INDIA in F1

Category: Moto GP

Moto GP, the Motorcycle World Championship

  • Marquez close to record pace at Silverstone Day 1 practice: A Bridgestone view

    Marc-Marquez---Repsol-Honda---British-MotoGP-FP2Round 12: British Grand Prix – Free Practice 1&2
    Silverstone, Friday August 29 2014
    Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Extra-soft, Soft & Medium; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
    Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
    Weather:    FP1 – Dry. Ambient 16-16°C; Track 21-21°C (Bridgestone measurement)
                     FP2 – Dry. Ambient 19-19°C; Track 26-30°C (Bridgestone measurement)
    Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez got up to speed quickly in challenging conditions at Silverstone, the reigning champion getting within a couple of tenths of the Circuit Record Lap to finish half a second quicker than his closest rival in Fridaypractice.
    In cool and blustery conditions, Marquez set a time of 2’02.126 in the afternoon Free Practice 2 session to finish 0.509 seconds ahead of LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl who was second quickest today. Third quickest on the opening day of action for the British Grand Prix was Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso with a personal best lap time of 2’03.635. Both Marquez and Bradl set their best times using the combination of the soft compound front and medium compound rear slicks, while Dovizioso was able to set his best time on the medium compound front paired with the soft compound rear.
    Conditions at Silverstone on Friday were overcast and cool with periods of very light rain, with the track temperature reaching a high of 30°C at the start of FP2. The morning FP1 session was particularly cool with track temperatures hovering around 20°C, resulting in almost every rider starting the session on the extra-soft front slick and softer option rear slicks to ensure maximum warm-up performance and grip. As track conditions and temperatures improved in the afternoon, many riders took the opportunity to evaluate the medium compound front slick, as they searched for better front-end stability at a circuit which features a couple of hard braking zones. Some riders also used the afternoon session to assess the harder rear slick options; medium compound for Ducati and Open-class, and hard for Factory Honda and Yamaha riders, with further evaluation of all rear slick options to take place during race simulations tomorrow before race tyre choice is decided.
    Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
    “As is often the case at Silverstone, the cool temperatures and wind created a challenging situation for the riders today, and the riders also commented that the circuit is quite bumpy. However it was a good start to the race weekend as the riders tried many tyre combinations and the pace in FP2 was quite quick. All of our slick tyre options were evaluated and at this point it seems the soft compound front slick offers the best balance of warm-up potential and overall performance, and while the softer option rears are the preferred option right now, the harder rears also offer good performance so race tyre choice is still open at this stage. Given the pace we’ve seen today, the chance of seeing a new Circuit Best Lap record being set in qualifying tomorrow is good.”
    British MotoGP™: Top ten combined Free Practice 1 & 2 times
    Pos Rider Team Combined FP1&2 Time Gap
    1
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 2’02.126 (FP2)
    2
    		 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP 2’02.635 (FP2)
    0.509
    3
    		 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 2’03.011 (FP2)
    0.885
    4
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’03.070 (FP2)
    0.944
    5
    		 Yonny HERNANDEZ Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 2’03.327 (FP2)
    1.201
    6
    		 Scott REDDING GO&FUN Honda Gresini 2’03.333 (FP2)
    1.207
    7
    		 Andrea IANNONE Pramac Racing 2’03.353 (FP2)
    1.227
    8
    		 Alvaro BAUTISTA GO&FUN Honda Gresini 2’03.391 (FP2)
    1.265
    9
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 2’03.410 (FP2)
    1.284
    10
    		 Aleix ESPARGARO NGM Forward Racing 2’03.468 (FP2)
    1.342

  • MotoGP World Championship takes to Silverstone for 12th round: A Bridgestone view

