MotoGP Rnd 13
World Champion Valentino Rossi delighted the home crowd at Misano on Sunday with his second successive victory at the Italian circuit, to reassert his authority in the MotoGP title race.
A 2.4s win at the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini over his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was the perfect response to his Indianapolis crash and Rossi now leads the Spaniard by 30 points in the standings, with four rounds to go.
Lorenzo did his very best to stay with his illustrious team-mate over the course of the 28 lap contest, having overtaken Dani Pedrosa after a short battle, but Rossi was unstoppable in the Italian sunshine.
Having held the lead in the early stages Repsol Honda’s Pedrosa could not match the pace of the powerful Fiat Yamaha pair, eventually crossing the line ten seconds behind Lorenzo to complete the podium.
Early in the race there was drama – and heartbreak – when Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) appeared to misjudge the first corner and crashed out of his home contest, with American pair Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) unfortunately sliding out with him.
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) had a fierce fight behind the rostrum finishers, with Dovizioso eventually coming out on top by two-tenths of a second for his third fourth place finish in a row.
The top ten was rounded off by early race leader Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Mika Kallio (Ducati Marlboro), Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) and James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), whilst temporary Pramac Racing representative Aleix Espargaró did very well in eleventh place in just his second MotoGP race.
A tremendous battle between Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team) and home rider Mattia Pasini (Team Toth Aprilia) went right down to the wire in the 250cc class, with a desperate last lap ending with the Spaniard crossing the line four-hundredths of a second in front of the Italian.
There was also a superb fight for the last podium position between title candidates Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team) on the final lap – and it was a Spanish rider who succeeded in that contest too, albeit by just six-thousandths of a second. That result means Bautista now trails Aoyama by 13 points at the head of the standings.
Mike di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar) completed the top five after appearing to concede ground right at the end. There was home heartbreak for World Champion Marco Simoncelli, meanwhile, as he crashed out on lap twelve when fighting for the race lead, later citing a traction control problem for the accident in which he appeared to lose the rear end before hitting the ground.
A dramatic finale to the 125cc race saw the two leading riders, Andrea Iannone (Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.) and Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team), crash on the last corner to hand Julián Simón (Bancaja Aspar) another crucial win.
Right at the start of the race Simón’s team-mate Sergio Gadea escaped unhurt from a nasty looking crash, with several riders swerving to avoid him as he lay stricken on the asphalt.
Once the race settled into a steady rhythm Simón and Iannone emerged at the front, only for Espargaró to join them in the final stages – before his costly clash with Iannone.
Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Team) therefore unexpectedly crossed the line in second place behind Simón, whilst poleman Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar) got a surprise podium – having been in ninth place with ten laps to go. Marc Márquez (Red Bull KTM) and Sandro Cortese (Ajo Interwetten) completed the top five.
The FIM MotoGP World Championship returns to action on the 2nd-4th October weekend with the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal at the Estoril circuit.
| MotoGP Rnd 13 – Race Result | MotoGP Rnd 13 – Championship Standings |
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— MotoGP Quotes
Valentino Rossi, 1st – “”This is a great feeling! It’s taken me some time to get used to Misano and view it as a ‘home’ race because Mugello is so special to me, but I can honestly say that winning here today, in front of everyone dressed in yellow and with 46s everywhere, is a great emotion and I want to thank everyone for making it so special. Today I had to go quite carefully with the full tank at the start and I took some time to get to the front but once I was there it was great and my bike felt fantastic. We didn’t expect to be this competitive here but it’s been a perfect weekend, so I have to say a huge thank you to the team for a brilliant job. Since Indianapolis, when I made that mistake, we have been so focused and concentrated and everyone deserves this result. I was the ‘flying donkey’ today! I am happy that we are going into a month without racing with these memories and this points lead, but as we saw in Indy everything can change quickly so we will be fully focused once again in Estoril when we come back.”
Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd – “I did what I had to do today and took as many points as I could, which is the most important thing when you’re not perfect. Unfortunately we struggled a bit all weekend to find the right setting and so I thought it was better to take care and ensure the second place today. I took some time to get past Dani and Toni and then it was too far to Valentino. After I was nearly brought down on the second corner I wanted to make sure I got the points in order to keep the championship alive. We have some work to do but we will make sure we’re back to our best in Estoril, where I have great memories from last year and my first win.”
Dani Pedrosa, 3rd – “A podium finish is a good result for us and I think it fulfilled our potential here this weekend. I made a good start and pushed to the maximum in the opening laps to stay ahead of the others. I was riding really hard and getting quicker every lap which allowed me to keep in front for quite a long time. First Valentino and then Jorge came past though, and they were able to brake harder and get through the corners a little better that me which meant I just couldn’t stay with them. I was actually quite lucky at the end because I ran out of fuel on the slowing down lap and had to hitch a ride back to the pits with Toni Elias. Third is OK here and there was no way I could follow the leader’s rhythm so I’m reasonably satisfied. I’ve moved into third in the championship, but with Casey not riding here it’s not an even situation so I’m not too concerned about that. This weekend I also re-signed with Honda and I’m happy about this. They know my potential very well and I know their potential too, and I’m sure we can work well together into the future.”
