FIM MotoGP World Championship Catalunya, Spain June 5 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 25 laps, 43:19.779 2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -2.403 seconds 3. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), -4.291 4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (HONDA), -5.255 5. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -7.371 6. Marco SIMONCELLI, Italy (HONDA), -11.831 7. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (YAMAHA), -26.483 8. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), -33.243 9. Loris CAPIROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -43.092 10. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), -43.113 11. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -44.224 12. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (SUZUKI), -45.239 13. Toni ELIAS, Spain (HONDA), -58.268 14. Randy DE PUNIET, France (DUCATI), -22 laps, DNF, crash 15. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), -22 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 5 of 18 races): 1. Lorenzo, 98 points 2. Stoner, 91 3. Dovizioso, 63 4. Dani Pedrosa, 61 5. Rossi, 58 6. Hayden, 47 7. TIE, Spies/Aoyama, 36 9. Simoncelli, 32 10. Crutchlow, 30 11. Barbera, 26 12. Abraham, 24 13. Colin Edwards, 21 14. Elias, 20 15. Capirossi, 16 16. Bautista, 11 17. TIE, De Puniet/John Hopkins, 6 More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Tough race for Bautista at home Grand Prix Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista was left frustrated at the end of today’s Catalan Grand Prix after the Spaniard finished his home race in 12th position. Bautista had looked competitive all weekend and after heavy overnight rain had soaked the track this morning, he continued with his good form in the wet warm-up session to record the seventh quickest time. The rain stayed away and the track dried in time for this afternoon’s race and as the 25-lap spectacle got underway Bautista consolidated his ninth place grid start. He held on to that until the 14th lap, but as light rain started to fall in the last part of the circuit he couldn’t get the grip he wanted to keep the position and came under pressure from three other riders. Bautista battled all the way to the line but was unable to hold off the attacks and eventually bought his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R home safely in 12th. Today’s overcast skies did nothing to dampen the spirits of an excitable crowd of over 81,000 fans at trackside. They saw Casey Stoner on a Honda race to victory ahead of home favourite and current World Champion and championship leader Jorge Lorenzo. Rizla Suzuki and Bautista will not have to wait long to get back in to action as they head across the English Channel for the British round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship, to be held at Silverstone next Sunday. Álvaro Bautista: “I am very frustrated with today because nobody really expected this result. All weekend we have been more competitive than we were in the race, and also in the wet this morning we went very well. I don’t know what happened in the race, but I just didn’t have the same feeling as I did in the practice. I felt like I had less grip from the bike and it was difficult to stop the bike and enter into the corners. I fought for a top-10 position, but when it started to rain in the last part of the track I wasn’t able to go very fast through there and lost some time to the other guys around me. We have to continue working and put this behind us, I’m very disappointed with what happened here, because as I said I didn’t expect this. We now have some races in a row so it will be good to get in a rhythm and it will help me to recover to my full potential on the bike.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Today’s result is disappointing it’s as simple as that – it’s especially upsetting for Álvaro who has worked hard to get back to a decent level of fitness. After qualifying ninth and running very strongly in this morning’s wet warm-up, we were looking for a much more competitive race, but we didn’t produce the grip levels that we did yesterday and it looked like a very tough race. On the positive side it’s another finish and physically he is ready to take that next step up luckily we don’t have to wait long now to get to Silverstone and help him move things forward.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner triumphs in tricky conditions at Catalunya Round 5: Catalunya GP Race Catalunya Circuit, Sunday 5 June 2011 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear (asymmetric): Medium, Hard From second on the grid Casey Stoner took another decisive victory for the Repsol Honda Team today to mark his third of the season, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies in a double podium for the Yamaha Factory Racing team. The Catalunya GP weekend has been punctuated by rain showers and heavy rain overnight left the circuit soaked for the morning’s warm-up session, which was the first time this season that Bridgestone’s hard compound wet tyres have been used. The rain has also been a contributing factor in the circuit being generally more slippery this year. The circuit dried through the day however and the MotoGP race was run in the dry, although rain threatened at the midway point of the race and the white flags came out as drops fell in the last sector of the circuit. Tyre choices were mixed today and most riders only decided at the last minute because of the changeable nature of the weather and the temperature. All the front-runners used the harder option front slicks, but rear choices were more varied. Stoner used a harder rear to take the win and set the fastest lap, as did Dovizioso in fourth and Cal Crutchlow in seventh, but everyone else used the softer rear, marked by the white line painted around the sidewall. Hiroshi