MotoGP Round 09
Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix
21 July 2013
Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix
21 July 2013
Circuit info
Length: 3.610 m. / 2,243 miles
Width: 15m
Left corners: 7
Right corners: 4
Longest straight: 453 m. / 0,281 miles
Constructed: 1957
Modified: 1996
The roaring sounds of motorcycle engines will meet the soothing sounds of the Caribbean this year, as race fans attending the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will be treated to the reggae-styling of The Original Wailers.
The Original Wailers will be performing on Saturday, July 20 at 7 p.m. on the GE Capital Financial Stage in the Yamaha Marketplace at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The concert is the highlighted concluding act after a full day of motorcycle racing action. The concert is free to all ticketed Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix visitors.
Led by Al Anderson, who has toured and performed with Bob Marley & Wailers, Peter Tosh, The Rolling Stones and Santana, The Original Wailers will be performing songs from the Legend catalog in addition to their Grammy nominated cd Miracle.
The Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, featuring the MotoGP™ World Championship, will be held July 19-21 featuring the top international riders. Last year the event welcomed more than 137,000 fans from around the world to the scenic Monterey Peninsula.
Band members include: Anderson (guitar, vocals), Desi Hyson (vocals, keyboard), Steve Samuels (bass, vocals) Erica Newell (vocals), ‘Paapa’ Nyarkoh (drums) and Frankie DuBois (keyboards). The Original Wailers recently released a five song album named Miracle that creates the true sound of Bob Marley and The Wailers.
In addition to musical performances, the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix offers a variety of activities for fans of all ages. Events such as the Strider Cup Adventure Zone and MY Museum’s Wheelie Mobilee will be available in the family-friendly Yamaha Marketplace for the youngest race fans, while activities such as a question and answer period with Yamaha MotoGP Riders, autograph sessions and interactive displays are sure to entertain the biggest motorcycle enthusiasts. more
Stoner receives Queen’s birthday honour
Casey Stoner, MotoGP™ World Champion of 2007 and 2011, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to motorcycle racing.
As reported by Speed Cafe, Stoner receives the honor after retiring from MotoGP at the end of last year. His titles came for Ducati and Repsol Honda Team in 2007 and 2011, respectively, but between 2006 and 2012 the Australian also achieved a total of 39 pole positions, 69 podium finishes, 29 fastest laps and 38 Grand Prix wins, including victory in his home event at Phillip Island on six consecutive occasions.
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Pedrosa: ‘A lot can still happen in championship'
After suffering a minor fracture to his left collarbone in a Saturday morning crash at the Sachsenring, Pedrosa was forced to sit out of the race due to feeling dizzy on Sunday morning. He travelled back home to Barcelona in order to rest before heading towards California for this weekend’s race at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
"I want to thank you for the many messages of support I have received," Pedrosa writes in his latest blog, having been ruled out of the race not because of his collarbone injury, but because of low blood pressure. "The important thing is that I feel good. I will have to see how things go with regards to the collarbone, but as for the rest of the problems the really important thing is that I am feeling well.
"It was a real blow because we arrived at the Sachsenring in a good position in terms of the World Championship, but that’s racing and you have to keep looking forward. The championship is long and we are still only roughly halfway through it, so a lot can still happen yet."
Like Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, Pedrosa – who had won the previous three German Grands Prix – watched the race from afar. Both absentees were overhauled in the Riders’ Championship by Pedrosa’s winning teammate Marc Marquez, who carries a two-point lead into this weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
"I want to thank you for the many messages of support I have received," Pedrosa writes in his latest blog, having been ruled out of the race not because of his collarbone injury, but because of low blood pressure. "The important thing is that I feel good. I will have to see how things go with regards to the collarbone, but as for the rest of the problems the really important thing is that I am feeling well.
"It was a real blow because we arrived at the Sachsenring in a good position in terms of the World Championship, but that’s racing and you have to keep looking forward. The championship is long and we are still only roughly halfway through it, so a lot can still happen yet."
Like Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, Pedrosa – who had won the previous three German Grands Prix – watched the race from afar. Both absentees were overhauled in the Riders’ Championship by Pedrosa’s winning teammate Marc Marquez, who carries a two-point lead into this weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
Iannone: ‘Sometimes it’s better to say no’
Having previously injured a knee when he crashed out of the Jerez race in early May, Iannone would dislocate his right shoulder when he crashed in the final Sachsenring practice session on Saturday morning. Having missed qualifying, he then experienced a sleepless night on Saturday due to the pain he was suffering.
“It was really hard to not race here,” he admitted. “I really wanted to compete because I felt good, but it probably would’ve been a case of causing more damage than gaining satisfaction. Although it’s not easy, sometimes it’s better to say no.
“(On Monday) I’ll return to Italy and in the coming days we’ll decide whether it will be possible to participate in the Grand Prix at Laguna. I'd really like to because I’ve never raced there, so it would be the first time. Still, I want to evaluate the situation properly, as I can’t take unnecessary risks that could compromise the rest of the championship.”
Whereas Iannone’s attendance at Laguna Seca remains questionable, it is already confirmed that Michele Pirro will not be substituting for the injured Ben Spies, as he will be testing for Ducati Team at Misano. In Germany, he finished the race tenth.
“It wasn’t so bad,” says Pirro, who is the Ducati Team test rider but has competed in six of the eight races to have been held so far this year (two for Ducati Team and four for Pramac). “Regarding the pace, I think it was the most consistent day I’ve had over the weekend. I was close to Hayden for the whole race and, considering that he started from the second row, it means that was the pace I could safely maintain.
“With a better start, I could’ve climbed a few places, but we still have a lot of work to do. I’m not entirely satisfied but, considering how it all started, I can’t complain. Now I’ll focus on testing at Misano, where I’ll return to being a test rider.”
