By Paul Kelly
indianapolismotorspeedway.com
Thursday, October 15, 2009
EVENT: Grand Prix of Australia
WHERE: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Phillip Island, Australia. Circuit is 2.764 miles (4.448 km), with 12 turns. Race is 27 laps.
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 18. It is the 15th of 17 events this season.
2008 RACE WINNER: Casey Stoner, by 6.504 seconds over Valentino Rossi
2008 POLE WINNER: Casey Stoner, 1 minute, 28.665 seconds
U.S. TV: MotoGP: 6-7 p.m. (ET), Sunday, Oct. 18, SPEED. 250cc: 5-6 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18, SPEED.
THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Colin Edwards (Houston, Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Ducati Team) will compete in this race. Edwards is sixth and Hayden is 14th in the MotoGP standings after 14 races this season.
•Colin Edwards: "It is the perfect motorcycle track. You've got first-gear corners, fifth-gear corners, camber, off-camber, elevation. You've got everything. It's all in nine turns. The scenery is awesome. The real estate around there is just incredible. The ocean, the food, the people: Everything about it is just perfect. It's awesome. I don't think you will hear a bad thing said about it."
•Nicky Hayden: "I wish we were at Phillip Island today! It's a track and place I really like. The track is great - it's fast, flowing and a lot of fun. I hope we can get some decent weather because the place can be really challenging when it's cold. There are not so many right hand corners, so it can take a few laps to heat and scuff the right side of the tire. I also enjoy the flyaways at the end of the year because it's a little different atmosphere with all the teams traveling together and staying in the same hotels. You see a different side of people. So we got three more races left before the end of the season, and I really hope and need to make another step up toward the front. I really need to dig deep and try to make it happen."
THEY SAID IT: "Phillip Island is a track that I love. It's always special to race there, and in my opinion, it's the most beautiful circuit in the championship, along with Mugello (Italy). You are riding at 250 km/h (155 mph), but you can still see the sea and the birds. It's incredible!" - Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo, about the seaside location of the Phillip Island circuit
FAST FACTS: Six-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi leads 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Jorge Lorenzo by 18 points with three races remaining. The winner of each MotoGP race receives 25 points … Jorge Lorenzo had the upper hand on Fiat Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi in his victory Oct. 4 at Estoril, Portugal. Rossi finished fourth, 23 seconds behind teammate Lorenzo. It was the largest margin Rossi has ever finished behind a teammate in MotoGP in a race in which he has not crashed and remounted … Fiat Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have combined to win 10 races this season, one short of Yamaha's most successful season ever in the premier class, as Yamaha riders won 11 races in 2005. Honda holds the all-time record for victories in a season, with 15 in 1997 and 2003 … 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Valentino Rossi has finished on the podium in 11 of his 12 career starts at Phillip Island across all classes. His only non-podium finish at the track came in 1997, when he finished sixth on a 125cc machine … Valentino Rossi won the MotoGP race at this event five consecutive years between 2001-05, a premier-class record. But Rossi's last victory at Phillip Island came in 2005 … Australian Casey Stoner has won his home race each of the last two years, leading from start to finish. Stoner is unbeaten at Phillip Island since he joined Ducati in 2007 … Australian riders have recorded 104 victories in the premier class, fourth among nationalities behind Italy, the United States and Great Britain. Australian riders also have recorded seven premier-class World Championships, as the legendary Mick Doohan won five, and Wayne Gardner and Stoner each won one … American Colin Edwards has Australian roots, as his father was born in the country. Edwards' best finish at Phillip Island was fourth in 2004 on a Honda … Phillip Island is a strong circuit for American Nicky Hayden. 2006 MotoGP World Champion Hayden finished on the podium in 2003, 2005 and 2008 and started from pole in at Phillip Island in 2005 and 2006 … Julian Simon of Spain can clinch the 125cc World Championship by winning this event … American Cameron Beaubier will continue his first season in the 125cc class at this event. Beaubier, 16, from Roseville, Calif., is tied for 27th in the World Championship standings this season for the Red Bull KTM 125 factory team.
***
IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. Beginning in 2009, the Speedway celebrates its Centennial Era, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011.
Race tickets can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.
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