MotoGP 2013 – Round Five – Mugello
— Lorenzo reigns supreme as Marquez and Rossi fall at Mugello
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo won a dramatic Gran Premio d’Italia TIM for the third successive year, leading home MotoGP™ championship leader Dani Pedrosa and Britain’s Cal Crutchlow, whilst local hero Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and Alvaro Bautista all crashed out of the race.
Whilst Lorenzo made the perfect start by passing Repsol Honda Team’s Pedrosa in the first turn, Yamaha’s Rossi and GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista came together in the fourth corner of lap 1, putting an end to both their races, and shocking the yellow-clad home crowd. They fortunately walked away unscathed, and whilst both were disappointed and clearly annoyed, Race Direction deemed it was no one’s fault and declared it a racing incident.
Back in the race, Pedrosa remained with Lorenzo until just past half distance, when small errors for two laps in a row allowed his teammate Marquez to attack, while Lorenzo put the hammer down, lapping at the highest pace of the race to pull out a healthy buffer. Pedrosa kept Marquez at bay until the 20-year-old went past on the inside of Savelli curve on the 19th lap. Marquez’s hard work was quickly undone in exactly the same place just two laps later, as an unforced error resulted in a fourth crash in three days. It was also the end of his bid to become the first rookie in MotoGP history to claim five rostrum finishes at the start of his premier class career.
Marquez’s crash allowed Pedrosa to retake second place as Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Crutchlow made the podium for the second time in two weeks, becoming the first British rider since 1987 to take back-to-back podium finishes. Stefan Bradl delivered a mature ride to fourth place to equal his career-best result for LCR Honda MotoGP, which had coincidently been achieved at the same race last year. Ducati Team filled positions five to seven, with Dovizioso eventually winning a battle with teammate Nicky Hayden while Michele Pirro raced the GP13 Lab bike to just behind the factory pair.
Aleix Espargaro carried his Power Electronics Aspar CRT bike to its best result yet in eighth spot, with Tech 3’s Bradley Smith achieving ninth despite being in immense pain with an injured wrist and finger. Hector Barbera completed the top ten for Avintia Blusens.
MotoGP™ Race Classification – Race Result – Round 5
1 Jorge Lorenzo 41’39.733 SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
2 Dani Pedrosa +5.400 SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
3 Cal Crutchlow +6.412 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
4 Stefan Bradl +19.321 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
5 Andrea Dovizioso +19.540 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
6 Nicky Hayden +26.321 USA DUCATI Ducati Team
7 Michele Pirro +38.144 ITA DUCATI Ducati Test Team
8 Aleix Espargaro +39.802 SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
9 Bradley Smith +40.243 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
10 Hector Barbera +48.392 SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
11 Randy De Puniet +48.480 FRA ART Power Electronics Aspar
12 Danilo Petrucci +1’13.708 ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
13 Andrea Iannone +1’14.601 ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
14 Colin Edwards +1’21.249 USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
15 Karel Abraham +1’25.738 CZE ART Cardion AB Motoracing
16 Yonny Hernandez +1’27.339 COL PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
17 Michael Laverty +1’27.758 GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
18 Bryan Staring +1’44.424 AUS FTR Go & Fun Honda Gresini
19 Lukas Pesek +1’45.227 CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
20 Marc Marquez DNF SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
21 Claudio Corti DNF ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
22 Hiroshi Aoyama DNF JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
23 Valentino Rossi DNF ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
24 Alvaro Bautista DNF SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
25 Ben Spies DNS USA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
Championship standings
1 Dani Pedrosa 103 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo 91 pts SPA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
3 Marc Marquez 77 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Cal Crutchlow 71 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
5 Andrea Dovizioso 50 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Team
6 Valentino Rossi 47 pts ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing
7 Nicky Hayden 45 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Team
8 Alvaro Bautista 38 pts SPA HONDA Go & Fun Honda Gresini
9 Stefan Bradl 30 pts GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
10 Aleix Espargaro 28 pts SPA ART Power Electronics Aspar
11 Bradley Smith 24 pts GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3
12 Michele Pirro 22 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Test Team
13 Andrea Iannone 21 pts ITA DUCATI Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
14 Hector Barbera 13 pts SPA FTR Avintia Blusens
15 Randy De Puniet 11 pts FRA ART Power Electronics Aspar
16 Ben Spies 9 pts USA DUCATI Ignite Pramac Racing Team
17 Danilo Petrucci 8 pts ITA IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
18 Michael Laverty 3 pts GBR PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
19 Colin Edwards 3 pts USA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
20 Yonny Hernandez 3 pts COL PBM Paul Bird Motorsport
21 Karel Abraham 2 pts CZE ART Cardion AB Motoracing
22 Hiroshi Aoyama 1 pts JAP FTR Avintia Blusens
23 Lukas Pesek 0 pts CZE IODA-SUTER Came IodaRacing Project
24 Blake Young 0 pts USA APR CRT Attack Performance
25 Claudio Corti 0 pts ITA FTR-KAWASAKI NGM Mobile Forward Racing
26 Bryan Staring 0 pts AUS FTR Go & Fun Honda Gresini
Scott Redding has become the first British rider to win successive races in the intermediate class since 1971, taking the Moto2™ chequered flag at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM in Mugello on Sunday. The Marc VDS Racing Team rider extends his championship lead to 43 points over second-placed finisher Nico Terol, as Johann Zarco completed the podium.
