MotoGP Arena

2011: Honda’s Best 800cc Season

The last year of the 800cc machines has seen prolific success for the Japanese manufacturer, beginning with the opening race in Qatar, where Casey Stoner’s pole position was the first for Honda at the Losail circuit since the Australian was on pole there on his non-factory Honda machine in 2006. With Pedrosa starting second on the grid, it was the first time Honda riders were the top two qualifiers in the MotoGP class since Sete Gibernau was on pole and Marco Melandri was second at the Valencia GP in 2005.

Stoner’s subsequent win at Qatar was the first in an opening race win for Honda since Valentino Rossi at Suzuka in 2003, and was the first Honda victory at the circuit since Sete Gibernau in 2004 aboard the 990cc RC211V.

Round four in France saw Stoner victorious again, giving the manufacturer the first premier class win at the Le Mans circuit since Marco Melandri in 2006. Stoner then won Catalunya, and together with Pedrosa’s round three triumph in Estoril, Honda had three successive victories for the first time in the 800cc era of MotoGP.

Silverstone saw Stoner again on top, making him the first Honda rider to win three successive MotoGP races since Valentino Rossi in 2003 on the 990cc machine.

Round 11 at Brno saw Honda riders fill all three podium places – an event that had not happened in a MotoGP race since the USGP at Laguna Seca in 2006. Stoner’s victory in Brno was the first for a Honda rider at the Czech GP since 2004 with Sete Gibernau.

Honda are now just 15 points below the maximum possible score in the constructors championship after the first eleven races of the year and have already matched the total number of wins they achieved in 2006, the final season of the 990cc era of MotoGP.

Spies On Racing The Indianapolis GP

What’s your reaction to the repaving of the infield portion of the road course for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP?

It’s always great when the track is investing and making the surface better for the riders. But also, when there are bumps and things like that you can figure out as a rider, it’s good to kind of have that. Where some riders complain about the bumps, maybe you figure out better line around them, or things like that. All in all, I’m much happier that it’s been repaved, and I’m very much appreciative of Indy doing that. But then there are also some times you’ve kind of figured out how to go fast on what was there last year. But I’m much happier that they have repaved the track, and it will make it a little more consistent for us riders.

You got that first win under your belt at Assen, would there be extra significance for you to win at Indianapolis on home soil?

For sure. That (the Indianapolis GP) was my best weekend last year. You always want to do well in front of the home crowd. You always say you’re going to push to the limit and try harder, but any racer- it doesn’t matter if it’s Malaysia, Italy or America - for those 45 minutes on Sunday, I’m pushing the absolute most I can out of me and the bike. My third place at Catalunya, I rode with the same mentality as I did in Assen, but it came together at Assen. You always hope when you’re at your home Grand Prix that everything comes together, and you’re able to do it for the fans. There’s always extra incentive there, but the pace you run in the race is 100 percent all the time, for all the riders. It’s the same. I hope it does come together this year in Indy and we can do it again, we can win another race.

You had a memorable moment here last year at Indianapolis, getting on the pole and kind of announcing yourself to everybody. With each success, do you think of yourself as someone trying to help other Americans get turned on to this sport?

It’s difficult because in Europe, the popularity of motorcycle racing is like NASCAR in the States. So it’s hard. If I can be of any assistance to build the MotoGP reputation in the US, that’s the goal, that’s what we want. I race for Yamaha to help them sell motorcycles, and they give me motorcycles that we can win on. It’s not just what we do on the racetrack but what happens afterward. That’s definitely the goal - to help MotoGP become bigger in the US.

Edwards Previews Repaved Indy

What’s your reaction to the repaving of the infield portion of the road course for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP?

I think it’s fantastic. We had a couple of issues there in the past with some different pavements and a couple of big spots here and there. To know that IMS is making the effort to repave it, that says a lot. I’m excited to get there and try it out.

The track now has a consistent surface all the way around the entire distance of the racetrack. In your opinion, was the repave necessary?

