MotoGP Blog

MotoGPBlog does not regurgitate press releases and PR from the teams - this has been a policy from the start for the blog. However, this is something special from Yamaha and Rossi - a real insight into the mindset of the new World Champion and the process he has been through over the last three seasons. It has been a journey, one in which Rossi himself says he has come of age. All the issues, the broken hand, the below par bike, the tax problem, have served to make him stronger, make him a more complete rider and what he is today: eight times World Champion. Over to Valentino.

“I think it’s difficult to say, but maybe this is even better than the first championship with Yamaha in 2004. In 2004 I arrived after three championships in a row; the change was very big and no one expected me to win then, not even us to be honest! But this year is great too because I didn’t start as the number one favourite after losing for two years. The taste of this is something special.

“In 2006 I lost because of bad luck; I still won the most races and was the fastest on track for most of the time, but in 2007 Stoner was a lot faster than us and so we got to the end with a big of disadvantage. Winning this championship was very difficult but also very, very important.

“The decision to change to Bridgestone tyres, which I took together with Jeremy, my team and all the Yamaha crew, was very important, as were the changes to the bike because the first 800cc M1 last year was not competitive enough. We spoke a lot during last season and I remember a strange meeting in Valencia last year, me with a broken hand, speaking with Furusawa about 2008. From then we started to work on the improvements for this season. It’s also been important to have the right people in the right place and this year everything has been correct. It’s been step-by-step.

“I think I have made a lot of good decisions this year and we have been competitive from the start. Qatar was the worst race of the season but I knew our potential was good so, although we were a bit worried at that point, we weren’t desperate because we knew if we fixed a few problems we could try to win.

“I grew up a lot in the last two years, because at the end of 2005 I had a great career and I had won all the important targets so far. 125, 250 and then five titles in a row in MotoGP with two different bikes – I felt unbeatable. But in 2006 and 2007 I learnt to lose and this has been very important. I came out much stronger and my level of concentration and effort to win this championship has been higher than ever before.

“This season has had some different periods. At the beginning of the year we had some important results when Bridgestone wasn’t the strongest: Jerez, Portugal and others, and in that period we took a big advantage from Stoner. After Barcelona Casey started to ride like a demon and dominated three races in a row, and then we went to Laguna which was the turning point of the season. Laguna was a real battle and from then on we have flown.

“The show after the race was one of my friends pretending to be a ‘notary’, signing and certificating the eighth championship ‘deed’. It was very exciting to be planning the championship t-shirt and celebration once again with my friends and fan club and the one we came up with is funny I think, it says ‘I’m sorry for the delay!’

“I am very content at Yamaha and this is why I signed for two more years. I had some good offers at other factories, but I already changed bike once and proved everything I wanted to and so there is no need to do that again. Also I am no longer 20 years old and I need a good atmosphere in my team in order to keep me focused and happy, and I have this at Yamaha. The atmosphere in our team, from the Japanese all the way down to the garage is fantastic and this is what makes me want to stay.

“I think 2009 will be even more difficult than this year. Now I am the world champion again and I have demonstrated that I am still very fast; I think I rode the best of my career this year apart from the mistake in Assen, but next year is another story, it depends on how the winter is and how Stoner, Pedrosa and also Lorenzo are next year, as well as the other riders because there are many fast people in this championship. I think it will be a great championship and I’m looking forward to it, but first I want to finish this year and try to win the final three races!

“As I said, there are many strong riders but of course I hope that in the future nobody will win like Valentino Rossi! Maybe my brother Luca will be as strong as me…I wanted to take him on my bike on the celebration lap, but they did not allow it. Maybe I will wait for him to be a MotoGP rider before quitting, then I will beat him in the first year, and then I will stop riding!

“When you are 20 or 22 yrs old, you live everything in a different way. It’s different… In 2000, maybe, I could have won on my debut, but I underestimated myself! In 2001 it was the last chance for me to win in 500, so I gave it my best and did that. In 2001 it was the year of the battle with Biaggi, in 2002 it was the year when everybody said that I won because of my bike, then 2003 was the year of Gibernau, it was hard until the end. They were fantastic years but with Yamaha it is different. I enjoy it more.

