FIM MotoGP World Championship Jerez, Spain April 3, 2011 Race Results (wet conditions, all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Yamaha), 27 laps, 50:49.046, 87.613 mph 2. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), -19.339 seconds 3. Nicky Hayden, USA (Ducati), -29.085 4. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan (Honda), -29.551 5. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Ducati), -62.227, crash 6. Hector Barbera, Spain (Ducati), -68.440 7. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), -74.120, crash 8. Cal Crutchlow, Great Britain (Yamaha), -79.110, crash 9. Toni Elias, Spain (Honda), -102.906 10. John Hopkins, USA (Suzuki), -108.395 11. Loris Capirossi, Italy (Ducati), -111.876 12. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Honda), -1 lap, pitted 13. Colin Edwards, USA (Yamaha), -1 lap, DNF, mechanical, crash 14. Ben Spies, USA (Yamaha), -3 laps, DNF, crash 15. Randy De Puniet, France (Ducati), -11 laps, DNF, crash 16. Marco Simoncelli, Italy (Honda), -16 laps, DNF, crash 17. Casey Stoner, Australia (Honda), -20 laps, DNF, crash Race Distance, 27 laps, 74.205 miles Race Time, 50 minutes, 49.046 seconds Race Average Speed, 87.613 mph Victory Margin, 19.339 seconds Fastest Lap, Rossi, 1:48.753, 90.976 mph, Lap 4 World Championship Point Standings (After 2 of 18 races): 1. Lorenzo, 45 points 2. Pedrosa, 36 points 3. Stoner, 25 points 4. Hayden, 23 points 5. Rossi, 20 points 6. Aoyama, 19 points 7. Dovizioso, 17 points 8. Barbera, 14 points 9. Crutchlow, 13 points 10. Abraham, 12 points 11. Simoncelli, 11 points 12. Spies, 10 points 13. Edwards, 8 points 14. Elias, 7 points 15. Hopkins, 6 points 16. Capirossi, 5 points More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Hopkins scores amazing top-10 on MotoGP return Rizla Suzuki’s John Hopkins raced his Suzuki GSV-R to a stunning top-10 finish at Jerez today in his first MotoGP race since 2008. Hopkins started from 14th on the grid and got a good start that promoted him up the field on the first lap. As the riders settled down he became part of a six-rider battle for eighth place and was regularly trading positions as the race developed. With the final few laps looming Hopkins had extreme grip issues, causing him to lose some hard earned positions, but he still managed to keep a steady momentum and, as other riders were struggling to stay upright, Hopkins rode a smooth and controlled last part of the race to secure a well deserved 10th position for the Rizla Suzuki team. A crowd of 123,750 fans braved the rain that started to fall on the Jerez circuit from early in the morning. An eventful race saw many riders crash and re-mount in the difficult conditions and early leaders Casey Stoner and Marco Simoncelli crash out of the race completely along with three other riders who were unable to continue after crashing. Local hero and current World Champion Jorge Lorenzo rode to a convincing victory of over 19 seconds from compatriot Dani Pedrosa. Rizla Suzuki will next be in action at the Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril on Sunday 1st May, although nothing has yet been confirmed as to who will replace regular rider Álvaro Bautista if he is unable to compete due to the injury he sustained at Qatar. John Hopkins: “Well, I finished where I wanted to I certainly wanted to get into the top-10! That was the goal for the whole weekend, but I did wonder if it was going to be a reality when I started on Friday. We pushed right from the start of practice and chipped away little-by-little to bring the lap-time down and just went about the job as professionally as possible. My main target at the start of the race was to try and jump up as many places as possible and get up into the group, because I knew that if I was in there I would be able to follow some guys and do the lap-times. We made up some positions early on, although I dropped back a few places and made a few mistakes – including a huge moment in turn three when I lost the rear and hit the paint – the bike was 90º sideways underneath me, when I should have been going forward! I was able to keep it upright and hang on to a group that included a couple of Ducati’s and some other guys in a battle for eighth. Then suddenly the tyres dropped off a lot, but this was my first time in the wet for a while on a MotoGP bike and I’d never used the Bridgestone wets, so we didn’t have the electronics set completely in the right way and I chewed up the tyre way too much at the beginning of the race. I dropped off the pace quite dramatically for the last part of the race and I saw many riders crashing, so I knew I was close to the top-10, but my main aim was to finish and bring the bike home. “It has been an amazing weekend and I’m so grateful again to Rizla Suzuki for giving me this great opportunity, it’s been great and I’ve really enjoyed it, just to see everybody in the GP paddock has been awesome! Hopefully in the future you’ll see more of me here, but for now I need to concentrate on the BSB championship and we’ll see what happens. I once again want to say how thankful I am for this chance and it was great to see my ‘away-from-home family’ in the Suzuki garage again!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “John said to me yesterday that a top-10 would be a dream result in his comeback ride and to achieve it was richly deserved. He’s not put a wheel wrong all weekend, made no mistakes and shown clearly both his potential and that of the GSV-R. The race itself was crazy and just to keep the bike on two wheels for the last third of the race was an achievement in itself. It’s actually a shame that we used up the tyres more quickly than some of our competitors, because for the first 10-laps John was in a six-way battle for eighth place and quite comfortably matching the lap-times and manoeuvres of those around him. It’s the first time the 2011 bike has been used in the wet so the data from today should allow Suzuki and the team to make the bike a little more user friendly on the tyres. I would like to pass on my personal thanks to John for the fantastic job he did here in Jerez, he showed true professionalism and it was a pleasure to have him back in the team. “It was also great to have Álvaro here this weekend to support the team; we really appreciate his efforts to drive down from Madrid. He’s looking well and the recovery is going in the right direction. We hope to make an announcement regarding our plans at the next two races as soon as possible.