MotoGP-Laguna Seca

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Yamaha Prepare to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Grand Prix Racing at Laguna Seca

The iconic Laguna Seca circuit in California prepares to welcome the MotoGP paddock this weekend for the first of the two US rounds on the 2011 season. The event will be a special one for Yamaha Factory Racing; the team will again wear the special red and white YZR-M1 WGP50th Anniversary Edition livery as seen at the Assen TT where Ben Spies stormed to his first ever GP victory.

Last year saw Jorge Lorenzo triumph from a pole position start to take his first Laguna Seca MotoGP race win, his sixth victory and fifth pole of his 2010 season dominance. Team mate Spies is a three time AMA race winner at Laguna and scored an impressive sixth place finish in his MotoGP rookie visit last year. Having won last time out in the red and white colours confidence is high for more success on home ground for the local hero.

Situated amongst the hills just a couple of hours from San Francisco, the Laguna Seca circuit claims jaw dropping elevation changes and possibly the most famous corner in the racing world, the infamous ?corkscrew?. Weather can be unpredictable with cold misty mornings followed by dry hot days providing exciting racing for the American fans.
Jorge Lorenzo

"We are very strong at the moment with a great result at both Mugello and Sachsenring, we will try to continue to reduce our gap to Casey. I have had great moments in Laguna; above all last year when I won, but also in 2009 when I got pole position even with a big crash and at the end got a podium. Laguna is amazing; for the American style and atmosphere, but above all because of the corkscrew. I think maybe it is the best corner in the Championship, the place everybody wants to meet! I am looking forward to being back on my M1 there, riding to fight for the title!"
Ben Spies

?It?s always exciting to race in front of the home crowd and It?s going to be a big event for Yamaha with the 50th anniversary colours being run again. They were lucky for me at Assen and hopefully they can bring me more luck in front of my friends and family. I?ve had some pretty good results in my AMA days at Laguna and I love riding the circuit. It?s going to be a serious race weekend but it?s also going to be a lot of fun so I?m looking forward to seeing a lot of old faces at the track.?

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
?Laguna was a very nice event last year when Jorge won after a great race. We will have a big break afterwards so it is a very important moment in the season with ten races completed. Jorge really enjoys Laguna and it?s a home circuit for Ben so I think our guys will be able to do a good job. The whole crew are looking forward to getting out to California!?


Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
?I?ve been waiting for Laguna for ten years! I?m really excited about going there. As usual we are confident, especially after the strong results of the last three races. Jorge did a great job there last year and it is Ben?s home track so we have to be optimistic of a good performance by both riders.?

Jorge Lorenzo
Age: 24
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 37 (17 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 155 (60 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 43 (16 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 3 (MotoGP 2010, 250cc, 2006/7)

Ben Spies
Age: 26
Lives: Longview Texas / Lake Como Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 1
First GP victory: Assen, Netherlands, 2011
First GP: Donington, UK, 2008 (MotoGP)
GP starts: 30
Pole positions: 1
World Championships: 1 (WSB 2009)

Grand Prix Results: Laguna Seca 2010
1. J.Lorenzo Yamaha 43'54.873 2. C.Stoner Ducati +3.517
3. V.Rossi Yamaha +13.420
6. Ben Spies Yamaha Tech 3 +19.037

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

Laguna Seca Best Lap
C.Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'20.700
Edwards and Crutchlow ready for California challenge

Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow conclude the busiest period of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship this weekend in America, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders heading to the spectacular Laguna Seca track full of optimism and expectation.

After collecting a hard fought 10th position in last weekend's German round at the Sachsenring, Edwards is confident he can be even more competitive in his all-important home race.

The immensely popular Texan, who has huge fan base at Laguna Seca, put in a tremendous amount of effort to improve the set-up of his Monster Yamaha YZR-M1 machine in Germany, and he's hoping to reap the rewards this weekend on the shortest track on the MotoGP calendar.

Having finished seventh in the California clash in 2009 and 2010, the 37-year-old is determined to battle for a top six finish to delight what will be a large and passionate home support.

This weekend's race presents another fresh challenge for British rider Crutchlow, who is looking forward to testing his skills on the famous Laguna Seca track, which hosts the first of two visits to America for the MotoGP paddock in the space of five weeks.

Crutchlow can't wait to get his first taste of the 3.610km circuit and he's looking forward to tackling the awe-inspiring Corkscrew corner, which requires skill and bravery in abundance to master.

Crutchlow tried a range of different settings in Germany last weekend to improve his confidence with the front-end of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. And while his 14th position didn't reflect his hard work, his c rew is positive they are moving in the right direction to give the 25-year-old the feeling he is looking for.

After a hectic run of six races in eight weeks, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team will enjoy a richly deserved short summer break after Sunday's race before the 2011 campaign resumes in Brno, Czech Republic on August 14.
Colin Edwards

?I can't wait to get to Laguna because I love the place so much. I have a lot of family and friends that are coming which always makes it extra special, but the American fans are brilliant to me, so hopefully I can send them home smiling on Sunday night with a good result. It has been a bit manic since Germany because I flew straight to LA to shoot another movie for Yamaha. They are always good fun and I really enjoy myself, so a big thanks to Yamaha US for all they d o in arranging that for us. I am really looking forward to the weekend and although 10th in Germany wasn't the result we wanted, it was actually a positive race. We certainly learned a few things about the bike because we made a lot of changes, so I've got good reason to be optimistic of fighting for the top six this weekend. That's my goal anyway and if we have a smooth weekend, I'm sure that's achievable. I want to get a strong result not just because it's my home race, but it will make the summer break more relaxing and enjoyable and set me up for a strong push in the final part of the season.?
Cal Crutchlow

?The result last weekend in Germany was a bit disappointing but I'm ready to bounce back in Laguna Seca and fight for a top ten where I know I should be. I'm still searching for some more confidence in the front-end, but all of us in the Monster Yam aha Tech 3 Team are working non-stop to improve the situation and we've got a few ideas to try and Laguna. It is another new track for me but I'm really excited. Laguna Seca is such a famous name and the Corkscrew looks amazing. It looks awesome on TV, so I'm looking forward to getting on the bike on Friday and experiencing it for myself for the first time. I'll have to ask Colin for some tips, but I'm just concentrating on getting a decent result that we can build on for the rest of the season. The last few races have been quite difficult but I'll be working harder than ever this weekend to put things right."

2011 MotoGP United States
Laguna Seca 19/07/2011


Circuit Length:
3610

Lap Record:
1'21.376
(Casey Stoner, 01/01/2010)

Fastest Lap Ever:
1'20.700
(Casey Stoner, 20/07/2008)

Last Years Winner:
Jorge Lorenzo

 

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CAPIREX AND DE PUNIET READY FOR LAGUNA SECA

After the Sachsenring grand prix, MotoGP returns to action in the United States at Laguna Seca, host to the tenth round of the world championship. The circuit, which in 2005 returned to the MotoGP calendar for the premier class only, is laid out in the California hills that surround Monterey. Laguna Seca is famous for its unique Corkscrew section, a narrow and spectacular left-right chicane on a steep descent. The whole track, with its many ups and downs, calls to mind a rollercoaster, with straightaways being both few and short. There are a number of fast corners, and its quite common for the bikes wheels to come off the ground.
Loris Capirossi will be back aboard his Ducati Desmosedici. His shoulder is still painful, but the GP veteran is ready to once again compete for the Pramac Racing Team. Meanwhile, Randy De Puniet is looking for confirmation. After the modest progress made in Germany, the Frenchman returns to Laguna Seca two years after his last outing there (he missed the race last year due to an injury incurred at the Sachsenring).

Fabiano Sterlacchini Pramac Racing Technical Director

Its a crucial moment for Loris Capirossi. After three races as a spectator, hell be back in his bikes saddle, though obviously not in perfect condition. Still, it seems that he has recovered enough to face this weekend with no problems. The fact remains that Laguna Seca is a very physical track, with many ascents and descents and a Corkscrew thats quite difficult. Its one of Randy De Puniets favorite circuits, and if he doesnt have any problems, the Frenchman can get a good result.

Loris Capirossi - Pramac Racing Team rider

This time Im really returning to the track. As I said before the Sachsenring weekend, the Desmosedici is mine, and seeing another rider on it bothered me a lot. Im not in top form, but Ive worked over the past few days to be in decent physical condition. The track is very tough, which isnt ideal for my condition, but Ill give 110% to be able to finish the race. Im expecting a very challenging weekend.

