From motogp.com
Pramac Racing has confirmed that Aleix Espargaró will join its team for the 2010 season to ride alongside Mika Kallio in MotoGP.
The talented Spanish rider made his MotoGP debut for Pramac this year, covering for Kallio while the Finnish star rode the Ducati factory bike in Casey Stoner’s absence during the summer, and his results at Indianapolis and Misano (13th and 11th) respectively were enough to earn him a permanent premier class ride.
“I am very happy to be arriving in MotoGP after the time I have had this year," said the 20-year-old, who grew up near Barcelona’s Montmeló circuit. "It is better news to be riding for Ducati all through next season than to be riding in the final few races of this year, which could have happened.
"The two races that I did for Ducati this year were good, I was very comfortable on the bike and with the team. I think I adapt well to MotoGP because I’m quite tall and the bikes suit me better than Moto2 machines. 2010 could be a good year for me.”
Pramac Racing Team Principal, Paolo Campinoti stated “This year we have already got good results thanks to Mika Kallio’s performances and this is why the Finnish rider will remain with us next season. In Indianapolis Aleix demonstrated his competitiveness from the first laps in both track conditions, dry and wet, and in Misano he confirmed his good feeling with the bike. We really count on him; his attitude and devotion to this sport give us a lot of trust.”
Of departing rider Niccolò Canepa, Campinoti added, “I want to take this opportunity to thank Niccolò. He is a strong guy and we wish him a happy future on and off track. His little experience didn't allow him to perform as we all expected during this championship, but we are anyway convinced of his talent and we are sure he will be able to show it in other categories."
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Spies wild-card a 'win-win' situation
From motogp.com
Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis has described Ben Spies’ wild-card entry for the final MotoGP race of the season at Valencia as a ‘win-win’ scenario for both the rider and his team.
The 25-year-old Spies will race for Herve Poncharal’s Tech 3 satellite team alongside fellow American Colin Edwards next season, after originally being lined up for his full MotoGP induction for the 2011 season.
However, Spies – who made three successful MotoGP guest appearances for Suzuki in 2008 and is currently second in the World Superbike standings – will ride a YZR-M1 test bike at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana in early November, prior to being installed for the commencement of the 2010 campaign.
Jarvis explained that the opportunity for Spies to ride an M1 for the first time at Valencia will help the three-time US AMA Superbike champion and his new team become familiarised ahead of testing and their first season together.
“As we announced a few days ago, Ben has made his switch and his decision to come over to MotoGP," Jarvis said. "Essentially, next season starts two days after the Valencia race. We have the test on Tuesday and Wednesday so of course that would be the normal way for him to start.
“But Ben made his request to Yamaha and asked, ‘would it be possible, could it be possible to do a wild card?’ We checked internally and we found a way to make it happen. So I think it will be exciting for the sport and for Valencia, and it will give him three days extra track time before starting the two days of testing before the winter break. So I think it’s a win-win situation all round.”
Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis has described Ben Spies’ wild-card entry for the final MotoGP race of the season at Valencia as a ‘win-win’ scenario for both the rider and his team.
The 25-year-old Spies will race for Herve Poncharal’s Tech 3 satellite team alongside fellow American Colin Edwards next season, after originally being lined up for his full MotoGP induction for the 2011 season.
However, Spies – who made three successful MotoGP guest appearances for Suzuki in 2008 and is currently second in the World Superbike standings – will ride a YZR-M1 test bike at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana in early November, prior to being installed for the commencement of the 2010 campaign.
Jarvis explained that the opportunity for Spies to ride an M1 for the first time at Valencia will help the three-time US AMA Superbike champion and his new team become familiarised ahead of testing and their first season together.
“As we announced a few days ago, Ben has made his switch and his decision to come over to MotoGP," Jarvis said. "Essentially, next season starts two days after the Valencia race. We have the test on Tuesday and Wednesday so of course that would be the normal way for him to start.
“But Ben made his request to Yamaha and asked, ‘would it be possible, could it be possible to do a wild card?’ We checked internally and we found a way to make it happen. So I think it will be exciting for the sport and for Valencia, and it will give him three days extra track time before starting the two days of testing before the winter break. So I think it’s a win-win situation all round.”
Monday, October 05, 2009
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Aoyama to move up to MotoGP
From motogp.com
Swiss team owner Daniel M. Epp will run a MotoGP Honda next year, with current 250cc World Championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama signed for 2010.
“We are pleased to announce that we have completed a deal to run a Honda RC212V in the MotoGP class in the 2010 season. After winning the World Championship in 2005 with Tom Lüthi on the 125cc Honda, it’s a great pleasure for me to join up again with Honda,” said Epp, who has run a successful 125 and 250 team for the past few seasons.
“Now, after all these years we have finally been able to achieve our dream of presenting a MotoGP project. We are proud to become part of the premier class of motorcycle Grand Prix racing.”
Epp will announce further details of his 2010 MotoGP project at the final round of the season in Valencia.
Swiss team owner Daniel M. Epp will run a MotoGP Honda next year, with current 250cc World Championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama signed for 2010.
“We are pleased to announce that we have completed a deal to run a Honda RC212V in the MotoGP class in the 2010 season. After winning the World Championship in 2005 with Tom Lüthi on the 125cc Honda, it’s a great pleasure for me to join up again with Honda,” said Epp, who has run a successful 125 and 250 team for the past few seasons.
“Now, after all these years we have finally been able to achieve our dream of presenting a MotoGP project. We are proud to become part of the premier class of motorcycle Grand Prix racing.”
Epp will announce further details of his 2010 MotoGP project at the final round of the season in Valencia.
Lorenzo tightens MotoGP title battle
From motogp.com
A great win for Jorge Lorenzo at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal saw him reduce the gap to Valentino Rossi in the MotoGP standings to 18 points.
Lorenzo repeated his 2008 Estoril victory from pole on Sunday to significantly boost his title chances as Rossi could only manage fourth place at the challenging Portuguese circuit.
The Fiat Yamaha pair got away in first and second places on the grid but Rossi was unable to match the pace of Lorenzo as he pulled away quickly at the front. The Spaniard was in unstoppable form in the Atlantic Coast sunshine and his fourth win of the year was eventually secured by a 6.3-sec. margin.
On his return to action Ducati’s Casey Stoner rode brilliantly to follow Lorenzo across the line in second place, while Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was third.
“I didn’t expect to win with such a gap," Lorenzo admitted. "It was a perfect weekend as we dominated in practice, feeling great on the bike and also in the race I think it was one of the best performances in my life. At the beginning it was a little bit difficult to open a big gap because I could only do it one tenth of a second at a time, but then Casey’s rhythm dropped and I was able to maintain my pace.”
Stoner performed admirably on his return to action after two months away due to illness, achieving his first podium since Assen in June – and he now has his home race at Phillip Island to look forward to in a fortnight’s time.
There was visible relief for Stoner and his Ducati Marlboro team when he completed a highly competitive 28-lap race around the challenging Estoril track in second place in his first GP appearance in two months.
Talking to motogp.com afterwards Stoner stated, “There was a lot of criticism of my decision to stop but people need to understand that if you are not competitive and you are getting worse every race there is no sense to just keep going. You have to stop, find the problem and fix it.
“So to come back like this and be more competitive than I have been in a long, long time it was a really good feeling. In the last five races I rode I was putting in so much effort and still slowing down at the end of the races, so today it was nice to be able to relax towards the end and still do a good lap time. I was nervous again today and I haven’t been nervous for a long time, so it is nice to be here again on the podium.
“We didn’t expect to do this well and in fact up until a week and a half ago I still had similar problems to those I had two months ago. It was only a sodium diet and a few other things that seem to have helped. I’m hoping that we have discovered my low blood pressure levels to be the problem and we can look forward to Phillip Island and trying to be competitive there. I hope it is a bit colder than most of the tracks we go to as that might help my physical condition a bit more.”
Pedrosa rode smoothly from fourth on the grid, taking the holeshot with one of his traditionally rapid starts onboard the factory RC212V and briefly holding the lead before Lorenzo slipped through. Pedrosa’s third place was his eighth podium of 2009.
World Champion Rossi appeared to be off-colour throughout the race, finishing off the podium for the first time at Estoril in the premier class. The championship leader will undertake a comprehensive inquest into his lack of competitiveness with his Fiat Yamaha crew after finishing 23 seconds behind Lorenzo.
“It was a very difficult race for me,” the Italian star said. “I was never able to be fast because I did not have enough grip in the rear and our tire did not work well, but I think it was more a problem of setting. After a few laps I was in great difficulties and I immediately understood that this was not going to be our race.
