Indianapolis MotoGP

After a three-week summer break, the MotoGP world championship

returns, and what better place than right here at the most famous of

motorsport venues, the Indianapolis Some riders have used the time of

to relax. -- time off. Some to try And others to take the biggest

decision of their grand prix career. My choice is because I try to

understand which is the best bike, the most competitive by for the

next two years, the last part of it. At this moment, I have to try to

find and arrive happy at the racetrack. After two years with

Ducati, Valentino Rossi is returning to Yamaha, music to the

ears of his millions of fans around the world after a disastrous couple

The Rossi-Yamaha tandem is one of the most successful partnerships in

grand prix history. After winning three times with Honda, the

maverick Italian famously switched allegiance to their fiercest rivals,

becoming the first rider ever to win back-to-back races for two

different manufactures and sealing the championship for the factory

for the first time in over a decade. Another title follow the next

season, and in some style, Henning Valentino Rossi the reputation as

the goat, the greatest of all time, a title bestowed on him by team-

mate Colin Edwards. Rossi is going to cross the line and win! He has

done it again! Valentino Rossi is the world champion again! When

Yamaha replaced Edwards with Jorge Lorenzo in 2008, the Spanish

upstart proved to be far less compliant. There was genuine needle

between the pair, separated by a controversial wall in the garage

built at Rossi's request. The acrimony seemed to bring out the

best in both, though, and having lost the title to Casey Stoner and

Ducati in 2007, Rossi produced some of the best performances of his

career to reclaim it and make a successful defence the following

season. In 2010, the balance of power began to shift in the

direction of Lorenzo, who started his campaign with two wins from the

Big contact! How about that?! Trailing in the championship and

under pressure to produce as the series came to his home and, a rare

mistake left him with a broken leg, the beginning of the end of his

reign at Yamaha. Lorenzo went on to take the title, and so Rossi

decided to try the impossible once again, a dream switch to Ducati

appeared to be an all-Italian match made in heaven, and only Casey

Stoner had managed to tame the machine, but if anybody could, the

greatest of all time could, right? Wrong. Two Poti has run two seasons

represents a colossal and their achievement from both parties. --

two podiums. Prove that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks,

whatever the pedigree. We have not been able to do enough for

Valentino. Any time he has been here, everybody has done as much as

we are physically capable of doing, and I guess it got to a point where,

with Valentino, where he felt that perhaps he could achieve more more

quickly by returning to Yamaha. now he is heading back, not so much

with his tail between his leg but with the bit between his teeth, and

the difference is that this is no longer his back yard. This is

Lorenzo's land. One of the more logical options for Yamaha was to

take back Valentino, and for me, I think it is a big motivation to

have him back. I've always liked to have the best riders in my garage,

and Valentino is one of them. Yamaha, it is win-win. On one side

of the garage, the fastest rider in the world, and on the other the

fastest of all time, the man with the marketing port to rival anyone

in world sport, and more importantly a hungry champion with

a point to prove. For sure, the title is a dream, and it is also a

target, but in my condition now, especially you have to understand

if I am still a top rider, if I am still fasts, if I can fight for the

front row, if I can still fight for the podium. As for Ducati, a season

of consolidation beckons. Andrea Dovizioso looks certain design, and

alongside Nicky Hayden he will offer consistency and important

development input. But sponsors demand success in return for their

investment, and the real challenge will be to provide it in 2014.

Yeah, a big relief for Valentino's fans, you would imagine, but an

embarrassment for Ducati, they are starting from scratch again. Yes,

for Valentino and his team going away, the whole situation did not

work out, the great marriage with Valentino and Ducati has not worked

for them. I feel sorry for Ducati, because they have taken a big hit.

Now Audi are involved, they will be embarrassed he is leaving as well.

It is not looking good for these guys, but we wish them the best of

luck, great to be in the championship. We could not do

without them. Charlie, great to see those scenes of Valentino fighting

with Jorge, an enticing prospect. You will forget Japan, swapping and

swapping back? That was a grudge match, there were not even any

points on the line. They have both got something on the line. Lorenzo

wants to beat Rossi on the track, because the tiny one was when Rossi

was out, and Rossi wants to prove there is life in the old dog yet.

Cannot wait! That is the big news for the championship in general,

but the main headline here today surrounds Casey Stoner, the

Australian had a monster crash in qualifying and practice yesterday,

a big high-side left him with fractures to his leg, ankle, torn

ligaments in his ankle as well, get that right! He spent the evening,

yesterday evening in Indianapolis Methodist Hospital, but he went out

in the warm-up this morning, so let's get the latest on his

condition. Reece-Edwards. We know that he went out and warmed up this

morning, what is the latest for the race? The swelling is a lot reduced

from last night, and we strapped him up in a slightly bigger boat on

his right ankle, and he had a good session. He had a good time and

felt a lot more comfortable. He is with the medical staff, they have

assessed it, and he is going to race this afternoon, do the best

job he can, and we wish him the best. What can you expect from the

race? Will the pain hauled him back? He has not taken any extra

painkillers, because there is strict regulation with drugs in

sport, so we will see how it holds up. He is strapped into the boots

pretty tight, they are well supported, but he will ride through

the pain, that is what the warm-up was for this morning, to make sure

he could safely operate the machine and he feels confident. He will be

aiming for some good points, we will see what he can do. Good luck.

Thanks a lot. Great news that Casey Stoner will be fit. If you are

wandering about that dodgy moustache, it was the result of a

failed bet with Ben Spies that he could lose 20 kilograms before

Laguna Seca, he fell a couple of kilogram shot! I'm not sure about

the dodgy moustache. Great news that he is fit to ride, even though

he will be in some pain. I think is right for the championship, he is

32 points behind, but if the got none today, the championship would

be gone. The determination is there, he can still win. Jorge could

injure himself, Dani could injure himself. There is a long way to go,

and Casey Stoner is a tough nut. Once the lights go out, the

adrenalin will kick in, and I predict top four. People question

his commitment, Charlie, because he is retiring at the end of the

season, but that proves that he is still the rider that we have grown

to know and love over the years. is tough, he really does not give

up, he does not care about the big scores, he just wants to win a race

macro virus. He was OK in the warm- up, but the infield is really

physical here. And it is a slippery track surface. It is weird, it is

like sandpaper, it wears the tyres out but does not give any grip. The

guys do not know when it is going to let go, we have seen from the

big accidents. Casey was not the only victim. Hector Barbera on

Friday morning gave early indication of just how bad they

were. He had a big high-side himself, came down heavily on his

neck, as you can see, and he has cracked three vertebrates. That is

just 26 days after he broke his leg in a motocross accident, tough as

goats meet, you said, but it just goes to show that all these guys

are as hard as nails. He gave it a go, Toni Elias was the reserve

rider, they did not think he would be able to ride, so he will really

be regretting that, a few minutes into first practice. I do not think

he hurt his like again, but doing his back, nightmare. It was not

just Casey and Hector, the bad news for the crowd here at Indianapolis

is that the home hero, Nicky Hayden, the Kentucky Kid from a few hours

down the road, will not be racing because of this crash. Only a

couple of broken bones in his hands, so nothing serious, but as you can

take from those shots, he was not clean out. Very worrying for

everyone watching, but particularly his family, who come here en masse

every year. That was his sister and that showing understandable concern.

