TEAM-SPEAK: Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, Race (Pics)

July 25, 2010 by admin
Filed under Breaking News

Releases will be added at top as they arrive.

Fiat Yamaha

Jorge Lorenzo took a brilliant sixth victory of the season at Laguna Seca today, romping home to win by over three seconds from Casey Stoner. His team-mate Valentino Rossi made a triumphant return to the podium just seven weeks after breaking his right leg, overhauling Andrea Dovizioso during a thrilling last ten laps to finish third.

Starting from pole for the fifth time in a row, Lorenzo lost ground to his rivals at the fearsome downhill turn one and was relegated to third first time around. For the first few laps there was little he could do except hang on behind Pedrosa and Stoner but on the sixth lap Stoner ran wide and Lorenzo stormed through to take second. By now Pedrosa was nearly a second clear but Lorenzo’s pace had begun to improve and he started to push as hard as he could and exert some pressure on his fellow Spaniard. On lap twelve, with the gap now narrowed to half a second, Pedrosa crashed out and left Lorenzo in the lead and from then on it was plain sailing for the 23-year-old as he expertly controlled his advantage over Stoner to bring it home and take his second win on US soil. Today’s victory was his 11th in MotoGP, his 32nd in all classes and his 10th successive podium.

Rossi had suffered all weekend with pain in both his leg and his shoulder and today looked like it was going to be a tough day for the reigning champion, unable as he was to make any further headway after passing Nicky Hayden for fifth position. Once Pedrosa had crashed out however and with Ben Spies exerting pressure on him from behind Rossi’s fighting instinct kicked in as he spied a podium possibility, gradually closing down a two second gap to Dovizioso to come within striking distance with six laps remaining. On the 27th lap he made his move and passed his countryman, managing to hold him off over the last couple of laps to make a popular return to the podium.

With exactly half of the season gone Lorenzo heads the championship with an impressive 72-point lead over Pedrosa, whilst Rossi is 120 points adrift of his team-mate in fifth position. Both riders will enjoy a two and a half week holiday now and the Italian will be more glad than anyone for the time off, during which he will be working on his fitness in an effort to be back to his best next time out in Brno.

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 1stTime: 43.54.873
“I am so happy to win here at Laguna Seca, it’s something I’ve always dreamed of. I rode so well today, right on the limit and I had to push very hard to stay in touch with Dani. He is always so strong on race day but I knew if I kept the pressure on him then there was a chance he would make a mistake and I would be able to catch him. I’m sorry he crashed but from then on it was very easy for me because I had a big gap from Casey. I really enjoyed riding my M1! I have a big lead in the championship but there is half of the season left and it wouldn’t be the first time a rider has lost the title with such a big lead, so we can’t take anything for granted. I am really looking forward to some time to relax now after two very busy months. Thanks to everyone in my team for doing a brilliant job.”

Valentino Rossi – Position: 3rdTime: +13.420
“The start of the race was very hard for me because I had a lot of pain and I was far from the podium. But then I saw Pedrosa on the gravel and I just had to try to catch Dovizioso! I just pushed as hard as I could for a few laps and that brought me closer to him and then I couldn’t give up, somehow I caught him and it was a great feeling to pass him to take third. It’s a great result after my injury and it felt so good to be back on the podium in front of the fans. There are so many people I have to thank who have helped me to get back to this position. I am very happy that we have some time off now because I have a lot of work to do on my body to try to be back to my best for Brno, which I love.

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“This was a fantastic ride from Jorge. It was clever to push Dani to the limit but not easy as well because Jorge is the championship leader and he had the most to lose, he really had to ride at the maximum to do this. We’re happy Dani isn’t hurt and now we have an amazing 72-point lead as we break for the half-way point of the championship. Six victories and three seconds is brilliant, thanks to Jorge for doing such a great job but also to all of the team, everyone deserves their holidays!

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“This was a great race and the result is so much more than we expected today. These were supposed to be the two ‘rehabilitation’ races for Valentino after his big injury while he just got used to being back on the bike, but he’s come fourth and then third which has amazed us all. This track was very demanding on his body and he had a hard time all weekend but he was still able to battle for the podium. It was brilliant and we’re so happy now. Everyone is looking forward to a break but also to coming back strongly in the second half of the season.”

AMA Pro Racing (American Superbike)

MONTEREY, Calif. (July 25, 2010) – Today’s AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike race at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix was won by a rider who loves everything about Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and he has the record here to prove it. Ben Bostrom and his Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha team culminated a very special weekend by winning from the pole position to capture his third career AMA Pro SuperBike victory. Bostrom also won here last year in Daytona SportBike and also a World SuperBike race here in 1999.

– TV broadcast will be late tonight/early tomorrow at 1 a.m. ET (10 p.m. PT) on SPEED –

Finishing second was points leader Josh Hayes aboard his Team Graves Yamaha. Hayes led the race early and fought all the way until the checkered flag on what was on paper a fine weekend. Hayes was disappointed with himself but he admitted that this was a difficult track for him and he paid tribute to his Team Graves Yamaha team for their hard work in giving him a bike he could win with.

Third place went to Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Tommy Hayden. Hayden maintained second in the points standings despite having a weekend where he felt he didn’t get the best from himself and his machine. Once again, his mental toughness was on display as he took a solid points haul when his situation wasn’t at its best.

