MotoGP-Jerez

[KUCIAR666]

Jerez Welcomes Yamaha as MotoGP Returns to Europe

Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi arrive in Southern Spain this week for the first European Grand Prix of the 2013 season, the Gran Premio Bwin de Espa?a on the 5th May at the Circuito de Velocidad de Jerez de la Frontera.

With two rounds gone, reigning world Champion Lorenzo arrives currently tied on points at the top of the Championship standings with fellow Spaniard and premier class rookie Marc Marquez. After a challenging race weekend in Austin with a track not best suited to the capabilities of the YZR-M1, Lorenzo will be keen to begin his weekend in Jerez, the Andalucian track has accorded him and impressive run of victories with two 250cc wins in 2006 and 2007 and a further two premier class victories in 2010 and 2011. Last year saw him take second on the podium, just 0.9 seconds from a third potential premier class win. Lorenzo still holds the Jerez record for the fastest lap and the best pole, both from 2008. The 2013 Championship challenger made his MotoGP debut in the 125cc class at Jerez, although he was forced to miss the first qualifying session because he was too young. The future star turned 15yrs of age before the second session, going out to ride in front of his home crowd for his first Grand Prix experience.

Valentino Rossi arrives eager to attack the European tracks he knows intimately aboard his YZR-M1. Rossi sits in fourth in standings after Qatar and Austin, just 11 points adrift of the top spot. The nine-time World Champion has an impressive record at Jerez with a staggering six premier class wins and two additional victories in the 125cc and 250cc classes. In 13 starts at Jerez Rossi has taken nine podium finishes.

The Jerez circuit was built in 1986 with the first Grand Prix taking place one year later. The 4.423km Jerez circuit sits within a natural amphitheatre and is characterised by numerous quick direction changes and few hard braking points.
Jorge Lorenzo

We arrive in Jerez, a nice track that is really special for all the Spanish riders involved in this Championship and always supported by the huge crowd on the grandstands. We have to keep calm and think about the Championship because it is so long. 

Normally Jerez is a better track for Yamaha but you never know with this level of riding where you are going to find your best circuit. 

Jerez is smaller than Austin and the straight is much shorter, this will give us less disadvantage. The flowing corners will also help us a lot. Jerez is one of my favourite tracks and we will be competitive there for sure.?



Valentino Rossi

?Jerez will be a very important race. I believe and hope that we can be very fast as we have been in testing. We will have to work well and aim for the podium. We still have something to do, especially for the set up of the bike but we have some ideas. Furthermore on Monday after the race we will be testing there and we'll have the opportunity to try different things. Jerez, Le Mans and Mugello are all circuits that are favourable to us and where we will be fine.?

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
Jerez is one of our favourite tracks, bus also for our major rivals I would say. Our bike should work better there than it did in Austin. So we hope to be much more competitive in Jerez. The grip is a completely different level but everybody will have better grip on that track. Hopefully we are able to close the gap and to compete, to fight and to get the benefit of extra grip as we did in Qatar. The podium is our goal. There are many races to go and the podium is our aim for every one.?


Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
?We have great expectations for Jerez, we had a really good test there so we know we can already start with a good set up. Both riders were very fast and consistent during the three days we rode there pre-season. We are really looking forward to this coming weekend and we are confident of a good result. After the race there will be other tests and it will be very important to try new things.

?

Jorge Lorenzo
Age 25
Lives Barcelona (Spain)
Bike Yamaha
GP victories 45 (24 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts 181 (87 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole position 52 (26 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships 4 (MotoGP 2010/12, 250cc, 2006/7)

Valentino Rossi
Age 34
Lives Tavullia (Italy)
Bike Yamaha
GP victories 105 (79 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory Czec Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts 278 (218 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole position 59 (49 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships 9 (MotoGP 2009/08/05/04/03/02, 500cc 2001, 250cc 1999, 125cc 1997)

Circuit information
Technical Informations
Circuit Jerez de la Frontera
Location Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Length (m) 4423
Width (m) 11
Turns 13
Turns righ 8
Turns left 5
Pole position left

2013 MotoGP Spain
Jerez Circuit 30/04/2013


Circuit Length:
4423

Lap Record:
1'39.731
(Daniel Pedrosa, 1-1-2010)

Fastest Lap Ever:
1'38.189
(Jorge Lorenzo, 30-3-2008)

Last Years Winner:
Casey Stoner

 

[KUCIAR666]

NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team headed to Jerez for first European GP

The third round of the 2013 season takes the championship to Jerez de la Frontera the first European race of the season. The first Spanish race could be the turning point for the team?s CRT riders and a further improvement our riders in the Moto2 category.

Colin Edwards, unable to cross the finish line in the first two races of the season sees Jerez as the perfect opportunity to show the potential for the FTR-Kawasaki package. His teammate Claudio Corti looks forward to racing at Jerez, a track that he knows better and allows him to be confident in improving his results.

In Moto2 Simone Corsi looks forward to putting up a good fight among the fastest riders. Alex de Angelis wants the focus on a better performance during qualifying, which seems to be the main weakness for him and his crew. Mattia Pasini hopes to maintain the momentum from Austin and make another step forward and Ricky Card?s looks forward to the first Spanish race.

Colin Edwards ? 5
?I am really looking forward to Jerez, obviously after our last couple of races it would be nice to get a finish and it has been a race at which I had a podium at before, had some good memories there. Obviously being the first European race everybody kind of gets in the grove and settles in and starts working. Looking forward to it!?

Claudio Corti ? 71
?We come back to Jerez after two very tough races. We have some data from Jerez because of the test we did during pre season and with a few more kilometers, a few improvements and an evolution since that last test, we can surely hope for slightly better results. This circuit is not one of my favorites but I have done relatively well here in the past.?

Simone Corsi ? 3
?On Sunday we will race at Jerez, a circuit at which we have tested a lot during the pre season. I expected something more from the first two races, we got only a few points but I am hopeful and remain optimistic for this next race at Jerez because during the weekend in Texas we proved to be fast during all weekend. We have to work in order to reduce the gap with the front guys. The team is doing a great job!?

Alex De Angelis ? 15
?After the comeback during the Texas GP both the team and I hope that the setup used during the American race can be adapted to the Jerez circuit. We have to work a lot in order to be ready for the qualifying session, which at the moment seems to be our weak spot, we are working towards it and look forward to prove it in the near future.?

Mattia Pasini ? 54
?We are ready for Jerez after a very good performance in Austin that allows us to hope for good results. I was able to have a good race pace with the bike in Texas and a good feeling with the bike, ideal conditions for us to make another step forward.?

Ricky Card?s - 88
?It?s an important race for me, the first European race and I can?t wait to be there with all the Spanish fans. Right now I feel much better physically even if I am still recovering. I know it will not be easy for us to be in the front group but the feeling with the bike has improved and I want to race!?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Abraham ready to ride in Jerez

Czech MotoGP rider Karel Abraham will return on the track in Jerez after two weeks of recovery since he broke his right collarbone during Qualifying Practice in Austin.

Abraham underwent surgery in Austin just few hours after he crashed out. After Monday?s examination at University Hospital in Olomouc, CZ Abraham decided to try to ride in Jerez.

?I want to get back on the track as soon as possible. We will try to ride in Jerez and we?ll see what happens. The recovery is in progress, but my doctor found some complications. The biggest one is that the scar is overgrowing into the collarbone. I?m trying to rehabilitate, even it?s very painful. But I was assured that there aren?t any risk of aggravation of the injury. The most important is to avoid any crash on the hurt shoulder. I stay focused and hope to be able to ride whole weekend and to finish the race.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Jerez de la Frontera, third round of the 2013 World Championship

For the 16th straight year, the Circuito de Jerez is ready to play host to the first European motorcycle Grand Prix of the 2013 season.

