Posts Tagged ‘Dani Pedrosa’

Newer Entries »

2012 MotoGP Mugello Results

July 15, 2012

An edited version of this article will appear on Motorcycle.com later today, complete with high resolution photographs.  Until then, please enjoy this, hot off the presses.

Lorenzo Rules to Extend Championship Lead

On a picture-perfect Tuscan Sunday afternoon, Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo gave an object lesson to his rivals for the 2012 world championship.  The Spaniard seized the lead in the first turn of Lap One and held it, unchallenged, to the checkered flag.  Repsol Honda poster boy Dani Pedrosa spent a lonely day in second place.  What little joy there was for the 64,000 Italian fans came in the form of Andrea Dovizioso, who took his third consecutive podium on board the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha.

Lorenzo looked fast and smooth during the weekend’s practice sessions, other than a brief loss of power at the end of qualifying that may have kept him from the pole.  Pedrosa, who spent the entire weekend inhaling Lorenzo’s exhaust fumes, looked geared up to attempt a reprise of his win a week earlier in Germany, and snatched the pole late in the QP.  That Round 9 would hold a few surprises was made clear on Saturday, when Pramac Racing’s ”Hectic” Hector Barbera qualified third, thus becoming the first satellite Ducati rider ever to start a MotoGP race from the front row. In the process, Mugello 2012 became the first premier class race ever to feature an all-Spanish front row, a fact I find incomprehensible, due to the recent domination of Spanish and Italian riders, both in quantity and ability.

We may have just broken another MotoGP record, by failing to mention Repsol Honda lame duck Casey Stoner until the third paragraph of the story.  The Australian, who just two weeks ago was tied for the lead in the 2012 race, qualified a dismal 5th, blaming, in order, the Bridgestone tires, his bike’s setup, the slow WiFi in his hotel room, and the wacky arrangement of gates at the Bologna airport.  At the start, he got caught in traffic, falling to 8th place.  Furiously working his way back from those unfamiliar reaches into 5th on Lap 10, he went hot into the Correntaio corner, known to most of us as Turn 12, went walkabout, fell back to 10th place, and finished a nondescript 8th.

Fine.  What About the Race?

Once the riders had put some heat in the tires, the first group consisted of Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Dovizioso, rookie interloper Stefan Bradl on the LCR Honda, and a determined Nicky Hayden, The Other Guy on the factory Ducati team.  Dovizioso spent a few laps running second, and the surprising German Bradl a good number in third, appearing to be on headed for his first premier class podium.  Pedrosa went through on the Italian on Lap 5, and Bradl, incredibly, followed suit on Lap 10.  But Dovizioso eventually tracked the rookie down on Lap 21 to secure the final podium spot.  In the process, he again delivered for his Tech 3 team, and added to the mounting pressure on the factory Yamaha team to pull the plug on Ben Spies.  Spies qualified 9th and finished 11th, the last prototype to take the flag, some 57 seconds behind teammate Lorenzo.

Once Stoner left the building, the second group, which would end the day fighting for 4th place, included Hayden, who had given up some ground, Ducati teammate Valentino Rossi, Barbera and Tech 3 Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow.  This group traded shots with one another for much of the afternoon.  By Lap 14, Barbera had dropped back, apparently with tire issues.  On Lap 20, Crutchlow and the Ducatis had climbed back within sight of Dovizioso and Bradl, setting up the best competition of the day.  By Lap 22, Hayden had clawed his way back to within tenths of both Dovizioso and Bradl, running flat out, trying to achieve his first podium since last year at Jerez.  Rossi and Crutchlow were hovering less than a second behind Hayden.  Five riders entered the last lap in contention for the final spot on the rostrum, with the crowd, as they say, going crazy.

With Dovizioso in third refusing to concede anything, Hayden attempted to go through on Bradl into fourth, and the two made contact, causing the American to run wide, the rookie somehow holding onto his line.  Rossi and Crutchlow went all carpe diem and sailed past the luckless Hayden into fifth and sixth, respectively.  At the flag, Rossi had his best dry race finish of the year, and Hayden could only grind his teeth, having outraced his fair-haired teammate all day, only to falter at the end.

The Big Picture

Midway through the 2012 season, Jorge Lorenzo has stretched his lead in the standings over Pedrosa to 29 points, with Stoner, his swan song in ashes, another 18 points behind.  The ascendant Dovizioso, campaigning hard for some respect and a seat alongside Lorenzo next year, sits in fourth place, 13 points on top of teammate Crutchlow, who is apparently playing hard to get with the brass at Ducati.  Rossi leads the next group comprising the top nine, just ahead of Alvaro Bautista, Bradl and Hayden.  Bradl’s 13 points today put him a single point ahead of the American for the season.

On the Lighter Side

As the riders lined up on the grid for the customary Pre-Race Sitting Around Period, the photo of the day was in the eight spot, where Bradl sat, surrounded by his team and the sycophants that clog the grid immediately before the start.  The breathtaking young woman attending his umbrella obviously works for sponsor Playboy, as she wore the tiny, trademarked company costume.  Bradl’s Bodacious Blonde Brolly Bunny will hopefully be featured in this week’s Grid Girls segment on the MotoGP website.  If you’re into that kind of thing, make sure to watch the video.  Worth the price of admission all by herself.

