MotoGP

Lorenzo clinches MotoGP title

2011-01-04T09:05:00.001-08:00

Lorenzo clinches MotoGP title

2010-10-10 14:06

Jorge Lorenzo (AP)

Malaysia - Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo claimed his first world MotoGP crown on Sunday after finishing third in the Malaysian Grand Prix while team-mate Valentino Rossi won the race with a brilliant performance.

Italian Andrea Dovizioso on a Honda came second.

Lorenzo set himself up to lift the crown by taking pole position, his sixth of the season.

Former world champion Australian Casey Stoner crashed out on lap two.

The 31-year-old Rossi, who joins Ducati next season, put in a spectacular performance to power his machine from the second row to beat Dovizioso and his team-mate Lorenzo to the chequered flag.

Rossi stamped his dominance over the other talented riders from the 10th lap, leading the pack until the end of the race. He had battled his way from 11th on the first lap .

The Italian clocked 41 minutes 3.448 seconds in the 20-lap race while Dovizioso was just 0.224 seconds behind.

Rossi has a strong record in Malaysia and last year clinched the MotoGP world title at Sepang when he finishing third after starting from pole.

It was a dream weekend for Lorenzo after the only man who could stop him from being proclaimed champion Honda rider Dani Pedrosa pulled out having fractured his collarbone in a crash in Motegi last week.

Lorenzo was in imperious form during the early part of the race - leading the other riders - but tyre concerns forced him to be cautious.

"When the tyre started to slide, I decided (just) to finish the race," he said. "Today is the happiest day of my life and I want to celebrate it."

Earlier, his post-race party on the track ended abrutly when a Spanish flag got entangled round the side of his rear tyre.

Rossi said it was great to secure his 46th victory with Yamaha. It was his second win of the season, the previous being in Qatar.

"To win on this track is important. Now I am back to clinch victories," he said.

Rossi said he rode a fast pace and concentrated on leading the pack as he was able to accelerate quickly out of corners.

"I had a great pace. Lap by lap I was able to catch-up with Dovizioso and Lorenzo. I never give up. I gave all my energy to win," he said.

The superb win in Malaysia pushed Rossi up to third position behind the injured Pedrosa from fifth in Japan. Rossi has 181 points and Pedrosa 228.

Dovizioso, who is fourth in the overall standings, said it was a tough battle as he struggled in vain to overtake Rossi.

"Anyway, the second position is a victory for me. It is important for us to win in the remaining races," he said.

Meanwhile Spain's Toni Elias clinched the first-ever Moto2 world championship crown as Italy's Roberto Rolfo won the race.

A fourth-placed finish was enough for Elias to claim the championship.

Spain's Marc Marquez on a Derbi won the 125cc race ahead of Pol Espargaro also on a Derbi and Nicolas Terol on an Aprilia.

The determined 17-year-old pole starter clinched his eighth win of the season.

After Malaysia, the riders will head to the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island on October 17 and then to Estoril on October 31. The championship ends on November 7 in Valencia.

Lorenzo wins to set record points haul

2011-01-04T09:04:00.001-08:00

Lorenzo wins to set record points haul

Sun Nov 7, 2010 3:27pm GMT

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By Mark Elkington

VALENCIA, Spain (Reuters) - World champion Jorge Lorenzo won the last race of the MotoGP season in Valencia on Sunday to claim his ninth victory of the campaign and set a record points tally of 383 for the year.

The Spaniard, who wrapped up the title last month, passed Valentino Rossi's previous record of 373 set when the Italian won the title in 2008.

Lorenzo survived a brush with Marco Simoncelli when he almost slid off the track and passed Casey Stoner, who had started on pole, to hit the front with eight laps to go.

The 23-year-old Yamaha rider pulled away to finish comfortably ahead of Australia's Stoner, who was competing for the last time on a Ducati before moving to Honda.

"I'm on a cloud. I feel much more emotional winning here than when I won the title in Malaysia," Lorenzo told Spanish state television.

"Over there I felt very cold, but here after a mad race, and after many problems on each lap, the sacrifice was worth it because I won here in front of all those fans.

"It's a race I will remember for the rest of my life."

Rossi finished third in his final race for Yamaha after seven successful seasons and hugged his bike on the side of the track after the race. He moves to Ducati next year. Continued...

FP1 roadster

2009-07-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

One of the most exclusive road motorcycles in the world went on sale recently when Petronas' highly-publicised FP1 roadster was released at GALERI PETRONAS in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Only 100 of the limited edition machines will be built, primarily for World Superbike Championship homologation purposes, and Australia has close ties to the project in that the racebike upon which the roadster is based has been ridden this year by Australian Troy Corser.

The unveiling the first large capacity roadster to originate from Malaysia was attended by Malaysia's Minister of Youth and Sports Dato' Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and one of the key figures in the project, Carl Fogarty.

"There is no doubt that this will be the most beautiful bike on the roads. This motorcycle is a credit to PETRONAS, to Malaysia and everyone who been connected with the project. I am very proud to be associated with the FP1. As the first road bike created from a race bike it combines cutting edge technology with real elegance and has set new standards at the top end of the road bike market" said Fogarty.

A total of 150 units of the road version of the FP1 have been manufactured to meet the condition set by the F'd'ration Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) before it could allow the Foggy PETRONAS Racing Team to compete in the World Superbike Championship. The first batch of 75 units of the bikes was manufactured in the United Kingdom and the second batch of the bikes was assembled in Malaysia by PETRONAS.

Of the 150 units, PETRONAS will make available 100 units of this limited edition of the PETRONAS FP1.

Aprilia RS250 - the LAST fire-breathing two-stroke roadster

2009-07-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

It's the closest thing you'll find to a genuine Grand Prix racing machine on the road, be it two wheels or four. Its 250cc two-stroke motor produces in excess of 60 brake horses, giving it a specific output of 240 bhp per litre - more than the fastest MotoGP bikes and on a par with competitive Formula One engines. And it's the last one - the fire-breathing two-stroke racer-roadster is about to become extinct. The next batch of Aprilia RS250 road bikes will be the last - as the last bike of its type, it's the last chance to own one new. Ever!!!!

Around 40 years ago, the two-stroke engine came into its heyday. The engines were cheap to manufacture, and produced exceptional performance in comparison to four-strokes of equivalent capacity.

Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki sold thousands of 250 two-strokes based around their racing machines and many of the biggest names in motorcycle sport got their start in the 250 production racing class. In Grand Prix racing, the two-stroke quickly became unbeatable. Producing an unreliable 50bhp in the sixties, the development of the two-stroke racing motorcycle continued at breakneck speed for four decades, with the top 250s of today producing 100bhp plus.

Throughout the sixties the wail of expansion chambers slowly but surely banished the roar of four-stroke racing machinery at world championship level, at first in the smaller classes, and eventually in all classes. Once Yamaha worked out that it could shoehorn two 250s together and make a four-cylinder 500, the writing was on the wall. Jarno Saarinen scored the first win in the premier-class by a four-cylinder two-stroke machine in May 1973, and Giacomo Agostini rode to the last four-stroke machine to victory (prior to the current rule changes), at the Nurburgring in August 1976. It was the end of the four-stroke era, the last victory by MV Agusta and Agostini's last as well.

Aprilia didn't enter racing until the late eighties, winning its first GP in 1987, its first 125 title in 1992 and its first 250 title in the hands of Max Biaggi in 1994 and since that time the majority of bikes on the 125 and 250 World Championship grids have been produced by Aprilia.The need for harsher emission standards for road-going machinery was having an opposite effect on the two-stroke's success on the road however.

The last 250 two-stroke manufacturer of road bikes in Japan was Suzuki and Aprilia has been using the Suzuki v-twin 250 two-stroke motor as the heart of its roadster since then. With Suzuki ceasing production, Aprilia no longer has a supply of motors and is running out its road bike RS250 models and the 2004 model will be the last - the very last example of a breed of motorcycle which will hold a special place in the heart of motorcycle enthusiasts forever.

In 2003, Aprilia's 250 race bikes won 14 of the 16 world championship races, with five different Aprilia riders standing atop the podium. Significantly, the speed traps often showed the fastest ten riders were all Aprilia mounted. Not surprisingly, the roadster bears a very strong visual relationship to Aprilia works racing bikes which won the World 250 title last year in the hands of Manual Poggiali.And riding it was a HOOT!

At low engine speeds, it has less power than a 125 scooter, and even when the revs climb past 5000 rpm, the engine is still clearing its throat, but pedal the gearbox to keep the revs above 8000rpm, and it is one of the most thrilling experiences you'll have on two wheels.Though the two-stroke 90' V twin engine may have originated from Suzuki, it's Aprilia's knowledge of the induction and exhaust cycles which give the RS250 the edge over the same motor in its last guise as a Suzuki. Actually, an edge is too much of an understatement.

For the last few years the Aprilia 250 has won every production race at the Australian titles and in some years has scored every POINT - i.e. it took all 15 point scoring places at all rounds of the title. There are almost as many changes to the motor than bits you'd recognise as Suzuki, with the resultant unit having the finest credentials ever to grace a 250 two-stroke roadster.

Funnily enough, while the motor kicks hard over 8000rpm, it is not the motor that is most likely to catch the RS250 rider out - it's the brakes.

With a dry weight of 140 kilograms and two 298 mm diameter floating disks on the front wheel, with two Brembo twin-piston callipres on each (with four differentiated diameter pistons), the front brake has more power than you'd have thought possible. Though it has loads of feel, it warrants immense respect because once you've become comfortable with the RS around the roads, you'll find yourself getting into corners with the back wheel OFF THE GROUND!!!

If you fancy yourself backing a road bike into corners this is the bike you can do it on. Alongside a Buell, this is the easiest bike we've ever ridden upon which to perform very impressive stoppies (getting the back wheel waaay off the ground under brakes. Given its tenuous relationship to the tarmac under deceleration, the 220 mm diameter twin-piston rear brake is gentle and progressive. Nor is the 60 horsepower motor and its 220 kmh top speed the most impressive aspect - that's almost certainly the chassis and suspension set-up, which offers a precision unmatched by anything registerable on two wheels.

So precise is the steering that it feels like you can claim any spot on the road just by willing the machine over it, regardless of the speed or camber of the bend.So it is a roadbike, and it can be ridden on the roads every day without the motor filling up with gunk, but the road is just not its natural habitat.

The RS250 is a racer first and a roadster second. Though it has pillion pegs, don't even think about trying to carry a pillion unless there's absolutely no alternative - it's painfully uncomfortable for both, the bike is unbalanced and walking might be a better solution.

The RS250 is ideally something to buy to put in the garage and stay there except for track days. It is a motorcycle to be oggled for its craftsmanship - next time you get near one of these babies, take a bit of time to check out the swinging-arm, the effort that has gone into wrapping those expansion chambers around the motorcycle so NOTHING scrapes (this is a motorcycle upon which you'll get your knee on the ground before something else touches), and just behold the attention to detail, all the way down to the race computer with adjustable redline and lap timing which nestles inside the fairing.

It is the finest example of a breed of motorcycle which is about to become extinct. It is also the final example - the point at which evolution stopped after 50 years of refinement and development of the roadgoing two-stroke.

I think I'll go and have a good cry!!!!

Dovizioso provides explanation for second successive crash

2009-07-08T08:10:00.002-07:00

Tuesday, 07 July 2009

Another DNF for Andrea Dovzioso at Laguna Seca saw him drop from fourth to sixth in the general standings.

Whilst his team-mate Dani Pedrosa bounced back from Repsol Honda’s Assen disaster with a superb win at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix and Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards earned more points in seventh place Andrea Dovizioso lost ground to both riders in the championship on Sunday, as he crashed out on lap seven.

Dovizioso had started in a promising manner from fifth on the grid and was riding strongly in fourth place in the early laps. The Italian looked capable of challenging for the podium but in an unfortunate incident he clipped the poles separating the pit lane exit from the fast first corner and bent his clutch lever.

Although he managed to keep pace with the leaders, his control of his factory RC212V was hindered and he crashed at the fifth corner on the seventh lap, forcing him out of the race for the second consecutive round.

Afterwards, the 23 year-old commented, “We were in good shape, I’d got into a fast rhythm and I’m sure we could have had good result, so I’m very disappointed. Unfortunately I made a mistake and I spoiled my opportunity.”

Explaining what had occurred in more detail he added, “During the first laps, I was behind Valentino Rossi, I wanted to overtake him and I was very close at the end of the straight. It’s a blind point and I was so close that I didn’t see the plastic poles that separate the track from the pit lane. I hit a few of them and in the impact the clutch lever bent, and from that moment on I couldn’t control the engine braking. It was my mistake as my line was too far to the left but after that it was tough to ride and change gear properly.”

He continued, “Nevertheless, I tried to stay up with the leaders. Then I lost the front and crashed after having had a couple of warnings. I’m really disappointed because we are getting closer to front-running pace at every race and here we could have done well. Still, I believe in myself, in the machine and in my team, and I really hope to get a good result soon.”

Tyres top of the agenda for Melandri

2009-07-08T08:10:00.001-07:00

Friday, 24 April 2009

Hard left side poses problems for Italian star.

Placing eighth as he continues to regain confidence and learn the Hayate Racing Kawasaki bike, Marco Melandri had another impressive showing in Japan on Friday. He was working for the majority of the session with his second machine, after a minor electrical problem with his main bike.

Despite his progress, the Italian admitted to being less than fully comfortable with the tyre choice available to him for the weekend.

“It took us nearly all the session to understand that we need to use the softer tyre with the second bike, because the weather is a little cold,” said Melandri after the run.

