Pedrosa first, Stoner third on Czech GP grid

Casey Stoner will join Pedrosa on the front row of the grid in third position and Andrea Dovizioso from third row in seventh position, after a very interesting qualifying session that was decided in the final 10 minutes.

After the third free practice held in wet conditions, the track was quite dirty and slippery for qualifying. However, the riders were able to continue improving the set up of their RC212V's and work on the pace before looking for the best position on the grid.

Pedrosa achieved his first pole of the season after showing impressive pace during the entire weekend, while Stoner made steps forward to solving the issues he had Friday in setting up his bike. Andrea Dovizioso slightly improved his lap time from Friday, but he will be hoping to make a bigger step in the race to fight for another podium.

Dani Pedrosa:

"It's my first pole of the year and also after a long time, so I'm very happy for that. The weekend has been pretty good for us so far, the bike is working well and I'm feeling good physically as well. We made only a few small changes on the bike and this allowed me to concentrate more on my riding, so let's hope we are able to keep the pace tomorrow and fight for a good result. This is the most important thing and we need to keep our feet on the ground because the rivals are close. I think we can still improve the bike a little, especially on the chassis side to have better grip, even though I guess that the rain this morning affected the conditions on track which made it more slippery."

Casey Stoner:

"We hoped after yesterday that we could improve the feeling in the bike this morning but unfortunately it was a wet session, so we couldn't use it as we would have liked to. Also, the session didn't start too well with a fast crash in turn three which lost us some time and obviously dented my confidence a little. Then this afternoon we started to get a little more feedback from the bike, but all in all we didn't really make a big step forward or improve it significantly from yesterday's first session. We seem to be getting more and more chatter as the weekend progresses and the more I push the more it increases and the slower I get, so it's a little frustrating. I felt qualifying could have been better, we almost lapped with the same time on old and new tyres but in general we have a lot of work to do. We're obviously happy with front row, but we're not really where we want to be with t he bike and there is still a lot of work to do. We're looking forward to tomorrow and I'm sure we can find some improvements in time for the race."

Andrea Dovizioso: 

“After having struggled yesterday with the engine brake set up, today we went back to the old specification that we used up until the Italian Grand Prix. The rain fall from last night and this morning affected the track surface and this afternoon there was less grip and the references changed compared to yesterday. We will continue working, in particular on the front, because under braking we are on the limit. I also have to ride with more fluidity. We will keep on working also in the warm up to improve for the race. The pace is not so bad and it’s not impossible to fight for the podium. The race will be hard, with many battles so it will be important to make a good start.”

Repsol Honda press release.

First pole of the season for Pedrosa

Dani Pedrosa followed up his superb Friday display in qualifying on Saturday, as the Spaniard secured his first pole position of 2011 for Sunday’s Cardion ab Grand Prix České republiky race in Brno.

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa took the front position on the grid with a time of 1’56.591 in qualifying on Saturday, a time fast enough to put him on pole but still not a fast as the crushing lap he dealt Friday by a margin of 0.268s.

The premier class took to a dry track after the morning wet practice session, with reigning MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) taking an early provisional pole and Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) leading in second half of qualifying. But Pedrosa retaliated, grabbing back the top spot and keeping it until the end of the outing.

Lorenzo pushed hard, bettering his previous best time by four tenths with a time of 1'56.704, giving him a front row start in the second spot, followed by Stoner with lap of 1'56.860 to put him in the final front row spot.

Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) who started from the front row least year in his MotoGP rookie season, qualified four with a 1'57.178. The Texan is joined on the second row by Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), who finished just outside the top ten on his premier class debut at Brno last season, whose time of 1'57.351 placed him in fifth to start. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) joins the second row after posting a time of 1'57.367, giving him his best qualifying of the season so far.

Andrea Dovizioso will start from the third row, his time of 1'57.442 placing him seventh fastest. American duo Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) take the final two spots on the third row, while Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini), riding for the first time in the MotoGP class at Brno after missing last year’s race through injury, completed the top ten.

Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) crashed out of eighth position with 12 minutes remaining, running back to the pits to mount his second bike, finally concluding the qualifying in eleventh.

Cardion ab Motoracing’s Karel Abraham crashed out of the qualifying session, the 21 year old from Brno will start his home race from last on the grid. John Hopkins did not participate in the qualifying session due to injuries sustained in his FP3 crash pronouncing him unfit for racing.

source: MotoGP Official Website

Pedrosa leads a Repsol Honda 1-2 in Brno Free Practice

The riders proved to be fresh after the summer break, especially Dani Pedrosa, who set the top time in both practice sessions today with a best lap of 1'56.328, just two tenths off the pole position record of Rossi in 2009 (1'56.145) and already under the circuit lap record (Lorenzo 2009, 1'56.670). Casey Stoner, the current leader of the Championship, finished the day in second, and Andrea Dovizioso, fifth.

