More From The Grand Prix Of Portugal

More From The Grand Prix Of Portugal

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THIRD CONSECUTIVE PODIUM FOR REPSOL RIDER DANI PEDROSA Pedrosa finishes second in a tight race. Nicky Hayden suffered a fall when he was occupying a solid fourth position The constant menace of rain finally subsided and the Estoril Grand Prix was held on a totally dry track. In spite of last night’s rain and a morning warm-up on a wet track, the three races were finally disputed in dry conditions on the portugese track. The weekend’s chief event, the MotoGP race, was held today after the 250cc race, due to time-zone differences The worried faces on the MotoGP starting grid, with all eyes on the sky and on the menacing clouds, finally led to the first few laps, where the possible outcome was still uncertain due to the slight rain that was falling on some areas of the circuit. Repsol Honda Team rider Dani Pedrosa was again the fastest to start off, but at the end of the straightaway and when preparing for the first curve, his rear tyre violently skidded and almost ended his hopes in this race. This small incident was well taken advantage of by Rossi, who overtook Pedrosa in the next curve, an opportunity which Lorenzo also seized, overtaking the Repsol Honda Team rider. Behind, Nicky Hayden maintained seventh position right until the last lap, moment when he caught up with the pack preceding him, integrated by Hopkins and Edwards. The American overtook his fellow countrymen over the next two curves and escaped ahead, occupying a comfortable and solitary fifth position, which became fourth place after a fall by Dovizioso, who was riding fourth in the leading pack. Hayden only lasted one lap in fourth position; an attempt at giving chase to Rossi ended in a light fall to the ground. Ahead of the American Repsol Honda Team rider, teammate Dani Pedrosa struggled in a closed pack with the two official Yamaha riders, Rossi first- and Lorenzo -second-. In lap 13, Lorenzo overtook his teammate and picked up his pace in an attempt at an escape. Pedrosa, aware of what was happening, overtook Rossi in superb style and went after Lorenzo, who was enjoying a lead of almost one second. The Repsol Honda Team rider tried lap after lap to catch up with him, but Lorenzo stood firm in his position and did concede an inch, even increasing his advantage to almost two seconds. A final victory for Lorenzo, a well-deserved second position for Pedrosa and third for Rossi. With this result, Pedrosa and Lorenzo have the same score of points in the general classification, both having taken a victory, a second and a third place. Today’s first race, due to time-zonediferences, was for the 250cc category, in which Julián Simón finished in seventh position. The Repsol rider got off to a bad start due to a problem with his clutch, which resulted from a fall he suffered this morning during the warm-up, an incident that prevented optimal use of the clutch. At the crucial moment, when the red lights blinked off, the clutch released too fast and Simón lost positions. By the end of the first lap he had started to recover and was tenth, and little by little, behind Luthi’s wheel, he managed to shorten the distance with the group that was chasing escapees Bautista, today’s winner, Simonelli, and Kallio. Unfortunately, the Repsol rider had problems again in his right forearm, and eight laps from the end of the race had to reduce his pace due to the pain, making do with a final seventh position. Simón is currently eighth in the World classification, and prior to China’s Grand Prix he will seek further assitance from the osteopaths for the problems that he has been experiencing for such a long time. After finishing in third position today, Mika Kallio is the new leader of the World classification, while teammate Hiroshi Aoyama both receive technical support from Repsol finished in fifth position and occupies the same place in the general classification. A weekend to forget for Tito Rabat in the smallest of the three categories, with engine problems during the race which froced him into boxes by the seventh lap. The Repsol rider noticed a strange noise in his KTM FRR125 during the warm-up, and once the race had started this became a considerable loss in speed. Rabat frustratingly watched as his engine was uncapable of revving properly, and after a few laps where he continually lost positions, he decided to head for boxes. Estoril was the setting for teammate Marc Márquez’s debut in a World championship. The Repsol rider, who rode on the Portugese track for the first time, finished today in eighteenth position, after battling throughout the whole race and recovering positions. After a good start, Márquez