Motogp2014™

ProGraMMa UffIcIale €10

Gran Premio d’Italia TIM

Mugello 30/05-01/06/2014 Scritto in Inglese e in Italiano - texts in Italian and English

88

AUSTIN TEXAS 2014

11

8 12

6

15

9 7

13 5

14

19

10

4

16

3 18 20

17

Track Data

2

1

The Circuit of the Americas is a blast straight from the off, as riders are met with a tremendously steep climb on the home straight taking them up to the tight Turn 1.

Hitting the 40m elevation change with speeds around 300km/h in 5th gear, riders have to get hard on the brakes and down into 1st gear to prepare for the blind first corner.

They instantly head back downhill as they meet their first of the fast righthanders in 3rd gear, which lines them up for a set of fast direction changes. This is where the RC213V needs to be set up perfectly, to allow both Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa to negotiate the quick leftright-left-right combination in 3rd gear, before having to slow down a touch for another left-right-left flick in 2nd.

So far it has been the bike’s agility that has been brought into question,

yet heading out of Turn 9 riders meet the fast left-hander, Turn 10, before braking hard for one of the many 1st gear corners. Turn 11 sees the RC213V slow down to as low as 60km/h as the riders lean it in hard to the left, before getting on the throttle and standing it up as quick as possible to negotiate the long back straight.

Honda’s ability to get the bike upright is a real advantage here, as they will be able to use maximum horsepower as soon as possible to reach speeds of around 330km/h in 6th gear on the straight. Despite not being completely straight, it has a sufficiently light bend to still be able to have the throttle completely open. At the end of the straight, Honda’s braking stability is key, as riders need to slow back town to

Pole Position: Right Length: 5,513 m / 3.426M Width: 15 m Corners: 20 (9 right, 11 left) Longest Straight: 1,2km / 0.746M Constructed: 2012 Fastest Lap: M. Marquez 2013 Honda 2’03.021 MotoGPTM Race: 21 laps Moto2TM Race: 19 laps Moto3TM Race: 18 laps www.tissot.ch

around 70km/h for another left-hander.

Unlike many other circuits, at COTA, bikes spend a lot of time in 1st gear.

Turns 12 to 15 are a tight section of 180-degree turns, which riders negotiate in the lowest gear, before firing it out into the selection of tyre-punishing righthanders. Turn 16 to 18 are taken as one by the fire-breathing MotoGP machines, and is the main reason why Bridgestone supplies an asymmetric rear tyre with a harder compound on the right.

Following mid-corner speeds of around 165km/h the Honda will accelerate briefly before dropping back down to 2nd gear for the final left-handers, Turn 19 and 20, before standing the bike up once more for an assault on the home straight and its daunting climb.

On board the Honda RC213V...

LAP OF COTA

89

MARC

MARQUEZ

Repsol Honda’s brilliant young MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez retained the premier class title in style this year – and this is the story of how he did so.

Repsol Honda’s brilliant young MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez retained the premier class title in style this year – and this is the story of how he did so.

Last year Marquez became the youngest ever winner of the premier class World Championship, securing the crown by four points and winning it at the last race of the season in Valencia. This year a brilliant start to his title defence saw him notch up ten consecutive race wins in the opening ten races, leaving his rivals chasing his shadows.

A pre-season leg break which the rider, from Cervera, Spain, sustained whilst dirt track training close to his hometown, meant he missed the last tests before the new season commenced, but he showed no signs of weakness once the real action got underway in Qatar. Just weeks after his training accident Marquez showed he would be tough to beat this year as he won from pole at the Losail International Circuit following a great battle in the desert with Valentino Rossi.

Returning to the scene of his first MotoGP™ class win last year in Austin, Marquez was unstoppable at round two as he won by a four second margin from his Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa. A fortnight later Marquez added another venue to the list of tracks where he has been victorious as he won an enthralling MotoGP™ race in Argentina at the new Termas de Rio Hondo track.

Just a week on from the Argentina triumph, Marquez cruised to victory in front of 115,000 fans at Jerez with Rossi and Pedrosa also on the podium. It was a fourth win from pole as Marquez continued his ruthless form.

On the back of his early season performances Marquez agreed a new two year deal with his team, tying him to Honda Racing Corporation until the end of 2016.

Further victories were racked up from pole as the series of European Grands Prix continued at Le Mans and Mugello. Pedrosa, Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo were giving it their all to stop the rampant 21 year-old but could not find a way to defeat him.

