MotoGP – The Grand Prix of San Marino turn by turn –

Posted on by admin

The San Marino Grand Prix turn by turn

MotoGP - The Grand Prix of San Marino turn by turn -

Misano Adriatico. The brand new Italian track welcomes the MotoGP Grands Prix for the first time: a great opportunity for Rossi to come back, or for Stoner to drive home the point? Suspense for the 57,321 spectators present…

The Misano circuit, with its new surface, favors handling rather than speed: the powerful MotoGP do not even reach 250 km / n! Located a stone’s throw from Rossi’s birthplace, this type of route should a priori less favor the Ducatis than others. Rossi supporters, very present, will also be an additional motivation for the Italian champion.

Built in 1972, the Misano circuit hosted the Continental Circus in the 1980s until the early 1990s. The new track returns for 2007 with its 4200 m, its straight line of only 565 m and its five left turns for nine on the right.

Important detail, we turn in the opposite direction of the GPs of yesteryear. Nobody therefore really knows the track among the actors of the different categories … except Anthony West, who had won in Mondial Supersport !

Psychologically, Rossi is hyper motivated, having taken his first steps on this circuit which is 14 km from his native village: his fans came on foot, in procession !

125

Friday morning, the Hungarian driver Talmacsi takes the best on Pasini, Lombardi, Koyama, Espargaro, Corsi, Di Meglio, Pesek, Bradl, Gadea, Bonsey, De Rosa, Cortese, Masbou and Sancioni.

In the afternoon, the torrential rain that fell on Misano prevents the progress of the qualifying session…

Saturday morning, Pasini took the provisional pole ahead of Koyama, Talmacsi, Corsi, Espargaro, Gadea, Pesek, Faubel, Cortese, Bradl, Rabat, Smith, Krummenacher, Ranseder, Di Meglio and Masbou.

In the afternoon, the only qualifying session saw the Czech Pesek take pole, his first of the season and third of his career, ahead of Faubel and Pasini in the same tenth and Talmacsi at 0.171 s. In 2nd row, Corsi, Koyama, Rabat and Cortese are between 0.2 and 0.8 s from pole. Smith, Gadea, Di Meglio and Ranseder are more than a second apart, between 1.1 and 1.3 s on the 3rd row. De Rosa, Espargaro, Olive and Krummenacher will start from 4th row, between 1.3 and 1.5 s behind Pesek. Masbou will start 27th, 2.4 s from pole.

In the warm up, Corsi is ahead of Pasini, Faubel, Rabat, Talmacsi, Koyama, Gadea, Di Meglio, Pesek, Tamburini, Terol, Krummenacher, De Rosa, Espargaro, Olive and Masbou.

Departure. Pasini took the best start and took the lead ahead of Faubel, Corsi, Pesek, Talmacsi, Gadea, Koyama, Smith and Ranseder. Mike Di Meglio missed his start a bit and found himself 15th. Quickly, Pasini, Faubel, Corsi then Talmacsi who overtook Pesek took a few steps ahead of Koyama, Gadea, Ranseder and De Rosa. Sandi falls and gives up, forcing Masbou to exit in order to avoid her. French starts again antepenultimate. Koyama passed 6th in front of Gadea. Di Meglio goes back to 14th, then 13th.

On the 1st lap, Pasini leads ahead of Faubel, Corsi, Talmacsi and Pesek, then 0.8 s later Koyama and Gadea a few lengths ahead of De Rosa and Ranseder. 3.9 s from Pasini, Espargaro leads the main body ahead of Cortese, Rabat and Di Meglio. Masbou is 35th. Pasini prints a hellish rhythm that only Faubel, Corsi, Talmacsi and Pesek keep. A first duo Koyama and Gadea follows, then another with De Rosa and Ranseder.

On the second lap, Pasini – author of the fastest lap – slightly ahead of Faubel, then a little further Corsi, Talmacsi and Pesek hang on, a few lengths ahead of Koyama who lets go of Gadea, then De Rosa and Ranseder. Rabat leads the peloton ahead of Espargaro and Di Meglio, who returned to 12th.

In the 3rd lap, Pasini, Faubel – author of the best lap -, Corsi, Talmacsi and Pesek lead, then Koyama and Gadea at 2.2 s, De Rosa and Ranseder at 4 s, and already at 7.6 s the peloton led by Rabat, Di Meglio 11th and Espargaro. Corsi takes advantage of Faubel’s attacks on Pasini to get closer to the two leaders and bring back Talmacsi and Pesek. Faubel attacks and passes Pasini at the entrance to the triple right, then Corsi also doubles the Italian, imitated by Talmacsi.

At the 4th passage, Faubel leads in front of Corsi, Talmacsi, Pasini and Pesek. Koyama is at 1.8 s, Gadea at 2.6 s, De Rosa and Ranseder at 3.9 s, Rabat and Di Meglio at 8 s. Pasini came back to 3rd in front of Talmacsi in the aspiration which precedes the tight left, then Corsi took the lead under braking on the same left at Faubel, just like Talmacsi who took back 3rd place under braking at Pasini. Koyama returned to the top five, Gadea a few lengths behind him.

On the 5th lap, Corsi leads in front of Faubel, Talmacsi, Pasini, Pesek, Koyama then Gadea – author of the best lap. De Rosa and Ranseder are at 4.2 s, then at 8.5 s Di Meglio is 10th in front of Rabat. Masbou came back 25th. In the first winding part of the circuit, under the impetus of Corsi very fast at this point, Koyama and Gadea again lose contact.