On Saturday, Redding – who won his first Moto2 race last time out in France – celebrated pole position, starting in front of Japan’s Takaaki Nakagami as Germany’s Marcel Schrotter placed himself on the front row for the first time. Nakagami took the lead off the start line, but a decisive move from Redding saw the Gloucestershire rider slide through at Poggio Seco on the fourth lap. Nakagami, struggling under braking, immediately began to drop back and crashed out of the race at Scarperia on Lap 9 – this marked his second fall in as many Grands Prix.
As Redding began to stretch out a healthy advantage over Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s Terol and Came IodaRacing Project’s Zarco, Tuenti HP 40’s Pol Espargaro set about the task of damage limitation. From tenth on the grid, the pre-season title favourite made significant progress in the second half of the race. Aided by contact between Alex de Angelis and Xavier Simeon, which put the Belgian out of the race, Espargaro stole his final position of fourth from Mika Kallio just two laps from home.
Marc VDS’ Kallio would round out the top five, leading home Aspar’s Jordi Torres after an entertaining duel. Seventh-placed Simone Corsi on the NGM Mobile Racing Speed Up was the leading Italian rider from aforementioned teammate De Angelis, as Tom Luthi and Dominique Aegerter ended quiet weekends in the final two top ten positions for Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing and Technomag carXpert, respectively.
Schrotter would finish 12th from third on the grid, whereas Tuenti’s Esteve Rabat – who had been the championship leader after Jerez – made a mistake and finished 13th. Six riders did not make the finish, including Indonesian duo Rafid Topan Sucipto and Doni Tata Pradita as the former fell and collected the latter at the first corner.
Moto2™ Race Classification – RACE: (21 laps = 110.145 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Scott REDDING / GBR / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 39’53.942 / 165.6 /
2 / Nicolas TEROL / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 39’56.117 / 165.4 / 2.175
3 / Johann ZARCO / FRA / Came Iodaracing Project / SUTER / 39’58.329 / 165.3 / 4.387
4 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 40’03.729 / 164.9 / 9.787
5 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 40’03.793 / 164.9 / 9.851
6 / Jordi TORRES / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 40’04.586 / 164.9 / 10.644
7 / Simone CORSI / ITA / NGM Mobile Racing / SPEED UP / 40’04.660 / 164.8 / 10.718
8 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / NGM Mobile Forward Racing / SPEED UP / 40’04.786 / 164.8 / 10.844
9 / Thomas LUTHI / SWI / Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Rac / SUTER / 40’04.842 / 164.8 / 10.9
10 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Technomag carXpert / SUTER / 40’06.108 / 164.7 / 12.166
11 / Toni ELIAS / SPA / Blusens Avintia / KALEX / 40’06.115 / 164.7 / 12.173
12 / Marcel SCHROTTER / GER / Desguaces La Torre SAG / KALEX / 40’09.813 / 164.5 / 15.871
13 / Esteve RABAT / SPA / Tuenti HP 40 / KALEX / 40’21.861 / 163.7 / 27.919
14 / Sandro CORTESE / GER / Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 40’22.630 / 163.6 / 28.688
15 / Randy KRUMMENACHE / SWI / Technomag carXpert / SUTER / 40’22.915 / 163.6 / 28.973
Pole Position: Scott REDDING 1’52.958 167.1 Km/h
Fastest Lap: Johann ZARCO 1’53.095 166.9 Km/h Lap 6
Circuit Record Lap: Thomas LUTHI 1’52.815 167.3 Km/h 2012
Circuit Best Lap: Pol ESPARGARO 1’52.369 168.0 Km/h 2012
CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE:
1 REDDING 101, 2 TEROL 58, 3 KALLIO 58, 4 RABAT 55, 5 ESPARGARO 54, 6 AEGERTER 53, 7 ZARCO 44, 8 SIMEON 35, 9 DE ANGELIS 30, 10 NAKAGAMI 29, 11 TORRES 26, 12 CORSI 24, 13 WEST 20, 14 ELIAS 19, 15 SCHROTTER 19.
