FIM MotoGP World Championship Le Mans, France May 20, 2012 Race Results (wet conditions, all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 28 laps, 49:39.743 2. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -9.905 seconds 3. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), -11.298 4. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -29.361 5. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), -32.477 6. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), -32.842 7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (YAMAHA), -59.759, crash 8. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), -65.152, crash 9. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -67.846 10. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), -73.193 11. James ELLISON, UK (Aprilia-PBM/ART), -86.663 12. Mattia PASINI, Italy (Aprilia-Speed Master/ART), -87.633 13. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-ART), -1 lap 14. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda-FTR), -1 lap 15. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -1 lap 16. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), -1 lap, pitted 17. Chris VERMEULEN, Australia (BMW-SUTER), -2 laps, pitted 18. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -2 laps, crash 19. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia-IODA/FTR), -4 laps, DNF, crash 20. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-ART), -6 laps, DNF, crashed twice 21. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), -17 laps, DNF, retired World Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 18 races): 1. Lorenzo, 90 points 2. Stoner, 82 3. Pedrosa, 65 4. Crutchlow, 45 5. Dovizioso, 44 6. Rossi, 42 7. TIE, Bradl/Bautista, 35 9. Hayden, 33 10. Barbera, 26 11. Spies, 18 12. Espargaro, 12 13. TIE, Pasini/De Puniet, 6 15. Ellison, 5 16. TIE, Colin Edwards/Petrucci/Pirro/ 4 19. Hernandez, 3 20. Silva, 1 More, from a press release issued by Dorna: Monster Energy Grand Prix de France Report Day 3 Sunday, 20 May 2012 Lorenzo takes win in rain master-class at eventful Le Mans MotoGP™ On a day that saw all three classes of the MotoGP™ World Championship come up against the worst weather condition seen so far this season at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans, it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo who retook the championship lead as he dominated in tricky conditions. He finished ahead of Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi, who recorded his and the Italian outfit’s best result since joining them last season. At the start of the race it was however Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa who got off to one of his trademark starts followed closely by teammate Casey Stoner. Their lead was short lived, as Lorenzo charged past the pair and instantly pulled out a gap. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow also made a good start in fourth, followed by a surging Rossi in fifth. It was heartache for the French fans from the beginning as Power Electronics Aspar’s local rider Randy de Puniet dropped his bike on the grid, and had to head out on his spare one. Near the front, Rossi soon moved past Crutchlow to take fourth, with Dovizioso following suit almost instantly. Avintia Blusens’ Iván Silva’s race was ended early as he fell foul of the wet conditions, crashing out of the race in the opening stages. With Lorenzo building a three second lead, Stoner pushed past Pedrosa to chase down his championship rival. Pedrosa seemed to struggling on the wet surface, with Rossi capitalising on this to take third with 21 laps left. The Tech3 pair passed Pedrosa even further down the order as they looked to hunt down Rossi. Towards the back, Lorenzo’s teammate Ben Spies was struggling and had a wobble at the end of turn two, shortly after which he entered the pits. Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham retired with 17 laps to go, with NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s replacement rider Chris Vermeulen also having to come in for a helmet change. As Lorenzo was maintaining his lead around the three-second mark ahead of Stoner, it was the ensuing tussle for third between Crutchlow, Dovizioso and Rossi that was providing some breath-taking overtaking in horrific conditions. Ten laps before the end it was misery for Crutchlow as he lost the front in the first chicane, leaving the two Italians to fight it out for the final podium spot, with Rossi taking third just two corners later. The Brit managed to restart his bike and re-join in eighth. Meanwhile, Lorenzo had extended his lead to six seconds at the front with Stoner a further four seconds ahead of Rossi. With five laps to go Stoner was held up slightly by Avintia’s Yonny Hernandez, who was being lapped, allowing Rossi to get to within half a second of the Australian world champion. Two laps later, Dovizioso crashed out of fourth tying to stick with the pair, while down the field Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci crashed out of 11th. The last three laps gave MotoGP fans a racing delight, as old adversaries Stoner and Rossi swapped positions throughout. It was however Rossi who looked back to his old self as he passed Stoner in the first chicane on the last lap, after which he pulled out a lead big enough to secure second. At the end it was Lorenzo who took the chequered flag to take an eight-point lead at the top of the championship ahead of Stoner, who came home in third. Pedrosa managed fourth, while LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl recorded his best ever result in fifth, ahead or Rossi’s teammate Nicky Hayden. Dovizioso, who managed to re-join after crashing, finished seventh ahead of his teammate Crutchlow, while Pramac Racing’s Héctor Barberá and San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista completed the top ten. Paul Bird Motorsport’s James Ellison put in a great performance to finish as top CRT in 11th. Moto2™ Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi put in a tremendous ride to take his season-first victory at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans amid difficult conditions in a dramatic Moto2™ race. Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró got the best start as he stormed into the lead along with Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding. The first chicane proved difficult as Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi was bucked off his bike, with the trio of NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Yuki Takahashi, GP Team Switzerland’s Randy Krummenacher and S/Master Speed Up’s Mike Di Meglio taking each other out a few corners later. Espargaró was trying to pull away at the front, but Lüthi and Redding were closely on his heels, with Tech 3 Racing’s Bradley Smith and Federal Oil Gresini Moto2’s Gino Rea in tow. Takahashi’s teammate Alex de Angelis survived a scare as he slid back onto the track after coming off his bike, with the Moto2 pack doing tremendously well to avoid the rider. Just as Rea looked to making headway, JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco went up the inside, clipping the Brit’s front wheel, and sending him into the gravel, putting an end to his first race on the new Suter chassis. Meanwhile, Italtrans Racing Team’s Claudio Corti joined the front five, with Speed Master compatriot Andrea Iannone surging up the field as well. With 17 laps to go, Espargaró ran wide, handing the lead to Lüthi and dropping into ninth in the process. Smith also had a run off track, but managed to re-join in 14th. Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez, who did not have a terrific start, was fighting his way up to the front five, as he tussled with rain-specialist Zarco. Drama followed shortly after as the Spanish championship leader went down after loosing control of his bike, and being unable to re-join. This left Zarco to challenge for a podium, and the Frenchman soon pushed past Redding into second, followed by Corti, who put in a bold move on the Brit. With 13 laps to go, Lüthi had pulled out a lead of just over three seconds. Arguiñano Racing Team’s Ricard Cardús suffered a heavy high-side half way through the race, yet fortunately walked away unscathed. Further down the field, Espargaró was struggling to make up positions, as he was overtaken in eighth place by QMMF Racing Team’s Anthony West, who was showing his usual prowess in the rain. Di Meglio, who had re-joined the race after his early crash, lost control of his bike once again with nine laps to go, putting an end to his race. He was followed shortly by Corti’s teammate Takaaki Nakagami who had a high-speed crash heading into the back chicane. With six laps left, Zarco had cut the lead to Lüthi to under a second, whilst West went past Blusens Avintia’s Julián Simón into sixth. West’s teammate Elena Rosell was not faring as well as the Australian, as she crashed out of the race. French heartache soon followed, as Zarco lost the back-end of his bike as he continued to push hard in the wet, handing second place to Corti and third to Redding. The main tussle in the pack was for sixth place with Redding’s teammate Kallio, West, Espargaró, Simón and Smith swapping positions in the final few laps. The unpredictability of the race was to continue until the final corner as Smith dropped his bike in the last turn, and Simón having to push his bike across the finish line due to an electrical fault. It was however Lüthi who put in a stunning ride to take the chequered flag ahead of Corti, who recorded his first ever podium, and Redding in third, recording his first podium for 22 races. Rounding out the top ten were Iannone, Kallio, Espargaró, West, Kiefer Racing’s Max Neukirchner, Thai Honda Gresini’s Ratthapark Wilairot as well as Smith, who managed to salvage a few points. Moto3™ In the Moto3™ race of the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans, it was Frenchman Louis Rossi who kept his nerve to take his first ever win in treacherous conditions in front of his home crowd. In a race that started in extremely wet conditions, it was Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales who got away best, with AirAsia-SIC-Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin also making a tremendous start from 10th into second. JHK T-Shirt Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez, who was second on the grid, suffered mechanical issues on the out-lap and was unable to start the race. There were crashes early on as RW Racing GP’s Brad Binder took out TT Motion Events Racing’s Niklas Ajo, which was followed up shortly after with IodaRacing Project’s Jonas Folger and local rider, Caretta Technology’s Alexis Masbou, sliding off into the gravel. Back at the front it was Bankia Aspar Team’s Héctor Faubel and RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom that went into the lead, as Viñales dropped off the pace slightly. However the conditions continued to take their toll, as Team Italia FMI’s Romano Fenati suffered a similar fate to last race as he also lost control of his bike, putting an end to his first French race. Technomag-CIP-TSR’s Kenta Fujii repeated his morning warm-up crash, rounding out a less than ideal day for the Japanese rider. With 18 laps to go, a five-some of Faubel, Salom, Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta’s Jakub Kornfeil, Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Miguel Oliveira and Viñales were involved in an entertaining battle for podium positions. In the following laps, further casualties of the weather were Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Danny Kent, Mahindra Racing’s Danny Webb, Ambrogio Next Racing’s Simone Grotzkyj and Caretta Technology’s Jack Miller, while Fenati’s teammate Alessandro Tonucci had to retire to the pits with a mechanical problem. With 11 laps to go there was drama at the front as Faubel crashed out of first position, with Kornfeil crashing out of third a few seconds later, handing the first three places to Oliveira, Viñales and Rossi. Half a lap later, Salom followed suit as he slid off into the gravel in ever worsening conditions. As a thrilling fight for fourth ensued between Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Sandro Cortese and Khairuddin, there was further turmoil at the front, as the surging Oliveira crashed out of the lead, handing the reigns to Viñales, who was being hunted down by Rossi. This lasted for a lap only, as Viñales threw himself of his bike in the final corner, followed shortly by Khairuddin. The Malaysian managed to keep his bike going, while the race was over for the Spaniard. This left Frenchman Rossi in the lead by over 20 seconds, much to the delight of the home crowd, with Cortese and Bankia Aspar’s Alberto Moncayo in podium positions. Three laps before the end Cortese lost the front going into the first chicane, yet managed to keep the bike going to re-join in sixth, with Oliveira’s teammate Alex Rins slipping into third with San Carlo Gresini Moto3’s Niccolo Antonelli on his tail. In the end it was Rossi who made the Le Mans grandstands cheer with delight as he took his first ever victory by a margin of 28 seconds in front of Moncayo and Rins. Antonelli could not quite challenge for the podium finishing fourth, in front of Red Bull KTM Ajo duo of Arthur Sissis and Cortese and Moto FGR’s Jasper Iwema. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Dominant Lorenzo takes victory in wet French Grand Prix Round 4: French MotoGP™ – Race Le Mans, Sunday 20 May 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) Weather: Wet. Ambient 15-15°C; Track 16-19°C (Bridgestone measurement) Jorge Lorenzo was unstoppable on the Yamaha Factory Racing M1 today as he dominated in a wet French MotoGP™ to claim his second win of the season. Lorenzo started brilliantly from fourth on the grid to seize the race lead in the opening lap after which he streaked away to cross the finish line ten seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. In second place and on the podium at Le Mans for the second successive year was Ducati’s Valentino Rossi, the Italian coming on strong towards the end of the race to pass Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner who rounded out the podium in third place. The top CRT rider at Le Mans was Paul Bird Motorsport pilot James Ellison who rode a determined race to finish 11th. With a wet track and very cool temperatures for the race, all riders chose the soft wet compound for the rear and all but one rider selected the soft compound wet for the front to ensure maximum warm-up performance and initial grip. The rain eased off during the race reducing the amount of standing water on track, though the soft compound wet tyres suffered very little degradation with the majority of riders setting their personal best times in the latter stages of the race. Jorge Lorenzo’s victory lifts him to the top of the MotoGP™ championship standings with an eight point advantage over Casey Stoner, with Dani Pedrosa a further 17 points back in third position. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Today we saw a thrilling race and I commend Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha for their very strong performance today. The track for the race was very cold and wet and grip levels varied greatly from lap to lap and corner to corner creating very difficult conditions for all the riders, so I am pleased with how our wet tyres performed over the duration of the race as lap times were quite stable and improved towards the end of the race. “Apart from the spectacular race today, we had some other big news this weekend with Casey Stoner announcing his retirement from MotoGP at the end of the season. We’ve enjoyed a long and successful working relationship with Casey who brought us our first world championship and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all he has given to MotoGP and Bridgestone and I wish him all the best for the rest of the season and the next chapter in his life after racing.” Masao Azuma Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Today’s wet and very cool conditions made this morning’s warm-up session very important for teams to find a good setup for the race. Almost every rider selected the soft compound wet tyres front and rear and this combination worked very well in a race where the level of water on the circuit changed substantially. For this race weekend, all our 2012 specification tyres performed very well at Le Mans and provided an effective option for riders in the variable weather conditions.” Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing Race Winner “Today was a very hard race and the conditions were difficult, especially at the beginning of the race. The whole race was a challenge in the wet conditions and when Casey was trying to catch me I had to work really hard to keep my concentration. I am very happy to take this victory and I want to thank my team and my fans for all their support.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Thrilling podium for Rossi at Le Mans, determined sixth place for Hayden Valentino Rossi was a protagonist in an exciting, hard-fought race in wet conditions during the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, where he climbed from the third row of the grid to the second step of the podium. Nicky Hayden, despite an unfortunate start, worked his way up to sixth by the finish. Having started from seventh place, the Italian advanced to third by lap three, at which point Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow joined him in a long battle. He picked up his pace around seven laps from the end, eventually setting the fastest lap of the race and closing the gap to Casey Stoner, who he overtook on the final lap. His runner-up finish behind winner Jorge Lorenzo is his best result with Ducati so far. Hayden was among the riders who spun their tyres on the inside part of the track just after the start, but he pushed hard the entire race, eventually matching his best result of the year. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 2nd “I’m really, really happy. We knew we had a special opportunity in the wet today, so I tried to ride perfectly and not throw it away. I started well and immediately made up some positions, and then I passed the two Yamahas to get behind Stoner. I was able to match his pace, but then my visor started to fog and I had to slow down for a couple of laps until I was able to clear it by lifting it a little. Once I could see again, I re-passed Cal and then Dovi. When I realized that I could really push hard and that it was possible to catch Stoner again, I went for it. It was a great race and a nice, fun battle with Stoner to the last lap. I enjoyed myself and I’m happy for my team and all the guys at Ducati, who are working so hard for me. Now we must continue giving our all until we’re also able to be competitive in the dry. We found a good base to work from in Portugal, and it wasn’t bad in the dry here, either, although not as good as in the wet. Now our main goal is to take another step forward and make up some more tenths.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 6th “There must have been something on the inside of the track just after the start, because everybody that went on that side either crashed or almost did. My jump was really good, and then just as I was ready to go to second gear, the tyre completely broke loose and the bike started fishtailing. I got buried in the pack and couldn’t see for the first few laps. Once I got through some guys and had a clear track, my rhythm wasn’t too bad. I was bringing Bradl and Pedrosa back a bit, but when I got it down to two seconds, I almost crashed and had to try again. I got to Bradl’s wheel at the end but just couldn’t do anything. It’s frustrating because we’ve got a really good wet bike. I know we had more potential than sixth, but the start hurt me. Congratulations to the team for the podium. They certainly deserve it.” Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager) “We’re very pleased with Valentino’s podium, which is of course down to his beautiful race, although it also reflects the great job done by the team over the weekend. It’s also a thank-you to everyone back home who has worked so hard to solve our problems, which we’re overcoming little by little, although we still need to work on them some more. We’ve worked on the chassis well, and now we’ll focus on other important areas of the bike. Today Vale was in a situation where he could ride as he’s capable of doing, and he gave us a great show. It’s a shame for Nicky, who could have also fought for a better position if it weren’t for his bad start. Despite riding at a good pace, he wasn’t able to climb higher than sixth place. Anyway, Nicky showed that he, like Vale and everyone at Ducati, never gives up.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: 2012 Grand Prix of France Le Mans – Race Date : 20/05/2012 Weather : Wet Temperature : Air: 13 degrees C, Ground: 19 degrees C Humidity : 96% Stoner takes another podium with Pedrosa in fourth Today at the Grand Prix of France, Casey Stoner scored his fourth podium of the season and his 19th successive in MotoGP with team mate Dani Pedrosa in fourth at a cold and slippery Le Mans circuit that once again proved to be a real challenge for all the riders. In the 28 lap race that started with rain and ended with a dry line, the Australian World Champion crossed the finish line in third place after a thrilling battle with Valentino Rossi, resulting in the Italian passing Casey on the last lap. Stoner is now second in the Championship standings, with 82 points, 8 behind Jorge Lorenzo. Dani Pedrosa, starting from pole, missed the podium for the first time this season. He lost contact with the leading group in the first laps and riding alone for most of the race, he managed to remain focused and score important Championship points, where he maintains third position. CASEY STONER, 3rd World Championship Position: 2nd with 82 points “I was pretty happy to hold on for a podium today. In the early stages Cal, Valentino and Dovi were behind me putting on a lot of pressure, but we managed to pull a small gap on them as I was chasing Jorge. Then as soon as the rain stopped and the track was less wet, our tyre temperatures got too high, we started spinning and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I thought the three of them would catch up and perhaps overtake me but we managed to hold on for third. I enjoyed the battle with Valentino at the end, there was clean overtaking and we swapped positions a few times but in the end we knew that Valentino had better pace than us and after he passed there was no way I could stay with him. We did everything we could today and to come away with a podium is a good result”. DANI PEDROSA, 4th World Championship Position: 3rd with 65 points “I had no traction out of the corners, especially in first and second gear, and I wasn’t able to advance. We made a few changes to the configuration of the bike after warm up hoping to improve it a bit, in the end it was other way around, but these things can happen. In the race I immediately realised it was not my day, not a day to take any risk and it was important to simply reach the best position. I was lucky, after the crashes of both Tech 3 Yamaha’s I finished fourth. Wet races can be like this and today was just not our day. We lost many points to Lorenzo but the Championship is very long and we will have our time. This race is over and we must now think towards Catalunya. I’m really looking forward to going there, it’s a circuit t hat motivates me a lot and I have all my family and friends