At the 6th passage, Corsi, Faubel, Talmacsi, Pasini, Pesek then Koyama and Gadea lead. De Rosa and Ranseder are at 5.5 s, then at 9.5 s Rabat is passed in front of Di Meglio. Masbou is 24th. At the end of the straight, Faubel brakes Corsi and takes the lead. Pasini came back to third in front of Talmacsi at the entrance to the double right. In the process, he passes 2nd in front of Corsi at the aspiration of the stretch.

Gadea passed 6th in front of Koyama but widened in the tight left and lost contact: the two men lost ground on the five leaders in the maneuver. Faubel and Pasini take a few steps ahead of Corsi, Talmacsi and Pesek. Corsi returns to contact by taking advantage of Pasini’s attempts on Faubel.

On the 7th lap, Faubel, Pasini, Corsi, Talmacsi and Pesek were 1.8 s ahead of Koyama, 2.4 s over Gadea, 6.7 s over De Rosa and Ranseder, 10.4 s over Rabat, Di Meglio and the rest of the peloton. At the end of the straight line, Pasini brakes Faubel who, surprised, deviates and immediately loses a few lengths on the Italian. Corsi comes back to 2nd in front of Faubel who goes back to suction in the stretch, but Corsi insists and returns from a superb interior in the triple straight.

On the 8th lap, Pasini – author of the fastest lap – leads with 0.8 seconds ahead of Corsi, Faubel, Talmacsi and Pesek, then Koyama, Gadea, and Rabat, Di Meglio, Olive and Espargaro. Masbou is 24th. Pesek passes 4th in front of Talmacsi.

In the 9th lap, Pasini, author of a new fastest lap, increased his lead to 1.3 s over Corsi, slightly detached from Faubel, Pesek and Talmacsi, then to 3.1 s Koyama was again joined by Gadea. De Rosa and Ranseder are at 10.8 s and at 13.6 s follow Rabat, Di Meglio, Iannone, Olive and the peloton.

On the 10th lap, Pasini further increased his lead over Corsi who was ahead of Faubel, Pesek and Talmacsi. Koyama and Gadea stay within range, then De Rosa and Ranseder are followed more and more closely by Rabat, Iannone and Di Meglio.

In the 11th lap, Pasini was 1.7 s ahead of Corsi, 2.2 s over Faubel, Pesek and Talmacsi, 4.1 s over Koyama and Gadea, 14.5 s over De Rosa and Ranseder and 16.3 s over Rabat, Di Meglio, Iannone, Espargaro and Olive. Masbou passed 23rd.

On the 12th lap, Pasini still widens the gap on Corsi who is ahead of Faubel, Pesek and Talmacsi, then Koyama and Gadea, De Rosa and Ranseder who see Rabat, Di Meglio and the rest of the hunting group return to less than 1.4 s.

On the 13th lap, Pasini increased his lead while Corsi limited the damage. Faubel, Pesek, Talmacsi, Koyama and Gadea follow, then De Rosa and Ranseder who are only 0.9s ahead of Rabat, Espargaro, Di Meglio and the peloton. Pesek attacks and passes 3rd in front of Faubel under braking from the left tight. Pesek makes the effort to pick up Corsi and takes Faubel and Talmacsi on his ascent.

On the 14th lap, Pasini was 2.4 s ahead of Corsi, 3.3 s over Pesek, Faubel and Talmacsi, 4.6 s over Koyama and Gadea and 18.8 s over De Rosa and Ranseder now joined by Espargaro, Rabat, Di Meglio, Olive, Iannone, Bradl, Krummenacher and Smith. Espargaro passes 9th ahead of Ranseder at the draw of the stretch.

On the 15th lap, Pasini was 21.8 s ahead of Corsi, 3.4 s over Pesek, Faubel and Talmacsi, 5 s over Koyama, 6.5 s over Gadea and 19.9 s over De Rosa and the rest of the group. Masbou is 21st. Rabat in turn passes Ranseder for 10th place. Pesek who released Faubel and Talmacsi returns to Corsi’s wheel. Espargaro passed 8th in front of De Rosa on braking at the end of the straight line.

On the 16th lap, Pasini was 3.5 s ahead of Corsi, Pesek, Faubel and Talmacsi grouped together. Koyama leads Gadea by 2.1 s. 1.5 s later, De Rosa who rebels passed Espargaro again under the eyes of Ranseder, Rabat, Di Meglio, Olive, Krummenacher, Iannone, Bradl and Smith.

In the 17th lap, Pasini leads while Corsi regained a little margin on Pesek, Faubel and Talmacsi, then Koyama, Gadea, Espargaro, De Rosa, Rabat, Ranseder and Di Meglio. The French made a small mistake and ended up 17th. At the entrance of the triple right, Pesek is up to Corsi who resists: the two men touch each other, Pesek loses the trajectory and must give way to Faubel and Talmacsi … Koyama also takes advantage of the fight to return slightly on the four men.

On the 19th lap, Pasini was 4.5 s ahead of Corsi, Faubel, Talmacsi and Pesek. Koyama is only a second behind them, then Gadea at 9.7 s and the Espargaro group at 24 s. Di Meglio is 17th, Masbou 21st.

On the 20th lap, behind Pasini who is leading largely, Corsi, Faubel, Talmacsi and Pesek are almost joined by Koyama. Pesek loses the rear when accelerating out of the first left, falls and starts again in the race but far behind, out of the points. Koyama, forced to go off the track to avoid the Czech Derbi, once again lost contact with the Corsi Faubel Talmacsi trio. Faubel makes the aspiration to Corsi in the stretch and passes in the break on the right in spite of the virile opposition of the Italian! In the triple right, Corsi reacts immediately and infiltrates inside Faubel to regain his second place.

