— Lorenzo extends lead with Mugello victory
The MotoGP™ classes produced three hard-fought races at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM at Mugello this weekend, where it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo who stormed to a dominant victory in the premier-class ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso.
Repsol Honda Team’s Pedrosa led into turn one, however Lorenzo got past into the lead within a few bends, as the grid diced for positions in the early stages. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso also pushed past Pedrosa, as Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl fought for fourth. Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner, the only rider to use the special construction rear hard tyre, did not have a great start, and had to fight his way past Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá to make up positions. Meanwhile San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro was black flagged due to a cutting the track as he was heading back into pit lane with a technical issue.
Two laps on, Pedrosa was all over the back of Dovizioso, as Lorenzo started to pull out a small gap at the front. Ducati’s Valentino Rossi had fought his way up to seventh, much to the delight of the home crowd, yet was having no easy ride, as Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow was looking for a way past on his satellite Yamaha. With 15 laps remaining Stoner’s tyres had come up to temperature, and the Australian managed to push his way past Hayden into fifth. A lap later Bradl put in a brave move on Dovizioso in turn one to slot into third. This was followed up by big drama as Stoner ran off track into the gravel, managing to keep the bike upright and re-joining in tenth.
Avintia Blusens’ Yonny Hernandez meanwhile crashed out of 18th place, but managed to walk away unhurt. NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards also had his race cut short as he retired with a mechanical issue. With eight laps remaining the grid had spread out, yet Crutchlow was still dicing with Rossi. A lap later Stoner had caught up to the back of San Carlo’s Álvaro Bautista, and put in an aggressive move, pushing the Spaniard wide and moving up into ninth. The final three laps promised further excitement as Dovizioso went past Bradl on the brakes into third, while Hayden, and the pursuing duo of Rossi and Crutchlow closed in on the podium battle. In the final lap Hayden made his way past Bradl, who fought back with a hard move, which pushed the American wide. This let Rossi through into fifth, with Crutchlow also taking advantage to nip into sixth.
Yet ultimately it was Lorenzo who took the chequered flag for his second successive victory at the track in front of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, who recoded his fourth podium of the season. Bradl was however one of the happiest riders, as he recorded his best ever finish in the premier class. Fifth spot went to Rossi, followed by Crutchlow, Hayden, Stoner, Barberá, Bautista and Yamaha’s Ben Spies, who was suffering from food poisoning. Top CRT spot went to De Puniet in 12th. Lorenzo now has a 19-point gap at the top of the championship ahead of Pedrosa and 37 ahead of Stoner.
Race Result – Round 9
1 Jorge Lorenzo 41’37.477 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
2 Dani Pedrosa +5.223 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Andrea Dovizioso +10.665 ITA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
4 Stefan Bradl +10.711 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
5 Valentino Rossi +11.695 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
6 Cal Crutchlow +12.060 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
7 Nicky Hayden +12.235 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Casey Stoner +30.617 AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
9 Hector Barbera +31.728 SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
10 Alvaro Bautista +34.589 SPA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
11 Ben Spies +57.862 USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
12 Randy De Puniet +59.963 FRA ART Aspar Team MotoGP
13 Aleix Espargaro +1’11.200 ESP ART Aspar Team MotoGP
14 James Ellison +1’11.458 GBR ART Paul Bird Racing
15 Mattia Pasini +1’11.828 ITA ART Speed Master
16 Ivan Silva +1 lap SPA BQR-FTR BQR
17 Colin Edwards DNF USA SUTER NGM Mobile Forward Racing
18 Yonny Hernandez DNF COL BQR-FTR BQR
19 Danilo Petrucci DNF ITA IODA Ioda Racing Project
20 Michelle Pirro DNF ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
21 Karel Abraham DNS CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Motoracing
Championship standings
1 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha SPA 185
2 Dani PEDROSA Honda SPA 166
3 Casey STONER Honda AUS 148
4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Yamaha ITA 108
5 Cal CRUTCHLOW Yamaha GBR 95
6 Valentino ROSSI Ducati ITA 82
7 Stefan BRADL Honda GER 75
8 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati USA 74
9 Alvaro BAUTISTA Honda SPA 73
10 Ben SPIES Yamaha USA 66
11 Hector BARBERA Ducati SPA 60
12 Randy DE PUNIET ART FRA 28
13 Aleix ESPARGARO ART SPA 26
14 Michele PIRRO FTR ITA 16
15 Mattia PASINI ART ITA 13
16 James ELLISON ART GBR 12
17 Danilo PETRUCCI Ioda ITA 9
18 Colin EDWARDS Suter USA 8
19 Yonny HERNANDEZ BQR COL 6
20 Ivan SILVA BQR SPA 5
21 Karel ABRAHAM Ducati CZE 4
It was Speed Master’s local Moto2™ favourite Andrea Iannone who recorded an emphatic home win at today’s Gran Premio d’Italia TIM at Mugello after beating Pol Espargaró and Tom Lüthi to the line.
