Go On Geezer!

The fry up. The scone. The pint of Marston’s Pedigree. The British Bulldog. And now, Cal Crutchlow. These things are synonymous with the British way of life, and now that Cal Crutchlow has become a winner for a 2nd time, it’s hard to ignore the fact that, he is one of the most talented sportsman in Great Britain. I suppose it’s like waiting for a bus, you wait ages and two come along at once; exactly what has happened in terms of waiting for a top class British winner.

“The Honeybadger” joined MotoGP in 2011, securing rookie of the year and a best finish of 4th at the final race of the year in Valencia. He came to MotoGP after winning multiple times in World Superbike, and although he had options to stay and be world champ, he acknowledged that he’d have to make the jump to a series on the up instead of stay in a championship in a spiral of decline.

It wasn’t obvious at first that Cal was in his natural habitat. Many people had thought he was just “another Brit”. The token British rider, there to purely keep interest in the sport over here in Blighty. So many people had tried and failed to become anything in MotoGP. James Toseland, the former double WSBK champion, couldn’t make it happen at premier level. Jeremy McWilliams, great on the 250s, but never allowing potential to fulfil in the premier class. Neil Hodgson was yet another one who was never given the opportunity. Shane Byrne on the Aprilia and on the KTM, not to mention James Ellison on the WCM and PBM ART machine. Yes, us Brits endured a torrid time, but then came along our saviour, our hero, our Cal.

2012 was a much better year for Cal. He battled with Tech 3 teammate Andrea Dovizioso all year, winning most of the scraps he had with the Italian. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Jerez, Crutchlow finished 4th, just 2.4 seconds off the win and half a second off his first podium. Eyebrows were being raised over here. Surely he wouldn’t be able to mount the podium on a Satellite Yamaha? In true Cal Crutchlow style, he went and proved the doubters wrong, taking a third place at Brno! The Brits were back, as Scott Redding was on the up in Moto2, as was Bradley Smith. Danny Kent was racing through the ranks too, having an incredible year in Moto3. Crutchlow rounded out the season with a podium at Phillip Island, finishing the season 7th.

2013 would prove to be even better! For the first five races, he wasn’t outside of the top 5. A crash in Catalunya whilst with the leading quartet blotted his copy book, but he fought back with a stunning 3rd in Assen, almost beating eventual champion Marquez in a last lap scrap, as well as taking 2nd at the Sachsenring, where he would have to beat Valentino Rossi, who was on the Factory Spec bike. British fans were daring to dream of a win, but then Cal made the decision to move to the Factory Ducati team.

The dreams suddenly ended. The energy has suddenly subsided. It was all very sudden indeed. The bike that had ruined the careers of Marco Melandri, Nicky Hayden and to an extent, Loris Capirossi. The bike that not even The Doctor of Rossi could cure. Crutchlow was taking a huge risk, but only one man knew that he would make it work, and that was Cal himself.

Re-joining old sparring partner Dovizioso at Ducati, Cal had a decent first outing, with 6th in the Qatari Desert. This was better than Valentino’s 2011 debut. However, a massive crash at COTA meant Crutchlow’s season was effectively over before it began. After 7 races, Cal had finished two of them, and now us Brits were once again thinking it was yet another talent squandered. A shock podium at Aragon in the rain was the only time Cal would stand back on the box. Despite running an impressive 2nd at Phillip Island, he crashed out on the final lap, due to a sudden drop in track temperature. The season was a season to forget, and maybe having a factory bike wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be. Another year we had to wait for a win then.

Cal went back to a satellite team in 2015, with the LCR team, replacing Stefan Bradl. Crutchlow took a thrilling podium away from Andrea Iannone at Argentina, nicking it on the final flick left to seal the deal and beat the rider who replaced him on the Bologna Bullet. It would prove to be his only podium of the year but it was a sign that Cal was back. Cal could be the rider he was back in his Tech 3 Yamaha days.