Marquez’s rivals got a glimmer of hope at Barcelona-Catalunya as he crashed out of Q2 and missed pole for the first time this season,

50

qualifying third. But come the race Marquez was as formidable as ever, crossing the line half a second in front of Rossi, surviving a late scare as Pedrosa touched his rear wheel in the final stages, the latter almost crashing and having to settle for third.

Given his brilliant performances, every weekend Marquez was being asked if he felt invincible and whether he could win every race in 2014. But he played things down and insisted that he had to be prepared for a race when he could not clinch victory. He consistently reiterated that winning the championship, not every race, was his goal.

Nonetheless, the victories kept coming as Marquez got the best out of his Honda RC213V every time he went out to race.

Assen brought a huge challenge in difficult conditions, but Marquez adapted best in the flag-to-flag contest and took the win by 6.7s from Andrea Dovizioso. The Dutch TT success made Marquez the first rider since the great Giacomo Agostini in 1971 to win the first eight premier-class races of the year.

Sachsenring was next and the MotoGP™ riders raced in tricky conditions again. With the track drying quickly much of the field changed from wet set-up to dry after the final Warm Up lap, meaning they had to start from pit lane. Marquez showed he was the man for all seasons once again, winning by 1.5s from Pedrosa.

This meant Marquez went into the summer break with a perfect record of nine wins from nine races and as he relaxed on the beach in Tarifa with his brother Alex and their friends during the summer break, he did so with a healthy 77 point lead in the standings.

That lead increased to 89 points as the action resumed at Indianapolis and Marquez took another win from pole, with Lorenzo and Rossi joining him on the podium. The victory saw Marquez become the first rider since Mick Doohan in 1997 to win ten successive premier class races.

Eventually the time would come for Marquez to show that he was human after all and it was at Brno that his winning streak finally came to an end. Marquez crossed the line in fourth place, behind winner Pedrosa

and podium finishers Lorenzo and Rossi.

It was business as usual at Silverstone two weeks later, however, as Marquez struck back immediately for victory after a superb battle with Lorenzo. Uncharacteristic crashes for Marquez at Misano and Aragon saw him finish the races there 15th and 13th respectively. However the 21 year-old rider still had a significant 75 point lead as MotoGP™ departed from Europe and headed east to Japan for the first of the ‘flyaway’ triple header of races.

With a calm and controlled ride into second place at Motegi, behind a resurgent race winning Lorenzo, Marquez got the required points to retain his title. Winning a midrace battle with Rossi and managing the gap ahead of the Italian in second place in the second half of the race Marquez wrapped up the World Championship honours with three races to go.

SPAIN 2014

Vital Statistics Key statistics on Marquez’s 2014 MotoGP™ World Championship By winning the 2014 MotoGP™ title on Sunday at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan Marc Marquez set several new records. Here is a list of those records and some additional milestones achieved by the Repsol Honda star this year.

Marquez is the youngest ever rider to win two consecutive premier class World Championships at the age of 21 years 237 days, taking the record from Mike Hailwood who was 23 years 152 days when he won his second successive 500cc title in 1963.

He is the first Spanish rider to win back-to-back world titles in the premier class of Grand Prix racing.

During 2014 Marquez became the first rider since Giacomo Agostini in 1970 to win the opening 10 premier class GP races of the season The 10 successive wins by Marquez in 2014 is a new record for most successive wins in the MotoGP class.

In 2014 he also became the youngest rider to win 10 successive premier class GP races, at the age of 21 years 174 days, taking the record from Mike Hailwood who was 24 years 94 days old when in 1964 he won the tenth of a twelve race winning sequence.

Marquez is the first Honda rider to clinch a world title at the Motegi circuit, which is owned by Honda.

XXXXXMARQUEZ MARC XXXXXXXXXXX WORLD CHAMPION

Biography :

Date of birth: 17th February 1993 Place of birth: Cervera, Spain First Grand Prix: Qatar 2008, 125 First pole position: France 2009, 125 First podium finish: Great Britain 2008, 125 First Grand Prix victory: Italy 2010, 125 Grand Prix starts: 111 Grand Prix victories: 43 Podium finishes: 67 Pole positions: 48 Fastest race laps: 37 World Championship Wins: 125 (2010), Moto2™ (2012), 2 x MotoGP™ (2013 & 2014)

MotoGP™ Career:

