FIM MotoGP World Championship
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis, Indiana
August 9, 2015
Race Results (All on Bridgestone tires):
1. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 27 laps, total race time 41:55.371
2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Yamaha), -0.688 second
3. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), -5.966 seconds
4. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), -6.147
5. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Ducati), -21.528
6. Bradley Smith, UK (Yamaha), -21.751
7. Pol Espargaro, Spain (Yamaha), -30.378
8. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), -31.607
9. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), -32.821
10. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), -34.517
11. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Suzuki), -39.010
12. Yonny Hernandez, Colombia (Ducati), -41.815
13. Scott Redding, UK (Honda), -50.209
14. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Suzuki), -60.465
15. Hector Barbera, Spain (Ducati), -64.147
16. Nicky Hayden, USA (Honda), -65.066
17. Mike Di Meglio, France (Ducati), -66.941
18. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Aprilia), -73.862
19. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Honda), -78.706
20. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Aprilia), -79.730
21. Alex De Angelis, San Marino (ART-Aprilia), -79.882
22. Toni Elias, Spain (Honda), -79.934
23. Jack Miller, Australia (Honda), -20 laps, DNF, crash
World Championship Point Standings (After 10 of 18 races):
1. Rossi, 195 points
2. Lorenzo, 186
3. Marquez, 139
4. Iannone, 129
5. Smith, 97
6. Dovizioso, 94
7. Pedrosa, 80
8. Crutchlow, 74
9. Pol Espargaro, 73
10. Vinales, 62
11. Petrucci, 57
12. Aleix Espargaro, 46
13. Hernandez, 36
14. Redding, 33
15. Barbera, 20
16. Loris Baz, 14
17. Bautista, 13
18. Miller, 12
19. Bradl, 9
20. TIE, Michele Pirro/Hayden, 8
22. Laverty, 7
23. Hiroshi Aoyama, 5
24. Di Meglio, 2
25. De Angelis, 1
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing:
Redding picks up valuable points at iconic Brickyard
Indianapolis, United States – 9 August 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Scott Redding salvaged a 13th place from a demanding 27-lap MotoGP race at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway in America this afternoon.
In hot and humid conditions at the world famous Brickyard venue, Redding made a brilliant launch off the line and an aggressive first lap moved him up from 13th on the grid into ninth.
The 21-year-old engaged in an exciting early battle with compatriot Cal Crutchlow and looked well set to challenge for just a second top 10 finish of 2015.
But once his Honda RC213V lost optimum grip on new tyres, Redding was unable to maintain his fast early speed, as he lost the front and rear numerous times while trying to hold station inside the top 10.
He also battled a lack of agility through the fast changes of direction at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and finished 13th before the World Championship heads back to Europe for next weekend’s 11th round at the Brno track in the Czech Republic.
Scott Redding: 13th
“At the start I took a lot of risks to get into the top 10 and it paid off. But when the pace went up I just couldn’t go with the group in front. Each time I tried to push I kept having a big moment and nearly crashing. I was closing the front or losing the rear. I am quite disappointed because it turned out to be another tough race and I don’t know where to go with the setting. The set-up was quite similar to Sachsenring where I felt strong. But here the bike felt heavy and it was physically demanding for 27-laps in that heat.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“The most positive aspect of the race was we were able to see Scott fighting hard inside the top 10 for the first few laps. But slipping out of the top 10 after a good start is not what we wanted. It looks like it is still difficult for him to adapt to the bike and his pace dropped off quite a lot in the second half of the race. All we can hope to do is improve next week in Brno, but honestly we have been saying that for a few races now.”
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Marquez continues American domination with exciting Indianapolis MotoGP™ win
Round 10: Indianapolis MotoGP™ – Race
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday August 9 2015
Bridgestone slick options: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre options: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 28-29°C; Track 38-38°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez won today’s Indianapolis Grand Prix from pole position after an exciting battle with Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo. The result was the reigning MotoGP™ World Champion’s seventh successive premier-class victory on American soil.
Marquez started from pole position but found himself in second place on the opening lap as Lorenzo produced one of his trademark storming starts to take the early lead. The two riders held their own private dogfight at the front of the field for the whole race, with Marquez ultimately fighting his way into the lead with just two laps remaining. Once in the lead, Marquez increased his pace to take the chequered flag 0.688 seconds ahead of Lorenzo in second place. Finishing in third place was Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi who came out on top of another intense battle with Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa for the final podium place. During his fierce battle with Lorenzo, Marquez was able to set a new Indianapolis Circuit Record Lap of 1’32.625 on the twenty-third lap of the race and his total finish time of 41’55.371 was twelve seconds quicker than the old overall race time record that he set last year.
After fine and hot weather all weekend, race day brought a change in conditions with intermittent rain falling throughout the day. The MotoGP race was declared dry, yet very light drizzle fell on parts of the track in the second half of the race, making the record pace set by the riders even more impressive. The peak track temperature of 38° C was eleven degrees cooler than yesterday’s highest reading. Despite the cooler track temperature and the threat of rain, tyre choice was a carbon copy of what riders used in race simulations yesterday. Twenty-one of the twenty-three riders selected the hard compound front slick, with only two riders selecting the medium compound front. Rear tyre choice saw all factory option Honda and Yamaha riders select the hard compound rear, all factory option Ducati and Suzuki riders on the medium rear, while the Aprilia and open class riders opted for the soft compound rear slick.
Marquez’s third victory of the year sees him jump into third place in the championship standings on 139 points. Rossi still leads the MotoGP points table on 195 points, although the lead over his teammate Lorenzo shrinks to nine points with eight rounds remaining.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“What an exciting race we saw today, there were a lot of good battles throughout the field and it was a great way to commence the second half of the MotoGP season. Congratulations to Marc on taking his seventh straight MotoGP victory on American soil and I’d also like to give my compliments to Honda for taking their 700th Grand Prix victory today. I am very happy with how our tyres performed this weekend, as Indianapolis is quite a severe circuit for the rear tyres so to set a new Circuit Record Lap and overall race time record is a good result for Bridgestone.”
Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
“Conditions today were quite different to yesterday, but the riders felt so comfortable on the tyre combinations they used yesterday during race simulations that tyre choice for the race was very similar to what was used yesterday. The hard compound front slick was by far the most popular option while for the rear tyre, all three options in our allocation were used and performed consistently over race distance. There was some light rain during the race but the wide operating temperature range of our slick tyres meant the riders could still set a record pace. This consistent performance of our tyres at this demanding track was a real positive for us, with Marquez setting a new race lap record on the twenty-third lap and the top four riders completing the race under the old overall race time record.”
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team – Race Winner
“In practice and qualifying I had the better pace and I was able to set lap times in the high 1’32’s or low 1’33’s, but in the race, Lorenzo found some pace and so it was a close battle. However, our pace was the same so it was impossible for him to create a gap and with a few laps to go I could pass him and once I was in front, I could push a little bit harder and take the victory.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Smith meets chequered flag in 6th at the Brickyard
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Bradley Smith conquered the Indianapolis Grand Prix with a 6th place finish aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 for round 10 of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship today. The British rider had a good start from the rear of the second row and completed the opening lap in 7th. Smith jumped past his teammate on the next lap and with him still hot on his heels, he set into his formidable race pace and pulled away from Espargaro whilst homing in on Andrea Iannone on the Factory Ducati. With 10 laps having been completed, the 24 year old was still running in 6th and confident of closing the gap to the rider in front. As the lap numbers counted down, Smith upped his pace, setting his personal best on the 23rd as he continued to reel in the Ducati in front. The fight went right down to the final lap and the British star completed the 27 lap sprint just two tenths of a second behind 5th place and as the leading satellite rider once again.
On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team garage, Pol Espargaro produced a solid effort to clinch 7th position at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of a crowd of 68,000 fans today. The 24 year old stormed off the fourth row of the grid and finished the first lap in a fantastic 6th place. After exchanging some passes with his teammate and dropping back one position, he dug deep as he intended to climb through the field but ran wide on the 10th lap, which allowed Cal Crutchlow to pass him. He then became locked in a tough battle, however the relentless Spaniard powered onwards and took 7th back off Crutchlow on lap 14. The race distance progressed and the pair swapped positions again with Espargaro dropping back to 8th but the 2014 MotoGP Rookie of the year remained confident about reclaiming the position in front and made some aggressive steps forward. On the penultimate lap, he lunged inside Crutchlow to snatch 7th and cross the finish line in this position after a hard fought race.
Bradley Smith
Position : 6th Championship : 5th Points : 97
“I have to be happy with the result today as it was another step forward. My most important objective was to start the second half of the season strong and keep the same level of performance from the beginning of the year, which I have been able to do. This weekend, the team always remained focused on the job ahead and it was capped by a strong result today making it a great weekend. However, I made a mistake at the start and I actually began the race with no launch control in first gear as I had changed to second just before the lights went out. Yet despite that, it was better than I expected and I won’t be making that mistake again in Brno! After the warm up this morning, I was a bit worried that we could struggle as it seemed that we did not have the pace at the beginning of the race but the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team and Bridgestone worked their magic for me and gave me a fantastic package. I must admit that I am a little disappointed that I couldn’t get past Iannone for 5th position but I was closer than I was in Sachsenring, so lets try and make another step in Brno.”
Pol Espargaro
Position : 7th Championship : 9th Points : 73
“Of course I can’t be completely satisfied with today’s result. Unfortunately I had to face the same issue which I have experienced some other times which is concerning the handling of the bike on new tyres and on full fuel load because it changes a lot. Therefore, I’m struggling to put my M1 into the positions I would like to do because it feels really heavy. Later at the midpoint of the race my rhythm became stronger and I could make up some time, but not as much as I lost at the beginning and when I started to get tired towards the end of the race, because I’m fighting with the bike, things didn’t get easier. Yet, we have to take some positives from today as I was able to pass Cal in the final stages of the race and reach the chequered flag in 7th position. Now we will keep working on trying to improve this circumstance for the next round which is right around the corner.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team manager :
“It was a good race result for us and I am really proud of both riders, they did their best and rode hard from the word go. It was a very exciting race and Bradley had a very strong pace and pushed Iannone all the way to the finish flag. Passing the Ducati was just out of reach, yet despite this, I am very happy with his performance all weekend because he has been really competitive and is the fastest satellite bike once again. Plus, Brad is now fifth in the championship standings and three points ahead of Dovizioso which means a lot to me. I am also happy about Pol’s performance. He had a great start and gave his all throughout the race which was not easy for him after the two crashes he had this weekend so I want to thank him for his ‘never give up’ attitude. He managed to keep Cal behind and we all know how fast Cal can be, so to finish in 7th and be only one point behind him in the championship makes us really happy. I think both of our guys are going to have another strong race very soon in the Czech republic, so lets regroup and continue in this manner. We are a happy team tonight and we are going to celebrate a bit back in Indy before taking the flight back to Europe.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
PRUDENT RACE FOR ALVARO BAUTISTA, 18th AT INDIANAPOLIS
RACING DEBUT FOR STEFAN BRADL ON THE APRILIA RS-GP
Indianapolis (USA), 9 August 2015 – An extremely demanding weekend for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini has just come to an end where they found a stubborn adversary in the American Indianapolis track. The characteristics of the Indy track penalised the RS-GP, especially in the second half of the race when tyre wear kept Alvaro Bautista from battling for a finish in a position that would have earned him championship points, where he had been hanging on, and it kept Stefan Bradl from holding onto the positions he had gained after a good start. The German rider also had to deal with pain in his recently operated right wrist, but he is leaving the United States with good sensations after his debut on the Aprilia.