with me. The team is working very well, we have a good bike and we’ve been fast in every race, but we need to be determined. Let’s see if we can speed up a little and take our first win of the season in Catalunya”. More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Tech 3 Yamaha thrill home crowd with Le Mans podium challenge Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow thrilled a large crowd of over 80,000 fans in Le Mans today, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders challenging for the podium in a rain-hit and exciting French MotoGP race. Both excelled in treacherous conditions at the start of the 28-lap race to provide the most intriguing battle on the legendary Bugatti circuit with nine-times World Champion Valentino Rossi. The trio exchanged numerous overtakes to the delight of a partisan French crowd who were willing Dovizioso and Crutchlow to claim a home rostrum for the Monster Yamah a Tech 3 squad. Both took it in turns to briefly head Rossi in third in a pulsating tussle before Italian Dovizioso took control of the fight on lap 13. He then delivered a masterclass of controlled aggression on a soaking wet track to lead Rossi until his compatriot fought back to snatch third on lap 19. It was on the same lap that British rider Crutchlow’s fantastic bid for a maiden MotoGP came to a disappointing end. Crutchlow was right on the back of Rossi’s rear wheel when the front-end of his YZR-M1 slipped away at the second corner. The 26-year-old remounted and despite losing 34 seconds he was still able to finish comfortably inside the top 10 in eighth to retain his place in fourth position in the World Championship classification. D ovizioso continued to relentlessly pursue Rossi in search of his first podium for Yamaha and third in a row at Le Mans in MotoGP. He was piling the pressure on Rossi when he too suffered a small crash on lap 25 at Turn 9. He recovered to finish seventh and remains fifth in the standings. Andrea Dovizioso 7th 44 points: “Although the conditions were far from ideal, it was a fantastic race and I really enjoyed it and I hope all the Tech 3 fans in the crowd did too. It was easy to make a mistake on such a wet track but I am really satisfied that I could make such a high pace. The battle with Cal and Valentino was hard but a lot of fun and it is a shame that I crashed while I still had a very good chance of my first podium for Tech 3 and Yamaha. I really wanted to achieve it here in the Team’s home race, and also an important race f or our sponsor Monster. The last 12 laps my front tyre kept closing but Valentino couldn’t escape from me and I could see we were catching Casey. I knew that I was pushing right on the limit with the tyres but I wanted to try and go with Valentino. It is a pity to crash but I’m really happy with my feeling with the Yamaha now. I was fast all weekend in the wet and dry and my Team did a great job, so we can look forward to the next races with a lot of confidence.” Cal Crutchlow 8th 45 points: “I’m not happy to have crashed while I was fighting for the podium, but the consolation is that at least I was battling for the top three again. Being quickest in the warm-up this morning meant I was confident going into the race but I wasn’t really aggressive at the start. It was a great battle with Andrea and Valentino though but I see med to miss out on a bit of speed on the straight compared to them. That meant I had to make up all my time in the corners. It was a shame I crashed because I was fighting with Valentino and he finished second. There was a chance of the podium today but at least I was there and I lost so much time after the crash that to still finish eighth is a bonus really. Now we go to Barcelona knowing it will be tough but I will looking to be battling for the podium again.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager: “That was a really exciting race and I don’t think the French fans can say that Andrea and Cal didn’t put on a spectacular show and do their best to get a podium in our home race. We were strong in the dry but when it rained we were also optimistic and it was a truly great fight between Andrea, Cal and Valentino. They showed tremendous r espect to each other, making hard but clean overtakes in really difficult conditions. It isn’t good for my health but certainly good for TV. At some point we thought both of them might have beaten Valentino today, but he picked up his pace and showed that he is still a class act. Cal was pushing hard to try and score his first podium and he crashed but he still managed to finish and credit to him for that. Andrea also wanted his first podium for Tech 3 and Yamaha and even though there was a big gap to Pedrosa behind him, he pushed to fight with Valentino and Casey and crashed. That can happen but I want to thank both of them for showing incredible fighting spirit. The final result wasn’t what we hoped, but we still scored some points and both of them showed in the wet and dry what a competitive package we have in 2012.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Perfect Performance Puts Lorenzo Back on Top in Le Mans Yamaha factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo delivered a master class in wet racing today to take a flawless victory in the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France. Starting from fourth position on the second row, the determined Mallorcan took the lead on the first lap, immediately creating a gap to the following pack. Championship rival Casey Stoner attempted to make a small dent in the time to close Lorenzo down mid race however the race leader remained untouchable. Lorenzo crossed the finish line almost ten seconds clear to take the full 25 points and move eight points ahead at the top of the Championship standings. Team mate Ben Spies continues to be plagued by bad luck; having made a good start the Texan slid on the start finish line paint, dropping several places. A subsequent issue with his race visor letting in water and reducing vision meant an unscheduled pit stop, allowing the majority of the field past and compromising his race. Spies finished 16th and remains 11th in the standings as they go to Catalunya in two weeks time. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 1st Time: 49’39.743 “It was really difficult to hold concentration today, in the dry it’s complicated but in the wet it’s even more. The race feels much longer and you have to remember where the corners are slippery every lap. If you forget one you can crash very easily. I started the race determined to be in first position from the beginning and managed to keep my concentration even when Casey was catching me. It would have been easy to push a bit more and make a mistake at that moment but I waited for a few more laps to see what happened then opened the gap again to win this fantastic race. A big thank you to my team who worked very hard in difficult conditions to make a set up that worked for me.” Ben Spies Position : 16th Time: 50’55.642 “That was a rough race. We actually got off to a good start at the beginning then had a very big moment on the line, something happened because then I had quite a lot of water coming in through my helmet and couldn’t see much on the first five laps. I hoped it would get better but I couldn’t see anything and decided to come in because I need to see where I am going. I knew the race was gone by then so went back out to try and get some data and get better working with the bike in the rain. Circumstances meant it wasn’t a good day.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “A fantastic result, a great race and a good performance by Jorge. The bike looked very good as well; a lot of grip in the rear and changing direction very well. A big thank you to the team for hard work as in the morning we still weren’t there with what we wanted. We did have a lot of rear grip and the tyre heated up very quickly so we made use of that in the early part of the race, Jorge brought it home nicely!” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “We were expecting a different race but unfortunately this bad luck doesn’t want to disappear. We’re looking forward to Barcelona, we won’t give up and we will get back up to where we belong with Ben. Jorge led a perfect race; he was incredible, especially considering circuit conditions. It’s important to take the Championship lead again so let’s see what we can do in two weeks time.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: STONER THIRD, PEDROSA FOURTH AT SOAKING LE MAN Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) rode to a solid third-place finish in treacherous wet conditions at Le Mans today. Team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) finished one place behind the Australian. MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) rode to a heroic fifth-place finish, despite suffering the effects of a nasty tumble during yesterday’s qualifying session. Stoner who announced last Thursday that he will retire from the sport at the end of this year looked like he might challenge race winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) for the lead during the mid-stages of the race. After reducing the gap on his title rival he found he was unable to maintain his attacking pace once the track began to dry and his rear tyre overheated. During the final laps he came under pressure from Valentino Rossi (Ducati) who was able to sneak past into second place on the final lap. After four rounds Stoner and Lorenzo have won two races each, but today’s result moves the Spaniard back into the title lead he had held following his success in last month’s season-opening Qatar GP. Eight points now separate the pair with 14 rounds still to go. During the early laps Pedrosa suffered from a lack of temperature in the rear tyre an issue that also hampered Stoner and the Spaniard decided that this was one of those races in which it would be foolish to take too many risks. His decision paid dividends when Yamaha riders Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso slid off in front of him, promoting him to fourth. Moto2 World Champion Bradl had another impressive ride, scoring his best MotoGP result despite yesterday’s tumble. The German made a stunning start from 13th on the grid and spent much of the race chasing Pedrosa, then resisted pressure from Nicky Hayden (Ducati) during the later laps. Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) was not able to get comfortable in the conditions and opted to settle for a finish rather than risk a crash. He brought his RCV home in tenth place. Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda) had an altogether tougher time on his Fireblade-powered CRT machine. He struggled with electronics issues and could only manage 14th place, a lap down on the winner. Thomas Luthi (Interwetten-Paddock-Suter) dominated the soaking Moto2 race, beating Claudio Corti (Italtrans Racing Kalex) by more than six seconds. The final podium place went to Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team-Kalex). There were plenty of tumbles in the 26-lap event, but Luthi rode a perfect race, running with the lead pack during the early stages as he waited for his rear tyre to warm up. He then moved into the lead at one-third distance, from where he built a comfortable three-second advantage. He looked safe in first position until he came under pressure from local Johann Zarco (JIR Moto2 Motobi). The Frenchman was hoping to repeat the feat of compatriot Louis Rossi, who had won the earlier Moto3 race, but he overdid it with four laps to go, crashing out at the Chemin aux Boeufs chicane. That took the pressure off Luthi who was delighted with his second Moto2 win, following on from his debut success in the class at last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix. Corti also rode well, coming through from ninth on the grid to score his first Grand Prix podium result. Redding’s determined ride to third place gave him his first podium since the 2010 Australian Grand Prix. Andrea Iannone (Speed Master Speed Up) crossed the line in fourth place, the Italian dropping back after threatening Redding in the latter stages. Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) won a frantic battle for fifth, just beating lap-one leader Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex) whose sixth-place finish moved him into the lead of the Honda-powered World Championship, just one point ahead of Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter) who was one of today’s fallers. Marquez slid off at the same corner that claimed Zarco while running fourth, just before half distance. Former GP winner Anthony West (QMMF Racing Moriwaki) had his first points score of the year in seventh position. Luthi’s dominant victory moves him to within two points of Marquez, who had won two of the first three races. In the new Moto3 class local Louis Rossi (Racing Team Germany FTR Honda) won a fairytale victory. The 22-year-old from Le Mans survived the treacherous wet conditions to win by a remarkable 27 seconds after many of his rivals had fallen by the wayside. Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0.0 Suter Honda) made it two Honda-powered machines on the podium, the 16-year-old Spaniard finishing in third place, behind Alberto Moncayo (KTM). Rossi had a charging race from 15th on the grid, the Frenchman keeping his head while many of his rivals lost theirs and fell in front of him. Among the earlier leaders who crashed were Miguel Oliveira (Estrella Galicia 0.0 Suter Honda) and Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia FTR Honda), who slid out of first place on laps 16 and 17. Those two tumbles promoted Rossi to first place with eight laps to go. Niccolo Antonelli (San Carlo Gresini FTR Honda) made it three Hondas in the top four, the 16-year-old Italian rookie fighting Rins for third place until he had a huge moment on the last lap that had him off the track and fighting for control. Antonelli regained the tarmac to score his best Grand Prix finish. Rins’ results was especially impressive since he fractured the little finger in his right hand when he crashed yesterday. The MotoGP circus now returns southward for the Catalan Grand Prix at Catalunya on June 1/2/3. MotoGP rider quotes Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: 3rd “I was pretty happy to hold on for a podium today. In the early stages Cal, Valentino and Dovi were behind me putting on a lot of pressure, but we managed to pull a small gap on them as I was chasing Jorge. Then as soon as the rain stopped and the track was less wet, our tyre temperatures got too high, we started spinning and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I thought the three of them would catch up and perhaps overtake me, but we managed to hold on for third. I enjoyed the battle with Valentino at the end, there was clean overtaking and we swapped positions a few times, but in the end we knew that Valentino had better pace than us and after he passed there was no way I could stay with him. We did everything we could today and to come away with a podium is a good result.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 4th “I had no traction out of the corners, especially in first and second gear, and I wasn’t able to advance. We made a few changes to the configuration of the bike after warm-up, hoping to improve it a bit. In the end it was other way around, but these things can happen. In the race I immediately realised it was not my day, not a day to take risks and it was important to simply reach the best position. I was lucky after the crashes of both Tech 3 Yamaha to finish fourth. Wet races can be like this and today was just not our day. We lost many points to Lorenzo, but the Championship is very long and we will have our time. This race is over and we must now think towards Catalunya. I’m really looking forward to going there. It’s a circuit that motivates me a lot and I will have all my family and friends with me. The team is working very well, we have a good bike and we’ve been fast in every race, but we need to be determined. Let’s see if we can speed up a little and take our first win of the season in Catalunya.” Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 5th “This is a fantastic feeling! I am very happy and the whole team is happy too: this makes me very proud. Honestly I think nobody was expecting such a good result in my fourth race in this class. In general the weekend was tough because we were struggling a lot in finding the right set-up during the dry sessions and I also had a big crash in yesterday’s qualifying. Finally it rained before the race and I knew we had a good package for the wet. Already on my sighting lap I could feel that the bike was good and my first lap was amazing. After the first split I was in seventh. After that I rode behind Pedrosa for a long time. He has a very precise riding style and I learnt a lot from him. When it started to dry I could ride with more confidence, adapting to the situation even if Hayden was trying to catch me.” Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 10th “I didn’t feel in tune with the bike and I couldn’t keep up with the group of riders ahead of me. The only option was to try and finish the race as best I could, and that is what I managed to do. I’m rather disappointed with how things went today.” Michel Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 14th “Unfortunately, this is the first time that I have been lapped in my life, and that left me feeling very bitter. The electronics didn’t help me at all, and without electronics things become very difficult in the wet. I just tried to take home the best result that I could, and I remain very disappointed.” Moto2 rider quotes Thomas Luthi, Interwetten-Paddock-Suter: race winner “It was a very difficult race. In the beginning it was important to find a good rhythm, but I was having many slides from the rear and I could see it was the same for Scott in front of me. Whenever I touched the throttle with any lean angle I lost the rear. It seemed like Pol didn’t have the same problem and he made a small gap. I thought, okay, settle down, bring in the tyre and then start to push. I found my rhythm, got into the lead and made a gap. But every lap was at the limit and halfway through the rain came again and Zarco was catching me fast. If he had passed me I would have had to let him go. But then he crashed and things became a little bit easier for me. I have to say thank you to the team. There’s a great spirit within our team and I think we’re only get stronger, which gives me a lot of motivation. Early in the race I had lots of slides from the rear, but I could see that the other guys couldn’t go any faster. So I tried to get into a rhythm, take the lead and make a gap, and it happened. This is an important day for the championship.” Claudio Corti, Italtrans Racing Kalex: 2nd “I never go fast in the wet, so this result is unbelievable. I don’t like the rain and I don’t like this track, so this is very strange! In the beginning I was with many other riders, trying to keep my concentration. Then when De Angelis crashed and was sliding along in the middle of the track I lost a bit of concentration. After that I tried again and rode some good lap times, trying to catch the guys in front. Then when Zarco crashed in front of me I decided it was better to relax a bit and make sure of the podium.” Scott Redding, Marc VDS Racing Team-Kalex: 3rd “We’ve been close all season after we made the gamble to switch to a Kalex chassis. We were close in Qatar, and then I messed up at Estoril. I’ve been trying to get the balance right, trying to calm myself down because I’ve been riding too aggressively. I’ve definitely calmed down a bit and I’m still going fast so that’s good. It took time for my rear tyre to come in I was losing the rear every time I touched the gas. It took time for the tyre to come in. After that I was focused on not making any mistakes. Today it was all about being smooth and consistent.” Moto3 Rider Quotes Louis Rossi, Racing Team Germany FTR Honda: race winner “The conditions were horrible, but finally the race had a very nice end for me! To win here, in my home country, in my home town is incredible. I think I need some time to go back to my box and think about what has happened! The race was so long and the last seven laps were so hard. I was trying not to make mistakes and I was talking to myself, telling myself to keep concentrated. I was trying to brake at the same points and give gas at the same points, but with a little more safety. This was the first time in a long time that I’ve led a race! It will be different in the dry. We need to work some more if we are to be able to score podiums in dry conditions.” Alex Rins, Estrella Galicia 0.0 Suter Honda: 3rd “I still don’t believe I got a podium! It was an unexpected result because we started from 26th on the grid. I went into the race with the aim of enjoying myself and doing my best. Many riders crashed and this allowed me to move up a few positions which motivated me even more. And finally I finished third which is a great result. My injured right hand didn’t bother me much. Before the race I had some painkilling medication, so I was able to ride without many problems.” Niccolo Antonelli, San Carlo Gresini FTR Honda: 4th “We didn’t expect this result after yesterday’s crash in qualifying, but the race went perfectly even though I didn’t get a great start. Lap by lap I got more and more confident with the bike which the engineers had set up perfectly and I started making up positions. When I caught Rins I couldn’t believe I was fighting for the podium but I kept pushing hard until the end when I almost crashed and had to back off. Fourth place after eighth at Jerez and sixth at Estoril shows we are making progress and it gives me a lot of satisfaction.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: DIFFICULT RACE FOR THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM After a predicted rain all weekend, today was the first time that the Premier Class riders had tried out their bikes with rain conditions , in this 2012 Grand Prix of France. With a brilliant result set during the warm up Hèctor and the White and Green team arrived on the grid with a confident mood to start the French race. When the red light switched off Hèctor didn’t get a great start and dropped from ninth to fourteenth place on the first lap, as he struggled to find confidence with his Ducati Desmosedici, due to the slippery surface, a consequence of the tricky track conditions. On lap three the White and Green rider was able to pass Karel Abraham, gaining the 10th place and holding this position for other few laps. Toward the end, after briefly going wide over the white line, Hèctor was able to achieve the 9th place, going ahead of Alvaro Bautista and finish his French race in this position. The Pramac Racing Team takes home some important points for the overall World Championship standings and now is focusing on the next race, scheduled in two weeks in Spain. Hèctor Barberà – Rider Pramac Racing Team “It was a very difficult race and I couldn’t ride as I like because of a setup that was too stiff. We made this change during the warm up and it worked very well, but the conditions of the track during the race, were fully changed and the surface of the circuit was more wet than in the warm up. Toward the end I was able to outperform Karel and achieve the 9th place, but, honestly, I’m not very happy with today’s result.” More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: LE MANS GRAND PRIX: PASINI ENDS THE RACE IN 12TH POSITION The circuit of Le Mans, France, hosted the fourth