Yamada Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Once again Casey and the Repsol Honda Team have demonstrated just how strong they are this year, but I’d also like to congratulate the Factory Yamaha team for their double podium, taking Jorge there for the fourth time this season and Ben there for the first time in factory colours. We were largely at the mercy of the weather all weekend, which is unusual for Catalunya, but judging by its popularity during the race I am pleased that we brought the medium compound rear to this race this year.” Hirohide Hamashima Assistant to Director, Motorsport Tyre Development Division “Track conditions this weekend have in general been more slippery, and certainly the heavy overnight rain didn’t help track condition for the race today. Actually it made the track condition worse and this led to many riders commenting that they didn’t have enough grip. The rain drops mid-race made it very tricky for the riders, especially as areas of the circuit were greasy and others still dry. I am pleased that we saw all our tyre options in use today, and the performance of both rear specs was comparable on different bikes, but this also clearly demonstrates how different bike and rider packages can use our tyres in different ways and the importance of optimising the entire bike, rider and tyre package to achieve good performance, durability and consistency over race distance.” Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team Race Winner “Everything’s been working so well here it’s like a dream. The bike and hard compound tyres were working well for us all weekend and we knew we had good race pace. There is a lot of degradation on this track so I tried to hold the pace we had in qualifying and get some consistent laps in whilst the tyres were good. Then the rain came and I didn’t know how hard to push. The track hasn’t been very grippy all weekend so it was a little nerve wracking because it would have been very easy to come down in those conditions. I’m very happy to bring it home for another win.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies made it a double celebration today, taking second and third on the podium for the Grand Prix of Catalunya. World Champion Lorenzo grabbed the hole-shot off the line and team mate Spies shut the door neatly on Valentino Rossi to take third as they dropped into the first corner. The end of lap one saw Casey Stoner take the lead at the end of the straight, Lorenzo tucking in behind him and holding until the line for his fourth podium of the season. A white flag to signal some rain on the track caused some concern with 13 laps to go but was not severe enough to cause any rider to pit in and change to wet tyres. Spies delivered the same consistent race pace in evidence from the beginning of the weekend, secure in third position from the first corner to the chequered flag. The Texan built a lead of around a second from Andrea Dovizioso for the duration of the race to claim his first podium for the Factory Yamaha Team. The riders head straight to Silverstone now for a back-to-back race, Lorenzo still leading the championship with a seven point advantage over Casey Stoner. Team mate Spies jumps an impressive five places up the standings to seventh with 36 points, eleven points behind fellow American Nicky Hayden in sixth. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 2nd Time: +2.403 “I’m really happy with the result, I gave it the maximum! I overtook Casey on the start but I knew he could overtake me. I tried to stay with him and not to lose his back wheel for as long as possible. At the end it started to rain a little and it was tough to keep concentration in the last sector but we managed it. We are still leading the championship so let’s see what happens in Silverstone.” Ben Spies Position : 3rd Time: +4.291 “We just kept pushing and pushing and we were slowly catching up to Jorge, not necessarily to try and catch and pass him but to stay away from Andrea. The bike was great and I felt good on it and just needed a good result. After the first couple of laps I realised we had a shot at a podium so I rode as hard as I could. The tyre was a good choice for us today; we did what we came here to accomplish and that’s good enough. Big thanks to the team who worked hard to deliver a great package this weekend, bring on Silverstone!” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “Not a very spectacular race but second and third places are of course very important to us. We closed the gap we feel this weekend even if it was difficult circumstances. We said at the beginning it’s important to finish every race on the podium. We need to solve some more issues and make some more steps but we are definitely heading in the right direction. I’m very happy for Jorge that he finished on the podium in front of his home crowd and for Ben for bouncing back from a difficult start to the year with his first podium.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “This weekend started well from Friday and everyday was better. To get both riders on the podium is a great success for the team. We were not so far from the leaders having worked hard and improved the bike a lot. We are optimistic thinking about the Silverstone race as that was also a good race last year for Yamaha.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: Following a battle for ninth place that lasted almost the entire race, Loris Capirossi managed to take the position from young Karel Abraham in the final corner. The Italian’s experience and desire for redemption help the Pramac Racing Team look forward to the future with optimism. It was Capirossi’s best race of the season so far, and not just because of the result, which earned him seven points and advanced him to 16th place in the overall standings. Meanwhile, Randy De Puniet’s misfortune continued. The Frenchman, who had problems with his bike’s setup throughout the entire race weekend, was knocked down by Hiroshi Aoyama on the third lap. After visiting the mobile clinic, Randy returned to his garage with a bandage on his right ankle, which might have ligament damage. An MRI in Barcelona on Wednesday should provide more definitive information. Meanwhile, the Pramac Racing Team moves on to Silverstone for the sixth round of the world championship. Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Team Technical Director “Today’s race was pretty positive. Of course it was nothing exceptional, but Loris’ result gives us hope for the future. We were coming through quite a negative period, as good luck seemed to have forgotten us: many crashes, some sub-par performance””we were a little demoralized. Today we brainstormed some good basics: just to have found a good setting for Loris and the bike is a good start. We have faith for the next round, at Silverstone. We know where to start, and we’ll focus our work to further improve the bike’s setup.” Loris Capirossi – Pramac Racing Team – 9th in race – 15th in MotoGP standings ” “Today’s result was definitely good. I fought hard, and I don’t even know how many passes I made in the race. It’s actually hard to find a negative; even the start was quite good. I want to consider Barcelona a starting point for a new direction. Now we shouldn’t get lost with bad choices, and we’ll work like we did over this weekend. I would like to thank my team for helping me today, because our result is due to their efficiency.” Randy De Puniet – Pramac Racing Team – DNF – 16th in MotoGP standings “I’m not at all happy with how things went, as I’m going through a difficult period. At Le Mans, I was out after just one lap, and things weren’t much different today. I don’t know what happened with Aoyama; I saw him coming into me while I was exiting the first corner. It’s really a shame because I was very motivated. I had a good feeling with the bike in the early kilometers, and I thought I could do well. I hope that I haven’t hurt my ankle. It makes a strange noise when I walk, so I hope the ligaments aren’t broken.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: ELIAS SCORES POINTS ON HOME SOIL Montmeló, 5 June: the fifth round of the calendar at the Catalan circuit was run today under changeable weather with rain showers high risk ahead 81.838 warm Iberian fans. The Gran Premi of Catalunya saw Stoner getting his third victory aboard the RCV whilst the local racer Toni Elias had a very tough week end at his home soil. LCR Honda MotoGP rider qualified 14th yesterday using a 2011 RCV chassis modified to suit his particular riding technique. Although the chassis was a step in the right direction the 28-year-old from Manresa is disappointed about today’s result (13th) and aims to make a radical change to his machinery set up at Silverstone circuit next weekend. Elias 13th: “It was one of the worst race of my career because we could not even match yesterday’s lap time. We probably took the wrong direction as we have lost front grip and rear grip was really poor for the whole race. At the end we scored some points but I feel bad for me, for the team and for my fans. There’s something wrong and we need a radical change because we all deserve a better result. We are working hard since the winter test and we will continue this way”. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Repsol Honda take important win in Catalunya Casey Stoner rode to an important victory today in the Grand Prix of Catalunya in front of 81,638 spectators, with team mate Andrea Dovizioso taking fourth position in a race which local hero Dani Pedrosa sadly missed. The Australian rider controlled the race with determination after passing Lorenzo at the beginning of the second lap, he worked hard to put a gap between him and his rivals and when light rain began to appear with 12 laps remaining he did not lose his rhythm. The marshals showed white flags to indicate the pilots were able to enter the pit lane to change bikes if required, and although the track became slippery in places, none of the riders took this option. At this time, Casey’s advantage over Jorge Lorenzo was already 2.2 seconds with Andrea Dovizioso just seven tenths behind Ben Spies in third position. Stoner secured his third win of the season, which takes him to 91 points – just 7 points astray from Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo. Dovizioso finished the Catalunya race nine tenths off the podium and is now fourth in the Championship with 61 points after beating Valentino Rossi. CASEY STONER 1st World Championship position: 2nd with 91 points “We got a reasonably good start but not as good as Jorge. I wanted to try to pass him early on but had to wait until the end of the first lap. From this point I just tried to put in the consistent laps as we did in the practice sessions to see if he could stay with me, fortunately I was able to open up an advantage without pushing too hard or feeling too much pressure. I was really happy, the bike was feeling fantastic and then it started to rain. There was enough rain there to make you think that it will affect the bike, and in the last corner there was enough rain to make the track slippery. As I was always the first to arrive to the wet area of the track, I watched what the others were doing and if they had started to catch me then I would push and if I start to pull an advantage then I would back off a little. I’m just happy I kept the bike upright at this stage and I want to thank all my team at Repsol Honda for all the hard work this weekend. We now head to Silverstone next week where we’ll also be looking to fight for victory, I just hope Dani can make a return there also and I wish him a fast recovery”. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 4th World Championship position: 3rd with 63 points “After the warm up session in the wet the conditions during the race were tricky, especially when it started to rain with 12 laps to go. I didn’t have a perfect start and this complicated the race. In the first laps with a full tank, I didn’t have good stability in the front. With the hard tyres the traction was not so good compared to Lorenzo, Spies and Rossi who were riding with soft tyres. Even if we improved compared to Le Mans in terms of lap times, I’m not happy finishing 4th position, five seconds behind the winner. Today we were fast and I think that with a good start we could have at least fought for the podium. I’m sorry for my team as they worked hard during the whole weekend. Now I look forward to next weekend’s race in Silverstone, a circuit that I like and where I hope to get a good result”. More, from a press release issued by Honda: 2011 FIM MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 5 CATALAN GRAND PRIX, CATALUNYA RACE DAY, JUNE 5 Weather: warm, partially cloudy Temperature: ambient 20C/track 25C Weekend attendance: 146,718 STONER DOMINATES AT CATALUNYA, CLOSES IN ON POINTS LEAD Australian ace Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V) rocketed to a dominant victory at Catalunya today. His third win of the year and his second consecutive success moves him to within seven points of series leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) who finished in second place. Lorenzo’s team-mate Ben Spies completed the podium just ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V). Pole position man Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) came home in sixth spot. Stoner was the clear favourite after setting a lightning-fast race pace throughout the two days of practice. Even though he missed out on pole position because he didn’t have the set-up to fully exploit the extra grip of the softer tyres the 2007 World Champion was confident he could be more than competitive today. Second behind Lorenzo at the end of the first lap, Stoner took the lead at the start of lap two and stayed in front for the rest of the 25-lap race. He steadily built an advantage until the midway point when he sensibly eased his pace as light rainfall affected the final section of the Catalunya track. Lorenzo who was able to gauge his pace in the treacherous conditions according to Stoner closed the gap from more than two seconds to 1.8 seconds, but as soon as the rain stopped Stoner re-established his advantage. At one point he was almost four seconds ahead of Lorenzo. Finally he crossed the finish line 2.4s ahead. Dovizioso had a highly competitive, but slightly frustrating race. He was in fourth place almost from start to finish, chasing Spies throughout, but never quite getting close enough to mount an assault on the American. Dovizioso had Valentino Rossi (Ducati) briefly get ahead of him in the early stages and spent the remainder of the race sandwiched between Spies and Rossi, playing the tricky game of simultaneously attacking and defending. The result moves the Italian into third place overall ahead of team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) who missed this race after breaking his right collarbone at Le Mans three weeks ago. Yesterday Simoncelli scored the first pole position of his MotoGP career and much was expected of the lanky Italian in today’s race. But he got swamped by his rivals in the rush to the first corner and ended the first lap down in seventh. Simoncelli was able to overcome Nicky Hayden (Ducati) and get close to Rossi, but in the end he had to settle for a sixth-place finish. Toni Elias (LCR Honda MotoGP RC212V) had another difficult outing, crossing the line all alone in 13th position. The reigning Moto2 World Champion raced a modified chassis for the first time, but struggled with both front and rear grip and will try bigger changes for next weekend’s British Grand Prix. Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) crashed out on lap four, taking Randy de Puniet (Ducati) with him. Neither rider was injured in the accident. Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing-Kalex) increased his points advantage in the Honda-powered Moto2 World Championship with his third victory from five races. It was another perfectly composed showing from the 21-year-old German who led all but one lap of the 23-lap race. Behind Bradl, the action was typically fraught with several riders tumbling out of the group battling for the lower rostrum positions. Those incidents split the leading pack, leaving Bradl more than four seconds ahead of Marc Marquez (Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter) at the finish, with Aleix Espargaro (Pons HP40-Pons Kalex) achieving his first Grand Prix podium a further four seconds in arrears. Bradl led from pole position, but soon came under attack from Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2-Suter) who squeezed into the lead on lap two. The following lap Bradl was back in front again and although he was only metres ahead of the pursuing pack for much of the race, he never put a wheel wrong. Things were very different behind the leader. Simon and Espargaro led the charge, disputing second place just ahead of Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP-Suter). Kenan Sofuoglu (Technomag-CIP-Suter) was the big improver of the race, coming through from 17th on the grid to take third from Espargaro on lap 15. The following lap he was poised to pounce on Simon, but instead he clipped Simon’s rear end at turn 11 and both men went down heavily. Sofuoglu ran over the Spaniard who was later diagnosed with a broken tibia and fibula. Aegerter had fallen without injury a few corners earlier. Those two incidents promoted Marquez to second and put Espargaro back in third. Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project-FTR) finished alone in fourth place, while four riders fought over fifth. That particular battle was won by Randy Krummenacher (GP Team Switzerland Kiefer Racing-Kalex), the young Swiss just ahead of Alex De Angelis (JIR Moto2-Motobi), Esteve Rabat (Blusens STX-FTR) and Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team-Suter). Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2-Suter) and Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing Moto2-Moriwaki) escaped serious injury when they both fell at high speed on lap six, after Luthi lost control, taking Takahashi with him. After today’s Catalan GP the paddock is already packing up in preparation for the northward trip over the English Channel for the coming weekend’s British GP at Silverstone. MotoGP rider quotes Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: winner “We got a reasonably good start, but not as good as Jorge. I wanted to try to pass him early on, but had to wait until the end of the first lap. From this point I just tried to put in the consistent laps as we did in the practice sessions to see if he could stay with me. Fortunately I was able to open up an advantage without pushing too hard or feeling too much pressure. I was really happy, the bike was feeling fantastic and then it started to rain. There was enough rain there to make you think that it will affect the bike, and in the last corner there was enough rain to make the track slippery. As I was always the first to arrive to the wet area of the track, I watched what the others were doing [from the information displayed on his pit board] and if they had started to catch me then I would push and if I start to pull an advantage then I would back off a little. I’m just happy I kept the bike upright at this stage and I want to thank all my team at Repsol Honda for all the hard work this weekend. We now head to Silverstone next week where we’ll also be looking to fight for victory. I just hope Dani can make a return there also and I wish him a fast recovery.” Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 4th “After the warm-up session in the wet, the conditions during the race were tricky, especially when it started to rain with 12 laps to go. I didn’t have a perfect start and this complicated the race. In the first laps with a full tank, I didn’t have good stability in the front. With the hard tyres the traction was not so good compared to Lorenzo, Spies and Rossi who were riding with soft tyres. Even if we improved compared to Le Mans in terms of lap times, I’m not happy finishing fourth, five seconds behind the winner. Today we were fast and I think that with a good start we could have at least fought for the podium. I’m sorry for my team as they worked hard during the whole weekend. Now I look forward to next weekend’s race in Silverstone, a circuit that I like and where I hope to get a good result.” Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 6th “I don’t know if I held the clutch too long at the start, but it slipped and a lot of riders passed me, costing me a lot of time. After that I was unable to get back into the rhythm I had during practice and I was struggling, even though the pace in general was slower. I had a gap of over a second to the guys in front of me and I got it back down to three tenths to Valentino, but after a few laps I was taking too many chances in certain areas where it was a little damp and decided to pull my oars in and bring the bike home. Overall the weekend has been positive because after the pole yesterday sixth place doesn’t feel great but I have to think back to how I felt arriving here in Barcelona and be satisfied. I achieved the first of my three objectives from yesterday, which was to finish, so we will try for the other two in the next race.” Toni Elias, LCR Honda MotoGP: 13th “It was one of the worst races of my career because we could not even match yesterday’s lap times. We probably took the wrong direction as we have lost front grip and rear grip was really poor for the whole race. At the end we scored some points, but I feel bad for me, for the team and for my fans. There’s something wrong and we need a radical change because we all deserve a better result. We are working hard since the winter test and we will continue this way.” Hiroshi Aoyama, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF “It hasn’t been a good weekend for us and today I made a mistake. I crashed and took de Puniet with me, but it was completely my fault. I don’t know what to say other than I want to get to Silverstone and forget about this Grand Prix.” Moto2 rider quotes Stefan Bradl, Viessmann Kiefer Racing-Kalex: winner “We made a very bad start to the weekend. We were struggling especially in all the long corner here, where we had problems with edge grip, so I was sliding too much. On Saturday morning I was very upset because it seemed like we couldn’t find the right way. But then we improved the situation step by step and in qualifying it was great feeling because I enjoyed riding the bike once again. The race wasn’t easy. Simon was pushing very hard and the lap times weren’t coming so easily. I concentrated on myself. It was a great feeling to lead the whole race and make a gap on the others. It was a difficult weekend but now we are happy.” Marc Marquez, Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter: 2nd “We didn’t start the weekend very well. I made a mistake and crashed on my third lap of first practice, which meant we lost 45 minutes of set-up time, so I have to say sorry to my team. We made the bike better step by step and we had some more settings to try in morning warm-up, but the rain stopped that. I knew I was not the fastest guy out there so I concentrated on getting a good start and tried to pass a few people in the first laps. Second position is like a victory for us this weekend and I want to say thank you to my team.” Aleix Espargaro, Pons HP40-Pons Kalex: 3rd “This is my fifth year in the World Championships and my first podium, so I am really, really happy to be here, especially at my home race. It is like a dream. The race was really difficult. I couldn’t find the same grip as I found yesterday, which made things difficult. When I saw Marquez and Sofuoglu arriving, I knew it would be a tough race, but then there were a few crashes and everything changed. I hope this is just the beginning for me now we need to keep working.