Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix FIM MotoGP World Championship Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California July 20, 2008 Race Results: 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), Bridgestone, 32 laps 2. Casey Stoner (Ducati), Bridgestone, -13.001 seconds, crash 3. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -26.609 4. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda), Michelin, -34.901 5. Nicky Hayden (Honda), Michelin, -35.663 6. Randy De Puniet (Honda), Michelin, -37.668 7. Toni Elias (Ducati), Bridgestone, -41.629 8. Ben Spies (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -41.927 9. James Toseland (Yamaha), Michelin, -43.019 10. Shinya Nakano (Honda), Bridgestone, -44.391 11. Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, -46.258 12. Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati), Bridgestone, -55.273 13. Alex De Angelis (Honda), Bridgestone, -55.521 14. Colin Edwards (Yamaha), Michelin, -62.380 15. Loris Capirossi (Suzuki), Bridgestone, -68.207 16. Marco Melandri (Ducati), Bridgestone, -70.962, ran off track 17. Anthony West (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, -1 lap, ran off track 18. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), Michelin, -32 laps, DNF, crash 19. Dani Pedrosa (Honda), Michelin, DNS FIM MotoGP World Championship Point Standings: 1. Rossi, 212 points 2. Stoner, 187 3. Pedrosa, 171 4. Lorenzo, 114 5. Dovizioso, 103 6. Edwards, 100 7. Vermeulen, 89 8. Hayden, 84 9. Toseland, 72 10. Nakano, 70 11. Capirossi, 61 12. Elias, 46 13. De Angelis, 41 14. De Puniet, 40 15. Guintoli, 38 16. TIE, Melandri/John Hopkins, 32 18. West, 22 19. Spies, 10 More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA’S HAYDEN TAKES FIFTH IN US GP Repsol United States Grand Prix, Laguna Seca Race day, Sunday July 20 2008 Repsol Honda rider Nicky Hayden ended a tough weekend at Laguna Seca this afternoon with a determined ride to fifth place. The American was the Repsol Honda team’s sole representative in the US GP after team-mate Dani Pedrosa yesterday withdrew due to the severity of the injuries he suffered in Germany last Sunday. Hayden made a great start from the front row of the grid, holding third place for the first seven laps. He then spent the middle stage of the race battling for fourth place with Andrea Dovizioso, eventually finishing just behind the Italian. Hayden won this race in 2005 and 2006 but today he recorded his fastest-ever Laguna race time, 25 seconds quicker than his winning 2006 pace. He was a non-finisher last year. Pedrosa flew home to Barcelona yesterday and will spend the sport’s traditional summer break recuperating from his injuries in order to be in the best-possible shape for the next race at Brno in the Czech Republic on August 17. Nicky Hayden, finished fifth, eighth in World Championship “Obviously at my home race I’d hoped to be able to put up a better fight than that. It was certainly a tough weekend, we struggled a bit with the tyres we had available. We really had only two race tyres, the one I used in practice I kept using again and again, I used it Friday, Saturday and again this morning, by the end it had 35 laps on it. I think I learned a good lesson, we set up the bike on quite old tyres. In the race when we put in a grippy new race tyre the balance of the bike changed a lot, so it was pushing the front in a lot of places. I would’ve liked to have been closer to the front but I think we learned a good lesson. Now we’ve got a few weeks off, so we’ll regroup and try to finish the year strong. Hopefully I can improve and they can do some work in Japan.” Kazuhiko Yamano – Team Manager “It was a difficult race today and Nicky kept fighting, first for the podium and then for fourth position. In the end he finished fifth and this is not the result we expected and that we were fighting for. Anyway, after a difficult weekend, Nicky and the team did a good job. Now we look forward to going to Brno after the three-week break with the complete Repsol Honda duo and fighting for the podium with both riders.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: THE HACKER GETS THE JOB DONE AT LAGUNA Kawasaki’s substitute MotoGP rider, Jamie Hacking, brought his borrowed Ninja ZX-RR home in an impressive eleventh place on his premier class debut at Laguna Seca this afternoon. The 37-year-old AMA Superbike star, deputising this weekend for injured compatriot John Hopkins, started today’s 33-lap USGP from the last row of the grid, but was quick to make up places in the early stages of the race. Hacking fought his way past Colin Edwards and Loris Capirossi on lap 12, then put in a pass on Toni Elias on the next lap to move into tenth place behind AMA Superbike rival, and good friend, Ben Spies. The Hacker spent a number of laps looking for a way past his fellow countryman, until the Suzuki pilot looked back and realised just who it was putting him under pressure. To hold off Hacking, Spies was forced to set his fastest laps of the race, which was just enough to keep Kawasaki’s newest MotoGP rider at bay. Hacking looked all set to take a top ten finish in his debut MotoGP appearance, but a resurgent Toni Elias managed to squeeze past the three-time AMA champion in the closing stages of the race, to relegate him back to a still impressive 11th at the chequered flag. Anthony West has struggled with a lack of feeling from the front of his Ninja ZX-RR all weekend, and despite set-up changes made ahead of this morning’s warm-up session, West still lacked the confidence in the front grip to push hard in the race. The 27-year-old Kawasaki pilot eventually finished in 17th place, one lap down on race winner Valentino Rossi, bitterly disappointed with his whole Laguna weekend. Jamie Hacking #12 – 11th Position “I’m thrilled! I didn’t get the best of starts from the back of the grid, but if I’m honest I was little relieved to see everyone pulling away and leaving me to ride my own race early on. With a fairly clear track I was able to find a good rhythm on the bike, and I was soon lapping in the low 1’23s bracket. I fought my way up to Ben Spies, and I was just thinking to have a bit of a breather when he looked back and saw who was behind him. As soon as he saw it was me he upped the pace and managed to pull enough of a gap that I couldn’t quite stay with him. The bike was working great, and the lap times were pretty consistent throughout the race, but then Toni Elias managed to work his way past me towards the end, which meant I just missed out on matching Roger Lee’s tenth place finish from last year. Even so, I’ve really enjoyed my weekend as a MotoGP racer and I’d like to thank Kawasaki for giving me the opportunity. Everyone made me feel really welcome, and they are a great team to work with.” Anthony West #13 – 17th Position “This weekend has been a huge disappointment. I had the same problems in the race that I’ve been having all weekend; I just don’t seem to have the confidence in the front-end of the bike, and that meant I couldn’t push for a good lap time at all. It’s frustrating, as Jamie had the same problem at the beginning of the weekend but managed to ride around it. I need to go away from here and get it together during the summer break, so I can come back at Brno and try and score the results I know I’m capable of.” Michael Bartholmey Kawasaki Competition Manager “Jamie has done a fantastic job all weekend, and he pushed hard and rode a great race today. He proved to everyone in his first race that our bike was capable of running at the same pace as the riders who were battling for fourth. With a higher qualifying position and a better start, he’d have been battling for position much further up the order today. I’d like to personally thank Jamie for his approach to the weekend; everyone in the team appreciated his professionalism. I know Anthony is disappointed with his performance this weekend, but it’s difficult to identify exactly where his problem is at the moment. He needs to work hard now to justify his place in MotoGP. The Kawasaki Racing Team is here to secure results, and he needs to convince us he can be a part of that. We will speak to him during the summer break to see if we can find some way of improving his form ahead of the next race.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Rossi wins Laguna Seca epic, Stoner and Vermeulen on podium Round 11: USA Race Laguna Seca Raceway Sunday 20 July 2008 Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi has today scored a magnificent victory at the Laguna Seca Raceway after an epic 32-lap US Grand Prix which saw Ducati’s Casey Stoner and Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen complete an all-Bridgestone podium for the second race in succession. Rossi and Stoner were involved in a tight tussle at the front for much of the race, building up a massive 22 second gap to third-placed Vermeulen in a thrilling encounter. Stoner endured an off-track excursion on lap 24, but recovered his bike to rejoin the race still in second position with a comfortable cushion to Vermeulen. Rossi went on to win by 13 seconds to claim his fourth win of the season, which extends his lead of the championship to 25 points. Stoner’s twenty points for second place lift him to second in the championship meaning two Bridgestone-shod riders are at the head of the classification leading into the traditional summer break after a competitive weekend for the tyre manufacturer. Vermeulen’s third place marks his second consecutive podium result this season and his second consecutively at Laguna Seca to strengthen his seventh place in the championship. There were other notable performances from riders using Bridgestone tyres this afternoon with Alice Team’s Toni Elias taking his best result of the year in seventh, beating Suzuki wildcard rider Ben Spies into eighth on the final lap of the race. San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Shinya Nakano finished tenth ahead of Kawasaki replacement rider Jamie Hacking who took eleventh place and five points in his first ever MotoGP event. Sylvain Guintoli (Alice Team), Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) also finished in points-scoring positions this afternoon. Hiroshi Yamada Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Sport Unit “What an amazing race! Valentino and Casey’s battle for the lead was incredible and it is fantastic to see another all-Bridgestone podium with Chris in third. This is the second Laguna Seca race in a row where we have seen three Bridgestone riders fill the podium positions and I think we can be pleased with our performance this weekend. Valentino, Casey, Yamaha and Ducati must be commended for such competitive performances today, and I am happy that our tyres were capable of sustaining such a pace. Chris also rode excellently and intelligently to third position, so well done also to him and Suzuki. We head into the break before Brno with two riders leading the championship, and what promises to be an exciting final third of the season.” Tohru Ubukata Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development “This weekend has been a very complicated event from a tyre point of view with some quite cool mornings followed by warmer afternoon sessions, so I am satisfied with our tyre performance in this range of conditions. Producing tyres to cope with the demands of Laguna Seca over 32 laps is quite tough and, for this reason, I am pleased to see such consistent lap times during the race. Well done to Valentino for the victory; his and Casey’s lap times were incredible today. Casey set the fastest lap of the race with a 1m21.488s, 1.1s quicker than last year, and four Bridgestone riders were at the top of the fastest lap classification which is a great achievement. To see three of our riders on the podium for the second race in a row is fantastic, but our tyre development will not stop because we expect a competitive final seven races of this season.” Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team Race Winner and Championship Leader “For me, this race was fantastic. It’s my first victory at Laguna Seca and the race was unbelievable. We made some modifications with the team before the race and I was able to get a better race pace. I was very fast and, after a good start, I had a great battle with Casey with a lot of overtaking. It’s an important victory. It’s emotional to win for thefirst time at Laguna. Now we have the summer break and we’ll take some holidays and relax because this championship is so long.” Bridgestone-shod Riders’ Race Results and Tyre Choices Pos. Rider Team Race Time Gap Front Tyre (all 16.5”) Rear Tyre (all 16.5”) P1 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 44m04.311s Winner Slick-Medium Slick-Hard P2 Casey Stoner Ducati Corse 44m17.312s +13.001s Slick-Medium Slick-Hard P3 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 44m30.920s +26.609s Slick-Hard Slick-Hard P7 Toni Elias Alice Team 44m45.940s +41.629s Slick-Medium Slick-Medium P8 Ben Spies Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 44m46.238s +41.927s Slick-Medium Slick-Medium P10 Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini 44m48.702s +44.391s Slick-Medium Slick-Medium P11 Jamie Hacking Kawasaki Racing Team 44m50.569s +46.258s Slick-Medium Slick-Hard P12 Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team 44m59.584s +55.273s Slick-Medium Slick-Medium P13 Alex De Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 44m59.832s +55.521s Slick-Medium Slick-Hard P15 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 45m12.518s +1m08.207s Slick-Medium Slick-Hard P16 Marco Melandri Ducati Corse 45m15.273s +1m10.962 Slick-Medium Slick-Medium P17 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team 44m34.872s +1 lap Slick-Medium Slick-Medium Weather: Dry Air 16°C, Track 41°C (Bridgestone measurement) More, from a press release issued by JiR Team Scot Honda: Great Dovizioso in the States: 4th place, 5th in the championship For Andrea Dovizioso and JiR Team Scot the United States Grand Prix ended full of satisfaction. After two days of practice, Andrea did well from ninth position on the grid, and soon found himself behind Rossi, Stoner and Hayden. While the first two left the group posting an unbelievable pace Andrea became the standard bearer of Honda and HRC, yielding only to Chris Vermeulen in the first part of the race. The debut of Andrea Dovizioso riding the Honda RC212V of JiR Team Scot could not have finished better. Dovi managed a fourth place finish for the third time in the championship, reaching fifth place in the championship, in addition to being the first rider this weekend with Honda and Michelin. Gianluca Montiron Director JiR Team Scot “We won our race! The first two were in a race apart and we managed to give the maximum with the package at our disposal. We were the first Honda to cross the finishing line and we feel that thanks to Michelin we bridged a gap that separated ourselves from the competition this weekend. Even today we were on the threshold of the podium even if it slipped slightly. Our compliments to Andrea who made a great race!” Andrea Dovizioso – Pilot JiR Team Scot MotoGP HONDA RC212V 4th position, 8th best time: 1’23 “047 “I am pleased to have achieved this result to be the first Honda rider on Michelin tyres, which shows how good they are! Valentino and Casey were riding unbelievably fast. I made a good start, and on the first lap when I saw Lorenzo fall, I knew that the first two were away and that I could not follow them. I was behind Hayden who was quick, even though Vermeulen was able to catch us. When I realized that Hayden was running slower, I wanted to pass him, but Laguna is difficult to pass on and I spent four laps trying. Then I pushed to the maximum to pass Hayden and De Puniet, who are strong ‘brakers’ and who were difficult to pass.” Cirano Mularoni – Team Manager JiR Team Scot “Today we managed to reach the fifth position in the championship: which is our goal for this season, and in the race we did better than what our practice sessions suggested. The first two imposed a pace that was not possible for us to support, but in the end we were the first Honda and the first Michelin rubber rider’s home. Andrea enjoyed his first appointment at Laguna Seca, he ran a beautiful race, his fourth place is a major achievement that deserves thanks also to the team and to our partners.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer Chris Vermeulen scored his second podium finish in a week as he rode to a fantastic third at Laguna Seca today. Starting from eighth on the grid, Vermeulen had to fight to get near the front and was involved in an exciting battle with Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso early on, before getting the best of both of them on lap eight to move into third place. He then had quite a lonely ride as he was never put under pressure for the final podium place, but was too far behind the leaders to mount a challenge for the top spot. Vermeulen kept his concentration for the remainder of the race and brought his Suzuki GSV-R home safely for his second successive podium at Laguna Seca. Team-mate Loris Capirossi had a very tough afternoon as he tried to come to terms with the demanding American track. The injury to his right arm caused him severe distress throughout the tiring 32-lap race, and although he fought his way to eighth place early on he couldn’t keep the momentum going and eventually finished 15th to take the final championship point. Wildcard rider Ben Spies produced a tremendous performance against the experienced MotoGP field. Making only his second GP start and beginning from the fifth row in 13th place, he soon set about making his way through the pack. By the end of the first lap he was up to 10th and continued to fight for places as the race progressed. Spies was up to seventh as the last lap started but was passed by Toni Elias right at the end to give him eighth place at the chequered flag. Today’s race was watched by almost 50, fans at trackside and they were treated to one of the best MotoGP battles in history as Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner went head-to-head at the front, with Rossi coming out on top at the end from Stoner to give Bridgestone yet another clean sweep of the podium positions. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now takes a well-earned rest as the mid-season break begins. The next time the team will be in action is at Brno in the Czech Republic on Sunday 17th August, where Vermeulen will be hoping to keep his podium run going and Capirossi plans to be back to full fitness. Chris Vermeulen: “I’m really happy to be back on the podium again. That’s two podiums in a row, not just in two races but two in a row at Laguna as well! The last two have come in completely different conditions and I think it proves that the Suzuki is becoming a lot more competitive and the changes we are making is getting us a lot closer to the front. I was hoping to run with the front two today but I got held up a bit at the start and lost some time. After I had got through they were a long way ahead and I ended up having quite a lonely ride it was tough to keep my concentration at times as there was nothing to focus on other than count down the laps.” Loris Capirossi: “It was a really hard day today. We had a good setting and although I didn’t start so well I managed to make up a few positions early on, but after a couple of laps I started to have a lot of pain and struggled to change direction – and this is a track that demands a lot of that. I just tried as hard as I could to keep going to the finish. It’s not good to end with one point but I always try to fight for the best I can and for the team this is the most important thing I can do. I know one point is nothing but I did fight till the end! I hope now to get three weeks of good rest and get my condition 100% right for Brno, because today it was impossible to ride fast.” Ben Spies: “It was good out there today and I’ve got to be pleased with the result. I couldn’t get going right off the bat as I haven’t quite got used to the tyres yet. I started to reel a few riders in and I could see Nakano and Toseland coming back to me. I got past them and on the last couple of laps I could see Hayden and Dovizioso up there but they were a bit too far away. Everything was getting better and better and then Elias came past me and I thought I had one more lap, but the chequered flag was out and that was the end of the race. It was a good race and I will now be even more prepared for when we get to Indianapolis later in the year.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “Congratulations to Chris on a fantastic ride and a well deserved podium. From eighth on the grid it was never going to be easy to get to the front, but he rode a great first lap, and once he was into third he was always going to finish on the podium. We were also very impressed with Ben’s ride, his speed grew as the race wore on as he got a better feel from the GSV-R – he can be very proud of his weekend’s work. MotoGP has a field full of highly talented racers and Ben certainly didn’t look out of place among them. “As for Loris, the physical nature of the track was always going to make it difficult for him, and having seen his injury first-hand this morning it’s amazing he is even attempting to ride the bike! We can only say thanks for his commitment and bravery to stay out there and we’re looking forward to getting the real Loris back at Brno in four weeks time. “We would also like to say congratulations to Bridgestone, to Valentino and Casey for putting on an amazing display and to Tom Sykes of our sister Rizla Suzuki British Superbike team for taking a fantastic double win back in the UK today.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: ROSSI RULES AT LAGUNA WITH FIRST AMERICAN VICTORY Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi took his first career win on American soil today, emerging victorious after an epic duel with Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca. The Italian, who signed a new two-year deal with Yamaha this week, has now won four races this season and is 25 points clear at the top of the championship. Rossi started from second and was able to pass Stoner on the brakes during the first lap to take the lead. From then on it was clear that the pair were in a class of their own today as they gradually pulled out a gap from the chasing pack, trading passes with one another but with no one else able to stay with them. Stoner was often faster than Rossi on the straight but the seven-time world champion had the advantage in the twisty parts of the track and he was able to gain the lead back on the brakes each time the Australian passed him. With only 100ths of a second between them most of the time it looked like being a nail-biting race to the end, but on lap 24 of 32 Stoner made a mistake and ran off the track and into the gravel. This allowed Rossi some breathing space for the final eight laps and he eventually crossed the line 13 seconds clear of Stoner, who had been able to remount and still finish second, such was the gap the pair had pulled out from third-placed Chris Vermeulen. It was a black day for the other side of the garage however as Jorge Lorenzo, Rossi’s team-mate, took a huge tumble on the first lap and broke the third and fifth metatarsal bones in his left foot. He now faces a battle to be fit for the next race in Brno, in a month’s time. With Dani Pedrosa missing the race this weekend, Stoner has now moved into second in the championship behind Rossi with seven rounds remaining. Valentino Rossi Position: 1 Time: 44’04.311 “What a race today! We made some modifications to our bike after warm-up and these gave us the last few tenths that enabled me to fight with Casey today; the result was just fantastic. I got a good start and I was able to pass him in the first lap, but I knew I had to try and stay in front of him and it was impossible to relax even for one second. My M1 was brilliant and so were my Bridgestone tyres; I really only made one mistake, at the corkscrew when I went a bit wide but in fact the dirt had quite good grip also! Casey was a bit faster on the straight than me but I was stronger on the brakes so I had to make all my passes there. I don’t know how many times we changed the lead but it was a lot and it was great, great racing for me and I think also for the fans, because it’s been a while since we’ve been like this. To stay in front I had to do high 21s at least on every lap and I want to thank my team and engineers for giving me a bike that could do this. I had a great rhythm and I am really so happy to win for the first time in America. About the passes, I am sorry that Casey thinks some of them were a bit strong but I really don’t agree; I passed only on the brakes, I braked in the same places every time and we never touched. Of course this was an aggressive race, but it was definitely a fair one. Now we have the summer break and I am looking forward to relaxing a bit, but not too much because it’s going to be a hard fight for the final seven races and we must keep the concentration!” Davide Brivio Team Manager “Although it was not there, we saw the “heart” on Valentino’s helmet again today! This is a great victory because throughout the entire weekend we were at a disadvantage, but nobody ever gave up and we worked until the very last minute to find a way to help Valentino to fight with Casey. We tried to optimize everything we had and at the end “The Doctor” completed the operation! This was a race Valentino did not want to lose. This is Valentino, one who never gives up and fights until the end. I would like to make big congratulations to him and thank the team and all the technicians! It is good to go on holidays with a 25 point advantage and now we must recharge the batteries for the last seven races. I hope to see battles like this one until the end of the championship. On another note, we’re very sorry for Jorge today and we wish him the best and look forward to seeing him back in Brno.” More, from another press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: LORENZO’S LAGUNA DEBUT ENDS IN GRAVEL AFTER FIRST-LAP CRASH Jorge Lorenzo suffered a dramatic high-side on the very first lap of the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca today, his debut American race ending in the gravel at turn five. The Spaniard broke the third and fifth metatarsal bones in his left foot and will now face a race to be fit for the next race in Brno, in a month’s time. Lorenzo made a good start and was looking promising in fourth place when the crash happened. It was immediately clear that he had injured himself, a depressing realisation for a rider who has already had to cope with two broken ankles and a concussion this season. With the summer break coming before the next race however the outlook is good for the 21-year-old, who has flown home tonight for further assessment in Barcelona this week. There was cause for celebration on the other side of the garage as Valentino Rossi won his first ever US Grand Prix, following a scintillating battle with Casey Stoner. Rossi now leads Stoner by 25 points whilst Lorenzo remains in fourth. Jorge Lorenzo Position: DNF Time: “I’m very sad today because I had a lot of confidence for the race after the qualifying session yesterday and, above all, after the very start of the race when I was fourth and feeling good. Then I crashed; my tyre was not up to temperature, I lost the rear and the next thing I knew I was in the gravel, with pain in my foot. It is one more crash, one more injury and it’s another moment that I have to forget as soon as possible. I need to look forward. I am so sad but now I must concentrate on the fact that I have a whole month before Brno in order to be fit and to be able to race in good shape. This is my aim. I would like to congratulate to Valentino for his great victory and race today, he did a fantastic job.” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “Unfortunately today’s result is not what Jorge and the team deserved, after the progress we made in practice. We could have gone for a better result, but the main problem today was the lack of grip on the rear, which was amplified at the beginning of the race when the tyres were not yet at the optimum temperature. Now let’s hope for a good rest for Jorge; we wish him a good recovery and we look forward to seeing him come back at Brno ready to fight again with the top riders.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: MotoGP RACE REPORT: RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX Rossi pulls away from Stoner for victory after tense duel; Hayden top American in fifth INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, July 20, 2008 After qualifying for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday, July 19 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi said the only way he could beat pole winner Casey Stoner was to get a 30-second head start. Stoner won the pole on his Ducati Team Ducati/Bridgestone with a track-record lap of 1 minute, 20.700 seconds. Rossi was second, at 1:21.147 on his Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone. Turns out Rossi didn’t need a 30-second head start in the race Sunday, July 20. He didn’t need any head start at all. Rossi earned his first career victory at Laguna Seca after a fierce head-to-head duel with Stoner on the twisting, 2.243-mile circuit that features the famous “Corkscrew” turn. There are now only two current MotoGP tracks on which Rossi has not won Misano and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14. “What a race today,” Rossi said. “Casey was a bit faster on the straight than me, but I was stronger on the brakes so I had to make all my passes there. I don’t know how many times we changed the lead, but it was a lot. And it was great, great racing for me and I think also for the fans. “Of course, this was an aggressive race, but it was definitely a fair one.” Rossi’s victory ended Stoner’s three-race winning streak. Rossi also extended his points lead to 212-187 over Stoner, who leapfrogged Dani Pedrosa into second in points after finishing second in the race. Pedrosa withdrew from the race after practice Friday due to pain from injuries suffered in a crash July 13 in the German Grand Prix. Chris Vermeulen finished third on a Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki/Bridgestone. Rossi and Stoner exchanged the lead throughout the first 23 laps of the 32-lap race, staying only a bike length apart nearly the entire time. Then Stoner attempted to pass Rossi on the outside on Lap 24, and he rode into the gravel. Rossi then cruised to the victory. 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden was the first of the four American finishers, placing fifth on his Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin. The two part-time American riders on the grid had excellent races on home asphalt. Two-time reigning AMA Superbike champion Ben Spies finished eighth as a wild-card rider on the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki/Bridgestone in just his second MotoGP start. AMA Superbike veteran Jamie Hacking, riding as an injury replacement for fellow American John Hopkins, finished 11th in his MotoGP debut on the Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone. Colin Edwards, the leading American in the standings, finished a disappointing 14th on the Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha/Michelin. Edwards was bothered by a neck injury suffered in a crash July 13 during the German Grand Prix. The next race is the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on Aug. 17 at Brno. *** RESULTS MONTEREY, Calif. Results of the 32-lap Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix MotoGP race, with position, rider, country, motorcycle/tire, time behind winner: 1. Valentino Rossi Italy Yamaha/Bridgestone 2. Casey Stoner Australia Ducati/Bridgestone +13.001 3. Chris Vermeulen Australia Suzuki/Bridgestone +26.609 4. Andrea Dovizioso Italy Honda/Michelin +34.901 5. Nicky Hayden United States Honda/Michelin +35.663 6. Randy de Puniet France Honda/Michelin +37.668 7. Toni Elias Spain Ducati/Bridgestone +41.629 8. Ben Spies United States Suzuki/Bridgestone +41.927 9. James Toseland Great Britain Yamaha/Michelin +43.019 10. Shinya Nakano Japan Honda/Bridgestone +44.391 11. Jamie Hacking United States Kawasaki/Bridgestone +46.258 12. Sylvain Guintoli France Ducati/Bridgestone +55.273 13. Alex de Angelis San Marino Honda/Bridgestone +55.521 14. Colin Edwards United States Yamaha/Michelin +1:02.380 15. Loris Capirossi Italy Suzuki/Bridgestone +1:08.207 16. Marco Melandri Italy Ducati/Bridgestone +1:10.962 17. Anthony West Australia Kawasaki/Bridgestone +1 lap 18. Jorge Lorenzo Spain Yamaha/Michelin +32 laps Fastest lap: Stoner, 1:21.488, Lap 15 Pole lap: Stoner, 1:20.700 *** POINTS Riders: Rossi 212, Stoner 187, Pedrosa 171, Lorenzo 114, Dovizioso 103, Edwards 100, Vermeulen 89, Hayden 84, Toseland 72, Nakano 70, Capirossi 61, Elias 46, de Angelis 41, de Puniet 40, Guintoli 38, Hopkins 32, Melandri 32, West 22, Spies 10, Hacking 5, Okada 2. Manufacturers: Yamaha 241, Honda 197, Ducati 192, Suzuki 112, Kawasaki 52. *** PODIUM QUOTES VALENTINO ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha/Bridgestone, winner): “What a race today! We made some modifications to our bike after warm-up, and these gave us the last few tenths that enabled me to fight with Casey today; the result was just fantastic. I got a good start and I was able to pass him in the first lap, but I knew I had to try and stay in front of him and it was impossible to relax even for one second. I really only made one mistake, at the Corkscrew when I went a bit wide, but in fact, the dirt had quite good grip, also! Casey was a bit faster on the straight than me, but I was stronger on the brakes so I had to make all my passes there. I don’t know how many times we changed the lead, but it was a lot. And it was great, great racing for me and I think also for the fans, because it’s been a while since we’ve been like this. To stay in front I had to do high (1:) 21s at least on every lap, and I want to thank my team and engineers for giving me a bike that could do th is. I had a great rhythm, and I am really so happy to win for the first time in America. About the passes, I am sorry that Casey thinks some of them were a bit strong, but I really don’t agree. I passed only on the brakes, I braked in the same places every time, and we never touched. Of course, this was an aggressive race, but it was definitely a fair one. Now we have the summer break, and I am looking forward to relaxing a bit, but not too much because it’s going to be a hard fight for the final seven races and we must keep the concentration.” CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati/Bridgestone, second): “At the end of the day, I’m not happy because I’ve made a mistake and it has cost me the chance to win this race, but I also think that even if he rode a great race, some of Valentino’s moves early in the race were too aggressive. Anyway, we can’t do anything about that now. The important thing is that we’ve come away from here with 20 valuable points and after being written off in some quarters four races ago, we now go on our summer holiday with a fighting chance of winning the title again. We’re 25 points behind, which is a big gap, but there are seven races left, and a lot can happen. We can take a lot of positives out of this weekend, mainly the fact that all the hard work by everybody at Ducati and Bridgestone has paid off again.” CHRIS VERMEULEN (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki/Bridgestone, third): “I’m really happy to be back on the podium again. That’s two podiums in a row, not just in two races but two in a row at Laguna, as well! The last two have come in completely different conditions, and I think it proves that the Suzuki is becoming a lot more competitive and the changes we are making is getting us a lot closer to the front. I was hoping to run with the front two today, but I got held up a bit at the start and lost some time. After I had got through, they were a long way ahead, and I ended up having quite a lonely ride. It was tough to keep my concentration at times as there was nothing to focus on other than count down the laps.” *** AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES NICKY HAYDEN (Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin, fifth): “Obviously, at my home race I’d hoped to be able to put up a better fight than that. It was certainly a tough weekend. We struggled a bit with the tires we had available. We really had only two race tires. The one I used in practice I kept using again and again. I used it Friday, Saturday and again this morning. By the end, it had 35 laps on it. I think I learned a good lesson. We set up the bike on quite old tires. In the race when we put in a grippy new race tire, the balance of the bike changed a lot, so it was pushing the front in a lot of places. I would’ve liked to have been closer to the front, but I think we learned a good lesson. Now we’ve got a few weeks off, so we’ll regroup and try to finish the year strong. Hopefully I can improve, and they can do some work in Japan.” BEN SPIES (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki/Bridgestone, eighth): “It was good out there today, and I’ve got to be pleased with the result. I couldn’t get going right off the bat as I haven’t quite got used to the tires yet. I started to reel a few riders in, and I could see Nakano and Toseland coming back to me. I got past them and on the last couple of laps I could see Hayden and Dovizioso up there, but they were a bit too far away. Everything was getting better and better and then Elias came past me and I thought I had one more lap, but the checkered flag was out, and that was the end of the race. It was a good race, and I will now be even more prepared for when we get to Indianapolis later in the year.” JAMIE HACKING (Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone, 11th): “I’m thrilled! I didn’t get the best of starts from the back of the grid, but if I’m honest, I was little relieved to see everyone pulling away and leaving me to ride my own race early on. With a fairly clear track, I was able to find a good rhythm on the bike, and I was soon lapping in the low 1:23s bracket. I fought my way up to Ben Spies, and I was just thinking to have a bit of a breather when he looked back and saw who was behind him. As soon as he saw it was me, he upped the pace and managed to pull enough of a gap that I couldn’t quite stay with him. The bike was working great, and the lap times were pretty consistent throughout the race, but then Toni Elias managed to work his way past me toward the end, which meant I just missed out on matching Roger Lee’s (Hayden) 10th-place finish from last year. Even so, I’ve really enjoyed my weekend as a MotoGP racer, and I’d like to thank Kawasaki for giving me th e opportunity. Everyone made me feel really welcome, and they are a great team to work with.” COLIN EDWARDS (Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha/Michelin, 14th): “I don’t think I need to say that this race was well below what I expected. I’ve had a lot of great support from Yamaha US, the American fans and my family this weekend, and they haven’t got the result I wanted to give them. My guys at Tech 3 have worked tirelessly all weekend too, but nothing really went for us. To be honest, I was struggling from the start with the harder-compound front tire I had. I’d have some moment on the brakes while I was trying pass someone, and I’d lose a load of time and a bunch of places. I’d gradually work my way back through only for it to happen again, and it was frustrating. I just didn’t have any confidence in the front, and everybody knows I am a front-end guy. It has been a difficult week with the crash in Germany, too, so I’m looking forward to the summer break and being able to return stronger in Brno. I’m still fighting for fourth in the championship and Tech 3 is still fourth in the t eam standings, so we have got a lot to fight for in the last seven races.” *** MotoGP SUPPORT CLASS WINNERS The 250cc and 125cc MotoGP support series did not compete at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. Their next event is the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, Aug. 17 at Brno. *** NEXT RACE Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, Brno, Aug. 17. Round 12 of 18. *** Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008. Tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. All tickets for this event are three-day tickets, with both reserved and general admission seating available. More, from a press release issued by Michelin: 2008 MotoGP World Championship, round 11 United States Grand Prix, Laguna Seca Race report, Sunday July 20 LAGUNA ROOKIE DOVI TOP MICHELIN MAN IN US GP MotoGP rookie and Laguna Seca first-timer Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin) rode a superb race to finish today’s United States Grand Prix in fourth place, just ahead of fellow Michelin men Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) and Randy de Puniet (Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin). Laguna is rated to be the hardest MotoGP track to learn but Dovizioso did a superb job of unlocking its secrets to allow him to equal his best MotoGP result. Michelin’s fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place result completed a challenging weekend for the French tire brand. “The starting point of our difficulties this weekend was the problems we had last year, when the track was more aggressive and the track temperature higher than expected, which gave us wear problems,” said Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “This year the track was much less aggressive. Also, the track temperature was lower than last year, but in fact not so bad because we saw the high 40s (high 110s F) on Friday. Based on last year’s situation we were too conservative, with too-hard constructions and compounds which gave reduced performance. Our riders had only a limited supply of tires they could use for the race, so they had to work with harder tires during practice. It’s been a really difficult weekend because our approach was far too conservative. From now on we have to share more our tire strategy and allocation strategy with the teams. For example, Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) requested some fronts for this race which he had already used this year at less-demanding tracks. He could have used those tires here, so he was right. On a positive note, it was great to see Andrea fighting with Nicky for fourth. That was a very impressive result for a Laguna Seca newcomer and showed his impressive strengths. Randy also rode a good race. He used an even harder rear tire than the others and he found a good machine set-up. But obviously we aren’t happy with our riders’ lap times here, because we didn’t give them enough grip.” Michelin now plans an aggressive development program before the next MotoGP event in the Czech Republic on August 15/16/17. That race will see the return of Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) who withdrew from this weekend’s event due to the injuries he sustained when he crashed while leading last Sunday’s German GP. Until that point Pedrosa had been leading the World Championship. “Looking at today’s result we can say that we weren’t ambitious enough because of what happened last year at this track,” said Michelin competitions director Frederic Henry-Biabaud. “We didn’t want the same problem this time, so we recommended a very conservative direction to our teams. It was a mistake from which we have learned. Over the next three weeks we will therefore work in two directions. First, we will organize tests at several tracks. Second, we will continue developing some new solutions that we already have under development and which we will recommend to our teams for the next races, representing a more ambitious direction. We will also evolve the way we recommend tire solutions to our teams, because this way we can deliver better performance. The season is far from over and we look forward to the last seven races after some very positive races already this year. Dani was leading the championship going into last weekend’s German GP where he also led the race. It was very sad that he got hurt when he fell, but he made the correct decision not to race here, considering his injuries. It’s also a great shame that Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) has suffered some injuries after his fantastic start to the season. Now we have to keep working hard, in fact we have to work even harder. We will certainly do everything we can to deliver more performance to our teams.” More, from a press release issued by Ben Spies’ publicist: SPIES WRAPS UP SUCCESFUL MOTOGP/AMA SUPERBIKE WEEKEND Texan improves five places in Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix MONTEREY, Calif. (July 20, 2008) Ben Spies wrapped up a hectic and successful weekend of racing Sunday at Mazda Laguna Seca during the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. Spies rode the No. 11 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to eighth in the Grand Prix, improving five spots from his qualifying position. He also took second in the AMA Superbike race and leaves Monterey with a 36 point lead in that championship. Spies ran 13th on lap eight of the 33-lap U.S. Grand Prix when he went to work moving up the field. He passed Toni Elias and fellow Texan Colin Edwards on lap nine. Three laps later he got by Rizla Suzuki teammate Loris Capirossi to put himself into ninth. “I didn’t get the best of starts,” Spies explained. “I got shuffled back a little bit early in the race and then got things sorted out and start getting by some guys. It felt good to start working my way up through the field. That’s what I hoped I’d be able to do.” With just three laps to go in the race Spies moved ahead of Shinya Nakano and James Toseland to get as high as seventh. A last lap braking pass by Toni Elias put Spies in eighth, where he would finish, three-tenths of a second behind Elias and a little over a second ahead of Toseland. “Toni rode a great race and made a good pass on me on the last lap,” Spies said. “I would have liked to have held on to seventh, but he made a really good move. “Overall I’m happy with my result. After the issues we had earlier in the weekend it was good to make some solid progress in the race. These are the best riders in the world. Hopefully I showed I have the potential to run with these guys.” Spies was happy to learn that he ran the sixth fastest lap of the MotoGP race, a one minute, 22.966-second time turned on lap 27. That lap time was bettered only by Casey Stoner, winner Valentino Rossi, Chris Vermeulen, Toni Elias and Nicky Hayden. In the Superbike final Spies finished a distant second to Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Mat Mladin. The race was held directly after the MotoGP race. Several observers said Spies appeared to be a bit off his normal pace owing perhaps to fatigue from all the laps he turned on Sunday, but Spies downplayed that speculation. “I wasn’t tired,” he said. “Mat simply rode better than me today. We still have a pretty solid lead in the championship. We head to Mid-Ohio in a couple of weeks and I’ll try to get re-focused and back to winning races.” Spies is next slated to race at the Honda Super Cycle Weekend, presented by Dunlop Tires in Lexington, Ohio, on Aug. 1-3. More, from a press release issued by Honda: US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Sunday July 20, 2008 MotoGP race report Weather: Dry, sunny Crowd: 47,000 ROSSI WINS AS DOVI DIGS DEEP FOR FOURTH PLACE With World Championship challenger Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) not starting this race due to injuries it was left to pole-man Casey Stoner (Ducati) and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) to fight it out at the front. Stoner finished second to Rossi with Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) third and the ever-consistent Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) fourth. After a cool and misty early morning, the sun burst through and bathed the grid as the lights went out and what proved to be a gripping and hard-fought battle at the front unfolded. And it was Stoner who made the holeshot into turn one with Rossi on his tail. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) held an early third place and the pack headed uphill and on towards the famous Corkscrew turn. Rossi pounced on its approach and ducked inside Stoner to lead. Meantime Jorge Lorenzo failed to complete the first lap when he high-sided spectacularly from his Yamaha. Dovi was holding fourth behind Hayden and ahead of eventual third-placed finisher Vermeulen but the action behind the leaders was nothing compared to what was soon going on at the head of the pack with the Italian former-Champion and the reigning Aussie. Stoner sat behind Rossi up close for two more laps before making another bid for the lead on the entry to turn one. Rossi then re-passed Stoner, this time on the steep downhill section of the Corkscrew, running into the dirt on the inside, just retaining control and pushing Stoner wide on the exit. This was a brawl on tarmac and high entertainment. On lap six Stoner used the 996m main straight to power past Rossi again before he returned the compliment on the next lap. The pair were more than three seconds ahead of Nicky by now. But Vermeulen now had the measure of Nicky and took the place off the 2005 and 2006 race winner. Stoner set a new lap record of 1m 21.813s on lap eight as he clung on to Rossi. The duo now had an eight second advantage over Vermeulen who was never going to catch them now. Stoner tried to take Rossi again on lap 14 at turn one but he ran wide and gave the place back. The top two were riding on the limit and it was a pity there was no Dani there to add to the spectacle. But something had to give and on lap 24 it was Stoner who made the mistake that would cost him at least the chance of fighting for the win. At the final turn Stoner misjudged his braking on the entry running wide, onto the dust, but critically too close to the gravel trap which claimed him. It was at walking pace he finally succumbed, toppling off, but remounting swiftly enough to still be eight seconds ahead of Vermeulen. Rossi was long gone now though. Dovi was steady in fourth, Nicky tried to put pressure on him but remained fifth, while Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) was fast enough to repeat his sixth-place of last season. Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) managed a tenth place. His battered team-mate, Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V), riding with a broken thumb after crashing in practice, got 13th spot. Dovi, rookie and highest Honda finisher here, said: “Valentino and Casey were riding unbelievably fast. I made a good start, and on the first lap when I saw Lorenzo fall, I knew that the first two were away and that I couldn’t follow them. I was behind Hayden who was quick, even though Vermeulen was able to catch us. When I realized that Hayden was running slower, I wanted to pass him, but Laguna is difficult to pass on and I spent four laps trying. Then I pushed to the maximum to pass Hayden and De Puniet, who are strong on the brakes and who were difficult to pass.” Nicky in fifth said: “Obviously at my home race I’d hoped to be able to put up a better fight than that. It was certainly a tough weekend, we struggled a bit with the tyres we had available. We really had only two race tyres, the one I used in practice I kept using again and again, I used it Friday, Saturday and again this morning, by the end it had 35 laps on it. I think I learned a good lesson, we set up the bike on quite old tyres. In the race when we put in a grippy new race tyre the balance of the bike changed a lot, so it was pushing the front in a lot of places.” Sixth-placed De Puniet said: “After our worst Friday since the beginning of the season we finally gained a very positive result. We struggled a bit with rear grip in the last two days but at the end the bike set-up was good and I could race as I like. My start was not perfect but I knew I had the potential to race up there. I was behind Toseland for many laps and tried to pass him three times without success. On lap twelfth I passed him pushing to close the gap with Dovizioso and Hayden. I was not able to pass them so decided to keep my position to get this positive result for me and the Team.” Nakano said: “I’m really disappointed with today’s result because despite our good start, when I made up some positions over the opening few laps, I’ve finished tenth. Half-way through the race when I was in eighth place I tried to pass Toseland but I went wide under braking and lost a lot of ground, which I was unable to recover. There are still a lot of races left before the end of the season and after a short holiday we’ll get fully focused again for Brno.” His team-mate De Angelis said: “That was a really difficult race and I’m so disappointed with what happened in qualifying. In the second half of the race I lost so much time stuck behind West I don’t think I could have fought for the podium even if I was fit and qualified better but the group ahead of me was within my grasp. At the end of the day this was a positive race for us because the condition I raced in was always going to make it tough to reach the finish line, but I did so and scored points too.” Rossi on 212 now has a 25-point lead over Stoner with seven rounds to go. Stoner has 187 points and Dani now slips to third overall on 171. Honda rider quotes. GP USA race. July 20, 2008 MotoGP: Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Scot Honda: 4th. “I am pleased to have achieved this result to be the first Honda rider on Michelin tyres, which shows how good they are! Valentino and Casey were riding unbelievably fast. I made a good start, and on the first lap when I saw Lorenzo fall, I knew that the first two were away and that I could not follow them. I was behind Hayden who was quick, even though Vermeulen was able to catch us. When I realized that Hayden was running slower, I wanted to pass him, but Laguna is difficult to pass on and I spent four laps trying. Then I pushed to the maximum to pass Hayden and De Puniet, who are strong ‘brakers’ and who were difficult to pass.” Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 5th. “Obviously at my home race I’d hoped to be able to put up a better fight than that. It was certainly a tough weekend, we struggled a bit with the tyres we had available. We really had only two race tyres, the one I used in practice I kept using again and again, I used it Friday, Saturday and again this morning, by the end it had 35 laps on it. I think I learned a good lesson, we set up the bike on quite old tyres. In the race when we put in a grippy new race tyre the balance of the bike changed a lot, so it was pushing the front in a lot of places. I would’ve liked to have been closer to the front but I think we learned a good lesson. Now we’ve got a few weeks off, so we’ll regroup and try to finish the year strong.” Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 6th. “After our worst Friday since the beginning of the season we finally gained a very positive result. We struggled a bit with rear grip in the last two days but at the end the bike set-up was good and I could race as I like. My start was not perfect but I knew I had the potential to race up there. I was behind Toseland for many laps and tried to pass him three times without success. On lap twelve I passed him pushing to close the gap with Dovizioso and Hayden. I was not able to pass them so decided to keep my position to get this positive result for me and the Team.” Shinya Nakano, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 10th. “I’m really disappointed with today’s result because despite our good start, when I made up some positions over the opening few laps, I have finished tenth. Halfway through the race when I was in eighth place I tried to pass Toseland but I went wide under braking and lost a lot of ground, which I was unable to recover. We were obviously hoping for much better because my pace in practice was so good but I tried my best. There are still a lot of races left before the end of the season and after a short holiday we’ll get fully focused again for Brno.”. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 13th. “That was a really difficult race and I’m so disappointed with what happened in qualifying. In the second half of the race I lost so much time stuck behind West. I don’t think I could have fought for the podium even if I was fit and qualified better but the group ahead of me was within my grasp. At the end of the day this was a positive race for us because the condition I raced in was always going to make it tough to reach the finish line, but I did so and scored points too. It’s a shame though because we were in shape to do well here the good thing is that the thumb should be okay for Brno.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: Did not race due to injuries sustained at the German GP last week. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STONER SECOND IN LAGUNA BLOCKBUSTER, MELANDRI OUT OF LUCK AGAIN Casey Stoner took second place in the US Grand Prix today after an incredible battle with Valentino Rossi. With Ducati Desmosedici RR owner Tom Cruise watching from pit wall, Stoner launched from pole position and was immediately pursued by the Italian, with the pair swapping positions as they left the rest of the field trailing. The stage was set for a big-screen finale but a rare mistake from the Australian in the final turn, just eight laps from the end, saw him run wide into the dirt and drop his Ducati as the front end dipped into the deep gravel. A huge gap of more than 20 seconds over third-placed Chris Vermeulen allowed Stoner to return to the race in second place, but there weren’t enough laps left for him to hunt down Rossi. Marco Melandri carried some excellent progress with the set-up of his bike into today’s race, moving up from 15th on the grid to ninth place by lap ten, only for his charge to be halted by an unfortunate crash in turn one. The MotoGP World Championship now takes its traditional summer break before action resumes at Brno in the Czech Republic on August 17th. CASEY STONER (Ducati MotoGP Team) 2nd “At the end of the day I’m not happy because I’ve made a mistake and it has cost me the chance to win this race, but I also think that even if he rode a great race, some of Valentino’s moves early in the race were too aggressive. Anyway, we can’t do anything about that now – the important thing is that we’ve come away from here with 20 valuable points and after being written off in some quarters four races ago we now go on our summer holiday with a fighting chance of winning the title again. We’re 25 points behind, which is a big gap, but there are seven races left and a lot can happen. We can take a lot of positives out of this weekend – mainly the fact that all the hard work by everybody at Ducati and Bridgestone has paid off again.” MARCO MELANDRI (Ducati MotoGP Team) 16th “I hit a marker or something going into turn one and my hand came off the handlebar, so I couldn’t get the bike turned. I took a heavy blow to my hand in the crash and needed a couple of laps to get back into the race because I wasn’t sure how bad the injury was. The pain started to subside eventually but I was way back, lapping alone. I’m disappointed because after the first two or three laps I had a good pace together. It’s a shame because it’s another potentially good result ruined. I’m particularly sorry for the team because they have made a fantastic job and they deserved a good result”. LIVIO SUPPO (Ducati MotoGP Project Leader) “It was a very tight race, spectacular to watch and evidence that it is not only the electronics that make the difference in this sport, but two riders who are one step above everybody else at the moment. Dani is also a part of that small club but unfortunately he wasn’t here today. After three straight victories for Casey, today was Valentino’s turn, that’s fair enough. For sure if Casey had not shown a tremendous coolness and maturity, there would have been at least a few occasions in which they both could have crashed as a result of manoeuvres which, in our opinion, were a bit over the limit on Vale’s part. Unfortunately Casey made a mistake that cost him dearly, but this can happen in the heat of the battle and, in any case, we’ve ended this period of the season in positive style. Unfortunately Marco was really unlucky. It’s a shame because he was setting a good pace.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Valentino Rossi added Laguna Seca to his list of conquered tracks on the MotoGP calendar in a breathtaking Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, ending Casey Stoner´s run of wins and garnering an important addition to his points tally heading into the summer break. In contrast to his comments after Saturday´s qualifying session, Rossi needed neither a gun nor a 30-second headstart to stop the man so dominant in practice. Instead he relied on a storming start and his best pace of the weekend to stifle Stoner´s breakaway attempt, presenting himself as the only object between the Australian and a fourth consecutive victory. A speedy start, some shaky moments and two top caliber riders separated from the rest of the field made for a thrilling race, and the end result of a 33rd victory for Rossi for the factory Yamaha team equaling his total for previous manufacturer Honda. The deciding moment of the race came on lap 24, as Stoner and Rossi prepared to enter the home straight. Having battled back-and-forth amongst themselves at every corner, Stoner ran wide onto the gravel. An attempt to dig his left foot in order to push himself back on-track led to a fall for the 22 year-old, although he nonetheless picked the Ducati Desmosedici GP8 back up with a cushion on the timesheet significant enough to allow him to finish second and move up in the overall classification. 2007 Laguna Seca runner-up Chris Vermeulen rounded off the podium, using the same kind of pace that he had demonstrated in practice. Having started from eighth on the grid, a better result in qualifying could have seen the Rizla Suzuki rider at the very least take advantage of Stoner´s late fall. He took his second rostrum in succession in a positive race for the Australian. Some 34 seconds down on Rossi as they crossed the line for the final time, Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden were tussling for the honour of fourth place and the highest position for Honda and Michelin. The JiR Team Scot rookie eventually did enough to deny twice Laguna Seca MotoGP racewinner Hayden in the Repsol Honda rider´s home race, concluding a great maiden appearance at the track. Randy de Puniet repeated his sixth position from 2007, this time onboard the LCR Honda RC212V, whilst Toni Elias, Ben Spies, James Toseland and Shinya Nakano wrapped up the top ten. Wildcard Spies on pole for the AMA Superbike race running concurrently with the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, had believed that he still had one lap remaining as he fought with the established premier class riders. A first visit to Laguna Seca did not end well for second Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, who highsided his M1 on the opening lap. He picked up a fractured third metatarsal in his left big toe, an injury that will not endanger his participation in Brno when the World Championship returns in August. Rossi now leads the standings by 25 points, whilst Stoner´s latest podium finish moves him up to second. Laguna Seca absentee Dani Pedrosa drops down to third place. Valentino Rossi Race Winner “For me it has been fantastic. It´s the first time that I´ve been able to win here, and it was an unbelievable race. The crew made some modifications and I was able to take a much better pace. I had a good start, then a great battle with Casey, which was a lot of fun. It´s an important victory very emotional- and now in the summer break we will relax, because the championship is so long.” Casey StonerSecond Placed “The mistake I made past halfway was mine; I ran a little wide and lost the front on the turn as I tried to get back on track. It was race over after that. I enjoyed a lot of the race, but I felt that some of the passes a bit too much for me. I´ve been racing for a lot of years and have come through a lot of different ranks, and for me just a couple of passes were a little too much. I would have liked to have had a little bit of a cleaner battle, but anyway we are happy with the result. We´re still at the front of the championship and not too far off.” Chris Vermeulen Third Placed “It was difficult starting from the third row, and these guys got away early. I had a bit of a battle with Hayden and Dovizioso for a few laps, and once we got past them then we had more pace than everyone else. These two were too quick for us today. To be back on the podium in the dry proves that Suzuki are improving, and I´m looking forward to Brno now.”