“Throughout the practice sessions I had some problems but I thought that today I would be able to at least stay with Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, but they made another step forward for the race and then there was no chance for me. On Friday I was three tenths off the pace and unfortunately this stayed the same all weekend and in the race today.
“Here in Estoril we struggled last year as well, so it might be that, with our setting, the rear tire gets very hot and this causes a lack of grip. It is a pity that I am off the podium, but we have three more races. We must think race by race and we must work to understand what the problem was today in order to make sure that we fix it in time for Phillip Island.”
Behind the MotoGP big guns at the front, Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was 10 seconds back on Rossi in fifth place, while Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) held off Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) for sixth on the line.
The top 10 also featured Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), with Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing) crashing out early on and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) retiring due to technical problems.
Another solid fourth placed finish for Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing) saw him extend his 250cc title advantage to 26 points at the bwin.com Grande Prémio de Portugal after Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar) crashed out early on, while World Champion Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera) brought himself back into the championship fight with another win.
Bautista’s engine appeared to seize up on lap four causing him to crash out, leaving Simoncelli to take his fifth win of the year – and his fourth in the last six rounds – putting the Italian two points behind the Spaniard in the standings.
Behind Simoncelli, Mike di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar) and Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team) crossed the line neck and neck, and although they were given exactly the same race time second place was awarded to Di Meglio while Aoyama rode steadily to fourth place.
Drama in 125cc race at Estoril saw Julián Simón’s title celebrations put on hold after he crashed and finished 12th, as Pol Espargaró took a superb win.
Espargaró (Derbi Racing) scored an excellent victory on Sunday to make up for his last lap Misano heartbreak, as he judged the final stages to perfection to outdo Sandro Cortese (Ajo Interwetten) and Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar).
World Championship candidate Simón (Bancaja Aspar) crashed on the 16th lap when leading by more than five seconds. He will have to wait a while longer to clinch the title but is still 50.5 points ahead with three rounds remaining.
MotoGP Race Results
1. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 45:35.522 (154.100 km/h)
2. Casey STONER (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +6.294
3. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +9.889
4. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +23.428
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +32.652
6. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +35.709
7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +35.723
8. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +38.830
9. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +44.093
10. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +52.863
11. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +55.698
12. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +1:04.515
13. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +1:04.538
14. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +1:27.299
Not classified
Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +8 Laps
Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +20 Laps
Mika KALLIO (FIN) Pramac Racing Ducati +23 Laps
MotoGP Point Standings
1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha) 250
2. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha) 232
3. Dani PEDROSA (Honda) 173
4. Casey STONER (Ducati) 170
5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda) 142
6. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha) 134
7. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki) 97
8. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda) 93
9. Marco MELANDRI (Kawasaki) 91
10. Toni ELIAS (Honda) 90
11. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki) 90
12. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda) 88
13. James TOSELAND (Yamaha) 85
14. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati) 81
15. Mika KALLIO (Ducati) 51
16. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati) 38
17. Gabor TALMACSI (Honda) 14
18. Sete GIBERNAU (Ducati) 12
19. Yuki TAKAHASHI (Honda) 9
20. Aleix ESPARGARO (Ducati) 8
A great win for Jorge Lorenzo at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal saw him reduce the gap to Valentino Rossi in the MotoGP standings to 18 points.
Lorenzo repeated his 2008 Estoril victory from pole on Sunday to significantly boost his title chances as Rossi could only manage fourth place at the challenging Portuguese circuit.
The Fiat Yamaha pair got away in first and second places on the grid but Rossi was unable to match the pace of Lorenzo as he pulled away quickly at the front. The Spaniard was in unstoppable form in the Atlantic Coast sunshine and his fourth win of the year was eventually secured by a 6.3-sec. margin.
On his return to action Ducati’s Casey Stoner rode brilliantly to follow Lorenzo across the line in second place, while Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was third.
“I didn’t expect to win with such a gap," Lorenzo admitted. "It was a perfect weekend as we dominated in practice, feeling great on the bike and also in the race I think it was one of the best performances in my life. At the beginning it was a little bit difficult to open a big gap because I could only do it one tenth of a second at a time, but then Casey’s rhythm dropped and I was able to maintain my pace.”
Stoner performed admirably on his return to action after two months away due to illness, achieving his first podium since Assen in June – and he now has his home race at Phillip Island to look forward to in a fortnight’s time.
There was visible relief for Stoner and his Ducati Marlboro team when he completed a highly competitive 28-lap race around the challenging Estoril track in second place in his first GP appearance in two months.
Talking to motogp.com afterwards Stoner stated, “There was a lot of criticism of my decision to stop but people need to understand that if you are not competitive and you are getting worse every race there is no sense to just keep going. You have to stop, find the problem and fix it.
“So to come back like this and be more competitive than I have been in a long, long time it was a really good feeling. In the last five races I rode I was putting in so much effort and still slowing down at the end of the races, so today it was nice to be able to relax towards the end and still do a good lap time. I was nervous again today and I haven’t been nervous for a long time, so it is nice to be here again on the podium.
“We didn’t expect to do this well and in fact up until a week and a half ago I still had similar problems to those I had two months ago. It was only a sodium diet and a few other things that seem to have helped. I’m hoping that we have discovered my low blood pressure levels to be the problem and we can look forward to Phillip Island and trying to be competitive there. I hope it is a bit colder than most of the tracks we go to as that might help my physical condition a bit more.”
Pedrosa rode smoothly from fourth on the grid, taking the holeshot with one of his traditionally rapid starts onboard the factory RC212V and briefly holding the lead before Lorenzo slipped through. Pedrosa’s third place was his eighth podium of 2009.
World Champion Rossi appeared to be off-colour throughout the race, finishing off the podium for the first time at Estoril in the premier class. The championship leader will undertake a comprehensive inquest into his lack of competitiveness with his Fiat Yamaha crew after finishing 23 seconds behind Lorenzo.
“It was a very difficult race for me,” the Italian star said. “I was never able to be fast because I did not have enough grip in the rear and our tire did not work well, but I think it was more a problem of setting. After a few laps I was in great difficulties and I immediately understood that this was not going to be our race.
“Throughout the practice sessions I had some problems but I thought that today I would be able to at least stay with Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, but they made another step forward for the race and then there was no chance for me. On Friday I was three tenths off the pace and unfortunately this stayed the same all weekend and in the race today.
“Here in Estoril we struggled last year as well, so it might be that, with our setting, the rear tire gets very hot and this causes a lack of grip. It is a pity that I am off the podium, but we have three more races. We must think race by race and we must work to understand what the problem was today in order to make sure that we fix it in time for Phillip Island.”
Behind the MotoGP big guns at the front, Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was 10 seconds back on Rossi in fifth place, while Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) held off Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) for sixth on the line.
The top 10 also featured Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), with Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing) crashing out early on and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) retiring due to technical problems.
Another solid fourth placed finish for Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing) saw him extend his 250cc title advantage to 26 points at the bwin.com Grande Prémio de Portugal after Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar) crashed out early on, while World Champion Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera) brought himself back into the championship fight with another win.
Bautista’s engine appeared to seize up on lap four causing him to crash out, leaving Simoncelli to take his fifth win of the year – and his fourth in the last six rounds – putting the Italian two points behind the Spaniard in the standings.
Behind Simoncelli, Mike di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar) and Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team) crossed the line neck and neck, and although they were given exactly the same race time second place was awarded to Di Meglio while Aoyama rode steadily to fourth place.
Drama in 125cc race at Estoril saw Julián Simón’s title celebrations put on hold after he crashed and finished 12th, as Pol Espargaró took a superb win.
Espargaró (Derbi Racing) scored an excellent victory on Sunday to make up for his last lap Misano heartbreak, as he judged the final stages to perfection to outdo Sandro Cortese (Ajo Interwetten) and Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar).
World Championship candidate Simón (Bancaja Aspar) crashed on the 16th lap when leading by more than five seconds. He will have to wait a while longer to clinch the title but is still 50.5 points ahead with three rounds remaining.
