69 wins for Rossi in the premiership class
|
VALENTINO ROSSI won this weekend's Red Bull Indianpolis Grand Prix after the race was red-flagged due to unsafe weather conditions.
The Italian took the lead from former world champion Nicky Hayden midway through the 28-lap race, crossing the finishing line over 5 seconds ahead of the Repsol Honda rider, in what Rossi described as the most difficult conditions he's ever raced in.
The victory was Rossi´s 69th MotoGP win, making the Italian the most successful premier class rider of all-time. Valentino dedicated the win to his grandfather, who died the same day. Rossi is now 87 points clear of nearest rival Casey Stoner, who finished fourth, which means he is able to win the championship at the next round in Motegi by finishing fourth or above.
The last spot on the podium was claimed by Rossi's team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard looked set to make the race another Yamaha 1-2 but the red flagged was waved before Lorenzo could muscle past local hero Nicky Hayden.
Britain's James Toseland, riding a Tech 3 Yamaha, finished in a disappointing 18th place.
The 250cc race was abandoned for safety reasons.
Valentino Rossi - Fiat Yamaha - 1st
“This is fantastic because it’s been a long time since I won in the rain and even longer since I won four in a row! To win the first race here at Indianapolis is a great emotion and to beat Agostini’s record is also incredible, now I hope my record will stand for 30 years like his! It was an amazing race and, once I was able to pass Stoner, I knew I had the chance to win so I pushed very hard. I had a great race with Nicky; he was really hard to pass so congratulations to him. When the wind and rain came it became very hard, I think I could have kept going for another eight laps okay but there were things flying through the air – beer cans, plastic glasses – so really I think it was the right decision to stop the race! Sincerely I don’t think I’ve ever ridden in conditions like these and I was ! lucky because I was far in front and therefore didn’t have to take any big risks. It’s been a perfect weekend for us despite the weather because we made the pole position, the fastest lap and we won, so I want to congratulate my team once again for a fantastic job, today and all year. Also thanks to Bridgestone because my tyres were very good today. I’ve really enjoyed racing here in Indy and I am looking forward to coming back next year. Now we have a big advantage and it would be great to win the championship in Motegi, but it’s not over yet so we will keep our concentration and keep working! Finally I want to dedicate this victory to my Grandfather Dario, who sadly died today aged 82.”
Nick Hayden - Repsol Honda - 2nd
“Man, it felt really good to be in the lead and I felt quite comfortable. It’s been a long time. I was thinking ‘this only happens in the movies’: your home race, missing the last two and coming back to win. I was able to stay focused but Valentino came past and he had a little more speed, especially in section three. Then when he touched the line onto the back straightaway I was able to make up a little more ground and I thought maybe I was okay. But when it started raining heavy I was in trouble because when it had dried I’d used up a lot of the left side of the tyre, so it got pretty gnarly with all the water. “Sure, you dream about winning your home race, but honestly I shouldn’t be too greedy with how things have been. I’ll take this second and enjoy it. I’d just like to say a big thanks to my team, all my guys, my friends, my family, everyone who’s stuck with me through tough times. Also, thanks to Indy and everyone for making this race happen. It’s a great feeling to be able to race so close to home, I enjoyed it. “I gave the maximum today, I can’t say I left much on the table and that’s how it’s supposed to be. When they stopped the race it was pretty treacherous. It was the right thing to do. Conditions were really tough, especially with the winds because you’d be on a dry line and all of a sudden it’d blow you onto the wet. When they said we were going to do another eight laps, part of me thought ‘hey, let’s line back up and try again’. But I’m not leading the championship, so I’ve got nothing to worry about. A big thanks to the fans too, we only had to be out in the wet for an hour, they’ve been out there since Thursday.”
Jorge Lorenzo - Fiat Yamaha - 3rd
“This is the first wet podium in my career, including the European, Spanish and even Mallorcan Championships! To be honest, I really didn’t want to leave my motorhome before the race because I was so warm and comfortable and I really don’t like to race in the rain, but today I think things have changed! I got a good start, which surprised me, and then I was able to pass Dani and then Valentino, which surprised me even more! I am so happy to finally discover that I can be fast in the rain as well. After Valentino passed me back I tried to follow him but he was a bit too fast so I concentrated on keeping my pace consistent, then the rain and especially the wind came and it was quite crazy! I was still fast though I closed the gap to Nicky, who I think had some problems by then, and maybe I could have passed him with som! e more laps but it was very dangerous and so better to stop the race. We are still not perfect but our bike and Michelin tyres were very good today so I want to thank Yamaha and Michelin again, and my team for their hard work. Well done to Valentino and I hope we can continue like this for the last four races.”
Casey Stoner - Marlboro Ducati - 4th
"I think it was the right decision to stop the race because the conditions were really dangerous - more for the strong wind than the heavy rain, which made it difficult to keep the bike upright. I'm never going to be satisfied with fourth place but it would have been foolish to push harder in those conditions and I made the right decision not to do so. I got a good start but I quickly lost confidence because the rear tyre was tearing up quickly and by the time they stopped the race I was struggling to hold my lap times."
Andrea Dovizioso - JiR Scot Honda - 5th
"I am very pleased with the outcome of today, obtained under conditions that were – quite simply – incredible. We had intense rain and then a strong wind, which then led to the early conclusion of the race. It was very easy to make mistakes and ruin the race, but I started fast, as often happens with me, and I was quick to take the lead. In fact, in the beginning I wanted to stay in front of everyone. I gave the maximum today to earn the most points possible. The tyres worked well, but today the choice was difficult and we opted for a solution that gave us sufficient confidence. We must further improve with our tyres, and Michelin are working hard to be more efficient. I believe that in different climatic conditions, we could have also fought for the podium."
Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP results
1 V. ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 37'20.095
2 N. HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team + 5.972
3 J. LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team + 7.858
4 C. STONER AUS Ducati Team + 28.162
5 A. DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 28.824
6 B. SPIES USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 29.645
7 S. GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team + 36.223
8 D. PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team + 37.258
9 C. VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 38.442
10 A. DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini + 42.437
11 A. WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team + 47.179
12 T. ELIAS SPA Alice Team + 55.962
13 R. DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP + 57.366
14 J. HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team + 58.353
15 C. EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha + 1'00.613
16 L. CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 1'05.620
17 S. NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini + 1'05.854
18 J. TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha + 1'07.968
19 M. MELANDRI ITA Ducati Team + 1'21.023
2008 MotoGP Championship standings
1 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 287
2 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team 200
3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team 193
4 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 156
5 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP 129
6 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 117
7 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha 109
8 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team 104
9 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 87
10 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team 86
11 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 86
12 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 85
13 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team 56
14 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 55
15 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Team 48
16 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 43
17 John HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team 41
18 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team 41
19 Ben SPIES USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 20
20 Jamie HACKING USA Kawasaki Racing Team 5
21 Tadayuki OKADA JPN Repsol Honda Team 2
