Phillip Island

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Zitat

2012 FIM ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
GRAND PRIX ROUND 17 OCTOBER 26/27/28, 2012 PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA PREVIEW MOTOGP, MOTO2, MOTO

HONDA RIDERS LINE UP FOR IMPORTANT PHILLIP ISLAND CLASH

The penultimate round of the MotoGP World Championship takes place this weekend at the majestic Phillip Island Circuit, with Repsol Honda team-mates Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner hoping to win for different reasons. Pedrosa would like to win his personal best seventh MotoGP race of the season in pursuit of the MotoGP World Championship, while native son Stoner hopes to win his sixth consecutive Australian Grand Prix before retiring at the end of his final campaign.

Pedrosa has been on an unparalleled roll since the end of the summer break. The 27-year-old from the outskirts of Barcelona has won five of six races, starting with the Indianapolis Grand Prix and continuing through last weekend’s rain-lashed Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang. Not only did Pedrosa earn his first ever race win in the rain in Sepang, but he scored a personal best 14th podium in a single season. That allowed him to pull back five more championship points on title leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).

With Stoner having won the past five MotoGP races on Phillip Island, it does not leave much chance for others to excel. Pedrosa’s success began with a win in the 2005 250cc race. He was third in the
2009 MotoGP race and fourth last year. Pedrosa knows that he needs to finish in front of Lorenzo to carry the title fight back to his fellow countrymen in the season finale in Valencia, Spain.

Stoner’s fifth victory on the Island last year was magical. Not only did he win the race for the fifth time, but the win secured his second MotoGP World Championship on his 26th birthday.

The two-time world champion has had two races to round into form following the right ankle injuries he suffered in qualifying for the Indy GP. He began his comeback by fighting physical fatigue to fifth place in the Japanese Grand Prix. Last weekend he rode a measured race to finish third, his eighth podium in a season in which he missed three races. Phillip Island is left-biased track, which will be less taxing on his still recovering right ankle. Despite his injury lay-off, Stoner should finish third in the championship.

If he never turned another wheel on the racetrack, Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) would end the season with his best championship placing. Already this year he’s scored more points than his first two seasons in MotoGP combined. And he is in a strong position to finish fifth overall.

The reason is his second half resurgence. The 27-year-old Spaniard earned his first MotoGP podium in the team’s home race in Misano and followed it up with a third in the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi. To continue at that level in Bautista can call on his memories from 2006, when he won the Australian 125cc GP to secure the 125cc World Championship, or the next two years when he was runner-up in the 250cc class.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) is looking to return to the consistency he enjoyed early in the year when he finished in the top nine in 12 of the first 13 races. He has failed to finish two of the past three races, including in Malaysia, where he fell victim to the horrific conditions.

Nonetheless, Bradl won the 2012 Rookie of the Year title, which has been assured for some time.
But that is not enough for the ambitious German in search of his first MotoGP podium. Now Bradl returns to Phillip Island where he finished third last year, his second podium at the seaside circuit.

Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR) visits Phillip Island for the fourth time, but the first on a MotoGP machine. Like team-mate Bautista, the Italian, who races a Honda CBR1000RR-powered FTR motorcycle, has been on a run in the second half scoring points in the past four races. One more and he will match his longest streak from earlier in the season. The constantly developing machine gets better every weekend and Pirro has set the ambitious goal of being top CRT bike before the end of the season.

Team CaixaCatalunya Repsol - Suter rider Marc Marquez needs only two points in the final two races to win the 2012 Moto2 World Championship regardless of what title rival Pol Espargaro (Tuenti Movil HP 40 – Kalex) does. Marquez’s first chance ended in tears when he crashed in the rain during last week’s Malaysia Grand Prix.
His next chance comes this weekend at Phillip Island, where he finished third in the Moto2 race last year after having won the 125cc race in 2010.

Espargaro was not able to capitalise on the Marquez crash in Malaysia. The conditions were atrocious and the Spaniard did not feel confident pushing beyond his limit. Instead, he finished 11th and only gained four points on Marquez. The gap is now Marquez 283, Espargaro 235.

Andrea Iannone (Speed Master-Speed Up) is a distant third, and unlikely to advance, with Interwetten-Paddock Suter’s Thomas Luthi ready to take advantage in fourth place.

Iannone is no stranger to the Phillip Island podium, having finished third in 2010. Last year he was eighth in the Moto2 race. Luthi was last on the podium in 2005 when he won the 125cc race.
In each of the past three years he finished 11th.

The top three Honda riders in the Moto3 class are all newcomers to Phillip Island, their third new track in three weeks. Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Suter Honda rider Alex Rins and Team Italia FMI – FTR Honda rider Romano Fenati are both in their first world championship campaign, while Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Suter Honda rider Miguel Oliveira is in his second year, though he only rode a partial season in 2011.

Rins and Fenati, both 16-year-olds, are locked in the battle for Rookie of the Year honours; they are separated by two points. Fenati was stronger early in the season, but Rins has been more consistent in the second half, finishing no worse than seventh in the past seven races.

Oliveira has also been stronger since the summer break, with improving placements in the past three races and top nine finishes in the last five.