It was Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez who got the holeshot, yet he was closely pursued by Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró and Tech 3 Racing’s Bradley Smith. Two laps in there were already numerous crashes from NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis and Kiefer Racing’s Max Neukirchner. Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami was a man on a mission, as he had pushed his way past Interwetten-Paddock’s Lüthi to lead the pack with 17 laps to go.
Local rider Alessandro Andreozzi crashed on that lap on board his S/Master Speed Up bike, putting an end to his charge in front of his home fans. Shortly after he was followed by Cresto Guide MZ Racing’s Mike Di Meglio, who also dropped his bike in the gravel. As the group headed into lap 13, Espargaró’s teammate Axel Pons and Tech 3’s Xavier Siméon crashed out of the race, while QMMF Racing Team’s Elena Rosell retired with a mechanical issue. Desguaces La Torre SAG’s Massimo Roccoli suffered a crash further down the pack, while Pons rider Esteve Rabat also crashed out.
Espargaró provided the team with some hope however as he challenged Márquez with a move, and then went past Nakagami into second. With nine laps to go Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi ran off track, but was able to re-join. Espargaró and Lüthi touched fairings as the Spaniard took the lead, while Márquez almost suffered a near crush as he pushed hard. Mapfre Aspar Team’s Toni Elías, who’s split from his team was announced just after the race, crashed out heavily, yet was unhurt.
Iannone was on the Spaniard’s rear wheel, and the Italian ultimately passed him in turn one on the last lap, prompting a nail bighting finale. And it was Iannone who kept his nerve right up until the end to narrowly take the win, with Espargaró and Lüthi completing the final spots on the rostrum. Smith and Márquez completed the top five with the Spaniard still 34 points clear at the top of the championship ahead of Espargaró and Iannone, who are now equal on points. They were followed by Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding, Nakagami, Technomag-CIP’s Dominique Aegerter, Italtrans’ Claudio Corti and JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco.
At this weekend’s Gran Premio d’Italia TIM at Mugello it was Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales who recorded a narrow victory in the Moto3™ race ahead of local favourite Romano Fenati and Sandro Cortese.
There was drama early on as Racing Team Germany’s Louis Rossi crashed out on lap two, almost taking out Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Danny Kent. Team Italia FMI’s Fenati started to charge up the field three laps in, taking the lead in front of Red Bull KTM’s Sandro Cortese. While the racing was keeping the crowd entertained, further down the group Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Alberto Moncayo and RW Racing GP’s Luis Salom crashed out of the race, putting an end to their charge.
Shortly after, Cortese’s teammate Arthur Sissis retired from the race with a mechanical issue, while on the same lap, Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Miguel Oliveira suffered a crash as he was chasing the leading group. IodaRacing Project’s Jonas Folger suffered further misery to his season, as he had to pit with a bike problem on lap 13. Two laps later, Moto FGR’s Jasper Iwema pulled into the pits with a mechanical issue, ending his race prematurely.
A group of seven riders had formed at the front with nine laps remaining, with all riders switching positions frequently as the win and final podium positions were being hotly contested. A lap later Viñales made his way into the lead and tried to pull out a gap to the front, with Cortese and Oliveira’s teammate Alex Rins doing their best to stick with him. Fenati however put the hammer down and joined Viñales and Cortese at the front, as a battle for the top three spots ensued. The trio stuck together and were nearly wheel-to-wheel heading into the last lap with Fenati in the lead, yet it was Viñales who led as they entered the final home straight.
