MotoGP: By the Numbers

Numbers and statistics for the latest round of the MotoGP World Championship

MotoGP Press Release

159 – At Sachsenring, Valentino Rossi is scheduled to make his 159th successive premier-class GP start without missing a race. This will take the record for successive premier-class starts from Alex Barros, who started 158 successive races.

61 – With his tenth place finish at Laguna Seca, Marco Melandri has scored 61 points from the first eight races of the year. This is four more than top Kawasaki rider of last year John Hopkins scored throughout the complete 2008 season.

18 – Dani Pedrosa’s win at Laguna Seca ended an 18 race sequence without a win for Honda in MotoGP, since Pedrosa won in Catalonia last year. This is the longest sequence of races in the premier-class without a Honda win since they re-entered Grand Prix racing in 1982.

16 – Valentino Rossi has been on the podium sixteen times in the seventeen races since finishing second in Germany last year. The only occasion he has not finished on the podium during this period was when he crashed at Le Mans and re-started to finish 16th.

15 – Spanish riders have started from pole on fifteen occasions across the three classes in 2009. None of these riders have gone on to win the race after starting from pole.

11 – Race day in Germany will be the 11th anniversary to the day of the very first Grand Prix event to be held at the newly built Sachsenring circuit in 1998.

3 – Sachsenring is one of just three current circuits where Rossi has not started from pole in the premier-class; the others are Laguna Seca and Misano.

3 – There are only three riders in the 250cc class who have scored points at all seven races held so far in 2009; Hiroshi Aoyama, Hector Barbera and Raffaele de Rosa.

MotoGP: Round 9

MotoGP Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

Tyler Hopper

AllAboutBikes.com Staff-Writer

With Yamaha and Ducati dominating the top three spots in championship points, both manufacturers face stumbling blocks on the road to Deutschland. Jorge Lorenzo, currently in second place, and Casey Stoner, in third, will be competing at less than 100 percent heading to Sachsenring, Germany, for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

When Lorenzo arrives for the ninth round, he won’t be concerned with the media; his attention will be with the Clinica Mobile, whose staff helped prepare him for the Laguna Seca race after his qualifying crash. The crash resulted in a collarbone injury, a micro fracture in his right foot and two bruised ankles.

Casey Stoner, who suffered a crash during qualifying at the Laguna Seca race, has recently been diagnosed with slight gastritis and mild anemia. Stoner said, “I still don’t feel like I am 100 percent, but the biggest problem now is that my ribs are very painful after the crash in qualifying in the U.S. It will be probably another hard weekend in Germany, but as always, we will do our best to stay as much as possible close to the lead of the Championship.” Stoner managed to finish fourth at the Red Bull Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, despite his misfortune in qualifying. That kind of performance, at a time when he needed it, is an indication of how much Stoner wants to stay in the battle for the championship.

Two riders looking forward to top performances this weekend are Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi. Coming off of a victory in the US, Pedrosa looks forward to the race in Germany. “I’ve had some good results at this track and I take a lot of confidence into the race weekend at Sachsenring because we’re probably in the best shape we’ve been in for a while,” stated the Pedrosa. “The win in Laguna Seca was really important for me and the team because it proves we’ve been making progress and we now have the pace to win races.”

Rossi is looking to continue his run for the title this weekend. Rossi said, “Sachsenring isn’t one of my favorite tracks but I’ve had some great races there and generally it suits Yamaha well, which is good. We need another good result to keep our lead because our rivals are so strong and we can’t afford to make any mistakes. Last year there was a lot of rain in Germany but in fact we were able to take a great second place. I hope this year we can go one better.”

MotoGP: Suzuki’s Hopeful

Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen hope to bounce back from their Laguna Seca disappointments this weekend

MotoGP Press Release

The Rizla Suzuki team went into the last round in the U.S. in spirits high after the successful incorporation of a new engine in the GSV-R and a series of top five results in the preceding races, but things did not go according to plan for Loris Capirossi or Chris Vermeulen in California.

