Catalunya GP - Post-Race Quotes: 125cc

3rd Sergio Gadea:
"I'm very happy with this result, and for placing at the top during all of the practice sessions, as it shows that things are going well. This year we are back to having fun, and I'm feeling like a kid again on the bike. The race was hard, and when I had eight laps left I was ready to give up, but I saw that the podium places were close so I tried to take off. We were lacking about two tenths in the chase for the leaders, so I had to really push to get on the rostrum. The last lap was crazy, and I really think that Julian deserved to be on the podium. In the end it was very close. I feel bad about it, because he did a good race and just made an error. I am happy with my result though, as I gave it my all."

4th Julián Simón:
"It has been a pity, because we were watching the pace on every lap in order to take victory, and in the previous lap I saw L1 on the control tower, so I thought that the race was over. The mechanics put +0.6 on the board ahead of Iannone, and when I didn't see the chequered flag I didn't know what had happened. I want to apologise to my team, because they did an impeccable job over the weekend. It leaves a bittersweet taste, but the positive thing is that we are still leading the championship, we did a great race and we are on the right track. We are picking up very good results, and we are very consistent, so that will stick with me. We have seen a strong Julito, the fans had fun and we can learn from this mistake just as we did after Jerez."

8th Bradley Smith:
"We basically knew that it would be a hard race since Friday. We have worked a lot over the weekend and improved with every session in terms of times and feeling, but we didn't have the pace to run with the front group. In the middle of the race I made a mistake and lost the chasing group, which were after the podium. The team have done an incredible job, and looked for the best setting without ever throwing in the towel. We have a good package, and I'm happy with this result because we have taken points. Now I can look forward to Assen, where we have another chance to fight for the win."

Catalunya GP - 125cc Race Result

Pos Rider Bike Time
1. Andrea Iannone Aprilia 41m10.494s
2. Nicolas Terol Aprilia + 2.245s
3. Sergio Gadea Aprilia + 2.330s
4. Julian Simon Aprilia + 2.331s
5. Marc Marquez KTM + 2.356s
6. Jonas Folger Aprilia + 2.531s
7. Stefan Bradl Aprilia + 10.795s
8. Bradley Smith Aprilia + 10.824s
9. Sandro Cortese Derbi + 14.984s
10. R.Krummenacher Aprilia + 15.089s
11. Scott Redding Aprilia + 16.427s
12. Esteve Rabat Aprilia + 16.515s
13. Johann Zarco Aprilia + 27.455s
14. Joan Olive Derbi + 27.712s
15. Takaaki Nakagami Aprilia + 28.411s
16. Simone Corsi Aprilia + 33.697s
17. Tomoyoshi Koyama Loncin + 42.581s
18. Cameron Beaubier KTM + 48.847s
19. Alberto Moncayo Aprilia + 49.532s
20. D.Agerter Derbi + 49.772s
21. Jasper Iwema Honda +1m02.666s
22. Sturla Fagerhaug KTM +1m15.215s
23. Johnny Rosell Aprilia +1m21.568s
24. Luca Marconi Aprilia +1m37.919s
25. Jordi Dalmau Honda +1 Lap
26. Luca Vitali Aprilia +2 Laps

NOT CLASSIFIED/RETIREMENTS:

Rider Bike Laps
Lorenzo Savadori Aprilia 16
Luis Salom Honda 13
Daniel Webb Aprilia 11
Lorenzo Zanetti Aprilia 10
Pol Espargaro Derbi 5
Alexis Masbou Loncin 5
Lukas Sembera Aprilia 4
Efren Vazquez Derbi 1

