MotoGP: British Grand Prix *SPOILERS*

[Mothers Worry]

Stoner hopes for better run at Donington 

From autosport.com:

Stoner hopes for better run at Donington 

Thursday, July 23rd 2009, 18:03 GMT

Casey Stoner is optimistic that he will be closer to the leaders in the British Grand Prix after an encouraging performance at the Sachsenring.

The Australian has been severely hampered by illness in recent weeks, but in Germany he was able to stay in touch with the Yamahas until the final laps.

That improved showing and the chances of cool weather at Donington Park have given him hope that he might at least manage another podium finish this weekend.

"The last one at the Sachsenring was a lot more enjoyable for me, I had a lot more fun and was at least watching the fight rather than seeing it from a 10s gap," said Stoner.

"I was able to hang in there a little bit more in the last one, but I think a lot of that was due to the weather being very, very kind to me.

"We'll just have to see what we're capable of this weekend. We know this place can keep you nice and cool at the worst of times, so we hope to be somewhere near where we were at the Sachsenring."

He remains extremely frustrated that his poor health is preventing him from battling with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo - especially as he is confident that his Ducati is on a par with the currently dominant Yamahas.

"It's frustrating more than anything, because it came at a period when we'd found some solutions on the bike that had definitely been improving a lot of things," said Stoner.

"We're just going to have to wait and see - when we get rid of this thing, whatever it is, we can start to be a little bit happier towards the end of the race.

"These last races, the bike's been working so well, we should have been battling at least, even if we finished in the same position, I should have been a lot closer."

[Mothers Worry]

Rossi: Donington a great loss to MotoGP

From autosport.com:

Rossi: Donington a great loss to MotoGP

Thursday, July 23rd 2009, 19:00 GMT

MotoGP championship leader Valentino Rossi says he will be very sad to see Donington Park drop off the calendar, having described the Leicestershire track as an ideal venue for motorcycle racing.

Donington will lose MotoGP to Silverstone next season, with Formula 1 moving in the opposite direction, providing Donington's massive revamp is completed in time.

"I think it's a great pity that this is the last time, because this track is very suitable for motorcycles and it's always a great pleasure to ride the bike here," said Rossi.

"Also the weather is the famous English weather, so sometimes you have to fight with the rain and cold, sometimes the wind, but the track is great. The last part is a little bit too tight, but the rest is one of the best."

The Italian took his first premier class victory at Donington in 2000 - a result he followed with four more British GP wins in the next five years.

"I have a lot of memories at this track," said Rossi. "First victory with the 500cc, a lot of great battles with Loris [Capirossi] and with Marco [Melandri] in 2006 on the last lap.

"I haven't won since 2005, also because Casey [Stoner] for the last two years was very strong. Last year was very frustrating because it was second behind Casey but it was not possible to fight him for the victory, so we'll try this year to do better."

His Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was also disappointed to see Donington lose its place on the schedule.

"I have only ever tried the Silverstone track on the Playstation with an F1 game so it's a little bit sad for everyone to leave Donington because it is a track with a long history," he said. "It's a very nice track to ride. But the organisation has decided this and now we have to ride at Silverstone."

But their championship rival Casey Stoner was less complimentary about Donington, saying he had been unimpressed with the track ever since he first raced in Britain in his junior career.

"From day one I don't think I've ever liked this track," he said. "We've never really enjoyed this circuit. I remember when I first came here the only part of the track I liked was the Esses down to the last two hairpins. That was about it, because you could back it in a little bit going in. The rest of the track, for me, was just a lot of hard work and not a lot of fun.

"But to be honest, since I got on a MotoGP bike it's been a little bit more exciting. But still it's very hard work this track. Being near the airport, the track in the wet is unbelievably slippery, so you've really got to be on your toes every lap at this track and make sure you don't make any mistakes."

[Everso Biggyballies]

...Casey might not like the track but IIRC they dont like him much there much either.  Not a favourite of the locals that for sure.

Actually I think they all have problems with the low grip nature of the surface.

