FIM MotoGP World Championship
Mugello Circuit, Italy
May 31, 2015
Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires):
1. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 23 laps, 41:39.173
2. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), -5.563 seconds
3. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), -6.661
4. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -9.978
5. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), -15.284
6. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), -15.665
7. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), -23.805
8. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), -29.152
9. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), -32.008
10. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), -34.571
11. Scott REDDING, UK (HONDA), -38.553
12. Loris BAZ, France (FORWARD YAMAHA), -42.158
13. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -44.801
14. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), -50.435
15. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (HONDA), -53.060
16. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (DUCATI), -75.265
17. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (HONDA), -75.381, jump start/ride-through penalty
18. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (APRILIA), -101.840
19. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), -3 laps, DNF, crash
20. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), -6 laps, DNF, crash
21. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), -10 laps, DNF, retired
22. Stefan BRADL, Germany (FORWARD YAMAHA), -20 laps, DNF, crash
23. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (HONDA), -20 laps, DNF, crash
24. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), -21 laps, DNF, crash
25. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), -21 laps, DNF, crash
26. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (ART-APRILIA), -21 laps, DNF, retired
World Championship Point Standings (after 6 of 18 races):
1. Rossi, 118 points
2. Lorenzo, 112
3. Dovizioso, 83
4. Iannone, 81
5. Marquez, 69
6. Smith, 57
7. Crutchlow, 47
8. Pol Espargaro, 45
9. Vinales, 36
10. Petrucci, 32
11. Aleix Espargaro, 31
12. Hernandez, 26
13. Pedrosa, 23
14. Redding, 18
15. Barbera, 16
16. Baz, 10
17. TIE, Pirro/Hayden, 8
19. Miller, 6
20. TIE, Aoyama/Bautista, 5
22. Laverty, 3
23. Bradl, 1
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
Movistar Yamaha Make Mugello Magic
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo was unbeatable in Mugello today to claim a brilliant victory in the Gran Premio d’Italia, his third consecutive MotoGP win of the season. Teammate Valentino Rossi also gave a stunning performance, to finish third, making it three double podiums for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team in a row.
Barberino del Mugello (Italy), 31st May 2015
Thousands of home fans of the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team gathered at the Autodromo del Mugello to see their dreams come true today. Not only did Jorge Lorenzo claim a flawless victory for the Gran Premio d’Italia, Yamaha‘s fifth of the season, but their local hero Valentino Rossi also battled his way onto podium. He secured third in a hard fought race, making it his sixth consecutive podium.
After a flying start from second on the grid, Lorenzo tucked in behind Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso to quickly make his intentions clear. He moved up from third to lead the way when he crossed the line for the first time. With a clear track ahead of him, the race went exactly as he planned. As his pit board signaled rival Marc Marquez‘s approach, he put the hammer down, setting a 1‘47.700, the fastest lap of race.
He gradually built a gap and remained untouchable for the rest of the race. Riding consistent laps in the low 1‘48s the Spaniard finished his perfect performance at the team‘s home GP with a 5.563s advantage. This win is Lorenzo‘s third win at the Mugello circuit in four years‘ time.
Starting from eighth on the grid, teammate Rossi lost time when he got caught up in the pack and finished the first lap in ninth. He quickly made his way through the field, hunting for Cal Crutchlow riding in sixth and overtaking him on lap eight. It took The Doctor four laps to close down a 2.5s gap to the group battling for second place. He immediately passed Dovizioso for fifth and went on chasing Dani Pedrosa, Marquez and Iannone.
Rossi had his mind set on the podium and, having watched Marquez crash out, he was quick to make a move on Pedrosa for third. He pushed hard to close in on Iannone, setting a personal best of 1.48.173, but was unable to catch his compatriot and secured the last podium place, 6.661s from his teammate, accomplishing a third consecutive double podium for Yamaha.
Lorenzo‘s 25 point score adds to his total of 112 points, keeping him in second position in the standings. He is six points behind teammate and championship leader Rossi, whose 16 points put him on 118 points.
JORGE LORENZO
I‘m very happy, because I didn‘t expect to escape with such a big margin, but sometimes it happens that you feel great on the bike. Today the track was not so quick so everyone has been a bit slower than we expected. I was the only rider to ride multiple 1‘47s, so luckily for me I was gaining six or seven-tenths per lap, this was key to the win of the race. If someone would have told me before Jerez that I would win three races in a row I wouldn‘t have believed it, but this is what happened. We are in a great shape; Valentino is getting podiums in every race so that means he is strong and also the bike is working really well. It seems that this year could be our year, so we have to take advantage of it. It was a different situation when I was twenty-nine points behind than now when it‘s down to six, but even like that it‘s difficult to close in on Valentino in points because he is always on the podium. Today Iannone stayed in front of him so it‘s four points more and as I said six points difference is much better than twenty-nine, but we can‘t relax and neither can Yamaha. Our competitors are working really hard to fix the problems they seem to have with the stability of their bikes and they will arrive at a point that they will win races, but until then we need to make the most of our potential to improve the bike little by little.
