FIM MotoGP World Championship Assen, Netherlands June 30, 2012 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 26 laps, 41:19.855 2. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -4.965 seconds 3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (YAMAHA), -11.994 4. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), -14.775 5. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (YAMAHA), -22.074 6. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), -31.660 7. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -59.107 8. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Aprilia-ART), -64.441 9. Michele PIRRO, Italy (Honda-FTR), -66.980 10. Mattia PASINI, Italy (Aprilia-Speed Master/ART), -85.087 11. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (Aprilia-IODA), -92.103 12. Ivan SILVA, Spain (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -93.797 13. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -1 lap, pitted 14. James ELLISON, UK (Aprilia-PBM/ART), -1 lap 15. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (Aprilia-ART), -12 laps, DNF, retired 16. Colin EDWARDS, USA (SUTER), -19 laps, DNF, retired 17. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (Kawasaki-BQR/FTR), -21 laps, DNF, crash 18. Stefan BRADL, Germany (HONDA), -25 laps, DNF, crash 19. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -26 laps, DNF, crash 20. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (HONDA), -26 laps, DNF, crash 21. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 7 of 18 races): 1. TIE, Lorenzo/Stoner, 140 points 3. Pedrosa, 121 4. Crutchlow, 77 5. Dovizioso, 76 6. Rossi, 61 7. Hayden, 59 8. Bautista, 58 9. Bradl, 51 10. Spies, 48 11. Barbera, 46 12. Aleix Espargaro, 20 13. De Puniet, 19 14. Pirro, 16 15. Pasini, 12 16. TIE, Petrucci/Ellison, 9 18. Silva, 5 19. TIE, Abraham/Edwards, Hernandez, 4 More, from a press release issued by FIM: 2012 FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Iveco TT Assen: Decision of the Race Direction and FIM Stewards On Saturday 30 June 2012 during the first lap of the MotoGP race rider Alvaro Bautista (SPA) rode in an irresponsible manner, causing danger to rider Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) which is an infringement to the article N. 1.21.2 of the 2012 FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix regulations. The Race Direction decided to impose on Alvaro Bautista the penalty of starting the next race in Sachsenring on 8 July 2012 from the last position on the starting grid. An appeal was lodged by San Carlo Honda Gresini. The FIM Stewards confirmed the decision of the Race Direction. The decision of FIM Stewards is final. More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Stoner victorious at incident-packed Iveco TT Assen The Iveco TT Assen provided three exciting races this Saturday, as Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner took victory in an incident-packed premier-class race, holding off the challenge from teammate Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso. The race started with high drama as San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista took out Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo in the first corner, putting an end to both their challenges. Bautista was subsequently penalized for riding in an irresponsible manner, causing danger to Lorenzo, with Race Direction ruling that the San Carlo rider will start from last spot on the grid at the Sachsenring. An appeal was lodged by his team, but the FIM Stewards confirmed the decision of Race Direction, thus making it final. This is the second year in a row that Lorenzo has been taken out by another rider at the Dutch circuit. Following the incident, the Repsol Honda Team pair of Pedrosa and Stoner were left to lead the race at the start, with Lorenzo’s teammate Ben Spies in pursuit. Two laps in it was heartbreak as well for LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl as he crashed out of fourth, making this the first race he has not finished in his rookie season. As the Hondas started to pull out a small margin, the crashes continued at the back as Avintia Blusens’ Yonny Hernandez ended his race in the gravel. With 19 laps to go Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso went past Spies into third as the pair diced for the final podium position. Dovizioso’s teammate Cal Crutchlow, who was ninth after taking avoiding action at the start, was having a tricky time trying to pass the Ducatis of Hayden, Valentino Rossi and Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá, but eventually fought his way past. NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards retired with mechanical issues, putting an end to a difficult weekend, while Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaró retired from the race with 11 laps remaining, putting a dent in his top CRT hopes. This was followed up a lap later with Rossi entering the pits with a chunk missing from his rear tyre, which was changed before he re-entered the race. Meanwhile at the front, Stoner made his move on Pedrosa as the Spaniard looked to be struggling. Three laps before the end Dovizioso had caught up to Spies once more as the pair was involved in yet another tussle for the final podium spot. The Italian made his move going into turn 1 on the final lap, and held on until the line. In the end it was Stoner who took the chequered flag to go equal on points at the top of the championship with Lorenzo, as Pedrosa finished second and Dovizioso took yet another podium this year. They were followed by Spies, Crutchlow, Hayden, and Barberá, whilst the CRT contingent benefited from the numerous crashes, with Espargaró’s teammate De Puniet taking eighth, in front of San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro and Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini. Rossi finished in 13th, 0.002 seconds ahead of Paul Bird Motorsport’s James Ellison. Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham did not start the race, as his hand injury proved too severe to race. Moto2 In a Moto2™ race that provided drama from the start at the Iveco TT Assen, it was Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez who took a hard-fought victory ahead of Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding. It was Technomag-CIP’s Dominique Aegerter and Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone who got away best, yet in the pursuing mêlée it was Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2’s Ratthapark Wilairot and Tom Lüthi who collided on the first lap, putting an end to Lüthi’s race. There was however more to come, as the weekend’s pace-setter, Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró, crashed out of the lead as he lost the back end of his bike. Both Lüthi and Espargaró were uninjured in the incidents, while Wilairot re-joined. A few laps later it was more misery for the Pons team, as its other rider Axel Pons crashed as well. With 14 laps remaining Iannone had pulled out a three second gap at the front as Márquez and Marc VDS Racing Team’s Redding provided the entertaining battle for second behind. At this point Espargaró’s teammate Esteve Rabat had joined the pursuing group in fifth ahead of Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi, who had lost the tail section of his machine