MotoGP Aragon The Riders View

MotoGP The reaction from the top ten at Aragon

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) 1st Time 42:17.427
"Before the race everyone was a little cautious with the wind picking up after the morning warm up session and conditions being a lot different to those we have seen all weekend. This was on our mind and also warming the hard tyres to makes sure everything was good for the beginning of the race.

Our start was pretty average, I pulled to the left a little on the start and managed to avoid hitting Dani [Pedrosa] but Ben [Spies] came around the outside and I ended up third or fourth going into turn one, but from there we were able to settle down and feel pretty comfortable with the bike. I wanted to get to the front as soon as possible as the bike has been working perfect all weekend and it was our race to lose, so I wanted to try and get out in front and pull a gap.

I passed Dani as soon as I could and tried to pull that gap, Dani kept with me for the first few laps but slowly I was able to push and put in a gap and from there manage the race.

I think everyone was struggling with tyres to some degree but the bike was fantastic and I don't mind the bike when it slides around a little! A big, big thank you to the whole team and to take this hundredth win for Repsol Honda is something special".

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) 2nd Time + 8.162 sec.
"We already saw in practice that Casey [Stoner] was very fast here and it was also like this in the race. I was loosing some tenths in the first sector and I was unable to reduce the gap in the other parts of the lap. The second half of the race I was sliding all the time and I had some fun, but it was a shame not to be closer to Casey, I had many problems with the rear tyre for the whole race.
My priority was to control the gap to Spies and Jorge [Lorenzo] in the final laps and get another podium. We've been second in the last three races, which is not so bad, but we want to keep improving in the coming races".

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory) 3rd  Time: +14.209    
“We struggled a lot from the beginning of the race, losing positions and having to recover step by step. We couldn’t get more than a podium; that is the best result we could get today! I didn’t have confidence in the rear and it is impossible to catch Dani on this track. It's a pity, but at least I got the podium I couldn't get last year. We are still fighting for the Championship and that's the most important thing, we are going to Japan with hope still alive." 

Marco Simoncelli: (San Carlo Honda Gresini) 4th Time + 20.646
I am pleased with this result – we had to grit our teeth and I'm sure that even without the mistake I wouldn't have been challenging for the podium anyway. Lorenzo was faster than me on used tyres so no complaints there. I didn't get a great start but I managed to get into my rhythm quickly and make some passes to get up to third place. From the tenth lap onwards the tyres really dropped off and then again after another five laps, although Spies was in even worse shape than me so I was able to fight back to fourth.”

Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory): 5th  Time: +27.739 
“I knew the start wasn’t going to last long the way Casey and Dani were riding but I felt pretty good in the beginning. Even when we got to the fourth or fifth lap I thought our advantage to fourth place was growing. I felt really comfortable and thought we had a podium fight in us. Then the sixth or seventh lap the tyre just made a huge drop and just kept going down. Usually they make one drop then stay consistent. I had no confidence in the rear and no grip. I’m frustrated as before that we were riding well and the bike was working great.”

Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 6th Time + 30.373
“Today we had very different conditions from the practice and the temperature was much lower. I wanted to have a good race in front of my home fans, so I pushed as hard as I could to make the bike and tyres work right from the beginning, but I didn’t get a good start and other riders got in my way in the first corner and it was quite difficult to overtake early on. I got up to Hector and Nicky we had a big battle and fought a lot between us and when I got into sixth the riders in front were very far away and I was still fighting with the other two, so I couldn’t get a good rhythm. In the last laps I made a break from the other two and was able to ride more consistently and smoother and pull away to secure the sixth place. It was a good result, but I think if the conditions had been the same as qualifying we had the potential to be with the group fighting for podium positions. I am happy with all we have done this weekend and looking forward to the next race and to continue with this work.”
 
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th Time + 34.288
“I had a good start and was decent at the very beginning. We knew tyre wear was going to be an issue, and we had a drop in performance after the first couple of laps. It lost grip, and I also wasn’t able to load the bike well for turning. I was okay in parts of the track, but compared to the fast guys, I was losing time in the last corner. I hoped to hang onto the second group for a while, but it just wasn’t possible. I’d like to have fought with Bautista on the last lap because he was on our pace, but Barbera and I were going back and forth, which hurt both of us and let him escape. It’s unfortunate, because coming here we hoped that we could put up a better fight. Still, this is the first race I’ve finished normally with the GP11.1, since at Indy I reentered just to get points. Hopefully that will help us to get some data and be better off in the future.” 
 
Héctor Barberá:(Ducati) 8th Time + 37.305
"Today's race was difficult, because the temperature was a lot different to that which we experienced in practice. The bike behaved a little differently and we had to adjust to the situation. I think that my start was good and I am satisfied with that, because I hadn't done so before this season. There was a moment in which I was up to sixth place, but Hayden and I traded positions over the course of a lap and Bautista escaped. With two laps remaining, I accidentally focused on Hayden's pitboard, and saw that they had put one less lap up for him. I got confused and Hayden took the advantage to pass me; I got back ahead but ran wide just after and lost my chance to keep up with him. It was a shame not to have finished as the best Ducati, but our hard work was shown in today's race. I want to emphasize that my team did a great job today, and gave me a great setup. I am on a run of successful races, and want it to continue."

