No Joy For Lorenzo And Spies In Silverstone
The Grand Prix of Great Britain at the Silverstone circuit came to
a premature end today for both Yamaha Factory riders in a race
played out under treacherous weather conditions. World Champion
Jorge Lorenzo and team mate Ben Spies spent the weekend building a
good race set up, qualifying strongly in the dry yesterday to start
third and fourth on the grid respectively. Lorenzo started well,
taking first position from the line but conceding quickly to Casey
Stoner. As heavy rain drenched the Silverstone circuit, the
Mallorcan began to close the gap to the front when a high side
crash just after entering a corner too fast saw his M1 too damaged
to continue. 

Spies also fell victim to the adverse track conditions. Having
dropped initially to fifth he fell going into turn one, crossing
the gravel and hitting the wall. The American rider was taken
directly to the medical centre for precautionary scans of his back
and neck and was thankfully given the all clear after the check
up.
Jorge Lorenzo
Position DNF
"I feel disappointed because the crash was my own mistake. It's a
shame for the team because they did a very good job all weekend and
also my Fan Club who come here to support me. I was riding with
confidence, but I had to wait my moment to overtake Andrea. I think
I could have fought for the victory with Casey. I wasn't worried
that Simoncelli was catching me; I was worried because Casey was
going if I didn't overtake Andrea... then I crashed! Before Casey
was chasing me, like a greyhound with a hare but now the situation
has reversed. Now we have to go for the victory in Assen! I want to
say congratulations to Colin; it has been a good weekend for him.
He deserves it after last week".
Ben Spies
Position DNF
"I'm so disappointed to finish like this after we worked so hard to
be ready for the race. It's been a challenging weekend for all the
guys with the different weather changes but we were ready to race
with a really good package. The track was really wet, when I hit
the brakes going into turn one the front just dropped away and I
hit the wall before I knew it. I hit my back pretty badly, my back
protector is really busted up, but it did its job. I'm really sore
and will probably need a big cushion for a few days but I'm happy
it wasn't worse. We'll take a few days to relax and recover then
come back fighting at Assen."
Wilco Zeelenberg
Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
"Conditions today were very difficult, Jorge had not much grip in
the rear for the first three laps. After five or six laps it
improved a little bit so he got up close to Dovizioso to try and
make an overtake. Unfortunately he lost the rear and went over the
handlebars, ending his race. It's not the best result, my first DNF
with the team and Jorge's first for 25 races. We were leading the
Championship, we're now 18 points behind but everything is still
open. There are 12 races still to go so let's go to Assen and see
what we can do."
Massimo Meregalli
Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
This was not the results we were expecting today. Both Ben and
Jorge and their crews have worked extremely hard all weekend to
find both wet and dry competitive set ups, resulting in a good
qualifying and giving us confidence for the race. Unfortunately the
difficult racing conditions led to both riders falling and being
unable to continue. Jorge was able to return directly to his garage
uninjured however due to the severity of Ben's crash he was first
taken to the medical centre for essential checks to his back and
neck. Finally he has been given the all clear so despite the two
DNFs we are relieved to be able to leave Silverstone with both
Jorge and Ben uninjured. We will put this weekend behind us and
head to Assen in two weeks time determined to continue our form
from Barcelona."
Heroic Edwards claims podium in
Silverstone Monsoon
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Colin Edwards produced a heroic
performance at a rain-lashed Silverstone circuit this afternoon,
the experienced American mastering atrocious conditions during the
Airasia British Grand Prix to finish in a deserved third position.


Just nine days after breaking his right collarbone in seven places
at the Catalunya round, Edwards showed outstanding skill and
bravery today to claim his first MotoGP rostrum since he was second
in the 2009 British Grand Prix at Donington Park. 

With large patches of standing water littering the circuit and
heavy rain falling throughout, Edwards quickly got to grips with
the treacherous conditions and he needed only five laps to pass
compatriot Ben Spies to move into fifth. Edwards maintained a fast
and consistent pace, and while other riders were being caught out
by the tricky conditions, the 37-year-old called on his vast
experience to keep his composure and concentration to secure his
12th MotoGP podium. 