    Silverstone, 27 August 2014:
    Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Extra-soft, Soft & Medium; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
    Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
    Round twelve of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship takes Monster-Yamaha-Tech-3-rider-Bradley-Smith-at-the-Qatar-Grand-Prix (1)at the Silverstone circuit in the United Kingdom, where high speeds and low temperatures combine to create a unique challenge for tyre development.
    The longest circuit on the calendar, Silverstone features ten right-hand and eight left-hand corners, so asymmetric rear slicks with harder rubber on the right shoulders are developed for this circuit. The circuit has a high average speed so developing tyres that strike the best balance between warm-up performance and outright grip is essential. Given the likelihood of cool temperatures, all rear slick options at Silverstone feature Bridgestone’s extra-soft or soft rubber compound on the lesser-used, left shoulder for maximum warm-up performance and grip. The rear tyre options for the Factory Honda and Yamaha’s are the medium and hard compound, while the Ducati and Open-class will be allocated the soft and medium compound options.
    The high speeds of the Silverstone circuit put a premium on good cornering and braking stability from the front end, so the front tyre options provided at this circuit – the extra-soft, soft and medium compounds – are selected to give the best balance of warm-up performance, stability and grip. The main wet tyre for the British Grand Prix is the soft compound; although every rider may also be select a maximum of two front and rear wet tyres in the alternative, hard compound as well.
    Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
    “Silverstone is an incredibly fast circuit and as we saw last year, has the potential to create some brilliant racing. This is a challenging circuit in terms of tyre development as we often get cool, unsettled weather but at the moment the forecast forSunday is fine and dry weather. The British Grand Prix is one of the highlights of the season with many exciting things happening on and off-track, including the annual Day of Champions and MotoGP auction held by Riders for Health which Bridgestone is proud to support again this year. Jorge has won three of the last four races at Silverstone, so I expect that he and Valentino will present a strong challenge to the Repsol Honda pair of Marc and Dani who between them have won every race so far this year.”
    Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
    “The strong possibility of cool, wet weather combined with the high loads the Silverstone circuit imposes on tyres presents a unique technical challenge for us. The circuit is very fast and there are some high lateral loads through corners such as Maggotts and Becketts, but there are also some areas of heavy braking such as for Stowe which place a high strain on the centre section of the front tyre. Track temperatures here are usually quite low, so warm-up performance is very important, especially on the left side which is used less. The layout requires asymmetric rear tyres to balance the demands placed on each side of the rear tyre and regulate tyre temperature.”

  • Repsol Honda’s Pedrosa ends Marc Marquez’s winning streak: MotoGP

    Dani Pedrosa breaks the winning streak of Marquez at BRNO on Sunday. A Repsol Honda image
    Dani Pedrosa breaks the winning streak of Marquez at BRNO on Sunday. A Repsol Honda image

    Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa set a scorching pace to take his first win of the MotoGP™ season ahead of the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP duo of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi who finished in second and third place respectively, according to a Bridgestone release.

    On his way to victory, Pedrosa set a new Circuit Record Lap of 1’56.027 and kept a fast pace throughout the twenty-two laps of the Brno circuit, and despite a late push from Lorenzo, managed to cross the finish line 0.410 seconds ahead of his Spanish rival. Rossi enjoyed an entertaining battle with Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez during the middle stages of the race, before breaking away and comfortably claiming the final podium position. Today’s Czech Republic Grand Prix was the fastest ever race to take part at the Automotodrom Brno, with Pedrosa’s total race time being three seconds quicker than the existing record time set at last year’s Czech Republic Grand Prix.
    In what has almost become a tradition on race day, drops of rain fell and dark clouds loomed as the riders set out on the formation lap, but the rain didn’t eventuate allowing the twenty-two laps of the race to be run in dry conditions. The peak track temperature during the race was 29°C which was 7°C down on the highest reading yesterday. The cooler temperatures and threat of rain resulted in four of the twenty-four starters selecting the soft compound front slick, with the other twenty riders opting for the medium compound front slick. Rear tyre choice saw every rider except one select the softest rear slick option available to them; medium compound for the Factory Honda and Yamaha, and soft compound for the Ducati and Open-class riders.
    Although he finished off the podium for the first time this season, Marquez still holds a massive 77 point lead in the standings over his teammate Pedrosa, while Rossi is a further 13 points back and sits in third position overall on the championship points table.

    Repsol Honda release adds: It was a day of mixed fortunes for the Repsol Honda Team in Brno as Dani Pedrosa won his first race since Malaysia 2013, but with it, ended Marc Marquez’ winning run as the Championship leader finished in 4th, only his third non-podium finish in the premier class.

    It was another frantic start to the race with Marc dropping to 5th from his pole position start and Dani making up a position to 4th by the end of the first lap. By lap six, Dani had made his way through the field – setting a new fastest race lap (1’56.027) – and was 2nd behind race leader, Jorge Lorenzo. On lap six, he passed Jorge and never looked back, controlling the race perfectly to the end – setting a new fastest race time – and becoming the first rider other than Marc to win this season.

    Marc lost some time battling with Iannone on lap five, but eventually passed him into 3rd and began to chase down the race leaders. However, on lap ten he began to lose time to Valentino who was chasing him and by lap thirteen he was unable to hold of the challenge. Marc held onto 4th and took important Championship points.

    With this win, Dani has recovered 12 points on Marc and opened up the gap between him and Valentino in the Rider’s Championship. He now sits in second (77 points behind Marc) on 186 points, 13 ahead of Valentino. The Repsol Honda Team maintain their perfect 2014 season, winning every race, and extend their lead in the Team Championship to 139 points over their second place rivals and Honda now lead the Constructor Championship by 81 points. Since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP class in 2002, Honda have the most victories (six) at Brno with Honda riders winning for the past four consecutive years.

