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MotoGP Catalunya: Sunday (updated regularly)
June 14, 2009 by admin
Filed under Race Updates
NEWEST AT TOP
Yamaha
Yamaha superstars Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo dominated an incredible Catalan Grand Prix today, delivering a show-stopping performance from start to finish at Montmeló in front of a packed house. It was the reigning World Champion Rossi who finally emerged the winner, taking a memorable 99th career victory after a stunning last-corner pass on his 22-year-old team-mate, but the Fiat Yamaha pair were separated by under one hundredth of a second after 25 thrilling laps.
After running at a near identical pace all weekend it always looked like being a head-to-head between them and they set off in grid order with Lorenzo leading from Rossi and Casey Stoner. The Italian made his first move at the end of the straight on lap four and passed the Mallorcan into turn one, but all three remained within half a second of each other until four laps later, when the Yamaha duo on their YZR-M1s began to pull away from Stoner, quickly opening out a second’s gap and leaving the rest of the field trailing in their wake. With just a couple of tenths between them there was no margin for error but at the end of the back straight on lap thirteen Lorenzo saw a way through and passed his team-mate to take the lead. They continued wheel to wheel until Rossi made another move ten laps later, but the race still wasn’t over and there were several more nail biting changes of lead between them before Lorenzo looked to have it sewn-up half way round the final lap. The nine-time champion had one more card to play on the youngster however and edged his machine through in an inch-perfect last corner challenge to take his ninth win in all classes at this track.
With Stoner finishing third, the three incredibly now have 106 points apiece after six races, meaning something of a championship restart for them at the Dutch TT in Assen in two week’s time, a favourite track for both Rossi and Lorenzo.
Valentino Rossi, 1st
“As we say in Italy, “Mamma Mia!” I think I can honestly say that this was one of the best and hardest wins of my career. Maybe Laguna last year was more important but this was a great, great victory because it went to the very last corner and it’s a long time since that has happened. I have dreamed about that move for the last two weeks and today it worked and I am so happy to have this 99th win. We did a perfect job all weekend and my M1 and Bridgestone tyres were brilliant, but we knew that Lorenzo was in the same situation and for sure he was very strong today. I had to be very brave and take it right to the limit in order to beat him. This victory today is more important than the 25 points and anyway now we all have the same, what a championship this is! As well as thanking my team, I especially want to dedicate this win to my Crew Chief Jeremy Burgess because his mother sadly died yesterday. I have to say thank you to her and to him because without him, for sure, I would never have arrived at 99 wins. Now I am going to go to sleep for quite a long time because I need to recover from this excitement!”
Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd
“This was an incredible battle today and a brilliant show for everyone, I am happy to have been a part of it. Of course I am sad to have lost because I put my heart on my bike and in my career I am more used to winning these last-lap fights, but today Valentino was maybe a little bit cleverer or a little bit braver than me at the very end and he was able to beat me. In fact during that last lap, after I passed him, I expected him to pass me back on the brakes much earlier but he didn’t come, and then I just didn’t close the line enough on the final corner and that was it. I am proud however because I am young and I still have a lot to learn in this class. My team have worked so well all weekend so thanks to them, if we can continue as strongly as this all season then who knows what can happen?”
Davide Brivio, Team Manager
“This race deserves one of the top places in the gallery of Valentino’s career. First of all, it was great day for Yamaha because we dominated a great race, with clean fighting and a great show. Everyone has been talking about the fact that there hasn’t been a last-lap overtake in 43 races but I think we answered that today! For Valentino it is a very important victory and a win like that is great motivation, but the best thing for us is that it confirms what a good job we have done on the set-up. On Friday morning we made some significant modifications to the bike so thanks to all the technicians, engineers and the team because they are the ones that have developed these solutions and this victory is the best reward. To win a great race like this you must have a rider like Valentino and a bike and team like ours. The other riders are young and they will soon learn how to do the same, but for the time being Valentino is the only one who can do it. Tomorrow we will do some testing. We were looking forward to it, but in fact a lot of the things that we would have tested we have already tried out this weekend! Anyway, we will be here again working hard to make our rider’s life even better for the remainder of the championship.”
Daniele Romagnoli, Team Manager
“What a race! It’s a great day for Jorge, for the team and also a great day for Yamaha. It was a fantastic battle, which I think everyone enjoyed watching and seeing Jorge fight to the end with Valentino was very special for our side of the garage. It’s a very important result because 20 points means we have the same points as Valentino and Casey and now we can go to the next race in a strong position. Hopefully we can continue in this shape and maybe next time we can reverse the podium position!”
Edwards seventh, Toseland 13th in Spanish sauna
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards moved into the top six in the MotoGP world championship standings today after finishing seventh in physically demanding Catalunya GP.
Starting the 25-lap race from the second row of the grid, the American lost four places in a typically frenetic opening lap before settling into a consistently fast rhythm as temperatures again soared close to 40 degrees.
Holding eighth until the 13th lap as he again battled to overcome a lack of front-end feel from his Monster Yamaha Tech YZR-M1, Edwards passed Randy de Puniet on lap 14 to claim seventh position.
That put him just over three seconds off a battle for fifth place involving Italian veteran Loris Capirossi and Dani Pedrosa. Edwards produced a determined effort to put pressure on Pedrosa and he was only 1.4s away from the Spaniard and a third top six finish of the season at the chequered flag. Today’s result lifted Edwards into sixth in the overall points and he’s now the leading non-factory rider in the series.
A poor start ruined James Toseland’s hopes of capitalising on his best grid position of the season as he slipped back from ninth to 16th on the first lap in front of 88,502 sun-kissed fans at the Montmelo circuit.
Despite the early setback, the British rider went into full attack mode and became locked in an exciting duel with home favourite Sete Gibernau. Toseland passed Gibernau on lap 16, though by that stage he’d lost contact with a five-rider battle ahead. He eventually recovered to 13th after a pass on Marco Melandri on lap 22.
