Press releases from the MotoGP teams after Sunday's race at the Motorland Aragon circuit:
Bautista battles to an exciting sixth at his home Grand Prix
Publish Date: Sunday, September 18, 2011
Rizla Suzuki's �lvaro Bautista produced a thrilling performance in front of his home fans at Aragon in Spain today to equal his best dry result of the season so far.
Staring from 11th on the grid, Bautista got boxed in on the first corner and was lucky to avoid a crash between two other riders, but by the end of the first lap the hard-charging Spaniard had moved up to eighth position. He then got involved in an almost race long battle with the Ducati's of Hector Barbera and Nicky Hayden as the three of them traded places many times throughout the race, before Bautista got the better of the pair and made a break in the latter stages to secure a hard-fought, but deserved, sixth place.
A crowd of over 63,000 spectators arrived at Aragon today to be greeted by overcast skies, strong winds and temperatures considerably below what they had been previously this weekend. Championship leader Casey Stoner produced another commanding performance to take victory on his Honda and further strengthen his position at the top of the standings.
Rizla Suzuki and the rest of the MotoGP paddock now embark on a far eastern tour that will see them all race in Japan, Australia and Malaysia in the month of October. The first of these three races will be the re-scheduled round at Motegi in Japan on Sunday 2nd October, a race that was originally planned for earlier in the year, but was postponed due to the tragedy that struck that country shortly before the GP was due to take place.
�lvaro Bautista:
"Today we had very different conditions from the practice and the temperature was much lower. I wanted to have a good race in front of my home fans, so I pushed as hard as I could to make the bike and tyres work right from the beginning, but I didn't get a good start and other riders got in my way in the first corner and it was quite difficult to overtake early on. I got up to Hector and Nicky we had a big battle and fought a lot between us and when I got into sixth the riders in front were very far away and I was still fighting with the other two, so I couldn't get a good rhythm. In the last laps I made a break from the other two and was able to ride more consistently and smoother and pull away to secure the sixth place. It was a good result, but I think if the conditions had been the same as qualifying we had the potential to be with the group fighting for podium positions. I am happy with all we have done this weekend and looking forward to the next race and to continue with this work."
Paul Denning ? Team Manager:
"Another strong race performance by �lvaro, he again kept things tidy and used controlled aggression to climb from a fourth row start to a sixth placed finish. We are really happy with �lvaro's efforts and the performance of the GSV-R, and the focus continues to be the same as it has been - that is to qualify better and get more out of the fresh tyres at the start of the race. Those two things are definitely connected, in that if we qualify better and are following the quick guys in the early laps we have a much better chance of hanging in there with them. I think Motegi will suit �lvaro and the Suzuki, and we are looking forward to giving Suzuki's Japanese fans something to remember when we go there next month."
ELIAS OUT OF LUCK AT HIS HOME SOIL
Aragon, 18th September: after yesterdays Aragon GP challenging qualifying session, LCR Honda MotoGP racer Toni Elias started from the 17th spot on the grid for the 23-lap race hold in cooler conditions (19 degrees) but the Spaniard was expecting a different result on his home soil.
The Spaniard lacked corner-exit drive during qualifying but took a very good start from the last row finishing the first lap in 9th position. Unfortunately the Spaniard could not maintain the same pace for the whole race and his competitors caught him lap by lap. At 7 laps to go Elias and Capirossi collided but they both escaped unhurt from the incident.
Elias - crashed: "Despite the crash I feel satisfied because I have pushed hard for the whole race. Once again I took a very good start and the first laps I have tried hard to follow the group. But, as happened in the past races, I missed traction control and the guys started to pass me. I could not maintain the same pace and then Loris hit me at 7 laps to go. We went both out in the gravel but I am not angry because this is racing and I am happy we are both okay".
DETERMINED RIDE SEALS FOURTH FOR SIMONCELLI
Marco Simoncelli faced a difficult task in today's race at Aragon from the moment his tyre performance began to drop after ten laps, up to which point "Super Sic" had put together what looked like a strong podium challenge. A subsequent mistake also hampered his cause but Marco was able to fight back and repeat his excellent result from Misano two weeks ago. Hiroshi Aoyama produced a stirring performance in hand to hand combat with Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow, which should fill him with confidence ahead of his home round in Japan.
