MotoGP News
Following are some facts and stats from the Red Bull Indy Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2010 MotoGP Championship.
•Dani Pedrosa earned his third victory of the season. He also won at the Grand Prix of Italy and the Grand Prix of Germany.
•This is the first time Dani Pedrosa has won three races in one MotoGP season. He has won two races each of the first four years of his MotoGP career, which started in 2006.
•This is the first podium finish in three Red Bull Indianapolis GP starts for Dani Pedrosa. He finished eighth in 2008 and finished 10th in 2009.
•Rookie Ben Spies earned the best finish of his MotoGP career, second. He finished third at the Grand Prix of Great Britain, his only other podium finish this season.
•At least one American rider has finished on the podium in all three Red Bull Indianapolis GP races. Nicky Hayden finished second in 2008 and third in 2009, and Ben Spies finished second today.
•Jorge Lorenzo finished third, ending his historic streak of finishing first or second in the first 10 races of this season. Only Grand Prix motorcycle racing legends Giacomo Agostini and Mick Doohan had matched that feat.
•Jorge Lorenzo is the only MotoGP rider to finish on the podium in all three Red Bull Indianapolis GP races. He finished third in 2008 and won in 2009.
•Casey Stoner did not finish this race, ending a streak of five consecutive podium finishes this season that started at the TT Assen in the Netherlands.
MotoGP Post-Race Quotes:
Note: Podium finishers’ transcript moved separately. The top-three can be found here.
NICKY HAYDEN (No. 69 Ducati Team, sixth, Owensboro, Ky.): “Right from the start, the track was really slippery, just greasy. I was trying to be smooth and just lost the front a little bit there and dug my knee in to save it and it just about ripped me off of the bike. I got caught on a drainage ditch or something with my knee. It’s all left-handers here, and there’s a reason we go through knee pads in a race because we use our knee. At first, I felt a sharp pain, obviously, and then I really didn’t notice it until the end. It doesn’t feel great, but I don’t think I injured it. Dani was so strong today.”
“I knew he was going to be tough. But, I’m quite confident I could have fought for the podium. I was right there. I was fifth Friday, third Saturday. We were in a position we could have fought for the podium. It’s unfortunate. Home race and something stupid; I haven’t had this problem happen to me since I’ve been with Alpinestars. If it would have been the right side, maybe I could have been OK. I mean, at this level you can’t have anything go wrong.”
ALVARO BAUTISTA (No. 19 Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, eighth): “It was a good race for us. We improved all we could all weekend from the first practice to the end of the race. We finished in eighth position for the first time at the track. The race was very hard. At the start, I lost too much position and I could not overtake the riders quickly. I tried to concentrate on passing Simoncelli. But I could not spend too much energy because the race was long, and I wanted to make it to the end. When I was behind Simoncelli, I could follow him easy, but I could not pass him. There were two points I could have passed, Turn 6 and Turn 10. They are difficult corners because if you take an inside line, you have more risk to crash. I wanted to finish, and eighth is not a bad position. We have another opportunity to improve at our next race. I want to say thank you to my team because they worked really, really good all weekend.”
LORIS CAPIROSSI (No. 65 Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 11th): “The start was not good. I followed the same line all race that I did this morning. I struggled a lot. I tried to catch (Hector) Barbera when I could, but I got pushed out onto the grass. I was in 10th position, anyway. The track was slippery, some places really slippery. This was a really bad weekend.”
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO (No. 4 Repsol Honda Team, fifth): “We run really close to the podium. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough speed to fight, especially with Dani. When Dani overtake me, I saw he had more speed. He went faster in the middle of the corner. The grip was zero for everybody, and his style made the difference and he could get to the first position. I couldn’t fight for the podium at the end of the race. I can’t be happy 100 percent, but it’s not too bad this race.”
