Sam Lowes was left fuming after being punted off track and out of the British Grand Prix after title rival Johann Zarco barged his way up the inside at Brookland’s corner. The Frenchman was penalised but Lowes was livid as he knew he had the pace to win the race and keep his title hopes alive.
The Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 Team leaves Silverstone with a bitter taste in the mouth after dominating almost all the British Grand Prix weekend with Sam Lowes: in today’s race the 25-year-old British rider, started from pole, could not avoid the crash after a contact caused by Johann Zarco with just three laps to go, just after Sam passed the French rider and was catching race leader Thomas Luthi.
Immediately after having been overtaken by Lowes, Zarco was right back inside of Sam with an unfair move, touching and forcing the English rider to go off the track and crash. Zarco’s maneuver, considered irresponsible riding by the Race Direction, who sanctioned the French rider with 30 seconds on his final race time, effectively put an end to Sam’s race, who still managed to rejoin the race, crossing the finish line in 21st position.
Lowes: Zarco deserves the penalty
“I had some problems early in the race, but then later it was easy for me to recover: in the final stages I was feeling really comfortable so, with three laps to go, I passed Zarco and I was already thinking about catching Luthi, because I felt to have something in the pocket. Then Zarco made a move on the inside, pushing me off track with a stupid maneuver. Zarco made something wrong, and I think he made it on purpose, so he deserved to be penalized, but at this point I don’t care about it: apart from the Championship, today was a special day for me and I wanted to win, but for this it was not possible. I worked hard during all the weekend and I was fast on both dry and wet, then in the race I was in a good position to win. I really wanted to get the win in my home race, and it’s a difficult to accept this situation, because I didn’t make any mistake. I’m very sorry for the team because they did a great job. Now the only answer we can give is to return in Misano even stronger”.
Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko
Parc ferme after qualifying. Formula One World Championship, Rd 17, Korean Grand Prix, Qualifying Day, Korea International Circuit, Yeongam, South Korea, Saturday 23 October 2010.
Neil Simmons
In the first of what will be my weekly Monday column, I look back at the weekend of racing and give my thoughts on what I witnessed.
Welcome to Parc Fermé.
I was fortunate enough to sit in the seat and perform live comms for The Pit Crew Online covering the 6 Hours of Mexico in the World Endurance Championship. The moody Mexican sky gathered menacingly above the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The teams and fans alike gazed up, wondering when the weather would change. Audi looked cautiously to the track, wondering whether they could stop the Porsche onslaught. Porsche themselves, in control and leading the championship chase were confident. Toyota a distant ray of hope, possibly still reeling from the heartbreak of Le Mans. The ‘what ifs” and “what could have been” thoughts still swirling round their heads in the paddock, their mood as dark as the clouds that covered Mexico City.
How would the race unfold? What would the reaction of the fans be? How would this new chapter in the story play-out? Dramatically and with incident would be the answer.
As I mentioned in my article http://www.thepitcrewonline.net/#!From-Mexico-With-Love/cjds/57cbf54af97b694429bc4d35 this was a new race and it was unknown territory.
It just worked. Tremendously well.
Olly Jarvis losing control of his Audi, sent pirouetting across the track before slamming into the barrier. The team straight on the radio checking to see if he was hurt. He replied that all was well, be it sounding shaken and slightly emotional.
Lotterer, chasing hard, too hard. He locked up and clipped the barrier. That was the race for the win over. Today would be Porsche’s day, again. A Toyota side-swiping the LMP2 car of ESM, they were given a penalty and rightly so in my opinion. The Aston Martin of Dalla Lana face planting the barrier with the gentle assistance of Ford. Another penalty. The raging, tug of war battles across the field and the ongoing conflict between Audi and Porsche which resulted in both cars diving into the pits. Now it was a battle of the pit crews.
The forlorn sight of a Corvette, battered and stricken on the track with pieces of bodywork hanging off. The car was dented, the team wounded. The inter-changeable weather that refused to pay attention to Race Control. “We expect rain in fifteen minutes.” That was the message. It arrived in five. The weather, unlike the race, can’t be controlled.
Mexico produced a race of dramatic steel, but with charm. It was unknown, but it delivered and then some.
And that brings me to the next series I watched at the weekend. Formula One.