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Lorenzo shines in the wet in a dramatic Spanish Grand Prix Round 2: Spanish GP Race Jerez Circuit, Sunday 3 April 2011 Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Front: Soft. Rear: Soft Jorge Lorenzo kept his head in very difficult conditions to take his first victory of the 2011 season at Jerez, which was the first wet MotoGP race since the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2009 and his first win in the rain. Dani Pedrosa crossed the line in second position ahead of Nicky Hayden after what was a very dramatic race. Every rider used Bridgestone’s soft compound wets as the race started wet, but the conditions were constantly changing lap-by-lap, even corner-to-corner.. Jerez’s tarmac is quite abrasive and as the surface gradually dried, the challenge for the riders, their bikes and the tyres became greater in the search for useable grip. Many riders fell foul of the ever-changing conditions and there were several crashes. Valentino Rossi crashed whilst passing Casey Stoner for second, taking the Australian with him into the gravel. Marco Simoncelli crashed out of the lead, Ben Spies crashed whilst running second having just passed Pedrosa, and Colin Edwards retired from third. Sunday’s rain meant that the morning warm-up and the race were the very first wet sessions of running this season, presenting the teams and riders with the task of deciding their wet setups with only 20minutes of warm-up track time. Hiroshi Yamada Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “I think everyone who watched the race will agree that it was very dramatic indeed with so many changes of position throughout the whole field. Such conditions are always very difficult, for the teams, the riders and for our tyres, but Jorge rode a very mature and consistent race to cross the line first so I must congratulate him and the Yamaha team. Dani rode very well through his lingering injury for second whilst it was good to see Nicky take to the podium again.” Masao Azuma Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport “Today’s conditions were the trickiest we can expect for our wet tyres because the track was drying but still damp, and Jerez is an abrasive circuit. Of course, grip was dropping off as the circuit got drier. Jerez circuit can cope well with a lot of rain so there was little standing water which aided in the circuit drying, and tyre selection is always a compromise between grip and tyre life. We chose our soft compound wets because they are best suited to the conditions in Jerez. Conditions like today are so tricky because no-one knows what the weather will do throughout the race which makes it difficult for the riders and our tyres.. We saw it was forecast to rain throughout the race, but actually it got drier.” Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing Race Winner “I think everyone wanted dry conditions today but you can’t control these things. It was very difficult. Marco and Valentino came and went away a little bit and Dani started to catch a little bit so it was difficult to keep the concentration, but then with the crashes we have been lucky. It was really tough today because the track was not completely wet. Some bikes save the tyres a little more, and also the way you ride the bike, so I was very concentrated to save the tyres because we knew it would be tough from the beginning. To watch some others crashing and keep the concentration is not so easy, and such a long race, but we kept on the bike and we won for the second time here in Jerez.” More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: RAIN COMPLICATED FIRST EUROPEAN MOTOGP Suprises in Jerez de la Frontera, where the rain shuffle the cards in comparison to the two days of free practice and qualifying. For Randy De Puniet, who had recorded some good lap times, as he registered the fifth fastest lap time in FP3 on saturday morning. In race, after an imperfect start that relegated him to13th position, the Frenchman was able to climb over six opponents. For him the race finished at the 16th lap due to a slip on the wet surface. Loris Capirossi, instead, completed the race with the eleventh final position. In addition to the pain at the right shoulder, the Italian found the same problems in the front part of the bike. Then a technical problem, a defected spark plug, obligated the rider from Emilia to grit his teeth until the end of the race. Next event for Ducati Pramac passes from Estoril, the third race of the World Championship. Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Technical Director “Really a shame, we could have a good race, because some of the fastest riders have fallen into the first laps. Loris started quite well, but after a few laps he had a technical problem. The sound of his engine in the main straight line was too strange and we realized that something was wrong, but we have shown to him to continue his race doing everything possible. When he returned to the garage, we took the parts of the bike down and we saw that a candle was broken. Also a pity for Randy, he has made a very positive weekend until the race”. Loris Capirossi – Pramac Racing Team – 11th in the race – 16th in MotoGP standing “I see today as a positive day even if I finished so far from the first positions as I had to ride with a a broken spark plug. We could have done better, we understood some things, we will try to put them in practice for Estoril. The break arrive at the right time, in fact, I’ll go to Monaco tomorrow for a consultation with the head of the hospital. I hope I will be able to begin soon therapy on the shoulder to face the next race in the best possible way”. Randy De Puniet – DNF “I’m disappointed and angry about what happened. I had a bad start, I was relegated in the last positions. Then I started pushing, I was doing well, until I found major problems with the front wheel. I tried to change the mapping, but I was not able to do it. I found it extremely difficult to manage the bike and when I slipped I couldn’t manage to restart the bike. Now I only have to think about doing well at Estoril, because this beginning of the championship hasn’t been good at all”. More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Edwards and Crutchlow fight for podium in Jerez thriller Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow both mounted a brilliant challenge for the podium in an