Rossi leads MotoGP to Indy

From motogp.com

The second ever World Championship visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes place this weekend following 2008’s historic inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.

This weekend’s visit to Indianapolis will see last year’s race-winner Valentino Rossi looking for another victory to augment his standings lead in the 12th round of the season.

In the first ever premier class MotoGP World Championship contest at the famous ‘Brickyard’ last year Rossi took maximum points as he was awarded the win, leading by six seconds when the scheduled 28-lap race was curtailed on the 20th lap, with Nicky Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo placing second and third respectively.

Rossi and his MotoGP rivals will hope for good weather this time out - following last year’s event when the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit raceday at the iconic American venue – with the Italian star hoping to increase his current 50-point championship advantage, on the back of yet another success story in the Czech Republic at the last round.

Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo finished just in front of him on the timesheet in the second and final post-race test of the year on the Monday after the Czech race and the Spaniard will aim to bounce back from his two DNFs at Brno and Donington Park, as he attempts to claw his way back into the title battle with six Grands Prix remaining.

Meanwhile, an announcement on whether Lorenzo will switch to Ducati or remain with Yamaha for 2010 is imminent.

In the continued absence of the recuperating Casey Stoner, who remains in Australia and is expected back on track at Estoril early in October, the bookies’ favourite to feature on the podium with Rossi and Lorenzo is Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa – who was second in the Brno race and sits fourth in the general classification, 77 points adrift of Rossi.

For Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards the second U.S. visit of the year gives him the chance to consolidate his top five championship position as he attempts to improve on a disappointing 15th place finish in last year’s Indy race.

Edwards’ fellow American Hayden – 14th in the championship at present - would love to repeat his 2008 Indianapolis result and get on the podium for the first time with Ducati.

Also aiming for the same goal is Pedrosa’s team-mate and Hayden’s replacement at Honda, Andrea Dovizioso, who just missed out on the rostrum again at Brno and was fifth in the inaugural MotoGP Indianapolis contest last September.

Dovizioso lies sixth in the standings, just ahead of Honda satellite counterpart Randy de Puniet, who has ridden consistently in 2009 and is due to make a decision soon on where he will ride next year.

Eighth placed Marco Melandri will compete at Indianapolis safe in the knowledge that a ride with San Carlo Honda Gresini has been secured for next year, while his fellow top 10 representatives Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen of the Rizla Suzuki team are also likely to confirm their future plans in due course, with both hoping for strong Indy performances.

The weekend will see Finnish rider Mika Kallio continue in the factory Ducati team as Stoner’s temporary replacement, while young Spaniard Aleix Espargaró gets an exciting chance to ride for the Pramac Racing team on the satellite Ducati Desmosedici GP9 vacated by Kallio.

The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix takes place from Friday to Sunday, with free practice commencing on Friday afternoon.