The first ever GP held at the legendary Circuit of Indianápolis had an end worthy of an American movie. The day began calmly, without rain, but the sky was covered in clouds. The weather forecast predicted a mixed day, and this is exactly what it was like. The hurricane Ike that has been punishing the south-east of the country over the last few days, ended up hogging the limelight at the Indianapolis GP, with strong winds and heavy rain that made the conditions very dangerous at times, and this is what forced the premature end to the races in 125cc. and MotoGP, and the definitive cancellation of the 250cc race.
After the 125cc race it was the turn of 250cc, but when the riders were all ready on the grid heavy rain began to affect the American track. In the end, the 250cc race had to be postponed for the MotoGP race, although later after seeing what happened to the MotoGP race in the end the race management opted to cancel it definitively .
The MotoGP race started in light rain which little by little got heavier as the race went on. Dovizioso took control of the race at the start, and after completing the first lap in the lead he was overtaken on the second lap by the local man, the Repsol Team Honda rider Nicky Hayden. This raised the spirits of the local fans and they went into raptures when Hayden moved into the lead and put a second between himself and Dovizioso. Further back, his teammate in the Repsol Honda Team, Dani Pedrosa, completed his first lap in 6th place, but over the first few laps he lost ground and ended in 9th position. Then he overtook Vermeulen, and he stayed in that position until the end of his first race with the Bridgestone tyres, a baptism of fire because of the track conditions.
At the front Hayden tried to escape at the same time as the rain got even worse. Behind him Valentino Rossi caught Dovizioso overtook him and began to hunt down the American in the Repsol Honda Team. On the fourteenth lap Rossi overtook Hayden and he got away from the field, while Hayden, with his tyres worn out after his initial burst stayed in second position controlling the third placed rider, Lorenzo at that moment. On lap 21, the race management opted to show the red flag and so bring an end to the race because of the rain flooding the track and the strong gusts of wind. Therefore, another victory for Rossi, Nicky Hayden was second and Dani Pedrosa eighth.
THE 125cc RIDERS SAVED BY THE BELL
The 125cc race, as is usual, opened the day`s racing in Indianapolis. In spite of a clear sky with a few clouds everybody in the paddock was aware of the forecasts and everybody knew that a storm was looming. At the start the Spanish rider Espargaró moved into first place with a fast pace. The riders quickly stretched out and Márquez, who started in 13th position, finished his first lap in an excellent 4th position. His teammate Rabat, in spite of overtaking a couple of riders on the first lap – 16th – was knocked over on the second lap by Zanetti who hit him from behind. Rabat was unhurt but the race was over for him.
Meanwhile Espargaró and Terol escaped at the front of the field, Redding was third riding alone and some way behind him, a little over a second, a group of four riders – among these the Repsol rider Marc Márquez – who aimed to hunt the Englishman down. Márquez defended the attacks from Corsi, Bradl and Cortese the best he could but they had more powerful engines, and this is how the race continued for a few laps. But eight laps from the end more rain arrived, and in a race that had been declared dry, therefore the race management brought an end to the race when two thirds of it had been disputed. Finally the young rider Márquez finished in a very positive 6th position, a result of the great work carried out by him and his team over the whole weekend.
Dani Pedrosa, 8th at 37.258 sec. >> Audio
“That was a very tough race. I started quite cautiously and then I began to push harder, but in the mid-stages I wasn’t fast enough and I lost some time. Towards the end I found a good pace. Four or five laps before Race Direction stopped the race, the wind got really strong and there was a lot of dirt and debris getting blown on to the track. Indy and the Race Direction did a good job getting the track ready before the race. Finishing eighth is not a good result for me, but considering the conditions I couldn’t do any better. All in all, it has been an important weekend for us. We have gained a lot of experience in both wet and dry conditions which will help in the future, so we will keep working hard. The tyres worked well today and I’m feeling confident for the next race at Motegi in two weeks time.”
Nicky Hayden, 2nd at 5.972 sec. >> Audio
“Man, it felt really good to be in the lead and I felt quite comfortable. It’s been a long time. I was thinking ‘this only happens in the movies’: your home race, missing the last two and coming back to win. I was able to stay focused but Valentino came past and he had a little more speed, especially in section three. Then when he touched the line onto the back straightaway I was able to make up a little more ground and I thought maybe I was okay. But when it started raining heavy I was in trouble because when it had dried I’d used up a lot of the left side of the tyre, so it got pretty gnarly with all the water. “Sure, you dream about winning your home race, but honestly I shouldn’t be too greedy with how things have been. I’ll take this second and enjoy it. I’d just like to say a big thanks to my team, all my guys, my friends, my family, everyone who’s stuck with me through tough times. Also, thanks to Indy and everyone for making this race happen. It’s a great feeling to be able to race so close to home, I enjoyed it. “I gave the maximum today, I can’t say I left much on the table and that’s how it’s supposed to be. When they stopped the race it was pretty treacherous. It was the right thing to do. Conditions were really tough, especially with the winds because you’d be on a dry line and all of a sudden it’d blow you onto the wet. When they said we were going to do another eight laps, part of me thought ‘hey, let’s line back up and try again’. But I’m not leading the championship, so I’ve got nothing to worry about. A big thanks to the fans too, we only had to be out in the wet for an hour, they’ve been out there since Thursday.”
Esteve Rabat, fell >> Audio
“This was a pity because I did not make a bad start and I recovered several positions. But I cannot say much more because when we reached the first chicane of the circuit on the second lap, curve 7, I was hit from behind and I was sent flying.”
Marc Márquez, 6th at 4.454 secs. >> Audio
“Today has been a day full of uncertainties, since it was not very clear whether it would rain or it would be dry. In the morning it rained a little, but later on the track dried out and all the riders went out with slicks. I was able to make a good start and after the work that we did yesterday afternoon, the set up allowed me to ride comfortably, although we lacked a little power. The race went quite well and I am very pleased with this result. I was in a tough group, but I was also aggressive because the when I rode finely two rivals suddenly passed me. In the end when I saw the first drops of rain I tried to move further to the front, but they counted the previous lap and so I was sixth, that is a very good position. I want to thank the whole team for the efforts they have all made.”
