Motorcycle Racing

This Saturday night, the Monster Energy Supercross Series will stage its second race of the 2013 season in Phoenix. That race will have a lot to live up to after all the storylines provided by the opening event in Anaheim last weekend.

First and foremost, the race winner provided perhaps the most intriguing storyline of all. Davi Millsaps captured his first checkered flag since 2010 in San Diego when he outran the pack in the 20-lap main event. Even though the 24-year-old rider had finished second in the Supercross standings last season, his victory was considered very much a surprise by many who follow the sport.

One thing that made the Millsaps win such a surprise was the fact that he does not ride one of the bikes that receives significant support from one of the production factories. The so-called privateer Rockstar Energy Suzuki may not be privy to the inside secrets that the heavily backed factory teams have discovered to make their machines faster.

But if a rider who had not won in almost three years taking the victory on a privateer bike was not enough of a story, the man who Millsaps beat to the finish line with a last lap pass may have been even more unlikely.

Last year, Trey Canard had to be carried from the floor of Dodger Stadium after he had been landed on after a failed jump by the bike of Ryan Morais. The Team Honda Muscle Milk rider suffered fractures in three of the vertebrae in his back which had to be fused together by surgeons. Needless to say, more than just his career on a dirt bike was at stake in the days and weeks following the accident.

For Canard to not only recover enough to ride, but lead, the 450cc main event with less than one lap remaining was nothing short of miraculous.

And if those two stories aren't enough, there was high drama before the race ever even started. Star rider and former Supercross champion James Stewart was looking forward to his first start with the Yoshimura Suzuki team.

However, during a pre-race practice session, Stewart injured his right knee. Speed TV reporter Erin Bates broke the story on the air that the Haines City, Fla. native was questionable for the night's activities as he was in great pain. The team's manager even went before the cameras to state that he was not entirely sure his rider would be able to compete.

But eventually, Stewart did ride and was able to place 8th in the main event.

And no, that's not all the newsworthy stories to come out of Anaheim. Heavy pre-race favorite Ryan Villopoto struggled for much of the night. After getting off to a poor start in his heat race, the two-time defending champion was able to fight back and pressure young Justin Barcia to the finish line of the qualifier.

In the feature race, Villopoto's struggles went far beyond a poor start. The Kawasaki rider found himself either off the bike or off the course on three separate occasions over the course of the 20 laps. A disappointing finish of 16th was the result of the champion's difficulties. If he is to capture a third title in 2013, it will be an uphill battle from here. 

If the opening race in Anaheim was any indication, this season will be filled with great stories to follow. That action continues this weekend in Phoenix.

In front of an energized crowd at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., the 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season got underway. And it proved to be a night of surprises as Davi Millsaps jump-started his season, and his career, with a hard-fought victory.

There was immediate drama when during the pre-race broadcast on SPEED, reporter Erin Bates broke the news that star rider James Stewart had tweaked his right knee during a preliminary practice session. The former Supercross champion was beginning the season with a new team after having left Joe Gibbs Racing last year to sign with the Yoshimura Suzuki effort.

Justin Barcia made the case that he would be a force in his rookie season on the 450cc bikes when he held off a hard-charging Ryan Villopoto to win the first heat race of the evening as the two delivered a heart-pounding contest right to the finish line.

Perennial contenders Ryan Dungey and Chad Reed finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in that initial qualifier.

Millsaps beat out Trey Canard for the win in the second heat. Stewart had led early in the race but fell back as he appeared to be laboring, or at least riding cautiously, due to his earlier injury.

Later, team manager Mike Webb of Yoshimura Suzuki told SPEED that Stewart was in severe pain after the heat and was questionable for the main event. Eventually, though, Stewart did start the main event.

When the gate finally dropped for the start of the 450cc main event it was Millsaps on the Rockstar Energy Suzuki who surged to the initial lead with Canard on the factory-supported Muscle Milk Honda trailing close behind.

These two seemed unlikely riders to be out front as Millsaps was on a so-called privateer bike, while Canard was competing in his first race after suffering a devastating back injury one year ago.

Millsaps had landed with this team, which does not receive heavy amounts of factory support, after having ridden as a teammate to Stewart in 2012 at JGR. He finished second in the Supercross standings a year ago.

