Repsol riders with mixed luck at Indianapolis

The Repsol riders had different luck at the Indianapolis Circuit: on one hand Marc Márquez and Dani Pedrosa, and on the other Maverick Viñales and Álex Márquez, with a good job also for Álex Rins, Miguel Oliveira and Casey Stoner.

In the Moto2 category we saw a spectacular race from Marc Márquez, the 93 was the strongest of the intermediate class, taking another step towards the title, adding his fifth victory of the season and building a 39-point lead over his closest pursuer, Pol Espargaró.

Although the start was not easy, with several riders in a leading group, and especially with Dominique Aegerter, who was surprising everyone, he eventually saw Márquez pass him to start pushing with a brutal pace lap after lap, setting a new track record of 1:43.304. A great race for the 93.

Statements from Marc Márquez:

Although it may not have seemed so, it was a very difficult race. It was very hard to maintain the same concentration and the same level throughout the whole weekend. I surprised myself, because my tactic was to conserve the tyres as fresh as possible but, when I saw that everyone was using the same tactic, I decided to try to break away. Halfway through the race I found a gap that allowed me to manage the race well until the end.

In the Moto3 category things did not go so well, because in the last moment, when there were only a few corners left to finish the race, Maverick Viñales crashed while fighting alongside Salom and Cortese for the victory. Meanwhile Alex Rins and Miguel Oliveira gave their maximum and did close this round with good feelings.

Meanwhile Álex Márquez saw his return to the World Championship cut short when he was charging from nineteenth place and running thirteenth. Oliveira and Rins, who even fought in the leading group, finished 4th and 7th respectively. Undoubtedly an intense race in which Viñales gave his all, but in the end it was not meant to be; also a bad day for Márquez, but who is gradually learning. For his part, Oliveira and Rins fought for a long time with the leading group, so a positive evolution for them.

Statements from Maverick Viñales:

It was not bad luck, it was a shame. We pushed to the limit all weekend, in every corner. On the last lap I ran wide, I rode on the dirty part of the track and my bike’s steering closed up. We need a bit more engine power, because fighting against the four KTMs that were in the race was very hard for me. Now I am 29 points behind, but there are many races left. We have to keep going in the same direction and the only thing left is to win, no matter what.

Statements from Miguel Oliveira:

The race was tough. We knew we had the pace to be with the leading group and that is how it turned out. Perhaps the delayed position we occupied on the starting grid did not help us too much, but we were quickly able to recover some places.

I knew that in the second half of the race the tyres would suffer a lot and, even though I was gradually gaining positions, I could not catch the leading group.

We have started the second half of the season in the best possible way, so I am very happy for myself and for my whole team.

Statements from Álex Rins:

It was a rather eventful race. During the first half I was in the leading group and as soon as I saw my chance I started to push. But Khairuddin was catching me a lot at the end of the main straight, so I had to push the tyres very hard and in the second half of the race I felt the wear. I could not go any faster and obviously that hurt me. Now we must keep the best of this race and already think about the next one, in the Czech Republic.

Statements from Álex Márquez:

I have had a rather complicated weekend here in Indianapolis. We started with good feelings, although during yesterday’s qualifying session I had three crashes that hurt us for the race, since I had to start from very far back. I knew we could recover and that is what I did.

It is a shame about the crash, but I am very happy with the work of the whole team. We have learned.

In the MotoGP category things went very well, as Dani Pedrosa achieved a great victory, unchallenged and from almost the start of the race to the end. Undoubtedly a very tough round but with a good taste for the Catalan who achieves his second victory of the 2012 season, also starting from pole position.

We should also mention the situation of Stoner, the Australian showed a lot in the Indy race, going into a race that was going to be the most complicated, given his physical condition, so a difficult one for the champion who finished 4th after an intense battle with Dovizioso for the podium place.

Plenty of action awaits us in Brno next weekend, anything can happen, with an inspired Pedrosa and a recovered Stoner.

Statements from Dani Pedrosa:

I am very happy with this victory and I really want to congratulate the whole team for the fantastic work they have done this weekend; the bike was perfect. At the start of the race it was difficult, because the pace was very strong from the start. Ben Spies passed me, but I stayed calm because I knew that today I had the pace to fight for victory. I took the lead and set several fast laps to build a gap and break away, but I made a mistake at the second corner by selecting neutral and Jorge [Lorenzo] recovered a second.

I was able to regain my rhythm and ride comfortably at the end, where I think Jorge suffered a little more with the soft compound on the rear tyre. We have achieved the second victory of the season and every point is important. I also want to congratulate Casey [Stoner] on his great result; in his condition he has put in an extraordinary race and I am sure he will be strong again in Brno.

Statements from Casey Stoner:

I am disappointed with how the weekend went. We started strong on Friday morning and then had some problems in the afternoon practice. We showed we had the pace to fight for pole and victory, but unfortunately I had a heavy crash in qualifying. The injury made things difficult for us and we lost a lot of track time to work on the bike. This morning, in the warm-up, I just tried to feel comfortable on the bike, without thinking about working on the setup.

The race was also difficult; I did not get off the line very well and had to recover some positions. Once I had done so, Ben [Spies] had a problem with his bike and I found myself in the middle of the smoke, not knowing where I was, and I lost positions again. Towards the end of the race it was almost impossible to maintain the pace. The painkillers I had taken were losing their effect and, to compensate for the injury, I kept pushing the other part of my body more and more and in the end I was out of energy. It was frustrating to have to give up the podium while fighting with Andrea Dovizioso, but we did everything that was possible; at least I was able to race and score some points.

Source | Repsol Media Service