FIM MotoGP World Championship Misano, San Marino September 6, 2009 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires):
1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), 28 laps, 44:32.882 2. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), -2.416 seconds 3. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), -12.400 4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), -26.330 5. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), -26.539 6. Toni ELIAS (Honda), -28.286 7. Mika KALLIO (Ducati), -30.184 8. Marco MELANDRI (Kawasaki), -31.757 9. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), -31.909 10. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), -38.347 11. Aleix ESPARGARO (Ducati), -46.673 12. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), -52.041 13. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati), -63.198 14. Gabor TALMACSI (Honda), -82.347 15. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), -28 laps, DNF, crash 16. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), -28 laps, DNF, crash 17. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati), -28 laps, DNF, crash
World Championship Standings (after 13 of 17 races):
1. Rossi, 237 points 2. Lorenzo, 207 3. Pedrosa, 157 4. Casey Stoner, 150 5. Dovizioso, 133 6. Edwards, 123 7. Capirossi, 97 8. TIE, De Angelis/De Puniet, 88 10. Melandri, 87 11. Vermeulen, 84 12. Elias, 80 13. Toseland, 78 14. Hayden, 73 15. Kallio, 51 16. Canepa, 35 17. TIE, Talmacsi/Sete Gibernau, 12 19. Yuki Takahashi, 9 20. Espargaro, 8
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Rossi wins home GP and sets another new lap record
Round 13: San Marino GP Race Misano World Circuit, Sunday 6 September 2009
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard
Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi used the hard compound front and rear Bridgestone slicks to dominate the San Marino Grand Prix today, taking his sixth win of the season and extending his championship lead to 30 points with four rounds remaining. Rossi set a new lap record as he extended his lead, beating the existing record he set last year when also using Bridgestone’s slicks.
Teammate Jorge Lorenzo finished second, and at his first time at Misano on Bridgestone tyres also set a provisional lap record on lap six as he pushed his way forward from third. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa finished third having led the early laps after a frantic start to the race which saw the trio of Alex de Angelis, Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden crash out on turn two.
The top six riders all used Bridgestone’s hard front and rear slicks, whilst Ducati Team’s Mika Kallio was the highest placed rider to opt for the softer option, using a medium compound rear slick.
Hiroshi Yasukawa Director, Bridgestone Corporation
“I wish to congratulate Valentino for his fantastic result this weekend at his home grand prix. I am very pleased that we are seeing such great racing and on-track rivalries on our tyres and that so many motorcycle fans and spectators are being drawn to the races by these battles. I am sure that this is a season that will be looked back on with good memories because of this competition and we are very proud to be playing our part in it.”
Tohru Ubukata Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
“Today Valentino set the fifth new lap record of this season on Bridgestone tyres so I can say that I am very happy with the performance of the hard compound slicks this weekend, and of our tyres in general so far this season. It is not a surprise that the lap record was set today because of the pace that has been set during the last two days.
“The total race time was just over nine seconds faster than last year so this shows good durability and consistency from our slick tyres this weekend too. With track conditions as they were today, we can say that the performance of the hard and medium compound rears is very similar. We saw an almost equal split between the harder and softer rear tyre options during the race which we can put down to the slightly cooler ambient and track temperature that we saw today.”
Valentino Rossi – Fiat Yamaha Team Race Winner
“I hoped to make a better start but unfortunately Dani and Toni overtook me and then Jorge so I was fourth. I was in a little bit of trouble with full fuel so I decided to take my rhythm and get the right temperature in the tyres and then lap by lap I had more and more confidence in the feeling of the bike and the grip of the tyres and I saw I was able to make 1m 34second laps. I had some great battles with Toni and Dani and then Jorge, and when in front I was able to always control behind. This win is more important than normal as me and my team did a great job since Friday and it was a perfect weekend!”
Top ten classification (Sunday 14:00 GMT+2) Pos. Rider Team Race time Gap Front tyre Rear tyre Tyres
1 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 44m32.882s Hard Hard Bridgestone slick 2 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 44m35.298s +2.416s Hard Hard Bridgestone slick 3 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 44m45.282s +12.400s Hard Hard Bridgestone slick 4 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 44m59.212s +26.330s Hard Hard Bridgestone slick 5 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 44m59.421s +26.539s Hard Hard Bridgestone slick 6 Toni Elias San Carlo Honda Gresini 45m01.168s +28.286s Hard Hard Bridgestone slick 7 Mika Kallio Ducati Team 45m03.066s +30.184s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick 8 Marco Melandri Hayate Racing Team 45m04.639s +31.757s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 9 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 45m04.791s +31.909s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick 10 James Toseland Monster Yamaha Tech3 45m11.229s +38.347s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
Weather: Dry. Ambient 25°C; Track 40°C ( Bridgestone measurement)
More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha:
THE DOCTOR RULES AT MISANO WITH RESOUNDING HOME VICTORY AND LORENZO MAKES IT A ONE-TWO
Valentino Rossi may have had a donkey on his helmet today but it was ‘The Doctor’ riding the bike once again, as the Italian hero bounced back from his Indianapolis mistake with an emphatic home victory at Misano. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished a strong second, making this the fifth one-two finish for the team this season.