Phillip Island is one of the few tracks on the calendar that is universally admired. The 4448m circuit southeast of Melbourne typically produces the fastest racing of the year. The 2011 Australian Grand Prix was the second fastest race of the year-Mugello was narrowly faster-with Stoner averaging 177.401Km/h in the race. That was an aberration. Stoner averaged the exact same speed, 175.990Km/h, in winning both the 2008 and
2009 Australian races. No races in MotoGP history have been faster. (By comparison, the fastest ever grand prix was held at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium in 1977, with the great Barry Sheene prevailing at an average speed of 217.370Km/h.)

The 4.448Km track has a number of iconic corners mixed among its seven lefts and five rights, some named after Honda legends. The first turn right is the Doohan Corner, after Honda’s five-time 500cc World Champion. Leading to Doohan Corner is the Gardner Straight in honor of Honda’s 1987 500cc World Champion. The looping left Southern Loop follows Doohan Corner, which, from this year on will lead into one of the more harrowing corners on the track, the third turn kink left.
On Thursday morning, that stretch of tarmac will be renamed in honor of home country hero Casey Stoner.

The one criticism of the track is the surface.
Last paved in 1998, the occasionally irregular tarmac will be repaved this December. Despite that, Phillip Island produces the highest track temperatures of the season. That despite an ambient temperature, which is often cooled by near constant winds off the Bass Strait. The right shoulders of the asymmetric tyres are not heavily taxed, but the final two corners are taken at such speed and lean angles that the temperatures on the left shoulders soar to over 120 degrees C.

Honda riders have won ten of the 17 races at Phillip Island, including the first eight of nine. The first Phillip Island grand prix was won by Wayne Gardner in 1989, with the 1987 500cc World Champion repeating his PI victory in 1990.
The grand prix was moved for six years before returning in 1997 in a race won by Honda’s 1999 500cc World Champion Alex Criville. Five-time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan won his home grand prix in 1998. Japanese ace Tady Okada, now a Honda test rider, won the race in 1999.
Valentino Rossi gave Honda their next three wins, from 2001 through 2003, all in world championship-winning seasons. Marco Melandri won his lone Australian Grand Prix in 2006 aboard a Honda and Stoner won last year’s race, the final race of the 800cc era.

The spectacular setting produces not only great racing, but unique hazards. Sea gulls who venture in from the Bass Strait have been known to fly into the path of oncoming motorcycles, often with unpleasant results for both parties.

HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says:
“Phillip island is a great track, especially on these machines, where you can usually see rear slides. The layout of the track makes racing very nice, so I hope we have good luck and that the bike is working well there also. I have very good memories from my championships back in 2004-2005 and I hope I can have a good race.”

Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner says:
“We've really struggled with the bike setup in the past two races and I'm pretty disappointed with this. We always seem to find our rhythm in Phillip Island, but I don't expect it to come easily this year. Thankfully the track goes to the left and we're having a lot less issues with chatter when it goes this way. Also, there aren't so many sharp turns, so my right leg might be able to deal with it a little better. I'm still nowhere near 100% physically and I still need time to be back to full strength, so I'm not really sure what to expect this weekend. We'll do our best and see what happens.”

San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista says:
“The result in Malaysia was positive and it gives us confidence for the future even though we know that we need to keep working with the same level of enthusiasm so that we can improve further.
Phillip Island is a circuit I love because I have great memories of winning the 125cc world title there. Of course we have to work hard to find a good setting because it is a high-speed track and you need a stable bike. We will keep working along the same lines as recently and hopefully we can be as competitive as we were at Motegi.”

LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl says:
“Hopefully we’ll have a better racing weekend in Phillip Island than I did last weekend. We had an issue with the engine mapping that we’ve never had before. The first priority will be to resolve that issue, which I’m confident the team will do.
Phillip Island is fast and flowing and I’m looking forward to racing there in the MotoGP class. I’ve had good results in the past and I expect to finish these flyaways strongly.”

San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Michele Pirro says:
“I was very happy with the result Sepang, especially because I was hoping for a dry race after the pace we showed in warm-up. That was a shame, but hopefully we get good conditions at Phillip Island this weekend, even though the temperatures will be chilly. I really like this track and if we get the same feel from the bike that we had on Sunday morning in Malaysia then I could have a good race. There are two races left and I would really like to take a CRT win, that would make me really proud.”

Moto2 RIDER QUOTES

Team CaixaCatalunya – Suter rider Marc Marquez says:
“We are facing a new challenge at Phillip Island, where we will use the same dynamic as always:
Working hard from the opening day to be able to triumph on Sunday. We are much closer to the title ­only two points away­ but we can’t lose focus, because anything can happen in the world championship. We have to see what awaits us there, assess how Pol Espargaró goes and give 100% for the entire weekend.”

Tuenti Movil HP 40 – Kalex rider Pol Espargaro says:
“We are disappointed that we couldn’t take more advantage of Marc’s (Marquez) crash last weekend in Malaysia, but we start fresh in Phillip Island. I cannot think of anything but winning races; everything else is out of my control. I have good memories of Philip Island where I’ve finished on the podium the past two years. I will do my best when practice starts on Friday and hope to give the team the result they deserve.”