overtook seven rivals during the first lap, though he was in turn overtaken again by some of them. Little by little, he settled with a pack where he struggled with Masbou and Nakagami. In the end he finished leading this group on the brink of scoring points, satisfied with his first experience in a World Championship race. Quotes MotoGP Dani Pedrosa >> 2nd at 1.817 secs. “After our difficult preseason it’s good to be in this position now, so we are very happy. Today was a good race, the beginning was quite fun, but also a little dangerous because it was raining a bit and there were a few passing manoeuvres. When the rain stopped, the pace got faster and faster, so we had to concentrate very hard to maintain tyre grip all the time. Eventually we finished second and we’re happy. We always expected a tough race, so this result is very important for us. When Lorenzo started pulling away I still had to pass Rossi, then when I did pass Rossi, Lorenzo already had a gap. I tried to close the gap, or at least maintain it, and the gap stayed the same more or less for the remainder of the race. Finally we got second and it’s a good result. Nicky Hayden >> fell “The first few laps were certainly not easy, some parts of the track were a little wetter than others and I had on a pretty hard tyre. I had been choosing between that tyre and another a little bit softer, but with the way the weather’s been this weekend we really hadn’t got to do a lot of endurance on the harder one. I got settled in, and the warmer I was getting the tyres the better they were working and I was able to start moving up, so things were feeling pretty good. I made a few passes, I’d just got into fourth, felt like I wanted to close the gap on the guys in front of me. You know, I got fourth place at Jerez and I certainly didn’t want to settle in there and ride around, so I had to push hard and you know when you push hard you make mistakes. It’s not a parade you can’t just cruise around. The bike was working good, the tyres were working good, I felt pretty comfortable, so I was pushing. Turn seven’s downhill, certainly a trick corner, the front let go pretty early and down I went. It’s unfortunate because the bike was working good and we were hungry for a good result, so my own mistake. We just have to step it up a bit.” 250cc Julián Simón >> 7th at 26.812 secs. “I got off to a bad start. I lost many positions, though luckily in the first curve I managed to recover a few places, and during the first lap I also made some progress. I tried to pull ahead on my own, but was finding it quite difficult, was lucky that Luthi was keeping up a good pace, and that gave me the chance to escape from the pack he was in. I held out as long as I could behind him, but eight laps from the end I had the same problems in my right forearm as in Jerez and Qatar. To tell the truth, I have to thank all the doctors and everyone who has been treating me this week, because the pain is less intense. Before, it started halfway through the race, and today it didn’t happen until the end, which is good. Evidently it’s not the position I would have liked, but I did my best.” 125cc Esteve Rabat >> pulled out “It wasn’t a very good weekend, and today’s race confirms it. I’d heard a strange noise when I was revving up the bike on the grid, and right from the start something was going wrong with the engine. I got off to a regular start, not too good, but the bike just wouldn’t run fast. It went slower and slower, until I saw that even with the accelerator down to the full, the bike wouldn’t rev up; then I decided to head for the boxes. Let’s hope that we improve by the next race, so all we can do is think about China and do better, because this was a disastrous weekend.” Marc Márquez >> 18th at 51.637 secs. “My first race in the World Championship was quite a battle and gained quite a lot of experience. I think I ran a good race, though we did try our luck with the adjustments, as during the warm-up we were unable to try out a few changes we had in mind. In the end the suspension didn’t work 100 per cent and found it hard to keep up with the pace of the group I was in. But in the end I found the courage, and went for the rider in front of me, trying to overtake him, as he had the advantage when accelerating. I even had a brush with Masbou, but was able to overtake him on the straightaway, where the bike was performing very well. I think that finishing eighteenth on my debut is a good result.” Official results MotoGP 1. Jorge LORENZO (YAMAHA) 45:53:089 2. Dani PEDROSA (REPSOL HONDA) 45:54:906 3. Valentino ROSSI (YAMAHA) 46:05:812 4. Colin EDWARDS (YAMAHA) 46:10:312 5. John HOPKINS (KAWASAKI) 46:16:841 NC. Nicky HAYDEN (REPSOL HONDA) 26:23:675 250cc 