The first of four rounds to be held in Spain this year, the event comes just over a month after the final pre-season test, which took place at the same circuit. Opened in 1987, the track is 4.423 kilometers in length and has several fast corners, and its Grand Prix is typically quite exciting. The second straightaway was added in 1992, when a parabolic corner replaced a chicane in order to improve rider safety. It was also with safety in mind that the circuit became the first to replace hay bales with air fence.

Over the past ten years, the track has seen a number of different winners, demonstrating its adaptability to varying interpretations and its suitability for bike development.

There will be no substitute rider for Ignite Pramac Racing Team racer Ben Spies, who stayed back home in Texas in order to undergo intensive treatment as he works to regain his physical fitness following the operation to his shoulder and the problem with his pectoral muscle, suffered during the last round, in Austin. Best of luck to the team and to Spies, who will be back at Le Mans in just fifteen days.

Ben Spies ? Ignite Pramac Racing Team
?I want to give good luck wishes to the team for the race and also thank everyone who has sent me their best wishes for my recovery. I am doing my absolute best to get back to 100%, where I need to be, for the team and Ducati.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Ducati Team heads to season?s first European stop

Having begun the year with a pair of ?flyaway? races, in the Middle East and the United States, the Ducati Team now travels to the first European round of the year, in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Situated near the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, just over an hour from the Strait of Gibraltar, the Circuito de Jerez is known for drawing large and enthusiastic crowds. It has historically proven to be a challenging circuit for the Ducati Team, but the squad has also enjoyed successes there, one recent example being a podium finish by Nicky Hayden in the rainy Spanish GP two years ago. During both the race weekend and an official post-race test on Monday, the American and his Italian teammate Andrea Dovizioso?along with Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro in his first of three wildcard rides scheduled for the season?plan to build upon the work carried out in Qatar and Texas, and to maximize the competitiveness of the Desmosedici GP13 as the series begins a stretch of six consecutive European races.

Andrea Dovizioso ? Ducati Team
?The Jerez circuit isn?t among my favourites, but anyway, I think that the best approach at this point in the season is to take it race by race, and that?s the attitude we have as we head to Spain. The Desmosedici GP13 is completely different from the bikes I?ve ridden in the past, which is fine for me, but we can only make the difference when we?re able to improve some characteristics of the bike. Last year I managed to finish the race there in fifth place, but the most important thing is to be able to make progress with the bike?s development.?

Nicky Hayden ? Ducati Team
?This race is almost like the start of the ?normal? season?day races in Europe?but of course that doesn?t mean I expect things to get any easier. We did get to test at Jerez, and although the weather didn?t allow us to get many laps in, that experience will still be helpful. Hopefully we?ll start out better on Friday and put up a better fight through the weekend than I did in Texas. I?ve got plenty of support from the guys, so that?s definitely not an issue. I look forward to going to Spain and doing our best.?

Vittoriano Guareschi ? Team Manager
?Jerez is the first European race of the year, and it?s also one of our test tracks, but although we?ve already had a number of tests there this year, bad weather has unfortunately prevented us from taking full advantage. It?ll be an important opportunity for us to learn more because the track is very different from the other two that we?ve raced on so far. In addition to Nicky Hayden, who started last year?s race on the first row, and Andrea Dovizioso, we?ll have the test team, with our test rider Michele Pirro, who?ll be doing his first wildcard race. His GP13 will have some new development parts that will help us to focus on the development for the rest of the championship.?


Circuito de Jerez Records
Lap record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda ? 2010), 1:39.731, 159.657 Km/h (99.206 mph)
Best pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha ? 2008), 1:38.189, 162.164 Km/h (100.764 mph)
Track length: 4.423 km (2.748 mi)
2013 MotoGP race: 27 laps (119.421 km, 74.205 mi)
2013 MotoGP race time: 2:00 p.m. local time

2012 podium: 1st Casey Stoner (Honda), 2nd Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Dani Pedrosa (Honda)
2012 pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1:39.532 ? 159.976 Km/h (99.404 mph)
2012 fastest lap: (lap 15) Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1:40.019 ? 159.197 Km/h (98.920 mph)


Ducati Team results at Jerez (best finish)
2012: 8th (Hayden)
2011: 3rd (Hayden)
2010: 4th (Hayden)
2009: 3rd (Stoner)
2008: 11th (Stoner)
2007: 5th (Stoner)
2006: 1st (Capirossi)
2005: 10th (Checa)
2004: 12th (Capirossi)
2003: 3rd (Bayliss)


Ducati Team ? Rider Info

Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13
Race number: 04
Age: 27 (born in Forlimpopoli, Italy, 23 March 1986)
Residence: Forl?, Italy
Number of GPs: 188 (90 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Number of wins: 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First GP win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Poles: 14 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)
World Championships: 1 (1 x 125cc)

Dovizioso?s MotoGP Results at Jerez
2012: Qualifying, 7th; Race, 5th
2011: Qualifying, 6th; Race, 12th
2010: Qualifying, 9th; Race, 6th
2009: Qualifying, 8th; Race, 8th
2008: Qualifying, 5th; Race, 8th

Nicky Hayden
Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13
Race number: 69
Age: 31 (born in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA, 30 July 1981)
Residence: Owensboro (Kentucky, USA)
Number of GPs: 169 (169 x MotoGP)
First GP: 2003 Japanese GP (MotoGP)
Number of wins: 3 (3 x MotoGP)
First GP win: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP)
Poles: 5 (5 x MotoGP)
First pole: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP)
World Championships: 1 (6 x MotoGP, 2006)

Hayden?s MotoGP Results at Jerez
2012: Qualifying, 3rd; Race, 8th
2011: Qualifying, 11th; Race, 3rd
2010: Qualifying, 5th; Race, 4th
2009: Qualifying, 16th; Race, 15th
2008: Qualifying, 3rd; Race, 4th
2007: Qualifying, 11th; Race, 7th
2006: Qualifying, 4th; Race, 3rd
2005: Qualifying, 4th; Race, DNF
2004: Qualifying, 7th; Race, 5th
2003: Qualifying, 19th; Race, DNF

 

[KUCIAR666]

Abraham suffers pain in Jerez two weeks after injury

Karel Abraham completed Friday?s free practices to the Grand Prix of Spain at Jerez circuit. Two weeks after he broke his collarbone Czech made the twenty-thirdth time with 3,794 seconds gap to the fastest Jorge Lorenzo. Abraham was suffering the pain in injured shoulder for whole day and he will decide whether he will continue on the schedule of the racing weekend.

Karel Abraham:
?My shoulder hurts a lot. In the morning we tried it without anesthetic and it was really bad. During afternoon I let the doctors to give me an injection, even when nobody except of doctor Costa recommended it to me. It was better, but it will be hard to make the race. I?m able to ride about four fast laps, but whole race has twenty seven laps. The biggest problem are right turns and braking at the end of final straight. I?ll undergo another medical examination after which we decide if we?ll continue.?

Marco Grana, chief-mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing
?We tried to ride without an anesthetic in the morning. In afternoon Karel took an injection. The result was nearly the same. Because of pain, Karel hasn?t enought strength in right hand and it will be very hard to finish the twenty seven laps of the race. Later today we?ll dedice if Karel continue to the Saturday?s schedule.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Positive start at Jerez for Edwards and Corti

NGM Mobile Forward Riders rider Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti have a positive first day of free practice at the Circuito de Jerez de la Frontera. The Forward riders and their FTR bikes arrive to his first European race very motivated after testing the new FTR chassis evolution during the morning session.

