The second ever World Championship visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes place this weekend following 2008’s historic inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, with last year’s race-winner Valentino Rossi looking for another victory to augment his standings lead at the twelfth round of the season. It is another special occasion for MotoGP as the event coincides with Indy’s 100th anniversary, the circuit having been constructed in 1909.
In the first ever premier class MotoGP World Championship contest at the famous ‘Brickyard’ last year Rossi took maximum points as he was awarded the win, leading by six seconds when the scheduled 28 lap race was curtailed on the 20th lap, with Nicky Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo placing second and third respectively.
Rossi and his MotoGP rivals will hope for good weather this time out – following last year’s event when the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit raceday at the iconic American venue – with the Italian star hoping to increase his current 50 point championship advantage, on the back of yet another success story in the Czech Republic at the last round.
Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo finished just in front of him on the timesheet in the second and final post-race test of the year on the Monday after the Czech race and the Spaniard will aim to bounce back from his two DNFs at Brno and Donington Park, as he attempts to claw his way back into the title battle with six Grands Prix remaining. Lorenzo is to compete at Indianapolis with his 2010 ride already sorted, following the news that he is to continue with Yamaha for another year.
In the continued absence of the recuperating Casey Stoner, who remains in Australia and is expected back on track at Estoril early in October, the bookies’ favourite to feature on the podium with Rossi and Lorenzo is Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa – who was second in the Brno race and sits fourth in the general classification, 77 points adrift of Rossi.
For Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards the second U.S. visit of the year gives him the chance to consolidate his top five championship position as he attempts to improve on a disappointing 15th place finish in last year’s Indy race. Edwards’ fellow American Hayden – 14th in the championship at present – would love to repeat his 2008 Indianapolis result and get on the podium for the first time with Ducati.
Also aiming for the same goal is Pedrosa’s team-mate and Hayden’s replacement at Honda, Andrea Dovizioso, who just missed out on the rostrum again at Brno and was fifth in the inaugural MotoGP Indianapolis contest last September. Dovizioso lies sixth in the standings, just ahead of Honda satellite counterpart Randy de Puniet who has ridden consistently in 2009 and is due to make a decision soon on where he will ride next year.
Eighth placed Marco Melandri will compete at Indianapolis safe in the knowledge that a ride with San Carlo Honda Gresini has been confirmed for next year, whilst his fellow top ten representatives Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen, of the Rizla Suzuki team, are also likely to confirm their future plans in due course, with both hoping for strong Indy performances.
The weekend will see Finnish rider Mika Kallio continue in the factory Ducati team as Stoner’s temporary replacement, whilst young Spaniard Aleix Espargaró gets an exciting chance to ride for the Pramac Racing team on the satellite Ducati Desmosedici GP9 vacated by Kallio.
For 250cc standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama and the majority of his World Championship rivals this Sunday’s race will be their first ever at The Brickyard, after last year’s cancellation of the intermediate category’s racing due to the intervention of the aforementioned Hurricane Ike.
With six rounds remaining Aoyama’s closest threat for the championship lead comes from Álvaro Bautista, who has just announced that he will move into MotoGP with Suzuki in 2010. Japanese rider Aoyama could be making the move up to the premier class too, but first comes the business of this year’s World title, with Indianapolis next up.
Scot Racing’s Aoyama, who was fourth at Brno in the last round, holds a 12 point lead over Spaniard Bautista, with the Mapfre Apsar rider having closed the gap slightly with his third place finish in the Czech Republic.
World Champion Marco Simoncelli re-emerged in the title race at Brno with his third victory of the year, as he seeks to defend his crown before joining San Carlo Honda Gresini in MotoGP next year. Simoncelli would have started last year’s 250cc Indy race in pole position had it not been cancelled and he will aim for another high level performance as he seeks to chase down a 32 point deficit against Aoyama.
Héctor Barberá trails Simoncelli by a further 17 points in fourth place in the standings and he qualified in second place last year at Indianapolis, before a serious back injury ended his season prematurely at the subsequent round in Japan. The Spaniard has bravely returned to action this year and earned himself a MotoGP ride with the new Ducati-Aspar team for 2010.