VALENTINO ROSSI
Mugello was very busy, because I am very competitive and all the Italian fans expected a great race from me. It‘s a bit of a shame that it wasn‘t a fantastic race. I wasn‘t strong enough but at the end of the race I arrived on the podium after a great recovery and a hard race. To be on the podium with whole the crowd is always magical with the track being full of people. I‘ve been suffering the whole weekend, I was never strong and didn‘t achieve a good level of speed. In the race I also suffered a lot, especially on the first lap. I think we have to improve, especially with Jorge being very strong, he is in a great shape and to match his level we need to be more competitive.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
To win anywhere is a fantastic result, but to win here in Mugello is even more special. It‘s an important circuit to dominate at so to have both riders on podium in front of thousands of Italian fans at our home race is perfect. Jorge has again been very impressive and shown us all weekend his determination and belief in his ability to win, it was a well deserved victory. Despite not having the best start position Vale also showed his skill and race craft to fight his way through to a podium finish. I have to thank both the riders and the whole team for their hard work and effort to deliver these results, they give us the motivation to continue like this. We leave here holding first and second in the championship having demonstrated that we have the riders, bike and team capable of consistently fighting for victory every weekend.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Pedrosa takes impressive 4th as Marquez crashes out of 2nd in Italian GP
It was a day of mixed fortunes for the Repsol Honda riders, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez.
Starting 7th on the grid, Dani lost a few places, briefly dropping down to 9th on the first lap. Marc, starting from 13th place – the first time he has not qualified on the first or second row in the premiere class – had a strong start moving up to 6th in the first few corners and up to 4th by the end of the first lap, with Dani in 8th.
Dani continued to advance, passing Cal Crutchlow, Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith and found himself in 5th by lap four. Meanwhile, Jorge Lorenzo opened up a lead at the front as Marc battled with Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso. By lap twelve Dani had reached the battle for second and the four riders swapped positions consistently over the course of the following five laps when Marc finally made his move into 2nd place stick.
However, shortly after passing Iannone Marc made a small mistake and crashed out in turn three. This promoted Dani to third briefly, before Valentino Rossi passed him and demoted Dani to 4th which he secured, taking valuable points and positive feedback regarding his fitness.
Tomorrow Marc and Dani will be back on track for a post-race test with the new 2016 tyre supplier, before heading west for round seven in Barcelona in two weeks time.
Dani Pedrosa
4TH CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING: 13TH – 23 POINTS
“I’m happy overall, especially because my forearm is getting better all the time. Today I had a fairly good race, right through to the end. I was able to fight with some other riders and confirm that every week I’m getting better. It has been positive. Now we have to work on the bike to try to develop it and get better results at the coming races!”
Marc Marquez
DNF CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING: 5TH – 69 POINTS
“It was a shame about the crash today, because I had already done the hardest part! I’m happy because I was able to carry out our plan, which was to try to recover positions on the first five laps. We were up into second place after four laps, but when the tyre grip went down we had a similar problem to before, with the tyre sliding on corner entry. I was on the limit and when you are pushing at the maximum sometimes things happen like they did today. We have dropped quite far behind in the standings, but Honda are working hard and together we will keep pushing to improve the feeling with the bike for the second half of the season.”
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Lorenzo claims third MotoGP™ victory in a row after Mugello masterclass
Round 6: Italian MotoGP™ – Race
Sunday, 31 May 2015
Mugello, Italy
Bridgestone slick compounds: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) & Hard (Symmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds: Hard (Main) & Soft (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 25-26°C; Track 49-49°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo scored his third consecutive MotoGP™ victory and closed the points gap to teammate Valentino Rossi to just six points after dominating the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.
Lorenzo got a good start from second place on the grid and before the first lap was completed, snuck past Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso on the entry to Arrabiatta 1, after which point he was never headed. Setting a consistent pace at the front of the field, Lorenzo ultimately won by 5.563 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Andrea Iannone on the Ducati GP15 machine, while Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi held on to the championship lead by finishing in third place in Italy, just over one second behind Iannone. All three riders on the podium selected the combination of the medium compound front and rear slicks.
Race day brought with it a rise in ambient and track temperatures, with the peak track temperature reading of 49°C during the race being eight degrees higher than the yesterday’s high. However, the rise wasn’t significant enough to influence the riders’ race tyre choice, with no factory Honda or Yamaha riders selecting the hard compound rear slick. Rear tyre choice saw a fairly even split amongst the twenty-six rider field, with fourteen riders selecting the medium rear slick, and twelve riders selecting the soft compound rear. Front tyre choice showed a strong preference for the medium compound front slick, with twenty-two riders selecting this option, with the remaining four riders opting for the hard compound front.
Lorenzo’s hat-trick of MotoGP victories puts him on 112 championship points, while Rossi still leads the standings on 118 points after six rounds. Despite having to retire from his home race due to mechanical issues, Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso holds onto third place in the standings, 35 points off Rossi.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“Today we had the biggest race day crowd at Mugello since 2008 and they were rewarded with seeing two Italian riders on the podium and a masterclass in riding by Jorge Lorenzo. Congratulations to Jorge on yet another strong performance and also Yamaha, who have now won five out of the six races so far this year. We leave Mugello and head to another fantastic event in two weeks’ time at Montmélo and as this circuit has provided some amazing races in the past, I look forward to seeing which riders will step up to try and stop Yamaha’s impressive run of victories.”
Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
“Compared to yesterday we had an increase in track temperatures today, but it wasn’t that significant a rise that it affected race tyre choice. Almost every rider used the tyre combination they decided upon after race simulations yesterday afternoon, and as we expected the medium compound front slick was by far the most popular choice for the race. Rear tyre choice was evenly split between the soft and medium compound options and I was pleased to see the riders were able to set a strong, consistent pace in hot conditions at a tough track for tyres.”
Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Race Winner
“Today my bike was working very well, even if the Ducati had a chance to challenge us for the win. I had a good start and in the first lap I overtook Dovizioso in a brave move to take the lead. Then as always I tried to find my rhythm, even if today the pace wasn’t so quick. A few times in MotoGP I have won three races in a row, but now the goal is to win four races in row which will be difficult but I will try my best.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia:
Redding battles to points finish in Mugello
Mugello, Italy – 31 May 2015: A massive crowd of close to 91,000 fans witnessed Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Scott Redding battle to a hard fought 11th place finish in this afternoon’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.
An aggressive first lap from the 22-year-old moved him into the early fight for the top 10 from 17th on the grid. But all of Redding’s hard work was undone when he ran wide at the first turn on lap two and dropped down the order to 19th.
Quickly back into his rhythm, Redding set about charging back towards the top 10 when a lack of rear grip and agility with his Honda RC213V machine through Mugello’s series of fast changes of directions halted his challenge.
Redding crossed the line in 11th place to score points for the fourth time in six races, and he is confident of a stronger top 10 challenge when the 2015 World Championship resumes in Barcelona next month.
Scott Redding: 11th
“I’m disappointed because the race obviously didn’t pan out as I’d expected. After the Warm-Up I thought I could be fighting for the top 10 and I made a good start and made up some places on the first lap. But on lap two I went deep into the first corner and lost all the places I’d gained. I couldn’t get the rear tyre to work at the beginning to go with the group in front. And the track was quite greasy and the bike felt heavy and I was struggling to change direction. I need to improve but we will continue working hard and sticking together to help me be more competitive.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“It was another very difficult race and we just don’t have the pace that the others in front of us have. Scott got stuck behind the Ducatis and with their speed on the straight here it is very difficult to overtake them. This upsets his rhythm but he was not able to keep a fast pace in the second half of the race. We have to perform better than we are at the moment because, with our equipment, we have to be finishing higher up the order.”
More, from a press release issued by Cardion AB Motoracing:
Abraham out of fight for points after jump-start
Karel Abraham lost his chance to fight for points immediately on the grid of Italian Grand Prix in Mugello. Even he was riding lap times enough for 12th position after jump-start and ride through penalty Karel had been only erasing a gap between him and the tail of the race. After overtaking, Marco Melandri Karel ended on 17th just one tenth behind Mike Di Meglio.
Karel Abraham
“Well, this sucks! I made a mistake and it was my fault with no doubts. Still I hoped that following new rules the race direction would not penalize me, as I had not gain any advantage by the jump-start. After the ride through penalty, I rode alone trying to catch Marco and Mike. I overtook Mike in the last corner but he passed me back. Now the good news. It seems that we solved our problem with rear shock absorber. It is still not perfect, but this race was really far from the misery from previous races. I hope we found a way and we will fight for points in future.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
A VERY GENEROUS RACE AND TWO POINTS (14th PLACE) AT THE FINISH FOR BAUTISTA. MELANDRI FINISHES 18th.
THE SEAMLESS GEARBOX PERFORMS WELL IN THE RACE.
Mugello Circuit (Italy), 31 May 2015 – For the Mugello MotoGP round Alvaro Bautista put all of his generosity on the track and brought home a 14th place finish which is his best performance in this initial phase of the season to earn another two championship points for himself and for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. Marco Melandri had a more difficult race, finishing 18th.
Just like when the RS-GP made its début at the beginning of this season, Alvaro expressed himself more skilfully in the race than in practice, significantly improving his position. One of the most awaited changes and innovations brought to the race this weekend was the début of the continuous shifting seamless gearbox which finished the race without any problems for both riders. This is another important milestone in the growth process for the Italian manufacturer’s project.
ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
“First of all I think the fact that we introduced some new important technology like the seamless gearbox is very positive, as well as the fact that both bikes finished the weekend without any problems whatsoever, both during practice and in the race. This marks and important step forward in our development schedule of the technology we need to compete in MotoGP. As always Bautista raced very professionally and skilfully. Now we need to help him improve his performance so he can increase his race pace.”
FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
“Today with Alvaro we collected two points that we can certainly consider useful for morale. Now let’s just say that we need to work to earn them… with more overtaking. This weekend we brought a lot of technical changes to the track and we are pleased. There is still a lot of work left to be done but that certainly doesn’t frighten us. We are doing our best to be more competitive and we will continue to do so enthusiastically.”
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“Throughout the weekend we worked on improving the situation going in and coming out of turns, also taking a few small steps forward. To be honest I expected to lap a half a second faster, but the conditions slowed me down a bit, probably because of the track that had changed, with less grip on the tarmac compared to the practice sessions. So I tried to maintain the most consistent pace possible and in the end we made our best placing of the season, right here in the team’s Home Grand Prix. I’m pleased even if it is clear that there is still much work to be done. In any case I would like to thank the entire team, Aprilia, our sponsors and also all the fans that came out to support us and now we’ll be trying to take some steps forward for the next round in Barcelona.”
MARCO MELANDRI
“It wasn’t easy to ride because I continued to have various setup problems so I had a difficult race. Aprilia made a big effort bringing various technical innovations here, including the seamless gearbox that works well, but now I need some chassis changes that can help me.”
More, from a press release issued by Octo Pramac Racing:
Stunning double TOP 10 at Mugello. Petrux is 9°, Yonny finishes 10°
With precious double Top 10 in the Grand Prix of Italy ends the fantastic week of Octo Pramac Racing Team started last wednesday with the spectacular pre-event of Dorna during which Yonny Hernandez, Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, each riding their Ducati Desmosedici GP, were filmed in the beautiful set of Piazza del Campo in Siena.