On the 21st lap, Pasini leads while Corsi, Faubel and Talmacsi compete for the podium. Koyama tries to come back again but Gadea seems resigned and the fight for the now 7th place rages between Espargaro, Krummenacher, Bradl, Smith, Rabat, Olive and Di Meglio who let go of Iannone. In the stretch, Faubel again passes 2nd in front of Corsi. But again, in the triple right, Corsi regains the advantage by accelerating between the two breaks inside Faubel !

Under braking which controls the last slower part of this triple right, Faubel presents himself inside Corsi. He does not manage to pass it, but Talmacsi, who had also infiltrated inside Faubel, prevents the Spaniard from moving away to avoid hitting Corsi. The inevitable happens: Faubel while trying to take inside Corsi touches Talmacsi and the slightly unbalanced Spaniard spurs Corsi: the two men go to the mat and Talmacsi, placed inside, manages to pass without damage. Faubel set off again but, like Pesek shortly before, far behind the points. Corsi, him, is forced to abandon…

At the start of the last lap, Pasini leads well ahead of Talmacsi alone 2nd, Koyama alone 3rd and Gadea alone 4th. Espargaro now 5th takes Krummenacher, Bradl, Ranseder, Smith, De Rosa, Olive and Di Meglio.

Pasini therefore won a well-deserved solitary victory at home ahead of Talmacsi and Koyama who completed the podium. Gadea finished 4th, Espargaro 5th, Krummenacher 6th, Bradl 7th, Smith 8th, De Rosa 9th, Ranseder 10th, Rabat 11th, Olive 12th, De Meglio 13th, Iannone 14th and Cortese 15th. Faubel finally finished 17th, and broke his bubble with a furious punch on the line … Pesek is 20th and Masbou 21st.

In the championship, Talmacsi with 189 points does the right thing and takes the lead ahead of Faubel 179. Koyama takes the provisional 3rd place with 145 points ahead of Pesek 129, Corsi who remains at 119, Gadea 118, Pasini 111, Espargaro 83, Smith 82, Olive 76, Ranseder 63, Cortese 60, Krummenacher 58, De Rosa 49 and Rabat 47. Di Meglio is 18th with 25 points and Masbou 21st with 15. On the brands side, Aprilia leads with 290 points ahead of KTM 148, Derbi 143 and Honda 100.

250

Friday morning, Dovizioso sets the best time ahead of Linfoot, H. Aoyama, De Angelis, Bautista, Luthi, Cluzel, Kallio, Lorenzo, Abraham, Barbera, Baldolini, Locatelli, Simon and Espargaro.

As in 125, the afternoon session was canceled. Saturday morning, Lorenzo takes back power before Dovizioso, Kallio, Bautista, Locatelli, Luthi, Simoncelli, H. Aoyama, De Angelis, Simon, Barbera, Takahashi, Lai, S. Aoyama and Wilairot. Jules Cluzel sets the 17th fastest time.

In the afternoon, the qualifying session saw Hiroshi Aoyama very quickly hold pole for two thirds of the session. But three quarters of an hour from the end, Lorenzo seizes it and goes down his times until the end, leaving no one the opportunity to replay it. Lorenzo takes pole 0.163 s in front of Dovizioso, 0.338 s in front of Barbera and 0.4731 s in front of H. Aoyama who completes the first row. In 2nd row, Kallio, Bautista, Luthi and Simon are in the same tenth, 0.6 s from pole. Simoncelli, De Angelis, S. Aoyama and Takahashi form the 3rd line between 0.7 and 1.2 s from Lorenzo. Espargaro, Locatelli, Lai and Wilairot, in 4th row, are between 1.6 and 2 s from pole. Just behind, Jules Cluzel will start 17th with a time 2.3 s behind Lorenzo.

In the warm up, the inevitable Lorenzo leads Dovizioso, Kallio, H. Aoyama, Simoncelli, Bautista, Luthi, Barbera, Simon, S. Aoyama, De Angelis, Takahashi, Locatelli, Espargaro and Cluzel 15th.

Departure. It was Dovizioso who took the best start and took the lead in front of Lorenzo, Barbera, Kallio, Bautista, H. Aoyama, De Angelis who passed Aoyama, Simoncelli, Luthi and S. Aoyama. Cluzel started well is 14th. Luthi passed 8th in front of Simoncelli. Dovizioso, Lorenzo then Barbera quickly take a few steps ahead of Kallio.

In the first lap, Dovizioso, Lorenzo and Barbera lead ahead of Kallio, Bautista, De Angelis and H. Aoyama. Further on follow Luthi, Simoncelli, S. Aoyama, Locatelli, Takahashi, Simon and Cluzel. Simoncelli suddenly takes 16th place, then no longer goes in front of the lap after crossing the line.

On the second lap, Dovizioso, Lorenzo and Barbera were 1 s ahead of Kallio and Bautista – author of the fastest lap -, 2.1 s on De Angelis and H. Aoyama, 3.2 s on Luthi and 5.3 s on S. Aoyama, Locatelli, Simon, Takahashi and Cluzel 13th. At the entrance of the triple right, Barbera attacks and passes Lorenzo from a superb interior.

On the 3rd lap, Dovizioso leads by 0.4 s in front of Barbera and Lorenzo, 1.2 s in front of Kallio and Bautista, 2.1 s in front of De Angelis and H. Aoyama, 3.5 s in front of Luthi and 6.7 s in front of S. Aoyama, Locatelli, Simon, Takahashi, Espargaro , Laverty and Cluzel, in 15th position. Simoncelli returns to the stand and gives up. Braking from the left tight, Bautista passed 4th in front of Kallio. In the stretch, Lorenzo passes Barbera back to the suction.

