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Author: David Bodapati
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Lorenzo hammers out fifth victory of the year at the Czech Republic Grand Prix; Marquez second, Rossi third
Brno (Czech Republic), 16 August 2015: Pole-sitter Jorge Lorenzo led from start to the finish to take his fifth victory of the year at the Czech Republic Grand Prix, the result meaning the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider now has equal championship points as his teammate Valentino Rossi.Bridgestone release adds: After exhibiting lap-record pace in qualifying Lorenzo proved he had the best pace over race distance as well, as he led into the first corner and steadily built a gap over Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez, who was the only rider able to keep Lorenzo in sight in the early stages. As the race went on, Lorenzo’s lead grew and he ultimately took the chequered flag 4.462 seconds ahead of Marquez who finished in second place. Finishing a further six seconds behind in third was Rossi who kept his perfect podium record in 2015 intact. All three riders on the podium used a different combination of Bridgestone slick tyres for the twenty-two lap Czech Republic Grand Prix. Lorenzo used the medium compound slicks front and rear, Marquez used the medium front and hard rear slick, while Rossi used the hard compound front and rear slicks.Movistar Yamaha release:Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo put on an incredible show today at Automotodrom Brno, keeping rival Marc Marquez at bay for 22 laps to cross the line with a convincing 4.462s gap. TeammateValentino Rossi also put up a strong fight at the early stages of the race when he battled with Bradley Smith and Andrea Dovizioso to take the chequered flag in third place.Lorenzo had a brilliant start, taking the holeshot from pole and immediately tried to break away with Marquez running closely behind him. After the opening lap the X-Fuera rider posted times in the low 1‘56s for the next eight laps. Riding faster than anyone on track, the pair created a gap to the group battling for third, but with 14 laps to go the Majorcan‘s pace proved to be too hot for his rival, and he managed to break away.In his element, Lorenzo remained unthreatened for the remainder of the race and continued to manage the gap to Marquez perfectly, claiming a first victory in Brno for Yamaha since 2010 by a convincing length.Starting the race from third on the grid, Rossi slotted into fifth place, but quickly fought his way back to the front, overtaking Smith for fourth, but he lost valuable time behind Dovizioso in their battle for third place. With Andrea Iannone looming in fifth, Rossi put extra pressure on the compatriot in front of him and made the pass stick at the end of the third lap.
The Doctor put his head down to close the over two second gap to the frontrunners, but was unable to claw back the lost ground. Riding a lonely race, he focused on holding off his trailing rivals and crossed the line in third place, 10.397 seconds from the front, to make it his eleventh consecutive podium of the season.
Today‘s race results have Lorenzo take over the lead from Rossi in the championship as the pair are on equal points, each having earned a total of 211 points so far, but Lorenzo having two more GP wins this season.
Czech Republic MotoGP™ Top Ten Race ClassificationPosRiderTeamRace TimeGapFront specRear specTyres1Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 42’53.042 Medium Medium Bridgestone2Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 42’57.504 4.462 Medium Hard Bridgestone3Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 43’03.439 10.397 Hard Hard Bridgestone4Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 43’06.113 13.071 Medium Medium Bridgestone5Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 43’08.692 15.650 Medium Medium Bridgestone6Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 43’08.767 15.725 Medium Medium Bridgestone7Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha 
Lorenzo after winning the Czech Republic GP on Sunday. A Movistar Yamaha image. Tech 3
43’14.863 21.821 Medium Medium Bridgestone8Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 43’16.282 23.240 Hard Medium Bridgestone9Aleix ESPARGARO Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 43’36.826 43.784 Hard Medium Bridgestone10Danilo PETRUCCI Octo Pramac Racing 43’38.303 45.261 Hard Medium Bridgestoneeom/Bridgestone, Yamaha team releases
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All three MAPFRE Team Mahindra men in the points: Moto3
Brno (Czech Republic), 16 Aug 2015: The Moto3 race at Brno had barely started when the red flag came out on the first lap following a crash for four riders in the first corner and then four more in turn three. Half an hour later the race was restarted, cut from nineteen laps to twelve, and even though there was another pile-up this time it was not interrupted. However, it did allow a group of eleven riders to open a gap of two seconds over the rest of the field, with Niccolo Antonelli coming out on top of an intense battle for the win that saw Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder also finish on the podium.
