INDIA in F1

Category: Moto GP

Moto GP, the Motorcycle World Championship

  • Espargaro fastest on Day 2 in Qatar

    Losail, 21 March 2014: Action resumed Friday at the Losail Circuit in Qatar for the second and third free practice sessions of the opening round of the 2014 MotoGP season, a NGM Forward Racing release said.

    A file photo from NGM Forward Racing.
    A file photo from NGM Forward Racing.

    It was another fantastic day for Aleix Espargaro of NGM Forward Racing, who was the fastest rider in both practice sessions. The Spaniard rider of the NGM Forward Racing Team was quick to find a competitive pace with hard tyres and he was able to use at the best the soft tyre to close on top of the time sheets, recording 1’54’73, +0.413 ahead of Andrea Iannone, second and Alvaro Bautista, third.

    Espargaro said: “I’m really happy to close the second day here in Qatar on top of the time sheets. We have a good race pace with the hard tyre and then we could make another step forward with the soft tyre. We have a good set up but we need to keep on working. Tomorrow our target is the front row in order to fight for the podium on Sunday. We know that it won’t be easy as we loose a lot in terms of top speed on the long straight, but finishing on top for two days in a row is already a fantastic result. Together with the team we are all very excited and motivated”.

    It was a positive day also for NGM Forward Racing teammate Colin Edwards who was satisfied of his race pace with hard tyres, while he needs to improve the bike set up with the soft tyre in order to make a step forward tomorrow during the qualifying session.

    The track conditions were quiet slippery during the FP3 and the riders expect that it will be even worst for the race that will take the start at 22:00.

    Team Yamaha Racing

    Meanwhile, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo left it to the last minute in Friday’s final practice, taking seventh to secure a spot in Saturday’s second qualifying session within the top ten riders for Sunday’s Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar.

    Lorenzo continued today where he finished yesterday, battling a severe lack of grip on the Losail circuit as he struggled to set up his YZR-M1 for Sunday’s race. Having completed the second practice of the weekend in 11th earlier in the evening the double MotoGP champion came in to the third session sitting outside the top ten and so provisionally relegated to the first of tomorrow’s two qualifying sessions. As the minutes wound down a mid-session smattering of rain threatened to complicate matters further. In the final moments Lorenzo rose to the occasion under pressure, pulling out a 1’55.495 lap on the medium rear tyre to climb several places and take seventh at the end of the practice, securing a place in the second qualifying session.

    Although also finding the lack of grip a real challenge, teammate Valentino Rossi spent most of today’s two practices one step ahead of Lorenzo. The nine-time world champion was working hard to ride round the grip issues the Movistar Yamaha riders were facing, and finished the first session of the day in ninth position, just under a second from the front. The final session of the day initially saw more of the same with the Italian pushing his M1 hard to stay in the top ten. With 25 minutes to go he had moved to ninth and looked able to hold the position until the last moments when Lorenzo’s late surge from 11th to seventh dropped him to tenth.

    The final combined times mean both Lorenzo and Rossi will go through to the second qualifying sessiontomorrow to fight for their grid positions for Sunday’s race.

    Combined Free Practice Result (provided by Yamaha team) 

     

    1. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’54.773
    2. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing 1’55.186
    3. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’55.240
    4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team 1’55.250
    5. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’55.446
    6. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’55.474
    7. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’55.495
    8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’55.562
    9. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda MotoGP 1’55.676
    10. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’55.702
    11. Pol Espargarò (SPA) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’55.793
    12. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Ducati Team 1’56.013
    13. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’56.238
    14. Nicky Hayden (USA) Drive M7 Aspar 1’56.357
    15. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 1’56.633
    16. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Drive M7 Aspar 1’56.939
    17. Scott Redding (GBR) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’56.997
    18. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 1’57.345
    19. Brok Parkes (AUS) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’57.665
    20. Mike Di Meglio (FRA) Avintia Racing 1’58.204
    21. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Racing 1’58.219
    22. Michael Laverty (GBR) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’58.378
    23. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Came Iodaracing Project 1’58.651

    ends

  • Movistar Yamaha MotoGP take the covers off for 2014 season

    The covers are off! An Yamaha MotoGP team photo
    The covers are off! An Yamaha MotoGP team photo

    Losail Circuit (Qatar), 19 March 2014: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP kick started the Qatar MotoGP weekend this afternoon by taking the covers off the 2014 YZR-M1 in front of the world’s key motorcycle media.

