Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis, Indiana

August 10, 2014

Provisional Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires):

1. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 27 laps, 42:07.041

2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Yamaha), -1.803 seconds

3. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), -6.558

4. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), -10.016

5. Pol Espargaro, Spain (Yamaha), -17.807

6. Bradley Smith, UK (Yamaha), -19.604

7. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), -20.759

8. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Ducati), -39.796

9. Scott Redding, UK (Honda), -40.507

10. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan (Honda), -55.760

11. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Honda), -65.130

12. Mike Di Meglio, France (FTR-Kawasaki), -65.346

13. Colin Edwards, USA (Forward Yamaha), -68.919

14. Michael Laverty, UK (PBM-Aprilia), -69.203

15. Broc Parkes, Australia (PBM-Aprilia), -90.613

16. Leon Camier, UK (Honda), -8 laps, DNF, retired

17. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Ducati), -13 laps, DNF, mechanical

18. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Forward Yamaha), -15 laps, DNF, retired

19. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), -15 laps, DNF, crash

20. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (ART-Aprilia), -21 laps, DNF, retired

21. Hector Barbera, Spain (FTR-Kawasaki), -22 laps, DNF, retired

22. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Honda), -27 laps, DNF, crash

23. Yonny Hernandez, Colombia (Ducati), -27 laps, DNF, crash

Provisional World Championship Point Standings (after 10 of 18 races):

1. Marquez, 250 points

2. Pedrosa, 161

3. Rossi, 157

4. Lorenzo, 117

5. Dovizioso, 108

6. Pol Espargaro, 78

7. Aleix Espargaro, 77

8. Iannone, 62

9. Smith, 58

10. Bradl, 56

11. Bautista, 50

12. Redding, 40

13. Crutchlow, 36

14. Aoyama, 34

15. Nicky Hayden, 29

16. Hernandez, 27

17. Abraham, 23

18. Edwards, 11

19. TIE, Pirro/Parkes, 7

21. TIE, Di Meglio/Petrucci, 4

23. TIE, Laverty/Barbera, 2

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez makes it a perfect ten at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP with Pedrosa 4th

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has continued his perfect season and has become the first rider since Mick Doohan in 1997, also aboard a Repsol Honda machine, to win ten successive premier class GP races. Teammate Dani Pedrosa recovered from his eighth place position on the grid to take fourth place.

It was a frantic start to the race with Marc losing out from his pole position dropping positions and Dani making a strong start passing three riders. By the end of the first lap Marc was fourth and Dani fifth, then on lap two, Marc passed Iannone into third and Dani was passed by Lorenzo, demoting him to sixth. The top eight riders stuck together in a pack for the opening laps, with just tenths of seconds separating them. Then on lap six Marc took advantage of Rossi and Dovizioso sparring for position and running wide, and slipped into first position. Rossi re-passed Marc on the same lap but Marc remained in second place ahead of Dovizioso.

By lap ten Lorenzo had passed Dovizioso into third and at the start of lap eleven he passed Marc into turn one to claim second place. However, after immediately attacking Rossi into turn two, both riders left a gap for Marc to pass and the championship leader never looked back, recording the fastest race lap on lap seventeen (1’32.831). Dani passed Dovizioso on lap thirteen and sealed fourth position.

With his victory in Indianapolis Marc has made it a perfect ten from ten, and also earns Honda’s tenth consecutive win on American soil (since Indianapoils 2010). He’s also won in all his MotoGP appearances in the USA and for the second year in a row, he’s completed a perfect weekend in Indianapolis after qualifying on pole and also setting a new lap record on his way to winning. This 16th MotoGP win for Marc also celebrates the 100th win for Spain in the premier class (Lorenzo 31, Pedrosa 25, Marquez 16, Criville 15, Gibernau 9, Checa 2, Elias 1, Puig 1).

Marc increases his lead in the Rider Championship with 250 points. Dani remains in second on 161 with Rossi in third on 157. Honda also lead the Constructor Championship by 76 points, and the Repsol Honda Team lead the Team Championship by 137 points.

There will be no break now for the MotoGP paddock as they pack up tonight in Indianapolis and head back across the Atlantic to the Czech Republic for Round 11 in Brno next weekend.

TEAM QUOTES

Marc Marquez

1st – Championship Standing: 1st – 250 points

“I am really happy to have taken this win! After the summer break it was important to start with another victory. Yesterday it seemed like it may be a straight forward race, but it ended up being quite the opposite. We suffered a lot and physically it was hard, there was a lot of humidity and I was sweating a lot. The track temperature rose by 10 degrees today and this made the tyres behave differently. It was hard for me to have the same level of confidence. I was patient at the beginning and when I regained the good feeling I had in practice I decided to push, opening that two-second gap which in the end was enough for the win”

Dani Pedrosa

4th – Championship Standing: 2nd – 161 points

“Overall it has been a difficult weekend in which at no point did I feel good on the bike. We couldn’t find a good setup in practice. Then in the race, although I was able to move up a few places, I was always off the pace if I was going to fight for the podium”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

EARLY FINISH FOR BRADL AT INDIANAPOLIS GP

Indianapolis, 10 August: the tenth round of the season at the updated legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway saw Marquez conquering another victory in front of Lorenzo and Rossi. German LCR Honda RC213V rider Stefan Bradl started from the head of the fourth row with the intention to bounce back from an “up-and-down” first part of the season but the 24-year-old was involved in a typical racing accident at 15 laps to go.

Stefan: “Disappointing Sunday for us. My start was so and so pretty similar to the others. I was in the same group of Aleix and Pol Espargaro and I could see that my pace was faster in some areas but Aleix had some advantage in some corners so we raced with the same pace. At the end of the straight I tried to attack him but we were on the same line and he released the brake a little bit closing my corner space. I hit him in the back and we both crashed: it was a racing accident that can happen to anybody”.

