Bautista quickest in wet afternoon practice

 Spain’s Álvaro Bautista has moved ahead in Friday afternoon practice for the MotoGP of Valencia. As rain continued to fall at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit and its surrounding area, the Suzuki topped the timesheets from Nicky Hayden’s factory Ducati and the Pramac bike of Randy de Puniet.

Because of the conditions, the entire field cautiously took to the circuit as a damp track from the morning became a wet surface for the afternoon. Several riders are displaying tributes to the late Marco Simoncelli, although none is more conspicuous than team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama’s, whose Gresini bike is running with no livery.

Bautista’s best time came in the shape of 1:47.975, with Coventry’s Cal Crutchlow making the top five for Tech 3. Just ahead, in fourth position, was Karel Abraham, although his Cardion machine picked up noteworthy damage as it barrel-rolled across the Turn 1 gravel trap following a fall.

Also in sizeable trouble at the first corner was Ben Spies’ Yamaha, which went down after touching a slippery white line delineating the edge of the track. Toni Elías suffered an off at Turn 2 and Aoyama also found himself in the wars, although both men were able to walk away without a limp, unlike the aforementioned Spies.

The leading Repsol bike was this time that of Andrea Dovizioso in fourth spot, with Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa – who topped the first session – eighth and ninth behind Valentino Rossi. Josh Hayes, substituting for the recovering Colin Edwards, completed the top ten ahead of Katsuyuki Nakasuga, stand-in for Jorge Lorenzo, and Loris Capirossi at the start of the experienced Italian’s last MotoGP race weekend.

Stoner storms to Valencia pole

Casey Stoner took a convincing pole position for tomorrow’s MotoGP finale at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, outpacing nearest rival and Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa by more than a second. Third place and the final spot on the front row went to Ben Spies, with Pramac’s Randy de Puniet again performing well en route to fourth.

Slightly faster track conditions saw Stoner further increase his advantage over the rest of the field this afternoon, the Australian equalling Mick Doohan's record of 12 poles in a single campaign. Álvaro Bautista delivered another strong timed lap to claim fifth on tomorrow’s grid, directly leading factory Ducati duo Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden.

Andrea Dovizioso endured a late crash en route to eighth place on the timesheets, with Héctor Barberá and Karel Abraham trailing closely. Just behind, Britain’s Cal Crutchlow narrowly missed out on a top ten spot, having to settle for 11th place.

Stoner fastest in slippery Valencia practice

 A last-minute effort by Champion Casey Stoner left the Australian quickest in Friday morning’s first practice session for the season-closing MotoGP of Valencia. The Honda rider led the way from team-mate and local favourite Dani Pedrosa, with the two Ducatis of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden managing third and fourth places.

Prior to the session, all memories were with the deceased Marco Simoncelli, who tragically lost his life in the Sepang race on 23 October. As a pair of Gresini bikes were lined up in the pit lane, Loris Capirossi proudly displayed Simoncelli’s number 58 on his Pramac for what is the former’s final race weekend in the sport. Hiroshi Aoyama, team-mate to the late Simoncelli, ran with no livery on his machine.

With much of Spain having been hit by heavy rain and with more forecast over the weekend, it was a cautious field which took to the track. Jorge Lorenzo is not present, as he continues to recover, and is being replaced by Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga who completed the field. Also out of action is Colin Edwards, who continues his convalescence after the Malaysian crash which took Simoncelli’s life.

Stoner’s best effort came in the form of 1:45.513, edging out Pedrosa by two tenths of a second. The aforementioned Capirossi ensured that three Ducati bikes finished amongst the leading quintet as Britain’s Cal Crutchlow entered the top ten for Tech 3.

Lorenzo to miss season finale at Valencia

Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo will not participate in this weekend’s Valencia MotoGP season finale. The outgoing Champion continues to make good progress in recovery following plastic surgery to repair damage to the ring finger of his left hand sustained at Phillip Island three weeks ago.

Although taking part in the event would be possible, the Mallorcan’s injuries require further recovery time to allow him to ride at a fully competitive level.

Japanese Yamaha test rider and Superbike competitor Katsuyuki Nakasuga will make his second appearance in the premier class on behalf of Lorenzo.

Valencia to be very special, says Pedrosa

Dani Pedrosa is sure that emotions will run high as MotoGP continues with the final race of 2011 in Valencia this weekend. The community will be without Marco Simoncelli following the tragic events of Malaysia two weekends ago.

“Valencia will be a very special race for everybody,” says the Sabadell rider. “This weekend we will all have Marco in our thoughts and I hope the fans show their respect and appreciation to him, as the whole MotoGP family will do.”

Pedrosa remains in a tussle with Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso for third overall, with the Italian currently ahead by just four points.