    The team will be back on track tomorrow for an Official Post-Race Test, before heading to Great Britain for the next race on 31st August.

  • Yamaha’s Lorenzo second quickest in practice as Marquez dominates

    Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez showed supreme pace in all conditions on the first day of practice for the Czech Republic Grand Prix, clocking the quickest time of the day in the dry morning Free Practice 1 session before also producing the best time on wet tyres during a rainy Free Practice 2.
    During the first session of the race weekend, Marquez lapped the Brno Circuit in 1’56.882 on the combination of the medium compound front and rear slicks to lead a tightly-packed field. Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo was second quickest overall and a mere 0.037 seconds off Marquez’s time, with Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa just fifteen-thousandths of a second further back in third place. On one of the longest circuits on the calendar, only 0.387 seconds covered the top eight places on combined times today, enhancing Brno’s reputation of being a venue that produces extremely close racing.
    Cool but dry conditions occurred for the morning FP1 session, before rain started right at the beginning of the afternoon FP2 session which necessitated riders switching to wet tyres. Today’s peak track temperature of 31°C was recorded right at the start of FP2 before the rain started to fall. In the first practice session, almost every rider initially headed out on track on the soft compound front slick paired with their softer rear slick option; medium compound for the Factory Honda and Yamaha riders, and soft compound for the Ducati and Open-class riders. Once the grip level of the Brno tarmac had been evaluated, some riders switched to the medium compound front slick in the second half of FP1, but due to cool conditions and afternoon rain, no riders evaluated the hard compound front or rear slick tyres. Although Marquez was the quickest rider on wet tyres in the damp afternoon session, it was Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone who topped the times in FP2 as he and Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera managed to set a quick lap on slick tyres on their first flying lap before the rain intensified. Only the soft compound wet tyres were used by the riders today.
    The current weather forecast indicates a good chance of rain falling tomorrow afternoon which could see both qualifying sessions being run in wet conditions, however the forecasts at this stage of the race weekend show that there is only a slight chance of a wet race.
    Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
    “It was challenging for the teams and riders to ride the track in both dry and wet conditions, but as the forecast shows rain is possible tomorrow it was valuable to get some wet track time today to work on bike setup. The cool and unsettled weather this afternoon meant that the riders were unable to evaluate as many different slick tyre combinations as planned and with similar weather forecast for tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow’s FP3 session could be the best opportunity for riders to try some different slick options. The tyres appear to be working well for everyone here at Brno as we have riders from each manufacturer within a few tenths of each other, and I hope to see this close competition continue through to qualifying and the race.”
    Czech Republic MotoGP™: Top ten combined Free Practice 1 & 2 times
    Pos Rider Team Combined FP1&2 Time Gap
    1
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’56.803 (FP1)
    2
    		 Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’56.840 (FP1)
    0.037
    3
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’56.855 (FP1)
    0.052
    4
    		 Aleix ESPARGARO NGM Forward Racing 1’57.002 (FP1)
    0.199
    5
    		 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’57.065 (FP1)
    0.262
    6
    		 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP 1’57.084 (FP1)
    0.281
    7
    		 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’57.169 (FP1)
    0.366
    8
    		 Yonny HERNANDEZ Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 1’57.190 (FP1)
    0.387
    9
    		 Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’57.634 (FP1)
    0.831
    10
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’57.816 (FP1)
    1.013
    Jorge Lorenzo of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP who set the second fastest time in Fri practice. A Bridgestone image
    Jorge Lorenzo of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP who set the second fastest time in Fri practice. A Bridgestone image

  • Marquez makes it a perfect ten at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP

     

     Repsol
    Honda’s Marc Marquez has continued his perfect season and has become the first rider since Mick Doohan in 1997, also aboard a Repsol Honda machine, to win ten successive premier class GP races. Teammate Dani Pedrosa recovered from his eighth place position on the grid to take fourth place.

    It was a frantic start to the race with Marc losing out from his pole position dropping positions and Dani making a strong start passing three riders. By the end of the first lap Marc was fourth and Dani fifth, then on lap two, Marc passed Iannone into third and Dani was passed by Lorenzo, demoting him to sixth. The top eight riders stuck together in a pack for the opening laps, with just tenths of seconds separating them. Then on lap six Marc took advantage of Rossi and Dovizioso sparring for position and running wide, and slipped into first position. Rossi re-passed Marc on the same lap but Marc remained in second place ahead of Dovizioso.

    By lap ten Lorenzo had passed Dovizioso into third and at the start of lap eleven he passed Marc into turn one to claim second place. However, after immediately attacking Rossi into turn two, both riders left a gap for Marc to pass and the championship leader never looked back, recording the fastest race lap on lap seventeen (1’32.831). Dani passed Dovizioso on lap thirteen and sealed fourth position.

