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Gran Premio Movistar de Aragón – Motorland Aragón

FIM MotoGP World Championship

September 25, 2016

Revised Race Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 28 laps, Total Race Time

2. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), -2.837 seconds

3. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -4.359

4. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), -9.569

5. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), -15.467, one-position penalty for exceeding track limit

6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), -19.676

7. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), -22.936

8. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), -25.702

9. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), -27.155

10. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), -33.968

11. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), -39.206

12. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), -39.967

13. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -42.997

14. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), -49.450

15. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), -54.879, 0.5-second penalty due to shortcut

16. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), -65.072

17. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), -5 laps, crashed, pitted

18. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), -11 laps, DNF, crash

19. Xavi FORES, Spain (DUCATI), -13 laps, DNF, retired

20. Alex LOWES, UK (YAMAHA), -21 laps, DNF, crash

21. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), DNS

22. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 14 of 18 races):

1. Marquez, 223 points

2. Rossi, 180

3. Lorenzo, 162

4. Pedrosa, 145

5. Vinales, 136

6. Dovizioso, 99

7. Iannone, 96

8. Crutchlow, 93

9. Pol Espargaro, 89

10. Barbera, 81

11. Laverty, 69

12. Aleix Espargaro, 60

13. Redding, 55

14. Petrucci, 50

15. Bautista, 47

16. Bradl, 43

17. TIE, Miller/Bradley Smith, 42

19. Pirro, 32

20. Rabat, 27

21. Loris Baz, 24

22. Hernandez, 13

23. Alex Lowes, 3

24. Fores, 0

More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:

Rabat stages brave comeback in hot Misano race

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat bravely recovered from an early crash to finish 17th at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli today.

Although five laps behind because of a pit stop for repairs to his Honda RC213V Rabat was running the pace of the top 12 at the end of the 28-lap race.

After a strong start from 18th on the grid Rabat crashed on lap two and lost valuable time as his pit crew made quick repairs to the broken foot peg on his bike.

On rejoining the race, run in blazing hot conditions, Rabat settled into a smooth rhythm with the group of Danilo Petrucci and Stefan Bradl who finished 11th and 12th respectively.

Rabat was the lone starter in the 13th round of the MotoGP World Championship for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS. After qualifying for the race Jack Miller did not start. Miller was forced to withdraw from the San Marino GP on race morning.

Throughout practice and qualifying the physically demanding nature of the Misano circuit caused him a lot of problems with the right hand he injured in a warm up crash at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The Australian informed the team this morning that he was not fit to ride. The team respected his decision and will now monitor closely his recovery.

Only once the full extent of the injury is known, as well as the expected recovery time, will a decision be made as to when Miller will return to action.

Tito Rabat: 17th

“I made a very good first lap but then made a mistake. I braked too hard, lost the front and could not save it. The foot pegs were broken so thanks to the team for quickly fixing this problem. I re-joined and settled into a good rhythm in the group with Petrucci and Bradl who finished in the top twelve and I learnt a lot of things riding with these guys. Now I will focus on the next race at Aragon.”

Jack Miller: DNS

“Misano is a much more physically demanding track to ride than Silverstone and my right hand has been getting worse each day. Every time I got off the bike the swelling was more. It’s not painful, but I was lacking power in the hand and you need to have that here for the hard braking areas. I thought long and hard about it last night, but it simply wasn’t safe for me to ride a 28-lap race with this problem. Now I am focussed only on recovery and getting back on the bike as soon as I am fully fit again.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“It is never easy when only one rider starts the race because all the focus is on him, in this case Tito who unfortunately had a crash on the second lap. He made a pit stop and then re-joined the race and had a good pace that matched that of 12th position so for sure the crash cost us a nice result today. With Jack we now just have to wait and see for his recovery and when he returns, it has been a hectic four weeks for him with injuries and missed races.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

TWO FINISHES IN THE POINTS AND BAUTISTA IN THE TOP TEN TO CLOSE OUT A WEEKEND OF GROWTH FOR THE RS-GP

ALBESIANO: “A POSITIVE WEEKEND FROM THE START. WE ARE REAPING THE FRUITS OF OUR HARD WORK”

Alvaro Bautista’s tenth place and Stefan Bradl’s twelfth in the race demonstrate the progress that the Aprilia RS-GP machines showed throughout the weekend. The many changes tested in recent weeks and brought to the race at Misano gave the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders a positive approach from the very first sessions. Bautista going through to Q2 – the first time for the fledgling RS-GP – and Bradl’s excellent fifth row spot on the grid were the prelude to an extremely solid race for the two.

Alvaro started well from the fourth row, but contact with another rider in the second lap cost him a few positions, precluding any chance of an even better final result. After closing the gap behind the rider ahead of him, he battled with teammate Stefan and Petrucci to then pull away with a consistent pace that allowed him to easily defend a significant tenth place finish. Bradl also rode a very solid race, finishing twelfth.

ROMANO ALBESIANO – APRILIA RACING MANAGER

“This was a positive weekend from Friday. We achieved a good pace straight away with close gaps and consistently good positions. The race confirmed Alvaro’s great quality in terms of pace and Stefan also rode a very positive race. My compliments to our riders! The bike is maturing in many of its aspects, especially in terms of chassis settings. The hard work we have done with the many frame and swingarm solutions, as well as the components we tested recently, is beginning to bear fruit and, most importantly, it confirms that we are moving in the right direction with the developments we will be continuing in the upcoming Valencia tests. I hope that this is the start of a phase where we will reap the results of the hard work done by the entire Aprilia Racing department”.

FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER

“First of all I would like to doubly thank Aprilia for their efforts and the entire team for their hard work this weekend. It’s a pity about Alvaro’s contact with Redding. He lost those positions that he then worked hard to recover and he would have been able to do even better. But we had a good pace and this race shows that we have taken another step in the right direction. The gap behind the top riders is closing, especially when you consider the fact that in the last portion of the race, after he had made up the lost positions, Alvaro did not have to push like he did at the start. Now we need to keep moving in this direction to keep growing, because we are not that far off”.

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“I am happy because we rode a good race and had a good weekend. We knew that, despite going through to Q2, it would be a hard battle to get into the top ten and that is our goal. I started well, but in the second lap I lost a few positions because of contact with another rider, so I had to push hard to come back. Then, in the first laps, I had a strange feeling with the rear tyre. We don’t know why, but the bike slid around a lot. Then the situation went back to normal and I was able to maintain a good pace. I battled with Stefan and Petrucci, but once I overtook them I was able to pull away without any problems and I held my pace until the end. This was a decidedly positive weekend. We did a lot of good work finding new solutions for the bike and we improved, so I would like to thank Aprilia and the entire team for that. Now we want to continue moving in this direction to improve even more in the next portion of the season”.

STEFAN BRADL

“The weekend had started off well, but then a few problems kept me from using the evolution frame consistently. So for the race it was hard to choose which configuration to use and in the end I preferred the standard chassis. Unfortunately, it did not prove to be the best solution. I struggled with braking, the area where the new frame could have provided more advantages. In any case, the race result is not bad, considering the circumstances. I am back to finishing in the points. We showed some good signs during the weekend and we definitely learned a lot for the season finale”.

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Aspar Team riders place 14th and 16th at Misano

Eugene Laverty claims two points in a difficult race, in which Yonny Hernández just missed out on a spot in the Top 15

The San Marino Grand Prix continued one of the most evenly matched MotoGP seasons of all time. An eighth consecutive different winner was crowned at Misano, as Dani Pedrosa joined Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi, Jack Miller, Marc Marquez, Andrea Iannone, Cal Crutchlow and Maverick Viñales on the list of riders to triumph in the premier class in 2016. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo had looked likely to take the win at Misano, but Pedrosa surprised with his pace and took the lead with seven laps remaining. He would win by two seconds over Rossi, who cut seven points from the gap in the overall standings to Marquez –currently standing at 43 with five races remaining.

Pull&Bear Aspar Team riders Eugene Laverty and Yonny Hernández were looking for comebacks on Sunday afternoon, in order to claim points for their tallies. Laverty started from sixteenth place on the grid, but although he managed to climb a couple of places on the early laps, he never rose above fourteenth. The Northern Irishman thus added two points to his haul and continues an almost immaculate scoring streak, only marred by the “zero” in the Austrian GP. Laverty is still in the fight for the Top 10 overall, trailing by 12 points. Hernández was not able to keep up the results of the last two races and finished just outside the points. The Colombian started from nineteenth position due to the absence of Jack Miller, but could not get a good feeling with his bike this weekend. He eventually placed sixteenth at Misano.

14th Eugene Laverty: “We had a consistent pace today. I’m happy with the performance. I made a good start, put in some good early laps and my pace was between 1:34.7s and 1:35.5. I stayed on my maximum for the entire race, but it wasn’t quite enough today. When I followed Scott Redding and Héctor Barberá, in particular, I realised that the problem we have is with turning the bike. We struggled at Turn 1 and Turn 5, and it meant that I lost a lot of time in the tight sections. That is where we struggled this weekend and where we have to improve.”

16th Yonny Hernández: “Throughout this Grand Prix we have found it hard to find a positive feeling that allows us to be in the front group. It has been a difficult weekend and in the race I could only keep up the fastest pace possible, but ultimately it was not to be and we were not rewarded. I looked to catch Redding in order to get into the points, but the tyre performance dropped and I was not able to do it.”

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

Petrux 11th and Scott 15th at the Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini

The weekend at the Misano circuit ends with the two riders of Octo Pramac Yakhnich that are able to gain some points, despite they had to overcome the difficulties found during the free practices and the qualifying.

Petrux got off a good start and in the first lap he managed to recover four positions lapping with fairly good times. At the end of the ninth lap, the rider of the Fiamme Oro has recorded his best time (1’34.0) giving the feeling of being able to chase the two Espargaro. From mid-race on, the lap times have grown once again. On lap 17, Petrux could not react from the attack of Bautista, but he managed to defend himself from the attempt of Bradl, and then finishing in 11th place

Even Scott’s departure was effectively as he recovered three positions in the first few corners. On lap one, the British rider tried to push registering some encouraging times. But the feeling with the bike has not improved enough. Scott had the merit to continue to try and his performance have improved in the last part of the race. At that point, however, the gap was too wide to recover some positions.

15th – Scott Redding

It has been a very difficult weekend. Especially the beginning of the race was frustrating. We are supposed to be among the fastest, in particular in this circuit and, instead, I found it hard to take the slower ones. Every time I tried to overtake someone I could not keep the trajectory, I went wide and I was always rehearsed. It was difficult to find the time and the feeling to go on and get those in front of me. I am very sorry for the way things went.