Pedrosa was immediately on the pace, from his first round out in the morning session, and was the only rider to lap in the 1'56's this morning. The Spaniard had a good base to start working with from last year's set up and his improved physical condition helped him to start the weekend very strongly.

In FP2, Casey Stoner also managed to ride in the 1'56's after some issues in the morning session. He will continue working with his team looking to find more grip and better corner entry to improve his feeling in Brno with the RC212V.

Andrea Dovizioso's day was hampered by set up issues with his engine braking. He and his team will study the data tonight and make full use of FP3 to prepare his bike in the best way possible for Qualifying tomorrow at 13.55 local time.

Dani Pedrosa:

"The feeling was very good today from the beginning. The bike was working well from the first round and we could move ahead, improving little by little in both practice sessions. I think the main difference I felt is that I'm fresh after the summer break, the rest I had has helped me a lot, I can feel the energy I didn't have in the races before the break, so I hope I can keep the pace for Saturday and Sunday and be strong for the race. I'm very happy with the job we did in both sessions and I think we can still improve and be ready for both the qualifying practice and the race. I guess the other rivals will also do the same, so we have to keep focused. Today I rode alone all the time, maybe tomorrow I can compare a little with other riders to see where are they stronger or weaker than me."

Casey Stoner:

"Today hasn't been that positive to be honest, we seem to be having a similar start to our weekend in Laguna and aren't sure which direction to take at the moment. The feeling in the front is very vague, our corner entry and mid-turn isn't that great. We also need to find a lot more grip in the rear as I'm struggling on the edge of the tyre and exit of the corner. We have a long way to go before I feel happy with the set up and there are many areas we can improve, so tomorrow we will be trying a lot of different things on both bikes and prepare as best we can for Qualifying."

Andrea Dovizioso: 

"Today we struggled a lot with engine braking. This is a new engine brake that we used for the first time on Monday in Mugello after the Grand Prix, and that we have been using since. It’s very helpful but it's difficult to set up and today we struggled a lot to get the correct set up. We lost time and we couldn't do many laps. In the last lap I tried to push even if I was not so comfortable with the setting. I’m a little angry because I could be faster and I’m not satisfied with the fifth fastest time. Now we will study the data and then we will decide the direction to take. I hope that tomorrow we will continue with dry conditions as today and I’m confident we can improve."

Repsol Honda press release.

Pedrosa dominates Brno day one

The 25 year old Repsol Honda rider set off into the second practice session at a blazing pace after crushing the field in the first outing of the day, though was unable to better his time of 1'56.328 that he achieved in the earlier session.

The rest of the field responded, with team mate Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) moving into second in the later half of the session with a time of 1'56.831, an improvement of 0.436s over his FP1 time and the only other rider to break the 1’57” barrier.

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) was unshaken by a crash at the end of FP1 and improved his time by three tenths with a lap of 1'57.136, keeping him third fastest of the day, while reigning MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) improved his time by four tenths with a time set on lap 15 of 1'57.136 to place him in fourth.

Andrea Dovizioso was again fifth quickest in FP2 and remained fifth fastest of the day with a best time of 1'57.535, ahead of Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) in sixth position by 0.096s.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team), who placed fifth last year at Brno, improved on his FP1 time by over a second, moving him into seventh, while team mate Nicky Hayden was down in 14th. Álvaro Bautista rode his Rizla Suzuki into eighth fastest of the day, ahead of Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow and wild card John Hopkins aboard the Rizla Suzuki.

MotoGP rookie Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) was down in 17th at his home race, while Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing), who is already riding with injuries from a crash at Laguna Seca, had a fall in the last minutes of the session.

Stoner and Pedrosa break into all-time podium top ten

First and third places for Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa at the previous US MotoGP marked the 52nd time that each had stood on the premier-class podium.

As shown in the following table, this places them in the top ten of riders with most podiums in the premier-class, and equal with 1987 world champion Wayne Gardner.

However, the pair remain 87 podiums behind Valentino Rossi...

