Octo British Grand Prix
FIM MotoGP World Championship
Silverstone Circuit, England
August 27, 2017
Race Results (all on Michelin tires):
1. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 20 laps, Total Race Time 40:45.496
2. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (YAMAHA), -0.114 second
3. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), -0.749
4. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), -1.679 seconds
5. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (DUCATI), -3.508
6. Johann ZARCO, France (YAMAHA), -7.001
7. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -10.944
8. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), -13.627
9. Alex RINS, Spain (SUZUKI), -15.661
10. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (DUCATI), -25.279
11. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KTM), -30.336
12. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), -31.609
13. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), -31.945
14. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -33.567
15. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), -33.901
16. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), -43.012
17. Bradley SMITH, UK (KTM), -48.683
18. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (APRILIA), -2 laps, DNF
19. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), -3 laps, DNF, crash
20. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUZUKI), -3 laps, DNF, crash
21. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), DNF, mechanical
22. Sam LOWES, UK (APRILIA), -15 laps, DNF, crash
23. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (YAMAHA), DNS
World Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 18 races):
1. Dovizioso, 183 points
2. Marquez, 174
3. Vinales, 170
4. Rossi, 157
5. Pedrosa, 148
6. Zarco, 109
7. Lorenzo, 90
8. Crutchlow, 89
9. Folger, 77
10. Petrucci, 75
11. Bautista, 58
12. Redding, 45
13. TIE, Alexi Espargaro/Miller, 43
15. Baz, 39
16. Iannone, 33
17. Abraham, 28
18. Rabat, 27
19. Pol Espargaro, 26
20. Barbera, 23
21. Rins, 19
22. Smith, 8
23. Michele Pirro, 7
24. Kallio, 6
25. Lowes, 2
26. Sylvain Guintoli, 1
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Rabat surges into the points at Silverstone
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat surged into a 12th place finish with a brilliant ride in today’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
It was superbly judged performance by Rabat in the 20-lap race after the Spanish rider started from 21st on the grid. Rabat finished just 1.2s behind factory KTM rival Pol Espargaro who was 11th.
After being disappointed with his lacklustre qualifying Rabat focussed on a points scoring finish believing that he had good base for a strong race pace after this morning’s warm-up.
Rabat made up five places to be 16th at the end of lap one and remained patient as he pushed forward into the points.
With two laps remaining Rabat secured 12th place by overtaking Karel Abraham.
Rabat’s teammate Jack Miller finished 16th as he struggled to overcome a lack of rear drive grip which impacted on his race day performance.
Miller felt the warm and sunny conditions and his race pace in practice should have been a platform for a points scoring finish.
The next race in the MotoGP World Championship is the San Marina GP in Misano in two weeks.
Tito Rabat: 12th
“I made a fast start and this gave me the opportunity for a good race after some positive steps with the set-up in the warm-up solved a lot of my problems. I had a good feeling with the rear tyre from first lap and could push and do fast times even when I was riding alone. I am very happy with this result after a difficult weekend and now I’m looking forward to Misano.”
Jack Miller: 16th
“In the race I struggled to find rear drive grip and it is not easy to understand why, maybe it was because of the hotter track temperatures compared to practice and qualifying. It is a real shame and I’m very disappointed with this race. This should have been a great day to pick up some points and now we just have keep working to recover from this slump at the next race.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“I am very happy with Tito’s result because he struggled for most of the weekend and to finish 12th after starting from the back of the grid is great both for Tito and for the team. For Jack the main issue was that he could not find any rear grip so we need to see why his race pace didn’t match his pace in practice. It would have been nice to have two riders in the points but now we wait to see what the Misano race will deliver for us.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Zarco conquers Silverstone in 6th – Unfortunate Folger sits out British GP
Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Johann Zarco produced a superb display today in front of an ecstatic crowd to finish 6th. The rapid French star lunged forward from 8th on the grid and as the distance dialled down, he fearlessly battled on. Zarco ran a phenomenal pace in the second half of the race, which matched the leading group and his final result strengthens his position as the top independent rider in the championship standings, and in 6th.
On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team garage, Jonas Folger was forced to withdraw from the British Grand Prix after falling heavily in the morning warm up. He was taken to the medical centre following the crash and was deemed unfit to ride as a precaution by the medical staff. The decision marks a disappointing end to the weekend, however, he will seek to bounce back at the San Marino Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time.
Johann Zarco
Position: 6th – Championship: 6th – Points: 109
“I am pretty happy with the final result. The race was positive but the start was tricky for me and it took some time to overtake Pol Espargaro. Once I got past him, I was very consistent throughout the sprint but the leading group ran a really strong pace and in the end, I couldn’t make the difference to catch them. However, Marquez had a problem, which allowed me to gain a position. So then, I fought with Lorenzo and I believed that I could beat him, but he kept some energy and finally he was quicker. The last two laps were tricky because I was sliding a bit too much, but I definitely made a positive choice with the tyres. I still need to work with the team to find the good setup and riding style to be able to do almost the same lap time from the start to the finish. Ten points are good and I’ve gained some ground on Pedrosa in the championship, which is positive. So overall, I have learnt a lot, I was competitive all weekend and I finished not far from the first guy.”
Jonas Folger
Position: DNS – Championship: 9th – Points: 77
Hervé PONCHARAL
Team manager
“Before I begin, I want to say that we were all sad to not have Jonas on the grid with us today. He worked hard all weekend to beat a stomach virus and showed good form on Saturday. We were really hopeful for today because he felt better than yesterday and we were confident that he could deliver a strong performance at this track, which he likes. Unfortunately, there was an issue on his out lap in warm up and he had a very fast crash. Luckily he is ok, but the doctor wisely decided to not let him start. This was a shame but the positive point is that he is fully fit and we really hope that he will have the luck that he finally deserves in Misano and I’m sure he is going to be fast there. Meanwhile, Johann Zarco once again produced a magnificent ride. This time his start was not as good as at some of the other races, and he was blocked by a couple of the slower riders and it took him a few laps to get out of this group. Yet, once he was clear, he lapped as quickly or sometimes even faster than the guys in front and this is a pity because he could have been with the front group. Anyway, I want to congratulate Johann who was very quick and he collected some important points, which strengthens his position as the top independent rider in the championship so we are very proud and happy with him. I want to also congratulate Yamaha because it’s good to see them back in front with three YZR-M1’s in the top six. I’m sure we are going to have some more interesting races and the championship is closer than ever so we are excited already for Misano.”
