United States Motorcycle Grand Prix: statements, rankings and analyzes
After each Moto GP race, find the statements and results of the main protagonists of the premier category, with the analysis of their successes (and their failures) by Site. Debriefing of the 2011 United States Motorcycle Grand Prix.
This weekend in California, "Master" Casey Stoner taught his "students" a lesson with great mastery … and even more authority! To move up to the next class, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo will undoubtedly have to better revise their Laguna Seca track records next season (read) !
Casey Stoner, Honda-Repsol (2nd in qualifying and 1st in race) : "We had some difficulties this weekend and we weren’t sure we could follow Jorge and Dani, but this morning we managed to improve in the warm-up. Before the race I was relaxed, confident and fairly calm. We didn’t set off too fast to let the tires heat up, but I didn’t have a very good feeling with a full tank anyway.".
"So I had to be patient, I took my time. I stayed behind Jorge and Dani trying to control the gap to make sure they weren’t going to escape. I was gaining speed but decided to wait and watch them. I decided to go on the attack when Dani started to slow down and lose ground. Then I caught up with Jorge and stayed alert while putting the pressure on him, then I chose my moment to overtake him and I was able to widen the gap and win the race. It’s really fantastic after such a difficult weekend, it’s a great victory and I thank all my team"
Site analysis : At a press conference after the race, Casey Stoner did not hide his jubilation. With this masterfully won victory, the Aussie has silenced the nasties that have been saying it has been losing ground since its three-game winning streak completed at Silverstone.
Alternately beaten by Spies (at), Lorenzo (at) and Pedrosa (at), the championship leader reacted with the way in Laguna Seca: after finding the cure for the ailments of his Honda RC212V (which was suffering from grip in the middle and at the end of the curve) during the warm-up, the n ° 27 had an intelligent race, both tactical and offensive.
Patient – which is not always his strong suit – Stoner waited until his machine gave him the right feeling to get rid of Pedrosa on lap 18, then Lorenzo with seven laps to go. In both cases, his unstoppable overtaking stuck his opponents on the spot, as it seemed clear that the HRC official was under the elbow! And as one of our readers pointed out this morning (P6x): "Nothing more to add" !
Author of nine podiums – including five victories – and six pole positions in ten Grands Prix, Casey Stoner had the best start to the season of his Moto GP career, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo by 20 points in the championship. Here is one who won’t need to do vacation homework during the summer break !
Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat-Yamaha (1st in qualifying and 2nd in race) : "After my crash yesterday, for a while I thought I wasn’t going to be able to run today so I think I’m lucky to be second. After qualifying I was hoping to fight for victory, but you can’t always achieve your goal".
"Casey was faster today, I couldn’t keep up with him at the end of the race. My physical condition was not perfect and that also slowed us down a bit. Second place is a good result, we are only 20 points behind Casey and we will try again next time".
Site analysis : Leading the race for 26 laps, Jorge Lorenzo certainly thought he had won the game … before being joined and overtaken by a meteorite in the colors of the HRC! Lurking in the exhaust of the Yam ‘in the "straight not really straight" of the pits, Stoner has indeed dislocated the Yamaha with mastery, overtaking it from the outside at the start of turn n ° 1 !
Undoubtedly both stunned and sickened by the maneuver – especially since overtaking from the outside is in principle its own trademark! -, Lorenzo immediately gave up his hand, letting Stoner escape to victory. Following his heavy fall in qualifying (read our), the Mallorcan however appeared tested when he got off his bike. However, he was a good player, admitting that his injuries alone did not explain the outcome of the race..
Dani Pedrosa, Honda-Repsol (3rd in qualifying and 3rd in race) : "I’m very happy to be on the podium again, my second since returning from injury. I couldn’t have guessed this result because I knew it was going to be very hard physically here at Laguna".
"From the halfway point, I felt very tired. My left arm was much weaker and I had to slow down. This weekend we had a hard time adjusting the bike, grip was hard to find but the team did very well. Now we have a vacation and I will be able to rest, relax and resume training in order to get back into great shape for Brno !"
Site analysis : Author of the third fastest lap in the race – behind Stoner and Lorenzo – in 1’21.738, Dani Pedrosa nevertheless fails almost 10 seconds (9.467 sec) from the Australian on the finish line … Uncomfortable during during the warm-up, the little Spanish driver was not as sharp as his teammate in the corner entries and suffered physically on the demanding American track.
However, thanks to this third place, Dani climbs back to fourth in the provisional rank, with only 33 points behind his teammate Andrea Dovizioso: a significant performance, knowing that the n ° 26 still has four white results following his !