I am told that the Sharma -- shock and drama of that was enough to

send his other sister into labour as well! A real disappointment for

the clan. All of the fans, he is only from three hours at the road,

this is his home race track, and he broke the bones on the back of his

hand, he would have ridden with that pain is the at not knocked

himself out, and unfortunately you have got 48 hours before You are

allowed back on a motorcycle. have just seen him at the back of

the garage, can we just grab a quick word with him? He does not

look too bad, he has obviously been knocked about. We are really sorry

that you are not racing today, as I'm sure you are, how are you

feeling? Yes, I feel OK, but to miss any race is tough, but to miss

your home GP is really tough. But I feel OK, my hand is a bit sore, but

mainly my hands, I do not have everything back yet. It is tough

days in a race, but it was a bit of a heart on, so I am happy to be a

cave. Hopefully these guys than put on a good race. Quick turnaround

for Brno next week, will you be fit for that? We are talking about it

now, there are two theories, some of them want me to get better, wait

until Misano, but my hand is not displaced, so if I try to ride and

move them, it could really jeopardise the rest of the season.

If I wait, try to let it heal a week and come back fit for Misano,

but I am a racer, I want to race. We will discuss it in the next 48

hours and make a decision. You are a family of racers, and we believe

there is a new edition. Yeah, that is right, my older sister was

watching the qualifying, and it put her into labour, seeing me lying

there, it made her nervous and raised the blood pressure, and we

have another baby girl in the family. We have got a lot of races,

it is time to start having some boys. Bills are good, but for

MotoGP we need another boy! -- girls. Time to step up 4th of I was

kind of holding off, letting Tommy and Jennie take care of things, but

I might have to get involved and try to fire one and see what

happens. Send your CVs and pictures into

Ducati! Great stuff. The good news for Nicky Hayden and the whole

family is not just about the baby, but we would get another day at

here next day, because he has another contract with Ducati for

next season. We do not know who will be replacing Valentino yet, we

were hoping it would be Cal Crutchlow, but it seems that will

not be the case. We spoke to him on Thursday, and he told us that his

current team-mate, Andrea Dovizioso, is the man who is up for their ride.

I'm not sure how reliable our news sources and the other side of the

garage, but have you signed for Ducati? I at the moment, no, I

still did not sign. Sure, at the moment all the big riders take the

decision, so now is my moment! And we are really close, so we have

just to decide, I think, this weekend or next weekend. But sure,

I spoke with Ducati, the details, to understand the future, what they

really want to do. Also, with Audi, We expect that deal to be done

quite soon.. He thought he was in line so it has been a costly

exercise, but it could be better on the Yamaha it's a great bike.

has done negotiating with Tech 3. You can bet they are driving a hard

bargain:we will know in calm of weeks. We hope so. We don't want to

see Carl leave MotoGP. We know where most of the top boys will be

next season, what about Ben Spies? He took the unusual step before the

last race announces he would leave Yamaha before the team had a chance

to make a statement. The rumour mill is in full flow as to his next

It seems vaing for you to make an announcement like that without

anything else lined up, what were your motives? It's a decision I

made a while back, and just to, you know, get it off my chest and

actually kind of open, open up doors for other people that are

vying for spot. We are dying to know what you are going to do, what

can you tell snus Right now, I don't know. There is not many

things to add to the rumour, I haven't signed anything yet. I have

a lot of options and I am weighing everything up. When I figure it out

everyone will know. We have some good memories with Yamaha, with the

Superbike championship, it has been great. But, I just can see it is

not the path that needs to go in the next couple of years. Ben Spies

had won in Holland. Heading across, can Stoner get close enough. That

was close, Stoner has done it. don't believe it. 15Hunths of a

second. Now the Rossi announcement has been made, people might think

that was part of the reason you were leaving, can you clarify that?

No, I, like I said I made my decision a long time ago, and my

announcement was before, you know, we we were still talking with them

and before he had signed anything, so, Yamaha never approached me and

told me that was going to happen. I just did that and it didn't matter

who was coming or doing what. seeing the way your season has gone,

you can understand it a bit. Has this been your worst er season?

sure, this decision I made wasn't just based on this season. It is

something that I thought about. Even if we had a good season and

been in the top three and won a couple more races, it is still

something I knew a long time ago. One thing you have had to deal with

is criticism from some aspects of the paddock about your mum. She has

been a driving force, in, for you. Explain that relationship? Yes, I

mean, for sure, my mom has, she has got more balls than most guys in

this paddock does. That is what I admire about her. She, I wouldn't

be here if it wasn't for her. She worked three jobs when I was a kid

and got me into the race track. You know, she takes a lot of heat

because she is a woman doing a man's job. There are plenty of

riders their dad does the same thing, but they don't get a lot of

flak for it, because they are a guy and that is what it is. When it is

a woman, in a man's world. It is going to get criticised and that

stuff. I sit back and laugh, and I kind of enjoy it when people get

flustered up, it doesn't bug her, Well Ben will be a big loss to

MotoGP if he does move on, as we expect. We are out on the grid. Ben

lines up in fourth place. He might have nipped off for a quick toilet

break. He lines up in fourth after a big crash yesterday. Big high

side for Ben, similar to Nicky and Casey's crash. Bruises in his back

and pelvis after this one, he joked on Twitter he will need ice in his

vains after this one. Maybe he has -- veins. He is not on the grid yet.

It takes a special breed to become a MotoGP racer. Bradley Smith makes

a step up next season. You have to make sure that you are properly

prepared, so we thought it was a good chance to send him off to

Texas and get specialist training. Private Smith are youied for

MotoGP? Sir, yes Sir. Can you pop a wheelie? Sir, yes Sir. Prove it!

Give me a bull's-eye. Can you bounce back from injury? Run. Push

it, push it. Circumstances yes, Sir. Do you need traction control?

Sir. Where you going? Get in there. He has been pretty hard-core on me

I have to say. Without doubt it has helped with everything I have been

doing. We started off working on you know, standing up drill, not

putting my feet down, learning throttle control, balance, then he

put me through the press ups and the running and star jumps. Run.