More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:

Indianapolis MotoGP™ victory makes it ten out of ten for Marquez in 2014

Round 10: Indianapolis Grand Prix – Race

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday August 10 2014

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)

Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)

Weather: Dry. Ambient 29-29°C; Track 40-48°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez made it ten wins from ten starts in the 2014 MotoGP™ season as the reigning world champion stormed to victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Starting from pole position, Marquez had a poor start off the line and as the field completed the first lap he found himself in fourth place before he began his fight-back. Following an exciting battle for the lead, Marquez made the race-winning pass on the eleventh lap and was able to increase his pace to ultimately take the chequered flag by 1.803 seconds ahead of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo who finished in second place. Third place went to Lorenzo’s teammate Valentino Rossi who led the first ten laps of the race after a brilliant start.

Conditions were dry today, with ambient and track temperatures reaching their highest level of the race weekend, with a peak track temperature of 48°C recorded at the start of the race. The higher track temperatures didn’t have an effect on race tyre choice, with riders selecting the same tyre combinations they used in yesterday’s practice sessions. All except two riders selected the medium compound front slick, with Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Octo IodaRacing Team’s Danilo Petrucci opting instead for the hard compound front slick. Rear tyre choice saw almost every rider select their harder rear slick option; hard compound for the Factory Honda and Yamaha, and medium compound for the Ducati and open-class riders, with only GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista breaking the trend by selecting his softer, medium compound rear slick for the race. Tyre performance at this year’s Indianapolis Grand Prix which featured a revised track layout and new tarmac was exemplary, with ten of the fifteen riders that finished the race setting their fastest lap in the second half of the race.

Marquez’s perfect win record means he has amassed 250 championship points to lead teammate Dani Pedrosa by 89 points, while Rossi remains four points behind Pedrosa and in third place in the standings.

Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department

“The new layout at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a welcome change and resulted in some great racing today, but once again Marc was too strong so congratulations to him and Repsol Honda on another emphatic victory. The early stages of the race were particularly exciting with many riders on different makes of machine challenging for the race lead, and this bodes well for the rest of the season. I am pleased with how our tyres performed at the revised Indianapolis circuit with excellent levels of safety, performance and durability, and I am now looking forward to next week’s Czech Grand Prix as in the past few years we have had some very close races there.”

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department

“Although track temperatures were warmer today there were no surprises with the riders’ race tyre choice, with every rider selecting the tyre combination that they preferred during the practice sessions. The medium compound front slick was the popular choice all weekend and this was chosen by almost every rider today, while the harder rear slick options were used by all except one rider for the race. The majority of the riders managed to set their best lap times in the closing stages and tyre performance was very consistent throughout the twenty-seven laps, so I am happy that our tyre allocation proved to be ideally suited to the new Indianapolis MotoGP circuit.”

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda – Race Winner

“The race was so hard especially as the track temperature was higher than yesterday so I struggled a bit in the beginning and so I stayed behind Valentino until I felt comfortable with the tyres. When I felt the front tyre was working well I could improve my pace and take the lead and although it was difficult to build a gap, in the end I could take the twenty-five points.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

Lorenzo and Rossi Deliver Double Podium in Indianapolis

Indianapolis (USA), 10th August 2014

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi put up a fierce fight today to score a double podium finish in the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Lorenzo marked his return to fitness in style, taking a stunning second at the legendary ‘Brickyard’. Starting from third on the grid, the Spaniard initially dropped back to sixth place in the bunch up of riders on turn two before cutting back through the pack to take his place as a key protagonist of the race.

Teammate Rossi also made a stunning return to form after the summer break. The Doctor had an electrifying start, climbing four places from the second row of the grid to take the lead in the second corner from Andrea Dovizioso. On lap three his teammate Lorenzo arrived at the back of Marc Marquez and together they closed down the gap to the leaders. Within a few laps the tension reached fever pitch as the four rivals came within touching distance as they exchanged places numerous times.

On the tenth lap Rossi led from Marquez, closely followed by Lorenzo and Dovizioso. The order soon changed again when Lorenzo and Marquez both passed Rossi in turn two, the two Yamaha riders almost colliding in the process. Marquez took the lead with Rossi in second while Lorenzo followed in third. He was back on his way to the front when he experienced a big moment in the last corner as his knee clipped the curbstones, causing him to lose vital seconds.

Lorenzo then started to close the gap of 0.4 seconds to his teammate again and overtook him on lap 15. The Mallorcan, closely followed by Rossi, now had his eyes on the win, but by then the gap to Marquez had become too big for him to close. He finished the race in second, 1.803 seconds behind Marquez, whilst Rossi finished in third place with a gap of +6.558 seconds to his teammate.

Lorenzo’s sixth premier class podium finish at the US track moves him up to the fourth position in the standings with 117 points, whist the third place finish keeps Rossi in third on 157 points.

Jorge Lorenzo

2nd / +1.803 / 27 laps

“The beginning of the championship was a little bit of a disaster for me. I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike and made many mistakes. Now I feel a lot better on the bike and I improved my physical condition. I rode well and consistently and I feel very fit on the bike. I ride against very strong riders now; Valentino improved his form this year. He is faster so it is not easy to overtake him and Marc is no longer the rookie rider he was last year. He has a very strong bike and he has more experience and is really fit and riding well. Despite this we are very focused on improving the bike. Yamaha is working very hard, so I am confident that we will get a better bike hopefully for this year, but if not for next season. Maybe on one of the next tracks that suits my riding style we can challenge Marc, but if we want to be a consistent threat to him in every race, we have to improve a bit more and that’s what we are trying to do.”

Valentino Rossi

3rd / +6.558 / 27 laps

“I am satisfied because this is a good third place after a good battle with Jorge and Marc. I led the race, stayed in front and rode well. I’m happy because usually this is a difficult track for me. We worked well with the team and the bike was good for the race. We were able to achieve a good pace, but now we have to make another step to arrive in front of Jorge and Marc.”

