The Ben Bostrom joins the LCR Honda team as a wildcard rider for the Laguna Seca MotoGP. Toni Elias will still race, and LCR Honda will be fielding an extra bike for Bostrom.

Bostrom will take part in both the AMA race and the MotoGP race this weekend.

Ben Bostrom said:
“Words can’t express how excited I am to get this amazing opportunity to race on my home track in front of the whole world. I have to thank Michael Jordan Motorsports and American Suzuki for allowing this to happen. The collaboration between Lucio, LCR and the MJM team has been terrific. I’m going to get on the GP bike and put it as close to the front as possible. Then I’m going to hop on my Jordan Suzuki bike and try to create even more magic.”

The other riders look ahead to his weekend’s US MotoGP at Laguna Seca below:

Casey Stoner:
“I’m looking forward to going to Laguna Seca, it’s a circuit I’ve always enjoyed quite good results at and we’ve always been naturally quite fast there. The track itself is a very tight and technical track, there are lots of sweeping gradients and unusual corners with a lot of camber, so you need to be delicate on the track and not ‘attack’ it too much. We’ll be looking to improve our results from the past three weekends, three podiums are great but I’m here to win races, so we’ll be aiming to get back on the top step next Sunday in Laguna. It’s been a pretty tiring few weeks and we have another back to back race now, but I love going to America and the area of Monterey is truly beautiful, the fans are always very welcoming and the atmosphere there is fantastic”.

Jorge Lorenzo:
“We are very strong at the moment with a great result at both Mugello and Sachsenring, we will try to continue to reduce our gap to Casey. I have had great moments in Laguna; above all last year when I won, but also in 2009 when I got pole position even with a big crash and at the end got a podium. Laguna is amazing; for the American style and atmosphere, but above all because of the corkscrew. I think maybe it is the best corner in the Championship, the place everybody wants to meet! I am looking forward to being back on my M1 there, riding to fight for the title!”

Andrea Dovizioso:
“I really look forward to racing in Laguna Seca. I have always had a good feeling with this track and I like the whole ambience there. We arrive very motivated and it’s good that we race straight after Sachsenring. I’m satisfied of the improvement we have done in the last GP in terms of consistency and race pace and I’m confident that in Laguna we can return competitive to fight for the podium and hopefully for the win. Our target is to gain important points for the Championship, reducing the gap to Lorenzo and Casey. I like Laguna Seca very much, it’s a very different to the European circuits and I find it special, as are the fans and it’s always a pleasure to race in California”.

Valentino Rossi:
I think that we’ll try to use both versions of the Desmosedici on Friday so that we can compare them and do some work for both the near term and the future, because we want to learn as much as possible. We’re aware that it could be difficult because we’ll also have to be preparing for the race, but we think that in order to improve our bike, it’s important to try everything possible. For me, Laguna represents a great corner, the Corkscrew, and many nice memories, including one of the best races of my career, in 2008. In any case, it’s always a pleasure to race in the United States because the motorcycle world here is really nice. Of course I’m even happier that Jerry has returned and I look forward to seeing him in the garage again with all the guys.”

Dani Pedrosa:
“It was nice to stop, even for if only for couple of days at home to enjoy the victory in Germany with my family and friends, who also deserved to celebrate. The United States Grand Prix will be another challenge for me. I know that I will suffer more in Laguna Seca because there are many hard braking areas and very fast direction changes. Anyway, it will be another race and I’ll try to prepare well and enjoy it as I did in Sachsenring. The track is very different to the European circuits and the atmosphere there is special. With the exception of last year, when I crashed, and in 2008 when I couldn’t race due to injury, I’ve always had fun racing in Laguna and the victory in 2009 was very exciting. In the second half of the season I want to enjoy the bike and gain the best results possible and would like to close the first part of the season with a good feeling”.

Ben Spies:
“It’s always exciting to race in front of the home crowd and It’s going to be a big event for Yamaha with the 50th anniversary colours being run again. They were lucky for me at Assen and hopefully they can bring me more luck in front of my friends and family. I’ve had some pretty good results in my AMA days at Laguna and I love riding the circuit. It’s going to be a serious race weekend but it’s also going to be a lot of fun so I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of old faces at the track.”

Nicky Hayden:
“Obviously, I’m looking forward to Laguna, because it’s a track I love that’s very challenging and fun, with a great atmosphere and my home crowd. Turn 1 and the Corkscrew are very technical, and pretty much the whole track links together. On a MotoGP bike, there really aren’t any straightaways, because you’re always shifting, turning or braking. It’s important to have a bike that you feel confident on and can be aggressive with. I’m going to my home GP not in our best moment, but we’ll give our best effort like always. It’s nice that my brothers are both in the AMA race, and my sisters are both doing a lap on the two-seater Ducati. I think we’ll make the final decision on Thursday as to which bike I’ll ride, but we’ll probably try the GP11.1 at some stage, and I’ll see what I can do to try and come up with a good result.”

Marco Simoncelli :
“Fourth place at Sachsenring would have been a different story but I am still satisfied with my performance there and I take a lot of motivation with me to America. It was important for me to keep my form up even though it was disappointed I couldn’t stick the pace for the full thirty laps. Unfortunately I had problems with the degradation of the left side of the rear tyre and I couldn’t push as hard at the end of the race as I could for the first half. It’s a shame but at least I get the chance to make up for it at Laguna, a unique circuit that I really like. The track itself fascinates me, the Corkscrew is thrilling and the enthusiasm of the fans gives you an extra boost. Together with the team we will be working to be more consistent over race distance, which will be an important part of closing the gap to the leaders.”

Hiroshi Aoyama:
“I was still struggling a lot at Sachsenring with my injuries from Assen and even though I tried my best to come away with a positive result it was very difficult for me to get a feeling for the bike. I am sorry to the team for that and I hope to be able to make it up to them in the next race at Laguna Seca. This will be my first time at this circuit so it won’t be an easy weekend for me but I will be pushing hard to get on the pace as soon as possible.”

Hector Barbera:
“I really enjoyed Laguna Seca last year. It was the first time I had been there but I loved it and I adapted really quickly, with some very positive practice sessions. We had a problem with the chain in the race and that brought things to an early end, which was a real shame. This year I want to make up for it and I am sure we can do that by getting a good result. I am going to work hard from Friday to make sure that this time we leave Laguna Seca feeling completely satisfied. We got there on the back of two very positive races – at Mugello I was really comfortable and the result was good, whilst in Germany I also rode well but had to fight back after running wide in the second turn. The main thing is that we have found a base set-up that works, we are working well as a team and we are all very highly motivated.”

Álvaro Bautista:
“I have a good memory of Laguna from last year – except for the race! It is a nice track and very difficult. I am really looking forward to it after Sachsenring because I am very confident we can continue what we are doing and make further steps. The whole team is in a good mood and we believe we can make a good result in America. Before we arrive at Laguna, I will travel with Paul to visit our friends at Troy Lee Designs – I think they have a big surprise waiting for me, I know they are working on a special paint design for my Shoei helmet! Then we go to Suzuki America to visit the staff and meet the riders from the American road-racing and motocross teams. It should be a fun week!”

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