Get across that table. I have had the whip cracked on me but it has

been a good few days. MotoGP is about finding that target and

aiming for it. Right here, we are going to teach you... The killer

instinct. Sir, yes Sir. Come on. Precision. It is amazing here,

especially, you know, with the dirt track and sufficient stuff How much,

I am a very upper body required, always seem to grab hold of the

handle bars and do a lot of work from up top. One of the things the

dirt track guys taught me it comes down legs and the middle of you.

You can use both to get the same effect and a better effect without

tiring one or the other. It is amazing still, at 21, and you know

seven years in Grand Prixs you can still learn things like that, and

without doubt, riding here, it is something I am going to plan to do

in the winter time. Something I will continue to do next year,

because all of this stuff is, it is looking for the small

improvementers and I can still work on my riding style and weight

balance, and MotoGP is going to need it P -- it. Private Smith,

what are you doing on the ground? If you crash get back up and go, go,

go. Yes Sergeant Edwards. I would like to look at what Steff has been

doing, he is the focus point. -- Stefan Bradl. He has adapted. Top

six, top eight is where he has finishing. I will be on a Yamaha

and they have shown what that is capable of. And then it is down to

me to learn during the winter test and see where I end up. But

definitely from a few tips from Sergeant Colins is going to help me.

Private Smith. You didn't do too bad. I think we might make a good

GP -- MotoGP rider out of you. Thank you Sir. Now get the (BLEEP)

out of here. Some fine all American training from an all American man.

As you can see in fine All-American tradition, Colin and the rest of

the circuit standing for the OK, great stuff. Let us get a quick

word with Colin if we can, before he gets back on the bike there.

Colin, always a proud day for you to ride in your home Grand Prix in

front of this crowd. We saw some training that you have been giving

Bradley Smith there. He look like he will made a good MotoGP rider,

but you are not bad yourself, still going strong at 38. We had our own

problems this weekend, all year I should say. Today is going to wait

for the light to go out. I think we have something left in the gas tank.

We need to dig deep and push hard, and the day I got my, the first

time my wife has been on the grid in how many year, I have my good

luck charm here. You couldn't have a better one. Thanks. Let us just

introduce Colin's wife while we are here. I am sure you are very proud

to see him still out here doing his thing. Of course, he is awesome,

always. Great stuff. Are the kids here as well.. Yes, two of the

three. We don't ever bring the third one. One is looking like he

might be another MotoGP ride over the future. I said he is going to

take his spot. He is a natural. might be going long enough. Have a

good day today. Let's go. I want to quickly show you James Ellison on

the grid. If only because his mum sent a Facebook me please show a

shot of my James. There he is. -- message. Say hi to your mum James.

There is another rider, James on the CRT bike, doing a good job of

course for the Paul bird racing team. One man who has impressed is

this guy, Yonny Hernandez. Let me see if I can get through here.

Excuse me guys. Yonny from Colombia, of course, there you go, his

Twitter handle if you want to follow him. You had ast place

result at Laguna, your best grid, you are really improving with this

bike right now. Yes, I am very happy with this, I want to get a

good result, and I like the track. It's a difficult track. It, the

bike, but I like it. We like to see you sliding the bike. Good luck to

today -- today. Thank you. Key keep an eye on this guy from Colombia.

Let us rattle through. As you can see people are clearing up the grid.

Let us grab a quick word with Cal Crutchlow. We didn't get a chance

to hear from him at the top of the show. One last gasp on the inhaler.

Didn't know he was an asthmatic. Want to join in on that one. Cal,

quickly, you have you have got a go faster haircut but how is the bike

working round this circuit? Are you talking to me Matt? You have a go

faster haircut, but how is the bike Go working? It has been a tough

weekend so far, hopefully we will get away and do the best we can. I

will tell you after the race! the best, thanks. All right. So Cal

in seventh place. That is the only time he has failed to qualify on

the front two rose apart from Silverstone when he had the big

accident in practise, and had to start from the back. -- rows. Let

us go this way, because I want to show you Casey Stoner, we wondered

if he was going to make I we heard that he was, and here he is, on the

second row in sixth place. The lowest Honda, sorry his lowest

qualifying position since he joined Honda in 2011. Let us get off the

grid now. As we go, I am going to grab Jeremy from Alpine Stars who

have made a boot for Casey, you have had to make alterations

because he has strapping on the ankle. Just kept the supports down

the side but took a bit of gel out. His ankle is very strapped. We have

movement. We want to make sure protection is place and give him

volume in the boot. It is going to be a hard race. I hope he makes it.

These boys are made of tough stuff I will be a tough race for Casey,

and for Ben as well. It will be a Casey Stoner, Steve, in spite of

the fact that he only did three laps and makes the second row of

the grid. Shows how much vengeance he used for the tee off. Yes, he

has some work to do today, but I predict he will. There is Cal

Crutchlow on the third row of the grid. Some great rides by some of

the CRT guys. I was going to refer to that. It would annoy Valentino

that but he is behind Randy de Puniet. It shows points up, the

turning in problems that vos is having. We saw him in qualifying.

Couldn't get it turned in. They have been struggling with it.

Strange surface round this track here, in fact that man there, lorn

only got it nailed in the -- Jorge Lorenzo only got it right in the

last session. The Mr Smoothie, butter and ham, he left the butter

out today because he has the softer rear tyre on and stone tone there,

he will be in a lot of pain, but he will be pleased to see those lights

go out. When they do I think he the circuit is where he is

struggling. He is will really annoyed Nicky Hayden. He has a two

point lead over Valentino Rossi in the championship, 84 and 82,

Batty's there is 81, so it could be really costly for him. -- parties

that. And he has not failed to score points in any race this year.

He said he will have a look at how his hand is, but I think he would

have taken painkillers and race today if he had not had the

concussion. It never stops you commentating, in fairness. I hope

we have a look... That is a great shot, we are on the banking,

because it is the great big oval that is Indianapolis, then the

infield, and then we come back out again. Let's have a look at the

pick-up, this is horrendous. This is where he says it is hard, you go

left, right, change of direction, and when you lift up the right but,

that is when he gets the pain, but I suspect he will have had pain-

killing injections. You can see all the rubber on the track, incredible

how much there is, and it is so slippery, whether you are in a car

or on a motorcycle. We saw in the Moto3 race, crash is going on there.

As soon as you go off line, it will be like a drying track, just a very

narrow line, so passing will be difficult. Yes, it really does

indeed overtaking. In turn one and down the back straight into turn 6,

when we leave the banking, there is a shot of an extra line, but other

than that it makes for processional racing, if we are not careful. You

can see why Casey Stoner is keen to keep this ticking on, 32 points

adrift of Lorenzo. As you said, Lorenzo struggled right up to

qualifying, when he found some speed. It will be interesting to

see how his lay hold up, have Dani gets off the line. Really heating

up the carbon brakes, trying to get some temperature in there. Casey

Stoner hangs back, as always, one of the last to come to the grid. He

likes to keep his powder dry, T the temperature on his tyres. -- Keep.