Massimo Meregalli

“It is a great result to have both riders on the podium, especially after such an exciting race to watch. The beginning where four or five riders were really fighting was good for the fans! The work they have done to improve the circuit has helped and the track definitely suits our bike a little more. Vale was able to score some valuable points and was consistently there fighting and Jorge is definitely back on form too. We leave here satisfied with our efforts and looking forward to keeping the momentum as we head to Brno.”

More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

MARQUEZ CONTINUES RECORD RUN AT RED BULL INDIANAPOLIS GP

Spaniard wins for second straight year at IMS; now 10-for-10 in 2014 season

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 10, 2014 – Marc Marquez’s perfect season rolls on.

The Spaniard pulled away in the second half of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sunday, beating Jorge Lorenzo by 1.803 seconds to win for the second consecutive year on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and continue an incredible 2014 season.

The 21-year-old has won all 10 races so far on the MotoGP World Championship schedule, an extended run of dominance not seen in the sport since Australia’s Mick Doohan’s won 10 in a row in 1997.

“I cannot explain – every race I go to the weekend and I say, ‘OK, here maybe is the time to finish second or third. Here will be the time that I struggle,'” Marquez said. “But every race I feel so strong.”

His afternoon at IMS began with a struggle as he fell from the pole position to fifth moments after the race began and needed 10 laps to work his way back to the front. But once there, the defending world champion held steady for the final 17 laps on his No. 93 Repsol Honda and became the first back-to-back champion at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

“The start was not so good, and in the beginning I had some moments,” Marquez said. “Then when I saw the tire (come in), Jorge also attacked and tried to push in the front. I said, ‘OK, now is the time I overtake them’ and I started to push.”

Marquez won for the fourth consecutive year at IMS, having also won in Moto2 in 2011 and 2012. In winning on Sunday, he also secured the 500th Grand Prix win for Spain. No. 499 came from Efren Vazquez, who started Sunday’s racing with a win in Moto3 after a fierce battle among five riders in the closing laps.

Italy’s Romano Fenati led coming into the front straightaway but Vazquez ran him down in his Honda for a 0.065-second margin at the Yard of Bricks and his first Moto3 victory.

“It was a really hard race for us and, I think, for every rider,” Vazquez. “I will take it – the first victory.”

Moto2 featured a dominant wire-to-wire performance by Mika Kallio of Finland, who led all 16 laps in a shortened race following an early red flag. His margin at the finish was 1.380 seconds over Maverick Vinales of Spain.

In the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series, Steve Rapp won in a five-bike shootout in the closing laps.

More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport:

Historic Points For Laverty and Parkes At Indianapolis

After a season of great promise so far for the Penrith-based PBM MotoGP team, it finally all came together in round ten of the MotoGP World Championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when both Michael Laverty and Broc Parkes scored points in the same race to create history for Paul Bird’s team.

After struggling in the inclement weather over the two rounds prior to the summer break, both Ulsterman Laverty on the Rapid Solicitors and Silkolene-backed Aprilia ART-powered PBM, and Australian team-mate Broc Parkes on the Silkolene-backed PBM were hoping for a change of luck as they headed over to the USA for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Laverty, a former British Supersport Champion, and twice runner-up in the World Supersport Championship Parkes, slotted their respective machines inside the top 20 over the four free practice sessions at the iconic and historic venue but qualifying didn’t go too well after a crash had left Parkes down in 23rd on the grid with Laverty just one place ahead of him.

Today’s race was held in hot and humid conditions and from the start, both Laverty and Parkes were on the pace and moved inside the top 20 in the opening few laps. By lap 11 of the 23 laps, the pair were up to 17th and 18th place respectively but on lap 14, Laverty had moved into the points with Parkes agonisingly just outside in 16th.

To the delight of team boss Paul Bird, who had made the trip across the Atlantic, he saw Laverty climb up to 14th on lap 15 followed by Parkes into the final points scoring slot where both remained until the chequered flag to cue the celebrations for the only British team in MotoGP.

What’s more, such was Laverty’s pace in the dying laps that he was embroiled in a four way scrap which could have netted him an amazing 11th place finish; instead he missed out by just four seconds at the flag. The result was the first time ever in PBM’s three year tenure in MotoGP that both riders had scored points in the same race, a remarkable achievement considering the home-built components on each bike.

The result sees Parkes maintain his 20th position overall in the 2014 MotoGP World Championship table, eighth in the Open class standings and third in Rookie of the Year. Following his one and only DNF of the year last time out, Laverty made amends with his first points of the season to occupy 23rd place and 11th in the Open class. Importantly for the PBM team, they occupy fifth place in the manufacturer’s table and 11th in the team’s standings.

Michael Laverty: “Finally I’ve got some points on the board! It was a tough race but I enjoyed it, I caught up to Colin Edwards mid race but couldn’t get past, I had the pace to catch up to a couple of other riders but I just couldn’t find a way through on Colin, his Yamaha engine has more power than us and it makes life difficult. I will fly home happy as I feel this is a difficult circuit for our bike yet we as a team managed to find a good set up and pull off a strong performance today.”

Broc Parkes: “It’s been another hard weekend but it’s worked out well in the end. I was a little detuned after the crash and couldn’t stay with the pace of the group in front. It’s all about scoring points and today we achieved that again and for Michael to score points too is a fantastic achievement for our small team.”

Paul Bird, Team Owner: “What a fantastic result for our team from a little village in Cumbria to score points against the world’s best. It’s a memorable day for sure and I’m absolutely delighted for the riders, the whole team and myself. Michael’s lap times were only a couple of seconds off the front runners and he could have possibly finished even higher and Broc rode a brave race because he was knocked about in yesterday’s crash. I might have to come to a few more races if this is how they perform but right now, this calls for a celebration, the whole team deserves it. Congratulations to Shakey and Stuart at Oulton Park for a great performance in the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park this weekend too, this is a wonderful weekend for PBM.”

Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It has been a tough weekend for us in Indianapolis and we struggled for pace and had a few problems in qualifying and some of the practice sessions. However for the race Michael had a good pace and rode well to score his first points of the year. Broc had some corner entry issues in the race, which we will aim to solve in Brno, but we are pleased that he also finished in the points.”

