FIM MotoGP World Championship Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis, Indiana September 12, 2008 Free Practice One Results (wet conditions): 1. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:53.034 2. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:53.151 3. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:53.190, crash 4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), Michelin, 1:53.704 5. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:53.715 6. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:53.771 7. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:53.850 8. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, 1:53.931 9. Ben SPIES (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:54.297 10. Toni ELIAS (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:54.616 11. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Bridgestone, 1:54.795 12. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), Michelin, 1:55.072 13. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:55.074 14. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:55.292 15. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:55.731 16. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:56.125 17. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:56.271 18. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:56.345 19. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:56.851 More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER STARTS OUT THIRD FASTEST, MELANDRI 14TH AS MOTOGP GETS UNDERWAY AT INDIANAPOLIS As promised by local weather forecasts, the effects of Hurricane Ike were felt as far away as Indiana today, making for a dreary debut for MotoGP at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The opening free practice session, extended by half an hour to give the riders time to learn the track, took place under grey skies and was hampered by constant drizzle. Stoner set the third fastest time of the session before crashing on his final lap, escaping without injury. The fall came on one of the recently laid sections of asphalt, where grip levels appear to be lower than other areas of the circuit – a problem exacerbated by the rain. Marco Melandri began making improvements towards the end of the session before finishing with the fourteenth fastest time. CASEY STONER (Ducati MotoGP Team) 3rd: 1’53.190 “The track conditions vary drastically between the old surface and the new. Grip is good on the old stuff but there isn’t even minimum grip on the recently laid asphalt and the rain makes it much worse because it isn’t draining off. As far as security is concerned there are only a couple of critical areas – in particular turn five, where the run-off is very short. There’s not much we can do about that right now though – the best thing would be to stick an air-fence in. At the end of the session I crashed on the section where the grip is poorest and that’s obviously not good for the wrist but thankfully it didn’t create any major problems. I tried to get back on but it wasn’t possible, otherwise I would have come back on the bike. In general I’m quite satisfied with how we’ve started.” MARCO MELANDRI (Ducati MotoGP Team) 14th:1’55.292 “I like the design of the circuit – it’s fun but unfortunately there are too many different types of asphalt and the new part is definitely the worst, especially with the rain. The bike tends to aquaplane and you can’t see anything because of the reflection off the water. Grip on the older part is good, though. There are two or three dangerous corners: turns one, five and six, where the walls are too close. This morning we started out cautiously but we improved towards the end. Now we’ll work on the engine management because we have some room for improvement there.” More, from a press release issued by JiR Team Scot Honda: Andrea Dovizioso makes brilliant debut in Indianapolis with 4th-best time The bad weather conditions of the first round of free practice of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis were certainly not ideal when riding an unknown circuit. Andrea Dovizioso though had little problem with finding his way around the new circuit, posting as he did the fourth-best time on his and everyone else’s debut on the track. The Italian rider also managed to stay in the top ten positions for the entire session. Besides the rain, conditions were challenging thanks to the various asphalt layers on the track with each giving different conditions of adhesion. This will make it challenging when it comes to the choice of tyres in view of a weekend that is expected to remain wet. In the second round of free practice, the JiR Team Scot squad will continue to work hard to identify the technical configuration that will best suit the demands of this new circuit. Gianluca Montiron – Director JiR Team Scot “The debut on a new circuit is accompanied by several unknowns of a technical nature, and today in Indianapolis these unknowns have been even more complex to interpret because of the rain! Andrea has proven to adapt well to the track, and has successfully completed the first part of the day, which now will continue with work in the pits to configure an optimum setting for the race. Under these conditions, unfortunately, it will be difficult to know exactly which route to take!” Andrea Dovizioso – Pilot JiR Team Scot MotoGP HONDA RC212V 4th time: 1’53 “704 “Today I had the confirmation of what I saw yesterday when walking the track. The new stretches of asphalt are slippery and crossing them makes the bike unstable. Also there’s poor drainage, which means the many puddles which are on the best line make the bike aquaplane. The worst bits of the track are in the early part of the lap, with the first turn after the straight, where you’re braking with the bike a little on its side and also it’s bad at the chicane. The situation is the opposite with the old parts of track, as the surface offers good drainage and grip. The circuit has some slow corners which aren’t exciting, and some which are fast which could be fun if it wasn’t in the wet! We are looking at tyre solutions with Michelin but the choice will be difficult thanks to the different track surfaces, grip levels and with the rain. Either way we have been collecting a lot of data today.” Gianni Berti – Technical Coordinator JiR Team Scot “We started with the most demanding weather conditions, with strong rain that during the session had stopped falling but which left the track wet. We’re working hard to choose the tyres, but also to find the best setting for the bike. The first round of free practice was successfully completed and Andrea proved once more than he can learn a track quickly.”