FIM MotoGP World Championship Assen, Netherlands June 27, 2009 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), 26 laps, 42:14.611 2. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), -5.368 seconds 3. Casey STONER (Ducati), -23.113 4. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), -29.114 5. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), -33.605 6. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), -39.347 7. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), -39.543 8. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati), -39.823 9. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), -40.673 10. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), -46.010 11. Marco MELANDRI (Kawasaki), -57.777 12. Toni ELIAS (Honda), -59.774, 20-second penalty 13. Sete GIBERNAU (Ducati), -65.366 14. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati), -69.897 15. Yuki TAKAHASHI (Honda), -69.930 16. Gabor TALMACSI (Honda), -85.099 17. Mika KALLIO (Ducati), -1 lap, DNF, crash 18. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), -16 laps, DNF, crash 19. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), -22 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 7 of 17 races): 1. Rossi, 131 points 2. Lorenzo, 126 3. Stoner, 122 4. Dovizioso, 69 5. TIE, Pedrosa/Edwards, 67 7. Capirossi, 56 8. Melandri, 55 9. Vermeulen, 53 10. De Puniet, 51 11. Toseland, 39 12. De Angelis, 31 13. TIE, Hayden/Elias, 27 15. TIE, Canepa/Gibernau, 12 18. Takahashi, 9 More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Vermeulen races to season best at Dutch TT Chris Vermeulen brought his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R home in fifth place at today’s Dutch TT in Assen to record his best result of the season so far. Vermeulen got a great start from the fourth row of the grid and was in touch with the top-three at the end of lap one. He was forced back to sixth place on lap six, but with a rider falling just in front of Vermeulen on the 11th lap it left the Australian racer in a lonely and comfortable fifth. He kept up a consistent rhythm and Vermeulen was pleased with his result, he believes it will be a stepping stone to better performances as he now heads to a run of circuits that he really enjoys. Loris Capirossi was heavily involved in what was the battle of the race. Suzuki’s experienced Italian got a poor start by his usual high standards and was relegated down to 11th – from sixth on the grid – at the end of the first lap. From there Capirossi was in a huge fight that featured up to seven riders at any one time. He battled through the field and made his way up to ninth, before being pushed wide, forcing him to run off the track. After re-joining in 12th he set about getting back in touch with the group and as the high-speed formation reached the last chicane Capirossi had used all his experience to muscle into sixth, but a move from Toni Elias pushed Capirossi into the gravel and although he stayed onboard his machine he had lost all momentum and brought his GSV-R home in 10th. Following a post-race investigation into the incident with Capirossi and Elias, the latter was awarded with a 20-second penalty, which relegated him down the classification and moved Capirossi up into ninth place. Today’s race was held in front of packed grandstands and the big crowd of 96,152 were treated to a bit of history as Valentino Rossi rode his Yamaha to victory – the 100th Grand Prix win in the Italian’s illustrious career. Rizla Suzuki now embarks on a hectic trans-Atlantic dash as it heads to Laguna Seca in America for the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship next Sunday. Chris Vermeulen: “I’m obviously happy because this is my best result of the year and we have shown that we have made a step with the bike after the Barcelona test – especially on the chassis side of things. At this track – and the next couple that we are going to – it is not so important on the motor front, so the slight speed disadvantage that we have is not so bad and we can still be competitive. I got a good start to the race and got in with the front guys early on. I tried as hard as I could to stay with them, but didn’t quite have the lap-times to hang in there. I kept pushing all race and when Colin came past I tried to hang on to him, but he seemed to have a bit more rear grip than me. Most of the race after that was pretty boring as I was on my own. I’m happy with fifth and it gives us some valuable points in the championship and a good result to take forward into Laguna Seca.” Loris Capirossi: “It was not a good result today and it began with a bad start by me, it made it very difficult all race because it is not very easy to overtake here. When I was pushed wide I was really disappointed because it meant I had to start all over again and chase the other guys to get past. I got past three riders on the last lap and I was just behind Kallio on the last few corners and then he crashed, so I was sixth. I thought that would be not too bad, but on the last corner Elias tried to overtake me and put me out and that was it, it was is all over. I am upset because I really think if I had got a good start today I would have had a good race and we’d have been competitive, but it’s finished now and we have to move on.” Paul Denning – Team Manager: “It is nice for the team to have been in the top-five at the last three GPs. It is also great for Chris to find a good improvement here at Assen that will give him a step forward in confidence as we head to three of his favourite tracks. He rode a strong race today and it’s a good platform to build on. “Up until the last corner of the race it looked like we’d have fifth and sixth after an interesting race – to say the least – for Loris. It was always a battle where something could happen at any time and the slightly desperate move on the last corner by Elias was evidence of that. There are some positives we can take out of this weekend, but we didn’t quite have the pace on race day that we were hoping for – compared to the top guys – so we need to keep pushing for improvements and make sure we get the maximum out of our potential in Laguna Seca next weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone’s medium slicks bring Rossi’s 100th victory Round 7: Dutch GP Race report TT Circuit Assen, Saturday 27 June Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Soft, Medium From his second pole position start of the season, Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi dominated the seventh round of the MotoGP championship in Assen. Using