RACE RAP
Race winner VALENTINO ROSSI/Fiat Yamaha Team/Bridgestone won his seventh race this season and fourth in a row. This victory makes him to be the winningest top tier motorcycle rider in history with 69 victories. He has run 146 races. He dedicated his win to his grandfather, who had died over the weekend.
About the race conditions, he said “The wind was very inconstant and very strong. You never know what’s going to happen with the bike. Every lap I look and I say, ‘I hope for the red flag; I hope for the red flag.’ It was a good decision (to end the race). I think they make a good work for the track on the race because the rain come down very strong in the race. I don’t remember if or when I won four races in a row. We are in good shape.” After the red flag, Rossi was seen in his garage with DORNA CEO, CARMELO EZPELETA, making it pretty clear he didn’t want to continue.
Rossi was fourth on the first lap, behind ANDREA DOVIZIOSO/JiR Team Scott MotoGP/Michelin, NICKY HAYDEN/Repsol Team Hayden/Michelin and CASEY STONER/Ducati Team/Bridgestone. Rossi was fifth on Lap Two, then moved back to fourth, third for two laps and by Lap Six was second and chasing Hayden. This was the first podium of the year for Hayden.
Hayden said “Man, I had nothing to lose here. I just had to go for it. The bike felt good in the wet. It’s been so long since I’ve been out front leading a race. I came on the front straightaway and saw nobody in front of me at my home GP, and I was thinking, ‘Man this is only supposed to happen in the movies.’ When the track dried out, we used so much rubber, and when it rained again and we was on the edge, it was gnarly. I just want to thank the team, my family, my fans for sticking behind me. I’d like to thank the fans. We only had to be out there for 40 minutes. They’ve been out there all day in the rain.”
JORGE LORENZO, Fiat Yamaha/Bridgestone teammate of race winner Rossi, finished third and extends his lead in the Rookie championship. He has 156 points, with Dovizioso second with 129 points. Third and fourth are piano virtuoso JAMES TOSELAND/Tech 3 Yamaha Michelin with 85 points and ALEX de ANGELIS/San Carlo Honda Gresini/Bridgestone with 55 points.
Lorenzo said “This is my first podium in the wet conditions in my life, so I am so happy. For me, it’s a very good result. Maybe one or two laps more I could have passed Nicky, who was so fast at the beginning. It’s another podium, so next I hope to do better.”
Rossi continues to lead the points with 287, followed by Stoner at 200. Third through fifth in the standings are DANI PEDROSA/Repsol Team Honda/Bridgestone-193; Lorenzo-156; and Dovizioso-129.
COLIN EDWARDS/Tech 3 Yamaha/Michelin was the top American, in seventh place with 109 points, followed by Hayden in eighth with 104; JOHN HOPKINS/Kawasaki Racing Team/Bridgestone is seventeenth with 41; and wild card rider BEN SPIES/Rizula Suzuki MotoGP/Bridgestone is nineteenth with 20 points after his three races this year.
Yamaha leads the Constructor standings with 316 points, followed by Honda-243; Ducati-241; Suzuki 149; and Kawasaki-71.
Other weather comments: Spies said “The last ten laps, I couldn’t see anything. The last five laps were pretty hectic with the wind kicking up. It was definitely pushing the bikes around.” Hopkins said “The winds were just treacherous. This is the worse riding conditions I have ever been in my life. The wind was absolutely crazy.” Edwards said “It was wacky, man. It was. It was bad.” Stoner said “With this wind, it’s literally unreadable. The rain wasn’t a problem in the race; it was actually the wind issues. It became very dangerous. It was ridiculous. The safest option was to stop. I would rather go home in one piece.” Dovizioso said “It was so difficult to ride and choose a line. The main problem was the wind.” CHRIS VERMEULEN/Rizula Suzuki MotoGP/Bridgestone said “The conditions were incredible. It’s just a shame for the whole Indianapolis crowd that we got the left over bit of the hurricane.” TONI ELIAS/Alice Team Ducati/Bridgestone said “Yes, crazy. We finished the race safely.” RANDY de PUNIET/LCR Honda MotoGP/Michelin said “All of it was very difficult. In these conditions, it was very difficult to ride. It was one of the most hard GP’s for me.”
The 250 cc race was canceled and will not be rescheduled.
No one had attendance figures, but best guess in the Media Center were approximately 75,000, which was remarkable considering the terrible weather.
Later, attendance figures were released by the promoter:
Friday 30,978*
Saturday 52,010
Sunday 91,064*
TOTAL 174,052*
* under rain conditions
14 September 2008