Luis Salom has claimed his second Moto3™ win of 2013 following a multiple-rider battle for victory in the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM in Mugello. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider pulled out a small advantage on the final lap to lead home Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Rins and Team Calvo’s Maverick Viñales, who retains his championship lead.
Having won the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix, Salom was yet to finish off the podium this year and has therefore maintained his impressive run. He went third on the opening lap and, with a handful to go, could be seen making the most of his KTM power to pull in front of the pack on the start/finish straight.
The crucial moment came three laps from home, as Rins’ teammate Alex Marquez allowed Salom to pull out enough of a gap to hold the advantage, by the time Rins and Viñales re-joined the top three group. Rins, having bogged down slightly at the start, was nonetheless delighted with second place from third on the grid.
Viñales led at half distance, having dispatched with Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 pole-sitter Jonas Folger on Lap 4 before heading up a thrilling lead group of six riders. Behind, another multi-rider cluster was contesting positions eighth and downwards, and on several occasions up to six men could be seen riding side-by-side on the drag down to first corner San Donato.
Oliveira celebrated his best result of the season so far to finish fourth for Mahindra Racing from Marquez, both of whom enjoyed sizeable amounts of time in the lead. Folger ultimately finished sixth, whilst the top ten was completed by GO&FUN Gresini Moto3’s Niccolo Antonelli, Avant Tecno’s Niklas Ajo, Aspar’s Eric Granado and Caretta Technology – RTG’s Jack Miller.
Five riders failed to make the finish of today’s race, including Romano Fenati, who flew over the front of his San Carlo Team Italia bike following contact with RW Racing GP’s Jasper Iwema, while Redox RW Racing GP’s Jakub Kornfeil and Ongetta-Centro Seta’s Matteo Ferrari were left highly frustrated to have ended up in the gravel trap of the final corner on the last lap.
Arthur Sissis – “That was not an easy race. I started from twenty-fifth position, far back, and with so many riders ahead of me it was not easy off the start. Neither was it so on the early laps, in which I had to be very careful not to make any contact with other riders that would have finished my race. At the end I found a good feeling and gained positions. Now I’m just thinking about the next race and giving a good showing at Montmelo.”
