MotoGP - Round 13 - San Marino & Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix in Misano

[Rossi46]

http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Images/motogp_tcm78-188893.jpg

http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Images/smr_tcm78-113987.jpg - Round 13 - 2008 MotoGP San Marino & Riviera di Rimini - Misano

Fiat Yamaha team take title challenge home to Misano - 26 August 2008

http://images.yamaha-racing.com/photo/news/P20080826104636656.jpg - Misano Circuit

The Fiat Yamaha Team contest their second ‘home’ race of the season this weekend, with the San Marino Grand Prix taking place on Italian soil at the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast. The trip is a short one for the team, whose base is just 300km away in Milan, but even shorter for Valentino Rossi, with his hometown of Tavullia located a mere 15km down the road.

The multi-World Champion heads to the thirteenth round of the current MotoGP series with his sights firmly set on a sixth premier-class title after extending his advantage over Casey Stoner to 50 points in the last round at Brno. Having missed out on the title for the past two seasons following a five-year winning streak, Rossi’s improvement is outlined by the fact that a fifth-place finish this Sunday will see him outscore his tally for either of those campaigns.

The 29-year-old’s army of local supporters are sure to be in party mood at the lively seaside resort as he looks to make up for the disappointment of a mechanical breakdown in this race last year and score three consecutive wins for the second time this season. Also within Rossi’s range is the all-time record for premier-class victories, set at 68 by Giacomo Agostini back in 1976.

Jorge Lorenzo continues his Grand Prix education at full fitness after a troublesome period of injury and tyre woes. The rookie from Mallorca won the 250cc race at Misano last year after having qualified on pole and he will be looking to support Rossi in the quest to improve on Yamaha’s total of 283 points in last year’s Constructors’ World Championship, which will be secured if any of the factory’s riders finish in the top two.

Valentino Rossi - Out to make up for last year
“I’m really excited to be going to Misano in such good shape and leading the championship. Last year the race was a huge disappointment for us, a very low point of the season and especially sad because it happened in front of my home fans. But this time things are very different; we’ve had two fantastic races in a row and we are feeling very strong and very confident. We are out to make up for 2007! Misano is so close to my home town of Tavullia that I know there will be an army of Italian fans there, and I hope it’s going to be a great party for all of them. Last year there was some terrible weather before the race as well so I really hope that this year we have sunshine and we can enjoy a fantastic race by the sea!”

Jorge Lorenzo - Good memories
“After the disaster of Brno I’m going to Misano with the belief and the will that everything goes much better and that we’re able to score a positive result in my team’s second home Grand Prix. I’m riding well at the moment and in the post-race test in the Czech Republic we were able to shave off a few tenths that will be vital for the next GP. Misano is a small track for MotoGP but it is safe. Last year I won in 250cc so my only memories of it are good ones!”

Davide Brivio - Targets are the same
“Last year we arrived in Misano with a 60-point disadvantage to Stoner and now we are 50 ahead so the situation is completely reversed and obviously that’s great for us. Having said that, we still have six difficult races left and there are circuits coming up where we know our rivals will be very strong. Misano is one of the places where last year we were not so bad so it could be one of the places we can fight. It is difficult to overtake but I expect and hope for another good show. Valentino’s targets haven’t changed since the start of the season – the first priority is to be on the podium, which is even more crucial at this stage, and when possible fight to win. Those objectives remains the same regardless of the points situation.”

Daniele Romagnoli - Misano is another story
“We go to Misano in good spirits but knowing that we can’t afford a repeat of the last two races, where our performance has been completely dictated by the tyres – especially Brno. Hopefully Misano will be another story because it’s a completely different kind of circuit. It is not as fast, it is flat, and last year Michelin were competitive there. We did a lot of work on the tyres in the test at Brno and found something with durability on the front and a solution for the rear that helps under acceleration. Hopefully we can carry those improvements through to this weekend because Jorge is riding well, this is a circuit he likes and we saw earlier in the season what he is capable of if he has the necessary tools.”