    In a Press Release Yamaha said: Riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were joined on the Losail circuit start grid by Kouichi Tsuji, General Manager of Yamaha Motor Co.’s Motorsports Division, Yamaha Motor Racing’s Managing Director Lin Jarvis and Telefónica Spain’s Director of Media, Luis Velo to reveal the new livery.

    The first two months of the year have seen a flurry of activity for the team, highlighted by the recent ground breaking five-year title sponsorship agreement that launches the team Yamaha Movistar MotoGP ahead of the 2014 season.

    The new year has also seen the announcement of other new sponsors to the Team including EURASIAN BANK and FIAT PROFESSIONAL along with renewals and continued partnerships with ENEOS, SEMAKIN DI DEPAN (Yamaha Motor Indonesia), MONSTER ENERGY, SUISSEGAS, YAMALUBE AND TW STEEL.

    Pre-season testing on track has been very positive. With the exception of a rear grip issues at Sepang, bothLorenzo, Rossi and the 2014 YZR-M1 have shown great promise and speed in the shakedown ahead of this season’s title challenge.

    Now the wait is over and the riders will take to the track under the floodlights of the Losail circuit in Qatar in just 24hrs to begin practice for round one of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship, the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar.

    The track has proved to be a great season starter for Lorenzo, the double premier class world champion having taken consecutive victories in the last two races. Lorenzo has always started from the front row and never finished off the podium in Qatar.

    Nine-time world champion Rossi has an equally impressive record at the Losail circuit, claiming three wins and taking second last year after a fantastic battle with then rookie Marc Marquez in his first MotoGP race.

    Built in the desert on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital city Doha, the Losail International Circuit has hosted a MotoGP round since 2004. The track celebrated the first ever night-time Grand Prix in 2008 and continues to be the only night race on the calendar. The 5.4km track is well suited to the YZR-M1 with a fast flowing nature. With a main straight over a kilometre in length and a combination of medium and high-speed corners the track is guaranteed to provide an exciting spectacle to start the season.

    Unlike normal race weekends this weekend’s practice will be run from Thursday to Saturday, ensuring the riders get the optimum track conditions in the evening sessions.

    eom

  • Mahindra MGP3O Bikes to Debut in FIM CEV Repsol Championship

    A file photo from Mahindra Racing.
    A file photo from Mahindra Racing.

    Mumbai, 17 March 2014: Mahindra Racing will extend its international racing programme to include the competitive FIM CEV International Championship in 2014. The ground-breaking Indian constructor will supply two MGP3O Moto3™ racers to the Spanish Mahindra TMR Competicion team for a new programme in the Dorna-run, Spain-based series that has become the main feeder of new riders into Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

    Mahindra Racing has been competing as a factory team in the Moto3 World Championship, part of the MotoGP™ series, since its inception in 2012. But this year the factory pairing of Portuguese Miguel Oliveira and Australian Arthur Sissis are joined by six ‘customer’ MGP3O bikes in the World Championship. The addition of two further bikes in the CEV programme is aimed to assist with the development and set-up of the MGP3O, while also giving Mahindra the opportunity to assess some exciting new racing talent.

    The Mahindra TMR Competicion team has secured the services of 17-year-old Spanish rider Albert Arenas and exciting 15-year-old Italian Stefano Manzi. Both riders are bright prospects who come to Mahindra with excellent pedigree: Arenas was a race winner in the CEV Championship in 2013 while ex-Red Bull Rookie Manzi won a race in the CIV Italian Moto3 Championship.

    “Our new involvement in the CEV series is an exciting addition to our growing racing programme,” explains Mr SP Shukla, Chairman of Mahindra Racing and President of Mahindra Group Strategy. “In addition to the technical benefits, it gives us the chance to keep an eye on new emerging talent in motorcycle racing. Mahindra’s corporate philosophy of ‘Rise’ is perfectly embodied in this new initiative which seeks to help realize the potential of young riders. We will be keeping a close eye on the progress of Albert and Stefano in Spain.”

