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FIAT YAMAHA LAUNCH AMERICAN CHALLENGE WITH A ONE-TWO ON DAY ONE

The first of two American races this season got underway for MotoGP at Laguna Seca today with a strong showing from the Fiat Yamaha Team pairing of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, who finished first and second respectively. The spectacular Californian track was bathed in sunshine throughout the day and the riders took full advantage to begin refining their set-ups to suit the tricky nature of the 3.601 km track.

Rossi won in spectacular fashion here last year and he looked immediately comfortable out on track, lapping consistently in the top three aboard his M1 and Bridgestone tyres. Lorenzo meanwhile, who did not complete the race here last year on his Laguna debut, proved lack of track experience was no barrier to fast lap times and spent most of the session in second before setting a brilliant lap with 11 minutes to go and moving into first. He looked to have the practice sewn up until his championship-leading team-mate sneaked ahead on his final lap, bettering the Spaniard's lap time by just one tenth of a second.

Valentino Rossi

Position: 1st Time: 1'21.981 Laps: 32

"I am happy with the session today, it was a good performance and at the end, with the harder tyre, we did an especially good job and I was able to make the best time. We got a lot of data about the track, which we will use tomorrow in order to improve things further. We need to work a bit to improve the front feeling because we can still make the bike a bit easier to ride in one or two corners and then we will also look at the electronics in order to control the wheelie, because there are a lot of bumps and jumps on this circuit. Once again me, Lorenzo and Stoner are very close so we can expect another big fight this weekend, but we are confident that our M1 is working well."

Jorge Lorenzo

Position: 2nd Time: 1'22.093 Laps: 38

"I was very fast today and I feel good here at this track in the California sunshine! I know that this is a very complicated circuit to get used to and that you have to make a lot of laps to learn it, but I did have some time on it last year and I feel great here now. Today I stopped after a few laps and changed the tyre to the harder Bridgestone one and then I felt even better; I was having a lot of fun riding the bike and I was able to do more or less race distance with consistent lap times. We will work on further improving our setting tomorrow and I hope that I can continue in the same way again."

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DEMANDING DAY ONE FOR DUCATI PAIR AT LAGUNA

The opening day of free practice for the US Grand Prix took place at Laguna Seca today with Ducati MotoGP Team riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden back on track just six days after contesting the Dutch TT at the Assen circuit in Holland. A 10,000 kilometre trip and eight-hour time difference have not made life easier for any of the riders but for Stoner in particular this promises to be a particularly taxing weekend, with the Australian having suffered from physical exhaustion at the past two rounds.

Stoner has seen doctors this week and is on new medication but he was already feeling nauseous after just an hour on track today. Despite his problems, the 2007 race winner lapped third fastest, just 0.189 seconds off the pace off the day's quickest rider. His team-mate Hayden, the 2005 and 2006 race winner here, struggled to find a set-up for the Desmosedici on his first appearance at his home circuit as a Ducati rider.

CASEY STONER (Ducati MotoGP Team) (3rd; 1'22.170)
"I had plenty of time to recover between the Barcelona and Assen races but still encountered the same problems, so it's no surprise to come here after just six days and be struggling. The feeling of tiredness and sickness has started earlier than it did in those two race weekends so it's not looking good but again we have found a good set-up with the bike, we know we have something competitive and I just wish I was able to use it more. Since Barcelona we've found a geometry set-up that gives me great feeling but I'm not getting the most out of it - I know it can go faster round here. We'll just have to see how the weekend pans out. It is hard for the doctors because I don't have any symptoms until I am physically tired, at which point I go rapidly down the other side of the hill, so it's not like they can give me antibiotics because they don't know what it is. Anyway, they have given me something new to try here and we'll see if we can bring it back for race day. If it works I'll be very grateful."

NICKY HAYDEN - (Ducati MotoGP Team) (14th; 1'23.747)
"We're near the back again so that's not cool and not what I was hoping for. In some places the bike feels quite good but in other places, coming out of the corners, it feels pretty flat and I don't have enough acceleration. Usually this is a strong point of the Ducati so it's a little strange so we'll have a look at the mapping and see if we can figure out the problem tonight. Normally around here you have a lot of wheelies and I don't have any so it's obviously something we need to put right. I've got a new helmet design here for the 4th July. It is tradition to let off fireworks here so that is the basis of the design, although on the track we haven't let anything go yet! Hopefully we can get a better direction with the engine tomorrow and find some spark!"

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Edwards and Toseland confident of big improvements in Laguna Seca

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland are confident they can make big improvements in Laguna Seca after an encouraging start to the American Grand Prix this afternoon.

Home favourite Edwards and British rider Toseland were both challenging for the top five in the early stages of a session run in gloriously sunny California conditions.
Brimming with confidence after equalling his best result of the season with fourth place in Assen just six days ago, Edwards eventually finished ninth with a best time of 1.23.285.

