Jorge Lorenzo at speed — Image by Bret Kelley for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Two-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo of Spain paced the field during the first day of MotoGP practice for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Friday, Aug. 7, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner, Lorenzo posted the fastest lap time of the day of 1 minute, 32.860 seconds in the second of two MotoGP practice sessions on the IMS 16-turn, 2.591 miles (4.170 km) road course. Lorenzo also led the best riders in the world during the first MotoGP practice session with a fastest lap of 1:33.654 on his No. 99 Movistar Yamaha bike.
Jorge Lorenzo was fastest of the day at IMS for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix practice — Image by Shawn Gritzmacher
“I’m very positive; very happy with the start of the weekend,” Lorenzo said. “Normally, it’s very important after the long holiday, after a lot of days without riding; it’s very important to feel fast and comfortable on the bike. That’s the way I feel today. Because we didn’t put on the new tire at the end like some of the riders, I think we have half a second or even more and we can improve the bike and get closer to the lap record from last year or even better.”
Not surprisingly, two-time defending world champion Marc Marquez posted the second-fastest times of the day in both MotoGP practice sessions. Marquez rode his famed No. 93 Repsol Honda to a time of 1:33.747 in the first session, and improved to 1:32.863 during the second practice.
Marquez will look to add to his four-year run of perfection at IMS. The Spanish superstar was victorious at IMS in Moto2 in 2011 and 2012, and also posted MotoGP wins at the Racing Capital of the World in 2013 and 2014.
Andrea Dovizioso was third-fastest in both sessions (1:33.871 and 1:33.155) on his Ducati. Italian legend Valentino Rossi, the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP champion who enters this weekend’s action as the MotoGP points leader, had the 10th-fastest lap in the afternoon session.
Owensboro, Kentucky, native and 2006 MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden, who was unable to compete on the reconfigured IMS road course last year due to injury, posted the 16th fastest time of 1:34.397 on his No. 69 Aspar Honda during the second practice session.
“It was the first time I rode the new track, so it definitely has a little bit more flow to it; really nice,” Hayden said. “But it’s just getting some rubber down, because this track hasn’t been used a lot. But the grip for the first day is definitely the best I’ve probably ever seen at Indy.
“The grip level is just more consistent all over the track, which is really nice for the riders. Also the curbs; the curbs are really smooth and got good grip and good feedback. They’ve done a great job.”
Tito Rabat of Spain led Moto2 practice at 1:36.967 on his Kalex, and Danny Kent of Great Britain paced Moto3 practice at 1:41.437 on his Honda.
In MotoAmerica qualifying, Cameron Beaubier took the pole in Superbike with a lap of 1:37.247 on his No. 6 Yamaha, Bobby Fong won the pole in Supersport on his No. 50 Triumph with a lap of 1:39.848 and Jake Gagne was the fastest qualifier in Superstock 1000 on his No. 32 Yamaha in 1:38.421.
Qualifying will begin tomorrow with Moto3 from 12:35-1:15 p.m., followed by the first MotoGP qualifying session from 2:10-2:25 p.m. and the second session from 2:35-2:50 p.m. Moto2 qualifying will be held from 3:05-3:50 p.m. The MotoAmerica Superbike/Stock 1000 Race 1 will take the green flag at 4:15 p.m., followed by the MotoAmerica Supersport Race at 5pm.
2015 Ticket Information: Fans can buy tickets for the 2015 Red Bull Indianapolis GP and apply for tickets to the 2016 Indianapolis 500, Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis, the Lilly Diabetes 250 and the Crown Royal Presents the “Your Heroes Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard.
Fans have three quick, convenient methods to buy tickets:
• Online: Visit http://www.ims.com/tickets. Tickets are available 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
• Phone: Call 800-822-INDY or 317-492-6700 between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday.
• In Person: Visit the IMS Ticket Office in the IMS Administration Building located at 4790 West 16th Street, Indianapolis, just east of the roundabout at Crawfordsville Road and 16th Street, between 8am-5pm (ET) Monday through Friday.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at 866-221-8775 for more information.
Information on parking and camping at IMS events is available at http://www.ims.com/tickets.
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