On the 4th lap, Dovizioso was 0.7 s ahead of Lorenzo, Barbera, Bautista – author of a new fastest lap – and Kallio, then, a few lengths later, De Angelis and H. Aoyama, then Luthi, Locatelli, Simon, S. Aoyama, Takahashi and Cluzel. Lai in turn is forced to give up. H. Aoyama passes 5th in front of De Angelis.

In the 5th lap, Dovizioso leads ahead of Lorenzo, Barbera, Bautista, then Kallio, De Angelis and H. Aoyama. Luthi sets the fastest lap ahead of Locatelli, Simon, S. Aoyama, Takahashi and Cluzel.

At the 6th lap, Dovizioso leads, Lorenzo, Barbera and Bautista follow, then come Kallio, De Angelis, H. Aoyama and Luthi who have almost returned to the Japanese wheel. Further, Locatelli takes, Simon, S. Aoyama, Takahashi, Cluzel, Espargaro and Laverty.

In the 7th lap, Dovizioso, Lorenzo, Barbera and Bautista lead. Kallio – author of the fastest lap -, De Angelis, H. Aoyama and Luthi, who returned to the aspiration, follow. Cluzel is 13th.

On the 8th lap, Dovizioso leads ahead of Lorenzo, Barbera, Bautista, Kallio, De Angelis, H. Aoyama – author of the fastest lap – regrouped, then Luthi who again lost contact. 12.4s behind the leader, Locatelli took a good lead over Simon, S. Aoyama, Takahashi, Cluzel and the rest of the field. Bautista takes 3rd place at Barbera with a superb interior under braking.

On the 9th lap, Dovizioso, Lorenzo, Bautista, Barbera, Kallio, De Angelis and H. Aoyama preceding Luthi, then Locatelli ahead of S. Aoyama, Simon, Takahashi and Cluzel. When accelerating between the two parts of the double right, Bautista loses the rear, starts again very quickly in 11th position, but he broke his right footrest and his brake pedal! Suddenly, Barbera and the following lost contact with Dovizioso and Lorenzo…

On the 10th lap, Dovizioso and Lorenzo were 1.4 s ahead of Barbera and Kallio, 2.1 s over De Angelis and H. Aoyama, 3.2 s over Luthi, 15 s over Locatelli joined by S. Aoyama, Simon, Bautista, Takahashi and Cluzel . H. Aoyama passed 5th ahead of De Angelis at the change of angle at the start of the circuit. Luthi is back in the wheel of the two pilots.

In the 11th lap, Dovizioso and Lorenzo were 1.7 s ahead of Barbera and Kallio, 2.8 s over H. Aoyama, De Angelis and Luthi, 15.8 s over Locatelli, S. Aoyama, Simon, Bautista, Takahashi and Cluzel. Luthi faster than De Angelis at the entrance to the double right is forced to go out into the grass to avoid hitting the San Marino pilot and once again loses contact! Kallio forcefully passes Barbera in the tight left which follows the right stretch.

In the 12th lap, Dovizioso and Lorenzo increase their lead, Kallio, Barbera and H. Aoyama gradually let go of De Angelis, Luthi is 2.2 s behind them, then come Locatelli, S. Aoyama, Simon, Bautista, Takahashi and Cluzel.

On the 13th lap, Dovizioso and Lorenzo were 2 seconds ahead of Kallio who gradually let go of Barbera, now under the threat of Aoyama who showed him his front wheel, De Angelis made the junction again and Luthi stayed far behind them. Cluzel is still 13th.

On the 14th lap, behind Dovizioso and Lorenzo, Kallio tries to come back, and behind him, H. Aoyama manages to pass Barbera at the end of the straight line. When entering the double right, Barbera brakes again, but deviates and has to give up 4th place again.

In the 15th lap, Dovizioso and Lorenzo are still 2 s ahead of Kallio, 3.5 s over H. Aoyama, 4.2 s over Barbera and De Angelis, 5.4 s over Luthi – the fastest on the track – who comes back again, 21.6 s on S. Aoyama passed 8th in front of Locatelli, Simon, Bautista, Takahashi and Cluzel. Lorenzo starts to put pressure on Dovizioso by showing him his front wheel when entering a curve…

On the 16th lap, Dovizioso and Lorenzo lead. Kallio is at 2.1 s, then come H. Aoyama, Barbera, De Angelis, Luthi – less than 1 s from San Marino -, S. Aoyama, Locatelli, Simon, Bautista, Takahashi and Cluzel always in that order. When passing a retarded person on the stretch, Lorenzo takes the lead in front of Dovizioso! But in the double right, Dovizioso returned to the inside, then had to give way again to acceleration in front of the power of his opponent’s Aprilia. In the triple right, Dovizioso again infiltrates under Lorenzo’s wheel to the clamor of the public and takes back the lead !

On the 17th lap, Dovizioso and Lorenzo were 1.9 s ahead of Kallio, 2.8 s over H. Aoyama – author of the fastest lap -, the two KTMs came back! At 4.2 s behind the leader, on the other hand, Barbera and De Angelis lost ground 0.9 s ahead of Luthi. At 24 s, S. Aoyama is still taking Locatelli, Simon, Bautista and Takahashi. Cluzel stalled and rolled alone 13th with 3s of margin on Espargaro. When braking after the stretch, Lorenzo attacked and again took the lead from Dovizioso. Once again, Dovizioso returns to the inside in the tight straight, then Lorenzo returns to the acceleration of the stretch.

At the 18th lap, Lorenzo and Dovizioso lead while Kallio and H. Aoyama – author of a new fastest lap – return. De Angelis and Barbera won, Luthi came back on them, then Locatelli and Simon passed S. Aoyama who precedes Bautista and Takahashi, a few seconds ahead of Cluzel.

