Source: http://thevintagent.blogspot.com/2012/05/gene-walker-board-track-racer.html
Carlo Bellotti Jean Pierre Beltoise Felice Benasedo Gert Bender Ingemar Bengtsson
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Editor's Blog: On Being Wrong
After Casey Stoner announced his retirement on Thursday at Le Mans, it was obvious that I would choose that subject to write about for that day's round up of events. Stoner's retirement had befuddled me - I was not alone in my befuddlement, it was shared by almost everyone involved in MotoGP - and I discussed the source of the story published by the Spanish magazine Solo Moto in the week between the Jerez and Estoril rounds of MotoGP, which splashed news of Stoner's retirement on its front page, citing an anonymous source.
In my story on Stoner's retirement, I reported on the rumors I had heard at Estoril identifying Livio Suppo as the source of Solo Moto's story. On the Friday, I received two emails, one from Livio Suppo himself, and the other from Borja Gonzales, an editor at Solo Moto, the magazine that broke the story of Stoner's retirement. Neither was pleased, and rightly so.
Source: http://www.motomatters.com/blog/2012/05/31/editor_s_blog_on_being_wrong.html
Georg Braun Walter Brehme Jack Brett John Hopkins Norick Abe
Scott "Scooter" Jones Shoots Miller: Saturday Spectacle
Ironic: The only permanent American rider in WSBK and John Hopkins finds himself having to learn the track
All around the world I've been looking ...
Miller Motorsports Park has one of the most dramatic backdrops of any circuit in the world
Source: http://www.motomatters.com/news/2012/05/27/scott_scooter_jones_shoots_miller_saturd.html
Hubert Abold Karel Abraham Brian Adams Duilio Agostini Felice Agostini
MotoGP Silly Season Burning Questions #1: The Mathematics of Marc Marquez
Casey Stoner's retirement announcement marked the - unhealthily early - opening of MotoGP's silly season, and with just two weeks having passed, it is, in the words of Nicky Hayden, "too early to start thinking about that." At the moment, factories, teams and riders are still absorbing the news and pondering their strategy for the many talks and negotiations which will surely follow. Though the paddock, the media and the internet are full of speculation, everything is so open that even the wildest guess may turn out to be true.
Even so, there are a few hard truths that we can be sure of, and most of them revolve around Marc Marquez. After Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, Marquez will play a key role in who goes where in 2013. Honda is a strong supporter of the Spaniard, in no small part due to the backing of oil giant Repsol. It seems almost certain (almost, but not completely) that Marquez will end up on a Honda in 2013, but that brings its own set of challenges. For the question is not so much what Marquez is to ride - money bet on it being a factory-spec and factory-supported Honda RC213V is probably the safest investment going given the troubled time the stock markets are going through - as which team he will be riding it in.
Bob Anderson Chris Anderson Fergus Anderson Hugh Anderson John Anderson
WSBK: WSBK Donnington Friday Report
Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) scorched round the new-look Donington Park circuit in a blistering time of 1 minute 28.794 seconds to head off a challenge from Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike) as the Superbike riders concluded their first qualifying session. Biaggi's final advantage over Melandri was just a fraction (0.047 seconds) with the two Italians the only riders into the 1'28 bracket as they duelled in the spring sunshine.
Double Aussie race winner Carlos Checa was also on the pace, grabbing the lead in the middle of the session, but the Althea Racing man eventually ended up third, while Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike) completed the overnight front row in impressive style.
Jakub Smrz (Effenbert - Liberty Ducati) also boomed his big twin-cylinder machine around the curves of Donington in very pleasant weather conditions to go fifth overall.
The hard-fought session saw a series of surprises and changes of fortune as both Leon Haslam and Troy Corser were up amongst the frontrunners for a while on their BMW S1000RR machines, finishing sixth and seventh respectively. Ruben Xaus was top CBR rider on his Castrol Honda machine, while team-mate Jonathan Rea struggled somewhat to go 16th.
Rookie rider Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) was the top Kawasaki competitor, ninth, while local man Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) went tenth. Two fallers today were Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) and Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare).
The modified track layout, with the Esses now widened at the exit, brought universal praise, although exactly how much of the improvement in overall lap times is due to the new sections is still a cause for discussion.
