2014 Moto "Marquez" GP Thread

[Tifoso]

Figured it was time to open a new thread. :wave

[budaman]

I'll start it off with some pics from this weekend's race.

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7179_zps360d7cd6.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7179_zps360d7cd6.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7137_zps4875bf7d.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7137_zps4875bf7d.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7095_zpsea1a97c9.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7095_zpsea1a97c9.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7581_zpseaab3725.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7581_zpseaab3725.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7608_zps01d248fd.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7608_zps01d248fd.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7628_zpsff6155bb.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7628_zpsff6155bb.jpg.html)


http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7863_zps336ae229.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7863_zps336ae229.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_8095_zps3f29a8d2.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_8095_zps3f29a8d2.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7559_zpsdaf09cea.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7559_zpsdaf09cea.jpg.html)


http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7426_zps7b8243ed.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7426_zps7b8243ed.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7422_zps5def07d6.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7422_zps5def07d6.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_7241_zpscd1f981f.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_7241_zpscd1f981f.jpg.html)

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y397/budaman65/IMG_8540_zpsed1fb19f.jpg (http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/budaman65/media/IMG_8540_zpsed1fb19f.jpg.html)

[Tifoso]

Stunning!

Grazie! :wine

[Suzie]

Brilliant photos, you got so close to the podium! I'd love to go to CotA, either for F1 or the bikes, don't care :-D

[budaman]

Thanks! It was a good weekend. I just wish MotoGP had been more competitive. Looked like everyone had made progress in getting close to the Honda's during practice & qualifying, but once the race started, the two factory Honda's just checked out. Actually, Pedrosa never challenged Marquez either. His bike is so much better balanced than the others & with his take no prisoners style of riding, he is able to carry much more speed & brake much later in the turns. It was amazing how his approach to T12 was so much different than the others.

The weekend did confirm that Moto2 & Moto3 are much more entertaining to watch. Both those races went down to the wire between multiple riders. Wish they would eliminate one of the Saturday practices for them & just schedule an additional race....kind of like GP2 in F1.

CoTA finally seems to be getting their legs under them. Each event they make things more fan friendly and better organized. Had a nice surprise in our T15 Hospitality Tent for this race. They made an all day buffet available for $30. When you consider the vendors were selling Turkey Legs for $15 & burgers for $12, it was actually quite a bargain! I even got to ride my bike on track on Saturday!

Only real complaint I heard all weekend was them not having the video monitors on in the areas away from the Grandstands. Since that encompassed the area from T2 - T11, it impacted a lot of those in GA.

I was surprised I made it to the Podium before the ceremony was over, since I was at T15 & the podium on the Main Straight.

[Rob]

Bridgestone to pull out of MotoGP at the end of 2015

Thursday, May 1st 2014, 09:10 GMT

Bridgestone tyre area in MotoGP paddockBridgestone has announced that it will pull out of MotoGP at the end of the 2015 season.

The Japanese tyre firm has been the championship's sole supplier since 2009, when its last remaining rival Michelin withdrew and MotoGP switched to control tyre rules.

Kyota Futami, general manager of Bridgestone's global motorsport department, said the company had achieved all its MotoGP objectives.

"It is with some sadness that we will make our exit from MotoGP after such a prosperous participation in the sport," he said.

"Yet, having achieved everything we set out to do when we entered the championship over 10 years ago, including sharing in many MotoGP world championships, our company believes it is the right time to implement an exit strategy from the series.

"Over the next two seasons we will continue our world-class level of support to all the teams and riders, and will keep investing heavily in our MotoGP tyre development programme.

"We will continue to push the boundaries of motorcycle tyre development over the next two years to ensure that we leave the championship at the end of 2015 in the best way possible."

Bridgestone has been part of MotoGP since the 2002 season, taking its first victory with Makoto Tamada in the '04 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Casey Stoner brought Bridgestone its first MotoGP riders' title with Ducati in 2007

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113712

[Rob]

MotoGP opens three-week tyre tender to find Bridgestone replacement


Thursday, May 1st 2014, 09:49 GMT

Bridgestone MotoGPMotoGP promoter Dorna has set a target of finding a 2016 tyre supplier within the next three weeks after Bridgestone's surprise decision to withdraw from the sport.

Bridgestone, which has been MotoGP's sole tyre supplier since 2009, announced on Thursday morning that it would close its programme at the end of next year.

Dorna and motorcycle racing's governing body the FIM opened an immediate tender for a new tyre supplier, with a closing date of May 22.

