Stoner tops the charts once again; Rossi 13th on Ducati

Casey Stoner struck the final psychological blow prior to the start of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship by setting the fastest time of the Qatar Test on Monday, as the last pre-season meeting concluded with the Australian top of the timesheet. An effort of 1'55.681 from the Repsol Honda rider placed him 0.064s ahead of team-mate Dani Pedrosa, who was the only other rider under 1'56” during the session.

The pair, who spent the five-hour second session finalising their set-ups for the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar which takes place at the circuit from Thursday to Sunday, were well clear of the rest of the field, with Yamaha Factory Racing's Ben Spies third at a distant 0.549s further down on Pedrosa as the American sought improved grip on his M1.

Gavin Emmett gives an analysing discussion over the ninth round at Laguna Seca after another exciting race, which allowed Jorge Lorenzo to be victorious ahead of Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi, and a pivotal early smash for Dani Pedrosa.

“Pedrosa was pushing very hard at a pace he hadn’t kept too much during the practice sessions, and with Lorenzo closing so much he had to push and probably just didn’t have it,” says Gavin. “The front went and after the race a few riders said they had similar problems, and it’s an easy place to go down at turn five.”

“Casey is getting back there, four podiums in a row is a positive step forward, but I know he will desperate for wins. Both himself and Dani will have been disappointed not to have given Jorge a bit more of a challenge in the last stages of the race.”

On Rossi’s return to the stage, Gavin adds, “I think it’s a result a lot of people wanted to see, just seven weeks after he crashed and injured himself at Mugello. Dovizioso rode a great race but once Valentino was in front of him it was always going to be hard to get back there. But it was good to see a battle going on for the podium spots.”

On the home racers Gavin explains, “Nicky (Hayden), Ben (Spies) and Colin (Edwards) all had a great race and all three were together in those positions, and were just unable to fight for the podium.

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Moving at speeds at over 300 km/h on two wheels could be considered as plenty of adrenalin, however Dani Pedrosa was looking for a different thrill in Los Angeles this week prior to the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

The Repsol Honda competitor had a surfing lesson from Red Bull sponsored surfer Levi Siver at Sunset Beach, spending time picking up tips of the water sport which he seemed to excel at.

Following, Pedrosa then arrived to Universal Studios where he was united by baseball squad San Francisco Giants’ pitcher Tim Lincecum, the pair encountered a skydiving lesson in a wind tunnel with Red Bull Air Force member Sean MacCormac.

“It was great, something really different to what I’m used to! It was good fun to join Red Bull for this and I was very happy to. When you have new experiences and new friends it’s always nice and I really enjoy doing this kind of thing. It was also my first time ever surfing, so very cool!” says Pedrosa.

“With the waves and the air it’s totally different to racing a bike because there is no ground! The wave is always changing, so it is very different. I have done some windsurfing at home but the air tunnel I have never tried before. I really enjoyed both.”

After a win in Germany last weekend, Pedrosa’s now looks to attempting his first back-to-back victories in the premier session.

“We did so well at the last race in Germany so I’m looking forward to this one.

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Valentino Rossi continues his healing and already seems to be on track, the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix arrives this weekend and will be his second race back from injury, following an exciting fourth position at Sachsenring last weekend.

The Italian challenged with Casey Stoner for the last podium finish in Germany right up to the final corner on the last lap, Rossi states, “I was so happy to be back in Sachsenring and to be fighting for the podium, even though I just missed out, was more than we could have hoped for.”

“I still have some pain in my leg but I am growing stronger every day and I hope this week that I will be in better shape once again and I can try to improve a little bit more. Laguna is different to anywhere else we go but it's always great fun to ride there and the last two years I've had great races," adds the 31 year-old.

Team Manager for Fiat Yamaha, Davide Brivio, commented that the goal is a top three finish this weekend, this would be an excellent result given Rossi’s continuing return to full strength fitness.

"We are arriving in the US after an incredibly exciting weekend at Sachsenring, when we not only enjoyed having Valentino back but also got to see him ride an amazing race so soon after his injury,” says Brivio. “You never know what will happen with him!”

He adds, “Our target this time is the podium, so we will work with this in mind.

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Alex de Angelis was very pleased to make his first appearance in the premier class this season at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland over the weekend, where he placed 12th as he began substituting for an injured Hiroshi Aoyama.

The San Marinese competitor had been racing in the Moto2 session, but was summoned by the Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team for Sachsenring, he expressed his joy at arriving back on an 800cc prototype.