In the end it was the Spaniard who won the drag to the line to take the chequered flag by a mere two hundredths of a second, with Fenati and Cortese completing the podium. Cortese still retains the championship lead, although Viñales has now cut it to nine points. The winning trio were followed by San Carlo Gresini Moto3’s Niccolò Antonelli, Danny Kent, JHK Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez, Alex Rins, Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta’s Jakub Kornfeil, AirAsia-SIC-Ajo’s Khairuddin and Mapfre’s Héctor Faubel.
— Yamaha Report
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo delivered his second consecutive Mugello masterclass today, repeating last year’s performance to take victory in the Grand Prix of Italy. Starting from second on the grid, Lorenzo was quick to pass pole man Dani Pedrosa and take the lead on the first lap. Although initially difficult to pull away, the Mallorcan put everything into his pace, dropping into the 1’47s to become unbeatable and gradually extend a lead to finish 5.223 seconds clear by the finish line. The win, his fifth this season, puts him on 185 points, 19 clear of Pedrosa in second.
Ben Spies’ run of bad luck continued today in Mugello, the Texan struck down with possible food poisoning on one of the hottest race days of the year so far. Despite experiencing physical sickness and dizzy spells he hung on to complete the race, taking five Championship points. He remains in tenth with a total of 66 points heading to his home race at Laguna Seca in two weeks time.
Jorge Lorenzo / Position 1st – Time: 41’37.477
“From the beginning I felt great on this track, the asphalt was completely different to Sachsenring which was a nightmare for us. From the first practice here I felt very strong, very good on the bike and a fast constant pace. It was a pity that we had the problem in the last lap of qualifying but the important thing was the race. Today I was hammering a lot to open a gap at the beginning of the race as I thought my competitors would have problems on cold tyres. Unfortunately I couldn’t do it immediately. Only hammering every lap and going faster and faster from 1’48.1 then into the 47s could I open a bit to Pedrosa then little by little it got better and I could start to breathe. It’s been a great win for the whole team’s efforts and for Yamaha who have given me such a good bike.”
Ben Spies / Position 11th – Time: +57.862
“I’m so disappointed, not just for me but for my whole team and Yamaha who have worked so hard this weekend. I was feeling really not right from before warm up this morning and it just got worse over the day. I was struggling to put three laps together at a time in the race and fighting waves of dizziness and trying not be physically sick in my helmet. Clinica Mobile did their best to help me before the race but it was a huge challenge to focus on the bike at the speeds we do.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“A fantastic weekend with a fantastic end result. Jorge was always the fastest except for qualifying with our little issue. The race was great; he had great pace and that made the difference. Dani had good pace but Jorge was more consistent and was able to break away step by step. A six second lead in this category is a good one!”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“Another weekend of highs and lows. A perfect race by Jorge, which we all expected, his pace was unbeatable all weekend and he really deserved the victory. I am very sorry for Ben and the team, they all worked hard this weekend and we were confident in a decent race pace for today. Unfortunately Ben was pretty ill from this morning onwards and honestly put in a huge effort just to finish the race. I am confident we will be back fighting in Laguna next week for his home race.”
Dovizioso claims podium at magnificent Mugello
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Andrea Dovizioso produced a masterclass in aggressive riding under pressure to claim a richly deserved rostrum finish in front of his sun-drenched home crowd at the Mugello track this afternoon.
Dovizioso secured his fourth podium in the last five races to delight a passionate home crowd of nearly 65,000 fans after he came out on top of a fascinating battle with German Stefan Bradl. The Italian was in contention for the top three from the start of the 23-lap race after he rocketed from seventh on the grid to third at the first corner with a typically fast launch off the line.
He led Dani Pedrosa in second for the opening four laps before the Spaniard retaliated, which pitched Dovizioso into an epic battle with Bradl that went right down to the chequered flag. Bradl moved into third position on lap 10 but Dovizioso was determined to score a second successive MotoGP podium at Mugello and put the LCR rider under intense pressure until he pounced to take third back on lap 21.
Dovizioso used all his experience to fend off Bradl’s challenge and his 61st Grand Prix podium was secured by just 0.046s after a tense run to the finish line.
