Historic first Bridgestone pole creates confidence in Pedrosa

Saturday, 18 October 2008
A 2´01.548 lap of the Sepang circuit put Dani Pedrosa into the history books as the first rider to take pole with two different tyre manufacturers in a single season.
Dani Pedrosa took his first pole position with Bridgestone tyres in the thrilling Sepang qualifying shootout, a spectacular return to form for the Spaniard after six races away from the front row. The Repsol Honda rider snatched the top spot from Valentino Rossi at the end of the hour-long session, becoming the first rider in history to take pole with two different tyre manufacturers in a single season. His previous pole of the year came on Michelin rubber at Le Mans.

`It is fantastic to be on pole here, especially since this is my first pole with Bridgestone tyres, so a big thank you to them and also to my team who have worked so hard for this,´ said an elated Pedrosa after putting down his storming 2´01.548 lap.

`Track conditions were changing all the time this afternoon, so it was quite tricky. At the beginning it was wet, then little by little the track dried, so you had to be on the ball to understand when it was best to change tyres. I was able to get in a good lap time in my final run, and I´m very happy to get this pole position.´

`Victory´ in qualifying holds a special significance at a circuit like Sepang, where the front row has traditionally provided the race winner in the premier class. Pedrosa has upped his race pace from his initial Friday morning struggles during the previous practice sessions, and now feels confident ahead of the Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix –whatever the weather.

`Pole is particularly important here because the lap times are all very close, so a good start will be crucial. We already know what race tyres we are going to use and I feel that we are ready to race. Of course, everything depends on the weather, it usually rains here most days, so we will have to wait and see when tomorrow´s rain storm arrives. It could be wet, dry or mixed.´

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Rossi delighted with win whilst Stoner hits out at passing

The post-race rider interviews at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix gathered the three podium finishers in close proximity once more, to provide their views on a thrilling race.


Valentino Rossi – Racewinner
`For me it has been fantastic. It´s the first time that I´ve been able to win here, and it was an unbelievable race. The crew made some modifications and I was able to take a much better pace. I had a good start, then a great battle with Casey, which was a lot of fun. It´s an important victory –very emotional- and now in the summer break we will relax, because the championship is so long.´
Casey Stoner – Second Placed
`The mistake I made past halfway was mine; I ran a little wide and lost the front on the turn as I tried to get back on track. It was race over after that. I enjoyed a lot of the race, but I felt that some of the passes a bit too much for me. I´ve been racing for a lot of years and have come through a lot of different ranks, and for me just a couple of passes were a little too much. I would have liked to have had a little bit of a cleaner battle, but anyway we are happy with the result. We´re still at the front of the championship and not too far off.´
Chris Vermeulen – Third Placed

`It was difficult starting from the third row, and these guys got away early. I had a bit of a battle with Hayden and Dovizioso for a few laps, and once we got past them then we had more pace than everyone else. These two were too quick for us today. To be back on the podium in the dry proves that Suzuki are improving, and I´m looking forward to Brno now.´

Rossi stops Stoner for first Laguna Seca victory

World Championship leader Valentino Rossi put an end to Casey Stoner´s victory run with a win at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

Rossi stops Stoner for first Laguna Seca victory World Championship leader Valentino Rossi put an end to Casey Stoner´s victory run with a win at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

Valentino Rossi added Laguna Seca to his list of conquered tracks on the MotoGP calendar in a breathtaking Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, ending Casey Stoner´s run of wins and garnering an important addition to his points tally heading into the summer break.

In contrast to his comments after Saturday´s qualifying session, Rossi needed neither a gun nor a 30-second headstart to stop the man so dominant in practice. Instead he relied on a storming start and his best pace of the weekend to stifle Stoner´s breakaway attempt, presenting himself as the only object between the Australian and a fourth consecutive victory.

A speedy start, some shaky moments and two top caliber riders separated from the rest of the field made for a thrilling race, and the end result of a 33rd victory for Rossi for the factory Yamaha team –equaling his total for previous manufacturer Honda.

The deciding moment of the race came on lap 24, as Stoner and Rossi prepared to enter the home straight. Having battled back-and-forth amongst themselves at every corner, Stoner ran wide onto the gravel. An attempt to dig his left foot in order to push himself back on-track led to a fall for the 22 year-old, although he nonetheless picked the Ducati Desmosedici GP8 back up with a cushion on the timesheet significant enough to allow him to finish second and move up in the overall classification.

2007 Laguna Seca runner-up Chris Vermeulen rounded off the podium, using the same kind of pace that he had demonstrated in practice. Having started from eighth on the grid, a better result in qualifying could have seen the Rizla Suzuki rider at the very least take advantage of Stoner´s late fall. He took his second rostrum in succession in a positive race for the Australian.

Some 34 seconds down on Rossi as they crossed the line for the final time, Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden were tussling for the honour of fourth place and the highest position for Honda and Michelin. The JiR Team Scot rookie eventually did enough to deny twice Laguna Seca MotoGP racewinner Hayden in the Repsol Honda rider´s home race, concluding a great maiden appearance at the track.

Randy de Puniet repeated his sixth position from 2007, this time onboard the LCR Honda RC212V, whilst Toni Elias, Ben Spies, James Toseland and Shinya Nakano wrapped up the top ten. Wildcard Spies –on pole for the AMA Superbike race running concurrently with the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, had believed that he still had one lap remaining as he fought with the established premier class riders.

A first visit to Laguna Seca did not end well for second Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, who highsided his M1 on the opening lap. He picked up a fractured third metatarsal in his left big toe, an injury that will not endanger his participation in Brno when the World Championship returns in August.

Rossi now leads the standings by 25 points, whilst Stoner´s latest podium finish moves him up to second. Laguna Seca absentee Dani Pedrosa drops down to third place.

Podolski double gets Germany going

An emotional Lukas Podolski struck in either half to give Germany an ideal start to their UEFA EURO 2008™ Group B campaign with victory against debutants Poland in Klagenfurt.

Star turn
The Polish-born FC Bayern München forward produced a vintage display as the three-time European champions recorded a solid win, putting Germany in front with a simple finish midway through the first half. Poland, in their first EURO finals match, pressed for a way back into the game but struggled to unpick Germany's defence and Podolski finally ended their hopes with an emphatic volley.
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Italy ready for second triumph

How did they perform in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying?
• Replacing Marcello Lippi after Italy’s success at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, coach Roberto Donadoni made a shaky start in qualifying but his team eventually did enough qualify as Group B winners.
• A 1-1 home draw with Lithuania in their opening tie in Naples was a shock, but perhaps not as big a setback as the 3-1 defeat in France in their second qualifier, when Raymond Domenech's side avenged their defeat on penalties in the World Cup final.
• That would prove the only reverse the Azzurri suffered and Luca Toni's two goals in a 2-0 win at home against Scotland in March 2007 provided an important reminder of the world champions' credentials.
• Italy won nine of their last ten qualifiers but were denied revenge against France with a goalless draw in Milan.
• They eventually secured qualification both for themselves and France by beating Scotland 2-1 in Glasgow thanks to another goal from Toni and an added-time winner from defender Christian Panucci.
• A 3-1 win against the Faroe Islands in their final fixture earned them top spot in the section at France's expense

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