NGM Mobile Forward Racing Preview MotoGP Valencia

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MotoGP riders Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti will aim for top CRT at Valencia.  The American rider want to secure his second place as best CRT in this 2013 season while his Italian teammate not only wants to finish in the points, but be in the fight for top CRT at Valencia.

Colin Edwards

“The goal at Valencia will be to do the same as in Motegi and be best CRT. Being best CRT has been the main goal for us this year and at this last race we will do our best at it before we move on to think about next year.”

Claudio Corti

“The Valencia race is the last one of the season. My goal is to finish in the points and maybe try to win the CRT in order to finish this 2013 season in the best possible way.”

NGM Mobile Forward Racing Press Release

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Power Electronics Aspar Preview MotoGP Valencia

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Whilst the MotoGP World Championship will be decided this Sunday the title of CRT Champion was tied up two races ago by POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider Aleix Espargaró. The Spaniard signs off from the team this weekend determined to score the victory that eluded him due to a crash last time out at Motegi. His team-mate Randy De Puniet is also determined to make the most of the ART bike's suitability to the Valencia circuit layout as he looks to end the season on a high and, if possible, secure the runner-up spot in the CRT Chhampionship.

Aleix Espargaró: 

“I am really looking forward to racing at home this weekend. It will be a special and emotional weekend for me because it is the end of an important era in my life, being my final race with the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team. I really want to say goodbye to the team with the best possible result. The bike has given us some great results over the past two years so hopefully we can produce one more. Even though we tied up the CRT championship already in Australia we have gone two races without a win now for one reason or another so the objective is clear: we want to win this one and finish the season with a smile. It is quite a tight circuit and I think that should suit us so we will be doing everything we can to make the most of our advantage and score a top result.”

Randy De Puniet: 

“I really like Valencia and it has been a good circuit for me in the past. We are in good form, my feeling with the bike over the past two races has been good and I hope this continues through to this Sunday. If we keep working in the same way we have recently then I am sure we can end the season with a good result, which is important. Normally I prefer faster circuits but there are some sections of this track that I really like and I am sure our bike will adapt well. The objective is to finish the races as the top CRT and hopefully score four more points than Colin Edwards to finish ahead of him as runner-up in the CRT championship.”

Power Electronics Aspar Press Release

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Corti and Edwards in the points at Sepang

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Claudio Corti finishes in 13th place after starting the race in 14th, losing 6 positions in the first few laps due to a mistake that almost caused him to crash.  The Italian then concentrated in regaining positions but did not manage to have the race pace he expected. Corti looks forward to the Philip Island race and to improving this weekend’s results.

Colin Edwards jumped the start and performed the mandatory ride through during lap 4 rejoining the race in 23rd place. The Texas Tornado then initiated a remarkable comeback and crossed the finish line in 15th position, taking one point for the team. The American rider showed a very consistent race pace of 2´04.4s, and if had it not been for the jump-start, could have probably finished the race as Top CRT at Sepang.

The 16th round of the season will take place next week at Philip Island.

Claudio Corti

“It has been a hard race, I had a good start but on the second lap while trying to overtake Hernandez I lost the front in turn 7 and I lost the feeling with the bike on braking. I feel I could have done better, I was not expecting to have a race pace of high 2´05s and low 2´06s, I was expecting to be a bit faster. Throughout the race the chatter got accentuated with the heat causing me to lose feeling on braking on entering the turn. I have finished in 13th position, taking some points, I feel I could have been battling with Aoyama but all in all I am happy because I have never been really performing at this track. We now go next to Australia more motivated than ever to improve our results.”

Colin Edwards

“First time I have ever jumped the start which is why you just don’t jump the start, because it’s stupid. I don’t know what happened, I think I blinked, I was ready to go, I blinked and I flinched.  Anyways, I came in and did my ride through and from that point on I just put my head down and give it everything I had. Once I got behind Barbera and Petrucci I got going. On the last corner Petrucci ran a little deep and I got under him and I got a point. I had a good race pace and it’s really disappointing thinking that I could have been top CRT today by looking at the lap times. It is probably the best race I’ve had here, we had the bike working good.  Thanks to my team, they have worked really hard this weekend to get the electronics and chassis right. I’m looking forward to going to Australia and not jumping the start.”