Andrea Dovizioso, 4th – “I pushed 100 per cent in the first laps. I had a good feeling with the bike but unfortunately on lap seven I made a mistake at turn 11 and I lost contact with the front riders. This mistake compromised the race as after that I couldn’t stay with the leaders. In the last laps I had quite a battle with Capirossi for fourth place. He was braking very hard but in the end I passed him and closed every gap so that he couldn’t get past again. I’m happy with this weekend. This was the first weekend with Öhlins and of course we couldn’t have the perfect set-up but this is just the start and I’m very confident for the future. I’m happy too because I renewed my contract with Honda. This is my first year in the factory Honda team and I feel that I still haven’t shown my full potential. I know the machine better and we are working together in preparation for next year. Honda is working very hard and I believe in the project.”
Loris Capirossi, 5th – “I am very disappointed and quite upset to lose fourth place on the last lap, I think we deserved it and it would have been a great result for the whole team, Suzuki and all the sponsors. Dovizioso was a little bit faster than me on the last lap and although I tried to close the door he overtook me quite fast. I tried to get him back but just didn’t do it. We got better all weekend and it was a great race for us today and although I am upset at losing out on fourth – because that would have been the best result this year – we are certainly getting closer all the time and I think very soon we will be right up there.”
Toni Elias, 6th – “I have mixed feelings about that race because sixth place is a decent result but after making such a good start it could have been so much better. The team have done a great job with the bike over the weekend after a terrible first day but for some reason it wasn’t quite right today after only a few laps. We have to look at why that was because once again we have shown the pace to run with the very best in this class. We have a bit of a break now which is not ideal for me because I’d like to get back on track as soon as possible, but we will try to use it as best we can and look forward to going to Estoril, a circuit where I have great memories thanks to my MotoGP victory with the Gresini team in 2006 and where we will look to recover even more points.”
Mika Kallio, 7th – “It wasn’t a perfect race and there is always something we can improve on but I think we can be more or less happy with that. I made a decent start but I lost some positions in the first corner, which I wasn’t happy about, and then the crash in turn two happened right in front of me. I had to back off and pick a line through the debris, which cost me time and a couple of positions. The guys who came past were slower than me but I struggled to find places to pass them over the opening few laps. By the time I worked myself up to seventh the group of Elias, Dovizioso and Capirossi was four seconds clear of me. I was gaining on them in some areas and losing in others, Melandri was also pushing me hard from behind so I couldn’t relax at any point. It was a tough race and I’d hoped for more – maybe a top five or top six position, but unfortunately we lost that possibility at the start. Finally I’d like to thank everybody at Ducati for the faith they showed in me by giving me the ride and the support they have given me over the last few races, and I wish Casey well on his return. Hopefully I can take some positives back to my team and continue to make progress between now and the end of the season.”
Marco Melandri, 8th – TBC
Chris Vermeulen, 9th – “I got a good start and got past the whole row in front of me – including Loris – but then I was really close to the incident and everyone went so slowly all of a sudden. I went to select first gear and got neutral instead – so that really slowed me down. Then I ran over Colin’s mudguard and lost a lot of momentum which allowed a lot of guys to get back past me. Espargaro was going well in front of me and it made it difficult for me to get past him and get some consistent lap-times. Once I got past him my speed was quick and good enough for the top-five. It’s the same old thing though, we need to qualify better and get closer to the front and make life a bit easier. The guys all did a good job this weekend and the package worked well in the race, but our biggest downfall was outright speed because it made it difficult to pass. I am now looking forward to a short break, but I can’t wait to get back racing again and challenging at the remaining GPs coming up.”
James Toseland, 10th – “The incident at turn one really spilt the pack and I saw it all unfolding and it was unfortunate for Colin and Nicky to go out like that. I am not pleased with tenth place but I am pleased about my lap times in the race. I was matching Dovizioso and Capirossi except for the last five laps because I chose the softer tyre at the rear. We changed to a softer fork springs at the front for the race which made the bike smoot her over the bumps and without that turn one incident I think I had a chance of tagging along for a top six finish. I found it difficult to find a comfortable setting this weekend and we went in circles a little while trying understand the new front geometry with this set-up, but the guys in the team did a great job. At the end I could see Capirossi ahead at every corner so I knew I was doing a good pace so it is frustrating when you can’t be up there fighting for a better result.”