After the boiling heat of the last two days the temperature today was brought right down by a strong wind, which meant track conditions were quite different to how they had been so far. Rossi, starting from pole, dropped to third at the start whilst Lorenzo narrowly escaped a pile up, which claimed three other riders. The Spaniard then got in front of the Italian for a few laps as Dani Pedrosa and Toni Elias battled it out for the lead, but on lap five all changed as Rossi moved into second, passing both his team-mate and Elias, and Lorenzo despatched Elias a few corners later to take third.
Rossi was flying by now and took the lead next time around, gradually opening out a gap as Lorenzo struggled to get by Pedrosa. It took the gutsy 22-year-old six laps to overtake his compatriot and by the time he was through Rossi was two seconds clear and Lorenzo had to settle for second and his tenth podium of the season. Rossi, who lives just 10 km from the track, eventually crossed the line 2.416 seconds ahead, taking his eleventh career win on Italian soil and his sixth of the season to a rapturous welcome from his passionate fans.
The gap from Rossi to Lorenzo is now 30 points, whilst Yamaha lead both the Teams and Manufacturers standings by large margins. There is now a four-week break to the next round, at Estoril in Portugal, with four races remaining in total.
Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 44’32.882 “This is a great feeling! It’s taken me some time to get used to Misano and view it as a ‘home’ race because Mugello is so special to me, but I can honestly say that winning here today, in front of everyone dressed in yellow and with 46s everywhere, is a great emotion and I want to thank everyone for making it so special. Today I had to go quite carefully with the full tank at the start and I took some time to get to the front but once I was there it was great and my bike felt fantastic. We didn’t expect to be this competitive here but it’s been a perfect weekend, so I have to say a huge thank you to the team for a brilliant job. Since Indianapolis, when I made that mistake, we have been so focused and concentrated and everyone deserves this result. I was the ‘flying donkey’ today! I am happy that we are going into a month without racing with these memories and this points lead, but as we saw in Indy everything can change quickly so we will be fully focused once again in Estoril when we come back.” Jorge Lorenzo Position: 2nd Time: +2.416
“I did what I had to do today and took as many points as I could, which is the most important thing when you’re not perfect. Unfortunately we struggled a bit all weekend to find the right setting and so I thought it was better to take care and ensure the second place today. I took some time to get past Dani and Toni and then it was too far to Valentino. After I was nearly brought down on the second corner I wanted to make sure I got the points in order to keep the championship alive. We have some work to do but we will make sure we’re back to our best in Estoril, where I have great memories from last year and my first win.” Davide Brivio Team Manager “I think it’s been a perfect weekend! We came here after Indy feeling very motivated to make sure we got a good result and we’ve done just that. We led in almost all the sessions, took the pole and won the race. The team and the engineers worked in a fantastic way because the bike, since Friday afternoon, worked well and we only had to fine-tune it to get the perfect setting for today. We have to continue in this way for the last four rounds, with the same system, and we’re looking forward to the next one. We’ve increased the gap and decreased the number of races so this is the right way forward for us! Congratulations to all the team and thank you for such a good reaction to last weekend, this is a great reward.” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager
“Overall we’re satisfied with today’s result, although of course our aim is to win races and try to keep the tension on this fantastic championship to the end. This weekend we encountered a few more difficulties with the setting but today we were in better shape for the race than we were in all the practice sessions so this is positive. The championship is difficult but we will fight to the end and keep trying to improve at every race.”
More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki:
Fantastic fighting fifth for Capirossi at Misano
Loris Capirossi produced a stunning performance to power his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to fifth place at the San Marino and Rimini Riviera GP in Italy today.
Starting from 10th on the grid, Capirossi got a good start and managed to avoid the second corner incident that saw three riders crash. He got into a smooth rhythm in the early part of the race and, although the first ten laps were quite a lonely affair, he gave chase and hunted down Toni Elias before passing the Spaniard on lap 14. Capirossi then set his sights on Andrea Dovizioso and fourth place. The experienced Suzuki star caught the Honda rider and put in a great pass on lap 25, but unfortunately for Capirossi the final lap fight was won by Dovizioso.
Chris Vermeulen can also take many positives from today’s race. After a difficult weekend and getting caught up in the debris from the crash, he too put in a battling display to bring his Suzuki GSV-R home in ninth place to equal Rizla Suzuki’s best combined race result of the season. His pace in the race was equal to a top six finish and without the first lap incident could quite easily have been fighting with his team-mate in the latter stages.
