Rider Files

(NEWS RELEASE)

Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies, Dani Pedrosa, Marco Simoncelli

Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011

Q: Ladies and gentlemen, a very warm welcome to the pre-event press conference here for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. It’s Round 12 of the MotoGP World Championship; still seven rounds to go. In the press conference today, the World Championship leader, Casey Stoner, riding the Repsol Honda. Casey has won six Grand Prixes this season. He has a 32-point lead in the World Championship. He’s been on the podium in the last nine Grands Prix, and he’s won the last two.But we’ve also got to ride with this new surface. It’s going to be interesting to see what it’s going to be like, how much grip we have and how the weather works out for this weekend. Last night the weather, there was quite a few storms in and around the area. But as far as we can see, the weather looks like it’s going to be good for the weekend. We have to wait and see how it goes and do the best job we can over the weekend.

Sitting alongside him to his right is his teammate, Dani Pedrosa. Dani’s fifth in the World Championship. He’s had two wins this season. He was the winner of the race last year after qualifying in fifth place.

To the left of Casey, Ben Spies. Ben, of course, is riding the Yamaha. He’s sixth in the World Championship and, of course, Ben returns home to America, and he’s had his first Grand Prix victory ever and that was at Assen earlier this year.

The far end, ladies and gentlemen, the former World Champion, of course, Nicky Hayden; Nicky riding the Ducati. He’s seventh in the World Championship. He’s had that podium finish in Jerez. He has an excellent record at Indianapolis: Second in 2008, of course, when the hurricane came, and third in 2009 and that was Nicky’s first podium riding the Ducati.

At the far end, ladies and gentlemen, Marco Simoncelli riding that San Carlo Gresini Honda. Marco secured his first-ever MotoGP podium at the last round at Brno in the Czech Republic. He was the 250cc winner here two years ago in 2009. Marco three years ago, he was on pole position for the 250cc race that was never held because the hurricane did arrive. Poor Marco, there was no 250cc race.

We start, of course, with the championship leader, Casey Stoner. Casey, I think we said exactly the same thing at Brno, you arrive here in pretty good shape.

CASEY STONER: Yeah, definitely, you know, we’ve had a couple of tough weekends leading up to the races the last two race weekends. We’ve managed to pull things together by Race Day and get ourselves up front. So we’re definitely arriving here with a little bit more confidence. Things weren’t looking good the last two weekends, but the way race days went, we couldn’t ask for more. So we can hope that we can improve our weekend a little bit more here. We struggled way too much at the last one and took too long a get set up. So if we can get set up a little bit faster here this weekend, it’s going to be a little more relaxing.

 

Q: Indianapolis, no podiums. You’ve had your ups and downs here, haven’t you; you missed the race also a couple years ago?

STONER: Yeah, I’ve only done two races here. One of them we were struggling a little bit more in the wet. And the other one last year we felt we were fast enough to get on the podium, but we didn’t finish the race. So I think it’s a circuit I’ve always been pretty competitive at. We’ve always been pretty happy here when we have rode here; especially in the dry, we’ve always felt very comfortable, but things just haven’t worked out perfectly for the race. So we’ll see how we go this weekend. Things are a lot different this year, and hopefully we can be competitive.

 

Q: It is a special place, though, isn’t it? Just driving in here, you know that this is iconic, I suppose is the word. It’s a very special place to race motorcycles.

STONER: Yeah, it’s definitely a place where I want to come to in the future to watch those grandstands fill up. That’s something I think would be quite spectacular. But as far as bike racing goes as well, you know, it’s always turned out to be a reasonably good race. And, you know, it’s a very hard track, very challenging. It’s not sort of normal braking and turn and exiting corners. There’s tricky little sections to it and also some faster sections that take a little bit more guts than some corners. So I will be looking forward to attacking this track with the Honda and see if we can get around here quick enough.

 

Q: Just talk about Brno the Monday after the Grand Prix win. You had the test and you, again, tested the 1000cc bike. From what you said and the pictures I saw, you seemed to be enjoying it.