Not certain if this is the one, but she’ll do.

Apropos of nothing in particular, I couldn’t post this article without noting my favorite moment of the day.  It occurred on the last lap of the race, up front, where Jorge Lorenzo was sailing in clean air, footloose and fancy-free, as he passed in front of The Ducati Grandstand.  This is the section reserved for the most rabid and delusional of the Ducati/Rossi fans, where the attendees are given posters to wave in unison, creating pictures of their heroes, the Ducati logo, etc., etc.  Back in the day when Rossi was winning at Mugello every year, this section was the epicenter of MotoGP fandom.  Anyway, as Lorenzo rolled by, he lifted his left arm and gave an extended, friendly wave to the seats where he is Public Enemy #1.  Had he not been concerned about a possible post-race assault, he might have blown a few kisses their way.  Hilarious.

Valentino Rossi’s Helmet

Why we’re discussing Rossi’s headgear at this juncture is somewhat beyond me.  Regardless of what anyone says, The Doctor has lost a step.  Nonetheless, he is still a Big Deal in MotoGP, and especially so in Italy.  One of his traditions is to bust out a special helmet for the Italian Grand Prix, which he did again today.  It featured a tribute to Gianni Morandi, the Tony Bennett of Italy.  Bennett’s signature song is, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, and Morandi’s is called “Let’s Stay Together.”  The inference from the media-savvy Rossi is that the marriage with Ducati is not yet over, and that he will return next year.  Hope springs eternal.

It might have been more, um, suitable had Rossi saluted the band Citizen King, whose 1999 hit “Better Days” contained the following lyrics, repeated endlessly from beginning to end:

“I’ve seen better days, I’ve been the star of many plays.

I’ve seen better days, and the bottom drops out.”

Next stop, Monterey.  If you see Kevin Duke there, please tell him I said hello.

Tags:, , , , , , , ,
Posted in Racing News | Leave a Comment »

MotoGP Sachsenring Results

July 8, 2012

An edited version of this story will appear on Motorcycle.com with stunning photos later today.  Until then, please enjoy this summary of the 2012 German Grand Prix.

Pedrosa’s Win Tightens the 2012 Championship Race

For the third consecutive year, countrymen Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo finished one-two in the German Grand Prix.  For the diminutive Repsol Honda pilot, today’s race was a field study in skill, stamina and stones, as he tangled with teammate Casey Stoner all day, until Stoner slid off in Turn 12 of the last lap.  Yamaha ace Lorenzo, nursing an injured ankle, had appeared content to settle for third until Stoner’s mishap.  When the dust cleared, the standings at the top of the championship were scrambled, and the 2012 season had just became a lot more interesting.

The weather had been a factor all weekend, alternating between damp, dry and wet, and led to some surprising practice results.  Exhibit A was FP3, run in the wet, in which the top two finishers were CRT plodders Michele Pirro and Mattia Pasini.  Qualifying practice closely resembled last week’s shocker in Assen, as the wet track suddenly dried out late in the session, and Stoner again snatched the pole to join Pedrosa and Yamaha’s Ben Spies on the front row.  Row two included the highly ambitious Cal Crutchlow, a limping Lorenzo, and homeboy Stefan Bradl on the LCR Honda.  When the red light went out, the sun was shining, the track was hot, and the big dogs had their game faces on, along with hard compound asymmetric rear slicks.

If Losail, Silverstone and Aragon are Yamaha-oriented circuits, the Sachsenring is clearly Honda-friendly.  Tight and twisty, it favors the RC213V, with its superior corner-exit power.  (The 1000cc Yamaha M1 loves long straights, but in Germany the longest is only 700 meters.)  As expected, Stoner and Pedrosa took off early, leaving all four Yamahas to scramble for third place, led by an increasingly desperate Spies.  The American, whose fortunes are waning, gave way to Lorenzo on Lap 5, and both Andrea Dovizioso and Crutchlow on Lap 9.  Though Ben would ultimately finish 4th, his best result of the year, it was more a matter of luck than skill, as we shall see.

On Lap 19, Pedrosa went through on Stoner, but the Australian looked comfortable, apparently biding his time until opportunity arose to break his teammate’s little heart once again.  With Lorenzo by himself in third, the battle for fourth place was raging.  Normally, I don’t pay much attention to the ‘race within the race’ off the lead, but there is much at stake in the Spies-Dovizioso-Crutchlow wars, namely the second factory seat alongside Jorge Lorenzo for the next couple of years.  As of this past week, Spies is officially “disappointing” team manager Wilco Zeelenberg.

On Lap 26, Crutchlow, trying to get past Dovizioso, went too hot into one of the three right-handers and ended up in the kitty litter, falling back to 11th position and effectively ending his day.  (It may be that this lone error will result in his going to work for Ducati next year, a mistake the dimensions of which cannot be overstated.  If it does, I can serenely predict that Cal will earn fewer points on the factory Ducati in 2013 than will either of the Tech 3 Yamaha riders.  Take that to the bank.)