Behind them all three MAPFRE Team Mahindra riders finished in the points together for the first time this season after leading the second group home. Jorge Martín, Pecco Bagnaia and Juanfran Guevara lost ground on the leaders after the crash in the restarted race and despite setting an identical pace to the front men throughout the race they were never able to recover the lost ground. However, it was a satisfactory finish to the weekend for the trio, with Martín scoring points for the third straight race, Bagnaia rediscovering his form after making a set-up breakthrough this morning and Guevara now putting the bad luck and injuries that hampered the first half of his season firmly behind him.
11th Jorge Martín: “The first start was really good, I was up to twelfth and ready to make some passes but then the red flag came out and we had to do it all over again. I tried to do the same thing in the restart but I got passed by a few riders and dropped back. By the time I got back to the front of my group the leaders had escaped. I tried to close the gap back to them but got involved in a battle with another rider and we tripped each other up. It would have been nice to be fighting for the podium because I think we had the pace today. In general I am happy because we have improved here, I won the battle in the group I was in and we have taken a top ten finish, which is important. Hopefully we can continue to improve and get a better result next time. Juanfran and I came together at the end but as far as I’m concerned there’s no problem.”
12th Pecco Bagnaia: “Today went well and we have finally managed to turn around the strange situation we have been going through. We completely changed the bike this morning and the results were effective. We made the bike easier to ride and I could pick my lines much more easily than yesterday. It took us a couple of laps to pick up the pace but in the end I am happy. It was a shame to have started from so far back because our pace was the same as the guys at the front. Overall, to make up fifteen positions and finish twelfth after a couple of bad results is a good way to end the weekend. We have to be happy and carry on like this.”
eom/Mapfre team release
2015 Aspar Team during the Moto3 Championship 2015 race 11 in Czech Republic at Brno Circuit. Image by Mirco Lazzari for teamAspar.com -
MRF dominate with 1-2 finish, as Tidemand triumphs: APRC
Johor Bahru (Malaysia) 16 Aug 2015: Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Emil Axelsson led a 1-2 finish for Team MRF as the Swedes swept to their third win of the season by claiming the title in the Malaysian Rally, the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, here on Sunday.
The 24-year old Tidemand, driving the Skoda Fabia S2000, finished one minute, 56.5 seconds ahead of team-mate, India’s Gaurav Gill (co-driver Glenn Macneall).
Gill comfortably won the first round of Asia Cup, sparing over 19 minutes to Fan Fan (Junwei Fang) from China who drove the Mitsubishi Evo EX for South-East Motor team.
Tidemand, making his APRC debut, had triumphed in Australia and New Zealand, and the win on Sunday took his tally to 147 points while 33-year old Delhi-based Gill, winner of the first round in New Caledonia, moved to 104.
With just two more rounds of APRC to be run in Japan (Sept 18-20) and China (Oct 30-Nov 1) and a maximum of 78 points on offer, Tidemand has taken a stranglehold on the championship leaving Gill a mathematical chance of claiming the title he had won in 2013.
Leading by 01:19.9 overnight, Tidemand kept the throttle down on Sunday when six more Stages were run over much shorter distance than on Saturday as the Swede was quickest in five loops while Gill, driving in heavy rains, took the last Stage of the day.
“I had a good day today and absolutely no problems with the car. I was new to these conditions and it was very challenging. But I am happy that I survived and brought the car home safely.
“We have two more rounds in Japan and China, and I looking forward to it. Like I said, all this is new to me, but I want to do well,” said Tidemand.
An obviously disappointed Gill, winner here last year, had problems with the rear differential of his Skoda Fabia S2000 besides overheating and loss of grip.
“The rear differential stopped working during the first loop and there was no grip. So, I couldn’t drive normally. Then we had heavy rains during the second loop, but we were quicker in the last Stage.
“Overall, it was the worst weekend of my life with all the problems we had due to grass getting into the radiator grill and all that. I now look forward to the remaining two rounds,” said Gill who did not participate in the conventional champagne ceremony as a mark of respect for Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India president Bharath Raj who passed away in Bengaluru on Saturday.
MRF team boss Lane Heenan said: “It was very tough on the cars, but we are happy that both Tidemand and Gill finished. I think it was after very long time that both MRF cars finished here in Malaysia.”