British rider Cal Crutchlow was locked in a superb battle of his own throughout the race with home crowd favourite Valentino Rossi. At the halfway stage of the race the pair were six seconds behind Dovizioso and the podium battle but both showed stunning speed, spurring each other on to close down on the battle for third in the final stages.
Crutchlow could not have put Rossi under any more pressure but the Italian refused to buckle and an exciting last lap saw the 26-year-old brilliantly grab his seventh top six finish of the season after passing Nicky Hayden at the final corner. At the chequered flag Crutchlow was only 1.4s away from the podium after his tremendous tussle with Rossi.
Andrea Dovizioso / Position 3rd – Time: +10.665
“To get a podium is always special but to do it in front of the Italian crowd and after such a strong battle makes it feel even better. I got the perfect start and was third at the first corner and I felt very strong in braking at the start so passed Dani at Turn 5. Immediately though I could see that Lorenzo was faster in some parts of the track, but it was good to see again the small points I need to improve to get the best out of the Yamaha. The fight with Bradl for the whole race was fantastic and he did a great job. When he passed me he was making it look easy and I was having to push right at the limit to make sure he couldn’t open up a gap that I couldn’t recover. He was trying for his first podium and I was pushing hard to be on the podium in Italy, so it made for a great battle. I knew I was a little bit stronger in the brakes than him so with three laps to go I decided to attack and I was confident I could hold him off. He didn’t give up but I am so happy with another podium and I want to say a big thanks again to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew. We are working so well together and our results show it. After three podiums in a row now I am really looking forward to going to Laguna Seca.”
Cal Crutchlow / Position 5th – Time: +12.060
“My start and the first five laps pretty much decided my race because I got a terrible start. Once I found my pace I was pretty comfortable but I didn’t have a very good feeling on a full fuel tank and that is something we need to work on. The battle with Valentino was fantastic and I learned a lot from him. His knowledge of this track is unrivalled and his consistency was awesome. I was faster than him in the final section but I was not close enough to pass him on the brakes and he had a fast bike down the straight. I did everything possible but he is incredible on the brakes and didn’t give me a chance. But we came from way back to almost get in the fight for the podium and I am happy to have got Nicky on the last lap for the top six. I was really strong at the last corner and made a good move, and to finish 1.4s off the podium having come from so far back is a positive outcome. I also want to say congratulations to Andrea. He is doing a phenomenal job and to get three podiums in a row in this class is a great achievement. He did it in front of his home crowd too and it shows what an unbelievable job the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is doing in 2012.”
Hervé Poncharal – Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager
“That was another incredible weekend for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and to be on the podium in four of the last five races feels like we are dreaming. I have to give all the credit to Andrea, his crew and the Yamaha staff because together they are doing a fantastic job. These kind of results are very difficult to achieve but Andrea’s success is giving us an incredible feeling. Andrea’s start today was unreal and that was the key to him getting on the podium. He was close to the front at the start and then he got involved in a really exciting fight with Bradl and I think the Italian fans really enjoyed his performance. When Bradl passed him I wasn’t worried because Andrea is a very intelligent rider and I was confident he was saving his tyres to attack again at the end. He did that but Bradl certainly didn’t give up and Andrea showed nerves of steel at the end to get third. I’m also happy to see Cal back in the top six. The second half of the race from him was really impressive and he was fast and consistent and never giving Valentino a moment to relax. A better start might have put him in the battle for the podium because he came from way back to finish less than 1.5s behind Andrea. That shows Cal never gives up and both of them back in the top six means it is another great weekend for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.”
— HRC Report
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) maintained his World Championship challenge with a strong ride to second place behind Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) in this afternoon’s Italian Grand Prix. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) enjoyed a remarkable ride to fourth place, missing out on his first premier-class podium by just 0.046 seconds.
Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) had a challenging end to a difficult weekend, completing the race in eighth place after running off the track during the middle stages of the race
Pedrosa tried everything he knew to deal with Lorenzo. However, his fellow Spaniard was too strong today and he had to be satisfied with second place, which continues his unbroken run of a podium finish at all nine races so far. With nine races done and nine to go, Pedrosa sits second overall, 19 points behind Lorenzo.
