RED BULL INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX

Fiat Yamaha Team lead the way to Indianapolis

The MotoGP World Championship heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
for the first time in its history this weekend, fittingly with the
equal most successful rider of all-time leading the groundbreaking
pilgrimage to one of motorsport's most iconic venues. Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi
leveled Giacomo Agostini's record of premier-class wins with his 68th
career success at Misano, extending his championship advantage over Casey Stoner to 75 points, whilst his rookie team-mate Jorge Lorenzo made it a team one-two,
It
means that Rossi needs to outscore Stoner by a single point at Indy to
set up his first title match-point in the following round at Motegi,
Japan. The legendary American circuit, which plays host to two of the
largest-attended sporting events in the world - the Indy 500 and
Allstate 400 car races
- now welcomes the two-wheeled phenomena of Rossi-mania and the
'Lorenshow', with the pair keen to make their mark with a dazzling
performance in front of the fanatical east-coast crowd.

Much
will hinge on the adaptability of bikes and especially tyres at a
circuit the engineers have no previous data for. A crucial factor will
be track temperature, although it looks certain to be much cooler than
recent events at Laguna Seca,
Brno and in particular Misano, where the late European summer sunshine
brought ambient temperatures of 35ºC, heating the asphalt to 48ºC. At
Indianapolis average temperatures in September range from highs of
around 25ºC to lows touching 13ºC.

The Indianapolis Motor
Speedway is the largest spectator sporting facility in the world, with
257,000 permanent seats. Originally constructed in 1909 with a 2.5-mile
oval, an exciting 16-turn motorcycle road circuit, which includes part
of the historic oval, has been purpose-built for this weekend's event.
Action will get underway an hour earlier than usual, with the first
practice session scheduled for 9.30am on Friday and running until 11am,
allowing the riders an extra half hour to get to know the track.
Sunday's race is also scheduled for later than usual, with the red
lights set to go out at 3pm.

Valentino Rossi - A different challenge
"I
am still on a high from Misano, which was an amazing day, but now we
are facing a different challenge. It's very exciting to be going to
Indianapolis, such a famousand historical place for motorposrt, but
it's obvious from reports that it's going to be quite a difficult race
for everyone. Of course we have no data but we're also expecting the
surface to be quite tricky for the tyres. I hope the track is safe, we
know the walls are quite close in some places but hopefully it won't be
a problem. We will find out on Friday! It's fun to be going to a new
place in America and I hope there will be a lot of fans, even if it's
not quite as many as at the Indy 500!"

Jorge Lorenzo - "A famous place!"
"Returning
to the United States is really exciting for me, not for the fact we're
going back there but because we're racing at a completely new circuit.
Indianapolis is a historic place, which we have all heard people
talking about at one time or another. It's a track I've seen hundreds
of times in movies and on the television. As far as I'm concerned, I
just want to keep in a good run of form and stay at the level we found
at San Marino, where everything worked as we'd hoped once again. The
whole team and myself have to focus throughout all four sessions
because they will be crucial to prepare for the race. There are five
rounds until the end of the world championship and we have to keep
fighting to meet our objectives. This is the first of a difficult run
of races outside Europe."
Davide Brivio - "Expecting a great weekend"
"Everyone
in our team really enjoys racing in America so we're excited about
going back there, and even more so about going to such a fantastic,
historical place as Indianapolis. It will be great fun exploring the
track and the area, and we're anticipating a great weekend. Of course
we know it's going to be hard, as it always is when we go somewhere
new, but the momentum is with us after three great races and we will be
aiming to continue in the same way. Our team is very motivated and we
will be looking to get as good start on Friday morning and then to make
the most of each session from then on."
Daniele Romagnoli - "Indy is a magical track"
"It
is difficult to predict what the situation will be like at Indianapolis
because we've never been there before and we don't have any data to
work from, but we go into practice in good shape. Jorge scored a
wonderful podium at Misano and proved that he has got his feeling back
for the bike and his confidence has returned. If the tyres are good
then we can be competitive, there's no doubt about that. The whole team
are excited about this weekend because we love spending time in the US.
Indy is a magical track, which we have all seen on the television many
times growing up, so it is an extra motivation for all of us to race
there."
Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 29