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Super seventh for Crutchlow, Edwards targets Silverstone return Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow heads to his crucial home race at Silverstone next weekend brimming with confidence after he stormed to a career best MotoGP result in the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya today. Starting from the second row of the grid, the British rider quickly gained momentum on Bridgetone’s hard rear tyre and a series of consistently fast laps saw him easily reel in the factory Ducati of 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden. He eventually passed the American on lap ten and was able to comfortably pull away, despite some nervous moments from the halfway stage as spots of rain started to fall on the Montmelo cir cuit. Crutchlow was preparing for his first experience of the flag-to-flag format, but the light rain abated and he rode to a brilliant seventh place. The result, which moves Crutchlow into the top ten in the World Championship rankings on 30-points, sets him up perfectly for a strong showing in front of his home crowd at the British Grand Prix next weekend. Crutchlow will be joined at Silverstone by Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards, who will attempt to compete in the sixth round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship. Edwards returned to the Catalunya track this morning having undergone successful surgery to insert a titanium plate and 13 screws in the right collarbone he broke in a heavy crash during Friday’s second free practice session. Edwards has already gained closed to full movement in his right shoulder and in a brave attempt to continue his proud record of ne ver missing a race in his MotoGP career, Edwards planned to start the 25-lap clash and retire after two laps. But after medical checks prior to the race, medical staff declared him unfit to start, though the 37-year-old is confident he will have no problems riding in Silverstone this weekend after a few days of rest. Cal Crutchlow 7th – 30 points: “That’s my best result in MotoGP and of course I’m happy, but I’d rather have got a result like that in a more entertaining race. It was just a test of concentration for most of the race once I’d passed Nicky and it was quite lonely. I caught him really quickly but once I got by I’d used up my rear tyre trying to chase him down because I struggled for grip after that. When the spots of rain came it was quite difficult. The white flags were being waved like there was a monsoon b ut there was only rain in the last three corners. Part of me was looking forward to having a flag-to-flag race because it might have given me a chance of fighting with the group at the front, but the rain never got worse than a few spots on the visor. I still managed to pull away from Nicky but I finished 26 seconds behind Casey, and that is not too bad considering I’d never seen this place before. If I hadn’t backed off a little I’m sure I could have finished about 20 seconds back and that was good enough for the top six last year. Sixth to eighth position is where I’m at the moment but it is a good confidence boost as well to finish as the top non-factory rider. Nobody can ride this package harder than I am at the moment and now I’m looking forward to Silverstone. I’m sure the support is going to be incredible and I’m really looking forward to it.” Colin Edwards DNS: “I ‘m a little bit disappointed with the decision not to let me ride because while it’s not a lifelong ambition never to miss a MotoGP race, it was a run I was pretty proud of. I understand the decision but my shoulder feels great. Dr Xavier Mir has done an amazing job on my collarbone because it was smashed, but it was never my intention to do the full race. I just wanted to start, do a couple of laps and pull in. I only considered it because I was here in Barcelona and it seemed pointless breaking the streak. But I’m too big and too old to get upset and I’m going to rest up now and concentrate on getting ready for Silverstone. I know I can race next weekend and I’m already looking forward to it. I can’t remember the last time I missed a race and I definitely don’t like watching on TV, so I’m desperate to get back working with my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew.” Hervé Poncharal Team Manager: “Seventh is a good result for Cal and the best we can hope for. The six in front of him are on all factory machinery and I think even with a better start, it would have been a big ask for him to fight with Simoncelli. But to chase down Nicky on a factory bike, pass him and then pull away quite comfortably, is still a big scalp for Cal. It is easy to forget he is a rookie but seventh is his best result so far and it couldn’t have come at a better time with his home race at Silverstone coming next weekend. We are also looking forward to having Colin back in action at Silverstone. I can understand his desire to ride today and at 37 with all he’s achieved in his career, his determination and commitment is amazing. But we have to remember he was only operated on yesterday and he respects the decision of the medical staff. He will be stronger at Silverstone and it will be great to see Colin and Cal back on track together doing their best for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Casey Stoner took his 26th victory in the premier class at the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya, with