After scoring a brilliant pole position yesterday, Pedrosa led into the first corner, but ran wide and Lorenzo slipped through on the inside. During the early stages Pedrosa kept up the pressure and even closed the gap with a new lap record just before half-distance. After that the former 125 and 250 World Champion had some issues with wheelspin and rear chatter, so he was unable to give chase to Lorenzo, who gradually built an insurmountable advantage.
Bradl’s ride was simply astonishing. This was the reigning Moto2 World Championship’s ninth race on a big bike, but he held third for much of the 23 laps, keeping the vastly experienced Andrea Dovizioso (Yamaha) behind him, lap after lap. Dovizioso did eventually find a way past, but even then Bradl did not give up, fighting back and then shrugging off a last-lap attack from Nicky Hayden (Ducati) to cross the line just behind his Italian rival. It was his best MotoGP result so far, bettering fifth-place finishes in France and in last Sunday’s German GP.
Stoner had an unhappier time. He struggled throughout practice to get heat into his rear tyre, qualifying fifth quickest. After a steady start to the race he started chasing down the leading group, only to run off the track at the Correntaio right-hander just before half-distance. He was unable to make the corner after experiencing some headshake exiting the previous corner, which knocked the brakes pads away from his RCV’s front disc brakes, so he had no brakes when he first squeezed the lever. A long ride through the gravel trap relegated him to tenth place, from which he recovered two positions.
Stoner stays third in the championship, now 37 points behind Lorenzo. Interestingly, he has so far only used two of his allocation of six engines, while most other riders are already on their third or fourth engines. Tomorrow Pedrosa and Stoner will test a new RC213V, an early prototype of the 2013 machine, which they will be able to race this year if they like the improvements engineered into the bike by HRC.
Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) rode conservatively to a tenth place, giving the Spaniard a useful points haul after a torrid two days of practice during which he slid off on three occasions.
Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda) was a non-finisher, going out with the same technical glitch that ended his Qatar and German GPs.
Andrea Iannone (Speed Master – Speed Up) stormed to a brilliant victory in the Moto2 race, bringing the home crowd to its feet as he stole the lead from Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP
Tuenti-Kalex) at the start of the final lap. The Italian took his second victory of the year – his first came at Catalunya – by just 0.90s.
Thomas Luthi (Interwetten-Paddock-Suter) finished third, less than a second back and just 0.128s ahead of Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3). Championship leader Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter) came home in fifth spot, his first finish off the podium this year, but the Spaniard still holds a comfortable lead in the thrilling Honda-powered series: 34 points ahead of Espargaro and Iannone, who are now tied on points.
It was a typically hard-fought Moto2 race, with some breathtaking passes and some fascinating slipstreaming battles on Mugello’s long main straight.
Marquez was the early leader, then Luthi went ahead and then Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing Team-Kalex), the Japanese rider having his best in a while. But being in front meant little at this stage, with up to a dozen riders breathing down the leader’s neck.
Espargaro made it to the front for the first time on lap 14 of 21 after tangling with Luthi in the first esses. A lap later Marquez’s challenge went awry when he nearly lost it at the same spot.
After that he decided to score points, rather than risk a crash.
Espargaro was in astonishing form over the next few laps, building a 1.3s lead in just two laps. But local hero Iannone had the Spaniard in his sights and remorselessly closed the gap. Espargaro was also suffering from the right ankle injury he sustained yesterday when he was taken out by another rider.
Iannone dived inside Espargaro at turn one on the final lap, while Luthi ran wide and lost crucial metres on the leaders, which nearly took him back into the clutches of Smith.
Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team-Kalex) rode a brilliant race, crossing the line a fraction of a second behind Marquez after being down in tenth place at quarter distance. Nakagami ended up seventh, just 4.4s behind the race winner.
Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda) won a brilliant Moto3 race – one of the best races so far from the already reliably entertaining new category. The first three riders over the finish line were covered by just seven hundredths of a second!
Spanish teenager Vinales beat Italian teenager Romano Fenati (Team Italian FMI – FTR- Honda) by a slender 0.02s, with Sandro Cortese (KTM) in third, a further 0.051s back. His fifth victory of the year moved Vinales to within nine points of Cortese, who had taken the championship lead at last Sunday’s German GP.