At the start Alvaro Bautista was unable to find his way through to move up in position through the first turns, finding himself stuck in a thick group of riders. Bradl, on the other hand, got off the line well, even moving up to thirteenth position at the beginning of the race. However, both riders suffered a drop in grip which was particularly penalizing in right-handers. Alvaro finished his race in 18th place, whereas Bradl crossed the line in 20th.
ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Director)
“We had some difficulties with the rear tyre in a way that we had never experience before, especially on the right side, so much that both riders at a certain point were forced to slow down significantly. For Stefan the pain in his operated right wrist added to the problems, so both riders lost a bit of their edge toward the end of the race. The fundamental problem, which was closing out turns, has an impact on the grip and that is where we need to work. Thanks to Bradl’s comments, which add to the great job Alvaro is doing, we may have identified some new solutions that we’ll be testing in the next race at Brno.”
FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
“This was a difficult race in terms of the result which was certainly not the best, but I should point out that we did a good job with both riders throughout the weekend and this is important in view of the coming rounds. Alvaro rode a good race, but when the tyres began to wear he struggled a lot to maintain a good pace, whereas in the final phases of the race Bradl was feeling the pain in his injured right race and he crossed the finish line under a lot of stress.”
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“This was a really hard race. We had the same difficulties that had come up in practice. At the start I struggled because on the first turn I found myself stuck in a group of a lot of riders and wasn’t about to gain any positions. From there on I tried to set my pace and I was in the zone to be able to battle for fifteenth place and a points finish, but I had trouble keeping up with the others. This track posed some difficulty for us, especially when we started feeling the tyre war. In right-handers I was losing a lot of time. In any case, we finished the race and collected some more fundamental information for 2016. I’d like to thank the team for their hard work this weekend.”
STEFAN BRADL
“After spending three days on the track I expected to have problems with my right wrist today. Already this morning in the Warm Up session I started feeling some pain and after the midway point of the race I wasn’t able to control the bike as I would have liked at a lot of places on the track. In any case, we gave it our all and I consider this first weekend for me on the RS-GP as a positive one. I learned a lot about the bike and together with the team we made a lot of changes in the little time we had available, doing a good job. I wasn’t used to riding the entire race distance on this bike and if you add my injury to that obviously I wasn’t able to be as fast as I would have liked. For the moment we are satisfied anyway and we are looking forward to Brno where we’ll try to take a step forward.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Banks Double Podium at the Brickyard
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi fought a hard battle today to score a double podium finish in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Indianapolis (USA), 9th August 2015
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi put up a strong fight today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to take their sixth double Yamaha podium of the year, scoring second and third respectively.
Lorenzo started from third on the grid and took the holeshot as the field bunched up in the first corner. He put his head down to clear off at the front closely followed by rival Marc Marquez behind, the two racing with less than 0,3s between them.
The Yamaha rider kept the pace up lap after lap with an inch perfect performance and led until three laps remained, Marquez making his move going into turn one to take the lead. Lorenzo tried to pass back, but was unable to make it stick and had to settle for second place, 0,688s from the front.
Teammate Rossi had a great start from eighth on the grid, climbing up two places going into the first twisty section, and crossed the line for the first time in fifth. He soon passed Andrea Iannone and put the hammer down in order to close a 0,4s gap to Dani Pedrosa in third. With 20 laps to go he was the only rider lapping in the 1‘32s and he reached the back of his rival‘s bike seven laps later. The tense battle that followed ended with the Italian passing the Spaniard going into turn two, but the race was far from decided.
The Doctor then continued his charge towards the front pack before again getting involved in a scrap with the chasing Pedrosa. Despite the Spaniard‘s best efforts Rossi was determined to claim the final spot on the podium, exiting the fight in front to finish in third +5.966s behind the race winner.
Lorenzo‘s well-deserved second place puts him on 186 points, 9 points behind championship leader Rossi, who holds a total of 195 points.
JORGE LORENZO
It could have been worse and it could have been better. Second place in MotoGP is always a very good result because these are the best riders in the world, so to fight for the win and lead for so many laps during the race is difficult. I pushed a lot from the start in every corner and I probably lost more energy than Marc, who was following me. When he attacked I really didn‘t have enough energy and I wasn‘t fresh enough to make an attack on him, so I recovered four points on Vale and lost five points to Marc, but he‘s still quite far behind in the championship. I think we should celebrate this result after a difficult weekend and my crash from this morning. I am satisfied, let‘s see what happens in the next race.
VALENTINO ROSSI
At one moment Jorge was in front and I was fourth so I would have lost twelve points. I had to try at the maximum because these points for third are more important for me than for Dani. I gave my all and it was very difficult because this track, with this temperature and humidity is very demanding, but I‘m happy at the end because it was a good race and I had a good pace. The problem is the qualifying, we struggle too much in the practice and we arrive with a little bit too much of a delay before finding a good setting. Starting from the third row is always difficult. I started well and I was fast on the first laps so, if I would have been able to start from the second row, I would have been able to stay with Marc and Jorge until the end of the race. We have to work hard on this, starting from Brno.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
This is a really important double podium at a difficult track for us and we led 90% of the race. Jorge was very close to the win today and we couldn‘t ask anything more from him, he gave his all. He started this Grand Prix strongly and the bike was working quite well the entire weekend. Valentino was able to make a step this morning and it‘s a pity that he started from the third row. Had he started closed to the front he would have been able to stay closer to the leaders, but we still lead the championship. A big thank you to the team, they have done a great job. Next we are going to Brno with high motivation where we will aim to progress even further and try to build on this momentum.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Marquez continues American domination celebrating Honda’s 700th GP victory
The Red Bull Indianapolis GP provided two memorable battles with Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez emerging victorious over Jorge Lorenzo, and Dani Pedrosa battling with Valentino Rossi but narrowly missing out on a podium.