2008: 125 World Championship – 13th position on KTM, 13 starts, 63 points 2009: 125 World Championship – 8th position on KTM, 16 starts, 94 points 2010: 125 World Championship – WORLD CHAMPION on Derbi, 17 starts, 310 points 2011: Moto2™ World Championship – 2nd position on Suter, 13 starts, 251 points 2012: Moto2™ World Championship – WORLD CHAMPION on Suter, 17 starts, 324 points 2013: MotoGP™ World Championship – WORLD CHAMPION on Honda, 18 starts, 334 points 2014: MotoGP™ World Championship – WORLD CHAMPION on Honda, 15 starts, 312 points

51

30 04 2014– Instagram @andreaiannone Siamo un gran gruppo... Grazie anche a voi ragazzi...

We are a great group... Thanks to you guys...

04 05 2014 - facebook.com/andreaiannone29 Il Grand Prix di Jerez Jerez Grand Prix

27 04 2014 - facebook.com/andreaiannone29 Buonanotte #love #purelove #gp14 grazie @ducati__corse e a tutto il mio team!

Good night #love #purelove #gp14 thanks @ducati__corse And my team!

58

ITALy 2014

03 04 2014- facebook.com/andreaiannone29 #mom #forever !!!

Iannone – Social Media Star Il carismatico pilota italiano del team Pramac Racing, Andrea Iannone, riscuote un grande successo dai fans di tutto il mondo sulle piattaforme social.

Oltre ad essere una figura popolare in pista, Iannone ha raccolto un enorme seguito in rete con i suoi costanti update.

‘Maniac Joe’ come ama autodefinirsi conta giá 95mila follower su Twitter sul suo account ufficiale @ andreaiannone29, mentre sull’altro @andreaiannone per Instagramhe ne ha piú di 35mila. Inoltre aggiorna costantemente il suo sito ufficiale andreaiannone.com e il suo profilo facebook.com/andreaiannone29 puó vantare un seguito di ben 165 mila fan.

Guarda insieme a noi l’ultimo mese dell’attivitá online del pilota abruzzese alla sua seconda stagione in MotoGP™: 12 05 2014 facebook.com/andreaiannone29 Facciamoci una risata!

Let’s have a laugh!

Pramac Racing’s charismatic premier class Italian rider Andrea Iannone is a big hit with fans around the world on social media.

As well as being a popular figure on track, Iannone has gathered a huge following online with his regular updates.

The self-styled ‘Maniac Joe’ has 95,000 followers on Twitter via his official @ andreaiannone29 account, whilst with the @ andreaiannone handle on Instagram he has over 35,000 fans. He also regularly updates his official website andreaiannone.com and on facebook.com/andreaiannone29 he enjoys a further 165,000-strong following.

Join us as we reflect on a month of online activity with the MotoGP™ sophomore:

09 05 2014 - facebook.com/andreaiannone29 Dopo una bella partita a calico con i miei amici...

After a good game of football with my friends...

ANDReA IANNoNe

59

Martín the leader as Rookies touch down in Germany

Bradley

Things are hotting up in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, with four different riders having won the opening five races of the year. But as the stars of the future head to the Sachsenring this weekend, it is Spaniard Jorge Martín with the points advantage.

The Rookies have already raced on three MotoGP™ weekends so far this year, having opened their account at Jerez in Spain before heading to Mugello in Italy and, two weeks ago, the historic and world-famous Assen in The Netherlands. It was there that Soushi Mihara of Japan became the first repeat winner of the year, having also won the Jerez opener on 3 May. Other victors include Spain’s Joan Mir and championship leader Martín, plus Dutchman Bo Bendsneyder who proved to be an extremely popular winner as he took the chequered flag in

front of his home crowd at Assen.

“I was in pole position, so I thought I should win it!” Bendsneyer smiled at the end of the last race. “It certainly wasn’t easy; a great battle with Jorge (Martín) all the way and I was sure he was going to come past on the last lap, even at the last corner. I know he is a great competitor – but he didn’t come past!” In Germany this weekend, the challenge again comes in the form of a double race shootout; to be precise, a couple of 19-lap encounters on Saturday and Sunday,

Ray

38

Age: 17 Hero/s : Valentino and Marc Marquez Residence : Lydd, Kent, United Kingdom

It started when I was 4. My Mum took me to watch a minimoto race at our local track in Lydd. Then I got a minimoto that Christmas and started racing when I was 6.” respectively. Martín brings with him 101 crucial championship points, which is 23 more than nearest rival Mihara. Only stressing the true international fight in the series, four different nationalities of rider fill the top four positions in the standings, with Italy’s Manuel Pagliani third and the aforementioned Bendsneyder fourth. Behind, others – such as Italian Stefano Manzi, who crashed out of a leading position in the Assen rain – are looking to make up ground, with nine races still to go this season.