Six of the first eight bikes home were
Honda-powered bikes, with Niccolo Antonelli (San Carlo Gresini – FTR Honda) leading the second group in fourth place, just ahead of Danny Kent (KTM), then Efren Vazquez (JHK T-Shirt Laglisse – FTR Honda) in sixth and Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0.0 – Suter Honda) in seventh. Jakub Kornfeil (Thomas Sabo GP Team – Honda) led home the third group in eighth position.
The race for the lead was a classic Mugello slipstreaming battle, with seven riders in the front-running group, chopping and changing at every corner. Then at three-quarters distance Vinales upped his pace, dragging Fenati and Cortese with him.
Cortese grabbed the lead as the trio attacked turn one for the 20th and last time, only to be immediately muscled back to third by the two Honda riders. Fenati now led, but Vinales swept back in front at Arrabbiata One. Cortese dived back into second place at the final turn and then it was a drag race to the chequered flag, won by Vinales by millimetres.
The Moto2 and Moto3 races now begin their summer break, while MotoGP reconvenes in the United States for the US GP at Laguna Seca on July 29.
The smaller classes are back in action alongside the premier category at Indianapolis on August 19.
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd
“I braked late at the first corner, but I missed something and Jorge was already there. Then a few corners later I was surprised by Dovizioso. He passed me also and it took a few laps for me to make the overtake on him as he was very strong into the first corner so I had to pass him in another part of the circuit. By this point Jorge had already opened up a small gap, but I tried to get back in my rhythm and I started to lap in the 47s. When I started to drop into these times though, my rear tyre began to spin a lot and I got some chatter so I was worried for the tyre.
At this point I decided to slow down a little because to catch Jorge meant doing 47s. He was riding very strong, so I have to congratulate him. Finally for me a second place is a good result overall and I want to thank all the team for their hard work this weekend.”
Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 4th
“It’s a fantastic feeling for me and the whole Team. Doubtless a podium finish would have been simply perfect, but I am extremely happy about this great result on this track. I think that our bike was perfect from the beginning of the race because in the last couple of races we struggled a bit too much with a full fuel tank and could not feel the front tyre properly, but here we made a different set-up. It worked perfectly on this special layout but at the end of the race I missed a bit of front-end feeling on braking. So I preferred to stay calm and Dovi passed me, but after that I was trying to follow him and it was pretty easy for me. Then Hayden put in a brave move on me but he didn’t have the best exit on the right corner and I could pass him again. Probably my manoeuvre looked a bit aggressive on TV, but I think it was normal for a last lap. Being so close to the podium is fantastic and I feel happy for the team: they support me in the best way every weekend and especially Lucio. He is a hard worker and with this great result I want to give him something back.”
Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: 8th
“It’s definitely not the way we planned it. We thought today we could be fighting for the podium and maybe have the pace to stay with Dani. Jorge has ridden fantastically all weekend and hasn’t really put a foot wrong but I think third position would have been good today. However, we just couldn’t get the bike working. During our last attempts in warm-up we couldn’t get anything to work, we weren’t very happy with the bike today and I just didn’t feel comfortable. I made a mistake in the race, I had a bit of a shake exiting turn 11 and when I arrived at turn 12 I had no brakes. I was squeezing them as hard as I could and thought I had enough brake power to stop before the edge of the track but I had too much momentum and had to ride through the gravel trap which wasted a lot of time. I’m sorry for the incident with Alvaro, I went to make the pass into turn two and he started to close my front off and I couldn’t do anything. It’s a disappointing end to a difficult weekend. I thought I might be able to salvage something from but unfortunately not.”
Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 10th “Thank goodness this weekend is over because from the first moment I struggled to get confident with the bike here. It is strange because at all the other circuits we’ve been to so far we have been close to the guys at the front, but here we have been unable to get on the pace. It has got to be down to the fact that we usually use the soft tyre and here we were forced to use the hard tyre for the race. We had to work around this and it made everything difficult for us, as did the three crashes and the brake problem. In the race I didn’t have feel or grip at the rear. We made it to the end but I’m not happy. I just hope that in the next race we are not forced to make this choice and are able to work with the soft tyre because it suits our set-up and my riding style. I want to thank the team because they have worked so hard all weekend and I am disappointed for them and the sponsors here at their home Grand Prix.”
