FIM MotoGP World Championship Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis, Indiana August 28 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey STONER, Australia (HONDA), 28 laps, 46:52.786 2. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), -4.828 seconds 3. Ben SPIES, USA (YAMAHA), -10.603 4. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -16.576 5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (HONDA), -17.202 6. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (SUZUKI), -30.447 7. Colin EDWARDS, USA (YAMAHA), -39.690 8. Randy DE PUNIET, France (DUCATI), -53.416 9. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), -53.790 10. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -55.345, ran off track 11. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (YAMAHA), -57.184 12. Marco SIMONCELLI, Italy (HONDA), -60.141 13. Toni ELIAS, Spain (HONDA), -62.169 14. Nicky HAYDEN, USA (DUCATI), -2 laps, pitted 15. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -1 lap, DNF, crash 16. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), -9 laps, DNF, retired 17. Loris CAPIROSSI, Italy (DUCATI), -12 laps, DNF, retired World Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 18 races): 1. Stoner, 243 points 2. Lorenzo, 199 3. Dovizioso, 174 4. Pedrosa, 130 5. Spies, 125 6. Rossi, 124 7. Hayden, 105 8. Edwards, 84 9. Simoncelli, 80 10. Aoyama, 77 11. Barbera, 62 12. Bautista, 49 13. TIE, Abraham/Elias, 46 15. Crutchlow, 39 16. Capirossi, 29 17. De Puniet, 27 18. John Hopkins, 6 19. Kousuke Akiyoshi, 3 More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Álvaro Bautista recorded his best dry race finish of the season so far at Indianapolis today as he raced to an impressive sixth on his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R. Starting from ninth on the grid, Bautista got a good start and was in seventh at the end of the first lap. He then got involved in a local battle as he fought with the Americans on their home circuit over the next few laps. He got past Nicky Hayden and fought off the constant attacks of Colin Edwards, before resisting the Texan’s advances to leave him comfortably behind. Today’s race was watched by 64,151 fans at trackside, and under the clear blue skies they saw another convincing victory from Honda’s Casey Stoner, as he took his seventh victory from 12 races to strengthen his championship lead. Rizla Suzuki now heads straight back across the Atlantic for the next round of the 2011 season, when the San Marino Grand Prix takes place at Misano in Italy on Sunday 4th September. Álvaro Bautista: “I am happy with today’s position because this weekend we didn’t have the same rhythm as we have done in the last couple of races. I had a good qualifying session, but I was not quite on par with the top guys and that meant I couldn’t really stay with them and fight in the race. I made a decent start and overtook a couple of riders, but I just couldn’t keep up with the front group. We struggled a bit more at this track because we just couldn’t get the bike to turn how we wanted it to and I think we were not quite at the same level as some of the others around here. I was consistent throughout the whole race and had a couple of good battles with other riders especially with Edwards but at the end I got a good rhythm and was able to get some distance on the riders behind. I think today was the best result we could have got so we did the maximum. We now go to Misano and I think we can be more competitive from the beginning, so I am really looking forward to the race. “One other thing that was very important was to finish the race as I have crashed in the last two, so I am very happy that I did that! It gives us more motivation and also the team needed a result. I want to say a big thank-you to the whole team for the passion that they showed this weekend and now we are in the best position to make another step forward.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “After showing so much potential in Laguna and Brno – and coming home with nothing – it was great to see Álvaro take the chequered flag today. It was a well won sixth place and it was richly deserved for him and the whole team. I don’t think this is one of the best tracks for us and we were only beaten by the three Repsol Hondas and the two factory Yamahas. This bodes well for the rest of the season, and we’re looking forward to Misano.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner victorious at Indy as tyre management proves crucial Round 12: Indianapolis GP Race Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday 28 August 2011 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Hard. Rear (asymmetric): Hard, Extra Hard In particularly tricky conditions because of the high temperature and the new tarmac at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Casey Stoner and the Repsol Honda Team delivered a masterclass in consistency and tyre management to romp to a comfortable victory. It’s the Australian’s seventh of the season and his third in succession, extending his championship lead to 44 points with six races remaining. He was followed across the line by teammate Dani Pedrosa in second and Yamaha Racing’s Ben Spies who recovered excellently having dropped to ninth to climb onto the podium for the third time this season. Every rider opted for the softer option rear and the harder option front Bridgestone slicks for the 28-lap race, with the exception of Nicky Hayden who was the only rider to gamble with the softer option front slick. Tyre wear was a crucial factor in the outcome of today’s race, as was expected from the conditions experienced all weekend, but durability was good. Stoner set a new lap record on lap 20, Stoner, Pedrosa and Spies all lapped consistently in the high 1m 39s to low 1m 40s bracket until the last few laps, and Andrea Dovizioso set his personal best on the last lap. This is a clear indication of how significant the bike and rider package is in determining tyre performance there were clear differences in tyre durability and consistency between riders using exactly the same tyre specifications. Hiroshi Yamada Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Congratulations to Casey today for a very strong ride, and also to the Repsol Honda Team not just for Casey but Dani too who performed very strongly. It was an impressive recovery from Ben to fight back from ninth to finish third, and it is great for the home fans to see an American rider on the podium. I’d also like to congratulate Álvaro and the Rizla Suzuki Team for their sixth position as they seem to be really finding their stride now.” Hirohide Hamashima Assistant to Director, Motorsport Tyre Development Division “What we saw today was a clear example of just how important machine setup is in maximising tyre performance we saw some riders suffer from tyre wear especially in the front, but by contrast those at the front were remarkably consistent and the laptimes show good durability. Casey’s total race time was over 20seconds faster than the previous best set in 2009 and he also set a new lap record on lap 20 of 28. What’s more, Dani set the third fastest laptime and his personal best on lap 24, and Andrea’s personal best was fourth fastest and came on the last lap. In terms of tyre wear appearance after the race I can say that the tarmac improved again and the grip level is high, especially for the rear which led to the front end pushing through corners, increasing wear rate.” Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team Race Winner “I’m very happy to win here at the Brickyard. We had a really good setup all weekend and felt good with the track. I was struggling with the grip but I suppose in comparison with everyone else we felt pretty good. For the race we knew we had a good setup and the pace. We struggled a bit in the first few laps but once we got going we managed to do the laptimes we thought we could get to. The heat today made the race very hard and it was a lot of hard work out front, trying to stay consistent and trying not to run wide onto that greasy part of the track.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Consistent Edwards delivers another top ten in Indianapolis Colin Edwards extended his impressively consistent run of results in the 2011 MotoGP World Championship this afternoon, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider racing to a hard fought seventh position at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Texan made a fast start from the second row of the grid but as the pack jostled for position in the tight first section of the 2.62 miles track, Edwards was bumped back to eighth. He was involved in an exciting early battle with factory riders Alvaro Bautista, Ben Spies and Valentino Rossi before the field began to stretch out at the halfway stage of the 28-lap encounter. With temperatures reaching c lose to 30 degrees, Edwards was left in a personal duel with Spaniard Bautista until lap 23 when a big front-end slide cost him crucial time. With his front tyre starting to push more and more, Edwards decided to slow down his pace to secure a deserved seventh place, which moves him into eighth place in the World Championship standings ahead of Marco Simoncelli on 84-points. Cal Crutchlow’s reward for a weekend in which he worked tirelessly to improve the front-end feeling with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine was his best finish since the Catalunya race in early June. He maintained a consistent pace throughout the race having led Loris Capirossi, Toni Elias, Randy de Puniet and Hiroshi Aoyama in a frantic opening few laps. And a series of strong laps in the final stages saw him snatch 11th from Marco Simoncelli on the final lap to end his recent run of disappointing results. Colin Edwards 7th 84 points: “I thought I got a fantastic start but the problem is the Yamaha is lacking a bit of grunt. I needed Fred Flinstone behind giving me a push to go faster, so I had a few people come by me on the run to the first corner. The first few laps I felt I could go faster but with Bautista sitting in front of me, I’d get close and then coming out of the corner he would just grab a few metres on me. In the twisty stuff at the end of the lap I was gaining it all back and at the last corner I almost ran into him. But by the time we got to the first corner he’d pull a few bike lengths on me again. I really wanted to beat Bautista but he started to ride really well in the second half of the race. I was on his back wheel and looking for an opportunity to make an overtake but I lost the front at the end of the back straight and that was a warning just to back off and take seventh. The front tyre lost a fair bit of grip in the last few laps though I wasn’t the only one to have a problem. But I was top non-factory rider, I got another top ten and I moved up another place in the Championship, so it wasn’t a bad afternoon’s work. We go to Misano now and see if we can fight for the top six.” Cal Crutchlow 11th – 39 points: “Firstly I want to say a big thanks to all my guys in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. They never gave up all weekend, even when we were struggling a little bit and it might sound silly but I don’t think any of us in the garage have ever been so pleased to get an 11th place. After the bad recent run it was important to finish the race and I did that. The result wasn’t the best but my speed at the end of the race was really good and I’m happy about that, so there are a lot of positives to take to Misano. At the end of the race I was lapping faster than Jorge Lorenzo. I was a long way behind him but that still gives me a lot of encouragement. Like a lot of people I had a few issues with the front tyre and in the early part of the race it wasn’t easy but I never gave up and pushed right to the end. This result at least gives us something to build on for the next races, starting at Misano, which is a track that at least I don’t have to learn. I’ve needed to finish races to gain some experience and I’m glad we did because I learned a lot this afternoon and gave the Team a lot of good feedback to hopefully improve the bike in Misano.” Hervé Poncharal: Team Manager: “I am very happy with the performance of Colin and Cal today and I think both of them got the best result we could have hoped for. Colin rode full of determination and I think at some stage he could have passed Bautista, but it was difficult. It was very wise from Colin not to push anymore with five laps to go as he had a big lead over the riders behind. This puts him in eighth position in the Championship standings and he passed Marco Simoncelli, who is one of the fastest riders in MotoGP. He deserved to have a strong race in front of his home crowd and he has been pushing all weekend and I want to thank him for that. Cal was a lot better than in previous races and he did a good, solid job. At the beginning he struggled but he got a lot better throughout the race lap and at the end he was faster than the group in front of him. That race was just what he needed after the bad period to clear of his mind a little bit. I believe he had a great race and that will put him back on the track. We go to Misano now where he knows the track and that will be another positive. Today he has learnt a lot and he was faster at the end of the race than at the beginning and this experience helps him prepare for next year.