STONER: Definitely riding the 1000 is a little bit more fun, in my opinion. Just to have that much more grunt and to be spinning up in the high gears, fourth, fifth gear we’re still able to spin up quite easily. It’s just a lot of fun to have that much torque coming out of a corner. You can ride a gear higher, it’s not the fastest way, but to feel that power coming out of the corner is something different.

I can’t say it went perfectly, I think we’ve got some big steps still to make forward. But, you know, we’ll see how they go in the coming tests that we’re going to have. But, yeah, it was still a lot of fun to ride that bike around and after a good weekend everything seems to go pretty well. We’ve still got some work to do, for sure.

Q: Casey, thanks very much.

Q: We come to Casey’s right, ladies and gentlemen, of course Dani Pedrosa. Dani won the race here last year. You’ve got a good record here, Dani. Hasn’t always gone your way but you’ve always done well in qualifying and the race as well.

DANI PEDROSA: Yes, in the past I’ve been quite good in this track. I did one pole and one win, so it’s pretty good. Last year the race was amazing for me. Of course, to do after the race the picture on the line with the mechanics was very, very funny, and I liked that picture a lot. So I hope this year we can have, also, a good weekend and try to do a good race.

 

Q: Obviously, the disappointment at Brno, but you were on pole. Since you’ve come back things have gone well for you, haven’t they? The form is there, and the fitness, I would imagine, is nearly there.

PEDROSA: Yeah, of course, every week I feel a little better. The stability of the shoulders are coming better. Of course, my feeling is going well now. It’s not as it was before I broke the two collarbones, but it’s still good for riding. I hope I can feel well on the bike this weekend. Last race was a disappointing result, but the weekend overall wasn’t too bad. So I was very happy about the performance and just hoping to repeat here and finalize with a good race.

 

Q: As Casey was saying, it’s a tricky circuit, isn’t it? It’s a difficult circuit, Indianapolis, and, of course, you also have the new surface.

PEDROSA: Yes, it’s true. In the past it was very tricky because of the change of the asphalt, also the bumps. But now it’s completely new surface, so we have to check for how is the grip on the new section. And that’s going to be tricky for the tires and for the performance of the bike, but as soon as we can do some laps and get some rubber on the ground, maybe the track conditions starts to be a little better.

 

Q: Just finally at the Brno test was there, you were there as well on the Monday. Did you enjoy it as much as Casey?

PEDROSA: Yes, of course, to be back on a bike with much more torque, it’s enjoyable. The front wheel is all the time trying to make a wheelie and that’s kind of fun. I mean, it’s hard to keep the wheel down all the time. But, yeah, in general overall for the first test the bike was working quite well. Of course, it’s still needing to do some improvements on it, but pretty much OK.

 

Q: Dani, thanks very much.

We come to Casey’s left, ladies and gentlemen, of course Ben Spies. Ben rode here in 2008 on the Suzuki and, of course, last year first-ever pole position in MotoGP, second in the race, fresh from the victory in Assen. This is the big one for you, isn’t it, Ben, Indianapolis?

BEN SPIES: Yeah, it’s a huge race. It’s being in Indy. It’s great, it’s another home race for me and, you know, a lot of support here from the crowd, family, friends, all that good stuff. So, yeah, we try to do the best we can. We have some, a couple new pieces this weekend and hopefully to make the bike a bit better. Then we see. The track surface is definitely different, so it’s going to be not relearning the track but there’s definitely going to be some differences from last year. You know, I think everybody’s got to cope with that in a different way and we have to see after tomorrow and I look forward to it. It’s a great weekend, and just like I said, being able to race at Indianapolis is huge and ready for it. Just we’ll see and attack every session and see how we can do on Sunday.

 

Q: Fitness-wise, you were having trouble with a trapped nerve that was making your arm go numb. Will you know until you actually go out there tomorrow if it’s cured?

SPIES: Yeah, I mean it’s just one of those frustrating things, you know, just not knowing. But I’ve done everything we could in the last week off, and it’s definitely better. It’s coming into a weekend knowing you’re not 100 percent on top of everything is frustrating, but it’s not going to stop us from trying. It didn’t at Brno, and we give it 100 percent, whatever we’ve got in it. It’s going to be 100 percent of that. So I can’t say where it’s at right now. Honestly don’t know, but we get on the bike like usual and try to go as fast as we can, and that’s all we can do.