NGM Forward Racing Press Release

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New Parts for Alvaro Bautista at Aragon from Showa and Nissin

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After a home race for the team at Misano last time out, this weekend it is the turn of Alvaro Bautista as the MotoGP World Championship heads to Spain for the third time this season. It may be a long way from his home town of Talavera de la Reina but Alvaro will have plenty of local support at Motorland Aragon, where he is determined to make up for a disappointing result in Italy, when a positive run of form was ended by a bizarre setback that was out of his hands. Bryan Staring's race ended early at Misano due to a technical problem and he is hoping to recover ground this weekend as he looks to end his debut MotoGP season in positive fashion and build towards his home Grand Prix in just a few weeks time.

Alvaro Bautista 

“I am still feeling frustrated about the race at Misano because I didn't have the opportunity to compete as I would've liked. It would've been nice to give the team and sponsors a good result to celebrate but I felt powerless to ride faster and we still don't know what really happened because I couldn't ride comfortably. We didn't make any changes to the setting compared to practice but the feeling wasn't the same and I was unable to fight for a better result. We kept the same setting for the test on Monday and I was able to ride almost a second faster, which shows that on Sunday there was something strange happened. Anyway at Aragon we will use the new material from Showa and Nissin that we tested on Monday at Misano and which gave us some positive feedback. Last year we had a lot of problems at this circuit but this year we arrive with a more competitive bike so I am sure that we can be fast like we have been in the last races. Obviously we need to work hard from the first session on Friday. The track is unusual with some fast sections and some slow sections, it has a long straight and some long and demanding direction changes. It isn't easy to find the right compromise with the engine and the setting but one good thing about Aragon is that you can make overtakes at various points on the circuit.”

Bryan Staring 

“Misano should have ended up with a good result for me but instead it finished with a retirement. I am still pretty disappointed about that but I certainly haven't lost any of my determination to finish my first season in MotoGP in the best possible way. Aragon is an opportunity to make up for the result at Misano and I will certainly be giving it my best shot.”

Go&Fun Gresini Press Release

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Abraham starts from eighth row in Misano

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Karel Abraham leaves to Sunday’s Grand Prix of San Marino from eighth row. The Czech rider takes twenty-second position with time 1:36,877. The race starts at 2 pm CET.

Karel Abraham

"Probably there is no need to say anything. Since yesterday nothing has changed and the shoulder still hurts me a lot. On the other side it isn’t worst, so at least it is something positive. During the qualifying practice I rode without any stop in the garage and I was struggling with lifting of the front of the bike. That is a real pity, because without this problem I could be in seventh row, I was losing just a minimum to them. Tomorrow it will be a very tough race."

Marco Grana, chief mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing

"Karel was doing the maximum what he could do and at the end of the qualifying practice he did the best what his health condition permitted him. The shoulder limits him the most during braking. He cannot brake fully, so he must start to brake earlier that other riders. Comparing the situation in Brno he is in better condition but still not well enough to race fully. We cannot put other aim that to finish the race tomorrow, to reach whatever good result will be very hard."

Cardion AB Motoracing Press Release

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Abraham to test injured shoulder in Misano before decision about further medical treatment

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Karel Abraham comes back to Misano after forced break due to his injured shoulder. The main aim of the Czech rider is to take part of the entire racing weekend and try the condition of his injured shoulder under complete stein. 

Abraham underwent another medical examination that revealed original diagnosis-bruised shoulder was not exact. After an MRI doctors discovered that injury to the rider suffered after falling in Indianapolis, is more serious. „The shoulder shows symptoms of the tear of joint capsule. The priority is conservative solution but if it wont be effective, it will be necessary to proceed to surgery,“ said Igor Čižmář, chief of Traumatology department of the University Hospital Olomouc and specialist in hand injuries, elbow and shoulder, who operated Karel Abraham´s wrist after his injury in 2010 and with whom the rider consulted collarbone injury after Austin.