FASTEST LAP: Marquez, 1m51.175s on lap 7

Superb Win For Bautista In 250cc - Catalunya

Pos | No. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Total time | Gap

1 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team Aprilia 41'09.018
2 4 Hiroshi AOYAMA JPN Scot Racing Team 250cc Honda 41'16.203 7.185
3 40 Hector BARBERA SPA Pepe World Team Aprilia 41'16.300 7.282
4 75 Mattia PASINI ITA Team Toth Aprilia Aprilia 41'19.802 10.784
5 6 Alex DEBON SPA Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens Aprilia 41'24.758 15.740
6 12 Thomas LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte Aprilia 41'24.798 15.780
7 14 Ratthapark WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG Honda 41'37.672 28.654
8 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Aprilia 41'40.618 31.600
9 35 Raffaele DE ROSA ITA Scot Racing Team 250cc Honda 41'42.778 33.760
10 55 Hector FAUBEL SPA Valencia CF - Honda SAG Honda 41'42.861 33.843
11 16 Jules CLUZEL FRA Matteoni Racing Aprilia 41'43.889 34.871
12 52 Lukas PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP Aprilia 41'44.135 35.117
13 25 Alex BALDOLINI ITA WTR San Marino Team Aprilia 41'48.858 39.840
14 63 Mike DI MEGLIO FRA Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc Aprilia 41'51.839 42.821
15 51 Stevie BONSEY USA Milar - Juegos Lucky Aprilia 42'25.542 1'16.524
16 7 Axel PONS SPA Pepe World Team Aprilia 42'25.707 1'16.689
17 53 Valentin DEBISE FRA CIP Moto - GP250 Honda 42'37.844 1'28.826
18 11 Balazs NEMETH HUN Balatonring Team Aprilia 42'48.506 1'39.488
19 8 Bastien CHESAUX SWI Racing Team Germany Honda 42'56.976 1'47.958
20 56 Vladimir LEONOV RUS Viessmann Kiefer Racing Aprilia 41'34.233 1 Lap
21 54 Toby MARKHAM GBR C&L Racing Honda 41'46.384 1 Lap

Pics Of The Day: Catalunya, Saturday 250cc

Catalunya GP - Saturday Quotes From Alvaro

250cc

2nd Álvaro Bautista 1.46.749 (18 laps):
"Considering the conditions we had to deal with today I don't think second place is a bad result. With less temperature this morning I felt more comfortable and that's a good sign for tomorrow because the race is more or less at the same time. It is a shame that I wasn't able to get maximum potential out of the new tyre at the end because I ran into some traffic and lost some vital tenths. Anyway, the important thing is that we're on the front row because we need to get a good start and run at the front. The lap times are tight and it will be difficult for anybody to escape so the key will be to stick in the lead group and see what transpires as the laps go by. If I can push on and break things up I will. Still, we don't know what will happen until the race starts. If there is a chance we can win I'll fight tooth and nail and won't give anything up easily."

9th Mike Di Meglio 1.47.426 (16 laps):
"The arm feels great, it wasn't a problem at all today and I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds out in the race. I'm a little disappointed because on my last run of qualifying I only got one clean lap I and wasn't able to squeezer everything out of the bike. It is a shame because if it wasn't for the traffic I'm sure I could have finished much higher up the grid. Our work today focused mainly on the front end because I was losing it in a couple of corners and we still need to put a couple of finishing touches on it tomorrow. Generally speaking I'm happy with how the bike is responding and the idea is to get as good a start as I can, see how I feel and try to get to know the bike a bit better by pushing it hard."

21st Balázs Németh 1.50.732 (12 laps):
"This morning I focused on completing as many laps a possible and continuing to learn the circuit. In the afternoon I tried to stay concentrated and work on improving the setting of Aprilia. I felt really comfortable throughout the majority of the session and I was able to follow some other riders, which helped me make progress. Unfortunately ten minutes from the end of the session I hit the brakes too hard at the end of the back straight and lost grip on the front. There wasn't much time left so I was unable to get back out on track, which was a shame because I think we could have improved further. Anyway, the positive side is that I didn't get hurt and I'm in perfect shape for the race tomorrow. Hopefully I can get a good start and hang on to a group that can help me win some positions, like at Mugello."

......................................................


125cc

1st Julián Simón 1.51.448 (16 laps):
"I'm happy because my feeling has been phenomenal here, our pace is good and as far as the engine and chassis performance of my Aprilia is concerned it is all perfect. The only handicap will be the excessive heat, which I suspect will affect the tyres and engine a lot tomorrow. Even though you usually get group races here I think there will be four riders in it tomorrow and I hope to be one of them. The pace wasn't that quick again today but considering the conditions I think it was decent - personally I was hoping for a better lap time but I'm pleased because I gave it my best shot and we came away with pole position. I feel calm and confident that everything is in place for the race. Having been fastest in every session my objective has to be to finish it all off with a win and whilst I know I will have to fight for it I hope it's not too much of a battle! All I want is to have fun, fight to the end and hopefully win!"

5th Sergio Gadea 1.51.824 (14 laps):
"We haven't had set-up problems since Jerez but things got a bit tricky today. Things weren't working out this morning and I got a bit worried because I'm desperate to do well at my home race. We changed the set-up and put a harder tyre in for qualifying, which improved things immediately. Now I feel calm and confident that we have a good pace for tomorrow. I'm expecting Julián to push hard from the start but we'll try and chase him if we can. I suppose it will be a group race so I'll try and stay in there and take my chances when they come up. You'll see people start to make a difference at the end of the race when the tyres go off and the engine performance drops. Let's see if we're lucky enough to be in there with a chance at the end."

