HONDA RACING INFORMATION 2014 FIM MotoGP/Moto2/Moto3 World Championships Round 14, Grand Prix of Aragon, MotorLand Aragon Race day, Sunday, 28 September 2014 Weather: dry, then wet Temperature: Ambient 18 degrees C / Track 20 degrees C MARQUEZ & PEDROSA VICTIMS OF TRICKY ARAGON CONDITIONS Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) were in the thick of the battle for victory at Aragon this afternoon until the late stages of the race when rain began to fall. Both men fell victim to the treacherous track surface while attempting to complete the race on slick tyres. Instead the win went to former MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), who switched to his second bike equipped with rain tyres, as did second- and third-placed men Aleix Espargaro (Yamaha) and Cal Crutchlow (Ducati). This was an historic weekend for the MotoGP World Championship – today’s race was the 800th premier-class Grand Prix since the series began on the Isle of Man in June 1949. At the end of the incident-packed race the highest Honda finisher was Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) who crossed the line in fourth place, his best result since a similar result at April’s COTA Grand Prix. Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V) was seventh, just two tenths off fifth place. Honda’s production racer riders had a brilliant day in the tricky conditions, with three RCV1000R riders in the top ten for the first time. Hiroshi Aoyama (Drive 7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R) finished eighth ahead of Nicky Hayden (Drive 7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R) and Scott Redding (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RCV1000R). Hayden’s ride was particularly heroic considering that this was his first race since July’s following major reconstructive surgery on his injured right wrist. Pole-sitter Marquez led from the start of the second lap, overtaking Lorenzo in gloriously sideways fashion at Turn One, but he could not shake off Lorenzo or team-mate Pedrosa as they broke away from the rest of the pack. The lead changed time and time again as the trio charged up Aragon’s hill and down again, the track still not completely dry following earlier rainfall that had affected the Moto2 and Moto3 races. Then the rain came again and made life even more complicated for the riders. The lead continued to change every few corners as the leaders struggled to work out exactly how much grip there was at each turn, with rain falling more heavily at some corners than at others. Lorenzo was the first of the leading group to pit, while Repsol Honda mechanics readied their spare RC213Vs equipped with rain tyres. But neither Marquez nor Pedrosa came in. Pedrosa was the first to crash as he braked for Turn One on lap 20. He fell while on the brakes in a straight line, proving the lack of traction. By now the rain was falling much more heavily and Marquez slid off the very next lap, relinquishing the lead to Lorenzo. Both riders were able to restart and then change bikes, Marquez crossing the finish line in 13th, one place ahead of Pedrosa. Both their championship positions remain unaffected, because Marquez’s lead was already so large and because Pedrosa’s main rival Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) crashed out in the early stages. Bradl enjoyed a great battle with Crutchlow for several laps, but in the end had to settle for fourth place, just over a second outside a podium finish. Bautista was also involved in a hectic contest, with Yamaha team-mates Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro. Less than three tenths of a second covered the trio at the chequered flag. Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing Honda RCV1000R) had a luckless day. After a big crash yesterday he had to withdraw from the race with a technical glitch. Maverick Vinales (Pons HP 40, Kalex) rode to a second brilliant victory in the Honda-powered Moto2 series, managing the unusual trick of escaping from the pursuing pack. At half-distance the Moto2 rookie was 2.4 seconds ahead of those behind him and although points leader Tito Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team, Kalex) closed the gap to 1.2 seconds at the flag, Vinales always had the race under control. This was the reigning Moto3 champ’s first win since his debut Moto2 success at COTA in April and it followed his first pole position in the class, achieved yesterday afternoon. Behind him a battle royal developed for the last two places on the podium, with Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham, Caterham Suter), Rabat, Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team, Kalex), Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert, Suter) and Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing Team, Kalex) involved from the earliest laps. Kallio had led the first few laps but a couple of near-misses dropped him to the back of the group where he was overhauled by a back-to-form Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock, Suter). As Rabat broke clear and tried to hunt down Vinales, Luthi worked his way through the group to spend the last few laps battling back and forth with Zarco for third place. That duel eventually went the way of the Frenchman, while Luthi crossed the line 0.6 seconds back in fourth and just ahead of impressive rookie Morbidelli. Aegerter was a close sixth and Kallio finished seventh, which puts him 33 points behind Rabat in the championship chase. Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) scored a vital second-place finish in a tricky Moto3 race to take the World Championship lead. The race was run on a drying track with only a slender dry line at most corners. The first major victim of the conditions was former points leader Jack Miller (KTM) who slide off at the high-speed final corner after making contact with Marquez as they fought for the lead on the narrow dry line. Marquez now leads Miller by 11 points with four races remaining. His team-mate Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) was also in the fight for the win until he ran off the track at half distance and dropped back several places. The winner of the last two races fought back brilliantly to finish fourth and preserve this third place in the championship, now just seven points behind Miller. The race was won by Young Italian rider, Romano Fenati (KTM) with Danny Kent (Husqvarna) separating the Honda riders to take third. In the tricky wet/dry conditions Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW) could only manage a tenth-place finish, just ahead of impressive Wild Card Hiroki Ono (Honda Team Asia Honda NSF240RW) who took 11th place. Efren Vazquez (SaxoPrint-RTG Honda NSF250RW) had been in the leading group until he ran off the track to finish 13th. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Ongetta-AirAsia Honda NSF250RW) scored the final World Championship point in 15th. Unluckiest rider was John McPhee (SaxoPrint-RTG Honda NSF250RW) who had looked certain of scoring his first Moto3 podium until the treacherous conditions caught him out and he fell. He remounted, only to fall again and DNF. The MotoGP circus now embarks on its annual eastern odyssey, contesting the Japanese, Australian and Malaysian GPs on consecutive weekends, commencing with Motegi on October 12. The season concludes at Valencia, Spain, on November 9. Honda MotoGP rider quotes Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP: 4th “Well…it was a crazy race for us. Firstly we lost some positions at the start because our clutch was not working well. Then I was on a hard rear tyre whilst the others were on soft, except Marc and Dani. With the mist I had not enough confidence to lean because I was losing the rear on entry so I dropped back some positions. Then it started to rain more and more and I thought to go in one lap earlier but I had many things in my head in that moment. The pit-stop was simply perfect so we could gain some positions when we changed bikes. After that the podium was very close but I missed the final boost to go for it. Anyway in the recent past we’ve had difficult races so this fourth place is very important for us especially before the overseas races. I must thank my team because they made an excellent job in these tricky conditions.” Alvaro Bautista, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 7th “Today we faced an unpredictable race: this morning we didn’t know in what conditions we were going to race, then the track dried out and so we started with a dry setting. To be honest I was feeling quite comfortable; there was more grip on the track, even though I felt exactly the same problems we had during practice. I fought for the fifth position in the second group of riders, then it started to rain so I continued cautiously, until it became necessary to change bikes when the rain intensified. Unfortunately when I rejoined the track on the second bike for wet conditions I had a vibration problem with the brakes that forced me to go wide in a corner: it’s a shame, because in the end I was very close to the fifth position and if there was another lap, or even just a few corners more, I think I could have overtaken Smith and Pol Espargaro.” Hiroshi Aoyama, Drive 7 Aspar Honda: 8th “Today was a difficult race. We opted for the harder tyre and at first we suffered enough. I expected to maintain a steadier pace in the early laps