INDIA in F1

Tag: MotoGP

  • Marquez smashes Silverstone lap record to seize British Grand Prix pole position; Rossi starts on P4

    Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez smashed his own Silverstone Circuit Best Lap record to claim his sixth pole position of the MotoGP season ahead of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo and his Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa.
    On his first flying lap in Qualifying Practice 2, Marquez set the quickest ever lap at Silverstone to take provisional pole position, but after fitting a new medium compound rear slick for this second time attack went even quicker, settinBritish Grand Prix, 30th August 2015g a 2’00.234 to slice 0.457 off the existing Circuit Best Lap record. Lorenzo’s best lap time of 2’00.522 was also under the previous Silverstone lap record and secured second place on the grid for the British Grand Prix, while Pedrosa claimed the third qualifying position by virtue of being the only other rider to set a time within half a second of Marquez, his 2’00.716 being 0.482 seconds off the pace. All three riders that qualified on the front row of the grid used the combination of the soft compound front and medium compound rear to set their quickest times.
    Silverstone was blessed again with fine and mild conditions throughout the day, with a peak track temperature of 35°C reached this afternoon during Free Practice 4; 5 degrees higher than yesterday’s peak. The fine weather allowed the riders to test a variety of tyre combinations and although race tyre choice will be determined by tomorrow’s weather, two tyre options emerged as the most likely race options. The soft compound front slick provides the best balance of cornering and braking performance at Silverstone and it is expected that it will be used by the vast majority of riders for the race. For the rear tyre, the medium compound slick is the most popular option although the soft compound rear slick is working very well for the Aprilia, Suzuki and open class riders and the hard compound option could feature on some Factory Honda and Yamaha machinery after Marc Marquez set some fast, consistent laps on this option during FP4.
    The twenty-lap British Grand Prix will start at 1300 local time tomorrow (GMT +1) with the next MotoGP™ session, morning Warm Up starting at 0930.
    Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
    “It was very good that today’s weather conditions were the same as yesterday as it enabled the riders to do some comparison work with different front and rear tyres. The feedback from today shows that the soft compound front tyre will be the most popular race choice as it provides the best balance of cornering & braking performance and reaches its ideal operating temperature quickly. For the rear tyre, the medium compound rear slick – which is a different specification to the medium rear slick we brought to Silverstone last year – proved to be very popular, but the soft and hard compound rear slicks are also working well with some different machine and rider combinations. I think we will have to wait and see what the weather brings tomorrow before the riders will confirm their race tyre choice, but the positive aspect for Bridgestone is that all of our slick tyre specifications are working well so the riders have many viable options for the race.”
    British MotoGP QP2 times – Riders that qualified from QP1 shaded in grey
    Pos Rider Team QP2 Time Gap
    1
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 2’00.234
    2
    		 Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 2’00.522 0.288
    3
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 2’00.716 0.482
    4
    		 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 2’00.947 0.713
    5
    		 Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.031 0.797
    6
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.140 0.906
    7
    		 Scott REDDING EG 0,0 Marc VDS 2’01.329 1.095
    8
    		 Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda 2’01.376 1.142
    9
    		 Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 2’01.874 1.640
    10
    		 Aleix ESPARGARO Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 2’01.880 1.646
    11
    		 Yonny HERNANDEZ Octo Pramac Racing 2’01.894 1.660
    12
    		 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 2’01.979 1.745
     

  • 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 Classification
    Pos
    Rider
    Team
    Race Time
    Gap
    Front spec
    Rear spec
    Tyres
    1
    		 Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 42’53.042 Medium Medium
    Bridgestone
    2
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 42’57.504 4.462 Medium Hard
    Bridgestone
    3
    		 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 43’03.439 10.397 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    4
    		 Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 43’06.113 13.071 Medium Medium
    Bridgestone
    5
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 43’08.692 15.650 Medium Medium
    Bridgestone
    6
    		 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 43’08.767 15.725 Medium Medium
    Bridgestone
    7
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha

    Lorenzo after winning the Czech Republic GP on Sunday. A Movistar Yamaha image.
    Lorenzo after winning the Czech Republic GP on Sunday. A Movistar Yamaha image.

