Lorenzo Tops Brno Test; 'Team Texas' Strong Heading To Indy
August 16, 2010 | By Paul Kelly
One day after earning his seventh victory of the season, points leader Jorge Lorenzo dominated a rain-shortened MotoGP test session Aug. 16 at the Automotodrom Brno in the Czech Republic.
The next stop for Lorenzo is Indianapolis for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 27-29. He looms as a big favorite to become the first two-time winner of the annual MotoGP race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Lorenzo’s top time was 1 minute, 56.269 seconds on his Fiat Yamaha Team machine, more than one-half second ahead of his closest rival, Casey Stoner, whose best lap was 1:56.844 on a Ducati. Dani Pedrosa was third at 1:56.944 on his Repsol Honda, putting three different manufacturers in the top three.
It was a strong test for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 riders Colin Edwards and Ben Spies, two of the three American riders in the premier MotoGP class.
Edwards returned to a setup that he used during qualifying at Brno and ended up fifth overall in the test at 1:57.512. Rookie sensation Spies was sixth at 1:57.575.
Spies finished fourth in the race Aug. 15 at Brno after starting a career-best second. Edwards finished seventh.
“Although I wasn't happy with the result yesterday, I felt we made a breakthrough with the bike here, and I'm really looking forward to challenging for my first top-six finish of the season at the next race in Indianapolis,” Edwards said.
Said Spies: “It was a good weekend with my first front-row start and a strong fourth place in the race, and after today I'm heading to Indianapolis for another home race full of confidence. I love racing in front of my home fans, and hopefully I’ll be able to get my best result of the season at Indy.”
2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden was ninth in the test at 1:57.991 on his Ducati. American Hayden finished fifth in the race Sunday despite racing with a chipped bone in his wrist from a crash during qualifying Saturday. He will race in the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 29 at Indianapolis.
“The feedback was positive, but at the moment we need more tests,” Hayden said about the test. “My hand was a little painful, but honestly it wasn’t a major drama, and I hope that with a week’s rest I can be fit for my home race.”
Sixteen of the 17 full-time riders in MotoGP tested. Only Randy De Puniet skipped the test, as he is still recovering from a broken leg suffered less than a month ago despite racing Aug. 15 at Brno. He is expected to race at Indianapolis.
***
TEST RESULTS
BRNO, Czech Republic – Results of the MotoGP test session, with position, rider, country, motorcycle and best lap time. All riders on Bridgestone tires:
1. Jorge Lorenzo Spain Yamaha 1:56.269
2. Casey Stoner Australia Ducati 1:56.844
3. Dani Pedrosa Spain Honda 1:56.944
4. Valentino Rossi Italy Yamaha 1:57.129
5. Colin Edwards United States Yamaha 1:57.512
6. Ben Spies United States Yamaha 1:57.575
7. Andrea Dovizioso Italy Honda 1:57.691
8. Loris Capirossi Italy Suzuki 1:57.700
9. Nicky Hayden United States Ducati 1:57.991
10. Hector Barbera Spain Ducati 1:58.017
11. Marco Melandri Italy Honda 1:58.070
12. Marco Simoncelli Italy Honda 1:58.091
13. Aleix Espargaro Spain Ducati 1:58.612
14. Hiroshi Aoyama Japan Honda 1:58.830
15. Mika Kallio Finland Ducati 1:58.926
16. Alvaro Bautista Spain Suzuki 1:59.454
***
AMERICAN RIDER QUOTES
COLIN EDWARDS (Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha/Bridgestone, fifth): “We made a change with the setup for the race yesterday, and I didn't really have a good feeling with the bike, so we reverted back to the setting I was happy with on Saturday just to try and understand why I wasn’t able to run the same pace. I’ve learned not to race the bike with a setting that we hadn’t tested, but we thought it would be fine. I tested some different front-end geometry to try and make more progress with the better turning performance we found earlier in the weekend, and we’ve got some more ideas for the future. I tried a new Bridgestone front, and I was really happy with that so it was a good test. Although I wasn't happy with the result yesterday, I felt we made a breakthrough with the bike here, and I'm really looking forward to challenging for my first top-six finish of the season at the next race in Indianapolis.”
BEN SPIES (Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha/Bridgestone, sixth): “It was a good day. I can't say too much about the new bike, and honestly I’m not sure exactly what I rode. I just got on and rode what was given to me and I didn't set any blistering lap times today, but that was not the objective. Today was all about giving feedback and getting some data on the new bike. The good thing is that I was pretty much on the pace of the bike I've been riding since February, and that is a big positive because we've got plenty of time to work on that bike. We got lots of information, so it was a productive day. It was a good weekend with my first front-row start and a strong fourth place in the race, and after today I'm heading to Indianapolis for another home race full of confidence. I love racing in front of my home fans, and hopefully I'll be able to get my best result of the season at Indy.”
NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati Team Ducati/Bridgestone, ninth): “We got out there this morning and got a few hours of testing in because we really needed it. We had a few new settings we wanted to try as well as the new fork. The feedback was positive, but at the moment we need more tests. My hand was a little painful, but honestly it wasn't a major drama, and I hope that with a week’s rest I can be fit for my home race.”
***
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. Children 12 and under will be admitted free any day of the event if accompanied by an adult holding a general admission ticket.
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, viewing mounds along the infield section of the circuit and selected grandstands, which provide excellent angles to see the greatest riders in the world.
Fans can now print their tickets – three-day reserved seat and Race Day-only general admission and reserved seat tickets – with their printer after ordering tickets online at www.imstix.com.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.