Race Weekend - Indianapolis

The Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix has brought the DeGraaf Grand Prix Team five important points. After a bad first lap the British rider Danny Webb climbed up to a 11^th position. Randy Krummenacher had a tough race and crashed out six laps before the chequered flag. Luckily Krummenacher didn’t hurt himself. 

The start was good from Danny Webb. Only the first lap Webb lost a lot of positions and dropped back to a 21st spot. With excellent lap times Webb was able to pass many riders and could hold on this race pace. With five more laps to go Webb came trough on P9 but made a mistake in the last lap coming out of the last turn and lost two positions. Webb survives the nearly high sider and scored five points for the championship.

Danny Webb (11^th):

“I can’t say that I’m not satisfied but I definitely I wanted that 9th position. The start was pretty ok but I lost it in the first lap. It was really crazy! Everybody was passing and hitting each other and I wanted to survive the first lap. I had some catching up to do and I could find my race pace already in the third lap.

I passed many riders and at the end I was battling for the 9^th position. In the last lap Nakagami past me but I knew my bike was faster at the straight for the start finish line but I was too early on the throttle and nearly high sided. Nakagami and Aegerter passed me and I finish 11th.

Next weekend we have the race at the Misano track and I’m going there for a top 10 position.”

The start of the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix started sunny but spoiled the practice into he last six minutes of the session.  The DeGraaf Grand Prix riders Danny Webb and Randy Krummenacher ended this first session at a 18^th and 19^th position.  

With temperatures around the 30 degrees the 125cc class started sunny but ended with rain. The riders really like the track and especially the accommodation with 500.000(!) seats at the stands. Danny Webb builds up this session lap by lap. Every lap Webb was a bit faster. In the last ten minutes the British rider wanted to focus on fast laps but didn’t have a change because of the rain which was dropping at the track in the last six minutes.

Danny Webb (18^th, 1:52,491):

“This is not the result I expected. We worked a lot at the set-up of the suspension and searched for a good rear-tyre for this track and conditions. When we finally found a good set-up and the right tires it started to rain in the last session I went out. It is too bad because I know that these last minutes would be much faster than before. Anyway, it is the first session and tomorrow we have to qualify. I have a good feeling and expect tomorrow to be more in the front.” 

During the qualification session of the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix the DeGraaf Grand Prix rider Danny Webb qualified himself at a nice third row with a 11^th position. Randy Krummenacher didn’t have luck during this session and crashed in the last 15 minutes of the session. Krummenacher couldn’t continue the session and finish at a disappointed 25^th position.

After a couple of showers at the Friday session, today it was dry at the Indianapolis Speedway. In the free practice this morning both riders tested a different set-up of the front fork and this was a big step in the right direction. Danny Webb was able to ride a faster lap time than his time of the Friday and ended the session on a 13^th position. Randy Krummenacher was even more than a second faster than the Friday and closed the session at a 20th position. 

The qualification session started well for the British teenager Danny Webb. In the first ten minutes of the session Webb was leading the pack and could hold this position a couple of minutes. After Webb came in for a small adjustment of the suspension Webb was able to ride consistent fast lap times on his own.

In the last ten minutes Webb took nearly a second of his lap time and moved up to a 7th position. In his last flying lap Webb was able to take a tow of Ianonne but couldn’t improve his lap time. Webb closed the session on an 11^th position with just 0,6 seconds behind pole position man Julian Simon.

Danny Webb (11^th, 1:49,982):

“This qualification it is really tight with the lap times. I have to give in 0,6 second to the fastest rider Julian Simon but I’m still at the third row. Last year I was also 0,6 seconds slower than the fastest rider but I could start the race from the front row. But I’m satisfied. The adjustments we made with the front fork give me a very good feeling and I can do more things with the front now and I have more confidence. Also the bike is very fast! At the straight it is easy to pass several riders before the first corner. I think with a good start in the race I can be up there with the leaders. We will see what happens tomorrow.”

Briton Bradley Smith was a tenth of second away from victory at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix after riding a superb race from fifth on the grid at The Brickyard.

The Bancaja Aspar 125cc rider from Oxfordshire, was part of a five man group including championship leader Julian Simon, 2008 Indianapolis winner Nico Terol, Pol Espargaro and Simone Corsi, who battled for supremacy throughout the race, but ultimately Espargaro emerged on top, with Smith second and Corsi third.