“This race has been a good one for me because it’s my first race in MotoGP this year,” he states. “I had a lot of fun with Loris (Capirossi) in the last part of the race. I was in last position but for sure in the next race I can achieve a good result.”

He is now looking ahead to round nine at Laguna Seca where he hopes to progress with the development of the satellite RC212V, De Angelis is also looking ahead to Brno in three weeks time.

“I’m happy because now I have a lot of data to work towards the next race,” he explains.

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Andrea Dovizioso pushed hard at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on Sunday to battle for a possible fifth podium of the 2010 season, however the Repsol Honda competitor comments after his fifth place in the event that he and his squad just missed out on finding the right set-up, one that could have assured him a top three finish.

“I really gave it everything so of course I cannot be happy to finish fifth, especially after qualifying in fourth. I was simply not fast enough to stay with the top riders in the race and in fact I was riding very aggressively and maybe even overriding a little to try and stay with them. When you do this you use up the tyres quicker and also use more energy so I knew it wasn’t the right way, but I had to try to stay with the frontrunners.”

The 24 year old and his team tried to ascertain set up problems in the 25-minute break between the first red-flagged event and the second 21-lap race.

He adds, “This weekend we didn’t quite find the right electronics set-up and machine settings, and between the first and second parts of the race we tried to change some electronics settings because the set-up was not 100% in the first part. I was losing a lot in turn seven, turn 12 and on the straight because I didn’t have the perfect set-up to use all the potential of the bike.”

Dovizioso still keeps third place in the Championship rankings but is looking for improvement at the next round at the Red Bull US Grand Prix.

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The mental preparation of the 125cc World Championship lead, heading into a four week summer break, is up for grabs this weekend at Sachsenring, the challenge is sure to be intensifying at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

Currently holding advantage but only 1 point at the head of the rankings is Marc Márquez, due to his amazing run of four straight victories in the last four events. The Red Bull Ajo Motorsport competitor may be the initial racer since Valentino Rossi (in 1997) to claim five or more successive race events in the category if he wins.

His main opponent is Pol Espargaró, who is on 131 points. The Tuenti Racing racer has ended on the stage for six consecutive events,  last year he finished fifth from 19th on the grid at the German circuit. None of the current 125cc session has been victorious at Sachsenring.

Third in the rankings is Nico Terol. After his last lap smash at Catalunya, that had him incur a lung contusion and fractured L1 and L2 vertebrae, the Bancaja Aspar competitor’s fitness will be assessed prior to a decision on his participation. He will be eager to race, as he looks to make up a 13 point deficit to Espargaró.

Bradley Smith will be pushing hard following his second podium of the year at Catalunya, the Bancaja Aspar rider is 24 points away from his colleague. In fifth and sixth on 60 points and level, are Efrén Vázquez (Tuenti Racing) and Sandro Cortese (Avant Mitsubishi Ajo) respectively.

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Bradley Smith had an excellent showing at the 125cc Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya as he participated in the battle for second position, racing talented skills behind his opponents for the majority of the event and time his moves to perfection.

Hanging behind colleagues Nico Terol and Pol Espargaró, Smith waited for an opportunity and decided on the last lap to outbrake the pair. He took the place on the back straight, and was then able to make the pass stick and block off the final challenge to arrive as runner-up. It is Smith's second stage appearance of the year, after a third spot at Silverstone.

Bradley Smith explains, "I decided to push hard from the start, but it was clear that this race was going to be tough -and that a small mistake would cost me as much as it did in Assen. Marquéz was clever though, and was able to slip away. Then I turned my attention to Terol and Espargaró, studying their lines in order to determine where to make a pass. Being in their slipstream served me well, because I could ride calmly and without taking too many risks. I was confident on every braking point, and kept telling myself that I couldn't let this podium place out of my grasp. This confidence helped me a lot on the second section, where I hadn't been so good during the weekend. I waited until the end to overtake, and then just focused on closing the gaps. It's a good result and I am happy with it.

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Jorge Lorenzo has now become the first Yamaha racer to be victorious in three successive premier class events from pole position, since Eddie Lawson in 1986, after he claimed his fifth victory of the 2010 season at the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya on Sunday. The Spanish competitor is currently 52 points ahead at the top of the Championship rankings, as he continues his talented form claiming his second victory at home this year.

Respol Honda racer Dani Pedrosa has endured a rapid start and led into Turn 1 after shooting through from row two, however he then went wide coming out and dropped to ninth by the end of lap one. He managed to recover his error in the early laps before heading to third position.

