Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda 2010

The Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa took his second win of the season yesterday in a fantastic race at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany.

As the race got underway it was pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo on the Fiat Yamaha that took the lead ahead of Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi.

As Pedrosa stuck to the back wheel of his fellow countryman on lap 9 the red flag was waved following a huge crash which saw Randy de Puniet come off at turn 4 collecting both Alvaro Bautista and Alexi Espargaró. Neither rider could avoid the LCR Honda of de Puniet who received a broken left tibia and fibula and a possible cracked vertebra for Espargaró.  Despite returning to the pits to recover their spare bikes, neither Espargaro or Bautista were allowed to continue as they were unable to get back with their bikes within 5 minutes of the red flag.

The second 21 lap race started 25-minutes later with Lorenzo once again out in front but this time Pedrosa made  his intentions clear as he attempted a pass on the Yamaha rider before the end of the first lap.  While the took took turns at the front Rossi had made his way past Dovizioso for fourth and was after Stoner in third.

Pedrosa took control of the race after making his move stick on lap 12 breaking his own lap record from the previous year.  Rossi meanwhile was on the tail of Stoner before the two raced side-by-side across the circuit with just a handful of laps to run.

Pedrosa took the chequered flag 3.355 seconds ahead of Lorenzo with Stoner taking third place after passing Rossi on the final corner of the last lap.  Dovizioso crossed the line in fifth place followed by Marco Simoncelli in sixth, Nicky Hayden in seventh, Ben Spies in eighth, Héctor Barberá in ninth and Marco Melandri in tenth.

The Pramac Racing team rider Mika Kallio crashed out on the first lap of the restarted 21 lap race after a disastrous weekend while the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider Colin Edwards failed to restart the race after crashing out on lap 7 of the original race.

Here are the results;

1.  Dani Pedrosa  ESP Repsol Honda Team  28m 50.476s
2. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha Team 28m 53.831s
3. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 28m 55.733s
4. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 28m 56.099s
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 29m 7.634s
6. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 29m 8.233s
7. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 29m 8.411s
8. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 29m 11.433s
9. Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar 29m 12.476s
10. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 29m 25.693s
11. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 29m 35.518s
12. Alex de Angelis RSM Interwetten Honda MotoGP 29m 35.68s

DNF:
Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing
Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing
Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP >
Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3

The Doctor Fans

Valentino Rossi is returning to the MotoGP grid this weekend, a month earlier than was initially expected after being given medical clearance.

The Fiat Yamaha rider had now completed two test sessions on the Yamaha R1 World Superbike and feels that he is now ready to get back in the saddle if he is to have any chance of competing for the championship.

Now lying in seventh place in the standings after missing the last four rounds following his accident at Mugello where he suffered a fractured right tibia.  The Italian rider had been told to expect at least a five-month recuperation programme but after just six weeks the reigning seven-time MotoGP champion is ready to make his return.

Despite the two test sessions going well, Rossi said;

“The big question mark is the entire race, 30 laps in a row. I have to wait and see what happens!”

The MotoGP cost cutting goes a bit further than expected!

The provisional MotoGP Calendar has now been released by the FIM for the MotoGP World Championship of 2010, and hopefully all teams and riders will be on the grid as the economic crisis continues.

Date - Grand Prix - Circuit:
11 April - Qatar* - Losail
25 April - Japan - Motegi
2 May - Spain - Jerez
16 May - France - Le Mans
30 May - Italy - Mugello
6 June - Great Britain - Silverstone
26 June - Netherlands** - Assen
4 July - Catalunya - Catalunya
18 July - Germany - Sachsenring
25 July - United States*** - Laguna Seca
15 August - Czech Republic - Brno
29 August - Indianapolis - Indianapolis
12 September - San Marino & Riviera di Rimini - Misano
19 September - Hungary - Balatonring
10 October - Malaysia - Sepang
17 October - Australia - Phillip Island
31 October - Portugal - Estoril
7 November Valencia Ricardo Tormo-Valencia

* Evening Race
** Saturday Race
*** Only MotoGP class

In the event that one of the circuits is not able to comply with the requirements to hold the scheduled Grand Prix, the Motorland Aragon Circuit would host a reserve “event” on the same day.