British rider Cal Crutchlow spent a comfortable night in the John
Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after he suffered a broken left
collarbone in a high-speed crash at the start of yesterday's
qualifying session. 

Crutchlow's collarbone, which is broken in three places, will
require surgery, but no decision has been taken on whether he will
remain in Oxford or be transferred to Manchester to see a
specialist who has treated the 25-year-old for a previous shoulder
injury. Crutchlow is also being assessed for a neck injury and
further information on his condition and recovery will be made
available at the earliest opportunity.
Colin Edwards
Position 3rd, Time +21.480
"That was an unbelievable race and to finish on the podium feels
amazing. I was happy to qualify eighth but never in a million years
did I think I'd be on the podium just over a week after breaking my
collarbone. I need to thank Dr Xavier Mir for the repair job he did
on my shoulder and also my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 because
they gave me a phenomenal bike today. My shoulder felt great and it
was the muscle damage around my ribs that caused me the most pain.
But the rain definitely helped because it was a lot less physical
than in the dry. I just gritted my teeth and got on with it, just
trying to stay smooth and not make any mistakes. Conditions were
pretty bad and it was a case of working out when and where you
could push. I'd have been happy to finish the race and then go home
to think about Assen. But I saw a few people succumbing to the
conditions and I saw P3 on by board and I couldn't believe it. At
that time though there were still eight or nine laps to go and I
couldn't feel my hands or my feet because it was so wet and cold.
It was difficult but it was a good way to the end the weekend for
the Team after what happened to Cal. Nobody wants to get hurt, but
being injured for your home race is really tough to take, so I wish
him a quick recovery and hope to see him back in Assen."
Herve Poncharal
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager
"Colin was absolutely amazing. Nobody would have bet any money on
him to be on the podium just one week after having an operation on
his broken collarbone. But Colin has been a hero and this is a
memorable day for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. It was a bad day
yesterday when we saw Cal crashing and he was forced to miss his
home race. But Colin helped put the smile back on the faces of
everyone inside the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team with a brilliant
ride. And not only was he fast but he was very brave too. He was
robbed of a podium finish in Jerez in similar conditions a few
weeks ago and I have to give him a lot of respect because it would
have been easy just to go home to rest after his injury in
Catalunya. He rode for the Team more than anything and it shows how
much he is still enjoying racing and how motivated he is. He has
been in a lot of pain but he's never complained and he treated the
weekend like a normal weekend and his ride was the best of the day
in MotoGP. He didn't make a mistake like some of the others so we
are overjoyed. We can't be completely happy because of what
happened to Cal and it was a big pity he couldn't race, but he is a
fighter and we'll see him back stronger than ever soon. I know how
much he wanted to ride in front of his home crowd, bu t he has seen
what Colin has achieved so quickly after his collarbone injury, so
hopefully this will be a good inspiration for him."
2011 MotoGP United Kingdom
Race 1
1. Casey Stoner
2. Andrea Dovizioso
3. Colin Edwards
4. Nicky Hayden
5. Alvaro Bautista
6. Valentino Rossi
7. Karel Abraham
8. Toni Elias
9. Hiroshi Aoyama
10. Loris Capirossi
11. Hector Barbera
12. Randy De Puniet
MotoGP World Rider Standings
After Race 6 of 18
1. Casey Stoner 116
2. Jorge Lorenzo 98
3. Andrea Dovizioso 83
4. Valentino Rossi 68
5. Daniel Pedrosa 61
6. Nicky Hayden 60
7. Hiroshi Aoyama 43
8. Colin Edwards 37
9. Ben Spies 36
10. Karel Abraham 33
11. Marco Simoncelli 32
12. Hector Barbera 31
13. Cal Crutchlow 30
14. Toni Elias 28
15. Loris Capirossi 22
16. Alvaro Bautista 22
