Suzuki Motorcycles India are finally taking some very serious steps into aligning its interests with the massive growth in the Indian motorcycle and scooter market. Already having increased production capacities last year, Suzuki are now using its strong foothold in the car market to beef up its motorcycle operations. For this they will be shifting key people to lead and create new business segments within Maruti that will support Suzuki Motorcycles.

Suzuki Motorcycles has been struggling in the Indian market and seem to have totally missed the race in terms of the huge volume of sales that other players are seeing. The use of Maruti’s resources would help them bring down production costs, easily increase their dealer network and offer greater penetration into the markets. Having been following Suzuki’s up’s and down’s over the past decade, we feel that the Suzuki is missing that one special model in the 125-150 cc segment that not just characteristically has the strong reliable Suzuki engine, but also one that appeals in terms of design so that the younger generation will carry the brand forward. A top down approach more or less. Its just a waiting game now to see how Suzuki can use Maruti’s resources to its benefit. The next big launch from Suzuki is expected to be the Suzuki Inazuma which has been spotted couple of times and probably has a launch date sometime in the next couple of months.

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Maverick Vinales took his second victory of the season in an authoritative manner. It was his first pole position of the season as well, a weekend which he truly dominated. The race was a dry race on an almost dry track but there were still wet patches except for on the racing line and there were many crashes whenever riders went even a little way into those damp patches. Mahindra rider Miguel Oliveira who started from a fantastic second position of the grid found himself on one such damp patch when Alex Marquez overtook him and crashed out of the race. Except for the second position start not a great weekend for Mahindra team as Efren Vazquez had already pulled out from the race due to a broken collarbone when he crashed in one of the free practice sessions.

There were other crashers as well. Jonas Folger who has become a regular rider in the top 5 positions after joining the Aspar Moto3 team, went wide on lap 11 and gave the podium place to Luis Salom. Folger finally finished fourth with Alex Marquez finishing a lonely 5th. On the podium were Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins and Louis Salom. It was a welcome second place for Alex Rins after crashing out in the last race at Jerez. Maverick Vinales now leads the points table by 13 points from Louis Salom with Alex Rins at third place.

The Moto2 race was plagued with crashes all around aswell. Mainly because by the time the race started, the weather had become worse with spitting rain. The homeboy Johan Zarco had got a great position on the starting grid at third place, and for sure he would have loved a win or a podium in front of his home crowd. The front row consisted of Japanese rider Takaki Nakagami who claimed his first pole position of the season, Redding at second and Zarco.

When the lights went out Redding had a disastrous start and he went backwards from 2nd to 10th. Espargaro led race starting from 3rd row of the grid, a lightening fast start but he lost his lead to Takaki Nakagami and Esteve Rabat by lap 3. On the very same lap both Espargaro and Rabat crashed in a synchronized manner. Now Nakagami led the race with Zarco in second place. Lap 8, it was Nakagami’s turn to crash and that too at the same corner same place as Espargaro and Rabat. Zarco led the race for some time and then started going backwards and gave the lead to Redding who had made up positions after the bad start. Rain was in the air all the time and by lap 22 it started pouring and Redding was the first one to be putting his hand up signaling that rain was coming down. Since it was a dry race and everybody had slick tyres it was getting dangerous for the riders to continue in the rain and a red flag was soon to be waived. On the start of the lap 23 Zarco who had lost his podium place as well started making up positions hoping by the time the red flag is waved he would make it to the podium and in the very same lap the red flag was indeed shown. But this meant that the race result would be declared based upon the last completed lap i.e. lap number 22 and Zarco was on 5th. The podium positions were taken by Scott Redding, Mika Kallio and Xavier Simeone. It was Redding’s first Moto2 victory and also a victory by a British rider after a very long time. This was also the first time in a very long time that the podium was devoid of any Spanish rider. Mika Kallio is for Finlad and Simeone is from Belgium. A good day from Marc VDS team taking first and second podium place.