“The big problem for us is that Bridgestone brought a harder left side to their tyres, which are difficult to warm up in the first three laps. With the session being so short, long runs are difficult to make.

“The medium tyres are a little too hard for me. The soft ones look a bit too hard on the left but the right seems ok. I know that (Mika) Kallio had a crash when the tyre was cold, because you go a long time without riding on the left at this track. However, there’s such a difference between the two tyres that there is really only one choice for the race.”

Melandri’s quickest time stopped the clock at 1’50.123

Lorenzo: “I’d thought that it was all over”

2009-07-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 05 July 2009

Spaniard given five-week collarbone recovery expectation after Laguna Seca third place.

A nasty Saturday crash well and truly put a spanner in the works of Jorge Lorenzo’s preparations for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, a race that he would start from pole position after clocking a speedy qualifying lap just before the fall. A superhuman effort from both Lorenzo and his doctors powered the Spaniard to third place in the latest round of the MotoGP World Championship, and kept up the pressure on Fiat Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi in the standings.

“When I crashed yesterday, I thought that it was all over for the weekend,” admitted Lorenzo after stepping onto the podium, unable to even spray the celebratory cava due to a dislocated collarbone. He passed a late fitness test that also included a check on his leg, hit hard in the fall.

“Thanks to the work done by the doctors I was able to race, and we did well today. Finishing the race was a happy ending for us,” he continued, before looking back on a passing attempt that could have placed him ahead of Rossi before the chequered flag.

“I could have taken second place, but made a mistake when overtaking Valentino on the last corner. However, third place isn’t something to be sad about here, it’s something to be happy about.”

Lorenzo is sadly all-too-familiar with the feeling of riding injured, and is thankful that he should be able to improve his condition to make the next race at Sachsenring a more comfortable affair. Further analysis will be undertaken back in Spain, but the early comeback plan seems positive for the title contender.

“I’ve been told by the doctors that the tendon injury in the collarbone will take five to six weeks to heal, if everything passes without problems. We are going to try our best to be back in much better shape for Sachsenring.”

Warm-up crash costs Melandri dear

2009-07-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Monday, 06 July 2009

Marco Melandri’s crash on Sunday morning ruined his day at Laguna Seca.

Italian rider Marco Melandri was feeling confident on Sunday morning before the eighth race of the season, but a crash in the warm-up session at Laguna Seca disrupted his preparations and meant he was uncomfortable once the real action commenced.

The Hayate Racing representative eventually came home tenth – of the 12 riders to complete the race – but felt that he could have earned more points from 11th on the grid, had he not suffered his morning mishap.

“We had quite a good set-up and I was confident but I had a small crash,” said Melandri of the incident. “We tried to repair the bike and use the same one but it was a big mistake because the settings were completely different to the morning and were not working well. I had a completely different feeling on left and right corners and the throttle wasn’t smooth, so it was tough.”

He continued, “I was just riding to finish the race because I already knew from the warm-up lap that I wasn’t going to do well. It’s disappointing because I think we had everything to do a good race, so now we have to look forward to the next one.”

Giving some further thoughts on the forthcoming visit to Sachsenring, Melandri added, “It’s a strange track because it’s very, very tight and you stay on the left side a lot. We’ll have to see about the weather too because sometimes it can be very unpredictable.”

MotoGP paddock glamour – Laguna Seca

2009-07-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Monday, 06 July 2009

A sample of the best looking MotoGP paddock girls at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

California is well known for show business and glamour and the MotoGP paddock girls at Laguna Seca did not disappoint as they put on a great show for the cameras over the weekend.

Paddock Girls - Montmeló 2009

2009-06-18T03:54:00.002-07:00

Promo Racing Moto2 presentation

2009-06-18T03:54:00.001-07:00

Hiroshi aoyama on the podium at Montmeló

2009-06-18T03:52:00.002-07:00

125cc Group in action in Montmeló

2009-06-18T03:52:00.001-07:00

Solid Edwards seventh again, Toseland outside top ten

2009-06-18T03:51:00.002-07:00

Sunday, 14 June 2009

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 reactions to the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

In the searing heat at the Circuit de Catalunya the consistent satellite Yamaha rider Colin Edwards brought his M1 home in seventh place for the third time this year, whereas his colleague James Toseland was frustrated down in 13th position.

Colin Edwards - 7th

“It was a hard race physically because it was so hot out there but I felt I couldn't ride how I want because of the front-end issue again. But I lost a few places off the line and I'm struggling to get this year's bike to start. I'm good on the clutch but with the wheelbase shorter on the Yamaha this year I struggle to keep the front-end down as I'm accelerating. I felt good this morning in the warm-up when I was third. It was a bit cooler and I could get the bike to turn, but as soon as it gets hot and slippy I can't get the bike to turn at all. If I tried to push it would just push the front wide and lose time. I want to push and I could see (Loris) Capirossi and (Dani) Pedrosa in front of me, but the more I push the more mistakes I'd make. As many problems as I've had this weekend with the crash yesterday and the lack of feel with the front, I can't really be upset with seventh. I'm not happy with it, but it was a bit of damage limitation this weekend. My guys at Mon ster Yamaha Tech 3 have worked really hard and we're going to sort this out and be back fighting closer to the front in Assen, which is a circuit I love.”

James Toseland - 13th

“I'm really disappointed because I went into the race with high expectations after my best qualifying of the year. But I made a bad mistake off the line and gave myself a mountain to climb. The engine just bogged and I lost a load of time and had no chance of getting it back because everybody is doing similar times ahead of me. I also had a few set-up issues in the race and I'm not happy with that. I didn't have a lot of rear grip and we've got to work on the setting to find some rear grip when the tyre is starting to wear. After about eight or ten laps I was having a few issues with rear grip, but the bad start was what really cost me and that was my fault. It's frustrating because we've been going in the right direction and it had looked like we might have had a decent weekend. But I'll pick myself up and be ready to give it my all again for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in Assen.”

Fiat Yamaha Paddock Girl at Montmeló

2009-06-18T03:51:00.001-07:00

MotoGP on display in Las Vegas

2009-06-18T03:50:00.000-07:00

Honda Gresini crew chief Antonio Jimenez

2009-06-18T03:49:00.000-07:00

super paddock

2009-06-18T03:48:00.000-07:00

No Barcelona regrets for Pedrosa

2009-06-18T03:47:00.002-07:00

No Barcelona regrets for Pedrosa

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Spaniard will miss Monday test after 'worthwhile' sixth place.

At less than 100% fitness, Dani Pedrosa had a tough weekend at his home Grand Prix. The Spaniard held on for sixth place at the Circuit de Catalunya, but the race will be his last action at the track for the immediate future as Honda requested that he miss Monday's test.

"It’s been a very hard weekend and I finished the race exhausted and in a lot of pain, but I don’t regret being here this weekend trying to do my best. I didn’t want to miss my home race and even though sixth position is not the best result in front of my fans, I’m happy with it. I could feel their enormous support during the whole weekend and it helped me a lot to race. It also wouldn’t have been possible without the doctors’ help: they kept me in the best possible condition to bear the pain. The injections I’ve had on each day worked, but obviously to do 25 laps it’s been very hard. The doctors told me that this fracture needs time to heal so I’m going to rest as much as possible and see what the progress is for Assen. The Team asked me not test tomorrow to give me the best chance to recover and it’s a sensible decision. I didn’t have a great start today, but I could manage to stay in the second group in the race. I tried to stay with Capirossi, but I couldn’t, so I choose to maintain the sixth position. I’m really tired now, but it was a worthwhile race."

De Puniet unsurprised by factory overtaking

2009-06-18T03:47:00.001-07:00

Sunday, 14 June 2009

LCR Honda rider places eighth in Barcelona.

Randy de Puniet put up a brave fight at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, but was unable to hold off some of the factory riders with superior power at their disposal as the race progressed. The Frenchman eventually settled for eighth place and a 100% record of race finishes so far in 2009.

Randy de Puniet – 8th

“I am very happy because I think we had a great weekend. It has been a hard race for everybody but I took a perfect start from the third row ending the first lap in 4th place. After that I set my rhythm but some guys (Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Capirossi) overtook me on the straight in the following laps. I am not surprised about that and we have to accept it. Edwards was a bit faster than me but I push to keep his slipstream for the last 10 laps. I could not do better than this and we deserve this 8th place behind the factory bikes. We are 9th in the provisional world standing and we need to continue in this way for the future races. I want to thank my squad for their efforts.”

Best result to date for Hayden with Ducati

2009-06-18T03:46:00.000-07:00

Best result to date for Hayden with Ducati

Sunday, 14 June 2009

The former World Champion broke the top ten for first time in 2009 at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Tenth place for Nicky Hayden, added to Casey Stoner’s podium and ninth for Mika Kallio, made it three Ducatis in the top ten at Barcelona, an improvement for the Italian factory.

Hayden was satisfied with the result and is now looking forward to returning to the track on Monday for the first of two of post-GP tests this season, the second of which will follow the Czech round at Brno in August.

Nicky Hayden – 10th

“I was hoping for a little more than this but realistically at the moment it was the best I could manage. I started from near the back but kept passing people and made progress throughout the race. I got close to Kallio and tried my best to pass him but made a couple of mistakes and he beat me. All in all it’s not a spectacular result but it is definitely a step forward. I’ve been close to the front guys all weekend, we’ve worked well and we’ve learnt a lot about the bike. I’m already looking forward to getting back on the bike for the test tomorrow and continuing to work down this path, which we think is the right one.”

Dovizioso so close to rostrum yet again

2009-06-18T03:45:00.002-07:00

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso has now missed the podium by fractions of a second in the last three MotoGP races.

Having been beaten to the line by a tight margin by team-mate Dani Pedrosa at Le Mans and by Valentino Rossi at Mugello, it was Casey Stoner who thwarted Andrea Dovizioso at the Circuit de Catalunya, as the Italian youngster crossed the line just 0.052s behind the former MotoGP World Champion.

Dovizioso got his move into the factory Repsol Honda team for this season courtesy of a highly consistent debut campaign on satellite machinery in 2008, with his only podium finish in the premier class to date coming towards the end of last year in the form of his third place finish in Malaysia.

The 2009 campaign has commenced with six solid results, two fifth places in the opening two rounds, eighth in Jerez and now three consecutive fourths, as he makes obvious but steady progress.

Such is Dovizioso’s competitive nature - and the expectation in the Repsol Honda team, who have now gone a year without a race victory - the 23 year-old will want to start turning those fourth places into podium results sooner rather than later, even if he is regularly battling against the three current best riders in the World Championship in races, namely Rossi, Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo.

Taking the positives from the sixth round of the season Dovizioso commented, “I pushed all the race, overtaking Randy de Puniet and Dani and then to try and close the gap with Casey. In the last six laps I tried to reserve some power because it was so hot in the race and the spinning of the tyres was unbelievable. I couldn’t try to overtake Casey on the last lap because he was pushing at 100%, so it was a shame I couldn’t get the podium, but I’m very satisfied about this weekend.”

“I’m really happy about the race in general as we finished only nine seconds behind the winner and this is really important. Unfortunately I didn’t make a good start because I have a different clutch to the rest of the Honda riders, which is good for me when I am braking but it is much worse for starting, so that made it a difficult race.”

Overnight changes help Capirossi to fifth

2009-06-18T03:45:00.001-07:00

Overnight changes help Capirossi to fifth

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Loris Capirossi singled out his Crew Chief Stuart Shenton for praise after they worked together to achieve fifth place at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Incorporating a new engine into the Suzuki GSR-V this weekend at the sixth round of the season was never going to be easy for Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen, but the former used all his experience and took the advice of his Crew Chief Stuart Shenton overnight on Saturday, to go from 11th on the grid to fifth in the Barcelona race.

Although Vermeulen could only finish 11th and the Rizla Suzuki still have work to do in order to get the most out of their engine update, Capirossi is rising up the general standings round-by-round courtesy of some aggressive performances and consistent results – putting his nightmare opening race Qatar DNF blemish firmly in the past.

“This was the same position as Mugello, but this is a different one because we have worked so hard to get this and it is a great result,” said a delighted Capirossi after the race.

“It was a beautiful day today because we were struggling in practice this weekend but last night my Crew Chief Stuart came to me at 9pm and said I have an idea and we can change everything. So I decided to follow his plan. During the warmup this morning the bike felt better and I felt really good.”

Reviewing the details of the race itself Capirossi added, “I was fighting with Dani a lot. Unfortunately I lost a lot of time overtaking Dani and I lost Dovi (Andrea Dovizioso), so maybe without Dani I could maybe have fought more with Dovi and maybe Casey (Stoner) but anyway this was a really good result for us. Suzuki have come here with the new engine and it is already a little bit better so this is an improvement for us and for the future it is really important to continue to fight like this.”

paddock girls

2009-06-18T03:43:00.003-07:00

paddock girls

2009-06-18T03:43:00.002-07:00

Stoner happy with brave podium

2009-06-18T03:43:00.001-07:00

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Ducati’s Casey Stoner almost collapsed with exhaustion after the Barcelona contest, having gone into the sixth race of the year feeling unwell and emerging in third place.

Riding 25 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya in 40°C temperatures in a MotoGP race is enough to test the fitness off the toughest of athletes even when at 100%, so Casey Stoner did remarkably well on Sunday to secure his fourth podium of the 2009 season having gone into battle feeling unwell.

The Australian former World Champion started to feel sick on Saturday afternoon and was extremely tired just after nine laps in Sunday morning’s warmup session, leaving him unsure whether he would even be able to complete the race.

Having remarkably stayed in front of Andrea Dovizioso to keep third place by just a 0.052s gap, Stoner explained what he had gone through and attributed the result to the strength of his Ducati Desmosedici race package, having almost collapsed before he stepped up onto the podium.

