Would we biased if we said we like Marco Simoncelli? Besides the fact he looks like a goofy Wookiee, we enjoyed the fact he called himself a ‘coglione’ (Italian expletive for asshole) on TV after the Misano race because he chose the wrong engine map.
And that he finally looked like the old SuperSic when he barged right past friend Valentino Rossi, running him almost off track and that he beat out Andrea Dovizioso for fourth.
Valentino Rossi may have finished only 7th, but honestly, did anyone expect it after all his struggles this weekend? The Italian confirmed he’ll be testing the Ducati GP12 at the Mugello this week and not a Misano on Monday, and he won’t be taking up Carlos Checa’s challenge to race at Imola.
Nicky Hayden should start to avoid the Misano circuit like the plague.
The only time that we remember him ever finishing on this track was in 2007 when he was on a Honda and came in 13th.
Rider quotes after the jump.
Marco Simoncelli – 4th“A podium finish is always more satisfying than fourth place of course, but this result feels just as nice because it was such a close and hard fight at the end.
Unfortunately I made a mistake and chose the wrong engine map at the start which made me lose touch with the front three, otherwise I maybe could have run with them.
I had to make up ground and when I got to fourth place I defended it tooth and nail to win a wonderful battle with Dovizioso and Spies on the last lap.
I held fourth for 23 laps and I couldn’t let myself lose it at the end.
It was nice, I had fun and I think I provided some excitement for my fans.
They deserve it because they have backed me through some tough times.
”Valentino Rossi – 7th“I’m pretty happy because we didn’t expect to do this well.
I didn’t think I’d be able to stay with the second group, which is our goal at the moment, and instead we managed it for half the race.
We still weren’t able to attack like we want to, but anyway, we were right there.
I started really well from the fourth row, and I was a little crazy through the first three corners because I had to push even though there were some raindrops.
It was nice after that.
I stayed with Simoncelli and Dovi for a little while and also battled with Spies, and we maintained a good pace.
This morning we made a good change on the front, and if we’d done that yesterday I probably could have started closer to the front.
It ended up being one of my best races of the year, although of course we have to remember that we’re only talking about seventh place.
Still, it was a nice race in front of a good crowd.
We’re fairly satisfied as we wait to take the necessary steps forward.
” Álvaro Bautista – 8th“Maybe this was not the result we expected after qualifying, but I didn’t have a lot of confidence on the first lap because it was raining a little bit and I didn’t feel like I could push too much – so I lost some positions and distance from the group.
When I got into my rhythm the group was far away and I couldn’t follow them.
Eighth position is not a bad result but we expected more this weekend.
We have done a good job during the last few races, but still we have to improve in qualifying to be nearer the front of the grid and make good starts and first laps.
Thanks to all the team for this weekend and thanks to Rizla for their support with the new livery.
The bike today was looking amazing and I think we all expected more than eighth, but we are confident that we can do better in the next races.
”Hector Barbera – 9th“First of all, I want to say that this was a rather good weekend for us overall.
As far as the race itself goes, yesterday we inspected the track in order to prepare the start and the braking points to use.
I got off the line well and was going perfectly up until the first corner, where I didn’t brake confidently on account of it spitting with rain –so I locked up.
I had to make a save on the next turn and was then passed by a number of riders.
From then on I had two slow laps in which I was maybe thinking too much, second guessing whether it would rain more or not.
This was the turning point of the race, starting with doubts in my mind, because later on I rode quickly and comfortably.
I gave one-hundred percent and rode the same times that I had done in practice, just as we had planned.
It is a pity that we didn’t start strongly, and this is something that I need to improve in future.
I am happy for having done what I needed to do, and we have finished the weekend with another good result.
”Cal Crutchlow – 10th“I am really pleased with the race and it is my first top 10 for a long time, so that is a good boost for my confidence.
Finishing 10th was three places better than my qualifying position, so it was a positive outcome.
It could have been a slightly better result but I just got pipped by Barbera right at the end.
I did everything I could to get by him but I had a little issue with the rear tyre.
Corner entry was really difficult at the end, so I didn’t feel like I could really push and have a go to overtake him with any confidence.
His bike had a little more speed than me, so I just couldn’t get close enough to have a go.