Speed Master-Speed Up rider Andrea Iannone says:
“When we left Malaysia I wasn’t satisfied with the result; I know we’re capable of better.
Phillip Island is a track that I enjoy. It’s fast, it’s technical and it produces great racing. We finished third two years ago and if we continue to work hard can achieve that again this year.”

Moto3 RIDER QUOTES

Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Suter Honda rider Alex Rins says:
“We once again face an unknown track. We will have to adapt quickly, although I am sure that it will be a little tougher than at other circuits because in Australia there is a lot of wind. We will try to have another good race in order to maintain the lead of the Rookie Of The Year standings, which is our main objective.”

Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Suter Honda rider Miguel Oliveira says:
“Phillip Island is another track at which I have never ridden before. It is technical, narrow and has many changes in altitude. You have to have a lot of precision and find a good setup. When we arrive in Australia we will try to adapt as quickly as possible, so that in the race we can give our best. After a good weekend in Malaysia, which is also a new track for me, the entire team is very motivated.”

Team Italia FMI – FTR Honda rider Romano Fenati says:
“I don't know Phillip Island, but it seems a fascinating track and I hope to be able to adapt myself quickly. It is the third new track in three weeks and I look forward to the challenge.
Everyone I speak to likes the track, but I know the weather can present a challenge. As always, we’ll do our best and hope to regain the lead for Rookie of the Year.”

Alles anzeigen

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Zitat

2012 FIM MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 17, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA

Weather: Cool and overcast
Temperature: Ambient 12 degrees C / Track 26 degrees C

STONER TAKES POLE FOR HIS PHILLIP ISLAND MOTOGP FINALE

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) will start from the pole position for his assault on a record sixth consecutive Australian Grand Prix win after rebounding from an early crash to set the fastest time on a cold and blustery day on his beloved Phillip Island Circuit. Team-mate Dani Pedrosa will join him on the front row after qualifying third.

Stoner was the leader almost from the start of the one-hour session, held in typically changing Phillip Island weather. And he was on top when he fell for the first time since his return to racing at the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.
Ironically, he fell on the entry of Honda Corner, a hairpin right, one of the few rights on the heavily left-biased track. Fortunately, Stoner was able to avoid the tumbling motorcycle in the gravel trap and did no further damage to his surgically repaired right ankle. That was evident when he bounded to his feet to return to his pit box.

After only a five minute respite he was out on his second bike. He would improve his lap time three more times, finishing with a best of 1m, 29.623s to capture his fifth pole position and first since the U.S. Grand Prix before the summer break. Stoner was then denied a chance to further lower his pole time when a light rain fell in the waning moments of qualifying.

Having earlier announced that he would be retiring at the end of his final campaign, Stoner is determined to go out with a victory in front of what promises to be a record crowd of his fellow countrymen.

Pedrosa was not able to challenge for the pole after encountering a few problems. First was that he was not able to get heat into the hard rear tyre option. Then came the realisation that he had chosen the wrong motorcycle for his final charge at pole. On the last run he finally got feeling into his tyres and was able to set his best lap time.

Having won five of the past six races, Pedrosa goes into Sunday’s race hopeful of further cutting into the championship lead of Jorge Lorenzo, the Yamaha rider who qualified second.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP RC213V) was also denied a faster lap time by the rain at the end of the hour that interrupted progress the team was making. In his first visit to Phillip Island on a MotoGP machine, the German had vastly improved from Friday’s practices and gaining confidence with every corner when the rain stopped his momentum. Now he will start the race from the middle of the second row in fifth place.

Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini
RC213V) qualified seventh on an eventful day. The Spaniard struck a sea gull in morning practice, with the bird getting the worst of it. Bautista continued on and continued to improve his time in qualifying, right up until the rain forced him to settle for seventh. Bautista will line up on the row three pole.

Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR-Honda) was 14th fastest this afternoon and the third fastest of the CRT machines. The Italian, who was racing a MotoGP machine for the first time at Phillip Island, is hopeful he and the team can find a solution in morning warm-up that will allow him to more effectively exit the corners.
As it was last weekend in Malaysia, the weather here was constantly changing. But rather than tropical heat and showers, Phillip Island was plagued by a cold, howling wind, and intermittent cold showers. Rain affected every qualifying session, including Moto2.

Pol Espargaro (Tuenti Movil HP 40-Kalex) took the pole position as he tries to keep his slim championship hopes alive in the Honda-powered
Moto2 class. Espargaro’s lap time of 1m, 33.705s came mid-session, before the rain began to fall.
In the second half of the session no one challenged him and Espargaro had his seventh pole.

But that may not be enough to prevent fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa
Repsol-Suter) from winning his second world championship. Marquez, who qualified third, needs only two points in the final two races to add the
Moto2 championship to his earlier 125cc world title. Wanting to take the title back to Spain, Marquez said he was going to be “calm” and stay out of trouble.

In between the title rivals came Brit Scot Redding on the Marc VDS Racing Team-Kalex. Like Espargaro, Redding’s best time came prior to the rains. His time missed the mark of Espargaro by .559s, with Redding admitting that Espargaro would be difficult to beat.