As the 20-lap race reached its middle stages, Millsaps continued to lead with Canard stalking close behind. Meanwhile, Barcia and Dungey trailed just off the leader's pace and seemed poised to seize any opportunity that might present itself.

Heavy pre-race favorites Villopoto and Stewart languished mid-pack throughout the race's early stages until Villopoto took a hard fall while challenging Stewart for ninth place on Lap 9. Stewart would go on to finish eighth with Villopoto riding home 16th.

The race for the lead intensified even further with five laps remaining as the top four riders battled within three seconds of each other. But within a two-lap span, the contenders were whittled down by half as Dungey took a brief spill on Lap 16 and Barcia followed suit one circuit later.

Canard wrested the top spot away from Millsaps with three laps remaining and appeared to be pulling away. However, Millsaps fought back and had closed onto Canard's rear wheel as the leaders took the white flag.

Finally, with just yards remaining in the feature event, Millsaps made the move around Canard and held on by less than a second as the two riders soared over the finishing jump.

It was the first Supercross victory for the 24-year-old Millsaps since he came home the winner in San Diego back in 2010.

"Working hard in the offseason, it's been a great offseason," said an emotional Millsaps when asked in his victory interview about the key to his success. "I've pushed and I've pushed and pushed, and finally the hard work has paid off."

The AMA Supercross Series will hold its second event of 2013 next week in Phoenix.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. Check his RacingWithRich.com site for NASCAR news and views as well as Supercross stories on Ryan Dungey and Justin Barcia.

James Stewart is one of the most dynamic and entertaining riders Supercross racing has ever seen. The 2007 and 2009 champion of the sport has won 44 main events over the course of his career, which spans back to 2005.

But since 2009, Stewart has struggled to find the same magic that provided his two Monster Energy AMA Supercross championships and double-digit event win seasons. Crashes, injuries and inconsistencies have plagued "the Tiger Woods of Supercross" and ended his run of dominance. He has failed to complete all the races on the schedule in three of the most recent five Supercross seasons.

Coming into the 2012 campaign, there were high hopes for Stewart as he joined forces with Joe Gibbs Racing and Yamaha. The deal was supposed to extend through 2014 and even offered the Bartow, Fla. native an opportunity to compete with that team's NASCAR effort on four wheels at some point in the future.

But less than a year into the new relationship things began to sour between Stewart and JGR. In particular, the bike itself was so inept, according to the rider, that he finally told the team that he believed he could not win with it. Those comments obviously did not sit well with the team and there were rumors that the internal chemistry had been severely damaged.

"It's not the team," Stewart said in an interview with B.J. Smith of ESPN.com. "It's the new Yamaha. This is different. When I say I can't win, it's not what the team's doing, it's how that motorcycle was particularly built. I've crashed a lot. In 2009, I won 11-of-17 races so it wasn't the brand, it's just how they built this new motorcycle that did not gel with me. I was uncomfortable on the motorcycle. It's not what the team did. The team tried their hardest but we knew going into it that we had to fix the motorcycle for me to perform and we didn't. I didn't on the L&M Team. We couldn't fix it there. I had the same issues. I don't know anybody that's doing really good on it. Davi (Millsaps, teammate) did awesome but he's 25 pounds heavier than I am. I think bigger and taller people can handle the bike where I can't."

In May of last year, it was announced that Stewart would ride for Yoshimura Suzuki when the Supercross schedule kick starts in Anaheim, Calif. Saturday, Jan. 5.

If Stewart is to recapture his form and have any chance of derailing the domination of two-time defending Supercross champion Ryan Villopoto, he will have to find a degree of consistency that he has lacked in recent seasons. He has shown the ability to step up and take control of an event on a given night, but he has not demonstrated the ability to produce good finishes on his less-than-spectacular evenings.

For example, Stewart won two of his 10 main-event starts in 2012, but he also had five finishes outside the top five.

2013 will provide a new opportunity with a new team on a new bike for James Stewart. Will the 27-year-old be able to retake the series trophy at the end of the season?

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. Check his RacingWithRich.com site for NASCAR news and views as well as Supercross stories on Ryan Dungey and Justin Barcia.

Ryan Villopoto is one of the most intense competitors in Monster Energy AMA Supercross racing. For that matter, he may very well be one of the most intense competitors in all of sports. That intensity combined with the single-minded purpose of rising to the top of the podium in this form of motorsports has helped the 24-year-old rider claim the last two Supercross titles.