A crowd of just over 55,000 – mostly partisan Valentino Rossi fans – witnessed another almost flawless display from the current World Champion as he took his sixth win of the season and strengthened his grip on this year’s title underneath beautiful blue skies and warm Italian sunshine
Rizla Suzuki now has an enforced break of three weekends due to the cancellation of this year’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The next time the MotoGP field will be in action is early next month as it moves to the Atlantic coast of Portugal for the Estoril Grand Prix on Sunday 4th October.
Loris Capirossi:
“I am very disappointed and quite upset to lose fourth place on the last lap, I think we deserved it and it would have been a great result for the whole team, Suzuki and all the sponsors. Dovizioso was a little bit faster than me on the last lap and although I tried to close the door he overtook me quite fast. I tried to get him back but just didn’t do it. We got better all weekend and it was a great race for us today and although I am upset at losing out on fourth – because that would have been the best result this year – we are certainly getting closer all the time and I think very soon we will be right up there.”
Chris Vermeulen:
“I got a good start and got past the whole row in front of me – including Loris – but then I was really close to the incident and everyone went so slowly all of a sudden. I went to select first gear and got neutral instead – so that really slowed me down. Then I ran over Colin’s mudguard and lost a lot of momentum which allowed a lot of guys to get back past me. Espargaro was going well in front of me and it made it difficult for me to get past him and get some consistent lap-times. Once I got past him my speed was quick and good enough for the top-five. It’s the same old thing though, we need to qualify better and get closer to the front and make life a bit easier. The guys all did a good job this weekend and the package worked well in the race, but our biggest downfall was outright speed because it made it difficult to pass. I am now looking forward to a short break, but I can’t wait to get back racing again and challenging at the remaining GPs coming up.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“We came very close to our best result of the year – but it wasn’t quite to be! It’s true that three very capable riders went down in the second turn, but without doubt we had the pace to finish in the top five irrespective of that. Whilst the ‘aliens’ at the very front were beyond us, to be battling with a GP winner like Dovizioso on a factory Honda shows that step-by-step our potential is improving. Both of the guys put in a strong performance and even though the weekend has thrown up a number of difficulties, which can often happen when you’re changing a lot of things and looking to increase the performance potential, we can’t complain at all about the race performance. We will take a lot of positives from today as we try to take the next steps forward at Estoril next month.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications:
World Champion Valentino Rossi delighted the home crowd at Misano on Sunday with his second successive victory at the Italian circuit, to reassert his authority in the MotoGP title race.
A 2.4s win at the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini over his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was the perfect response to his Indianapolis crash and Rossi now leads the Spaniard by 30 points in the standings, with four rounds to go.
Lorenzo did his very best to stay with his illustrious team-mate over the course of the 28 lap contest, having overtaken Dani Pedrosa after a short battle, but Rossi was unstoppable in the Italian sunshine.
Having held the lead in the early stages Repsol Honda’s Pedrosa could not match the pace of the powerful Fiat Yamaha pair, eventually crossing the line ten seconds behind Lorenzo to complete the podium.
Early in the race there was drama – and heartbreak – when Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) appeared to misjudge the first corner and crashed out of his home contest, with American pair Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) unfortunately sliding out with him.
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) had a fierce fight behind the rostrum finishers, with Dovizioso eventually coming out on top by two-tenths of a second for his third fourth place finish in a row.
The top ten was rounded off by early race leader Toni ElÃas (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Mika Kallio (Ducati Marlboro), Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) and James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), whilst temporary Pramac Racing representative Aleix Espargaró did very well in eleventh place in just his second MotoGP race. 250cc
A tremendous battle between Hector Barbera (Pepe World Team) and home rider Mattia Pasini (Team Toth Aprilia) went right down to the wire in the 250cc class, with a desperate last lap ending with the Spaniard crossing the line four-hundredths of a second in front of the Italian.
There was also a superb fight for the last podium position between title candidates Ãlvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team) on the final lap and it was a Spanish rider who succeeded in that contest too, albeit by just six-thousandths of a second. That result means Bautista now trails Aoyama by 13 points at the head of the standings.
Mike di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar) completed the top five after appearing to concede ground right at the end. There was home heartbreak for World Champion Marco Simoncelli, meanwhile, as he crashed out on lap twelve when fighting for the race lead, later citing a traction control problem for the accident in which he appeared to lose the rear end before hitting the ground. 125cc
A dramatic finale to the 125cc race saw the two leading riders, Andrea Iannone (Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.) and Pol Espargaro (Derbi Racing Team), crash on the last corner to hand Julian Simon (Bancaja Aspar) another crucial win.
Right at the start of the race Simon’s team-mate Sergio Gadea escaped unhurt from a nasty looking crash, with several riders swerving to avoid him as he lay stricken on the asphalt.
Once the race settled into a steady rhythm Simon and Iannone emerged at the front, only for Espargaro to join them in the final stages before his costly clash with Iannone.
Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Team) therefore unexpectedly crossed the line in second place behind Simon, whilst poleman Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar) got a surprise podium having been in ninth place with ten laps to go. Marc Marquez (Red Bull KTM) and Sandro Cortese (Ajo Interwetten) completed the top five.
The FIM MotoGP World Championship returns to action on the 2nd-4th October weekend with the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal at the Estoril circuit.
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Toseland a gallant tenth, Edwards makes early exit at Misano
James Toseland finished a gallant tenth at a sunny and hot Misano after making a superb recovery from a chaotic start to the San Marino Grand Prix.
However his Monster Yamaha Tech3 teammate Colin Edwards was not so lucky with the Texas Tornado making an early exit in a wild turn one crash. Edwards was an innocent victim when hit from behind by Italian rider Alex de Angelis with Nicky Hayden also being bumped out of the race.
It was a frustrating outcome to a promising weekend with Edwards on the pace for top four place. It was the first time this season in which Edwards has not scored championship points and he has now slipped from fi fth to sixth in the standings behind Andrea Dovizioso.
Toseland was also a victim of the messy first corner action which spread the field with the Briton settling in tenth position at the end of lap one after starting fourteenth. Toseland quickly matched his qualifying pace that showed he had the speed for a potential top six finish.
The race was watched by 55,000 spectators in glorious late summer weather with factory Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo finishing first and second.
Colin Edwards DNF – 123 points
“I thought I had the pace to easily be fourth and maybe fight with Pedrosa for a podium but we are in Italy and occasionally you have to deal with an Italian rider who wants to be a hero and today that was De Angelis. Turn one at the start with seventeen bikes is not the place to be going at r ace pace and he was never going to make through there. Today De Angelis is the guy who needed to be wearing Valentino’s donkey helmet. I didn’t know what happened until I was sliding through the gravel. Turn one is the most dangerous time to crash with so many bikes around you, it is unacceptable. I’ve been fighting with Dovizioso in the championship most of the season and now he has ten points on me with four races to go. That’s racing.”
James Toseland 10th – 78 points
“The incident at turn one really spilt the pack and I saw it all unfolding and it was unfortunate for Colin and Nicky to go out like that. I am not pleased with tenth place but I am pleased about my lap times in the race. I was matching Dovizioso and Capirossi except for the last five laps because I chose the softer tyre at the rear. We changed to a softer fork springs at the front for the race which made the bike smoot her over the bumps and without that turn one incident I think I had a chance of tagging along for a top six finish. I found it difficult to find a comfortable setting this weekend and we went in circles a little while trying understand the new front geometry with this set-up, but the guys in the team did a great job. At the end I could see Capirossi ahead at every corner so I knew I was doing a good pace so it is frustrating when you can’t be up there fighting for a better result.”
Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“It was a very disappointing day, Colin had the pace for at least fourth position although you have to see the chequered flag to get a result. Before the race I sat down with Colin and told him that it looks good for him but I was worried about the Gresini Honda riders who need to have good results. Alex de Angelis is a nice guy but this is not the correct way to go racing, he did not do it on purpose but this type of incident can be very dangerous. It is a pity because we have lost points in the team championship and now Colin is sixth in the riders’ championship. James lost ground early in the race but his lap times were very close to the battle for fourth and fifth place but he had too much ground to make up. Now we cross our fingers for better results in the final four races.”
More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati:
HAYDEN WIPED OUT OF DUCATI HOME RACE AS KALLIO PICKS UP CONSOLIDATARY 7th
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Nicky Hayden was cruelly sent tumbling out of the San Marino Grand Prix on the opening lap of a disastrous race at Misano after colliding with wayward local rider Alex de Angelis. Hayden had made a superb start from the second row of the grid and was ideally placed to maximise the optimum race pace he had shown in practice and warm-up. However, a late braking manoeuvre from the San Marinese in the second turn left the American with no time or space to react and his rear wheel was clipped, sending him to the ignominy and frustration of the gravel trap.
Consolidation was at hand for the team thanks to a creditable seventh place finish for Mika Kallio, making his final appearance for the team before making way for regular rider Casey Stoner. The Australian was given a huge show of support today by the thousands of Ducatisti packed into the “Variante del Parco” corner, who held up a giant mosaic that read ‘I love 27’ before roaring on Kallio to his best ever MotoGP result. The Finn now returns to the satellite Pramac Ducati team with the thanks and best wishes of everybody at Ducati Marlboro Team, who eagerly await the return of Stoner in Estoril.
