Daily Trackside Report - Friday, Aug. 27
August 27, 2010 | By
Welcome to the third annual Red Bull Indianapolis GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Red Bull Indianapolis GP is the 11th race of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship.
Notes, quotes, trivia, historical information and other items will appear on these pages through Sunday, Aug. 30. Our Media Center staff, headed by Indianapolis Motor Speedway Manager of Public Relations Eric Powell, is here to assist you and answer your questions during this event.
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TODAY’S SCHEDULE (all times local):
8 a.m. Public Gates Open
8 a.m.-6 p.m. Vendor Marketplace Open, Gasoline Alley Garages
9-10:45 a.m. Pit Walkabout. Entrance/Exit at South Gasoline Alley
9:30-10:30 a.m. Cycle World Seminar, SPEED Stage
10:30 a.m.-noon Riders For Health Charity Auction, SPEED Stage
Noon-12:25 p.m. USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H Powered by Honda Practice
12:40-1:40 p.m. 125cc Free Practice #1
1:55-2:55 p.m. MotoGP Free Practice #1
3:10-4:10 p.m. Moto2 Free Practice #1
4:25-4:55 p.m. USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H Powered by Honda Qualifying #1
5:50-6:20 p.m. USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H Powered by Honda Qualifying #2
6 p.m. Track Closes
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Red Bull Indianapolis GP information is available on the World Wide Web this week on the official Indianapolis Motor Speedway site, http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, and the official MotoGP site, http://www.motogp.com. Included in the information will be practice summaries and performance histories, qualifying results, Daily Trackside Reports, driver quotes, race lineups and results.
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Yamaha and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are pleased to bring legendary comedian and late-night television host Jay Leno to serve as grand marshal of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP motorcycle race.
Leno, an avid motorsports enthusiast and collector of motorcycles and cars, will meet with MotoGP teams and riders on Race Day, Sunday, Aug. 29 at IMS and also present a trophy to a podium finisher.
Leno’s role as grand marshal extends his involvement with both IMS and MotoGP.
In 1999, Leno drove the Chevrolet Monte Carlo Pace Car that led the field of 33 drivers to the start of the Indianapolis 500. In July, Leno opened his incredible collection of cars and motorcycles at Jay Leno’s Garage in Southern California to current MotoGP riders and legends in a special event presented by Yamaha before the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.
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There are three American riders competing in MotoGP, three in Moto2 and one in 125cc at this event:
•MotoGP: #69 Nicky Hayden, Owensboro, Ky.; #5 Colin Edwards, Houston; #11 Ben Spies, Longview, Texas
•Moto2: #9 Kenny Noyes, Borrego Springs, Calif.; #34 Roger Lee Hayden, Owensboro, Ky. (wild-card rider); #42 Jason DiSalvo, Stafford, N.Y. (wild-card rider)
•125cc: #90 Kris Turner, Chattanooga, Tenn. (wild-card rider)
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Selected MotoGP statistical notes for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP:
•Two riders have finished on the MotoGP podium each of the first two years of this event, 2010 points leader Jorge Lorenzo and American Nicky Hayden. Lorenzo finished third in 2008 and won in 2009; Hayden finished second in 2008 and third in 2009.
•This is the first race in America for the new Moto2 class. The class didn’t compete at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix last month at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
•More American riders have won the 500cc/MotoGP World Championship since 1978 than riders from any other nation. American riders have combined to win 15 world titles in the last 32 seasons: Kenny Roberts (1978-80), Freddie Spencer (1983, 85), Eddie Lawson (1984, 1986, 1988-89), Wayne Rainey (1990-92), Kevin Schwantz (1993), Kenny Roberts Jr. (2000) and Nicky Hayden (2006).
•Alex de Angelis became the first rider to exceed 200 mph on a motorcycle at IMS, recording a top speed of 201.3 mph in the speed trap in the 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP.
•Points leader Jorge Lorenzo has finished on the podium in 11 consecutive races, a streak that started in the final race of 2009, at Valencia, Spain. Lorenzo is just the third rider in the 62-year history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing to finish first or second in the first 10 races of a season, joining legends Giacomo Agostini and Mick Doohan.
•American rookie standout Ben Spies continues to achieve many milestones in 2010. He leads the race for Rookie of the Year by 36 points over Marco Simoncelli and is the leading non-factory rider in the standings, 15 points ahead of Randy De Puniet. Spies also has been the first rookie finisher in six of the 10 races this season and has been the top non-factory finisher in five races this season.
•American Colin Edwards will make his 130th MotoGP start at this event, only the 13th rider to reach that milestone.
•Italian MotoGP rider Marco Melandri will make his 200th career Grand Prix start (across all classes) at this event.
•Yamaha riders have won both Red Bull Indianapolis GP races, with Valentino Rossi in 2008 and Jorge Lorenzo in 2009.
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USGPRU MORIWAKI MD250H POWERED BY HONDA PRACTICE:
At noon, the ambient temperature was 75 degrees F (24 C) with a relative humidity of 44 percent and calm winds. Skies were sunny.
Noon – GREEN.
12:20 p.m. – CHECKERED. End of session.
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Top Five Riders, USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H Powered by Honda Practice:
1. #1 Garrett Gerloff 2:01.524
2. #85 Jake Lewis 2:02.646
3. #195 Nick McFadden 2:04.570
4. #137 Stefano Mesa 2:04.603
5. #32 Austin Medrano 2:05.516
Top trap speed: #195 McFadden, 122.8 mph (197.6 km/h)
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125cc FREE PRACTICE #1:
At 12:40 p.m., the ambient temperature was 75 degrees F (24 C) with a relative humidity of 44 percent and northeast winds at 4 mph (2.5 km/h). Skies were sunny.
•Track record, 125cc: 1:49.039, Bradley Smith, 2009
12:40 p.m. – GREEN.
1:40 p.m. – CHECKERED. End of session.
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Top Five Riders, 125cc Free Practice #1:
1. #93 Marc Marquez 1:49.452
2. #44 Pol Espargaro 1:49.603
3. #40 Nicolas Terol 1:49.698
4. #11 Sandro Cortese 1:49.829
5. #38 Bradley Smith 1:49.908
Top trap speed: #7 Efren Vazquez, 142.9 mph (230.0 km/h) Americans: #90 Turner, 27th, 1:56.955
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Seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, who won the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP in 2008, talked about returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for this year’s race.
VALENTINO ROSSI: “Indianapolis is a special place, an amazing track, and, as always, it's fun to race in America. I have great memories from 2008 when I won in the hurricane, even if it's not something I want to repeat. This year we arrive in a different situation to last year, fifth in the championship and not at 100 percent in physical condition, but I am feeling stronger all the time.”
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Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd announced today that current Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies will move to the factory team for the 2011 MotoGP season.
Spies, 26, from Longview, Texas, is the leading rookie and top non-factory team rider in MotoGP this season. He won the 2009 Superbike World Championship on a Yamaha before climbing to MotoGP.
BEN SPIES: "My first year in MotoGP has been a great learning curve, and for that I have to thank Herve Poncharal, all the team at Tech 3 and especially my American mechanics, who have stuck by me throughout this great journey so far. Having previous