MotoGP-Misano

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sorry for my big delay but Im on holiday fl4g71

Masterful 1-2 for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP in Misano Qualifying

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team was unbeatable during qualifying this afternoon as Jorge Lorenzo set a scorching pace to become the first rider ever to drop into the 1'31s at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. He bettered the previous Circuit Best Lap record by 0.278s, which was set by himself last year. Teammate Valentino Rossi delighted the home crowd when he made a late charge, securing second place on the front row for tomorrow's 'Grand Prix di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini' making it a perfect 1-2 for the team.

Lorenzo was the second to last rider to head out on track for the start of the 15-minute qualifying heat and immediately put the hammer down. His first flying lap delivered a 1'32.310s for pole position. He kept pushing for the perfect lap and took his efforts to the next level dropping a blistering 1'32.076s before returning to the pits with seven minutes remaining.

He was back on track less than two minutes later and was feeling confident that he would be able to further extend his lead. The latter stages of the session saw numerous protagonists put in hot laps but none were able to match Lorenzo's pace. In the final minute the Mallorcan delivered a scorching 1'31.868s lap time, putting his #99 YZR-M1 on pole for the third time this year.

Rossi took his time to leave pit lane as qualifying got underway, allowing the pack to depart before heading out into clear space. Eager to make his fans cheer and to secure a front row starting position, he put in an initial 1'33.416s to slot into fifth place, before he was pushed back as the other riders completed their second flying lap. Rossi shaved a little off his time on his second attempt, delivering a 1'32.918s, but a flurry of activity put him in provisional seventh position halfway through.

The Doctor then returned to the pits with a little more than seven and a half minutes remaining, before hitting the track two minutes later to put on the pressure. The nine-time World Champion set a hot 1'32.342s for second place but this result was cancelled due to exceeding the track limit in turn 16. However, the man from Tavullia was not done yet. He pushed even harder on the next lap and delivered a stunning 1'32.216s to move up to second again. Unable to better his time on his last try, he wrapped up the day just 0.348s from Lorenzo on pole.

Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
"Today we showed an impressive qualifying session. Jorge set the new Circuit Best lap at the Misano World Circuit with an astounding 1'31.868s. Valentino got a really important second place after three hot laps with the second set of tyres. After some difficulties that we faced during today's previous two sessions, it was difficult for us to expect to take first and second place on the grid. Misano is not one of the easiest tracks to overtake so that gives the first row start an even higher value. We think that there is still a bit more room for improvement with our set up and we expect to prepare the fine-tuning for tomorrow's warm-up tonight."
Untitled Jorge Lorenzo
1st / 1'31.868 / 8 laps

"I'm very happy. I was delighted with these lap times because already the first one was unbelievable, a 1'32.0s, but with riding over the limit more than normal I was able to improve this lap time by two tenths. When I saw I got pole I was delighted and very proud and I probably made the best lap ever for me. We made great progress with the setting, improving the bike little by little in all the corners, and in qualifying I had a great bike. Let's try to improve the small details for tomorrow, but I think we have a great pace to fight at least for the podium and let's see if we can fight for the win."
Valentino Rossi
2nd / 1'32.216 / 8 laps

"It was a difficult qualifying as always. This weekend we found different performances from one tyre to the other and with the first one I spun a lot so I thought "I hope the second one is better". In fact with the second one I had better grip, so I could push more. Already on the first lap I was 0.6s faster, but I was able to do a little bit better. 1'32.216s is a good lap time and especially second place is very important. Starting from front row tomorrow is good and now we have to concentrate to fix all the details and then we'll see."
Espargaro to launch from 4th row – Lowes continues to impress

Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Pol Espargaro will bolt forward from the head of the fourth row of the grid at the round 13 battle in San Marino tomorrow. The 25-year-old jumped into action when FP3 commenced and he notably posted a time that saw him clinch 4th in the session and together with his time from yesterday, he progressed into Q2 in 3rd in the combined standings. Espargaro also completed more laps than any other rider in the morning practice which outlined his determination as he aimed for success in the afternoon. He notably finished FP4 in 6th, and then the Spaniard set off at speed when Qualifying 2 began as he started his campaign. After riding 7 laps, he scored his fastest on his 3rd which left him just over 3 tenths from the second row. As a result, tomorrow he will seek to work through the field and close the weekend as the top independent rider.

