MotoGP

Rd.12 09/05 San Marino GP

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RACE DATA

Round: 12- San Marino(Classification after 28 laps = 118.328km)
Circuit: Misano, Italy
Date: 5 September 2010
Circuit Length: 4.226 km
Race condition: Dry
Air: 26 C
Ground: 42 C
PP: D. Pedrosa(1'33.948/Honda)
FL: D. Pedrosa(1'34.340)

REPORT

Double podium for Fiat Yamaha on tragic day in Misano

The Fiat Yamaha Team gained their first double podium since Laguna Seca today, when Jorge Lorenzo finished second and Valentino Rossi third behind Dani Pedrosa at Misano. Ben Spies and Colin Edwards had a good day to finish sixth and seventh. The day was overshadowed however by the tragic news that Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa had passed away following an accident in the Moto2 race. Yamaha would like to express its deepest condolences to his family, friends and team.

After just a few days off and the intense heat of Indianapolis, the warm Italian summer breeze was a huge relief to the riders as they got back into action on Thursday at Misano. Lorenzo finished the session in third but it wasn't an easy afternoon for the championship leader as he suffered with machine set-up and was left in frustrated mood. Rossi was fourth but happier than his team-mate, finding a good balance from the off. Edwards and Spies were fifth and sixth respectively so it was a strong opening showing from Yamaha.

Qualifying brought another similar day and Lorenzo has set himself significant improvements to make to his setting. It was clear however from the morning practice that he was back on form when he finished on top of the standings.  A close-fought qualifying session saw the Mallorcan take the lead with eight minutes to go but in the closing minutes Pedrosa took the top spot for the second race in a row and Lorenzo was relegated to second, but he was left confident that he had the race pace to run at the front on Sunday.

Rossi, who had won here for the last two years, as usual drew thousands of his passionate yellow-clad fans in to watch their local favourite in action. He, too looked in fine fettle by the afternoon and was consistently in the top four, moving to third with ten minutes to go. In the closing stages he seemed to have a shot at pole position but he was slowed by traffic and unable to capitalise on his softer Bridgestone tyre, just missing out as Stoner held on to third.

Spies continued his strong qualifying run by finishing the session in fifth, just a fraction off Rossi, as he continued to show that he is now a force to be reckoned with at all times. Edwards, too, put up a good showing by qualifying seventh. All four Yamahas were suffering a little from a lack of top speed at this track but with the corner speed of the M1 one of the best they all finished Saturday confident that they would be able to make up for it in the race.

80,000 fans packed into the Misano World Circuit on race day and despite the threat of rain the race was run under sunny skies. Lorenzo lost one place at the start and dropped to third but before the first lap was over he had got back past Casey Stoner to retake second position. Despite pushing hard in the early stages, it was soon clear that the championship leader was not able to run the same pace as Pedrosa today and he was forced to settle for an uneventful ride to second, importantly taking another 20 points for his title challenge and continuing his flawless record of a podium in every race this season.

Italian hero Rossi was hopeful of a return to the podium and he made a good start, keeping his fourth position and holding on to the leaders over the first few laps.  He gradually began to close down Casey Stoner and made the pass stick on his second try, on lap eleven of 28. In the latter part of the race he came under pressure from fellow countryman Andrea Dovizioso but he was able to hold him off, putting in his fastest lap of the race three laps from the end and coming home just over a second behind his team-mate.

Spies continued his excellent form despite losing four places in a frantic jostle for track position at the tight second corner on the opening lap. Dropped down to 10th place, the Texan showcased his overtaking prowess once again, passing both Marco Melandri and Randy de Puniet on lap six to take seventh place. That put him firmly on the trail of team-mate Edwards, who had made a blistering start to end the first lap fifth. Spies quickly closed down on Edwards and made his attack on lap 12 and then expertly moved clear of his fellow Texan to finish top non-factory rider again. Today's result was the eighth time in 12 races that Spies has finished inside the top six and he remains firmly in contention for third place in the overall rankings with six races on the calendar left.
Edwards rode another strong race to finish in seventh position for the third time in the last four outings. The 36-year-old is confident he could have given Spies more of a challenge for sixth had he not encountered some small front-end issues. He moved into the top ten in the standings with his latest positive result and is looking forward to a strong challenge to end the season.