Till now we have seen three different winners from three races with Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa each taking the top step at the podium. This weekend it could have been 4 different winners in four races if the remaining top rider Valentino Rossi could have won at Le Mans. The same thing happened way back in 2008 when Valentino Rossi won the Shanghai, China GP. In Free Practice 2 it was looking like indeed Valentino Rossi can pull it off when he was faster than his teammate Jorge Lorenzo. MotoGP class had been escaping the rains altogether in all the sessions up until the race. Dani Pedrosa was leading all the session except for FP4 where Lorenzo was fastest. Start of QP2 Pedrosa found himself in the gravel which cost him a good qualifying and meant that he would start the race from the second row at 6th. Another rider who didn’t have a great qualifying was Valentino Rossi; actually this has become a trend mainly because probably Rossi has not got hold of the new Qualifying system which gives riders only 15 minutes of time to register their fastest laps. Rossi likes to take his time and then set a fast lap unlike here when as soon as a rider enters, he has to start looking for a fast lap that would fetch him a good starting position in the grid. Rossi could only register 8th fastest time. Marquez seems to have no problem with this as he pulled an extremely fast lap to seal his pole position. Andrea Dovizioso also pulled out a fast lap to get him a front row start. Le Mans is traditionally a track which favors Ducati with its layout and Dovi took complete advantage of that.

The front row consisted of Marquez, Lorenzo and Dovizioso. FP4 saw one more rider crashing and that was Tech3 rider Cal Crutchlow. Due to the crash the session was briefly red flagged as Cal was not able to get up on his own. Thankfully he was able to move and later in QP2 he accompanied Pedrosa in the second row along with Stefan Bradl. By the time MotoGP race started it was properly raining and the race was declared a wet race. None of the riders had an ideal setup for the wet as it did not rain in any of the sessions prior to the race.

Lights went out and in the first corner it was a pleasant surprise to see Andrea Dovizioso leading the race. Marquez had a bad start and by the first corner he was down to 10th place from his pole position. Rossi also made a good start and picked up some places. Soon it was Dovi leading with Pedrosa behind him and Lorenzo at third. Dovi was able to hold his lead despite attempts from Pedrosa. Meanwhile behind the duo it was Lorenzo who started having major problems with his bike setup for the wet track. Lorenzo tried to keep up with the leading group but eventually had to give up his position when the faster riders arrived in the form of Rossi first and then Crutchlow, Bradl, Hayden and Bautista which relegated him to 8th position. Rossi for a long time was able to keep up with the leading duo of Dovi and Pedrosa and looked like he will be able to compete with them in the coming laps. Soon Crutchlow also joined Rossi and eventually overtook him, Rossi did not seem to fight back. It was unlike Rossi that he would not fight for the place he just gave away to Crutchlow, it was clear that he was also not comfortable with the bike setup. The track was drying all the time and Nicky Hayden was pressurizing Rossi and eventually Rossi made a mistake and crashed. Lucky for him that his bike did not stop due to the crash and was able to rejoin the race. There was another crasher in the form of Stefan Bradl who kept the bike running holding his bike’s clutch and was able to rejoin the race.

Marquez all this while was having difficulty since this was his first wet race and several times made mistakes, went wide in corners but somehow kept the bike upright. He had lost a lot of time . Such is his talent that he was able to learn the wet track riding skills and at the same time churning out fast lap times. Soon he was pressurizing Lorenzo and easily overtook him. Meanwhile in the front Dovi and Pedrosa had been exchanging position every now and then. Pedrosa also made some mistakes but he also was able to avoid crashing out.

Second half of the race Pedrosa started building a lead over Dovi who was soon joined by Crutchlow. Eventually Dovi had to give up his position to a faster Crutchlow who was now en-route to his best result in MotoGP. Marquez was still churning out fast or rather fastest laps of the race and soon got past Bautista, Hayden covering about 4 seconds in 4 of the last 6 laps. By now he had Dovi in sights and threatening to take Dovi off the podium place. Eventually he did take third place. Dani Pedrosa took a brilliant win with Crutchlow taking second place, kudos to him for his riding especially after he was battered with his previous day’s crash causing a small crack in his tibia. An impressive podium for Marquez yet again especially considering his start of the race.

Dovi took a respectable 4th place with his teammate Nicky Hayden taking 5th place ahead of Bautista at 6th and Jorge Lorenzo at 7th place. Rossi and Bradl managed to finish the race at 12th and 10th place respectively.