Looking to score his 100th point-scoring Grand Prix finish in Sunday's 32-lap clash, Edwards is confident he can drastically improve his pace having encountered some front and rear suspension issues today. The 35-year-old though was only 0.6s away from fourth place.

Boosted by his season best sixth place in Assen last weekend, Toseland finished in 13th place with a best time of 1.23.690s, though he was less than a second off sixth in another close session.

With Fiat Yamaha Team Director Masahiko Nakajima again helping the 28-year-old this weekend, Toseland will work hard with his team tonight to find a setting to improve rear grip ahead of title sponsor Monster's all-important home race on Sunday.

Colin Edwards 9th 1.23.285 - 29 laps
"It wasn't the great start to my home race I was looking for and the bike feels just way too stiff. The main problem is in the hard braking because I've no feeling with the bike bouncing around on me. There's just not enough movement from the suspension. When you've got the handlebars moving and up and down and the seat moving up and down it's obvious the suspension is not absorbing the bumps enough. There are some huge bumps out there and today it felt a bit like motocross. So we'll soften it up for tomorrow and make the suspension react faster and let it move more freely rather than having a jerky and bouncing sensation. It feels like there's a second waiting right in front of me but I'm a bit handcuffed at the moment. Once we fix these issues, and I know we will because my guys at Tech 3 are awesome, I'm not going to have to push and hang it out to find the time. I know it will come immediately as soon as we get the bike working. I'm confident we can find what we ne ed and put on a good show for the American fans and for Monster's home race."

James Toseland 13th 1.23.690 - 31 laps
"The position isn't that great but I feel like it was a pretty decent session. We've got a bit of work to do but there is no need to panic. We're just missing a bit on the set-up really. I'm lacking a bit of edge grip on the harder rear tyre, and that is the one we're going to have to race with looking at the temperature. This track isn't quite as good for grip as Assen and we know what we've got to do to get more grip from the rear but we just ran out of time at the end of the session. And I'm still adapting to the new set-up we had in Assen because that changed the balance of the bike quite a lot. With the tighter corners and the undulation it just takes a bit of getting used to being so different to Assen. I'm confident with the bike a bit more comfortable that I can go quite a bit faster and be up there challenging for a good result for Monster in what is a massive race for our sponsor."

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REPSOL HONDA RIDERS FOURTH AND SIXTH IN LAGUNA FP1

The first Free Practice session for the US Grand Prix took place at Laguna Seca today with Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso finishing the one-hour period in fourth and sixth places. Under sunny skies at the highly-technical Californian circuit, the factory Honda pair began the intricate process of tailoring their RC212V machines to the unique challenges of Laguna's flowing corners and relentlessly undulating layout.

Pedrosa made continuous steady progress today as he and his crew continued to familiarise themselves with the improved feeling from the RC212V's modified chassis. Though he missed last year's race here due to injury, the 23-year-old Spaniard looked comfortable and relaxed on track today and steadily climbed the timesheets, setting his fastest time on the last of the 31 laps he completed this afternoon. With a gap of 0.656s to today's fastest time, set by Valentino Rossi, and with a further increase in pace expected in tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions, Pedrosa looks on course for a competitive weekend.

Dovizioso took a more direct approach to today session than his Repsol Honda team-mate, almost instantly appearing towards the top of the timesheets and holding first place early in the hour. It's only the second time Dovizioso has ridden at the Laguna circuit - after his impressive debut in last year's race when he finished fourth - but once again he showed his immediate grasp of the peculiar demands of the track, ending the session in a competitive sixth place and just 0.243s behind Pedrosa. The Italian will work with his crew to improve the feeling from the front of his RC212V, and when that's achieved Dovizioso too is destined for a strong showing in qualifying tomorrow.

DANI PEDROSA - 4th - 1m 22.637s

"I'm quite happy with how this session went on my return to Laguna Seca after missing most of last year's race meeting. I took my time this afternoon, getting familiar with the layout again before working up to full pace later in the session. We did a lot of laps and at the end of the session my hip was a little bit painful, but it wasn't too bad and I was able to ride the bike as normal. That's important here because this is a circuit where the machine wheelies and shakes quite a lot so you need to be able to control it. We have to work a little more to get the correct gearing and to improve the set-up so I think tomorrow morning's session will be very important to prepare for qualifying. I'm feeling confident for tomorrow."

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO - 6th - 1m 22.880

"The lap times came easily today and I'm quite happy with the pace we were able to achieve. We did three runs with the soft Bridgestone tyres and then the last run with the hard tyre option and the results were promising. It took a while for the hard tyres to warm up though, so in the end I couldn't push as hard as I wanted to improve my lap time. Because of that I'm confident we have room to go quicker tomorrow. Despite the fact that it was quite easy to get the rhythm, I'm not totally happy with my feeling from the front of the bike in the middle of the turn so we will need to work on that and try a few options tomorrow. I like the challenge of this track and the atmosphere here, so I'm looking forward to getting back out there in the morning."

