Lorenzo wins Silverstone
In a day that once again saw three fantastic races across the MotoGP™ classes at the Hertz British Grand Prix at Silverstone, it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo who recorded a hard-fought victory in the premier-class ahead of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.
The predicted rain stayed away for the MotoGP grid as Yamaha’s Ben Spies took the holeshot ahead of Repsol Honda Team’s Stoner and San Carlo Honda Gresini’s pole-sitter Álvaro Bautista. Spies made a tremendous start leading the early stages from Stoner, Bautista and Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden. Lorenzo lost a place in the first bends, and was soon leading a separated group for fifth place.
With 17 laps remaining Lorenzo started to find his rhythm as he looked to close the gap to the front four, followed by Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. Soon after, Stoner made a move past Spies, as the Texan made a mistake, going too hot into a turn.
More overtaking was to follow, as Lorenzo took advantage of a gap left by Hayden to hunt down Bautista. With Stoner having pulled out a small gap at the front, Lorenzo did not want his rival to get away and forced his way past Bautista, relegating the San Carlo rider into fourth. The tussle was not to stop, as Lorenzo stormed past his teammate into second, with Spies being overtaken by Bautista as well a corner later.
With 11 laps left Lorenzo was closing in on the rear wheel of Stoner, starting a thrilling battle for top spot. On the same lap Dovizioso crashed out of his positions, while his teammate Cal Crutchlow fought past LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl into seventh. Heading into lap nine, Lorenzo took Stoner on the final turn, yet the Australian fought straight back in the next turn, as the pair kept the crowd on their toes with some thrilling moves.
A lap further on, the duo of Pedrosa and Bautista started to slowly close the gap on Stoner, who looked to be slowing. With six laps left it turned into a three-way battle for second place, as Lorenzo was opening a gap at the front. The Spaniard suffered a slight scare with four laps left as he was almost thrown from his bike, but he managed to save it and retain the lead, albeit with a reduced gap to the pursuing Stoner. In the latter stages there were thrilling battles further back as Crutchlow battled past Hayden into sixth, and Power Electronics Aspar pair Aleix Espargaró and Randy de Puniet were fairing to fairing until the finish line.
In the end it was Lorenzo who held his nerve to cross the finish line first to take the top step of the podium and extend his championship lead, ahead of Stoner and Pedrosa who complete the rostrum. Stoner stated after the race he felt there was an issue with his rear tyre. Fourth went to Álvaro Bautista, ahead of Ben Spies, and Cal Crutchlow, who put in a brave ride with his injury. The top ten were completed Hayden, Bradl, Ducati’s Rossi and Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá. Top CRT spot once again went to Espargaró ahead of his teammate in 11th, while Dovizioso remounted after his crash to finish 19th.
1 Jorge Lorenzo 41’16.429 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
2 Casey Stoner +3.313 AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Dani Pedrosa +3.599 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Alvaro Bautista +5.196 SPA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
5 Ben Spies +11.531 USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
6 Cal Crutchlow +15.112 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
7 Nicky Hayden +15.527 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Stefan Bradl +22.521 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
9 Valentino Rossi +36.138 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Hector Barbera +41.328 SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
11 Aleix Espargaro +1’03.157 ESP ART Aspar Team MotoGP
12 Randy De Puniet +1’03.443 FRA ART Aspar Team MotoGP
13 Michelle Pirro +1’07.290 ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
14 James Ellison +1’14.782 GBR ART Paul Bird Racing
15 Yonny Hernandez +1’15.108 COL BQR-FTR BQR
16 Colin Edwards +1’29.899 USA SUTER NGM Mobile Forward Racing
17 Danilo Petrucci +1’40.302 ITA IODA Ioda Racing Project
18 Ivan Silva +1’52.099 SPA BQR-FTR BQR
19 Andrea Dovizioso +1 lap ITA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
20 Mattia Pasini DNF ITA ART Speed Master
21 Karel Abraham DNS CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Motoracing
Championship standings
1 Jorge Lorenzo 140 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
2 Casey Stoner 115 pts AUS HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Dani Pedrosa 101 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Cal Crutchlow 66 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
5 Andrea Dovizioso 60 pts ITA YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
6 Valentino Rossi 58 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
7 Alvaro Bautista 58 pts SPA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
8 Stefan Bradl 51 pts GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
9 Nicky Hayden 49 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
10 Hector Barbera 37 pts SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
11 Ben Spies 35 pts USA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing Team
12 Aleix Espargaro 20 pts ESP ART Aspar Team MotoGP
13 Randy De Puniet 11 pts FRA ART Aspar Team MotoGP
14 Michelle Pirro 9 pts ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
15 James Ellison 7 pts GBR ART Paul Bird Racing
16 Mattia Pasini 6 pts ITA ART Speed Master
17 Danilo Petrucci 4 pts ITA IODA Ioda Racing Project
18 Yonny Hernandez 4 pts COL BQR-FTR BQR
19 Colin Edwards 4 pts USA SUTER NGM Mobile Forward Racing
20 Karel Abraham 4 pts CZE DUCATI Cardion AB Motoracing
21 Ivan Silva 1 pts SPA BQR-FTR BQR
22 Chris Vermeulen 0 pts AUS SUTER NGM Mobile Forward Racing
— Moto 2
In a thrilling Moto2™ race it was Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró who took victory at the Hertz British Grand Prix in Silverstone ahead of Scott Redding and Marc Márquez.