Moto3™ Race Classification – RACE: (20 laps = 104.9 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Luis SALOM / SPA / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 39’53.827 / 157.7 /
2 / Alex RINS / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 39’53.926 / 157.7 / 0.099
3 / Maverick VIÑALES / SPA / Team Calvo / KTM / 39’54.130 / 157.7 / 0.303
4 / Miguel OLIVEIRA / POR / Mahindra Racing / MAHINDRA / 39’54.584 / 157.7 / 0.757
5 / Alex MARQUEZ / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / KTM / 39’54.646 / 157.7 / 0.819
6 / Jonas FOLGER / GER / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 / KALEX KTM / 39’55.260 / 157.6 / 1.433
7 / Niccolò ANTONELLI / ITA / GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 / FTR HONDA / 40’10.291 / 156.6 / 16.464
8 / Niklas AJO / FIN / Avant Tecno / KTM / 40’12.454 / 156.5 / 18.627
9 / Eric GRANADO / BRA / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 / KALEX KTM / 40’12.784 / 156.5 / 18.957
10 / Jack MILLER / AUS / Caretta Technology – RTG / FTR HONDA / 40’12.853 / 156.5 / 19.026
11 / Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN / MAL / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 40’12.974 / 156.5 / 19.147
12 / Alexis MASBOU / FRA / Ongetta-Rivacold / FTR HONDA / 40’12.981 / 156.5 / 19.154
13 / Isaac VIÑALES / SPA / Ongetta-Centro Seta / FTR HONDA / 40’14.640 / 156.3 / 20.813
14 / Brad BINDER / RSA / Ambrogio Racing / SUTER HONDA / 40’15.068 / 156.3 / 21.241
15 / Jasper IWEMA / NED / RW Racing GP / KALEX KTM / 40’22.409 / 155.8 / 28.582
Pole Position: Jonas FOLGER 1’57.603 160.5 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record): Miguel OLIVEIRA 1’58.000 160.0 Km/h Lap 4
Old Circuit Record Lap: Sandro CORTESE 1’58.569 159.2 Km/h 2012
Circuit Best Lap: Jonas FOLGER 1’57.603 160.5 Km/h 2013
CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE:
1 VIÑALES 106, 2 SALOM 102, 3 RINS 81, 4 FOLGER 63, 5 MARQUEZ 35, 6 BINDER 34, 7 OLIVEIRA 33, 8 KHAIRUDDIN 33, 9 KORNFEIL 27, 10 MASBOU 27, 11 AJO 26, 12 MILLER 20, 13 SISSIS 19, 14 FENATI 17, 15 VAZQUEZ 16.
— Yamaha Racing
Jorge Lorenzo struck again at Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello today, taking his third consecutive Gran Premio d’Italia victory in fine form. Starting from second position on the grid the Yamaha Factory rider wasted no time in striking, diving up the inside of leader Dani Pedrosa through turn three and taking control of the race. The reigning World Champion kept Pedrosa and Marc Marquez close behind until the halfway point, then put the hammer down, delivering a series of untouchable laps to build a gap that had grown to nearly five and a half seconds as he crossed the finish line. The race win, Lorenzo’s 25th Premier Class victory, moves him to second position in the standings on 91 points, now just 12 behind Pedrosa in front and 14 ahead of Marquez in third.
Home hero Valentino Rossi’s Mugello race proved to be the nightmare opposite of his teammate’s success story. The Italian nine-time World Champion came together with Alvaro Bautista between turns two and three on the first lap, coming off at high speed and into the air fences to the disappointment of the thousands of fans present. The resulting DNF leaves Rossi in sixth position in the Championship standings on 47 points.
Jorge Lorenzo, 1st – “The conditions and the circumstances were good for us and I didn’t make a mistake, I made my best performance even if the conditions were much hotter than this morning. We are still struggling so much when the conditions get hotter. Anyway the key of the race was in the middle where I improved my riding, I was able to brake later with less fuel in the tank so I was able to improve the lap time by two tenths, from this moment Dani gave up a little pace and I could get away and win the race, more or less like last year. It’s very special; I won the last three years here so this track is magic for me and very positive for Yamaha. It also reminds us to keep working on the bike as at the tracks which are not so flowing like Mugello we will struggle. I’m very happy to give this win to Yamaha Motor Racing President Shigeto Kitagawa because this was his last race here in Grand Prix, as he will retire. He has done a great job for the team in the last years and it is a big loss for us. I hope he will enjoy the different life he will have. Our president Yanagi-san is also lucky for me, I won the 2010 Championship in Malaysia when he was there on the track and again today a victory with his presence.”
Valentino Rossi, DNF – “Unfortunately in the start I had a problem with the clutch spinning and I lost two or three positions. Then I was attacking because we had a good pace and I was fast. On the second corner I was on the outside already in front of Bautista. For me, from the inside he opened the throttle to close the line so he doesn’t lose another position but I was already in front so he came to me and took me on the boot. I was lucky because it was a bad crash and I arrived at the wall but I’m ok. We will try next week in Barcelona, but it is a pity because firstly it is Mugello and secondly I think we could have done a good race and maybe arrived on the podium.”