Provisional classification (after Leg-2):
Asia-Pacific Rally Championship: Pontus Tidemand / Emil Axelsson (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (03hrs, 05mins, 11.5secs); Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 2 (03:07:08.0).
Asia Cup (Round-1): G
Pontus Tidemand of Team MRF in action on Sunday on way to winning the Malaysian Rally, the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, in Johor Bahru on Sunday. Image by Anand Philar aurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (03:07:08.0); Fan Fan / Junwei Fang (South-East Motor, Evo EX) 2 (03:26:58.8); Genki Takeuchi / Naoki Kase (Cusco Racing, Subaru Impreza) 3 (03:32:28.1).
eom/AP Media Communications release
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Yamaha’s Lorenzo sets best lap record of Brno circuit on way to pole
Brno (Czech Republic), 15 Aug 2015: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo cut half a second from the previous Brno Circuit Best Lap record to claim pole position for the Czech Republic Grand Prix ahead of his main championship rivals Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi.Lorenzo had already beat the outright Brno lap record in Free Practice 3 this morning, but on a new set of slicks set went even quicker during Qualifying Practice 2, setting a time of 1’54.989 to beat Repsol Honda’s Marquez to pole by just 0.074 seconds. On the other factory Yamaha machine, Rossi clinched the final front row grid spot by setting a time of 1’55.353 on his final lap in QP2. All three riders that qualified on the front row at Brno used the medium compound rear slick for their fastest lap, yet while Lorenzo and Marquez used the medium compound front, Rossi set his time on the hard compound front slick. Overall, the top five riders set times under the previous Circuit Best Lap record for Brno; a 1’55.527 set by Marquez last year.Quotes of top threeJorge Lorenzo of Movistar-Yamaha takes pole for the Czech Republic. Image by Bridgestone :
Lorenzo: I am really proud of my two lap times, because the first one was as impressive as the second but just not enough to make the pole position. In the end I had to improve the lap time by two or three tenths to keep an advantage over Marc. I didn‘t expect my time, but I didn’t expect those from Marc or even Valentino either, but everyone was pushing so much and they improved a lot. My pole position lap was very good, almost perfect, except maybe the last corner wasn‘t because I had a lot of wheel spin, but a perfect lap is impossible, so we have to be very satisfied. I am confident for tomorrow because I think we have a great base setting. We will see tomorrow what the weather is like, how our rivals are doing after some laps, but we are confident.”Marc Marquez: “Today we can be very pleased with how the day went, yesterday we were far off Jorge and Valentino’s pace but today we are much closer. It’s a good sign, but we knew it would be difficult to beat them over a single lap because it seems that they use the new tyre very well. I set a very good lap, but Jorge’s was fantastic. In terms of race pace I think they are a little better than us, but there isn’t much in it, so in the morning warmup we will try to make a step. We will give one hundred percent in the race and try to keep as close as possible and stick with them to the end.”Valentino Rossi: I think a first row start is going to be very important because Jorge and Marc will be very fast from the beginning and if you start from behind it will be impossible to stay with them, so I‘m very happy with this result, also because we worked very well with the team. Already this morning we found a good way to proceed, but this afternoon we improved the setting and were able to also have a good pace, and like I said it‘s very important to start from the front row, because it will be a very hard race.Movistar Yamaha MotoGP release adds:Jorge Lorenzo put maximum effort into this afternoon‘s qualifying session, delivering pole position for tomorrow‘s race at the flowing Automotodrom Brno.Lorenzo wasn’t the only Yamaha rider on fire either as teammate Valentino Rossi put in a stunning ride to secure third, just 0.364 seconds from pole, for a first double front row qualifying result for the factory Yamaha team since Misano 2014.
After he displayed a dominant form in the third and fourth free practice session this morning, Lorenzo again confirmed he is a force to be reckoned with during the qualifying heat.
The Spaniard was the last rider to head out on track at the start of the 15 minute session to be assured of some clear space to crank out a hot lap and went to work immediately. His first flying lap delivered a 1‘55.238, smashing his own lap record and shooting him straight to provisional pole.
He hurried back into the pits for fresh rubber with seven and a half minutes remaining and was back on track in confident mood with a little under six minutes on the clock, ready to raise the level even further. He broke another record with his next flying lap, the first ever lap under the 1‘55 mark with a 1‘54.989. He had time for two more laps, but was unable to further improve upon his incredible lap time and will start tomorrow‘s race from a well-deserved pole position.
