SALINAS, Calif. – A crash in the USGP brought an early end to an otherwise promising weekend for Marco Simoncelli at Laguna Seca, which has seen him consistently on the coattails of the leading riders. Unfortunately the Italian rider lost front grip in turn eight at the Californian circuit and paid a heavy price. The Team San Carlo Honda Gresini rider is disappointed not to continue his run of points finishes and heads for his summer holidays with a bitter taste in his mouth. His team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama crossed the line in tenth place – not an outstanding result but an important one as the Japanese rider continues to recover confidence with his bike.

Marco Simoncelli (DNF) “I am really disappointed. I don't know whether I would have caught Pedrosa if I'd stayed in the race, it's impossible to say, but I could have definitely had a battle with Dovizioso and Spies so it's a real shame. We had worked so well and managed to improve from session to session but I realised early in the race that the front was giving me more trouble than it had in practice. It closed in turn seven on the first lap, which is a strange place for it to go, and then again two laps later in turn eight. All we can do right now is dust ourselves down and head to Brno looking to do our best again.”

Hiroshi Aoyama (10th) “Starting from 14th place is never easy so I had to make a few passes before I could get into my true rhythm. I am partly satisfied to have finished tenth but it was a tough race because I am still not physically fit. My intention was to make it to the end and I am happy I did that because this was my first race here at Laguna. Now we have a short break and I hope I can come back stronger in the next race at Brno, ready to fight for a good result.”

Fausto Gresini “I am especially disappointed for Marco. I can see how gutted he is because he wanted to continue the positive trend of results from the past couple of races but this has been a tougher weekend and he has still been close to the pace of the top guys. We knew it would be difficult for him to stay with them today because they had two or three tenths more in terms of race pace but fourth or fifth place was within Marco's grasp. It's a shame but this is racing, so what we do now is put this race behind us and look forward to the next one in good faith. Tenth place for Hiroshi is not a result worthy of celebration but it was important for him to finish this one and I am sure he will be much more motivated for the next one at Brno.”