MotoGP Race Quotes
The 2010 MotoGP season started in Qatar, the only night race on the schedule, with a perfect motorcycle racing result for the Fiat Yamaha Team. Valentino Rossi took his 104th career victory, breaking a first race dry-spell dating back to 2005, while his teammate Jorge Lorenzo rode a heart-felt race to finish a strong second.
The “Doctor” got an unusually good start from second on the grid and led after the first lap. Both Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner were faster on the straight and Rossi was soon relegated to third. On lap five Vale battled back on his Yamaha M1 to pass Pedrosa on his Honda RC212V.
Stoner had begun to set sail and was already two seconds in front and Rossi, the 9-time Italian World Champion looked to be facing a hard task to catch him. On the next lap however Stoner crashed out of the motorcycle racing competition, leaving Rossi in the lead pursued by Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso.
Valentino Rossi says: “I got a fantastic start but I wasn’t quite fast enough and was suffering on the straight. I lost some time passing Pedrosa and by then Stoner was quite far from me, I thought then that it was going to be hard to catch him! Then he made a mistake and crashed, which was bad luck for him but crucial for us. After that I expected it would be easier but in fact it was very hard to stay in front of Dovizioso, who was very strong. We had a good battle and then I did three or four laps at the maximum and was able to stay in front, but it wasn’t easy! I haven’t won at the first race since 2005 and these 25 points at this stage are like gold dust, it’s a fantastic result for the team to make a one-two at race one. It’s especially good to win here because it doesn’t suit our bike, we worked very cleverly throughout the practices and this is the reward, so thanks to all my guys. We definitely have some work to do but this is a good base to start from. I ran out of fuel on the slow down lap, I think I used more than expected early on because I was sliding quite a lot, but it was very funny to come to Parc Ferme riding a scooter!”
Jorge Lorenzo says: “Today I had to disconnect my brain and just ride with my heart, and I am so happy about this second place. My hand was a bit sore but the bigger problem was the rear sliding, and early on with a full fuel tank I found it quite hard. My plan was to take it quietly and not risk too much, but after a while the adrenalin built up and I couldn’t do that, I had to ride at the maximum! Once I had less fuel it was easier and I started to get closer, but I was on the limit physically and with the bike, so it was quite risky! I made some good overtakes at the end and this is a fantastic result for our team, with Valentino winning as well. Now we go to Motegi, where I won last year, and I will be in better physical condition by then and ready to be even stronger.”
Nicky Hayden says: “Man! I really didn’t expect to be so tough in the race but the team made a couple of small changes that made a huge difference and right from the warm-up lap I felt good. I got a great start and Rossi didn’t seem a lot faster than me. In a couple of places he was getting away but I just tried to stay in there and learn something – it’s been so long since I ran at the front. If you offered me fourth place, two seconds behind Rossi, before the race I would have taken it but to be so close to the podium and not actually up there… it hurts. Still, it’s a long season and there are a lot of opportunities ahead of us. I’m sorry for Casey but fourth place with all the other heavies in there has got to be my best result. We got some good points in the bag so we’ll take it, get out of here and move on. Big thanks to the team and everybody at Ducati for sticking behind me and for all their hard work this winter. I hope I can repay them this year.”
Casey Stoner says: “The bike bogged at the start so I didn’t get away well but I felt good and I was able to pass the other guys. Once I got to the front I started to get into my rhythm but I lost the front end a couple of times in long corners so I made the decision to try to ride a bit smoother and not put so much pressure on the front tyre with the full tank. Unfortunately that is what led to the crash because looking at the telemetry I didn’t have enough load on the front, so I guess in hindsight I should have stuck to the way I’d been riding all weekend. It’s my mistake and I apologise to the team because we’d done a great job this weekend and we leave empty handed. Having said that it’s not a complete disaster because we’ve found this weekend that the bike has improved in areas where we have struggled in the past – for example the rear grip was unbelievable – and we have a long, long way to go. I’m pleased for Nicky because he had a great race and I think we can both be confident and optimistic about the rest of the season with this bike.”