Lorenzo leads the championship by 63 points after today's race and Rossi has moved to fourth in the standings; on identical points to Stoner but ahead on race wins. Spies is sixth, the top satellite rider and only ten points off Stoner and Rossi, whilst Edwards has moved up to tenth. The next round comes at the new track of Motorland Aragon in two week's time.

RESULT

RIDERS RANKING

CONSTRUCTORS RANKING

COMMENT

Jorge Lorenzo (Position: 2nd   Time: +1.900 )

"I don't have many words for the race on such a sad say. I made a good start but I couldn't keep close to Pedrosa. Second is good, we weren't fast enough but for the championship it's another very important result and that is our target. The podium is our goal in all races, although we hope we can still improve our M1 a bit more. As for Shoya, it's a huge pity because he was a good guy and a strong rider. I am so sad and I just want to say how sorry I am for his family and his friends. When this happens nothing else matters."

Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager

"Today was frustrating for Jorge because he is a winner but he knows he can't afford to take risks, thinking about the championship. Pedrosa was very strong and we couldn't catch him, so we will be working hard to try to find a way to get back to fighting with him at the next race. As usual Jorge kept his head and rode a sensible race to get as many points as he could and we are still on target for our goal. We would like to say how sorry we are about Tomizawa, he was clearly a huge talent who was destined to be here in MotoGP one day. This is the nature of our sport but today has reminded us all what can happen."

Valentino Rossi (Position: 3rd   Time: +3.183 )

"This was a great result for us, more than just for the podium but for the way that the result arrived. I was very fast at the end of the race and this shows how much we're improving because I was able to keep pushing right to the end. I think we did a good job this weekend. But when something so sad like this happens everything else goes to zero and the result doesn't matter. I'm so sorry for Shoya because he was a strong rider but above all he was very ‘sympatico.' He was very funny, always smiling and he always had nice things to say to everyone. He was also very young with a great career ahead of him so we are all very sad."

Davide Brivio, Team Manager

"It's a very sad day for our sport, our thoughts go out to Tomi and to his friends, his family and his team. He was a very good guy. The race was very positive because Valentino was able to increase the pace and he was very fast and very consistent at the end of the race. The bike was working well, we did a good job and Valentino was happy which gives us good confidence for the next races. His pace was very close to the top and his physical condition seems to have improved. We're looking forward to him being back to his very best. This was an important step for the bike and for the rider on our way to being back in contention for victories."

Ben Spies (Position: 6th Time: +28.385)

"It was a tough race after I got shuffled back at the second corner. I struggled a little bit with front-end feeling but I had a good pace and by the time I got through everybody into sixth everybody else was ten seconds ahead. There was no sense in doing anything stupid but looking at the lap times I'm sure I had the pace to fight closer with Casey. My goal was top six and that's what I achieved so I can't be too disappointed. I had top five pace and that's better than being in the top six but not fast enough to be any higher. I want to express my sadness at the passing of Shoya Tomizawa. My thoughts a re with his family and friends. It's another sad loss for our sport."

Colin Edwards  (Position: 7th Time: +34.934)

"It was a good race and another seventh has put me back in the top ten in the championship. I made a good start and managed to avoid any trouble at the first corner and I had a good early battle with Simoncelli. But I had the same problem I had all weekend and I was losing the front a bit on the brakes. I was trying to ride aggressively and I was happy with my lap times but honestly, I thought the outcome was going to be a little better than seventh. When Ben came by he was able to just pull away from a little bit every lap. I tried my hardest to stay with him but once he'd gone I just settled for seventh. The race doesn't count for much though when you hear the news about Tomizawa. My thoughts go out to his family and friends at this difficult time."

Herve Poncharal, Team Manager

"Firstly, on behalf of everyone at Tech 3 Yamaha, I'd like to send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Shoya Tomizawa. He was a great talent and a really good guy who will be missed by all of us in the racing community. Looking at the race, what happened to Ben early on the first lap was crucial. Unfortunately he lost some places but once again he showed fantastic determination to recover even though this track is difficult to pass on. He got back to sixth but unfortunately he had no chance to catch Casey and that it is shame because without what happened on the first lap, I think Ben could have had a good race with him. But he scored another top six and again he was the best non-factory by a long way. I'm also really happy with Colin because he has been making a lot of progress recently and riding back to his best."