Yamaha goes “seamless” to take the fight to Honda at Misano The Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli got underway today with a packed pre-race press conference featuring Repsol Honda Team’s championship leader Marc Marquez, Yamaha Factory Racing duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone, Repsol Honda’s Team Principal Livio Suppo, as well as Yamaha Factory Racing’s Managing Director Lin Jarvis. The main talking point for Marquez was whether his injured shoulder from Silverstone has improved: “I feel quite good, nearly 100%. It’s not perfect, the shoulder, but I have good memories at Misano. Every year I ride quite well and it looks like Honda is quite good here. Brno and Silverstone are big circuits with fast corners. This is smaller, but I usually ride quite well on small circuits.” Yet it was Lorenzo who trumped Marquez by announcing the arrival of the seamless transmission, putting them level with the Honda’s gearbox: “It [seamless transmission] will be here for the weekend. We can say that. Tomorrow! After a nice victory at Silverstone, normally Misano is good for me, I have always finished first or second in MotoGP. I like the track and I think we’re in good shape.” Rossi, for whom this is his home-circuit, has good memories of the track: “Yes, this is a special track for me because I grew up here, and the first time I used a real bike on a circuit was here. It’s my home Grand Prix, so it is a special track and I like it. I have had good results in the past, especially with the Yamaha but also with my best result for Ducati last year. We have to improve on the results of the last three races and try to fight with the top three guys. “We will try the new gearbox from tomorrow and we are so happy. For sure it is important, it is very good for the rider and a big help. Misano is a track on which you use the gearbox a lot, so we hope that will be a good advantage when fighting with the Hondas.” Iannone, who has had an injury-plagued time in his first year in MotoGP™, is pleased with his progression nonetheless: “Yes, many, many [injuries]! But, okay, it’s a very difficult season for me this year. My last injury with the shoulder is a big problem for me, last three races very hard, much pain, but with the Clinica Mobile I have been trying different solutions and last week I worked very hard to try and improve my situation. I am very happy with the development of it and I think it is ready for this weekend, I will try to do my best.” Suppo confirmed not only that the Honda “production racer” is proving competitive in tests, but also agreed that the championship on a whole was heading in the right direction. He also had to rebuff questions regarding a possible return of Casey Stoner: “Sure. We have to find a way to find teams reasonably competitive machines for reasonable prices. It’s not easy because the level of factory machines is very high, but we are trying. Yamaha is doing similar things and it’s good. “Of course, when you speak about Casey everybody is interested in knowing if he will be back one day, but there is nothing more to it at the moment. He is enjoying it [testing] and for sure for any manufacturer something like this is a dream for testing. We are very, very lucky. For sure, he loves riding the bike because you can’t replicate that. So he is happy to go there testing, no media attention or anything. I think he loved the competition but he just wanted to be in his kind of isolated world, and that is the case with the tests.” Jarvis on the other hand spoke about Yamaha’s plans for next year, and joked that it was rider pressure that brought the seamless transmission in for the race: “Earlier today we announced the renewal with Tech3 for another two years, which is very important with them using the factory-spec bikes. Just now we have come from the Forward Racing press conference; we have a one-year programme to provide them with our solution to the ex CRT class. We will provide them with the package. They are not ready with their riders yet but the project is taking fruition, so that is new and exciting. In addition to that it is our second home race based in Italy – a really busy time to the year. And now we introduce the new gearbox we have been waiting for a while, so it’s a very exciting weekend. “[The transmission was brought in now] with the pressure from these two! But if it’s ready for Monday, it’s ready for now. We have a deficit to Honda and need to do everything we can to challenge them over these next six races.” The day before, Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Bradley Smith, Ducati Team test rider Michele Pirro, Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis, as well as Yamaha Team Director Massimo Meregalli, all participated in a 5km uphill bike ride up Mount Titano to the Old Town of San Marino, supported by four members of their personal team. Starting at Fonte dell’Ovo, it was Pirro who came out on top with his team, starting his home race weekend in the best possible way. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Bridgestone MotoGP™ Preview – Round 13: Misano Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative) Round thirteen of the 2013 MotoGP™ season sees the series return to Italy, with this weekend’s San Marino and Rimini Grand Prix taking place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli as the fight for the championship intensifies. At 4.064 kilometres in length, Misano features a tight, stop-and-go layout, with a series of corner sequences joined together by short straights. The most challenging part of the circuit is from turns eleven to fourteen, starting with the flat-out Curvone which sweeps into progressively tighter right-hand corners that demand maximum commitment from the riders and good stability and grip from the tyres. The circuit requires good cornering feel but also strong acceleration and braking performance, so an optimal bike setup is important to get the best out of the tyres and to maintain a quick pace. Overall, Misano is not overly demanding on tyres although the compound selection has to provide the best combination of grip, durability and heat-resistance as tyres spend a lot of time at large lean angles. With ten right-hand turns compared to just six left-hand turns, asymmetric slicks with harder rubber on the right shoulder are supplied. The rear slick compounds for the CRT riders are the soft and medium options, while the works riders have access to the medium and hard rear slicks. The front slick options at Misano are the medium and hard compounds. The main wet tyre at Misano is the hard compound wet tyre, as the layout and tarmac of the circuit can cause high wear in wet conditions. All riders will have also have access to two front and two rear tyres in the alternative, soft wet tyre if cold and wet conditions are encountered. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Following the recent run of three back-to-back races, we are now well into the second half of the championship and it has been a truly remarkable season so far. I am looking forward to Misano as this race has often been a turning point in the championship, as evidenced by last year’s race where Jorge’s victory was a key moment in him securing his second MotoGP title. Jorge and Marc have a good record at Misano and Dani is in good form having been on the podium at the last three races so with the championship fight still wide open, I hope we are in for yet another thrilling race. Apart from the race, there is also a MotoGP test at the circuit on Monday which will provide a chance for the participating teams to test their latest developments and it will also be an important event for Bridgestone, as we will be supplying some new experimental tyres for the riders to evaluate.” Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “The track surface at Misano is smooth and offers relatively low grip and it also has a twisting layout so the tyres spend a lot of time leant over. Ambient conditions for the San Marino Grand Prix are usually hot so harder compounds are selected to provide better durability and heat resistance. The sequence of right-handers starting with the fast Curvone corner is the section that puts the most strain on the tyres and this is where the rear tyres reach their greatest temperature, but generally the loads imposed on the centre, left and right shoulders are quite similar at this track. The front tyre requires a strong centre section to provide good stability in the frequent braking zones. A smooth riding style reaps benefits at Misano so as to not overwork the tyres as they have little opportunity to cool down during a lap due to the constant corners.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL AIMS TO CHALLENGE THE TOP RIDERS AT MISANO Misano, 12 September: the LCR Honda MotoGP Team returns to Misano (on the Adriatic Coast) for the crowded Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera this weekend. Stefan Bradl hopes to get closer to the front this weekend after a run of challenging races that followed a superb US Grand Prix where he scored his first MotoGP pole position and podium. Before taking to the track aboard his Linear branded RC213V, (Linear, founded in 1996, is a brand of the Italian company Unipol Gruppo Finanziario S.p.A. and it’s specialized in offering on-line and telephonic insurance services of high quality) Stefan and some colleagues enjoyed an evening of go-kart competition to raise money for the Marco Simoncelli Foundation. Stefan Bradl “Misano is another exciting race track for me and it’s nice to remember Marco (Simoncelli, the late MotoGP star after whom the track is now named) and his talent once again. I like the atmosphere and this is a special weekend for my team, just like Mugello. I remember last year when we had two starts… it was a stressful moment for everybody. Now I have more experience and I aim to end this race near the front again. Actually we are facing some problems: we are very fast in practice but we cannot match the pace for the entire race so we will mainly concentrate on this matter”. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: After a well-deserved weekend break following the demanding summer tripleheader, MotoGP returns to the track at the Misano circuit for the 13th round of the 2013 World Championship. Andrea Iannone and the Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team are ready to face the second and final Italian round of the season. The Italian from Vasto, who finished third on the podium in 2010 and 2011 in the Moto2 category, has been taking advantage of the short break to work with his physiotherapist, with the aim of finding mobility and strength in his right shoulder which was dislocated during the German GP. The Misano Circuit, built in August 1972 and designed under the aegis of Enzo Ferrari, today measures 4.226 km (2.626 miles) and is located a few kilometers from the town of Riccione on the Adriatic Riviera. The subject of numerous modifications since 1993, a number of important and radical changes were carried out before motorcycle racing could return to the track. These included a reversal in circuit direction from anti-clockwise to clockwise, a lengthening and widening of the track, and the construction of two new grandstands that increased the circuit capacity to around 52,000 spectators. Andrea Iannone – Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team “I’m pretty satisfied with the physiotherapy I did at home the last few days, and I feel better. I have more resistance and less pain so my strength has increased. We did a good job. This track is definitely less physical than Silverstone and I did a test here almost a month ago, but let’s see how the weekend goes. I’m positive about it but will only be able to understand how I am physically in the next few days, even though yesterday we did a race with karts, and it was a kind of warm-up and rehearsal for tomorrow. As usual I will do my best and we’ll immediately try and do a good job in the box as we have done lately.” More, from another press release issued by Pramac Racing: After a well-deserved weekend break following the demanding summer tripleheader, MotoGP returns to the track at the Misano circuit for the 13th round of the 2013 World Championship. Michele Pirro, who once again finds himself inside the box of the Ignite Pramac Racing Team as a replacement for the Texan Ben Spies, has taken time during this week of rest to recover from bruises he suffered following his crash during the warm-up at Silverstone. Riding his Ducati Desmosedici GP13 Lab bike again however, makes Michele more confident and determined to tackle the Grand Prix of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini. The Misano Circuit, built in August 1972 and designed under the aegis of Enzo Ferrari, today measures 4.226 km (2.626 miles) and is located a few kilometers from the town of Riccione on the Adriatic Riviera. The subject of numerous modifications since 1993, a number of important and radical changes were carried out before motorcycle racing could return to the track. These included a reversal in circuit direction from anti-clockwise to clockwise, a lengthening and widening of the track, and the construction of two new grandstands that increased the circuit capacity to around 52,000 spectators. Michele Pirro – Ignite Pramac Racing Team “Here I will ride the ‘lab’ bike that I usually work with, and with which I have a better feeling. We also tested a lot on this track, at least seven days, for about 250 km per day. For sure it is a favorable circuit, we collected a lot of data but that does not mean too much. Now my shoulder does not hurt anymore, I worked on it a lot during this break, and tomorrow we’ll be on the track and we’ll try to do our best. Most likely this will be my last race with the team, because during the Aragon week and in the same period as the non-European races, I’ll be busy with the Test Team. If needed I can come back in Valencia.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens MotoGP Team: The San Marino GP awaits the Avintia Blusens MotoGP team which hopes to be among the best ones again The MotoGP Championship faces the final stages and it is time to put everything into achieving the goals. The San Marino GP will be the thirteenth race of the year and there will be only six rounds left to finish the season. The Avintia Blusens team travels to the Riviera di Rimini convinced of being able to be even more competitive than so far and tipping the fight among the best CRTs in his favour. Both Barberá and Aoyama have alternated between difficult times and good results during the season, but they have always been convinced of being able to be among the first ones. Sometimes this has been achieved, others not. Now it is time to make the last effort to make the final leap. Both riders like the track and as regards the technical part everything has been pampered to arrive at this race with the greatest guarantees. Barberá wants to win in CRT and Aoyama hopes to return to the good line achieved before Silverstone. It can be done. 8 Héctor Barberá: I particularly like the track of Misano and it adapts very well to my riding style, so I am very encouraged and confident of obtaining a good result this weekend. We did a good race at Silverstone, we were fast and I want to be quick at San Marino again. We may have some engine evolution that will allow us to be even more competitive but, whatever it is, I want to be as high as possible. I want to win in CRT. 7 Hiroshi Aoyama: Before Silverstone we did good races and I managed to have a good feeling with the bike, but in Great Britain things changed and we could not be as competitive as we had wanted. Now it comes Misano, one of my favourite circuits, and I want to regain the good feeling we had. I am strong, I am well physically and I love the track, so I do not see any reason for not getting to do a good weekend if we work well and with effort.