A Shocking, Karma-Laden Finish

Pedrosa was still managing to hold off Stoner when the two crossed the start-finish line to start the last lap.  Lorenzo was a mile back, and the Dovizioso-Spies battle continued in the distance.  The only question in my mind was when Stoner would try to go through on Pedrosa.  The racing gods, apparently offended by last week’s events, in which Lorenzo was forced to give up his 25 point championship lead to Stoner, suddenly intervened.  In the midst of Turn 12, a fast left-hander, the front end of Stoner’s bike gradually folded into a lowside, with the Australian sliding 100 yards into his first DNF in 22 races.  The domino effect was remarkable, as follows.

Pedrosa’s win elevated him from third place into second, 14 points behind Lorenzo.  Stoner’s shutout dropped him from a tie for first into third, six points behind Pedrosa.  Dovizioso, who edged Spies by 7/100ths of a second, enjoyed his second consecutive podium finish.  Behind Spies sat Bradl, who coaxed his satellite Honda into fifth place, to the delight of the tollwütigen Zuschauer, for whom he is The Great Aryan Hope.  San Carlo Honda pilot Alvaro Bautista, forced to start from the back of the grid after last week’s debacle, stormed back into 7th place, a fraction of a second in front of the hard-luck Crutchlow.  For the record, Valentino Rossi finished sixth today, and had absolutely nothing to do with anything.

Idle Speculation from the Department of Idle Speculation

The torrent of leaks from the Bologna factory show the depth of concern Ducati has about the 2013 season and beyond.  They seem to think Rossi will not be returning next year, and are giving the distinct impression they don’t want Hayden, either.  They’ve offered a contract to Crutchlow, who would be crazy to accept it.  The sense here is that the overall quality of life on a factory team is so superior to that on the satellite teams (never mind the CRTs) that Crutchlow will find the “opportunity” irresistible, despite the likelihood that it will effectively remove any chance he might have to contend for a world championship in MotoGP.

This past week we learned that both Scott Redding and Danilo Petrucci are in discussions with the Italian company regarding 2013.  I’m starting to feel that I’m the only guy involved in this sport who has NOT been approached by some well-groomed Italian guy in a red windbreaker.  Never mind that I’ve never ridden anything larger than 80cc, and that was during the Nixon administration.

The Big Picture

So, Pedrosa now has his hat trick, with three consecutive wins in Saxony.  Lorenzo has his fourth consecutive bridesmaid finish here, although this one likely feels much better than the last three.  Stoner received some payback for his lucky win last time out, and has work to do if he wants to repeat as world champion.  With only 20 points separating the three Aliens at the top of the heap, the 2012 season is suddenly fascinating.  Approaching the halfway point of the season next week, no one is running away with the title this year.

Next Stop—Mugello

Practice starts again on Friday for the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM.  Between the virulent European financial crisis, which now has Italy in its crosshairs, and the sagging fortunes of Rossi and Ducati, expect a sparse, subdued crowd.  Wait—what am I saying?  Never mind the economy, or the standings.  Next to soccer, MotoGP is the biggest thing in Italy, and the stands will be packed with delirious jabbering men and gorgeous, sultry and, hopefully, under-dressed Italian women.  The brolly girls will be a thing of joy.  And the circuit is one of the best on the planet.

It will be a three day party, a few short miles from Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance.  For Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, the renaissance of the 2012 season started today in Turn 12.  Portarlo sulla!

Tags:, , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Racing News | Leave a Comment »

MotoGP Sachsenring Preview

July 3, 2012

An edited version of this article will appear on Motorcycle.com on Thursday, complete with high quality images.  Until then please enjoy this preview of the German Grand Prix.

Pedrosa, Stoner and Lorenzo Square Off in Bavaria

Repsol Honda’s #1 rider, Casey Stoner, is a lucky man.  He’s famous, young, and wealthy, has a beautiful wife and daughter, and reigns at the top of his chosen profession, doing what he loves, or at least likes.  While he may have lost his passion for racing, it still beats working for a living.  Thanks to the vastly ill-considered antics of San Carlo Honda’s Alvaro Bautista at Assen last week, Stoner is also back in contention for the world championship.  Lucky and good is a wicked combination.

The Sachsenring is one of those old world venues surrounded by tidy Teutonic villages and soaring peaks straight out of The Sound of Music.  Between 1962 and 1971 it hosted the East German Grand Prix, which sends a bit of a jangle up the spines of people old enough to remember the old Soviet Bloc.  After a bit of a political flap in ’71, the German Grand Prix bounced around a number of venues until 1998, when improvements at the Sachsenring lured the MotoGP race, and where it has been held every year since.  Organizers recently signed an extension of the contract with Dorna through 2016.  Dass ist eine gute sache, nicht wahr?

Recent History

The 2009 German Grand Prix was one for the ages.  That was the year Casey Stoner suffered from what came to be diagnosed as lactose intolerance.  By mid-season he was starting races like a house on fire, but would run out of gas, as it were, usually finishing well off the podium.  In Germany that year, he led the first 17 laps, at which point the Battle of the Factory Yamahas commenced.  Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, teammates and bitter rivals, went hard at each other for the next 13 laps, Rossi ultimately winning by just under a tenth.  Dani Pedrosa finished 3rd that year, a relatively poor showing for him, as we shall presently see.