    With his victory in Indianapolis Marc has made it a perfect ten from ten, and also earns Honda’s tenth consecutive win on American soil (since Indianapoils 2010). He’s also won in all his MotoGP appearances in the USA and for the second year in a row, he’s completed a perfect weekend in Indianapolis after qualifying on pole and also setting a new lap record on his way to winning. This 16th MotoGP win for Marc also celebrates the 100th win for Spain in the premier class (Lorenzo 31, Pedrosa 25, Marquez 16, Criville 15, Gibernau 9, Checa 2, Elias 1, Puig 1).

    Marc increases his lead in the Rider Championship with 250 points. Dani remains in second on 161 with Rossi in third on 157. Honda also lead the Constructor Championship by 76 points, and the Repsol Honda Team lead the Team Championship by 137 points.

    There will be no break now for the MotoGP paddock as they pack up tonight in Indianapolis and head back across the Atlantic to the Czech Republic for Round 11 in Brno next weekend.
    TEAM QUOTES
    Marc Marquez profile image
    Marc Marquez
    1st – Championship Standing: 1st – 250 points
    “I am really happy to have taken this win! After the summer break it was important to start with another victory. Yesterday it seemed like it may be a straight forward race, but it ended up being quite the opposite. We suffered a lot and physically it was hard, there was a lot of humidity and I was sweating a lot. The track temperature rose by 10 degrees today and this made the tyres behave differently. It was hard for me to have the same level of confidence. I was patient at the beginning and when I regained the good feeling I had in practice I decided to push, opening that two-second gap which in the end was enough for the win”
    Dani Pedrosa profile image
    Dani Pedrosa
    4th – Championship Standing: 2nd – 161 points
    “Overall it has been a difficult weekend in which at no point did I feel good on the bike. We couldn’t find a good setup in practice. Then in the race, although I was able to move up a few places, I was always off the pace if I was going to fight for the podium”

     

    RACE RESULTS

      Indianapolis Grand Prix – Round 10

    Pos. Rider Num. Nation Points Team Constructor Time/Gap
    1 Marc Marquez 93 ESP 25 Repsol Honda Team HONDA 42’07.041
    2 Jorge Lorenzo 99 ESP 20 Yamaha Factory Racing YAMAHA +1.803
    3 Valentino Rossi 46 ITA 16 Yamaha Factory YAMAHA +6.558
    4 Dani Pedrosa 26 ESP 13 Repsol Honda Team HONDA +10.016
    5 Pol Espargaro 44 ESP 11 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA +17.807
    6 Bradley Smith 38 GBR 10 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA +19.604
    7 Andrea Dovizioso 4 ITA 9 Ducati Team DUCATI +20.759
    8 Cal Crutchlow 35 GBR 8 Ducati Team DUCATI +39.796
    9 Scott Redding 45 GBR 7 Go & Fun Honda Gresini HONDA +40.507
    10 Hiroshi Aoyama 7 JPN 6 Drive M7 Aspar HONDA +55.760
    11 Karel Abraham 17 CZE 5 Cardion AB Motoracing HONDA +1’05.130
    12 Mike Di Meglio 63 FRA 4 Avintia Racing MotoGP FTR-KAWASAKI +1’05.346
    13 Colin Edwards 5 USA 3 NGM Mobile Forward Racing YAMAHA +1’08.919
    14 Michael Laverty 70 GBR 2 Paul Bird Motorsport ART & PBM +1’09.203
    15 Broc Parkes 23 AUS 1 Paul Bird Motorsport PBM +1’30.613
    16 Leon Camier 2 GBR Drive M7 Aspar HONDA DNF
    17 Andrea Iannone 29 ITA Pramac Racing DUCATI DNF
    18 Aleix Espargaro 41 ESP NGM Mobile Forward Racing YAMAHA DNF
    19 Stefan Bradl 6 GER LCR Honda MotoGP HONDA DNF
    20 Danilo Petrucci 9 ITA IodaRacing Project IODA-SUTER DNF
    21 Hector Barbera 8 ESP Avintia Racing MotoGP FTR-KAWASAKI DNF
    22 Yonny Hernandez 68 COL Pramac Racing DUCATI DNF
    23 Alvaro Bautista 19 ESP Go & Fun Honda Gresini HONDA DNF
    Marc Marquez celebrates after winning his 10th title of the season from 10 races in Indianapolis. A Honda image
    Marc Marquez celebrates after winning his 10th title of the season from 10 races in Indianapolis. A Honda image

