DANI PEDROSA AND THE REPSOL HONDA TEAM, WINNERS OF THE CATALUNYA
GRAND PRIX
The Repsol rider commanded with authority a race which he
led from start to finish. A sensational Marc Márquez
finished tenth in 125cc, Nicky Hayden was eighth in MotoGP
and Julián Simón was ninth in the 250cc category
Dani Pedrosa took another step forward in his fight for the
MotoGP World Title. After a practically perfect weekend, the
Repsol rider claimed the victory with authority at the Catalunya
Grand Prix, a result which places him seven points behind
Valentino Rossi -second today- in the general classification.
After his victory at the last Spanish Grand Prix, Pedrosa
claimed a further victory at home in front of 113.150 dedicated
spectators.
What is more, the Repsol rider was the first Spaniard to take
the victory on the Catalunya track in the top category since
1999, when Alex Crivillé, also a Repsol Honda Team
rider at the time, claimed a victory that was to bring him
closer to the 500cc World Championship Title.
The race was one of those that Dani Pedrosa likes: he took
the lead at the first bend, set his own pace -including a
fastest lap in an incredible 1'42.186 seconds during the fourth
lap-, and lost sight of his rivals until the checkered flag
was waved. A perfect race which drove the Spanish crowd ecstatic.
At the other end of the paddock, a disappointed Nicky Hayden
finished in eighth position, hindered first by the premature
erosion of his tyres, and later by a malfunction in his rear
brake towards the end of the race. Tomorrow's training sessions
should give the American rider the chance of testing the new
valve engine and of finding the cause of today's problems.
In the quarter-litre race, Julián Simón was
not very satisfied with his result today. The Repsol rider
got off to a good start, but could not avoid being passed
by a number of riders. At the end of the first lap he was
eighth, but one lap later he fell a position and fought throughout
the rest of the race to stay in the second pack. With eight
laps remaining, Hiroshi Aoyama (rider who receives technical
support from Repsol) passed him, and Simón maintained
tenth position until the World Championship leader, Mika Kallio,
withdrew due to a mechanical problem when there were four
laps remaining, with Simón finally crossing the line
in ninth position.
The positive day for the Repsol riders started well and finished
even better. In the morning, Marc Márquez gave an excellent
performance in 125cc during the first race of the day. The
Repsol rider, who started from fourteenth position, got off
to a superb start, placing himself in ninth position by the
end of the straight. A few curves later he had lost three
positions, but held fast in the leading pack struggling for
ninth position with De Rosa. After a couple of brushes with
other riders, Márquez lost contact with the leading
group and stayed in the second, along with Bradl, De Rosa
and Ianone. As the race progressed, two more riders joined
the pack, but the struggle caused them to separate, and the
Repsol rider finally managed to secure a splendid tenth position,
after dodging De Rosa and Ianone, who fell right in front
of him with four laps remaining. Teammate Esteve Rabat left
the Intensive Care Unit at the Catalunya General Hospital
and was taken to a room, where he continues to recover favourably.
Tomorrow Monday, at some point during the day, it is expected
that Esteve Rabat will be discharged from hospital.
Quotes
MotoGP
Dani Pedrosa >> 1st
“I’m very happy about this win, my thanks to all
the people around me. Today was also very important for the
championship, I am now five points closer to the lead, but
there are still many races ahead of us, so we need to keep
pushing and be consistent.
We had a few issues in practice here, so my team was thinking
what they could do and they made a small adjustment before
the race that improved the bike and helped me to run that
pace. Once again, a big thanks to them. I couldn’t believe
the fans, it seems like every year there are more and more.
I’m very happy they were here because I know it was
difficult to get into the track today. I was all alone, pushing
to go faster and faster and I could see everyone cheering
me on. At one point I lost a bit of concentration, but I got
my focus back and kept pushing. Now we have two days of tests
which will be very important for the next few races.”
Nicky Hayden >> 8th at 22.280 secs.
“We knew the race was going to be tough. Our bike has
worked quite well when we had grip but something with the
set-up right now we’re not getting the tyre life we
need. It was okay in the beginning but I couldn’t maintain
the pace.
Something in the set-up is hurting the tyre life, it’s
quite frustrating. We were in there early and thought we might
be on for a good result and then we lost touch and went backward.
The rear brake went out towards the end which didn’t
help things. Eighth place is not what we want. We’ve
got a really important two days of testing which we need.
I’m certainly looking forward to it, hopefully we can
get a couple of things sorted out.”
250cc
Julián Simón >> 9th at 36.964 secs.
“The start wasn't bad, but a few rivals passed me on
the straight. I struggled to climb back a few positions over
the first lap, but didn't manage to and stayed with the second
pack until halfway through the race, trying to follow Kallio,
Pasini and the others. It was difficult keeping up with the
pace.
In the end the tyres were performing very poorly and I was
having trouble keeping up with the others. Maybe I was lacking
a bit of engine power to keep up with the pack. We've worked
real hard and I did my best during the race; though ninth
position was not what I'd hoped for. It was the best we could
do today, so we'll have to hope Donington puts us back in
the lead.”
125cc
Marc Márquez >> 10th at 18.962 secs
“The race was very tough. The leading pack was not riding
too fast at the start and I was able to follow them; but later
on, I had a few brushes with other riders, lost them as a
reference, and found it hard to keep up with them.
I felt quite comfortable in the group I was in throughout
the race, but with three laps remaining two riders fell in
front of me, I narrowly missed them and definitely lost my
reference. But the important thing is that we've done a good
race, I've learned a great deal and want to congratulate the
team because they've all done a great job.”
Official Results
MotoGP
1. Dani PEDROSA (REPSOL HONDA) 43:02.175
2. Valentino ROSSI (YAMAHA) at 2.806
3. Casey STONER (DUCATI) at 3.343
4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (HONDA) at 10.893
5. Colin EDWARDS (YAMAHA) at 16.426
8. Nicky HAYDEN (REPSOL HONDA) at 22.280
250cc
1. Marco SIMONCELLI (GILERA) 41:01.859
2. Álvaro BAUTISTA (APRILIA) at 0.039
3. Héctor BARBERÁ (APRILIA) at 11.291
4. Alex DEBÓN (APRILIA) at 21.373
5. Thomas LUTHI (APRILIA) at 26.621
9. Julián SIMÓN (REPSOL KTM) at 36.964
125cc
1. Mike DI MEGLIO (DERBI) 41:08.708
2. Pol ESPARGARÓ (DERBI) at 0.268
3. Gabor TALMACSI (APRILIA) at 0.338
4. Stefan BRADL (APRILIA) at 8.765
5. Simone CORSI (APRILIA) at 10.141
10. Marc MÁRQUEZ (REPSOL KTM) at 18.962
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