As it happened in the last race, the Mighty Honda riders took a better result on a track which was traditionally not theirs. Dani Pedrosa has taken two back to back victories and with Marquez taking the win at Austin Texas, Hondas are dominating and it is ominous with the fact that the latter half of the season has tracks on which Hondas perform better with the likes of Phillip Island, Australia and Aragon, Spain. Defending Champion Jorge Lorenzo has an uphill task to defend his title against not only Dani Pedrosa but Marc Marquez who is very well in the hunt of the title.

The Doctor, Valentino Rossi also has an uphill task of stepping up and competing with the new generation riders. Really hope both Lorenzo and Rossi up their game otherwise it would just be a Honda affair. Check out the full race results and the updated championship standings for a detailed look at the timings and currents standings.

The post MotoGP Le Mans race summary – A rainy affair appeared first on IAMABIKER.

Harley-Davidson owners across the country now have another reason to enjoy every kilometer of their riding experience with the new Harley-Davidson Roadside Assistance Program. Launched in association with INDIA ASSISTANCE, a 100% subsidiary of leading international assistance company MAPFRE ASSISTANCE, the new roadside assistance program from Harley-Davidson India provides on-road assistance support to registered Harley-Davidson owners in all nine dealership locations across the country.

Anoop Prakash – Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India

“As a brand built around the customer, Harley-Davidson is committed to providing our riders with a superior ownership experiences. With the team at INDIA ASSISTANCE, we are now offering a menu of important services, 24×7 support, and trucks that can safely and efficiently tow our entire model line-up. The roadside assistance program provides a sense of safety and comfort to our customers who can now cruise Indian roads with greater peace of mind. Our investment is in line with our long–term commitment to lead the development of leisure motorcycling in India.”

Navneet Gautam – Director, INDIA ASSISTANCE.

“MAPFRE ASSISTANCE in India is committed to stand up to the expectations set by Harley-Davidson in India the similar way it has been associated with Harley-Davidson in the USA, Canada & other international collaborations. The commitment is to provide absolute safety, security and peace of mind to Harley-Davidson owners non-stop 24/7 through dedicated contact center and trained staff.”

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For the fifth round of the 2013 Superbike World Championship, the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team heads to a track which plays an important role in the history of BMW Motorrad. The British “Donington Park Circuit” is the venue not only of the first ever victory, but also the first ever one-two for the German manufacturer in the Superbike World Championship. Still today, everyone at BMW Motorrad remembers the moment when the BMW S 1000 RRs of factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) and his then team-mate Leon Haslam (GBR) crossed the finish line in race one at last year’s Donington round.

Last year’s success was the first of nine victories in total so far for BMW Motorrad in this series. Three of them have been celebrated in the first four rounds of the 2013 season. New factory rider Chaz Davies (GBR) won both races at Spanish “Motorland Aragón”, while Marco climbed the top step of the podium at his home round at Monza.

Despite some bad luck and issues, the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team has built on the successes BMW Motorrad achieved in 2012 and secured the manufacturer’s best ever start to a Superbike World Championship season. After four rounds, Marco and Chaz share six podium positions and two fastest race laps between them. Together, they have already collected 190 points for the team. After the first four rounds of the 2012 season, the factory team had 140.5 points and two third places on its tally.

In the Manufacturers’ classification, BMW is second with 144 points, 28 points behind the lead. These are 48 points more than after the first four rounds in 2012, when BMW was fourth on 96 points with a gap of 44.5 points to the front. In the current Riders’ classification, Marco is fourth with 96 points; Chaz sits in fifth with 94 points. Both riders like the Donington circuit. Marco has won there twice in as many years competing in the WSBK series, while for Chaz it is his first home round of the season. The race takes place on British soil, but is held under the European flag. Donington from the rider’s point of view:

Marco Melandri

“I really love Donington. Here I got my first Superbike win with Yamaha in 2011 and the first victory in the history of BMW in the series last year. This is a technical track, quite different from Monza. In Donington you never shift to sixth gear while in Monza you use it three times. The two chicanes in the last part of the Donington circuit seem to be there to keep the field close together. The race will be very open and hard-fought, and if it does not rain, it will be very exciting.