    “It has been a very busy winter for us,” adds Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia. “The excellent performance of the MGP3O in the World Championship led to a lot of interest from customer teams and so it will be great to see eight Mahindra bikes on the grid in Qatar.

    Adding Mahindra TMR Competicion’s CEV programme makes sense for us as it is a great opportunity to gain even more data from our bike that will feed into our development programme. It also enables us to assess the Moto3 stars of the future. We had great success with our Italian racing programme, winning the 2013 Constructors’ and Riders’ titles, and I hope that Mahindra TMR Competicion can replicate that in Spain.”

     

    Mahindra Racing’s World Championship season gets underway on Sunday 23 March in Qatar while the CEV International Championship begins on 6 April in Jerez.

    Ends

     

     

  • Rossi tops time sheets for Yamaha Factory Racing

    Sepang (Malaysia), 28 Feb 2014: Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi has completed the second official test of the 2014 MotoGP season as the fastest rider. Rossi wrapped up the three days of riding at the Sepang International circuit in Malaysia with a fastest time of 1’59.999, one of only two riders to drop under the two minute mark after an impressive fastest lap today.

    Whilst still struggling to find a perfect solution to the new Bridgestone tyres, Jorge Lorenzo was able to find a change to make some improvement to set up today. The Mallorcan was still less than satisfied overall with the grip levels on offer from the 2014 rubber. Lorenzo was able to step a little closer to the front than yesterday, wrapping up in seventh, just over 0.6 of a second from his teammate in first.

    The Team now move directly to Phillip Island in Australia for a further test before the season kicks off under the floodlights of Qatar on the 23rd March.

    Valentino Rossi, who did 41 laps today, with a best lap of  1:59.999 topped the time sheets: He said: “First of all I am very happy because I am in first position and I did a good lap. I was one of the only ones in the 1’59s which is positive, especially because with the 2014 tyres in the first test we tried a time attack and I was more than one second slower than today. This test we have always been at the top and fighting for the first position so it’s positive. We still have some problems when it’s very hot over long distance with the new tyres, so we still have to work, but we made a good step from the first test. The next test in Philip Island will be very important to understand if also there we improved a lot like here because I am more than one second faster than the second test of last year so we have been working well.”

    Jorge Lorenzo clocked 7th fastest time after 70 laps. “We found a better solution today to improve our situation and adapt these tyres at this track. The tyres are much harder in the sidewalls. At this track, with this tarmac that is very slippery, it’s not the same as Phillip Island or Mugello for example, it’s impossible for us to be competitive. This tyre is much worse for Yamaha and better for Honda. Our bike is competitive, at a similar level to the competitors but with the tyre we have problems. We tried a simulation today and it was worse and worse every lap. In the edge there is a problem with no grip but also when you pick up the bike it spins. You can improve the feeling a little to get more grip but when the tyre starts to drop the problems get worse and worse,” Lorenzo said.

    eomrossi feat Sepang testing 28Feb2014 Yamaha FR pic

     

  • Marc Marquez becomes youngest World champ in rookie season

    Valencia, 10 Nov 2013: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) made history at Valencia today, becoming the youngest premier-class king since the birth of the motorcycling World Championships in 1949. The remarkable rookie secured the title with a perfectly judged ride to third place behind team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) and race winner and outgoing champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).

    According to Repsol Honda MotoGP website, Marquez – aged 20 years and 266 days – comfortably beat the previous youngest c

    Marc Marquez celebrates on the podium in Valencia after becoming the youngest world champion. A Repsol Honda MotoGP team photo
    Marc Marquez celebrates on the podium in Valencia after becoming the youngest world champion. A Repsol Honda MotoGP team photo

    hampion record, held by Honda’s first premier-class king Freddie Spencer, who was 21 years and 258 days old when he won the title at Imola, Italy, on 4 September 1983. Marquez is Honda’s 16th World Champion in the elite 500cc/MotoGP categories.

    Following his six race victories earlier in the year – another record for a rookie – Marquez arrived at Valencia 13 points in front of Lorenzo. Thus Marquez knew that if Lorenzo won today’s race, he ‘only’ needed to finish fourth to make sure of his place in history. But the season finale – watched by a raucous capacity crowd at the stadium-style Valencia venue – was anything but straightforward.