More, from a press release issued by Pull&Bear Aspar Team:
Bautista and Abraham continue picking up points
Pull&Bear Aspar riders place tenth and thirteenth, respectively, in a race that sees both riders gain several positions
The MotoGP British Grand Prix took place this Sunday afternoon, and Andrea Dovizioso claimed his fourth win of the season in a close contest at Silverstone. The Ducati rider bested Maverick Viñales by just one tenth of a second, and was seven tenths ahead of Valentino Rossi. Dovizioso has won four of the races since Mugello, round 6 of the season. Mechanical problems for Marc Márquez meant that he relinquished the series lead to Dovizioso, with a 9 point advantage in the overall standings. Viñales and Rossi are 13 and 26 points behind, respectively.
The Pull&Bear Aspar team had both riders in the points, as they gained a number of places as the race progressed. Álvaro Bautista took the chequered flag in tenth, on what was the occasion of his 250th Grand Prix. The Spaniard had problems with his front tyre and had to drop his pace before the end, but took 6 points from the British GP. Karel Abraham was thirteenth, having ridden in 21st in the early stages. The Czech rider moved his way up the order and was only 3 tenths off Tito Rabat -in tenth place- when the race concluded. Abraham was satisfied with his race, although he felt that with an extra lap he could have placed even higher up the order. Bautista remains eleventh in the overall standings, with Abraham seventeenth.
10th Álvaro Bautista: “I could have celebrated my 250th Grand Prix in a better way. During this weekend we had problems with the setup as we looked to improve my feeling. Today, besides this there was the fact that the temperature rose significantly. Yesterday we tried out the hard front and I didn’t like it much, so I went out with the medium compound. There was a point in which I had to lower my pace and just try to get to the line, because the front end was moving about a lot. In the end we finished the race, we’ve taken some points and we have to work better ahead of Misano and try all the available tyres. We weren’t able to do that here, and I think that was a mistake on our part, but you learn from everything.”
13th Karel Abraham: “I’m pretty happy with the race, because after a not-so-great qualifying session yesterday we got a good start today. We had a good race; of course, there are a few negative points, and I had some shaking on the straight that we’d already experienced over the past few days. When the bike was shaking and I wanted to brake going into the corner, there was no braking. It happened to me twice, and I was very close to having a very bad crash. I must have lost around 5 seconds in these two incidents. From then on, when the bike was shaking on the straight I tapped the brake with my little finger to pump it up. I felt at the start of the race that I had problems keeping up with Barberá and the others with a soft tyre, but in the middle of the race this turned around and I felt stronger. I’m really happy with 13th, although I was just 0.3 seconds off the rider ahead of me. I think half a lap more would have been enough to pass him.”
More, from a press release issued by Octo Pramac Racing:
Octo British Grand Prix – Silverstone Circuit – The Race
Great race for Scott who ends in P8. Petrux fought for the top 10, but is involved in a crash 3 laps to the end
The Octo #BritishGP has brought great emotions to the Ducati fans thanks to the victory of Dovi, also Scott and Petrux are absolute protagonist of a comeback race, as they had to start respectively from 12° and 18° position.
Scott race pace was very competitive and permitted him to stay in the top 10 in the first laps. Redding remained focused, lapping very fast in his solid race, and ended the race with a precious 8th position.
Petrux was forced to start from the 6th row and the first lap was not one of his best. The comeback was however enthusiastic. The rider from Terni was in the top 10 until he remained involved in a crash generated by Andrea Iannone.
DNF – Danilo Petrucci
“It was a pity. I did a good race after a difficult start. I was able to recover positions and I was fighting for the Top 10. Unfortunately, at the end Iannone brought me down. It was a fearful crash. But I have to think about Misano, and I am looking forward to be in my home GP”.
8th – Scott Redding
“It was a good race. I am very happy for how things well during this GP. The race pace was good and I have to thanks the team for the work done in order to resolve the problems of Friday. I want to thanks also all the fans that have supported me. It was a good day for us”.
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More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ FORCED TO RETIRE WHILE BATTLING FOR A TOP-10 SPOT
CRASH FOR SAM LOWES ON THE FIFTH LAP
The entire Silverstone weekend was conditioned by physical problems for Aleix Espargaró, suffering from an injury that in any case did not keep the Spanish rider and his Aprilia RS-GP from proving once again to be competitive. Despite the few laps turned during practice, the number 41 Aprilia rider’s performance was excellent, as is confirmed by the spot on the third row earned in qualifying.
Unfortunately, the Spaniard had to deal with the pain during the race and that penalised him particularly in the early phase. With a full fuel tank, Aleix had difficulty in the quick direction changes that are so typical of the English track. Lap by lap the situation improved, so much that the Spanish rider was riding his RS-GP into an unhoped-for top-10 spot. The technical problem that stopped him just a few turns from the end does not overshadow the good performance demonstrated at Silverstone, both in terms of the rider’s immense efforts and the speed of the Italian bike.
Sam Lowes’ race ended early after a crash which was harmless, but enough to force him to abandon his home GP.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“It was a difficult weekend. Yesterday, even turning just a few laps, we showed that we can be fast. Today, especially early on in the race with a heavy fuel tank, I really struggled. Despite this, we were about to get into the top-10, which would have been a good result considering my physical conditions. I still don’t know what happened. I saw an alarm on the dashboard and the engine switched off. It’s a pity because these problems have cost us some good chances. Now I want to rest and be at 100% fitness for Misano.”
SAM LOWES
“Obviously this was not the home GP that I had expected. The team did a brilliant job and the fans were fantastic. Unfortunately, in the race I made a mistake on turn 5. It was a low speed crash. I checked the telemetry data and the differences compared to the previous lap were really minimal. It’s frustrating, but I am looking toward the coming races. We still have 6 more chances to improve. It’s a pity for Aleix too because he definitely deserved a good result today.”