2016 started off the worst way possible. After three races, the Coventry rider wasn’t carrying on his form, but instead, he was propping up the series table, as he was rock bottom. Things got better for him at Catalunya, as he took a 6th, but then, the ball started rolling. A simply stunning 2nd position in Germany emphasised and reminded us all that the name “Crutchlow” was still a formidable force.

It would be the Czech Grand Prix however where the wait would finally end. Having been languishing down in 13th for most of the race, the harder option tyre came to Cal as the softer option went away for the front runners. He and Valentino stormed through the field, but the Brit was the one to prevail. On the back wheel in a way only Cal could, he took his first win. 35 years of drought had been ended by number 35 himself. Silverstone was next, and from pole position, Crutchlow took a 2nd place in front of thousands of home fans willing him on. The season was just unbelievably successful.

Then, along came the Australian Grand Prix. Starting from the front row, Crutchlow made an appalling get away, but he made up for it and soon he was 2nd. At Honda hairpin, the camera panned, and it was an orange flash flying through the Australian dirt. Marc Marquez, the champion, the race leader, had crashed out in dramatic fashion. This left Cal Crutchlow with a mammoth task of keeping hold of the lead for the remainder of the race against the fiercest competitor of all time, Valentino Rossi. But, not even Valentino could do anything about the run-away Brit this time. Crutchlow became the first ever British winner of an Australian Grand Prix across all the classes. He had done it in the wet at Brno, but now, he had done it in the dry of Australia.

Crutchlow has reaffirmed his position as one of the finest riders in MotoGP. Now, he is a double winner. He is one of only a handful of riders to win a WSBK race and MotoGP race. He has taken us through good times, seen us through the bad times, and at last, ended the drought of waiting for a British winner. A character loved by everyone in the paddock, can now say that he’s a double Grand Prix winner. His name can go next to Barry Sheene’s in the record books. Against the odds, doubters and adversity, Cal is arguably the first homegrown Brit who has gone through the national series, to World level and then to the Premier class. Not only to do it, but to make it work at each stage. He is a legend. Our Cal, Britain’s saviour. Britain’s favourite.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Vinales takes Superb 3rd as Espargaro falls in the battle for Top 3

Maverick Viñales raced to a sensational hard-fought third place in today’s Michelin® Australian Motorcycle GP after an exciting recovery from 13th place on the grid and a hard-fought battle with team mate Aleix Espargaró, who unfortunately slipped-off from his provisional third position with just five laps remaining.

Both Team Suzuki Ecstar riders were on podium pace from the morning’s warm-up, held in bright and dry conditions at Phillip Island, for the first time all weekend. And on the start, both GSX-RRs got great jumps with both riders immediately in the hunt.

Espargaró moved from fourth to third and Viñales started his climb through the pack that saw him catch-up from a lowly 13th on the grid, to challenge for the podium with nine laps remaining.

The young Spaniard traded places with his team-mate and Andrea Dovizioso in the race’s most exciting battle until Espargaró lost the front end after re-passing for third position in the closing stages; putting Viñales in line for his second successive podium in two weeks; his previous one being at Motegi in Japan.

Maverick Viñales: I thought I could catch Vale
“This podium has a very good taste to it, the weekend had been very hard this morning, but finally I was happy when I woke up today and saw the sun. We had very little time to finalise a set-up for the race, but finally the machine was very good to me and the tyre choice proved to be the right one, allowing me to recover and go for the third. I only had to be careful in the very early stages of the race because not having had the time to test the tyres I was not totally sure the front would support me, but after two or three laps I realised I could trust it. My pace was very good, I’m sorry for Aleix’s crash because we were having a strong race and we had a good pace. At the end, I also thought I could catch-up for second place, my pace was good enough to do it, but unfortunately I’d lost too much time in getting from sixth to third and the race was gone. Anyway, I’m really happy with the result, I want to thank my team because they did a very good job having such a short time to prepare.”

Aleix Espargaro: We proved we are more competitive recently
“I’m really sad because once again, just like in Japan, we were fighting for the podium until the last laps… it’s difficult because I felt I had the pace to catch-up for second, but I lost much time to keep my rhythm as I had to recover from passes on the straight. After the warm-up we took a gamble, going with the hard tyre at the front without having tried it properly in the warm-up, but also the team did a very good job improving the machine a lot for the race. I’m sorry also for them, I hope we will come strong again in Malaysia to be competitive again. We proved we can be a lot more competitive recently, so we will work to keep this positive performance.”