Misano:
Record Lap
C.Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'34.649
Best Lap
C.Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'33.918

Grand Prix Results: Misano 2007
1. C.Stoner (Ducati)44'34.720
2. C.Vermeulen (Suzuki) +4.851
3. J.Hopkins (Suzuki) +16.002
. V. Rossi (ITA) Yamaha NF

Jorge Lorenzo Result: Misano 2007
1. J. Lorenzo (SPA) Aprilia 42'54.427 (250cc)

[Rossi46]

TV-Coverage on http://assets.speedtv.com/_assets/img/speedtv_minicolorlogo.jpg
San Marino & Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix - Sunday, August 31st, 11:00pm ET

*** Please check your local listings (cable, satellite, ...) to make sure you won't miss anything! ***

[ferrarif1]

glad to see this one is on speed the commentators are much better.

[Rossi46]

glad to see this one is on speed the commentators are much better.

No kidding! I remember Greg White saying 'The riders wear leather suits, boots, gloves and helmets for protection ...' http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/images/smilies/roflhard.gif

[Rossi46]

Rossi begins home challenge in Misano sunshine - 29 August 2008

Valentino Rossi made a strong start to his second home race of the season today, finishing second on the opening day of action at the San Marino Grand Prix. The Misano circuit is just 15km north of the Fiat Yamaha rider’s home town of Tavullia on the Adriatic coast, and the local hero is keen to delight his hordes of fans by adding another Italian win to his victory in Mugello earlier this year.

The bad weather that has followed the paddock around Europe finally gave way to the Italian summer today, with temperatures in the low 30s soaring to 45 degrees on track. This morning saw Rossi in fifth but a few set-up changes and some work on Bridgestone tyres this afternoon saw him improve and he finished the session 0.418 seconds off Casey Stoner in second.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: 1'35.224 Laps: 54
“We made quite a good start today but not as good as we could have hoped, so we still have some work to do in order to close the gap to Casey. At the moment the main problem is T4, where I am quite slow and so we really need to look at the data and work out why. Anyway we’re still second so we’re close, but I hope tomorrow to be closer because it seems that everyone is quite competitive here so we’re going to have to work hard. We have some ideas and we will see what we can do. It’s great to be racing in the sunshine so close to my home, on the track which was the first one I ever rode on, and I really hope we can make it a fantastic weekend for all of the fans.”

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
“For the first day it hasn’t been so bad and we’re in quite good shape. It’s clear that there are some areas in which we can and need to improve, so now we will use the information we have gathered today to work on those areas and refine our set up. We have worked through a few different things today on the setting and we have also tried some different tyres, and we’re confident that we have good potential. Luckily, for once, we can expect the same weather again tomorrow so this will give us the chance to check everything we’ve learnt today.”

Lorenzo making strides forward in Misano

Following on from his recent successful test in Brno, when he made some positive steps forward with his Michelin tyres, Jorge Lorenzo was in good shape today on the first day of the Grand Prix of San Marino at Misano. The Fiat Yamaha Team rider finished the day in seventh overall and, more importantly, feeling confident and positive about the weekend’s task.

The 21-year-old, who won the 250cc race here last year, made a good start to the morning with the fourth fastest time and then improved by just under four tenths this afternoon. He will be hoping to make some further set-up improvements tomorrow morning, when the hot weather looks set to continue, before attempting to return to the front row in the afternoon’s qualifying session. Lorenzo’s team-mate Valentino Rossi was second fastest today, 0.418 seconds behind Casey Stoner.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 7th Time: 1'35.766 Laps: 56
I’m very happy today. We had a good test after Brno and now here today I feel that the tyres are much better at this track than they were there, so I am feeling even more confident. I don’t want to make any predictions about the race or talk about results; first of all we have to wait until tomorrow to see if we can continue like this. I think I can improve even more because everything feels better than two weeks ago, so tomorrow we will try to keep going in this way. The surface here is not new, like it was in Brno, and this is better for Michelin, but we need to make one more step in order to be at the level that we want.”

Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
“This is definitely a different situation form the last two races! Here, as expected from last year’s data, Michelin tyres are more competitive and they are giving us the chance to be back at the top end of the classification. The test in Brno was very important to improve the tyre situation, but we still need to work more with Michelin to further improve the grip level because we’re still not as fast as we would like to be. We need to improve our set-up more for this track because the front of the bike is still not stable enough on the hard braking and we need to work more on the suspension.”

http://images.yamaha-racing.com/photo/news/P20080829214446906.jpg http://images.yamaha-racing.com/photo/news/P20080829214522640.jpg

[Rossi46]

MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/Misc/non/229759_Casey+Stoner+in+action+MotoGP-1280x960-aug29.jpg.preview_big.jpg
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'35.422 274.529
2 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'35.424 272.796 0.002
3 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'36.145 267.459 0.723
4 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'36.375 271.766 0.953
5 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'36.464 273.141 1.042
6 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'36.518 273.417 1.096
7 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 1'36.602 269.932 1.180
8 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'36.608 267.194 1.186
9 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'36.740 270.135 1.318
10 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'36.883 272.796 1.461
11 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 1'37.099 274.739 1.677
12 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'37.196 268.589 1.774
13 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'37.355 271.220 1.933
14 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'37.380 276.639 1.958
15 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 1'37.534 277.278 2.112
16 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'37.669 273.072 2.247
17 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1'37.929 269.797 2.507
Not classified
21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki Lap

[Rossi46]

MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2 Classification:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/Misc/non/229889_Casey+Stoner+in+action+in+Misano+MotoGP-1280x960-aug29.jpg.preview_big.jpg
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'34.806 269.865
2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'35.224 271.016 0.418
3 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'35.377 269.662 0.571
4 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'35.620 266.732 0.814
5 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'35.743 264.317 0.937
6 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'35.766 269.259 0.960
7 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'35.861 264.965 1.055
8 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'35.913 270.880 1.107
9 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'36.100 269.730 1.294
10 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'36.105 269.528 1.299
11 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'36.189 273.141 1.383
12 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'36.219 276.639 1.413
13 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 1'36.356 266.469 1.550
14 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 1'36.425 273.694 1.619
15 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 1'36.619 273.972 1.813
16 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'37.096 274.250 2.290
17 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1'38.239 268.656 3.433
Not classified
21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki Lap

[Rossi46]

Rossi on course for home town showdown at Misano - 30 August 2008

Valentino Rossi put his Fiat Yamaha M1 on the front row for the eighth time this season today, qualifying second behind Casey Stoner for his home Grand Prix at Misano. The 29-year-old, who lives just 15km away in Tavullia, will be flanked by his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo tomorrow, back on the front row of the grid for the first time since race three in Portugal.

Despite admitting that the searing heat was more suited to a day at the local beach Rossi was able to steadily improve his race pace throughout the afternoon’s session, although he is still looking for a few more tenths before tomorrow’s 28-lap race. In the later stages he clocked better times with each of his four Bridgestone qualifying tyres and his final lap was good enough to leap-frog his team mate for second, although he was unable to catch Stoner. Tomorrow will be the sixth time that Rossi and Stoner have shared the front row this season, with the Italian having come out on top in three out of the previous five occasions.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: 1'33.888 Laps: 29
This weather is amazing, but I think maybe it’s better if you’re at the beach than at the track; we’re in the wrong place! I definitely prefer this to rain though so after the recent races, when we have never been sure about the weather, this is great. I’m happy about our work because we did a good job with the qualifying tyres this afternoon and we were able to improve with each one, which is important. In the end we couldn’t match Casey’s time but anyway second on the grid is good for the race. Our race set-up is still not perfect and there are some corners where we need to be faster still, so we have to work to try to improve that tonight. We have a lot of data now from the two days and so we will use this to try to come up with something to try in warm-up tomorrow. I think we can definitely still improve our race setting a little bit more.”