Thomas Luthi (Interwetten-Paddock Suter) leads off the second row in front of Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing Team-Kalex), with Randy Krummenacher (GP Team Switzerland-Kalex) third.
At the head of row three is Johan Zarco (JiR Moto2-Motobi). Alongside him are Andrea Iannone (Speed Master-Speed Up) and Anthony West, the popular Australian rain wizard on the QMMF Racing Team-Speed Up machine.

Efren Vazquez (JHK t-shirt Lagisse-FTR Honda) qualified on the front row for the third time this season in Moto3. Vazquez was third fastest behind recently crowned world champion Sandro Cortese and Jonas Folger.

Miguel Oliveira (Estrella Galicia 0,0-Suter
Honda) starts on row two in sixth, with Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia-FTR Honda) eighth. The Spanish teen-ager had left the team in Sepang, but returned this week. Vinales apologised profusely for his behaviour and vowed to finish out the season.

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: Pole position – 1m 29.623s “It's been a good progression over these past few races and it's great to get pole for my home grand prix. The bike has been good since Friday and I'm feeling comfortable on it again. It wasn't an easy session this afternoon. We went out on a hard tyre and on my out lap, as I was peeling into the Honda turn; the bike decided to flip me. I tried to make sure I kept my leg out of the way as I came off, fortunately it didn't get caught up. My left hip is hurting a little as I landed on it, but hopefully we shouldn't have any issues with it tomorrow. The bike feels pretty good for race pace. We would have liked to have done some more work in this afternoon's session, but we lost time after the crash. A big thanks to all the fans for coming out and putting up with this weather, hopefully we can turn this pole into a win tomorrow.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd – 1m 30.575s “I was trying some different things on the bike to get a little more comfortable, but they didn't work out very well for the middle of the session.
On my first soft rear tyre I couldn't improve and then on my last run I was going quicker on the first lap and rain arrived. Anyway, to be on the front row again is very good and I think we found a good bike setting for tomorrow's race. Casey
(Stoner) is unreachable, he's on another level and doing an amazing job this weekend, but my pace is quite similar to Jorge's, (Lorenzo) so I hope to be at least constant for the fight with him.”

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 5th – 1m 030.798s “We are very happy today because we did not expect the fifth place in qualifying after yesterday’s issues with the bike set-up. I was struggling too much with bike confidence, but we made some chassis adjustments finding a good solution for the afternoon session. After that I was finally back into my standard form lapping with more confidence and more average speed.
Let’s see what is going on tomorrow but we are more prepared right now considering the particular layout of this track.”

Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 7th – 1m 31.490s “We continued to work on the setting of the bike this morning without making major improvements from yesterday. In the afternoon we did some laps on used tyres and the pace was decent. On new tyres we were able to go a little faster and we were hoping to make at least a position up on the last outing and get on the second row, but it started to rain and I had to settle for seventh place. Anyway, I am confident because my race pace is good and apart from (Casey) Stoner, who is on another planet, and maybe (Jorge) Lorenzo and (Dani) Pedrosa, who are also very fast, we can match the others and fight for fourth or fifth place again. The start will be important, then after that we'll see.”

Michele Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 14th – 1m 33.050s “I think being the third fastest CRT bike today behind the two ARTs was about the best we could hope for today, although I am not totally happy because I was hoping to break into the 1’ 32s and even though we were close we didn't manage it. We still have some movement on the rear that we need to fix because it is slowing me down in corner exit. Anyway, I am confident that in the warm-up the guys will find some solutions and then I am sure in the race the tyres will play a huge role.
I'm ready to defend my positions as the third highest CRT in the championship.”

Moto2 Rider Quotes Pol Espargaro, Pons 40 HP
Tuenti: pole position – 1m 33.705s
"This circuit is fun and I enjoy riding it, controlling and accelerating curves sliding the rear wheel. I was the fastest and the only one capable of finishing in 1m 33s, but I have a clearly difficult race and (Scott) Redding and
(Marc) Marquez will be two tough opponents. What is clear is that we'll have fun and give 120% to get the 25 points at stake. I feel very comfortable on the bike, and am having a great end of season, and I would like to certify it with a win. I feel strong and I just hope the weather respects us and lets us win the race in the dry and the rain does not ruin the work done during training and in Malaysia on Sunday.”

Scott Redding, Marc VDS Racing Team: 2nd – 1m 34.264s “In the beginning of the weekend I was struggling with the wind and the bumps. The team did a good job to get the bike sorted out and really happy with how it’s going. Pol’s (Espargaro) pace is pretty fast. I managed to match it this morning, but this afternoon he pulled the pin again, so just have to see how it goes in the race and try not to let him get away.”

Marc Marquez, Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter: 3rd – 1m 34.408s “We have to be realistic; the difference off pole is fairly large. We gradually improved our times and our setting, but Pol (Espargaro) is in great form. We are having difficulties finding our best setting and also missed the first session, so we are a little further back. We have the warm-up to go, with room for improvement. In the race we will try to get a good start in order to be as far up as possible.”

