After securing a perfect victory in Brno a fortnight ago, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP is ready for another head-to-head at the British Grand Prix this weekend.
With a dominant victory at the Czech Grand Prix fresh in their memory, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP is eager to move on to the Octo British Grand Prix held this weekend at Silverstone.
The team arrives at the twelfth round feeling confident after two consecutive race weekends where riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi took two double podiums, making it a total of seven so far this season. Both riders looks forward to riding at Silverstone, which is another circuit with fast sweeping corners that’s well suited to their YZR-M1s.
Lorenzo is greatly admired by the British crowd. He holds the record for the rider with the most MotoGP wins at Silverstone, since the British Grand Prix moved there five years ago. He secured three premier class victories in 2010, 2012 and 2013 and is eager to step on the top of the rostrum again this weekend to create a gap between him and his teammate as they are currently tied for the lead in the championship.
Teammate Rossi has also been a favourite among British fans for many years and his popularity is highlighted this weekend as he set to become an Honorary Member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), arguably the most exclusive club in motor racing. Rossi is the first motorcycle rider to ever receive this honour and will be officially presented with his membership by BRDC President Derek Warwick.
To mark the special occasion, the nine-time World Champion is feeling extra motivated to win at Silverstone for the first time. He has been very successful on British soil in previous years, having secured three modern era premier class wins at Donington Park in 2002, 2004 and 2005 and two 500cc victories in 2000 and 2001.
Though Silverstone was only added to the MotoGP calendar in 2010, it has more than sixty years of history and is known as one of the most prestigious venues dedicated to motorsport. Thanks to innovations and investments the circuit became one of the fastest tracks on the calendar and earned high praise from the riders who enjoy the new layout and the cheering of the passionate British fans. Their enthusiasm for thrilling racing action gives the weekend an incredible atmosphere, making the British Grand Prix a must-be-at event.
Jorge Lorenzo
Championship: 1st, 211 points
“I’m quite happy after winning again in Brno. The last time I won there was in 2010, so I think it was also important for Yamaha to be back on the podium after five years. Now it’s time to go to England and I love that place. Especially the track is a great opportunity for us; it has a nice layout where our Yamaha YZR-M1 always behaves in a perfect way. It’s a very enjoyable track but also very demanding because it’s long and has plenty of high speed corners and change of directions, so you need to be in a perfect shape to be able to fight for the podium. I won several races at Silverstone in the past and I feel good there so hopefully this season we can achieve another great result on British soil.”
Valentino Rossi
Championship: 2nd, 211 points
“I’m always very happy to go to England for the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. It is a race with so much history and the atmosphere is always very nice during this weekend. There are many racing fans and you can feel the passion of the crowd each time you move in the paddock. I really like this circuit, it’s very fast and technical. I have done good races at this track and I am happy that the next race will be at Silverstone. We are at a very important point of the season and I hope I can have a good race! We have to improve the set-up of the bike and get ready for the race on Sunday. Now that Jorge and I are level on points it will be very important to consistently be fast.
“I am also very honoured to have been invited to become an Honorary Member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club. I know it’s very difficult to become a member of this exclusive club, there are very selective criteria. There is no rider in the BRDC, I will be the first and for this I am even more honoured. I look forward to meeting the President, Derek Warwick, who I know and esteem for his career in Formula 1. I hope that I will have a good result at the Silverstone Grand Prix to honour my entry into the British Racing Drivers’ Club!”
Massimo Meregalli – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“Silverstone is another race the team always enjoys going to, because the riders like the track and the British fans always give us a very warm reception. I have high expectations for this weekend and feel optimistic that we can get another good result, especially after securing two double podiums and a victory at the last two rounds. The morale of the team is high because Silverstone suits the YZR-M1 well. We have won a number of races there before and the riders are both in great physical scape. We intend to hit the ground running on Friday and be ready for Sunday early on in the race weekend. I look forward to a great show.”