After the fireworks on Saturday with the Q1 won by Yonny Hernandez who managed to win the competition with Marc Marquez, the debut GP of the new liveries with the title sponsor Octo saw the two riders of Pramac doing an exciting race. And the momorable weekend has been sealed by the second place of Andrea Iannone, ambassador of Pramac in the world of MotoGP.
The race was very intense and characterized by a growing performance for Hernandez and especially for Petrucci.
After losing some positions for a chattering problem, Yonny managed to recover immediately returning close to the Top 10 and struggling first with Vinales then with Danilo. The Colombian rider ended with satisfaction 10th place that allows him to climb to the 12th place in the World Championship with 26 points.
Petrux started fast gaining soon two positions. After suffering the attack of Vinales and having fought with Hernandez, the rider from Terni began lapping faster and faster giving the feeling of being able to go and take the Desmosedici GP15 of Andrea Pirro. But the 7 seconds gap with 6 laps to go was too large even for Petrux who managed to lap in 1’49.3 (20 laps) and finish less than 3 seconds behind the collegue of the Fiamme Oro. With 7 points won in the Grand Prix of Italy, Danilo Petrucci get back to the Top 10 (10th place, 32 points) in the riders standings of MotoGP and contributes with Yonny to give 13 points to Octo Pramac Racing Team that earns a position to stand at sixth place in the ranking given the team (58 points).
Stunning double TOP 10 at Mugello. Petrux is 9°, Yonny finishes 10°
9° – Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing #9
I am very sorry for the contact with Aleix but unfortunately I had a problem with the gearbox that that made me lengthen braking and being unable to avoid the contact. I understand he is very angry, that’s why I apologized. But telemetry confirms the problem I had.
It was a very hard race for me, especially due to the very high temperature that made me sweat a lot from the beginning. Then I went better, doing a good battle with Yonny. I must say that we helped eachother. Halfway through the race I was really struggling: due to the fall of yesterday I was very weak and I felt pain in the muscles. I recovered energy following hom and then, in the last seven laps, I tried to lap stronger. The ninth place is a great satisfaction after a weekend made difficoult by the two falls on Saturday. Yes, I admit it: this morning would have signed for this result.
10° – Yonny Hernandez – OCTO Pramac Racing #68
It a was very difficult race, the most difficult of the season. I had so much problem with grip. But in the end we got a great result remaining in the Top 10 that is the goal of all GP. A very exciting weekend. The time of Q1 was a great satisfaction. Then the points taken today are important. I hope in Barcelona can do one step more with the team I want to thank. Giacomo and all the guys did a great job once again
More, from a press release issued by Athina Forward Racing:
Loris Baz first Open at Mugello
A very positive day has just ended for the team Athinà Forward Racing and Loris Baz at the Italian GP in Mugello. The French rider, rookie in MotoGP, after an all-out race crossed the line in 12th position winning the Open category in front of Barbera.
Baz, who started from 18th place, had a very good start and quickly reduced the gap with the group of other Open bikes. He was able to battle for most of the race with Redding, before being forced to slow down to save tires. The Frenchman has now 10 championship points, trailing the leader of the Open class by just six points.
The race ended prematurely for his teammate Stefan Bradl. The German, who was the fastest Open until then, crashed during the third lap after he made contact with Hayden and was forced to retire.
Stefan Bradl
“Unfortunately my race ended earlier than expected. I started well, I was fighting for victory in the Open with Hayden, when I heard a bump from behind and found myself on the ground with him without being able to do anything to avoid collision. I do not know exactly what happened, but it’s really a shame because we have proven to be consistent this weekend and the head of the Open was within our reach”.
Loris Baz
“I’m really pleased with the epilogue of this race. I knew I would have suffered in terms of speed, but I had a good pace. I started well, I immediately closed the gap with the other Open bikes and I kept my pace. With ten laps to go I started to have some tire problems and I had to slow down a little to make it to the finish. I’m happy at the end of last season I did not have a bike but Giovanni and the team believed in me, we worked hard and this is the best way to repay their commitment”.
More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:
Mugello provides contrasting results for POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar
Eugene Laverty takes points for second consecutive race, whilst Nicky Hayden crashes out on Lap 4
The excitement of seeing several MotoGP riders fighting for victory in the Italian GP was brief. The Ducati riders flaunted the power of their engines at the start, but the rider who led the way at the front from the first lap was Jorge Lorenzo. From Lap 4, Lorenzo brought up his pace to that of the practice sessions to extend his lead to 8 seconds. Behind him, Andrea Dovizioso, Andrea Iannone and Marc Márquez provided the excitement on the track, with Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi joining them from further back. Before the end of the race, Dovizioso suffered a mechanical issue, Marquez crashed and Pedrosa dropped off. Lorenzo won his third consecutive race, whilst Iannone and Rossi accompanied him on the podium at their home round.
Paradoxically, in the two rounds that Eugene Laverty has felt least comfortable –the French and Italian GPs- are the races at which he has taken his most satisfactory results. After suffering throughout the weekend to set up his bike, the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider qualified in twenty-fourth position. The first part of the Italian GP was productive for the Northern Irishman, who gained many places thanks to passes and crashes for his rivals. Although in the last part of the race he lost feeling with the front end, Laverty managed to reach his goal of placing inside the points by finishing fifteenth.
