FIM MotoGP World Championship Assen, Netherlands June 24 Race Results: 1. Nicky HAYDEN (Hon RC211V), Michelin, 26 laps, 42:27.404 2. Shinya NAKANO (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -4.884 seconds 3. Dani PEDROSA (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -7.525 seconds 4. Casey STONER (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -7.555 seconds 5. Kenny Lee ROBERTS (Hon KR211V), Michelin, -8.078 seconds 6. John HOPKINS (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -17.065 seconds 7. Marco MELANDRI (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -18.090 seconds 8. Valentino ROSSI (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -23.951 seconds 9. Carlos CHECA (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -29.027 seconds 10. Chris VERMEULEN (Suz GSV-R), Bridgestone, -31.627 seconds 11. Makoto TAMADA (Hon RC211V), Michelin, -32.841 seconds 12. Alex HOFMANN (Duc GP06), Bridgestone, -34.143 seconds 13. Colin EDWARDS (Yam YZR-M1), Michelin, -40.412 seconds, crash 14. Randy DE PUNIET (Kaw ZX-RR), Bridgestone, -63.648 seconds 15. Loris CAPIROSSI (Duc GP06), Bridgestone, -77.303 seconds 16. Ivan SILVA (Duc GP05), Dunlop, -1 lap 17. Jose Luis CARDOSO (Duc GP05), Dunlop, -3 laps 19. James ELLISON (Yam YZR-M1), Dunlop, -23 laps, DNF, crash MotoGP World Championship Point standings (After 8 of 17 races): 1. HAYDEN, 144 points 2. PEDROSA, 102 points 3. CAPIROSSI, 100 points 4. TIE, ROSSI/MELANDRI, 98 points 6. STONER, 78 points 7. EDWARDS, 63 points 8. NAKANO, 57 points 9. ROBERTS, 55 points 10. TAMADA, 54 points 11. Toni ELIAS, 53 points 12. HOPKINS, 50 points 13. GIBERNAU, 44 points 14. VERMEULEN, 37 points 15. CHECA, 31 points 16. HOFMANN, 16 points 17. DE PUNIET, 13 points 18. ELLISON, 12 points 19. CARDOSO, 5 points More, from a press release: NYRRSC Night With The Stars Club Amadeus, Northallerton, North Yorkshire Tuesday 27th June 2006 Next Stop Northallerton For Unlucky Edwards Having come within a corner of winning his first ever MotoGP, Texas Tornado Colin Edwards blows into Northallerton on Tuesday (27th June) to keep a date with his fans for the annual Night With The Stars at Club Amadeus. After leading for 24 laps and then clashing with compatriot Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) in the final corner of today’s Dutch TT at Assen, causing the Camel Yamaha rider to lose control as he accelerated towards the line, Edwards will be able to recount his experiences to his legions of UK fans who are expected to descend on the North Yorkshire market town for his annual visit. Joining Edwards on stage will be Australian sensation Casey Stoner, who finished fourth after charging through the field today, as well as TT hero John McGuinness. TV Commentators Keith Huewen and Julian Ryder will be posing the questions on what is always an entertaining evening. Michael Rutter and Chris Walker are both hoping to be there also, as will a number of local riders including Dan Linfoot, Dennis Hobbs and Paul Veazey. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: SUPER SHINYA SCORES STUNNING SECOND PLACE AT ASSEN Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano scored his best ever result in motorcycle racing’s premier class today, as he brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in second place during an action-packed Dutch TT at Assen, held in front of a capacity 91,000 crowd. The 28-year-old Kawasaki rider took maximum advantage of his front row start, hitting the first turn in third place and then staying with the leading quartet of riders as they pulled out a lead on the pursuing pack. Nakano was pushed back to fourth by eventual race winner, Nicky Hayden, and then dropped back slightly from the leading trio as a result of front end chatter on his Ninja ZX-RR. As the race approached the halfway point, and the chatter diminished, the Kawasaki rider managed to chase down John Hopkins, putting in a pass at the start of lap 12 to retake third place. Nakano pushed hard to try and join the battle between Edwards and Hayden at the front of the race, whilst keeping a wary eye on the battle behind him, as Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner worked to close the gap on the Kawasaki pilot. By the final lap Nakano had settled for third place, and his first rostrum finish of the season, when Colin Edwards crashed out of the race at the final chicane, gifting Nakano with second place on the podium and his best ever result in the MotoGP World Championship. Randy de Puniet was quick to congratulate his Kawasaki teammate on his podium finish, despite the bitter disappointment of his own race. The 25-year-old Frenchman suffered a problem with his Ninja ZX-RR on the warm-up lap that forced him back to the Kawasaki pit box to switch to his spare machine for the 26-lap race, which he then had to start from pit lane. With brand new tyres fitted front and rear to his second Ninja ZX-RR, de Puniet struggled with grip problems on the opening lap, and by the time his tyres were up to temperature and working, the rest of the field had opened up a big gap on the luckless Kawasaki rider. Undeterred, de Puniet put his head down and pushed hard throughout the race, making up places wherever he could to salvage valuable championship points with 14th place at the chequered flag. Shinya Nakano: 2nd “It goes without saying that I’m happy to score my best result in MotoGP with second place here today, although I was happy enough when I thought I was going to finish third! I knew I needed to be on the front row to secure a good result on this new Assen circuit, and Bridgestone certainly gave me the qualifying tyre to achieve that. I got a good start, but I just couldn’t stay with Colin, Nicky and John during the opening laps. We had to go for a hard front tyre because of the rise in temperature this afternoon, and I had some chatter from the front early on in the race. But then it improved and I was able to chase down and pass John as the race approached the halfway stage. At the end I was too far back to see what happened to Colin, but as I came through the final chicane I saw his bike on the side of the track, but it was a second or so before I realised that this meant I was in second place. I have to say thank you to the team who, despite our recent run of bad luck, have never lost their confidence in me. When the team are confident in me, it gives me confidence on the bike. This result was not just down to me, but to everyone in the Kawasaki Racing Team who’ve worked so hard this year.” Randy de Puniet: 14th “Congratulations to Shinya on his best result ever in MotoGP, I’m happy for him, even though I leave here myself feeling very frustrated with my race today. I felt there was something wrong with the front of the bike on the