Colin Edwards 7th - 54 points
“It was a hard race physically because it was so hot out there but I felt I couldn’t ride how I want because of the front-end issue again. But I lost a few places off the line and I’m struggling to get this year’s bike to start. I’m good on the clutch but with the wheelbase shorter on the Yamaha this year I struggle to keep the front-end down as I’m accelerating. I felt good this morning in the warm-up when I was third. It was a bit cooler and I could get the bike to turn, but as soon as it gets hot and slippy I can’t get the bike to turn at all. If I tried to push it would just push the front wide and lose time. I want to push and I could see (Loris) Capirossi and (Dani) Pedrosa in front of me, but the more I push the more mistakes I’d make. As many problems as I’ve had this weekend with the crash yesterday and the lack of feel with the front, I can’t really be upset with seventh. I’m not happy with it, but it was a bit of damage limitation this weekend. My guys at Mon ster Yamaha Tech 3 have worked really hard and we’re going to sort this out and be back fighting closer to the front in Assen, which is a circuit I love.”
James Toseland 13th - 29 points
“I’m really disappointed because I went into the race with high expectations after my best qualifying of the year. But I made a bad mistake off the line and gave myself a mountain to climb. The engine just bogged and I lost a load of time and had no chance of getting it back because everybody is doing similar times ahead of me. I also had a few set-up issues in the race and I’m not happy with that. I didn’t have a lot of rear grip and we’ve got to work on the setting to find some rear grip when the tyre is starting to wear. After about eight or ten laps I was having a few issues with rear grip, but the bad start was what really cost me and that was my fault. It’s frustrating because we’ve been going in the right direction and it had looked like we might have had a decent weekend. But I’ll pick myself up and be ready to give it my all again for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in Assen.”
Herve Poncharal - Team Manager
“That was an incredible show and an incredible result for Yamaha. I congratulate them because it was unforgettable and anybody who says MotoGP is boring should watch that race. For Monster Yamaha Tech 3 it was a decent result but I think Colin and James will acknowledge they could have been a bit higher up. Colin had a bad start and by the time he recovered, Pedrosa and Capirossi were a bit too far in front of him. He never gave up and he was rewarded by moving back into the top six in the world championship and he’s the best non-factory rider at the moment, so credit to him. It was disappointing for James because all weekend he has been very strong. He is making progress and I know he can bounce back from this and be back challenging for the top ten in Assen.”
Circuit Length: 4727
Weather: Very Hot
Lap Record: 1′43.195 (Valentino Rossi, 01/01/2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1′41.186 (Casey Stoner, 08/06/2008)
Last Years Winner: Daniel Pedrosa
2009 MotoGP - Catalunya 14/06/2009
Race 1
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 43′11.897
2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0′00.095
3 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 0′08.884
4 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0′09.936
5 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0′19.831
6 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0′22.182
7 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0′23.547
8 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0′25.265
9 Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 0′31.797
10 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0′33.593
11 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0′36.683
12 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 0′36.874
13 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0′39.433
14 Marco Melandri Kawasaki ITA 0′44.788
15 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 0′46.754
Rider Standings 14/06/2009
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 106
2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 106
3. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 106
4. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 69
5. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 67
6. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 54
7. Marco Melandri Kawasaki ITA 50
8. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 49
9. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 42
10. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 42
11. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 29
12. Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 26
13. Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 25
14. Toni Elias Honda ESP 23
15. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 19
Manufacturer Standings 14/06/2009
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Yamaha 140
2. Ducati 106
3. Honda 89
4. Suzuki 60
5. Kawasaki 50
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Pramac Racing
Almost ninety thousands spectators were present at the Montmelò circuit, in Barcelona, for the Grand Prix of Cataluña. A spectacular race for the firsts positions, but also a positive race for Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing rider, who has conquered a good result also thanks to the work did by the Ducati test Team at Mugello that brought interesting updates. The Finnish rider, who started from tenth position, has stepped in seventh position after the first intermediate. A small mistake put him in eleventh position after the first lap. In the seventh lap, with more confidence with the track and with the fuel tank a bit lighter, and therefore a bike more easy to ride, he made it to overtake Elias and Melandri placing himself in ninth position. From here it has started a race of managing for Mika because Edwards, in eighth position, was to far to try to reach him. His teammate, Niccolò Canepa, has concluded his first Grand Prix in Barcelona in sixteenth position just a position from the point’s zone. Next MotoGP round in two weeks time at Assen for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Fabiano Sterlacchini - Pramac Racing Technical Director
“This has been for us a positive race. We arrived here from not the luckiest performances and notwithstanding some problems encountered during practices, in the race Mika made it to control the situation obtaining a good result. Mika has started really good, but in the first laps with the full fuel tank the bike was a bit stiff. Lap after lap he has improved accomplishing two great overtakes and conquering the ninth position. From today we can restart the championship also because we had three Ducati in the top ten.”
Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing rider - 9th in the race - 12th in the Championship
“It was so hot today, I am really not used to it ! The race went well, I have done a good start but I made a small mistake after a few turns and in the first lap I was eleventh. At the beginning if you make a small error you lose many position. With the full fuel tank I had some difficulties to control the bike, but after a few laps when the bike was lighter I was able to push always more overtaking Elias and Melandri. I have tried to reach Edwards but by pushing so hard I was afraid that the tyres would have kept the same grip until the end. We are happy and we hope to be able to improve in the next races.”
Niccolò Canepa - Pramac Racing rider - 16th in the race - 16th in the Championship
“With this temperatures it was really difficult for me. Not for my physical conditions, that are good, but because during all racing weekend I couldn’t feel the right grip with the rear tyre. Only Saturday morning, when the temperatures were lower I could manage to maintain a good rhythm. We will try to do better in Assen in two weeks time.”
