Four Americans -- Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards, Ben Spies and Jamie Hacking -- will be among the 19 riders on the MotoGP grid this weekend in the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

•Nicky Hayden: "I'm excited to go to Laguna, even if we go there on a bit of a run of bad luck. Hopefully things will turn around for us; it would be a nice place to get everything to roll from Friday through to Sunday. Whatever happens, I'll just keep pushing. Laguna certainly has a special place in my heart. The track itself is like one big lap; it's not like all different sections. A lot of the turns lead into one another, so you've really got to put it all together. Like if you screw up the Corkscrew, you miss the next three or four corners. It's a very technical track, and I love it. Racing your home race is always a special deal and something I don't take lightly. The first couple of years I came to MotoGP, we didn't have a USGP, so I think that makes me cherish it, treasure it even more. I wouldn't say it's my home track as far as knowing it goes because the MotoGP guys have had three years there, so I don't think it has any advantage for me anymore. But that home crowd's got to be worth something. Last year we struggled. It was our worse place for tires all year. But I'm excited now because I've seen how much Michelin have improved at other tracks this year." 

•Ben Spies: "I am really looking forward to this weekend. It will be awesome to ride the GP bike in front of all the American fans. I know it is going to be hard, as these guys are pretty good, and I have the added pressure of racing in the Superbike championship, as well. But I will be going for it, that's for certain! I have got one race under my belt in MotoGP, and I had a thorough test at Indianapolis that went really well, so now it is down to me to show what I can do!" 

•Jamie Hacking: "I'm really excited about riding Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR in the USGP at Laguna Seca. We've just completed two days of testing with the bike in Japan, and I felt pretty comfortable straight away. It's an amazing machine. I can't believe how sophisticated the electronics package is on the bike. Already it feels like you can open the gas impossibly early out of the turns, but the data shows that it's actually possible to open the throttle even earlier. To do this requires some confidence in the electronics, and that confidence will only come with more track time on the bike. Roger Lee (Hayden) set the benchmark at this race last year with an outstanding 10^th-place finish, so that's certainly given me something to aim for. Laguna is one of my best tracks, but I'm under no illusions how hard it's going to be. I'll be up against some of the best riders in the world on a bike on which I've only had limited testing time. If I come away from the weekend with a top-10 finish, then I'll be happy." 

THEY SAID IT: "I have always been fascinated with America and I always look forward to going there." - Marco Melandri, Ducati Team rider

FAST FACTS: Americans Ben Spies and Jamie Hacking will perform double-duty this weekend at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, racing in the MotoGP and AMA Superbike events. Spies will ride in MotoGP as a wild-card participant for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, while Hacking will ride for the Kawasaki Racing Team, replacing injured fellow American John Hopkins. It's Spies' second career MotoGP start, while Hacking is making his debut in the top category … Championship contender Dani Pedrosa will attempt to race his Repsol Honda Team bike in the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix despite suffering a broken left wrist and index finger and sprained right ankle in a crash while leading the German Grand Prix on July 13 at the Sachsenring. Pedrosa is second in the MotoGP standings, 16 points behind leader Valentino Rossi … 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden will sport a special helmet paint scheme this weekend featuring a gold medal design with the Olympic rings, paying tribute to the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in the Summer Games this year in Beijing … Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is one of only three circuits on the 2008 schedule where five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi is winless. The others are Misano and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway … Only two non-American riders have won the nine prior Grand Prix races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Italian Luca Cadalora in 1994 and Australian Casey Stoner last year … Last year was the first time an American rider didn't finish in the top three of a United States Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Nicky Hayden won this event in 2005 and 2006, and American Colin Edwards finished second in 2005 … Casey Stoner earned the 100^th premier-class victory by an Australian on July 13 in the German Grand Prix. Five-time World Champion Mick Doohan leads the list with 54 victories … If Casey Stoner wins this weekend, he would become only the second rider besides Valentino Rossi to win four consecutive races in a season since the MotoGP era began in 2002 … Only two riders have scored points in all 10 MotoGP events this season - championship leader Valentino Rossi and Shinya Nakano, who is 10^th in points … MotoGP has a three-week summer break after this event. The next race is the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on Sunday, Aug. 17 at Brno … The 250cc and 125cc MotoGP categories do not compete in the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. Their next event is the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. American Stevie Bonsey, from Salinas, Calif., competes in the 125cc standings for the DeGraaf Grand Prix team.

***

Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008.

Tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16^th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

All tickets for this event are three-day tickets, with both reserved and general admission seating available.

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