Smith and Espargaro ready for full throttle Silverstone fight
The British Grand Prix challenge is up next for the confident Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pairing of Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro as they will aim to storm to two notable results aboard their Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bikes. The 12th round of the season will commence this weekend at the world famous 5.9 kilometre Silverstone track and both riders will be seeking to add strong finishes to their impressive scorings so far this year in the 20 lap race on Sunday. The renowned circuit is situated in the heart of England and is one of the fastest tracks on the MotoGP calendar, plus it has been the setting for many iconic motorsport battles over the last years.
Bradley Smith will contest his home Grand Prix at Silverstone and he fully intends to rocket to a fantastic result in front of his passionate fans. The 24 year old, who was born a short distance from the track, in Oxford, hopes to increase his confident and inspired run this year, which has seen him superbly finish no lower than 8th in every race in 2015. Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro has firmly set his sights on a top six position as he aims to continue his climb up the championship standings. The Spaniard holds fond memories of the Northamptonshire track having won the 2012 Moto2 race and he is fully optimistic of adding another solid performance to his Silverstone collection.
Bradley Smith
Championship: 5th, 106 points
“This weekend will be one of the highlights of the year for me as I will be riding in front of my fantastic fans at my home Grand Prix at Silverstone. I am hugely excited for the race on Sunday and of course I will be giving nothing less than 110% as I aim to clinch a super result aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. So far this season has been very positive with some really strong finishes and is definitely a testament of how hard and closely the team and I have been working. Therefore, I will be pushing again this weekend as I intend to be fighting in the top six or maybe even higher on Sunday. My best result at Silverstone was 2nd in the wet race in the Moto2 class during the 2011 season after qualifying in 28th. Of course, this is a very happy memory, but it motivates me more than ever for this weekend. We don’t know what to expect with the weather, but I am ready and I will do my best to get my fans cheering and their support really spurs me on, so I hope to hear them all around the track!”
Pol Espargaro
Championship: 8th, 81 points
“Next up for us is the British Grand Prix which is an event that I thoroughly enjoy and I can’t wait to get out on track and do my best again. Overall, the result in the Czech republic was positive as I completed the race in 8th, yet it is not where I want to be finishing as I know our potential is much higher than this position. We struggled a bit all weekend at Brno, but we have done our homework and we are sure that we can hit the ground running at Silverstone. I have some good memories of the British track, such as winning in 2012 in the Moto2 and also scoring a 2nd place finish in 2010 in the 125 class. Silverstone is fast, there’s no doubt about that and we will be hoping to take advantage of the rapid corners, which should suit the Yamaha’s nature. Therefore, I feel confident and I know the team will do a great job which will allow me to battle with my teammate for a top result at this race.”
Forward Racing goes to England
The historic circuit of Silverstone will host the twelfth race of the 2015 season this weekend; the riders of the Forward Racing team will be racing on the English track in order to repeat the good results produced in Brno.
Loris Baz, the first Open to cross the line on the Czech track, is eager to get back on his Yamaha Forward to further shorten the distance from his direct opponent, Hector Barbera, who is only five points ahead in the standings. The Frenchman, who finished in front of everyone at Silverstone 2013 in Superbike, is convinced that he can adapt his setup well to the British circuit and get involved in the fight for points and class victory.
Claudio Corti, now on his third race of the season with Forward, is feeling positive. The Italian is picking up the class’ pace and is confident of being able to come close to the other Open guys in this race weekend.
Loris Baz
Championship: 17th, 15 points
“Getting back on track at Brno was really a great satisfaction and the class victory was the best way to repay the hard work the guys of the team have done in the recent months. Silverstone is a track I like and where I won in 2012 and 2013 in Super Bike. We will start from the Brno setting to find the best setup for the race. I am motivated to do well and to recover some more points in the standings from Barbera ahead of me.”
Claudio Corti
Championship: –
“I can’t wait to get on track at Silverstone this weekend. It will be the third race for me with Yamaha Forward and I expect a good result. The level of this category is very high, I’m trying to get back the pace and the goal is definitely to shorten the distance from the other Open bikes.”
2015 MotoGP United Kingdom
Silverstone 26/08/2015
Circuit Length:
5900
Lap Record:
2’01.941
(Daniel Pedrosa, 1-1-2013)
Fastest Lap Ever:
2’00.691
(Marc Marquez, 1-9-2013)
Last Years Winner:
Marc Marquez