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
“As always the front row is our target so we’re happy that we’ve reached that, it will be very important for tomorrow’s battle! We still need to look for some tenths around the lap so we need to do some more work and then use the practice tomorrow morning as best we can; hopefully we can find something which can help us to fight with Casey once again. It’s really good to see the other Yamaha’s back in the hunt again and it looks like it could be a great race tomorrow.”

Front row return for Lorenzo in Misano

Jorge Lorenzo made an impressive return to the front row of the grid today, his first top-three qualification since his treble of pole positions in the opening three races of the season. The Mallorcan qualified third on a sweltering day in Misano and his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi made it a good day for the whole garage by qualifying second, just 0.076 seconds ahead of him.

After his run of bad luck Lorenzo has been in much better shape since first practice yesterday, with improvements to his Michelin tyres giving him back his old confidence and flair. His first run with a qualifying tyre put him straight to the top of the standings and he was able to improve twice more, before being edged out by Stoner and Rossi in the closing seconds of the session. He and his crew now hope to make some final improvements to the setting of his M1 before bidding for a podium return tomorrow when the 28-lap race gets underway at 1400 CET.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 3rd Time: 1'33.964 Laps: 29
“Straight from yesterday morning it’s clear that this track is a different situation for us. We’re struggling much less and my Michelin tyres are much more competitive again here, so thanks to them. I can ride in a good, flowing rhythm once more and my tyres are giving me the confidence that I need in order to go fast. It feels really good to be back on the front row again and I am very happy today. It is clear that to stay with Stoner and Valentino is going to be very hard, but the important thing is that we have been able to compete with them today and we’re in a good position to try again tomorrow. I’m still not thinking about results but I will just do my best, try to take a good rhythm and try to put on a good race for all the fans!”

Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
“It’s great to finally be back on the front row after some time and, more importantly, to watch Jorge riding so competitively again. Thanks to Michelin for their work because the tyres performed very well today and enabled Jorge to have good confidence and feeling with the bike, which in turn has enabled the team to find a good set-up. We have improved session by session throughout the weekend and now we are confident that we can continue to be competitive in the race tomorrow. We hope to see Jorge fighting at the front again and getting the result he deserves.”

http://images.yamaha-racing.com/photo/news/P20080830200323859.jpg http://images.yamaha-racing.com/photo/news/P20080830200422390.jpg

[Rossi46]

MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 3 Classification:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/RSM/non/230017_Casey+Stoner+in+action+in+Misano+MotoGP-1280x960-aug30.jpg.preview_big.jpg
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'34.365 275.089
2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'35.076 268.456 0.711
3 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'35.160 271.356 0.795
4 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'35.362 265.878 0.997
5 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'35.425 270.608 1.060
6 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'35.520 276.923 1.155
7 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'35.534 270.202 1.169
8 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'35.549 270.270 1.184
9 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'35.628 267.459 1.263
10 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'35.739 265.748 1.374
11 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 1'35.802 268.056 1.437
12 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 1'35.853 274.669 1.488
13 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'36.047 269.865 1.682
14 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 1'36.089 274.042 1.724
15 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'36.203 274.181 1.838
16 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'36.273 272.658 1.908
17 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1'36.957 268.589 2.592
18 21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1'37.346 264.900 2.981

[Rossi46]

MotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/RSM/non/230144_Casey+Stoner+in+action+in+Misano+MotoGP-1280x960-aug30-3.jpg.preview_big.jpg
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'33.378 271.629
2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'33.888 267.194 0.510
3 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'33.964 269.730 0.586
4 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'34.236 263.865 0.858
5 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 1'34.322 274.739 0.944
6 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'34.398 273.833 1.020
7 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'34.461 263.414 1.083
8 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'34.494 267.857 1.116
9 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'34.652 266.009 1.274
10 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'34.795 268.189 1.417
11 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'34.926 266.600 1.548
12 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 1'34.961 273.833 1.583
13 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'35.153 264.705 1.775
14 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 1'35.381 262.518 2.003
15 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'35.418 269.461 2.040
16 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'35.584 270.000 2.206
17 21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1'35.980 264.187 2.602
18 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1'37.047 265.095 3.669