Monza. The Italian Grand Prix. Just those words conjure up images of passionate fans packed into this arena. The nostalgic allure of the old circuit, memories of days gone by. It should have been a celebration with fireworks, dancing girls and an Italian street party with loud pumping music.
Except it wasn’t.
It was more like a birthday party for Auntie Doris at the local village hall with bunting, paper hats, party poppers and cup of cocoa. It wasn’t the spectacle it was supposed to, or even deserved to be.
Rather than concentrate on the damp squid which was the race, I will as always try and pluck some positives from it.
Whether you are a Rosberg or Hamilton fan, there is no denying that Nico’s win was dominant and commanding. He controlled the lead he had and managed to put in a totally professional performance. He capitalised on Hamilton’s bad start.
I have seen the idiotic comments on social media from both Rosberg and Hamilton fans over the last couple of years and I saw a few more over the weekend. That’s just what they are. Idiotic.
Jenson, on the back of his news, looked feisty (as much as you can be in a McLaren at the moment). Then we have Fernando Alonso. After pitting towards the end he came out and showboated a fastest lap. Not only did this put a smile on the faces of McLaren fans, it actually proved that unharnessed and released from its shackles, the car is quick. It also reinforces the fact, if it had been forgotten, that Alonso is a fast driver given the right tools. Just needs to work on those mood swings of his.
I was playing catch-up. My recording box primed with times of races so detailed it was a like a master battleplan and I was the General.
Buckle up, it’s time for the mayhem, chaos and excitement that is Moto3.
Brad Binder extended his lead to 86 points in the Championship. He could possibly sit in the garage, put his feet up and have a cup of tea for the next couple of races if he wanted to. He won’t and nor should he. The likeable South African put in a great performance to win the Octo British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The Silverstone track was bumping the riders all over the place. The old lady is getting on a bit now and it’s starting to show.
Binder was assisted in putting one hand on the trophy after Jorge Navarro was unceremoniously ejected from his bike. At first it looked as though Andrea Migno had clipped him, but on the replay you see that it was actually the wildcard rider Stefano Manzi. Navarro and Migno came together after Manzi’s contact and they both went tumbling. Manzi, who had started on the second to last row of the grid, carried on and managed to put himself in fifth place at the chequered flag. The collision aside I think there might be a few teams looking at this young man.
Last season British fans were in the same position as South African fans. We look at our rider surging ahead in the points, putting in one sublime performance after another and yet there is still that nervousness of what if? If Binder gives South African fans the kind of end of season that Danny Kent gave us Brits you’re in for an edge of the seat finish. That said, I think Binder will be crowned Moto3 champion.
It was Moto2 next and it was time for Sam Lowes.
The battle for the title is on. Zarco, Rins and Lowes (though some might add Luthi to that now). It has been an epic tussle between the three of them and as Sam sat on the grid, pole position, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. Come on Sam!
The race went off at a furious pace and then Zarco started to come back. In a press conference before the race he had stated that he needed to stop Lowes. He stopped him alright, but it definitely wasn’t sporting. Lowes was catapulted by Zarco as the Frenchman barrelled his way through on the inside. I have no qualms whatsoever laying the blame of Sam Lowes crashing out at the door of Zarco. It was a reckless move from the defending champion and he kept his word. He stopped Lowes.
There is no taking it away from Thomas Luthi, who rode a fantastic race and has put himself back in the Championship hunt, now six points behind Lowes. We should have had a Brit on the podium in the Moto2 race at Silverstone, but it wasn’t to be.
The main race. The big one. MotoGP.
For the entire Silverstone weekend the pressure had been put on Cal Crutchlow. After a second place at the Sachsenring and winning the Czech Grand Prix, the fans were hoping for more. Ever since the birth of his daughter Cal has just looked and raced like a different man. He admitted feeling the pressure.
He delivered.
Cal Crutchlow. British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Pole Position. As I type that it gives me goosebumps.
Aside from Cal the spotlight was also on Scott Redding and the replacement for the injured Bradley Smith. A certain Alex Lowes had moved across from the Yamaha World Superbike Team to take the ride for Smith. His first ever MotoGP ride. With the obvious interest in Rossi (where isn’t there?) somebody forgot to tell Maverick Vinales that he didn’t have a lead role in this production.
The race however would have a scary start as Pol Espargaro and Loris Baz had a coming together at Turn 2. That’s around 180mph. Both their bikes went cartwheeling across the grass, the riders themselves bouncing around with the debris. The rest of the field sped round the corner and the riders went sliding across the track, bikes weaving to avoid them.