Randy De Puniet - Pramac Racing Team rider

First, I must repeat the same results I had in practice and qualifying at the Sachsenring, and theres also much work to be done regarding the race. I hope not to have the same problems as usual, although theyve been improving lately. Laguna Seca is a very physical track, which could help me to get a good result. Last year, unfortunately, I skipped this round, so Im very motivated for this weekend.
Sponsor

 

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THE GRAND PRIX OF AMERICA AT LAGUNA SECA HAS BEGUN

First laps on the fascinating Laguna Seca circuit, USA, for the Pramac Racing Riders. Randy De Puniet and Loris Capirossi have terminated the first free session respectively at 12th and 15th position and at 2pm local time will be back on track for the second practice session at their disposal today.

Randy De Puniet Pramac Racing rider 12th in 123.807

"Today it didnt go so bad even if I didnt have the right grip both in the front and rear part of the bike. I am sure that with some small adjustments on the traction control we can aim to the top six as we are only half a second behind. I lose to much time in the fast corners at the moment, but in the afternoon with higher track temperature the situation for us should be better.

Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing rider
- 15th in 124.566

"I am quite satisfied even if I still have some difficulties in the braking points as I dont have the strength I need to be as fast as I would like to. This morning was important for me to find back the right feeling with the bike. It will be difficult, I am sure of it, but I will grit my teeth and we will try to improve this afternoon when the track should also have more grip.

 

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Edwards and Crutchlow make solid start in America

Colin EdwardsColin Edwards kicked off preparations for his home race at Laguna Seca today in encouraging fashion, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider finishing the opening day of practice for the US Grand Prix in ninth position.

In cool and overcast conditions this morning, Edwards commenced the second half of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship by setting the eighth quickest time, the popular Texan finishing just over 0.2s away from the top six.

This afternoon's session took place under clear blue skies and hotter conditions, with temperatures hitting a pleasant 22 degrees after a chilly 18 degrees this morning.

Track temperature increased too by 15 degrees this afternoon and cheered on by a passionate home crowd, Edwards knocked almost 0.3s off his personal best from this morning to clock a lap of 1.23.183. That put him ninth on the combined timesheets but in a close fought session, he was just over a second away from the fastest pace.

Today's two 45-minute sessions saw Cal Crutchlow tackle another steep learning curve, the British rider quickly getting to grips with another new track in his impressive rookie campaign.

Crutchlow set a best of 1.24.018 this morning, the 25-year-old confidently building up his speed on the Laguna Seca track, which includes the world famous Corkscrew section, one of the most technically demanding corners on the calendar.

Working on a revised weight distribution setting to improve his confidence with the front-end of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine, Crutchlow lowered his time to a 1.23.707 in the second session.

He was easily the best of the Laguna Seca newcomers today, finishing ahead of Karel Abraham and Hiroshi Aoyama, who were also sampling the short but technical layout for the first time.

Colin Edwards 9th 1.23.183 ? 47 laps:

?Today was a decent start and I'm happy with the way things went. In terms of the position it is not my best start to a weekend at Laguna Seca, but I'm actually happier with the feeling of the bike than I have been for a long time at this track. The bike felt really good from the start, though we can make some improvements to the rear tomorrow just to make it feel a bit smoother and a bit less nervous. I'm confident for the rest of the weekend because I'm pretty close to the top six and we know we can go faster. I want to say a big thanks also to Bridgestone. They agreed to bring some softer tyres for this weekend and it was definitely the right choice. When it was cool this morning we really needed the softer tyres, so everybody could just get a feel for the track and get comfortable without taking too many risks. We ran the harder tyre this afternoon and that will definitely be the race tyre, and we got some good information with that too, so I'm optimistic that I can put on a good show for the American fans, who have been amazing already this weekend.?

Cal Crutchlow 13th 1.23.707 ? 47 laps:

?It wasn't a bad day at all although obviously I want to be much higher up than 13th. At the moment it is quite difficult to do the lap time. I know going fast never comes easy but it feels like I'm quite close to the limit and I'm still over 1.6s behind. I'm the best of the rookies and that's a good start but it seems we've taken a step sideways and everybody else has taken a step forward. The bike feels better than Germany last weekend but we can still make it better. We're not far away and we've got some ideas to work on tonight but it also a lack of track knowledge that doesn't help. Trying to learn the track and go fast at the same time is not easy, but I'm making progress. The track itself is really good fun. The Corkscrew is pretty amazing although I've run off there twice. The key part is the approach and it is weird running up to it, because you can't even see it as you climb the hill. But it is a pretty amazing corner and it feels like you're dropping off the end of the earth.?

 

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ROSSI AND HAYDEN WORK ON SETUP FOR LAGUNA SECA

Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden posted the 10th and 11th best times, respectively, in the first day of free practice at the United States Grand Prix. The Italian rider continued using the GP11.1. Meanwhile, Hayden did an initial run with the GP11 before doing a comparison between the two versions and then using only the GP11.1 in the afternoon.

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 10th (1:23.195)
?It?s nice to be back at Laguna, a track I love, and things started off okay with the new bike. It was my first time with it, but it wasn?t something I needed a lot of time to get familiar with since I?ve ridden the GP12, which is similar. We?re just trying to evaluate it, and it definitely has some pluses. The gearbox is really nice, so Ducati has done a great job with that. We?re always trying different things like shock springs and new settings, but it?s not every day that you get to ride with a new gearbox that probably everybody will have in the future. We?re just trying to decide which bike will give us the best chance for a good result on Sunday.?

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 11th (1:23.369)
?After yesterday?s technical briefing with Jerry and the team, we decided to continue with the new bike, so I only used the GP11.1. We started with one bike that had the Sachsenring setup, which has a significant change to the weight distribution, while the second bike had a standard setup. I actually prefer the one from Germany. We need to keep working to balance the bike and to improve the rear grip, and then we hope to get a little closer to the pace of the others. We have to try to do better than we have at the last couple of races, and especially to start closer to the front. I?m pleased that Bridgestone brought some soft tyres, which worked well in the cool temperatures this morning, although I felt better with the hard when the conditions were warmer in the afternoon. If race conditions are like this, that?s what I?ll use.?

 

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Bautista seventh and on the pace in the Californian sun

?lvaro Bautista followed on from his strong performance last weekend in Germany to produce his best first day?s performance of the season so far at Laguna Seca today.

Bautista (P7, 1?23.056, 49 laps), was in constant touch with the top-six through the afternoon session, even though he couldn?t find the rear grip from his Rizla Suzuki that he wanted over the 3,610m American circuit. He worked hard with his crew to get the levels of adhesion that he is looking for to make the next step up and compete with the group in front of him. Bautista still believes there is more to come from him and his machine over the rest of the weekend and is in a confident mood as he heads towards tomorrow?s qualifying session.

Today?s afternoon practice was held in brilliant sunshine with cloudless skies covering the Laguna Seca Raceway. World Champion Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha was the fastest rider of the day, with last weekend?s winner Dani Pedrosa second and current championship leader Casey Stoner in third. Bautista is only a second from first place and will be looking to break into a 1?22 lap tomorrow, a feat which was only achieved by the top-six today.

Rizla Suzuki has a free practice session of 45-minutes tomorrow morning followed by an hour of qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday?s 32-lap race is the 10th of the season and the action gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (21.00hrs GMT).

?lvaro Bautista:

?This morning the track was very cold so we started with the softer tyres and from the beginning it felt like we didn?t have very much grip from the rear when entering a corner. The contact feeling wasn?t quite right so we worked on improving that and we also tried some different electronics settings for the spin control. In the second session the track temperatures had increased so we used the harder compound tyres, but we seemed to have the same problem as this morning with corner entry grip. This didn?t give me a good feeling and made me slower in the corner and on the exit than I wanted to be. We worked hard to try and resolve it but we didn?t quite manage it, so it gives us something to work towards tomorrow. My lap-times and rhythm were not too bad though and I was able to follow some fast guys quite easily, so this is a good sign. I hope that tomorrow we can improve on the rear grip and do some work on the gearbox, because we are not at our maximum here just yet. So we have a lot of work to do on Saturday, but at the moment I am very confident because my feeling is positive like it was last week in Germany.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?It?s been a very solid first day here at Laguna Seca for ?lvaro and the Rizla Suzuki team. The performance at Sachsenring last weekend has helped his confidence and it?s clear that he has brought a slightly different tactic to Friday?s sessions to try and be as close to the lead group?s pace as he possibly can, as we head to qualifying on Saturday. We?re pretty close to the front guys everywhere except for the third section, but if we can find a decent step in lap-time there, and improve the overall rear grip, we should be in good shape for the rest of the weekend.?

Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Combined Free Practice Classification:

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1?22.056: 2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.141: 3. Casey Stoner (Honda) +0.175: 4. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +0.481: 5. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +0.559: 7. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.000:

 

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Lorenzo on Top in Laguna Seca Practice

As the mist cleared over the hills of Monterey this morning racing fans were treated to the rare sight of Yamaha Factory Racing?s special 50th anniversary red and white livery on track for the 2011 Grand Prix of USA at Laguna Seca. Jorge Lorenzo was quick to get on the pace in the first of the weekend?s free practice sessions, rising to second mid-session and holding until the last moments before dropping to third at the end, just 0.120 seconds from first. The World Champion got down to serious business in the afternoon session, going straight into the top spot and holding it for the entire session, recording the fastest time of the day with a 1?22.056.

Ben Spies was also looking good at his home circuit, gradually climbing to fourth just behind his team mate by the end of the morning, 0.506 seconds from first. The afternoon saw more consistent pace from the Texan rider, Spies eventually wrapping up in fifth with a 1?22.615, 0.559 from his team mate in first.

Race fans were also treated to a special experience as Kenny Roberts Sr and Eddie Lawson took to the track riding a pair of unique Yamaha YZF-R1s in full red and white 50th Anniversary livery for a number of parade laps.
Jorge Lorenzo
Position 1st - Time 1.22.056 - Laps 23

?I am very happy to be back riding here at Laguna, a track I love. Today went pretty well, the bike felt ok. P1 I?m happy with but we need to try to improve corner entry for the bike because there are some tenths in that and it will give me more confidence turning in. It?s not so bad to begin and we will try to go faster tomorrow!?
Ben Spies
Position 5th - Time 1.22.615 - Laps 34

?Today hasn?t been bad, we?ve worked on a lot of different set ups. We haven?t found a perfect one, we?ve found a compromise so far but tomorrow we have a pretty good game plan on what we?re going to fine tune from the bike we ended on today to get a bit of a better set up for front feel. I?m feeling good, I can tell the bike has it in it, you can see that from Jorge we?re just not getting the maximum from it yet.?

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
?Today was a nice practice day, we thought we would improve a little bit more but first is first which is the main thing. Jorge was quite consistent and feeling good. I think we have finished with the best position to start from tomorrow but we still have some things to solve.?


Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
?The overall results are not so bad, Jorge had an impressive pace and he seems very confident on the bike. Ben is still working on the set up, he is not as confident with it yet as he would like to be. We will work tonight and tomorrow we will bring a new set up and look to make another step forward. We just have to fix some small details and we will be ready to race.?

 

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FIRST DAY OF WORK AT LAGUNA SECA IS OVER

Good first day of work for Randy De Puniet, Pramac Racing rider, who has concluded with the eighth fastest lap time, first with a Ducati. His teammate, Loris Capirossi, has concluded with the sixteenth best lap time as he couldnt improve this morning lap time. Tomorrow morning another free practice session before the qualifying session that will begin at 2pm.

Marco Rigamonti Randy De Puniet Track Engineer

"We have made some good step forward this afternoon. Randy was happy about the modifications we have made and tomorrow we can concentrate on maintaining a more stable rhythm. This is a difficult track and to make a perfect lap each time isnt so simple. Randy has basically used always the same rear tyre and this didnt also allow us to improve the best lap time at the end of the session, but as for today we can be happy with what we got.

Randy De Puniet Pramac Racing rider 8th in 123.135

A good first day of work. We made it to improve by seventh tenths of a second compare to this morning and this give us good expectations for the next couple of days of work. I really enjoyed today the track, we have tried many solutions but as we kept the same rear tyre during the session we couldnt make it to improve more in the last few laps. I am confident.

Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing rider
- 16th in 124.566

"In the afternoon it was probably more difficult because I only took one painkiller to try to understand which were my real physical conditions. Sincerely I found more complications as I couldnt make it to ride as in the first free practice session. Tomorrow it will surely not be easy, but I am here to ride and give the maximum to climb the classification.

 

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The Repsol Honda Team maintains momentum at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix

The Repsol Honda team has started strongly in the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, placing its riders in the top four positions of the time sheets at the end of the first day of free practice at the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Dani Pedrosa set a fast lap of 1'22.197 to finish overall second today, just one tenth off the provisional pole position for Jorge Lorenzo, while Casey Stoner was third, thirty four thousandths off Dani, and Andrea Dovizioso, fourth, very close to his team mates.

The riders were able to test the Bridgestone soft tyre compound in the morning due to the cold temperatures, and the harder tyre in the afternoon, with the track temperature 15 degrees higher, and both performed reasonably well even if the circuit grip level is still low.

The Repsol Honda Team will keep working tomorrow morning to improve the set up of the RC212V to prepare for a strong qualifying practice at a unique circuit, with a combination of hard braking and very fast changes of directions.

DANI PEDROSA ? 2nd 1'22.197
"The second session in the afternoon was pretty interesting, we made some changes on the bike and tried the race tyre, looking to set up the bike to absorb the bumps of which there are many in this track and they especially affect the front. The grip was a little poor today and it was also very windy out there, so we haven't yet found the perfect ride. In the morning we tried the softer compound and it had a little more grip, and in the afternoon, with the race tyre, it was more difficult to find grip, but perhaps the track conditions were not perfect, so we are hoping to keep improving tomorrow".

CASEY STONER ? 3rd 1'22.231
"We've been trying all day to get a slightly different balance with the bike to get the tyres working differently but we're struggling to get the feeling that we want and that we've had in the past. We've changed the set up quite substantially, with pivot positions and trying to get the rear to work with a little less temperature in the tyre, which we've accomplished but still haven't got the grip that we want and we're creating too much wheel spin. Also, we're struggling to find a good feeling in the front and just not totally comfortable with the bike in general so we have a some work to do tonight and will continue in the morning to get prepared for qualifying".

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO ? 4th 1'22.537
?This afternoon we did a comparison between two different set ups and the feeling improved. We still have a gap of four tenths from the first rider, but we lapped more consistently. We need to keep on working to improve the pace and the feeling with the front but in general I?m confident that tomorrow we will be able to make another step forward. Compared to the first free practice, lap times came easier this afternoon and tomorrow we will continue working in this direction?.

Practice Results
1 Jorge Lorenzo 1'22.056 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
2 Dani Pedrosa 1'22.197 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Casey Stoner 1'22.231 AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Andrea Dovizioso 1'22.537 ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
5 Ben Spies 1'22.615 USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
6 Marco Simoncelli 1'22.803 ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
7 Alvaro Bautista 1'23.056 SPA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
8 Randy De Puniet 1'23.135 FRA DUCATI Pramac Racing
9 Colin Edwards 1'23.183 USA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
10 Nicky Hayden 1'23.195 USA DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
11 Valentino Rossi 1'23.369 ITA DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
12 Hector Barbera 1'23.424 SPA DUCATI Paginas Amarillas Aspar
13 Cal Crutchlow 1'23.707 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
14 Karel Abraham 1'23.811 CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Motoracing
15 Toni Elias 1'23.830 SPA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
16 Loris Capirossi 1'24.566 ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing
17 Hiroshi Aoyama 1'24.590 JPN HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
18 Ben Bostrom 1'26.159 USA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP

 

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Lorenzo Untouchable with Perfect Pole in Laguna

World Champion Jorge Lorenzo made a sensational comeback from a high speed crash this morning to utterly dominate qualifying and take pole position for tomorrow?s Grand Prix of U.S.A, his first of the 2011 season. The high side crash at the end of the morning?s practice left some wondering if the Yamaha Factory rider would make it through the whole qualifying session. Fears proved to be unfounded as the Mallorcan took to the track like a man possessed, breaking under the 1.22 mark on his first flying lap. A string of consistent laps saw him keep the top spot for the entire session barring a brief challenge by his team mate Ben Spies. Lorenzo reclaimed pole quickly and kept it to the end of the session, breaking the lap record in the process.