Aleix Espargaró from Pramac Racing incurred a run-off as he worked hard to move forward and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) created a battle for the lead with Lorenzo on lap three when he overtook him for first position, however Lorenzo regained his pace on the next lap.

Whilst chasing in third place, Casey Stoner for Ducati, ran off circuit shortly after and moved back to fifth as Randy de Puniet for LCR Honda and Pedrosa took advantage and came through, Espargaró crashed out at his home track on lap six.

Lap 14 was exciting as Marco Simoncelli for San Carlo Honda Gresini smashed out when in sixth spot. Then, Dovizioso also went down as he pushed his chase for Lorenzo out front, rejoining the race in 15th position not long afterwards.

Lorenzo was then clear by around 5.5s with less than half of the race left, Stoner and Pedrosa began challenging for second spot with De Puniet behind in fourth. Lorenzo’s lead was too much and he was over the line 4.754s ahead to claim his fifth victory of the year. Pedrosa won the battle for second by only two/tenths of a second from Stoner, the podium of the prior round at Assen was then repeated.

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Jorge Lorenzo arrived at the Sant Josep de la Muntanya orphanage near Barcelona on Tuesday to assist in launching a games room, which will be enjoyed by over 70 children based at the centre. The MotoGP World Championship hero stated, “It’s great to come and see the children and the Anima Foundation because it’s something that doesn’t cost anything. On the other hand it gives me so much if I can make these children happy for a few hours.”

Lorenzo enjoyed his time with the children in the fresh games room, entertaining themselves with table tennis and remote controlled motorcycle games. The 23 year old also signed autographs and accessories with his number 99 on them were donated.

“They’ve included lots of details and put lots of photos of me in the room, and this has been a very interesting day.

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Jorge Lorenzo’s victory in round six of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship shows the Fiat Yamaha competitor’s talents again as he extends his lead at the top of the rankings to 47 points, commentator Nick Harris gives his assessment to the 23 year old’s fourth victory at Assen.

“He’s riding so well, but he did admit he made a mistake going through the chicane with two laps to go when riding on his own, and he almost crashed! It’s quite difficult to see who can challenge him for the Championship,” says Nick. “I think Dani Pedrosa did very well here and he hung onto Lorenzo for a very long time before the tyres started going off. It was good to see Casey Stoner back on the podium but he has a problem now with arm pump, and I think he could challenge Lorenzo for some race victories.”

After the podium winners, another impressive ride in fourth position was Monster Yamaha Tech 3 racer Ben Spies. “He has shown that at circuits he’s never been to before he can do well and he rode so well again here,” adds Nick. “Barcelona may be particularly tough because the Grand Prix regulars know it so well, but Spies rides using his head and doesn’t try anything he shouldn’t.”

In the Moto2 event, Fimmco Speed Up racer Andrea Iannone, repeated his Mugello victory from pole as he took clear advantage early in the race, claiming a win ahead of Championship leader Toni Elías and Thomas Lüthi.

“Iannone cleared off at the front like he did at Mugello, and he’s becoming a little bit of a Championship contender,” Nick comments. “I think Barcelona will be a big test for him. Toni Elías did another great job by taking 20 points, and Tom Lüthi who came in third is doing well in the Championship as well.”

The Spanish domination in the 125cc category continues as Marc Márquez claimed his third consecutive victory ahead of Nico Terol and Pol Espargaró, nearing in on the top two in the rankings.

“It was unlucky for Terol meeting the back marker and who knows what would have happened, but Márquez is riding so brilliantly and is right in the Championship race.

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The Interwetten Honda MotoGP squad are still searching for a longer term replacement for the injured Hiroshi Aoyama, and are confident they will have someone in place for the Eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on July 18th.

Kousuke Akiyoshi who raced at Assen, will again race the satellite RC212V at Catalunya this weekend for round seven while the squad have a shortlist of three possibilities from Sachsenring onwards, they are Alex de Angelis, Anthony West, plus an unnamed third substitute.

“For Barcelona we will again ride with Kousuke Akiyoshi, the Honda test rider,” explains Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team Owner Daniel M. Epp. “Assen was a new track for him but he knows Barcelona, so we will see. The Yamaha test rider (Wataru Yoshikawa) will step in for Valentino Rossi at Barcelona and I am looking forward to the battle between Akiyoshi and him.”