Chris Vermeulen returned to the WSBK fray today, going within 2.7 seconds of the leaders on his Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R, despite being not fully fit yet.
World Supersport
Following his win in the opening round of the season, Italian Luca Scassa (Yamaha ParkinGO) continued his excellent run of form by setting the provisional pole at the end of this afternoon's first Supersport qualifying session. His time of 1 minute 31.232 seconds was just a fraction quicker than Britain's Sam Lowes, in second place on the Parkalgar Honda machine.
The two Motocard.com Kawasaki ZX-6Rs were next up, with Australia's Broc Parkes ahead of Spain's David Salom. Local man Chaz Davies was fifth fastest on his Yamaha ParkinGO R6, and two more Brits were inside the top 10, with Gino Rea (Step Racing Honda) in sixth and James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) two places behind.
Impressive privateer Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Team) went seventh, the last rider within a second of Scassa’s new best lap.
-source: wsbk
Source: http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/wsbk-donnington-friday-report/
Felice Benasedo Gert Bender Ingemar Bengtsson Johnny Bengtsson Angelo Bergamonti
F1: Mexican GP set for 2013 return
May 30 (GMM) F1 is returning to Mexico in 2013, according to a report in a Spanish sports newspaper.
Marca reports that the race will take place at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City, which was the scene of the last Mexican grand prix in 1992.
The report said the race is backed by many of Sauber driver Sergio Perez's sponsors, including Telmex, Interproteccion, Tequila Cuervo and Mexico's tourism ministry.
"They are willing to support the grand prix, which will replace Valencia," wrote Marca journalist Jose Maria Rubio.
The report said the necessary bodies and the president have approved a contract with Bernie Ecclestone for an initial period of five years.
"Refurbishment work on the circuit should begin as soon as the elections happen (in July)," revealed Rubio. "Everything should be ready for the race mid next year".
Mexico 1992, won by Nigel Mansell, was Michael Schumacher's first of 154 career podiums.
Source: http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mexican-gp-set-for-2013-return/
Dieter Braun Georg Braun Walter Brehme Jack Brett John Hopkins
2012 Miller Motorsports Park World Superbikes Sunday Press Releases
Press releases from the World Superbike teams, organizer and track after qualifying on Sunday at Miller Motorsports Park:
Year:
2012 Source: http://www.motomatters.com/press_release/2012/05/28/2012_miller_motorsports_park_world_super.html
Georg Braun Walter Brehme Jack Brett John Hopkins Norick Abe
2012 Miller Motorsports Park World Superbikes QP2: Smrz Remains King Of Qualifying
This session started slowly, with a damp, patchy track. Riders were able to post fast times in the first sector, but the conditions meant the remaining sectors slowed them down to longer times than yesterday. Only towards the end of the session did riders start to put in faster laps than in the first timed session.
It was important to get data for settings and a top 16 time more than it was to get the outright fastest lap, but even then, Jakub Smrz worked hard to keep the provisional pole, even though Carlos Checa tried really hard to take it off him. Two tenths separated the only two men in the 1'48s.
The losers today were Ayrton Badovini, Leon Camier and David Salom, who were both pushed from the top 16, and therefore Superpole, by a resurgent John Hopkins, finally showing form with a provisional second-row place, Niccolo Canepa and Lorenzo Zanetti.
Results:
Source: http://www.motomatters.com/results/2012/05/27/2012_miller_motorsports_park_world_super.html
Silvano Bertarelli Albert Bertholet Guy Bertin Franco Bertoni Juan Bertran
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Laverty Takes Win at Snetterton 300
Samsung Honda celebrated wins and podium finishes in both the British Superbike Championship and Superstock 1000 Championship classes at Snetterton, as Michael Laverty became the seventh race winner of the season in the premier class.
Samsung Honda celebrated wins and podium finishes in both the British Superbike Championship and Superstock 1000 Championship classes at Snetterton, as Michael Laverty became the seventh race winner of the season in the premier class.