Spies spent the early part of the session refining his set up, then having settled into a consistent pace put in a blistering lap to take provisional pole position from his team mate with a 1?21.578. Lorenzo was quick to take first position back but Spies was still threatening to secure a front row start until a mistake on the brakes in turn three ended his qualifying session. As a result he will start from the second row of the grid tomorrow in fourth position, just 0.376 seconds from pole.
Jorge Lorenzo Position : 1st Time: 1'21.202 Laps: 35


?This pole position was unexpected for us after this morning, but thankfully I feel more pain walking than I do riding the bike. Of course I?m not in perfect condition on the bike and for sure I have to put more pressure on my arms and will get more tired. I think I was very lucky this morning that I had no big injuries. I think this pole position is for us an impressive result.?

Ben Spies Position : 4th Time: 1'21.578 Laps: 25


?It wasn?t a bad qualifying session, we tried a couple of things and the race set up is not so bad. We got in qualifying mode and got some pretty good laps in. I made a mistake and locked the front up on the brakes going in to turn three trying super hard to get on the front row. The Yamaha boss said to me last night that he wanted me on the front row so I was doing everything I could. Joking aside I was trying everything and just made a small mistake. I banged my hand up quite a bit but it will be fine and ready for the race tomorrow. I think we?ll find a couple of things with the bike in the morning and hopefully it?ll be a good day.?

Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager

?I?m a very happy team manager today! We had an unbelievable qualifying session. It?s the first one this year! After the crash nobody really thought about having pole but just seeing how we are for tomorrow?s race. His second lap was a 21.9, I thank that was a thank you to his mechanics because he used the bike that he crashed with this morning. It was pretty smashed up after the crash so they worked hard to make it ready. I think the consistent lap times show he is ready to rock and roll tomorrow.?

Massimo Meregalli Team Director

?Jorge has an impressive pace, he got a really good pole position; he really has all he needs to be the front guy tomorrow. Unfortunately Ben crashed during his last lap. We improved the bike a lot from yesterday in set up and I think we could have got the first row. Second row is ok, just a three tenth gap which is not so bad, I think tomorrow he can be there too. We are going to check the data according to Ben?s comments and decide which rear tyre to use tomorrow.?


Qualifying Times

FRONT ROW
1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1'21.202
2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Repsol Honda Team 1'21.274
3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'21.385
SECOND ROW
4. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1'21.578
5. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'21.696
6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 1'21.731
THIRD ROW
7. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Ducati Team 1'22.235
8. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'22.238
9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 1'22.271
FOURTH ROW
10. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'22.385
11. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'22.520
12. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'22.669
FIFTH ROW
13. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 1'22.893
14. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Repsol Honda Team 1'22.937
15. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Pramac Racing Team 1'22.961
SIXTH ROW
16. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Pramac Racing Team 1'23.876
17. Toni Elias (SPA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'24.156
18. Ben Bostrom (USA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'25.291


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

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

 

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THIRD ROW FOR BOTH DUCATI TEAM RIDERS IN LAGUNA QUALIFYING

Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi will start from the third row of the starting grid for the Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Today the Italian posted the seventh-best time aboard the Desmosedici GP11.1, equaling his best qualifying position of the season from Catalunya, while Hayden took the ninth spot with the GP11.

Despite being slightly quicker aboard the new Desmosedici version yesterday, the American decided to use the standard iteration today, as he is more familiar with it. He will also campaign his home race with that bike tomorrow.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 7th (1:22.235)
?This morning we made a change to the balance that helped me to find more grip with the soft tyre, as well as a feeling that was generally better. In the afternoon though, with the warmer temperature and the hard tyre, I didn?t have the same performance and feeling. During the session we were able to change the settings again and make a small step, and when we put on the soft, we did a time that was good enough for the third row. Seventh place actually equals my best qualifying spot of the season. That was our goal, to be able to start further forward than we have lately, but for the race we must improve our pace again with the hard tyres because it?s a little too difficult now and the rear is sliding a lot. We?re focused and we?re working very hard so we?ll see tomorrow if we can take another step forward.?

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 9th (1:22.271)
?We went back to the standard bike today. I was a little faster on the new one yesterday, but even though it has more potential and I like the gearbox, I don?t yet have a great feel for where its limit is. For now, we prefer to go with what we know. This morning I was pretty strong and this afternoon I was consistently in the low-?22 range. I did two longer runs and came in to put in a new soft tyre and was ready to go for it. I felt good and was looking forward to going into qualifying mode. I wasn?t pushing really hard on the out-lap, but you have to push this bike to load the front, and in Rainey Curve I skipped across the bumps and went down. It?s a shame, because we had a chance to do our best qualifying of the year. I went out on the other bike, but the front tyre was 30 laps old. The team have worked like dogs switching back and forth between bikes. Now they?ll have another long night, but I?ll try to make up for it tomorrow.?

 

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Stoner and Pedrosa on front row at Laguna Seca

Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa will start from the front row for Sunday?s U.S. Grand Prix after a drama-filled qualifying session on the challenging Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit in the hills east of Monterey, California not far from the Pacific Ocean.

Stoner wasn?t comfortable during the session, trying a number of fixes that he hoped would yield the right set-up. He had a number of near crashes, but persevered to the end. Despite problems with traffic with his first soft tyre, he rebounded with his second one and nearly stole the pole position from Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) with his final lap of the undulating 3.610k road course, before coming up short by a scant.072s. Pedrosa was only .111s from Stoner in third.

The front row starting spot was Stoner?s ninth in ten races this season; his only second row start came in Estoril where he was fourth. Pedrosa was on the front row for the second week in a row. Last weekend in Germany the Spaniard won his second race of the season after starting second on the grid at the Sachsenring.

With its many left hand corners, Pedrosa was hopeful the track wouldn?t be too taxing on his right collarbone. But Laguna Seca is the most physically demanding track on the calendar and there?s nowhere to rest. Plus, the race is 32 laps, the most of any race all season.

The qualifying session was filled with drama, including a number of crashes, and some of the usual shuffling at the end of the hour. Fortunately, none of the seven Honda riders fell and all got quicker throughout the one hour session, held on a warm, sunny afternoon.

Lorenzo moved to the top in the very early minutes and only vacated the position temporarily to his team-mate Ben Spies late in the hour. Pedrosa was an early second and Stoner an early third, with San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli fourth at the outset.

For much of the hour there was drama, but not much changed at the top. Four riders fell, but none were seriously hurt.

As always, it was late in the session when the riders began fitting the softer of the two Bridgestone rear tyres that the times began to plummet.

Lorenzo re-took the top spot from teammate Ben Spies with just over 11 minutes to run. Spies was second when he crashed on the brakes in the turn three, one of only four right hand corners to go with seven lefts. It wouldn?t be long before the Honda riders took advantage.

Pedrosa moved up to second with just over a minute to go and with 15 seconds remaining Stoner moved up to fourth. But he wasn?t done. On his next and final lap Stoner lapped in 1, 21.274s to nearly take his seventh pole of the season and what would have been his third in a row. Instead he?s second on the grid in front of teammate Pedrosa, who had .193s on the sidelined Spies.

Simoncelli?s best lap came one from the end and put him in front of Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso. Dovi spent most of the session around fifth or sixth position, which is where he?s qualified most of the season. Other than qualifying seventh in the season-opener in Qatar, Dovi hasn?t been off the second row. By qualifying sixth, Dovizioso guaranteed four of the top six starting positions went to Honda riders.

Simoncelli made a big move in the morning and closed the gap on the top three. The difference was more confidence in the front end, which allowed him to take better lines through the corners.

Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) qualified 14th in his first visit to Laguna Seca. The Japanese star missed last year?s race after breaking his back in the earlier British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

LCR Honda MotoGP rider Toni Elias continued to struggle and qualified 17th. The Spaniard had crashed in the morning on the front end. He was denied valuable track time in the afternoon when he and the team made the decision to completely re-build the front of the RC212V. The hard work paid off and he was able to set his fastest time on his last lap.

Ben Bostrom qualified 1.135s off pole in his first ever MotoGP qualifying session as the team-mate of Elias on the LCR Honda MotoGP team. The weekend was a learning experience for the Superbike rider, who won last year?s Superbike race here. This was his first experience riding a MotoGP machine and first time on carbon brakes and Bridgestone tyres. Bostrom is accustomed to racing a Suzuki Superbike for NBA legend Michael Jordan in the American championship and he found the adjustment, and going back and forth between the two very different motorcycles, to be challenging.

The U.S.GP is the only race on the world championship calendar at which the MotoGP bikes run exclusively.

