Ducati CEO Still Wants Valentino Rossi in 2013

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Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali told that the future relationhip between Ducati and Valentino Rossi are still open. After some speculation on media, Rossi has explained that he will stay on Ducati for 2012 season. Caludio Domenicali came to Estoril last weekend, and had a meeting with both Valentino Rossi and Filippo Preziosi. 

Domenicali said on SpeedTV.com , "We have had some long meetings (in Estoril) that have involved both Filippo and Valentino and I think there is now a common direction for the future." The meeting was looked seriously, because at the same time, Monza was celebrated 25th anniversary of the Superbike World Championship. Domenicali attended the Estoril race rather than the celebration.

He also told, ""There is a strong possibility of this and a little later in the season we will sit down and talk about this with Valentino". Rossi recently complaint about the understeer and aggressive power delivery to Filippo Preziosi. From this meeting point, Domenicali believe that the new engine development project will be a trigger to make Valentino Rossi stay on Ducati.

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Filippo Preziosi: Estoril Result is Not at Ducati's Level

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After the Estoril MotoGP test was cancelled, Filippo Preziosi told on the interview that the Sunday race result on Estoril circuit was better than before, but it was not the level of Ducati.

Filippo Preziosi says, "Of course the result is better than before, but it is not at the level we are expecting, so we know we have to close the gap."

For him, the race result is also solve small problem on GP12. He continue, "I think the result yesterday is based mainly on the small steps taken between one practice session and the next, keeping the same basic bike set-up and just trying to solve the small problems that you have practice by practice."

He also told about the desmo characteristc on the interview. He told that Ducati will improve driveability of desmo. "One of these items is an engine that has more torque at low rpm and less power at high revs. Usually this kind of engine gives better driveability. For the engine we have now, we have a lot of torque even at low rpm, and in fact we are not opening the throttle body at low rpm, because the torque is more than the chassis is able to use." said Preziosi.

Ducati have a big question for the riders, if it makes sense to add more torque and less top power, even with this kind of engine? The answer will come after the new engine testing.

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Bridgestone Estoril Review

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As track conditions for the race were warm, but not hot at around the mid-35°C mark, all riders on the grid chose to run the softer rear slick, which at Estoril is the medium compound, in combination with the medium compound front slick tyre. Of the twenty riders that selected the medium front slick, thirteen opted for the compound in the new specification front slick tyre including top-five finishers Jorge Lorenzo and Monster Tech3 Yamaha riders Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow.

Hiroshi Yamada - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department

“I’d like extend my congratulations to Casey Stoner on his first MotoGP win at this circuit. Track conditions were better today and our tyres performed very well with Jorge Lorenzo setting a new lap record using a combination of the medium compound rear slick and new specification front slick tyre, also in the medium compound. The winning race time was fourteen seconds quicker than last year with the top three riders pushing each other hard at a very fast and consistent pace right up to the checkered flag.

“The whole race weekend for us was very constructive and I am happy how our 2012 specification tyres performed at this demanding circuit. Now we are focused on assisting teams at tomorrow’s post-race test and preparing for the next race at Le Mans in two weeks time.”

Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Race conditions today were similar to those we had in qualifying yesterday and as expected all the riders selected the combination of the softer rear slick and the harder front slick. This combination gave riders the best mix of rear grip and front-end feel. I am pleased with the performance of our 2012 specification tyres here at Estoril and in particular, the positive feedback we have received on our new specification front tyre at the last two races shows it performs very well in a wide range of conditions.”

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium; Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 19-20°C; Track 32-38°C (Bridgestone measurement)


Bridgestone Press Release

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Good Result for Alex De Angelis on Estoril

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Good news for Alex de Angelis and the team NGM Forward Racing Mobile on the Estoril circuit in Portugal for an important result on 6th place. Alex de Angelis told that it was a good race and the best for now. 

He said, "Much good race, the best result with the team until now. The beginning was complicated from the third row did not help me find a good race pace. In the end I felt comfortable compared to my opponents and I decided to battle with some nice passing to put on top of the second group. This gives confidence to the sixth place team, the mechanics, the sponsors, but this is not where we want to stop. We will continue to work to be more forward, where we think we can be."

