MotoGP Grand Prix of Misano (Pre-Race – Saturday)

NEWEST AT TOP

• Valentino Rossi starts from pole for the sixth time this year – the most poles he has had in a single season since joining Yamaha. This is Rossi’s first ever GP pole at the Misano circuit. He has had three wins from his previous five poles in 2009, at Assen, Sachsenring and Brno.

• This is the tenth pole of the year for Yamaha, equalling their best ever haul of premier-class poles in a single season – achieved in both 1978 and 1988.

• Misano is one of just three current circuits at which Dani Pedrosa has not had a MotoGP podium; the others are Indianapolis and Phillip Island.

• Third on the grid, Jorge Lorenzo has maintained his record of qualifying on the front row at every race in 2009. Following his victory at Indianapolis, Lorenzo will be aiming to score back-to-back MotoGP victories for the first time.

• Leading the second row of the grid is Toni Elias, who has equalled his best qualifying performance of the year which he achieved at Brno, where he also finished on the podium for the only time in 2009. Last year at Misano, Elias was the first Ducati rider home in third place.

• Colin Edwards is starting from the second row of the grid for the tenth time in 2009.

• Sixth place on the grid, Nicky Hayden, will be aiming to score back-to-back podiums for the first time since he did so at Assen and Sachsenring in 2007.

• At the last race in Indianapolis, Alex de Angelis became the first ever rider from San Marino to finish on the podium in the premier-class.

• Randy de Puniet has failed to finish the first lap of the race on both previous visits to Misano.

• Loris Capirossi is making his 29th start in a Grand Prix race on Italian soil across all three classes.

• Aleix Espargaro, having only his second start in MotoGP, has qualified just one second slower that the fastest Ducati rider on the grid, Nicky Hayden.

250cc

• Hiroshi Aoyama, who is making his 100th Grand Prix start, has qualified on pole for the first time since the Malaysian Grand Prix last year riding a KTM.

• This is the first pole for a Honda rider in the 250cc class since Hiroshi Aoyama’s brother Shuhei was on pole at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2007.

• Second on the grid is Hector Barbera. who is starting from the front row for the eighth successive race.

• Marco Simoncelli missed the opening race of the year in Qatar, but since then has started on the front row at every race. Misano is one of just two current circuits where Simoncelli has not had a podium finish in the 250cc class; the other is Losail.

• Fourth on the grid is Mattia Pasini, who is starting from the front row for the first time since the Japanese Grand Prix back in April.

• Eighth fastest qualifier Alvaro Bautista, is starting from the second row of the grid for the fourth successive race after having qualified on the front row for the opening eight races of the year. Bautista won the 250cc race last year at Misano after qualifying down in 11th on the grid.

125cc

•  None of the riders currently competing in the 125cc class have previously won a GP at the Misano circuit.

• Bradley Smith starts from pole for the third time this year. He is the first British rider to start a Grand Prix race from pole at the Misano circuit. This is his second pole of the year in Italy – his previous one at Mugello led to a race win.

• Second on the grid, Julian Simon starts from the front row for the eleventh time this year.

• Andrea Iannone, in third place on the grid, will be aiming to score his first GP podium at home in Italy.

• Nico Terol has finished in the top four six times in the past seven races.

• If sixth fastest qualifier Pol Espargaro wins the race it will be the 50th win for Derbi in the 125cc class. Espargaro will be making his 50th Grand Prix start.

• Qualifying in 34th place on the grid is Jacub Jantulik, who at the age of 15 years and 3 days will be the third youngest rider to race in a GP after Jorge Lorenzo and Stefano Bianco. He is only the second ever rider from Slovakia to race in a Grand Prix event; the other was Vladimir Castka.

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DE PUNIET 9th QUICKEST AT MISANO QUALIFYING

Misano, 5 Settembre: Qualifying for the Grand Prix of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini was run in sunny conditions today with ambience temperature of 28°C and the LCR Honda MotoGP racer Randy De Puniet made solid progress despite the injured left ankle ending the day 9th overall.

After having achieved the 4th quickest time in this morning second free session at the 4.226Km race track, the Frenchman riding the Honda RC212V no. 14 set consistent and fast lap times throughout the 60-minute session and rode his machine to the third row with a best lap time of 1’35.554 on lap 21 of 29. Tomorrow’s 28-lap race will get underway at 14:00 local time with Rossi, Pedrosa and Lorenzo on the front row.

