It’s always very hard to talk or write about a racers death and when it involves a 13-year old it’s even more heart breaking especially if you have kids of your own.

Peter Lenz was killed in a tragic accident during yesterday’s warmup practice ahead of the USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H race at the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Lenz crashed during practice and apparently was trying to get off the track when he was struck by 12-year-old Xavier Zayat, who was uninjured in the accident. The 13 year old received immediate medical attention and was taken the nearby Methodist Hospital where he later died due to traumatic injuries.

Lenz was a promising young rider and the youngest ever licensed expert racer in the AFM and despite being only thirteen, he already had 135 wins in his very short career.

Colin Edwards who is a family friend said: “This is the life we choose as racers. I’ve had teammates die, seen friends die and honestly this one hurts the most but … this is the reality of the situation. If they offered a class for 13 year olds to go roadracing when I was 13, I’d have done it in a heartbeat.”

Continue reading: Peter Lenz dies at Indianapolis USGPU

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This incredible pics show Marco Melandri’s flying crash at Indianapolis. With a frame-by-frame look at the crash, it will never cease to amaze me how these guys can just sit up and then walk away. The pics come from our friends over on Motoblog.it.

Send your funny, bizarre or surprising pics to us and we’ll post them, with your name. We’d love to share what you guys find in the world of motorcycling! Send to: pics@twowheelsblog.com.

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After the Indianapolis MotoGP round, it appears that Hurricane Ike doesn’t have a lot of respect for motorcycles, but throwing all these lovely, God given Ducatis to the ground is a bit much for us.

Send your funny, bizarre or surprising pics to us and we’ll post them, with your name. We’d love to share what you guys find in the world of motorcycling! Send to: pics@twowheelsblog.com.

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This is a huge slide from Nicky Hayden who just perfectly drifts across the track at the trial runs in Indianapolis MotoGP. While it may not have been intended, it’s difficult to find a better example this season. A nice performance from the Kentucky Kid.

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Valentino Rossi is really proving he’s number one and was smiling after his Indianapolis victory despite the weather and the race finishing early. MotoGP belongs to Rossi and his Yamaha team, though the rain and the news of his grandfather’s death dampened what was another historic win.

Rossi was disappointed that his grandfather didn’t get to see his last victory: “It makes me sad because I would have like to show him that I’d won another world title. But he was very unwell and these are things that happen. I’m happy, though, of having obtained another victory that I can dedicate to him.”

These are the first reflections from Valentino Rossi, a winner who, in a race that could have given him much joy if it weren’t for the news of his grandfather’s death, still managed a few words on yet another of his riding masterpieces. As he said after the race:

“Continuing would have been too dangerous, there was a really strong wind and the bike was moving, it was no longer controllable. On each lap I was hoping to see the red flag and luckily it finally appeared. But all in all, it was fantastic, because I haven’t won in the rain for a long time, and I can’t even remember the last time I won four races in a row.

Continue reading: Rossi on Indianapolis: four victorious rounds in honour of "nonno Dario"

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While we’re halfway through the week and you’re probably wondering why it isn’t Friday already, we give you this look at the Paddock Girls from Indianapolis. There’s not heaps of shots, but a little goes a long way to help you through to the weekend…

Continue reading: MotoGP Indianapolis - US Paddock Girls

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Valentino Rossi extend his lead in the MotoGP Worldchampionship after winning the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. However the race was cut after only seven laps to go because of the rain and high winds.

Nicky Hayden took 2nd, Lorenzo 3rd, and Stoner 4th position.

Casey Stoner said after the race:
“I think it was the right decision to stop the race because the conditions were really dangerous- more for the strong wind than the heavy rain, which made it difficult to keep the bike upright. I’m never going to be satisfied with fourth place but it would have been foolish to push harder in those conditions and I made the right decision not to do so. I got a good start but I quickly lost confidence because the rear tyre was tearing up quickly and by the time they stopped the race I was struggling to hold my lap times.”

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All the MotoGP team’s are getting ready for the next round of the championship. No more time for rumours, let’s get concentrated on the job!

Valentino Rossi is preparing himself and has said about the next round:
“I am still on a high from Misano, which was an amazing day, but now we are facing a different challenge. It’s very exciting to be going to Indianapolis, such a famous and historical place for motorsport, but it’s obvious from reports that it’s going to be a quite a difficult race for everyone. Of course we have no data but we’re expecting the surface to be quite tricky for the tyres.

“I hope the track is safe, we know the walls are quite close in some places but hopefully it won’t be a problem. We will find out on Friday! It’s fun to be going to a new place in America and I hope there will be a lot of fans, even if it’s not quite many as at the Indy 500!”

Valentino Rossi
Age: 29
Lives in : Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP Victories: 94
68 x MotoGP 500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996, 125 cc
First GP: Malaysia, 1996, 125cc
GP starts: 205
124 MotoGP 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc
Pole positions: 50
World Championships: 7 Grand Prix
1x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP

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In the latest press release distributed by Ducati Corse today, Casey Stoner and Livio Suppo are talking about the coming Indianapolis race and Casey’s injury.

In Stoner’s opinion: “Obviously I’m not happy with the results of the last few races. We have proved that we are consistently fast but that clearly isn’t enough. I know that I have got the support of a great team and a bike I have a great feeling with. I’m going to try to enjoy riding it over the final few races, which all take place at circuits I like a lot. I also have to think about the scaphoid that we thought had healed back in 2003 but is still giving me problems. For the time being I have to deal with it but we’re talking to the doctors about what to do with it in the future. I can’t wait to go back to America and race at Indianapolis, a circuit nobody knows but where I am sure our bikes and tyres will work just as well as they have done at the last few races.”

Livio Suppo, Ducati MotoGP project director talks about Casey’s injury: “We’re hoping that the problems he had with his wrist at Misano don’t prevent him from riding at his maximum this weekend. Casey underwent a CAT scan last week, which showed that the scaphoid he fractured and had operated on back in 2003 has never completely healed.With the support of a pool of doctors over the last weeks, Casey will decide if another operation is going to be necessary.”

Twowheels hopes Casey can wait a while before being operated and can give us all a thrilling Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix!

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