Alex de Angelis should try the Colin Edwards's CRT on a test post race. Unfortunately, the test was cancelled due to a heavy rain. Talk about the CRT, he said, "I accepted the proposal team to try the CRT Colin tomorrow(yesterday). I know the team has many things to try and for me it's a great honor to participate in this test. I think it could still be useful even if my lap times were not to be fast. I hope I can contribute to the cause because the team deserves it."

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Successful surgery for Colin Edwards

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The NGM Mobile Forward Racing rider Colin Edwards underwent surgery earlier today at the Insitituto Universitario DEXEUS in Barcelona. Dr. Javier Mir and his team performed the surgery earlier this afternoon and lasted approximately two hours. Doctor Mir had previously treated Edwards of the injuries he sustained during a free practice session at the Catalunya Grand Prix last season.  

Tomorrow the doctor will reexamine Edwards and will determine the estimated recovery time needed in order to see the Texas Tornado back on his Suter-BMW. He will most likely remain at the hospital until his expected return to the USA this Wednesday.

Javier Mir, M.D.

“The MotoGP rider Colin Edwards was operated of a fracture on his left clavicle, the bone was broken in 5 pieces and required the insertion of a titanium plate with ten screws. The surgery performed was successful and he will be able to begin rehabilitation/physical therapy within a week. He will remain in the Instituto Universitario DEXEUS in Barcelona for now.”

Colin Edwards – MotoGP rider

“Doctor Mir and his team have done a great job. They were the ones that took care of me the last time. The surgery was really quick. I’m feeling great, still a little dizzy from the anesthesia but feeling all right. They put a block on the side of my neck so its feeling a little numb. I’m here watching TV and tweeting. Just want to let everyone know I’m ok!”  

NGM Forward Racing Press Release

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Paddock Girls MotoGP Estoril 2012

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Paddock Girls MotoGP Estoril 2012

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Dani Pedrosa: 100th Podium is Amazing

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Dani Pedrosa finsihed 3rd on the Estoril GP and it was the 100th podium for him. He told that the race was really tough from the beginning. After a big shake in the opening lap, Pedrosa can't reduce the gap to Lorenzo and Stoner.

“It was a really tough race from the beginning. The pace was very, very high from the first lap to the final one. Casey rode a good race, unbelievably strong. I had a big shake in the first braking area, Casey and Jorge overtook me and I lost 1.5 seconds on the first lap." said Pedrosa.

Pedrosa continue, "During the race I had some issues in the middle of the corner, I was not fast with corner speed. Each lap I tried to get a little better, to try and modify my riding style, the mapping and my braking points. I tried everything. I managed to match their lap times, but I couldn’t close the gap. Three races on the podium is very good overall, but in three races we missed something, so let’s try it again in the next one. 

Speaking about the 100th podium, "To reach my 100th podium is amazing and shows how fast the time goes. I’m very happy for that and I want to thank all my teams and sponsors during this time and especially Honda because I’ve been with them for my whole career".

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Stoner Strategy: Stay in Front of Lorenzo and Pedrosa

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Casey Stoner lead the championship after wins Estoril GP last Sunday. For Stoner, it was very fantastic. “In the end it was another fantastic weekend for us. This morning we were more confident but also a little concerned because yesterday afternoon when we had a very similar setting to what we had in FP3 the bike was a bit worse in the warm conditions. In warm-up we didn’t have a big problem with chatter, but in the race, in warmer conditions, we struggled a lot more." said Stoner.

This Australian rider told that his strategy on the race is to stay in front of Lorenzo and Pedrosa. After Lorenzo try to reduce the gap, Stoner try to keep his pace and not make mistakes, and it works.

He told, "This was very difficult to ride with. In the first part of the race I was confident and attacking the track, but I almost lost the front twice due to the chatter. From this point I backed off a little, tried to stay smooth and just wanted to stay in front of Jorge and Dani, but Jorge was coming strong. I had to try and keep my pace and not make too many mistakes, so I was changing the mapping to try and reduce the chatter problem. Towards the end of the race I began to understand how to ride around it, this made things smoother and I found some more pace and was able to bring it home for a great race win.”

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MotoGP Test Post Estoril Race Cancelled Due to Rain

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As scheduled before, today should be a test held on Estoril circuit. Due to heavy rain, the test was canceled. Teams should be test new parts and bike setup, including Ducati team where scheduled to try new engine.