    Marquez didn’t get the best of starts from pole position – his ninth pole from 18 races – and finished the first lap in third place behind leader Lorenzo and Pedrosa, the winner here in 2007, 2009 and 2012. Pedrosa attacked Lorenzo repeatedly, often getting ahead, only for Lorenzo to come right back at him, including one move at Turn Two that brought the pair into collision and came under investigation from Race Direction.

    Lorenzo’s tactics were simple: by chopping back and forth with Pedrosa he hoped to slow the leading pace and bring as many riders as possible into the lead group. He would then let fate play its hand and hope that other riders might relegate Marquez to fifth place or lower. However, the strategy failed. The second group of Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) and Alvaro Bautista (Honda) wasn’t quite quick enough to join the fight at the front.

    Lorenzo’s collision with Pedrosa at Turn Two at one-third distance allowed Marquez to sweep into the lead, but with no need for him to take risks, it wasn’t long before Lorenzo was back in front. Pedrosa was less lucky when Lorenzo slammed into him – he ran off the track and had Bautista and Rossi come by.

    By half-distance Marquez seemed safe – he was running a comfortable second – but then Pedrosa passed Rossi and Bautista and set off after his team-mate. Marquez, who was executing some glorious high-speed slides through the fast Turn 13, did the sensible thing on lap 26 and let Pedrosa past into second place.

    And that’s the way it finished: Lorenzo, Pedrosa and then Marquez, who crossed the line in ecstasy before stopping on the slowdown lap and hurling his gloves into the tumultuous crowd. After 18 races – his first 18 races in the class – he had beaten twice MotoGP World Champion Lorenzo by four points.

    Unlike the top three, Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V) chose the softer rear tire and was able to run just behind the leaders while Lorenzo tried to slow the pace. But the Spaniard wasn’t keen to get involved in the three-way battle up front because he wanted to give fellow Honda riders Pedrosa and Marquez a clean run up front. Finally he finished fifth, four seconds behind Rossi.

    Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) spent much of the race alone, gaining one position when Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) crashed out in front of him and eventually crossing the line in sixth place, almost ten seconds down on Bautista.

    Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) had another difficult run in his final MotoGP outing, coming home in 19th position.

    Nicolas Terol (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 Suter) won his third victory of the year in the Honda-powered Moto2 series, inheriting and never relinquishing the lead after runaway early leader and recently crowned World Champion Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex) crashed out of the lead on the eighth of 37 laps.

    For a while, Terol had Simone Corsi (NGM Mobile Racing Speed Up) on his tail, but gradually he pulled away to establish a comfortable advantage and cross the finish line four seconds ahead of Jordi Torres (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 Suter), who is still getting around the paddock on crutches, following a big spill in Japan two weeks ago.

    Torres passed Corsi with six laps to go and worked hard to gain a gap on the Italian who then came under pressure from Johann Zarco (Came Ioda Racing Project Suter). The Italian and the Frenchman were neck and neck, Zarco getting a better drive out of the final turn to pass the checkered flag alongside Corsi. At first the timing screens had Corsi down as the final podium finisher, but moments later the final results had Zarco third by just one thousandth of a second.

    Behind the top four, the mid-pack Moto2 battle was typically intense, with Esteve Rabat (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex) breaking clear of the multitude to claim fifth. The next three finishers Alex De Angelis (NGM Mobile Forward Racing Speed Up), Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Suter) and Anthony West (QMMF Racing Team Speed Up) were separated by less than two seconds.

    Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex), who had led the World Championship until he crashed and broke a wrist in Australia three weeks ago, struggled to 15th. Espargaro remounted after his tumble and finished 29th.

    Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda) had a stunning ride to sixth place in the title-deciding Moto3 race, despite having to start the race from pit lane after his bike refused to fire for the warm-up lap.

    The Frenchman was dead last at the end of the first lap but he kept his head and charged through the pack, even though this track is notoriously difficult for overtaking. By half-distance he had already climbed to 11th, but the closer you get to the front, the harder it is to pass.

    The last man he overtook was Spaniard Isaac Vinales (Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda), who crossed the line seventh, a fraction of a second behind Masbou, in the midst of a seven-rider gang disputing positions.

