LOSAIL 2011

[KUCIAR666]

JUST FEW WORDS, REDEMPTION IN JEREZ

Incredible day for the Pramac Racing Team today at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. After a very promising warm up, where Randy De Puniet has registered the fifth fastest time, the race did not go as expected. After a few turns from the start the French rider has lost control of the back of his bike that raised in the air and the front wheel hit the clutch of team-mate Loris Capirossi. The Italian rider has miraculously managed to stay on track, but two laps later he returned to the pits for a sharp pain in his left hand. He went immediately to the mobile clinic, the X-ray to his hand showed no fracture but a bad bruise. A race that leaves speechless, but only a great desire to prompt redemption at Jerez in two weeks time for the first MotoGP race in Europe.

Fabiano Sterlacchini Pramac Racing Technical Director

"I think this is the first time that such a thing happens to me: both riders out of the race after a few turns on a clash between them. These things happen and there's not much to say about it. We are naturally very disappointed because after the warm we were expecting a good race. Now we have to think about the future, we are only at the first race of the championship and we will have many opportunities to make up for it."

Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing rider DNF

"Disappointed, but in racing these things can happen. I am very sorry it had to happen with my new team-mate who has no faults however. Again, anything can happen in racing. We now hope that fortune turns around and we will have better luck next time. The only positive aspect is that the hand is not broken, I felt a lot of pain and I had some concerns, but we will be in Jerez!"

Randy De Puniet - Pramac Racing rider DNF

"I'm sorry for the fall and to have the misfortune to hit my team-mate. The rear tire was probably still cold on the left side and as soon as I opened the throttle the bike raised in the air and all of a sudden I found my nose on the ground. It 's really a shame because we were very confident after the good warm up that we had done. The only thing we can do do is think of Jerez where in two weeks time we will try to redeem this unfortunate weekend."

 

[KUCIAR666]

Great race and win for Repsol Honda Team in Qatar

The Repsol Honda Team completed a strong first round of the 2011 Championship as Casey Stoner took the top spot ahead of Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo with Repsol Honda team mate Dani Pedrosa in third and Andrea Dovizioso fourth.

With this win, Casey Stoner completed a perfect weekend at the Losail International Circuit as he also took pole position and recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 1'55.366 set on lap 13.

On the Podium, HRC President Tetsuo Suzuki received the constructors trophy. As a sign of empathy with the Japanese, Suzuki, Stoner and Pedrosa all wore the Japanese flag in support at this difficult time.

CASEY STONER ? 1st
"After a great pre-season, we came into this race weekend and everything kept getting better and better for us. This morning in warm up we had a few issues getting a good feeling with the bike carrying a full tank of fuel and this issue also affected us in the early part of the race, but we knew as the fuel level decreased and the tyres aged, that our bike would come back to us. Dani came past and we decided to follow to see where he was strong and where I was weak. Then when I started to feel more confident with the bike and had more grip and better turning, we decided to push forwards and take advantage. Tonight the bike was fantastic, as it has been for all the sessions and I'm very proud to be racing for Repsol Honda and to take my first victory in the first race. It is a great way to start the season! I'm really happy with how everything has gone and the way the team has all worked together, a big thanks to Honda and my best wishes to Japan in this difficult time".

DANI PEDROSA ? 3rd
"I'm disappointed, not for the race I had, but for the physical problems I had again with my left arm. Already in practice I felt something, but I was not sure if it could be that bad, at the end I couldn't grab the handlebar and in the last 7-8 laps I couldn't use the clutch at all. I was just holding the arm and I was suffering a lot. The bike was perfect all race, I had the chance to win but I had a very hard time, one of the toughest races of my life. I don't know what can I do because should be ok after the rest I had this winter. I did the tests and everything was in order. In the winter tests I was a bit weak, but I felt alright, so I don't know what we have to do. I feel sorry for my team as well, because the bike was very good, fast, perfect also in the corners. I'm proud of how I've been riding, I've been fighting with Casey in this circuit as nobody else did in the past but at the same time I feel sad because I don't know what the future will bring. I know we will go to Jerez in two weeks, where the bike will run very well, and I'm very strong and fast, but I don't know what will happen".