Despite having a small problem with the brakes during the morning session, the American rider is happy with the feeling of the bike. The Italian rider has made an important step between the morning and the afternoon session and will focus tomorrow on improving his race pace.

Both riders have a clear choice of tires for the race and will concentrate their efforts on finding the perfect setting the bike during the morning in order to be ready for qualifying.

Colin Edwards ? 5
? This morning went pretty good from the get go. We tried a couple of things this morning on one bike and one bike was better than the other so we stuck with it. In the afternoon we had a brake issue during the beginning of the session because one set worked good and the other one didn?t, so we can?t figure out what pieces we needed to change, so we wasted a little bit of time there. Went back out and on the soft rear tire and it felt good, went right back down to the pace we were doing this morning. We also made a change to the bike to make it turn a little bit better and then we thought we could try the hard tire just in case we had a ware problem on the soft tire. Went out and did a few laps and it just didn?t work, probably about a second slower. Overall today I feel good on the bike, we just have to make it happen tomorrow and Sunday.?

Claudio Corti ? 71
?We are working on things, we need to reduce the gap with Barbera?s FTR and he was very fast today. We still have a bit of a problem with the electronics and the fact that today we had the new FTR chassis and we tested a few things made us loose some time in terms of working towards finding the race pace. The new chassis has proven itself to be faster, the new parts that we have tested here so far have allowed us to improve and tomorrow we will continue working with it and will concentrate on improve the lap times and in finding a good race pace. We already know what the tire choice will be so now we just need to concentrate on the pace.?

Sergio Verbena ? MotoGP Technical Director
?We are back in Europe and this morning the session started really well, Colin was fast, was 16th at only 2 seconds from Jorge Lorenzo?s fastest lap. In the afternoon session we did a few modifications worked well. Towards the end of the session we also tested towards the hard tire just in case we would consider it for the race, it has less grip and it will most likely not be our choice for the race. We know that our potential is higher than the one we have shown today. Claudio has done a considerable improvement since this morning; he is 2 seconds from the fastest man. We have work ahead of us in order to find the ideal setting for tomorow?s qualifying session.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Positive first day for Repsol Honda Team in Jerez

The Grand Prix of Spain got underway today in perfect conditions at the Jerez Circuit in the south of Spain.

Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez made full use of the two 45 minute free practice sessions. Both riders spent the morning FP1 session on the soft rear compound and soft front compound Bridgestone tyres, as they rediscovered their feelings for the Andalusian circuit where they tested during the preseason.

In the afternoon's FP2 session, both swapped to the hard front compound and tested the hard compound rear tyre but Dani was unable to better his morning time of 1'39.704 and finished the day 2nd fastest. Marc also tested the hard rear tyre in the afternoon, but then swapped back to a new soft rear to record his fastest time of the day of 1'39.889 on lap 15 of 20 placing him 5th in the combined times.



Dani Pedrosa - 2nd - 1'39.704

"Today we were able to get some good laps in at this circuit. We tried the soft and the hard tyre, and also some things with the suspension settings. It wasn't bad, generally, although we need to keep working on this in order to get the bike more stable - both on the entrance and exit of the corners. That would allow us to ride at a faster pace. We will also need to prepare well for qualifying, which could be very tight"



Marc Marquez - 5th - 1'39.889

"Today was the first day of practice here in Jerez and everything went pretty well. Yesterday I said in the press conference that it would be a little difficult at this track but, to tell the truth, things went better for me here than I was expecting. We have grown stronger with every lap and I think that the key is to keep calm. In the morning it was a little difficult to control my nerves, but later I tried to calm down and follow our normal strategy. Tomorrow we will have to focus in order to improve, as the rest of the riders will be going all-out"



Practice Results

1 - Jorge Lorenzo - 1?39.562 - SPA - YAMAHA - Yamaha Factory Racing

2 - Dani Pedrosa - 1?39.704 - SPA - HONDA - Repsol Honda Team

3 - Cal Crutchlow - 1?39.733 - GBR - YAMAHA - Monster Yamaha Tech 3

4 - Valentino Rossi - 1?39.874 - ITA - YAMAHA - Yamaha Factory Racing

5 - Marc Marquez - 1?39.889 - SPA - HONDA - Repsol Honda Team

6 - Alvaro Bautista - 1?40.507 - SPA - HONDA & FTR - Go & Fun Honda Gresini

7 - Andrea Iannone - 1?40.574 - ITA - DUCATI - Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team

8 - Nicky Hayden - 1?40.722 - USA - DUCATI - Ducati Team

9 - Hector Barbera - 1?40.736 - SPA - FTR - Avintia Blusens

10 - Aleix Espargaro - 1?40.738 - SPA - ART - Power Electronics Aspar

11 - Stefan Bradl - 1?40.799 - GER - HONDA - LCR Honda MotoGP

12 - Andrea Dovizioso - 1?40.884 - ITA - DUCATI - Ducati Team

13 - Michele Pirro - 1?40.902 - ITA - DUCATI - Ducati Test Team

14 - Bradley Smith - 1?40.990 - GBR - YAMAHA - Monster Yamaha Tech 3

15 - Randy De Puniet - 1?41.078 - FRA - ART - Power Electronics Aspar

16 - Hiroshi Aoyama - 1?41.671 - JAP - FTR - Avintia Blusens

17 - Danilo Petrucci - 1?41.751 - ITA - IODA-SUTER - Came IodaRacing Project

18 - Colin Edwards - 1?41.764 - USA - FTR-KAWASAKI - NGM Mobile Forward Racing

19 - Claudio Corti - 1?41.790 - ITA - FTR-KAWASAKI - NGM Mobile Forward Racing

20 - Yonny Hernandez - 1?42.155 - COL - PBM - Paul Bird Motorsport

21 - Bryan Staring - 1?42.606 - AUS - HONDA & FTR - Go & Fun Honda Gresini

22 - Michael Laverty - 1?42.974 - GBR - PBM - Paul Bird Motorsport

23 - Karel Abraham - 1?43.334 - CZE - ART - Cardion AB Motoracing

 

[KUCIAR666]

Good start for Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team

The first day at the Spanish Grand Prix dawned with gray clouds and a light rain, but the temperatures soon became much warmer, influencing the track conditions and the second free-practice session.

The weekend in Jerez started positively for Andrea Iannone (TI Energy Pramac Racing Team), who concluded FP2 in seventh place, with a time that was over half a second faster than his best from the first session, making him the top Ducati rider.

Based on the steadily increasing air and asphalt temperature, the team thinks that the Italian will use the hard tyre, as opposed to the soft used this morning.

Overall, it was a successful day and a good starting point for the work to come in qualifying tomorrow and in Sunday?s race.

Andrea Iannone - Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
?I?m pleased with the result. I knew I could be faster here at Jerez than at the other tracks, but it?s not over yet. We still have to face tomorrow?s busy day, and we?ll work with a view toward the race because I?d like to maintain this pace and obviously go straight to Q2, making the best use of the tyres we have available. Although we had initially thought otherwise, maybe the best choice for the race is the hard tyre, which we tried in the second practice session. The soft slides a lot, perhaps because of the high temperature, so we decided to try and change. We?re improving a lot with the team, and I?d like to be able to immediately ride like I know that I can. I hope that my arm, which was much better today, will allow me to do that. I had a good feeling with the bike, though not the same as during the tests, and tomorrow I?d like to work on my pace and try some changes with the electronics.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Ducati Team back in action in Jerez

Free-practice for the Spanish Grand Prix kicked off today at the Circuito de Jerez, where Ducati Team riders Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso posted the eighth- and twelfth-best times, respectively, on the day.