 

Q: Brno, you obviously stayed on for the test despite the problem. You rode the 1000cc bike? What was it like?

SPIES: Not too many laps, but it was fun to feel the torque, like they said, of a new bike and a 1000cc. I pulled out of pit lane and straight was on the rev limiter every gear because the RPM is so much slower than the 800 and finally started shifting the thing correct that’s when you’re like, ‘Holy shit, this thing is going fast now.’ Get to your normal brake marker for an 800, and you realize you’re going way too fast. It’s fun and it’s got the raw power. And you cannot make mistakes, but if you do make a mistake, you can get out of trouble a whole lot easier. Yeah, I can’t wait to ride more. Yamaha did a great job for the first time rolling the bike out. We were quite fast on it without changing much, and hopefully there’s a whole lot more to come.

 

Q: Ben, thanks very much.

We come to the far end, ladies and gentlemen, of course, Nicky Hayden. As I say, Nicky second here in 2008, third in ‘09. Home race, Nicky, but you were the only man that has actually ridden on the new surface, albeit on a road bike. Can you learn a lot from that just how the surface will be?

NICKY HAYDEN: No, not really. Riding a street bike around, I mean, since you already know the layout, and there’s not a lot of blind corners here; it doesn’t really help. But it was a good experience to come up here. We rode with the onboard camera and talked some local journalists through it and stuff. So it was more for show. Rode around and did some wheelies and stuff. The new surface is a lot smoother than it was, and it’s not near as patchy. From Turn 4 all the way to the finish, it’s going to be the same pavement. So I will be anxious to get out there tomorrow and see how quick it comes in and get some rubber down. The track not normally — the infield only gets used once a year pretty much for bikes. So see how quick it comes in and, you know, what it does to the tires. You never really know with a new surface it if it’s going to wear the tires a lot or not but the pavement is really, really smooth, almost like glass. So I don’t expect any tire wear issues.

 

Q: You’re the local man. We turned on the television yesterday and saw this hurricane along the East Coast, it’s not going to come here, is it?

HAYDEN: I’m not the weather man. I mean, I don’t know. (Laughter)

You can plan a picnic but can’t predict the weather, as they say. Actually the forecast I’ve seen looks perfect for racing, pretty cool, and we’ll see.

 

Q: Yourself, every time you sit down we say it’s been a difficult year. But there is some sort of way forward, you’re going to ride the GP 11.1.

HAYDEN: You’re losing track, don’t you?

 

Q: Yeah, you do lose track. But I’m right, aren’t I, you are going to ride the GP 11.1?

HAYDEN: Yes.

 

Q: And you did have the test obviously at Brno on the Monday?

HAYDEN: Yeah, tested the bike in Brno. I rode it one session at Laguna, but there I only had one bike and it was a race weekend and just didn’t feel it was the right time to try to get up to speed on it. After Brno, we tested it and had a pretty solid day. You know, we didn’t break any track record or wasn’t out there doing mid-56s or nothing, but I was a lot more consistent and was definitely a bit quicker than I was on Sunday.

So I’ve got to thank Ducati for getting me that bike because it’s definitely more in the direction of the future. You know, when it first came up, I didn’t know when I was going to get it, and they’ve worked hard to give me an opportunity to have it. And I’ll have it hopefully for the rest of the season without any problems and definitely it’s got a few advantages to it. So hopefully I can do it justice and get some good results, and starting this weekend would be a good time to start. Like you say, it has been a hard year. Me and the whole team could do with a couple results sometime here pretty soon.

  

Q: The Honda men and Ben, the Yamaha man, are going on about the 1000cc bikes. How do you feel about it all?

HAYDEN: Well, I’ve ridden our 1000 twice; I rode it at Jerez and in Mugello. Like they say, it’s definitely — the bike is not — actual physical size and things like that on our bike is all the same, it’s mainly the engine. I enjoyed it a lot, especially Jerez is a tight track; we could hardly open it up around there. We won’t know until we get on the track with everybody else to see what we’ve got. But this is the last stretch run on 800s, so focus on that and Valencia will be the next time I ride the 1000, so we’ll see. I think it will be a fresh new start for all the riders and fans and teams, and everybody in MotoGP. I think it will be a good shot that everybody can get excited about.

