Highside

With Saturday’s events at Misano in the books, it’s time to take a look at the starting grid for tomorrow’s race.

Home favorite Valentino Rossi will start from pole position, after leading every session this weekend.  Rossi has dominated every practice session this weekend, and posted a pole-setting lap of 1′34′338, over two tenths of a second faster than Dani Pedrosa, who starts at #2 on the grid.  Pedrosa set his fastest lap on his final run across the line, edging out Jorge Lorenzo, who clocked in another two tenths of a second down on his Spanish rival.

Nicky Hayden was the fastest Ducati on the grid, clocking in at 1′35:223, nearly nine tenths of a second behind Rossi, but just .039 seconds behind fellow American Colin Edwards.  Edwards continues his string of second row starts, behind Gresini Honda rider Toni Elias, who posted the fastest time on a satellite bike.  Elias will start in 4th position.

The other home favorite, Alex de Angelis, will start up the third row, ahead of Andrea Dovizioso, Mika Kallio, and both the factory Suzuki rides.  Substitute rider Aleix Espargaro finished in 15th, ahead of Niccolo Canepa and Gabor Talmasci.  Espargaro is looking to continue his remarkable debut, and will no doubtedly have his sights set on the rider placed just in front of him: James Toseland.  The British former Superbike star qualified 14th, and will have a long, tough battle ahead of him to earn a good chunk of points here in Misano.

A post-race interview from Misano reveals what we all suspected: Tech 3 Yamaha is on the verge of renewing Colin Edwards‘ contract for the 2010 season.  Edwards, who has been dominant on board his satellite Yamaha for much of the season, said that the Texas Tornado still has to come to a final agreement with team boss Herve Poncharal, but that the two are “pretty much there.”

Edwards also admitted that his teammates bike, currently piloted by James Toseland, is up for grabs, saying, “As regards for a team-mate, I don’t know yet, we’ll see what the scenario is there.”

Edwards’ position at Tech 3 is rumored to be a  place-holder for World Superbike star and fellow American Ben Spies, whose recently renewed contract with Yamaha has the younger Texan riding in WSB for 2010 before a probable move to Tech 3 in 2011.

Edwards also weighed in on the renewed battle between Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, saying that “They look like they are both pretty focused on beating each other, which is great for the sport.  Not just for the end of this year, but next year too.”

Edwards finished 6th during Free Practice 1 in Misano.

Highside is coming to you from Indianapolis this weekend, and with Qualifying in the books, let’s digest our notes and look at the three biggest players from Saturday’s Practice and Qualifying sessions.

The man to beat this weekend has been Dani Pedrosa, and that isn’t going to change when the red lights go out on Sunday.  Pedrosa led the first Free Practice in the rain, then today he led the second free practice by a full second.  And to top that, he qualified on pole, trouncing the #2 qualifying Jorge Lorenzo.  Pedrosa’s constantly-improving Honda seems to be finding its pace, which is great news for Pedrosa—and lousier news for Lorenzo.

Speaking of Jorge Lorenzo, The Janitor’s performance today has been hit-or-miss, but still surprisingly strong.  Lorenzo has been the only one who could challenge his Spanish rival, and every time Pedrosa upped the pace, Lorenzo would be the first to follow suit.  Lorenzo is out on the track sporting a Captain America helmet, which has earned him some good support from the local crowd.  Then again, Lorenzo had massive support in Jerez, and we all remember how that ended.

There’s one local name that’s been on everyone’s lips today, and it’s not The Kentucky Kid.  Colin Edwards has been a rising star in the last few races, and he’s continuing to shine here in Indianapolis.  Edwards has been pushing his Tech 3 Yamaha to the limits, and of late, he’s been the most consistant—and best—of all the satellite riders.  Keep an eye out for him to make a strong push tomorrow, and we might even see a second podium from Edwards if one of the Untouchables crashes out during the race.

Another race, another win, and another record broken by The Doctor.  Valentino Rossi has sealed his place in history as the world’s greatest rider through his victory today, surpassing Giacomo Agostini’s record of a career-long 159 podiums. Rossi’s easy ride across the finish line, and the fall from Jorge Lorenzo that precipitated it, has given the Italian a 50 point lead in the Championship, bringing his 9th title well into view.

The race was not without it’s own highlights and lowlights, so lets take a look at a few of the key moments and key results of today’s race in Brno.

Smashes

There were two big smashes during the race today; the first one came from Rossi as he smashed through Ago’s record of career podiums.  However, the big smash came on the penultimate lap as Mika Kallio smashed into the rear of Marco Melandri.  Both of the riders were having amazing races: Kallio riding superbly all weekend on his first factory Ducati ride, and Melandri proving his worth as he rose from 15th position on the grid all the way up into 9th with 2 laps to go. The riders had a few choice words for each other as they walked out of the gravel trap over whose fault it was, and it’s hard to say.  Melandri certainly was in front of Kallio, and was taking a clear line through the corner, but the line Melandri took was a bit more exotic, throwing Kallio for a loop and catching him by surprise.  Both riders seem to have emerged uninjured, but the damage to Kallio’s psyche might be a bit more extensive.  We wait for Indianapolis in two weeks to see if Kallio can complete a race on board the factory Ducati, and to see how he shapes up when the chequered flag is waved.

Crashes

But it was Jorge Lorenzo’s crash with 5 laps to go that was the highlight of the race itself.  Lorenzo kept right on Rossi’s tail through most of the race, fighting past Pedrosa after another one of The Janitor’s mediocre starts and right back to the rear wheel of Rossi.  And it was right when the battle was about to begin that it suddenly ended, with Lorenzo falling as he attempted to overtake the reigning world champion.