but that was difficult. Still we managed to cope and stay in the group and as the laps went by I started to get more grip and so I gained a few positions. I had a good feeling and I could duel with Hernandez and Redding. Then it started to rain and I had doubts about the best time to change bikes. I tried to stay out as long as possible on slicks. The positive thing about changing motorcycle is that I also felt good in the wet and I managed to maintain my position. I am very happy to have finished eighth in Spain, in a very important race for my team. We have all worked perfectly all weekend and we have been competitive in each session. Next is the race in Japan, my home, and I have high expectations.” Nicky Hayden, Drive 7 Aspar Honda: 9th “Todays race with the changing conditions was quite hard. At first the track was a bit slippy, then after ten laps the rain got stronger. This circuit is quite long, has many ups and downs with some blind corners and even on the straights the visibility was limited, so it was difficult to find your braking references. Still we managed a fairly positive result, though we have to consider that many riders fell. We lost some positions when it started raining and when we changed bikes. I managed to finish the race, which is very positive because three months ago I had to stop racing and I rebuild my right wrist, so ninth is a joy for us. I am happy be back and competitive again. I hope to recover some more before Motegi. I want to thank the team for all the work they’ve done for me over the weekend.” Scott Redding, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini: 10th “In the beginning I felt quite comfortable, but then I started to spin a lot and when the rain came I had no edge grip on corner entry, so I lost a lot of time there. In addition, for me it was the first time to go from dry to wet. I’ve gone from wet to dry a few times, but going from riding with the slicks to riding with rain tyres is quite different, and also knowing the right time to change bikes. Anyway, my timing was not too bad, though maybe I could’ve come in just one lap before. I’m not really disappointed but I’m not really happy, because I was the first Open-class Honda in the first part of the race and I was feeling good before the rain … Anyway, after these two last races I’m confident we can bounce back soon.” Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: 13th “Todays race was difficult because I, like many other riders in MotoGP, had never experienced track conditions like this before. It was a shame that it started to rain; if it hadnt, then I think that Dani, Jorge and I would have made the end of the race really exciting for the fans. I think that we did a good job all weekend – it was just a pity about the crash. I tried to hold on because there were only a few laps remaining, but today I learned that in these situations it is better to use a different strategy.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 14th “It was a difficult race in extreme conditions, but we were able to ride a good first part and were in contention for the win. I made the wrong decision about when to come in to change bikes and didnt make the switch on the lap that I should have. My tyres couldnt hold out any longer and I crashed. Luckily I was able to remount and pick up two points from this race. It is a little disappointing to have gone so far and not taken a good result, but these experiences are useful for learning and heading to the next race stronger.” Karel Abraham, Cardion AB Motoracing: DNF “Bad luck again. The bike slowed down, so I decided to leave the track. Then I tried to turn the engine off and start it again, but it didn´t work. We don´t know yet what happened, the guys are still working on it. I´m pretty annoyed. This was the race where open bikes could fight with prototypes. Aleix Espargaro finished second, Aoyama finished eighth with the same bike as mine. This could be our chance for the season’s best result and we missed it.” Moto2 rider quotes Maverick Vinales, Pons HP 40: race winner “The track conditions were so difficult but I felt really good on the bike from the start, so I was able to ride very hard and make a gap. Normally I make bad starts but today my start was perfect, which of course was a big help. All the team have worked so very hard for this, so I think we can try to make some more races like this.” Tito Rabat, Marc VDS Racing Team: 2nd “I’m happy for this result because I crashed in qualifying yesterday and we had a disastrous warm-up this morning. It was a big fight with everyone in the early laps and although I could overtake Mika by then Maverick had already gone. Then we had a little rain and I went wide and I