Ben Bostrom almost gave the game away early on in the race when he came into the famous Corkscrew turns at the top of the circuit and had a big moment under braking and had to run off the track and rejoin, albeit very carefully! Streaking by was a very strong starting Jake Holden on his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki as he took full advantage of the moment to lead until Hayes got by a fine riding Holden in a hold-your-breath pass on the front straight.

Hayes and Holden were side-by-side coming out of the last corner and held station right next to each other until Hayes was able to squeak by to take the lead that he would hold for the next 12 laps. It took Bostrom a little while but he eventually got by Holden for second and set sail after Hayes.

Bostrom closed up on Hayes and the two rode in synchronized fashion for a number of laps until Bostrom got by Hayes in turn five on lap 15. Hayes didn’t let up whatsoever but Bostrom was in sync on a track he loves and he captured his third career AMA Pro SuperBike win in fine fashion.

Ben wasn’t the only Bostrom that had a great day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, his brother Eric, riding the new Cycle World Attack Performance Yoshimura Suzuki put in a stellar performance in only his second appearance this year. Starting sixth, he fell back to 16th at the start and then began a sterling comeback ride to seventh at the flag. He battled his way back into contention with the likes of Geoff May on his Buell, a strong running Chris Peris on the Team Iron Horse BMW and Brett McCormick who rewarded the hard work of his Jordan Suzuki team with eighth place after a couple of off-track excursions in yesterday’s qualifying sessions.

Foremost Insurance Ducati’s Larry Pegram also ran well today, continuing his solid year. He and Jake Zemke aboard his National Guard Jordan Suzuki had their own battle but Pegram was able to pull away from Jake to finish fifth with Zemke in sixth well ahead of the aforementioned Eric Bostrom in seventh.

But it was Ben Bostrom’s day. He said yesterday that if he didn’t lead right away he would go and get the win and he did just that. Josh Hayes and Tommy Hayden stayed in lock step in the championship chase by finishing together, therefore not allowing the other to break away on points.

Bostrom commented on his day, “Every time I ride into this track, it reminds me of home, I love the fog and when I can ride up here and see the blue sky start to break through, it makes me happy and a happy rider rides well.”

Hayes talked about his day, “I wanted to win here, this has always been a very, very difficult racetrack for me. I don’t have a single excuse, I had a great motorcycle but I was very inconsistent this week but I am happy with second. Now we are going to two tracks that are really good for me that I had great weekends last year so I want to hurry up and get there and let’s get back to business.”

Don’t miss tonight’s broadcast of the National Guard SuperBike race on SPEED TV, it will air at 1:00 a.m. ET early Monday morning. Please check www.amaproracing.com for the complete results of today’s race. Next up for AMA Pro Road Racing will be August 13-15 at Virginia International Raceway.
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

Pramac Racing

The white line that demarcates the asphalt did not allowed, with three laps to go, the Pramac Racing Team to see both riders finishing the race in the top ten. During the third last lap Aleix Espargarò was in ninth position with more than a second from his immediate follower Capirossi, unfortunately while breaking in turn five the young Spaniard stepped with the front on the white lines that mark the track and his bike slipped away. Too bad because despite a poor start that saw him lose several positions at once, Aleix had consistently turned much faster than the riders ahead of him. He had recovered at first three seconds from his teammate, and once passed Mika, had begun to reduce the gap from Capirossi that was in the ninth position with three seconds gap. In less than five laps he managed to reach the Italian rider and overtaken him with four laps remaining. Mika has instead made a great start in which he has earned four positions after the first lap. In the first lap Capirossi struggled with him for the twelfth position but the greater experience of the Italian rider didn’t allowed to Mika to maintain the gap. Mika was then overtaken by Aleix that was riding nearly half a second faster than him. Thanks to its rhythm Mika has lowered his lap times and decreased the gap from the tenth position. Thanks to an excellent last lap Mika has taken full advantage of the slipstream overtaking Capirossi on the line with just a millisecond and conquered the ninth position.

Mika Kallio • Courtesy Pramac

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Technical Director

“Too bad for the occasion lost three laps from the end. I think that if Aleix had not fallen and that if Mika had entered the race with the mill metric overtake on Capirossi, we’ll be celebrating now the top ten for both riders. We are very happy that Mika that, on a difficult track like this, has gained a good position. We have worked hard these days to allow both rider to be very fast and competitive in every section of the track. Now we’ll have three weeks off holidays to relax and to come back more competitive than ever in the next race in Brno, where we know that we can aspire to a good result with both riders. “

Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing Team – 9th in the race – 14th in the World Championship

“Finally, a good result after so many bad races. I had a very good start which allowed me to find myself in eleventh position after the first lap. I struggled with Capirossi to maintain this position, but unfortunately he was much faster than me. Thanks also to Aleix that has reached and overtake me, I was able to lower my pace lap and together we took Capirossi. I could be very close to Loris in some parts of the circuit and I studied its trajectories to see where I was able to try to overcome him. Three laps from the finish I saw my teammate slipping after touching the white line with the front. I’ve not lost my concentration and I tried in every way to stay as close as possible to Loris. In the last corner exit I made my best to try to use as much I can his train and thanks to the higher top speed I managed to get ahead of him be one-thousandth the finish line. It been a very tiring weekend for me that I had never race on this track, I hope this result will serve to make a change in my season so far for poor of results. “

Aleix Espargaro • Courtesy Pramac

Aleix Espargarò – Pramac Racing Team – DNF the race – 15th in the World Championship