De Puniet – 9th: “Well… I am quite satisfied because we improved our machine set up winning 1.7 seconds in this morning free session. My lap time is quite fast and I could shave some further tenths at the end of the qualifying but found some traffic. By the way I am close to the fifth fastest and I am pleased with this result because one month ago I was at the hospital for my left ankle fracture. We are back to the middle group where we should be. Hopefully if we could take a good start tomorrow we will be able to fight for another positive result. We still have to fine-tune the machine and adjust a few things in the warm up but I like this track and things are going in the right direction”.

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POLEMAN ROSSI IN CONTROL AT MISANO

Qualifying at the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini went down to the wire on Saturday afternoon at Misano, but Valentino Rossi ultimately emerged on top.

Having crashed out at Indianapolis last Sunday Rossi is fighting back in style at his home event this weekend and he took pole right at the end of an intriguing qualifying practice.

The Italian legend has been the fastest rider in every session so far this weekend and his last gasp 1’34.338 lap put him in pole position for the sixth time this season in the Rimini coast sunshine.

As the session drew to a close it looked as though Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa had snatched pole from Rossi with a decent 1’34.560 effort, but the Fiat Yamaha rider found another level in the closing seconds to deny the Spaniard.

Completing the front row, Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo also marked his best time at the end of the hour, but he finally fell half a second short of his title rival. Lorenzo will need to be at his very best if he is to improve on his second place result in last year’s Misano contest.

The second row of the grid is headed by San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Toni Elías who lapped with a similar pace to Lorenzo and he will be desperate for a good performance on Sunday as he fights for his future in the premier class.

Behind Elías on the grid sits the experienced Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and the Texan’s compatriot Nicky Hayden (Ducati  Marlboro), who is enjoying plenty of support from the Ducatisti this weekend.

The top ten also features home rider Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) – the veteran Italian surviving an off track excursion unscathed during the session.

250cc

Despite his great overall form this season, with three victories and six podiums to his name, it has taken until the 12th 250cc qualifying session of the year for standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama to achieve his first pole of 2009.

The Japanese rider broke his duck with a 1’38.867 time on the 21st of his 23 laps, though it was only just good enough as Spaniard Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team) came within 0.008s of denying the Scot Racing man.

Local riders Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera) and Mattia Pasini (Team Toth Aprilia) were not far behind, the pair of them lapping around two-tenths down on Aoyama, and both will be expected to fight desperately for victory from the front row at their home round on Sunday.

Frenchman Mike di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar), meanwhile, is the only non-Spaniard on the second row, which also comprises Alex Debon (Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens), Héctor Faubel (Valencia CF – Honda SAG) and Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar Team) – all of whom lapped within a second of the pole-setting pace.

125cc

Earlier in the day Bradley Smith set a new pole record for the 125cc class at Misano, as he qualified at the head of the grid in scorching hot conditions in Rimini.

The young Englishman secured his third pole of the season with a lightning fast 1’43.727s lap, to hold off a strong challenge by his Bancaja Aspar team-mate Julián Simón, who was just 0.016s behind him.

The Aspar pair are joined on the front row by Andrea Iannone (Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.) and Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Team), who both lapped within three-tenths of the pole time.

Again, there is a strong Spanish presence on the second row, where Sergio Gadea (Bancaja Aspar), Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) and Marc Márquez (Red Bull KTM) are joined by Italian rider Simone Corsi (Fontana Racing).

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DIFFICULT QUALIFYING SESSION FOR THE PRAMAC RACING TEAM IN MISANO

Difficult day for the Pramac Racing Team in Misano Adriatico during the qualifying session valid for the Grand Prix of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini. Pramac Racing riders, Aleix Espargaro and Niccolò Canepa, have respectively concluded in fifteenth and sixteenth position, fifth and sixth row in tomorrow afternoon starting grid. The Spanish rider went really well in the morning session registering good lap times and concluding with the tenth fastest lap time. Both of the riders will have to try to improve the set up of their bikes tomorrow morning to try to climb the classification in tomorrow’s race that will start at 2pm local time.

Aleix Espargaro – Pramac Racing rider – 15th in 1′36.228
“This morning with the hard tyre it went much better while in the afternoon I couldn’t manage to improve. With the soft tyre instead it went well in both sessions. Tomorrow we will see the temperatures and we will have to evaluate which kind of tyre to use in the race. During my fast lap I always remained blocked in the group and I couldn’t improve so much, but notwithstanding the fifteenth position I remain trustful for tomorrow’s race and I will try to reach the points zone just like seven days ago in Indianapolis.”

Niccolò Canepa – Pramac Racing rider – 16th in 1′36.264
“Today we have worked a lot with my technicians. The bike set up is almost ready in case the track temperature will remain the same. I lose too much time in the third sector where anyway I have improved compare to this morning. We will have to gain some tenth of a second in tomorrow’s warm up to be able to be closer to the faster riders in the race. For sure I will give all I have to accomplish a good race.”