The American is dealing with a tender right wrist, its recuperation having been more problematic than was hoped following a minor operation in March. He nonetheless managed to set the sixth-best time in the morning session aboard his Desmosedici GP13, and although he wasn?t as strong in FP2?s warmer conditions, he only slipped two spots in the combined times. Dovizioso was tenth-best in the first session, and although he improved his time by .060 seconds in the afternoon, it was only good enough for twelfth overall.

Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro, participating in his first of three wildcard rides planned for this season, had a respectable first day back in the MotoGP paddock, posting the twelfth-best time in FP1 and finishing the day in thirteenth place.

Nicky Hayden - Ducati Team, 8th (1:40.722)
?We used a similar setup to what we had here at the test, with a few modifications that we?ve made in the last two races. In the morning, I felt a little better than I had in the test, and my pace was okay. Then I suffered a lot on the warmer track this afternoon, especially with edge grip, which really affected the turning. The bike was pushing wide in the fast corners, which are so important. I?m also having a problem with my wrist; between Qatar and Austin, I developed some tendinitis and a lot of swelling in the joint. It was manageable in Austin, but it?s worse here, which makes this weekend even more challenging than it already was. Still, if we can improve the bike in a couple of the key corners, we can be much closer.?

Andrea Dovizioso - Ducati Team, 12th (1:40.884)
?It was really difficult this afternoon, and I?m not completely sure why. The grip was much worse for all the Ducati riders, and it was much harder for me to be precise and stay on my lines. We must understand if we can improve that sensation through the setup, but this is the bike and I just have to adapt. I?m trying to stay calm and work in order to have a good session tomorrow morning.?

Michele Pirro ? Ducati Test Team, 13th (1:40.902)
?It was a positive day in the sense that I?m back doing what I like most?competing! There?s work to be done because I?m still losing time in some sectors, but I?m satisfied overall because I haven?t raced since November. Tomorrow we?ll try to continue to dial in the GP13 because this is a new package in terms of frame, swingarm and engine. We?re trying to improve everything, take another step, and get things ready for the race. I hope to pay Ducati back for the faith they?ve placed in me, and I really want to thank them for this opportunity.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Lorenzo Leads as European Grand Prix Action Kicks Off in Jerez

The first European Grand Prix weekend of the 2013 season, The Gran Premio bwin de Espa?a, got underway today at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Southern Spain. Yamaha Factory Racing?s Jorge Lorenzo started his first home Grand Prix of the year as he means to go on, one of the fastest riders of the morning he waited until the last second to retake the top spot in first practice. The afternoon saw more of the same from the reigning World Champion, Lorenzo leading from the start of the session and remaining unchallenged to the end, wrapping up in first position 0.171 seconds ahead of satellite Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow in second.

Valentino Rossi was also quick to find form today, spending the morning session firmly embedded in the fastest rider group within the top four and ending in third position. Having initially started the afternoon practice on the harder option tyres, Rossi switched to the softer with 10 minutes remaining, holding off the advances of Marc Marquez and moving up in the time sheets from fifth to fourth, completing the day just 0.312 seconds from Lorenzo in first.
Jorge Lorenzo, 1st, Time - 1'39.562

?At the beginning of the second practice I felt better than this morning but with the warmer temperatures it has been difficult to keep the same pace. We will have to work on the settings to keep the same pace for tomorrow. We need to try to improve our pace by three or four tenths, to ride comfortably in the 39s will be a good feeling. I?m happy that we are first in today?s two sessions but I want more.?
Valentino Rossi, 4th, Time -1'39.874

?The first and second practices were not so bad. We tried to work and understand a good balance for the bike. We still haven?t found the perfect way yet. We also tried to understand the right tyre choice for the race because it is difficult with the soft and also with the hard so we need to make sure we make the right choice to go fast on Sunday. Anyway, we are in fourth place and not so far from pole position. Tomorrow we have to try to continue to work in this way because it will be important for the race to start at the maximum within the first five.?
Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

?For sure I think a good day today, I would say at least a healthy day. We started with good circumstances for everybody, no wet conditions and good track temperatures. Like the test we were immediately fast. We?re still not quite where we want to be but of course we are working on it. Jorge has a good feeling and the speed is there so let?s see what we can do tomorrow in qualifying.?
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

?So far the results confirm our expectations. We still have some work to do to improve the best lap and also the consistency. We were able to test two different things with good feedback so we?ll check the data tonight and compare it with the riders? feelings. From the results we intend to come with some new solutions for tomorrow?s sessions.?
Crutchlow dazzles in Spanish sunshine

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow made a flying start to the European phase of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship today, the British rider launching a stunning challenge for the top three in both practice sessions at the Circuito de Jerez. Fourth quickest in cooler than anticipated conditions in FP1 this morning, Crutchlow was only 0.046s outside of the top three to continue his fantastic form at the Jerez track. The 27-year-old battled for the podium right to the finish line in Jerez a year ago and he produced an impressive performance in the final winter test session at the Spanish venue in late March to top the timesheets. With air and track temperatures increasing significantly in bright and sunny conditions for FP2, Crutchlow was able to improve his pace and position to once again comfortably finish as the fastest non-factory rider. A best lap of 1.39.733 elevated Crutchlow into second place behind reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, who was only 0.171s quicker in a session that saw the top five split by just 0.327s. The former World Supersport champion finished third fastest on the combined leaderboard and after such a positive start to the weekend, Crutchlow is optimistic he will be in the hunt for a podium in Sunday?s 27-lap race.

Bradley Smith enjoyed a productive start to his weekend too, the 22-year-old helped by the fact that he has lapped the Jerez track previously on the YZR-M1 machine during the winter testing schedule. He took it steady this morning with a track temperature of only 20 degrees and a lap of 1.41.778 put him 17th on the timesheets. Smith was able to improve by almost a second in hotter conditions for FP2, which saw the track temperature soar to 45 degrees. Smith lowered his pace to a 1.40.990 and that lap time secured him an encouraging 13th on the FP2 leaderboard and 14th overall, with the British rookie hoping he can take another big leap forward tomorrow to challenge for a place in the top 10 on the grid for round three of the 2013 World Championship.
Cal Crutchlow 3rd, Time - 1'39.733

?It was quite a tough day because we made a lot of changes that meant the bike was set-up completely different than the way we had it at the test. We made it a little bit longer and lower to give me a good feeling because while I was able to set the fastest time at the test, the track temperature was much higher today and it meant the bike was not working perfectly with the set-up we ran at the test. I was changing bikes during FP2 and doing a lot of laps to try as many things as possible and I am positive for the rest of the weekend. We?ve got a few ideas to improve even further tomorrow and I will sit down with my crew tonight and have a good look at the data to come up with a plan of attack for the rest of the weekend. My Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is doing a great job again and being competitive and fast today gives us a lot of confidence to take into Saturday and Sunday.?
Bradley Smith 14th, Time - 1'40.990

?The nice thing about today is I was able to go a little bit faster than I managed at the test, so the gap to the front is still quite similar. I haven?t lost anything but I?m a little bit disappointed that I didn't gain anything as well. I am a lot happier after this afternoon?s session though and my main focus was on trying to ride the bike in a smoother way. It is so important to be smooth on a MotoGP bike and I?m still working on that. I?m losing most of my time in sector 4 and we?ll check some data and see where I can improve. But it was another good day of learning and I?m looking forward to taking another step forward tomorrow.?