This will be a real test for the gritty Australian, the current

world champion, and he would like to retire as champion, but he has

got some work on. Not a bad looking crowd, they condense them on this

part of the circuit, where the banking is, and then the infield.

Hard rear tyre for Casey Stoner. This is going to be very exciting,

tonnes to play for, the revs are at the Brickyard, we are ready to

start, and it is good for Dani Pedrosa, as usual. Lorenzo goes

with him, Ben Spies coming round the outside, how about that?! A bit

of recovery from Dovizioso, who regained there. Ben Spies sneaks

his home Grand Prix by turn two. went wide but managed to stay in

front. Casey Stoner lost quite a bit of ground, Valentino Rossi

right behind him. But the American, Ben Spies, leads into the barbie

section, and look at the difference in the surface. Let's not forget,

you are riding with Casey Stoner, he is behind Cal Crutchlow, so a

stink are they start 4KC. Back to the front, Ben Spies... -- a

stinker of a start for Casey. Ben Spies, Dani Pedrosa, have a look at

that, Jorge Lorenzo back in 4th place. That was not a plan. Oh, no!

I think that his frustration more than pain. You could see the

marbles everywhere, it is a one Lane track. Ben Spies, we saw that

big crash from him, 28 gruelling laps around this two-point five

mile circuit, and he seems to be riding so much better since he

announced his retirement, the retirement from the Yamaha team. He

is absolutely on it, he has had one win in MotoGP in the past. Ice in

his veins and on his shoulder. He had some shoulder damage in that

crash yesterday, and he is uncertain how that will hold up for

a race distance. The Honda is an absolute start in a straight line.

Ben Spies holding this, has he got the pace? Looking good so far.

what can he do? He is rumoured to be going to World Superbikes,

someone else was talking about American racing, we heard from his

mum, his manager as well, managers normally just want lots of money on

the figures, but she wants him to be happy. Ben Spies in front are

Dani Pedrosa by a tenth and a bit, Casey Stoner is clear of Cal

Crutchlow. Another building a ride yet again from Stefan Bradl, a

belting start. He is having a look, not close enough. Right behind him,

Casey Stoner, he was tentative off the line, but I guess that is

understandable. He has got the harder rear tyre, the last thing he

needs is another accident. He has got some broken bones in his ankle.

It is very swollen and very sore, and changing direction will be

difficult. There will not be any team orders, I suggest, from Ben

Spies to Jorge Lorenzo in third place, because he is not with the

team any more or will not be at the end of the, so we will not be

reprimanded. In fairness to him, Lorenzo has a pretty meaty lead in

the championship, anything can happen. The Honda of Dani Pedrosa

just probing for a way past. Anything can happen, but he is as

comfortable as he can be, Lorenzo. Have a listen to this thing in

scream and wail! This is out under the Banking, the banking is on the

right, we go left. Look at the surface change, a big bump,

hurtling into this part of the track which tears the tyres. The

circuit, Formula One came here and around the opposite way round, so

it does not get used a lot, and that is why it has taken a long

time to get rid here, rather being laid down by the backs. The track

came in more slowly than normal, because we had an enormous

thunderstorm on Thursday before they took to the track, it washed

it clean, and it took an extra session. There is so much debris on

the track, their minds they have been three warm-up sessions and

races before this one. -- bear in mind. It looks as though Dani

Pedrosa, at least for the time being, is very comfortable.

Times are excellent, 1:39.40 to, that is very fast for the second

and third lap of his race. It would have qualified you on the second

row, that is how fast it is. As they say here in Indianapolis, back

across the strike we go. Look at that! Ben Spies around the outside,

that is very firm, he is not taking no for an answer, but he has got to

get it stopped before the right hander. Not close enough, Pedrosa,

but he will have another go. 39.24, that has blasted the lap record of

Casey Stoner. In fact, the top three have all broken the lap

record. Lorenzo has got past having his best season ever this

year, and he will be spearheading this team for next year. Ben Spies

riding with an attitude we have not seen for a while. Remember

Barcelona? He went so well there and then crashed when he was

leading the race, let's hope it hangs together Today. Stoner has

cleared Cal Crutchlow, next on his shopping list is Stefan Bradl.

has just managed to Janice down the inside, could move, but a running

white. -- Jan it down at the inside, good move, but running why. Alvaro

Bautista will remember the hip and shoulder that he got at Mugello

earlier this year when he shovelled his way past him. This guy is

trying to do a bit of digging and shovelling himself. Listen to this

green! Look at the speed of the Honda, the weight of Pedrosa, he

has got to the insight. Once Dani Pedrosa gets in front with at speed

down the straight, it is going to be hard for Ben Spies to stay in

touch. He is good on the fiddly bits. That really helps him,

because it is to the physical around here, a number of direction

changes. Dani Pedrosa only weighs 51 telegrams! He is trying to put a

bit of a glass and it, he knows he is going to be smoked down the

straight. -- a bit of a gloss on it. Dani Pedrosa was a winner here in

2010, finished second here last year. He will be pleased, in some

ways, well, not pleased that his team-mate is injured, well, he

might be, because Casey Stoner was going to be the man here. We have

had three retirements so far, three Stefan Bradl, holding off the

reigning world champion. Fair play to him, Alvaro Bautista is hanging

on to the back as well, three Hondas in a way -- in a row. Cal

Crutchlow is at the end of that pack, Steve. They are very much in

touch. James Ellison is in 19th position. I do not know if he has

had problems. I think he might have gone off the track, he got caught

up with those early incidents, because he is back behind the wild-

card rider, Erin Yates. Colin Edwards is 15th. Not much wrong

with these words of the customer Honda bike, Casey Stoner giving it

is thought to get down the inside. He was in the draft all the way,

but he has still had to use a bit of muscle to get past. There's no

way for Stefan Bradl to get past. He will not want to use too much

tyre trying to work back after the point. No, but Casey Stoner has

settled a bit, depending on how that right foot is. You can see the

plain black boot, which is full of swelling at the moment. We are

riding with Dani Pedrosa, second, in front of him. These beats are in

miles per hour here, it being in America, 208 mph. -- the speeds.

Dani Pedrosa are already starting to gap the two Yamahas. Look at

that, Dani Pedrosa down the back straight, he has gone! Yes, and

Lorenzo lapped faster than Ben Spies last time around on the other

Yamaha, his team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo leads the championship. His

last lap was half a second faster than Dani Pedrosa. Michel Pirro,

the team-mate are Alvaro that he's there, -- Alvaro Bautista, he ran

out of squirt, it is all over. That is tough for those guys. James

Ellison there, we have got two wild cards here, I am sure we will see

them as the race progresses. Dani Pedrosa has got a one-second lead

over Ben Spies, who is just holding Lorenzo at bay. The battle for 4th

place. Oh, no! He is coming off the racing line. His mother said he has

got to get rid of the black cat that has been following him around!