In the case of Ben Spies, who has been out of action since the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, he continues to aim for a return at Indianapolis on the weekend of 17-18 August. He had attempted a comeback at Mugello, but found himself to be in too much pain with a pectoral muscle. The American celebrated his 29th birthday last Thursday. At Laguna Seca this weekend, Spies will be replaced by Moto2™ rider Alex de Angelis as the San Marino rider makes a one-off return to the top class.
If the tickets to the Day of Stars are sold out, there is always the auction, held at 4pm on Thursday. The auction sees a host of great items put up for sale, with memorabilia you would not normally be able to get hold of. Riders offer a whole range of signed items, helmets, boots, gloves, all sorts of things, while signed prints from top MotoGP photographers are also often up for offer.
Throughout the race weekend, vendors have their wares on display, while on Saturday night, the party erupts on Cannery Row in Monterey. Ideal for gawking at beautiful bikes, beautiful people, and plenty of racing celebrities. And of course, the AMA is also racing at Laguna Seca, so you get to see the top US stars, and young American talent racing.
Tickets for the Day of Stars may still be available. Check first with Riders for Health, details on their website. Tickets to the US GP are available from the circuit, or can be bought online from the official MotoGP.com ticket store.
For those unable to attend, the US GP will be broadcast on Fox Sports/Speed TV, with coverage of both qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Full details of the TV coverage can be found in this press release from the Fox network.
Below is the press release from Riders for Health outlining the full program for the Day of Stars: more
The Spaniard will go into this weekend’s California clash completely raw having never ridden the challenging Laguna Seca track before.
Marquez, who won last weekend’s German MotoGP round at the Sachsenring to move above injured pair Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo in the title chase, didn’t have chance to fit into a hectic schedule a visit to Laguna to learn the track on a production bike.
German Stefan Bradl rode a production bike prior to his premier class debut at Laguna in 2012 and earlier this season British rider Bradley Smith rode a Yamaha R1 to learn the track, which features the world famous Corkscrew section.
But HRC boss Livio Suppo doesn’t believe the 20-year-old’s lack of experience of one of the hardest tracks on the calendar to master will be a major handicap this weekend.
Suppo told MCN: “We looked at a test but there was only really one day with a few hours available so it would be really useless. In my personal opinion I am not so sure that this kind of thing is useful and to go there on a production bike doesn’t make a lot of sense.
If you check the results of Dani and Casey (Stoner) in 2006, they were both new and to them it made little difference after the first couple of sessions. These guys can learn a track quite quickly and at this level they can learn the secrets.
From the Corkscrew to the end you need to be brave and Marc is not lacking in this area. Another good example is the Austin test earlier this year. Cal (Crutchlow) didn’t test there and he was in front of other riders who did.”more
Rossi not a championship contender'
The incident was just an unfortunate coming together and no-one was to blame. It was six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Fans around the world will blame Bautista, but the truth is that it was neither rider's fault - they were both looking for the same piece of track.
Rossi knew he needed to get away on that first lap because his hopes of a podium finish would have suffered as a result of being tangled up in traffic.
To be honest, I never thought he had a championship hope this year anyway, despite what he may say in public.
There are so many young, fast guys up against him this year.
He can still win a race though, but has to find a track and a bike setting that works for him.
Rossi will struggle to beat Britain's Cal Crutchlow this year and I think he will realistically be having to look at mainly fourth and fifth-place finishes.
The ridiculous thing is that Rossi is not much better off on the Yamaha than he was last year on the Ducati, which he said was awful.
Admittedly, a lot of that is down to his crash in France in the previous grand prix and then again this weekend, but he is actually worse off now than he was at his old team
The result at Mugello is great for the championship though, with Jorge Lorenzo's win and Marc Marquez's crash really opening up the title battle.
Lorenzo was Mr Perfect. Everything he did was spot on, and his confidence will really have been boosted by the victory as well as the fact he shaved five points off Dani Pedrosa's lead in the standings.
Marquez made a mistake but we have all seen how quickly he learns and he might not make another for the rest of the season.
While he is extremely quick, inexperience in MotoGP eventually bites you and it caught up with him in Italy.
It was a pretty tricky weekend overall and I don't think there has been a session where he has been out and not returned on the back of a scooter following a crash.
Doing so in a race had to happen sooner or later for Marquez, but it was just one of those things. It happened at the trickiest corner of the circuit and he was certainly pushing pretty hard.
He will analyses the situation and recognize that he wasn't going to beat Lorenzo at Mugello and will know that he should have backed the pace down a bit and settled for a nice second place, but it is all ifs and buts.
Next we go to Barcelona which of course is the home track of Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Marquez.
Expect some fireworks.more
“It was really hard to not race here,” he admitted. “I really wanted to compete because I felt good, but it probably would’ve been a case of causing more damage than gaining satisfaction. Although it’s not easy, sometimes it’s better to say no.
“(On Monday) I’ll return to Italy and in the coming days we’ll decide whether it will be possible to participate in the Grand Prix at Laguna. I'd really like to because I’ve never raced there, so it would be the first time. Still, I want to evaluate the situation properly, as I can’t take unnecessary risks that could compromise the rest of the championship.”
Whereas Iannone’s attendance at Laguna Seca remains questionable, it is already confirmed that Michele Pirro will not be substituting for the injured Ben Spies, as he will be testing for Ducati Team at Misano. In Germany, he finished the race tenth.
“It wasn’t so bad,” says Pirro, who is the Ducati Team test rider but has competed in six of the eight races to have been held so far this year (two for Ducati Team and four for Pramac). “Regarding the pace, I think it was the most consistent day I’ve had over the weekend. I was close to Hayden for the whole race and, considering that he started from the second row, it means that was the pace I could safely maintain.
“With a better start, I could’ve climbed a few places, but we still have a lot of work to do. I’m not entirely satisfied but, considering how it all started, I can’t complain. Now I’ll focus on testing at Misano, where I’ll return to being a test rider.”
