MotoGP - Donington Preview

[KUCIAR666]

Rossi and Lorenzo plot victorious Donington farewell

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo make the short hop across the channel this week for the British Grand Prix, the final race before the MotoGP summer break. Fresh from their one-two finish in Germany on Sunday, the Fiat Yamaha pair is on top of the world and looking forward to a special farewell race at Donington Park.

There has been Grand Prix racing at the East Midlands track for the last 22 years and Valentino Rossi remains the most successful rider in history there, holding the records for the most wins in all classes and the most premier class wins. The eight-time World Champion took his first ever 500cc win there in 2000 and the track holds a special affinity for him as he lived in London for several years and was adopted as an honorary Brit by the local fans. The Italian has seven wins to his name there but is without a victory since 2005, something he will be looking to rectify this weekend as he arrives on top form following his fourth win of the season.

Last year Lorenzo arrived at Donington in poor shape, having missed the previous race due to injuries. The irrepressible youngster put on a brilliant display however and finished 6th having qualified in 16th, earning himself plenty of fans in the process. He won there from pole in the 250cc class in 2006 and is eager to add to his win tally this weekend, following his agonisingly close defeat at the hands of his team-mate last time out. The 22-year-old Mallorcan is not yet at full fitness following the injuries he picked up in Laguna Seca but he is growing stronger every day and will be determined to close the gap to Rossi this weekend.

Donington Park sits inside an amphitheatre style setting, although building works this year in preparation for the arrival of Formula One next year means that much of the infield will be closed to spectators this time. The prevalent off-camber nature of the circuit is one of the main factors at play, with a large tendency for the front tyre to push, making the right, left, right flick down the Craner Curves a critical but rewarding section of track. The stop-and-go nature of the final section, which features three hard braking zones, means the bike also has to be good under braking and makes set-up a quest for compromise between agility and stability.

Valentino Rossi - "Hoping to extend our lead"
"Last year I had a good race at Donington to finish second, but this year I really want to win! I've always said that Donington is one of my favourite tracks in the world - it's fast and flowing but also technical - and also the UK is a very special place for me because for a long time it was my home. This is the last year we are going to race there which I am really sad about, but that makes me even more determined to try to win there, for me and for the fans who have always treated me like one of their own. I haven't won there since 2005, which is too long and I would like to say 'goodbye' to the track in the best way. Last year we couldn't take the fight to Stoner but this year our bike is extremely competitive and we're arriving leading in the championship so we're in a very strong position. We don't have much time to rest after Sachsenring but we have a good break after this race to look forward. Let's hope we can extend our lead even more before then."

Jorge Lorenzo - "Let's reverse the results!"
"Of course I am disappointed about the result in Germany but considering my physical condition I have to be happy about such a close second place. It's a pity we don't have a week off now so I have more time to recover, but I will try to relax for a few days at least and build my strength some more. I like Donington a lot and this is the last year there so I would like to try and leave with a good result. I expect that all the British fans are hoping for another race like in Sachsenring, so we will see what we can do but of course I hope the result is reversed this time! The weather in Donington can be bad so my biggest wish is that it stays dry, we had enough rain in Sachsenring! However if it does rain the that's not the end of the world either because we showed on Saturday that we are very strong also in the wet."

Davide Brivio - "Looking forward to the next battle"
"So, our last trip to Donington! Valentino loves the track but he's had some misfortune in the past few years so we will be looking to rectify that this weekend and leave it in the best possible way. We're in very good shape after our latest win and everyone is looking forward to another great battle. Let's hope we can show the British fans another brilliant MotoGP display! The championship remains very close but we're enjoying the competition and will keep trying the maximum to win."

Daniele Romagnoli - "Hoping it's our turn!"
"Last year Jorge rode a brilliant race after a bad race the week before, so we know that he likes the track. He has been so strong at the last few races and on Sunday he came tantalisingly close to another win, so we're hoping that it's just around the corner for us. He is riding very well and package is good so we know we have the potential. Let's hope it's our turn this weekend!"

Valentino Rossi: Information
Age: 30
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 101 (80 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 219 (159 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 54 (44 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 22
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 24 (3 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 120 (26 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 33 (7 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Donington Park: Record Lap
D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1'28.714

Donington Park: Best Lap
D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1'27.676

Grand Prix Results: Donington Park 2008
1. C.Stoner (Ducati) 44'44.982
2. V. Rossi (Yamaha) +5.789
3. D. Pedrosa (Honda) +8.347
6. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +15.690

 

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DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM TACKLE FOURTH RACE IN FIVE WEEKS AT DONINGTON

The MotoGP teams and riders complete a veritable tour de force this weekend as they contest the fourth race in five weekends. The event at Donington Park also signifies the end of an era for the East Midlands track, which has played host to the British Grand Prix since 1987 but will be replaced on the 2010 calendar by Silverstone, previously home to the historic event from 1977 to 1986.

The Ducati Marlboro Team have worked intensively in recent weeks to improve the overall performance of the GP9 and with two riders in Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden prepared to make the best of any situation, hopes are high of a good result at a circuit where the Australian has celebrated victory for the past two seasons. Stoner has been unfortunate to encounter physical problems during one of the most intensive periods of the season but through sheer determination he has come through it with two podium finishes and two fourth places so far. The Australian hopes he can try to make a stronger challenge at the front this time before signing off for a well-earned break.

Nicky Hayden, who has worked tirelessly alongside his team to make a breakthrough with his GP9, cannot wait to get back on track at Donington following a disappointing race in Germany where he was unable to take advantage of his best practice and qualifying performances of the season.

LIVIO SUPPO, MotoGP Project Director
?We have great memories from Donington and it?s a bit of a shame that this will be the last time we race at this wonderful circuit. The GP9 has been making great progress since Barcelona and now we hope to gather the fruit of all this hard work, given that there have been ups and downs in the last few races. On the positive side is a significant overall improvement for Nicky and the fact that Casey has managed to limit the damage to his championship hopes despite not being fully fit. The negative side is that we haven?t been on the podium for two races now and Nicky came away from Germany with less than he should have given his excellent form in practice.?

CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team (3rd in the championship on 148 points)
?We did the best job we could at Sachsenring and now I?m a bit more confident about going to Donington. The best thing for us would be to have similar weather and temperature as in Germany because I think the conditions there played into my hands, as did the circuit, which has some long corners where I was able to relax a little on the bike. I?ll be happy if we can have another weekend in similar temperatures at Donington. The track has never been one of my favourites but I have had good results there. The first part is really demanding, with the long section through Craner Curves up to the Old Hairpin? but it?s actually in the slow sections where you can make passes. The bike has been going really well for the last few races even though we could do with a little more traction. We?ll just have to wait and see what happens this weekend and bring home as many points as possible.?

