MotoGP/AMA Pro Red Bull U.S. GP: Friday (updated regularly)

NEWEST AT TOP

Fiat Yamaha

The first of two American races this season got underway for MotoGP at Laguna Seca today with a strong showing from the Fiat Yamaha Team pairing of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, who finished first and second respectively. The spectacular Californian track was bathed in sunshine throughout the day and the riders took full advantage to begin refining their set-ups to suit the tricky nature of the 3.601 km track.

Rossi won in spectacular fashion here last year and he looked immediately comfortable out on track, lapping consistently in the top three aboard his M1 and Bridgestone tyres. Lorenzo meanwhile, who did not complete the race here last year on his Laguna debut, proved lack of track experience was no barrier to fast lap times and spent most of the session in second before setting a brilliant lap with 11 minutes to go and moving into first. He looked to have the practice sewn up until his championship-leading team-mate sneaked ahead on his final lap, bettering the Spaniard’s lap time by just one tenth of a second.

Valentino Rossi – Position: 1stTime: 1′21.981Laps: 32
“I am happy with the session today, it was a good performance and at the end, with the harder tyre, we did an especially good job and I was able to make the best time. We got a lot of data about the track, which we will use tomorrow in order to improve things further. We need to work a bit to improve the front feeling because we can still make the bike a bit easier to ride in one or two corners and then we will also look at the electronics in order to control the wheelie, because there are a lot of bumps and jumps on this circuit. Once again me, Lorenzo and Stoner are very close so we can expect another big fight this weekend, but we are confident that our M1 is working well.”

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 2ndTime: 1′22.093Laps: 38
“I was very fast today and I feel good here at this track in the California sunshine! I know that this is a very complicated circuit to get used to and that you have to make a lot of laps to learn it, but I did have some time on it last year and I feel great here now. Today I stopped after a few laps and changed the tyre to the harder Bridgestone one and then I felt even better; I was having a lot of fun riding the bike and I was able to do more or less race distance with consistent lap times. We will work on further improving our setting tomorrow and I hope that I can continue in the same way again.”

Davide Brivio Team Manager
“Another good start to a weekend! Valentino’s lap times are already good and it’s certainly a much better first day than we had here last year! As usual after this first practice there are one or two small areas that we can improve so we will work tomorrow to fine tune everything further. However we’ve made a strong start and our base is working well so we are feeling confident.”

Ramon Forcada – Crew Chief
“Unfortunately our Team Manager Daniele Romagnoli can’t be with us this weekend as he has had to return to Italy to be with his father, who is unwell. We wish him our best at this time. As for today, Jorge made a good start and our base setting is working very well here – we didn’t have to change anything during the session. We tried both types of front and rear tyres in order to compare and we already have quite a clear idea for the race, so it just remains to confirm that tomorrow. We need to work a little bit on the electronics now but overall we’re in good shape.”

***************************

LTD Racing

Monterey, California (July 3, 2009) – Friday was a very competitive day for LTD Racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with Tomas Puerta and Joey Pascarella both finishing inside the top five in the opening practice of the weekend. Puerta was third, while Pascarella earned fifth. Teammate Huntley Nash saw his run at the top of the charts foiled by a broken throttle cable that ended his session early. He was ninth.

Tomas Puerta’s time of 1:32.978 was just three tenths behind the leader’s best. Puerta, who rode the Laguna Seca circuit several times last season in Rookies Cup competition, said the speed came easy to him. “I love the track and the bike is better than the last race,” said the Colombian. “The bike is faster here. I was riding well but not pushing too hard. I’ll save that for qualifying and the race. It came pretty easy to me. I know the track well and I felt good so we are positive for the rest of the weekend.”

After an arm injury put him out of the Road America event, Joey Pascarella was back in action on Friday. Joey was fast (1:33.619, fast enough for fifth place) despite a little soreness and even saw his possible best lap blocked. “I felt a lot better toward the end than I did the beginning. I started to get my groove back after being off the bike for a while with the injury,” said the Vacaville, California resident. “Riding with some of the fast guys, it was good to ride close and get into ‘racer mode.’ I’m looking forward to the race, for sure.”

