The Repsol Honda Team begins to adapt to the new asphalt in Indianapolis

2011-08-26 19:37
The Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix kicked off this morning at the legendary Motor Speedway with Casey Stoner in second position on the time sheets, Andrea Dovizioso, seventh, and Dani Pedrosa, tenth, after the first free practice.

It was the first contact for the Repsol Honda riders with the new asphalt and the lack of grip seems to be the biggest issue with setting up the bike, although the track conditions - with a ground temperature of 32 degrees in the morning, will hopefully improve throughout the day especially after the Moto2 first practice, when more rubber is laid down on the asphalt.



CASEY STONER – 2nd 1'43.552

"This morning was a little frustrating, the track conditions weren't very good, it was very slippery and it was difficult to find any grip. It was pointless trying to find a set up with the track like this as it was worse than with the bumps in previous years. Hopefully by this afternoon there will be some more rubber laid down on the track and things will improve. We also had some issues with chattering in the hard braking corners, so we'll need to work on that in FP2".


ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – 5th 1'44.551

“The track was dirty this morning and it was difficult to find grip, so there was no meaning to work on the set up or test tyres. It was like riding in the wet, keeping the same tyre and taking more risks every lap. The main issue is in the rear, especially entering the corners. I’m confident that the conditions will improve, I hope so. This afternoon I would like also to try the hard front tyre as it’s very hot out there.”


DANI PEDROSA – 10th 1'45.192

"We have had many problems with the grip. The quality of the new asphalt is disappointing, not what a World Championship circuit deserves. There is no grip and the level is very irregular. The worst thing is the entrance of the corner; you can control the acceleration with the throttle, but entering the corner there is no traction at all. Now, all we can do is to adapt as best we can to the track because I think it will not change very much. This morning we had the same problems from the first lap to the last. Therefore, we must be smart, find the setting that allows us to go faster and hopefully with more rubber on the track, maybe the conditions will improve a little, but now it's hard to say. We have to forget this and concentrate on doing our best under these conditions".

Source: Repsol Honda Team

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