“We are looking for a solution post Barcelona and the replacement rider for Sachsenring onwards is not decided yet. We are still negotiating with some riders and we want someone who already has MotoGP experience. We need a stable substitute for Hiro until he comes back, and we hope he’ll be back soon.”

One of the three possibile candidates, Moto2 competitor De Angelis, stated, “The transfer to the Interwetten team is not easy because I have a contract with RSM Team Scot, and this is the first hurdle. In Barcelona my lawyer will deal with the teams and try to reach an agreement.”

“I have already ridden in MotoGP and to go back would be a dream, but it’s not so easy because after five or six races my future would again have to be decided upon. The most important thing is to find a solution that would allow me to ride somewhere (in MotoGP) after these races as a substitute. It remains to be seen and this is the hardest thing, as well as having the consent of the team.”

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Jorge Lorenzo was instantly on pace as the TIM TT Assen progressed on Thursday afternoon, claiming the quickest time in the first free practice. The infamous Dutch circuit has been modified since the Fiat Yamaha racer ended second in last season’s race, however he has shown a sound knowledge of its amended layout as he claimed a best lap of 1’35.169 to head the session.

Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner is still looking for his first podium of the year this weekend and he was off to a solid beginning. The Aussie was only 11 thousandths of a second off Lorenzo’s time on his Desmosedici GP10, as he stayed close on the Championship leader.

A further half a second back on the timesheet was Stoner’s colleague Nicky Hayden, the American arrived third fastest. He kept himself upright during a run off at Turn 5 towards the finish of the hour as he worked hard to improve his time.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 racer Colin Edwards was next in the order and only 0.013s off Hayden, as he improved the feeling on his bike. Repsol Honda duo Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa were separated by only five hundredths of a second in fifth and sixth respectively.

Aleix Espargaró’s year continues to be promising as the Pramac Racing competitor was right on Pedrosa’s heels (+0.005s), with Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) finishing the highest number of laps of the category. Marco Simoncelli and Marco Melandri (both San Carlo Honda Gresini) finished off the top ten.

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The challenge for the 2010 MotoGP World Championship title moves forward this weekend with the TIM TT Assen arriving only one week after the excitement of Silverstone, where a win for Jorge Lorenzo gives the Spaniard a 37 point lead in the Championship standings.

Lorenzo will be focussing again on battling his rivals even further this weekend in the Netherlands, however the Fiat Yamaha racer was adamant that he would be taking Saturday's event like any other.

"I arrive here after a great victory, but my approach will not change as a result," says Lorenzo during the pre-event press conference. “I have had three wins here in the past, one in 125 and two in 250, so I can say that this is one of my strongest tracks."

Lorenzo took time to check the changes to the Ruskenhoek corner, the only modifications to the circuit since he finished second in the MotoGP event last season.

"I went out on the scooter to have a look at Ruskenhoek, which is certainly a lot faster than it was before. Having seen the modified corner on television during the superbike race here I had some concerns about the changes but, now I've seen it up close, the corner looks fine."

Andrea Dovizioso is in fine form currently after having taken four podium finishes in five events, his second position at Silverstone last time put the Italian forward up to second in the Championship rankings. The Repsol Honda racer will be looking for victory and claim his first win of the 2010 season this weekend, he will need to close the gap on Lorenzo in points.

"The second place in Silverstone was good for motivation, both for myself and the team," states Dovizioso. "At the beginning of the season we were fast, but now we're also consistent enough to run at the front regularly. Lorenzo and the Yamaha are really strong, but we've made big steps and we're confident we can push to catch him. Now we just need to fight!"

Ben Spies has been a revelation in his debut MotoGP year, with fresh tracks creating no issues for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 racer. Spies claimed his first podium finish in Silverstone, however was fast to play down his opportunities of a repeat performance this weekend at Assen, even though has raced here previously.

"It's good to come to a track I've been to before, and one that I like," says Spies. "I think the bike will be good here, but I know it will be tough to fight for a podium again this weekend. Maybe people will expect me to be on the podium every weekend now, but I'm more realistic because I know just how hard Silverstone was."

Ducati Marlboro's Casey Stoner has endured a difficult beginning to the year, but has moved up in the standings to eighth spot, after battling back from a shocking start to eventually take fifth position at Silverstone. Unlike his opponents, Stoner didn't check the changes to the Ruskenhoek corner, however the Aussie did comment on its recent changes.

