Casey Stoner dominated the first day of practice sessions at his home track
Phillip Island. Stoner was fast from the start and set an early pace that only Jorge Lorenzo came close to.

Despite his instant speed, Stoner stated that he wasn’t totally comfortable on his Honda, and felt that there was more to come from him and the bike as they improve set-up over the duration of the weekend.

The Phillip Island circuit itself is also causing some challenges, and almost all the riders complained that the track was more bumpy and unpredictable than last year.

The rest of the Repsol Honda team had other issues and were unable to match Stoner’s performance – Dani Pedrosa struggled with rear grip finishing mid-top 10 in both sessions, and Andrea Dovizioso complained of grip issues with the front end.

The Repsol Honda riders give their thoughts on the first day of Free Practice below:

Casey Stoner:
“I don’t feel totally comfortable with the bike today and I’m sure we can improve the bike a lot. The track is certainly a lot more bumpy than last year and I think it will be very difficult to get the bike feeling 100% as the circuit is making things worse. In general we’ve found the Honda is better in certain aspects than what we had last year but with these bumps it’s difficult to compare in other areas. We need to get the bike riding the bumps in the front a lot better, and also find some more rear grip. There is still a lot of work before we find the right race set up and we know we can go a lot faster”.

Andrea Dovizioso:
“It’s been a difficult first day of practice. The track has many more bumps than last year and it’s difficult to see them, maybe because the surface is very dark I don’t know, but I’ve been struggling to get a good feeling with the front. I decided to keep the hard tyre in front because it suits my riding style more, but with these bumps it’s impossible to control the bike and when I switched to the soft front tyre I couldn’t improve my time either. If the temperature drops tomorrow it will be even more complicated, but we will try our best to improve and have a good qualifying session”.

Dani Pedrosa:
“In the morning I began calm just to get the feeling with the track and we did a decent time, but in the afternoon I struggled a lot with the rear grip, the bike was spinning a lot and we couldn’t fix it during the session. The fact that my lap times are practically the same in the morning and in the afternoon is a sign that something is not right. It’s a pity because maybe tomorrow the weather is not as nice as today, possibly colder, but I trust my team and I hope we can improve. The track is also very bumpy, much more than last year, which makes things even more difficult, there are many places where the wheels are off the ground. Anyway, we will try to make some changes on the bike and I will do my best to improve my riding and let’s see what we can do tomorrow”.

Dovi has signed a one year deal that will see him pair up with Cal Crutchlow for the 2012 season.

Dovizioso had also been offered a ride with Lucio Cecchinello’s LCR Honda team, which was said to include factory support from Honda. With Dovi’s decision to reject this offer and join Tech 3 Yamaha instead, this could leave the door open for John Hopkins to join LCR Honda instead.

Hopkins is rumoured to be the leading candidate for the LCR ride, although Alvaro Bautista has also been in discussions.

Andrea Dovizioso said:
“I’m happy to have reached this agreement with Tech 3 for next year and I want to thank Hervé Poncharal for the opportunity he is giving me. I am excited to become part of Hervé’s squad and to be teamed with Cal. I am sure this new challenge will be exciting, motivating and fun. Now that 2012 is sorted I want to focus on finishing the season in the best possible way.”


Herve Poncharal said:
“I am delighted that a rider of Andrea’s stature has decided to commit his future to Tech 3 and Yamaha. He is without doubt one of the fastest riders in the world who has proven on a regular basis that he is capable of challenging for the podium in MotoGP. I am thrilled that he trusts the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team to take his career to the next level and we can look forward to 2012 with high expectations. I am convinced that with Andrea and Cal we have one of the strongest line-ups on the grid in 2012 and both of them will demonstrate the potential of Yamaha’s new 1000cc machine.”

Dani Pedrosa – 1st
“I’m super happy with this victory, for the team that has been working so well, for HRC because this is the first win in Motegi with the Repsol Honda Team and for myself because it is the first time I’ve won here in MotoGP after doing so in 125cc and 250cc. The race was strange at the beginning with Stoner and Dovi really fast on the first few laps, they pulled away and then Casey had some problem and Andrea had a ride through for his jump start. I was alone in front with Lorenzo close, but I tried to put my head down and push every lap to pull away. I’m happy because at this track I’ve had a mix of good and bad results and some bad injuries, so to come back one year later and win in MotoGP is fantastic.”