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Rossi completes heroic fightback to 2nd, Lorenzo up to 6th

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi took the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix to another level today, with a charge through the field from 15th on the grid to a stunning second place. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo overcame the challenges thrown at him this weekend by pushing hard from 12th on the grid and brought his YZR-M1 over the line in sixth place.

Rossi made a good start to the race at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as he jumped two places to 13th on the opening lap. Overtaking Scott Redding and Maverick Viñales, the Doctor fought his way past Nicky Hayden as he continued to battle his way to the front of the field. Having climbed up to eighth, he was trailing teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who he quickly overtook on lap three and then the pair smoothly pulled ahead of Danilo Petrucci.

Rossi gradually closed down the 0.4s margin to tack onto the back of Andrea Dovizioso and Pol Espargaró’s bikes. He then put the hammer down and set a provisional fastest lap of 1’29.795s, leaving behind his two rivals a lap later. He kept pushing in fourth place, trying to bridge the 0.4s gap to Aleix Espargarò and a podium finish.

As Rossi wrestled his way past Aleix Espargaró, drama struck as Marc Marquez crashed out of the lead on lap nine, handing the Italian second place.

The fight for the win was now between the nine-time World Champion and Cal Crutchlow, who was a little more than two seconds ahead of him. The Doctor was eager to hunt down the Briton, but the chase to the front of the field in the early stages of the race had taken its toll on his soft front tyre. Rossi decided to focus on maintaining his position after a small mistake on the brakes and cruised to a stunning second place, +4.218s from the front.

Lorenzo had a superb start from twelfth on the grid and quickly stormed to ninth in the opening laps. The Mallorcan was fully aware that his teammate and Viñales would be soon joining him at the front of the pack and hurried to deal with Stefan Bradl and Jack Miller two laps into the race for seventh place. A lap later Lorenzo was forced to let Rossi and Viñales through and followed them past Petrucci, but was unable to keep up with their pace.

With Marquez crashing at the front, the remaining second half of the race was a lonely ride for Lorenzo in sixth place, with a significant gap to both the bike in front and the back of him. Lorenzo focused on keeping the heat in his tyres to bring home some solid points and crossed the line +20.125s from the front.

Thanks to his stunning ride today, Rossi stays in second place in the championship with 216 points. He thereby increases the advantage over his teammate Lorenzo to 24 points, whose sixth place sees his points total raised to 192.

Rossi: Cal was too fast

“This morning we discovered that we had a good pace in good conditions and step by step I came back. At the beginning of the race, the first lap was very funny and I tried and hoped to go to Cal, but he was too fast and too strong. The first ten laps I enjoyed a lot. Cal was also my target and I thought that I could beat him because this morning I was a bit stronger. When I saw Marquez crash I thought I might be able to win and tried but unfortunately Cal was too fast. He is always very fast in Phillip Island and interprets this track in the maximum way. For me the second half of the race was more difficult and I couldn’t make a move, but this race is what we needed after the mistake in Motegi and the bad day we had yesterday, which I think was the most frustrating day of the season. It was a very positive day for the team and Yamaha and it’s been a positive race. Congratulations to Cal and thank you to all my team, to all the guys who did a great job.”

Lorenzo: The grip level drop on the rear tyre was huge

“The temperatures were the same as during the warm-up and we gave more or less the same performance and I made the same lap times, a 1’30.4s. The grip level drop on the rear has been huge, from the beginning I didn’t have grip, but that’s the way it is. As soon as the track has less grip, we struggle more and the problems we have with the bike double or triple. In Malaysia we shouldn’t have a problem with the cold, or grip as the track is new. It should have more grip than last year so I really look forward to a better result.”