"Racing here now doesn't have the same kick as it did when we raced on the old circuit, of which there are only a few parts left. I've struggled at Ruskenhoek for the last three seasons, so it's nice that they've changed my bogey corner for this year!"

Álvaro Bautista is also another competitor who has not begun well this year, he suffered a shoulder injury in a motocross smash prior to the Le Mans round. The former 125cc World Champion is now arriving to full fitness again and looking forward to progressing in his debut year in MotoGP.

"In Mugello I was riding like someone on the street, because the injury meant I couldn't ride the way I wanted to,” explains the Rizla Suzuki rookie.

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The Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team has announced that Honda test racer Kousuke Akiyoshi will replace Hiroshi Aoyama for the following two rounds at Assen and Catalunya, whilst the search for a longer term substitute for the injured Japanese competitor continues.

2009 250cc World Champion Aoyama fractured a vertebra (T12) in the warm up session at Silverstone on Sunday, he has been in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for the last 2 nights while being monitored.

Subsequently, the squad has chosen Akiyoshi to race the satellite RC212V at the TIM TT Assen, which occurs from June 24th to 26th, plus the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya from July 2nd to 4th. The Japanese competitor will wear the number 64.

“It really is a pity that Hiro had this nasty crash in Silverstone and that he injured himself so badly, so he will be out for the next couple of months,” says Team Manager Daniel M. Epp. “His learning process was going really well and he was consistently getting better.”

“We hope he will recover quickly and that he will be back with us as strong as he was before the accident, and as soon as possible.

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The 125cc category is turning into a fantastic competition of both racing skill and wit this season, the AirAsia British Grand Prix will continue at Silverstone this weekend. Home competitor Bradley Smith, who is still chasing his first stage appearance, will be attempting to make his mark in this event and eager to please the British spectators.

Last year's World Championship runner-up is the sole non Spanish racer inside the top six in the current rankings, currently at fourth, and if Smith can claim a win this weekend, he would finish a run which has enabled Spanish racer to be victorious in the last 14 eighth-litre events. Currently, his Bancaja Aspar colleague Nico Terol leads the Championship on 85 points.

Terol’s excellent beginning to the season, with a victory and three second places, has allowed him to be the first racer since Álvaro Bautista in 2006, to finish on the stage in the opening four 125cc events this year. Pol Espargaró (Tuenti Racing) is six points behind, and has now ended inside the top four in eight successive events, which includes three wins and three further podium appearances.

Marc Márquez (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) moved into third position in the rankings with his first GP win at Mugello in the last round, and Smith, Efrén Vázquez (Tuenti Racing) and Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) are apart from each other by only two points from fourth to sixth.

Danny Webb (Andalucia Cajasol) is another contendor focussing on a home result, he will be united by wildcard competitors Taylor Mackenzie (KRP), James Lodge (RS Earnjmax Motorcycle), Deane Brown (Colin Appleyard/Macadam Racing), William Dunlop (James Delaney) and Andrew Reid (Aztec Grand Prix).

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The legendary Assen track will host the 80th edition of the infamous TT in round six of the 2010 World Championship on June 26th.  To enhance the occasion, the Yamaha Classic Racing Team have enrolled for the help of Giacomo Agostini, 15 times World Champion, who will ride his glorious 1975 YZR500 OW23 machine at the Dutch circuit.

Agostini will take to a few laps on the original bike he raced when claiming his last ever World title win in 1975, the same engine where he was victorious at the Assen race that same year. The bike is being specially flown in from Japan by Yamaha and be sure to be an emotional reunion for the rider 35 years on.

Agostini, who won 14 times at Assen across both the 350cc and 500cc classes, said: “I remember Monza, where I won my first title, and Daytona where I won for the first time with Yamaha. There is the Isle of Man which is a very difficult circuit, and of course Assen which is a fantastic track and safer than the Isle of Man!”

Agostini adds, “I think the desire to race came from God! My father never had any motorcycles and didn’t work in that area. When I was five or six years old I said I wanted to race motorbikes, so I think it was there when I was born.”

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Toni Elías’ excellent form in the Moto2 category has been very consistent so far, with the Spanish competitor claiming two victories, a fourth and a fifth position from the opening of the 2010 year. A steady of high points such as this could aid the Spanish racer in achieving his goal of claiming the Moto2 crown this season.

At Mugello he arrived fifth, which could possibly be his worst result so far of the year, however still not a disappointing one. After a mixed weekend, he was the 20th quickest racer in FP2.  The 11 points acheived with his class in the event kept Elías’ consistency at the top of the overall rankings.