warm-up lap, and while I didn’t know what the problem was, I knew it was impossible to start the race on this bike. So, I had no option but to return to the pits for my spare bike, which was set-up differently to my number one machine. Starting from pit lane was bad enough, but then I couldn’t push on the opening laps because the tyres on the spare bike were completely new. Once they were up to temperature I managed to make up some places, but after a good warm-up session this morning, I was hoping for so much more today. I will not dwell on our bad luck today; instead I must look forward to next weekend’s race in Donington.” Harald Eckl: Team Principal “Today is a very special day for Shinya Nakano and the Kawasaki Racing Team. Shinya scored his best ever result in MotoGP, bringing to an end the run of bad luck that we’ve had over the past few rounds. I’d also like to say a big thank you to the team, who have all worked hard for this result today. I am sorry for Randy. Once again he was disadvantaged at the start through no fault of his own, but he battled on to pick up championship points and more valuable experience. I hope that, at the next race in Donington, he will have the chance to show the potential that he undoubtedly possesses.” MOTOGP RACE RESULT 1. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 42’27.404; 2. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +4.884; 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +7.525; 4. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +7.555; 5. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +8.078; 6. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +17.065; 7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +18.090; 8. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team +23.951; 9. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha +29.027; 10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +31.627; 11. Makoto Tamada (JPN) JIR Konica Minolta Honda +32.841; 12. Alex Hofmann (GER) DAntin Pramac Ducati +34.143; 14. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1’03.648 More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Shinya Scores Sensational Second Assen, Netherlands Saturday 24 June 2006 Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano scored a sensational podium result for Bridgestone in this afternoon’s Dutch TT after a spirited ride which saw the Japanese rider steal second place after Colin Edwards crashed out with the chequered flag in sight. After equalling his best ever Moto GP grid position yesterday, Nakano was able to translate his second place start into the runner-up position in today’s 26-lap race to go one better than his previous best race result of third, which he achieved in Motegi 2004. The result takes Kawasaki’s podium total to three in three seasons to accompany Olivier Jacque’s second place from China 2005. Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen both claimed top ten results with pole-setter Hopkins securing sixth place and Vermeulen tenth. Although not able to break into the top three, Hopkins is able to leave Assen as holder of the new official lap record courtesy of his 1:36.411s pole time. He also set the fourth quickest lap of the race, underlining his performance around the revised 4.555km track this weekend. Ducati stand-in Alex Hofmann crossed the line in 12th place on his debut with the team, whilst Randy de Puniet brought his Kawasaki home in 14th. Loris Capirossi rode with grit and mettle throughout this week’s Dutch TT event and was rewarded with a well-earned and deserved championship point for 15th place. Shinya Nakano (2nd, 26 laps +4.884s from race winner ): “It goes without saying that I’m happy to score my best result in Moto GP with second place, although I was happy enough when I thought I was going to finish third! I knew I needed to be on the front row to secure a good result and Bridgestone certainly gave me the qualifying tyre to achieve that. We had to go for a harder front tyre because of the rise in temperature this afternoon and I had some chatter from the front early on, but then it improved and I was able to chase down and pass John as the race approached halfway. I have to say a big thank you to the team who, despite our run of bad luck, have never lost their confidence in me. “ Junichi Kawajiri, Manager Motorcycle Race Tire Development: “A big congratulations must be extended to Shinya and the Kawasaki team for today’s result. We have worked very hard together and this second place is a fitting reward. The effort that was made in yesterday’s practice sessions to focus on long runs with the softer compound tyres truly paid off with the team able to make a well-founded gamble which saw Shinya able to lap consistently throughout with his times barely fluctuating for two-thirds of the race. John and the Suzuki team did a great job yesterday to take pole, but unfortunately sixth was the best that could be achieved this afternoon. The podium cannot be far away. Special mention must go to Ducati and Loris for showing such bravery in the face of adversity. That is one big championship point he scored today and must feel like the equivalent of a small victory all things considered. We at Bridgestone are pleased with our own performance this weekend and, in a similar way to Catalunya, when we look back at the poor results here last year, we can only take encouragement at the massively reduced gap. I said at the last race that I want to hunt down a podium in Catalunya next year and now we know that Assen is a circuit at which we can achieve the same feat.” Bridgestone Race Results Result Rider Motorcycle Race Time Gap to Winner P2 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki 42m32.288s +4.884s P6 John Hopkins Suzuki 42m44.469s +17.065s P10 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 42m59.031s +31.627s P12 Alex Hofmann Ducati 43m01.547s +34.143s P14 Randy de Puniet Kawasaki 43m31.052s +1m03.648s P15 Loris Capirossi Ducati 43m44.707s +1m17.303s Saturday Morning Review All six Bridgestone riders completed a handful of runs in this morning’s 20-minute warm-up session. John Hopkins was the highest placed of the sextet in third place with best time of 1m37.744s set over an 11-lap run. Loris Capirossi’s time of 1m37.918s placed him fourth. Kawasaki duo Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet were seventh and tenth respectively (1m37.998s and 1m38.208s). Chris Vermeulen’s best time of 1m38.242s at the end of the session gave him 12th place just one ahead of Alex Hofmann who completed an eleven lap run on the way to 13th (1m38.529s). More, from a press release issued by Camel Yamaha: Dutch TT Assen, Holland Saturday 24th June 2006 EDWARDS MISSES OUT ON FIRST WIN AS ROSSI BRINGS HOME THE POINTS Camel Yamaha Team