In the case of Ben Spies, who has been out of action since the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, he continues to aim for a return at Indianapolis on the weekend of 17-18 August. He had attempted a comeback at Mugello, but found himself to be in too much pain with a pectoral muscle. The American celebrated his 29th birthday last Thursday. At Laguna Seca this weekend, Spies will be replaced by Moto2™ rider Alex de Angelis as the San Marino rider makes a one-off return to the top class.
Laguna, Baby! Things To Do At The US Grand Prix
The upcoming Red Bull US GP this weekend at Laguna Seca is one of the MotoGP paddock's favorite events. Surrounding the race on Sunday are a host of supporting activities well worth attending. It all starts on Thursday, with the Day of Stars, an exclusive event organized by Riders for Health. The Day of Stars is an exclusive event which includes a motorcycle tour of the Carmel Valley, lunch and a guided tour of the pits with Randy Mamola, and then a couple of parade laps around the circuit to get a feel for the event.If the tickets to the Day of Stars are sold out, there is always the auction, held at 4pm on Thursday. The auction sees a host of great items put up for sale, with memorabilia you would not normally be able to get hold of. Riders offer a whole range of signed items, helmets, boots, gloves, all sorts of things, while signed prints from top MotoGP photographers are also often up for offer.
Throughout the race weekend, vendors have their wares on display, while on Saturday night, the party erupts on Cannery Row in Monterey. Ideal for gawking at beautiful bikes, beautiful people, and plenty of racing celebrities. And of course, the AMA is also racing at Laguna Seca, so you get to see the top US stars, and young American talent racing.
Tickets for the Day of Stars may still be available. Check first with Riders for Health, details on their website. Tickets to the US GP are available from the circuit, or can be bought online from the official MotoGP.com ticket store.
For those unable to attend, the US GP will be broadcast on Fox Sports/Speed TV, with coverage of both qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Full details of the TV coverage can be found in this press release from the Fox network.
Below is the press release from Riders for Health outlining the full program for the Day of Stars: more
HRC boss: Laguna challenge no problem for Marc Marquez
The fact that Marc Marquez will have never ridden anything bigger than a scooter around the Laguna Seca track when he begins the first MotoGP practice session on Friday morning will not pose any concern to the current world championship leader.The Spaniard will go into this weekend’s California clash completely raw having never ridden the challenging Laguna Seca track before.
Marquez, who won last weekend’s German MotoGP round at the Sachsenring to move above injured pair Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo in the title chase, didn’t have chance to fit into a hectic schedule a visit to Laguna to learn the track on a production bike.
German Stefan Bradl rode a production bike prior to his premier class debut at Laguna in 2012 and earlier this season British rider Bradley Smith rode a Yamaha R1 to learn the track, which features the world famous Corkscrew section.
But HRC boss Livio Suppo doesn’t believe the 20-year-old’s lack of experience of one of the hardest tracks on the calendar to master will be a major handicap this weekend.
Suppo told MCN: “We looked at a test but there was only really one day with a few hours available so it would be really useless. In my personal opinion I am not so sure that this kind of thing is useful and to go there on a production bike doesn’t make a lot of sense.
If you check the results of Dani and Casey (Stoner) in 2006, they were both new and to them it made little difference after the first couple of sessions. These guys can learn a track quite quickly and at this level they can learn the secrets.
From the Corkscrew to the end you need to be brave and Marc is not lacking in this area. Another good example is the Austin test earlier this year. Cal (Crutchlow) didn’t test there and he was in front of other riders who did.”more
Rossi not a championship contender'
- Valentino Rossi has won a record 79 grands prix in MotoGP/500cc, but has not won one since Malaysia in 2010
- The Italian has nine world championship titles to his name, but his last was in 2009
Everyone was saying that the 34-year-old was back in form when he was second quickest in practice, but qualifying was a different matter entirely, with him qualifying only seventh fastest.
It did not get any better for the nine-time world champion on Sunday, when he was involved in a first-lap collision with Alvaro Bautista. The incident was just an unfortunate coming together and no-one was to blame. It was six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Fans around the world will blame Bautista, but the truth is that it was neither rider's fault - they were both looking for the same piece of track.
Rossi knew he needed to get away on that first lap because his hopes of a podium finish would have suffered as a result of being tangled up in traffic.
To be honest, I never thought he had a championship hope this year anyway, despite what he may say in public.
There are so many young, fast guys up against him this year.
He can still win a race though, but has to find a track and a bike setting that works for him.
Rossi will struggle to beat Britain's Cal Crutchlow this year and I think he will realistically be having to look at mainly fourth and fifth-place finishes.
The ridiculous thing is that Rossi is not much better off on the Yamaha than he was last year on the Ducati, which he said was awful.
Admittedly, a lot of that is down to his crash in France in the previous grand prix and then again this weekend, but he is actually worse off now than he was at his old team
Mugello highlights
Lorenzo was Mr Perfect. Everything he did was spot on, and his confidence will really have been boosted by the victory as well as the fact he shaved five points off Dani Pedrosa's lead in the standings.
Marquez made a mistake but we have all seen how quickly he learns and he might not make another for the rest of the season.
While he is extremely quick, inexperience in MotoGP eventually bites you and it caught up with him in Italy.
It was a pretty tricky weekend overall and I don't think there has been a session where he has been out and not returned on the back of a scooter following a crash.
Doing so in a race had to happen sooner or later for Marquez, but it was just one of those things. It happened at the trickiest corner of the circuit and he was certainly pushing pretty hard.
He will analyses the situation and recognize that he wasn't going to beat Lorenzo at Mugello and will know that he should have backed the pace down a bit and settled for a nice second place, but it is all ifs and buts.
Next we go to Barcelona which of course is the home track of Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Marquez.
Expect some fireworks.more
MotoGp Wall papers
Doctors advise Lorenzo that rest is best
His additional surgery at the weekend on his broken collarbone after crashes at Assen and Sachsenring means that a period of rest and recuperation is advised, but of course with vital championship points in play, Lorenzo may be keen to return sooner rather than later.
Doctors observed that his immediate post surgery recuperation is going well but he has been advised that risking another crash could be costly.