Karel Abraham said: 

"The condition of my injured shoulder has not become better as we expected. We have decided that I will try to manage all racing weekend without any diminishing of pain and than we will see. Misano is very tough and technical track, so if the injury won´t limit me here I should handle rest of the season. After the weekend we'll decide to continue with rehabilitation or to undergo surgery. In this case we would have to decided if I would underwent the surgery immediately or at the end of the season.“ Abraham outlined the fact that recovery from surgery would take several months so he will do everything possible to avoid surgery"

Cardion AB Motoracing Press Release

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Aleix Espargaro Ready to Continue CRT Leads in Misano

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Aspar rider Aleix Espargaró showed no signs of weariness during the recent triple-header, finishing as the top CRT at Indianapolis, Brno and Silverstone. It is a run he is determined to continue at Misano, a circuit that should also allow him to reduce the gap to the prototype machines. The Spaniard currently lies tenth overall in the championship on 68 points, a tally he is keen to add to this Sunday

Aleix Espargaró: 

“We have been through an intense period of races and to be honest it was nice to spend a few days at home to disconnect. I haven't exactly been resting because I competed in the Barcelona 24 hour car race but mentally I was able to recharge my batteries and get ready for Misano. I am really looking forward to racing there after being at circuits recently where we have been losing out a lot to the prototypes, like Silverstone or Brno. I am sure that things will be closer at Misano, which is a fun track and a place where I have good memories from the last few seasons. As always our objective will be to do our jobs to the best of our ability and continue to be the leading force in CRT.”

Power Electronic Aspar Press Release

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Karel Abraham skips race in Silverstone

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Karel Abraham will not take part of Grand Prix of Great Britain in Silverstone circuit. The rider has decided to skip the race to recover from his injury that suffered in Indianapolis two weeks ago. Karel Abraham returns for the race in Misano in the middle of September.

Karel Abraham

"If I have took part of the race weekend in Silverstone I would be limited by the injury and I should make longer total recovery. Therefore, after the consultation with doctors, we have decided to skip the race to let the shoulder in rest for another week and than I could fully return to the training. I’m so sorry that I miss this race, because I like this circuit and I have achieved one of the best results here. I will skip it for second time due to injury. We cannot think about good final result in this season, but there are still many races remaing in which I can achieve good result and improve my maximum of this season. One of these races can be Misano. Thus I need to be hundred percent fit."

Cardion AB Motoracing Press Release

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Colin Edwards Wants to be the Best CRT at Silverstone

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MotoGP rider Colin Edwards looks forward to continue working in the same direction that the team has in the last few races in order to be in the fight with the ARTs for best CRT. Teammate Claudio Corti will get back on his FTR – Kawasaki bike after the crash suffered at Brno last week after the collision with Hector Barbera.

Colin Edwards – 5

“Obviously this is the last of the three back-to-backs and I would like to be in the fight for best CRT. We have gotten very close to Espargaro and his ART in the last we races so we just need to keep up the good work and stay in the fight.”

Claudio Corti – 71

"I am resting at home as the doctors advised me but I will be heading to Silverstone tomorrow, I will try to be at a 100% for the race, I am really looking forward to being at the track with the team and start working.”

NGM Mobile Forward Racing Press Release

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Positive Result for Alvaro Bautista at Brno

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After strong showings at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis, Alvaro Bautista continued his great run of form at Brno. The Team GO & FUN Honda Gresini rider finished fifth in the Czech Republic Grand Prix, riding with a pace similar to those at the front for the entirety of the race. Only a speedy fightback by Valentino Rossi denied Bautista fourth place, which he missed out on by 77 thousandths of a second. Teammate Bryan Staring had a more difficult race, due to an unexpected drop in tyre performance, and eventually placed 20th.

Alvaro Bautista (5th) 

“Once again I had the chance to finish ahead of Rossi, but I ended up just 0.077 behind him at the line. However, I am happy because we had a good race and ran a fast pace that was better than in practice. I had a lot more confidence in the bike today. It was a nice battle with Rossi and maybe he just had a little more than I did at the end. We’re going in the right direction, continuing with what we started at Laguna Seca two races ago; this is very important. Last year we didn’t have a great feeling at Brno, but this year we went well which confirms that things are getting better. We hope to continue like this, because that way I can carry on enjoying myself alongside the Team, Honda, GO & FUN, Showa and Nissin.”

Bryan Staring (20th)

“We went a little better than in practice and we suffered a little less with the chattering problem, but the result was not what we were hoping to achieve this weekend. Unfortunately at the end the tyre performance dropped off and I was unable to ride as I had in the first part of the race. It is a shame, because after the problems in practice we were not able to get a good race result.”

Fausto Gresini 

“I would say that this was another good day and another good result for Alvaro. He had a great race, fighting hard with Rossi and keeping up his pace. Since the race at Laguna Seca he has been closer to the front, and we are continually improving. Now we just have to take that small step up to make a big difference. In any case, we are very happy with this weekend at Brno –where last year we had a lot of problems. We have continued this fine form and this is satisying. Thanks to Alvaro, Honda and GO & FUN, and also the team, Showa and Nissin for their great work.”