Meanwhile, Alex Lowes will kick off his second MotoGP race from the 14th row on the grid, after producing another impressive display of speed in today's qualifying at Misano. The young Briton started the day in a positive fashion by ending the FP3 session in 14th, but only 0.355 back from the cut-off point to Q2. Then, he finished FP4 in 11th but was just six-tenths of a second behind the reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo which left him fully confident for the qualifying one shootout. Here, he got straight to work as he upped his pace before speeding to his personal best time on his penultimate run that left him in 14th as he outperformed several far more experienced MotoGP riders. He also improved on his Silverstone qualifying by two positions. Now Lowes eagerly awaits tomorrow's 28-lap race where he will aim to produce another strong showing by finishing in the points.

Pol Espargar?
10th / 1'33.002 / 7 laps

"After showing how strong our pace was over all of the free practice sessions this weekend, I can't hide the fact that qualifying didn't really go to plan for me which is really disappointing. Because of this, I have made the job harder for tomorrow, and what makes it even more of a bitter pill to swallow is that I know we had the speed to do a decent job today. After an ok first run, I thought that I could go quicker on my second go, but I couldn't make it work. Yet, we have to look at the positives. Our race pace is definitely competitive, and we are certain that it will allow me to fight for the top independent position tomorrow. A decent jump off the line will be vital because the run down to the first corner is not too long, plus the following corners are tight and it's tough to overtake there. I feel a lot more competitive here compared to the last races and the rhythm that I had in FP4 was really solid on worn tyres with the warm weather, even if the heat made my leg hurt a bit. The important day is tomorrow, and we have done a good job so far over this weekend, so I hope that we can close the weekend positively."
Alex Lowes
14th / 1'33.635 / 8 laps

"I am satisfied by what we achieved today and I've got to say that I feel positive for the race tomorrow. I improved my time by half a second from yesterday, but having said that I have to admit that still think that I've not had enough time on the bike to feel like I can push at the absolute maximum in QP. I need to learn and understand a few more points, such as adjusting my riding position, plus I think that the laps that I completed were too smooth for qualifying today. Therefore, I aimed to just get a solid grid placement rather than risk anything. The result is better than Silverstone and the gap to the leader is getting smaller and in addition, my pace over several laps looks positive. I made a mistake and fell in FP3, but apart from that, I am happy with our work and I am ready and excited for tomorrow."

 

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VI?ALES & SUZUKI ECSTAR ON MISANO FRONT ROW


Maverick Vi?ales ? 3rd.
Aleix Espargar? ? 9th.

Maverick Vi?ales powered his Team SUZUKI ECSTAR GSX-RR onto the front row of the grid for tomorrow?s MotoGP? at the World Misano Circuit Marco Simoncelli after a hot-lap in the closing stages; as team-mate Aleix Espargar? will start from row three.

Both Vi?ales and Espargar? qualified through to the all-important Q2 by finishing in third and eighth position respectively in FP3, but when it counted, Vi?ales found some extra-tenths to post his best lap of the weekend ? a 1'32.839, with Espargar? also setting his fastest lap of 1'33.272, which could probably have been even better if he hadn?t incurred a small crash during his last ?time attack? attempt.

The day has been positive overall, with intense work undertaken on the set-up to improve the pace for the race; and especially to keep a consistent performance with the increasing temperatures at the Misano circuit in San Marino. The work proved to give positive results, as both riders could find a good feeling and also be fast.

Davide Brivio ? Team Manager:

?Good job for Maverick who could make another positive performance; he had a great ride. To start from the first row is important because it helps the motivation and with less pressure. Aleix managed to stay in the third row, it could be a good position, however, because he has a good pace and he wasn?t bad with worn tyres; he?ll need to struggle a little more but he can do a good race. Let?s hope we can fight within the top riders and have a positive race, obviously here there are many riders with extra motivation so it won?t be easy, but we?ll try to stay with them.?

