Cudlin denied race start in Australia after practice crash

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Damage suffered in Saturday’s free practice crash, ruled out a home MotoGP start for Australian stand-in, Damian Cudlin, for the Mapfre Aspar Team.

Cudlin, standing in for Héctor Barberá this weekend as the Spaniard recovers from injury, befell a similar fate to the regular Mapfre Aspar Team rider at the Iveco Australian GP. The substitute rider didn't make the start for his home race, as the heavy crash of Saturday afternoon took its toll. A huge abrasion to his left side and a significant contusion to his hip meant that Cudlin had to sit out the event, having made a valiant attempt to participate in the warm-up to test his condition. The 28 year old only managed a single lap before realising that racing would not be possible and was taken immediately to the Clinica Mobile for an X-ray. Fortunately no fractures were suffered in his big crash, although Cudlin will head to hospital in Melbourne tomorrow in order to undergo further tests.

Only fourteen riders took the start in the Iveco Australian Grand Prix. The absence of Cudlin, Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies from the starting grid made for a sparse startline image at Phillip Island, but there was still a race to be contested, with Cudlin’s compatriot, Casey Stoner clinching his second World Championship.

Press release courtesy of the Mapfre Aspar MotoGP Team

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Cudlin turns Superman in Phillip Island crash

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Damian Cudlin, making his second MotoGP stand-in appearance in as many races, suffered this huge highside in Saturday morning practice for his home Australian Grand Prix.

A very sore Cudlin went on to qualify 17th and last for Aspar Ducati and is in doubt for the race.

"I am in a lot of pain," he said. "The crash this morning took me completely by surprise and it was pretty aggressive. It was a real shame to crash so early on and especially to cause so much damage. 

"We had been doing a good job up to that point but afterwards it was difficult to get any useful data. 

"I took a heavy blow to my hip and lost a lot of skin from my left side. They have done a good job in the clinic to get me going again and have advised complete rest to give me the best possible chance tomorrow. 

"I'll try to go out in the warm-up, see how I feel and take it from there."

source: crash

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Cudlin confirmed as Barbera replacement

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Following a surprise MotoGP debut, as a stand-in for Loris Capirossi at Motegi, Damian Cudlin will be back on a Ducati Desmosedici for his home Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island this weekend.

29-year-old Cudlin has been confirmed as a replacement for injured Aspar Ducati rider Hector Barbera, who broke his collarbone in Japan.

"This is a fabulous opportunity for me, I honestly can't believe it," said Cudlin. "A week ago I made my debut in MotoGP and that was already a shock. 

"It gives me great pride to be competing in MotoGP, the best championship in the world, and especially with such a great outfit as the Mapfre Aspar Team. My first experience in Japan was unforgettable and now just two weeks later I get another opportunity. 

"I am really happy, I consider myself a very lucky person and I want to make the most of every single minute of this opportunity. 

"The level of the category and the machinery is extremely high, as I found out in Japan. I had never been to Motegi before and had to learn a lot in a short space of time but I am sure I can start out at Phillip Island at a higher level. I know the circuit and that will help me to make a confident start."

Suter test rider Cudlin, who normally races in the World Endurance and IDM championships, began the Japanese GP without any prior experience of an 800cc MotoGP bike or the Motegi circuit.

The Australian reduced the difference to the front of the premier-class field in every track session, a 5.9sec deficit in first practice being cut to a creditable 2.7sec by his best lap in the race.

Cudlin didn't reach the chequered flag, falling from 14th place - just behind local Honda wild-card Kousuke Akiyoshi - on lap 15 of 24. A first MotoGP finish, and almost certainly points, will therefore be his priority this weekend.

Cudlin finished seventh in his only previous grand prix appearance, at the 2010 German Moto2 event.

source: crash

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Tenth for De Puniet at Motegi while Cudlin loses out on twelfth position

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The Pramac Racing team had a good start at the Grand Prix of Japan on Sunday, where after six laps the duo were in eighth and thirteenth places, respectively, with De Puniet ahead of Cudlin.

Randy De Puniet was passed by the riders Dovizioso and Simoncelli upon their return to the track following a ride through penalty for a false start. The race then turned into containment for the Frenchman to finish top ten in the race and World Championhship points, while premier class rookie Cudlin was sitting in twelfth position until lap thirteen when a small mistake in a late braking saw him lose the front. Despite the error, it was a good weekend for the Australian who quickly learned a new bike and new track simultaneously.

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Technical Director:

It was a disappointing weekend despite the tenth place by Randy can be considered a good result, but with all the falls and penalties on the track today we thought to be able to finish at least in seventh or eighth place. Cudlin was having a good run for his debut on a MotoGP bike, but just as he was making a move to fight for the eleventh position in the last few laps, he pushed too hard on a late braking corner. Nonetheless, he has worked very well throughout the weekend.”