“Valencia is a track I like a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing all the fans there again,” he continued. “Last year I couldn't perform very well due to injury, but this time I hope to have a good race and finish the season in a good shape.”

Stoner: It will be difficult to race again

Casey Stoner admits that the continuation of MotoGP without Marco Simoncelli will be immensely difficult, with this weekend’s season-ending Valencia race set to mark the first time the sport has regrouped following the Italian’s death in Malaysia.

“It will be difficult to return to racing this weekend after Marco's terrible accident at Sepang, but I think it is the best thing we can do to honour him,” says the World Champion. “We know we all play a risky game and, even if compared to the past the safety of our sport is much better, unfortunately these kind of events still occur. My thoughts go out to his family and I hope that they are coping through this period.

“The race this weekend is the final round of an incredible season for us; we have worked hard all year and, after clinching the title at Phillip Island, we are starting to look to 2012. After the race here in Valencia we will have the two-day test on the 1,000cc machine and then we can take a well-deserved break and reflect on the ups and downs of a very long hard season.

“We will go out there this weekend and try to put on a good show for all the fans and especially in memory of Marco.”

Texas lands MotoGP from 2013

Ten-year deal signed for new Circuit of the Americas™ in Austin includes the three classes of the MotoGP World Championship.

 

Dorna Sports, S.L., 3FourTexasMGP, LLC and Full Throttle Productions, LP are pleased to announce the historic signing of a ten-year contract bringing MotoGP to the new Circuit of the Americas™ facility in Austin, Texas, from 2013.
This agreement includes the three categories of the World Championship; the MotoGP class - the pinnacle of motorcycling - Moto2 and Moto3.
The addition of a ten-year MotoGP deal is coupled with the already scheduled ten-year deal to host the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™, for which the Circuit of the Americas™ in Austin, Texas is currently under construction.
Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, S.L. said: “We are delighted to be adding the Circuit of the Americas™ to the MotoGP calendar. It’s an honour to expand our Championship to Texas, which has a rich history of producing World Championship riders. We have had a wonderful and special relationship with Kevin (Schwantz) for 20 years and often talked about a mutual dream of increasing the popularity of MotoGP in the U.S. and raising our already successful worldwide profile. Now, with what Tavo Hellmund (Managing Partner of Full Throttle Productions) is doing in Austin, we have realised that situation and are looking forward to this new venture together. The ten-year agreement is a sign of our confidence and commitment to the future success of MotoGP racing in Austin.”
“For me this is a dream come true, that the MotoGP World Championship will be in my home state of Texas. I am such a believer in the sport and know how popular motorcycling is in Texas. I am sure that this will be a resounding long term success,” stated Mr. Kevin Schwantz, Manager of 3FourTexas MGP and LLC, and the 1993 FIM MotoGP World Champion.
Mr. Hellmund, who has worked hard to bring MotoGP to Texas, stated: “We are extremely pleased to add the best motorcycle World Championship to our annual schedule. This is a fantastic opportunity for the State of Texas and this region and I believe it is the first time in American Motorsports history that both the car and motorbike World Championships are held at the same facility annually. We are very proud of becoming the United States international facility for motorsports.”
“Kevin and I have been close friends for a long time and I enjoy a great relationship with Carmelo. I respect so much what they (Dorna) and the FIM have done for MotoGP globally. It’s going to be great for the State, the product is fantastic and you never know, we may even have a reigning Texan in Ben Spies as World Champion for our first event… that would be icing on the cake” concluded Mr. Hellmund.
Construction of the new facility is progressing well and is scheduled for completion sometime in mid 2012, in time for the first Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™.

Schwantz: Texas GP offers “exciting prospect”

The former 500cc World Champion has been a key figure in the signing of a ten-year deal to bring MotoGP to his home state from 2013, and discussed his enthusiasm at the announcement of the news.

 