Maverick Vi?ales:

?Today wasn?t easy at all because usually with hot temperatures we struggle, but the team made extraordinary work between FP3 and qualifying and also I made a step, and so I could make a very effective lap. It is very important because the front row will allow me to be immediately at the front and fight for a good race. We have been pretty consistent in our improvements and finally we got within the fastest, we developed many solutions for the set-up and my crew found a very good setting. Now we also have some more ideas to work on tomorrow to see if we can find that little more that I believe we are still missing in our potential, as this will allow me to improve the pace which is the most important thing for the race.?

Aleix Espargar?:

?Finally in FP4 we found a good set-up, my pace is very good and I felt really satisfied with that. In qualifying, unfortunately, I had some trouble in finding the good feeling with the front tyre and finally with the second set of tyres for the last time attack I lost the front and had a small crash. It was too late to get back to garage and make another attempt, but the third row is not a bad place to start and having this good pace I feel confident for a positive race.?


GP TIM DI SAN MARINO E DELLA RIVIERA DI RIMINI Q2 RESULT:

1 Jorge LORENZO - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 1'31.868
2 Valentino ROSSI - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 1'32.216 + 0.348
3 Maverick VI?ALES - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 1'32.381 + 0.513
4 Marc MARQUEZ - Repsol Honda Team - 1'32.443 + 0.575
5 Michele PIRRO - Ducati Team - 1'32.467 + 0.599
6 Andrea DOVIZIOSO - Ducati Team - 1'32.677 + 0.809
7 Cal CRUTCHLOW - LCR Honda - 1'32.743 + 0.875
8 Dani PEDROSA - Repsol Honda Team - 1'32.859 + 0.991
9 Aleix ESPARGARO - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 1'32.918 + 1.050
10 Pol ESPARGARO - Monster Yamaha Tech 3 - 1'33.002 + 1.134

 

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Petrux 11th and Scott 15th at the Gran Premio di San Marino
e della Riviera di Rimini

The weekend at the Misano circuit ends with the two riders of Octo Pramac Yakhnich that are able to gain some points, despite they had to overcome the difficulties found during the free practices and the qualifying.



Petrux got off a good start and in the first lap he managed to recover four positions lapping with fairly good times. At the end of the ninth lap, the rider of the Fiamme Oro has recorded his best time (1'34.0) giving the feeling of being able to chase the two Espargaro. From mid-race on, the lap times have grown once again. On lap 17, Petrux could not react from the attack of Bautista, but he managed to defend himself from the attempt of Bradl, and then finishing in 11th place



Even Scott's departure was effectively as he recovered three positions in the first few corners. On lap one, the British rider tried to push registering some encouraging times. But the feeling with the bike has not improved enough. Scott had the merit to continue to try and his performance have improved in the last part of the race. At that point, however, the gap was too wide to recover some positions.

15th - Scott Redding

It has been a very difficult weekend. Especially the beginning of the race was frustrating. We are supposed to be among the fastest, in particular in this circuit and, instead, I found it hard to take the slower ones. Every time I tried to overtake someone I could not keep the trajectory, I went wide and I was always rehearsed. It was difficult to find the time and the feeling to go on and get those in front of me. I am very sorry for the way things went.



11th - Danilo Petrucci

It has been harder than I expected. In the race we have improved a little but not enough. I wanted to do better here, at the home Grand Prix, and I am sorry. Tires? Yesterday Jorge Lorenzo made the circuit's record and today those in front have been very fast, so, obviously, we did not understand how to exploit them at the best. I took some points and this is a good thing. I would like to thank the team for how they are working. It is good to be with them.

 

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Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Seal Double Podium at San Marino Grand Prix

Thousands of passionate Italian fans at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli were on the edge of their seats as they cheered on their Movistar Yamaha MotoGP hero. Valentino Rossi delivered a strong performance and led for most of the race to ultimately take second place in the 'Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini'. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo also held a fast pace throughout the 28 laps, to take third place.