Suddenly, a twist: Dovizioso’s Honda is starting to tighten! The Italian tries to start again but he is forced to return to the pits before giving up, extremely disappointed as we can imagine…

In the 19th lap, Lorenzo was therefore the only leader, 2.5 seconds ahead of Kallio and H. Aoyama grouped together, 6.1 seconds ahead of De Angelis and Barbera, practically joined by Luthi, who had 27.5 seconds ahead of Locatelli, S. Aoyama, Simon, Bautista, Takahashi and 33.5 s ahead of Cluzel who now has a 4 s lead over Espargaro. Barbera returns to 4th in front of De Angelis under braking the double right.

At the 20th lap, Lorenzo leads while H. Aoyama gradually climbs back up, bringing Kallio back. Barbera and Luthi have returned to De Angelis. Behind, Locatelli always takes S. Aoyama, Bautista, Simon, Takahashi and further on Cluzel now 12th, following the misadventures of Dovizioso.

In the 21st lap, Lorenzo leads while H. Aoyama comes back and Kallio gradually wins? Barbera and Luthi follow who are gradually leaving De Angelis behind. Kallio, who was trying to get back on his teammate H. Aoyama, goes to the high-side at the acceleration of the triple right, fall, manages to start again but will have to retire soon after.

On the 22nd lap, Lorenzo who has raised his pace leads now 2.8 s ahead of H. Aoyama, 7.2 s on Barbera, 8.1 s on Luthi, 8.6 s on De Angelis urged to come back up by his stand, then to more by 32 s, Locatelli now precedes Bautista, S. Aoyama, Takahashi and Simon, then Cluzel who passes 11th in front of Kallio in slow motion before retiring. Luthi goes outside the vibrator in the double right, loses contact with Barbera again and is instead under threat from De Angelis.

In the 23rd lap, Lorenzo leads alone, H. Aoyama is alone 2nd and Barbera is 3rd with only 0.6s of margin over Luthi and De Angelis. Cluzel is now 11th !

On lap 24, behind Lorenzo then H. Aoyama, Barbera managed to keep 0.4 s ahead of Luthi and De Angelis. Locateli stands up to S. Aoyama, Takahashi, Bautista and Simon. Cluzel, he holds his own in 11th place.

At the start of the last lap, Lorenzo further increased his lead, 4 seconds ahead of H. Aoyama and 8.3 seconds ahead of Barbera who was joined by Luthi and De Angelis! S. Aoyama passed 6th ahead of Locatelli, Bautista, Takahashi and Simon. Cluzel is 11th.

Another victory for Lorenzo who becomes the Spanish record holder of victories in 250 cc, with 16 victories ahead of the 15 of Sito Pons and Dani Pedrosa. Hiroshi Aoyama 2nd and Barbera 3rd finished the podium after having held up well to Luthi 4th and De Angelis 5th. Shuhei Aoyama finished 6th, Locatelli 7th, Bautista 8th without footrest or rear brake (!), Takahashi 9th, Simon 10th, Cluzel 11th, Espargaro 12th, Wilairot 13th, Abraham 14th and Laverty 15th.

In the championship, Lorenzo therefore escapes with 241 points in front of De Angelis who with 187 passes just in front of the unlucky Dovizioso 186. Follow Bautista 135, Barbera 119, H. Aoyama 108, Kallio 94, Luthi 85, Simon 75, S. Aoyama 72 , Simoncelli 57 and Takahashi 56. Jules Cluzel, 23rd, has 9 points. On the brands side, Aprilia leads with 281 points ahead of Honda 196, KTM 138 and Gilera 75.

MotoGP

Friday morning, during a delicate session due to the rain, it was Melandri who set the best time ahead of Rossi, Stoner, Capirossi, Edwards, Hayden, De Puniet, Hopkins, West, Barros, Vermeulen, Pedrosa, Checa, Hofmann, Nakano, Roberts, Guintoli and Tamada. Toni Elias chooses not to participate in this session.

In the afternoon, as for the other two categories, the second session is canceled due to flooding which will have to be the subject of a big job on the part of the organizers to restore good track conditions, going up to dry the last turn with the blades of a helicopter !

Saturday, the second session sees Melandri very in verve go out wide beyond the vibrator: his rear wheel loses grip in the grass and hangs up suddenly, ejecting the Italian who falls heavily on his back but gets up, hit in the sacro lumbar. His motorcycle leaves in huge barrels that end in the nets above the airbags.

Against the clock, it was Stoner who took the fastest time ahead of Rossi, West, Checa, Edwards, Vermeulen, De Puniet, Hayden, Pedrosa, Capirossi, Hopkins, Tamada, Barros, Guintoli, Melandri, Hofmann, Elias, Roberts and Nakano.

The only qualifying session sees Randy de Puniet hold pole until 15 minutes from the end of the session, ahead of a moment by his teammate West until Randy’s next pass which improves again … But 10 minutes from the end During the session, Vermeulen took the lead, but 2 minutes later, it was Rossi, then Stoner who took the best time, Randy coming back to 2nd, 5 / 1000th behind Stoner. 2 minutes from the end, big fight for pole with Rossi, West, Hayden and Edwards who take turns in front … Hayden passes, then 1 minute from the end, Rossi establishes pole with 0.4 s d ahead of the American! But at 5 seconds from the end of the session, Stoner finally took pole, 0.174 s ahead of Rossi !