What else can go wrong? suspension collapsed at Laguna Seca,

it is like he has a home race jinx. His countryman will not be pleased

to say that. Nicky Hayden will be gutted. That is just... That is

unheard of. They are so reliable normally falls of the Yamaha engine

we have seen let go all year was Lorenzo's. That is just

unbelievable bad luck, and there is oil on the track. I do not know if

there is, there is a lot of smoke, but it is a precaution that they

worried about. Well known that he has broken a piston or something.

They will probably say it was an electrical failure! As I say, any

oil should be captured. No, it is not, look at it on the track! A

great big slalom of oil out of the the man in second place, Lorenzo.

That is a meatty lap from him. It slaughters the lap time of stone

refer last year. Held that record. He did get to the inside, as long

as they don't apex too lightly they should be all right. Lucky going

into this corner they runs, it is, I think they are OK, because I

think he got it on the inside there. Now they are past it. Look at this

Bradl is making Stoner work very hard, back in front of him. So

Dovizioso holding third, then Bradl and Stoner in fifth. The worst part

ability following a bike, a lot of the guys will have smelled that

smoke and know if there is oil on the track. It is disconcerting.

Dani Pedrosa who set that fastest lap was in front of him. He had no

fear. Yeah, seeing everyone else checking their boots. Making sure

it wasn't their bike. Lorenzo is in good touch. There is a bunch for a

spot on the podium. We are only 21 left. Plenty of time for this to

resolve. These two are clearing off. Spain versus Spain but Honda versus

Yamaha. Lorenzo has gone for the softer option tyre. We saw Stoner

going for the soft option and it worked for him. Dani Pedrosa is 2.2

seconds advantage and lapping faster than Jorge Lorenzo. 21 laps

remain. Fair to say Dovizioso is bunching the guys up, but he is

riding an impeccable race. There is nothing wrong with that thing down

the main straight. The Yamaha satellite bike hauling. Stoner

can't make a move on Bradl. I think he lost ground in that oil. I think

Casey Stoner, because he passed of course, the number six, Bradl so he

was more cautious than Steff none Jet lag will be bad enough without

any further injuries. This is a right old battle for third.

Dovizioso through. Just, can Bradl ninth. To me it looks like stone,

it is a matter of when he will pass Dovizioso. He has to get past Bradl.

He has to regroup, resettle. Close that gap down. Even if he does, he

is ten seconds down the road from Dani Pedrosa, so I think he is into

damage control. I guess from his point of view, the best thing that

can happen is Dani Pedrosa wins this. Jorge Lorenzo leads the

Championship. It will actually damage limitation should I say, and

if he, I predicted he could get fourth and I think he can. This is

Casey Stoner I am talking about, who is currently in fifth position.

The man who is going to Ducati next year, Dovizioso. There is the line

of him. Stoner is in fourth. Behind him Bradl. Cal is on the back end

of that stack. But the race leader is having his 2.4 seconds in front

of Lorenzo. As I said, ten seconds ahead of Casey Stoner. Pedrosa is

chucking in the fast laps. This is going on the an interesting game of

cat-and-mouse. One thing we know about Lorenzo. Although he

struggled to find form, oh no. Nightmare city, that is absolutely

just what Cal doesn't want. He has chucked the bike down the road a

couple of times on the weekend. I make that a hat-trick. At least he

son... Just before, as he tipped it in. He folded the front. Now Randy

de Puniet has retired. We have had Randy de Puniet out. This is a real

race of attrition. Stone attorney back of Dovizioso, trying to take

that third place away. Stoner getting on the podium would be

something rather special, when we saw him cart off in an ambulance

yet. If he stays on the bike it is likely he will get on the poedup. -

Yamaha punches a hole in the air and Casey says "Thank you very

much" or whatever Australian is for that. Have a look at that. Is

Bautista working hard? He has got past Bradl so this is a battle for

the pass. As you rightly said, punched a hole in the air. It is a

factory Honda against a satellite Yamaha. It looked like it had the

speed. It had the nice move on the inside. Jammed it down there. But

Casey Stoner would have to be riding it 95%. He does not need to

tumble. He said he was struggling through that first section there,

turn, six, seven and eight. He is not struggling at the moment. His

lap times are very good. Crutchlow has not rejoined this race. He is

out. Did not get the thing going again. So, that is a real setback.

Shortly he will be falling down into the laps of Bradl as far as

points are concerned. Cal Crutchlow sits in fifth place with 106 points.

But Dovizioso is clearing off. That has been the battle between the

pair of them. This gap is stabilising. About three seconds

between them. Lorenzo might be thinking I wasn't that happy with

the set up. I might as well play a percentage game here. I will only

increase my lead by four points even if Stoner finishes where he

dufpltz it won't be too bad. There is Valentino Rossi being pursued by

Yonny Hernandez, who Matt correctly made a big shout for going down the

pit lane. Hernandez has been riding the wheels off that thing. He is in

eighth. In front of Espargo. Yes. That is an FTR machine there.

Kawasaki engine. He is lapping way over a second slower than the front

guys. The new regulations for the CRT bikes have detractors but you

have to say Kawasaki engine, there are a lot of extra manufacturers in

here in one form or another we didn't have a year ago. Here is Ben

Spies bike. That is horrible for the riders. You don't know whether

there is oil on the track. You can't see a great deal. That is

awful. Conditions, that is where Stoner lost a great deal of ground.

There you can see on the left hand side Spies pulling off. A real

nightmare for Ben Spies this season. Two mechanical failures in two

races. That doesn't happen. It's a solid team. Engines let go but they

run-up to mileage, they monitor the oil. They usually let go in rent ta

cars not bikes like this. If he had any luck it would be bad. Black cat,

ladders, whatever Ben Spies probably keen to get out of this

Championship and get away. We know what a talent he S he has come back

riding very well. Had horrible crash, dodgy races you could say

where things hadn't happened but he hasn't forgotten how the ride.

should have got the pole and he should have got a podium. What

about this guy? Number 26. 26-year- old. 125 champion in 2003, 250

champion in 04 - 05. Never won MotoGP. Best chance ever this year.

It is almost a Stirling Moss thing going on. He runs the risk of being

the best rider never to win a World Championship. Joined next year by

Marquez, the UK man that won motor 2 today. He is looking like romping

away with that Championship. will be a big responsibility for

Pedrosa who will be seen as the lead rider for Honda. He has to

step up to it. I think both he, Pedrosa, we look at, that leads the

race by 3.1 seconds and Jorge Lorenzo, there he is on the screen

right now, will be quite sur priced that Casey Stoner is going to come

through to be running on the podium, and Casey wouldn't have known that,

you never know as a rierbgsd you do your very best and have to see what

happened. You don't know how much how much it is going to affect you

until you start running. This is when it is going to start hurting.

