BRADL ENDS 10TH AFTER A CHAOTIC RACE AT THE CATHEDRAL

Courtesy of LCR Honda

Assen, 28 June: typical Dutch weather has bedeviled the MotoGP field even today just before the start of the 26-lap race which was initially delayed due to wet conditions. The LCR racer Stefan Bradl, who started from the third row, had another tough race culminated with a crash during the sightseeing lap. Luckily the German escaped unhurt from the incident rejoining his colleagues on the grid but they all changed to dry set-up machines at a certain point of the race. The Bavarian could not find the proper feeling neither in the wet nor in the dry and managed to finish the 8th round in 10th place. Bradl: “It was a disappointing weekend for us and a crazy race which I did not enjoy at all. I crashed during the sightseeing lap on my dry bike and I immediately thought that I was living a nightmare. I tried to jump back on my bike but it was very damaged so I climbed over the wall running back to my garage for taking the second bike. It was set-up for wet conditions and in that moment it was raining so we started the race like this but for me it was tough to find the right feeling in the wet. Unfortunately I was not fast enough and it took me too much time to find the speed. After some laps I entered the pits to swap the bike to go but it was probably too late…. maybe I should have entered the pits one lap earlier. But even in the dry we missed some speed to perform well. I am really looking forward to my home race now because I can count on the support of my crowd”.

Rossi Rides to Fifth in Chaotic Assen TT

Courtesy of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

 Copyrights 2014 Yamaha Motor Racing Srl

Assen (The Netherlands), 28th June 2014 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi rode impressively this afternoon to take fifth during an unpredictable race at the Assen TT. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo briefly led the race, but later fell back after a tyre change, finishing in 13th place. There was uncertainty before the start of the Dutch GP, with the riders already on the starting grid when the race was delayed due to the rainy conditions. It was finally declared a wet race and two extra sighting laps were given. Rossi initially went out on slicks but decided last-minute to change to wets after the warm-up lap. Though this meant he had to start the race from pit lane, the setback didn’t hold him back for long and he was quick to move up the order, reaching 13th by lap three. At the end of lap six chaos ensued again as the track started to form a dry line and half of the riders came into the pits for another tyre change. Rossi dived into the pits with the first group, rejoining the race in tenth position. He was quick to find a good rhythm and closed the gap of 2.325s to Pol Espargaro, Carl Crutchlow, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl over the next six laps. The Doctor then only took another three laps to move up to fifth place. He was consistently closing on Aleix Espagaro in fourth, but there were not enough laps, leaving him to hold fifth at the line Teammate Jorge Lorenzo had a good start, the Spaniard moving up from ninth to sixth in the first lap. Having found a good wet pace, he threatening to break into the top five when changing weather again disrupted the race. Lorenzo made the change to a dry bike and having returned in 17th was able to move up several positions to 13th by the flag. With fifth place Rossi scores 11 points and is now tied for second place in the championship with Dani Pedrosa, 128 points behind Marc Marquez. Jorge Lorenzo gains three points, leaving him in fifth in the championship standings, ten points behind Dovizioso in fourth.

 

Valentino Rossi 5th / +25.813 / 26 laps   “You know, I took a risk because the conditions looked good but unfortunately one minute before the start it started to rain again so I had to change bike and start from last. It’s a shame because if I had started with the wets I could stay in front with the top guys. Anyway it’s something about luck today and unfortunately this time it ended like this. I’m quite satisfied with the rest of the race because I had good pace and a good feeling with the bike. Also here in Assen I was quite fast.”   Profile

Jorge Lorenzo 13th / +1’04.641 / 26 laps   “I have to say that the bike was working quite well on the wet and the dry, I just had a bad race as a rider. My confidence wasn’t great; I didn’t want to crash like last year. I didn’t have value enough like the other riders to go fast, it was a bad race for me. I would like to apologize with my team, the engineers and my fans because they all did their best but today it was definitely my worst race ever. In the dry I’m confident and not afraid of crashing but when it’s spitting maybe I have the memory of last year and I didn’t have things clear in my mind. In future if something happens like this I hope to be more confident and less scared of crashing.”   Profile

Massimo Meregalli   “Unfortunately it was clear from the start of the weekend that the weather was going to be the biggest factor today. As always the team worked hard from the first session to give both Vale and Jorge the best possible set up for the race. In typical Assen fashion we had the weather changing every couple of minutes in the lead up to the start, making it a real gamble to decide which tyres to start on. Having started from the pit lane Vale did well to come back and ride through the chaos to take fifth. Jorge gambled on staying out a lap later than the leaders to change to slicks and so had a bigger challenge to come back. It’s a shame as our results don’t represent what we have been capable of here, had the weather been more consistent. We’ll put this weekend behind us now and hope for either fully wet or fully dry at the Sachsenring!”