Lorenzo has already stated via his official Twitter account that he intended to return to action at Indianapolis in August but his crew have traveled to Laguna Seca should he decide to return this weekend. Indeed his teammate Valentino Rossi stated a personal opinion during the Sachsenring weekend that ‘Jorge will be there’ for round nine in California.
Following Lorenzo’s medical examination at Catalunya General Hospital on Tuesday, Dr. Marc Cots commented: “His injury is healing well and looks completely normal. The plate we inserted is well positioned and we’re pleased with the progress the injury is making. Jorge is physically capable of riding again now, just as he did at Assen immediately after his previous surgery.”“However, our advice is to be cautious and avoid the risk of another crash, but the decision on when to return is entirely up to him and I suppose he’ll make that decision soon.”
US MotoGP: Hayden hoping for home cheer
If home star Nicky Hayden can claim a top for finish on Sunday it will be his best result of the season, and as a Ducati rider at Laguna Seca.
A double winner of the event for Honda, the 2006 world champion hasn't been higher than fifth since his Desmosedici debut at the circuit in 2008.
“It's nice to be going home to Laguna, which is a race that I love and that's obviously very special to me. The circuit is quite unique, and it's not easy, as you need to be confident and attack the corners. It's quite a demanding, technical track and a lot of the corners are linked together. You really have to hit your marks there in order to be fast.”
The only factory rider yet to sign for 2014, this year's event could be Hayden's last for the Italian team. Hayden is ninth in the standings as the season approaches its halfway point.
“I wish we were headed there with more speed and confidence, but the reality is this,” said Hayden. “Up until now, we certainly haven't been getting the results we'd like by any means, but with the summer break coming up, it would be nice to go there, have some fun, and leave with a good taste in our mouths.”
The US GP won't just be a special event for Hayden - Ducati sells more motorcycles in the USA than any other country and a number of promotional initiatives are planned over the weekend.
“Laguna Seca is a track with a lot of elevation change, so in some ways, it's similar to the Sachsenring,” said team manager Vittoriano Guareschi. “It's Nicky's home track, so he'll surely be hoping to redeem his disappointing result in Germany. It's a race that he has won twice in the past, so we know that he can do well there.”
Hayden's team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, like the other factory MotoGP team riders, is contracted to the end of 2014. Dovizioso has three fourth places to his credit at the Californian circuit - on Honda and Yamaha machinery – but doesn't count the track among his favourites.
“I don't know what we can expect at Laguna with a completely different bike for me this year,” said the Italian. “Unfortunately, I think it's a similar track to the Sachsenring in many ways.
“Maybe we'll have fewer problems with turn-in since the corners are tighter, but all the bikes tend to pump a lot at Laguna because it's very particular with its uphills and downhills. I don't particularly enjoy the place, but as always we're going there with the aim of getting the best possible result.” more
Andrea Iannone out of US MotoGP
Andrea Iannone, one of three riders injured during the German MotoGP event, will also miss this weekend's US round.
The Pramac Ducati rookie dislocated his right shoulder in a Saturday fall and, according to ANSA, will not be fit for what should have been his Laguna Seca debut.
No replacement has yet been announced and Alex de Angelis, called up in place of the long-injured Ben Spies, could thus be Pramac's only representative at round nine.
Title contenders Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo, who also missed the Sachsenring race, are yet to officially confirm their US GP plans.
Iannone now has until Indianapolis on August 16-18 to recover. more
The Pramac Ducati rookie dislocated his right shoulder in a Saturday fall and, according to ANSA, will not be fit for what should have been his Laguna Seca debut.
No replacement has yet been announced and Alex de Angelis, called up in place of the long-injured Ben Spies, could thus be Pramac's only representative at round nine.
Title contenders Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo, who also missed the Sachsenring race, are yet to officially confirm their US GP plans.
Iannone now has until Indianapolis on August 16-18 to recover. more
Dani Pedrosa not dismayed to surrender MotoGP points lead
Dani Pedrosa admits it was a "big blow" to miss the German Grand Prix due to injury, but insists he is not disheartened by surrendering his MotoGP points lead.
The Spaniard had held a nine-point advantage over Jorge Lorenzo heading into the Sachsenring, with team-mate Marc Marquez a further 14 points adrift.
Lorenzo was ruled out of the weekend on Friday following a massive crash which further damaged the collarbone he broke in Assen, but rather than capitalise on his rival's absence Pedrosa joined Lorenzo on the sidelines after a massive highside on Saturday morning.
As a result, Marquez now leads Pedrosa by two points, with the Spaniard carrying lingering injury concerns into this weekend's race at Laguna Seca.
"[Missing the race] was a big blow because we went to Sachsenring in a very good position, referring to the standings, but racing is like this and you just have to look to the future," Pedrosa wrote in his official Repsol blog.
"The important thing is that I feel well.
"We'll have to wait and see how things go with my shoulder-blade, but concerning the other things, the really important ones, I feel fine.
"There are a lot of races left, more or less half the calendar, and everything is there to fight for."
Pedrosa is yet to win a title in more than seven years in the premier class, while Marquez is chasing what would be a historic crown in his rookie season. more
Suzuki Motor Corporation to return in 2015
After two years suspension since 2012, Suzuki Motor Corporation has organised its test team to undergo more practical running tests at its advanced development stage and will participate in the official joint testing to be held at the Catalunya circuit in Spain. Through continuing running tests at the circuits inside and outside Japan for further development and refinement, Suzuki Motor Corporation will participate again in MotoGP racing from 2015.
Suzuki Motor Corporation will feed back advanced technology to be derived through MotoGP racing activity to develop further attractive production models.
The outline of testing team and racing machine to be developed are as follows:
Chief members of Europe testing team in 2013:
- Team manager: Davide Brivio
- Development rider: Randy de Puniet
- Team manager: Davide Brivio
- Development rider: Randy de Puniet
De Puniet highly encouraged by Suzuki pace
The Circuit de Catalunya outing for Suzuki’s in-line four, 1,000cc prototype marked the first time the bike had gone up against other, current racing machinery.