Fun& Go Honda Gresini Press Release

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Edwards Qualifies as Best CRT at Brno

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The NGM Mobile Forward Racing team gets to participate in Q2 at the Brno circuit. For the second time this season Colin Edwards qualifies as best CRT this season. The American rider seems to have found the right feeling with his FTR – Kawasaki bike, allowing him to start tomorrow’s race from the 4th row of the grid at Brno in 12th place.

Teammate Claudio Corti will start the race from the 18th position after a series of problems suffered during the afternoon session, making it impossible for him to repeat the morning lap times.  After making a series of modifications that did not work out as expected the Italian is now focusing on going over today’s data in order to solve these problems before tomorrows qualifying.

Colin Edwards – 12th (1´58.392) 4th row

“Honestly when we rolled out yesterday we knew the bike had potential, we just had to play around with it, work with what we more or less found at Laguna and Indy. Today was a couple of tweaks here and couple clicks there and we made the bike work better. I could string 1´58.7s and 1´58.8s together so went out there, put my head down, new tires, did the first lap and honestly thought that I could maybe do 1´58.4s and when I saw 1´58.1 I thought that was pretty quick. Its over half a second quicker than I’ve gone all weekend. My team has been doing an awesome job, we have been understanding this bike better specially in terms of the electronics and its all coming together, being a little patience and we finally got this bike working, I am happy about it.”      

Claudio Corti – 18th (1´59.062) 6th row

“The morning session went really well today but during the afternoon session I struggled a lot, unable to replicate the morning lap times. During FP4 we tried new modifications that did not end up being useful and the change in temperature of the track has probably prevented me from being any faster. I am aware that in turn one is where I lose all my time compared to Colin: I have to find the right line in order to try to improve my lap times. I don’t know if I should be either sad or happy given that if I had been a two point five tenth faster I could have finished in 14th place. We will shave to wait to see what happens tomorrow, they say that it might rain tomorrow. I would like to congratulate Colin for today’s good performance and for taking the team back to parc fermé as best CRT. Lets see what happens tomorrow.”

NGM Mobile Forward Racing Press Release

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Brilliant Bautista Lines up Second at Brno

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Team GO & FUN Honda Gresini enjoyed another special day at a circuit full of great memories as Alvaro Bautista qualified on the front row of the grid with the second fastest time at Brno this afternoon. The Spanish rider has continued the good form he started at Laguna Seca before the summer break and after finishing fourth in California and sixth at Indianapolis in the last two races he is confident of another top result on board the Honda RC213V tomorrow. There were contrasting fortunes for Bryan Staring, however, the Australian unable to solve the chatter problems he suffered yesterday.

Alvaro Bautista (2nd 1’ 55” 754) “I am really happy with our performance today. Already this morning I could feel an improvement with the set-up of the bike and we had better grip on the rear. My pace was good on used rubber and then when we put the fresh tyres on in qualifying I was able to take advantage. It was good fun and now I am just hoping to get a good start and run at the front for as long as possible. I felt great on the bike today so hopefully we can have a similar feeling with it tomorrow and keep the pace up when the tyres drop off. I want to thank the team for the great job they have done, as well as Honda, Showa, Nissin and our main sponsor because they have had to wait a while for a moment like this.”

Bryan Staring (24th 2’ 00” 827) “Unfortunately we have only made a very slight improvement compared to yesterday. We are still struggling with the same issues and I am not able to ride the bike as I would like. It is disappointing because I felt I could do much better than this, especially coming to a circuit I already knew.”

Fausto Gresini “It has been a marvellous day and it is one we have been waiting for. I am happy for Alvaro, who did a great job in qualifying and secured a very important front row start. It is a result that confirms the job being done by the team, by Honda and our sponsors GO & FUN who are able to savour this kind of result for the first time with us. Tomorrow will be a long and tough race but it will be the same for everybody and I think we have a good pace with our package and I think Alvaro learnt a few things this afternoon that will help him tomorrow so I am confident.”

