Gran Premi Monster Energy De Catalunya

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain

June 17, 2018

Race Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 24 laps, Total Race Time 40:13.566

2. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), -4.479 seconds

3. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), -6.098

4. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), -9.805

5. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), -10.640

6. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), -10.798

7. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), -13.432

8. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), -15.055

9. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), -22.057

10. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), -24.141

11. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), -36.560

12. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), -38.229

13. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), -81.526

14. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), -3 laps, crash, pitted

15. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), -4 laps, DNF, crash

16. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), -6 laps, DNF, retired

17. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), -7 laps, DNF, retired

18. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), -11 laps, DNF, crash

19. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), -11 laps, DNF, crash

20. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), -13 laps, DNF, retired

21. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), -16 laps, DNF, crash

22. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), -17 laps, DNF, crash

23. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), -20 laps, DNF, crash

24. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), -21 laps, DNF, crash

25. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suzuki), -22 laps, DNF, crash

26. Mika Kallio, Finland (KTM), -24 laps, DNF, crash

World Championship Point Standings (after 7 of 19 races):

1. Marquez, 115 points

2. Rossi, 88

3. Vinales, 77

4. Zarco, 73

5. Petrucci, 71

6. Crutchlow, 69

7. TIE, Lorenzo/Dovizioso/Iannone, 66

10. Miller, 49

11. Pedrosa, 40

12. Rins 33

13. Pol Espargaro, 28

14. Rabat, 27

15. Bautista, 26

16. Morbidelli, 19

17. Syahrin, 17

18. Aleix Espargaro, 13

19. Nakagami, 10

20. Redding, 9

21. Smith, 7

22. Kallio, 6

23. Abraham, 4

24. TIE, Luthi/Simeon, 0

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech3:

Zarco seals important points in action packed Catalan GP

Monster Yamaha Tech3 star Johann Zarco showed a brave performance today at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Following a difficult start, the fast Frenchman found himself in 12th spot after the first lap and started his comeback. Lap by lap he made up positions, getting out the most of himself and his Yamaha YZR-M1and eventually saw the chequered flag in seventh.

On the other side of the garage, Hafizh Syahrin did an incredible race, after launching off the line from P14, he performed in a determined way, whereas he fought his way through to ninth. Unfortunately, he highsided with just a few laps to go and therefore, already sets his sights on the Dutch Grand Prix, where he aims to make up for the lost points in just 12 days’ time.

Johann Zarco

Position: 7th – Championship: 4th – Points: 73

“This has been a difficult race. The pace was quite ok, but I had many unlucky moments during the race. The start was good, but then I had to close the gas between two riders, so I lost positions. I could not find a place to overtake and later on, when I was ready to pass, it was a yellow flag, so I had to slow down again. There were many moments that lowered my pace a bit and then I really tried to manage all the race and catch Pedrosa and Crutchlow. I was almost able to do it, but then I was tired and holding the bike became more and more difficult. Viñales caught me and I had to finish in seventh position. It’s not a disaster, we are still pretty good in the Championship, pretty good to fight for the second place overall. Rossi is in this position at the moment and he has to be very clever to keep it, I want to be clever, too. I think we are on a good way together with my crew, we just have to keep working in this good direction and keep trusting that once everything will be understood well, I will be able to be back on the podium.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: DNF – Championship: 17th – Points: 17

“I felt really good during the race, but just made a mistake and went wide. I tried to come back to the right line and I had a highside immediately, so I crashed out. I’m truly sorry to the team. I try to learn from this mistake and I try to come back stronger. We could finish inside the top 9, but it was not meant to be. I can’t express, how sorry I feel for my guys and my sponsors and everybody, that supports me. I promise, I try to make up for this in the next round.”

Hervé PONCHARAL

Team Manager

“We had a tough weekend here in Montmeló. We knew from the practices and the Qualifying that it will not be easy. The start of the race was average, still I think Johann put his head down and pushed all race long. He managed to have a very steady pace and climbed up to seventh. We have to take the positives. Although the races have not been easy, we are fourth in the Championship, just a few points away from third, so everything is still open and clearly, as I said in Mugello before, we need to score points everywhere. It was not a brilliant weekend, but in the end, we managed to score some good points. We stay here for another day tomorrow and maybe we can learn and understand a bit more. On Hafizh’ side, I’m really disappointed, because all weekend long, he was showing a really unbelievable pace and was by far the best rookie. Five laps to go, he was in a strong position with nobody threatening him and the board was clear. All I can say is, that this was a big mistake, but apart from that he has done a great weekend, he has been fast all the time, which will give him confidence. I think he would have really liked to finish this race. Barcelona is his second home GP, he lives here and has many friends here, so this is a bitter feeling. Never mind, he is only two points behind Morbidelli in the rookie ranking and we have many more races. Hopefully, he can learn more tomorrow and then Assen will be a bit sweeter.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ CRASHES AND MISSES THE CHANCE FOR A GOOD PLACEMENT

