MotoGP – Indianapolis Grand Prix MotoGP turn-based –

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The Indianapolis MotoGP Grand Prix turn based

MotoGP - Indianapolis Grand Prix MotoGP turn-based -

This first edition on the Indianapolis Brickyard will go down in history: upset by the proximity of Hurricane Ike, the races were epic and round 250 canceled! In MotoGP, Rossi was looking for his 69th victory… Round by round.

From Friday morning, the pilots discover an ultra-fast track with a design far removed from European standards. With seven different types of bitumens, the US route also poses many concerns for tire manufacturers….

But to complicate matters even more, Hurricane Ike circled around Indiana and it was in torrential rain that Anthony Westy grabbed the best time of the Friday afternoon session … Behind the ace of the wet follow Alex de Angelis – reappointed in 2009 – and the defending champion, Casey Stoner, who does not seem to have suffered from his huge high side made in the morning.

Zoom on…

Nicky Hayden’s departure from HRC. Officially announcing his separation from Honda this weekend, Nicky Hayden did not hesitate to imply the growing disinterest of his employer concerning him to justify his approach. Unable to announce his probable stint at Ducati in 2009 yet, the 2006 world champion returned to his career with Honda: "I have a long history with Honda. We have done a lot of races together, won championships in WADA, and obviously the world championship was very important. But I think it’s time to move on, try something different".

Andrea Dovizioso is the first Michelin driver ahead of Hopkins, Vermeulen, Hayden, guest driver Ben Spies, as well as Toni Elias. Valentino Rossi precedes Dani Pedrosa and goes off the track without gravity under the American deluge !

The next afternoon, a change of scenery: the sun is shining and the track conditions allow the pilots to set fast lap times! Valentino Rossi will be the first pole man in MotoGP history on the Indianapolis circuit, ahead of the author of the last seven pole positions, Casey Stoner, by less than a tenth of a second. Again very fast, Jorge Lorenzo was invited to the first grid at the end of the session in front of Nicky Hayden and especially Ben Spies who signed a splendid 5th place on the grid !

Randy de Puniet will be just behind at the start ahead of Andrea Dovizioso, Dani Pedrosa, Toni Elias and Chris Vermeulen. However, the paddock is not quiet: the weather forecasts are pessimistic for Sunday and following a shortened 125 race (to come on Site), the race management postponed the start of the 250 after the MotoGP race, to finally cancel it outright in view of the catastrophic conditions…

The race !

Departure : In front of the 91,064 spectators who braved the weather, Casey Stoner took the pole ahead of Nicky Hayden, Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi. From the first chicane, Dovizioso surprises Hayden from the inside, then Stoner from the outside and here is the JIR team pilot at the head of this first overseas Grand Prix! Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa fight behind Valentino Rossi, while the local of the event, the American Ben Spies, made a superb start and points in Lorenzo’s exhausts !

Behind this compact group, James Toseland and Toni Elias swap places as the Kentucky Kid indoors for Casey Stoner! Does the prospect of racing alongside the world champion next season give the American driver wings? ?

2nd round : Andrea Dovizioso completes this first lap in the lead, with the HRC Michelin driver, Nicky Hayden in his wheels! Casey Stoner follows a little further and we feel the Australian uncomfortable on his Ducati. Valentino Rossi, on the other hand, seems to be fully recovered with his Yamaha and the Italian is already starting to make circles around his rival’s GP8 for the title !

In his wheel, his teammate Lorenzo got rid of Dani Pedrosa, whose tire change does not seem to pay off in these delicate conditions. However, the Spanish must discover a new motorcycle (with pneumatic valves), a new track and new tires, all in a weekend marked by unpredictable weather. !

Ben Spies continues to impress by spinning the official Honda of the jockey at No.2, while James Toseland hangs on a few cables. Toni Elias seems less comfortable in the wet and precedes John Hopkins, Randy de Puniet, Shinya Nakano, Alex de Angelis and Sylvain Guintoli.

Quickly in the entries of curves, the n ° 46 tries to overtake on Casey Stoner, but the tricky conditions discourage the Doctor at the last moment and force him to widen: immediately his teammate takes the opportunity to infiltrate in front of him !

3rd round : It’s hard not to feel the frustration of Andrea Dovizioso, when Nicky Hayden’s official Honda overtakes him with sickening ease in the pit straight under the vivas of an entire audience dedicated to the child of the country! Jorge Lorenzo overtakes Casey Stoner and here are three Michelin drivers in the first three places !

Taking advantage of Stoner’s small form, Vale gets rid of his rival and goes hunting for Bib ‘pilots! Nice demonstration from the Italian who could afford to ensure the race, given his lead in the championship, but especially in the calamitous conditions of this first Indianapolis GP! The wind and the raindrops increase in intensity, lap after lap …

No.46 easily returns to teammate, as Ben Spies brakes Dani Pedrosa !

