seventh all weekend and I never really had the pace of the leading group. But I’m closer to where I know I should be and the upgrades from Yamaha were a help and I can look forward to a good break confident of a strong second half of the season.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“We can’t deny that we leave for the well earned summer break with a small amount of disappointment because Ben was looking really strong and I think he had a great chance of claiming the home podium he desperately wanted. He got a great start and it took him a few laps to find his best rhythm like a few times this season. But then he was able to set some really fast lap times and he was able to pass Nicky and close right on Valentino. We were hoping for a podium at that stage though we know it would not have been easy because Valentino was riding at an incredible level. Ben was right behind him and looking strong for the last few laps and the home fans were super excited by his attacking riding. Unfortunately Ben ran wide in a couple of places and lost crucial time and that was something out of his control. He is a little disappointed and I understand that because he couldn’t fight right to the end. But we’re happy with his performance because his spe ed was undoubtedly good enough for the podium. I’m really happy with Colin’s performance and I think it was easily his best weekend of the whole season. He was pushing at his maximum every lap of every session and he was strong in the race, passing Melandri and Simoncelli, who don’t just lie down and make it easy. A sixth and seventh is a decent result for us and helped us consolidate our fourth position in the Team World Championship, so we can return refreshed and ready for a strong second half of the season in Brno

MotoGP Qualifying Times Laguna Seca 2010

Administrator — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:13:52 +0000

Roger Lee Hayden is replacing the injured Randy de Puniet at LCR Honda for this event, while Alex de Angelis starts his second race weekend as a stand-in at Interwetten Honda.

1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 20.978s
2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 21.169s
3. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 1m 21.617s
4. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 1m 21.655s
5. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 21.679s
6. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 21.688s
7. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 21.920s
8. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 22.217s
9. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 22.300s
10. Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar 1m 22.366s
11. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 22.407s
12. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 22.647s
13. Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing 1m 22.712s
14. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 22.770s
15. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 1m 23.127s
16. Alex de Angelis RSM Interwetten Honda MotoGP 1m 23.226s
17. Roger Lee Hayden USA LCR Honda MotoGP 1m 23.764s

2009 US Grand Prix – 5/07/2009:
Pole position:
Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha 1m 21.678s
Fastest race lap:
Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda 1m 21.928s

Laguna Seca California challenge calls for Fiat Yamaha Team

Administrator — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:26:29 +0000

Laguna Seca

The Fiat Yamaha Team flies west today for the first North American stop of the season, at Laguna Seca in California. With Jorge Lorenzo leading the championship and Valentino Rossi back in action after six weeks out through injury, the team is in high spirits and looking forward to what is always a favourite race for all involved.

Barcelona-based Lorenzo has won five races this season and come second in the remaining three so he arrives in the States as the man everyone wants to beat, with a 47-point lead over Dani Pedrosa in the championship. His first visit to Laguna Seca in 2008 saw him fail to finish but last year he put in a brilliant performance whilst struggling with a shoulder injury to storm home in third behind his team-mate and he is hoping for another visit to the podium, at the very least, this time around. On route to Monterey Lorenzo and Tech 3 Yamaha colleague Ben Spies will make a stop at the home of American talk-show host Jay Leno, where they will be shown round the star’s world-famous garage, which houses a incredible collection of over 200 cars and motorcycles.

When he broke his leg just a little over six weeks ago it was not expected that nine-time World Champion Rossi would be seen on track before Brno at the earliest, but the irrepressible superstar has surprised everyone yet again with a return to racing last weekend and a competitive one at that, missing out on a podium by just two tenths of a second. While not yet back to his best the Italian hopes to be stronger again this weekend and feels ready to face the demands of the spectacular circuit. He finished second last year but the memory of his incredible win there in 2008, which he still cites as one of his best ever races, is never far from the minds of his fans.