SCOTT REDDING RIDES HIS RS-GP TO A POINTS FINISH WITH A VERY REGULAR RACE

Aleix Espargaró compromised his chances for a good placement in the Spanish MotoGP race with a crash. Forced to start from the seventh row after less than positive qualifiers and due to a penalty incurred during warm up (when he involuntarily found himself on Jorge Lorenzo’s line) which relegated him three positions farther back, Aleix was in a position where he had to overtake a lot of riders straight away.

With a decidedly improved feeling astride his Aprilia compared to Friday and Saturday, it only took him a few laps to catch up with Redding, Bautista, Rins, Pol Espargaró and Nakagami. However, shortly after overtaking the Japanese rider, he lost the front end and wound up in the gravel.

Scott Redding, after a weekend of increasing his confidence with the RS-GP, rode an intelligent race. After finding a good pace, he maintained a very regular rhythm which allowed him to move up several positions and, also aided by a few crashes, finished the race in a good 12th place.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“One of my most difficult weekends. Usually on this track I am able to be competitive, but not this time. We made some significant changes to the RS-GP compared to yesterday and, to be honest, I felt a lot better, both in warm up and in the race. Unfortunately, everything was compromised by the qualifiers yesterday and the penalty this morning just added to that. I started very far back and I recovered a lot of positions straight away, but unfortunately then I had a stupid sliding crash on a turn where I did not expect that I could have crashed. The tests tomorrow will be fundamental for us. We need to change something in terms of settings in order to come out of this complicated period.”

SCOTT REDDING

“It wasn’t a bad race. Everyone was having trouble with the grip, whereas for me the situation was similar to other races. Generally, throughout the entire weekend I have felt better in the afternoon in conditions similar to the ones today. We changed the tyre choice just before the start and today it was the right move. I maintained my pace for all 24 laps, doing almost the entire race behind Pol Espargaró. I would have tried to overtake him toward the end, but a bit of chattering at the front, the same as I had felt this morning before crashing, convinced me to hold off and bring home the result.”

More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Team:

COMAPA ÁNGEL NIETO TEAM RIDERS BOTH FINISH IN THE POINTS

Álvaro Bautista places ninth in Barcelona, while Karel Abraham takes thirteenth in his best result of the year so far.

The 2017 MotoGP season experienced a change in the script with the Italian and Catalan GP results, and the same rounds in 2018 have provided a similar tale. Jorge Lorenzo is the rider who has emerged as a standout after consecutive wins at Mugello and Montmeló, and has risen from fourteenth to seventh in the space of two races. He still trails Marc Márquez by 49 points, and it was the reigning World Champion who placed second at the Catalan GP. Joining them on the podium was Valentino Rossi, who is second in the overall standings.

The Comapa Ángel Nieto Team once again had both riders in the points this weekend, for the first time since the Qatar GP. Álvaro Bautista was ninth, gaining thirteen places to repeat the result he took at the Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago. He has established improving his qualifying times as a main goal, in order to allow him to fight higher up the order in the race. Karel Abraham placed thirteenth, despite not making a good start from twentieth on the grid. He remained in contact with the group, until a fall from a rider in front of him separated him from his rivals and forced him to ride almost in solitary. Despite this and a technical problem with his bike, Abraham fought hard throughout the race and added three more points to his tally.

9th Álvaro Bautista: “It was a great comeback, moving up thirteen positions. We knew it was going to be a battle for survival, and that proved to be the case. We started calmly, in order not to heat up the tyres too much. Last year I had trouble finishing the race, but this year with the soft tyre they weren’t too worn down at the chequered flag. I had a good pace; except for when passing other riders I was in the 1:40s. It’s a shame to have started so far back, because if I were to have qualified better on Saturday I could have been with the front group. It is something that we have to improve. I hope to be able to qualify better for the next race. I’m happy with how I felt during the race.”