“What a shame! As usual I had some starting problems, I have lost just a couple of positions in the first turn, but I had recovered the thirteenth position from which I started in less than one lap. In the third lap Bautista tried to overtake me and we touched. I apologize for the accidental contact with him and his fall, I know how important it is for all the rookie to score points on all the tracks. The contact has made me lose few positions and I found myself struggling with De Angelis and R.L. Hayden in the fifteenth position. My pace allowed me to be faster than them, I have overcome them and in a few laps I had reduced the gap I had from my teammate. Once I overtake Mika, I had Capirossi ahead of my with a gap of more than three seconds. Form the box my technician have reported that my detachment was decreased and in five laps I was able to close the gap. Among the twenty-second and twenty-fourth lap I struggled with Capirossi for the ninth position. With three laps I overtake the Italian rider and tried to keep my pace constantly to put a little gap between me and him. During the third last lap I slightly touched the white line that demarcates the track and I lost the front of my bike. Too bad because I would have easily finished the race in the top ten, that on a so difficult track would be a good result at the debut. ”

National Guard Jordan Suzuki

MONTEREY, CA (July 25, 2010) – Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) holds onto third place in the championship points race after completing round seven of the 2010 AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike Championship held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA this weekend. National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Jake Zemke scored a sixth place finish and Aaron Yates’ replacement rider, 18-year-old Brett McCormick, finished eighth.

National Guard Jordan Suzuki’s Zemke started in seventh and quickly worked his way up to fifth place. Zemke ran in fifth for ten laps before falling back to sixth place, which is where he finished. Zemke remains a solid third in the championship points race heading into the next event at Virginia International Raceway (VIR).

“The boys did a good job,” Zemke said. “We’ve been struggling since we got here, but we definitely got the bike a lot better for the race. It was good enough to be close to the guys in the beginning. Maybe not the top guys, but that group from third to fifth. We should have had a little better shot at that. I got by Larry (Pegram) but by then I’d pretty much used up everything I had and the tires had gone off pretty bad. He was able to get back by me and I was having a few issues. We brought it home, but it’s been a frustrating two weeks and it’s definitely not where we want to be. We should be up at the front racing with those guys – not back where we are at.”

Michael Jordan Motorsports’ Brett McCormick started in tenth and made his way up to eighth place in three laps. McCormick maintained his eighth place position until lap 16, when he engaged in a battle that put him back to tenth before fighting back to an eighth place finish. McCormick sits in ninth place in the championship points race.

During the weekend, Jake Zemke’s National Guard Suzuki GSX-R1000 was once again proudly sporting the state patch of the California National Guard’s largest combat brigade, the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The corresponding National Guard state patches will be placed on Zemke’s Suzuki for the remainder of the 2010 season.

Look for the 2010 Michael Jordan Motorsports team at their next event at VIR in Alton, VA on August 13-15, 2010.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Ben Spies had a big home crowd on the edge of their seats at the spectacular Laguna Seca track today after the Texan produced a brilliant podium challenge in the American MotoGP race.

The 26-year-old made a fantastic start from the second row and instantly gained three places by the first corner. Spies lost a few places as the frantic pace increased in the early laps, but gradually building his confidence with his rear Bridgestone tyre, he started a rousing fightback in front of a passionate home crowd of 51,436 fans in California.

Spies was over half-a-second adrift of an intense battle involving compatriot Nicky Hayden and fellow Yamaha YZR-M1 rider Valentino Rossi shortly before the halfway stage.

Reeling off a series of impressive fast laps, Spies was able to hunt down Hayden and expertly pass the 2006 world champion on lap 21.

Next in Spies’ sights was reigning world champion Rossi, who was himself honing in on Italian Andrea Dovizioso in an exciting battle for the podium. But just as Spies was preparing to make a decisive move on Rossi, he made a small mistake in the braking zone for the final corner on lap 25.

Spies lost over three seconds and despite a heroic effort in the closing stages he was unable to regain the fifth place lost to Hayden. Spies though was still satisfied with his performance, his pace as the race reached its climax undoubtedly good enough to have put him in podium contention.

Colin Edwards produced his best result of the season in front of his home crowd to score a thoroughly deserved seventh position.

The 36-year-old showed all of his experience to patiently stalk Marco Simoncelli and Marco Melandri in the opening laps as the trio became embroiled in a thrilling fight for seventh.

Edwards passed Melandri on lap 10 exiting the spectacular Corkscrew section and he grabbed seventh from Simoncelli on lap 15. Edwards’ superior pace saw him immediately pull away from the Italian duo to secure a seventh that puts him on the fringes of the top ten in the overall standings.

Ben Spies 6th – 77 points

“I got a really good start and was third but then for the next couple of laps I just couldn’t get my speed up fast enough. The group in front pulled a bit of a gap on me but once I found my rhythm I caught Nicky and Valentino pretty quickly. I passed Nicky and got right on the back of Valentino and it was a good fight with him. I was actually going to attack him on the next lap when I had a problem entering the final corner on lap 25. I ran wide and lost out and although it wasn’t the podium I wanted in front of my home crowd, I’m happy because I had the speed to come through the field and I had the speed to be on the podium. I couldn’t quite finish the job and that was down to me. But I’d rather leave here knowing I could have been on the podium rather than leave here in eighth place and not on the pace. I can’t ask for a lot more because I’m in the top six again, leading non-factory rider in the race again and putting up a strong fight, so I’m not too upset.”