Huntley Nash was fast out of the gate, but had a mechanical problem that ended his session early. “I didn’t get to do the last 30 or 40 minutes of the session,” said Huntley. “While I was on the track, everything was fine. We had just made some big changes to the bike before we had the problem, so on the five corners or so before, it felt like a big improvement. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s practice and seeing where we stand.” Huntley’s best time was 1:35.341.

Saturday will be busy for the LTD Racing team, with a practice session, qualifying, and then the 18-lap race at 5:30 PM local time.

*********************

M4 Suzuki

Team M4 Suzuki riders Martin Cardenas and Jason DiSalvo were quickly back up to speed following a month-long break in the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing schedule as they claimed two of the top four positions in Friday’s practice session at Laguna Seca.

AMA Pro Daytona SportBike championship leader Cardenas led much of the session at the famed circuit and ultimately ended the day with the second fastest time. He guided his GSX-R600 around the 2.238-mile track to a best lap of 1:29.036, just 0.104 seconds off the top spot.

The Colombian, who has won six of the class’ last eight races, came close to scoring his first-career AMA victory at Laguna Seca in the 2008 season finale before a last-lap clash with then teammate Blake Young ended in disappointment for Cardenas.

However, he’s come back stronger than ever in 2009 and is hoping to get his revenge this weekend at his favorite track on the calendar.

“The day went well,” Cardenas said. “I was comfortable immediately and the bike was working very good right from the beginning. We’re going to make some changes for tomorrow as we’re having a bit of an issue finding grip because the track is very slippery in the back. We’re going to try to solve that problem.

“For me Laguna Seca is my favorite track in America. It’s very fun. And it’s also nice to race alongside the MotoGP World Championship in front of a such a big crowd.”

DiSalvo was just 0.259 seconds off of first place in the tightly packed session, throwing down a quick time of 1:29.190 to rank fourth on Friday. The New Yorker has notched up five podium results already this season and is hungry to earn his first victory of the season.

On Saturday Team M4 Suzuki will qualify for Sunday’s 23-lap Daytona SportBike final. The combined MotoGP/AMA Pro Road Racing schedule means that the grid positions will be based on a single qualifying session without a Superpole session this weekend at Laguna Seca.

*****************************

AMA Pro Road Racing

MONTEREY, Calif. (July 3, 2009) – Jake Holden led an unpredictable AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited practice session while Roger Hayden topped the charts in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL practice in the opening day of Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix on-track activities at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Riding the No. 59 Corona Extra Honda CBR1000RR, Holden posted a best lap time at 1:25.525 (94.204 mph) to pace a 33-rider field in Friday practice. The rider from Puyallup, Wash. is currently 11th in the American Superbike championship standings and owns a best result this season of fifth from the first race of a doubleheader at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. in March. Holden won his first AMA Pro race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Superstock competition in 2007.

“This is definitely surreal,” Holden said. “I mean, this is my favorite racetrack, I’ve had my first win here, so Laguna and Jake Holden have a lot of history. I love this track. I feel really good on this bike. I’m paying for a lot of the stuff on this thing. Corona is helping me out with some stuff, but I definitely still need some help and some tire money and all that stuff to finish out the season. We’re looking for a win here, now. After the first practice I feel good.”

Second quickest on the day was Tommy Hayden on the No. 22 Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 at 1:25.807 (93.894 mph). Hayden, whose brothers Nicky and Roger are racing in this weekend’s MotoGP and AMA Pro Daytona SportBike races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, respectively, owns four career AMA Pro Road Racing victories at the famed Monterey, Calif. circuit. He is currently second to teammate Mat Mladin in the AMA Pro American Superbike championship standings and is looking for his first career American Superbike win this weekend.

Mladin was third in Friday practice on the No. 7 Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 at 1:25.946 (93.743 mph). The Aussie is 110 points clear of Hayden in the point standings, 325-215, and owns nine victories from this season’s 11 races. He owns three previous American Superbike victories at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, including wins in each of the last two American Superbike races at the venue.