Casey Stoner – 3rd
“The whole weekend had gone so well for us and we got a great start and I was able to pull a small advantage. Andrea was riding very well on the soft tyre compound and we knew ours would work well towards the end of the race, so the pace we had at that stage I was very comfortable with. As I came out of the back straight I got a wobble on the bike, we hit the big bump and as the front came down it practically shook the bars out of my hands. I went for the brakes and there was nothing there so I had to pump them up a couple of times, when I pumped it the second time if flicked me up over the front and I was lucky to stay on the bike. Thankfully I avoided hitting the wall at the end of the gravel trap but it’s really disappointing as we had the bike to win here to day, but in the end I guess I should be thankful that we were able to climb back up to a podium spot after other people’s misfortunes and mistakes on track. I’m looking forward to going to Phillip Island now and to see what we can achieve there, I’ve got a Championship lead to protect but I also want to win races.”

Andrea Dovizioso – 5th
“I cannot believe it. I have never had a false start in my career and it happened today, in a race where I felt that I could fight for the win! I don’t know why the bike moved a little before the green light but I realised it immediately and expected the ride through. In the first laps I had a good feeling and I was pushing hard because I knew I was the only rider up there with soft tyres, in my opinion this was the right choice today and I was catching Casey. Then Casey went wide and I found myself leading the race, but unfortunately it didn’t last long. When I rejoined after the ride through I pushed hard but it’s not the same as when you are fighting for victory. In the last five laps the rear tyre started to drop off and I was no longer able to be fast in the middle of the corner. Meanwhile, Simoncelli recovered and was behind me, I did all I could to defend my position but I wasn’t able to. I’m really disappointed as I’m sure today I could have fought for the win, we can see the final gap to Dani is similar to the time it took to do the ride through. I’m sorry for the team, we did a great job and I felt competitive. It’s also a shame for the Championship points, anyway I look forward to Phillip Island because once again I showed to be fast.”

CASEY STONER – 1st – World Championship Position: 1st with 284 points
“Before the race everyone was a little cautious with the wind picking up after the morning warm up session and conditions being a lot different to those we have seen all weekend. This was on our mind and also warming the hard tyres to makes sure everything was good for the beginning of the race. Our start was pretty average, I pulled to the left a little on the start and managed to avoid hitting Dani but Ben came around the outside and I ended up third or fourth going into turn one, but from there we were able to settle down and feel pretty comfortable with the bike. I wanted to get to the front as soon as possible as the bike has been working perfect all weekend and it was our race to lose, so I wanted to try and get out in front and pull a gap. I passed Dani as soon as I could and tried to pull that gap, Dani kept with me for the first few laps but slowly I was able to push and put in a gap and from there manage the race. I think everyone was struggling with tyres to some degree but the bike was fantastic and I don’t mind the bike when it slides around a little! A big, big thank you to the whole team and to take this hundredth win for Repsol Honda is something special”.

DANI PEDROSA – 2nd – World Championship Position: 4th with 170 points
“We already saw in practice that Casey was very fast here and it was also like this in the race. I was loosing some tenths in the first sector and I was unable to reduce the gap in the other parts of the lap. The second half of the race I was sliding all the time and I had some fun, but it was a shame not to be closer to Casey, I had many problems with the rear tyre for the whole race. My priority was to control the gap to Spies and Jorge in the final laps and get another podium. We’ve been second in the last three races, which is not so bad, but we want to keep improving in the coming races”.

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – DNF – World Championship Position: 3rd with 185 points
“I made a small but fast slide at the first right turn, all the weight went on the front, I wasn’t able to control the bike and I immediately lost it as the front tyre was still not at temperature. It’s so disappointing to see your race over on turn two of the first lap after all the hard work done during the race weekend. This morning we struggled during the warm up on used tyres and of course a bad session can affect you slightly, but at the start I was 100% focused and motivated for the race. It’s a pity because we had the pace to fight for the podium and the team did a good job. Leaving Aragon without scoring any points is also so bad for the Championship. We are still third with fifteen points advantage over Dani, but now we need to return on the podium and have good results. Last year we had a strong end of the season, especially in Japan and Malaysia, so I look forward to the next GPs”.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V): 2nd
“I’m a little disappointed with the race because the bike didn’t feel as good as it was in practice. We wanted to make a change to the suspension to improve it a little, but we had the opposite effect. Sometimes it happens. From the first lap I realised I couldn’t keep up with Jorge and Casey, at the beginning the bike was closing the front and then it was sliding the rear. The second part of the race was good, Jorge had a perfect race today, but I was able improve my times lap by lap and catch Casey. I overtook him and maintained my rhythm to the finish with another second place in two weekends, which is not so bad. We’ve been lucky today as it was cooler than yesterday and finally the rain didn’t come. It’s been two very demanding races in a row and this one in particular was perhaps the toughest of the season so far, as the circuit is challenging with so many hard braking areas and it was hot again. Also, after Indy it has been difficult to recover from the jetlag and fatigue. Let’s hope we can get some rest and be stronger for Aragon.”