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Spies Strikes Back to Score Home Podium at Indianapolis Home hero Ben Spies put in a superhuman effort today, coming back from ninth place to take a hard fought podium spot for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Starting from second on the grid the Texan rider was caught up in first a bottle neck of riders in turn one, then came together with Andrea Dovizioso in turn four, dropping him back to ninth as he fought to stay on the bike. Despite the setback Spies went on to deliver one of the star performances of the day, taking an impressive number of overtakes and setting some of the fastest laps of the race. He finally took the chequered flag in third place and stood on the podium to a huge applause from the US crowd. Team mate Jorge Lorenzo’s race was a battle not with his competitors but with the resurfaced Indianapolis track. The reigning World Champion continued to be plagued with a rapidly wearing front tyre causing critical control issues from as early as lap four. Lorenzo battled on regardless, having made a great start he eventually had to relinquish position to team mate Spies and crossed the line in fourth, pushing to stay ahead of Dovizioso to the line. The results of today see Lorenzo’s gap to Casey Stoner in first extended to 44 points with six races remaining. Team mate Spies picks up 16 points, moving up to fifth in the standings, just five points behind Dani Pedrosa in fourth. The team now head across the Atlantic with no break to the Grand Prix of San Marino at Misano next weekend. Ben Spies Position : 3rd Time: +10.603 “My actual start wasn’t too bad, just a couple of people got into turn one too hot and I got bottled in. I think Dovi came across in front of me in turn four and I was just glad to stay on the bike. I never even saw him. After that happened we just had to pluck away and not get ahead of ourselves. We rode well but just needed to be up there in the first four turns. I rode as fast as I could; it was tough to pass out there as we couldn’t get it done on the straight so we had to figure out some different spots. I was happy to be able to do that and still run good pace at the end.” Jorge Lorenzo Position : 4th Time: +16.576 “It’s a shame; I thought I could reduce my gap with Casey at Indy but since the first practice I have had many problems with the asphalt and the front tyre. I’ve tried everything with my team to fix it, but we couldn’t. After four or five laps the front tyre was destroyed. I saw the other three front riders and their tyres were perfect. I don’t know if it was because of the track and I’m not the only one complaining. Now the Championship is much more complicated, but hope is the last thing you can lose. Next weekend we ride again at Misano, I looking forward to forgetting this result.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “A disappointing weekend, fourth place I think was the maximum we could get out of it. It was clear that even one lap more might have meant finishing fifth; the front tyre was completely gone, that’s basically the whole story. It was also disappointing that Ben was not able to fight for the win. He did a fantastic sixteen last laps but the first ten were very hard for him after the start. I think he could have fought with Casey. Anyway, third and fourth we have to swallow and we will look to Misano.” Massimo Meregalli Team Director “I think the race could have had a different final result, but the start compromised it. Ben made some great passes, I don’t think he could have done better under the circumstances. He did a good job, there’s nothing bad I can say. Jorge unfortunately fought all weekend with tyre management. He still managed to get fourth place and more valuable points for the Championship. Everything is still open and for sure he is a really tough rider and will go to Misano with good expectations.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: ELIAS MANAGED TO FINISH 13th AT THE BRICKYARD Indianapolis, 28 August: over 64.000 American fans enjoyed the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway today for the twelfth round of the season which saw Stoner taking his seventh victory ahead Pedrosa and Spies. The 28-lap race was conducted in hot conditions with track temperatures of 51 degrees and LCR racer Toni Elias managed to finish 13th despite some low grip troubles. The Spaniard has started from the 15th spot on the grid aiming to close the gap to the front group but he could not match his yesterdays’ good pace struggling with rear grip on the new repaved slippery asphalt. Now LCR Team will move straight to Misano circuit for the San Marino e Riviera di Rimini GP on the 4th of September. Elias 13th: “Well… it seems we had a big issue about the rear spinning for the whole race… a bit more than everybody and I could not keep the corner speed in the entry of the curves. For all these reasons my pace was a few tenths slower than what we expected and I could not stay in the good group. I have tried to follow Aoyama first and then Rossi and Crutchlow but they were faster than me. We need to find those few tenths to race for the top ten and this is our main target for the next week end in Misano”. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: DE PUNIET OBTAINES THE BEST RESULT OF THE YEAR WITH THE EIGHTH PLACE IN INDIANAPOLIS. CAPIROSSI FORCED TO RETIRE Great comeback of the French rider today on the Indianapolis circuit. After not the best start, De Puniet was in the back of the classification after the first lap, he fought back and manage to move up until the last corner. Very exciting comeback for De Puniet who after having overtaken his team-mate, he overtook Crutchlow, Aoyama, Elias, Hayden, Rossi and Barbera finishing in eighth place. A promising race that give good hopes for the rest of the season. Capirossi, meanwhile, found unexpected problems and had to retire after the sixteenth lap because of the damages on the front tyre. Still not a lot of luck for the Italian rider who will look for revenge in seven days on the home track of Misano Adriatico. Marco Rigamonti Randy De Puniet Track Engineer “We are very happy with how today went with Randy: finally after a difficult season he was able to show his talent. We saw a good battle throughout the 28 laps. During the race, some riders had tire problems and honestly we had some fear, but our set-up and Randy’s riding style kept us fairly constant until the end of the race. Too bad he lost several positions at the beginning for a hit in the group, or Randy would have conquer at least a couple of more positions.” Randy De Puniet Pramac Racing 8th in race 17th in championship “I’m happy, this is my best race of the season! Bad start for the race when Loris touched me and I lost at least three positions, otherwise I could stay with the group and probably I could have fought for better positions. But it’s ok, our pace, as I declared yesterday, has been steady and good until the end and this allowed me to overtake many riders in the second half of the race. I’m satisfied with how things went today, the team has worked very well and after a difficult start of the season we all deserve a good result. We needed it and I look forward to continue at this level also next week at Misano.” Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing”- DNF 16th in championship “Since the fourth lap the bike did not respond as I wanted. I always lost the front tire and risked falling at every turn. At one point I could no longer manage the bike and I was forced to retire. Just returned to the box we noticed that the front tire was very worn. I’m so sorry that this happened in the race because during the whole weekend we have never had problems like that. Not much to add, we look ahead and concentrate on Misano where we hope to get a good result in front of our fans.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Stoner storms to seventh victory of the season with Pedrosa second and Dovizioso fifth Casey Stoner completed a perfect weekend today with his victory at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, celebrating Honda’s second successive win here at the brickyard and marking Honda’s third consecutive win on American shores. After recording the a new circuit best lap record yesterday whilst claiming pole position for today’s race with a 1’38.850 lap, Stoner also achieved a new fastest race lap record of 1’39.807. This is Stoner’s seventh win of the season and third consecutive win in a row after Laguna Seca and Brno. Dani Pedrosa rode a great race to finish second behind Stoner. Pedrosa made one of his trademark flying starts and took an early lead in the 26 lap race however, Stoner passed him on lap seven and Pedrosa maintained second position comfortably, fending off the Yamaha’s. Andrea Dovizioso was hoping for a podium here in Indianapolis, but he endured some tough laps early in the race after being blocked by Hayden which knocked him down a few positions. Andrea remained focused and recovered these positions to finish the race in fifth position. Casey Stoner now leads the Championship with 243 points (a 44 point margin over Lorenzo), with Andrea Dovizioso in 3rd position on 174 points and Dani Pedrosa, 4th position on 130 points. There is no rest for The Repsol Honda Team as they pack up and head back across the pond for the next race in San Marino next Sunday, 4th September. CASEY STONER 1st World Championship Position: 1st with 243 points “We got an ok start and I should have been a little more aggressive in the first corner. As I entered turn two Dani hit the breaks quite hard and I just had nothing, my brakes weren’t warmed up yet and I had trouble stopping, I was lucky to get through the first lap. The race was tough, conditions were very hot and the track surface a little more slippery than practice and qualifying which made things difficult to know how much to push. At one point I closed the front and dropped the bike on my knee, I was pretty much down but managed to pick it back up and not lose too much confidence. From there we started to make our way past Dani, put in a few good lap times and pull an advantage. Under challenging track conditions everything has worked really well this weekend, the crew did a fantastic job and gave me a great bike so a huge thanks to them all!”. DANI PEDROSA 2nd World Championship Position: 4th with 130 points “We are very happy with second place today for several reasons. After yesterday’s qualifying session, we had to work hard to reduce the one second gap we had from Casey, it wasn’t normal to be so far away from him. To finish second after the crash in Brno is a great feeling. I knew that my race pace wouldn’t be as fast as Casey’s, but the team did a very good job, helped me to feel more comfortable with the front and I was able to find a good rhythm, just 3-4 tenths slower than Casey. It was a tough race being alone, but I focused on my lap times and I made my best lap at the end, so I’m happy with my performance and the bike. To get 20 points is not so bad after the crash in Brno and I look forward to going to Misano next week to try and take another step forward”. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 5th World Championship Position: 3rd with 174 points “I can’t be happy with today’s result because our target was the podium and gaining some points on Lorenzo, but we also have to look at the positives and I’m pleased I managed a 1’40.1 lap time, my fastest of the race on my final lap. Considering the demanding conditions of this track and the hot temperatures, this lap time shows that we were fast even at the end. We had a bad start, Nicky (Hayden) blocked me and then Ben (Spies) and I touched in turn four and I lost valuable time and positions. From that moment I tried to remain focused and lap by lap I found the pace that allowed me to recover positions. We knew that the race would be tough and it really was. It was also a strange race, from the beginning we had no rear grip and especially in the first laps I had the feeling that the front was closing a lot. However, I was able to change my mentality and adapt my ri ding style to the conditions in order to manage the tyres in the best way and ride consistently. We are competitive and we go to Misano, my home GP very determined and confident of a good result”. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: DIFFICULT RACE FOR DUCATI TEAM IN INDIANAPOLIS Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden fought doggedly to earn as many points as possible in a race that was affected by a series of difficulties. A transmission problem had caused the Italian to slip to last place by the ninth lap, but he recovered as far as tenth place by the finish. Meanwhile, Nicky Hayden got a great start and was in the top four, but the decision to use a soft front tyre didn’t pay off. After seven laps, he steadily lost ground before finishing in fourteenth place. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 10th “A number of things happened this weekend that contributed to making this a particularly difficult race: the crash yesterday in qualifying, which robbed some confidence and was part of the reason we had to start so far back on the grid, and today there was a problem with the gearbox. The bike stuck in neutral six or seven times, and the first two caused me to go straight and lose time. I found myself in last place, but I decided to do what I could to at least get some points. In this morning’s warm-up, we had made a small change that let us improve the pace a little, but the race was really difficult. We know that we have to work hard. Ducati is doing that, and my team and I are as well, because we must try to not let up and to get the bike ready while we wait for technical updates.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team)14th “It was a really tough day. We thought the soft front tyre could be a good option for the race, but unfortunately it only worked for seven or eight laps. Then I began to steadily lose ground until it even began shaking on the straightaways, and I had to come in. Since you’ve got to finish to get points, I went back out, and it was actually worth getting two points. I got a good start and was up front the first few laps, and that was the first time I put up a real fight in the dry all season. My bike felt fast in a straight line, and with this new gearbox, I could get out of that last corner and keep guys in the draft early on. We’re on our first race with this bike, and maybe we don’t know enough about what it needs. Sorry to all my U.S. fans and the Ducati fans here who came to support us, but we’ll try again next week.” Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager) “Today was very challenging for our team and riders, and despite their typical great efforts, we struggled to bring home a few points. After the positive performance at Brno, we expected to find a good rhythm here at Indianapolis as well. We didn’t manage it, although it’s also true that we suffered a few setbacks. For example, Nicky chose a soft front tyre that proved not to be the best, but his race pace in the early laps was very good, while Valentino had a transmission problem that had never shown up during the four practice sessions. Anyway, we know that we have to improve, and no one at Ducati or in the team is holding back as we work toward that goal.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: STONER AND PEDROSA DOMINATE AT “THE BRICKYARD” Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner continued his march to the 2011 MotoGP World Championship with a dominant victory over team-mate Dani Pedrosa in the Indianapolis Grand Prix at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Joining the Honda riders on the podium was Yamaha rider Ben Spies. Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) recorded his fastest lap on the final tour of “The Brickyard” to close in on fourth place finisher Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) before finishing a close fifth. Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) scored his ninth top ten finish of the season by coming ninth, three places ahead of his team-mate. Tyre problems claimed Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V), an early podium contender who slipped down to 12th in the final laps. Toni Elias (LCR Honda MotoGP) finished 13th. The 12th round of the MotoGP World Championship culminated a fractious weekend during which the recently repaved infield was heavily criticised by the riders. Stoner was among the most critical of the track. Following his seventh pole position of the year, in which he set the fastest ever lap by a motorcycle at “The Brickyard,” the championship leader said he never felt confident. If he wasn’t confident in the race it didn’t show. Storming to the front of the field from the pole position, Stoner led briefly before Pedrosa swept past with Lorenzo also going with him, putting Stoner down in third just a handful of turns into the race. Pedrosa was first across the “Yard of Bricks” that marks the finish line for the first of 28 laps, Lorenzo and Stoner following, then Nicky Hayden (Ducati), Simoncelli and Dovizioso. Stoner used the superior power of the Repsol Honda RC212V to pass Lorenzo entering the first turn on the third lap, setting his sights on Pedrosa. The pass for the lead came on the seventh lap down the front straight and again into turn one, where most of the passing took place. With Pedrosa behind him, Stoner set yet another new circuit record lap of 1m, 39.81s which put him half a second up on Pedrosa. Stoner took another four-tenths out of Pedrosa on the eighth lap to put him nearly a second up. To the end of the race Stoner was never challenged and rode to victory by 4.828s. The victory was important for Stoner in a number of ways. It was his seventh victory of the year and third in a row. It was also his fourth win from pole and tenth podium in a row, a new career best. The podium was his first at IMS, the only rostrum on the MotoGP calendar which he’d never ascended. With Lorenzo finishing fourth, Stoner grew his championship points lead to 44 points, 243 to 199, after 12 of 18 races. Pedrosa was never in danger of losing second on the podium. Spies, once he made his way to third, briefly cut into his comfort zone, but Pedrosa shrugged off the challenge to beat him by 5.775s. Behind Spies came Lorenzo, then Dovizioso, whose final two laps were his fastest. The late burst of speed carried him to within .626s of Lorenzo. Another lap and he might have been fourth. Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) was involved in a spirited battle for eighth that was decided in the final corner. Hector Barbera (Ducati) made a run at the Japanese rider, only to overshoot the corner and crash, handing Aoyama a secure ninth. Simoncelli was one of many riders to suffer tyre degradation. The tall, bushy-haired Italian challenged at the front from the start, and was in fourth as late as the 11th lap, but as the race progressed he found traction increasingly compromised. Simoncelli hung on as long as he could, but eventually dropped down to 12th, one spot up on Toni Elias (LCR Honda MotoGP), the 13th place finisher. Elias had a problem with rear wheel-spin the whole race which prevented him from sustaining his corner entry speed. He was a few tenths slower than what he’d hoped, which took him out of the battle just ahead. Much of the drama in the Honda-powered Moto2 class was removed in qualifying, though qualifying itself was dramatic. Marc Marquez (Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter) stole the pole position from Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project-FTR) by .001s after time had expired. Andrea Iannone (Speed Master-Suter), the winner in the Czech Republic, started third, his first front row of the year. Noticeably absent was championship leader Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing-Kalex). The young German crashed in Saturday morning practice and was never comfortable in qualifying. He qualified a season-worst 22nd, on the eighth row and 1.331s off the pace of Marquez. What compounded his situation was the Indy surface was extremely slick and dirty off line, which would make passing perilous. Marquez was consumed at the start, but the cool and mature Spaniard seemed unconcerned. The 18-year-old Spaniard waited a few laps before starting his march to the front. Starting the eighth lap Marquez slipped past Corsi and almost immediately disappeared. There was little resistance as he expanded his lead to over 6.7s on the 21st of 26 laps. To the end of the race he managed his lead and went on to score his fifth victory of the season by 1.889s. The battle for second was less clear cut. Corsi continued to drop through the order while Marquez’s fellow Spaniards, Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX-FTR) and Pol Espargaro (HP Tuenti Speed Up-FTR), moved up to challenge Iannone for the podium positions. At the halfway point Marquez had 4.492 secs on Iannone, Rabat was third from Espargaro, Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team-Suter), and Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing-Tech 3), who pushed back his fellow Englishman starting lap 14. Corsi was now in front of the battle for seventh, with Bradl up to tenth. At the front Rabat and Espargaro passed Iannone early in the second half of the race to make it Spanish riders one-two-three. Pol Espargaro passed Rabat starting lap 19 to settle the podium. It was a first Moto2 podium for both Espargaro and Rabat, neither of whom had finished better than sixth this season. Smith was fourth with Redding passed Iannone on the 20th lap to take fifth, where he’d finish. Bradl continued his impressive charge all the way to sixth, which limited the championship damage. With six races remaining, Bradl leads Marquez by 28 points, 193 to 165. The MotoGP and Moto2 paddock now heads quickly back to Europe for next Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix in Misano, Italy on September 4. MotoGP rider quotes Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: Race winner “We got an OK start and I should have been a little more aggressive in the first corner. As I entered turn two Dani hit the brakes quite hard and I just had nothing, my brakes weren’t warmed up yet and I had trouble stopping, I was lucky to get through the first lap. The race was tough, conditions were very hot and the track surface a little more slippery than practice and qualifying which made things difficult to know how much to push. At one point I closed the front and dropped the bike on my knee, I was pretty much down but managed to pick it back up and not lose too much confidence. From there we started to make our way past Dani, put in a few good lap times and pull an advantage. Under challenging track conditions everything has worked really well this weekend, the crew did a fantastic job and gave me a great bike so a huge thanks to them all. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd “We are very happy with second place today for several reasons. After yesterday’s qualifying session, we had to work hard to reduce the one second gap we had from Casey, it wasn’t normal to be so far away from him. To finish second after the crash in Brno is a great feeling. I knew that my race pace wouldn’t be as fast as Casey’s, but the team did a very good job, helped me to feel more comfortable with the front and I was able to find a good rhythm, just 3-4 tenths slower than Casey. It was a tough race being alone, but I focused on my lap times and I made my best lap at the end, so I’m happy with my performance and the bike. To get 20 points is not so bad after the crash in Brno and I look forward to going to Misano next week to try and take another step forward.” Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 5th “I can’t be happy with today’s result because our target was the podium and gaining some points on Lorenzo, but we also have to look at the positives and I’m pleased I managed a 140.1 lap time, my fastest of the race on my final lap. Considering the demanding conditions of this track and the hot temperatures, this lap time shows that we were fast even at the end. We had a bad start, Nicky (Hayden) blocked me and then Ben (Spies) and I touched in turn four and I lost valuable time and positions. From that moment I tried to remain focused and lap by lap I found the pace that allowed me to recover positions. We knew that the race would be tough and it really was. It was also a strange race, from the beginning we had no rear grip and especially in the first laps I had the feeling that the front was closing a lot. However, I was able to change my mentality and adapt my riding style to the conditions in order to manage the tyres in the best way and ride consistently. We are competitive and we go to Misano, my home GP very determined and confident of a good result.” Hiroshi Aoyama, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 9th “I am happy but not altogether satisfied with this result. The way the tyres worked and also my physical conditions in this intense heat were plus points for us and we went much better in the race than we had managed in practice, but maybe with a better start I could have been fighting further up the field. Overall it has been a positive weekend and gives us a boost for the next races.” Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 12th “Unfortunately today my race only really lasted five laps, during which time I had a lot of fun it’s just a shame about the other 23! We have had this problem all weekend and even though we thought we had improved the situation this morning it was only because the track temperatures were lower. In the afternoon heat the problem came back after just five laps and even though I was able to keep it consistent for the next six or seven laps I could do nothing to prevent the decline in performance after that. It was a real mission just to make it to the end I was putting myself on the line just ride slowly. Now we need to look into exactly what caused this problem.” Toni Elias, LCR Honda MotoGP: 13th “Well… it seems we had a big issue about the rear spinning for the whole race… a bit more than everybody and I could not keep the corner speed in the entry of the curves. For all these reasons my pace was a few tenths slower than what we expected and I could not stay in the good group. I have tried to follow Aoyama first and then Rossi and Crutchlow, but they were faster than me. We need to find those few tenths to race for the top ten and this is our main target for the next week end in Misano.” Moto2 rider quotes Marc Marquez, Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter: Race winner “I am very happy with this victory because it was a very difficult weekend. The tarmac was very slippery and the track conditions were changing a lot, but I think that during the practice we kept improving. At the beginning of the race I was patient for the first few laps behind Corsi to be able to push afterwards. We achieved an important advantage over the second which I was able to manage, because I knew that the tyres will lower their performance and I would need that margin. I am really very happy with this new triumph and now we can think about Misano.” Pol Espargaro, HP Tuenti Speed Up-FTR: 2nd “I can’t believe that. I want to say thanks to my team because they work the same or more than me. And for us it is so good for the mentality and for the feeling that we have now. We start the season so bad; we make some races good but always with the problems. This weekend it change a little bit. We start to take a little bit more of concentration or feeling with the motorbike with good feeling. Yesterday I was, with a good pass, lap by lap I was coming better with best feeling and finally the race, I make incredible start. I don’t know how, but I will check it later because that is so important. I know now that if we make a good start, we can be there. So we work a little bit more to try to be there in Misano. I don’t want to come back again and we must work too much to take more feelings, more concentration and to be, try to be with Marc in the next race.” Esteve Rabat, Blusens-STX-FTR: 3rd “Yeah, I’m very happy because today I enjoy the race; I make good start. At the beginning, I pass some riders better and I don’t know, I enjoy to start to go in front. When I arrive, I pass I think Iannone or Corsi. I try to follow Marquez but it is impossible, he go. After 10 laps, bike start to slide in the front. Then in the middle of the corner, then I can make speed corner. I try to change my style and brake more late, stop the bike and then turn and go. Because if not, when I’m in the middle, close front direction. Then I don’t know, at the end Pol go more fast than me past and I tried to follow. I follow, I push very hard. At the end, for me, it is great result. I am very happy. That’s it.” More, from a press release issued by San Carlo Gresini Honda: Marco Simoncelli’s overnight fears were unfortunately confirmed today as a problem with front tyre wear ruined his race at Indianapolis. A minor breakthrough in this morning’s warm-up did not prove to make the required difference and with track temperatures again exceeding 50°C the nightmare for “Super Sic” began after just five laps. From that point the Team San Carlo Honda Gresini was resigned to a rescue mission as he focused on simply on reaching the chequered flag. Things went somewhat better for Hiroshi Aoyama, who did not suffer from the front tyre problem and with a more aggressive start could have perhaps even challenged for a higher position. Marco Simoncelli (12th) “Unfortunately today my race only really lasted five laps, during which time I had a lot of fun it’s just a shame about the other 23! We have had this problem all weekend and even though we thought we had improved the situation this morning it was only because the track temperatures were lower. In the afternoon heat the problem came back after just five laps and even though I was able to keep it consistent for the next six or seven laps I could do nothing to prevent the decline in performance after that. It was a real mission just to make it to the end I was putting myself on the line just ride slowly. Now we need to look into exactly what caused this problem.” Hiroshi Aoyama (9th) “I am happy but not altogether satisfied with this result. The way the tyres worked and also my physical conditions in this intense heat were plus points for us and we went much better in the race than we had managed in practice but maybe with a better start I could have been fighting further up the field. Overall it has been a positive weekend and gives us a boost for the next races.” Fausto Gresini ” It was a tough race for Marco, a real struggle. Unfortunately we have struggled all weekend with this problem with the front tyre and it held Simoncelli back in the race. He did well to finish, especially with the risks he had to take, and all this is good experience for him. Now we have to work out why this situation occurred from a technical point of view. Aoyama had a positive race and the only downside is that if he was more aggressive at the start he could have finished higher up.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Stoner earns elusive Indianapolis victory; Spies third to lead Americans INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011 – Casey Stoner completed his domination of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sunday, Aug. 28, running away from Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa to win the fourth annual MotoGP race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Stoner, from Australia, beat Pedrosa to the finish by 4.828 seconds. It was his seventh victory of the season and first at IMS. His previous best finish at the Brickyard was fourth in 2008. “For the race, we knew we had a good setup,” Stoner said. “We knew we had the pace. I struggled a little bit the first few laps, but once we got going, we managed to get the lap times we sort of thought we could get to. “It was a lot of hard work out front, trying to stay consistent, trying not to make mistakes and trying not to run wide onto that greasy part of the track. Very happy to win here at the Brickyard.” American Ben Spies finished third on a Yamaha Factory Racing machine. It was his second consecutive podium finish at this event, as he placed second last year. Stoner increased his lead in the MotoGP World Championship to 44 points over reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, who finished fourth. 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Lorenzo finished off the podium for the first time in four starts at this event. 2007 MotoGP World Champion Stoner, who started from pole, dropped to third on the first lap. But he passed Lorenzo for second on Lap 2 and then dove under Pedrosa for the lead in Turn 1 on Lap 7 of the 28-lap race. Spies started second but dropped to ninth on the first lap. But he methodically picked off rivals over the ensuing laps to record his second consecutive podium finish at IMS. He placed second last year. “We didn’t make the greatest start,” Spies said. “It felt like an OK start, but it just didn’t add up when we got out of Turn 1. And then me and (Andrea Dovizioso) made some contact in Turn 4, and that was our race. But it was at least pretty interesting.” It was a mixed day for the other two American riders in the field. Colin Edwards placed seventh on a Monster Yamaha Tech 3. Nicky Hayden finished a disappointing 14th, two laps down on his Ducati after racing as high as fourth on the first lap. 2006 MotoGP World Champion Hayden was the only rider to select a medium compound Bridgestone front tire in a gamble to gain more grip. But it backfired, as the hard tire selected by other riders proved more durable. Hayden was forced to pit before returning to the race. Hayden’s Ducati teammate, seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, also had troubles. He finished 10th, plagued by gearbox issues. The next event is the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 4 at Misano, Italy. RESULTS INDIANAPOLIS – Results of the 28-lap Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP race, with position, rider, country, motorcycle, time behind winner. All riders on Bridgestone tires: 1. Casey Stoner Australia Honda 2. Dani Pedrosa Spain Honda +4.828 seconds 3. Ben Spies United States Yamaha +10.603 4. Jorge Lorenzo Spain Yamaha +16.576 5. Andrea Dovizioso Italy Honda +17.202 6. Alvaro Bautista Spain Suzuki +30.447 7. Colin Edwards United States Yamaha +39.690 8. Randy de Puniet France Ducati +53.416 9. Hiroshi Aoyama Japan Honda +53.790 10. Valentino Rossi Italy Ducati +55.345 11. Cal Crutchlow Great Britain Yamaha +57.184 12. Marco Simoncelli Italy Honda +1:00.141 13. Toni Elias Spain Honda +1:02.169 14. Nicky Hayden United States Ducati +2 laps NC Hector Barbera Spain Ducati +1 lap NC Karel Abraham Czech Republic Ducati +8 laps NC Loris Capirossi Italy Ducati +12 laps NC – Not classified Fastest lap: Stoner, 1:39.807, Lap 20; Pole lap: Stoner, 1:38.850 *** POINTS Riders: Stoner 243, Lorenzo 199, Dovizioso 174, Pedrosa 130, Spies 125, Rossi 124, Hayden 105, Edwards 84, Simoncelli 80, Aoyama 77, Barbera 62, Bautista 49, Abraham 46, Elias 46, Crutchlow 39, Capirossi 29, De Puniet 27, Hopkins 6, Akiyoshi 3. Manufacturers: Honda 285, Yamaha 233, Ducati 135, Suzuki 55. *** PODIUM QUOTES CASEY STONER (Repsol Honda Team, winner): “These last two races have been difficult until now. We’ve had a really good setup all weekend, felt good with the track. I was struggling a lot with the grip and didn’t feel comfortable, but I supposed in comparison with everyone, we felt pretty good. For the race, we knew we had a good setup. We knew we had the pace. I struggled a little bit the first few laps, but once we got going, we managed to get the lap times we sort of thought we could get to. We thought we could get a bit faster, but obviously with the heat today, it made the race very hard. It was a lot of hard work out front, trying to stay consistent, trying not to make mistakes and trying not to run wide onto that greasy part of the track. Very happy to win here at the Brickyard.” DANI PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team, second): “I’m very, very happy because yesterday in qualifying, I did one second (behind Stoner). One second a lap is a lot. So we didn’t expect to get the pace for the race today with Ben and Casey. So to finish second is unbelievable for me here. We did a good job from yesterday to today. We did a good rhythm. I think the bike was working quite well. After the disappointment of Brno, second place is quite good. I’m happy. Of course, I’m looking forward to winning again a race. But second place is fine.” BEN SPIES (Yamaha Factory Racing, third): “That’s always the story. It could have been different if something else happened. The race is what it is. We didn’t make the greatest start. It felt like an OK start, but it just didn’t add up when we got out of Turn 1. And then me and Dovi made some contact in Turn 4, and that was our race. But it was at least pretty interesting. The result maybe could be a little bit different, but it wouldn’t have changed much. It would have made it a little easier to come through the pack. We did the best we could with what we had, and that’s all we can do.” *** OTHER AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES COLIN EDWARDS (Monster Yamaha Tech 3, seventh): “I thought I got a great start. But obviously I lost a couple of spots. It was just down to sheer grunt and power of the other guys. You know, we got into the race and got behind Bautista, which I was kind of worried about at the beginning. That bike has got quite a bit of grunt off the corner. And I sat behind him and sat behind him. Just when I would make up the work and get to him, he’d pull 10 bike lengths on the front straight. I’d make all the work up again, then he’d pull 10 bike lengths on me. I don’t know; it’s frustrating working your ass off, then you just see 10 bike lengths disappear in one straight. We just need more juice.” (About the event): “It was fantastic. I think they did an awesome job. Again, hats off to everybody in Indianapolis. The track itself is unbelievable, way better than what it was. I look forward to coming back.” NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Team, 14th): “The first few laps was probably the most fun I’ve probably had all year. It was the first time I’ve been able to put up any kind of real fight in the drive. This is the first week we’ve ridden the new bike, and early it was working pretty good. But it didn’t last long. Our biggest problem is pushing the front. We couldn’t make the hard tire last because it pushed even worse. So we thought, ‘Go with the soft tire.’ Yesterday in qualifying, I was able to make the soft tire last, but the first few laps (of the race) I was going so hard, after about seven or eight laps I destroyed it. There was no rubber left. Then it was out of balance, and I really couldn’t even ride. It’s a tough day. Yesterday, we couldn’t make the hard tire last, either. Other Ducati riders went with the hard front tire and had to pit, too. So I’m really not sure it was going to make a big difference, either way. Hopefully, we can somehow take some of the data and stuff we’ve learned from this weekend on that bike. And really, we’re more worried about next year. This bike is a lot closer to what next year’s bike is going to be. We’ve got a long way to go, but we can see some things that definitely do better.” *** MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS Moto2: Marc Marquez, Spain, Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol Suter. American JD Beach finished 29th, and American Jake Gagne finished 31st. American Kenny Noyes was not classified. 125cc: Nicolas Terol, Spain, Bankia Aspar Team 125cc Aprilia. AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200: Tyler O’Hara (Race 1), Chris Fillmore (Race 2). *** NEXT RACE Grand Prix of San Marino, Misano World Circuit, Misano Adriatico, Italy, Sept. 2-4, Round 13 of 18.