FIM MotoGP World Championship Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis, Indiana August 27, 2010 Free Practice One Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Casey Stoner, Australia (Ducati), 1:40.884 2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Yamaha), 1:41.109 3. Nicky Hayden, USA (Ducati), 1:41.405, crash 4. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:41.421 5. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:41.623 6. Colin Edwards, USA (Yamaha), 1:41.664 7. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Honda), 1:41.683 8. Ben Spies, USA (Yamaha), 1:41.722, crash 9. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Ducati), 1:41.992 10. Marco Melandri, Italy (Honda), 1:42.147 11. Marco Simoncelli, Italy (Honda), 1:42.268 12. Hector Barbera, Spain (Ducati), 1:42.368 13. Mika Kallio, Finland (Ducati), 1:42.600 14. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Suzuki), 1:42.696 15. Loris Capirossi, Italy (Suzuki), 1:42.790 16. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan (Honda), 1:42.874 17. Randy De Puniet, France (Honda), 1:42.987 More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner leads the way in opening Indy practice Round 11: Indianapolis GP Free Practice Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday 27 August 2010 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Hard, Extra Hard (asymmetric) Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner leads the way in Indianapolis after the first practice session of the weekend, setting the fastest lap by a margin of 0.2seconds. During the session tyre compound choices were mixed as Stoner favoured the softer option rear whilst Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo used the harder option to record the second fastest time. Almost all riders assessed both front tyre compounds during the session, and half the field tried both rear specs in preparation for their race choice. The harder front is preferable in the hot conditions this weekend because the stiffer compound performs more consistently and provides better stability at a high temperature, but rider opinion is divided on rear tyre choices with four riders in the top eight using the softer and four using the harder compound option. Assessment of rear tyre choice for the race will be the focus of teams and riders tomorrow during the second practice session and into qualifying. As the track temperature rose to a scorching 50 degrees Celsius, today was the hottest session for motorcycling’s premier class at Indianapolis since the series first visited the venue in 2008. Track conditions were good, although the bumpy nature of the circuit caused some issues. Tohru Ubukata Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department “Conditions today were much hotter than ever for MotoGP at Indianapolis, and in this heat the harder option front and rear slicks provide better stability and consistency. We can see that the softer rear is working well because Casey was fastest using it, but we must check its consistency over race distance in these conditions. This will be the main focus for teams tomorrow during practice and qualifying. The bumps here affect tyre stability, particularly in the front, but generally I am happy with tyre performance and I’m keen to see whether our softer rear tyre will have sufficient consistency for race distance.” Top ten from free practice (Friday 13:55 14:55 GMT-4) Pos Rider Team Practice Time Gap Tyres 1 Casey Stoner Ducati Team 1m40.884s Bridgestone slicks 2 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 1m41.109s +0.225s Bridgestone slicks 3 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 1m41.405s +0.521s Bridgestone slicks 4 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1m41.421s +0.537s Bridgestone slicks 5 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1m41.623s +0.739s Bridgestone slicks 6 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech3 1m41.664s +0.780s Bridgestone slicks 7 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 1m41.683s +0.799s Bridgestone slicks 8 Ben Spies Monster Yamaha Tech3 1m41.722s +0.838s Bridgestone slicks 9 Aleix Espargaro Pramac Racing Team 1m41.992s +1.108s Bridgestone slicks 10 Marco Melandri San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m42.147s +1.263s Bridgestone slicks Weather: Dry. Ambient 28-29°C; Track 47-50°C (Bridgestone measurement) More, from a press release issued by Interwetten Honda: INTERWETTEN HONDA MotoGP TEAM – First practice went well for Aoyama Hiroshi Aoyama returned to active racing this afternoon at the first free practice of the U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis. After a crash in the Warm up of the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, where he broke his 12th vertebra, he had to pause for two months and is now back in action. The 28 year old Japanese already proved at the post-race-test in Brno two weeks ago that he is ready for a return and continued with his good form also today in the first free practice at Indianapolis. Aoyama finished this practice on sixteenth position with less than a two second gap to first and 0,084 seconds on the previous rider at position 15. This was a satisfying first session for Aoyama and the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team and the performance he showed in the 27 laps the MotoGP rookie rode that his physical condition already improved since the test in Brno. Hiroshi Aoyama, 16 – 1’42.874: “Like all the first practices of any Grand Prix also this one was not easy for me. I have to find my rhythm again and get there step by step. I am still careful in the turns, as I don’t want to risk too much. My back is not 100% okay yet. But at the end I was able to go faster than I expected to. I am satisfied with the practice today. My feeling with the bike was not bad and I felt that I am coming back now. Daniel M. Epp, Team Manager: “Regarding the fact that Hiro is not 100% fit yet, the first practice went really well. Hiro was able to continue his good form he showed in Brno at the test and he was only missing 0,7 seconds on Melandri’s tenth position. He did well and I hope that this race weekend will continue without pain and physical problems for Hiro.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Confident start for Edwards and Spies at sun-drenched Indianapolis Colin Edwards and Ben Spies made a fast and confident start to the Indianapolis MotoGP weekend today, the American duo immediately able to set a competitive pace in opening practice. Edwards will set a personal milestone on home soil on Sunday when he becomes only the 13th rider in history to start 130 premier class races. And he made an impressive start to the landmark weekend at the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 36-year-old concentrated on fine-tuning a revised front-end geometry setting he first used in Brno earlier this month on board his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine. Edwards was a persistent threat in the top six throughout the session, which was run in gloriously sunny conditions that saw air temperatures hit 28 degrees. The Texan was as high as third in the final 20 minutes and his best time of 1.41.664 left him just 0.041s behind reigning world champion Valentino Rossi in sixth place overall. Edwards though was delighted with his progress today and his lap times bode well for a strong showing in Sunday’s 28-lap race after he finished top non-factory rider. Just as impressive was team-mate Spies, who wasted no time in establishing himself in the top three in the early stages. Spies gave a sun-soaked and sizeable home crowd reason to cheer from the off when he topped the timesheets in the opening 15 minutes. Spies, who will move to Yamaha’s factory squad in 2011 after a fantastic first full season in MotoGP with the Monster Y amaha Tech 3 squad, was always in contention for a top three position as he reeled off a series of consistently fast laps on race tyres. Not even a late crash could take the shine off a productive afternoon for the 26-year-old, who ended in eighth position, a result that certainly didn’t reflect his true potential. Spies lost the front-end of his YZR-M1 machine after hitting a bumpy section at turn six and he ended with a best time of 1.41.722 to finish less than one-tenth behind Edwards. Colin Edwards 6th 1.41.664 24 laps “I’m really happy with that session because the bike felt good and that’s the main thing. We’ve had so many races this year where I’ve struggled finding a good set-up quickly and we’ve been trying to catch up right from the first session. But the front-end setting we first tried in B rno is working well here too, so it seems like we made a big breakthrough at the last race. Now I can hold good corner speed instead of fighting the bike, and I feel more confident and comfortable. I’ve always said this season that if the bike is working underneath me, I can still ride it fast. And that is the case now. I got my best result of the season with seventh in Brno and that gave me some momentum. We’ve just got to carry it on and show what we are capable of.” Ben Spies 8th 1.41.722 25-laps “I’m actually pretty happy with that session even though it ended not so great with the crash. I’m not too upset because it was one of those crashes that I know what I did wrong. There’s a bump going into turn six and I turned in a little too early. I knew I was turning in too early but I thought I wasn’t pushing the front hard enough to make a difference. But as soon as I hit the bump I lost the front. I missed the last five minutes and I definitely could have gone quicker because the bike was working good and I felt good. I was right up there all the time but I just made a mistake. Without that I’m sure I could have gone three or four tenths faster and been in a better position. But I did quite a lot of consistent fast laps and we have a lot of good data on race tyres, so it was a good start to the weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: LORENZO AND ROSSI SECOND AND FIFTH IN INDIANAPOLIS SUNSHINE The first free practice of the Indianapolis Grand Prix weekend was run in blazing sunshine at the Motor Speedway today, with Fiat Yamaha Team riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi finishing the day in second and fifth positions. The fastest time of the day was set by Casey Stoner, just two tenths ahead of Lorenzo. Last year’s race winner Lorenzo felt confident from the outset and was at the top of the time sheets for three quarters of the session before Stoner just edged him out. The young Spaniard made some subtle tweaks to his setting to better suit the flat nature of this track and also had time to try both Bridgestone race tyres, about which he already feels confident of his direction for Sunday. Rossi struggled a little more today, lacking grip on the bumpy surface and lacking pace as a result. He and his team will make a detailed examination of the data tonight to try to find a way to improve their setting so they are in a position to challenge for the front row in tomorrow afternoon’s qualifying session. Both Fiat Yamaha riders are once again running the special ‘Fiat 500’ livery that was showcased in Laguna Seca earlier this season. The livery celebrates the forthcoming launch of the Fiat 500 in the United States and features the smiling faces of 500 Rossi and Lorenzo fans on each bike. Jorge Lorenzo Position: 2nd Time: 1’41.109 Laps: 26 “I rode really well today and improved a lot during the practice. The rear was sliding a lot, maybe because the temperature is so high; it’s a lot hotter than last year! I think the level between the top riders here is more or less the same and everyone is looking very strong. Then everyone will improve further tomorrow and we must make sure we do so as well. It will be a good battle! Finally I want to say congratulations to Ben Spies, next year he will join the Factory Team and I think it’s great news for him and for Yamaha.” Valentino Rossi Position: 5th Time: 1’41.623 Laps: 27 “My physical condition is much better here; I so still have some pain but it’s not too bad so I am not worried. I am feeling confident on the bike but we have to improve our setting in order to improve our pace because we are lacking some grip here. It’s not an easy track because there are a lot of bumps. We did quite a lot of work today but it wasn’t enough and the gap to the top is too much. Our target for tomorrow morning is to close this gap so that we’re in better shape to push for a good position on the grid.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “This was a very nice practice session for us and we were able to try everything we needed to try. We’re quite happy to be second and the handling and balance is quite good. It’s very bumpy of course and we need to work a little bit to minimise the wheelie in places, but basically it feels good for Jorge. We also know the direction for the tyres already so this is everything we could wish for today.” Davide Brivio Team Manager “We struggled a bit today and we need to do some more work to try to find the right package for this track. We started with our standard setting and now we need to continue to try to make it work how we want. It’s just the first session so we have time. There is nothing very specific, we’re lacking some grip and so we need to make the tyre work better for us. We will have a look at the data tonight and keep on with it tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: SUNNY INDY SEES PEDROSA IN FOURTH, DOVIZIOSO SEVENTH The Indianapolis Grand Prix weekend began in hot and sunny conditions today as the MotoGP teams rolled up the garage shutters for the first practice session ahead of Sunday’s 28-lap race. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso spent the hour-long period narrowing down the set-up options for their Honda RC212V race bikes at the 4.216km circuit, set in the spectacular surrounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Pedrosa finished the session in fourth position, with Dovizioso three places further back. Both riders are confident of improvements tomorrow. Pedrosa initially struggled a little to find his rhythm as he searched for more rear grip in the hot conditions, before upping his pace in the latter half of the session. With the bumps and surface changes at this track presenting a particular set of problems to the MotoGP riders, Pedrosa then chose to stay out on track and work on his line in order to understand the best approa ch for the Indy circuit. The 24-year-old Spaniard, who was fastest in all three practice sessions at Indianapolis last year, is confident that tomorrow he can close the half second gap to today’s fast rider, Casey Stoner. Dovizioso started today’s session by continuing the front suspension comparison work which he and his crew began at the post-race test in Brno two weeks ago. Confident he has found the right direction, the 24-year-old Italian then began assessing the Bridgestone tyre options available at Indianapolis and upped his pace in the closing minutes – setting his fastest time on his first flying lap on Bridgestone’s harder option rear. With more laps on this tyre tomorrow, Dovizioso is sure there’s more to come in the remaining two practice and qualifying sessions. DANI PEDROSA 4th 1m 41.421s +0.537s “This track is very bumpy and also you can really feel the changes in the surface, but this is no different to last year. Today the big difference was that the temperature of the asphalt was higher and this made it quite slippery. We were lacking a little traction at the rear and we also have to improve our set-up on the brakes – so this is our homework for tomorrow. At the beginning of the session I struggled to get into a good rhythm and to feel comfortable in these conditions, so in the second half of the session I stayed out on the bike to better understand the right line and where the bumps are. I tried only the softer option Bridgestone today so tomorrow I will ride with the hard one because the right tyre choice will be very important for the race of course. I think we can make progress tomorrow.” ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 7th 1m 41.683s +0.799s “We weren’t really going for ultimate lap times today and so I think we made a good start – tomorrow we can improve quite a lot because our lap times this afternoon aren’t indicative of our full potential. We began today with some further comparison tests between the modified forks and the fork we have been using so far this season, and this took some time, but it was important for us to understand the direction to follow. In the end we chose the existing fork. We did our best lap time with the hard option Bridgestone, but I did only one fast lap on that tyre so there’s more to come and I’m confident for tomorrow. We will continue working on the electronics set-up especially, but I’m confident we’ve found a good base.” TOSHIYUKI YAMAJI – REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER “Today the track temperature was quite high and we started a little bit slowly as we adjusted to the levels of grip for these conditions. We need to find more traction at the rear, so this is something we’ll be focusing on for tomorrow. Dani improved in the second half of the session and with further suspension adjustments he can move up the timesheets. Andrea was working on front set-up and found a good direction today, so he too can take strides in FP2 and qualifying tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER AND HAYDEN START OUT ON TOP AT INDY Ducati Team riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden made an impressive start to the Indianapolis GP today, clocking the fastest and third fastest times respectively in the first free practice. Stoner wasted little time getting to grips with the famous ‘Brickyard’ track despite missing the event here last year through illness – his fastest lap came on the 15th of 22 and made him the only rider to dip below the 1’42 mark today. Hayden’s impressive progress was halted twelve minutes from the end of the hour when a high speed lowside sent him sliding into the gravel. The crash came moments after the local favourite had set his best time of the session, an effort that firmly establishes him as a potential frontrunner in Sunday’s race. Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) 1st (1’40.884) “For the first two laps I didn’t remember anything about the track from two years ago but after that it all came back pretty quickly! This is quite a unique circuit because of the different types of surface and the amount of bumps out there so we had to improvise a little today because it’s not easy to pick the right line. We made a good start but I’m sure everybody will work things out better tomorrow and close the gap. Having said that this is a good situation to be in on the first day and for the first time in a while we feel there is potential to improve. We tried the new front fork today that we tested in Brno and it felt good, although this is not the kind of circuit where you can really push so it’s hard to say if it improved the package.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 3rd (1’41.405) “At the start of the session I was feeling really good and I was going quite fast on a hard tyre. When we put the soft tyre in I felt even better and maybe got a little too excited because that’s when I made a mistake. I was off line a little but I didn’t force it, I just let it go because it’s only first practice but ‘bam’! I was down immediately. It was a bummer because my suspension guy had come up with some settings that were working really good and I really liked the feel. At least I didn’t do any more damage to the wrist – all I got was a friction burn on my arm from digging it in trying to save the wrist. It’s nothing major though and after finding a good base setting today I’m looking forward to possibly trying the new forks tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki will be looking to make big improvements during tomorrow’s final free practice session after a tough first hour on the track at Indianapolis today left both riders with work to do. Álvaro Bautista (P14, 1’42.696, 26 laps) used today’s only session to get his bearings around the 4,216m Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a MotoGP bike. Having only previously visited the circuit on a 250cc machine, he needed time to get used to the track and find his braking and accelerating points. Bautista recorded his fastest lap right at the end of the session and is in a determined mood to make personal improvements for the rest of the weekend. Loris Capirossi (P15, 1’42.790, 24 laps) had a torrid afternoon as his first bike had a small mechanical issue that couldn’t be rectified for him to continue to use it and his other machine didn’t give him the feel he was looking for around the American circuit. Capirossi and his crew will use all the data from today to hopefully make sure the settings are more to his liking and riding style for tomorrow’s two sessions. Today’s practise was held in warm and sunny conditions with track temperatures reaching 51ºC. Casey Stoner on his factory Ducati recorded the fastest time of the day. Rizla Suzuki has one more practice session tomorrow morning, followed by an hour of qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday’s 28 lap race gets underway at 15.00hrs local time (19.00hrs GMT). Álvaro Bautista: “This was my first time around here on a MotoGP bike and it was very different from the 250 – especially the first corner because you go in there very fast. I used this practice very much as a learning session and to get my reference points sorted for the rest of the weekend. I need to get more rear grip from the bike because when I put on the gas in the middle of the corner I feel that the bike is sliding too much. Also the entry to the corner is not what I want, because if I enter quick I am unable to turn the bike how I want to and I lose too much time. Tomorrow we will work on these things and although we know it will be hard work I think we can improve the bike and I also know I need to improve myself as well.” Loris Capirossi: “The best way to set-up our bike is to just keep running as long as we can and do as many laps as possible, but today on the second run on the first bike we had a bit of a problem and had to change to the other machine. Unfortunately it had quite a different setting and I just couldn’t get on with it. We will use the data we got from the runs though and it will help us to understand what we have to do tomorrow. Today has not been too good, but we are a lot more positive about things for the rest of the weekend. Tom O’Kane Álvaro Bautista’s Crew Chief: “We used the new chassis in Álvaro’s bike today, but we didn’t make as big a step as we expected to when we swapped to the softer compound tyre. For tomorrow we will be working a lot on rear grip because Álvaro is struggling to get the feel he wants all the way through the turns and to get the best out of the soft tyre. We are really hoping to improve the bike on corner entry, because some of the corners tighten up a lot here and we really need to make the bike turn much better. Overall though we are pleased with Álvaro’s first day at Indianapolis and now he’s got this session under his belt I am sure he will be much stronger tomorrow and for the race on Sunday.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: INTERWETTEN MORIWAKI Moto2 TEAM – Free practice in Indy makes Lüthi confident Tom Lüthi finished the first free practice of the U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis on 15th position after the Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 Team had done some important set up work on the bike. Lüthi had his difficulties with the choice of the tyres, but after another change of tyre in the last third of the free practice session the lap times of the 23 year old Swiss steadily improved and he could catch up some positions at the end. The youngster form Bern is positive about this weekend, as the conditions in Indianapolis and the weather are great. After important set up work was done today, the concentration can be on the performance. Tom Lüthi, 15 – 1’47.582: “The practice went well. Of course you wont believe this when you see the position we finished in and we are not satisfied with this position neither, but we really did some very good steps forward today with the set up and with this result and the good weather in Indianapolis I am positive about the weekend.” Terrell Thien, Team Manager: “The practice started off slowly. We chose a tyre, which did not suit the situation and had to change it again. After that, all went well and Tom could improve continuously. We are satisfied and confident, that this weekend will be better than some of the ones before.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Casey Stoner may still be looking for his first win of the season, but the Australian certainly got his Indianapolis weekend off to a perfect start. The Australian was the fastest rider in today’s opening practice with a lap time of 1’40.884, making him the only rider to dip below the 1’41s during the hour-long session. Stoner was running with the new front fork that he tested at Brno on his Desmosedici GP10 and the result appeared to be more than positive this afternoon, as he edged championship leader, Jorge Lorenzo, for the top slot on the timesheet. Last year’s race winner Lorenzo was quick throughout the practice session, leading until just 15 minutes before the end. The 23-year-old Mallorcan’s best time of 1’41.109 left him 0.225s off Stoner’s best as he attempts to extend his 77-point advantage in the championship standings this weekend. Nicky Hayden, keen to impress in front of his home crowd, got off to a positive start as he set the third fastest time, before crashing uninjured in the final 15 minutes of the session. The Ducati rider returned to the track aboard his number two bike, but was unable to further improve his lap time. Dani Pedrosa, who was in fast form at last year’s Indianapolis meeting, was fourth quickest aboard the factory Repsol Honda RC212V with a lap time of 1’41.421, just four-hundredths of a second ahead of reigning MotoGP World Champion, Valentino Rossi, who was fifth on his Fiat Yamaha M1. The American’s were well represented in the top ten today, with Monster Yamaha Tec 3 rider Colin Edwards sixth fastest and teammate, Ben Spies, eventually finishing eighth fastest behind Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovisioso, despite a late crash that effectively ended the Texan’s practice session five minutes early. Aleix Espargaro aboard the Pramac Ducati and San Carlo Gresini Honda’s Marco Melandri completed the top ten. Hiroshi Aoyama finished 16th fastest today, on his return to competitive action following a nine week lay-off through injury. Moto2 Scott Redding’s 22nd and final lap of the first Moto2 practice at Indianapolis on Friday placed the 17 year-old Brit at the top of the timesheet. An effort of 1’46.728 left the Marc VDS Racing Team rider 15-thousandths of a second ahead of Championship leader Toni Elías in a confidence-boosting start to his weekend. Gresini Racing’s Elías beat title rival Andrea Iannone to second by 0.125s as the duo completed the top three, with Simone Corsi just under two-hundredths back in fourth spot and also the final rider to duck under 1’47″ during the hour-long session. Julián Simón, Stefan Bradl, Sergio Gadea and Raffaele De Rosa completed the top eight, with Gabor Talmacsi and wild card rider Jason DiSalvo inside the top ten. Championship hopeful Thomas Lüthi was 15th with Shoya Tomizawa down in 27th as a crash affected his session. Vladimir Ivanov was another faller, whilst wild card Roger Lee Hayden overcame an early mechanical issue with his Moriwaki machine to set the 23rd best time of the day. 125cc Championship leader, Marc Márquez, recovered from an early crash in today’s opening practice session ahead of Sunday’s Indianapolis Grand Prix to set the fastest time of the day in the 125cc class. Still nursing the dislocated shoulders sustained in a crash at Brno, the Red Bull Ajo Motorsport rider went down in the first 15 minutes of today’s session but bounced back to post a 1’49.452 lap time to secure the top spot on the timesheet. Last year’s race winner and title hopeful, Pol Espargaró, was not far off his rival’s pace, setting a time just 0.15s off his compatriot’s best to claim second place in the opening session. 2008 Indy race winner, Nico Terol, was third fastest aboard his Bancaja Aspar Aprilia, ahead of Sandro Cortest and Bradley Smith. Efrén Vázquez, Tomoyoshi Koyama and Esteve Rabat were all inside the top eight, with Danny Webb and Luis Salom rounding out the top ten. Randy Krummenacher and wild card rider Kris Turner both had falls in the session, with Webb having an off track excursion at the end. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: A GOOD START FOR ESPARGARO’ IN INDIANAPOLIS. KALLIO WITH A STRONG FLU CONCLUDES THIRTEENTH. Discreet approach of the Pramac Racing Team riders at the first free practice on Indianapolis’s circuit. Aleix Espargar, was for long time one of the top eight riders of the ranking, but he has had to settle for the ninth overall position with just a second of gap from the first rider of the ranking, Casey Stoner on the official Ducati. Rather difficult test for the Finn Mika Kallio that was having a strong flu, he had conquered the thirteenth fastest time during the first practice, stopping the clock with a gap of a half second from his teammate. The hope is that tomorrow the Finn may be again in top physical condition so that he can be more aggressive on the track. Both riders will be able to lower their lap times during the second free practice of tomorrow morning that will be before the qualifying session that will start at 2 pm local time. Marco Rigamonti – Track Engineer Aleix Espargar “Aleix continues to confirm its value: this ninth position bodes very well for tomorrow’s qualifying, in which we’ll try to have a good starting position. We still have some grip problems with the front, we have already identified some changes on his bike that will allow him to be fast in all sectors of the track. We have look after Aleix telemetry data, we have seen that he is able to be very close to the fastest riders in the third sector, but he has a big gap in the first sector. We will work hard to ensure that his bike is perfectly balanced.” Aleix Espargar – Pramac Racing Team – 9th fastest time in 1’41 .992 “It is great to be back on the track of my MotoGP debut. Even last year I had a great feeling with this track and now things are going in the right way. I am satisfied with the work we have done with my engineers that have managed to balance my bike and best way suiting my characteristics. I still have some problems in the first sector of the track where I cannot take advantage of my bike’s power and I can’t be fast as I want. The gap from the first rider of the ranking is not huge and this gives me a great charge for tomorrow’s qualifying session. I will give my best to conquer a good position on the starting grid. ” Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing Team – 13th fastest time in 1’42 .600 “This morning I did not feel very well. I have the flu and I was afraid of not being able to ride my bike. Then, thanks also to the mobile clinic, I recover a little managing to ride even if not in the best physical condition. With my technician we have identified some changes to make on my bike that we’ll try during the second free practice session of tomorrow morning. I cannot be very fast in the second last sector because of the slow chicane. I also have some stability problems in the last sector of the track that is fast part that end on the finish line. Thanks also to the changes we have made today, I’ll try to improve my position tomorrow and gain a good position on Sunday’s starting grid.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: STONER LEADS RED BULL INDIANAPOLIS GP PRACTICE; HAYDEN THIRD INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, Aug. 27, 2010 Australian rider Casey Stoner led the first round of MotoGP practice Aug. 27 at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, but American riders occupied three of the top eight positions at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2007 MotoGP World Champion Stoner was the only rider to break into the 1 minute, 40-second bracket with a fast lap of 1:40.884 on the No. 27 Ducati Team motorcycle. Stoner and his Ducati teammate, Nicky Hayden, will attempt to unseat the Fiat Yamaha Team duo of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, who won first two MotoGP events at Indianapolis, in 2008 and 2009, respectively, for the Fiat Yamaha Team. “Out of the box it (the motorcycle) wasn’t great,” Stoner said. “We tried one setting and completely went the wrong way, and it felt horrible. We came back and tried going a different direction and made another step and made it feel a little better, and we tried the last thing to make another improvement and sort of went backward again. We just have to go back and forth until we find that point where we’re getting all aspects of the bike working.” Current MotoGP championship points leader Jorge Lorenzo was second on the No. 99 Fiat Yamaha at 1:41.109 and Owensboro, Ky., native and 2006 MotoGP champion Hayden was third on the No. 69 Ducati at 1:41.405. Dani Pedrosa was fourth on the No. 26 Respol Honda Team machine at 1:41.421, and seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi was fifth on the No. 46 Fiat Yamaha at 1:41.623. Hayden’s fellow American riders, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammates Colin Edwards and Ben Spies, were sixth and eighth, respectively. Spies and Hayden both slid off course in minor incidents, and neither was injured. Hayden slid into the gravel run-off in Turn 13 about 40 minutes into the one-hour session, causing damage to his bike. He walked away unhurt and finished the session on his backup. Spies crashed in Turn 6 with six minutes left in the session. “I got in a little bit hot and got offline,” Hayden said. “I thought I was OK and the front lost, but it was a relatively easy crash. Right out of the gate, the bike felt pretty good. The team made a change to the front fork this weekend, but it’s only Friday. For the most part, the bike feels pretty good. “I love Indy. I mean, this place is in my backyard, practically. The track is awesome. The facility is great. The people are great, and I’m looking forward to a big weekend. It’s still early, so I’ll try to stay calm and get myself in a position for Sunday to try to do something. I need to qualify well tomorrow.” The Moto2 class made its North American debut with Friday practice, with Scott Redding of Great Britain quickest at 1:46.728. Spanish rider Marc Marquez was quickest in 125cc practice at 1:49.452, and Garrett Gerloff, of Vero Beach, Fla., was quickest in USGPRU Moriwaki MD250 Powered by Honda qualifying at 1:57.513. Two major announcements were made in the MotoGP paddock during the day. Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Dorna officials confirmed that the Red Bull Indianapolis GP would return for a fourth consecutive year, with the 2011 race taking place Aug. 26-28. Yamaha officials also confirmed that Spies will move up to the manufacturer’s Fiat-sponsored team, taking the seat that Rossi vacates at the end of the season to move to Ducati. 2010 Red Bull Indianapolis GP activities resume Saturday at 9 a.m. with 125cc practice, followed by MotoGP practice at 9:55 a.m. and Moto2 practice at 11:10 a.m. The Speedway’s public gates open at 7 a.m. 125cc qualifying starts at 1 p.m., followed by MotoGP qualifying is scheduled at 1:55 p.m. and Moto2 qualifying at 3:10 p.m. The first USGPRU race of the weekend, starting at 4:30 p.m., will conclude track activity for the day. *** IMS tickets: Tickets for the 2010 Red Bull Indianapolis GP are on sale now. A new structure offers additional value and flexibility to fans attending the annual MotoGP event. Among the highlights of the new ticket structure are lower prices and single-day reserved and general admission tickets for Race Day, Sunday, Aug. 29. Children 12 and under will be admitted free any day of the event if accompanied by an adult holding a general admission ticket. Fans can order tickets online at www.imstix.com, call the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or visit the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street. Online orders can be made at any time. Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. General admission tickets provide access to the grounds, viewing mounds along the infield section of the circuit and selected grandstands, which provide excellent angles to see the greatest riders in the world. Fans can now print their tickets three-day reserved seat and Race Day-only general admission and reserved seat tickets with their printer after ordering tickets online at www.imstix.com. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.