Cal Crutchlow: (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) 9th Time + 39.652
“I'm really pleased with how the race went today because I was back inside the top and having an enjoyable fight with two of the best riders on the grid, who have had a lot of success in Grand Prix racing. It's a shame I lost a couple of places at the first corner because I'm sure with a better start I could have been battling with Bautista and Hayden. I got on the inside on the dirty part of the track and when I braked, I locked the front wheel and nearly crashed. What pleases me the most is that I could make up for the lack of speed on the straight in the corners because the Yamaha handles brilliantly and my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team gave me a really good bike today. But to hold off Valentino and Hiroshi at the end took a massive effort. I think if they'd started the final lap in front of me on the straight it would have been hard for me to slipstream. There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend because I've got back in the top 10 on a track I'd never seen before and beaten two guys with a lot more experience than me. I gained a lot of experience today riding with Valentino and that has given me a lot of confidence for the next few races.”

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 10th Time + 39.832
“It was definitely a difficult race, even if objectively speaking, we could have done a little better than we did. We used the setup from yesterday morning, with which I had done some good laps with a very used tyre. Unfortunately, in the race the rear tyre was sliding much more than it did in practice. It was almost used up just when I was catching Nicky and his group. That said, we’re still not where we should be. We’re working on several fronts, with short-term solutions that haven’t been conclusive, and others that are longer-term and that I still hope can bring more substantial improvements. We’ll see what they think at the factory. For now, we’re still pretty far, and given that time is our biggest enemy, we’ll continue also working on development during the races.”

Results
1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Repsol Honda Team 42'17.427
2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team + 8.162
3. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing + 14.209
4. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 20.646
5. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing + 27.739
6. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 30.373
7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team + 34.288
8. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team + 37.305
9. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 + 39.652  
10. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Ducati Team + 39.832  
11. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Repsol Honda Team + 39.997  
12. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Pramac Racing Team  + 54.717  
13. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3  + 58.430  
14. Toni Elias (SPA) LCR Honda MotoGP Not classified (8 laps)  
15. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Pramac Racing Team Not classified (8 laps)  
16. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Not classified (1 laps)  
17. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing Not classified (1 laps)  

Championship Standings    
1 Casey Stoner(AUS) Repsol Honda Team 284  
2 Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 240  
3 Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 181  
4 Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 170  
5 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing 146  
6 Valentino Rossi (ITA)Ducati Team 139  
7 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 112  
8 Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 106  
9 Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Repsol Honda Team 87  
10 Colin Edwards (USA)  Monster Yamaha Tech 3 87  
11 Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 68  
12 Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 67  
13 Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 50  
14 Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 50  
15 Toni Elias (SPA) LCR Honda MotoGP 44  
16 Randy De Puniet (FRA) Pramac Racing Team 29  
17 Loris Capirossi (ITA) Pramac Racing Team 25  

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) 1st Time 42:17.427
"Before the race everyone was a little cautious with the wind picking up after the morning warm up session and conditions being a lot different to those we have seen all weekend. This was on our mind and also warming the hard tyres to makes sure everything was good for the beginning of the race.

Our start was pretty average, I pulled to the left a little on the start and managed to avoid hitting Dani [Pedrosa] but Ben [Spies] came around the outside and I ended up third or fourth going into turn one, but from there we were able to settle down and feel pretty comfortable with the bike. I wanted to get to the front as soon as possible as the bike has been working perfect all weekend and it was our race to lose, so I wanted to try and get out in front and pull a gap.

I passed Dani as soon as I could and tried to pull that gap, Dani kept with me for the first few laps but slowly I was able to push and put in a gap and from there manage the race.

I think everyone was struggling with tyres to some degree but the bike was fantastic and I don't mind the bike when it slides around a little! A big, big thank you to the whole team and to take this hundredth win for Repsol Honda is something special".

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) 2nd Time + 8.162 sec.
"We already saw in practice that Casey [Stoner] was very fast here and it was also like this in the race. I was loosing some tenths in the first sector and I was unable to reduce the gap in the other parts of the lap. The second half of the race I was sliding all the time and I had some fun, but it was a shame not to be closer to Casey, I had many problems with the rear tyre for the whole race.
My priority was to control the gap to Spies and Jorge [Lorenzo] in the final laps and get another podium. We've been second in the last three races, which is not so bad, but we want to keep improving in the coming races".

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory) 3rd  Time: +14.209    
“We struggled a lot from the beginning of the race, losing positions and having to recover step by step. We couldn’t get more than a podium; that is the best result we could get today! I didn’t have confidence in the rear and it is impossible to catch Dani on this track. It's a pity, but at least I got the podium I couldn't get last year. We are still fighting for the Championship and that's the most important thing, we are going to Japan with hope still alive." 

Marco Simoncelli: (San Carlo Honda Gresini) 4th Time + 20.646
I am pleased with this result – we had to grit our teeth and I'm sure that even without the mistake I wouldn't have been challenging for the podium anyway. Lorenzo was faster than me on used tyres so no complaints there. I didn't get a great start but I managed to get into my rhythm quickly and make some passes to get up to third place. From the tenth lap onwards the tyres really dropped off and then again after another five laps, although Spies was in even worse shape than me so I was able to fight back to fourth.”

Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory): 5th  Time: +27.739 
“I knew the start wasn’t going to last long the way Casey and Dani were riding but I felt pretty good in the beginning. Even when we got to the fourth or fifth lap I thought our advantage to fourth place was growing. I felt really comfortable and thought we had a podium fight in us. Then the sixth or seventh lap the tyre just made a huge drop and just kept going down. Usually they make one drop then stay consistent. I had no confidence in the rear and no grip. I’m frustrated as before that we were riding well and the bike was working great.”

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