Lives: Tavullia, Italy

Bike: Yamaha

GP victories: 94 (68 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)

First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)

First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)

GP starts: 205 (145 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)

Pole positions: 50

World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 21

Lives: London, UK

Bike: Yamaha

GP victories: 22 (1 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)

First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)

First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)

GP starts: 106 (12 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)

Pole positions: 29 (3 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)

World Championships: 2 x 250cc

FREE PRACTICE REPORT - 13/09/2008

Rossi makes rainy debut at the brickyard

The historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway had its first taste of MotoGP action today as the inaugural Indianapolis Grand Prix got underway, but it was a rain-hit debut for the sport at this most famous of racetracks. Nonetheless Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi made an encouraging start and is optimistic for the weekend, should the weather not become even worse.

After
having some initial concerns on first sight yesterday, the Italian was
pleasantly surprised with his first foray onto the track and found it
more enjoyable to ride than he had expected, despite the areas of new
asphalt lacking some grip. He was 11th fastest this morning but
improved considerably this afternoon and finished the second session,
which was much wetter, in fourth. Fastest on track today was Anthony
West, whilst Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was also happy with his first outing, finishing seventh in both sessions
Valentino Rossi - Position: 11th Time: 1'54.795 Laps: 59
"So,
after some worries yesterday it seems that the track is not so bad and
in fact it's a lot more fun to ride than I expected; it's like Rio in
places. There are some parts that have a few problems and we can
definitely improve them for the future, especially turn five and turn
one, but for now I think it is okay. The biggest problem is the
difference in the asphalt, which changes too much, and the new asphalt
doesn't drain so well; if this weather becomes worse things will be
very difficult. I am really sad about the rain because it's fantastic
to be here and I felt quite a strong emotion leaving the garage for the
first time this morning, at such a historic place. I really hope that
the weather improves so that we can have some crowds here on Sunday! I
think we have good potential here and I feel like if it was dry then I
could be quite fast as well, but it looks like this won't be the case
at the moment. Anyway, the situation is okay, my bike and tyres are
working well so far so we will try to improve again tomorrow."
Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"It's
a great pity that the weather is so bad on our Indianapolis debut! We
had hoped for better conditions but it's the same for everyone and
we're working as hard as we can to find a good set-up for these
conditions, because it looks like it may stay like this all weekend.
This afternoon we improved our bike and in general things were much
better, so now we will just continue like this. Being a new track there
are many things to adjust, but I think it's fair to say that we have
had a good first day in difficult conditions."
Lorenzo seventh as MotoGP lands at Indianapolis
MotoGP
made its long-awaited debut at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway
in Indiana today, the first time in 99 years that the track has seen
motorcycle action. Jorge Lorenzo played a promising part in the opening
day, finishing seventh overall in soaking wet conditions.

After
a sunny and humid day yesterday, an area of low pressure brought
non-stop rain today, which grew heavier throughout the afternoon. These
were less than ideal conditions for the riders to begin getting to know
the track, which uses part of the main straight before winding its way
around inside the famous Oval. Lorenzo, who lies fourth in the MotoGP
standings, made a positive start to his second race on US soil and
found the track nature suited him more than he expected, enabling him
to find a good base set-up from the start.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 7th Time: 1'53.850 Laps: 50
"I
am happy today because the track is much better than I expected and a
lot less dangerous. Some walls are quite close to the racing line but
in general it's not too bad. The first part, with the new tarmac, is
difficult because it's very slippery and there's a lot of standing
water, so you have to ride very carefully and very straight. The other
part has better grip. We need to find a balance between tyres, which is
the biggest issue we have to deal with. The back part is flowing and
fun to ride, I think it suits my riding style so this is an unexpected
surprise! Anyway, the situation is the same for all the riders, the
weather is bad, it's a new track - we will do our best!"
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
"Overall
it's been a positive day for us. We have started at a new track, about
which we had little information, but our pace has not been so bad all
day. We need to improve our performance in section one quite a lot,
where Jorge has some problems entering the turns because there is a lot
of water on the track. It seems like we need to prepare a wet race set
up because the forecast is more of the same, so tomorrow we will
continue to try to improve our set-up and see what we can do."
Tech 3 Yamaha battle Indy rain
Heavy rain dominated the long-awaited opening day of the inaugural Indianapolis MotoGP today, with Tech 3
Yamaha's Colin Edwards and James Toseland battling treacherous conditions to finish 15th and 17th
respectively.