MIKA KALLIO (Ducati Marlboro Team) (7th) “It wasn’t a perfect race and there is always something we can improve on but I think we can be more or less happy with that. I made a decent start but I lost some positions in the first corner, which I wasn’t happy about, and then the crash in turn two happened right in front of me. I had to back off and pick a line through the debris, which cost me time and a couple of positions. The guys who came past were slower than me but I struggled to find places to pass them over the opening few laps. By the time I worked myself up to seventh the group of Elias, Dovizioso and Capirossi was four seconds clear of me. I was gaining on them in some areas and losing in others, Melandri was also pushing me hard from behind so I couldn’t relax at any point. It was a tough race and I’d hoped for more maybe a top five or top six position, but unfortunately we lost that possibility at the start. Finally I’d like to thank everybody at Ducati for the faith they showed in me by giving me the ride and the support they have given me over the last few races, and I wish Casey well on his return. Hopefully I can take some positives back to my team and continue to make progress between now and the end of the season.”
NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Marlboro Team) (DNF) “It’s easy to say it now but I just know I was set for a good race today so I’m extremely disappointed. Maybe I wasn’t going to win the race but I at least could have run with the front guys for a while and given all the Ducatisti to cheer for, as well as picking up some vital experience and data for this machine and having some fun myself! To be honest I had a feeling De Angelis might create some drama here. He’s at home and fighting for his job and when I saw him in the corner of my eye I just tried to gas it and get out of his way. Unfortunately he slightly clipped my rear wheel and that was the last I knew about it. I know in racing people can make mistakes and I have done plenty in my life but I’m not happy with Alex because this wasn’t racing – it was just stupid to try and pull a move like that on cold tyres, in the second corner on the first lap. Anyway, we’re all okay and looking forward to Portugal.”
CLAUDIO DOMENICALI (General Director Ducati Motor Holding) “Today was a day to reflect on because there were plenty of positives and negatives to take out of it: I’m really disappointed for Nicky because he was having a good weekend and we had made a tyre choice for the race that gave him even more confidence with the front. The incident, which he was not responsible for at all, definitely denied him the chance of a great race. Mika picked up his best result of the season here after setting a good pace throughout the race. Obviously we are all missing Casey a lot, as are our fans, who made that wonderful gesture with the giant heart. This GP signals the end of a period in which we have had to manage without him and they have been a difficult few weeks, but I am extremely satisfied with the way everybody in the team has pulled together. So I want to personally thank all of them – from Filippo (Preziosi), who has worked hard to make the bike more manageable, Livio (Suppo), who has led the team on the battlefield, and all the other guys who have never given less than their maximum every day.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
PEDROSA ON THE PODIUM, DOVIZIOSO FOURTH AT MISANO
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa scored his seventh podium finish of the season at Misano today after leading the San Marino Grand Prix for the first quarter of the race. From second on the grid, the Spaniard pulled out one of his shotgun starts and led the field on his factory RC212V for the first seven laps. On lap eight however he could fend off Valentino Rossi no longer and the Italian slipped through into the lead. Maintaining an impressively consistent race pace, Pedrosa then stayed ahead of Jorge Lorenzo for a further six laps. By finishing in third place, Dani earned 16 world championship points which promote him to third in the title standings ahead of the absent Casey Stoner.
Andrea Dovizioso was one place behind his Repsol Honda team-mate at the chequered flag after a spirited fight with Loris Capirossi that went down to the last lap. Riding in front of his home crowd, Dovi made a good start from eighth on the grid, steering clear of a first corner incident and guiding his factory Honda into sixth place on lap one. He passed Capirossi for fifth on lap two and then took Toni Elias for fourth – a position he held for most of the race. Though Capirossi came past with four laps to go, Dovizioso held station and skillfully retook the place on the final lap. Today’s result elevates Dovizioso one place to fifth in the world championship ahead of Colin Edwards.
As well as third and fourth places, it was a good day for the factory Honda team with the news that both riders have signed contracts to stay with the team for the 2010 season. The MotoGP season now has a break for three weekends before the Repsol Honda Team reassembles at the Estoril circuit for the Portuguese Grand Prix, which takes place on Sunday 4 October. DANI PEDROSA 3rd World Championship position: 3rd 157 points “A podium finish is a good result for us and I think it fulfilled our potential here this weekend. I made a good start and pushed to the maximum in the opening laps to stay ahead of the others. I was riding really hard and getting quicker every lap which allowed me to keep in front for quite a long time. First Valentino and then Jorge came past though, and they were able to brake harder and get through the corners a little better that me which meant I just couldn’t stay with them. I was actually quite lucky at the end because I ran out of fuel on the slowing down lap and had to hitch a ride back to the pits with Toni Elias. Third is OK here and there was no way I could follow the leaders’ rhythm so I’m reasonably satisfied. I’ve moved into third in the championship, but with Casey not riding here it’s not an even situation so I’m not too concerned about that. This weekend I also re-signed with Honda and I’m very happy about this. They know my potential very well and I know their potential too, and I’m sure we can work well together into the future.” ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 4th World Championship position: 5th 133 points “I pushed 100 per cent in the first laps. I had a good feeling with the bike but unfortunately on lap seven I made a mistake at turn 11 and I lost contact with the front riders. This mistake compromised the race as after that I couldn’t stay with the leaders. In the last laps I had quite a battle with Capirossi for fourth place. He was braking very hard but in the end I passed him and closed every gap so that he couldn’t get past again. I’m reasonably happy with this weekend. This was the first weekend with Ohlins and of course we couldn’t have the perfect set-up but this is just the start and I’m very confident for the future. I’m happy too because I renewed my contract with Honda. This is my first year in the factory Honda team and I feel that I still haven’t shown my full potential. I know the machine better now and we are working together in preparation for next year. Honda is working very hard and I believe in the project.” KAZUHIKO YAMANO – REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER
“Both riders did a good job today and we can take positives from this weekend even though we didn’t win. Dani’s race was very strong. He stayed in the lead for a good part of the race and this was really down to his own high performance and skill – we still have some work to do to improve our machine to match the level of our rivals. Andrea’s weekend was promising because it was the first race outing with new suspension and the team has collected a great deal of useful data. Plus, his result was strong thanks to the excellent job he and his crew did to get a good machine setting for the new components. With today’s announcement of the rider contracts for next year we have established valuable stability in the team which we will use to our benefit for the rest of the season and 2010. The Repsol Honda Team will come back fighting in Estoril.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Crowd: 55,103 Weather: Sunny with stiff breeze. Temperature: Air 24 degrees, ground 41. Humidity: 32%.