Marco Simoncelli (4th) "I am pleased with this result ? we had to grit our teeth and I'm sure that even without the mistake I wouldn't have been challenging for the podium anyway. Lorenzo was faster than me on used tyres so no complaints there. I didn't get a great start but I managed to get into my rhythm quickly and make some passes to get up to third place. From the tenth lap onwards the tyres really dropped off and then again after another five laps, although Spies was in even worse shape than me so I was able to fight back to fourth."
Hiroshi Aoyama (11th) "It was a nice race and a fun battle with Rossi and Crutchlow. The final position isn't great but I am happy with the way I rode in difficult conditions, with much less grip than yesterday which made it tough. Valentino, Cal and I passed each other a few times and it was great fun. Now I am hoping to put up a much stronger performance at our home GP."
Fausto Gresini "It was a nice race if not an easy one because as we expected the degradation in the tyres proved to be a real problem for Marco. Anyway, fourth place was very well deserved and thankfully the mistake he made did not prove to be costly. A podium would have been a huge ask today so we're happy to repeat fourth from Misano and I think we can have a strong finish to the season. Aoyama did a good job too, fighting with Rossi to the end I think we can have a good weekend with him at his home round at Motegi."
Lorenzo Takes his First Aragon Grand Prix Podium
Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo made the weekend's hard work count today, taking his first ever Aragon Grand Prix podium with third place. Having dropped from fourth on the grid in the early laps, the reigning World Champion gradually picked up the pace, running well under his qualifying time to gradually reel in the front runners. By lap 10 he had caught both his team mate Ben Spies and Marco Simoncelli, passing them both to take third which he held to the line. The results mean the gap to Championship leader Stoner has now increased again to 44 with four races remaining of the season.
Fellow Yamaha Factory Racing rider Spies had probably his best start of the season so far, shooting off the line to outride both Stoner and Dani Pedrosa for the lead into turn one. Having then dropped to third the Texan was maintaining a gap to fourth, scoring the third fastest lap of the race on lap four with a 1'49.593. A dramatic drop off in grip on the sixth lap then affected his pace. He was passed by team mate Lorenzo and then Simoncelli, dropping to fifth place. The result sees Spies retain fifth in the Championship standings, now 24 points behind Pedrosa in fourth as they head to Motegi next week.
Jorge Lorenzo
Position : 3rd Time: +14.209
"We struggled a lot from the beginning of the race, losing positions and having to recover step by step. We couldn't get more than a podium; that is the best result we could get today! I didn't have confidence in the rear and it is impossible to catch Dani on this track. It's a pity, but at least I got the podium I couldn't get last year. We are still fighting for the Championship and that's the most important thing, we are going to Japan with hope still alive."
Ben Spies
Position : 5th Time: +27.739
"I knew the start wasn't going to last long the way Casey and Dani were riding but I felt pretty good in the beginning. Even when we got to the fourth or fifth lap I thought our advantage to fourth place was growing. I felt really comfortable and thought we had a podium fight in us. Then the sixth or seventh lap the tyre just made a huge drop and just kept going down. Usually they make one drop then stay consistent. I had no confidence in the rear and no grip. I'm frustrated as before that we were riding well and the bike was working great."
Wilco Zeelenberg
Team Manager
"For Jorge P3 was maximum damage control so we are happy with the result today. This morning we discussed that this was the maximum possible. Finally in the race he was going half a second faster than in qualifying which is pretty good so he must be happy to be on the podium. I'm sorry for Ben, tyre drop off means you can't do anything; luckily we didn't have that problem. We had a lack of grip in the beginning and couldn't do 49s but were very consistent on low 50s which is the only reason we were able to finish in third place. The team worked really hard all weekend to deliver the best possible set up for Jorge, so a big thank you to them."
Massimo Meregalli
Team Director
"The drop in temperature this afternoon probably compromised the work we've done up to this morning in set up. Ben really couldn't do more because the rear tyre was really bad after just a few laps. Jorge achieved the best result possible, I think he did good job and thinking about the final championship standings, third place is still a good result. For sure it doesn't make it so easy but we'll keep going to the end."
Stoner runs away with Aragon victory as tyre wear key factor
Round 14: Aragon GP ? Race
Motorland Aragon, Sunday 18 September 2011
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Ex Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium
After a strong showing all weekend, Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner used his tyres very well to take his eighth victory of the season at Motorland Aragon today, strengthening his World title bid. With four rounds remaining, he leads reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo by 44 points.