Ben Spies says: “I’m happy because I knew we had the bike and I knew I was riding decent. Some things didn’t go my way in qualifying and while it wasn’t really a smooth weekend, it came together in the race. I gave 110 per cent every lap and that’s all I can do and at the end I came out with a decent result. They key was that I knew we had a good pace on race tyres. I got a good start and I was quite aggressive in the first couple of laps to try and make up some places and keep contact with the front group. My confidence was growing in the middle of the race and I could see Jorge and Valentino and those guys not a million miles in front of me. I wasn’t catching them a lot, but I knew for a few laps in the middle of the race I was definitely the quickest out of the top five. Maybe if I’d have qualified higher I might have been in that fight for the podium at the end. But I can’t be too greedy and this is a good start for me and gives me a platform to build on for the rest of the season.”
Colin Edwards says: “Tonight wasn’t really any surprise because I struggled all weekend and I never seemed to get on top of the problems we had. We made the bike a little better for the race and it was certainly more comfortable to ride and that showed in the improved lap times, but it obviously wasn’t enough to get close to that top five. I rode my hardest but tonight was one of the times when you’re just riding around problems. The front grip was great but I was lacking a bit on the rear and I couldn’t get a set-up that pushed the tyre on the ground. As soon I accelerated the rear tyre wou ld spin, but we actually found out some things for the future that will help me. The Yamaha is obviously working good when you look at the result and I want to congratulate Ben because he did a great job. Hopefully next time out I’ll be a bit closer to the fight.”
Dani Pedrosa says: “I made a good start and was able to stay at or near the front of the race for the first few laps. It wasn’t easy though and we had a few handling issues with the machine that meant unfortunately it was impossible for me to maintain that pace. I fought as hard as I could to hold them off but in the end there was no way I could keep them behind. On the one hand it’s encouraging that we could achieve this early pace because the winter testing has not been easy, but on the other it proves we still have a lot of work to do to get the machine set-up the way I need so that I can be at the front at the end rather than the start of the race. This isn’t the ideal start to the season and I’d hoped to be able to fight for a podium here, but it’s a long season and we’ll stay focused and work as hard as possible to improve things. Congratulations to Andrea on the podium. We’ll come back fighting at Motegi – it’s a circuit I like and I hope to get a much better result there”.
Andrea Dovizioso says: “I’m really happy about this podium – it’s a great satisfaction. It was so important to begin the season with a good result and I hope this is just the start. Today’s podium is the result of the hard work done by Honda, the technicians, the team and myself during the winter. I have to thank Honda, Repsol and all the sponsors for having believed in me also when the results were not coming. In fact, today I really believed I could get second position and it was a pity that I couldn’t keep it until the very end. My start was not so good but the first five laps were crucial for me to recover positions and glue myself behind Valentino. My Honda was very fast on the straight and I could use this advantage to compensate for our weaker points on the track. I can say that I lost my race in Turn 10. We struggled in T3 for the whole weekend but tonight I understood that we lost so much in the long left hand turn – Turn 10. When Valentino overtook me I tried to re-pass him, but he overtook me again and then I didn’t have the possibility to get back by. I did a masterpiece in the last corner of the last lap where I overtook Nicky on the inside and then I used all the power of the RC212V to get to the line first. Tonight I raced with my heart, and this result is a good motivation for myself and everyone in the Repsol Honda Team”.
Randy De Puniet says: “All the week end I was up there and I am very satisfied about this result. My start was not that bad but with a bit of traffic I have got a little bit pushed out in the first corner. After that I lapped a smart race as my pace on race trim was really good like the top guys. At 5 laps to go we were 5 seconds behind the leader which is incredible for us as a satellite team. The hard work we have made in the winter and the long run we have been made adjusting the race map have helped us to get this positive result in the first round of the season.”