For more information, please visit the team’s website www.pbmuk.net and www.pbmuk.net

More, from a press release issued by Drive M7 Aspar Team:

Hiroshi Aoyama moves up eight places to round out Top Ten

DRIVE M7 Aspar rider has consistent race to finish in the Top Ten for the second time this season

Today Marc Márquez gave Spain its 500th podium –the country’s 100th in the premier class. He did so with a win at Indianapolis. It was his tenth consecutive triumph of the season, giving him a perfect record so far in 2014. Valentino Rossi started the Indianapolis round by taking the lead. Rising temperatures led to riders focusing on tyre wear, and the pace was slower than in practice. Jorge Lorenzo pushed up the field as Márquez chased Rossi and Dovizioso, and when he passed the former the two Spaniards hunted down Rossi. Shortly before the halfway mark, Márquez decided to break away, taking the lead and pulling clear for his latest triumph. Lorenzo and Rossi joined him on the podium at the Brickyard.

Setbacks had plagued DRIVE M7 Aspar rider Hiroshi Aoyama this weekend in Indianapolis. The Japanese rider was never fully comfortable with the new asphalt at the American track and was unsure of his tyre choice. His difficulties in qualifying had relegated him to eighteenth on the grid. Today, following a final run in the warmup session, he went for the hardest compound for the race, feeling more at ease onboard his Honda as a result. On the first lap he gained five positions, moving up a further three before crossing the line tenth –his second Top Ten of the season.

Leon Camier, on the other hand, was not so fortunate despite his hard work. The Brit came to Indianapolis without having ridden the MotoGP bike before, but showed that he was dedicated to learning. Yesterday he put in a fantastic showing to qualify sixteenth on the grid, but today an electronic problem cut his race short and he failed to finish at Indianapolis.

10th Hiroshi Aoyama: “This weekend we were at a circuit with a new surface, which gave us many problems in terms of tyre choice. We left it until the last moment before the race to make a decision, and in the end we opted for the harder compounds -and I think we made completely the right choice. Our qualifying session was quite difficult, and we started from far back on the grid, but I felt comfortable for the first time and was able to keep up a very consistent pace. However, eventually the tyre performance dropped a lot and I made a couple of mistakes. Fortunately I was able to finish the race in tenth position. To start from eighteenth and place tenth is positive. I would have liked to have finished as the best rider in the Open class, but today Scott was very fast.”

Leon Camier (DNF): “Today we were unable to finish the race due to an electronic problem. Right at the start of the race I noticed that something was wrong, but I continued pushing hard; I just wanted to ride, have fun and try to finish as best I could. As the laps went by the problem Increased and I was forced to return to the garage. It was a shame to conclude the weekend like this, because we had done a great job. In any case I am satisfied, because this experience has been terrific and I have learned many new things. Above all I learned during the race, and found what we need to do to improve. I like the chassis and this bike suits my ridng style, so I am sure I can go faster with it; hopefully at Brno we have the chance. I want to thank the team for giving me so much to learn from this weekend. I am pleased that we have continued to progress throughout the weekend and, despite the setbacks, our race pace was quite positive.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

IMS success for unstoppable Marquez as he wins tenth successive race

MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez won his tenth consecutive race on Sunday at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, with Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi joining him on the podium.

The victory saw Repsol Honda’s Marquez become the first rider since Mick Doohan in 1997 to win ten successive premier class races. It was also the 100th win for a Spanish rider in the premier class and the 500th win for Spain across all categories.

On Lap 11 of the first MotoGP contest at the modified Indianapolis track, Marquez took advantage as Lorenzo joined the battle with Rossi for the lead, the World Champion squeezing through to take over at the front and not looking back – eventually finishing just under two seconds clear at the front.

Lorenzo got the better of his teammate Rossi for second, after the Italian had held the lead in the early stages fending off a challenge from Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), who started well but faded to seventh. In finishing third Rossi becomes the first rider to score 4,000 premier class points.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) finished fourth as he came through from eighth on the grid, gambling on a harder front tyre.

Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) rode well to finish fifth with his teammate Bradley Smith crossing the line sixth after suffering a heavy crash on Saturday in which he aggravated an old finger injury.

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) was 20 seconds behind his seventh placed teammate Dovizioso in eighth, with Scott Redding (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) just behind Crutchlow at the finish in ninth. Hiroshi Aoyama (Drive M7 Aspar) completed the top ten but there was bad luck for his substitute colleague Leon Camier who retired with six laps to go.

There were also retirements for Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) and Danilo Petrucci (IodaRacing Project) due to technical issues. In addition, at Turn 4 of lap one Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) crashed out with Yonny Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing).

On lap 13 Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) and Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) clashed as Bradl crashed out and Espargaro’s bike was badly damaged forcing him to pull off track, having initially tried to continue.

Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) stopped with a problem on lap 17, having been well placed in eighth.

Moto2™: Kallio cruises to victory in restarted Indy contest

In a restarted Moto2™ race at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix pole man Mika Kallio scored a runaway win, with Maverick Viñales and Dominique Aegerter joining the Finn on the podium.

Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team) held his nerve to charge to victory around the modified Indianapolis Motor Speedway track in a shortened 16-lap contest, with the initial race cut short by a red flag due to a crash involving Azlan Shah (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), Anthony West (QMMF Racing Team), Mattia Pasini (NGM Forward Racing) and Randy Krummenacher (IodaRacing Project).

The incident took place at Turn 10 on lap 4 of the first race with the red flag coming out as Pasini was initially unconscious after the crash as medics quickly arrived. Pasini walked away and was taken to hospital for precautionary scans, whilst Krummenacher’s machine was damaged and he was unable to participate in the restarted race despite the best efforts of the Octo IodaRacing Team.

The race was restarted for 16 laps with the riders in their original grid positions and Kallio repeated the great start that had seen him build up a lead of over two seconds in the original race.