early on. With 10 laps left however, Corsi crashed out of the race, putting an end to what was a very good race for the Italian, whilst Desguaces La Torre SAG’s Damian Cudlin retired with a mechanical issue. A further four laps in, Márquez had closed the gap significantly to Iannone and looked to be catching the Italian quickly. With three laps left the scrap at the front began, with Márquez making his first pass, yet Iannone fighting back immediately. A lap later the Spaniard repeated his move, with Iannone responding in the same way again. The two were fairing to fairing as they headed into the last lap, with Márquez taking the lead on the outside of turn 1. Iannone fought back, but couldn’t make it stick as he ran wide after the two almost touched. It was ultimately Márquez who took his third win of the season, with Iannone in second and Redding completing the podium. Márquez now leads the championship with Iannone in second; whilst Redding’s podium was the first time the Brit has ever recorded back-to-back podiums in his Grand Prix career. The top three were followed by Rabat, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis, Tech 3 Racing’s Bradley Smith, Aegerter, JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco, Mapfre Aspar Team’s Toni Elías and Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio. Moto3 In one of the most hotly contested Moto3™ races this season at the Iveco TT Assen it was Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales who stormed to victory in sunny conditions ahead of Sandro Cortese and Danny Kent. The first three laps were a frantic affair, with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Cortese, Viñales and San Carlo Gresini Moto3’s Niccolò Antonelli all fighting their way to the front. They were however soon put under pressure by TT Motion Events Racing’s Niklas Ajo, Racing Team Germany’s Louis Rossi and RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom. Caretta Technology’s Jack Miller was handed a ride-through for a jump-start, while IodaRacing Project’s Jonas Folger’s bad weekend got even worse as he crashed out with 18 laps remaining. With 12 laps to go a leading group of six riders started to pull out a small gap at the front with Viñales and Cortese leading the pack, pursued by Kent, Salom, Rossi and Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins. A lap later Miller was shown the black flag for ignoring the ride-through penalty, putting an end to his race. Ambrogio Next Racing’s Giulian Pedone retired from the race with mechanical issues shortly after. It was misery for Antonelli with nine laps left, as he crashed out of what had looked like a promising race for the youngster, as did Mahindra Racing’s Danny Webb. As the scrap at the front got harder towards the end, Cortese and Kent were going fairing to fairing in their pursuit of the leading Viñales, with Cortese almost taking out his teammate at one point. The group would not settle down however, with many aggressive passes being made in the final laps in a nail-biting finale. The last lap was one of best ever seen in the Moto3 class as positions changed frantically in the final corners, with Viñales getting the final slingshot over the line, with a photo analysis required to decide the positions between Salom, Kent and Cortese. With Viñales taking the win, second place went to Cortese, with Kent taking the final step on the rostrum, his first ever podium of his Grand Prix career. They were followed by Salom, Rossi, Rins, Caretta Technology’s Alexis Masbou, Ajo, JHK T-Shirt Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez and Rins’ teammate Miguel Oliveira. More, from a press release issued by Karel Abaraham’s publicist: Doctors tell Abraham not to start in Assen. Sachsenring also in doubt Following consultation with medical staff, Karel Abraham will not take part in Saturday’s MotoGP race at Assen in the Netherlands. Before the morning warm-up, the Czech rider underwent a new check-up, which showed that his hand is healing very slowly and that any further strain could make matters worse. Karel Abraham “We tried riding flat out in the warm-up this morning, just to see if the hand would hold up for the entire race. Unfortunately, the pain was quite intense and it would be nearly impossible to ride at full pelt for three-quarters of an hour. Before that, I’d gone for another check-up with the doctors, where they explained that the cause of the pain was the mass bruising of the hand, which would only get worse with any repeated strain. It’s tough, but the only way the hand’s going to get better is with complete rest and rehabilitation. With this in mind, we’ve decided in all likelihood to skip the next race at the Sachsenring in Germany, since the hand is not going to heal in five days and any further strain would put us back to square one. So, I’ll have at least two weeks of rehab, which I hope will be enough time to be fully ready for the next race at Italy’s Mugello circuit. To miss out on Germany is really difficult to take: for Czech fans, it’s the closest race apart from Brno, and I know that there are many fans looking forward to the trip. I’d just like to let them know that I’m really sorry.” More, from a press release issued by Speed Master: POSITIVE DAY FOR SPEED MASTER TEAM AT ASSEN: MATTIA PASINI ENDS THE RACE IN 10TH POSITION The seventh race of the MotoGP class for the 2012 season was held today at the circuit of Assen. Pasini obtained his best result so far for 2012 season on top of his ART machine in the GP that ended today. Starting from the fifteenth spot on the grid, Mattia moved up a few placements in the initial phases of the race, staying with the CRT group that was ahead of him. The Italian defended his position with strength, setting a good pace and trying to keep touch with the other riders, once the tyres began to wear out. The Italian crossed the finishing line in tenth position, third among the CRT machines, obtaining therefore 6 points in the Championship Classification, where he’s currently in fifteenth position. Mattia Pasini #54 – 10th “After all, I am happy. We finished in tenth position and, in the whole, this was a positive weekend. We made a step forward, I stayed with the CRT group where Espargaró, De Puniet and Pirro were, even if by half of the race I had some issues. I’m satisfied with the improvements we carried out, the data we put together is important for the next races. Now we’ll look forwards to Sachsenring, hopefully we’ll make some extra progress and we’ll keep working this way.