    eonds

  • Marquez marches to season’s eighth pole position at the Brickyard

    Round 10: Indianapolis Grand Prix – Qualifying
    Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Saturday August 9 2014
    Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
    Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
    Weather:    FP3 – Dry. Ambient 22-24°C; Track 34-38°C (Bridgestone measurement)
                     FP4/QP – Dry. Ambient 27-27°C; Track 36-40°C (Bridgestone measurement)
    Marc Marquez continued his dominating qualifying form today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Repsol Honda rider setting a lap time of 1’31.619 to take his eighth pole position from ten rounds this season.
    Having already shown impressive pace during long runs in the practice sessions, Marquez also showed his peerless pace over a single lap, ending the Qualifying Practice 2 session 0.225 seconds ahead of Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso who rode brilliantly to secure second place on the grid for the race. Third quickest in qualifying was Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo who managed a best lap time of 1’31.869 to finish a quarter of a second behind Marquez. Both Marquez and Lorenzo used the combination of the medium compound front and rear slicks to set their quickest time, while Dovizioso used the soft compound rear slick paired with the medium compound front to set his personal best lap time.
    Conditions were dry for all of today’s sessions with a peak track temperature of 40°C recorded at the start of Free Practice 4. The fine weather allowed riders to compare different tyre combinations during their race simulations, and the harder rear slick options; hard compound for the Factory Honda and Yamaha and medium compound for the Ducati and open-class riders were preferred by almost every rider. Rider feedback for the medium compound front slick, which was brought to Indianapolis for the first time this year has been overwhelmingly positive and this option will be the most widely used choice for the race.
    The current weather forecast indicates a fair chance of rain tomorrow afternoon with similar ambient temperatures to today. The next MotoGP™ session is the twenty minute Warm Up session at 0940 local time (GMT-4) with the twenty-seven lap Indianapolis Grand Prix set to start at 1400.
    Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
    “As we expected the grip level of the new Indianapolis tarmac improved today with more rubber laid down, which resulted in better tyre durability and quicker lap times. Although the softer rear slick options offer better outright performance over short distances, the feedback from the riders is that the harder rear options offer more consistent performance on the new circuit so I expect the majority of riders will choose this for the race tomorrow. Almost all riders confirmed today that the medium compound front slick offers the best balance between cornering performance and braking stability so this will be the most common choice for the race, although some riders experienced good feedback from the hard compound front. The weather forecast shows the possibility of rain tomorrow, but wet or dry I am confident our tyre allocation at Indianapolis will help the riders manage whatever weather conditions we have for the race.”
    Indianapolis MotoGP™ QP2 times – Riders that qualified from QP1 shaded in gray
    Pos Rider Team QP2 Time Gap
    1
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’31.619
    2
    		 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’31.844
    0.225
    3
    		 Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’31.869
    0.250
    4
    		 Aleix ESPARGARO NGM Forward Racing 1’32.113
    0.494
    5
    		 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’32.160
    0.541
    6
    		 Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’32.243
    0.624
    7
    		 Andrea IANNONE Pramac Racing 1’32.254
    0.635
    8
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’32.331
    0.712
    9
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’32.343
    0.724
    10
    		 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP 1’32.514
    0.895
    11
    		 Scott REDDING GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1’32.714
    1.095
    12
    		 Cal CRUTCHLOW Ducati Team 1’32.794
    1.175

  • Best-ever result, a second podium for Mahindra in Germany; Cruel race for Oliveira

    Sachsenring (Germany), 13 July 2014: Mahindra’s MGP3O Moto3™ machine claimed a best-yet result and second top-three podium finish in a row in today’s German GP, in front of capacity crowds at the atmospheric Sachsenring, closing the first half of the 2014 season with yet more success.

    On Sunday, South African Brad Binder, riding for Ambrogio Racing, put his customer Mahindra in the fight for the win throughout the 27-lap race, and crossed the line second,

    Brad Binder races to a second place on the Mahindra MGP30 on Sunday. A Mahindra Racing image
    Brad Binder races to a second place on the Mahindra MGP30 on Sunday. A Mahindra Racing image

    just 0.180 seconds behind victor Jack Miller (KTM).

    It was proof yet again of the growing strength of the only Indian motorcycle in top-level world championship racing, on a day that the prominent Aspar Team confirmed that they too will switch to the MGP3O next year, further growing the status of Mahindra on the grid.

    But it was a cruel race for official Mahindra Racing rider Miguel Oliveira. The Portuguese teenager, third two weeks ago at Assen, had qualified 19th after rain disrupted the session before he had completed his fast run. In yet another blazing ride, Miguel climbed rapidly through the tightly-packed field, gaining four places on the first lap alone.

    The striking white-and-red Mahindra was through to sixth, now leading a huge chase pack, after 19 laps, but hopes of further improvement were dashed when another rider fell inside him, and knocked him flying.

    There was some compensation for the team, as second rider Arthur Sissis claimed his best result of his first year on the MGP3O, opening his World Championship account with 13th place.