Moto3 Rider Quotes

Efren Vazquez, JHK T-Shirt Laglisse: 3rd – 1m 39.179s “I am satisfied with the training. In the morning I had a fall, which fortunately has not had an impact, but we knew we had good pace and the timing with new tyres, we have taken those first laps to do a good time. Tomorrow I foresee a race in the pack, but (Sandro) Cortese has the pace to break away. The important thing will be the start and then we will see how the race develops.”

Miguel Oliveira, Estrella Galicia 0.0: 6th – 1m 39.262s “Today was a difficult day, but in the end we were able to achieve our goal, which was to have the bike ready for the race tomorrow. The first session was a little quieter than qualifying, as in the afternoon it rained at the beginning and towards the end, affecting our times. Faced with this situation we decided to go out as soon as possible to make a quick time.
Here we been working well and I am comfortable on the bike, so tomorrow I hope to make a good start and reach the front group, where I hope to be for the whole race.”

Maverick Vinales, Blusens Avintia: 8th – 1m 39.387s “This was a difficult session because of the changing weather conditions. Eventually we qualified in a position a little far back, but this is a circuit where you can overtake well and a good first lap we can get into the top group. I think it's all very even, (Sandro) Cortese is a step ahead, but we will try to be there with him.
I think I'm strong, but there are still some things to improve, so we'll see what we can do tomorrow. With so many straights, this track is difficult for us, but tomorrow we will try our best to make everything possible. I'm happy because I'm back riding and finding a good feeling on the bike.”

Alles anzeigen

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Zitat

2012 FIM MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
ROUND 17, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA

Weather: Sunny, cool
Temperature: Ambient 20 degrees C / Track 23 degrees C
Crowd: 53,100

STONER WINS HIS LAST HOME RACE

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) capped off a dream weekend with his sixth win in a row at his cherished Phillip Island Circuit before a record crowd of his sun-splashed fellow countrymen.

All weekend long it was clear that the reigning world champion was the man to beat and in the end no one could. So certain were the race organisers of his supremacy that they passed out paper crowns to celebrate the king’s final coronation. He did not disappoint.

Though he also did not lead every lap. Team-mate Dani Pedrosa led the first of 27 laps in his quest to keep his championship hopes alive. But in the Honda hairpin on the second lap disaster struck. Pedrosa went into the corner with a bit too much pace and crashed, ending his title hopes. Then it was up to Stoner to fly the Honda flag and he did, proudly.

For the remaining 26 laps he put on a master clinic, easing away from Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo. Stoner’s lead was never in doubt and when he crossed the line first for the sixth time at Phillip Island, and took his fourth win of the season, he had a cushion of 9.223s.

So dominant has Stoner been at Phillip Island that of the 162 race laps run over the past six years, Stoner has led 160 of them.

Lorenzo would go on to finish second to win the
2012 MotoGP World Championship with Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow third. Pedrosa is guaranteed second in the championship and Stoner third in his final season before retiring.

Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V) battled Stefan Bradl to the very end, along with Yamaha rider Andrea Dovizioso. Theirs was the fight for fourth and it went down to the very end. The trio swapped positions on the final two laps, with Dovizioso taking the spot by .129s over Bautista, with Bradl only .035s behind in sixth.

Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR) struggled with fairing problems towards the end of the race and finished a lap down in 14th.
Still, riding the Honda CBR1000RR-powered FTR he scored points for the sixth race in a row, his most productive stretch of his rookie season.
Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol –
Suter) celebrated the Moto2 World Championship by finishing a strong third.

Marquez needed only two points in the final two races to secure the title that he came close to winning last year. Rather than play it safe, Marquez attacked from the start.
But early on it was evident that no one was going to match the pace of Pol Espargaro

Taking the lead on the third of 25 laps, Espargaro set a blistering pace that added a second to his lead on a number of laps. He continued to pull away and crossed the finish line with a gaping 16.811s margin of victory.

The win was his fourth of the year, but it could not prevent Marquez from adding the Moto2 crown to his early 125cc World Championship. Marquez returns to Spain with an insurmountable 39 point lead. And Espargaro is guaranteed second; his lead over Andrea Iannone (Speed Master – Speed Up), third in the championship, is 72 points.
Iannone was forced out of the race with a mechanical issue.

For the locals the day belonged to Anthony West (QMMF Racing Team-Speed Up). The veteran had gone seven years between podiums before finishing second last week in Malaysia. But that was in the rain, his specialty. Today he was narrowly second in the dry; second through fourth were covered by .147s. Marquez got a strong drive out of the final corner to pass Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex) for third and narrowly miss out on beating Westie.

Redding deserved a podium, but had to settle for a secure fourth. Nine seconds back Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP Suter) won the battle for fifth in a photo finish over Johnathan Zarco (JiR Moto2 – Motobi), with Simone Corsi (Came IodaRacing Project – FTR) a mere .063s behind.

Tito Rabat (Tuenti Movil HP 40 – Kalex) Randy Krummenacher (GP Team Switzerland - Kalex) and Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing Team
–Kalex) finished within .208 secs. of each other to fill out the top ten.

Miguel Oliveira (Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Suter
Honda) chased recently crowned world champion Sandro Cortese almost to the stripe to record a career best second place finish in the Moto3 class.