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San Carlo Honda Gresini
A promising Grand Prix of Catalunya ended in disappointment for San Carlo Honda Gresini Team riders Toni Elias and Alex de Angelis today, with the Spaniard unable to capitalise on fifth place on the grid as he crashed out on lap ten, whilst the San Marinese also struggled to build on an encouraging qualifying session as he finished twelfth.
Cloud cover made for slightly cooler conditions today than yesterday, with 36ºC registering on track and ambient temperatures of 46ºC, although the air was more humid as a result, making it no easier for the riders on track. Elias showed his talent and potential with a flying lap yesterday afternoon but he was never quite comfortable with his race set-up here and, determined to put on a show for his home fans, his attempts to make up for the deficits in the bike ended in disappointment when he slid out of tenth place.
De Angelis had a running battle with Nicky Hayden in the early stages of the race and was up as high as eleventh when the pair passed Marco Melandri on lap seventeen. However, struggling to hold his pace through the long corners at the Montmeló circuit, he lost a position to Chris Vermeulen in the latter stages and had to settle for a four-point haul.
Toni Elias (DNF):
“I was riding on the limit today to try and finish tenth and that tells you everything about our situation. I didn’t make any mistakes when I crashed – I wasn’t going any faster and I didn’t brake any harder than I had done on the previous laps, the bike just let go and that was it. It’s disappointing but racing can be like this sometimes. We have to keep thinking positive and look ahead to the test tomorrow, when hopefully we can make some progress. We’ve shown we can do a fast lap but we need to improve our race pace so that is the objective for the test, even though we have no new parts to try. Tomorrow is another day!”
Alex De Angelis (12th):
“The position is clearly not what we want and I don’t think it’s a true reflection of my potential, which I showed last season is in the top six. This year we’re having a few more problems and we haven’t managed to resolve them as quickly as we would have liked. The only positive thing is that in the opening race in Qatar I was fifty seconds behind the winner and now we have reduced that gap to thirty seconds so we’re obviously doing something right. What we need now is to find more grip at full lean because when the bike is at a higher angle the traction is good and we get a glimpse of the potential of the bike. When I can improve my corner speed, which is one of my strengths as a rider, we can make bigger steps forward and this is the target for the test tomorrow and the next race at Assen.”
Fausto Gresini - Team Manager:
“We’re trying to help our riders as much as we can to improve and I think you can see from Toni’s crash that he is giving everything he has too. We’ve taken a small step forward from Mugello but the situation is still difficult. Alex is still suffering in a few areas and we need to make the best of the test to get the best possible base set-up for him. Putting this result behind us and looking ahead to the next race with optimism is the only way for us to move forward.”
1.Valentino ROSSI ITA Yamaha 43’ 11” 897
2.Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha 43’ 11” 992
3.Casey STONER AUS Ducati 43’ 20” 781
4.Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Honda 43’ 20” 833
5. Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Suzuki 43’ 31” 728
6.Dani PEDROSA SPA Honda 43’ 34” 079
7. Colin EDWARDS USA Yamaha 43’ 35” 444
8. Randy DE PUNIET FRA Honda 43’ 37” 162
9. Mika KALLIO FIN Ducati 43’ 43” 694
10. Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati 43’ 45” 490
11. Chris VERMEULLEN AUS Suzuki 43’ 48” 580
12. Alex DE ANGELIS RSM Honda 43’ 48” 771
Toni ELIAS SPA Honda Non Classificato
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Ducati Marlboro
With 106 points and two victories each from six races so far this season, the three gladiators that stand together at the top of the MotoGP World Championship stood side by side on the podium at Catalunya today, each having written their own page in another thrilling chapter of motorcycling history. Whilst Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo fought a fantastic battle for victory to the final corner, Casey Stoner had to fight his own battle against illness to secure a priceless third place. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider was so debilitated by stomach cramps that he was barely able to sleep last night and at the halfway stage of the race today he considered something that for him is unthinkable – giving up. However, after a weekend of hard work from Stoner and his crew, which continued until after this morning’s warm-up, the Australian knew that the perfect set-up of his GP9 could help him and he steeled himself for a final push. That he set the fastest lap of the race is testament to the fact that he would otherwise have been involved in that epic fight for victory.
Tenth place for his team-mate Nicky Hayden, added to ninth for Mika Kallio, made it three Ducatis in the top ten today, demonstrating the improving performance of the machine. Hayden had every reason to be satisfied with the result and he is now looking forward to returning to the track tomorrow for the first of two of post-GP tests this season, the second of which will follow the Czech round at Brno in August.
CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd
“I haven’t felt in great shape all weekend – I wasn’t ill but I wasn’t quite myself. Then last night I couldn’t sleep, I probably got a couple of hours at the most, and after just a couple of laps this morning I was destroyed. I decided to race myself, basically, and bring home as many points as I could manage but my bike was fantastic and that is why I was able to ride it to a really valuable podium. The team did a perfect job after the warm-up and if I wasn’t so ill, I think I could have stayed with Valentino and Jorge until the end, although I’m not saying I could have beaten them. I started to suffer from really strong cramps and I could barely ride – I was falling over the front of the bike in the hard-braking areas and I was struggling to keep my concentration. I thought about stopping but decided to just back off for a while and try to hang on for a top ten. The bike was so good that I was able to keep up a decent pace and hold off Dovizioso. Tonight I’ll try to get plenty of rest and recover my strength for the test tomorrow because this is an important period in the championship and we need to test. After that it’s Assen and I’m already looking forward to it.”
NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) 10th
“I was hoping for a little more than this but realistically at the moment it was the best I could manage. I started from near the back but kept passing people and made progress throughout the race. I got close to Kallio and tried my best to pass him but made a couple of mistakes and he beat me. All in all it’s not a spectacular result but it is definitely a step forward. I’ve been close to the front guys all weekend, we’ve worked well and we’ve learnt a lot about the bike. I’m already looking forward to getting back on the bike for the test tomorrow and continuing to work down this path, which we think is the right one.”