MotoGP Race Results
1. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 45:35.522 (154.100 km/h)
2. Casey STONER (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +6.294
3. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +9.889
4. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +23.428
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +32.652
6. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +35.709
7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +35.723
8. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +38.830
9. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +44.093
10. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +52.863
11. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +55.698
12. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +1:04.515
13. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +1:04.538
14. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +1:27.299
Not classified
Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +8 Laps
Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +20 Laps
Mika KALLIO (FIN) Pramac Racing Ducati +23 Laps
MotoGP Point Standings
1. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha) 250
2. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha) 232
3. Dani PEDROSA (Honda) 173
4. Casey STONER (Ducati) 170
5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda) 142
6. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha) 134
7. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki) 97
8. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda) 93
9. Marco MELANDRI (Kawasaki) 91
10. Toni ELIAS (Honda) 90
11. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki) 90
12. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda) 88
13. James TOSELAND (Yamaha) 85
14. Nicky HAYDEN (Ducati) 81
15. Mika KALLIO (Ducati) 51
16. Niccolo CANEPA (Ducati) 38
17. Gabor TALMACSI (Honda) 14
18. Sete GIBERNAU (Ducati) 12
19. Yuki TAKAHASHI (Honda) 9
20. Aleix ESPARGARO (Ducati) 8
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Spies and Haga split Superbike wins
From the World Superbike Championship
Title contenders Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) scored a win apiece in the penultimate round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Superbike in front of a record 81,000 spectators at Magny-Cours on Sunday but it is the Japanese rider who now has the advantage in the points table.
The Texan dominated race 1 but 'Nitro-Nori' responded in the second encounter with a lights-to-flag victory, as Spies was unable to go any higher than fourth. Ten points now separate the two as the series heads for its final round in Portugal in three weeks time.
Max Biaggi scored two more podium finishes for Aprilia Racing, a third and a second, Jonathan Rea grabbed a third for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda, while Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) had an off day.
Spies and Haga predictably set the first race alight as they fought for the win. At the flag it was the Texan who took the maximum points with his 13th win of the season after leading from the start, but he was made to fight for it by his Japanese rival.
“I had some good parts of the race and some bad ones," Spies said. "We made a lot of very small mistakes, but I was taking care to make it easy when I had the cushion. I didn’t take advantage of it and almost ruined the lead because they all came back to me.
"On the last lap I made another mistake and I knew that with me running wide, he [Haga] probably went in a little bit tighter than normal and I would get him on the outside. It paid off.”
Haga was the quickest man on the track at the end but paid the price of a slow start and being held up behind Biaggi for too long, thus losing touch with Spies.
“If only I had one more lap something would have happened for sure," Haga said. "I made a mistake at the start because there was some problem with the bike. I just gained in the middle of the race in the top three and tried to start pushing. On the last lap I was thinking that Ben would make a mistake somewhere for sure and then he did at one corner. I almost passed but we made a good race anyway.”
The Italian did take the final podium slot however, confirming the RSV4’s competitiveness at the French circuit.
“I give it my best but I saw that Ben could do high 38s in the warm-up and that was very difficult for us," Biaggi said. "During the first part of the race I pushed hard and had a good tire; I was fast in some parts of the track but not in others. But overall I’m near maximum. Then I made a mistake when Nori came, I put a wrong gear and he overtook me, but overall Aprilia and myself made a very good race.”
Fourth place went to Fabrizio, who lost touch with the leading group in the early stages, losing out on any chance of the podium.
Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing) was the leading Honda man to the finish with a positive fifth place, ahead of the Hannspree Ten Kate machine of Carlos Checa.
Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare) had a good run in seventh, the Japanese rider finishing ahead of Shane Byrne (Ducati Sterilgarda) and the BMW of Troy Corser.
Rea had a technical problem and was out on lap 7, and another problem also brought a halt to the debut race for Leon Camier (Aprilia Racing).
Haga made amends in the second race, the Ducati Xerox man dominating almost from start to finish after a much better start. Haga got the better of Biaggi on the opening lap and then held the pace right until the end for his eighth win of the season.
“For sure this is an important win for me," Haga said. "Especially after Nurburgring I don’t sleep every night because I am always thinking about the position in the championship. I’m really happy with this second place and win.
"My chief engineer made a good setting for race 2 and the feeling was good for race pace distance. I couldn’t make an advantage from Max and Johnny but concentrated on the last laps to take this win, which gave the Manufacturers’ title to Ducati.”
Spies this time could only struggle to fourth after encountering tire problems.
Biaggi had a great scrap with Rea for second, while Haslam put in another solid performance to take his Stiggy Racing Honda to another fifth.
“I’m very happy and it was a very hard race," Biaggi said. "From the beginning everyone was fast, the top four or five were at a very similar pace. I had a good rhythm, I followed Nori, he looked very confident, I was wondering if he could keep the pace until the end and I got my answer because he was still lapping well.
"At the start of the race someone ran off the track and a big stone broke my window and I was worried that the radiator was broken. I started to push again and for me it was a good race.”
The two Suzukis went quite well at the French circuit, with both riders finishing in the top 10, Kagayama sixth and Karl Muggeridge eighth, but BMW could only bring their men home in 10th (Corser) and 12th (Xaus).
Fabrizio had another rather unconvincing run, the Italian crashing out while trying to pass Byrne and then remounting to finish in 13th place.
After Cal Crutchlow’s crash at Imola, which threw the title fight wide-open, the Supersport race at Magny-Cours produced more of the same as Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) paid back the favour by crashing out immediately after passing the Yamaha man.
The Irish rider managed to get back on the bike, with his fairing hanging off, but could only finish 13th, a result that leaves the gap between the two at 19 points. Crutchlow, who finished second, now just needs six points at Portimao to claim the Supersport title in his rookie season.
The win, after the race had been red-flagged two laps from the end with oil on the track, went to Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com), his first this year and the second in his career. Third place went to Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda).
Two riders were celebrating at the end of the penultimate round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. The win went to Frenchman Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda) in front of his home crowd, while second place gave Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox) the title with one round remaining, giving Ducati its third championship in three seasons.
The European Superstock 600 Championship took on a new look at the top of the table after an exciting multi-rider battle for the win in the penultimate round. Danilo Petrucci’s (Yamaha Trasimeno) crash in the early laps and a ride-through penalty for a jump start inflicted on Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha), who eventually finished ninth, hoisted Britain’s Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda) to the top of the table with a second place at the flag.
Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Trasimeno) also gained some points with his second successive podium finish, and the standings now see the top four separated by just 10 points, with one round remaining.
The win went to the young French rider Florian Marino (Race Junior Honda), who got the nod at the final chicane over his fellow countryman Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Yamaha), who actually crashed metres from the line.
Superbike Race 1 Results
1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF-R1 37:57.110 (160.392 km/h)
2. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R +0.181
3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +5.009
4. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +16.347
5. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +22.622
6. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +24.948
7. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 +27.144
8. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R +27.578
9. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR +28.486
10. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R +28.716
11. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR +52.680
12. Baiocco M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +1:01.372
13. Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R +1:05.123
14. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R +1:05.483
15. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 +1:05.672
16. Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 +1:29.284
Superbike Race 2 Results
1. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 38:00.282 (160.169 km/h)
2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +1.480
3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +6.024
4. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +18.135
5. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +21.236
6. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 +23.647
7. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R +23.701
8. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 +24.838
9. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +31.455
10. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR +32.507
11. Nieto F. (ESP) Ducati 1098R +37.594
12. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR +44.727
13. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +49.782
14. Baiocco M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +50.345
15. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R +56.209
16. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R +58.796
Superbike Points (after 13 of 14 rounds)
1. Haga 436
2. Spies 426
3. Fabrizio 346
4. Biaggi 293
5. Rea 279
6. Haslam 241
7. Checa 200
8. Sykes 176
9. Byrne 166
10. Smrz 161
Lorenzo takes fifth pole of season
From motogp.com
Jorge Lorenzo maintained the pressure on his championship rival and team-mate Valentino Rossi at Estoril by taking pole position at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal.
Last year’s race-winner at Estoril, Lorenzo showed his strengths at the Portuguese track again on Saturday as he followed up his free practice dominance with his fifth pole position performance of the year in qualifying.
The Spaniard has not won from pole this year, but he will hope to do so on Sunday as he seeks to reduce the 30-point advantage Rossi enjoys at the top of the standings. Lorenzo’s best Saturday time of 1:36.214 on the 27th of his 29 laps was enough to put him at the front of the grid for the round 14 contest.
After taking his first pole since Laguna Seca Lorenzo was pleased with the work he and his Fiat Yamaha crew had undertaken on Saturday.
“It's been quite a few races since I've had a pole,” Lorenzo stated on Saturday evening. “I was getting a bit worried because doing one fast lap has always been one of my strong points but lately we haven’t been able to be quite competitive enough with the soft tire. This weekend however everything is working really well and the setting with both tyres is great, so I was able to go out and do some very fast laps.
