By Eric Powell
redbullindianapolisgp.com
Friday, September 12, 2008
Saturday Schedule | Friday Photos | Rider Audio | MotoGP Quotes | Notes/Quotes | Results: MotoGP Practice 1 / MotoGP Practice 2 / 250 Quals 1 / 125 Quals 1 | IMS Tickets
Anthony West led the historic first day of official MotoGP practice during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Friday, Sept. 12 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, turning a top lap of 1 minute, 53.034 seconds in wet conditions.
West's top lap on the Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki/Bridgestone came during the first of two sessions. He also was quickest in the second session - which took place in heavy rain - at 1:54.274.
All-day rain at IMS posed a challenge for the 19 MotoGP riders on the 16-turn, 2.621-mile circuit, with precipitation ranging from sprinkles to heavy downpours. Track activity takes place rain or shine in MotoGP and the supporting 250cc, 125cc and Red Bull Riders/Rookies Cup.
Australian West, who is 18th in MotoGP points, put on a good audition for a MotoGP ride for 2009, as he will not return to the Kawasaki factory team. He also is a favorite for the pole if the rain continues during MotoGP qualifying at 1:55 p.m. (ET) Saturday.
"I definitely need a good performance; the whole season has been terrible," he said. "It (practice) was pretty good. A good start to the weekend. It (rain) makes it pretty difficult to learn the track, but I'm having fun so far with it. It makes it hard."
Alex de Angelis, from San Marino, was second quickest at 1:53.151 on the No. 15 San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda/Bridgestone, while reigning World Champion Casey Stoner of Australia was third on the No. 1 Ducati Team Ducati/Bridgestone at 1:53.190. Italian rookie Andrea Dovizioso was fourth at 1:53.704 on the No. 4 JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda/Michelin and West's Kawasaki Racing Team teammate, American rider John Hopkins, was fifth at 1:53.715.
Hopkins' fellow American MotoGP riders Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies also finished Friday practice in the top 10. Hayden, the 2006 MotoGP World Champion from Owensboro, Ky., was eighth at 1:53.931 on the No. 69 Repsol Honda Team Honda/Michelin. Three-time AMA Superbike champion Spies, competing as a wild-card rider, was ninth at 1:54.297 on the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki/Bridgestone.
Colin Edwards, the leading American in the standings this season, was 15th at 1:55.731 on the No. 5 Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha/Michelin.
"The track feels great," Edwards said. "They've done a fantastic job. They've done a fantastic job of making it not feel like an oval track. I've raced on many of them in the U.S., Daytona and Texas and all these oval tracks that you have to race at, and it just seems much less like an oval track. Once you get through Turn 1, it feels like a normal (road course) racetrack, and that's pretty cool."
The rain also proved to be a great equalizer for the 125cc and 250cc World Championship series riders as they participated in the first of two qualifying sessions Sept. 12.
Riders further down the points standings in both classes braved the wet conditions and scored the provisional pole. Italian rider Lorenzo Zanetti, 23rd in points, took pole for the 125cc race with a lap of 1:58.491 on the No. 8 ISPA KTM Aran KTM. Karel Abraham of the Czech Republic - 15th in points - was fastest in 250cc qualifying with a lap of 2:02.529 on the Cardion AB Aprilia.
The fastest rider in the combined Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup and Riders Cup qualifying sessions was Mathew Scholtz of South Africa, with a lap of 2:00.533.
Saturday will provide another full day of on-track activity. Public gate open at 7 a.m., and track action gets underway with 125cc practice at 8:45 a.m. (ET). The final MotoGP practice before qualifying is scheduled for 10-11 a.m. and qualifying will take place from 1:55-2:55 p.m.
The inaugural running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP is 3 p.m. Sunday, with a full host of warm-up sessions for each class and Red Bull Riders Cup, 125cc and 250cc races preceding the main event.
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Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008.
Three-day 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. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Single-day general admission tickets will be available at the gate Friday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 13. The one-day tickets are $10 each Friday and $20 each Saturday. These tickets only can be purchased at the gates with cash.
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