LIVIO SUPPO –Ducati MotoGP Project Director
“Casey was outstanding today – he certainly wasn’t in top physical condition but once again he gave it absolutely everything. He set the fastest lap of the race and for as long as he was physically able he was right there with Valentino and Jorge, who have otherwise been one step ahead of us all weekend. The team also did a great job to make some changes after the warm-up and get the bike in the right shape. So today is a third place that actually means more than that, like Jerez. As far as Nicky is concerned we’re starting to reap the fruit of a lot of hard work. It was a much more positive weekend than Mugello, from his sixth fastest time on Friday right through to a top ten finish today. We just need to shave a few tenths more off his lap time and that will be the objective for us in the test tomorrow.”
Podium GP Catalunya 2009
1st Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 2nd Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Casey Stoner (Ducati)
Fastest lap: Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1’42.858
Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda - 2008), 1’42.358 - 166.251 Km/h
2009 Pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1’41.974 - 166.877 Km/h
Best Pole: Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2008), 1’41.186 - 168.177 Km/h
Riders World Championship
1st Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 106 points; 2nd Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 106; 3rd Casey Stoner (Ducati) 106; 4th Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) 69; 5th Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 67; … 15th Nicky Hayden (Ducati) 19.
Constructors World Championship
1st Yamaha (140 points); 2nd Ducati (106); 3rd Honda (89); 4th Suzuki (60); 5th Kawasaki (50)
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Repsol Honda
The Grand Prix of Catalunya produced a nail-biting race for the Repsol Honda Team riders, with Andrea Dovizioso once again finishing amazingly close to the podium and Dani Pedrosa defying the odds to take a valiant sixth place. In the last three races Dovizioso has edged ever-closer to the podium: at Le Mans he was fourth by 0.560s, in Mugello the gap was a mere 0.053s and this time he crossed the line just 0.052s from Casey Stoner in third, after hunting down the Australian rider for much of the race. The result is the fourth time Dovizioso has finished fourth from the six races this season and, as the Italian continues to gel ever-better with his factory RC212V, a top-three finish can’t be too far away.
Pedrosa drew on all his reserves of resilience today to ignore the pain from his right hip and fight to a brave sixth place in gruelingly hot conditions. The Spanish rider - a hero for so many fans here in Barcelona - went from eighth on the grid to fourth on the first lap, and for a while it looked like he too might be able to fight for the podium. The 23-year-old however couldn’t maintain the pace of the front three and slipped to sixth to score 10 valuable points. Considering his doubtful condition coming in to this race, Pedrosa’s performance in the 36 degree temperatures at the Montmelo circuit this afternoon was all the more impressive. To give him the maximum opportunity to recovery before the next race, the Team decided that an understandably exhausted Pedrosa will not take part in the MotoGP test here tomorrow.
Dovizioso however will return with the rest of the Repsol Honda Team to the circuit near Barcelona to carry out testing on the RC212V before preparing for the Dutch TT at Assen, which takes place on Saturday 27 June.
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – 4th – World Championship position 4th: 69 points
“We had a great race today and we finished only nine seconds behind the winner - this is a very important point and we are getting closer every time. We only missed the podium by 52 thousandths of a second, which is a pity because I really like this racetrack and we were fast for the whole weekend, so the podium was the target and it was within the reach. I didn’t have a good start and it took me some time to overtake Randy and then Dani which meant I had a gap to close before I could reach Stoner. Maybe I should have tried to attack Casey with six laps to go, when he slowed down, because later I didn’t have any other chance. The race conditions were really demanding because it was really hot today, but the result was promising and we can move on from here.”
DANI PEDROSA – 6th – World Championship position 5th: 67 points
“It’s been a very hard weekend and I finished the race exhausted and in a lot of pain, but I don’t regret being here this weekend trying to do my best. I didn’t want to miss my home race and even though sixth position is not the best result in front of my fans, I’m happy with it. I could feel their enormous support during the whole weekend and it helped me a lot to race. It also wouldn’t have been possible without the doctors’ help: they kept me in the best possible condition to bear the pain. The injections I’ve had on each day worked, but obviously to do 25 laps it’s been very hard. The doctors told me that this fracture needs time to heal so I’m going to rest as much as possible and see what the progress is for Assen. The Team asked me not test tomorrow to give me the best chance to recover and it’s a sensible decision. I didn’t have a great start today, but I could manage to stay in the second group in the race. I tried to stay with Capirossi, but I couldn’t, so I choose to maintain the sixth position. I’m really tired now, but it was a worthwhile race.”
KAZUHIKO YAMANO - REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER
“Again both riders put up a fighting display in exhausting conditions today. Andrea fought very hard to close the gap to third place and was very close to taking the position. His pace was very impressive today and with this kind of form he should get the podium finish he deserves soon. Of course Dani wanted to repeat his win from last year but today it wasn’t possible and he did an excellent job to take the points he did. It’s best now that he rests before Assen. The team has again worked very hard this weekend and we will continue to do so until we are achieving the winning results we need.”