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Dear Marco…

Dear Marco,

We hope that you are keeping the party lit up there. I can just imagine you now, with even longer, curly hair, carrying out a practical joke or telling a funny story. I bet you’ve made some amazing friends in the sky, mixing with your flatmates who also got there too soon, as well as the ones who have turned up over your five-year occupancy. You, Luis and Shoya, to name all but a few. What a night out.

It’s 5 years today since we parted company. You fought until the very end, but not even you could prevent the final chapter this time. I often reminisce over the 3rd lap of your final race. At first, unusually, I thought it was Hiroshi, your teammate and former rival back in the 250cc class. However, I soon realised that it was you, lying there, with your head down against the sun-baked, Malaysian asphalt. It was strange because I was more impressed with Valentino’s save than anything else, because in the back of my mind, I never considered that you would never be able to race or breathe again.

I wonder if you know how much of an impact you had on MotoGP? You took Gilera to their last world title in Grand Prix, as well as becoming the last Italian to win a championship in the intermediate class. You have a track named after you, and now your dad has entered a Moto3 team for next season. Oh, yes, Moto3. We moved from 2-stroke 125cc bikes to 4-stroke 250cc machines as the lightweight class now. They sound like a swarm of wasps but they provide racing that is so like your style. Arms and knees everywhere, pushing through at every chance. You’d be so proud.

I wonder what you would be doing sometimes, in scenarios during races but also what you’d say to some of the controversial situations that MotoGP has found itself involved in. I want to know how many race wins, poles, fastest laps and championships you’d have to your name by now. I want to know if number 58 on the bike would have changed to number 1 on the bike, or even, if you’d have changed manufacturers, and how many great battles you’d have won.

I wonder if you stay up late, watching over the season reviews at the end of every year. Just like me; desperate to stick on the DVD which condenses over 7 months of racing down to just 4 hours of drama. I wonder if you have gatherings, going out with your pals upstairs on pocket bikes, or maybe even visit some nice monuments if your age has got the better of you.

I wonder if you are reading this. Because I hope that somehow you are. I wanted to say that we miss you very, very much. If we could see you back on the grid, we would adore you (not that we didn’t anyway). We would do absolutely anything to get you to sign one more t-shirt, or even take one more ‘selfie’, that you may or may not have heard of. It is the Australian Grand Prix today; the last event MotoGP would see your flamboyancy and style on the podium. Whatever you do, try and watch it. Make sure your mates are around too, don’t be too selfish now.

We will meet again one day Marco, but for now, its Ciao. We miss you.

Yours Faithfully,

Millions of MotoGP fans worldwide

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Hayden: I love Phillip Island!

Nicky Hayden is set to return to the premier class for the second time this season. However, unlike last time, he will be riding for the Repsol Honda team, replacing the injured Dani Pedrosa. Hayden started his MotoGP career on a Repsol Honda, taking the world championship in 2006 before leaving at the end of the 2008 campaign.

“First of all my best wishes to Dani, I’m sure he will come back stronger than ever like he always does. For me it’s crazy hard work but it’s a chance, ten year after winning my World Title, to get back to my old “dream team”! Doing a week-end in Phillip Island on a factory Honda, it’s pretty emotional for me to even think about it, and I’m very grateful for this opportunity and the trust that Honda gives me. I want also to thank my current team for allowing me to go and do this, and the sponsors. Everybody worked a lot on every detail to make it possible for me so now I’m excited to get on a plane, to get down to Phillip Island and hopefully I can do a good job for the team. Regarding Phillip Island there are two things to always consider, the weather and the tyres but it’s a track I love and I can’t wait to ride the bike there. Let’s get started on Friday morning and go forward”.

Hayden is familiar with the Australian circuit, having raced there in the first part of his MotoGP career and also earlier this year, making his debut in World Superbike Championship for Honda.

Suzuki Head to Home Round Full of Optimism

The Japanese GP at Twin Ring Motegi Circuit is expected to be a poignant one in Suzuki Motor Corporation’s home country and will allow many of the factory’s engineers, technicians and developers to see with their own eyes the results of their efforts.