What did Lorenzo’s crash really mean?  It put the championship just that much farther out of his grasp.  What was a plausible challenge when he awoke this morning is now a longshot that will entirely depend on Rossi making a big mistake–something Rossi is naught to do.  The crash was hard and fast, putting the integrity of his engine at risk.  With the new rule limiting the number of engines that can be used now coming into effect, this could potentially be disastrous for The Janitor.

Passes

It would be amiss of me to completely pass over the other racers on the track today, many of whom are fighting for their future in MotoGP as we race in the midst of Silly Season.  Nicky Hayden’s brilliant performance that ended in 6th will certainly help him in his efforts to remain onboard the Ducati next year, while Chris Vermeulen’s finish in 11th isn’t going to help him get a ride at Tech 3 Yamaha next year.  Loris Capirossi rode brilliantly to finish in 5th, ahead of Hayden, Colin Edwards, and Andrea Dovisioso while working with a bike that’s clearly less powerful than his competitors.  Randy De Puniet finished in 10 while riding injured, a testament to his determination and sheer willpower alone.  But it’s Toni Elias who really shone today, finishing with his first podium of the season right after he’s been told he won’t have a ride at Gresini next year.  His remarkable string of performances has made him a gem of a rider to add to any roster—don’t forget he was leading the race out in Donington before the treacherous weather claimed him as the first of many casualties in England.

As we head Stateside to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in two weeks, it will be very important to see how these riders continue.  All eyes will be on the wildcards: the successes and disappointments of the satellite teams as they start to battle for their future.

With the racers off the track and the pole position finalized, lets take a look at the three competitors whose performances today give something to watch for tomorrow

Jorge Lorenzo/Valentino Rossi

The Yamaha duo has become the ultimate force to be reckoned with, with two of the three Untouchables performing in such a dominant display of force that it’s hard to imagine anyone else beating them.  The battle tomorrow will undoubtedly be between these two, and picking out which of the two will will is nigh impossible.  Lorenzo dominated both of the Free Practice sessions, posting times that were nearly half a second faster than Rossi when both sessions were over.  Rossi, however, took the pole out from under Lorenzo by just .050 seconds, but then soon found his bike out from under him.  Rossi’s lowside crash during QP might shake up your average racer, but don’t think for a second that it’ll keep the Italian from pushing just as hard tomorrow.

Mika Kallio

The Finn has been making good use of his factory ride, finishing in 7th in FP1, 8th in FP2, and qualifying in 10th position.  This race is incredibly crucial for Kallio, as he will be trying to prove to all the factory teams—most importantly Ducati Corse—that he can handle a factory ride.  Indeed, Kallio has shown to be one of the remarkably few riders who, despite his erratic results, can perform well on the Ducati.  While he certainly won’t win tomorrow, expect a strong showing from Kallio, perhaps even finishing in 5th or 6th.  His lowside during QP might give him a bit of the jitters, but I expect he’ll put it behind him and strive to finish just behind the Untouchables—a feat he might be capable of, if it weren’t for…

Colin Edwards

What a remarkable change in pace and performance we’ve seen from Edwards recently.  Ever since his performance in Donington, he’s been superb onboard that Tech 3 Yamaha, finishing ahead of both factory Suzuki riders *and* every single Ducati on the field–in every outing this year in Brno.  And Edwards has repeatedly stated that this is *not* one of his better circuits–just look at his track record. Ever since his MotoGP debut in 2003, his best finish in Brno has been 7th– all the way back in 2005.  Last year, he finished in 14th, the year before that he crashed out, and the year before that he finished in 10th.  And now, Edwards will start in 5th position tomorrow, ahead of Donington race winner Andrea Dovizioso and within striking distance of Rossi.  Then again, The Texas Tornado is a patient storm, preferring to move his way up to the front than to shoot out of the gate and run at the start.

(Apologies for the delay, dear readers; I was on the road for 8 hours today, and therefore unable to get a post up in a more timely fashion.)

The first day back on the track after the summer break has brought away from Silly Season and back to this year, and with the first Free Practice in the books, let’s take a look at the most notable performers:

Jorge Lorenzo

The Janitor has a chip on his shoulder; now that his decision to stay as the #2 rider at Yamaha is all but official, he’s determined to demonstrate that he can still be #1.  Posting the fastest time of the session, he’s screaming for Rossi’s blood, and desperately fighting for his contention in the championship.

Mika Kallio

The Finn’s first day on the factory bike has been astounding, taking 7th position ahead of both the factory Suzuki riders *and* now-teammate Nicky Hayden.  Kallio has usually suffered slightly during the first practice of a race weekend, and his dramatic performance so early on means that the temporary factory ride is definitely helping him–even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

Colin Edwards

Edwards finished 4th during the first session, which wouldn’t be remarkable were it not for his record at the track.  The Texas Tornado has never won a race in Brno, be it in World Superbike or in MotoGP, and he’s always struggled (and, in typical Edwards fashion, been rather vocal with his struggles) at Brno.  To see him finish 4th, coming off the first podium of his season at Donington, is impressive.  What’s even more impressive is to see him ahead of Dovizioso, who’s hoping to build off of his maiden victory out in England.

Ed: Did anyone else notice that after FP1, Edwards was wearing an Air Force cap instead of his typical Marine hat?  Clearly the Texan has some strange juju at work here in Brno…