“I’m not sure how I did it because half way through the race I nearly gave up. I was very close to pulling into the pits and nothing felt right,” Stoner stated. “The bike was working really well but I just wasn’t able to keep the pace, I just couldn’t brake properly as I was nearly falling onto the front of the bike.”

He continued, “My legs and my stomach were cramping and so I decided to just relax for a few laps to see if we could finish in the top ten or something similar. The bike was so good that I was able to just keep doing consistent lap times to hold Andrea behind me, and I ended up on the podium which is really important for the championship.”

The factory Ducati man is tied on 106 points at the top of the standings with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, with the next round taking place at Assen – where Stoner was victorious in 2008.

Rossi and Lorenzo reflect on incredible battle

2009-06-18T03:42:00.002-07:00

Rossi and Lorenzo reflect on incredible battle

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo were both aware that they had enjoyed a special duel at the Circuit de Catalunya.

With the 90,000 fans at Montmeló treated to an amazing MotoGP race on Sunday the two main protagonists were buzzing at the end of the 25 lap contest with World Champion Valentino Rossi breathless following his last corner triumph.

Having crossed the finishing line less than one tenth of a second in front of his Fiat Yamaha team-mate, Rossi exclaimed, “In Italian you would just say about that race, ‘Mama Mia!’. This battle with Lorenzo was very, very close. Our two bikes are set-up very well and we had the same pace so I knew we would get to the end of the race like that so it was fantastic.”

The Italian star continued, “It was a great race and we know that Lorenzo is very strong, so to try and beat him in the future we have to be at 100%. I’m so happy about today and my 99th GP win. It was so important to take this victory here in Barcelona, more than just the 25 points, because for me, for my team and for the crowd it is just fantastic, so I think the show was unbelievable.”

Lorenzo was humble and sporting in defeat, responding, “It’s not the same as a victory but second place is a fantastic result for us because it means we are maintaining consistent form, which we didn’t have last year. Being honest Valentino was braver than me and he overtook me in the last corner because I didn’t close the line enough and he won.”

The young Spaniard added, “I congratulate him for this win. I tried to be brave and where I saw gaps I went for it. Although we lost we know there are a lot of races until the end of the season.”

With the Yamaha colleagues tied in first position in a three-way fight with Casey Stoner, thoughts were already turning to the next installment of this intriguing 2009 title contest at the Dutch TT.

Rossi admitted he will need some rest before the next race, commenting, “We have to test on Monday, to work hard on the bike and then after I just need to relax. I have a bit of a problem with my neck so I need to stay at home, in my own bed, relaxing and waiting, so I can be ready with the batteries recharged for Assen.”

Perhaps ominously for the rest of the field, Lorenzo stated, “Assen is my favourite track so I look forward to going there, to hopefully putting in a good lap time in practice and then to race like this again.”

Brilliant Rossi takes 99th triumph on final corner

2009-06-18T03:42:00.001-07:00

Sunday, 14 June 2009

An amazing head-to-head battle between Yamaha team-mates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo saw the Italian take his 99th Grand Prix victory by a 0.095s margin at Catalunya.

Catalunya 2009 - MotoGP Race Highlights

In front of nearly 90,000 fans in Barcelona the reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi took a superb win, battling with his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo throughout the 25 lap MotoGP race to secure the win on the last corner.

Despite some slight cloud cover close to the Mediterranean coast, air temperatures of 40°C meant it was a draining experience for the premier class riders but Rossi and Lorenzo threw everything into their duel, with The Doctorexecuting a superb move right at the death to take maximum points.

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) was on the podium again, to maintain his World Championship challenge, with the result leaving Rossi, Lorenzo and the Australian all tied on 106 points at the head of the standings – the Italian on top as the possessor of the most recent victory.

Stoner was absolutely exhausted after the race having worked extremely hard to fend off a strong challenge from Andrea Dovizioso. The Repsol Honda rider produced another consistent display to finish in fourth place for the third round in succession, having started in fourth on the grid, this time missing the podium by 0.052s.

Meanwhile, an excellent battle between Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and the brave Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) for fifth place eventually saw an Italian emerge in front of a Spaniard again, Capirossi crossing the line just over two seconds ahead.

With two-way fights for positions going on throughout the order, Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) used all his experience to overcome Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) for seventh.

Ducati riders Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing) and Nicky Hayden crossed the line close together in ninth and tenth respectively, giving Hayden his best result of his first season with the Italian factory so far.

New MotoGP arrival Gabor Talmacsi had a better time in his very first premier class race than new Scot Racing team-mate Yuki Takahashi - who crashed out on the first lap – as the Hungarian gained experience coming home in last place. The unfortunate Toni Elías meanwhile was also unable to finish as his miserable home record continued.

Rossi takes initiative in Sunday morning practice

2009-06-18T03:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 14 June 2009

After just missing out on pole for the Barcelona MotoGP race World Champion Valentino Rossi lapped fastest in the premier class warmup session.

This weekend’s intriguing duel between Fiat Yamaha’s talented duo of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo swung in favour of Rossi in the warmup on Sunday morning at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, as he outpaced poleman Lorenzo by 0.048s.

In cooler conditions than the stifling heat of Saturday Rossi’s best effort of 1’42.743 was enough to give him a psychological edge in the 20 minute session which concluded at 10am, ahead of the sixth MotoGP race of the year at 2pm on Sunday.

Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) showed their good pace again in third and fourth positions, whilst third fastest qualifier Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) was fifth in the session – almost exactly half a second down on Lorenzo.

Dani Pedrosa showed that he is fast enough over one lap to compete for points as he lapped sixth quickest, but this afternoon’s race will be a severe test of his resolve and stamina as he tries to repeat his 2008 win with an injured hip, from eighth on the grid.

Pramac Racing determined after Barcelona qualifying

2009-06-18T03:39:00.000-07:00

Pramac Racing determined after Barcelona qualifying

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Kallio tenth and Canepa eighteenth on premier class grid.

Mika Kallio turned things around in MotoGP qualifying to place tenth for the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, but teammate Niccolò Canepa had a much tougher time of things than the ice-cold Finn. Both are confident of a good race in the Sunday heat.

Mika Kallio -10th

"Yesterday, notwithstanding that the lap times weren't the best, I knew the bike was much more competitive on this circuit and so it has been. Not everything was perfect, but we consider ourselves satisfied with the result obtained today. I thought we had conquered the third row and I was a bit sad when I lost it in the last lap to the last rider on the track by only one tenth of a second. Anyway, this is the best qualifying session of the season and we are all really happy about it."

Niccolò Canepa -18th

"This afternoon the high temperatures have slowed us down. I didn't have the same grip of the morning and we have to understand why. This morning everything was working fine and we hope to do the same tomorrow during the race. As I said before coming here, I like this track a lot and I am convinced that I can conquer a good result. I will do all that is possible."

Tech 3 pair reflect on Saturday action

2009-06-18T03:38:00.002-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Colin Edwards and James Toseland of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team comment on the second day of action at Montmeló.

Colin Edwards still qualified in sixth place despite a crash on Saturday afternoon at the Circuit de Catalunya, whilst his team-mate James Toseland is not far behind him on the grid.

Colin Edwards - 6th

“I guess I'm pretty fortunate to have finished on the second row considering I crashed out at the crucial stage of the session. We made some changes overnight to help me get more comfortable with the front-end and while it was better, I'm still not close to the comfort level I need to go as fast as I know I can. I'm still not comfortable in the middle of the corner and I can't get it to turn or hold a line. Even when I was on the soft tyres towards the end I still didn't feel like I could push too hard. I'm normally really smooth but I can't ride like that right now. Luckily I'd done a pretty decent time on my first two softer tyres because on the last one I crashed out. The crash was a bit weird because I lost the front really early while I was still hard braking and leaning over. Normally when I lose the front it's at the apex when I'm starting to force the front. If I'm being honest, on race tyres I'm not that confident because of the set-up issue with the front. I know Valentino, Jorge and Casey are all running a good pace and it's crucial to get a good start and try and tag onto the back of them. I'd love to say I'm going to be on the podium tomorrow, which is what I had aspirations of, but it's looking difficult. As always though I'll be giving it my all for Monster Yamaha Tech 3."

James Toseland - 9th

“I can't believe I'm saying this after the season I've had but I'm frustrated with my best qualifying result of the season. To finish under a tenth off fifth and be down in ninth is frustrating though, but at least I'm frustrated to be close to fifth and not fifteenth! At the start of the session I was out on used tyres and with the temperature being so hot it was quite difficult to find grip. But it was good to get information on the extra hard tyre in that heat for the race. On my last run I had a new front and rear, so it was difficult to get a good feeling straightaway with the front. In the last two corners on my last lap I had two big moments on the front and without doubt that cost me fifth place. Going into the last two corners I'd have been fifth, but at least at that pace I feel really comfortable because I can do that time with a couple of issues. MotoGP is now so close that a tenth has cost me four places on the grid. It's a shame that I'm not on the second row because the way I'm riding and the way the team is working, we deserve to be a bit higher up, but we've all done a great job today and I've got a good chance in the race tomorrow. It's my best qualifying of the year, so hopefully I can capitalise on it and give Monster Yamaha Tech 3 a good result."

Suzuki duo with catching up to do

2009-06-18T03:38:00.001-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen will have to race aggressively for the Rizla Suzuki team on Sunday at Barcelona having qualified outside the top ten.

Italian veteran Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen respectively qualified 1.391s and 1.411s off the pace at the Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday afternoon and were feeling the heat at the end of the day.

Loris Capirossi – 11th

"It has been pretty hard today. We tried a different setting this morning and although we improved a little bit it wasn't enough to put us in a good position for tomorrow. My impression is that our race pace is better than our qualifying and it was difficult for us to go much quicker on the softer tyres than we did on the harder compound. We will have to see what happens tomorrow, but the bike is working quite well and we have a good rhythm. The race tyre is working well so we are optimistic, but we are starting a little bit back so this will make it hard. We know we can do well off the line and have a good race."

Chris Vermeulen – 12th

"It has been really difficult today with the hot track temperatures and the limited amount of hard front tyres that we have. We did all of qualifying on the same front tyre and I did 27-laps so it was not ideal to try to do a faster lap on it at the end. We struggled a bit with grip and that's what we are going to have to concentrate on tomorrow to get a good life out of the tyres. The guys did a good job on the bike, we made a big step forward with the chassis and I feel a lot more comfortable on it than I did yesterday."

Hayden unhappy with qualifying result

2009-06-18T03:35:00.002-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Ducati factory man Nicky Hayden’s hard 2009 campaign so far did not get much better in qualifying at Catalunya, though there have been some good signs for him during the weekend.

The 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden explains how his day panned out at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya on Saturday.

Nicky Hayden - 13th

“Today we weren’t quite able to pick up where we left off yesterday but I went half a second quicker this morning – unfortunately it wasn’t enough to close the gap on the guys in front because they improved too. I shaved another couple of tenths off again this afternoon but on my last run I crashed in turn two and that was pretty much that. The position isn’t great but on the other hand with just a couple more tenths I’d have been a lot further up. I know I’m talking a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ here and at the end of the day the position is what counts and we’re not high enough up. It’s just a shame that on the lap when I’m sure I would have found those extra couple of tenths the rear stepped out in turn one and when I flicked it over into turn two it put me down pretty good. I smacked my left wrist quite hard but I don’t think it’s a big issue and other than that I seem to be okay so we’re looking forward to trying for more tomorrow.”

Dovizioso close to front row, Pedrosa crashes and finishes eighth

2009-06-18T03:35:00.001-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

The Repsol Honda perspective on qualifying at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Factory Honda riders Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa give their views on some contrasting fortunes at the Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday.

Andrea Dovizioso - 4th

"I’m very happy with this 4th position, even though of course my target was to be on the first row. I like this racetrack - you do a lot of sliding the bike and I really enjoy this kind of riding. We made progress with the machine this morning, then we made a modification to the setting this afternoon that didn’t have the results we expected, so tomorrow we will go back to this morning’s set up. Today it was very hot and conditions were very demanding for the tyres - all the riders seemed to have less grip at the rear. Still, I’m quite satisfied. We have improved our race pace and tomorrow I will fight hard for the podium. We were fast today and I think we can get closer to the frontrunners’ race pace in the low 1’43s, although consistency is still their advantage."

Dani Pedrosa - 8th

"I’m reasonably satisfied with my pace today, especially considering how things felt yesterday. We’ve qualified for the race and, although I’d have preferred to be on the front two rows, this position is OK. In fact, I think I could have been a row further forward had I not had the crash in the last few minutes of qualifying - that’s the period when the best times are usually set. I went into the corner a little bit too fast and wide and had to run straight on. Then I saw the air fence and decided it was best to get off the bike. This morning I had an injection for the pain which worked quite well so I didn’t have another one for the afternoon, though it was becoming more uncomfortable by then. Tomorrow I’ll have another injection and we’ll try to take the best result possible in the race. It’s going to be extra hard work because of the heat, but there are a lot of my fans out there so I’ll be riding my hardest for them."

De Puniet just misses out on second row start

2009-06-18T03:34:00.002-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Randy de Puniet was slightly disappointed with qualifying seventh at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet missed the second row of the Catalunya grid by 0.007s on Saturday afternoon in the Barcelona sunshine.

Randy de Puniet - 7th

“I am a bit disappointed because we have been expecting to get on the second row. I had the potential to do it but found some slower riders in the last laps and lost a few tenths as my ideal time was half second faster than this. However we are really pleased with our race set up. A second row start would have made my life easier but I feel confident for the race.”