Crutchlow storms to majestic Mugello podium
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow stormed to a second successive podium in 2013 after a fantastic late attack in today’s Italian MotoGP race was rewarded with a richly deserved third position. The British rider quickly seized fourth position from former Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate Andrea Dovizioso on the second lap, but leading trio Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez had already established a lead of over one second. Crutchlow showed tremendous fighting spirit and blistering speed in the second half of the 23-lap race to superbly cut into a big advantage held by Pedrosa and Marquez, who were locked in an exciting battle for second. The 27-year-old’s stunning charge paid off when Marquez was unfortunate to tumble out of second with just three laps remaining, just as Crutchlow was sizing up an attack on Pedrosa.
With a brilliant third place secured to follow up his career best second in Le Mans last time out, Crutchlow called off his pursuit of Pedrosa to collect 16 priceless World Championship points that consolidated his fourth position in the rankings.
Award for the bravest and most courageous ride of the day went to outstanding rookie Bradley Smith, who demonstrated amazing determination to bounce back from two heavy crashes ahead of the fifth round of the Championship. Nursing a nasty left hand injury after a heavy fall in Friday’s FP2, Smith suffered another bruising crash during this morning’s warm-up session. Way below his peak physical condition, it seems nothing can knock the 22-year-old’s confidence and he showed he has desire and determination to match his talent by riding his YZR-M1 machine to a heroic top 10.
Smith, who will undergo skin graft surgery in San Marino to repair damage to his left little finger tomorrow (Monday), finished in ninth position and he will now begin a period of rest and recuperation to be in the best physical condition for the next race in Catalunya.
Cal Crutchlow, 3rd
“I am really happy to be back on the podium because Mugello is one of the blue riband races on the calendar and that makes it feel a bit more special. It is an awesome result and I have to pay a big tribute to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew who did an incredible job this weekend. I’ve not felt comfortable on the bike but today they gave me a package that was really competitive. In the second half of the race I was really strong and consistent and I could see for the last 10 laps I had the pace that was bringing me closer to Dani and Marc. I was in a really fast and consistent rhythm but I hate to be gifted a podium like that. I’m sorry Marc crashed because he was doing an amazing job again but to be honest I felt I could have caught Dani and taken third anyway. When I saw Marc crash I slowed down to not risk losing a second podium in a row, which is a fantastic achievement for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and me. I’m fourth in the Championship, top non-factory rider again, so it has been another great way to finish the weekend and continue our very strong start to the season.”
Bradley Smith, 9th
“To be honest ninth position was obviously a really good result considering the circumstances of today. This morning’s crash was the last thing I needed, so to be able to go the whole race distance with just one mistake was positive for me. I had a lot of problems with my left hand as well as with my wrist and it was magnified with Mugello being such physically demanding track. So I believe I did a really good job. It would have been good to beat (Aleix) Espargaro at the end but considering the whole weekend I should be satisfied with another top 10 result. After a very difficult weekend for my body I just need to rest as much as I can to put me in the best possible condition for Barcelona. We still learned a lot during these tough days, especially from the big crashes, but I suppose that’s all part of the game on my way to becoming a better MotoGP rider.”
— HRC
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) finished second in today’s Italian GP, overcoming rear grip issues to secure his fourth successive rostrum finish and maintain his lead in the World Championship over race winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).
Pedrosa started from pole position and led off the line, but was pushed into second by Lorenzo with an aggressive move at the first corner. Lorenzo later apologised to his fellow Spaniard and title rival.
The Honda rider stayed close to hound his countryman mercilessly until after the halfway point of the 23-lap race around the fast and spectacular Mugello circuit in the Tuscan foothills outside Florence. Then as tyre grip faded he was forced to slacken his pace, to be sure of a safe podium finish.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) ended a typically sensational weekend in the gravel, after he had bounced back from a 200-plus mph crash on the first day of practice. Nothing daunted the reigning Moto2 World Champion and MotoGP-class rookie who qualified on the second row, started strongly and slotted in behind Pedrosa. He matched his team-mate’s every move as the pair chased Lorenzo.
After Pedrosa was forced to ease his pace Marquez moved through to second, intent on preserving his perfect rostrum record in his rookie season. He had pulled clear when two laps later he slipped off at the Savelli left-hander, sliding to a safe but frustrated stop. It was the 20-year-old sensation’s first non-finish of the year.
Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) was third, ahead of the next-best Honda rider, Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V). The German had a strong race, pulling through from seventh on the first lap to battle with the factory Ducati pair Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden. By lap five he was past both of them.