We head to Donington in a better position than last year, even if we did not have a perfect start to the season. In Monza I found the right feeling with the RR. Now I can ride it in the best way and be competitive. I’m looking forward to Donington and I feel really confident. Now I want to fight for the podium at every race and, when it’s possible, I want to win.”

Chaz Davies

“I am looking forward to my first home round. It is always good to meet up with friends and family and to feel the support of your home crowd. Donington was the first proper circuit I rode on, so I have special memories of it – especially the first part of the circuit is enjoyable. To go through ‘Craner Curves’ is quite a challenge. Overall, there are two completely different styles of track. You have the fast first part and then the hard braking second part so it is difficult to find a compromise with the set-up.

I hope that we will have a smooth and normal weekend. I will try to do a good qualifying and then we will see. Marco was very fast there last year, so the team should have some good data to start with.”

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We know for sure that a bigger Pulsar is on the cards, we know for sure that it will share a lot of its engine with the KTM Duke 390 and now thanks to the folks at AutocarIndia we know for sure that it is a full faired motorcycle, which we think looks a lot like the eCRP Energica. From the picture we can deduce that the bike will feature ABS atleast as an option and what looks like twin projectors for headlights. The front forks and disc seems to have a bigger diameter than any on the existing Pulsar range, ruling out any chance of this being an NS with a strap on fairing. Now one could argue that this could also be the faired KTM (RC390) that is also on the news a lot nowadays, but earlier spyshots show that the bike shown here has the same speedometer as that on the Pulsar 200NS. Also if we have learnt anything from KTM in the past, it is that the RC390 will be more flamboyant.

So what else do we know about the Pulsar 375? Well knowing the fact that the engine on this machine will be having the same setup from the Duke 390 tells us a lot. The engine will produce close to 45 HP and will be a fuel injected single cylinder one. A four valve setup for sure but the number of spark plugs that Bajaj will plug into it yet to be seen. Do check back as we will be following this motorcycle to its launch and for sure more photographs and details will emerge soon.

The post Pulsar 375 photographs emerge appeared first on IAMABIKER.

The Honda MSX125 was introduced earlier this year and with its enthusiastic and fun appeal it was almost immediately a bike that was much talked about. Honda has now introduced the bike to the US and the European markets to ensure that this monkey bike gets to all the right places at the right time. The only change though is that the Honda MSX125 will be called the Grom for these markets.

With a motor that produces just about 10 horses from a 125cc mill, do not be fooled into thinking it is a slouch. Its light, its fast and probably the most nimble thing on two wheels out there. Its costs just a dollar short of 3000 making it cheap when you consider the alternatives in the international markets and the features it offers. The Grom can be used for just about anything and can find its use right from grocery shopping to quick nimble city riding and even as a pit bike. Check out the Honda Grom specifications below along with more photographs.

Honda Grom 125 specifications

• Model: Grom 125
• Engine Type: 124.9cc air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke
• Bore and Stroke: 52.4mm x 57.9mm
• Compression Ratio: 9.3:1
• Valve Train: SOHC; two valves per cylinder
• Induction: PGM-FI with automatic enrichment
• Ignition: Electric
• Transmission: Four-speed
• Final Drive: Chain
• Suspension Front: 31mm inverted fork; 3.9 inches travel
• Rear: Single shock with steel box-section swingarm; 4.1 inches travel
• Brakes Front: Single 220mm disc with hydraulic dual-piston caliper
• Rear: Single 190mm disc with hydraulic single-piston caliper
• Tires Front: 120/70-12
• Rear: 130/70-12
• Wheelbase: 47.4 inches
• Rake (Caster Angle): 25° 0’.
• Trail: 81mm (3.2 inches)
• Seat Height: 29.7 inches
• Fuel Capacity: 1.45 gallons
• Fuel Economy Estimate**: TBD
• Colors: Pearl Red, Metallic Black
• Curb Weight*: 225 pounds

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Dani Pedrosa

“I’m very happy, because I have earned an important victory. I’ve been trying to win at this circuit for many years in MotoGP and it has always been a tough track for me. Today, the moment finally arrived, when I least expected it, and it is immensely satisfying. Conditions here are usually against me, because it is cold and I don’t like riding in these temperatures, but today I got the best out of myself. The bike was also good, above all on the opening laps when the track was very wet. I made a few mistakes but I was able to recover from them, maintain the advantage and win the race. I’d like to thank all my team and also my supporters!”