4th round : Nicky Hayden treats his fans and his public by passing the timing cell first with 0.402 sec ahead of Andrea Dovizioso! Jorge Lorenzo is already more than a second away and his teammate takes advantage of a tight right to tax him from the inside! Casey Stoner is off the hook, ahead of Spies and Pedrosa who fight at each turn: the Spaniard fell on a strong party with the guest driver !

James Toseland hangs in front of Hopkins, Vermeulen, Elias, Guintoli who is gradually rising, de Angelis, West and de Puniet. Dominator, Valentino Rossi is the fastest on the track and comes back like an arrow on Dovizioso. The Italian star stuck more than eight tenths on the Honda rider !

5th round : Nicky Hayden continues to lead his second national race, as Rossi starts looking for the opening on Dovizioso. Jorge Lorenzo does not keep pace with his leader, just like Casey Stoner who is already several seconds behind the leading group.

Optimistic, Valentino Rossi brakes his compatriot at the start of a chicane, but the Yamaha refuses to take the tightrope and Dovizioso takes advantage of this gap to regain his right! The battle between the two men is all the more sumptuous, as the conditions of adhesion are more than precarious !

After several more attempts, the n ° 46 will literally dive under the wheels of Dovizioso thanks to a tight right! It makes you wonder if the seven-time world champion realized that the track was wet and swept by a strong wind !

6th round : The future ex-HRC driver, Nicky Hayden, slams the fastest lap in the race, probably sensing the threat of a Valentino Rossi determined to win on this new track! Andrea Dovizioso struggles to keep pace with the M1 and sees himself threatened by Jorge Lorenzo. Casey Stoner is lonely in fifth place, just like Spies who widened the gap on Dani Pedrosa.

Always comfortable in the rain, Sylvain Guintoli is pushing ahead and here is the French 8th, after having passed Vermeulen and Toseland !

7th and 8th laps : Juggling between parts of the track that are almost dry and others that are soggy, Valentino Rossi quickly returns to Nicky Hayden: the Yamaha took six tenths from the Honda in just one lap !

Back at his best, Jorge Lorenzo defeats Andrea Dovizioso in the straight line and here is the Mallorcan 3rd, ready to offer a second podium with two Yamaha to his employers! Casey Stoner is now more than three seconds behind his rivals, preceding the incredible Ben Spies, Dani Pedrosa and Sylvain Guintoli who would see himself overtake the Spaniard before the end of the race !

Valentino Rossi continues to be the fastest on the track, but we can feel the Italian watching behind Nicky Hayden. However, this does not prevent the Yamaha from copiously pulling out of a left: the limit seems very easy to cross on this slippery route. !

9th and 10th laps : The n ° 69 signs the fastest lap in the race being the only driver with Rossi to turn in 1’50! Behind Lorenzo tries to catch his delay, while Stoner gets dangerously close to Andrea Dovizioso.

Dani Pedrosa seems to have more and more difficulty keeping up the pace and Sylvain Guintoli is only 4 seconds behind him! Just behind, Chris Vermeulen is ready to follow in the footsteps of the French, while Anthony West seems to have taken the measure of the track: the Australian has climbed four places in two laps !

11th round : Nicky Hayden is still under threat from Valentino Rossi (author of the lap record), but the American defends himself and continues to lead his home race! Jorge Lorenzo contains Andrea Dovizioso from a distance, now under pressure by Casey Stoner. Ben Spies is just behind the two drivers, on the lookout for discomfort caused by overtaking between them, but the American seems to be suffering from visibility issues.

12th and 13th rounds : Valentino Rossi once again signs the best lap, and is pressed on Hayden: this one seems to be in delicacy with its rear tire and many slips now punctuate its exits of curves. Jorge Lorenzo is five seconds behind the two men, ahead of the duo Dovizioso – Stoner by three seconds.

Widening a little in the curve, the 2006 world champion puts his wheels in a huge puddle and makes himself a beautiful heat! Sensing the difficulties encountered by his rival, the Doctor immediately sticks to the American and swerves at the entrance from a left: n ° 46 brakes later and properly overtakes n ° 69 which cannot reply..

14th round : Valentino Rossi crosses the pit straight for the first time at the head of the race and the Italian has already widened a gap of 0.6 sec on Hayden in just a few turns! Lorenzo now precedes Stoner who defeated Andrea Dovizioso.

Sylvain Guintoli is only half a second behind Dani Pedrosa, while Randy de Puniet is only 14th position. Big disappointment also for Toseland who has demoted lap after lap to now point to 18th place.

15th and 16th rounds : Imperial, Valentino Rossi continues to forge a substantial lead and now for the first time in the race, his lap times are below 1’50! However, conditions have not improved and the wind continues to blow with force..

