All posts tagged motogp silverstone
Cal Crutchlow to undergo surgery
If last year it was broken legs in MotoGP, this year it’s fractured collarbones, with three MotoGP riders breaking them in less than four weeks. Dani Pedrosa in May and still out of action, a heroic Colin Edwards who broke his right one eight days ago, but it’s his ribs that are hurting him the most and none the less he was able to qualify 8th today and now Cal Crutchlow.
The British rider crashed out during his third lap in this afternoon’s qualifying session at Silverstone probably due to a cold tire and sustained a left collarbone fracture and a concussion and will be undergoing surgery at the Oxford Hospital later this evening or early tomorrow.
Hopefully plating Crutchlow’s collarbone will not create any problems to his left shoulder as the Yamaha Tech3 rider underwent shoulder surgery last December to repair damaged ligaments and tendons.
Ducati's Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden talk about qualifying at Silverstone
Today’s qualifying session at Silverstone, wasn’t about Casey Stoner taking another pole position, everyone is used to him dominating free practices and qualifying sessions whether it was on a Ducati or on a Honda, or will Marco Simoncelli be able to repeat his outstanding weekend performance and finally make it count on race day or if Jorge Lorenzo’s M1 will have enough bite to keep up with Stoner’s Honda, but the biggest question is WTF happened to Valentino Rossi?
To see Valentino Rossi floundering around in 13th is angering Ducatisti, especially Italians who no longer have the patience with a rider who is a 9 times World Champion and gets millions euros a season and can’t even beat a rookie like Karel Abraham in qualifying, especially since Casey Stoner has shown everyone that the Desmosedici can win races. These same Italians are even demanding that Ducati’s CEO Gabriele Del Torchio step down from his position because he’s the one who wanted an old, injured and over the hill Rossi in the first place just for marketing purposes and let someone like Stoner go.
This is what a despondent Rossi had to say after today’s qualifying session and he seems just as confused as everyone else is on why he can’t get the GP11 that has more upgrades than anyone can count as he’s demanded and still can’t get it to work.
Continue reading: Ducati's Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden talk about qualifying at Silverstone
Casey Stoner in pole postion at Silverstone
The visitor who comes from another galaxy Casey Stoner, scored another pole postion in today’s qualifying session at Silverstone his fourth of the season, while breaking Jorge Lorenzo’s last year pole position by 1.2 seconds, but he was pushed hard by Marco Simoncelli and Jorge Lorenzo in the dying minutes of the session.
Both the Italian and Spaniard vyied with the Australian for the pole position, but it was the Repsol Honda rider’s fourth sector that was untouchable and gave him the advantage of 0.188s over Simoncelli who took the second spot on the grid with Jorge Lorenzo in third, and a mere 0.029s from the Gresini rider.
Opening the second row will be Ben Spies, Andrea Dovizioso and the super surprise of the day Karel Abraham. The Czech rider was definitely the best Ducati rider on the grid with his sixth spot, even if he got a tow from Jorge Lorenzo.
The rookie not only beat out a Ducati veteran like Nicky Hayden (7th) and rookie but MotoGP veteran, Randy de Puniet (10th), but also a certain Valentino Rossi who could manage only a 13th spot, one of his worst qualifying sessions ever and in big, big trouble unable to solve any of the problems plaguing his GP11. There are going to be a lot of swearing, screaming and tears in the Ducati garage tonight, because Rossi was more than 3.7 seconds adrift from Stoner and if that doesn’t hurt, being outqualified by 1.3s by injured Colin Edwards (8th) on a satellite Yamaha will.
The collarbone sindrome struck again and this time it’s unlucky recipient was Yamaha Tech3 rider Cal Crutchlow. Just a week after team mate Colin Edwards fractured his collarbone, the Brit sustained the same injury after crashing in the opening minutes of the qualifying session and had to be stretchered out. Diagnosed with a left collarbone fracture and a concussion rules Crutchlow out of this GP and a leaves a grid with only 15 riders, again.
Continue reading: Casey Stoner in pole postion at Silverstone
MotoGP Silverstone: Casey Stoner tops FP3
After yesterday’s wet FP2, this morning at Silverstone, the MotoGP riders found some glorious sunny weather that saw Casey Stoner lead the field, only that the others started to catch up especially Marco Simoncelli.
The Italian headed the timesheets in the final minutes of the session which forced the Repsol Honda rider to put in a final fast lap and re-take the top spot and leave the Gresini rider two tenths adrift, but the Australian would have been even faster if Nicky Hayden didn’t baulk him and get one Stoner’s now well known reactions.