Starting from second on the grid, Rossi entered the first corner side-by-side with Maverick Vi?ales, but was quick to leave the Spaniard behind when he flicked his bike left into turn 2 as he wanted to prevent his teammate from clearing off at the front. After the first lap there was just 0.202s between them and only a lap later the Doctor leaped past Lorenzo in turn 14, reversing the order. He followed it up with two fastest laps of the race that far, 1'33.672s on lap three, and a 1'33.384s on lap five, increasing his lead to over 0.8s.

The local hero continued to push and was able to extend the margin to 1.2s, but Dani Pedrosa had overtaken Lorenzo and was chasing the Doctor down with eleven laps to go. The pair got involved in a fight for first place three laps later. Making his Yamaha as wide as possible, Rossi defended his lead tooth and nail but with seven laps to go Pedrosa made an aggressive pass at turn 4. Determined to fight to the very end of the race Rossi put in a personal best lap of 1'33.025s, three laps to the end, but he was unable to catch his rival and took the chequered flag in second place, +2.837s from the front.

Starting from pole Lorenzo had an ideal launch off the line, taking the holeshot. He opted for his traditional strategy to break away early with a few hot laps, but his teammate was on his tail. The pair briefly touched when Rossi moved past a lap later in turn 14, but Lorenzo wasn't going to give up on the win easily. The Mallorcan increased his pace steadily but a threat was coming from behind.

Pedrosa was on the charge and with 13 laps remaining the two compatriots battled for second place. Lorenzo kept pushing to cut a chunk of time out of his disadvantage to Rossi, but two laps later he had to let Pedrosa through. Lorenzo continued to shadow the two frontmen, but came just short to be able to cut down the margin and join the fight at the front. He finished in a solid third place, +4.359s behind the winner.

Rossi's 20 points gives him a total score of 180, keeping him in second position in the championship standings, with a 43 point margin to the leader. He is 18 points ahead of Lorenzo in third place, who has collected 162 points so far this season.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team will take a short break before the Gran Premio Movistar de Arag?n in two weeks' time.

Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
"I thought we could win today, especially after a good start by Vale and Jorge. Vale was riding very hard, leading the race superbly until there were just seven laps to go when he had to relinquish the lead to Pedrosa and settle for an important second place. Jorge had his typical strong start and worked hard all race to keep in contact with the front guys, finishing in third place. A double podium at our home race is a great result. Over the last three races we have continuously gained on points in the championship standings to the leader. We are confident to continue this trend at the next round in two weeks' time in Arag?n, which is also sponsored by the team's title sponsor, Movistar."
Valentino Rossi
2nd / +2.837 / 28 laps, Championship: 2nd, 180 points

"I tried the maximum to race against Marquez. When I saw that my rhythm was enough to win I was very happy, but later Pedrosa arrived and he was too fast. I tried the maximum but there was no way, he had a better pace. Anyway, it's second place. It's a shame here in Misano, it's a race I especially tried to win, but today it wasn't possible. Thank you to all the fans that were at the track, it was great."
Jorge Lorenzo
3rd / +4.359 / 28 laps, Championship: 3rd, 162 points

"I can't be very happy, because I expected a bit more from the race. I tried hard for the victory but today I simply didn't have the best pace. Especially Dani had a better pace and Rossi had one tenth on some laps. Little by little they were going away, so I tried my best to stay there but they went ahead. Honestly they were faster."
Espargaro scores top independent rider honours in San Marino

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Rider Pol Espargaro delivered a tireless performance in the demanding San Marino GP to finish the event in 8th place in front of more than 100,000 passionate fans today. The 25-year-old lunged forward from the head of the fourth row of the grid and after carefully picking his way around the first lap, he crossed the line in the same position. Then he quickly built up his pace and his strong rhythm saw him close down Aleix Espargaro in front, whom he powered past on lap 8. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion continued to push as he reduced the gap to Crutchlow and Pirro in the final stages of the race and he eventually met the chequered flag whilst holding 9th position. However, a time penalty for the rider in front, which was issued after the GP, elevated Espargaro to 8th in the results, plus as the victor in the leading satellite rider battle. At the Gran Premio de Aragon, the Spaniard will aim to produce another solid performance ahead of the triple flyaway events.