ROMANO ALBESIANO – APRILIA RACING MANAGER
“First of all I would like to compliment Aleix. Today he was nothing less than heroic and he would have deserved a top-10 finish. Unfortunately there was a problem with the bike’s electronics that switched off the engine and we are still investigating the cause. This weekend was definitely peculiar due to Aleix’s critical physical conditions, but in terms of performance, we saw excellent signs of competitiveness.”
FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER
“Today Aleix rode a great race. Given the problems, he really hung in there and he would have deserved the result. We need to improve, that much is certain, but it is also true that we are not particularly lucky. Unfortunately, when you are in a development phase where you also find yourself testing things in the race, problems can be encountered. I am comforted by the fact that, despite the physical and technical problems, we once again demonstrated good performance.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
MOVISTAR YAMAHA DELIGHT WITH STUNNING DOUBLE PODIUM IN SILVERSTONE
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi gave brilliant performances today to take second and third respectively at a perfectly sunny Silverstone Circuit.
Silverstone (UK), 27th August 2017
Today’s Octo British Grand Prix brought lots of thrills for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team, including a double podium as the end result. Maverick Viñales perfectly managed his rear tyre life to challenge for the win in the final stages, and secured a brilliant and hard-fought second position. Teammate Valentino Rossi kept up a superb pace and led for most of the race, but was unable to fend off the competition in the final stages and took third place.
Viñales had a good launch from fourth and held his position into the first corner. With his teammate attempting to take off at the front, he decided to make an assertive start, swiftly moving past Cal Crutchlow for third. He then lined up Marc Marquez overtaking him on lap 3, so he could chase Rossi, who by then had created a gap of over one second.
The Spaniard pushed to the limit and looking threatening with an, on average, 0.5s margin to his teammate. He nearly was able to make his first attempt at taking over the lead, when Andrea Dovizioso made a move with ten laps to go, which was the start of an intense battle for second place. Viñales fell back behind Marquez to fourth, while the scrapping allowed Rossi some breathing space, but the battle wasn’t over.
As Marquez retired from the race, the number 25 rider was able to fight his way back to the leading group and passed his teammate for second place with two laps to go. He then put the hammer down, giving Dovizioso a run for his money, but came just 0.114s short and finished the race in second place.
Today Rossi became the first rider in history to start his 300th premier class Grand Prix and showed no signs of slacking off in the 20-lap Silverstone race. He had a flying start from second, taking the holeshot, and immediately put his head down to open up a nearly one second gap over the first two laps.
He was looking to check out, and held the lead for most of the race, but his championship rivals had different thoughts and were in hot pursuit. Dovizioso tagged onto the back of the Doctor‘s Yamaha, but the veteran made his experience count. He perfectly managed the pace at the front, keeping his compatriot at bay until three laps to go, when Rossi was put into the claws of Viñales, who pushed him to third.
As his rear tyre life dropped, the nine-time World Champion decided to take third place and crucial championship points, crossing the line 0.635s from first.
Today‘s results see Viñales and Rossi hold third and fourth place respectively in the championship standings, the former with a 13-point margin to the leader, the latter with a 26-point gap to first. Yamaha holds its lead in the Constructor rankings with 7 points, and the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team reclaimed the top spot in the Team championship classification with a 5-point lead.
The MotoGP paddock will be back in action in a fortnight, when they will battle at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli during the Gran Premio Tribul Mastercard di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Today‘s race results were a well-deserved reward for our riders and crew members and a testament to their hard work over the last few weeks. Maverick chose to use the soft rear tyre, as it gave him a good feeling on the Friday and during the warm up, and he managed the tyre life really cleverly by pacing himself until the very end of the race. He came incredibly close to catching Dovizioso on the last lap, but just missed out and finished second. It was great to see Vale lead the race for 17 laps with a lot of confidence, especially during his 300th Grand Prix start milestone. It was a shame that the tyre degradation meant he wasn‘t able to defend his position at the end, but he rode a faultless race, and he and Maverick recovered a good amount of championship points today, which could prove to be crucial at the end of the season. This result gives us a lot of confidence, especially after the last two races. We’re now going to Misano, where we had a really positive test last week, so we have strong intentions to get a top result there too.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
It was difficult, but I think we managed the race really well, especially with the electronics, we were really strong in all the areas. I think we did a good job. This weekend we came back, feeling strong again and that‘s the positive point, especially during the last part of the race, during which we weren‘t really strong before. This time we were the fastest on the last laps, so we are going to try to be more competitive and even stronger in the next races. I knew that on the last laps my bike was really good, so I was just trying to keep the pace and the concentration and save the tyres until the end. For sure, I was able to do really good laps in the beginning, but then the tyre would have dropped a lot, so I was thinking about doing the other step: go slowly in the beginning and pushing at the end and this was the result. I was catching Dovi on the last lap and trying my best. I set one of my best laps on the last one, so I gave it everything to catch him, but honestly, today, second place was the best we could do. We have to be happy that we‘re working in the correct way again.
VALENTINO ROSSI
I‘m satisfied because it was a great race for me. I was able to ride really well after a great start and I stayed in front and rode on the limit without making mistakes, so I enjoyed it a lot for 17 laps. I think this is a good way to celebrate my 300th race in MotoGP‘s premier class. There remains a bit of frustration, because I knew on the last laps I would suffer a bit with the degradation of the rear tyre, but I think this weekend we improved a lot. We‘re still not at the top, we have to do better if we want to try to win, but it was a good weekend.
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
CRUTCHLOW BEST HONDA RIDER AT THE BRITISH GP
LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow claimed fourth position at his home race after an enthralling British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. The 31-year-old thrilled local fans as he was involved in a battle for the podium places throughout, but narrowly missed out on a top-three spot, although he finished the race just a second and half behind eventual winner, Andrea Dovizioso.
Having qualified on the front row and gone third fastest during Sunday’s warm up session, Crutchlow made a solid start and was part of a five-man group who pulled clear of the field. With Marc Marquez retiring seven laps from the end, Crutchlow became the lone Honda rider in contention, but ultimately was edged out by the factory Yamahas of Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi who took second and third respectively.
