Donington Race Circuit. Courtesy Yamaha Racing.

2008 MotoGP Great Britain - Donington Park - June 22, 2008 Race Results

Temp: 20.  Weather: Dry

1 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 44'44.982

2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'5.789

3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'8.347

4 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'12.678

5 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'14.801

6 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'15.690

7 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'18.196

8 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'21.666

9 Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 0'29.354

10 Anthony West Kawasaki AUS 0'41.030

11 Toni Elias Ducati ESP 0'44.426

12 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0'46.199

13 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 0'48.731

14 Ben Spies Suzuki USA 0'49.591

15 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 1'22.186

17 James Toseland Yamaha GBR -1 Laps

Best Lap: Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'28.773

Rider Standings as of June 22, 2008

1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 162

2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 151

3. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 117

4. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 104

5. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 82

6. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 68

7. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 57

8. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 53

9. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 51

10. Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 49

11. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 48

12. John Hopkins Kawasaki USA 32

13. Marco Melandri Ducati ITA 29

14. Toni Elias Ducati ESP 29

15. Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 25

Team Standings as of June 22, 2008

1. FIAT Yamaha Team 266

2. Repsol Honda Team 208

3. Ducati Marlboro Team 146

4. Tech3 Yamaha 135

5. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 99

6. Honda Gresini 74

7. JIR Scot Team 68

8. Kawasaki Racing Team 48

9. Team Alice 47

10. Honda LCR 22

Manufacturer Standings as of June 22, 2008

1. Yamaha 180

2. Honda 151

3. Ducati 122

4. Suzuki 71

5. Kawasaki 41

QUALIFYING
Ducati Team Report
For the sixth time in eight rounds the MotoGP paddock was hit by rain today as the clouds burst over Donington Park for the final free practice and qualifying sessions.

Casey Stoner, the fastest man in the dry yesterday, splashed his way to pole position for the second time in as many races whilst his team-mate Marco Melandri will start from the fifth row after qualifying fifteenth fastest.  The Italian is hoping for dry conditions after finding a more promising set-up yesterday, whilst the Australian is ready to charge into battle whatever the weather.

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) Pole Position - 1'38.232:  "We've always had a good setting with this bike for wet conditions but we managed to find a little bit extra today and I was able to get into a fast and consistent rhythm with a good feeling.  Obviously I'm happy to have set this pace in the wet and to be on pole position by such a margin but the most pleasing aspect for us so far this weekend has been the bike's performance in the dry yesterday.

The work we did at Barcelona has made it a lot easier to ride, it's a lot smoother and that gave me confidence to push it in wet conditions, which is important.  You can never trust the weather forecast here so we'll just sleep on it and see what we get in the morning. Whatever it is I'm confident."

Yamaha Team Report
Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi will start his 200th Grand Prix from the front row of the grid tomorrow, after a consistent performance in the wet this afternoon put him second for tomorrow's British round at Donington Park. The Italian will be bidding for his eighth career win at this track but tomorrow promises to be no easy challenge, with today's wet weather expected to give way to high winds.

After a dry day yesterday today was wet throughout, a steady British drizzle soaking the track and making the already-slippery surface even more difficult to deal with, a situation that gave rise to several crashes in this morning's free practice.  Rossi stayed upright but struggled with set-up issues and remained two seconds off the pace in ninth position.

Some hard work from his engineers and mechanics proved fruitful this afternoon however and he was immediately more comfortable in this afternoon's qualifying session, lapping consistently in the top five.  Half way through the session the rain ceased and the track began to dry further and, although a dry racing line never appeared, Rossi was able to put a string of fast laps together in the last twenty minutes and his best time was good enough for second, behind Casey Stoner and just ahead of Chris Vermeulen.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 2ndTime: 1'38.881:  "I'm so happy with this qualifying result and it's very important for us that we're on the front row tomorrow.  We know that our Bridgestone tires are very fast in the wet but this morning we had some problems with the setting and honestly I was quite concerned!

Anyway, we made some important changes to the set-up for the afternoon and straight away the balance was better and I was able to open the throttle when I wanted to, in fact I had a lot of fun!  With more small modifications throughout qualifying things got even better and lap-by-lap we were able to get faster, especially at the end.

Now we are waiting for the weather in order to decide the tires.  If it's dry we have quite a big question mark about some things but we have some good ideas and I am not too worried.  It's my 200th race and it's very exciting for me to reach another landmark in my career but for now I think about it as just another race."