My race pace was good enough for fifth in last year’s race but this year it was good enough for 10th.
It just shows how far the pace has moved on and how tough it is in MotoGP.
It was an unbelievably hard race for the body too.
The humidity was incredible and I’m glad I do so many training miles on my bicycle because it was a real case of survival of the fittest out there.
It was good that we gained a lot more experience and got another decent finish and now I can look forward to building on this result at the Motorland Aragon.
”Hiroshi Aoyama – 11th“I didn’t have a good feeling this morning but in the afternoon things went much better.
That was a really tough race and with the heat it felt like we were in Malaysia.
I am not delighted with the result but I’m happy that we set some good consistent laps during the race that can give us confidence for the future.
Unfortunately on lap eleven I made a mistake that cost me some time but overall we have had another positive weekend and that will help us in the final few races.
”Karel Abraham – 12th“I didn’t start very well.
I overtook some riders, but then I almost crashed and lost some time.
I had to get back the positions I lost and eventually completed the first lap in fifteenth position.
It wasn’t a bad race, but I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stay with Hector Barbera, who finished ninth.
Unfortunately, he made a small gap, which I wasn’t able to reduce it, and fought with the riders in front of me.
Colin Edwards – 13th “I’ve got no excuses, today’s result was nothing to do with anything else but me.
I’ve no idea but for whatever reason, I just always ride so tense at this track.
I kept telling myself that I needed to relax and calm down and then on the grid there’s a few rain drops in the air, so that immediately means you can’t help but be tense because you’ve no idea how hard it is coming down on other parts of the track.
The front-end geometry change we made to the bike for Saturday morning made the bike feel a bit heavier and harder to change direction.
I pushed as hard as I could for the first ten laps and was pretty close to Ben (Spies) and then it hit me like a pile of bricks.
I got such bad arm pump I couldn’t feel the front brake or the handlebars and by the end I was just moving my arms in the direction I thought they needed to go.
I’ve never had arm pump that bad and to be honest I didn’t realise you could get it that bad.
It got to a point where almost pulled in.
But I gritted my teeth and thought I could probably get a couple of points, which we did.
But it was a complete nightmare and all I can do is put today behind and try and bounce at the Motorland Aragon in a couple of weeks.
”Randy De Puniet – 14th “I’m disappointed.
After Indianapolis, I thought things would go better, but this weekend was really negative in terms of my feeling with the bike.
Even the heat didn’t help me, but what really didn’t work was the front end.
I wanted to finish better, like in Indianapolis, where I was able to get into the top ten.
I must forget this race in a hurry and think of Aragon, with the desire to do well.
”Toni Elias – 15th“We tried a few adjustments in this morning’s warm up, but we couldn’t get any improvement so we went back to the setting we already knew for the race.
I could lap in the low 1’36 range, but after some laps the guys started to run in the 1’35 range and it was impossible to for me to match their pace.
In the middle of the race I felt the same issues I felt in practice – I just not have front end confidence.
This weekend we didn’t take any steps forward and this is frustrating for me and the team, but we will try to solve this situation in Aragon.
This weekend has been a particular one for me and other riders because one year ago we lost a dear friend and a talented rider, so my thoughts are with Shoya Tomizawa’s family.
”Nicky Hayden – DNF“It was obviously a disappointing race.
The team did a good job, as they made a couple of changes overnight, and this morning I was able to go a couple tenths faster than in qualifying, with a good rhythm.
I thought we had a better chance for the race.
It was raining a little bit at first, which is normally good for our bike.
I got a decent start, felt good, and was going to take a few chances to try to get up as far as I could.
Then I lost the front on the exit of Turn 15 and—bam!—I was down.
We looked at the data, and I’m not really sure why I crashed.
We were tip-toeing because of the rain, so maybe the left side of the tyre wasn’t quite up to temperature, although it was still rider error.
This track has been the worst one on the calendar for me.
I certainly could use some good luck, and maybe we’ll get it at Aragon.
” Loris Capirossi – DNF“Today was another unfortunate day.
We managed to do something good during the warm-up, but the race was really a disaster.
I had a problem with the clutch on the start, and then another one with the chain as a result.
I came back to the garage to try to fix the situation, but it was useless because the gap to the others had become huge in the meantime.
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