Race Result - Round 6
1 Valentino Rossi 43m 11.897 ITA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo +0.095 SPA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
3 Casey Stoner +8.884 AUS DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
4 Andrea Dovizioso +8.936 ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
5 Loris Capirossi +19.831 ITA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
6 Dani Pedrosa +22.182 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
7 Colin Edwards +23.547 USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
8 Randy De Puniet +25.265 FRA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
9 Mika Kallio +31.797 FIN DUCATI Pramac Racing
10 Nicky Hayden +33.593 USA DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
11 Chris Vermeulen +36.683 AUS SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
12 Alex De Angelis +36.874 SMR HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
13 James Toseland +39.433 GBR YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
14 Marco Melandri +44.788 ITA KAWASAKI Hayate Racing Team
15 Sete Gibernau +46.754 SPA DUCATI Grupo Francisco Hernando
16 Niccolo Canepa +55.873 ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing
17 Gabor Talmacsi +1m 27.640 HUN HONDA Scot Racing Team MotoGP
Championship standings
1 Jorge Lorenzo 106 pts SPA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
2 Valentino Rossi 106 pts ITA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
3 Casey Stoner 106 pts AUS DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
4 Andrea Dovizioso 69 pts ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
5 Dani Pedrosa 67 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
6 Colin Edwards 54 pts USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
7 Marco Melandri 50 pts ITA KAWASAKI Hayate Racing Team
8 Loris Capirossi 49 pts ITA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
9 Randy De Puniet 42 pts FRA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
10 Chris Vermeulen 42 pts AUS SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
11 James Toseland 29 pts GBR YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
12 Mika Kallio 26 pts FIN DUCATI Pramac Racing
13 Alex De Angelis 25 pts SMR HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
14 Toni Elias 23 pts SPA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
15 Nicky Hayden 19 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
16 Niccolo Canepa 10 pts ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing
17 Sete Gibernau 9 pts SPA DUCATI Grupo Francisco Hernando
18 Yuki Takahashi 8 pts JAP HONDA Scot Racing Team MotoGP
19 Gabor Talmacsi 0 pts HUN HONDA Scot Racing Team MotoGP
Circuit information
First race 1992 (Modified 1995)
GPs held 17
Laps 25
Race distance 118.175km / 73.425miles
Track length 4.727km / 2.937miles
Track width 12m
Longest straight 1.047km / 0.651miles
Corners 13 (8 right, 5 left)
Pole position Left
Circuits de Catalunya S.L.
Mas “La Moreneta”
P.O. Box 27
08160 Montmeló
Barcelona
Spain
T: (34)-93-5719700
F: (34)- 93-5722772
Circuit records
Pole position 1m41.186s (168.177Km/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2008)
Race lap 1m42.358s (166.251Km/h) Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2008)
Race time 43m02.175s (164.756km/h) Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2008)
MotoGP Wins 5 (Valentino Rossi 2001-02, 2004-06)
2008 Winner Dani Pedrosa (Honda)
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LCR Honda
Montmeló, 14 June: the LCR Honda MotoGP rider Randy De Puniet made another positive performance at Montmeló circuit today closing the sixth round of the calendar in 8th position. The Catalunya Grand Prix was run at a very hot pace today (36°°C air temperature) ahead 88.500 fans with 800cc riders struggling with the extreme heat.
De Puniet started from the from the third row after yesterday’s qualifying when the he missed the second row by less than 0.007s (7th) but took a very good start ending the first lap in 4th place. After that De Puniet set impressive lap times fighting with the factory bikes till the last lap. Rossi took the victory followed by Lorenzo and Stoner.
LCR crew will remain at Montmeló tomorrow for one day of testing before moving to Netherlands for the Dutch GP on the 27th of June.
De Puniet – 8th:
“I am very happy because I think we had a great week end. It has been a hard race for everybody but I took a perfect start from the third row ending the first lap in 4th place. After that I set my rhythm but some guys (Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Capirossi) overtook me on the straight in the following laps. I am not surprised about that and we have to accept it. Edwards was a bit faster than me but I push to keep his slipstream for the last 10 laps. I could not do better than this and we deserve this 8th place behind the Factory bikes. We are 9th in the provisional world standing and we need to continue in this way for the future races. I want to thank my squad for their efforts”.
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Rizla Suzuki
Rizla Suzuki racer Loris Capirossi rode a terrific race at Montmelo in Catalunya today, to score a superb fifth position after an exciting 25-lap race.
Capirossi got a great start from 11th on the grid and was up into seventh by the end of the first lap. He set his fastest lap of the race on lap five as he also moved up to sixth place. Capirossi was then involved in a long battle with Dani Pedrosa before finally getting the better of the Spaniard on lap 17. The duel had cost him valuable time and Capirossi was unable to make up any more places as he brought his Suzuki GSV-R home for his second successive fifth place.
Chris Vermeulen had a tough race as he was boxed in early on in and relegated down to 16th from 12th on the grid. Vermeulen again showed his true racer spirit - and although he felt he never really got into a good rhythm - he gradually picked off riders one-by-one to get up to 11th when the chequered flag dropped.
The bright sunshine of this weekend gave way to cloud cover for most of this afternoon’s race, but air temperatures still stayed in the mid-30s and the crowd of over 88,000 at trackside were treated to a great battle at the front between World Champion Valentino Rossi and local hero Jorge Lorenzo, with Rossi getting the better of his Yamaha team-mate on the final corner to secure victory.
Rizla Suzuki will now stay at Montmelo for an exhaustive day of testing that is planned for tomorrow, before heading to Assen in the Netherlands for the Dutch TT to be held on Saturday 27th June.
Loris Capirossi:
“This was the same position as Mugello, but this is a different one because we have worked so hard to get this and it is a great result. All the team - especially Stuart - have worked so hard to get us where we are today. After qualifying I didn’t feel that the bike was quite right and Stuart worked with the guys until late to find a solution. He told me that he was going to make big changes for the race and we tried it during this morning’s warm-up and the bike felt really good. During the race I kept my rhythm after a good start and when I got close to Pedrosa I lost some time off the front guys because his bike was so fast in some places I couldn’t get past, and he held me up a bit. If I hadn’t got stuck for a few laps I think I could have stayed with the next group and got a better result. I want to say a big thank-you to Suzuki because they have brought a new engine here and it was an improvement on the old one - I think if I’d had that engine in Mugello I’d have been on the podium! Most of all I want to thank all my guys individually Stuart, Ian, Gary, Jeff, George, Tex and Jez all did a great job and without them I wouldn’t have got that result today!”
Chris Vermeulen:
“It was a difficult race and although I got a good start I got a bit boxed in and found myself at the wrong end of the field. We made a change to the front-end of the bike for the race and that was a bit better and it gave me the confidence to push a bit harder. We did score some points today, but it is not where we want to be. We now to some tracks that have been good for us in recent seasons so I hope we get a bit of luck there and put together some good results.”