“During 2003 I started thinking about Yamaha. Of course I was scared about the new challenge, it was a big question mark. This year, when I tested the new bike and the new tyres, I understood that I could win. In 2004, however, when I tested the new bike I understood we had to work a lot. Sincerely, the feeling of winning in Welkom in 2004 was the strongest emotion of my career; more so than in Laguna Seca this year. The 2005 the M1 was very fast and that one and the 2008 one are the best Yamaha bikes ever.

“I think Stoner next year will be back stronger again, so maybe he is the hardest rival I have ever had, more than Gibernau and all the others I fought against in the past. Last year I was sorry that after so many successful years, some people thought Valentino was finished and Casey was the new Valentino. As I said, until I stop riding a bike, my objective will always be to win. I like this life and I always try to do my best in it.”

It was a cooler day today, six degrees down on yesterday. However, it was dry and never threatened rain for once.

Cracking starts from Pedrosa, Stoner and Hayden saw them come through to the front off the line, and Lorenzo get the jump on Rossi in the first couple of corners. As the rest of the field tracked through the first couple of corners it was to be an early bath for wildcard Akiyoshi, who dropped his big chance at turn 2.

Up at the front, Stoner and Pedrosa had their heads down and were gapping Hayden, while Rossi forced his way past Lorenzo for fourth place, and then Hayden for third. The Italian then set about catching Stoner and Pedrosa at the front.

Rossi clearly had the speed through the corners and was using this to his advantage through the S-curves and Hairpin bend in particular to close on the leaders. Both the Honda and the Ducati had the drop on him out of the final corner and down the start/finish straight on sheer acceleration. There were just enough corners where he had the advantage for him to close, lap by lap, on the leaders.

Stoner, clearly faster than Pedrosa but unable to pass owing to the Honda’s speed out of corners and immense speed down the straights. It looks like the Honda with Pedrosa on board clearly matches the Ducati for acceleration. Finally, on the turn right and under the oval, Stoner lunges and forces them both wide and slow. Stoner immediately apologises to Pedrosa by raising his left hand, but does not hand him the place back, and quite rightly so: this is racing after all. However, the move upsets both of the leader’s rhythms, and Rossi uses this to his advantage to close further. Within two corners, Rossi passes Pedrosa, and this is the last Pedrosa will challenge at the front.

As Pedrosa is dropped by Stoner and Rossi, the chasing pack of Hayden, Lorenzo and Capirossi starts to close. Within half a lap, Lorenzo emerges at the front after passing Hayden, and sets about catching Pedrosa. It was a chase that would last to the end of the race.

Stoner responds to Rossi setting a fastest lap of the race and gaps Valentino slightly - can he hold him off to the end of the race? Meanwhile Lorenzo makes steady progress against Pedrosa who’s performance seems to have dropped off - is the Honda already reducing power to save fuel?

With eleven laps to go, Rossi passes Stoner and gets the hammer down. He was not to be seriously threatened for the remainder of the race. It was 11 laps of faultless, fast riding from the champion, taking his eighth title in style. Meanwhile, Lorenzo had a podium in sight, if he could just pass Pedrosa.

It took Jorge ten of the remaining laps to catch Pedrosa, and a last lap dive for the inside, using the superior corner speed of the Yamaha almost resulted in glory, or disaster. In the end it was neither, as his front Michelin appeared to briefly make contact with Pedrosa’s Bridgestone rear. However both continued in position, Lorenzo coming off the worst, his challenge over.

With a check back over his shoulder to ensure Stoner was far enough back, Rossi hoisted his front wheel for a massive wheelie over the line. Stoner and Lorenzo also joined him in celebrations, and first to Rossi was Casey Stoner, graciously slapping Rossi on the back.

Thereafter followed a bizarre, stage managed celebration by Rossi, in which he donned a t-shirt reading “sorry for the delay” in Italian with a clock showing 8 o’clock. He then sat at a desk and signed the back of a helmet with a chequered flag motif (all caught on a camera attached to the pen - like I said, well staged managed). He then put the helmet on and rode around to the celebrations proper. Even his Mum was in the paddock.

And that was it, bar the champagne. Rossi takes his eighth World Championship with a stunning run of victories. There was no riding for 4th place today. He was riding for the win.

Autosport are reporting that the single tyre rule for MotoGP in 2009 has been announced. There are now five days for tyre manufacturers to submit their proposals and the selected supplier will be announced on the 18th October.