PEDROSA AND DOVIZIOSO THIRD AND FOURTH AT MISANO
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) marked today’s announcement that they will continue with the team next season with solid third and fourth-place results in the San Marino Grand Prix held at Misano Adriatico, Italy, today.
Pedrosa enjoyed a strong ride this afternoon, spending the first quarter of the race out front, with Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo chasing hard. Ultimately, however, he didn’t have the pace to stay ahead throughout the race and he had to be happy with third for his seventh podium finish of 2009. The result also moved him into third place in the World Championship, ahead of the absent Casey Stoner (Ducati).
The race was run in hot, sunny conditions, though a cooling sea breeze kept temperatures lower than they had been on Friday and Saturday. Pedrosa once again got a great start, leading the pack into the first corner after a brilliant getaway from second on the grid. His RC212V’s awesome straight-line performance once again he had the fastest bike of the weekend at 279.7km/h (173.8mph) helped him stay in front for seven laps. He then ran second until lap 13, then third until the chequered flag. The race was won by series leader Rossi, who lives just 16km (10 miles) from Misano, with team-mate Lorenzo second.
Dovizioso rode a good race from the third row of the grid, completing the first lap in sixth place and then steadily working his way forward into fourth spot. During the later stages he enjoyed a spirited duel with Loris Capirossi (Suzuki), Dovizioso finally bettering his fellow Italian with a brilliant pass on the final lap. This was Dovi’s first race with Öhlins suspension.
Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) made great use of his second-row start to roar past Rossi into second place at the first corner. The hard-riding Spaniard then grabbed the lead from Pedrosa as they attacked the Carro hairpin for the first time, but he ran wide and Pedrosa immediately regained his position. From there Elias slipped behind the leading contest to finish a very respectable sixth, less than two seconds behind Capirossi and Dovizioso.
Team-mate Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) had a less happy day. The San Marino rider was involved in a turn two pile-up which sidelined him, Colin Edwards (Yamaha) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati). Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) was also involved in the melee, running off the track as he took avoiding action. The Frenchman, who broke his left ankle a month ago, regained the track in last position and had to work hard to come through to finish 12th.
Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) made an excellent start to the race and ran with riders Marco Melandri (Kawasaki), Mike Kallio (Ducati) and James Toseland (Yamaha) for the first few laps. He ended the race feeling physically strong, convinced he has found a direction which will help him at the last four races of the year.
World 250 leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) fought like a lion in his 100th GP race, battling for third place with title rival Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) and the Spaniard’s team-mate Mike Di Meglio (Aprilia). The trio swapped places time and again, Aoyama finally getting ahead of both Aprilias in the final lap, only to lose out to Bautista in the dash for the line and the final podium place. With four rounds remaining, Aoyama’s points lead has been cut to 13 points. The race was won by Hector Barbera (Aprilia), with Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) second.
Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda) produced a brave ride, just a week after suffering a partially dislocated left shoulder at Indianapolis. The Italian took eighth place at the end of a hectic race, crossing the line less than a second behind the factory-spec Aprilia of Alex Debon and just 11.3 seconds behind race winner Barbera.
Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG) finished an excellent ninth despite a few issues with machine set-up and injuries. The Spaniard has suffered back problems in recent weeks and although he was seventh during the early stages of the Misano he was later handicapped by arm pump. He also found he lacked rear grip in today’s cooler conditions.
Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT-SAG) rode superbly once again, fighting hard in the group contesting seventh place. The Thai rider slid off with just five laps to go after narrowly avoiding a collision with De Rosa.