Meanwhile, Alex Lowes suffered bad luck at the San Marino GP as he fell on the 7th lap whilst fighting for a point scoring result. The British rider, who is standing in for the injured Bradley Smith, kicked off the sprint from 14th on the grid and leapt forward when the lights went out before concluding the opening lap in 17th. He set into a consistent rhythm as he aimed to move up and seize another strong finish. Yet, he unfortunately lost the front of his bike at the first corner, with a quarter of the distance having been completed, whilst running in 16th. The outcome marks a disappointing close to the event for the 25-year-old, who otherwise produced a highly positive and impressive display in only his second MotoGP appearance aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. Lowes will compete at the 10th round of the World Superbike Series in Germany next weekend, and will then join the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team once again in Aragon for his final outing due to Smith's continued recovery process.

Pol Espargaro
8th / +27.155 / 28 laps, Championship: 9th, 89 points

"I did my absolute best in today's race but I have to admit that it was a challenging GP. It was very physically demanding and I struggled with the full fuel load, the bike moved a lot and my leg started to hurt a bit which certainly didn't make things easier. In addition, at the beginning, it was tough to get past Aleix because his bike seemed to have the upper hand, but I pushed onwards and passed him on the 8th lap because he made a slight mistake whilst entering the last corner, which I rode perfectly. Then, in the last stages of the race, I was hunting down Cal and I got close because he was suffering a lot, plus I rode a 1'33.9 in the penultimate lap which helped to reduce the gap to 1.4 seconds and I gave it everything I had because I thought that he may receive a penalty. It's good that I got the top satellite position but it wasn't in the way that I would have wished to score it after the weekend I have had. I am only four points from Cal in the standings, so we have to try and lower this at the next round and therefore I will be back stronger in Aragon."
Alex Lowes
DNC, Championship: 23rd, 3 points

"After what has been a positive weekend, I am obviously disappointed with today's outcome. To be honest, I didn't really get the chance to get into the race, and sadly I made a small mistake and lost the front at turn one. For sure, this is a big shame because I've completed quite a few longer runs in the practice sessions and overall, my pace has been good and I have constantly improved my times. The whole weekend, apart from today, has been encouraging and I got a better understanding of the YZR-M1 with every lap. I've enjoyed this event but it's never nice to end with a negative result in the GP, especially as I am getting more competitive on the Yamaha. I have to say again that this experience has been fantastic and I have been able to enjoy the time because there is no pressure with regards to the championship standings. I wish that I was able to repay the team's efforts with a good finish today, but we made a good step up from Silverstone. Yet, I am super happy to announce that I will be riding for Monster Yamaha Tech3 again in Aragon and I am thankful to have another opportunity. Yet, first of all, I have to concentrate now on my own championship targets in WSBK with next week's race in Lausitzring and I am very confident that the experience gained in MotoGP will enable me to fight for the podium."

 

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VI?ALES & SUZUKI ECSTAR FIGHT BACK TO 5TH AT MISANO


Maverick Vi?ales ? 5th.
Aleix Espargar? ? NC.

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR?s Maverick Vi?ales fought back to fifth position after a positive race in today?s MotoGP? round at the World Misano Circuit Marco Simoncelli in San Marino, as team-mate Aleix Espargar? was unfortunate to slip-off at the half-way stage.

Vi?ales, who started from third position on the front-row aboard his GSX-RR, kept his position in the early stages but got moved down a few positions until making a move back to fifth place. But he was deemed to have crossed a ?no-go? racing line and had to slow and relinquish the position to the rider behind him; which he regained very quickly and subsequently held for the rest of the race.

Team-mate Espargar? had more problems with the tyre management today, having a very bad feeling with the front-end that prevented him being really competitive; and which finally resulted in a crash that took him out of the race. The early laps and the whole weekend proved the improvements made for the Spanish rider, but the tyre choice was not the best for his riding style and also some of the tyre performance will be further investigated.