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: 3rd
“At the beginning of the race I was cautious as there were a few spots of rain. Once this cleared up I was pretty comfortable behind Jorge, I didn’t feel the need to push and then the tiredness suddenly hit me. It was hard to find the braking points and change direction on the bike, there was nothing wrong with the tyres, nothing wrong with the bike, the team did a great job and gave me a fantastic package. I’m just worn out. After the past few races I’ve had to put in a lot more effort in Laguna and Brno, riding a lot harder than I normally would. This together with the neck injury from Assen, which I’ve been struggling to recover from due to lack of training from the hectic race calendar, has finally caught up with me. For the second half of the race I was just too tired, simple as that. I’m very grateful to have finished on the podium. All credit to Jorge, he had a fantastic race, hopefully by Aragon I’ll be fully fit and recovered.”

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 5th
“It was a tough race, I had to push hard and ride aggressively and we had to cut the power a lot due to fuel consumption issues. We suffered from this during the whole race weekend, but after warm-up I received the bad news that we had to cut even more power. This hasn’t been such a big issue this year and in fact it has never been the case that I am unable to match Simoncelli in acceleration. This stems from the riding style and the set-up of the electronics, especially the engine braking. I knew that with this cut in power it would have been impossible to fight for the podium, so this affected my motivation. We had a good battle with Marco and Spies. On this occasion, for the first time this season, Marco beat me so congratulations to Marco. It was a good battle but our target was to gain some points on Lorenzo and we didn’t manage to. We are still third in the championship which is the most important thing. We are confident and will continue working.”

Yesterday we featured Dani Pedrosa’s official Repsol mid-season interview, and today it is Andrea Dovizioso’s turn.

What are your plans for these free days?
“Family holidays, five days in Sardinia, resting at the beach with my family and my friends to relax and gather energy for Brno”.

Are you satisfied with your third overall position?
“With the third position, yes, but not with the difference to Casey and Jorge. Fifty points are too many, but there is nothing impossible”.

What is your assessment of this first half of the season?
“I want to see the positive side and we are third of the championship, I had never been so strong in all races as this year. So I am very happy with the job of the team and of the feeling of the bike, but naturally, our aim is to fight for the championship and right now, we are not competitive enough to set up an strategy to do it. Anyway, we are well placed in the championship and there are still eight races ahead, so we have to believe. We will see which result we get in the end”.

We have seen you in the second and third steps of the podium. What does Andrea Dovizioso need to fight for victory?
“It is very difficult because the level is very high. Lorenzo is having a great season, Casey [Stoner] is very strong and Dani [Pedrosa], when he is in good form, sets the difference. It is really very difficult to try and beat them. I mean, beating all of them at the same time, because sometimes one and sometimes the other is in front”.

Which race do you prefer of the rounds held with Repsol Honda until now?
“I think the Mugello race this year was beautiful. To ride in Mugello, fighting for victory and achieving the second position after a battle in front of the Italian fans was something important. Feeling their support was such a great feeling that I will always remember it”.

If you could go back in time, is there a decision of the ones you took during the first half of the season, both out or in a race, that you would change?
“No. I think that we have achieved the maximum we could do with what we had, except in Laguna Seca, where the max was to be fourth and we did not get it. But until then I did all I could. It is not enough, because we want to fight for the Championship, but I believe we could do nothing more”.

How do you see Pedrosa, Stoner and Lorenzo at this moment and what do you think it can happen in the fight for the title between Stoner and Lorenzo?
“It will undoubtedly be very difficult to reduce the distance to Lorenzo and Casey, because when they go well, they win, and if not, they are on the podium. It is very difficult, but I want to believe in my chances and we will see. I think Dani is in a better situation, because he has less pressure and he is very fast, so he can fight for victory in all races”.

Of the races left, which one you are most looking forward too?
“Probably Malaysia. The Sepang circuit is one of my favourite tracks. It is amazing to ride there with a MotoGP bike”.

DANI PEDROSA – 1st – World Championship Position: 5th with 94 points
“It’s an incredible feeling to be back and win a race so early; I didn’t expect it, but this circuit has been always very good for me and I made it happen. I was already surprised yesterday with second position in qualifying and to finish the weekend in this way is amazing, a huge relief for me after a very hard time with injuries. Here I suffered less than in Mugello because of the layout, but in the race today I had a strange feeling, something I’ve never had before. At the beginning of the race I wasn’t feeling great on the bike, I was fourth but I didn’t get nervous or worried because I’m still not mathematically out of the Championship battle, but I know it’s almost impossible. So, I just let the laps pass and in the middle of the race, with less fuel in the tank and when the tyres started sliding, I decided to step it up a little and it worked perfectly. I’m very happy with this victory, I’ve been suffering a lot even though this race track is not physically demanding, because I’m still weak. So a big thanks to my family and doctors that helped me to be back here because they all know how hard it has been. Also to my team and to all my fans that never gave up, they deserve it also”.