That’s a tricky question. We all have to race on the same thing. So I don’t think it’s, let’s say, unfair for all of us to go out there on whatever the pavement is. Is it going to be nicer? Hell, yeah. Of course. Is it going to be more of a pleasure to go race there? Of course. Setup is going to be a heck of a lot easier. You’re not going to have to set up for a few of the fast corners and then just survive the rest of the track. You can pretty much set up for the whole track once you repave it. That’s one good advantage to it.

How you’re going to approach the weekend considering you guys don’t get to test there?

The way it used to be, you had so many different pavements. You had a couple of big bumps here and there. Maybe you had to set the bike up for one part of the track or the other part of the track. I think basically repaving, besides the fact that it’s just going to be fantastic to ride and a brand-new paved track, but you’re going to be able to set the bike up more for the entire track. That’s going to be the biggest improvement for us. We’re not going to have to fight a couple of corners just so we can set it up for over here. We’ll be able to set it up for the whole thing.

Is early, committed application of the throttle critical to getting heat into the Bridgestones?

That’s a very analytical point of view that you have there. It’s so hard to go out there and commit to something that you have no feeling of. You’ve got to trust your electronics, and you’ve got to trust pretty much what the bike is telling you. I’m probably one of the slowest and always have been one of the slowest guys out of the pits on Bridgestones. I like to work my way over on the side, and once I can get there, you can pretty much hammer it out. That’s the key. Not getting, as I did in Barcelona, if you get crossed up going in, that’s when you’re going to get hurt. But once you start coming out, if you can bend it over and build up some heat, than that’s definitely the way to do it. Even Valentino had his problems last year with the cold tire. But he’s still one of the fastest guys out of the pit, and it makes me nervous just to watch. He goes into Turn 1 and Turn 2 and flicks it on the side, and I just sit there and I’m like, “Oooh, God.” I don’t know. It just doesn’t look safe. I know the tires. But once they get heated up, they’re fantastic. It’s just that first couple of lefts and couple rights that are a little bit timid.

What does it take to do a fast lap at Indianapolis?

I think just about anywhere, you’ve got to take your brain out and hold on to your balls and just pin it. Not necessarily just at Indy. Indy is pretty special with Turn 1 coming in there. Late, deep braking into there, carrying your momentum around to Turn 2. That’s a place where you can gain a couple of tenths pretty easy if you hit it just perfect. The same with the back, the last four or five corners. You can gain a lot of time there, as well. There are a couple of tricky sections on that track, but as long as you link it all together, that’s like any racetrack: That’s the key to getting a good lap time.

MotoGP Shedule Intensifies With Indianapolis Visit

MotoGP returns to the United States this weekend as the 12th round of the 2011 World Championship takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Casey Stoner will be hoping to further turn the screw on his main title rival Jorge Lorenzo in the race for this year’s title.

Victory at Brno extended Repsol Honda rider Stoner’s lead at the top of the Championship to an intimidating 32 points and also delivered the Australian his sixth win of the campaign. At the famous Brickyard he will be aiming to secure victory at just one of three circuits on the current calendar where he has previously never won in the premier class.

For Lorenzo the emphasis will be on putting his fourth-placed finish in the Czech Republic firmly behind him, where the decision to go with the softer of the front tyre options proved costly for the Yamaha Factory Racing rider. Lorenzo has never finished off the podium in the three years that a MotoGP race has been hosted at Indianapolis, and surely nothing short of victory will be on the Spaniard’s mind – a result he achieved there in 2009. Lorenzo will also be hopeful that some engine updates tested at Brno following the GP will provide an added boost to his title defence.

Andrea Dovizioso’s consistency this season has led the Italian to third in the standings, and following second place at Brno the Repsol Honda rider will be even more determined to secure a first win of the year at a circuit he has always scored a top-five finish at but where he is yet to step onto the podium.

Valentino Rossi will hope that a full day’s testing on the Desmosedici GP11.1 at Brno last week will offer something extra going into this weekend. The Ducati Team rider closed the gap to race winner at Brno Casey Stoner to just under 13 seconds, a vast improvement to the nearer 30-second margin that had sat between the nine-time World Champion and the top of the order in the previous rounds.