Update from Ducati team, the Ducati Team’s next test with Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, the first of three to be held at Mugello, will take place May 22-24, after the Le Mans Grand Prix.

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Ben Spies: I Made Four ir Five Big Mistake During the Race

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Ben Spies admit that he made some mistake during the race and it cost time and places. Spies told that he don't enjoy Estoril, and this is the first time in last 3 years that he can reach the finish line.

Spies said, “Very mixed emotions today, this is actually the first time in three years that I’ve finished a race here. As I told the team, I made four or five big mistakes during the race, they cost me time and places. It was a rough race but I’m continuing to build my confidence, I don’t enjoy Estoril so I’m happy to have finished. 

He continue, Now we go to Le Mans which is a great event with an amazing crowd but another track I don’t love so much! I’m happy with the bike and it’s performance so we’ll continue to build my confidence and improve the results.”

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Lorenzo Hope for Bike Improvement to be in Front Again

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2nd place is not the best, but Jorge Lorenzo admit that he was expecting 3rd or 4th on last Sunday race at Estoril circuit. Lorenzo said, “I’m happy with this second position because I was expecting to fight for third or fourth and not the victory. The bike improved a lot from the practices so it was possible. "

He told that the main problem is clutch. Lorenzo said, "I had two problems, at the start I used a lot of clutch and burnt it so for two or three laps it was burning and I lost a lot of distance from Casey. Also at the end Casey was very strong. After this everything was working well and I made a fastest lap, which is not very common for me."

About the next race at LeMans, Lorenzo hope for a bike improvement. "We are just one point behind Casey, hopefully we can improve something on the bike tomorrow and be in front again.” said Lorenzo.

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No finish for Karel Abraham after crash at Portuguese Grand Prix

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Czech rider Karel Abraham had just five laps remaining to claim his first points of the season, but after a heavy fall in 12th place he was unable to finish the Portuguese Grand Prix. Throughout the race he kept the Ducati Team rider Nick Hayden in his sights, gradually closing the gap down to 1.5 seconds, before suffering an unlucky crash. 

Karel Abraham

„‘I wasn’t seriously hurt in today’s crash. I was trying to catch Nicky, but lost my rear wheel coming out of a corner. I wasn’t expecting a highsider, and I finished up getting thrown off. I’m really angry, that’s all I can say about it! Tomorrow during testing we’ll see if there’s anything else we can do to improve the bike’s set-up’ said the Czech rider after the race, adding, ‘before Le Mans I will get my spine looked at. After the fall in Jerez, I wasn’t 100 %, but I’m not going to make excuses for myself. Over the next two weeks I’m going to have to sort myself out and finally get a few points in France.’ 

Marco Grana, Chief Mechanic Cardion AB Motoracing

‘This is a real disappointment - the bike was working well, and compared to yesterday, Abaja rode one lap over half a second quicker, which we were all very pleased about. Unfortunately, the incredible effort to overtake Hayden ended with him crashing out. After the morning’s warm-up, the track surface had cooled a little, so today we chose a combination of hard front tyre with a soft mixture for the rear. Tomorrow we’ve got tests, and we’ll again be trying out new settings on the motorcycle. The main problem we’re facing right now, though, is the mental state of our rider – which after three race failures isn’t too good.’  

Cardion Ducati AB Press Release

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Valentino Rossi: Estoril went a bit better

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Good progress from Valentino Rossi was appear on Estoril. Start from 9th position, Rossi took 7th on the finish line. Rossi admit that this race is a little better. He said, “It went a bit better this time, in the sense that we started from a better base on Friday and we managed to prepare for today over the course of the weekend. I was able to approach the race knowing what to expect from the bike, and I therefore managed to push harder and get a little closer to the limit."

Rossi continue, "The first laps were decent. I moved up a couple of positions and then I maintained a consistent pace, doing times that we expected to do. We can say that we took advantage of our current potential, and now we’ll have to work to make another step forward. We must improve on corner exits and on acceleration because right now we’re not able to be as effective as the others due to the fact that we can’t get all of the power to the ground."

Like Hayden said, Rossi also will test Ducati again on Estoril today. "We have a test tomorrow, and we’ll start working. Anyway, today I even managed to have some fun.” said Rossi.