    Honda’s other big star of the race was Jack Miller (Caretta Technology – RTG FTR Honda) who was running fifth in the leading group – headed by title-fighters Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins and Luis Salom – until he tumbled out in the closing stages. Nonetheless he remains seventh overall in the World Championship final standings, just ahead of Masbou.

    The title was won by Maverick Vinales, who got the better of Rins at the very final corner. Salom had fallen earlier, remounting to finish 14th.

    Romano Fenati (San Carlo Team Italia FTR Honda) ended the season in 11th place, less than two tenths outside the top ten. The last Honda rider in the points was Matteo Ferrari (Ongetta-Centro Seta FTR Honda) in 15th position.

    The 2014 preseason testing season begins tomorrow at Valencia, when most MotoGP riders will test their next year’s prototypes. Moto2 and Moto3 riders start at Jerez later in the week.

    ends

  • Lorenzo takes victory in Japan to stretch the title-battle

    Motegi (Japan), 27 Oct 2013: Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo delivered an incredible performance today to take victory in the Grand Prix of Japan, claiming the Motegi circuit for Yamaha. A dramatic weekend dominated by complicated weather conditions meant the only dry set up time for today’s race was this morning in the final warm up session.


    An Yamaha Factory Racing release said: Lorenzo rose to the occasion, firing off the start line like a bullet in front of Yamaha’s home crowd to lead the race into the first laps. The Mallorcan was able to build a gap of nearly two seconds in the first three laps then saw it cut as championship rival Marc Marquez closed in. Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were able to get onto the heels of Lorenzo but unable to pass. The defending champion held on to the line to score his 51stGrand Prix victory, crossing the line just over three seconds clear of Marquez.

    Teammate Valentino Rossi made a great start to the race from the second row and tucked in behind Lorenzo in second position as the Japanese Grand prix got underway. Unfortunately a lack of braking power on turn 11 of the second lap caused him to run wide, allowing Marquez and Pedrosa past. He then got back on track but suffered the same issue the following lap, dropping down to 11th in the process. In typical Rossi fashion he then put his head down and made several passes as he fought back up the field to finish in sixth position.

    The stunning victory by Lorenzo brings him five points closer to Marquez. 13 points separate them now as they head to the final round in Valencia. Rossi increases his point score to 224 and remains in fourth place in the standings.

    After the race, a visibly pleased Lorenzo said: “We chose the soft tyre and the others chose the hard tyre, we knew that at the end of the race we might have problems but finally I could push even more the lap times. The strategy could have been different but to take this win at the home of Honda makes me very happy.”

    eom

  • Lorenzo Masters Wet Motegi for Perfect Pole: Grand Prix of Japan

    Lorenzo after pole 26oct2013 Yamaha picMotegi (Japan), 26 Oct 2013: Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo delivered a stunning performance in this afternoon’s extended MotoGP qualifying session to take pole position for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Japan.

    Following yesterday’s cancellation of practice sessions due to weather conditions, the premier class were today given a special 75-minute qualifying heat, allowing the drama of the Japanese round to finally move to the track.

    Defending world champion Lorenzo made full use of the extended session, getting straight out onto the wet circuit to start working on his race set up. Having initially swapped the top spot with rival Marc Marquez early in the session he dropped down the timesheets. After some work on the set up he was back, rising quickly to 2nd after a third of the time had gone, 0.1seconds from Marquez in top. The top positions continued to change until with 15 minutes to go, when Lorenzo put the hammer down and delivered a perfect 1’53.965 to go over half a second clear at the top. Whilst his rivals were able to improve, so was he, dropping even further to a 1’53.471 in the final seconds to secure pole 0.65 ahead of Marquez.

    Lorenzo said: “I’m really happy, it was not so simple because my last memory of the rain was Assen. At the beginning I was a little bit scared and didn’t want to crash. We were lucky to have the extended qualifying time to get used to the track. Little by little I got confidence and finally I felt really good with the bike and the grip of the track, especially under braking. It doesn’t matter if it’s wet or dry tomorrow, it’s not my problem to think about it, I have to ride in whatever conditions we have. A wet race would be better for the championship though!”

    ends

  • Marquez slips; Lorenzo delivers stunning ride

    Phillip Island (Australia), 20 Oct 2013: Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo delivered a stunning ride today to win the Australian Grand Prix in a thrilling spectacle filled with drama. Teammate Valentino Rossi delivered another exciting performance, fighting to take third on the podium.