The circuit is considered favourable by both riders Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró, who will receive enthusiastic support from the local Suzuki fans and Viñales arrives in Japan full of enthusiasm after the positives from recent races; the Japanese GP will also be the young Spaniard’s 100th race in the World Championship. At the previous round in Aragon, Spain, he proved to be consistently-fast and capable of running with the fastest, having led the race for many laps and finally ending just a step off the podium. He also has a further incentive to perform well after his crash in last year’s race and wants to put in a positive performance for all the passionate Suzuki technicians from Suzuki’s Hamamatsu factory attending this the weekend.

Espargaró has undergone a strong training regime in preparation for the three fly-aways and is approaching the Japanese GP with full concentration and determination. Although his path to competitiveness has been hard recently, the weekend in Aragon proved that he can still be competitive and find good efficiency.

The GP of Japan will be raced on the Twin Ring Motegi circuit, a modern facility located among the vast natural beauty of the northern Kanto district. It consists of a 2.4 km (1.5 mile) oval – meant to introduce American motorsport culture to the country – and a 4.8 km (2.9 mile) road course, where the MotoGP™ race will take place, over a total distance of 24 laps (115.2 km – 71.5 miles.) The track the riders will be racing on takes in six left-hand corners and eight right-hand ones.

Maverick Viñales:

“My feeling for Motegi is very good, we are going to have a lot of support from fans and also the people coming to the race from the Suzuki factory. From my side I feel very confident, we are growing race after race and now we are aware that we can be competitive for the top positions in any race. It’s a good feeling, because it allows us to work with less pressure and keep the focus on our method. The machine has grown, but also our understanding of the electronics and the set-ups allow us to be more competitive. For sure in Motegi we will also take advantage to collect more information and transfer directly to the Japanese developers, it’s going to be a reward for their efforts but also a big injection of enthusiasm for them to push even further. Last year the rain complicated our weekend, so I’m happy that now we have different solutions to be competitive in the wet conditions.”

Aleix Espargaro:

“Racing as a Factory rider for a Japanese brand means that when it’s time to go to Motegi the emotion increases a lot. The warmth from our Company will be a further push for a positive weekend; recently I haven’t been as competitive as I would have liked because I can’t understand how to exploit the front tyre yet. My team is doing a great job, the machine has grown a lot, but I still miss that something in my riding style that could allow me to get closer to the top. I’ve made a strong preparation for this race, as it will also be the first of a three-in-a-row series that will be very demanding physically and mentally, and my determination is at the top, I would really like to get an outstanding result with Suzuki before the end of the season, as a reward for all the effort we have made so far.”

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Marquez Insists Taking Points is First Priority

Ahead of the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, the Pre-event Press Conference gathered Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) together, with talk centered on Marquez’ title chances and the Motegi venue on the new Michelin rubber.

Marquez began proceedings, and immediately wanted to divert talk away from his first mathematical shot at wrapping up the 2016 Championship. “Here is the first chance but there’s no need to talk about it!” said the 2013 and 2014 MotoGP™ World Champion. “So many things would have to happen – and it’s nearly impossible. I’m going to have the same mentality as until now, just work hard. We know Motegi won’t be like Aragon but I think we’re getting better and better. It’s a good circuit for my riding style but with our bike we struggle a bit here every year, but we’ll see because we also thought we’d be far in Misano but we were closer.”

With that same mentality, Marquez has a clear aim for the weekend: “To take points for the Championship is the most important, and if we can get on the podium, even better. Now we have three races in a row it’s important to finish all the races and stay calm in the practices because there are two more races soon. It doesn’t matter when or where, the important thing is to achieve our goal.”

Next to speak was P2 in the title – 52 points back on Marquez -Valentino Rossi. The Italian is optimistic for the weekend, but knows the key could rest with the Michelin rubber and understanding how to get the best out of it.

“This is a good track for us usually,” said Rossi. “I’ve had a lot of podiums but not so many victories. It’s a good track for the Yamaha but every year is different and as in every race this season we need to understand the tyres. I hope the weather is good and it’s warmer, because today it’s very cold. Three races in a row is always difficult – you can have a small problem in the first one and you pay very much. But they are three fantastic tracks!”