didn’t want to crash. I tried to chase Maverick but he was too strong, so there was nothing I could do.” Johann Zarco, AirAsia Caterham: 3rd “Third place and my second podium in a row is pretty good. I fought all race and although I could not follow Maverick I had a great fight with Tito, Aegerter and Kallio. Finally I could overtake Kallio and spent a lot of time in third place, but then Luthi was catching me quite fast. It was a good fight with him and finally we won it.” Honda Moto3 rider quotes Alex Marquez, Estrella Galicia 0,0: 2nd “Todays race was difficult. At first we were a little scared because it was so easy to fall on the parts of the circuit that were wet. I tried to stay focused at all times but I made some mistakes and went a little wide on some corners. On the last corner Fenati was very fast, whilst I lost a bit of grip on the rear wheel and could not pass him. I think the 20 points from today are very important. Regarding what happened with Miller: I passed him on the inside, rode my line on the dry bit of track and felt contact halfway into the corner. I didnt know what had happened because I was focused on keeping to my line. I think that what happened was a racing incident.” Alex Rins, Estrella Galicia 0,0: 4th “I think today I had the possibility of being in the front group to try to win or get a podium, but we had a racing incident at Turn One and I came out badly from it, running straight on. However, we are closer than ever to the top, 18 points behind. Although I never want another rider to crash, we have moved a little closer with Miller’s fall. We have been boosted before the flyaway rounds.” Alexis Masbou, Ongetta-Rivacold: 10th “I am not so happy with this result. The conditions were very difficult with only a small dry line, so the racing was very complicated when you were in a group. In the end I got a top-ten finish, but I’m not so happy because at the last few races we have not shown the same potential as we did when he won at Brno. Now we will work hard to improve our performance at the last few races.” RESULTS MOTOGP RACE: (23 laps = 116.794 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP 1 / Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / YAMAHA / 4420.406 / 158.0 / 2 / Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / NGM Forward Racing / FORWARD YAMAHA / 4430.701 / 157.4 / 10.295 3 / Cal CRUTCHLOW / GBR / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 4430.718 / 157.4 / 10.312 4 / Stefan BRADL / GER / LCR Honda MotoGP / HONDA / 4432.124 / 157.3 / 11.718 5 / Bradley SMITH / GBR / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 4449.889 / 156.3 / 29.483 6 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 4450.092 / 156.2 / 29.686 7 / Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / GO&FUN Honda Gresini / HONDA / 4450.169 / 156.2 / 29.763 8 / Hiroshi AOYAMA / JPN / Drive M7 Aspar / HONDA / 4458.247 / 155.8 / 37.841 9 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Drive M7 Aspar / HONDA / 4503.363 / 155.5 / 42.957 10 / Scott REDDING / GBR / GO&FUN Honda Gresini / HONDA / 4514.343 / 154.9 / 53.937 11 / Danilo PETRUCCI / ITA / Octo IodaRacing Team / ART / 4520.230 / 154.5 / 59.824 12 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / NGM Forward Racing / FORWARD YAMAHA / 4521.124 / 154.5 / 100.718 13 / Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 4535.633 / 153.6 / 115.227 14 / Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 4544.932 / 153.1 / 124.526 15 / Yonny HERNANDEZ / COL / Energy T.I. Pramac Racing / DUCATI / 4558.661 / 152.4 / 138.255 16 / Michael LAVERTY / GBR / Paul Bird Motorsport / PBM / 4437.129 / 150.2 / 1 lap 17 / Mike DI MEGLIO / FRA / Avintia Racing / AVINTIA / 4502.913 / 148.7 / 1 lap 18 / Broc PARKES / AUS / Paul Bird Motorsport / PBM / 4502.992 / 148.7 / 1 lap 19 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Avintia Racing / DUCATI / 4559.305 / 145.7 / 1 lap Pole Position: Marc MARQUEZ 147.187 170.5 Km/h Fastest Lap: Jorge LORENZO 149.107 167.5 Km/h Lap 5 Circuit Record Lap: Dani PEDROSA 148.565 168.3 Km/h 2013 Circuit Best Lap: Marc MARQUEZ 147.187 170.5 Km/h 2014 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE: 1 MARQUEZ 292, 2 PEDROSA 217, 3 ROSSI 214, 4 LORENZO 202, 5 DOVIZIOSO 142, 6 A. ESPARGARO 112, 7 P. ESPARGARO 108, 8 IANNONE 92, 9 BRADL 87, 10 SMITH 85, 11 BAUTISTA 73, 12 CRUTCHLOW 63, 13 REDDING 60, 14 AOYAMA 51, 15 HERNANDEZ 39, 16 HAYDEN 36, 17 ABRAHAM 33, 18 EDWARDS 11, 19 PIRRO 11, 20 PETRUCCI 9. MOTO2 RACE: (21 laps = 106.638 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP 1 / Maverick VIÑALES / SPA / Paginas Amarillas HP 40 / KALEX / 4016.321 / 158.8 / 2 / Esteve RABAT / SPA / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 