MotoGP 2011 Silverstone Preview

Racing in the wet and the cold is clearly not every pilot’s cup of tea, as it were. Injured Repsol Honda jockey Dani Pedrosa, for one, has enjoyed very little success in England, while Rossi hasn’t won there since 2005. Colin Edwards loved Donington, with a fourth and a second in his last two appearances; at Silverstone last year, however, he slipped to 9th. These outcomes may help explain why Pedrosa, who flirted with the notion of racing at Montmelo, wasted no time bailing out of Silverstone. They may also shed some light on Edward’s eerie determination to race this weekend sporting a collarbone held together with duct tape and Super Glue.

Here’s a Couple of Dark Horses for You

Two other riders enter the weekend with sky-high hopes: Repsol Honda heartthrob Dovizioso, and homeboy Cal Crutchlow. Dovizioso’s last three British GPs have seen him finish fifth, first and second, his most successful event by far. If he had a vote, I’m sure Andrea would elect to run all 18 MotoGP rounds in England, where he is a fast mover, and where the thrill of victory more than compensates for the lousy food and miserable weather.

As for Crutchlow, he is rapidly making British motorcycle racing fans forget James Toseland, at least those fans who hadn’t already forgotten James Toseland. Toseland spent two undistinguished years on the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha playing second fiddle to Edwards, and always seemed to be whining about one thing or another, while Edwards was keeping his mouth shut and securing a bunch of top five finishes. When Ben Spies, who replaced Toseland, got promoted to the factory Yamaha team after last season, Crutchlow won his promotion from World Superbike and is making the most of it.

Crutchlow is from Coventry, about an hour up the M1 from Silverstone, and so we will forgive him for playing the inevitable “home race” card this week. Unlike most of his colleagues, he actually does better at home than elsewhere. In 2009, he won his World Supersport race at Donington. Last year, in WSBK, he won both rounds at Silverstone. Thus far this season, Crutchlow has managed three top ten finishes in five rounds on tracks that are largely new to him. Given his familiarity with the circuit, and his apparent indifference to the weather, he could seriously end up on the podium this week. The man has a very bright future for someone who thinks that “kippers” are actually food.

Paris Hilton caused a minor stir last week during her appearance in Catalunya. Imagine, if you will, the crowd reaction if William and Kate were to emerge on Sunday from their love shack in Wales long enough to take in a little moto racing in the Midlands.

News from Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced this week they’ve added yet another event to an already busy August race weekend. As usual, all three MotoGP classes will be running in the fourth Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. As usual, the AMA Pro Flat Track series will be running the beloved Indy Mile at the State Fairgrounds on Saturday evening. This year, for the first time, the IMS will host a round of the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series, the AMA’s newest racing class.

Not that it matters. By October Lorenzo figures to trail Stoner sufficiently that any thought of skipping a round will have long since passed. Surely Stoner is having none of this; his silence on the topic suggests he considers it a non-event. With Dorna and the Japanese race organizers joined at the wrists and ankles, any potential boycott will undoubtedly be met by warnings of dire consequences for any team or rider that fails to post for Motegi. And if the riders should begin to glow in the dark, they could always run the race at night.