Laguna Seca sits on the side of a hill just outside the coastal town of Monterey, a couple of hours south of San Francisco. The sometimes intense dry heat, unpredictable asphalt and anti-clockwise layout provide a break from the norm and the riders are forced to adapt their style somewhat after a summer on the fast and wide European tracks. The track boasts some of the most spectacular elevation changes and dramatic corners on the world championship circuit, the most notorious of which is the infamous ‘corkscrew.’

Jorge Lorenzo – “Always aiming for the podium”
“This is the first time this season that we’ve left Europe and I’m excited to be going to Laguna Seca again, one of the most famous tracks in the world. I like riding there and one of my aims is to win there, some day! I have had some crashes there but last year I also took the pole and made it onto the podium. We come from a second place in Sachsenring and our target remains the same, to be consistent and to always aim for the podium. Before the race we will go to see Jay Leno and also I will hopefully visit the headquarters of Twitter in LA.”

Valentino Rossi – “Try to improve a little bit more”
“I was so happy to be back in Sachsenring and to be fighting for the podium, even though I just missed out, was more than we could have hoped for. I still have some pain in my leg but I am growing stronger every day and I hope this week that I will be in better shape once again and I can try to improve a little bit more. Laguna is different to anywhere else we go but it’s always great fun to ride there and the last two years I’ve had great races.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – “Feeling confident”
“This is the ninth race of the season and we have won or been second in every one so far so we come to America feeling confident. Laguna is a different track to anywhere else we go with different demands on both bike and rider, but Jorge seems to be able to cope with everything he comes to this season so we have no reason not to hope for another good weekend. We have a comfortable cushion in the championship and we will try to keep it that way by continuing to get on the podium each week.”

Davide Brivio – “You never know what will happen!”
“We are arriving in the US after an incredibly exciting weekend in Sachsenring, when we not only enjoyed having Valentino back but also got to see him ride an amazing race so soon after his injury. You never know what will happen with him! Our target this time is the podium, so we will work with this in mind. We also need to try to improve some areas of our bike because our plan is to have a really good end of the season when he’s back to full fitness.”

Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 31
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 104 (78 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 231 (170 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 59 (49 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 9 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 6 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 23
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 30 (9 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 135 (40 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 38 (12 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Laguna Seca: Record Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1′21.488

Laguna Seca: Best Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1′20.700

Grand Prix Results: Laguna Seca 2009
1. D.Pedrosa (Honda) 44′01.580
2. V. Rossi (Yamaha) +0.344
3. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +1.926

Fiat Yamaha Team unveil Laguna Seca livery

Administrator — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:09:47 +0000

The Fiat Yamaha Team unveiled their one-off Laguna Seca livery this afternoon, with both Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo present. The livery celebrates the impending release of the Fiat 500 car in the United States and features the faces of 500 fans on the fairing of both bikes.

Wataru Yoshikawa replaces Valentino Rossi for upcoming races

Administrator — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:43:38 +0000

After two commanding wins in a row at Silverstone and Assen over the last two weekends, Jorge Lorenzo lands in his home city of Barcelona this weekend with a championship lead of 47 points and a plan to delight his Spanish fans with another win on home soil. He has flown the Fiat Yamaha flag alone for the last three races following Valentino Rossi’s accident in Mugello, but this weekend he will be joined by Yamaha’s experienced Japanese test rider, Wataru Yoshikawa. The two-time Japanese Superbike Champion will be riding Rossi’s M1 while the Italian is out of action, backed by Rossi’s usual crew who make a welcome return to the paddock this week.

Last year the Mallorcan-born Lorenzo lost out to his team-mate Valentino Rossi in a titanic last-lap battle, which Rossi named one of his best ever wins. With the Italian still out of action, Lorenzo is robbed of the chance to exact revenge on his team-mate but a second Spanish win of the season, following his victory in Jerez, would be sweet nonetheless for the 23-year-old and he will be going all out to stand on the podium once again.

As one of the key test riders in Yamaha’s MotoGP development programme, Yoshikawa is well acquainted with the M1-Bridgestone package. He has ridden as a wild card once previously in MotoGP, at the 2002 Motegi round, but this will be his first visit to the Montmeló circuit.

