Highside

Round three of the 2010 MotoGP season is about to begin, and all eyes are turned to the Fiat Yamaha duo of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. For the seventh time since the two first rode on the same team, Fiat Yamaha has qualified 1-2, and when the lights go out on Sunday, the vicious battle for the World Championship title resumes in earnest at the legendary home of French racing, Le Mans.

Rossi, who has been slowly recovering from a bad shoulder after an incident in training, has shown himself to be in good health and stamina going into the race. He currently sits four points behind his teammate Lorenzo in the standings, and will be looking to finish better than the disappointing 16th he posted in last year’s wet French Grand Prix. Lorenzo, on the other hand, will be looking to put in a repeat performance of last year’s chaotic race at Le Mans, and continue to build his lead in the standings.

Looking to challenge the Fiat Yamaha duo is the remainder of the Fantastic Four, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa. Stoner comes to Le Mans with a serious gap between himself and Lorenzo in the standings, thanks in no small part to his crash at the season opener in Qatar. Being beaten by his Marlboro Ducati teammate Nicky Hayden for the first time at the previous race in Jerez, Stoner will come off the line focused, and having qualified in 4th, he stands poised to make a strong start and take the hole shot into turn one. Pedrosa also comes to Le Mans with a bit of a grudge to settle, having led the previous race for nearly the entirety, only to have his victory snatched from his grasp in a last-lap pass by his bitter rival, Jorge Lorenzo. Pedrosa is notoriously quick off the line, and if the cards fall his way, he could very well end up doing what he does best–a lightning start that rockets him into first, where he can ride a lonely and unchallenged race to win.

Farther back in the grid, a number of riders are hoping to mess up the projected orders. Nicky Hayden has had an unbelievable start to his season, performing on a level that has been absent since he won the championship in 2006. Fellow American Ben Spies has yet to crack into the top four as many had predicted, but hopes are still high for the Texan to demonstrate the raw, furious talent that propelled him to the World Superbike title last year. A number of other rookies are hoping to start moving up the order as well, most notably Marco Simoncelli and Hiroshi Aoyama. The two former 250cc champions have performed well so far, but have failed to crack into the ranks of the rest of the veterans.

Of course, there’s one other thing that’s on all the other rider’s minds now. Last week’s rumor that Casey Stoner signed a contract with Honda for 2011 has marked the start to what will undoubtedly be a long and exciting Silly Season. As the riders take to the tracks at Le Mans, they will not only be riding for championship points, but also for seats on the best bikes, and the best teams, in the coming seasons.

The lights go out at Le Mans in less than 12 hours. Round three is upon us. Stay with us for more coverage of the MotoGP season as it unfolds!

In a race where the only scraps seemed to happen farther down the order, the final laps brought a charge on from Jorge Lorenzo that no man could hold off. A disappointing start saw the Mallorcan slide from 2nd on the grid all the way down to 5th, and for the first thee quarters of the race, he seemed to be out of the picture.

Indeed, up until the penultimate lap it seemed that poleman and fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa would walk away with another win after taking the holeshot into the first corner and never looking back. Valentino Rossi rocketed up from 4th on the grid to 2nd, and despite his injured shoulder, put out a superb ride. Superb was still not enough, however, as the Italian found himself overtaken by his teammate with just five laps to go.

Nothing’s impossible for these Untouchables, however. Just as was the case in Qatar, Lorenzo found magical speed in his M1 during the final laps, launching a drive that carried him from over two seconds down on Rossi, all the way to the win. In the final two laps, Lorenzo and Pedrosa launched into a vicious scrap, almost colliding at one point, as the two rivals fought bitterly into every corner. With half a lap remaining, Lorenzo forced Pedrosa wide, sealing the win.

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It had been said before in Brno, but now we can confirm it: Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have renewed their contracts with HRC, keeping the two men on board the Repsol Honda bikes for 2010.  The news was announced by the head of HRC, Tetsuo Suzuki, during a press conference this weekend in San Marino.

The main hitch in the agreement was the role that Pedrosa’s manager and mentor Alberto Puig would play in the garage.  HRC downplayed the previous rumors that they were seeking to bar the elder Spaniard from the pits, but firmly stated that while Puig might be Pedrosa’s manager, Mike Leitner was the team manager and would stay as such.  A cordial Suzuki went on to clarify that the relationship between Honda and Puig “is not bad, but we are not friends.”

