MotoGP charges into 2nd half of the season at Indianapolis

2012-08-16 00:53:18 Author: admin Source:

The Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) Championship Round 11 returns this weekend for the second United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis circuit. After a three-week break from the Laguna Seca GP in late July, championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, reigniing champ Casey Stoner and the MotoGP crews are ready to get back on track for the remaining 8 races. The Indy circuit features 16 turns, along with a purposeful oval for MotoGP. Having been resurfaced last year, the riders should still find decent grip levels from practice right on to the main event. 

The Indy circuit or the Brickyard, a popular race venue for American Indy 500 and Allstate Nascar fixtures, has been a good hunting ground for Lorenzo who has finished on the podium in past seasons, except a fourth place at last season's race. In 2009, the Spaniard saw a brilliant race win which few fans will forget due to the special ‘Captain America’ helmet he wore for that season's event. “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." Lorenzo reiterated.

Repsol Honda rivals Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa remain hot on the heels of Lorenzo in the championship run, with 23 points separating Lorenzo and second place Pedrosa, and there are only a 9- point difference between the Spaniard and Australian Repsol Honda riders in second and third in the riders' standings.

Stoner captured the Monterey race victory prior to the close of the first half of the season, while Pedrosa got on the podium for his third place. It was the sixth time in ten races that the team-mates shared a MotoGP podium this season. Pedrosa has been remarkably consistent this season, with podium finishes in every race, but one, which has made him a championship threat since the opening round in Qatar. His record at the Brickyard is impressive, with a victory in 2010 and a second place finish to Stoner last year. Having won the German Grand Prix late in the first half of the season, Pedrosa is now chasing his milestone 40th grand prix victory.

Pedrosa commented, "At this time of year, Indianapolis is normally very hot, so fitness is always key. I enjoy riding at this track and I've had good results in the past. I am really looking forward to this race and will fight to win and maintain the consistency we have showed in the first part of the championship.”

Stoner won the last year's Indy GP by nearly five seconds, one of the ten wins that propelled him to the MotoGP title. The two-time MotoGP champ swept the American races last year, winning in both Monterey and Indianapolis, and has the chance to do it again for the final time.

Stoner one of the riders who doesn't prefer the Brickyard said, "I'm not the biggest fan of Indy, mainly because we don't go on the historical track, but the infield and in the wrong direction. The track is very flat and plain, also very tight. There are a couple of corners that can be fun, but the majority are difficult, tight and there isn't any natural flow to the track. We've had some good results there and won last year, but we'll have to wait until we get there to see how the RC213V will work around there this year.”

German Stefan Bradl returns to Indianapolis, but now in the senior class. The current Moto2 champ finished on the 125cc podium in his first trip to the Brickyard in 2008, the race’s first year. Since then, he has had a number of strong finishes, including sixth last year. Last time out, Bradl was seventh at the U.S.GP, the only track he had never raced on, having finished a career MotoGP best fourth in the previous Italian GP.

Bradl is on high tap for Rookie of the Year honors as he has more than five times the number of points of the second placed rider into the second half of the season. Fellow Honda rider Alvaro Bautista has been looking to recapture the progress that began in Qatar and continued through the British GP, where he finished a career best fourth in MotoGP. The races that followed were not as successful, but the team spent the break working to provide the Spaniard with the front end feel essential to success in the premier class.

The big news that shook MotoGP during the break was the announcement by Yamaha of Valentino Rossi's imminent return to their side. Ducati, however, kept silent regarding their star rider's decision to rejoin his former team. Still, the season progresses into the second half where Rossi and Nicky Hayden are back on the GP12s for some consistent results in the last 8 races of the year.

Hayden is particularly fond of the Indianapolis circuit, not only because it’s close to his home state of Kentucky, but also because it was the site of his first podium with Ducati, in 2009. Rossi has also been on the podium here, taking the victory when it first hosted the championship, in 2008.