[Rossi46]

Rossi matches Agostini's record with win number sixty-eight - 31 August 2008

Valentino Rossi reached another milestone in his outstanding career today by matching the all-time premier-class win record. His 68th premier-class victory brings him level with his great countryman Giacomo Agostini and the fact that he was able to do it at his home track of Misano made it all the more special for the flamboyant Italian. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo put the icing on the cake for Yamaha with an impressive return to the podium to make it the second one-two finish for the team this season.

Rossi had a good start but Dani Pedrosa had an even better one and the seven-time world champion was forced to ride at his maximum to pass the Spaniard back, which he did on the second lap. Casey Stoner was by then some three seconds clear but Rossi’s M1 was working well and he was gradually able to start making up some ground, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap six. One lap eight of 28 Stoner sensationally slid out into the gravel in a carbon copy of the last race in Brno and Rossi was left in the lead. There was no opportunity to rest however as the twisty nature of the circuit was a very different task to face alone than the flowing curves of Brno and Lorenzo, another three seconds behind, was giving Rossi no chance of a let-up. The local hero was able to bring his M1 home safely however to the rapturous cheers of his home fans, who flooded onto the track in typical Italian fashion.

The sixth win of the season for Rossi and another non-finish for Stoner means he is now 75 points clear at the top of the championship, with a maximum of 125 points remaining from five races. Lorenzo stays in fourth and Yamaha remain on course for a treble of Teams’ and Manufacturers’ championships as well.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 1 Time: 44'41.884
“Today is a truly fantastic day and I can’t believe that I have matched Agostini’s record! He was one of my heroes so it’s quite incredible to have made it to 68 wins. This was quite a difficult weekend for us from the start and there has been the added pressure of a home race, which makes it harder to concentrate because there is so much distraction! Mugello has always been ‘my’ track, even though it’s further away from Tavullia, but here, after the bad time last year, we haven’t found it so easy. Once again today however my team gave me a very competitive bike and I felt very confident. I got a good start but then Dani came past me very fast and I then lost a lot of time getting past him and had to take some big risks – I had a big slide! Once I was past him I could see Casey, although I have to admit that today I wasn’t as confident as I was in Brno that I could win. Anyway I kept pushing because it’s not in my nature to ride for second place and I think it still could have been a battle; I was very fast once I found my rhythm. Then I saw Casey slide out. I’m sorry for him once again but this is very good for our championship so I am happy for our team. We have 75 points, which is a lot, but there are still five races and I will ride to win at every one, as I always have done throughout my career. Thanks to my fantastic Yamaha team, to Bridgestone and of course congratulations to Jorge as well, he kept pushing me today and I wasn’t able to relax even for one minute! It is a great day for us all.”

Davide Brivio - Team Mananger
“What a day! It’s very positive for our championship and to come out with 75 points after three wins in a row is amazing. Once again the team and engineers did an excellent job to fix some problems in time for the race to give Valentino a competitive bike, so well done to them. Despite losing a bit of time at the start Valentino was able to come back and set the fastest lap and keep pushing. Of course the championship isn’t done but our advantage is very big and all the team are concentrated and motivated for the final five races. It’s great to see Jorge back on the podium as well – a great race and a great team!”

Lorenzo returns to podium with stunning second in Misano

Jorge Lorenzo made it a fantastic home-race double podium for the Fiat Yamaha Team today, finishing second behind his team-mate Valentino Rossi at Misano. It was the rookie’s first podium since the team’s last one-two finish in Le Mans and it was a deserved one following the injuries that have plagued him since.