The announcement marks a shift in Silly Season; with every factory ride now accounted for, the shuffle amongst the satellite rides will begin in earnest.  A big new piece has just come into play, however, as HRC has hinted that they might run 8 bikes in MotoGP next year, up from the current six.  The two additional bikes would be split between LCR Honda and Scot Honda.  This would not only allow current 250cc points leader Hiroshi Aoyama to move up, but would bring the total number of bikes on the grid to 20—a move that would certainly please Dorna.  The additional bikes would provide a little extra air for the furiously competitive satellite riders, as Alex de Angelis, Toni Elias, James Toseland, and others furiously battle for a spot on the grid in 2010.

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.

Yamaha, Yamaha, Yamaha.  With the first session done in San Marino, it’s Yamaha who lead the way, and by a very sizeable margin.  Home favorite Valentino Rossi sits at the top of the order, having snuck past teammate Jorge Lorenzo in the final minutes of the session, while Lorenzo himself sits at #2, a full six tenths of a second ahead of the last remaining Immortal on the track, Dani Pedrosa.

Pedrosa suffered a bike mishap during the later parts of the session and had to retire early on.  Behind him is San Marino native Alex de Angelis, who’s riding hot off his debut MotoGP podium in Indianapolis.  de Angelis is just .016 behind the tiny Spaniard, and a good two tenths of a second ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.  de Angelis, who is undoubtedly riding for his future in MotoGP, is seemingly riding for his life, as his performance in Indy, and now in Misano, have been shockingly good.  de Angelis, on his satellite Honda, leads both the factory Ducati squad as well as both the Rizla Suzuki bikes, and if he continues this pace, we could see him strongly contend for a second podium this weekend.

Disappointing performances came from Nicky Hayden and Marco Meladri.  Hayden, who scored his first podium of the season last race, clocked in at 10th during the first free practice, while Marco Melandri finished 16th in the order, ahead of only Gabor Talmasci.  Melandri’s time is highly unusual for the veteran, and you should fully expect him to lift his times considerably during the next two sessions.

Extra praise goes to Aleix Espargaro, who finished 13th in his second time out on a MotoGP bike ever.  Espargaro, who finished in 13th in Indianapolis, is quickly taking to the MotoGP bike, outperforming current teammate Niccolo Canepa at every opportunity.  However, Espargaro’s performance is not quite at the caliber you’d expect for teams to consider signing him on for next season, and it’ll take a very surprising finish here in Misano for teams to start considering him as a candidate.

Back when Tetsuo Suzuki announced that HRC were resigning Pedrosa and Dovizioso, there was an audible sigh of relief amongst the fans, as it meant that the 2010 paddock was starting to form more clearly.  Just minutes later, though, we fnd out that HRC had been a little vague: a basic agreement had been reached, but neither rider had actually signed.  This left the door open for either rider to still be courted, and it would appear that The Red Beast has come knocking for Dani Pedrosa.

The tiny Spaniard told Visordown magazine “Yes, we have had some contact, simply that.  They [Ducati] are interested.”  Specifically, it’s Livio Suppo who is interested, with the head of Ducati Corse’s MotoGP venture always looking for some way to stir up rumors and flex his Marlboro Muscle at the other riders.

We’ve seen this before, back when Lorenzo was debating between Yamaha and Ducati.  Suppo sees a rider that’s up for grabs, prepares to throw a giant sum of cash at the rider, while the rider—who has no desire to actually step onto the Desmosedici—uses this as leverage with his preferable signing team.

Much has been said about Pedrosa’s dilemna: his contract with HRC explicitly states that Alberto Puig, Pedrosa’s longtime mentor, cannot be in the garage.  And Pedrosa, who is seemingly the only human in the world that is close with Puig, doesn’t like this demand.  So now, Pedrosa is looking to Suppo to help him gain leverage over HRC, hoping to push the factory Honda squad into letting him keep the unpopular Puig.

Of course, Suppo isn’t just doing this to help Pedrosa.  Ducati’s boss seems furiously intent on replacing Nicky Hayden, who is slowly finding some pace on the Desmosedici, but hardly at the pace that Suppo would like.  Hayden’s podium at Indy means he’s now an option for 2010, but hardly an option Suppo likes.  Despite Hayden’s willingness to do extensive PR events—something their star rider, Casey Stoner, absolutely refuses to partake in—and the commercial success of the Limited Edition Nicky Hayded Desmosedici 848 bike, Suppo is looking to drop Hayden, and fast.

