Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix/FIM MotoGP World Championship Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California July 29 2012 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 32 laps 2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -3.429 seconds 3. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -7.633 4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (YAMAHA), -18.602 5. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), -18.779 6. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), -26.902 7. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), -28.393 8. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), -50.246 9. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-ART), -78.993 10. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), -82.076 11. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-ART), -1 lap, 1.431 seconds 12. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -1 lap, 9.147 13. Colin EDWARDS, USA (BMW-Suter), -1 lap, 31.465 14. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -3 laps, DNF, crash 15. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), -11 laps, DNF, crash 16. James ELLISON, UK (Aprilia-PBM/ART), -13 laps, DNF, crash 17. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia-Speed Master/ART), -21 laps, DNF, retired 18. Toni ELIAS, Spain (DUCATI), -31 laps, DNF, crash 19. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda-FTR), -32 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 10 of 18 races): 1. Lorenzo, 205 points 2. Pedrosa, 182 3. Stoner, 173 4. Dovizioso, 121 5. Crutchlow, 106 6. TIE, Bradl/Nicky Hayden, 84 8. Rossi, 82 9. Bautista, 81 10. Spies, 66 11. Barbera, 60 12. TIE, De Puniet/Espargaro, 33 14. Pirro, 16 15. Pasini, 13 16. Ellison, 12 17. Edwards, 11 18. TIE, Abraham/Hernandez, 10 20. Petrucci, 9 21. Silva, 7 More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: PASINI FORCED TO RETIRE IN THE RACE AT LAGUNA SECA The tenth race of the 2012 season for the MotoGP class was held today, at the US track of Laguna Seca. In the warm up of this morning, which was postponed because of the fog, Pasini and his crew tried out some possible extra solutions for the setting, in order to work out and finalize the choice for the race. Starting from the sixth row, the Italian moved up a few spots in the initial phases of the race, reaching the top-15 easily. On the twelfth lap, Mattia had to deal with a technical issue and therefore he was forced to go back to the pitbox and retire. Pasini leaves the circuit of Laguna Seca with a total of thirteen points in the Championship Rankings, in fifteenth position. Mattia Pasini #54 – retired “It’s a shame that we couldn’t finish this race. We started off pretty well, we moved up quite a few positions and we had a good pace. There was a chance to stay with Hernandez and De Puniet, and then attack and try to improve in the last part of the race, but on the twelfth lap a technical problem forced us to retire. We could have left Laguna Seca with a few points that would have helped in the classification, but now we can only look towards Indianapolis, where we’ll do our best to make up.” More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar Team: POWER ELECTRONICS RIDER SCORES ANOTHER TOP TEN FOR CRT REVOLUTION Aleix Espargaró repeats feat of his team-mate Randy De Puniet There were no surprises at the front of the MotoGP race at Laguna Seca as the top three riders on the grid filled the podium positions, Casey Stoner taking the win ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. Lorenzo pushed hard to break the pair from pole position but after eleven laps he finally relented to intense pressure from the Australian, who went on to open up a 3.4 second advantage at the flag. The last race before the summer break proved to be one to remember for the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team, capping off an impressive first half of the season. Between them Aleix Espargaró and Randy De Puniet have taken CRT honours in eight of the opening ten races, five of them going the Spaniard’s way after today’s ninth place. Aleix spent all 32 laps of today’s race as the leading CRT on track although he would surely have come under more threat from Randy if it weren’t for the Frenchman getting run off track by another rider in turn one. An impressive fightback to eleventh place means the pair are now tied on 33 points in the championship with eight races remaining. 9th Aleix Espargaró: “I am really happy with the result although I didn’t actually enjoy the race as much as some others. I have struggled for front feel all weekend and not been able to get the bike turning as well as at other tracks. We improved it a little bit for today and after a good start I was able to push hard for the first three laps behind Valentino, which allowed me to open a gap and hold it to the end. I didn’t know that Randy had run off but I did think it was strange that he wasn’t running with me in the race because our pace was so similar. I would prefer to beat him fair and square but the important thing is to finish as the top CRT. This season has been fantastic so far, the team are giving me a lot of support and putting everything into every race so I want to thank them all for the results we have achieved together up to now.” 11th Randy De Puniet: “I am really annoyed to have been pushed off track in turn one because it cost me my chance to finish as the top CRT here in America. I almost crashed but luckily I was able to stay on and finish the race. My pace after that was fast and consistent so I am happy with that. I had to stay focused and pass a few riders and managed to finish eleventh so we have to be pleased. I would have liked to have caught Karel and Aleix and I gave everything I had but the time we lost at the start was too much to make up. At the end of the day we could have come away from here with nothing but we have picked up some important points for the championship. Once again it was a great team effort and we just need to continue in the same way at the next race.