"I feel great on the bike and in every practice I have finished first, so I think we will be fine. I hope that several riders can be fighting for the victory because we know the fans love that.
“The championship is a complicated question for us because of the 30 points, which is a big gap. Only a failure from Valentino can really give me more of a chance.”
On the other side of the Fiat Yamaha pit-box Rossi reminded his colleague that he will be in and around him on Sunday whatever happens, the Italian lapping a quarter of a second behind Lorenzo.
“I’m happy because it is our best result so far this weekend and it will be very important to start from second in Sunday’s race," Rossi said. "We improved the balance of the bike a lot this afternoon and the braking performance, now we have some traction problems on exiting from the slow corners so we have to improve on that on Sunday morning. We hope to be more competitive in the race.”
A commendable effort by Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro), on his return to GP action after two months away due to illness, saw the Australian former World Champion bounce back with a front row result – courtesy of a best time just 0.054 secs. slower than Rossi’s fastest.
“Yesterday it looked as though a front row start was a long shot but at the end of the qualifying session today I was actually disappointed not to be on pole!” joked Stoner. “This morning we came out and everything felt good and this afternoon was the same. My body’s sore because I haven’t been on the bike for so long but so far I haven’t struggled with any of the symptoms that had bothered me before the break.
“A front row start is nice for us and I want to thank my whole team and everybody else who has stuck by me lately. We’ve had a lot of critics while I’ve been away and I’ve had to laugh at some of the things I’ve read. Tomorrow is the race, which is the big one, but it’s nice to come back in this way and I think we’ve already shown that it was the right decision to take the time off.”
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) has been close to the front in all three sessions so far and is likely to be a threat from the front of the second row on Sunday. The Catalan rider was around half a second off Lorenzo’s pace.
In fifth place again was the best performing satellite rider of the year so far, Colin Edwards, who has looked consistently fast throughout the weekend on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine.
Completing the second row is Randy de Puniet who no longer appears to be suffering from the ankle injury he picked up in the summer and is doing a great job for the LCR Honda team in 2009.
The third row features Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), while the QP top 10 was rounded off by Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing).
Héctor Barberá followed the examples set by his compatriots Jorge Lorenzo and Julián Simón earlier in the day at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal, to follow up on his free practice dominance and secure pole position at Estoril.
The Pepe World Team rider, who will compete in MotoGP next year with the new Aspar Ducati team, was the race-winner in the last round at Misano and could be set for another victory in an intriguing 250cc season - if his form so far this weekend is anything to go by.
Behind Barberá on the grid in second place Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar) will be trying to make up points on championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team) who completed a front row - which was separated by just 0.283 secs. – behind World Champion Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera).
As he kept up determined charge towards the 2009 125cc World Championship Simón continued his dominance of the Estoril weekend on Saturday afternoon by taking pole position by a 0.540-sec. margin.
Getting away just behind Simón on the grid will be Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team), while Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar) produced a good late lap to qualify third – as the Englishman tries to prevent his championship leading team-mate from wrapping up the title at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal on Sunday.
MotoGP Qualifying Results
1. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:36.214 (326.804 km/h)
2. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +0.260
3. Casey STONER (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +0.314
4. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.488
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +0.928
6. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +1.234
7. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +1.275
8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +1.327
9. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +1.440
10. Mika KALLIO (FIN) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.599
11. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +1.608
12. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +1.609
13. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +1.697
14. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.828
15. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +2.128
16. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +2.324
17. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +3.106
Jorge Lorenzo maintained the pressure on his championship rival and team-mate Valentino Rossi at Estoril by taking pole position at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal.
Last year’s race-winner at Estoril, Lorenzo showed his strengths at the Portuguese track again on Saturday as he followed up his free practice dominance with his fifth pole position performance of the year in qualifying.
The Spaniard has not won from pole this year, but he will hope to do so on Sunday as he seeks to reduce the 30-point advantage Rossi enjoys at the top of the standings. Lorenzo’s best Saturday time of 1:36.214 on the 27th of his 29 laps was enough to put him at the front of the grid for the round 14 contest.
After taking his first pole since Laguna Seca Lorenzo was pleased with the work he and his Fiat Yamaha crew had undertaken on Saturday.
“It's been quite a few races since I've had a pole,” Lorenzo stated on Saturday evening. “I was getting a bit worried because doing one fast lap has always been one of my strong points but lately we haven’t been able to be quite competitive enough with the soft tire. This weekend however everything is working really well and the setting with both tyres is great, so I was able to go out and do some very fast laps.
"I feel great on the bike and in every practice I have finished first, so I think we will be fine. I hope that several riders can be fighting for the victory because we know the fans love that.
“The championship is a complicated question for us because of the 30 points, which is a big gap. Only a failure from Valentino can really give me more of a chance.”
On the other side of the Fiat Yamaha pit-box Rossi reminded his colleague that he will be in and around him on Sunday whatever happens, the Italian lapping a quarter of a second behind Lorenzo.
“I’m happy because it is our best result so far this weekend and it will be very important to start from second in Sunday’s race," Rossi said. "We improved the balance of the bike a lot this afternoon and the braking performance, now we have some traction problems on exiting from the slow corners so we have to improve on that on Sunday morning. We hope to be more competitive in the race.”
A commendable effort by Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro), on his return to GP action after two months away due to illness, saw the Australian former World Champion bounce back with a front row result – courtesy of a best time just 0.054 secs. slower than Rossi’s fastest.
“Yesterday it looked as though a front row start was a long shot but at the end of the qualifying session today I was actually disappointed not to be on pole!” joked Stoner. “This morning we came out and everything felt good and this afternoon was the same. My body’s sore because I haven’t been on the bike for so long but so far I haven’t struggled with any of the symptoms that had bothered me before the break.
“A front row start is nice for us and I want to thank my whole team and everybody else who has stuck by me lately. We’ve had a lot of critics while I’ve been away and I’ve had to laugh at some of the things I’ve read. Tomorrow is the race, which is the big one, but it’s nice to come back in this way and I think we’ve already shown that it was the right decision to take the time off.”
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) has been close to the front in all three sessions so far and is likely to be a threat from the front of the second row on Sunday. The Catalan rider was around half a second off Lorenzo’s pace.
In fifth place again was the best performing satellite rider of the year so far, Colin Edwards, who has looked consistently fast throughout the weekend on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine.
Completing the second row is Randy de Puniet who no longer appears to be suffering from the ankle injury he picked up in the summer and is doing a great job for the LCR Honda team in 2009.
The third row features Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), while the QP top 10 was rounded off by Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing).
Héctor Barberá followed the examples set by his compatriots Jorge Lorenzo and Julián Simón earlier in the day at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal, to follow up on his free practice dominance and secure pole position at Estoril.
The Pepe World Team rider, who will compete in MotoGP next year with the new Aspar Ducati team, was the race-winner in the last round at Misano and could be set for another victory in an intriguing 250cc season - if his form so far this weekend is anything to go by.
Behind Barberá on the grid in second place Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar) will be trying to make up points on championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team) who completed a front row - which was separated by just 0.283 secs. – behind World Champion Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera).
As he kept up determined charge towards the 2009 125cc World Championship Simón continued his dominance of the Estoril weekend on Saturday afternoon by taking pole position by a 0.540-sec. margin.
Getting away just behind Simón on the grid will be Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team), while Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar) produced a good late lap to qualify third – as the Englishman tries to prevent his championship leading team-mate from wrapping up the title at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal on Sunday.
MotoGP Qualifying Results
1. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:36.214 (326.804 km/h)
2. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +0.260
3. Casey STONER (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +0.314
4. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.488
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +0.928
6. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +1.234
7. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +1.275
8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +1.327
9. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +1.440
10. Mika KALLIO (FIN) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.599
11. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +1.608
12. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +1.609
13. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +1.697
14. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.828
15. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +2.128
16. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +2.324
17. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +3.106
Spies equals Superpole record
From the World Superbike Championship
Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) equaled the record of 10 Superpoles in his rookie WSB season to line up in the front slot for the penultimate round of the World Superbike Championship at Magny-Cours on Saturday.
The Texan bolted on one of his two regulation Q-tires in the final few minutes to stop the clocks with an incredible time of 1 minute 37.709 seconds, a new circuit best lap.
“It was a good lap, four-tenths ahead of the other guys," Spies said, "but we’ve been mainly working more on race tires and fuel loads all weekend and trying to make the bike come good on Sunday and this was the first time we’ve really put in a really fast one.