Cal Crutchlow

“I’m really happy to get my best ever result in MotoGP and the whole team did an incredible job and deserves this result. We showed our fast pace in the dry, we showed our pace in the wet and I think everybody is aware we are not here through luck. It’s even better and more important because this is the home race for Tech 3 and Monster Energy sponsors the event. So to be the best and only Yamaha on the podium feels really good. My start was not the best and it took me a bit of time to get temperature into the tyres. But once I managed that I felt really comfortable. When I saw Andrea and Dani opening a small gap to Valentino I had to make a move because I was afraid they would be too far ahead to try and catch later in the race. And when I saw Marquez recovering time on my pit board I had to pass Andrea otherwise he might have caught both of us during the last laps. I’m really happy with how things went, especially after the crash yesterday. The wet track obviously put less stress on my body but it was tough riding injured in such tough conditions. From now on I just hope we can be injury free and go to Mugello to put on the same show as we did here today.”

Marc Marquez

“This podium almost counts as a win as it was my first wet race in MotoGP and I wasn’t expecting to finish in the top three. Also, bearing in mind that I had dropped quite far back from the front, third place and 16 points is an important achievement for the World Championship. We can say that this was a very good weekend; we had a good setting for the dry, but when it rained it was up to me to learn from the mistakes that I made at the start of the race. I need to improve, because I was finding it hard to ride with water on the track. It will be difficult to maintain our performance at Mugello, but we will go there and try 100%. I congratulate Dani on great race and victory and I’d like to thank the whole team!”

Andrea Dovizioso

“It’s always nice to be at the front of the pack! I’m really happy with my feeling with the bike, and as long as the tyres were decent, I was able to manage the situation well. Dani had more than I did, but I was still able to keep a good pace. We had good grip, which helped us to have a nice race, but as the track dried, the tyres began wearing a lot. I couldn’t keep the pace in the last six or seven laps, and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make the podium. I’m sorry for the team about that, but we had a positive weekend in all aspects, even in the dry.”

Nicky Hayden

“Rain races are tough, especially when you don’t have much time to set up the bike! I got a great start and picked up some positions in the first few corners. I didn’t feel great at first, but I began to improve and was closing on the lead group when they were battling with each other. I really enjoyed that, especially when the track was pretty wet. Things got more difficult as it dried, but I was hanging in there. I was looking for a way past Rossi, and when he crashed, I picked it up and ran wide. I put my head down and tried to close the gap, but I made a mistake, and after Marquez got by, I just tried to stay up and get to the finish. Top-five is our best result of the season, but for a while, I thought I had a possibility to do something really good. Still, there were moments this weekend when we showed more potential than we have all year, and I’m really looking forward to Mugello.”

Jorge Lorenzo

“In the beginning of the race the bike was not the same as warm up but not so bad and I could follow Andrea and Dani. I was losing a lot in some areas of the track but recovering in others. Then after three or four laps the bike got worse and I got problems everywhere. In the braking because in the middle of the corner I didn’t trust the rear tyre and in acceleration because the rear was spinning so much I lost nearly half a second compared to the others. Races are like this sometimes; last year I won by 20 seconds with a very good bike and this year was completely the opposite. I couldn’t do much more without crashing.”

Valentino Rossi

“Unfortunately we lost a good chance to get a good result today, I think we had the potential to arrive with the first three and arrive on the podium. I had a good pace and I was fast and I could fight with the other guys. In that corner, I didn’t arrive too fast and didn’t feel any mistake but I felt a bump and lost the front, so it’s a pity because we lose points and especially the chance to try to make a good podium here. Anyway, it can happen and the important thing is that today we were fast so we will see next week.”