incident-packed and dramatic Spanish MotoGP race at the Jerez circuit in Spain today. The 27-lap race got underway under grey and gloomy skies and conditions proved to be some of the most challenging imaginable as light rain fell throughout a pulsating encounter, the conditions though contributing to a memorable afternoon for a crowd of close to 125,000 fans. Despite only having 20-minutes of wet track time on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 before the start of the race, Crutchlow thr ived in the tricky conditions and on lap 12 he moved into fifth position in a crash-strewn opening half to the race.. Sensing he could fight for a sensational maiden podium, Crutchlow launched a terrific pursuit of Nicky Hayden and was less than two seconds behind the American when he crashed at Turn 9 on lap 20. Crutchlow was able to remount and still finish ahead of Toni Elias, John Hopkins, Andrea Dovizioso and Loris Capirossi to claim his first MotoGP top ten with a superb eighth position. Crutchlow’s fall moved team-mate Edwards into fifth position and the American produced a stunning series of fast laps to hunt down compatriot Hayden. With Ben Spies tumbling out of second on lap 25, Edwards seized third place just moments later and looked certain to claim his first podium since the 2009 British Grand Prix at Donington Park when he suffered late heartache. Ha ving caught and passed Hayden, Edwards had quickly opened up a 2.5s advantage at the start of the last lap when he was forced off the track at the first corner by a minor technical issue and had to retire. Cal Crutchlow 8th 13 points “I never thought I’d crash in MotoGP and still get a top ten 10! That was an unbelievable race and not one of the easiest I’ve had in my career. The conditions were so unpredictable that it was hard to get any grip and I was having lots of moments with the front and rear tyre, but so was everybody else. I could see people were making mistakes but I just tried to keep my head. When I got into fifth I felt pretty comfortable though I wanted it to rain again because the tyres were wearing pretty fast. I was gaining on Nicky really quick and he was in fourth, so there’s no doubt the way I was catching him that I was thinking about a podium. I’ve nothing to lose so I was pushing and I went down at Turn 9. I actually lost the rear but then pushed the front and I was down. I’m not going to be too hard on myself crashing when I was battling for a podium in MotoGP. I’m happy because before this morning I’d never tried the bike in the rain, so to be where I was is a good sign. I was in the top ten in the wet and dry on a track I’d never seen before Thursday, so I’m making good progress.” Colin Edwards DNF “That’s pretty tough to take because getting a podium in MotoGP is not something you get chance to get every week. The race was unbelievable because it was all about who could keep it on two wheels the longest. I was quite a way back at one stage but just didn’t want to do anything stupid and crash and I just felt more and more confident to push. N icky came back to me really quickly and I knew I’d have no problem passing him because he was in trouble with his tyres. I didn’t have a lot more grip but I pulled away from him and the podium was right in front of me. The bike didn’t feel great coming out of the last corner to start the last lap and by the time I got to the first corner it just stopped. Obviously I’m disappointed but I can’t change what happened. I wanted that podium for my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 because they are awesome. But we move on and try to bounce back at Estoril.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager “That was an incredible race today. We knew in those conditions it would be very hectic, but I never thought so much would go on during the race. Cal and Colin started well and pushed hard and halfway through they were both inside the top six. With more crashes we were getting near er and nearer to the front and we started to dream of a podium but then Cal unfortunately crashed. It was a mistake and it was a pity as he could have had a really strong result in just his second race as a rookie in the World Championship. But the good point was that he picked up the bike and continued to push hard to finish eighth. I am really upset and sorry for what happened to Colin. He was one of the fastest guys out there and once Ben crashed he got third and he was easily quicker than Nicky. Unfortunately a technical problem didn’t allow him to finish the race. This is really a pity as I think it would have been a very strong result for the team. Colin did not deserve that as he rode a really strong race, but that’s racing. But I feel a bit bitter about how he was denied through no fault of his own.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Fantastic podium finish for Pedrosa, disappointment for Stoner and Dovizioso Dani Pedrosa continues to maintain a great romance with the Jerez circuit, but Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso still have a score to settle with it. The Spanish rider achieved a fantastic second place in the Grand Prix of Spain, while Stoner was forced to withdraw after being taken out by Valentino Rossi in a collision on the eighth lap. Andrea Dovizioso finished twelfth – and last due to traction problems with the rear tyre, he entered the pits with 10 laps to go and rejoined the track in order to gain some points. The race, held in the rain after two days of dry practice sessions, has been a real test of survival. Casey took the lead from pole with Andrea in fourth place and Dani, engulfed by the group at the start, was delayed and dropped down to eleventh position. The Australian remained in front until lap six when he was overtaken by Simoncelli, then two laps later he was knocked to the ground – pulled down by Valentino Rossi in his fall. Dani Pedrosa, who will undergo surgery tomorrow on his injured left arm, leaves Jerez with another podium finish, sixth in this circuit in his six years in MotoGP, and the second podium this season which puts him second in the World Championship standings – 9 points behind Jorge Lorenzo, the new leader in the Championship with his win today. Casey is third overall and Andrea seventh. DANI PEDROSA Race position: 2nd World Championship position: 2nd with 36 points “It’s been a very difficult race. At the start, many riders overtook me and I thought “that’s it”. Anyway, I knew there were 27 