Teammate Nicky Hayden started with determination, gaining four places on the opening laps, and set a strong pace. The American had improved confidence thanks to a modification made before the race, and was ready to try to improve on his result from Le Mans. However, going through Turn 4 on the fourth lap of the race, another rider collided with him and he could not do anything to avoid a crash. He escaped unscathed, but was unable to finish the race.
15th Eugene Laverty: “Both at Le Mans and here we experienced difficult weekends, however these are the only two races at which I have scored points. It’s a strange feeling; on one hand I am unhappy with my feeling with the bike, but on the other we scored points. Being realistic, I finished ten seconds behind where I should be. In the first two parts of the race we were able to keep a steady pace, however, in the last third the bike became difficult to ride. We are working in the right way, but we must persevere to find a more balanced bike setup that allows me to ride an entire race smoothly. On chicanes and areas where I need the bike to flow, I have to put a lot of weight on the front in order to corner. My strength is braking but we have to sacrifice this in order to corner better. I hope to gradually gain experience and find a more balanced setup.”
Nicky Hayden (DNF): “It was a shame about the crash today. We had begun the race well and the feeling with the bike was optimal. The start was very hectic, with many riders overtaking on every corner, and then on the fourth lap I went down. I was very close to Bradl when his bike skidded a few metres from me and I collided with him. I was accelerating and I could not avoid it; it was a racing incident. Before the race we made a small modification to the front and it was very productive. We knew the temperature was going to be higher than the rest of the weekend, so I started cautiously, trying to understand the grip level of the front end. I feel bad about finishing the weekend like this, because we had a good pace -even this morning on old tyres- and I was sure we would get a positive result here in Mugello. Fortunately I emerged unscathed from the crash, so now we must move on and think about the next race.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Smith strikes again to clinch top five finish at Mugello
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Bradley Smith produced a superb performance at the Italian Grand Prix to clinch 5th and his fourth top six finish this year aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. The young British rider began the race from 11th on the grid but highly confident of speeding to a top result after finishing this morning’s warm up in 5th place. As the lights went out, Smith bolted forward to meet the first corner in 4th, having overtaken 7 riders before he completed the lap one place back. The following stages of the race saw him running in 8th and after posting a series of consistent lap times, his strong rhythm saw him locked in a battle with Cal Crutchlow at the mid point of the 23 lap sprint. The British star kept plugging away and with 20 laps completed he was in 6th before soaring across the finish line one place higher. The successful result elevates him to the position of the leading satellite rider in the 2015 MotoGP world championship standings and he now looks to ride to a similar placement at the Monster Energy Gran Premi de Catalunya.
Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro met the chequered flag in 6th place and right behind his teammate in the MotoGP battle at the legendary Mugello circuit, as he closed his weekend with a strong result. The 2014 rookie of the year opened his day with a 6th place finish in the warm up after qualifying in 10th for today’s 23 lap dash. He shot off the starting line and ran behind his teammate before completing the first lap in 6th. As the distance to the end decreased, Espargaro dropped back to 9th but remained focused and rode rapidly to create a gap to the pursuing riders. Moreover, his firm race pace allowed him to home back in on Smith in the final section of the Grand Prix and as the race drew to a close, the 23 year old Spanish rider finished just behind his teammate by four tenths of a second. The result today marks a superb return from his recent arm surgery and now the 2013 Moto2 World Champion confidently looks on to his home Grand Prix in a fortnight at the Circuito de Catalunya.
Bradley Smith
Position : 5thChampionship : 6th Points :57
“I’m really pleased to close this weekend with a 5th place finish after a superb race that was a real pleasure to ride! Although my qualifying position was not fantastic, it spurred me on to get a good start, which is exactly what I did and then to come home with 5th is great for me, the team and the championship standings. I had fun battling with Cal and I really gave it my all, plus the bike was strong today, even though there are a few things that we need to address in the coming weeks. One of these was the handling of the bike in the beginning of the race, yet, there’s not a lot we can do with the setting to close the gap in the opening laps. I am sure Yamaha understands where we are struggling and I’m convinced they will do their very best to assist us in solving this in the future. Still, the bike is working really well at every track we have visited so far so I look forward to the next race in Barcelona, which is almost a home race for me because I live quite close by!”
Pol Espargaro
Position : 6thChampionship : 8th Points : 45
“After the recent surgery and two weeks without training, this was the optimum that we could obtain, even though it is not an incredible result, as we are behind our team mate. Still, in normal conditions I think we could have been stronger as I suffered a lot with the changes of direction and I could hardly move the bike. Nevertheless, we were right behind Cal and Bradley and I even managed to come back on them during the closing stages of the race when I was really tired. Therefore I think there are plenty of positives to take from today. Now we have to keep working as Montmelo, which is my home race is coming next and I’m highly motivated to score a strong result there, so we have to be physically prepared.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team manager :
“It was a great race today and to have four Yamaha’s in the top six means a lot to me and for everyone else involved in this project. They are doing a superb job and we are really pleased to be a part of their MotoGP effort. With regards to Tech3, both riders did an excellent job and to illustrate how strong we are as a team at the moment, we are third in the team championship, ahead of the mighty Factory Repsol Honda team! We have worked really hard and apart from the Texas race with Pol, we’ve had no DNF’s. So our two, young riders have learnt to keep pushing and remain consistent. Today we completed the race only 15 seconds from the front and we all know how dominating Lorenzo was. There was an incredible fight between Cal, Brad and Pol for the leading satellite position and we came out first and second in this battle. However, I must say sorry to Cal as he is always in our hearts because he used to be a part of our team. Anyway, I will admit that I got a bit nervous towards the end of the race as we saw Pol close right in on Bradley and it would have been such a pity if there was a collision. Yet, fortunately they were both sensible and didn’t risk anything. For Brad, he worked more for the race than for qualifying, but had a great GP and a very strong weekend overall as he has been fast from Friday on. On the other hand, we have been thinking a lot about Pol because of his operation, which was a success and we saw him catching Cal and Brad at the end which means he is clearly more comfortable. His arm pump issue has been solved and it will allow him to understand how to improve more. We are very happy go to the Monster Energy Gran Premi de Catalyuna next, which is the home round for Pol, so lets see what we can do!”