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PEDROSA SECOND IN MISANO QUALIFYING, DOVIZIOSO EIGHTH

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa secured his fourth front-row start in succession at the Misano circuit today as qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix produced a gripping spectacle that went right down to the final seconds. The Spanish ace spent the bulk of the hour-long session working with his crew on race set-up, before unleashing a series of quick laps on Bridgestone’s softer option rear tyre.

Pedrosa’s best lap of 1m 34.560s was an impressive half second faster than his time from the morning practice, but in the final moments of qualifying he was pipped for top spot by Valentino Rossi riding at his home circuit. Still, Pedrosa’s front row start – his seventh of the season – gives him an excellent chance of getting away at the front tomorrow.

Andrea Dovizioso will start two rows behind Pedrosa after clocking the eighth fastest time this afternoon. The Italian was able to significantly increase his race pace and looked good for a starting position on the front two rows. However, he wasn’t able to extract the maximum from the softer tyres which were the favoured option for riders setting their fastest qualifying laps. As a result Dovi will start from the middle of the third row and will be relying on a quick getaway when the lights go out for tomorrow’s race.

The 28-lap San Marino Grand Prix begins at 14.00 local time (GMT +2 hours) after a 20-minute warm-up in the morning.

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DOVIZIOSO TO USE OHLINS SUSPENSION AT MISANO

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso will use Ohlins suspension on his factory RC212V at the San Marino Grand Prix this weekend and for the rest of the 2009 season. The decision to change supplier follows the successful test that took place after the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic at Brno in the middle of August. Showa has kindly given its consent to this switch, which forms part of HRC’s ongoing development plan for the RC212V race machine.

Pedrosa will continue to run with Showa suspension, which he has used with considerable success since his MotoGP debut in 2006, including seven premier class wins – the last of which was at the US Grand Prix in July. Pedrosa’s front-running pace this season, coupled with the fact that rain at Brno limited the testing time available to him, made it a natural decision for the Spaniard to continue with Showa.

The Repsol Honda Team arrives back in Europe this week and moves directly to the Misano circuit on the east coast of Italy to begin immediate preparations for Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix. With more than two thirds of the season now complete, the factory Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso both have extra motivation to achieve strong results this weekend as the 2009 MotoGP world championship enters its final phase.

For Dovizioso, Misano will represent the second ‘home’ race of the season and the fervent Italian crowd is sure to give the former 125cc World Champion an extra boost. Having come within half a second of a podium finish in the Indianapolis Grand Prix last weekend and with the crowd behind him at a circuit which is just 65km (40 miles) from his home town of Forli, Dovizioso will be going all out for a top-three finish this time. Fourth place at Indianapolis has edged Dovi two points closer to Colin Edwards, who finished fifth, in the world championship standings. With Edwards on 123 points and Dovizioso on 120, another strong finish for the Italian looks likely to promote him to fifth spot in the title race.

Pedrosa’s extra motivation at Misano comes courtesy of his exceptional pace in Indianapolis which saw the 23-year-old Spaniard dominate practice, set a new pole position lap record and lead the early stages of the race. The fact that he was unfortunate to fall from the lead – remounting to take a creditable tenth place – will simply spur on the three-time World Champion to take his second win of the season this weekend. Sixth place or higher at Misano would be enough for Pedrosa to overtake Casey Stoner for third place in the points table before the Australian’s planned return at the subsequent race at Estoril, Portugal.

Practice for the San Marino Grand Prix begins at 13.55 on Friday. The 28-lap race around the 4.226km (2.626 miles) circuit, which has run in the clockwise direction since its reappearance on the MotoGP calendar in 2007, begins on Sunday at 14.00 (GMT +2 hours).

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Capirossi’s homeward bound for 13th round Loris Capirossi heads to his home track of Misano in Italy for the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix this weekend with hopes of a strong performance in front of his fellow countrymen.

Capirossi hails from Bologna, approximately 130kms from Misano, so can be assured of plenty of local support at the 4,226m circuit. He will be heading home in a confident mood after giving a strong race-day performance in Indianapolis last weekend and with the introduction of the new chassis and engine for the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R recently, Capirossi will be determined to improve on the seventh place he scored at Misano last year.

Chris Vermeulen also has high expectations for the forthcoming race. He was second at Misano two years ago and produced an equally impressive result there last year, after nearly high-siding early on and damaging his bike he pushed his way through the field to take fifth place.