"It’s going to be a good race, the same four guys as last time, and Biaggi’s very close, but I’m confident with the bike, unlike last week at Imola.”
Spies was the only rider to dip under the 1:38 mark, and his time left Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Rea trailing four-tenths of a second behind in second place.
“We’re in a good position anyway this weekend with race pace and I’m really happy, the team is working well and the bike’s working excellent," Rea said. "It seems to be the same culprits up at the front again.
"We’ve been working on our starts all over the weekend, so we hope to get a good one. It’s our test circuit here but nothing is really relevant because the pace is so much faster than last year and this one is all about who hangs in there at the end.”
Third quickest time went to Italian Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), with Max Biaggi in fourth, the Aprilia Racing man knocking Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) off the front row of the grid with the final lap at his disposal.
"I’m not very happy," Fabrizio admitted. "This qualifying was very hard for me. My number one Ducati, which I was very happy with, broke down and the number two had a few problems and we had to change everything in a hurry and I wasn’t really able to challenge in Superpole but a front row is OK anyway. Tomorrow for sure I will try for the win, if not I should have stayed stay at home, but then we’ll see how things go during the race.”
Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda) produced another storming performance to line up in sixth place behind Haga, while the surprise of the day came from Spain’s Fonsi Nieto (Ducati DFX) in seventh, his best result of the season.
The second row of the grid was completed by Troy Corser, his BMW again up in the front rows after the disappointment of Imola.
Karl Muggeridge (Suzuki Alstare) had an encouraging Superpole session to end up on row 3, while Leon Camier finished his first Superpole on his Aprilia debut with 16th quickest time.
Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) echoed his fellow Yamaha rider’s performance with another pole position in Supersport, the British rider taking his 10th pole of the year in 13 rounds and his fifth in a row.
Crutchlow was also the only rider to get under the 1:41 mark, lapping six-tenths quicker than the previous record, in 1:41.543, but he had to wait until the last couple of minutes to grab the pole as Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com) had been quickest until then.
The other two front row men were Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), Crutchlow’s rival in the title fight.
Everything went according to plan in Superstock 1000 qualifying for Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox), who scored his fifth pole position of the season. The points leader, who needs just five points to clinch the title, was the only rider to dip under 1:42, with a time of 1:41.722.
European Superstock 600 qualifying went the way of Marco Bussolotti, with the Yamaha Trasimeno man grabbing the top slot right at the end of a tough battle for pole. Bussolotti set a quickest time of 1:45.547. Alongside him on the front row will be Britain’s Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda), who is also still in with a shot at the title, while the top two in the championship, Danilo Petrucci (Yamaha Trasimeno) and Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha) line up in eighth and fifth respectively.
Superbike Qualifying Times
1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.709
2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.191
3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1:38.196
4. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:38.235
5. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1:38.365
6. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.625
7. Nieto F. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1:38.670
8. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1:39.114
9. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1:38.831
10. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1:38.844
11. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 1:38.851
12. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.924
13. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 1:39.148
14. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:39.361
15. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1:39.444
16. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:39.703
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Honda and Repsol renew deal
From the Honda Racing Team
HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) has announced that it has reached a new agreement with Repsol to continue as the title sponsor of the factory Honda Team in MotoGP.
The new deal for the 2010 season cements one of the strongest and longest running partnerships in motor sport - a collaboration which began in 1995 and has brought nine World Championships, 98 race victories and has made Repsol Honda race machines instantly recognizable to fans across the globe.
Dani Pedrosa from Spain and Italian Andrea Dovizioso will form the rider line-up for a second successive year.
Repsol is the official competition fuel supplier for the Repsol Honda Team, thanks to its development of specific fuel produced in the Repsol Technological Centre.
“I am very pleased that Repsol and HRC will once again be joining forces for the 2010 season, said Tetsuo Suzuki, HRC president. "In the last 15 years we have achieved many great accomplishments in the world’s premier motorcycle racing series by fighting together with Repsol as our trusted and reliable partner. In recent times, we have missed out on the goal we always set ourselves: winning the World Championship. However, next season, the Repsol Honda Team will fight to retake the World title with renewed energy and total determination.”
Spies to get MotoGP chance in finale
From Yamaha Racing
Following the announcement on Thursday that Ben Spies will move to MotoGP in 2010, Yamaha Motor Company has announced that it will enter the Texan as a wild card into the season-ending Grand Prix of Valencia.
The 25-year-old Spies will participate as a single rider entry of a Yamaha Factory Racing Team, using YZR-M1 test bikes brought over from Japan. The Valencia MotoGP race takes place Nov. 6-8, two weeks after the final World Superbike round at Portimao, Portugal.
The wild card entry will provide an opportunity for Spies to get extra circuit time prior to his inclusion in the Tech 3 Yamaha Team for the two-day MotoGP test on the Tuesday and Wednesday after the Grand Prix.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Canadian Kruger now racing in China
By John Hopkins
Photo courtesy Dan Kruger
Canadian Pro road racer Dan Kruger will be competing in the Pan Delta series in China in 2010 with support from Kawasaki distributor Titanic Kawasaki Hong Kong.
Kruger raced a stock Kawasaki ZX-6R in two events this past season, finishing fourth in one and fifth in the other.
According to an email from Kruger, Titanic Kawasaki Hong Kong is the exclusive distributor for the manufacturer for Hong Kong and Macau. Kruger will also be assisted by former Daytona 200 winner David Sadowski of the U.S. The Pan Delta series runs at the Beijing, Shanghai and Zhuhai venues.
"There are easily 20,000 fans in attendance," Kruger wrote. "I do autograph sessions where they need security to protect me as the fans go totally crazy."
Originally from Montreal, Kruger was a regular on the Canadian national scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Fabrizio fastest in first French foray
From the World Superbike Championship
Michel Fabrizio’s magic moment continues as last Sunday’s Imola winner powered to the quickest time in the first World Superbike qualifying session at Magny-Cours on Friday with a time of 1 minute 38.770 seconds on his Xerox Ducati.
There was quite a scrap for second place, with Fabrizio managing to hold off Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and the two main title contenders Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) and Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike), with all four separated by 0.169 seconds and the only riders able to lap under the 1:39 mark.
Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was back among the top echelons with fifth place, ahead of Troy Corser (BMW), the Australian looking much more at ease on the French track than at Imola, and Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare), who brought back some morale to the Alstare team.
The surprise of the day was Fonsi Nieto (Ducati DFX), who set ninth quickest time ahead of Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing), victim of a harmless crash.
It was a positive debut on the Aprilia RSV4 for BSB champion Leon Camier, the British rider posting 17th quickest time just two-tenths away from Biaggi.
The Supersport free practice session saw a two-way battle between Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com). The Turkish rider, who won at Imola last Sunday, eventually took the top slot with a time of 1:41.885, holding off his rival by just 14 thousandths of a second. Lascorz also crashed out while trying to set the quickest time.
The pace of the top two was far superior to the rest, with Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport) in third place, but seven-tenths behind, while Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) in fifth was almost a whole second off the pace.
The two title rivals Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) were seventh and ninth respectively in the timesheets, albeit separated by a fraction. After his Imola crash, Crutchlow did the same Friday in the hour-long session, fortunately without any consequences.
Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox) continued on his way towards the 2009 Superstock 1000 title in Friday’s opening free practice session at Magny-Cours. The Belgian rider, who just needs five points to be crowned champion, immediately made his mark with the quickest time of 1:42.621.
Two Italians set the pace in Superstock 600 free practice. The quickest time of 1:46.389 went to Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Trasimeno), who was three-tenths ahead of his team-mate Danilo Petrucci. The points leader, who crashed during the session, soon found his rhythm again to set his quickest time right at the final moment.
Superbike Times
1. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1:38.770
2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.821
3. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1:38.877
4. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.939
5. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:39.379
6. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1:39.435
7. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 1:39.497
8. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1:39.613
9. Nieto F. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1:39.772
10. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1:39.834
11. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:39.900
12. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 1:39.964
13. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:40.000
14. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:40.017
15. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:40.048
16. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1:40.101
Lorenzo paces practice in Portugal
From motogp.com
In good conditions at Estoril, on the opening day of the round 14 weekend, it was Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo who set the pace in the first MotoGP free practice with a best time of 1:37.185 in the closing stages, after heading the timesheet for most of the session.
Lorenzo needs to pile as much pressure as possible on his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi this weekend to stay in the title hunt and the Spanish star will be happy to have started practice in first place, at a venue where he took his first MotoGP win last year.
