Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies got straight down to business at the legendary Indianapolis circuit today in the first free practice sessions of the Grand Prix weekend. The Texan delivered an impressive performance in front of his home crowd, topping the timesheets in the morning session with a 1’43.260. The afternoon session saw the grip levels improve dramatically, allowing Spies to take nearly two and a half seconds off his time and record a best of 1’40.918. He led for the majority of the session, only dropping to second at the end, a mere 0.194 from provisional pole.
Jorge Lorenzo had a difficult start to the day along with the majority of the MotoGP grid, struggling to find grip on the newly resurfaced Indianapolis track. The 125cc and Moto2 classes helped to increase the grip level over the lunchtime period and some key set up changes by the team brought the World Champion out fighting in the second session. Lorenzo was straight up into the top three and was the only rider to contest the fastest spot with his team mate for most of the session. He ended the second session in fourth position, 0.737 from the front.
Ben Spies
Position 2nd – Time 1.40.918 – Laps 29
“I feel a lot better now, almost ok but when I’m off the bike I’m more in pain which is frustrating. It was a good start today, the first session I was waiting to see if the track was going to stay the same but in the end in the afternoon it improved a lot. We were able to be in the top three in both sessions which is great. The track is going to get even better for tomorrow so we’re looking forward to making another step forward and seeing what we can do.”
Jorge Lorenzo
Position 4th – Time 1.41.461 – Laps 27
“I started today struggling with the new asphalt. The morning was not good, but FP2 was much better and my feeling was really good. I’ve got grip on the rear now but I still have some problems with the front. I think we can still improve a lot in some parts. Ben is riding very, very well and it means I can be closer. I will try tomorrow to be at the same level as him.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“The second free practice was a big jump from the morning with much more grip available. We made some small changes and Jorge felt a lot better on the bike. The tyres are going down quite quickly as there is still a lot of dirt on the track so we need to find a way to ensure we can finish the race with enough grip. We compared two different set ups, one was clearly better so for tomorrow we know our direction. For today we are happy with the improvements we have made.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“It’s definitely a good start today and the circuit conditions are improving. The bike behaviour is good so we are working to finalise the bike set up for Ben, overall he is happy so far. He still has a small issue with his arm but hopefully he will be ok for Sunday as he is proving that he can do a good job here. Jorge made a good improvement from the morning, the team found the right way to improve the bike. Tomorrow they will make another step and on Sunday I fully expect he will be up there.”
Edwards brimming with confidence after fast start in Indianapolis
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Colin Edwards made a superb start to his home MotoGP round at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway today.
The popular Texan finished inside the top six in both practice sessions as preparations for round 12 of this year’s MotoGP World Championship commenced in hot and humid conditions.
Edwards finished this morning’s first 45-minute session in a fantastic third position and he was one of only two non-factory riders to lap inside the top 10. Lap times were some way off last year’s pace as the field got to grips with the repaved infield section between turns five and 16.
But with more rubber laid on the track, times tumbled in the second practice and Edwards was able to knock almost two seconds off his best pace. He ended with a fastest time of 1.41.699 to finish sixth on the combined timesheets, the 37-year-old once again leaving a host of factory supported riders trailing in his wake. Edwards was just over 0.2s behind reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo in fourth and he’s confident he can mount a challenge for a top six in Sunday’s 28-lap race.
Cal Crutchlow was also able to drastically improve his lap times in the second session, the British rider taking full advantage of the improved grip levels to finish with a best time of 1.43.085. That was 2.3s quicker than his benchmark set this morning as Crutchlow worked on improving the set-up of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team machine, while also trying to learn the technically demanding Indianapolis Mo tor Speedway track.
Crutchlow finished in 15th position overall but was only 0.7s away from the top 10. The 25-year-old is confident with improved track conditions and further set-up modifications to gain more front-end confidence, he will be able to compete for a top 10 grid position in tomorrow afternoon’s qualifying session.
Colin Edwards
Position 6th – Time 1.41.699 – Laps 36
“This morning it felt like I was back at the Texas Tornado Boot Camp but just riding a more expensive bike because it was pretty slippery out there. To be honest I actually really enjoyed it even though the grip was a bit sketchy. We all knew that grip was going to be a little bit of an issue this morning but it was 100 per cent dirt track. As soon as you got your knee on the ground the front would go and the rear would come round, but I still had a lot of fun with the bike moving around so much. This afternoon with a lot more rubber down it was a lot better and hats off to the folks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They’ve done an amazing job because the bumps that have been really bad have mostly gone and with a bit more rubber down the surface is going to offer a lot more grip. We won’t feel the benefit of the new tarmac this year but the changes are for the future and next year it is going to be a million times better. Being third this morning and sixth this afternoon has given me a lot of confidence for the rest of the weekend. I’m not fighting the bike this weekend and it feels awesome.”
Cal Crutchlow
Position 15th – Time 1.43.085 – Laps 37
“This morning was pretty difficult because the track was very slippery and I was having to contend with not a lot of grip while also trying to push to l earn the track. Sometimes I’d run off line and it was so dirty that I was losing a lot of time. The track was in much better condition this afternoon but it felt like I didn’t have the front grip I needed to push for a faster time. We had a lot of wear on the tyre and not much grip and I’m not sure why. The issue this year has been losing the front on the brakes, but today I was losing the front mid-corner and off the throttle. I’m sure we can make some big steps with the set-up and I’m confident I can climb a few places up the order and fight for a top 10 in qualifying tomorrow. The good thing is that every single lap we make improvements and I go faster, so if we can get more front-end feeling then I’m looking forward to having a strong race.”
2011 MotoGP United States
Indianapolis 26/08/2011
1 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1’40.724
2 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 1’40.918
3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1’41.205
4 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 1’41.461
5 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 1’41.536
6 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1’41.699
7 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 1’41.742
8 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 1’41.789
9 Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 1’42.231
10 Randy De Puniet Ducati FRA 1’42.339
11 Valentino Rossi Ducati ITA 1’42.673
12 Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 1’42.673
13 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 1’42.920
14 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1’43.034
15 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1’43.085
Circuit Length:
4186
Weather:
Dry
Fastest Lap Ever:
1’39.730
(Daniel Pedrosa, 8/30/2009)
Last Years Winner:
Daniel Pedrosa