Marc and Dani both lost a position on the opening lap, dropping down to 2nd and 3rd respectively as the race began under a constant threat of a thunderstorm. Together with Jorge and Valentino, they began to open up a gap over the rest of the field and on lap eighteen Valentino passed Dani into 3rd.
The riders split into two groups with Jorge and Marc opening up a gap and with eight laps remaining rain flags were displayed at points around the circuit. Fortunately the storm held off and the riders pushed on, tracing each other lap after lap. Dani passed Valentino on lap twenty three but was passed back within a few corners.
Meanwhile, Marc set a new lap record (1’32.625 lap twenty four, beating his 2014 time of 1’32.831) as he chased down Jorge, passing him in turn one on lap twenty five. He was able to fend off a challenging Jorge and clinched his 7th win in America in the MotoGP class, and crowning Honda’s 700th victory in World Grands Prix. Dani and Valentino continued to trade places on the final lap but despite a valiant effort, Dani was unable to take the final podium place.
Honda riders have won all the MotoGP races in Indianapolis for the past six years and now celebrate eleven consecutive wins on American soil (since Indianapolis 2010). Marc has now moved into 3rd in the Championship Standings, 56 points behind Valentino. Dani remains in 7th place on 80 points after ten rounds of the 2015 season.
Marc Marquez
1ST CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING: 3RD – 139 POINTS
“The race went very well, but we were pretty much on the limit. The truth is that Jorge improved a lot during the race, and I didn’t think there would be so many laps in the 1’32s. Even towards the end of the race we did a 1’32.6, which is very fast! We used the strategy of attacking at the end, when there were three laps remaining, and I think it was ideal for taking victory at this circuit. I’m also very proud to have taken Honda’s 700th victory! This is a very special moment for all the team and I dedicate it to all of Honda.”
Dani Pedrosa
4TH CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING: 7TH – 80 POINTS
“It was a very physical race. We had to fight a lot with the bike because the grip was difficult. The surprise was Valentino. I knew my pace was a little slower than Marc and Jorge’s, but after practice I thought I might be a little closer. However, Valentino made a big step forward as usual and we had to fight for the podium; on the last lap he overtook me on the second corner and I couldn’t return the pass. I’m happy for Honda to have achieved the 700th victory, it’s an honour to have played a part in this impressive statistic!”
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC):
Honda Achieves 700th FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Victory
INDIANAPOLIS, USA, August 9, 2015 – Honda MotoGP rider Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) claimed victory in the MotoGP class, in Round 10 of the 2015 FIM Road Racing World Championship held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, USA. Beginning with its first world grand prix race in 1961, at the hands of Australian rider Tom Phillis on his Honda RC143 in the 125cc class of the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix, Honda has now achieved an unprecedented 700* grand prix wins.
By the beginning of the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Honda had tallied 698 grand prix wins. The Moto3 class started under light rain, with most top riders choosing wet tires. 18 year old Belgian rider Livio Loi (RW Racing GP Honda NSF250RW) had taken a gamble to start on slicks, which paid off as the wet tire riders inevitably pitted, allowing Loi to claim his first victory after a consistent ride, taking Honda one step closer to the 700 win milestone.
Uncertain weather conditions persisted in the MotoGP class which followed, with light rain in the latter stages of the premier class race. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) maintained a close gap with the race leader throughout the race, and with three laps remaining on lap 25, took the lead for a runaway victory, giving him his second consecutive win (third for the season), and Honda its 700th grand prix victory.
In 1954, Honda’s founder Soichiro Honda declared entry into the premier motor sports event of the time, the Isle of Man TT, aiming to “realize the dream of becoming the world’s best.” After five years developing a racing machine, Honda became the first Japanese motorcycle manufacturer to enter the Isle of Man TT race. The following year, in 1960, Honda began competing in the 125cc and 250cc classes of the FIM Road Racing World Championship, and in 1961, Tom Phillis won the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix, giving Honda its first step towards its 700 victories.
Honda then forayed into the 350cc and 50cc classes in 1962, and the 500cc class in 1966, and won the championship in all five classes in 1966. At the time, Honda considered its racing activities to be a “laboratory on wheels,” and new technologies developed to win world championship races were applied to its production motorcycles. With dramatically improved quality, the market had expanded its support for Honda’s motorcycles. At the end of the 1967 season, Honda had paused its factory racing activities, which were to be restarted 11 years later, with 138 grand prix wins.
In 1979, Honda returned to FIM Road Racing World Championship racing in the 500cc class. Three years later in 1982, American rider Freddie Spencer won Round 7 in Belgium on his Honda NS500, giving Honda its first victory since returning to world grand prix racing. Honda then went on to win grand prix races in the 125cc and 250cc classes, contributing to its 500th victory in 2001, when Italian rider Valentino Rossi was victorious in the 500cc class at the season-opening Japan Grand Prix. In 2005, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa rode his Honda RS250RW to victory in the 250cc class in Round 15 in Australia, marking Honda’s 600th grand prix win.
* Number of wins counted by Honda based on FIM records Moto2 class wins since 2010 are not included, as the entire class is raced with Honda engines Moto3 class wins in 2012 are not included as Honda wins, in compliance with FIM regulations, as the registered constructor was FTR Honda (albeit powered by the NSF250R engine)
Takahiro Hachigo, President, CEO and Representative Director, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
“I am proud of Honda’s 700th victory in the FIM Road Racing World Championship. This achievement could only have been realized through the countless number of people working together, and the support every fan has given for Honda’s racing activities. I am deeply grateful to everyone for their contributions and support. Thank you very much.”