Premier-class podiums:

1. Valentino Rossi 139 

2. Mick Doohan 95 

3. Giacomo Agostini 88 

4. Eddie Lawson 78 

5. Wayne Rainey 64 

6. Max Biaggi 58 

7. Randy Mamola 54 

= 8. Casey Stoner 52 

= 8. Wayne Gardner 52 

= 8. Dani Pedrosa 52

Pedrosa off to a flying start at Brno

The MotoGP bikes hit the track for the first practice session of round 11, with grey clouds overhead and cool temperatures welcoming the field into the second half of the season. Pedrosa took his Repsol Honda on a flying lap of 1.56’328, substantially faster than the rest of the field and the only rider under the 1.57” mark.

Fresh off the back of a victory at Laguna Seca Stoner, Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) was second in the field, though his lap of 1'57.294 was nearly a second behind the Spaniard. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), who topped the timesheets briefly with 30 minutes to go, was 1.080s behind Pedrosa and third fastest of the session. The Italian ended the session with a crash in turn 13 but was unhurt.

Last year’s race winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) posted his best time of 1'57.587, two tenths behind Simoncelli to put him fourth in the standings. Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso was fifth quickest as he took his factory RC212V around in a best time of 1'57.776. That placed the Italian 0.127s ahead of Ben Spies (Racing), who was sixth on his Yamaha Factory YZR-M1.

Wild card John Hopkins who is returning for a second race aboard the Rizla Suzuki set an impressive seventh fastest time, followed by the other Rizla Suzuki of Álvaro Bautista. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow and Colin Edwards werninth and tenth, respectively, with Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) three tenths outside the top ten times.

MotoGP rookie Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing) debuting as the first Czech rider to compete in the premier class at his a Grand Prix since 1989, was sixteenth in the standings.

source: MotoGP Official Website

Repsol Honda trio revitalised for Czech Republic

After a two-week interlude in which time they enjoyed some rest and recuperation before resuming their training programmes, Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa are all fully prepared to make an anticipated return to action at Brno this weekend.

The team celebrated a double podium in the previous round at Laguna Seca where Stoner extended his lead at the top of the Championship to 20 points with victory, whilst Pedrosa took third spot and Dovizioso finished fifth.

After this weekend's race, the Repsol Honda Team will make use of a testing day at the Brno circuit, using the opportunity to further develop the 1000cc 2012 machine. Contracted riders Pedrosa and Stoner will test the bike in the one day test on Monday August 15th.

Casey Stoner:

"I've really enjoyed this summer break. After a great race in Laguna, we decided to stay in California and visit some friends and enjoy some down time, mixed in with some training. Now I feel relaxed and ready for the second half of the season. I'm looking forward to going to Brno, it's a circuit I've always enjoyed and I believe with the results we've had in the past years we can expect to have a good race there. I've seen that the Honda can be very competitive at all circuits this year so I'm sure we will also be strong in Brno. The fact that it's very fast and flowing has helped the Yamaha's in the past seasons and I think Jorge will be strong there, so I will be watching for him. We'll be working on overcoming some of the issues we've had in the fast corners at circuits this year and we will certainly be looking for the win, or at the very least some more important Championship points.”

Andrea Dovizioso:

“I spent the summer break with my family and friends at the seaside in Sardinia. Early in the morning I was training, then I could play with Sara, my little daughter. It was a new experience for me that I really enjoyed. It was a perfect time to relax and switch off and now I’m ready for the second part of the season. We arrive in Brno very motivated as we want to redeem the disappointing result of Laguna. Brno is a fast track, the curves have a long range so the speed in the mid corner is high. I’m confident that we can be competitive there, the Honda machine is working very well and the characteristics of the track suit my riding style too. It’s similar to Mugello and we look for a good result. Casey, Dani and Jorge will be strong rivals, but I’m confident that we will be able to fight with them. We are determined to return on the podium. This is our target.”

Dani Pedrosa:

"These two and a half weeks have flown by for me, but I really enjoyed this break. The truth is that I needed it, first of all to rest after the last few races that were physically hard for me but also to disconnect a little and to train, to get back my physical strength and be fit again. My holidays have been a combination of all. When I got back from Laguna I spent some days doing nothing just to relax the whole area of the neck, arms and back. After this I've been combining physical training with relaxation exercises to avoid over stressing the area. Now I'm looking forward to competing again and enjoying the races until the end of the season. The bike is working very well this year so I hope we can get good results and win races in this second half of the Championship. Brno is a track I like, I've won there in 125 and 250, and I've had some podiums also in MotoGP so to fight for the victory is a challenge for me and I'm very motivated. I'm also looking forward to the test at Brno with the 1000cc. bike. I missed the first one in Jerez due to the injury and I'm excited to see to see how the new bike works.”

source: MotoGP Official Website

Pedrosa looking forward to Brno battle, 1000cc debut

Having used the two-weekend summer break to gain further strength, Dani Pedrosa is aiming to battle for his third victory of the season at Brno on Sunday.