In the 1st row we will therefore have Stoner on pole for the 4th consecutive time, Rossi and Hayden at 0.5 s. In 2nd row, De Puniet, Hopkins and Pedrosa are between 0.5 and 0.6 s from pole. Checa, Vermeulen and Edwards, on the 3rd row, are between 0.7 and 0.8 s behind Stoner. West, Guintoli and Melandri are in 4th place, between 1 and 1.3 s. Capirossi, Nakano and Elias form the 5th row between 1.3 and 1.7 s from pole. Tamada, Barros and Roberts are in 6th place between 1.9 and 2.6 s and Hofmann brings up the rear at 2.7 s of the official Ducati stopwatch.

In the warm up, very hotly contested, it was Vermeulen who set the best time ahead of Pedrosa, De Puniet, Hopkins, Stoner, Rossi, Hayden, Checa, West, Melandri, Capirossi, Edwards, Barros, Elias, Hofmann, Nakano, Guintoli, Tamada and Roberts.

Departure. Stoner immediately took the advantage ahead of Hopkins, Rossi, Vermeulen who made the outside to Rossi after an incredible start, Pedrosa, De Puniet and Hayden. Between the left end of the straight line and the right that follows, De Puniet tries to infiltrate inside Pedrosa, but goes high-side under acceleration and mows down the little Spaniard, forcing Hayden and Roberts to pass. in the gravel and set off again last! It is the abandonment for Pedrosa and De Puniet after only two turns…

In the first lap, Stoner therefore leads in front of Hopkins, Vermeulen who took the upper hand over Rossi, Capirossi, Edwards, Checa, West, Nakano, Melandri, Elias, Guintoli, Barros, Tamada, Hofmann and much further on Roberts and Hayden. Melandri then Elias pass Nakano. Stoner took a few steps ahead of Hopkins and Vermeulen, themselves with a little margin on Rossi followed by Capirossi, then Edwards, Checa, West, Melandri and Elias who have already let go of Nakano. Vermeulen attacks Hopkins who resists. West then Melandri pass Checa.

On the second lap, Stoner was 0.6 s ahead of Hopkins (author of the fastest lap) and Vermeulen, 1.9 s on Rossi, 2.9 s on Capirossi, 4.3 s on Edwards followed by West and Melandri then Checa just behind them. In the change of angle between left and right, Melandri infiltrates under West’s wheel to pass 7th. Halfway through the circuit, Hopkins returned to the Stoner wheel. Melandri passes 6th ahead of Edwards now threatened by West and Checa !

On the 3rd lap, Stoner leads ahead of Hopkins, who made the fastest lap, Vermeulen and Rossi 1s behind the Australian. Capirossi sees Melandri come back like a cannonball, Edwards tries to resist West and Checa, then follow Elias, Nakano, Barros, Guintoli, Tamada, Hofmann, Hayden and Roberts. Checa passed 8th in front of West. Halfway through the circuit, Melandri returned to Capirossi’s wheel.

On the 4th lap, Stoner was 0.7 s ahead of Hopkins and Vermeulen, who had the fastest lap, 2.3 s on Rossi, 6 s on Capirossi and Melandri, 7.4 s on Checa, 8 s on West who let Edwards overtaken by Elias and 10.3 s on Barros which distances Nakano but on which Guintoli and Tamada return. At the change of angle which follows the straight line, Melandri passes 5th in front of Capirossi, then in the following turn 4th in front of Rossi who is idling, engine broken! It is astonishment in the stands of Misano: the public is in shock at the bad luck of its champion, forced to retire after only four laps…

On the 5th lap, Stoner was 1.1 s ahead of Hopkins and Vermeulen, 7.2 s on Melandri who had an incredible comeback, 7.7 s on Capirossi, 8.4 s on Checa, the first Michelin driver on the track, 9.7 s on West, 10.2 s on Edwards, 11.1 s on Elias and Barros, 13.3 s on Nakano and Guintoli, 14 s on Tamada, 15.3 s on Hofmann, 27.7 s on Hayden which turns 2.5 s slower than Stoner and 28.4 s on Roberts. Rossi slowed down to retire his stand … In the change of angle between right and left following the straight line, Vermeulen took 2nd place at the expense of his teammate: superb! Little by little, Vermeulen releases Hopkins.

On the 6th lap, Stoner was only 1 s ahead of Vermeulen, who had a new fastest lap, but 1.6 s over Hopkins who clearly fell behind his teammate. Melandri 4th distance little by little Capirossi, then Checa got rid of the West threat still followed by Edwards. Stoner, who feels the threat of Vermeulen, faster in the slow sequences, takes shape, takes the advantage in the fast part of the circuit.

On the 7th lap, Stoner was 1.1 s ahead of Vermeulen. Hopkins wins, then Melandri 4th sees Capirossi come back again who does not let go, then Checa, West, Edwards, Barros, Elias, Nakano, Guintoli and Tamada.

On the 8th lap, Stoner again lost 0.2 s ahead of Vermeulen. Hopkins couldn’t keep up, then Melandri only had a 0.3s margin on Capirossi. Checa is also back and far behind, West holds the high for Edwards and Barros who passed Elias.

On the 9th lap, Stoner again regained a small tenth lead over Vermeulen who turned in the same lap as Hopkins. Melandri held firm in front of Capirossi, then Checa who made the force returns on the two men. Edwards has passed back to West who is under threat from Barros and Elias. Roberts pulls straight under double right braking.

On the 10th lap, Stoner again lost a little lead, 0.9 seconds ahead of Vermeulen, but 2 seconds ahead of Hopkins. At 12 s from the leader, Melandri regained 1 s lead over Capirossi, who returned Checa less than 0.5 s. Edwards is 16.7 seconds behind Stoner, 0.5 seconds ahead of West, Barros and Elias. At 20 s, Nakano is under threat from Guintoli.