Colin Edwards 7th – 48 points

“I’m really happy with the way I rode all weekend and there was nothing more I could have done. Fighting for seventh is not really where I wa nt to be in my home race, but compared to where I have been recently it is a big improvement and thanks to all my guys at the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew for all their effort. I had a good early battle with Melandri and Simoncelli and that was fun and I made a couple of good moves on them because I was quite a bit faster. Once I got by Simoncelli I put my head down to see if I could break them and that’s what I did. But I couldn’t even see the group in front of me and I just slowed my pace up a little bit because it made no sense to crash out of my home race when I was never going to catch them up. I was pretty much stuck in seventh all weekend and I never really had the pace of the leading group. But I’m closer to where I know I should be and the upgrades from Yamaha were a help and I can look forward to a good break confident of a strong second half of the season.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager

“We can’t deny that we leave for the well earned summer break with a small amount of disappointment because Ben was looking really strong and I think he had a great chance of claiming the home podium he desperately wanted. He got a great start and it took him a few laps to find his best rhythm like a few times this season. But then he was able to set some really fast lap times and he was able to pass Nicky and close right on Valentino. We were hoping for a podium at that stage though we know it would not have been easy because Valentino was riding at an incredible level. Ben was right behind him and looking strong for the last few laps and the home fans were super excited by his attacking riding. Unfortunately Ben ran wide in a couple of places and lost crucial time and that was something out of his control. He is a little disappointed and I understand that because he couldn’t fight right to the end. But we’re happy with his performance because his spe ed was undoubtedly good enough for the podium. I’m really happy with Colin’s performance and I think it was easily his best weekend of the whole season. He was pushing at his maximum every lap of every session and he was strong in the race, passing Melandri and Simoncelli, who don’t just lie down and make it easy. A sixth and seventh is a decent result for us and helped us consolidate our fourth position in the Team World Championship, so we can return refreshed and ready for a strong second half of the season in Brno.

LCR Honda

Monterey, 25 July: On a near perfect summer’s day LCR Honda MotoGP Team American racer Roger Lee Hayden gained a thrilling 11th place riding the Honda RC212V in today’s U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. The youngest of the racing Haydens, who’s currently racing in World Superbike, improved his lap time by 1.668s over the course of practice and yesterdays qualifying.

Roger Hayden • Courtesy LCR

The two areas he found most challenging were the carbon front brakes-he uses metal in World Superbike-and the control Bridgestone tyres, which he was careful to get up to proper operating temperature. The 27-year-old started from the 17th spot on the grid and put in a maximum effort over the 32-lap race scoring 5 points finishing his second MotoGP race behind Capirossi. MotoGP next round will take place in Czech Republic on the 15th of August.

Hayden – 11th

“This was a very good race for me! After the start I got boxed in at the first corner and after that it took me a few laps to find my pace. The rest of the guys had taken a few seconds on me but I started to pull them back in and I did my fastest lap of the whole week end in doing so. I charged hard and caught De Angelis with 2 laps to go I passed him and took 11th place. At the start of the week I really did not think I could have taken 11th place. I really really want to thank LCR Team for this fantastic opportunity. Everybody in the Team has bent over backwards to help me in every way. The guys worked really hard on the bike and made it very comfortable for me to ride. They put absolutely no pressure on me this week end for a result but this is the American GP and all my friends, family and fans are here so I wanted to give them all a good result. I would love a chance to ride for this Team again as they are a fantastic bunch of guys and the machine they gave me was perfect”.

Lucio Cecchinello:
“First I want to wish Randy a very quick recovery and want to thank the Team for their great work this week end. Despite the bad luck we have decided to come here and do our best as always. We are pleased with Roger’s today result because he improved his feeling on the bike session by session and during the race he was focused and tough especially when he passed De Angelis at 2 laps to go. Now we aim to have Randy back in Brno but we must wait for the response of the Medical Commission first”.

Ducati Team

Ducati Team rider Casey Stoner continued his recent podium streak with a solid second place in the USGP, whilst Nicky Hayden claimed local honour as the first American across the line in fifth after a breathtaking challenge for the podium.

Casey Stoner • Courtesy Ducati

Stoner started well from the front row of the grid and was running in second place behind Dani Pedrosa when he set the fastest lap of the race on lap four, breaking his own circuit record from 2008 with a stunning 1’21.376. A little problem saw the Australian concede a place to Jorge Lorenzo on the fifth lap but he benefited from a crash for Pedrosa six laps later and was unchallenged from that point onwards, securing his best finish of the season so far and his fourth rostrum in succession.

Hayden started from seventh on the grid and eventually overcame his compatriot Ben Spies after a race-long battle that had the raucous crowd on their feet, chasing down Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso for a podium finish over the final few laps but missing out by just 1.2 seconds.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Team) 2nd
“The bike felt good at the start of the race but at this circuit you always have to wait for a lap, a lap and a half for the tyres to warm up. As soon as everything felt alright I thought I’d try to push and make a pass on Dani for the lead but I immediately lost the front. I pulled myself back together and tried to hunt him down again but made another little mistake. Another lap or two later I closed the front again and ran well wide, I was almost off the track. At that point I decided just to gather myself, ride smooth and consistent and try not to lose too much time to the two guys in front of me. I started to pull them in but lost the front again. It was a shame because the bike felt good around most of the circuit, we just struggled with the front in a couple of corners. Having said that I’m happy and thankful to my guys because we were able to put up more of a fight this weekend.”

NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Team) 5th
“We had a little problem with the bike when I did my practice start this morning and it happened again in the race but we put up a fight as best we could. The last five laps I was over my head, doing my fastest laps of the weekend almost because I thought there was a chance we might be able to get on the box if the guys in front made a mistake. I dug as deep as I could but it wasn’t enough today. My first two years here at Laguna Seca were much more fun, that’s for sure, but hopefully we can be back here fighting for the win next year – that’s the goal. I want to say thanks to all my guys for their hard work this weekend and to all the fans here at Laguna, their support is incredible – I’m just sorry I couldn’t be on the podium for them.”

Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager
“Casey scored his fourth consecutive podium today and this time he was a step higher up, having set the fastest lap of the race and also starring in qualifying. Altogether it was a good weekend for him because he confirmed his constant progress from recent weeks and showed that the team are doing a good job with the bike. His result was complemented by fifth place for Nicky, who was just over a second off the podium. I think he had a good race because he was under more pressure than usual and didn’t have an exceptional qualifying. He didn’t get a great start either but he put a good pace together and his lap times at the end showed that the package underneath him is good. Now we want to win a race and we’ll try to do that at Brno, but for today I am happy with our result as a team.”

Bridgestone

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard (asymmetric)

Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo won the United States Grand Prix today, setting an impressive pace throughout on harder front and softer asymmetric rear Bridgestone slicks to record a new fastest total race time at Laguna Seca. In response to rider requests made last season, Bridgestone brought their asymmetric rear slicks to Laguna Seca this year. The performance improvement provided by these tyres was also highlighted by a new lap record set by
Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner, who finished second, whilst a resurgent Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi grabbed the final step of the podium from Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso.

Every rider favoured the softer option asymmetric rear slick tyre which featured the improved-for-2010 medium compound rubber to offer better warm-up performance. Its increased level of performance at higher temperatures was the reason it was sufficiently durable for race distance even as the track temperature reached 44 degrees. Last year the top five riders used the harder rear, but this year all riders used the softer option which is a good comparison
of the improved durability of this improved medium compound.

As a further performance indicator, during the morning’s warm-up session when the track temperature was just 21 degrees Celsius, Lorenzo and Stoner both went quicker using the asymmetric rears than last year’s fastest race lap.

Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“I am happy with the overall result here as it shows that we have a good process of turning rider feedback into positive action, the results of which have been very good here this weekend. I’d like to congratulate Jorge for his sixth win of the season, and also to Casey for setting a new lap record here. It is great to see Valentino back on the podium again too.”

Tohru Ubukata – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
“The consistency and level of performance of our softer asymmetric rear slick tyres was good this weekend so I am very happy. Not only did Casey set a new lap record, but his fastest lap was more than 0.5seconds quicker than the best lap from last year’s race and the total race time was over six seconds faster, both of which are good indicators of the improved performance provided by our asymmetric slicks here at Laguna.”

Jorge Lorenzo – Fiat Yamaha Team – Race Winner
“This is very special. I made a good start but was overtaken on the outside into turn one. I tried to overtake as soon as possible and once I was in third I thought ‘now we are here and can push’. This track was very painful for me last year so for this it was important to finish, and we won so now I have more points for the gap in the championship which is so nice. Now I holiday and relax, draw away the tension and the pressure before Brno.”

Top ten classification (Sunday 14:03 GMT-7)
Pos. Rider Team Race time Gap Front spec Rear spec Tyres
1 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 43m54.873s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
2 Casey Stoner Ducati Team 43m58.390s +3.517s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
3 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 44m08.293s +13.420s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
4 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 44m09.061s +14.188s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
5 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 44m09.474s +14.601s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
6 Ben Spies Monster Yamaha Tech3 44m13.910s +19.037s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
7 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech3 44m35.594s +40.721s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
8 Marco Melandri San Carlo Honda Gresini 44m42.092s +47.219s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
9 Mika Kallio Pramac Racing Team 44m47.686s +52.813s Medium Medium Bridgestone slick
10 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 44m47.687s +52.814s Hard Medium Bridgestone slick
Weather: Dry. Ambient 19-20°C; Track 44°C (Bridgestone measurement)

MotoGP

Jorge Lorenzo’s Championship lead was stretched to 72 points at Laguna Seca as the Fiat Yamaha rider won the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix ahead of Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi, in a round nine race that saw Dani Pedrosa crash out while leading.

A trademark lightning start from Pedrosa saw him lead into turn one of the first lap and the Spaniard appeared to be making a similar break for victory as he had done last time out at Sachsenring, as he set a fierce pace at the front of the race.

However, on Lap 11 and with Lorenzo pressuring him for the lead the Repsol Honda rider crashed out at turn five, leaving his fellow Spaniard to take his M1 to a sixth win of the season as he tasted victory at the Californian circuit for the first time.

In second place, 3.517s behind Lorenzo’s Fiat Yamaha, Ducati’s Casey Stoner scored his best result of the season so far – his fourth podium in a row – and a comfortable finish with a distance of almost ten seconds back to third place. That was taken by Valentino Rossi, the reigning World Champion achieving a superb podium finish in only his second race back from injury and one in which he worked hard throughout the race.