More, from a press release issued by OCTO Pramac Racing:
Petrux celebrates his fantastic week end in the Top 10. Yonny ended up 12th
The exciting weekend of OCTO Pramac Racing at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway ended up with the ecxellent Top 10 of Danilo Petrucci and a convincing twelfth place of Yonny Hernandez ends
The two OCTO Pramac Racing riders have confirmed on the track the good feeling emerged during the morning warm-up when Yonny got the 10th time and the 12th Danilo within 50 thousandths behind his teammate.
Petrux’s race was very steady. The difficulties encountered in the first corner trying to contain the attack of Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow, were quickly transformed into certainties. Danilo managed to keep the ninth position until lap 18 when he had to give the position to Dovizioso. Then Petrux did well to remain close to the number 4 also giving the feeling of being able to attack him until the last 3 laps.
Yonny’s start was very difficult. The rider from Medellin, 15th on the grid, was involved in the bagarre of the first corner turning 19th. It was the only mistake in a race comeback that saw him climb positions to reach the Top 10 on the 8th lap. Then the recovery of Dovizioso and the attack of Vinales for a twelfth place finish still valuable.
With six points won on the Brickyard, Danilo rises to 57.
Yonny bring back home 4 points and consolidates 13th position (36 points).
OCTO Pramac Racing confirms to be the sixth MotoGP force with 93 points, -15 from the Top 5.
Petrux celebrates his fantastic week end in the Top 10. Yonny ended up 12th
10° – Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing #9
I am very happy because we have achieved all the objectives of each weekend: qualification to Q2 and Top 10 in the race. The race pace was good, I lapped also very close to Dovi and those were important laps that I consider as a wealth of experience for the future. I started from the second row, it seemed to be in the front desks of the classroom, and when I arrived on the grid was very nice to see not so many bikes in front of me. I’m living a very beautiful moment, the relationship with the team is amazing, A better race? It would have been nice but we really did the maximum.
12° – Yonny Hernandez – OCTO Pramac Racing #68
A good race. I think the bad qualifying has influenced a lot and then I also had problems at the start. I took some risks but in the end I managed to find a good race pace to recover many positions. I enjoyed two good fights with Dovizioso and Vinales. I also felt to be able to take Petrux but in the end it was not possible. I am happy with my race and I hope to maintain this feeling also in Brno.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Fifth place finish for Iannone, Dovizioso ninth, in Indianapolis GP
Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso finished in fifth and ninth place respectively in the Indianapolis Grand Prix, held on Sunday at the iconic Speedway circuit in the USA.
The race got underway under darkening skies and with a threat of rain, but luckily it stayed dry throughout the 27 laps. After a good start from seventh place on the grid, Iannone finished the opening lap in fourth, dropping one place down to fifth on the next lap after being passed by Rossi. The Italian rider from Vasto then held on to fifth place until the chequered flag, despite coming under repeated pressure from Smith.
Andrea Dovizioso, who started from the fourth row with tenth quickest qualifying time, was forced to slow at Turn 2 immediately after the start to avoid a clash with Crutchlow, and he crossed the line at the end of lap 1 in 21st position. The Ducati Team man then began a superb recovery through the field that took him to ninth place by lap 17 and he held that position until the end.
In the overall standings Iannone is now fourth with 129 points, behind Marquez, while Dovizioso is in sixth with 94 points, behind Smith. Ducati lie in third place in the Manufacturers’ standings, with 154 points.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 5th
“I got a really good start, but unfortunately I didn’t have the pace to stay with the leading group. I tried everything I could to push hard right from the start, but I wasn’t as quick as the top 4, so I did my own race and it was not easy to keep Smith behind until the end. With the harder tyre we knew that the leading four were a bit quicker, but in any case we held our own and I think that we took home the best result that we could obtain today. Now we have to respond to get out of this period in which we don’t seem to be going anywhere and get back to fighting for the podium like we were doing at the start of the season.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 9th
“At the start of the race I was unlucky to find myself in the wrong place at the wrong time at Turn 2. After a bad start I had to change my line to the outside of the corner: Crutchlow, in trying to avoid making contact with Smith, had to sit up and that forced me to go off the track in order to avoid him. It was a real pity because on this track in particular, starting from behind and recovering through the field is really difficult, because you cannot afford to be too aggressive. All things considered, my lap times in the race were not bad, but obviously we could have done better. I’ve had a lot of things happening to me over the last few races, so sooner or later the situation will have to change!”
Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)
“We still have a few things to sort out on the Desmosedici GP15, and this race was also useful to better understand the direction to follow in the future. In addition, we did not have the hard rear tyre available, and today that was clearly the best solution. In fact, this was the option chosen by all those who had it at their disposal. So it would have been difficult to do better than this. Iannone ran a really solid and steady race, and it wasn’t easy for him to arrive at the chequered flag with the medium compound tyre. Pity about Dovizioso who unfortunately had to work his way back up through the field from the back.”
More, from a press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
CRUTCHLOW BATTLES TO EIGHTH AT INDY
Cal Crutchlow’s race in Sunday’s Indianapolis Grand Prix was almost over by as early as the second corner, as the British rider was forced wide in turn two and dropped from his grid position of fourth down into eleventh place.
The CWM LCR Honda rider then made an excellent recovery through the field as he picked up positions lap by lap, making it up to seventh at one point as he powered his factory spec Honda up the order.
Embroiled in a battle with Spain’s Pol Espargaro, Crutchlow swapped positions a number of times with his rival, eventually just losing out a lap from the end as he brought his bike home in eighth place.
Cal Crutchlow #35 – 8th
“I’m disappointed with today’s race result. The race itself wasn’t too bad, I just had a very bad start. I lost so many places at the second corner, because when I grabbed the brake lever there wasn’t enough heat in the brakes to stop. It didn’t bite, so I ran wide and it lost me seven places or so.”