On the 11th lap, Stoner kept 0.9 s ahead of Vermeulen who was grappling meter after meter. Follow Hopkins, Melandri, Capirossi, Checa closer and closer, Edwards alone 7th then Barros passed 8th in front of West now threatened by Elias, and behind them, Nakano joined by Guintoli.

On the 12th lap, Stoner, who accelerated, regained 1.2 s ahead of Vermeulen thanks to a new lap record. Hopkins is at 3.9 s, then Melandri gradually distances Capirossi who keeps Checa in check. Edwards secures his lead over Barros, West and Elias while Nakano has taken to the air on Guintoli. Hofmann passed 13th ahead of Tamada.

On the 13th lap, Stoner further increased his lead over Vermeulen and took over a second per lap from all the other drivers, Hopkins included! Melandri consolidates his 4th place, Capirossi his 5th, Checa his 6th, Edwards his 7th, Barros his 8th and we have to wait for the 9th place to see West and Elias in the fight.

On lap 14, Stoner, still the fastest on the track, consolidated his lead over Vermeulen. Hopkins takes 7.5 s behind the leader, Melandri is 16.9 s, Capirossi at 18.2 s, Checa at 19 s, Edwards again threatened by Barros at 24.5 s, West at 25.7 s, Elias at 26.5 s, Nakano at 28.5 s and Hofmann and Guintoli at 33.3 s. Barros passes 7th ahead of Edwards.

On the 15th lap, Stoner was a little slower than Vermeulen but seemed to be in control of the race. Hopkins resigns himself to his 3rd position ahead of Melandri, Capirossi, Checa, Barros, Edwards again threatened by West, then Elias. Barros in turn was forced to retire after a mechanical breakdown !

On the 16th lap, Stoner continued to increase the gap on Vermeulen. Hopkins, Melandri and Capirossi run slower than Checa on their Michelin. West and Elias are ahead of Edwards who was embarrassed during Barros’ heist.

In the 17th lap, Stoner leads, Vermeulen follows, Hopkins ensures, Melandri again loses a little lead over Capirossi, Checa stagnates and West and Elias let Edwards go on Nakano.

On the 18th lap, Stoner increased his lead over Vermeulen to more than 2 s. Hopkins is almost 10 seconds away, Melandri and Capirossi neutralize each other within 1 second, Checa lets go, then West resists Elias. Edwards is only 0.5s ahead of Nakano.

On the 19th lap, Stoner, Vermeulen and Hopkins are the fastest but Melandri has only 0.7 s of margin on Capirossi. Checa secures his position, West has taken to the air on Elias and Edwards is just over 0.3 seconds ahead of Nakano.

On the 20th lap, Stoner was 2.7 s ahead of Vermeulen, 10.9 s on Hopkins, 22.1 s on Melandri, 23.3 s on Capirossi, 27.7 s on Checa, 34.9 s on West, 35.5 s on Elias, 38.3 s on Edwards who reacted and resumed 0.6 s ahead of Nakano.

In the 21st lap, Stoner turns under 1’36. Vermeulen is the 3rd fastest, Hopkins the 4th, Melandri the 5th and Capirossi, 2nd fastest on the track, reduced again from his delay on Melandri.

On the 22nd lap, Stoner reinforces while Vermeulen assures and Hopkins attacks, just like Melandri panned out of Capirossi’s time. Checa remains in its position.

In the 23rd lap, the positions of the leaders are well established: nothing changes, except that Capirossi is forcing to return to Melandri, just like Elias to return to West.

On the 24th lap, Melandri was only a small second ahead of Capirossi and Elias got closer to 0.6s from West.

On lap 25, Capirossi was 0.8 s behind Melandri. Elias is in the wheel of West: the Spanish passes the Australian in this lap.

On the 26th lap, Melandri accelerated again and put back 0.9 s of margin on Capirossi. Elias gradually distances West.

At the start of the last lap, Stoner is now 5.3 s ahead of Vermeulen and 13.8 s over Hopkins. 23.2 s behind the leader, Melandri put 1.5 s between him and Capirossi. Checa secures his 6th place ahead of Elias who consolidates his 7th. Follow West, Edwards alone 9th and Hofmann in the wheel of Nakano, who tries a last boost but without success.

Stoner therefore wins another solo victory – his 8th! – ahead of a nice Suzuki double with Vermeulen 2nd and Hopkins 3rd. Melandri despite his injury finished nice 4th after starting from 12th position on the grid. Capirossi is 5th, Checa 6th, Elias 7th, West 8th, Edwards 9th, Nakano 10th, Hofmann 11th, Guintoli 12th, Hayden 13th, Tamada 14th and Roberts 15th.

In the championship, Stoner takes a huge lead with 271 points, or 85 points ahead of Rossi who remains at 186 … Pedrosa with 168 points is caught by Vermeulen 144 and Hopkins 140. Follow Melandri 126, Edwards 100, Capirossi 98, Hayden 92, Barros 83, Hofmann 65 and Elias 63 passing De Puniet 58. Guintoli is 18th with 28 points.

In terms of brands, Ducati also leads here with 283 points ahead of Honda 219, Yamaha 213, Suzuki 191, Kawasaki 90 and KR 212 V 14. The official Ducati team with 369 points also leads the standings ahead of Fiat Yamaha 286, Suzuki Rizla 284, Repsol Honda 260, Honda Gresini 195, Pramac D’Antin 148, Kawasaki 108, Tech 3 61, Honda LCR 45, Konica Minolta Honda 37 and Roberts 14.

