Yamaha Returns to the USA for the Indianapolis Grand Prix

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After a well-earned two-week break the MotoGP paddock heads back across the Atlantic this week for the second of the two US rounds, The Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday 19th August. The Legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway has traditionally been good to current Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, his fourth place finish in 2011 being the only year he has not finished on the podium in the premier class. 2009 saw a brilliant race win which few fans will forget due to the special ‘Captain America’ helmet he wore for the race. 

Team-mate Ben Spies has always performed strongly in front of his home crowd, taking pole position in 2010 and converting it into his first ever MotoGP podium with a second place finish. 2011 saw another stunning ride; Spies overtaking team mate Lorenzo to secure third on the podium. 

With 257,000 permanent seats the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest spectator sporting facility in the world and fills to capacity for its flagship events, The Indy 500 and Allstate 400 car races. Originally constructed in 1909 with a 2.5-mile oval, an exciting 16-turn motorcycle road circuit, which includes part of the historic oval, was purpose built for MotoGP. The circuit was resurfaced last year, improving grip levels considerably for the riders.

Jorge Lorenzo

“I really enjoy riding the Indy track, and have good memories here from my podiums in 2008 and 2010 and my great win in 2009. Last year I really struggled with grip in the race so I hope we can improve that this year. I’ve had a nice break but also been training to make sure I’m fit for this weekend!”

Ben Spies

“It’s going to be great to get out in front of all the US fans again, I love racing in America, the reception is always awesome. Indy is a track we go well at, and is pretty special to me for my first GP podium. I’m hoping we can make it three years in a row on the podium here!”

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“We had some problems with grip in the race last year but we’ve moved forward since then so I’m hoping this won’t be an issue this year. It’s again the first time we’ve been here with the 1000 so it’s pretty exciting. Jorge likes the track and goes well here so let’s see if we can increase our lead in the Championship again!”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“It’s the second home race for Ben so expectations are quite high as he’s always performed well here. He was riding a very strong race in Laguna until the technical issue cased his crash so we are expecting that speed and form to continue here. We are confident he can fight to be on the podium for the third year running.”

Yamaha Factory Racing Press Release

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Special Racing for Ben Spies at Laguna Seca

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Texan Ben Spies arrives for his first US race of the season hoping the home crowd will be the lucky talisman he needs to get his Championship back on track. Spies has a strong record at Laguna as a three-time AMA race winner there. He scored sixth on his first MotoGP outing and bettered it again last year, finishing just off the podium in fourth. 

Situated amongst the hills just a couple of hours from San Francisco, The Laguna Seca circuit claims jaw dropping elevation changes and possibly the most famous corner in the racing world, the infamous ‘corkscrew’. Weather can be unpredictable with cold misty mornings followed by dry hot days providing exciting racing for the American fans.

Ben Spies

"It’s always special racing in front of your home crowd. It’s been a pretty rough season so far but we’ll see if we can turn it round here, put on a good show for all my fans and change it up for the second half of the year. We had some great results here before in AMA and not so bad on my first two MotoGP visits. It’s going to be great to see some old faces around the track over the weekend too."

Massimo Meregalli 

"For Ben it’s been a really tough season so far and he’s been very unlucky recently. I am confident he will give it 100% this weekend and we will see the results we know he is capable of in front of his home fans."

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Yamaha Factory Racing Prepare for the Historic Assen TT

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The MotoGP paddock arrives in The Netherlands this week for the only Saturday race of the year, The Assen TT on the 30th June. Yamaha Factory rider Jorge Lorenzo arrives at the Assen circuit having won the last three consecutive races and leading the Championship by 25 points. The Dutch circuit is a favourite of his, having won there in all three Grand Prix classes. 

Ben Spies arrives at the Assen circuit looking to repeat his performance of last year. The Dutch TT was the scene of his first Grand Prix race victory, taken in the special red and white Yamaha 50th Anniversary racing livery. Spies has also taken a pole and a race win in the World Superbike class at Assen and counts it as one of his favourite tracks. 

The Assen circuit has huge historical significance as the only track to have been part of the Grand Prix World Championship calendar since it’s inception. This year will mark the 82nd anniversary of TT racing. Sometimes referred to as the ‘cathedral’ by fans for it’s historical significance, the race was originally run on public roads. It has now evolved into a fast and physically demanding circuit featuring high speed chicanes and varied camber changes.

Jorge Lorenzo

“Assen and Brno are the tracks I think I have won at the most. I feel very strong there and we are very focused this season so I’m confident. We haven’t made so many mistakes and are working well towards the Championship title. Our target remains to be on the podium each race and if possible take a win. Assen is good for our bike and it suits my riding style so let’s see what happens.”

Ben Spies

“I’m really looking forward to this race. I love riding the Assen track and have always had great results here, especially last year! The place of your first Grand Prix win will always be unique. We’ve had a tough start to the year but have made good steps forward so I’m confident that we can step up and be fighting for the podium this weekend.”

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“I’m really looking forward to the Dutch GP. I know from my years as a rider that it’s a very hectic week but one of the most exciting. There are lots of people there from my years of racing and it’s good to see them again in the paddock, a lot of memories! For the team it’s also a good moment to recover our performance from last year where we had a difficult race. Jorge loves the track so we hope the weather is consistent and I’m sure we’ll be there fighting with the top boys.”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“We’re heading to Assen this week full of confidence. Ben had a fantastic race last year there, his first Grand Prix win. The Assen track really suits his style of riding so we expect him to be up there. Jorge has a great record on the track so we also expect him to be fighting at the front as usual. We hope to have some consistent weather across the race weekend so we can get the most out of the YZR-M1.”

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Ben Spies on top 5 Day 1 practice

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Ben Spies back to the top 5 on Le Mans practice day 1. The second bike was better for him and he is looking for a better result on day 2. 

Spies said, “Today was ok, to be top five both sessions is good after Estoril, especially here where I’ve struggled in the past. I made a small mistake this afternoon, got into turn one pretty fast and was too fast into turn two so couldn’t make the corner. "

He continue, "I got on the second bike and was pleased we were still able to go fast as we had a lot of laps on the front tyre. The bike seems to be working pretty well here so we’ll keep going and see what we can do tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli added, “A good start for Ben today apart from an unfortunate crash in the second session, luckily he was unhurt so we could continue. Ben was able to do a lot of laps on a very used front tyre; this is encouraging for the race."

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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.”

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Traffic Denies Yamaha Front Row in Estoril

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Today’s qualifying session for the Grand Prix of Portugal proved to be a frustrating one for both Yamaha Factory riders. Jorge Lorenzo led for most of the session until a red flag incident between Colin Edwards and Randy De Puniet forced a restart with nine minutes remaining. A mixture of heavy traffic along with a lack of confidence in certain corners resulted in a gradual drop to a grid position of fourth on the second row, just 0.278 seconds from pole. This will be the first time since 2008 that Lorenzo has not started from the front row of the grid at Estoril. 

Having finally got his 2012 season firmly back on track with a highly competitive pace, Ben Spies endured an extremely frustrating qualifying session with at least three hot laps interrupted by slower traffic. Having been denied a front row lap time Spies will start tomorrow’s race from fifth on the grid alongside his team mate on the second row.

Jorge Lorenzo

“The main problem for me today was that in turn one and two I couldn’t enter aggressively so I lost a lot of time in this section. In general the bike is not giving me a good feeling so this lap time was the maximum I could get today. We are in fourth but tomorrow is going to be hard as I have to try to pass Cal who is a hard braker! I will keep thinking positive and see what we can do.”

Ben Spies

“It was a tough session for everybody, the annoying thing was that three of my best laps were blocked but that’s just the way it goes. Two of them I think could have been avoided but one of them was just a racing incident. We’re on the second row in the middle and we’re a lot better than we were in Jerez. I feel good on the bike and I just need to keep building the confidence now. Being three tenths behind Jorge at this track is pretty good.”

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“It was a tough qualifying, we were on pole up until nine minutes to go so I think fourth looks worse than we actually are. 0.2 of a second is not a lot. We are still struggling on rear grip in corner entry; especially the first two splits so we need to improve the bike. If we can do that we have a good chance to battle at the front tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“We missed the first row but we are pretty close. Traffic compromised at least two or three laps for Ben but overall we are satisfied as we are coming from a really bad weekend. The race will be tough, but we are confident as up to five minutes from the end of qualifying we were really close. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

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Spies Finds Early Form in Estoril

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Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies was back on form in Estoril today for the first practice sessions of the Portuguese Grand Prix. The Texan was one of the first riders to venture out in the morning session, braving mixed track conditions of wet and dry to test a big set up change. The new direction proved to be confidence inspiring, Spies topping the morning timesheets and remaining highly competitive in the afternoon, leading for a while and eventually finishing in second place, 0.321 seconds behind Casey Stoner. 

Team mate Jorge Lorenzo decided to sit out the morning session with little valuable data to be gained from the mixed track conditions. The afternoon session saw him hunting a set up to provide more rear grip for his YZR-M1, eventually settling for fifth in the timesheets. The team will look to find a solution tomorrow to be ready for qualifying. Today marks not only Lorenzo’s 25th birthday but also the ten-year anniversary to his first GP session at the Jerez circuit.

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“This afternoon was the first free practice for us as we sat out the morning due to the weather conditions. We’re not perfect yet; we’re missing some rear grip, especially in corner entry so we need to find it for tomorrow. We’re confident we will and will be ready for qualifying.”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“Definitely a promising start today, the new set up is giving Ben the right confidence so now it’s a matter of some little adjustments but he is up there which is the most important thing. Jorge missed the morning session due to the bad conditions; I think tomorrow he will be where he should be. A good starting day, let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

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Yamaha Factory Racing Take Championship Lead to Estoril

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Yamaha Factory Racing head to Estoril this weekend on the Atlantic coast in Portugal for the second European round of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship, the first back to back race weekend of the season. Jorge Lorenzo arrives in confident mood as the Championship leader having taken victory in Qatar and a well deserved second place finish in Jerez last weekend. Estoril is another favourite track for Lorenzo with four consecutive premier class pole position starts, three race wins and one second place finish. He has never finished higher than second in the premier class there. The Mallorcan will be looking to defend and extend his four point lead in the standings.

Team mate Ben Spies arrives in Portugal determined to get his 2012 Championship back on track after a frustrating start to the season. The Texan has yet to complete a MotoGP race at the Estoril circuit having suffered misfortune in both 2010 and 2011.

The Autodromo Fernanda Pires de Silva sits just seven kilometres from the Atlantic coast and as such is notorious for dramatic weather changes; riders can see conditions change in seconds from warm sunshine to high winds and gusts of rain. Estoril provides one of the most challenging circuits for set up, featuring one of the longest straights of the MotoGP calendar combined with the one of the slowest corners. Lorenzo and Spies will need all their rider skills to negotiate the slow twisty sections then hold their nerve for the high speed 200km/hr kink at turn five and the infamous final Parabolica corner leading to the finish line.

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“It’s been a very good season so far, now we arrive in Estoril, another favourite track for Jorge, with him leading the Championship again, as was the case last year. We are definitely more competitive this year so we hope to be able to keep pushing at the front in all sessions and at least retain if not grow our Championship lead.”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“We expect Jorge to continue at Estoril as he started the season. It’s a favourite circuit for him, so we are confident he will be at the front again. Ben has had a difficult start to however we know that he is capable of running with the front group. We are working hard to give him the feeling he needs with the bike and we are confident that he will give 100% as always over the sessions and race.”

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Strong Second for Lorenzo in Jerez

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Starting from pole, Lorenzo initially dropped to third, then swiftly moved up to second by lap three behind race leader Casey Stoner. The gap never grew to more than a second, then closed to just over 0.2 seconds in the last laps. Unfortunately by this point the soft front tyre choice left Lorenzo unable to make a pass. He crossed the line 0.947 seconds behind Stoner, taking 20 Championship points and as a result heads to Estoril leading the Championship by four points with a total of 45.

Ben Spies suffered a second disappointing race today, despite starting well the Texan was unable to find a good feeling from the front end of his M1 and was cautious to push to hard and risk a fall. He took the same result as in Qatar, finishing in 11th to take a further five Championship points, bringing his total to ten and 11th in the standings.

Jorge Lorenzo

“Today I knew it would be a very important decision on the grid to choose the right front tyre. Finally we chose the soft one, unfortunately we were wrong and had a lot of problems during the race, I wasn’t as confident as in practice. Without good feelings to finish second is not so bad, we are still leading the Championship and have good motivation for Estoril.”

Ben Spies

“I don’t really know what happened, I got off to a pretty good start from the line but after that I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike, it was a pretty pathetic race really for me. I’ve apologized to the team and we’ve had a long meeting about what I was feeling with the bike. I just wasn’t comfortable, I rode as hard as I could but the speed just wasn’t there. We need to find something because we can see the Yamahas are working well but my feeling with the bike is not great. It was a bad day at the office today.”

Massimo Meregalli, Team Director

“It’s been a very challenging weekend for the whole team, obviously we are delighted with Jorge’s performance, he’s shown great maturity again today to collect the maximum possible points and retain the lead going to Estoril. A disappointing race for Ben, we know he tried his hardest but unfortunately he couldn’t find a good feeling with the set up so was unable to fight with the front groups. We will work hard between here and Estoril to see what we can do to improve this for the next race.”

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Lorenzo takes pole in Jerez thriller

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Lorenzo was initially off the pace, running outside the top ten as dark clouds and a damp track threatened to ruin any chance of an improved time. Some small set up changes and fresh rubber combined with the Mallorcan’s trademark determination saw him climb quickly up to the top spot, a position that was then hotly contested until the last moments of the session. Lorenzo finally beat fellow countryman Dani Pedrosa to pole by 0.135 seconds.

Ben Spies took his YZR-M1 to sixth in qualifying, working hard to deliver the best possible position whilst avoiding falling victim to the constantly changing track conditions. With some corners remaining damp throughout, finding a perfect line proved to be extremely difficult. Having started outside the top ten along with his team mate, Spies climbed as high as third but was unable to keep the front row having used his fastest set of tyres slightly too early in the session.

Jorge Lorenzo

"We are very happy with this pole position because it was a strange session. There were a lot of water patches and it was very dangerous. You had to pay a lot of attention, it would have been easy to crash and get injured. Anyway we start in first position so let’s see what happens in the race. Thank you to the team for working hard to keep giving the right set up in changing conditions."

Ben Spies

"It was actually a pretty scary session for everybody, the track started out damp and then got better but there were some damp patches right where you wanted to be. It was the first dry session of the weekend for us so we had to ride hard. We had a setting on the bike we hadn’t tested here but thought on paper it would be better, some things were good and some bad. We mistimed the tyres a little bit just because we saw a black cloud coming in so I think we could have been on the front row. I didn’t want to make a mistake though and throw another bike down the track and make the guys rebuild it! We’re pretty much up there, for how bad the conditions were I’m happy to come out unscathed and on the second row."

Massimo Meregalli, Team Director

"It was impressive how much Jorge wanted the pole, I think it’s a good signal for tomorrow. Ben had a good feeling for the bike by the end of the practice and put a lot of effort in. We’re quite confident for tomorrow; a lot will depend on the weather forecast. The team has also been working really hard to keep up with the different conditions and keep delivering a competitive bike."

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Yamaha Factory Press Release: Damp Start to Jerez Grand Prix

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The Grand Prix of Spain got underway today at Jerez with mixed weather conditions providing a frustrating experience. The majority of the MotoGP riders were forced to sit out the morning session as track conditions which were not fully wet or dry meant no valuable set up data could be assessed. The second session in the afternoon proved equally frustrating, starting wet but gradually drying over the 45 minutes. 

Championship leader Lorenzo spent the afternoon hunting extra grip from the rear as the wet tyres quickly degraded on the drying track. Team mate Spies concentrated on finding an optimum tyre set up for the first half of the session, also making some small set up adjustments in the hunt for optimum performance.

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“A very strange first day in Jerez, this morning no practice and this afternoon a half/half practice, not completely wet and drying at the end which ruined the tyres. Difficult to say if we learnt much, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow and hope for either a completely wet or dry session. Today was in the middle, I wouldn’t say useless but nearly useless.”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“Unfortunately we didn’t have the perfect weather today. The first session was useless but we worked quite well in the afternoon. We found a balance that Ben liked and he seems quite satisfied with the set up so we’ll see for tomorrow. On Jorge’s side we are still hunting for some more grip from the rear in the difficult condition but we should make a step tomorrow.”

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Yamaha MotoGP Returns to Europe for Round Two at Jerez

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After a dazzling start to the 2012 season under the floodlights of Qatar, the MotoGP paddock returns to Europe for the Gran Premio bwin de España at the Jerez circuit. Yamaha Factory Racing arrive in confident mood following an inspired start to the Championship from rider Jorge Lorenzo. The Mallorcan claimed an historic victory for the first ever 1000cc MotoGP race, also his first at Qatar in the premier class. The Andalucian circuit is a favourite for Lorenzo with two successive 250cc wins in 2006 and 2007 and two premier class victories in 2010 and 2011. 

Texan team mate Ben Spies arrives in Spain with his eyes on the podium, determined to put his 2012 Championship fight back on track after a difficult first race in Qatar. Chronic chatter on his 1000cc YZR-M1 in the opening race left him fighting valiantly to make the finish line and earn valuable Championship points. Jerez has yet to deliver for Spies, 2010 saw an unfortunate retirement from the race after 20 laps and last season saw him as one of the many riders to fall as a result of the treacherous race conditions. 

The 4.423km Jerez circuit, sitting within a natural amphitheatre, is characterised by numerous quick direction changes and few hard braking points. The Yamaha YZR-M1, famed for its class leading agility, has won at Jerez for the last three years in a row. This weekend marks the 26th successive Grand Prix race at the track.

Jorge Lorenzo

“I’m very excited to be coming back to Jerez again. We were very strong here in our test and I have always had good results. The competition will be tough; I expect Casey and especially Dani to be very fast. Qatar was a perfect start to our season; we worked very hard for that incredible victory. Now we get to race in front of our home fans, I will try to make sure we make a good show for them! Let’s hope it doesn’t rain this year!”

Ben Spies

“I’m feeling good, I haven’t had great results at Jerez yet but we had a really positive test there so I’m confident. The Yamaha M1 is working well at all circuits we’ve been to so far. After a tough start at Qatar my goal at Jerez is starting the season again, I’m going to do the best I can to deliver. We had a good Qatar weekend except for the race, we know our pace is strong, the bike is competitive and I’m riding well so we should have a successful weekend.”

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“I’m looking forward to Jerez, it’s always a great event with a lot of spectators. Jorge has won two years in a row; our aim is to make it three! After Qatar we are very confident with the package, with the hard work of the team and with Jorge’s performance. We’re looking forward to Friday to start again.”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“We are arriving in Jerez in the best possible way after Jorge’s win in Qatar. The team is very confident that we can continue to deliver strong results. Despite the issue in the race Ben had a very strong weekend in Qatar in the practice sessions so we know he can be very competitive against his rivals. When we tested here earlier in the year the 2012 1000cc M1 was immediately fast so we expect to start this way on Friday.”

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Lorenzo 'put everything' into win

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The Yamaha Factory Racing rider was thrilled with victory in Qatar, as team-mate Ben Spies experienced a tough race.

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo claimed a sensational victory this evening (Sunday) under the dramatic floodlights of the Losail circuit, finally claiming his first premier class Grad Prix of Qatar win. Lorenzo took the lead from the start and held off rival Casey Stoner for the first few laps before conceding the lead and tucking into second. The Mallorcan then played the waiting game, never letting Stoner more than two seconds ahead. With seven laps to go he started to close the distance as Stoner’s pace dropped off, holding off a determined Dani Pedrosa on his tail to take the lead. Lorenzo crossed the line 0.852 seconds ahead of Pedrosa, taking the lead in the 2012 Championship standings with 25 points.

Ben Spies' first race of the season proved to be a tough one for the Texan, battling major chatter issues from the start of the race. Although unable to hold a competitive pace Spies kept his cool and hung on to take 11th at the line and five Championship points in the process.

Jorge Lorenzo:

"What an amazing race! I put everything I have, all my energy on the track, into this victory is because I never gave up, kept pushing and trying. Casey was very strong at the beginning and opened a gap. Fortunately for us he struggled at the end and dropped his pace where I could keep mine so I managed to pass him. I am very grateful to Yamaha because they have made a big step this winter on the YZR-M1."

Ben Spies:

"A tough race but sometimes that’s just the way it goes. I tested my airbag twice this weekend; good to know it works well! We’ll go back to Jerez now and hopefully have the bike issue sorted. It was good that Jorge won, we can see the Yamaha is going well, we just had a big problem with chatter so we have to work out what it was."

Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager:

"What can I say, what a great victory! A typical Lorenzo win, he’s won a few races like that, he never gives up. Because of this he was able to win. Of course Casey was struggling a bit with his hand issue but I don’t think we had the perfect set up either. Jorge pushed really hard the last few laps, taking a lot of risks but that’s what it takes in this class to win. He really deserved it. The team also deserve thanks as they worked very hard all weekend for this result."

Massimo Meregalli, Team Director:

"The chatter suddenly appeared on Ben’s bike in warm up and we couldn’t solve it before the race. We’re not sure why it was yet but the engineers will work on it and we will try to ensure we have the problem solved by Jerez. An impressive victory for Jorge, I don’t have the right words to say how impressive. I think he was superior all weekend, now we go to Spain with a lot of optimism; there was no better way for him to start the season. Fantastic to also see both Cal and Andrea doing so well, it says a lot about the YZR-M1’s performance."

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