A Dorna statement added: "Dorna Sports SL wishes to thank Bridgestone for the years of great collaboration and success in the championship."

Dunlop and Bridgestone were Bridgestone's last rivals in MotoGP before they pulled out at the end of 2007 and '08 respectively.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113713

[Rob]

Jerez MotoGP: Marc Marquez flies to fourth straight win


Sunday, May 4th 2014, 12:51 GMT


Marc Marquez extended his unbeaten 2014 MotoGP run with another crushing victory at Jerez.

Despite insisting that he was relatively out of sorts at the Spanish Grand Prix venue, Honda rider Marquez was able to storm away from the competition.

He briefly lost the lead to Valentino Rossi's Yamaha during the opening lap dicing, but once in front proved unstoppable, leading by as much as five seconds.

Rossi hung on to second, resisting initial pressure from team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, and later from Dani Pedrosa's Honda.

Pedrosa overtook a fading Lorenzo with eight laps to go and crossed the line right on Rossi's tail, missing out on second by just 0.098s.

Andrea Dovizioso won an enormous battle for fifth place, coming out on top of a last-corner dust-up to get to the flag just ahead of Alvaro Bautista, Aleix Espargaro and Bradley Smith.

Dovizioso's top-five finish was a boost for Ducati on a day when Cal Crutchlow retired early with brake problems and both Michele Pirro and Andrea Iannone crashed.

Results - 27 laps

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1. Marc Marquez Honda 45m24.134s
2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha +1.431s
3. Dani Pedrosa Honda +1.529s
4. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha +8.541s
5. Andrea Dovizioso Ducati +27.494s
6. Alvaro Bautista Gresini Honda +27.606s
7. Aleix Espargaro Forward Yamaha +27.917s
8. Bradley Smith Tech 3 Yamaha +27.947s
9. Pol Espargaro Tech 3 Yamaha +29.419s
10. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda +32.872s
11. Nicky Hayden Aspar Honda +35.490s
12. Hiroshi Aoyama Aspar Honda +40.083s
13. Scott Redding Gresini Honda +43.830s
14. Yonny Hernandez Pramac Ducati +52.295s
15. Hector Barbera Avintia FTR-Kawasaki +54.873s
16. Michael Laverty PBM Aprilia +1m06.182s
17. Broc Parkes PBM Aprilia +1m23.42s0

Retirements/not classified

Colin Edwards Forward Yamaha 1 lap
Andrea Iannone Pramac Ducati 5 laps
Mike di Meglio Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 6 laps
Karel Abraham Cardion Honda 17 laps
Cal Crutchlow Ducati 23 laps
Michele Pirro Ducati 25 laps


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113770

[Rob]

Rossi delighted to return to Jerez podium

Sunday, 4 May 2014.

The Gran Premio bwin de España brought joy for Valentino Rossi as he got his second podium of the season and produced a highly competitive performance in Spain.
Finishing the grueling 27-lap 119km contest just 1.5s behind the rampant race winner Marc Marquez, Rossi appears to have regained the competitiveness which he says will be crucial to his upcoming decision on whether to keep racing beyond 2014. Returning to the Jerez rostrum for the first time since 2010 can only be a positive factor as he contemplates his future.

Indeed the nine-time World Champion’s result in the south of Spain is his 185th podium in Grand Prix racing and his 149th in the premier class. It is also his tenth podium in the premier class at the historical venue in Andalusia.

Rossi had headed the second row of the grid with his best qualifying result of 2014 to date, so all in all it was a positive weekend for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider.

“I’m very, very happy because Jerez is one of my favourite circuits and one of my favourite weekends because of the crowds around the track,” he enthused. “Since 2010 I have not been on the podium here, so it’s great to be back.”

“We worked very hard this weekend, we improved the bike including this morning, so I thought I would be able to be competitive. But the conditions for the race were very difficult for everyone and the pace was a bit slower. I chose the extra hard for the front, it was a risk but I was worried about the medium for the end of the race. I think I made the right choice for the Yamaha as I could push hard. I was sliding a lot at the end of the race but I kept a good rhythm.”

Rossi concluded, “At the end when Dani arrived I knew he would be a bit faster, but I gave my maximum and I’m very happy. I want to thank everyone and thank Yamaha for my second podium of the season.”

[fratelliferrari]

Iam very happy for the Doctor!

[Rishu]

After a long time the Doctor looked better compared to his team mate. Impressive drive to keep one of the Hondas behind. Probably right choice to go with harder fronts.