"I am satisfied because the first test at Motegi was quite good and now we are at a GP track, with most of the other riders and running in the same conditions," explained the Frenchman, who is contesting the current campaign with Power Electronics Aspar.
"I think we did a great job because I’m only seven tenths slower than the best lap time today and after only 50 or 60 laps; all of the other riders have already been here for three days. I am satisfied, but think we could be even faster if we had one more day.
"Anyway, it’s a good start because we now go to Aragon for a two-day test, so I really hope to do the same job and have the same feeling with the bike."
Suzuki’s two-day MotorLand Aragon test will run from Wednesday, sharing the track with Repsol Honda Team, Yamaha Factory Racing and LCR Honda MotoGP.
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Race Day
Pedrosa to depart for Laguna on Thursday
Pedrosa missed last weekend’s German Grand Prix following a crash during practice on Saturday morning. As a result of the crash, he suffered a ‘minor’ fracture to his left collarbone, while he was not able to contest the race itself due to low blood pressure.
‘Thankfully, after a few days of rest, Dani is feeling well again and will travel to America on Thursday to allow him to have one additional day of physiotherapy treatment to the shoulder on Wednesday in Barcelona,’ a team statement reads.
“After a disappointing weekend in Germany, I'm happy to be feeling better again and thankful that my shoulder wasn't completely broken, even if a fracture is still not the best thing to happen!” Pedrosa says in Spain on Wednesday. “Now I need to get back on-track to see what condition I'm in and hope we can have a good weekend.”
Also on Wednesday, it has been confirmed that Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo – also suffering from an injured left collarbone – is en route to the Mazda Raceway, having previously announced that he would be returning at Indianapolis.
Marquez leading as the Corkscrew awaits
With the German Grand Prix barely over, the grid heads across the pond to contest the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix in Laguna Seca with the championship tightly bunched and a festival of racing awaiting at the infamous track.
Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez comes fresh off the back of his second MotoGP™ win since stepping up to the premier class, which saw him take the lead in the championship from teammate Dani Pedrosa by two points. He is yet to compete at Laguna Seca professionally due to the support classes not running there, but has in the past completed laps on a road machine.
Whether his teammate will be fit after his huge highside in Germany, during which he partly fractured his left collarbone, remains to be officially confirmed but would appear likely. Participation of Yamaha Factory Racing’s injured Jorge Lorenzo has also been a closely-watched topic; the World Champion announced that he would not take part but, with his main rival Pedrosa also hurt, the Mallorcan will now travel to America and there remains the chance that he will try to salvage some points if he can, with his crew having already been confirmed as travelling to the race.
Neither rider would have it easy, though, as Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow is in the form of his life, having last weekend stepped onto the podium for the fourth time this year after a brave ride following some nasty scrapes and bruises from crashes on Friday. He managed to beat his Yamaha factory rival and nine-time title winner Valentino Rossi, who will be looking for an improvement at Laguna Seca, saying he had expected more from his outing at the Sachsenring.
LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, who led for a significant part in his home race last time out, can head to the US with a sense of optimism after matching his best result of fourth. His Honda satellite counterpart in the form of GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista is hoping for an improvement in bike setup, despite finishing a credible fifth in the last race. The Ducati Team duo of Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso unfortunately had a difficult weekend once more in Germany and, particularly local boy Hayden, will be aiming for a significantly better outing in front of his home fans.
For the Pramac Racing Team it was an equally tough weekend, with Andrea Iannone sitting out the race through injury – and he will miss this weekend’s Californian event as well. Substituting the still injured Ben Spies is NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Moto2™ rider Alex de Angelis, who has had previous stints in MotoGP™. All the Ducatis will no doubt have their hands full with the on-song Aleix Espargaro, who continues to amaze fans on his Power Electronics Aspar bike.
Aside from championship success, winning at Laguna Seca also brings a psychological advantage heading into the summer break. Following the action of this weekend, MotoGP™ will take three weekends off before travelling to Indianapolis and the curtain will have fallen on the first half of a remarkable 2013 campaign.
Lorenzo to travel to Laguna Seca
Following the dramas of the Sachsenring, when Lorenzo highsided and damaged the titanium plate attached to his already injured left collarbone, the World Champion announced via his personal Twitter account that he would be back for the Indianapolis race after the summer break. Since then, however, erstwhile championship leader Dani Pedrosa has also injured his left collarbone while Marc Marquez won in Germany to retake the lead in the title race.
A Yamaha Factory Racing press release reads as follows:
‘Jorge Lorenzo will travel to Laguna to be with his team as he recovers from a second surgery to his injured collarbone following a free practice crash at last weekend’s German Grand Prix.’
“Finally we have decided to go to Laguna Seca,” Lorenzo comments. “Following the final medical check and after speaking with Doctor Rodríguez, we are going to try. At the beginning I seriously thought that it might have been convenient to take the necessary time to recover and be back at Indy, but over the last two days I have felt much better so now I want to be there, although I will try to not take too many risks.
“I want to be there also for the fans, for the championship but especially for my team that is waiting for me. I want to thank everybody for all of the support I have received so far and I want to say ‘thank you’ to the doctors who took care of me after the crash at the Sachsenring, both at the Clinica Mobile and at the Hospital General de Catalunya, especially Doctors Rodríguez and Cots.”
“Jorge has made the decision to fly to Laguna Seca and, although it will not be easy, he has decided to try - despite the pain and the consequences of the second surgery to his injured collarbone,” adds Team Manager Wilco Zeelenberg. “We have another tough weekend ahead of us, especially because the layout of the track is physically demanding. Now I am just looking forward to seeing him here with the team and then we will set the strategy for the weekend.”
To date, Lorenzo’s sole win at Laguna Seca came in his first title-winning season of 2010. In his first MotoGP™ race at the track in 2008, the Mallorcan suffered a large highside accident at Turn 6.