Paul Denning - Team Manager:
“Fifth place can be either very disappointing - as it was in Mugello - or very encouraging and positive - as it was today. We left ourselves a bit of a mountain to climb after qualifying, but Stuart and the boys turned the bike upside down for warm-up this morning and we gave Loris a much stronger motorcycle, and he was able to use its full potential as he rode a fantastic race. I think if we’d started with that bike on Friday we could have pushed for a better result. The new engine specification definitely helped, and although the difference isn’t big, it’s enough to have a significant bearing on the end result. So I’d like to say thanks to the Factory for speeding up the development and delivering it to Catalunya this weekend.
“On Chris’s side he’s been up against it all weekend and has struggled to get the same feeling or performance level that he achieved last year. The effort from him was 100% - as always - and rather than sling the bike at the fence he kept fighting to the end and brought it home in the best position possible. He’s now coming up to a couple of tracks that he’s really confident at and we’re certain he will achieve much better results.”
Gran Premio Cinzano de Catalunya Race Classification:
1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 43′11.897: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.095: 3. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +8.884: 4. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +8.936: 5. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +19.831: 11. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +36.683:
World Championship Classification:
1. Rossi 106: 2. Lorenzo 106: 3. Stoner 106: 4. Dovizioso 69: 5. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 67: 8. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 49: 10. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 42:
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Bridgestone
Tyre compounds used: Front: Hard. Rear: Extra Hard (asymmetric)
With the highest track temperature of the season so far, the 25 lap Catalunya Grand Prix was always going to be tough on tyres but a spectacular fight to the flag between the Fiat Yamaha duo of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo provided the most demanding test of durability and consistency of the Bridgestone slicks yet.
Although all riders’ fastest laps came within the first five of the race, Rossi and Lorenzo were able to ride with such consistency that apart from lap 21, when they were slowed by one of their many battles for the lead, every one of their laps was within one second.
As the track temperature soared to 52 degrees Celsius, the Fiat Yamaha riders were locked in a nail-biting flat-out battle to the finish using Bridgestone’s hard compound front and extra hard compound asymmetric rear slicks, as used by all riders today. Rossi and Lorenzo repeatedly traded the lead throughout the closing laps and it looked to be Lorenzo’s victory until Rossi used all the available grip from his Bridgestone tyres to outbrake his teammate into the final corner, crossing the line just 0.095seconds ahead of the Spaniard.
Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso was also pushing incredibly hard until the chequered flag, chasing Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner for third position. A fiercely determined performance from an ailing Stoner enabled him to hold onto third and climb the final step of the podium by just 0.052seconds.
The result means that the order of the championship top three is reversed with Rossi leading from Lorenzo and Stoner, but remarkably they have exactly the same number of points; 106.
Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director – Bridgestone Corporation
“I’d like to congratulate Valentino and the Fiat Yamaha Team for a fantastic victory today, and also to Jorge for his part in what was a very exciting finish to such a close race. I’d also like to applaud Casey for his great performance when he wasn’t feeling at his peak. It is great that the championship is so tight at the top with the top three riders on equal points after six races.”
Tohru Ubukata - Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development
“We saw very tough conditions during the race today with the very high ambient and track temperatures and the very close battles at the front that saw riders pushing flat-out until the finish. Twenty five laps of constant pressure in these conditions is very challenging for tyres, and this is one of the most demanding races of the year, so I am pleased with the level of durability, consistency and grip they delivered. I can say that the first grand prix using our asymmetric rear slick tyres has been successful.”
Valentino Rossi - Fiat Yamaha Team – Race Winner
“In Italian we say mamma mia! In the first races I had not enough feeling to do what I want but I came here feeling strong. It was a very difficult race, and I didn’t expect it to be last breath, last corner! The tyres started to slide like normal in Barcelona and I didn’t know whether is possible to overtake in the last corner but I try and it was ok! It was a great race!”
Top ten classification (Sunday 14:00 GMT+2)
Pos. Rider Team Race time Gap Front tyre Rear tyre
1 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 43m11.897s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
2 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 43m11.992s +0.095s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
3 Casey Stoner Ducati Team 43m20.781s +8.884s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
4 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol HondaTeam 43m20.833s +8.936s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
5 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 43m31.728s +19.831s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
6 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 43m34.079s +22.182s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
7 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech3 43m35.444s +23.547s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
8 Randy de Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP 43m37.162s +25.265s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
9 Mika Kallio Pramac Racing 43m43.694s +31.797s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
10 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 43m45.490s +33.593s Hard Extra hard asymmetric
Weather: Dry. Ambient 32°C; Track 46-52°C (Bridgestone measurement)
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MotoGP
An amazing head-to-head battle between Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo saw the Italian take his 99th Grand Prix victory by a 0.095s margin at Barcelona.
In front of nearly 90,000 fans the reigning World Champion battled with the young pretender to his crown throughout the 25-lap MotoGP race, securing the win on the last corner.
Despite some slight cloud cover close to the Mediterranean coast, air temperatures of 40°C meant that it was a draining experience for the premier class riders. Rossi and Lorenzo threw everything into their duel, with ‘The Doctor’ executing a superb move right at the death to take maximum points.
Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) was on the podium again, to maintain his World Championship challenge, with the result leaving Rossi, Lorenzo and the Australian all tied on 106 points at the head of the standings – the Italian on top as the possessor of the most recent victory.
Stoner was absolutely exhausted after the race having worked extremely hard to fend off a strong challenge from Andrea Dovizioso. The Repsol Honda rider produced another consistent display to finish in fourth place for the third round in succession, having started in fourth on the grid -this time missing the podium by 0.052s.
Meanwhile, an excellent battle between Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) for fifth place eventually saw an Italian emerge in front of a Spaniard again, Capirossi crossing the line just over two seconds ahead.
With two-way fights for positions going on throughout the order, Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) used all his experience to overcome Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) for seventh.