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team (13th in the championship on 46 points)
?I?ve never had amazing results at Donington but I can?t wait to get back out on track because I?m not happy with the way the last race went after the really positive practice we had. My bike is really stable under braking and that should be a real bonus at this circuit. Things have been going well lately, I?m having fun and last weekend was the first time in a long while that I?ve been up front in practice. Seeing P1 unchanged on my pit board for such a long time was a nice feeling. We?ll see what the weather is like because you never know what to expect at Donington and the track conditions are totally dependent on it.?

THE TRACK
Set to be replaced on the calendar by Silverstone next season, Donington Park hosts its 23rd and final British Grand Prix this weekend. It is a circuit of contrasting characteristics. After two high speed splits, the second half of the circuit becomes slow and tortuous. The first part, made up of the famous ?Craner Curves?, a super-fast right-left-right sequence requires a smooth approach from the rider and puts machine importance more on handling than outright speed. The back section, meanwhile, was added in 1986 to bring the track up to the minimum length to host a Grand Prix. It consists of three short straights, a chicane and two sharp hairpins that put huge emphasis on braking and acceleration. Setting a bike up is always a question of making compromises but at Donington Park this is the case more than ever and it puts the riders and the bikes to the test.

DONINGTON PARK CIRCUIT RECORDS
Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda - 2006), 1?28.714 - 163.253km/h
Best Pole: Dani Pedrosa (Honda ? 2006) 1?27.676 - 165.185km/h
Circuit Length: 4.023 km.
MotoGP Race 2009: 30 laps (120.690 km)
MotoGP Schedule 2009: 15:30 local time, 14:30 CET

Podio 2008: 1st Casey Stoner, 2nd Valentino Rossi, 3rd Dani Pedrosa
Pole 2008 (wet): Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2008), 1?38.232 ? 147.434 Km/h

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM?S BEST RESULTS AT DONINGTON PARK
2008: 1st (Stoner)
2007: 1st (Stoner)
2006: 9th (Capirossi)
2005: 5th (Checa)
2004: 5th (Bayliss)
2003: 4th (Capirossi)

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM ? RIDER INFO

CASEY STONER
Age: 23 (Born 16th October 1985 in Southport, Queensland, Australia)
Residency: Switzerland
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP9
GP Appearances: 122 (61xMotoGP, 31x250, 30x125)
GP Victories: 25 (18xMotoGP, 5x250, 2x125)
First GP victory: Valencia, 2003 (125)
First GP: Great Britain, 2001 (125)
Pole positions: 20 (16xMotoGP, 2x250, 2x125)
First pole position: Italy, 2003 (125)
World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2007)

Stoner?s MotoGP track record at Donington:
2008: Qualified: 1st. Race: 1st
2007: Qualified: 5th. Race: 1st
2006: Qualified: 8th. Race: 4th

NICKY HAYDEN
Age: 27 (born 30th July 1981 in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA)
Residency: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP9
GP Appearances: 108 (108xMotoGP)
First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP)
Number of victories: 3 (3xMotoGP)
First GP victory: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP)
Pole positions: 5 (5xMotoGP)
First Pole: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP)
World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2006)

Hayden?s MotoGP track record at Donington:
2008 Qualified: 4th. Race: 7th
2007: Qualified: 4th. Race: 17th
2006: Qualified: 11th. Race: 7th
2005: Qualified: 5th. Race: DNF
2004: Qualified: 6th. Race: 4th
2003: Qualified: 12th. Race: 8th

 

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Rizla Suzuki heads home for final Donington Grand Prix

Rizla Suzuki is in England this weekend for the British Grand Prix at Donington Park, an event that the team considers its second ?home' GP of the season.

With the team's operational headquarters in southern England and a big majority of the squad hailing from the UK - allied with the strong ties Chris Vermeulen has with the British racing scene from his early career - the Donington event is a real homecoming for the Japanese based Suzuki MotoGP squad.

Vermeulen is hoping to be fully fit at Donington, following his injury-hit race in Germany last weekend, and is determined to keep up his successful British GP record that has seen him record one podium and two front row starts from his three previous visits.

Loris Capirossi will be making his Suzuki MotoGP debut at the British event after he was sidelined through injury last year - although he does hold the Grand Prix rider record for the most GP starts at Donington with 17. Capirossi knows the importance of this race to the team and is in a determined mood to put his injury and the disappointment from last week at Sachsenring fully behind him as he goes after a result that will get the team back on target to be competitive for the remainder of the season.

This weekend's British Grand Prix will signal the end of an era as it will be the last time - for the foreseeable future - that the event will be staged at Donington Park. The 4,023m circuit will give way to Silverstone in 2010, so this will be the final chance spectators will get to see the amazing sight and sound as the awesome MotoGP bikes stream down Craner Curves, one of the most impressive pieces of track anywhere on the MotoGP calendar.

Rizla Suzuki will start the weekend by being involved in the ?Riders For Health Day of Champions' fundraising event on Thursday. This will be followed by the first and second free practice sessions on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning respectively. The qualifying for the race will take place on Saturday afternoon when both Rizla Suzuki racers will be going all out to get the best grid positions for Sunday's 30-lap race, which will get underway at the later time of 15.30hrs local time (14.30hrs GMT).

Chris Vermeulen:

"I am really looking forward to Donington Park as it's like another home GP for me because I grew up racing bikes in the UK and spent a lot of time at Donington in my early career. We were on the podium in the wet a couple of years ago and had a good race there last year in the dry. We have made steps forward with the bike - even if some of the results haven't gone our way. I hope my injuries allow me to push to 100% and get the Suzuki up to where we need to be."

Loris Capirossi:
"Donington is a really important race because after the weekend we had in Germany we need to have a good performance and find the best solutions and settings to help us go quick. I missed the race last year after my injuries at Barcelona and I really love the track so that was disappointing and I want to make up for it this season. We need some good results because the whole team is working so hard and although we probably don't have the best bike at the moment, our target is to keep making it stronger and stronger until it is capable of challenging at the front. My condition is nearly 95% and after the practices I am sure I will be fully fit for the race."

 

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Edwards and Toseland begin preparations for Donington farewell

James ToselandMixed conditions dominated the start of the final British MotoGP race at Donington Park today with Colin Edwards and James Toseland making an encouraging start for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.
The session started in soaking wet conditions after an earlier deluge, but typically unpredictable Donington conditions saw it end on a virtually dry track after sun and strong winds took over for the second half of the session.