Loris Capirossi says: “I am a bit upset about the result because we thought we would go better than that. We have worked hard all weekend, but we struggled with the conditions today, because it was so different to yesterday with a lot more humidity tonight. I struggled in the third section of the track and was not very fast there, but in other sections I was quite strong. My rhythm was not too good and in the end I was just trying to defend my position. We don’t need results like this; we need to be nearer the front, especially for all the effort that everybody is putting in. It was not easy, but we need to keep working well and feeling well. I feel sorry for Alvaro because he has had a tough weekend, but we will continue to work hard together and makes things happen.”
Alvaro Bautista says: “This has been a disaster of a race for me! Seriously though, I had a bad start and Barbera pushed me out on lap two and I lost everything. I used the next part of the race like a practice because I had no other riders to fight with. In the middle of the race I got a better rhythm and it was not so bad. I caught two riders, but in the last corner I crashed. I feel like I cannot say that I have done my first MotoGP race because I never finished. The positive thing is that my rhythm was not too bad and for the next race we can only improve. We must continue to work hard and to try to make things better.”
Mika Kallio says: “What to say ! Perhaps the worst start of my career. Frankly, even the most unlucky: I managed to gain some positions in the first turn, but in the second Spies touched me making me lose five positions. After a few curves also Barbera has accidentally hit me sending me outside the track. I managed to stay on my bike and came back in last position. I was trying to push hard to reach the group but I slipped and at that moment there was nothing else I could do. We have to forget this race, a long season is ahead of us.”
Aleix Espargarò says: “In the first laps I had some difficulties, but when I felt that my feeling with the bike was improving I found myself with my back side on the ground. I was approaching the riders in front of me and I was very confident to reach them. I don’t have much more to say, we will have to earn the points lost here in two weeks time in Japan.”
Valentino Rossi later said: “It is a great, great start to the season. I made a fantastic start which is important here, and I was ready for a battle. Ithought today would be a fight with Casey, but when I saw him crash I thought it would be more easy. But it was harder than I expected! The bike started to slide too much and I was not able to build enough advantage. When I saw Andrea, I rode every lap at 110 per cent and I was able to go a little faster and gain enough advantage to stay in front. It is especially important to start the 2010 season with a victory.”
Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 25 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI |
ITA | Fiat Yamaha Team | Yamaha | 165.8 | 42’50.099 |
2 | 20 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO |
SPA | Fiat Yamaha Team | Yamaha | 165.7 | +1.022 |
3 | 16 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO |
ITA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 165.7 | +1.865 |
4 | 13 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN |
USA | Ducati Marlboro Team | Ducati | 165.7 | +1.876 |
5 | 11 | 11 | Ben SPIES | USA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 |
Yamaha | 165.5 | +3.903 |
6 | 10 | 14 | Randy DE PUNIET |
FRA | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | 165.2 | +9.322 |
7 | 9 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA |
SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 164.7 | +16.508 |
8 | 8 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS |
USA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 164.5 | +19.867 |
9 | 7 | 65 | Loris CAPIROSSI |
ITA | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | Suzuki | 164.5 | +20.893 |
10 | 6 | 7 | Hiroshi AOYAMA |
JPN | Interwetten Honda MotoGP | Honda | 164.4 | +21.100 |
11 | 5 | 58 | Marco SIMONCELLI |
ITA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 163.8 | +31.638 |
12 | 4 | 40 | Hector BARBERA |
SPA | Paginas Amarillas Aspar | Ducati | 163.7 | +32.573 |
13 | 3 | 33 | Marco MELANDRI |
ITA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 163.2 | +40.780 |
Not Classified | ||||||||
19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA |
SPA | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | Suzuki | 163.7 | 1 Lap | ||
41 | Aleix ESPARGARO |
SPA | Pramac Racing Team | Ducati | 162.7 | 15 Laps | ||
27 | Casey STONER |
AUS | Ducati Marlboro Team | Ducati | 164.4 | 17 Laps | ||
36 | Mika KALLIO | FIN | Pramac Racing Team |
Ducati | 156.1 | 20 Laps |