rider Colin Edwards came within metres of his first MotoGP World Championship victory today after dominating the Dutch TT until a breathtaking finale at Assen. Starting from the front row of the grid Edwards led the way from the first turn and set an electrifying pace that only American compatriot Nicky Hayden (Honda) was able to follow. With two laps remaining Hayden closed in and made his first lunge for the lead, forcing Edwards off the track and onto the escape road. The ‘Texan Tornado’ looked consigned to second place but he produced a stunning fight-back to pull level with Hayden on the final lap and retake the lead with just a few corners to go. When Hayden launched one last attack into the final chicane, only to run straight onto the gravel, Edwards seemed certain to win but there was one final twist in the tale as he ran onto the grass on the exit from the corner and lost control of his YZR-M1 machine, which threw him into the air. As Edwards slid to the ground within touching distance of the finish line Hayden returned to the track to snatch his first win of the season, leaving the Yamaha man to pick his bike up and limp across the line in 13th place. Edwards’ Camel Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi also produced one of his best rides of the season so far as he battled through the pain of cracked bones in his hand and ankle to take the flag in eighth place. Rossi started from the very back of the grid after struggling to qualify with the injury he picked up during Thursday morning’s free practice session. However he made up ten positions in a brave ride to seal eight valuable championship points. VALENTINO ROSSI (8th; +23.591) “That was a really hard race for me but Doctor Costa, Marco Montanari and the entire Clinica Mobile team did a great job on my hand and I was able to race until the end. I was in some pain, especially at the start and I wasn’t able to ride at 100% of my ability, but it was okay. At the start I was worried how it would go, but when the adrenalin kicked in I started to feel like I could race and by the time we got to the midway point I was feeling much better and having some fun. I lost strength in my hand over the last three laps but I was able to hang on and we picked up some decent points in eighth place. The team have done a great job this weekend in difficult conditions. I wasn’t able to do many laps in practice so they didn’t have much data but the bike and the tyres felt great so I have to say a big thanks to everybody. I feel very sorry for Colin he rode a great race and he was unlucky to make the mistake at the end because he deserved to win.” COLIN EDWARDS (13th; +40.412) “What can I say? Obviously I’m really disappointed because I know I should have won that race. The bike felt great from the start and I was really enjoying riding it out there. I knew my pace in practice would be hard for the other guys to cope with and that’s how it proved to be. I got the start I wanted and just kept my head down, doing those times. When Nicky came up inside me two laps from the end he left the pass pretty late and there was nowhere for me to turn the bike into. I had to go straight and luckily it was at a point of the track where I could run back on again. I was determined not to lose hold of him and just gave it everything to give myself a chance on the last lap. I got past him and then tried to keep a really defensive line out of the final corner I had no idea Nicky had run onto the gravel otherwise I wouldn’t have needed to do it. Unfortunately I ran it a bit too tight onto the grass and the rear just spun up as I opened the throttle and it threw me off. I’m gutted but fair play to Nicky, it was a great race.” DAVIDE BRIVIO CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “It was a great race and Colin missed out on the win by just a few metres. It’s disappointing because we could already taste the victory champagne and we didn’t expect that final twist. He made some wonderful moves on the last lap and he didn’t deserve to go down like that, but that’s racing! Valentino also rode brilliantly today, surprising everybody once again with his mental and physical strength. As a team we are very proud of both our riders today.” More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda: BRAVE SEVENTH PLACE FOR MARCO MELANDRI Just five days after a terrible accident at Catalunya, which almost left him out of action altogether, FORTUNA HONDA rider Marco Melandri was back on track today as he took a starring role in another incident-packed Grand Prix. After astonishing everybody with his powers of the recovery, Melandri finished seventh in a race won by Nicky Hayden, who clinched the 200th victory for Honda in the premier-class. Marco made an excellent start as he joined the leading group in fourth place. However, as his strength waned he preferred not to take any further risks and he eventually lost ground, conceding several positions in the final stages of the race. He now lies fifth in the championship, level on points with Valentino Rossi. This evening Marco will fly straight to his home in England, where he will spend the next few days resting before getting back on his Honda RC211V at Donington Park. His team-mate Toni Elías will undergo a medical examination on his injured shoulder before a decision is made on whether he will be able to participate in the 2006 British Grand Prix. MARCO MELANDRI – 7th (5th in the championship on 98 points): “Seventh place is a good result considering my current physical condition. I got a good start but after a few laps on the bike I really started to suffer. I had a lot of pain in my neck, shoulders and legs. I wanted to stay with the lead group but as the laps went by my strength disappeared. My main objective was to try and finish the race so I have to be satisfied. Now I’m going home to England – I need a rest!” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Hayden reigns in Holland as Edwards suffers late heartbreak A-Style TT Assen – Saturday 24th June 2006 An amazing climax to the A-Style TT Assen saw Nicky Hayden take his first win of the season and Colin Edwards suffer a heartbreaking crash just metres from the finish line. Edwards looked to have miraculously snatched victory from his American compatriot in Holland, forcing Hayden off-road with a daring manoeuvre and with the chequered flag in sight. However, his own excursion onto the grass flung him off his Yamaha M1 to shatter his dreams of a memorable maiden win. Hayden had taken the lead just a lap before, the result of which seemed to leave Edwards without a chance of recovering after he was forced across a run-off area. The Yamaha rider incredibly fought back to take the lead again on the final lap, but with the final corner drama to ensue, it was Honda’s clearly ecstatic Hayden who earned his first victory since Laguna Seca 2005 to further extend his championship lead to 42 points. Always a high qualifier, Shinya Nakano has faded in previous races, and had seemed to be cursed with a string of unlucky penalties. Today the popular Japanese rider earned a well deserved podium finish, bravely holding off a strong trailing pack for second place. Dani Pedrosa came back from a poor start to take third after an intense battle with fourth placed rider Casey Stoner. The Spaniard now lies second in the overall classification to make it a Repsol Honda top two. Kenny Roberts Jr. continued his run of good form with a fifth place ride on the Team Roberts bike, whilst fellow American and Assen poleman John Hopkins held onto a top six position after pushing the Suzuki to the limit chasing Edwards in the early laps. The next two across the line showed the true desire and professionalism of a MotoGP rider. Marco Melandri gave a gutsy performance to come in seventh, less than a week after suffering a catalogue of injuries in a horrific first corner crash in Catalunya. Valentino Rossi meanwhile, doubtful for the race after breaking a bone in his hand on Thursday, made his way up from last on the grid to take eighth in one of his defining performances. Carlos Checa and Chris Vermeulen completed the top ten. 250cc Grand Prix Jorge Lorenzo closed the gap between himself and Andrea Dovizioso in the 250cc classification, taking a runaway victory in the 250s. The Aprilia rider won in style with an eight second advantage, having led from start to finish at the Assen TT Circuit. Alex de Angelis continued his run of form to edge out Andrea Dovizioso for second, the Humangest Honda rider unable to follow up his first 250cc win from Catalunya. As Lorenzo left the rest of the category in his trail with a fine start, there was a multiple bike crash behind him, with Martin Cardenas, Sylvain Guintoli, Andrea Ballerini, Jules Cluzel and Jakub Smrz all caught up in the incident. Fourth place went to Alex Debon, in another great stand-in performance from the Spaniard for Fortuna Honda, followed by Roberto Locatelli, Yuki Takahashi, Marco Simoncelli and Anthony West. Red Bull KTM riders Hiroshi Aoyama and Manuel Poggiali completed the top ten. 125cc Grand Prix Mika Kallio made up ground on Alvaro Bautista with a last-gasp win in the 125cc A-Style TT Assen. In an exciting end to the lower class race, Kallio passed Sergio Gadea and title-rival Bautista on the final chicane, with the latter taking a trip onto the grass and unable to overtake his team-mate. Lukas Pesek suffered a serious setback as a result of mechanical problems, with both he and team-mate Nico Terol having to give up their grid positions due to mechanical problems, the former starting from last and the latter from the pits. Pesek impressively recovered to power his way to fifth in the race, behind Simone Corsi and ahead of Hector Faubel, Mattia Pasini and Thomas Luthi. Pablo Nieto and Raffaele de Rosa completed the top ten. 1st position Nicky Hayden (Honda): “The win was super important, Colin was so smooth and fast that I thought he might get away from me. On the last few laps I was able to close him down and get the win. I’m so excited and really want to thank Repsol Honda and Michelin for their great job. I was worried that I had been a bit hard on the tyres this weekend, but they were really good and the team’s efforts really paid off.” 2nd position Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki), : “I didn’t know what was happening on the last lap, it was a surprise to see that I had come in second. I’m happy to be here at the end of the race, not just after qualifying. With this result I can see Kawasaki becoming better and better, they work so hard for us and we have made a step forward. I am very happy and looking forward to the next race.” 3rd position Dani Pedrosa (Honda): “At the beginning of the race I had a problem, because I couldn’t overtake Melandri and lost touch with the lead group. When I got past Melandri I could start to move up the field, and I was putting in similar times to Nicky and Colin. I think that I was fortunate with Colin’s crash, without it I wouldn’t be on the podium. The battle at the end with Stoner was tough and I was happy to finish ahead of him at the finishing line.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Dutch TT at Assen Saturday June 24, 2006 HAYDEN VICTORY SECURES HONDA’S 200th PREMIER WIN This MotoGP race was an epic Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) won it at the last turn on the last lap from Colin Edwards (Yamaha) who crashed, remounting to finish 13th, while Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) inherited second place and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) third. With two Honda riders on the podium and the factory’s 200th Grand Prix win in the premier class now established this was a good day for the Japanese factory. With so many competitors riding injured; Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) carrying neck and shoulder injuries, Loris Capirossi a bruised chest, Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) a broken foot and throttle hand and with Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) in hospital in Barcelona receiving treatment on a broken shoulder, this was a race where taking points would be critical in terms of the World Championship. In bright sunshine with the track at 29-degrees and air temperature at 23-degrees, all those bar Elias took to the grid in front of a capacity 91,000 crowd: Rossi from 18th and last after his crash on Thursday, Melandri from a very creditable seventh on the grid and Capirossi from 15th. Pole man John Hopkins (Suzuki) was second into turn one from the lights as Edwards headed the field. As lap one was swiftly completed, Edwards led from Hopkins and Nakano with Nicky fourth ahead of Melandri and Pedrosa. But by lap four Nicky set a fastest lap of 1m 37.106 seconds having moved past Nakano for third on lap two. Edwards, Hopkins and Hayden soon established a 1.3 second lead over Nakano in fourth, with Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) now fifth ahead of Dani and Melandri, with Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) eighth, Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) in ninth and Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) lying tenth. By mid-race distance of this 26-lapper around the new, tighter confines of the shortened 4.555km Circuit Van Drenthe, Edwards and Hayden had dropped Nakano and Hopkins. The leading duo held a 2.2 second advantage and they would stretch that to five seconds during the final laps. Behind the dicing lead duo it was all action as Hopkins faded and