Aleix Espargaro, 11th – TBC
Randy De Puniet, 12th – “We expected a better result here. I was unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I’m happy because at least I escaped unhurt from the turn two incident. We have had three difficult race weekends since my injury, but we were able to score some more points here and that’s a positive. We made a great job in spite of my ankle injury, and although I’m not yet fully fit we improved our lap times over the three days and we are back in the mid-pack. The coming three weeks off will give me a chance to recover from my injury, so I will try to improve my World Championship position once we return to action in Portugal.”
Niccolo Canepa, 13th – TBC
Gabor Talmcasi, 14th – “That was a three-part race for me. I was strong at the beginning, when I was able to catch Melandri, then the middle part of the race was not good. Finally, the last part was better, I was able to improve my lap times and I felt physically good all the way to the finish.”
Nicky Hayden, DNF – “It’s easy to say it now but I just know I was set for a good race today so I’m extremely disappointed. Maybe I wasn’t going to win the race but I at least could have run with the front guys for a while and given all the Ducatisti to cheer for, as well as picking up some vital experience and data for this machine and having some fun myself! To be honest I had a feeling De Angelis might create some drama here. He’s at home and fighting for his job and when I saw him in the corner of my eye I just tried to gas it and get out of his way. Unfortunately he slightly clipped my rear wheel and that was the last I knew about it. I know in racing people can make mistakes and I have done plenty in my life but I’m not happy with Alex because this wasn’t racing – it was just stupid to try and pull a move like that on cold tyres, in the second corner on the first lap. Anyway, we’re all okay and looking forward to Portugal.”
Colin Edwards, DNF – “I thought I had the pace to easily be fourth and maybe fight with Pedrosa for a podium but we are in Italy and occasionally you have to deal with an Italian rider who wants to be a hero and today that was De Angelis. Turn one at the start with seventeen bikes is not the place to be going at race pace and he was never going to make through there. Today De Angelis is the guy who needed to be wearing Valentino’s donkey helmet. I didn’t know what happened until I was sliding through the gravel. Turn one is the most dangerous time to crash with so many bikes around you, it is unacceptable. I’ve been fighting with Dovizioso in the championship most of the season and now he has ten points on me with four races to go. That’s racing.”
Alex De Angelis, DNF – “I got a decent start and thought I could make some more ground up on the inside in the second turn but I went in too deep. Colin cut in front of me and I braked as hard as I could to avoid him but the front folded and I hit him. Unfortunately Nicky was hit as well and I apologise to both of them. Unfortunately these things happen in racing and I am desperately disappointed because this is my home race, there were a lot of people here supporting me and I wasn’t able to deliver a good result. It is especially frustrating because we had the potential to put a really good race together here after another excellent weekend but we’ll take the positives out of it and try to continue with our recent progress at Estoril.”
— Bridgestone Report –
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard
Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi used the hard compound front and rear Bridgestone slicks to dominate the San Marino Grand Prix today, taking his sixth win of the season and extending his championship lead to 30 points with four rounds remaining.
Rossi set a new lap record as he extended his lead, beating the existing record he set last year when also using Bridgestone’s slicks.
Teammate Jorge Lorenzo finished second, and at his first time at Misano on Bridgestone tyres also set a provisional lap record on lap six as he pushed his way forward from third. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa finished third having led the early laps after a frantic start to the race which saw the trio of Alex de Angelis, Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden crash out on turn two.
The top six riders all used Bridgestone’s hard front and rear slicks, whilst Ducati Team’s Mika Kallio was the highest placed rider to opt for the softer option, using a medium compound rear slick.
Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director, Bridgestone Corporation
“I wish to congratulateValentino for his fantastic result this weekend at his home grand prix. I am very pleased that we are seeing such great racing and on-track rivalries on our tyres and that so many motorcycle fans and spectators are being drawn to the races by these battles. I am sure that this is a season that will be looked back on with good memories because of this competition and we are very proud to be playing our part in it.”
Tohru Ubukata – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
“Today Valentino set the fifth new lap record of this season on Bridgestone tyres so I can say that I am very happy with the performance of the hard compound slicks this weekend, and of our tyres in general so far this season. It is not a surprise that the lap record was set today because of the pace that has been set during the last two days.
“The total race time was just over nine seconds faster than last year so this shows good durability and consistency from our slick tyres this weekend too. With track conditions as they were today, we can say that the performance of the hard and medium compound rears is very similar. We saw an almost equal split between the harder and softer rear tyre options during the race which we can put down to the slightly cooler ambient and track temperature that we saw today.”
Valentino Rossi – Fiat Yamaha Team – Race Winner “I hoped to make a better start but unfortunately Dani and Toni overtook me and then Jorge so I was fourth. I was in a little bit of trouble with full fuel so I decided to take my rhythm and get the right temperature in the tyres and then lap by lap I had more and more confidence in the feeling of the bike and the grip of the tyres and I saw I was able to make 1m 34second laps. I had some great battles with Toni and Dani and then Jorge, and when in front I was able to always control behind. This win is more important than normal as me and my team did a great job since Friday and it was a perfect weekend!”