“I saw how fast Iannone was in warm-up and told the team the race was out of our reach and that proved to be the case. I was hoping for second place but this is a good result for me,” states Elías. “I had a plan for the last lap but to get myself into the right position I would have needed to go too wide at Correntaio and risk a crash, so I just had to settle for what I had and I’m happy with it.”

The result gave Elías’ a lead at the top of the Championship by an extra point from Shoya Tomizawa, he now has 74 points after four rounds.

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Marc Márquez raced an amazing event at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM on Sunday to claim a victory in the 125cc category, ending ahead of Championship leader Nico Terol and Pol Espargaró to take his first World Championship victory of his career.

At only 17, the Red Bull Ajo Motorsport competitor’s talents show that more wins are imminent, after the race he stated, “I’m very happy with this first victory because it’s the most important one in the career for a rider in the World Championship.”

Márquez and last season’s Mugello victor Bradley Smith, battled early in the race and the duo then became involved in a tactical challenge with Terol and Espargaró from lap nine onwards. Márquez finally crossing the line in first spot, with only 0.161s separating the foursome.

“The race was very hard because in the first part Nico and Pol went out, and I had to catch them step by step,” he states. “At the end of the race it was more about strategy than being fast. The last straight was very, very long because the line felt like it would never arrive! But in the end we crossed it first and took the first victory in the World Championship.”

His achievement was more enjoyable given it was only his second race following a dislocation of his shoulder from a fall at Jerez five weeks earlier.

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388 – None of the three Italian racers who have lined up on the grid for the 125cc event at the French GP, have taken it to the chequered flag. The last time there was a 125cc GP without Italian competitors finishing was the 1982 French GP at Nogaro; a sequence of 388 events in the 125cc session, with at least one Italian racer finishing to the end. However the event at Nogaro in 1982 was boycotted by a number of premium racers due to safety issues. The last full sided 125cc event without Italian finishers was at the Finnish Grand Prix in 1979.

150 – Italian Grand Prix, Joan Olivé is due to make his 150th Grand Prix beginning. Olivé has not missed an event since his Grand Prix debut in the 125cc session at the opening race of 2001 in Japan. He will be the fourth youngest racer to achieve a milestone of 150 GP starts, after Dani Pedrosa, Marco Melandri and Alex de Angelis.

100 – Italian Grand Prix, Mattia Pasini is due to make his 100th Grand Prix start. Pasini's GP debut in the 125cc session was in the opening event of 2004 in South Africa. Since then, he has missed beginning only once, at the French GP in 2005 when he smashed and fractured his left wrist during qualifying.

70 – Jorge Lorenzo has 70 points from the beginning of three races this season. This is the highest points total by a competitor in MotoGP after the opening three events, since Valentino Rossi also held 70 points following three races in 2005.

62 – Italy, along with The Netherlands and Great Britain, are the only three countries to have hosed a motorbike Grand Prix event in each of the 62 years from the commencement of the motorcycling world championship in 1949.

49 – Valentino Rossi’s pole in France was the 49th time he has begun from pole in the premier session. Full pole position records are only available from 1974, in the period from 1974 only Mick Doohan, with 58, has begun from pole more times in the premier class than Rossi.

20 years – Kenny Noyes’ pole at the French GP was the sole outside the premier session for a racer from the USA since John Kocinski was quickest qualifier for the 250cc event at the Australian Grand Prix in 1990.

8 years – Before the French GP, it has been eight years since the same three racers were victorious of the Grand Prix classes in successive events. In 2002, Arnaud Vincent (125cc), Marco Melandri (250cc) and Valentino Rossi (MotoGP) won their respective sessions at the British GP, then repeated the wins at the German GP a week later. All three racers went on to win their respective world championship crowns.

7 – Jorge Lorenzo’s victory in France was his 7th win on a MotoGP machine. This is only one less than rival Dani Pedrosa. Only two other Spanish competitors have had more wins in the premier class: Sete Gibernau with 9 and Àlex Crivillé with 15.

7 – Pol Espargaró is the 7th youngest racer to enjoy back to back GP event. The six riders who have won back to back races at a younger age are, Marco Melandri, Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi, Dani Pedrosa, Manuel Poggiali and Jorge Lorenzo.

5 – Only five racers have scored points at all three of the Moto2 events held so far, Toni Elías, Simone Corsi, Sergio Gadea, Gabor Talmacsi and Roberto Rolfo.

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