Ben Spies, Fiat-Yamaha (4th in qualifying and 4th in race) : "I got off to a very good start, but we lacked a bit of power in the upswing and I got stuck behind Valentino. I got past him as soon as possible, but it was hard because he is still very strong on the brakes. Once passed, I was quite behind Dovizioso but I continued to attack".
"I’m glad I was able to catch up with him and take fourth place. For us it was a very good race, it was just ruined on the first laps. I would have liked to be on the podium and I think we had the package to fight with Dani. It’s the race … and I still gave 100% !"
Site analysis : My party when the lights went out and then "corked" by Valentino Rossi (!), Ben Spies actually lost a lot of time during the first three laps. But it is not certain that he would have really been able to claim the podium: slower than the leading trio, the n ° 11 never fell below the 1’22 mark, unlike Stoner, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and same Dovizioso in his third and fourth round.
On the other hand, the American reacted well at the end of the race to tax a Dovizioso in distress and finally finish in fourth place. The winner of probably expected better at home, but he can console himself by telling himself that he is now only 10 points behind Rossi in the provisional (98 against 108).
Andrea Dovizioso, Honda-Repsol (6th in qualifying and 5th in race) : "We knew the race was going to be tough because it’s a very short track, with hard braking and a demanding layout. I got off to a good start and was able to move up to fourth position. I pushed really hard on the first laps in order to stay with Casey, Dani and Lorenzo, but I was losing a lot in some corners, especially the third and eleventh, and I had to catch up in other places".
"I’m disappointed because we had the pace to fight for a good result, but I wasn’t consistent enough. I lost to Spies and it was the first time I lost a duel this year. The good thing is that we were quick. Now we have to stay focused and keep working. We are third in the championship and we will continue to fight".
Site analysis : Beaten three laps from the finish, Andrea Dovizioso had bad at the end of the race. Normal, because not only does he see himself deprived of a fourth place which extended his arms to him, but above all he still finishes very far from his teammates in the clock: almost 21 seconds separated him from Stoner under the checkered flag….
Going from a promising small 1’22 to a worrying 1’23 from the middle of the race, the Italian fought to contain the comeback of Spies who will "bite" him all the same in the last laps. This underperformance falls rather badly for "Dovi", insofar as the big boss of the HRC has suggested that Stoner and Pedrosa could well be the only Honda-Repsol representatives in 2012 (read the sidebar in our)…
Valentino Rossi, Ducati (7th in qualifying and 6th in race) : "We worked hard this weekend … We started from a better position than in the last races and I got off to a good start trying to stay with the leaders. I had a good lap, then lost the front twice in turn 5 and almost fell".
"Then the race was tough because Nicky was stuck behind me and wouldn’t let me breathe! We obviously weren’t aiming for sixth place, but we have a lot of problems right now and we have to do our best with what we have.".
"We lose too much at the start of the turn, where I’m really very slow because I have no feeling. But Ducati continues to work and improve. We have to try to win the tenths that separate us from Spies, Sic and Dovi. After that we can think of the others"…
Site analysis : For the first time since joining Ducati, Valentino Rossi is lowering his objectives. From now on, there is no question of progressing to fight with Stoner, Pedrosa and Lorenzo, but already of finding the necessary speed to give the answer to Spies, Simoncelli and Dovizioso…
Disappointed by the slight difference in performance between "his" GP11.1 and the GP11 used by Hayden, the n ° 46 looked gloomy at the finish. Not only did he finish more than 30 seconds and go from fourth to fifth place in the provisional, but above all, the inevitable comparison with the former leader of Ducati is once again very hard to digest…
Last year on the Desmosedici, Stoner had indeed set the fastest lap in the race in 1’21.376, where the Doctor was stuck in 1’22.520 yesterday … Of course, the state of the American track did not not favored the performance: its lower grip than 2010 translated this year into higher lap times by about three tenths for everyone. But on an equal bike – even theoretically higher for the Italian – the gap is still something to be wondering about…
Nicky Hayden, Ducati (9th in qualifying and 7th in race) : "I have won several times here and this 7th place is therefore not a result to celebrate. We knew it was going to be tough and my crash in qualifying didn’t help matters. My start was okay, but I couldn’t put myself in the second group".
"It was a bit like at the Sachsenring, a good fight with Valentino but 30 seconds behind the leader … Vale was no faster than me, but he’s a real driver, he doesn’t make mistakes and doesn’t give up nothing! There are times when I thought I could get inside, but I didn’t want to risk dropping us just for a sixth place.".