The race was declared dry from the start and it was Tech 3 Racing’s Bradley Smith who got the holeshot along with Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding. They made it a British one-two in the opening two laps as they were tussling for top spot. With 16 laps to go, the following group of Espargaró, Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone and Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez made their move on Smith, who looked to be struggling, and tucked in behind leader Redding.
Meanwhile it was drama early on for JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco, who crashed out and finished his race prematurely. With 14 laps left, a group of seven riders were pulling away from the pack also including Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi and Italtrans Racing Team’s Claudio Corti. Two laps later it appeared as Redding and Espargaró were pulling out a slight advantage at the front, as Iannone and Márquez were involved in an exciting fight for the final podium spot. Yet just one lap later Espargaró pounced on Redding to take the lead, after which Iannone took advantage to slip into second.
Espargaró’s teammate Axel Pons crashed out with 10 laps to go, putting an end to a disappointing weekend for the Spaniard. A lap later Márquez got into Redding’s slipstream to pass the Brit further down into fourth and hunt down the leaders. With Márquez not wanting Espargaró to get away, he overtook Iannone with seven laps left, with Redding also pushing past the Italian. The tussle for second was spicing up between Redding and Márquez as the two swapped positions frequently in the final laps and on the last lap it was an almighty fight to the line with Redding just edging out the Spaniard, much to the delight of the home crowd
Yet in the end it was Espargaró who took the chequered flag for his second win this season, with Redding and Márquez occupying the final podium spots. They were followed by Andrea Iannone, Simone Corsi, Claudio Corti, Bradley Smith, Tom Lüthi, Technomag-CIP’s Dominique Aegerter and Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio.
— Moto 3
At this weekend’s Moto3™ race at the Hertz British Grand Prix at Silverstone it was Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales who took a hard-fought victory in front of Luis Salóm and Sandro Cortese.
In the best conditions seen all weekend the Moto3™ contingent got underway with Caretta Technology’s Alexis Masbou getting the holeshot in front of JHK T-Shirt Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez.
However in true Moto3™ fashion a group at the front soon formed with Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales, RW Racing GP’s Luis Salóm, Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Sandro Cortese, Racing Team Germany’s Louis Rossi and Team Italia FMI’s Romano Fenati.
Masbou’s teammate Jack Miller was an early crasher on lap one, whilst Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins also crashed out with 16 laps to go. Miller suffered a fractured left collarbone, whilst Rins suffered a fracture to his second metacarpus on his left hand, and a fracture to his second finger on his right hand. The front group was being led in stages by a mix of Viñales, Salóm and Vázquez, while Cortese and Rossi were touching fairings behind.
With 13 laps remaining, IodaRacing Team’s Jonas Folger’s bad luck continued as his race finished early, with British wild card entrant John McPhee from the Racing Steps Foundation KRP crashing out, but managing to remount. With eight laps left, Giulian Pedone suffered a problem, as his race ended prematurely. Two laps later Viñales tried to make a break as the field started to stretch slightly, however Salóm and Cortese were sticking closely to the leader’s tail. It was heartbreak for Mahindra Racing’s local boy Danny Webb, as he was forced to retire in front of his home crowd.
It was a nail-biting last lap as Cortese took Salóm for second, who had been fighting with Viñales. Yet Salóm was battling until the end and put in a tough move to regain second. It was drama for Le Mans race-winner Rossi who lost the front end in the final turns, as he missed out on the scrap to the line. The race ended with Viñales crossing the finish line to take his third victory this season and the championship lead, ahead of Salóm and Cortese, who complete the podium. They finished ahead of Masbou in fourth, followed by Vázquez, Kent, Fenati, Sissis, Khairuddin and Oliveira.
