2012 Grand Prix motorcycle racing

[Jay Adgie]

Lorenzo on top after first day

By Liam Marsden - MCN

Factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo set the fastest time of the first day at Catalunya, with a 1.42'099 in the second free practice session in sunny conditions.
San Carlo Gresini Honda rider Alvaro Bautista was the surprise of the day, setting the second fastest time in the afternoon session. The Spaniard has so far struggled to adapt to the 1000cc Honda after last year on the 800cc Suzuki GSV-R.
The third fastest time was set by Brit Cal Crutchlow, just over a tenth quicker than team-mate Andrea Dovizioso in fourth. Ben Spies improved on recent results with the sixth fastest time behind Hector Barbera.
Casey Stoner was the only rider not to improve on his time from the morning session, finishing the day in 10th. Valentino Rossi struggled and was the slowest prototype rider in 12th position.

1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 334.0 1'42.099
2 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 333.7 1'42.306 0.207 / 0.207
3 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 334.0 1'42.447 0.348 / 0.141
4 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 335.6 1'42.592 0.493 / 0.145
5 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 335.0 1'42.639 0.540 / 0.047
6 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 333.4 1'42.802 0.703 / 0.163
7 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 336.6 1'42.870 0.771 / 0.068
8 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 336.0 1'42.943 0.844 / 0.073
9 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 334.6 1'43.057 0.958 / 0.114
10 1 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team Honda 336.6 1'43.134 1.035 / 0.077
11 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati 332.7 1'43.341 1.242 / 0.207
12 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 336.4 1'43.538 1.439 / 0.197
13 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Power Electronics Aspar ART 316.6 1'44.738 2.639 / 1.200
14 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 320.7 1'44.771 2.672 / 0.033
15 51 Michele PIRRO ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR 312.0 1'45.631 3.532 / 0.860
16 5 Colin EDWARDS USA NGM Mobile Forward Racing Suter 313.8 1'45.868 3.769 / 0.237
17 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Avintia Blusens BQR 317.4 1'46.450 4.351 / 0.582
18 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Avintia Blusens BQR 316.0 1'46.500 4.401 / 0.050
19 54 Mattia PASINI ITA Speed Master ART 313.6 1'46.503 4.404 / 0.003
20 77 James ELLISON GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART 312.0 1'46.836 4.737 / 0.333
21 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Came IodaRacing Project Ioda 299.2 1'47.436 5.337 / 0.600

 

[Jay Adgie]

Cal Crutchlow storms to front row, Stoner on pole

By Matthew Birt-MCN

Cal Crutchlow will start from the front row of the grid for the third time in the opening five races of 2012 at Catalunya tomorrow having qualified his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine in third place.
The British rider was in contention for pole position throughout a session run in scorching hot temperatures that peaked at 31 degrees and 10 minutes remained when he led the leaderboard with a 1.41.922.
He was only at the top of the rankings for seconds when home favourite Dani Pedrosa seized top spot, but the former World Supersport champion secured his place on the front row with just over two minutes left on the clock.
His time of 1.41.548 moved him up from fourth to second and he eventually took third behind Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo, who have won the opening four races between them.
Stoner secured only his second pole position of the season and 36th of his premier class career with a brilliant lap of 1.41.295 coming with eight minutes remaining.
Nobody could better that benchmark and it was world championship leader Lorenzo who got closest with a 1.41.441 putting him 0.146s back in second.
Ben Spies had his best qualifying since the opening round of the campaign in Qatar to claim fourth place with a best time of 1.41.552. That put the under pressure Texan just 0.004s away from snatching third from Crutchlow.
Pedrosa’s hopes of a front row in front of a sun drenched home crowd were ended when he ran off into the gravel on his last flying lap. That mistake leaves him fifth on the grid and off the front row for the first time since the opening round.
Crutchlow’s Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Andrea Dovizioso completes the second row.
The Italian led the timesheets with 17 minutes remaining and was always challenging for a front row, but his best time of 1.41.687 leaves him starting from sixth place.
Nicky Hayden was the top Ducati qualifier in seventh, the American finishing just ahead of rookie Stefan Bradl.
Valentino Rossi will probably be doing a rain dance tonight having qualified in ninth position on his factory Ducati GP12. The 33-year-old set a best time of 1.42.175 to finish 0.880s off pole.
A repeat of his second place in Le Mans last month certainly seems a remote possibility in dry conditions.
Randy de Puniet qualified top CRT rider in 13th with a best lap of 1.43.500 that left him 0.524s clear of Colin Edwards, who is back on the Suter-BMW after recovering from the broken left collarbone he sustained in Estoril.
British rider James Ellison’s best lap of 1.44.763 secured him 17th place on the grid.