[bpratt]

Have they sorted out the safety issues of the new tunnel under the track yet ?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Have they sorted out the safety issues of the new tunnel under the track yet ?

Yes I think so because the licence was granted for not only this meeting, but also an F3 meeting a couple of weeks ago.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Ralf Waldmann to return for this weekends 250cc Donington GP

German ex-250cc vice champion of 1996 makes a return to the 250cc championship this weekend. The 43 year old replaces Leonov who just had a hand surgery.
Waldmann did an all time favourite ride at the 2000 Donnigton GP when he started with wet tyres on a dry circuit. He got lapped even and fell down to the end of the timing tables but then with a couple laps to go it started to rain and Ralf started a ride which brought him the victory there finally while all the guys with the slicks could not go the pace anymore

Waldmann also recently bought the MZ factory in Saxony and is into works to bring back the brand

[zimmer86]

go the WALDMANN!!!! Use to be a huge support of his. and yess what a race it was back in 2000.

[Everso Biggyballies]

go the WALDMANN!!!! Use to be a huge support of his. and yess what a race it was back in 2000.

He finished 18th in the dry practice for the 250's.  Not bad first time on the bike since 2002, nd aged 43

[zimmer86]

i think he did well considering his age and the team.

[Mothers Worry]

Rossi to use airbag system in Britain  

From autosport.com:

Rossi to use airbag system in Britain  

Friday, July 24th 2009, 19:38 GMT

Valentino Rossi is to use the Dainese airbag system in his race suit for the first time during the British Grand Prix weekend.

His Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo adopted the 'D-air' airbag seat from the last race at the Sachsenring, following his accidents at Laguna Seca and will also stick with it for Donington Park.

"After my falls at Laguna Seca, I no longer had any doubt that it was time to start wearing this new suit, which certainly offers more safety than the standard suit," Lorenzo said.

"Dainese has taken big steps forward in its perfection of the system, and we racers can make a further contribution in the creation of the prototype: we can't stop now.

"Like any innovation, it takes a little time to get used to wearing the new suit, but I feel much safer with the system on and that's the most important thing."

The D-air seat deploys an airbag to protect the rider's neck and upper back in the event of a fall. It has also been successfully used by 250cc champion Marco Simoncelli at recent events.

Some in depth information on this technology in Technical and Industry Discussion here:

Motorcycling: The Dainese airbag system

[Everso Biggyballies]

Rossi to use airbag system in Britain  

From autosport.com:

Rossi to use airbag system in Britain  

Some in depth information on this technology in Technical and Industry Discussion here:

Motorcycling: The Dainese airbag system

There is also a thread in the Bikes section from way back regarding Airbags in MotoGP here 
http://www.australianmotorsportforums.com.au/forum/index.php?topic=66.0

[Mothers Worry]

There is also a thread in the Bikes section from way back regarding Airbags in MotoGP here

Sorry about that I must have missed your original thread.

Rossi claims pole in Britain 

From autosport.com:

Rossi claims pole in Britain 

Saturday, July 25th 2009, 14:00 GMT

Championship leader Valentino Rossi continued his strong form by taking pole position at Donington Park after looking like he was struggling for most of the session.

The Italian trailed his three title rivals throughout the one-hour qualifying session until three minutes from the end, when he stopped the clock at 1m28.116s to demote Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo down to second.

Further attempts by Rossi and Honda's Dani Pedrosa got close but did not improve on that lap time, while Rossi impressed with his overall pace, with his three last laps all under the 1m22.2s barrier.

Pedrosa ended up second quickest, less than a tenth behind Rossi, with Lorenzo two tenths further back completing the front row.

Casey Stoner, who crashed his Ducati mid-way through the session and had to walk back to the pits, had to settle for fourth, followed by Andrea Dovizioso's Honda and Colin Edwards' Tech 3 Yamaha.

Marco Melandri qualified his Hayate Kawasaki in seventh, ahead of Toni Elias (Gresini Honda), James Toseland (Tech 3 Yamaha), and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) completing the top ten.