 

RACE RESULTS
	1. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 43’29.954 2. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team + 6.714 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team + 10.791 4. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing + 19.199 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP + 25.813 6. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing + 29.003 7. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go&Fun Honda Gresini + 30.882 8. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 + 30.985 9. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Ducati Team + 44.031 10. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda MotoGP + 48.662 11. Brok Parkes (AUS) Paul Bird Motorsport + 51.863 12. Scott Redding (GBR) Go&Fun Honda Gresini + 1’00.329 13. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP + 1’04.641 14. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing + 1’05.980 15. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Octo Iodaracing Team + 1’17.611 16. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Drive M7 Aspar + 1’19.753 17. Nicky Hayden (USA) Drive M7 Aspar + 1’27.630 18. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Racing + 1’28.142 19. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Energy T.I. Pramac Racing After 1 laps 20. Mike Di Meglio (FRA) Avintia Racing After 1 laps 21. Michael Laverty (GBR) Paul Bird Motorsport After 1 laps 22. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing After 3 laps 23. Pol Espargarò (SPA) Monster Yamaha Tech3 Not classified (8 laps)
	CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
	1. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 200 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 128 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 128 4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team 91 5. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 81 6. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 67 7. Pol Espargarò (SPA) Monster Yamaha Tech3 58 8. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda MotoGP 56 9. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing 51 10. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 48 11. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 43 12. Scott Redding (GBR) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 29 13. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 27 14. Nicky Hayden (USA) Drive M7 Aspar 26 15. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Drive M7 Aspar 24 16. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Ducati Team 22 17. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 15 18. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 8 19. Michele Pirro (ITA) Ducati Team 7 20. Brok Parkes (AUS) Paul Bird Motorsport 6 21. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Octo Iodaracing Team 3 22. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Racing 2
	CIRCUIT INFORMATION
	Technical Informations Circuit Assen Location Assen, The Netherlands Length (m) 4542 Width (m) 14 Turns 18 Turns righ 12 Turns left 6 Pole position left Record Lap Time 1’34.548 Rider D.Pedrosa Bike Honda Year 2012 Best Lap Time 1’33.462 Rider M.Marquez Bike Honda Year 2014 2013 Results 1st V.Rossi (Yamaha): 41’25.202 2nd M.Marquez (Honda): +2.170 3rd C.Crutchlow (Yamaha): +4.073

 

 

 

 

 