The Misano World Circuit is located near Rimini on the Adriatic Riviera and will be hosting its third MotoGP event since motorcycle Grand Prix racing returned to the venue after a 14-year absence. The track features many first and second gear slower corners where overtaking is almost impossible and a long sweeping curve with two high speed right-handers that certainly make for exciting racing. It is a circuit where ultimate top-speed is not essential, but smooth and tidy riding certainly plays a part in mastering the layout.

Capirossi and Vermeulen will take to the track on Friday 4th September at 13.55hrs local time (11.55hrs GMT) for the first free practice session. Sunday’s 28-lap race is scheduled to get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

“I am really excited about going to Italy for my home GP. Misano is a beautiful place and I really like the circuit. I will have many friends and family there and for sure the Italian fans will certainly be giving me a lot of support. I have been fifth and seventh here in the last two years and would love to get on the podium this time – especially because it is in Italy – and will certainly be trying as hard as I can to achieve that. We made big steps with the chassis at Indianapolis and will have a good start point on Friday, we don’t know the full potential of it yet, but we will certainly be trying to find out in Misano!”

Chris Vermeulen:

“I am looking forward to going to Misano as it is a track I enjoy a lot; also it has been really warm there recently so it will be good to get back to the hot weather. I was fast there last year, apart from a small mishap on the first lap and I was on the podium two years ago so it holds some good memories for me. It is a track that has suited the Suzuki well in the past and we have good experience with the bikes there, I am sure we’re going to roll the bikes out of the box with a good set-up on Friday and push for a front-running position all weekend.”

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SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI TEAM HOMEWARD BOUND AS MISANO BECKONS MOTOGP BACK TO EUROPE

The MotoGP World Championship paddock jets back across the Atlantic this week in a 7,700km dash back to Europe for the San Marino Grand Prix, which gets underway on Friday at the Misano Adriatico circuit. Just five days after competing at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the USA, the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team go home to do battle just a few kilometres from their headquarters in San Clemente di Rimini.

It is also an event of special importance for Alex De Angelis, the only San Marino native on the MotoGP grid. After enjoying the best weekend of his professional career at Indy, where he qualified fourth and was fastest in the warm-up before taking an outstanding second place in the race, Alex is looking to continue his excellent form in front of his home fans. Toni Elias is also relishing the chance to get back on track so soon after his disappointment in America, where he was run off track on the opening lap and had to battle through the pack to finish ninth.

The history of World Championship racing at Misano is relatively short, with the first ever Grand Prix talking place here in 1980, when Kenny Roberts took victory in the 500cc event ahead of Italian pair Franco Uncini and Graziano Rossi, Valentino’s father. From 1982 to 1993 the Misano circuit hosted the series on a further nine occasions with the Grand Prix of Nations, Grand Prix of San Marino and the Grand Prix of Italy.

#15 ALEX DE ANGELIS
“It is wonderful to go home after such a fantastic result at Indianapolis – I can’t think of a better place to be going next than Misano! To be honest in terms of the layout it is not one of my favourite tracks but I can’t wait to ride in front of my fans and I’ll be giving it everything I have got! My fan club will be there in the colours of the San Marino flag and giving me an extra motivation to ride on the limit once again. I know I am riding for a job right now and I want to continue to show that I am worthy of a place in MotoGP. I think we have done that over the past few races and it is important we stay consistent and focused to the end of the season.

#24 TONI ELIAS
“I was disappointed on Sunday night because I know we were capable of much more at Indy but I was also pleased with the way we worked over the weekend to solve our set-up issues with the bike. It is a good sign for Misano and to be honest I can’t wait to get back on track again. It is not easy making such a long trip and having to race again so soon but it’s the same situation for everybody and I’m just looking forward to it. This is the team’s home race so it is a special weekend and important that we are competitive again.”

FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER
“The San Marino Grand Prix is very much a home race for us – our team base is just a few kilometres from the circuit and the majority of the staff come from this area of Romagna. I also have fantastic personal memories of Misano and my victory there in the 1985 GP, which sealed my first world title. Alex is San Marinese and will be racing in front of his fans with great confidence and motivation coming fresh on the back of his podium at Indianapolis and his best ever performance in MotoGP. I’m also expecting a good race from Toni, who was on the podium here last year, at what is definitely one of his better circuits. It is great to be going into our home race on the back of consecutive podium finishes – all our sponsors will be at Misano and we want to offer them maximum payback for their efforts and their belief in the team. At Misano we will also decorate the Team San Carlo Honda Gresini bikes with the logo of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation. It is just a small contribution on our part of raising awareness of the daily battle for life being faced by those less fortunate than ourselves. We will also dedicate profits to the Foundation from the Dedikato event, which we are proud to be the main supporters and organizers of for the third year running.”

