PUERTA AND PASCARELLA BATTLE FOR THE PODIUM AT DAYTONA FINALE Daytona, FL — LTD Racing’s Tomas Puerta earned his first podium finish of the season on Sunday in Daytona’s National Championship Shootout, taking third place in a thrilling battle for position with teammate Joey Pascarella. Huntley Nash earned a solid ninth and Jake Gagne’s machine retired with mechanical problems. The 12-lap race to determine the National SuperSport Champion came down to four racers. Leandro Mercado, Josh Day, Joey Pascarella, and Tomas Puerta made up the group at the front, with Mercado, Day, and Pascarella leading the race. Day made a break near the end and he was followed by Mercado as this duo eased out a slight gap over the LTD Racing teammates. As Mercado passed Day for the win on the final lap, Puerta drafted by Pascarella to take third. “This is my best finish of the year,” said Puerta. “One of my goals was to earn the podium and we finally were able to do it in the last race of the year. It was a fun race battling with Joey and I was able to make the pass at the end. I want to thank my LTD Racing team for giving me such a good bike to race here at Daytona.” Pascarella narrowly missed the win at Daytona in the spring and this time saw his Daytona luck come up a little short again. “I can’t help but be a little disappointed with how the race turned out. I led and was in line for a podium but it didn’t turn out the way I wanted and Tomas passed me there on the banking at the end,” said Pascarella. “I got an okay start and I rode really conservative the first couple of laps, I don’t really know why. Then I got going and caught up to Leandro and Tomas and actually led the race for a little bit. I was pushing real hard in that part of the race and my tire went off some. I was third for most of it and then Tomas got me at the line. Still, it’s a good way to end the season but I wanted a little more.” Huntley Nash was contested eighth place with Kris Turner, who was able to re-take the position on the final lap and relegate Huntley to ninth. “It was a good race. I had a battle with Kris Turner, who is an experienced rider that qualified third”, said Nash. “I gambled on gearing early in the weekend. In the race, it showed up. When it came to the race, I was going faster and I was on the rev limiter on the banking. Despite that, I think I rode pretty well this weekend and the team worked great to help me improve. In the past, I’ve finished ninth and been unhappy but this was a positive weekend and I feel good about how I am progressing.” Gagne wasn’t able to race due to issues with his machine. “I was a little happier after the morning practice and felt like we figured some stuff out but on the warm-up lap, we had a problem and I wasn’t able to race. It’s a bummer but sometimes you have bad weekends and sometimes you have good ones.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA Stoner stretches streak to three at home; Rossi nears seventh heaven after Lorenzo’s spill INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 If Valentino Rossi wins his seventh MotoGP championship in the next three weeks, he might look back to a gravel trap in Australia as the place where he sealed the title. Rossi extended his lead in the World Championship to 38 points over Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo by finishing second to Casey Stoner at the Australian Grand Prix on Oct. 18 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Lorenzo ran into the back of Nicky Hayden entering the first turn on the first lap, careened into the gravel trap and crashed out of the race. 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Rossi leads by nearly a race-and-a-half’s worth of points with just two races remaining this season. He can clinch his seventh MotoGP World Championship and his ninth world title overall by finishing fourth or better Oct. 25 at the Grand Prix of Malaysia at Sepang. After his superb ride to his third consecutive victory at his home track, one can only wonder if Stoner would have been the third rider in the title fight on his Ducati Team machine if he was healthy all season. Stoner missed three races from August to September, including the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, due to illness. 2007 World Champion Stoner climbed to third in the standings with his first victory since the Italian Grand Prix in June. He has finished second and first since returning to the grid Oct. 4 in Portugal. “I’d forgotten how good that winning feeling is, and of all my victories, this is perhaps the most special,” Stoner said. “I can honestly say that from a physical perspective I can’t ever remember feeling this strong after a race, which shows that the work we have done and the time we took out has been spot on.” Pole winner Stoner took the lead from Dani Pedrosa on Lap 2 and never trailed thereafter. But he faced heavy pressure from Rossi for the next 17 laps, with the riders both setting lap times quicker than Stoner’s pole lap. Stoner finally pulled away over the last eight laps, winning by 1.935 seconds. Pedrosa finished a distant third, 22.618 seconds behind. Americans Colin Edwards and Hayden finished fifth and 15th, respectively. Edwards had a slow start and dropped