And Marquez, oh boy the kid is just amazing. I was impressed at the way he was pulling away from the group of Ros, Lor & Ped

[Rob]

Brilliant Marquez makes it five in a row

MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) produced another masterclass at Le Mans to win from pole again, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) also on the podium.
Marquez produced a fantastic fightback after an early mistake to lead by a second on lap 16 having been 10th on lap one. Rossi demonstrated his competitiveness again to lead for several laps in the first half of the race but ultimately could not hold off the rampant Marquez.

Whilst Rossi achieved his tenth premier class podium at Le Mans and his 150th in the top category, Marquez became the first rider to win five successive premier class races from pole since Mick Doohan in 1997.

Meanwhile, it was Bautista’s first podium since 2012 and a great reward for the determination he has shown since his three DNFs at the start of the season.

An excellent ride from rookie Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) saw him hold off Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) for fourth. Pedrosa appeared to be riding in significant discomfort after recent arm pump surgery.

Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) finished three seconds behind Pedrosa in the unfamiliar territory of sixth for the 2010 and 2012 MotoGP World Champion.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) recovered from his recent arm operation for seventh, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) and Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) also in the top ten.

Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar) crashed on the first lap after contact with Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing), only for the Italian to go down shortly afterwards. Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) was also an early crasher, though none of those three were seriously affected by the incidents.

[Rob]

Marquez continues record-breaking run

The Monster Energy Grand Prix de France saw Marc Marquez extend his championship lead as he defends his MotoGP™ World title and continues to dominate the 2014 season.
Repsol Honda sensation Marquez enjoyed a perfect weekend in Le Mans taking pole position (with a new record), setting a new fastest race lap (1’33.548 on lap 8) and crowning it with the victory (in a record time) in front of 88,222 spectators.

He also became the youngest ever rider (21 years and 90 days) to win five successive races in the premier class, taking the record from Mike Hailwood (22 years and 160 days old).

With his fifth win of 2014, Marquez is the first rider since Giacomo Agostini in 1972 to win the opening five races of the year in the premier class, the first rider since Valentino Rossi in 2008 to win five successive MotoGP races and the first to win them all from pole since Mick Doohan in 1997, also on a Honda. He now extends his lead over Dani Pedrosa in the riders’ Championship to 42 points.

He enthused, “I am really happy with this win, which was different to the other victories. I made a mistake at the start; maybe I was too relaxed off the line, then when Jorge (Lorenzo) passed me I had to take a wide line otherwise we would have touched and as a result, many riders overtook me. However, from that moment on I began a really good comeback, it was a lot of fun, ending in my fifth consecutive victory. Although it might look easy to people, we are working extremely hard and this is the reward for the whole team.”

Teammate Pedrosa struggled to find his rhythm in the 28 lap race, steadily progressing through the field from ninth on the grid to fifth by the chequered flag.

Pedrosa commented “It was a very difficult race to manage, because I didn't get a bad start but had (Andrea) Iannone and (Bradley) Smith coming through very strong on the opening corner; they split the group and even pushed a rider off-track. However, this wasn't the main problem, I had an issue with the front tyre preventing me from making my way up the order. Every time that I tried to be more aggressive I had a lack of grip and it took many laps for me to move forward. It's a shame, because I didn't find a setup that allowed me to ride comfortably and we didn't have a good race. I think I can go a lot faster here than what we saw today.”

Honda lead the constructors’ Championship by 38 points and the Repsol Honda Team lead the teams’ Championship by 82 points after five rounds.

[Rob]

Rossi content with consistent podium form

In his 299th Grand Prix appearance Valentino Rossi led the Le Mans race for several laps and secured his 150th premier class podium in second place.
Rossi pushed hard from the start of the fifth race of the year, getting into the lead in the early stages from fifth on the grid, capitalising on a mistake from eventual race winner Marc Marquez.

The experienced Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider would later make a small error of his own to let Marquez through as the young MotoGP™ World Champion fought back from 10th on lap one and eventually got ahead of Rossi to push on for the win.

Nonetheless Rossi’s tenth premier class podium at Le Mans delighted the nine-time World Champion after he had announced last Thursday that he wants to stay with Yamaha in MotoGP™ for two more years. Rossi has now stepped on to the rostrum at three of the opening five races of 2014.

“I’m very happy about the race and the result,” he reflected afterwards. “I did a very good start and when I saw (Andrea) Dovizoso and (Stefan) Bradl in front I knew I could go faster than them and I overtook them. I felt good with the bike, I got in front and I tried and tried. Today was a little bit more difficult with the front maybe because the track was hotter. I tried the maximum and my pace wasn’t bad.”