 

[Jay Adgie]

Jorge Lorenzo wins home race at Catalunya

By Matthew Birt - MCN

Jorge Lorenzo showed why Yamaha is so desperate to keep and why Honda might have to break the bank to sign him for 2013 after he claimed a third win of the season in his home race at Catalunya today.
The Spaniard increased his lead in the world championship to 20-points after closest rival Casey Stoner could only finish fourth.
Lorenzo brilliantly fought back after running off track at the first corner on lap 13 to power by Repsol Honda rival Dani Pedrosa seven laps later.
When the 2010 world champion made his mistake on the brakes at the first corner, Pedrosa led by over a second but he was unable to capitalise on his fellow countryman’s error.
But once Lorenzo claimed the lead back on lap 20, he was instantly able to streak away from Pedrosa to win by just over five seconds in front of nearly 80,000 jubilant home fans.
Lorenzo opted to run the softer compound Bridgestone rear tyre for the 25-lap race, while Pedrosa and Stoner both went for the hard option.
Stoner was never in the hunt for the victory as his tyre choice backfired, with conditions cooler than those experienced in practice and qualifying.
The Australian spent most of his time in the race fending off the persistent challenge from British rider Cal Crutchlow, and with fourth he failed to finish on the podium for the first time in 20 races.
The reigning world champion did nearly salvage third place when he launched a last lap attack on Andrea Dovizioso.
But the Repsol Honda rider had left his challenge too late and the Italian grabbed his first rostrum of the season by just 0.183s.
Crutchlow finished fifth after starting from the front row of the grid for the third time of the season. He was never able to put a move on Stoner but he was comfortably ahead of Alvaro Bautista.
Rossi was seventh on his Ducati GP12 as he faded in the closing stages having looked at one stage like he might chase down Bautista’s Gresini Honda.
Ben Spies salvaged 10th place after his run of poor results continued in warm but cloudy conditions.
The Texan made a great start and followed Pedrosa in the early stages before attempting an overtake on the third lap. Spies ran in too hot and went wide and as he tried to avoid running off the track, he lost
control of his factory Yamaha YZR-M1 having just touched the grass.
He re-joined the race and clawed his way back to the top 10.
British rider James Ellison finished just one place outside of the points in 16th after an exciting CRT battle with Aleix Espargaro, Randy de Puniet, Michele Pirro and Colin Edwards.

 

[Jay Adgie]

Lorenzo extends championship lead with win

What a stunning ride from Cal, starting last and injured and finishing 6th...

By Liam Marsden - MCN

Factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo extended his lead at the top of the championship with a dominant win at Silverstone today.
Lorenzo got off to a slow start, as team-mate Ben Spies took to the lead ahead of Stoner and pole sitter Alvaro Bautista. It wasn't until lap seven that Lorenzo started to make his way to the front.
Lorenzo had a good battle with Casey Stoner to take the lead on lap 12, with the riders swapping places at each corner until Lorenzo was able to pull away.
Dani Pedrosa - who also got a slow start - slowly made his way through the field and passed Bautista to claim the final podium spot behind team-mate Stoner.
Brit Cal Crutchlow started the race from the back of the grid after injuring his left ankle during practice on Saturday. The Brit was up to 13th position at the end of the first lap and rode a heroic race to finish sixth, overtaking Nicky Hayden on the final lap.
Tech 3 rider Andrea Dovizioso was battling with Pedrosa and looked like he could claim his second podium on the Tech 3 Yamaha machine until he made a mistake and was forced to pull in to the pits due to a problem with his right handlebar.
Dovi went back out on track and finished 19th.
Aleix Espargaro finished top CRT in 11th spot, with James Ellison in 14th.