The Circuit de Catalunya features one of the longest main straights in the world, watched over by a vast grandstand, which is always full to bursting from Saturday morning. The rest of the track is characterised by long radius, medium and high-speed sweeping corners, with two tight left-hand hairpins thrown into the mix. This variation combined with regular changes in camber makes the circuit particularly demanding on chassis balance and means that front-end feel is a key concern for every rider.

Jorge Lorenzo: “We should enjoy Montmeló”
“Montmeló is a very special track for me, it is the closest to Mallorca and I can feel the people supporting me. Last year I lost at the final corner but now I will try to come back to the podium to celebrate with all my fans. We have a big gap in the standings and it give us confidence and allows us to be calm, but the team will be working at the same level, I am sure. We still have twelve more races, double what we’ve already had! We should enjoy Montmeló and then, after these three consecutives races, we have earned a little break – a week for a rest!”

Wataru Yoshikawa: “Helpful for our development”
“I’m excited about riding the M1 in Spain this week, even if I’m very sorry for Valentino’s injury. I have only ridden in a MotoGP race once, at Motegi in 2002, and this is the first time I have ridden at the Montmeló track. We can see from the team’s results this season that Yamaha did a good job with the winter development of the M1 and I am sure that these few races I will contest now will be extremely helpful for the future development of our bike.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager Jorge Lorenzo: “Keeping focused”
“After six races we are leading the standings with a big gap so we can be very happy with the job we have done. Jorge has done very well to keep so focused through such a busy period of races and we just have one more before we can all enjoy a short rest. Barcelona is Jorge’s home race and last year he lost there very closely to Valentino in an exciting finish. This week we will carry on in the same way, trying to keep focused and aiming for the podium once again.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager Valentino Rossi: “Good to come back”
“This weekend our team will come back to the paddock after a strange time watching from home! We go to Barcelona where we have some amazing memories from last year. Of course we will miss Valentino but he is recovering well and now we will give our maximum support to Wataru as he joins our team. It will be nice to see the fourth M1 back on the track, Wataru is an experienced rider even though he doesn’t know Barcelona and we will see what happens.”

Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 31
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 104 (78 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 230 (169 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 59 (49 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 9 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 6 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 23
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 30 (9 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 134 (39 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 37 (11 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Montmelo’: Record Lap
D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2008, 1′42.358

Montmelo’: Best Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1′41.186

Grand Prix Results: Montmelo’ 2009
1. V.Rossi (Yamaha) 43′11.897
2. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.095
3. C.Stoner (Ducati) +8.884

Update on Valentino Rossi, Tavullia, Italy

Administrator — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:40:38 +0000

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi sent the following message today from his home in Italy. The reigning World-Champion is currently convalescing after breaking his leg at the Italian MotoGP round three week’s ago.

“Three weeks have passed since the accident and two since I was discharged from hospital, and I am very happy about how my recuperation is progressing. I am feeling a lot better and I’m starting to live a semi-normal life again, although for a completely ‘normal’ life I will have to wait until I’m back on my bike! I am walking with crutches and since a few days I’ve been able to put my foot to the floor. Honestly, I didn’t expect to feel this good just a few weeks after the incident, and I mean both physically and in my ‘spirit.’

“The rehabilitation is continuing as usual, both sitting in the hyperbaric chamber and with some exercises in the gym. Unfortunately my shoulder is still giving me some pain but I am working on the muscles to reduce the pain a bit. If the rehabilitation proceeds without trouble and if everything continues in this way, then my objective is to return at the Czech Grand Prix in Brno.

“I have started to leave the house and my good friends haven’t left me on my own for even a minute, although I’m not used to spending so much time in Tavullia! I miss my bike, my team and the paddock a lot and this ‘new’ sensation is pushing me to get better as quickly as possible.
“I’ll speak to you, but more importantly see you, soon.

Ciao, Valentino Rossi.”

Valentino Rossi heading to Ducati in 2011?