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO ? 4th
?I?m a bit disappointed because our target was the podium but all in all I had a good race. In the first laps I thought I could fight for the podium and I?m satisfied with my pace, I also did my fastest lap on the last lap. We ran with a strong pace and the bike was constant but we need to make another step forward to stay with Casey and Dani. I lost time in the fight with Simoncelli, his passing manoeuvre was at the limit in my opinion. This was a crucial moment because we lost time which we needed to fight for the podium. I want to thank my team for the work done on the bike. I?m also happy of my physical condition because I finished the race without being too tired although racing here is demanding".
Pole position : 1m54.137s (169.69Km/h) Casey Stoner, Honda
Fastest lap : Lap 13 - 1m55.366s (167.883Km/h) Casey Stoner, Honda
Circuit record lap : 1m54.137s (169.69Km/h) Casey Stoner (Honda, 2011)
Circuit Best Lap : 1m53.927s (170.003Km/h) Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha, 2008)
Event results - Round 1 - Race 1
1 Casey Stoner 42m38.569s AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo +3.440s SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Dani Pedrosa +5.051s SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Andrea Dovizioso +5.942s ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
5 Marco Simoncelli +7.358s ITA HONDA Honda Gresini
6 Ben Spies +10.468s USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
7 Valentino Rossi +16.431s ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Colin Edwards +26.293s USA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
9 Nicky Hayden +27.416s USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Hiroshi Aoyama +28.920s JPN HONDA Honda Gresini
11 Cal Crutchlow +34.539s GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
12 Hector Barbera +34.829s SPA DUCATI Aspar Ducati
13 Karel Abraham +37.957s CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Ducati
14 Toni Elias DNF - 4 Laps SPA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
15 Loris Capirossi DNF - 21 Laps ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing Team
16 Randy De Puniet DNF Lap 1 FRA DUCATI Pramac Racing Team
17 Alvaro Bautista DNS SPA SUZUKI Suzuki MotoGP
Championship standings
1 Casey Stoner 25 pts AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo 20 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Dani Pedrosa 16 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Andrea Dovizioso 13 pts ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
5 Marco Simoncelli 11 pts ITA HONDA Honda Gresini
6 Ben Spies 10 pts USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
7 Valentino Rossi 9 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Colin Edwards 8 pts USA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
9 Nicky Hayden 7 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Hiroshi Aoyama 6 pts JPN HONDA Honda Gresini
11 Cal Crutchlow 5 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
12 Hector Barbera 4 pts SPA DUCATI Aspar Ducati
13 Karel Abraham 3 pts CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Ducati
14 Alvaro Bautista 0 pts SPA SUZUKI Suzuki MotoGP

 

[KUCIAR666]

Edwards and Crutchlow make positive start in Qatar

[Colin Edwards] The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team made a bright start to the 2011 MotoGP World Championship in Qatar, Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow finishing with points scoring finishes in the season opening night race.

Edwards made a blistering start from the 10th position on the grid and was looking to force his way into the fight for the top six when he lost time by running slightly off line at the second corner. Dropping back into 10th behind team-mate Crutchlow, he quickly moved up to ninth to launch a pursuit of 2010 team-mate Ben Spies.

He closely followed his compatriot for the opening five laps, the 37-year-old setting a consistently fast pace in the mid-1.56 bracket. He shadowed the fast starting Hector Barbera until lap nine when he moved into eighth position. But he'd lost too much time trying to overtake the Spaniard to maintain the pressure on Spies and he finished eighth.

Crutchlow made an impressive MotoGP debut at the 5.38km Losail International Circuit having started in front of Valentino Rossi and Edwards on the grid. Hampered again by the nasty left little finger injury he suffered during the pre-race test in Qatar less than a week ago, Crutchlow rose to the occasion brilliantly, fighting for the top ten for most of the 22-lap race.

He was right on the back of a group battling for ninth that was headed by Nicky Hayden, Hiroshi Aoyama and Barbera. But like Edwards earlier in the race, Barbera proved tough to overtake and Crutchlow lost contact with Hayden and Aoyama with three laps remaining. He was rewarded for his determined performance when he swept by Barbera on the final lap to finish a hugely encouraging debut in 11th.