Stoner unsure of victory potential

2009-06-18T03:34:00.001-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

It may just be mind games but Casey Stoner says winning at Catalunya on Sunday may be beyond him from third on the grid.

Third in qualifying and seventh in FP2 on Saturday at Montmeló Casey Stoner was satisfied that he was making some progress at the end of the day, but believes repeating his superb 2007 Barcelona win on Sunday could be a big ask.

Talking through Saturday’s proceedings at a scorching hot Catalunya circuit, Stoner revealed, “We’re pretty happy with the way things have gone, but we still need some improvements before the race because Valentino (Rossi) and Jorge (Lorenzo) are riding really well. Everything seems to be set up pretty well for them, but we are not quite there yet.”

“In the afternoon we made some big steps forward and I think for the end of the race we should be a bit more competitive because of that. However, we still need to improve our lap times by a few tenths of a second and get to a pace that we are reasonably happy with.”

On the subject of going for maximum points in Sunday’s sixth race of the MotoGP season, Stoner said, “Victory? I don’t think so. We will see in the morning warm-up if we can make some further improvements and try to find a good solution. Whatever happens we will just race as best as we can.”

Solving traction control problem key to pole for Lorenzo

2009-06-18T03:33:00.002-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Fiat Yamaha rider says late electronics adjustment was vital to securing his third pole of 2009 at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya on Saturday.

Jorge Lorenzo maintained his 100% front-row qualifying record for the 2009 season with another pole position at his home track on Saturday, outpacing team-mate Valentino Rossi by just 0.013 seconds - thanks to a traction control tweak.

Lorenzo did battle with Rossi, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso in the final minutes and with his Italian team-mate on provisional pole with seconds to go Lorenzo laid down a 1’41.974s time - to snatch the top spot after some adjustments to his electronics set-up just before his hot lap.

“I’m happy with this pole position because we had some problems with the soft tyre, we had too much traction control, so I didn’t have enough power,” Lorenzo explained. “Then when I had my last opportunity for a fast lap we went down to just a little bit of traction control and I was able to go faster.”

Asked about his prospects for a third win of the season, the 22 year-old stated, “It is going to be a very difficult race for everyone and I am expecting a very good fight with Valentino, who has a very strong pace. It looks like Stoner and Dovizioso will be there too so I hope it’s an exciting race for the fans. I have a good rhythm here and I feel very comfortable on the bike so I am just going to stay focused and think about having a great race.”

Rossi expects great battle on Sunday

2009-06-18T03:33:00.001-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

World Champion Valentino Rossi is looking forward to a great race on Sunday as he tries to outdo his Fiat Yamaha colleague Jorge Lorenzo.

Ready to do battle with his young rival Jorge Lorenzo in Barcelona, having seen his talented team-mate beat him to pole position by less than 0.02s on home territory for the Spaniard, World Champion Valentino Rossi is excited about the prospect of a tough race at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Looking to continue his superb record at Montmeló and put the pressure on fellow front row starters Lorenzo and Casey Stoner at the top of the standings this weekend, Rossi stated, “I’m so happy because we have worked well on the bike and from yesterday I feel good when I’m riding. It’s better than at other recent races.”

Reviewing qualifying he added, “This afternoon was a great practice, a great battle, and I was always fast. We made some modifications, improving step by step, but at the end I was just a little bit slower than Lorenzo. Anyway we were very close and I’m happy because I think it will be a great fight in the race.”

Asked whether he was confident of taking his first Barcelona win since 2006 Rossi responded, “It will be difficult because of the temperatures and difficult for the tyres but I think it will be good because we are competitive. We still need to make some small adjustments but we are fast here. The important thing is to get back on the pace, stay in front in the warm-up and have fun in the race. It will be a close battle but we know it is just one of 17 races. It is always great riding here in Barcelona, it gives you extra motivation.”

Lorenzo beats Rossi to pole for Barcelona race

2009-06-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Jorge Lorenzo’s excellent second season in MotoGP continued at his home GP on Saturday as he took pole at the Circuit de Catalunya, the Spaniard qualifying just 0.013s ahead of Valentino Rossi.

The MotoGP qualifying session at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya concluded with home rider Jorge Lorenzo securing his third pole position of 2009 in sweltering heat close to the Mediterranean coast.

The Fiat Yamaha star pleased the crowd in his special edition Barcelona FC livery securing the top slot on the grid with a 1’41.974 time on the 28th of 29 laps, putting him just ahead of team-mate Valentino Rossi by a 0.013s margin.

Having never been off the podium in the premier class at Montmeló Rossi will be confident of maintaining that remarkable record on Sunday, though he knows he will have to be at his best to beat his talented young Spanish colleague.

Completing the front row is Casey Stoner as MotoGP’s current trio of form riders showed their strengths once again, the Australian Ducati Marlboro representative lapping just under a half a second down on Lorenzo.

Andrea Dovizioso is the ‘nearly man’ in the premier class at present and he missed out on the front row by just 0.168s on his Repsol Honda factory RC212V. Nonetheless the Italian will try to fight for the podium having just fallen short at the last two rounds.

In fifth place at his home track, not traditionally his strongest circuit, Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) will aim to improve his poor Barcelona record from the middle of the front row, whilst Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) ended up sixth and might have done better had he not crashed towards the end of the session.

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) has looked good so far this weekend and he qualified seventh, just in front of home hero Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) who also suffered a crash in the final moments – landing on his injured right hip, but not appearing to sustain any further damage as he walked away from the incident.

The top ten was rounded off by Englishman James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Finnish rider Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing), both northern Europeans doing well to deal with the ambient temperatures of 38°C.

Elías gives safety car tour of Montmeló track

2009-06-13T05:40:00.001-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

San Carlo Honda Gresini man shows motogp.com around his home circuit.

Toni Elías has never completed a MotoGP race at Montmeló, but the Spaniard is well versed in the ways of his home circuit having raced there from an early age. The San Carlo Honda Gresini rider was the latest MotoGP man to give a guided tour ahead of a World Championship round when he headed out in the BMW M Safety Car on Friday, providing motogp.com with analysis of the track’s key corners and his general impressions of the Circuit de Catalunya.

Lorenzo takes control in early Saturday run

2009-06-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Having lapped second fastest on Friday, Jorge Lorenzo stepped up the pace on Saturday morning at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo will go in search of his third pole position of 2009 on Saturday afternoon at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya having topped the Free Practice 2 timesheet by a significant 0.674s margin.

With the air temperature already at 30°C and the ground temperature up to 37°C by 11am Lorenzo turned up the heat on his rivals with a superb 1’41.899 lap on the 27th of his 29 laps, well over a second faster than Friday’s best times. After the session Lorenzo declared himself more than happy with his rhythm on race tyres and the softer options he used to mark his pace-setting lap.

Second fastest was an improved Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), whilst in third place Lorenzo’s World Champion team-mate Valentino Rossi was nearly a second off the pace – albeit on race tyres.

Taking a big step forward ahead of his home race tomorrow – and following a slow start on Friday – Dani Pedrosa reduced his day one best lap by two seconds to place fourth, having taken on more painkillers before the session in his injured hip.

LCR Honda’s French star Randy de Puniet was fifth fastest again at one of his preferred venues, marginally quicker than veteran American Colin Edwards of the Monster Yahama Tech 3 team.

Whilst Edwards’ Tech 3 colleague James Toseland will be pleased to have lapped eighth fastest with around a second cut from his Friday pace, Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner slipped down to seventh as he could only improve slightly on his FP1 best effort.

Ducati riders Niccolò Canepa and Nicky Hayden completed the top ten.

Difficult afternoon for Elías on home ground

2009-06-13T05:35:00.004-07:00

Friday, 12 June 2009

Toni Elías again found the going tough at his home track on Friday at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Despite the home support Toni Elías does not count Catalunya as one of his best tracks and that showed again on the first day of his home GP - as he lapped well off the pace, like his San Carlo Honda Gresini colleague Alex de Angelis, in the first MotoGP free practice session of the weekend.

Toni Elías – 15th

“We haven’t started well but it is early and we have to stay positive. We have a lot of work to do on the chassis, because there is far too much load on the front. I know I am always complaining about that but at this circuit in particular it is just too much. We don’t have anything new to test so it is down to us to keep coming up with new ideas, experimenting and trying to find a solution with what we have. Unfortunately sometimes you have to go down the wrong road in order to realise which is the right one so hopefully that’s the case for us today. My Gaudi helmet design is from when we raced here in 2007 and I decided to wear it again simply because I love it!”

Alex de Angelis – 16th

“We’re still struggling for rear grip, as we have been doing all season, and the bike is sliding around a lot but the truth is that this is our only problem. We really need to sort it out because other than that the bike feels great. The engine is really strong and in a straight line we are really fast but we need to transfer that to the corners. We had a little problem with the front forks in the first part of the session, they weren’t working well and I ran wide in one corner but luckily the run-off was asphalt and I was able to keep it upright. We changed the forks and it improved things a lot, even on a used tyre, but we still have plenty to do tomorrow.”

Big change brings big smile to Hayden in Barcelona

2009-06-13T05:35:00.003-07:00

Friday, 12 June 2009

Ducati rider makes significant improvement with radical overhaul of Barcelona setting.

Nicky Hayden and the Ducati Marlboro team rang the changes to the Desmosedici GP9 in preparation for Barcelona, and the modifications paid dividends for the American on Friday. He placed sixth in the first free practice session.

Nicky Hayden -6th

“I know it’s only sixth position but still I’m pretty happy because I was running up front throughout the session and having fun, which is what racing is supposed to be about! Basically “Vitto” (Guareschi) stayed on in Mugello and tested a lot and we have changed almost everything on the bike other than the handgrips! We’ve altered the electronics and the geometry a lot to help me get the bike turning and we’ve taken a big step. I don’t want to get too excited because it’s only Friday and we’ve got to keep working hard but I want to say that I am very grateful to the team and to “Vitto”, Filippo (Preziosi) and “Pippi” (Cristhian Pupulin) and the Test Team in particular. Nobody here has given up on me even after a few bad races and I have always made it clear I won’t give up on them. We have had to stay mentally strong and keep positive, even though that hasn’t been easy. Hopefully we’re on to something here and all the hard work will start paying off.”

Pedrosa hoping for improvement on Saturday

2009-06-13T05:35:00.001-07:00

Friday, 12 June 2009

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was clearly affected by his hip injury in Friday practice at his home GP, whereas his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso had a positive day.

Dani Pedrosa was unable to ride at 100% at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya on Friday due to his problematic right hip and the 23-year-old Spaniard, who won last year’s Barcelona race, ended up two seconds off the pace in Free Practice 1.

It was a more productive day for his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, however, as the Italian finished the hour-long session in a competitive fourth place, just 0.646s back from pace-setter, Valentino Rossi.

Andrea Dovizioso – 4th

"Today’s result was pretty good and we are not too far from the front which is encouraging - though we still need to close the gap. This afternoon we worked on the set-up of the bike to improve the handling during corner entry and in the turn, which remains our main issue. We tried a different set-up solution on the second bike that worked well and I was able to improve the lap time and reduce the gap to the frontrunners. Fourth place today is a good start but we are still too far from the first three top riders, so we’ll continue to work on this tomorrow."

Dani Pedrosa – 14th

"It’s my home race and already the atmosphere and support is incredible, but of course this wasn’t one of the best days of riding for me. I had a pain-killing injection before I rode this afternoon but it’s still very uncomfortable on the bike and this means I wasn’t able to ride at my normal pace. MotoGP machines are very physical to ride - it’s not like a street bike - so it’s tough when you are not at full strength. It’s frustrating because this is one of my favourite circuits of the season and also one where I have had a lot of good results. However, we certainly aren’t going to give up. It’s a long season and although today didn’t go too well, we’ll come back tomorrow and see what we can do."

Suzuki

2009-06-13T05:34:00.003-07:00

Suzuki pair review day one in Barcelona

Friday, 12 June 2009

The Rizla Suzuki perspective on matters at the end of Friday practice at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Chris Vermeulen was unable to join his Rizla Suzuki colleague Loris Capirossi in the MotoGP free practice 1 top ten at Montmeló on Friday.

Loris Capirossi – 7th

"It has been an interesting practice for us because we tried many different settings and found quite a lot of things out. At the end of the session I tried the engine with the new specification and it seemed to be a bit of an improvement on what we are using at the moment, but we have to check the data because it makes the bike perform a bit differently. Overall it has been a good session, but we still need to work a bit more on the set-up to get it perfect for here. The engine does seem to be an improvement and I want to thank Suzuki for all the hard work, because for us this is very important!"

Chris Vermeulen – 13th

"It's been good to get a full session in sunny and warm conditions. I went out with the hard front and the softer of the two rears - which I kept in for the whole session. I tried some different chassis set-ups between both of my bikes and we have certainly got a good direction. At the end - with more than race distance on the tyres - I did my fastest laps and moved up the order. The bike has felt reasonably good all day, but like I said we now have a direction to follow and we are sure that will help with both rear grip and durability of the tyres, because with such high temperatures that will be important this weekend. Hopefully we still have a long way to go and I am sure we will be making big steps tomorrow."

Great start for Fiat Yamaha at Catalunya circuit

2009-06-13T05:34:00.001-07:00

Great start for Fiat Yamaha at Catalunya circuit

Friday, 12 June 2009

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo dominated the first day of action at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya on Friday.

World Champion Valentino Rossi and his young team-mate Jorge Lorenzo were the top dogs in the opening practice session of the weekend at Montmeló on Friday, holding the top two spots between them for the entire 45-minute practice.