“I was waiting for Marc or for Jorge (Lorenzo) or Dani (Pedrosa) to arrive, especially Marc. When he arrived I tried to push harder and make his job more difficult, but unfortunately at the crucial moment I made a mistake and I broke a little bit too deep. I went wide and it’s a great pity because that made it too easy for Marc. If not we would have been able to fight for longer because today I was not too bad. I want to try next time out in Italy in Mugello to have a good weekend and to fight with him again.”

On reaching the milestone of 150 top class podiums, with 186 to his name in all categories, Rossi stated, “I’m happy because 150 is a lot and I’m not far from 200 podiums overall in 300 races. I’ve had a long career but I’m working really hard to still be here.”

[Rob]

Marquez, 2014 Moto GP champion.

Sorry, but with this type of performance, cannt see anyone else taking it.

[Suzie]

He could feasibly win every race this year :-??

[Rob]

I hate to say it, but i see that could happen aswell. Has it ever been done before?:-??

[fratelliferrari]

He could feasibly win every race this year :-??

I hope not! I will go to TT Assen this year :-D First time for me to go to a Moto GP race!

[Suzie]

Ooh how exciting! I think I'm going to go to the one at Silverstone :-)

[Rob]

Provisional test dates agreed for 2015 preseason.

Sunday, 31 August 2014.

The traditional post-Valencia GP test, the two visits to Sepang and a test in Qatar are on the provisional 2014-15 ‘winter’ test calendar, whilst test days for Michelin tyres have also been provisionally scheduled.

Following a meeting of the IRTA Committee held at Silverstone a provisional programme for the 2014-15 winter test dates has been circulated.

The provisional schedule is as follows:

MotoGP™:

10th-12th November 2014 – Valencia

4th-7th February 2015 – Sepang 1

23rd-26th February 2015 – Sepang 2

6th-9th OR 13th-16th March 2015 – Qatar

Moto2™ and Moto3™:

10th-12th February 2015 – Valencia

17th-19th February 2015 – Jerez

3rd-5th March 2015 – Jerez

The first Grand Prix of 2015 will be at Qatar, in mid to late March. Accordingly, two possible dates are shown for the final MotoGP class test at Qatar and the actual date will be confirmed once the final GP calendar is published.

At each 2015 MotoGP™ class four day test, one day will be reserved for Michelin testing, as the company prepare for their return to the World Championship as Official Tyre Supplier to MotoGP in 2016. At the two Sepang tests it will be the last day but at the Qatar test it will be the first day. The Michelin test at the first Sepang test and the Qatar test will be for factory test riders only. The Michelin test at the second Sepang test will be open to all contracted riders.

[fratelliferrari]

Ooh how exciting! I think I'm going to go to the one at Silverstone :-)

Are you in Silverstone now, Suzie?

[Rob]

Stunning Silverstone Battles Deliver Double Yamaha Podium

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi fought epic battles today in the British Grand Prix to take their third consecutive double Yamaha podium, finishing second and third respectively.

Starting from third on the grid Lorenzo had a flying start off the line, taking the holeshot into the first corner. He put his head down trying to clear off at the front but wasn’t able to shake off his rival Marc Marquez who followed close behind. The two raced less than half a second apart until with seven laps remaining, when Marquez made his move at Stow corner, taking the lead. Lorenzo tried to pass back at Vale, but was unable to make it stick.

With five laps left Marquez went wide, allowing Lorenzo to re-overtake him. He again tried to break away at the front, but two laps later Marquez put in an aggressive move going into Village. Lorenzo tried to hold on to the lead but a near collision in the Loop forced him to fall back into second position. The pass cost him valuable time, leaving him to finish the race just 0.732 second behind to claim his 80th podium in the premier class.

Teammate Valentino Rossi kicked off his 246th Grand Prix start in style, celebrating now being the rider with the most premier class starts in MotoGP history. The nine time world champion took off from sixth on the grid and tucked in behind Andrea Dovizioso and Aleix Espargarò in fifth place.

The opening laps saw Rossi and Espargarò engaged in an intense battle, ending with the Italian passing the Spaniard going into Stow. Rossi was then able to close down the gap to Dovizioso. With 16 laps left the Doctor put in his first attempt to snatch third going into Abbey, but was unable to make it stick. His second try saw him successfully go through before eagerly trying to close down the gap to the race leaders. Then threat started to arrive from behind. Dani Pedrosa was on a charge and twelve laps before the end, the Spaniard passed. The Doctor bided his time for four laps before retaking third place at Stow, which he held until the line, 8.519 seconds behind the race winner.