A first pole position of the season at Brno for Dani Pedrosa failed to deliver a similarly inspirational result for the Repsol Honda rider as he crashed out of the race early on when in the lead. A repeat of last year’s win at Indianapolis would go some way towards making up for the frustration, as Pedrosa aims to close in on Rossi for fourth spot in the Championship.

The prospect of an eager home crowd willing him on will give Ben Spies added motivation if the Yamaha Factory Racing rider ever needed it. Like his team-mate Lorenzo he will have M1 updates at a track where last season he scored his first – and so far only – pole position. Likewise fellow American Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) would welcome a timely podium finish at a venue where he has twice stood on the rostrum, and Colin Edwards of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team will be warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic fan base.

Brno provided Marco Simoncelli with his first premier class podium and with that accomplished the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider will be full of confidence, whilst team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama will target a continuation of the slow but steady progress he has made in terms of results in the previous rounds.

Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar), Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing), Toni Elías (LCR Honda) and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) had mixed results at Brno – Elías will be confident that a day’s testing after the race will aid his progress – and British rookie Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) will tackle another brand new track. Pramac Racing pair Loris Capirossi – who tested at Brno – and Randy de Puniet will also expect more from their efforts after finishing outside the top ten in the previous round.

Elena Myers To Ride Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP Bike At Indianapolis

Myers’ laps are scheduled for 4 p.m. (ET) on the 16-turn, 2.621-mile road course. The Red Bull Indianapolis GP takes place Aug. 26-28 at IMS.

“Words cannot describe how excited I am to ride the Suzuki GSV-R at Indy during the MotoGP weekend this year,” Myers said. “We had talked about it last year, but things didn’t work out, so here’s a big thanks to everyone involved for making this possible. When I sat on the bike last year, it felt like it was made to fit me. So actually being able to spin a few laps on it will be quite the treat. I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”

Myers finished fifth in the AMA Pro SuperSport West Division this season despite missing two races due to injury. She scored a podium finish at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Ala.

California native Myers made history last season by becoming the first woman to win an AMA Pro road race, winning the AMA SuperSport round at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. That victory helped her finish second in the SuperSport West standings in 2010.

“We are delighted to be able to give Elena this opportunity to get some understanding of how Suzuki’s MotoGP bike feels and operates,” Denning said. “She is a very talented racer - not ‘for a girl’ - she’s just fast, full-stop!

“MotoGP is the pinnacle of every racer’s ambition, and there aren’t so many people who have ridden the very latest 2011 GSV-R - Bautista, Hopkins, Aoki and now Elena! I would guess she’s also the only female racer to have ever ridden an 800cc MotoGP machine? Either way, we really hope she enjoys the experience.”

Preziosi: “We’re Working For The Long Term”

Ducati’s work on the Desmosedici GP11.1 continued at Brno on Monday where the Borgo Panigale factory made further efforts to improve their prototype.

The bike, which was first rolled out for the Assen GP by Valentino Rossi and which incorporated the chassis being developed for 2012 by Ducati’s engineers, has been used and continually developed by the Italian since, and on Monday team-mate Nicky Hayden used the full day to work on the GP11.1 having ridden it in practice but not during the race at Laguna Seca.

Filippo Preziosi, General Director at Ducati and the creative force behind the machine, discussed the bike’s evolution with motogp.com at the Test as he explained that the progress being made is as much about the future as the present.

“The changes we made during the weekend at Brno were finalised to make a faster bike for the race, and now we are working for the mid and long term in order to define the target for the designers for the new generation of bikes,” said Preziosi. “For that we need huge modifications in the set up to evaluate bike behaviour when you do these things.”

Preziosi continued: “I’m happy that Nicky is confirming Valentino’s ideas. We know that introducing a new bike during the Championship usually produces a worse performance in the short term for a couple of races, and you must accept that because it is normal. But if you have a small advantage you can gain from it and stay with it, and it is especially important for the development of next year’s bike.”