It was eventually the Italian who topped the timesheet with his Spanish colleague just three tenths behind him, leaving the factory Yamaha duo looking in fine form at round six.

Valentino Rossi – 1st

“We made some changes to our base setting here and already it feels much better to ride. This practice went very well for us, we were strong from start to finish and to be in first position feels good. We have found out some very interesting things, especially about my feeling with the bike, but we need to keep on working because there are still some parts that we want to make better for tomorrow. I am really happy to be able to ride the bike how I want to finally but there is still plenty more work to continue with to make sure we’re in the best possible shape for tomorrow afternoon and Sunday.”

Jorge Lorenzo – 2nd

“I always have a few doubts coming to each new track but today everything felt really good, my bike and my Bridgestone tyres. I feel very comfortable and we can see that we have the potential to put on a really good performance here. We have a few things which we can improve so we will try to do that tomorrow but this is another good start for us. It’s very early to be making any conclusions about who will be fighting on Sunday though and for now we just have to stay focused. It feels great to be out in front of all my home fans here and I am really happy to have the FC Barcelona stickers on my bike!”

Tyre focus for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 on Friday

2009-06-13T05:25:00.002-07:00

Tyre focus for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 on Friday

Friday, 12 June 2009

Edwards and Toseland end first practice session inside top ten.

Tyres took centre stage for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 on Friday, Colin Edwards and James Toseland trying out Bridgestone rubber and looking to make their own improvements.

Colin Edwards -8th

“Today I didn't feel very comfortable at all and I was having an issue with the front-end feeling. Nothing feels natural and being a front-end guy as much as I am, when the front is not quite right it causes me a problem and today I just couldn't get a comfortable feeling. Keeping the front tyre loaded and generating corner speed is the biggest issue and I'm going to sit down with my guys tonight because we need to try and figure out a way to solve it with a better setting. We've always been able to quickly solve our issues this year so I'm confident we'll come out fighting closer to the front tomorrow. Today though I hit a bit of a brick wall because I was making some changes to the bike that should have improved my feeling but the lap time wasn't any better. I was having a problem getting the bike to turn and it just wasn't comfortable for me to push. If I did push the bike would just run wide and that was costing me time.”

James Toseland -10th

“On paper it doesn't look spectacular but I'm really pleased with today because it was easily my best start to a weekend this season. I was seventh until the final minutes so that's encouraging and at the end I was out on quite an old rear tyre, which was moving around quite a bit. With a new tyre I'm sure I could have got a bit further up, but I wanted to get some information on the hard tyre for the race. We tried a slightly different setting on the rear shock, softening the spring to try and help the bike cushion the bumps a little bit better here because the track is quite bump to be fair. At the beginning we'd gone a bit too soft and that was making the rear of the bike sit a bit too low and we had to make a couple of small changes, but my team did a great job as always because it improved the feeling. We found a bit more grip at the end and I did my best lap on a rear tyre that had already done 16 laps and I was nearly half-a-second quicker than my previous best time, so it shows we're moving in the right direction. After today I feel quite confident for the weekend. It looks like we'll get a good dry weekend and I had a good result here last year. So I'm pleased to have something to build on.”

De Puniet satisfied behind the ‘aliens’

2009-06-13T05:25:00.001-07:00

De Puniet satisfied behind the ‘aliens’

Friday, 12 June 2009

Frenchman places fifth in first Barcelona practice session.

Randy de Puniet was content with his Friday practice session in Barcelona, only just behind the ‘untouchable’ top quartet with a 1’43.871 lap. He tried a variety of options in the afternoon run.

Randy de Puniet –5th

“I am very satisfied about the first run out. From the beginning I was up there making my life easier. I could concentrate on the bike set up trying different front rims sizes and the harder compounds from Bridgestone: it seems to be better for me. The engine is working well and lapped consistently fast throughout the whole session. We are behind the “aliens” and this makes us very pleased but I believe we could adjust the engine brake and the traction control to improve our pace for tomorrow’s sessions.”

Stoner content with Friday Barcelona performance

2009-06-13T05:24:00.004-07:00

Stoner content with Friday Barcelona performance

Friday, 12 June 2009

Third on the MotoGP timesheet on Friday Casey Stoner felt some improvements with his Ducati prototype at Montmeló despite a small crash.

The 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner returns to the scene of one of his epic race victories from that astounding title-winning season this weekend at the Catalunya circuit and he felt comfortable in FP1 despite a small crash towards the end of Friday’s outing.

The Australian star likes the Barcelona track and is in a confident mood having won at Mugello two weeks ago and now having started the six race weekend of the year in third place on the timesheets, close behind title rivals and Fiat Yamaha colleagues Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.

The current standings leader told motogp.com, “Things have been going pretty well. We were trying some very different things on the bike that I crashed on. I didn’t have a good feeling on the front end in one part of the corner, but with everything else the feeling was pretty good. I think on Saturday we should be able to improve the lap times and improve the feeling overall.”

He continued, “The bike that I did my best lap time with is quite similar to what we’ve had in the past and everything is ok but we have still got a long way to go, so I think that when I get back on the other bike that I crashed on I should be a little bit better and more competitive.”

After a recent test by Vito Guareschi on the Desmosedici Stoner has some new settings to test over the weekend and he says he can already feel improvements with the latest evolutions of the bike. Having seen his colleague Nicky Hayden take a step forward to lap in sixth place on the timesheet, Stoner noted:

“We got some good information and I have been using settings that Vito has been using in testing. I am a bit lighter than him so the bike wasn’t reacting exactly the way I wanted it to as everything was a bit too rigid. I think we will soften it off on Saturday, but myself and Nicky have both felt the improvement so we are happy with the way things have gone.”

Opening MotoGP session at Montmeló ends with Rossi on top

2009-06-13T05:24:00.003-07:00

Opening MotoGP session at Montmeló ends with Rossi on top

Friday, 12 June 2009

The first MotoGP free practice session of the Catalunya weekend saw the World Champion lap three tenths of a second faster than his premier class rivals.

Valentino Rossi stamped his authority on the opening MotoGP practice of the weekend with the fastest time of Friday afternoon at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, lapping the Barcelona track on his Fiat Yamaha M1 in 1’43.038.

The Italian star has never finished outside the top three in a premier class race at the Mediterranean venue and he signaled his aspirations for victory at round six, having not won since the third race of the year at Jerez, by starting the weekend on the front foot.

Behind Rossi on the time-sheet was his factory Yamaha colleague Jorge Lorenzo who was 0.302s off the World Champion’s pace on a far better Friday than last year at his home track – where he crashed in practice and missed the race due to concussion.

Third on the timesheet was Mugello race-winner and 2007 Barcelona victor Casey Stoner who went round just over half a second slower than Rossi on his Ducati Desmosedici, despite a small crash near the end of the session.

Fourth on the timesheet, just as he has been in the last two MotoGP races, Andrea Dovizioso put in a similar time to Stoner. Dovizioso’s injured Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa was down in 14th place as he tested the condition of his injured hip.

At one of his favourite tracks Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) was fifth fastest, whilst a big improvement by Ducati Marlboro’s Nicky Hayden saw him finish sixth quickest in one of his best sessions of the season so far – around a second off the pace.

Veteran riders Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) were seventh and eighth respectively. Yuki Takahashi was number nine on the timesheet, trying to push hard after seeing new MotoGP recruit Gabor Talmacsi join the Scot Racing Team on Friday.

Talmacsi was unsurprisingly the slowest participant in his first 800cc session, four seconds behind Rossi, whilst satellite Yamaha rider James Toseland completed the top ten.

Lorenzo bucking Rossi team-mate dominance trend

2009-06-13T05:24:00.001-07:00

Lorenzo bucking Rossi team-mate dominance trend

Friday, 12 June 2009

Jorge Lorenzo has already finished ahead of Valentino Rossi three times this season, but Rossi traditionally has a great record against his team-mates.

In his 123 MotoGP races since the start of 2002 Valentino Rossi has been beaten by his team-mate on just 12 occasions and six of those have come in the last two seasons, with Jorge Lorenzo beating him three times in 2008 and three times already this season.

The young Spaniard already has a great record against his illustrious Fiat Yamaha colleague and Lorenzo will need to maintain that emerging trend if he wants to take the MotoGP title from Rossi this year.

Rossi’s former team-mates Tohru Ukawa and Carlos Checa beat him just once each, whilst Colin Edwards managed to finish ahead of the multi-title winner on just four occasions.

In the list below and in the accompanying video the successes of Rossi’s team-mates against him in races are put into perspective, with Lorenzo enjoying some relative glory.

2002/South Africa/Welkom: 1st - Ukawa, 2nd – Rossi
2004/France/Le Mans: 2nd - Checa, 4th - Rossi
2005/USA/Laguna Seca: 2nd - Edwards, 3rd - Rossi
2006/Spain/Jerez: 11th - Edwards, 14th - Rossi (Rossi crashed on first lap and re-started)
2006/Valencia/Ricardo Tormo: 9th - Edwards, 13th - Rossi (Rossi crashed and re-started)
2007/Great Britain/Donington: 2nd - Edwards, 4th - Rossi
2008/Qatar/Losail: 2nd - Lorenzo, 5th - Rossi
2008/Portugal/Estoril: 1st - Lorenzo, 3rd - Rossi
2008/Dutch TT/Assen: 6th - Lorenzo, 11th - Rossi (Rossi crashed on first lap and re-started)
2009/Japan/Motegi: 1st - Lorenzo, 2nd - Rossi
2009/France/Le Mans: 1st - Lorenzo, 16th - Rossi (Rossi crashed and re-started)
2009/Italy/Mugello: 2nd - Lorenzo, 3rd - Rossi

Building work at Spanish Honda Safety Institute at full throttle

2009-06-13T05:23:00.001-07:00

Building work at Spanish Honda Safety Institute at full throttle

Friday, 12 June 2009

Safety training at Spanish Honda subsidiary Montesa Honda’s new facility will begin in July.

A new Honda Safety Institute (HIS) in Spain is under rapid development with building continuing at pace and the start of activities at the new facility anticipated in July.

At present, the asphalt building work of various tracks, as well as the construction of the offroad area are completed, with equipment still being installed at the impressive new 1,500m2 HIS building, situated in the Montesa Honda premises at Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Barcelona.

The centre will have the capacity to host more than 15,000 trainees each year and it will occupy a surface area of no less than 25,000m2. The HIS project will provide theoretical and practical training, with a modern building equipped with various classrooms.

For practical sessions there will be three areas, an asphalt 8,500 m2 track, a section with different grip levels dedicated to the exclusive practice of different braking exercises (in dry and wet conditions) and an 800m2 off-road area, which will have a minicross and trial track.

The Management of the HIS will be in the hands of the experienced instructors of the HEC, an entity with more than 17 years of experience where more than 144,000 riders have been trained.

The HIS is part of Honda’s Safety Program, specifically in the area of Preventive Safety, alongside other entities such as Honda’s Riding School (HEC), Escuela Honda by ZK and Honda Rider Training.

The Honda Safety Program began in 2004, making them the first and only company in the industry to sign the European Road Safety Charter with the purpose of reducing the number of road traffic accident victims.

Dani Pedrosa is the Honda Safety Program brand ambassador in Spain and will display Honda’s Safety logo on his RC212V bike this weekend throughout his home GP at the Catalunya circuit.

Press release from Montesa Honda

Talmacsi joins MotoGP ranks at round six

2009-06-13T05:22:00.002-07:00

Talmacsi joins MotoGP ranks at round six

Friday, 12 June 2009

The Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya sees Gabor Talmacsi make his premier class debut at Montmeló.

Hungarian rider Gabor Talmacsi is to make a surprise MotoGP debut this weekend at the Catalunya circuit in the sixth round of the 2009 World Championship with the Scot Racing Team.

The 2007 125cc World Champion only moved up to the 250cc class this year, as an Aspar affiliate rider, in the new Balatonring Team project, but left the team just three races into the season following a dispute over image rights.

After a few weeks out of action, in which he and his manager Stefano Favaro worked hard to find a new ride in the World Championship, the backing of sponsors MOL has allowed Talmacsi to join the Scot Racing ranks, alongside Japanese rider Yuki Takahashi, under the management of Cirano Mularoni.

Preparing for his 800cc debut on a satellite Honda RC212V, Talmacsi commented, “I owe this huge opportunity to my manager, Stefano who never gave up on me, and to MOL that has stood and still stands by me. In the course of the Barcelona race I aim to get acquainted with the bike, since this is the first time I will ride it, but I will do my best to prove that I deserve the trust placed in me.”

Talmacsi was previously a member of the Scot Racing structure in 2006 – in the so called Humangest Racing Team, riding in the 125cc class.

Bridgestone e-reporter diary: Day 1 at Catalunya

2009-06-13T05:22:00.001-07:00

Bridgestone e-reporter diary: Day 1 at Catalunya

Friday, 12 June 2009

Bridgestone e-reporter Renaud Lacroix reflects on his first day at the Circuit de Catalunya.

I’ve always been scared of motorbikes, that’s a fact. Two wheels will never be stable enough and I didn’t need my five years of mechanical engineering studies to understand that. I have never ridden one and I probably never will. I once fell in love with a fantastic girl who owned a “tiny” 500cc bike – according to her. An impossible romance…

So what’s a four-wheeler fan doing here in Barcelona for a MotoGP event? I may be afraid of riding motorbikes but I’ve always felt safe watching others do it, especially from my couch at home. I’ve been following the sport on TV ever since Michael Doohan was making history every week.

Now I’m closer than ever before to these unstable monsters. I’m no stranger to racetracks as I grew up close to Paul Ricard. It’s not even my first time at the Circuito de Catalunya as I was here for the Le Mans Series a month ago. But for a bike race, never.