 

Q: Nicky, thanks very much.

We come to the far end, ladies and gentlemen, of course Marco Simoncelli. As I said, Marco scored his first ever MotoGP podium two weeks ago now, in the Czech Republic. You have a good record here in the 250 here at Indianapolis. At last you’ve done it, haven’t you? You’ve got that podium, now you want to go from there in the last seven races.

MARCO SIMONCELLI: Yes, of course. I try for all the season to get this podium and finally I had success. I am really happy of this. And now I hope to continue in this way the season. For all the season I show in the practice a very good speed, and now I hope to continue to show the speed, also, in the race and to continue this way.

 

Q: And Indianapolis is a track, I think Casey summed it up perfectly: Tricky, isn’t it? It’s not easy.

SIMONCELLI: Yes, of course, it’s not easy, especially with the, with all the surface was very easy to do mistake because there were a lot of bump. Now I don’t know. I do one lap walking before and it seems pretty, pretty good, a lot smoother. But I don’t know. We have to test tomorrow and understand, but, sure, is a difficult racetrack and you have to keep concentrate for all the race because the race is very long, 28 laps. So is sure it will be a not easy race.

 

Q: And seven more races, you’re eighth in the World Championship. In some ways lots happened to you this season. It doesn’t really reflect how well you’ve gone a lot of the time this season, doesn’t it?

SIMONCELLI: No capisce.

 

Q: I’m sorry. In the World Championship you’ve had good qualifying, you’ve had good races, and things have gone wrong. Really you should be higher.

 SIMONCELLI: Ah, yes, of course. I hope this for me. My potential is higher than the eighth position in the championship and sure I try to do my best in these races until the end of the season, to improve the position doing my best in each race.

Q: Marco, thanks very much.

SIMONCELLI: Thank you.

 

Q: Ladies and gentlemen, that’s me. So if you want to ask a question, just put your hand up. We’ve got microphones at the side.

 

Q: Casey, are you as comfortable riding now as you were when you won the World Championship?

STONER: I think honestly every season I’ve become more comfortable, you know, than what I was when I won the championship. It was only my second year in this category. Little by little I’ve just got more experience and more comfortable with my riding. So I think some of my best races are the ones I haven’t won that people don’t really see. Maybe I’m off the podium, but they’re the races I feel I’ve ridden the hardest and ridden the best to achieve the result that I have. But, yeah, I think every year you become a better rider.

MODERATOR: Anybody else?

 

Q: Ben, which arm was giving you the trouble?

SPIES: Left arm.

 

Q: Dani, what’s it going to take to catch Casey? Mr. Lorenzo said today that he just seems so much faster than everybody else.

PEDROSA: You mean –

 

Q: Just to catch him for the series.

PEDROSA: In the championship?

 

Q: Yes.

PEDROSA: In the points?

 

Q: Yes. (Laughter)

PEDROSA: Is far away now. There’s no way now. (Laughter)

HAYDEN: Kidnap him. (Laughter)

PEDROSA: What this mean?

HAYDEN: It means take and disappear. (Laughter)

MODERATOR: Anybody else today? Are you sure you’re all happy?

OK. Thank you all very much. We’d like to stop for the picture. Thank you.

(NEWS RELEASE)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 25, 2011) – The final off-weekend of the 2011 season leads into a three-week showdown to determine who will win the respective titles in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. This weekend, American Motocross makes its lone trip to the New England area, with its most unique stop on the schedule. Moto-X 338 in Southwick, Mass., is the series’ only sand track, and has been a staple of the sport since the 1976 season. The sandy surface is traditionally one of the most challenging venues the world’s best riders will face, but is also one of the most popular because of it.

Currently, just seven points separate Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey atop the 450 Class standings, while TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing’s Chad Reed sits 25 points out of the lead. In the 250 Class, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki trio of Dean Wilson, Blake Baggett and Tyla Rattray, continue to sit atop the standings, with Wilson holding a 25-point margin over Baggett, and 43 over Rattray.