They explain themselves…

Casey Stoner (1st): "the second part of the season is usually when I get stronger"
I’m approaching the championship race after race … Valentino had no luck and neither did Dani … Me, I was in front, I was doing my race and I also had a lot of pressure. I was very focused not to make mistakes because it was really hard today. It’s a great victory. Yesterday, I was not so confident but afterwards, when I lined up on the starting grid, I was sure of my settings. Everything went well, I got off to a good start and was immediately able to gain the advantage. If a leading group had come off, my plan was to cut it to reduce the number of competitors: I expected a really tough race! The team really did a great job this weekend, they gave everything for me. After this great race, I thank my trainer Anthony, with whom I work as soon as I have a second free. The second part of the season is usually the one where I gain strength and I hope it will be so in the following races … but we’ll see! The more I drive my Ducati, the more comfortable and faster I feel !

Chris Vermeulen (2nd): "Suzuki and Bridgestone have done a great job to offer us this magnificent package on this new circuit!"
I am very happy to be on the podium. I said earlier this year that there would be two Suzuki Rizla on the first few steps before the end of the season and I am happy that it has come true! Of course, I’m happy to be ahead of John, but I congratulate him and the whole team for this good result. We had no machine data until we got here. Suzuki and Bridgestone have done a great job to offer us this magnificent package on this new circuit! I had a good start from the third row, which is a good position to threaten the others, especially since it is difficult to overtake here. I quickly climbed to fourth position then I still had to pass John and Valentino, two of the toughest to overtake … but I managed! Afterwards I tried to pass Casey and thought I would succeed but I think I used my rear tire too much in the action and in the end I was slipping a bit. Once again, I would like to thank Tom and the whole team and also the guys from Bridgestone for this weekend !

John Hopkins (3rd): "it’s a very good result and we will try to make further progress"
Two Suzuki Rizla on the podium, it’s a good day! I had a great start, which is often decisive here, and I narrowly avoided the accident on the first lap. I wanted to hang on to Casey early on. The Bridgestone tires turned very well from the start and the machine was also very good. I was scared when I attacked a little too hard at the entrance to a fast right and almost lost the front. I got a little scared, my lap time collapsed and I lost some time. I heard Chris behind me, he came in from the inside and passed me: I knew he was in a big pace at this point in the race and tried to follow him until I am having a problem with my slider that only got worse, until I had to take it off and put it back on! I’m not sure if that’s when it was, but Chris and Casey picked up a hell of a pace and I couldn’t keep up … I’m happy with this result for Suzuki and for the team. It’s a very good result and we will try to make further progress. I have high hopes for Estoril !

Sylvain Guintoli (12th): "I secured my place so as not to make mistakes"
Once again, the motorcycle-tire package performed well in practice where I placed 11th with the best top speed, but a notch below the duration of the event. I had fun at the start of the race riding with Nakano and we got back on the group that preceded us, until the 12th lap when my rear tire started to show fatigue. So I had to let go, then I secured my place so as not to make a mistake and score new points, especially as my pursuers were pointed 12 seconds behind me..

Nicky Hayden (13th): "when I took to the track again, I was way too far away"
What to say … A new incident in the first corner. I did not have a good start and it is not forgivable starting from the first row. I’ve had some great starts lately, but screwed this one up. I lost a few places and the collision in the first corner almost marked the end of my race … I saw everything happening right next to me and I had absolutely nowhere to go. I thought I was going to have to get down before I hit the wall of tires, but luckily I was able to stay on my wheels. But when I got back on the track, I was way too far away. Everything has gone well since Brno and we have proven this year that we will not give up. So we will come back tomorrow for new tests before the next race in Portugal.

Valentino Rossi (retirement): "we have to wait for the engineers to examine what happened"
At the start I felt that my tires weren’t hot enough and that I was slipping from the back on the start line … But that aside, I felt good, solid, with a good pace and confident in the rest of the race as my tires warmed up. Except that on the fifth lap, I braked hard and I felt that something was going: it was the end of the race for me … I had the same engine as in the Brno practice and I was felt good, we do not yet know what the problem was and we have to wait for the engineers to examine what happened … It would have been great to do a result in Misano, and also useful for the points! I really like the track and I would have liked to do well in front of all the fans, it was so touching to see so many people dressed in yellow … It wasn’t the case and now the championship is going to be very , very difficult … Breaking after only a few laps is frustrating and bad luck, especially since we had good times in practice and wanted to make a result. In such circumstances, you have only two options: either drop it, or analyze the incident and work even harder to get back. That’s what we’re going to do at Yamaha, me, the engineers and the whole team. There are five races to go and we will try to take the points we deserve. Even today, Stoner was the strongest, well done to him! We have a lot of work left before Estoril…

Randy de Puniet (retirement): "I don’t know if I braked from the rear or not"
I don’t know what happened … We have to analyze the data, because when I tried to change direction at the entrance to the left turn, I chased from behind, hit Pedrosa and j fell. I don’t know if I braked from the back or not, I have to look at the data to understand what happened. Of course, I am very disappointed. I have the feeling that I did well this weekend, so finishing the race at the second corner is not good! Fortunately, there were no major injuries: during the fall, the footrest bumped into my back and it hurt me, but nothing dramatic. But yes, for sure, I’m not satisfied…

Dani Pedrosa (abandonment): "the only positive thing is that I am not hurt"
It’s a shame that I crashed because I had a good start and I could hope to fight with the leaders. I was in the second corner when I got hit from the inside, it’s really the only thing I remember. There is always a risk of crashing like that in the first corners, especially on such a narrow circuit. But it’s really bad luck that it’s happening to me for the second time this season, like in Turkey. The only positive thing is that I am not hurt. I am disappointed but we have to move on and keep fighting for the best position in the championship. Hope we will have more success in Portugal…

Rendezvous for the GP Portugal, in Estoril, September 16 !

J. ARSOUILLE – Photos DR and F. KIRN

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *