Paddock Girls MotoGP Indianapolis 2013

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West battles hard for 17th place, Sucipto achieves a safe race finish

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QMMF Racing Team rider Anthony West battled hard in the Moto2 Grand Prix of Indianapolis, but missed out on world championship points and crossed the line in 17th position. The 32-year-old Australian had started from 23rd place on the grid und moved up to 17th place on the second lap, but couldn’t maintain his rhythm and dropped back again, holding 21st place by mid-race. On lap 16, he mounted another attack and moved ahead in the group he was in to take 17th spot, but by that time, the front runners were too far gone to break into the point rankings.

Team-mate Rafid Topan Sucipto achieved his goal of a race finish, but was not as consistent as he had planned to be and lost his rhythm when the front runners of the race started to close in from behind. After learning the difficult Indianapolis track, the teenager from Jakarta now looks forward to the next new challenge at Brno in the Czech Republic next weekend.

Anthony West – 17th

“My start was okay, but in the beginning I just was not able to do any decent lap times. I don’t know why, I just found it hard to really concentrate properly this weekend. I was a bit lost on the first laps and couldn’t do good lap times. As the race went on, I started to go faster, but the group was already gone and any chance of making some good points was already too far away. I was sort of stuck with the group I was with and I was able to fight with them and lead them to the end of the race. But all in all, it was a difficult weekend for me. The team is doing a great job and the bike is working pretty well, but I just need to concentrate more and try to be a bit more focussed on my racing. I was using the new swingarm all weekend, but it’s difficult to predict how much of an advantage it will give us on other tracks, because Indianapolis is so strange with its different surfaces. We will continue to use the new swingarm at the next race in Brno and I hope it is an improvement there, too!”

Rafid Topan Sucipto – 31st

“I was nervous in the race and I lost a lot of extra time when I moved over to let the front runners pass. It wasn’t a very good race, but I didn’t have big problems either and at least I managed to make it to the chequered flag on this difficult track. Next week in Brno, I want to push harder, but at the same time, I also want to be calm and relaxed!”

QMMF Press Release

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Solid race for Jakub Kornfeil

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Jakub Kornfeil leaves the United States with renewed confidence for his home race next weekend. The Czech rider of RW Racing GP finished the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in 10th place after a solid race. His Dutch team mate Jasper Iwema was less fortunate. He was knocked off his bike in the exit of the first corner.

Jakub Kornfeil (10): 

"I’m happy with this result. I had a good start, coming from 16th. My pace was good. With this pace I could have raced with the top 6. It’s a pity we botched up qualifying. But it certainly feels good to be back in the top 10. I’m looking forward to my home race next week. I’ve always had good results in Brno."

Jasper Iwema (DNF): 

"I’m lucky I am unhurt. I couldn’t do anything about it. I don’t really know who T-boned me. It’s a pity because there were many DNF’s. Unfortunately I was the first… The only thing I might blame myself is having to start from 27th on the grid. That is a risk. We have to improve in practices."

RW Racing Press Release

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Wraokon Shows Well on Indy Debut

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Thitipong Warokorn made his race debut with Team Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2 at Indianapolis today and the Thai rider can be proud of his efforts after a creditable finish. Warokorn's only objective was to gather experience here an d he certainly did that, which will serve him well as the championship returns to Europe this week for the next round of the season at Brno.

Thitipong Warokorn (30th) 

“I am quite happy with my debut here because it was something completely new for me. I tried to keep my pace up throughout the race and thankfully made it to the finish despite making contact with another rider right to the end that cost me a couple of positions.”

Fausto Gresini 

“Warokorn has held his own here this weekend. It wasn't easy for him but he showed courage and determination and the potential to improve in an environment that is completely new to him.”

Thai PTT Gresini 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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Difficult Weekend for Pradita at Indianapolis

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Doni Tata Pradita returns to Europe to continue his Moto2 adventure at Brno next weekend after a disappointing trip to Indianapolis. The Indonesian rider struggled to get to grips with the notoriously difficult circuit h ere and crossed the line a long way from the points back in 29th position.