Colin Edwards 8th ? 8-points

?That was the best I could do and I'm happy with the way I rode and my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 gave me a good bike as always. A top eight is pretty good considering the speed of the guys in front of me and I was pretty much where I thought I'd end up based on practice. I got a good start and thought the only way I've got any chance of getting a top six is to take a few early risks. I went round the outside at the first corner and made up a couple of places. But I had a couple of moments, one when I nearly ran into Ben, which wouldn't have been a good move. I thought I might have had something for Valentino early on but even when he's not 100 per cent he can still ride pretty good. I'm never happy with eighth but we got some decent points and we can move on to Jerez with confidence."

Cal Crutchlow 11th ? 5-points

?I'm pretty happy with that and honestly I'd have liked to have got a top ten after how well qualifying went. I couldn't keep up with the group that included Nicky and Aoyama because it was tough to pass Barbera. They passed Barbera and I then overtook him to chase them, but he got me back immediately and let them get away because his pace dropped off quite a bit. But he's got a fast bike and that makes it hard to make a pass and stay in front of him. I was happy to be in the fight for the top ten for as long as I was and the experience gained is invaluable to help me progress in MotoGP. I wanted to finish and get a race under my belt, so it was mission accomplished. The next couple of races will be tough because I don't know the circuits but I'll be doing my best for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad."

Herve Poncharal ? Team Manager

"Colin had a really good start and it was really interesting for the first few laps as he tried to battle with Ben and Valentino. When you look at the final position he was the best non-factory rider and in this field that is a big achievement. It is clear the top seven are really fast but Colin did his maximum with the package we've got. I am also very pleased with Cal. We didn't know what to expect because of his inexperience and the finger he damaged in the test was a bad injury. But he was able to battle with Aoyama and Hayden, who are world champions. It was a good pass on Barbera too, who has a lot more experience than him and that result that will give him more confidence for the next race. In Jerez his finger will be a lot better and I'm sure he can learn the track quickly, so we are looking for another positive result."

 

[KUCIAR666]

ROSSI AND HAYDEN FIGHT HARD IN RACE 1

Riding with characteristic grit and determination, Valentino Rossi finished the Grand Prix of Qatar in seventh place. The Italian rider dueled with Ben Spies for sixth place as long as the strength in his still-healing shoulder allowed, and he managed to maintain a good pace to the end.

After starting from the fifth row, Nicky Hayden rode a comeback race, steadily increasing his pace and finishing ninth after a series of nice passes.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 7th
?For sure we?re not here to get seventh-place finishes, but there are also positive things from this race, starting with the times, because we were lapping pretty quickly. I had a great start, and that was a nice feeling because the horsepower that this bike has really helps it to launch. Then I made a small error in the first turn, which is a shame because I got stuck behind Barbera for a few laps. Otherwise I would have been closer to Simoncelli and Dovizioso, since anyway there was a period when I lapped with them. I wouldn?t have beaten them though, because at the end of the race, I?m no longer able to ride like I have to. I?m not referring to the Ducati because even last year, after I hurt my shoulder, I had the same problems in the latter parts of the races, and since the two bikes are so different, it means that it?s really a matter of me not being physically right. It?s not just that. We also have to improve the bike because the others have clearly made a step forward since last year. Still, I learned a lot in this test and in this race, and we?ve already given very specific instructions about what must be done in the long term, in order to improve for the second half of the season for example. In the near term, on the other hand, we?ll work on the setup, we?ll keep gathering experience, and I?ll continue exercising and doing everything I can to recuperate physically.?

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 9th
?I got a bad start in the race, and then when De Puniet crashed, I just about ran over him and had to come to a complete stop. I?m happy I didn?t run into him, but that was a bad break, because I was dead last with a gap to the next person. I started picking my way through, and once I got into ninth, I got into a decent rhythm and started doing my pace. I was trying to catch Edwards because I thought it would?ve been nice to have a last-lap race with him, but I didn?t quite get to him. It?s been a tough weekend for me on and off the track, but everybody around here is working to the maximum. They?re the first ones in and the last ones out. I can?t be happy with the ride, but I came from dead last, and my fastest lap was my last one. We?ve got a lot of work to do, but it?s just one race, and no one can say we weren?t trying.?