Although it remained dry today and the weather warning issued overnight didn't materialise, conditions for the race were much cooler and windier. Nevertheless, Stoner set a new lap record on just his fourth lap of the race, indicating strong tyre warm-up performance, and ran consistently in the 1m 49second bracket over the first half of the race.
His pace meant that he finished over eight seconds clear of teammate Dani Pedrosa, whose best effort was also under the previous lap record, and behind him Lorenzo crossed the line third after fighting back from fifth.
Throughout the race, tyre management proved very important as wear rate on the surface was relatively high. Off-line the tarmac was dirty and this always leads to increased tyre wear, especially for those in battles further down the field who cannot always stick to the ideal and clean line.
Every rider opted for the harder option rear slicks, and most also used the harder option fronts with the exception of Alvaro Bautista, Hiroshi Aoyama, Colin Edwards and Loris Capirossi who used a medium compound front. Bautista in particular used his to good effect, battling hard with Hector Barbera and Nicky Hayden throughout to finish sixth.
Hiroshi Yamada ? Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
"Congratulations to Casey and the Repsol Honda team for marking their 100th GP victory in style this weekend, extending their lead of the Riders' Championship with four rounds remaining. Next we head to Motegi for the Japanese Grand Prix and what is the home race of many manufacturers in the paddock, of course including Bridgestone, so we look forward to being able to show our solidarity and support for this nation and hope for another thrilling race after last year's encounter there."
Masao Azuma ? Chief Field Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport
"Conditions for the race today were completely different to the rest of the weekend as the track was much cooler and there was a strong wind blowing down the main straight. This meant that the situation for the tyres and bike setups was very different. Even though our tyre compound options were the same this time as at Aragon last year, because the track conditions were different this year so was tyre behaviour. It is a prime illustration of the balance between warm-up performance and durability ? warm-up performance was clearly very good today in the cool conditions with the top ten fastest riders all setting their best times within the first six laps, and Casey's lap record coming on lap four. Conversely, it was also clear that tyre wear was a key factor for some riders towards the end of the race, but this is the trade-off of achieving better warm-up performance that the riders have been asking for this season."
Casey Stoner ? Repsol Honda Team ? Race Winner
"It was a good weekend all round really. We missed an afternoon of running on Friday so we thought this would affect us today, but what we found were completely different conditions with a lot of wind for the race. We had to set the bike up totally differently, and I think the colder conditions helped us with tyre wear. We knew the tyres warmed up fairly quickly and well so after the first few corners we wanted to get moving as we knew the bike was working well here. I want to thank the team because every time I head to the track this year, we have a good package and good rhythm."
Top 10 for battling Crutchlow at Motorland Aragon
Cal Crutchlow produced one of his best performances of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship this afternoon, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider claiming a richly deserved ninth place in blustery conditions at the Motorland Aragon track.
But it was a frustrating 23-lap race for Colin Edwards, who won't remember his landmark 150th MotoGP with fond memories after he finished in 13th position.
Crutchlow quickly found his pace after losing time in the braking zone at the first corner and his charge into the top 10 kicked off when he claimed 11th place from Edwards on the fourth lap.
He then launched an immediate attack on Hiroshi Aoyama and Toni Elias, pas sing both with masterful overtakes to claim ninth on lap six. Nine times world champion Valentino Rossi then dropped the British rider back into 10th on lap seven.
From that stage of the race until its conclusion 16 laps later, Crutchlow was involved in the most exciting battle on track in front of a windswept crowd of over 63,000 fans. The 25-year-old, Rossi and Aoyama were barely split by more than a second and as their intense fight reached an exciting climax, Crutchlow produced a brilliant attacking display.
He passed Rossi and Aoyama on lap 18 and despite coming under intense pressure from the more experienced duo, he managed to keep them at bay to claim his best result since the Catalunya race in early June.
The seven valuable points collected today moved Crutchlow two places up the World Championship rankings into 13th position and he moved back ahead of Karel Abraham in th e coveted Rookie of the Year classification.
The race proved to be a difficult affair for Edwards, who struggled to find the right set-up to give him the rear grip he needed to push with his normal confidence. He made more weight distribution modifications to his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine ahead of the race, but the tweaks didn't have the desired effect and he finished in 13th.