Doni Tata Pradita (29th) 

“I am not happy with this weekend. I was expecting a bit more after the summer break but I was never quite able to get a feel for the circuit and I didn't have the confidence to push with more decision in the race.”

Fausto Gresini

“Doni has had a very difficult weekend here in America. I was expecting a lot more from him but he wasn't able to be decisive at any point over the weekend and now he will have to try and make up for it at Brno next week.”

Federal Oil Gresini Press Release

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Stunning Performance from Mika Kallio for Seventh Place Finish

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Tyre preservation was  a key strength of Mika Kallio, the Finnish rider brilliantly maintaining his pace on worn rubber in the final laps. He ended lap 15 down in 13th position but a stunning late charge saw him climb up from 10th to seventh in the last two laps to keep himself firmly in the hunt for third position in the Championship.

Mika Kallio #36: 7th

“I am happy to have recovered so many places in the final laps but it was a very tough race.  I knew that I could keep a good pace right until the end but unfortunately I am not as fast as the rest on new tyres. I just had to hang in there as best I could because I knew I’d be faster when the rest started to have grip problems. I just kept pushing even though I started to lose front and rear grip and I am reasonably satisfied to have fought back to seventh. It is not a fantastic position but not too bad considering I started 15th. I lost some points on Rabat and Aegerter in the Championship but there are many races to go and I am sure I will be more competitive in Brno.”

Marc VDS Racing Team Press Release

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Redding Third in Tough Brickyard Battle

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A sixth podium in nine races extended Marc VDS Racing rider Scott Redding’s lead in the Moto2 World Championship to 26-points after a tough Brickyard battle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this afternoon.

In a 25-lap race where excessive rear tyre wear once again hampered Redding’s victory challenge, the 20-year-old managed to crucially overhaul main title rival Pol Espargaro for the final podium position after a fascinating battle between the two main Moto2 protagonists.

Having finished behind Espargaro in the previous three races, Redding was determined not to beaten again, despite grip issues costing him valuable time exiting the final corner and entering the fast approach to the first turn.

Demonstrating controlled aggression to preserve his tyres for the crucial final phase of the race in gruelling heat that hit almost 30 degrees, Redding’s ruthless and brave move on Espargaro to secure third at the start of lap 23 typified his desire and commitment to capture the Moto2 title.

Scott Redding #45: 3rd

“I felt good at the start but I didn't want to lead because I knew I needed to save the tyres. I could see Nakagami was using a lot of his rear tyre but after about seven laps I suddenly starting having a vibration from the rear and I was losing time in the first and last corner. After that it was all about surviving to the finish and not trying to stress the tyres too much. But when Rabat came by he was gone in a few corners, so it was obvious I had some more tyre issues and that’s a bit disappointing. The battle at the end with Pol was exciting. It was pretty tight in those first couple of corners on lap 23 but I never touched him and sometimes you have to be aggressive like that. I’m just happy to have beaten him because it is vitally important for the Championship.”

Marc VDS Racing Team Press Release

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Pedrosa Manages Difficult Race into Second Place Finish

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Pedrosa’s second place was hardly any less of an achievement. The 27-year-old Spaniard, who ceded the points lead to his team-mate three races ago when forced out of the German GP with a broken collarbone, is still recovering from the injury and racing in damage-control mode.

He had dropped to third behind Lorenzo, also injured at the same race, but a superhuman effort in the closing stages saw him close a gap of a second and then get back ahead with three laps remaining. Pedrosa finished the race in obvious pain, and is looking forward to continued physical improvement to help him regain further momentum, after winning two races earlier in the season to take the points lead.

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd

“Today I gave all I had. I struggled to keep my energy up and I was forced to ride in a different way because of the pain I was suffering. It was a difficult race, because I was fighting a lot against the bike but in the end I was able to keep up my pace and take a good second place. In other conditions I’m sure we would have done better, but we did all that we could under the circumstances today and should draw that positive from the day.”