Cortese and Oliveira cleared out on the seventh lap in the 23-lap race, after a number of riders, including the leaders, were docked ride-through penalties after jumping the start.

Oliveira took his time at the point for two laps late in the race, but Cortese saw that the pace was slowing and re-took the lead on lap 20 of 23, running out the string. Oliveira was strong to the finish to take second. His previous best had been third in Catalunya.

Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0 – Suter Honda) missed out on third by only .053s. The Phillip Island first-timer moved from sixth to fourth on the penultimate lap, holding off Danny Kent (KTM) at the line. Kent, in turn, just shaded Romano Fenati (Team Italia FMI- FTR Honda) by .002s.
Fenati’s team-mate Alessandro Tonucci was seventh.

The season concludes back in Europe, at Valencia, on November 11.

MotoGP rider quotes

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: Race winner
“It was very important for me to win a race before the end of the season and I'm really happy to do it here, at home, in front of the huge crowd. My biggest worry was to be fit again and competitive for this race, but we managed it and we had something over everyone else and this was the perfect way to say goodbye here. I was pretty nervous going into the race, but the conditions were fantastic for a Phillip Island race. When I knew I only had a few laps left and a big lead, I was watching the crowd and it was fantastic to see everyone cheering me on, it made me very proud to be Australian.
My biggest congratulations to Jorge [Lorenzo].
He's ridden an almost perfect season finishing first or second when possible and I'm just disappointed not to be in the championship fight, but I made my own mistakes and this is how things go. My condolences to Dani [Pedrosa] ­I saw him crash out in front of me­ but he had to push today and go out and win the race to keep his championship hopes alive. It was a small mistake, easy to do in this corner and I feel very sorry for him. Thanks to everyone for coming down and showing their support.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: DNF
“It's a sad feeling more than disappointment; I pushed as hard as I could; I did what I had to do and I have no regrets for my riding, especially this season. I feel very proud of my team and of my performance throughout the year. I think after what happened in Misano, we showed a very good attitude, skill and power. So, there is some sadness because we've been closer than ever to take the title, but also proud for all we achieved.
Concerning the crash, it was nothing strange; I just went wider on the corner, I had some chatter and lost the front; maybe the tyre was not warm enough as well, but it's like it is.
Congratulations to Casey [Stoner] for his sixth win at his home grand prix and to Lorenzo because he deserved the championship, as well as Marc Márquez in Moto2.”

Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 5th “We have achieved our objective here, but I have to recognise that if it wasn't for the crash from Dani Pedrosa I would have been sixth. I am disappointed for him because he has produced some extraordinary races recently but today he lost the championship on the second lap. This morning in the warm-up we could see that (Cal) Crutchlow had a better pace than us so when I saw Pedrosa crash I just tried my best to stick in the group behind Lorenzo in the hope we could fight for the podium but we were lacking straight line speed.
All the time I lost down the straight I had to make up for the rest of the lap, but it was a fun battle with Dovizioso and Bradl, we passed each other many times and the race went quickly for me. I made one last attempt at the end but again Dovizioso got me down the straight and then did a good job to close every door. Anyway it's a positive result so thanks to all the team and now let's hope we can seal fifth in the championship at Valencia.”

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 6th
“Off course we are all happy because we did not expect such a close fight for the fourth place today after the difficult first day of practices we had here. It’s a shame that we lost the fourth place, because I was on hard tyre today and had a small advantage on my competitors, so I thought I could take it. But the other guys had other advantages on me so we were plus or minus on the same level. But on the last lap I was stopped by Bautista and Dovi (Dovizioso) passed me. I am not the one who usually lost the battle, but I am quite happy anyway because we showed our pace once again and want to thank the team for their excellent job this weekend.”

Michel Pirro, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 14th “The objective was to finish as the third highest CRT, but we had a problem with the fairing that cost us time at the end of the race. It is a shame but I am happy to come away from this race with two points that consolidate my position as the third highest CRT in the championship and that is important.”

Moto2 rider quotes

Pol Espargaro, Tuenti Movil HP 40 – Kalex: Race winner:
“Surely I have done and the biggest race of my career, as perfect as when I won the the Spanish Championship. I was able to start fast, with both pace and with such an advantage to beat my opponents. I felt very comfortable in Phillip Island from the first practice and needed a race like this, because to validate my performance in practice. We lost the title mathematically and I congratulate Marc Marquez, who has been a worthy champion, but I said we would fight to the last breath, and I have. I did not want surprises, I started from the first moments and I've been running away with a brutal pace that I have not slowed down to the checkered flag. Now I hope to finish 2012 in Valencia, to celebrate with family, friends, and fans in general Espargarins, and then start working hard so that 2013 is my year.”

Anthony West, QMMF Racing Team – Speed Up: 2nd “It’s amazing. It’s crazy how things work. I spent the last ten years fighting for this position and then it just comes twice in a row.
It’s crazy. And to think I started the season without a ride and last minute turn up in Qatar and start riding for this team. So I really have to thank them a lot for giving me the chance to continue and for me this is a much better result that last weekend. Last weekend was just a big confidence booster for me. And that’s what I needed. I’ve been so sort of down and that’s what I needed to pump myself back up and this is the real result that I wanted in the dry. And everyone keeps telling me the wet man and the rain’s coming and it’s good, but I’m happy to be in the dry and have this result. And I want to congratulate Marquez on his title. It’s great.