The results see Lorenzo hold fourth in the championship, now on 157 points and 32 points behind teammate Rossi. Rossi remains in third, now on 189 points and just ten point behind Pedrosa in second.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP will now move to San Marino for the next round at the Misano circuit in two weeks time.

Rider Jorge Lorenzo
2nd | +0.732 | 20 Laps
“Knowing what this weekend was like, this race is much better than we expected. I made a really good start and pushed 100%, more than ever, so I am really proud of my riding. The only thing is that here we probably don’t have the best package. Though we did a really good job improving little by little and practice by practice, we were not able to have the same confortable pace as Marc. I was pushing a lot and maybe he was able to relax a little bit more. I was struggling a lot with my physical condition to keep the bike on two wheels and being able to ride these lap times. Finally I lost a lot of time when he touched me. I knew that he was going to try to overtake me in this corner in first gear on the right, but I didn’t let him enter. On the outside I opened the throttle and he touched me. In the next corner he touched me again as he went into the corner and I lost seven tenths of a second. We started the weekend 1.3 seconds slower than Marc and we finished the weekend with being just 7 tenths slower than Marc after twenty laps. That’s fantastic! Thanks to a very good job from my team, all together we improved the bike. I rode well from the first corner to the last one and I did my best. Unfortunately you can’t ride the Yamaha as aggressively as our rivals. You have to open your lines more else you lose corner speed. That’s a difference, but we have our strong points and they have theirs. It’s just unfortunate that in the braking areas it makes it a little harder to fight for me. We will try to improve the bike and win races.“

Rider Valentino Rossi
3rd | +8.519 | 20 Laps
“I’m happy for the podium. It’s the first time here at Silverstone and usually this is a very difficult track for me. I am very happy about my pace at the beginning, because Jorge was in front and pushing a lot, so the lap times were very fast. I was able to stay with them for the first laps, but unfortunately I had already a small gap when I was behind Dovizioso. To try and catch them I stressed the rear tyre too much, so I had too slow my rhythm and from that moment I started a very hard battle with Dani and Dovi to the end. I decided to stay in front because I had a quite good pace and I could arrive on the podium. We have a lot of positive things. We have another podium. On the other side, I wanted to stay behind Marc and Jorge throughout the race. We have to do another step to prepare 100% for Misano in two weeks, because that will be my home Grand Prix and we will have to do more than the maximum.”

Team Director Massimo Meregalli
“For sure we are satisfied, especially after the way we started the weekend, it's a dramatic difference. We improved the bike all the weekend and Jorge rode a spectacular race. Another double podium is excellent. Vale also rode an impressive race and fought hard for his position. We will continue this momentum and our race win will come!”

[Rob]

Marquez crashes chasing Rossi and finishes 15th :clap

Sunday, 14 September 2014
World Championship leader Marc Marquez made an uncharacteristic error on lap ten of the Misano race and lost the front end at Rio corner, costing him a chance to fight for the win.
Marquez was able to restart but only managed to climb back to 15th and take one Championship point.

After a promising start, Marquez steadily progressed up to second, after battling with Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi. However, as Marquez pushed to try and stay with race leader Rossi, he made a small mistake and lost the front at turn four at a fairly low speed, with the bike spinning out. He was able to pick the bike up but had trouble getting it started again. The race marshals arrived and managed to bump start him, but by this point the pack had disappeared.

The runaway standings leader pushed hard to catch the back markers and was able to match the lap times being set by the front runners, but the distance was too great.

Marquez maintains his lead in the World Championship, but the gap is now decreased to 74 points over second placed Dani Pedrosa, who finished third in the race.

Looking at things from a positive perspective Marquez said, “I’m happy with how today went, despite the crash due to my first mistake of the season, because yesterday I did not think that I would be capable of sticking with Valentino and Jorge. They had a little bit more pace, and today we were able to get fairly close to them.”

“I saw the possibility of fighting with Valentino for the victory, but that was not possible in the end because of the mistake; I was riding over the inside of the rumble strip and that meant that I lost the front. Luckily I was able to rejoin the race, continue with a good pace and score a point that could always come in handy in the future.”

[Rob]

The Doctor Performs a Misano Miracle
http://i59.tinypic.com/nch35i.jpg
The many thousand Valentino Rossi fans gathered at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli had their dreams come true today as their Movistar Yamaha MotoGP hero delivered a perfect race to take victory for the 'Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini'. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo came home in second to make it a perfect Yamaha one-two finish.