“This track is really difficult to regain time and regain positions, but of course I did my best to recover. More than anything we needed to finish the race, and we achieved that but the setting wasn’t perfect for me today. We go to Brno now and we have to regroup and hope for a better race there.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
HARD RACE IN INDY FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR
Today’s MotoGP race at Indianapolis in America ended a little under expectations for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR with both riders out of the top-10 despite solid progress made yesterday in qualifying, although weekend ultimately proved useful for experience and collecting much-needed information.
Maverick Viñales finished in 11th place, with five more points in the Championship and Aleix Espargaro was 14th, still lacking in some confidence with his GSX-RR. The whole weekend was difficult for the team, who struggled more than usual to find real confidence with the circuit; pretty unuisual for both its Tarmac quality and circuit design.
At the start Viñales – starting from ninth on the grid – immediately lost some positions and had to recover while Espargaro made a good start from his 12th place and entered the first corner in 10th. His fight for the top-10 lasted in the early laps, but a lack of confidence with the rear-end of his GSX-RR prevented him being as consistent as he wanted to be and he started to lose a few tenths-of-a-second. Viñales, however, kept his pace and started recovering position-after-position, finally ending close to the top-10.
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR will now head to Brno for next weekend’s GP of the Czech Republic and the 11th round of the 2015 World Championship.
Satoru Terada – Project Leader:
“It’s been a very diffucult and hard weekend but sometimes races are like this and we must keep the positives that we had. Aleix struggled the whole weekend to find a proper feeling with the bike and finally had some issue during the race; his rear wheel had issues in corner entry and now we are investigating what happened. Maverick had a pretty consistent weekend. We tried a new way to approach the race working on the race-pace as a priority and this paid back with positive results. He has some room for improvement, expecially in the beginning of the race, but his lap pace is pretty good, therefore I believe we should have better result. For sure we know that we are improving little-by-little, every race or test we do is crucial to us in gaining experience and we must be patient and continue to work following the development plan that we have.”
Maverick Viñales:
“My start was not brilliant, it’s not the first time and we definitely need to work on this and train to be more effective because my pace could have been very good but I had to fight again in the middle of the pack. When I got past Yonny Hernandez I did some consistent laps in the 1’33s and was aiming to catch up to 10th or ninth place, but at the end of the race I had a little problem with the gearbox and lost some time. Despite the result I am very happy with the weekend because we could be very consistent and move forward. The new approach to the race proved to give us payback and in every race we get closer to the top. The positives are also that we are getting confirmation on the things we tested in Misano. I think we probably need another test to better understand some more things about my GSX-RR. My machine is very competitive, the lack of the seamless gearbox and some more horsepower are preventing us getting better results but I feel very confident with the team and the factory. They all are as disappointed as I am for the missing results because we all feel we can get better, but they are working very hard and I must thank them for all their support. ”
Aleix Espargaro:
“The whole weekend has been very hard for me, I couldn’t find proper confidence with the bike and this affected me in the race. I made a good start and I suddenly recovered some positions, but then from lap two or three something went wrong with the rear-end of the bike; it locked-up a lot when entering the corners. I also tried to take away all the engine braking but couldn’t solve the problem that way. Also when I finished the race, the tyre was destroyed and this means something went wrong. It was impossible to keep-up good lap times, I wanted to end the race as respect for the team but it was pretty dangerous. I am disappointed, but now I will reset my mind and think ahead to Brno. We will fly directly there and this will help to give us focus.”
More, from another press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
EARLY END TO INDIANAPOLIS RACE FOR MILLER
After a weekend which had many bright spots for the CWM LCR Honda Team, sadly Jack Miller’s race ended early after he crashed out of the race on the eighth lap.
Starting from 16th on the grid, Miller had incredibly made his way up to 12th by the end of lap one. Involved in a scrap with several other riders, Miller lost a couple of positions as he struggled with the feel of his Open Honda, and this would cost him dear, as he eventually lost control and slid out.
Miller and the CWM LCR Honda Team quickly get another chance to redeem themselves, as they fly straight to the Czech Republic for the next round of the MotoGP World Championship in Brno in just seven days.
Jack Miller #43 – DNF
“It was a disappointing way to end a reasonable weekend, because we were pretty happy with how the bike was working but I ended up having a few problems during the race. It wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be.”
“We can’t do anything about it now though, we just need to look forward to getting to Brno and working through the problems that we had in the race here.”
More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:
Barbera increases his Open Class lead winning at Indy
09/08/15 Avintia Racing MotoGP Grand Prix of Indianapolis – RACE
The rain finally appeared before the Moto3 and Moto2 races, so everybody was set for a flag to flag race in MotoGP. Fortunately the rain held off during the race and just some drops came down, but the humidity and the high temperatures made it very hard for the riders to complete the 27-lap-distance. Hector Barbera made a good start, but in the second corner he was pushed off the track and he lost many places. But the Avintia Racing rider did not give up and lap by lap caught his rivals to achieve one more victory in the Open Class.
Mike Di Meglio was 17th, but the Avintia Racing French riders was satisfied after the race. He started from the 22nd place on the grid and at one stage was running inside the points rankings, but finally, due to the very hot temperatures and some pain in his left arm after the crash from yesterday’s qualifying session, he was not able to follow his teammate.
The MotoGP World Championships heads back to Europe next week for the Czech Republic Grand Prix at the Brno circuit.
HECTOR BARBERA #8 / 15th (P1 Open) @HectorBarbera
It was a hard race because with this high temperatures the tyres suffered a lot, and in addition, someone touched me in the second turn, so I saw myself at the back once again. I have to work towards improving my first lap, because in the last few races I had to recover and physically, this is very demanding. Positive is that the team did a great job over the weekend. We were first in qualifying, first today, we added one point in the standings and we still lead the Open Class. Today was also a special victory, as it’s my sister’s birthday. We love each other very much and she is a very important person in my life. This was the best possible way for me to give her a present.