11th – Danilo Petrucci

It has been harder than I expected. In the race we have improved a little but not enough. I wanted to do better here, at the home Grand Prix, and I am sorry. Tires? Yesterday Jorge Lorenzo made the circuit’s record and today those in front have been very fast, so, obviously, we did not understand how to exploit them at the best. I took some points and this is a good thing. I would like to thank the team for how they are working. It is good to be with them.

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP SEAL DOUBLE PODIUM AT SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi was hailed as a hero this afternoon on the podium of his home Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli after securing a strong second place. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo completed the celebration of the team by bringing his YZR-M1 home in third position, making it a double podium for Yamaha.

Misano Adriatico (Italy), 11th September 2016

Thousands of passionate Italian fans at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli were on the edge of their seats as they cheered on their Movistar Yamaha MotoGP hero. Valentino Rossi delivered a strong performance and led for most of the race to ultimately take second place in the ‘Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini’. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo also held a fast pace throughout the 28 laps, to take third place.

Starting from second on the grid, Rossi entered the first corner side-by-side with Maverick Viñales, but was quick to leave the Spaniard behind when he flicked his bike left into turn 2 as he wanted to prevent his teammate from clearing off at the front. After the first lap there was just 0.202s between them and only a lap later the Doctor leaped past Lorenzo in turn 14, reversing the order. He followed it up with two fastest laps of the race that far, 1‘33.672s on lap three, and a 1‘33.384s on lap five, increasing his lead to over 0.8s.

The local hero continued to push and was able to extend the margin to 1.2s, but Dani Pedrosa had overtaken Lorenzo and was chasing the Doctor down with eleven laps to go. The pair got involved in a fight for first place three laps later. Making his Yamaha as wide as possible, Rossi defended his lead tooth and nail but with seven laps to go Pedrosa made an aggressive pass at turn 4. Determined to fight to the very end of the race Rossi put in a personal best lap of 1‘33.025s, three laps to the end, but he was unable to catch his rival and took the chequered flag in second place, +2.837s from the front.

Starting from pole Lorenzo had an ideal launch off the line, taking the holeshot. He opted for his traditional strategy to break away early with a few hot laps, but his teammate was on his tail. The pair briefly touched when Rossi moved past a lap later in turn 14, but Lorenzo wasn‘t going to give up on the win easily. The Mallorcan increased his pace steadily but a threat was coming from behind.

Pedrosa was on the charge and with 13 laps remaining the two compatriots battled for second place. Lorenzo kept pushing to cut a chunk of time out of his disadvantage to Rossi, but two laps later he had to let Pedrosa through. Lorenzo continued to shadow the two frontmen, but came just short to be able to cut down the margin and join the fight at the front. He finished in a solid third place, +4.359s behind the winner.

Rossi‘s 20 points gives him a total score of 180, keeping him in second position in the championship standings, with a 43 point margin to the leader. He is 18 points ahead of Lorenzo in third place, who has collected 162 points so far this season.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team will take a short break before the Gran Premio Movistar de Aragón in two weeks’ time.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

I thought we could win today, especially after a good start by Vale and Jorge. Vale was riding very hard, leading the race superbly until there were just seven laps to go when he had to relinquish the lead to Pedrosa and settle for an important second place. Jorge had his typical strong start and worked hard all race to keep in contact with the front guys, finishing in third place. A double podium at our home race is a great result. Over the last three races we have continuously gained on points in the championship standings to the leader. We are confident to continue this trend at the next round in two weeks’ time in Aragón, which is also sponsored by the team‘s title sponsor, Movistar.

VALENTINO ROSSI

I tried the maximum to race against Marquez. When I saw that my rhythm was enough to win I was very happy, but later Pedrosa arrived and he was too fast. I tried the maximum but there was no way, he had a better pace. Anyway, it‘s second place. It‘s a shame here in Misano, it‘s a race I especially tried to win, but today it wasn‘t possible. Thank you to all the fans that were at the track, it was great.

JORGE LORENZO

I can‘t be very happy, because I expected a bit more from the race. I tried hard for the victory but today I simply didn‘t have the best pace. Especially Dani had a better pace and Rossi had one tenth on some laps. Little by little they were going away, so I tried my best to stay there but they went ahead. Honestly they were faster.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Pedrosa takes stunning victory in Misano, Marquez struggles but scores a positive fourth

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa became the eighth different MotoGP winner in eight races today, taking a stunning victory at Misano, his 29th in MotoGP and the 52nd in his career, as well as the 120th for Honda since the start of the MotoGP era in 2002. Marc Marquez struggled with his front end but managed to score an important fourth-place finish, which allows him to keep an advantage of 43 points in the Championship standings.

Dani’s choice of a soft-front and medium-rear Michelin tyre combination proved to be the best one for today’s conditions and for his riding style, as it allowed him to charge through the field at an incredibly fast pace and to set a new track record of 1’32.979 on his way to the victory. Starting eighth on the grid, he was sixth at the end of the first lap and progressively improved his speed over the course of 22 laps, overtaking Dovizioso, Viñales, Marquez, Lorenzo and finally Rossi before crossing the line 2.8 seconds ahead of the Italian to became the fourth Honda rider to win a race this year.