Repsol Honda Team Press Release

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Magnificent Marquez completes a perfect MotoGP weekend

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It was a third win in succession for 20-year-old class rookie Marc Marquez, who had won the last two Moto2 races here in 2011 and 2012, en route to the 2012 Championship. It gave him a three-out-of-three hat-trick in the USA. He won round two in Austin, Texas in April, then the US GP at Laguna Seca before the summer break.

He now leads the Word Championship by 21 points, the youngest rider ever to do so – just one of many records the Spanish rider has smashed in his maiden MotoGP season. With two more races in the next two weekends, the contest is reaching a crescendo. Marquez now has 188 points to Pedrosa’s 167, with Lorenzo losing ground on 153.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: 1st
“I am very happy to have taken another 25 points! I knew before we came here that this would be a good opportunity and I was able to take advantage of it. I felt very good throughout the weekend, and I think this has been my best GP overall since coming into the premier class. I was first in every session, so I couldn’t ask for more. In the race I decided to follow Lorenzo and Pedrosa, trying to save my tyres at the start. When I saw that I was feeling good and had less fuel in the tank, I tried to attack. In the end I was able to break away and have some fun sliding the bike around and enjoying how good the ride was! Now we head back to Europe, where we will try to continue working in the same way and see how many points we can pick up.”

Repsol Honda Team Press Release

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Stefan Bradl Ends In Seventh Place the Indianapolis GP

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The tenth round of the season at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a mixed-feelings round for LCR Honda racer Stefan Bradl who managed to finish the 27-lap race in 7th position.

Bradl, who was consistently fast in all free sessions, crashed twice yesterday and lacked some confidence during the race which was also particularly physically demanding for the German rider. 

Stefan Bradl

“Honestly I am a bit disappointed about this result and I had mixed feelings in this weekend. At the beginning we were very strong but after 3 crashes in the practices I lost a bit of confidence. We have tried to adjust the bike but, during the race, those changes made the bike too heavy to ride for me. I could not keep the same speed for the whole race because I was too tired so I lost the guys in front of me. Now I just want to move on to Brno and try to be back in the pack”.

LCR Honda Press Release

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Another String Top Six Finish for Bautista

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Team GO & FUN Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista produced another strong ride at Indianapolis, backing up his fourth place last time out at Laguna Seca with another challenge for the same position. Unfortunately he wa s unable to finish the job on the final lap as he struggled for front grip and he lost out to Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow in an exciting battle to the final corner, scoring an otherwise solid sixth place that confirms his recent progress and provides optimism for the future. Bryan Staring was unable to rediscover the feeling he had with his bike yesterday and struggled to 19th place.

Alvaro Bautista (6th) 

“I am really happy and I think we had a great race today. Obviously I would have preferred to finish fourth but sixth place and the way we got it is not a bad result. Unfortunately I had to push the front harder than I would have liked in the first part of the race and we paid the price at the end, when I was unable to defend my position from Crutchlow. It's a shame but I am happy anyway, we have a fantastic feeling with the bike right now and we are doing a good job so I want to say a special thanks to the team and the guys at Show, Nissin and of course at Honda. Now we can look to the future with even more confidence.”

Bryan Staring (19th) 

“I am not happy because unfortunately compared to yesterday we didn't have the same feeling with the bike. We tried every possible way to improve our confidence but didn't manage it and I am sorry to the team.”

Fausto Gresini 

“Alvaro has had a good weekend and he finished it off with a fantastic race. Obviously I would have preferred to see him cross the line in fourth place but it seems he was struggling with the front in the second half of the race so we have to be happy with the result that gives the whole team another nice lift. Their hard work is bearing fruit, we have a competitive bike and Alvaro is fighting at the front so I want to thank the team, Honda for giving us a great bike and also Alvaro. It is nice to see him having fun and I am sure we will have a lot more to shout about very soon.”

Fun & Go Honda Gresini Press Release

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