Stoner Fastest On 2nd Free Practice Australian Grand Prix

Casey Stoner set the fastest lap on 2nd free practice of Australian MotoGP series by 1.31.243. This record was wrote on 17th lap. Duo Yamaha Tech3 rider following Stoner on 2nd and 3rd. Both Colin Edwards and Ben Spies are 0.757 and 0.858 seconds behind Casey Stoner.

Jorge Lorenzo, the 2010 MotoGP champion, on 4th with 1.32.168, followed by Nicky Hayden, Andrea Dovizioso, Randy De Puniet, and Valentino Rossi. Dani Pedrosa still had a problem with his shoulder after surgery. Pedrosa best lap on this session was only 1.34.804, 3.561 second behind Casey Stoner best time. 

After 1st free practice yesterday, Pedrosa wants to clearly recover from his injury. He told that he want to check his condition on the bike.

“The plan today was simply to check my condition on the bike – in these conditions I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. What I can say is that I had some strength to move on the bike and put pressure on the handlebars which is good” 

“However, I didn’t feel very comfortable with the leathers because they were tight and there was pressure but even with that I could do some laps and tomorrow I will try again – we will go step-by-step. Now it’s quite painful but we will see how the pain goes through the night and tomorrow we will take another step. We knew it wouldn’t be easy but I just hope that the effort is worth it in the end.”

Podium Indianapolis 2010

Ben Spies Studies Like There’s No Tomorrow

Kevin Schwantz, a living legend MotoGP in 1993, make a statement that Ben pies will win a race in this season as his rookie year. Spies has one pole, two front-row starts, a pair of top-three finishes and is sixth in MotoGP standing behind Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner. 

“To beat Mat Mladin three years in a row was never going to be an easy feat,” Schwantz began. “The intensity that Ben had even then—‘What’s Mat doing? How is he humiliating me every weekend?’—set a fire inside him. I think Ben continues to feed off that intensity. He realizes that these guys are that much better. Now, he’s made a consistent bridge to that front group. He’s able to qualify and run with Dovizioso, Rossi, Lorenzo and Pedrosa.

“Every lap, every corner, he’s learning. He’s making notes. He’s communicating with [Tech 3 crew chief Tom] Houseworth. What they have now is all that data to show him what Colin [Edwards] is doing, what some of the other Yamaha guys are doing, to help him learn where he needs to improve. He studies that stuff like there’s no tomorrow.

“This was the first weekend, with the exception of Qatar, that Lorenzo hasn’t been the top-finishing Yamaha. It will be interesting to see what happens next year when Ben is Lorenzo’s teammate.”

Lorenzo Not Happy With Indianapolis Race Result

Finished third at Indianapolis 2010 race, behind Dani Pedrosa and his new teammate for 2011, Ben Spies. This Spanish rider overtook Nicky Hayden on lap three, then Honda's Andrea Dovizioso on lap twelve, but could make no impression on satellite Yamaha rider Ben Spies or Repsol Honda race winner Dani Pedrosa. As well as lacking top speed, Lorenzo seemed to suffer more than most in the searing heat, which hit 56 degrees on the track surface. 

"I must not be disappointed, but I'm not happy with my race. I didn't ride so well," said Lorenzo. 

"I didn't make a good start, and I lost two or three positions. And then after my bike wasn't so quick on the straight and it was like I was riding a 250 bike. I lost a lot of metres on the straight." 

"I got a chance to overtake Dovizioso because he make a mistake in the last corner and he make a wheelie," said Lorenzo. "I got a perfect exit in the last corner and I overtook him in the first corner. But apart from this mistake, I don't think I could pass Andrea."

"Of course the heat doesn't help anybody to ride a bike, but especially I lost a little bit my training during these two last weeks," he revealed. "I guess in Malaysia the heat is worse, but today I'm more tired than in Malaysia."

"These were terribly hard conditions for the riders and considering this we have to be very happy with third," insisted team manger Wilco Zeelenberg. "It was so hot and so easy to make a mistake so before the race we told Jorge to just try to bring it home on two wheels."

This podium make Lorenzo lead 68 points of Dani Pedrosa that win the Indy grand prix last weekend.

Yamaha confirm Spies factory place for 2011

"We're delighted that Ben will join the factory team for next season," said Jarvis. "Ben has shown great promise in his first ten MotoGP races. He has learnt rapidly and recorded strong results, including a well-deserved podium finish at Silverstone - impressive for someone in their first full season.”

"We believe that Ben will be a future title contender and that he will be a good fit with our team. His mission next year will be to continue learning, consistently challenge for podium places and try to win some races. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hervé Poncharal and the Tech 3 Team for taking care of Ben this season and for giving him such good training for the years ahead. I hope that he will repay them by getting some more podium results in the second half of this season and helping them to secure top satellite team status at the end of this year."

Spies officially move to Yamaha factory team for 2011 replacing Valentino Rossi. After make solid debut season in MotoGP, Spies will ride for the factory Yamaha team in 2011. Having tested the early 2011 M1 prototype at the official Brno test Yamaha Motor Racing MD Lin Jarvis confirmed that talks were underway to bring the 26 year-old across from Hervé Poncharal’s satellite team.

He said: "My first year in MotoGP has been a great learning curve and for that I have to thank Hervé Poncharal, all the team at Tech 3 and especially my American mechanics who have stuck by me throughout this great journey so far. Having previously been to only four of the ten tracks to date, I have to be pleased with where I am and with having achieved my first podium so soon. I'm especially pleased that Yamaha have recognised the potential in me and given me the opportunity to step up to the factory team so early in my GP career.”

“I believe that by working closely with the Yamaha staff and my mechanics we will be able to help develop the M1 and make the next step of challenging for regular podiums, followed by future Championships."