Larry Pegram, who earned his first American Superbike victory in 10 years last time out at Road America, was fourth quickest today on the No. 72 Foremost Insurance/Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R. Pegram’s best time was a 1:25.960 (93.727 mph). Josh Hayes, who joins Pegram and Mladin as the only riders to win in American Superbike competition this year, completed the top five on his No. 4 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA Yamaha R1. Hayes’ best lap was at 1:26.225 (93.439 mph).

The American Superbikes will qualify from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. On Sunday, the 23-lap (50-mile) race wraps up the weekend’s activities at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix and is scheduled to roll of from a standing start at 4:15 p.m. local time.

Hayden Quickest in Daytona SportBike Practice

On the same racetrack where his brother, 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden, has enjoyed some of his biggest triumphs, Roger Hayden got his weekend at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix off to a great start by posting the quickest time in practice for Sunday’s AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL race.

Hayden logged a best lap at 1:28.932 (90.595 mph) on the No. 95 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R to lead a field of 44 Daytona SportBike riders to post practice times on Friday afternoon. Hayden, who missed the first three races of the 2009 season, is currently 13th in the championship standings with best results of second in the first races of doubleheaders at Road Atlanta in April and Road America last month.

“It was really good,” Hayden said. “I felt comfortable and the bike seemed to be working pretty good. We’ve still got a long ways to go with it to get it 100 percent, but the team is working hard. It kind of felt good to be on pace from the get go. I had one minor crash about halfway through the session and it was just rider error on that. We’ve got a lot of ideas on how to improve the bike. I love coming to Laguna. It’s a fun little track and I’m glad to put a little smile on all my mechanics’ faces. They’ve been working hard all year.”

Second on the Daytona SportBike Friday speed chart was points leader Martin Cardenas on the No. 36 Team M4 Suzuki GSX-R600. The Colombian turned in a best time at 1:29.036 (90.489 mph) and will go in search of his seventh victory of the season on Sunday afternoon. Cardenas currently leads Jamie Hacking (No. 88 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) by 51 points, 255-204, with 11 of 20 races complete. Hacking was eighth in Friday practice.

Jake Zemke was third quickest on the No. 1x Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR at 1:29.069 (90.456 mph). Zemke was also one of the quickest riders last month at Road America and heads into Sunday’s race hoping to parlay that speed into his first Daytona SportBike victory.

Jason DiSalvo, who has been the fastest qualifier in each of the last four rounds, was fourth quickest in Friday practice at 1:29.191 (90.332 mph). DiSalvo is also looking for his first win aboard a Daytona SportBike.

Posting the fifth-quickest practice time and making it four different makes inside the top five was Ben Bostrom on the No. 1s Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6 at 1:29.192 (90.331 mph). Bostrom opened the year with a victory in the prestigious Daytona 200 By Honda and is making his first Daytona SportBike appearance since that historic victory this weekend.

Saturday’s schedule calls for the Daytona SportBikes to be on course for two groups of qualifying, one from 3:40 to 4:10 p.m. and the second from 4:20 to 4:50 p.m. Sunday’s 23-lap (50-mile) Daytona SportBike race takes the green flag at 3:30 p.m. local time.

Wikle Leads Opening SuperSport Practice

The AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei class kicked off the weekend’s official on-track activities early this afternoon with a 50-minute practice session in preparation for Saturday’s race, which counts toward the SuperSport West championship. Topping the 17-rider time chart was one of the top contenders in the SuperSport East championship, Russ Wikle on the No. 5 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R600.

Wikle posted a best lap at 1:32.621 (86.986 mph) to lead the session by nearly two tenths of a second over Ricky Parker on the No. 96 Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6. Wikle is currently second in the 2009 SuperSport East championship standings, trailing Leandro Mercado — who is not competing in this weekend’s round — by 18 points, 81-63.

Wikle is still looking for his first victory of the season as he heads into the race on Saturday afternoon. His best ride to date was a second-place performance at Barber Motorsports Park in May.