    Following concerns over the safety of the Bridgestone tyres to last full race distance the race was changed to incorporate a bike change at the ten-lap mark, with the total laps reduced to 19, an Yamaha release said. Honda’s Marc Marquez, who failed to get into the pits for a bike change was black flagged for his second DNF which effectively reduced his championship lead to 18 points and made it wide open again.

    Jorge Lorenzo after winning the Australian GP on Sunday. An Yamaha photo
    Jorge Lorenzo after winning the Australian GP on Sunday. An Yamaha photo

    The start saw Lorenzo take the hole-shot from his pole position with riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in hot pursuit. The reigning champion gave no quarter but was unable to pull away, the rivals staying within 0.5 of a second as they counted down to the pit stop. This itself turned into a bizarre event with potential consequences for the championship. Pedrosa pitted a lap early, Lorenzo pitted at the ten-lap mark and Marquez pitted a lap too late. As a result Marquez was given a black flag and disqualified and Pedrosa was forced to drop a position after crossing the white line on his pit lane exit.

    Further disaster was also narrowly avoided when Marquez exited the pits just as Lorenzo passed down the straight at high speed, the two making contact into turn one. Luckily both were able to stay upright and continue. Lorenzo kept the pressure on and held the top spot for the remaining nine laps to claim the race win.

    Rossi enjoyed yet another intense race long battle with rivals Cal Crutchlow and Alvaro Bautista. The three swapping positions in the fight for the last podium spot throughout the first ten laps and again in the following nine. Rossi completed a super fast pit stop, beating both out to gain two positions. As one of the most successful MotoGP riders of the modern era in Phillip Island it was never going to be easy for them to beat him, and they couldn’t. The Italian claimed third at the line to make it another double Yamaha podium.

    The result leaves Lorenzo now on 280 points, 18 behind Marquez as they head to Motegi for the final of the triple-headers. Rossi stays secure in fourth position on 214 points, 35 ahead of Crutchlow in fifth.

    Lorenzo said:  “I’m really happy with this win, we’ve also been lucky because Marc made this mistake. Without that he would have been second or first because he was really fast today. So we’ve been lucky but we were unlucky in the middle of the championship so today is a balance. When I was entering the first corner Marc was exiting the pit at exactly the same time, the situation was almost impossible to avoid. I was braking a little later to open the line and I don’t think he was looking so much entering the corner so it was both our fault. Now we have options, if Marc keeps constant on the podium then it is impossible to win the championship but there are a lot of laps to go so anything could happen. It’s unbelievable to have 50 Grand Prix victories at 26years old. It seems like only yesterday when I won in Brazil in 2003 but it’s been ten years. I’m very proud of it and hope to win some more in the future!”

    ends

  • Sixth win of the year for Marquez; Pedrosa crashes; Yamaha 2-3

    Aragon, 29 Sept 2013: Repsol Honda RC213V rider Marc Marquez fought back after almost running off the track to take his sixth win of the year at Aragon, stretching his title lead to almost 40 points with four races remaining. It was Honda’s eighth win this year, and the RC213V’s third in a row at the scenic Motorland Aragon circuit in the Spanish hinterland.

    The team’s joy was tempered by misfortune to second Repsol Honda RC213V rider Dani Pedrosa, who crashed out heavily in a freak incident on the sixth of 23 laps. He had taken second place from pole starter Marquez, and was mounting a strong challenge on early leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) at the time, the www.hondaproracing.com website reported.

    Split seconds before Marquez ran wide, he clipped the rear of Pedrosa’s machine, and the team discovered that one of the electronic sensors of the traction-control system had been damaged, causing the system to become inoperative. This triggered the crash, which happened a few yards further on as Pedrosa opened the throttle. The rear wheel spun, the bike slewed sideways, and the Spaniard – who turned 28 on race day – was tossed over the high side.

    Lorenzo had led away with yet another of his trade-mark lightning starts, and led by a second after the first lap, with Marquez second and Pedrosa third. The Honda pair gradually closed the gap over the next four laps; then on the fifth Pedrosa pounced on his team-mate, and was soon on the Yamaha’s back wheel and challenging strongly.