The reasons why MotoGPBlog believes this to be a bad idea were documented last year, and not a lot has happened to change this.

Do not assume the single tyre supplier will be Bridgestone - Michelin were first to the PR punch this morning.

Significant resistance is being encountered by Dorna in the organisation’s attempts to introduce a single-make tyre rule in the MotoGP class in 2009. The grounds for the proposal this year are to limit corner speeds and increase rider safety, without circuit owners incurring large costs year on year for further improvements, run off areas, air fences and so on. In other words, the aim is to slow down the bikes.

There is a meeting of the Grand Prix commission (see previous post on the 600cc class war for the details of the make-up of the GPC) to make the call this weekend. MotoGPBlog understands the following:
- IRTA (the teams) want a single tyre rule to cut costs and save money.
- Dorna want a single tyre rule to cut costs for circuit owners. The IRTA and Dorna will therefore vote the same way, as per usual.
- MSMA (the manufacturers) do not want the single tyre rule as this reduces competition and differentiators between the teams. All the factory teams have tyres made specifically for their chassis and suspension set-ups. If all have the same tyre, that is one less factor to make the difference. Provided the MSMA vote unanimously, they hold a veto over the proposal, in the same way as they did last year.

This impasse has led to some interesting proposals. Ducati have offered to run their three satellite bikes on Michelins, and have not ruled out switching all five to Michelin. This is the same approach they used when Bridgestone arrived on the scene: take advantage of having something different to Rossi to beat him, as beating him on the same equipment is harder.

There is, according to Eurosport, a gentleman’s agreement between the tyre companies that the field be split no more widely than 60/40 between the tyre companies. With five Ducatis on Michelins, this would mean a further three Michelin runners would need to be found. Where might these come from?

Repsol Honda are likely to keep Bridgestones for Pedrosa, but it is not impossible that Dovizioso stays on Michelins on the other side of the garage. Yamaha will almost certainly be all-Bridgestone next year. If the Gresini Hondas also took Michelins, and LCR and Scott take Bridgestones, the deal is done. Also potential Michelin runners are all three Kawasakis, after their less than brilliant showing this season.

And so it is not impossible that the tyre situation is resolved in a way that allows Michelin and Bridgestone to continue to compete. It is also still very possible that the single-make tyre rule will still be introduced. With luck we will know this weekend.

As has happened all too few times this year, the qualifying session at Motegi started dry and sunny.

Rossi took the initial pole, but Stoner was never far behind, matching Rossi to within couple of hundredths. Cheekily nipping to an early third place was Toni Elias, achieved by latching on to the back of Stoner on his hot lap, something that gets the Aussie’s back up.

A couple of hot laps later and provisional pole swaps between Rossi and Stoner, Casey pulling a 1:47.484. As a measure of this pace Capirossi, winner of the last three races here and holder of the lap record was 10th 0.6 seconds off the pace.

30 minutes in to the session and a group of four contenders for pole have emerged: Rossi, Stoner, Lorenzo, and Pedrosa.

As per usual, de Puniet is the first to try qualifiers and he takes pole with a 1:47.172. Everyone follows suit and the pole time tumbles:
- Edwards: 1:47.082
- Capirossi 1:47.0
- Hayden goes 1:46.666
- Rossi 1:46.5

After this rush to the tape, Stoner is down in 8th and Pedrosa away down in 15th, but neither have tried a qualifier, with 18 minutes to go.

Stoner finally tries the stickier rubber and sets a new target for the rest of the field: 1:45.831.
The battle is hotting up now: Lorenzo 1:45.750, with 13 minutes to go. Meanwhile Rossi can only manage a 1:46.3, fastest in first sector and PB in other sectors.

Hayden suddenly finds his speed, landing 3rd, 0.4 secs off Jorge, and de Puniet stays in the saddle to take 5th place. Not for long though, as Pedrosa comes out on qualifiers and goes 5th. On the same lap, Rossi pulls himself up to 3rd.

With 5 minutes to go the order is:
Lorenzo, Stoner, Rossi, Hayden, Pedrosa, de Puniet

The track is momentarily quiet, with only Hayden on an out lap as the rest put in their final qualifiers - the rest that is except Stoner, who has exhausted his allocation. A flurry of riders head out of the pit lane for their final run, and about half a lap around Hayden catches the rider at the back, West, who is not looking behind and blocks Hayden’s run. Hayden immediately backs off and saves his tyres for another run with everyone else.