Marc had a much tougher day as he struggled with his hard front tyre, even if he was able to keep a similar pace to frontrunners Rossi and Lorenzo in the first third of the race. Nonetheless, when teammate Pedrosa passed him on lap 14, he realized he couldn’t match his rhythm and wisely settled for the important 13 points that come with fourth place.

The Repsol Honda Team will remain in Misano tomorrow for a private one-day test.

Dani Pedrosa

1ST

“It was a great race, and it has been a long time since I’ve had these feelings. Even I was surprised by the performance I put in today because I hadn’t expected to go so fast; we were fantastic. The key was the pace; I was able to fight my way through, especially in the final part, and being consistent allowed me to catch the riders at the front. It’s very nice for me to take a victory again, after all the effort made by those who have been with me in this challenging season so far: my family, my team and my fans. It has been very difficult, so I’m very happy for all of them. Today I enjoyed myself, although I was a little worried about the choice of front tyre because I hadn’t used it in hot conditions. In the end we were focused and everything went very well; it was an opportunity we had to take advantage of, and I think we achieved a great victory.”

Marc Marquez

4TH

“Today’s race was complicated and it was perhaps not one of my better days. I went out with great desire and I felt strong, able to recover the ground I had lost in the first few laps and close in on Valentino and Jorge. Then I saw I had problems with the front tyre, because I was losing it a lot. When Dani passed me, I tried to follow him, but I saw that it was more likely that I would crash than finish on the podium, so I concentrated on finishing the race. We have to keep improving, but the positive thing is that we only lost a few points during a weekend that had been good but that we weren’t able to capitalize on in the race. Now we’re very motivated for Aragon.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

CRUTCHLOW ENDS MISANO RACE AS TOP INDEPENDENT RIDER IN EIGHTH

Cal Crutchlow eventually finished the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix in eighth place and top independent team rider after a hard fought battle under the searing Italian sun.

After starting from the third row of the grid in seventh, the LCR Honda rider had spent much of the race in the same position whilst scrapping with the factory Ducati of Michele Pirro. Having lost out to the Italian right at the end of the race, Crutchlow was initially dealt a blow when he was given a 1.5 second penalty, which would relegate him to ninth.

This decision came after the FIM MotoGP Stewards saw that the Briton, who was suffering with visor problems, had transgressed the bounds of the track at turn one on five occasions. Having gained an advantage in the first sector on three of those laps, the subsequent penalty was applied and the results were revised, demoting him to ninth.

Subsequently, Dorna Timekeeping advised the Stewards of differences in the sector times which were not evident at the time the penalty was made. The Stewards requested on-board data from the LCR Honda Team for further analysis, and upon studying this extra data as well as video evidence it was discovered that Crutchlow had deliberately slowed through the second sector of the track in order to give back the time gained. As a result, it was decided that the initial penalty would be revoked, and Cal would be reinstated back to eighth place.

With another eight points added to his account, the British rider remains in eighth place in the MotoGP World Championship, and is still the top independent team rider in the standings.

The next round of the championship sees the LCR Honda Team travel to north-eastern Spain for the Grand Prix of Aragon which takes place on the weekend of September 23-25.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 8th

“Today I think I did the best job possible and we worked well together as a team all weekend to be competitive. In the race I had some problems with the visor in my helmet because drips of sweat got onto it on about lap eight and it affected my vision for the last 20 laps. There was also a bit of a struggle with the front tyre which was really difficult to ride with here and didn’t suit the setting or my style. I gave my best as always and could easily have been a different result if things had gone for us.”

“I ran off the track five times into turn one due to the visor problem, and gained an advantage three laps out of the five. Then I deliberately gave the time back in the second sector, actually even more than I gained. After the race we got the penalty, which was then overturned once we provided Race Direction with the data and the sector times to clarify that I deliberately gave the time back on each occasion.”

“We’re not so happy with the result, but I think it was good to finish the race and get some more miles under our belts and now we look forward to going strong in Aragon.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Magic 8: Untouchable Pedrosa stuns in Misano

Repsol Honda rider becomes eighth different winner in 2016 after an unbelievable charge through the field

History can be an easy thing to remake when the cards fall right. In 2016, MotoGP™ has now rewritten it – but it’s been nothing but easy for those who have penned their own chapters in the season that has now seen the most different winners in a single year since the dawn of the world championship in 1949. Chapter eight was written at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli and it was Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa holding the pen.

Pedrosa took his 29th premier class win and 103rd podium at the Italian track as he fought back up from a tough qualifying position on the third row, and in doing so kept his fantastic record of a race win in every year of his MotoGP™ career in tact. After a tough season and then a corner turned at the post-race test in Brno, the ‘Baby Samurai’ returned to the top step in spectacular style, taking first teammate Marc Marquez, then the Movistar Yamahas of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi as he charged for the flag and crossed the line with a healthy margin – unstoppable and uncatchable in his race rhythm.

Lorenzo got the jump from pole, leading the field into Turn 1 as the Mallorcan so often does, with front row starters Rossi and Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) going head-to-head for P2 and the Italian coming out on top. Pedrosa got an incredible start from P8 to move him up into the front group, joining Viñales, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in the squabble for P3.

Rossi soon struck back to sit up teammate Lorenzo at the final corner and push the reigning champion wide, taking the lead and leaving Lorenzo and Marquez to chase him down – with Pedrosa the fastest man on track and setting a new lap record. Making a move against his teammate look easy and getting down into the 1:32s, Pedrosa was on the charge.