    It seemed only a matter of time before he took the lead, but he hadn’t completed another lap when instead he was sent flying.

    While Pedrosa was taken to the medical centre for checks (he escaped serious injury), Marquez regrouped and set about closing a gap of almost two seconds on Lorenzo. It took him nine laps to catch up and get ahead with a clean but forceful pass. Lorenzo stayed close until the closing stages, but was powerless to prevent Marquez taking the win by better than one second.

    A crowd of 61,300 enjoying warm but overcast conditions were rewarded with exciting racing down the field, with a four-bike battle for the last rostrum place. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) hung on to the spot under race-long pressure from Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V), Alvaro Bautista (FUN&GO Gresini Honda RC213V) and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha).

    It came to a climax in the last six laps. First Bautista got ahead of Rossi, then Bradl joined the action, with Crutchlow a close spectator. The trio changed places again with two laps to go, Rossi regaining the upper hand to lead Bautista over the line by less than a second. The Spaniard had his hands full with Bradl, less than two tenths behind. Crutchlow was just over half a second away. Less than two seconds covered the quartet.

    Bautista has a special role with Honda, race-developing Showa suspension and Nissin brakes, the only rider to use the Japanese components made by companies associated with Honda

    His team-mate Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) finished 18th, in the middle of a three-rider battle. The Australian, in his first grand prix season, rides a CBR1000RR-powered machine in the CRT category.

    Marquez has now amassed a total of 278 points, with Lorenzo second on 239, and Pedrosa dropped to third on 219.

    The next race is the Malaysian GP in two weeks’ time, followed week by week by two more long-distance races, in Australia and Japan, before the season finale in Valencia.

    ends

    Riders fighting for the third place at MotoGP in Aragon on 29 Sept 2013. An Yamaha Factory Racing photo
    Riders fighting for the third place at MotoGP in Aragon on 29 Sept 2013. An Yamaha Factory Racing photo

  • Lorenzo delivers for Yamaha; Mahindra riders finish in points

    San Marino, 15 Sept 2013: On a day when Lorenzo was in unbeatable form for Yamaha Factory Racing, Indian outfit Mahindra’s riders Miguel Oliveira and Efrén Vázquez finished seventh and 12th in Sunday’s San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix – both claiming more valuable championship points, but both disappointed to be denied better results by issues that spiked their guns.

    Meanwhile, Yamaha Factory Racing said on its site about the victory on Sunday : “Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo delivered a masterful performance today to win the San Marino Grand Prix in stunning form. The victory, his sixth successive Italian Grand Prix win, was delivered after a 28 lap race of inch perfect riding from t

    Rossi of Yamaha congratulates winner Lorenzo (right) on Sunday. Photo courtesy Yamaha Factory Racing.
    Rossi of Yamaha congratulates winner Lorenzo (right) on Sunday. Photo courtesy Yamaha Factory Racing.

    he reigning world champion.

    “Starting from second on the grid, Lorenzo out dragged championship rival and pole sitter Marc Marquez to the first corner, taking the hole shot into turn one. He proved immediately impossible to follow, opening up a gap of just over a second on the first lap and keeping the pressure up as the race wound on. He was quick to build a comfortable gap to the chasing pack that was unbroken to the line, allowing him to claim his fifth Grand Prix win of the season,” the Yamaha site added.

     

    A Mahindra press release said: Oliveira (18, from Portugal) was confident of a strong top five result as he held his place in a fierce group disputing fourth, holding his final attack in reserve for the closing stages of the 23-lap race round the 4.226-km Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. But even before the halfway stage he was stricken with painful arm-pump problems that made it an ordeal even to finish.

    Even so, he fought to the end, finishing seventh in a tight group of five riders. Although Luis Salom had edged away for fourth by just over half a second, fifth to eighth places were covered by six tenths.
    Spanish star Efrén Vázquez (27) had a harder job, after qualifying on the fifth row of the grid. He too was battling for inches in a big gang of Moto3™ riders, but a gear-shifting error meant he was also not able to fight to his maximum.
     