event of the season for the MotoGP class. In today’s race, Mattia Pasini had the chance to fight for a good result: starting from the twentieth placement on the grid, the Italian had a good beginning, closing the first lap in fourteenth position. Once he got a good pace, Mattia stayed with the other CRT machines, crossing the finishing line twelfth. Pasini and his crew end the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France summing up four points in the general classification. Mattia Pasini #54 – 12th “The conditions were very complicated and this was a difficult race, the track was very slippery. We started from the rear of the grid, in the initial phases it was hard to see because of water. We fought with a couple of MotoGP machines and it wasn’t wasy: even if I was fast in the turns, the MotoGP machines were tough to overtake. Little by little I managed to comeback and to reach Petrucci. In the last part of the race the rear tyre was worn out and I had less traction, I tried to lower the control but that didn’t help. We’re the second CRT on the finishing line and that isn’t bad, we are improving and I’m happy. Generally speaking, considering the conditions, I can say we did a good race.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: INCREDIBLE BRADL TAKES 5TH PLACE AT SOAKED LE MANS CIRCUIT Le Mans, 20th of May: in a demanding 28-lap race LCR rider Stefan Bradl records his best ever result in fifth, ahead of Rossi’s teammate Nicky Hayden in today’s French Grand Prix held on a soaked Le Mans circuit. Stared from the 13th spot on the grid the German riding the RC213V moved ahead to claim another brilliant result in his first season in the premier class. The German rookie had a challenging time at Le Mans in the last two days falling victim to the treacherous track as he suffered a nasty highside yesterday in the qualifying session. But his usual concentration and constancy enabled him to match the pace of the top riders in a very bad condition gaining an unexpected result. Stefan 5th: “This is a fantastic feeling! I am very happy and the whole Team is happy too: this makes me very proud. Honestly I think nobody was expecting such a good result in my fourth race in this class. In general the weekend was tough because we were struggling a lot in finding the right set up for the dry sessions and I also had a big crash in yesterday’s qualifying. Finally it rained before the race and I knew we had a good package on the wet. Already on my sighting lap I could feel that was my WOW bike and my first lap was amazing as after the first split I was holding the 7th position. After that I rode behind Pedrosa for a long time who has got a very precise riding style. I learnt very much from him. When it started to dry up I could ride with more confidence adapting to the situation even if Hayden was trying to catch me.” More, from a press release issued by Karel Abraham’s publicist: Karel Abraham retires from Grand Prix of France due to technical problems Karel Abraham did not finish the Grand Prix of France due to problems with his motorcycle settings. The racer from Cardion AB Motoracing team was struggling with his sliding motorcycle on the wet track in Le Mans for several laps and finally decided to retire after the first third of the race. Karel Abraham “We started the race with the settings from the morning warm up. We knew the motorbike was sliding a little but we believed it was due to new tyres. It was a disaster right from the start and it was getting worse and worse, the motorbike was sliding so bad that it was impossible to keep it on the road. As for the brakes, these were OK, we had managed to improve these settings, but when I leaned the motorbike, the rear started to slide immediately and I couldn’t do anything about it. That’s all I can say, it is another unsuccessful race, I’m very disappointed, and it’s hard for all the boys in the team.” Marco Grana, chief mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing “I´m very disappointed, because I expected to finish in top level and we have another zero. The bike was completely same as in the morning and there is nothing strange in telemetry. Only one thing didn´t work the temperature of the rear tyre was very low, because in the first lap Karel didn´t go fast enough. Now we are sending the tyre to Bridgestone and we will try to understand, where the tyre should have the problem.” More, from a press release issued by Aspar Power Electronics: ASPAR POWER ELECTRONICS RIDERS HAVE TOUGH TIME AT LE MANS De Puniet crashes twice, with Espargaró placing further down the order than hoped. Like the preceding pair of races at the Le Mans circuit, the MotoGP contest took place in the wet. An exciting French Grand Prix was won by Jorge Lorenzo, ahead of Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner. The ASPAR POWER ELECTRONICS team had a tough time in France, with the aim for the race being to have both riders place as the top CRT competitors. However, both suffered disappointment with the change in weather conditions on Sunday. Aleix Espargaro was able to claim two points from his race, courtesy of a thirteenth place finish. The Spaniard was hungry for more, however, and was unable to achieve his goal of placing as best CRT rider. Lacking feel on the rear, Espargaró did the best he could to bring the bike home and salvage points, gathering data for any repeat of the torrential rainfall at other circuits on the 2012 calendar. Randy de Puniet had an even more unfortunate time at his home race. The Frenchman’s race was decided right off the start line, when his ART highsided as the lights went out. De Puniet escaped uninjured, but had to take his box back to the pits and jump onto the second, unfamiliar, machine. Rejoining the race a lap down on the rest of the field, the ASPAR POWER ELECTRONICS rider put in further laps for the fans to cheer him on and for the team to gather data, but in the end he suffered another crash and was forced to call it a day. The next round of the MotoGP World Championship takes place in two weeks time at Montmeló near Barcelona. It is a home race for Aleix Espargaró and Randy de Puniet is hoping to be back on form to turn things back in the team’s favour. 13th Aleix Espargaró: “This weekend was a disaster -it couldn’t have gone worse. In the morning warmup I felt more or less ok, but then when the race came around I was not comfortable at all. I didn’t have any weight on the rear and was sliding around on the gas. We rode really slowly and were far off everyone, but at least this weekend is over and I can look ahead to Montmeló. ” DNF Randy de Puniet: “The team made some changes for the race, but I was only able to check how the bike was on the warm-up lap. The start was really strange, as when I put the clutch in the bike highsided; that has never happened to me before. To be honest, I was lucky, because it could have been much worse with the riders behind me coming through. I went back to the pits, got on the second bike and was already a lap behind, plus the feeling wasn’t great with that machine either. In the end, shortly before the finish, I crashed again. It is a shame, because up until yesterday I was riding well in the dry, but in the wet this weekend was a disaster. Fortunately I didn’t re-injure myself, and I hope to be at 100% for Barcelona.