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Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing - Yamaha US Headquarters |
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| Bradley Smith, Valentino Rossi - Yamaha US |
Race Day
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| MotoGP Laguna Seca RAC |
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| MotoGP Laguna Seca RAC |
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| MotoGP Laguna Seca RAC |
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| MotoGP Laguna Seca RAC |
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| Alvaro Bautista, GO&FUN Honda Gresini, Laguna Seca RAC |
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| Nicky Hayden, Ducati Team, Laguna Seca RAC |
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Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing, Laguna Seca RAC
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| Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP, Laguna Seca RAC |
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| Nicky Hayden, Ducati Team, Laguna Seca RAC |
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| Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Yamaha Factory Racing, Repsol Honda Team, Laguna Seca RAC |
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| Bradl, Marquez, Rossi, LCR Honda MotoGP, Repsol Honda Team, Yamaha Factory Racing, Laguna Seca RAC |
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| Valentino Rossi, Laguna Seca RAC |
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| Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, Laguna Seca RAC |
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RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIXMotoGP Race Classification 2013
Laguna Seca, Sunday, July 21, 2013
| Pos. | Points | Num. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Km/h | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 93 | Marc MARQUEZ | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 157.4 | 44'00.695 |
| 2 | 20 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | GER | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | 157.3 | +2.298 |
| 3 | 16 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 157.2 | +4.498 |
| 4 | 13 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SPA | GO&FUN Honda Gresini | Honda | 157.2 | +4.557 |
| 5 | 11 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 156.9 | +9.257 |
| 6 | 10 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 156.7 | +12.970 |
| 7 | 9 | 35 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | GBR | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 156.5 | +15.304 |
| 8 | 8 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | USA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 155.4 | +33.963 |
| 9 | 7 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 155.4 | +34.129 |
| 10 | 6 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | Avintia Blusens | FTR | 153.8 | +1'02.369 |
| 11 | 5 | 15 | Alex DE ANGELIS | RSM | Ignite Pramac Racing | Ducati | 153.8 | +1'02.604 |
| 12 | 4 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | USA | NGM Mobile Forward Racing | FTR Kawasaki | 153.7 | +1'03.593 |
| 13 | 3 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | ITA | Came IodaRacing Project | Ioda-Suter | 152.8 | +1'20.450 |
| 14 | 2 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | CZE | Cardion AB Motoracing | ART | 152.2 | 1 Lap |
| 15 | 1 | 68 | Yonny HERNANDEZ | COL | Paul Bird Motorsport | ART | 151.6 | 1 Lap |
| 16 | 7 | Hiroshi AOYAMA | JPN | Avintia Blusens | FTR | 151.6 | 1 Lap | |
| 17 | 67 | Bryan STARING | AUS | GO&FUN Honda Gresini | FTR Honda | 151.1 | 1 Lap | |
| 18 | 52 | Lukas PESEK | CZE | Came IodaRacing Project | Ioda-Suter | 148.8 | 1 Lap | |
| Not Classified | ||||||||
| 38 | Bradley SMITH | GBR | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 153.8 | 25 Laps | ||
| 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | SPA | Power Electronics Aspar | ART | 153.3 | 27 Laps | ||
| 14 | Randy DE PUNIET | FRA | Power Electronics Aspar | ART | 149.9 | 28 Laps | ||
| 71 | Claudio CORTI | ITA | NGM Mobile Forward Racing | FTR Kawasaki | 44.9 | 29 Laps | ||
| 70 | Michael LAVERTY | GBR | Paul Bird Motorsport | PBM | 138.8 | 31 Laps | ||
Paddock Girl
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| Paddock Girl, Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix |
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| Paddock Girl, Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix |
2013 MotoGP Championship Standings After Round 9, Laguna Seca, USA
| 1 | Marc MARQUEZ | SPA | 163 | |
| 2 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | 147 | -16 |
| 3 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | 137 | -26 |
| 4 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | 117 | -46 |
| 5 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | GBR | 116 | -47 |
| 6 | Stefan BRADL | GER | 84 | -79 |
| 7 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | 81 | -82 |
| 8 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SPA | 71 | -92 |
| 9 | Nicky HAYDEN | USA | 65 | -98 |
| 10 | Aleix ESPARGARO | SPA | 52 | -111 |
| 11 | Bradley SMITH | GBR | 51 | -112 |
| 12 | Michele PIRRO | ITA | 36 | -127 |
| 13 | Andrea IANNONE | ITA | 24 | -139 |
| 14 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | 24 | -139 |
| 15 | Randy DE PUNIET | FRA | 19 | -144 |
| 16 | Danilo PETRUCCI | ITA | 18 | -145 |
| 17 | Colin EDWARDS | USA | 17 | -146 |
| 18 | Ben SPIES | USA | 9 | -154 |
| 19 | Yonny HERNANDEZ | COL | 7 | -156 |
| 20 | Alex DE ANGELIS | RSM | 5 | -158 |
| 21 | Claudio CORTI | ITA | 5 | -158 |
| 22 | Karel ABRAHAM | CZE | 5 | -158 |
| 23 | Michael LAVERTY | GBR | 3 | -160 |
| 24 | Bryan STARING | AUS | 2 | -161 |
| 25 | Hiroshi AOYAMA | JPN | 1 | -162 |
| 26 | Javier DEL AMOR | SPA | 1 | -162 |
Marquez wins Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix
On Saturday, Bradl had stormed to a maiden pole position while Marquez suffered a crash in qualifying. On Sunday, the Spaniard patiently followed the German before pulling off a clean manoeuvre at the end of the 19th lap. Five riders failed to make the distance at the notoriously difficult anti-clockwise circuit, the shortest on the calendar.