“It’s good to be back on the bike after one month but also quite hard," said the 22-year-old orenzo, who trails Rossi by 30 points in the MotoGP standings. "I enjoyed today though and we did a good job and made an encouraging start. After a bit of work we were able to do a very good time and I am happy to be in front, it's important at this stage of the championship to make a strong start this weekend. We have one or two things to improve but we are in good shape."
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was the second quickest participant, demonstrating his pace once again with a 1:37.544 time which was 0.359 secs. down on Lorenzo’s hot lap.
Rossi will not be too disappointed to have commenced the Estoril weekend in third place, with a similar time to Pedrosa’s best, 0.421 secs. behind his championship rival Lorenzo at a circuit where he has scored five premier class wins.
Rossi felt that the month away from his Yamaha M1 machine since the previous round at Misano had affected him on Friday.
“This is quite a difficult track to come back to after a long break because the braking is very hard and it's quite stressful on the arms, but I think it will be better on Saturday," he explained. “We have a slight problem in the balance of the bike in these hard braking areas which we need to work on tomorrow to find a way to improve; we're already quite fast but we need to close the gap a bit more so we will make the most of our time tomorrow so that we're in good shape for qualifying.”
Casey Stoner was back on track after a three-round break, taking his beloved Desmosedici GP9 machine round in a best time of 1:37.966 as the fastest Ducati rider on Friday.
“It was a good feeling to be back out there,” Stoner told motogp.com afterwards. “I didn’t watch the last three races, because it is very difficult for a rider who wants to be competing. It has been very difficult to sit at home doing nothing. But today things felt very good.
“I’ve got some slight arm pump issues, which I need to sort out before Saturday, but that happens whenever you are off the bike for too long. To be honest though my physical condition feels much better than in the last races I rode and I’m looking forward to what Saturday brings.
“We are using a new fairing which we will test throughout the weekend back-to-back with the original fairing. We have reduced the side profile of the fairing a lot to try and make the bike easier in windy conditions and also on changes of direction on the fast corners.”
Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards was fifth once again, a position he has found himself in on several occasions in 2009, going round in just over 1:38 on the satellite Yamaha M1 which he will ride again next year.
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) were sixth and seventh respectively, while James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) made a late surge from lower down the order into eighth place.
San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis and Pramac Racing’s Mika Kallio completed the top 10.
The MotoGP riders will be back on track on Saturday morning for Free Practice 2.
The fastest 250cc competitor on Friday at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal was Héctor Barberá, as he took his Pepe World Team Aprilia machine around the Estoril track in 1:40.777, to lead the way by more than half a second.
World Championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team) was down in the recently unfamiliar territory of 10th place.
A weekend which could conclude with Julián Simón being crowned as the 2009 125cc World Champion commenced with the Spaniard registering the fastest lap by a 1.078-sec. margin in the first free practice on Friday at Estoril.
MotoGP Practice Results
1. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:37.185 (322.737 km/h)
2. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.359
3. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +0.421
4. Casey STONER (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +0.781
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +0.918
6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +1.059
7. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +1.200
8. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +1.406
9. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +1.444
10. Mika KALLIO (FIN) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.476
11. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +1.665
12. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +1.793
13. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.848
14. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +2.208
15. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +2.382
16. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +2.501
17. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +2.572
In good conditions at Estoril, on the opening day of the round 14 weekend, it was Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo who set the pace in the first MotoGP free practice with a best time of 1:37.185 in the closing stages, after heading the timesheet for most of the session.
Lorenzo needs to pile as much pressure as possible on his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi this weekend to stay in the title hunt and the Spanish star will be happy to have started practice in first place, at a venue where he took his first MotoGP win last year.
“It’s good to be back on the bike after one month but also quite hard," said the 22-year-old orenzo, who trails Rossi by 30 points in the MotoGP standings. "I enjoyed today though and we did a good job and made an encouraging start. After a bit of work we were able to do a very good time and I am happy to be in front, it's important at this stage of the championship to make a strong start this weekend. We have one or two things to improve but we are in good shape."
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was the second quickest participant, demonstrating his pace once again with a 1:37.544 time which was 0.359 secs. down on Lorenzo’s hot lap.
Rossi will not be too disappointed to have commenced the Estoril weekend in third place, with a similar time to Pedrosa’s best, 0.421 secs. behind his championship rival Lorenzo at a circuit where he has scored five premier class wins.
Rossi felt that the month away from his Yamaha M1 machine since the previous round at Misano had affected him on Friday.
“This is quite a difficult track to come back to after a long break because the braking is very hard and it's quite stressful on the arms, but I think it will be better on Saturday," he explained. “We have a slight problem in the balance of the bike in these hard braking areas which we need to work on tomorrow to find a way to improve; we're already quite fast but we need to close the gap a bit more so we will make the most of our time tomorrow so that we're in good shape for qualifying.”
Casey Stoner was back on track after a three-round break, taking his beloved Desmosedici GP9 machine round in a best time of 1:37.966 as the fastest Ducati rider on Friday.
“It was a good feeling to be back out there,” Stoner told motogp.com afterwards. “I didn’t watch the last three races, because it is very difficult for a rider who wants to be competing. It has been very difficult to sit at home doing nothing. But today things felt very good.
“I’ve got some slight arm pump issues, which I need to sort out before Saturday, but that happens whenever you are off the bike for too long. To be honest though my physical condition feels much better than in the last races I rode and I’m looking forward to what Saturday brings.
“We are using a new fairing which we will test throughout the weekend back-to-back with the original fairing. We have reduced the side profile of the fairing a lot to try and make the bike easier in windy conditions and also on changes of direction on the fast corners.”
Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards was fifth once again, a position he has found himself in on several occasions in 2009, going round in just over 1:38 on the satellite Yamaha M1 which he will ride again next year.
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) were sixth and seventh respectively, while James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) made a late surge from lower down the order into eighth place.
San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis and Pramac Racing’s Mika Kallio completed the top 10.
The MotoGP riders will be back on track on Saturday morning for Free Practice 2.
The fastest 250cc competitor on Friday at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal was Héctor Barberá, as he took his Pepe World Team Aprilia machine around the Estoril track in 1:40.777, to lead the way by more than half a second.
World Championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing Team) was down in the recently unfamiliar territory of 10th place.
A weekend which could conclude with Julián Simón being crowned as the 2009 125cc World Champion commenced with the Spaniard registering the fastest lap by a 1.078-sec. margin in the first free practice on Friday at Estoril.
MotoGP Practice Results
1. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:37.185 (322.737 km/h)
2. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.359
3. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +0.421
4. Casey STONER (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +0.781
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +0.918
6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +1.059
7. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +1.200
8. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +1.406
9. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +1.444
10. Mika KALLIO (FIN) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.476
11. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +1.665
12. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +1.793
13. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.848
14. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +2.208
15. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +2.382
16. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +2.501
17. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +2.572
Rossi and Lorenzo resume battle
From motogp.com
Following the September break in proceedings, MotoGP is back this weekend in Portugal and that means World Champion Valentino Rossi and his talented young Spanish team-mate Jorge Lorenzo are ready to resume their title fight with four rounds remaining.
Both riders have good records at Estoril and Rossi expects a strong challenge from Lorenzo, who finished right behind him last time out at Misano. The pair were in attendance at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal pre-event press conference on Thursday, in a packed media centre at the circuit which lies close to the Atlantic Coast.
On the challenge of retaining the MotoGP title over the forthcoming and concluding quartet of GPs, Rossi stated, “Now is the crucial moment when the championship will be decided, as we have four races in a short period of time.
"There are some good tracks ahead of us, Estoril, Phillip Island and Sepang are OK for me and 30 points is a nice advantage, but we have to stay focused because we have a strong rival and we will try to stay on the podium.”
The race winner last year in Portugal, as he tasted MotoGP victory for the first time, Rossi’s team-mate and current closest challenger Lorenzo previewed the weekend saying, “Last year was a big surprise for me, it left a big impression on me and it was a huge day in my career.
"But now it is a very different situation, that was at the beginning of the year and this time we are close to the end of the championship. I also now have different tires, so it is like starting from zero this weekend, but I am confident.”
Meanwhile, the press conference also saw Rossi asked about the arrival of Ben Spies in MotoGP, after it was announced that the American will ride for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 alongside Colin Edwards next year.
“I think Ben has made the right decision to come at this time," Rossi remarked. "He is still quite young and he has gained extra experience this year, so I expect him to be another great rival for next season.”