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Stoner and Pedrosa dominate in Assen with another double podium The legendary Assen circuit was the setting of another brilliant performance by the Repsol Honda Team. The 90,248 spectators occupying the grandstands at the ‘Cathedral’ enjoyed a two-man battle between Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, who led from start to finish, with no rivals to challenge them. Casey celebrated his sixth consecutive podium in Assen with another victory, his third of the season, and Dani crossed the line behind him to complete the team’s fifth double podium of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship. This result, combined with Jorge Lorenzo’s unfortunate crash, places Casey in the joint championship lead with 140 points and Dani, 19 points behind them consolidating third position. Pedrosa took the race lead from the start, with Casey close behind. They were matching times, lap by lap, separated by mere milliseconds and increased the gap to the rest of the pack by more than eight seconds. Dani set the circuit record on lap fifteen (1’34.548) but couldn’t pull away from Casey, who overtook him with nine laps to go and led until the end. The Repsol Honda Team couldn’t ask for a better start to the most demanding period of the season, with three races back to back. Next up is Germany’s Sachsenring followed by Italy’s Mugello Circuit. CASEY STONER 1st World Championship Position: 2nd with 140 points “To take pole position and now the win is really incredible, a big thanks to my whole team who never gave up. My plan was to get a better start than I actually did, take some advantage and use the energy I had to try and make a gap and try to hold on to the end. We also knew that which ever position we were in, we had to preserve the rear tyre. Choosing the softer tyre, there was a big chance that we would destroy it and have nothing left for the end of the race. When I saw Dani was running at a reasonable pace and we were pulling away from the others, I decided to stay there and watch him to save the tyres and my energy as much as I could. With a few laps remaining, I knew we wouldn’t suffer a big drop in ty re performance, I still felt good so I decided to pass him and see if I could pull a gap. It was a tough race, I had a lot of arm pump as I had to compensate for my injuries from the crash yesterday, but my fitness was good and the bike was working well in general. I’m sorry for Jorge, nobody wants to take points over a competitor in this manner, but as we can see, one race can change everything”. DANI PEDROSA 2nd World Championship Position: 3rd with 121 points “Looking at the lap times we did during the weekend, I knew I had better rhythm than Casey, so I made a good start and tried to pull away from the first laps. Casey stayed behind me all the time and by the second half of the race, I believe he took profit of extra energy he saved during the first part of the race to overtake me. Our pace was very good in the race, the bike worked very well but maybe I just chose the wrong strategy this time. At the end of the race, the bike felt heavy with change of direction due to tiredness and it was enough to slow me down from 1’35 to 1’36 for just two laps, and I lost ground, but this is racing. I hope to do a better strategy next week in Germany”. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: EARLY FINISH FOR BRADL AT ASSEN GP Assen, 30th June: in sunny conditions the seventh round of the season at Assen circuit saw Stoner conquering the victory followed by his team mate Pedrosa and Dovizioso (third) whilst the premier class rookie Stefan Bradl crashed out on lap two making this the first race he has not finished in his rookie season. The adjustments made after the first outing on day one, gave Bradl the confidence to improve his pace taking fourth in yesterday qualifying session in only his seventh ever start. Unfortunately the German could not translate his impressive pace into a good result today but he is looking forward to bounce back at his home track in the next weekend. Bradl: “Well… I do not have so much to say. Yesterday we obtained a very good grid position and today I took another good start. In the first laps the feeling with the bike was great and I could easily close the little gap to Spies. I do not remember last time I has such a good feeling in the first laps but I have to be honest… Probably I was too much aggressive in braking into turn 10 and I crashed. It’s my mistake and I am very sorry for the guys: today we could get a very positive result. Now I want to learn from my mistakes making another step forward ahead my home race. The potential is there and we are capable to race with the top riders”. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: THE PRAMAC TEAM AND HECTOR BARBERA SCORE A BRILLIANT SEVENTH PLACE AT SUN-KISSED ASSEN The 26-lap race of the 2012 Iveco TT Assen Grand Prix started under a blue sky and with blazing sunshine that made a decided change from yesterday’s tricky weather conditions. Hèctor Barberà took a deserved top seven finish at the legendary Circuit van Drenthe this afternoon. The 25-year-old rider from Valencia made the best start of his 2012 MotoGP campaign and he ended the first lap in sixth place, showing phenomenal early confidence to fight with Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Cal Crutchlow for most of the race. For more than two-thirds of the Dutch race, the Spaniard was able to ride his Ducati with strong determination and this great feeling allowed him to maintain an effective race pace, challenging for sixth place. Unfortunately, on lap twenty-one, during a lively battle unfolding towards a gripping race end and trying to overtake Cal Crutchlow, Hèctor encountered a rear tyre grip issue and he was unable to maintain his consistent pace, finishing in seventh place at the chequered flag. Hèctor adds 9 points to his championship standing and heads to Germany for the Eni Motorrad Grand Prix next weekend brimming with confidence. Hèctor Barberà Pramac Racing Team Rider 7th place – “I felt great, I had a lot of energy and the confidence with my Ducati was real. I had a good feeling with the bike from the first laps and I pushed as much as I could to stay with the group composed by Valentino, Nicky and Cal. We had the same race pace and this allowed me to fight with the group. With five laps to go, I tried to overtake Cal, but I lost the rear grip and from that moment I started to have an issue with the back tyre, losing both my race pace and my confidence. I gritted my teeth until the flag to achieve seventh place and I’m happy and satisfied about the battle with the factory Ducati machines.” Marco Rigamonti Pramac Racing Track Engineer “With the Qatar GP, today’s race was one of the best rounds of 2012. Hèctor got a brilliant start, staying in the group of riders who had the same race pace and fought for sixth position. It was a shame about the rear tyre issue. Now we need to check our data, to understand when and why the issue started with the rubber, but we will arrive in Germany with high spirits.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens MotoGP Team: Silva finishes twelfth and scores for Avintia Blusens. Yonny crashes on lap 6 while in an excellent position. Assen, 30 of June 2012. Even though it is not reflected by the results the Avintia Blusens riders have been competitive today at the G.P. of Assen. Although Yonny crashed at the beginning of the sixth lap he had been riding really fast and was on a par with the best Aprilia’s and had the opportunity to end up on the podium of his class. For his part Iván Silva had to get over a bad start which conditioned his possibilities to be among the best CRT’s. In spite of it Silva gradually improved his pace and half-way through the race onwards he was on a par with Pasini, Petrucci and even Pirro. Finally he finished twelfth and scored a few good points for him and his team. 22 Iván Silva (12º +1.33.797): “I made a bad start and I quickly lost contact with the leading pack. I had to pass Ellison and Petrucci and I wasted a long while. When I made it the pack with Pasini, Yonny and Pirro was over five seconds ahead of me and it proved to be impossible to make up for the lost time. Half-way through the race onwards I managed to get a good pace and feel self-confident on the bike. We’ve taken a step ahead but we still need to improve. Anyway we have to consider this result as positive as we completed the race and scored. I am not familiar with the next tracks to come and it will make the progression difficult but I am feeling more and more self-confident in my potential and that of the team.” 68 Yonny Hernández (NF): “It has been a real pity. I feel really sorry for the team but I couldn’t avoid crashing. I was feeling strong I was on a par with the best and I undoubtedly thought I would end up on the podium of the CRT’s. But I forced it and the front wheel dropped. I thought we would have got a good result but it didn’t happen. I hope I’ll do better next time.