Edwards, twice a Donington Park podium finisher, finished in eighth position with a best time of 1.39.379 that left him just 0.752s off Dani Pedrosa's leading pace.
Experimenting with different weight distribution settings to improve front-end feel on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1 machine, Edwards was satisfied with his performance in both wet and dry conditions.

Toseland made an assured start to his crucial home race, the British rider slowly building up his speed in full wet conditions before he started a brilliant surge up the timesheets as the track dried rapidly.
Just 25 minutes remained when Toseland found himself in third place and faster than reigning world champion and Donington Park specialist Valentino Rossi.

Cheered on by a large home crowd, Toseland looked certain to claim a morale-boosting top six until he slipped down the rankings in the closing stages when track conditions better than at any other stage in the session.
He ended 12th quickest with a best time of 1.40.522, but is confident of moving much higher up the leaderboard tomorrow.

Colin Edwards 9th 1.39.379 ? 25 laps
?It was mixed conditions and that made it tough but it was probably the best conditions because we got some wet set-up time and at the end it was drying out really fast. And even though I was still on the wet tyres when it was dry, we gained a lot of information. I'm pretty happy because in the wet I was sitting in the top five comfortably and as it dried out I was looking good in the first three sections. But in the last section I was losing half-a-second. That was still the wettest section but I could have pushed harder. I felt like I was pushing but when you think you're on the edge you still might have another 15 per cent to go. But it's hard to gauge in those conditions until you're either on top of the charts or in the gravel trap. I think we learned a lot and we made some big progress with the front-end problems I've been having. We've been experimenting with body position to try and help improve the front and it seems to have worked. We're going more in (Jorge) Lorenzo's direction to get a bit more weight on the rear and not overloading the front. So I'm happy and looking for another good result at Donington.?

James Toseland 12th 1.40.522 ? 32 laps
?I didn't have much feeling with the bike when it was full wet but it just kept drying out and I knew the bike set-up would suit the conditions better when it was drying up. So I didn't think there was any point in coming if the track conditions were going to get better and I decided to stay out. I did a lot of laps in the mixed conditions in Germany last weekend and that really helped me out a lot today. I just kept improving and improving but unfortunately because I stayed out for the session I ran out of fuel right at the time when the track conditions were the best they had been for the whole hour. I wasn't sure how much time was left but having done 28 laps I knew it was going to be close on the fuel. It's a shame because I slipped down the order a little bit but I'm happy because most of that session I was right in the mix in the top six and it was pretty encouraging. This weekend is very important for me and as always I put my maximum effort into that session to start the weekend off on a positive note and I think I've done that. I've got unbelievable support here already and that makes me determined to get a good result on Sunday.?

 

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ROSSI AND LORENZO THIRD AND FIFTH IN WET-DRY PRACTICE AT DONINGTON PARK

The final MotoGP at Donington Park before next year’s move to Silverstone got underway in heavy rain today, which eventually gave way to blue skies and sunshine at the Leicestershire circuit. Fiat Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo both spent time at the top of the standings in the wet before eventually finishing third and fifth in a last minute scurry for lap times as the track dried out.

A torrential downpour before the session turned to lighter rain as the practice began, but the track was still soaking and with temperatures fairly low it looked unlikely to dry fully during the hour. As at Sachsenring last week, both riders felt comfortable and confident from the off in the wet conditions and Lorenzo was on top for most of the early stages. Rossi tipped him off the number one spot with about 20 minutes to go but the sun then made a surprise appearance and a dry line gradually began to appear, meaning lap times quickly began to tumble. With some wet patches remaining until the end the riders stayed on their wet Bridgestone tyres and lap times remained some ten seconds off the current lap record. Both the Italian and the Spaniard set some fast times at the end, Rossi’s final lap putting him 0.290 seconds off leader Dani Pedrosa with Lorenzo just a couple of tenths slower.

Valentino Rossi Position: 3rd Time: 1'38.917 Laps: 26

“These strange conditions are always hard to ride in but it was important that we had some time in the wet today because we were able to understand our level. We’re quite happy because I felt confident and I was able to be fast today. The conditions changed a lot during the hour and by the end it was mostly dry, which meant it was quite hard to ride with the wet tyres but we were still quite fast and in the end we’re third, which is a good start. We’ve got a few modifications to make as usual after a Friday but we have a good base. Tomorrow it seems it will be completely dry so hopefully by the end of the day we will be ready for Sunday, whatever the weather.”
Jorge Lorenzo Position: 5th Time: 1'39.105 Laps: 31


“I’m really happy about this practice today because I felt comfortable on the bike and was able to brake quite late in the wet. I was pleased that we had a chance in the drier conditions later, because it showed what we need to work on for tomorrow. I had made a lot of laps in the rain so my tyre was quite worn by that time, when it was more dry, but anyway the times weren’t important for me today and I’m just happy about my performance in the wet. We learnt a lot and now we will use this to improve tomorrow.”


Davide Brivio Team Manager

“To take the positives from the bad weather conditions, today gave us another good chance to test our wet setting, which could come in useful on Sunday when there’s a chance of rain. It was a positive session, with the conditions changing constantly until it was almost dry at the end. It looks like tomorrow will be properly dry so we will hopefully have a chance to complete all the set-up work we need to do in order to be ready for whatever Sunday brings.”




Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager



“We made a good start today and we were able to be very fast on the wet in the first half. At the end, with the track changing rapidly to dry, we encountered a few problems on acceleration, due to too much wear on the tyres after so many laps early on. It’s important that we work on this as on Sunday there’s a chance that the conditions could be similar today. Hopefully tomorrow we can concentrate on our dry setting. ”




Combined Free Practice Times



1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 1'38.627

2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'38.872

3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'38.917

4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda 1'39.069

5. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'39.105

6. Marco Melandri (ITA) Hayate Racing Team 1'39.130

7. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Racing 1'39.209

8. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'39.379

9. Toni Elias (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'39.755

10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'40.115

11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'40.419

12. James Toseland (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'40.522

13. Gabor Talmacsi (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP 1'40.850

14. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'41.467

15. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'41.861

16. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'42.210

17. Niccolo Canepa (ITA) Pramac Racing 1'42.696

 

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Weather spoils first session at Donington

Rizla Suzuki's first day race preparations were forced to take a back seat this afternoon as the British summertime weather intervened at Donington Park.