7th Bradley Smith 1.52.209 (17 laps):
"It was really hot today and it wasn't easy to ride out there. We've taken a big step forward and I'm happy with the improvement, although we could have done with another twenty minutes today. At least we're clear now about which tyre we'll use in the race tomorrow and in the warm-up we'll make a few decisions about the exact setting, hopefully improving it a bit too. My main problem is in the fast corners, where I'm not fully confident. We have two possible configurations but with one of them I'm struggling with the front and on the other the rear gets a bit loose - if we could find a compromise between the two then we'd be fine. It's going to be tough to keep going for forty minutes in this heat but even though I'm starting seventh I'll do everything I can to stay with the front group and be fighting for the win at the end."

Catalunya GP - Saturday Quotes From Alvaro

250cc

2nd Álvaro Bautista 1.46.749 (18 laps):
"Considering the conditions we had to deal with today I don't think second place is a bad result. With less temperature this morning I felt more comfortable and that's a good sign for tomorrow because the race is more or less at the same time. It is a shame that I wasn't able to get maximum potential out of the new tyre at the end because I ran into some traffic and lost some vital tenths. Anyway, the important thing is that we're on the front row because we need to get a good start and run at the front. The lap times are tight and it will be difficult for anybody to escape so the key will be to stick in the lead group and see what transpires as the laps go by. If I can push on and break things up I will. Still, we don't know what will happen until the race starts. If there is a chance we can win I'll fight tooth and nail and won't give anything up easily."

9th Mike Di Meglio 1.47.426 (16 laps):
"The arm feels great, it wasn't a problem at all today and I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds out in the race. I'm a little disappointed because on my last run of qualifying I only got one clean lap I and wasn't able to squeezer everything out of the bike. It is a shame because if it wasn't for the traffic I'm sure I could have finished much higher up the grid. Our work today focused mainly on the front end because I was losing it in a couple of corners and we still need to put a couple of finishing touches on it tomorrow. Generally speaking I'm happy with how the bike is responding and the idea is to get as good a start as I can, see how I feel and try to get to know the bike a bit better by pushing it hard."

......................................................


125cc

1st Julián Simón 1.51.448 (16 laps):
"I'm happy because my feeling has been phenomenal here, our pace is good and as far as the engine and chassis performance of my Aprilia is concerned it is all perfect. The only handicap will be the excessive heat, which I suspect will affect the tyres and engine a lot tomorrow. Even though you usually get group races here I think there will be four riders in it tomorrow and I hope to be one of them. The pace wasn't that quick again today but considering the conditions I think it was decent - personally I was hoping for a better lap time but I'm pleased because I gave it my best shot and we came away with pole position. I feel calm and confident that everything is in place for the race. Having been fastest in every session my objective has to be to finish it all off with a win and whilst I know I will have to fight for it I hope it's not too much of a battle! All I want is to have fun, fight to the end and hopefully win!"

5th Sergio Gadea 1.51.824 (14 laps):
"We haven't had set-up problems since Jerez but things got a bit tricky today. Things weren't working out this morning and I got a bit worried because I'm desperate to do well at my home race. We changed the set-up and put a harder tyre in for qualifying, which improved things immediately. Now I feel calm and confident that we have a good pace for tomorrow. I'm expecting Julián to push hard from the start but we'll try and chase him if we can. I suppose it will be a group race so I'll try and stay in there and take my chances when they come up. You'll see people start to make a difference at the end of the race when the tyres go off and the engine performance drops. Let's see if we're lucky enough to be in there with a chance at the end."

7th Bradley Smith 1.52.209 (17 laps):
"It was really hot today and it wasn't easy to ride out there. We've taken a big step forward and I'm happy with the improvement, although we could have done with another twenty minutes today. At least we're clear now about which tyre we'll use in the race tomorrow and in the warm-up we'll make a few decisions about the exact setting, hopefully improving it a bit too. My main problem is in the fast corners, where I'm not fully confident. We have two possible configurations but with one of them I'm struggling with the front and on the other the rear gets a bit loose - if we could find a compromise between the two then we'd be fine. It's going to be tough to keep going for forty minutes in this heat but even though I'm starting seventh I'll do everything I can to stay with the front group and be fighting for the win at the end."