Dovizioso stayed close and challenging, and on the final lap they changed places four times. Over the line the former Moto2 World Champion secured fourth by a quarter of a second. It was his best finish of the year.
Grand Prix rookie Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) finished 18th, thwarted in his attempt to put his Honda CBR1000RR-powered CRT bike in the points for the first time. A crash yesterday had robbed his weekend of momentum, but another finish marked continuing progress as he gets to grips with the top class in motorcycle racing.
Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V) found the fates tipped against him. On only the third corner he was sent flying after a collision with crowd favourite Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). Both riders crashed out before completing a single lap, lucky to escape injury.
Bad weather had been forecast for the weekend, but both Saturday and Sunday were clear and only partly cloudy, giving a capacity crowd of 76,326 some relief to outweigh the disappointment of seeing their hero Rossi out on the first lap. For the riders, the highest track temperatures of the weekend posed new problems of tyre wear and adhesion.
British rider Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) claimed a second win in a row in the Honda-powered Moto2 class, where all riders use a race-tuned Honda CBR600 engine supplied by the organisers to ensure close and reliable racing.
Redding waited until the closing stages before moving clear of pursuers Nicolas Terol (Mapfre Aspar Team Suter) and Johan Zarco (Came Ioda Racing Project Suter), to win by better than two seconds. Terol was a similar distance ahead of Frenchman Zarco, the trio well clear of a huge pursuit pack where positions shuffled to the end.
Redding’s win extended his title lead over Terol to a valuable 43 points, the biggest margin in any class.
Over the last two laps first-race winner Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex) took control of the battle for fourth place, ahead of Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex) by less than a tenth. Championship contender Esteve Rabat (Tuenti HP 40 Pons Kalex) was a distant 13th, after running off the track from the front pack on lap six, rejoining in 27th place for a hard ride back into the points.
Spanish rider Luis Salom (KTM) took his second win of the year in the Moto3 class to close up on points leader Maverick Vinales (KTM), who was a close third behind the similarly mounted Alex Rins.
Italian Niccolo Antonelli (GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 FTR Honda) was the best-placed Honda rider, chasing a lead pack of six in seventh place.
Australian Jack Miller (Caretta Technology-RTG FTR Honda) was next best Honda man in tenth, in the thick of a big gang battling over eighth place, with Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold FTR Honda) 0.13 seconds and two places behind, and Brad Binder (Ambrogio Racing Suter Honda) a similar distance away in 14th. Binder remains the best-placed Honda rider in the championship, lying sixth overall.
The next MotoGP round is the Catalan Grand Prix at the Montmelo circuit outside Barcelona in two weeks time.
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd
“I didn’t feel fully comfortable in the race today, but I’m happy because I was able to gain a large number of points. In general, this was a difficult weekend. The back tyre was giving me a lot of problems with grip but taking 20 points from this race and maintaining the lead the World Championship is something positive.”
Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 4th
“Repeating the fourth place of last year is a very special feeling for me and the team. Actually I am happy about the job we have done throughout the whole weekend but the race was a bit tough. Honestly I did not take a brilliant start, losing some positions. After that I had to overtake the Ducati guys. It was not easy to relegate them and I knew that Dovi would try to pass me in the last lap. He is a strong rider and I really enjoyed the battle with him. I must thank the whole team and our partners and fans for their excellent job and support because I know this a special race for Lucio and his collaborators.”
Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 18th
“It has been a difficult but constructive weekend because I have picked up some very useful experience for the future. I felt good on the bike but in some sections of the track I couldn’t push it as hard as I would have liked. Still, I am looking on this as a positive experience that will definitely help us next time out.”
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: DNF
“Today we had with our first DNF of the season, but after three difficult days of setbacks and hard work, I finally felt good during the race. I don’t fully understand why I crashed, as I lost both the front and the back at the same time and was unable to save it. It’s clear that we made a mistake, but we can’t go looking for excuses. We’ve looked at the telemetry and it shows that I was going at the same speed and on the same line as before but, anyway, you learn from these mistakes. We can’t forget that this is my first year in the class and I am here to learn how things are in MotoGP. In spite of everything we were still fighting for second place, which is a reason to be happy. I want to apologise to Honda and to the team, as they always support me and work so hard. Now we are turning our focus to Montmelo, and I can’t wait to race there.”