Loris Capirossi (P11, 1'40.419, 25 laps) was left frustrated at the lack of dry track time today, something that he knows is vital in getting the GSV-R ready for Sunday's race. He is still confident though that if tomorrow stays fine he will be able to get the bike prepared and competitive for Sunday's 30-lap race.

A huge rain storm shortly before the start of the hour-long session left the 4,023m circuit very wet with many areas of standing water, but as the wind dried the track out it made using the correct tyre and making any in-roads into getting good data very difficult. Chris Vermeulen (P14, 1'41.467, 22 laps) was able to use the very wettest part of the session to the full and was pleased with the progress he made in finding a good set-up for his Suzuki GSV-R if the conditions are similar on race-day.

Rizla Suzuki has already had a successful time at the British GP due to a team representing the squad taking first place in the ?Question of Bikes' competition that was part of the ?Riders for Health Day of Champions' yesterday. Three members of the Rizla Suzuki team competed against other teams in the quiz held on the main stage, before returning triumphant for the second year in succession. Rizla Suzuki also presented a cheque to ?Riders for Health' for ?7500, donated by Suzuki Germany from the sale of a replica Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000. The team also contributed to the money raised by offering a VIP experience for this weekend's British MotoGP during the auction at Donington last night. This was sold for ?8,800 to Graham Rees and helped boost the overall figures for the charity that stood at ?205,135 at the end of the event.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will be back in action on-track tomorrow morning for the final free practice session, followed by qualifying in the afternoon. The race will start at the later time this Sunday, as the Rizla Suzuki riders and the whole field will wait for the lights to change to signal the off at 15.30 local time (14.30 GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

"As I have said before, we need to have time on the bike to get it set-up the best for us. It seems that we keep getting really difficult weather that isn't helping us at all. Today we used a wet tyre for the whole session and at the end 85% of the track was dry and the rest was wet so it was difficult to be able to get anything done. We can hope that the weather is better tomorrow so we can work on the bike and if we can I am sure we will be in a good position for Sunday."

Chris Vermeulen:

"It was really strange conditions out there today, but I guess you could say that is just normal British weather! We had a huge downpour at the start of the session and the track was very wet and quite slippery. We worked hard - and quickly - on getting a good wet setting while the track was still wet and the bike worked well in those conditions. At the end the track dried a lot so we just tested some small things that didn't really rely on fast lap-times, which was useful because with how the track was there wasn't a lot else to be learnt out there. At the end I came in a bit early because the track had dried out in most places, but there was still a couple of wet patches and it seemed a bit too dangerous for slicks."

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

"I don't think that there will be much that any rider or team will have learned from that session with the weather changing so much over the hour For most of the session neither the wet nor the slick tyre was the appropriate choice. Having said that, when the track was at its wettest Chris was able to take a big step with the bike setting and Loris also managed to get a feel and some essential data from his machine."

British Grand Prix Free Practice Classification:
1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1'38.627: 2. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.245: 3. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.290: 4. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +0.442: 5. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.478: 11. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.792: 14. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +2.840:

 

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GOOD START FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM IN MIXED CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND

The MotoGP World Championship arrived at Donington Park for the final time today as the first practice session for the British Grand Prix took place in conditions that have been synonymous with the Leicestershire circuit since it first hosted the event back in 1987. A mixture of sunshine and rain made it difficult for the riders on track and whilst the lap times were a long way off record pace in a session that started wet and ended virtually dry, the Ducati Marlboro Team riders were both competitive and satisfied with their performance.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) (2nd; 1?38.872)
"It was good to be able to test the wet setting today because we?ve struggled with it a little this year and we need time to work out the best solution. We?re still far from it at the moment but it felt quite good and we have a good base to work from now. Once we got some laps under our belt in the wet I decided to sit the rest of the session out because even though the track was drying it was very slippery and it would be foolish for us to risk an unnecessary crash on the first day of an important weekend. Hopefully we?ll get a couple of sessions in the dry tomorrow and ideally, from our point of view, we?d like it to be cool."

NICKY HAYDEN ? (Ducati Marlboro Team) (10th; 1?40.116)
?Typical British weather! It?s been like this since I got here at the start of the week. We started out in the wet and I didn?t have much feel to begin with but we made a couple of changes and got better and better as the session went on. On the last lap I went straight in the last corner and ran wide so I made a little error there. Basically the bike didn?t feel too good in the heavy rain but much better in the damp. The weather looks better for tomorrow so we hope that?s the case because it was difficult to draw any conclusions today.?

Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda - 2006), 1?28.714 - 163.252km/h
Best Pole: Dani Pedrosa (Honda ? 2006) 1?27.676 - 165.185km/h
Circuit Length: 4.023 km.
MotoGP Race 2009: 30 laps (120.690 km)
MotoGP Schedule 2009: 15:30 local time, 14:30 CET

 

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FIAT YAMAHA KEEP UP THEIR BRILLIANT QUALIFYING RECORD WITH POLE AND THIRD IN DONINGTON

Valentino Rossi took pole for the second race running at Donington Park this afternoon, his fourth of the season and the 56th of his career. Jorge Lorenzo qualified third and, with four poles for him also this year, the Fiat Yamaha Team has now taken the front grid slot in eight out of the ten races. It is also the fifth consecutive race at which both riders have been on the front row.

After yesterday?s downpours, today was dry with sunny intervals and this morning saw Lorenzo second and Rossi third as they got their first chance to work on their dry settings around the 4km track. In this afternoon?s hour-long qualifying session Lorenzo held pole position for most of the session until briefly surrendering it to Dani Pedrosa ten minutes from the end, whilst Rossi struggled slightly to find the best set-up with the hard Bridgestone tyre.

22-year-old Lorenzo moved back to the top just a couple of laps later but was then edged off by Rossi with three minutes to go, as the Italian found his best form at the perfect time. The Spaniard was unable to match the pace of his championship-leading team-mate with the soft tyre and finished 0.286 seconds adrift, whilst a strong charge from Dani Pedrosa edged the Spaniard into third but was not good enough to knock Rossi off pole.