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner soars to victory at Assen Round 7: Dutch TT Race Assen, Saturday 30 June 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Medium-Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative) Weather: Dry. Ambient 24-24°C; Track 39-40°C (Bridgestone measurement) Casey Stoner capped off an impressive weekend for the Repsol Honda team to take his third win of the season ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa at today’s Dutch TT at Assen. Stoner made the race-winning move on lap seventeen and continued to push hard to take the checkered flag 4.965 seconds ahead of Pedrosa and the reigning champion now sits level with Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo in the championship standings as the luckless Spaniard recorded a DNF after an incident on the first lap. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso notched up his second podium of the year with a hard-fought third place, while Randy de Puniet finished in an impressive eighth place to claim CRT honours and close the gap to his Power Electronics Aspar teammate Aleix Espargaro in the standings to just one point. Track temperatures hit the 40°C mark for today’s race which was more than 20°C warmer than last year’s Dutch TT. Tyre selection for the race was fairly similar to that for qualifying, with all riders selecting the harder front slick option for its greater cornering stability while rear tyre choice was more varied with thirteen of the twenty riders selecting the softer rear slick. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Today’s race was held under sunny skies and the fans that came to the circuit witnessed a fantastic race with many interesting battles throughout the field. Congratulations to Casey and Repsol Honda for a great win in what must have been a tough race. It was unfortunate that Jorge had some bad luck and couldn’t challenge for the win and I am sorry that some riders experienced tyre problems during the race. We are now investigating the issue and will report back to teams with our findings at the next race. “We now look forward to the next Grand Prix in Germany as a huge crowd is always present at Sachsenring and with a German rider back in MotoGP I expect the atmosphere will be amazing­!” Shinichi Yamashita General Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Today’s Dutch TT saw warm track temperatures and the race was run at a good pace with all riders selecting the harder front slick, while all but seven riders selected the softer slick option for the rear. “Unfortunately a few riders experienced a problem with their rear tyre today and we sincerely apologise to those riders affected. We have commenced a full investigation into the matter and I will personally take the affected tyres back to Bridgestone’s Technical Centre in Japan tomorrow where they will undergo detailed analysis to determine the cause of this issue.” Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda Race Winner “My plan was to get a better start than I did and use my energy to build a gap at the beginning of the race. When I saw Dani doing a reasonable pace I decided to stay behind him and when there weren’t many laps left the tyre still felt good so I decided to pass him. It was still difficult today but in general the bike was working well and my fitness was good, and in the end it worked out perfectly for us.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Hayden sixth at Dutch TT, Rossi thwarted by a problem The Ducati Team experienced an up-and-down weekend at the Assen TT, in the practice sessions and in the race, which was marked by agreeable weather conditions. Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi both enjoyed decent starts despite unfavourable grid positions, but both had to overcome problems. The American suffered a setback when he went off the track at the chicane on lap one, but he quickly re-joined the race and continued to fight in the same group, eventually posting a sixth-place result. His teammate was involved in the same battle, but the Italian was forced to pit with an unusual tyre problem that Bridgestone is investigating. Nonetheless, he demonstrated determination and desire as he returned to the track and fought to a thirteenth-place finish. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 6th “I got a pretty good start and stayed out of the mess in turn one, but then I braked too deep in the chicane and went through the gravel. I almost lost the train, but I charged and was able to catch the group again. My bike felt pretty decent, and I got back in front of those guys. I was fighting with Crutchlow and Barbera. After Cal passed, Hector made a big mistake in the chicane and I almost hit him. Valentino and some of the others had tyre problems, but mine hung in there better than some. It would be nice not to have made that mistake on lap one, but I know if I want to go with that group, I’ve got to go at 100 per cent. A couple guys fell down, which helped me to get sixth place, but that’s racing. It hasn’t been an easy weekend, but the guys have really worked hard, and hopefully soon we can really do a good result.” Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 13th “It’s a shame about today because I started quite well. I was there, having a good race, and I think I could have had a decent result. I was fighting with Nicky, who had passed me, but he was a little bit slower and I was waiting for a good moment to attack him again. I could have finished sixth, which would have given me some points to help in the standings, but we had a big problem with the tyre about eleven laps from the end. I had to return to the garage to change it because it was impossible to continue, so I started again with the soft and finished the race. We’ll try again next week at the Sachsenring.” Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager “Nicky had a very determined race. He fought and maintained a good rhythm as long as he could, and he managed to recover when he had a small misstep, showing once again that he always gives his all. Valentino did the same. He got a very good start and was there in the same group, but a problem with the rear tyre forced him to pit. He didn’t want to stop, and after the tyre was changed, he returned to the track in order to bring home thirteenth place and three points.” More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar Team: SUPERB RANDY DE PUNIET BREAKS INTO TOP TEN WITH A CRT POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider places eighth with new type of MotoGP machine. Teammate Aleix Espargaró suffers mechanical breakdown in midst of fight to be best CRT rider A chaotic start to the Dutch TT had a big effect on the MotoGP class, as on the opening corner Alvaro Bautista bowled series leader Jorge Lorenzo out of the race. That left Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner out in front without their main rival amongst them, and the duo quickly broke free. First across the line at the end of the race was reigning World Champion Stoner, who got past Pedrosa midway through the contest and took the win. Third place went to Andrea Dovizioso. Today was an important day for the MotoGP World Championship. For the first time, one of the new bikes brought in by the CRT concept featured in the top ten places. The rider taking said bike across the line was POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar’s Randy De Puniet, who was able to reclaim some of the points lost in various setbacks earlier on in the season. The Frenchman did a magnificent job to take eighth place, eight points and a place in history. Teammate Aleix Espargaró would also have been part of the milestone top ten, where it not for a problem with his engine. The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider still holds the lead of the CRT class standings, but was forced to retire from today’s race with an engine failure on lap fourteen. That meant that he was out of the points for the first time in 2012. 8th Randy De Puniet: “I am very proud of this result. It shows that when the team works hard, we can reap the rewards. I had a great race today and had some of the good luck that I had been lacking in other races this season. Now the standings for best CRT rider are practically level. Eighth place with a CRT team is a turning point for the championship. Points in this class are hard to get, so to get eight in one go makes me very happy. The team did a great job and even made some further adjustments in the warmup that worked well. We tried to conserve the tyres from the start of the race and they were still reliable at the end. It wasn’t an easy race and there was first a tough fight with my teammate and later with Michele Pirro. The start of the season was not simple for us and we have had some bad luck, so this result makes me very happy.” Aleix Espargaró (DNF): “We had performed very well in practice. I knew that in the second half of the race I would be feeling more comfortable than my rivals, and that’s how it turned out. It was hard to move the bike around with a full tank, but after that I felt very comfortable. That makes it such a pity that in the final third of the race the engine failed and I had to retire. I had been having a great fight with Randy and I think that we could have got a good result together for the team, where it not for this misfortune. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth but these things happen. We’ve lost points but I shouldn’t worry, because we are working very well and I’m sure that we will be back at the front in Germany.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies took fourth today at the Assen TT in a tough race which again saw him suffer with tyre issues. The Texan made a strong start and was running in third behind Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa for the majority of the race. A brief battle saw him hold position over a chasing Andrea Dovizioso and he was beginning to stretch a lead when a serious tyre issue struck. As a result his pace was compromised, allowing Dovizioso to pass and leaving him fourth at the line. The result delivers Spies 13 points to bring his tally to 48 and promotes him one place to 10th in the Championship standings. Team mate Jorge Lorenzo’s Assen TT was brought to a disastrous end at the first corner. The Championship leader was taken out by an over eager Alvaro Bautista, coming in too hot and taking both himself and Lorenzo out. Ben Spies Position : 4th Time: +14.775 “Today the bike was good, I struggled with some front grip in the beginning but was able to ride around it. I managed to stay past Dovi and ride at my own pace then about seven or eight laps from the end I was pushing to get away. A chunk came out of the tyre and then a second; I couldn’t do anything about it. I was hoping Dovi would get past me as I was worried the tyre would explode and I didn’t want to fall right in front of him. We’ve made some mistakes early in the year but the last two weekends we’ve had a bike to be on the podium but issues have prevented it. The bike and the team are working so well and I’ve been really comfortable on it so it’s disappointing.” Jorge Lorenzo Position : NC Time: “Well, today was a complete disaster, Alvaro’s move was crazy. I met him after the incident, he apologised and we shook hands but in my opinion this is not enough to justify the accident. When I made a mistake in Japan in 2005 I was penalized with a race. Race Direction told me that he will start from last position on the grid in Sachsenring but this is nothing. We hope that we will be lucky in the future that nothing will happen but if the riders are not penalized properly then they will continue to do crazy things like today. My leg is a big bruise, a big impact but nothing serious happened. Luckily for us we had a 25 point advantage or we would now be far behind. Now we are at zero with Casey so we begin again, the Championship is long so let’s see what happens.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “A very stupid accident, a too early attack by Bautista resulting in a big mistake. Luckily Jorge is uninjured which is pretty much the only positive thing to take from the race. We lost 25 points so we start at zero again on equal points with Casey. Let’s see how we can change that next week.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “I think MotoGP riders should be more cautious and know that the race is 26 laps long, not just the first corner. Fortunately Jorge had no serious injury but it has cost him a lot of points. I thought it was going to be a good race for Ben but a technical problem with his tyre compromised his results. It’s definitely not the weekend we forecast but sometimes races are like this. We’re looking now to the next GP to get back what we lost here.