Valentino Rossi - Fiat Yamaha 2009

Valentino Rossi took the Fiat Yamaha across the line yesterday, only just holding off the challenge from his Spanish team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

Rossi started the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland in pole position and led the pack into the first corner ahead of Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, who started from eighth on the grid, and Randy de Puniet on the LCR Honda, who crashed out later in the lap.

Alex de Angelis on the San Carlo Honda Gresini followed ahead of Lorenzo and second Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso, who had qualified in eleventh place.

Casey Stoner on the Marlboro Ducati, came through the pack first picking-off Pedrosa for second place on lap 5 before passing Rossi on lap 7 to lead the German MotoGP.  Stoner was unable to get away from the Italian and just ten laps later was once again passed by Rossi and then Lorenzo.

Lorenzo then began hunting-down Rossi and passed him with only five laps of the race remaining as Pedrosa passed Stoner for third place.

On the penultimate lap, Rossi’s late braking saw him once again in the lead and holding his line stopping his team-mate from re-passing to take the victory.

Pedrosa finished in third ahead of Stoner, with de Angelis taking the fifth place followed by Toni Elias on the San Carlo Honda Gresini.

Marco Melandri on the Hayate Racing Team bike claimed seventh place followed by Nicky Hayden on the second Ducati Marlboro in eighth, Colin Edwards on the Monster Tech3 Yamaha in ninth and team-mate James Toseland completing the top ten riders.

Andrea Dovizioso, retired on lap 25 after suffering tyre problems after running in fourth for a short time.

Pos  Rider             Bike              Time/Gap
 1.  Valentino Rossi   Yamaha          41m21.769s
 2.  Jorge Lorenzo     Yamaha          +   0.099s
 3.  Dani Pedrosa      Honda           +   2.899s
 4.  Casey Stoner      Ducati          +  10.226s
 5.  Alex de Angelis   Gresini Honda   +  21.522s
 6.  Toni Elias        Gresini Honda   +  30.852s
 7.  Marco Melandri    Hayate Kawasaki +  31.301s
 8.  Nicky Hayden      Ducati          +  31.726s
 9.  Colin Edwards     Tech 3 Yamaha   +  32.865s
10.  James Toseland    Tech 3 Yamaha   +  43.926s
11.  Loris Capirossi   Suzuki          +  57.375s
12.  Niccolo Canepa    Pramac Ducati   +1m00.539s
13.  Chris Vermeulen   Suzuki          +1m03.645s
14.  Mika Kallio       Pramac Ducati   +1m04.155s
15.  Gabor Talmacsi    Scot Honda      +    1 lap

Retirements:

     Andrea Dovizioso  Honda           25 laps
     Randy de Puniet   LCR Honda       0 laps

Bancaja Aspar Team 2008

Julián Simon on the Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc, took the victory yesterday with a comfortable gap of five seconds from second place man Sergio Gadea for the Fontana Racing team followed by the third Spaniard on the podium, Joan Olive on the Derbi Racing machine claiming his first podium place of the season.

Efren Vazquez, crashed his Derbi Racing Team bike at the start of the race along with Jasper Iwema on the Racing Team Germany bike.

Nicolas Terol on the Jack & Jones Team bike, finished in fourth place ahead of Pol Espargaro on the Derbi Racing bike and Italian rider Andrea Iannone on the Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.

Sandro Cortese on the Ajo Interwetten, finished in sixth place after passing Iannone on the final lap, and Britain’s Danny Webb on the Degraaf Grand Prix Aprilia took eighth place.

Dominique Aegerter on the second Ajo Interwetten, finished in ninth place followed by Tomoyoshi KoyamaLoncin Racing for the team completing the top ten.

Bradley Smith on the Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc, had qualified in second position on the grid, went off track on the first lap, rejoining at the back.  On lap 4, the British rider crashed with the Ajo bike of Eeki Kuparinen and retired from the race.

Simon Corsi crashed the Fontana Racing machine trying to make a move past fourth place man Joan Olive, and a lap later, Jonas Folger crashed the Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. machine.

