First held in 1937, the biggest motorcycle road racing event in the United States is surely the Daytona 200 race, in Florida, which usually kick-starts the AMA National championship in the spring. Daytona is a speed oval-type circuit, with an infield section, and the 200-mile race has been won by some of the greats from the US scene, including the likes of Kenny Roberts, and most of his world championship winning successors. It was also part of the Formula 750 world series for a time, attracting top overseas riders such as 1974 winner Giacomo Agostini. In recent times the Daytona Superbike race has been won by such as Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies.

The biggest motor race in the US is of course the Indy 500, held at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval circuit, or ‘The Brickyard’. The 500 has been on the calendar for almost 100 years, and Indianapolis has more recently added a NASCAR event to its programme. Formula One racing made its entrance at Indy in 2000, using part of the oval track, and with a technical infield section added. Motorcycles had competed there briefly in the early days, but were now making their modern début as MotoGP arrived instead of F1 this year, using a modified version of the same track; and, given the prominence of Indianapolis as a venue, it is a race that could well rival the Daytona 200.

The Laguna Seca circuit remains the home of the US Grand Prix, which was held there six times between 1988 and 1994, and has been back four times starting in 2005. American riders came to prominence in GP racing beginning in 1977, and with their top men taking thirteen 500cc world titles from 1978 to 1993. But even before that there were in fact a couple of Grands Prix held in the United States, with Daytona hosting the 1964-65 races.

Indianapolis is an anticlockwise oval circuit, although the F1 race used a clockwise configuration. This saw the drivers go the ‘wrong way’ through the oval’s turn one onto the long main start-finish straight, then turn right at the first corner of the Grand Prix circuit - before reaching the oval’s turn four. MotoGP’s racers go anticlockwise, however, but with a new section taking them off the banking after turn one and back on at the new turn four. After this they mostly race the F1 circuit in reverse, although with a couple of additionally modified sections.

Despite the new venue, the Grand Prix circus continued as ever. The big change since Misano was for Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, who had switched from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres for the remainder of the season, following the difficulties for the European brand particularly visible at Laguna and Brno. This left just six men on the Michelins, which Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo had of course taken to second at Misano. Also of note were the confirmed moves for 2009 of Nicky Hayden, to Ducati, and Andrea Dovizioso, to replace him at Repsol.

Qualifying for the Indy race saw four of Michelin’s riders make the top seven on the grid, although with Bridgestone one and two, as they had been the last three times. Rossi was on pole for the second occasion this season, eight rounds after his previous top slot. His title rival Casey Stoner was second for Marlboro Ducati, breaking a streak of seven poles dating back to Catalunya in June. Joining them at the front was Rossi’s team-mate Lorenzo, third.

Hayden headed row two, with Pedrosa four places behind on his new tyres. There were four US riders competing at home, and the second of them was Rizla Suzuki wildcard rider Spies, starting a best-yet fifth in his third outing. Ben was still rumoured to be getting a 2009 GP ride, possibly with Scot Honda, but over the course of the weekend it seemed more likely that he’d have a Yamaha AMA ride, and maybe full-time GPs would follow on from one more home-based season.

Michelin-shod Honda riders Randy de Puniet (LCR) and Dovizioso (JiR Scot) were sixth and seventh, from Pedrosa. Recent podium hotshot Toní Elías was ninth this time, for Alice Ducati, then came Tech 3 Yamaha men James Toseland and Colin Edwards. Alex de Angelis was in P12 with the first of the San Carlo Honda Gresini machines. His team-mate Shin’ya Nakano was in a season’s worst P17.

The regular Rizla Suzuki riders were down the grid, with Loris Capirossi thirteenth and Chris Vermeulen two places back. Loris equalled his worst start position of this year, with Chris lower than his P14 in Germany. They were split by Sylvain Guintoli (Alice Team). Kawasaki riders John Hopkins (P16) and Anthony West (P19) were worse off than the Suzuki men, split by Nakano and eighteenth man Marco Melandri, still not clicking with the other works Ducati.