    Tech 3

    		 43’14.863 21.821 Medium Medium
    Bridgestone
    8
    		 Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 43’16.282 23.240 Hard Medium
    Bridgestone
    9
    		 Aleix ESPARGARO Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 43’36.826 43.784 Hard Medium
    Bridgestone
    10
    		 Danilo PETRUCCI Octo Pramac Racing 43’38.303 45.261 Hard Medium
    Bridgestone

    eom/Bridgestone, Yamaha team releases

  • 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
    2015 Aspar Team during the Moto3 Championship 2015 race 11 in Czech Republic at Brno Circuit. Image by Mirco Lazzari for teamAspar.com

  • 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 three

    Jorge Lorenzo of Movistar-Yamaha takes pole for the Czech Republic. Image by Bridgestone
    Jorge 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 gray
    Pos Rider Team QP2 Time Gap
    1
    		 Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’54.989
    2
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’55.063 0.074
    3
    		 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’55.353 0.364
    4
    		 Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 1’55.390 0.401
    5
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’55.460 0.471
    6
    		 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’55.935 0.946
    7
    		 Maverick VIÑALES Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’55.954 0.965
    8
    		 Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’55.955 0.966
    9
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’55.969 0.980
    10
    		 Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 1’56.192 1.203
    11
    		 Hector BARBERA Avintia Racing 1’56.399 1.410
    12
    		 Yonny HERNANDEZ Octo Pramac Racing 1’56.739 1.750

  • 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.
     Marc-Marquez---Repsol-Honda-Team---Indianapolis-MotoGP-race-winner
    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 Classification
    Pos
    Rider
    Team
    Race Time
    Gap
    Front spec
    Rear spec
    Tyres
    1
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 41’55.371 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    2
    		 Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 41’56.059 0.688 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    3
    		 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 42’01.337 5.966 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    4
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 42’01.518 6.147 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    5
    		 Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 42’16.899 21.528 Hard Medium
    Bridgestone
    6
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 42’17.122 21.751 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    7
    		 Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 42’25.749 30.378 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    8
    		 Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 42’26.978 31.607 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    9
    		 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 42’28.192 32.821 Hard Medium
    Bridgestone
    10
    		 Danilo PETRUCCI Octo Pramac Racing 42’29.888 34.517 Hard Medium
    Bridgestone
    ends/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
    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
    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 gray
    Pos Rider Team QP2 Time Gap
    1
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’31.884
    2
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’32.055 0.171
    3
    		 Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’32.186 0.302
    4
    		 Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 1’32.208 0.324
    5
    		 Danilo PETRUCCI Octo Pramac Racing 1’32.243 0.359
    6
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’32.269 0.385
    7
    		 Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 1’32.468 0.584
    8
    		 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’32.511 0.627
    9
    		 Maverick VIÑALES Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’32.571 0.687
    10
    		 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’32.636 0.752
    11
    		 Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’32.670 0.786
    12
    		 Aleix ESPARGARO Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’32.814 0.930

  • Rossi resists Marquez to take victory at the Dutch Grand Prix

    Assen (The Netherlands), 27th Saturday June 2015: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi completed a perfect weekend at the TT Assen with an impeccable victory, the 111th in his career and his third of the 2015 season. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo also did a superb job at the overcast but dry track, coming from eighth on the grid, to take Yamaha to its fifth double podium of the season.

    Valentino Rossi kicked off the Dutch Grand Prix from pole with a dream start to take the holeshot. He held a 0,426 advantage to Marc Marquez after the first lap. The Doctor tried to break away from his encroaching rival and the rapidly approaching Lorenzo and responded by dipping under the previous lap record, but was unable to shake his pursuers off.