Alvaro Bautista

“That was a particularly difficult race because the conditions were so different to how they’d been for practice. I also didn’t get a great start and that was a shame because looking at the lap times it cost me the chance to fight at the front. When the track started to dry the bike was cutting the power on the straight and I was losing time but sixth place is a positive result if not a great one because we’ve improved on last year and I don’t like this track. Overall we have made progress here and I feel better with the electronics and suspension in the wet. I am satisfied with the result and I want to thank the team and the sponsors. This is a nice boost before we go to their home race at Mugello. ”

MotoGP 2013 Le Mans results

• 1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 49’17.707
• 2. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 + 4.863
• 3. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team + 6.949
• 4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team + 10.087
• 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team + 18.471
• 6. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go&Fun Honda Gresini + 23.561
• 7. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing + 27.961
• 8. Michele Pirro (ITA) Ducati Test Team + 40.775
• 9. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 + 41.407
• 10. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda MotoGP + 1’00.995
• 11. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing Team + 1’05.110
• 12. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing + 1’16.368
• 13. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Power Electronics Aspar + 1’24.200
• 14. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Came Iodaracing Project + 1’25.726
• 15. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing + 1’32.111
• 16. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing + 1’40.602
• 17. Michael Laverty (GBR) Paul Bird Motorsport After 1 laps
• 18. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Blusens After 1 laps
• 19. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Avintia Blusens After 1 laps
• 20. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Paul Bird Motorsport Not classified (8 laps)
• 21. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Power Electronics Aspar Not classified (13 laps)
• 22. Lukas Pesek (CZE) Came IodaRacing Project Not classified (13 laps)
• 23. Claudio Corti (ITA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing Not classified (21 laps)
• 24. Bryan Staring (AUS) Go&Fun Honda Gresini Not classified (27 laps)

Championship Standings post Le Mans race

• 1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 83
• 2. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 77
• 3. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 66
• 4. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 55
• 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing 47
• 6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team 39
• 7. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 38
• 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 35
• 9. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Power Electronics Aspar 20
• 10. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing Team 18
• 11. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 17
• 12. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda MotoGP 17
• 13. Michele Pirro (ITA) Ducati Test Team 13
• 14. Ben Spies (USA) Pramac Racing Team 9
• 15. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Blusens 7
• 16. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Power Electronics Aspar 6
• 17. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Came Iodaracing Project 4
• 18. Michael Laverty (GBR) Paul Bird Motorsport 3
• 19. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Paul Bird Motorsport 3
• 20. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 1
• 21. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Avintia Blusens 1
• 22. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1

The post MotoGP Le Mans results and rider quotes appeared first on IAMABIKER.

Marc Marquez

“Qualifying went very well. After FP3, in which we had a small front end crash and I lost my confidence a little, I was back on it immediately. It was hard to heat up the tyres, but that was the same for everyone. I think that’s the reason why there were so many crashes. I am very happy, because I think that we had a good session and have a good pace. Tomorrow we will try to give 100% and see if we are fortunate enough to have a dry race. If it is a wet one, then we just have to do as well as we can.”

Jorge Lorenzo

“Our pace is very good, much better than Jerez where I did two laps and then in the third or fourth lap it was impossible to keep the same pace. Here in this track with the improvement we made with the bike it’s much more easy to keep a constant pace so I’m much more satisfied. I tried to make a perfect lap, it was ok, but Marc was just slightly faster than me. I don’t know what will happen if it rains tomorrow because we haven’t tried it in the wet. Last year it was ok, but every year it’s different so I don’t know what to expect. I would prefer a dry race. If it rains though it can be a possibility to recover some points if we don’t make a mistake.”

Andrea Dovizioso

“ I’m pleased because we’re closer than we have been at the other tracks with our fastest lap, but especially our pace. I managed to do my best time on the final lap of my long run, which is nice. We’re pretty good with the setup, and although we still have to work on the details, I’m happy to be so close.”

Dani Pedrosa

“The afternoon practice sessions were difficult. I crashed in qualifying then had to go back to the garage and only had a little time left on the clock when I got back out on track. I wasn’t able to make the best use of the session, but at least I was able to clock a fairly decent time and place sixth. It is a pity, because we could have been much higher up the grid. For tomorrow we will have to try to get a good start, come back up through the field and have a good race.”