Administrator — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:36:30 +0000

Ducati is rumoured to be considering making an aggressive bid to secure the services of Valentino Rossi as early as next season, particularly if Casey Stoner proves to be Honda-bound.

According to Spanish publication Motocuatro.com, Ducati’s difficult start to the 2010 season, which has so far seen it fail to get on the podium, is prompting some radical movements from within the company in an attempt to get back on top.

Even so, Rossi, who is expected to be out of action for two months as he begins recovery from his broken leg, has previously stated his intentions to stay with Yamaha and he revealed as recently as yesterday [Thursday] that he does have a bike for next season.

“I know I have a bike for next year and I don’t need to rush my return to demonstrate anything.”

Rumours linking Rossi to Ducati are nothing new, with the Italian proving coy when commenting on the speculation towards the end of the 2009 season, stating at the time:

“I haven’t decided yet about my future, I will decide in the next year (2010). I have a contract signed already with Yamaha for 2010. For sure it is a great dream for everybody, to see Valentino with Ducati. We will see, I don’t know’.

Several months on and Ducati is reportedly stepping up its efforts to get the record-breaking rider onto its bike by waving a ‘blank cheque’ in a bid to poach him from Yamaha.

The move for Rossi could come as a response to Stoner’s heavily speculated switch to Honda in 2011, the Australian seemingly looking elsewhere as an attempt to rediscover the form that has waned in 2010 so far.

MotoGP Results 2010 – Silverstone

Administrator — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:34:16 +0000

Race results from the British MotoGP, round five of the 2010 world championship.

Hiroshi Aoyama did not start the race after being injured in morning warm-up…

1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha Team 41m 34.083s
2. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 41m 40.826s
3. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41m 41.180s
4. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 41m 41.397s
5. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 41m 41.577s
6. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 41m 43.138s
7. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 41m 48.508s
8. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 41m 49.396s
9. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 42m 2.0370s
10. Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing 42m 16.477s
11. Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar 42m 17.448s
12. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 42m 17.491s
13. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 42m 17.663s

DNF:
Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini

First pole for Lorenzo in eventfull Qualifying session

Administrator — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:30:05 +0000

Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo broke his 2010 pole duck in Great Britain today with a strong showing at Silverstone, having qualified second for the three previous races. The sole Fiat Yamaha Team rider, whose team-mate Valentino Rossi is recovering from a broken leg at home in Italy, beat Randy de Puniet and Dani Pedrosa to the pole spot, with both challengers crashing out in an action-packed final two minutes.
After a confident opening day yesterday, Lorenzo’s rivals had caught up with him this morning and he was disappointed to find himself four-tenths down on Pedrosa in third. He was back on form this afternoon however, spending the first half of the session continuing to strengthen his understanding of the circuit before going into the lead with 20 minutes to go. He was edged off by de Puniet but, after coming in for a final set-up tweak, a fast flying lap with a superb final split propelled him back to the top of the standings where he stayed, as both his closest rivals ended their final laps in the gravel trap. Pedrosa’s first pole of 2010 is his tenth in MotoGP and the 36th of his career. He will be doing all he can to extend his championship lead when the British Grand Prix gets underway at Silverstone tomorrow afternoon.

	Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo – 1st, 2′03.308, Laps:26
“I am so happy about this first pole of the season, but I’m even happier about the fact that I felt so good on my M1 this afternoon. It is really important to be on the front row for tomorrow because this gives us the best chance of another podium. Today we did 18 consecutive laps with the hard tyre and then another eight with the soft, which is a good sign, but the track was quite cold today and it took time for the tyres to reach the right temperature, so we have to wait and see how the weather is for our final choice. I feel comfortable and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, although I hopeit isn’t going to rain. Thanks to all of my team for doing a great job today.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager Jorge Lorenzo
“I’ve said before that it’s sometimes better not to be on pole because then there’s less pressure, but today we are on pole and we’re really happy about it! Jorge worked very hard in the first 13 or 14 laps, pushing hard to learn the track and understand the limits, and this paid off for him. De Puniet and Pedrosa were fast but they both crashed, but Jorge was fast and finished safely. There are of course no points for pole and we have to see what tomorrow brings but it’s nice to have a rider who is fit and doing fast lap times and a bike that’s consistent. We’re hoping for another good race tomorrow.”