Kent takes eighth at Assen

Courtesy of Husqvarna Motorcycles

Husqvarna factory rider Danny Kent finishes solid eighth at Moto3 Dutch TT in Assen Husqvarna factory rider Danny Kent had his strongest race so far this season at the Moto3 Dutch TT in Assen on Saturday in Rd. 8 of the Moto3 World Championship to finish eighth. The race however did not end happily for Husqvarna supported Niklas Ajo who exited in the fifth lap after a massive high-side spoiled his aspirations for a best-ever finish. Both riders showed the promise of delivering strong performances in the Dutch race. Ajo, of Finland started on the front row of the grid for the first time in his career, but he had crashed during the warm-up session earlier in the morning on the still partly wet surface.  The circuit had seen a deluge of rain on Friday afternoon and it was clear that race conditions were going to be tricky. Ajo got away well at the start and ran with the lead group before his untimely exit. Kent started from eleventh place on the grid but by the time Ajo went out, he was amongst a tight group of six riders fighting it out for eventual fourth place, all within one second of each other. Kent was sitting in fourth place through laps 17-21 but lost out in the hard fought scramble in the final seconds of the race and had to settle for eventual eighth. The result was still a confidence booster for the British rider. Danny Kent: “Undoubtedly we have taken a step forward. All weekend we worked better, both me, when I put in a lot of laps by myself, and with the team as we showed in the race. I’m a little disappointed because I think I had enough pace to go with Oliveira and try to catch the two at the front, but every time I took the lead of the group, other riders overtook me on the straights and then were slower on the corners. That allowed the leaders to escape and I couldn’t fight for the podium. The Husqvarna worked really well but in this class it is very easy to take advantage of a slipstream to gain positions on the straights. Overall I’m pretty happy and we have to continue like this.” Team boss Aki Ajo said Kent had put in a good week and showed more concentration in the lead-up to Saturday’s race. “Also in the race he showed really good potential and a good speed. He was fighting a lot. He was just maybe a little bit unlucky in the last lap so it was a really positive race for Danny,” Ajo said. He added that the last few races had also been really positive for Niklas and confirmed that he had made a big step. “Yesterday was a great time practice for him but today was not his day, He already had problems in the warm-up and in the race he didn’t get the feeling with the rear tire. He tried to push while in the big group and finally he crashed.” The next round of the championship is the GP of Germany on the Sachsenring on July 13. More at www. motogp.com Moto GP of The Netherlands – Assen Circuit – Round 8 Moto3 Results 1, Alex Marquez, ESP, Honda, 38:07.648 2, Alex Rins, ESP, Honda, 38:10.608 3, Miguel Oliveira, POR, Mahindra, 38:11.292 4, Alexis Masbou, FRA, Honda, 38:23.998 5, Niccolo Antonelli, ITA, KTM, 38:24.114 .. 8, Danny Kent, GBR, Husqvarna, 38:24.207 DNF Niklas Ajo, FIN, Husqvarna

Aleix Espargaro reflects on securing first pole position

Courtesy of MotoGP

NGM Forward Racing’s Aleix Espargaro claimed his first pole position in Grand Prix racing in a hectic Q2 at the Iveco Daily TT Assen.

Assen 2014 – MotoGP – Q2 – Interview – Aleix Espargaro

Several MotoGP™ riders left the pits at the same time, eager to beat the rain as the 15-minute dash got underway, whilst Espargaro held back slightly – a decision that would prove critical. The ‘Open’ Yamaha rider was able to pick his way through the field on their one dry flying lap.

A 1’38.789s put Espargaro 1.405s clear of Marc Marquez in second before the rain came, cementing the Spaniard’s first pole position in 150 GPs.

“It was a strange qualifying, but that is usual in Assen. At the beginning of the session it was raining and all my team and the Bridgestone guy told me to go quick. But I saw all the other guys going in a bit of chaos. I took a risk and waited 20 seconds. I went alone on the track and I saw 11 riders ahead of me. I pushed and I was a lot faster than them,” commented Espargaro.

Looking ahead he added, “It is fantastic to get my first pole at my favourite track. Since Qatar we have been hunting for pole, I have made some big mistakes so it is great to claim it here. Tomorrow will be a special day and we have a solid pace. It will be strange to be P1 ahead of Marquez, my objective is to fight with the factory guys for the maximum laps. Our pace is quite good.”

“I prefer it dry as I have a better feeling and pace. In the wet we don’t have any electronics settings. Regardless it will be hard to follow the Repsol Honda bikes,” he concluded on Saturday’s chance of rain.

Iannone secures top Ducati spot at Assen

Courtesy of MotoGP

Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone secured fourth on the grid ahead of both Ducati Team riders at the Iveco Daily TT Assen on Friday.

Iannone happy with strong Q2 performance

Mixed weather made for a tricky Q2 at the historic Assen track. ‘Open’ equipped Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) was able to claim pole ahead of factory riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda).

Iannone put in an impressive performance, fighting through a group of riders to achieve a 1’40.786s, good enough for fourth. Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) was fifth, with fellow factory rider Andrea Dovizoso in seventh.

Italian rider Iannone has put in several strong performances this season, qualifying in second at Mugello and regularly finishing in the top 10.

“I am very happy for this qualifying, it was really hard because the track was wet. I pushed really hard in my first lap and this result is fantastic. It is the second row, which is important for the race,” said the MotoGP™ sophomore.

He continued, “I am happy because I keep improving, I hope tomorrow I can fight with the front guys and keep pushing. We’ll try our hardest for our best ever race and our aim is to be top Ducati.”