Alvaro Bautista

“Today was a difficult day, especially this morning because we tried some things with the set-up to resolve the issues we had yesterday but they didn’t work. We made some progress with the electronics and then went back a step with the set-up but at the end of the morning session I had a crash on cold tyres that was quite heavy. Thankfully I wasn’t really hurt apart from a blow to my chest, which was painful this afternoon. I couldn’t ride at 100% for qualifying but I felt more confident with the front so I am looking forward to riding it tomorrow. We have another thing to try in the warm-up with the electronics and then we will see what the weather does for the race. ”

Valentino Rossi

“Unfortunately today was a worse day compared to yesterday. We started quite badly this morning because we had some problems with the rear tyre so we struggled very much in the practice. We had a lot of question marks so we wanted to try the same setting this afternoon. In fact the tyre had a problem because this afternoon it was not so bad. My rhythm and pace for the race is quite good, unfortunately especially Lorenzo, Marquez and Pedrosa are a bit faster. Like the other races, in the qualifying I am unable to do what I want, when I try to push more I create some problems with the bike. The other riders are better than me to use the extra grip from the new tyre, so I have to start from the third row. My rhythm is not so bad so we have to try to fix something.”

MotoGP Le Mans qualifying timings

• FRONT ROW
• 1. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’33.187
• 2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’33.217
• 3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team 1’33.603
• SECOND ROW
• 4. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’33.609
• 5. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda MotoGP 1’33.634
• 6. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1’33.639
• THIRD ROW
• 7. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’33.984
• 8. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing 1’34.009
• 9. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’34.222
• FOURTH ROW
• 10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 1’34.242
• 11. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Power Electronics Aspar 1’34.754
• 12. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing Team 1’35.062
• FIFTH ROW
• 13. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Power Electronics Aspar 1’35.086
• 14. Michele Pirro (ITA) Ducati Test Team 1’35.228
• 15. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Blusens 1’35.714
• SIXTH ROW
• 16. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Came Iodaracing Project 1’35.770
• 17. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’36.221
• 18. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 1’36.271
• SEVENTH ROW
• 19. Claudio Corti (ITA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’36.330
• 20. Michael Laverty (GBR) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’36.596
• 21. Bryan Staring (AUS) Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’36.714
• EIGHTH ROW
• 22. Lukas Pesek (CZE) Came IodaRacing Project 1’36.768
• 23. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Paul Bird Motorsport 1’36.961
• 24. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Avintia Blusens 1’37.523

The post MotoGP Le Mans qualifying timings and rider quotes appeared first on IAMABIKER.

Two weeks after their one-two at the Grand Prix of Spain, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez returned to the head of the MotoGP standings. In free practice for the fourth round of the World Championship, which kicked off today at the Le Mans circuit in France, the duo of numbers 26 and 93 were again the men to beat.

In the first practice session, Pedrosa was fastest. On the last of 19 laps, the Repsol Honda Team rider stopped the clock at 1’34.645, 0.525 ahead of Marquez on the latter’s Le Mans MotoGP début  Later lowering his best time by over half a second, Pedrosa once again led the time-sheets in the second session, with a time of 1’34.035. Marquez also went quicker than before; he took a second off his previous best and closed second the day, 0.134 off his team-mate.

Valentino Rossi wrapped up the first day of action at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France as the fastest Yamaha rider and third overall behind rival Dani Pedrosa. The Italian spent the day’s two free practice sessions working to set up his YZR-M1 for the Le Mans circuit, focusing on a soft front and hard rear tyre combination. Rossi opted for the 2012 M1 chassis for the Le Mans weekend whilst the team continues to evaluate the difference between the old and new. The final session saw the nine-time World Champion improve to climb from seventh to second, dropping to third at the end just 0.138 seconds from first. Rossi was also the fastest rider through the second sector of the Le Mans circuit.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo was as usual quick from the start of the first session, contesting with the fastest riders and wrapping up the morning in second place. The afternoon saw more of the same fast consistency from the reigning World Champion, taking the session lead with a 1’34.2 second lap with 17 mins remaining. A flurry of fast laps in the final minutes dropped him to fourth however he was just 0.166 from first. Lorenzo remained fourth in the combined times. The Spaniard also focused on a hard front, soft rear tyre option but opted for the 2013 chassis to evaluate the Le Mans circuit.