My heart was in my mouth. Red flag. Of course there had to be a red flag, though it did take a while to come out.
Thankfully both riders are fine.
The re-start. Vinales skipped by Rossi and Crutchlow and I sat and waited for the Yamaha and Honda rider to close down the gap on the Suzuki. I waited and waited. Nope. Maverick had cleared off into the distance and won the British Grand Prix by over three and a half seconds. Suzuki’s first dry weather win since 2001.
It was the battle behind which had the fans stomping, cheering and shouting. Cal Crutchlow was involved in an almighty battle with Iannone, Rossi and Marquez. Iannone decided to throw his bike at the scenery at Luffield and that left the Brit, the Italian and the feisty little Spaniard to go at it hammer at tongs…..and didn’t they just.
What pleased me the most was the hard, fair battle between Rossi and Marquez. None of those silly shenanigans we saw last season, no bad mouthing after the race. Just good, hard racing. Cal Crutchlow wasn’t ready to be bullied by Marquez either and stuck his Honda in second place ahead of both the factory bikes. He was using the chassis that the factory team had decided not to use. He did not disappoint the British fans in what was an epic race.
Cal Crutchlow on the podium at Silverstone. Smiling again.
It was full of incident and that brings me nicely to my conclusion.
I witnessed four absolutely brilliant races at the weekend in WEC, MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 and the yawn-fest affair in Formula One.
Now, don’t get me wrong I have been an F1 fan for over forty years now so I am not a hater, just disappointed that the sport which gave me the passion for motor racing as a child is…well…not as interesting as the other series I have watched this weekend….well actually the entire season.
Time to buck your ideas up F1, you are being out-gunned and out-played. Let’s hope this proposed buy-out injects some excitement, I say that more hopefully than with any conviction.
Here are my “Weekend Awards”:
STAND-OUT WEEKEND PERFORMANCE
Maverick Vinales
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND
“Look at Cal! Maybe I should go and make a baby.” – Valentino Rossi
AWKWARD MOMENT OF THE WEEKEND
Valtteri Bottas blanking David Coulthard on the Grid Walk…..twice.
PUT-DOWN OF THE WEEKEND
“When you have played a gig to 400-500 people, must be a bit difficult going home to impress the wife.” – Julian Ryder to James Toseland (married to singer Katie Melua)
Martin Truex Jr, with a little help from his pit crew, won a surprise victory at Darlington, SC, after leading all of 28 laps. Darlington, also known as the Lady in Black and the Track too Tough to Tame, due to its attrition on drivers and cars, offered a race that had fans and teams alike on their feet and cheering wildly.
Martin Truex, Jr., whose car has been consistently fast this year, struggled during most of the race. It was his pit crew, on the last stop, that gave Truex the opportunity to drive his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet to victory lane. The crew, who had experienced communications problems at Michigan, along with a run of bad luck, stepped up to the plate at the historic track and gave their driver the chance he needed to win the race. Their flawless performance in the pit got Truex out in the lead and enabled him to make his charge for the checkered flag.
In the meantime, Kevin Harvick, who had led 214 laps of the race and clearly had the fastest car, went through the polar opposite with his team experiencing what has become all too common problems in the pits. In the last pit stop, Harvick lost 17 places and his dominance was decimated, leaving him to struggle futilely to regain places on the track. Harvick had tough words for his crew saying, “I’m over being a cheerleader. Those guys get paid a lot of money to perform on pit road, and cheerleading hasn’t really been working. You’ve got to get after it on pit road and do your job.” (www.nascar.com)
Kyle Larson ended up taking third place with Denny Hamlin following him in fourth and Joey Lagano in fifth. The Lady in Black claimed her share of cars again with Kurt Busch hitting the wall hard and Tony Stewart experiencing engine problems that would end his last race at the track. Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer also tangled bringing out a caution late in the race proving Darlington is still the track Too Tough To Tame.
So you know that Valentino Rossi kid who’s rather good at bike racing? Well, his little half brother took the time out to talk to me about his racing life, personal life and also how he got into bike racing. I really have a good feeling about his future, especially next season, once he gets a season under his belt. Enjoy this exclusive read with someone who is destined to become World Champion soon.