Smith remains third in the standings with five races to go, one point behind Terol and 53.5 points behind his team-mate Simon.

There was frustration for Gloucestershire’s Scott Redding who had to retire midway through the race due to technical faults, having fought his way up to 12th from 26th on the grid. Kent’s Danny Webb missed out on the top ten by less than a second when he was overtaken at the end by Dominique Aegerter.

In the main MotoGP race the battle for the title was blown wide open as Jorge Lorenzo scored a great win and his Fiat Yamaha colleague Valentino Rossi crashed out. Yorkshireman James Toseland again matched his best MotoGP result to date with another solid sixth, from tenth on the grid.

Behind Lorenzo there was a great ride from San Marino’s Alex de Angelis, gaining his first ever premier class podium, whilst home rider Nicky Hayden also did brilliantly after qualifying sixth, repeating his 2008 Indianapolis podium, this time in third position.

World Champion Valentino Rossi hit the ground on lap nine when battling for the race lead with Lorenzo and earlier on there was also a crash for Dani Pedrosa on the fourth lap when the pole man was leading the race. He bravely picked up his RC212V and rejoined in last place, doing well to finally finish in 10th position.

The British teenage 125 trio of Bradley Smith, Scott Redding and Danny Webb live their American dream when they fly into Indianapolis for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday. It’s also a crucial weekend for Yorkshireman James Toseland who not only competes in round 12 of the MotoGP World Championship but also hopes to discover his future in the Championship.

Last year the tail end of hurricane ‘Ike’ brought both the 125 cc and MotoGP races round the 2.620 mile track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to a premature close while the 250 cc riders travelled a long long way for their race never to get underway.

Eighteen year old Bradley Smith held onto third place in the 125 cc World Championship after finishing fourth in the previous round at Brno in the Czech Republic. It was his first finish for three races and while his Aspar Aprilia team-mate Julian Simon is clearing off at the top of the Championship it could not be closer for second place. Just ten points separate Nico Terol, who won in Brno and at Indianapolis last year, in second place and Andre Iannone in fifth.

Gloucestershire teenager Scott Redding finished an impressive fourth at Indianapolis last year. Riding the Blusens Aprilia he finished 15th in Brno riding with a damaged ankle after a practice crash on the Saturday morning. He’s confident that the ankle has recovered and of also pushing for a podium finish at a track he found very much to his liking last year.

Kent-based Danny Webb is also confident of a good result after finishing just out of the points in Brno. It’s been a tough year for Webb riding the Degraaf Aprilia and he needs a strong finish to the season to secure his future.

Toseland hopes to find if he has a future in the MotoGP class next year this weekend when he talks to his Monster Tech 3 Yamaha team. He eventually finished ninth at Brno despite front end problems but feels he is still capable of a top six finish if he can sort out his troubles. He currently lies 13th in the Championship but a good result on Sunday could easily push him up into the top ten.

No hurricanes this time round please!

QUOTES

Bradley Smith

“Last year was the first time we’d raced there and they made us so very welcome. The only thing they could not organise was the weather with the tail end of a hurricane causing chaos on race day. I’d been taken right out of the race by Michael Ranseder on the first lap and was down in 27th place but fought back and was catching the leaders. I was up to eighth place when the race had to be red flagged because of the rain and wind.”

Scott Redding

“I had the ankle x-rayed and they said it was fine and I’ve just been resting and supporting it. I had a good race at Indianapolis last year and I’d love to finish on the podium because it’s a good track. America is a great place to race and a superb place to visit.”

Danny Webb

“We will for sure get some points at Indianapolis and I’m aiming for at a least a top ten finish. I missed out in the race at Brno which was a shame because I thought I had the race pace to finish in the top ten. I lost connection with the group in front of me after being held up and just finished out of the points.”

James Toseland

"Brno was a tough weekend and I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit fortunate to get into the top ten. I rode as hard as I could every lap and never gave up but at the moment I'm struggling with a problem with the front for the first half of the race. If we can solve this front-end issue then I know I can be running much higher up the field, which is where the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team deserves to be starting at Indianapolis.”

HURRICANE ROSSI RACES INTO INDY TO REPLACE IKE

Last year it was the tail end of hurricane Ike that caused the riders all the problems in the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix in America but this year it’s World Champion Valentino Rossi who will create his very own whirlwind at this legendary venue.