Tomorrow?s race will start at the later time of 1530 local time, which is 1630 CET.
Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 1'28.116 Laps: 32



?I am quite surprised to be on pole today because we had a couple of problems this afternoon! This morning unfortunately we didn?t try the hard Bridgestone tyre but we weren?t worried because everyone else had good grip with it. But this afternoon when we finally tried it we found the grip to be not as we expected and our pace with it wasn?t so good. We made some modifications and improved it a bit, then we made a few more and used the soft tyre again and then we were very quick. Like that I could ride the bike how I wanted and it felt great, fast and flowing so this was a good job from the team. We need to do some work to improve our pace with the hard tyre, and then we just have to wait and see what the weather does tomorrow. Whatever happens, we?re starting from the front and this is the most important thing.?
Jorge Lorenzo Position: 3rd Time: 1'28.402 Laps: 35



?With the harder tyre, we?re definitely ready and I feel very good on the bike. With the softer tyre and on my last run I wasn?t so fast, but we are not too concerned about this. Anyway I feel confident on my M1 and I am enjoying riding here. Tomorrow we don?t know about the weather but I was fast also in the rain yesterday so I know that I can be competitive even if the weather is bad. I am really hoping for a good race here since it?s the last time we will come.?

Davide Brivio Team Manager



?At the end everything worked out okay and we got a nice pole position, the second in a row. We still have some work to do to improve the race setting to finalise the package in case we have dry conditions tomorrow, but we have the warm-up in to try to fine-tune everything. It looks like it?s more likely that it?s going to rain however, in which case we will use what we learned yesterday.?


Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager



?We are on target, because starting from the front row will be very important for this race. Today we concentrated mostly on our race setting and Jorge?s pace is very fast and consistent. Maybe we should have considered something a bit different for qualifying with the softer tyre, but the most important thing is that we?re in good shape for the race. We hope that we can have the same weather as today tomorrow, but if the rain does come then we have yesterday?s good session to help us.?




Qualifying Times



FRONT ROW

1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team
1'28.116

2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda
1'28.211

3. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team
1'28.402

SECOND ROW

4. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team
1'28.446

5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda
1'28.776

6. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3
1'28.865

THIRD ROW

7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Hayate Racing Team
1'29.065

8. Toni Elias (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini
1'29.175

9. James Toseland (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3
1'29.270

FOURTH ROW

10. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP
1'29.434

11. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Racing
1'29.599

12. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini
1'29.600

FIFTH ROW

13. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
1'30.098

14. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
1'30.153

15. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team
1'30.268

SIXTH ROW

16. Niccolo Canepa (ITA) Pramac Racing
1'30.572
17. Gabor Talmacsi (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP
1'31.193

 

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Edwards and Toseland confident ahead of British battle

James ToselandMonster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland will do battle in the last British MotoGP race to be staged at Donington Park from sixth and ninth on the grid respectively.

Edwards secured his seventh top six qualifying result of the season with a best lap of 1.28.865, the American using dry and warm conditions to further evaluate new front fork settings and a revised body position on his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine.

Bidding to score a third MotoGP podium at Donington Park in tomorrow's 30-lap race, Edwards was one of only seven riders to lap within a second of Valentino Rossi's impressive pole position pace.

Toseland gave his hopes of a scoring a top six finish in front of a passionate home crowd a huge boost this afternoon. Working closely with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team crew to improve the setting of his YZR-M1 machine, the 28-year-old performed superbly to equal his best qualifying result of the season.
A lap of 1.29.270s was just 1.154s away from pole position and Toseland was just over four-tenths-of-a-second away from a top six spot on the grid after he'd been as high as fifth position on the timesheets.

The British rider is confident of fighting for his best result of the season, though all eyes will be on the skies tomorrow, with a repeat of the rain that disrupted yesterday's practice forecast for the race.

Colin Edwards 6th 1.28.865 ? 30 laps
?I'm happy with the way I rode but getting close to those guys at the front is getting tough. They are running a pretty fast pace but I'm confident if I can get a good start that I'll be able to stay with them for the race. If I can get away with them then they might pull me around for a few laps. I'm moving in the right direction with the setting and the changes we've made to the front forks and experimenting with my body position has improved the front feeling. But with no testing now it is difficult to get used to something so different quickly and I just need a bit more time to adapt because I know we can make the feeling much better. I'm still not sure which race tyre I'm going to run. I'd like to have the best of both compounds on one tyre. We need the left side of the softer tyre and the right side of the hard one. But deliberating that might be for nothing because I hear we're probably going to be under water here tomorrow anyway on rain tyres. We got some time in the rain yesterday so I'm happy I've got a set-up for rain or dry conditions. I really want a good result with it being the last British GP at Donington Park. I've had a lot of success here in the past and it would be good to sign off in style.?

James Toseland 9th 1.29.270 ? 30 laps
?I'm happy but at the same time a little bit frustrated because we didn't have a really good base setting this morning. That meant we had quite a bit of work to do this afternoon, but thanks to my guys because they did a great job again. I improved quite a bit but if we had started this morning like we ended this afternoon then I'm sure I could have qualified on the second row. The base set-up didn't work so well because we were too hard on the front and rear. I didn't have much feel at all and I was only doing low 1.32s, so to do 1.29s this afternoon I'm really happy. At least I've given myself a good chance of battling for that top six tomorrow and that was always my target. Today was definitely better than last year's qualifying, although it couldn't really have been much worse. The new electronics are working brilliantly round here, particularly out of the slow hairpins at the end of the lap, so I've got say thanks to Yamaha for that again. Obviously I'm desperate to get a good result tomorrow. I want to make amends for the disappointment of last year and give the British fans something to cheer about. The support out there today was amazing, and they deserve a good result. I can promise them I'll be giving it my absolute maximum.?

 

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Rizla Suzuki plans to keep fighting at Donington farewell

Rizla Suzuki racers Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi have a tough task ahead of tomorrow's final MotoGP race from Donington Park in England.

Sunday will see the last MotoGP race at Donington Park - for the foreseeable future - and Vermeulen (P13, 1'30.98, 33 laps) and Capirossi (P14, 1'30.153, 28 laps) will have their work cut out right from the start as they try to fight their way through the field after both qualified on the fifth row of the grid today, following a frustrating qualifying session for the pair.

Neither rider was able to find the answers that they were looking for to enable them to make significant steps forward with their Suzuki GSV-Rs. With rain forecast for tomorrow, Vermeulen and Capirossi could be called upon to use all their skills in the wet to carve through the field and challenge for a good result at the 4,023m British circuit.

Today's qualifying was held in cool and windy conditions with track temperatures only getting up to 31?C. World Championship leader Valentino Rossi will start from pole position on his factory Yamaha.

Tomorrow's race will be the last motorcycle Grand Prix since GP racing returned to Donington in 1987 and a big British crowd is expected to turn up and witness end of an era when the lights signal the start at 15.30hrs local time (14.30hrs GMT).

Chris Vermeulen:

"I am really frustrated because I was looking forward to Donington as I've had some success here and the bike has worked well, but this weekend so far has been quite difficult. In the wet we had reasonable success, but it has been really tough for us in the dry today. We have struggled to make the bike turn how we would want it to and to keep the front end feeling and speed through the corners. That is something we will need to work on this evening, it's an issue we've had a couple of times this year and hopefully we can get it resolved for tomorrow. I know I don't really like the rain, but we might get lucky tomorrow and it will be wet - which would certainly help us this weekend. You never know what the weather will do at Donington so we will have to wait and see."

Loris Capirossi:

"I don't really have a lot to say about today! I would like to thank my crew for the fantastic job they did at lunchtime today when they changed an engine in about 25 minutes, which was great work. It has been hard work on the bike today as we tried to find the best solutions for here but we are still struggling a bit. We have a couple of issues to still sort out, but things were better this afternoon compared to this morning. Overall the situation does not look too good, but we are here to fight as hard as we can and we will continue to do our best tomorrow, it won't be easy but we will be trying!"

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

"The issues we suffered from at Sachsenring last weekend have unfortunately transferred over to this weekend and we have been unable to give either rider a package to enable them to push to their maximum level. The team has done a good job today to try to overcome the problems and particularly on Loris's side I must say ?well-done' on such a great job to change the bike completely between sessions. Those changes improved some areas but it hasn't reflected significantly on the stopwatch or the grid positions. We'll keep pushing hard and do everything we can to give the riders a better package tomorrow."

British Grand Prix Qualifying Practice Classification:
1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1'28.116: 2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.095: 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0286: 4. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.330: 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +0.662: 13. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.982: 14. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +2.037:

 

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Double Donington delight for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team

Colin EdwardsColin Edwards produced one of his greatest MotoGP performances to bid farewell to the British Grand Prix at Donington Park with a stunning second place this afternoon.

And making it double delight for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team, James Toseland fought superbly in treacherous conditions to equal his best MotoGP result with sixth position.

A dramatic race started slowly for Edwards as the American rode tentatively in the opening stages while he assessed tricky track conditions and soft compound front tyre he was using for the first time this weekend. With light rain falling on sections of the Leicestershire track throughout, Edwards dropped back to 15th and at the end of lap seven he was only in 13th.

The 35-year-old then commenced a breathtaking charge through the field to move into fifth position on lap 20, with Edwards producing an exhibition of riding in mixed conditions.

He was comfortably the fastest rider on the track when he moved into third on lap 23 with a pass on Dani Pedrosa to set up a thrilling finale to the 30-lap race. Having trailed Randy de Puniet by over ten seconds at the halfway point, Edwards exchanged overtakes with the French rider in the closing stages before securing his fifth MotoGP second place on the last lap. He was just 1.360s away from race winner Andrea Dovizioso at the chequered flag to secure his 11th MotoGP rostrum.

Toseland gave the huge 89,977-strong home crowd plenty to cheer about too, the British rider constantly posing a threat for the top six as he was locked in an exciting fight with Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri and Mika Kallio for much of the race.

The 28-year-old looked on course for a career best fifth place on the last lap until he came under a late attack from reigning world champion Valentino Rossi, the Italian pushing Toseland back to sixth with an overtake at the penultimate corner.

Colin Edwards 2nd
?That was a pretty intense 48 minutes but at the start there was no way I thought I was going to be on the podium. I'm not sure what happened at the start but I just had guys coming by everywhere. I was using a front tyre I'd not used all weekend and it took me a while to get a feel for it. Once I got some momentum going and I started to understand how the front tyre was feeling I started pushing my way through. But with about seven or eight laps to go I started having some big moments because it was hard to know where it was raining and where it wasn't. And all the time you're trying to figure out where there's grip and where there isn't. It was easy to mistake and the left side of the rear tyre was pretty cold and that just helped make it even more mentally draining because you need to concentrate so hard. I could see I was catching Randy really quick and we got into a good battle. He was faster than me in some parts and I was better in others but luckily I passed him on the last lap and made it stick. By that time though Andrea was too far ahead to think about pushing on for that first win, but second is a great way to finish at Donington. I've got to say a big thanks to my guys at Tech 3 because they always give me great support. Yamaha and Bridgestone too were just awesome today, so I'm really happy.?

James Toseland 6th ? 55 points
?I don't know where to start after a race like that. It was so difficult for the entire race to gauge how much rain was falling and where it was falling and it took incredible concentration. I got my head down and was fifth on the first lap but just after halfway I was back in tenth because I was struggling for temperature in the left side of the tyre. I was wondering whether to pull in or not and change for the rain tyres at one point but I carried on and kept my lap times as consistent as I could because it was so easy to make a mistake. With some of the other guys stopping to switch bikes, I made up a few places and was fifth for the final few laps and thinking I was going to get my best ever MotoGP result. That would have been amazing to do that in front of my home crowd, who were absolutely magnificent with their support today. But at the end Valentino (Rossi) came through so strong on the last lap. He passed me at The Esses but I managed to dive back under him, but he was phenomenal on the brakes at the Melbourne Loop. I wasn't going to try and do anything that might take us both out but it's another sixth place and it definitely makes amends for the big disappointment of last year. Congratulations to Colin too because he rode a great race and deserved a podium.?

Herve Poncharal ? Team Manager
?That was an incredibly dramatic race and an unbelievable performance from Colin. It was a really difficult race in those conditions and I think Colin made the right decision not to come into the pits and switch for the rain tyres. He coped brilliantly in tough conditions on the slick tyres and at stages in the race his lap times were very impressive. For several laps he was easily the fastest rider on track and the way he came through the field provided a great spectacle for the British fans. I am so happy for him and everybody at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 for all their hard work this season. Colin might be one of the oldest guys on the grid but he proved again today that you don't have to be young in MotoGP to be fast. Honestly though it is hard not to have a little bit of regret when you finish so close to the victory but we can only be happy. I also want to say congratulations to James because he also produced a tremendous performance. He was under a lot of pressure in front of his crowd after the disappointment of last year but today we saw he can handle it in really difficult conditions. It would have been great for him to have held off Valentino for his best MotoGP result because he deserved it for the way he rode. But I have nothing but praise for both of them today."