In fifth place in the championship, Italian rider Mattia Pasini has just had a first ever taste of MotoGP himself, riding for Pramac Racing in the Monday test in the Czech Republic – having crossed the line just 0.684s behind compatriot Simoncelli in second position in the 250cc Brno race.
The category’s current top ten also comprises Raffaele de Rosa, Alex Debon, Héctor Faubel, Roberto Locatelli and Thomas Luthi.
Julián Simón will also make his Indianapolis race debut on Sunday in the 125cc class, having been part of the 2008 250cc field which was unable to race due to the weather conditions.
Nonetheless, the clear title favourite will go into the weekend in a confident mood, having secured his eighth podium of the season last time out in second place in the Czech Republic – which gave him a 54.5 point standings lead with six races remaining. Simón had qualified in tenth place last year at Indy on a 250cc machine, but the Spaniard has proved to be far more effective on 125cc machinery this season.
Nico Terol sits second in the championship behind his countryman and he too will be brimming with self-belief as he heads across the Atlantic Ocean to Indiana. Terol was last year’s 125cc winner in the historic first ever Indianapolis race (a contest also shortened due to the weather) and was victorious in the Czech Republic just over one week ago.
Below Terol in the standings are Simón’s Aspar team-mates Bradley Smith and Sergio Gadea, with Smith eight points behind Terol and Gadea just half a point adrift of the Englishman.
Ongetta Team ISPA’s Andrea Iannone – who is fifth in the championship – saw his rollercoaster season continue with third place in Brno, whilst Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) was fifth in the Czech Republic and will look to repeat or better his 2008 result of second place at Indianapolis. Completing the present 125cc top ten are Sandro Cortese, Marc Márquez, Jonas Folger and Stefan Bradl.
The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix takes place from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th August, with free practice commencing on Friday afternoon.
— Ducati Preview
The MotoGP World Championship returns to the USA this weekend for the second time this season, to an area steeped in motorsport tradition and with an abundance of Ducati aficionados. The support for the Italian factory will be multiplied this weekend as their colours are defended by Nicky Hayden, who calls Indianapolis more of a home race than Laguna Seca due to the fact he hails from just three hours down the road.
Hayden celebrated second place here in 2008 when the race was halted eight laps from the end due to extremely adverse weather conditions. After a solid sixth place last time out at Brno, the American is hoping for another top performance in front of his home crowd. For Mika Kallio this will be his first race in the USA, having missed the Laguna Seca GP in July because of injury and the Indianapolis GP last year, when Hurrican Icke forced the cancellation of the 250cc race. Kallio had been confident of a good race from third on the grid but his hopes were dashed when the race was definitively abandoned for security purposes, as advertising hoardings and air-fences were blown across the track.
NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati MotoGP Team (14th in the championship on 57 points)
“Indianapolis is probably the race I look forward to most – it’s just three hours from my house and MotoGP now is becoming very popular. Last year it was a great weekend for me, the crowd was great and Indy did a great job in organizing their first race and made us proud of it. I would love to have another good weekend like that one. So far we have had a tough season and I would like to go there in a more confident mood but it is what it is and for sure we’ll go there and just do the absolute maximum. I like the track itself even though it’s quite flat. The most challenging thing is that it has different kinds of asphalt on different parts of the track so it will be a challenge to find out where there is grip, where not, and to find the best set-up. Hopefully we won’t have another hurricane, the weather should be fine, so we will see how it goes. Last but not least, at Indy I will wear a special helmet, but this time it really is “special “. It will carry the “Make a Wish” logo and other special designs, and after the race we will action it off. All the money will go toward the Foundation which helps kids’ dreams come true. There will be pictures up on my web site to see it at nickyhayden.com. I have worked with this charity for 5 years now and it always feels good to help out such a solid cause, and yes, I have already made my wish for the weekend.”
MIKA KALLIO, (15th in the championship on 34 points)
“Sunday will be my first race at Indy because even though I came here last year the race itself was cancelled because of the weather. Anyway, I can’t say I don’t know the track because we did contest every practice session, including warm-up. It’s not exactly my favourite kind of track but it’s okay, other than the surface. There are three different kinds of asphalt and that makes it really tricky to get a set-up. Anyway, we’ll do our best and I’ll like to be competing within the top five or six.”