    “To be honest, my first podium feels two years too late,” said an elated Binder after the race. “It feels so good. The team and I have been working so hard, on the bike and away from the track with training, and the Mahindra is really coming better. I gave 100 percent to try for the win, but Jack (Miller) rode a really good last lap, and just didn’t give me the space.”

    Enjoying Binder’s success while visiting the Sachsenring to meet with the Aspar Team, was Mr SP Shukla, Chairman of Mahindra Racing and President of Strategy and Chief Brand Officer for Mahindra Group. “We are delighted with today’s developments – both the Aspar partnership and Binder’s great result on a Mahindra bike,” he commented. “Both amply demonstrate the capability and potential of the Mahindra package, and we look forward to more success in the second half of the season.”

    The German GP was round nine of 18, and now the MotoGP paddock disperses for the summer break. The second half of the season resumes in Indianapolis on August 10.

    Arthur Sissis, Mahindra Racing – 13th place

    “I had a decent start and I was okay in the group, then somebody crashed in front of me, and I lost a lot of time. I managed to get a good rhythm again and regained the back of the group by the finish. It’s good to get some points on the board, but with a bit more time it could have been even better.”

    Miguel Oliveira, Mahindra Racing – Did Not Finish

    “I’m quite angry. It’s been a weekend of some very bad luck. Rain in qualifying meant I had a really bad starting position. In the race I fought to the front of the group, and it could have been a good result. To be taken out like that was cruel. Now I have to look forward to the summer break, and coming back stronger.”

    Mufaddal Choonia, CEO Mahindra Racing

    “It’s been a day with a lot of excitement. We announced a major new partnership with Team Aspar, while Brad Binder got the best-ever finish for the Mahindra MGP3O. Miguel’s cruel luck was hard to swallow, but we are still going home delighted, with even more enthusiasm to bring to Indianapolis next month.

    Ends

  • Marquez makes it 9 wins from 9 races with Pedrosa completing Repsol Honda domination

    Sachsenring (Germany), 13 July 2014: Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has made it an unbelievable nine wins from nine races this season with a perfect weekend in Germany, clinching pole position, fastest race lap (lap 21/30 1’22.037) and the race victory. Teammate, Dani Pedrosa, finished in second place – just 1.4s behind Marc – to earn Honda’s third 1-2 finish of this incredible season.It was a complicated race due to a brief rain shower at 13h30 – just half an hour before the race start – which left the track slightly wet. The riders exited the pits on wet tyres to test the conditions and asses how wet the track was. As they sat on the grid for fifteen minutes, the track began to dry rapidly and on the warm up lap fourteen riders including all the front runners – except Stefan Bradl (who already changed onto slicks on the grid) – entered the pits to swap bikes for the slick tyres and therefore start from the pit lane.

    The riders jostled for position in the pit lane, creating a make-shift grid, and Marc and Dani – who were first and second in the initial starting grid – emerged into 10th and 13th respectively. Dani immediately began to pass and was up to 11th by the end of the first lap. Both riders found their rhythm quickly passing many riders and by lap five they were already on the back of Stefan Bradl. On lap six Marc took the lead and on lap seven Dani passed Stefan and was on Marc’s rear wheel.

    The Repsol Honda duo then rode a perfect race as they not only controlled the gap to the rest of the field but gradually extended it, finishing a full ten seconds in front of third place Jorge Lorenzo. Marc has now won for the past five years in Sachsenring – all from pole position – and has become the first rider to win the opening nine races of the year since Giacomo Agostini won the first ten races of the 1970 season.

    He continues to extend his lead in the Championship, now on 225 points and Dani reclaims second place with 148, ahead of Valentino Rossi on 141. Honda extend their lead in the Constructors Championship – now 71 points ahead – and continue to be the most successful manufacturer at the Sachsenring with nine wins since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP class in 2002. The Repsol Honda Team are now 135 points ahead in the Team’s Championship.

    The team will now pack up in Germany and drive 660km to Brno, Czech Republic, for a three-day test starting on Tuesday.

    Meanwhile, Movistar Yamaha adds: Jorge Lorenzo returned to form today, scoring an impressive third place in difficult conditions at the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Teammate Valentino Rossi also rode a strong race, pushing up the leader board from twelfth to fourth.


    Rain twenty minutes before the start of today’s race ensured a hectic start to the German Grand Prix. At first

    Marc Marquez, Pedrosa take 1-2 in Germany as Marquez makes it 9 out of 9. A Repsol Honda image
    Marc Marquez, Pedrosa take 1-2 in Germany as Marquez makes it 9 out of 9. A Repsol Honda image

    it was declared to be a wet race, but after the sighting lap the majority of the grid returned to the pit lane to swap wet tyres for slicks. Unlike in Assen where the race had been declared ‘delayed’ and two sighting laps given, the ‘wet race’ declaration meant only one sighting lap, resulting in the pit lane exit being closed. This left an almost empty grid with just eight riders present led by Stefan Bradl whilst the rest of the pack jostled in the tight pit lane exit, waiting for the flag to drop.