Setting his sights on Lorenzo and slicing through, the number 26 fixed his crosshairs on the race leader in Rossi’s backyard before passing the Italian with an aggressive move to sit him up and concentrating on making a gap at the front.

Untouchable and back with a bang, the incredible ride through from P8 was completed as the ‘Baby Samurai’ shook off a helpless Rossi to cross the line with a healthy margin, as history continues to be made with the eighth different winner in 2016.

Marquez suffered a tough race to head over the line in P4, but retains a healthy 43 point lead in the title as the paddock head back to Spanish soil. Viñales completed the top five, beating home rider Dovizioso and temporary teammate Michele Pirro (Ducati Team) to the honour. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) had a solid ride to cross the line P8 ahead of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Pol Espargaro, and it was a fantastic showing from Alvaro Bautista in Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s home race as the Spaniard completed the top ten.

MotorLand Aragon now awaits: no longer enemy territory for Pedrosa, Marquez or Lorenzo as the flyways approach – and the season finale in Valencia gets ever closer.

Baldassarri takes the win despite superhuman Rins

Maiden win at home for the Italian as Alex Rins fights through the pain barrier

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing) took a stunning win at Misano World Circuit in his first appearance on the top step, after a game of cat-and-mouse with Paginas Amarillas HP 40 title contender Alex Rins kept Misano on their feet. After some chaotic early laps, Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) completed the podium for his third rostrum in a row at the venue, as championship leader Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) found himself knocked down to P4.

After a Moto3™ race more tactical than the usual on-track dynamite, the baton was passed to Moto2™ to switch things up a gear and the intermediate class did not disappoint. With fantastic Adriatic weather beaming down from the powder blue skies, Moto2™ set up a thriller at Misano. Zarco and Nakagami got the best starts from the front row, before the Japanese rider took Turn 1 too hot and then pushed Garage Plus Interwetten rider Tom Luthi wide over the run off area. With the Swiss rider rejoining easily, Nakagami then had a moment and found himself down in P8 by the end of the first lap.

Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) had an aggressive first lap to tag onto the back of the leaders, with Luthi just ahead of him on track and Baldassari and Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) shadowing championship leader Zarco. After a lap full of drama, the reigning champion then found himself wrestled down to P5 – with title rival Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Racing Moto2) right behind him on track. Lowes got past the Frenchman as the Ajo rider’s tough start of the race continued, with Zarco then finding himself down in P6 with Friday’s fastest Nakagami glued to his rear wheel – and soon past him.

With Rins able to break clear and Baldassarri following on the chase, the podium battle behind got brutal as Lowes, Morbidelli and Nakagami battled it out ahead of Luthi and Zarco. Pushing just a bit too hard with 13 laps to go, Lowes then lost it and found himself sliding out of the race – and possibly the title fight.

Nakagami broke free to chase the leaders down, with Rins out at the front but the pace starting to waiver for the Moto2™ title contender. With a healing collarbone after a training accident ahead of the British GP, the Spaniard pushed to retain his advantage – one that would have seen him lead the championship on the way to his home track MotorLand Aragon – and tried to hold on in a superhuman effort.

In front of the home fans however, a healthy Baldassari gradually reeled in the Paginas Amarillas HP 40 rider ahead of him. Rins’s defense was incredible as the Spaniard pushed to keep up the pace despite the injury, but on the penultimate lap the Italian pounced. Rins, who was left with the choice of play safe or fight back, still wouldn’t let him go and stuck to the Italian’s back wheel before trying a move on the final lap. With Baldassarri defensive and nearing the line for his impressive maiden win, Rins ran wide and settled for the P2 after his superhuman display.

Morbidelli crossed the line in P5, ahead of Silverstone winner Luthi. Petronas Raceline Malaysia rider Hafizh Syahrin had a solid ride to P7, just ahead of Intact Dynavolt GP duo Jonas Folger and Sandro Cortese. Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) gained some more confidence back with another solid finish to round out the top ten.

With Lowes down, Zarco off the podium and Rins taking home a haul of 20 points, the championship gap at the top is now 3 points between the Frenchman and the Spaniard. Next up? Rins’ home turf as MotorLand Aragon beckons its local hero home.

Binder and Bastianini duel it out in Misano

Classic tactics in a two-man game of chess on the Riviera di Rimini

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has won a stunning two-man tactical duel with Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Mto3) at Misano World Circuit, with Leopard Racing rider Joan Mir completing the podium after a storming ride for the rookie from P16 on the grid.

Clear blue was the view above Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli as Moto3™ headed out on track to get down to business, and it was Friday pacesetter Enea Bastianini who got the best start and led through turn 1, with a great start from Row 2 for Jakub Kornfeil seeing him challenge polesitter Binder for second through Turn 2. The South African hit back as Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and teammate Canet tagged onto the back of the front trio, with Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) then beginning a fightback after losing positions off the line. Joan Mir, who started well outside the top ten, was another who made short work of the early laps as he sliced through the field to join the front freight train – part one of his stunning ride to the podium complete.

Binder then hit the front, with Bastianini getting tucked in to reel the championship leader back in, and the two opened a gap on the chasers as a crash saw Jorge Navarro out of contention when he lost the rear at Turn 14 – leaving his championship chances with another big dent.