Rain Compounds Comeback Difficulties for Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo's return from injury continued in unforgiving conditions today, with the 21-year-old having to cope with a rain-hit Donington Park as he tried to find his confidence and feeling after his recent run of bad luck.  The Michelin-shod Fiat Yamaha rookie was unable to make much headway today and could only manage 17th on the grid, the first time he has qualified off the first two rows since he joined Yamaha.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 17th Time: 1'41.873:  "This morning I was riding quite well but in the afternoon the track changed; it dried out a bit and it became more difficult for me.  I improved by three seconds but it wasn't enough because the others improved by six or seven seconds! 

I've never started so far back in MotoGP and it's a very different experience for me.  I would have liked to have done one more session in the dry conditions but it hasn't been possible, and now I must be very focused tomorrow.  For me it will be a success to finish the race, because for sure it's better to finish than to crash!

We have to keep going step-by-step and then I know that we can improve in Assen.  Yesterday we made a mistake because we wanted to change a lot of things on the bike but in fact the problem was me; this is a bad time for me but I can't let it get me down because I know this will pass and that sooner or later things will be better."

Mixed fortunes for Tech 3 Yamaha at Damp Donington
A rain-hit second day at Donington Park, venue for tomorrow's 30-lap British GP, produced contrasting fortunes for Tech 3 Yamaha duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland. In treacherous conditions, Edwards was one of the fastest men on track as the American qualified fifth on the grid.  But it was a frustrating day for home star Toseland, who will start 16th after preparations for his British GP debut didn't go as smoothly as planned.

Edwards maintained his impressive 100 per cent top six qualifying record in 2008 with a best lap of 1.39.601. At one stage that time moved him as high as second in the decisive final minutes as he opted to run a set-up on his YZR-M1 similar to the one he used to finish second in a weather disrupted Donington clash last year. Despite being dropped off the front row, Edwards is confident he can be a serious contender tomorrow as he goes in search of a third podium in the British GP.

Having previously qualified in the top eight in his first seven races, Toseland will need one of his famous aggressive starts after a lap of 1.41.751 left him in unfamiliar territory on the sixth row.  Sporting a new St George's Cross helmet design for his home race, Toseland seemed certain to claim another top six start when he crashed unhurt exiting the final corner in the closing stages.

He remounted but crashed again at Schwantz Curve, having earlier tumbled out at Coppice in tricky conditions this morning. Despite a disappointing day, Toseland remains upbeat that he can mount a challenge in front of a large home crowd tomorrow.  Ignoring the poor weather conditions today, the vast spectator areas at Donington were awash with Toseland fans roaring on the 27-yearold.

Colin Edwards 5th 1.39.601:  "My team did an awesome job today and I just keep getting more and more impressed with them.  We all did about 10 days of work in two hours to get to where we were this afternoon because this morning it just wasn't right.  It was a disaster to be honest and it felt like I was sitting on the rear tire with no front contact.  It felt like if something was going to move I was going over the high-side.

We played around with the bike and basically went to the set-up I had last year when I finished second and it worked, even though the chassis and engine is different on this bike.  Once I got the right feeling I was dropping a second a lap this morning and we didn't really touch the bike much this afternoon.

The front tire I used this morning is the same front tire I used all afternoon, so I did about 50 laps on a front tire.  We have obviously got no problem with front tire endurance in the rain and the rear I'm pretty happy with.  To me the track is not that bad for grip.

The track is very flat but it has probably more grip than most other places.  As long as you have load and you can squash the tire onto the track it probably has more grip than any track.  But we worked a lot on the electronics and thanks to my guys again because we got a much better feeling and more grip. I'm confident I can run at the front if it is full wet.

Michelin has been doing a lot of work with the performance of the rain tires on a drying track, so if it does get half and half I should be at the front.  Rain or shine we are looking good and I want to get on the podium. This is my most successful track in MotoGP and I'm definitely looking to continue that good record."

James Toseland 16th 1.41.751:  "Basically I made a mess of it. It was difficult conditions and the potential was there for a top six.  Everything was going in the right direction but unfortunately I tried a few things that didn't work. 

Although sixth place was okay I felt like I was on the edge of the setting.  I tried to change some things but we never really went in a positive direction.  We were running out of time and put ourselves under pressure to get a lap in right at the end and I got on the throttle too early out of the last corner and high-sided myself.  I got back on but it damaged the rear brake.

I was going through Schwantz Curve and I think it engaged the rear brake and decided to chuck me off again.  I think somebody was telling me they didn't want me to do the lap.  I'd like to say thanks to the marshals because where I crashed at the last corner was in a bit of dodgy place and they risked a lot to try and get me going.

They were true heroes.  I've got to look at the positives and if it all went well we'd have been in the top six.  The problem is in this class if you don't get it right you are 16th and I'm devastated that these conditions came in June in England.

I was eighth yesterday but comfortable in the dry and another dry day I know I could have done a lot better.  I had a lack of contact with the rear on the entry again and we really need to find this balance, especially at this track where there is so little grip.