Cal Crutchlow – 4th
“It’s frustrating as I came here to win. You try to win every weekend, but this weekend was a special one, I felt good last year and I felt good again all weekend here, but I just didn’t have enough in the end. The other guys were quicker than me today, the front tyre was too soft for me as always and this was the reason I was struggling with the rear tyre in the end as I was having to spin a lot to turn the bike.
“But I did the best job I could and today that was fourth. A home podium would have been good so yes, I’m disappointed, but all credit to the three guys in front – Dovi (Andrea Dovizioso) rode fantastically. I didn’t think all weekend he was the guy to beat, I thought it would be Marc (Marquez). But we have to go to Misano with our head held high and try again there.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
Barbera and Baz score championship points in a hot race at Silverstone
Reale Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz left the British Grand Prix with valuable championship points after making a comeback from 16th and 21st place on the grid. The free and qualifying practice sessions had been difficult for the Reale Avintia riders, and this result is a good reward for the hard work of the team throughout the weekend.
Barbera had a problem at the start and lost many places, but then he was able to keep a constant pace that allowed him to catch his teammate and beat him on the last lap to score two points.
Loris Baz made a bet before the race, choosing the softer Michelin rear tyre. This was an advantage on the first few laps, but it made things difficult for the French rider in the last part of the race. He struggled with rear grip and he lost several positions. But he still scored one point after a difficult weekend.
Hector Barbera | P14
“It was a strange race. At the start the bike moved as I put the first gear in and to avoid jumping the start, I stopped and restarted again. This cost me a lot of positions on the first lap and I was almost last. But then I started to recover and pass some riders. I lost too much time trying to get past Smith and Miller, and it was a pity what happened at the start as my pace today was fast enough to fight for a top ten finish. Now we have to focus on this base set up, because it is clear that I’m faster like that. In Misano we need to make another step forward.”
Loris Baz | P15
“It was a difficult race but at the end it was better than we expected. It was a risk to use the soft rear tyre, but it was the tyre with which I was more comfortable and it also allowed me to attack during the first laps of the race. Then I just tried to finish the race as the bike was sliding a lot in the righthand corners. When Abraham passed me, I tried to stay with him, but it was impossible, because with two laps to go the tyre was finished. On the last lap Hector caught me and I had nothing left to defend my position. I scored one point and after all the problems during the weekend, this was not so bad. I hope that we can return to the level from the last races at Misano.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Difficult race for Repsol Honda Team at Silverstone
Today’s Silverstone GP was a tough race for the Repsol Honda Team, with Marc Marquez forced to retire on lap 14 while fighting for the victory.
Marc was in the lead group from the beginning having started well from pole position and he set a new race-lap record of 2’01.560” on lap 10. Then, while closely chasing eventual winner Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi, he suffered a problem with his bike’s engine. It was Marc’s first DNF caused by a technical failure since he entered the MotoGP class with the Repsol Honda Team in 2013. The engine will be returned to HRC in Japan for evaluation.
Dani Pedrosa managed to lap almost one second faster than his practice pace, despite struggling on the bumpy surface, but he wasn’t able to stick with front riders and ultimately matched his qualifying position with a seventh-place finish.
Marc is now a close second in the championship standings, 9 points behind Dovizioso. The 9 points Dani scored allow him to remain 35 points off the top in fifth place.
Dani Pedrosa 26
7TH
“The whole weekend has been quite difficult for us at this track, but the team tried to give me the best bike possible and I tried to do my best in the race. I really gave it my all and actually my pace was better than in the practices, almost one second faster compared to the rest of the weekend. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to stay with the front group, but I’ll take the positive part—the fact that we managed to improve a little. We have the same gap to the top in the Championship, so we’ll put this race behind us and work to be stronger and to fight at the front in the next races.”
Marc Marquez 93
DNF
“Today was really unlucky, as I was feeling very good on the bike and was there with the others, just trying to manage the race and tyres, especially the front as the temperature was higher than yesterday and I wanted to save it so to attack in the end. I had already seen that Dovi had something more than Viñales and Rossi, but I thought I could try and fight with him. So, everything was going well when I suddenly had a problem with the engine at the end of the straight. It’s a shame of course but that’s something that can happen in racing, and it was the first time for me with Honda. The positives are that we were fast here, as we have been at other tracks, and that we’re still there in the Championship. Zero points today, but I’m still feeling good with the bike and am looking forward to the next races.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Dovizioso stuns Silverstone to retake the Championship lead
‘Championship drama in the British GP as Marquez retires and ‘DesmoDovi’ wins
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) became the first man to win four races this season at the British GP, as the Championship challenger put on a tactical masterclass once again. In a close second but unable to make a last lap lunge was Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), with early leader Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completing the podium in his 300th premier class race start. As well as the podium finishers, the standings took a shake up as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was forced to retire.
It was Rossi who bolted off the line; the nine-time World Champion getting a lightning start from the middle of the front row and disappearing into the distance in the initial stages. Behind the ‘Doctor’, Marquez led a close five rider train with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Viñales, Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) and Dovizioso on the chase. Marquez suffered a huge moment early on, but the rider from Cervera remained in charge of the chasing pack.
Soon, the Dovizioso struck against Lorenzo and the group began to pull away from the ‘Spartan’, just as Rossi pulled away on his own at the front. The game of high-octane chess continued with the four in line and staying within touching distance of Rossi, until a sudden puff of smoke gave the Championship a serious shake up and Marquez was out of it.
That left four, with Rossi then reeled in and everything looking like it would go down to the wire. And that it did, with Dovizioso able to pounce with three to go and get past his compatriot, swiftly followed by Viñales. The ‘Doctor’ tried to fight back but found the duo able to just stay clear – and the final lap was approaching.
With the concertina effect seeing the Ducati able to pull a gap and then the Yamaha able to close, it was incredibly tight as the two headed around the final 5.9km lap of Silverstone. Having played his hand to perfection, Dovizioso was able to keep the advantage to the line – taking his fourth win of the year. Viñales took second, with Rossi completing the podium. Crutchlow, not quite able to get close enough to make his move, took fourth.