Pics Of The Day: Catalunya, Saturday 125cc

Catalunya GP - Qualifying - 125cc

1. Simon (Aprilia) 1min 51.448
2. Espargaro (Derbi) +0.020sec
3. Folger (Aprilia) +0.339sec
4. Krummenacher (Aprilia) +0.356sec
5. Gadea (Aprilia) +0.376sec
6. Terol (Aprilia) +0.510sec
7. Smith (Aprilia) +0.761sec
8. Iannone (Aprilia) +0.936sec
9. Bradl (Aprilia) +0.984sec
10. Redding (Aprilia) +1.088sec
11. Webb (Aprilia) +1.100sec

Catalunya GP - Qualifying - 250cc

Pos | Num | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Lap time

1 40 Hector BARBERA SPA Pepe World Team Aprilia 1'46.749
2 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team Aprilia 1'46.899
3 58 Marco SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera Gilera 1'46.908
4 12 Thomas LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte Aprilia 1'47.081
5 6 Alex DEBON SPA Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens Aprilia 1'47.125
6 4 Hiroshi AOYAMA JPN Scot Racing Team 250cc Honda 1'47.166
7 75 Mattia PASINI ITA Team Toth Aprilia Aprilia 1'47.225
8 55 Hector FAUBEL SPA Valencia CF - Honda SAG Honda 1'47.379
9 63 Mike DI MEGLIO FRA Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc Aprilia 1'47.426
10 14 Ratthapark WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG Honda 1'47.559
11 25 Alex BALDOLINI ITA WTR San Marino Team Aprilia 1'47.596
12 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Aprilia 1'47.725
13 35 Raffaele DE ROSA ITA Scot Racing Team 250cc Honda 1'47.747
14 16 Jules CLUZEL FRA Matteoni Racing Aprilia 1'47.795
15 48 Shoya TOMIZAWA JPN CIP Moto - GP250 Honda 1'48.032
16 15 Roberto LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera Gilera 1'48.088
17 52 Lukas PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP Aprilia 1'48.101
18 7 Axel PONS SPA Pepe World Team Aprilia 1'50.450
19 51 Stevie BONSEY USA Milar - Juegos Lucky Aprilia 1'50.598
20 53 Valentin DEBISE FRA CIP Moto - GP250 Honda 1'50.653
21 11 Balazs NEMETH HUN Balatonring Team Aprilia 1'50.732
22 8 Bastien CHESAUX SWI Racing Team Germany Honda 1'51.229
23 10 Imre TOTH HUN Team Toth Aprilia Aprilia 1'51.296
24 56 Vladimir LEONOV RUS Viessmann Kiefer Racing Aprilia 1'52.133
25 54 Toby MARKHAM GBR C&L Racing Honda 1'52.856

Catalunya GP - Friday Quotes

250cc

2nd Álvaro Bautista 1.47.329 (23 laps):
"The most important thing about today, with this heat, was setting a good pace. It wasn't excessively fast, as in the other two classes, which shows that the track surface isn't 100%. We had a setback with the engine on my first bike and I had to do the last run on my second one. The engine was a bit better on that one but I could tell the difference in the suspension. We could have done with improving a little more but I'm happy because we set a good pace. Let's say if the track is in better shape tomorrow so that we can continue to make progress. After three or four laps in the long corners the bike is sliding round a lot, the tyres are suffering in the heat and it is difficult to control. We'll try and work out what was wrong with the first engine tomorrow and improve the set-up to be ready for the race."

5th Mike Di Meglio 1.47.675 (20 laps):
"I'm happy because my arm has responded well from the operation and it practically doesn't bother me at all. The new bike is amazing and I've felt comfortable on it straight away - it is so much more stable than the old one. We still have a lot of work to do on the chassis but we've got a good early feeling and that's positive. I think we've made a fantastic start to the weekend and both the team and myself are satisfied and hopeful that we can continue like this. I was able to feel the performance from the engine of my Aprilia immediately so I just focused on riding alone, putting my pace together and gradually improving. Aprilia and my team have done a good job on the base setting of this bike and I suppose that is why we were able to be so competitive today."

Balázs Németh (DNF):
"It has been a bit of a tough opening day - firstly because this is a completely new circuit for me and I couldn't get a feeling for it and secondly because of an electrical problem with my Aprilia that robbed us of a lot of time. We tried to fix it any way we could but we couldn't find a solution and my session effectively ended early as a result. Basically the first three gears were working fine but in fourth and fifth the bike was running out of power. We'll have a look at the telemetry with the mechanics tonight to try to shed some light on the problem and make sure we're in good shape for tomorrow."


125cc

1st Julián Simón 1.52.311 (19 laps):
"It is fantastic to have this great weather. The session went well but when it is this hot it is hard to get the bike running perfectly. We have to work hard with it tomorrow to make sure we have a machine we can rely on come Sunday. I'm happy with the way this first session went even though we can improve in a couple of areas, especially the chassis. Hopefully this weather will stay for the whole weekend so that we can see a 'normal' race on Sunday! The lap times are still very slow - partly because of the weather but partly because of the track conditions. I'm sure that as the MotoGP and 250 guys put more rubber down the grip will improve. It is good to start out on top and the whole team is confident we can set the pace again tomorrow."
 
2nd Sergio Gadea 1.52.806 (20 laps):
"We've come here on the back of good results at Jerez and in France, with a hiccup in Italy, where we had good pace but didn't manage to get a result. We're working well again here, we're second fastest and I'm pleased with my pace throughout the session. We're still not quite there with the set-up because my feeling isn't quite 100% so we'll have to keep working hard tomorrow to make sure we stay at the front. Montmeló is a very fast circuit and the Spanish riders tend to be strong here, as we saw today, so hopefully we can keep it going and maybe even see a Spanish treble."
 
11th Bradley Smith 1.53.824 (21 laps):
"Today has been quite tough and we've done a lot of work towards the race - basically trying to work out if we can keep our pace up in this heat. We have a decent base but our setting doesn't seem to work as well on the bigger tyre so I'm struggling to get on the pace. The lap times are not coming at the moment and the bike isn't perfect but luckily we think we've worked out the problem and I'm happy that we know which way we're going with it tomorrow. We know we need to use the smaller tyre and we're pretty confident. We still have some more compounds we want to try so it will be another busy day tomorrow. The position isn't too bad and I'm sure we can improve it a lot on day two."

Catalunya GP - 250cc FP1, Bautista just off the lead

The final practice of the day saw Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista as the fastest man in 250cc for most of the session, only to get pushed off the top spot in the final minute when Alex Debon pulled one quick lap to finish the day only 0.038 seconds ahead of Bautista. Nontheless Bautista's team seems to have found a good setting already, allowing the Aspar rider to constantly clock fastest laptimes.
His teammate Mike Di Meglio also had a good session, the Frenchman still feeling the effects of the arm-pump surgery he had this week, but getting along well with his new Aprilia RSA machine.
Different fortunes however for Rookie Balazs Nemeth who finished the first day at the Catalunya track outside the time limit.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap
1 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 1'47.291
2 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 1'47.329 0.038
3 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'47.422 0.131
4 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 1'47.454 0.163
5 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 1'47.675 0.384
6 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 1'48.153 0.862
7 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 1'48.160 0.869
8 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'48.191 0.900
9 Hector FAUBEL Valencia CF - Honda SAG 1'48.418 1.127
10 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 1'48.519 1.228
11 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'48.640 1.349
12 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 1'48.704 1.413
13 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 1'48.978 1.687
14 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 1'49.432 2.141
15 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 1'49.791 2.500
16 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 1'49.795 2.504
17 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 1'50.479 3.188
18 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 1'50.766 3.475
19 Valentin DEBISE CIP Moto - GP250 1'51.764 4.473
20 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 1'53.104 5.813
21 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1'53.166 5.875
22 Stevie BONSEY Milar - Juegos Lucky 1'53.168 5.877
23 Bastien CHESAUX Racing Team Germany 1'53.640 6.349
24 Toby MARKHAM C&L Racing 1'54.678 7.387

Out of limit time

11 Balazs NEMETH HUN Balatonring Team Aprilia

Catalunya GP - 125cc FP1, Simon leads Gadea

Scorching temperatures and sunny skies greeted the MotoGP circus in Catalunya today. The first 125cc practice saw another Bancaja Aspar 1-2 finish with Julian Simon being around half a second faster than teammate Sergo Gadea. Bradley Smith struggled with the bike setup and stayed in the box for a long time, he will hope to have solved the problems until tomorrow.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap

1 Julian SIMON Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc 1'52.311
2 Sergio GADEA Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc 1'52.806 0.495
3 Nicolas TEROL Jack & Jones Team 1'53.098 0.787
4 Pol ESPARGARO Derbi Racing Team 1'53.207 0.896
5 Lorenzo ZANETTI Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. 1'53.220 0.909
6 Sandro CORTESE Ajo Interwetten 1'53.307 0.996
7 Marc MARQUEZ Red Bull KTM Moto Sport 1'53.316 1.005
8 Scott REDDING Blusens Aprilia 1'53.374 1.063
9 Randy KRUMMENACHER Degraaf Grand Prix 1'53.565 1.254
10 Andrea IANNONE Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. 1'53.683 1.372
11 Bradley SMITH Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc 1'53.824 1.513
12 Stefan BRADL Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1'53.871 1.560
13 Tomoyoshi KOYAMA Loncin Racing 1'53.963 1.652
14 Esteve RABAT Blusens Aprilia 1'54.095 1.784
15 Joan OLIVE Derbi Racing Team 1'54.200 1.889
16 Lorenzo SAVADORI Fontana Racing 1'54.243 1.932
17 Johann ZARCO WTR San Marino Team 1'54.251 1.940
18 Efren VAZQUEZ Derbi Racing Team 1'54.256 1.945
19 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. 1'54.536 2.225
20 Dominique AEGERTER Ajo Interwetten 1'54.607 2.296
21 Danny WEBB Degraaf Grand Prix 1'54.828 2.517
22 Jonas FOLGER Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. 1'54.850 2.539
23 Simone CORSI Jack & Jones Team 1'55.147 2.836
24 Jasper IWEMA Racing Team Germany 1'55.772 3.461
25 Cameron BEAUBIER Red Bull KTM Moto Sport 1'55.798 3.487
26 Alberto MONCAYO Andalucia Aprilia 1'56.469 4.158
27 Lukas SEMBERA Matteoni Racing 1'56.479 4.168
28 Sturla FAGERHAUG Red Bull KTM Moto Sport 1'56.586 4.275
29 Luis SALOM SAG-Castrol 1'56.650 4.339
30 Luca MARCONI CBC Corse 1'57.126 4.815
31 Johnny ROSELL Blusens BQR 1'58.090 5.779
32 Luca VITALI CBC Corse 1'58.658 6.347
33 Alexis MASBOU Loncin Racing 1'59.038 6.727
34 Jordi DALMAU SAG-Castrol 2'12.197 19.886

Newsflash: Talmacsi to Scot Honda

Former Balatonring Aspar rider Gabor Talmacsi has found a new ride in the MotoGP championship and will be joining Yuki Takahashi in the Scot Honda Team this weekend.
What's more, Gabor will take Takahashi's place from Assen onwards, leaving the Japanese without a ride.

Catalunya GP Weekend - TV Schedules

Friday June 12th

Live MotoGP - 11.40am
Catalunya Grand Prix: 125cc Practice
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 12.45pm
Catalunya Grand Prix: MotoGP Practice
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 2.00pm
Catalunya Grand Prix: 250cc Practice
(Eurosport 2)

MotoGP - 9.10pm
Catalunya Grand Prix: MotoGP Practice (rpt)
(Eurosport 2)

.............................................


Saturday June 13th

MotoGP - 11.00am
Catalunya Grand Prix: Practice (rpt)
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 12.00pm
125cc Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 12.45pm
MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 2.00pm
250cc Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying
(Eurosport 2)

MotoGP - 9.30pm
MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying
(Eurosport 2)

.............................................


Sunday June 14th

MotoGP - 9.00am
MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix: Qualifying (rpt)
(Eurosport 2)

Live MotoGP - 10.00am
125cc Catalunya Grand Prix
(Eurosport)

Live MotoGP - 11.00am
250cc Catalunya Grand Prix
(Eurosport)

Live MotoGP - 12.30pm
Catalunya Grand Prix
(BBC2)

MotoGP - 4.00pm (*Delayed broadcast)
MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix
(Eurosport)

Balatonring Team: Balazs Nemeth Looks Ahead To Catalunya

"I hope I can find a good feeling for my Aprilia from Friday and continue to learn what is a completely new category for me. The understanding with the team has been excellent from the first minute and it is thanks to them that my education has got off to a good start. If we keep working well I doubt it will be long before we start improving my speed and I'll soon be challenging for better positions, even though I must say I was satisfied with my debut. The differences between a two-stroke and a four-stroke are considerable, which is why I am training hard to make sure I'm in the right shape to make the transition as easy as possible. I'm really happy to have this opportunity and I can't wait to get to Montmeló and ride again."

Team Previews - Catalunya

250cc

Álvaro Bautista:
"Racing in Spain is always special because you can feel the energy and the support of the fans and it gives you an extra boost compared to other circuits. Arriving here as the series leader gives me a lot of confidence and determination to put on a good show. I'd like to win because we haven't done so since Japan and I think the team and myself are all willing ourselves to victory again. We'll do a good job during practice to make sure that we can be fighting for victory come Sunday. Last year we came here after a disastrous start to the season and we needed a good result so I was really careful in the race. I wanted to win but I was trying so hard to close the doors in the corners I ran wide and conceded victory. Montmeló is a fast circuit, similar to Mugello although with a few more slow sections. It is not one of my favourites but it's a nice place and the fans always contribute to make for a special atmosphere."