He would eventually cross the finish line 1.38s ahead of impressive rookie Viñales (Paginas Amarillas HP 40), whilst Technomag carXpert rider Aegerter’s good form continued in third.

A mistake from Tito Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team) with two laps to go under pressure from Viñales dropped him from second to fourth, allowing Kallio to close to within seven points of the championship leading Spaniard in the standings.

Simone Corsi (NGM Forward Racing) and Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) both finished in the top six. Meanwhile, Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia), Alex De Angelis (Tasca Racing Moto2), West and Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) completed the top ten.

In the restarted race there were crashes on the first lap for Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2), Josh Herrin (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) and Julian Simon (Italtrans Racing Team) at Turn 1. All riders were ok but Jonas Folger (AGR Team), Xavier Simeon (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Luis Salom (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) were also caught up in the accident.

Simeon subsequently crashed out four laps later, and Salom and Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing Team) would then collide on lap 6 of the restarted contest. Salom finished 26th whilst Morbidelli was unable to continue.

Thitipong Warokorn (APH PTT The Pizza SAG) crashed in the final stages but remounted to finish 27th.

Moto3™: Vazquez takes first career victory at Indianapolis

The Moto3™ race at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix brought a first career win for Efren Vazquez, with Romano Fenati and Jack Miller joining him on the podium.

In the first race at the modified IMS track a great battle saw a front running group pull away in the early laps with the lead changing hands throughout the 23 lap contest, only for Vazquez (SAXOPRINT RTG) to secure maximum points for the first time – in his 116th Grand Prix ride.

Italian rider Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) had held the lead in the final stages but missed out by 0.065s on the finish line in second place, whilst Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took third to keep his title challenge going.

A remarkable ride saw Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold) just miss the podium after he started 11th and dropped to 30th on the first lap, incredibly fighting back to contest the lead – eventually finishing fourth.

Spanish teammates from the Estrella Galicia 0,0 outfit Alex Rins and Alex Marquez finished fifth and sixth respectively, with Rins holding the lead at the half way stage after coming from 12th on the grid.

Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra Racing), Juanfran Guevara (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3), Brad Binder (Ambrogio Racing) and Jakub Kornfeil (Calvo Team) completed the top ten.

John McPhee (SAXOPRINT RTG) crashed out at Turn 4 on lap one, pushing Niklas Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo) and Masbou off, though Masbou was able to recover whilst Ajo would later crash out himself.

There were crashes too for Gabriel Ramos (Kiefer Racing), Alessandro Tonucci (CIP Mahindra) and Matteo Ferrari (San Carlo Team Italia), though none of them were seriously hurt. Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) retired due to a technical issue.

More, from a press release issued by Cardion AB Motoracing:

Abraham improves his season best result; he finished on eleventh position in Indianapolis

Karel Abraham grabs his best position in this season in Indianapolis. He started to race from twenty-first position and he finished on eleventh place, so he obtained four championship points.

Karel Abraham

“I´m happy to finish eleventh improving my season´s best. On the other side I´m quite disappointed by how much I lost to another open Honda bikes. The bike didn´t work as I want and it gets worse during the race. After overtaking Colin I realized to stay after Mike Di Meglio to avoid risk of a crash. I overtake him back few laps before the finish, because I saw that the group behind us is getting closer. So I took the risk, open the gap again and keep my result.”

Marco Grana, chief mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing

“We can say this was very good race. We finished eleventh after start from 21st position and improve our season best result. I´m sure we can fight for top ten, but it´s hard to stay in front group while starting 21st. We saw lot of crashes as a result of the new asphalt and track layout, which is not very suitable for Bridgestone tyres. Karel could ride with responsibility and this secures him his result. I hope that we get rid of technical problems in Brno and we will get some championship points again.”

More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing:

Edwards waved goodbye to the US crowd as Espargaro was obliged to retire

It was an emotional race for the NGM Forward Racing Team with two-time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards waving goodbye to the American crowd at legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his last US round at the end of a long and successful career both in the MotoGP as well as Superbike World Championships. Texas Tornado did a good start and was able to manage the race, finishing in 13th position.

The race didn’t go as expected for team mate Aleix Espargaro, who was starting from the 4th position. Aleix did a good start but lost some positions in the first laps. He was fighting hard to recover and he was in 8th position when he was hit by Stefan Bradl. In the incident his bike was damaged and the Spaniard was obliged to retire. Espargaro leaves Indianapolis 7th in the championship with 77 points and he looks forward to race in Brno next week.

Colin Edwards

“It was an emotional weekend for the amazing support I have received here at Indy and from all over the world. The race was hard, I was counting the laps and in the slow down lap I waved goodbye to the crowd with the American flag that one of the troops guy gave me. It was great, but now it’s time to move on”.

Aleix Espargaro

“I did a good start but I was passed on the straight. I was doing my race on Smith and Dovizioso and I was able to keep my rhythm. It’s pity that I was involved in this incident with Bradl, he hit me and my bike was damaged so I had to retire. It’s racing but we lost important points. We will be back stronger in Brno”.

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Tech3 riders snap at the heels of the factory bikes in Indianapolis

Pol Espargaro completed the beginning of the second half of his debut season in the premier class by riding to a brilliantly undertaken 5th place in Indianapolis. The 23 year old began the race from 6th on the grid after a successful qualifying campaign and rocketed forward to be close to the leading MotoGP bikes for the opening lap. On the 7th lap, Espargaro set into a confident rhythm matching the times of the leading five, with the reigning Moto2 World Champion rapidly closing down the 6th place of Andrea Iannone and passing him on lap 12 to clinch the position. Espargaro then firmly set about taking time out of the Factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso, before dispatching him on lap 20 and meeting the chequered flag in a well deserved 5th place. His efforts today saw Espargaro achieve the highest speed on a Yamaha with 341.8 kmh, as well as aiding his advance to 6th in the World Championship standings.