Following the September break in proceedings, MotoGP is back this weekend in Portugal and that means World Champion Valentino Rossi and his talented young Spanish team-mate Jorge Lorenzo are ready to resume their title fight with four rounds remaining.
Both riders have good records at Estoril and Rossi expects a strong challenge from Lorenzo, who finished right behind him last time out at Misano. The pair were in attendance at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal pre-event press conference on Thursday, in a packed media centre at the circuit which lies close to the Atlantic Coast.
On the challenge of retaining the MotoGP title over the forthcoming and concluding quartet of GPs, Rossi stated, “Now is the crucial moment when the championship will be decided, as we have four races in a short period of time.
"There are some good tracks ahead of us, Estoril, Phillip Island and Sepang are OK for me and 30 points is a nice advantage, but we have to stay focused because we have a strong rival and we will try to stay on the podium.”
The race winner last year in Portugal, as he tasted MotoGP victory for the first time, Rossi’s team-mate and current closest challenger Lorenzo previewed the weekend saying, “Last year was a big surprise for me, it left a big impression on me and it was a huge day in my career.
"But now it is a very different situation, that was at the beginning of the year and this time we are close to the end of the championship. I also now have different tires, so it is like starting from zero this weekend, but I am confident.”
Meanwhile, the press conference also saw Rossi asked about the arrival of Ben Spies in MotoGP, after it was announced that the American will ride for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 alongside Colin Edwards next year.
“I think Ben has made the right decision to come at this time," Rossi remarked. "He is still quite young and he has gained extra experience this year, so I expect him to be another great rival for next season.”
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Race City gets reprieve
By John Hopkins
The future of Race City Motorsports Park received a major boost on Monday when the Calgary City Council voted to allow a renewed lease for the motorsports facility.
In an 8-7 vote a motion to extend the track’s lease with the City by another five years was passed in addition to protecting access to the venue when the nearby Shepard Landfill is redesigned.
While the Council vote is a significant victory for the track, Race City still must negotiate a final agreement with the City of Calgary. However, track president Art Mackenzie said he was “cautiously optimistic” following Monday’s vote.
“Council has given direction and the City in theory should act on that,” Mackenzie told Inside Motorcycles. “Generally it’s pretty easy to work out an agreement when you have two groups going in the same direction, but I don’t think these will be the easiest negotiations of my life. The Mayor [Dave Braconnier] has been quite definitive in the past that he doesn't want us around.”
What also has to be decided is whether Council voted to honour the original lease agreement or to draft a new one. The original lease actually gave Mackenzie the option of keeping Race City active until 2025.
Mackenzie said he expects to begin final negotiations sometime after Thanksgiving and have an agreement finalized before November.
It is understood that the Parts Canada Superbike Championship has already requested the weekend of June 25-27 for a round of its series and Mackenzie said the event would run under a similar arrangement as it did in 2009, with an outside group renting the facility and handling all aspects of putting on the event. Last summer longtime CMRA members Tim Johnson and Kel Davidsen ran the national event at Race City.
“Tim had a lot going on but he kept the focus on the sport,” Mackenzie said. “Overall I think it worked out pretty well.”
Calgary Alderman Ric McIver was a leading proponent of keeping the track active and Monday’s vote was his second attempt to extend the lease through a Council motion. A key point in his argument was the potential surge in street racing in Calgary should the track, which includes a popular drag strip, be closed down.
The land on which the race track sits has been leased from the City since 1985 but the City now says it needs the 64 hectares for storm water retention.
The future of Race City Motorsports Park received a major boost on Monday when the Calgary City Council voted to allow a renewed lease for the motorsports facility.
In an 8-7 vote a motion to extend the track’s lease with the City by another five years was passed in addition to protecting access to the venue when the nearby Shepard Landfill is redesigned.
While the Council vote is a significant victory for the track, Race City still must negotiate a final agreement with the City of Calgary. However, track president Art Mackenzie said he was “cautiously optimistic” following Monday’s vote.
“Council has given direction and the City in theory should act on that,” Mackenzie told Inside Motorcycles. “Generally it’s pretty easy to work out an agreement when you have two groups going in the same direction, but I don’t think these will be the easiest negotiations of my life. The Mayor [Dave Braconnier] has been quite definitive in the past that he doesn't want us around.”
What also has to be decided is whether Council voted to honour the original lease agreement or to draft a new one. The original lease actually gave Mackenzie the option of keeping Race City active until 2025.
Mackenzie said he expects to begin final negotiations sometime after Thanksgiving and have an agreement finalized before November.
It is understood that the Parts Canada Superbike Championship has already requested the weekend of June 25-27 for a round of its series and Mackenzie said the event would run under a similar arrangement as it did in 2009, with an outside group renting the facility and handling all aspects of putting on the event. Last summer longtime CMRA members Tim Johnson and Kel Davidsen ran the national event at Race City.
“Tim had a lot going on but he kept the focus on the sport,” Mackenzie said. “Overall I think it worked out pretty well.”
Calgary Alderman Ric McIver was a leading proponent of keeping the track active and Monday’s vote was his second attempt to extend the lease through a Council motion. A key point in his argument was the potential surge in street racing in Calgary should the track, which includes a popular drag strip, be closed down.
The land on which the race track sits has been leased from the City since 1985 but the City now says it needs the 64 hectares for storm water retention.
Toseland returns to Superbike with Yamaha
From Yamaha Racing
The Yamaha World Superbike Team has announced an all-British rider team for the 2010 season, with double World Superbike Champion James Toseland making a welcome return to the paddock.
The popular 28-year-old, recognized worldwide as the UK’s number one rider has taken the opportunity to stay in the Yamaha family replacing Ben Spies and moving across from the Yamaha Tech 3 MotoGP satellite team. Toseland enjoyed a strong rookie season in MotoGP in 2008 and has been a regular protagonist in the mid pack battles over the two years.
“I’m looking forward to return to World Superbikes,” said Toseland. “I want to show I’m still the rider that can win world titles. Of course there is some disappointment at losing my opportunity in MotoGP as I believe the challenge was still achievable, but the R1 has proven to be beyond the strongest bikes in Superbike and I know many of the Yamaha World Superbike Team guys, so I’m going to pick up where I left off and give 100 per cent to achieving good results with the team.
"Within Superbike there were a few options available to me, however the way Yamaha have treated me since I joined them has been outstanding. They gave me a great opportunity in MotoGP, but now I do wish Ben all the best in his campaign and my aim is to continue Yamaha’s success in World Superbike.”
Partnering Toseland, current Yamaha World Supersport rider Cal Crutchlow moves up to the 1000cc class next year. The 24-year-old has been enjoying an incredible rookie year in the World Supersport Championship and with two rounds remaining is the series leader with nine pole position starts, five race wins and numerous lap records.
Crutchlow has already proved talented on a Superbike, ending the 2008 British Superbike season third in the standings alongside two wildcard appearances in World Superbike in 2008 which saw him score an impressive second place finish at Donington and a ninth place at Portimao for the season finale.
“I’m happy to stay to be staying with Yamaha,” said Crutchlow. “This will be my second year of my two-year contract as agreed when I started in Supersport this year. Moving up to World Superbike will be a great challenge, I’m looking forward to it and am under no illusion as to how hard it is but I intend to do a good job."
“We are very excited about our 2010 rider line up,” said Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe. “The experience of James combined with the fresh talent of Cal should make it a very competitive and successful combination to challenge for the title again in 2010.
"I have no doubt that James will be as strong in World Superbike as before, or even stronger with the added experience he picked up in MotoGP and we’re all very happy he stays with Yamaha. For Cal it’s a natural progression for both us and him to move up to the Yamaha World Superbike Team. As a successful R6 Cup rider in the past and having proven his talent yet again in World Supersport this year we want to continue developing his career within Yamaha.”
Spies moves to MotoGP!
From Yamaha Racing
Yamaha Motor Company., Ltd has confirmed that Ben Spies, currently second in the World Superbike Championship, will be moving to the MotoGP Championship in 2010 to join the Tech 3 Yamaha Team.
The Texan recently signed a two-year deal with Yamaha, which originally planned for him to remain in World Superbike for one more year before moving to MotoGP in 2011, but Spies and Yamaha together have decided to advance the move by one year. The 25-year-old is currently just three points behind and has just two more World Superbike rounds to contest in his efforts to win his and Yamaha’s first World Superbike title.
“I want to thank Yamaha globally for their faith in me,” said Spies. “They have treated me like royalty. Yamaha just recently allowed me to rethink my contract for 2010-2011; I did sign for WSB for 2010 but after Indy I began thinking of the competition and my age versus waiting until 2011.