"People who think he doesn’t work enough are crazy! I saw his right foot slip off the cleat several times and he narrowly missed the fall. We will have two weeks to rest, recharge our batteries and prepare for Brno. We must not fall into pessimism! I trust my team and Ducati and I think we can still have a good season"
Site analysis : Glued to the train of his leader throughout the race, Nicky Hayden has chosen not to tempt the devil. Sometimes a little faster than Valentino Rossi, the n ° 69 wisely stayed behind so as not to risk making a mistake..
He also very disappointed to finish so far from the leaders (31.031 seconds behind Stoner), the Kentucky Kid is however trying to make good heart against bad luck while waiting for better days. But his smile, so much appreciated by Moto GP fans, does not manage to completely hide his concerns: if Rossi "himself" breaks his teeth on the Desmosedici, how can one day hope to return to the forefront and return to victory? ?
Colin Edwards, Yamaha – Tech3 (11th in qualifying and 8th in race) : "Honestly, I’m really disappointed because it was my national race and I expected to do a lot better. I had problems with the settings all weekend long. We missed something in one of the last two races and it slowed our progress".
"This morning we adopted the same settings that I used last year and it wasn’t great, but I was already more comfortable than at the start of the weekend. It wasn’t the best possible setup, but I was able to be comfortable enough to attack and set good times.".
"I just lacked grip in the front and back. I was a second off the leader’s pace and when Cal fell in front of me I couldn’t keep up with Bautista. But I still score points that allow me to climb in the championship standings".
Site analysis : Despite his superb overtaking on Hector Barbera at the exit of Corkscrew, Colin Edwards was not really convinced on his land: relegated to more than 45 seconds from the winner, the Texan Tornado floundered in the development of his M1 and had to revert to 2010 specs…
Nevertheless, the n ° 5 leaves Laguna Seca all the same rather satisfied: not only does he climb a notch in the provisional (8th with 67 points), but the rumor claims that Yamaha could renew him to his post in 2012 in order to take advantage of his experience during the inaugural 1000 cc season. A great opportunity for the Texan who will be celebrating his 38th birthday early next year !
Randy de Puniet, Ducati-Pramac (15th in qualifying and forfeit in the race) : "I’m so sorry for what happened yesterday … I didn’t need this! Until then I was having a good weekend, I was fast in all sessions and I could have had a good race today"
"I am sorry for my colleagues who always work to the maximum to provide me with the most competitive motorcycle possible. I am sorry for our partners, who always support us even in these difficult times".
"I wanted to believe it until the last moment, but that night the pain had become unbearable and I had to call the doctors at the Mobile Clinic to relieve me. Contrary to what we thought yesterday, it is the pelvis that seems to be the biggest problem: the injury has swelled like a soccer ball and I even have trouble walking"…
Site analysis : Suffering from fractures of two lumbar vertebrae and a possible other fracture of the pelvis, Randy de Puniet has once again paid a heavy price for his fall in qualifying. Forced to forfeit the race (read our), the French driver was taken to a Los Angeles hospital for exams. He nevertheless hopes to participate in the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on August 14 after the summer break..
Currently 17th and last titular driver in the provisional, the resident of Andorra experienced a catastrophic first half of the season and already has six blank results in ten races … Under these conditions, this new setback could obviously not have come at a worse time..
Marco Simoncelli, Honda-Gresini (5th in qualifying and retirement in the race) : "I am really disappointed ! I don’t know if I could have caught up with Pedrosa if I hadn’t fallen. It’s impossible to say, but at least I know I could have fought with Dovizioso and Spies and it’s a shame. We had worked well and we had managed to improve with each session".
"At the start of the race, I quickly realized that the front axle was causing me more problems than during free practice. It closed a first time in turn 7 in the first lap, which is quite strange, and then a second time two laps later in turn 8. Now we must forget this abandonment and prepare to do our best in Brno".
Site analysis : To be completely honest, Marco Simoncelli is starting to disappoint. Ultra-fast this winter and during each practice session, the Italian too often misses the boat to continue to be considered a Moto GP "Top Gun".
Pointing only to tenth place in the provisional standings behind his teammate Hiroshi Aoyama – who does not have the official RCV – "Super Marco" is still not on the podium and accumulates missteps in the race…
Admittedly, the n ° 58 is young (24 years old) and has yet to learn to understand the limits of a demanding MotoGP. But he only has eight races left to achieve the coup d’etat that will convince his employer to close his eyes to the impressive pile of crumpled fairings that accumulates behind the Honda-Gresini box….
Next meeting on Sunday August 14 in the Czech Republic on the Brno circuit for the eleventh round of the 2011 Moto GP season: stay tuned !
Moto GP 2011 provisional general classification after Laguna Seca
Position-Rider-Motorcycle-Nationality-Points
Alexandre BARDIN – Photos DR
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