MIKE DI MEGLIO #63 / 17th (P3 Open) @Mikejpp63
I think we made a good race, because after crashing in yesterday’s qualifying I had to start from the back of the grid. But I was calm, I made a good start and I was able to gain some places every lap until I caught Miller. I could stay with him easily, but then he crashed. I kept my concentration to keep a constant pace, but in the final stages of the race I lacked something, because when Hector and Hayden passed me, I couldn’t keep up any longer. Overall the race was good, because starting in 22nd and finishing in 17th place is something positive.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Marquez wins at Indianapolis after an epic duel with Lorenzo
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez made it five wins in a row (2x Moto2™, 3x MotoGP™) at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway after an epic race long duel with Jorge Lorenzo (+0.688s) on the Movistar Yamaha. Championship leader Valentino Rossi (+5.278s) maintained his 100% podium record this season to finish in third, and remain on top of the standings by nine points.
After the Moto3™ and Moto2™ races were declared wet earlier in the day, conditions had improved by the time the MotoGP™ riders took to the grid and luckily, apart from a few spots of rain, it remained dry throughout the race. It was Lorenzo who would lead into the first corner from pole man Marquez, and it wouldn’t take long for these two to break away at the front of the field, opening up a second gap by the end of lap 8. The 68,000 fans present at the ‘Brickyard’ then bore witness to some incredible riding between the two Spaniards, as lap after lap Marquez ominously stalked Lorenzo.
The reigning MotoGP™ World Champion Marquez bided his time, sitting behind Lorenzo and studying his strengths and weaknesses before finally making his move with just three laps to go into turn 1. Lorenzo had no response and Marquez pulled the pin to cross the line over half a second ahead of his compatriot, taking Honda’s 700th GP victory in the process. It was also the 9th race in a row that Marquez has won on US Soil and the first time he has achieved back-to-back victories this season.
Rossi started from 8th on the grid but after a sensational opening lap he was up into fourth and hunting down Pedrosa for the final podium spot. The Italian was made to rue his poor Qualifying performance, as while he could match the pace of Marquez and Lorenzo at the front, he could not make any meaningful dent in the gap to the leaders. Rossi finally managed to overtake Pedrosa into turn 1 on lap 18, although the diminutive Spaniard was having none of it and after recovering he managed to re-take third, setting up a dramatic last lap showdown. On the last lap Pedrosa overtook Rossi into turn 1, but ‘The Doctor’ fought back immediately and made it stick, managing to hold on to cross the line 0.181s ahead of Pedrosa (+6.147s).
Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone (+21.528s) was a further 15 seconds back in fifth as he managed to hold off a hard-charging Bradley Smith (+21.751s) on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 towards the end of the race. The Italian, celebrating his 26th Birthday, eventually crossed the line just 0.223s ahead of the Brit.
Smith, starting from 9th on the grid, once again enjoyed a brilliant start and found himself as high as 5th after the first few corners. Unfortunately he would run wide at turn 10 on the first lap and be forced to fight his way back through the field. He had to settle for sixth. His teammate Pol Espargaro was a further 8.627s further back in seventh.
CWM LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow had an eventful race, dropping down to 11th after almost clipping the back of Smith at the start of the race. He had to fight his way back into the top ten, before eventually crossing the line in eighth.
Andrea Dovizioso also ran wide on the first lap (turn 2) first lap and found himself down in very last place. The Italian recovered brilliantly and fought back to finish in ninth ahead of the Factory Octo Pramac Racing Ducati of Danilo Petrucci, who completed the top ten.
The Team Suzuki Ecstar GSX-RR’s of Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro were 11th and 14th respectively, with Scott Redding on the EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda finishing in 13th.
Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera took the Open class victory in 15th ahead of local Hero Nicky Hayden (Aspar MotoGP Team) in 16th and his teammate Eugene Laverty in 19th.
Stefan Bradl finished in 20th on his debut for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini while CWM LCR Honda’s Jack Miller was the only rider to crash out of the race as he fell foul of turn 6 on lap 9.
All of this means that Rossi (195pts) remains on top of the MotoGP™ World Championship standings, although his lead over second placed Jorge Lorenzo (+186pts) has been cut to just 9 points, with Marquez (139pts) a further 56 points back in third.
Rins claims sensational Moto2™ victory
Paginas Amarillas HP40’s rookie Alex Rins took his first Moto2™ race win ahead of Ajo Motorsports Johann Zarco (+0.482s) and Franco Morbidelli (+0.888s) on the Italtrans Racing Kalex in what was one of the most exciting races of the season.
The race was declared wet but with the track drying, the majority of riders decided to start on slicks and it was a fascinating first few laps as they tried to adjust to the conditions. Once things had settled down there was an incredible battle at the front between Rins, Rabat, Zarco and Dominique Aegerter (Technomag Racing Interwetten).
Each rider took turns at the front of the field as fans were treated to a spectacular display of aggressive overtaking in what was more reminiscent of a Moto3™ race. It would take until the penultimate lap for Rins to secure the win after Zarco had ran wide, taking Aegerter with him, to give the Spaniard some breathing space at the front.
Rins eventually crossed the line almost half a second ahead of championship leader Zarco to take his 9th career GP victory (8xMoto3™, 1xMoto2™), with Morbidelli coming on strong towards the end of the race and taking advantage of Aegerter running wide to steal third and secure his first career Moto2™ podium.
Aegerter, fresh from his podium at the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race, was battling at the front for long parts of the race before missing out on the podium by 0.406s as he had to settle for fourth. Rabat (+2.963) took a battling fifth after a duel with Morbidelli that must have brought back memories of their last corner crash at the German GP last time out.