With ten laps to go, the race was a story of two duels at the front – Binder vs Bastianini as fast-starting Mir wrestled with Bulega behind. With Mir then told to give a position back to Bulega after exceeding track limits, the Mallorcan timed it perfectly to then immediately take P3 back, staying ahead throughout the last lap to just pip his old FIM CEV Repsol rival to the podium. Bastianini was ahead at the start of the last lap, having chosen to take back the lead a few laps before after a good number of laps stalking the championship leader, and the Italian stretched some daylight in between himself and Binder before the South African put in one final push to take the ‘Beast’ back. Bastianini hit the inside line in the final corner, but avoided last lap drama to not push too far and cross the line in a well earned P2.

The lead for winner Binder, after a DNF for Navarro and previous P3 title contender Francesco Bagnaia (Gaviota Mahindra Aspar) only crossing the line in P21, sees the South African now an almost-unbelievable margin clear at the top of the standings. Bastianini, for his stunning ride back onto the podium, took back P2 in the championship at his home GP.

Aragon now awaits, with the modern classic of a track waiting for Binder to try his luck with that almost-unseen chance: win the championship before the triple-header flyaways. With 106 points of advantage, Binder must only leave the Spanish track with a lead of more than 100 points to put both hands on the trophy.

More, from a press release issued by Michelin:

Michelin sees records tumble at Misano as Pedrosa becomes the eighth wonder of the MotoGP™ world

Michelin saw its new front MotoGP™ tyres put to good use this afternoon as Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) scorched to a stunning victory at Misano in Italy today in the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini and set a new lap and race record in the process.

Pedrosa started from eighth on the grid and made his way through the field as he posted fastest-lap after fastest-lap. Using the new MICHELIN Power Slick soft compound tyre – one of only two riders to choose this version – on the front of his bike and paired with a rear medium compound, the Spaniard looked unstoppable as he caught and passed race-leader Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) with seven laps to go. As Pedrosa crossed the line for victory not only had he posted the fastest race-lap record with the first circulation of the circuit in 1’32”s, but he also took almost 22 seconds off the previous race-time record and became the eighth different rider in succession to win a MotoGP race, the first time in the history of premier class racing this has ever happened.

Rossi followed Pedrosa across the line at his home Grand Prix and closed the gap in the championship on current leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) who finished fourth. Rossi used the new medium front tyre along with a medium rear, whilst Marquez choose to go for hard on the front and medium on the rear, again highlighting the variety of Michelin rubber that can be used by the different riders. The final rostrum place went to Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), who set the fastest ever two-wheel lap around the 4,226m Misano circuit on Saturday to take pole position, when he recorded the first ever time in the 1’31”s. Fifth went to last week’s winner Maverick Viñales (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR), with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Michele Pirro (Ducati Team) – the only other rider with a soft compound front – taking sixth and seventh respectively. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) took eighth and the position of First Independent Team Rider, while Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) crossed the line in ninth. Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) rounded out the top-ten.

A record race-day crowd of 100,496 baked in the Italian sun as air temperatures reached 28°C with track surfaces going up to 43°C, despite the high heat the Michelin tyres coped very well with the severe stresses that they were placed under throughout the 28-lap race and gave optimum performance for the entire event.

Michelin and the MotoGP paddock now head to Spain as the championship travels to Aragon for round 14 to be staged on Sunday 25th September.

Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda:

“I am very excited to get this result this weekend. The rhythm has been very good all the time and basically it is a great feeling to do this in the race. I have had a great feeling with the Michelin tyres today and this allowed me to cover the gap and fight with the guys at the front. I would like give this win to my team and I am very happy with the whole performance. I hope we can stay in the same place for the next race.”

Nicolas Goubert – Deputy Director, Technical Director and Supervisor of the MotoGP Programme:

“Today has seen the eighth different winner in eight races and this is something we never imagined at the start of the season. Our aim has always been to supply the best tyres for all types of riders, on all bikes and in every condition and when you get so many winners it seems like we are achieving that. Dani had been strong all weekend and his qualifying yesterday didn’t show his true potential, but in the race today he performed very well and used the soft compound front tyre to its full capacity to record his first win of the season. We have been very pleased with the performance of our tyres here, between them the riders all used the three different front tyre choices in today’s race. To get the fastest lap and break the race record is very positive, but the durability and consistency in such demanding conditions is a greater reward. Today the track was 43 degrees and with the abrasiveness of the surface it was always going to place extra demands on the rubber, but we are pleased with the results and will use this as a stepping stone as we progress through the season. We now head to Aragon, which can have quite conflicting weather conditions, but we had a test there with the MotoGP riders last season so we have some good data as a start point.”

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

Espargaro scores top independent rider honours in San Marino

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Rider Pol Espargaro delivered a tireless performance in the demanding San Marino GP to finish the event in 8th place in front of more than 100,000 passionate fans today. The 25-year-old lunged forward from the head of the fourth row of the grid and after carefully picking his way around the first lap, he crossed the line in the same position. Then he quickly built up his pace and his strong rhythm saw him close down Aleix Espargaro in front, whom he powered past on lap 8. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion continued to push as he reduced the gap to Crutchlow and Pirro in the final stages of the race and he eventually met the chequered flag whilst holding 9th position. However, a time penalty for the rider in front, which was issued after the GP, elevated Espargaro to 8th in the results, plus as the victor in the leading satellite rider battle. At the Gran Premio de Aragon, the Spaniard will aim to produce another solid performance ahead of the triple flyaway events.

