MotoGP Preview: Grand Prix Of Great Britain
June 18, 2010 | By Paul Kelly
EVENT: Grand Prix of Great Britain
WHERE: Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, England. Circuit is 3.666 miles (5.900 km), with 18 turns. Race is 20 laps.
WHEN: Sunday, June 20. It is the fifth of 18 events this season.
2009 RACE WINNER: Andrea Dovizioso, by 1.360 seconds over Colin Edwards (at Donington Park)
2009 POLE WINNER: Valentino Rossi, 1 minute, 28.116 seconds (at Donington Park)
U.S. TV: 8-9 a.m. (ET), Sunday, June 20, SPEED (live). Moto2: 6-7 p.m. (ET), Sunday, June 20, SPEED. 125cc: Noon-1 p.m. (ET), Tuesday, June 22, SPEED.
THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Ducati Team), Ben Spies (Longview, Texas, Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Colin Edwards (Houston, Monster Yamaha Tech 3) will compete in the MotoGP race. Hayden is fifth in the MotoGP World Championship standings, with Spies 10th and Edwards 12th. Kenny Noyes (Borrego Springs, Calif., Jack&Jones by Antonio Banderas) will compete in the Moto2 race. Noyes is tied for 17th in the Moto2 World Championship standings.
•Nicky Hayden (after practice June 18): “The first impressions of the circuit are good. I just do not like that much the first chicanes, and we need to make the bike a bit more manageable there. The surface is more smooth on the second half of the lap, where the grip also is better. I was on the pace for the first part of the session. Then we tried some setup changes on the second bike, and they didn’t work out how we planned.”
•Ben Spies (after practice June 18): “It is a super-fun track with a really cool design. It is really fast in a lot of places, and I really like the fast right and left combination where they are building the new pits and paddock. And coming out of the first corner, you are really picking up a lot of speed before that twisty part, and it is all about finding the limit, learning how deep you can run it in. It was a decent session, though it took me a while to get going. With everybody shooting in the dark in terms of setup, we were missing a little bit in places with the gearbox setting, but overall I'm happy.”
•Colin Edwards (after practice June 18): “The track is absolutely awesome, and hats off to Silverstone because they did a fantastic job. The first corner is cool and then you're flat-out going all the way to the twisty section, and you really need to be brave at that point. It is so fast and reminds me of Phillip Island, where you can really push the bike to the limit of its performance. and the whole lap is just fast, flowing and really challenging. It's just a lot of fun, and they've done a great job. You're going so fast that it takes time to get your brain in gear so you can work out how to go faster. The bike at the moment just feels a bit heavy, and not just in the change of direction. It is a bit of an effort just to get the bike back upright from maximum lean angle, but we know we can make it better for tomorrow and get it feeling easier.”
THEY SAID IT: “I raced here nine years ago, but I think that there are only four corners still in use from that time with the new track layout. I certainly don’t think this counts as circuit knowledge, so it definitely won’t give me any sort of advantage this weekend.” – Ducati Team rider Casey Stoner about his experience racing at Silverstone during 2001 British 125cc Championship
FAST FACTS: The British Grand Prix is taking place at Silverstone for the first time since 1986. But riders will compete this year on a circuit that was redesigned in the last year. The British GP took place from 1987-2009 at Donington Park … 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Jorge Lorenzo carries a 25-point lead over Spanish archrival Dani Pedrosa entering this event … 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Valentino Rossi will miss his second consecutive race after suffering a broken leg in a practice crash during the Grand Prix of Italy earlier this month at Mugello. Rossi missed a World Championship Grand Prix for the first time in his illustrious career, which started in 125cc in 1996, when he failed to take the start at Mugello. That ended a record streak of 230 consecutive World Championship starts, including 170 in a row in the premier class … Australian legend Wayne Gardner is the only rider to win premier-class races at Silverstone and Donington Park. Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso will match that mark with a victory this weekend … Pat Hennen won the inaugural Grand Prix of Great Britain in 1977 at Silverstone over fellow American Steve Baker. It was the first 1-2 finish by Americans in Grand Prix racing … American riders have won six of the 10 premier-class World Championship races contested at Silverstone … Just 8.931 seconds covered the top 10 finishers in the Moto2 race at the Grand Prix of Italy earlier this month. It was the first time outside of the 125cc class that the top 10 riders in a full-distance World Championship race finished within 10 seconds of each other … American Moto2 rookie Kenny Noyes celebrated his 31st birthday Friday, June 18 at Silverstone … Just .161 of a second covered the top four finishers in the 125cc race at the Grand Prix of Italy earlier this month, the third-closest top four in 125cc history.
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IMS tickets: Tickets for the 2010 Red Bull Indianapolis GP are on sale now. A new structure offers additional value and flexibility to fans attending the annual MotoGP event.
Among the highlights of the new ticket structure are lower prices and single-day reserved and general admission tickets for Race Day, Sunday, Aug. 29.
Fans can order tickets online at www.imstix.com, call the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or visit the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street. Online orders can be made at any time. Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
General admission tickets provide access to the grounds and to the viewing mounds along the infield section of the circuit, which provide excellent angles to see the greatest riders in the world.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.