Hanro

Van Rooyen

Standings

Age: 16 Hero/s : Troy Baylis, Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez Residence : Pretoria, South Africa

1 2 3 4 5 7 9 10

“I want to set the bar HI for myself and become a MotoGP™ legend, this can only be done having opportunities like being a Red Bull Rookie, making use of every moment and take nothing for granted.”

21 Darryn

J. Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 S. Mihara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 M. Pagliani. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 B. Bendsneyder . . . . . . . . . 60 J. Mir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 S. Manzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 O. Simpson . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 B. Ray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 T. Razgatlioglu . . . . . . . . . . 34 D. Binder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Entry List

Binder

Age: 16 Hero/s : Valentino Rossi Residence : Krugersdorp, Johannesburg, South Africa

“My aim just as any other racer is to win in the end, but I do enjoy working with the team and mechanics to get the best possible setup for my bike to achieve what I set out to do.”

“Sachsenring will be better,” Manzi would utter. It is without a doubt that many will want to echo the wish of the 15-yearold from Rimini. Slightly further down the standings, things are just as closely-fought as there are only 21 points covering seventh to 13th places in the championship, currently occupied by England’s Bradley Ray and Italy’s Bruno Ieraci. At the same time, next year’s Rookies Cup will soon be taking shape as the application window for 2015 is now open, with budding riders able to put their names

88 74 96 64 36 29 45 28 54 40

40

forward through the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup website.

Five down, nine to go: the halfway point of the 2014 campaign will be reached at the end of this weekend. Everybody wants to head into the customary summer break on the highest of highs. And with the Sachsenring boasting one of the most unusual circuit layouts of the season, with its anti-clockwise nature and only a sprinkling of left-handed corners that could prove to be the recipe for another assortment of surprises.

64 40 99 94 13 41 02 17 14 12 29 88 07 74 36 96 06 28 54 21 09 45 05 76

Bo Bendsneyder Darryn Binder Enzo Boulom Simon Danilo Martin Gbelec Marc Garcia Fabio Di Giannantonio Oscar Gutierrez Bruno Ieraci Lyvann Luchel Stefano Manzi Jorge Martin Aris Michail Soushi Mihara Joan Mir Manuel Pagliani Corentin Perolari Bradley Ray Toprak Razgatlioglu Hanro Van Rooyen Robert Schotman Olly Simpson Jaume Masia Makar Yurchenko

NED RSA FRA ITA CZE SPA ITA SPA ITA MAR ITA SPA GER JAP SPA ITA FRA GBR TUR RSA NED AUS SPA RUS

Calendar Jerez (Esp)

Brno (Cze)

Rnd. 1+2 | May 03-04

Rnd. 8+9 | August 16-17

Mugello (Ita)

Silverstone (Gbr)

Rnd. 3 | May 31

Rnd.10+11 | Aug 30-31

Assen (Ned)

Misano (Ita)

Rnd. 4+5 | June 27-28

Rnd.12 | Sep 13

Sachsenring (Ger)

Aragon (Esp)

Rnd. 6+7 | July 12-13

Rnd.13+14 | Sep 27-28

All photos copyright Photos-AD.com

36

SachSenrinG 2014

Stefan

Bradl

Der Moto2™-Weltmeister von 2011 kam 2012 ins LCR Honda MotoGP Team und verdiente sich seine erste Sporen in der Königsklasse, wurde nach einigen starken Leistungen „Rookie of the Year“. 2013 blieb er in der Mannschaft und feierte sein erstes MotoGP™-Podium, 2014 will er einige Podeste mehr auf sein Konto buchen.

The 2011 Moto2™ World Champion joined the LCR Honda MotoGP team in 2012 for his first venture into the premier class, winning the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title after some strong performances. He remained with the team for 2013 and scored his first MotoGP™ podium, so aims for more rostrum finishes in 2014.