Ben Spies

Spies equals best qualifying result at cool Silverstone
Ben Spies equalled his best qualifying result of the 2010 MotoGP world championship at a blustery and cool Silverstone circuit this afternoon. The Texan will start the first British MotoGP race to be staged at the iconic Silverstone track since 1986 from seventh position after a dramatic conclusion to today’s qualifying session.
Spies posted a best time of 2.04.477 on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine to miss claiming a deserved second row start for the first time in his career by just 0.083s after he made a brilliant recovery from a heavy crash in this morning’s final free practice session. Spies aggravate d the left ankle injury he picked up in a crash at the Le Mans last month when he lost control at the fast Farm Curve left-hander.
But the crash did little to dent the 25-year-old’s confidence and at one stage it looked like his hard work and dogged determination would pay off as he occupied a top six place on the timesheets in the decisive final stages. But looking to improve his time on his final flying lap, Spies lost precious time when Randy de Puniet suffered a high-speed crash right in front of him at Farm Curve. Spies’ last lap though was still his fastest and he will head the third row of the grid in front of Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli.
Fellow American Colin Edwards had a difficult qualifying session, the 36-year-old unable to find a set-up that allowed him to push at his normal pace. Edwards will start from 10th on the grid having clocked a best t ime of 2.05.035 to finish just over half-a-second away from the top six.

Ben Spies – 7th, 2.04.477, laps:22
“Qualifying wasn’t too bad but I feel like it should have been a better outcome than what it was. I’m riding really hard and I was pretty close to being on the second row but I’d like the lap times to be coming a little bit easier. On the speed charts we’re down a bit and that is making it difficult and if I don’t get a good start it will make it hard to pass people. But I’m happy with my riding and the set-up of the bike and the lap times are consistent. I certainly tried as hard as I could and on the last lap I might have picked up another tenth to get on the second row but de Puniet crashed in front of me and that definitely cost me a small bit of time. My ankle is not too bad and shouldn’t be a problem in the race. I was actually going to come into the pits because th ere had been a few crashes and I was only doing 70 per cent of my normal speed when I got caught out. It can happen but I’ll be ready to give my maximum effort in the race.”

	Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards – 10th, 2.05.035, Laps:21
“That was really hard work and I just can’t ride the bike to the level I know I can. I’m just not comfortable and to ride as hard as I had to just for tenth, I’m not happy. There are guys that I beat easily last year that I’m struggling to match at the moment and it certainly isn’t through a lack of trying. It is hard not to get frustrated but I am doing my absolute best to improve and get some more speed out of the bike. But we’re struggling for engine speed and I can’t get a decent setting with the chassis. Tenth is not a position I’m happy to be in but I’ll give it my all in the race tomorrow because everybody at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 is working hard to improve the situation.”

Successful second surgery for Vale on Monday

Administrator — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:46:58 +0000

The MotoGP World Champion had a follow-up operation on his right leg today (Monday).

Valentino Rossi had a second smaller operation on his right leg at the Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico in Florence on Monday afternoon, as a follow-up to the surgery he underwent on Saturday to repair a fractured right tibia. The procedure this afternoon went according to plan and Doctor Roberto Buzzi of the CTO was pleased with the result.

“Today Valentino underwent another small operation to close the wound, which is looking good,” stated Doctor Buzzi. “We closed it with 15 stitches and our overall medical judgement is positive. We used a short general anaesthetic and when he woke up he was in good shape. The healing process of the injury is going well and as expected in Valentino’s condition.”

Rossi underwent his original operation on Saturday afternoon, after sustaining the injury in a crash during a practice session at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM at Mugello earlier in the day.