Marquez’s third victory of the year equals the sum of reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The Repsol Honda rider sank as low as fourth after a poor start, but stayed ahead of Bautista in the early stages and crucially pulled off a confident pass on Rossi at the world-famous Corkscrew corner. He soon homed in on Bradl, overtaking the German and winning by 2.2 seconds. In doing so, Marquez wins for the second time within the space of a week and steals former double champion Freddie Spencer’s record of being the youngest MotoGP™ rider to triumph in consecutive Grands Prix. Furthermore, he makes history by becoming the first rookie rider to win at Laguna Seca.
Bradl’s ride to second was one of calm and composure. A clean getaway allowed the LCR Honda MotoGP rider to head the field from his first ever pole in the top class. The 2011 Moto2™ World Champion was assisted by the fact that those behind him were battling early on, but by the 17th tour had the recovering Marquez only two tenths of a second behind. Once the overtake had occurred two laps later, Bradl comfortably managed a two-second gap back to Rossi to clinch his maiden premier class podium, improving on his previous best of fourth – achieved on three occasions.
Having not finished on the podium until he won Round 7 at Assen, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Rossi has now taken the chequered flag inside the top three for as many races in a row. The Italian, who had famously overtaken Casey Stoner at the Corkscrew five years ago, was this time passed in the same place by Marquez before holding off a significant attack from Bautista over the closing laps; the Spaniard briefly edged ahead before the final corner, but was kept behind. Another third place for Rossi sees him jump ahead of Cal Crutchlow for fourth in the standings.
Laguna Seca had always promised to be a weekend of damage limitation for both Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) and Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team). Both men continued to suffer with left collarbone injuries as they finished fifth and sixth, with Pedrosa having moved ahead of his rival in an overtake at the Andretti Hairpin. The duo finished in front of Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Crutchlow, who on Saturday had been left confused by a crash before taking part in Q2 with his second bike.
The top ten was completed by Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso – who during the race made side-to-side contact on the start/finish straight – and Avintia Blusens’ Hector Barbera, who became the first rider other than Aleix Espargaro to lead the CRT runners in 2013. Espargaro crashed at the last corner, while Power Electronics Aspar teammate Randy de Puniet retired with technical problems. Tech 3’s Bradley Smith also stopped with mechanical gremlins, while the first two retirements were PBM’s Michael Laverty and NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Claudio Corti.
In 11th, Ignite Pramac Racing’s Alex de Angelis scored while covering for the injured Ben Spies, while Colin Edwards finished 12th for Forward Racing. The top 15 was completed by Danilo Petrucci (Came IodaRacing Project), Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) and Yonny Hernandez (PBM).
With the first half of the season now completed, MotoGP™ heads into its summer break before returning with the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix in mid-August. Marquez carries a 16-point advantage over teammate Pedrosa and has finished on the podium in eight of his first nine races since joining the premier class as reigning Moto2™ World Champion. more
Bradl reflects on first MotoGP™ podium
The Moto2™ World Champion of 2011, Bradl stepped up to the premier class last season. Before Sunday, his best results had been a trio of fourths including that of the Sachsenring last weekend.
"It’s a great result for us," Bradl commented. "We did a good job all across the weekend. Of course expectations were high after I had pole yesterday, but I knew I had good speed and that I could be fast from the beginning. I tried to push from the start and I think I did that very well.
"I struggled a little bit. I thought the race speed would be a little quicker but, with the full tank of fuel, I had a few problems with the front. When he caught me I saw that he had some more edge grip on the tyre and that he was able to open up a gap. I just tried to manage the gap to Valentino (Rossi), which was not easy, and it was a long and tough race."
Bradl’s top three finish also moves him up one spot in the championship. The German is now sixth overall, three points ahead of Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso.more
"It’s a great result for us," Bradl commented. "We did a good job all across the weekend. Of course expectations were high after I had pole yesterday, but I knew I had good speed and that I could be fast from the beginning. I tried to push from the start and I think I did that very well.
"I struggled a little bit. I thought the race speed would be a little quicker but, with the full tank of fuel, I had a few problems with the front. When he caught me I saw that he had some more edge grip on the tyre and that he was able to open up a gap. I just tried to manage the gap to Valentino (Rossi), which was not easy, and it was a long and tough race."
Bradl’s top three finish also moves him up one spot in the championship. The German is now sixth overall, three points ahead of Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso.more
Rossi delighted with third consecutive podium
The Italian finished third for the second race in succession, building on his Assen win and last week’s solid result in Germany to move up to fourth in the World Championship standings, 20 points adrift of his injured teammate Jorge Lorenzo.
Indeed, Rossi’s recent run of form has coincided with Lorenzo’s difficulties due to his broken collarbone, whilst Dani Pedrosa’s injury weakness and Cal Crutchlow’s off-colour Laguna Seca ride opened up the podium options.
“I’m so happy about this podium,” Rossi stated. “It’s more important and positive than Sachsenring because we suffered a bit with the Yamaha here. It looks like we had some disadvantage compared to the Hondas, but I had a good race with good pace and I was the first Yamaha.”
“I had a fantastic start but did not have enough pace to stay with Stefan (Bradl) and then Marc (Marquez) did a great overtake on me. Anyway, he was also too fast for me and from that moment I had a great battle with Alvaro Bautista who was very strong today.
“I tried to push and push constantly without making any mistakes. I had a big, big moment with the front where I had to pick up the bike with the elbow so I thought, ‘that is a sign’, as I didn’t crash at that point. I had some trouble with the back-markers because the blue flags were not clear, so Bautista cut the gap and we arrived at the last corner together; but I’m so happy about this, it’s a third podium in a row and I’m happy about the race and the result.”
Rossi now heads into the summer break ahead of the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, which will signal the start of the second half of the 2013 season in mid-August.more
Monday, 22 July 2013
Indeed, Rossi’s recent run of form has coincided with Lorenzo’s difficulties due to his broken collarbone, whilst Dani Pedrosa’s injury weakness and Cal Crutchlow’s off-colour Laguna Seca ride opened up the podium options.
“I’m so happy about this podium,” Rossi stated. “It’s more important and positive than Sachsenring because we suffered a bit with the Yamaha here. It looks like we had some disadvantage compared to the Hondas, but I had a good race with good pace and I was the first Yamaha.”