Pedrosa has undergone surgery on both collarbones this year, a corrective procedure to restore blood flow in the left being followed by a fresh break in the right, after a controversial clash with Marco Simoncelli at Le Mans.

Absent for four races, Pedrosa returned for round eight at Mugello, then took a shock win in the following German GP. The Repsol Honda rider was again in victory contention at Laguna Seca, but struggled for strength and was forced to settle for a fifth podium of the year.

"These two and a half weeks have flown by for me, but I really enjoyed this break," said Pedrosa. "The truth is that I needed it, first of all to rest after the last few races that were physically hard for me but also to disconnect a little and to train, to get back my physical strength and be fit again. 

"My holidays have been a combination of all. When I got back from Laguna I spent some days doing nothing just to relax the whole area of the neck, arms and back. After this I've been combining physical training with relaxation exercises to avoid over stressing the area. Now I'm looking forward to competing again and enjoying the races until the end of the season. 

"The bike is working very well this year so I hope we can get good results and win races in this second half of the Championship. Brno is a track I like, I've won there in 125 and 250, and I've had some podiums also in MotoGP so to fight for the victory is a challenge for me and I'm very motivated."

Monday's post-race test will then see Pedrosa make his debut on Honda's 2012 1000cc bike. 

"I'm also looking forward to the test at Brno with the 1000cc. bike. I missed the first one in Jerez due to the injury [at Le Mans] and I'm excited to see to see how the new bike works," he said.

Pedrosa starts round eleven holding fourth in the world championship, two points ahead of Valentino Rossi (Ducati) and 33 points behind HRC team-mate Andrea Dovizioso.

source: crash.net

Pedrosa: "I want to be on top form to be able to confront my rivals"

The Le Mans crash, which prevented him to take points in four races, did not reduce Dani Pedrosa's confidence, and he came back to the championship more eager than ever. The Repsol Honda Team rider already has two victories and three podium —two of them consecutive in the last two races—, with still half of the season to be held. Pedrosa is confident to achieve a good form, before the next round in Brno, in order to increase the number of wins to his name.

Laguna Seca is always the halfway point of the season and the start of the short summer break. Will you be able to switch off? What are your plans?

“My plan is to recover, because my muscles are very stiff, so I will try to rest a bit to allow them to relax. When I feel better, I intend to train in order to avoid feeling so week in the second half of the races."

This season you had very high expectations, but you had a really difficult first half. Despite that, you nearly did more wheelies than ever, in Jerez, Estoril and Sachsenring. What is your assessment of this first half of the season?

“My opinion of these races is that I competed well, but I was unlucky."

They say that after falling, the important thing is to pick you up. You really picked you up in style! You had unexpected victories in Portugal and Germany. Do your wins of this year have a special flavour?

“These victories have a very special taste indeed. Especially after the injuries I suffered, as I was never at 100%. These wins give me a high level of confidence. My rivals are in full form, so I am eager to recover my form too so that I can fight against them on equal terms."

The end of your bike's life cycle is approaching, but until the end of the season, in which areas should it be improved?

“The stability and the entrance of the corners are always complicated matters; especially in the tracks with more bumps. Anyway, the bike is responding very well for now."

This year we have seen some falls in the first minutes of the practices, due to the difficulty to warm and feel the tyres. Have you gone backwards in that area?

“Yes, undoubtedly. Now the tyres, both the front and the rear, when they are cold they are a bit more dangerous. In this first half of the season we saw that nearly all crashes occurred when the tyres were new."

How do you see your main rivals?

“They are doing a good job. I have been out of competition, which made it a bit easier for them. The competition is very close. There is a very high level, but we could say that none of us is at 100%. Jorge made some mistakes and only Stoner has been the most consistent."

What aims do you set for yourself in the rest of the races?

“My aim is to recover my full form and thus be able to win some races."

How do you feel both physically and mentally for these eight Grand Prix?

“Right now I am not at 100%, but I hope to recover progressively race after race and let's hope that I will be able to fight back in the end."

Interview courtesy of Repsol Media

video: Podium Press Conference Laguna Seca 2011 Dani Pedrosa

Here's the official release video of 3rd podium Laguna Seca, Dani Pedrosa

If this embed video not working, you can try this link

Pedrosa 'finished' by mid-race distance

Dani Pedrosa was in contention for his second MotoGP victory in a row for the first half of Sunday's US Grand Prix, until his weakened physical conditions began to take its toll.

Pedrosa took second from Repsol Honda team-mate Casey Stoner at the start, and kept within touch of Yamaha's race leader Jorge Lorenzo for the first half of the 32-lap race.