Former world champion Nicky Hayden, who showed improved form in the last two races, qualified his Ducati in a disappointing 15th position, with the American also going off the track twice but rejoining with no consequences.

Pos  Rider             Bike             Time
 1.  Valentino Rossi   Yamaha           1m28.116s
 2.  Dani Pedrosa      Honda            1m28.211s  + 0.095s
 3.  Jorge Lorenzo     Yamaha           1m28.402s  + 0.286s
4.  Casey Stoner      Ducati           1m28.446s  + 0.330s
 5.  Andrea Dovizioso  Honda            1m28.778s  + 0.662s
 6.  Colin Edwards     Tech 3 Yamaha    1m28.865s  + 0.749s
 7.  Marco Melandri    Hayate Kawasaki  1m29.065s  + 0.949s
 8.  Toni Elias        Gresini Honda    1m29.175s  + 1.059s
 9.  James Toseland    Tech 3 Yamaha    1m29.270s  + 1.154s
10.  Randy de Puniet   LCR Honda        1m29.434s  + 1.318s
11.  Mika Kallio       Pramac Ducati    1m29.599s  + 1.483s
12.  Alex de Angelis   Gresini Honda    1m29.600s  + 1.484s
13.  Chris Vermeulen   Suzuki           1m30.098s  + 1.982s
14.  Loris Capirossi   Suzuki           1m30.153s  + 2.037s
15.  Nicky Hayden      Ducati           1m30.268s  + 2.152s
16.  Niccolo Canepa    Pramac Ducati    1m30.572s  + 2.456s
17.  Gabor Talmacsi    Scot Honda       1m31.193s  + 3.077s

[Mothers Worry]

Dovizioso takes shock Donington win 

From autosport.com:

Dovizioso takes shock Donington win 

Sunday, July 26th 2009, 15:22 GMT

Andrea Dovizioso claimed his maiden MotoGP victory in an incredible British Grand Prix at a drizzly Donington Park.

The Honda rider just held off a charging Colin Edwards and Randy de Puniet, on a day when Valentino Rossi could only finish fifth after falling while battling for the lead with Dovizioso.

However he still extended his points lead as Jorge Lorenzo crashed out, Dani Pedrosa tumbled down the order as conditions worsened, and Casey Stoner finished a lap down following a disastrous tyre gamble.

The 30-lap race was declared wet before the start, but all riders started on dry tyres expect for the factory Ducati riders, with Stoner and Nicky Hayden starting on wets in the hope of an imminent downpour.

But the rain did not properly hit the track in the first half of the race, and when it did it did not last long and it was not heavy.

While the two Ducati riders fell to the back of the pack within the first lap, the rest of the field battled tooth and nail, with the lead changing from Rossi to Lorenzo, to Toni Elias and back to Lorenzo, and then to Elias again within the hectic opening lap.

Dovizioso, who almost crashed while trying to overtake Rossi on lap two, managed to make the move stick on the following lap before overtaking Lorenzo and Elias to grab the lead on the third lap.

It was then Lorenzo's turn to get back at the front on lap six, but it only lasted for three laps, when the Spaniard crashed his Yamaha under braking on the white paint at the Esses and retired on the spot, one lap after Elias had a high-side with his Gresini Honda as he battled with Pedrosa for fourth place.

Rossi thus inherited the lead with Dovizioso right behind him for the following 11 laps, until the reigning world champion lost the rear of his Yamaha in the chicane when the rain increased, and handed the lead to the young charger. Rossi, however, was able to rejoin, albeit in 11th place.

At that point Dovizioso had a large ten-second lead over de Puniet, which increased to more than 12s with seven laps to go. But that was when the LCR Honda rider, who had a major battle with Pedrosa until the rain worsened, began to close the gap.

Also making strides through the field was Edwards, whose Tech 3 Yamaha did not even figure in the top ten for the first third of the race. But within the following 15 laps the American got up to third and on the tail of de Puniet.

The two riders looked perfectly able to beat Dovizioso, with the gap down to 1.6s with three laps to go, but then the pair got into a battle with each other that saw them fail to get closer to the race leader, who was able to win with 1.3s in hand over Edwards.