Capirossi crashed out of the Laguna Seca contest - his second DNF this year - to leave him frustrated and sitting tenth in the World Championship standings. He now gets a chance to put that right at Sachsenring, where he finished seventh last year despite carrying a nasty arm injury.

The Italian rider – who got his best result from eight premier-class starts at the Sachsenring in 2007 when he finished second – gave his thoughts ahead of the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, saying, “The last couple of races have been a bit tough on us, which has been pretty difficult as we have worked so hard to get everything right. The crew have certainly been giving all they can and we just didn’t get the solutions we were looking for.”

He continued, “We have still managed to learn a lot of things about how the Suzuki GSV-R behaves in different situations and on different types of Bridgestone tyres, so all that will be very useful to us in Germany. Sachsenring is not a track that needs a lot of power and speed, but it does require careful balance because you are on the side of the tyre so much. It is a track that I certainly enjoy racing at and believe that we can do well at - we will just have to see what happens this weekend!”

His team-mate Vermeulen did at least finish the race at Laguna, but the Australian’s eighth place finish was well below expectations at a track where he had been on the podium on his previous two visits, with tyre choice apparently letting him down.

Looking ahead to the visit to Sachsenring, where he rode a great race in the rain last year to also mount the rostrum despite starting in 14th on the grid, Vermeulen commented, “I got a third at Sachsenring last year and although that was in the wet I am sure we can try and repeat that this year in whatever weather we have to contend with. The bike is still working well and seems to improve every time we go out on it The crew have got a good base package and if that works from the start at Sachsenring - and we can get the tyres to match the bike - then I see no reason why we can't be competitive from the first day.”

MotoGP – Laguna Seca

Independence Day, and of course Rossi

Tyler Hopper

AllAboutBikes Staff-Writer

If history repeats itself, this 4th of July weekend at Laguna Seca is sure to be an action-packed thrill ride. Last year at Mazda Raceway, a battle between Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi resulted in an unbelievable overtaking by Rossi through the corkscrew and Stoner sliding through the gravel, but ultimately finishing second.

The battle between Rossi and Stoner continues this season with Rossi ahead in points with 131, and teammate Jorge Lorenzo a close second, trailing by only 5 points. Four points fewer than Lorenzo, Stoner hangs on to third with nearly double the points of Andrea Dovizioso, 69 points, in fourth.

Also this Independence Day weekend, MotoGP racers will share the same track with AMA Superbike and Sportbike stars at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca. And all the Haydens will be together; Nicky sharing the track in different events with his brothers Tommy and Roger. Could there possibly be a better way to celebrate this holiday as an American racing in MotoGP.

The weekend of the 4th at Laguna Seca is sure to be one great show for fans and riders alike. It’s not everyday that greats like Mat Mladin, Tommy Hayden, Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards, Casey Stoner and Neil Hodgson get to entertain a crowd all in the same day.

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Hayden on Laguna: We’ll go full gas”

Nicky Hayden is looking forward to another special weekend at Laguna Seca, the scene of his superb wins in 2005 and 2006

MotoGP Press Release

Although Indianapolis has now become Nicky Hayden’s true home event, the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca is always a special weekend on the calendar for the Kentuckian rider.

Hayden made history when he won the first race at the Californian track after it’s re-emergence on the MotoGP schedule in 2005 - after a ten year absence - and then repeated the victory in 2006 en route to the World title, writing his name into Laguna folklore.

This year, after a DNF in 2007 and fifth place last year, Hayden is appearing on American soil for the first time as a Ducati rider and is determined to put on a good show for the fans, despite his modest start to the season.

“This year we’re racing in America on the 4th of July weekend and it’s perfect,” he enthused. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holiday than at the US GP! Also the fact my brothers will be racing on the same weekend in the AMA championship helps make it special for me. This will be the first time my American fans get to see me on a Ducati so that will be cool because there are a lot of Ducati fans in the states. No predictions or anything but we’ll go full gas and see what happens.”