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens Racing: Yonny Hernández scores and Iván Silva finishes the race after crashing Le Mans, 20 May 2012. After the good sensations on Saturday in the wet the Avintia Blusens riders had great expectations for the race if it was to take place in similar conditions. Fortune did not reward them though and their respective results were not as good as expected. Yonny expected to finish among the best CRTs but experienced visibility issues with his helmet. Iván crashed on lap 2 which caused him to lose two laps before being able to take back to the track. The final result is definitely no match for the team´s potential. Yonny Hernández (15º +1v): “I am really disappointed. Yesterday we did well in wet conditions and today it seems I couldn´t do any better. As the race started DePuniet crashed which took me by surprise and I had to dodge him. Later on I had problems with my visor. It´s a real pity. I hope I´ll be able to ride easy in Montmeló.” Iván Silva (18º +2v): “I felt really comfortable and had good sensations in the warm-up lap. We opted for some tyre combination which later on didn´t prove to be the best choice for this race. But the worst thing has definitely been this early crash of mine. It took me two laps to get the bike back on track which really got me pulled away. I was about to drop out but the team doesn´t deserve it. I hope the weather will be on our side in Barcelona and we´ll be able to refine the setting-up of the motorbike.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: GRAND PRIX OF FRANCE Lorenzo regains points lead with victory; Rossi earns first podium finish of 2012 INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, May 20, 2012 – Jorge Lorenzo regained the points lead with a dominant victory Sunday, May 20 in the Grand Prix of Portugal, but the MotoGP World Championship buzzed after the race for another reason. The Doctor is back on the box. Seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi scored his first podium finish in 12 months, placing second in wet conditions on his Ducati Team machine. It was his best finish for Ducati since his high-profile move to the Italian team before the 2011 season. Rossi’s only other podium finish for Ducati was third at this event last year. “I’m really, really happy,” Rossi said. “We knew we had a special opportunity in the wet today, so I tried to ride perfectly and not throw it away. Now we must continue giving our all until we’re also able to be competitive in the dry.” Lorenzo led the entire race to win by 9.905 seconds over Rossi on his Yamaha Factory Racing machine. 2010 World Champion Lorenzo took a 90-82 lead over two-time and reigning World Champion Stoner, who finished third on his Repsol Honda just three days after shocking the motorcycle world by announcing his retirement after this season. Dani Pedrosa finished fourth on a Repsol Honda, while rookie Stefan Bradl rounded out the top five on an LCR Honda. Rossi prevailed in a spirited joust over the last three laps with rival Stoner. The pair swapped second place in treacherous conditions before Rossi passed Stoner at the chicane on the Bugatti Circuit on the final lap and pulled away. Nicky Hayden led the American contingent by finishing sixth on a Ducati, tying his season best. Ben Spies finished a disappointing 16th after fishtailing on his Yamaha Factory Racing machine at the start and having problems with vision due to rain seeping into his helmet. American Colin Edwards did not race due to a broken collarbone suffered earlier this month at the previous event, the Grand Prix of Portugal. He is expected to return for NGM Mobile Forward Racing at the next event, the Grand Prix of Catalunya on June 3 at Barcelona, Spain. The Red Bull Indianapolis GP is the 11th of 18 races this season, Sunday, Aug. 19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. PODIUM FINISHER QUOTES JORGE LORENZO (Winner, Yamaha Factory Racing): “It was really difficult to hold concentration today. In the dry, it’s complicated. But in the wet, it’s even more. The race feels much longer, and you have to remember where the corners are slippery every lap. If you forget one, you can crash very easily. I started the race determined to be in first position from the beginning and managed to keep my concentration even when Casey was catching me. It would have been easy to push a bit more and make a mistake at that moment, but I waited for a few more laps to see what happened then opened the gap again to win this fantastic race.” VALENTINO ROSSI (Second, Ducati Team): “I’m really, really happy. We knew we had a special opportunity in the wet today, so I tried to ride perfectly and not throw it away. I started well and immediately made up some positions, and then I passed the two Yamahas to get behind Stoner. I was able to match his pace, but then my visor started to fog, and I had to slow down for a couple of laps until I was able to clear it by lifting it a little. Once I could see again, I re-passed Cal and then Dovi. When I realized that I could really push hard and that it was possible to catch Stoner again, I went for it. It was a great race and a nice, fun battle with Stoner to the last lap. I enjoyed myself and I’m happy for my team and all the guys at Ducati, who are working so hard for me. Now we must continue giving our all until we’re also able to be competitive in the dry.” CASEY STONER (Third, Repsol Honda Team): “I was pretty happy to hold on for a podium today. In the early stages Cal, Valentino and Dovi were behind me putting on a lot of pressure, but we managed to pull a small gap on them as I was chasing Jorge. Then as soon as the rain stopped and the track was less wet, our tire temperatures got too high, we started spinning and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I enjoyed the battle with Valentino at the end. There was clean overtaking and we swapped positions a few times, but in the end we knew that Valentino had better pace than us. And after he passed, there was no way I could stay with him.” AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Team, sixth): “There must have been something on the inside of the track just after the start because everybody that went on that side either crashed or almost did. My jump was really good, and then just as I was ready to go to second gear, the tire completely broke loose and the bike started fishtailing. I got buried in the pack and couldn’t see for the first few laps. Once I got through some guys and had a clear track, my rhythm wasn’t too bad. I was bringing Bradl and Pedrosa back a bit, but when I got it down to two seconds, I almost crashed and had to try again. I got to Bradl’s wheel at the end but just couldn’t do anything.” BEN SPIES (Yamaha Factory Racing, 16th): “That was a rough race. We actually got off to a good start at the beginning then had a very big moment on the line. Something happened because then I had quite a lot of water coming in through my helmet and couldn’t see much on the first five laps. I hoped it would get better, but I couldn’t see anything and decided to come in because I need to see where I am going. I knew the race was gone by then, so went back out to try and get some data and get better working with the bike in the rain. Circumstances meant it wasn’t a good day.” *** POINTS Riders: Jorge Lorenzo 90, Casey Stoner 82, Dani Pedrosa 65, Cal Crutchlow 45, Andrea Dovizioso 44, Valentino Rossi 42, Stefan Bradl 35, Alvaro Bautista 35, Nicky Hayden 33, Hector Barbera 26, Ben Spies 18, Aleix Espargaro 12, Mattia Pasini 6, Randy de Puniet 6, James Ellison 5, Colin Edwards 4, Danilo Petrucci 4, Michele Pirro 4, Yonny Hernandez 3, Ivan Silva 1. Manufacturers: Yamaha 90, Honda 86, Ducati 47, ART 16, Suter 4, Ioda 4, FTR 4, BQR-FTR 2, BQR 2. *** MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS Moto2: Thomas Luthi, Switzerland, Interwetten-Paddock Suter-Honda. Moto3: Louis Rossi, France, Racing Team Germany FTR Honda. 2012 tickets: Tickets for the 2012 Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP event, scheduled for Aug. 17-19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are on sale now at www.imstix.com, by calling (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700 or by visiting the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. Information on camping at IMS during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP is available at www.imstix.com. Hotel package information can be found at visitindy.com/redbull.