— Yamaha
Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo put in superb performance today for the Grand Prix of Great Britain, taking victory at the Silverstone circuit, his third consecutive victory this year. Having started from fourth on the grid, he dropped to fifth at the start and held position until lap six when he carved through to take up second place behind Casey Stoner in the lead. Stoner was only able to hold him off for four laps before the Championship leader made his move, the pass a beautiful battle with his rival over several corners. Lorenzo then led from lap 11 to the finish line, a small mistake four laps from the end causing him to sit up was the only threat to victory. He crossed the line 3.313 seconds ahead of Stoner, taking maximum points and increasing his lead in the 2012 standings to 25 points. Lorenzo heads to Assen in two weeks time now having won four of the six races of the season with a point tally of 140. The victory also increases Yamaha’s lead in the Constructor’s standings to 140, 14 ahead of Honda.
Ben Spies made a dazzling start to the race, shooting from the front row to take first place by turn one. The Texan then delivered four perfect laps at the head of the pack and was looking in dominant form until a dramatic drop off in tyre grip dropped him to second by lap five behind Stoner. As he fought to maintain a competitive race pace he gradually dropped to fifth, a position he held to the finish line. The result is his best finish of the season, awarding 11 points and bringing his tally to 35 and keeping him in 11th place in the standings.
Jorge Lorenzo / Position 1st – Time: 41’16.429
“Today was a very difficult race, the front guys were very strong and very fast so it was very hard for me to catch them and stay with them. Little by little the rear tyre drops a bit more, I had good confidence and I was faster than them and I started to catch them. When I caught up I didn’t want to crash so I waited for my moment and was patient. When I caught Casey we had a wonderful fight, luckily for us I had a better pace and I passed him. Four laps from the end I made a big mistake and almost crashed! I’m very happy with the result, and for the team who gave me a good bike again.”
Ben Spies / Position 5th – Time: 41’27.960
“Today was a bitter sweet day, we made a good start and had a really good pace in the beginning. After four or five laps we had a big problem with the rear tyre and lost all our momentum and pace. It turned into damage control after that. From the start of the season to now, top five is a better result. The potential of the bike was great today and we could have been fighting for the podium or the win with Jorge.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“Today was the third victory in a row after a difficult weekend of very mixed conditions. There were lots of unpredictable circumstances so a great victory for us. After a lot of hard work from the team Jorge kept his patience in the beginning and pushed on the end as hard as he could, a well deserved win!”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“Another important win for Jorge, the point lead is increasing, still not enough to be comfortable but going in the right direction! Ben made a really great start and led the race for a few laps. Then unfortunately he had quite a huge drop with the rear tyre and he couldn’t keep the same pace. We will now check the reason why we had this issue. We’re going to Assen in the right spirit and looking forward to it.”
Heroic Crutchlow claims stunning Silverstone top six
Cal Crutchlow treated British fans to a heroic and courageous performance at Silverstone this afternoon, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team storming to a stunning top six finish from the back of the grid.
The 26-year-old was only passed fit to ride minutes before the start of this morning’s warm-up session after he suffered a fractured bone in his left ankle following a nasty fall in yesterday’s final practice session.
Having missed qualifying, Crutchlow had to start the 20 -lap race from the back row of the grid, but right from the start he treated 66,230 British fans to a truly unforgettable performance.
By the end of the second lap, Crutchlow had already passed all nine CRT machines to move into 11th, with Valentino Rossi 3.3s clear in 10th. Despite the considerable discomfort caused when changing direction and shifting gears, Crutchlow passed Rossi for 10th on lap six and he then superbly hunted down Hector Barbera and Stefan Bradl to seize seventh by lap 11.
Crutchlow continued to grit his teeth and ride through the pain barrier but his hopes of a top six seemed remote when he trailed Nicky Hayden by seven seconds on lap 12. Roared on by his home crowd, Crutchlow set a stunning pace that matched the leading group and a remarkable charge through the field was complete when he secured sixth from Hayden o n the final lap.
Today’s heroic display saw Crutchlow receive a deserved standing ovation from an appreciative home crowd when he returned to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 garage.
Today’s race didn’t have the same happy outcome for Andrea Dovizioso, who showed terrific pace in the early stages to fight for the podium in an exciting battle for the lead.
The Italian superbly fought off the challenge of Hayden, Dani Pedrosa and Ben Spies to move into third position on lap nine. But just as he began to pursue Casey Stoner in second, he fell out of contention for a fourth successive British Grand Prix podium at Turn 9.
Dovizioso escaped injury in the crash but had to pit briefly after the protector guarding h is front brake lever was damaged. He re-joined the race and finished in 19th and is confident he will be back fighting for the podium at the legendary Assen track later this month.