Cal Crutchlow 9th ? 52 points:
"I'm really pleased with how the race went today because I was back inside the top and having a really good and enjoyable fight with two of the best riders on the grid, who have had a lot of success in Grand Prix racing. It is a shame that I lost a couple of places at the first corner because I'm sure with a better start I could have been battling with Bautista and Hayden. I got on the inside on the d irty part of the track and when I braked I locked the front wheel and nearly crashed. What pleases me the most is that I could make up for the lack of speed on the straight in the corners because the Yamaha handles brilliantly and my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team gave me a really good bike today. But to hold off Valentino and Hiroshi at the end took a massive effort. I think if they'd started the final lap in front of me on the straight it would have been hard for me to slipstream. There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend because I've got back in the top 10 on a track I'd never seen before and beaten two guys with a lot more experience than me. I gained a lot of experience today riding with Valentino and that has given me a lot of confidence for the next few races."
Colin Edwards 13th ? 90 points:
"That certainly wasn't a great way to celebrate my 150th race in MotoGP. We tried to get the bike right all weekend but we were pretty much chasing our tails the whole time. We were trying to improve the rear grip to compensate for the speed we lose on the straight and for the race we altered the weight distribution again. We put a lot of weight on the rear but it never really worked. After about five laps the grip just went down and I wasn't expecting it to drop off that quickly. Once that happened I couldn't stay in that group I was in and I just went backwards. If somebody gave me 10 million Euros to do a 1.51 right now, there is no way I could do it. The last two races have been pretty tough, so we'll get our heads together and try and come up with a solution for Japan and aim to be fighting back in the top 10 where I have been all season."
Herve Poncharal ? Team Manager:
"I am really pleased to see Cal back in the top 10 and ridi ng with the same confidence that he showed in the first part of the season. I think it was the best ride of the year for him. Maybe not in terms of the final position, but the way he rode was fantastic. The start was difficult, but he never gave up and what was really good is that he was riding with Valentino and Hiroshi and he would have learned a lot from those two. Today he could battle with a nine times World Champion and I'm sure that will do a lot for his confidence in the future. He didn't only race with them but he beat them and that makes it even more satisfying. With a better start it is not unrealistic to imagine he could have been with Bautista and Hayden, but ninth position is still a very positive result. It was a difficult weekend for Colin and definitely not the way any of us wanted to mark his 150th MotoGP race. He took a gamble on the set-up and he also used the soft front tyre and unfortunately this time it didn't pay off. All he could do was finish and ge t some points and we hope he can quickly forget this weekend and return to the form we know he is capable of in Japan."
EXCELLENT START AND GREAT RESULT FOR BARBER� IN ARAG�N
MAPFRE Aspar rider gains seven places on opening lap, eventually concluding the race in eighth
The MotoGP race at Motorland provided few surprises, as Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa carried over their practice session domination to race day. Stoner took the lead on the opening lap and never looked back, and Pedrosa did similar in second. The two were separated by eight seconds, with Lorenzo fourteen seconds behind the race winner. Thirteen riders took the chequered flag, with four crashing out.
Going from fourteenth place to seventh in a single lap, MAPFRE Aspar rider H�ctor Barber� was on top form for his home race. His best start of the season had much to do with it, as he finally managed to get off the line with the speed that he demands of himself. He established a strong pace throughout the contest alongside Alvaro Bautista and Nicky Hayden, who battled against him for a long period. A mathematical mistake when looking at his rival's pitboard at the end of the race confused him into a premature slowdown -unsure as to how many laps remained- and he lost a place as a result. Eighth was nonetheless an excellent result for a rider finding form in the home straight of the season.
8th H�ctor Barber�: "Today's race was difficult, because the temperature was a lot different to that which we experienced in practice. The bike behaved a little differently and we had to adjust to the situation. I think that my start was good and I am satisfied with that, because I hadn't done so before this season. There was a moment in which I had got up to sixth place, but Hayden and I traded positions over the course of a lap and Bautista escaped. With two laps remaining I focused on Hayden's pitboard accidentally, and saw that they had put one less lap up for him. I got confused and Hayden took advantage to pass me; I got back ahead of him but I ran wide just after and lost my chance to keep up with him. It was a shame not to have finished as best Ducati, but our hard work was shown in today's race. I want to emphasise that my team did a great job today, and gave me a great setup. I am on a run of successful races, and want it to continue."