“The session started out real good,” Wikle said. “I felt like I was flying, but when I looked at my lap timer, I was only in, like, the 34s or something. I knew I was really going to have to drop the pace if I wanted to get P1 in that practice session. I came in, and we didn’t really make any adjustments to the bike, just took a break. I went back out and got down to a high 32, I think. I was satisfied with it for this practice session, but I’m definitely not satisfied with that for the whole weekend.”

Parker was second at 1:32.792 (86.827 mph) as he prepares for his third SuperSport appearance of the season. Parker won in his first-ever SuperSport race a few hours up the road at Infineon Raceway in May and came home second from the most recent SuperSport round at Road America last month.

Despite missing the first two rounds of the season, Parker is currently third in the SuperSport West championship standings, behind No. 46 Erion Honda CBR600RR rider Tyler Odom, who was sixth in practice today, and Clint Shobert (No. 26 American Honda CBR600RR), who posted the 12th-quickest time.

Tomas Puerta was third on the No. 12 LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 at 1:32.978 (86.653 mph), followed by Garrett Willis on the No. 80 Mach 1 Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 at 1:33.382 (86.278 mph). Joey Pascarella rounded out the top five at 1:33.619 (86.059 mph) on the No. 25 LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.

The 18-lap (40-mile) SuperSport race wraps up on-track activities on Saturday afternoon beginning at 5:30 p.m. local time. 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.  From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT.  AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

*****************************

LCR Honda

Monterey, 3 July: One week after the Netherlands GP which saw De Puniet battling for a thrilling seventh place, the LCR Honda MotoGP Team racer and his squad moved to California at the spectacular Laguna Seca race track for the eight round of the calendar.

Under clear, sunny skies the 60-minute free practice for the U.S. Grand Prix was held in hot conditions today (ambience temperature of 24°C) with Randy De Puniet struggling with rear grip. The Frenchman riding the Honda RC212V no. 14 set his quickest fast time of 1’23.439 on lap 30 of 31 at the roller-coaster style layout of the 3.610km circuit getting the 11th place overall. Record man Valentino Rossi set the quickest lap time of the day at 1’21.981.

De Puniet – 11th – 1’23.439
“In the beginning I faced some front end problems but we quickly fixed them with the guys. After that I came in on a harder rear tyre but struggled with the rear grip on the maximum angle in the corners so I could not go faster. Unfortunately my machine no. two had some brake problems so we could not really use that bike to adjust our problems. However we knew our issues and we’ll try to fix them for tomorrow’s qualifying. Obviously I expected a better base set up but we still have track time to improve the grip”.

*********************************

MotoGP

In perfect conditions at the Laguna Seca circuit on Friday afternoon, with Californian sunshine and comfortable temperatures of 24°C, the MotoGP riders got the eighth race weekend of the year underway. World Champion Valentino Rossi put down the fastest time late in FP1 for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

The current MotoGP ‘big three’ were on top again as the action commenced, Rossi followed on the timesheet by his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Ducati’s Casey Stoner.

Rossi’s 1’21.981s lap around the shortest track on the MotoGP calendar, on the last of his 32 laps, was enough to put him 0.112s ahead of the young pretender to his crown Lorenzo.

A first lap crasher in the 2008 race on his Laguna Seca debut, Lorenzo will aim to put the memories of last year’s contest behind him and already looks comfortable around the picturesque American track.

Stoner was himself just 0.189s down on Rossi’s pace as he tested his condition following the severe exhaustion he has experienced in recent weeks. The 2007 Laguna Seca race-winning Australian is out for revenge over Rossi this weekend following their epic 2008 battle.

In fourth place was Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. The Spanish rider is still fighting back to 100% fitness this weekend, although he is already in far better shape than last year when he went home after the Friday practices -due to injuries sustained at Sachsenring in the previous round.

There was a good start to the weekend for San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elías who immediately benefitted from the introduction of a new chassis on the Honda RC212V to lap fifth quickest.

Italian pair Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) were sixth and seventh, respectively, 0.899s and 1.159s down on the pace.

Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen crashed at the beginning of the session but soon got back out on track to complete 27 laps in total and still managed to go round eighth fastest.

Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) rounded off the top ten, whilst Edwards’ compatriot Nicky Hayden made a sluggish start to his American Ducati debut in 14th place.

***************************

Repsol Honda

The first Free Practice session for the US Grand Prix took place at Laguna Seca today with Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso finishing the one-hour period in fourth and sixth places. Under sunny skies at the highly-technical Californian circuit, the factory Honda pair began the intricate process of tailoring their RC212V machines to the unique challenges of Laguna’s flowing corners and relentlessly undulating layout.

Pedrosa made continuous steady progress today as he and his crew continued to familiarise themselves with the improved feeling from the RC212V’s modified chassis. Though he missed last year’s race here due to injury, the 23-year-old Spaniard looked comfortable and relaxed on track today and steadily climbed the timesheets, setting his fastest time on the last of the 31 laps he completed this afternoon. With a gap of 0.656s to today’s fastest time, set by Valentino Rossi, and with a further increase in pace expected in tomorrow’s practice and qualifying sessions, Pedrosa looks on course for a competitive weekend.

Dovizioso took a more direct approach to today session than his Repsol Honda team-mate, almost instantly appearing towards the top of the timesheets and holding first place early in the hour. It’s only the second time Dovizioso has ridden at the Laguna circuit – after his impressive debut in last year’s race when he finished fourth – but once again he showed his immediate grasp of the peculiar demands of the track, ending the session in a competitive sixth place and just 0.243s behind Pedrosa. The Italian will work with his crew to improve the feeling from the front of his RC212V, and when that’s achieved Dovizioso too is destined for a strong showing in qualifying tomorrow.

DANI PEDROSA – 4th – 1m 22.637s
“I’m quite happy with how this session went on my return to Laguna Seca after missing most of last year’s race meeting. I took my time this afternoon, getting familiar with the layout again before working up to full pace later in the session. We did a lot of laps and at the end of the session my hip was a little bit painful, but it wasn’t too bad and I was able to ride the bike as normal. That’s important here because this is a circuit where the machine wheelies and shakes quite a lot so you need to be able to control it. We have to work a little more to get the correct gearing and to improve the set-up so I think tomorrow morning’s session will be very important to prepare for qualifying. I’m feeling confident for tomorrow.”

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – 6th – 1m 22.880
“The lap times came easily today and I’m quite happy with the pace we were able to achieve. We did three runs with the soft Bridgestone tyres and then the last run with the hard tyre option and the results were promising. It took a while for the hard tyres to warm up though, so in the end I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to improve my lap time. Because of that I’m confident we have room to go quicker tomorrow. Despite the fact that it was quite easy to get the rhythm, I’m not totally happy with my feeling from the front of the bike in the middle of the turn so we will need to work on that and try a few options tomorrow. I like the challenge of this track and the atmosphere here, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there in the morning.”

KAZUHIKO YAMANO – REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER
“It was important that we hit the ground running here, and that’s what we did in today’s session. Andrea was quick straight away and his crew established a good base setting from which to work. He still needs to find an improved set-up at the front of his machine to give him more confidence, but he’s made a good start here. Dani was typically methodical today and worked up to speed more gradually, finishing with a good pace. Both crews now will work on the data from today’s set-up work and tyre testing and finalise the plan for tomorrow’s two sessions.”