But by then Pedrosa, who missed three races after fracturing his collarbone in May, felt physically 'finished'. 

The former US GP winner was overtaken by eventual race winner Stoner on lap 18 of 32 and went on to finish almost four-seconds from runner-up Lorenzo.

"I'm very happy with another podium, the second after my come back from injury," said Dani. "I couldn't have predicted this result before coming to Laguna, because I knew it would be physically very tough for me and it has been great to keep up with the pace of Casey and Jorge in these past two races. 

"Today, by the middle of the race, I was very tired, almost finished, I couldn't get my left arm strong enough and here at this track you don't rest for a moment, so I had to drop. It's been quite difficult to set up the bike this weekend, I had a lack of grip generally, but the team worked very well. 

"Now we have some holidays and it will be good for me to have some days off to rest and relax my muscles and be back training to arrive fully fit in Brno".

Pedrosa's fifth podium of the season means he is now back ahead of Valentino Rossi for fourth in the championship.

source: crash

Podium Laguna Seca 2011

Fantastic victory for Stoner at Laguna Seca

The young Australian who started from second on the grid, dropped to third place at the start and took his time before launching his attack on Repsol Honda team mate Dani Pedrosa on lap eighteen of thirty two. After passing Pedrosa, who was suffering from fatigue and fitness problems, Stoner chased down Lorenzo for nine laps and wasted no time in passing him around the outside of turn one on lap twenty seven. From this point, he controlled the race comfortably, finishing five and a half seconds ahead of the Spaniard. Stoner has now increased his lead in the World Championship standings to twenty points over Lorenzo.

After being passed by Stoner, Dani Pedrosa retained third position comfortably. He knew his fitness would be tested here, at a track that demands a huge physical effort. He has now moved above Valentino Rossi in the Championship standings to 4th position with 110 points.

Andrea Dovizioso who had a great start, jumping from sixth to fourth, maintained this position for the majority of the race. He struggled to maintain his consistency for the long race in Laguna and with three laps to go was passed by Ben Spies. He remains third in the Championship standings with 143 points.

On this high note, the Repsol Honda Team will now enjoy a well deserved break before the next race in the Czech Republic on August 14.

Casey Stoner:

"All weekend we've been struggling a little so we weren't too confident that we could run with Jorge and Dani in the race. However, this morning in warm up we found something I was a little happier with. Before the race I felt relaxed, confident and generally calm, we started a little slower to get the tyres warm gently but also with a full tank of fuel, the bike didn't feel that great. So I was patient and took my time, staying with Jorge and Dani to control the gap and make sure they didn't get too far away. I felt I had more speed but decided to wait and watch. I saw Dani struggling a bit and he started to drop back from Jorge so I had to attack at this point. Once I caught up to Jorge, I watched to see if he made a mistake and kept the pressure on him, then chose my moment to make the move and was able to slowly open up a gap and bring the race home. It's really fantastic to come from such a difficult weekend and get a great win and I'm very thankful to all my team".

Dani Pedrosa:

"I'm very happy with another podium, the second after my come back from injury. I could have predicted this result before coming to Laguna because I knew it would be physically very tough for me and it has been great to keep up with the pace of Casey and Jorge in these past two races. Today, by the middle of the race, I was very tired, almost finished, I couldn't get my left arm strong enough and here at this track you don't rest for a moment, so I had to drop. It's been quite difficult to set up the bike this weekend, I had a lack of grip generally, but the team worked very well. Now we have some holidays and it will be good for me to have some days off to rest and relax my muscles and be back training to arrive fully fit in Brno".

Andrea Dovizioso: 

“We knew that it was going to be a tough race because this track is short, with very strong braking and it's also very demanding. I made a good start and I was able to move into fourth position. In the first laps I pushed hard to stay with Casey, Dani and Lorenzo. I was loosing a lot in some corners, such as T3 and T11 and to recover I was pushing in the other areas. I used up a lot of energy and I couldn’t be consistent for the 32 laps. I’m disappointed because today we had the speed to fight for a good result, in fact I lapped two tenths behind the fastest lap, but I couldn’t be consistent. I lost the battle with Spies and this is the first time I've lost a battle this year. The good point is that we were able to be fast. Now we have to focus and continue working, we are third in the Championship and we want to keep on fighting. We will take advantage of the three week break to recharge the batteries and return in Brno more determined. My congratulations go to Casey and Dani”.

Repsol Honda press release.

