Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo delivered yet another flawless performance of perfect riding to take second on the podium today for the Grand Prix of Japan. The race itself proved to be an action packed affair with many dramas, several riders receiving ride through penalties and Championship leader Casey Stoner riding off the track, resulting in the loss of several places. After the incident, Lorenzo tucked in to follow promoted race leader Dani Pedrosa, maintaining second to the flag with lap after lap of inch perfect lines. The result reduces his gap to Stoner to 40 points with three races remaining of the season.
Having battled with food poisoning the entire weekend Ben Spies had recovered physically and started today’s race in excellent form. Quick off the line he was tucked in behind team mate Jorge Lorenzo going into turn three on the first lap when he was hit from behind by fallen rider Valentino Rossi. The Texan ran off but was able to rejoin the race in last place. Japanese fans were then treated to the famous Spies comeback routine as the American carved his way back through the field to an incredible sixth place, consistently delivering 1’46 second lap times, equivalent to the two front runners. The result puts him on 156 points in fifth, 17 clear of Rossi chasing behind as they head to Phillip Island in two weeks for the next round.
Jorge Lorenzo
Position 2nd – Time +7.299
“I didn’t expect such a strange race, Casey going wide and Dovi having a ride through. I thought it was possible to fight with Dani but he came better and better, I think he was inspired today and at a very high level of riding. He decided the victory and I couldn’t follow him. To win now is almost impossible, just maybe some small possibilities! A big thank you to my team who worked so hard this weekend to make a very competitive bike and thank you to all the Japanese fans who came out to support us. ”
Ben Spies
Position 6th – Time +37.604
“It was a bitter sweet race for sure, we had a great start and the bike was feeling really good. I was in a perfect position coming out of turn three, right behind Dovi when I was hit from the back. I lost one hand off the handlebar and didn’t have much control going into the gravel trap. I tried to slow the bike as much as I could before tipping over. When I got back on track I knew there were a couple of slower guys out there so we could probably get some points. I got my head down and pushed and thought a top ten was possible. The groups kept coming back to me and the lap times were good so we got a good result considering. It’s unfortunate because I really think if we had clear track and started well we could have been in 46s all race long and battled for the podium. That’s racing, it sucks but there you go. I’m not going to blame anybody it’s just a shame, we’ll move on.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“It wasn’t the most exciting race but a lot happened. Of course we wanted to win but Dani was just a few tenths faster each lap. In the beginning Jorge had a chance to follow but mid race he couldn’t follow anymore so he let him go and settled for second. With Casey running wide it was a safe move as he had no chance to challenge Dani. We gained four points so we are 40 behind now. We’re still alive and let’s see race by race. With three rounds to go we have to try and extend the decision to make Casey Champion, until then we still have a chance.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“Despite the incident at turn three, Ben had a really good race. Watching all the other incidents that happened I think he could have got a podium because his pace was there. These accidents can happen in a race but it’s a shame. Jorge did his best; I don’t think he could have done better. He made a perfect race, a good start and he was always pushing to close the gap. We’re looking forward to the next race and we’ll keep pushing as hard as we can.”
Edwards and Crutchlow take points in incident-packed Motegi race
Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow both collected valuable World Championship points after an incident-packed Japanese Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit this afternoon.
Edwards made a welcome return to the top 10 with a hard fought eighth position, the experienced American being one of the few riders not to be involved in some sort of incident during a dramatic 24-lap race.
Crutchlow certainly had an eventful afternoon and the British rider salvaged a deserved 11th place having twice run off the 2.983 miles circuit while trying to fight his way into the top 10. He also had to ride through the pitlane for jumping the start, but determined to deliver the best re sult possible in Yamaha’s home race, he mounted a brilliant recovery to finish inside the points for the fourth successive race.
Starting from 14th, Edwards kept his composure as the chaotic action unfolded in front of him to move into seventh position on lap 18 having brilliantly pulled away from Twin Ring Motegi specialist Hiroshi Aoyama.
Edwards dropped back to eighth with factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies mounting an exciting surge back through the pack after he was caught up in a first lap incident with Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi.
At the chequered flag the 37-year-old was once again the top non-factory rider to move to 98-points with three races remaining.
Crutchlow was running in ninth place when he ran off track at Turn 3 on lap four after contact with Toni Elias. He dropped back to 15th and then lost a further 17 seconds when he was pena lised with a ride through pitlane for a jump start. He returned to the track in last position but never gave up and he salvaged five important World Championship points to strengthen his bid to be crowned 2011 Rookie of the Year.
