Valentino Rossi New Carbon Chassis

Valentino Rossi maybe not fastest on Estoril official test this weekend. But Rossi got his first chance to evaluate a new carbon fibre chassis and new engine which featured a heavier crankshaft on GP11. Rossi's best time on that test was 1.37.410, a second slower than Marco Simoncelli. But Rossi decided to used the new part of GP11 on next race at France.

"We tried a different front part in the bike and it is better and my feeling with the bike improves a lot and I can make a better lap time. I have a lot more indication in my hand of what is happening with the front tyre and this is the most positive thing. Now I understand more what is going on with the front and this is very important."

"I will definitely use the new chassis at the next race in Le Mans. Unfortunately the distance to the top is still too big but when I tried the right tyres to go quicker, I was already quite tired with the shoulder. I’m not at the same level as Simoncelli but I think we are closer than the timesheets say. But I’m sure I could have gone a bit faster," said Rossi.

"It has been a positive test and now we can do some more work to improve even more. The new engine was not a big difference but the character was smoother in acceleration and we will now wait to see when we can use this engine in the next two or three races."

Dani Pedrosa: Thanks To Jorge For Putting My Level Up

Dani Pedrosa win Estoril grand prix last week after lead just 4 laps from Jorge Lorenzo. Pedrosa claimed that he still had a lot of pain during the race. Pedrosa tried to follow Lorenzo through the race. Lorenzo is very fast and Pedrosa just try to stick with him. This condition give more motivation to Pedrosa to keep on track. Perdosa also said that if he race alone, maybe the race will not so interesting.

"I had a lot of pain in the muscle and I was trying to rest sometimes the arm because it was cramping after 15 laps. I was behind Jorge and trying to be focused, but I was waiting for the numbness and the loss of power. But it didn't come and I was just so happy to see that the surgery was successful.

"It’s been six months with this problem and I could tell you at the end I didn't know what else to do. It is a big relief. I just was riding at my best because Jorge at this track is amazing. He is always very fast and I was trying to follow him and stick with him.

"I had some problems with the front grip and the rear grip, but I still could follow him and at the end I try to make the move and I was successful on it, so it is amazing to win. I didn't think I could win this race but by the middle of the race he stepped up the rhythm and I could stick with him, so this was good for me.

"It feels even greater because I fight with Jorge. Here he's amazingly fast and he put in 100 per cent effort and he made me use much more effort than normal. If I was racing alone, maybe the race would not be so interesting or so great, so thanks to him for putting my level up.”

Marco SImoncelli Claimed His Mistake

Marco Simoncelli did not finished on Estoril MotoGP last Sunday. Speaking about the accident, Simoncelli said that he felt sorry and also said that the accident was his mistake. Simoncelli start on 2nd position. Starting from first grid should be easy to him to lead the race. At the beginning, Simoncelli did a competitive race with Lorenzo and Pedrosa. Unfortunately, his bike was out of control and flew away.

"I do not know what to say, I'm sorry because I was very competitive and I could stay with Lorenzo and Pedrosa. Surely it was my mistake. I had to be more careful, but unfortunately the bike I started to curve and flew away. It's a real shame, but that was it. The important thing is to be fast in the future and eventually will turn for me ."

Simoncelli lose his point on last two race, with 2 similiar accident. Disaster Jerez race was a nightmare for Simoncelli while he was lead the race with some gap from Lorenzo. And last week at Estoril, Simoncelli made a same mistake, at the beginning of the race.

Rossi: I Think Dovizioso Played With Me A Little

Valentino Rossi finish 5th on Estoril last Sunday by a dramatic take over from Andrea Dovizioso on last second before finish line. But overall, he's happy with the race, and will ready 100% for LeMans and Catalunya

Valentino Rossi

“Apart from Dovizioso, today went well! I’m joking, but Dovizioso obviously rode a race that was strategically perfect. I think he played with me a little, knowing that on the straight, he could probably beat me to the line. He couldn’t pass me because I was strong on the brakes, so he had me do all the work for 28 laps, before making his attempt, and he got me by twenty-five thousandths of a second. Apart from that, the team and I are very happy, because it was a nice race and this, for the time being, is the best we can do. I started well, I made up several positions, and then I was very consistent, with decent lap times. I practically did the same lap from qualifying 28 times, so it’s a good result. My only disappointment is that fourth would have been my best finish with the Ducati Team. Anyway, another positive is that I’m physically well, as I’m missing just fifteen percent of my strength, but I think I’ll be at 100 percent between Le Mans and Catalunya. As for the bike, there’s certainly still work to do, but we’re working together with the Ducati technicians. They’re pleased with the data they have, and I’m seeing that what I get from the racing department works. It will take some time, but we’re going forward. Tomorrow we’ll have some new things to try, so let’s hope that it’s dry, and we’ll see how it goes. We don’t expect to solve everything in seven hours, just to continue down the path we’ve started on together.”