1. Álvaro BAUTISTA (APRILIA) 44:34:257 2. Marco SIMONCELLI (GILERA) 44:41:307 3. Mika KALLIO (KTM) 44:41:320 4. Thomas LUTHI (APRILIA) 44:47:255 5. Hiroshi AOYAMA (KTM) 44:48:923 7. Julián SIMÓN (REPSOL KTM) 45:01:069 125cc 1. Simone CORSI (APRILIA) 40:56:168 2. Joan OLIVÉ (DERBI) 40:56:467 3. Nicolás TEROL (APRILIA) 41:02:523 4. Stevie BONSEY (APRILIA) 41:11:141 5. Danny WEBB (APRILIA) 41:11:700 18. Marc MÁRQUEZ (REPSOL KTM) 41:47:805 NC. Esteve RABAT (REPSOL KTM) 13:02:892 More, from a press release issued by KTM: Third podium in three 250 cc GPs for KTM’s Kallio Red Bull KTM 250 factory rider raced to third in the 250cc Grand Prix of Portugal on the Estoril racing circuit to secure his third podium in three races and a 12-point lead in the world championship. “I thought before the season that if all goes well, we could be leading the points now,” the Finnish rider said. “A podium is always good but second would have been better.” Tactical race Kallio started fourth on the grid and was lying in a comfortable third place in the second half of the race only to be denied second place by just 0.13 seconds going across the line in 44.41.320. Kallio: “At the beginning I had some problems with the hard front tyre but then I started to catch up. I saw that Simoncelli was beginning to have tyre problems and in the last lap I was waiting for an opportunity to pass him. But I wasn’t able to do it the just before we crossed the line we touched, otherwise we could have been second,” Kallio said of an incident with second placed Marco Simoncelli right on the finish line. The Finn however was philosophical, saying that such incidents were a part of racing. Aoyama solid fifth Kallio’s teammate at Red Bull KTM 250 Hiroshi Aoyama finished in a solid fifth place. “I had a good start but I wasn’t able to stick with the front group. I had some problems with my back tyre but then I started to get better and better but in the end the Aprilias were too fast for us today.” Red Bull KTM Director Harald Bartol: “Kallio raced a good race today and he was concentrating on the world championship.” While underlining that he was not speaking specifically of the final stages of the 250 cc race, Bartol said it was his general opinion that when such an incident happens on the home straight he thought it was matter for the race direction. Rounding for a good day for KTM Julian Simon of Repsol KTM 250 cc crossed the line in seventh place. Results 1. Alvaro Bautista, Spain, Aprilia, 44:34.257 2. Marco Simoncelli, Gilera, 44:41,307 3. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM, 44.41.320 4. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland, Aprilia, 44:47.265 5. Hiroshi Aoyama, KTM, 44:48.923 6. Yuki Takahashi, Honda, 44:52.755 7. Julian Simon, Spain, KTM, 45:01.069 Kallio on course for third podium in three races Hiroshi Aoyama a solid fifth at Estoril Grand Prix of Portugal a learning experience for KTM 125 cc riders With Red Bull KTM 125 team factory rider Randy Krummenacher still recovering from an emergency operation for a ruptured spleen, the Grand Prix of Portugal evolved into a learning experience for the remaining six riders of the KTM supported teams. Tomoyoshi Koyama of the ISPA KTM Aran Team was unable to translate his pre-race optimism into a top result. He started at grid slot 11 and finished in sixteenth place. Marc Marquez, the very young rider in Repsol KTM 125 cc Team did finish his first Grand Prix after having had to sit out the first two with a wrist injury from pre-season training. The other four KTM riders – Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran; Pablo Nieto, Spain, Onde 2000 KTM; Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125 cc and Raffaele De Rosa, Italy, Onde 2000 KTM all retired during the race. Increased KTM activity in the 125 cc class in supporting additional team is an integral part of the company’s development program and its policy of supporting talented young riders. Results 1. Simone Corsi, Italy, Aprilia 2. Joan Olive, Spain, Derbi 3. Nicolas Terol, Spain, Aprilia 4. Stevie Bonsey, USA, Aprilia 5. Danny Webb, Britain, Aprilia 16. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran 18. Marc Marquez, Spain, Repsol KTM 125 cc Koyama of ISPA KTM Aran in action in the Estoril circuit Marc Marquez back on the racing circuit after injured wrist Hiemer snatches second in opening SM1 Grand Prix KTM factory rider Bernd Hiemer started the Supermoto S1 season in style on Sunday with a 1-2 victory in the two races for overall second place in the opening Grand Prix of Italy to share top points with leader Thierry van den Bosch of France. Nevertheless the German rider allowed himself to be a little disappointed not to be on the top of the podium. In the case of shared points the rider who wins the second race is declared the overall winner. The race was held under sunny skies after rain on Saturday had prevented an competition on the offroad section of the track. Great start to the season “It was a great start to the season and much better than last year,” Hiemer said. “My lap times and speed were super. In the first race I had a perfect start and at the halfway mark I had seven-second lead. I didn’t get away so well in the second race. I was in second place but I just wasn’t able to find an opportunity to overtake.” Perfect control by Hiemer It was Van der Bosch that made a perfect start in the second race had while Hiemer was not able to overtake him he masterfully controlled Thomas Chareyre and Italian Ivan Lazzarini, indicating that he now has an excellent feeling for his KTM machine. Bernd is aiming high this season and wants to improve on his forth place finish in the S1 World Championship in 2007. The good result in the first Grand Prix is a major confidence booster for him, he said. Busy program Hiemer has plenty on his program before the next GP with tests plus starts in the Italian and German national championship to keep his riding skills at razor’s edge. The next Grand Prix is the Grand prix of Europe scheduled for May 25. Overall Results and championship points 1. Thierry van den Bosch, France, Aprilia (Race One 2; Race two 1) 47 points 2. Bernd Hiemer, Germany, KTM (Race one 1; Race two 2) 47 points 3. Thomas Chareyre, France, Husqvarna 36 4. Ivan Lazzarini, Italy, Aprilia 36 5. Matthew Winstanley, Britain, KTM 36 Perfect control by Hiemer puts him on the podium Hiemer on his way to a good result Third place for Pignotti in opening Supermoto 2 Grand Prix in Turin Italian Attilio Pignotti launched his challenge in the 2008 Supermoto 2 class in style at the Grand Prix of Italy in Turin on Sunday piloting his KTM to third overall in the season’s opening race. The Italian was third and fourth for his podium place picking up a handy 38 points behind Davide Gozzini (Italy) and Adrien Chareyre (France) in first and second but with equal championship points. The result was very promising for Pignotti who is not yet completely fit after surgery to his left shoulder, which has hampered his physical training preparation. Difficult conditions The races were also difficult. Although the sun came out on Sunday, rain disrupted the program on Saturday and riders were not able to ride the offroad section of the track. Given the circumstances, Pignotti and the KTM Italy team were well satisfied with the positive start to the season for both rider and machine. The SMR performed well and had no problem with the settings. Impressive performance On Sunday Pignotti was able to gain a good position at the start of each heat and looked impressive on the track. His performance indicated that he will be one of the favourites for this year’s title. Overall Results and championship points 1. Davide Gozzini, Italy, TM, 47 points (Race one 2; Race two 1) 47 points 2. Adrien Chareyre, France, Husqvarna, 47 points (Race one 1; Race two 2) 47 points 3. Attilo Pignotti, Italy, KTM (Race one 3; Race two 4) 38 points 4. Luca Minutilli, Italy, Aprilia 36 points 5. Massimo Beltrami, Italy, Aprilia 32 points More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: GRAND PRIX OF PORTUGAL Rookie Lorenzo dominates for first victory; Americans Edwards fourth, Hopkins fifth INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, April 13, 2008 Jorge Lorenzo fulfilled his immense promise April 13 by winning the Portuguese Grand Prix from pole for his first career MotoGP victory. Lorenzo, from Spain, has started on pole for each of the three races this season on his Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Michelin. But he finally converted that qualifying speed into the top step of the podium in shifting weather conditions at Estoril. Dani Pedrosa, from Spain, finished second on his Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin, 1.817 seconds behind Lorenzo. Five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi was third on the Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone, 12.723 seconds behind his winning teammate. With the victory, Lorenzo pulled into a tie with bitter rival Pedrosa atop the series standings with 61 points. Rossi is third with 47. “I feel like I’m in heaven,” Lorenzo said. “I can’t believe it, and it’s really impossible for me to describe my feelings. To be here after just three races and at the top of the championship, as well, is something that I could never have even dreamed of.” Two-time 250cc World Champion Lorenzo pulled off his first MotoGP victory in powerful style, completing a weekend clean