Superb Start for Lorenzo at Silverstone

[totalmotorcycle]

Superb Start for #Lorenzo at #Silverstone


Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo made a strong start to this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone in today’s two free practice sessions. The Mallorcan wrapped up day one as the fastest rider overall, 0.224 seconds clear of closest rival Marc Marquez. His fastest time of 2’02.734 seconds takes him underneath the fastest race lap of last year’s Grand Prix, set by himself. Lorenzo led the entire second session and completed the morning practice in second, 0.219 seconds behind Marquez.

Valentino Rossi made big steps forward over the course of today. The Italian nine-time world champion was 0.866 seconds off the fastest lap in the morning session in sixth place with a 2’04.682 lap. Some hard work over the day saw him improve by over a second to complete the afternoon practice in fifth with a 2’03.480 second lap.



Jorge Lorenzo

Position: 1st - Time: 2.02.734 - Laps: 18

“I started very fast because I improved almost one second and a half in the beginning; I was surprised with the improvement. At this track, when the rear tyre starts to drop it’s very difficult to keep the same pace so we have to work hard to make a constant bike that works over long distance. I’m satisfied because I think we have the possibility to fight for the victory this time.”
Jorge Lorenzo


Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi

Position: 5th - Time: 2.03.480 - Laps: 18

“I enjoyed today a lot, this track is great. If you are able to ride at the limit and have a good feeling with the bike, it’s very funny because it’s very fast, the track is so wide you go a lot of time at full throttle. I’m quite happy with the first day, especially because in the last two years I suffered a lot here in Silverstone. We made a good step, but we still have to work to find the right setting to have a good balance form the beginning to the end of the race. I’m not so bad in braking and entry but I have some problems in other areas so we have to work. We modified the setting from Brno because in the last two races I wasn't strong enough.”



Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“A very good first day. First of all because the weather is very stable and it's a nice temperature compared with last year which helps the lap times. The pace is already there so it looks like we have to make some small adjustments but the bike feels good and we are looking forward to qualifying tomorrow.”
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

“After a few Grand Prix we start this weekend in a really different way. We have been really fast since the beginning and the most important thing is the pace is really good. Both riders are quite satisfied with their set up, we know that we have to improve and we know which area to do it in. We also tested both tyre choices so we have completed a lot of work. We are pretty focused and we are very optimistic about the race.”



Crutchlow and Smith satisfied with encouraging start on home soil

The biggest race of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith got off to an encouraging start at the historic Silverstone track this afternoon.

Crutchlow demonstrated his determination to be the first British rider since 2000 to finish on the podium in the British Grand Prix when he made a flying start this morning to end FP1 in third position behind current series leader Marc Marquez and reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo.

Lap times tumbled in hotter conditions this afternoon and while home crowd hero Crutchlow was able to knock over 1.5s off his best pace, he slipped down the leaderboard into sixth, though he was less than 0.1s behind Alvaro Bautista in fourth.

Roared on by a large home crowd soaking up glorious late summer sunshine, Crutchlow was hoping to be higher up the rankings and closer to the fastest pace but he is optimistic that he is yet to unleash the full potential of his YZR-M1 machine having experimented with a range of settings in both 45-minute sessions.

Smith’s first experience of the long and technical Silverstone layout on a MotoGP machine saw him focus on the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine to cope with super fast sections and rapid changes of direction that make the British venue one of the toughest but most spectacular challenges on the schedule.

The 22-year-old was ninth fastest this morning and less than 0.3s outside of the top six and like Crutchlow he was able to make big progress in FP2.

He improved from a 2.05.108 to a 2.03.750 and that major improvement promoted him into eighth on combined times and reduced the gap to the best pace to just over one second after he was able to successfully evaluate soft and hard tyre options for both the front and rear today. In both sessions Smith set his best lap on his last lap, the rookie impressively building up his speed throughout to boost his confidence that he can battle for a top six in Sunday’s 20-lap race.



Cal Crutchlow

Position: 6th - Time: 2.03.505 - Laps: 33

“Firstly it was fantastic to see such a big crowd here at Silverstone today. The support from the British fans always gives you a boost and it was a special feeling to see so many here on the first day. It hasn’t been an easy start to my home race but I am sure we can make some big improvements. This morning wasn’t too bad and I was satisfied to be in the top three but it was a bit more a struggle in FP2. We were trying the bike with different settings and at the moment I’ve not made a decision on which is the direction to go. I need to improve in two sectors to be faster and more competitive and one area we need to work on is front-end grip because I had too much wheelie. We will have a good look at the data tonight to make sure I’m stronger tomorrow.”
Cal Crutchlow


Bradley Smith Bradley Smith

Position: 8th - Time: 2.03.750 - Laps: 34

“It was great to ride in front of my home crowd today and the amount of people here was amazing. The British fans have always given me great support and today was no exception. It was a positive day because I found a good setting this morning and then it was a case of tweaking it to suit this track. For the first time all season I have tried all the tyre options for the front and rear in one day, so we have evaluated a lot and got a clear way to follow for the rest of the weekend. This track is certainly designed for MotoGP. It is so fast and open that you really get to explore the bike’s full potential. I will enjoy riding the YZR-M1 this weekend and as I get faster I am sure it will be even more fun.”



2013 MotoGP United Kingdom

Silverstone 30/08/2013

1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 2'02.734
2 Marc Marquez Honda ESP 2'02.958
3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 2'03.192
4 Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 2'03.463
5 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 2'03.480
6 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 2'03.505
7 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati ITA 2'03.658
8 Bradley Smith Yamaha GBR 2'03.750
9 Stefan Bradl Honda GER 2'03.784
10 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 2'04.089
11 Aleix Espargaro ART ESP 2'04.145
12 Yonny Hernandez ART COL 2'04.476
13 Andrea Iannone Ducati ITA 2'05.052
14 Randy De Puniet ART FRA 2'05.069
15 Hector Barbera FTR ESP 2'05.266


Circuit Length:
5900

Weather:
Dry

Lap Record:
2'02.888
(Jorge Lorenzo, 1-1-2012)

Fastest Lap Ever:
2'02.020
(Casey Stoner, 1-1-2011)

Last Years Winner:
Jorge Lorenzo