What was the first experience you had on two wheels?
My first experience was when I was 4, when I saw a track in Cattolica. I wanted to try because there were some children who were riding mini bikes. It was exciting and my parents gave me the opportunity and from that moment, I have got better. From there, my experience starts.
What was the aim at the beginning of the season and what is the aim now?
I think it is the same because at the beginning of the season, I wanted to get as many points as possible and stay in the top 15. For now, anyway, I think it is the same.
How helpful is the VR46 Riders Academy?
It is very important for us because it gives us an opportunity. A lot of riders in the academy do the world championship so it is very important. It is with thanks to them that we are here. All of the riders push each other, both at the ranch and at the gym too. This helps us improve ourselves because there is a lot of competition.
Do you like to know how to set the bike up or do you just ride it?
For me the setting and the set up is very important. I always ask my chief mechanic how the bike works and stuff like this.
What is your favourite food?
I don’t know. Definitely Italian food. Pasta, Fries, it is very nice.
Where would you like to travel and why?
I think that I travel a lot in the season so for that, I think my favourite holidays are at home. In my town, I am very well and I am with my friends. It is a very special place to me. When I am not racing, I always enjoy being at home.
What is your greatest achievement?
I would like to look forward! I want to reach some achievements in MotoGP!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
It would be great to be in MotoGP in a top team. I see myself in MotoGP but also doing something simple, like staying at home.
Who has the best fashion sense in your team?
It is very difficult because none of us are very cool. I would probably say Balda’s dad, he is very fashionable.
Any pets?
Yes I have 2 dogs that live with me at my house. They are two English bulldogs.
If you win a race (which I’m sure you will), what will be your first celebration?
I would probably just stand up on the bike and spray the champagne. I would be too excited to do anything there and then!
Who is your best friend in the paddock?
I have a lot of friends, but I don’t know, probably my brother because we talk a lot about everything. The bikes and also stuff away from the circuits. He is very good.
The weekend of the Octo British Grand Prix finishes with a ninth place conquered by Danilo Petrucci, who ends his race with determination. Scott, instead, crashes after two laps, while fighting for the Top 8, and is forced to pass under the chequered flag in the seventeenth position.
The British rider begin with a very good start and after two turns is already in fourth place. But the race is stopped immediately by the red flag for the accident, fortunately without serious consequences, that involved Baz and Pol Espargaro. In the second start Scott is not decisive but still manage to stay in the Top 10. After two laps the crash that excludes him from the GP. Redding has the merit to continue until the end also to pay a tribute to his fans.
Petrux maintains the starting position and on lap six he manages to pass Laverty. Two laps after the crash of his teammate, Danilo attacks and overtakes Miller. But the gap with Aleix Espargaro and then with Jorge Lorenzo is already too large.
Redding: It was not easy
“It is a pity. I started very well in the first race. In the second race, something has changed, I felt I had less feeling. I crashed without any warning from the bike. It can happen. I am sorry it happened here. But never give up! I continued till the end, even though it was not easy, even to thank my fans who have supported me lap by lap.”
Petrucci: I wanted to catch Jorge!
“We managed to finish in the top 10 and it is good. Finally, the circuits where I have more difficulties are finished and I am looking forward to going to Misano, a track that I see from my window. I wanted to catch Lorenzo but he was too far away. I thank the whole team for the work they have done in this GP. We have not given up, we are very united and it is great to work with them.”
Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) has taken the win in the intermediate class at the British GP, as the Swiss rider came back from having sat out the Czech GP to get straight back to the top. In the battle behind over the last few incredible laps of the race, Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) beat Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) in a last lap duel after Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) and polesitter Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) collided. Reigning champion and points leader Zarco was subsequently given a 30-second time penalty for the incident, which put him outside the points finishes.
Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) had the best the launch off the line, as the man lining up in P3 got the jump on home polesitter Sam Lowes to lead the pack into Turn 1, as a lead group of Folger, Lowes, Zarco, Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) and the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS duo of Alex Marquez and Franco Morbidelli fought it out behind. The Brit had a safe lead in the initial laps, before a crash for Marquez saw the 2014 Moto3™ champion slide out of podium contention and the pack shuffled. With Folger then dropping back, it was Luthi who charged to the front, leading the pack with a safe advantage and crossing the line clear of his nearest challengers as the battle raged behind.
