Photo: motogp.com
The quickest MotoGP rider in Free Practice 1 at Indianapolis, with his 16th lap out of 17 setting the initial pace for the weekend. Lorenzo lapped around the Brickyard in 1"33.654 this morning. Judging by his riding style, Lorenzo hasn't been idling during the summer break, as he showed no sign of rustiness.
His FP1 performance may be regarded as a powerful message to his rivals, that he is not willing to make any concessions in his 2015 title chase. His best lap time is still far from Marquez' 1'21.619 pole, but for the first outing, things will do.
Next in line was defending champion Marc Marquez, whose lap time was 0.093s slower than Lorenzo's. Andrea Dovizioso had a great first practice after the summer break and lapped 0.124s behind Marquez, followed by Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi.
Ducati's Andrea Iannone was 6th, only 6 thousandths of a second slower than Rossi, and showing that his recent progress is a thing that seems to last and even improve.
Stefan Bradl was 22nd on his new Aprilia Racing Team Gresini bike, and has begun learning the ways of the Noale machine. It will be, of course, most interesting to see how his lap times evolve, because he is after all a rider with a lot of experience and is expected to help Aprilia refine the current machine while at the same time, developing the all-new 2016 RS-GP.
Pol Espargaro also claimed the 'Rookie of the Year' and 'Top Satellite MotoGP Rider' accolades in 2014, showing very fast adaptation to the premier class conditions.
Alongside his Tech3 teammate Smith and endurance guru Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Pol Espargaro also brought Yamaha a long-awaited victory in the recent Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race.
He has faced many difficulties in the first half of 2015 but we are still convinced that he has a big potential and remains one of the most exciting, young talents for the future. With his plans for next season now confirmed he can focus on putting together a strong second half of the 2015 championship with more to come next year."
From my point of view, the less you change with regards to the team and the bike, the easier it will be to adapt to all of this. Despite some tricky moments this year, I know the bike and I know I can continue to work well together with Yamaha and Tech3 in order to achieve our goals. This announcement is also fantastic following the success at Suzuka, where we undertook some really good work together that concluded in the victory which was great for Yamaha and also for my confidence.
Therefore, I hope that this result and the renewal of my contract will help me for the nine races that we still have left in 2015, which is the most important thing for me to focus on right now."
Next in line was defending champion Marc Marquez, whose lap time was 0.093s slower than Lorenzo's. Andrea Dovizioso had a great first practice after the summer break and lapped 0.124s behind Marquez, followed by Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi.
Ducati's Andrea Iannone was 6th, only 6 thousandths of a second slower than Rossi, and showing that his recent progress is a thing that seems to last and even improve.
Stefan Bradl was 22nd on his new Aprilia Racing Team Gresini bike, and has begun learning the ways of the Noale machine. It will be, of course, most interesting to see how his lap times evolve, because he is after all a rider with a lot of experience and is expected to help Aprilia refine the current machine while at the same time, developing the all-new 2016 RS-GP.
Monster Yamaha Tech3 renews contract with Pol Espargaro
Yamaha confirmed the extension of its contract with MotoGP rider Pol Espargaro for the 2016 season. Tech3 has been the team Pol entered as a MotoGP rookie in 2014, earning 136 points during the season and finishing in the 6th position, two places up from his teammate Bradley Smith.Pol Espargaro also claimed the 'Rookie of the Year' and 'Top Satellite MotoGP Rider' accolades in 2014, showing very fast adaptation to the premier class conditions.
Alongside his Tech3 teammate Smith and endurance guru Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Pol Espargaro also brought Yamaha a long-awaited victory in the recent Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race.
Lin Jarvis - Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing
"I am very pleased that Pol will remain with Yamaha for next season. Pol is one of the pool of very talented young riders that will surely have a big future in the MotoGP class in years to come. His 2014 debut season was very strong and he achieved 6th place at the end of the year behind the riders of the Factory Teams.He has faced many difficulties in the first half of 2015 but we are still convinced that he has a big potential and remains one of the most exciting, young talents for the future. With his plans for next season now confirmed he can focus on putting together a strong second half of the 2015 championship with more to come next year."
Pol Espargarò - MotoGP Rider
"I'm happy because renewing my contract with a factory like Yamaha is always going to be fantastic. Yamaha gave me the opportunity to make my debut in MotoGP and together, I think we had a really good first season. This year we are working hard to improve our results that have not been as strong as we would have liked at this point of the year. However, next season there will be some important changes in the category, such as the alterations to the technical regulations and especially, the changing of the tyre supplier.From my point of view, the less you change with regards to the team and the bike, the easier it will be to adapt to all of this. Despite some tricky moments this year, I know the bike and I know I can continue to work well together with Yamaha and Tech3 in order to achieve our goals. This announcement is also fantastic following the success at Suzuka, where we undertook some really good work together that concluded in the victory which was great for Yamaha and also for my confidence.
Therefore, I hope that this result and the renewal of my contract will help me for the nine races that we still have left in 2015, which is the most important thing for me to focus on right now."
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