MotoGP rider quotes

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: 2nd ? 1m, 21.274s
?For the whole session we were trying to find the right set-up. All weekend we've been struggling a little and we've not found anything I'm comfortable with. I've closed the front many times and we're still looking to find some balance on the bike to get it working on this track, where we expected it to work well. On my first soft tyre I encountered some traffic and was held up, also there was a crash and a yellow flag so I lost my chance on that tyre. Then on the next soft tyre we had one lap to find some pace and we managed front row, which is important for tomorrow. I don't feel we're running with the pace of Dani (Pedrosa) and Jorge (Lorenzo); they seem to be constantly one to two tenths quicker but we have warm up tomorrow morning to find something in time for the race so we'll see what we can do.?

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd ? 1m, 21.385s
?We couldn't improve as much as I'd like to in the final part of the practice, we tried some different settings and unfortunately we didn't find a good one, but to start from the front row is always important and here we are again. I felt more comfortable with the hard tyres, which it's positive because they will be the ones used for the race, but we still need to make another step forward tomorrow and hopefully find a little more grip in the rear. Lorenzo seems very stable and fast, so I hope to find something else with my mechanics tonight and to be able to fight for a great result tomorrow. The race will be very fast, there are many laps here, so it will be important to be focused on every lap and stay strong until the end. I know the race distance will be hard for me physically; you have to work a lot in this track, there are a lot of bumps and you need to be very focused not to make any mistakes. But I will try my best and I hope to stay strong and consistent until the end.?

Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 5th ? 1m, 12.696s
?Overall it has been a positive day. We took our biggest step this morning and then built on that this afternoon, although we still have work to do to close the gap to the top three. Lorenzo is maybe in the best shape at the moment ahead of (Casey) Stoner and Pedrosa, but if we can find a couple of tenths in my race pace we can challenge for the podium. I had more confidence in the front today and held my line better through the corners, as well as improving acceleration out of the final turn. We could still find more time there though.?

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 6th ? 1m, 21.735s
?My target was to start from the first two rows, so finishing sixth is not too bad, but I hoped to start at least from the fourth position because it?s external and gives more advantages from the start. Anyway, we are quite close and we need to work more to gain another two-tenths in race pace. This afternoon we improved a lot thanks to some changes we made in the set-up, moving the weight more to the back. This setting helps us to brake stronger and this suits more my riding style. We will continue working in the warm-up tomorrow because the pace of (Jorge) Lorenzo and Dani (Pedrosa) is really high. I hope to make a good start and maintain contact with the front group. I will do my best to have a good race and fight for the podium.?

Hiroshi Aoyama, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 14th ? 1m, 22.937s
?I have improved my lap times from session to session and also found more confidence with the bike and track. I am quite satisfied with my lap time considering that this is only my second ever day here at Laguna. Tomorrow we will try to take another step and make up positions in the race. Tyre choice will be important, the race will be long but if we can stay consistent we can make up positions.?

Toni Elias, LCR Honda MotoGP: 17th ? 1m, 24.156s
?We are back to our ?standard? situation and obviously we were expecting something better. Anyway, I want to say a massive thank you to the guys because they worked hard even today, because we had to change the bike geometry during the session. We are struggling with the same front issue that was the cause of my crash this morning. If you crash here you lose confidence because it?s a very tricky surface. I love lapping here but in this condition it?s not fun for me. We will try to fix the bike in tomorrows warm up trying to improve front and rear grip for the race.?

Ben Bostrom, LCR Honda MotoGP: 18th ? 1m, 25.291
?The two bikes couldn?t be more opposite: tyres, brakes, chassis...it?s unbelievable. There?s a lot to learn and I was trying to improve every time I get on the bike step by step because I do not want crash the bike. It?s nice to have Lucio (Cecchinello) and the guys also watching so they can see the difference. The adjustments we have made this afternoon were better and our lap time improved a little bit. Probably I could have gone faster, but I made race distance in the last session and I am racing two different bikes this week end so I am pretty satisfied so far.?
Pole position : 1m21.202s (160.045Km/h) Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha
Circuit record lap : 1m21.376s (159.703Km/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2010)
Circuit Best Lap : 1m20.700s (161.040Km/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2008)
Qualifying position
1 Jorge Lorenzo 1m21.202s SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
2 Casey Stoner +0.072s AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Dani Pedrosa +0.183s SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Ben Spies +0.376s USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Marco Simoncelli +0.494s ITA HONDA Honda Gresini
6 Andrea Dovizioso +0.529s ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
7 Valentino Rossi +1.033s ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Hector Barbera +1.036s SPA DUCATI Aspar Ducati
9 Nicky Hayden +1.069s USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Cal Crutchlow +1.183s GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
11 Colin Edwards +1.318s USA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
12 Alvaro Bautista +1.467s SPA SUZUKI Suzuki MotoGP
13 Karel Abraham +1.691s CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Ducati
14 Hiroshi Aoyama +1.735s JPN HONDA Honda Gresini
15 Randy De Puniet +1.759s FRA DUCATI Pramac Racing Team
16 Loris Capirossi +2.674s ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing Team
17 Toni Elias +2.954s SPA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
18 Ben Bostrom +4.089s USA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP

 

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Crash frustrates Bautista in Laguna qualifying

Rizla Suzuki?s ?lvaro Bautista was left disappointed at the end of today?s qualifying session after a high-speed crash ended his hopes of capitalising on three very strong practice sessions.

Bautista (P12, 1?22.669, 30 laps) lost the front of his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R on turn three and crashed at just past the half-way point of this afternoon?s session. He was in ninth place in the standings at the time, but had yet to use a new rear tyre to get a better qualifying position. He managed to return to the pit and use his other bike to try and improve on his lap-time, but was unable to find his rhythm and will now have work to do from the fourth row of the grid tomorrow. A very positive point for the whole team is the consistency on race tyres of the Suzuki GSV-R around the 3,610m American circuit, a fact which was emphasised by Bautista making his fastest time on a tyre which had already done 27 laps of the Laguna Seca track.

Clear blue skies and bright sunshine were again the order of the day at the Californian circuit and World Champion Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha made full use of the conditions to record his second pole position of the season, with current championship leader Casey Stoner in second.

Bautista will be looking to repeat his good starts from the two races leading up to Laguna in tomorrow?s main event, as he tries to make in-roads into the riders in front of him when the lights go out to signal the start of the 32-lap race at 14.00hrs local time (21.00hrs GMT).

?lvaro Bautista:

?It has been a very big disappointment for me and the whole team this afternoon. We had done well in every practice, but in the qualifying - where it is really important to make a good position for the race - I crashed and lost the opportunity to make a good lap. I think we need to be positive for tomorrow though, and take some encouragement from the fact that we did our best time on a 27-lap used tyre, so this is good for the race. The bad thing is that we are near the back of the grid tomorrow, so I will have to make a good start like I have in the last two races and try to get a good position in the first corner. Tomorrow we will be trying our hardest and I will be giving it full gas!?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?There?s not much to add to what ?lvaro has already said! It was a disappointing qualifying result after building speed so well over the rest of the weekend. Given that the tyre that we did our fastest time on had done 27-laps, it?s clear that we could have gone quite a bit faster than we did. The crash made things tough though, and it is what it is. The boys have a fair bit of work ahead of them to rebuild the bike, but we?re over it now and all looking forward to the race tomorrow.?

Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Qualifying Practice Classification:

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1?21.202: 2. Casey Stoner (Honda) +0.072: 3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.183: 4. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +0.376: 4. Marco Simoncelli (Honda) +0.494: 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +0.529: 12. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.467:

 

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DE PUNIET FALLS DURING QUALIFYING PRACTICE. CAPIROSSI GRIT HIS TEETH UNTIL THE END

Randy De Puniet, Pramac Racing rider, has fallen after only a few laps from the beginning of the qualifying session valid for the Grand Prix of the United States of America. After the medical check up the doctors found the fracture of the transverse process at L3 and L4 on the right side. There also is a suspected fracture of the pelvis on the right side. Notwithstanding these Randy will try to ride tomorrow morning during warm up to understand if he will be able to ride during the Grand Prix. His teammate, Loris Capirossi, has concluded the qualifying session despite a lot of pain at his right shoulder. The Italian rider has concluded in 16th position.