450 Class

Monster Energy Kawasaki
Ryan Villopoto took advantage of his first opportunity to wear the red number plate, designated to the current points leader, by sweeping both of the day’s motos at the previous round from Unadilla. The race marked the debut of the 2012 Kawasaki KX450F, and also signified Villopoto’s birthday. With two wins to his credit this season, Villopoto will be looking to add to his points lead at a track he won at during the 2008 season.

“I felt like the bike was great for the amount of testing we did on it,” said Villopoto. “Although it wasn’t much, it was more than we had been able to do on the 2011 model. I think the KX450F is a great bike, and Kawasaki continued to improve on an already-solid motorcycle.”

Jake Weimer had his best effort of the season at Unadilla, also giving a good ride aboard the brand new Kawasaki machine. After a strong opening moto in which he finished fifth, Weimer backed up the effort with a sixth-place finish in Moto 2, for sixth overall. The first-year 450 Class rider hasn’t been as consistent as he would have hoped in 2011, but he’ll look to maintain the momentum he gained from Unadilla this weekend.

“I think that my results showed that I adapted to the new bike,” said Weimer. “We definitely had some great days of testing, and the team put in a lot of work to make sure we were ready at Unadilla. Now, I’m looking forward to finishing out the rest of the season on it.”

Rockstar/Makita Suzuki
With the momentum of back-to-back victories coming into Unadilla, many though Ryan Dungey would have the opportunity to claim a third consecutive win. However, Dungey was not able to keep the early pace set by his championship rival in either moto, and ultimately engaged in an impressive battle with Justin Barcia for second overall. Dungey prevailed, securing the runner-up finish, and minimizing the points he lost in the championship. Now, he heads to the site where he claimed the 2010 title one year ago, and will look for even more success at Southwick.

“Overall, I’m happy with the way we rode at Unadilla,” said Dungey. “We’ve had a short break before Southwick, and I’ve focused on training and getting ready for this weekend. I won both motos there last year, and I’m hoping to do that again this season.”

Brett Metcalfe was strong at Unadilla, despite what the results sheet says. His first-moto finish of sixth put him in great position to secure another solid effort and possibly threaten for a podium finish, however, he encountered misfortune while running in the top five in Moto 2, ultimately relegating him to 12^th overall. He’ll look to rebound this weekend at a track in which he nearly broke through for his first-career moto win.

“I really want to be contending for the podium again,” said Metcalfe. “We had some trouble at Unadilla, but on the positive side, I rode strong. I’m looking forward to Southwick. I had some bad luck there last year and I want to redeem myself. I’m going to be running up front, and I want to win that race.”

TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing
Feeling fully recovered from the effects of his crash at Spring Creek in July, Chad Reed was looking to challenge for the win at Unadilla, but ultimately, was not able to make his way to the lead pack with his championship rivals. Reed posted 4-5 moto scores to finish fourth overall, but lost valuable ground in the championship. With three races remaining, Reed will look to add to his four-race win total and get back into the title fight.

American Honda
Justin Barcia made his 450 Class debut in a substitute role for American Honda at Unadilla. With the chance to compete in front of his hometown crowd, Barcia took advantage of the opportunity, and parlayed a pair of strong starts into 3-3 moto finishes, ultimately placing him third overall. Barcia even led a significant portion of the opening moto, gaining valuable experience in learning the pace of the premier class. With a 250 Class win at Southwick in 2009, Barcia will look for an upset victory on Saturday.

Red Bull KTM
The Red Bull KTM team suffered the loss of Andrew Short for the remainder of the 2011 season during the week break from competition. The veteran rider, who had gained tremendous ground in the standings, suffered a pair of broken arms while testing, and will surely be missed the rest of the summer.

Mike Alessi had a solid outing at Unadilla, posting 7-4 moto scores to finish fifth overall. The consistent effort helped Alessi move past his teammate in the 450 Class standings, now occupying fifth. Alessi garnered a podium result at Southwick last season, and will look to replicate that effort this weekend.

Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGR
Justin Brayton led the way for Joe Gibbs Racing at Unadilla, and was in the midst of a strong effort before encountering misfortune in the final moto. Despite that, Brayton continued to push forward, ultimately finishing with 8-7 moto scores, landing him seventh overall.

 

250 Class

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
With another dominant outing at Unadilla, Mitch Payton’s team still boasts an undefeated record in the 2011 season. Adding his name to the list of overall winners this summer was current 250 Class points leader Dean Wilson. Despite being the most consistent rider in the entire series, Wilson had yet to break thorough for a win. However, at Unadilla, he relied on strong starts to sweep both motos in convincing fashion, and extend his points lead to 25 coming into Southwick.

“It’s definitely nice to have the points lead rather than be chasing it down with only a few rounds left,” said Wilson. “But it does put a lot of pressure on me to maintain it. I would like to just go out and ride like I did at Unadilla. I know that I can do it. Now I just have to prove it.”

Blake Baggett was looking to add to his series-leading win total at Unadilla, but ultimately relied on a consistent 2-3 effort to secure the runner-up spot overall. He now moves into second in the 250 Class standings, and will look to chip away at the deficit he faces.

“All I can do is go out and try to get the win each moto,” said Baggett. “That will be the only way I can guarantee that I have a chance in the final round. Anything can happen in motocross. That’s why we race until the checkered flag flies.”

Tyla Rattray experienced a tough outing at Unadilla. The three-time winner this season started the day off with a strong third-place finish in the opening moto, but following a crash in the early stages of Moto 2, was unable to finish, ultimately going 3-36 on the day for 11^th overall. The misfortune dropped Rattray to third in the standings, and he’ll be looking to bounce back at a track he won at one year ago.

“Last year I won the race at Southwick, which was really special because my daughter was born on that day,” said Rattray. “It would be a great first birthday if I could do it again. I like that the track is rough, and you really have to be in shape to tackle it. I’m hoping that will give me the advantage over my teammates.”

DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha
Kyle Cunningham didn’t get his day off to the start he was hoping for at Unadilla, posting an eighth-place finish in the opening moto. However, Cunningham came back strong in Moto 2, finishing just off the podium in fourth, which ultimately landed him fourth overall. He maintains possession of fourth place in the 250 Class standings heading into Southwick.

Gareth Swanepoel was looking to excel at Unadilla as well, and keep up his recent string of strong efforts. The South African started his day with a fourth-place effort in the opening moto, and was able to fight his way to 16^th after a tough start in the final moto. In the end, Swanepoel secured eighth overall, and enters Southwick sixth in the championship standings.

GEICO Honda
Eli Tomac made his anticipated return to the overall podium at Unadilla, leading the way for the GEICO Honda team. After a solid top-five finish in the first moto, Tomac kept Dean Wilson within his sights throughout Moto 2, eventually recording a second-place finish. Thanks to his consistent efforts, Tomac finished third overall and has a firm hold on fifth in the 250 Class standings.

Justin Bogle’s professional debut was one to remember. Fresh off winning the AMA Horizon Award at the Amateur National Motocross Championships, Bogle was impressive against his much more experienced counterparts, and showed the speed necessary to be a regular contender at the front of the field. While he will continue to acclimate to the pace and endurance of the professional ranks, he is surely proud of his 6-6 moto scores that helped him finish fifth overall.

Rockstar Energy Suzuki
Martin Davalos was able to secure another top-10 finish at Unadilla. The veteran rider got off to a slow start in the opening moto, finishing 14^th, but bounced back in Moto 2 with a solid fifth-place finish. As a result, Davalos finished seventh overall for the day, and heads into Southwick ninth in the 250 Class standings.

“Unfortunately my tooth got knocked out at Unadilla, and I had to endure some pain throughout the day,” said Davalos. “We had a weekend off to regroup and work on some things, and I went to see the dentist to get everything fixed up. So, I’m looking forward to Southwick – it’s one of the toughest races on the circuit, and I’m prepared for it.”

WMX Class

The Motorcycle-Superstore.com Women’s Motocross Championship will resume its eight-race championship at Southwick as well. Saturday’s race will serve as the sixth round of the season, kicking off a three-week run to the finish. Currently, American Honda’s Ashley Fiolek holds an eight-point lead over her DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha rival Jessica Patterson. The pair have traded overall wins throughout the summer, and they will resume their closely-contested battle for the title this weekend.