And as a journalist, never. I have always been a fan so what is that “working” stuff they keep telling me about? Getting up early, queuing for hours to grab a “press pass”, trying to find out which language to use to ask your way to the parking lot – turn left, turn right, two laps round the track in less than ten minutes, over the roundabout and back tomorrow morning because the accreditation office is closed. I had never pictured journalism as such a difficult job.

But it would be unfair not to talk about the nice hotel, the great dinner, the mighty “press pass” that grants access to exclusive areas like the media centre, paddock and press briefings. So for bike racing’s sake I’m going to write some articles, including this diary, without any complaint.

By Renaud Lacroix

Renaud is one of the 11 finalists, chosen by an international panel of judges, given the opportunity to attend a MotoGP or GP2 Series race weekend thanks to the Bridgestone e-reporter contest.

Bridgestone e-reporter aims to help talented young writers to develop their skills, whilst also providing students with the chance of a lifetime as they become part of the Bridgestone team at a MotoGP or GP2 race event. The overall winner of this year's e-reporter competition, chosen for their ability to represent the Bridgestone brand and demonstrate their journalistic skills, will be awarded with a laptop, plus further work experience with a reputable publication.

Rossi not happy with 2009 performances thus far

2009-06-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

Rossi not happy with 2009 performances thus far

Friday, 12 June 2009

World Champion Valentino Rossi spoke to motogp.com ahead of the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Fiat Yamaha star Valentino Rossi believes MotoGP’s visit to Montmeló on the outskirts of Barcelona will provide him with a good chance to make progress with his Yamaha M1 race package, noting the good weather expected for the Barcelona race weekend.

With three hours of dry practice expected on the first two days Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya the Italian hero wants to work at the maximum with Crew Chief Jeremy Burgess and the rest of his mechanics in order to be ready to fight for a victory on Sunday.

Rossi has never been off the podium at the Catalunya circuit but has not won there in the last two years. Likewise he has not been able to achieve a win in the last two races of the current season and since his triumph at Jerez he has slipped to third in the general standings – leaving Le Mans without a point and losing his Mugello winning-streak in third place at his home race.

“I’m not happy about my performances this year,” Rossi told motogp.com before the weekend’s action commenced. “In general I have been quite fast but not enough. From Friday we have to work harder and better on the bike and to ensure that come Sunday we are more competitive.”

Commenting on whether he felt the injured Dani Pedrosa would be a threat to him and the other MotoGP front-runners this weekend, Rossi revealed, “I’m quite confident for Dani because he is always fast here in Barcelona, but of course it depends on his physical strength and the pain. It looks like (Casey) Stoner and (Jorge) Lorenzo are in good shape, but also Dani if he doesn’t have too much pain will try for the victory.”

Asked about tactics and key areas to make progress on opponents around the Catalunya circuit, after the tightly bunched race finish produced at Mugello, Rossi replied, “Well there are two or three points where it is good for overtaking, like braking on the first corner, braking on turn nine in particular. But in general it is possible to overtake everywhere.”

125 Riders

2009-06-13T02:27:00.000-07:00

125 Riders

Alexis Masbou 5Loncin Racing
Joan Olive 6Derbi Racing Team
Efren Vazquez 7Derbi Racing Team
Lorenzo Zanetti 8Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.
Luca Vitali 10CBC Corse
Sandro Cortese 11Ajo Interwetten
Esteve Rabat 12Blusens Aprilia
Johann Zarco 14WTR San Marino Team
Cameron Beaubier 16Red Bull KTM Moto Sport
Stefan Bradl 17Viessmann Kiefer Racing
Nicolas Terol 18Jack & Jones Team
Simone Corsi 24Jack & Jones Team
Andrea Iannone 29Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.
Lorenzo Savadori 32Fontana Racing
Sergio Gadea 33Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc
Randy Krummenacher 35Degraaf Grand Prix
Bradley Smith 38Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc
Pol Espargaro 44Derbi Racing Team
Scott Redding 45Blusens Aprilia
Riccardo Moretti 51Elligi Racing
Jasper Iwema 53Racing Team Germany
Julian Simon 60Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc
Luigi Morciano 61Junior GP Racing Dream
Alessandro Tonucci 62Junior GP Racing Dream
Gennaro Sabatino 63Junior GP Racing Dream
Davide Stirpe 64CRP Racing
Matthew Hoyle 66Haojue Team
Lukas Sembera 69Matteoni Racing
Tomoyoshi Koyama 71Loncin Racing
Takaaki Nakagami 73Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.
Dominique Aegerter 77Ajo Interwetten
Luca Marconi 87CBC Corse
Michael Ranseder 88Haojue Team
Marc Marquez 93Red Bull KTM Moto Sport
Jonas Folger 94Ongetta Team I.S.P.A.
Danny Webb 99Degraaf Grand Prix

250 Teams

2009-06-13T02:26:00.000-07:00

250 Teams

250 Riders

2009-06-13T02:25:00.002-07:00

250 Riders

Hiroshi Aoyama 4Scot Racing Team 250cc
Alex Debon 6Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens
Axel Pons 7Pepe World Team
Bastien Chesaux 8Racing Team Germany
Imre Toth 10Team Toth Aprilia
Balazs Nemeth 11Balatonring Team
Thomas Luthi 12Emmi - Caffe Latte
Ratthapark Wilairot 14Thai Honda PTT SAG
Roberto Locatelli 15Metis Gilera
Jules Cluzel 16Matteoni Racing
Karel Abraham 17Cardion AB Motoracing
Alvaro Bautista 19Mapfre Aspar Team
Alex Baldolini 25WTR San Marino Team
Raffaele De Rosa 35Scot Racing Team 250cc
Daniel Arcas 37Milar - Juegos Lucky
Hector Barbera 40Pepe World Team
Shoya Tomizawa 48CIP Moto - GP250
Stevie Bonsey 51Milar - Juegos Lucky
Lukas Pesek 52Auto Kelly - CP
Valentin Debise 53CIP Moto - GP250
Hector Faubel 55Valencia CF - Honda SAG
Vladimir Leonov 56Viessmann Kiefer Racing
Marco Simoncelli 58Metis Gilera
Mike Di Meglio 63Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc
Mattia Pasini 75Team Toth Aprilia
Aitor Rodriguez 77Milar - Juegos Lucky

Pedrosa curious to test condition

2009-06-13T02:25:00.001-07:00

Pedrosa curious to test condition

Thursday, 11 June 2009

Preparing to ride at his home GP with painkillers numbing the pain of his injured hip Dani Pedrosa does not want to let his fans down in Barcelona.

Last year’s Catalunya race-winner and home crowd favourite Dani Pedrosa is a tough character who knows how to get results when riding at less than 100% fitness and he will use all his resilience this weekend as he tries to keep the fans happy at Montmeló despite his hip injury.

The talented Repsol Honda rider explained his situation ahead of the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya on Thursday having suffered a small fracture to his right femur - where the bone and hip muscles join - in practice at Mugello, where he later crashed out of the race.

“The pain really just depends on the moment and the movement,” admitted the Catalan star. “Where I have the fracture, where the gluteus muscle connects with the bone, it hurts when I use that muscle. When I had the painkilling injections at Mugello they didn’t help so I am really interested to see if the more powerful injection I’ll have on Friday will do the job and help to calm the inflammation.”

Commenting on his plan as to how to approach the weekend he said, “My aim is to go out and see how it feels. I mean, in Mugello I was able to ride with this injury, so even though things didn’t go well there I hope to do better this time. We will have to get on with the job here with the painkillers. I am riding injured like in Qatar but I want to do much better than there because the result wasn’t good. I have lots of fans here and I don’t want to let them down.”

With the added responsibility of testing a modified frame on his Honda RC212V this weekend, Pedrosa prefers to examine the new chassis during practice on Friday and Saturday, rather than wait for Monday’s scheduled MotoGP test.

“I think it’s better to try the new chassis during the weekend because I’ll be riding with painkillers and I might not be in the best shape to test on Monday,” he conceded.

Meanwhile, as one of the safety activities conducted by Montesa Honda, S.A , a Honda subsidiary in Spain responsible for production and sales of motorcycles, Pedrosa, will be displaying Honda’s Safety logo on the fairing of his bike throughout the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya weekend, just as he did at Jerez in May.

Stoner joins Spanish quartet to preview weekend

2009-06-13T02:24:00.001-07:00

Stoner joins Spanish quartet to preview weekend

Thursday, 11 June 2009

Thursday’s press conference at the Montmeló circuit was attended by World Championship leader Casey Stoner alongside Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Toni Elías and Sete Gibernau.

The highest placed Spanish rider in the current general standings, Jorge Lorenzo, was in good company at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya pre-event press conference on Thursday, joined by 2008 Barcelona race-winner Dani Pedrosa, championship leader and 2007 Montmeló victor Casey Stoner, plus additional home riders Toni Elías and Sete Gibernau.

When asked by journalists whether he felt extra responsibility this weekend on home soil, as he prepares to make his premier class Barcelona race debut, a confident Lorenzo replied, “I don’t feel any extra pressure. For me riding here is just as important in terms of the championship as riding in Australia or Malaysia. Of course it would be great to get a good result because I have my friends and family here, but all the races in MotoGP are important.”

Meanwhile, in his own calm and collected style the level-headed Stoner previewed the weekend’s action, on the back of his historic Mugello home victory for Ducati stating, “Although I’ve had some ups and downs here I’ve always enjoyed this track. Mugello worked out very well for us even though we’ve had some problems this year, lucked out in a couple of races and made some bad decisions. We have always had reasonably good pace at races where we weren’t normally fast and I think we’ve got a better chance here than last year.”

The all important question asked of Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa pertained to the crucial issue of his hip/femur injury. He explained, “Well I was in a lot of pain on the bike in Mugello but things have improved in the last two weeks. In every day activities it has got much better but I won’t know how well I can ride until I actually get on the bike on Friday and test it out.”

Pressed on whether rumours that he had signed a new contract with Honda for 2010 were true Pedrosa responded, “We have not even had that conversation yet.”

Having had a difficult start to the year Toni Elías certainly is under pressure to deliver a positive result at his own home race, but he explained the reasons behind his slow progress thus far in 2009. “I’ve had some injuries and more problems than I expected,” the Catalan rider admitted, “After the Motegi crash I decided to have the arm operation after Jerez, but that meant things were difficult in Le Mans. We saw some improvements in Mugello, but now is the chance to do well in front of my fans.”

The final rider to speak was Ducati satellite veteran Gibernau, who knows the Barcelona track inside out. Returning from injury himself after missing two races he joked, “After listening to what Dani and Toni have been through recently I think I’m absolutely fine. My shoulder is getting much better and I feel ok. The whole project with this new team in 2009 has been a big job but I love riding and I still feel I can show my potential again this year.”

Lorenzo shows off Barcelona livery

2009-06-13T02:23:00.001-07:00

Lorenzo shows off Barcelona livery

Thursday, 11 June 2009

On the eve of the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya Jorge Lorenzo has unveiled his special edition Barcelona Football Club livery for the weekend.

Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo unveiled a special one-off livery at the Montmelò circuit on Thursday to honour Barcelona Football Club this weekend, having seen his favourite team complete a unique treble of Spanish Cup, Spanish league and Champions League triumphs in Italy two weeks ago.

The 22-year-old, who currently sits second in the World Championship standings, is a life-long supporter of the team and at the Thursday photo opportunity he was proud to show off the club badge on his helmet, leathers and Yamaha M1 bike.

Barcelona FC were represented at the unveiling by Jaume Ferrer amd Joan Boix, Vice Presidents of the club.

Lorenzo commented, “I’m very proud to be here in the colours of my team. I was there in Rome for the Champions League final and watching Barca win was like a dream! I’m so happy to be able to show my support for them in this way at our home track, and I hope the fans will like it because I know many of them are also big Barcelona fans!”

Scorching sunshine as paddock prepares for Montmeló weekend

2009-06-13T02:22:00.002-07:00

Scorching sunshine as paddock prepares for Montmeló weekend

Thursday, 11 June 2009

The MotoGP fraternity are making their final preparations for the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya on Thursday.

Thursday’s preliminary activities at the Montmeló circuit on the outskirts of Barcelona will take place in brilliant sunshine at the Catalan venue, with plenty on the agenda before Friday’s on-track action commences.

Early in the afternoon Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo will present his special edition livery in the colours of his beloved Barcelona Football Club, to be worn this weekend in acknowledgement of the team’s successes in winning the Spanish Cup, Spanish league and Champions League this season. Delegates from the club which enjoys great support throughout Catalonia will also attend the photo opportunity on the grid.

Lorenzo will also later attend the official pre-event press conference ahead of his home GP, alongside fellow home riders Dani Pedrosa, Toni Elías and Sete Gibernau, in addition to 2007 Barcelona racewinner Casey Stoner.

Showing his caring side, Lorenzo will also be hosting a group of children from the cancer ward at the Vall d´Hebron hospital, at the circuit on Thursday. Last month the 22 year-old rider inaugurated a room for the children in the hospital and has now invited them to visit the World Championship paddock.

Late in the afternoon Dr. Xavi Mir, a specialist frequently visited by numerous Grand Prix riders will host a presentation of the Foundation Dakar Solidario joining Red Bull’s charity, Wings for Life, with many MotoGP names expected to attend.

There will also be events throughout the day to raise money for Riders For Health, the official charity of MotoGP, with paying guests touring the paddock and the track itself.

Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya racing numbers

2009-06-13T02:22:00.001-07:00

Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya racing numbers

Thursday, 11 June 2009

Some key numbers pertaining to this weekend’s Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

60 – The day of qualifying at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya will be the 60th anniversary of the very first race that counted towards the World Championship classification – the 350cc race at the Isle of Man TT event in 1949. This race was won by British rider Freddie Frith riding a Velocette. Frith went on to win all five GP races in the 350cc class in 1949 to take the world title and then he retired from racing.

20 – Following his 4th place at Mugello, Andrea Dovizioso has now scored points in 20 successive races.

17 – On race day at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya it will be 17 years to the day of the German Grand Prix in 1992 when the first three riders home in the 250cc race were Pier Francesco Chili, Max Biaggi and Loris Reggiani all on Aprilia machinery. This was the first all Aprilia podium in Grand Prix racing.

16 – There have been 16 MotoGP races since the last win by a Honda rider – Dani Pedrosa at the Catalan GP last year. This is the longest sequence of races in the premier class without a Honda win since they re-entered Grand Prix racing in 1982.

7 – Aprilia riders have won the last seven 125cc Grand Prix races. This equals the longest ever sequence of successive 125cc GP victories by Aprilia which they achieved in 2007.

5 – The first five races of the year in the 250cc class have been won by five different riders (Barbera, Bautista, Aoyama, Simoncelli and Pasini) which last occurred in 1988 (Mang, Filice, Pons, Garriga and Dominique Sarron).

3.274 seconds – The time covering the first five riders across the line at the end of the MotoGP race in Mugello making it the 8th closest top five of all-time in a full length premier-class Grand Prix.

Hayden: “Positive outlook my way of dealing with things”

2009-06-13T02:21:00.002-07:00

Hayden: “Positive outlook my way of dealing with things”

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

American looks ahead to weekend race and Monday test in northeast Spain.

Experiencing his toughest start to a MotoGP season to date, Nicky Hayden is probably looking forward to next Monday’s testing session more than the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya. The 2006 MotoGP World Champion has always taken the approach of working through problems with marathon sessions, but feels that he in particular has been hit by the reduced amount of permitted testing time this year.

“We can’t do much in terms of preparing for the Grand Prix and this obviously isn’t an easy period for me, but I have to think positive and continue to give it everything,” admitted the American ahead of round six. “That is my way of dealing with things and that is what I’ll continue to do alongside my team. I’m looking forward to getting out there and racing again but I’m also looking forward to the test afterwards.”

Work to improve Hayden’s feeling with the Desmosedici GP9 has either come on a race weekend or via Ducati’s test riders –the most recent test taking place last week in Mugello as Vittoriano Guareschi laboured with different settings. In previous seasons, Hayden would have had much more bike time in which to find his own solutions.

“I really need some testing and more time in the saddle. This year I’m really feeling the testing ban that has been brought in and I know it’s the same for everybody but for me in particular I know I’d really benefit from some test time, so hopefully we can get some good work done in Barcelona that will help me take a step forward,” he added.

Top of the agenda for the post-race test will be analysis of new set-ups and electronic updates.

EElías improvement expected for return to bogey track

2009-06-13T02:21:00.001-07:00

Elías improvement expected for return to bogey track

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Gresini targets pick up in Spaniard’s results at traditionally difficult circuit.

A twenty-three point return from five races was almost certainly not what either Toni Elías and Fausto Gresini had in mind when they struck a deal for the Spaniard’s return to Honda, and disappointment has been evident in quotes from the last pair of MotoGP rounds. Elías’ best result of the year is a ninth place, with a factory-spec RC212V that had been expected to bring him higher placings.

Gresini has said that the team had ‘hit rock bottom’ at the last race in Mugello, but expects 25 year-old Elías to bring the smiles back to San Carlo Honda Gresini at his home round this weekend.

“I was very unhappy after the last race at Mugello but like I said at the time I felt we hit rock bottom there so it is onwards and upwards from here,” says Elías’ team manager. “There can be no better time or place to do that than this weekend at Catalunya, in Toni’s home race, where he will benefit from a lot of local support as always.”

“His result in Italy was doubly disappointing because he had made progress during practice and we had high hopes of a top result. Now we will be looking to pick the positives out of the weekend, eliminate the negatives and turn potential into points.”

Despite his optimism, Elías traditionally has one of his worst races of the year at Barcelona. He has completed just 31 laps of the track in a race situation since his arrival in the premier class back in 2005, and has never reached the chequered flag.

Bridgestone to provide asymmetric rears at Montmeló

2009-06-13T02:20:00.002-07:00

Bridgestone to provide asymmetric rears at Montmeló

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

MotoGP tyre suppliers Bridgestone make their asymmetric rear tyres available for the first time this season at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya

With eight right-hand corners, most of which are long and fast, and only five left-handers, most of which are much slower, the Catalunya circuit provides a special challenge for the MotoGP riders at round six, but MotoGP’s sole tyre suppliers Bridgestone are on hand to provide a suitable solution.

The right shoulders of the tyres experience far greater cornering forces at Barcelona than at other venues, meaning they have to be able to cope with higher temperatures. At the same time, the left shoulders must be able to perform at a lower temperature range as they are much less stressed, hence Bridgestone’s plan to provide asymmetric slick rear tyres this weekend.

Furthermore, with the nature of the circuit and the high track temperatures expected for this time of year at Montmeló, a harder rear slick is required. Bridgestone will therefore bring hard compound and extra hard compound rear slicks, though in both rear options the left shoulder of the tyre will feature a soft compound. These asymmetric rears are designed to provide a consistent level of grip throughout the lap.

Bridgestone’s Motorcycle Race Tyre Development Manager Tohru Ubukata explains, “The Catalunya circuit is a technical track with long right-hand corners which increase the temperature on that shoulder of the tyres. The surface is smooth and the stress placed on the tyres’ outer shoulders necessitates hard compounds, especially for the rear. We will bring asymmetric rear tyres for the first time this season as having dual compounds to suit the right and left hand corners is essential for good feeling and performance at this circuit.”

He continued, “Because the left shoulders are not used as much the temperature in them is cooler than in the right shoulders, but the soft compound on the left side allows the tyres to give optimal grip and rider feeling in these conditions.”

Meanwhile, the recently revised 2009 tyre regulations come into effect from the end of this weekend in Barcelona, meaning that every rider will need to inform Bridgestone how many of each compound of front slick tyre they wish to use at the next race in Assen.

This change in the regulations means that rather than every rider being given four of the harder and four of the softer compound Bridgestone front slicks, each can now choose whether they want four of each compound or five of one and three of the other, making tyre strategy even more important

Pedrosa receives clearance for Catalonia

2009-06-13T02:20:00.001-07:00

Pedrosa receives clearance for Catalonia

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Spaniard to participate in home race after last-minute check.

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa has confirmed his presence at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, less than two weeks after suffering a minor fracture to his right femur. The Spaniard undertook a final check-up at Barcelona’s Dexeus facility on Tuesday, with Doctors Xavier Mir and Manel Ribas giving him the all-clear to ride.

The participation of the 2008 racewinner was never in serious doubt, based on his past record of riding around injuries, the closeness of the title chase in front of him and the fact that the weekend’s race is one of his best chances of taking a first victory of the season. In a statement, Pedrosa also listed the desire to ride in front of his home fans as a key motivational factor.

“I didn’t want to miss this important date for anything in the world,” he said. “On the one hand I wanted to ride because missing this race would mean losing too much ground in the standings, and also because I wanted to race in front of my fans, friends and family.”

Pedrosa has been resting up following his Mugello ordeal, with his right leg immobilised and a cocktail of anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants to ease the pain.

Suzuki unsure of race day engine rollout

2009-06-13T02:18:00.002-07:00

Suzuki unsure of race day engine rollout

Tuesday, 09 June 2009

Vermeulen and Capirossi uncertain of new engine debut before post-race test.

Rizla Suzuki have been fighting against a lack of top straightline speed since the start of the season, with the cavalry of a new engine promised in time for this weekend’s race in Catalonia to make up the deficit. The long straight of the Spanish track is one at which any discrepancies in power soon get found out, but the team may postpone their use of the upgraded motor until the permitted Monday test session following the race.

“We are hoping that the upgrades from Suzuki this weekend will work as well on the bike as they have in the factory, we're not sure if we'll use them in the race or hang on for the test day, we'll just have to wait and see,” says rider Chris Vermeulen, who resides a short distance away in the principality of Andorra.

Teammate Loris Capirossi came close to a podium last time out in Mugello, and seems determined to run the new engine at the upcoming round. He was the unofficial holder of the MotoGP top speed record with a 990cc Ducati at the Circuit de Catalunya before Dani Pedrosa’s phenomenal burst two weeks ago, and is looking for a similar push with the new GSV-R addition.

“We know we will have to work hard on the long straight at Barcelona, but we learnt a lot from the last race and hopefully that will help us this weekend. We have got some new parts coming from Japan which should make a difference to the performance of the GSV-R so we are all quite excited about that,” declared the Italian.

Stoner aims to build on Italian win

2009-06-13T02:18:00.001-07:00

Stoner aims to build on Italian win

Tuesday, 09 June 2009

On the back of his historic first Mugello win for Ducati Casey Stoner is looking for his third victory of the year this weekend at Catalunya.

The winner of a superb Barcelona race in 2007 en route to his World Championship triumph and the victor of the most recent MotoGP race at Mugello - a first win for Ducati at their home track – Casey Stoner has every reason to be confident as he arrives in Catalunya for round six.

However, approaching the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya as the standings leader, Stoner was typically understated as he previewed what promises to be another intriguing weekend at the Montmeló track.

Giving his general perspective on the title race having taken 90 points from the opening five rounds, four more than his current closest rival Jorge Lorenzo, Stoner stated, “This championship is extremely difficult and competitive and even a victory like the one at Mugello, wonderful as it was, needs to be put behind us so that we can turn our focus to the next race.”

“Being leader of the championship at this stage means absolutely nothing. My rivals are very clever, mature and capable of winning races so we have to stay focused, do our best to be competing for the top step of the podium again and if that’s not possible then make sure we are bringing home the maximum number of points.”

On the qualities of the Barcelona venue, the Australian added, “It was one of my favourite circuits until they re-laid it. Even though they put a completely new surface down a few years ago it has never been the same as it was before and the fact they race F1 there hasn’t helped the situation in terms of the bumps and potholes. The layout is nice though. The first part isn’t too difficult but the middle and end parts of the lap are technical and demanding, especially the fast pair of right-handers coming onto the start-finish straight.”

Stoner and his Ducati team-mate Nicky Hayden will be honoured by the Circuit de Catalunya on Friday morning with the unveiling of their plaques on ‘Champions Avenue’ - adding their names to those of Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Dani Pedrosa, amongst others - in celebration of their respective 2007 and 2006 MotoGP titles.

Chance to put right Barcelona wrongs for Lorenzo

2009-06-13T02:17:00.000-07:00

Chance to put right Barcelona wrongs for Lorenzo

Tuesday, 09 June 2009

After missing out on last year’s Catalunya race Jorge Lorenzo is highly motivated ahead of this weekend’s Barcelona visit.

Jorge Lorenzo’s 2009 campaign has so far been a much smoother ride than his debut MotoGP season last year and the Fiat Yamaha rider will hope that pattern continues at this weekend’s Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Sitting in second place in the general standings with two victories already this season the Spanish star is looking for a strong result in Sunday’s contest, to maintain or improve on his championship position, having missed out on his home race last year - due to concussion sustained in a Friday practice crash.

The flamboyant rider from Mallorca has just a four point deficit to standings leader Casey Stoner and the Catalunya track would be an ideal venue to retake the championship advantage.

Lorenzo lived in Barcelona for much of his early career and after a brief period staying in London last year he has now returned to live in the stunning Mediterranean city.

Having won there previously in the 250cc class he is determined to use this weekend to put the memories of last year’s nightmare home GP and this year’s crash in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez firmly behind him.

The 22 year-old commented, “I’ve had a great season so far but it hasn’t all been perfect and I made a big mistake in Jerez when I tried to pass Stoner, so hopefully I can do better for my home fans this time! After Mugello and Le Mans we know that anything can happen and you just have to keep calm and focused.”

“This is the closest MotoGP circuit place to Mallorca and one of my favourite tracks. I’ve always been fast there, right back to when I went there for the first time when I was in 125s and got my first second row start. My main aim this time is to have a better weekend than last year and to completely forget what happened. I improved on last year in Mugello so hopefully I can do the same again in Barcelona.”

In a similarly upbeat mood ahead of an important weekend, Lorenzo’s team manager Daniele Romagnoli also commented, “Going to Barcelona, Jorge’s home race, lying second in the championship is absolutely brilliant and it gives us great motivation; we are feeling very strong right now after two good results in a row. This year the championship is very close and we need to be consistently on the podium in order to stay in touch. We’ve done very well in the last two races in the strange weather conditions but I think everyone would prefer a ‘normal’ race this time so let’s hope for some Spanish sunshine.”

Yamaha JogRR scooters continue to play a key role in MotoGP

2009-06-13T02:16:00.000-07:00

Yamaha JogRR scooters continue to play a key role in MotoGP

Monday, 08 June 2009

For the fourth consecutive year Yamaha JogRR MotoGP scooters have been supplied as the official scooter of the 2009 MotoGP season.

Thanks to the continuing agreement between Yamaha and MotoGP organiser Dorna Sports, staff at circuits around the world have a quick and reliable scooter to help them in their work.

Quick access to all parts of the track is vital for Dorna’s staff, but MotoGP venues and the public viewing areas around them are expansive places. That’s why Dorna staff need the ever dependable Yamaha scooters.