 

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DUCATI MARLBORO PAIR LOST THEIR DONINGTON GAMBLE

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden paid the price for a bold gamble that backfired in the British Grand Prix, opting to run wet tyres with the rest of the field on slicks as drizzle fell on the starting grid at Donington Park. The Australian and the American were concerned about the state of the track after the sighting lap and, in the hope that the light rainfall would become heavier as the race progressed, they choose to make the switch from slicks to full wets. However, even though a handful of riders did make the change late in the race, the downpour never came and the pair could only struggled to fourteenth and fifteenth place respectively.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) (14th)
"Everybody knows I?ve been struggling for the last few races in the dry so I was praying for the rain to come today. Every single lap we were out there it threatened to pour down and we were very close to having the perfect situation. Unfortunately, even though it got heavier, it didn?t come soon enough and our tyres were destroyed so it ended up being the wrong decision. For us, in our current situation, I still think it was a risk worth taking because it could have worked out fantastically but obviously we?re disappointed it didn?t. I?m sorry for the team because they?ve done a great job to give me a bike capable of winning races at every circuit we?ve been to lately, even though for one reason or another I haven?t been able to get the best out of it. I?m looking forward to a break now and hopefully we come back a little bit stronger at Brno."

NICKY HAYDEN ? (Ducati Marlboro Team) (15th)
?We took a big gamble, it backfired and it?s frustrating because we made a big change to the bike for warm-up this morning and I had a great feeling with it in the wet. The track was damp for the sighting lap and it was spitting with rain on the grid and since my pace on slicks hasn?t been great all weekend we took a big gamble. I had nothing to lose so we rolled the dice. The odds were against me but it was so close to paying off. It rained throughout the race but the track was so warm the moisture wasn?t accumulating on the ground and unfortunately that spelt disaster for us. I take full responsibility for the decision. We agreed on it together with the team but it was my shout, I thought ?let?s try and be a hero here!? The tyre was pretty much destroyed after seven or eight laps but there was no point coming in to pit and it came apart five laps from the end. To be honest it?s amazing how it held together for that long! I don?t want to say it was a mistake; it was just a gamble that didn?t pay off and we?ll learn from it.?

LIVIO SUPPO ? MotoGP Project Director
?We took a big gamble today and it didn?t work. We actually informed both riders that all the other guys were on slick and that we thought it was the right choice but they were both adamant it was too dangerous and at the end of the day we have to trust their instinct in a tricky situation like that. If it had rained heavier we might be celebrating an amazing success now but we?re not and we have to accept it. Anyway, let?s think positive: the potential is there, the bike is working well and we know our riders have the capability to score top results when we come back.?

Podium British GP 2009
1st Andrea Dovizioso (Honda), 2nd Colin Edwards (Yamaha), 3rd Randy De Puniet (Honda)
2009 Race Fastest lap: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1?31.554 - 158.188 Km/h

Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda - 2006), 1?28.714 - 163.252 Km/h
2009 Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1?28.116 - 164.360 Km/h
Best Pole: Dani Pedrosa (Honda - 2006), 1?27.676 - 165.185 Km/h

Riders World Championship
1st Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 187 points; 2nd Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 162; 3rd Casey Stoner (Ducati) 150; 4th Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 115; 5th Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 103; ? 13th Nicky Hayden (Ducati) 47.

Constructors World Championship
1st Yamaha (230 points); 2nd Honda (164); 3rd Ducati (156); 4th Suzuki (89); 5th Kawasaki (79)

 

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Publish Date: Sunday, July 26, 2009

Wet tyre gamble doesn't pay off for Rizla Suzuki at Donington

Rizla Suzuki racers Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen both took a gamble to pit for wet weather tyres at a damp Donington Park in England today, but unfortunately the expected rain never fully materialised.

Capirossi started from 14th on the grid and made his way through the field as gentle, but persistent, drizzle fell over the 4.023m British Circuit. He made his way up to sixth place by lap 10 and as the rain started to fall more strongly he took the risk to pit and change to his Suzuki GSV-R prepared with wet weather tyres. Unluckily for Capirossi the rain stopped almost immediately and he was unable to make use of the different set-up, eventually bringing his bike home in 11th place.

Vermeulen had a tough weekend at Donington and was also caught out by the changeable English weather. He too pitted to change his bike in readiness for the expected downpour, but when it didn't happen he was left to think of what might have been as he rode to a 13th place finish.

Almost 90,000 fans braved the awful conditions today to witness the last Donington GP of the present era. They were certainly treated to plenty of excitement throughout the 30-lap race, before Andrea Dovizioso on a factory Honda took his first MotoGP victory.

Rizla Suzuki will next see track action during the Rizla Racing Day at Assen in the Netherlands on Sunday 9th August, when Capirossi and Vermeulen will be doing some demonstration laps on their Suzuki GSV-Rs. That will be followed by the next round of the MotoGP World Championship the following weekend, when the MotoGP circus moves to Brno in the Czech Republic for round 11 on Sunday 16th August.

Loris Capirossi:

"Today was a big gamble on many things with the way the weather was behaving. We started with slicks but just couldn't get enough heat in the tyres, especially in the left-hand-side. I was in group battling for sixth place and when it started to rain heavily I thought it was a good time to come in and change to the wet bike and try to take advantage. Then it stopped raining and within two laps I had destroyed the tyre. It is sometimes so difficult to guess what the weather will do at Donington and really it was unfortunate because in those kinds of conditions we need some luck, but we just didn't get any today."

Chris Vermeulen:

"It was very tough out there today and the conditions seemed to change on every corner, making it very hard to keep heat and grip in the tyres. Everything was difficult and then I had a big slide and went off the track, causing me to lose a lot of time. Towards the end of the race it started to rain harder and it was difficult to ride out there. I came in and changed my bike thinking it would rain heavier, but it stopped and it proved to be the wrong decision. It was a difficult Grand Prix for all concerned so congratulations to everyone that stayed up because it was hard work out there."

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

"It has been a difficult British Grand Prix for us and there is no reason to pretend otherwise. Today's crazy conditions gave us an opportunity to level the playing field. In the early laps it looked like Loris and his bike were working well and he managed to force his way up to sixth. His gamble to follow Melandri in and pit for tyres could have easily have paid off if it had rained hard, but the rain eased off almost immediately and he wasn't able to capitalise on the wet tyres.

"Chris had an extremely challenging GP and struggled to generate any feeling or confidence the whole weekend. We now have some significant work to do to improve the bike's sensitivity to weather and track conditions and allow the riders to get the best out of themselves.

"It has not been the best ?home' Grand Prix in terms of performance and results, but at the same time I would like to thank all our partners, potential partners and friends of the team who have braved the weather and come to Donington Park this weekend, we will be working flat-out between now and Brno to try and give them the results they deserve."

