After three days of racing at the brickyard, Casey Stoner walked away with his 7th win of the 2011 MotoGP season. It was Stoner's third consecutive win, and his 10th consecutive podium. The Repsol Honda rider now leads the series by 44 points over Jorge Lorenzo.
Here are some quotes from the top MotoGP riders from after the Indy GP.
Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) - "We got an OK start and I should have been a little more aggressive in the first corner. As I entered turn two, Dani hit the breaks quite hard and I just had nothing, my brakes weren't warmed up yet and I had trouble stopping, I was lucky to get through the first lap.
"The race was tough, conditions were very hot and the track surface a little more slippery than practice and qualifying which made things difficult to know how much to push. At one point, I closed the front and dropped the bike on my knee, I was pretty much down but managed to pick it back up and not lose too much confidence. From there we started to make our way past Dani, put in a few good lap times and pull an advantage. Under challenging track conditions everything has worked really well this weekend, the crew did a fantastic job and gave me a great bike so a huge thanks to them all!"
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) - "We are very happy with second place today for several reasons. After yesterday's qualifying session, we had to work hard to reduce the one second gap we had from Casey, it wasn't normal to be so far away from him.
"To finish second after the crash in Brno is a great feeling. I knew that my race pace wouldn't be as fast as Casey's, but the team did a very good job, helped me to feel more comfortable with the front and I was able to find a good rhythm, just 3-4 tenths slower than Casey. It was a tough race being alone, but I focused on my lap times and I made my best lap at the end, so I'm happy with my performance and the bike. To get 20 points is not so bad after the crash in Brno and I look forward to going to Misano next week to try and take another step forward."
Ben Spies (Yamaha) - "My actual start wasn't too bad, just a couple of people got into turn one too hot and I got bottled in. I think Dovi came across in front of me in turn four and I was just glad to stay on the bike. I never even saw him. After that happened we just had to pluck away and not get ahead of ourselves. We rode well but just needed to be up there in the first four turns. I rode as fast as I could; it was tough to pass out there as we couldn't get it done on the straight so we had to figure out some different spots. I was happy to be able to do that and still run good pace at the end."
Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) - "It's a shame; I thought I could reduce my gap with Casey at Indy but since the first practice I have had many problems with the asphalt and the front tyre. I've tried everything with my team to fix it, but we couldn't. After four or five laps the front tyre was destroyed. I saw the other three front riders and their tyres were perfect. I don't know if it was because of the track and I'm not the only one complaining. Now the Championship is much more complicated, but hope is the last thing you can lose. Next weekend we ride again at Misano, I looking forward to forgetting this result."
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) -"I can't be happy with today's result because our target was the podium and gaining some points on Lorenzo, but we also have to look at the positives and I'm pleased I managed a 1'40.1 lap time, my fastest of the race on my final lap. Considering the demanding conditions of this track and the hot temperatures, this lap time shows that we were fast even at the end.
"We had a bad start, Nicky (Hayden) blocked me and then Ben (Spies) and I touched in turn four and I lost valuable time. From that moment I tried to remain focused and lap by lap I found the pace that allowed me to recover positions. We knew that the race would be tough and it really was. It was also a strange race, from the beginning we had no rear grip and especially in the first laps I had the feeling that the front was closing a lot. However, I was able to adapt my riding style to the conditions to manage the tyres in the best way and ride consistently. We are competitive and we go to Misano, my home GP very determined and confident of a good result".
Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) - "I am happy with today's position because this weekend we didn't have the same rhythm as we have had in the last couple of races. I had a good qualifying session, but I was not quite on par with the top guys and that meant I couldn't really stay with them and fight in the race. I made a decent start and overtook a couple of riders, but I just couldn't keep up with the front group.
"We struggled a bit more at this track because we couldn't get the bike to turn how we wanted and I think we were not quite at the same level as some of the others. I was consistent throughout the whole race and had a couple of good battles with other riders – especially with Edwards – but at the end I picked up a good rhythm and was able to put some distance on the riders behind. I think today was the best result we could have gotten – so we did the maximum. We now head to Misano where I think we can be more competitive from the beginning, so I am really looking forward to the race. One other thing that was very important was to finish the race, as I have crashed in the last two, so I am very happy that I did that! It gives us more motivation and also the team needed a result. I want to say a big thank you to the whole team for the passion that they showed this weekend and now we are in the best position to make another step forward."
Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) - "I thought I got a fantastic start but the problem is the Yamaha is lacking a bit of grunt. I needed Fred Flinstone behind giving me a push to go faster, so I had a few people come by me on the run to the first corner. The first few laps I felt I could go faster but with Bautista sitting in front of me, I'd get close and then coming out of the corner he would just grab a few metres on me. In the twisty stuff at the end of the lap I was gaining it all back and at the last corner I almost ran into him. But by the time we got to the first corner he'd pull a few bike lengths on me again.
"I really wanted to beat Bautista but he started to ride really well in the second half of the race. I was on his back wheel and looking for an opportunity to make an overtake but I lost the front at the end of the back straight and that was a warning just to back off and take seventh. The front tyre lost a fair bit of grip in the last few laps though I wasn't the only one to have a problem. But I was top non-factory rider, I got another top ten and I moved up another place in the Championship, so it wasn't a bad afternoon's work. We go to Misano now and see if we can fight for the top six."
Randy De Puniet (Pramac Racing Ducati) - "I'm happy, this is my best race of the season! I had a poor start when Loris touched me and I lost at least three positions, otherwise I could stay with the group and probably I could have fought for a better position. But its OK, our pace, like I said yesterday, has been steady until the end and this allowed me to overtake many riders in the second half of the race. I'm satisfied with how things went today, the team worked very well and after a difficult start of the season we all deserve a good result. We needed it and I look forward to continue at this level next week at Misano."
Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) -"I am happy but not altogether satisfied with this result. The way the tyres worked and also my physical conditions in this intense heat were plus points for us and we went much better in the race than we had managed in practice but maybe with a better start I could have been fighting further up the field. Overall it has been a positive weekend and gives us a boost for the next races."
Valentino Rossi (Ducati) - "A number of things happened this weekend that contributed to making this a particularly difficult race: the crash yesterday in qualifying, which robbed some confidence and was part of the reason we had to start so far back on the grid, and today there was a problem with the gearbox. The bike stuck in neutral six or seven times, and the first two caused me to go straight and lose time. I found myself in last place, but I decided to do what I could to at least get some points. In this morning's warm-up, we had made a small change that let us improve the pace a little, but the race was really difficult. We know that we have to work hard. Ducati is doing that, and my team and I are as well, because we must try to not let up and to get the bike ready while we wait for technical updates."