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Lorenzo Retains Unbroken Podium Record at Estoril

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Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo continued his unbroken podium record at Estoril today. Starting from fourth on the grid he was quickly into second at the first corner and held the position to the line after a determined effort to stay with race leader Casey Stoner. The Mallorcan's legendary consistent lap pace meant Stoner was never more than one second ahead until the final lap and at times just 0.2 seconds in front. Lap three of the race saw Lorenzo deliver a new fastest lap record for Estoril of 1'36.909. He now heads to Le Mans in two weeks time just one point adrift of the Championship lead.

 

Team mate Ben Spies started well from fifth, slotting into fourth in the first corner before running wide and dropping back several places. The Texan made a couple of mistakes and dropped to ninth where he battled Stephan Bradl for eighth, eventually passing the German to take the position at the line. Spies will arrive in Le Mans in 11th position with 18 points.

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“A fantastic result after a very tough race weekend. Both Jorge and the bike got on very harmoniously in the race and he was able to push. We are only one point behind Casey and we’re consistently finishing on the podium which is important. We’ll test tomorrow to see what developments we can use to improve and see what happens in Le Mans in two weeks time.”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“Ben had some difficulties during the race, he made a few mistakes, I think the first one put a lot of pressure on him so he was trying to push harder and was unable to. The most important thing is he got back his feeling and was quite satisfied with the set up which gives us good confidence for the coming races. Tomorrow we will test some new items, let’s hope they give us some good results. Jorge did a really great job and pushed really hard. He never gave Casey room to breathe and he couldn’t do more than that. This is the right attitude to get the title.”

Yamaha Racing Press Release

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Nicky Hayden Got an Electrical Problem on Estoril

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Nicky Hayden told that the main problem of yesterday race at Estoril was electronic. He said, “Starting from the first lap, there was an electrical problem and the bike didn’t know where it was on the track. I tried my best to ride around the problem and not make mistakes."

Hayden continue, "It’s really a shame to work hard all weekend but not be able to take advantage of it with a result in the race. The team did a great job overnight, and I felt so much better this morning in the warm-up. I almost matched my qualifying lap and was pretty consistent. Of course I’m not saying I was going to fight for the win, but it would have been nice to at least have a decent race."

Ducati will take a test today on Estoril track, and Hayden will focus on that. "We’ll focus on tomorrow’s test now and look forward to the next race at Le Mans.” said Hayden.

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Positive Signs for Rossi, Misfortune for Hayden

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The Portuguese Grand Prix saw the Ducati Team improving with Valentino Rossi and unfortunate with Nicky Hayden. After two days of working on his GP12’s settings, the Italian lapped at a pace that was both relatively fast and very consistent, eventually finishing in seventh place, which is his best result of the season so far.

Nicky Hayden, on the other hand, had to just try make it to the finish due to an electrical problem with his bike’s ECU, which was subject to interference from a radio signal near the track. As a result, all of the electronic calibrations were out of phase around the circuit, making riding extremely challenging. The American nonetheless rode with great determination to an eleventh-place finish.

Tomorrow the Ducati Team will remain in Portugal for a one-day test, with hopes that the rain forecasts turn out to be wrong so that development can continue on the GP12.

Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager)

“We managed to work well this weekend, taking full advantage of our dry track time to improve the setup and confirm that we now have a good base setting. Today Vale rode the whole race at close to the same pace as his qualifying time, he made some nice passes, and he was able to push a bit closer to the limit. I think this is a good starting point. We’re really sorry for Nicky because during the race, a radio signal interfered with our ECU’s transponder, forcing him to ride with the electronic calibration out of phase. Riding in those conditions is truly difficult, and he did a great job to finish the race.”