British Grand Prix Race Classification:

1. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) 48'26.267: 2. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +1.360: 3. Randy de Puniet (Honda) +1.600: 4. Alex de Angelis (Honda) +8.958: 5. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +21.622: 11. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +53.190: 13. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1'20.398:

World Championship Classification:

1. Rossi 187: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 162: 3. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 150: 4. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 115: 5. Edwards 103: 9. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 67: 10. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 66:

 

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STUNNING PODIUM FOR DE PUNIET AT DONINGTON

Donington, 26 July: the LCR Honda MotoGP rider Randy De Puniet got a storming 3rd place in today?s 30-lap British Grand Prix at Donington Park. The tenth round of the season started today at 15:30 local time and was held in damp conditions with cloudy skies and some poor rain in the last part of the race.

De Puniet posted the tenth lap time in yesterday?s sunny qualifying session at the 4.023 Km British track but this morning warm up session was conducted in the wet with De Puniet clocking an impressive 5th lap time. Started from the fourth row he ended the first lap in eight place setting consistent lap times in the front. At 21 laps to go the Frenchman riding the Honda RC212V started a thrilling battle with Pedrosa for the third place (Elias, Lorenzo and Rossi crashed out) and a closest one with Ewdards for the second place until the last corner. Randy is now holding the 8th position in the championship with 74 points. The MotoGP circus will now have a break of two weeks before the next Czech Republic GP on the 16 of August.

De Puniet ? 3rd
De Puniet: ?It?s like a dream for me and the Team! It has been a very stressful race and I was very nervous on the grid as the conditions were pretty bad. I took a good start on slick tyres and was very aggressive in the first laps. I got the sixth place but the gap on the front riders was too wide and thought to keep my pace without taking any risk. Elias crashed in front of me and Pedrosa did not seem very confident on his machine. When he started to loose time I took my chance to pass him and we battled for several laps. I could overtake him as my machine was a bit faster and suddenly realized that I was holding the third position. After Rossi?s crash I took the second one remaining focused as the surface was very slippery. Then Edwards came up quickly giving me the chance to reduce the gap on Dovizioso but it was too late and too dangerous so I kept my position and we battled for the second place until the last corner. I am so happy for this result and want to thank everybody especially Lucio. We are sharing an amazing moment together!?

 

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RACE REPORT 26/07/2009
Rossi extends championship lead despite disappointing day for Fiat Yamaha Team

A damp British Grand Prix at Donington Park saw both Fiat Yamaha riders crash out of the lead in slippery conditions, although Valentino Rossi was able to remount and finished a brilliant fifth, extending his championship lead in the process. Jorge Lorenzo was less lucky and was unable to continue, meaning he had to watch the rest of the race from the pits after sliding out on lap nine. Yamaha kept up its 100% podium record for the season however as a superb ride from Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards sealed second place behind winner Andrea Dovizioso.

Rossi held onto the lead from pole into turn one but a frenetic first lap saw a shake-up between several riders and it was Toni Elias who led across the line for the first time, followed by Lorenzo and Rossi. There were more changes of position between the top five over the next few laps before Lorenzo took the lead at the start of lap five, with Rossi passing Dani Pedrosa and eventual race-winner Dovizioso next time around to move into second behind his team-mate. At that point the race looked like it was developing into another Fiat Yamaha duel but unfortunately on lap nine Lorenzo touched the white line in the last corner and went down. He was unhurt and ran to his bike to remount but it was damaged and lodged under the air fence and the Spaniard was forced to return to the garage.

The race was now between Rossi and Dovizioso, who were over ten seconds clear of the chasing pack by this time. The pair were pushing hard but light rain meant the track was becoming slippery in places and on lap 20 Rossi, too, made a rare mistake and slid out. The Italian was more fortunate than his team-mate however and was able to rejoin the race in 11th place. As the rain became heavier a few riders pitted to change bikes but Rossi decided to take a chance and stay out, making up several places before a last-lap move on James Toseland landed him a creditable fifth.

With Rossi's other close rivals Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner also having less than perfect days, the reigning World Champion leaves the UK having stretched his lead to 25 points from his team-mate, with Stoner a further 12 points back. The MotoGP paddock now has a three-week summer break before Round 11 at Brno on 16th August.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 5th Time: +0'21.622
"Once Jorge had crashed I was riding to win, as is always my style. In hindsight maybe I should have let Dovizioso pass me for a while but it was difficult to judge in such strange conditions. Riding in the rain with slick tyres is always a risk and it was quite slippery, the turns on the left were all wet which made the left side of the tyre cold and that's why I crashed. Luckily it was a slow fall and my bike wasn't hurt much. In fact, my bike was 'bravissima' today, both before and after the crash! After that we made a great recovery, I chose to remain with slick tyres despite the rain and the result was eleven points, which are like gold dust for us because we have extended the lead despite what happened here and we're going on holiday with a good advantage over our rivals. Finally I want to say well done to Dovi but especially to Colin, who rode like a devil today!"


Jorge Lorenzo - DNF
"I got a good start and the first few laps went well, I was feeling quite comfortable in the lead. Unfortunately on the final corner of the ninth lap I made a small mistake, got my line wrong and touched the white line and there was nothing I could do; it was very slippery. I was okay and wanted to carry on but my bike was too badly damaged. Of course I'm sad and disappointed but this is racing and these feelings don't help, you just have to learn from a mistake like this and look forwards. Valentino was lucky that he could continue after his crash, but it wasn't our day. I am going to enjoy the break now despite this and take the chance to do plenty of training so we can come back at full strength in Brno."

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"We missed an opportunity today but we've come out of it well so we have to be thankful! They were very difficult conditions and it was easy to make a mistake but at the end of the day we have to look at the championship and consider that in those terms today was more positive than negative for us. We now have a one-race lead which is an important barrier and we've got a bit of a holiday now before we come back and resume the fight."

Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
"What a crazy day! We missed a great chance to get some points and a good result but unfortunately Jorge just touched the line and he had no chance to save it. It was also unlucky that the bike was stuck under the fence because there was no chance for him to continue. It's a pity of course because the team did a great job this weekend and we were competitive in the wet and the dry, but Jorge will learn from this and will be stronger next time. We've got a small break, not really enough for a holiday but enough to recharge the batteries a bit after a busy two months."

Rider Standings 26/07/2009
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 187
2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 162
3. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 150
4. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 115
5. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 103
6. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 94
7. Marco Melandri Kawasaki ITA 79
8. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 74
9. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 67
10. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 66
11. Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 60
12. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 55
13. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 47
14. Toni Elias Honda ESP 47
15. Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 34

Manufacturer Standings 26/07/2009
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Yamaha 230
2. Honda 164
3. Ducati 156
4. Suzuki 89
5. Kawasaki 79