There has been much recent speculation that Ducati could break with tradition and produce an aluminium frame for 2012 in place of its favoured carbon fibre construction. Preziosi responded: “For me aluminium is not the key point – what is necessary is to find some stiffness. We are working a lot and in the future we will test new solutions because we want to improve the performance and our knowledge, so as usual we will run new solutions back to back with the standard one and we will decide which one the rider prefers.”

Rossi appeared far more comfortable on the GP11.1 over the Brno weekend and finished the race in sixth place. Whilst the result may not have been one to highly satisfy the Italian or his team, the fact that the gap to the race winner had been closed to just over 12 seconds as opposed to nearer 30 seconds as seen in the preceding rounds was reason for encouragement.

“I think we took a small step in the right direction in giving Valentino more feeling and more feedback,” said Preziosi when reviewing Round 11. “We know Valentino is a winning rider so it is up to us to put him in the condition to be able to realise his potential.”

Kallio Impressed By Progress Of Suter MotoGP Prototype

Mika Kallio’s duties as Test rider for the developing Suter MotoGP machine continued on Monday at Brno, where the Finnish rider put in a solid 81 laps as the Swiss manufacturer and its collaborators in the project – the Marc VDS Racing Team – made further progress on the 2012 bike.

Six weeks on from the previous Test at Mugello the Suter and Marc VDS engineers had made noticeable progress, and by the close of the day Kallio had posted a best lap of 2’00.144 on the BMW engine powered machine – 3.976s off Casey Stoner’s top time on the Honda 1000cc machine.

Reviewing the progress made, Kallio told motogp.com: “Here, things went much better than before. We tested three times in Mugello and we had a few problems there – the lap time was not at the level we wanted it to be, and we were too slow. However, when we arrived here everything was immediately better, it looks like the bike fits this track better, and lap-by-lap I’m getting used to this level of power again and the lap time has been improving. Step by step we have made quite a lot of changes for the electronics and the clutch system, and for the engine braking too, and it looks like we made quite a big step today. I think the team and I can be happy, our level is quite good at the moment.”

Kallio is confident the encouraging advances in the machine can continue, and he added: “I think we still need to improve on the same areas that we improved here. The biggest problem in this Test was that when I entered the corners I didn’t have such a good feeling in the rear, there is a little bit too much sliding, and it’s difficult to turn in because I miss the feeling in the rear a little bit. It looks like that’s where we’re losing the time. Of course we need to work a lot with the electronics and many other small things, but I think if we can improve the rear in entry, then it should be better.”

Rossi & Hayden Test At Brno With An Eye On The Future

The two riders’ efforts were focused in different directions: Working with an eye toward the future, Rossi dedicated the day to trying various setups and weight distributions, tests that were intended to direct the next development steps for next year’s bike.

After one outing with the GP11 and one with the GP11.1, Hayden dedicated himself solely to the latter, working on adapting to the newer version and searching for a base setup.

Nicky Hayden, 78 laps, 1:57.533
“Everything went pretty well today. We didn’t break any track records or anything, but luckily the rain held off. I did one run this morning with the GP11 just to start from zero and then went straight in on the GP11.1. Like at Laguna, I was immediately just as fast, but steadily through the day, I was quicker and quicker. Once again, the team worked like dogs, between working on my race bikes and preparing for the test. I enjoyed riding the bike, and it’s always nice to see progress and have a good feeling, I plan to ride it at Indy. My sister’s getting married this weekend, so we’ve got a pretty special two weeks coming up between that and my home GP.”

Valentino Rossi, 74 laps, 1:58.266 
“It was a very busy day, not only because we did almost 75 laps, but also because we tried many changes in every outing. It’s not easy riding like that, as it requires a lot of concentration. We had some electronic updates that we still have to perfect, but we’ll return to those soon. Apart from that, we were thinking more toward the future, mainly trying different geometries, weight distributions, and settings that were a little strange, everything to remove any doubts and to understand some things about the GP11.1. I’d say it was a successful test, even if we sacrificed some performance since we had other objectives. We also tried some new tyres from Bridgestone, and the first impression was good.”