Looking to make progress from 15th in the championship, with just 26 points gained thus far in 2009, Hayden has his a good opportunity this weekend at his best track. “We still have a lot of work to do but it has been nice to see a little progress over the last few weeks and at Laguna I really need to take another big step,” the former Honda man continued.

“I don’t have any big plan or anything, it’s not that easy! All I know to do is keep trying and working at it and hope it will come. Laguna is a great track and very challenging. There are a few points that stick out but in general it is different to most tracks, which usually have a few different sections, whereas Laguna is basically just one section and you have to put it all together to make a good lap.”

GP history of Laguna Seca

The history of GP racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

MotoGP Press Release

After a ten year absence MotoGP returned to the United States and Laguna Seca in 2005 and has since hosted some superb racing. However, before that break in American GPs Laguna Seca had already featured six times on the World Championship calendar.

In fact, the first two Grand Prix events to be held in the USA were at Daytona in 1964 and 1965. Following those two events there was a 22 year gap before Grand Prix racing returned to the US, at Laguna in 1988.

This year’s event will be the eleventh time that a Grand Prix race has taken place at the Laguna Seca circuit and below is a brief summary of the previous ten World Championship visits:

1988 – This included races for the 500cc and 250cc classes with American riders finishing on the top of the podium in both races – Eddie Lawson (Yamaha) in the 500cc race and Jim Filice in the 250cc race riding as a replacement for Masahiro Shimizu on the factory Honda.

1989 – Once again American riders took the honours with Wayne Rainey (Yamaha) taking the victory in the 500cc race in front of Kevin Schwantz (Suzuki) and Eddie Lawson (Honda). John Kocinski (Yamaha) won the 250cc race as a wild-card entry.

1990 – Both Wayne Rainey and John Kocinski repeated their success of the previous year; both riders went on to take the respective world titles.

1991 – Wayne Rainey won the 500cc race for the third year in succession while in the 250cc race Luca Cadalora (Honda) became the first European rider to win a Grand Prix race at the Laguna Seca circuit.

1993 – The Grand Prix returned to Laguna Seca after a year’s absence. John Kocinski took the first ever dry weather Grand Prix victory for Cagiva in the 500cc race. Loris Capirossi (Honda) won the 250cc race and Dirk Raudies (Honda) won in the 125cc class which was run for the first time at the Laguna circuit.

1994 - Luca Cadalora (Yamaha) became the first non-American to win the premier-class Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. This was the last time that the event included 250cc and 125cc classes, won by Doriano Romboni and Takeshi Tsujimura respectively both riding Honda machinery.

2005 – After an absence of ten years the Grand Prix returned to America and the home riders dominated once again with Nicky Hayden taking his first Grand Prix victory in front of Colin Edwards. This was also the first victory in the premier-class for Honda at the Laguna Seca circuit.

2006 – Nicky Hayden repeated his victory of the previous year on his way to becoming the first American rider to win a Grand Prix world championship on a four-stroke machine.

2007 – The event was dominated by Casey Stoner who started from pole and led the race from start to finish. This was the first GP victory for both Ducati and Bridgestone tyres at the Laguna Seca circuit. Chris Vermeulen finished second - the first podium finish for the Suzuki four-stroke MotoGP machine at Laguna Seca.

2008 – Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) won for first time in America and made it three different winning manufacturers in three successive years.

KTM 990 ready for AMA Daytona Sportbike

KTM 990 Super Duke Homologated For AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, Will Debut At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

AMA Pro Racing Press Release

The AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL class is already one of the most diverse divisions in major league motorcycle road racing, but the competition is going to get even more interesting beginning with this weekend's Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The KTM 990 Super Duke is the 11th different motorcycle approved and homologated for AMA Pro Daytona SportBike competition, and one of the unique twin cylinder bikes will be debuted this weekend at Mazda Raceway. The California-based Tri-Valley Moto team and rider Eric Gulbransen will field the No. 394 KTM 990 Super Duke in Sunday's AMA Pro Daytona SportBike final.