Practice Results
1     Valentino Rossi     1m 21.981     ITA     YAMAHA     Fiat Yamaha Team
2     Jorge Lorenzo     1m 22.093     SPA     YAMAHA     Fiat Yamaha Team
3     Casey Stoner     1m 22.170     AUS     DUCATI     Ducati Marlboro Team
4     Dani Pedrosa     1m 22.637     SPA     HONDA     Repsol Honda Team
5     Toni Elias     1m 22.682     SPA     HONDA     San Carlo Honda Gresini
6     Andrea Dovizioso     1m 22.880     ITA     HONDA     Repsol Honda Team
7     Marco Melandri     1m 23.140     ITA     KAWASAKI     Hayate Racing Team
8     Chris Vermeulen     1m 23.217     AUS     SUZUKI     Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
9     Colin Edwards     1m 23.285     USA     YAMAHA     Tech 3 Yamaha
10     Alex De Angelis     1m 23.406     SMR     HONDA     San Carlo Honda Gresini
11     Randy De Puniet     1m 23.439     FRA     HONDA     LCR Honda MotoGP
12     Loris Capirossi     1m 23.637     ITA     SUZUKI     Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
13     James Toseland     1m 23.690     GBR     YAMAHA     Tech 3 Yamaha
14     Nicky Hayden     1m 23.747     USA     DUCATI     Ducati Marlboro Team
15     Sete Gibernau     1m 24.533     SPA     DUCATI     Grupo Francisco Hernando
16     Gabor Talmacsi     1m 24.926     HUN     HONDA     Scot Racing Team MotoGP
17     Niccolo Canepa     1m 25.511     ITA     DUCATI     Pramac Racing

Circuit information
First race     1988 (Modified 1996)
GPs held     10
Laps     32
Race distance     115.520km / 71.776miles
Track length     3.610km / 2.243miles
Track width     15m
Longest straight     0.966km / 0.6miles
Corners     11 (4 right, 7 left)
Pole position     Right

1021 Monterey Salinas Hwy
Monterey

CA 93940

United States
T: +1 831-242-8201

Website: http://www.mazdaraceway.com

Circuit records
Pole position     1m20.700s (161.040Km/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2008)
Race lap     1m21.488s (159.483m/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2008)
Race time     44m04.311s (157.270m/h) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha, 2008)
Premier Class Wins     3 (Wayne Rainey 1989, 1990-01)
2008 Winner     Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)

************************

Pramac Racing

Niccolò Canepa, Pramac Racing rider, has ridden his firsts laps on the Californian circuit of Laguna Seca in the Monterey County. The Italian rider had as objective to learn the best lines to follow on this difficult and particular circuit of the MotoGP World Championship. Niccolò has accomplish 34 laps, more than everybody else apart Lorenzo who has finished with 38 laps. This weekend track engineer for Niccolò is Fabiano Sterlacchini who is usually with the injured Mika Kallio. Marco Rigamonti, Niccolò’s track engineer, become father for the first time and agreed with the Team to remain at home for the birth of his son Luca. All the best to the Rigamonti family from the Pramac Racing Team.

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Team Technical Director
“Today we didn’t make any modifications on the bike, but we preferred to leave it soft just like it was to allow to Niccolò to know the track better without thinking too many things. The distance from the firsts riders is a lot at the moment, but calculating that we didn’t do any modification to the set up of the bike and Niccolò used the same tyres for the all session, we are trustful that he can take a good step forward tomorrow. It is a strange sensation to pass from one rider to another in only a few days, but I have already worked with Niccolò this winter and there hasn’t be any kind of problems.”

Niccolò Canepa – Pramac Racing Rider
“What a breathtaking circuit ! It is a track that has a completely different story compared to the others of the MotoGP World Championship. It has sensational turns such as the corkscrew and the uphill before it where basically you don’t see where you are going to end. It is a really fun track but not the easiest to learn in only one weekend of work. We will do anyway our best as always. Today we have used only one set of tyres and tomorrow, after evaluating today’s telemetry, we will begin to make some modification on the set up of the bike to make it more easy to ride for this really unique circuit.”

***************************

Rizla Suzuki

Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen crashed during the early part of the first practice session at Laguna Seca in America today ruining the Australian star’s chance of completing the extensive test schedule he had planned.

Vermeulen (P8, 1′23.217, 27 laps) had just gone to the top of the leader-board before he entered turn two at the 3,610m Californian circuit and locked the front wheel of his Suzuki GSV-R, causing him to crash and slide off into the gravel. Vermeulen was quickly on his feet after suffering no injuries, but was unable to get his bike back on track and due to the access restrictions at Laguna the marshals couldn’t return it back to the pits. Vermeulen ran back to the garage and mounted his other bike to continue with the session, but this machine was set-up in a very different way to the previous one and it took him a while to get back in his stride, eventually setting his fastest time of his final lap of the day. Vermeulen is still in a confident mood as he aims for his third podium in succession at Laguna Seca.