Stoner storms to victory at Laguna

In front of a crowd of over 52,000 passionate fans, the MotoGP field lined up under the California sunshine for the start of the Red Bull US Grand Prix. Yamaha Factory rider Lorenzo had a great launch from pole position leading into turn one with the three Repsol Hondas tracking close behind, with Dani Pedrosa heading the trio. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) had a strong start and followed a tight fifth behind the Hondas until he crashed exiting turn 5 on lap seven, ending the race for the Italian.

While Lorenzo led the race, behind him Stoner was picking up steam, first passing his team mate Pedrosa on lap 18 of the 32 lap race, then ticking off fast laps to reel in the race leader. The Australian caught up to the Spaniard and proceeded to pressure him for several laps, finally making his move around the outside of Lorenzo, driving out of the last corner to take the lead with six laps to go. Stoner immediately put down the hammer and pulled away, crossing the finish with a five and a half second lead to take his fifth win of the 2011 season.

Local hero Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) had a poor start at his home track, fighting his way past Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) in the early laps of the race, then scrapping with Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) to end the race in fourth position, the highest placing American on home turf.

Dovizioso crossed the line in fifth place, ahead of the battle for sixth between the Ducati Team riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden. Hayden lost out to the Italian, crossing the line on his GP11 seven tenths behind the GP11.1 of his teammate.

Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was unable to improve the feeling of his bike after citing struggles with it after qualifying the day before, ending the race what is sure to be a disappointing eighth place in front of a huge following of loyal fans at the circuit. Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar) finished in ninth, one place behind his qualifying position and Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) met his top ten goal, finishing in tenth. Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) finished eleventh, in front of Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing) who is still struggling with pain from injuries, and Toni Elías (LCR Honda) in thirteenth.

Cal Crutchlow crashed out on lap three, the British rider hugely disappointed after qualifying ahead of his team mate Colin Edwards at the Texan’s home track, followed by Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) who fell on lap 13, while Ben Bostrom rode off the track after missing a gear on lap six, decided not to re-enter the race and retiring the LCR Honda to the garages.

Pedrosa: Lorenzo seems very stable and fast

Last Sunday's German MotoGP winner Dani Pedrosa will fight for a second victory in succession from the outside of the front row, in third, during this Sunday's US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca.

The Spaniard, still recovering from a fractured collarbone in May, is expecting a tough physical challenge in Sunday's race - and would like a little more rear grip to take on Yamaha's pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo.

Repsol Honda team-mate and world championship leader Casey Stoner will start between Lorenzo and Pedrosa.

"We couldn't improve as much as I'd like to in the final part of the practice, we tried some different settings and unfortunately we didn't find a good one, but to start from the front row is always important and here we are again," said Pedrosa, who was 0.183sec from pole.

"I felt more comfortable with the hard tyres, which it's positive because they will be the ones used for the race, but we still need to make another step forward tomorrow and hopefully find a little more grip in the rear.

"Lorenzo seems very stable and fast, so I hope to find something else with my mechanics tonight and to be able to fight for a great result tomorrow. The race will be very fast, there are many laps here, so it will be important to be focus on every lap and stay strong until the end.

"I know the race distance will be hard for me physically, you have to work a lot in this track, there are a lot of bumps and you need to be very focused not to make any mistakes. But I will try my best and I hope to stay strong and consistent until the end".

Pedrosa won at Laguna Seca in 2009

source: crash

Stoner and Pedrosa start from front row, Dovizioso on second row at Laguna Seca

All three riders have struggled to find the perfect set up on their RC212V to tackle the Laguna Seca circuit, which demands a lot from both bike and rider. The early part of the session saw, Stoner, Pedrosa, Spies and Lorenzo trading fastest laps, with Lorenzo finally securing pole a mere seven hundredths faster that Stoner who's first flying lap was affected by Spies' crash and subsequent yellow flags.

Pedrosa will be looking for one of his trademark fast starts and the long race on an uneven track surface will test the young Spaniard's fitness to the maximum. Dovizioso, who shares the second row with Spies and Simoncelli, will fight to stay with the front group and will be aiming for a podium finish.

Tomorrow morning's warm up session will be important for all three riders; as it is the last opportunity they will have to tweak the set up ready for the race which starts at 14h00 local time.

Casey Stoner:

"For the whole session we were trying to find the right set up. All weekend we've been struggling a little and we've not found anything I'm comfortable with, I've closed the front many times and we're still looking to find some balance on the bike to get it working on this track, where we expected it to work well. On my first soft tyre I encountered some traffic and was held up, also there was a crash and a yellow flag so I lost my chance on that tyre. Then on the next soft tyre we had one lap to find some pace and we managed front row which is important for tomorrow. I don't feel we're running with the pace of Dani and Jorge, they seem to be constantly one to two tenths quicker but we have warm up tomorrow morning to find something in time for the race so we'll see what we can do."

Dani Pedrosa:

"We couldn't improve as much as I'd like to in the final part of the practice, we tried some different settings and unfortunately we didn't find a good one, but to start from the front row is always important and here we are again. I felt more comfortable with the hard tyres, which it's positive because they will be the ones used for the race, but we still need to make another step forward tomorrow and hopefully find a little more grip in the rear. Lorenzo seems very stable and fast, so I hope to find something else with my mechanics tonight and to be able to fight for a great result tomorrow. The race will be very fast, there are many laps here, so it will be important to be focus on every lap and stay strong until the end. I know the race distance will be hard for me physically, you have to work a lot in this track, there are a lot of bumps and you need to be very focused not to make any mistakes. But I will try my best and I hope to stay strong and consistent until the end."

Andrea Dovizioso:

“My target was to start from the first two rows, so finishing sixth is not too bad, but I hoped to start at least from the 4th position because it’s external and gives more advantages from the start. Anyway, we are quite close and we need to work more to gain another two tenths in race pace. This afternoon we improved a lot thanks to some changes we made in the set up, moving the weight more to the back. This setting helps us to brake stronger and this suits more my riding style. We will continue working in the warm up tomorrow because the pace of Lorenzo and Dani is really high. I hope to make a good start and maintain contact with the front group. I will do my best to have a good race and get a good result.”

Repsol Honda press release.

Stoner inches out Pedrosa in California FP3

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) dominated most of the cold and foggy third session, staying just ahead of team mate Pedrosa with a best time of 1’21.806, to which the Spaniard followed suit with a fast lap of 1.21’823.

Despite the weather, which is typical for the coastal Northern California area this time of year, times started to dip below those set on Friday as early as 10 minutes into the 45 minute session, beginning with Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) and Pedrosa. Times were aided because of the additional layers of rubber on the track thanks to the supporting AMA class practices, with the majority of the field running about half a second quicker.

But the big story of the third and final free practice outing was the highside of Lorenzo, who crashed following a practice start during his cool down lap. The bike tossed him into the air when the rear hooked up quickly after sliding out, then hit the Yamaha rider as he was sliding in the gravel. He was able to stand up and walk away after a few moments and was then assisted on to the medical center.

Steadily holding fourth place for the second session in a row is Marco Simoncelli, who posted a time of 1’22.222. The Italian was followed by Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing), who again ranked fifth in the field, posting a time one tenth of a second behind the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider. Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) was just behind the American with a lap of 1’22.356.

Ducati Team rider Nicky Hayden chose to ride the GP11 for the morning outing, finishing in seventh with a best lap of 1'22.432, while team mate Valentino Rossi on the GP11.1 machine trailed 0.215s behind the Kentuckian. The Ducati duo were followed by Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) who was on what appeared to be a fast lap until he nearly ran off the track completely at turn 11.

Héctor Barberá had a bit of trouble at the corkscrew, missing the line at the top and running it straight down the hill slightly out of control. The Spaniard was ninth in the session while Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) set a time of 1'23.062 ranked him tenth.

Next was Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing) with Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in tow, who has enjoyed learning the special circuit as evidenced by his smiles during garage stops and his wheelie-ing around the track. Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini), also still deep in the process of learning the track, followed in 14th.

The only rider of the session who was not able to better his times from the previous day was Toni Elias, who suffered a crash that posed a significant problem for him, as wildcard Ben Bostrom was riding his second bike. Fortunately the bike was not seriously damaged and he was able to return to the track before the end of the session, though he lost out on a significant amount of track time. Bostrom remains 18th in the timings, behind the Pramac Ducati of Loris Capirossi, though with each outing has improved between a half and a full second from the previous.

Karel Abraham also crashed halfway through the session, made his way to the garages to remount on his second bike, which stopped as he was exiting pit lane though he did make it back out into the practice session to place 15th in the field.

source: MotoGP Official Website

Video Download: MotoGP Laguna Seca Day 1 Highlight

MotoGP Laguna Seca Day 1
includes:

• Highlight FP 1 MotoGP Laguna Seca
• Highlight FP 2 MotoGP Laguna Seca
• FP 2 Interview Nicky Hayden
• FP 2 Interview Jorge Lorenzo
• FP 2 Interview Dani Pedrosa
• FP 2 Interview Valentino Rossi
• FP 2 Interview Ben Spies
• Action Clip Pedrosa Crash FP1

File name: Laguna-Day1.zip
File size:65.64 MB

Repsol Honda Team maintains momentum at the Red Bull US Grand Prix

Dani Pedrosa set a fast lap of 1'22.197 to finish overall second today, just one tenth off the provisional pole position for Jorge Lorenzo, while Casey Stoner was third, thirty four thousandths off Dani, and Andrea Dovizioso, fourth, very close to his team mates.