    Rossi had Marquez on his tail by lap four, but used his YZR-M1‘s nimble nature to the fullest to keep him at bay. He held on to his position until the Spaniard made his move going into turn one with seven laps to go, but the Doctor was far from defeated. Refusing to let his rival go he stuck close to Marquez and bided his time for four laps before retaking the lead.

    The following laps had the fans on the edge of their seat. Valentino rode a personal best time on the penultimate lap of 1‘33.673 to create a margin, but Marquez closed in on him in the second half of the last lap. The crowd went wild when the Spaniard made his move going into the chicane for the final time clipping the side of the YZR-M1 and forcing Rossi to run straight through a patch of gravel. The Italian did well to hold on to the bike and reentered the track in front of his rival to take his third win of the season with a 1.242s advantage.

    It was a lonely race for teammate Jorge Lorenzo. Starting from eighth on the grid he flew off the line, taking fifth in the first corner. With his teammate in his sights he had an incredible first lap and started to claw his way to the front. He overtook Aleix Espargarò and Pol Espargarò to finish the first lap in third, but the passes cost him valuable time.

    The Spaniard put his head down to close the gap to Marquez in second place, but was unable to join the front-runners. With no other riders to spar with, he focused on managing the gap to the rider in fourth place and crossed the line 14.576s behind his teammate, claiming his fifth podium in a row.

    The results see Rossi hold on to the lead in the championship with a 163 points total. He is now 10 points ahead of teammate Lorenzo in second place.

    There is little time for Rossi to recover from today‘s epic battle; he will be heading straight to the United Kingdom for the Goodwood Festival of Speed this evening and tomorrow. After this prestigious event, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP will move on to Germany for the next round at Sachsenring in two weeks’ time.

    Bridgestone report adds:
    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi signed off a perfect weekend in the Netherlands by emerging victorious from a fantastic battle with Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez to extend his lead in the MotoGP™ championship standings after the race held on a Saturday.
    Starting from pole position, Rossi led the opening laps of the race but was closely followed by Marquez throughout the twenty-six lap contest. After relinquishing the race lead to Marquez on lap twenty, Rossi was able to seize back the advantage with a few laps remaining and then held off an attempted pass by Marquez at the final chicane on the last lap to take victory by 1.242 seconds ahead of the reigning World Champion. A further thirteen seconds back in third place was J

    Valentino-Rossi---Movistar-Yamaha-MotoGP---Dutch-MotoGP-race-winner-on-the-podium. A Movistar-Yamaha-image
    Valentino-Rossi—Movistar-Yamaha-MotoGP—Dutch-MotoGP-race-winner-on-the-podium. A Movistar-Yamaha-image