The Doctor made his intentions clear from the off with a flying start to move up from third to second into the first corner, tucked in behind teammate Lorenzo. An early attack by rival Marc Marquez was quickly dealt with and then with 25 laps to go he was able to pass Lorenzo to lead the race. Championship leader Marquez followed soon after and remained within half a second of Rossi until with 19 laps remaining he lost the front trying to keep up and crashed out, taking himself out of contention.

From that point the Doctor was unstoppable, building a gap of over two seconds to his chasing teammate, he held command of the race to the finish line to take his first race win since Assen last year, and Yamaha’s first MotoGP win of the season.

Teammate Lorenzo flew from his pole position on the grid to grab the holeshot into turn one, with Rossi following right behind. Having opted for the harder front tyre option he was unable to make a break and hold off Rossi in the early laps. Having seen rival Marquez crash out in front of him he then delivered a trademark Lorenzo race of consistency, holding his lap times a little over two seconds behind Rossi whilst gradually building a gap to Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso battling for third behind him. He crossed the finish line over four seconds ahead of them to take his seventh podium of the season and complete the Yamaha one-two finish.

Rossi’s 25 point score adds to his total to make him the first MotoGP rider ever to reach over 5,000 career championship points. He now sits on 214 in third position in the standings, just a single point behind Pedrosa in second. Lorenzo takes 20 points to bring him to a total of 177 in fourth position, 35 ahead of Dovizioso in fifth.

Rider-Valentino Rossi
1st | 44'14.586 | 28 Laps
“I’m very happy for sure because it’s very special to win here in Misano in front of all the crowd and my family and friends. I’m very proud. I made it five years after the last time here, in the same way, fighting with Jorge. During the practice it looked like our Yamaha worked very well so we had a small advantage. I tried to the maximum and so I knew we could fight for victory, I knew for sure I would have to battle with Dani and Jorge and Marc. I tried to push from the start and at the end it was great to have the win more than one year later from my last. I always work hard and never give up and trust that days like this can happen. I have to say thank you to Yamaha, to all my team, to all my friends and all the crowd who support me, especially here in Misano.”

Rider-Jorge Lorenzo
2nd | +1.578 | 28 Laps
“It’s been a tough race for me because we finally took a risk with the harder tyre. I’m happy with another podium but a bit disappointed because we thought we could fight for the victory. Right at the beginning, despite a good start I felt the front tyre didn’t give me the confidence to lean and also on braking. In Brno we risked also changing the tyre and the result was good but here we struggled much more. For me it was impossible to get the victory. Even if I tried to push at the maximum, when I saw Marc crash, I knew Valentino had a better pace today. Valentino had a perfect weekend at home and he deserved the win, it’s unbelievable at the age of 35! I’m also happy for the team because it’s been a long time without a 1-2. All the Yamaha guys are working really well and the bike is more competitive race by race. I would like to win too but we will have to wait.”

Team Director-Massimo Meregalli
“I think we did an awesome job, we didn't start the weekend properly on Friday and struggled a lot. When the sunshine came out, we immediately sensed that Sunday was possibly going to be our day. The pace we showed on Saturday and in this morning’s warm up were a good signal. For me Vale made an impressive race, he put a lot of pressure on Marc, he crashed as he was trying so hard, but I think today Vale was unbeatable. Jorge chose a hard front tyre as yesterday he had a really good feeling with it. The circumstances were ok for that tyre spec but it didn't work as he hoped. In the end first and second is an amazing result, I need to thank everybody, from the first to the last team member, we worked hard all season, unfortunately we couldn’t win before but for sure we are going to taste this victory today as we deserve to.”

[Rob]

Rossi claims first win of 2014 as Marquez crashes

Sunday, 14 September 2014.

The home crowd went wild at Misano on Sunday as Valentino Rossi took his first victory since Assen last year, with Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa also on the podium, whilst Marc Marquez finished 15th after a crash.
Nine time World Champion Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took the lead in the early laps after getting in front of pole man Lorenzo and then asserting his authority in an early battle with Marquez. On the 10th lap Marquez went down at Rio corner when in second place and whilst he restarted his RC213V he could not achieve more than a solitary point.

Rossi kept the hammer down at the front to eventually win by 1.578s and reach the milestone of 5000 Grand Prix points in style. It is the 107th victory of Rossi’s remarkable career.

Lorenzo rode with determination to take another podium result and finished in second place for the fourth successive race.

Coming from fifth on the grid, Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) took his ninth podium finish of the season in third place, crossing the line 1.234s ahead of the hard working Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team).