sweep of pole position, fastest race lap and race win. But the victory was far from a romp. Rossi passed Lorenzo for the lead on Lap 3 of the 28-lap race. Pedrosa then seized second from Lorenzo on Lap 11. Lorenzo unleashed his considerable speed and talent on Lap 13, passing Pedrosa for second in Turn 1 and then making a bold pass of Rossi for the lead at the chicane later that lap. Lorenzo never trailed thereafter. Colin Edwards finished fourth on his Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha/Michelin, while fellow American John Hopkins rounded out the top five on his Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone. It was Edwards’ best finish since he also placed fourth in the Grand Prix of Germany last July 15. Hopkins also recorded his best finish of the season, his first with Kawasaki. 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden finished 17th after crashing on Lap 17 while running fourth on his Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin. American Hayden started fourth but dropped to seventh. But he started to pick off riders and chipped away time at the lead trio of Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Rossi before falling. “You know, when you push hard, you make mistakes,” Hayden said. “It’s not a parade; you can’t just cruise around.” In the 125cc race, American Stevie Bonsey continued his climb toward a first career podium. Second-year 125cc rider Bonsey, from Salinas, Calif., finished a career-best fourth after starting a career-best second on the DeGraaf Grand Prix Aprilia. The next race is the Grand Prix of China on May 4 at Shanghai. The inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP is Sunday, Sept. 14 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. RESULTS ESTORIL, Portugal Results of the 28-lap Grand Prix of Portugal MotoGP race, with position, rider, country, motorcycle/tire, time behind winner: 1. Jorge Lorenzo Spain Yamaha/Michelin 2. Dani Pedrosa Spain Honda/Michelin +1.817 seconds 3. Valentino Rossi Italy Yamaha/Bridgestone +12.723 4. Colin Edwards United States Yamaha/Michelin +17.223 5. John Hopkins United States Kawasaki/Bridgestone +23.752 6. Casey Stoner Australia Ducati/Bridgestone +26.688 7. James Toseland Great Britain Yamaha/Michelin +32.631 8. Chris Vermeulen Australia Suzuki/Bridgestone +36.382 9. Loris Capirossi Italy Suzuki/Bridgestone +38.268 10. Shinya Nakano Japan Honda/Bridgestone +39.476 11. Alex De Angelis San Marino Honda/Bridgestone +1:01.306 12. Toni Elias Spain Ducati/Bridgestone +1:03.867 13. Marco Melandri Italy Ducati/Bridgestone +1:09.525 14. Sylvain Guintoli France Ducati/Bridgestone +1:09.634 15. Randy De Puniet France Honda/Michelin +1:11.542 16. Anthony West Australia Kawasaki/Bridgestone +1:23.629 17. Nicky Hayden United States Honda/Michelin +12 laps 18. Andrea Dovizioso Italy Honda/Michelin +13 laps Fastest lap: Lorenzo, 1:37.404, Lap 18 Pole lap: Lorenzo, 1:35.715 POINTS Riders: Lorenzo 61, Pedrosa 61, Rossi 47, Stoner 40, Toseland 29, Capirossi 26, Hopkins 24, Edwards 22, Dovizioso 21, Hayden 19, Nakano 16, Vermeulen 14, Melandri 12, De Puniet 8, De Angelis 7, Elias 7, West 3, Guintoli 3. Manufacturers: Yamaha 65, Honda 61, Ducati 40, Suzuki 27, Kawasaki 24. PODIUM QUOTES JORGE LORENZO (Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Michelin, winner): “I feel like I’m in heaven! I can’t believe it, and it’s really impossible for me to describe my feelings. The start of the race was quite crazy because there were some drops of rain, and it looked like it might get worse. Anyway, I just carried on. I remember making my pass on Valentino; I know it was quite a risk, so I’m sorry to him. But at that point, I felt that I could make it and get away from him, so I took the chance, and it worked. I’m so proud of everyone. To be here after just three races and at the top of the championship, as well, is something that I could never have even dreamed of. I had some pain again in my arms today, so tonight we will make a decision about whether or not I will have the operation before China, but for now I’m just going to enjoy this moment!” DANI PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin, second): “After our difficult preseason, it’s good to be in this position now, so we are very happy. Today was a good race. The beginning was quite fun but also a little dangerous because it was raining a bit and there were a few passing maneuvers. When the rain stopped, the pace got faster and faster, so we had to concentrate very hard to maintain tire grip all the time. Eventually we finished second, and we’re happy. We always expected a tough race, so this result is very important for us. When Lorenzo started pulling away, I still had to pass Rossi, then when I did pass Rossi, Lorenzo already had a gap. I tried to close the gap, or at least maintain it, and the gap stayed the same, more or less, for the remainder of the race. Finally, we got second, and it’s a good result.” VALENTINO ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone, third): “At the end of the day, this isn’t a bad result for us because we expected this to be quite a difficult track for us. My M1 worked well today. I got a good start and was able to stay at the front to begin with and have some fun. My Bridgestone tires were working well, but I was thinking about trying to conserve them as much as possible because I knew 28 laps was going to be hard. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay with Lorenzo and Pedrosa in the later stages, and I started to slide a little bit. But to have two podiums in a row with Bridgestone is very important because we’re still in the learning stages of our relationship. I think we’ve made another step forward this weekend, and we have an important test tomorrow I hope in China we will be able to fight for the win!” AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES COLIN EDWARDS (Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha/Michelin, fourth): “When you are sitting on the grid with big rain spots on the visor, it is the worst feeling because you just don’t know what to expect. I actually got a good start, but then somebody was out of the seat in Turn 1 in front of me and then somebody else did the same at the second corner. I thought, ‘It must be real slick because of the rain.’ And it was a bit like being on ice. I just got my head down, but it seemed they were just driving away from me. I was on it, and the electronics were kicking in and working, but I wasn’t really going anywhere. Basically, I couldn’t build any heat in the tire early on. Running that different tire from Michelin for acceleration grip instead of maximum corner speed, for those conditions it didn’t really work. Had it been dry from the start, we’d have been good to fight for the podium. But with a bit of moisture, I couldn’t get any heat in the side of the tire and no edge grip in the middle of the corner. Once I got heat into it, I was motoring, which proved had it been dry, I’d gone for a good direction with Michelin. I wanted to be on the podium, but I’ll settle for fourth.” JOHN HOPKINS (Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone, fifth): “I’m really pleased, as my aim was for a top-five finish today. I got a really good start, and the first lap was quite frantic as I went around the outside of a few riders before settling into a rhythm with the leading pack. There was a bit of rain to contend with in the opening laps, and I made some small mistakes, which caused me to drop back a little. Our main area to improve on is qualifying, as we keep giving ourselves a lot of work to do in the race by having a poor grid position.” NICKY HAYDEN (Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin, 17th): “The first few laps were certainly not easy. Some parts of the track were a little wetter than others, and I had on a pretty hard tire. I had been choosing between that tire and another a little bit softer, but with the way the weather’s been this weekend, we really hadn’t got to do a lot of endurance on the harder one. I got settled in, and the warmer I was getting the tires, the better they were working, and I was able to start moving up. So things were feeling pretty good. I made a few passes, I’d just got into fourth, felt like I wanted to close the gap on the guys in front of me. You know, I got fourth place at Jerez, and I certainly didn’t want to settle in there and ride around. So I had to push hard, and, you know, when you push hard, you make mistakes. It’s not a parade; you can’t just cruise around. The bike was working good, the tires were working good, I felt pretty comfortable, so I was pushing. Turn 7’s down hill, certainly a trick corner, the front let go pretty early, and down I went. It’s unfortunate because the bike was working good, and we were hungry for a good result, so my own mistake. We just have to step it up a bit.” MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS 250cc: Alvaro Bautista, Spain, Mapfre Aspar Team Aprilia. 125cc: Simone Corsi, Italy, Jack & Jones WRB Aprilia. American Stevie Bonsey finished fourth and is seventh in series points. NEXT RACE Grand Prix of China, Shanghai, May 4. Round 4 of 18. Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008. Tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. All tickets for this event are three-day tickets, with both reserved and general admission seating available.

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