“I had a fantastic start but did not have enough pace to stay with Stefan (Bradl) and then Marc (Marquez) did a great overtake on me. Anyway, he was also too fast for me and from that moment I had a great battle with Alvaro Bautista who was very strong today.
“I tried to push and push constantly without making any mistakes. I had a big, big moment with the front where I had to pick up the bike with the elbow so I thought, ‘that is a sign’, as I didn’t crash at that point. I had some trouble with the back-markers because the blue flags were not clear, so Bautista cut the gap and we arrived at the last corner together; but I’m so happy about this, it’s a third podium in a row and I’m happy about the race and the result.”
Rossi now heads into the summer break ahead of the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, which will signal the start of the second half of the 2013 season in mid-August.more
Monday, 22 July 2013
Pedrosa: ‘I seriously considered sitting out’
On the Saturday of the previous weekend’s German Grand Prix, Pedrosa had suffered a heavy blow during a highside accident at the Sachsenring. He travelled to California on Thursday, then missing both the first and third practice sessions at Laguna Seca.
“First of all, I want to thank everyone who has supported me over these past few days,” says the Repsol Honda Team rider. “This was a race in which it was very important to take points.
“I was seriously considering sitting out this race because the conditions were very difficult, so I am very happy to have taken fifth.
“We were close to the podium, but on the final laps I found things very hard. I think that I held up well in the race, although I was in a lot of pain the entire weekend. At least I was able to grip the handlebars and control the bike.
“A lot of times, moving the bike makes it tough for you and it is difficult to ride a long race. In the end, the 11 points are very important for the championship.”
Pedrosa crossed the Mazda Raceway finish line in fifth position; although he lost further ground to winning teammate Marc Marquez, he critically finished in front of Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo to remain second in the standings.
Lorenzo ‘felt quite dizzy’ during race
Lorenzo first damaged his collarbone in a crash at Assen, then caused further aggravation by landing on it in a heavy fall at the Sachsenring two weekends ago. Having first planned to miss the Laguna Seca event, the Yamaha Factory Racing rider decided to travel to California as title rival Dani Pedrosa had also sustained injury.
“This was a difficult race because I am not in shape and it’s been one month or more without training and two general anaesthetics,” he explained. “I felt quite dizzy from the middle of the race to the end so my performance was getting worse.
“The bike was also not working the same as in Warm-Up. Maybe with more temperature the tyres were working differently and I couldn't stop the same in the braking zones, so I didn't have the same feeling and I was half a second slower.
“The important thing is that we saved a very dangerous situation because, if I crashed again, I might have finished my championship. We have one month to rest and train now to get back in shape, which will be important for Indianapolis. I hope to be in almost perfect condition there and have the same performance as before the crash.”
At the halfway point of Lorenzo’s second title-defending season, the Mallorcan sits third in the riders’ standings and 26 points in arrears of leader Marc Marquez.
Bautista misses podium by less than a tenth
The GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider had started from the front row for the first time since clinching pole position at Silverstone last year. After Yamaha Factory Racing’s Rossi was overhauled by Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez at the Corkscrew, Bautista began to home in when the Italian was delayed by lapped traffic.
"I was so close to the podium!" Bautista smiled, having gone side-by-side Rossi into the final corner of the race. "I would really liked to have been up there but we have to be happy with this result and especially for the way we achieved it.
"Obviously you can't get much closer than 0.059 seconds, but the most important thing about today was that we showed we have taken a massive step forward and hopefully we can continue in the same way at the next race.
"This result gives us confidence after a less than positive period and it's a nice boost for the rest of the season. I am also happy for the team, who have been working so hard and really deserved to celebrate a result like this today."
Bautista’s previous pair of MotoGP™ podiums came across three races, as they were achieved in the San Marino and Japanese Grands Prix of last year.
Crutchlow heads into summer break disappointed
Retirements aside, seventh marked Crutchlow’s worst MotoGP™ finishing position since the German Grand Prix of 2012 in which he finished eighth. Championship wise, he now drops one position behind Valentino Rossi to fifth overall.
“That was a difficult end to a very difficult weekend and in all honesty I never got comfortable with the bike at any stage here,” admitted the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider, who had qualified with his second bike following a crash with the first.
“It is my worst result of the season so far and I can’t be happy because I gave up some valuable points in the championship. Maybe last year in the same situation I would have pushed and not finished, so that is one positive we can take from what was a tough weekend and it certainly isn’t how I wanted to go into the summer break.
“Right from the start of the race I was on the limit and couldn’t go any faster. I got beaten fair and square and the three on the podium definitely deserved it. I tried my best and didn’t give up, but sometimes you have to accept you can’t do any better.
“It has been a pretty hectic month so now I am looking forward to getting some rest and I will be back even more motivated in Indianapolis.”
The next race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will take place on the weekend of 17-18 August. Crutchlow finished his 2011 race in 11th position before retiring in 2012.
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Tuesday, 23 July 2013
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Tuesday, 23 July 2013
The Australian rider will do four tests in Motegi in the next few months with Honda Racing's R&D team, working on the evolution of the RC213V and also on the new production racer bike that Honda Racing will sell to selected team next year to race in MotoGP.
Casey Stoner
"It's been almost 9 months now since Valencia and I'm still happy and comfortable with the decision I made to stop racing. Sometimes I miss riding my RCV, so I am happy that HRC asked me to do some tests in Motegi this year. This will allow me to enjoy what I miss: riding a MotoGP bike! I'm looking forward to getting on the bike and see how i t has changed from last year and I'd like to thank Honda for this opportunity"
Shuhei Nakamoto - HRC Executive Vice President
"We are very pleased to have Casey back on a Honda! He knows this machine very well and I'm sure he can help our engineers and technicians with the development of the RC213V. We will also ask him to test the new production racer and give us his initial feedback to assist us in producing the best machine possible"
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