Colin Edwards
Position 8th – Time +45.023
“What a race that was and I’m struggling to remember everything that happened because it seemed like each time I went round a corner somebody else was in the gravel! There was so much chaos it was just about surviving. Right away I knew Cal had jumped the start and then Valentino and Ben were in the gravel. Casey was then off track, so I just got my head down and once the hard rear tyre got heated up and working good, I put in some decent times around the halfway stage. It took me too long to get by Aoyama though and it is tough to sit behind somebody for such a long time without being able to pass. His style is basically to stop in the middle of the corner and fire it out using the power of the Honda, so he’d get a jump of a few metres with the advantage he had in acceleration. Honestly speaking, my pace wasn’t there all weekend, so to get eighth is a positive result and we can move on and try be much faster at Phillip Island, which is a great track.”
Cal Crutchlow
Position 11th – Time +1.13.964
“Where do you start after a race like that? I knew I’d jumped the start because directly in front of me was Simoncelli and I just let the clutch out when I saw him move. After that I just wanted to push to pick up as many places as I could before I needed to come in for the pitlane ride through. I was pushing to pass Elias but he braked really sharply at Turn 3 and I nearly ran into the back of him. That put me in the gravel, so if you take off the time I lost in that incident and the time I lost with the penalty, I’m sure I could have been in the top seven. After all the drama I just wanted to finish and get as many points as I could for Yamaha and for Tech 3 in such an important race. This is the fourth race in succession now that I’ve finished and I’m gaining a lot of experience. I haven’t felt my best physically this weekend and I didn’t know the track either, so to bag a few more points is a positive outcome and now I’m really excited about the last three races. I know Phillip Island, Sepang and Valencia, so hopefully I can have a really strong finish to the season.”
Hervé Poncharal – Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager
“That was an eventful race to say the least and I am really glad at the end that Colin and Cal were able to score good points. Colin had a relatively trouble-free race com pared to some of the others and it was good for him to be back inside the top 10 after a couple of difficult races. He took full advantage of the luck that came his way and once again the only riders in front of him are on factory machinery, so he can be pleased with his effort in Yamaha’s home race. Cal probably hasn’t had too many races like he experienced today but he deserves a lot of credit for never giving up and finishing. I think he just let the clutch out because he saw Dovizioso and Simoncelli move but he didn’t let that distract him. It was unfortunate that he ran off track in the early laps because as the race developed, he could have easily finished inside the top 10, despite the ride through. Both Colin and Cal showed a lot of fighting spirit today and I am sure the Yamaha fans appreciated their effort and hard work. Now we can look forward to Phillip Island hoping to see both of them inside the top 10.”
2011 MotoGP Japan
Twin Ring Motegi 02/10/2011 24 Laps
race I
1 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 42’47.481
2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0’07.299
3 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 0’18.380
4 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 0’23.550
5 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0’23.691
6 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 0’37.604
7 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0’39.167
8 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0’45.023
9 Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 0’49.074
10 Randy De Puniet Ducati FRA 0’59.022
11 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1’13.964
12 Kousuke Akiyoshi Honda JPN 1’21.709
13 Shinichi Ito Honda JPN 1’26.381
MotoGP World Standing
Rider Standings After Race 15 of 18
1. Casey Stoner Honda AUS 300
2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 260
3. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 196
4. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 195
5. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 156
6. Valentino Rossi Ducati ITA 139
7. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 123
8. Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 119
9. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 98
10. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 94
11. Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 77
12. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 67
13. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 57
14. Karel Abraham Ducati CZE 50
15. Toni Elias Honda ESP 47
16. Randy De Puniet Ducati FRA 39
Circuit Length:
4801
Temp:
19
Crowd:
34000
Weather:
Dry
Lap Record:
1’47.968
(Loris Capirossi, 1/1/2005)
Fastest Lap Ever:
1’45.267
(Casey Stoner, 10/2/2011)
Last Years Winner:
Casey Stoner
Manufacturer Standings
02/10/2011
1 Honda 355
2 Yamaha 294
3 Ducati 162
4 Suzuki 73
Team Standings
02/10/2011
1. Repsol Honda Team 470
2. Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team 416
3. Ducati Marlboro Team 262
4. San Carlo Honda Gresini 205
5. Monster Yamaha Tech3 155
6. Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP 77
7. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 73
8. Pramac Racing Team 68
9. Cardion AB Motoracing 50
10. LCR Honda MotoGP 47