lost ground while Nakano held station in third, just ahead of a Pedrosa, Stoner and Roberts, who were locked in combat for fourth place. As the last three laps approached it became clear Nicky was going to get close to Edwards to heap as much pressure on the Texan as he could. And on the penultimate lap Hayden slid up next to Edwards on the brakes into the back chicane. Edwards ran off track after the move and although he straight-lined the remainder of that chicane he was now just over a second down on the flying Hayden. It looked like Nicky’s race now. But Edwards dug deep and had clawed his way back in touch as they fought on the last lap. Edwards moved inside Nicky as they entered the Hoge Heide kink and then squeezed Nicky to the left as the Honda man bravely tried to outbrake his rival around the outside of the final chicane as the finish line loomed. Nicky was forced to straight-line the final chicane losing drive and the lead. But Edwards lost the rear of his machine as he put the power down while on the still on the grass of that chicane. He was spat off, his bike careering into the tyre wall. The crestfallen Yamaha rider remounted but smashed the screen of his machine in frustration as he collected 13th place instead of a possible win. Pedrosa got the verdict from Stoner and Roberts for what he thought was fourth only to be directed towards the podium after seeing the stricken Edwards extracting his Yamaha from the run-off area. This was some race in what is turning out to be some World Championship. Hayden has increased his lead at the top of the points table and now sits on 144 points to Dani’s 102. Capirossi is third on 100 points, and Rossi fourth on 98 after his eighth place finish here. Melandri also has 98 after his seventh place finish. Stoner lies sixth with 78, Edwards seventh on 63. After his second career win, and his first of this season, a jubilant Nicky said, “It was a wild one today and I definitely enjoyed it it’s just a really good day for me. I’m proud to win for Repsol Honda and really proud to score Honda’s 200th win in the top class of Grand Prix too. At the end of the race I felt really good and really strong. Going into the last chicane he was going in so deep so I used a move I used on Hopkins earlier in the race. Honestly it wasn’t going to work and I caught neutral, but he ran off the track too.” Dani, in third, said, “I lost a lot of time at the beginning of the race, especially battling with Melandri. On the last lap Stoner tried to overtake me and in the last section I re-overtook him and we almost touched once so it was pretty close. Nicky and Colin’s pace was a bit faster than mine so I think third position is good for the team, and I was also lucky because Colin crashed at the last corner and gave me the final place on the podium.” Fourth-placed Stoner said, “I made a good start but got blocked by another rider. Then I got a good pace going and got fifth and then Dani came past so I was happy to sit in behind him for few laps. Dani was a little slower than me but hard to pass, then I made a mistake on the final lap, which allowed Dani to get past again. The positive is that we had a good race package and were racing for a podium.” I just tried to keep working my way up after a poor start,” said Kenny Roberts, who finished fifth. “I felt I had a bit better pace than Pedrosa and Stoner but whenever I tried something on them, they tried it back on me. I need to make sure I now get better grid positions and stay out of trouble on the first five laps.” Melandri, in seventh, said, “That’s a great result considering my physical condition, even if I wanted to do better. I got a great start, but the bike didn’t feel that good. Then the bike felt a bit better after three laps, but I began to lose strength. When I lost contact with the leaders I just tried to defend my position and finish the race.” Tamada, 11th, said, “The problem was with the front-end. I used the same 16-inch tyre that I’ve been using for the last two days, but after five laps I lost feeling under braking into the corners. I can’t understand it because everything was exactly the same as it was during qualifying.” A somewhat processional 250cc race was won by Jorge Lorenzo with Alex de Angelis second (both Aprilia) and current series points leader Andrea Dovizioso (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) third. This is Lorenzo’s fourth pole to flag win of the season so far. Lorenzo peeled into turn one across the rest of the field’s noses from the far right of the track from the lights. It was clear he was in no mood to bother himself fighting when he had the speed to run clear right from the off. Even by the end of lap one he had a 1.6 second advantage over second-placed de Angelis. Most of the action revolved around a five-bike first lap crash, which claimed Martin Cardenas (Repsol Honda RS250RW) among others and seriously affected the chances of both Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW) and Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW). Both riders were forced off track trying to avoid the carnage. By lap three Lorenzo, de Angelis and Dovi were 3.2 seconds ahead of Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) in fourth and the order at the front would remain the same until the flag 21-laps later. Fourth place would become the domain of Alex Debon (Aprilia) on lap 15 and the gap between the podium three and Debon would be 23.63 seconds at the finish. Not even when de Angelis and Dovi tangled with a backmarker did the race order change plainly nothing was going to make this a race to remember for anything other than its tedious nature. Although Lorenzo was delighted with his win, fans could only just muster a feint round of applause after this somewhat lacklustre contest. But the World Championship is very much alive. The points standings show Dovi leading with 149 points from Lorenzo second on 133 and then Yuki Takahashi (Humangest Racing Honda RS250RW), who finished sixth here today, in third with 99 points. Dovi said, “I’m not very happy about today even though I took another podium. I wanted to stay behind de Angelis on the last lap because with his speed if I overtook him he could pass me easily on the last part of the track. I thought about the last turn but I was too far away. Anyway it’s Donington Park next week which is a good track for the Honda.” “It’s a shame I lost time in the first lap collision,” said Takahashi, in sixth. “I touched with de Angelis and Aoyama hit my brake lever. I came back in 14th position and found a good rhythm, but the gap to the leading riders was too big.” Mika Kallio (KTM) prevailed in a hard-fought 125cc race from Sergio Gadea in second and series points leader Alvaro Bautista (both Aprilia) in third. This is Kallio’s