The fans got their money’s worth in 2010, enjoying two races in one afternoon.  LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet’s had his leg broken in two places and his bike destroyed as Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista and Pramac Racing’s Aleix Espargaro were able to avoid neither bike nor rider when the Frenchman went down on Lap 9.  The race was red-flagged.  After the re-start, Pedrosa took command early and eventually finished comfortably ahead of Lorenzo and Stoner, followed by Rossi, who made a very macho early return from injuries suffered at Mugello several weeks previous.

Last year, it was “déjà vu all over again” as Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Stoner finished 1-2-3, although the final standings were in doubt until the last lap.  Pedrosa ended up edging Lorenzo by 1.4 seconds, while Lorenzo punked eventual world champion Stoner and his Repsol Honda by a tenth at the flag.  This was Round 9 last year, at which point Stoner led Lorenzo for the title by a mere 15 points.  From there, Stoner went on to three consecutive wins, with Lorenzo collecting two seconds and a fourth, and that was that.

Of the three major contenders, Pedrosa has the best history in Saxony with a remarkable five wins in eight starts across both the 250cc and premier classes.  Stoner’s first and only win occurred in 2008, and Lorenzo has never won at the Sachsenring in any class, in ten tries.  Finishing second each of the last three years must stick in his throat like a bone.  Our crack research staff is busy scouring the archives to find any other current MotoGP tracks at which Lorenzo has been, um, stoned.  Check back for the results of their hard work…well, never.  You probably don’t care all that much and they don’t really exist anyway.

Final Reflections on Bautista, Lorenzo and the Big Picture

A few half-crazed conspiracy theorists out there are promoting the idea that Bautista’s unseating of Lorenzo at Assen was part of a vast and implausible plot hatched at HRC headquarters in Asaka.  Their “reasoning” is that HRC would gladly make a sacrificial pawn of satellite rider Bautista in order to advance the championship prospects of factory stud Casey Stoner.  This goofy notion does, however, recognize the cozy working relationship between HRC and Fausto Gresini, who seems to enjoy way more factory perks than do the poor French schlubs at LRC.  In any case, we will not dignify the wild speculations of a few fevered motorheads over what was, in truth, a rather ordinary crash.  The layout at Estoril is similar to that at Assen, and these kinds of first-turn crashes happen all the time in Portugal.

Let’s not forget the uproar that took place last year at Jerez when Valentino Rossi, in only his second race on the factory Ducati, clipped Stoner from behind, putting a major damper on the Australian’s early season prospects.  Stoner, you will recall, had opened the season with a mildly surprising win at Losail in his first race on the Honda RC212V.  Thinking that 2011 might be his year, his fans were OUTRAGED that Rossi would ride in such a reckless and feckless manner.  Catastrophizers immediately assumed that Vale had trashed any chance Stoner might have had of repeating as world champion.  This, clearly, was an over-reaction, and mirrors the response to Bautista’s atypical wreck.  Stoner went on to win the title last year, and Lorenzo will probably do the same this year, as his M1 is smoother and easier to handle than the RC213V.

My only comment should not be construed as an ethnic slur, but here it is.  A rider carelessly taking a championship-leading Australian out of a race gets his wrist slapped by Race Direction.  A rider taking a Spaniard out of the championship lead in similar fashion is sent to the woodshed and thence to the last slot on the grid.  I’m not suggesting that Bautista should not have been penalized for his carelessness, as lives and careers are at stake in this game.  I’m just suggesting that Rossi, too, should have paid some kind of price for his equally ill-advised move on Stoner.  Just sayin’…

What Does Dorna Know that Rossi Doesn’t?

Final thoughts this week concern the curious comments offered up by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta last week concerning Valentino Rossi’s future MotoGP prospects.  In an interview with Omnicorse.it, Ezpeleta was quoted as saying, “I am calm. Valentino next year will be riding a competitive bike, but I [can’t] tell you what it is. It is still too early to talk about: in 2013 we will see Rossi fight for the win… again.”  When asked about the statement, Rossi’s response was to play dumb, as if to say, “I will?”

Surely Rossi has a number of irons in the fire concerning 2013 and beyond, but for now he is sticking with the story that he is 100% committed to improving the Ducati.  Ezpeleta, whose behavior reminds me of Bernie Ecclestone more each year (and that’s no compliment) may be making it harder for The Doctor to keep his intentions under wraps than it might otherwise be.  We should know sometime next month where Rossi will end up.  Until then, we’ll have to endure the pain of watching him struggle to finish in the top eight each week.  How the mighty have fallen.

Tags:, , , , , , ,
Posted in Racing News | Leave a Comment »

2012 MotoGP Assen Results

June 30, 2012

An edited version of this story appears on Motorcycle.com with photos and everything!

Stoner Prevails in the Dutch Demolition Derby

Through no fault of his own, Repsol Honda ace Casey Stoner won the Iveco TT Assen today, coasting to victory in front of teammate Dani Pedrosa, and well in front of eventual third place finisher Andrea Dovizioso on the Tech 3 Yamaha.  For the second year in a row, factory Yamaha icon Jorge Lorenzo was de-pantsed in turn one of Lap One by the #1 San Carlo Honda rider.  Last year, it was Marco Simoncelli; this year, the dishonor went to Alvaro Bautista.  Those of you into conspiracy theories will be getting busy on your blogs.