2013 MotoGP Spain
Valencia 03/05/2013
1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 1'39.562
2 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'39.733
3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'39.757
4 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'39.874
5 Marc Marquez Honda ESP 1'39.889
6 Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 1'40.507
7 Andrea Iannone Ducati ITA 1'40.574
8 Hector Barbera FTR ESP 1'40.736
9 Aleix Espargaro ART ESP 1'40.738
10 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 1'40.837
11 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati ITA 1'40.884
12 Michele Pirro Ducati ITA 1'40.902
13 Bradley Smith Yamaha GBR 1'40.990
14 Stefan Bradl Honda GER 1'41.053
15 Randy De Puniet ART FRA 1'41.078

 

[KUCIAR666]

Challenging day for Andrea Iannone

Just a few laps into this morning?s FP3, Andrea Iannone turned a 1:39.687 lap that put him in fifth place for most of the session, but the pain in his forearm returned after just ten laps. Nonetheless, the Italian still finished ninth, just seven-tenths from first-place Cal Crutchlow, putting him directly into Q2.

FP4 kicked off at 1:30 p.m. in sunny and warm conditions, with track temperature at 50? C (122? F), and less than three minutes from the end, Andrea had a hard fall in turn 13, suffering a deep wound to his left knee. Following treatment by Dr. Costa?s Clinica Mobile, and permission from race direction, the brave rider was able to return to the track for Q2, in which he earned the eleventh spot on tomorrow?s starting grid.

The Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team is satisfied with the respectable times and with the technical solutions that were found on this challenging day, and it looks forward to tomorrow?s race.

Andrea Iannone ? Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
?I hit quite hard when I crashed, and I kept tumbling along with the bike. The clinic stapled the cut, but I?m worried for tomorrow because it burns and is quite painful. Also, the problem with my arm returned this morning, so although I?m able to do a few more laps, I can?t say my fitness is at 100%. I?m having a hard time with changes of direction, where I had to save my arm a bit by using my knees, but we did a good time before I crashed, four-tenths faster than this morning. I?m satisfied that we?re a couple of tenths from the Ducati riders, but I don?t have a clear idea for tomorrow?s race. We?re suffering quite a bit in this heat because we?re obviously losing grip. I was one of the first to crash, but it seems like it was a common problem. We used a hard front tyre, which we think is better, but I don?t know what solution we?ll try for the race.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Edwards and Corti struggle in qualifying at Jerez

NGM Mobile Forward Racing Riders struggled during qualifying at the Circuito de Jerez de la Frontera.

Claudio Corti was hoping to find a better pace for the race but a problem with his FTR- Kawasaki?s brakes seems to have slowed him down. The Italian rider was unable to match the fast lap he did during the last preseason winter tests here in Jerez.

His teammate Colin Edwards also encountered a series of problems that slowed him down, but he tested some modification that have made the bike feel more balanced. Unfortunately the American rider crashed during the second lap of the QP1 session, making it impossible for him to improve his lap time.

The team will be going over today?s data in order to be put both Edwards and Corti in the best possible conditions for tomorrow?s race.

Claudio Corti ? 21st (1?41.513)
?Today we?ve had a series of problems with the brakes that have slowed me down during the morning practice but that seemed to have been solved during qualifying. I am not happy because I was not able to match the lap times that I did during the last IRTA test here but the pace seems faster, faster than the one I had yesterday. We are struggling this weekend; I see that both Colin and I are in the same situation. We haven?t been able yet to find that little something extra that will help us make that step that would allow us to fight with the faster CRTs. We can?t let got, we need to keep working on it. Tomorrow?s race will be 27 laps and we need to push for a better result. Unfortunately the pace is not as fast as I was hoping for, but we will go over the data tonight and maybe we will find in it something that will help us gain a few tenths per lap that would make all the difference.?

Colin Edwards ? 22nd (1?41.536)
?Qualifying didn?t go as we planned. We struggled this morning, did a couple of things to the bike, went out on track and the times were the same. So we tried a different bike thing in the afternoon during the last thirty minutes session and it felt better but only got about five laps, the bike felt more balanced. Went out there for qualifying, the first lap was the fastest lap I had done so far. Then I came out of one and it hooked up, got into to a little bit deep, just being stubborn I was not about to give up a lap and I just squeezed it and squeezed it and it kind of caught over the transition and thought: ?I got this, its coming back!? As soon as I thought that it went away from me and crashed. Thanks to all my team, they have been working a lot, it?s not for lack of trying, we just didn?t find the traction.?

Sergio Verbena ? MotoGP Technical Director
?Yesterday we were hoping to have a better qualifying session but today we had unexpected problems. Both riders seem to have the same lack of grip and that has been their main limiting factor during qualifying. With Colin we have tested a few modifications that seem to make him have better feeling but unfortunately he crashed on the second lap and was unable to improve his lap time after that. Claudio has improved his lap times from this morning but not enough to get him among the best CRTs. We will be going over the data to see what exactly has been he cause of our problem in order to be ready for tomorrow?s race.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Lorenzo Celebrates Birthday With Perfect Pole in Jerez

Yamaha Factory Racing?s Jorge Lorenzo celebrated his 26th birthday in style today, taking pole position in qualifying for tomorrow?s Gran Premio bwin de Espa?a at the Jerez de la Frontera Circuit in Southern Spain. The reigning World Champion was the man to beat for the second day of the Grand Prix weekend, starting qualifying at the front with a blistering 1?38.876 lap on his first qualifying tyre. The time remained unbeaten until Lorenzo came out on his second tyre and delivered a stunning 1?38.673 on his sixth lap to secure the number one slot on the grid in front of his home crowd.

Valentino Rossi was one of several riders to fall victim to front end crashes in the hot qualifying session. The Italian was unable to save his M1 on his right knee on the fast right hand turn 11, resulting in a dramatic crash with just two minutes of qualifying remaining. Luckily Rossi was uninjured and was back smiling in the pit garage shortly afterwards. His quickest lap of the session was 1 ?39.00, putting him on the second row of the grid in fifth, 0.627 seconds from his teammate on pole.
Jorge Lorenzo, 1st, Time - 1'38.673

?I?m happy with this pole position, it?s a good present for my birthday! I knew the track was not perfect, it?s very warm and there were a lot of crashes in the previous qualifying. I just tried to make the perfect lap, unfortunately I couldn?t, I made a mistake in two braking zones and went wide and lost some tenths. Anyway, in the other corners I was really quick and at the limit so it was enough to make it. It?s going to be tough tomorrow, normally the lap time you make for qualifying you cant repeat in another time because the tyre drops. We hope to improve the bike a little bit to get more comfortable with pace. Anyway I think we can fight for the win or at least for the podium tomorrow.?
Valentino Rossi, 5th, Time -1'39.300

?Today the practices were not so bad. The position is the best qualifying for us this year. The second row is quite good, we can do also do better. Unfortunately at the end I had a crash but I?m ok, I don't have any problems so we are more or less ready for tomorrow. The bigger issue for tomorrow is how high the rhythm will be with the used tyre. Especially with the hot conditions the rear tyre slides a lot so it is important to see how high the rhythm is after seven or eight laps. Now we try to make the best setting and we will see tomorrow.?
Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

?It's a good birthday present to get pole, of course we are happy with that. More important is tomorrow, everybody is struggling quite a bit, as we saw in qualifying with many crashes. The conditions are very hot and the tyre life is limited so we need to find the best balance as possible for the race. This means that the race can go any way, the guy who has less problems will win but I don?t think the fastest guy in the beginning will be able to win. It's a very long race, its difficult to judge which bike is going to be better over long distance as we?re not riding 24 laps under the same conditions with the same tyre.?
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

?A super pole position, Jorge did a really great lap as usual. Unfortunately Vale crashed during his best lap. Anyway, we are pretty satisfied with the speed we have. The main issue will be the race distance as we have seen over the last two days that the tyre life could create some problems, but it looks like everybody has the same issue. We are still working to improve this aspect and we are pretty optimistic for tomorrow. So far everything has gone very well.?
Crutchlow close to front row in Spain

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow will start tomorrow's Gran Premio bwin De Espana from fourth position on the grid after the British rider experienced a day of contrasting fortunes at the Jerez track today. The British rider's sparkling form in the early part of 2013 continued this morning when he topped the timesheets in FP3 with a best time of 1.38.975 that was close to a full second faster than Dani Pedrosa's current lap record. Crutchlow was looking strong and confident to continue that hot streak of form in hot and sunny conditions in FP4 when he crashed unhurt at Turn 5 while placed inside the top three. The 27-year-old was determined to bounce back from the earlier spill to challenge for a second front row start of the 2013 World Championship campaign when he fell heavily in a dramatic 15-minute QP2 session. Pushing hard to try and move into the top three, Crutchlow lost the front of his YZR-M1 machine at the final corner shortly after the halfway stage. Demonstrating tremendous determination and courage, Crutchlow rushed back to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team garage to immediately return to the track and try again to clinch a place on the front row for the ninth time in his MotoGP career. But despite a heroic effort he had to settle for a best time of 1.39.262 that was only 0.291s away from Marc Marquez in third. Crutchlow underwent medical checks in the Clinica Mobile immediately after the session after complaining of lower back pain but he has been given the all-clear to start tomorrow's race.