Luthi returned to Silverstone following a heavy crash in the qualifying session for the Czech GP, as the Swiss rider lost control of his machine in the last third of the session. The crash knocked the former 125 world champion out and he suffered concussion from the incident; heading to hospital to be kept under observation and playing no further role in the race weekend. Riding only six days later at the British GP, Luthi had a steady weekend before finding incredible pace in the race to take the win.
Franco Morbidelli had seemed outpaced by his teammate in the last race in the Moto2™ world championship, but came back in style in Silverstone to take an impressive podium finish and equal his best ever result in the category. In with the frontrunners for much of the race, Morbidelli took Nakagami in the final stages to hold onto P2 and impress once again, as the Italian-Brazilian continues to make good inroads in the intermediate category. Assen winner Takaaki Nakagami had a great race in the UK to take another podium at the track, following his impressive P2 in the British GP in 2013 behind Scott Redding. The Japanese rider stayed in the mix throughout the race and made some good attempts on Morbidelli for P2, before crossing the line to complete the podium and get another good haul of points.
Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) made good on his early promise to take P4, ahead of early leader Folger. Lorenzo Baldassari (Forward Racing) came home in P6 – ahead of an absolutely stunning result from title contender Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40).
Rins began the Moto2™ race in Silverstone from P19 after breaking his collarbone in a training crash in the week before the event, and the gap at the top of the table looked set to grow once again. However, steadily making his way through the pack, the Spaniard was knocking on the door to the top ten by half race distance, with an incredible ride through the pain as he hangs onto his championship aspirations ahead of his move up to MotoGP™ with Team Suzuki Ecstar in 2017. Staying on the bike and making it into P10 with lap times almost matching those at the front, the former FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ championship winner proved his mettle as he crossed the line in P7 after the drama ahead on track. With neither of his closest rivals Zarco or Lowes scoring, an incredible turnaround now sees the Spaniard only ten points down on defending champion Zarco in the title fight.
Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) had a solid ride into P8 and stayed away from drama, with compatriot Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) coming home in P9. Axel Pons (AGR Team) completed the top ten, with Lowes and Zarco classified in P21 and P22 respectively.
Moto2™ will return at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for their next showdown, as 6 races now seem like an age ahead of the season finale – with only ten points separating the top two in the table.
Shane Byrne and Leon Haslam shared the spoils in Monday’s British Superbike meeting at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire, with Jason O’Halloran completing the podium in both of the day’s outings.
Race one saw Leon Haslam get a mediocre start from pole position, leaving Shane Byrne to lead into turn one. Despite Byrne taking the advantage, the race wasn’t as strung out as we all thought it would be with Haslam, O’Halloran, Jackson, Cooper and Mossey all up at the sharp end, as well as Bridewell who burst through from row 3, along with Dan Linfoot.
O’Halloran and Richard Cooper soon became embroiled in a big battle, with the two exchanging places around Park corner and down towards the Gooseneck. O’Halloran won the battle but there was more drama down field on the next lap.
Cooper’s teammate Lee Jackson crashed out in sensational style as his bike barrel-rolled through the air before smashing into the air fence. Jackson was OK and walked off, understandably in disgust.
Haslam made a mistake, allowing Shakey to escape and O’Halloran to take the 2nd position. It wasn’t long until he was back on the case though, and Haslam not only got passed Jason again but he caught series leader Byrne too.
Dan Linfoot crashed out at the chicane at a track that has been far from kind for the Yorkshireman. His best finish prior to this weekend at the Lincolnshire circuit was a 7th. The bad luck continued for the showdown protagonist.
Haslam took the lead from Byrne and no sooner had he done that, Byrne made a mistake, allowing Jason O’Halloran back through into 2nd position. But as we all know in motorcycle racing: It isn’t over until the chequered flag.
O’Halloran made a huge error over the Mountain and a lap later, Shakey retook 2nd position. Tommy Bridewell had closed in on the group and was now challenging the Honda rider of O’Halloran. Byrne then set off after Haslam and on the very last lap, pushed his Ducati through on entrance to the Gooseneck. Byrne had pulled off an astonishing win, with Haslam 2nd and O’Halloran 3rd.
Race two got underway with a bang, as Howie Mainwaring-Smart and Filip Backlund had a colossal accident at turn one. This triggered the safety car to be deployed whilst the marshals attended the fallen riders, both of whom I’m glad to say weren’t seriously injured.