Marc Marquez, Team CatalunyaCaixa – Suter: 3rd “It's an incredible feeling, a dream. When you cross the finish line it is a great moment, but it happens very fast. The best bit comes with the celebration with the team. It is very satisfying to win the title. At this time I remember the hard times this year, the injuries, the support of my family and team. I cannot help but get emotional. It was a very difficult title victory, because Pol [Espargaró] has not made it at all easy for me and deserves my congratulations for the great season he's had. After the serious injury I suffered a year ago, which could taken me away from racing forever, the most important thing is that I was able to get back riding. This season the team formed a magnificent group. I have never felt so comfortable in a team before.
We have full confidence in one another.”

Moto3 Rider Quotes

Miguel Oliveira, Estrella Galicia 0.0 Suter Honda: 2nd “It was a tough race in which we fought hard. In the warm-up I suffered two crashes that worried me, but in the race, riding behind Sandro [Cortese], I felt very comfortable. I managed to keep up and at the end when he overtook me, I focused on keeping second place. I am very happy with this podium. It has been a season of ups and downs, but in the last few races I have been improving gradually and today we confirmed this improvement. I am very happy for the team because we worked hard. With this podium, we can go to Valencia relaxed and aim to have fun.”

Alex Rins, Estrella Galicia 0.0 – Suter Honda: 4th “I'm very happy, because neither I nor the team expected this fourth in my first race at Phillip Island. We started far behind, but I managed to put myself in the front group on the early laps, maintaining a good fight with (Arthur) Sissis,
(Danny) Kent and (Romano) Fenati. I watched what Fenati was doing quite a lot. I repeatedly tried to pass on the last lap, but I managed to keep my position. When I came in fifth into the final straight, I did not expect to beat Kent on the KTM, but I did and I'm very satisfied.”

Romano Fenati, Team FMI Italia – FTR Honda: 6th “What a fight against Kent, Sissis, Rins and
(Alessandro) Tonucci. We had fun, being aggressive and fair at the same time. I did all I could. The bike was perfect, and it was fun to ride. Now we head to Valencia, a track where I rode during some tests. I like it, and I want to seize the Rookie of the Year award.”

RESULTS

MOTOGP
RACE: (27 laps = 120.096 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Casey STONER / AUS / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 41'01.324 / 175.655 /
2 / Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 41'10.547 / 174.999 / 9.223
3 / Cal CRUTCHLOW / GBR / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 41'15.894 / 174.622 / 14.57
4 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO / ITA / Monster Yamaha Tech
3 / YAMAHA / 41'24.627 / 174.008 / 23.303
5 / Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / San Carlo Honda Gresini / HONDA / 41'24.756 / 173.999 / 23.432
6 / Stefan BRADL / GER / LCR Honda MotoGP / HONDA / 41'24.791 / 173.996 / 23.467
7 / Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 41'38.437 / 173.046 / 37.113
8 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 41'39.711 / 172.958 / 38.387
9 / Karel ABRAHAM / CZE / Cardion AB Motoracing / DUCATI / 41'53.937 / 171.979 / 52.613
10 / Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Power Electronics Aspar / ART / 42'01.623 / 171.455 / 1'00.299
11 / Randy DE PUNIET / FRA / Power Electronics Aspar / ART / 42'01.666 / 171.452 / 1'00.342
12 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Pramac Racing Team / DUCATI / 42'23.275 / 169.995 / 1'21.951
13 / Danilo PETRUCCI / ITA / Came IodaRacing Project / IODA-SUTER / 42'29.181 / 169.601 / 1'27.857
14 / Michele PIRRO / ITA / San Carlo Honda Gresini / FTR / 41'13.539 / 168.314 / 1 lap
15 / Ivan SILVA / SPA / Avintia Blusens / BQR / 41'35.733 / 166.817 / 1 lap

Pole Position: Casey STONER 1'29.623 178.668 Km/h Fastest Lap: Casey STONER 1'30.191 177.543 Km/h Lap 3 Circuit Record Lap: Nicky HAYDEN 1'30.059 177.803 Km/h 2008 Circuit Best Lap: Casey STONER 1'28.665 180.598 Km/h 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE:
1 LORENZO 350, 2 PEDROSA 307, 3 STONER 238, 4 DOVIZIOSO 208, 5 BAUTISTA 165,
6 ROSSI 157, 7 CRUTCHLOW 151, 8 BRADL 135, 9 HAYDEN 122, 10 SPIES 88,
11 BARBERA 83, 12 ESPARGARO 69, 13 DE PUNIET 58, 14 ABRAHAM 50, 15 PIRRO 32.