In the practices leading up to today’s race, it appeared that Stoner was well off his normal game.  Though he had the third fastest lap in FP1, the best he could manage in FP2 was 10th; in FP3 he finished 6th after a huge high side in the wet.  The qualifying practice on Friday was remarkable, as Stoner was loitering in 9th position when rain interrupted things, sending everyone back to their garages.  With less than five minutes remaining in the session, the sun came back out, the bikes re-entered the track, and Stoner appeared to have been fired out of a howitzer.  He warmed up his tires on the first lap, and then jumped into third place on the second go-around.  His third and final lap was a blur, and launched him onto the pole in front of Pedrosa and Lorenzo.

Stoner’s QP had me thinking about Marco Simoncelli in 2011.  Sic had a habit of laying down one extremely fast qualifying lap and starting from the front row of the grid.  From there, he generally crashed out or destroyed his tires, typically finishing worse than he started.  The first turn incident today, with Bautista playing the part of the reckless amateur, was under investigation by Race Direction immediately, and we’ll surely hear more about it later this week.  All we know at this moment is that Lorenzo’s comfortable lead in the 2012 championship is history.

Okay, but What about the Race?

Pedrosa and Stoner were running in front of Lorenzo exiting turn one, and headed off together into the wild blue yonder.  Though the rest of the field avoided the mishap, poor Cal Crutchlow ran so slow and wide doing so that he fell back into 13th position.  (This reminded me of the day in 6th grade when, standing in the lunch line, the girl in front of me threw up on the linoleum, causing me to bail, losing roughly six places and missing out entirely on the Apple Brown Betty.)  Cal then spent the rest of the afternoon cursing his luck, finally clawing his way back into a respectable fifth place finish.  Being interviewed after the race, he used adult language to describe Bautista’s act, which you can catch below.

Yamaha pilots Ben Spies and Andrea Dovizioso settled into a daylong battle for the third podium spot.  Spies sits precariously on the second factory bike, a seat hugely coveted by the Italian on his satellite M-1.  Both riders are closers, and they battled through 25 laps.  At some point late in the race, Dovizioso went through on Spies to claim third place.  I say “some point” because those of us viewing the race from places other than the grandstand were unaccountably forced to watch Stoner drifting around by himself, blowing kisses to the crowd, rather than the two Yamaha rivals trading paint vying for a podium.

A gaggle of riders coalesced into the third group fighting for fifth position.  Comprised of the three Ducati riders that actually started the race (Karel Abraham had a note from his dad excusing him today) and Crutchlow, it had to be revolting for the suits from Bologna to watch as the Brit methodically picked off first Hector Barbera on Lap 12, then Valentino Rossi on Lap 14, and finally Nicky Hayden on Lap 15.  (Now that Crutchlow has unofficially been offered a contract to ride for the factory Ducati team next year, he has to be wondering about the wisdom of such a move.  The Desmosedici has the power and technology to turn former world champions into also-rans.  What will it do to the career of a promising rider who has never won a single MotoGP race?)

You Mentioned Something about a Demolition Derby…

When you have three CRT bikes finish in the Top 10, something’s up:

Karel Abraham:     Injured; failed to start the race

Jorge Lorenzo:       Crashed, Lap One

Alvaro Bautista:     Crashed, Lap One

Stefan Bradl:             Crashed, Lap Two (first DNF in MotoGP)

Yonny Hernandez: Crashed, Lap Six (not his first DNF in MotoGP)

Colin Edwards:          Retired, Lap Eight (sick of the whole CRT thing)

Aleix Espargaro:       Crashed, Lap 15 (first DNF in MotoGP)

In a shout out to the Paul Bird Motorsports team, discussed at some length recently in this space, it should be noted that Vale Rossi lost a chunk of his rear tire around Lap 20.  He entered his garage, dismounted, had the team brew up an espresso con latte while they replaced the rear tire, enjoyed his coffee, rejoined the race, and STILL finished in front of James Ellison.  I so can’t wait to have TWO mopes from Bird’s team to jeer at next season.

The Big Picture

Today’s result finds Stoner and Lorenzo tied at the top of the food chain, with Pedrosa sullenly lurking, 19 points back, despite still not having won a race all year.  Crutchlow now leads Dovizioso by a single point in their personal Tech 3 battle for fourth place.  With Bautista and Bradl getting blanked today, Nicky Hayden climbed into seventh, a mere two points behind teammate Rossi.  Ben Spies, with his best finish (4th place) of the year, now moves into the Top Ten, his “underachiever” tag firmly in place.  Barbera and Abraham bring up the rear of the prototypes.  In CRT land, Randy de Puniet now trails teammate Espargaro by a single point in the battle for the second division lead.

Jorge Lorenzo’s bad luck today may, in fact, be worse than it appears.  Immediately after the crash, he was running back to his bike, hoping to rejoin the race, when the engine went up in a cloud of white smoke comparable to what you see at The Vatican when they elect a new pope.  If this was a new engine, as the announcers were speculating, it puts added pressure on the Spaniard regarding the six engine rule.  As if he needs additional pressure now, with Stoner all up in his business again.