Cal Crutchlow / Position 6th – Time: 41’31.541
“That’s a weekend I won’t forget in a hurry. Yesterday was a disaster with the crash and I thought I was going to miss my home race again. But the Clinica Mobile team and medical staff at Silverstone did an amazing job and I am grateful that I could finally start my home Grand Prix. I never imagined I could get sixth position because normally if you start from the third row it is very difficult to get into that position. So starting from the back of the grid, I’d have been happy to finish the last prototype bike. It was a very tough race but I just had to try and ignore the pain and let the adrenaline and support of the British crowd get me through. When I got by Bradl I could see Nicky was a long way clear, but I just kept on pushing to see what happened. I’m really happy with my lap times because I was as quick as the guys on the podium, even with a broken ankle. So a little part of me can’t help but think without the crash yesterday that I could have been on the podium in the British Grand Prix. I’m not going to complain with sixth and I want to say thanks to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew, who basically chose the set-up of the bike for me and it worked great. Also a big thanks to all the British fans who were unbelievable today. When I was lying in the gravel yesterday all I could think was they weren’t going to see me ride in my home race again. Their support helped me a lot and I hope they went home proud of the job I did for them.”
Andrea Dovizioso / Position 19th – Time: 41’51.265
“It is a real shame because I had the possibility to fight for second place today. The rhythm of the race in the early laps was incredibly high and we were much faster than in practice. I really was at the limit early on but afterwards everybody apart from Lorenzo had to slow down a little bit. That allowed me to come back to the leading group and I really had a good pace. I had just taken third and was really confident I could finish on the podium when I crashed and I am not happy about it because I didn’t expect it. It happened when I felt most comfortable with the bike and I definitely was not over the limit. I just did a very small mistake losing the rear and I couldn’t keep control of the bike. That was very disappointing but from a positive point of view this was another race where I have improved my feeling with the YZR-M1 a lot and I’m sure I could have finished second and very close to the victory. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is doing an incredible job and the Yamaha is a fantastic bike to ride, so I go to Assen optimistic of another podium challenge.”
Hervé Poncharal – Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager
“That was a truly incredible race and words almost fail me to describe the job that Cal did today. We weren’t even sure this morning that he could ride, so for him to finish in the top six is a result I don’t think we expected or will ever forget. We thought he might be able to get close to the top 10 but obviously once the adrenaline kicked in and he felt his confidence coming back, he got his head down and we were happy when he got seventh. He was a long way behind Nicky but to pass him on the last lap sums Cal up perfectly. He never gives up, he’s got amazing self-belief and he has got a lot of guts to match his talent. I am proud of him and I’m sure all of the Bri tish fans are too. It is a shame for Andrea today because it was clear that he had the pace for the podium. He was mixing it and beating a lot of factory bikes and only Casey and Jorge were ahead of him. It was a small mistake and he got punished a lot and it is a big pity because I’ve no doubt we’d have been celebrating another podium with him today. But once again both Cal and Andrea have demonstrated how strong the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team package is. Congratulations as well go to Jorge and Yamaha. Together they are doing an amazing job and today’s race highlighted again what a potent combination they are.”
— HRC
Honda team-mates Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) shared the podium with race winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) at Silverstone today. Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) made it three Hondas in the top four with a fighting ride to fourth, his best-ever MotoGP result, just behind his fellow RC213V riders.
Stoner was in the lead group from the very beginning, shadowing Ben Spies (Yamaha) in the early laps before moving into first place on lap five. The Australian kept pushing hard, opening a gap of almost one second at one point, but in the end he could not resist Lorenzo because he lacked edge grip, especially from the left side of the rear tyre.
Championship leader Lorenzo first took the lead on lap 11, Stoner immediately fighting back. The pair swapped position several times on the next lap, Lorenzo coming out of this skirmish in front and leaving his rival to come under increasing pressure from Pedrosa.
During the latter stages of the race Stoner, Pedrosa and Bautista circulated together, the two full-factory riders eventually dropping Bautista. In the final lap Pedrosa did everything he could to pass Stoner, but then decided that attacking at the final chicane might be too risky, so they finished in that order, 0.286s apart.
Stoner and Pedrosa also struggled with the new construction Bridgestone front tyre, which from this race is the only option for the rest of the season. Both men find the tyre deflects too much during braking, making it difficult for them to stay with their rivals.
Bautista turned his season around this weekend, scoring his first-ever pole position yesterday, then running with the lead group throughout the race to finish just 5.196s behind the winner. The secret to this renaissance was two recent test sessions, during which his crew modified steering geometry and front suspension settings to put more weight on the front for better braking stability and turning.
Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) rode to a brave eighth-place finish after injuring the fourth finger on his left hand when he crashed on Saturday morning. The injury made the start and the rest of the race a real challenge for the reigning Moto2 World Champion.
Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda) had a strong ride to 13th, crossing the line as the third CRT machine, just three seconds behind top CRT rider Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia). Pirro used a new FTR frame and fairing for the first time here.
Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex) scored a brilliant victory in the Honda-powered Moto2 race, first event of the day. The Spaniard was joined on the podium by Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team-Kalex) and Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter) who fought a thrilling battle for second place during the final few laps.
Espargaro started from pole, but it was Britons Redding and Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3) who made the early running, swapping the lead no less than four times in the first lap. Espargaro was right behind them, however, with Andrea Iannone (Speed Master – Speed Up) and Marquez next up.
By one-third distance Espargaro was homing in on Redding, eventually finding his way past as they swept down Hangar straight for the eighth time. And that was that – Espargaro had more pace than anyone here and quickly built an unassailable lead. His second win of the year – after Jerez – puts him second in the championship, six points behind Marquez.
Things were less certain behind the leader, with Marquez, Redding and Iannone swapping places repeatedly. During the closing stages Iannone slipped backwards to argue over fourth place with Simone Corsi (Came Ioda Racing Project – FTR), focusing the interest on the Redding/Marquez duel.
With four laps remaining Marquez moved past the Briton, using a slight speed advantage on Hangar straight. But every time he got in front, Redding counter-attacked. On the final lap Marquez again outpaced Redding down Hangar, but he got into Stowe a bit hot and had to fight a wobble on the exit. That allowed Redding to get alongside and make a pass on the brakes into Vale. The pair touched as they fought for position at the final corner and were separated by a mere 0.059s at the flag.
Iannone bettered Corsi by less than one second for fourth place. Claudio Corti (Italtrans Racing Team – Kalex) finished sixth, just a fraction ahead of Smith and Thomas Luthi (Interwetten-Paddock-Suter). Luthi had a difficult weekend. He fell in practice and then nearly fell on the first lap today, which lost him contact with the leaders. Later he recorded the fastest lap of the race, but his eighth-place finish lost him the World Championship lead.
Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda) came out on top of a breathtaking Moto3 race, the last GP event of the day. At one point in the second half of the race there were 11 riders in the lead group, positions changing constantly from first place to 11th. In the final laps, however, Vinales upped his pace and only Luis Salom (KTM) and Sandro Cortese (KTM) were able to go with him.
Spaniard Salom led on several occasions and got back in front on the penultimate lap, but Vinales always seemed able to find a way past his compatriot. Cortese also found his way past Salom on the last lap but Salom counter-attacked at the final chicane to grab the runner-up sport. Vinales’ third win of the year moved him back into the World Championship lead, two points ahead of Cortese.
In the final few laps the second group comprised seven riders, the six survivors crossing the finish line separated by just 1.108s. Le Mans winner Louis Rossi (Racing Team Germany – FTR
Honda) was the only one of the group not to finish, the Frenchman tumbling with just a few hundred metres to go. Alexis Masbou (Caretta Technology – Honda) came out on top of this particular contest, his best result of the year.
Efren Vazquez (JHK T-Shirt Laglisse – FTR Honda) was next up in fifth, with Romano Fenati (Team Italian FMI – FTR- Honda) seventh. Miguel Oliveira (Estrella Galicia 0.0 – Suter Honda) finished tenth, six seconds behind the second group.
The MotoGP circus now returns to the continent for a gruelling run of three GPs on consecutive weekends. The Dutch TT first, on Saturday June 30, then the German and Italian GPs.
Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: 2nd
“It wasn’t a great race for us today, we saw the pace the Yamahas had in the early laps and it was really worrying to me. As early as lap three the bike wasn’t feeling good, especially on the left side, the tyre destroyed itself almost immediately. My plan was to try and get to the front and hold them up, but Ben was proving difficult to pass, then he made a small mistake and I was able to slip through and I tried to hold it from there. We knew we didn’t have a better pace than the other riders and it wouldn’t be long until they were on us, so I did what I could to stay in front. We were losing so much grip on the edge of the tyre that we had no mid-corner speed and we were having to make up for this with the entry and a clean exit, which made things difficult. Today we needed a little more grip and we would have been able to fight for the win, but looking at the rear tyres at the end of the race, there was definitely something wrong with ours.”