    Due to the cramped pit lane exit and cold brakes Lorenzo was forced over to the curb and had to let himself fall back to 16th position to avoid colliding with other riders or getting a penalty. The Spaniard took a few laps to get a feel for the situation, but then ploughed through the order on his way to the front of the field. He fought and passed numerous riders before dispatching Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso to arrive in seventh place behind Rossi. Lorenzo then took over from his teammate as they passed local rider Stefan Bradl to move in to third and fourth place respectively. With 20 laps to go Lorenzo tried to close down the gap of 5.733 seconds to Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez in front of him, but he was unable to do so, eventually finishing in third place, 10.317 seconds off the front.

    Rossi also rode an impressive race. As soon as the lights in the pit lane went off the Italian rider confidently took off, overtaking multiple riders as he found his pace. The Doctor shot up the order and arrived at the back of Bradl’s bike on lap nine. The German pole sitter had started well from pole on slicks but with a wet setting on his bike was no match for the Rossi’s full dry set up. He was soon passed and continued his charge with his teammate first behind and then ahead. Unable to match Lorenzo’s pace, Rossi kept his head and finished in a deserved fourth place, 19.194 behind the front man Marquez.

    With third place Lorenzo gains 16 championship points, leaving him fifth in the standings, just two points behind Andrea Dovizioso in fourth. Rossi scores another 13 points, increasing his total to 141 in third place. The gap to Pedrosa in second is now seven points.

    MotoGP will be taking a four weeks summer break before continuing the season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the 10th of August.

    ends

  • Marquez takes new pole record as Honda lock out front row

    Marquez takes pole on Saturday at the Motorrad German GP. A Repsol Honda.image
    Marquez takes pole on Saturday at the Motorrad German GP. A Repsol Honda.image
    Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has recorded his seventh pole of the season for tomorrow’sGerman GP, with teammate Dani Pedrosa in second and local boy Stefan Bradl completing the front row aboard his satellite LCR Honda.After a tricky FP4 session where rain was a constant threat, the sun was shining for Q2. Marc’s first exit was spoiled by a tyre issue but on his second run there was no stopping him. He set a time of 1’21.126 on lap seven, taking provisional pole, and then on lap nine he set a blisteringly fast time of 1’20.937, snatching Casey Stoner’s pole record from 2008 (1’21.067). Marc has qualified on the front row at the last twenty-one races, and this is his sixteenth MotoGP career pole (in just 27 races) signifying a 59.2% pole ratio in the premier class.

    Teammate Dani was also in superb form, setting a time of 1’21.233 on his first run. However, he found himself in the gravel after a small mistake in turn one on his second run and was unable to return to the pits and get back out on track in time. His time remained second fastest and he will start from the front row for the sixth time this season.
    Marc Marquez profile image
    Marc Marquez
    1st – 1’20.937
    “The weekend has been affected by the crash I suffered yesterday, but I kept my nerve and little by little we’ve been getting better. I felt good yesterday afternoon and I was much better this morning. In the few laps I did in FP4, I could see that we had a good pace and a chance to fight for pole position. With the first tyre I didn’t feel entirely comfortable, but with the second one I had a good feeling and could see that there was good grip – so I decided to push a little more and put in a strong lap. Starting from the front is important for the racetomorrow, because this is a circuit where it is difficult to overtake. We will try and keep up the pace from practice, which I think has been good”
    Dani Pedrosa profile image
    Dani Pedrosa
    2nd – 1’21.233
    “It was a good qualifying session and we had a good pace, despite the crash which was my fault when I think I hit a bump under braking but luckily I’m fine. I’m very grateful to my mechanics for the work they did yesterday to get the bike back running again after my crash in FP2. Tomorrow we will try to do our best, position ourselves well from the start, make a good tyre choice and hope the weather is kind to us! Our setup is definitely good, so I hope to have a good race”