Teammate Bradley Smith will start the 27-lap race from 12th position after he enjoyed a positive day at the Circuito de Jerez. Smith produced a brilliant display in QP1 to post a lap of 1.39.990 that put him into one of the top two places he needed to advance into QP2 where the top 12 grid positions are determined. Satisfied to have claimed a place on one of the front four rows for the third time in his rookie season, Smith was less than 0.5s away from a top 10 place on the grid. And the 22-year-old is confident he can battle for a second successive points scoring finish in tomorrow's race, which is predicted to take place in searing heat and humidity in Southern Spain.
Cal Crutchlow 4th, Time - 1'32.262

"It has been a very difficult day for obvious reasons. The two crashes were very big but the second one was particularly hard because it was very fast. The first crash the temperature was quite a lot different from the morning and I just got caught out and it was my own mistake. In the second crash some people felt there was something on the track but I don't think that was the case to be honest. I made a mistake in the braking and rather than going straight the front brake level locked into my hand. But this was a really big crash and I'm proud that I got back to the garage and went back out to try and go faster. It seems in the warmer conditions it is quite difficult but I am not the only one feeling this. I'm looking forward to the race and we will make some changes with the bike to try and improve the front feeling in the hot conditions. It seems everybody is struggling and it is not like me to have two crashes in one day. I'm a bit battered and bruised but it won't stop me from giving it 100% in tomorrow's race."
Bradley Smith 12th, Time - 1'40.356

"It was a great job to get into QP2 again today because I really had to fight to make that happen. My race pace is quite good and I am confident but it is going to be a very long and difficult race in the heat. I need to be confident when the tyres drop because it looks like the grip drops down a lot after only three laps and tyre management will be vital. I have made slow progress again all weekend and once again I am working on the same things I've been trying so far since I first rode the YZR-M1 machine. It is my riding style and how I am riding the bike where I need to work on but tomorrow is another learning day. I need to get a good start and see if I can follow some of those in the top 10 to get as much as experience as I can."


2013 MotoGP Spain
Valencia 04/05/2013
1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 1'38.673
2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'38.920
3 Marc Marquez Honda ESP 1'38.971
4 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'39.262
5 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'39.300
6 Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 1'39.509
7 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 1'39.654
8 Stefan Bradl Honda GER 1'39.847
9 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati ITA 1'39.848
10 Hector Barbera FTR ESP 1'39.980
11 Andrea Iannone Ducati ITA 1'40.087
12 Bradley Smith Yamaha GBR 1'40.356
13 Aleix Espargaro ART ESP 1'40.085
14 Michele Pirro Ducati ITA 1'40.182
15 Randy De Puniet ART FRA 1'40.466

 

[KUCIAR666]

Forgettable weekend for Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team

Despite yesterday?s crash-induced injury, Andrea Iannone had a better night than expected, and in this morning?s warm-up session for the Spanish Grand Prix, he registered a best lap time of 1:40.690, just six-tenths from his Q2 time yesterday, when the only thing hindering him had been his forearm problem.

The asphalt temperature was at 46? C (115? F) - much warmer than the morning session?as the MotoGP riders lined up on the start grid, with the Italian, who had undergone treatment by the Clinica Mobile, on row four. He enjoyed a good start and was close behind fellow Ducati rider Nicky Hayden, and he registered a 1:40.642 lap time before losing the front end.

The Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team will now prepare for the next round of the championship, at Le Mans on 19 May.

Andrea Iannone ? Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
?I had hoped that this weekend would go better for me; I was very confident that I could do well, also because this is the track at which I?ve done the most kilometers on a MotoGP bike. In fact, we didn?t start off too badly, and we did a good job before the two crashes. Unfortunately, the first fall made things a bit difficult for me physically, as I?m missing some strength, maybe also because of the medicine I?m taking. I suffered quite a bit in the warm-up session, but thanks to the work done by the Clinica Mobile and Dr. Costa, I thought I could make it to the finish line. Although my launch wasn?t the best, I managed to pass some riders in the first and second turns. I was doing okay, so I?m sorry for how it went. It was a really short race for me, because like yesterday, I lost the front. Fortunately, I?m fine. A big thank-you to the team for the work we?re doing together; now we?ll focus on Le Mans.?

Francesco Guidotti ? Pramac Racing Team Manager
?It?s really a shame! Andrea had a good pace up until Saturday afternoon?s free practice, with everything pointing toward us having a good race, despite the pain in his arm. Then the crash in FP4 compromised all the work we?d carried out over the weekend, and we really didn?t need the fall in the race, especially since he was riding really well. Now we prepare for Le Mans, and we hope to take better advantage of the work we?ve done until today.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Edwards in the points at the Jerez GP

The Jerex GP comes to an end and the NGM Mobile Forward Racing will leave Spain with the first point of the season after Colin Edwards overtook both his teammate Claudio Corti and Danilo Petruci on the last lap with his FTR-Kawasaki, finishing in fifteenth position.

After being constrained to retire during the first two races of the season in Qatar and Austin, the American rider not only finished the race but also the first point of the season for the team.

Claudio Corti started the race in twenty-second position and made it to fourteenth position in the first two laps, to later leave the points area halfway through the race. Towards the end of the race the Italian rider was engaged in a battle for fifteenth position and ended up overtaken and ended the race in seventeenth position.

Colin Edwards ? 15th
?What a day, the start was terrible. We did a little suspension change before the race to try to get more traction. Once the race started I got going and it was all about management, try to stay between the lines and be smooth and trying to carry as much momentum as possible. If I tried to square it off it seemed like it would go straight to spin in and the traction control would kick in and wouldn?t go anywhere. I rode as fast as I could and we got our first point of the season. I don?t seem to get along with this track to begin with so I am looking forward to Le Mans I really like that track. We need to keep working.?

Claudio Corti ? 17th
?During the race I had the same problem that I had during the winter test: after the first we laps the rear tire causes a lot of vibration. I tried to decrease it by changing the electronics setting during the race and since it didn?t work so I went back to the original setting. I enjoyed myself in the last few laps with Petruci because we were I wanted that first point. I passed him at brake points a few times. A pity because I think i could have kept a pace of 1?42.500 but wasn?t able to in the end. The increase of the track temperature in the afternoon decreased the grip and traction. Tomorrow during the test we will be working on the conditions of the first half of the race, riding with a full tank since I seem to loose a lot of time concentrating on keeping the bike up. I struggle at the start and towards the end of the race I improve performance. The Avintia bikes, that are exactly the same as ours, managed to establish a twenty seconds gap, that is a second per lap and that is too much. Congratulations to Colin on his first point of the season.?

