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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Jeff Belskus wants to keep the annual MotoGP weekend on the schedule – if the two sides can work out some of the tricky details.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> The current one-year deal expires after this season. Belskus said this weekend that MotoGP’s commercial rights holder is trying to package the American races into a narrow window that would help defray team travel costs. Under the current format, the European-based motorcycle series goes to Laguna Seca in California in late July, then runs in the Czech Republic in early August before coming to Indy in late August.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> MotoGP also has a 10-year contract to compete at the new Formula One track in Austin, Texas. The first race will be held there in 2013, though no dates have been announced.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Negotiations for a new deal in Indy continued this weekend, though nothing was announced.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “We’re still negotiating with them, we do have some date issues,” Belskus said. “They would like us to be closer to Laguna Seca so they don’t have to travel back and forth so much.”
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Moving the Indy race to an earlier August date or even before Laguna Seca could cause additional problems for the speedway.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> If the motorcycle race were closer to NASCAR’s Brickyard date, traditionally late July, speedway officials may have trouble getting the track ready for a road-course race.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Another option: Moving Laguna Seca’s date closer to Indy’s regular date, which could allow MotoGP to be in the U.S. for all of August. It’s unclear whether MotoGP officials can or would make that kind of change.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Riders have frequently complained since the first race in 2008 about Indy’s narrow track, its difficult surface and the tight corners. The speedway recently repaved 1.5 miles of the course, but the complaints remained.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “Instead of corners opening up, they just keep tightening up,” said Casey Stoner, Sunday’s winner. “This facility could be unbelievable with the history that it’s got. I just don’t enjoy riding it as much as I enjoy other circuits.”
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Sunday’s attendance was announced at 64,151, a slight improvement from 62,794 last year.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> The three-day total of 134,766 was the lowest of its four-year run in Indy, well below the 170,000 from 2008 and it’s not even close to some of the crowds in Europe.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> But Indy does have something riders like.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “For me, it’s a home race. It’s in front of the home crowd,” third-place finisher Ben Spies said. “I’ve had good results here. I think it’s more important for America to get involved with MotoGP to grow in the states, so I would like to see it come back.”
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> HAYDEN’S ROUGH DAY: Nicky Hayden’s tire risk failed.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Hayden was the only rider in the MotoGP race who chose Bridgestone’s medium compound for his front tire – the rest chose the hard compound for both front and rear. After a fast start, his race ended during the 26th of 28 laps because of tire wear.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “There was no rubber left, and then it was out of balance and I could not even ride,” he said. “Tough day.”
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Hayden entered the weekend optimistic about riding a new bike, and the Ducati rider left it hoping to salvage something.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “Hopefully, we can take some of the data that we learned from this weekend on that bike.”
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Hayden, from Owensboro, Ky., wanted a better finish in his home country. Instead, he got the kind of result that has plagued him all season.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “It was a disaster,” he said. “It has been going on for quite a while, so it’s not fun. I have a lot of fans here in America who came here to support me and I let them down.”
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> ROSSI STRUGGLES AGAIN: Ducati rider Valentino Rossi found himself in an unfamiliar place during Sunday’s MotoGP race: last.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> The seven-time MotoGP champion started 14th out of 17 riders after a poor qualifying effort on Saturday, then he overshot turn one on the ninth lap during Sunday’s MotoGP race and fell to the back of the pack.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “I made two or three mistakes in the first corner,” he said. “I wanted to stop, seriously, but I did not want to give up.”
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Rossi rallied and finished 10th.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “It was very bad,” Rossi said. “The bike was so difficult to ride. I didn’t have any grip. The front pushed, and after some laps, I had problems with the gearbox.”
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> SPAIN RULES MOTO2: Marc Marquez led a Spanish sweep in a Moto2 event. Pol Espargaro finished second and Esteve Rabat finished third.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Marquez earned the pole, then fell behind Simone Corsi for several laps before taking the lead for good in lap eight of the 26-lap race.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Espargaro has finished on the podium in all four Indianapolis Grand Prix. His previous podium finishes all came in 125cc: first in 2009, second in 2008 and third in 2010. His previous best this season had been sixth at Portugal.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> German Stefan Bradl finished sixth and remained in the points lead.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> TEROL WINS AGAIN: Spain’s Nicolas Terol won the 125cc class for the third time in four Indianapolis events.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Terol also won the event in 2008 and 2010. This year, he became the first rider to win the event from the pole.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “This victory is incredible in this moment of championship,” Terol said. “I want to thank my team because their work for the weekend is perfect.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Spanish rookie Maverick Vinales finished second, and Germany’s Sandro Cortese was third.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Terol now leads France’s Johann Zarco 191-165 in the point standings. Zarco finished fifth on Sunday.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> XDL WINNERS: Bill Dixon and Dena Sodano claimed the men’s and women’s XDL season championships in downtown Indianapolis.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> It was the fourth consecutive year the final event of the stunt motorcycle riders’ season was held in Indianapolis as part of the Indianapolis GP weekend.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Rafal Pasierbek won the FMF Cup Final to win the Indianapolis event, but Dixon accumulated enough points in the previous four events to claim the season championship.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Dan Jackson won the Wheelie Teach Wheelie Race, Brian Bubash won the K&N Circle Challenge and Sickest Trick Award, Jesse Toler claimed the Racing 905 Speed and Style Showdown and Sodano won the Startso Women’s Cup.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> AP Sports Writer Michael Marot contributed to this report.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: twitter.com/cliffbruntap
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