"My goal is to win so I'll do everything I can to make it happen," Villopoto said in a recent interview for DUB Magazine.

"When you're the top guy in the sport it's tough; you're racing week in and week out for championships and there is no room for error. It's an entirely different mentality than for someone who's out there racing for a top-10. To be able to win, you have to not only be consistent but be out there every day, hitting it hard on and off the track."

Starting on Saturday night in Angel Stadium, Villopoto will kick start his effort to capture a third consecutive championship in one of the most physically demanding and mentally challenging sports around.

The lead rider for Team Kawasaki has won this season's opening event at the Anaheim, California venue each of the past two years.

Getting off to a good start on the 17-event schedule has proven beneficial to Villopoto in his championship campaigns. As a matter of fact, he was so far ahead in 2012 that even a season-ending knee injury with two races remaining on the schedule did not cost him the championship lead.

Villopoto has missed the outdoor motocross season in three of the previous four years due to leg injuries.

But don't look for Villopoto's injury to slow him down in the coming season. He had surgery on his left knee then began rehabing almost immediately after crashing in Seattle. As a matter of fact, the two-time stadium series champion says that he was so focused on a full recovery that he did little else last summer.

The Poulsbo, Washington rider has won a total of 15 Supercross main events over the past two seasons. Within that time span he also collected a cool $1 million first prize when he won all three legs of the Monster Energy Cup at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas in October of 2011.

Now that he is back at full strength, Ryan Villopoto has to be considered the favorite to claim yet another Supercross title.

Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli died following a horrific crash in the Malaysian MotoGP on Sunday (Yahoo! News). He was 24.

It's the second fatal crash in as many weeks in the motor sports world after IndyCar's Dan Wheldon passed away in that series' season finale last weekend.

Simoncelli lost control on the second lap and ended up sliding into the path of two oncoming racers, who couldn't avoid the collision. He was known as one of the sport's most audacious racers and was still attempting to develop into a championship contender.

Fellow Italian rider Andrea Dovizioso had the following to say after the race:

"I'm thinking of his father and his mother. I've also got a child and what's happened today is the worst thing you could imagine. Out on the track we fight hard but misfortune is often just around the corner.

"Mario was a courageous rider and he always fought hard. We've battled on the track since we were kids. I often saw him fall off but without any harm. He appeared indestructible. What's happened here, it seems impossible."

Although the accident will certainly raise the requisite questions about the proper precautions being taken, there is little that could have been done to help Simoncelli. The crash put him in a precarious position and, when racing at such high speeds, Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi didn't have enough time to react.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkInpkx1hFE

In other words, sometimes an accident is exactly that.

The race was canceled following the incident, which was the right decision. It would have been too difficult for his colleagues to focus on winning a race with Simoncelli in their mind. There will be plenty of time to race in the future.

Simoncelli won the 250cc class in 2008 and finished third in 2009. He had 14 career wins in 148 races and made the podium 31 times.

His results in the MotoGP series had begun to improve in recent weeks, including a second place finish in Australia. Unfortunately, his potential will never be realized.

For the second Sunday in a row, the racing world has been rocked by a shocking tragedy. Earlier today in Malaysia, Italian motorcycle racer Marco Simoncelli passed away shortly after he was involved in a terrifying crash at the Malaysian MotoGP race in Sepang.

According to news reports (see ESPN), Simoncelli suffered injuries to his chest, head and neck, and there was simply nothing medical personnel could do to save him. MotoGP medical director Michele Macchiagodena claimed Simoncelli died 45 minutes after the crash.

He was just 24 years old.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax41CdbrKNQ

Concerning the crash that ultimately claimed Simoncelli's life, there's really not much that can be said about it. It was horrifying (you can watch the video on the right, but be warned that it is a very distressing sight). Simoncelli lost control of his bike and started veering off to the right of the track, where he found himself right in the path of American racer Colin Edwards and Italian racer Valentino Rossi. The two of them collided with Simoncelli, whose helmet came flying off.

Simoncelli's passing comes just a week after the crash that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon. The two-time Indianapolis 500 champion was involved in a 15-car wreck in Las Vegas that injured several drivers. Wheldon got the worst of it, and he died from his injuries.