Edwards and Toseland both clocked their best times on a wet track this morning before conditions rapidly
deteriorated in this afternoon's second free practice session. With the rain worsening, the majority of the 19-
strong field failed to improve their times from earlier in the day.

The main issue for the Tech 3 Yamaha pairing was standing water on sections of the circuit run on new tarmac.
And with grip levels varying drastically between old and new sections of asphalt, aquaplaning became a major
concern as the rain worsened.

Conditions look set to remain wet for the remainder of the weekend, with thunderstorms and showers forecast
for tomorrow and Sunday's 28-lap race. A large crowd is still expected for the MotoGP debut at the iconic
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a venue steeped in motorsport history and tradition.

Colin Edwards - Position: 15th Time: 1'58.600 Laps: 44
"It is pretty tough out there and when the rain is at its heaviest it was terrible. The people at Indy have done a
phenomenal job to get this show on, and it's a shame that the rain is playing such a big role. The circuit for me
is cool for safety and I've got no major issues and its fun to ride. But in that heavy rain I wouldn't look forward to
having to race in those conditions. And if the rain is that hard on Sunday it is going to be last man standing.
This morning it wasn't so bad because the rain wasn't so heavy, but this afternoon it got really tough to ride.
The problem is where the tarmac changes between the old and the new. On the front straight and then for the
first four corners it is pretty bad. But then once you are on the old surface you are good to push. You can flick
the bike on its side and brake hard. But you don't know where the limit is on the first part. And when you find the
limit you aquaplane and crash. You're constantly trying to push a little bit more at a time to see where the limit is
while keeping it on two wheels. It was so easy to make a mistake. There's a channel of water in the first corner
and I was behind Sylvain Guintoli. He wasn't pushing hard at all. I'd say he was a fraction off line and he hit a
huge puddle and he was down. In the first part nothing is draining. It drains but it is just not draining fast enough
when it starts to rain really hard. So then you start aquaplaning."

James Toseland - Position: 18th Time: 1'59.478 Laps: 44
"I'm not too disheartened with my position and the lap times I was doing in the worse conditions were not bad
compared to the rest. We didn't have a good setting for when the track was pretty good at the start of the
session this afternoon, but when I went back out again it had rained hard and there was lying water in parts of
the track. You needed to do a lap time in the first 20 minutes and we didn't. But in the middle of the session
when the times were slower we weren't too far away at all. It was one of those days when you could have been
up the front or down the bottom. The big issue is the puddles on the new surface. With the amount of rain we
had this afternoon, it made it nearly unrideable. You aquaplane for at least two metres before you turn in at the
first corner and that isn't a lot of fun. This morning when it wasn't raining so much, there was still a big puddle in
the first corner, but this afternoon the rain made it nearly impossible. The old surface is absolutely fine but we
are really struggling for grip in the sections where the new surface is. You aquaplane because the puddles in
places must be two or three inches deep. It is just a shame because there has been a lot of expectation about
coming to Indy. It would be a great track in the dry and it could be a fantastic event. It is great to see so many
fans turn out in this weather, so hopefully we can put an exciting show on for them."


Free Practice

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'54.274
2, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 1'55.032
3, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 1'55.067
4, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 1'55.425
5, Ben Spies, Suzuki, USA, 1'55.869
6, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 1'56.225
7, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 1'56.313
8, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'56.458
9, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 1'56.782
10, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'57.534
11, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 1'58.335
12, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 1'58.382
13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 1'58.399
14, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 1'58.546
15, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 1'58.600
16, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 1'59.059
17, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 1'59.092
18, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 1'59.478
19, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 1'59.661