Lorenzo had a great race to cross the line in fifth – and only 3.5 seconds off the race winning time of his teammate. The ‘Spartan’ overcame Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in the latter stages to pull a sizeable gap on the Frenchman over the line as he continues to move forward. Zarco took P6, comfortably ahead of a more difficult day at the office for Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team).
Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) showed his home race pace once again to take eighth, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) equaling his best rookie result in ninth just behind the Brit. Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team), after a more difficult qualifying day, completed the top ten.
Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was hugely impressive once again for KTM, taking P11 after also getting straight through to Q2. Tito Rabat (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) followed him home, with Karel Abraham (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) and Reale Avintia Racing pairing Hector Barbera and Loris Baz locking out the fastest fifteen.
Now it’s Misano – home turf for many, including Valentino Rossi and new Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso.
MotoGP Race Results
1 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) 40’45.496
2 – Maverick Viñales (SPA – Yamaha) +0.114
3 – Valentino Rossi (ITA – Yamaha) + 0.749
1st Independent Team Rider:
P 4 Cal Crutchlow (GBR – Honda) + 1.679
Nakagami uncatchable for a stunning second win
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) took his second ever Moto2™ win in the British GP, making a good start from fourth on the grid to chase down Championship leader Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and take over at the front. Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) was also able to charge past his compatriot to take second, with Morbidelli completing the podium in third.
Of the front row it was P2 starter Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) who bolted off the line, with the rider from Cervera a margin ahead by the end of Lap 1 – and polesitter Pasini dropping back into the clutches of Nakagami. And Morbidelli, soon on the rear wheel of the Japanese rider, was in P2 by the end of the first lap – soon starting to reel his teammate in.
After steadily catching Marquez, the Championship leader pounced and the two EG 0,0 Marc VDS bikes were locked together at the front. Marquez then hit back, before suddenly sliding out at Turn 14 in a dramatic twist to the race. That left Morbidelli in some free air, but not for long – with Nakagami quick to catch and pass the Italian.
After hitting the front, the Japanese rider was uncatchable, initially disappearing into the distance – but the story had another chapter as Pasini went on a late charge, closing up but not able to quite get close enough. Over the line, Nakagami was seven tenths clear to take his second Moto2™ win and celebrate his recently-announced move to the premier class in style, with Pasini taking another podium as his run of good form in 2017 continues. Morbidelli completed the podium, and gained another small margin in his Championship lead.
Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) – another recently-announced addition to the MotoGP™ grid – took fourth and made a considerable move up from his P9 on the grid, and crucially crossed the line only one place behind key title rival Morbidelli. Top rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) completed the top five and was another to gain big after a more difficult Saturday, ahead of compatriot Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) in sixth.
Stefano Manzi (Sky Racing Team VR46) had an incredible race for his best result yet in the intermediate class, taking seventh and once again showing serious pace at Silverstone to follow on from his performance in Moto3™ at the venue last year. He beat Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) over the line by only 0.061, with second Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder another few tenths back to take another rookie top ten in P9. Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) completed the top ten as fastest Suter, after also going quickest in FP1 in a solid weekend.
Luca Marini (Forward Racing Team) moved slightly back from his grid position to take P11 in the race, ahead of former FIM CEV Repsol rival and Tech 3 Racing rider Xavi Vierge. Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) took 13th, with early pacesetter Alex Marquez able to quickly remount and come home in fourteenth despite his crash. Axel Pons (RW Racing GP) completed the points.
Next up is Misano – home turf for Morbidelli and with the gap giving him a little breathing space. But not much, with the Czech GP already having shown how quickly the tide can turn and 29 points separating the two leaders of the Moto2™ pack.
Moto2 Results
1 – Takaaki Nakagami (JPN – Kalex) 38’21.607
2 – Mattia Pasini (ITA – Kalex) +0.724
3 – Franco Morbidelli (ITA – Kalex) + 2.678
Canet wins dramatic Silverstone showstopper
Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) came out on top in a clash of the Moto3™ titans at Silverstone, with an incredible freight train of frontrunners throughout the race – covering almost the entire field – and the race then Red Flagged on the last lap following an incident on track. Canet’s teammate Enea Bastianini took second and returned to the podium for the first time this season, ahead of another impressive podium finish for Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3).
The rider taken to the Medical Center following the Red Flag incident was Juanfran Guevara (RBA BOE Racing Team), with the team confirming thereafter that he escaped injury.
Polesitter Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) got a good start and led the early stages, with the nature of the Silverstone circuit making sure no one could make a break for it – and almost the whole grid then locked in battle at the front. Switching and changing positions throughout, the lightweight runners redefined the possible in some corners – two or three abreast in a spectacular display of the best of Moto3™.
As the last lap dawned, it was Canet across the line first – and that proved critical. An incident further back in the pack on that final lap brought out the Red Flag, meaning positions would ultimately be decided by where the pack crossed the line on Lap 16 of 17. That gave Canet the victory, Bastianini his first podium of the year, and was a cause of frustration for some as their tactics were cut short.
Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Racing Team) took fourth as he stayed well in the fight throughout, just ahead of Championship leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) as the Majorcan increased his advantage once more. Just behind Mir was teammate Livio Loi in sixth – crucially ahead of Mir’s key Championship challenger Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers).
Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) was only 0.024 off compatriot Fenati to cross the line in eighth, with Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3). Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was 11th, with some good points for Adam Norrodin (SIC Racing Team) in P12.
John McPhee (British Talent Team) had a more difficult end to the race in thirteenth after a second row start, losing the chance to slice through on the final lap, with the points scorers completed by rookies Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia) and Manuel Pagliani (CIP).
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
A CLEVER RINS TAKES 9TH PLACE IN BRITISH GP RACE, IANNONE CRASHED OUT
Alex Rins: 9th – +15.661s
Andrea Iannone: DNF
A positive Sunday saw both of Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders improve their performances, enough for Alex Rins to finish the race in a solid 9th position and for Andrea Iannone to lead the warm up session in the morning with the best time, although he ended the race prematurely because of a crash.
The whole race has been a positive one for Rins, who managed to move like lightning in the early laps. His 2’02.112 was the fastest time on the track in lap two and then the rookie showed a consistent and fast pace. The 9th place finish is equal to his best performance of the season in Qatar, but most important for the team is to see his riding skills and tyre management skills improving race after race.