Randy De Puniet Pramac Racing rider 15th in 122.961

Not much to say. I made a mistake trying to push when I just left the pits but the tires were probably not yet ready. Really a shame because my feeling in this track was good in all practice sessions and ruin everything so this weekend is really bad. The physical pain is also strong, I move with difficulties, but tomorrow morning I want to try to get on the bike to see if I can participate in the race.

Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing rider
- 16th in 123.876

"It 'was really hard. For each change of direction the shoulder gives me a lot of pain, but we came here and we will fight until the end to finish the race in the best possible way. I'm sorry for the whole team that is working so hard as usual to help me to always be faster. Tomorrow I will do my best for them.

 

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Crutchlow and Edwards aim for strong results in Laguna Seca

Cal CrutchlowMonster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Colin Edwards will start alongside each other on the fourth row of the grid for tomorrow's US Grand Prix.

Crutchlow will start from 10th position after posting a fastest time of 1.22.385 in a sun-drenched qualifying session, the British rider gaining vital knowledge of the Laguna Seca track while also working on the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine to improve rear grip.

The 25-year-old put in 31-laps to help him get a clear understanding of whether he will race the soft or hard compound Bridgestone rear tyre in tomorrow's 32-lap encounter, and he finished just 1.183s away from pole position.

Crutchlow's performance today lifted his confidence levels and he is determined to challenge for his first top 10 finish since he was a brilliant seventh in the Catalunya round near Barcelona in early June.

Starting from one place further back on the grid will be Edwards, who has been overwhelmed by the support he's received from the American fans this weekend.

The popular Texan worked tirelessly throughout today on his YZR-M1 settings and like Crutchlow, he dedicated the majority of his efforts on improving rear grip. The final result on the timesheets though was not what Edwards was expecting and his time of 1.22.520 left him 11th quickest.

Edwards is still fired up and determined to fight for a top result tomorrow having finished seventh at the California track for the last two years.

Cal Crutchlow 10th 1.22.385 ? 31 laps:

?I'm pretty happy to be in the top ten and I managed to pull something out of the bag when I needed it right at the end of the session. My race pace is only a couple of tenths off running in the top eight, so I need to get a good start. I'm still not sure what tyre to run. Lorenzo can run the hard tyre because he is so smooth, but we're torn at the moment which one to choose. I think I'll probably go for the hard tyre but we'll check the setting and make sure we can be consistent. It is a long race here so the soft might not be the best option over race distance. The track today seemed to be in much better condition. Yesterday I was doing 24s but now I'm doing low 22s but that's also because I'm gaining more experience of the track. I still need to change my style a little but on a track you don't know it is difficult to do that. Hopefully when we get to Brno that I know, I'll feel more comfortable to be able to work on my technique because some things I do on the bike don't help in the hot conditions. The goal tomorrow will be to finish in the top ten and get out of here with some experience and some solid points under my belt. It would also be good to have a battle with some guys as well because that helps you learn and pick up experience.?

Colin Edwards 11th 1.22.520 ? 31 laps:

?It just wasn't happening out there today at all and I'm not really sure why. The last thing I want is to be outside of the top ten on the grid for my home race, but I put in my maximum effort and I was still finding it really hard. I'm not where I am through a lack of trying but I just don't have the rear grip I need. It is spinning a lot and we made some changes to the bike for this afternoon but it didn't improve the situation. We know the bike is better than what we had last year but I couldn't even match my qualifying time from last year. And that is what makes it really strange to understand. The rear is still too nervous and twitching around and it isn't a lot of fun out there at the moment. The bike as it is set-up right now is not working, so we'll have a sit down tonight and go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan for the race tomorrow. I can assure the American fans I'll be going out there and giving it 100 per cent and pushing as hard as I can to get a good result for them because their support has been amazing so far this weekend.?

 

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Stoner brilliant in America Grand Prix

Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner stormed to one of the greatest wins of his career with a tactically brilliant race on a warm, sunny day in the U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) was second with Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa third.

Stoner's fifth MotoGP win of the season, and 28th overall, was an ominous sign for the competition. With the exception of 2009, when the race was won by Pedrosa, every winner at Laguna Seca has gone on to win the MotoGP World Championship, including Stoner in 2007.

Stoner kept alive his amazing record of a podium finish in every race he's completed this season.
The Australian now goes into the summer break with a 20 point lead over Lorenzo, 193 to 173. Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso, today's fifth place finisher, is third with 143 points, and Pedrosa moved up to fourth in the championship, despite missing three races.

In the race Lorenzo led from the start with Pedrosa and Stoner chasing, with Dovi just off the back in fourth.

Pedrosa and Stoner kept the Yamaha rider honest, not letting him break away for the first half. The first major change of the order came on the 18th of 32 laps when Stoner passed Pedrosa in the Corkscrew, the track's signature corner. Then it was on to Lorenzo who was nearly a second in front.

Stoner stalked and waited, not wanting to make a rash move on the 3.610Km track that rewards momentum and punishes mistakes.

There was nothing between Lorenzo and Stoner on the 23rd lap as they crossed the line separated by only .212s.

Then came Stoner's move, which was brilliant and unexpected. He went around Lorenzo on the outside on the gas over the turn one crested kink at about 265 Km/h on the 27th lap.

Almost immediately Stoner began to pull out a gap. When the 27th lap ended his lead was already .789s. By the second split of the 28th lap his lead was over a second and when the lap ended, with four to go, the lead was 1.544s.

The eventual margin of victory was 5.634s.

Pedrosa was alone in third on the physically demanding circuit. He said the pace at the beginning was quite high and as the race wore on it became too much and he had to settle for third. Still, it was his second podium in a row following his comeback to race three races ago in Italy.

Dovizioso seemed secure in fourth for much of the race. He maintained a five second cushion until the second half when Ben Spies (Yamaha) began to close in. As the race neared its conclusion Spies got closer and closer and made a pass in the final corner ending the 29th lap.

Dovizioso didn't let the Texan get away and chased him to the flag only to come up short by .680s.

Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) had a difficult start to the race from 14th on the grid. The Japanese rider made a number of passes on a track known to be difficult to pass on and finished the day with a top ten finish.

The final Honda finisher was LCR Honda MotoGP rider Toni Elias in 13th. Elias ran off the track at one point and when he returned he didn't have any confidence in the front end.

San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli continued to have problems in Monterey. The Italian failed to finish the race for the second year in a row, crashing, unhurt, out of fifth place on the seventh lap. The problem was a lack of front end feel, which gave him warning two laps before he fell.

And Ben Bostrom failed to complete the race in his MotoGP debut. The American had struggled with the carbon brakes on the LCR Honda MotoGP Honda RC212V and ran long in the second turn at the end of the front straight. The 37-year-old American Superbike rider continued for another lap before pitting, preferring to preserve the LCR Honda for another day.

MotoGP rider quotes

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: Race winner
"All weekend we've been struggling a little so we weren't too confident that we could run with Jorge and Dani in the race. However, this morning in warm-up we found something I was a little happier with. Before the race I felt relaxed, confident and generally calm, we started a little slower to get the tyres warm gently, but also with a full tank of fuel, the bike didn't feel that great. So I was patient and took my time, staying with Jorge and Dani to control the gap and make sure they didn't get too far away. I felt I had more speed, but decided to wait and watch. I saw Dani struggling a bit and he started to drop back from Jorge so I had to attack at this point. Once I caught up to Jorge, I watched to see if he made a mistake and kept the pressure on him, then chose my moment to make the move and was able to slowly open up a gap and bring the race home. It's really fantastic to come from such a difficult weekend and get a great win and I'm very thankful to all my team."

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd
"I'm very happy with another podium, the second after my come back from injury. I could have predicted this result before coming to Laguna because I knew it would be physically very tough for me and it has been great to keep up with the pace of Casey and Jorge in these past two races. Today, by the middle of the race, I was very tired, almost finished, I couldn't get my left arm strong enough and here at this track you don't rest for a moment, so I had to drop. It's been quite difficult to set up the bike this weekend, I had a lack of grip generally, but the team worked very well. Now we have some holidays and it will be good for me to have some days off to rest and relax my muscles and be back training to arrive fully fit to Brno."