On to The Sachsenring

Eight days until Round 8 in Germany.  Expect attendance at this year’s German Grand Prix to skyrocket, now that there’s a local boy, Stefan Bradl, in the mix.  With three races in three weeks, any technical development of the bikes is on hold, meaning “the state of the bikes” entering this weekend will remain unchanged through Mugello.  For the factory teams and Tech 3 Yamaha, which operates like a factory team, this is no problem.  For the others, it means holding on for dear life until Laguna Seca in late July.

Three riders in particular have a lot on their minds tonight.  Valentino Rossi must determine what he’ll be doing for the next few years, as the rule changes implemented this weekend preclude him from switching to Yamaha or Honda beginning in 2013 without some mind-bending disruption of the status quo; there will be no fifth privateer Yamaha or Honda for The Doctor next year.  The second rider with a major headache today is Colin Edwards, who is on the verge of calling it a career and pulling the plug on his CRT experiment, a sad failure on a number of different levels.  We will miss his skill, honesty and humor, and wish him all the best.

Then there’s Alvaro Bautista, the fair-haired boy whose star appeared to be rising, until today.  Though his team and owner Fausto Gresini will undoubtedly defend him publicly, his actions today suggest a low racing IQ, a charge being simultaneously leveled at Hector Barbera from several quarters.  Bautista has accomplished more since moving up from the 250cc class than has Barbera, but both need to get a lot smarter if they want to avoid being sent down to the minors.

Tags:, , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Racing News | Leave a Comment »

2012 MotoGP Catalunya Results

June 3, 2012

A highly edited version of this article appeared today on Motorcycle.com.  Here is the original piece.

Lorenzo Outduels Pedrosa, Extends 2012 Lead

On a humid gray Sunday on the Spanish Riviera, Jorge Lorenzo, Team Yamaha’s Man from Mallorca, asserted his will on the competition to win the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya in front of 100,000 delirious fans.  For much of the race it appeared that Repsol Honda #2 Dani Pedrosa would enjoy his first win of the season.  But a tiny error—the result of a wheelie at speed on the main straight—allowed Lorenzo through, and probably cost Pedrosa the win.  Qué vergüenza, Dani.

During practice this weekend, it appeared that Repsol’s defending world champion Casey Stoner was preparing to enjoy his fifth consecutive premier class win on Spanish soil.  Other than FP2, which he mailed in, he was quick all weekend, and qualified on the pole for the second time this year.  At the start, he and teammate Pedrosa essentially traded spots, Dani rocketing from fifth to first while Stoner got caught in traffic and fell back to sixth.  Had this occurred last season, we might have spent the day watching the Australian eventually claw his way back up into the lead.  But the 2012 lame duck only made it back as far as fourth place, finishing off the podium for the first time since having been unseated by Ducati’s Valentino Rossi last year in Jerez.

Taking Stoner’s usual place on the podium today, instead, was Tech 3 Yamaha pilot Andrea Dovizioso, for his first rostrum with Yamaha and the first by a satellite rider since Marco Simoncelli’s second place finish last year at Phillip Island.  Dovi’s teammate Cal Crutchlow worked hard all day, dogging Stoner for most of it, but was unable to go through into fourth, and now trails Dovizioso for the season by four points.  Today’s ride, it would seem, elevates Dovizioso to the top spot in the race to take over a Honda or Yamaha factory ride for 2013.  At least for the moment.

Ben Spies Shows Brief Signs of Life.  Very Brief.

As most everyone knows, Lorenzo’s Yamaha teammate Ben Spies is in the midst of a dreadful season, one that could eventually lead him to the unemployment lines, further burdening the social safety net in cash-strapped Britain.  As has become his custom this year, he assured everyone interviewing him this week that Catalunya was the place he would turn it all around.  Sure enough, he qualified fourth, jumped into second place at the start, and went through on Pedrosa to take the lead on Lap 3.  He enjoyed this lofty position for roughly half a second, immediately running wide and ending up in the gravel on his way to another dismal 10th place finish.

In hindsight, we must consider the possibility that Team Yamaha jumped the gun in promoting the likeable Spies to the factory team last year after his impressive 2010 campaign with Tech 3.  2011 was a Tale of Two Seasons for the Texan—a terrible first half followed by a much improved second.  This year, he was expected to assume Alien status; instead, he has gone from good to bad to worse.  Several of Yamaha’s Japanese executives were at today’s race, probably to examine Ben’s performance from up close.  If so, he may have impressed them with his courage and determination, likely to no avail.  The brass want results for their money, not character recommendations.

Elsewhere on the Grid

Not too many surprises out there today, as the race final matches up closely with the season’s standings.  Check it out.

2012 Catalunya Finishing Order

2012 Standings after Five Rounds

1

Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo

2

Dani Pedrosa

Casey Stoner

3

Andrea Dovizioso

Dani Pedrosa

4

Casey Stoner

Andrea Dovizioso

5

Cal Crutchlow

Cal Crutchlow

6

Alvaro Bautista

Valentino Rossi

7

Valentino Rossi

Alvaro Bautista

8

Stefan Bradl

Stefan Bradl

9

Nicky Hayden

Nicky Hayden

10

Ben Spies

Hector Barbera

11

Hector Barbera

Ben Spies

In Division II, Aleix Espargaro was again the top finisher, putting him alone at the top of the junior league.  Not THE Junior League, the ladies with the little white gloves and watercress sandwiches. And yes, I do have a Junior League joke:

Q:  Why don’t Junior League members engage in group sex?