12+1 Karel Abraham: “This was a war of attrition. I didn’t start well but I was in the group. Unfortunately, on the last corner Kallio highsided in front of me and I lost several seconds that left me separated from the group. After a few laps I started hearing a strange sound from the bike, but I kept pushing to get to the line. This technical problem made us use our heads, think about finishing and about taking the maximum possible points, because I also saw that other riders were crashing out. It would have been a shame not to have finished; it’s a bittersweet feeling, with us taking three points but having a tricky race.”

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

Tito Rabat leaves his home Grand Prix without reward

Reale Avintia Racing – GP of Catalunya– Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya

The race day at the GP of Catalunya started really well for Tito Rabat, who clocked the second fastest time in the warm-up session, leaving no doubt that he had his homework done for the 24-lap-race. When the red light went out, he did a good start and, despite losing some positions initially, clawed his way back to take ninth on lap 15. But only three laps later he ran into a mechanical problem and was forced to retire with his Ducati on fire. But nevertheless, the Reale Avintia Racing Team rider was quite satisfied, because from race to race, he is getting closer to the top and he shows his great potential.

For Simeon, the race finished in the eighth lap with a crash in turn one. All in all though, the Belgian rider was still happy with his progress over the weekend at Barcelona. He improved in each free practice session and in the race, he was fighting within a group of riders until the crash.

It was a very special Sunday for everyone in the Reale Avintia Racing team remembering Andreas Pérez and it was a pity that Rabat and Simeon were not able to dedicate a strong result to the young rider who tragically lost his life one week ago.

The riders will stay at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to complete a one-day-test on Monday in order to get ready for the next round in Assen in just two weeks time.

Tito Rabat | DNF

“It was a shame because until this moment, our weekend was perfect, the race included. We were close to the front and I think it would have been possible to score a good result. We had positive experiences throughout the weekend, like our strong FP3 that allowed me to get straight in Q2, like my good start in the race today and my strong race pace. I overtook several riders and got a lot of information for my technical crew. I’m happy because race by race I feel more confident with the bike. I love how the Ducati works and my team did a wonderful job again. We wanted to push very hard at home, and this things can happen. Now we are concentrating on tomorrow’s test and the next round in Assen.”

Xavier Simeon | DNF

“I want to say sorry to my team, because the crash was my fault. Apart of that, the weekend has been positive and I want to keep all this in my mind and learn from the mistakes. During the weekend we have been closer, and I was able to show more of my potential, and this is definitely positive. I understand better now how this bike works, so despite the crash I think I have reason to be happy. I look forward to go to Assen and keep this progression.”

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

Gran Premi de Catalunya – The RACE

#CatalanGP Race. Petrux (8th) fights for the Top 5. Jack forced to retire after a convincing race.

The Gran Premi de Catalunya ends with a good P8 for Danilo Petrucci who wins fifth place in the MotoGP standings. Jack Miller was forced to retire due to a technical problem after a good race. Alma Pramac Racing is fourth in the team standings after seven races behind Honda, Yamaha and Ducati.

Petrux’s start wasn’t incisive but the rider from Terni was good at staying with the leading group. On lap three he overtook Iannone to gain sixth place, then fought with Pedrosa to the P5. After Dovizioso’s crash Danilo is fourth but the feeling with the front tire is not good. Four laps from the end, he tried to chase Zarco for seventh but the gap was too wide.

Jack protects the tires in the early laps and the strategy is the right one. After nine laps the Australian rider started to push and took ninth position. A technical problem forced him to quit a good race.

P8 Danilo Petrucci

“I am satisfied with what I did in the first laps. I was with Pedrosa trying to manage the rear tire then I started to have a problem with the front as I could not brake hard. I was convinced I could be in the Top 5 but I am happy because I am 5th in the standings”.

DNF Jack Miller

“I managed to save the tire in order to be competitive in the second half of the race. I was with Vinales and Zarco and felt confident. Then I had a technical problem. It is a shame. I could make a good result. I can’t wait to be in Assen”.

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

ROSSI CONTINUES THIRD-PLACE PODIUM STREAK IN CATALUNYA

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales retained their second and third place in the 2018 MotoGP World Championship rankings after finishing the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya in third and sixth position respectively.

Montmeló (Spain), 17th June 2018

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi has taken his third consecutive third-place finish in the 2018 MotoGP World Championship at today’s Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. Teammate Maverick Viñales endured a tough start at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He placed mid-pack after the start but made up positions in the second half of the race to take sixth place crossing the finish line.

Rossi had a good start from seventh on the grid and stormed to fifth going into Turn 1. One lap in, he passed Andrea Iannone and was in pursuit of the three-rider front group. He wasn’t quite able to match their pace at the early stages, but kept piling on the pressure, making sure he never lost touch.