Crutchlow makes best of weather to get fifth

Courtesy of MotoGP

In a remarkable Iveco Daily TT Assen Q2 session, marked by light rain that increased in intensity, Cal Crutchlow managed to make the best of the conditions to set fifth quickest time.

The British rider put together a good result after four difficult free practice sessions. Forced to take part in Q1, Crutchlow managed to move through to the next round, lapping in 1’34.598. Then at the start of Q2, as the rain increased, he immediately set a time of 1’40.796, which earned him fifth place on the grid for the race, his best qualifying performance so far with Ducati.

Crutchlow commented, “Obviously again today was a tough challenging day. We went the wrong way with the set-up in FP4 and I couldn’t make the bike turn at all, but then for Q1 we changed something and it seemed to get better. My lap time was almost as fast as my pole time last year, so we can’t really say anything!”

“In the damp conditions, I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t get past the riders in front of me because I feel we could have taken better advantage. The reality is that this afternoon we played the right cards and I threw the chips all in.”

Mihara wins tricky Rookies Cup thriller

Courtesy of MotoGP

Soushi Mihara scored his second Rookies Cup victory with a masterful display of wet weather riding to take Race 1 at the Iveco Daily TT Assen.

After what was a thrilling and incident strewn race the 14-year-old Japanese rider finally had an almost ten second advantage over Cup points leader Jorge Martin at the flag, with Briton Brad Ray further back in third.

Mihara was not one of the pre race favourites, coming off the third row of the grid after qualifying seventh, but he was soon in the frame as he picked off riders at every corner on lap one to chase Stefano Manzi across the line at the end of the first of fourteen laps. When the 15-year-old Italian crashed out exiting the Strubben early in lap two Mihara had the lead.

It was a healthy advantage at the end of that lap as 16-year-old Australian Olly Simpson and 17-year-old Italian Manuel Pagliani tucked into second. It was an advantage that varied with every corner, it grew as large as almost three second but was often down to much less than two as the three leaders tested the limits of grip on various lines going quicker and quicker in the very tricky conditions.

With nine laps to go Pagliani pushed even harder and got the gap down to a second, Simpson tried to go with him but crashed. “I just got into the corner a bit hard, over some ripples on the brakes and the front tyre came off the ground and washed out, that was it,” explained the South Australian.

Pagliani continued to close on Mihara and as soon as he got onto his tail, swept past as they started lap 10. It had all the makings of a great battle as Mihara responded immediately by going with him. They were both pushing the limit and once Mihara ran wide as he almost lost the front but three corners later was right on Pagliani’s tail again.

Lap 12 saw Mihara back in front and he really charged, Pagliani responded but made a small error that cost him time then crashed on the penultimate lap trying to make it up. “I was really determined to push at the end, I knew I was going to have to ride very hard to get away, I just pushed and pushed. Then on the last lap I looked behind and couldn’t believe it, there was no-one there,” he added with a slight grin and a twinkle in his eye. “I went into the race with the goal of winning it and now that has moved me from third to second in the points table.”

Even though only 4 of the 14 races have been run the riders are obviously think of the Cup positions. “That was a great result for me,” confirmed Martin. “I was pushing as hard as I could and was catching Pagliani and Simpson to try and get on the podium but I didn’t want to take too many chances. When they both crashed I just took it very easy as I was very happy with the points for second. I hope Race 2 is dry though, last night we found the problem I was having in qualifying with the front and the bike should be good for a dry race, it is more fun and less dangerous.”

Third man home Ray is also hoping for a dry Race 2. “I was just too cautious on the opening lap, they were all coming past me. Then I got going, felt more confident and started to pass people. OK I was lucky in the end that a couple of guys in front fell off and I got on the podium but that’s racing. A wet race tomorrow would be OK but it is a lot more fun in the dry when you can be more aggressive.”

It was a very similar experience for pole man Bo Bendsneyder, the 15-year-old Netherlander. “The first corner was a disaster, I just couldn’t feel the front and went backwards, it was a while before I got confident in the front but when I did I started pushing and just went faster and faster. I could see Joan Mir and Brad Ray ahead and I knew that was the battle for the podium. I managed to get Joan on the last lap but just couldn’t get Brad coming out of the last corner,” he concluded after claiming the fast lap of the race on the final tour.