1 25 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 171.5 41'16.429
2 20 1 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team Honda 171.3 +3.313
3 16 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 171.3 +3.599
4 13 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 171.2 +5.196
5 11 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 170.7 +11.531
6 10 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 170.5 +15.112
7 9 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 170.5 +15.527
8 8 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 170.0 +22.521
9 7 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 169.1 +36.138
10 6 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 168.7 +41.328
11 5 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Power Electronics Aspar ART 167.3 +1'03.157
12 4 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 167.3 +1'03.443
13 3 51 Michele PIRRO ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR 167.0 +1'07.290
14 2 77 James ELLISON GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART 166.5 +1'14.782
15 1 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Avintia Blusens BQR 166.5 +1'15.108
16 5 Colin EDWARDS USA NGM Mobile Forward Racing Suter 165.5 +1'29.899
17 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Came IodaRacing Project Ioda 164.9 +1'40.302
18 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Avintia Blusens BQR 164.1 +1'52.099
19 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 160.7 1 Lap

 

[Jay Adgie]

Stoner storms to pole

By Liam Marsden - MCN

Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner will start tomorrow's MotoGP race from pole position after a last minute fast lap bumped team-mate Dani Pedrosa off the top spot.
It looked as though Pedrosa would claim pole after setting the fastest lap in the opening minutes of the session before rain started to fall. The rain only lasted a few minutes before the riders were able to return to the track.
Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo completes the front row in third.
The second row is headed by MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl, with an injured Cal Crutchlow in fifth ahead of Ben Spies.
Randy de Puniet starts as the top CRT rider in 12th place. The Frenchman was less than a second slower than Valentino Rossi whol will start from 10th.
James Ellison will start from 19th on the Paul Bird Motorsport machine.

1 1 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team Honda 303.4 1'33.713
2 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 303.4 1'33.828 0.115 / 0.115
3 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 305.7 1'34.001 0.288 / 0.173
4 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 304.0 1'34.035 0.322 / 0.034
5 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 299.0 1'34.486 0.773 / 0.451
6 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 297.2 1'34.644 0.931 / 0.158
7 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 299.6 1'34.698 0.985 / 0.054
8 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 299.4 1'34.722 1.009 / 0.024
9 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 300.0 1'34.751 1.038 / 0.029
10 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 302.1 1'35.057 1.344 / 0.306
11 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 305.0 1'35.289 1.576 / 0.232
12 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 286.6 1'35.830 2.117 / 0.541
13 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Power Electronics Aspar ART 286.3 1'36.007 2.294 / 0.177
14 51 Michele PIRRO ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR 283.2 1'36.647 2.934 / 0.640
15 54 Mattia PASINI ITA Speed Master ART 284.7 1'36.943 3.230 / 0.296
16 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Came IodaRacing Project Ioda 270.0 1'36.967 3.254 / 0.024
17 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati 302.8 1'37.110 3.397 / 0.143
18 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Avintia Blusens BQR 279.8 1'37.191 3.478 / 0.081
19 77 James ELLISON GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART 283.5 1'37.281 3.568 / 0.090
20 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Avintia Blusens BQR 284.3 1'37.554 3.841 / 0.273
21 5 Colin EDWARDS USA NGM Mobile Forward Racing Suter 283.4 1'38.305 4.592 / 0.751

 

[Jay Adgie]

Stoner eases to victory

By Liam Marsden MCN

Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner has taken his first victory since announcing his retirement ahead of team-mate Dani Pedrosa. It's the first Honda victory at Assen since Nicky Hayden in 2006.
Stoner now leads the championship along with Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo failed to finish the race after he was taken out by Alvaro Bautista at the first corner as the Gresini Honda rider lost the front.
Pedrosa got the holeshot from second on the grid and along with Stoner easily pulled away from the pursuing pack. Stoner stayed right on Pedrosa's back wheel before making his move with 12 laps to go, before pulling away to easily take the victory.
Tech 3 Yamaha rider Andrea Dovizioso stole third position from Ben Spies on the final lap. The two riders were unable to keep up with the pace of the leading Hondas.
Crutchlow will feel he was denied a possible podium finish after having to run off track to avoid Bautista and Lorenzo at the first corner. Again Crutchlow had to work his way through the field, and managed to work his way up to fifth ahead of Nicky Hayden.
Valentino Rossi had a disastrous race despite a strong start which saw him in fifth position. Rossi dropped down to eighth before pulling in to the pits to change his rear tyre with 10 laps to go. He finished 13th.