Sergio Verbena ? MotoGP Technical Director
?The race went considerably better than the free practices and the qualifying sessions of the last few days. The main problem this weekend was the lack of grip but in comparison to the races we have done so for this weekend we have been able to stay with other CRTs even if we are still far from the times of the fastest CRTs. We have been working really hard and now we have the first point of the season form Colin. With a bit of luck Claudio could have also been in the points but for now we will focus on the next race at Le Mans. We have to understand what is it that didn?t work in order to be ready for the next race.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Pedrosa wins, Marquez second as Honda dominates Jerez rostrum

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) claimed his first win of the season in confident style in blazing sunshine and in front of a huge crowd at Jerez today, making it two out of three so far this year for Honda, and reasserting himself in a World Championship battle that is already rich with tension.

With Texas winner Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) claiming a very hard-fought second place, it was the second race in succession that Honda took the top two positions.

Pedrosa took the lead from fellow-Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) at the Dry Sack hairpin on the sixth of 27 laps, and was immediately able to secure a small but vital cushion, to win by 2.487 seconds. The last lap, he said, was particularly special, in front of 111,259 fervent Spanish fans.

He made it look easy, compared with his team-mate?s second place. Twenty-year-old Marquez had been fighting to find a way past Lorenzo mid-race and again in the closing laps. Every attack was repulsed, and when he did get in front the last time round Dry Sack, he directly ran wide, ceding the position once more.

The class rookie, who became the youngest-ever GP winner at Austin, Texas a fortnight before, wasn?t done yet.

At the final corner he saw a chink of space inside his rival, and dived straight into it. The pair touched, but Marquez had the inside line and was able to finish his corner, while Lorenzo was sent out wide, and had to accept third.

The same three riders were on the rostrum in Texas, with the order of the front two reversed.

Marquez?s third successive rostrum finish puts the youngster ahead at the top of the World Championship, with 61 points to Lorenzo?s 57; while Dani?s win moves him to second overall, one point clear of his Yamaha rival.

Conditions were hot and punishing, especially for the tyres, with all riders having to focus not only on racing their rivals but also trying to stay smooth, to avoid running out of grip in the closing laps. Pedrosa managed it best, able to run a fast but smooth pace, riding alone.

With Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow (both Yamaha) fourth and fifth the next-best Honda rider was sixth-placed Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V). He had been ahead of Crutchlow mid-race, and was barely two seconds adrift at the finish.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) crashed out in the early stages, but Grand Prix rookie Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) was just seven tenths of a second away from scoring a first point, finishing 16th after holding his own in a strong CRT battle aboard his CBR1000RR-powered machine. Staring was at the back of a tight four-strong group, but gained two places in the last lap for his best finish yet.

After a day of testing at Jerez, the MotoGP World Championship moves on to Le Mans in France in two weeks, as the European season gathers momentum.



Honda MotoGP rider quotes

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: race winner

?It was a beautiful race. I was able to ride the bike well, even though it was difficult because the tyres were really on the limit. I couldn?t push too hard because of that, so I had to ride carefully. I was able to maintain a good advantage throughout the race and collect this win at home as a result. It was fantastic, especially seeing all the fans in the stands; this year we?ve had a lot of people come to watch this Grand Prix. I also want to say ?Happy Mothers Day? to my mum and thanks to all my team; it?s been a great day!?

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: second

?It was a very good race. I gave 100 percent from the first lap through to the last. At some points in the race I felt better than at others, but I never gave up. I tried to stick as close as possible to Lorenzo, although it was very difficult. I couldn?t quite close the gap, but I didn?t let him get away either. It was a very hard race, because if you get one or two seconds difference between you, you relax a bit. I didn?t relax though, and I am very happy. I think that, above all, the end of the race was really good for the fans. I want to apologise to Jorge, because it was a racing incident ? a last lap move that happens when you are on the limit. The most important thing is that we both finished the race, and I hope that that?s the end of it.?


Alvaro Bautista, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini: sixth

?That was a long and hard race because of the heat, which made it tough on the tyres. I didn?t get the best start and lost two positions, which I was able to make up although it was when I closed down on the group ahead of me that we started to struggle for grip. It is basically the same problem we have been having all weekend but I also started to have some problems with the front, which wasn?t allowing me to get on the gas as I wanted. Anyway, we gave 100 percent and it?s a positive result that gives us something to build on in the test tomorrow. I want to thank the team and sponsors for their continued support.?


Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 16th

?It goes without saying that I am happy with my best result so far in MotoGP. At the start of the race I was struggling a bit but then I got into my rhythm and found the confidence to push. I am still gaining experience in this class and I think we are on the right track to start making big improvements. It?s a shame to miss out on the points but I am determined to get there soon and I am sure that with the help of the team, who continue to offer great support, we will do it soon.?



Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: DNF

?Basically we were not able to fix our problems throughout the weekend and even today I could not ride the bike in a smooth way. I crashed early on because, since the beginning of the race, I could not push the front and this overall package did not suit my riding style. This tough weekend ended with a crash and I feel sorry for everybody. We must forget this race and go ahead working hard for Le Mans GP.?

Event results - Round 3 - Race 1
1 Dani Pedrosa 45m17.632s SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Marc Marquez 2.487 ESP HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Jorge Lorenzo 5.089 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
4 Valentino Rossi 8.914 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Cal Crutchlow 12.663 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
6 Alvaro Bautista 15.094 SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
7 Nicky Hayden 25.632 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Andrea Dovizioso 41.881 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Aleix Espargaro 43.812 ESP ART Power Electronics Aspar
10 Bradley Smith 44.461 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
11 Michele Pirro 45.974 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
12 Hector Barbera 59.859 SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
13 Michael Laverty 1'09.743 WAL ART Paul Bird Motorsport
14 Danilo Petrucci 1'17.813 ITA IODA Came IodaRacing Project
15 Colin Edwards 1'18.177 USA FTR NGM Forward Racing
16 Bryan Staring 1'18.928 AUS HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
17 Claudio Corti 1'19.307 ITA FTR NGM Forward Racing
18 Hiroshi Aoyama 1'19.457 JPN FTR Avintia Blusens
19 Stefan Bradl DNF GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
20 Andrea Iannone DNF ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing Team
21 Lukas Pesek DNF CZE IODA Came IodaRacing Project
22 Randy De Puniet DNF FRA ART Power Electronics Aspar
23 Yonny Hernandez DNF COL ART Paul Bird Motorsport
Championship standings
1 Marc Marquez 61 pts ESP HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Dani Pedrosa 58 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Jorge Lorenzo 57 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
4 Valentino Rossi 43 pts ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Cal Crutchlow 35 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
6 Alvaro Bautista 28 pts SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
7 Andrea Dovizioso 26 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Nicky Hayden 24 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
9 Aleix Espargaro 17 pts ESP ART Power Electronics Aspar
10 Andrea Iannone 13 pts ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing Team
11 Stefan Bradl 11 pts GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
12 Bradley Smith 10 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
13 Ben Spies 9 pts USA DUCATI Pramac Racing Team
14 Hector Barbera 7 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
15 Randy De Puniet 6 pts FRA ART Power Electronics Aspar
16 Michele Pirro 5 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
17 Yonny Hernandez 3 pts COL ART Paul Bird Motorsport
18 Michael Laverty 3 pts WAL ART Paul Bird Motorsport
19 Danilo Petrucci 2 pts ITA IODA Came IodaRacing Project
20 Hiroshi Aoyama 1 pts JPN FTR Avintia Blusens
21 Colin Edwards 1 pts USA FTR NGM Forward Racing
22 Lukas Pesek 0 pts CZE IODA Came IodaRacing Project
23 Karel Abraham 0 pts CZE ART Cardion AB Motoracing
24 Claudio Corti 0 pts ITA FTR NGM Forward Racing
25 Bryan Staring 0 pts AUS HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
26 Blake Young 0 pts USA APRILIA Attack Performance

 

[KUCIAR666]

Lorenzo Fights to the End in Jerez

Jorge Lorenzo took his third consecutive podium finish of the season today, taking third on the podium for the Gran Premio bwin de Espa?a at the Jerez de la Frontera Circuit in Southern Spain. The Yamaha Factory Racing rider made a strong start from pole position, initially dropping to second off the line but retaking the lead a couple of corners later from fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa. With 22 laps to go tyre life dropped off dramatically and Lorenzo was then re-passed by Pedrosa. The reigning World Champion was able to hold second from an advancing Marc Marquez until the final corner of the final lap when the young Spanish rookie made a heart stopping pass on the inside of Lorenzo, making contact and pushing him wide to steal second. The podium finish delivers Lorenzo 16 Championship points and places him third in the standings, four points behind Marquez.