CASEY STONER – 3rd – World Championship Position: 1st with 168 points
“We knew today would be a hard race, we found a good set up yesterday in qualifying but we had an issue with the rear tyre and the temperatures getting too high, with it spinning too much. We took it easy in the early part of the race and thought we’d try to preserve the tyre and warm it up slower than we did in Mugello. After a few laps I decided to make a move to the front to see what we could do and we were able to pull a small advantage, but too small compared to the effort we were putting in so I backed off on my pace a little and tried to stay as smooth as possible and see what happens. They came past me and Dani was riding so strong and was able to get past Jorge before I got there, he built a small advantage and by the time I got past Jorge and I struggled to chase him down. I made a few small mistakes and that left just Jorge and I for the last few laps. I tried everything I could, riding the cleanest lap possible and trying to block my line, but Jorge came up on the dirty part of the track and I thought it would be too high a risk but he made it stick and I have to settle for third place. I’m still leading the Championship and I’m thankful for the points here today”.

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – 4th – World Championship Position: 3rd with 132 points
“It was a tough race because this circuit is small and difficult. Our target was the podium so I’m a little disappointed with fourth position, but if we look at today’s race in a bigger perspective, we took a big step forward in terms of race pace compared to my previous records at this circuit. We had a good start and tried to stay with the front riders. It was a good battle with Simoncelli and Spies for fourth position and I’m happy we won this battle! We were consistently fast during the whole weekend and even though today we were struggling, we finished fourth. We confirm that we are there and we have retained third position in the Championship, even if we aimed to gain more points on Lorenzo and Casey. My congratulations go to Dani, Casey and Jorge for a great race”.

The one hour session began with some urgency under a very light rain on the recently repaved 5.245k track north of Florence. Honda riders started strongly, taking over the top spot from the seven minute mark and sharing it among themselves to the end of the hour. Fastest rider honours went from Stoner to Simoncelli to Dovizioso in the span of 90 seconds just into the seventh minute, and before the ninth minute had elapsed Simoncelli was on top, beginning a battle with Stoner. The Australian would overtake Simoncelli with his eighth lap, just prior to 19 minutes elapsed, and strengthen it on his ninth, which turned out to be the fastest lap of the Mugello Circuit.

Stoner lapped the undulating track in 1m, 48.034s, which was under the mark of 1m, 48.080 sec. set by Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) in Saturday morning practice. Stoner would certainly have dipped into the 1m, 47s had the rain not begun to fall harder with 27 minutes to run. That sent everyone headed straight to the pits, where most watched the rest of the hour pass. A few riders went out at the end of the hour, but to no effect.

The pole was the 31st of Stoner’s career and it came at a track where he got his first pole in the 125cc class in 2003. It was also his 27th premier class pole.

Simoncelli enjoyed strong home country support, with the enthusiasm of the rain-dampened crowd filling the valley in which the track is situated. Simoncelli was either on pole or second fastest at the previous five races. His fastest lap of 1m, 48.485s was slower than Spies’ best by a mere .006s.

Just behind Simoncelli on the row two pole was Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V). Dovi hails from the town of Forli, about 90kms north of Mugello, and was hopeful of joining team-mate Stoner on the front row for his home grand prix. But his consolation was that he was the third Honda in the top four.

Dani Pedrosa, the third member of the Repsol Honda team, made his return to racing after a forced lay-off due to injuries. Pedrosa broke his right collarbone after getting hit by another rider in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans six weeks earlier. Two surgeries followed, with the Spaniard not riding at all until Friday morning practice. Pedrosa said the pain increased as the day went on, but that he believed he would be close to full fitness in a race or two. He finished with the eighth fastest time.

Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: pole position – 1m, 48.034s
“After the two sessions yesterday and also in FP3 this morning, we weren’t too happy with the set-up we had, so we were looking to utilise all of this afternoon’s session. However, we made some changes to my second bike, which I made my fastest lap on, and we’ve come out with a fantastic bike. I’m really happy to get pole here, especially on a used tyre. The start of qualifying didn’t look too good, there was some rain and it was difficult to know how much to push, so we went with soft tyres on front and rear to try and get a good lap time before the rain arrived. Once I was on track I realised the rain hadn’t affected conditions so much, so I came back in and made a change on the second bike and went back out with a hard front which gave us a little more stability and we managed to go a lot faster. The way the surface is working and everything in general is perfect, even with difficult conditions, we made the right choices at the right time.”

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 4th – 1m, 48.694s
“I’m fairly satisfied with fourth position after the rain created strange track conditions, and I’m happy with our overall pace. Starting from the second row is fine on this track as there is a long straight before turn one. We made some modifications to improve my feeling with the front of the bike and, as far as I could tell, they were positive. I wanted to do some laps with hard tyres in preparation for the race, as on this track the tyre drops quite quickly, but it was not possible. The race will be long and physically demanding and it won’t be easy to maintain the rhythm for all 23 laps, but we are ready for this challenge and look forward to fighting for a good result. I’m confident tomorrow the Italian riders will put on a good show for the public here in Mugello.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 8th – 1m, 49.398s
“I was pretty lucky because the session was only 30 minutes old when the rain arrived and this is good for my injury. I made a few nice laps at the beginning of the session and I’m impressed with my lap time; eighth place on the grid is very good given my physical condition. I know that in the race it will be hard but I will try my best. I’ll try the maximum during the 23 laps, 100% in my situation and we will see how much I can achieve. This morning I felt better because I had a good rest last night, but for sure lap by lap the shoulder is getting more and more sore and this afternoon it’s been harder. I want to save energy during the warm up tomorrow morning to try to give the rest in the race.”

Dani Pedrosa will take to the track fresh from his recent surgery and will be hoping that his shoulder can stand up to the demands of the Portuguese circuit.

DANI PEDROSA
“I did what I had to do in these three weeks off and I look forward to get back on the bike after this period which has been good for me to undergo surgery and start rehabilitation. Last week I had the stitches removed, so everything is still very fresh and I don’t know how I will feel in Estoril, but I’m excited to see if everything went well and if I can put the issues aside once on the bike. It would be very good because we had a good start to the season and I wish to compete in the best conditions. I want to make the most of the four practice sessions to prepare for the race. It would help if we have good weather, as this year we race in April, but you can never trust the weather there having the Atlantic Ocean so close. With regards to the circuit, Estoril has heavy braking zones and it will be important to find traction to take advantage of the good acceleration we have”.

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO
“I am looking forward to the race in Estoril, it’s a track where I have had very good results in my career. I arrive motivated, and want to get back to form after the Jerez weekend with a good race and to show the results of all the positive work done with the team. I think that we will be competitive at Estoril. The circuit is very slow and it’s not the best to ride with a MotoGP machine, in fact, one of the more difficult tasks is to manage the power of the RC212V on this slow track. We will have 4 practice sessions to work on the set up and it’s important to start well from the first day. After this long break, I’m happy to return on track. I have enjoyed this period at home with my family, having time to relax but also time to dedicate to training and to do the preparation of the coming races. Now it’s time to jump on the bike”.

CASEY STONER
“I had a good rest in Switzerland and I feel very good at the moment. I’m looking forward to Portugal after a difficult last race in Jerez, we were looking for a good result in Spain after positive practice sessions and qualifying so we are happy to get back on track. Estoril is not one of my favourite tracks but we have had good success there in the past. We will be looking to get back some points against Lorenzo as he has been the strongest there in the past 3 years. I think our bike should work quite well at this circuit as it has some tight turns with exits onto big straights so I hope to find some good traction in these points and be competitive from the first day”.

“Despite the circumstances, I’m going to Valencia in a good mood because this is a track I love and the atmosphere there is always special. Last year we had a great race, so I want to get a good result regardless of my physical condition. We have a new sponsor this weekend from Honda in Indonesia. When I visited Indonesia this year I was really amazed by how many people follow MotoGP there. They are very passionate and knowledgeable about the championship, so it’s good that this new sponsor on the Repsol Honda machine can create a link with this country.”

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – World Championship Position: 5th – 195 points
“I’m very happy that we were back on the podium in Estoril. It means we are competitive and that we can go to Valencia with the target of fighting for fourth position in the World Championship. Valencia is quite a slow and twisty track which makes it a technical and challenging circuit which isn’t easy to ride. It’s not one of my favourite circuits on the calendar but that’s really not important, because we are determined to have a very good race on Sunday and finish off the year as strongly as possible.”

“The Valencia weekend is a special event, not only because it is the final round of the season but also because on Tuesday and Wednesday after the Grand Prix there are two important days of testing in preparation for the 2011 season. I’m really looking forward to getting the maximum out of these two days of testing before we head into the long winter break.”