MotoGP™ Moto2™ 125cc Total Starts / Starts Siege / Wins Poles / Poles Schnellste Rennrunden / Fastest Laps Podeste / Podiums Bestes Ergebnis Rennen / Best Finish Bestes Ergebnis Qualifying / Best Grid Erster GP / First GP Erster Sieg / First Win Letzter Sieg / Last Win WM Titel / World Titles

42 1 1 2 1 QAT 12 -

33 5 7 3 12 1 1 QAT 10 POR 10 GBR 11 1

54 129 2 7 8 2 5 6 19 1 2 CAT 05 CZE 08 JPN 08 1

LCR Honda MotoGP™ Motorrad/Bike: Honda RC213V. Director: Lucio Cecchinello

FahrerProFile / Teams & RideRs

37

Just what The Doctor ordered...

Valentino Rossi is and will always remain an icon, not just in motorsport but in world sport. His list of achievements is almost endless, although over recent months all attention has revolved around his future…

‘The Doctor’ made his World Championship debut in 1996 and claimed the 125 title in 1997. The 250 crown would follow in 1999.

Between 2001 and 2009 he claimed the premier class title on no less than seven occasions. Little remains for Rossi to accomplish, but the fire continues to burn brightly at 35 years of age. Throughout 2014 so far, Rossi has not hidden from the fact that he wishes to remain in MotoGP™. His performances will prove only to himself whether or not he should.

“I’d like to continue, but I’ll only do so if I can be competitive,” Rossi explained in the back half of last year. “If in 2014 I can be more competitive than I was in 2013, then I can tell you now that I would like to carry on for at least another two years. I have already spoken with Yamaha about it. This is

52

my objective. After that, I think it will be over because by then I will be 37 and the time has to come at some point. However, if 2014 is the same as 2013 or worse, then I may decide to quit.”

It hasn’t got worse. On the contrary, in fact. Qatar delivered a brilliant battle between Rossi and Marc Marquez, demonstrating the utmost respect for one another as the respective Yamaha and Honda riders went head-tohead under the Losail floodlights for the second year in a row. Marquez may have come out on top, but Rossi had challenged and overtaken. Jerez was also significant, as the Italian out-smarted the likes of Dani Pedrosa and team-mate Jorge Lorenzo to finish second with a hard compound front tyre: an inspired decision and a second podium finish of the year.

ITALy 2014

Interview...

“I congratulated Valentino on beating me because I wasn’t that bothered about it...”

-Agostini

VALeNTINo RossI

At the Spanish Grand Prix, Rossi committed to a new frame with his M1 – the objective being to improve braking stability. “We have developed a lot of new stuff to try,” he confirms.

“I have been quite fast and I am happy with my speed and pace. We have worked on the electronics side of the bike for better power and acceleration. I like the new frame more than the old one and I’ll continue to use it.”

Whatever else Rossi achieves, his racewinning records alone speak for themselves. 80 premier class Grand Prix wins (more than any other rider), 14 in his 250cc days and 12 in the 125cc class. This leaves him with 106 across the three tiers of the World Championship: just 16 away from the all-time record of Italian compatriot Giacomo Agostini. Not too long ago, opponents cringed at Rossi easily crushing this number, but he was not helped by the legbreaking injuries of Mugello 2010 and the pair of ultra-difficult campaigns with Ducati over the following two years.

“Regarding records, I congratulated Valentino on beating me because I wasn’t that bothered about it,” Agostini mused back in 2008. “I won 123 World Championship races, 13 world titles and 301 races in total during my career – those are the numbers I’m interested in! Valentino asked if it was okay to overtake me, if he ever beat that, and it was nice to be so well

respected like that from someone like him. It’s difficult to find the words to describe him. He is incredibly talented.”

Last year at Mugello, Rossi’s Italian Grand Prix delivered a somewhat disastrous result as he and Alvaro Bautista found themselves in the Poggio Secco barriers on the opening lap of the race. ‘The Doctor’ never fails to wow the partisan crowd – as proven last year with his post-race trip onto the podium. In their eyes especially, he is more than due a first Mugello victory since 2008; ironically, the same year he matched and subsequently broke Ago’s record for premier class Grand Prix wins.

Even when he does choose the hang up the helmet, Rossi’s presence in the paddock is not likely to diminish. From 2014, he has taken on the challenge and responsibility of the SKY Racing Team VR46 squad in Moto3™. Surely it was not sheer coincidence that Romano Fenati won two of the first four races. It looks as though the man behind the squad could become known for team management as well as his riding prowess.