Bradley Smith bounced back from a fall yesterday where he damaged his finger to show resilience and scoop a top points scoring finish in 6th. The 23 year old began the 27 lap sprint around the 4170 metre Indianapolis circuit from 9th position on the grid before launching himself up to 8th at the first corner and into the mix with the factory bikes for the first lap. Smith was shuffled down into 10th place by the end of the opening lap, but his gutless determination prevailed as he set into a forceful rhythm moving up to 7th with twelve laps to ride. His formidable race pace saw him running1’33 laps at the midpoint of the race and as Smith powered onwards, he closed in on Factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso on the penultimate lap. The British star successfully overtook him to bring his Monster Yamaha Tech3 YZR-M1 across the line in 6th, concluding an impressive ride and lifting him to 9th in the championship.

Pol Espargaro

Race : 5thChampionship : 6thPoints : 78

“I’m reasonably happy, as it has been a good race but not an incredible one. We collected important points for the championship, I learned a lot as well today and we definitely gave our best so I have to be satisfied with the result. In addition, having just the four factory bikes in front of me I can’t complain too much. My start was ok and at the beginning I tried everything to stay with Dani, but during the opening laps he was really strong and escaped quite quickly. Afterwards my race was a very lonely one until I caught Dovizioso, then I tried to push a bit harder to open a gap to him and later on I just tried to not to make any mistakes. Indy has been a good start to the second part of the championship but I’m already looking forward to Brno next week where I aim to improve further.”

Bradley Smith

Race : 6thChampionship : 9thPoints : 58

“Overall, I am really pleased to get a strong result and finish in the top 6, although I was maybe a bit too cautious at the beginning with the hot conditions here causing the front wheel to tuck an awful lot. However, I remained calm and remembered how long the 27 laps are, so I aimed to preserve my rear tyre as much as possible and then came back strongly during the second half of the race. In fact, around the mid section of the sprint, I put my head down and lapped mid 1’33’s as I was chasing after Pol and Andrea Dovizioso, who I overtook with just 2 laps to go. Obviously, it was a big confidence boost to see the finish flag finally in such a good position which is where I want and need to be. Now I’m looking forward to the next race in Brno where I will try to continue to climb up the rankings.”

Hervé Poncharal – Team manager :

“Overall, it was a great race for us today and I am very happy with the results. This morning we were a bit uncertain and concerned about what the weather would be like especially after what had happened in the last two races but luckily it remained dry. It was a very exciting albeit chaotic beginning to the 27 lap race however when everyone settled down, Pol was with the leading group and managed to stay with them for some time. He never gave up and in the end managed to pass Andrea which was a great effort. On the other side of the garage, Bradley also had an exceptional race considering his massive crash yesterday and the state of his finger but he rode like a real champion so I am very proud of him along with Pol. I want to thank them both for their efforts, as well as the whole team. The next challenge is already around the corner and we are ready to battle for top results once again in Brno in a couple of days.”

More, from a press release issued by Honda:

2014 FIM MotoGP/Moto2/Moto3 World Championships Round 10 of 18, Indianapolis GP, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Race Report: Sunday, 10 August, 2014

Weather: Dry

Temperature: Air 29 degrees C / Track 46 degrees C

MARQUEZ TAKES PERFECT TEN OUT OF TEN FOR HONDA

Honda’s defending World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) powered to a tenth victory in ten races at the Indianapolis Grand Prix today, preserving his perfect 2014 record from yet another pole position, adding a new lap record, and extending his title lead still further in a landmark start to the second half of the season.

Hondas triumphed also in the other two MotoGP classes, adding a hard-fought Moto3 win to the inevitable victory in the all-Honda Moto2 class.

A crowd of more than 80,000, dwarfed by the massive 250,000-capacity grandstands of the historic Indianapolis banked oval circuit, were treated to a thrilling spectacle in the MotoGP race, with four riders changing places sometimes several times in the same lap.

Marquez waited until the 11th lap of the 27 lap-race round the MotoGP-dedicated infield circuit at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway to stamp his authority on the race, after several skirmishes with his closest rivals in a hard-fought first ten laps.

Having regained the lead, and now confident that earlier front-tyre concerns were also behind him, Marquez drew away steadily to claim win number ten in a year he is making his own by 1.8 seconds.

It was the former 125cc and Moto2 World Champion’s fourth successive win at the Indy

track: last year in MotoGP, and the previous two in Moto2.

He is the first rider to win ten consecutive races since a previous Honda serial champion Mick Doohan, in 1997. Having already broken every “youngest-ever” record in his maiden championship season last year, he is drawing closer to the target of becoming also the second-youngest champion, displacing previous holder Freddie Spencer (Honda) to third. To do so, he needs to win the 2014 title before the end of the season … with a massive advantage of 89 points, the achievement is looking increasingly likely.

With the Yamaha pair of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi fading in second and third; second Repsol Honda RC213V rider Dani Pedrosa made the most of a difficult weekend to come through to fourth, having earlier been running in sixth.

The former 125cc and double 250cc World Champion had qualified eighth, but gained pace and positions as the race wore on.

Pedrosa holds second overall in the title standings. Although yet to win a race this season, this was his first time off the top-three podium in the last four races.

Two more riders campaign the awesomely successful Honda RC213V in satellite teams, but both were out of luck at Indy.

Former Moto2 champion Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V), who had topped the time sheets in free practice, was running strongly in a small group disputing eighth place when he crashed out; former 125cc champion Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Gresini Honda RC213V) had bounced back from a heavy crash in free practice only to be taken out on the first lap of the race in another collision.

GO&FUN Gresini Honda team-mate Scott Redding, who rides one of four new production-racer Honda RCV1000R machines, made up for the team’s disappointment with a sterling performance throughout the entire weekend. The youngest-ever GP winner made it through to the elite Q2 qualifying for the first time, and spent the race in close combat with factory rider Cal Crutchlow (Ducati), finishing ninth, still less than a second away.

Two more production-racer Honda riders took the next two positions. Former 250cc champion Hiroshi Aoyama (Drive M7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R) was a lone tenth; while Czech racer Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing Honda RCV1000R) won a race-long battle for 11th from Mike de Meglio (Avintia).

