Lorenzo Earns Seventh Win Of Season

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 16, 2010: As the world heads to Indianapolis for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 27-29, the championship chase in MotoGP has come down to Jorge Lorenzo vs. the world.

Defending Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Lorenzo continued his historic season by earning his seventh victory in 10 starts this season for the Fiat Yamaha Team, winning the Czech Republic Grand Prix on Aug. 15 at Brno. Lorenzo, who started third, took the lead from pole sitter Dani Pedrosa on the first of 22 laps and beat Pedrosa to the finish by 5.494 seconds.

The victory extended Lorenzo’s lead in the World Championship to 77 points over Pedrosa.

“I know I said I was riding for the championship now, and that’s still true,” Lorenzo said. “But when there’s the chance to win, I have to take it! To take my seventh win in one season is fantastic. Tomorrow we have an important test, which we hope will help us in the last part of the championship, and then we go to Indianapolis, a track that I love.”

It was a solid day for the three American riders in MotoGP before they head home to race in the United States.

Rookie phenom Ben Spies qualified a career-best second before finishing fourth on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine. 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden finished sixth on his Ducati and now will attempt for this third consecutive Red Bull Indianapolis GP podium finish. Colin Edwards finished seventh for Monster Yamaha Tech 3.

Lorenzo joined lofty company with his victory. He became just the third rider in the 62-year history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing to finish either first or second in the first 10 races of a season, joining legendary champions Giacomo Agostini and Mick Doohan in that club.

The front of the race was relatively straightforward once Lorenzo took the lead on the first lap and Stoner passed Spies for third on Lap 9. It was quite the contrast from a wild qualifying session Saturday during which Lorenzo, seven-time World Champion Valentino Rossi and Hayden crashed in separate incidents. Hayden suffered a chipped radius bone in his crash but still raced Sunday and is expected to race at Indianapolis.

While Lorenzo extended his championship lead with the victory, perhaps the biggest shake-up to the order in MotoGP came a few hours after the checkered flag. Rossi confirmed the widespread rumors that he is leaving Yamaha after seven seasons and four world titles to join the Ducati Team in 2011, a Dream Team of legendary Italian rider and iconic Italian manufacturer.

Hayden is expected to remain at Ducati to become Rossi’s teammate, as current Ducati standout Casey Stoner already has announced a switch to Honda for 2011. Spies is expected to replace Rossi on the factory Yamaha team as Lorenzo’s teammate next season.