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd
“I have mixed feelings after this race. I’m happy to be on the podium at this circuit for several
reasons: it’s a track where I have always struggled a lot. We had a very tough weekend – It wasn’t easy for us to learn the circuit and set up the bike with these weather conditions. Also, I didn’t have one of my best race starts. I was seventh on the first lap, but I managed to remain calm and get faster lap after lap, maintaining my rhythm. I saw that Jorge was the man to follow, so I managed to pass Dovizioso, Bautista and Spies and caught Casey, who was second. But at this time, Jorge was gone and I tried twice to pass Casey, but he pulled a little again and in the last chicane, I tried to overtake him, but I had a flash in my mind and I saw both Repsol Hondas on the ground, so I settled for third place. It’s positive to both be on the podium if we consider that it’s the first race for the team with this new front tyre, but for the championship it is not good. We need to make a step forward to solve the problems we have with the chattering because right now, Jorge is too strong for the Hondas.”
Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 4th “It has been a great weekend and it has confirmed the progress we have made since Catalunya. I am so happy to finish so close to the podium. Maybe I could have attacked for third at the end, but it would have been risky and I just wanted to run with them to the end and not make mistakes. We have brought home some big points for the championship, which was important for me and the team. Yesterday on pole and today just five seconds off the win – that is a very positive weekend and I hope we can continue from here. I’m pleased with the progress we have made, which is credit to the team engineers and to Showa. Our objective now is to take another step forward and run with the front guys on a more consistent basis.”
Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 8th
“We can be happy overall because today we improved our pace, both in the warm-up and in the race. Unfortunately yesterday I crashed in FP3 and that cost us a lot of track time, but it could be worse than this: I mean I could have broken my finger. So it’s not been the perfect weekend for us, but we have to take the positive things. Today my start was not perfect due to the injured finger and I lost the feeling for the first laps. Then I got passed by some riders and it was tough to overtake them again. In the middle of the race Crutchlow passed me and I made a small mistake with the clutch because the downshifting was harder with this painful finger. Anyway our lap times until the end of the race were pretty fast so this means we have a good potential.”
Michel Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 13th “I tried my best to the end, but I am a little disappointed that I couldn’t get close enough to attack the two guys in front of me. Anyway I am happy because we have taken another step forward this weekend and now we can be fighting with them more often. Another step forward from here and then we will really be having fun.”
Pol Espargaro, Pons 40 HP Tuenti-Kalex: race winner “The race was so difficult and so fast – I couldn’t have imagined it would be so fast. I tried to push at the start because Scott’s first laps were incredibly quick. Then we got ahead and made a little gap, and when I saw that Marc had got into second I pushed a bit harder to make more of a gap, so I could be alone at the end of the race. It was completely perfect. The feeling is great with the team and my feeling with the Kalex is also so good.”
Scott Redding, Marc VDS Racing Team-Kalex: 2nd “I’d led quite a bit of the race, so when I knew Marc was coming I was like, come on dude! He passed me on the straight, but he was also fast in the corners. I knew it would be elbows at the finish, because we are both hard riders. I made my move at turn four on the last lap, I was a bit late in there, I’ll admit it. After that I could feel he was right there behind me and I could feel the crowd too. He passed me again on the straight and I knew the only place I could pass him was at the final chicane. He had a slide [out of Stowe] and I was sliding too. It was very intense! Okay, so I’m going to go for it on the brakes. It worked and after that I tried to hold a tight line in the final corner. I could see his orange front wheel on the inside and the finish line 100 metres away – you can’t do this to me!
We came together and touched at that point. It was a great race.”
Marc Marquez, Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter: 3rd “It’s been such a difficult weekend for us – we’ve struggled with the set-up here. During morning warm-up we found something, so I was more confident on the bike, but still not enough. I tried to do my best, but I think in the race I actually had less confidence with the bike. I’m happy for the 16 points for the championship and now we will think how to make things better for Assen.”
Maverick Vinales, Blusens Avintia – FTR Honda: race winner “It was another very difficult, very tough, with lots of hard overtaking, but in the end we pushed very hard, as hard as the tyres would allow, and we timed our attack at the right moment. We did a very good race and I think we worked well all weekend – pole and victory is the best you can hope for. Now we are looking towards then next race and how we can improve the bike, always working step by step.”
Alexis Masbou, Caretta Technology – Honda: 4th “I am happy even, though I was hoping for something more. I started well and had a good feeling, but a clutch problem forced me to slow down. Riding in those conditions was not easy because the rhythm of the top riders was really high. I thank the team for their good work.”