Photo Gallery: Laverty Takes Win at Snetterton 300 - Sport Rider Magazine
Takeishi Araoka Adrian Araujo Gilbert Argo Manuel Arias Ken Armstrong
'39 Triumph 3HW Bobber - B.R. Moto
Well, it's a lazy Tuesday night here in a very Autumnal Sydney. Scott is away on some godforsaken mission in the bush and I'm already buggered from work and wishing it was the weekend while knowing full well it's three days away. I have about as much energy for writing a witty opening to this post as a Russian mobster has respect for following the "please don't shoot innocent bystanders when involved in a gunfight" signs plastered all over Moscow. What am I crapping on about? Who knows. But what I do know is that I haven't been able to get this bike out of my head since I first laid eyes on it while researching the "Bolo Shit" post from last week. Is it too soon to post another bike form the same shop? Probably. Am I really fussed? Not a jot. Am I suddenly the world's biggest orange headlight fan? You bet.
Source: http://www.pipeburn.com/home/2012/5/22/39-triumph-3hw-bobber-br-moto.html
Gastone Biscia Norman Black Kenny Blake John Blanchard Ramiro Blanco
Old Empire Motorcycle's "Pup" Bobber
We get our fair share of emails here at the House of Pipes. Lots of new bikes for us to ogle, links, images, and more than a few requests for bike builds. Yeah, we're not sure why they keep asking either; I suggested to Scott that we just take their deposits and then skip the country, but he didn't seem to be into it. And sometimes we get a tantalising look at a bike build in progress where you can see that the guys doing the wrenching are definitely on to a good thing. In the case of the guys at Old Empire Motorcycles, we had been chatting to them for ages - so long so, in fact, that we'd all but given up on them ever finishing. But just when you think all hope's lost, blammo - you find yourself looking at one of the coolest pommie custom bikes in recent memory. Tally ho!
Source: http://www.pipeburn.com/home/2012/5/26/old-empire-motorcycles-pup-bobber.html
Brian Adams Duilio Agostini Felice Agostini Giacomo Agostini Jack Ahearn
Funny old world
There are some disadvantages for apartments with spectacular views on the Cote d’Azur. Getting to them is not necessarily easy. The place I was staying in Eze is beautiful but to get there you have to reverse up a pebbly path from a hairpin so tight that a car cannot make the turn. Last night [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/funny-old-world-2/
August Auinger Jean Aureal Josef Autengruber Stu Avant Rex Avery
AMA Pro Superbike Miller Motorsports Park final qualifying—Hayes on pole
Josh Hayes grabs championship point for pole position, Blake Young second, with both EBRs (Geoff May and Danny Eslick) completing front row
TOOELE, UTAH, MAY 27 – Monster Energy Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes cut into the AMA championship lead of Blake Young (Yoshimura Suzuki) by a single point with his fourth pole position in a row.
Today’s pole came late on a windy, overcast morning at Miller Motorsports Park, on a track that was finally dry after rain affected the AMA Superbikes during practice and qualifying on Saturday.
Hayes was the only rider to get below the 1:50 mark, with a best of 1:49.729 about midway into the 40-minute final qualifying session.“Everything went pretty smoothly,†Hayes said after cutting Young’s lead to three points, 166 to 163, at Miller on Sunday. “It was definitely a bit of a relief after the morning to have some dry race track to ride on. The track was pretty good and clean all the way around and without the wind we were able to get back to business as usual.
“Yeah, I’m happy. The R1’s running really well. Everything seems to be clicking pretty good. I think tire life is probably a little bit of an issue for everybody right. I started the session on one of yesterday’s tires. It was tough to get up to speed. I was watching Roger (Hayden) kinda ride away from me for a while and I was going, ‘Man, I hope it’s not like this when I get a new tire.’ When we put on a fresh it was definitely worth quite a bit to us. All in all things went pretty smooth and it was fun riding around.â€
Hayes’ time would have put him 12th on the World Superbike grid, which was an accomplishment given the discrepancy in machine spec, which was reflected in top speed.
“I wanted to do 49s last year and I thought I had the bike to do it and I didn’t quite get there,†Hayes said. “And I still don’t think that this is ideal conditions. I think we can go faster.
“But it’s a pretty straight comparison I guess right now, considering when I looked at the speeds yesterday in the wind we were down, what? 12-13 mph on those guys, and the gap’s not too bad. I guess we’re doing a pretty good job. I guess we can ride pretty decently here.â€
At the previous Superbike round at Infineon Raceway Young admitted he needed to get going faster sooner in the weekend. When Hayes rolls onto the track he quickly gets up to speed. Young takes longer, and having both sessions compromised at Miller on Saturday hurt his aim to be at the top from the outset.