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 5th
"We knew that it was going to be a tough race because this track is short, with very strong braking and it's also very demanding. I made a good start and I was able to move into fourth position. In the first laps I pushed hard to stay with Casey, Dani and Lorenzo. I was losing a lot in some corners, such as turn three and turn 11, and to recover I was pushing in the other areas. I used up a lot of energy and I couldn't be consistent for the 32 laps. I'm disappointed because today we had the speed to fight for a good result, in fact I lapped two-tenths behind the fastest lap, but I couldn't be consistent. I lost the battle with Spies and this is the first time I've lost a battle this year. The good point is that we were able to be fast. Now we have to focus and continue working. We are third in the championship and we want to keep on fighting. We will take advantage of the three week break to recharge the batteries and return in Brno more determined. My congratulations go to Casey and Dani."

Hiroshi Aoyama, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 10th
"Starting from 14th place is never easy so I had to make a few passes before I could get into my true rhythm. I am partly satisfied to have finished, tenth but it was a tough race because I am still not physically fit. My intention was to make it to the end and I am happy I did that because this was my first race here at Laguna. Now we have a short break and I hope I can come back stronger in the next race at Brno, ready to fight for a good result."

Toni Elias, LCR Honda MotoGP: 13th
"In this morning warm-up we have changed rear set up of the bike and I felt immediately better. As always I took a good start but on this track you get stuck if you start from the last row so I pushed but in the first corner I went a bit wide. I was 12th when I suddenly lost the front running off into the gravel. I could rejoin the race, but I was last and for the rest of the race I felt like I was lapping on a frozen surface. We have finished the race in 13th position but the situation is still very tough for us".

Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF
"I am really disappointed. I don't know whether I would have caught Pedrosa if I'd stayed in the race, it's impossible to say, but I could have definitely had a battle with Dovizioso and Spies so it's a real shame. We had worked so well and managed to improve from session to session, but I realised early in the race that the front was giving me more trouble than it had in practice. It closed in turn seven on the first lap, which is a strange place for it to go, and then again two laps later in turn eight. All we can do right now is dust ourselves down and head to Brno looking to do our best again."

Ben Bostrom, LCR Honda MotoGP: DNF
"I took a good start and immediately felt very comfortable on the bike. I improved my lap time of one second from the practice so I was very optimistic to see that so early in the race. As I was riding so much faster I started to be uncomfortable in the first corner when I had to change down the gears and after few laps I made a mistake running off the track into the gravel. It took me three seconds to rejoin the race, but I wanted to continue but the next lap I had the same problem. So I have decided to enter the pits even if the bike was fantastic. Honestly I was thinking about my race and didn't want to crash this bike. Once again I want to thank MJM (Michael Jordan Motorsports), Lucio (Cecchinello) and all the guys here: it was an incredible experience for me!"
Pole position : 1m21.202s (160.045Km/h) Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha
Fastest lap : Lap 3 - 1m21.673s (159.122Km/h) Casey Stoner, Honda
Circuit record lap : 1m21.376s (159.703Km/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2010)
Circuit Best Lap : 1m20.700s (161.040Km/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2008)
Event results - Round 10 - Race 1
1 Casey Stoner 43m52.145s AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo +5.634s SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Dani Pedrosa +9.467s SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Ben Spies +20.562s USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
5 Andrea Dovizioso +20.885s ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
6 Valentino Rossi +30.351s ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
7 Nicky Hayden +31.031s USA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Colin Edwards +45.502s USA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
9 Hector Barbera +51.549s SPA DUCATI Aspar Ducati
10 Hiroshi Aoyama +1m08.850s JPN HONDA Honda Gresini
11 Karel Abraham +1m09.132s CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Ducati
12 Loris Capirossi +1 Lap ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing Team
13 Toni Elias +1 Lap SPA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
14 Alvaro Bautista DNF - 19 Laps SPA SUZUKI Suzuki MotoGP
15 Ben Bostrom DNF - 24 Laps USA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
16 Marco Simoncelli DNF - 26 Laps ITA HONDA Honda Gresini
17 Cal Crutchlow DNF - 29 Laps GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3

 

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HEROIC CAPIROSSI AT LAGUNA SECA. DESPITE THE PAIN HE CONCLUDES THE RACE IN TWELFTH POSITION

Heroic race for Loris Capirossi. The Pramac Racing Team rider grits his teeth and finishes the race despite the injury to his right shoulder, so gaining four world championship points thanks to the twelfth final position. It was well known that was going to be a difficult race for Loris: after a good start, where the Italian rider has gained two places, his shoulder hurt too much and the final position, however, rewards its determination. Now two weeks off to make sure that both riders of the Pramac Racing Team, Loris Capirossi and Randy De Puniet, will recover in the best way for the race scheduled for August 14th in Brno, Czech Republic.

Fabiano Sterlacchini Pramac Racing Technical Director

It has been a very difficult race. We were once again very unfortunate, but we hope that bad luck went away because it would be impossible to go on like this. Loris was very brave, however, until the shoulder has held up he was keeping a good pace. Then, once the pain was too strong, he completed the race without risking further damage to his physical condition. All this shows that he is on the right direction to recovery and we hope to see him in top form at Brno. On the countrary is going for De Puniet after the fractures suffered in yesterdays crash. He will surely need more time to recover. Fingers crossed and we hope that when we will return from vacation luck will finally be on our side.

Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing rider 12th in the race 16th in the championship

This race was a gamble for me. In Germany I only ridden for a few laps but the shoulder was really too bad. I made the decision to come here and for me the most important thing was to finish the race. We knew it would be difficult because during the test was very hard to ride. The result is bad, but I'm happy because I achieved the goal to finish the race. Now I will try to get back to full fitness in Brno, one of my favorite tracks, because there I really want to prove that we can fight for better positions.

DE PUNIET FORCED TO MISS LAGUNA SECA RACE

Pramac Racing Teams Randy de Puniet was keen to try to race right up to the last moment in todays United States Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. However after yesterdays crash, which caused fractures to the transverse process on the right-hand side of his L3 and L4 vertebrae, the rider suffered overnight and with added trauma to the pelvis he has been forced to withdraw from the race today. The Frenchman will undergo further medical examinations tomorrow.

Randy De Puniet Pramac Racing rider

I am very sad about what happened yesterday, we really didnt need this. Until that moment it was a really good weekend for us - in all the practice sessions we were fast and today we could have done a good race. I'm sorry for my teammates who always give their best to make the bike as competitive as possible for me. I'm also sorry for our partners who support us at all times, even through these difficult moments. Yesterday I thought it was my mistake but I have check telemetry with my engineer and I did the same thing as all the other times. In Sachsenring many riders crashed in their first lap out, I guess this time was my turn, but I hope the situation will improve soon. I wanted to believe until the last moment that I was able to ride, but yesterday night the pain was truly unbearable and I had to call the doctors from the mobile clinic to ease it. Contrary to what we thought yesterday, the pelvis seems to be the biggest problem: my hip is swollen like a football, and I can barely even walk. Tomorrow I am going to take further medical examinations in Los Angeles where we can see more clearly if the pelvis also suffered a fracture. We hope that after the summer break we will be able to return to the track without any problems and leave this bad luck behind. We must do whatever it takes now to turn around the second part of our season in the championship.

 

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ROSSI AND HAYDEN SIXTH AND SEVENTH AT LAGUNA SECA

Valentino Rossi finished in sixth place at Laguna Seca, one spot ahead of his teammate Nicky Hayden. The two Ducati Team riders lapped at a good pace, even if it wasn?t quite enough to stay with the faster group.

The team worked very hard on both the GP11 and the GP11.1, and they?ll continue the development of the 800cc bikes during the next round at Brno, in the Czech Republic, which will follow a short two-week break. On the Monday after that race, the season?s second official test for the team riders will take place.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 6th
?We worked well this weekend. We started from a better position than we have in recent races, and I got a good launch on the start and tried to stay with the leaders. I did a lap in the mid-?22s, but then I closed the front twice in a row on the bumps in Turn 5 and nearly crashed. I still had a tough race after that, because Nicky stayed glued to me and didn?t give me a chance to breathe. We obviously don?t want to be fighting for sixth place, but we?re having some problems at the moment and we have to try and do our best with what we have. We?re losing too much on corner entry, where I?m very slow because I don?t have enough feeling, but Ducati is working and we must stay focused and positive, making progress step by step. In the short term, we have to make up those missing tenths in order to stay with the group with Spies, Sic and Dovizioso. Then we?ll think about the others.?