Mike Di Meglio:
"Montmeló is a circuit I like a lot and I hope I can have a good result there. I imagine I'll still get a few problems from my arm but at least I should be able to feel the benefit of the operation. I'm really pleased that I'll have the Aprilia RSA for this race and I'm looking forward to starting work on it. It will be my first time on this bike so it will be a case of gradually getting a feel for it and getting used to the differences. My objective, as always, will be to continue improving, which I guess won't be easy this week because I've just had an operation and I'm riding a completely new bike to me but I'm motivated because I know they are both things that will help me in the long term. I'm in a unique position and I want to make the most of it. I've got great memories of this circuit because I won here last year so hopefully it can be lucky for me again."



125cc

Bradley Smith:
"Being leader of the championship is an incredible feeling. I think we've had five fantastic races and things are going really well for us. The Aprilia is working perfectly and that makes my feeling with the bike better every time I ride it. Next weekend in Barcelona we'll have another opportunity to do well and I'm looking forward to getting to Montmeló and continuing to work hard. I suppose if we do that then there's no reason to think that we can't stay on top of the championship. Montmeló is the first circuit I rode at outside of England and it holds special memories for me. I've done a lot of laps there and I know it well, although unfortunately I had a nasty crash, so hopefully this time can be different. I love T4 in particular because it's a part of the track where you can really make up a lot of time."

Julián Simón:
"I have an extra motivation to do well in this second home race of the season. We're coming on the back of a victory at Le Mans and third place at Mugello, results which have left us in a good position in the championship, and I think we can keep up the positive trend at Montmeló. The team are doing a phenomenal job and it is good to see it paying off. The Catalunya Grand Prix is another nice opportunity for us to win in our home country at a circuit I know perfectly so I'll be doing everything I can to reward the fans with a win. We'll have to work hard but if we continue putting as much energy and confidence into the job as we have been doing up to now then we'll have a great chance. Having said that I have to be careful not to make the same mistake as Jerez and be mindful of the fact that the most important thing is to bring home as many points as possible."

Sergio Gadea:
"I'm really looking forward to Montmeló because it is a circuit that has generally been good to me in the past. I'm sure with the form we're in this year we can run at the front again. The result at Mugello was a shame because we were really strong in practice but the bike didn't perform as we'd hoped in the race and we couldn't finish off the weekend in a successful way. Generally speaking though I am still very happy with the way the team is working and I'm confident because I know we can be back on it in Barcelona. It's our home race and I want to score a good result for the crowd, even though as usual the first target is the top five and a solid points haul."

First season interview, Alvaro Bautista

Translation of the first season interview with Álvaro Bautista, provided by the Mapfre Aspar Team.


1) Three podium finishes in five races, including one victory, how do you see the beginning of the season?
In general I feel that we’ve been very regular and we tried to adapt to the circumstances of each race, giving the maximum in each of them. It’s been three podium positions which just as well could have been three victories. We didn’t precipitate at any moment and that is something very positive. In the last GP we did a good race since we’ve never been fighting for the lead in a wet race before. It was a very nice round and if it wasn’t for the incident we had we certainly would have fought for the victory. There we demonstrated that we can be fast in any type of condition.

2) In France you seemed very prudent in the wet conditions, but in Italy you went for the win, what was different?
In France, after the infinity of falls happening in 125, we saw that the track conditions were very delicate and the smartest option was to just finish the race. Even though both were rain races, Le Mans has much less has grip than Mugello and the asphalt was much colder, therefore it was much easier to crash after the slightest error. In Italy despite the rain the track gave us much confidence, because there’s a good grip and it was possible to still go very fast. I knew that I could take the risk and that is what I did. In Le Mans I figured that if I took the risk I could lose more than I could win.

3) What championship analysis can you do after this crazy start with all the rain?
Each race was won by a different rider, therefore I believe that it is a very open championship with a very high level. And of course rare weather conditions shook things up in the beginning of the season, but I believe that it will be a hard fought season where in the end consistency will be the key to become champion. It is important to be ahead in all the races and not to lose the spirit.

4) Do you think that it’s easier to get confidence after a good season start?
Absolutely, to begin well gives you a lot of confidence and at the same time you have less pressure. To have a little point cushion allows you to take risks even when the track conditions are not the best, as we could see in Italy. You go on the circuit more confident and when you are leading the championship you feel a bit stronger than the rest of the riders, even when this is just a psychological perception.

5) Somehow you seem to have regained the aggressiveness of 2006, when you became world champion, and 2007, when you moved up to 250cc.
It is all a question of confidence. When you improve your riding and see that everything goes as you want, then in the end you are able to do anything. At the moment we are on a good way and I believe that we made a very important step when we showed in Mugello that we can be competitive in the wet as well. We did a very good job, in the training sessions we rode really fast and we finished almost always on top of the classification. I believe that this will progressively let us continue gaining confidence, the team as well as me. That is the security/confidence necessary to improve and be fast.


The rest of the translated interview can be found here.

Mike Di Meglio underwent successful surgery

Mapfre Aspar rider Mike Di Meglio underwent surgery in the Hospital Universitario Policlínico de Modena today. The Frenchman who moved up to 250cc this season developed chronic compartment syndrome in his right arm already through preseason, but it wasn't until the Spanish GP in Jerez that it seriously started to hamper his performance. It got worse during last weekend's Italian GP and Di Meglio was in such pain that he had an immediate consultation with the doctors on Monday to decide whether or not surgery was necessary.
The operation this afternoon was successful, the French rider will stay at the hospital overnight for observation and provided everything looks normal he can be discharged tomorrow. His participation in the Catalunya round in two weeks time is certain, but it remains to be seen if he can be back at full fitness by then.



Background

Chronic compartment syndrome in the forearm (also known as arm-pump) is a well-known problem for motorcycle racers. It is a painful condition that appears when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels, in racing mostly caused by the severe pressure during braking. This prevents nourishment from reaching nerve and muscle cells which can occasionally also result in numbness or difficulty moving.
Especially when riders start racing faster and heavier bikes, for example after moving from 125cc to 250cc or from 250cc to MotoGP, the sudden increased pressure on the forearm muscles often cause the syndrome. Although the condition itself is rare in the general population, the necessary surgery is a relatively routine procedure and many riders had to be operated on during their rookie seasons in a new class, recovering fairly quickly. Other riders having had the surgery include Nicky Hayden, Toni Elias, Marco Melandri, Tom Lüthi and Jorge Lorenzo.
More info here.

Team Toth joining Team Aspar?

There are rumours going on that the Hungarian Team Toth and the Balatonring Aspar Team could be joining forces for the rest of the season, combining sponsors and support and possibly even sharing a box.
After the departure of Gabor Talmacsi the new Hungarian rider in the Balatonring Team is Balazs Nemeth, but the struggle with sponsors continues. Also Team Toth seems to have some problems with financing their campaign, so a combined "Mega-Hungarian" Team might be the solution for both teams.

On a sidenote it appears that Mike Di Meglio will now use the vacant Aprilia RSA from Gabor Talmacsi while Rookie Balazs Nemeth will ride the RSW machine.

Review: MotoGP.com iPhone App (5* rating)

I have a (possibly ever-so slightly deserved) reputation as a bit of a geek / nerd / saddo when it comes to anything Mac or iPhone related. So, imagine my joy then, when I was pointed at a dedicated iPhone app from MotoGP.com

Let's face it, MotoGP and Dorna have been way more innovative, smart and genuinely rewarding in their approach to online delivery than F1 - and far better at doing something of genuine interest to punters.
And so perhaps this is no great surprise. Doesn't mean that it's not worth a bit of a rave though...
It's a thoroughly tasty piece of work from start to finish, playing both to their own strengths in content and data, and the iPhone's strengths in interface and usability.

The key to it of course is dynamic data - in this case, live timing with race lap, rider position, lap time, gap time, and top speed. And nice touches like rotating the iPhone into 'horizontal' position to get a full live timing view, and live commentary from the MotoGP crew as well.
The app also provides access to race results, championship results, latest news, rider profiles, competition calendars and schedules, and a huge photo gallery.
Aside from all the good functionality, it also has the MotoGP.com excellent branding DNA, and attention to detail, in buckets. It's one of the slickest looking apps I've seen. (*And I've seen more than enough to prove I should get out more...)

To be honest it's a steal at only £1.79 and certainly an invaluable addition to the tech tools of anyone who loves MotoGP and their gadgets.

For some bizarre reason MotoGP.com have disabled 'embedding' of their Youtube demo of the app - which is a real shame as it'd be nice to just plonk it on the page here and share it on other sites and blogs, but if you click on this link then you can watch it anyway...

Finally, if you need no further persuading then just click here to go directly to the app in iTunes...


(*Oh, and don't forget that you can keep up with all the news and chat over at BatiFans with our very own iPhone Web App...)