    orge Lorenzo, who after starting in eighth place on the grid was able to scythe through the field on his Yamaha M1 to secure a place on the rostrum. All riders on the podium selected the medium rear slick for the race, but although both Rossi and Lorenzo opted for the soft compound front slick, Marquez selected the medium compound front slick for the race and was the only rider to use this option for the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Weather conditions were slightly cooler than yesterday but fine throughout the day, with a peak track temperature of 32°C recorded during the race. The stable weather allowed the riders to circulate at record pace, with Marquez setting a new Assen Circuit Record Lap time of 1’33.617 on lap four while Rossi’s race finish time was also a new record, beating the previous best race finish time by over twenty-five seconds. Tyre choice showed a strong preference for the soft compound front slick, with all the riders except Marquez selecting this option, while for the rear tyre the field was evenly split, with twelve riders each selecting the soft and medium compound rear slicks.
    Rossi’s third victory of the year helps him extend his lead over teammate Lorenzo to ten points, while Andrea Iannone consolidates third position on the championship table and sits 46 points behind Lorenzo after taking fourth place at Assen.
    Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
    “Today we saw a great battle for the race victory but in the end Valentino was too strong so congratulations to him and also to Yamaha for securing their sixth consecutive victory. I am happy that today we had the largest race day crowd at Assen since 2002 and it seems the great racing we are seeing on track is bringing more and more fans to MotoGP. I am very pleased that that new Circuit Best Lap, Circuit Record Lap and overall race time records were set this weekend, as Assen is a very demanding circuit and our tyre allocation performed perfectly. I am sad to hear the news that Stefan Bradl broke his scaphoid in a crash during the race and I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he is able to take part in his home race in a couple of weeks’ time.”
    Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
    “It was a bit cooler today but generally the conditions were very similar to what we experienced earlier on the weekend. As a result, tyre choice amongst the riders was the same that we saw yesterday afternoon in Free Practice 4 with almost every rider preferring the soft compound front slick. For the rear tyre, it was evenly split between the soft and medium compound rear and both of these options performed very consistently over race distance. It was good to have a weekend at Assen with generally stable weather conditions as this allowed the riders to show just how quickly and consistently they could lap at Assen on our latest generation of MotoGP tyres.”
    Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Race Winner
    “This was a very important race for me as I was competitive all weekend and started from pole position. I pushed a lot for the whole race and my pace was very quick but Marc was able to stay close to me. I tried to play all my cards and my last two laps were really strong, but Marc tried to pass me into the last chicane but I was already through the corner. To take twenty-five points is important and it was a great victory here in Assen.”
    Dutch MotoGP™ Top Ten Race Classification
    Pos
    Rider
    Team
    Race Time
    Gap
    Front spec
    Rear spec
    Tyres
    1
    		 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 40’54.037 Soft Medium
    Bridgestone
    2
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 40’55.279 1.242 Medium Medium
    Bridgestone
    3
    		 Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 41’08.613 14.576 Soft Medium
    Bridgestone
    4
    		 Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 41’13.146 19.109 Soft Medium
    Bridgestone
    5
    		 Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41’18.305 24.268 Soft Medium
    Bridgestone
    6
    		 Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 41’18.410 24.373 Soft Medium
    Bridgestone
    7
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41’18.479 24.442 Soft Medium
    Bridgestone
    8
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 41’18.693 24.656 Soft Medium
    Bridgestone
    9
    		 Aleix ESPARGARO Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 41’20.762 26.725 Soft Soft
    Bridgestone
    10
    		 Maverick VIÑALES Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 41’21.275 27.238 Soft Soft
    Bridgestone
     

  • Rossi claims phenomenal Pole position at the Cathedral

    Assen (The Netherlands), 26 June 2015: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi wasted no time on Friday in the dry Q2 session to put in some incredible hot laps around the TT Circuit Assen, setting a new circuit best lap record of 1’32.627 and securing the 61st pole position of his career. Assen is the only venue which hosts the race on a Saturday.

    Teammate Jorge Lorenzo was unable to ride the hot lap he had in mind and will start tomorrow‘s race from eighth on the grid.

    Topping the combined free practice times after FP4, Rossi was determined to drop a hot lap during the 15 minute long time attack. He was the first man to leave pit lane and momentarily took pole before dropping down the order to eighth place. His second attempt didn‘t gain him any places, but his third hot lap moved him up to fifth.

    He hastened back to his pit box for some fresh tyres with seven minutes left on the clock. After a minute he was ready to hit the track once more. The Italian was unable to improve on his next lap, dropping down to eighth in the ranking order, but this only seemed to motivate him even more. Completely focused on getting that all important front row start, he gave it his all on his final push and delivered a brilliant 1’32.627 lap to claim pole.Rossi‘s stunning pole is 0.835s quicker than the previous circuit best lap record set by Marc Marquez last year.

    Teammate Lorenzo also posted some very competitive times, but was unable to keep up his front row qualifying streak of four in a row. He started the Q2 session with an opposite approach to his usual strategy. This time he was the last rider out of the box, to be assured of some clear track space. He briefly took provisional pole with a strong first flying lap of 1’33.146, before being pushed back down to fourth place. On his next lap he improved his time by 0.029s, moving up to third, and quickly returned to the pits for a new set of rubber.