1 25 1 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team Honda 171.4 41'19.855
2 20 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 171.1 +4.965
3 16 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 170.6 +11.994
4 13 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 170.4 +14.775
5 11 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 169.9 +22.074
6 10 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 169.3 +31.660
7 9 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 167.4 +59.107
8 8 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 167.1 +1'04.441
9 7 51 Michele PIRRO ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR 166.9 +1'06.980
10 6 54 Mattia PASINI ITA Speed Master ART 165.7 +1'25.087
11 5 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Came IodaRacing Project Ioda 165.3 +1'32.103
12 4 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Avintia Blusens BQR 165.2 +1'33.797
13 3 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 163.6 1 Lap
14 2 77 James ELLISON GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART 163.6 1 Lap

 

[Travis]

Sad for Lorenzo but happy for Stoner

 

[Randy Wagner]

A few months back we were in here talking about the struggles Rossi has had with the wounded Duck over the years and only today I came across this beauty of an article:

Valentino Rossi has been involved in yet another round of crisis talks in a bid to cajole Ducati's technical boss, Filippo Preziosi, to come up with some new ideas to build a winning bike.

Intriguingly, Rossi now claims there is a Ducati plan that has made him "more comfortable."

This just six days after he lamented at the Dutch TT last weekend that Ducati needed a "clearer and better plan" to fix their problems.

Talk is cheap and it seems, for the moment, words are moving faster at Ducati than the GP12 which is hindered by its chronic understeer and savage rear tire wear.

Still unanswered from Ducati and Preziosi is why a plan that has seemingly satisfied Rossi has only appeared this week -- and not 21 months ago when he first rode the red bike at Valencia in November 20110.

Rossi again menaced Ducati and Preziosi with his Assen claims about a lack of a proper plan to enable them to win.

Unhappy with his practice form at the Dutch TT, a race that turned into a debacle with a chunking rear Bridgestone tire forcing a pit stop, Rossi finished 13th.

When asked in the lead-up to this Sunday's German GP at the Sachsenring if he had spoken with Preziosi since Assen about his request for "better plan" Rossi said, "Yes, I have spoken more deeply and Ducati has some ideas and not just for the engine but also to improve the chassis and the reliability of the bike.

"Something will arrive before Laguna Seca -- at the test in the Mugello -- and something else after the break, in August. It looks like we have a plan for the future and the second part of the season. I hope we can improve."



The part I made bold is the same thing we were saying moths back and felt we all deserved some props for making it a correct call long b4 they did.

Rossi unlike most is a developer as well as world class rider and will say yet again there is no damn reason to pay him what he cost and not listen other than Italian Pride. I still think he was simply a mantle piece just b4 they sold it but thats neither here nor there what's important is he gets back to the front so that we may have some more good races no matter if he's on a damn scooter as long as it's fast and can handle 30 laps instead of 15 and chunking a tire so bad it's unrideable. If the Damn CRT teams can make it 30 there should be no reason in hell the Mighty Ducati cannot.

Time will tell what's to come but a lot of seats will change imo. Stoner I feel like myself woke up one day and had my mini me look me dead in the eye and say "Daddy" and for those that have experienced that simply imagine having it run through your mind at a 140 with your knee on the ground...

I could care less what Rossi rides next year I can only hope it's competitive for to have him go out like this is a travesty and Stoner will win it all again for I feel Lorenzo's issues have just begun.

Casey will be surely missed in 2013 he like most Aussies I know are great people and do things with a passion most can only dream about.