In the hours and days immediately following Wheldon's death, one of the main questions being asked is whether or not his death could have been avoided. Perhaps there are additional safety measures IndyCar racing can take to avoid similar tragedies in the future.

The same questions must be asked about Simoncelli's death. Is there something that can be done to make sure nothing like this ever happens again?

Obviously, one has to be optimistic that the answer is yes. Both IndyCar and MotoGP racing have come a long way since they were originally introduced, but there have to be changes that can still be made.

There is, however, one thing that will never change: racing is, by its very nature, a very dangerous sporting activity. With vehicles going at such tremendous speeds, accidents are going to happen. And when they do, the possibility exists that the consequences are going to be dire.

But rest assured, if positive things can come out of the deaths of Wheldon and Simoncelli, they will.

For now, thoughts and prayers go out to Simoncelli's family. He has been lost too soon.

What does an industry do when the troubled economy crunches a niche sport, motorcycle drag racing and a primary sanction can’t function because of reduced support in mid-season? Go faster.

Go faster on organizing, so speed on the track can follow. 

A group of motorcycle drag racing manufacturers decided to fill the void left when the leading sanction, Prostar, was forced to cease operating its circuit this summer.

The group consists of long-time parts and service firms: MRE Racing, Star Racing, Orient Express, MTC, Fast by Gast, Brock Performance, PR Factory Store, Schnitz Racing and MPS.

The manufacturers selected a mid-November weekend as a good time frame with temperate weather potential. They chose South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, Georgia for many reasons.

South Georgia Motorsports Park has one of the finest, if not the finest, drag racing facilities in the nation. Its quarter-mile track is of recent construction, one of only two all-concrete quarter-mile drag strips in North America, and is well built. 

Event organizer, Jay Regan of MRE Racing, was enthusiastic early into the weekend of activities.

“It’s awesome the way it came together, got this race off the ground,” Regan said. “Not only the manufacturers for getting it going, but the racers coming in and for attending it. The support of the racers is phenomenal.” 

The brisk turnout has prompted the group of manufacturers to consider another schedule date in spring at SGMP. 

“I’m confident there will be another one, as far as independent events like this, we’re going to have a discussion on this,” Regan said. “We’re going to try to make an announcement before the event is done as far as moving forward. Right now, the focus is just getting this one done and getting it done right.”

Regan later confirmed that a spring race is definitely in the planning with dates to be determined.

SGMP pit area appeared to be operating at full capacity with the parking of rigs, haulers, trailers, coaches and vehicles. By Saturday afternoon little space remained for participants. 

Ample parking and seating remained for spectators as proper facilities are a SGMP trademark. 

When Regan was asked about an early bike entry count, a smile emerged with his comment.

“We are about at 520. That’s fantastic,” Regan said.

Various classes filled staging lanes at SGMP as bike after bike lined up for side-by-side racing. Eight Top Fuel motorcycles thrilled the crowd with speeds approaching 240 mph.

Veteran Korry Hogan registered an impressive 5.84 ET at 243 mph during his first run and finally got the beast stopped just three feet before the sand trap.

Multi-champion Top Fuel Motorcycle legend Larry “Spiderman” McBride was enthusiastic.

“For the manufacturers to do this thing is awesome,” McBride said. “I’m glad to be able to be here and glad the manufacturers did it.

It goes to show you that motorcycle drag racing can still survive. We’ve got a great spectator crowd and a great field of motorcycles. We have the Harley guys here in their class. It’s unbelievable.”

One thing that seems believable is that given a place to race at the right time with rules to follow, racers in this niche sport will show up quickly.

It’s still all about speed. 

Photo credit: Gary Larsen @ Racetake.com

Hey guys, the following story of mine ran in the premiere issue of Suzuki Canada's Way of Life which dropped last fall.  (it's as timeless as the Aaron Yates Q&A I just put on Bleacher Report so I thought I'd post this one too)

Five years ago shortly after retiring from the hardcourt for the third and final time, Jordan formed his own AMA Superbike Championship series team.

When most sports fans first find out about Michael Jordan's foray into motor sports they automatically assume it must just be some business venture he's lending his name to, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

MJ grew up in Wilmington, NC, riding dirt bikes and following NASCAR. As anyone schooled in the principles of quantum physics, or for that matter any Battlestar Galactica fan worth their dradis, will tell you, space and time are teeming with infinite constellations of alternate universes where things may have turned out a tad differently.

