Moto GP

[Rev004]

Laguna action gets underway with Rossi leading the way
Friday, 03 July 2009

The hour-long first MotoGP free practice session at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix concluded with Valentino Rossi in front of his World Championship rivals on Friday.

In perfect conditions at the Laguna Seca circuit on Friday afternoon, with blue skies, Californian sunshine and temperatures of 24°C, the MotoGP riders got the eighth race weekend of the year underway – the World Champion Valentino Rossi putting down the fastest time late in FP1.
The current MotoGP ‘big three†were on top again as the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix commenced, Rossi followed on the timesheet by his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Ducatiâ€s Casey Stoner.
Rossiâ€s 1â€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 yearâ€s contest behind him and already looks comfortable around the picturesque American track.
Stoner was just 0.189s down on Rossiâ€s pace himself as he tested his condition following the severe exhaustion he has experienced in recent weeks. The 2007 Laguna race-winning Australian is out for revenge over Rossi this weekend following their epic 2008 battle which Rossi won in such style.
In fourth place was Repsol Hondaâ€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 he sustained at Sachsenring.
There was a good start to the weekend for San Carlo Honda Gresiniâ€s Toni Elías who immediately benefitted from the introduction of the 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 Suzukiâ€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 out the top ten, whilst Edwards†compatriot Nicky Hayden made a sluggish start to his American Ducati debut in 14th place.

RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'21.981 262.901
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'22.093 256.227 0.112
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team Ducati 1'22.170 262.518 0.189
4 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.637 258.373 0.656
5 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'22.682 255.863 0.701
6 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'22.880 258.744 0.899
7 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'23.140 256.776 1.159
8 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'23.217 254.957 1.236
9 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.285 259.117 1.304
10 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'23.406 254.357 1.425
11 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'23.439 256.166 1.458
12 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'23.637 255.379 1.656
13 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'23.690 253.521 1.709
14 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 1'23.747 252.277 1.766
15 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'24.533 249.077 2.552
16 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'24.926 234.273 2.945
17 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'25.511 244.842 3.530



Rossi satisfied but with improvements still to make
Friday, 03 July 2009

World Champion Valentino Rossi spoke to motogp.com on Friday after starting the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix in good form.

In search of GP victory 101 this weekend in California the sensational winner of last yearâ€s Laguna Seca race Valentino Rossi was the fastest man at the track on Friday as the round eight action got started.
Topping the FP1 timesheet ahead of his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Ducatiâ€s Casey Stoner by 0.112s and 0.189s respectively, with a 1â€21.981 lap, Rossi knows he needs to stay on the pace and to improve his setting on Saturday in order to keep in front of his young rivals.
“It was a good first practice because Iâ€m in first place and also because we worked well on the bike,” said the iconic Italian rider. “We checked some interesting things, we tried to improve the feeling with the bike and we gathered important data in order to improve on Saturday.”
The 30 year-old continued, “Already the lap time is not too bad. We are very close together again with Stoner and Lorenzo but it looks like we are competitive and our Yamaha is good here at this track.”
Asked about the specifics as to where he will focus on Saturday, Rossi replied, “We have to improve the setting still, because on certain corners it is possible to make it better. We are also working a lot on the electronics so that we control the ‘wheelies†because on this track there are lots of bumps and jumps, so tomorrow we will continue to work in this way.”


Edwards with suspension issues to resolve
Friday, 03 July 2009

Colin Edwards found the going bumpy at Laguna on Friday as he prepared for his home race.


Arriving at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix full of confidence after his strong performance and fourth placed finish at Assen, Colin Edwards was further down the timesheet than he would have liked on Friday at Laguna Seca.

In search of his 100th point-scoring GP finish this weekend in California the Texan is confident he can improve on his Friday pace, having finished the first session in ninth place with a best time of 1â€23.285.

Making his first U.S. appearance on Bridgestone tyres, having struggled with grip last year as he finished the race 14th, the 35-year-old was more than half a second down on fourth placed Dani Pedrosa in FP1, having encountered some front and rear suspension issues at the West Coast circuit.

“It hasnâ€t been that great really,” commented Edwards after the practice. “The tyres are great but the bike is feeling way too stiff. We need to do some work on Friday night on our springs and damping to figure it out. I had some similar problems last year, with not enough movement from the suspension, because the seat and the handlebars are moving too much and nothing is getting absorbed.”

He continued, “There are a lot of bumps out there on the track and we do go to a few rough tracks but I forgot how rough it was here. There are some humungous bumps out there and they are not round, they are square so we need to get that figured out.”


Stoner expecting Assen/Barcelona-like fatigue at Laguna
Friday, 03 July 2009

Third in Fridayâ€s free practice session, Casey Stoner was frank about his continued lack of fitness when talking after the run-out.


2007 racewinner Casey Stoner opened up this yearâ€s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix weekend with the third fastest time of the first free practice session, with a 1â€22.170 lap of the Laguna Seca circuit belying his still-fragile physical state. The Australian has been battling a mystery virus over the past pair of races and, unfortunately for the Ducati man, is predicting just as hard a fight this Sunday.

“The bikeâ€s working well, which is once again a disappointment for me because I donâ€t think that we can really keep up for the race this weekend,” a downbeat Stoner acknowledged on Friday afternoon.

“Everythingâ€s been working well these past three races, and I feel like we should have been fighting at the front -even if we finished in the same positions. It looks like itâ€s going to be a similar weekend to the last two, but at least this time we are kind of expecting it, whereas at Assen I thought that all my problems were over.”

Stoner was experiencing fatigue as early as the midway point of the session, causing him to make running modifications to his riding style in order to conserve his energy. In order to maintain his endurance for the session, the former MotoGP World Champion is having to make sacrifices to his lap strategy.

“Braking is one of the hardest points for me at the moment. Iâ€m taking the corners however I can at the moment, which is what you do when you get fatigued. My braking points are getting way too early though, so it all just combines to give a slower lap time,” he lamented, before giving credit to those who he believes have been the driving force behind his recent podium damage limitation.

“For me itâ€s been the bike these past two races. If it wasnâ€t working so well I wouldnâ€t have been on the podium. The bike can still do quick lap times even when Iâ€m backing off.”


Pedrosa fourth as he reacquaints himself with Laguna
Friday, 03 July 2009

Having missed last yearâ€s Laguna race Dani Pedrosa had an important session on Friday at round eight, riding the American circuit for the first time on Bridgestone tyres.


Dani Pedrosa finished FP1 at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix in fourth place on the timesheet and felt there was room for improvement as he got to grips with his Bridgestone tyres for the first time on Californian soil.

After 31 laps of the Laguna Seca circuit Pedrosa marked his best time of 1'22.637 right at the end of the session, making steady improvements as he continues to find his way back from injury.

Pedrosa suffered a DNF at Assen in the last round as he crashed in The Netherlands when riding through the pain barrier with an ongoing hip injury. Although he is still to regain full fitness the Spaniard is doing far better then last year at Laguna when he had to leave on Friday evening due to injuries picked up in a costly crash in Germany shortly before.

Just over half a second behind paceman Valentino Rossi on Friday, Pedrosa looked back on the session saying, “It was good to try the track again. At the beginning I took my time and tried to get some rhythm, then finally I tried to push a little bit more. We are still some distance from the top but for a first run it looks ok for the moment.”

He continued, “Itâ€s a different feeling on the Bridgestone tyres but they feel ok and we will try to improve on Saturday.”

On his physical condition, Pedrosa added, “We did a lot of laps and at the end of the session my hip was a little bit painful, but it wasnâ€t too bad and I was able to ride the bike as normal. Thatâ€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.”


Marathon man Lorenzo relearning Laguna Seca
Friday, 03 July 2009

Extended sighting mission for Fiat Yamaha rider in opening Laguna Seca session


38 laps –the fastest of which a 1â€22.093- was all it took for Fiat Yamaha Jorge Lorenzo to make up for any lack of track time at Laguna Seca. The current second-placed rider in the MotoGP World Champion crashed out of his U.S. debut last year before even crossing the start/finish line once, although on Friday in 2009 he quickly reacquainted himself with the technical circuit.

“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,” said the Spaniard, once again edged out at the last moment by teammate Valentino Rossi in the Friday run by just a tenth of a second.

“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.”

Lorenzo is riding this weekend without Team Manager Daniele Romagnoli accompanying him on his side of the garage, the Italian attending to a family matter back in Europe.


Dovizioso confident of upping the pace
Friday, 03 July 2009

Andrea Dovizioso was sixth fastest on Friday at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.


Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso reviews the opening day of action in California.

Andrea Dovizioso – 6th
“The lap times came easily today and Iâ€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 couldnâ€t push as hard as I wanted to improve my lap time. Because of that Iâ€m confident we have room to go quicker tomorrow. Despite the fact that it was quite easy to get the rhythm, Iâ€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 Iâ€m looking forward to getting back out there in the morning.”


Vermeulen progress halted by crash
Friday, 03 July 2009

Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen crashed during the early part of the first practice session at Laguna Seca, usually one of his favourite tracks.


Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi provide the Rizla Suzuki perspective on the first day of practice at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

Chris Vermeulen – 8th
“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 – 12th
“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.”


Slow start for Hayden on West Coast
Friday, 03 July 2009

The 2005 and 2006 Laguna racewinner Nicky Hayden needs to get on the pace at round eight having started the weekend in 14th place on Friday.


The biggest event of the year thus far for Nicky Hayden commenced in modest fashion on Friday with the Kentucky rider lapping down in 14th on the FP1 timesheet at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

Ducati have a significant fanbase in the United States and with Hayden this weekend making his first American appearance for the Italian factory the pressure is on for the former World Champion to at least try and match his top five result from last yearâ€s race.

Although Hayden also has Indianapolis to look forward to late in August the visit to Laguna is a key moment in his first season with Ducati as he looks to kickstart his campaign, at the track where he took home victories in â€05 & â€06, having only twice featured in the top ten so far this year.

On the first day of action at Laguna, Hayden said, “Itâ€s a new bike and new tyres for me here but I have been riding it all year and it shouldnâ€t have taken this long to get used to. This is not what I wanted from the first practice and I certainly hoped to be a lot closer to the pace.”

“Change of direction was quite slow and I didnâ€t feel that the acceleration was good. Coming out of the corners it felt very flat and not enough power, so hopefully we can find something with electronics or fuel mapping and make a big step on Saturday.”

On whether the data gathered by his team-mate Casey Stoner on the Ducati in the Australianâ€s successful 2007 and 2008 appearances at the track would be helpful over the weekend, Hayden commented, “As far as base set-up and base transmission are concerned sure his data is important and we have our electronic mapping in place from that so it is useful.”