second win of the season so far. Reigning World Champion Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) finished eighth after crashing heavily in the morning warm-up. The 22-lap race was the first to get underway on the new Assen track and it was Kallio from pole who lead the pack into the new turn one and beyond. Mike di Meglio (FFM Honda RS125R) was among the front-runners in the early stages until the Frenchman faded from the halfway point. By lap ten Kallio, Bautista and Gadea had separated themselves from the field and led Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) in fourth by 2.4 seconds. By lap 16 Lukas Pesek (Derbi) had overhauled Pasini for fourth but the top trio was now more than five seconds in front. It was a last lap burst of brilliance from Kallio that secured the win. The Finn lay third until the entry to the final turn before the chicane where he carved through the two Aprilias under braking and then squeezed Bautista at the chicane to broach the line 0.122 seconds ahead of Gadea. Kallio has now clawed back some points on series leader Bautista who has 160 points to Kallio’s 113, with Gadea on 103. Luthi lies seventh with 62 points. The Swiss World Champion said, “My start was great and the first few laps also. I could stay with the group I was in and it wasn’t too difficult. I am happy with the points after my problems in qualifying and the crash in the warm-up. That was a real high high-side caused by chatter. The team worked hard to fix that problem and gave me a good bike for the race.” Gabor Talmacsi (Humangest Honda RS125R), who finished 11th, said, “Conditions today were a bit different from the previous two days of practice and the bike was sliding more. In the final part of the race, I tried to stay close to Pasini and Luthi but I lost the front with three laps to go in a left-hand turn and I risked a crash. So, I lost ground on my rivals and I couldn’t fight for ninth place.” Honda rider quotes MotoGP: Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda 1st: It was a wild one today and I definitely enjoyed it its just a really good day for me. Im proud to win for Repsol Honda and really proud to score Hondas 200th win in the top class of Grand Prix too. My start wasnt the best and I saw Colin up there and thought I’ve really got to try and get on the back of him because his race pace has been so good all weekend. I was just holding on for the whole race and knew I had to do something different. So I changed my lines a little bit in the middle part of the track that made a huge difference. At the end of the race I felt really good and really strong. Going into the last chicane he was going in so deep so I used a move I used on Hopkins earlier in the race. Honestly it wasnt going to work and I caught neutral, but he ran off the track too. Huge thanks to my team and everyone working around me at Repsol Honda, and also to Michelin. Ive been wearing my tyre on the rear pretty hard this weekend, but in the race they came through perfectly for me. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda, 3rd :”I lost a lot of time at the beginning of the race, especially battling with Melandri. At the start, on new tyres and with a full tank, it was very difficult for me to brake late. I will have to improve at the beginning of races because I am often struggling a little there. On the last lap Stoner tried to overtake me and in the last section I re-overtook him and we almost touched once so it was pretty close. Nicky and Colins pace was a bit faster than mine so I think third position is good for the team, and I was also lucky because Colin crashed at the last corner and gave me the final place on the podium. It wasnt a perfect result for me today, but the Michelins worked well today so Im happy about that. The championship is more open this year than normal, Im new in this class so being in second place is very good, but I still have a lot to learn.” Casey Stoner, LCR Honda 4th: “I made a good start but got blocked by another rider and everyone went around the outside of me in turn one. But I had a good pace going and got into fifth and when Dani came past I was happy to sit in behind him for a few laps. Dani was a little slower than me but it was difficult to pass, I was losing some rear grip in the left-handers. Then I made a mistake on the final lap which allowed Dani to get ahead and while I’m not happy about that, the positive is that again today I had good race package was racing for the podium.” Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR211V 5th: “I just tried to keep working my way up after a poor start. I felt I had a bit better pace than Pedrosa and Stoner but whenever I tried something on them, they tried it back on me. I need to make sure I now get better grid positions in qualifying and then stay out of trouble on the first five laps.” Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda, 7th: “Seventh place is a good result considering my current physical condition. I got a good start but after a few laps on the bike I really started to suffer. I had a lot of pain in my neck, shoulders and legs. I wanted to stay with the lead group but as the laps went by my strength disappeared. My main objective was to try and finish the race so I have to be satisfied. Now Im going home to England I need a rest!” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 10th. “I had a problem with the front end. I ran the 16-inch tyre I have used for the last two days, which I had a good feeling with. But today after five laps of the race I completely lost feeling with the front end while braking into the corners, I could not be aggressive. We can’t understand why, everything was virtually the same as in qualifying ” Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: dnr – due to shoulder injury sustained in practice. 250cc: Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda: 3rd. Im not very happy about today even though I took another podium. I knew I was less competitive than Lorenzo here but not with this kind of difference. He did a good job, congratulation to him. I hoped to beat at least De Angelis on the last lap but my best lap wasnt enough. Here the setting of the bike wasnt perfect and I was loosing in acceleration compare to Aprilia. I wanted to stay behind De Angelis on the last lap because with his speed if I overtook him he could pass me easily in the last part of the track. So, I thought to try on the last turn, but I was too far. Anyway, the third place is fine for the championship and next week there is Donington Park, which is a good circuit for Honda. Yuki Takahashi, Humangest Honda: 6th. “Its a shame I lost time in the collision at the first lap. I touched with De Angelis and Aoyama hit my brake lever. I went wide in order to avoid Guintoli, who was involved in the incident as well. I came back on track in 14th position and made a good rhythm, but the gap with the top riders was too big. The positive think is that I took sixth place at the photo-finish with Simoncelli and for the championship this is good.” Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda: 12th. “What a lost chance. I made a good start but a rider touched me from behind on the first lap, he touched the left side of my bike and forced me off the track. Then, when I had managed to rejoin the race, another rider crashed right in front of me and I had to get off the track again. And during the touching and crashing the leading group had escaped and I was in a back position after the first laps. I only had the option to try to make up positions and that’s what I’ve been doing throughout the race. I hope to be luckier in England next weekend. Assen is already forgotten.” Arturo Tizon, Wurth Honda BQR: 14th. “My start was good today and I made up for my low grid position. I was just behind the fast group and could follow them for a few laps but then I made a mistake at the chicane and lost a lot of ground. When I regained my rhythm I rode out the race and managed to beat my team mate (Aleix Espargaro) on the last lap.” Aleix Espargaro, Wurth Honda BQR: 15th. “I started very good but some of the fast riders came passed me in the first couple of laps. I tried to race at my own rhythm but this is my first 250cc race and my first with so much fuel in the tank and I found it difficult. In the middle part of the race I pushed really hard and was enjoying the race. Arturo (Tizon) passed me on the last lap but I still got a point. I’m very happy. I just wanted to finish the race. I really like racing this bike. The big difference is the 250 slides a lot more and I have to be confident and ride the bike hard while its sliding. ” Fabrizio Perren, Stop and Go Racing: 16th. “From the start I was racing with a good group and at the beginning felt comfortable for about 10 12 laps. Then they started to pull away. My bike was good today and I was confident so I pushed hard and caught them again. But as the race went on I started to tire a little and had to let them go.” Martin Cardenas, Repsol Honda: dnf – crash. “I made a good start, but in the fourth corner, a very narrow corner there was some confusion in front of me so I reduced speed and entered the corner to slow. I touched the clutch and crashed over the bike without touching any other rider. It was a good start but unfortunately it didn’t last long. Now we’ll see if I can be operated from the injury to recover as quickly as possible. I hope to be able to come back in England.” Arnaud Vincent, Molenaar Honda: Did not race. 125cc: Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 8th. “My start was great and the first few laps also. I could stay with the group I was in and it wasn’t too difficult. I am happy with the points after my problems in qualifying and the crash in the warm up. That was a real high side caused by chattering. The team worked hard to fix that problem and gave me a good bike for the race.” Gabor Talmacsi, Humangest Honda: 11th. “Conditions today were a bit different from the previous two days of practices and the bike was sliding more. In the final part of the race, I tried to stay close to Pasini and Luthi but I lost the front at three laps to go in a left-hand turn and I risked to crash. So, I lost space with my rivals and I couldn’t fight for ninth place”. Sandro Cortese, Elit Honda: 14th. “Great start today and I was 13th into the first corner. I was racing in a god group but when Olive came passed I could not hold him the bike was good, especially the engine but I was starting to slide around. My pit board told me I had a big advantage over the riders behind so I rode the bike home to take the points.” Mike Di Meglio, FFM Honda: 13th. ” “I’m quite satisfied of the race; I really enjoyed on the bike and it made me feel very confident. After the first lap I was 10th and then I overtook some riders to reach the 5th position. But since the start of the race I was disturbed by a problem with the engine which became lap after lap more and more present. I did all my best to stay with Hector Faubel but the engine had some cut and I couldn’t keep the 5th place. At the end I arrived in 13th place and I scored 3 points. It’s a very positive race for the team and myself because we have made a step forward especially with the chassis; I’m quite confident for the next event that will take place in Donington, a track I particularly like and where I finished in 2nd position last year.” Bradley Smith, Repsol Honda: 16th. “Another sixteenth I’m happy for the sixteenth position but I’m not happy because I missed out on the points again. I was really excited on the first three laps trying to get away with the group. Then I run into the back of a rider which just upset me and then my mind was completely away, I was really nervous and frightened and tried to pass people and more and more people came past and suddenly I decided that I just got to go. And then as soon as I sat down to do it I got in front of the group and went straight into the forty-sixes, putting consistent lap times. It’s actually about all what could have been. Obviously finishing among the top fifteen is not easy but it would have definitely been possible looking at the riders that actually did. I’m a bit disappointed but I hope to get my first points at the home Grand Prix.” Joey Litjens, Molenaar Honda: 19th. “That was a great race for me, I’m really happy. My start was very good and I was with a group of fast riders racing at a high tempo, I really learned a lot today. The bike was steering well and I had good top speed. My only problem was acceleration you have to be quick to get on the gas of the slow corners and I needed more acceleration, particularly at the Strubben. I made a lot of progress today and have grown in confidence.” Michele Conti, Seedorf Racing World:20th. “I made a prudent start because in the back there is always the risk of crashes, as in Le Mans. Then I got a good pace and I made a good race. I’m satisfied of the improvement and the good feeling with the bike”. Lorenzo Baroni, Humangest Honda: 24th.. “I did a good start today but I struggled in the straight and couldn’t keep the pace of the other riders. I did my best trying to recover in the turns what I was loosing in speed. It hasn’t been easy also because I feel pain at my right arm injured on Thursday during the practices”. Tito Rabat, Wurth Honda BQR: 25th. “I got a very good start and was with a big group of fast riders running about 16th to 24th. My bike was very good and I stayed with them for about nine laps but at the fist slow corner after the start finish I had a big slide when I got on the gas and many riders passed me. Then Conti touch me and pushed me wide and I couldn’t catch the group. At the end my rear tyre was sliding and I was passed by Baroni on the last lap. But I enjoyed my first race at Assen.” Fabrizio Lai, Seedorf Racing World: dnf “I am very good in braking and I try, in this way, to make up for the lack of power of this Honda. But during the race, after few laps, I hadn’t grip on the rear tyre and I couldn’t do good braking in corners. I preferred to retire and not to take more risks”. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP battles for points at Assen John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen raced their Rizla Suzuki GSV-Rs to sixth and 10th place respectively at today’s Dutch TT in Assen, Holland. Hopkins got off to a great start from his pole position and was in second place behind the Yamaha of Colin Edwards for the first third of the race. As the race developed and grip became an important issue, Hopkins was unable to stay the front running pace, but the never-say-die attitude of the Anglo-American saw him fight all the way to the line to claim sixth place and 10 World Championship points. Vermeulen also got off to a good start and was battling for fourth place early on, but his pace deteriorated sooner than he expected and he was forced to use all his race-craft to bring the bike home in 10th. Today’s race was watched by 91,500 spectators all of whom enjoyed warm and sunny conditions. The race was won by current World Championship leader Nicky Hayden, as Edwards crashed on the last corner of the race after leading for the previous 25 laps. The MotoGP circus now takes the short journey to England for round nine of the championship as the riders prepare to line up on the grid at Donington Park on Sunday 2nd July. John Hopkins: “I guess we can say that we did what we could. The bike worked well at the beginning of the race, we got away pretty good and it seemed to be too easy just hanging with Colin. We were doing the best we could but the bike just started to slide around, and when you are on the side of the tyre so much like you are here it can really affect you if you and unfortunately I dropped back. It would have been nice to see Colin win his first race, but it was not to be and his crash on the last corner lifted me to sixth. We must take the positives out of the weekend and move on to my home-away-from-home Grand Prix at Donington. I can’t wait for that, I’m looking forward to it right now!” Chris Vermeulen: “The beginning of the race was fine and I was fighting with the front guys early on, the bike felt really good. But after about nine or 10 laps I really started to struggle with front grip and the performance dropped off quite a lot. It was difficult to ride at the end and I was lucky enough to bring it home in the top 10 and score some points. Hopefully we will learn from our mistakes and improve for Donington.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “John and Chris are both disappointed with today’s results, but we have to manage expectation and take the positives from the weekend and there are plenty! Both riders suffered from a lack of grip for different reasons but clearly Bridgestone did a great job here this weekend when you look at Shinya’s result and his gap to the winner. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has been stepping forward bit-by-bit and we have to realise that it is not easy to jump up to podium pace there is still a lot of work to do and we have to take things forward as quickly as possible. “The whole team thinks that the Donington circuit is going to suit the nature of our bike a whole lot better than it did at Assen this weekend. Our thoughts and focus are already on getting everything prepared to get the best out of the tyres, bike and riders in a few days time in the UK.” More, from a press release issued on behalf of Michelin: HAYDEN WINS TENSE MICHELIN DUEL ASSEN, Netherlands (June 24, 2006) ­ Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) won today’s action-packed Dutch TT after a tense duel with fellow Michelin rider Colin Edwards (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin). The pair were side-by-side and on the dirt as they swept through the final chicane, Edwards just ahead but then tumbling from his M1 to hand victory to Hayden. Edwards remounted to finish 13th, while Hayden’s first win of 2006 extends his World Championship lead to 42 points over Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin) who won a three-way battle for third place with Casey Stoner (Honda LCR RC211V-Michelin) and Kenny Roberts Jr. (Team Roberts KR211V-Michelin). Michelin riders filled six of the top eight finishing positions, eighth place going to Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) who raced despite fracturing a bone in his right wrist when he crashed heavily during Thursday morning practice. Rossi wasn’t the only rider who rode a heroic Dutch TT against the odds, Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin) taking seventh place, Marco and Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici), still hurting from the injuries they sustained in last Sunday’s big turn-one crash at the Catalan GP. “Both Colin and Nicky rode well today, they both deserved the win,” said Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “We are quite happy with the way our tires worked because they gave consistently good performance. Nicky got the fastest lap on lap four but Colin set his best lap on lap 20, and, looking at his sector times, he could have been even faster on his last lap. It was a brilliant result for Nicky. Valentino and Marco also deserve praise for their brave rides in difficult circumstances. The battle for the last podium place was impressive too, Pedrosa, Stoner and Roberts finishing within half a second. “Nicky and Colin chose totally different tires for the race, according to their bikes and riding styles. Different needs mean different tires, which makes the racing interesting from a tire point of view. Colin chose a soft rear and he was confident because he had done race distance in practice with that tire. Nicky went for something harder than he had used yesterday because it was hotter today and he wanted something for a strong finish. Both choices seemed equally good. They used different fronts too, Nicky using our bigger-profile front in a hard compound, Colin choosing the latest evolution of our narrower front in quite a soft compound.” The world’s largest tire maker, Michelin (www.michelin.com) designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, maps and atlases covering Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America employs 23,330 and operates 20 plants in 16 locations.