Teammate Rossi also gave a strong performance this afternoon. Having been quick in today‘s practice session the Italian made best use of the qualifying tyres in the quick fire heat. He left pit lane as one of the first riders, but headed straight back after scrubbing in his new front tyre.
He returned to the track with twelve minutes left of the session, his first lap of 1‘56.345 putting him in seventh place. He kept pushing as everyone else was changing tyres and posted a 1‘55.856 for fourth before arriving back at the box for another tyre with four minutes of the session left.
He rejoined the fight less than a minute later for a final attempt to improve his grid position as a last minute flurry of activity pushed him back to fifth. He gave his all on his final lap and delivered a brilliant 1‘55.353 for third position on the front row of the grid.
Czech Republic MotoGP QP2 times – Riders that qualified from QP1 shaded in grayPos Rider Team QP2 Time Gap 1Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’54.989 2Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’55.063 0.074 3Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’55.353 0.364 4Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 1’55.390 0.401 5Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’55.460 0.471 6Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’55.935 0.946 7Maverick VIÑALES Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’55.954 0.965 8Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’55.955 0.966 9Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’55.969 0.980 10Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 1’56.192 1.203 11Hector BARBERA Avintia Racing 1’56.399 1.410 12Yonny HERNANDEZ Octo Pramac Racing 1’56.739 1.750 -
Gaurav Gill trails teammate Tidemand by over 1 minute: APRC Malaysian Rally
Johor Bahru (Malaysia), 15 Aug 2015: Swedish pair Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Emil Axelsson of Team MRF took a commanding one minute, 19.9 seconds lead over team-mate Gaurav Gill (Glenn Macneall) at the end of Leg-1 in the Malaysian Rally which is the fourth round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship here on Saturday.
Gill, however, drew consolation from finishing the day on top in the Asia Cup category, enjoying a 11-minute lead over Cusco Racing duo of Genki Takeuchi and co-driver Naoki Kase who were in a Subaru Impreza.
Both Tidemand, who leads the championship, and Gill, the 2013 APRC champion, survived a nightmarish ride through the day’s eight Special Stages highlighted by bouts of overtaking between the two as they stopped to remove grass from the front grill which was leading to overheating of the engine.
“I have never seen anything like it in my rallying career. In Special Stage-3, for instance, I had to stop four times to remove grass from the front frill and Pontus did the same twice. So, we overtook each other on the Stage,” said the 33-year old Delhi-based Gill who was quickest in three of the eight Stages.
Tidemand, the 24-year old Skoda test driver, and winner of two of the three APRC rounds this season, had to tackle other problems, ranging from dampers, brakes and loss of concentration due to extreme heat and humidity.
“I am happy that I was able to finish the day. To top it, I had a couple of spins which also cost me time. We had to stop thrice in one of the Stages to remove the grass. We had issues with dampers, brakes and lapse of concentration. So, it was a tough day and tomorrow, I just want to survive,” said Tidemand, driving in Malaysia for the first time.
Gill, winner here last year, had to also deal with an errant front fender which came off and somehow got entangled in front of the radiator leading to overheating in the post-lunch session.
“It was weird. We had to stop and rip off the fender which was causing overheating. Overall, it was a difficult day and tomorrow, I will be pushing hard, but with shorter Stages and less distance, the lead is too much to make up,” said Gill.
Through the day’s eight Stages, Tidemand and Gill put on a spectacular show with aggressive driving as the Swede tried to sustain an early lead and the Indian pushing all the way in a bid to narrow the leeway.
With the two MRF team-mates setting such a scorching pace, the rest of the field fell away with a series of retirements leaving only Tidemand and Gill in the running for APRC honours.
Provisional classification (after Leg-1):
Asia-Pacific Rally Championship: Pontus Tidemand / Emil Axelsson (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (02hrs, 9mins, 21.2secs); Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 2 (02:10:41.1).
Asia Cup (Round-1): Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (02:10:41.1); Genki Takeuchi / Naoki Kase (Cusco Racing, Subaru Impreza) 2 (02:22:26.9); Hitoshi Takayama / Hideki Takeyabu (Immens Motorsport, Subaru Impreza WRS STi) 3 (02:29:44.4).
Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand of Team MRF who finished Leg – 1 in the lead in the fourth round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar -
Tough terrain to test Team MRF stars Gill, Tidemand: APRC
Johor Bahru (Malaysia): The indications are that the Malaysian Rally which is also the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and commencing here on Saturday after tonight’s ceremonial flag-off, will prove to be a tough test for Team MRF’s Gaurav Gill and Pontus Tidemand who are locked in an intense battle for supremacy.
Following the reconnaissance run on Thursday, both Gill, the 2013 Asia-Pacific champion who trails team-mate Tidemand of Sweden by 34 points, described the 14 Special Stages, totaling 226.56 Kms that will be run over two days, as “tough and extremely challenging”.
Speaking at a pre-event Media conference here on Friday after the shakedown where the two MRF Skoda Fabia S2000 cars were among the quickest, Gill, who w
Gaurav Gill during Friday’s shakedown in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, ahead of the Round 4 of FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Image Anand Philar on here last year, opined that the rally tracks had knee-high growth of grass which could test the vehicles.
“I have never seen so much grass on a rally route in all my years in this event. It is going to be hard on the cars, but hopefully, we will come through,” said 33-year old Delhi-based Gill who will be partnered by his long-time co-driver Glenn Macneall from Australia.
Echoing Gill’s views, 24-year old Tidemand, who is coming off a second-place finish in World Rally Championship-2 in Finland a fortnight back, felt that as much as the track, the weather conditions could also be a major hurdle.
“The Stages are rough and it is my first time in Malaysia. So, I have to get used to the heat and humidity, but I hope to do well,” said Tidemand who will have fellow-Swede Emil Exelsson beside him.
Gill said his Skoda Fabia S2000 is fitted with a new engine for the Malaysian Rally, and after tweaking the set-up on Friday, he was happy with the car.
At the half-way mark in the Championship, Tidemand heads the championship after wins in New Zealand and Australia and a second place finish behind Gill in the season-opener in New Caledonia.
With three more rounds, including the Malaysian Rally, to be run, Gill can ill afford to drop any more points, like he did in Australia where he packed up after the engine expired.
“It was unfortunate not to get the result we were after in Queensland, but we had a great battle with Pontus and I am looking forward to renewing that competition in Malaysia this weekend,” said Gill.
Team MRF’s Skoda Fabia S2000s have not only been the fastest cars in the APRC in recent seasons, but have also been the strongest and most reliable.
Team MRF boss Lane Heenan said: “The Skoda Fabia S2000 is the most successful S2000 car ever, and we are confident the cars and MRF Tyres are up to the task of winning at each event we attend.
“The APRC gives us such diverse conditions that the car needs to be capable of coping with widely varying roads, whether that be the smooth, flowing roads of New Zealand, or the rougher plantation roads in Malaysia.”
Tidemand and Gill will have to contend with 2005 APRC champion, Jussi Valimaki, a former MRF team driver, returning to pilot a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X after a gap of eight years, besides 22-year old New Zealander Mike Young in a Subaru WRX, and Indonesian Subhan Aksa in a Lancer Evo X.