In one world, No. 23 took more checkered flags than Dale Earnhardt and in his 50s still gives young guns Ben Roethlisberger and Justin Timberlake a run for their lunch money. His clothing line Bumpman raised a cool billion dollars in its IPO last year.

In yet another world his airness discovers his inborn talent for swinging five-irons in high school and turns pro. He first draws attention for his mammoth drives and lady killing post-birdy tongue waggle. After six straight green jackets at Augusta, MJ grows tired of whooping the competition, doffs his clubs, and picks up a racket.

In a Beijing minute he becomes a major thorn in Pete Sampras' unibrow and after winning a couple of grand slams, convinces tennis' powers that be to change the nickname of the sport's major tournaments to the more marketable (and less confusing to baseball fans), T-Jams.

One Thing Leads to Another

Sometimes all it takes is one chance meeting or a small serendipitous twist of fate to set you on a new path you never thought you'd take. MJ had started riding for fun on the streets of the windy city with a handful of buddies in the summertime.

Jordan's ride-along entourage soon mushroomed to a few dozen and eventually an aspiring AMA road racer was added to the mix sowing and the seed for a racing team.

"Once I got a taste of it, I was hooked," said Jordan of his introduction to the sport in a rare presser with series scribes last year. I'm glad that I've gotten into this because I truly, truly enjoy the sport."

"These guys—the dangerous channels that they take, the split-second decisions—that's talent. I sit and watch the races, and I'm starting to be able to calculate some of the things that are happening in a race, some of the mistakes that are being made."

As the owner of the Jordan Suzuki team, MJ brings the same dedication to winning he epitomized in his illustrious career on the hardcourt. He attends as many races as he can, motivates his drivers in the paddock, and loves to get a firsthand feel for the bikes.

"I get on the track and I ride. I fall. I crash. I do all that stuff. To me, I'm a daredevil to some degree. I'm not afraid of a challenge. I'm not afraid to step into something that I don't know much about, but I can learn. And once I learn it, I want to win. I want to compete at it. This drives my competitive juices."

Just as it takes time for an expansion team to shake out their sea legs, new racing teams take time to get up to speed. Five years into the road racing game, Jordan Suzuki is becoming less and less of a stranger on the podium.

In 2007, top rider Aaron Yates finished fourth in the AMA Superbike points race and was third in Superstock. This year Yates continues to prove that this satellite team can hang tough with their well-oiled factory Suzuki cousins.

I caught up with the cool and collected five-time AMA national champion (four-time at the time of our interview) Aaron Yates to find out what gets his motor humming. [I conducted the Q&A last year for Suzuki Way of Life mag but it's all timeless so I thought I'd post it here]

Congratulations on an awesome season so far. I know you're from Georgia but would you say Jordan-Suzuki's Carolina blue is the fastest colour out there?
Hahaha. Well at times it is, certainly in the Superstock class. The colours are a bit different but a lot of people seem to really like them, and they show up good on T.V. and in pictures.

How'd you get the nickname Yikes?

Yikes. That came from one of my first mechanics. Brad Stevens of the Yoshimura team came up with it. I guess it's just because of some of the things I do and get away with when I ride. That's how it felt sometimes when you watched me back in the day.

Some weekend riders who catch road racing on television, go "man, I think I could handle that." What do you think would happen if a complete novice was given a spot on the racing grid?

Ah, you know it depends. Straight off the street. I think they'd be impressed with the power of the bikes, the speed, and the grip, especially the Dunlop tires but also the whole package. The GSX-R 1000 is really easy to ride and that would help a lot if they were on one of those bikes. If a cruiser guy gets on that bike it really depends how much they want to turn that throttle on.

Outside of the power what else would they be amazed by?

On our bikes we usually stiffen up the suspension a good bit from a stock bike and then the tires are different. You get a lot of complements on the race compound tires. You are really connected to the road. I tell a lot of people that's your limit. That's what holds you back. You can only go as fast as your tires will let you go around a corner.

Do you have to learn to see in slow-mo to handle 190 mph?

You don't even realize the speed at all because you're so focused on looking where you're going, and looking for the next corner and specific spots on the track that you use as reference points. In the heat of the battle, you're racing with who you're with. There aren't any mailboxes or telephone poles or cars coming the other way that give you the sensation that you're going by them so fast. You're just paying attention to where you're headed.