There were early ends to the race for Spanish rookies Álvaro Bautista and Héctor Barberá, the former crashing whilst the latter retired, with neither making it past the fourth lap. By that stage Pedrosa was already away at the front with Stoner matching him for pace, but on lap five Lorenzo – who had dropped to fourth at the start – managed to pass the Australian who ran wide at turn three.

Then the drama really kicked in as Pedrosa crashed, leaving Lorenzo first with Stoner not far behind, and Andrea Dovizioso in third with a two-second margin over his pursuers. However, Rossi quickly closed the gap on his compatriot, eventually passing the Repsol Honda rider for third place with five laps to go.

As the tyres started to go off towards the end there were changes further down the order, as Ben Spies and Nicky Hayden fought for the honour of finishing as the highest placed American, a duel that presented plenty of enthralling moments of its own.

Lorenzo eventually crossed the line with a comfortable margin over his pursuers, to take his sixth win of the season.

“This track has been a painful one for me in the past, which was why it was important to come here, finish the race and win,” said Lorenzo. “I was sat in third place after the start and I said ‘okay, we’re here and it’s time to push now’. Casey made a mistake and I got past him and I could see that Dani was riding at 110% and could crash. And he did.”

“Now I can go on my holiday and relax; throw away all the tension and pressure and comeback ready to continue the season at Brno,” added the Championship leader.

Stoner brought his Ducati Desmosedici home in second place to secure the best result of his 2010 campaign thus far.

“Everything seemed to be working perfectly at the start,” explained Stoner. “I wanted to close on Dani to put in a pass, but I lost the front a couple of times trying to reduce the gap. The third time the front closed on me Jorge came past. I was lucky to keep the bike on two wheels today; with a bit more confidence in the front I might have been able to close the gap on Jorge, and I did try, but today I had to settle for second place.”

“Jorge is riding well; he’s very fast, very consistent and, at this point, he’s a worthy champion,” concluded the Australian.

Rossi managed to hold off a late charge from Dovizioso, retaining third place at the chequered flag and finishing on the podium just seven weeks after breaking his leg in practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.

“It was a good result for us and very important to come back on the podium so soon after the crash,” declared Rossi. “It’s been a difficult weekend for us, with problems in every session, but this morning we found a good set-up for the race. It took me a few laps to find my rhythm and I had a great battle with Dovizioso at the end. After Casey beat me last week I was determined not to make the same mistake and I rode a very good last lap.”

Hayden edged out Spies for fifth place, with the latter’s teammate, Colin Edwards, seventh. The top ten was completed by Marco Melandri, Mika Kallio and Loris Capirossi. The remaining two riders to finish the race in 11th and 12th were Roger Lee Hayden, a temporary replacement for the injured Randy de Puniet on the LCR Honda and Alex de Angelis, who was standing in for Hiroshi Aoyama on the Interwetten Honda for the second time.

Marco Simoncelli suffered the disappointment of crashing out two-thirds of the way through the race when battling with teammate Melandri for eighth, whilst Aleix Espargaró fell three laps from the end when in a top ten position.

Lorenzo now has 210 points, with Pedrosa remaining second in the standings on 138 and Dovizioso third on 115.

Repsol Honda

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso finished in fourth place in today’s U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca and retained his third position in the world championship as MotoGP heads into a short summer break. The Italian held third place for 15 laps of the race and finished less that a second from the podium after losing a place to Valentino Rossi six laps from the end. His team-mate Dani Pedrosa looked on course for a carbon copy of his stunning Laguna victory from last year and led for the first 11 laps, but the Spaniard was unfortunate to a hit a bump on the way into Laguna’s turn seven and crash out on lap 12.

From third on the grid – his best ever MotoGP qualifying position – Dovizioso slipped back to fifth on the first lap behind Ben Spies and lost some time behind the American. He climbed to fourth on lap three when Spies ran wide and was then elevated to third after Pedrosa’s fall. Looking comfortable, Dovizioso eased op en a gap of 2.5s to Valentino Rossi behind him, but as the chequered flag drew near Rossi closed him down again and passed Dovizioso on lap 27 of the 32-lap race. The Repsol Honda rider didn’t give up and was right on Rossi’s tail for the last two laps, without being able to find a way past. With the 13 points he earned today, Dovizioso has closed the gap to Pedrosa in the world championship to 23 points.

Pedrosa looked at his formidable best for the first part of the race, making one of his demon starts from fourth on the grid to lead into the first corners. Riding his RC212V at a blistering pace, he edged away from his pursuers Casey Stoner and then Jorge Lorenzo and the race win looked a distinct possibility. However, while pushing at 100 per cent to maintain his lead he lost the front end and his U.S. Grand Prix was over. Obviously disappointed with the way the weekend finished, Pedrosa has taken encouragement from his continued front-running pace in th e race and will come back fighting at the next race – the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic in three weekends’ time on August 15.

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – 4th – World Championship position 3rd 115 points

“I cannot be happy about this result because the podium was so close. I made a good start on the inside, but then got a little bit trapped going through turn one and lost positions. I really wanted to get away with the front riders but in the first three laps I lost time behind Spies, and because of this I lost contact with the leaders. I was lapping with a pace of 1m 22.5 and the middle of the race was going well, but in the last laps Valentino began to go faster and I couldn’t lap at the low 1m 22s pace he was able to achieve. When he came past me I did everything I could to take him back but I was not fast enough – especially in T3 and T4. I didn’t have the performance on the brakes to make a move – so I couldn’t overtake him again. The result is not what we wanted and so we have to keep working hard so that we can challenge for race wins – that’s the target.”