The riders were able to test the Bridgestone soft tyre compound in the morning due to the cold temperatures, and the harder tyre in the afternoon, with the track temperature 15 degrees higher, and both performed reasonably well even if the circuit grip level is still low.

The Repsol Honda Team will keep working tomorrow morning to improve the set up of the RC212V to prepare for a strong qualifying practice at a unique circuit, with a combination of hard braking and very fast changes of directions.

Andrea Dovizioso will be aiming to step up and fight for a podium that he has narrowly missed twice, in 2010 and 2008, finishing fourth on both occasions.

Dani Pedrosa:

"The second session in the afternoon was pretty interesting, we made some changes on the bike and tried the race tyre, looking to set up the bike to absorb the bumps of which there are many in this track and they especially affect the front. The grip was a little poor today and it was also very windy out there, so we haven't yet found the perfect ride. In the morning we tried the softer compound and it had a little more grip, and in the afternoon, with the race tyre, it was more difficult to find grip, but perhaps the track conditions were not perfect, so we are hoping to keep improving tomorrow."

Casey Stoner:

"We've been trying all day to get a slightly different balance with the bike to get the tyres working differently but we're struggling to get the feeling that we want and that we've had in the past. We've changed the set up quite substantially, with pivot positions and trying to get the rear to work with a little less temperature in the tyre, which we've accomplished but still haven't got the grip that we want and we're creating too much wheel spin. Also, we're struggling to find a good feeling in the front and just not totally comfortable with the bike in general so we have some work to do tonight and will continue in the morning to get prepared for qualifying."

Andrea Dovizioso: 

“This afternoon we did a comparison between two different set ups and the feeling improved. We still have a gap of four tenths from the first rider, but we lapped more consistently. We need to keep on working to improve the pace and the feeling with the front but in general I’m confident that tomorrow we will be able to make another step forward. Compared to the first free practice, lap times came easier this afternoon and tomorrow we will continue working in this direction.”

Repsol Honda press release.

Lorenzo holds off the Hondas

Jorge Lorenzo completed day one of the Red Bull US Grand Prix on top of the field, ahead of the Repsol Hondas of Dani Pedrosa in second and Casey Stoner in third.

Last year’s Laguna Seca race winner Jorge Lorenzo put in an remarkable run in the second free practice, leading the times with consistent laps from the early part of the session until ending on the top of the field with a time of 1'22.056, one tenth of a second quicker than the 2009 race winner Dani Pedrosa and four tenths faster than his own time set in FP1.

Third place in the combined free practice standings was Casey Stoner, who had an upset in turn 3 though saved his RC212V from a crash with his knee. After leading the first practice session, the Australian was 0.175s off the reigning World Champion’s leading time.

Andrea Dovizioso was the fourth fastest in the lineup, with a time of 1'22.537, moving him up one spot from his earlier fifth position. The first American in both sessions was Ben Spies on his Yamaha Factory machine kitted out in special anniversary livery, who improved on his time by two tenths of a second with a lap of 1'22.615 to put him in fifth place on his home turf.

Bigger time improvements were seen from position six onwards, starting with Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) whose time of 1'22.803 was almost a half second improvement for the crowd favorite, and was 0.253s quicker than seventh place lap of Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki), who also made a half second step up from the earlier session.

Next came Randy de Puniet, whose Pramac Racing machine was the first Ducati in the field. The Frenchman jumped from 12th to eighth with a time of 1'23.135, followed by Americans Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and the fastest Factory Ducati in the pack, that of Nicky Hayden, who had both the GP11 and GP11.1 available to him and used the GP11.1 machine for the duration of the session.

Valentino Rossi, who has Crew Chief Jeremy Burgess back in the garages after a two race absence, followed his Ducati Team mate in eleventh position, ahead of Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar) in twelfth and MotoGP rookie Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in thirteenth, who ran off at the top of the corkscrew in both practice sessions during his first day at the California circuit, though had no series incidents.

Wildcard and MotoGP first timer Ben Bostrom riding the RC212V of the LCR Honda Team, who is doing double duty with MotoGP and AMA Superbike this weekend, knocked over a second off his times from the first session though trails 4 seconds off the leading time.

source: MotoGP Official Websitse