Byrne took the lead and held it until the safety car was back in. Haslam charged passed as soon as he could and barged four-time champion Byrne to one side at Park, allowing O’Halloran to take advantage once more. Despite a big moment from O’Halloran, Byrne wouldn’t find a way through and that is how it stayed until the end. The drama however was unfolding further down, when Christian Iddon wiped out Richard Cooper at the hairpin, putting a big dent in both of their showdown aspirations. Haslam took back nine points by winning from Jason and Shane, all three of which confirmed their places in the showdown.
The gap from 4th down to 10th is just 27 points, with Michael Laverty, Dan Linfoot and James Ellison all in the showdown provisionally. Christian Iddon is in 10th. Anyone 13th or above in the championship has a mathematical chance of getting into the showdown, should results go their way. You can read more about the showdown protagonists during the week when we release our Showdown Preview.
The next round is at Oulton Park where we have a triple header treat coming up for you! Follow us on Twitter @PitCrew_Online for live text commentary by @MotoGPKiko on Sunday.
Thank you to Gareth Davies for the excellent images he provides us.
Nico Rosberg took his first Italian Grand Prix victory with a controlled display from the front, leading home a supreme Mercedes 1-2 after a poor start by Lewis Hamilton all but gifted him the race.
A third straight Monza win looked to be a formality for Hamilton after storming to pole position by half a second clear of Rosberg, but he was forced to watch his teammate streak off into the lead when a clutch issue off the line left him swallowed by the two Ferraris and Valtteri Bottas behind.
But compared with Hamilton’s other poor starts this season, recovery was a simple matter for the Briton – after breezing past Bottas under DRS on the main straight, Hamilton made his first and final stop for mediums and simply waited for the Ferraris ahead to see out their own two-stop strategy and drop behind him.
“It’s tough to take when you lose a race because of such a poor start,” Hamilton said. “From there it was just about managing the tyres in the first stint and I was delighted to get back up to second after the first stop.
“I’m happy with my performance this weekend but after such an incredible qualifying day yesterday it was disappointing to be unable to capitalise.”
Hamilton eventually took the chequered flag fifteen seconds adrift of Rosberg, who ran an unchallenged race at the front on his way to an “incredibly special” seventh win of the season.
“It means so much to win here at Monza,” said Rosberg. “The race went perfectly for me. Our car has been amazing this weekend and I extend a massive thank you to the whole team.”
Despite facing a renewed threat from Red Bull and Ferrari in Belgium, Mercedes appeared to be competing in a category above their rivals in what Toto Wolff called a “pretty perfect” weekend marred only by the team’s recurring clutch problems.
Paddy Lowe added: “Clearly we need to analyse what happened to Lewis at the start and do better next time [but] it’s fantastic to get the 1-2 here today and it’s been a sensational performance all weekend from the drivers, race team and team back at Brackley and Brixworth.”
The British weekend concluded with a top-10 placement for Aprilia. The Silverstone race had a red flag straight away in the first lap due to an accident involving Baz and Pol Espargaró. Following the quick start procedure, hostilities resumed with race distance reduced to 19 laps.
Both Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl got off to a good start when the lights went out, vying for an important placement with a good, consistent pace. However, as he engaged in battle with a few riders, Stefan was the innocent victim of contact that led to a fall, forcing him to retire.
Bautista continued his progress, battling at length with Hernandez and managing to build up a comfortable gap after overtaking him. Managing his tyre wear well, the Spanish Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider demonstrated very consistent performance, moving into tenth place under the chequered flag. This is an encouraging result in view of the upcoming Italian round, scheduled at Misano in seven days.
Alvaro Bautista: We struggled throughout the weekend
“There was quite a bit of confusion at the first start. Fortunately, both Pol and Loris are fine. At the second start, I tried to find my pace. We struggled throughout the weekend, but I know that in duels with the other riders I would be able to improve. That is the way it was. I recovered a few positions, battling for a long time then with Hernandez. When I overtook him, I changed an electronics setting on the RS-GP to gain a few tenths and increase the gap. I was successful, thanks to the team and the mechanics who worked hard to give me the best possible bike. I am looking forward to Misano optimistically. Aprilia is on their home pitch, so I hope to give the fans a good performance”.
