Red Bull Indianapolis GP FIM MotoGP World Championship Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis, Indiana August 16, 2013 Free Practice Two Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:39.502 2. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:39.582 3. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), 1:39.681, crash 4. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:39.765 5. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), 1:39.813 6. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:40.084 7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), 1:40.087 8. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:40.240 9. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), 1:40.433 10. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:40.552 11. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (ART-Aprilia), 1:40.750 12. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (IODA/SUTER-BMW), 1:41.099 13. Ben SPIES, USA (DUCATI), 1:41.145 14. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:41.444 15. Claudio CORTI, Italy (FTR-Kawasaki), 1:41.552 16. Colin EDWARDS, USA (FTR-Kawasaki), 1:41.588 17. Hector BARBERA, Spain (FTR-Kawasaki), 1:41.814 18. Randy DE PUNIET, France (ART-Aprilia), 1:41.956 19. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (ART-Aprilia), 1:42.088 20. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (FTR-Kawasaki), 1:42.808 21. Lukas PESEK, Czech Republic (IODA/SUTER-BMW), 1:42.828 22. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (ART-Aprilia), 1:42.927 23. Bryan STARING, Australia (FTR-Honda), 1:43.253 24. Michael LAVERTY, UK (PBM-Aprilia), 1:43.741 25. Blake YOUNG, USA (APR-Kawasaki), 1:45.590 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team: Action Begins at the Brickyard for the Indianapolis Grand Prix Weekend Indianapolis (Indiana, USA), 16th August 2013 Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were on track today for the first practice session of the weekend for the Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday. After a summer break shortened by a two-day private test at Brno this was the first opportunity for both riders to shake off any cobwebs and get back into a riding rhythm. Lorenzo continues to improve his fitness following his two collarbone surgeries earlier in the season. The reigning world champion finished the morning practice in third, 0.480 seconds from first then went on to wrap up the afternoon session in fourth, having closed the time gap to first to just 0.263 seconds. Rossi also made improvements between the two sessions. The nine-time world champion completed the morning session in fifth place 0.766 seconds from the front then worked hard to shave time off in the afternoon, finishing sixth with a gap of 0.582 seconds to first. Jorge Lorenzo 4th / 1’39.765 / 27 laps “The collarbone is feeling good, it’s not 100% yet but it’s close. It doesn’t give me too many problems to ride at a high level. We are still very far from the track record and the track is still quite slippery. Compared to last year I think we are going to have less problems to fight for the podium. I won here in 2009 but usually it’s not so easy for me. Sometimes the other Yamaha riders are faster than me but so far it’s a good start. This morning the track conditions were better than I expected and then improved further over the day, so this afternoon all riders improved their lap times. We still have some problems, especially in braking but I think our margin can be improved quite a bit. We didn’t make so many laps in the afternoon; I wanted to make more but firstly the red flag cost us time and then at the end I found so many CRT bikes there it was hard to get clear laps.” Valentino Rossi 6th / 1’40.084 / 39 laps “Today I had two different bikes to try and improve the feeling in braking and entering. We made two different comparisons and at the end we decided the way to go. Tomorrow we will concentrate on that bike to try to fix some problems with under steer and a bit too much pushing on the front, especially in two or three entries that are very difficult. In general I am quite happy, not so much with sixth position but I am just half a second from pole and I reduced my gap to Marquez and Lorenzo. Together with Cal the three Yamahas are all together. We have to fix some areas and tomorrow we will make another step.” Yamaha Factory Racing Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “The first day at Indy is done. In my eyes it has been quite a positive start. First of all Jorge is feeling good, he’s physically much better than the last couple of races. Also the bike is working well and of course we are working to get it better. We are not satisfied with P4 but the gap is very tight so we have some work to do for tomorrow.” Yamaha Factory Racing Massimo Meregalli Team Director “The weekend started much better than last year and also it’s nice to see Jorge back riding at nearly 100%. We still have some work to do to close the gap to our competitors but we have three practices to study the data and analyse the rider feeling. I am optimistic we will be there on Sunday. Today’s final positions are not super good but overall the bike behaviour and the rider performance is not so bad. We have to improve a few tenths in a few sectors and then we will be there.” More, from a press release issued by Cardion AB Motoracing: Tough heavy crash for Abraham