Misano first-timer Shoya Tomizawa (Team CIP Honda) rode a good race to 12th, his best result since he finished 12th in May’s Spanish GP. Team-mate Valentin Debise (Team CIP Honda) also rode well, finishing 14th for his third consecutive World Championship points score. Bastien Chesaux (Racing Team Germany Honda) slid off unharmed on the fourth lap of the 26 lap race.
HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd. “A podium finish is a good result for us and I think it fulfilled our potential here this weekend. I made a good start and pushed to the maximum in the opening laps to stay ahead of the others. I was riding really hard and getting quicker every lap which allowed me to keep in front for quite a long time. First Valentino and then Jorge came past though, and they were able to brake harder and get through the corners a little better that me which meant I just couldn’t stay with them. I was actually quite lucky at the end because I ran out of fuel on the slowing down lap and had to hitch a ride back to the pits with Toni Elias. Third is OK here and there was no way I could follow the leader’s rhythm so I’m reasonably satisfied. I’ve moved into third in the championship, but with Casey not riding here it’s not an even situation so I’m not too concerned about that. This weekend I also re-signed with Honda and I’m happy about this. They know my potential very well and I know their potential too, and I’m sure we can work well together into the future.”
Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 4th. “I pushed 100 per cent in the first laps. I had a good feeling with the bike but unfortunately on lap seven I made a mistake at turn 11 and I lost contact with the front riders. This mistake compromised the race as after that I couldn’t stay with the leaders. In the last laps I had quite a battle with Capirossi for fourth place. He was braking very hard but in the end I passed him and closed every gap so that he couldn’t get past again. I’m happy with this weekend. This was the first weekend with Öhlins and of course we couldn’t have the perfect set-up but this is just the start and I’m very confident for the future. I’m happy too because I renewed my contract with Honda. This is my first year in the factory Honda team and I feel that I still haven’t shown my full potential. I know the machine better and we are working together in preparation for next year. Honda is working very hard and I believe in the project.”
Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 6th. “I have mixed feelings about that race because sixth place is a decent result but after making such a good start it could have been so much better. The team have done a great job with the bike over the weekend after a terrible first day but for some reason it wasn’t quite right today after only a few laps. We have to look at why that was because once again we have shown the pace to run with the very best in this class. We have a bit of a break now which is not ideal for me because I’d like to get back on track as soon as possible, but we will try to use it as best we can and look forward to going to Estoril, a circuit where I have great memories thanks to my MotoGP victory with the Gresini team in 2006 and where we will look to recover even more points.”
Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 12th. “We expected a better result here. I was unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I’m happy because at least I escaped unhurt from the turn two incident. We have had three difficult race weekends since my injury, but we were able to score some more points here and that’s a positive. We made a great job in spite of my ankle injury, and although I’m not yet fully fit we improved our lap times over the three days and we are back in the mid-pack. The coming three weeks off will give me a chance to recover from my injury, so I will try to improve my World Championship position once we return to action in Portugal.”
Gabor Talmacsi, Scot Honda: 14th. “That was a three-part race for me. I was strong at the beginning, when I was able to catch Melandri, then the middle part of the race was not good. Finally, the last part was better, I was able to improve my lap times and I felt physically good all the way to the finish.”
Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF. “I got a decent start and thought I could make some more ground up on the inside in the second turn but I went in too deep. Colin cut in front of me and I braked as hard as I could to avoid him but the front folded and I hit him. Unfortunately Nicky was hit as well and I apologise to both of them. Unfortunately these things happen in racing and I am desperately disappointed because this is my home race, there were a lot of people here supporting me and I wasn’t able to deliver a good result. It is especially frustrating because we had the potential to put a really good race together here after another excellent weekend but we’ll take the positives out of it and try to continue with our recent progress at Estoril.”
HONDA 250cc RIDER QUOTES
Hiroshi Aoyama, Scot Honda: 4th. “My rhythm was better than Bautista’s but he put up a great fight, and overtaking him was very difficult. I was so close to getting a podium finish, the difference between the two of us at the finish line was determined by the difference in power. Anyway, it was a good race for us.”
Raffaele De Rosa, Scot Honda: 8th. “Not bad, considering what happened in practice when we suffered an electronic gremlin which we only managed to fix during morning warm-up. That meant we did not have enough time to work as we wanted on chassis set-up, so we couldn’t do better than eighth, even though the tyres were quite good today.”
Hector Faubel, Valencia CF-Honda SAG: 9th. “In the morning we had an issue with the engine and we lost too much time fixing it to test some new chassis settings for today’s lower track temperature. I couldn’t exit corners at 100 per cent because the rear would not grip, so I couldn’t hold on to the fourth place I had early on. As if that wasn’t enough, I could not physically perform at my best because I had some arm pump in the later stages.”
Shoya Tomizawa, Team CIP Honda: 12th. “That was a great race for me, and it feels very good to get some more points. To get a good result here was important because I found this track really difficult for my riding style most of the corners are so tight and slow. Now I go home to Japan where I will keep training hard to be ready for Portugal next month.”