It was another good ride for Dovizioso in front of the home crowd as he got the Ducati across the finish line 5.5s behind winner Rossi. Likewise, Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) impressed in fifth place with another solid result.

Rookie Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) rode well again to secure sixth place, 4.1s ahead of his teammate Bradley Smith.

Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) and Yonny Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) completed the top ten.

Mike Di Meglio (Avintia Racing) was an early crasher, as was Danilo Petrucci (Octo IodaRacing Team). Di Meglio suffered a displaced fracture of the fourth and fifth metacarpus of his left hand and will require surgery. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) also fell out of the top ten. Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) crashed on the final lap. All the riders other than Di Meglio were uninjured.

[Suzie]

Are you in Silverstone now, Suzie?

Sorry, only just saw this. Nope, unfortunately real life got in the way and I just didn't have the funds to go :-s

[fratelliferrari]

Sorry, only just saw this. Nope, unfortunately real life got in the way and I just didn't have the funds to go :-s

Iam sorry for you. Luckily Valentino won today so that's something nice!

[fratelliferrari]

Just saw the summary of yesterday's race! Really great just as the tifosi!

[Ste]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all. :-D

[fratelliferrari]

Wow that was a big crash for Valentino :-(

[Rob]

is he ok?

[fratelliferrari]

is he ok?

I hope so but haven't read anything about it yet.

[Rob]

Precautionary scan for Rossi as he recovers from Aragon crash.

Sunday, 28 September 2014.

Valentino Rossi was taken to hospital in Alcañiz for a CT scan after being knocked unconsciousness in a crash at the Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon.
Rossi had started well from his sixth place grid position and had been making progress when he ran wide in the down hill section, running off track and onto the slippery grass where he crashed heavily.

He lost consciousness briefly after the crash but regained it quickly and was taken immediately to the Medical Centre for a check up. No injuries were diagnosed, but the rider was transferred to hospital for a precautionary check up.

Clinica Mobile Medical Director Michele Zasa explained, “Valentino suffered a concussion with a suspected loss of consciousness. From a neurological point of view he has recovered very well. He was taken to hospital in Alcañiz to make a further check, in particular a CT scan of the skull that has ruled out any bleeding in the brain. As a precaution he will be observed in the coming hours, but there are no special reasons for concern.”

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli commented, “Vale was riding very well up to his crash, it’s a pity because after his out lap he said the changes we made were perfect and he felt the bike was working well. We are not clear yet on the cause of the crash but he was clearly riding with potential to finish on the podium. Fortunately he seems to be fine and was taken to the hospital as a precautionary check up following an initial check at the Medical Centre.”

The above medical bulletin about Rossi's condition follows the CT scan the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider underwent at the Alcañiz hospital. His physical condition will be monitored closely by Clinica Mobile.

Rossi’s DNF means he stays third in the general standings on 214 points, now three behind Dani Pedrosa who is second.

[fratelliferrari]

Thanks Rob :thumb The race itself was a thriller I have to say! You definitely need to watch the replay!

[fratelliferrari]

Congrats to Marc Marquez on his 2nd World Title!

[Tobes]

Fair play Vale, unlucky Cal, good ride from George, Brad and Dovi...

Good race...:thumb

[Rishu]

What a race! Cal, Maq, EsP, EsA, Ped all unlucky. Well done Rossi, experience counts

[fratelliferrari]

Damn, missed it today :-s

[fratelliferrari]

Just saw a summary of the race! Looked really great and Iam very happy for Vale :-D

[Rob]

Casey Stoner @Official_CS27 · 9h 9 hours ago
@ValeYellow46 has been impressive today, seemed to have pace that I think even @marcmarquez93 would have struggled with. Congrats!

:clap

[fratelliferrari]

I have to say I felt sorry for Crutchlow! Would be nice to have a Ducati on the podium as well!

[Rob]

The Doctor Marks 250th Grand Prix in MotoGP with Perfect Phillip Island Performance.
http://i57.tinypic.com/2zf7634.jpg
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi raised the roof in Australia today, delivering a stunning race victory at Phillip Island for the Australian Grand Prix. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo claimed the second step of the rostrum as part of a full Yamaha podium with Bradley Smith in third.

The Doctor made a great start to his 250th Grand Prix race in MotoGP as he jumped two places to sixth on the opening laps. He fought off Dani Pedrosa as he continued to battle his way to the front of the field, passing Bradley Smith and Pol Espargarò for third place.

