Indianapolis GP: Hayden weathers storm to finish fine second

MotoGP

pubblicato il 15 settembre 2008

Indianapolis GP: Hayden weathers storm to finish fine second

Torrential rain truncated a turbulent Grand Prix in which Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was declared victor after the 28-lap race was abandoned after 20-laps. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) was awarded second and Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) third.

Weather played the ace hand here in rain-lashed Indianapolis. The 125cc Grand Prix was foreshortened, the 250cc race abandoned altogether and this, the main event, brought to a close when the prevailing conditions – furious rain and wind – proved too much for both riders and track furniture.

Forecasters knew, and race organisers too, that the weather systems surrounding the rampaging Hurricane Ike might play havoc with the first ever motorcycle event staged at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since the turn of the century. And they surely did.

The race was declared ‘wet’ before it got underway and right enough the declaration proved appropriate. Conditions were manageable for the first 11 laps until the rain fell harder, the wind got up with a vengeance, and then a howling gale blew the conclusion of this contest into the hands of the race organisers.

A halt was called after lap 20 when conditions had deteriorated to such an extent that debris was blowing onto the track and rider safety became more of an issue than even the 2008 World Championship. After extensive rider consultation the decision was reached to call a result.

It had been an absorbing contest up until then though. Casey Stoner (Ducati) headed the pack into turn one from the line and homeboy Hayden was on his tail with Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) in his wheel-tracks. Rossi too had launched well and was at the business end of proceedings.

Hayden then moved past Dovi and by lap six Rossi was working on Hayden having gone past Dovi while Lorenzo was keeping himself in touch. On lap seven Hayden held a one second lead over Rossi while Dovi fended off Lorenzo’s advances.

Then the rain, already heavy, began to worsen. Hayden and Rossi rode neck and neck for 13 laps. Rossi moved into the lead and then, improbably, it got even wetter. This, however, did not stop the Italian from recording a fastest race lap on lap 15 with a one and a half second advantage over Nicky who was nearly seven seconds ahead of Lorenzo.

From now on it was as much riders against the elements as against each other. The mercy of the red flag soon brought further suffering to an end. There was some debate as to whether a further eight lap race would be required but this fantasy was sensibly quashed.

Nicky, runner-up today, said: “Man, it felt really good to be in the lead and I felt quite comfortable. I was able to stay focused but Valentino came past and he had a little more speed, especially in section three. But when it started raining heavy I was in trouble because when it had dried I’d used up a lot of the left side of the tyre, so it got pretty gnarly with all the water. I’m not leading the World Championship, so I’ve got nothing to worry about. A big thanks to the fans too, we only had to be out in the wet for an hour, they’ve been out there since Thursday.”

Fifth-placed Dovi said: “I’m very pleased with the outcome of today, obtained under conditions that were incredible. We had intense rain and then a strong wind, which then led to the early conclusion of the race. It was very easy to make mistakes and ruin the race, but I started fast, as often happens with me, and I was quick to take the lead. In fact, in the beginning I wanted to stay in front of everyone. I gave the maximum today to earn the most points possible. I believe that in different climatic conditions, we could have also fought for the podium.”

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) made it to eighth and said: “That was a very tough race. I started quite cautiously and then I began to push harder, but in the mid-stages I wasn’t enough fast and I lost some time. Towards the end I found a good pace. Four or five laps before Race Direction stopped the race, the wind got really strong and there was a lot of dirt and debris getting blown on to the track. Finishing eighth is not a good result for me, but considering the conditions I couldn’t do any better.”

Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) was tenth and said: “Frankly I’m a little disappointed I expected to be very good in the wet today but my rear tyre went off very quickly. Maybe it was too hard for the conditions today because the rear end was sliding a lot. After Friday's wet practice I was very confident, but today I could not go forward.”

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V), who signed up again for the LCR Team this week, finished 13th. He said: “It was a tough day today. We started with a quite good warm up in the dry and we were optimistic for a dry race. But the conditions were very difficult before the start and I did not get a good start loosing five places in the first lap. I struggled from the beginning with lack of grip both front and rear but I tried the best I could. We must find a solution for next race in Japan which is potentially wet.”

Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) finished 17th. He said: “It was a very difficult race today because I started from the back of the grid and the conditions were terrible. I managed to pass a few riders in the first laps but I could not find a consistent pace. Towards the end I began to understand the conditions better and started to catch the others in front of me but they red flagged the race, it was the right decision. I’m disappointed because in the dry warm up this morning I was fourth fastest so I will keep that positive in mind as I prepare for my home race at Motegi in two weeks.”

Rossi now has 287 points to Stoner’s 200 with four rounds to run. Dani sits third with 193 points.