to ninth on Lap 1 on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine but passed four riders on Laps 4 and 5 to climb back to fifth. “I’ll hold my hands up and say I really messed up the start,” Edwards said. 2006 World Champion Hayden also was forced into the gravel trap after the contact with Lorenzo on the first lap. But unlike 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Lorenzo, Hayden stayed upright and continued on his damaged Ducati, finishing one lap down. *** RESULTS PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia Results of the 27-lap Grand Prix of Australia MotoGP race, with position, rider, country, motorcycle, time behind winner. All riders on Bridgestone tires: 1. Casey Stoner Australia Ducati 2. Valentino Rossi Italy Yamaha +1.935 3. Dani Pedrosa Spain Honda +22.618 4. Alex de Angelis San Marino Honda +32.702 5. Colin Edwards United States Yamaha +35.885 6. Andrea Dovizioso Italy Honda +38.482 7. Marco Melandri Italy Kawasaki +44.461 8. Randy de Puniet France Honda +44.941 9. Mika Kallio Finland Ducati +54.345 10. Toni Elias Spain Honda +1:01.205 11. Chris Vermeulen Australia Suzuki +1:05.417 12. Loris Capirossi Italy Suzuki +1:05.950 13. Gabor Talmacsi Hungary Honda +1:17.951 14. James Toseland Great Britain Yamaha +1:17.985 15. Nicky Hayden United States Ducati +1 lap NC Jorge Lorenzo Spain Yamaha +27 laps NC Not classified Fastest lap: Rossi, 1:30.085, Lap 5; Pole lap: Stoner, 1:30.341 *** POINTS Riders: Rossi 270, Lorenzo 232, Stoner 195, Pedrosa 189, Dovizioso 152, Edwards 145, de Angelis 101, de Puniet 101, Capirossi 101, Melandri 100, Elias 96, Vermeulen 95, Toseland 87, Hayden 82, Kallio 58, Niccolo Canepa 38, Talmacsi 17, Sete Gibernau 12, Yuki Takahashi 9, Aleix Espargaro 8. Manufacturers: Yamaha 350, Honda 252, Ducati 236, Suzuki 121, Kawasaki 100. *** PODIUM QUOTES CASEY STONER (Ducati Team Ducati/Bridgestone, winner): “I’d forgotten how good that winning feeling is, and of all my victories, this is perhaps the most special. I can honestly say that from a physical perspective I can’t ever remember feeling this strong after a race, which shows that the work we have done and the time we took out has been spot on. I got a good start and was able to put together the lap times to keep us at the front. But quite honestly, I felt I could have gone even faster if we’d have been able to find a little more rear traction over the course of the weekend. Anyway, I can’t complain because the work the guys have done on the bike during the season has been phenomenal, from the swingarm to the new fairing. They just haven’t stopped trying to make it better even when I wasn’t around.” VALENTINO ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone, second): “This was one of the most fun and definitely one of the most important second places of my career. We were on the limit for the whole race, and there were some amazing slides. It was ‘old-style’ racing. To have a race like this in the sunshine at Phillip Island is an incredible emotion, and I really enjoyed myself. Of course, I wanted to win, but I had to use my head a bit. And once I’d seen that Lorenzo was out, I knew that if I made a mistake, it would be a big disaster. Anyways, I tried in places, but Stoner was a bit faster than me. I didn’t give up until the end, but Casey really deserved this win; I want to give him my congratulations. We leave with 20 important points, and now the championship lead is big and we can try to finish it in Malaysia, where we will have the first ‘match point.'” DANI PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team Honda/Bridgestone, third): “It’s good to be on the podium again, especially after the crash in qualifying yesterday, so I’m happy about that. I pushed myself to the maximum in the race, and we led for a short while from the start. Actually, it’s a shame they don’t award points for getting the holeshot! Casey and Valentino were going super-fast today, and I just couldn’t keep pace with them once they came past. From then on I just tried to keep my rhythm going and tried not to make any mistakes. It’s a little frustrating, of course, not to be able to fight at the front, but considering the crash yesterday this result was OK. The next race is in Malaysia, and it’s a track that I like. So I’m looking forward to next weekend, and I hope we can get another strong result.” *** AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES COLIN EDWARDS (Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha/Bridgestone, fifth): “I’ll hold my hands up and say I really messed up the start. I pretty much fell asleep, and when the lights went out, I was just sat there. That left me down in ninth place, but the pace was pretty quick in the low (1:) 31s, and I was able to pick off a few of them quite quickly. I knew if I didn’t get my head down then I’d be towing them around because of how you can slipstream at this track. I never relented and my pace was pretty hot, and thankfully it wasn’t too difficult for me to make a break from the pack. I saw (Alex) de Angelis in front of me, and I tried everything I could to get close to him. I’m tired of finishing fifth, so I gave it everything I had. But the start cost me fourth and some precious points. Toward