Superb Stoner seizes first Jerez victory

Round 2: Spanish MotoGP™ – Race 

Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner scored his first MotoGP™ victory at Jerez after fending off Factory Yamaha Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo in a closely contested Spanish GP.

• Circuito de Jerez, Sunday 29 April 2012
• Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium
• Weather: Dry. Ambient 16-21°C; Track 19-29°C (Bridgestone measurement) 

Starting from P5, Stoner worked his way through the field to take the race lead on the third lap and for the remaining 24 laps was put under intense pressure from Lorenzo. Despite the Spaniard’s best efforts, Stoner was too strong and crossed the finish line 0.947 seconds ahead of Lorenzo with Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa a further 1.1 seconds back in third place.

Rounding out the top five yet again were the Monster Tech3 Yamaha duo of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso in fourth and fifth respectively, with top CRT honours at Jerez going to Power Electronics Aspar‘s Aleix Espargaro in 12th place.

Rain soaked the Jerez circuit until approximately 30 minutes before the start of the MotoGP™ race with wet patches on track making conditions less than ideal for the beginning of the race. With clouds looming overhead, all riders opted for the soft compound rear slick tyre for improved warm-up performance in the slightly cool temperatures. Thirteen of the twenty-one riders opted for the new specification front slick tyre in the hard compound option, with the softer construction of this new development giving riders extra confidence in the challenging conditions.

Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department

“Congratulations to both Casey on his first ever victory at Jerez and also to the Repsol Honda team. Thankfully the rain stopped before the race which meant we had relatively dry track conditions for the race compared to the rest of the weekend, though the unsettled weather meant riders didn’t make their final tyre choice until lining up on the grid.

“Despite the damp patches on the circuit, the racing was very good with many close contests taking place in front of the large and passionate crowd. Overall I was very pleased with how our tyres performed in the challenging conditions, in particular the new specification front tyre which was widely utilised for the race. The first two races of the season have been very exciting and I look forward to what I am sure will be another interesting race next weekend at Estoril.”

Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Jerez presented every possible kind of track condition from fully wet to fully dry and so our engineers worked very closely with teams throughout the weekend to assist with tyre selection. With circuit conditions for the race being dry but still less than optimal, all riders selected the soft rear slick tyre. For the front, most riders selected the new specification front slick tyre in the hard compound for better durability, while also benefitting from the improved rider feel provided by the new construction. However, the top three finishers in today’s race went for the medium compound front slick tyre for its better warm-up performance and better ability to remain in the optimal temperature range in case of rain during the race.

“I am happy with how both our wet and slick tyres performed at Jerez in what were very challenging operating conditions.”

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda – Race Winner

“Jerez is a track I’ve never won at before and after yesterday we had to find something for the race, so today we took a bit of a gamble with our setup which gave us a lot better feel in the front and for me that’s really important at this track. Thanks to my team because they turned it around for me today and gave me one of the best races of my career. It really was a fantastic race for us.”

SO CLOSE FOR MAHINDRA RACING AT JEREZ

Jerez de la Frontera – Sunday, April 29, 2012: Mahindra Racing’s Danny Webb lost a possible top-ten finish with a technical issue in a thrilling Moto3 race at today’s Spanish GP, in which the weather played a big hand.

Team-mate Marcel Schrötter also just missed first points on the all-new 250cc four-stroke machine, after hitting a puddle on the first lap and slipping off. He remounted, pitted for repairs and rejoined, but finished 16th, one place out of the points.

After two days of bad weather, the race started in dry conditions but with the track strewn with wet patches from earlier rain. Schrötter (19, from Germany) was one of several to fall victim on a hectic last lap, when he was forced wide onto a wet patch.

Webb survived the carnage to finish lap one 23rd position. But the 21-year-old Briton was soon picking his way forward, using the MGP30’s fine handling and his own wet-weather skills to move up to 11th place, in a pack of seven bikes disputing sixth place.

He was biding his time when a technical issue stopped him in his tracks after 15 of 23 laps.

Mahindra is one of a handful of independently made motorcycles, in pursuit of its own technical advantage. The machine is in its infancy compared with the over-the-counter rivals, but already able to challenge for the points. Further upgrades to the engine are expected in one or two races.

The next round is at Estoril in Portugal next weekend, where both riders are hoping for similar mixed conditions to help them make the most of their skills.

MARCEL SCHRÖTTER – 16th position

My start was okay, and I was picking up positions, especially through the last fast section. I braked late for the last hairpin, in a pack of bikes, and I was forced to go over a wet patch … and unfortunately I crashed. I pitted and went out again, and the bike went perfectly, but I had lost too much time. It’s disappointing, because I think I could have had a good top-ten finish. Now we will try again at Estoril.

DANNY WEBB – Did Not Finish

I got in the wrong group after the start, but once I could get away I started chipping away at the six-second gap to the next group. I knew I could catch them, but it was hard to pass once I got there – so I was biding my time and waiting for the last laps. I was confident of getting some more places, and I was expecting eighth or ninth. Then on lap 15 with the gas wide open the engine suddenly stopped. I’m disappointed, but it’s shown what we’re capable of doing. We’ll take up where we left off at Estoril.

source: mahindraracing.com, manhindra.com

Ellison And PBM UK Denied By Cruel Luck In Spain

PBM UK rider James Ellison saw his and his team’s hopes of an encouraging result dashed when he was forced to retire from today’s Spanish GP at Jerez less than two laps from the finish.

After qualifying on the final row of the grid due to a couple of problems in practice as well as experimenting with front end set up, the 31-year-old from Kendal made a great start and ran with the leading Claiming Rules Team (CRT) riders aboard his PBM UK Aprilia ART for virtually all of the race.

But just when it was looking like he may box of his first World Championship points of the season, and the first for the brand new all-British PBM UK team based in Penrith, a problem with oil pressure meant he could no longer continue and he was forced into the pits on the penultimate lap when holding 14th place.

Despite the disappointment, the team heads to the next round of the MotoGP World Championship in Estoril, Portugal next weekend in positive fashion where they are hoping for another good performance.

James Ellison: “I’m very happy with the improvements to the bike, we have gone a long way to sorting the chatter issues by trying a combination of the new front tyre and turning off the Traction Control but we lost side grip which we will sort by running TC at Estoril. We had a couple of problems during practice but I got a great start in the race and was feeling comfortable running with the leading CRT riders, we were even mixing it up with a few prototypes as well, but then the oil pressure suddenly dropped and I had to pit. I am gutted as we deserved our first points and I feel for the team. We have made good strides this weekend but still need more time on the bike to iron out the problems, especially with the electronics, but today has given us all encouragement and we can hopefully get a good result in Estoril.”

Paul Bird, Team Owner: “How unlucky can you get as just as we were in with a shout of a cracking result, James is forced out with a lap to go. The boys have done a wonderful job considering it’s only our second GP and fair play to James, he rode well, and he even had the likes of Rossi in his sights. If anyone had said that to me at the start of the season, I’d have told them to go away and give their head a shake! We will take a lot from this weekend and continue our progress in Estoril, and so much for those who said we would only make up the numbers this season. I’d also like to say well done to Cal Crutchlow and Scott Redding on their fourth place finishes today.”

source: Paul Bird Motorsport, cartersport.com