More, from a press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
CRUTCHLOW CRASHES OUT THREE LAPS FROM THE END IN MUGELLO
Cal Crutchlow endured a hugely disappointing end to the sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship as he crashed out three laps from the end of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello when placed fifth.
The CWM LCR Honda rider defied a hand injury picked up from a nasty fall in this morning’s warm-up to produce a brave ride and looked poised for a good points finish.
But having battled front end problems all race, the Briton finally succumbed three laps from the chequered flag and went over at the fast turn eight, sustaining a dislocated ankle for his troubles.
Cal Crutchlow #35 (DNF)
“It’s very disappointing for the whole CWM LCR Honda team. We had what I thought was a good weekend up until the race. This morning I had a very heavy crash in the warm-up and had a big impact on my hand, so I thought it was a good showing to be racing in the position that I was.
“We had the 38 front tyre which meant steering the bike was not easy, but overall we were not so far off the factory guys and with the right setting I think we could have been higher.
“Unfortunately the front tyre failed me in the end and just tucked under at a very fast corner. My foot got caught in the back of the bike and dislocated my ankle so I’m in a lot of pain and we’ll have to monitor the situation but I’ve had good treatment.
“Obviously I’m really disappointed because it was a good race and a good showing and Honda are working very hard for us to improve so we need to come back stronger in Barcelona hopefully.”
More, from another press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
MILLER LEFT DISAPPOINTED AFTER CRASH IN MUGELLO
The sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship proved one to forget for Jack Miller as he crashed out after just two laps of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on Sunday.
Having started from the ninth row, the CWM LCR Honda rider made a good start at the team’s home track. However, Miller was hampered by front end problems from the off which ultimately proved his downfall as he slid out at the final corner of the circuit.
That meant the Australian failed to finish for the second race in succession, but he remains upbeat about the rest of the season and believes there is plenty of potential to improve.
Jack Miller #43 (DNF)
“It was a rubbish race to be honest. I had an awesome start and was going good, but already by the second lap I was having moments with the front. Where Cal unfortunately fell off, I was also close to losing it and Nicky (Hayden) slipped by. I got back past him, but then I had another moment and then it was moment after moment until I couldn’t hold it up anymore.
“When I got to the final corner the front just went on me and it was beyond recovery. It was really hard here, especially with the front of the bike.
“I’m still positive, we’re still in good shape. We’ve shown we’ve got the speed, it’s just getting more comfortable on this thing. We seem to be really struggling with the front end, but it’s not only us, there are other guys out there too struggling with it. We’re working on it, it’s only the last couple of races that haven’t been good to us and we need to just focus on getting better and better.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Jorge Lorenzo unstoppable in Mugello
Lorenzo was simply untouchable at the #ItalianGP, taking his 36th MotoGP™ victory and reducing Rossi’s championship lead to 6 points.
The picturesque setting of the Tuscan hills played host to a spectacular MotoGP™ race at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM. With the sun shining and track temperatures at the Autodromo del Mugello hitting 50 degrees, the Italian fans were treated to a dominant performance from Jorge Lorenzo as he stormed away to the win the race by over 5.5s.
As Lorenzo disappeared off into the distance, the real battle would be for second place. This fight was originally between the two Factory Ducati’s of Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, and the Repsol Honda’s of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, although Valentino Rossi would join in the fun before the end of the race.
Marquez had enjoyed an amazing start, moving up from 13th on the grid into sixth at the very first corner. In contrast, Valentino Rossi suffered a disastrous opening lap that would see him down drop down to tenth, before mounting an incredible charge through the field to join the podium fight with eight laps to go.
There was even more drama to come though, as Dovizioso was forced to retire due to rear end chatter issues and then Marc Marquez, who was once more involved in an excellent scrap with Iannone for second, crashed out of the race leaving Iannone to claim second ahead of the inspired Rossi in third.
It was Lorenzo’s third victory in a row and he has now closed the gap to Rossi at the top of the World Championship standings to six points. After a start to the season plagued with troubles, the Spaniard has responded brilliantly to answer any critics.
Iannone claimed his second podium of the season as he rode through the pain after fracturing his humerus at a testing crash in Mugello before the French GP. The Italian delighted his home fans by putting the GP15 on the podium after getting the better of Marquez and holding off Rossi, and has not finished outside the top six this season.
Rossi showed all of his class to work his way back from tenth on the first lap to claim third, and remain the leader in the championship standings. The Italian once again saved his best for the race after having to start from eighth on the grid, and has a six-point lead over Lorenzo in the World Championship standings having not finished off the podium yet in 2015.
Dani Pedrosa rode a solid race to claim fourth, just over three seconds behind Rossi, with Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith the leading Satellite rider in fifth, benefitting from Cal Crutchlow’s crash with just three laps remaining. Smith’s teammate Pol Espargaro was next across the line in sixth, while Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), wild card Michele Pirro (Ducati Team), Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) and Yonny Hernandez completed the top ten.
Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS’s Scott Redding again struggled, finishing down in eleventh. Loris Baz took his first Open class victory for his Athina Forward Racing team, as he crossed the line in 12th ahead of Hector Barbera, Alvaro Bautista and Eugene Laverty, who claimed the last championship point on offer.
Tito Rabat marks 150th Grand Prix start with victory
The Gran Premio d’Italia TIM saw Tito Rabat took his first victory of the 2015 season despite a late charge from Zarco.
Round six of the Moto2™ World Championship began as a very Swiss affair, as Thomas Luthi and Dominique Aegerter both started strongly as soon as the lights went out. Luthi’s lead would not last long as the Le Mans winner suffered a crash as he pushed to increase the gap over Aegerter. Luthi was unhurt, saying after the race that scoring zero points hurt more than the crash itself.
Mugello has seen Dominique Aegerter return to his 2014 form as he and the team begin to fully understand the Kalex after racing the Suter for multiple seasons. Aegerter’s riding style of high corner entry speed and low mid corner speed makes him very difficult to pass, but Rabat did eventually manage it. From here the 2014 Moto2™ champion attempted to push and expand his lead as best he could.
The excitement continued to the last lap as Johann Zarco, who qualified in sixth, made a late charge. Rabat had been able to maintain the gap between he and the Frenchman at over half a second in the latter stages of the race as Aegerter’s challenge faded. However, the ever-determined Zarco set a 1’52.685 on the final lap, Zarco’s personal best time of the race. A gap of just 0.308s split the Kalex pair as they finally crossed the line.
Rabat’s victory is his first since Misano last season as he has struggled with front-end feel. The Spaniard moves to second in the championship with 78 points but is still 31 points behind Zarco, more than a race win worth of points. Third was a welcome return to the podium for Aegerter, who surprised even himself.
Sam Lowes had displayed solid pace earlier in the weekend but was forced wide after contacting Simone Corsi at Turn one and had to settle for fourth. Corsi fell as a result, but was uninjured. Jonas Folger also fell while in podium contention, since claiming his second victory of the season in Jerez Folger has failed to score points.
After two crashes in Jerez and Le Mans, Alex Rins was only able to manage 11th at Mugello having struggled all weekend.
Oliveira makes history as first Portuguese GP winner
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Miguel Oliveira claimed a career first Moto3™ victory, and becomes the first Portuguese winner in Grand Prix history.
It was a frantic 16 rider battle for the majority of the Moto3™ race, with riders frequently heading into Turn 1 four or more abreast. The slipstream saw them able to jump from ninth to first down the straight, and kept a multitude of riders in the leading pack. Both Romano Fenati and Danny Kent led the race on multiple occasions, despite being outside the top ten just a lap before.
One would not have expected victory from Oliveira at the start of the race as he found himself in 13th on the opening laps. However, the slipstream and fierce fighting at the front allowed him to close the gap. Oliveira led for the majority of the final laps and even into the last corner, a risky move at Mugello where the slipstream can be so beneficial. Despite this, he claimed victory by 0.071s and is the first Portuguese rider to win at any level in GP racing.
Throughout the race, Danny Kent bounced around in the leading group, dropping outside the top ten on multiple occasions. Kent demonstrated his maturity as he rode a careful race to avoid the risk of contact with any over eager riders and put in a strong closing lap to secure the podium. This is Kent’s fifth podium of the year and extends his championship lead to 46 points over Bastianini, who was fifth.
Completing the podium was Romano Fenati, resplendent in the colours of the Italian flag in a special livery for his KTM machine. The home rider led at the early stages but echoed Kent as he too dropped down the order before bouncing back, which unfortunately caused increased wear in his Dunlop tyres. Just 0.003s split Fenati in third from former teammate Francesco Bagnaia in fourth in what was a classic Mugello slipstream finish.
Hiroki Ono had started in second and led into Turn 1 on the opening lap, but unfortunately, the Japanese rider did not have the pace to stay with the leaders over the course of the race. He would eventually finish in 11th, equalling his best finish of the 2015 season.
Mugello was another disappointing round for Fabio Quartararo, the rookie falling while in the leading pack. He now drops to seventh in the championship. There were also falls from Vazquez and Hanika on the last lap, the duo both OK. Juanfran Guevara aggravated his collarbone injury sustained in Jerez, as he too fell from the race.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Andrea Iannone scores an excellent second place in the TIM Italian GP at Mugello. Dovizioso forced to retire, while Pirro finishes eighth
Andrea Iannone scored his best-ever finish in MotoGP, taking the runner-up slot in the TIM Italian GP held at Mugello. The Ducati Team rider, who started from pole position, rode a great race on the undulating Tuscany circuit to take the 20 points for second. After crossing the line at the end of the opening lap in third place, Iannone was then passed by Marquez one lap later and he remained fourth until lap 9. On the tenth lap Andrea then passed both Dovizioso and Marquez to move into second, and he held onto that place until the chequered flag despite coming under attack from Marquez, who crashed out, and a rapidly recovering Rossi. Thanks to this result, Iannone has now moved into fourth place overall in the standings with 81 points.
Andrea Dovizioso, who also started from the front row after setting third quickest time in qualifying, instead had an unfortunate race. After a good start, the Italian crossed lap 1 in second and then began a terrific scrap with Marquez. Unfortunately a problem with the rear sprocket of his GP15 first caused him to slow and then enter the pits on lap 14. Despite retiring from his home race, Dovizioso holds onto third place in the championship with 83 points.