Tomorrow sees the final free practice sessions and, from 14:10, the two qualifying runs that will decide the starting grid for Sunday.

Dani Pedrosa

“In today’s practice sessions it was important to test the tyres and make the most of the dry track time, because here you usually don’t have that opportunity. So I tried to stay out on track for as long as possible and gather the best information, because maybe tomorrow it will rain –and you don’t have that chance again. Luckily the weather held up and we were able to make some positive steps, which we hope to capitalise on for the race on Sunday”.

Marc Marquez

“Le Mans has always been a good track for me in the other classes. I was fast today right out of the box and felt comfortable. In the first session I got a bit overwhelmed, because I could tell that the track was not allowing much space for me between the corners with this bigger bike and faster pace. I didn’t have much time to think. I was calmer in the afternoon and things went much better. This track is all about accelerating and then braking, although the final sector is more twisty and has some longer corners. It is only Friday, and we still have work to do. Tomorrow, if the track is dry, we will improve our times –but the forecast predicts rain. With a little luck, on Sunday we will have a dry track and be able to have a good race”.

Valentino Rossi

Today we were good in braking because we modified the settings and we tried two different settings to understand which way to follow to improve the braking, that was the main problem. This morning was not too bad and this afternoon especially I made the comparison one more time. I took the setting I preferred with some small modifications and the last run was very good. I could brake hard, which was the main problem in Austin and also in Jerez so it’s a good day. We try to modify also the rear for to not stress the rear tyre so much; that helped me a lot; I did my best laps with a used tyre that had more than 30 laps on. The practice this afternoon was good so I’m happy. We are already quite good with the setting of the bike so now we wait for the weather tomorrow. In case of rain we are more or less ready and if dry we can try something else, some small details to modify. We are very close to those in front so it’s not so bad.”

Jorge Lorenzo

We are changing the bike to improve the feeling because at the moment we have a lot of margin for improvement. I think we can make a big step to improve the constant pace for the race. I think if it rains tomorrow things will change completely and it will be a different story. We will have to be as always more careful and have more concentration in the wet.”

Cal Crutchlow

“We did not have our best day today and I’m not really happy with how things started this weekend. We experimented quite a lot with the bike and made it shorter and longer but we did not find an ideal setting yet. We have a lot of chatter and not too much grip, so clearly we are struggling quite a bit at the moment because the other guys seem to improve while I feel the same as on the first lap out there this morning. So we still have a lot of work to do tonight and we have to improve in several areas. I’m having an issue with the brakes but we are still confident for tomorrow and I am sure we can improve to put on a good show in such a big race for Tech 3 and Monster Energy.”

MotoGP Le Mans Free Practice Times

1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) -Repsol Honda Team 1’34.035
2. Marc Marquez (SPA) -Repsol Honda Team 1’34.169
3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) -Yamaha Factory Racing 1’34.173
4. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) -Yamaha Factory Racing 1’34.201
5. Stefan Bradl (GER) -LCR Honda MotoGP 1’34.299
6. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) -Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’34.512
7. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) -Ducati Team 1’34.578
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) -Ducati Team 1’34.590
9. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) -Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’34.739
10. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) -Power Electronics Aspar 1’35.045
11. Bradley Smith (GBR) -Monster Yamaha Tech3 1’35.362
12. Andrea Iannone (ITA) -Pramac Racing Team 1’35.433
13. Randy De Puniet (FRA) -Power Electronics Aspar 1’35.447
14. Michele Pirro (ITA) -Ducati Test Team 1’35.864
15. Hector Barbera (SPA) -Avintia Blusens 1’35.940
16. Colin Edwards (USA) -NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’36.449
17. Claudio Corti (ITA) -NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’36.643
18. Karel Abraham (CZE) -Cardion AB Motoracing 1’36.759
19. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) -Came Ioda racing Project 1’36.764
20. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) -Avintia Blusens 1’36.821
21. Yonny Hernandez (COL) -Paul Bird Motorsport 1’37.104
22. Bryan Staring (AUS) -Go&Fun Honda Gresini 1’37.878
23. Michael Laverty (GBR) -Paul Bird Motorsport 1’38.023
24. Lukas Pesek (CZE) -Came Ioda Racing Project 1’38.818

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