last year’s race winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) finishing in second followed by teammate American Ben Spies in third. Despite missing out on pole position, Repsol Honda rider Stoner took the lead in the second corner and faced no challengers for the entire 25-lap race. Reigning MotoGP World Champion Lorenzo finished just under two-and-a-half seconds behind him across the finish line, cutting the Mallorcan’s championship lead over the Australian to just seven points. Lorenzo got a great start and was first into turn one, but he could not hold off Stoner, who passed the reigning World Champion in the second corner and held the lead. Ben Spies started from fourth and quickly moved in to third position, where he remained until he crossed the finish line for his first podium finish for Yamaha Factory Racing this year. With 12 laps to go, drops of rain hit the track under threatening skies and the white flag was produced, allowing riders the option to change bikes for the anticipated downpour, though the rain drops stopped shortly after and none of the riders left the track. Stoner’s teammate Andrea Dovizioso passed Ducati Team Valentino Rossi early in the race to pursue Spies, but remained in fourth position until the finish, where he crossed just under a second behind the American. Valentino Rossi crossed the line in fifth place. The seven time premier class Champion last won at the Montmeló circuit in 2009, when he beat his then team mate Lorenzo with a memorable pass on the Spaniard at the very last corner. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) started from his first pole in his MotoGP class career, but was unable to sustain the previous day’s momentum and finished in sixth. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow had a good race after a solid weekend. The British rookie passed Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) on the brakes going into the first corner on lap 10, and eventually finished the race in seventh, in front of the Kentucky Kid. The veteran Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing) crossed the line in ninth, in front of Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing), who completed the top ten finishers. Hiroshi Aoyama of the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team and Frenchman Randy de Puniet of Pramac Racing both crashed out of the race in the same corner early on. Both walked away from the tangle unharmed. Both Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) were absent due to injuries that prevented them from lining up on the grid for the race. Edwards wanted to make the start so as not to put an end to his 141 consecutive premier class start run, but was denied after a medical exam declared him unfit to race. Moto2: Pole position starter and championship leader Stefan Bradl took a dominating third win of the season in the Moto2 race, giving him a 43-point lead in the standings. The young Marc Márquez steadily made his way through the field at his home track to finish second, and Aleix Espargaró (Pons HP 40) who started from the front row for only the second time in his career, produced his first podium finish of his GP career with a third place. Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project) finished in fourth. A sunny start saw the German Bradl leading the field, pursued by Aleix Espargaró of the Pons HP 40 team off the start. Fellow Spaniard Julián Simón overtook Espargaró with 11 laps to go, but a determined Espargaró was in top form in front of his home crowd, and put up a fight and took back the position. Dominique Aegerter of Technomag-CIP lowsided with eight laps to go, and team mate Kenan Sofuoglu was involved in a spectacular crash that took out Julián Simón three quarters into the race. Sofuoglu appeared to have made contact with the rear wheel of Simón, sending the Spanish rider into a highside and taking him out of the race. Simón sustained a fractured right tibia and fibula in the crash. Following the incident it was confirmed that a hearing organised by Race Direction will be held this Thursday (June 9th). Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) crashed out along with last year’s Catalunya race winner Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing) with 18 laps to go. Bradley Smith (Tech 3) managed to avoid being collected in the crash, but later ran off in the last lap to finish the race in 19th. The battle for fifth was close, with Randy Krummenacher (GP Team Switzerland Kiefer Racing) finally nabbing the spot, just in front of Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2) in sixth and Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) in seventh. Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing) followed in eighth, in front of Yonny Hernández (Blusens-STX). German rider Max Neukirchner (MZ Racing) completed the top ten. The close racing produced several more non-finishers, including Axel Pons (Pons HP 40), American rider Kenny Noyes (Avintia-STX), Javier Forés (Mapfre Aspar), Mike di Meglio (Tech 3) and Robertino Pietri (Italtrans Racing). Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda Singha-SAG) did not start after crashing in the morning warm up session. 125cc: Nico Terol took his fourth win of 2011 after Johann Zarco (Avant-AirAsia-Ajo) was penalised 20 seconds for an illegal overtake on the last lap in the 125 race. Maverick Viñales (Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team) finished second with Jonas Folger (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) promoted to third. A tactical battle ensued at the start of the race between Terol (Bankia Aspar), Zarco and Viñales. The very experienced Terol pulled a gap of over six seconds pursued by Zarco, who battled him for the win, overtaking Terol in the last few laps. Terol, who celebrated his 100th start in last month’s Le Mans race, proved a tough a competitor, and regained the lead in the final lap. But Zarco was determined for the win, and in the last corner tried to overtake again, pushing Terol off the track into the grass. Zarco was penalised 20 points and thereby demoted to sixth position, giving Terol his fourth win of the season. Viñales claimed his second podium of the 2011 season with a second place finish, followed by Folger. Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar) ran wide with seven laps to go when he and Folger nearly touched, forcing Faubel out of the top five. After a wet weather warm up, the 125cc race start was held in drying conditions. Most of the field chose slick tires for the race including all of the race leaders, though several riders opted for rain tyres at the start, including Taylor Mackenzie (Phonica Racing) who had nothing to lose after qualifying last on the grid due to technical problems that saw him miss FP3 and most of qualifying. However as the race progressed, the sun came out and progressively dried the track, forcing those who chose the rain tyres to the pits for a change to slicks. Fourth place finisher was Sandro Cortese (Intact Racing Team Germany), followed by Efrén Vázquez (Avant-AirAsia-Ajo), Zarco and with Faubel following in seventh. Eighth place finisher was Sergio Gadea (Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team), Adrián Martín (Bankia Aspar) took ninth and Jakub Kornfeil (Ongetta-Centro Seta) rounded out the top ten. Treacherous conditions early in the race claimed several victims, including two Brits Danny Webb (Mahindra Racing) and Harry Stafford (Ongetta-Centro Seta) who both crashed in the first corner on the opening lap, and Miguel Oliveira (Team Andalucía Banca Cívica) who went down after a lightening start, suffering a fractured wrist. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (AirAsia-SIC-Ajo) crashed in turn 8 after an incredible start that helped launch him to fifth in the beginning of the race. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: FIFTH PLACE AND PROGRESS FOR ROSSI IN BARCELONA, HAYDEN EIGHTH The Catalan Grand Prix saw Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden finish fifth and eighth, respectively, on a day that had mixed conditions. The warm-up session was wet, while the race was dry except for a few raindrops thirteen laps from the end. That situation brought out the white flags, indicating that riders could change to bikes with rain setups if the conditions worsened, but they never did. Following strong starts from the third row, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden weren’t as competitive as they had hoped. The Italian in particular seemed capable of fighting for third place in the first half of the race, but he was a bit penalized by a less-than ideal setup choice and had to settle for fifth place. He took some satisfaction from the fact that he reduced the gap to the front, and he gained some confidence that the development of the GP11 continues apace in the right direction. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 5th “There are good and bad aspects to today’s race. On the positive side, we reduced the gap to the front, and the others in front of me weren’t so far ahead. On the other hand, I’m obviously not happy with fifth place, because our goal was to do better than that. To tell the truth, we really could have done a little better today but last night we thought of a change to try in the warm-up and the session turned out to be wet. The change worked quite well, so we found ourselves at a crossroads as to whether or not to blindly use it in the race. We tried it, and that may have been a mistake because the bike moved a lot on corner entry. It was sliding, and I didn’t have enough grip, so I was stuck for the whole race, unable to attack Dovizioso and Spies. Otherwise, I think I could have had a slightly better pace and perhaps battled with them. Anyway, we’re not too far off, and we’re working well, which we need to continue doing. The championship is long and we’re still fully focused on both the GP11 and 2012, and we have no intention of backing off.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 8th “I thought I could do better than that. I actually got a good start and the tyres came right in, so the first couple laps I thought we might be on for a good result. We used up the tyre really quickly though, and almost immediately I was spinning a lot, especially in the long corners. We had some ideas to maybe help that, but we couldn’t try them in the morning because it was wet, and it was too much of a gamble to try in the race. The rest of the bike felt really good. When the raindrops came, you definitely had to stay on your toes. I ended up in eighth, where we qualified, which I’m not thrilled with since normally we’ve been able to move up in the races. It will be a short week, so we need to understand the data and see what we get in Silverstone.” Filippo Preziosi (Technical Director) “Clearly, we would have liked to have given Vale what he needed to fight for the podium, but nonetheless, I think today’s race demonstrates that we’ve taken another small step forward. We’ve reduced the gap to the front, which is very positive. It was probably possible to do even better, but we found ourselves in a situation where we only had this morning’s wet warm-up to try some changes, and they didn’t all work well in the race. Nicky wasn’t able to take full advantage of all the sessions either, but he likes the latest changes to the GP11, so we hope that soon we’ll see him back at his level from last year as we improve the bike step by step. We’re working hard on all areas of the bike, and the direction we’re following is beginning to pay off. We’re already better than we were in the winter tests, but we’re still not to the point that Valentino and Nicky deserve.”