Teammate Lorenzo agreed the Yamaha suits the Twin Ring Motegi, and was also ready to get down to business understanding the 2016 package at the venue after having dominated much of the recent track time at the manufacturer’s home venue.

“We came back strong and this track should be good for my riding style – and the Yamaha,” agreed Lorenzo. “Let’s see how the tyres and the electronics are – if it’s similar to the last three years we should be ok.” The reigning World Champion also had a wholly positive view of the challenging three race stint, finding it physically easier in some ways to race back-to-back: “I like three races in a row, I like to stay on the bike as much as possible. When you stay on the bike more, your muscles are more ready.”

Maverick Viñales goes into the weekend trying to fight his way back into the top four of the Championship – and is happy to kick that project off in Motegi; a track that has usually been kind to him. “Last year here was good for me and I’m really motivated. I think it will be hard but maybe a bit better than Aragon. Here has always been a really good track for me, especially in Moto3, and it’s good for my riding style.”

Andrea Dovizioso was another optimist ahead of the Japanese GP, having been on pole at the venue in 2014 and had two top five finishes in the two most recent Motegi race weekends. “On paper this track looks good for us,” said the Italian. “We have strong acceleration. But, the tyres will make the difference and we’ll have to see tomorrow. In the last two years we’ve been quite competitive and I think we can be even better this year.”

Last to speak was Bradley Smith, who makes his first appearance back in MotoGP™ since damaging his knee in a practice session for the Oschersleben 8H after the Czech GP. Although physio and recovery is ongoing, the Brit is glad to be back on track and see how the injury holds up over a MotoGP™ weekend – rather than a gym simulation of one.

“It’s nice to be here,” smiled the Brit. “It’s been a challenging seven weeks and it’s not fun watching from the sofa! Physio’s been tough but my heart and head are 100% so I’ll try and make up whatever my knee is still lacking. Tomorrow I just want to get out on track and do some laps.”

FP1 on Friday at the Twin Ring Motegi gives Smith his first chance to try it out as the engines fire up for the weekend proper, with lights out for the first session at 9:55am (GMT + 9) as Marquez leads the field into the flyaways – 52 points clear and closing in on a third crown.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Aprilia Shine in Spanish Sun with Double Top 10

Aprilia’s positive trend was confirmed once again under the chequered flag at Aragón. The RS-GP machines ridden by Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl finished respectively in ninth and tenth place, with a gap behind the leader of just over 20 seconds for the Spaniard (23.071 for Bautista, 27.898 for Bradl).
This is a result that Aprilia has built toward throughout the championship, developing a bike in its true rookie season even directly in the races.

The race, where Bradl started from the twelfth spot on the grid and Alvaro from the fourteenth, began well straight away for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders, moving up through the ranks in the initial phases. In the subsequent laps, Bautista and Bradl’s pace shown through, both skilfully maintaining interesting times while their direct rivals showed an increasingly marked drop in performance. During the seventh lap, Alvaro overtook his teammate, proceeding to hunt down the pair made up of Pol Espargaró and Andrea Dovizioso. He engaged in a heated battle with the rider from Forlì, coming out on top and moving into a nice ninth place. Behind him, Stefan Bradl continued his progress, finishing the race in tenth place.

Bautista: We have definitely taken a step forward

“A good weekend for us, ending with a double top 10. I had good sensations in the saddle throughout all the practice sessions and we did a good job. The, in FP4, when I had a consistent pace even with used tyres, I realized that we could do well in the race. I battled with Hernandez and with Dovi, managing to overtake them, and I fell in behind Pol whose times were very similar to mine. We maintained a good pace and I saw that we continued to make up ground on the group that was battling for fifth place, but toward the end of the race I lost a bit of feeling with the rear tyre. In any case, ninth place is a great result for me and for Aprilia, considering Stefan’s performance as well. Since Misano we have definitely taken a step forward and I wish to thank the team and the guys who are hard at work at home. Now we will continue in this direction to finish the season well”.