All great athletes have their time. But in the case of some, it appears to take forever to arrive as they continuously surprise and challenge at the top across numerous eras of their sport.

These are the true heroes. Everybody knows the name Valentino Rossi.

53

V 15 settembre 2008 italiano Valentino Rossi ha scritto lui stesso nei libri di storia ieri quando ha preso la sua 69a vittoria nella classe regina del motociclismo e quasi sicuramente vinto lui stesso un ottavo titolo mondiale.

Sua vittoria lo ha portato oltre i 68 vittorie MotoGP del connazionale Giacomo Agostini e gli dà una stretta credibile il titolo del pilota motociclistico più grande nella storia. Anche se egli è già accreditato di essere il pilota più giovane ad aver vinto campionati in tutte le tre classi (MotoGP, 250 e 125), Rossi ha vinto in modo efficace in quattro, presto cinque classi come ha conquistato sia i brutale 500cc due colpi e le macchine di 1000cc 4 tempi più liscia, più controllabile che li hanno sostituiti nel 2002. Egli è ora all’interno di alcuni punti di anche dopo aver vinto un campionato sulle nuove macchine 800cc che soddisfare le elevate velocità in curva di piloti 250cc, come testimoniato dal numero di piloti (Pedrosa, Stoner, Dovizioso, Elias, De Angelis ecc), che divenne immediatamente competitivo dell’interruttore per la classe regina – molto che pochi piloti sono stati in grado di effettuare il passaggio a 500cc a due tempi e diventare immediatamente competitivo. Rossi è anche un abile pilota di Rally e brevemente contemplato una carriera con la Ferrari in F1.

Complimenti per il medico e il suo mentore Jeremy Burgess.

Dopo cinque mondiali consecutivi titoli MotoGP, una serie di scelte sbagliate di pneumatici, guasti meccanici e si blocca e l’ascesa della Ducati Desmosedici e altrettanto sublime talento di Stoner ha visto il titolo andare altrove nel 2006 e nel 2007, ma la performance di Rossi quest’anno lo hanno visto salire a nuove altezze.

In primo luogo, la vittoria al Brickyard Indianapolis era una posizione di raccordo per il giovane italiano a prendere la vittoria che lo ha portato al top della lista vincente storica. Posizione di sua tripletta del palo, più veloce sul giro e gara vittoria fatta per un perfetto primo Gran Premio di Indianapolis per l’italiano e il Fiat Yamaha Team.

Estremamente maltempo nel primo pomeriggio ha portato alla gara 250cc abbandonata e la prima parte della gara MotoGP è stata eseguita su una pista molto bagnata. Rossi è sceso al quarto posto all’inizio e poi si arrese un altro posto per Lorenzo al prossimo giro, ma presto trovò il suo ritmo e si fece strada nuovamente passato Casey Stoner, Lorenzo e Andrea Dovizioso in secondo dietro a Nicky Hayden di giro sei. Passando Hayden non era alcuna cosa da poco e ha preso il sette volte campione mondiale, un altro otto giri per ottenere finalmente l’americano, al punto che ha subito cominciato a tirare via. Uragano Ike non è stato finito con Indianapolis tuttavia e giro 16 di 28 che ha iniziato a piovere pesantemente ancora una volta, accompagnati da forti raffiche di vento che è diventato molto pericoloso. La gara è stata alla fine rosso bandiera dopo 20 giri e, dopo qualche confusione di minuti come a se ci sarebbe un riavvio, Rossi è stato confermato come il primo vincitore MotoGP al Brickyard.

69a vittoria di rossi lo porta davanti il connazionale Giacomo

52

Agostini alla parte superiore della lista dei vincitori classe regina di tutti i tempi, un record che ha resistito per più di 30 anni.

Agostini rivendicò il titolo di 500cc di 1975 con Yamaha anche se 62 delle sue 68 vittorie erano a bordo di favolosa italiana MV Agusta marque.

Rossi ora è chiaro di Stoner, che ha concluso quarto a Indianapolis – con soli 100 punti ancora in offerta 87 punti, vince il campionato al turno successivo a Motegi finendo quarto o sopra. Significativamente, egli fu 80/1 con la Ricevitoria per vincere il titolo prima dell’evento.

Non sorprendentemente, l’italiano, che ha trasformato 29 nel febbraio di quest’anno e rimane il pilota più giovane ad aver vinto i Campionati del mondo in tutte e tre le classi, era euforico.