Fantastic double podium as Repsol Honda Team celebrates 100th win
Today in the Grand Prix of Aragon, Casey Stoner claimed his eighth win of the season in front of over 63,000 spectators. Not only did Casey celebrate another fantastic weekend where he recorded fastest pole position (1'48.451) and also fastest race lap (1'49.046), but he also took the Respol Honda team's 100th Victory since the partnership was born in 1995 when fellow Australian Mick Doohan won the very first race of the factory HRC team in Repsol Livery in Eastern Creek.
Dani Pedrosa completed a 1-2 finish for the Repsol Honda Team, which had a special livery for race day in Aragon, with a comfortable margin over Lorenzo. Unfortunately team mate Andrea Dovizioso had an accident on the first lap and was unable to continue.
Championship leader Casey Stoner now enjoys a forty four point margin over Lorenzo in second place, with Dovizioso in third position and Pedrosa close behind in fourth.
The Championship now heads east to Japan for round fifteen in Motegi on October 2nd where alongside it's contracted riders, HRC will enter Shinichi Ito as a wild card entry in a HRC Team while Kosuke Akiyoshi will ride alongside Toni Elias for LCR as a show of support for the East Japan area.
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 forwa rd to the next GPs".
Karel Abraham stays in the hospital for observation after nasty crash
The Cardion AB Motoracing rider Karel Abraham suffered nasty crash on the first lap of the Gran Premio de Arag�n and then he was taken to the hospital for series of medical checks.
Karel Abraham, who started from the third row on the grid, made a promising start, but then he suffered a horrific crash on the first lap when he touched with another rider and the rear wheel of his Ducati Desmosedici GP11 hitted him in the helmet.
Complaining about headache, the twenty one years old Czech rider was taken to the hospital, but a series of medical checks didn?t revealed any injuries. Despite this fact Karel Abraham stays in the hospital for observation until today?s evening.
CHALLENGING WEEKEND FOR THE DUCATI TEAM AT ARAGON
The Aragon weekend was particularly challenging for the Ducati Team and its riders, who are working to speed up the development of the Desmosedici. On one hand, the choice to use a seventh engine for Valentino Rossi enables his team to have two identical motorcycles available to work on during the last races of the season, but on the other hand, he was obliged to start from pit lane today, ten seconds after the race start.
That didn't prevent the Italian from stubbornly climbing to ninth place, even if a worn rear tyre prompted him to subsequently lose a position to Cal Crutchlow.
Nicky Hayden started very well from the third row and finished in seventh place after a nice battle with Hector Barbera that lasted until the final corner.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th
"I had a good start and was decent at the very beginning. We knew tyre wear was going to be an issue, and we had a drop in performance after the first couple of laps. It lost grip, and I also wasn't able to load the bike well for turning. I was okay in parts of the track, but compared to the fast guys, I was losing time in the last corner. I hoped to hang onto the second group for a while, but it just wasn't possible. I'd like to have fought with Bautista on the last lap because he was on our pace, but Barbera and I were going back and forth, which hurt both of us and let him escape. It's unfortunate, because coming here we hoped that we could put up a better fight. Still, this is the first race I've finished normally with the GP11.1, since at Indy I reentered just to get points. Hopefully that will help us to get some data and be better off in the future."
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 10th
"It was definitely a difficult race, even if objectively speaking, we could have done a little better than we did. We used the setup from yesterday morning, with which I had done some good laps with a very used tyre. Unfortunately, in the race the rear tyre was sliding much more than it did in practice. It was almost used up just when I was catching Nicky and his group. That said, we're still not where we should be. We're working on several fronts, with short-term solutions that haven't been conclusive, and others that are longer-term and that I still hope can bring more substantial improvements. We'll see what they think at the factory. For now, we're still pretty far, and given that time is our biggest enemy, we'll continue also working on development during the races."
Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager)
"This race was very difficult for us, but it was also important because we began a project that, while it caused a penalty for Valentino, is also one of the first steps in the direction of the Desmosedici's development. We know that it's not easy for a rider to knowingly sacrifice any chance of having a better performance, and this gives us enormous motivation to try to speed up our work as much as possible. Nicky and his team are also trying extremely hard to gather as much information as possible on his GP11.1 which, despite not having the updated front chassis part like Valentino's, is still a new bike with a lot of margin for improvement with regards to its setup."