That looks like another mechanical engine problem. It is, Steve, a big

fast straight, there are two of them, it is a tough, tough circuit

on jins. Isn't it. It is, but they are designed for it. It is strange

TCRTs are allowed 12 engines yeer as op posed to the factory machines

and the satellite factory produced type ma seens which are only

allowed six engines. From is an absolutely awesome facility as we

say here, it has an 18 hole golf course. It is astonishing. This is

the fiddly infield bit that takes them off the banking. They rejoin

the banking twice on the hallowed bricks. There would be the

championship points on the screen if they finished in this order.

That would make Casey Stoner 36 points back. He is 32 back at the

moment, you would have to say under the circumstances, seeing he had a

crash like he did, that isn't too bad. The interesting thing it is

only 18 points this man here, Pedrosa would be behind Jorge

Lorenzo. Yeah, one crash from Lorenzo, for instance and the whole

thing could stand on its ear. Poor old Cal. He feels the pressure, he

has to press on. That is frustrating for him. Yes, that go

faster haircut didn't work! It didn't give him the race result he

was looking for. That banking does look treacherous, it is all right

if you go straight over. If you accidentally and we have seen it

happen before, drop a rear wheel off and not a front, that is deeply

dangerous. It is approximately three inches high. We have seen

riders run over the top. If you a motorbike. Last time round,

Lorenzo lapped faster than Dani Pedrosa, but now he has kicked back

in. Dani Pedrosa has kicked in a 39.2 so Jorge gave a push to see if

he could close the gap down. Pedrosa has sponed to that and

continued to stretch it out. There is number one Stoner in third place.

He is lapping fractionally faster than Jorge Lorenzo. He is the man

under a bit of pressure at the moment, as the gaps currently stand

Pedrosa is secure, Lorenzo is secure. Stoner would like another

second between him and that bunch of marauders behind him. At least

that way he would be banking his 16 points and a berth on the podium.

Then it is down to Dovizioso. A new fastest lap for Pedrosa. He has his

head on. That is a response. That was a big response. He will see

that stretched it out to 4.2. Lorn thought "I wish I hadn't bothered."

Pedrosa fired in the fastest lap of this race, 13 laps remaining. That

is incredible. Thereon that Honda screaming away! -- listen to that

Honda screaming away. An amazing talent Dani Pedrosa. You only have

to see him in real life, as such, to see how tiny he is and the way

he mandhandles this machine. The way he really does throw himself

round on the motorcycle. And can win a World Championship, I am

convinced. He has to stay away from injuries. Touch wood he has had a

good season. He hasn't damaged himself a great deal. As we saw, he

cold end up here 18 points behind. We are round 11 of 18, so many mo

races to go. We have straight away next weekend. The Czech Republic.

One one of the features of Dani Pedrosa's career has been

unfortunately when he has been hurt, it takes him a long time to come

back. Remember when he had that coming together last year with

Simoncelli, we lost him for races. Talking forever to get back. Karel

Abraham is back. He is still struggling. He knows she shouldn't

be behind spaing. You are right. A lot of people have been saying the

CRT bikes are bub bishop but they are in front of Abraham, Ellie son.

And one of them outqualifies cat, and then these days, what this,

down into turn one, he dives up the inside as they flit into the inside.

-- Ben Spies, watch this. He showed such purpose there. Another view

back from Dani Pedrosa. Yes, there they are, so Ben Spies really did

nail it off the line, straight past his team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo, who

is a little bit cautious. But you are when you are leading the

championship, you don't want to throw it away on the first corner.

Very big commitment around the outside from Ben Spies. Dovizioso

there. One false move and it is all over, we saw that any Moto3 race,

straight down he went. That is the straight away, about half-a-mile

long. They come out on to it at 40 mph, up to 210 before getting on

the brakes again. Yes, the speeds are still very high, 209 at that

time around, Dani Pedrosa, as the fuel load goes down. Poor Cal

Crutchlow, he must be gutted. Obviously very disappointing, what

happened. I had the same crash I have the other day, exactly the

same corner, the hairpin. I tried to open the gas and I lost the

front. We have been struggling all weekend. It was disappointing,

because we seemed to be in not a bad battle, the pace seemed quite

good. But disappointing, the first race we have not finished this year.

Still, we can take some positives from the weekend. We were faster

than last year. But we will go away, have a look at it and see where we

will improve for next weekend. At least we do not have long to wait.

Well, it can happen to anybody, as Dani Pedrosa just demonstrated.

saw him having a big moment, missing a gear into the corner. He

got onto the dirty stuff that we were speaking about. That has taken

1.2 seconds off, that is how much he lost through that mistake. I do

not know if Jorge Lorenzo would have seen that, but his pit board

will have told them that he gained over a second on that last lap

around. We would get a good indication as they go over the line.

That is the gap. 1.2 seconds mistake, you are right, mate.

still going to be a tough call to expect Lorenzo to be able to close

that down. But really the Yamaha has not gelled this weekend. We

talked a great deal about the Yamaha coming out of the truck, it

always seems to work. Well, this weekend, particularly Jorge Lorenzo

more than Ben Spies, he has had to work very hard. It was only the

qualifying session when they managed to get a little bit more

weight on the back of the back, transferred the weight, getting it

to drive of the board better. Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo have

totally different riding styles. Or they will not be so pleased that

Dani Pedrosa has this kind of advantage. -- Jorge. Picking up Cal

Crutchlow's point, a statesmanlike response to what had happened to

him, but he made an interesting point. It is the crash he had in

practice as well. Yes. Well, like you said, a hat-trick, three

crashes, or similar situations for him. And it is all about getting

the balance on the bike right. You think you have got it sorted out,

but the difference in the race situation, you are going around and

around, the fuel load is changing quite an awful lot, and often it is

a compromise. You work out whether you want the bike good at the

beginning, the middle or the end, and you work out where it will be

best for you, your race strategy. Clearly not enough grip on the

front end for Cal Crutchlow. Yeah, and what he will do, of course, is

go back through the data and overlay each crash and see if there

is any commonality, where he hit the brake. Yes, you look at the

data, look at the corner speed, the brake pressure, the suspension

travel. Number 46, Valentino Rossi, in 7th place. Yes, he is

circulating basically about two seconds per lap slower than Dani

Pedrosa and Lorenzo at the pointy end, which is a real cause for

concern for him. But there is relief in sight. Well, there is.