Randy De Puniet:

"I'm not very happy, today we had the potential to enter the top eight. I was behind Aoyama, Elias and other riders, but when I saw the ride through sign I thought I would be there too. I looked at the sign at every lap when it was exposed and once I tried to see to look for mine number, so I slowed down a bit on the straight, but I used the brakes too late and made a mistake in the next turn losing contact with the group. I tried to recover but I couldn’t manage the bike how I wanted. The bike at Aragon was great, but I was went off track to avoid a fallen rider, but here I just didn’t have the right feeling. We hope to find it again in Australia."

Damian Cudlin:

"I made a good start, I felt good and thought I could overtake both Colin and Randy on the first lap but I didn’t want to create accidents, that wouldn’t be too smart as a rookie. As time went on I got to better terms with the bike and managed to reach and keep up with Akiyoshi. I was planning to stay with him until the end, then try to overtake him o the last few laps, but in a tight left corner I braked too late and lost the front. I am very sorry for how it ended this weekend, before today I had fallen only once in the other categories I raced in this year, so to end this experience like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I hope to have similar opportunities in the near future and I thank the Pramac Racing Team for allowing me to live this wonderful experience.”

Pramac Racing Team press release

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De Puniet just misses third row after a promising run

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Pramac Racing's Randy De Puniet clocked some very motivating lap times at the start of the qualifying session, but his final exit from the pits with new tires did not see the Frenchman lower his best lap time as expected. De Puniet will therefore start tomorrow’s race from the fifth row.

On the other side of the garage, Pramac teammate for this weekend, Damian Cudlin, was able to further improved his lap times to gain ground on the group and move into eighteenth position in front of Japanese rider Shinichi Ito. Tomorrow at 3pm local time is the Australian rider’s debut MotoGP race.

Marco Rigamonti - Randy De Puniet Track Engineer:

“We cannot find those 3 to 4 tenths of a second that would put us in much better position. The same thing happened in Aragon and we surely need to fix this. It’s really a shame because Randy has a very good race pace and starting tomorrow from the thirteenth place he will have to be very careful in the first few corners to avoid complications. Anyway, we hope to be luckier this weekend.”

Randy De Puniet:

"I tried to improve at the beginning of the second practice with used tyres, but nothing was working too well. So we decided to go back to this morning’s set up and we managed to improve straight away. The positive thing is that I can ride in the low 1’47”s all alone and this gives me good hopes for the race. I’ll certainly use soft tyres as with the hard one I don’t have the confidence to push more. Too bad I can’t manage to improve those 3 or 4 tenths of a second that would put me in third row.”

Damian Cudlin:

"I have to be happy with the progress we are making. It seems every time I sit on the bike we manage to lower our lap times. This was my target for the weekend. Now we are getting to the point where the improvement will be smaller and more difficult to find, but we are starting to look in some technical changes to help me. I still believe that most of the gap is still coming from me as I am still learning the bike and the track. For tomorrow my plan is just to continue to improve and get closer to the others. It would be nice to have some fights during tomorrow’s race, this is what I am aiming for."

Pramac Racing Team press release

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Damian Cudlin aboard Pramac Ducati at Motegi

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Loris Capirossi will have to sit out round 15 of the MotoGP Championship after dislocating his right shoulder in his crash at Aragón. The Italian's injuries have not healed sufficiently for him to participate in the Japanese GP. Standing in for Capirossi will be 29 year-old Damian Cudlin.

Randy de Puniet is ready to take on the Motegi track, where he has posted two podium finishes in the past: a third place in 250cc and a second place in MotoGP.

Fabiano Sterlacchini - Technical Director Pramac Racing:

“Motegi is a fairly complex track with its many stop and go sections that will certainly demand a change to the bike’s setup. Randy has done well here in the past, so we expect a good showing from our Frenchman. Meanwhile, it will be a good opportunity for Damian Cudlin to showcase his talents. He’s a good guy and we had the opportunity to get to know him a little last year in Moto2, where he raced at the Sachsenring GP.”

Randy De Puniet:

“I really want to finish out this season as well as possible. I’ve been unfortunate in many races and I’ve committed errors in others. But we worked well in the last race at Aragón and I hope to also start Motegi off on the right foot. It’s one of my favourite circuits and I’ve had some good results there in the past.”

Damian Cudlin:

"It's hard to put into words what this opportunity means to me. I've dreamed about starting in MotoGP since I was a boy, and until now it's been just that - a dream. Now it's become a reality and to be honest, I'm still in shock! I'm under no illusions about how difficult this race will be. I've never ridden a real MotoGP bike before and I've never been to Motegi either, so realistically my expectations can't be too high. I just want to do the best job I can, enjoy the experience, and just see what happens. I've really got nothing to lose, so why not? I don't know what I've done to deserve this. I still can't believe I'll be replacing Loris Capirossi - I had posters of him on my wall as a kid! I just want to thank Sito Pons for recommending me, the Pramac Racing Team for giving me a chance, and also my current BMW Team for allowing me to use this opportunity. I hope I can make everyone proud that they took a chance with a guy like me."

Pramac Racing Team press release

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