ALEIX ESPARGARO (No. 41 Pramac Racing Team, ninth): “It was, I think, the hardest race of my life. It was so hot. The track was so slippery at the beginning. But as I said all weekend, when we released the front brake the front tire started to slide a lot. Yesterday, I saw Stoner crash, and Kallio crashed in front of me for the same thing. We could brake hard, but when we released the brake, the front end wanted to turn. There was no grip. I just wanted to finish the race. It was a really hard race.”
CASEY STONER (No. 27 Ducati Team, not classified): “I am very disappointed. It was a nothing crash, but obviously it was enough to leave me out of the race. I know a lot of people have had front-end crashes, but apparently here at Indianapolis we have gone back to the situation we were in at the start of the season and we’ve struggled to find front-end feel in the corners. It is a real shame because we had good pace, and I think we could have been on the podium.”
VALENTINO ROSSI (No. 46 Fiat Yamaha Team, fourth): “During the race, I had some good laps, and I wasn’t far from the other Yamahas. Unfortunately, I have problem with my physical condition, and it’s hotter. And at the end, I needed to give up because I didn’t have any more strength, any more power. But I’m happy because we came back to our normal setting to the bike like I want it. And I ride well considering I crashed three times. Fourth place is OK.” (About his physical condition): “I suffer a lot. From yesterday, my physical condition improved because I have less pain. But I have less strength throughout the race. I think it’s normal. I’m not at the maximum, for sure.” (How long will it take for you to get back to being 100 percent?): “We make good work during the weekend. But right now, I’m not fit to try to win. There was a part of the race where I was competitive. But I didn’t have enough power for the whole race. This is the main target to come back to getting a victory.”
MARCO SIMONCELLI (No. 58 San Carlo Honda Gresini, seventh): “I’m quite happy of this race because I finish in seventh place, and that’s not so bad a result. Today it was a very difficult race because it was easy to make a mistake. I tried to stay concentrated from before to the last lap. I’m quite happy of the seventh position, but I hope to fight for some better position next race.”
MARCO MELANDRI (No. 33 San Carlo Honda Gresini, not classified): “I just lose the front. With this bike, I don’t have a good feeling in braking. I cannot stop the bike. I had a good start and couldn’t think to stay in that position. I was trying to catch Valentino, but I couldn’t. Braking inside the corner, I just lose the front.”
MIKA KALLIO (No. 36 Pramac Racing Team, not classified): “I’m physically fine. No problem. I hit some bumps. In that corner, there is a lot of bumps. I got some bumps, and then I lost the front. The bike felt fine for the warm-up. We made a modification for the bike, and everything ran perfectly. I felt more confident before and for the race. I didn’t have any big problems, and then suddenly I hit the big bump and it was not so good. Like all of this year, something always happens.”
RANDY DE PUNIET (No. 14 LCR Honda MotoGP, 13th): “The race was very rough. It was what I expected. I was working hard with the bike all weekend, and I just couldn’t improve the sitting of the bike. We need to bounce back quickly from this weekend for the rest of the season. I am very disappointed.” (On his injury and the race conditions): “The heat made the condition of the track very difficult, but it is the same for everybody. For us, the sitting of the bike was our main focus and getting a good result was next. We didn’t get it right, and I’m disappointed. I’m feeling OK coming back from my injury, so now we’re looking ahead.”
HIROSHI AOYAMA (No. 7 Interwetten Honda MotoGP, 12th): “It was quite a tough race for me, but I’m happy that I could finish and that I could get some points. The race was very long and very tough. This was the first step for us to come back, and I’m glad we got the finish that we did. I’m looking forward to the next race.” (On his injury and the race conditions): “We chose to use the soft tire, which I think was the right choice, and the race was a little bit hot to manage with my physical condition.”
“I think I have to recover a bit more for the next race. This race was very difficult physically and mentally, because I have the injury and I could not crash at all. As a rider, I want to go fast and being careful makes that very difficult. This race was a critical test for me, and to finish was very big for us.”