Capirossi is at the head of the pack, and moves up to 5th. Just behind, de Angelis falls at last corner, and despite brave marshals running out into the track to recover his bike, several of the riders have to slow, including Rossi.

Unaffected was Lorenzo with the eventual pole time of 1:45.543, Pedrosa and Hayden also improving.

The front rows for tomorrow are:
Lorenzo, Stoner, Hayden,
Rossi, Pedrosa, Capirossi

Capirex’s performance means he is in with a chance of a fourth win in a row, while Rossi will be moderately happy to be top of the second row, ahead of Pedrosa. A happy man tonight will be Hayden, clearly beating Pedrosa and standing an excellent chance of repeating his Indy performance in Motegi. Always fast is, of course, Stoner, if he can keep it rubber-side down.

The championship may well be almost over, but there is still plenty of racing to be done.

One of MotoGPBlog’s regular readers was present at the Indianapolis MotoGP race in 2008 - Bridget Kirkland. Bridget has been kind enough to write up her experience for us; it gives an authentic feel and a personal take on what it was like to be there. Bridget also has some images up on Flickr of the event.

Grab a cold one and get a little taste of Indy for those of us not able to be there in person.

Thanks Bridget!

Inaugural Indy 2008
The makings of my journey to Indy was a bit sporadic, just as my life seems to be. It was a last minute decision to drive to Indy. So, on Friday, September, 12, I left Spartanburg, S.C. on a road trip with a short pit stop in Columbus, Ohio for a little fam time with my sister. On Saturday morning I woke up to a very fierce thunderstorm. Lying in the bed, I wondered if I really should go through with the trip. Thinking no more of those thoughts, I got ready to go. However, the rain was a just a sign of a how wet the weekend would be.

The drive from Columbus to Indy was rather short and quick, only three hours. It was a fun drive. I was jamming to tunes, and getting myself all pumped up for the excitement. On I-70, the closer I got to Indy, the more race traffic I saw. You can usually spot such fans - cars with lots of alpine stars stickers on the windows and loaded full of guys. The great thing was that the closer I got to Indy, the nicer it was getting outside.

As I exited the highway, it was so hard to contain my excitement. The traffic was easy. Due to the fact this was Indy, they seem to have the crowd/traffic thing well under control. I turned into a $10 parking lot right near the South part of the track. It was about a five minute walk into the track. I can remember the walk into the track seemed like forever. I could hear the bikes and I could not seem to get in fast enough. I just wanted to see. And seeing, I finally did. I sat down at the first stand I found. Sitting there with my heart pumping, I couldn’t believe that I was actually there and that I was there all by myself. Not only was this my first trip to Indy, but my first solo road trip. At that moment I remember thinking: Whatever this weekend was to be, boring or filled with the sporadic moments I had come accustomed to lately, that it was all in my hands.

Enough sitting… it was time to explore. I could not help noticing the extremely large Ducati area. So that was where I was off to. I was welcomed by a sea of red: people painted red, dressed in red and with red hair. Unlike many of the Ducati areas I have been to at the races, this one was by far the biggest and definitely the most fun. I knew I would be back to spend most of the race time there. There was a great view of the track coming out of the straightaway that headed into Turn 2, T3 and intoT4. So I had multiple viewing spots, which I liked.

I could not believe the massive size of this track. I do prefer the intimate feel of Laguna a lot better. I was trying to find grassy areas on the infield to watch from, and there were some, but I didn’t like that I could only see that particular area. I continued to walk all the way back along the eastern side of the track to the north side, searching for that perfect spot, when all along, I realized, it was going to be that Ducati area.

Heading to the Village I had a list of things I needed to get. I strolled by the riders’ huge trailers, but didn’t see anything interesting. The vendor marketplace was crowded with the regulars - Alpine Stars, Hayden Brothers and many helmet and t-shirt shops. I did wait in a line for about 45 minutes to get Spies’ and Edwards’ autographs. At this point I realized I was alone again and so I started random conversations all over the place. It is amazing that people will talk to you so much more easily when it is just you. I don’t think I would have met so many people if I had been there with someone else. I went into all the sponsors’ tents, nothing out of the ordinary. All this time I was continually getting photos of practices and qualifying. The noise … the smell of the gas - it was all around and I was loving it!