LIVIO SUPPO, MotoGP Project Director
“The news from Casey is positive, he is getting stronger and I’m sure he will be back at full strength at Estoril. As far Indy is concerned, I think everything is in place for both Nicky and Mika to have a good weekend. At Brno they were both lapping at a similar pace to the guys who finished on the podium. Nicky will have extra motivation here at his home circuit and for Mika it will be his second race in factory colours and I hope he feels more comfortable. Let’s hope the race isn’t affected by the weather like last year because the fans at Indy deserve to see the show right to the end this year.”
THE TRACK
The MotoGP circuit uses only a part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track, namely a large section of the start-finish straight and part of the south-eastern corner of the oval. The rest of the track is on the infield, a modified version of the tight and twisty F1 layout but running in the opposite direction. The variation in newer and older asphalt between the different sections makes life hard for the tyres, although with the single tyre rule the key for the teams this year will lie principally in adapting their set-up to deal with the different levels of grip.
— HRC Preview
The 100th anniversary of the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be celebrated with the second running of the Indianapolis Grand Prix. Honda’s grand prix riders are hoping to build on recent successes, including Dani Pedrosa’s victory in the MotoGP World Championship’s previous visit to America at Laguna Seca and Andrea Dovizioso’s maiden win in the recent British Grand Prix.
Located in Speedway, Indiana, the versatile facility, which has hosted MotoGP, Formula One, NASCAR, and Indy Car, returns with a forecast of better weather than last year, when Hurricane Ike struck during the MotoGP race, shortening it by eight laps, from 28 to 20, and inflicting so much damage that the 250cc grand prix had to be canceled. This year the gathering storm comes from within the ranks of the Honda riders, who are intent on both maintaining their momentum and keeping alive a perfect record in the U.S.
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa broke through with his first MotoGP win of the season less than eight weeks ago at Laguna Seca, close by the Pacific Ocean in Monterey, California. Pedrosa followed the U.S. race with podiums in two of the next three races on the Honda RC212V and hopes to continue the streak as the series travels to the American heartland for the 12th of 17 rounds. The RC212V proved the perfect weapon at Indy last year, with a Honda leading for the first 13 laps, and running a strong second when the race was stopped on lap 20. Riding in what Pedrosa and many others described as the worst conditions they’d ever raced in, Pedrosa finished seventh at Indy.
Pedrosa has extra motivation to challenge for the podium at Indy; if he finishes in the top three he’ll overtake the absent Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) for third in the MotoGP World Championship.
Teammate Andrea Dovizioso had a stellar race in the inaugural Indy GP. The young Italian led his first ever grand prix by sweeping into the lead for the first lap of the rain-shortened race. He then spent the remainder locked in a battle with the reigning world champion Stoner and GP wild card Ben Spies, the only rider in the field to have tested extensively at Indy prior to the race. Dovizioso battled to the line to come within a second of fourth place, which would have been his best result at the time. Instead he finished fifth, equaling his best finish and marking his best ever MotoGP finish in the rain. In the ensuing year, Dovizioso has gained invaluable experience and proved himself to be a master of difficult conditions by scoring his maiden MotoGP win at Donington Park.
Like Pedrosa, Dovizioso has added championship motivation. As he continues to master the Honda RC212V, Dovizioso has steadily moved up the points charts. Only five points out fourth place, Dovizioso would find himself moving up the standings with a strong finish.
Randy De Puniet (LCR Honda) comes to the Brickyard still struggling with the left ankle injury he suffered in a motocross accident prior to the Czech GP in Brno. The Frenchman rode through the pain to finish tenth place in Brno, despite the broken ankle. With a weekend off between races, De Puniet continued an aggressive rehabilitation programme that has strengthened the ankle, but he concedes it won’t be at full strength this weekend. The Indy layout, with 10 lefts and six rights, will tax the limits of De Puniet’s pain threshold as he attempts to maintain seventh in the World Championship.
Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) returns to the U.S. riding high on the strength of his first podium of the season in Brno. Like Brno, Indianapolis is a computer-designed track with a number of 90 degree corners, which encourages Elias who finished third two weeks ago. He expected a good result in Brno and he expects another good result in America. More to the point, he wants to maintain his consistency as the championship enters its final third.
Butterflies are supposed to bring good luck, but that wasn’t the case for Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) in Brno. In a freak incident, a butterfly flew inside his helmet while he was in the thick of the race, breaking his concentration and forcing him off his game.
Still, he maintained an enviable record; the San Marinese is one of only three riders to score points in every one of this year’s 11 MotoGP races. And he’s hopeful of improving on last year’s Indy result, when he’d moved into the top ten before the race was stopped.
Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) will be racing the Honda RC212V for the first time at Indianapolis. Last year during practice at Indy Talmacsi broke his left wrist, which negatively affected the Hungarian’s 125cc campaign. Now in full health and with half a season on the powerful Honda, Talmacsi returns to the Midwest riding a string of three points-paying positions in a row.
When Hurricane Ike blew through during the MotoGP race, it damaged track safety barriers, tore up a giant display tent, and tore advertising signage from its moorings. Because the track couldn’t be restored to proper safety specifications, race officials had little choice but to cancel the 250cc race. Despite not having raced, Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda), the 250cc World Championship leader, proved a master of the track. The Japanese rider ran second in both second qualifying and morning warm-up, while qualifying fifth on the grid, less than .7s behind the pole-sitter. With a 12-point lead, Aoyama is hoping to add to his points total as the series begins a six-race stretch that takes it to four continents before returning to Valencia for the season finale.
Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda) has an edge on the competition by having competed in the 125cc race at Indy last year. The Italian, who has scored points in every race this year, including a sixth in the previous round at Brno, likes the track rain or shine, though he’d prefer the latter.
Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG) immediately took to the Indianapolis circuit, even if he didn’t get to race because of the hurricane.
Faubel qualified on the second row and was hopeful of a close race, only to be disappointed when the race was washed out. With the concentrated end of the year schedule, Faubel hopes that the continuing development of the Honda RS250RW can elevate him up the finishing order.
Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT-SAG) is excited about returning to the famed Speedway and certain that this year will bring better weather than last. Wilairot is coming off the Brno race, where he was involved in the fight for eighth, eventually finishing 11th. The Thai rider knows that if he wants to improve his championship position he’ll have to improve his results, and he’s resolute about starting the push at Indy.
Both Team CIP Honda riders will be traveling to the U.S. and to Indianapolis for the first time, with both having to learn yet another new track. Shoya Tomizawa had an encouraging start to the season, with his three best finishes before hitting a dry spell just after.
But he’s returned to form by scoring points in the past three races. Valentin Debise is looking forward to his first visit to the historic facility. Having studied the layout, Debise is confident he can score points at a track he doesn’t believe is too technical.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is, quite simply, the most famous venue on the MotoGP calendar and the first to incorporate Speedway into its name. Though it was made famous as a four-wheel track, the first ever motorized competition at The Brickyard was a motorcycle race early in 1909. It was two years later that the first Indianapolis 500 was run. The facility has 257,000 permanent seats, and seating for 400,000, which makes it the most accommodating sporting venue in the world.
The 4.216km, 16 turn counter-clockwise road course is tucked mostly inside the 2.5 mile (4.02km) rectangular-shaped oval, part of which the motorcycles use. Most prominently, the final corner leads onto the 5/8 mile (1000 meter) front straight and across the last remaining vestige of the track as built in 1909, the one meter wide start/finish “Yard of Bricks.” It is traditional for the winner and the winning team to kiss the bricks.
The road course is a slightly revised, and reversed, version of the Formula One course that was used from 2000 through 2007. The 10 left hand and six right hand corners are mostly taken in the lower gears, with only two corners, both left-handers, taken at speed. With many of the corners taken in rapid succession, the track puts a premium on a motorcycle that can change direction nimbly, accelerate hard, and be stable on the brakes. Trepidation on the part of the riders prior to last year’s event, mostly about the three distinct tarmac surfaces, quickly changed to acceptance once the track was opened for practice. Though the MotoGP race was run in a hurricane, it was one of only two races-the dry race at Valencia was the other-in which every rider finished.
HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) says: “I’m really looking forward to riding in America again because the last time we were in the States – at Laguna Seca in July – we won the race. A result like that would be great for me and the team and that’s what we’ll be aiming for, though we know we’ll have to work hard for it because our rivals have proved they are very strong in the last few races. I don’t think the gap they had at the last race in Brno was a true reflection of our pace compared to theirs though, so I expect we’re going to be closer to them at Indy. The circuit itself is largely made up of second and third gear corners so it’s not one of my favourites to ride, but the venue itself it very impressive. I really hope the weather is going to be better than last year because the conditions in the race were pretty terrible and the organizers were forced to stop it early because it was so dangerous. The team is motivated for Indy – we made some progress in the test after Brno, so we’re looking for another strong weekend.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) says: “This is the second time that we race at Indianapolis and I have to say that last year I immediately found a good feeling with this new track. It’s a typical American venue with great facilities and huge grandstands so the experience of riding there is special. I like this racetrack and it will be important for me and the team to have a good result here. I was fourth in the last race at Brno but that was actually a little disappointing because I was so close to the podium again, so I’m look forward to getting back on track and putting that right. It won’t be easy, especially during the first practice session because it’s a different type of circuit and it’s not so easy to dial into the layout at the beginning. However, I expect us to be closer to the front at this race because the track is quite slow and I think that we will have fewer problems than in Brno where the track amplified our issues. So I’m really looking forward to a good result at Indy.”
Randy De Puniet (LCR Honda) says: “Brno was a very positive race for me and the team. We gained a deserved 10th place despite the pain of my left ankle. Now we hold the seventh place in the standing and we aim to keep it till the end of the season. Off course it won’t be easy, as I am still recovering from the injury and Indy race track has many left corners. I won’t be at 100%, although the rehabilitation programme I am still following but the ankle is improving day by day.”
Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says: “I felt we were unlucky not to come away from Brno with a better result because we were on the pace, I was well positioned in the race and got a butterfly inside my helmet – which was incredibly unfortunate. Anyway, that is behind us now and we are looking to take the positives to Indy, which is a circuit with some fast and technical corners that I think can suit us. Last year we were definitely expecting a better result in wet conditions, but unfortunately it took me a few laps to get my pace together. It is a shame the weather got so bad so quickly and the race was interrupted because I think I could have improved my position since I was catching the riders ahead of me. Anyway, I agreed with the decision taken by Race Direction because it was difficult and dangerous to ride out there. Hopefully this weekend we get better weather and better luck!”
Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says: “I said before the last race that Brno and Indianapolis would be good circuits for us and I have been proven right so far, so hopefully I’m right again! The podium in the Czech Republic was a fantastic achievement for us, but it has been frustrating for me that we haven’t been able to show our potential before now. We want to break that top four up on a more regular basis and we know we are capable of it so that is the target from now to the end of the season. We have shown our speed, now we have to add consistency to the mix but if we can make a good start on Friday there is no reason why we can’t close the gap even more. I love racing in America and Indianapolis is such a legendary motorsport venue. However, all that will mean nothing to me if we don’t get a result.”
Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda): “To be honest, I do not have great memories of last season’s race at Indy. I broke my left wrist while practicing, and that had consequences on the rest of the season. Anyway, it is history; at the moment, I’m preparing to try as hard as I can. The track will not be a problem – we just have to find a better grip at the rear and a better control out of the corners.”
— Yamaha Preview
After their differing fortunes last time out in Brno, MotoGP championship leader Valentino Rossi and runner-up Jorge Lorenzo will arrive in Indianapolis this week for the second American round of the year, at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Fiat Yamaha pair are separated by 50 points but with six rounds remaining the title is far from decided and it promises to be another exciting weekend for the Italian and the Spaniard.