Seven seconds behind de Puniet came Alex de Angelis (Gresini Honda) whose solid ride was good for an impressive fourth place.

Following his crash, Rossi salvaged an important fifth place, thanks to overtaking James Toseland's Tech 3 Yamaha on the final lap, while Marco Melandri classified his Hayate Kawasaki in seventh.

Niccolo Canepa had by far his best race of his rookie year by ending up eighth while his Pramac Ducati team-mate Mika Kallio finished in tenth.

Between them was Pedrosa in a disappointing ninth place. On a day when all his rivals made mistakes he did not, he was just too slow when the rain increased.

Stoner and Hayden finished last a lap down in 14th and 15th positions respectively, after the two were lapped by the race leaders even before the mid point of the race.

Pos  Rider             Bike               Time/Gap
 1.  Andrea Dovizioso  Honda            48m26.267s
 2.  Colin Edwards     Tech 3 Yamaha    +   1.360s
 3.  Randy de Puniet   LCR Honda        +   1.600s
 4.  Alex de Angelis   Gresini Honda    +   8.958s
 5.  Valentino Rossi   Yamaha           +  21.622s
 6.  James Toseland    Tech 3 Yamaha    +  22.465s
 7.  Marco Melandri    Hayate Kawasaki  +  35.284s
 8.  Niccolo Canepa    Pramac Ducati    +  38.769s
 9.  Dani Pedrosa      Honda            +  42.112s
10.  Mika Kallio       Pramac Ducati    +  45.845s
11.  Loris Capirossi   Suzuki           +  53.190s
12.  Gabor Talmacsi    Scot Honda       +1m12.315s
13.  Chris Vermeulen   Suzuki           +    1 lap
14.  Casey Stoner      Ducati           +    1 lap
15.  Nicky Hayden      Ducati           +    1 lap

Retirements:

     Jorge Lorenzo     Yamaha           8 laps
     Toni Elias        Gresini Honda    7 laps

Well this puts the cap on a eventful and unpredictable weekend of motorsport.

[the chad]

what a crazy race 

what on earth were ducati thinkin?!?!?!? they had soooooooo much to lose and not much to gain... im angry 

thank goodness lorenzo and rossi didnt smash some big points down

anywho... my dream team kicked ass haha 1st 2nd and 3rd haha

[Everso Biggyballies]

what a crazy race  

what on earth were ducati thinkin?!?!?!? they had soooooooo much to lose and not much to gain... im angry  

Caseys own decision.  Apparently.

He could get a job at Ferrari in their race strategy area!

[nayr37]

I don't understand the decisions made by front running teams in variable conditions. I think they over analyses the situation. Its as simple as looking at the track. Forget everything else. Is the track NOW wet or dry? finished... 2,3 laps on the wrong tyre and your race is destroyed. Ducati did 30 laps on the wets!!!!????? Your better off stopping every 5 laps if it means staying on the faster tyre.

armchair expert, i suppose

[Daniel08]

I would expect that kind of risk from a team that doesn't have the overall pace to have a good result. I suppose if it did pay off we would all think they are strategic masterminds. On the race it self, I couldn't say I expected that result. I'm disappointed that Rossi went down but he at least recovered well. Well done to Dovizioso he showed great promise last year and has performed very well this year. Has Pedrosa ever done well in the wet?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Maybe they (Casey / Nick / Ducati) felt they could 'do a Waldmann!'

Ralf Waldmann to return for this weekends 250cc Donington GP

Waldmann did an all time favourite ride at the 2000 Donnigton GP when he started with wet tyres (with rain on the way) on a dry circuit. He got lapped even and fell down to the end of the timing tables but then with a couple laps to go it started to rain and Ralf started a ride which brought him the victory there finally while all the guys with the slicks could not go the pace anymore

[Eno the Wonderdog]

I think Stoner was taking a leaf out of another Gold Medal Winning Aussie Sporting Star's  Handbook and was "Doing a Bradbury"