Stefan Bradl: Laverty caused me to crash
“I’m very disappointed because today my feeling on the bike was good. While I was fighting with some guys, Laverty gave me no space to turn, causing me to crash. All we can do is think about Misano”.
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo fought hard battles at the Silverstone Circuit, securing third and eighth place at the British Grand Prix.
Valentino Rossi, who has been participating in the MotoGP class since its introduction in 2002, kicked off his 250th MotoGP class Grand Prix start in style. He stormed from second on the grid to grab the holeshot before tucking in behind Maverick Viñales, but his assertive start to the race was short-lived when the race was red flagged.
The opening lap to the shortened restarted race, which began at 15:54 local time, saw Rossi hold second place behind Cal Crutchlow into the first corner, but he had to let Viñales and Marc Marquez pass before the end of the first lap. With fifteen laps to go he saw the latter pull a gap on Crutchlow in third place and decided it was time to charge for the front. Within one lap the nine times World Champion passed the local rider and Marquez and focused on closing the margin of 2.4s to the race leader, but his rivals continued to threaten him from behind.
Eight laps on the Doctor came under pressure from Andrea Iannone as his rear tyre started to slide. What followed was a flurry of activity as Crutchlow and Marquez joined the fight for second place. Two laps later Rossi found himself in fifth place when he and Marquez briefly touched fairings. The Italian was quick to respond and close passes followed as they fought a heated battle, while Iannone crashed out of the race.
Rossi was unable to fend off Marquez and rode a smart end to the race, saving his tyres to seize the opportunity and take over third place when Marquez went wide. He held this podium position over the line as he rapidly approached Crutchlow in a last-lap sprint to the chequered flag, but he came just 0.583s short and wrapped up the day in third place.
Starting from ninth on the grid Lorenzo had a flying start off the line, taking seventh place into the first corner. He put his head down trying to close the gap to the front until the race was aborted due to a race incident in turn two.
He resumed his attack seamlessly during the shortened 19-lap race. Perfectly duplicating his start, he tried to progress from seventh place after the first corner, but saw Andrea Iannone put an aggressive pass on him before the end of the first lap. Lorenzo tried to follow and soon overtook Scott Redding to reclaim seventh place.
He continued his chase to the front, closing up on Dani Pedrosa and upped his pace, but lost time as he got engaged in a battle with Andrea Dovizioso for seventh place. Unable to match the pace of the Italian due to a vibrating rear tyre, he then got into battle with Aleix Espargaró, who he had to let pass. Despite the challenges, Lorenzo continued to keep his head down and later gained a position as Iannone retired from the race, to finish the race in eighth position, 19.432s from first.
The results see Rossi hold second place in the championship standings, now on 160 points, with a margin of 50 points to the championship leader. Lorenzo remains in third position, now on 146 points.
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP will now travel to San Marino for the round at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli that will take place next week.
Valentino Rossi: We knew we would struggle in the dry
For the championship these are just three points but I‘m very happy because it was a hard battle. I fought for the entire race and never gave up. Unfortunately, after eight or nine laps, I started to slide a lot on the rear, so it was very difficult to control the bike, but at the end it was very funny with Marc and Crutchlow and I‘m very happy with this podium. It was a great race and a great battle, a double battle because at the beginning of the race and also at the end it was great. I enjoyed it a lot and I‘m so happy with this podium, because I knew I had to fight from the first corner to the last to arrive in front. On the dry we weren‘t so strong. We knew we would struggle with the tyres in the second half of the race and in fact it was like this. It was a great battle with Marquez and also with Crutchlow and Iannone. I tried to the maximum and arrived on the podium. It‘s not very important for the points in the championship but very important for me and for the team. I have some black on me from Marquez‘s tyres, because we touched two or three times. The battle was good but hard, fair and I enjoyed it a lot. When you try at the end to fight for the podium, between Marquez and me, it‘s always difficult, but it was a very good battle and I want to see it on television.
Jorge Lorenzo: We couldn’t find a good set up
It‘s been a difficult weekend, because we couldn‘t find a good set-up that made me comfortable with the bike. We tried a different setting in the race that we couldn‘t test in the warm-up, so we gambled a bit on the setting and it didn‘t work. I could see the second group there in front of me but I couldn‘t catch them. All of a sudden I felt the bike was vibrating a lot, so I had to close the throttle and relieve the pace and I couldn‘t keep up the pace I had at the start of the race.