A:  Too many thank-you notes to write.

It may be worth noting that Cardion AB jetsetter Karel Abraham scored his first points of the season today with a scintillating 12th place finish, roughly 20 seconds behind Hector Barbera and only 12 seconds ahead of Espargaro.  If Karel’s dad, Karel Sr., who owns the Czech Republic, also owns a soccer team, expect to see Junior at center mid next season.  Seems as if this whole 200 mph on two wheels thing has lost its luster for the young playboy.

I’m Just Sayin’…

In what is becoming my usual Casey Stoner segment, it appears that his retirement announcement has dulled his competitive edge.  Notice how, prior to the announcement, Stoner had a fluke third in Qatar and two wins.  Since then, a third in the rain in France followed by today’s head-scratcher.  Clearly, it’s a little early to be drawing meaningful conclusions from any of this.  But when was the last time you can recall Stoner loafing through a practice session the way he did FP2 on Friday?  And when can you recall a performance like today, in which a perfect setup and conditions resulted in a finish off the podium?

The Big Picture

Jorge Lorenzo now enjoys a 20 point margin over Stoner for the 2012 championship, while Pedrosa now trails the Australian by only 10.  Many of us presumed Stoner would have an easy time repeating his 2011 title, but such is not the case.  It may be safe to say, after only five rounds, that the 2012 title is now Lorenzo’s to lose.  What is certain is that Yamaha has adapted to the 1000cc standard more readily than has Honda, this despite the travails of Ben Spies.

Dovizioso and Crutchlow continue their cage match for fourth place, a battle that must warm the heart of team owner Herve Poncharal while simultaneously giving him nightmares.  Congratulations to the Monster Tech 3 team on an immensely successful 2012 campaign thus far, as they continue to show their pipes to the factory Ducati team of Rossi and Nicky Hayden.  Along with Gresini Honda’s Bautista and consensus rookie of the year Stefan Bradl, these four will fight all year over the scraps of finishing sixth for the season.  And of the four, only Bradl can feel very good about sharing such company.

Looking Ahead

The grid returns to Silverstone in two weeks for the British Grand Prix, at which it will probably be cold and wet.  Lorenzo can approach this one without much pressure, not needing a win to maintain his lead in the 2012 race.  And Stoner, apparently, doesn’t feel much pressure to dominate the proceedings ANYWHERE, if his performance today was any indication.  Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Crutchlow will be feeling it, however, especially CC, who will be racing in front of his homeboys.  So will James Ellison, for that matter, although with much less at stake.

I’ll be reporting on the race from the picturesque San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State, where it will be shown at 5 am local time.  Hopefully, I’ll have the race results posted on Motorcycle.com in time for you West Coast fans to enjoy the story with your Sunday morning cornflakes.


Tags:, , , , , ,
Posted in Racing News | Leave a Comment »

Sachsenring–MotoGP Traffic Report Saturday 7/18/09.

July 18, 2009

It was after Mugello, which Stoner won in late May to lead the standings that some of us began to suspect it might be his year again.  At round five, he looked very tough.  But then he was a wreck after Catalunya, having given up the lead, and he faded noticeably at Assen and again at Laguna.  Going into this mid-season weekend, he was thought by many, including moi-même, to have his work cut out for him at Sachsenring.  So, on a wet track he has the top practice lap on Friday.  Perhaps he’s feeling better?  A little too soon to say.

Notice how on Fridays (Thursdays in the Netherlands) guys like Toni Elias, de Puniet and de Angelis, de bums, always seem to have something going on.  Some weeks, it carries over to Saturday, and they end up in the second row on the grid, fully enjoying the sweeties with the umbrellas.  But it almost never carries over to Sunday.  De Puniet’s fourth in Jerez was a gift, de Angelis has finished as high as sixth—at Qatar—with Elias scoring a sixth at Laguna.  There’s a whole lot of difference between running one fast lap and running thirty fast laps.

And the sick part of this sport?  The hellers are doing laps in eighty-three seconds and the “bums” are taking all of eighty-five seconds.  Like they’re going slow.

Last year in Germany, Lorenzo and Pedrosa went out early.  Stoner beat Rossi (the last race Rossi would lose until October 5th at Philip Island), with Vermeulen on the podium and the aforementioned de Angelis in 4th place.  In the background, on the jukebox, you’d swear you could hear bits and pieces of Patsy Cline’s haunting, “Crazy…”               Yes, that’s right, Alex de Angelis finished in 4th place.

Will it be Germany where Stoner reasserts his claim to the top spot?  I think not.  But all that needs to happen is for, say, Stoner to win, Pedrosa to finish 2nd, Lorenzo 3rd, and Rossi, uh, 7th, whence the championship standings would look like this– 🙂 —

Stoner                160

Rossi                   160

Lorenzo              158

Pedrosa               112

At roughly the same time pigs fly. 

Bummer for our boy Casey, who hasn’t been sandbagging.  He’s probably not winning this race, nor is Signor Rossi going to loaf his way to seventh.  I expect Rossi and Pedrosa to slug it out, with Lorenzo injured, lurking and dangerous, Stoner fading, Dovizioso threatening, Hayden being heard from, and even a Marco Melandri around if it rains. 