Ken Kawauchi ? Technical Manager:

?Today?s race cannot be considered negative, but compared to the last one we cannot be satisfied. It?s been a pity because during the weekend in all the race simulations, we had a very strong pace with both riders, but finally our best result in the race is Maverick?s fifth place; this means we need to find something more to catch the faster competitors as soon as possible. Also, it?s a pity for Aleix, he has been consistently-improving in the weekend but unfortunately had to retire because of the crash. Now we head to Aragon, which is a good track for our riders, and I hope we can continue to improve and chase the podium again.?

Maverick Vi?ales:

?I am really satisfied with this race, and although I couldn?t get on the podium, fifth place is a really good result if we consider our starting points; this was one of the hardest tracks for our machine and here it was really hot - a condition in which we have always been struggling recently. Finishing in fifth place, after winning a fierce battle, is a positive result. During the race I felt really confident with the front, but the rear had no grip at all, so I had to push really hard and adapt my riding style. I managed to keep with the leading group at the beginning but then I had to go back. At around half-race distance I felt I could push more and my lap-times became faster again. I had to give-up one position for having exceeded the track limit but recovered immediately. I must say thank you to my team, they did an incredible job and it?s really a relief to be aware that now we are getting competitive also in hot conditions.?

Aleix Espargar?:

?The crash was a little one, but exactly the same as the other two I had; three crashes in a weekend is something rare and I?m disappointed with this. I struggled a lot with the front grip for the whole weekend, then in the race I had to push a lot and the problem generated the crash. Such a bad feeling I had in the race is not normal, maybe we can investigate some possible causes, but also the truth is that probably the tyre choice was a mistake. It?s always easy to comment when the game is over, but looking at the winner, we should have made a completely different choice. It?s a mistake, once again I struggled to find a good direction to work, we cannot work harder than what we are doing so be should probably find a better way to work in order to make better choices and be more competitive.?


GP TIM DI SAN MARINO E DELLA RIVIERA DI RIMINI RACE RESULT:

1 Dani PEDROSA - Repsol Honda Team - 43'43.524
2 Valentino ROSSI - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 43'46.361 + 2.837
3 Jorge LORENZO - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 43'47.883 + 4.359
4 Marc MARQUEZ - Repsol Honda Team - 43'53.093 + 9.569
5 Maverick VI?ALES - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 43'58.991 + 15.467
6 Andrea DOVIZIOSO - Ducati Team - 44'03.200 + 19.676
7 Michele PIRRO - Ducati Team - 44'06.460 + 22.936
8 Pol ESPARGARO - Monster Yamaha Tech 3 - 44'10.679 + 27.155
9 Cal CRUTCHLOW - LCR Honda - 44'10.726 + 27.202
10 Alvaro BAUTISTA - Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 44'17.492 + 33.968
NC: Aleix ESPARGARO - SUZUKI ECSTAR - 26'52.205 - 11 laps

 

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Inch-perfect Pedrosa sweeps to masterful Misano victory
11 Sep 2016

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) scored a storming victory in today?s sun-blessed San Marino Grand Prix, the former 125cc and 250cc World Champion coming from behind to win his first race of the season and his 29th MotoGP success. He also gave Honda its fourth victory from the last six races to increase Honda?s lead in the Constructor?s World Championship.

Team-mate and World Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) finished fourth in the tense, tight race to take a 43-point lead into the last five of 18 races. The 2013 and 2014 MotoGP World Champion continued his brilliant consistency with his 13th-point-scoring ride from the 13 races so far. The 23-year-old is the only rider across all three Grand Prix classes ? MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 ? to have scored points at every race.

His result also played its part in the Repsol Honda Team?s 26-point advantage in the MotoGP Teams? Championship.

Thirty-year-old Pedrosa was in irresistible form, making his way through from an eighth-place start, picking off the riders ahead of him to claim his first win since Sepang, last October. He was also the eighth different winner in the last eight races, a feat never before achieved since the dawn of Grand Prix racing in 1949.

Building his way into the race, Pedrosa overtook Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) for the lead on lap 22 of 28 and from there maintained a scintillating pace to finish 2.8 seconds ahead of Rossi. Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) was third.

