Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix 2014
Posted on Aug 05, 2014 by Nick Harris
ROUND TEN 2014 MotoGP™ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - SUNDAY 10 AUGUST
Five British riders arrive at the slightly revised and re-surfaced 2.591 track at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 27 lap tenth round of the championship. It’s a crucial second half of the season for Oxfordshire’s Bradley Smith as he fights to keep his place in the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha team. It’s been a tough first part of the season for Smith in his second MotoGP season and with his contract up for renewal at the end of the season no one knows better how important the Indy race is.
Bradley Smith:
“The next nine races starting on Sunday are crucial to my future as a MotoGP rider. I’m really up for it and know what I’ve got to do. My injuries have healed well and it’s down to me and me only to prove to everybody I deserve a place in the team. The pace has been there all season and I’ve just to relate that into race results starting at Indianapolis.”
Isle of Man based Midlander Cal Crutchlow announced over the weekend he will be leaving Ducati at the end of the season to join the Italian based CWM LCR Honda team replacing German Stefan Bradl. Crutchlow’s debut season with Ducati has been blighted by injuries and mechanical problems and he leaves after just one year of a three year contract and will be replaced by Italian Andrea Iannone who joins Andrea Dovizioso. Crutchlow is recovering from an arm pump operation on both his arms after the previous round in Germany but will be fit to ride the factory Ducati for the nine grands prix remaining this season.
The former 125cc grand prix rider Leon Camier makes his MotoGP debut on Sunday riding the injured former World Champion Nicky Hayden’s RCV 1000R Honda for the Drive M7 Aspar team. American Hayden had been troubled with an old wrist injury all season and is recovering from an operation in the summer break.
Gloucestershire’s Scott Redding has made a really decent start to his MotoGP career after finishing runner-up in last year’s Moto2™ World Championship. He is the leading production Honda in the championship and is in line for a semi factory machine in the GO&FUN Gresini Honda next season.
Ulsterman Michael Laverty still chases those elusive first points of the season and needs just a change of fortune to set the ball rolling on the Paul Bird Motorsport Aprilia.
World Supersport Champion Sam Lowes makes his Indianapolis debut in the 26 lap Moto2 race. The Lincolnshire based Speed-Up rider has struggled in the last three races in difficult conditions but faces the second half of his debut season with great confidence lying thirteenth in the championship.
Londoner Gino Rea picked up his first points of the season at the wet Assen race and will be seeking some dry weather points starting on Sunday.
The two British riders in the highly competitive Moto3™ Championship can’t wait for the season to re-commence after brilliant rides at the previous round in Germany. Wiltshire-based Danny Kent was fifth on the Red Bull Ajo Husqvarna with Scotsman John McPhee equaling his best ever grand prix result in seventh. In that race less than one second separated sixth down to 13th and it promises to be just as close in the 23 lap encounter on Sunday.
Refreshed Marquez back to chase fourth successive Indy win
Twenty one year old Marc Marquez returns refreshed from the summer break determined to carry on where he left off, dominating the MotoGP World Championship at the legendary Indianapolis International Speedway in America on Sunday. The Repsol Honda rider won the opening nine rounds defending his 2013 crown and returns to the re-surfaced and in some places reconfigured 2.591 miles Indianapolis track where he has won for the last three years in MotoGP and Moto2 chasing his tenth successive win of the season – quite simply nobody has managed to beat him this year.
Marquez returns with an impressive 77 point lead in the championship over his team-mate Dani Pedrosa who is the only rider to have won two premier class races at Indy. Just seven points behind him is the revitalised Valentino Rossi, who won that very first Indy Grand Prix six years ago in the race cut short by the rain and wind. His Movistar Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo won a year later but is finding the going tough this season. He finished third behind Marquez and Pedrosa at the previous round in Germany but still only lies fifth in the championship two points behind Andrea Dovizioso riding the factory Ducati. The Spaniard has a great record at Indianapolis with five podium finishes in the premier class.
Dovizioso’s new team-mate next season will be Andrea Iannone who replaces Cal Crutchlow who in turn replaces Stefan Bradl at LCR Honda. Iannone is eighth in the championship riding the Pramac Ducati behind the two Espargaro brothers Aleix and Pol.
There is contrasting fortunes for the two American MotoGP riders. Forty year old Colin Edwards makes his last appearance in America on the Forward Racing Yamaha before retiring at the end of the season. Nicky Hayden misses his home race recovering from an operation on the injured right wrist that has been causing him grief all season. He will be replaced on the Drive 7 Aspar Honda by the British former 125cc grand prix rider Leon Camier.
Facts and Figures
Circuit Length: 4.170 kms/2.591 miles
Width: 16m
Pole Position: Right
Longest Straight: 872m/0.542 miles
Left Corners: Ten
Right Corners: Six
Pole Position Record: Revised circuit length and configuration
Lap Record: Revised circuit length and configuration
Television Times
BT Sport Schedule (unless stated this will be on BT Sport 2)
Friday 8th August
14.00pm – Grand Prix of Indianapolis – FP1 - LIVE
18.00pm – Grand Prix of Indianapolis – FP2 - LIVE
Saturday 9th August
17.00pm – Grand Prix of Indianapolis – Free Practice/Qualifying - LIVE
Sunday 10th August
15.30pm – Grand Prix of Indianapolis - Moto3/Moto2/MotoGP Races - LIVE
Tuesday 12th August
8.00pm - MotoGP Tonight: (BT Sport 1)
ITV4 Schedule
Monday 11th August
8.00pm – MotoGP Highlights Programme