Nicky Hayden

“Starting from 13th, it was always going to be difficult for us, but the bike was good off the line and I got a good start. I made some early mistakes, but I was also recovering a few positions. I got into seventh, but I was having difficulty back-shifting. Already on the sighting lap, I knew it was an issue. On the grid, we talked about getting on the other bike, but we decided together, that it was better to stick with our bike and not start from the pitlane. It caused some difficulty, especially on corner entry, and some guys came past. Then Spies hit me pretty good and stood me up going into Turn 3, so I lost time to Hiroshi Aoyama and Cal Crutchlow. I’m really happy we have a test tomorrow. We’ve got some stuff to try, and hopefully we’ll get some good weather, because we lost some dry time this weekend with the rain. The bike was great in the wet—third Friday and fourth this morning—but we need to make it better in the dry.”

Valentino Rossi Upset About The Position

Valentino Rossi start from 3rd row on Estoril today. Commenting about the starting grid, Rossi told that he's very upset, because the target is on the second row. This is not the first time Valentino Rossi start from 3rd row. 

"I am very upset today and especially about the position because our target was to fight for the second row, around fifth or sixth place and we had the potential yesterday."

"But today I wasn’t able to ride in a better way and I had a problem with the front. So when I tried to push more I was too much at the limit with the front part of the bike. So more or less the problem remains the same and I can’t make any better unfortunately."

"For tomorrow it will be another difficult race starting from the third row. At the end we modified the setting and I improved the feeling and also the lap time but it is still not enough. We need to make another step like this to get a good result."

Rossi refused to blame damp patches that failed to dry during the entire day for his slump down the order and he said: "The track was a bit worse because yesterday it had better grip. Today it rained and it was half and half and we suffered too much with the front. We made a modification to the front and I improve but not enough. I expected to go into the 37s and be on the second row, but no way."

source: MCN

Cal Crutchlow Talking About Estoril Qualifying

Cal Crutchlow got 8th on the Estoril qualifying yesterday, 1 place better than Valentino Rossi. Starting today on 3rd grid, this British rider talk about his physical condition. Estoril track is the first time for Crutchlow. He didn't want to push to hard.

 "I don’t think I could have gone any faster or put in any extra effort than I did. And if I can keep coming to circuits that I’ve never seen and qualifying inside the top ten, I’m going to be really happy."

"At one point it looked like I might get my first second row but to be in between Colin and Valentino on the grid for my first race here, I’ve got to be really happy. I pretty much lost a session too because I only did a coupe of laps in the wet this morning."

"It wasn’t worth taking any big risks and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to finish last. It is not easy on this track and I’m finding it quite physical. I’m still having some issues with arm pump in my right arm and to compensate I’m using my left arm a lot and that is stressing the shoulder I had an operation on during the winter."

"There’s no real time to relax and when you’re braking from 200mph to 30mph, it is really physically demanding on the arms and shoulders. I’m really looking forward to the race now and hopefully I can reward the team with a good result after all their effort again this weekend. My aim for tomorrow will be to finish in the top ten and get some more experience of the bike under my belt."

source: MCN

Lorenzo Pole Position, Simoncelli Crash Last Minute

Jorge Lorenzo ready to win again on Estoril. He took his pole position with best lap 1'37.161. Simoncelli on 2nd and Pedrosa on 3rd. On the last minute of qualifying session, Simoncelli crashed. Casey Stoner, Ben Spies and Andrea Dovizioso on 2nd row. Colin Edwards, Cal Crutchlow and Valentino Rossi on 3rd row.

All of MotoGP top riders were on 1-2 row. Only Valentino Rossi on 3rd row. Good progress from Bautista after injury make him start on 15th position, in front of Randy De Puniet and Toni Elias.