Retired F1 Superstar Michael Schumacher was 21st out of 39 riders before skidding out in his first attempt to make a go on two wheels as a Road racer. How well do you think you'd place if it was arranged to have you pilot an Formula 1 car in a grand prix?

I don't know, it wouldn't be too bad. It depends on the ride, man. At that level, as is also the case with Moto GP or Superbike, you can be a good rider but if your bike is off 10-15 horsepower you have no chance of being up there with the top guys.

When we go to print, the 2008 season will be in the books. By then will you have another championship under your belt?

I sure hope so. We're leading in Superstock by a few points and we're coming to some tracks along the East Coast that I really enjoy riding on in Ohio, Virginia, and Atlanta.
[Addendum-He Won the Superstock Championship!]

How do you like working for Michael Jordan Is MJ a tough boss?

Nah, he's a great guy. It's really awesome that he's interested in our sport. He's put forth some money and given a lot of people jobs and they all love what they do. Michael really, really loves the sport and it feels great to represent his name, and the whole Jordan Jumpman logo and all that.

Are there any cool job perks that come with being on Jordan-Suzuki? Any free sneakers?

Yah we get the new Jordan's and some nice Jordan gear. We get loaded up with Oakley shades and all that good stuff. The team has definitely brought a little something different to the paddock with our sponsorship, our colours, and our whole image. It's a lot of fun at our team. We're kind of the underdogs and we're working hard and doing everything we can to try and beat the factory guys, and we've been pretty successful at it. It makes it enjoyable when things go good, for sure.

Casey Stoner, the 2007 MotoGP world champion, made it a hat-trick of wins at the Losail Circuit in Qatar earlier this evening.

Stoner, who started from pole, steamed away at the start of the race, and with rival Valentino Rossi slipping down to fourth, it was easy cruising for the Australian.

But as always with The Doctor, he clawed his way back upto second position and put Stoner under pressure as the race reached half distance, cutting the lead to just 1.9 seconds.

Tyre usage took away any chance of a Rossi win though, and he fell off Stoner's pace rapidly toward the end of the race.

Furthur back on the circuit, Rossi's team mate, Jorge Lorenzo, and Honda new boy Andrea Doviziosohad a good scrap for third place, both reliving memories of their days in the 250cc class.

Having improved greatly over the winter and pre season testing, Suzuki's shine was smudged when Loris Capirossi came off his bike on lap 14 of the race when he came under increasing pressure from Colin Edwards, who had a good race to fourth place. His British team mate, James Toseland suffered though; he finished outside the points in 16th place, a result of going into the gravel at turn one.

Other riders who had bad days were Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa. Nicky had suffered a big crash in Saturday's qualifying session where he was flipped over the handlebars and wasn't feeling 100 percent.

Pedrosa has been suffering from pre season injuries to the wrist and knee... which wasn't helped when Alex de Angelis ran into him whilst scrapping for position. Both riders are under investigation.

Despite a Ducati win, Yahama lead the constructor championship with a quality two-three-four finish. After Stoner, 8th place Mika Kallio was the second Ducati to cross the finish line: an impressive debut.

Many expect to see Nicky Hayden running closer to the front when he's back to full fitness, however 12th place was a good result considering the circumstances and he still remains my tip for the championship.

Full result from Qatar:

1. Casey Stoner (Aus) Ducati
2. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha
3. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha
4. Colin Edwards (US) Yamaha
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Honda
6. Alex de Angelis (Smr) Honda
7. Chris Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki
8. Mika Kallio (Fin) Ducati
9. Toni Elias (Spa) Honda
10. Randy de Puniet (Fra) Honda
11. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda
12. Nicky Hayden (US) Ducati
13. Sete Gibernau (Spa) Ducati
14. Marco Melandri (Ita) Kawasaki
15. Yuki Takahashi (Jap) Honda
16. James Toseland (GB) Yamaha
17. Niccolo Canepa (Ita) Ducati
DNF. Loris Capirossi (Ita) Suzuki

I hope you liked this report guys and girls, if we have enough interest, maybe we could get a specific Moto GP section put on the site. Join me soon enough for some more Moto GP editorials and reports.