Television coverage for Saturday’s Rockstar Energy Southwick National begins with a live broadcast of the opening motos for both the 450 and 250 classes on FUEL TV, beginning at 1 p.m. EST. SPEED will provide same-day, final-moto coverage of both the 450 Class and 250 Class, back-to-back at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST.

Tickets for the upcoming Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship are on sale now at www.allisports.com. Special discounts and incentives are available for advance ticket purchasers.

For more information on the 2011 tour, please log on to www.allisports.com/motocross.

For media information about the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, please contact Media Manager Brandon Short, via email at media@mxsportsproracing.com or by phone at 949-365-5750.

MX Sports Pro Racing
MX Sports Pro Racing manages and produces the world’s most prestigious motocross series – the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The industry leader in off road powersport event production and management, its mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing organizes events for thousands of action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators. Visit www.mxsportsproracing.com.

Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports
Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports, is a global business that encompasses national and international action sports tours and events, multimedia production, and a consumer facing lifestyle brand. The Alliance includes: the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, the Dew Tour, Winter Dew Tour, China Invitational, King of Wake series, and the Gatorade Free Flow Tour. Alli TV Productions creates original content, produces and presents content with partners, and distributes Alli content through a variety of channels. Alli is owned by NBC Sports and MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans and athletes. The Alli properties are home to more than 550,000 spectators each year and broadcasts more than 150 hours of original content in 100 countries and 280 million homes worldwide. Visit www.allisports.com.

Lucas Oil Products
Lucas Oil is a worldwide leader in the production of oils, lubricants and additives. Based in Corona, Calif., Lucas Oil Products is one of the fastest-growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry, featuring a premium line of oils, lubricants and problem-solving performance additives. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top-selling additive line in the American truck-stop industry. Lucas Oil is involved in an array of motorsports sponsorships, including the “Official Motor Oil of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.” Visit www.LucasOil.com.

AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing sanctioning body in the United States, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization sanctions professional motorcycle racing competition, which includes, AMA Pro Motocross, AMA Pro Road Racing, and AMA Pro Flat Track. Visit www.amaproracing.com.

(NEWS RELEASE)

EVENT: Red Bull Indianapolis GP

WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis. Circuit is 2.621 miles (4.218 km), with 16 turns. Race is 28 laps.

WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 28. It is the 12^th of 18 events this season.

2010 RACE WINNER: Dani Pedrosa, by 3.575 seconds over Ben Spies

2010 POLE WINNER: Spies, 1 minute, 40.105 seconds

U.S. TV: MotoGP race, 2-3 p.m. (ET), Sunday, Aug. 28, SPEED (live). MotoGP qualifying, 11 a.m.-midnight (ET), Saturday, Aug. 27 (delayed). Moto2: 2-3 p.m. (ET), Tuesday, Aug. 30, SPEED (delayed). 125cc: Noon-1 p.m. (ET), Tuesday, Aug. 30, SPEED (delayed).

THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Ben Spies (Longview, Texas, Yamaha Factory Racing), Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Ducati Team) and Colin Edwards (Houston, Monster Yamaha Tech 3) will compete in the MotoGP race. Spies is sixth, Hayden seventh and Edwards ninth in the standings after 11 races. Kenny Noyes (Borrego Springs, Calif., Avintia-STX), JD Beach (Snoqualmie, Wash., Aeroport de Castello) and Jake Gagne (Ramona, Calif., GPTech) will compete in the Moto2 race.

FORM BOOK:

Up – Casey Stoner. Stoner scored his sixth victory of the season and expanded his World Championship lead to 32 points over reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo with a victory in the last event, the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on Aug. 14.

Up – Nicky Hayden. 2006 World Champion Hayden is the only rider to finish on the podium with different manufacturers at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. He placed second in 2008 with Honda and third in 2009 with Ducati at his home race. Hayden started third and finished sixth last year.