The fourth was ridden by British former 125cc GP and World Superbike racer Leon Camier, taking the place of the recuperating Nicky Hayden on the second Drive M7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R. Camier made an impressive MotoGP debut in his first visit to Indianapolis, qualifying 16th and racing in the points, before losing his chances by pitting briefly to settle a technical issue, and subsequently retiring.

The Moto2 class is exclusively powered by Honda, with identical race-tuned Honda CBR600 engines supplied by the organisers to ensure reliable and closely matched racing. The middle class had two starts at Indy, with the first one red-flagged after a crash on only the fourth lap; and the restart run over a shortened 16 laps.

Both times pole qualifier Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) grabbed an instant lead, and the Finnish rider was able to preserve it to the finish.

The battle for the other podium places was hard fought. Reigning Moto3 World Champion, Maverick Vinales (Paginas Amarillas Kalex), finished in second place, for the third race in a row, taking the position from series leader Tito Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) on the 14th lap. Vinales has also tasted victory, in this his rookie season in the Moto2 class, at the second round, also in held in the United States.

Rabat’s agony was not over, for German GP winner Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert Suter) followed the young Spaniard past to claim third, his fourth podium of the season.

Italian veteran Simone Corsi (NGM Forward Racing Kalex) finally lost touch with the leading quartet for a solid fifth place.

A large and lively battle for sixth some way behind eventually went to former Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex) by less than half a second from rising Malaysian star Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia Kalex).

A similar distance separated those behind, with sixth to eleventh crossing the yard of bricks within less than 1.4 seconds. Alex de Angelis (Tasca Racing Moto2 Suter) was eighth, then Anthony West (QMMF Speed Up), Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Caterham Suter) and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Kalex).

The result opened up the Moto2 championship battle: with Kallio’s third win closing him to within seven points of early runaway leader Rabat; and Vinales closing his deficit from 50 points to 43.

In Moto3, Honda faces rival manufacturers. The first race of the day was a class trade-mark epic battle, won at the last gasp by Honda’s Efren Vazquez (SaxoPrint-RTG Honda), swooping past second-placed Romano Fenati’s KTM over the line on a wave of Honda horsepower.

It was the 27-year-old veteran’s first win, after claiming a first rostrum earlier this season after returning to Honda – and a fine honeymoon achievement for the newlywed Spaniard.

There was still a gang of ten disputing the race at the last of 23 laps, the top ten places covered by less than 2.3 seconds, with three more of the six-strong Honda gang among them. Points leader Jack Miller (KTM) was third, then came Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold Honda), Alex Rins and Alex Marquez (both Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda), blocking out fourth to sixth.

Masbou had ridden a spectacular race through the field from 31st place after getting pushed off on the first lap, and at one point held the lead for three laps.

Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Ongetta AirAsia Honda) finished in the points, 15th. Second SaxoPrint-RTG Honda rider John McPhee had qualified seventh, but was victim of a collision in the first corners, and unable to continue.

Vazquez’s long-awaited win moved him to second overall, 21 points behind Miller, and four ahead of previous second-placed Marquez.

The next race is the Czech Republic GP at Brno, in one week, as the intensive second half of the season gets under way.

Honda MotoGP rider quotes

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: 1st

“I am really happy to have taken this win. After the summer break it was important to start with another victory. Yesterday it seemed like it may be a straightforward race, but it ended up being quite the opposite. We suffered a lot and physically it was hard, there was a lot of humidity and I was sweating a lot. The track temperature rose by 10 degrees today and this made the tyres behave differently. It was hard for me to have the same level of confidence. I was patient at the beginning and when I regained the good feeling I had in practice I decided to push, opening that two-second gap which in the end was enough for the win.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 4th

“Overall it has been a difficult weekend in which at no point did I feel good on the bike. We couldn’t find a good set-up in practice. Then in the race, although I was able to move up a few places, I was always off the pace if I was going to fight for the podium.”

Scott Redding, GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 9th 

“I’ve been strong all weekend and I’m happy to be in the parc fermé for the first time as top Open finisher. Obviously Aleix Espargaro was forced to retire, so it’s not the best way to do it, but for me the important thing was to be the leading production-racer Honda and we made it again. At the beginning of the race Aoyama was able to stay just one second behind, because I was fighting with Crutchlow so it was not easy to make a gap, but suddenly I was able to streak away from Hiroshi and then it was nice to fight with Cal, even if he could pass me back every time on the straight. I think we made a good job and I would like to thank all the guys of the team for that. It’s a great way to come back from the summer break: we came back stronger and also more comfortable with the bike and now we look forward to the next races.”

Hiroshi Aoyama, Drive M7 Aspar Honda: 10th 

“This weekend we were at a circuit with a new surface, which gave us many problems in terms of tyre choice. We left it until the last moment before the race to make a decision, and in the end we opted for the harder compounds -and I think we made completely the right choice. Our qualifying session was quite difficult, and we started from far back on the grid, but I felt comfortable for the first time and was able to keep up a very consistent pace. However, eventually the tyre performance dropped a lot and I made a couple of mistakes. Fortunately I was able to finish the race in tenth position. To start from 18th and place tenth is positive. I would have liked to have finished as the best rider in the Open class, but today Scott was very fast.”

Karel Abraham, Cardion AB Motoracing Honda: 11th 

“I’ve been struggling all weekend, but today was a bit better than yesterday. I still had grip problems with both the front and the rear, so into the corners it was closing the front and locking the rear, so it was quite dangerous. I had to take care. Then after seven or eight laps there was a drop in the tyres and some riders crashed. Although this was my best result, it was not an easy race.”

Alvaro Bautista, GO&FUN Honda Gresini: DNF 

“There’s not much to say, it’s been a very difficult weekend for us, with many rear grip issues, and today I knew that it would be more risky than usual starting from the back of the grid. When I was entering Turn 4, I was keeping my line when suddenly Hernandez hit me from the outside and I couldn’t save the crash. Obviously it’s been a bad weekend, but we have to stay positive because it could have been worse: in fact, luckily I’m fine despite the big crash I had Saturday morning. Now we need to forget this race and try to head to Brno full of motivation.”