Pedrosa?s result moved him back into fourth overall, following a challenging earlier part of the season during which he visited the podium twice. The Spaniard?s win was partly built on set-up improvements made during last weekend?s British GP which allowed him to set a fast, consistent pace throughout the Misano race.

His ride also showed the recent gains HRC engineers have made with electronics set-up, while his improved feeling with the latest Michelin tyres was also a factor.

Marquez had been confident of challenging for a race win but midway through the race realised that he could not fight with the leaders. He was pleased enough with his pace, which was similar to FP4 but soon saw Pedrosa could go even faster.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda RC213V) had a tough race to eighth place, struggling with vision issues caused by sweat on the inside of his visor that caused him to miss his braking marker at the end of the front straight. The 30-year old was confident he could have placed inside the top six, had it not been for his vision issues.

Rookie Tito Rabat (EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) crashed on the second lap, spoiling his chance of scoring more points. The 2014 Moto2 World Champion returned to pit lane for repairs and then posted some promising times toward the end of the race.

Still struggling with injuries sustained at last month?s Austrian Grand Prix, Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) withdrew from the 13th race of the season before the start. The Australian cracked a vertebra and broke a bone in his right hand at the Red Bull Ring. Tge hand injury made it too difficult to deal with Misano?s numerous heavy braking points and tight corners.

The MotoGP paddock now has one weekend in which to catch its breath before the Grand Prix of Aragon, on September 25.


Dani Pedrosa 26
1st
?It was a great race, and it has been a long time since I have had these feelings. The performance I put in today surprised even myself, because I had not expected to go so fast; we were fantastic. The key was the pace; I was able to fight my way through, especially in the final part, and being consistent allowed me to catch the riders at the front. It?s very nice for me to take victory again, after all the effort made by those who have been with me in this challenging season so far: my family, my team and my fans. It has been very difficult, so I?m very happy for all of them. Today I enjoyed myself, although I was a little worried about the choice of front tyre because I had not used it in hot conditions. In the end we were focused and everything went very well; it was an opportunity of which we had to take advantage and I think we have achieved a great victory."

Marc Marquez 93
4th
?Today?s race was perhaps not one of my better days. I went out with great desire and I felt strong, able to recover the ground I had lost on the first few laps and close in on Valentino and Jorge. Then I saw I had problems with the front tyre, because I was losing it a lot. When Dani passed me, I tried to follow him, but I saw that it was more likely that I would crash than finish on the podium, so I concentrated on finishing the race. We have to keep improving, but the positive thing is that we only lost a few points on a weekend that had been good but that we weren?t able to capitalize in the race. Now we are very motivated for Aragon.?

Cal Crutchlow 35
9th
?First and foremost I ran across turn one five times during the race, simply because sweat was on the inside of my visor and I couldn?t see a thing from lap eight onwards. I usually have a sweatband but it moved into the wrong position and sweat was dripping everywhere. This is essentially why we were dropping back. I would have had a better race but I couldn?t see anything. In the race, I used the medium front tyre. We were struggling with the front of our bike all weekend. We tried our best to fix it but essentially we were losing too much time in sector three, and I couldn?t get the time back anywhere else because I didn?t have confidence in the front.?


Tito Rabat 53
17th
?I made a very good first lap but then made a mistake. I braked too hard, lost the front and could not save it. The footpegs were broken, so my thanks to the team for quickly fixing this problem. I re-joined and settled into a good rhythm in the group with Petrucci and Bradl who finished in the top twelve and I learnt a lot of things riding with these guys. Now I will focus on the next race at Aragon.?

Jack Miller 43
DNS
?Misano is a much more physically demanding track to ride than Silverstone and my right hand has been getting worse each day. Every time I got off the bike the swelling was more. It?s not painful, but I was lacking power in the hand and you need to have that here for the hard braking areas. I thought long and hard about it last night, but it simply wasn?t safe for me to ride a 28-lap race with this problem. Now I am focused only on recovery and getting back on the bike as soon as I am fully fit again.?