I was impressed with the people and everyone was so nice. Everyone had a story to share about their own journey to Indy. As the racing wound down toward the end of the day, I noticed more and more cold ones in the hands of race fans. People were getting happier, as I was too. Some of the people were on their way to the flat track, however, I returned to the hotel to change and get ready for a night out in downtown Indy. I couldn’t help but enjoy the night out and I knew, as I journeyed back to the hotel room at 4:00 am, that I would be kicking myself in the butt the next day. And I did. A couple grande lattes later, I was ready for what the day was to bring. I remember thinking, “Bring it on – it can only get better!”

The morning started with some sun and lots of wind. The exploring was done. The day felt a little different too. I noticed that the traffic was crazier, the parking was more ($20), and the people were excited!

The 125’s started, then ended early due to the changing weather as the wind and rain started to pick up as the rain bands from Hurricane Ike made their way across the midwest. The Ducati people could barely keep their tent from blowing away. I found out they were delaying the 250’s and then it was time for the big event. However, at that moment, a monsoon literally stalled right above the track. I found better cover under a concession stand. The rain, and the drinks, kept pouring! And neither was letting up. The more the rain came down, the crazier the fans were getting. I recall people shouting and running around in the rain, mostly the red people.

Slowly the rain lifted and the drying crews came out. It’s amazing how they can just suck the water out of the road! So, it was apparent that the race was due to begin soon. I left my Chicago boys partying under the stand and went right to my area. I faced Turn 2, T3 and T4, ready to capture all the action. The crowd did not go anywhere. In fact there were so many people all around me and during the practice runs the hair on my arms was standing up. I was so excited!

The bikes were back on and as they came out of the straight away into Turn 2, with just enough water on the road, those of us standing in that exact spot were being pelted with water that the bikes shot of the road. None of us seemed to mind at all. In fact, the water seemed to have its own special power. As the races started the crowd cheered, and you could hear the bikes coming around one by one. This is what I drove eight hours to see, and if I had any regrets - not that I did – that moment assured me I had done the right thing.

We all know what happened next: Rossi, Hayden and Rossi again to the lead. I don’t know if the broadcasting picked up the noise that was made in the stands. The fans went crazy when Hayden jumped into the lead, and when Rossi took it back, it was just as much of an uproar. I think most people were just there for the racing and whoever was going to give the best show, they would get the cheers!

I was impressed with the amount of foreigners who attended and I was happy the Americans were on good behavior. It seemed to me like one big happy family on the inside and outside of the track. Everyone was there for the love of the race. I saw many people meeting and discussing favorite riders. I saw Italians inviting people from Chicago to the races and exchanging numbers so they could meet up again. The feeling was great. The town of Indianapolis was very welcoming as well. Signs everywhere welcomed bike fans! The city streets had bike parking everywhere. I was impressed and left with the feeling that I would be back next year. Next year, however, I won’t be going solo.

It was damp at the start of the session, damp enough to bring out Rossi and Lorenzo on intermediates at first. It turned out to be the wrong decision, both rapidly returning to the pits to fit slicks.

Those that did brave the dampness without tread were immediately quick - Pedrosa in particular was fast from the off, as was Hopkins on the Kawasaki, looking like his head is in the right place this weekend.

As the track dried further, the times dropped. Pedrosa took the best time to 1:48.322 which stood for a fair chunk of the session. The search for settings appeared to be eluding Lorenzo and Toseland far and away detached at the bottom of the timing sheets. The only rider able to come near the times of Pedrosa was Stoner, and the Aussie overhauled the Spaniard with 17 minutes to go by 0.2 secs.

Race winner for the last three years, Loris Capirossi was nowhere until the final minutes of the session when he appeared, just a second off the pace in third place. By the end of the session he would slip to fifth, just ahead of Hayden who got his stuff together before time-out. Also resurgent late in the session was Rossi, with Dovi not far behind.

If this session tells us anything, it’s that Pedrosa and Stoner are going head-to-head this weekend. Dovizioso looks confident, perhaps stemming from his new role at Repsol Honda next year and Rossi will be there or there abouts, as always.