Lorenzo lost some time at the start when Dani Pedrosa passed him and then had to wait for Rossi to pass his Spanish compatriot before he could make his move, which he did on lap five. When Casey Stoner crashed out of the lead on lap eight, leaving Rossi in front, Lorenzo was elevated to second and he rode a strong race from then on, exerting constant pressure on his team-mate, who was unable to relax and had to keep pushing to keep the gap at about three seconds. Lorenzo was followed home by another Spaniard, Toni Elias, who crossed the line 8.54 seconds off in third.

The 21-year-old Mallorcan’s fifth podium of the season sees him consolidate his fourth place in the championship and his leading rookie status, whilst Rossi is now 75 points clear of Stoner at the top. There are five rounds remaining with the next one coming at Indianapolis in the USA in two week’s time

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2 Time: +3.163
“Seeing the party Valentino’s fans were making for him around the track today reminded me how much I want to start winning again, but as a start this second place is fantastic for us! I lost some ground at the early on but then I took my rhythm, passed Dani and started to push, and then I kept pushing until the end. To be one and two on the podium again, like in Le Mans, is wonderful and after four months of problems I am enjoying this moment very much – it’s perfect. Since the Brno test and with the improvements that Michelin have made here my confidence has being going up all the time and my riding style has improved as well, so I want to say thank you to them. I hope the situation is the same at the next races, then we can continue to be strong like this. Thanks to all of my team and congratulations to Valentino and Toni.”

Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
“It’s really great to be back on the podium after a long time and we are very happy for Jorge. We never lost confidence that he would come back to this level even though it has been very hard for him at times, but everyone has kept focused and here we are, so well done to all involved. Our Michelin tyres have worked much better here and this has made everything easier to achieve, it seems that the Brno test was a turning point and the improvement in the tyres has helped us to find a new set-up. Now we’re looking forward with confidence to the next races. Congratulations to Valentino and the other side of the garage for a great victory.”

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[Rossi46]

MotoGP Race Classification:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/RSM/non/230548_Lorenzo+Rossi+and+Elias+on+the+podium+at+Mi sano+MotoGP-1280x960-aug31.jpg.preview_big.jpg
Pos. Points Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Total time Km/h Gap
1 25 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 44'41.884 158.836
2 20 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 44'45.047 158.649 3.163
3 16 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 44'53.589 158.146 11.705
4 13 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 44'59.354 157.808 17.470
5 11 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 45'05.293 157.461 23.409
6 10 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 45'08.092 157.299 26.208
7 9 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 45'08.708 157.263 26.824
8 8 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 45'09.475 157.218 27.591
9 7 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 45'15.053 156.895 33.169
10 6 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 45'18.413 156.702 36.529
11 5 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 45'23.965 156.382 42.081
12 4 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 45'25.692 156.283 43.808
13 3 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 45'36.758 155.651 54.874
14 2 21 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 45'37.038 155.635 55.154
Not classified
1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 11'11.968 21 Lap
15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'46.395 27 Lap
Not finished 1st lap
14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda
Not starting
69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team Honda

[motogp]

was ok having doohan the other week though, but the other guy can go!

[Rossi46]

World Championship Standings:
Pos. Rider Nation Team Points
1 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 262
2 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 187
3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team 185
4 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 140
5 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP 118
6 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 110
7 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha 108
8 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 87
9 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 86
10 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 85
11 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team 84
12 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team 82
13 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 49
14 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 48
15 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team 47
16 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 40
17 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team 39
18 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team 36
19 Ben SPIES USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 10
20 Jamie HACKING USA Kawasaki Racing Team 5
21 Tadayuki OKADA JPN Repsol Honda Team 2

[ferrarif1]

good race by rossi, the championship is his to lose now. stoner has a pretty large challenge ahead of him now, not sure if he can do it. with two falls in his past two races he is starting to revert to his old form.