DANI PEDROSA – DNF – World Championship position 2nd 138 points

“At the time I that I crashed I was pushing hard to maintain the gap to Lorenzo and my rhythm was good. Unfortunately though I hit a bump on the way into the corner and I couldn’t do anything – I was down. It’s very very disappointing obviously but this can happen when you’re trying everything to win. You have to push as much as you can and take risks – and I really wanted to win this race. The one thing we can do now is to remember that we were having a good race until this moment, and we were leading the race – this is what I want to take from the weekend. You cannot sit there with your arms crossed thinking about what could have been. For the whole weekend me and the team were working well and we put ourselves in a winning position. It hasn’t worked out for us but we’ll come back fighting at the next one.”

TOSHIYUKI YAMAJI – REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER

“This has been a tough race for the Repsol Honda Team today because we had high hopes here and it hasn’t worked out for us as we wanted. Andrea’s fourth place is a respectable finish of course but he will be the first to say that he wanted more today. He rode hard and challenged for the podium but in the end it wasn’t to be. Dani made a great start and looked very strong with race winning pace. But he was unlucky to crash and this can happen when you’re going all out for victory. The Repsol Honda Team has shown unfulfilled potential today and we’ll do all we can to make good on that potential at the next races.”

Rizla Suzuki

Rizla Suzuki riders Loris Capirossi and Álvaro Bautista both had frustrating races at Laguna Seca today, but for very different reasons.

Loris Capirossi • Courtesy Rizla Suzuki

Capirossi brought his Rizla Suzuki home in 10th position after initially being given ninth in the classification. Video evidence was used to show that Mika Kallio crossed the line just in-front of Capirossi by only 0.001 seconds. Capirossi had battled hard through the whole race to preserve his position after a poor first few laps had cost him dearly in the standings, but unfortunately lost out on a hard-fought ninth in the final metre.

Bautista was yet again the victim of another incident as Aleix Espargaro knocked Suzuki’s Spanish rider out of the race at the start of the third lap. Bautista had already got into a good rhythm and had passed a couple of other riders before Espargaro’s intervention bought his race to an abrupt end for the second week in succession.

Over 51,000 people filled the hillsides around the Laguna Seca circuit to see Jorge Lorenzo record his sixth victory of the season and further strengthen his position at the head of the World Championship standings.

The whole MotoGP paddock will now have a short mid-season break, before re-grouping for the next round of the championship at Brno in the Czech Republic on Sunday 15th August.

Loris Capirossi:

“I think we did our job today because our rhythm is about half-a-second slower than qualifying and that’s where we were. I tried to do a different line on every one of the 32 laps to try and improve my time in the third section, but I struggled with front feeling. The race was quite tough and at the end I got in a fight with Kallio and Espargaro. On the last lap I tried to close the door to protect my place, but it seems he got me right on the line. I thought I was in front but the video shows he beat me. I don’t really care whether it was ninth or tenth because it’s not good enough and we have to go up the leader-board!”

Alvaro Bautista • Courtesy Rizla Suzuki

Álvaro Bautista:

“I had a poor start because the bike wheelied too much and I lost some positions, but in the first couple of laps I felt good and was able to pass some other riders. I felt good on the bike and at the start of the third lap I passed Espargaro on the first corner and as I made the normal line to the second turn, which is two consecutive corners, he was in the middle of the last turn and hit me in the body and I crashed. This is very disappointing because I felt really very good and had been able to overtake other riders quite easily. It has been a bad start for me here in Laguna Seca, but we must make sure we keep the hard work going at the next races.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“It was obviously disappointing that Álvaro got tangled up with Espargaro and knocked off the track so early on in the race – especially as his potential had picked up so consistently over the course of the weekend. That’s the last two Grands Prix that have ended with him on the floor through no fault of his own – we just have to hope his luck changes very quickly.

“Loris’s start wasn’t too bad, but the first couple of laps didn’t go to plan and a decent gap opened up to the group in front. After that it was a question of fighting as hard as he could and it was a shame to lose ninth right on the line. Brno’s a track that the bike’s gone well at in the past and a track that Loris loves, so we’re looking forward to the race there and a very important test on the Monday afterwards.”

Paginas Amarillas Aspar

Mist and low temperatures during the morning warmup for the U.S. Grand Prix gave cause for concern on Sunday, but the skies cleared at Laguna Seca just in time for the race start. An evening viewing experience for European fans (GMT-7), the race was early afternoon viewing for the locals in a 2pm slot.

Hector Barbera • Courtesy Aspar

Dani Pedrosa had a clear strategy of a speedy start and a runaway victory akin to that of 2009, with Jorge Lorenzo attempting to chase his rival down. Pedrosa had broken free on lap six, but with 21 laps remaining the race leader was out of the day’s headline attraction. A lowside for Pedrosa not only ended the Spaniard’s chances of taking the win, but also brought the battle for first place to a premature conclusion. Nobody had the pace to catch Lorenzo, who took the win ahead of Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi. Retiring from the race were Álvaro Bautista, Héctor Barberá, Aleix Espargaró and Marco Simoncelli -all rookies at the Laguna Seca circuit.

Barbera had started from tenth on the grid and as one of only three riders to take points from every round so far in the 2010 season. The Páginas Amarillas rider would pick up his first DNF of the year after only three laps, however. Sometimes hard work is not enough, and luck was not on the Spaniard’s side on Sunday. A problem with the chain of his Ducati machine brought an end to his race, in a situation that comes with the job of being a motorcycle racer. Barberá’s great showing in the first half of his rookie season gives him cause for joy over the summer break, and he will be back and fully motivated at the next round of the series, in Brno at the end of next month.

Héctor Barberá (DNF):
“It has been a real shame, but we all know that anything can happen in a race and that mechanical parts can fail on you. In this instance it was the chain that came loose, and it came off completely on the third lap. I saw on the start that the bike was bucking and was dropping in performance. When you suffer a crash it is frustrating, because it means that you have found your limit, but when your race ends because of a factor that is out of your hands -especially something like a chain- then it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth more than anything. I want to be optimistic in any case, taking this setback in the best way possible; I was fast all weekend, something that I can take away from Laguna Seca. My quickest lap here was only a few tenths off the fastest race lap from 2009, which gives us reason to be pleased. Myself and the team are working better and better together with every race and this will be crucial for the second half of the season.”

AMA Pro Racing (Daytona SportBike)

MONTEREY, Calif. (July 25, 2010) – When the dust cleared it was Martin Cardenas and his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki that rode to his sixth and maybe best win of the 2010 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike by AMSOIL season. Certainly for Cardenas, winning today at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca had special meaning but it is the way that he won that also made for another thrilling day of racing in this competitive series.

– TV broadcast will be late tonight (Sunday) at 12 a.m. midnight ET (9 p.m. PT) on SPEED –

After starting eighth, the irrepressible Steve Rapp and his small but effective Team Latus Motors Ducati team took yet another podium finish with a very determined second place. Finishing third was Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha rider Clinton Seller, who mixed it up with the front runners from the very drop of the flag and in the process posted his best finish of the season.

These results alone don’t tell the story of the race and it was DNA Energy Drink Ducati rider Bobby Fong that really put on an impressive show. Fong fought his way quickly to the front passing Pole sitter Tommy Aquino before the end of lap one basically set sail, at one point building a lead of over two seconds on the usually close Daytona SportBike field. And close it was behind Fong with at least five riders grouped together battling for every inch on the 11 turn flowing 2.238-mile natural road course.

Aquino and his Team Graves Yamaha teammate Josh Herrin were in the mix as was Seller and also Danny Eslick who actually grabbed second and led the six bike train for a while. Eslick, Herrin, Seller, Aquino, Cardenas and Rapp all made up this group but as the race went on Eslick dropped back and Cardenas started his march to the front. Try as he might, Herrin could not shake off Seller, Aquino and Cardenas. Rapp fell back a little and battled with Eslick.

On lap eleven, things started to happen, Cardenas passed Aquino and in the famous corkscrew at the top of the circuit, Josh Herrin ran off the track and did a great job staying upright as he rejoined but now back in seventh. At the end of this lap, Cardenas made a solid pass on Seller at the last turn and set sail for Fong.

“Bobby was two or three seconds clear and I was a little bit worried because I saw that Herrin wasn’t gaining on him,” said Cardenas. “I thought maybe today the best finish was going to be second but I pushed very hard for two or three laps and I caught him.”

At that point Fong caught some slower riders and Cardenas was able to get right up to him quicker than even he expected, “I caught him and stayed with him and unfortunately for him, he lost the front under braking. From then on it became a little bit difficult to maintain concentration but I was able to break through here and win,” said a pleased Martin after the race.

Winning here at Laguna Seca is special for the Suzuki rider, “I always wanted to win here, ever since I first came here in 2007, it is my favorite track but for some reason, I was always fast but like last year, when I had pole, I crashed. Fortunately for me this time I could do it, I am very happy.”

Bobby Fong had his mishap on lap 15 and even thought he quickly picked up his Ducati and rejoined, there was too much damage to continue and he retired. Since Road America, Fong has been riding well and he is now another part of the mix at the front of the field. Meanwhile, it looked like Tommy Aquino was going to lead Seller home for the other two podium spots but on lap 21 of 23, Steve Rapp pulled a double pass and went from fourth to second in one move in turn two.

Seller tried to fight back at turn eleven but Rapp’s Ducati was running better and better and he was able to pull away and take his fifth podium finish and his third second place finish of the season. A win can’t be far behind for him and Team Latus Motors Ducati Racing.

Seller took a nice third in his best finish of the season, his best previous finish was fourth at race one at Road America. “I look forward to trying to be up here from now on,” Seller said as he came off the podium.

Aquino was disappointed in fourth but he continues to ride well and his day will come. Eslick was OK with his fifth. “It wasn’t our best day for the GEICO Powersports Suzuki, but I’ll take fifth and let’s move on,” said Danny.

Herrin took a subdued sixth and maintains the points lead by one point over Eslick, (264 – 263) with Martin closing with 252.

Cory West and Chris Fillmore took seventh and eighth on their Vesrah Suzuki’s and Michael Beck did post a result for the DNA Energy Drink Ducati team in ninth. Fernando Amantini took another good result with tenth on his Kawasaki, following up from his ninth place finish last week at Mid-Ohio.

The racing was again close and exciting throughout the field and the Daytona SportBike riders put on a great show for the assembled teams from the MotoGP World Championship. The AMA Pro Daytona SportBike by AMSOIL championship chase resumes August 13-15 at Virgina International Raceway in Alton, Va. Please visit www.amaproracing.com for complete results.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.