It was an unlucky end to a positive Sunday for Andrea Iannone. Despite the crash at the end of the race which preventing him from finishing, his pace had been consistently close to the top ten. With the improvements made to his GSX-RR he produced a stunning performance in the morning with a very fast pace and was first in the warm up session classification.
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager
“This has been a positive weekend for Alex. This was his best race since his injury. He was able to fight consistently within the top ten in the race, and he was also good in managing the tyres wisely. This is a big step he has made. With this race I believe he gained more confidence and in the next race he will also attempt even more. Andrea, on the other hand, unfortunately crashed. But we can see some positives here as well. In fact, he was very effective on single laps in many moments; in the warm up this morning he was the fastest on track. However, we have to work to give him more consistency and a more effective pace in the race. This is the next step we have to make. Anyway, we were able to make good progress with both riders this weekend and I’m pretty happy.”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“Today’s has been another very positive race for Alex. I think he took another big step ahead in his development process. He had a solid race with consistent laps. He also tried to recover from his starting position, although starting from the 13th place is not easy. Particularly in the first part of the race, he was able to lap as fast as the best riders. He did a good job. We’re happy and proud and we can look ahead with optimism for even more improvements. Unfortunately Andrea couldn’t capitalise on the positive improvements we made during the warm up where we found an effective setup. In the race he couldn’t get back the same positive feeling, so now we have to look for the reason why. Then later in the race he sustained a crash and was thus not able to finish. We look forward to Misano, where we will try to take advantage of the progress we’ve made.”
Alex Rins
“I’m happy for how the weekend went; we continue to make steps forward. In the race I felt comfortable from the beginning. Compared to previous races, in this one I managed to defend my position from the very early laps, and then I was able to try to attack. I could sit in 8th or 9th place with confidence, and with a confident pace. But then at the end of the race the rear tyre dropped a lot and I could only hang on to finish in 9th. I’m satisfied by the work we are doing. We continue to improve, not huge improvements, but consistent. We have to keep on getting experience and to try to get better qualifying positions which would make the race easier.”
Andrea Iannone
“After this morning’s warm up I had higher expectations for the race; I felt very confident with an improved setup that made me feel good about my GSX-RR. In the race I could sense from the very beginning that the feeling was different, especially in the back. I didn´t have that confidence, as I had issues with the traction, losing time in acceleration. It’s a shame; we have to find out what happened this morning. Then I sustained a crash in the race. I am very sorry for Petrucci. We have already spoken and he understood where I was coming from. So we with continue to work. I’m happy for Alex who had a good race, and a 15 seconds gap from the winner is a positive sign for all of us.
More, from a press release issued by KTM:
SUNNY SILVERSTONE SHINES ORANGE WITH ESPARGARO 11TH ON FIRST VISIT TO BRITISHGP
RACE 12th Rd. MotoGP 2017 – Silverstone Circuit (GBR)
A sunny day at Silverstone saw blue skies and another strong orange result for KTM across all three classes today for the British Grand Prix. The Red Bull KTM MotoGP Factory Racing team saw Pol Espargaro 11th at the flag after arguably his strongest practice and qualifying in the lead up to the race. As with the MotoGP team, the KTM Moto2 squad hadn’t been to the British track before but had two top ten finishes for Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder while Gabriel Rodrigo was top KTM in Moto3 in one of the closest races seen for some time.
MotoGP
For the third race in a row the Red Bull KTM MotoGP Factory Racing team have had a positive result, this time on their first ever visit to Silverstone with Pol Espargaro coming home in 11th spot after a fabulous qualifying performance from the KTM RC16 motorcycle. Pol finished in 11th spot on the longest circuit of the eighteen race calendar – a track notoriously difficult for set up with its fast straights and slow corners all in one 5.9 km track. Unluckily for Espargaro he had a medium speed tumble after the finish line with a problem the team have never encountered before. Fortunately he was soon on his feet and back to the garage. Bradley Smith at his home race had a new crew chief and worked well with him as the second half of the season gets underway. He found the hotter weather on race day wasn’t quite to his set up parameters and finished just outside the points.
Espargaro: “Maybe we started today with the bar set a little bit too high following a great Brno, Spielberg and then a great first run in qualifying here (seventh) but we didn’t expect these conditions to be so hot and that maybe hurt us a little. At the start of the race I could follow the top guys and do some good laps but step by step the rear tyre dropped a little bit as the hard compound didn’t help us so much. But… no excuses… At the start we could fight when full grip was there and we’ve learnt more as a team to eventually be only 30 seconds off the winner whereas in June at Barcelona we were much more. We are improving…but we remember these improvements don’t come easy and that is why the team and the guys at KTM Motorsport in Austria are on it.”
Smith: “I had a great start and was very aggressive in the opening laps to get myself up the order. Then as the race progressed, maybe the tyre choice wasn’t the best but with this temperature being a little higher than before maybe we looked at what the others were doing too much. Should we have taken a risk with another tyre? That can then be the recipe for ‘hero or zero’ so one has to be careful. We’ve learnt a lot this weekend and felt that we have found some good pace to hold in there until the halfway point but I lost the grip and confidence that I needed to make the front work. Obviously it’s heartbreaking to finish a British GP like this but the intent was there from me and all of the boys in the garage but now we focus on Misano where we had a day’s testing last Monday.”
Mike Leitner (Team Manager MotoGP): “The weekend was good here especially as though we’ve never been here before and because a Silverstone is very difficult with all these bumps, fast and tight corners too. You really need to work on a good setting but the reality is in four sessions it’s very difficult to bridge the gap to the other manufacturers who’ve been here for seven years before so that made it all the more impressive for us that we jumped directly into Q2 for the first time in dry conditions with Pol. Bradley started with his new crew chief and that in itself isn’t easy to start together at this track but it went well. We don’t see the results quite yet but it will grow. Pol did a great race getting towards the top ten – hugely positive. If you’d said to me at the start of the weekend we’d be eleventh and only thirty seconds from the winner, I would have have signed on the line immediately. He had a spill off the bike after the line with a problem we’ve never seen before but we’ll learn from that. We only have one remaining track this year where we haven’t been testing before – Motegi – so we hope we’ll have a better build up to the weekend at the other five tracks.”