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens MotoGP Team: Avintia Blusens score at Laguna Seca. Yonny finishes third in the CRT´s and twelfth in the general ranking. Silva finishes fourteenth Laguna Seca, 29 of July 2012. Today the Avintia Blusens riders completed a good day at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix as they both scored. Yonny Hernández completed a great weekend as he finished third in the CRT´s and gave one of his best performances so far this season. After he made a good start De Puniet had an incident which gave the Colombian rider the second position in the CRT´s right behind Espargaró and right in front of MotoGP´s such as those of Abraham y Elías. Yonny managed to maintain this position throughout the race until more powerful bikes such as Karel´s Ducati or De Puniet´s Aprilia came out on top. For his part Silva has been more active and involved than ever swapping positions in the top five until he eventually finished fifth in the « smaller » MotoGP´s and scored two points for finishing fourteenth in the general ranking. Raúl Romero (MotoGP Team Manager): “We are leaving Laguna Seca with the right feeling. It was the first time that we had come to this difficult track and both riders managed to score. Throughout the weekend we have made tests that will definitely prove to be positive for the remaining races. We have tried a new streamlined body that we will use in Indianapolis for the first time. We have also used new shock absorbers, a new fork the inside of which is completely different and a new exhaust pipe as well. It has been really positive. Each step ahead we take makes us more motivated but we must bear in mind that we are competing with a “home-made” bike and even if we have to keep on improving each time we get closer to the best CRT´s.” 68 Yonny Hernández (12º +1l): “I am happy with my performance in this race and the weekend overall. I am leaving Laguna Seca with the right feeling as the team did a great job and we were competitive. We stuck to the second spot among the CRT´s during most of the race and only Alex and Randy´s Aprilia´s proved to be better than me. We rode at a good pace and we met our objectives which was to finish among the best. It´s a pity I finally lost to much grip and De puniet caught up with me but I am satisfied anyway. 22 Iván Silva (14º +1l): “Scoring again is positive and we have to cheer up. Of course I would have preferred to get a better position but we have taken a good step ahead and I felt more at ease with the bike. I maintained a good pace throughout the race and I also had a good battle with Edwards but as the leaders were catching up with us and I gave way to let them pass Colin then passed me and I could not retrieve my position. Now is time to rest for a few days and look into Indianapolis.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Casey wins in Laguna with Dani 3rd, marking Repsol Honda’s 300th podium The Repsol Honda Team leaves Laguna Seca very happy and ready for a well deserved summer break. Casey Stoner took his fourth win of 2012 and Dani Pedrosa, third, celebrating his ninth podium in ten races, a successful combination that allows the Repsol Honda Team to celebrate the 300th podium in the premier class. After a difficult weekend trying to make the hard tyre work on his RC213V, Casey took a risky tyre choice just before leaving for the grid, opting for the soft rear, while Dani and Lorenzo took the hard. It was a good move for Casey to increase his confidence at a circuit he likes a lot and where only he and Wayne Rainey have won three times in the top class. Dani was unable to keep up with the pace of Casey and Lorenzo, but still managed to record a new fastest race lap on lap 5 with 1’21.229. With this victory, Casey celebrates his 37th premier class win equalling Mike Hailwood and is joint 4th in overall premier class victories behind Rossi (79), Agostini (68) and Doohan (54). Dani remained loyal on his podium visits and with his third place finish at Laguna, equals his longest sequence of successive podiums (5) in the MotoGP class and equals Casey in fifth position in premier class podium finishes with 65. The Repsol Honda Teams takes now a breath for the summer break with Dani second in the MotoGP World Championship, 23 points behind Lorenzo, and Casey in the third position, 9 points behind Dani. CASEY STONER 1st World Championship Standing: 3rd with 173 points “It’s been a difficult weekend for us in general especially trying to make the hard tyre work. So for the race I decided to go with the soft option and be a little more careful with the tyre, keep a little more traction and not spin so much. At the beginning of the race I tried to move to the front but Dani and Jorge were riding very good lines and it was impossible to get past. I decided to slow the lap times a little and try to save the tyres until the end and then we could start to come back. I was