This weekend promises to be a big one in many ways, mostly for the 2009 season. Let’s start with 2008:

- Rossi may wrap up the title at Motegi. Remember 2007? Motegi is where Stoner managed to put the title beyond anyone’s reach after his super-dominant season. This is an indication of what dominance Rossi has had since Laguna.

- The split of JiR and Scott should be further clarified. Has JiR allowed Dovi to go to HRC? Have they swapped him for satellite Hondas? Have Scott got the cash and connections to run a bike and team of their own?

- We may get clarification of the Aspar Kawasaki rider. One thing is certain, Aspar needs to get this sorted out soon, if not this weekend.

- The Grand Prix commission meets for the first time since they called the meeting in July around proposals to slow down the bikes so the circuits do not have to spend so much on safety improvements year on year. Proposals include a common ECU (very difficult technically to achieve), a single-make of tyre available to the teams, motorcycle weight increases, and a return to 990cc engines. Of all of these, the single tyre rule is the most likely to come to fruition, sadly. We’ll find out this weekend what the decision is.

All of this without a motorcycle turning a wheel. It promises to be an important weekend in more ways than one.

We’re part way through the lengthy finalisation of the rider line-up for 2009, but there is still plenty of juicy speculation around who will end up where, and if an old name from the past will make a re-appearance on the grid. Let us start with the certainties:

Yamaha
Valentino Rossi: signed for 2009 and 2010.
Jorge Lorenzo: signed for 2009, the second year of a two year deal.

Ducati
Casey Stoner: signed for 2009, the second year of a two year deal.
Nicky Hayden: signed for 2009.

Kawasaki
John Hopkins: signed for 2009, the second year of a two year deal.
Marco Melandri: signed for 2009.

Suzuki
Chris Vermeulen: signed for 2009.
Loris Capirossi: signed for 2009.

Tech 3 Yamaha
Colin Edwards: signed for 2009.
James Toseland: signed for 2009.

LCR Honda
Randy de Puniet: signed for 2009.

Now it starts to get interesting…

Repsol Honda
Dani Pedrosa: signed for 2009, the second year of a two year deal.
Andrea Dovizioso: suspected to be signing for 2009.

JiR Honda
JiR have Dovizioso under contract for 2009. However, it is expected he will move into Hayden’s place in the Repsol Honda team, and JiR will effectively swap him for a supply of Honda satellite bikes at a much reduced rate for 2009. JiR and Scott are also parting company, Scott looking to fund their own Honda satellite team for 2009. If JiR continue, a likely candidate is
StefanSylvain Guintoli: possible signing for 2009.

Scott Honda
If Scott pull off the far from simple trick of securing a supply of Hondas for the grid next year, they have a wide-open choice. A Japanese rider may find favour with Honda, and although it is widely rumoured that Nakano will be retiring at the end of the season, it is possible that Aoyama or another Japanese Honda faithful rider may fill the seat:
Yuki Takahashi: possible signing for 2009.

Gresini Honda
Alex de Angelis: signed for 2009.
Toni Elias: rumoured to be on the verge of signing for 2009 instead of a third Kawasaki, or another year on Alice Ducati. However, terms offered by Alice have probably recently improved given Toni’s great recent results, hence the delay in getting a deal agreed.

Alice Ducati
Things are no clearer for the satellite Ducati squad. What is clear is that the increased influence of Ducati in the team following the departure of d’Antin has done them a power of good and they are a more attractive proposal for riders as a result.
Mika Kallio: rumoured to have signed for 2009.
Nicolas Canepa: rumoured to have signed for 2009.

Onde Ducati
One from the left field this one - Onde to lease a satellite Ducati and put Sete Gibernau on it. MotoGPBlog will believe this one when it sees it.

Aspar Kawasaki
It’s all gone quiet on the third Ducati front, now Aspar has failed to get Elias, or any Spanish rider of any significance to sign up. It’s entirely possible West will end up in the seat unless Elias or Bautista has a change of heart.

Most of the uncertainty now lies with Elias and his final destination for the season. Given Guintoli is probably out of Alice Ducati, and de Puniet has, amazingly, been renewed by LCR Honda, his only option will be one of the Jir/Scott Honda rides, or a trip to WSB.

This coming weekend should see announcements around Kawasaki and the fate of this year’s JiR Scott team which may make things clearer. However, this is only one of lots of permutations - where do you think the ‘floaters’ will end up?