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Exclusive photos from Indianapolis Grand Prix

The MotoGP-2009 motorcycling race in Indianapolis (USA) was won by Marco Simoncelli from Italy, #58, Metis Gilera team, in the 250cc class. Simoncelli made 26 laps (109.616rm) with a time of 45:43.599.

Vladimir Leonov from Russia, representing Viessmann Kiefer Racing, also showed quite an impressive result – coming in No. 15, for which he managed to get another point, bringing his current total up to eight. Leonov came in 1 minute and 46.821 seconds behind the leader. While racing, Leonov clearly demonstrated that he is in great shape, making one pass after another. Just a reminder: only 19 out of 24 pilots actually made it to the finish.

Vladimir Leonov shared his impressions: "I am happy with Grand Prix itself and its results. Finally, I got a chance to have an enjoyable race and a tough fight for points. I managed to speed up after the first third of the race and maintained that speed until the very end. Unfortunately, it was raining the day I practiced. So, I didn’t have enough time to get better prepared for the qualification. As the race went on, I rode about 1.5 seconds faster than on Saturday, meaning that the adjustments we made after the qualification proved right. Personally, I had a better feel for the bike this time.

My number one competitor was Axel Pons. We had passed each other six times, but as we approached the final straight Axel managed to outride me. Being No. 15 is a good result too, though. Besides, I received additional points! So, I am very happy with the last weekend and cannot wait for the next Moto GP tournament to begin."

This marked the first race in the 250cc class in Indianapolis. Last year, shortly after being added to the MotoGP schedule, the city was hit by a hurricane and the race was cancelled. So, this year it hosted the first and the last 250cc race, since it will be replaced by the Moto2 class next year.

In 2010, Leonov is set to participate in the new Moto2 class with his 600cc bike.

photo: Vyacheslav Larkin, Vector Racing Team photographer, specially for Motonews.ru

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