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: DNF

“Disappointing Sunday for us. My start was so-so, pretty similar to the others. I was in the same group of Aleix and Pol Espargaro and I could see that my pace was faster in some areas but Aleix had some advantage in some corners, so we raced with the same pace. At the end of the straight I tried to attack him but we were on the same line and he released the brake a little bit closing my corner space. I hit him in the back and we both crashed: it was a racing accident that can happen to anybody.”

Leon Camier, Drive M7 Aspar Honda: DNF

“Today we were unable to finish the race due to an electronic problem. Right at the start of the race I noticed that something was wrong, but I continued pushing hard; I just wanted to ride, have fun and try to finish as best I could. As the laps went by the problem increased and I was forced to return to the garage. It was a shame to conclude the weekend like this, because we had done a great job. In any case I am satisfied, because this experience has been terrific and I have learned many new things. I learned the most during the race, and found what we need to do to improve. I like the chassis and this bike suits my riding style, so I am sure I can go faster with it; hopefully at Brno we have the chance. I want to thank the team for giving me so much to learn from this weekend. I am pleased that we have continued to progress throughout the weekend and, despite the setbacks, our race pace was quite positive.”

Moto2 Rider quotes

Mika Kallio, Marc VDS Racing Team: 1st

“The first two laps of the first race were incredible and I felt immediately really confident and fast on fresh tyres. For the second race we decided to keep the same tyres and I didn’t have the same good feeling. I still managed to open up a gap but I was pushing on the limit and the gap to second remained the same, so it was impossible for me to pull away. I just concentrated on keeping the gap to just over a second. It is a great feeling to win from pole position and be in control of the race from start to finish. It is a big result for the championship and now we go to Brno, where I won last year, with a lot of confidence.”

Maverick Vinales, Paginas Amarillas HP 40 Team: 2nd 

“In the first laps, Rabat was really strong, and I was only able to follow him. Then I started to feel more comfortable and confident. The race was shorter than usual because of the red flag, and I decided it was time to attack. I was able to pass Rabat, but Kallio was a little bit too far away.”

Dominique Aegerter, Technomag carXpert: 3rd 

“All weekend I was quite strong and constant, and I was on the front row. In the first race we used the harder tyre, but when Kallio started so fast and made a big gap I tried to follow and had three or four big moments before the red flag. For the second race I decided to use the softer option rear, but it was not so easy. I fought with Vinales and Rabat, and in the end I was able to overtake Rabat for the podium again.”

Honda Moto3 Rider quotes

Efren Vazquez, SaxoPrint RTG Team: 1st

“I worked really hard in the summertime to be in my best physical condition, and tried also to concentrate to get the best mental power for the second part of the season. This weekend we touched nothing on the bike, not even settings, and I just concentrated on my riding, giving 100 percent in every session. It was a hard race for me and the other riders, but finally I took my first victory.”

Alexis Masbou, Ongetta Rivacold Honda: 4th 

“It was a difficult weekend, with bad weather in free practice, then I had a crash in qualifying, so we had no time to work on settings. We found something in morning warm-up, went a little bit further with it for the race, and I was confident. I wasn’t sliding very much, but my bike was faster than the others. I got pushed off on the first lap, and I was very far behind. But last year in Valencia I started from the pit box and was sixth, so I said: ‘Okay, I will try to push’. I got to the front, but in the last three laps it was very hard to find a place, there were so many bikes, so I missed the podium. But I am happy all the same.”

Alex Rins, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Team: 5th 

“I’m happy, but obviously I would like to have finished higher up the order. After how the weekend went, this is not a bad result and I have to thank the team; they helped me a lot and I was able to get up into the front group. I started from far back, but I started well. I even thought that perhaps I had jumped the start. It wasn’t too hard to get to the front group and from that moment on I started to think about where I could overtake and where I needed to wait. In the end I was a bit hasty, passing Miller on the fast corner of the final lap. He passed me back and I couldn’t retake the position. I’m happy with the end result, because in this category and when you are part of a group like that, you can just as easily win as finish tenth.”

More, from a press release issued by Scott Redding’s publicist:

First Open Class win for Redding in Indy

Indianapolis, USA – 10 August 2014: Scott Redding rode to an impressive ninth place finish in today’s Indianapolis Grand Prix, finishing as the top Open Class rider for the first time this season.

Redding got a good start and was able to pull away from fellow Honda RCV1000R rider, Hiroshi Aoyama, before becoming involved in a race long battle with Cal Crutchlow on the factory Ducati.

The two Britons swapped places on numerous occasions, with Crutchlow narrowly taking the advantage at the chequered flag. With ninth place today, Redding now lies 12th in the championship with 40 points.

Scott Redding // 9th

“I’ve been strong all weekend and I’m obviously happy to be in the parc fermé for the first time. It’s not the best way, because Aleix Espargaro was forced out, but the important thing is that I was the first production Honda rider home again. At the beginning of the race Aoyama was able to maintain a gap of around a second, because I was fighting with Crutchlow, but I eventually managed to pull away and then it was just down to Cal and me. It was good battling with him, even if he could pass me back every time on the straight. I think we made a good job and I’d like to thank all the guys in the team for their hard work. It’s a good way to start back after the summer break and now we can look forward to the next races.”

Fausto Gresini // Team Owner

“It’s a big satisfaction for us to get into the parc fermé as the highest placed Open Class bike on the finish line, and we are also pleased to give this particular result to Honda. Redding has been fast over the all weekend, during which he’s always been able to make a difference compared to the other riders aboard the other RCV1000R machines. This means that Scott has actually grown and now can count on a better knowledge of the bike: this is very important for the future.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Indianapolis Grand Prix: Dovizioso battles within the leading group for half the race before finishing seventh. Crutchlow eighth.