MotoGP – Estoril – Bridgestone Report

Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team) dominated the Portuguese Grand Prix, obtaining his fourth victory on Bridgestone tyres, reducing the gap in the general classification to teammate Valentino Rossi and setting a new record lap time in the race. The Spanish rider preceded Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) on the podium. Considering the temperature of the track and the overall 28 laps of the race distance, the first nine drivers to reach the finish line used the type of tires with a harder compound on the front and slick tires on the rear. Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) opted for the softer slick compound on both the front and rear, climbing from 15th starting position to tenth finishing position.

Hiroshi Yamada – Head of Bridgestone Motorsport: “I want to congratulate Jorge and the Fiat Yamaha team for their success in the Portuguese Grand Prix and for their overall performance over the course of the weekend. The victory represents the first in the MotoGP class obtained with Bridgestone tires on the Estoril track. The fight for the world title has reopened, given the 18-point gap between first and third in the standings and the three points separating third from fourth. It's great to see Casey competitive again and able to set consistent lap times.”

Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport Development Manager: “We expected the race pace set by Casey and Dani, but Jorge was faster so much so that his pace was impressive, even considering the change in the race date compared to last edition and the good weather conditions. His pace was impressive and the winning race time was 14.5 seconds faster than the previous record, so I am very pleased with the overall performance of our tires on this track. As expected, the harder compound at the front and the slick tire at the rear were the optimal option for the best consistency over the entire race distance.”

Jorge Lorenzo – Fiat Yamaha Team – Winner: “It was a very positive day for us. It was a perfect weekend! We have dominated every session since free practice. I had a good feeling with the bike and was very confident for the race. At the beginning Casey was very fast and the difference between us wasn't that noticeable, but after a few laps I maintained my pace and he slowed down a bit. I didn't expect to win with such a gap. Now I have more chances in the Championship but the fight for the title is very difficult.”

Tire compounds available:

Front: soft, medium
Posterior: medium, hard (asymmetric)

First ten classified in the race and type of compound chosen for the front and rear tyre:

1st Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team) 45m35.522s average, hard
2nd Casey Stoner (Ducati Team) 45m41.816s +6.294s medium, hard
3th Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) 45m45.411s +9.889s medium, hard
4nd Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team) 45m58.950s +23.428s medium, hard
5th Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech3) 46m08.174s +32.652s medium, hard
6th Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) 46m11.231s +35.709s medium, hard
7th Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda Team) 46m11.245s +35.723s medium, hard
8th Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 46m14.352s +38.830s medium, hard
9th James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech3) 46m19.615s +44.093s medium, hard
10th Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 46m28.385s +52.863s soft, medium
Weather: dry.
Temperatures: air 23°C; track 38°C – 42°C

Bridgestone MotorSport