    He rejoined the track with a little less than six minutes left on the clock. The Spaniard posted a second fastest time of 1’33.044 on his next hot lap, before being pushed back to fourth. He improved his time by two thousandths of a second on his next lap, leaving him 0.415s from the front, but it was not enough to keep him on the second row. He will start tomorrow‘s race from eighth on the grid.

    eomRossi pole on Fri at Assen the only Sat race 26jun2015 Yamaha pic

     

  • Espargaro takes pole to lead Suzuki 1-2 in record-breaking Catalan GP qualifying

    Catalunya, 13 June 2015: Aleix Espargaro continued his superlative pace at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today as he seized pole position for the Catalan Grand Prix ahead of Team SUZUKI ECSTAR teammate Maverick Viñales.
    Having been the quickest rider in yesterda

    Aleix-Espargaro-of-Team-SUZUKI-ECSTAR-takes-pole-at-Catalan-MotoGP on Saturday.A Bridgestone image
    Aleix-Espargaro-of-Team-SUZUKI-ECSTAR-takes-pole-at-Catalan-MotoGP on Saturday.A Bridgestone image

    y’s practice sessions, Espargaro was able to up the ante today and in Qualifying Practice 2 set a lap time of 1’40.546 – the quickest ever lap around the Montmeló circuit, beating the existing Circuit Record Lap by three-tenths of a second. A mere 0.083 seconds behind him in second place was teammate and MotoGP rookie Viñales who secured his best premier-class qualifying result, while rounding out the front row was Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo who set a personal best time of 1’40.646. All three riders on the front row used the medium compound front slick to set their quickest time, and while Lorenzo used the medium compound rear on his hot lap, both Suzuki riders set their best times using the soft compound rear slick in a session in which the Circuit Best Lap record was broken four times in quick succession.

    All sessions today were subjected to similar conditions to yesterday, with a mild start giving way to hot temperatures in the afternoon. Today’s peak track temperature was 49°C at the beginning of Free Practice 4, after which temperatures cooled slightly towards the end of QP2. The fine conditions allowed the riders to do further evaluation on different tyre combinations and following FP4 the medium compound front and rear slick combination is likely to be the most popular choice for tomorrow’s race. However, a number of open-class riders look set to opt for the soft compound rear slick, while the majority of Ducati riders appear to favour the hard compound front slick for the race, so tyre choice will be quite diverse for the twenty-five lap Catalan Grand Prix.
    The weather forecast indicates ambient temperatures could be even warmer than qualifying for tomorrow’s race at 1400 local time (GMT +2). Before then, the riders will have one final chance to finalise their settings for the race in the twenty minute Warm Up session at 0940.
    Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
    “The quick and highly competitive pace we saw yesterday continued today and the result was a record-breaking qualifying session. I am pleased that Aleix was able to set a 1’40.5 lap and the top four riders were able to lap quicker than the existing Circuit Best Lap record, as it shows that on a track surface that is getting bumpier and lower in grip every year, our tyre allocation provides excellent performance and control. At this stage, the medium compound front and rear slicks are preferred by the majority of riders but the soft compound rear and hard compound front will also figure on the grid for tomorrow’s race. What is evident after FP4 and qualifying today is that the pace over a single lap and also long runs among the top riders is very close.”
    Catalan MotoGP QP2 times – Riders that qualified from QP1 shaded in gray
    Pos Rider Team QP2 Time Gap
    1
    		 Aleix ESPARGARO Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’40.546
    2
    		 Maverick VIÑALES Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’40.629 0.083
    3
    		 Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’40.646 0.1
    4
    		 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’40.754 0.208
    5
    		 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’40.907 0.361
    6
    		 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’40.928 0.382
    7
    		 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’41.058 0.512
    8
    		 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’41.068 0.522
    9
    		 Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 1’41.195 0.649
    10
    		 Yonny HERNANDEZ Pramac Racing 1’41.333 0.787
    11
    		 Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’41.385 0.839
    12
    		 Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 1’41.524 0.978