Loris Capirossi (P12, 1′23.637, 26 laps) spent the majority of the session trying to find the best setting for his Suzuki GSV-R at Laguna. He tried two different set-ups on his two bikes to evaluate the best way forward for this weekend. Capirossi never really got to terms with the circuit and couldn’t quite find the grip he needed today, but is convinced there is plenty more to come from him tomorrow and in Sunday’s race. Today’s quickest time was set by Valentino Rossi on his factory Yamaha

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has one more free practice session tomorrow morning followed by an hour of qualifying in the afternoon, when they will hope to join in with America’s Independence Day festivities by celebrating a front row start. Sunday’s 32-lap race is round eight of the MotoGP World Championship and the action will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (21.00hrs GMT).

Chris Vermeulen:
“I was really looking forward to coming back to Laguna as it is obviously a track I enjoy, but it wasn’t the start I wanted! On the fourth or fifth lap I was just starting to build up my pace and as I entered turn two I locked the front wheel and went down. Unfortunately the bike was on the outside of the circuit so I was unable to get it back for the rest of the session. I got back to the pits and went out on the other bike but it was set up very differently – geometry wise – and it didn’t quite work as well as we’d hoped around here. The main thing we did find today was that we are still struggling a lot with the front feeling of the bike as it feels quite a bit different to last year. Bridgestone has brought a different front tyre this time to the one I used in 2008 and we’re trying to make that work better for us. Apart from that the bike feels quite good and it is accelerating quite well off the corners. I do love riding around here so hopefully tomorrow we can get the bike working better and get closer to the front.”

Loris Capirossi:
“We tried to do something big with the setting today and we started with two very different bikes. We never really found the best solution with either bike and went back to the first one and modified that a bit to try and find the best settings for this track. On the last run we did improve a bit but we still need to work harder and improve a lot more tomorrow. We still need a bit more grip and although overall things are ok we need to make some big steps in certain places tomorrow.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“We’d hoped to be a bit closer in the first session here at Laguna, but we encountered some problems that the guys will have to work on to solve tonight. Chris’s crash early on in the session spoiled his plan of comparing two different bikes as we were unable to recover his first one after he crashed – so that didn’t help matters overall. For the first session, the laps-times are very good at the front and we’ve got a lot of work to close the gap. The good news is that neither rider is happy with the bike and they know we can go a lot better. We will be doing what we can to improve the GSV-R and I think we can take some decent steps tomorrow.”

Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Free Practice Classification:
1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1′21.981: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.112: 3. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.189: 4. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.656: 5. Toni Elias (Honda) +0.701: 8. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.236: 12. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.656:

************************

Monster Yamaha Tech3

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland are confident they can make big improvements in Laguna Seca after an encouraging start to the American Grand Prix this afternoon.

Home favourite Edwards and British rider Toseland were both challenging for the top five in the early stages of a session run in gloriously sunny California conditions.

Brimming with confidence after equalling his best result of the season with fourth place in Assen just six days ago, Edwards eventually finished ninth with a best time of 1.23.285.

Looking to score his 100th point-scoring Grand Prix finish in Sunday’s 32-lap clash, Edwards is confident he can drastically improve his pace having encountered some front and rear suspension issues today. The 35-year-old though was only 0.6s away from fourth place.

Boosted by his season best sixth place in Assen last weekend, Toseland finished in 13th place with a best time of 1.23.690s, though he was less than a second off sixth in another close session.

With Fiat Yamaha Team Director Masahiko Nakajima again helping the 28-year-old this weekend, Toseland will work hard with his team tonight to find a setting to improve rear grip ahead of title sponsor Monster’s all-important home race on Sunday.