Up – Marco Simoncelli. Simoncelli finally earned his first career MotoGP podium finish by placing third in the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on Aug. 14. Simoncelli has recorded two poles among six front-row starts this season on a Honda. But he was reckless and inconsistent during races, with a series of crashes and a best finish of fifth before the Czech round.

Down – Valentino Rossi. Seven-time MotoGP World Champion Rossi has won at least one race every season since his Grand Prix career started in 1996. He is winless this year, his first with Ducati. Rossi’s best finish is third in May at Le Mans.

Down – Cal Crutchlow. Crutchlow is enduring a miserable summer during his rookie MotoGP season, with a best finish of 14^th in his last six starts for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 as a teammate to American Colin Edwards.

FAST FACTS: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of just three current MotoGP circuits where current MotoGP points leader Casey Stoner has not won. The others are Jerez, Spain, and Estoril, Portugal. Stoner’s best finish at IMS is fourth in 2008 … Seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi has won at least one race every year of his Grand Prix career, competing in 125cc in 1996-97, 250cc in 1998-99 and MotoGP from 2000-10. He is winless so far this season … The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the only circuit on the MotoGP schedule that incorporates an oval in the course … The United States is one of only three countries with more than one MotoGP race on the 2011 schedule. There also was a round in July at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. The other countries: Spain (four races), Italy (two) … An American rider has finished on the podium of the MotoGP race at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP every year. Nicky Hayden finished second in 2008 and third in 2009, and Ben Spies finished second in 2010 … American riders have won 15 MotoGP world titles since 1978, more than any other nation. American World Champions since 1978: Kenny Roberts (1978-80), Freddie Spencer (1983, 85), Eddie Lawson (1984, 86, 88-89), Wayne Rainey (1990-92), Kevin Schwantz (1993), Kenny Roberts Jr. (2000), Nicky Hayden (2006). Italy is second with nine, during that span, with seven by Valentino Rossi … This will be the 19^th motorcycle Grand Prix race in the United States. The first was in 1964 at Daytona International Speedway … Riders on Aprilia motorcycles have won 11 consecutive 125cc races … Three Indiana riders are competing in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series races this weekend at IMS: Gene Burcham of Plainfield, Mike Morgan of Goshen and Scotty Van Hawk of Oswego … Shelina Moreda, from Petaluma, Calif., will be the first female motorcycle competitor in the 102-year history of IMS when she races in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series.

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2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets are on sale now.

To buy tickets, visit www.imstix.com, call the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or visit the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16^th Street. Ticket office and phone hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.

The 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP is scheduled for Aug. 26-28 at IMS.

Race Day general admission tickets cost $40, with Friday general admission $10 and Saturday general admission $20. A three-day general admission ticket is $60. A Friday-Saturday general admission ticket is $25.

Children ages 12 and under will be admitted free any of the three days of the event when accompanied by an adult with a general admission ticket.

Race Day reserved seat prices will start at $70.

Last year Ben Spies won the pole and led for seven laps at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. Indy is one of the best circuits for Spies. He knows the 2.6-mile, 16-turn course as well, or better, than any other rider having tested extensively at the circuit. This year Spies will have the factory Yamaha to ride versus the satellite machine he had last year, so that’s in his favor. Going against him is the fact that the Honda GP bikes have been vastly superior this year. Most pundits feel that Spies will have to break away early and build a big lead, as he did as Assen, to have a real chance to win at Indy.

Less than a month since their last visit to the USA at Laguna Seca the MAPFRE Aspar team returns Stateside this week for a visit to the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the venue of round 12 of the 2011 MotoGP season. Read more here.

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team embarks on another American adventure this weekend, with Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow ready to tackle the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit. Read here.

The Repsol Honda Team travels this week to Indianapolis, the second visit of the summer to the USA, with high expectations after the strong performance at Brno. Read here.

The second United States round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship will take place this Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the home circuit for Nicky Hayden who resides just a few hours away. Read here.

The renowned Australian technician returns to World Championship paddock as new crew chief for fellow countryman Anthony West. Read here.

American Nicky Hayden participated in a Red Bull Indianapolis GP teleconference ahead of the MotoGP race at the IMS circuit this weekend. Read it here.