4017.606 / 158.7 / 1.285 3 / Johann ZARCO / FRA / AirAsia Caterham / CATERHAM SUTER / 4021.197 / 158.5 / 4.876 4 / Thomas LUTHI / SWI / Interwetten Sitag / SUTER / 4021.354 / 158.5 / 5.033 5 / Franco MORBIDELLI / ITA / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 4022.281 / 158.4 / 5.960 6 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / Technomag carXpert / SUTER / 4022.726 / 158.4 / 6.405 7 / Mika KALLIO / FIN / Marc VDS Racing Team / KALEX / 4022.846 / 158.4 / 6.525 8 / Jordi TORRES / SPA / Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 / SUTER / 4033.634 / 157.7 / 17.313 9 / Sam LOWES / GBR / Speed Up / SPEED UP / 4034.469 / 157.6 / 18.148 10 / Marcel SCHROTTER / GER / Tech 3 / TECH 3 / 4036.014 / 157.5 / 19.693 11 / Hafizh SYAHRIN / MAL / Petronas Raceline Malaysia / KALEX / 4037.269 / 157.5 / 20.948 12 / Sandro CORTESE / GER / Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 4037.431 / 157.5 / 21.110 13 / Luis SALOM / SPA / Paginas Amarillas HP 40 / KALEX / 4038.986 / 157.4 / 22.665 14 / Ricard CARDUS / SPA / Tech 3 / TECH 3 / 4040.724 / 157.2 / 24.403 15 / Takaaki NAKAGAMI / JPN / IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia / KALEX / 4040.786 / 157.2 / 24.465 16 / Julian SIMON / SPA / Italtrans Racing Team / KALEX / 4043.723 / 157.0 / 27.402 17 / Gino REA / GBR / AGT REA Racing / SUTER / 4055.981 / 156.3 / 39.660 18 / Roman RAMOS / SPA / QMMF Racing Team / SPEED UP / 4056.183 / 156.2 / 39.862 19 / Azlan SHAH / MAL / IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia / KALEX / 4056.394 / 156.2 / 40.073 20 / Louis ROSSI / FRA / SAG Team / KALEX / 4056.506 / 156.2 / 40.185 Pole Position: Maverick VIÑALES 154.073 160.2 Km/h Fastest Lap: Thomas LUTHI 154.254 160.0 Km/h Lap 17 Circuit Record Lap: Marc MARQUEZ 153.956 160.4 Km/h 2011 Circuit Best Lap: Marc MARQUEZ 153.296 161.3 Km/h 2011 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE: 1 RABAT 278, 2 KALLIO 245, 3 VIÑALES 204, 4 AEGERTER 143, 5 LUTHI 116, 6 ZARCO 104, 7 CORSI 100, 8 SALOM 66, 9 CORTESE 66, 10 WEST 65, 11 MORBIDELLI 63, 12 SCHROTTER 57, 13 LOWES 49, 14 FOLGER 48, 15 TORRES 40, 16 SIMEON 39, 17 DE ANGELIS 37, 18 SIMON 36, 19 SYAHRIN 34, 20 PASINI 32. MOTO3 RACE: (20 laps = 101.56 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP 1 / Romano FENATI / ITA / SKY Racing Team VR46 / KTM / 4052.209 / 149.0 / 2 / Alex MARQUEZ / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / HONDA / 4052.266 / 149.0 / 0.057 3 / Danny KENT / GBR / Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo / HUSQVARNA / 4052.492 / 149.0 / 0.283 4 / Alex RINS / SPA / Estrella Galicia 0,0 / HONDA / 4103.840 / 148.3 / 11.631 5 / Jakub KORNFEIL / CZE / Calvo Team / KTM / 4110.591 / 147.9 / 18.382 6 / Enea BASTIANINI / ITA / Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 / KTM / 4111.468 / 147.9 / 19.259 7 / Miguel OLIVEIRA / POR / Mahindra Racing / MAHINDRA / 4115.915 / 147.6 / 23.706 8 / Brad BINDER / RSA / Ambrogio Racing / MAHINDRA / 4116.982 / 147.6 / 24.773 9 / Niccolò ANTONELLI / ITA / Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3 / KTM / 4129.232 / 146.8 / 37.023 10 / Alexis MASBOU / FRA / Ongetta-Rivacold / HONDA / 4131.253 / 146.7 / 39.044 11 / Hiroki ONO / JPN / Honda Team Asia / HONDA / 4131.793 / 146.7 / 39.584 12 / Isaac VIÑALES / SPA / Calvo Team / KTM / 4154.224 / 145.4 / 102.015 13 / Efren VAZQUEZ / SPA / SaxoPrint-RTG / HONDA / 4154.270 / 145.4 / 102.061 14 / Jules DANILO / FRA / Ambrogio Racing / MAHINDRA / 4154.447 / 145.4 / 102.238 15 / Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN / MAL / Ongetta-AirAsia / HONDA / 4157.477 / 145.2 / 105.268 16 / Jasper IWEMA / NED / CIP / MAHINDRA / 4157.491 / 145.2 / 105.282 17 / Eric GRANADO / BRA / Calvo Team / KTM / 4158.695 / 145.1 / 106.486 18 / Andrea LOCATELLI / ITA / San Carlo Team Italia / MAHINDRA / 4204.283 / 144.8 / 112.074 19 / Hafiq AZMI / MAL / SIC-AJO / KTM / 4214.039 / 144.2 / 121.830 20 / Gabriel RODRIGO / ARG / RBA Racing Team / KTM / 4217.335 / 144.0 / 125.126 Pole Position: Alex RINS 158.318 154.5 Km/h Fastest Lap: Romano FENATI 200.176 152.1 Km/h Lap 19 Circuit Record Lap: Philipp OETTL 159.681 152.7 Km/h 2013 Circuit Best Lap: Juanfran GUEVARA 157.930 155.0 Km/h 2014 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TILL DATE: 1 MARQUEZ 206, 2 MILLER 195, 3 RINS 188, 4 FENATI 165, 5 VAZQUEZ 154, 6 MASBOU 140, 7 VIÑALES 116, 8 BASTIANINI 108, 9 KENT 93, 10 OLIVEIRA 93, 11 BINDER 85, 12 KORNFEIL 78, 13 MCPHEE 53, 14 AJO 45, 15 BAGNAIA 42, 16 GUEVARA 40, 17 ANTONELLI 37, 18 HANIKA 24, 19 LOI 17, 20 KHAIRUDDIN 17. NEXT EVENT: ROUND15, OCT12, MOTEGI, JAPAN.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 06:15:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015