New MotoGP arrival Gabor Talmacsi finished his very first premier class race, whilst Scot Racing teammate Yuki Takahashi crashed out on the first lap. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elías meanwhile was also unable to finish as his miserable home record continued.
250cc
Mapfre Aspar’s Álvaro Bautista extended his lead at the top of the 250cc standings to 12 points with a highly polished performance earlier in the afternoon, crossing the finish line seven seconds ahead of his nearest rival Hiroshi Aoyama.
The victory was made all the more sweet by the fact that World Champion Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera) retired with a mechanical problem after crashing on the second lap, meaning that the Italian -who clashed with Bautista in Mugello two weeks ago- dropped to fifth in the standings and now trails the Spaniard by 47 points after six races.
As Bautista took his second victory and fourth podium of the year, Barcelona resident Aoyama (Scot Racing Team) brought his Honda home in second place at his ‘second home race’, beating poleman Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team) on the last lap – the Japanese rider fighting back after looking like he had technical issues in the middle of the race. Aoyama consolidated his second place in the championship with his third podium of the season.
Mattia Pasini (Team Toth Aprilia) dropped in the final laps when looking like he would be on the rostrum again, ultimately finishing in fourth, 3.5s behind Barberá.
Another fight between ‘best of enemies’ Thomas Luthi (Emmi - Caffe Latte) and Alex Debon (Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens) saw the Swiss rider make a late mistake to hand fifth place to the Spaniard.
125cc
Andrea Iannone’s rollercoaster season continued on Sunday in Barcelona as he took a bizarre victory over Julián Simón in the 125cc contest.
The two riders did battle for top spot throughout the race only for Simón to celebrate prematurely as he crossed the line in first place with one lap to go, allowing Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. man Iannone to fly past and take his third win of the year – following three difficult races for the Italian in recent weeks.
Behind second placed finisher Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Team), Simón eventually reached the finishing line neck and neck with his Bancaja Aspar team-mate Sergio Gadea – the pair being recorded as having finished with the same time and a photo finish giving Gadea third spot to complete Simón’s heartbreak.
Great performances from youngsters Marc Márquez (Red Bull KTM) and Jonas Folger (Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.) saw them also fighting for the podium, ultimately finishing fifth and sixth respectively – both within fractions of a second of reaching the rostrum.
With Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) coming home in seventh place, Simón’s only consolation is that he takes over the championship lead from colleague Bradley Smith (also Bancaja Aspar) who was eighth.
The next round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship is the Alice Dutch TT at Assen on 25th-27th June.
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Monster Yamaha Tech3
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards moved into the top six in the MotoGP world championship standings today after finishing seventh in physically demanding Catalunya GP.
Starting the 25-lap race from the second row of the grid, the American lost four places in a typically frenetic opening lap before settling into a consistently fast rhythm as temperatures again soared close to 40 degrees.
Holding eighth until the 13th lap as he again battled to overcome a lack of front-end feel from his Monster Yamaha Tech YZR-M1, Edwards passed Randy de Puniet on lap 14 to claim seventh position.
That put him just over three seconds off a battle for fifth place involving Italian veteran Loris Capirossi and Dani Pedrosa. Edwards produced a determined effort to put pressure on Pedrosa and he was only 1.4s away from the Spaniard and a third top six finish of the season at the chequered flag. Today’s result lifted Edwards into sixth in the overall points and he’s now the leading non-factory rider in the series.
A poor start ruined James Toseland’s hopes of capitalising on his best grid position of the season as he slipped back from ninth to 16th on the first lap in front of 88,502 sun-kissed fans at the Montmelo circuit.
Despite the early setback, the British rider went into full attack mode and became locked in an exciting duel with home favourite Sete Gibernau. Toseland passed Gibernau on lap 16, though by that stage he’d lost contact with a five-rider battle ahead. He eventually recovered to 13th after a pass on Marco Melandri on lap 22.
Colin Edwards 7th – 54 points
“It was a hard race physically because it was so hot out there but I felt I couldn’t ride how I want because of the front-end issue again. But I lost a few places off the line and I’m struggling to get this year’s bike to start. I’m good on the clutch but with the wheelbase shorter on the Yamaha this year I struggle to keep the front-end down as I’m accelerating. I felt good this morning in the warm-up when I was third. It was a bit cooler and I could get the bike to turn, but as soon as it gets hot and slippy I can’t get the bike to turn at all. If I tried to push it would just push the front wide and lose time. I want to push and I could see (Loris) Capirossi and (Dani) Pedrosa in front of me, but the more I push the more mistakes I’d make. As many problems as I’ve had this weekend with the crash yesterday and the lack of feel with the front, I can’t really be upset with seventh. I’m not happy with it, but it was a bit of damage limitation this weekend. My guys at Mon ster Yamaha Tech 3 have worked really hard and we’re going to sort this out and be back fighting closer to the front in Assen, which is a circuit I love.”
James Toseland 13th – 29 points
“I’m really disappointed because I went into the race with high expectations after my best qualifying of the year. But I made a bad mistake off the line and gave myself a mountain to climb. The engine just bogged and I lost a load of time and had no chance of getting it back because everybody is doing similar times ahead of me. I also had a few set-up issues in the race and I’m not happy with that. I didn’t have a lot of rear grip and we’ve got to work on the setting to find some rear grip when the tyre is starting to wear. After about eight or ten laps I was having a few issues with rear grip, but the bad start was what really cost me and that was my fault. It’s frustrating because we’ve been going in the right direction and it had looked like we might have had a decent weekend. But I’ll pick myself up and be ready to give it my all again for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in Assen.”
Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“That was an incredible show and an incredible result for Yamaha. I congratulate them because it was unforgettable and anybody who says MotoGP is boring should watch that race. For Monster Yamaha Tech 3 it was a decent result but I think Colin and James will acknowledge they could have been a bit higher up. Colin had a bad start and by the time he recovered, Pedrosa and Capirossi were a bit too far in front of him. He never gave up and he was rewarded by moving back into the top six in the world championship and he’s the best non-factory rider at the moment, so credit to him. It was disappointing for James because all weekend he has been very strong. He is making progress and I know he can bounce back from this and be back challenging for the top ten in Assen.”