Bradl: I have high expectations

“I am happy with the top 10 and the weekend in general. We improved during practice and I hope to be able to continue this trend in the coming races. We took a step forward in terms of settings from the Misano race, especially improving in the braking phase and giving me a better feeling with the front tyre. We were able to further perfect things here, finding a good base straight away on Friday and then working to sort the details. Obviously, there is still room for improvement, for example in taking better advantage of the rear tyre to be faster with new tyres, but we are not far off. Now I have high expectations for myself for the season finale”.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Disaster as Pramac Ducati experience points Drought in Spanish Desert

After a satisfying Saturday, that ended up with the double Top 10 earned in qualifying, the Sunday at Aragon does not give joy to the Octo Yakhnich Pramac team.

The start was good and Scott was able to overcome Petrux. At the first corner, the riders were ninth and tenth respectively, but a contact between the two forced the British rider to go wide and lose the front on the curb. Back on track after the crash, Scott finished the race without being able to fight for any points. After the clash, Danilo continued the race also if he had to deal with some technical problems that forced him to lap without a good pace. On lap 9, the Race Direction, after reviewing the contact, fined Petrux a “ride-through” penalty.

At that point, even his race was compromised. Petrux and Scott have finished respectively 17th and 19th.

Redding: It was really frustrating

“I am very sorry for what happened. I do not think it is a beautiful thing when it happens between teammates. I started quite well then that contact made me go wide and I could not avoid the crash. I continued until the end, but it was really frustrating because in the last 3 races I have not had the chance to fight with the others to gain experience with this bike in dry condition.”

Petrucci: I’m mortified

“I am very sorry for what happened with Scott. Since the first corner, I experienced problems with the bike, I could not brake properly, I was always going wide. Unfortunately, I touched Scott. I felt it was not a very heavy touch, but it was heavy enough to push him off the track. I am really mortified. He is very angry and will apologize. The remaining of the race was really hard.”

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Vinales mistake costs him podium charge, Aleix takes 7th with strong showing

Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró put in strong performances on their Team SUZUKI ECSTAR GSX-RRs at today’s Gran Premio Movistar de Aragón MotoGP in Spain after having led the race for several laps.

Viñales – choosing a hard/ hard Michelin tyre combination – took the lead on the opening of 23 laps at Motorland Aragon from his second position on the grid, and, apart from losing his lead a few times momentarily, controlled the race until almost half race-distance before running wide, but fought back to bring home a solid fourth-place and just off the podium.

Espargaró – using a medium front/ hard rear tyre choice – was also very much in the mix with the leading pack and at one stage moved to fifth position, eventually scoring seventh.

Maverick Viñales: I gave 100%
“Another positive race for me, although I’m never fully satisfied when I’m off the podium, but we must say that we gave 100% today. When the grip was supporting me I could do a really good pace, and in fact I took the lead in the race. I felt really confident and the lap-times came quickly and easily. Then suddenly the rear tyre lost performance due to the consumption and that is when I had to give-it-up a little. I couldn’t feel confident with hard-braking and also in acceleration, and trying to force the pace I made some mistakes that warned me to be more conservative in my riding. It was important to not have a crash and to finish the race; fourth is a lot better than a ‘NC.’ We knew I could have problems towards the end of the race with a worn tyre, we tried to put in some countermeasures with the electronics, but we still need to better-develop this set-up. We are continually learning and my crew did a really good job, we are getting better and better and the results in last races are evidence on this.”

Aleix Espargaró: It was too late
“I had bigger expectations for the race, especially to be more competitive at the beginning because the progress we made in this morning’s Warm-Up gave me bigger hopes. The start was positive but then I struggled a lot to overtake for the fifth position in the second part of the race, which was the one needed to keep in contact with the head of the race. When I succeeded it was too late to catch up. Anyway my feeling was a little better than last races but I still struggle to find a good feeling with the front. I’m not able to interpret the front tyre and exploit its potential. We made a lot of attempts and changes but I can’t adapt my riding style and so I cannot be as fast as I would like to be. I had a really good fight until the end, but finally I made a small mistake on the last lap and I lost sixth position.”

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

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