eom/AP media communications/MRF release
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Marquez continues American domination, wins round 10 at Indy; Lorenzo 2nd, Rossi 3rd
Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez won today’s Indianapolis Grand Prix from pole position after an exciting battle with Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo. The result was the reigning MotoGP™ World Champion’s seventh successive premier-class victory on American soil.Marquez started from pole position but found himself in second place on the opening lap as Lorenzo produced one of his trademark storming starts to take the early lead. The two riders held their own private dogfight at the front of the field for the whole race, with Marquez ultimately fighting his way into the lead with just two laps remaining. Once in the lead, Marquez increased his pace to take the chequered flag 0.688 seconds ahead of Lorenzo in second place. Finishing in third place was Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi who came out on top of another intense battle with Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa for the final podium place. During his fierce battle with Lorenzo, Marquez was able to set a new Indianapolis Circuit Record Lap of 1’32.625 on the twenty-third lap of the race and his total finish time of 41’55.371 was twelve seconds quicker than the old overall race time record that he set last year.After fine and hot weather all weekend, race day brought a change in conditions with intermittent rain falling throughout the day. The MotoGP race was declared dry, yet very light drizzle fell on parts of the track in the second half of the race, making the record pace set by the riders even more impressive. The peak track temperature of 38° C was eleven degrees cooler than yesterday’s highest reading. Despite the cooler track temperature and the threat of rain, tyre choice was a carbon copy of what riders used in race simulations yesterday. Twenty-one of the twenty-three riders selected the hard compound front slick, with only two riders selecting the medium compound front. Rear tyre choice saw all factory option Honda and Yamaha riders select the hard compound rear, all factory option Ducati and Suzuki riders on the medium rear, while the Aprilia and open class riders opted for the soft compound rear slick.Marquez’s third victory of the year sees him jump into third place in the championship standings on 139 points. Rossi still leads the MotoGP points table on 195 points, although the lead over his teammate Lorenzo shrinks to nine points with eight rounds remaining.Marc Marquez said: “The race went very well, but we were pretty much on the limit. The truth is that Jorge improved a lot during the race, and I didn’t think there would be so many laps in the 1’32s. Even towards the end of the race we did a 1’32.6, which is very fast! We used the strategy of attacking at the end, when there were three laps remaining, and I think it was ideal for taking victory at this circuit. I’m also very proud to have taken Honda’s 700th victory! This is a very special moment for all the team and I dedicate it to all of Honda.”Indianapolis MotoGP™ Top Ten Race ClassificationPosRiderTeamRace TimeGapFront specRear specTyres1Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 41’55.371 Hard Hard Bridgestone2Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 41’56.059 0.688 Hard Hard Bridgestone3Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 42’01.337 5.966 Hard Hard Bridgestone4Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 42’01.518 6.147 Hard Hard Bridgestone5Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 42’16.899 21.528 Hard Medium Bridgestone6Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 42’17.122 21.751 Hard Hard Bridgestone7Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 42’25.749 30.378 Hard Hard Bridgestone8Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 42’26.978 31.607 Hard Hard Bridgestone9Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 42’28.192 32.821 Hard Medium Bridgestone10Danilo PETRUCCI Octo Pramac Racing 42’29.888 34.517 Hard Medium Bridgestoneends/Bridgestone press release -
Honda Achieves 700th FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Victory
INDIANAPOLIS, USA, August 9, 2015 – Honda MotoGP rider Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) claimed victory in the MotoGP class, in Round 10 of the 2015 FIM Road Racing World Championship held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, USA. Beginning with its first world grand prix race in 1961, at the hands of Australian rider Tom Phillis on his Honda RC143 in the 125cc class of the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix, Honda has now achieved an unprecedented 700* grand prix wins.
By the beginning of the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Honda had tallied 698 grand prix wins. The Moto3 class started under light rain, with most top riders choosing wet tires. 18 year old Belgian rider Livio Loi (RW Racing GP Honda NSF250RW) had taken a gamble to start on slicks, which paid off as the wet tire riders inevitably pitted, allowing Loi to claim his first victory after a consistent ride, taking Honda one step closer to the 700 win milestone.
Uncertain weather conditions persisted in the MotoGP class which followed, with light rain in the latter stages of the premier class race. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) maintained a close gap with the race leader throughout the race, and with three laps remaining on lap 25, took the lead for a runaway victory, giving him his second consecutive win (third for the season), and Honda its 700th grand prix victory.
In 1954, Honda’s founder Soichiro Honda declared entry into the premier motor sports event of the time, the Isle of Man TT, aiming to “realize the dream of becoming the world’s best.” After five years developing a racing machine, Honda became the first Japanese motorcycle manufacturer to enter the Isle of Man TT race. The following year, in 1960, Honda began competing in the 125cc and 250cc classes of the FIM Road Racing World Championship, and in 1961, Tom Phillis won the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix, giving Honda its first step towards its 700 victories.
Honda then forayed into the 350cc and 50cc classes in 1962, and the 500cc class in 1966, and won the championship in all five classes in 1966. At the time, Honda considered its racing activities to be a “laboratory on wheels,” and new technologies developed to win world championship races were applied to its production motorcycles. With dramatically improved quality, the market had expanded its support for Honda’s motorcycles. At the end of the 1967 season, Honda had paused its factory racing activities, which were to be restarted 11 years later, with 138 grand prix wins.
In 1979, Honda returned to FIM Road Racing World Championship racing in the 500cc class. Three years later in 1982, American rider Freddie Spencer won Round 7 in Belgium on his Honda NS500, giving Honda its first victory since returning to world grand prix racing. Honda then went on to win grand prix races in the 125cc and 250cc classes, contributing to its 500th victory in 2001, when Italian rider Valentino Rossi was victorious in the 500cc class at the season-opening Japan Grand Prix. In 2005, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa rode his Honda RS250RW to victory in the 250cc class in Round 15 in Australia, marking Honda’s 600th grand prix win.
* Number of wins counted by Honda based on FIM records Moto2 class wins since 2010 are not included, as the entire class is raced with Honda engines Moto3 class wins in 2012 are not included as Honda wins, in compliance with FIM regulations, as the registered constructor was FTR Honda (albeit powered by the NSF250R engine)
Honda takes 700th MotoGP win as Marquez edged out Yamaha duo to victory at Indaianapolis on Sunday. A Repsol Honda image -
Marquez takes pole ahead of teammate Pedrosa at Indianapolis GP
Indianapolis, 8 August 2015: Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa have completed a faultless day placing first and second for tomorrow’s 27 lap race, the first qualifying 1-2 since the GP of Malaysia in 2014.
Both riders were immediately fast with Marc posting his best time on his first exit, with a time of 1’31.884 and was unable to better this on his second run. Dani went straight to second place on his first run then improved h
Marc-Marquez of RepsolHondatakes pole at Indianapolis-MotoGP on 8 Aug 2015 Bridgestone pic is time on his second exit closing in on Marc’s time and finishing just 0.171 seconds off his teammate with a time of 1’32.055.
Marc has started from pole in every race on American soil in the MotoGP class except Laguna Seca in 2013, making it six from seven and tomorrow he will be aiming for his fifth consecutive win at the Brickyard.
The race will begin at 14h00 local time; Ten Sports is expected to telecast the GP live from 11.30 pm in India. The Moto 3 race where Indian team Mahindara is taking part will be telecast from 10.30 pm IST
Bridgestone report on qualification: Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez is ideally placed to claim a hat-trick of Indianapolis Grand Prix victories as he secured pole position in qualifying on Saturday ahead of his teammate Dani Pedrosa.
Marquez was the only rider able to set a time in the 1’31 bracket and his time of 1’31.884 was just two-tenths off his own Indianapolis Circuit Best Lap record – an impressive feat given track temperatures in qualifying this year were around 10°C higher than last year. Pedrosa’s personal best time of 1’32.055 was good enough for second place on the grid ahead of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo, who clocked a 1’32.186 on his final lap in Qualifying Practice 2 to secure the final front row position. All of the top three riders in qualifying used the combination of the medium compound rear and hard compound front slick during their time attack in QP2.It was another warm day in Indianapolis but despite high ambient temperatures, the cloud cover meant that track temperatures didn’t reach the levels seen yesterday, with a peak reading of 49°C recorded this afternoon. After being given a positive reception by riders yesterday, the hard compound front slick was the most popular option in today’s sessions; during both long runs and in time attack situations in qualifying. It is expected the majority of riders will select this option for the race, although the medium compound front slick is likely to be selected by some riders. Rear slick choice today was more varied with all three options in the allocation being used. For the factory Honda and Yamaha riders the hard compound rear slick is by far the most popular option, while the medium rear slick was favoured by the Ducati riders. The soft compound rear slick could also feature in the race as it is likely to be selected by the majority of open class, Aprilia and Suzuki riders.The weather forecast suggests a fair chance of afternoon thunderstorms tomorrow, so wet or dry conditions could greet riders for tomorrow’s race at 1400 local time (GMT–4). Before then, the morning Warm UP session at 0940 will provide a final opportunity for the riders and teams to confirm their tyre choice and bike setting for the race.Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department“We had warm, dry conditions throughout the day so there was plenty of opportunity for the riders to confirm which tyre combination they preferred. The hard front, hard rear combination is working really well for the factory Honda and Yamaha riders as it combines excellent braking stability with strong, consistent drive grip at the rear. The hard compound front slick is also popular with the other factory machines and open class riders and I expect that we will see the soft and medium compound rear slicks on the grid for tomorrow’s race as well. There is a chance of rain for tomorrow’s race and although the riders haven’t been able to try this new Indianapolis tarmac in wet conditions, we have two compound options of wet tyres available so no matter what the conditions are, we have enough options for the riders.”Indianapolis MotoGP QP2 times – Riders that qualified from QP1 shaded in grayPos Rider Team QP2 Time Gap 1Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’31.884 2Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’32.055 0.171 3Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’32.186 0.302 4Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 1’32.208 0.324 5Danilo PETRUCCI Octo Pramac Racing 1’32.243 0.359 6Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’32.269 0.385 7Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 1’32.468 0.584 8Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’32.511 0.627 9Maverick VIÑALES Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’32.571 0.687 10Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’32.636 0.752 11Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’32.670 0.786 12Aleix ESPARGARO Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’32.814 0.930 -
Lohit Urs, Srikanth Gowda win Coimbatore rally
Coimbatore, 2 August 2015: Mysore businessman Lohit Urs and long-time winning navigator Srikanth Gowda of Bangalore won the IRC class and Overall title in the Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship here on Sunday. Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif retired due to technical problems.