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th
?I?ve won this race before, so I?m not going to jump up and down celebrating seventh place. We knew it was going to be tough, and crashing in qualifying didn?t help. I got a decent start, but I didn?t get to go with that second group like I had hoped. It was kind of like the Sachsenring: a good battle with Valentino, but thirty seconds behind the front. Vale was no faster than me, but he?s a racer: he doesn?t make mistakes and give you anything. A couple of times I thought I might be able to go up the inside, but I?m not just going to close my eyes and knock us both down trying for sixth place. People who think he?s not trying are crazy. I saw his right foot come off the peg a couple of times when he almost went down. We?ll take two weeks off, regroup and go to Brno. Now is no time to be negative. I believe in my team and Ducati, and I really think we?re still going to have a good season.?

Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager)
?I think the guys on the team and both of our riders deserve a big thank-you for what they did this weekend. The two crews were ready to give Vale and Nicky both the GP11 and the GP11.1, and they worked without a moment?s break in both directions, which was an enormous effort that allowed us to collect a lot of data for the engineers back at the office. With Vale we continued focusing on the setup of the GP11.1, thinking toward the future. Vale was able to improve over the course of the weekend, and in the race he made the most of the package that?s currently available to him. Nicky did comparative tests between the two bikes. Then for his home round he opted to race with the one that he knew better, although he liked a number of aspects about the new bike, which he?ll try again at Brno.?

 

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Lorenzo Battles for Laguna Victory

World Champion Jorge Lorenzo put in a superhuman effort today for the Grand Prix of U.S.A, battling for victory with Championship rival Casey Stoner to finish second on the podium. Lorenzo made a strong start from pole and led the GP field for an impressive 26 lap run before conceding to Stoner as the effects of yesterday?s massive crash took its toll on his energy levels.

Fellow Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies had a less than perfect start from the grid, initially dropping to seventh behind Valentino Rossi on the first laps of the race. Rossi was eventually dispatched by the Texan on lap three, freeing him to focus on Dovizioso ahead. Spies put in an incredible ride to close a gap of over five seconds and take fourth with just three laps to go.

The weekend?s results leave Lorenzo heading into the short holiday break trailing Championship leader Stoner by 20 points. Team mate Spies will arrive at Brno still in sixth place in the standings but now just 12 points behind Dani Pedrosa in fourth.
Jorge Lorenzo Position : 2nd Time: +5.634


?Well first of all I?m lucky to be in the second position, after the crash yesterday I thought it wasn?t possible to race for a little while. After qualifying I hoped I might be able to fight till the end for victory but sometimes expectations are not reality. Casey was faster today, I couldn?t match his pace at the end. My physical condition is not so perfect which makes us a bit slow as well. Second is ok, we are only 20 points behind Casey and we?ll try again next time.?

Ben Spies Position : 4th Time: +20.562

?I got a really good start but going uphill to the steep part of the track basically we didn?t have enough power. I got stuck behind Valentino, I tried to get around as quick as I could but he?s really good on the brakes so it was pretty tough but I did the best I could. Once we got around him it was quite a big gap to Dovizioso but I just kept my head down and kept going. I?m happy we were able to track him down and get fourth. It was a really good race for us it just got spoilt in the first five hundred feet. I would have liked to have been on the podium as I think we had a package to fight with Dani, I guess that?s racing and I gave it 100% as always.?

Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager

?A spectacular race by Jorge with a great 20 points secured. It is obvious we wanted to win this one but I think yesterday?s crash gave us not the best physical condition for a 32 lap race. At the end of the day, to take 20 points after a crash like that is not so bad. We?ll take some rest now and head to Brno recovered and in fighting form ready to challenge Casey again.?

Massimo Meregalli Team Director

?We leave here with some good points; second position is the best that Jorge could achieve considering his condition, which is very important for the Championship. Unfortunately Ben lost too much time behind Valentino, then when he was able to pass him there was already a big gap to the front guys. He did really well and caught Dovizioso to finish fourth which is good for him and for his standings. We?re looking forward to the next one already in Brno, the team have worked really hard this weekend and it?s been a special time to celebrate our 50th anniversary of Grand Prix racing with everybody here at Laguna.?


Results

1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Repsol Honda Team 43'52.145
2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing + 5.634
3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team + 9.467
4. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing + 20.562
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team + 20.885
6. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Ducati Team + 30.351
7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team + 31.031
8. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 + 45.502
9. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team + 51.549
10. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Repsol Honda Team + 1'08.850
11. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing + 1'09.132
12. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Pramac Racing Team After 1 laps
13. Toni Elias (SPA) LCR Honda MotoGP After 1 laps
14. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Not classified (19 laps)
15. Ben Bostrom (USA) LCR Honda MotoGP Not classified (24 laps)
16. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Not classified (26 laps)
17. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Not classified (29 laps)


Championship Standings

1 Casey Stoner (AUS) Repsol Honda Team 193
2 Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 173
3 Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 139
4 Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 110
5 Valentino Rossi (ITA) Ducati Team 108
6 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing 98
7 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 94
8 Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 64
9 Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Repsol Honda Team 63
10 Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 60
11 Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 47
12 Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 46
13 Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 39
14 Toni Elias (SPA) LCR Honda MotoGP 35
15 Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 32
16 Loris Capirossi (ITA) Pramac Racing Team 22
17 Randy De Puniet (FRA) Pramac Racing Team 11

 

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Bautista crashes out while challenging for the top-six

Rizla Suzuki?s ?lvaro Bautista ended today?s U.S. Grand Prix in the gravel after crashing out on the 14th lap of this afternoon?s race.

Bautista made a confident start from 12th on the grid and had moved up a place by the end of lap one. He produced a couple of very strong passes over the next few laps to move into eighth place and join the battle for sixth between the two Ducati?s of Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi. Bautista closed the gap on the pair and it looked like the crowd was in for a repeat of last week?s exciting battle between the three, but unfortunately Bautista low-sided his Suzuki GSV-R and, although he remounted his bike, he was unable to get it restarted and had to retire from the race.

The crowd of 52,670 that gathered on the hillsides that surround the Laguna Seca circuit were again treated to bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine, as they witnessed current championship leader Casey Stoner take his fifth victory of the season on a Factory Honda. Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo was second with Dani Pedrosa filling the final podium place.

Rizla Suzuki and Bautista now embark on a short summer break before resuming the 2011 season at Brno in the Czech Republic on Sunday 14th August, when Bautista will be joined by John Hopkins who is making a wild-card appearance at the eastern European circuit.

?lvaro Bautista:

?I am very, very disappointed after today and really frustrated because although we did a really good job all weekend, we didn?t get the result we deserved and I crashed. We tried many different things here this weekend and used a completely different setting to last year and we managed to get the same good feeling as we had in Germany. This is the best I have felt on a bike in my MotoGP career so I know things are moving in the right direction. I think we made a mistake on Friday and Saturday, because we didn?t try the soft front tyre in the afternoons. I think the hard tyre here wasn?t too bad, but it didn?t give me the feeling I wanted in the corners - the grip wasn?t too bad, but it just didn?t transmit enough information. For the race I started with a hard front and I now think it was a mistake not to use a soft one. I got a good start, but some riders closed up in front of me and I couldn?t get past, but I did make up one place on the first lap. I overtook some other guys and got behind the Ducati?s, but I was a bit far away and had to catch them up. My rhythm was really good and I had a lot of confidence in the bike, but I lost the front without any reason and crashed. I had entered that corner at the same speed and in the same place in previous laps so I don?t know what happened. I am happy with the work we did this weekend and pleased with my level on the bike. Before the crash I was fighting for sixth or seventh and I know we can be there now and we have to keep working at this level and higher in the next races We now have some time to relax and charge our batteries, so we can be full gas for Brno.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?I am really disappointed today for everyone at Suzuki, Rizla, the team itself and of course for ?lvaro. Starting from 12th was never going to make the job easy, but a very aggressive first couple of laps, and then settling in to a good rhythm saw him right back in the fight and another entertaining duel with the Factory Ducati?s was on the cards. Equally, once the race settled down, our lap-times were not so different from Dovizioso and Spies battling for fourth, so despite today?s? disappointment there are a lot of positives to take from this weekend at Laguna Seca. We?ll be arriving in Brno with two riders and looking to keep the positive momentum going!?

Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Race Classification:

1. Casey Stoner (Honda) 43?52.145: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +5.634: 3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +9.467: 4. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +20.562: 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +20.885: DNF. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP):

World Championship Classification:

1. Stoner 193: 2. Lorenzo 173: 3. Dovizioso 143: 4. Pedrosa 110: 5. Valentino Rossi (Ducati) 108: 13. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 39: