FIM MotoGP World Championship Losail International Circuit, Qatar April 11, 2010 Provisional Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), 22 laps, 42:50.099 2. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), -1.022 seconds 3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), -1.865 4. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati), -1.876 5. Ben SPIES (Yamaha), -3.903 6. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), -9.322 7. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), -16.508 8. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), -19.867 9. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), -20.893 10. Hiroshi AOYAMA (Honda), -21.100 11. Marco SIMONCELLI (Honda), -31.638 12. Hector BARBERA (Ducati), -32.573 13. Marco MELANDRI (Honda), -40.780 14. Alvaro BAUTISTA (Suzuki), -1 lap, DNF, crash 15. Aleix ESPARGARO (Ducati), -15 laps, DNF, crash 16. Casey STONER (Ducati), -17 laps, DNF, crash 17. Mika KALLIO (Ducati), -20 laps, DNF, crash More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Rossi uses harder slicks to take victory in thrilling season-opener in Qatar Round 1: Qatar GP Race Losail International Circuit, Sunday 11 April 2010 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Extra Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard Valentino Rossi won the first race of the season in spectacular style after an intense race-long battle between the top four, all of whom used the harder option Bridgestone slicks. Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo finished second, having fought his way past both Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso, who finished third, and a very close fourth-placed Nicky Hayden. Every rider opted for the harder option front Bridgestone slick, and only Pramac Racing’s Mika Kallio opted for the softer option rear, the rest of the field favouring the extra durability of the hard compound. After taking an early lead, Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner fell on the sixth lap of the race, leaving a close fight for the lead between Rossi, Dovizioso and Ducati Team’s Hayden, who were split by just 0.2seconds in the latter stages of the race. A total of four riders led during the race: Rossi, Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, Stoner and Dovizioso. Hayden was running in a podium spot for most of the 22 laps, but lost out to Dovizioso by just 0.011seconds. Hiroshi Yamada Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “What an exciting race! Congratulations to Valentino for showing his strength and consistency to take victory here in Qatar, and also to Jorge for his fight back from sixth to second. The racing between Andrea and Nicky was very close indeed, and it is great to see both riders at the front. Congratulations also to Ben for his fifth position and to Hiroshi for finishing tenth in his first MotoGP race. I think this grand prix shows we are in for a very exciting season!” Tohru Ubukata Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department “Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Valentino, Jorge, Andrea and Nicky for a fantastic and exciting start to the season. Even though track conditions were the coolest of the weekend, as expected almost all riders chose the harder option slicks front and rear and I am pleased with their performance. Only Mika chose the softer option rear, but unfortunately he fell on the 3rd lap so we did not get to properly compare the race performance of both specs. The top four riders were all faster than last year’s winning race time which shows good consistency, and the top three all recorded their fastest laps in the last third of the race which demonstrates good durability.” Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team Race Winner “It is a great, great start to the season. I made a fantastic start which is important here, and I was ready for a battle. I thought today would be a fight with Casey, but when I saw him crash I thought it would be more easy. But it was harder than I expected! The bike started to slide too much and I was not able to build enough advantage. When I saw Andrea, I rode every lap at 110 per cent and I was able to go a little faster and gain enough advantage to stay in front. It is especially important to start the 2010 season with a victory.” Top ten classification (Sunday 23:00 GMT+3) Pos. Rider Team Race time Gap Front spec Rear spec Tyres 1 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 42m50.099s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick 2 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 42m51.121s +1.022s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick 3 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 42m51.964s +1.865s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick 4 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 42m51.975s +1.876s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick 5 Ben Spies Monster Yamaha Tech3 42m54.002s +3.903s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick 6 Randy de Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP 42m59.421s +9.322s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick 7 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 43m06.607s +16.508s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick 8 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech3 43m09.966s +19.867s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick 9 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 43m10.992s +20.893s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick 10 Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda 43m11.199s +21.100s Extra hard Hard Bridgestone slick Weather: Dry. Ambient 24°C; Track 27°C ( Bridgestone measurement) More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Loris Capirossi recorded a hard-fought ninth position on his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R in the season opening round of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship. Capirossi celebrated his 300th Grand Prix start by lining up for the race with his bike sporting the number 300, instead of his usual 65, as well as a gold-plated helmet. Capirossi got a solid start to the 22-lap race, but was boxed in early on and relegated to eighth by the end of the first lap. He was then involved in a long battle with Colin Edwards, before finally crossing the line just behind the Texan. Alvaro Bautista had an entertaining, but ultimately fruitless debut race as he crashed on the very last corner when fighting for 11th place. Bautista got a poor start as he was hit by another rider, relegating him to last place. He took a few laps to get into a good rhythm, before recording several personal best laps during the mid-way point of the race. Bautista then set about making his way up to the riders in-front of him and as he chased down Marco Simoncelli on the last lap, he pushed too hard in the final bend and crashed. The battle at the front of the race saw World Champion Valentino Rossi walk away victorious after pole-setter Casey Stoner crashed. Behind Rossi, an exciting three-way clash entertained the crowd, with Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso just squeezing out Nicky Hayden to the final podium positions. The Rizla team will now travel to the home of Suzuki for the next round of the season, as the MotoGP circus heads to Motegi in Japan for the second race in the championship, to be held on Sunday 25th April. Loris Capirossi: “I am a bit upset about the result because we thought we would go better than that. We have worked hard all weekend, but we struggled with the conditions today, because it was so different to yesterday with a lot more humidity tonight. I struggled in the third section of the track and was not very fast there, but in other sections I was quite strong. My rhythm was not too good and in the end I was just trying to defend my position. We don’t need results like this; we need to be nearer the front, especially for all the effort that everybody is putting in. It was not easy, but we need to keep working well and feeling well. I feel sorry for Alvaro because he has had a tough weekend, but we will continue to work hard together and makes things happen.” Alvaro Bautista: “This has been a disaster of a race for me! Seriously though, I had a bad start and Barbera pushed me out on lap two and I lost everything. I used the next part of the race like a practice because I had no other riders to fight with. In the middle of the race I got a better rhythm and it was not so bad. I caught two riders, but in the last corner I crashed. I feel like I cannot say that I have done my first MotoGP race because I never finished. The positive thing is that my rhythm was not too bad and for the next race we can only improve. We must continue to work hard and to try to make things better.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “The Qatar Grand Prix has never been particularly kind to Suzuki and today was not really a lot different! Loris rode as hard as ever in his 300th Grand Prix, but did not have the confidence to push the bike especially hard in the fast corners. He felt that his pace was terrible, but in fact over race distance it averaged out at less than a second a lap from the winner. So I am sure we can make significant improvements over the next couple of races and see Loris a lot closer to the sharp end. “For Alvaro it was certainly an interesting debut Grand Prix, but overall the whole team was very encouraged with his potential and his commitment. We are not at all worried by the result and neither should he be. I am pretty sure that if he had not been closing down a certain Mr Simoncelli by over a second a lap, with the chance of getting him on the final corner, then he would have finished! “Alvaro won the 250cc Grand Prix at Motegi last year and it is a great track for Loris as well. So, we are looking for a much better weekend in Japan.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Valentino Rossi got his title defence off to a perfect start by taking the first win of the season in Qatar after polesitter, Casey Stoner, crashed out of the lead just five laps into the race. Front row qualifiers Stoner, Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo all got good starts, but it was Dani Pedrosa on the Repsol Honda who led the field into the first turn, after a lightning start from the third row of the grid. Pedrosa and Rossi swapped the lead for two laps, before Stoner pushed his way to the front and started to pull away from the chasing group. The Ducati Marlboro rider posted the fastest lap of the race on his fourth lap, as he tried to open a gap on his pursuers. The Australian was still pushing hard when he made an uncharacteristic mistake, lost the front and crashed out of the lead on the very next lap. With Stoner gone and a clear track in front of him, Rossi upped the pace and tried to pull away from the field. Nicky Hayden on the second Ducati Marlboro Desmosedici and Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso rode hard to stay in contact with the reigning World Champion and, on lap 16, Dovizioso managed to squeeze his way past the Fiat Yamaha to briefly take the race lead. Rossi retook the lead on the following lap and held it to the line, ending Stoner’s run of three successive victories in Qatar. “I got a fantastic start, but I wasn’t quite fast enough and was suffering on the straight,” said Rossi. “I lost some time passing Pedrosa and by then Stoner was quite far from me. I thought then that it was going to be hard to catch him! Then he made a mistake and crashed, which was bad luck for him but crucial for us.” Dovizioso was very strong and we had a good battle. I did three or four laps at maximum and managed to stay in front, but it wasn’t easy. I haven’t won at the first race since 2005 and these 25 points at this stage are like gold dust, it’s a fantastic result for the team to make a 1-2 at race one. I ran out of fuel on the slow down lap, but it was very funny to come to Parc Ferme ridinga scooter” added the reigning World Champion and race winner. A hard charging Jorge Lorenzo, passed both Hayden and Dovizioso on the penultimate lap to make it a Fiat Yamaha 1-2 on the podium. After getting the better of Dovizioso on the final lap Hayden looked all set to secure the final podium place, but the Italian rider managed to slingshot past the American on the run to the line, denying the Ducati rider by the narrowest of margins. Ben Spies finished an impressive fifth on his debut as a full-time MotoGP rider with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. LCR Honda rider, Randy de Puniet, finished in sixth place ahead of Dani Pedrosa, who had faded back through the field after an impressive start to the race. Colin Edwards took eighth place on the line with Loris Capirossi, in his 300th Grand Prix, just one second further back in ninth. Hiroshi Aoyama rounded out the top ten on his MotoGP debut, finishing ahead of Marco Simoncelli, Hector Barbera and Marco Melandri. 250cc Expectations were high ahead of the first ever Moto2 race in Qatar tonight and the new four-stroke class certainly didn’t disappoint. After a race that saw pitched battles fought out from the front to the back, 19-year-old Japanese rider, Shoya Tomizawa, wrote his name in the record books by taking the first ever Moto2 win. Toni Elias made a great start from pole position to lead the 41-strong field into turn one. By turn two he was the only rider who qualified on the front row left in the race, as Alex De Angelis crashed out and took Stefan Bradl with him in turn one and Julian Simon retired his RSV machine after cooking the clutch at the start. Elias was ousted from the lead by a hard charging Jules Cluzel on lap two, which prompted a fairing bashing battle at the front as Elias, Cluzel, Alex Debon and Tomizawa all fought it out to take the honours in the first race of this new World Championship class. Tomizawa eventually fought his way to the front on lap six and was never headed for the remainder of the race, as the other Moto2 combatants held each other up fighting for the privilege of leading the chase for the Japanese rider. Elias eventually succumbed to the pain of his injuries, sustained in a testing crash just two weeks ago, settling for fourth place and leaving Debon and Cluzel to sort out the two remaining podium positions between them. At the line it was Debon who took second, with Cluzel a very close third. Roberto Rolfo brought his Italtrans Suter MMX machine home in fifth place, closely followed by Mattia Pasini, Thomas Luthi, Simone Corsi and Gabor Talmacsi, who’d battled together throughout the 20-lap race. Sergio Gadea rounded out the top ten aboard his Pons Kalex machine. 125cc The 125cc grid may be smaller this year, but tonight’s race in Qatar was as close and exciting as ever, as Nico Terol overcame four hard charging Derbi riders to take the race win aboard his Bancaja Aspar Aprilia. Efren Vazquez got a lightning start from the front row of the grid to take the race lead as Marc Marquez, Terol Tito Rabat and Pol Espargaro continually swapped positions behind him. Marquez took the lead briefly on lap 7 and again on lap 12, before Terol pushed through to the front and, following an out of the seat moment for Vazquez that baulked the pursuing pack, managed to pull out an advantage that he held to the chequered flag. Vazquez took second place on the line, with Marquez taking third and making it an all-Spanish podium for the first 125cc race of the new season. Sandro Cortese got the better of Randy Krummenacher to take fourth place, with the Swiss rider followed home by a fading Rabat, Bradley Smith and Tomoyoshi Koyama. Alexis Masbou completed the top ten aboard his Ongetta Aprilia. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Ducati: DIFFICULT BEGINNING FOR THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM IN QATAR Really an unlucky day for the Pramac Racing Team who after seven laps of the Qatar Grand Prix saw both riders slips. A race to forget for the white and green duo who in the next Grand Prix in Japan, in two weeks time, will look for redeem. Mika Kallio’s race hasn’t initiated in the best way, in fact, the Finn suffered two hits: the first by Spies, in the second turn, and the second by Barbera which sent him in the dirt. Back on track in last position he tried to recover but his race ended after only two laps. Aleix has instead slipped in the last corner of the track during the seventh lap: stepping back on his bike he tried to get back on track but after seeing the bike was no longer usable he decided to ride back in the box. Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Technical Director “Really a pity because on this track our bikes were very competitive. Mika was hit twice in the first lap and the second time was even thrown off track. Probably, after returning on track in last position, he was pushing hard and the bike was still dirty and wasn’t in perfect condition. Aleix was very unlucky: he was doing a good race but unfortunately he lost the front and slipped into the dirt before the final straight.” Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing rider – DNF “What to say ! Perhaps the worst start of my career. Frankly, even the most unlucky: I managed to gain some positions in the first turn, but in the second Spies touched me making me lose five positions. After a few curves also Barbera has accidentally hit me sending me outside the track. I managed to stay on my bike and came back in last position. I was trying to push hard to reach the group but I slipped and at that moment there was nothing else I could do. We have to forget this race, a long season is ahead of us.” Aleix Espargarò – Pramac Racing rider – DNF “In the first laps I had some difficulties, but when I felt that my feeling with the bike was improving I found myself with my back side on the ground. I was approaching the riders in front of me and I was very confident to reach them. I don’t have much more to say, we will have to earn the points lost here in two weeks time in Japan.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: DOVIZIOSO ON THE PODIUM FOR REPSOL HONDA, PEDROSA SEVENTH Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso climbed onto the third step of the podium in Qatar tonight after a gripping first race of the 2010 season. The Italian battled courageously for the entire 22-lap encounter, working his way up from seventh on lap one to momentarily take the lead at the start of lap seventeen as his RC212V powered past eventual winner Valentino Rossi. It was nail-biting cut and thrust for the duration tonight as the 24-year-old exchanged pass after pass with his rivals, and Dovizioso was rewarded with his third podium finish in MotoGP, and his first since his win at Donington Park in July last year. At the start of the race it was the Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa that dazzled under the Losail floodlights as the Spaniard produced a phenomenal start to rocket from seventh on the grid to first place into the first corner. The 24-year-old three-time World Champion held the position for the first part of the lap before being passed by Rossi. But Pedrosa fought back and retook the lead going into lap two – this time chased by Casey Stoner who passed Pedrosa a lap later before falling from the lead and out of the race. Despite his impressive early race pace, Pedrosa wasn’t able to maintain it for long as a few handling issues saw him slip back through the field – although he battled to the end and brought his Repsol Honda home in seventh to gain nine World Championship points. For Dovizioso it was an especially positive day because he had held a strong second place for much of the race and he crossed the line just 1.8s behind the winner. In a tantalizing finish the Italian was only 11 thousands of a second ahead of fourth place man Nicky Hayden, with whom Dovizioso had battled for almost the entire race. The pair exited the final corner side by side, but the power of the Honda RC212V saw Dovizioso edge half a bike length ahead as they took the chequered flag. The Repsol Honda Team now packs the flight cases and ships them eastward in preparation for Honda’s home race – the Grand Prix of Japan which takes place at the Twin Ring Motegi on 25 April. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 3rd World Championship points: 16 “I’m really happy about this podium – it’s a great satisfaction. It was so important to begin the season with a good result and I hope this is just the start. Today’s podium is the result of the hard work done by Honda, the technicians, the team and myself during the winter. I have to thank Honda, Repsol and all the sponsors for having believed in me also when the results were not coming. In fact, today I really believed I could get second position and it was a pity that I couldn’t keep it until the very end. My start was not so good but the first five laps were crucial for me to recover positions and glue myself behind Valentino. My Honda was very fast on the straight and I could use this advantage to compensate for our weaker points on the track. I can say that I lost my race in Turn 10. We struggled in T3 for the whole weekend but tonight I understood that we lost so much in the long left hand turn – Turn 10. When Valentino overtook me I tried to re-pass him, but he overtook me again and then I didn’t have the possibility to get back by. I did a masterpiece in the last corner of the last lap where I overtook Nicky on the inside and then I used all the power of the RC212V to get to the line first. Tonight I raced with my heart, and this result is a good motivation for myself and everyone in the Repsol Honda Team.” DANI PEDROSA 7th World Championship points: 9 “I made a good start and was able to stay at or near the front of the race for the first few laps. It really wasn’t easy though and we had a few handling issues with the machine that meant unfortunately it was impossible for me to maintain that pace. I fought as hard as I could to hold off the other riders but in the end there was no way I could keep them behind. On the one hand it’s encouraging that we could achieve this early pace because the winter testing has not been easy, but on the other it proves we still have a lot of work to do to get the machine the way I need so that I can be at the front at the end rather than the start of the race. This isn’t the ideal start to the season and I’d hoped to be able to fight for a podium here, but it’s a long season and we’ll stay focused and work as hard as possible to improve things. Congratulations to Andrea on the podium. We’ll come back fighting at Motegi – it’s a circuit I like and I hope to get a much better result there.” TOSHIYUKI YAMAJI – REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER “This was an exciting first round of the season and both Repsol Honda riders figured at the front of the race which is encouraging for us. Andrea put in a great ride tonight and battled very hard all the way through the race so I’d like to congratulate him on a well-deserved podium. He was very close to the winner and this bodes well for him, the team and for the performance of the RC212V. Dani also fought very hard and never gave up even though he had some handling problems and couldn’t maintain the early pace which saw him leading at the start. We still have work to do with our machine and set-up and the Repsol Honda Team will be redoubling our efforts ahead of our home race in Japan in two weeks’ time.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: Grand Prix of Qatar at Losail: MotoGP race report Sunday April 11, 2010 Weather: dry, warm Temperature: 24 degrees ambient, 26 degrees track Humidity: 30% Crowd: 7302 DOVI ON THE PODIUM IN SEASON OPENER World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) held off a trio of determined riders to win the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit outside of the Qatari capital of Doha. Rossi’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo was second, with Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso speeding to the final podium position with a fine third place finish to start his season. The race began with Rossi leading, but under pressure from Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who made a lightning fast start from seventh on the grid. Pedrosa took the lead on the second lap before being passed by Ducati rider Casey Stoner. Stoner, starting from the pole, then sped away and held over a two second lead when he crashed in turn four on lap six. That put Rossi at the point of the spear, but under pressure from Nicky Hayden (Ducati) and Dovizioso. Not far back were Pedrosa and Rossi’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi controlled the pace well past half distance when Dovizioso used Honda power to draft past the world champion on the front straightaway. Rossi soon regained the lead, while Dovizioso and Hayden fought over second. Dovi took the spot on the 19th of 22 laps and was on his way to second when Lorenzo passed him on lap 21. Dovizioso was under the threat of missing out on the podium when Hayden passed Dovi on the last lap. But the second year Repsol Honda powered out of the final corner to take third by .011 secs. Pedrosa would encounter handling problems and fall back to seventh place, one spot behind LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet. De Puniet, who’d qualified fourth, the top Honda rider, rode a mostly solitary race to sixth, his best result since finishing on the podium in last year’s rain-hit British Grand Prix. After overcoming a difficult start, Interwetten Honda MotoGP’s Hiroshi Aoyama was involved in a spirited three-way fight with veterans Colin Edwards (Yamaha) and Loris Capirossi, the Italian who was racing in his 300th grand prix. Aoyama was happy to reach his goal of a top ten finish and looked forward to his home grand prix in two weeks at Motegi. Finishing one position behind Aoyama came San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Marco Simoncelli, another GP debutant. Simoncelli was happy to finish well into the points after a difficult testing season. The rookie admitted that he needs to better understand the race rubber so as to be more of a threat in the second half of the race when the tyres start to fade. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Marco Melandri finished 13th in what he felt was one of the most disappointing races of his career. A problem with the connection between the throttle and the rear tyre made for a long night for the veteran rider. However, Melandri was confident the team could find a solution and put it into place for the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi in less than two weeks time. Honda rider quotes. MotoGP: Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 3rd. “I’m really happy about this podium – it’s a great satisfaction. It was so important to begin the season with a good result and I hope this is just the start. Today’s podium is the result of the hard work done by Honda, the technicians, the team and myself during the winter. I have to thank Honda, Repsol and all the sponsors for having believed in me also when the results were not coming. In fact, today I really believed I could get second position and it was a pity that I couldn’t keep it until the very end. My start was not so good but the first five laps were crucial for me to recover positions and glue myself behind Valentino. My Honda was very fast on the straight and I could use this advantage to compensate for our weaker points on the track. I can say that I lost my race in Turn 10. We struggled in T3 for the whole weekend but tonight I understood that we lost so much in the long left hand turn – Turn 10. When Valentino overtook me I tried to re-pass him, but he overtook me again and then I didn’t have the possibility to get back by. I did a masterpiece in the last corner of the last lap where I overtook Nicky on the inside and then I used all the power of the RC212V to get to the line first. Tonight I raced with my heart, and this result is a good motivation for myself and everyone in the Repsol Honda Team.” Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 6th. “All the weekend I was up there and I am very satisfied about this result. My start was not that bad, but with a bit of traffic I have got a little bit pushed out in the first corner. After that I lapped a smart race as my pace on race trim was really good like the top guys. At five laps to go we were five seconds behind the leader, which is incredible for us as a satellite team. The hard work we have made in the winter and the long run we have been made adjusting the race map have helped us to get this positive result in the first round of the season.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 7th. “I made a good start and was able to stay at or near the front of the race for the first few laps. It really wasn’t easy though and we had a few handling issues with the machine that meant unfortunately it was impossible for me to maintain that pace. I fought as hard as I could to hold off the other riders but in the end there was no way I could keep them behind. On the one hand it’s encouraging that we could achieve this early pace because the winter testing has not been easy, but on the other it proves we still have a lot of work to do to get the machine the way I need so that I can be at the front at the end rather than the start of the race. This isn’t the ideal start to the season and I’d hoped to be able to fight for a podium here, but it’s a long season and we’ll stay focused and work as hard as possible to improve things. Congratulations to Andrea on the podium. We’ll come back fighting at Motegi – it’s a circuit I like and I hope to get a much better result there.” Hiroshi Aoyama, Interwetten Honda MotoGP: 10th. “This is a good result, not great, but good. I pushed all the 22 laps and I did what I was able to do. I had a horrible start and lost some positions in the first few laps that I had to fight back. Therefore the 10th place is a good result for my first MotoGP race. If I would have had a better start I don’t know where I would have been then. Now I look forward to go home and see my family as I will go straight to Japan for a visit.” Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 11th. “I’m pretty happy with what you could call a decent debut. After having struggled in the winter tests we’ve seen tonight that I am in shape to fight with the mid-pack, if not the front guys just yet. I’m happy with the first half of my race but when the tyres went off I couldn’t stick the pace with Capirossi and Edwards and had to ‘pull the oars into the boat’! It was tough for me to keep a fast pace when I was riding on my own so I slowed down. There were definitely positive aspects to take from this and now we move on.” Marco Melandri, San Carlo Honda Gresini, 13th. “That was a very disappointing race, one of the worst of my career. It was impossible for me to ride I was struggling from the start and after a few laps it got worse, with the engine braking system cutting out which meant I couldn’t even brake properly. There was something wrong with the throttle connection and I couldn’t work out how much to open the gas sometimes I was giving too much and the bike was moving around on the exits of the corners. It is a bad race to end a disappointing weekend. I just have to keep the faith that my team can help me find a solution. Unfortunately I am a very sensitive rider with a specific style and it seems this bike is not the best solution for me. I’m really upset.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: FOURTH-PLACED HAYDEN FLIES FLAG FOR DUCATI AFTER STONER CRASHED OUT IN QATAR Nicky Hayden got his 2010 season off to a flying start today with a thrilling battle for the podium under the Losail floodlights, flying the flag for the Ducati Marlboro Team after a crash for his team-mate Casey Stoner. The Australian didn’t get the ideal start to the race from pole position as he was passed by three riders – including Hayden, who made a lightening start from ninth but he quickly fought back to recover the lead by the third lap. However, a mistake just three laps later put paid to an otherwise perfect weekend, with Stoner having dominated every session. Hayden kept pace with Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso, keeping the leader in sight whilst entering a fierce battle for second place. Jorge Lorenzo forced his way through in the later stages, with the American eventually missing out on third place by just 0.011 seconds to the Italian. NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Marlboro Team #69) 4th “Man! I really didn’t expect to be so tough in the race but the team made a couple of small changes that made a huge difference and right from the warm-up lap I felt good. I got a great start and Rossi didn’t seem a lot faster than me. In a couple of places he was getting away but I just tried to stay in there and learn something – it’s been so long since I ran at the front. If you offered me fourth place, two seconds behind Rossi, before the race I would have taken it but to be so close to the podium and not actually up there”¦ it hurts. Still, it’s a long season and there are a lot of opportunities ahead of us. I’m sorry for Casey but fourth place with all the other heavies in there has got to be my best result. We got some good points in the bag so we’ll take it, get out of here and move on. Big thanks to the team and everybody at Ducati for sticking behind me and for all their hard work this winter. I hope I can repay them this year.” CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team #27) DNF “The bike bogged at the start so I didn’t get away well but I felt good and I was able to pass the other guys. Once I got to the front I started to get into my rhythm but I lost the front end a couple of times in long corners so I made the decision to try to ride a bit smoother and not put so much pressure on the front tyre with the full tank. Unfortunately that is what led to the crash because looking at the telemetry I didn’t have enough load on the front, so I guess in hindsight I should have stuck to the way I’d been riding all weekend. It’s my mistake and I apologise to the team because we’d done a great job this weekend and we leave empty handed. Having said that it’s not a complete disaster because we’ve found this weekend that the bike has improved in areas where we have struggled in the past for example the rear grip was unbelievable – and we have a long, long way to go. I’m pleased for Nicky because he had a great race and I think we can both be confident and optimistic about the rest of the season with this bike.” VITTORIANO GUARESCHI (Ducati Marlboro Team Manager) Obviously we feel Casey’s race should have ended differently tonight, we know that but unfortunately he crashed. Having said that I am happy to have seen Casey in such great form, leading the race just a couple of laps in despite not making a brilliant start. Then it was all over, which is a real disappointment, but the potential is there and the season is long. Nicky was fantastic. We have worked all winter to give him a package that works for him and he has repaid us. We didn’t see his full potential in practice but the World Champion in Nicky came out in the race. I would have loved to see him on the podium, for him and for the whole team who have worked tirelessly, but anyway we can take huge satisfaction from his performance. We now travel to Japan with a great package and two riders who we know can fight for the podium. More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: FIAT YAMAHA OPEN ACCOUNT WITH THRILLING ONE-TWO IN QATAR The 2010 MotoGP season got off to a flying start under the floodlights tonight with a gripping Qatar Grand Prix and a perfect opening result for the Fiat Yamaha Team. The indomitable Valentino Rossi took his 104th career victory, his first in the opening round since 2005, whilst Jorge Lorenzo rode a clever race to finish a strong second. The World Champion got a brilliant start from second on the grid and led after the first lap but both Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner were faster on the straight and he was soon relegated to third. On lap five he battled back to pass the Spaniard but Stoner was two seconds in front by then and the Italian looked to be facing a hard task to catch him. On the next lap however Stoner slid out of the race, leaving Rossi in the lead pursued by Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso. His work was far from over however as Dovizioso proved impossible to shake off and mounted a challenge on the straight on lap 16, momentarily getting his nose in front before his more experienced compatriot passed him back on the brakes into turn one. A couple of quick laps from Rossi gave him some breathing space and he was eventually able to pull clear, leaving Dovizioso and Hayden to dice with Lorenzo while he charged over the line to finish 1.022 seconds clear. His win today makes him only the third rider in history to have scored points in 200 Grands Prix. Lorenzo meanwhile had slipped several places at the start, dropping back to sixth before he started to find his rhythm on lap six. The 22-year-old had to contend with some pain in his recovering hand as well as a lap of grip in the rear but he played the waiting game until his fuel load lessened and he was able to push a bit harder. He then put up a gutsy display to gradually reel in the leaders and come within striking distance with two laps to go. A masterful overtaking display on the penultimate lap despatched first Hayden and then Dovizioso and he crossed the line behind his team-mate to the delight of the Yamaha garage. The team now has a short break before heading in high spirits to Yamaha’s home race in Japan, with the second round of the MotoGP World Championship coming at Motegi in two week’s time. Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 42’50.099 “I got a fantastic start but I wasn’t quite fast enough and was suffering on the straight. I lost some time passing Pedrosa and by then Stoner was quite far from me, I thought then that it was going to be hard to catch him! Then he made a mistake and crashed, which was bad luck for him but crucial for us. After that I expected it would be easier but in fact it was very hard to stay in front of Dovizioso, who was very strong. We had a good battle and then I did three or four laps at the maximum and was able to stay in front, but it wasn’t easy! I haven’t won at the first race since 2005 and these 25 points at this stage are like gold dust, it’s a fantastic result for the team to make a one-two at race one. It’s especially good to win here because it doesn’t suit our bike, we worked very cleverly throughout the practices and this is the reward, so thanks to all my guys. We definitely have some work to do but this is a good base to start from. I ran out of fuel on the slow down lap, I think I used more than expected early on because I was sliding quite a lot, but it was very funny to come to Parc Ferme riding a scooter!” Jorge Lorenzo Position: 2nd Time: +1.022 “Today I had to disconnect my brain and just ride with my heart, and I am so happy about this second place. My hand was a bit sore but the bigger problem was the rear sliding, and early on with a full fuel tank I found it quite hard. My plan was to take it quietly and not risk too much, but after a while the adrenalin built up and I couldn’t do that, I had to ride at the maximum! Once I had less fuel it was easier and I started to get closer, but I was on the limit physically and with the bike, so it was quite risky! I made some good overtakes at the end and this is a fantastic result for our team, with Valentino winning as well. Now we go to Motegi, where I won last year, and I will be in better physical condition by then and ready to be even stronger.” Davide Brivio Team Manager “It’s been a very positive weekend for us not only because we won, but because we’ve worked through our issues very well and been able to confirm that our bike is good. This isn’t a good track for us and we know we’re suffering a bit in terms of top speed, this is something we need to work on, but to win here shows that we’ve got a good overall package. Now we will work to lessen the gap to our rivals. It’s been a great night for Yamaha; three bikes in the top five and a brilliant start to the season. Now we got to Yamaha’s home race in Japan and we’re looking forward to maintaining our lead.” Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “This is a very good start to the season and Jorge rode a very clever race. He kept his patience when the bike was heavy, realised it wasn’t the right time to push and little-by-little he was able to improve his pace and close the gap. With a couple of laps to go he saw his advantage and was able to grab second position. To finish just one second behind Valentino after his interrupted pre-season is very impressive and a great result for our team.”