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FIRSTS LAPS AT LAGUNA SECA FOR NICCOLO' CANEPA

Niccolò Canepa, Pramac Racing rider, has ridden his firsts laps on the Californian circuit of Laguna Seca in the Monterey County. The Italian rider had as objective to learn the best lines to follow on this difficult and particular circuit of the MotoGP World Championship. Niccolò has accomplish 34 laps, more than everybody else apart Lorenzo who has finished with 38 laps. This weekend track engineer for Niccolò is Fabiano Sterlacchini who is usually with the injured Mika Kallio. Marco Rigamonti, Niccolò's track engineer, become father for the first time and agreed with the Team to remain at home for the birth of his son Luca. All the best to the Rigamonti family from the Pramac Racing Team.

Fabiano Sterlacchini - Pramac Racing Team Technical Director

"Today we didn't make any modifications on the bike, but we preferred to leave it soft just like it was to allow to Niccolò to know the track better without thinking too many things. The distance from the firsts riders is a lot at the moment, but calculating that we didn't do any modification to the set up of the bike and Niccolò used the same tyres for the all session, we are trustful that he can take a good step forward tomorrow. It is a strange sensation to pass from one rider to another in only a few days, but I have already worked with Niccolò this winter and there hasn't be any kind of problems."

Niccolò Canepa - Pramac Racing Rider

"What a breathtaking circuit ! It is a track that has a completely different story compared to the others of the MotoGP World Championship. It has sensational turns such as the corkscrew and the uphill before it where basically you don't see where you are going to end. It is a really fun track but not the easiest to learn in only one weekend of work. We will do anyway our best as always. Today we have used only one set of tyres and tomorrow, after evaluating today's telemetry, we will begin to make some modification on the set up of the bike to make it more easy to ride for this really unique circuit."

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04/07/2009 00:48am
Crash costs Vermeulen valuable set-up time

Rizla Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen crashed during the early part of the first practice session at Laguna Seca in America today ruining the Australian star's chance of completing the extensive test schedule he had planned.

Vermeulen (P8, 1'23.217, 27 laps) had just gone to the top of the leader-board before he entered turn two at the 3,610m Californian circuit and locked the front wheel of his Suzuki GSV-R, causing him to crash and slide off into the gravel. Vermeulen was quickly on his feet after suffering no injuries, but was unable to get his bike back on track and due to the access restrictions at Laguna the marshals couldn't return it back to the pits. Vermeulen ran back to the garage and mounted his other bike to continue with the session, but this machine was set-up in a very different way to the previous one and it took him a while to get back in his stride, eventually setting his fastest time of his final lap of the day. Vermeulen is still in a confident mood as he aims for his third podium in succession at Laguna Seca.

Loris Capirossi (P12, 1'23.637, 26 laps) spent the majority of the session trying to find the best setting for his Suzuki GSV-R at Laguna. He tried two different set-ups on his two bikes to evaluate the best way forward for this weekend. Capirossi never really got to terms with the circuit and couldn't quite find the grip he needed today, but is convinced there is plenty more to come from him tomorrow and in Sunday's race. Today's quickest time was set by Valentino Rossi on his factory Yamaha.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has one more free practice session tomorrow morning followed by an hour of qualifying in the afternoon, when they will hope to join in with America's Independence Day festivities by celebrating a front row start. Sunday's 32-lap race is round eight of the MotoGP World Championship and the action will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (21.00hrs GMT).

Chris Vermeulen:

"I was really looking forward to coming back to Laguna as it is obviously a track I enjoy, but it wasn't the start I wanted! On the fourth or fifth lap I was just starting to build up my pace and as I entered turn two I locked the front wheel and went down. Unfortunately the bike was on the outside of the circuit so I was unable to get it back for the rest of the session. I got back to the pits and went out on the other bike but it was set up very differently - geometry wise - and it didn't quite work as well as we'd hoped around here. The main thing we did find today was that we are still struggling a lot with the front feeling of the bike as it feels quite a bit different to last year. Bridgestone has brought a different front tyre this time to the one I used in 2008 and we're trying to make that work better for us. Apart from that the bike feels quite good and it is accelerating quite well off the corners. I do love riding around here so hopefully tomorrow we can get the bike working better and get closer to the front."

Loris Capirossi:

"We tried to do something big with the setting today and we started with two very different bikes. We never really found the best solution with either bike and went back to the first one and modified that a bit to try and find the best settings for this track. On the last run we did improve a bit but we still need to work harder and improve a lot more tomorrow. We still need a bit more grip and although overall things are ok we need to make some big steps in certain places tomorrow."

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

"We'd hoped to be a bit closer in the first session here at Laguna, but we encountered some problems that the guys will have to work on to solve tonight. Chris's crash early on in the session spoiled his plan of comparing two different bikes as we were unable to recover his first one after he crashed - so that didn't help matters overall. For the first session, the laps-times are very good at the front and we've got a lot of work to close the gap. The good news is that neither rider is happy with the bike and they know we can go a lot better. We will be doing what we can to improve the GSV-R and I think we can take some decent steps tomorrow."

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