Everybody has been talking about nothing but Valentino Rossi going

back to Yamaha. 41.7, 39.54 Lorenzo last time around. So he is in a

whole. It is hard to keep your pecker and keep plugging away if

you think it is going to chuck you into the scenery. It is bearing in

mind that Yonny Hernandez has done a 42.6, less than one second behind

the factory Ducati of Valentino Rossi, the nine-times world

champion. Whatever you can say about that, I am sure Rossi has

tried his hardest. I know that all the team worked extremely hard,

trying to sort it out, and it has confounded them. They cannot

believe that they cannot fix it. is in the toe, admittedly, but that

is CRT against MotoGP. 20 kph. I was always good at passing down the

straights. With more horsepower! Valentino Rossi, a lonely race, as

he tends back to thread his way through the really complex series

of turns that gets you back onto the pit straight. 16 fiddly corners,

from 10 to 16. Stefan Bradl is having the best of the battle with

Bautista. It is really gapping, and as we suspected would happen, Steve,

we have seen is even in the normal support races, because the racing

line is so narrow here, the passing opportunities are so fine, that it

gaps the field a lot. Dovizioso has got the magnets on big time for

Casey Stoner of Australia. Yes, he has, he can smell the injury, I

think. The Stoner will be in a lot of pain, agony, trying to get the

bite to change direction. You really files are from one side to

the other, using your legs and ankles, which he has injured. --

fire yourself. He will be smelling a podium. He can probably smell the

liniment! A crack of a start from Ben Spies, but Dovizioso was really

focused. Stone I got the squeeze and the inside, the defensive line,

but it did not work. -- Stoner. knew our injured, you do not want

to be sticking your neck out, you really just want to get the first

lap out of the way. It is so easy to get tangled up like that. If he

can stay on the podium, and he will do his best, Casey Stoner I am

talking about, but it is going to the heart because Andrea Dovizioso

is not injured, he has got everything to gain. -- it is going

to be hard. He has still got another seven laps to close this

bite down. -- bike. He has got some pressure, Steve, this is really

getting tight. Last time across the line, he was three tenths behind,

but that looks like our a tenth, he might be in front of him. Casey

Stoner has got to yield. This is becoming more personal. A little

wave of thanks from Dovizioso. Ben Spies, out of the race from the

lead, your heart goes out to him, what can you say? You could not

make it up, could you? What happened? I mean, you know, we had

a good bite today. We got a good start. You know, we felt good the

first couple of laps, when Dani Pedrosa came fast, he was going

pretty quick, I could tell he was using a lot of rear tyre where I

was not. I figured if I could keep him within three seconds, over 28

laps I would have a good shot at the end. I remember the last two

years, how he was fighting, but on the last lap I could feel the bike

timing out, and then it just went on a straight away. I knew I had a

little bit of a gap, so I quickly polls to the left, but I started

slowing down. I just tried to get off the line and not endanger any

money. I knew there was a lot of smoke, and then I got up on the

curve and just rolled to a stop. Just another one of those weekends!

We are all feeling for you, but luck. Yeah, I mean, now it is three

problems we have had. It is an air of, pretty much, but I do not know

what is a poor start -- it is an heard of. We put in a good race at

Laguna Seca, we were a bit banged up here, but I gave it 100%, and I

think somebody owes me a little bit of money now, that is for sure!

you feel so bad for him, Steve, getting special Stars and Stripes

led they just for the weekend. It is just heartbreaking. I can tell

you as well, looking at the engine chart here, that was a pretty fresh

engine. It had done a little bit of running, but it was his fourth

engine and it was its first time out. We have seen them put out four

races on some. There will be a big postmortem on that engine, they

will strip it down. It could be an engineering problem, not

manufactured to the correct tolerances. That is what they said

about the suspension component that broker at Laguna Seca.

Unfortunately, it was a manufacturing issue. That amazing

practice three, qualifying and the warm-up, and one practice in

Mugello a couple of races ago, very low mileage blow out. Casey Stoner

is watching at the moment as Dovizioso is starting to put

daylight between them. Yes, he he knows his capabilities, he knows

what he is able to do, and he will be losing a great deal of ground in

the twisty sections, making up a little bit in the straight away.

His Honda should be faster, but Dovizioso will keep the pace up.

Looking at Stoner's last lap, three tenths slower than Dovizioso. This

is where starts hurting, the change of direction, jumping across the

an indication of the change of surface there. This was where Casey

reckoned was the hardest part for when he said it was the most

difficult! Is contrary. -- he is contrary. 9 laps remaining, is the

resting himself and then going for it in the last lap? A big points

difference if he finishes in front after Rizzio so, 16 or 13 points,

three valuable points at the end of the accident yesterday. Now he is

close enough to make a run out of here, and he has got the speed, the

whole being punched in the air by the Tech 3 Yamaha. Will he just

stay behind? I think he might try to get as close as he can and see

what he can do with one lap to go. I could watch that all day, it is

fantastic, but you keep getting your knee down sitting in a chair

here. He is very, very close through the part that you said you

would least expect. He thought it would give him most of the trouble.

And Dovizioso, the Yamaha clawing its way out of the corner very well,

very effective corner exit. Back in front, this bloke does not have to

worry, he has got 7.5 seconds back to the next man. He could do with

another win, it would really put him in the hand, although he is

second in the championship, it is Stoner and Lorenzo that have done

the bulk of the winning. Yes, it's just one win for him at Sachsenring

in Germany. He has been consistently solid, second and

third, but 18 points would be the gap at the end of this if it

money at that moment five laps ago, missing HPA going into the corner

to be passed by Bradl and Valentino Rossi and by Bautista, in this

Championship, sitting this out as he does. That is a painful and

expensive thing for him. So he will have to fight back. We have a

couple of wild cards here, that is bike 15. He was the guy who tried

to qualify at Laguna and realised by the warm up he couldn't make the

cut. Better performance here and we have got an old legend here as well,

Aaron Yates who is on another bike here. A bright blue machine. I can

tell you that bike there, number 15, Steve, is lapping four seconds

slower than Jorge Lorenzo, yet Jorge Lorenzo has taken six or

seven corners to get past. Because there is only one line. He doesn't

want to chuck it down the road when he has several seconds lead over

the man in third. He is not making friends with Jorge Lorenzo. Jorge

will know he has a enormous gap, a ten second advantage. Pretty

frustrating and it is annoying. No flashing your lights, no Blue Flags

in America either. It's a bum rap for Lorenzo. He gets past though.