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DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM HEAD TO SAN MARINO FOR SECOND HOME GP

Just a week after celebrating a podium finish for Nicky Hayden in his own home race at Indianapolis, the Ducati Marlboro Team heads to the factory’s second home race this weekend as the series returns to Europe and the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast. The American, who is hugely popular amongst Ducatisti thanks to his cheerful character and determined approach to racing, will be congratulated and supported by thousands of them – packed once again into the “Variante del Parco” corner. And whilst all those Ducatisti had also been looking forward to welcoming back their favourite, Casey Stoner, the 2007 race winner’s replacement in the Ducati Marlboro Team, Mika Kallio, will get just as much support. Eighth place for the flying Finn at Indianapolis equalled the best result of his debut MotoGP season so far but he remains unsatisfied and is confident of more at Misano.

Despite contesting the practice and qualifying sessions Hayden missed last year’s race at Misano due to the effects of a foot injury, whilst in 2007 after starting from the front row he was forced off track by a crash for De Puniet on the first lap and could only manage thirteenth. Kallio has shown good pace at this circuit during practice for the 250cc races over the past two seasons but he was unable to finish in either of them.

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team (12th in the championship on 73 points)
“The little time we’ve had since Indy has flown by and even though I would have liked to have a bit more time to reflect on last weekend, Misano is right on us and that is what we have to focus on. Last year I rode in practice but wasn’t able to take part ion the race because of my foot injury but I like the circuit – there are a couple of fast right-handers at the end of the lap in particular that are a lot of fun. At Mugello I realised how special it is to race for Ducati in Italy so hopefully I can give all the Ducatisti even more reason to party. I know it won’t be easy and I can’t get overconfident even though everything went so well at Indy. I’ve learnt that this bike can quickly put you back in your place if you get cocky so once again I’ll just be putting my head down and giving it my maximum.”

MIKA KALLIO, Ducati Marlboro Team (15th in the championship on 42 points)
“I equalled my best ever MotoGP result at Indianapolis and even though the race went better than practice I still wasn’t satisfied. My main objective now is to find another half a second off my lap times and to do that I simply need to find more confidence in the front end of the bike. I know the potential is there so hopefully I can make the most of it at Misano. It is not exactly my favourite circuit but it’s okay. In 2007 I went pretty fast in practice – not so much last year – and crashed out of the race both times. Hopefully this year we can build on the work we did at Indy and get a good result.”

LIVIO SUPPO, MotoGP Project Director
“We arrive at Misano in high spirits thanks to Nicky’s excellent performance at Indy and we are happy to be getting back on track and hopefully continue with this positive trend of results. Mika will be with us once again as we await the return of Casey at Estoril and I really hope he is able to reap the fruit of all his recent hard work. He has demonstrated during his debut season in MotoGP that he has what it takes to do well and I’m sure he will confirm his potential soon.”

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THE YOUNGEST MOTOGP DUO READY FOR MISANO GRAND PRIX

The MotoGP World Championship is back in action after only four days from the Indianapolis Grand Prix. On September 6th the Misano Adriatico circuit will in fact host the thirteenth round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship. The Pramac Racing duo, the youngest in the top category, is ready to battle up in one of the latest circuit added in the MotoGP calendar. The Misano World Circuit has in fact been renovated only a few years ago and since 2007 it hosts the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix on the 4226 meters long circuit with the main straight of 600 meters.

For Niccolò Canepa this will the second time on the Misano circuit after the race in the Superstock 1000 in 2007. His teammate has instead ridden here in the last two seasons when he was riding in the 250cc category: in 2007 he has concluded in twelfth position, while the year after he didn’t unluckily managed to finish the race after qualifying in the front row on the starting grid with the third fastest time.

Niccolò Canepa – Pramac Racing rider

“It will nice to race close to home again. I already know the circuit even if when I rode here with the Superstock 1000 things didn’t go too well. I really hope that after Indianapolis race things will go in the right direction for me. I have been really unlucky this year and I confide in a bit of luck to be able to show my true value. The bike has improved a lot since the beginning of the season and I hope to be able to obtain a good result really soon.”

Aleix Espargaro – Pramac Racing rider

“I am sure that things here in Misano will go only better for me. This is a track I really like and where last year I conquered the front row with the third fastest lap time during qualifying. It will not be easy, I know this, but as usual I will give 100% to conquer the best result possible. With the Pramac Racing Team I felt good straight away and this allowed me to reach a good level since the first laps. For this reason I want to thanks the technical staff who have helped me a lot to adapt to this new adventure.”