"This was not an easy decision. The Yamaha World Superbike Team crew and especially Massimo (Maio) Meregalli have been fantastic and it’s been great fun to put in a season together. I am hoping that I can give Maio, Laurens Klein Koerkamp and everyone else a championship to remember this year with me. My thanks also extend to ‘Infront’, the promoter of the WSB series, especially Paolo Ciabatti. I have enjoyed his series and this first year racing in Europe.
"Herve Poncharal at Tech 3 is showing his support by allowing me to come on board with my crew chief Tom Houseworth and Gregory Wood, my mechanic, who have both been with me since AMA days. We will have learning curves to overcome next year but I am up for the new goal. I hope to have a good year and my goal is to try and stay in the top 6-8 which, given the talented line up, will be a tall order. With the world upside down, there is one constant for me and that's Yamaha.”
Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, said “Following the announcement of Ben’s two year deal with Yamaha one month ago, he has reassessed his options and decided that he would like to move to MotoGP sooner rather than later. Yamaha has considered his request and together with Tech 3 we were able to find a way to make it happen. Ben has done a fantastic job in his rookie season in World Superbike and we are very excited to now be welcoming him into our MotoGP program sooner than we originally expected. We believe that Ben will be a fast learner next season and a strong future championship contender."
Kallio renews with Pramac Racing
From motogp.com
The steady progress and solid performances of MotoGP rookie Mika Kallio have earned him another season in the premier class with his current employers Pramac Racing, who have confirmed that he will ride for them again in 2010.
Returning to the team this weekend at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal, after standing in for three rounds in the factory Ducati team as a replacement for Casey Stoner, Kallio now goes into the final four races of the 2009 World Championship totally focused on the job at hand.
“Now that we have agreed for next season we can exclusively concentrate on our work on track," Kallio said. "I am very happy to be able to continue with the Pramac Racing Team, with Paolo Campinoti and with Ducati.
"This season is going in a positive direction. We have had some highs and lows, but considering that it is my rookie season, that’s normal. We trust in our ability improve next year.”
Paolo Campinoti, Pramac Racing’s Team Principal, stated, “We are very happy to agree this deal with Mika and to continue to work together next season. This year, in his MotoGP debut campaign, he has produced positive performances and we believe we can improve next year. We believe in his riding abilities and we are proud to be able to continue this project together.”
The steady progress and solid performances of MotoGP rookie Mika Kallio have earned him another season in the premier class with his current employers Pramac Racing, who have confirmed that he will ride for them again in 2010.
Returning to the team this weekend at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal, after standing in for three rounds in the factory Ducati team as a replacement for Casey Stoner, Kallio now goes into the final four races of the 2009 World Championship totally focused on the job at hand.
“Now that we have agreed for next season we can exclusively concentrate on our work on track," Kallio said. "I am very happy to be able to continue with the Pramac Racing Team, with Paolo Campinoti and with Ducati.
"This season is going in a positive direction. We have had some highs and lows, but considering that it is my rookie season, that’s normal. We trust in our ability improve next year.”
Paolo Campinoti, Pramac Racing’s Team Principal, stated, “We are very happy to agree this deal with Mika and to continue to work together next season. This year, in his MotoGP debut campaign, he has produced positive performances and we believe we can improve next year. We believe in his riding abilities and we are proud to be able to continue this project together.”
Donald and Anstey stay with Suzuki
From Team Suzuki News Service
Northern Ireland-based TAS Racing has announced that both antipodean road racing stars, Cameron Donald and Bruce Anstey, will be retained for the 2010 international road racing season.
Managed by father and son pairing, Hector and Philip Neill, Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing is already in the planning process for 2010 with its Superbike machinery nearing completion. The team's official race schedule will be announced in the coming weeks but an early season series of tests have already been pencilled in for February 2010.
Both Donald and Anstey will focus their 2010 seasons on the international road races, but will also compete in a number of hand-picked British Superstock rounds and local events, to improve their chances of adding to the team's long list of international road racing achievements.
"As per normal, there were lots of rumours suggesting we would change riders for 2010, or that Bruce and Cameron would change teams," Philip Neill said. "I am prepared to admit, that although we had podium finishes in all three international road races and a North West 200 race win with Alastair in 2009, it was a little short of what is expected from TAS Racing.
"As the most successful international road racing team in recent years, with 15 Isle of Man TT, 12 North West 200 and 11 Ulster Grand Prix victories, we set a very high standard for ourselves. Although we did consider other options for 2010, along with our partners Suzuki and Relentless, my Father and I always had the desire to remain with the same riders for the international races next season."
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Two-way title battle reaches France
From the World Superbike Championship
The echoes of two spectacular races at Imola’s Enzo & Dino Ferrari circuit last Sunday in front of 67,000 spectators are still ringing in the ears of spectators worldwide, but the countdown is now beginning towards what will surely be a two-way dash toward the 2009 World Superbike title.
It gets underway this weekend at the Magny-Cours circuit in central France, around 300km from Paris, which hosts World Superbike for the eighth time. The tricky 4.411km Magny-Cours track alternates a number of fast sections with slow hairpin-like turns.
The most successful rider is the current championship leader, Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), who has won four races here, three times in the last four. Behind, on two wins apiece, lie Troy Bayliss, James Toseland and Doug Polen, with one win each for Neil Hodgson, Ruben Xaus, Chris Vermeulen and Lorenzo Lanzi. In the Manufacturers’ ranking, Ducati has taken the lion’s share of wins with nine, followed by Yamaha with three and Honda two.
The Imola round brought about a virtual reboot of the championship standings, with Haga again taking over from Ben Spies at the top, but now by just three points. On paper 'Nitro-Nori' is the favourite, given his success rate here, but his Texan rival will undoubtedly not be the same below-par force witnessed at Imola, so sparks are expected between the two, and the psychological aspect could also play a key role.
The same could be said for Michel Fabrizio, who won his second race of the season at Imola and who still has a mathematical chance of taking the title, as he is 61 points down on his team-mate with 100 up for grabs. His chances appear slim and it is easy to imagine that Ducati will activate some sort of team strategy, as the Italian is one of the few riders around able to fight for the win with Spies and Haga.
Max Biaggi is another name on that list, thanks to the Italian Aprilia RSV4 machine, which has made some truly outstanding progress this year. At Imola Biaggi fought hammer and tongs with the Ducatis after struggling in the tests in July, demonstrating that the Noale-based manufacturer has been working well over the past months.
In France, where last year he finished fourth and sixth, Biaggi will be aiming to notch up his second win of the season, all the while keeping one eye on the championship standings, which see him just six points adrift from Jonathan Rea. The talented Ten Kate Honda rider was disappointing at Imola, where he made a series of errors. Now he has a chance for the rematch at Magny-Cours, and all signs point to the Northern Ireland man again being up one of the front-runners.
The Imola round brought an end to BMW’s positive progress, and after a good qualifying they were unable to repeat that form in the races. Troy Corser scored an 11th place, while Ruben Xaus managed to bring home some points on his return following injury. At Magny-Cours, where he always goes well, the Australian will once again aim to take the BMW back up to a top six position, a result that unfortunately at the moment does not appear to be within reach for Kawasaki. Broc Parkes got into the top 10 in race 1 but the bike still needs a lot more work to get closer to the top machines in the championship.
In even more difficulty for the moment are team Suzuki Alstare. In the final two rounds the Belgian team will once again rely on Karl Muggeridge and Yukio Kagayama.
An untimely crash for Cal Crutchlow at Imola threw the Supersport championship wide-open after it seemed as if the Yamaha man was cruising to victory. Instead the British rider now only has a lead of two points over Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), who finished runner-up.
Imola winner Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who renewed his contract with the Dutch team for next year, may play a key role in the title battle, seeing as the championship has not thrown up any other potential winners. Following his DNF at Imola, Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com) aims to take back third place from Sofuoglu, who is 15 points ahead. Possible outsiders include Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport) in his home race, which could certainly see him take his second win of the season.
The Superstock 1000 title is virtually a dead cert for Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox), who needs just five points to be crowned champion at Magny-Cours with one round remaining.
Four riders in the title fight guarantees an electrifying end of season for the Superstock 600 category. The favourite has to be Danilo Petrucci (Yamaha Trasimeno), the points leader. The young Italian however has not won for the last five races. His chief rival Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha) failed to shine at Imola but will surely rise to the occasion in France, and so will Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda) and Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Trasimeno), both of whom are behind in the championship battle.
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