    The Mahindra MGP3O is in its first racing season, after being designed and developed in record time over the winter, and the 250cc single-cylinder four-stroke machine’s instant speed and reliability made it a serious contender even in first prototype form. Today’s result brings the only Indian marque in international motorcycle racing closer still to second overall in the Constructor Championship, only 14 points away from the well-established Kalex-KTM.
     
    It was the first outing also for customer Mahindra MGP3O machines, after Ambrogio Racing switched to Mahindra for this race. Brad Binder finished 18th, just out of the points, with team-mate Luca Amato 24th, one place ahead of Mahindra wild card Andrea Locatelli.
     
    Today’s race was won by KTM rider Alex Rins, his fourth in the 12-race-old season. The next round is at Aragon in Spain in two weeks.
     
    MIGUEL OLIVEIRA – seventh place
     “I am quite disappointed. The bike was good, but my race was a real struggle. I suffered from arm-pump, with still 15 laps to go. The same thing happened to me last year at this track, but never anywhere else. At the start I could do a great lap time, and I was trying not to lose the second group fighting for third. One rider got away, but Salom in front was not pushing hard. I was stuck behind him for some laps, but when my arm stiffened I couldn’t defend myself or attack. If not for that, we should have finished fourth.”
    EFRÉN VÁZQUEZ – 12th place
    “That was the hardest race of the season for me, and it is a shame because the Mahindra and I had the pace for a better result, and to finish at least at the front of my group and in the top ten. What made it impossible was I made some mistakes shifting, and sometimes I arrived at a corner in the wrong gear, which was a bit dangerous. I tried my best, but I think we deserved better. It was really difficult to finish where we did.”
    MUFADDAL CHOONIA – CEO, Mahindra Racing
    “To be frank we are feeling slightly disappointed. Our real position is top five in every race. The difference between fourth and eighth was very small, nothing to choose. We lost two positions on the last two laps. Miguel developed a pain in his forearm as happened to him last year on this track, so he couldn’t push that last step. Now we look forward to the next race in Aragon.”
    About Mahindra Racing
    Mahindra Racing became the first Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Racing Championship in 2011 and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) in 2012.
    Racing in the Moto3™ class in MotoGP, Mahindra Racing entered the 2013 season with its own new 4-stroke, single-cylinder, 250cc motorcycle: the Mahindra MGP3O, developed with experienced Swiss firm Suter Racing Technology AG. Experienced Spanish rider Efrén Vázquez (27, from Bilbao) is teamed with exciting Portuguese teenager Miguel Oliveira (18, from Pragal near Lisbon). The team has been recording consistent Top 5 finishes and has already achieved a pole position and two circuit lap records in the first 8 rounds of the World Championship.
    At the opening round in Qatar, the Mahindra duo had a dream debut with a double Top 10 result for the only Indian team in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. In the Catalunya round, Vázquez crossed the line in fifth and Oliveira was sixth; this double Top 6 being the best result for Mahindra Racing so far, as a pair. Riding to perfection at the Assen Round, Oliveira was just inches from scoring the team’s historic first podium, when he crossed the line in fourth place just 0.096 seconds from third, and 0.378 behind the leader. In Sachsenring, the team scored another double top six finish. The team continues to be in the Top 3 in the Constructor’s rankings.
     
    In the 2012 CIV season, Mahindra Racing competed in the 125 GP Class and became the first team from India to win an international motorsport event, eventually recording six victories from eight races and securing the Constructors’ Title. In the 2013 CIV season, the team has entered the Moto3 (250cc – 4 stroke) class with talented riders Andrea Locatelli (16, from Alzano Lombardo) and Michael Rinaldi (17, Rimini, Emilia-Romagna). The Mahindra riders have already achieved 7 podium finishes in 8 Rounds so far in this season, with the best results being the double podiums with 1st and 2nd finishes at Round 5 in Misano and Round 7 in Imola. Mahindra Racing currently leads the Constructor’s standings with a wide margin.
    Mahindra’s bold decision to take on the world’s best at the highest level of motorcycle racing won the team prestigious awards such as the ‘ZigWheels Motorsport Award of the Year, 2012’, and the NDTV Car and Bike Awards ‘Mobil 1 Motorsport Award of the Year, 2012’.
    For further information please visit: www.mahindraracing.com.
     ends