    QUALIFYING RESULTS

      Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland – Round 9

    Pos. Rider Num. Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
    1 Marc Marquez 93 ESP Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1’20.937
    2 Dani Pedrosa 26 ESP Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1’21.233
    3 Stefan Bradl 6 GER LCR Honda MotoGP HONDA 1’21.340
    4 Aleix Espargaro 41 ESP NGM Mobile Forward Racing YAMAHA 1’21.376
    5 Jorge Lorenzo 99 ESP Yamaha Factory Racing YAMAHA 1’21.508
    6 Valentino Rossi 46 ITA Yamaha Factory YAMAHA 1’21.651
    7 Andrea Iannone 29 ITA Pramac Racing DUCATI 1’21.679
    8 Pol Espargaro 44 ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1’21.771
    9 Bradley Smith 38 GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1’21.794
    10 Alvaro Bautista 19 ESP Go & Fun Honda Gresini HONDA 1’21.906
    11 Andrea Dovizioso 4 ITA Ducati Team DUCATI 1’22.120
    12 Nicky Hayden 69 USA Drive M7 Aspar HONDA 1’22.647
    13 Yonny Hernandez 68 COL Pramac Racing DUCATI 1’22.411
    14 Scott Redding 45 GBR Go & Fun Honda Gresini HONDA 1’22.436
    15 Cal Crutchlow 35 GBR Ducati Team DUCATI 1’22.529
    16 Hiroshi Aoyama 7 JPN Drive M7 Aspar HONDA 1’22.659
    17 Karel Abraham 17 CZE Cardion AB Motoracing HONDA 1’22.778
    18 Michael Laverty 70 GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART & PBM 1’22.845
    19 Colin Edwards 5 USA NGM Mobile Forward Racing YAMAHA 1’22.888
    20 Hector Barbera 8 ESP Avintia Racing MotoGP FTR-KAWASAKI 1’23.029
    21 Mike Di Meglio 63 FRA Avintia Racing MotoGP FTR-KAWASAKI 1’23.423
    22 Broc Parkes 23 AUS Paul Bird Motorsport PBM 1’23.428
    23 Danilo Petrucci 9 ITA IodaRacing Project IODA-SUTER 1’23.484

  • Oliveira takes 3rd in Moto3 at Cathedral for Mahindra’s first podium

    Miguel, Mahindra Racing pic, celebrates 29June2014 Assen Moto3Assen, June 28, 2014: Mahindra MGP3O rider Miguel Oliveira finished a fine third in today’s Dutch TT, taking a first podium of the season for the only Indian manufacturer in international motorcycle racing after a strong ride from 13th on the grid.

    The Portuguese teenager picked his way through a big group of Moto3™ rivals disputing third place, taking control on the sixth of 22 laps of the 4.54–km classic Assen circuit, nicknamed “the Cathedral of Racing”, and then moving clear.

    Now the chase was on: his next rival was second–placed Alex Rins (Honda), and the gap was 2.5 seconds.

    The Assen crowd were treated to a display of remorseless speed, as Oliveira closed steadily on his Spanish rival. By the 16th lap he was on his tail, and moved directly past.

    From there it was a game of cat–and–mouse, with Rins following the white–and–red Mahindra closely, looking for parts of the track where he might be able to return the attack. It happened on the way into the final chicane for the last time, where Rins outbraked Oliveira to lead him over the line by just over half a second.

    It was the best result of the year for Mahindra, and a repeat of the same rider’s first MGP3O rostrum in Malaysia last year. In a season where the overall technical standard has risen, it is further proof of the growing maturity and strengthening challenge of the purpose–built Mahindra MGP3O Moto3 racing machine.

    Second rider Arthur Sissis finished a disappointed 21st, after suffering handling issues that saw him drop back from a strong start. Brad Binder was ninth on a customer Mahindra, with Matteo Ferrari placing 13th to put a third Mahindra in the points.

    The race was won by Rins’s team–mate Alex Marquez. The next round is the German GP at the Sachsenring in two weeks.

    MIGUEL OLIVEIRA – third place
    “It was a hard race. I was quite lucky at the start not to lose much time overtaking or getting involved in accidents. After that I focused on my lap time … I already knew that on used tyres we could make a good rhythm. Being so constant gave me an advantage. After I passed Alex Rins for second he was behind me for quite a long time, and he studied me very well … so he was able to pass me on the last braking point. There are still areas we need to improve our bike and the team is working very hard. This result gives much more motivation to keep working, to improve the bike and be constantly on the podium or winning races.”

    ARTHUR SISSIS – 21st place
    “I went well in warmup, and a got a really good start. I was behind Miguel but from the first lap I couldn’t get the speed I had before. Into the corners the back was chattering and I had no grip. It doesn’t seem possible that my lap times were three seconds slower than qualifying. I just don’t understand why.”Miguel, Mahindra Racing pic, celebrates 29June2014 Assen Moto3

    MUFADDAL CHOONIA – Mahindra Racing CEO
    “I’m over the moon. It has been a weekend of ups and downs, but completely up and up in the race. I would have like to finish second, but … that is racing. We were slightly disappointed after qualifying because Miguel’s 13th was not the position we should be in. But it’s the race that matters, and Miguel again showed what he is capable of. We had pole at this race last year and finished fourth. It seems our devotions are heard here at the Cathedral of Racing. I hope we can now be slightly more consistent for the rest of the season.”

    ends/Mahindra Racing Press Release