 

[Jay Adgie]

Dani Pedrosa storms to pole position

By Matthew Birt - MCN

Dani Pedrosa ended fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo’s domination of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello this afternoon after putting his Repsol Honda on pole position for the second time in 2012.
Pedrosa, who galvanised his title challenge with a first win of the season in Germany last weekend, secured his first pole since Le Mans with a best lap of 1.47.284.
Pole position had seemed unlikely though after world championship leader Lorenzo dominated practice and led for most of a gripping qualifying session that took place in scorching hot conditions.
Lorenzo was looking to improve on his best time of 1.47.423 and had powered his factory Yamaha YZR-M1 to the fastest time in the first three sectors on his final lap when he suddenly pulled into the pits with pole seemingly at his mercy.
Lorenzo reacted angrily when realising he had missed a golden opportunity to score a third pole position of the season.
He later revealed his bike started to suffer an electrical problem in the last two laps and then the engine cut out exiting the final corner.
His best lap time at the end was 0.139s behind Pedrosa and an all-Spanish front row was completed by Hector Barbera, who scored his best ever premier class qualifying result.
The Pramac Ducati rider produced the shock of the weekend to claim third place on the grid with a best lap of 1.47.545.

Perhaps even more surprising was the fact that he set his best time all alone and without towing a faster rider, which has become a trademark of Barbera’s, much to the annoyance of his rivals.
Barbera was the fastest Ducati rider with Nicky Hayden only 0.126s further back in fourth spot.
Reigning world champion Casey Stoner never looked like challenging for a fifth pole of the campaign and a lap of 1.47.689 left him fifth and off the front row for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez.
Cal Crutchlow was as high as second in the early part of the session but a crash with 12 minutes remaining at Turn 12 cost him precious track time.
He still bounced back to secure a place on the second row with a lap of 1.47.749 that was only 0.465s off pole.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was only 0.002s back in seventh while Ben Spies will start from the back of the third row.
The Texan also crashed out unhurt at Turn 12 and he ended with a best time of 1.48.149.
Valentino Rossi will start his home race from a lowly 10th and his best time of 1.38.502 was a second slower than Barbera and 0.9s adrift of factory Ducati team-mate Hayden.
British rider James Ellison equalled his best qualifying result of the season with a lap of 1.50.812 putting him in 16th place on the grid.

 

[Rupe Wilson]

The bigger question is not whats happened to Stoner, but will Cal sign for Ducati or is it already a done deal..

 

[johnnymat]

Another outstanding ride by Jorge! He's definitely the man right now. Too bad about Nicky getting run wide at the end; he might have gotten a fourth place, which, considering the current pace of the Ducati , would have been like a win.

 

[Jack Van Challis]

Did anyone see the Moto 3 race? Romano fenati was hilarious. On the warm up lap he flew around, miles ahead of everyone, waving to the crowd, and then found himself all alone on the grid with no other bikes even on the straight. He just sat there waiting for about a minute, if not more, and the camera switched to Valentino Rossi who was wetting himself with laughter! Weird but very funny moment!

 

[Jack Van Challis]

Now that Audi have bought ducati, some much needed German money and technological wizardry should hopefully see hem being more competitive. As you said, shame about Casey stoner retiring, he's a fantastic rider, one of a kind. He moans a bit too much for my liking but nobody can discredit his abilities on a bike. I can't help but wonder how Marco simoncelli would be doing this year, tragic, tragic loss to the sport last year

 

[Jay Adgie]

Lorenzo eases to victory

By Liam Marsden - MCN

Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo extended his championship lead today, dominating at Mugello to win by over five seconds.
Lorenzo took advantage of Dani Pedrosa running slightly wide at the first corner to lead from start to finish. Pedrosa finished second, but was unable to keep up with his compatriot.
Tech 3 Yamaha rider Andrea Dovizioso claimed his fourth podium finish of the season after a battle with MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl. Bradl held third for part of the race, but was unable to hold off Dovizioso on the brakes. Fourth position is Bradl's best finish in the premier class.
Ducati rider Nicky Hayden was unlucky not to finish fifth. The American passed Bradl on the final lap, but the German moved straight back up to fourth, pushing the American wide.
Valentino Rossi took advantage of his team-mates misfortune to finish fifth at his home race. Cal Crutchlow was also able to move passed Hayden on the final lap to finish sixth after a poor start.
Current champion Casey Stoner also got a poor start, but had moved ahead of Hayden to fifth place before running off the track with 14 laps to go. The Australian rejoined in 10th behind Alvaro Bautista.
With eight laps to go Stoner made a pass on Bautista and collided with the Gresini Honda rider. Both riders managed to stay on to finish eighth and 10th respectively.
Yamaha rider Ben Spies had another disappointing race, the factory rider finishing 11th, just ahead of CRT victor Randy de Puniet.
Brit James Ellison was the third CRT bike home and finished inside the points in 14th position.