The Yamaha JogRR plays an important role behind the scenes of the World Championship, enabling Race Direction members to carry out track inspections and helping cameramen to find the best vantage points. The logistics staff who perfect the set-up of safety equipment and advertising boards, and timing staff who install vital recording devices, also rely on the Yamaha JogRR MotoGP at every Grand Prix.

The Yamaha JogRR’s high-output 50cc engine features MotoGP-style liquid cooling to keep the engine performing at its best in the heat of the racetrack. Coupled to V-Belt automatic transmission, the lively engine ensures performance that’s always easy to control. And, because of its lightweight 84kg frame, short wheelbase chassis and disc/drum brakes, the JogRR MotoGP delivers precise and safe handling.

The Yamaha JogRR MotoGP is the perfect bike to move around quickly and efficiently - at MotoGP circuits throughout the world.

Barcelona awaits as MotoGP hits Catalunya

2009-06-13T02:09:00.000-07:00

Barcelona awaits as MotoGP hits Catalunya

Monday, 08 June 2009

The sixth round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship takes place this weekend at the Montmeló circuit close to the beautiful Mediterranean port city of Barcelona, with another huge crowd expected for Sunday’s racing.

Having ended Valentino Rossi’s seven year winning streak at Mugello last time out Casey Stoner heads to the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya as the standings leader with his Italian triumph being his first victory since the opening round in Qatar. The Australian Ducati Marlboro rider was the winner of an epic Barcelona race in 2007 and will look to repeat that success at a track where he finished third last year.

Second in the general classification and the only other rider with two wins to his name thus far in 2009, Jorge Lorenzo is out to set the record straight at his home GP. The man from Mallorca trails Stoner by four points and will be keen to perform well in his first race in MotoGP in front of the Catalan crowd, having missed out last year due to concussion after a Friday practice crash.

Rossi, meanwhile, trails Stoner by nine points and will aim to close that gap at one of his strongest circuits. The Italian Fiat Yamaha star has never finished off the podium at Montmeló in the premier class, with five wins to his name there, three second places (two of which have come in the last two seasons) and one third place from his MotoGP Catalunya debut in 2000.

Last year’s race-winner and home favourite Dani Pedrosa, who grew up a short drive from the track, has victories to his name in all three Grand Prix classes at this venue but he faces a late fitness test to see if he is ready to participate. The Repsol Honda rider damaged his right thigh when he severely stretched his hip in Mugello in practice and then crashed out of the race to make matters worse.

Pedrosa’s team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, meanwhile, lies just one point behind the Spaniard in the championship having missed the podium by fractions of a second at the last two rounds. He will be keen to add to his solitary MotoGP podium to date as soon as possible and as a former 250cc Barcelona race-winner he will fancy his chances this weekend at a circuit when he was fourth in 2008.

Also in the overall top ten at present the likes of Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing), Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) will all be fighting for good points to keep their 2009 campaigns on the right tracks.

It is also a key Grand Prix for Catalan pair Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Sete Gibernau (Grupo Francisco Hernando) as they both try to bounce back from recent operations and climb up the general standings, Gibernau having missed the round five trip to Italy due to a shoulder injury.

Paddock view

2009-06-09T22:15:00.001-07:00

Paddock view

Alex de Angelis in action at the Official Test in Jerez

2009-06-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

Alex de Angelis in action at the Official Test in Jerez

LCR Honda with new Playboy sponsorship

2009-06-09T22:12:00.001-07:00

LCR Honda with new Playboy sponsorship

Montecarlo LCR Honda

2009-06-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

LCR Honda

2009-06-09T22:06:00.001-07:00

LCR Honda

Marco Melandri

2009-06-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

Marco Melandri testing the Ninja ZX-RR with the Hayate Racing Team at Losail

rossi

2009-06-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

action bikes

2009-06-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

the Crash..!!!

2009-06-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hayden and Takahashi crash during MotoGP race in Motegi

Balaton-ring project unveiled for projected Hungarian Grand Prix

2009-06-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

off track1

2009-06-09T21:33:00.001-07:00

off track

2009-06-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

off track

2009-06-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

125cc

2009-06-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

125cc star supporting national championship team in Great Britain.

Keeping true to his roots, 125cc title challenger Bradley Smith has been embarking on a new project in 2009 outside of the World Championship. The Bancaja Aspar rider has gone back to his national series to help support some of his fellow British talents come up through the ranks, with the formation of the KRP-Bradley Smith Racing team.

A six rider squadron is supported by Smith’s time and efforts in the British 125cc Championship, where the teenager started his racing career before moving to the international stage. He told motogp.com about the impetus behind the project.

“It’s my old team from back in 2005, and I think it’s good to support something like this with funding and sponsorship. The owner of the team lives near to me, and we’d talk a lot after races, eventually coming up with this idea.”

So far Smith has helped to raise the profile of the team and aided their purchase of a new truck, with considerable success for the riders themselves at the start of the year. KRP-Bradley Smith Racing’s Martin Glossop has won the first three races of the current season, and all six of the lineup are pushing to enter the 125cc World Championship round at Donington Park.

Smith currently leads the 125cc World Championship after taking his second victory of the year at Mugello. He holds a 3.5 point advantage over teammate Julián Simón heading to the Spaniard’s home track this weekend.

Suzuki unsure of race day engine rollout

2009-06-09T19:21:00.001-07:00

Suzuki unsure of race day engine rollout

Tuesday, 09 June 2009

Vermeulen and Capirossi uncertain of new engine debut before post-race test.

Suzuki have been testing out the engine since both riders made a request for more speed in preseason, but until now the motor has only been tested in laboratory conditions.

Donington Park granted FIM licence

2009-06-09T19:19:00.001-07:00

Donington Park granted FIM licence

Monday, 08 June 2009

British track given approval after recent alterations to circuit set-up.

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) has renewed its FIM Grade A Licence for the Donington Park circuit, confirming it is fully compliant to host this year’s British Grand Prix in July, for the final time before MotoGP moves to Silverstone in 2010.

The licence was granted following a thorough inspection of the circuit by FIM circuit inspector Claude Danis on Friday. Mr Danis confirmed that all the works in the homologation requirements had been satisfactorily carried out, including the alterations to re-instate the huge run-off areas on the outside of the circuit between McLeans and Coppice corners, due to the circuit contractors extending the new infield tunnel in the last two weeks.

The British Grand Prix takes place on 24-26 July and once again James Toseland - who suffered a disappointing home GP at the Leicestershire parkland circuit last year - will be backed by thousands of English fans, as his nation’s only representative in the premier class.

In the lower capacity 125cc class current series leader Bradley Smith will battle it out with other talented British youngsters Danny Webb and last year’s race winner Scott Redding for a home victory.

To book your tickets for the Donington weekend visit our Race Tickets section.

MotoGP Rewind: Gran Premio d’Italia Alice

2009-06-09T19:18:00.001-07:00

MotoGP Rewind: Gran Premio d’Italia Alice

Friday, 05 June 2009

Latest highlight review video up on motogp.com now.

A review of the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice is available on motogp.com now, looking back at the Mugello thriller. The best moments, most spectacular crashes and major talking points are all covered in MotoGP Rewind, the customary post-race rundown of each World Championship round.

Sit back and enjoy the Italian action with motogp.com by clicking here.

Rossi and Agostini pay Isle of Man TT visit

2009-06-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Rossi and Agostini pay Isle of Man TT visit

Tuesday, 09 June 2009

Italian greats take trip to historic road circuit event.

Two MotoGP greats made a visit to a legendary event this past weekend, as reigning premier class World Champion Valentino Rossi and racing legend Giacomo Agostini made a pilgrimage to the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

The two Italian stars watched the event’s Superbike race at the ‘Ago’s Leap’ section of the sweeping road circuit named after Agostini, and headed onto the podium to present awards to the top trio of John McGuinness, Steve Plater and Guy Martin.

An historic first took place on Monday, as Rossi undertook his first ever lap of the circuit. Joined by Agostini and safety marshalls, he swung his leg over a standard issue Yamaha R1 adorned with his typical cartoonish decoration to experience first hand the feeling of road track riding. Originally scheduled for Saturday, the lap was postponed due to bad weather.

“I give big respect to the riders who are competing today. I have always followed the TT and have watched a mountain of DVDs, but watching it live is another thing altogether!” said the Fiat Yamaha rider in conversation with protective gear suppliers Dainese, who organised his attendance at the event.

“The way that these guys pass each other at a high speed is incredible!” said the man renowned for his own daring passes in the premier class.

Dainese held a press conference on riding safety at the Isle of Man TT, during which Rossi talked about the D-Tec airbag system that is being developed with his input.

Also present at the Isle of Man TT was British 125cc star Bradley Smith, the current leader of the lower cylinder category World Championship. He took his own tour of the track by car, in a Jaguar driven by ex-TT entrant Richard ‘Milky’ Quayle.

Mugello After the Flag episode now online

2009-06-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

Mugello After the Flag episode now online

Friday, 05 June 2009

Gavin Emmett reviews the MotoGP visit to Tuscany in the latest AtF episode.

An interview with Italian MotoGP rookie Niccolò Canepa after his top ten finish at his home race, a full review of the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice, an exclusive competition and the usual top five rider countdown all feature in this edition of After the Flag from Mugello.

Click here to watch the latest installment of After the Flag, or visit the iTunes Store to download it as a free podcast.

ACTION 5

2009-06-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

ACTION 4

2009-06-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

ACTION 3

2009-06-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

ACTION HEAVY

2009-06-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

paddock AGAIN

2009-06-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

2008

ACTION 1

2009-06-05T06:36:00.002-07:00

SEXY RIDES

2009-06-05T06:36:00.001-07:00

Photos paddock girls 2008

Latest Photos Paddock Girls

CONTROL

2009-06-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

ACTION PACKED

2009-06-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

MotoGP

Lorenzo clinches MotoGP title

Lorenzo clinches MotoGP title

Lorenzo wins to set record points haul

Lorenzo wins to set record points haul

FP1 roadster

Aprilia RS250 - the LAST fire-breathing two-stroke roadster

Dovizioso provides explanation for second successive crash

Another DNF for Andrea Dovzioso at Laguna Seca saw him drop from fourth to sixth in the general standings.

Tyres top of the agenda for Melandri

Hard left side poses problems for Italian star.

Lorenzo: “I’d thought that it was all over”

Spaniard given five-week collarbone recovery expectation after Laguna Seca third place.

Warm-up crash costs Melandri dear

Marco Melandri’s crash on Sunday morning ruined his day at Laguna Seca.

MotoGP paddock glamour – Laguna Seca

A sample of the best looking MotoGP paddock girls at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

Paddock Girls - Montmeló 2009

Promo Racing Moto2 presentation

Hiroshi aoyama on the podium at Montmeló

125cc Group in action in Montmeló

Solid Edwards seventh again, Toseland outside top ten

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 reactions to the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Colin Edwards - 7th

James Toseland - 13th

Fiat Yamaha Paddock Girl at Montmeló

MotoGP on display in Las Vegas

Honda Gresini crew chief Antonio Jimenez

super paddock

No Barcelona regrets for Pedrosa

No Barcelona regrets for Pedrosa

Spaniard will miss Monday test after 'worthwhile' sixth place.

De Puniet unsurprised by factory overtaking

LCR Honda rider places eighth in Barcelona.

Randy de Puniet – 8th

Best result to date for Hayden with Ducati

Best result to date for Hayden with Ducati

The former World Champion broke the top ten for first time in 2009 at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Nicky Hayden – 10th

Dovizioso so close to rostrum yet again

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso has now missed the podium by fractions of a second in the last three MotoGP races.

Overnight changes help Capirossi to fifth

Overnight changes help Capirossi to fifth

Loris Capirossi singled out his Crew Chief Stuart Shenton for praise after they worked together to achieve fifth place at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

paddock girls

TAGS

paddock girls

TAGS

Stoner happy with brave podium

Ducati’s Casey Stoner almost collapsed with exhaustion after the Barcelona contest, having gone into the sixth race of the year feeling unwell and emerging in third place.

Rossi and Lorenzo reflect on incredible battle

Rossi and Lorenzo reflect on incredible battle

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo were both aware that they had enjoyed a special duel at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Brilliant Rossi takes 99th triumph on final corner

An amazing head-to-head battle between Yamaha team-mates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo saw the Italian take his 99th Grand Prix victory by a 0.095s margin at Catalunya.

Rossi takes initiative in Sunday morning practice

After just missing out on pole for the Barcelona MotoGP race World Champion Valentino Rossi lapped fastest in the premier class warmup session.

Pramac Racing determined after Barcelona qualifying

Pramac Racing determined after Barcelona qualifying

Kallio tenth and Canepa eighteenth on premier class grid.

Mika Kallio -10th

Niccolò Canepa -18th

Tech 3 pair reflect on Saturday action

Colin Edwards and James Toseland of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team comment on the second day of action at Montmeló.

Colin Edwards - 6th

James Toseland - 9th

Suzuki duo with catching up to do

Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen will have to race aggressively for the Rizla Suzuki team on Sunday at Barcelona having qualified outside the top ten.

Loris Capirossi – 11th

Chris Vermeulen – 12th

Hayden unhappy with qualifying result

Ducati factory man Nicky Hayden’s hard 2009 campaign so far did not get much better in qualifying at Catalunya, though there have been some good signs for him during the weekend.

Nicky Hayden - 13th

Dovizioso close to front row, Pedrosa crashes and finishes eighth

The Repsol Honda perspective on qualifying at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Andrea Dovizioso - 4th

Dani Pedrosa - 8th

De Puniet just misses out on second row start

Randy de Puniet was slightly disappointed with qualifying seventh at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.

Randy de Puniet - 7th