Rossi took a commanding victory last time out, his fifth of the season and also his 160th career podium, which means he now has the most podiums in the history of the sport. The Italian made a victorious debut at Indianapolis last year, adapting to the track immediately and taking a brilliant win in the rain-wracked race, which was stopped eight laps early as the tail end of Hurricane Ike battered the track. Rossi admits to loving racing in the States and having missed out on a win in Laguna this year the 30-year-old would like to make up for it this week. On Saturday night he will make a special appearance at the Indy Mile, the world-famous dirt-track event that takes place just a few miles away in this motor racing Mecca.
Indianapolis last year was an important moment too for Lorenzo as the then-rookie took his first ever podium in the wet, keeping his head to bring his M1 home in third place amidst incredibly difficult conditions. After two races on the bounce with zero points the championship runner-up is desperate to turn his fortunes around this weekend and is counting on the work done during the Brno test to put him in the best possible shape from the start this time.
With 257,000 permanent seats the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest spectator sporting facility in the world and fills to capacity for its crown jewels, the Indy 500 and Allstate 400 car races. Originally constructed in 1909 with a 2.5-mile oval, an exciting 16-turn motorcycle road circuit, which includes part of the historic oval, was purpose-built last year for MotoGP. Last year’s appalling weather aside, average temperatures in late August generally range from highs of around 25ºC to lows touching 15ºC and the entire paddock will be hoping for slightly more average conditions this time around.
Valentino Rossi – “Anything can happen”
“2008 in Indy was something special because it was the first time we had been there and it is definitely the most famous racetrack in the world. We didn’t really know what to expect but our bike worked very well and we were fast from the start, in the wet and the dry. Every year is a different story however so we won’t know where we are until we start our work on Friday afternoon. Last year I had a great win but, like everyone, I really hope that was the only hurricane we ever have to race in and that this time the conditions are more ‘normal’! As I said in Brno, it would be stupid for us to relax and consider the championship won, anything can happen and we know that Lorenzo will be very strong this weekend and determined to make up for the last two races. We must keep focused.”
Jorge Lorenzo – “We’re ready”
“Indy is very special for me because it’s the first track where I got a podium in wet conditions, in my very first year in MotoGP! Last year was strange, maybe we should have finished earlier because Hurricane Ike was pretty strong; this time I hope everything will be a little bit easier. I am feeling confident because I’ve felt good in the last races, riding very fast since the beginning of the weekend, despite what’s happened on Sunday. I am not thinking about the championship any more but I would like to win a race again after more than three months, especially here in Indy when it’s the centenary of the track. It’s a busy two weeks, with Misano straight after, but we’re ready.”
Davide Brivio – “No time to relax”
“We had a very good test in Brno when we got a lot of important things done, mostly looking forward to next year. Right now we’re in a very good place, leading the championship by fifty points and with our bike working very well, but as Valentino says we can’t relax because our rivals are very strong. We all love to race in America and we always have great support from our American friends at Yamaha, so everyone will be arriving in high spirits and feeling very motivated. Last year our bike was good there so we hope for the same this time, but without the hurricane!”
Daniele Romagnoli – “Great motivation”
“In 2008 Jorge did a great race in the wet at Indy and it was an important moment for him. This time though we hope for better weather! Everyone in the team loves racing in America and so we’re all looking forward to getting there, we had great fun last year. After the last two races our sole target again is to do the best we can and fight for the top positions, we want a good result to help us forget Brno and set us up for the final stage of the championship.”
— Suzuki Preview
Rizla Suzuki is on the way to Indianapolis in America for the 12th round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship, hoping to add to the amazing history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The second MotoGP race to be held at the famous circuit coincides with the celebration of its ‘Centennial Era’ to commemorate the 100th anniversary of motor-racing beginning at Indianapolis with a motorcycle race on August 14th 1909.
Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen are planning to add their names to the hall of fame at the place ‘Where America Learned to Race’ when they take to the 4,218m track on Friday 28th August to begin their preparations for the 20-lap race. Capirossi will be buoyed by the recent strong performance last time out at Brno in the Czech Republic. He missed out on a podium position by less than a second and is in a determined mood to continue from where he left off at Brno.
Vermeulen is also convinced that he can improve on his showing from Brno as he aims for a strong finish to the season during the remaining six races. He also had a strong post-race test in the Czech Republic and will be giving it 100% at Indianapolis as he looks to end the season in style.
Rizla Suzuki takes to the track on Friday for a single free practice session, followed by a further free session on Saturday morning. Qualifying will take place on Saturday afternoon to decide grid positions for Sunday’s 20-lap race that gets underway at 15.00hrs local time (19.00hrs GMT).
Loris Capirossi: “Last year at Indianapolis was the worst conditions I have ever raced in and I hope we don’t have that to contend with again. I didn’t really get on the pace there last year and I was very disappointed about that and will be looking to put that right this year. We had an encouraging performance at Brno and also discovered a few things during the test on the Monday that will improve things for the rest of the season. I am going to America in a very positive frame of mind and determined to fight for everything we can for the rest of the year.”
Chris Vermeulen: “I’m looking forward to going to Indianapolis, as it is such an amazing venue and a really well organised event. We didn’t really get the best out of the place last year as the race was hit by a hurricane and had to be stopped early, so I hope the weather is a lot better this year. We made a big step with bike at Brno in the last GP and although the result wasn’t what we wanted, we certainly have a clear indication of how the new engine will work in the remaining races. We need to be on the pace as quick as possible at Indy and see what we can do.”
— Bridgestone Preview
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Hard, Extra hard (asymmetric)
This weekend MotoGP travels to the United States of America again, this time for the Indianapolis Grand Prix on 30 August. Fewer than two months after the race in Laguna Seca, this is only the second MotoGP visit to the Brickyard, so-called because in late 1909 it was rebuilt using 3.2 million bricks.
Bridgestone have chosen to bring asymmetric rear tyres to Indianapolis because of the imbalance between the ten left- and six right-handed corners, most of which are slow and short unlike the generally long and fast lefts. The circuit is abrasive and durability is the key challenge for tyres so the hard and extra hard compound rears have been selected for the job. Braking stability is also essential due to the multitude of first and second gear corners, meaning that the medium and hard compound front Bridgestone slicks are the two available options.
In the past 100 years, since its first race in August 1909, the circuit has played host to numerous events including Formula One, IndyCar and Nascar, and the track layout reflects this. The MotoGP machines will compete on a mixture of the famous oval, the infield developed for Formula One and a MotoGP-specific first section comprising turns one to four that was laid for last year’s race.
The hastily shortened 2008 race marked Rossi’s seventh win of the season on Bridgestone tyres. It was also the first race on the Japanese manufacturer’s rubber for Dani Pedrosa and the Repsol Honda Team after his sensational mid-season switch. Indianapolis felt the fallout of Hurricane Ike last year as riders battled mixed weather and extreme winds that reached over 60mph. In the end it was these gusts that forced the race to be red flagged on the 21st of the scheduled 28 laps, giving Bridgestone their 11th win from the first 14 races of 2008.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“Bridgestone has a great deal of experience at the Indianapolis circuit because of our involvement with the IndyCar Series and the Formula One World Championship, and Valentino won on our tyres last season in the first MotoGP race at the venue, so we have a good track record there. Last year was also an important race for us because it was the first Grand Prix for which we supplied Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa.
“Conditions for the first race at Indianapolis were very hard because of the strong winds and rain from Hurricane Ike, so everyone will be hoping for an exciting race with more normal weather this year. The American market is important for Bridgestone Corporation so it will be a key weekend for us, and one in which I am confident we can play our part in another close and exciting battle.”
Tohru Ubukata – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
“Indianapolis is like three tracks in one with the opening section designed for MotoGP bikes, the Formula One infield and the traditional oval course, and there are several surface changes because of this during a lap. The circuit is generally very abrasive although the level of abrasion changes with the surface meaning that our tyres will have to cope with a wide range of track conditions during each lap.
“The infield offers a succession of slow corners followed by hard acceleration and the circuit is also quite demanding on the front tyre due to some very hard braking points. We have chosen our asymmetric rear tyres for this race because the circuit uses the left side of the tyres much harder than the right sides – there are more left-handers and generally the fastest corners are lefts.”