Go&Fun Honda Gresini Press Release

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Aleix Espargaró and Randy De Puniet kick off Czech round with a productive opening day's work

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The Czech Republic Grand Prix got underway at the Brno circuit today with some new names on the entry list,  Martin Bauer competing as a wildcard and Michele Pirro stepping in to replace the unfortunate Ben Spies. This is traditionally known as a 'Yamaha circuit' and that proved to be the case for much of the day as Jorge Lorenzo dominated the timesheets, only to be denied the best lap time of the day by a late effort from Honda's Stefan Bradl that was 0.038 seconds quicker than the World Champion.

POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider Aleix Espargaró predicted that this would be a difficult circuit for him and his ART package but the Spaniard was a mere 1.7 seconds shy of Bradl's pace today, despite losing time this morning due to an electronic problem. Aleix was twelfth fastest today but is hopeful of making up a couple of positions in tomorrow morning's third free practice, which would qualify him directly to Q2. Randy De Puniet was twentieth fastest today but the Frenchman was smiling again after his troubles at Indianapolis last weekend. After finding solutions to the traction control issues he was having in America, De Puniet is now looking forward to stepping up his pace tomorrow.

12th Aleix Espargaró 1.58.217 (26 laps):
“We had some problems with the electronics this morning that stopped us from completing as many laps as we would have liked but I am happy because the team did a great job to solve them and the response of the bike was much improved in the afternoon. We are still a long way off Q2 pace but to lap 1.7 seconds off the pace of the best time at such a fast circuit is a good start for us. The results haven't been as spectacular in the last few races as they were in the early stages of the season but our motivation to remain as the reference point in CRT could not be higher. We have to stay focused and do our jobs right if we want to continue closing the gap to the prototypes.”

20th Randy De Puniet 1.59.799 (31 laps):
“Today we continued working to improve the traction control system after all the headaches it has given us lately. We worked with both bikes today and it seems like the second one was a little better. We have a few vibrations to iron out at this track and worked with some different tyre compounds to that end today. In the afternoon my feeling with the bike improved a lot and we'll hopefully be able to keep working in the same direction tomorrow.”

Power Electronic Aspar Press Release

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Aleix Espargaró and Randy De Puniet head for Brno looking to improve on American outing

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After back-to-back races in the USA at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis either side of a month-long summer break the MotoGP World Championship returns to Europe this week for the eleventh round of the season in the Czech Republic. It is the second leg of a triple-header that sees the series move on to Silverstone the following week and it takes place at one of seven tracks on the calendar to measure longer than 5km. Brno is well known for its length and width but also for its beauty, located in thick forests and following the dramatic natural topography of the land. Marc Márquez returns from the USA as a race winner for the third time this season and now it is up to Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa to react as the youngster threatens to disappear at the top of the championship.

POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team riders Aleix Espargaró and Randy De Puniet are looking forward to returning to Europe after a difficult couple of races across the Atlantic. After crashing out at Laguna Aleix was back to being the first CRT across the line at Indianapolis but he was frustrated that he wasn't as competitive as he had been at recent races such as Assen or Sachsenring. On the other side of the garage Randy continues to search for a comfortable set-up with his ART machine and he is determined to get back to the form he showed last season as soon as possible.

Aleix Espargaró:
“I really like the Brno circuit but if we are realistic we know it doesn't really suit the characteristics of our bike very well. With so many long straights and fast corners we will definitely lose out more than usual to the factory prototypes but we will work as hard as we can anyway to be in the best possible shape for the race. Hopefully it is a more straightforward weekend than Indianapolis without any setbacks. We haven't had much chance for a rest but I have done my best to try and get over the injuries I picked up on Saturday and now I am looking forward to getting back on the bike, having fun and trying to get back to the level we know we can perform at.”

Randy De Puniet:
“The last round was a tough one for us and we were hoping to kick off the second half of the season with a better result but ran into a lot of problems. Luckily the team worked tirelessly to solve them and we were in good shape for the race but we ran out of luck and couldn't finish. So the next race in the Czech Republic is an opportunity for us to turn the page quickly and do whatever it takes to flip the situation around. I really like Brno, I know I can be fast there and I will work to make sure that's the case.”

Power Electronics Aspar Press Release

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Hiroshi Aoyama Happy with Fourth Place CRT

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After a lot of work and tests during the weekend, the MotoGP race was not as positive as expected by the Avintia Blusens team, although it is true that Hiroshi Aoyama took a step forward feeling very recovered from the hand injured at Montmeló and scoring again, after having achieved it in the first race of the season. Aoyama, solved the qualifying problems with the rear brake, did a good start but was left behind when another rider forced him to go off the track. The last 250cc World Champion moved up some positions and managed to maintain a pace that led him to become one of the fastest CRT riders in different moments of the race. Finally he finished fifteenth and scored a point.

