MotoGP preview from Indy
WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Circuit is 2.621 miles (4.218 km), with 16 turns (left turns – 10, right turns – 6). MotoGP race is 28 laps, 250cc race is 26 laps, 125cc race is 23 laps.
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 30. MotoGP race: 3 p.m. (ET); 250cc race: 1:15 p.m.; 125cc race: Noon. It is the 12th of 17 events this season for MotoGP, the 11th of 16 events this season for 125cc and 250cc.
2008 RACE WINNERS
MotoGP: Valentino Rossi, by 5.972 seconds over Nicky Hayden; 250cc: Not contested due to adverse weather conditions; 125cc: Nicolas Terol, by 1.708 seconds over Pol Espargaro
2008 POLE WINNERS
MotoGP: Valentino Rossi, 1 minute, 40.776 seconds; 250cc: Marco Simoncelli, 1 minute, 45.168 seconds; 125cc: Pol Espargaro, 1 minute, 50.475 seconds
U.S. TV: MotoGP race: 3-4 p.m. (ET), Sunday, Aug. 30, FOX; 250cc race: 6-7 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 30, SPEED; 125cc race: Noon-1 p.m., Sept. 8, SPEED. MotoGP qualifying: 7-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, SPEED.
THE AMERICANS
U.S. riders Colin Edwards (Houston, Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Ducati Team) will compete in the MotoGP race. Edwards is fifth and Hayden is 14th in the MotoGP standings after 11 races this season. Cameron Beaubier (Roseville, Calif., Red Bull KTM Moto Sport) is expected to race in the 125cc race despite suffering a collarbone injury Aug. 15 during the Czech Republic Grand Prix weekend. Beaubier is tied for 26th in the 125cc standings after 10 races this season. Americans Barrett Long (Miami) and Miles Thornton (Columbus, Ga.) are competing as wild-card entries in the 250cc and 125cc classes at this event.
Colin Edwards Speaks…
"It’s Indianapolis. All the memories I have as a kid growing up and watching the Indy 500, and now to be able to go there and ride on that track. Just to ride on it, much less race on it, I think is pretty special in itself. OK, we’re not doing the full four corners (of the oval), but we’re using part of the track, running over the bricks. Just being in that area is quite special." (About first impressions of IMS circuit in 2008): "I was quite impressed. It’s actually a track that you don’t feel like you’re running around an infield. Of course, we know Indy’s huge. The track itself is just massive. But there’s plenty of real estate there so you don’t feel confined. That’s the main thing."
Nicky Hayden Speaks…
"Indianapolis is probably the race I look forward to most. It’s just three hours from my house, and MotoGP now is becoming very popular. Last year it was a great weekend for me, the crowd was great, and Indy did a great job in organizing their first race and made us proud of it. I would love to have another good weekend like that one. So far we have had a tough season, and I would like to go there in a more confident mood. But it is what it is, and for sure we’ll go there and just do the absolute maximum. I like the track itself even though it’s quite flat. The most challenging thing is that it has different kinds of asphalt on different parts of the track, so it will be a challenge to find out where there is grip, where not, and to find the best setup. Hopefully we won’t have another hurricane. The weather should be fine, so we will see how it goes. Last but not least, at Indy I will wear a special helmet, but this time it really is "special." It will carry the "Make-A-Wish" logo and other special designs, and after the race we will auction it off. All the money will go toward the (Make-A-Wish) Foundation, which helps kids’ dreams come true. There will be pictures up on my Web site to see it at nickyhayden.com. I have worked with this charity for five years now, and it always feels good to help out such a solid cause. And yes, I have already made my wish for the weekend."
FAST FACTS
2007 MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner will not compete at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 28-30 or the Grand Prix of San Marino on Sept. 4-6 due to illness. Stoner has been plagued by severe fatigue since early June. Pramac Racing Team rider Mika Kallio will replace Stoner, while former 125cc and 250cc Aleix Espargaro of Spain is taking Kallio’s place at Pramac … World Championship contender Jorge Lorenzo re-signed for 2010 with the Fiat Yamaha Team on Aug. 25 as teammate to six-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi. Lorenzo considered a move to the Ducati Team before deciding to stay with Yamaha … Defending Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Valentino Rossi has finished in the top three in 18 of his last 20 starts, including 11 victories. That hot streak includes his victory last September at Indianapolis … When Jorge Lorenzo finished third last year at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, it was his first wet-weather podium finish in any of the three classes of Grand Prix motorcycle racing … American Colin Edwards has scored points by finishing in the top 15 in 19 consecutive races, dating back to last season … American Nicky Hayden has reason to be optimistic entering this event, as his second-place finish last year at Indianapolis was his best result since winning two races in 2006, when he also won the World Championship … American riders have earned 153 Grand Prix victories in the premier class, second only to Italy’s 216. Ten Americans have earned race victories.