Alvaro Bautista, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini: DNF
“There is not much I can say really. Unfortunately in turn three I made contact with Valentino and we both crashed out of a race that was very important for both of us. Valentino and I have watched the incident back together in race direction and it was just a racing incident that leaves us both with a bitter taste in the mouth but neither of us is to blame. I was on the inside and it is very difficult to see a rider on the outside from there. He was taking a slightly different line and that’s why we came together. It’s a shame because I felt good on the bike and that is a positive result. These things happen but we have to forget about it and try to think about the next race.”
Moto2 rider quotes
Scott Redding, Marc VDS Racing Team: race winner
“What a weekend! It didn’t start well, as I just didn’t feel comfortable on the bike, but after consigning it to the skip on Saturday morning, the new bike felt much better. Qualifying on pole really boosted my confidence and once we got going I knew straight away that another win was a possibility. I slotted in behind Taka, pushing past when he started to slow and immediately pulled a gap. I’m not sure how Terol and Zarco caught me, but once Terol went in front I could see he wasn’t comfortable running the pace. I have no idea why he decided to let me through, but I wasn’t going to pass up a chance like that. I knew I could pull away, and that’s what I did.”
Nico Terol, Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2: 2nd
“I am very happy with this podium after crashing at Le Mans. The weekend started off very difficult. We had many problems finding the settings. But the team worked well and today in the race my feeling was better. In the last laps, Scott was able to go faster than me … but second is okay today.”
Johan Zarco, Came Ioda Racing Project: 3rd
“That was so good. I don’t know what big change there has been since the start of the season, but I am more comfortable, and it seems easy to be suddenly fast. My target was to catch up with the front guys. When I saw there was a big gap to fourth, I thought that though it would be nice to fight with Nico, third was good. To fight with the first like this is fantastic, not like the beginning of the season when I was in 13th position.”
Honda Moto3 rider quotes
Niccolo Antonelli, GO&FUN Gresini Moto3: 7th
“First of all I was happy just to finish the race because this was the first target. I tried to stay with the lead group but I was losing too much to them down the straight, so I just did my best to make sure of seventh place, which is still a good result for us. Unfortunately we have seen just how much we are conceding to our rivals here in terms of engine performance but we know we have a good chassis so we have to look to the future and hope that Honda can give us some help soon. ”
Jack Miller, Caretta Technology-RTG: 10th
“I had a great start, fourth into turn one and pushing for the front, but I got stuck behind Alex Marquez, and he has a really strange style. He stops in the middle of the corner and then powers it out, where with the Honda you need to carry a lot of flowing corner speed. Once he gets on the gas with the KTM, that’s where the difference is. In the group, some of the passes were stupid. We could have pulled together to catch the group in front of us instead of slowing each other up. That’s racing – but there was only one Honda in front of me.”
Alexis Masbou. Ongetta-Rivacold: 12th
“My finish was not as good as the last rounds, but it was an incredible race … a really big tight group with people changing places all the time. I dropped back to 20th early on, but I stayed calm and gradually moved forward as other riders made mistakes. Step by step I am feeling stronger and more confident as the season continues. We keep trying to improve.”
— Ducati Report
As many enthusiastic supporters looked on from the Ducati Grandstand, both Ducati Team riders posted their best dry results of the year today at Mugello, with Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden riding their Desmosedici GP13 machines to fifth and sixth places, respectively, in the TIM Italian Grand Prix.
The teammates started from rows one and three respectively, and after avoiding a first-lap crash involving two other riders, they found themselves battling one another, along with Stefan Bradl, in a fight for fifth place that lasted much of the race. The German got the better of that struggle, but after Marc Marquez fell near the end, Dovizioso and Hayden took the fifth and sixth spots.
The Ducati Team racers were followed by Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro. Participating as a wildcard entry, the Italian advanced steadily through the pack from his 10th-place starting spot. His eventual seventh-place finishing position was his best result of the year so far, and the second-best of his premier-class career.
Thursday and Friday will find the Ducati riders back on track at the Mugello circuit for a private test, in preparation for the Catalan Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 5th
“In terms of gap to the front and finish position, this is the best result that we could realistically expect. It was a really tough race, like always at Mugello. I gritted my teeth to try and stay with Bradl until the end, and I had a nice battle with Nicky. Unfortunately, I lost the fight with Bradl on the last lap, but it was fun—we passed each other four times! In the practice sessions, we’re able to do good times, but I think that fifth place at Mugello is the best we can do with our current package, so we still have a lot of work to do.”
Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 6th
“I had struggled with grip this weekend, but the team did a really good job of making the bike better in the race, and with some other people’s misfortune, I was able to fight for the top five. In the end, to end up sixth isn’t fantastic, but I had a good battle with Bradl and Dovi. They’re both good guys to race with, so it was fun, but then in the last two laps I developed a lot of chatter and had to back off.”
Michele Pirro – Ducati Test Team, 7th
“First of all, I must try to eliminate some mistakes, particularly one that has hurt me in all three of the races I’ve done so far: poor starts. I’m losing positions, and it’s my fault. Unfortunately, I lost my rear seat pad on the second lap, so I had to adapt to the new riding position. It was quite difficult because I had to work hard with my arms and legs to keep my weight forward. I also lost time with Iannone because we passed each other three times, which affected my race. I’m sorry because I’m sure I could have stayed closer to Andrea and Nicky and learned from them.”
Bernhard Gobmeier – Ducati Corse General Manager
“Our goal today was to be top five, which we achieved. Of course there were some crashes, but it shows that we can fight with the second group. Right now it’s clear that it will be very difficult to fight for the podium, as the bikes and riders ahead of us are extremely competitive. Both of our riders had a similar pace for the whole race, and although we know that we must improve our technical package, we’re pleased by Michele Pirro’s race on the laboratory bike, as he did good lap times in the latter stages of the race. In any case, we’re happy to have started from the front row for the second-straight race weekend, which shows that our bike can be quite fast for one quick lap.”
— Bridgestone Report
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft & Medium. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 23-25°C; Track 41-44°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo continued his affinity with the Mugello circuit, leading from the first lap to claim his third successive victory at the iconic Italian venue.
Lorenzo passed pole-sitter Dani Pedrosa on the second corner of the race, and after being hounded by both Repsol Honda riders early in the race, picked up the pace on the thirteenth lap to gap his rivals and take the chequered flag by 5.4 seconds. Pedrosa inherited second place late in the race after his teammate Marc Marquez – who set a new race lap record of 1’47.639 – crashed out with three laps remaining. Finishing on the podium for the second race in a row was Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow who crossed the finish line in third place. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro continued his peerless record this season of being the top CRT finisher, coming home in eighth position.
Weather conditions for today’s race were a carbon-copy of what was experienced yesterday for qualifying, with and a peak track temperature of 44°C recorded during the twenty-three lap contest. Grip levels were slightly improved from yesterday as there was no rain overnight, ensuring the rubber deposited on the track in yesterday’s sessions remained. With such similar conditions between qualifying and the race, the same tyre combination used in qualifying was again represented in the race tyre choice, with all riders selecting the softer rear slick option available to them, and all but one rider selecting the harder front slick option.
Lorenzo’s second victory of the season sees him close to within twelve points of Pedrosa in the MotoGP™ World Championship standings, while Marquez’s first DNF of the year sees him twenty-eight points adrift of his teammate and third in the standings.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“Congratulations to Jorge and Yamaha on continuing their dominance at Mugello with another victory here today. I am pleased that the crowd numbers at Mugello were up this year as it is one of the highlights of the MotoGP season, though it was a shame for the fans to have Valentino exit the race so early as I am sure he would have put in a strong performance today. Looking back over the weekend, I believe our decision to make all rear slicks for Mugello this year in our heat-resistant construction was correct, as these worked very well for both the works and CRT riders.”
Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Conditions for the race were the same as yesterday afternoon and so all the riders selected the same tyre combination that they used yesterday during FP4 and qualifying. We had no overnight rain so track conditions were the best they had been all weekend and this resulted in a very fast pace at the beginning of the race, with Marc setting a new race lap record on the second lap. I’m pleased with how our tyres performed this weekend as even though all our rear slicks this year at Mugello were in our heat-resistant special construction, we still saw new lap records in qualifying and the race.”
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing – Race Winner
“I knew it was going to be a really hard race today because the weather this afternoon became much hotter than this morning. I kept trying every lap and I knew Dani was following me but after thirteen laps I pushed a little more and it seems Dani gave up at that point which made the end of the race a little easier for me.”