Meanwhile, Alex Lowes suffered bad luck at the San Marino GP as he fell on the 7th lap whilst fighting for a point scoring result. The British rider, who is standing in for the injured Bradley Smith, kicked off the sprint from 14th on the grid and leapt forward when the lights went out before concluding the opening lap in 17th. He set into a consistent rhythm as he aimed to move up and seize another strong finish. Yet, he unfortunately lost the front of his bike at the first corner, with a quarter of the distance having been completed, whilst running in 16th. The outcome marks a disappointing close to the event for the 25-year-old, who otherwise produced a highly positive and impressive display in only his second MotoGP appearance aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. Lowes will compete at the 10th round of the World Superbike Series in Germany next weekend, and will then join the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team once again in Aragon for his final outing due to Smith’s continued recovery process.

Pol Espargaro

Position: 8th Championship: 9th Points: 89

“I did my absolute best in today’s race but I have to admit that it was a challenging GP. It was very physically demanding and I struggled with the full fuel load, the bike moved a lot and my leg started to hurt a bit which certainly didn’t make things easier. In addition, at the beginning, it was tough to get past Aleix because his bike seemed to have the upper hand, but I pushed onwards and passed him on the 8th lap because he made a slight mistake whilst entering the last corner, which I rode perfectly. Then, in the last stages of the race, I was hunting down Cal and I got close because he was suffering a lot, plus I rode a 1’33.9 in the penultimate lap which helped to reduce the gap to 1.4 seconds and I gave it everything I had because I thought that he may receive a penalty. It’s good that I got the top satellite position but it wasn’t in the way that I would have wished to score it after the weekend I have had. I am only four points from Cal in the standings, so we have to try and lower this at the next round and therefore I will be back stronger in Aragon.”

Alex Lowes

Position: DNF Championship: 23rd Points: 3

“After what has been a positive weekend, I am obviously disappointed with today’s outcome. To be honest, I didn’t really get the chance to get into the race, and sadly I made a small mistake and lost the front at turn one. For sure, this is a big shame because I’ve completed quite a few longer runs in the practice sessions and overall, my pace has been good and I have constantly improved my times. The whole weekend, apart from today, has been encouraging and I got a better understanding of the YZR-M1 with every lap. I’ve enjoyed this event but it’s never nice to end with a negative result in the GP, especially as I am getting more competitive on the Yamaha. I have to say again that this experience has been fantastic and I have been able to enjoy the time because there is no pressure with regards to the championship standings. I wish that I was able to repay the team’s efforts with a good finish today, but we made a good step up from Silverstone. Yet, I am super happy to announce that I will be riding for Monster Yamaha Tech3 again in Aragon and I am thankful to have another opportunity. Yet, first of all, I have to concentrate now on my own championship targets in WSBK with next week’s race in Lausitzring and I am very confident that the experience gained in MotoGP will enable me to fight for the podium.”

Hervé Poncharal – Team manager:

“We knew that it was not going to be an easy MotoGP race for us starting from the 4th and 5th rows of the grid, but altogether we did the best that we could and now we will look on to the next GP. Pol got a decent start, was in the right group from the beginning of the race and was fighting hard with those riders and I am very happy to see him finish the Grand Prix as the top independent rider. He is close to Cal in the satellite rider championship so this is important for us. I would like to thank him for his efforts because he was fast all weekend and it was a bit of a pity about what happened in qualifying. He was still in pain from the Silverstone crash, but I think he showed great determination. For sure, the week off is going to help him a lot and we will see him at full power in Aragon. On the other side of the garage, I was very pleased with Alex in every practice session including qualifying. He has been doing a great job and I was very sorry to see him crash. His performances have impressed Yamaha Europe, Yamaha Japan and the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team. So we would like to take this opportunity to announce that the second rider for our team at the Aragon round will be Alex Lowes. We are really happy with this news and we hope that another MotoGP appearance will continue to boost his career.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Andrea Dovizioso and Michele Pirro sixth and seventh respectively at Misano in the TIM San Marino Grand Prix

The two Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Michele Pirro finished sixth and seventh respectively in the TIM San Marino GP, the thirteenth round of the MotoGP World Championship which was held today at the Misano World Circuit.

Dovizioso, who started from the second row after qualifying sixth quickest, scrapped for fourth place in the opening laps with Marquez, Pedrosa and Viñales. The Italian then crossed the line on lap 11 in sixth place and kept that position until the chequered flag.

Pirro started the TIM San Marino GP as replacement rider for Andrea Iannone, who injured his back in a crash on Friday morning. The Italian, tester for the Ducati Test Team, started the race from row 2 with fifth quickest time set yesterday in Q2, but he was unable to get away well and crossed the line at the end of lap 1 in ninth place. Michele then moved up into seventh on lap 23, when he passed Crutchlow and finished the race in that position.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 6th

“It’s a pity because today I expected to get a different result in the race. Unfortunately we are still struggling to get the bike to turn like our rivals and as the laps go by this difference increases. To reduce the gap I have to use a lot of energy, push hard on the handlebars and my riding style becomes less smooth and a bit more ragged. To do a consistent lap it’s better that I don’t push hard in the early laps, but we are forced to do so to remain with the leading group.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 7th