Ben Spies was third and ahead of his team mate and reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, while Cal Crutchlow brought in another Yamaha M1 into the top five and only two tenths slower than the factory riders.
Andrea Dovizioso took the sixth spot and he was the last rider within a second from the seemingly unstoppable Stoner.
Nicky Hayden was seventh and 1.7 seconds off pace and the first and only Ducati in the top ten, while team mate Valentino Rossi is in back field hell. The Italian is mired down in 14th and nearly three seconds slower and almost eight tenths slower than the amazing 10th placed Colin Edwards, who broke his collarbone just eight days ago.
MotoGP Friday quotes from Silverstone
Hot, cold, wet, dry or just plain patchy you can throw any type of weather and any track condition at Casey Stoner and he just rides away on his Honda RC212V as if it was the easiest thing in the world, as he did today dominating both free practices at Silverstone and simply untouchable for the rest of field, who will have to step up their game if they even want to stay near him.
Rider quotes and combined lap times:
Casey Stoner - 1st
“I’m pretty happy with how the day has gone after mixed conditions, we’ve seen a dry track, a wet track and then a 50/50 track so it’s been interesting to have these variants throughout the day, but in general the bike has worked well. We used both bikes today and in the wet one set up seems to work pretty well, but with wet weather forecast for the rest of the weekend we still have some things we want to improve to make the bike work better giving us some more edge grip and traction. The track seems pretty good but some of the older sections are retaining a lot more water which is causing difficulties as in some areas you could be out on slicks but other parts are drenched. Looking at the way the wet tyres are working at the moment we shouldn’t have too much of a problem though, the track seems to be kind on the Bridgestone tyres and not destroying them and even after this afternoon’s session we didn’t have a too big a problem with them”.
MotoGP Silverstone: Casey Stoner dominates in wet FP2
The infamous English weather (not that last week in Spain was that better) took a turn for the worse at Silverstone during the 125cc practice and leaving the track fully wet and standing water in certain sections for this afternoon’s MotoGP second free practice.
Despite the difficult conditions, which Casey Stoner did not feel at all, because he once again dominated the session and with his final lap right at the waving chequered flag shaved off, just in the last sector a massive 9 tenths of second, leaving Marco Simoncelli gasping in second and 0.797s adrift.
The Italian was the only rider to get within a second from Stoner’s 2.15.666 lap time and if the Australian continues to ride in this spectacular fashion we’ll see the others fighting only for the bread crumbs come Sunday afternoon.
Nicky Hayden flew through the damp practice taking the third spot, albeit he was 1.4 slower than his former Ducati team mate, but he was still the best Ducati on the grid, because Valentino Rossi struggled throughout the entire session only managing a ninth spot in the last minutes of practice, after floundering down in 15th and over 8 seconds off the top of the chart, even rookie Karel Abraham on his Cardion AB satellite Ducati finished ahead of him in 8th.
Continue reading: MotoGP Silverstone: Casey Stoner dominates in wet FP2
MotoGP Silverstone: Casey Stoner blitzes the field in FP1
First thing, who ever organized the WSBK and MotoGP calendar for this weekend should be strung up, because trying to follow both championships which just happen to overlap, requires more eyes and multitasking talents than we possess. Rant over and back to what happened in FP1 at the British circuit.
What has become a constant in almost every Friday first free practice session, Casey Stoner annihilated the field again, with a best lap of 2′03.748 leaving all the other riders to play catch-up in the rest of the sessions. Marco Simoncelli was second and he was 0.659s adrift from the Repsol Honda rider. If Simoncelli was adrift in a big way, the others were massively off pace, with Jorge Lorenzo coming in third and slightly a second slower.
Nicky Hayden went for the do or die last lap lunge that pushed him into fourth, as did Andrea Dovizioso who took the fifth spot. Cal Crutchlow, who took a double win at Silverstone last year in Superbikes was sixth ahead of Yamaha factory rider Ben Spies in seventh. The American took his first MotoGP podium last year at the British track.
Hector Barbera brought in another Ducati into the top ten with his 8th spot, while Alvaro Bautista was ninth followed by injured Randy de Puniet in 10th.
Continue reading: MotoGP Silverstone: Casey Stoner blitzes the field in FP1
Colin Edwards declared fit for Silverstone GP
You’ve got give Colin Edwards a round of applause, because after breaking his right collarbone in seven places in last week’s practice seesion at the Montmelo circuit and undergoing three hours of surgery to insert a titanium plate and 13 screws he’ll be participating in this weekend’s MotoGP round at Silverstone.
The Yamaha Tech3 rider tried to pass a fitness test the day after his surgery so he could at least start the race and not screw up his record of 141 appearances, but was denied which left him a little disappointed, but today the medical staff at the British circuit gave him the green light judging him fit to race.