Here are the results;

CLASSIFIED:

Pos  Rider             Bike     Time
 1.  Julian Simon      Aprilia  39m57.337s
 2.  Sergio Gadea      Aprilia  +   9.415s
 3.  Joan Olive        Derbi    +  17.559s
 4.  Nicolas Terol     Aprilia  +  17.587s
 5.  Pol Espargaro     Derbi    +  19.740s
 6.  Sandro Cortese    Derbi    +  20.778s
 7.  Andrea Iannone    Aprilia  +  20.908s
 8.  Daniel Webb       Aprilia  +  38.221s
 9.  D.Agerter         Derbi    +  38.434s
10.  Tomoyoshi Koyama  Loncin   +  40.085s
11.  R.Krummenacher    Aprilia  +  44.127s
12.  Marcel Schrotter  Honda    +  45.051s
13.  Luis Salom        Aprilia  +  59.604s
14.  Cameron Beaubier  KTM      +1m18.157s
15.  D.Kartheininger   Honda    +1m20.825s
16.  Marc Marquez      KTM      +1m25.137s
17.  Efren Vazquez     Derbi    +1m30.427s
18.  Lukas Sembera     Aprilia  +1m30.528s
19.  Jasper Iwema      Honda    + 1 lap
20.  Lorenzo Savadori  Aprilia  + 1 lap
21.  T.Finsterbusch    Honda    + 1 lap
22.  Damien Raemy      Honda    + 1 lap
23.  Johann Zarco      Aprilia  + 1 lap
24.  Luca Marconi      Aprilia  + 1 lap

NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS:

     Rider             Bike       Laps
     Scott Redding     Aprilia     19
     Stefan Bradl      Aprilia     18
     Takaaki Nakagami  Aprilia     17
     Simone Corsi      Aprilia     16
     Jonas Folger      Aprilia     15
     Michael Ranseder  Aprilia      8
     Lorenzo Zanetti   Aprilia      6
     Eeki Kuparinen    Honda        3
     Bradley Smith     Aprilia      3
     Esteve Rabat      Aprilia      1
     Alexis Masbou     Loncin       1

FASTEST LAP: Gadea, 1m28.337s on lap 6

Casey Stoner - Marlboro Ducati 2009

This weekend the teams and riders of MotoGP are at the Sachsenring circuit for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

Casey Stoner on the Marlboro Ducati, set the fastest time of the day in the afternoon session of the Friday free practice session.  The heavens opened midway through the 125cc practice session but by the time the MotoGP riders arrived the track was drying.

Spanish rider Dani Pedrosa, on the Repsol Honda, took second place in the closing stages of the session pushing the Fiat Yamaha of Valentino Rossi down to third.

The LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet, took fourth place followed by Alex de Angelis on the San Carlo Honda Gresini and Colin Edwards on the Monster Tech3 Yamaha in sixth.

Toni Elias on the second San Carlo Honda, finished seventh ahead of the second Ducati Marlboro of Nicky Hayden in eighth, second Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso in ninth and Marco Melandri on the Hayate Racing team bike in tenth.

Jorge Lorenzo on the second Fiat Yamaha, could only manage eleventh place, admitting that he is not 100% fit and finding the circuit difficult after suffering a separated shoulder and fractured foot at the U.S. Round of the Championship, however, he was only 0.717seconds slower than Stoner.

Loris Capirossi on the Rizla Suzuki, ended the day in twelfth position while his team-mate Chris Vermeulen, suffered a big crash, landing badly on the same side that he had injured at Laguna Seca.  He is badly bruised and admitted to not being in the best of conditions but feels he will be fine for qualifying tomorrow.

Casey Stoner

The Marlboro Ducati rider Casey Stoner, has been suffering a mystery illness for most of the season and after undergoing a batch of tests has final been diagnosed as having mild anemia and a slight gastritis.

At the last round of the MotoGP Championship at Laguna Seca, Stoner took fourth place despite not feeling 100% and after crashing out during the qualifying session.

The crash left the Australian battered and bruised, which could be a concern for this weeks race at the German GP.  Stoner said;

“I still don’t feel like I am 100% but the biggest problem now is that my ribs are very painful after the crash in qualifying in the U.S. It will be probably another hard weekend in Germany, but as always, we will do our best to stay as much as possible close to the lead of the Championship.”