With Andrea Dovizioso crashing out in lap 9, the Doctor moved up to third place. With a 3.5s gap to the leaders and over 2.5s to the rider behind him, the remaining 15 laps were a lonely ride for the Italian. He focused on maintaining the advantage and secured his third consecutive third-place finish, with a 6.098s margin to first.

Viñales had trouble getting away from fourth place on the starting grid and fell back to tenth position. He passed Bradley Smith on lap 4, and after Dovizioso crashed out the Spaniard soon overtook Iannone. He moved up to seventh and got into a battle with fellow Yamaha rider Johann Zarco. He had to let the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider through, but cleverly stayed on his tail.

The pair started to produce multiple personal best laps and together overtook Danilo Petrucci on lap 14. Viñales was up for the fight and fired in his first attack on Zarco with 10 laps to go, but was unsuccessful. Seven laps later he put in a second attempt and grabbed sixth place. He was on a good rhythm and threatening Dani Pedrosa in fifth, but came just short. He took the chequered flag in sixth position, 10.798s from the leader.

Rossi‘s third place keeps him in second position in the championship standings with 88 points, 11 points ahead of teammate Viñales, who remains in third position. Yamaha moved down to third place in the Constructor Championship, with a 26-point margin to first, while the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team remain in first position in the team standings and now have a 10-point gap to the second team.

MotoGP will be back on the Montmeló track tomorrow for a one-day test. After that they will return to action for the Motul TT Assen round, held at the TT Circuit Assen from June 29th – July 1st.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

Looking back at the struggles we faced last year, today’s third place by Valentino is a good result. He found a solution in the warm up and made the right tyre choice, even though we took a bit of a gamble as none of the front tyre specs were a perfect fit. He had a really good start and managed the gap to fourth place well. It’s a pity that Maverick was unable to finish higher than he did. This weekend he worked hard with his team in all practice sessions to have a good pace in the earlier laps, but unfortunately he got stuck mid-pack after a difficult start and couldn’t quite get into a fast rhythm until the second half of the race. We will continue to work hard tomorrow at the one-day test here in Montmeló. We’ll use today’s data to compare some new options.

VALENTINO ROSSI

Yesterday, after the practice sessions, I saw that my rivals were a bit faster than I was. I was very close to the second group, but this morning we improved the settings with my team, together with Silvano, and then I had better turning and could go a bit faster. After that I wasn‘t far off, but unfortunately just not close enough. Later Dovi made a mistake and I arrived on the podium. I‘m happy because last year at this race track we struggled a lot – it was a disaster – while this year I was able to keep up the pace until the last lap, in a good way. These are also important points for the championship, because I’ve gained a small advantage to defend second place and we have to continue like this.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

I had a lot of trouble in the first laps, especially at the start, I seem to be the only Yamaha to have problems, I really don’t understand it. I need to have the possibility to start well and then, for sure, it’s going to be another race. When I’m alone on the track I can do the same rhythm as Jorge and Marc. We need to keep working, stay focused on our side, to be strong. It’s difficult right now, but we’ll keep pushing. I know that when the bike is good I’m there at the front, that’s why I’m calm.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: 

Gran Premi de Catalunya

MotoGP 2018 Round 7

Marc Marquez scores important podium in Catalunya with Dani Pedrosa in fifth

Today, Marc Marquez took an important second-place finish in Catalunya, which enabled him to extend his Championship lead to 27 points over runner-up Valentino Rossi.

With a great start, Marc got into and through the first turn ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, who passed him on the following lap. Marc who, outside of two non-point-scoring finishes, has so far never finished worse than second this season, stuck to the countryman for the first 9 laps of the race, looking for a chance to fight for the win. After realizing that it was too risky maintaining Lorenzo’s pace, he settled for the 20 points and a second-place position.

After a good start from the fourth row, Dani Pedrosa was able to maintain a decent pace despite struggling with a lack of grip, defending fifth position over Maverick Vinales on the final lap.

Tomorrow the Repsol Honda Team will remain in Catalunya for a one-day testing session.