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KTM
Red Bull KTM Moto Sport’s Spanish factory rider Marc Marquez survived a fierce dogfight for third place in Sunday’s 125 cc GP of Catalunya to cross the line in fifth place amid a tight group of six riders contesting the podium finishes.
Marquez, the 16-year-old Spaniard in his rookie year as a full factory team rider, looked impressive as he worked his way up from his third row grid starting position. By lap five he had caught the tail of the second group and was the fastest rider on the circuit at that point of the race.
As the race entered the second half it was clear that while the two front riders, Julian Simone and Andrea Iannone were intent on taking the lead, the trailing group settled in to a battle of attrition for the third place. Marc moved briefly into third place with just five laps to go but then ran wide and had to concede several places.
Marc Marquez:
“This weekend was very, very hard but it was also exciting. The whole weekend was okay for me. We had a good setting on Friday. The bike as a bit nervous but I could ride it. Then it was very hot during Saturday’s qualifying. Maybe the heat made the bike a bit less rideable but today for the race it was running very well again. I had a good start and I was able to catch up quite a few positions. But then in the last part, the bike started to move and I made a mistake and ran wide. I was lucky because where I rode there was no gravel, just tarmac - but I did lose a couple of positions. I really had to fight to get back in touch with the group again and of course I was pushing to try to get a podium, but today it just wasn’t possible.”
The second Red Bull KTM Moto Sport factory rider, 16-year-old American Cameron Beaubier finished eighteenth. Cameron was back racing after an injury pause when he came off in wet weather conditions in Le Mans and fractured his wrist.
Cameron Beaubier:
“I didn’t have a good start and I had a lot of trouble with the clutch. So I dropped right down to the back of the pack and had to fight my way back again. I had some good battles during the race but I had some chattering on the bike in the last two corners of the circuit. The bike was running well but the chattering problem got worse. Then I ran wide and almost went off the track and I lost touch with the group I was riding with. After that I wasn’t able to go any faster and although I tried to maintain the speed I was going about two seconds slower. I decided to just try to be constant and finish the race. It was a difficult weekend but I was still able to improve my lap times by almost two seconds from the last time I rode here.”
Norwegian Sturla Fagerhaug, the Red Bull Rookies Cup contender, was given his second wild card to race for the Red Bull KTM Moto Sports factory team in Catalunya and was this time able to complete a GP for the first time in twenty second place.
Sturla Fagerhaug
“The race was good fun. I had a good start and I managed to make up some places. I tried to stay with the other guys but they had a bit more speed than me so I lost the contact and the slip stream. I did try very hard and I pushed a lot so my rear tyre wore down quite quickly and I had to drop down my speed. Overall it was a hard weekend but I did manage to finish my first GP and I learnt a lot.
Results
Andrea Iannone, Italy, Aprilia, 41:10.494
Nico Terol, Spain, Aprilia, 41:12,739
Sergio Gadea, Spain, Aprilia, 41:12.824
Julian Simon, Spain, Aprilia, 41:12.825
Marc Marquez, Spain, KTM, 41:12.850 (fastest lap 1.51.448 in lap 7)
Other KTM
18. Cameron Beaubier, USA, KTM, 41:59.341
22. Sturla Fagerhaug, Norway, KTM 42.25.709
Standings
1. Julian Simon, Spain, Aprilia, 84 points
2. Bradley Smith, Britain, Aprilia, 82.5
3. Andrea Iannone, Italy, Aprilia, 71.5
4. Sergio Gadea, Spain, Aprilia, 59
5. Nicolas Terol, Spain, Aprilia, 57.5
Other KTM
6. Marc Marquez, Spain, KTM, 49
26. Cameron Beaubier, USA, KTM, 1
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DeGraaf Team
De Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya race was a difficult and tough one for the DeGraaf Grand Prix Team. Randy Krummenacher had an ok start but lost a lot of positions in the first lap and dropped back to P16. Krummenacher had a catch up race and fought back to a 10th position and scored 6 points. Danny Webb had a superb start but couldn’t hold the whole race with his hand injury and call it a day in the 13th lap.
During the warm up session, which started at 08.40 hour, it was already hot with 24 degrees. Randy Krummenacher had a good session and ended the session at a nice 7th position. Danny Webb used the session only to ride in the piston of his Aprilia and gave his hand some rest to save it for the race.
The temperatures were above the 30 degrees during the race. Under these circumstances it is really tough for the riders to stay focussed. The start of Randy Krummenacher was good but the Swiss rider lost a lot of positions during the first lap and dropped back to P16. Krummenacher managed to ride a good race and was battling for the 9th position. In the last lap Krummenacher lost one position and finished at the 10th position.
Danny Webb had really a superb start. Before the first corner Webb was even second. After the first lap the British rider could fight with the leading group at P7. After three laps his hand couldn’t hold it any longer and Webb had to give away every lap positions. After 13 laps Webb call it a day and went into the pit lane to avoid forcing has injury.
Randy Krummenacher (10e):
“This isn’t the result I was hoping for. I didn’t had a good first lap and lost a lot of positions. After a couple of laps I could ride good lap times and tried to catch up riders. I manage to connect to a group which was battling for the 9th position but I finished 10th. Looking at mine starting position it isn’t a good result but than again, I scored 6 valuable points. Next race will be the home race for the team and I will try to catch a fantastic result for them.”
Danny Webb (DNF):
“I tried to complete the full race but I couldn’t do it. Mine had been hurting so much, it was impossible to brake at the right moments. The start was perfect and I could last for three laps and than I had trouble to brake. I have a couple of weeks rest now and I want to be fit for the Dutch TT. During this home race for the team I want to grab a really good result.”