Michel Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF “I am really disappointed to have to retire with the same problem as we had in Qatar and Germany. I practically changed gear twice and my race was over. I knew it was going to be a hard year working on a new project like this, but to have the same problem is bitterly disappointing for me, the team and the guys who always get through so much work. I would have liked to put on a good show in my home race but what can I say? We just have to hope for better luck at Laguna Seca.”
Moto2 rider quotes:
Andrea Iannone (Speed Master – Speed Up): race winner “This is a fantastic, amazing feeling; it is so satisfying to be on top. It was so difficult out there and I hope I gave something good to all the fans today. It was a hard battle. When Pol made a gap I was a little worried, but I never gave up. I kept fighting all the way and I made it in the end.”
Pol Espargaro, Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex: 2nd “I was lucky not to break anything in yesterday’s crash – it was a big one. The race was so difficult. At the start there were so many riders trying to be in front, trying to win the race on the second corner. It was a bit dangerous. I was fighting to be there with the front group. Then with eight laps to go I started to push and make a gap on the others. It was easier than I expected; strange. The only thing was that my bike wasn’t so fast on the straight and that Iannone was so hard to beat! We must keep working so we don’t lose any more horsepower. The good thing is that we took some points off Marc’s championship lead.”
Thomas Luthi (Interwetten-Paddock-Suter): 3rd “It’s a good feeling to be back on the podium after a couple of difficult races. I enjoyed the race. Early on I saw that my pace was good and that I had enough energy to fight for victory. But I made two mistakes at the first turn, the second when I was slipstreaming Pol and Iannone with two laps to go. I braked too late and ran wide. After that I couldn’t make up the gap and I had to fight with Smith to keep my place on the podium.”
Moto3 Rider Quotes:
Maverick Vinales, Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda: race winner “This win is really important, coming after our difficult race in Germany last weekend. I’m really happy. It is very difficult to make a gap on the other riders at this track because of the slipstream effect on the big straight. I didn’t have a plan! I just did my best and I think I managed the situation well.”
Romano Fenati, Team Italian FMI – FTR- Honda: 2nd “This is really fantastic – to be back on the podium after quite a few races, and at the Italian GP. We worked very hard all weekend and I really enjoyed the race, it was fantastic fun. I want to thank my team and mechanics for doing such a good job this weekend.”
Niccolo Antonelli, San Carlo Gresini – FTR Honda: 4th “Fourth place isn’t bad, even though we ended up a little way off the fight for the podium today. Unfortunately, because of one of the riders in our group, we lost contact with the front guys and we weren’t able to recover. It’s a shame but I think today we have taken a positive step forward. Obviously we have work to do to get more confidence on this bike but I think from now onwards we can start to have fun.”
— Ducati Report
Today at Mugello, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden were protagonists in a great race that saw them cross the finish line in fifth and seventh positions, respectively, both coming very close to making the podium.
It was the best dry performance of the season for the Ducati Team, in terms of the gap to the front and the excellent rhythm that both riders were able to maintain to the end.
After a poor start, the Italian made a determined charge forward from twelfth place to fifth, making a last-lap pass on his teammate, who himself had fought for the podium before finishing just behind Bradl and Dovizioso.
Tomorrow the team will return to action for a one-day post-race test on the Tuscan circuit.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 5th
“Overall, I think today was the best dry result of the year for Ducati, because Nicky had a great race as well. We’re quite happy, as our pace was very good, especially toward the end. Unfortunately, I lost time at the beginning. Not only was I on the fourth row, but I also had a bad start. I got by some riders pretty quickly, but by then I had already accumulated too much of a disadvantage. Otherwise, I think it would have been possible to make the podium. We’re having too much trouble in practice. Normally we’re able to have a decent rhythm with the hard tyres, but when we put on the soft, we can’t manage to cut those six or seven tenths that the others drop. For two races, we’ve worked on a setting that allows us to be consistent until the end of the race, but at the same time, it gives me more trouble with the front. When I put on the soft tyre, the extra grip makes that problem worse and I’m not able to effectively initiate corner turn-in. We have to work on that area. We have a test day tomorrow, so we’ll see.”