Here's the full result of Estoril MotoGP qualifying session

1 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing 1'37.161
2 Marco SIMONCELLI San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'37.294
3 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1'37.324
4 Casey STONER Repsol Honda Team 1'37.384
5 Ben SPIES Yamaha Factory Racing 1'37.866
6 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Repsol Honda Team 1'38.073
7 Colin EDWARDS Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'38.080
8 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'38.189
9 Valentino ROSSI Ducati Team 1'38.271
10 Hector BARBERA Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP 1'38.363
11 Hiroshi AOYAMA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'38.497
12 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'38.786
13 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1'38.922
14 Loris CAPIROSSI Pramac Racing Team 1'38.934
15 Alvaro BAUTISTA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'39.172
16 Randy DE PUNIET Pramac Racing Team 1'39.378
17 Toni ELIAS LCR Honda MotoGP 1'39.894

Supersic Marco Simoncelli Strikes Estoril

Marco Simoncelli took his best lap again on Estoril MotoGP free practice session 2. 1 second faster than 1st session, Marco Simoncelli once again lead the Estoril free practice session 1'37.663. Spaniards Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa on 2nd and 3rd with 0.06 seconds gap. Ducati's Valentino Rossi on 4th, while Casey Stoner on 5th place.

Five riders were took worst time than 1st session. Casey Stoner, Hector Barbera, Andrea Dovizioso, and both Pramac Loris Capirossi and Randy DePuniet. Good result came from Karel Abraham and Nicky Hayden. Abraham on 7th place, while Hayden on 9th.

Here's the full result of 2nd free practice at Estoril

1 Marco SIMONCELLI San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'37.663

2 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing 1'37.724

3 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1'37.727

4 Valentino ROSSI Ducati Team 1'38.102

5 Casey STONER Repsol Honda Team 1'38.102

6 Colin EDWARDS Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'38.203

7 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'38.473

8 Ben SPIES Yamaha Factory Racing 1'38.563

9 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1'38.596

10 Hector BARBERA Mapfre Aspar 1'38.611

11 Hiroshi AOYAMA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'38.645

12 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Repsol Honda Team 1'38.658

13 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'38.760

14 Toni ELIAS LCR Honda MotoGP 1'38.912 Honda

15 Loris CAPIROSSI Pramac Racing Team 1'39.021

16 Randy DE PUNIET Pramac Racing Team 1'39.137

17 Alvaro BAUTISTA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'40.173

Marco Simoncelli Lead Estoril Free Practice

Marco Simoncelli lead the 1st Estoril grand prix free practice 1'38.032. Simoncelli best lap was faster than Honda's Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa on 2nd and 3rd. Jorge Lorenzo the last year winner on 4th, Valentino Rossi on 5th. Simoncelli took his best lap on 20th lap. His time wasn't break Lorenzo's fastest lap on 2008 1'35.715. 

Valentino Rossi seems to have returned to the top row rider. After good result on disaster race at Jerez, Valentino Rossi just started Estoril with good result. Alvaro Bautista back from injury with 3 seconds away from Simoncelli.

Here's the full result of 1st Estoril free practice

1 Marco SIMONCELLI San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'38.032

2 Casey STONER Repsol Honda Team 1'38.241

3 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1'38.259

4 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing 1'38.413

5 Valentino ROSSI Ducati Team 1'38.569

6 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Repsol Honda Team 1'38.781

7 Colin EDWARDS Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'38.862

8 Ben SPIES Yamaha Factory Racing 1'38.895

9 Hector BARBERA Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP 1'39.042

10 Randy DE PUNIET Pramac Racing Team 1'39.779

11 Loris CAPIROSSI Pramac Racing Team 1'39.848

12 Hiroshi AOYAMA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'39.856

13 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'40.129

14 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1'40.199

15 Toni ELIAS LCR Honda MotoGP 1'40.407

16 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'40.469

17 Alvaro BAUTISTA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'41.034

Stoner Ready For Estoril

Casey Stoner ready for Estoril. After no point result on Jerez, Stoner now is looking for a good result on Estoril. Best race for Stoner on Estoril was only on 2nd. 

"I had a good rest in Switzerland and I feel very good at the moment," said Stoner. "I'm looking forward to Portugal after a difficult last race in Jerez, we were looking for a good result in Spain after positive practice sessions and qualifying so we are happy to get back on track. 

“Estoril is not one of my favourite tracks but we have had good success there in the past. We will be looking to get back some points against Lorenzo as he has been the strongest there in the past 3 years. 

“I think our bike should work quite well at this circuit as it has some tight turns with exits onto big straights so I hope to find some good traction in these points and be competitive from the first day".

In last 4 years, Lorenzo was the Estoril champion. Now with Honda, Stoner seeking his podium on first place.

source: crash.net