Moto2
After a thrilling start both Red Bull Ajo KTMs were running well with Miguel Oliveira getting into the top five as the race progressed. Just after the halfway point he hit a false neutral and so ran on at a corner but fought back to eighth at the flag.
Brad Binder started twentieth on the grid but made up seven places on the first lap as his Sunday fight-back-form came to the fore once more and proving his ever-growing speed on the KTM Moto2 bike. The South African hasn’t felt well all weekend but fought hard and was satisfied with an ninth position at the line.
Oliveira: “In the end it was a race a little without reward for us, because I had a very good pace and I knew I could have fought for the victory. I didn’t start very well, then I got into the Top 5 and, when I wanted to pass Pasini, I couldn’t engage the gear – it was stuck in neutral and I ran wide. I was able to get back up and pass some other riders, to take some points and cross the finish line in eighth place. We will take away the positives and move on. Now we have to focus and be motivated for the next race.”
Binder: “I really need to learn how to set a fast lap in qualifying, because it’s very annoying to have to start from so far back. In the race I know I can be up at the front, I just have to work hard to get a good position on the grid. Looking at the weekend overall, I am happy I gave 100%, even when I didn’t feel quite right; on the last few laps I felt better but I was not completely comfortable. I was able to get into the Top 10, so I’m satisfied with that. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I know that step by step we can be stronger and finish higher up.”
Moto3
A truly classic Moto3 race wowed the crowds over the longest circuit of the series today with nothing between any of the protagonists. Indeed, there were seven different leaders over seventeen laps. The KTM RC250 GPs of Gabriel Rodrigo, Juanfran Guevara, Niccolo Antonelli and Bo Bendsneyder were all top ten runners but two laps from home there was a coming together between Bendsneyder and Guevara into the Brooklands corner that brought out the red flag to stop the race. On count back to the previous lap it meant the top KTM was Rodrigo in fourth while Bendsneyder’s huge efforts went unrewarded as he wasn’t running when the red flag came out as per the rules stipulate. Antonelli had a superb start to the race to run in fifth to ultimately only finish 4.2 seconds off the win, but out of the points so tight was the race.
Aki Ajo (Team Manager Moto3): “Once again the Moto3 class has treated us to an exciting race, with more than twenty riders in the leading group. However, in the end it wasn’t a good day for us. Bo (Bendsneyder) was close to the leading riders all the time, but he still had a little way to go to get into the top positions. Everything was still open for him on the last laps, until there was the incident with another rider. That’s racing. For Niccolo (Antonelli) it was a difficult race. It’s time to look ahead to the next round at Misano.”
Next Race: September 10, 2017 – Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli (SMR)
Results Race MotoGP Silverstone Circuit 2017
1. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati, 40:45.496 min (20 laps)
2. Maverick Vinales (ESP), Yamaha, +0.114 sec
3. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha, +0.749
4. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), Honda, +1.679
5. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP), Ducati, +3.508
11. Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +30.336
17. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +48.683
Standings MotoGP 2017 after 12 of 18 races
1. Dovizioso, 188 points
2. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda, 174
3. Viñales, 170
4. Rossi, 157
5. Dani Pedrosa (ESP), Honda, 148
19. Espargaro, 26
22. Smith, 8
24. Mika Kallio (FIN), KTM, 6
Results Race Moto2 Silverstone Circuit 2017
1. Takaaki Nakagami (JAP), Kalex, 38:20.883 min (18 laps)
2. Mattia Pasini (ITA), Kalex, +0.724 sec
3. Franco Morbidelli (ITA), Kalex, +2.678
4. Tom Luethi (SUI), Kalex, +4.645
5. Franceso Bagnaia (ITA), Kalex, +9.515
8. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +10.463
9. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +10.762
Standings Moto2 2017 after 12 of 18 races
1. Morbidelli, 223 points
2. Luethi, 194
3. Alex Marquez (ESP), Kalex, 155
4. Oliveira, 141
5. Bagnaia, 111
14. Binder, 45
Results Race Moto3 Silverstone Circuit 2017
1. Aron Canet (ESP), Honda, 35:53.028 min (16 laps)
2. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Honda, +0.063 sec
3. Jorge Martin (ESP), Honda, +0.111
4. Gabriel Rodrigo (ESP), KTM, +0.232
5. Joan Mir (ESP), Honda, +0.455
KTM
8. Andrea Migno (ITA), KTM, +0.702
9. Philipp Oettl (GER), KTM, +1.200
16. Niccolo Antonelli (ITA), KTM, +4.292
DNF Bo Bendsneyder (NED), KTM, +1 laps
Standings Moto3 2017 after 12 of 18 rounds
1. Mir, 226 points
2. Canet, 162
3. Romano Fenati (ITA), Honda, 160
4. Martin, 121
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA), Honda, 101
KTM
7. Marcos Ramirez (ESP), KTM, 92
8. Andrea Migno (ITA), KTM, 91
10. Oettl, 71
16. Bendsneyder, 38
20. Antonelli, 16
More, from a press release issued by Michelin:
MICHELIN AND DOVIZIOSO TRIUMPHANT IN THE SILVERSTONE SUNSHINE
Michelin saw its MotoGP™ tyres produce some impressive performances as records were broken throughout the weekend which resulted in a race victory for Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) at the Octo British Grand Prix at Silverstone in England.
Under beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine, the full selection of MICHELIN Power Slick tyres were again chosen in various mixes, as the soft, medium and hard versions of both front and rear rubber were put through their paces over the 20-lap race. As the lights changed to signal go, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) – making his 300th MotoGP performance today – grasped the lead from the start from pole-setter Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). The Italian then led for the next 17-laps as an ever-changing and evolving battle took place behind him, with Marquez, Dovizioso, Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) wrestling for positions. The relentless pace of all riders was evident as the lap-record was broken several times in the early stages, before Marquez set a new benchmark on lap-10. This achievement added to his stunning pole-lap on Saturday which eclipsed the previous best and saw a motorcycle travel around the 5.9km English circuit in under two-minutes for the first time in history, both highlighting the incredible grip produced from the Michelin tyres over the bumpy surface. Marquez can take consolation from these successes as his race was to draw to a premature end as an issue with his bike saw him retire on lap-14.
