LORENZO’S LAGUNA DEBUT ENDS IN GRAVEL AFTER FIRST-LAP
CRASH
Jorge Lorenzo suffered a dramatic high-side on the very first
lap of the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca today, his debut American
race ending in the gravel at turn five. The Spaniard broke
the third and fifth metatarsal bones in his left foot and
will now face a race to be fit for the next race in Brno,
in a month’s time.
Lorenzo made a good start and was looking promising in fourth
place when the crash happened. It was immediately clear that
he had injured himself, a depressing realisation for a rider
who has already had to cope with two broken ankles and a concussion
this season. With the summer break coming before the next
race however the outlook is good for the 21-year-old, who
has flown home tonight for further assessment in Barcelona
this week.
There was cause for celebration on the other side of the
garage as Valentino Rossi won his first ever US Grand Prix,
following a scintillating battle with Casey Stoner. Rossi
now leads Stoner by 25 points whilst Lorenzo remains in fourth.
Jorge Lorenzo
Position: DNF Time:
“I’m very sad today because I had a lot of confidence
for the race after the qualifying session yesterday and, above
all, after the very start of the race when I was fourth and
feeling good. Then I crashed; my tyre was not up to temperature,
I lost the rear and the next thing I knew I was in the gravel,
with pain in my foot. It is one more crash, one more injury
and it’s another moment that I have to forget as soon
as possible. I need to look forward. I am so sad but now I
must concentrate on the fact that I have a whole month before
Brno in order to be fit and to be able to race in good shape.
This is my aim. I would like to congratulate to Valentino
for his great victory and race today, he did a fantastic job.”
Daniele Romagnoli
Team Manager
“Unfortunately today’s result is not what Jorge
and the team deserved, after the progress we made in practice.
We could have gone for a better result, but the main problem
today was the lack of grip on the rear, which was amplified
at the beginning of the race when the tyres were not yet at
the optimum temperature. Now let’s hope for a good rest
for Jorge; we wish him a good recovery and we look forward
to seeing him come back at Brno ready to fight again with
the top riders.”
Results
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 44'4.311
2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro + 13.001
3. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki + 26.609
4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 34.901
5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda + 35.663
6. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP + 37.668
7. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team + 41.629
8. Ben Spies (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 41.927
9. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha + 43.019
10. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 44.391
11. Jamie Hacking (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team + 46.258
12. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team + 55.273
13. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 55.521
14. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha + 1'02.380
15. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 1'08.207
16. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro + 1'10.962
17. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing 1 Lap
NOT CLASSIFIED
Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 32 Lap
Championship Standings
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 212
2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro 187
3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 171
4. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 114
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP 103
6. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 100
7. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki 89
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 84
9. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha 72
10. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini 70
11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 61
12. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team 46
13. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 41
14. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 40
15. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team 38
16. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro 32
17. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing 32
18. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing 22
19. Ben Spies (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 10
20. Jamie Hacking (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team 5
21. Tadyuki Okada (JPN) Repsol Honda Team 2
Laguna Seca: Record Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'21.488
Laguna Seca: Best Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'20.700
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