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Podium joy for Dovizioso in Assen The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team celebrated another fantastic podium finish in the historic Dutch TT this afternoon after Andrea Dovizioso stormed to third position in front of over 90,000 fans. The Italian claimed his second podium in the last three races after prevailing at the end of a thrilling fight with American rider Ben Spies on the final lap. A terrific start from the third row of the grid instantly put Dovizioso into podium contention as he grabbed fourth behind Spies, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa. Dovizioso then piled intense pressure on Spies and he moved into third place on lap eight. Dovizioso pushed his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 to the limit but he was unable to streak away from a determined Spies, who seized third back on lap 12. Dovizioso then shadowed Spies for the remainder of the race, waiting until the final lap to pounce with a clinical overtake that secured his second third position of the 2012 World Championship campaign. Cal Crutchlow produced another heroic performance to finish fifth in the 26-lap encounter, the British rider defying the pain from a broken left ankle he suffered in a practice crash at Silverstone to fight his way through from last position. The 26-year-old was fortunate to miss a first corner inc ident involving Jorge Lorenzo and Alvaro Bautista, but in taking evasive action to avoid the Spanish duo’s collision, he was forced to run off track. Crutchlow ended the first lap down in 12th but he demonstrated his fighting spirit to catch a battle involving Valentino Rossi, Hector Barbera and Nicky Hayden for fifth after just five laps. Crutchlow’s stunning early charge saw him set the third fastest lap of the race on lap four and he had swept into fifth place by lap 16. Crutchlow’s sixth top five finish of the season ensured he remains in fourth place in the World Championship rankings and again he demonstrated the pace that would have certainly put him in the hunt for his maiden MotoGP rostrum had it not been for his unfortunate early off-track excursion. Andrea Dovizioso 3rd 76 points: “Scoring a podium for us feels like a victory and today is another great day for me and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. This podium is great because I have never had a very good feeling at this track but with the Yamaha YZR-M1 I felt much more comfortable. I was only seventh on the grid but I knew all weekend my race pace was very fast and I always felt a podium was a realistic goal. I got a good start and it was a beautiful battle with Spies for the whole race. It was a really strong battle and the pace was very high and when I passed Spies for the first time I tried not to abuse the tyres too much because I knew the first two were already too far ahead. I dropped my pace and it really paid off because at the end of the race I was much stronger than him and it seems he apparently had some issue with the rear tyre. I want to say a huge thanks to my crew because onc e again they have done a fantastic job. We work a lot to be competitive for the race and this strategy is really paying off because in the last four races now I have been fighting for the podium. I also want to thank Yamaha for the great support they are offering us. Now I’m really looking forward to the next two races, particularly my home race at Mugello, because after fighting for the podium consistently I am confident that I will be able to repeat this performance another time.” Cal Crutchlow 5th 77 points: “Once again I am contemplating what might have been because without the incident at the first corner I had the pace to be on the podium today. I was actually quite lucky to avoid being collected by Alvaro and Jorge but I still had to run off track and I was last. I’m glad Jorge was not hurt because the job he has done for Yamaha this season has been incredible and he didn’t deserve that today. Alvaro was way too fast and I know he didn’t do that intentionally but you have to be sensible when braking from high-speed for a tight first corner like that. Like in Silverstone I was right at the back but just decided to get my head down and recover as many places as possible. I had a really good battle with the Ducatis but I had a faster pace, although I had one big moment when I lost the front on lap eight and had to do all the hard work again. To be at the back and still come through to fifth is a fantastic result. But there is no doubt I should have been in the battle with Andrea and Ben. With my ankle still causing me a lot of pain and coming from last to fifth, I can’t be too disappointed and I leave here still fourth in the World Championship and that is very important.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager: “We have mixed emotions after that race. On one side we are ecstatic because Andrea is back on the podium again and he rode a fantastic race. His pace was impressive throughout and he definitely deserved to be on the podium. It is not an easy job to fight against the factory bikes in MotoGP and the way he chased down Ben in the last four laps was very exciting. We were just hoping that he had enough time left to pass Ben and his timing was perfect to get third on the last lap. Andrea saved his tyres well and he is really showing his class at the moment. With a bit more luck he might have been on the podium in the last four races, so I am really pleased with the job Andrea is doing for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. We are a little bit disappointed though for Cal, even though he rode another phenomenal race. He showed again he had the pace for the podium but he had to run off track at the f irst corner to avoid the incident with Jorge and Alvaro. It is a shame because I have no doubt he would have been in the battle with Andrea and Ben. But he never gives up and that is a great quality of his. He was last like in Silverstone but fought incredibly hard to get back into the top six and he deserves a lot of credit. I am sure it is not going to be long before Cal gets his first podium but to have both of our riders back in the top five is a great achievement. After seven races we are third just 35-points behind the official Yamaha Factory Team in the Team World Championship. That confirms the incredible support we get from Yamaha but also the wonderful job Andrea and Cal are doing.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: 2012 FIM MotoGP/Moto2/Moto3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 07, SATURDAY, JUNE 30, ASSEN, HOLLAND Weather: Sunny Temperature: Ambient 23 degrees C / Track 37 degrees C STONER LEADS HOME PEDROSA IN DUTCH TT 30.6.12 A day after one of the worst crashes of his career, Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) rode brilliantly to outshine team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) in the Dutch TT on a sunny day in northern Holland, made sunnier by Stoner moving back into a tie for the MotoGP World Championship points lead. Stoner had suffered what he referred to as one of his worst ever crashes when he hit a slick spot in Friday morning practice. The fall pitched him hard onto his chronically injured left scaphoid, left arm, and his head, and also his knee, which he said felt like it had a knife in it. But in the final minutes of the rain-interrupted qualifying session, Stoner uncorked the lap of the weekend to take the pole position. When the race began, under warm, sunny skies, Pedrosa and pole-sitter Stoner cleared off, and by the first corner championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) was out of the race, the victim of an over-exuberant Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V). Bautista had charged into the first turn of the race with too much pace, lost the front end and collected Lorenzo as he slid to his left. Race Direction cited Bautista for riding in an “irresponsible manner.” His penalty is that he will have to start at the back of the MotoGP grid at next weekend’s German GP at the Sachsenring. The San Carlo Honda Gresini team appealed the penalty, but the FIM Stewards confirmed the decision, which is final. While much of the rest of the field had to check up, the Honda riders quickly pulled away to decide the race between themselves. Pedrosa was never able to lose the Australian with Stoner a constant threat on his tailpiece. Stoner made his move for the lead in the sixth gear Hoge Heide slight kink on lap 17 of 26. Within three laps he had put the lead to over 1.5s and from there cruised home to victory. The margin of victory was 4.965s. The win was the world champion’s third of the year and the 36th of his career, putting him one behind the legendary “Mike the Bike” Hailwood for fourth all-time in the premier class. It also moved him into a tie with Lorenzo atop the points standings with 140 after seven of 18 races, though Stoner said Lorenzo’s misfortune was not how he wanted to get back into the championship chase. Pedrosa is third with 121 points. The Repsol Honda one-two finish also strengthened the lead of the Repsol Honda team in the Team’s championship with 261 points to 188 for Yamaha. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) failed to finish a race for the first time in his rookie MotoGP season. Bradl was in fifth on the second lap when he lost the front end in turn 10 and fell, unhurt. It was doubly heart-breaking since he had earned his best ever grid position on Friday and was looking for a career best MotoGP finish. Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda) finished a career best ninth and nearly eighth in the fight for supremacy among the CRT set. Pirro engaged with the more experienced Aleix Espargaro and Randy de Puniet for most of the race. When Espargaro retired with a mechanical issue, Pirro moved up a spot with an eye on eighth. But de Puniet was able to break away with five laps to go. Still, Pirro was ecstatic to have finished so high up the order. Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter) won his third race of the season with a last lap pass of Andrea Iannone (Speed Master, Speed Up) in the Moto2 race. Iannone had taken the lead on the fourth of 24 laps and by then the tenor of the championship had changed dramatically. Thomas Luthi (Interwetten-Paddock, Suter) crashed on the first lap with Thai rider Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto 2, Suter). Wilairot was able to rejoin the race, only to crash again. And a lap later Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP Tuenti, Kalex) crashed out of the lead. That was the opening Marquez needed to maximise his championship position, but first he would have to get by Iannone. Iannone stretched his lead to over a second on the eighth lap. Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team, Kalex) was second in front of the charging Marquez, with early leader Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CPI, Suter) now fourth. By lap 14 Iannone had a cushion of 3.33 secs., but hehad damaged his tyres with his early pace. The lead dropped by nearly a second in the next two laps and on the 17th Marquez ran the fastest lap of the race. With four laps to go Marquez was on Iannone and looking for a way past. The pair bumped fairings in the fast Ruskenhoek right kink on the 22nd lap as Marquez was into the lead, but only briefly; Iannone took it back in the next sweeping left. The next lap was a replay, though without the contact. As it had the lap before, the lap ended with Iannone in front. But not for long. Marquez went into the lead on the final lap with Iannone unable to match his pace; his tyres would not allow it. Iannone made his bid for glory in the Stekkenwal right, but overshot it and killed his drive. That gave Marquez a touch of breathing room which he expanded to .405s at the end. It was his third win in a row in Assen. Redding finished third one race after finishing second in his home grand prix at Silverstone, coming out the best of a three-rider scrap with fourth place finisher Tito Rabat (Pons 40 HP Tuenti, Kalex) and Alex de Angelis (NGM Mobile Forward Racing, FTR). It was especially gratifying for Redding, the tall Briton who had had machine problems during the weekend, as well as a crash. Redding waited until Rabat gave him an opening, which he seized to score his second podium in as many weeks. De Angelis finished fifth in his first ride since swapping his Suter chassis for an FTR. The change paid off with the San Marinese scoring his best finish of the season. Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing, Tech 3) finished a close sixth, also his best finish of the year, while Aegerter dropped to seventh. Marquez leaves Assen and heads to the Sachsenring with 127 points to 104 for Iannone, who leapfrogged Espargaro and Luthi for second. The two riders who crashed remain tied for third with 96 points. Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia FTR Honda) won the most thrilling Moto3 race of the season with a crafty move when another rider faltered entering the final chicane on the last lap. A photo finish for second determined Sandro Cortese (KTM) was narrowly ahead of Danny Kent (KTM) and Luis Salom (KTM). The race began as a ten-rider rolling scrum that eventually winnowed itself down to the final five, then four. Despite starting sixth, his worst of the season, Vinales was in the mix from the start, leading most of the laps, though never secure as challenges were constantly made to his supremacy. Vinales was in third on the final lap behind the team-mates, Kent and Cortese, and plotting his move. First came the bid for second in the Ruskenhoek fast kink right, where he nearly ran off the track, but he was soon by Kent and chasing Cortese. At this point positions meant very little, with the race certain to be determined in the final chicane. As they approached the right-hander entering the chicane, the lead quartet was tightly packed with the race now a lottery. Vinales entered the corner in third, but when Salom missed a shift and ran wide left Vinales deftly threaded the needle between the Spaniard and Kent to take the lead and win handily, by .831s. Cortese was second with Kent earning his first podium in third by .001s over Luis Salom. Louis Rossi (Racing Team Germany, FTR-Honda) had been a contender until the final lap when he lost touch with the lead pack to finish a secure fifth. Next was Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0.0, Suter-Honda), also alone with Alexis Masbou (Caretta Technology, Honda) leading home a pack of six riders in seventh. By winning his fourth race of the year, and third in a row, Vinales opened up a seven point lead on Cortese, 130 to 123, after seven of 17 races. MotoGP rider quotes: Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: Race winner “To take pole position and now the win is really incredible. A big thanks to my whole team who never gave up. My plan was to get a better start than I actually did, take some advantage and use the energy I had to try and make a gap and try to hold on to the end. We also knew that whichever position we were in, we had to preserve the rear tyre. Choosing the softer tyre, there was a big chance that we would destroy it and have nothing left for the end of the race. When I saw Dani (Pedrosa) was running at a reasonable pace and we were pulling away from the others, I decided to stay there and watch him to save the tyres and my energy as much as I could. With nine, ten laps remaining, I knew we wouldn’t suffer a big drop in tyre performance, I still felt good, so I decided to pass him and see if I could pull a gap. It was a tough race, I had a lot of arm pump as I had to compensate for my injuries from the crash yesterday, but my fitness was good and the bike was working well in general. I’m sorry for Jorge (Lorenzo). Nobody wants to take points over a competitor in this manner, but as we can see, one race can change everything.