Ducati Team Press Release

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Positive Day at Estoril for Alvaro Bautista

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Alvaro Bautista picked up another positive result whilst Michele Pirro achieved his objective of bringing the CRT home on a positive day for Team San Carlo Honda Gresini at Estoril. A top six finish for the Spaniard and the Italian's first points of his MotoGP career give the team a timely morale boost ahead of the next race at Le Mans in two weeks' tim

Alvaro Bautista
“It was a tough race. After practice I thought I had the pace to be fighting for fourth place but I didn't have a good feeling for the front and was struggling to turn the bike. It cost me a few valuable tenths that made me lose touch with Dovizioso and Crutchlow. Now we will have a close look at the data and try to understand why this happened, as well as working on our weak point which is braking. Sixth place isn't a bad result but we should have been much closer to the two Yamaha Tech3 bikes. We have a test tomorrow and that will be very useful to us. ”

Michele Pirro
“With eight laps to go I could see on the big screen that Stoner was starting to lap people so I pushed extra hard to the end because I would have been really disappointed to get lapped. I'm happy we made it to the end and I picked up my first points of the season. Today I just tried to stay upright and make the most of what we had underneath us and hopefully in the future we can hope for more than that. I want to thank the team for their hard work here, hopefully we can have some new stuff to work with at Le Mans.”

Fausto Gresini “It has been a good day and to get our best result with Alvaro so far is encouraging. We made progress over the weekend and I think the data we collected today will help us make further progress in future. Our objective is to be fighting with the Yamaha Tech3 bikes and I think we will be doing that soon. I am also happy that we were able to finish the race with Michele on the CRT bike, picking up points and avoiding being lapped. Overall it's been a good weekend that bodes well for the future.”

Honda Gresini Press Release

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Third consecutive podium for Pol Espargaró that locks in the second position of the Moto2 World

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Pol Espargaró has fought for victory until the last breath, in a spectacular hand in hand with Marc Marquez, crossing the line second. Tito Rabat has starred in a brilliant comeback without reward to fall when he was six and Axel Pons has not finished.

Third consecutive podium for Pol Espargaró in the Moto2 World Championship, this time in Estoril (Portugal), after spending the entire race in the lead group and played the win on the last lap with Marc Marquez. Team driver 40 HP Tuenti Pons has not given up at any time and adding twenty points has been entrenched in second place in the World and making it clear that part of the trio who will fight for the crown.

Less luck to Tito Rabat and Axel Pons, who were unable to complete the paths suffer falls. Tito Rabat has been featured in a big comeback, beating more than a dozen drivers up to sixth. At that time it has gone down and was unable to score ten points higher than deserved. Axel Pons, meanwhile, was also riding at a good pace and approaching the area of the points when he has lost grip on the front and has been dropped.

The next appointment for the 40 HP Tuenti Pons will take place in two weeks at Le Mans, site of the French Grand Prix.

Pol Espargaro

"I tried to finish and I've played the last bullet in 'that' of ascent, but I made a little mistake and has escaped me victory. Congratulations to Marc and I have to admit that the match was great fun and we lacked only reditar Nico for the battles of the past two years in 125cc. Race was quiet, thanks to the confidence gained in the 'warm up', where I was the fastest and we have solved the problems that prevented us from qualifying yesterday later. Zarco see before me slightly off center, but then I saw that he had no problem to follow Luthi and Marquez. When I attacked Marc put his wheel and I started to study him, and seeing that acceleration was stronger, I knew that was a gamble and braking as late as possible. With two seconds Luthi I decided that I played it and went for 25 points. In the end I scored 20 and my third podium in three races, and we will continue working to stay there and the next time the duel for victory will side on my side. I think people who saw us on the track or at home it has gone well, because the last lap the two we have given everything to win. "

Tito Rabat

"It was a real pity, because had risen more than ten positions and had virtually secured the sixth place after a weekend with many problems in the front. In the 'warm up' we have found the key and we have set rolling at 1.41, which has given me great confidence going into the race. I have not gone too well and I lost some positions, but then I picked up the pace and I started to pick up positions. When I placed sixth, ahead of the second group was comfortable but could not catch Iannone. With six laps to go I've gone down and I could not complete a comeback that we deserved so much we have worked around the team during the weekend. I hope that in Le Mans chance we can give back and fight again for being with the best as in Qatar. "

Axel Pons

"I was doing far better than during training, after having done a good 'warm up', but half of the race I lost the front and I have gone down. I tried to get back on track, but had destroyed the entire left side of the bike and I was completely impossible. It's been a tough weekend, where I had a hard time finding the development of the bike and when I did it, shooting not far from those who have scored, I made a mistake and I have gone down. At Le Mans hope to find the right track quickly and to prepare the race with more guarantees. "

Pons 40 HP Tuenti Press Release

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