the end of the race, I started to lose some side grip, and I couldn’t do anything more to try and put pressure on de Angelis. I beat (Andrea) Dovizioso again, which is all I can do to try and get fifth in the championship. I really want that fifth to reward all my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3. They’ve been great, and I’ll be giving it my all for them in the last two races.” NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Team Ducati/Bridgestone, 15th): “I got probably the best start I have had all season, but unfortunately it proved to be my downfall. I’m not sure what happened to Jorge (Lorenzo). I saw he got a bad start as I passed him, then the next thing I know I felt a really hard impact. It was so hard it tore both our bikes up, and obviously he couldn’t keep his upright. Thankfully I did, and I got back on track, but the thing was so damaged, I was just riding around. I considered coming in to conserve the engine, but there was always the chance it might rain and give us the opportunity to swap bikes so we stayed out there and tried to stay out of harm’s way. I’m disappointed because I felt we had a chance to do something here, and apart from anything, I was excited to race here because it’s always so much fun. Anyway, I can’t blame Jorge because he is fighting for the championship. He obviously didn’t mean it, and I know it is not his style. The good thing is that I didn’t get hurt, which could have easily happened in that corner, and now we go to Malaysia and try to get back in the thick end of the points.” *** MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS 250cc: Marco Simoncelli, Italy, Metis Gilera. 125cc: Julian Simon, Spain, Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc Aprilia. Simon clinched the World Championship. American Cameron Beaubier was not classified after withdrawing from the race due to a mechanical problem on Lap 2 caused by crash on Lap 1. He is tied for 27th in the World Championship standings. *** NEXT RACE Grand Prix of Malaysia, Sepang, Oct. 23-25. Round 16 of 17 *** IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. Beginning in 2009, the Speedway celebrates its Centennial Era, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011. Tickets can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. More, from a press release issued by Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati: EIGHT HOURS, THREE PODIUMS & ONE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati won their third consecutive Moto-GT2 Championship at the season finale AMA Pro SunTrust 8-hour endurance race at Daytona International Speedway yesterday on the # 77 Ducati PS1000LE. The team’s other PS1000LE (#38) finished third in the class, while its Ducati 848 scored third in the Moto-GT1 class. The team is particularly proud of the fact that it was the only Moto-GT1 privateer effort to reach the podium. Running against two of the strongest factory-backed endurance teams in the nation, Westby Racing and RoadracingWorld Suzuki, the Ducshop team boasted flawless pitstops and was as high as second place for part of the race. Typically, the 8-hour race didn’t go to plan. The Ducshop team is considering petitioning to have the event changed to a seven-hour race because every year they suffer a calamity in the final hour. This year’s happened on the famed Daytona embankment. Team strategy dictated the # 38 bike was to win the race while the # 77 machine was to be consistent and smooth enough to claim the championship, but after leading the class for seven hours #38 quit on the straight. Rider Brian Stokes, who had just taken the seat for the final stint, pushed the dead bike back to the pits. After 15 minutes of diagnosis, crew chief Mark Sutton replaced a faulty ECU with a Microtec ECU and sent them back onto the track, albeit in third position. Like last year, he’d saved the day, only this time without burning his fingers*. Meanwhile the championship-leading #77 bike had taken over the lead, where it stayed until the checkered flag. All nine riders did something to cause their team a 20-second penalty. Team owner Frank Shockley’s transgression brought out the entire team to help the marshal count down the 20-second drive-through penalty, and after his stint the crew forced him to do 20 pushups in his riding gear. Shockley was also awarded the meatball flag when the headlight died during his stint. The problem was quickly remedied with a flashlight and an entire roll of duct tape. The team would like to thank the crew and riders (listed) who supported them though the eight hours along with the sponsors whose support helped them through the season. They would like to extend a special thank you to Ducati, who supplied their factory rider, Dario Marchetti, for the race. *In 2007 Sutton also saved the race and championship in the last lap when he successfully changed the clutch on an unscheduled pitstop, earning him the name Hot Fingers. He’s now aptly named Miracle Mark. Ducshop proudly builds and maintains the PS1000LE engine. The team is also sponsored by Touring Sport Ducati, gBehavior, EZ- Glide 350, Öhlins USA, Speedy Moto, Robby Byrd, USDESMO, Swatt Motorcycle, JVE Limited and Pilot Leathers and Operation Home Front.