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd “Looking at the lap times we did during the weekend, I knew I had better rhythm than Casey (Stoner), so I made a good start and tried to pull away from the first laps. Casey stayed behind me all the time and by the second half of the race I believe he took profit of extra energy he saved during the first part of the race to overtake me. Our pace was very good in the race, the bike worked very well but maybe I just chose the wrong strategy this time. At the end of the race, the bike felt heavy with change of direction due to tiredness and it was enough to slow me down from 1’35 to 1’36 for just two laps, and I lost ground, but this is racing. I hope to do a better strategy next week in Germany.” Michel Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 9th “It’s a good result, even if I am a little unhappy that lately we are always so close to being the best CRT. The guys are working so hard all the time and the bike improved between yesterday and today. I had the possibility to fight for the top CRT spot and we would have been even more competitive with just a few details adjusted. That’s why I’m convinced that, sooner or later, we will be successful. I thank the team from the bottom of my heart, because whilst I ride the bike, they are making the real difference. I am very happy with them.” Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: DNF “Well, I do not have so much to say. Yesterday we obtained a very good grid position and today I took another good start. In the first laps the feeling with the bike was great and I could easily close the little gap to Spies. I do not remember last time I has such a good feeling in the first laps but I have to be honest. Probably I was much too aggressive in braking into turn 10 and I crashed. It’s my mistake and I am very sorry for the guys; today we could get a very positive result. Now I want to learn from my mistakes making another step forward ahead my home race. The potential is there and we are capable to race with the top riders.” Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF “Unfortunately, when I followed Dovizioso’s wheel I lost my braking point and hit the brakes far too late. I tried to slow the bike down, but lost grip on the front and low-sided. I am very disappointed, even more so because I took out Lorenzo in the process and that was the last thing that I wanted to happen. It was my fault that he crashed out and I apologise profusely to him for that. I hope that nothing similar ever happens again. I also apologise to my team, because they worked so hard this week, only to miss out on what could have been a great result due to this mistake.” Moto2 rider quotes Marc Marquez, Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter: Race winner “It was a difficult race, but a nice one. I had some problems at the start, because some issues that weren’t there in practice came up and I was unable to find the right pace. That was perhaps my strength ahead of today. When I saw (Andrea) Iannone getting away I tried to keep calm, because I knew that tyres would be crucial at the end of the race. Maybe I wasted a little too much time trying to get past (Dominique) Aegerter and (Scott) Redding; they were giving their all, but I was able to get past. There were some beautiful final laps in the battle with Iannone, and I would have liked to have had Pol Espargaró there with us in what would have been a very tight fight. In any case, I am happy with how things went and with our work. Now we move on to Germany, which will be an important race.” Andrea Iannone, Speed Master-Speed Up: 2nd “This was a very tough race. Since the beginning I tried to push and move away, so that I could get a good margin from the other guys. I knew that Marc Marquez was very fast and in the practice sessions he had already proved that he had a better pace than mine. Once I overtook Aegerter, I managed to get away, even if the gap by the end of the race wasn’t really enough. I had to deal with some risks because my rear tyre was quite worn out and meanwhile Marc reached me. I’m sorry I didn’t win, but it was a good battle with Marc and, after all, I’m happy anyway. We need to try to improve more the set up of the bike, we’ll see how things go at Sachsenring.” Scott Redding, Marc VDS Racing Team-Kalex: 3rd “After a difficult weekend, with bike problems and a crash with Toni Elias, I went into the race with a clear plan. I knew where I had to overtake on the opening lap to make up places, so that’s exactly what I did. The battle with Marc Marquez didn’t go my way this time; out of the slower turns, like turn five, his weight advantage meant he could accelerate quicker out of the corner, so I just made sure I got in front of him going into the turn. It worked for a while, but he eventually managed to get away from me. Tito Rabat took third place for a few laps, but I could see he was struggling and I knew third place was mine. It’s great to be on the podium for the second time in two races and I’d like to say a big thank you to my team, who all kept their faith in me during what was, up until the race anyway, a difficult weekend.” Moto3 Rider Quotes Maverick Vinales, Blusens Avintia FTR Honda: race winner “I don’t know why, but early in the race we were running very slow. On one lap you could overtake five riders, and in the next you could lose those positions again. It was a tough situation. Halfway through the race I knew that I had to push to break away from the pack, so I did. Things got tricky on the final laps, because the KTMs were going very fast and I knew that I had to win by any means possible. I am very happy with this victory, because we managed to win despite mechanical inferiority.” Louis Rossi, Racing Team Germany FTR Honda: 5th “The objective for the race was to get a good start and get in touch with the leading group. This worked out very well. Then I tried to stay with the leaders and waited for the second group to drop off. The rhythm was very fast and the second group couldn’t follow. At the end my tyre was a little bit used, as the other riders had the same issue. For the future I have to work on my performance with used tyres, as the other riders could push a little bit more. I need to find this little trick to fight for the podium.” Alex Rins, Estrella Galicia Suter Honda: 6th “I am very happy. We did a good job the whole weekend and showed that we could be up there with the lead group. We set off from 16th and that made things difficult. We rode at a good pace, but at one point in the race I was run off track and I lost all chance of keeping with the leaders. I lost touch with them, but I fought the best I could. I want to thank the team and my sponsors. We had the pace to stick with the leaders, and that is what I will take away from this race. My right hand held up well, but the left hurts a lot and that hasn’t been helped by having two consecutive race weekends. We have another one next weekend too.”