Colin Edwards 9th 1.23.285 – 29 laps
“It wasn’t the great start to my home race I was looking for and the bike feels just way too stiff. The main problem is in the hard braking because I’ve no feeling with the bike bouncing around on me. There’s just not enough movement from the suspension. When you’ve got the handlebars moving and up and down and the seat moving up and down it’s obvious the suspension is not absorbing the bumps enough. There are some huge bumps out there and today it felt a bit like motocross. So we’ll soften it up for tomorrow and make the suspension react faster and let it move more freely rather than having a jerky and bouncing sensation. It feels like there’s a second waiting right in front of me but I’m a bit handcuffed at the moment. Once we fix these issues, and I know we will because my guys at Tech 3 are awesome, I’m not going to have to push and hang it out to find the time. I know it will come immediately as soon as we get the bike working. I’m confident we can find what we ne ed and put on a good show for the American fans and for Monster’s home race.”

James Toseland 13th 1.23.690 – 31 laps
“The position isn’t that great but I feel like it was a pretty decent session. We’ve got a bit of work to do but there is no need to panic. We’re just missing a bit on the set-up really. I’m lacking a bit of edge grip on the harder rear tyre, and that is the one we’re going to have to race with looking at the temperature. This track isn’t quite as good for grip as Assen and we know what we’ve got to do to get more grip from the rear but we just ran out of time at the end of the session. And I’m still adapting to the new set-up we had in Assen because that changed the balance of the bike quite a lot. With the tighter corners and the undulation it just takes a bit of getting used to being so different to Assen. I’m confident with the bike a bit more comfortable that I can go quite a bit faster and be up there challenging for a good result for Monster in what is a massive race for our sponsor.”

**************************

Ducati Marlboro

The opening day of free practice for the US Grand Prix took place at Laguna Seca today with Ducati MotoGP Team riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden back on track just six days after contesting the Dutch TT at the Assen circuit in Holland. A 10,000 kilometre trip and eight-hour time difference have not made life easier for any of the riders but for Stoner in particular this promises to be a particularly taxing weekend, with the Australian having suffered from physical exhaustion at the past two rounds.

Stoner has seen doctors this week and is on new medication but he was already feeling nauseous after just an hour on track today. Despite his problems, the 2007 race winner lapped third fastest, just 0.189 seconds off the pace off the day’s quickest rider. His team-mate Hayden, the 2005 and 2006 race winner here, struggled to find a set-up for the Desmosedici on his first appearance at his home circuit as a Ducati rider.

CASEY STONER (Ducati MotoGP Team)  (3rd; 1’22.170)
“I had plenty of time to recover between the Barcelona and Assen races but still encountered the same problems, so it’s no surprise to come here after just six days and be struggling. The feeling of tiredness and sickness has started earlier than it did in those two race weekends so it’s not looking good but again we have found a good set-up with the bike, we know we have something competitive and I just wish I was able to use it more. Since Barcelona we’ve found a geometry set-up that gives me great feeling but I’m not getting the most out of it – I know it can go faster round here. We’ll just have to see how the weekend pans out. It is hard for the doctors because I don’t have any symptoms until I am physically tired, at which point I go rapidly down the other side of the hill, so it’s not like they can give me antibiotics because they don’t know what it is. Anyway, they have given me something new to try here and we’ll see if we can bring it back for race day. If it works I’ll be very grateful.”

NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati MotoGP Team)  (14th; 1’23.747)
“We’re near the back again so that’s not cool and not what I was hoping for. In some places the bike feels quite good but in other places, coming out of the corners, it feels pretty flat and I don’t have enough acceleration. Usually this is a strong point of the Ducati so it’s a little strange so we’ll have a look at the mapping and see if we can figure out the problem tonight. Normally around here you have a lot of wheelies and I don’t have any so it’s obviously something we need to put right. I’ve got a new helmet design here for the 4th July. It is tradition to let off fireworks here so that is the basis of the design, although on the track we haven’t let anything go yet! Hopefully we can get a better direction with the engine tomorrow and find some spark!”

Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2008), 1’21.488 – 159.483 Km/h
Best Pole: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2008), 1’20.700 – 161.040 Km/h
Circuit Length: 3.610km
MotoGP Race 2009: 32 laps (115.52 km)