They were in a Mitsubishi Evo VIII car and timed a total of one hour, 34 minutes, 59.1 seconds.
Mahindra Adventure’s Sunny Sidhu-PVS Murthy (01:39:27.6) finished second Overall, while their teammates Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik (01:39:59.0) were third. Karna Kadur-Vivek Ponnusamy (01:40:30.5) finished fourth Overall and also won the IRC 1600 title here.
Defending National Overall champion Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) retired with car problems on Friday and started Leg 2 on Saturday. However, Urs and Gowda had put themselves in a good position and clinched the title.
An elated Urs said: “The road was rough but we managed to do good times today. We were faster than yesterday. There were niggling problems with the car and we had to ease off.
“All our efforts have paid off and our main target is to do well in the Asia Cup in Chikkamagaluru this year. The IRC is going to be good practice for us as we continuously aim to improve the car and our driving.”
Co-driver Gowda said: “I am happy with the win. With the Evo being a much faster car than the others I have rallied in, it was a big leap in terms of learning. Basically, the calls had to be much faster and Lohitt has helped me cope up with the new challenge. It is good that we got this win.
Bengalureans Rahul Kanthraj-Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama), in a Mitsubishi Cedia, wrapped up the IRC 2000 title with a total time of 01:43:06.5. They retained the Rally of Coimbatore title and made it two in a row this season after winning in Nashik. Second was the combine of Hrishikesh Thackersey-Ninad Mirajgaonkar, while Sumit Panjabi-Nitin Jacob finished third.Kanthraj stated: “The lead we now have in the championship is heartening. We have been winning and are settling into a nice rhythm. The team has done an excellent job.”
It was a mix of joy and relief for Karna Kadur (co-driver Vivek Ponnusamy), who clinched the IRC 1600 title.
“There was a lot of pressure on me and this win has come in good time. It is a relief and I am happy as well. We drove clean today and made up a lot of time. We now have to begin work for the next tarmac rally,” said Kadur.
Last year’s champions Adith KC-Harish KN won the FMSCI Cup with a total time of 01:43:53.2.
There were five retirements from the 30 who started the rally on Saturday. Prominent among them were Arjun Rao Aroor-Satish Rajagopal with car problems.
Results (provisional):
Overall IRC: 1. Lohit Urs & Srikanth Gowda 01:34:59.1s; 2. Sunny Sidhu & P.V. Srinivas Murthy 01:39:27.6s; 3. Amittrajit Ghosh & Ashwin Naik 01:39:59.0s.
IRC 2000: 1. Rahul Kantharaj & Vivek Y. Bhatt 01:43:06.5s; 2. Hrishikesh Thackersey & Ninad Mirajgaonkar 01:44:00.8s; 3. Sumit Panjabi & Nitin Jacob 01:46:10.7s.
IRC 1600: Karna P. Kadur & Vivek Ponnusamy 01:40:30.5s; 2. Bikku Babu & Milen George Cherian 01:42:15.4s; 3. Aroor Vikram Rao & A.G. Somayya 01:42:41.4s.
FMSCI Cup: 1. K.C. Adith & K.N. Harish 01:43:53.2s; 2. D. Ashwin Reddy & M. Suraj 01:44:49.7s; 3. Habib Mohammed & Shahid Salman 01:45:21.0s.