Glued to the exhausts of the RCV 212 of Pedrosa, Sylvain Guintoli seeks the opening on the Spanish. Likewise, Ben Spies is in contact with Stoner (ironed behind Dovizioso) and the American seems to be able to attack the Australian. Brilliant performance by the AMA Superbike champion, a championship where races are only run in the dry !

Wishing to literally knock down his opponents, Valentino Rossi already has a gap of almost two seconds, but the Italian flirts with the limits and his rear wheel passes over a white line causing a big slip of the M1! Not giving in, the Italian barely cuts and continues his rider alone, while the rain redoubled in intensity.

17th round : No.46 is still leading the race ahead of Hayden, Lorenzo, Dovizioso, Stoner and Spies, but the rain and the wind are increasingly threatening: dead leaves and rubbish start to cross the track and the motorcycles are of more and more tossed about by the gusts !

Ben Spies puts the pressure on Stoner and it appears the Australian won’t be able to resist for long! Sylvain Guintoli and Chris Vermeulen passed a Dani Pedrosa in distress who could even be passed by Anthony West.

18th and 19th laps : The pace of the race has dropped considerably and Nicky Hayden takes the opportunity to get back to one second behind Rossi. Lorenzo is seven seconds behind the two, ahead of Dovizioso, Stoner, Spies, Guintoli and Vermeulen.

Recovering a little, Casey Stoner makes speak the power of his V4 in the straight line of the pits and passes the unfortunate Andrea Dovizioso! Spies seems more and more embarrassed by fogging concerns and his GSV-R is now slightly behind. West has demoted and appears in front of Angelis and Hopkins.

20th round : Like a metronome, Rossi turns in front with regularity, while Hayden surrendered in the face of the torrential conditions. Lorenzo takes the opportunity to return to the American, while Stoner still contains Dovizioso and Spies. Dani Pedrosa returned to Vermeulen, but failed to overtake Sylvain Guintoli.

21st round : Visibly plagued by a severe lack of traction, Hayden gives Lorenzo three seconds per lap and the Mallorcan is already trying to overtake at the end of the pit straight: it does not work for the n ° 48 who sees himself closed the door on the nose by the proud American !

The two men gauge each other turn after turn, but it seems obvious that – in the pouring rain – Lorenzo’s Yamaha is faster than Hayden’s Honda, which comes out of the curves with great care. !

Twist seven laps from the end: the red flag is raised, signifying the interruption of a race, which has become too dangerous. Wisely the race management will decide not to resume the event, then to cancel the round of the 250 already postponed after the MotoGP.

Too bad for Jorge Lorenzo who had just passed Nicky Hayden: the classification will be based on the previous round and the n ° 48 will therefore finish third !

Valentino Rossi will therefore logically be declared the winner of this race with twists and turns ahead of Hayden, Lorenzo, Stoner, Dovizioso, Spies, Guintoli, Pedrosa, Vermeulen, de Angelis, West, Elias, de Puniet, Hopkins and Edwards. Agostini is therefore dethroned by his compatriot who now has 69 victories in the premier class !

At the world championship, the n ° 46 is approaching a little more surely his eighth world crown with 87 points ahead of Casey Stoner four races from the end of the season! Dani Pedrosa is 94 points behind the Italian and seven points behind Stoner. Jorge Lorenzo consolidates his fourth place ahead of Dovizioso, Vermeulen, Edwards, Hayden, Nakano, Elias, Capirossi, Toseland, Guintoli, de Angelis, Melandri and Randy de Puniet who despite a delicate season is renewed in his team for 2009.

They are explained:

Valentino Rossi (1st) : "I think today it was the worst racing conditions of my whole career! There was a lot of water on the track, it’s a circuit that I know very little about but the biggest problem was especially the wind. He was breathing constantly. I saw cans of beer flying, plastic bags arriving on the track. It was a little dangerous. With the rain intensifying at the end, I was thinking "when is this red flag going to arrive ?!" . It was raining a lot, but a good job was done on the track to prepare for the race. I don’t remember the last time I won four races in a row, but it proves that I am in good shape and I will now prepare for the Motegi".

Nicky Hayden (2nd) : "The motorcycle worked well in the rain. It’s been a long time since I last led a race. Valentino quickly came back to me and I couldn’t follow him. He was much faster than me. I tried to wrestle, but we had worn so much rubber in the dry that when the rain came back the grooves were almost gone. But I really gave it my all and I have nothing to regret. I thank all my fans, my friends and my team, it was not easy, and they all had a hard day today".

Jorge Lorenzo (3rd) : "This is the first time in my life that I have reached the podium in the rain, even in the Spanish championship I hadn’t made it! It’s a good result for me, not perfect because maybe I could have passed Nicky with one or two more laps. With the wind and the wear and tear of its tires, we had sufficient pace. Thanks to Yamaha – we have two riders on the podium again – and I hope to do even better next time".

Alexandre BARDIN – Photos DR

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