Marc Marquez 93

2ND

“Today was a race where we had to manage as best as possible and I tried to be smart. Of course in the first laps I pushed hard because it was important to follow Jorge and to open a gap on the chasers. When we built a comfortable advantage I just managed the pace. I even slowed down a bit in the final part of the race as it was impossible to catch Lorenzo. I saw many crashes, which made me think more than I did in other races. Sometimes the tyre choice you make doesn’t result in the exact feeling you were hoping for, but I think that second is very good for the Championship because we arrived here with a 23-point lead and go to Assen with 27. It’s time to understand how the situation is and try and manage it as best as possible. We made a mistake in Mugello and that had me thinking a lot. Of course, when you don’t win the feeling that you were missing something remains, but a podium is a good result! Maybe other challenging races will arrive but the good thing for us is that so far in every race we have been in good shape.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

5TH

“I think we did a good result enough considering the weekend, because starting eleventh and finishing fifth is a good recovery. Of course, we cannot be satisfied with that. The feeling was not there, and I struggled a lot with a lack of grip during the race. The riders I was fighting with could gain on me, especially mid-corner and out of the corners. I could be a bit stronger in braking but ultimately my lap times were a bit slower. Cal passed me in the end as a result, and Vinales could catch me as well, though I was able to hold him off on the last lap. Tomorrow we have a one-day test and hopefully we’ll be able to solve this issue and be fast in the coming races.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

CRUTCHLOW BEST INDEPENDENT TEAM RIDER ON CATALAN SOIL

LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow produced a classy ride to claim an excellent fourth place at the Grand Prix of Catalunya on Sunday. A late crash in qualifying on Saturday had seen the Briton start from the fourth row in Barcelona, but he demonstrated patience and the pace that had been evident all weekend to eventually finish just outside the podium spots.

Having made a solid start, Crutchlow started to make his way through the field as he passed the likes of Maverick Vinales and Andrea Iannone. In the latter stages he became involved in a battle with HRC colleague Dani Pedrosa for fourth spot but, having got the better of the Spaniard, opened a gap which he maintained until the chequered flag.

After his disappointment on Saturday, Crutchlow was understandably satisfied with the result which leaves him sixth in the World Championship standings, just eight points behind Vinales in third.

Cal Crutchlow – 4th

“A good day today, obviously the whole LCR Honda CASTROL team did a good job. We’re pleased with the result. For the bad qualifying yesterday I’m sorry to the team, but I think we repaid them today with a good result.

“I aimed for the podium and we finished fourth, so we have to be happy with the result and it’s also good for the championship. Thanks to my team for all their efforts this weekend, we put on a good show and now I look forward to Assen.”

More, from a press release issued by Michelin:

MICHELIN MEETS MONTMELO’S DEMANDS AS LORENZO TAKES A DOUBLE

Michelin’s MotoGP™ tyres were put to another strenuous test in today’s race as Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) produced another masterful display at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya to take his second successive victory following success at Mugello two weeks ago.

The newly resurfaced Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya at Montmelo, produced a difficult examination for all riders and for the race rubber which Michelin had supplied. High track temperatures on the different asphalt gave the riders a new set of conditions to overcome from that which they faced at the test recently, when temperatures were much lower. Lorenzo was the one that adapted best to the surface and the Michelin tyres which had been selected for the event. He set Pole on Saturday and recorded the fastest lap in today’s race on his way to a commanding victory by more than four-seconds.

Michelin had made the selection for this weekend’s race prior to the start of the season – due to new rules which had been introduced – and despite having to prepare for an unknown entity the tyres performed well all weekend and gave some impressive lap-times, as well as consistency on race-day. The data gathered from this race will now enable the Michelin technicians to prepare optimum tyres for the Barcelona track for next season, which will give even greater performance and faster times.

Lorenzo raced to victory at the 4,627m circuit on a pairing of soft MICHELIN Power Slick tyres for the front and rear, whilst second-placed Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) opted for the hard front and rear, with third place Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) making the same choice as the race winner, this trio meant the podium had three different manufacturers filling the top-three positions. Fourth, and the position of First Independent Rider, went to Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) using a medium front and a soft rear, whilst Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) took fifth with a machine shod with a front and rear medium tyre, meaning that the first five positions saw all six compounds available this weekend used in varying combinations, again highlighting the choice Michelin gives to all combatants. Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was next across the line in sixth with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in seventh. Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) and Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) raced their Ducatis to eighth and ninth respectively, with Andrea Iannone (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) rounding out the top-ten.

Michelin will now remain at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the majority of the MotoGP field for an official one-day test, before the series moves to its most northerly race of the season on Sunday 1st July, when the Dutch TT takes place at Assen in The Netherlands.

Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team:

“We had to manage the front and rear well today, because the track temperatures were high and after the Moto2 race the track had changed, so I had to adapt my riding style – as I had done in Mugello. It was also difficult because Marc never gave up and he made it very tough. Michelin did a good job here, because it was a new track. It was a hard race, but I didn’t lose concentration and in the end, we made possible what looked impossible two-months ago!”

Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:

“This was a difficult weekend as we had not raced on this surface before so had no data when we had to select the tyres at the start of the season. We made what we thought was the best choice and after a recent test we decided on the three front and rear which were the best of the four we originally selected. After today we have more information on how the surface behaves and will definitely use this to make our decision on the tyres for next year. That said, we brought three different front compound and three rears to here and all six were used today and all to good effect. This is always a pleasing thing as it justifies our choices and shows that we are constantly supplying tyres that all riders and manufacturers can use. We now have a test on Monday where we will get more info and we have a new front tyre for all to test as we begin to prepare for 2019.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

NAKAGAMI CRASHES OUT IN BARCELONA

LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami suffered disappointment at the Grand Prix of Catalunya as he crashed out midway through Sunday’s showpiece. The Japanese talent was full of confidence heading into the race having secured 12th place on the grid after progressing to Q2 on Saturday for the first time.

However, Nakagami was unable to take advantage of that excellent qualifying performance as he failed to finish a race for the first time in his debut MotoGP season. Battling for the points place with Bradley Smith with 11 laps to go, the 26year-old man lost the front end of his RCV and slid out at turn five, taking Smith with him.

Takaaki Nakagami– DNF

“Unfortunately I had a crash in the middle of the race. From the beginning I didn’t have a great feeling with the front tyre and in many places I started to close the steering. I knew it would be a difficult race, but that made it harder.

“On turn five I tried to overtake Bradley (Smith), but I was over the limit and I lost the front. I’m sorry for crashing into Bradley and sorry for the team also because this weekend they did a great job. Of course we’re disappointed, but tomorrow we have the test so we’ll just think about the next one.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Jorge Lorenzo hammers in another superb win at the Catalan GP at Montmeló. Andrea Dovizioso forced to retire after a crash

Two weeks after his Mugello triumph, Jorge Lorenzo today made it two in a row by winning the Catalan GP at the Montmeló circuit. The rider from Mallorca, who started from pole, moved into the lead of the race on lap 2 when he passed Marquez, and then firmly held onto that position right until the chequered flag, finishing over four seconds ahead of his Honda rival.

It was an unfortunate race for Andrea Dovizioso, who also started from the front row after going third-quickest in qualifying yesterday. The Italian crashed under braking for Turn 5 when he was in third and had to retire.

Lorenzo has now moved up to seventh place in the overall standings on 66 points, followed by Dovizioso with the same haul, while Ducati now lie second overall in the Constructors’ championship with 132 points.

The next race of the MotoGP World Championship will be in the Netherlands, in two weeks time, at the Assen circuit for the Dutch TT from 29th June to 1st July.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 1st

“Today’s win was really fantastic! We showed that we can win not only by entering the first turn in first place, but also by recovering and overtaking the others. It was actually a complicated race because I got off to a bad start and lost a lot of metres to Marquez, but I told myself that the race was long and I had to keep calm. It wasn’t too difficult to take Marc, because I had that little bit extra under braking, but he stayed pretty close to me right down to the flag. Now we’ve got a very competitive package and I think that this is the most complete Ducati bike of all time: both Dovi and I this weekend have always been competitive. We must capitalize on this situation because the Desmosedici works well at virtually every track, it doesn’t consume the tyres too much, and this is a big advantage. Now let’s enjoy this win and then we’ll think about the next race.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – DNF

“The crash was my fault because I was pushing hard because I didn’t want to lose contact with Jorge and Marc. Unfortunately, in the race there wasn’t as much grip as in the morning and I wasn’t able to ride in the same way. I didn’t expect that, I came into the turn too quickly and crashed under braking. A real pity because once again here we were fast and we could have scored a lot of points, but now we can only look ahead because we know we are fast everywhere, and even though we still have to improve several aspects, we are always fighting for the win. We’ll start to think about the championship when the time comes, but for the moment we’re only thinking about winning races.”

Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)

“I am very pleased because here at Montmeló we were fast with both our riders throughout the entire weekend. Jorge was great and to see him ride this way, for everyone who loves our sport, is something really fantastic. I’m disappointed for Andrea, who was doing a good job, but in any case we’re satisfied because our performance in the last two races make us feel confident also for Assen and for Sachsenring, two tracks that are normally not so favourable for us.”