in Indianapolis without any serious injury Karel Abraham did not sustain any bigger serious injury after his big crash during the first free practice in Indianapolis. Doctors excluded any serious injury, however the rider has heavily bruised his foot and left shoulder. In the evening free practice, Abraham came back on the track and finished on twenty-second position. The Czech rider should fully take part of Saturday’s free practices and qualification. Karel Abraham: „The crash in the morning was really bad, but how it might turn out, it is good. I have bruised shoulder and heel, but important is, that nothing is broken. If I have some muscles injured it has not been seen yet, so I hope it will be fine. Of course I feel terrible right now, but I hope to feel much better until tomorrow morning. I don’t know exactly what happened. At the exit of the corner I felt as motorbike injection has missed for one second and than restart again and I could not reacted for that. We were discussing it with my mechanics and one possible reason is that I pushed by mistake gear lever, but at the end we excluded it. Well this will be another racing weekend during which I’ll ride with injection for pain, but I’ll do everything I can to figure it out.“ Marco Grana, chef mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing „At the end of the evening free practice we made a time around 1:42,9 and that is better than time what Karel made before he crashed out. That is quite positive. Karel has a pain in his shoulder and heel; therefore he was forced to ride under anesthetics. We did not obligate him to ride on the limit, because it would be counter-productive. After as tough crash has logically little bit fear. So for today, this result is good enough for us. We will try to put a hard tyre in front tomorrow, because Karel was complying about chattering there. We have also to solve the problem with spin on the rear. I hope that Karel will be fine tomorrow and we will get faster. In the morning, before the crash occurred, he rode very fast.“ More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Repsol Honda duo top time sheets on day one at Red Bull Indianapolis GP With conditions improving from FP1 – track temperature increasing from 26ºC to 39ºC and air temperature from 18ºC to 23ºC, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa have set the fastest times on day one in Indianapolis, significantly improving on their times set this morning. Marc completed 21 laps and set the fastest time of 1’39.502 on lap 19, 1.2s faster than this morning. Dani was 2nd with 1’39.582 recorded on lap 9 of 19, just 0.08s off Marc, and a full 2 seconds faster than his best time in FP1. Marc Marquez 1st 1’39.502 “Today went pretty well. After the break it was important to regain confidence on the bike. The truth is that I felt comfortable almost immediately. I tried to stay calm during the first few laps, as they are the most delicate and I’m happy with how the day went. The track improved a lot in terms of grip from session to session, so tomorrow we will likely see the times come down again. I think we’re going in the right direction, so tomorrow we will continue as we have been doing so far” Dani Pedrosa 2nd 1’39.582 “Today we went on track in both sessions, unlike at Laguna Seca. During the first session I felt a little strange when riding and I was a stiff on the bike, but in the second session I went faster because I loosened up a lot. Let’s see if tomorrow we can improve the feel on the bike and take some more off our lap time” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Crutchlow and Smith make strong start at iconic Indianapolis The second half of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship got underway at the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway today, with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith making an impressively fast return from a well deserved summer break. Refreshed and raring to go after spending the three-week break relaxing in America, Crutchlow and Smith wasted no time in getting back in the groove on their YZR-M1 machinery to lap inside the top eight today. Crutchlow was second fastest in cool and cloudy conditions in FP1 this morning, with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s notorious lack of grip and bumpy surface making it hard to work on a set-up for Sunday’s 27-lap race. With more grip available and track temperatures increasing this afternoon, the British rider was able to improve his pace by 1.3s in FP2 to finish fifth fastest in an incredibly close fought session. Crutchlow’s best lap of 1.39.813 was just 0.311s off the best time set by World Championship leader Marc Marquez and the top 10 were covered by just over a second. Rookie Smith enjoyed an outstanding return to action at the legendary Brickyard venue today and after impressing with 10th position in FP1, he shone again in the second 45-minute session. Smith capitalised brilliantly on the improved track conditions to shave a massive 2.2s off his best time from this morning and a personal best of 1.40.240 moved him into eighth on the combined rankings. Smith was just over 0.7s off the fastest pace and less than 0.2s behind nine-times World Champion Valentino Rossi’s factory YZR-M1 machine in sixth position. Cal Crutchlow 5th 1.39.813 – 40 laps “Overall it has been a good day because we know this is not the easiest track for