"We have seen outstanding racing this year in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL and that is due to the incredible talent of the teams and riders and the performance of a diverse line-up of motorcycles," said AMA Pro Racing President Roger Edmondson. "AMA Pro Daytona SportBike is now home to 11 different motorcycles from nine different manufacturers and the parity we have seen in the on-track performance has been unmatched at this level. We welcome KTM and Tri-Valley Moto to the series and know they will be a competitive addition to an already outstanding class."

The Austrian-made KTM brand has been ridden to more than 90 motorcycle championships around the world but the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike debut will be the manufacturer's first experience in North America at this level.

Tri-Valley Moto is based in Livermore, California and Gulbransen is a veteran California rider from Menlo Park, who also has extensive experience racing Ducatis.

Dual 23-lap/50-mile sprints for AMA Pro Daytona SportBike and AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited will bring the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix weekend to a close on Sunday, July 5. The Daytona SportBike race begins at 3:30 p.m. local time and will be followed directly by the American Superbike race at 4:15 p.m.

MotoGP heads west to Laguna Seca

The riders in the premier class this week make a dash across the Atlantic to the West Coast of the US, to the superb Californian track of Laguna Seca.

Press Release

This weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca is the first of two World Championship visits to America this year and is the second of four GPs in a five week period as the 2009 season really begins to gather pace.

With Indianapolis to come in August the MotoGP riders will this weekend enjoy their first Stateside trip of the campaign as they head to California, with visits to Sachsenring and Donington Park still to come on the busy schedule before the summer break.

After seven rounds so far this year things are tight at the top, with three main protagonists emerging as the title candidates. Heading to Assen in the Netherlands last weekend, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner were all square on points at the head of the standings and even though Rossi has pushed ahead with the superb 100th GP victory of his career at the Dutch track his young rivals are still snapping at his heels.

Last year at Laguna Rossi took a hugely important win over Stoner, passing him brilliantly on infamous Corkscrew corner and scoring a significant psychological blow against the Australian. This year, however, he has two key rivals to contend with.

World Champion Rossi goes into round eight in great from, with a five point lead over Lorenzo in the general classification, having relegated his Fiat Yamaha team-mate to second place in the last two races at Catalunya and Assen. The Italian looks as strong as ever, with his Yamaha M1 machine working brilliantly as he looks to turn up the heat on his rivals.

Lorenzo, meanwhile, has never completed a race at Laguna having crashed out on the first lap on his debut at the Californian track last year. He insists however that this year he is finding things more comfortable at tracks which did not favour him in the past and can be expected to be pushing Rossi hard at the front again this weekend.

Fitness doubts for Stoner could be the major factor hindering the Ducati star following another grueling race in The Netherlands, where for the second round in succession he finished third, but was totally exhausted on the podium. If he can recover full strength he will be confident of another good performance on Sunday, at a track where he won in 2007 and finished second in 2008.

Behind the leading three in the championship, the Repsol Honda duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa will be desperate to bounce straight back from their Assen disappointments having both crashed out of the Dutch contest, in separate incidents at the same corner, when well positioned to earn some decent points. Dovizioso is currently fourth in the standings, some distance behind the top three, but with just a two point advantage over Pedrosa and Colin Edwards.

Texan rider Edwards arrives for his home race in good form following his fourth place at Assen and is hoping for another good result as he seeks to extend his MotoGP career. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider was on the podium at Laguna Seca in 2005 but since then has struggled for good results there and will aim to correct that pattern on Sunday.

His compatriot Nicky Hayden, the only other American rider in the premier class at present, boasts two of his three MotoGP career wins at Laguna and would love nothing more than to get his first top five result of 2009 on his Stateside debut for Ducati this weekend.

The Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix promises to be a memorable event, coinciding with the American 4th July celebrations and commencing this Friday, 3rd July, with Free Practice 1 at 1.55pm local time, (9.55pm GMT, 10.55pm CET). The 250cc and 125cc classes do not compete at Laguna and will be back in action at Sachsenring on the 17th-19th July weekend.

June 30, 2009

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