“Questo è fantastico perché è stato molto tempo da quando ho vinto sotto la pioggia e anche di più, dal momento che ho vinto quattro di fila, ha detto Rossi.

“Per vincere la prima gara qui a Indianapolis è una grande emozione e per battere il record di Agostini è anche incredibile, ora spero che il mio record saranno valide per 30 anni come il suo! Era una gara strepitosa e, una volta ero in grado di passare Stoner, sapevo di che avere la possibilità di vincere così ho spinto molto duro.

“Ho avuto una grande gara con Nicky; era davvero difficile passare quindi complimenti a lui. Quando è venuto il vento e la pioggia è diventato molto difficile, che penso che potrei hanno continuato ad andare per un altro otto giri va bene, ma c’erano cose che volano in aria – lattine di birra, bicchieri di plastica – quindi, in realtà che credo che fosse la giusta decisione di interrompere la gara!

“Sinceramente non credo che abbia mai guidato in condizioni come queste, e sono stato fortunato, perché ero lontano nella parte anteriore e quindi non ha dovuto prendere grandi rischi. È stato un weekend perfetto per noi, nonostante il tempo, perché abbiamo fatto la pole position, giro veloce e abbiamo vinto, quindi voglio congratularmi con la mia squadra ancora una volta per un lavoro fantastico, oggi e tutto l’anno.

“Grazie anche a Bridgestone perché i pneumatici sono stati molto buoni, oggi. Ho davvero goduto da corsa qui a Indy e vedo l’ora di tornare l’anno prossimo. Ora abbiamo un grande vantaggio e sarebbe bello vincere il campionato a Motegi, ma non è finita ancora così manterremo la nostra concentrazione e mantenere il lavoro!

“Infine voglio dedicare questa vittoria a mio nonno Dario, che purtroppo è morto oggi (domenica) all’età di 82 anni.”

Nato a Urbino, Italia il 16 febbraio 1979, Rossi stava cavalcando biciclette fin dalla tenera età grazie all’influsso del Padre Graziano, egli stesso un ex vincitore del Grand Prix.

SPAIN ITALY 2014

XXXXXVXXXXXXXXXXX ROSSI AGOSTINI

53

2015 MotoGP™ World Championship Calendar Calendario del Campeonato del Mundo de MotoGP™ 2015

#1

29 03 2015

Grand Prix Of Qatar* Losail Circuit, Qatar

#MotoGPLosail

#2

12 04 2015

Circuit Of The Americas, Austin Grand Prix Of The Americas

#MotoGPAustin

#3

19 04 2015

Gran Premio De La República Argentina Autódromo Termas De Río Hondo, Argentina

#MotoGPArgentina

#4

03 05 2015

Gran Premio De España Jerez, Spain

#MotoGPJerez

#5

17 05 2015

Grand Prix De France

#MotoGPLemans

#6

31 05 2015

Gran Premio D’Italia Mugello, Italy

#MotoGPMugello

#7

14 06 2015

Gran Premi De Catalunya

#MotoGPCatalunya

#8

27 06 2015

TT Assen** Assen, Netherlands

#MotoGPAssen

#9

12 07 2015

Grand Prix Deutschland Sachsenring, Germany

#MotoGPSachsenring

#10 09 08 2015

Indianapolis Grand Prix

#MotoGPIndinapolis

#11 16 08 2015

Grand Prix České Republiky

#12 30 08 2015

British Grand Prix

#13 13 09 2015

Gran Premio di San Marino e Della Riviera di Rimini Marco Simoncelli Circuit, San Marino

#MotoGPMisano

#14 27 09 2015

Gran Premio De Aragón

#MotoGPAragon

#15 11 10 2015

Grand Prix of Japan

#16 18 10 2015

Australian Grand Prix

#17 25 10 2015

Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix

#18 08 11 2015

Gran Premio De La Comunitat Valenciana

Le Mans, France

Circuit De Barcelona-Catalunya, Catalunya

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis

* Evening Race ** Saturday Race

#MotoGPBrno

#MotoGPDonington

Donington Park, United Kingdom

MotorLand Aragon, Aragon

#MotoGPMotegi

Motegi, Japan

#MotoGPPhillipIsland

Phillip Island, Australia

Calendario 94

Automotodrom Brno, Czech Republic

Sepang Circuit, Malaysia

Ricardo Tormo, Valencia

#MotoGPSepang

#MotoGPValencia

2015 Calendar ValenCia 2014