MOTO2
RACE: (25 laps = 111.2 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / Tuenti Movil HP 40 / KALEX / 39'26.486 / 169.162 /
2 / Anthony WEST / AUS / QMMF Racing Team / SPEED UP / 39'43.297 / 167.968 / 16.811
3 / Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol / SUTER / 39'43.323 / 167.967 / 16.837
4 / Scott REDDING / GBR / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 39'43.443 / 167.958 / 16.957
5 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Technomag-CIP / SUTER / 39'52.504 / 167.322 / 26.018
6 / Johann ZARCO / FRA / JIR Moto2 / MOTOBI / 39'52.514 / 167.321 / 26.028
7 / Simone CORSI / ITA / Came IodaRacing Project / FTR / 39'52.577 / 167.317 / 26.091
8 / Esteve RABAT / SPA / Tuenti Movil HP 40 / KALEX / 39'52.858 / 167.297 / 26.372
9 / Randy KRUMMENACHER / SWI / GP Team
Switzerland / KALEX / 39'52.960 / 167.29 / 26.474
10 / Takaaki NAKAGAMI / JPN / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 39'53.066 / 167.283 / 26.58
11 / Jordi TORRES / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 40'03.006 / 166.591 / 36.52
12 / Bradley SMITH / GBR / Tech 3 Racing / TECH 3 / 40'03.051 / 166.588 / 36.565
13 / Toni ELIAS / SPA / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 40'03.356 / 166.567 / 36.87
14 / Xavier SIMEON / BEL / Tech 3 Racing / TECH 3 / 40'04.706 / 166.473 / 38.22
15 / Mike DI MEGLIO / FRA / Kiefer Racing / KALEX / 40'10.836 / 166.05 / 44.35

Pole Position: Pol ESPARGARO 1'33.705 170.885 Km/h Fastest Lap (New record): Pol ESPARGARO 1'33.729 170.841 Km/h Lap 7 Old Circuit Record Lap: Alex DE ANGELIS 1'34.549 169.359 Km/h 2011 Circuit Best Lap: Pol ESPARGARO 1'33.705 170.885 Km/h 2012

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE:
1 MARQUEZ 299, 2 ESPARGARO 260, 3 IANNONE 188, 4 LUTHI 177, 5 REDDING 161,
6 KALLIO 119, 7 SMITH 108, 8 RABAT 107, 9 AEGERTER 98, 10 ZARCO 94, 11 CORSI 87,
12 DE ANGELIS 86, 13 CORTI 74, 14 WEST 61, 15 SIMON 58.

MOTO3
RACE: (23 laps = 102.304 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Sandro CORTESE / GER / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 38'20.014 / 160.127 /
2 / Miguel OLIVEIRA / POR / Estrella Galicia 0,0
/ SUTER HONDA / 38'22.122 / 159.98 / 2.108
3 / Arthur SISSIS / AUS / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 38'25.045 / 159.777 / 5.031
4 / Alex RINS / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 /
SUTER HONDA / 38'25.098 / 159.773 / 5.084
5 / Danny KENT / GBR / Red Bull KTM Ajo / KTM / 38'25.121 / 159.772 / 5.107
6 / Romano FENATI / ITA / Team Italia FMI / FTR
HONDA / 38'25.123 / 159.772 / 5.109
7 / Alessandro TONUCCI / ITA / Team Italia FMI /
FTR HONDA / 38'25.388 / 159.753 / 5.374
8 / Efren VAZQUEZ / SPA / JHK t-shirt Laglisse /
FTR HONDA / 38'25.908 / 159.717 / 5.894
9 / Alex MARQUEZ / SPA / Ambrogio Next Racing /
SUTER HONDA / 38'50.797 / 158.012 / 30.783
10 / Isaac VIÑALES / SPA / Ongetta-Centro Seta /
FTR HONDA / 38'50.925 / 158.003 / 30.911
11 / Jonas FOLGER / GER / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3
/ KALEX KTM / 38'52.817 / 157.875 / 32.803
12 / Adrian MARTIN / SPA / JHK t-shirt Laglisse /
FTR HONDA / 38'53.316 / 157.841 / 33.302
13 / Jakub KORNFEIL / CZE / Redox-Ongetta-Centro
Seta / FTR HONDA / 38'53.493 / 157.829 / 33.479
14 / Brad BINDER / RSA / RW Racing GP / KALEX KTM
/ 38'54.116 / 157.787 / 34.102
15 / Luis SALOM / SPA / RW Racing GP / KALEX KTM / 39'03.763 / 157.138 / 43.749

Pole Position: Sandro CORTESE 1'38.334 162.840 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record): Alessandro TONUCCI 1'38.447 162.654 Km/h Lap 2
Circuit Record Lap: New category
Circuit Best Lap: Sandro CORTESE 1'38.334 162.840 Km/h 2012

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS:
1 CORTESE 305, 2 SALOM 208, 3 VIÑALES 199, 4 RINS
141, 5 FENATI 136, 6 KENT 129,
7 OLIVEIRA 114, 8 KHAIRUDDIN 112, 9 FOLGER 93, 10 VAZQUEZ 93, 11 SISSIS 84,
12 MASBOU 81, 13 ROSSI 76, 14 ANTONELLI 74, 15 KORNFEIL 62.

NEXT EVENT: ROUND18 NOVEMBER 11 VALENCIA, SPAIN

Alles anzeigen