Less positive was the GP for Héctor Barberá who never felt at ease with the set-up of his bike throughout the weekend. Despite being quickly in some parts of the race, the problems with the front wheel and the lack of confidence that these cause, prevented him from obtaining the desired result. Barberá arrived at Indianapolis having been the first CRT at Laguna Seca and the fifth place at Indy is not enough.

Now the team will travel to Brno to race the eleventh round of the season, in which they expect to have a good weekend.

8 Héctor Barberá (16th +1.25.879): 

“It has been a difficult and complicated race in which we have carried the front part bike problems of the practice sessions around. We have done a lot of tests and even before the start of the race we have thought about making some changes. The reality is that I have never managed to ride at ease and things have not changed in the race. I am a little disappointed because I was the first CRT in the last race and I did not expect this result. Fortunately, next weekend we race another GP, we have another opportunity, and it is also at a circuit that I like”.

7 Hiroshi Aoyama: (15th +1.20.159): 

“Yesterday we had problems with the rear brake in the qualifying session and today in the warm-up we have not been able to solve them. So for the race we have changed the whole rear brake package. We were a little worried because it was a material that we had not tested and we did not know how it would work. Fortunately it has gone well and I have not had any problem. I am satisfied with having solved the brake issue, having scored again and because we have had a very good pace. I think that without the incident of the first lap, in which a rider forced me to go off the track losing several positions, I could have been able to finish higher up. I want to thank the team for the work done and I hope that we continue in this line. It is good to score again and feel competitive. I am happy”.

Avintia Racing Press Release

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Tough Heavy Crash for Abraham in Indianapolis Without Any Serious Injury

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Karel Abraham did not sustain any bigger serious injury after his big crash during the first free practice in Indianapolis. Doctors excluded any serious injury, however the rider has heavily bruised his foot and left shoulder. In the evening free practice, Abraham came back on the track and finished on twenty-second position. The Czech rider should fully take part of Saturday’s free practices and qualification.

Karel Abraham:

"The crash in the morning was really bad, but how it might turn out, it is good. I have bruised shoulder and heel, but important is, that nothing is broken. If I have some muscles injured it has not been seen yet, so I hope it will be fine. Of course I feel terrible right now, but I hope to feel much better until tomorrow morning. I don’t know exactly what happed. At the exit of the corner I felt as motorbike injection has missed for one second and than restart again and I could not reacted for that. We were discussing it with my mechanics and one possible reason is that I pushed by mistake gear lever, but at the end we excluded it. Well this will be another racing weekend during which I'll ride with injection for pain, but I'll do everything I can to figure it out."

Marco Grana, chef mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing

"At the end of the evening free practice we made a time around 1:42,9 and that is better than time what Karel made before he crashed out. That is quite positive. Karel has a pain in his shoulder and heel; therefore he was forced to ride under anesthetics. We did not obligate him to ride on the limit, because it would be counter-productive. After as tough crash has logically little bit fear. So for today, this result is good enough for us. We will try to put a hard tyre in front tomorrow, because Karel was complying about chattering there. We have also to solve the problem with spin on the rear. I hope that Karel will be fine tomorrow and we will get faster. In the morning, before the crash occurred, he rode very fast."

Cardion AB Motoracing Press Release

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Alvaro Bautista Starts on Right Foot at Laguna Seca

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Alvaro Bautista made a promising start to the USGP this morning, the Spanish rider finding a good set-up for his RC213V machine around the demanding Laguna Seca circuit and lapping consistently amongst the fastest ride rs on track. 

Alvaro's pace in the first free practice session was three tenths quicker than his best effort at this stage of the weekend last year and he is confident of making more improvements to his bike and his pace alongside the team in this afternoon's second session, which is set to take place in much improved conditions after a misty start to the day. 

Bryan Staring will also be looking to step his pace up on the team's CRT bike after completing his first ever laps of this circuit this morning.