DE PUNIET CELEBRATES HIS 100TH MOTOGP RACE!
Today, our rider Randy De Puniet celebrates his 100th MotoGP race. For this important occasion, the Pramac Racing Team would like to celebrate with a cake, with the hope of finishing the world championship as well as possible. Good luck, Randy!
Casey Stoner conquers the 100th victory of the Repsol Honda Team
With these 100 triumphs since 1995, the Repsol Honda Team confirms itself as the most successful team of the Motorcycling World Championship modern era
On March 26th, 1995, the Motorcycling World Championship started a season with the arrival of a new sponsor in the premiere category. The Repsol livery painted with an attractive design the official NSR 500 of the Honda Team. In his first race, Mick Doohan inaugurated in the best way the collaboration of the two big international companies, achieving the first of the 35 victories by one of the most solid and successful partners of the Motorsport world and especially of the Motorcycling World Championship.
Today, 16 years later, Casey Stoner achieved at the Arag�n Grand Prix victory number 100 in the Motorcycling World Championship for the Repsol Honda Team. A success that confirms this long-lived pair of Repsol and Honda as one of the most important and successful teams of Motorcycling history. The Australian adds today's triumph to the list of successes achieved by great riders such as Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi or �lex Crivill�, who got on the first step defending Honda's orange and blue colours so characteristics of the Motorcycling World Championship.
It has been 16 years in which the Spanish energy company and the Japanese motorcycling brand have built a relationship which translated into 8 World Championship titles in the premiere category, thus achieving international recognition which started with that first victory of Mick Doohan. That win was followed by another 34 for the Australian, a major player in this feat. It was a Spaniard, �lex Crivill�, who took over when Doohan retired. The noi de Seva wrote a golden page of the Spanish and International Motorcycling when he became 500cc World Champion in 1999. With his pass to MotoGP, Valentino Rossi showed again the strength of the Repsol Honda Team by achieving 20 wins and 2 World Championship titles, followed by the one achieved by Nicky Hayden en 2006.
The same year was also the debut of Dani Pedrosa who, currently together with Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner, is part of the most powerful line-up of this year's World Championship and sets the reference of the Continental Circus. With today's victory, the Repsol Honda Team has won ten of the fourteen rounds already held this season, thus following the victorious path the Spanish company and the Japanese constructor started by mid 90's. This is the story of a solid and strong alliance that allowed the Repsol Honda Team to become the team with more victories in the World Championship, no less than 100.
Pedrosa, Stoner and Dovizioso�show new image at the Aragon GP
The Repsol Honda Team riders use today for the first time the bikes and overalls designed by Davidelfin
Repsol selected Davidelfin to create the new design of the bikes and overalls for its riders of the MotoGP, Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso. The premiere which took place today at the Aragon Grand Prix, is part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the brand's presence in the Motorcycling World Championship.
Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso surprised the fans this morning with the new bikes and overalls design of the Repsol Honda Team, an image that they will only wear at the Aragon Grand Prix.
The new design breaks with the previous style and shows the modernity and strength that characterize Repsol, an energy company with more than 40 years of experience in sports sponsorship and a reference in technology and innovation. With this unique collaboration, Repsol and designer Davidelfin get together two worlds seemingly as different as fashion and motorcycling to dress in novelty the Aragon Grand Prix.
Superheroes as inspiration
During the creative immersion process, Davidelfin visualized the bike in a unique and special way. Keeping in mind the riders that form the team, he was inspired by superheroes and supermen, human cannonballs and in the show in all its aspects.
The result is a design characterized by five-pointed stars which, together with the Repsol logo under the Davidelfin typography, give the bike and overalls a unique personality, far away from the rest of the riders in MotoGP, the premiere category of the Motorcycling World Championship.
With this pioneering initiative in the World Championship, Repsol confirms its position as one of the main international sports sponsors and celebrates its 40th anniversary in the main series of motorcycling, four decades where it has conquered 25 titles between all the categories.
Source: http://www.motomatters.com/press_release/2011/09/18/2011_aragon_motogp_sunday_post_race_pres.html
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