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th
“I got a good start, but I was spinning a lot in the beginning, and I thought I was going to destroy the tyre. Once I went to a smoother map, I was able to really start driving off the corners and bringing the group back. Those last seven, eight laps, I really gave it everything; I wasn’t sure I was going to finish, but I was sure I was going to go for it. On the last lap, after I went by Bradl for fourth, I was only thinking about trying to pass ‘Dovi’ and get the Ducati on the podium, so I don’t regret the fact that I tried. In the end, we can’t be happy with seventh, but I hope all the Ducati fans that came to support us can be proud of this team this weekend. They gave me a good bike, and we really had a shot at the podium today.”
Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager
“Today we got to see a nice race for both Vale and Nicky, and it was the result of the good work done by the team over the weekend. We found some settings that were adapted to the needs of both riders so that they were able to take advantage of our current potential. Now we must continue working to take a step forward with the bike’s development. Tomorrow we’ll test some things with the chassis in order to improve the bike’s balance, and we’ll try some details with the motor in an effort to further improve rideability.”
— Bridgestone Report
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard* (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative)
* The hard compound rear slick tyre was available in both regular and special constructions at Mugello this weekend.
Weather: Dry. Ambient 28-28°C; Track 49-48°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo unleashed the strong pace he showed all weekend to win the Italian Grand Prix in dominating fashion ahead of Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso.
Starting from second on the grid, Lorenzo managed to squeeze his way past pole-sitter Pedrosa on the exit of turn one on the first lap and then set a relentless pace to eventually finish over five seconds ahead of his compatriot at the checkered flag. Pedrosa passed Dovizioso to move up into second place on the fourth lap and despite setting a new race lap record of 1:47.705 on lap ten, the Spaniard couldn’t catch Lorenzo and had to settle for second place ahead of Dovizioso who once again rode brilliantly to score his third successive podium. The first CRT rider across the finish line today was Randy de Puniet on the Power Electronics Aspar ART machine in twelfth place.
Like the rest of the weekend, track conditions for today’s race were good with track temperatures very similar to yesterday’s qualifying session. Fourteen of the twenty riders on the grid selected the harder compound for the rear, with only one rider selecting this compound in the special construction rear slick, while front tyre choice was uniform across the field with all riders selecting the harder front slick.
Lorenzo’s fifth win of the season increases his lead in the championship over Pedrosa to nineteen points at the halfway point of the season, while Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner remains in third position overall and thirty-seven points off Lorenzo.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“Congratulations to Jorge and the Yamaha Factory Racing team for capping off an impressive display at Mugello with their fifth win of the season. The race was run at an impressive pace with the winning race time over thirteen seconds faster than last year and in particular, the battle from third to seventh position was a thrill to watch. I would like to offer my thanks to all the teams and riders for their cooperation these past few days and for taking the time to evaluate both specifications of rear slick tyre. The addition of the special construction rear slick to our tyre allocation for this weekend required extra effort from our engineers to ensure teams could incorporate this additional supply of tyres into their programme without too much disruption. Our technical team now turns its focus to tomorrow’s MotoGP test at Mugello where they will support all the teams taking part before heading over to Laguna Seca for the U.S. Grand Prix.”
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Today’s race was held under very similar conditions to Friday and Saturday and this was the first race weekend since Qatar where rain didn’t interrupt any sessions, so this was a welcome change. As track temperatures for the race were the same as yesterday, most riders selected the harder compound rear slick in the regular construction for the race, and only one rider chose the harder rear slick in the special construction. Front tyre choice was much more straightforward with all riders deciding that the superior durability and stability of the harder front slick was the best choice for the race. This race was quite unique in that we offered three specifications of both front and rear slick tyres, so we had to work closely with teams throughout the weekend to ensure the best choice of tyre for the race conditions we had today.”
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing – Race Winner
“I knew it was going to be a very difficult race because Dani had very good race pace so I tried to overtake him in the first corner as I thought his pace early in the race on the new tyres wouldn’t be the best, but in the end it didn’t turn out that way. I managed to pass him but couldn’t open much of a gap in the first ten laps, so I kept on pushing and set a few 1’47 laps and then towards the end of the race it was a bit easier, so I could concentrate on riding smooth.”
