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Cycle News 2013 Issue 41 October 15

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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VOL. 50 ISSUE 41 OCTOBER 15, 2013 (Left) Marquez was also able to pass Lorenzo, with the championship leader finishing second to his teammate Pedrosa. (Below) Valentino Rossi gives chase to the two factory Hondas early in the race. Rossi finished fourth – again. from being less than four seconds from Lorenzo at the end. "At the beginning I was strong: I'm so happy about this, but in the second half I suffer too much with the tire going down," Rossi said. "It looks like Jorge [Lorenzo] stresses the rear tire less than me, with his style, and he is a bit smaller." Before half distance the race up front had become somewhat processional: the fight was for fifth, where Bautista's slip put him in the clutches of Crutchlow's Monster Tech 3 Yamaha, who was struggling with wheelspin but fast enough down the straights to hound the Honda and to get ahead on lap eight. It was the start of a two and fro battle, with Bautista regaining the upper hand only to run a little wide again. Finally he pounced where he was strongest, down the back straight, and held on over the line by less than two tenths. Crutchlow explained unexpected problems. "After Aragon I told the guys I needed more power, and on the straight the bike was good, but corner to corner it wasn't. I had P55 Briefly... Karel Abraham has finally undergone surgery on the left shoulder injured pre-race at Indy, and ruinously troublesome ever since. The Czech ART rider eventually pulled out before the Aragon race for detailed medical investigation, where specialists eventually came to the conclusion that the only relief from the instability and pain was to graft a tendon from the forearm to reinforce the joint. Within two or three weeks he could start exercising, doctors say, and the rider says, "I expect to be fully fit in time for testing next year." Yamaha was pushed aside when Dorna chose Honda to supply control engines for the Moto2 class, but this didn't stop one of a clutch of local wild cards from branding his Honda-powered Tech 3 Mistralchassised bike with the brand of his usual sponsor. Thai rider Decha Kraisart's blue bike and his leathers were emblazoned YAMAHA. South-East Asian racing is set to boom, much encouraged by the industry, with on one side record ticket sales for the GP, and on the other the foundation of a major initiative to develop young talent, along the lines of Europe's very fruitful Red Bull Rookies program. Crowd figures must have been buoyed by an unprecedented number of local riders, especially in Moto2. Regulars Doni Tata Pradita (Indonesia), Thitipong Warokorn (Thailand), Rafid Topan Sucipto (Indonesia) and Azlan Shah (Malaysia) were joined by wild cards Decha Kraisart (Thailand) and Hafizh Syahrin (Malaysia), plus replacement riders Zaqhwan Zaidi (Malaysia) and Fadli Immammuddin (Indonesia). Add two more Malaysian continued on next page

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