Yamaha. All of us are quite close but I am sure we can make some improvements for the rest of the weekend. We tried a few different things on the bike and we need to find some more feeling from the front-end but it is a decent start and something to build on for tomorrow. This morning was quite tough because the track was so slippery and the bumps seem to be much worse then when we’ve been here before. And I don’t remember the change in asphalt being so difficult, but it is the same for everybody.” Bradley Smith 8th 1.40.240 – 41 laps “It is great to be back on my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine again and I definitely felt the benefit of a good summer break with some good training out there today. I feel quite comfortable on this track and I don’t really have too many issues. Our base setting is in the ballpark but we can always make improvements and I am confident we can take some steps tomorrow. We know the track is going to continually improve now for the rest of the weekend, so it will be a case of adapting as the conditions change. But to be eighth is a great start for me and hopefully I can maintain that tomorrow to ensure I go immediately into QP2.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Ducati Team back in action in Indianapolis For the first day of free practice at the Indianapolis GP, the tenth round of the MotoGP world championship, both Ducati Team riders worked hard to find a good setup for their Desmosedici GP13 race bikes. Following the summer break, Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso were quite careful as they took to the track for the first session, due to the tricky condition of the asphalt, but they were more certain in the afternoon, when both managed to improve their times and to finish the day in ninth and tenth places, respectively, approximately one second off leader Marc Marquez’s best time. Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 9th (1:40.433) “The track definitely came in better on the first day than it has in years past. The lap times are much faster and immediately, we were able to get right into setup. It’s also less abrasive and easier on the tyres. Of course I hoped to be a bit faster, but we know we’re still sorting out some problems. The turning issue is hurting me a lot in some places, and it’s making the bumps worse because I can’t get the bike picked up in time to soak them up. We’ll keep working hard, but today was fairly positive overall.” Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 10th (1:40.552) “The day was so-so, as we’re a way off in terms of pace. It’s always difficult for everyone here because the grip is quite precarious, with unpredictable bumps that are hard to see. We managed to improve over this morning, as the grip got better, while we were also able to take some small steps forward. We have all day tomorrow to work, so we hope to get more good weather so we can improve my bike’s setup. The most important thing is to cut some tenths and not be too far back on the grid Sunday, so we can have some possibility in the race to try to get a good position.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: Ben Spies returned to the MotoGP World Championship in a positive frame of mind today after missing the last 4 races of the calendar, due to the intense physiotherapy required to recover from the damage suffered at the end of the 2012 season. The Texan ended the two free practice sessions with a best lap of 1’41.145, which was over one second faster than his morning session time. Currently the Texan’s aim is to regain confidence, in the shortest possible time, with his Desmosedici GP13 machine, and to find the necessary pace to obtain the best possible results in the remaining 9 races of the 2013 season. Ben Spies – Ignite Pramac Racing Team “Indianapolis has been a really good track in the past for me. It’s difficult, after three months of forced stop, to get back on the bike on such a physical track, with a lot of changes of direction, chicanes and slippery asphalt. Anyway I like this circuit a lot and the fans here at home. We have a lot of work to do but we will try to get back step by step. I am satisfied about today’s results during the two FP sessions and my aim for tomorrow is to get closer to the Ducati Factory riders and possibly to enter in the Top Ten for Qualifying without doing too much to avoid risks. We will take our time but I finally feel good in riding my bike.“ More, from another press release issued by Pramac Racing: Andrea Iannone returned to the track today after the injury he suffered during the weekend of the German Grand Prix. The Italian’s shoulder felt better than expected, despite partially limiting movement, and he was forced to compensate for lack of strength and mobility of the arm with the weight of his body. Nevertheless, the first day of free practice saw him set a time of 1’41.444, over 1 second faster than the morning session. Valuable assistance from the Clinica Mobile and some changes made together with the Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team will allow Andrea to maintain the confidence necessary to deal with the two hard days that await him here at Indianapolis. Andrea Iannone – Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team “All in all today has not gone too bad. My shoulder hurts, especially in changes of direction, and also I can’t brake well when turning into the curves. It’s not ideal, especially because with MotoGP bikes you really have to brake hard. I think that, together with the Clinica Mobile, we will evaluate the possibility of taking painkillers, in order to better withstand the pain, and I hope that, with some small modifications to the bike, tomorrow it can be better.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Marquez remains the man to beat as Indianapolis gets underway Marc Marquez led a Repsol Honda Team one-two in Friday’s second free practice session for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. The championship leader, who had already topped the morning period, maintained first position into the afternoon as teammate Dani Pedrosa and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl joined him inside the top three. As Marquez reduced the leading time to 1’39.502, Pedrosa – who briefly held P1 himself – was denied by less than one tenth of a second. Bradl – who suffered a fall this afternoon – jumped ahead of World Champion Lorenzo in the closing moments, who in-turn pipped Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow to fourth place. On the second Yamaha Factory Racing machine, Lorenzo’s teammate Valentino Rossi rounded out the first group of six. There was a welcome return to action for Ignite Pramac Racing’s Ben Spies, all set to start his first race since Austin. The American ended the day in 13th place, whereas Energy T.I. Pramac Racing entrant Andrea Iannone was 14th and also making a return to the championship from injury. Ahead of them, positions seven to ten were occupied by Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), Bradley Smith (Tech3) and Ducati Team duo Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso. The field was completed by wildcard rider Blake Young (Attack Performance Racing), while Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham was declared fit to continue competing despite suffering contusion of his left shoulder and left foot in a heavy highside crash during the first session; the Czech finished the day in 22nd position. There was a brief red flag stoppage in the afternoon when a marker became dislodged on the entry to Turn 1 – this was swiftly removed by the marshals. Moto2 Simone Corsi moved atop the timesheets as Moto2™ practice commenced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday. After a flurry of last-minute lap time improvements, the NGM Mobile Racing rider led championship leader Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) and Tito Rabat (Tuenti HP 40). After finishing fourth in the morning, Corsi continued his consistent day to lead with a best effort of 1’43.683. Redding – who at the end of the second session briefly set the pace for the first and only time of the day – ended proceedings almost three tenths of a second slower, while third-placed Rabat narrowly edged out Came IodaRacing Project’s Johann Zarco and Maptaq SAG Zelos Team’s Marcel Schrotter. In sixth was Takaaki Nakagami, who had led the opening period for Italtrans Racing Team. The talking point of the day was arguably the huge highside from which Pol Espargaro escaped unscathed. The title contender lost the rear end of his Tuenti HP 40 machine at the final corner, with the bike soon cartwheeling towards, but missing, its errant rider who was miraculously able to ride it back to the pit lane for repairs. The Spaniard would finish the day in 15th position, having during the summer break signed a MotoGP™ contract with Monster Yamaha Tech3 for next year. Mike di Meglio was in the wars in the final minutes, sliding his JiR Moto2 bike off-track at Turn 10, as American wildcard rider James Rispoli completed the day in 28th spot for GPTech. 31st fastest of the 33 runners was Thitipong Warokorn for Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2, permanent replacement for fellow Thai countryman Ratthapark Wilairot who has now retired from Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Moto3 Maverick Viñales has set the pace at the end of the Moto3™ summer break, topping Friday’s practice for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. The Team Calvo rider led the way from San Carlo Team Italia’s Romano Fenati and Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Marquez. Jack Miller (Caretta Technology – RTG) would lead the way for much of the session, but a late flurry of lap times would demote the Australian to an eventual fourth position. For Viñales, his lap time of 1’48.502 becomes the new Moto3™ benchmark at the legendary Motor Speedway, edging out Fenati’s last-gasp effort by just 39 thousandths of a second. With Marquez third quickest, he and teammate Alex Rins – winner of the last race in Germany – sandwiched Miller into fourth spot. Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger, who had topped a rain-affected first period in the morning – ended the day in sixth place, narrowly ahead of championship leader Luis Salom (Red Bull KTM Ajo). In opening practice, Ana Carrasco (Team Calvo) had become the first faller of the day, whereas during the afternoon there were incidents for Toni Finsterbusch (Kiefer Racing), Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3), the aforementioned Miller and Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra Racing). At Ambrogio Racing, France’s Jules Danilo is riding in place of Danny Webb who is no longer with the team. A permanent replacement rider is yet to be named. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL STARTS THE INDIANAPOLIS GP WITH A GOOD 3rd LAP TIME ON DAY ONE Indianapolis, 16 August: the second half of the season started today at the famous Indianapolis race track with LCR racer Stefan Bradl setting the third fastest lap time of the day (1’39.681) aboard his Red Bull branded RCV. The German – who suffered a fall in the afternoon session – maintains his good form after the summer break and targets another good result after his brilliant performance at the US GP. Stefan Bradl “The first day was quite good for us: we have a good speed and I feel quite comfortable with the bike. Early in the afternoon session we struggled a bit with the front end and I suffered a little crash. We immediately found a solution and I could go back to my normal pace. Actually the track surface is not as good as it will be tomorrow and on Sunday, so we need to wait until the track is in better conditions. So far we are in the right direction and I am pleased with the 3rd lap time because it’s a good way to start the weekend”. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Marquez marches to the top of the timesheets in Friday practice at Indy Round 10: Indianapolis MotoGP™ – Free Practice One & Two Indianapolis, Friday 16 August 2013 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) Weather: FP1 – Dry. Ambient 20-21°C; Track 25-27°C (Bridgestone measurement) FP2 – Dry. Ambient 25-27°C; Track 44-47°C (Bridgestone measurement) Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez led a Honda 1-2-3 in the first day of practice at Indianapolis MotorSpeedway as the MotoGP rookie set a scorching lap time of 1’39.502 in the afternoon’s Free Practice 2 session. Marquez’s best time was within half a second of the Circuit Record and just eight-hundredths ahead of second-placed Dani Pedrosa on the other Repsol Honda RC213V. Fresh from his first MotoGP pole position and podium at the last round in Laguna Seca, LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl was third quickest on the day and a further tenth of a second behind. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro was the pick of the CRT riders, his best lap time of 1’40.750 putting him within striking distance of the top ten in P11. The morning Free Practice 1 session took place under cloud cover which kept track temperatures low, so riders chose softer slick options front and rear to get a feel for the grip level of the circuit. Track temperatures were much higher for FP2 and accordingly tyre choice was more varied, with both the softer and harder slick options front and rear being evaluated by riders. Almost all riders set their best time on the softer rear slick, but those riders that assessed the harder rear slick were able to set competitive lap times so further evaluation of this specification is likely to take place in tomorrow’s FP4 session. Similar weather conditions to today are expected for tomorrow’s qualifying sessions with the MotoGP riders next on track for the final ranked practice session; FP3, at 955 local time (GMT -4). Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Track conditions this morning weren’t the best with low grip levels and cool track temperatures, and as a result some riders experienced graining on their rear tyres but it wasn’t enough to impact tyre performance. The cloud cover from the morning lifted in the afternoon so track temperatures increased and riders were able to assess all the slick options. With different types of tarmac, parts of this circuit are usually quite greasy and that was the case again this morning but this will hopefully improve over the weekend as more sessions take place and rubber is laid down. Tyre performance was very good today and lap times were quite quick with Marc’s best time just 0.5 seconds off the Circuit Record, so qualifying tomorrow should be very exciting.” More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing: Second half of the season begins positively at Indy for Edwards and Corti The second half of the season resumes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 10th round of the championship. NGM Mobile Forward Racing riders Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti get back on their FTR- Kawasaki bikes after the summer break and first impression are positive. The American rider comes back to Indy for the third American round of the season and feels that this has been the best first free practice sessions so far this season. Edwards knows that the gap is still there but also the feeling is there and the confidence is following. The feeling of his Italian teammate Claudio Corti with the bike has greatly improved, but he knows that he has to go over today’s data in order to make the necessary modifications in order to improve his T2 and be competitive for tomorrow’s qualifying. Colin Edwards “Today was probably the best first day we’ve had all year. The bike felt good right off the bat. We made a small change in the front fork, it seemed it wasn’t turning this morning, played with that and the setting on the rear. Geometry wise we are more or less identical to how we were in Laguna, springs a little bit different here and there but it works, it all felt comfortable, the bike was good. We had the soft front tire this morning, which we know here might push a little better, but once the temperature came up in the afternoon I put