Michele Pirro had a good run after starting from row 2 thanks to a sixth fastest time in yesterday’s qualifying session. The Ducati Test Team test-rider, making his first wild-card appearance of the year on a GP15, finished the TIM Italian GP in eighth place.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 2nd
“I am so pleased with today’s result: it was incredible, because today it was not easy to score a podium finish. My team did a great job, the bike worked really well and the Clinica Mobile gave me a big hand throughout the weekend. This GP15 is a really great bike, and I was able to administer the race really well. At the start I wanted to try and stay with Jorge: he didn’t have a better pace than me, but he did manage to keep that pace by taking fewer risks. When I realized that I was pushing too hard, I tried to maintain my speed, do my own race and keep one eye on my shoulder, which from mid-race onwards was showing signs of tiredness. I want to thank everyone because this is the result of great team-work and is something that we have built up together.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – DNF
“Today went wrong right from the start with my mistake in this morning’s warm-up. I got a good start in the race and I was in amongst the frontrunners but I had to retire because my GP15 had a problem with excessive wear of the rear sprocket. It was a real pity, because I reckon I could have fought for the podium, and seeing as we were at Mugello, I was really banking on doing so. But above all I didn’t score any points for the championship, which for me is the most important thing.”
Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 8th
“I am satisfied with the way my Italian GP went, but I’m sorry for Dovizioso’s retirement and congratulations to Iannone for getting a podium finish. As for me, it was a really emotional weekend: I was fourth yesterday morning, I was on the second row of the grid with sixth quickest time, and in the end I finished in eighth place. My aim was to finish less than 30 seconds down on the winner and I managed to do so, so I’d like to thank Ducati, the guys in the test team and everyone working back in the factory. We have gathered some useful indications, and so I hope to be able to do better in the next race because we have a lot of potential”.
Claudio Domenicali (CEO, Ducati Motor Holding)
“It was a great Italian GP, with a lot of fans in the grandstands and all around the Mugello circuit. This is for sure a sign of the vitality and passion that surrounds our sport, and we can only be happy about it. Setting pole position, with an outright circuit record, and a fantastic second place in the race is further confirmation that our bike is competitive and that the talented Andrea Iannone is maturing fast. The technical problem that caused Andrea Dovizioso to retire and which bothered him right from the early laps of the race is a real shame, because without this Andrea would have surely been in with a chance, judging by the speed he showed throughout the entire weekend. Michele Pirro’s race was also a satisfying one, sixth in qualifying and eighth in his debut race this year. My congratulations go to Gigi Dall’Igna and all the guys in Ducati Corse, who are making this dream possible with their extraordinary commitment and dedication.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
VIÑALES RACES TO BEST MOTOGP™ RESULT AT MUGELLO
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales raced to his best result of the season with seventh position at Mugello in Italy today; finishing less-than 24 seconds from the race winner.
This was a positive result from a whole weekend in which the 20-year-old-Spaniard made solid progress, constantly developing his bike set-up and improving his lap-times. He started fast from his ninth place on the grid and immediately began to fight with the pack ahead, which was hard to battle through despite his own pace being faster, but his performance in the race was consistent for the whole 23-laps, allowing him to take position-after-position.
However team-mate Aleix Espargarò suffered with some bad luck: The Spaniard fought back the pain in his right hand for the whole weekend, but finally ended his race in the gravel due to a crash caused by another rider. Luckily his injured hand didn’t suffer any further damage, but his race ended at the very beginning, preventing him from exploiting all the positive work he did over the weekend.
Satoru Terada – Project Leader:
“It is my thought that this has been a very positive weekend for us, despite Aleix’s crash. Both riders have improved a lot during the sessions and they were able to fight with the top riders. Maverick took his best result of the year and our machine was less than 24-seconds from the winner, showing that we are constantly improving. Of course I’m disappointed for Aleix’s crash, he was doing a great job considering his injured hand, but he could have had an even worse result but luckily he didn’t incur any further injury. Being closer-and-closer to the top is something that pays back our efforts and gives us further incentive to do better. Of course we need something more in terms of performance and I’m confident in being even closer to the top if we succeed in introducing yet more performance.”
Maverick Viñales:
“This race is my best result of the season and I can’t help being satisfied. I’m happy not only for the race but also for the entire weekend: I entered Q2 immediately and I constantly improved my feeling and therefore my lap-times. For sure we have found a much better set-up which can give me more confidence and therefore making me faster. The race was pretty tough because I had to pass the middle pack of riders, since we have a certain lack-of-power I need to overtake in the handling part of the track where we are strong, so I need some laps to study my opponent and find the best place where to attempt to overtake. According to this new set-up, if we manage to get some more power, I’m confident we can aim for fifth or sixth: It would be amazing to take a good result next time out in Barcelona in front of my home fans.”
Aleix Espargarò:
“There is nothing good to say: it was the very beginning of the race when I got hit. It’s a pity, Petrucci made a mistake and prevented me to continue my race. I struggled with pain for the whole weekend but we found a good set-up. Also in this morning’s warm-up I felt confident in making more laps with less pain and I was really positive for the race. We’re having some bad luck lately, but I hope this will turn into positive luck in Barcelona in a couple of weeks. I will be at home and I definitely wish for a positive result there, not only for me, but also for the team and the factory who are really supporting me.”