Elias In Good Form At Test In Czech Republic

The Spaniard, who finished in 11th position in Sunday’s 22-lap race, proceeded with the adjustment work on front end issues has has been experiencing and, despite a big crash from which he luckily escaped unhurt, Elias feels more confident ahead next GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the 28th of August.

Toni Elias: 
“Apart from the bad crash, I am quite satisfied about this test session and about my lap time. We have mainly tried to fix our front end issues: some changes did not work, but with small adjustments on the front geometry I could improve my feeling on the bike to get more corner speed. After lunch I was going for another long run and I probably pushed too hard, crashing heavily in the gravel. The bike hit my right leg and I thought my foot was injured, but the x-ray has ruled that out. After that, I was a bit dazed and I preferred to remain in the garage for the rest of the session. Anyway, I think we took another step forward before the next race in Indianapolis.”

Edwards & Crutchlow Conclude Brno With Productive Test Day

After he finished in a hard fought eighth position in Sunday’s Czech Republic MotoGP race, Texan Edwards had a busy day evaluating updates for Yamaha and Bridgestone.

Bridgestone tapped into all of Edwards’ vast experience, the 37 year old putting in development laps on a new front tire and two new rear tire compounds that Bridgestone plan to make available in 2012 for the new 1000cc MotoGP class. Edwards also worked his way through a range of different electronics settings to supply Yamaha technicians with a wealth of precise feedback for the future. Despite being in testing mode, Edwards set a best time of 1’58.412 in his 44 lap stint, which was quicker than his best lap time in yesterday’s 22 lap race.

With eight hours of track time available and conditions for most of the day bright and warm, Crutchlow dedicated his efforts on improving the set up of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team YZR-M1 machine. The prime focus was improving Crutchlow’s front-end confidence after the 25 year old has recently experienced a difficult period in his rookie campaign.

Without the time constraints of a Grand Prix weekend, Crutchlow also concentrated on further adapting his riding style to suit the 800cc YZR-M1 machine. He was able to focus on improving his braking technique, and the British rider was satisfied with his progress after completing 74 laps before heavy rain started to fall with 30 minutes of the session remaining. His best time of 1’57.591 was over 0.2s faster than his qualifying time.

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is now preparing for another trip across the Atlantic Ocean for the Indianapolis round on August 28.

Colin Edwards:
“Today was just about getting some information for Bridgestone and Yamaha. The new tires I tested seemed to be a good step in the right direction, so they’ve got a lot of information and feedback to analyze and digest now. I’m happy with the direction Bridgestone is going with the rear tire. I tried two today, and both give you a lot more security. There’s not so much risk involved in the first couple of laps, so credit to Bridgestone because they have listened to our comments this season and taken action to improve the tires and I’m really pleased. I also ran some new electronics for Yamaha and there were a couple of interesting options. I’m looking forward to going home now and relaxing ahead of another important race in Indianapolis. To have two home races in such a short space of time is awesome, so I’m looking forward to putting on a good show for the American fans.”

Cal Crutchlow:
“This morning we didn’t change the bike and I just went out and did some laps and I was doing low 58s on old tires, so that makes me feel even more disappointed with the crash in the race yesterday because that pace would have put me on for a good result. The front-end could still be better but we’ve definitely been working in the right direction and we’re trying to figure out how we can make more improvements. But this process isn’t just about working on making the bike better. I know I’ve got to improve myself and adapt my style more and I’ve worked on that a lot today. At the moment some laps I’m braking much better and how I should be and others I go back to my normal style, but that is all part of the learning process and why this test has been so valuable. I still need to release the brake earlier to help me carry more corner speed, so I’ll be working on improving more in that area in the future. My crew have worked really hard today after a long weekend, so credit to them for that. It was a good day and I can take some confidence to Indianapolis now.”