hard front and hard rear and just went and tried the other bike with a different link that didn’t seem to work too well so went back to the other bike on old tires. The bike just feels good, I feel comfortable on it and feel confident that I know before I do something what’s going to happen and any time that you have that kind of confidence its easy to ride fast.” Claudio Corti “The day has gone relatively well and it feels good to get back on track with the bike after the summer break. In the afternoon the increase in temperature helped improve the grip compared to how it was in the morning and that has allowed me to have a better feeling with the bike. The overall feeling is good, we know we still have a few things to work on, specially to help me improve in T2, we are hoping that with the modifications to the electronics and the gearing we will be ready for tomorrow. We are definitely on the right path and we need to keep up the good work and we will see how things go in qualifying.” Sergio Verbena, MotoGP Technical Director “We started off really well today and were able to do a good job. The track seems a lot faster than last year and we were able to improve the lap times from last season from the very start of the first session and reduced the gap with the front group to two seconds. Colin could have been faster but we decided to focus today’s efforts on the race pace. We went out with hard tires in the afternoon and tomorrow we will go out with the soft tires to improve our lap times. Claudio has made a considerable step in the afternoon session managing to be within the same lap times that Colin. It has been a positive day for both riders, they are both happy and we hope that tomorrow’s weather conditions will remain similar to today’s. We will focus our efforts to make the necessary changes in order to allow the riders to improve in the sectors in which they are currently losing time. We want to make it to Q2.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MARQUEZ PACES OPENING DAY AT RED BULL INDIANAPOLIS GP Bradl posts fastest-ever motorcycle speed at IMS at 209.1 mph INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, Aug. 16, 2013 – World Championship points leader Marc Marquez of Spain led MotoGP practice for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Friday, Aug. 16, turning a top lap of 1 minute, 39.502 seconds on his Repsol Honda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I have a fast bike,” Marquez said. “I thought the practice today was good. It was not so fast in the morning, but we had a good second practice. We have some work to do to make it faster on other parts of the circuit, and that’s what we are working on.” Defending Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Dani Pedrosa of Spain was second quickest at 1:39.582 on his Repsol Honda, with Stefan Bradl of Germany third at 1:39.681 on the LCR Honda. During the second of two MotoGP practice sessions, Bradl set the fastest motorcycle trap speed ever at IMS of 209.1 mph (336.5 km/h). The previous fastest was 208.6 mph (335.7 km/h) by Pedrosa in 2012. The speed trap is located just past the start-finish line on the main straightaway at IMS. “All the Honda bikes are really fast,” Bradl said. “Obviously, I had a good exit off the last corner so I was able to use the top speed. That’s pretty fast, I would say. Indy has a long straight, and even the first corner is fast, so you don’t have to brake too early. I’m happy with that (speed).” American riders on track today included Nicky Hayden, who ended up ninth at 1:40.433 on his Ducati, Ben Spies 13th at 1:41.145 on his Ignite Pramac Racing Ducati and Colin Edwards 16th at 1:41.588 on his NGM Mobile Forward Racing FTR Kawasaki. American wild-card rider Blake Young was 25th in 1:45.590 on his Attack Performance Racing bike. Simone Corsi of Italy led Moto2 practice at 1:43.683 on his NGM Mobile Racing Speed Up bike. Maverick Vinales, from Spain, paced Moto3 practice at 1:48.502 on his Team Calvo KTM. Steve Rapp, from Manhattan Beach, Calif., won the pole for the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series race Saturday with a lap of 1:55.495 on his Aerostar Global Suburban Harley-Davidson. Shane Turpin was quickest in the FIM eRoad Racing World Cup electric motorcycle series practice with a top lap of 1:57.574 on his Icon Brammo Empulse RR. On-track action starts at 8 a.m. Saturday with an AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series warm-up session. Moto GP, Moto2 and Moto3 will practice in the morning. Moto3 qualifying is set for 12:35-1:15 p.m., followed by the first MotoGP qualifying session from 1:30-2 p.m. and the second session from 2:35-2:50 p.m. Moto2 qualifying will take place from 3:05-3:50 p.m. The first AMA Pro Vance & Hines Series race is scheduled for 4:20 p.m., with riders competing for 10 laps. eRoad Racing World Cup qualifying will take place from 5-5:20 p.m. Public gates open at 7 a.m. 2013 Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 2013 Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP event. Visit www.ims.com/tickets, call (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700 or visit the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. Information on camping at IMS during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP is available at www.ims.com/tickets. Hotel package information can be found at visitindy.com/redbullhotels.