Jorge Lorenzo suffered a dramatic high-side on the very first lap of the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca today, his debut American race ending in the gravel at turn five. The Spaniard broke the third and fifth metatarsal bones in his left foot and will now face a race to be fit for the next race in Brno, in a month’s time.
Lorenzo made a good start and was looking promising in fourth place when the crash happened. It was immediately clear that he had injured himself, a depressing realisation for a rider who has already had to cope with two broken ankles and a concussion this season. With the summer break coming before the next race however the outlook is good for the 21-year-old, who has flown home tonight for further assessment in Barcelona this week.
There was cause for celebration on the other side of the garage as Valentino Rossi won his firs t ever US Grand Prix, following a scintillating battle with Casey Stoner. Rossi now leads Stoner by 25 points whilst Lorenzo remains in fourth.
Jorge LorenzoPosition: DNF
“I’m very sad today because I had a lot of confidence for the race after the qualifying session yesterday and, above all, after the very start of the race when I was fourth and feeling good. Then I crashed; my tyre was not up to temperature, I lost the rear and the next thing I knew I was in the gravel, with pain in my foot. It is one more crash, one more injury and it’s another moment that I have to forget as soon as possible. I need to look forward. I am so sad but now I must concentrate on the fact that I have a whole month before Brno in order to be fit and to be able to race in good shape. This is my aim. I would like to congratulate to Valentino for his great victory and race today, he did a fantastic job.”
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager “Unfortunately today’s result is not what Jorge and the team deserved, after the progress we made in practice. We could have gone for a better result, but the main problem today was the lack of grip on the rear, which was amplified at the beginning of the race when the tyres were not yet at the optimum temperature. Now let’s hope for a good rest for Jorge; we wish him a good recovery and we look forward to seeing him come back at Brno ready to fight again with the top riders.”
Ambient temperature: 21 degrees
Track temperature: 34 degrees
Humidity: 42%
MotoGP Results:1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 44'4.311
2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro + 13.001
3. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki + 26.609
4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 34.901
5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda + 35.663
6. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP + 37.668
7. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team + 41.629
8. Ben Spies (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 41.927
9. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha + 43.019
10. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 44.391
11. Jamie Hacking (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team + 46.258
12. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team + 55.273
13. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 55.521
14. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha + 1'02.380
15. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 1'08.207
16. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro + 1'10.962
17. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing 1 Lap
Not Classified Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 32 Lap Championship Standings: 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 212
2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro 187
3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 171
4. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 114 5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP 103
6. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 100
7. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki 89
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 84
9. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha 72
10. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini 70
11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 61
12. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team 46
13. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 41
14. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 40
15. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team 38
16. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro 32
17. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing 32
18. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing 22
19. Ben Spies (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 10
20. Jamie Hacking (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team 5
21. Tadyuki Okada (JPN) Repsol Honda Team 2
Laguna Seca: Record Lap: C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'21.488
Best Lap: C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'20.700