Fun & Go Honda Gresini Press Rlease

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Alvaro Bautista Looks for A Good Result at Laguna Seca

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Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista heads directly from the Sachsenring circuit in Germany to the United States this week as the MotoGP World Championship hits the halfway stage with an exhausting trip across the Atlantic. The Laguna Seca circuit will provide another stern test of the team's progress so far this year, with Bautista heading west on the back of a solid ride in Germany that has gone some way to making up for a poor run of results at Mugello, Barcelona and Assen. It was a less pleasing weekend for Bryan Staring at Sachsenring but the Australian rookie must pick himself up quickly as he tackles another new and difficult circuit.

Alvaro Bautista 

“It wasn't an easy weekend in Germany but we came out of it with a positive result. I found more confidence with the bike around most of the track but I was losing too much time in the second sector and we didn't manage to fix it in time for the race. Anyway, we made some positive steps in certain areas and certainly improved on Assen. It has helped lift morale in the team and now we go to another tricky circuit in Laguna, with its elevation changes and blind corners. It is a tough track but we will do our best to adapt quickly. We struggled with the suspension here last year but we have made some good progress in this area since then and I am sure that if we are methodical in our work we can make sure we have a competitive RC213V to race on Sunday. I am confident because the team is working well and this makes me think we can be fighting for a good result this weekend.”

Bryan Staring “I am still upset with the weekend at Sachsenring. Four crashes in one weekend is too much and I feel sorry for the team because they are putting so much work in. I knew it was going to be hard but I didn't know it would be this hard. My confidence has taken a battering and Laguna Seca is not the easiest circuit to be going to next. It is a difficult track but I have to stay calm, work hard and rely on the unrelenting hard work of the team. I will have to concentrate hard from the start to learn the best lines around the track and then start working on the set-up of the bike as quickly as possible. We will be doing everything we can to put the weekend in Germany behind us.”

Go & Fun Honda Gresini Press Release

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Top Five Finish for Alvaro Bautista at Sachsenring

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Alvaro Bautista's German Grand Prix finished better than he might have expected with a top five result at Sachsenring following a troublesome weekend of practice and qualifying. Despite losing significant ground to his rivals in one particular section of the track Alvaro held it together around the rest of the lap to pick up a result that gives the team a timely boost ahead of the trip to Laguna Seca following some disappointing races at Assen, Mugello and Barcelona. A tough weekend for Bryan Staring finished in the worst possible fashion with a fourth crash in bizarre circumstances.

Alvaro Bautista (5th)
“We finished in fifth place which at the end of the day is not a great result but after a great start I just wasn't able to keep in touch with the riders at the front. We had some traction problems in the second sector, which is where I was losing a lot of time and I could only just hold the gap in the other sectors. I tried to get closer but I couldn't manage it and fifth place is still a positive result for us after the Dutch race because it's a step forward. Now I am sure we can make more progress at Laguna with the help of the team, who are doing a great job.”

Bryan Staring (DNF)
My confidence is on the floor right now! Four crashes in a weekend is four too many and the one in the race was particularly stupid. I was letting the front three lap me and lost concentration going into turn one and ended up crashing. I am really sorry to the team, who are doing so much to help me.”

Go&Fun Honda Gresini Press Release

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Disappointing Qualifying for Alvaro Bautista

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The second day of the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring was one to forget for Alvaro Bautista, who made slight progress with the set-up of his bike but made a mistake in qualifying that cost him positions on the starting grid for tomorrow's race. The Spaniard will start from the third row in eighth place whilst his team-mate Bryan Staring lines up in 22nd after suffering his third crash of the weekend this afternoon.

Alvaro Bautista (8° 1’ 22” 484) “We have made a slight improvement on yesterday and found a bit more grip and confidence with the rear of the bike. We worked hard with the electronics and found some benefits that allowed me to improve my lap time. Unfortunately I made a mistake in qualifying and let the tyres get too cool before pushing for a fast lap. My race pace isn't so bad but it will be important to get a good start if we are going to stay in touch with the lead group.” 

Bryan Staring (22nd 1’ 27” 273) “Unfortunately when I came into turn four the rear came round on me and threw me into the air. It was a big crash and we didn't need it. We went back out on the second bike but the set-up was different and I didn't have the same confidence with it. Now I have to get over the pain in my left foot and try to get ready for the race.”

Fausto Gresini “To be honest I am not happy right now with the results or the performance. We are not improving and it is a difficult situation to accept so we have to reflect hard on why we are not competitive and try to make sure we correct it. We need a reaction now because I am very disappointed.”

Go&Fun Honda Gresini Press Release

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