Wells, Nash head into weekend with Pro XCT standings leads after Missoula XC

Courtesy of USA Cycling

(June 27, 2014) — Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing) moved into the lead of the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour (Pro XCT) by virtue of a third-place finish on June 22 at the Missoula XC in Missoula, Mont., while the Czech Republic’s Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) padded her lead in the women’s standings with a victory in Missoula.

Men
Wells passed previous men’s leader Geoff Kabush (CAN/Scott-3Rox Racing) in the Pro XCT men’s standings after Kabush crossed the line in 12th place at the Missoula XC. Wells now tops the standings with 650 points, 35 points better than Kabush. Max Plaxton (CAN/Cannondale Factory Team) holds on to third place in the standings with 515 points after finishing ninth. Moving into the top five were Derek Zandstra (CAN/3-Rox Racing) and Benjamin Sonntag (Durango, Colo./Clif Bar) after placing fourth and eighth, respectively in Missoula. Zandstra now sits in fourth place with 440 points, while Sonntag holds down the fifth spot with 345 points.

The top four of the USA Cycling US Cup Pro Series presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group Pro Series standings men’s standings after three of four races are Kabush with 94 points, Wells with 79, Plaxton with 69 and Sergio Mantecon Gutierrez (ESP/Trek Factory Racing) with 57. Marco Aurelio Fontana (ITA/Cannondale Factory Racing) and Manuel Fumic (GER/Cannondale Factory Racing) are tied for fifth place with 53 points apiece.

Women
Nash’s win in Missoula gives her a 300-point lead over her closest competitor in the Pro XCT women’s standings with 950 points. Catherine Pendrel (CAN/Luna Pro Team) is next in line with 650 points. A second-place showing in Missoula vaulted Evelyn Dong (Salt Lake City, Utah/Backcountry.com) from fifth place to third place in the standings with 545 points.
Emily Batty (CAN/Trek Factory Racing) dropped one spot to fourth place with 500 points, while Erin Huck (Boulder, Colo./Tokyo Joe’s-VCGraphix.com) entered the top five in fifth place with 450 points following a fourth-place finish at Missoula.

Heading into the final stop for the US Cup Pro Series this weekend in Colorado Springs, Nash leads the way in that series’ standings with 107 points, trailed by Pendrel with 94, Batty with 82, Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna Pro Team) with 70 and Dong with 61.

Full results from Missoula XC.

USA Cycling Pro XCT Standings: Men 1. Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing) — 650 2. Geoff Kabush (CAN/Scott-3Rox Racing) — 615 3. Max Plaxton (CAN/Cannondale Factory Team) — 515 4. Derek Zandstra (CAN/3-Rox Racing) — 440 5. Benjamin Sonntag (Durango, Colo./Clif Bar) — 345 Women 1. Katerina Nash (CZE/Luna Pro Team) — 950 2. Catherine Pendrel (CAN/Luna Pro Team) — 650 3. Evelyn Dong (Salt Lake City, Utah/Backcountry.com) — 545 4. Emily Batty (CAN/Trek Factory Racing) — 500 5. Erin Huck (Boulder, Colo./Tokyo Joe’s-VCGraphix.com) — 450 USA Cycling US Cup Pro Series presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group Standings: Men 1. Geoff Kabush (CAN/Scott-3Rox Racing) — 94 2. Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Racing) — 79 3. Max Plaxton (CAN/Cannondale Factory Team) — 69 4. Sergio Mantecon Gutierrez (ESP/Trek Factory Racing) — 57 5. Marco Aurelio Fontana (ITA/Cannondale Factory Racing) — 53 5. Manuel Fumic (GER/Cannondale Factory Racing) — 53 Women 1. Katerina Nash (CZE/Luna Pro Team) — 107 2. Catherine Pendrel (CAN/Luna Pro Team) — 94 3. Emily Batty (CAN/Trek Factory Racing) — 82 4. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna Pro Team) — 70 5. Evelyn Dong (Salt Lake City, Utah/Backcountry.com) — 61

For complete Pro XCT standings, click here. For complete US Cup Pro Series standings, click here. The Pro XCT continues June 28, in Colorado Springs, Colo., where the first champions will be crowned in the finale of the USA Cycling US Cup Pro Series presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group. Watch the live stream of the US Cup Pro Series finale on Saturday, June 28. PHOTO: Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) celebrates her victory at Missoula on June 22. (photo by Tom Robertson)