As Rossi – using the hard front and rear pairing – started lap-18 he came under pressure from Dovizioso – using the same selection as Rossi – and the hard-charging Ducati man seized his opportunity and took the lead, a position he held onto until the chequered flag, despite coming under pressure from Viñales after he had passed Rossi in the closing stages – the Spaniard having paired a hard front MICHELIN Power Slick with a soft rear. Dovizioso scored his fourth victory of the season and moved to the head of the championship, following an event which saw Michelin and the Italian set another new record, as the race duration time was beaten by over six-seconds.
As the British crowd witnessed an exciting race and a one-two-three of Dovizioso, Viñales and Rossi, they were given even extra cause for celebration as local-hero Crutchlow finished fourth and took the title of First Independent Racer. Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) was the next over the line, ahead of Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in sixth. Seventh place went to Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), with Scott Redding (OCTO Pramac Racing) taking eighth. Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) scored his best result of the season as he took ninth, with Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) marking his 250th Grand Prix appearance with tenth place and the honour of the fastest recorded speed of the weekend.
Today’s race was watched at trackside by more than 56,000 spectators and they basked in the glorious English weather as air temperatures rose to 25°C and the track moved up to 40°C with very little wind, making conditions almost perfect to produce yet another exciting instalment of this year’s championship. Victory for Dovizioso moved him to the top of the standings, but with a third of the season still to go and the top-five separated by just 35-points, the championship is still very much in the balance.
Michelin and the MotoGP paddock now heads to the Adriatic Coastline of Italy for the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix at Misano on Sunday 10th September, where another episode of this enthralling 2017 season is sure to unfold.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team:
“This race was very strange, because it felt like we could not push as hard as we did in the practice, because we wanted to save the tyres so we could all arrive in a good shape at the end. That was the key for me because at the end I had a really good grip. The race was really fast and felt good, it was great fun to ride in and race with the other guys. The front tyre worked well and I felt very comfortable throughout the race with the Michelin tyres and am really pleased with this victory.”
Nicolas Goubert – Deputy Director, Technical Director and Supervisor of the MotoGP Programme:
“We have obviously got to be very pleased with everything we have achieved this weekend here at Silverstone. It is a long, fast track and very bumpy, so to have the times we did right from the start on Friday was encouraging. On Saturday, the morning session started damp, but the riders used the slicks to good effect, which gave them had lots of grip and again set some very competitive times. The qualifying was a huge confirmation of what we had tried to accomplish here this weekend as we saw Marc Marquez go under two minutes and give us the fastest lap on a motorcycle ever seen here. This showed the potential for fast times and that was again emphasised in the race as both the race lap record and race duration record – by five riders – were both broken. This is a great result for us and it again emphasised the choice we are giving the riders, as the first guy was on a hard rear and the second placed one was on a soft rear. The other encouraging aspect was the consistency and durability of the tyres as we witnessed no significant drop in lap-times and the riders were pushing very hard as the race drew to a close. Congratulations to Andrea Dovizioso on his fourth victory this year, the title is still wide open and we at Michelin are glad that we have an important role in giving the riders the tyres they need to make this year’s championship the closest and most exciting it can be.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Andrea Dovizioso scores a fantastic win in the British GP at Silverstone to move back into the lead of the world championship. Good race also by Jorge Lorenzo, fifth at the flag not far behind his team-mate
Today produced another sensational victory for Andrea Dovizioso who powered to the top of the podium again at Silverstone a fortnight after his win in Austria. This was the fourth win of the season for the Italian rider, who now heads the championship table for the second time this season with 183 points.
At the start Dovizioso got away well from the second row and finished the opening lap in sixth place. The Italian moved into third on lap 6, battling with a group made up of Rossi, Viñales, Marquez and Crutchlow, and he then overtook the two Spanish riders to move into second behind Rossi. Three laps from the end Andrea passed his rival from Tavullia and then held off a hard-charging Viñales until the chequered flag.
Team-mate Jorge Lorenzo also ran a very good race, the Spaniard finishing fifth at the flag just 3.5” behind Dovizioso. Jorge scrapped first with Pedrosa and then with Zarco, building up a small gap over his two rivals, which he maintained to the finish. Thanks to today’s result, Lorenzo holds on to seventh place in the championship table with 90 points.
The next round of the MotoGP World Championship will be at the Misano Adriatico circuit on the weekend of 8-10 September with the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1st
“I’m so happy about today’s victory, my fourth this year, because every race we win is different from the others, and this means that we are really strong and can fight for the championship. It was a really tough race because all of our rivals were on top form. Today Marquez was unlucky, but we did a perfect race because, even though we were probably not the quickest outright, we were able to interpret it in the best possible way and go on to win. This means that the work we did during the weekend was excellent, and so was my race strategy because I managed to get into the right position at the right time. This year every race is a story in itself and the tyres are always a key factor, but we are very focused on our working method which is producing results.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 5th
“This time I opted for a more conservative start than usual and maybe it slowed my progress in the early laps. For sure after rather a difficult weekend, in which we never exactly found the right rhythm, we have to be happy because in the race I managed to manage the throttle well and preserve the tyres. In this way the rear tyre stayed consistent throughout. It wasn’t sufficient to catch the leading group but it was enough to keep the gap down and score my best result of the season in this sense. And I think that at Misano we can do even better. I want to congratulate Andrea, who rode a masterful race, and showed that he was perfect in managing this type of race. His results speak for themselves: four wins and lthe championship lead can only make the entire team happy.”
Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)
“I want to send my congratulations to all the men and women of Ducati Corse for this fourth win of the season because, if I think of how hard they have been working over the last few years, I’m really happy that now they can finally see the results of their work. Andrea did another marvellous race, in which he never made one single mistake, and also Jorge scored a good result on a difficult track like this one, finishing just over three seconds behind the winner, so I have to say that I am really optimistic for the future.”