confident for the entire race that I had enough pace for the win, we just needed to make sure the tyre would last until the end. When we got to the front we put in some good laps and pulled some small advantage and just continued from there. I’m very, very happy and a big thanks to all the team”. DANI PEDROSA 3rd World Championship Standing: 2nd with 182 points “I tried my best in this race and third place was the maximum I could get this time. At the beginning, I was quite confident and calm when Casey passed me because I knew he was on the soft rear tyre and this was the most risky choice for the race, but finally it worked out perfectly for him. I knew I also had a good pace, but when I caught Casey again and was ready to overtake him I was on the throttle too fast and I had too much momentum there, I almost found myself on the floor. I lost ground with the leaders, but when I started braking harder trying to close the gap again I lost the front many times and I was so close to not finish this race. Anyway, I’m satisfied because I kept pushing until the end, giving one hundred per cent althou gh today it wasn’t enough. A small mistake it’s just enough to not finish in front. Anyway, we were riding the new bike for the first time here and we took another podium. We know what we can improve to come back stronger in Indianapolis”. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner’s soft approach leads to Laguna Seca victory Round 10: United States Grand Prix Race Laguna Seca, Sunday 29 July 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative) Weather: Dry. Ambient 17-17°C; Track 43-43°C (Bridgestone measurement) Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner once again claimed a come-from-behind win at Laguna Seca to claw back valuable points in the MotoGP™ championship battle. Unlike his main championship rivals Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo and teammate Dani Pedrosa, Stoner opted for the combination of the softer rear and harder rear slick for today’s race. After trailing Lorenzo for most of the race, Stoner managed his tyres well and was able to exploit the extra rear grip on offer to pass Lorenzo down the main straight on the entry to turn one on lap twenty-two. Lorenzo continued his imperious podium record by placing second, while Pedrosa finished in third place. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro was the highest placed CRT rider and grabbed a good haul of points by crossing the finish line in ninth place. Weather conditions today were the same as the previous two days, with cloudy and cool conditions in the morning before becoming warm and clear in the afternoon and track temperatures for the race remained stable at 43°C. Only six of the twenty-one riders on the grid selected the harder compound for the rear, while all but three riders selected the harder front slick for today’s race. Stoner’s remains in third position in the riders standings, though his fourth victory of the season means he narrows the gap to Lorenzo to thirty-two points and just nine points to Pedrosa. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Congratulations to Casey on his fourth win of the season and Repsol Honda for once again having both riders on the podium. The quick pace we witnessed on Friday and Saturday continued today, with Dani setting a new fastest lap record on lap five and the overall race time was six seconds quicker than last year. It was another good crowd here at Laguna Seca and it is always good to see how much MotoGP is supported in the United States. This is a challenging circuit for riders with its highly variable weather between the morning and afternoon sessions and I am pleased that our tyre allocation helped riders manage the conditions comfortably.” Masao Azuma Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Today’s race was held under very similar conditions to Friday and Saturday and with cloud cover once again being heavy this morning, tyre choice, particularly for the rear was not clear for the riders until right before the race as teams monitored track temperatures before making a final decision. In the end, six out of the twenty-one riders selected the harder option rear slick, though both rear tyre compounds worked very well during the race, with Dani setting the fastest lap on the harder rear slick early in the race and Casey winning on the softer rear option.” Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda Race Winner “We knew with the soft tyre we had to be gentle to start with, though I tried to get to the front as soon as possible but Dani and Jorge got in front of me at the start. Jorge was riding well and taking good lines, so I sat back and tried to slowly pick up the pace. Eventually I could get past and the race was surprisingly similar to last year so it was good to get another win here.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL TAKES 7th PLACE AT HIS DEBUT RACE IN LAGUNA SECA Monterey, 30th July: Stefan Bradl powered his Honda RC213V to the 7th place in today’s 32-lap race at Laguna Seca race track showing his strong attitude to quickly adapt to his machine even on an unknown circuit. The premier class rookie is now holding the 6th position in the world classification with 84 points. This was Bradl’s first trip to Laguna Seca on a MotoGP machine and the 22-year-old finished with the ninth fastest time in yesterday’s qualifying session at the track in the hills east of Monterey. Despite the lack of experience needed to get the most out of his LCR RCV, Bradl was capable to fight for the 6th place till 6 laps to go when local hero Hayden passed him. LCR Team and his racer will be back on track for the second American round at Indianapolis Speedway on the 17th of August. Stefan: “Actually it was a positive debut for us in Laguna. I am quite happy about this 7th final place. In general it was a pretty difficult weekend for us because we mainly started to work on the bike Saturday afternoon as on Friday I had to learn the track. Basically in the beginning of the race I was quite comfortable on the bike because we had full fuel on board but after ten laps I started to lose confidence compared to Dovi and Crutchlow due to the front end issues that we already had yesterday. From that moment it was too dangerous for me entering the corners with the same speed. Then I tried to keep Nicky behind him but I could see he was faster than me so I preferred to maintain my position scoring further points in the classification. I think we have done our best and we keep this experience for next season”. More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Stoner storms to victory in close-fought Laguna Seca race At this weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix in Laguna Seca it was Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner who recorded a hard-fought victory ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, after reaping the benefits of gambling with the softer rear tyre. It was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo who took the holeshot into the tricky turn one, with Repsol Honda Team’s Pedrosa and Stoner in tow. Stoner was the only one of the front-runners to have started on the softer option rear tyre, with the two Spaniards opting for the harder spec. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro was an early crasher in the first turn, while Pramac Racing Team’s Toni Elías crashed out a lap later. On lap two, Stoner was finding his pace and made his way past Pedrosa as he started to chase down Lorenzo at the front. As Lorenzo was keeping the Repsol pair honest, Yamaha’s Ben Spies was heading up a group in fourth including the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow, as well as Stefan Bradl. With 22 laps reaming Crutchlow was all over the back of the rear wheel of Dovizioso, as the pair continued their season-long tussle. Back at the front, Lorenzo was having to continuously hold off Stoner, who was all over the back of the Spaniard looking for a way past, as Pedrosa seemed content to look on in third. A lap later, Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden was finding his stride in eighth, as he made up headway to the front with teammate Valentino Rossi in tow. As the leading trio were heading into lap 13, Pedrosa had a huge wobble before the final turn, which he was just about able to save. This did however drop him back around a second from Stoner. On the same lap, Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini was forced to retire with a mechanical issue. With 14 laps reaming Lorenzo had a slight moment going into the corkscrew, as Stoner looked to be chipping away at his lead once more. A lap later Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo retired with a technical issue, while Paul Bird Motorsport’s James Ellison crashed out a short while later. 11 laps from the end Stoner had caught up to Lorenzo and put in a move going into turn one, just as he had done last year, to take charge at the front. It was not a good lap for Yamaha, as Spies crashed out of the race awkwardly whilst accelerating out of the corkscrew, due to a technical fault with his swingarm. Stoner and Lorenzo were in a league at their own at the front, and with nine laps left were already starting to lap some of the back markers. On the same lap Dovizioso had fought his way back past Crutchlow, as the pair continued to race neck and neck. Shortly after Hayden had caught up to the rear wheel of Bradl, as he looked to pass the German in front of his home crowd. And with five laps remaining he had made his way through, and started to pursue Crutchlow. With three laps left Stoner was not showing any signs of slowing down as he kept Lorenzo at bay with a gap of up to one second, while Pedrosa was a further three seconds behind in third. And there was drama in the penultimate lap as Rossi suffered a big crash heading into the corkscrew, for his first DNF of the season. Fortunately he was unhurt, yet heads into the summer break with further doubts about the Ducati’s competitiveness. In the end it was Stoner’s soft tyre gamble that paid off as he took the chequered flag by a margin of over three seconds, ahead of Lorenzo and Pedrosa, who completed the rostrum. Lorenzo still leads the championship by 23 points over Pedrosa and 32 over Stoner. The Australian quoted after the race that tyre management early in the race was key to him being able to continue his high pace until the end, whilst Lorenzo expressed surprise at its longevity, sighting that the harder option may have been the wrong choice. Dovizioso was the first non-podium finisher in fourth, followed by Crutchlow, Hayden and Bradl. Eighth spot went to San Carlo’s Álvaro Bautista, finishing ahead of top CRT performer Aleix Espargaró on board his Power Electronics Aspar machine. Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham completed the top ten on his return from injury. Attack Performance wildcard Steve Rapp was unable to compete in the race today, as he failed to reach the 107 per cent lap time marker in all the preceding sessions. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: DIFFICULT WEEKEND FOR TONY ELIAS AND PRAMAC RACING TEAM Tony Elias stands in for injured rider Héctor Barberà at the 10th round of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship at Laguna Seca circuit. A difficult start for the Spaniard who was in 16th position when the rider in front of him crash making him lose valuable tenths while riding into the gravel. Tony was able to re-join the race but unfortunately when he was trying to catch he made a mistake in breaking a little too late causing him to lose the front and sliding into the gravel. Despite the result, the Pramac Racing Team ended this weekend with a positive feeling. Thanks to two days of full work with the Pramac Racing crew, Tony was able improve progressively lap after lap, increasing his confidence with his Ducati. From the first free practice session to the qualifying he lowered his best lap time by almost two seconds, with a personal fast lap in 1’23.898, which assured him the 17th position on the grid for today’s 32-lap race of the U.S. Grand Prix. Even if he is still far from the fastest riders, the qualifying result was encouraging knowing that Elias has not ridden a Ducati since the 2008 season. Unfortunately Tony finished his race too early to allow him to demonstrate his potential with the Ducati. In the next two weeks Héctor Barberà will be continuing his rehabilitation and evaluated by Dr, Mir, who will will evaluate the physical progress that he is making after his leg surgery to repair the fractures left tibia and fibula. The Pramac Racing Team in agreement with Héctor will come to a decision about who will ride the Pramac Ducati machine at the upcoming 11th round that will take place in Indianapolis in two weeks time. Tony Elias Not classified “I am very sorry for how this weekend ended. Up until my crash I was gaining positions. I have to be happy with the progress we made in only three days with the Ducati. Every time I sat on the bike I managed to increase my confidence with the bike and I was able to improve my lap times, even if I was still learning the bike’s reaction on this untraditional track. Today I didn’t made a brilliant start, but I felt good. Unfortunately Pirro crashed in front of me, I briefly rode into the gravel but I was able to regain the confidence with my Ducati. I was planning to catch the riders ahead, but I braked too late and I lost the front finding myself off track. To conclude this weekend with a crash leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I hope to have the opportunity in the near future to collaborate again and continue to improve. I would like to thank the Pramac Racing Team for allowing me to be part of the team at this Laguna GP, thanks for a wonderful experience.” Francesco Guidotti Team Manager “It was a tricky weekend. All the premier class riders had some trouble due to heavy fog, in particular during both the morning sessions. It was a shame, especially for us. We lost a lot of precious time, due to the poor visibility. However, we worked tirelessly in the whole weekend, staring from the research of a good feeling between Tony and the bike. From the first free practice session, Tony had some issues with the front, but we was able to steadily improve both his lap times and his confidence with the bike. It was a shame for the race result, but especially for the team’s development. We could gather important information for the Ducati’s future setup during the 32-laps race, but Tony crashed and the race finished too early. Now we have to wait to make plans for the future. We will have to speak with both the doctors and Héctor in order to make a final decision.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Tech 3 Yamaha celebrates double top five in America The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team heads off on a richly deserved summer break in high spirits after Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow rode to a fantastic double top five finish in this afternoon’s US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Dovizioso made one of his trademark blistering launches off the start line to quickly seize fifth place from Crutchlow on the run to the tight first corner. The Italian then quickly found a fast and consistent rhythm in front of a sun-drenched Californian crowd o f 52,677 fans to mount a charge towards Factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies. Spies needed to call on all his vast home track knowledge to keep Dovizioso at bay. But a crash for the American exiting the spectacular Corkscrew section on lap 22 put Dovizioso into fourth position. Dovizioso though never had the opportunity to relax, as a determined Crutchlow had remained glued to the back of his YZR-M1 machine right from the first lap. In what has now become a familiar sight in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship, the two Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machines were locked in an exciting battle together right until the chequered flag. British rider Crutchlow couldn’t have put in a bigger effort to try and take fourth, but Dovizioso was once again brilliantly calm and collected under pres sure. Dovizioso secured his eighth top five finish of the season by just 0.177s and he strengthened his grip on fourth in the overall World Championship standings having moved to 121-points. Andrea Dovizioso 4th 121 points: “It would have been nice to have kept the podium sequence going for a fourth race in a row but we have to be very satisfied with today’s result because it was the best we could achieve when you consider the pace the top three have shown all weekend. Ben was doing a fantastic race and credit to him because he wasn’t in the best physical condition. It is a big pity that he crashed because at the end of the race I am sure we could have had a really nice battle. It wasn’t easy to stay with him and I was pushing really hard but when Ellison crashed there was a lot of sand on the track and I hit it and los t some time. It is a positive result and this busy period in the Championship has been very successful but we have to say the gap to the top three was very big. We head to the summer break confident for the rest of the season and ready to return in Indianapolis refreshed and looking forward to improving our performance.” Cal Crutchlow 5th 106 points: “I’m pretty happy with another solid finish inside the top five and that is a big improvement on last year where I struggled a lot at this track. All weekend I was inside the top six so to finish fifth and have another strong battle with Andrea is good for the Championship. Credit to Andrea again because he was faultless and it didn’t seem to matter how much pressure I put on him, he remained ice cool and didn’t put a foot wrong to give me a chance of passing. Any pas s would have been a desperate lunge and I certainly wasn’t going to risk taking us both out in such an important race for Yamaha and Monster. It was a good battle with Ben for the first 20 laps and I feel sorry for him because it was building up to be a good fight between the three of us at the end. It was bad luck for Ben and I did everything I could without being able to take fourth from Andrea. It has been a great first half to the season for me. I’ve finished all 10 races and that was the consistency I was looking for. I’m now staying in America for a well earned break before coming back strong and confident for Indianapolis.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager: “This was a very positive result to send the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team into the summer break with a lot of confidence and optimism for the remainder of the season. The last few weeks have been very tough but we have enjoyed the most successful spell in our MotoGP history, so thanks to Andrea and Cal for their hard work. Today was another fantastic battle between the two of them and like we have seen a few times this season, they really gave the fans an impressive show. It is not good for my heart but to see both of them fighting for fourth against such tough competition proves again the tremendous job the whole Team is doing. The first half of the season has been amazing for us and to have Andrea and Cal inside the top five in the rankings is a great achievement. We have received brilliant support from Yamaha and hopefully we can be just as strong in the final part of the Championship.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: 2012 FIM MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 10, SUNDAY, JULY 29, MONTEREY, CA Weather: Warm and sunny Temperature: Ambient 18 degrees C / Track 24 degrees C Attendance: 52,677 CASEY STONER TAMES THE CORKSCREW Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner heads into the summer break on a high after winning his fourth race of the year by making a wise tyre choice on a sunny day at the U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) was second and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) third and on the podium for the sixth race in a row, equalling his longest sequence of successive podiums in MotoGP. The win was Stoner’s second in a row and third overall at the tortuous circuit within sight of the Pacific Ocean east of Monterey, California, making him the winningest rider at the track. And it also allowed him to take five points out of the championship lead of Lorenzo. Stoner, who will spend his summer break traveling around the U.S. with his family, now has 173 points to 182 for Pedrosa and 205 for Lorenzo. The summer break arrives with Honda tied for the Constructor’s Championship lead, and Repsol Honda holding an 84 point lead in the Team’s Championship. The grand prix played out in a fashion very similar to last year’s race. Lorenzo got out to an early lead in front of Pedrosa, with Stoner taking second from his team-mate on the third of 32 laps of the 3.61Km, 11-turn circuit. Stoner was one of the few prototype riders to use the soft, rather than the medium rear tyre, and that would prove the key to victory. Stoner stalked Lorenzo for more than half the race before setting up his pass. As he had done last year, he made pass in turn 1, more of a kink than a turn, a left taken in sixth gear leaned over. The difference was that this year he went up the inside, last year it was the outside and five laps sooner, on lap 22 rather than lap 27. Lorenzo tried to stay with Stoner, and did for a number of laps, but in the later stages Stoner pulled away to a definitive victory. The margin of victory was 3.429s. Pedrosa was another 4.204s back in third, but on the podium again; he has only been off it once this year at the French GP. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) finished seventh in his first race at the circuit that allows no rest. Bradl lost the battle for sixth to Nicky Hayden, the American Ducati rider who has more experience at the track than any other rider. That Bradl was able to be competitive in his first race was impressive. His confidence was stronger early in the race with a full fuel load. Later, when the level went down and the weight came off the front, he developed a front end chatter that caused him to slow. Bradl heads into the summer break with a gaping lead over Michele Pirro, the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider whose day was less successful. Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) had a lonely ride to ninth. Bautista had crashed in the morning, and he had crashed earlier in the weekend. On his previous two visits to the track, on a different brand, he had crashed in the race. It was important for him to finish and go into the summer break with some confidence. Team-mate Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR Honda) did not make it past the second corner in his first visit to Laguna Seca. The Italian MotoGP rookie was run off the track by another rider in the Andretti Hairpin left turn and crashed. It was his third DNF in a row, none through his own fault. The series now goes into the summer break, a gap of two weekends before the 11th round of the MotoGP World Championship on August 17-19. MotoGP Rider Quotes Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: Race winner “It’s been a difficult weekend for us in general, especially trying to make the hard tyre work. So for the race I decided to go with the soft option and be a little more careful with the tyre, keep a little more traction and not spin so much. At the beginning of the race I tried to move to the front, but Dani and Jorge were riding very good lines and it was impossible to get past. I decided to slow the lap times a little and try to save the tyres until the end and then we could start to come back. I was confident for the entire race that I had enough pace for the win, we just needed to make sure the tyre would last until the end. When we got to the front we put in some good laps and pulled some small advantage and just continued from there. I’m very, very happy and a big thanks to all the team.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd “I tried my best in this race and third place was the maximum I could get this time. At the beginning, I was quite confident and calm when Casey passed me, because I knew he was on the soft rear tyre and this was the most risky choice for the race, but finally it worked out perfectly for him. I knew I also had a good pace, but when I caught Casey again and was ready to overtake him I was on the throttle too fast and I had too much momentum there, I almost found myself on the floor. I lost ground with the leaders, but when I started braking harder trying to close the gap again I lost the front many times and I was so close to not finish this race. Anyway, I’m satisfied because I kept pushing until the end, giving one hundred percent, although today it wasn’t enough. A small mistake it’s just enough to not finish in front. Anyway, we were riding the new bike for the first time here and we took another podium. We know what we can improve to come back stronger in Indianapolis.” Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 7th “Actually it was a positive debut for us in Laguna. I am quite happy about this seventh place. In general it was a pretty difficult weekend for us, because we mainly started to work on the bike Saturday afternoon as on Friday I had to learn the track. Basically in the beginning of the race I was quite comfortable on the bike, because we had full fuel on board, but after ten laps I started to lose confidence compared to Dovi (Dovizioso) and (Cal) Crutchlow due to the front end issues that we already had yesterday. From that moment it was too dangerous for me entering the corners with the same speed. Then I tried to keep Nicky (Hayden) behind me, but I could see he was faster than me. I think we have done our best and we keep this experience for next season.” Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 9th “I’m not sure why, but today the bike felt really unstable on the front. Maybe we made the wrong decision by going with the soft tyre. I tried to push it at the start, but I couldn’t brake hard and I was really struggling in corner entry. It’s strange, because we had good race pace with this tyre yesterday, but today it didn’t work. It hasn’t been a good weekend for us. Despite the positive signs yesterday it proved to be a difficult race today.” Michele Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF “They say things come in threes and unfortunately that is the case for me today with my third DNF in a row this time after contact with (Randy) De Puniet in the first corner. It is unfortunate, but I don’t want to be negative about it and I am sure that better times are ahead for me and the guys in the team.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Lorenzo Increases Championship Lead in Laguna” Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo put in an impressive performance today at Laguna Seca to take second in the Grand Prix of USA. Having started from pole, Lorenzo took the hole shot closely followed by rival Dani Pedrosa into turn one. He held the lead until a small incident in the corkscrew allowed Casey Stoner to close the already small gap, the Australian then passing him on the main straight on lap 21. Lorenzo tucked in behind in second, crossing the line just 3.429 seconds later.” Fellow Yamaha Factory rider Ben Spies continued to experience his run of bad luck for his home race. Spies made a strong start from the grid, slotting in behind Casey Stoner in fourth through the first turn. Although unable to stay with the front pack the Texan was looking comfortable holding fourth ahead of Andrea Dovizioso until a dramatic crash in the corkscrew on the 22nd lap caused by a technical failure with his swingarm. “Lorenzo leaves Laguna having increased his Championship lead to 23 over Pedrosa, Spies remains in 10th with 66 points. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 2nd Time: +3.429 “I tried my best the beginning to open a gap and I managed it but then in the corkscrew I almost crashed. For Casey maybe that was a motivation and he caught me in one lap. After that I couldn’t keep the pace I had in the beginning, maybe the soft tyre was the best option for this race. Without a doubt Casey was riding in an excellent form today and it wasn’t possible to beat him.” Ben Spies Position : DNF Time: “We had a technical failure in the swingarm. I was feeling really good, I didn’t have the grip that I had in the earlier sessions with the harder tyre but in the last ten laps I was starting to pull away and I had a little left up my sleeve. We started to stretch out a lead over Dovi then all of a sudden at the bottom of the corkscrew the bike went out from underneath me. I had no control, it didn’t slide or anything just completely went. At first I thought I’d hit a bump but there isn’t one there. It’s nobody’s fault but it’s more bad luck.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “Another important result today. Jorge rode a brilliant race again, as we expected the tyre choice was very important. He had a small incident in the corkscrew that allowed Casey to catch up, but anyway his pace continued to be very good. It’s very important for the Championship to stay on the podium so today was a success and we have extended our lead over Dani a little. We’ll take a break now and then be ready for Indinapolis!” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “A good and bad day here in Laguna. The good is that we managed to increase the gap to Pedrosa. The bad is that we had a swingarm failure that caused Ben to crash. Unfortunately after his bad crash yesterday he was riding very well today and was pulling away from Dovi when he crashed. This is another part of his bad season, hopefully from Indy onwards we won’t have any more bad luck.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Hayden sixth at home race, crash for Rossi Nicky Hayden took sixth place at the United States Grand Prix after putting in a determined and calculated performance, and despite being slowed a bit by an early encounter with Bautista. Just off the start, the American and Spaniard touched lightly, causing Hayden to lose some ground, and despite riding at a pace similar to that of the group that was fighting over fourth place, he was only able to catch Bradl. Valentino Rossi had a more difficult race, struggling with a setup with which he wasn’t able to ride quickly enough all weekend. Two laps from the end, a fall when braking for the Corkscrew prevented him from earning eighth-place points. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 6th “The day got off to a rough start, as I crashed in the warm-up session when I didn’t have enough heat in the brakes. For the race, my bike was the best it’s been this weekend, and I got a good start, but then Bautista and I touched. I thought maybe I knocked my brake lever, so I was too careful in turns one and two. Then I got held up behind Bautista and lost a gap to that second group, which I spent most of the race trying to bridge. I got to Bradl, but the other guys were already gone, although I didn’t have the pace to run with them anyway. I was fighting the bike and running wide in the turns, but I pushed until the end. It’s frustrating to struggle so much all weekend at Laguna, and it’s not the way I wanted to go into the two-week break, but I think we can put up a better fight at Indy.” Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) DNF “I wasn’t fighting for the podium, but a crash like that at the end of the race is still disappointing because I had done the whole race like the first lap and my rhythm wasn’t fast at that moment. Still, I lost the front when I was approaching the Corkscrew, when the bike was vertical, right when I touched the brake, a bit like happened at Silverstone. We have a real problem: again today, we had a hard time getting the front tyre to work, and it was like new after thirty laps. Fortunately I’m fine, although it was a pretty hard crash. It wasn’t a great weekend. Now we have a short break, two important weeks, and then we’ll see how it goes at Indy.” Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager “It’s a shame about Nicky’s start, as he and Bautista touched and he lost contact with the leaders. It took him a while to get by Alvaro, who was a bit slower, and then he rode at fourth-place pace, similar to Spies, Crutchlow and Dovi. But it’s obviously difficult when there’s a gap to close on strong riders who are pushing hard. Anyway, on a track where we had a hard time in practice, Nicky made a bit of progress in the race. As for Vale, unfortunately, we had a little more trouble, and we weren’t able to put him in a situation where he could interpret this track well. In particular, we didn’t find a good balance for the bike, as the rear was working too hard and the front not enough. We’ll have to take another look at the data and prepare well for Indianapolis.”