Efren Vazquez, JHK T-Shirt Laglisse – FTR Honda: 5th “It was a difficult race. Of course, not the kind of result I hoped. I knew there would be a quarrelsome group, but to me, what we had today wasn’t racing – all that was happening is that we were annoying each other! The team is working hard and well, but we still need a little more motor in order to fight for the podium.
Forgetting what happened in the race, the weekend has not been too bad. We are working well and always moving forward, but of course after being second in qualifying I was expecting a better result.”
— Ducati
The British Grand Prix at Silverstone presented a big challenge for the Ducati Team, but it also provided some positive signs for the technicians regarding the progress made and the work still to be done.
After starting from the third row, Nicky Hayden spent the first part of the race with the four-rider group that was fighting over the podium positions, and although he steadily lost ground in the second half before finishing seventh, his gap to the front was the team’s smallest in the dry so far this season.
Valentino Rossi experienced more difficulty than his teammate, and he wasn’t able to find the same feeling that he had in the morning warm-up session, in which he had made progress.
On Saturday, both riders will star in World Ducati Week, which will take place at Misano from 21-24 June, and where they’ll count on the support and affection of tens of thousands of Ducatisti from all over the world.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th
“We did the sighting lap with the hard rear tyre, but with the sprinkles and dark clouds, we decided to play it safe and switch to the soft on the grid. Everybody else had it too, but we know our bike has been hard on tyres here. I got an awesome start, and the beginning of the race was great. I took some chances to hang in as long as I could, and I enjoyed it and learned some things. Then the grip went, which brought on a lot of chatter. I couldn’t accelerate or carry speed on the straightaway, and we started having a little problem with the electronics in one corner, which cost us some time. Crutchlow got me on the last lap, which is frustrating, but I had my smallest gaps to the front this year in terms of race time and best lap. We need to figure out how to make me and the bike less hard on the rear tyre, but there were some positives.”
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 9th
“It was a difficult weekend apart from the wet first session, in which we were very strong, as we had trouble in every dry session except for this morning’s warm-up. From the start of the race, I wasn’t able to maintain the pace of the others. I tried to stay with them, but I struggled a lot with mid-corner chatter, and a couple of times I came close to losing control of the bike. After some laps, the rear tyre started to slide a lot, and at the same time an exhaust broke. To be honest, that didn’t affect us so much, though it did rob some power on the straightaway. We scored a few points, but Silverstone is still the most difficult track for me. I think that the ‘true’ Ducati today was that of Nicky, who had a smaller gap to the front at the finish, more or less the level we reached in Barcelona. Now we must try to understand why I was only able to ride a bit better this morning, in the warm-up, but above all we must try to be more competitive in the next race, at Assen, which is a track that I like and where we want to return to the level we had at Estoril, Le Mans, and Barcelona.”
Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager
“I think that there were some positive aspects to today’s race. Nicky rode at the top riders’ pace for a while and he posted the third-best lap time overall, 34 thousandths off of Lorenzo’s best. He lost ground to the others in the latter stages, similar to what happened to Valentino in Barcelona two weeks ago, so by studying the information we collected with both of them, we’ll try to understand how to improve our performance over race distance. Valentino had more trouble, but nonetheless, he was very fast in the wet, which wasn’t the case last year in the same conditions. Of course this isn’t enough, and we must manage to give both of our riders the conditions they need to be consistently effective in normal conditions. We’ll continue to work toward that goal, step by step.”
— Bridgestone
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Medium-soft, Medium (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 18-19°C; Track 22-28°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo put in a masterful display at Silverstone to win the British Grand Prix for his third consecutive MotoGP™ victory.
In almost a carbon-copy of the last race at Catalunya, Lorenzo came on strong in the second half of the race to pass Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner for the lead with nine laps remaining. Stoner held on for second place ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa, while pole-sitter Alvaro Bautista claimed his best ever MotoGP™ finish with fourth place. Best of the CRT riders at Silverstone was Power Electronics Aspar rider Aleix Espargaro who emerged the victor in a race-long duel with teammate Randy de Puniet to finish in eleventh place.
Dark clouds threatened to spoil the race with rain as riders lined up on the grid, though the race was run under dry conditions with track temperatures reaching a maximum of 28°C towards the end of the session as the sun began to shine. The possibility of rain at the start of the race saw all but one rider select the softer rear slick while front tyre choice was evenly split between the softer and harder slick options, with some riders preferring the extra braking stability of the harder front over the better warm-up performance of the softer option.
Three wins in a row for Jorge Lorenzo sees him lead Casey Stoner by 25 points in the championship classification, while Dani Pedrosa’s podium at Silverstone consolidates third position overall and he sits 14 points behind Stoner.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“What a fantastic race we had today! There were so many great battles throughout the field and the pace at the start of the race was very fast, so I think the better warm-up performance offered by the new front slicks allowed riders to push from the first lap. Jorge’s was once again very impressive on the Yamaha today but most of all I was amazed by Cal’s great performance to finish sixth despite starting last and being injured.
“The weather was still unsettled today which made tyre choice difficult for the riders, but Silverstone’s susceptibility to poor weather was the reason we revised the rear slick compounds for this race and I think this development, along with the full availability of the new front slick tyre helped riders cope with the conditions we had this weekend.”
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Thankfully the morning warm-up session today wasn’t affected by rain which allowed teams to evaluate different slick tyre options for the race. Spots of rain started to fall just as riders went on to the grid and for this reason all but one rider selected the softer rear slick in case conditions worsened. Front tyre choice was more varied with just over half the riders on the harder front and with Jorge and Casey enjoying a good fight though they selected different compound front slicks. I am pleased that both of the new specification front slicks we brought to Silverstone worked well over a race distance.”
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing – Race Winner
“I was a bit worried at the start of the race as I was in sixth position and the leaders were fast, but I waited for my moment and as the race went on the guys at the front started to slow down. I caught up to them and then Casey and I had a wonderful fight and fortunately for us I had a pace advantage. We have had a perfect season until now so I have to thank Yamaha for all their good work.”
— Red Bull Rookies
Philipp Oettl headed the 14 man lead battle when it mattered to cross the line ahead of Scott Deroue and Karel Hanika in the British Grand Prix round of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Silverstone on Sunday.
The 16 year old German traded the lead throughout the 14 lap race and judged it perfectly at the end to find himself clear while the pack barged elbows into the final complex resulting in 2nd for 16 year olds Deroue from the Netherlands and Hanika from the Czech Republic. Victory gives Oettl the Cup points lead with 89 ahead of Deroue on 87 and Saturday’s winner Florian Alt on 83.
German 16 year old Alt had another fine ride to take 4th ahead of Ivo Lopes, Bradley Ray and Lorenzo Baldassarri in a race in which and any one of the 14 at the front could have been on the podium.
Often leading is not the best place to be on the final lap of a Rookies race but Oettl had it worked out brilliantly. “I knew that it would all come down to the last few corners, the left right chicane and onto the start and finish. I practiced doing them perfectly and I knew that if I did that I could win it. That is what I managed on the final lap and it worked out.”
A sensational performance on the last 2 laps came from Deroue who seemed to be struggling mid pack for much of the race. “It was just so tough in there, all the guys trying so hard, very exciting but very difficult to try and get to the front. Then on the last lap I just managed to pick up the right slipstream and passed a load of guys coming down the straight and up to the front, then it was just about late braking and holding on to 2nd. Wow that was great.”
Hanika was twice on the podium at the previous round in Estoril and a consistent front runner all year, this time he could not quite turn pole position into a win. “It was a great race, so much fun. We were fighting all the way and I could get to the front but just couldn’t stay there. I am quite tall so I really need the slipstream from the other guys, when I get in front it is a bit too easy for them to catch me. Still it was another great race and at least I have raced at Assen once before so for the first time this year I will know the track.”
Alt was not too disappointed with 4th. “It was a great race and it just didn’t quite work out. I made a mistake towards the end and I was back in 10th going onto the last lap so to get to 4th from there wasn’t too bad. The win yesterday was great and the other good thing is that it is the first time this year that I have scored points in both races.”
The 15 year old Portuguese Ivo Lopes had a fine ride into 5th, battling at the front for most of the race and making up for the disappointment of retiring from Saturday’s race because he could find no feeling with the rain tyres on the dry track. “It was a fantastic battle today, very tough. Of course I wanted to be on the podium but I knew it wouldn’t be easy, I was back in 10th at the start and got up to 4th on the 1st lap so that was pretty good and we had a great battle all the way.”
2011 Cup Champion Lorenzo Baldassarri had another difficult race, again tied up in the pack and as usual he was honest about it. “I had the chance to lead but when I did I made mistakes and then when I was tied up in the group it was so difficult for me to break out. The points for 7th are OK but I really must do better.” concluded the Italian who now stands 6th in the title chase behind Lopes and Kyle Ryde.
Ryde crossed the line 8th, unlucky on the last lap in the final section when last year’s Saturday winner Lukas Trautmann crashed. “When Lukas went down I had to go way wide and that was it but what a brilliant race,” concluded the 14 year old Briton.
Races 6 and 7 of the 15 in the Rookies Cup season are at the Dutch TT at Assen on June 29 and 30th.