“I was confident I would get through the medical and now I’m just looking forward to the weekend and being back on track with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team,” said Colin Edwards. “The shoulder feels fantastic and I can’t thank Dr Xavier Mir and his staff enough because without them I wouldn’t be in a position to even consider riding. I know it is not going to be an easy weekend because there are some fast changes of direction and hard braking at Silverstone, but I’m confident I can do a good job and bring home some points for the Team.”
Randy de Puniet to race at Silverstone
There was some doubt whether Pramac Ducati’s Randy de Puniet could take part in this upcoming race at Silverstone after he was taken out by Hiroshi Aoyama at the Catalunya GP (no race direction summons for this Gresini rider) and suffered what he believed was ligament damage to his ankle.
After undergoing scans and ligament damage ruled out, the French rider has been cleared to race, but will have to grit his teeth because his ankle is still sore and he admits that he’ll not be 100% fit when he’ll take to track Friday morning.
“I must say that I didn’t need this ankle injury. I tried to relax the last couple of days, and fortunately, my doctors visit ruled out ligament damage. It’s a shame because I did well at Silverstone, especially in qualifying. I hope that although my physical condition is not 100%, I can repeat that performance this weekend.”
Last season De Puniet qualified in the second spot on Silverstone’s front row, and he finished the race in sixthplace, but he was riding a Honda for LCR.
Dani Pedrosa will not be replaced at Silverstone GP
It was widely bandied around that Hiroshi Aoyama would replace injured Dani Pedrosa at the Silverstone GP and that test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi would be called in to take the vacant spot in Gresini Honda, however Repsol Honda has decided not to call in a replacement rider and will field only Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso this upcoming weekend.
Officially they’ll be only sixteen riders lining up on the grid on Sunday afternoon, but only if Colin Edwards will be actually able to ride less than one week after his collarbone surgery, and if Randy de Puniet doesn’t get bad news tomorrow (Wednesday) when he’ll undergo a MRI scan to check out the conditions of the ligaments in his right ankle, that he injured at Catalunya when Aoyama crashed into him.
Source | crash.net
Dani Pedrosa still unfit, will miss Silverstone GP
Dani Pedrosa has decided he will not race in this weekend’s Silverstone GP, thus giving those half-backed rumors that were circulating in the paddock that he had further injured himself in some other of accident somewhat more substance.
In the press release it was revealed that the plate and screws that were inserted into his right shoulder following the Le Mans crash were smaller than the usual ones used, and this was done in order to try to avoid the same vascular compression problems that hampered him in the first two races of the season.
It also revealed that the recovery time with this type of plate and screws requires more much more time and that his doctors recommend that he postpone his comeback until he is 100% fit. The press release however, does not mention how long that recovery period is estimated to be, nor why Repsol Honda and Pedrosa deemed it unecessary to mention all this previously, and letting themselves open to rumors.
“After dedicating some time entirely to recover, I have decided not to take part in the British Grand Prix this week,” said Pedrosa. “I’ve done everything I could to be fit in time for Silverstone, but the conditions are not right to return to compete with guarantees. I need to feel 100% fit before I get on the bike again and to be sure I can fight for the victory, I don’t want to go out there just to do laps. I’ve raced many times with pain and the experience tells me I’m still not ready to be competitive. I’ve decided not to take further risks and will instead continue my recovery process so I may return in the best possible way. It’s time for me to be logical and not only follow what my heart says, or my desire to return. I want to return as soon as possible, but I want to do it when I have ability to fight to win. It’s not the time yet.”
MotoGP help wanted ad: Two temporary replacement riders needed
With both Dani Pedrosa and Colin Edwards out of action after surgery to their collarbones and the MotoGP grid down to just 15 riders, the discussion is turning on who could replace them if their recovery should take longer than two or three races, but finding an experienced 800cc MotoGP rider is no easy task, as we already know from the 2010 season, when Valentino Rossi and Hiroshi Aoyama were sidelined.
Rossi was replaced by Yamaha test rider Wataru Yoshikawa, while Aoyama was first replaced by Honda test rider Kousuki Akiyoshi and then by former MotoGP rider Alex de Angelis.
With Rizla Suzuki fielding only one rider, Paul Denning came up with an idea that would not keep them off the grid if Alvaro Bautista should be injured, they decieded to have John Hopkins as a standby rider. Infact when Bautista fractured his leg during free practice at the opening round, they had Hopkins replace him in the following round.
Continue reading: MotoGP help wanted ad: Two temporary replacement riders needed
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