“I gave away a bit too much at the start today: losing three or four seconds early on makes things all the more difficult, but it’s not easy to quickly find the right feeling to start well when you only take part in MotoGP occasionally like I do. In the race I managed to be quite consistent and I didn’t finish too far behind my team-mate. I want to thank Ducati for everything, because it’s been a great weekend; yesterday I was fifth in qualifying, this morning third in the warm-up and today in amongst the leading group in the race. I also want to wish Andrea Iannone a speedy recovery and tell him that today I treated his bike well and that at Aragon he’ll find it in the same condition as he left it!”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Barbera scores three points at Misano, Fores does not finish the race

Avintia Racing scored a bitter-sweet result at the Grand Prix of San Marino. Hector Barbera’s performance had been quite positive over the weekend, but the bad feeling he had during the first part of the race forced him to settle for 13th place. Barbera scored three valuable MotoGP World Championship points today, and he is currently tenth in the standings with just five rounds to go. Next round will be in Aragon in two weeks time, where he is determined to get back into top ten positions.

His maiden debut in MotoGP has not been easy for Xavi Fores, who raced at Misano replacing Loris Baz. After 16 laps he was forced to retire due to arm pump issues in his right forearm. He struggled during the weekend to get used to the carbon brakes and a completely different bike to the one he rides in WSBK. This together with the mental tension made racing difficult for him. Baz aims to return to action in Aragon, but his comeback depends on a speedy recovery.

Hector Barbera | P13

“It was a really difficult race. The feeling during the first laps was not good, and I was not able to brake well because the suspension seemed to be too soft for dry conditions. The front end was closing everywhere, and I was close to crashing twice and I had to support the bike with my elbow. But then, as the fuel got less, the feeling came back and my pace was faster. The problem was that after losing too much time in the first five laps, the group with Bautista, Petrucci and Bradl was too far away. The only positive thing this weekend is that we found back to the right direction and the way we used to be before Silverstone. Now we need to focus on the next race which will be on home soil.”

Xavi Forés | DNF

“My start was quite good, but from the second lap I felt a lack of grip on the rear tyre compared to the rest of the weekend, and my pace in the race was slower. With that feeling, it was hard to ride the bike and I had to be more aggressive on the brakes, which stressed the front tyre too much. But the worst part was the arm pump in my right forearm. I had two big moments because the front was closing, and my lines got wider and wider, so I decided that the best decision was to stop, as it was getting dangerous. It was a difficult weekend, but at the same time I enjoyed riding the Desmosedici a lot. If I got a new chance in the future, I would be able to get a better result with the experience I gained this weekend with the bike and the team. I want to thank the team for this opportunity, because it was an amazing weekend.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

VIÑALES & SUZUKI ECSTAR FIGHT BACK TO 5TH AT MISANO

Maverick Viñales – 5th.

Aleix Espargaró – NC.

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales fought back to fifth position after a positive race in today’s MotoGP™ round at the World Misano Circuit Marco Simoncelli in San Marino, as team-mate Aleix Espargaró was unfortunate to slip-off at the half-way stage.

Viñales, who started from third position on the front-row aboard his GSX-RR, kept his position in the early stages but got moved down a few positions until making a move back to fifth place. But he was deemed to have crossed a ‘no-go’ racing line and had to slow and relinquish the position to the rider behind him; which he regained very quickly and subsequently held for the rest of the race.

Team-mate Espargaró had more problems with the tyre management today, having a very bad feeling with the front-end that prevented him being really competitive; and which finally resulted in a crash that took him out of the race. The early laps and the whole weekend proved the improvements made for the Spanish rider, but the tyre choice was not the best for his riding style and also some of the tyre performance will be further investigated.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:

“Today’s race cannot be considered negative, but compared to the last one we cannot be satisfied. It’s been a pity because during the weekend in all the race simulations, we had a very strong pace with both riders, but finally our best result in the race is Maverick’s fifth place; this means we need to find something more to catch the faster competitors as soon as possible. Also, it’s a pity for Aleix, he has been consistently-improving in the weekend but unfortunately had to retire because of the crash. Now we head to Aragon, which is a good track for our riders, and I hope we can continue to improve and chase the podium again.”

Maverick Viñales:

“I am really satisfied with this race, and although I couldn’t get on the podium, fifth place is a really good result if we consider our starting points; this was one of the hardest tracks for our machine and here it was really hot – a condition in which we have always been struggling recently. Finishing in fifth place, after winning a fierce battle, is a positive result. During the race I felt really confident with the front, but the rear had no grip at all, so I had to push really hard and adapt my riding style. I managed to keep with the leading group at the beginning but then I had to go back. At around half-race distance I felt I could push more and my lap-times became faster again. I had to give-up one position for having exceeded the track limit but recovered immediately. I must say thank you to my team, they did an incredible job and it’s really a relief to be aware that now we are getting competitive also in hot conditions.”

Aleix Espargaró:

“The crash was a little one, but exactly the same as the other two I had; three crashes in a weekend is something rare and I’m disappointed with this. I struggled a lot with the front grip for the whole weekend, then in the race I had to push a lot and the problem generated the crash. Such a bad feeling I had in the race is not normal, maybe we can investigate some possible causes, but also the truth is that probably the tyre choice was a mistake. It’s always easy to comment when the game is over, but looking at the winner, we should have made a completely different choice. It’s a mistake, once again I struggled to find a good direction to work, we cannot work harder than what we are doing so be should probably find a better way to work in order to make better choices and be more competitive.”