medium compound front and rear Bridgestone slicks, the Italian controlled the pace throughout, setting a new race lap record en route to clinching his 100th grand prix victory and taking the lead of the world championship. Also using the medium compound slicks, Jorge Lorenzo finished second to take second position in the championship, and Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner finished a lonely third, still suffering from the illness he experienced in Catalunya. The top three are still only separated by nine points. The competitive action however focused on a great race-long battle for sixth place. James Toseland, Mika Kallio, Nicky Hayden, Randy de Puniet, Toni Elias and Loris Capirossi were split by less than one second for most of the race, trading positions almost every lap. Of this group, only Kallio and Elias opted for Bridgestone’s soft compound rear slicks but were able to match the race pace of the medium compound runners, demonstrating the cross-over between Bridgestone’s compound options. Despite the threat of rain intensifying in the morning and forecasts predicting a wet track, both the warm-up session and the 26-lap race were run in the dry. As predicted, and with a track temperature slightly higher than for yesterday’s qualifying session, the most popular tyre combination was the medium compound front and rear Bridgestone slicks, favoured for their durability. Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director Bridgestone Corporation “I wish to congratulate Valentino for his fantastic result and reaching his 100th grand prix victory this weekend, especially as it has taken him into the lead of the world championship. I would also like to wish Casey a fast recovery from his illness, and hope that he is back on top form by Laguna next weekend. I am very pleased that with every rider now on Bridgestone tyres, we are seeing some very close competition this season which is excellent for the sport and for the spectators.” Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development “Although the gaps at the front were quite big today, the pace that Valentino set was faster than the circuit’s lap record from last year, and Jorge also lapped at the same pace as the existing record, so I am happy with the performance of the medium compound Bridgestone slicks today. We saw that the medium compound was clearly the faster option over a race distance, although the performance of the soft compound was also good. The close battle for sixth position that lasted until the chequered flag showed that our tyres had good durability and consistency for the race distance, even the softer option.” Valentino Rossi – Fiat Yamaha Team Race Winner “Great, I am so happy! It’s a special day I will never forget in my life. To arrive at 100 wins is fantastic, and here is a special place because my father won here in 250cc. I am the second rider in history along with Agostini to reach this result. I felt confident on the bike from Thursday and made a good start in the race. With more temperature today I had great grip from the tyres so is possible to improve my time from yesterday. It was a perfect race. I have to thank all the guys close to me who help me so much, I am so happy.” Top ten classification (Saturday 14:00 GMT+2) Pos. Rider Team Race time Gap Front tyre Rear tyre Tyres 1 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 42m14.611s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 2 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 42m19.979s +5.368 Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 3 Casey Stoner Ducati Team 42m37.724s +23.113s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 4 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech3 42m43.725s +29.114s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 5 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 42m48.216s +33.605s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 6 James Toseland Monster Yamaha Tech3 42m53.958s +39.347s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 7 Randy de Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP 42m54.154s +39.543s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 8 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 42m54.434s +39.823s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 9 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 42m55.284s +40.673s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick 10 Alex de Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 43m00.621s +46.010s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick * Elias was given a 20 second penalty after the race by the stewards, demoting him from 8th, after an investigation into an incident with Capirossi Weather: Dry. Ambient 23°C; Track 35°C (Bridgestone measurement) More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: ROSSI REACHES CENTURY OF WINS AND LORENZO MAKES IT ANOTHER DOUBLE PODIUM FOR YAMAHA Valentino Rossi wrote another chapter in his extraordinary career in Holland today, becoming only the second rider in history to reach 100 Grand Prix wins. 13 years after his very first victory in 125cc, the Italian took the hat-trick of pole position, fastest lap and race win with a perfect display in front of a huge Assen crowd to pass the century mark. It was his 40th win since joining Yamaha in 2004, meaning that over half of his premier-class wins have come with the Japanese factory. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished a strong second and had a milestone of his own to celebrate as it was the fiftieth podium of his career. Like Rossi, The Mallorcan has now finished on the podium in all but one round this season. Yamaha Tech 3 riders Colin Edwards and James Toseland made it four Yamahas in the top six after finishing fourth and sixth respectively. The eight-time World Champion got a strong start from pole and was second at the end of the first lap, passing Casey Stoner soon after to take a lead which he never relinquished. With his M1 and Bridgestone tyres working perfectly throughout, his race pace was even better than he had shown in practice and he gradually stretched his lead from Lorenzo in the latter stages of the race to seal his historic victory. The 30-year-old Italian and his fan-club joined forces on the slow-down lap to unroll a 25-metre banner which pictured every one of his 100 wins, spanning a career which began when he was 17 years old. Lorenzo had a poor start and lost several positions in the early melee, leaving him to fight his way back to the front in the early laps. It took him until lap five to come through to second but by then Rossi had opened up a gap of nearly 1.5 seconds. The 22-year-old looked to be closing on his team-mate a little at mid race distance but in the latter stages he began to lose a bit of confidence in the front and was happy enough to settle for second and an important 20 points. With Stoner finishing third today the championship standings remain tight at the top Rossi leads on 131 points, Lorenzo is second on 126 and Stoner is hard on his heels with 122. The MotoGP paddock now heads directly to California and Laguna Seca for round eight in a week’s time. Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 42’14.611 “This is a very emotional moment and for sure I will remember this 100th victory for the rest of my life. When I reached 70, 100 seemed a long way away but here I am and it has been great, great fun getting here. It is down to so many people, like Jeremy and my guys who have been with me for ten years and all of the team who always give 100% and always give me the best bike possible. Especially however I have to thank the friends who have been with me my whole life and my father Graziano, who won here in Assen 30 years ago when I was a baby, and my mother Stefania, because they have always supported me. It’s great to reach this moment here at Assen because it’s the ‘Cathedral’ of motorcycle racing and the most historic track we go to. Today was a perfect race I got a great start and my bike was incredible which meant that my pace was very strong. In fact I think it was better for everyone’s hearts not to have another last-lap battle like in Barcelona! I had a good advantage from Lorenzo in some parts of the track and it was a great ride for me. Now I have 100 wins and I’m only the second rider to arrive at this number, but Agostini still has 22 more and for me he is still the greatest. 100 is a great result but the atmosphere in our team is wonderful and the motivation is still as high as ever we want to win a few more races together yet!” Jorge Lorenzo Position: 2nd Time: +5.368 “First of all I have to say congratulations to Valentino because this is an incredible thing to achieve and this day belongs to him. Unfortunately I didn’t get a good start today and I had to take a few risks to pass people and come back to the front. Once I did I tried to go after Valentino but in some places I just wasn’t as fast as him; he was riding 36.5s every time and I didn’t really have quite enough confidence to push that hard today because the bike didn’t feel perfect. As the race went on I started to feel the front tyre ‘close’ a bit and I decided that it was safer to come home in second! Another podium is a great result; it’s my fiftieth and we continue to be very strong this season so I am happy. I am only five points from the lead and we are in a good position going to Laguna, which I am very excited about.” Davide Brivio Team Manager “100 victories speak for themselves! For all of us in this team it’s a huge honour and pleasure to work with Valentino because for sure he is one of the greatest in history, something he’s shown again today. Furthermore, working with him is always great fun and we enjoy every weekend. This is a very important piece of history for Yamaha as well because 40 of these wins have been here with us, more than with any other manufacturer and the majority of his wins in this class. When we started together in 2004 it was impossible to think of targets like this and I know that everyone involved and all of Yamaha’s employees will always remember this time. I think I speak on behalf of everyone by saying thank you to Vale for these memories and thank you for joining Yamaha!” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “Today we were able to get a great podium, which is very important for our championship with Jorge showing once again that he is very competitive. Unfortunately we had a small problem at the start and then, while trying to recover, Jorge put a lot of pressure on the front tyre. Anyway, he rode a very clever race and was able to manage the package until the end and get an excellent second place. Now we fly to Laguna Seca, where we are confident we will be able to put in another good performance. Yamaha has the best bike on the track and this gives us strong motivation for the future.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: TOUGH DUTCH TT FOR PEDROSA AND DOVIZIOSO The 79th running of the Dutch TT was a fruitless one for Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso who were both unfortunate to fall in the early stages of the race. After a strong showing in the morning warm-up, Pedrosa made a fast start from second on the grid and led through the first few corners at the famous Assen circuit. The 23-year-old Spaniard was looking secure in fourth place on lap five when he lost the front of his RC212V at Turn 1 and slid off the track. Luckily Pedrosa was unhurt and, despite the disappointment today, his performance this weekend has confirmed his rapid return to fitness. He has vowed to come back fighting at the US Grand Prix next weekend. Dovizioso was also looking confident in the opening laps and was able to ride at the pace that his performance in the practice sessions had promised. He immediately moved up one place from eighth on the grid in the first lap and soon climbed a further two places as he overtook Colin Edwards and Chris Vermeulen. When Pedrosa fell his team-mate moved into a strong fourth which he held for six laps before misfortune struck and he too went down in the same place as Pedrosa. Though obviously unsatisfied with the events in the race, both Repsol Honda riders were positive about the feedback from the latest RC212V chassis they used throughout the weekend and will go to the Laguna Seca circuit in California in search of the results their talents deserve. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO DNF World Championship position: 4th 69 points “At the beginning the race was going well and I was lapping with a fast pace – the same as in the practice sessions. Fourth place was looking on the cards and I believe that would have been an achievable and a reasonable result for us, so I’m very disappointed about the crash at Turn 1. I had a good start but I was trapped by a bunch of riders and it took me a few laps to get by them. Once I was past I was feeling quite comfortable, although I wasn’t sure I could catch Stoner. Then, while I was in the middle of the corner at the maximum lean and I lost the front. I wasn’t on the brakes when it happened – we have to lean a long way over in the middle of the turn and that’s when it caught me out. The next race is only a week away so we have to put this result behind us and focus on Laguna. It’s a track I like and, in spite of today’s result, I’m confident when can get a good result there.” DANI PEDROSA DNF World Championship position: 5th 67 points “The good news is that I didn’t hurt myself in the fall and, considering my recent run of luck with injuries, this is a big relief. But of course I’m disappointed with the result today because, even though it’s unlikely I could have won the race, I was feeling strong on the bike again and believe I could have made the podium. My feeling on the machine this weekend has been much better and I have been able to ride close to my maximum potential, so I was quite confident coming into this race. I made a fast start and found a good rhythm, so the crash was very unexpected – for the whole weekend I had no warning this might happen. Now we have to forget this race and remain positive and focused because we have been the best in the past and I believe we can be the best again. The whole team deserves better than this and I know we will work even harder to take the fight to our rivals, even though they are very strong. Laguna is the next race and we will go there with the same positive mood that we brought to Assen this weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Valentino Rossi won his 100th Grand Prix, took his second triumph in succession and became the undisputed leader of the FIM MotoGP World Championship with a stellar performance at the Alice TT Assen. A vintage Rossi performance was celebrated with his unraveling a backdrop and posing for a classic photo with antiquated cameras, the Italian’s latest post-race show with his faithful fan club. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo was once again forced to settle for second place, his third on the bounce. The Spaniard got off to a bad start from third on the grid and, although he was able to fight back up to the front, could not provide Rossi with the same challenge that he had done last time out. Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner completed the podium with a solitary ride chasing Lorenzo. The Australian now trails Rossi and his Spanish rival in the overall standings after the trio had been level on points heading in to the Assen race. Colin Edwards equaled his best result of the year with fourth place, at the head of an enthralling battle between the ‘best of the rest’. Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen and Edwards’ Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate James Toseland were also in the top six with their best finishes of the season to date. Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso had been in with a shout at the rostrum, but both took tumbles before the race took its full shape. There was also a late fall for Pramac Racing’s Mika Kallio when the Finn was challenging for sixth on the final lap. 250cc Hiroshi Aoyama claimed his second win of the 2009 season in the 250cc race, taking the leadership of the World Championship as a consequence. The Scot Racing rider’s immediate rival, Álvaro Bautista, had looked to be on course to push Aoyama to the line as the duo broke free and dashed for the chequered flag. However, Mapfre Aspar rider Bautista smashed into the back of Aoyama’s Honda on the fast chicane, ending the Spaniard’s race and leaving the race winner lucky to stay upright. Bautista´s late retirement meant that the battle behind him became one for the runner-up spot, with poleman Héctor Barberá eventually getting the better of reigning World Champion Marco Simoncelli. Mattia Pasini and Thomas Luthi ended their hopes of catching up with the leaders when they collided midway through the race, Pasini losing his fourth position in the overall classification with a third DNF of the year. Metis Gilera rider Simoncelli now assumes the place as he attempts to remount his title challenge. 125cc A three-way battle at the front of the 125cc contest saw the order of the podium positions decided on the very last lap, with Sergio Gadea earning his first win of 2009. The Spaniard emerged victorious ahead of fellow countrymen Nico Terol and Julián Simón in a dry race that went down to the wire, saw Terol penalised twenty seconds and left Simón at the head of the overall classification. The trio had battled against one another since just past the halfway mark in Assen, when third row starter Gadea joined up with the two leaders and mounted his own attempt at victory. With neither rider able to get away, a waiting game took place until the final lap, when Terol made a move that did not pay off and ran along the asphalt run-off strip. He caught up with Gadea on the home straight, but the Bancaja Aspar rider had enough of an advantage to take the win. The move was the subject of an enquiry by Race Direction, and the decision was made to relegate Terol to fifth place despite his having stepped onto the rostrum. After taking the holeshot, British rider Bradley Smith lost ground on the leaders and became embroiled in a dogfight with title rival Andrea Iannone. Smith eventually bested the Ongetta Team I.S.P.A rider by five-hundredths of a second, in a move that gave him a belated podium behind teammates Gadea and Simón. The next round of the FIM World Championship for the MotoGP class takes place in Laguna Seca, USA, next week, whilst the lower cylinder categories will skip the round and return at the German race later in July. More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Double Dutch delight for Monster Tech 3 Yamaha Team Colin Edwards and James Toseland raced to superb top six finishes at the historic Assen circuit today, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo claiming fourth and sixth respectively. American Edwards equalled his best result of 2009 with a brilliant fourth position that moved the 35-year-old to within two-points of fourth place in the overall standings. And British rider Toseland roared back to form with an outstanding performance in one of the most intense battles witnessed in the 800cc MotoGP era to claim a thoroughly deserved top six finish. Edwards made a good start from fifth on the grid and passed Chris Vermeulen on lap five to claim fifth and was exerting intense pressure on Andrea Dovizioso when the Italian crashed on lap 11. That left Edwards to claim fourth and maintain his 100 per cent points-scoring record in 2009. Behind Edwards, Toseland was embroiled in an incredible seven-rider battle for most of the race that captivated a crowd of 96,152 fans. Adapting brilliantly to a new set-up inspired by Fiat Yamaha Team Director Masahiko Nakajima, Toseland moved into sixth place on lap 11 and produced a masterclass of riding under pressure to hold off the likes of Mika Kallio, Loris Capirossi and Nicky Hayden. As the incredible battle unfolded to a gripping finale, Toseland slipped back to ninth on the last lap before he took advantage of a series of mistakes to claim his first top six finish of the season. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team now moves to the American round in Laguna Seca next weekend home race for Edwards and title sponsor Monster brimming with confidence. Colin Edwards 4th 67 points “Finally I got a decent start and the longer wheelbase bike helped me get off the line. When Dovizioso came by I was biting my teeth to stay with him and keep the pressure on. But then I saw Dovizioso crash in front of me and just before that I’d had a moment with the right side of the front. I’d done 32-laps on that tyre yesterday but coming in and out of the pits all of the time it’s hard to get an accurate assessment of what’s going to happen. I just held station after that because I could see I wasn’t catching (Casey) Stoner and I was holding Vermeulen off comfortably. My target was just to ride without making any mistakes and keep the momentum going. I rode my hardest but this year in MotoGP it is so hard just to get a podium. The field is so strong now and it’s the hardest year I’ve ever had in MotoGP. I’ve ridden nowhere near as hard as that in the past and been on the podium. But I’m close to fourth in the championship and I was only beaten by the three fastest guys in the world today, so I’m happy with the job I’m doing. I can’t wait for Laguna now and hopefully I’ll be able to go better and get a podium for Monster, Tech 3 and all the American fans.” James Toseland 6th 39 points “I was a bit nervous on the start because I’d no experience with a new clutch set-up we were running. The crash in the warm-up meant I didn’t try it before the race, but I did a pretty good start but still lost three or four places. I knew I’d got a pretty good race set-up so just tried to stay calm and in the first couple of laps I took advantage of that to get into the top ten. It was an incredible battle for most of the race and I knew I wasn’t much stronger than the rest and I knew if I got to the front that it wasn’t going to be a case of me pulling away. I knew once I was at the front of the bunch that it would be a case of protecting it. That’s exactly what I did but it was nearly all spoiled on the last lap. I was getting ready to pass Mika at the last corner when Elias came under me at Turn 10. That let Loris through too and I’d gone from sixth to ninth! It was so chaotic I didn’t even see Kallio crash and I thought when Elias dived under Loris at the last chic ane that they might run off. Fortunately for me they did and I took advantage of it, and leading that group for so long I think I deserved sixth. It has been great to work with Mr Nakajima and I feel quite privileged to have his help and it just shows that I’m still on Yamaha’s thoughts and they want me to get up to speed.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager “That was easily the best race of the season for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and I’m delighted because everybody has put in a lot of hard work. Colin was very impressive again and again he is the best non-factory rider, which considering how tough the competition is now, that is a great achievement. I have to say massive congratulations to James. He’s not had an easy time but he was able to lead an incredible fight in a group that included some of the very best riders in this championship. It was not easy to lead that group like he did but he did an unbelievable job and he definitely deserved that top six. He is a fighter and he proved that today and it was great that we played a big part in Yamaha’s success today, with all four bikes in the top six. I’d also like to say a big thanks to Mr Nakajima from Yamaha. He made an extra special effort and given big support to James this weekend. Now we go to Colin’s home race and a huge race for Monster in very confident mood .” More, from a press release issued by Playboy LCR Honda: DE PUNIET BATTLES TO 7th AT DUCTH TT Assen, 27 June: the LCR Honda MotoGP rider Randy De Puniet was involved in a thrilling race crossing the line in 7th place in today’s 26-lap Ducth Grand Prix at Assen race track re inforcing his place as one of the championship’s top privateers. The seventh round of the season started today at 14:00 local time and was held in dry conditions and cloudy skies with Rossi celebrating his 100th victory followed by Lorenzo and Stoner. Riding the Honda RC212V nr. 14, the 28-year-old showed his trademark getting good lap times on race trim in every session throughout the week end at the 4.555 Km circuit obtaining the quickest lap time on Thursday first free session. The Frenchman started from the fourth row and was up into ninth by the end of the first lap beginning a close battle with Hayden, Toseland, Elias and Capirossi for a top ten finish. De Puniet 7th De Puniet: It has been a thrilling and stressful race for me. The grid position did not help us and I took a bad start but after the first corner I overtook some riders and was up to ninth by the end of the first lap. After that I caught a group of riders faster than me with better engines and could not pass them. Suddenly Toseland passed me after the back straight but he was on the limit and hit my machine. Once again I had to push to catch the group but then Elias came up and hit me on turn no. 3. However I stay focused and when Capirossi and Elias made a small mistake in the last corner I was ready to take the chance to pass them. After a difficult qualifying we deserve this 7th place. My squad made a very good job on the electronic system between the warm up and the race”. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER SUFFERS FOR PODIUM IN ASSEN, HAYDEN TAKES BEST RESULT OF SEASON The Ducati Marlboro Team had a mixed weekend at Assen, with some positive results balanced out by a few difficulties. The steps forward in the bike’s performance were a definite positive, and that allowed Casey Stoner to take yet another podium finish despite suffering physically once more during the race. Nicky Hayden also had a great day after a brilliant start, and after battling hard for sixth throughout the race, only finished in eighth due to a technical glitch. Casey Stoner suffered throughout the weekend at Assen, with the physical condition which had already affected him in Catalunya worsening as the days went on. As difficult as a GP weekend is already, his physical condition just added to the obstacles to overcome as he was forced to race unwell. Despite that, he still managed to take home a podium finish, which was clearly a very positive result. CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3th “I’ve been feeling fine all week but started to feel run down again on Friday and I’ve just got worse as the weekend has gone on. I’ve taken every kind of supplement and vitamin tablet you can think of but nothing seems to have worked, so it is obviously something we need to have looked at closer because I can’t keep going like this and it is costing us points. Thankfully I had a fantastic bike underneath me again today and I owe the team for that. A big thank also to Dott. Macchiagodena and our physiotherapist Freddie (Dente), who took good care of me both in Catalunya and here. Unfortunately we don’t have much time to get fit for Laguna but we’ll see what we can do.” NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Marlboro Team) 8th “When you start from 13th you are always going to have a lot of work to do but that was the best bike I’ve had underneath me all season so I want to say a huge ‘thank you’ to the team for that, they have worked so hard. I got a great start and was able to lead the second group for a while until a couple of guys came past and I lost my rhythm a bit. I made a little mistake under braking on the back straight, ran wide and lost a lot of time but I fought back and got in with the group again. I was having great fun but unfortunately the left handlebar came kind of loose about halfway through the race and cost me a lot of time – that’s when a lot of the guys got past me. I know I’m coming out with a lot of excuses this year but a loose handlebar at that speed is pretty scary! The guys are looking at how it happened. Anyway, man it was a hard battle. I know we were only fighting for fifth or sixth but it felt like there was a title on the line out there! Big respect to everybody in the group though. Elias made a big mistake but everybody left it all out on the track today and we all shook hands afterwards. It was good to be a part of the battle.” LIVIO SUPPO – Ducati MotoGP Project Director I’m sorry for Casey, it was clearly a difficult weekend for him because of his physical condition. Obviously everything we’ve done for him up to now hasn’t worked so we need to help him as much as possible. Besides that I’m really pleased with Nicky Hayden’s performance who was a little unfortunate but has shown some really good progress, just like Mika Kallio who although he crashed had a great race nonetheless. Of course we need to give credit to Filippo (Preziosi) , Vitto (Guareschi) and all the guys at the factory for their hard work. Now we need to continue improving the bike and help Casey to overcome his physical problems, because that’s his biggest issue at the moment.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: DE PUNIET TOP HONDA IN MotoGP, AOYAMA WINS 250 EPIC Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) was Honda’s top finisher in today’s Dutch MotoGP race, taking a hard-fought seventh-place finish after Repsol Honda team-mates Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso crashed out in separate incidents. Watched by the biggest Assen crowd in years, the race was won by reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who scored a dominant victory, his 100th in Grand Prix competition, over team-mate Jorge Lorenzo. Today’s 250 race was won by Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) after a thrilling duel with title rival Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) ended on the penultimate lap when Bautista rammed Aoyama and fell. The Japanese rider’s second victory of the year moved him back into the World Championship lead with seven rounds done. Pedrosa had high hopes of scoring a podium finish in the MotoGP race after he had qualified second fastest, just 0.085 seconds off pole position. And the Spaniard was looking good in the early stages, contesting third place with Lorenzo. But on lap five Pedrosa lost the front at the first turn and slid off. Despite the tumble, which left him uninjured, Pedrosa believes that his team has taken a step forward with machine performance and is looking forward to the next races. Team-mate Dovizioso took over fourth place after fighting his way through from seventh after a so-so start. The Italian was confident of another strong result but he ran out of luck on lap 11 when he slid off at turn one. He too walked away unhurt. While Rossi ran away with the race the interest settled on a frantic seven-man battle for sixth place, featuring de Puniet, Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini), James Toseland (Yamaha), Nick Hayden (Ducati), Loris Capirossi (Suzuki) and Mika Kallio (Ducati). Positions within the group changed constantly as the seven men fought for position through the challenging twists and turns of Assen, MotoGP’s most historic racetrack. There was little doubt that the finishing order would only be finalised during a last-lap sort-out and that is exactly what happened. Kallio crashed at the high-speed Hoge Heide section just a few hundred metres from the finish, then Elias and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) ran off the track at the final chicane, Elias crossing the line in eighth place, just metres ahead of Hayden and Capirossi. Elias had made an impressive charge through the pack, from 13th on lap four, but was penalised 20 seconds for his last-lap indiscretion at the chicane which put him in 12th place. De Puniet had good reason to be satisfied with his seventh-place finish, especially since he might have finished higher up the order if he hadn’t been hit by both two rivals during the race. De Angelis spent much of the 26 laps in the group battling for sixth, happy with recent improvements made to his RCV, but in the latter stages he lost some front grip and slipped back to a lonely tenth place. Yuki Takahashi (Scot Honda), who broke a finger and hurt his back at Catalunya two weeks ago, took the last World Championship point in 15th place. Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) finished 16th in his second MotoGP race. Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) once again demonstrated his immense talent and awesome determination with a stunning 250 victory aboard his RS250RW. The Japanese rider’s second win of 2009, following his dramatic success in May’s Spanish GP, moved him back into the World Championship lead ahead of Bautista. Aoyama came through from sixth place to take the lead from Bautista at two-thirds distance. The pair were inches apart until the end of the penultimate lap when Bautista ploughed into the back of the Honda at the chicane and crashed. Aoyama was lucky not to go down and continued at reduced speed with a buckled exhaust pipe dragging on the ground. He still crossed the line four seconds ahead of Hector Barbera (Aprilia). Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG) rode a breathtaking race after a first lap incident damaged his bike and put him way back in 17th position. Undaunted, the Spanish RS250RW rider stormed through the pack, moving into eighth place with two laps to go. Faubel finished one place and 1.9 seconds ahead of team-mate Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT-SAG) who battled rear grip issues in the closing stages to beat Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda) by a fraction of a second. De Rosa struggled with a full tank in the early stages of the race but got better and better as the race went on. Vincent Debise (Team CIP Honda) netted his second points haul of the season with a fine ride to 14th. Shoya Tomizawa (Team CIP Honda) and Bastien Chesaux (Racing Team Germany Honda) both crashed out. Tomizawa fell at high-speed on the very first lap after losing his front brake lever in a first-corner collision. Chesaux fell in the late stages of the race after running short of rear grip. Both riders were unhurt. HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 7th – said: “That was a thrilling and stressful race. My grid position did not help; I got a bad start but after the first corner I overtook a few riders and I was up to ninth by the end of the first lap. After that I caught a group of riders with faster engines and I could not pass them. Suddenly Toseland passed me after the back straight but he was on the limit and hit my machine. once again I had to push to catch the group and then Elias came past and hit me at turn three. However, I stayed focused and when Capirossi and Elias made a mistake in the last corner I was ready to take the chance to pass them. After a difficult time in qualifying we deserve this seventh place. My crew made a very good job on the electronics between the warm-up and the race.” Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 10th, said: “From the first lap to about three quarter distance it was a good race for me, fighting in a group for seventh place. We’ve been working hard to find rear traction recently and made some progress at the Barcelona test that has helped us here and I think we have gathered more interesting data to help us move forward. Unfortunately it was the front tyre that we struggled with today. From about halfway through it was pretty worn and the front was folding on me more and more. I almost crashed on a few occasions so decided it was best to back off and settle for the position I was in. It is not exactly where we want to be but I think we are getting closer and I’m excited about taking this progress to America.” Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 12th – said: “I’m happy because it looks like little by little we’re making progress. The problem here was that I qualified badly yesterday, I got a bad start today and a lost so much time at the start of the race fight with Sete [Gibernau], Talmacsi, Takahashi and Canepa. It was only three laps but it felt like a lifetime! Once I got free of them I was able to keep passing riders until there were three seconds of clear track in front of me to the second group, which I was able to close down. There were some really hard riders in that group and it was a lot of fun. I want to publicly apologise to Capirossi though because I was very late into the last chicane and ran us both off track. I feel bad for him but I just had to give it everything I had today. Race direction have decided to penalise me for it, which I have to accept, but the most important thing about today was the performance and not the result.” Yuki Takahashi, Scot Honda: 15th – said: “I did not have had a perfect start. Moreover, in the very first part of the race I almost collided with another rider and was forced to take a wide line which lost me time. Mid-race, my back began to ache and then lap by lap I lost sensitivity in the finger I broke in Barcelona. I wanted to finish at any cost. I did it, and I’m satisfied. But not happy: I can do better, and I’ll do so in the next races.” Gabor Talmacsi, Scot Honda: 16th – said: “The start was fun. I had practised my starts and I saw that I was good at that. So, we decided for a soft tyre for the rear and a medium tyre for the front. For ten laps I was able to stay with the other guys in my group. I’m very pleased with my race weekends in MotoGP so far; I’m improving race by race, day by day. Next, we are going to have a technical meeting to decide how to work on the setup for Laguna Seca.” Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: DNF, said: “At the beginning the race was going well and I was lapping with a fast pace the same as in the practice sessions. Fourth place was looking on the cards and I believe that would have been an achievable and a reasonable result for us this weekend, so I’m very disappointed about the crash at Turn 1. I had a good start but I was trapped by a bunch of riders and it took me a few laps to get by them. Once I was past I was feeling quite comfortable, although I wasn’t sure I could catch Stoner. Then, while I was in the middle of the corner at the maximum lean I lost the front. I wasn’t on the brakes when it happened we have to lean a long way over in the middle of the turn and that’s when it caught me out. The next race is only a week away so we have to put this result behind us and focus on Laguna. It’s a track I like and, in spite of today’s result, I’m confident when can get a good result there.