Why is Suppo so set on replacing Hayden?  Possibly because their star rider, Casey Stoner, has become a falling star of late.  His mystery illness continued to hurt him throughout the central part of the season, and now with the Australian sitting out three races, his future in MotoGP is the unspoken question on everyone’s lips.

Enter Pedrosa.  The current Honda star is in 4th place in the standings, just 9 points behind the absent Stoner.  Pedrosa is young, and despite his small stature, has proven his skill in controlling a MotoGP machine.  And while Pedrosa brings the bad baggage of Puig with him if he comes to Ducati, he also brings something that Hayden, Melandri, and many others haven’t been able to bring: hope that Ducati can remain competitive in the coming years.

Of course, Suppo is banking on one thing: Pedrosa taming the Desmo.  So far, only Stoner has done this, and there are many other who have tried and failed.  The most recent name to be added to this list is Mika Kallio, whose performance on the factory Ducati has been no better than his runs on his satellite GP9.  Kallio, who is filling in for the absent Stoner, has been a hit-or-miss rider, finishing consistantly around 10th position.  His best performance of the year doesn’t speak for itself, though—he was poised to take 5th place in the TT Assen when he crashed out on the final chicane.  Since stepping onto the factory Ducati, Kallio’s performances haven’t improved, crashing out of 8th place in Brno in a questionable collision with Marco Melandri, and finishing in 8th in Indianapolis—but only after Pedrosa, Rossi, and Melandri all crashed out from in front of him.  One would hope that Kallio’s performance on board the factory Ducati would improbve, but it’s famous difficulty would seem to effect even the aspiring Finn.

Pedrosa doesn’t have too long to make up his mind.  With the San Marino GP beginning in 3 days time, Silly Season is soon coming to a close, and if Pedrosa doesn’t play his hand soon, HRC might play it for him.  HRC has a lot to lose if Pedrosa leaves, after spending 2 years building the bike for Pedrosa’s specific stature, but HRC seems convinced that a Pedrosa with Puig is a Pedrosa worth leaving.  As the MotoGP circus pulls into Misano this weekend, the rumor mill will surely pick up more speed.

After qualifying, it was assumed that the man to beat on the track today would be Dani Pedrosa.  As it turns out, only one man could beat the tiny Spaniard: Pedrosa.  The Repsol Honda star went down in the final corner of lap 4 out in the brickyard, but miraculously, managed to merely scrape the fairing and his leathers.  Perdosa went on to remount his bike and finish the lap down thirty seconds from Gabor Talmasci, yet Dani’s skill quickly returned as he began rising up the standings and challenging for points.  He finished in an astounding 10th place despite his early fall.

Valentino Rossi was less lucky, losing the front end of his bike as he drove through a dirtier portion of the track while chasing teammate and championship challenger Jorge Lorenzo.  Rossi’s rare crash was made even more rare by the fact that his crash damaged his bike and left him unable to finish the race.  Rossi’s fall was atypical and very costly—his large lead he had built up in the championships has been halved, and with 5 races left in the season, Lorenzo has had his championship aspirations restored for 2009.

Two riders joined Lorenzo on the podium: Alex de Angelis took his first MotoGP podium, and Nicky Hayden managed to hold off pressure from Andrea Dovizioso to claim his first podium on board the Ducati—and his first podium since Indianapolis last year.  Hayden’s finish is important for the American, but hardly surprising given how new the track is for most of the riders and how much time The Kentucky Kid has spent in The Brickyard during his life.  The true hero of the podium is de Angelis, who is fighting for his right to continue in MotoGP right now.  de Angelis has the lesser of the two Gresini Honda bikes, and took that satellite bike well beyond its perceived limits.  de Angelis started the weekend in his usual position, back in the middle of the pack, but during qualifying and the morning warmup found some magic to pour into the engine of that Honda, and the man from San Marino rode it beautifully.  As the MotoGP circus heads to the tiny nation that de Angelis calls home, look for him to capitalize on his Indy success with a top 5 finish.

Race MVP: Alex de Angelis

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.