The 30 year old Italian roars into the States to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in commanding form. Riding the Fiat Yamaha, he has opened up a 50 point lead in the MotoGP World Championship after winning his fifth grand prix of the season at the previous round at Brno in the Czech Republic while his challengers have fallen by the wayside.

His team-mate and nearest challenger Jorge Lorenzo has crashed out of the last two races while leading. Australian Casey Stoner will be out of action for at least the next two races while he fights to recover from his mystery virus. Danni Pedrosa, who beat Rossi on American soil at Laguna Seca a couple of months ago, is rapidly climbing the table but is too far behind Rossi to cause a problem

Rossi won the race last year round the special 2.620 mile track within the Indianapolis complex. Because of the wind and rain the race had to be shortened and the MotoGP stars return hoping for good weather to show the very appreciative car orientated Indianapolis crowd what MotoGP is all about. The very first race at Indianapolis 100 years ago was a motorcycle race.

Two riders desperate to put on a show for the home crowd are Americans Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden who are experiencing very different seasons. Texan Edwards is having a great year on the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha and is fifth in the Championship as he fights to secure his MotoGP future. Local boy and former World Champion Hayden was second last year riding the Repsol Honda. His much publicised move to Marlboro Ducati has been tough and he currently is 14th in the Championship despite encouraging signs that he’s getting to grips with the Italian machine.

More announcements are expected over the Indianapolis weekend about who will be riding for who next season. Pedrosa and British Grand Prix winner Andrea Dovizioso are staying at Repsol Honda. The San Carlo Gresini pair of Tony Elias and Alex de Angelis know they are going to be replaced by the two Marcos, Messrs Melandri and Simoncelli. After finishing a brilliant third in Brno, Elias is desperate to stay in MotoGP. Australian Chris Vermeulen looks certain to be leaving Rizla Suzuki with Loris Capirossi likely to stay where he will be joined by Alvaro Bautista from the 250 cc class. Another Spaniard Hector Barbara will step up from the 250‘s to ride the new Aspar Ducati.

Mika Kallio will continue to replace the absent Stoner on the Marlboro Ducati on Sunday while 250 cc rider Spaniard Aleix Espargaro will replace Kallio in the Pramac Ducati team.

The Tech Three Yamaha team of former World Superbike Champions Edwards and James Toseland should know their 2010 fates by the end of the weekend while Jorge Lorenzo decides if his future is with Yamaha. It promises to be some weekend where there could be just as much intrigue off the track as the racing on it.

The 250 cc riders make their Indianapolis debut after their race last year was cancelled because of the wind and rain. The American public will love it because it’s the closest of the three Championship battles. Hiroshi Aoyama still leads the way on the Scott Honda holding a 12 point advantage over Alvaro Bautista with six rounds remaining. However, the man to watch is World Champion Marco Simoncelli who is making a typical late charge on the Métis Gilera. The Italian is desperate to retain his title before joining MotoGP next year and after winning his third grand prix of the season in Brno, is 32 points behind Aoyama.

The man to beat in the 125 cc class is Spaniard Julian Simon. Riding the Aspar Aprilia he leads the Championship by 54.5 points after finishing first or second in the last four races. His biggest threat on Sunday could come from Nico Terol who won at Brno and he also won at Indianapolis last year in yet another shortened race. The Spaniard moved into second place in the Championship eight points in front of Simon’s team- mate Bradley Smith. There is a tremendous battle for second place with just ten points separating Terol and Andrea Iannone in fifth place.

EVENT TIME SCHEDULE

Friday 28 August

12.40 – 13.40              125cc Free Practice 1
13.55 – 14.55              MotoGP Free Practice 1
15.10 – 16.10              250cc Practice 1

Saturday 29 August

09.00 – 09.40              125cc Free Practice 2
09.55 – 10.55              MotoGP Free Practice 2
11.10 – 12.10              250cc Free Practice 2
13.00 – 13.40              125cc Qualifying
13.55 – 14.55              MotoGP Qualifying
15.10 – 15.55              250cc Qualifying

Sunday 30 August

09.40 – 10.00              125cc Warm Up
10.10 – 10.30              250cc Warm Up
10.40 – 11.00              MotoGP Warm Up
12.00                           125cc RACE (23 laps)
13.15                           250cc RACE (26 laps)
15.00                           MotoGP RACE (28 laps)