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: DNF – said: “The good news is that I didn’t hurt myself in the fall and, considering my recent run of luck with injuries, this is a big relief. But of course I’m disappointed with the result today because, even though it’s unlikely I could have won the race, I was feeling strong on the bike again and believe I could have made the podium. My feeling on the machine this weekend has been much better and I have been able to ride close to my maximum potential, so I was quite confident coming into this race. I made a fast start and found a good rhythm, so the crash was very unexpected for the whole weekend I had no warning this might happen. Now we have to forget this race and remain positive and focused because we have been the best in the past and I believe we can be the best again. The whole team deserves better than this and I know we will work even harder to take the fight to our rivals, even though they are very strong. Laguna is the next race and we will go there with the same positive mood that we brought to Assen this weekend.” HONDA 250cc RIDER QUOTES Hiroshi Aoyama, Scot Honda: 1st – said: “First of all, let me say thank you to my team. They did a great job, providing me with an excellent bike to fight for the top prize in a circuit that might not have been easy for us. My start was not perfect, and I had to push to make up. Then, I found a good pace, and in the second part of the race I was able to get the leadership and cross first the finish line. My position in the championship begins to be interesting. The most important thing, now, is to keep the rhythm. Then, we will see”. Hector Faubel, Valencia CF-Honda SAG: 8th – said: “The race was crazy! I started like a rocket and overtook five or six riders but Di Meglio touched me in the second corner and bent one of my handlebars, which made my race more difficult. Then on the second lap Cluzel fell down and I had to go off the track to avoid his fallen bike. After that I was able to gain positions until finally I finished eighth. I’m happy because after so many handicaps this is a really good result. Also, the riders in front of me on points are very close so I think I can move further up the classification.” Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: 9th – said: “I made a really good start, climbing from 11th position to ninth. At that moment of the race I had a good pace and I felt great on the bike. The problems started with ten laps to finish when I rear tyre started working not so well, very bad through the right-handers. Despite that I’m happy because I achieved another top-ten result and got some important points which moved me up in the points standings.” Raffaele De Rosa, Scot Honda: 10th – said: “At the beginning I experienced the same problem I had in Barcelona: with the tank full I’m not able to do what I want with the bike. And unfortunately I added to my problems my making a couple of mistakes. Everything went far better in the second part of the race. If I can fix that full-tank problem that I’m having in the first laps I’m certain I can improve a lot.” Vincent Debise, Team CIP Honda: DNF – said: “It’s great to get some more points. It was a tough race and I suppose I was lucky that some other riders dropped out. But the important thing is that we are improving and that I got some more points which makes me more confident for the next races.” Shoya Tomizawa, Team CIP Honda: DNF – said: “I knew it was going to be busy in the first few corners. I was on the outside into the first corner and someone hit me from the inside. We managed not to crash, but when I got to the next corner and tried to brake I discovered that the collision had ripped off the front brake lever. It was a fast crash, fourth gear, but I am okay.” Bastien Chesaux, Racing Team Germany Honda: DNF – said: “I don’t know what happened. From lap ten I had no rear grip, which was very strange because yesterday we tried a tyre with 25 laps on it and it was okay. I went into a corner, no gas, nothing, and the rear went away from me. Other than that, the bike was really good.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: UNLUCKY RACE FOR KALLIO IN ASSEN. CANEPA FOURTEENTH Strong emotions for the Pramac Racing Team during the Dutch Grand Prix. Mika Kallio, due to a non-satisfying start, found himself in fourteenth position after only a few turns but as usual, the Scandinavian rider didn’t give up and started a great comeback. Lap after lap he made some great overtakes until he found himself in sixth position. With only three turns to the end and five riders that were right behind him in a sensational fight that was during for almost half of the race, Mika has unluckily slipped. He stood up straight away on his feet and looked really concerned while pointing his left hand. At the Mobile Clinic Doctor Costa found a really hard contusion at his ring finger. His left hand remained in fact under the bike for many meters and made the glove and its protection burn out and so it did the last part of his finger. Mika will have more medical check tomorrow in Finland to understand if he will be able to race next week in Laguna Seca. His teammate, Niccolò Canepa, has concluded in fourteenth position also thanks to a last turn overtake on Takahashi. Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Technical Director “We are proud of our rider. Mika has done an extraordinary race even if qualifying and the start of the race weren’t the best. He has done a brilliant race until three turns to the end. We are sad for that mistake, but these things can happen in the racing world. The things that concern us the most is his injury: at the beginning it seems like a really bad injury, but also thanks Doctor Costa’s treatment things have gotten better even if he is not sure to participate at Laguna Race. Tomorrow we will know more when he will have more medical check up in Finland. We are with him and we hope to have him back as soon as possible.” Niccolò Canepa – Pramac Racing rider – 14th in the race – 16th in MotoGP Classification “My goal is surely not the fourteenth position this is clear, but anyway things have gone better today on track. I am improving and learning, my feeling on the bike is getting better race after race. I can’t wait to go to Laguna Seca now, it will be my first time, but for what I heard it’s a marvelous circuit.” Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing rider – DNF in the race – 14th in MotoGP Classification “So painful, an incredible pain at the same finger I have already injured during my first MotoGP test in Valencia, maybe better to cut it off! Jokes apart it’s a pity for how the race was going, we were having a splendid performance, but with three turns to the end I thought to have another rider right behind me and while trying to close the line I lost the front finding my self on the ground. My mistake and I am really sorry for the Pramac Racing Team that has given me a really competitive bike today. Now I will have to check the situation of my hand back in Finland, but I’ll do what possible to race in Laguna Seca.”