Valentino Rossi made a good start from fifth position on the grid and enjoyed an early tussle with Marc Marquez reminiscent of their Qatar battle. Having been unable to find an optimum set up for the race Rossi was unable to maintain the pace of the front three. The nine-time World Champion was quick enough to stay ahead of fifth placed rider Cal Crutchlow and rode a relatively lonely race in fourth to take a further 13 Championship points. Rossi sits in fourth in the standings with 43 points, 14 behind his teammate in third.
Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd, +5.089

?I have always been positive so today also I am going to be positive, to finish the race with sixteen points is always a great result. I was second for the whole race and then lost the place on the last corner so it wasn't the perfect race. The perfect race is a victory and if not possible second, the next is third. Today we got another podium and we are quite close to the leader. On the other hand we have to improve the bike. I think I made two mistakes in the race, in the start I started really badly and in the last corner, I thought Marquez was further behind than he was so I didn?t take a defensive line, this was my second mistake.?
Valentino Rossi, 4th +8.914

It was a difficult race. Unfortunately we were not able to be better, we suffered a bit with the conditions and we tried to do the maximum. We improved the set up for the race and we did a good start. I was with the top group but unfortunately I was not fast enough to stay with the top three. Lap by lap the gap was bigger so I think we have some work to do. Here in Jerez I expected we could go faster than Honda but they arrived in front of us. We still have some work to do to improve the bike. Tomorrow we have the test and we'll try to find the right balance. In the Championship we are not very far from the top and we took some important points. I wanted to be on the podium but unfortunately it was not possible, we will try again next week.?
Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

?A very tough fight today in very difficult circumstances. We struggled a lot to get the bike under control for the whole race. Finally we finished on the podium, which is very important in races like this. After five laps the tyre had already dropped a lot and Jorge was missing apexes here and there. He brought the bike back home and that is what is important.?
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

?It has been a hard weekend. We really worked as hard as we could to improve tyre life. Unfortunately we couldn't get what we were looking for. For sure we will focus some more effort tomorrow during the test to fix it for the rest of the season. In terms of the Championship, points and a podium are always good and we are close to the leader. The season is long; we lost a battle but not the war! Both riders put in a lot of effort, pushing 100% from the start of the race until the end. Overall it was a good race.?
Heroic fifth for Crutchlow, Smith gets first top 10 in Jerez

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team celebrated its first double top 10 result of the 2013 MotoGP campaign in Jerez today, with Cal Crutchlow riding to a heroic fifth place and rookie Bradley Smith storming to a maiden top 10 finish. Crutchlow displayed phenomenal determination and bravery to bounce back from two heavy crashes yesterday to maintain his 100% record of finishing every race inside the top five this season. The British rider was engaged in an exciting early fight with Valentino Rossi for fourth before he got locked into an intense tussle with Alvaro Bautista shortly before the halfway stage of the 27-lap encounter. In scenes reminiscent of their titanic battle for the podium in Japan last October, Bautista seized fifth from Crutchlow on lap 11. But riding through the pain barrier in gruelling heat that saw temperatures hit 27 degrees under clear blue skies, Crutchlow fought back superbly to take back fifth on lap 17. He then produced a master class in aggressive riding to streak away from Bautista and claim a third successive top five finish by almost three seconds. Bradley Smith produced an equally impressive ride to come tantalizingly close to registering his first top 10 finish in MotoGP. For the majority of the 27-lap race he was locked in the biggest battle on track for eighth position with Andrea Dovizioso, Aleix Espargaro and Michele Pirro. Smith moved into the top 10 on lap 24 with a clinical move to get by Pirro and at that stage he was 1.770s behind Espargaro. He produced a stunning late charge to cut the Spaniard?s advantage to less than a second but just as he was lining up an attack to claim ninth the chequered flag came out.
Carl Crutchlow 5th, +12.663

?Fifth place today is not a bad result considering everything that has gone on before but it?s not exactly what we expected. I was fast all weekend but after the two crashes yesterday I think it?s a very good result to remain the best of the rest. I did not feel very confident with the front-end in the race, but I think all Yamaha?s struggled in this area. I think in the middle of the race my pace was good and I started to push but with the full fuel tank I could not stop the bike and I had no grip, so I lost quite a bit of time in the early laps. Physically I had no problem on the bike for the race distance although I had a little bit of pain in my lower back. It has been a difficult weekend in many respects so I am very satisfied with fifth because probably last year I would not have finished the race in the same situation and that?s for sure an improvement.?
Bradley Smith 10th, +44.461

?I?m obviously happy with my first top 10 result because conditions for the race were different compared to the rest of the weekend. The lap times were relatively slow and the temperature meant the grip was quite low, so it was a big learning experience for me. Riding these bikes with that little grip needs a different style, so I had to adapt at the beginning of the race. From the middle stages I felt comfortable and I?m a little disappointed to be beaten again by Espargaro but it?s nice to be at least closer than last time in Austin. I just ran out of time at the end of the race because I was catching him very quickly. In Austin I was 50 seconds behind the winner and here the deficit is 44 seconds, so that?s definitely a positive and our aim for the future will be to keep reducing the gap. I?m really looking forward to the test tomorrow. It will be another learning experience for me and it will be nice to test on a track where we?ve just had a race and where I feel now really comfortable on the bike. Tomorrow we will be able to test a few different parts and understand actually what?s working better and what does not. So all in all it has been a positive weekend with improvements in every session.?


2013 MotoGP Spain
Valencia 05/05/2013
race I
1 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 45'17.632
2 Marc Marquez Honda ESP 0'02.487
3 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'05.089
4 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'08.914
5 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'12.663
6 Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 0'15.094
7 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'25.632
8 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati ITA 0'41.881
9 Aleix Espargaro ART ESP 0'43.812
10 Bradley Smith Yamaha GBR 0'44.461
11 Michele Pirro Ducati ITA 0'45.974
12 Hector Barbera FTR ESP 0'59.859
13 Michael Laverty PBM GBR 1'09.743
14 Danilo Petrucci Ioda-Suter ITA 1'17.813
15 Colin Edwards FTR Kawasaki USA 1'18.177
MotoGP World Standing
Rider Standings After Race 18 of 17
1. Marc Marquez Honda ESP 61
2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 58
3. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 57
4. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 43
5. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 35
6. Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 28
7. Andrea Dovizioso Ducati ITA 26
8. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 24
9. Aleix Espargaro ART ESP 17
10. Andrea Iannone Ducati ITA 13
11. Stefan Bradl Honda GER 11
12. Bradley Smith Yamaha GBR 10
13. Ben Spies Ducati USA 9
14. Hector Barbera FTR ESP 7
15. Randy De Puniet ART FRA 6
16. Michele Pirro Ducati ITA 5