1 25 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 173.9 41'37.477
2 20 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 173.5 +5.223
3 16 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 173.2 +10.665
4 13 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 173.1 +10.711
5 11 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 173.1 +11.695
6 10 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 173.1 +12.060
7 9 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 173.0 +12.235
8 8 1 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team Honda 171.8 +30.617
9 7 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 171.7 +31.728
10 6 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 171.5 +34.589
11 5 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 170.0 +57.862
12 4 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 169.8 +59.963
13 3 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Power Electronics Aspar ART 169.1 +1'11.200
14 2 77 James ELLISON GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART 169.1 +1'11.458
15 1 54 Mattia PASINI ITA Speed Master ART 169.0 +1'11.828
16 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Avintia Blusens BQR 164.7 1 Lap

 

[Jay Adgie]

Ben Spies leaves Yamaha

Not sure what his decision is for leaving but its a big surprise, there is some speculate that he may not ride at all in 2013, or perhaps ever again after the 2012 season.

By MCN
It's emerged this afternoon that factory Yamaha MotoGP star Ben Spies will part company with the Japanese firm's team at the end of the 2012 season.
In a short statement on Twitter, the Texan, whose achievements include winning the 2009 WSB title, said: "I'm extremely happy to push for the rest of the season to my fans and myself[…] Next year starts a new chapter."
He added: "I have chosen to leave Yamaha after this season for a litany of reasons. I will explain more when I feel it is appropriate. I'm discussing my situation with my sponsors and they are behind me.
"There are a few people at Yamaha who I hate to leave. And they know who they are. I wish Yamaha the best. I won't make any further comments until the offical announcement comes out."

 

[Stuart Pocock]

There are rumours flying around that Rossi will be replacing Spies, personally i doubt it. If Yamaha want to make a smart move I would try to capture Pol Espargaro

 

[Travis]

Rossi on a Yamaha - I very much doubt it even with Dorna holding private meetings to help make 'the show' better.

Ducati are rumoured via Motomatters to be offering Rossi €14 million per year with room on the bike for personal sponsors whilst Yamaha are offering €4 million per year and Rossi must bring Monster Energy sponsorship. Yamaha apparently do not want Rossi's current crew chief nor mechanics coming back to Yamaha either.

I'd say Rossi is stuck with Ducati as Yamaha simply have a brilliant rider with Lorenzo and Honda have a lot of young talent to choose from.

I am sad to see Ben's Pies leave - rumours are a BMW ride in the SBK series.

 

[Lee Knight]

What you say Travis makes the most sense Ive heard/read anywhere...
I know Casey is retiring at the end of the year, but personally, I'd love to see him come back to Ducati once Rossi has finally vacated the seat just to prove he can STILL win on it & it's a rider problem & not so much a bike problem

 

[Ron Leeflang]

Rossi goes back to Honda

 

[Travis]

Rossi goes back to Honda

Not in a million lifetimes will Rossi to Honda happen

Rossi was emphatic in his autobiography "What if I never tried it' that his wins with Honda were the result of his and his teams hard work whilst HRC has always claimed it was their machinery that was the reason riders win world titles. Vale's move to Yamaha was to prove to the entire MotoGP paddock and most importantly HRC that the rider was the real difference maker which worked out great until Lorenzo beat him on the same machinery which prompted his move to Ducati.

The TL;DR synopsis is: HRC have never forgotten Rossi's comments nor will they forgive him anytime soon.

It's an interesting prospect for Valentino - stay with Ducati and accept that winning races will remain a very tough assignment. If Rossi and Ducati can fix their current issues, Valentino has the opportunity to become the first rider to win world titles with 3 different manufacturers and cement his place as the greatest rider of all time.

The other option is to admit defeat and head back to Yamaha. A return to Yamaha would mean Rossi has a greater chance of winning races and the potential of beating Agostini's race win tally and perhaps even capturing another world title before retirement.

It will be interesting to see what transpires in the coming weeks.