Following news on Tuesday of the addition of the Circuit of the Americas™ in Austin, Texas, to the MotoGP calendar from 2013, Kevin Schwantz spoke to motogp.com about the ten-year deal to bring the World Championship to his home state.
Discussing the new facility, which is currently under construction and is due for completion in mid-2012, the 1993 500cc World Champion’s enthusiasm was evident at the prospect of the new event.
“Having watched the development of this facility I am genuinely excited about it, and I think it’s going to be highly attractive,” Schwantz told motogp.com. “From a rider’s perspective, which is how I look at things, I think it’s going to be a great track. It’ll be really challenging, it’s going to be safe and it’s going to be a nice, long lap. As a rider you will have to work to be able to put good laps together in order to be able to stay at the front of the race. There are a lot of good things and for me it’s a very exciting prospect.”
The input of Schwantz has been central to helping develop the circuit as one suitable for motorcycle racing, as he continued to explain: “One of my good friends here in Texas, Tavo Hellmund, is the one who put this whole project together. He is one of the three owners of the facility and when talking with him about it he was speaking about F1 – I was thinking that from a safety perspective we needed to make sure we didn’t do anything that would alienate us from bringing bikes here.”
“When they got into the design process of it I got fairly hands on. I don’t do a lot of work on the project day-to-day, but I sat in on quite a few meetings with the guys from the design group to make sure that we leave enough run-off for bikes, that it is safe enough for motorcycles, and hopefully that’ll be something that everybody notices.”
The importance of a long-term vision for the GP will, in Schwantz’s opinion, aid the raising of MotoGP’s profile further in the US.
“It’s all about the riders. If they like and love the place and feel it’s safe, they will be the biggest advocates of it and will talk about it and like racing here, and that’s what will attract the people here,” he said. “We want to try and make the profile of MotoGP here in America just like it is in Spain and Italy. We want it to be one of the top two or three forms of sports over here.”
“As riders we also know how excited people can be about racing. We want to be able to put everything in place to make it an event that everybody wants to come to, and one which you simply can’t afford to miss. From a logistical standpoint we are going to have a track that’s less than 10 miles from the state capital, with the airport being halfway between the city and the track. There are a lot of things that have been really thought through that will make it that much more enjoyable for the fans and a greater fan experience.”
Schwantz’s work in aiding the promotion of the new event will continue in the lead-up to the debut GP in 2013. “It’s exactly what I’ve been doing in the past at any opportunity I’ve had, with both Laguna Seca and Indianapolis. If I’m needed to do anything while all the MotoGP guys are off racing and there’s help needed with the publicity I’m hands on and am happy to do it,” he said.
“What I want to do is to try and get our sport the recognition it deserves. Laguna Seca has Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and all those guys out there in California, and I do help there on occasions when I can, and it’ll be the same thing here in Texas. Home is close by, and I hope to be able to help promote everything that happens at the facility with motorsports in mind.”
“Having to travel only 20 minutes for my school to a site that’s a world class facility will be ideal,” he commented. “From the very beginning I knew what the facility would be like and for us something that hosts a World Championship level event and something close by here in Texas will be excellent.”

Bautista: “I want to return at Estoril but it's not yet 100% certain”

The Rizla Suzuki rider underwent a medical check on Tuesday in Madrid, which confirmed the positive progress of his recovery from injury.

 

Álvaro Bautista received a positive update on his recovery from a fractured femur when the Spanish rider underwent a medical check at the Hospital USP San José de Madrid on Tuesday afternoon.
Dr Ángel Villamor examined the Rizla Suzuki rider, who fractured his left femur in Qatar, and X-rays revealed good progress in his recovery process, something which has strengthened Bautista's determination to make his return at the Estoril round later this month.
“We've been looking at the X-rays they took of me this afternoon with Dr Villamor and it appears that the bone is forming well and there's less risk of it not healing well,” Bautista explained to motogp.com.
“We've passed the first stage, and that means I should be able to start to push on little by little and start getting stronger in the leg, because I have lost a lot of strength and with less fear I can start to move the bone and regain full feeling. That'll mean I can start exercising with a little resistance and start to speed up the recuperation process to be as quick as possible.”
Bautista has already been undertaking flexibility and mobility exercises, as well as completing sessions in a hyberbaric chamber. With the Portuguese GP arriving on the weekend of April 29th-May 1st, Bautista is eager to be fit in time to make his comeback.
“We still have 17 days before I need to get back on a bike. The doctor said everything is going reasonably quickly and that's my objective. I have two weeks in which to work and gain strength in the leg. Before travelling to Estoril I will have another consultation with the medical team, they'll do fresh X-rays to ensure everything's fine and the idea is to return in Portugal,” said a hopeful Bautista.
“It's still not 100% certain, but the only thing on my mind is returning and my aim is to do that in Estoril although it'll be a decision for the medical team. They've told me that if I continue at this pace there is a good chance, but there is still a lot of hard work ahead if I want to get back to a suitable physical condition for MotoGP.”

Pedrosa starts rehabilitation

The Repsol Honda rider will today (Tuesday) begin a first stage of passive exercises on his left shoulder, following an operation last week.

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa today (Tuesday) begins the second stage of his recovery in order to participate in the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal, which will be held at the Estoril circuit on May 1st.
Yesterday (Monday), Pedrosa had the first medical check up after the operation he underwent on April 5th at Teknon Medical Centre to decompress the left subclavian artery. The doctors who performed the intervention verified that the wound is healing properly, with no infection, and expect to remove the stitches next week.
Pedrosa, who has had five days of rest after the surgery, will today start rehabilitation, consisting with a first stage of passive exercises of the left shoulder with the help of a physiotherapist.