And I hear your boys Dani and Dovi got themselves brand new engines for the Sachsenring Rennen.

My question–who’s gonna LOSE it this year at Sachsenring? 

Probably not Signor Rossi.

 *  *  *

The forecast: rain for qualifications; cloudy and cool on race day.

Tags:, , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Moto, Racing News | Leave a Comment »

San Marino Preview

August 28, 2008
Shinya_Nakano on MotoGP_2007 2007年MotoGP（日本GP）...Image via Wikipedia

Here’s a great preview of this weekend’s race in San Marino, which I didn’t even know was a country, from crash.net.    Visit crash.net @ http://www.crash.net/motorsport/motogp/feature/13204-0/san_marino_grand_prix_-_preview.html

Cast your mind back to the 2007 San Marino Grand Prix. Casey Stoner claimed a dominant victory, while Valentino Rossi suffered a devastating retirement that all but brought an end to his MotoGP title hopes.

Fast forward back to 2008 and as the MotoGP riders get ready for this year’s edition of the Misano event, the roles are very much reversed; Rossi heads to his home circuit with his fingers gently brushing this year’s trophy, while Stoner balances precariously on his back foot.

Fifty points separate the two with only six races of this year’s occasionally bruising, but consistently thrilling, title race remaining and the momentum has certainly shifted to Rossi.Following on from the victory at Laguna Seca that will likely go down in MotoGP folklore in years to come, Rossi added another 25 points to his margin at Brno when Stoner slid off his Ducati and into retirement whilst leading.

It was a costly mistake that could well deny Stoner the chance at a second consecutive MotoGP title, although in terms of out-and-out speed, the Ducati rider does seem to have the edge on the competition at the moment.

However, speed does not always mean consistency, and Rossi has proven this year that you need both. Still, while he returns to Misano – which is just a short distance from where he grew up – with high hopes of keeping Stoner honest, his first target is to redeem himself in front the barmy army of fans that watched him fail to finish last year. Expect to see a sea of yellow and blue lining the circuit this weekend…

Victory would also see Rossi win his 68th race, significant because it would equal that of Giacomo Agostini’s record. Regarded by many as the greater rider of all time – alongside Rossi of course – Agostini is expected to be in attendance, just to make the moment all the more poignant.

Beyond Rossi’s win and Stoner’s mistake in Czech Republic, the big news to come out of the previous round was undoubtedly the dismal performance by the Michelin riders, most notably Dani Pedrosa.  Embarking on a comeback trail following injury, one-time championship leader Pedrosa was forced to amble around the back of the field all weekend on the way to 15th place in the race, while he also took the decision not to stay at the circuit for post-event testing. A public lambasting of Michelin duly followed.

Although Michelin insist they will be more competitive at Misano, an increasing amount of noise is being made about a switch to a control tyre next season, a contract rivals Bridgestone would be favourites to win. Even if that doesn’t occur though, Michelin could face an exodus of teams switching to alternative rubber in 2009 if the situation doesn’t improve…

His absence has, however, caused him to slip from the battle for fourth place in the standings, which is continuing to be led by Jorge Lorenzo, the Italian showing flashes of his best form again as he grapples with the myriad of injuries that have stymied his rookie season.

He is coming under pressure, however, from Andrea Dovizioso, who got his head down to finish ninth in Brno, despite being amongst those to be hobbled by their rubber. Another rider to consider Misano his home round, Dovizioso will look to bridge the ten point gap to arch-rival Lorenzo and snatch ‘best of the rest’ status from him.

Colin Edwards, one of the sharpest critics of Michelin following Brno, remains just eight points further back in sixth place, although he is under pressure from the in-form Chris Vermeulen, the Suzuki rider’s two podiums and a sixth place finish hauling him well into the fight for fourth place in the standings.

Suzuki have high hopes for Misano too after Loris Capirossi grabbed a third consecutive podium for them at Brno, a race that also saw the lesser heralded riders grab a few headlines.   This included Toni Elias on the Alice Ducati, who produced a marvellous performance to claim second place in the Czech Republic, while Shinya Nakano showed his capabilities on up to date machinery with fourth place. Anthony West on the Kawasaki in fifth place completed the day for unsung heroes.

Ironically, not one of those three riders is well positioned to hold onto their rides for next season, so each will head to Misano needing to impressive prospective employees instead. Something similar to Brno should do it…

Even so, the only rider confirmed to lose their spot in 2009 is West, who is set to be ousted by Marco Melandri at Team Green if he cannot secure a ride on a third bike. The Italian showed well at Brno, particularly in the latter stages, but whether the likelihood of his move to Kawasaki will take the pressure off or cause him to lose motivation remains to be seen…

Elsewhere, James Toseland will be looking to haul himself inside the top ten overall again having slipped to 11th in the standings, while Alex de Angelis heads to Misano with the ability to officially call the San Marino Grand Prix his home race. Following Nakano’s performance at Brno, he will be eager to show off his occasionally fleeting competitiveness here.

In the 250cc class, Marco Simoncelli will be another home-town rider keen to build on his championship lead, which currently stands at 16 points over Mika Kallio, while Mike Di Meglio looks set to maintain his place in charge of the 125cc class, regardless of what happens this weekend.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Racing News | Leave a Comment »

Newer Entries »