Starting from third on the grid Lorenzo was not shy in grabbing the hole shot into turn one. He initially led the race, before falling back behind rival Marc Marquez. Lorenzo pushed to the limit but was unable to match the race leader’s pace.

Meanwhile teammate Rossi gradually closed down the gap to reach the rear end of Lorenzo’s M1 on lap nine. What happened next was a flurry of activity. With 17 laps to go Rossi set a fastest lap of 1’29.605 and made his first overtaking move at the hairpin and then Lorenzo fought back and retook second place in the first corner of the following lap. Over the next seven laps the teammates continued to swap places, when suddenly race leader Marquez crashed out of the race on lap 18 and they were left fighting for first and second place.

Rossi then put the hammer down and created an unbridgeable gap, while Lorenzo’s front tyre started to drop dramatically, forcing him to hand over second place to Cal Crutchlow. He kept pushing in his efforts to manage the gap to the following riders. Drama then struck again as Crutchlow also crashed on the last lap, handing Lorenzo a lucky but well fought second place, his tenth podium finish of the season.

Oblivious to the drama behind him, Rossi had increased his lead to 10.836 seconds and took an amazing victory as he wheelied over the finish line to celebrate his 108th Grand Prix win in all classes. The stunning win cements Valentino Rossi’s reputation as one of the greatest riders to grace the Phillip Island circuit.

Thanks to this amazing result, Rossi stays in second place in the championship with a points total of 255. He thereby increases the advantage over his teammate Lorenzo to eight points, whose third place sees him rise to third in the championship with 247 points.

Rider-Valentino Rossi
1st | 40'46.405 | 27 Laps
“I’m so happy because Phillip Island is one of the most important and most beautiful tracks of the season. I won here many times in the past, but over the last few years I was only able to get onto the podium without winning the race. To comeback and take the first position after ten years is great. It's also great to see three Yamaha's on the podium! The race was tricky. The work that we did during the weekend with the team was very important. We did a fantastic job and made the right front tyre choice. Marquez was not too far in front of me but he had a two second gap, so I decided to focus on my pace and on Jorge. He was very fast during the whole weekend, but for the second position in the championship it was very important to finish in front of him. When I was in front Marquez crashed and I said to myself “victory!"

Rider-Jorge Lorenzo
2nd | +10.836 | 27 Laps
“It’s a great result for Yamaha, because there are three of us on the podium. Our race on the other hand did not go as I expected to. We struggled a lot to get the best set up for the race. Everything needs to be perfect, but if you put on the wrong tyre the race is over. I’m happy for the second place. This has been the luckiest second place in my life, because there were a lot of riders that could have finished in front of me. Honestly I’m a bit disappointed because with a different tyre it would have been possible to stay with Marc and fight for the race. We'll keep on doing our best to be in the best possible shape in Malaysia and try to win the race”.

Team Director-Massimo Meregalli

“It has been an incredible race. We’ve been very competitive all weekend and we knew we could achieve a good result here. We were a little unsure about this afternoon’s colder conditions, but Vale did a brilliant job to take the victory starting from eighth. He didn't make any mistakes and showed some great overtakes. Jorge also rode another strong race. He was always pushing hard, but his front tyre started to drop towards the second half so he had to manage the grip level as best he could. Despite this problem, we couldn't ask for a better result. It’s another double podium for our team and it’s great to see three Yamahas’ at the front. We now look forward to another strong race in Sepang where we plan to continue to show what we are capable of. I need to thank the whole team who worked very hard this weekend to give the riders competitive bikes to challenge for the honours they have won.”

Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing-Lin Jarvis

“Obviously I’m delighted with today’s result. It has been a long time since we had a total Yamaha podium, back in Le Mans in 2008. Again a victory, the fourth in a row for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team. That’s an incredible run of results in the last events. Jorge also had not been lower than second over the last seven races. That is phenomenal. My congratulations also go to Valentino. It’s his second win of the year and he’s been riding great. It's great to see him win here after we won the championship in 2004 at Philip Island. He's ten years older but still going as fast and equally as 'hungry', so chapeau to him. Also congratulations to Bradley Smith for achieving his first MotoGP podium, a very much deserved result. We have two races to go. We’re fighting for the second position in the championship with both Vale and Jorge, so hopefully there will be more victories to finish off this year and let us go into the Winter to be stronger for the next season.”

[fratelliferrari]

Nice article Rob!

[fratelliferrari]

Great to see VR46 on pole for tomorrow's race :-D

[fratelliferrari]

Was nice to see Valentino on the podium again!

[Senna4Ever]

Was nice to see Valentino on the podium again!

:thumb