laps and the situation was difficult for the tyres. I was a little nervous after my bad start, but when I realised that in the first lap I was faster than in the warm up, I calmed down and started to improve. I took a good pace and had to ride at maximum concentration in order not to not make any mistakes, it was very easy to crash. Some riders started falling down and it was a matter of resisting there. I tried to catch Lorenzo when I saw that his gap was about a second, but at 10 laps to go the tyres were almost finished; I couldn’t even open the throttle on the straight because the track was very slippery. When Spies crashed, my gap with Nicky was big enough to keep the second place and I crossed the finish line very very happy. It’s been a t ough weekend for the arm injury, today I also had numbness and lack of strength, but to ride in wet has helped me because it’s not as aggressive as in dry conditions. To leave Jerez with a second place finish, after the third place in Qatar, is amazing. We are 9 points behind the Championship leader and it’s a good gap to resume the Championship again in Estoril. On Friday we considered whether it was worth racing here or better to pull out thinking about the operation. So this second place is amazing. We’ve been doing great, but now comes the hard time, the surgery. Nobody likes to undergo surgery, but this time I almost wish for it because I want to end the pain and problems and start competing fully fit”. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO Race position: 12th World Championship position: 7th with 17 points “I am very disappointed with what happened today. We have to understand exactly the reason why, but I felt the rear tyre was not working properly, moreover the set up of the traction control was not perfect for today’s situation and this made things worse. The traction control was too “low”, the bike was spinning a lot and the tyres overheated. With ten laps to go I felt it was dangerous to go ahead so I entered the pit lane to change tyre and finish the race to get some points. It was a real pity because we have always been competitive in the wet and today it could have been a good occasion to achieve a good result. In the warm up everything was fine and I had no issues”. CASEY STONER Race position: DNF World championship position: 3rd with 25 points “We made a good start to the race and the bike felt good for the first few laps, then the tyres seemed to move a little so we tried to conserve them in case it rained again. I really wanted the chance to fight the Spanish riders here in a dry race, so it was disappointing for me that that it was wet. However, we were competitive here in the wet and dry and this is very important for us – at a track that hasn’t been that great for me in the past. After so much hard work I hate to have a race like this because the team did a great job all weekend and now we go home empty handed. With the accident, I heard Valentino arriving and I wasn’t worried about anyone passing me at that point in the race so I gave him plenty of room. It was a racing incident and there’s not much we can do, what is more frustrating is the reaction of the stewards and their assistance for Valentino and not for me, it was unbelievable. I want to just get to the next race now in Estoril, where I’m sure we can be competitive again”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Lorenzo Delivers a Master Class in Wet Riding to Claim Victory in Spain Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo used his M1 to deliver a master class in wet riding today, delivering a flawless performance to take victory in front of his home crowd at Jerez. The second race of the 2011 MotoGP Championship was played out on treacherous track conditions that claimed a number of victims over the 27 laps. Slipping comfortably into second in the first lap Lorenzo stayed in contention in the top three for several laps, keeping calm and graduating to first position as rivals Stoner, Rossi and Simoncelli all crashed out of contention. A steady rhythm and inch perfect lines finally saw the reigning World Champion take the chequered flag, his first ever professional race career win in the wet. Team mate Ben Spies was denied his first MotoGP podium as a factory rider with just three laps remaining of the race. Having initially dropped to sixth from the start grid Spies’ riding style was on a par with Lorenzo, laying down smooth consistent laps on a track that was wet in some places and drying in others. Having gained half a second a lap on second place man Pedrosa he caught and passed him, raising the possibility of a Yamaha one two on the podium. Disaster then struck on turn five as slippery conditions and worn race tyres brought the Texan’s race to a premature end, losing the front and sliding off the track. Lorenzo’s victory propels him to the top of the MotoGP Championship standings with a tally of 45 points, nine points clear of Pedrosa in second. Spies heads to the next round in Estoril in four weeks time having dropped to 12th in the standings with ten points and looking to make up for today’s disappointment. Jorge Lorenzo Position : 1st Time: 50’49.046 “It has been one of my most patience races. It’s a great victory, which we needed and I feel so good. This is also the first time I have won in wet conditions, the first time ever! Now we are working to improve our bike, taking as much points as possible on the way. The King of Spain said to me that he would bring me good luck after our meeting last February in Madrid, he was right! With the competition so high this year I never imagined I would be leader after two races. I am so happy to have won this weekend, especially as my friends from Yamaha Indonesia came all the way here to support us; ‘Semakin di Depan’ means ‘One Step Ahead’ which was true today!” Ben Spies Position : DNF Time: “I don’t think of it as a race today, it was more attrition. Once we moved into fourth behind Nicky I knew I could get past so just waited for the right moment. Dani was only a few seconds ahead of me and I thought for sure we could get on the podium. I slowly started to catch him, Jorge was obviously going to win but we could go one two. I put it all out there and caught Dani. As soon as I passed him I knew that we had second place under control, he wouldn’t be able to get back by but I needed to not make any mistakes. Every corner after I passed him I slowed down, taking it easy then all of a sudden I was on the floor. Obviously it was my mistake, but looking at the data I was going slower than I had all race. It was one of those things; I think the tyres were the limiting factor today. I think it was a great show for the crowd though!” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “A fantastic result and a fantastic race, it was very, very hard for the rider but he brought it home safely and under control; the best scenario that we could have imagined. I feel sorry for Ben, a one and two finish would have been really nice but unfortunately he went off, let’s see for the next race. For Jorge leading the Championship after two rounds as we did last year and with the competition we have at the moment is a dream. We’re looking forward to the next round at Estoril which is a favourite track for him too.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “It could have been a perfect weekend, unfortunately for a little crash it wasn’t. Jorge gave an impressive race, he showed his maturity; he thought through his tactics and deserved the race win. Ben was also clever, waiting and taking his time to get to second. Unfortunately in the wet like this a little mistake can compromise a race. I’m sorry for him with just two laps to go he deserved the podium. The team has worked very hard this weekend on both sides of the garage to deliver very competitive set ups for both riders, a great performance by the crews. For sure we go to Estoril with a good motivation, it’s a good circuit for Yamaha, and a good circuit for Jorge so we go with good prospects.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: MotoGP AND Moto2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND TWO: JEREZ, SPAIN RACE DAY, 3 APRIL Weather: cool and wet Temperature: ambient 17 degrees C, track 15 degrees C Crowd: 123,750 PEDROSA TAKES SECOND IN RAIN-HIT SPANISH GRAND PRIX Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) scored a great second-place finish in today’s rain-hit Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez to move into second place in the World Championship standings after two of this year’s 18 rounds. The race was won by reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) with Nicky Hayden (Ducati) finishing third. Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) challenged Hayden for the final podium position during the final lap, crossing the line just four tenths of a second behind the American for his best result since moving to MotoGP last season. But Honda’s other MotoGP hopes were out of luck this afternoon. Qatar GP winner Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V), who yesterday qualified on pole position here, was taken out by former World Champion Valentino Rossi (Ducati) in the early stages, while Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) crashed out of the lead a few laps later. And Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V), who made a great start to place fourth after the first lap, ran into grip issues. Rain arrived at Jerez before morning warm-up, with all three Grands Prix getting underway on a wet track. There were a number of crashes in all three races, but conditions were probably at their most treacherous during the MotoGP race. As the laps went by the track started drying out, which caused serious degradation to the rain tyres chosen by all riders. Eight of the 17 riders who started the race slid off during the 27 laps, none of them sustaining injury. Stoner made a perfect start from pole to lead the first few laps, while Simoncelli was the man on the move, passing both second-placed Lorenzo and then Stoner on lap six. While the lanky Italian quickly established a 2.6 second lead and seemed destined for a maiden MotoGP victory, Stoner and Lorenzo were coming under attack from Rossi, who was in a hurry coming through from 12th on the grid. In fact Rossi was in too much of a hurry. After taking Lorenzo on lap seven, he dived under Stoner as the pair entered the first turn for the eighth time. Rossi lost the front, his fallen machine skittling Stoner, both bikes and riders sliding into the gravel trap. Rossi managed to regain the track his engine hadn’t stopped during the accident but Stoner wasn’t able to restart his engine, which he had stopped as he fell to avoid engine damage. It was a bitter end to a weekend of great work and great speed for Stoner. The Australian was looking in great shape after Friday and Saturday. As at Qatar, Honda machines topped all four practice and qualifying sessions, those honours shared once again by Stoner and Pedrosa. Four laps after the Rossi/Stoner incident, Simoncelli also fell at turn one. The former 250 World Champion lost it mid-corner, the tyres refusing to let go completely until the slide ended with a highside that put him out of the race. That put Lorenzo in front for the first time, with Pedrosa 2.7 seconds behind. In three laps Pedrosa shrunk the gap to 1.2 seconds, but that was as close as the Spanish pair got, watched by a huge Spanish crowd collectively holding its breath. Like many other riders, Pedrosa struggled more as the track started to dry, the grippier tarmac playing havoc with the soft rain tyres used by the entire grid. Tomorrow Pedrosa will undergo surgery in an attempt to fix a circulation problem in his left shoulder, the legacy of a multiple collarbone fracture at last October’s Japanese GP. Dovizioso had a race to forget. The first laps went well for the Italian who came through from sixth on the grid to run with the lead group, but soon ran into grip worries because of tyre and traction control issues. Toni Elias (LCR Honda MotoGP RC212V) scored his first points of the year with a steady ride to ninth position. Andrea Iannone (Speed Master-Suter) was the deserving winner of another thrilling Moto2 race, the Italian rocketing through from the fourth row of the grid to win on a damp track and take the World Championship lead. Third in last year’s inaugural Moto2 series with dominant wins at Mugello, Assen and Aragon, this was Iannone’s first Moto2 win in the rain Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2-Suter) and Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project-FTR) completed the podium with rookie Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing-Tech 3) beating Qatar winner and Jerez pole-sitter Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing-Kalex) in an entertaining duel for fourth place. Smith led the first lap, before Corsi and then Luthi took over, Luthi building a one second advantage by lap nine. But Iannone was already on the charge, moving into second on lap seven, chased by Corsi, Smith and Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing Moto2-Moriwaki). Three laps later Takahashi crashed at Ferrari, the fastest corner on the track. The Japanese rider was unharmed but unable to continue due to machine damage. Iannone enjoyed working his way through the pack and finally took the lead on lap 14 when Luthi missed a gear on the start/finish straight. Within a lap he had opened a 1.2 second lead, and when Luthi had a few slides the Swiss decided that discretion was the better part of valour and settled for second place rather than risk a tumble. He crossed the line 7.8 seconds down on Iannone. Corsi was 4.7 seconds behind Luthi at the flag, happy to have scored his first podium result since Mugello last year, especially since he had started from 18th on the grid. Smith took fourth place back off Bradl on the penultimate lap when the German had a slide at Sito Pons corner. The close-fought action which is a feature of the Honda-powered series was especially evident in the mid-pack today; with at one stage a dozen men battling for what turned out to be sixth place. That contest was won by top Spaniard Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2-Suter), runner up in last year’s Moto2 series. Perhaps the most remarkable performance of the race came from Alex De Angelis (JIR Moto2-Motobi) who was penalised with a ride-through penalty after jumping the start. Down in 34th place after his visit to pit lane, the San Marino fought back to finish seventh. Kev Coghlan (Aeroporto de Castello-FTR) won a frantic skirmish for eighth place, the Scotsman crossing the line just ahead of Michele Pirro (Gresini Racing Moto2-Moriwaki). Local favourite Marc Marquez (Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter) was running strongly in the second group when he was rammed out of the race by Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing-Suter) who touched a white line and fell, taking the reigning 125 World Champion with him. The next round of the MotoGP and Moto2 World Championships takes place at Estoril, Portugal on April 29/30/May 1. The third GP of 2011 had been due to take place in Japan on April 22/23/24 but was postponed following the tragic events that hit the country last month. MotoGP rider quotes Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd “It’s been a very difficult race. At the start, many riders overtook me and I thought ‘that’s it’. Anyway, I knew there were 27 laps and the situation was difficult for the tyres. I was a little nervous after my bad start, but when I realised that in the first lap I was faster than in the warm-up, I calmed down and started to improve. I took a good pace and had to ride at maximum concentration in order not to not make any mistakes; it was very easy to crash. Some riders started falling down and it was a matter of resisting. I tried to catch Lorenzo when I saw that his gap was about a second, but at ten laps to go the tyres were almost finished; I couldn’t even open the throttle on the straight because the track was very slippery. When Spies crashed, my gap with Nicky was big enough to keep the second place and I crossed the finish line very, very happy. It’s been a tough weekend for the arm injury, today I also had numbness and lack of strength, but to ride in the wet helped me because it’s not as aggressive as in dry conditions. To leave Jerez with a second place finish, after the third place in Qatar, is amazing. We are nine points behind the Championship leader and it’s a good gap to resume the Championship again in Estoril. On Friday we considered whether it was worth racing here or better to pull out thinking about the operation. So this second place is amazing. We’ve been doing great, but now comes the hard time, the surgery. Nobody likes to undergo surgery, but this time I almost wish for it because I want to end the pain and problems and start competing fully fit.” Hiroshi Aoyama, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 4th “The situation was really tricky today but we have taken a solid result from a tough race. A lot of riders went down but I was able to manage the situation at the most critical points. I am pleased but not totally satisfied because with a bit more conviction early in the race I could have passed some slower riders and I’m sure that would have put me on the podium. We have to wait until next time but this is a great confidence boost for me and the team, who have done a great job to give me a competitive bike in the wet conditions.” Toni Elias, LCR Honda MotoGP: 9th “Basically I am not happy about the race result because my feeling on the bike was still bad, but ninth position in these conditions is a positive result for me and the team. I know I have been lucky because many riders crashed out and I was able to finish the race although the tyre situation was very difficult for everybody because we just had the warm-up session in the wet. We must continue our job to improve our future performances.” Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 12th “I am very disappointed with what happened today. We have to understand exactly the reason why, but I felt the rear tyre was not working properly, moreover the set-up of the traction control was not perfect for today’s situation and this made things worse. The traction control was too ‘low’, the bike was spinning a lot and the tyres overheated. With ten laps to go I felt it was dangerous to go ahead so I entered the pit lane to change tyre and finish the race to get some points. It was a real pity because we have always been competitive in the wet and today it could have been a good occasion to achieve a good result. In the warm up everything was fine and I had no issues.” Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF “I am really disappointed! I knew after the first five laps that the tyres were struggling but I managed to hold my advantage over Lorenzo. Unfortunately I lost the front in turn one and the rear came round on me I tried to get it back under control but I couldn’t manage it. It happens in racing and even though I am disappointed I am also happy to have shown again that I am a contender this year. The most frustrating thing about today was that I got no help at all from the marshals, unlike other riders today. The bike was okay and if I could have had some help I am sure I could have still had a good race. That is not good but as I said before I showed I can run with the best today and that’s the main thing we’ll take away with us. A major result is around the corner.” Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: DNF “We made a good start to the race and the bike felt good for the first few laps, then the tyres seemed to move a little so we tried to conserve them in case it rained again. I really wanted the chance to fight the Spanish riders here in a dry race, so it was disappointing for me that that it was wet. However, we were competitive here in the wet and dry and this is very important for us – at a track that hasn’t been that great for me in the past. After so much hard work, I hate to have a race like this because the team did a great job all weekend and now we go home empty handed. With the accident, I heard Valentino arriving and I wasn’t worried about anyone passing me at that point in the race so I gave him plenty of room. It was a racing incident and there’s not much we can do, what is more frustrating is the reaction of the stewards and their assistance for Valentino and not for me, it was unbelievable. I want to just get to the next race now in Estoril, where I’m sure we can be competitive again.” Moto2 rider quotes Andrea Iannone, Speed Master-Suter: race winner I’m delighted this is only the third time in my career that I have scored points at Jerez. I’m also very happy with the work that the team did, especially in preparing the bike for the wet race. Once the race started I had to work hard, it was difficult coming through and passing people and I touched a few. But I enjoyed the race -0 that’s what racing is all about. Once I could see Thomas ahead I felt comfortable with my rhythm so when I passed him I could pull away okay.” Thomas Luthi, Interwetten Paddock Moto2-Suter: 2nd “For sure it was very easy to make a mistake out there today. We had two days of dry practice and then a wet race, with only a few laps in the rain this morning to find a wet set-up. We had a good rhythm, a good pace, but when Iannone caught me I made a mistake while shifting gears and he was able to overtake me. Then I made I had three or four slides, so I was a little bit scared of crashing. Closing the gap would have been risky, so I decided to ride more carefully. I’m happy with second on such a day.” Simone Corsi, Ioda Racing Project-FTR: 3rd “I’m very happy with this result because this is my first podium with my new team and because the conditions were very difficult. We picked up 17 positions in the first two laps and I was suddenly in the lead! I felt comfortable but at the same time it was very easy to make a mistake on such a track. In the end Luthi and Iannone had more than me, so I decided to settle for this place and some important championship points.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: ELIAS SCORES HIS FIRST POINTS OF THE SEASON IN THE WET AT JEREZ Jerez, 3 April: after two days of summer weather, the first round of 2011 season at Jerez de la Frontera was run on the wet today with track temperature of 15 degrees only. The 27-lap race has started at 14:00 local time with the premier class riders lining up under cloudy skies at the South Spain race track which saw Lorenzo winning ahead Pedrosa and Hayden. Despite the bad conditions the LCR Honda MotoGP racer Toni Elias started from the last spot on the grid ending the race with a positive 9th position. The Spaniard has the capability to keep his pace till the last lap while some of his “colleagues” crashed out because of the slippery surface. Thanks to his determination Elias has gained his first 7 points in the official standing but needs further set up adjustments to improve his performances aboard the RC212V. LCR Team will be back on track on the 1st of May for the Portoguese GP. Elias 9th: “Honestly I am not happy about the performance as my feeling on the bike was still bad but the 9th position in these conditions is a positive result for me and the Team. I know I have been lucky because many riders crashed out and I was capable to end the race although the tyres situation was very difficult for everybody because we just had the warm up session on the wet. However we must continue our good job to improve our future performances….I am aware of this and want to thank my Team for their efforts”. More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) took victory in the wet MotoGP race at the Gran Premio bwin de España after a chaotic series of events saw Casey Stoner taken out by Valentino Rossi’s bike early on, Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) crash out whilst leading and a series of other riders struggle to deal with the conditions. It was a Spanish one-two with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) claiming second position and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) in third. Lorenzo started from the front row and was able to pick up 25 points and claim his first victory of the 2011 season at the Gran Premio bwin de España, thus assuming the Championship lead. This result was his second successive win at the Andalusian circuit and a replica one-two with Pedrosa. The Mallorcan finished a clear 13.256s over his fellow compatriot after a gripping race which was unpredictable until the very last lap. On a wet track Simoncelli appeared to be on his way to his first victory in the premier class with a three-second advantage over Lorenzo, but the Italian suffered a nasty highside at turn one with 16 laps remaining and was unable to continue. Pedrosa had made a tentative start to his race but managed to get back in the hunt for the win. Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) had passed the Spaniard for second in the closing stages of the race, but made a mistake and ended up in the gravel, losing a potential 20 points. It was the same story for Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) who due to Spies’ error, was on course to take a rostrum place behind Pedrosa. However the American also ended up visiting the gravel trap and was unable to restart. It was Hayden who finished in third to take the first podium for Ducati Team this season and his second of his career with the team. Qatar race winner Stoner (Repsol Honda) was the victim of a mistake from Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) which ended his race prematurely. The Ducati rider, who started from 12th, tried to pass Stoner on the inside but lost the front of his GP11, thus taking the Australian down with him. Rossi was able to rejoin the race but Stoner could not, the Italian eventually finishing fifth. Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) took fourth position, his best result in MotoGP, Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar Team) built on his performance in Losail to finish sixth, ahead of Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) who after crashing during the race was able to remount to take seventh place. Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was able to take eighth after a similar fate to the Czech rider, when he crashed whilst riding in a solid top five position in his first ride at the circuit. Last season’s Moto2 World Champion Toni Elías (LCR Honda) brought his bike home in ninth place with the final place in the top ten going to Rizla Suzuki’s John Hopkins, replacing the injured Álvaro Bautista. Moto2 In Moto2 Andrea Iannone (Speed Master) mastered the rain to take his fourth victory in the category, a first of the season, and joining him on the rostrum were Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) and Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project). Lüthi took the early control in the race and was on course for his first win in Moto2, until the Italian rider passed him for the lead and pulled a large advantage. His winning margin was 7.850s. Building on the second place the Speed Master rider achieved in Losail, Iannone takes the lead of the 2011 World Championship after scoring 25 points for the win. The race started in damp conditions and more rain fell throughout, leading to a slippery and difficult circuit. Starting from 18th position Corsi was leading the race after a lap and half, but was caught by Iannone and the Swiss rider and took the final spot on the rostrum to take his third podium in the intermediate class. Bradley Smith (Tech 3) who started from fifth, finished in fourth place in only his second ever Moto2 race. With a few laps to go, he was in fifth place until Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) made a costly error when he nearly lost control of his bike and Smith was there to take his fourth position. Bradl had been aiming to become the first German rider to win back-to-back races in the intermediate class since Ralf Waldmann in 1996 but dropped a handful of places at the start. Lüthi and Bradl now share second place in the standings. Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar) was the first Spanish rider to cross the line in sixth place, ahead of Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2) who salvaged seventh position after a ride through penalty for jumping the start. Scotsman Kev Coghlan (Team Aeroport de Castelló) finished in eighth place after qualifying back in 24th position, scoring his first Grand Prix points. Rookie Michele Pirro (Gresini Racing Moto2) took ninth place and it was a titanic tussle until the final corner between MZ Racing team-mates Anthony West and Max Neukirchner with the German taking tenth and the Australian 11th. Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing) who had been involved in the fight for third, crashed out at high speed at turn 12 losing front grip and missed out on a potential 16 points. Marc Márquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) failed to pick up his first points of his Moto2 debut season after Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing) was unable to stop his bike in time and ran into the back of the current 125cc World Champion after a battle for sixth place. The incident put them both out of the race. 125cc GP Nico Terol led the way to score another 25 points in the 125 race ahead of Jonas Folger (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) and Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) in a thrilling race. It looked set to be a Bankia Aspar one two until Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar), after battling with his team-mate through out the race, fell on the last lap in his 150th Grand Prix start and eventually finished 11th. Terol claimed his 11th successive podium with this victory and his seventh win of his 125cc career, finishing a massive 17.446s ahead of second placed man, Folger. The race got underway in damp, patchy conditions with all the riders starting on wet tyres. However it became much tougher with the rain becoming stronger midway through the race leading to many accidents in the difficult conditions. 17 year old Folger took only his second ever rostrum position with second place in a frantic race, ahead of Zarco who joined him on the podium. The Frenchman’s previous best result had been a sixth place. Folger and Zarco had been involved in an intense fight with pole sitter Sandro Cortese (Intact Racing Team Germany) and Efrén Vázquez (Avant-AirAsia-Ajo) and kept their composure to take the podium, whilst Cortese fell in the battle for third place. The German remounted to finish in sixth. Vázquez suffered a similar fate as he also ended up in the gravel but like Cortese was able to rejoin and eventually finished in ninth. It was a happy day for two British riders with Danny Kent (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) and Taylor Mackenzie (Phonica Racing) crossing the line in fourth and fifth. Kent whose previous best result had been 13th, whilst Mackenzie’s had been 18th, were impressive results for relative newcomers to the class. Jakub Kornfeil (Ongetta-Centro Seta) took seventh position scoring good points ahead of Hiroki Ono (Caretta Technology Forward Team). The Japanese rider’s career best had been 24th after two starts in the 125cc category. Tenth place went to Zulfahmi Khairuddin (AirAsia-SIC-Ajo). Maverick Viñales (Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team) had also been involved in the very exciting and close tussle with Cortese, Zarco and Vázquez but suffered a clutch problem which took him out of the race. The Finn Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing) crashed out very early on and as the rain fell, followed by 16 year old Miguel Oliveira (Team Andalucía Banca Cívica) who was in third place at the time he tumbled out at turn. Spaniard Luis Salom (RW Racing GP), after securing his best qualifying result in sixth place, was another victim of the final turn of the circuit and dropped out whilst in a top 10 position.