Valentin Debise, Team CIP Honda: 14th. “I’m mostly happy with that race. My lap times were pretty consistent throughout and we got some more points, my third score in a row. We had a few issues with machine balance here this is a very ‘front-end’ circuit, which means you focus on the front, and then maybe you lose a little rear performance.”
Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: DNF. “It was a shame to fall down and finish another race without scoring points. I did not want to finish tenth again and so I tried my hardest to pass other riders. When I passed Faubel I lost a position to De Rosa and later when I had to avoid crashing into him I lost the rear, and that was the end for me. I’ve got some abrasion to my lower back but I’m mostly just disappointed because I expected to get a great result. Now I go to Thailand to recover physically and mentally, and I hope to finish higher up in the last four races of the season.”
Bastien Chesaux, Racing Team Germany Honda: DNF. “I’m very disappointed with my crash. I got a good start, then lost a few places when things got hectic in the first two laps, then crashed on the fourth lap. I got on the gas hard and lost the rear. It’s a real shame but the important thing is that I was fighting hard I really wanted some more points.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team:
ESPARGARO GRAZES TOP TEN AND OBTAINS THE FIFTH FASTEST LAP OF THE RACE. CANEPA THIRTEENTH
Small feat for Aleix Espargaro, Pramac Racing rider, notwithstanding a strong pain at the right forearm. The Catalan rider has bitten his teeth and after not the luckiest start, he has accomplished many good laps that brought him to fight for the top ten with Vermeulen and Toseland. Aleix has made it to obtain very interesting lap times until reaching the fifth fastest lap time of the race behind only Rossi, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Dovizioso. A pity only that after the fifteenth lap the pain at his right forearm got worst restricting his performances and consequently losing time from the riders that were in front of him. Aleix has anyway made it to maintain the eleventh position until the end of the race. His teammate Niccolò Canepa has instead found some more difficult today not making it to keep a good rhythm in the firsts laps. The rider from Genoa had to be please with the thirteenth final position.
Aleix Espargaro – Pramac Racing rider – 11th in the race – 20th in the championship
“We can consider our self satisfied of what we have done today on track. In Indy, in my MotoGP debut, I had to learn everything about my new experience and here we have demonstrated to be able to be competitive. In the first laps I was going really well and at one stage I was part of a group of riders (Vermeulen, Toseland, Melandri and Kallio) who were fighting for the seventh position. After the fifteenth lap I felt again a lot of pain at my right forearm and for me it was impossible to maintain that rhythm. I could manage to brake somehow with the palm of my hand, but I couldn’t’ completely open the throttle and I was losing too much in top speed. A pity. Tomorrow morning in Madrid at 10am I will have surgery so that I can be in top form for my next ride in whatever class it will be. I want to thank the Pramac Racing Team, Paolo Campinoti and Ducati for the fantastic opportunity they gave me to debut in MotoGP with the hope that I didn’t disappoint them.”
Niccolò Canepa – Pramac Racing rider – 13th in the race – 16th in the championship
“At the beginning of the race I went off track in two occasions while I was trying to overtake Talmacsi and this made me lose too much time. Due to these two exits the rear tyre got worst sooner than what we expected and in the end of the race I couldn’t manage to register interesting lap times. I am really disappointed of this result because I really cared about conquering a good result on this track. I want to thank anyway my technicians that have done a really good job.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
DE PUNIET OUT OF LUCK AT MISANO CIRCUIT
Misano, 6 September: after yesterdays San Marino and Riviera di Rimini GP positive qualifying session result, LCR Honda MotoGP racer Randy De Puniet took a good start from the 9th place for the 28-lap race at Misano track but has been involved in a three-rider crash in the second corner. Luckily De Puniet escaped unhurt from the accident and rejoined the race in 14th place managing to end the thirteenth round of the season 12th.
Despite the left ankle fracture sustained one month ago, the Frenchman aboard the Honda RC212V battled through the pain to get the best from his machine in the last three races including the crowded Misano GP (55.103 fans). The 28-year-old set the 7th quickest time in this morning warm up session at the 4.226Km seaside track but he could not fight for a the top ten finish because of the multiple crash on the first lap (De Angelis, Edwards and Hayden).The MotoGP teams and riders will be back on track in Portugal (Estoril) on the 4th of October.
De Puniet 12th
De Puniet: “First of all I am happy as I escaped unhurt from the crash. We expected a better result here and I was unlucky to be in the wrong place in the wrong moment. However we have been through three difficult week ends after my injury but we were capable to score some points every race and this very positive. We all made a great job to face the injury and, although I am not fit yet, we improved our lap times in the last three days and we are back in the middle group. The following three weeks off give me chance to recover from my injury completely and I will attempt to improve my position in the world classification starting from Portugal”.