Lorenzo happy with valuable points, Spies disappointed

Sunday, 1 May 2011

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo, extended his unbroken run of podium finishes today in the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal, with second place in Estoril. Ben Spies failed to finish the race after a tool was left on his bike at the start, which compromised his riding. The American crashed out of a top ten place, scoring no points.

Having taken his fourth consecutive Estoril pole position in yesterday’s qualifying, the reigning World Champion retained the lead from the off. Lorenzo completed 25 laps in the lead, before relinquishing to Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda,) just three laps from the end, crossing the line in second place to take valuable championship points. The Spaniard leads the 2011 MotoGP championship by four points over his closest rival, Pedrosa.
Lorenzo’s team mate Ben Spies, was again denied the opportunity to complete the MotoGP race in Estoril. A tool used to temporarily block the fuel overflow pipe on grid was accidentally left in place for the race start, compromising the Texan’s ability to ride competitively. The tool’s location adjacent to the front brake lever made it impossible for him to brake effectively, ultimately affecting his concentration, which resulted in a crash with fifteen laps remaining of the race.
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing

“I made a good start and which I was really happy. I then pushed to my maximum to try to open up the gap to Pedrosa. Unfortunately today was not the day for that, he was too strong and consistent and at the end, he was maybe fresher to push. Second is a good result, we have a lot of points from three races, so I think we are in a good way to keep fighting for the championship. I want to thank my team who worked really hard this weekend to make sure we were as competitive as we could be.”

Rossi rues strategy, hard day for Hayden

Sunday, 1 May 2011

The third round of the MotoGP World Championship, at the Portuguese circuit, saw Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi finish in fifth place after being pipped by Andrea Dovizioso on the line of the very last lap. Team mate Nicky Hayden had a tough race after contact with fellow American, Ben Spies and he eventually finished in ninth.

Rossi started well from the third row and made up more positions on the first lap, bringing him to fourth place. From there, the Italian maintained a good rhythm for the entire race, holding off Andrea Dovizioso until the very end, when the Repsol Honda rider slipped by in the race to the line and finished in front of the Ducati by just twenty-five thousandths of a second.
Starting from the fifth row, Nicky Hayden also had a very strong launch, and the American was seventh after the first lap. A small shifting problem affected him a little, but it was mainly the contact with Spies that caused him to lose ground to the opposition in front. Tomorrow the Ducati Team will stay for a post-race test with the other MotoGP teams, the riders are hopeful for good weather for so that the team can continue its development of the GP11.
Valentino Rossi, Ducati Team
“Apart from Dovizioso, today went well! I’m joking, but Dovizioso obviously rode a race that was strategically perfect. I think he played with me a little, knowing that on the straight, he could probably beat me to the line. He couldn’t pass me because I was strong on the brakes, so he had me do all the work for 28 laps, before making his attempt, and he got me by twenty-five thousandths of a second. Apart from that, the team and I are very happy, because it was a nice race and this, for the time being, is the best we can do. I started well, I made up several positions, and then I was very consistent, with decent lap times. I practically did the same lap from qualifying 28 times, so it’s a good result. My only disappointment is that fourth would have been my best finish with the Ducati Team. Anyway, another positive is that I’m physically well, as I’m missing just fifteen percent of my strength, but I think I’ll be at 100 percent between Le Mans and Catalunya. As for the bike, there’s certainly still work to do, but we’re working together with the Ducati technicians.