Thomas Luthi (Derendinger Racing Interwetten) was sixth, with AGR Teams Axel Pons recovering from an earlier crash in Warm Up to take seventh. Xavier Simeon (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Alex Marquez (Paginas Amarillas HP40) completed the top ten.
Speed Up Racing’s Sam Lowes crashed out while in 6th at Turn 15 with just 5 laps to go, after the British rider had fought his way back into contention for the podium. Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) was also in contention for a top 6 finish when he crashed out on the final lap, while Mika Kallio, who had started from the front row, also went down after contact with Lowes on lap 11.
There were also DNF’s for Tech 3’s debutant Xavi Vierge, Randy Krummenacher, Ratthapark Wilairot, Sandro Cortese and Julian Simon who had actually led the race at the start.
All this means that Zarco (199pts) has extended his lead in the Moto2™ World to 71 points, with Rins (128pts) leapfrogging Rabat (125pts) into second.
Loi takes maiden Moto3™ victory
RW Racing GP’s Livio Loi made history as he became the first Belgian rider to win in the lightweight class after taking victory in a rain-affected race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Loi finished 38.860s ahead of second placed John McPhee on the SAXOPRINT RTG Honda, with Schedl GP Racing’s Phillip Oettl (+0.57.781s) claiming the last podium spot a further 17-seconds back. Championship leader Danny Kent was caught out by the weather conditions and eventually crossed the line in 21st.
The formbook was thrown out of the window before the race began as a heavy shower meant that it was declared wet. All of the riders lined up on the grid on wet tyres before Livio Loi, Jules Danilo, Andrea Migno and McPhee decided to switch to slicks before the race, with Loi the only rider to make the decision in time to start from his original grid position while the others had to start from Pit Lane.
This proved a masterstroke as the rain stopped as the lights went out and the track dried rapidly, with riders pouring into the pits to change to slicks from the end of the very first lap. Loi managed to take the lead on lap four and never looked back, managing his lead perfectly. McPhee and Oettl also rapidly made their way through the field and for the majority of the race they were the only two riders not to be a lap down on the leader Loi.
While the rain returned with a few laps to go, it was not heavy enough to make a difference to the result, and Loi went on to take his first career Moto3™ victory by a massive margin. The victory would have been made even sweeter by the fact that the Belgian was forced to miss the race at Indianapolis last year after he had been released from his contract with the Marc VDS team at the German GP.
McPhee’s second placed finish came after he had qualified down 18th place and it was his first career Moto3™ podium, in a season that has proven rather tricky for the Scotsman. It was also Phillip Oettl’s first Moto3™ podium finish too, just 19 years and 2 months after his father Peter Oettl’s last GP win at Mugello in 1996.
Sky Racing Team VR46’s Romano Fenati (+1’15.296) finished in fourth, 17 seconds further back from Oettl, with Isaac Viñales filling in for the injured Ana Carrasco on the RBA Racing Team KTM taking fifth spot.
Enea Bastianini managed to close the gap on leader Kent in the standings by 10 points to 56 after he crossed the line in 6th on the Gresini Racing Team Moto3 Honda. The Italian coming out on top of an excellent battle with Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) in seventh, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in eighth and Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) who finished in ninth.
Mapfre Team Mahindra’s Jorge Martin completed the top ten in a race that saw his teammate Francesco Bagnaia given a ride through penalty for a jump start before crashing out at turn 4 on lap 14. Efren Vazquez had earlier topped Warm Up on his Leopard racing Honda, but also crashed out at turn 9 on lap 16.
The result means the Danny Kent (190) still leads the Moto3™ World Championship standings despite his first non-points scoring finish of the season, but his advantage has been cut to 56 points by second-placed Enea Bastianini.
More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:
No joy for Nicky Hayden in home race
The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider produced a strong fightback but just missed out on the points and the top Open spot
The rain sprang some surprises today in the MotoGP race at Indianapolis. It rained in the morning, but at two in the afternoon the race started on dry asphalt with Lorenzo pushing hard, leading, and breaking the peloton in the blink of an eye. Marquez stayed close and within two laps had opened a gap that would become insurmountable for Pedrosa. By the midway point Valentino Rossi had joined the podium fight. The battle between Pedrosa and Rossi was won by the Italian who made a great move on the final lap on the second corner. Marquez made his conclusive move at the beginning of the 25th lap to clinch victory over Lorenzo and Rossi.
The weekend in Indianapolis did not go as smoothly as hoped for local rider Nicky Hayden. The lack of confidence in his set-up led to 20th position in qualifying yesterday, but today his mechanics gave him a package which helped him fight back in the race. The start of the race was a little hectic, but eventually the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider found a solid pace to help him finish close to the points, only to miss out just at the end. There was no luck for Hayden’s teammate Eugene Laverty, as he was held back by a sore left shoulder.
16th Nicky Hayden: “We knew that today was going to be a tough race, but despite everything I got a pretty decent start. With the chaos of the first laps I wasn’t able to ride with the pace we wanted, but at the end of the race I finished quite satisfied with our pace. I was able to ride at 1’34 pace towards the end of the race. The team has greatly improved the bike today, compared with the rest of the weekend. I’m not happy with the result, but we did not give up and we have tried to fight all the way through. It would have been good to beat Barbera at the end, I got in front of him at times, but he fought back getting Di Meglio in between us. I got a few meters on him here and there, but in the end he was faster than me.”
19th Eugene Laverty: “I had started the race quite well, recovering positions, and hoped to get into the fight to be the best Open rider but I had pain in the left shoulder which affected me. I had to ride a lot of the race practically with one arm. After the race I went to the Clinica Mobile and they said the pain may be originating from the neck. I am disappointed because today the team had prepared a good bike and we had the right pace. I hope to recover this week and be ready for Brno.”