The qualifying at Indy had been in dry conditions but, in the wake of the recent Hurricane Ike, race day was to prove quite dismal. Significant rainfall led to a delayed start, whilst water was cleared from the track. A damp track might well have been complicated by the fact that riders had noticed different grip levels from the old and new sections of tarmac. The track was not fully dry when the competitors finally lined up, so the motorcycles were on wet weather tyres and set up for those conditions. Spare bikes were in the pits set up for the dry. The final factor on the day was the wind, which wasn’t exactly light.

The start saw Stoner and Hayden lead away, but with Dovizioso quick to move into the lead from third, passing the Honda in a right-hander and the Ducati in a left-hander. Rossi was fourth, from Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Spies, Toseland and Elías. Hayden overtook Stoner at turn thirteen, a left-hander at the far end of the circuit, and the Honda one-two saw Andrea and Nicky start to ease clear of the rest in the tricky conditions. Behind Toseland and Elías came Hopkins, de Puniet, Nakano, de Angelis, Guintoli, West, Vermeulen, Capirossi, Edwards and Melandri.

Dovizioso and Hayden were establishing a useful early gap to the rest as Nicky used a slipstream along the fast main straight to pull ahead and lead in front of his home crowd. Third man Stoner had the Yamahas behind him, with Lorenzo soon past Pedrosa to get into a tussle with his Fiat team-mate Rossi. Jorge moved up to fourth and then third, with Valentino also demoting Casey and starting to pull away. Spies was attacking Pedrosa, with a gap opening behind the two youngsters.

The circuit was already drying in places as Hayden began to edge away from Dovizioso, and Rossi had got past his team-mate and was setting fastest laps as he closed on the 22-year-old. Soon Nicky was out on his own, as was fourth man Lorenzo, with the two Italians together between them. Stoner, Spies and Pedrosa were in a loose knit group behind them all. Turn two is a right-hander leading to another right-hander. Here, Valentino got through on the inside of Andrea, only to run wide and allow him ahead again.

As Dovizioso and Rossi raced for second, so Lorenzo started to catch up to them. Valentino got past Andrea on the inside at turn sixteen, the final left-hander back onto the main straight. Leader Hayden set a new fastest lap, but soon Rossi would reduce his 0.9s lead to 0.3s. Meanwhile, Lorenzo got onto the tail of the second Honda man, going ahead of Dovizioso in the slipstream across the start-finish line.

There was a touch of rain falling again as Rossi closed in on Hayden. One left-hander saw the Yamaha rider run wide, but his pace was such that he closed in again and took a new fastest lap. As their race unfolded, there was still spray being flung up in some places, especially on the main straight but less so on the infield. The long left turn thirteen-turn fourteen bend saw Valentino coming up on Nicky on the outside, which allowed him to try for a pass on the inside at the turn fifteen right-hander. Rossi’s riding on the offensive made for the odd slide.

One of the drier parts was along the back straight, or Hulman Boulevard, along into the braking zone for left-handed turn ten. This was where Rossi took the lead on the inside line, with fifteen of the 28 laps still to run. He immediately began to pull away, and was clear by half-distance. Lorenzo was in a secure third by then, with fourth now between Stoner, Dovizioso and Spies. Another new fastest lap put Rossi into a 1.8s lead at this stage.

But this was the stage, with twelve laps remaining, when the storm came in again. The rain was heavy and the wind was up, and soon the track was tricky once more. Rossi slid when a tyre strayed onto a white line, quite possibly blown in that direction too. His lead would start to reduce as Hayden made steady progress again. The wet also helped Dovizioso to regroup, passing Stoner in a right-hander, and then Spies was able to pressurise the 2007 champion.

The surface of the race track was getting all the more tricky, and the swirling nature of the wind did not help riders, and nor did the debris that was being flicked around. Rossi’s lead over Hayden was down to one second, but then he pulled it back out to nearer three. Lorenzo was in a lonely third, with the next three still close at this stage. The wet weather riding skills of Guintoli (from P14 on lap one) and Vermeulen (from P16) had seen them progress so they now headed ninth man Pedrosa.

With about nine or ten laps left to run, and conditions treacherous as the rain continued, there were now reports that the safety car was being prepared to appear, or even that the red flag was imminent. However, the race went on, and now Stoner passed Dovizioso at turn ten, just making it stick. Lap times inevitably got slower, and Pedrosa passed Vermeulen, whilst Lorenzo caught up to Hayden. The Spaniard had a look at a move on the inside at turn one, without success.

Seven laps were left when the red flag was finally shown and the race stopped. The result from this part of the race would be taken from the end of lap twenty, although it seemed likely that the race was now over. Rossi headed Hayden, Lorenzo, Stoner, Dovizioso, Spies, Guintoli, Pedrosa and Vermeulen.

Confusion set in at this stage. Commentators initially believed that the race had gone far enough for the final result to be declared. However, word then came through that there would be an additional six-lap sprint to decide the result, once weather conditions allowed. These did improve, only marginally at first, but as they improved further an eight-lap sprint was announced. Riders such as Rossi and Stoner were seen in discussion with officials in the pits, and their views about the dangerous wind conditions meant that ultimately the lap twenty positions were declared to be the final results, and there would be no more racing.

Having gone with the hardest tyres available, and with settings suitable for a drying race track, Toseland had steadily dropped back from his initial eighth. Elías had also gone backwards as the likes of Guintoli, Vermeulen and West moved forward. Making up three positions during the race meant that de Angelis had taken tenth at the flag, ahead of West and Elías, whilst de Puniet got P13 after getting the better of Hopkins. Edwards took the final point at the expense of Capirossi and Nakano, with Shin’ya having dropped five places and therefore with his worst result of 2008 in P17. Toseland and Melandri were the last two. Despite the conditions there had been no crashes, and it was the only race of the year without retirements.

It had been a challenging race, but Valentino Rossi was still the man to beat. The 69th premier class Grand Prix win for Rossi meant he broke the record of Giacomo Agostini, whose 68 500cc race victories came in the 1965-1976 period. ‘Ago’ still has the most GP wins overall, with 122, but Rossi is second on 95, while third man Angel Nieto has 90. In addition, Rossi now has an 87-point championship lead, with four races left to run. One more podium result will secure his title.

The podium was where Nicky Hayden ended up after his best 2008 GP, his first rostrum in twenty races. With HRC well and truly behind Dani Pedrosa, and the Spaniard getting his preferred tyre choice, Nicky had made his point by coming out on top. He also finished in front of Honda customer rider Andrea Dovizioso, his 2009 replacement, for only the fourth time this year; and Nicky vaulted from eleventh to eighth in the points. Jorge Lorenzo showed that the momentum was back with him as he took third, giving Yamaha their 20th podium for the season - their best since 1990.

Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa both failed to come out where they would have wanted to be, and surely they must both now concede that Rossi will be champion. But of course they will still want to beat each other, and it should be interesting if they are both on form in the remaining races, especially now their tyres are the same. Meanwhile, Andrea Dovizioso kept up his consistent form and is clearly non-works rookie of the year to date, behind works rookie Lorenzo. And Ben Spies made the right impression with a best yet sixth and was first of the Suzukis, on a track were the regulars had no prior experience. Also notable was the seventh for Sylvain Guintoli, the second man on a Ducati. He had gone one better in the wet German race. The non-European continues next time in Japan, which is another place where rain might play a part.

Standings after fourteen races: Rossi 287; Stoner 200; Pedrosa 193; Lorenzo 156; Dovizioso 129; Vermeulen 117; Edwards 109; Hayden 104; Nakano 87; Capirossi and Elías 86; Toseland 85.
Yamaha 316; Honda 243; Ducati 241; Suzuki 149; Kawasaki 71.

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