Through he goes. Rap is in a race too. That was a very costly, in

terms of time for Lorenzo, although as you say he has plenty of head

room. There is no real pressure but as a rider, it is an anything to

gets held up. Three seconds that lap cost him. In about seven

corners. Yeah, OK. Hands held tightly for Lorenzo who will seed

five.s in his lead but he will be OK about that. He will be more

relieved to top up the gap a bit, over Casey Stoner. This will be a

long two laps for Pedrosa. I am sure he will be tired and worn out,

whether you are fit or not, there is the gap you can see. That is the

2.5 seconds lost by Jorge Lorenzo last time round by being held up by

the back marker. Preth is out. Pirro is out. Spies is out. --

Petrucci is out. Nevertheless, a good race. What a great result this

will be for Yonny Hernandez in tenth place. So that is a battle

for the first of the CRTs. Espargaro has passed heroin disease

for ninth. As Matt was saying at the top of the show, Yonny

Hernandez is spectacular, to watch. The way he backs the bike into the

Alberto is thinking "Keep it nice Dani." 16 corners and job done.

Same for Jorge Lorenzo. And Dovizioso looks to have this done

Steve, bike number four. Another, yet another podium for a Tech 3

bike, in front of Casey Stoner. that gap, Dovizioso back to Stoner,

is, you can see it there, it is about a second and, just under two

seconds. Stoner won't be making that up in this time. I thought he

could finish top four. It looked like a podium but clearly very

uncomfort -- -- uncomfortable for him. No. When you have cracked

bones, etc like that, as Colin Edwards looks over his shoulder he

is about to be lapped. He is letting Dani through. Casey is just

probably finding it is getting more uncomfortable. It is a long race

and these guys are working hard. The only good news for Casey Stoner,

if he is looking at the Championship is Pedrosa closing on

Lorenzo. Any silly little thing, engine packing up, that engine

could have been in Lorenzo's bike. There, there would be no

favouritism. It is unfortunate for Ben Spies he was the one that got

the dodgy motor. Indeed it was, but for Dani Pedrosa it is going to be

job done, in Indianapolis. Nice one Dani. Did it from go to whoa. Pole

position and won the race and fastest lap as well. I make that a

hat-trick. Back across the line. Useful points. Clenched fist from

Jorge Lorenzo. Damage limitation as you said, and then Dovizioso, nice

work for Tech 3. Another podium and Casey Stoner consolation points for

four. Absolutely, yes, that is the fifth podium for Dovizioso this

season, he has been solid coming from Honda back to Yamaha. Nice one

for Bradl. Couldn't see off Bautista who got if front but Bradl

is in front of Valentino Rossi. Karel Abraham behind. Poor old

Valentino Rossi. He wants this old wheelbarrow to go away and get

something different. It is a credit to Valentino Rossi, still loves the

sport. Signing another two-year deal. We saw him tat speedway, the

Indy Mile, like a kid in a toy shop, enjoying motorcycles, at 33 being

paid the money he is, he still is loving his sport. He loves

motorcycles. It was a belting night. There is Karel Abraham. Yonny

Hernandez, my hero! Yes. The CRT winner. That is a great result from

him that. Bike when you look round it, it is not, it is kind of

cobbled together machine. It has a terrific chassis. It has turned

into a good package. We saw them testing it and they were nearly

laughing. Credit to the team, they put a good bike together. As we

chatted before about this Steve, these bikes are more mature, if you

like, the MotoGP bike bus the CRT things with new chassis builder,

new engines, trying different thing, they are on a vertical learning

curve so they will close the gap. We saw Jorge there, pleased to

finish second. He won't be pleased about that ten second advantage

Dani Pedrosa has over him. He will be pleased about the 20 points he's

got. Won, second, wins in France, wins in Cataluna, in the UK, second

in Germany. Wins in Italy, but Mugello, second in US and another

second here, that is some Championship. It is very consistent.

Points win prizes and he very much in the hunt. So 225 for Lorenzo.

Anything is possible and as you said, it puts pressure on Lorenzo,

who will feel understandably the need to respond. Dani Pedrosa never

taken a title. Stoner, well he started sixth, with a three lap

qualifying session, which is all he managed before he crashed. So six

to four if that is a banker. think it S top four with damage

limitation u but Dani Pedrosa. needs a hot bath, Casey Stoner, he

will be very very sore. But credit to him, we said at the top of the

show, proves his commitment to Honda, pro-s he really would love

to retire with that number one plate. And proof here that Tech 3

can knock out a pretty useful motorcycle as well. Podium for

Dovizioso. He is fourth in the Championship now, by a pretty comfy

margin. He has won 37 points and Cal is down in 106 points, so Cal

was in front of him before his team-mate. Dovizioso opened it out

a bit. Crutchlow is more than 30 points behind Dovizioso now, that

is a big call. It S he was having a solid season point wise. He got

virtually the best points in this Championship, up until now we have

had from any British rider. Cal Crutchlow will be cross with all

that. Casey will need lifting off the bike. That hurt, didn't it. I

guess the painkillers wear off after a bit. Sterling performance

by him. Sensible performance from him. As we discussed before, Steve,

Lorenzo was seventh fastest by the third free practise session, he was

so lost. He has put it together. You can't believe someone in that

much pain could Rize ride a motorcycle. -- could ride a

motorcycle. Torn ligaments and fractures. And hugely bruised all

over. Makes you think next time you say ouch for hitting yourself wa

hammer. Next time people say traction control sorts that out.

The riders don't have to ride them. They do, I can promise you. Dani

Pedrosa this is indication, it is much more than the point, it is so

much it's a second win, so in the winner's club now. Not just the one

he had in Germany there is your the leaderboard. You could have to

be happy with that. -- you would have to be happy with that. Rap is

in the points. Just the one but he goes in the record books. That was

Yates's first MotoGP race at the age of 38. Never the Les he got it

and done it. He is not the only one. and done it. He is not the only one.

Dani Pedrosa really did it. Congratulations, second win of the

season, and really had the pace all weekend. Yes, I think it was a very

good race for us, the bike was working perfectly. We were spinning

all the week, but when everybody is spinning, then I Amor comfortable

so I had a good place in the race, very pleased with that, just had a

small mistake in turn two, almost went out of the track, so I was

lucky to stay on track and get back in the rhythm. So thanks to the

team. So happy with this win. points behind now, congratulations.

Thank you. Let us go back to to that moment he had. That was a

monster. Really really big moment. He came close to going out on the

grass. He did lose 1.5 seconds on that. In Jorge Lorenzo had been

closer to him he probably would have homed in on him. He was able

to regroup and got his pace back. And indeed, Lorenzo struggled there

is a great view. How is that for a golf course. Lovely stuff. If you

get board with the racing you can have a whack round the back nine.

It is extraordinary here. It is amazing. It really is. It really

really is. And an enormous circuit. So, spare a thought for Nicky

Hayden, spare a huge thought for Ben Spies. All dressed up and it

didn't happen. You couldn't predict this buddy. You couldn't. What

desperate disappointment for the home fans for Ben Spies and Nicky

Hayden but a massive win for Dani Pedrosa. Two wins from three races

now, for the Spaniard. He is the man in form with seven races to go,

we are out of time now on BBC Two, to catch the thoughts of the other