Unfortunately with only one hour you don't have the time to take a risk.  Both my knees are a bit sore.  In the crash this morning a handlebar hit me in the right knee and the second one this afternoon was in a fast place and it bashed me up a bit.  It is going to be tough but my fans can be rest assured that I will still be giving it everything tomorrow."

Race Preview
Donington Park sits inside an amphitheatre style setting, with the spectators banked on the grass verges that surround the track.

The prevalent off-camber nature of the circuit is one of the main factors at play, with a large tendency for the front tire to push, making the right, left, right flick down the Craner Curve a critical but rewarding section of track.

The stop-and-go nature of the final section, which features three hard braking zones, means the bike also has to be good under braking and makes set-up a quest for compromise between agility and stability.

Yamaha Team Report
After a rain-hit Mediterranean jaunt through Italy and Spain the Fiat Yamaha Team start a Northern-European triple-header this weekend, hoping that the British Grand Prix can be the unlikely purveyor of summer to the MotoGP World Championship paddock.

Despite dry races at Mugello and Barcelona, mixed conditions during practice certainly haven't helped with machine set-up and were a contributing factor to a series of crashes for Jorge Lorenzo that ultimately led to him missing the last race in Catalunya.

Thankfully, Lorenzo is fit to return for a crucial run of three races in four weekends in England, Holland and Germany, followed immediately by his first ever race in the USA.  The youngster has benefited from a week of complete rest since being ruled out of his home race with concussion, although he will ride at Donington Park through the discomfort of a fresh skin graft to the fourth and fifth fingers of his right hand.

He will wear a special silk glove underneath a larger racing glove this weekend and will require treatment after each practice session.  This weekend the Mallorcan and his crew will be focusing on recovery and regaining confidence, rather than results, although Lorenzo has had success at the Leicestershire circuit in the past, having won from pole position in the 250cc class in 2006.

His team-mate Valentino Rossi is the most successful Grand Prix rider ever at Donington, having won there on no fewer than seven occasions in all classes - including his first ever 500cc win back in 2000.  This year the 29-year-old arrives on top form, on top of the World Championship and expecting the usual fanatical level of home support despite recently moving from London back to his native Italy.

Rossi lived in the English capital from 1999 to last year and built up an army of local fans, but hasn't had the opportunity to celebrate with them since 2005 - a situation he will aim to remedy on Sunday as he defends a seven-point series lead from Dani Pedrosa.

Valentino Rossi:  "Without doubt, Donington is one of my favorite race tracks in the world and I have some fantastic memories of it, including of course my first 500cc win in 2000, when I had a fantastic battle with Jeremy McWilliams and Kenny Roberts.

It's a track that has everything; it's fast and flowing but also technical, although like most people I'm not so keen on the last section!  Racing in the UK is also very special for me because for a long time I lived there and, even though now I live in Italy again, I would still like to think of it as a second home and I hope the fans will give me as much support as they always do.  I was very disappointed to miss the podium last year because the Donington podium is something special, so I will be aiming to get back on it this year!"

Jorge Lorenzo:  "It has been a tough couple of weeks for me and watching the Barcelona race from my hospital bed wasn't much fun so I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike, although I think I have to ride a little more cautiously this weekend!  It is like starting again from scratch so I have to change my approach.  What I can say about Donington is that I have got great memories from there - I took 250cc victory in 2006 and last year I was riding really well in the wet. It is a fast circuit, other than the final section, and it will be interesting to ride there on a MotoGP bike for the first time."

Kawasaki Team Report
Kawasaki's John Hopkins and Anthony West head across the English Channel for this weekend's British Grand Prix at Donington Park in confident mood, following successful test sessions aboard their Ninja ZX-RR machines in Spain and Japan.

For Anglo-American Hopkins, the British Grand Prix is like a second home race, and the 25-year-old Kawasaki pilot heads for Donington determined to put on a virtuoso performance in front of the enthusiastic British crowd.

Anthony West made his competitive MotoGP debut with the Kawasaki Racing Team in a wet race at Donington Park last season, and the 26-year-old Australian is looking forward to making his return to the United Kingdom this weekend.

Catalunya proved something of a turning point for West this season, and following a positive testing trip to Japan after the last race, the Kawasaki pilot arrives at Donington determined to battle his way back into the top ten.

The Donington Park circuit is one that punishes mistakes. The fast and flowing nature of the first part of the track, where all the corners run together, means that it's difficult to make up the time lost to a mistake, as the wrong line through one corner invariably upsets a rider's rhythm through the next series of turns. Accuracy and consistency are both key to a good result in the British Grand Prix..

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