Young said, “I definitely think it wasn’t ideal for me. Just a little bit upset, but that’s out of my control. I would’ve liked obviously for it to be either all wet or all dry session. But with the wind and everything, yes, it definitely go according to plan for sure.â€
For the first time ever in AMA superbike, a pair of EBRs landed on the front row, Team Amsoil/Hero’s Geoff May in front of teammate Danny Eslick. The EBRs have no aftermarket electronic aids, which makes riding the twisty 3.06-mile Miller Motorsports Park a challenge.
“It’s definitely a handful,†Eslick said. “Just give credit to the crew. Geoff’s (May) side of the team and mine as well, everybody’s working really hard together to get this EBR Team Hero/Amsoil 1190RS working good. and to go from Infineon, where we both came off of podium finishes, to be on the front row here it speaks volumes to what the team’s doing and how far along the bike’s came already.â€
Photo Gallery: AMA Pro Superbike Miller Motorsports Park final qualifying—Hayes on pole - Sport Rider Magazine
Reg Armstrong Arciso Artesiani Sandro Artusi Javier Arumi Sadao Asami
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Ducati Superbike 1199 Panigale - Checkmate
The Ducati 1199 Panigale is in my mind one of the most anticipated motorcycle releases this year. The all new superbike brings with it many technological firsts, including the first full-LED headlight on a motorcycle, the first electronically adjustable suspension on a sport bike, the first engine braking control system, as well as the first GPS-assisted data acquisition system for a production motorcycle (the DDA+ package is optional).
In addition to all of the new electronic toys the 1199 is stated to have a dry weight of 361 lbs (22 lbs less than the 1198) and
Source: http://motorcycleracingtrackdays.com/ducati-superbike-1199-panigale-checkmate
Steve Bonsey Paul Bordes Juan Bordons Andrea Borgonovo Eduard Borisenko
MOTOGP: Yamaha To Pull Factory Effort From World Superbike
Yamaha Official World Superbike Team withdraws at the end of 2011 season from World Championship
Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. (YME) has decided to withdraw their official Yamaha World Superbike Team at the end of the current season from the FIM Superbike World Championship.
This announcement follows a full strategic review of the Marketing Operations within Europe including all Motorsport activities and takes into account the continuing severe and rapidly changing Powered Two Wheeler market conditions throughout the region.
Due to this decision more resource and focus will now be used for direct “Customer“ activities to ultimately add more value to Yamaha ownership and increased Customer Satisfaction.
YME would like to express their sincere thanks and appreciation for the total commitment, support, and passion shown by the extremely professional and dedicated riders and team members both past and present throughout the many years of participation in the FIM Superbike World Championship. YME would also like to thank all the highly valued business partners and suppliers who have in-turn supported the team and in addition would like to thank Infront Motorsports, the FIM Superbike World Championship promoters. YME has chosen this timing of announcement to ensure that all existing obligations are correctly met, and to not limit any opportunities or future planning for all personnel involved.
Eugene Laverty
Riders Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty are currently respectively 3rd and 4th in the overall 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship standings for riders with 4 rounds to go. YME and the team will continue to give its maximum efforts until the end of the existing season to try and regain the World Superbike title which Yamaha also won in 2009.
Yamaha will continue the availability of road racing kit parts, known as YEC Racing kit parts, for its R1 and R6 production models for private teams entering at all racing levels.
by: Yamaha Racing
Source: http://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/yamaha-to-pull-factory-effort-from-world-superbike/
Albert Bertholet Guy Bertin Franco Bertoni Juan Bertran Willi Bertsch
F1: Two points-paying finishes bolster Force India spirits
Sahara Force India raced to a strong double points finish in the Monaco Grand Prix as Paul Di Resta finished in seventh just ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in eighth, earning the team ten valuable championship points.
P7 Paul Di Resta (VJM05/02) Tyre strategy: New soft, new supersoft
Paul: “A great result today and I’m very happy to make up so much ground on my starting position. We went aggressive with the strategy and I have to say the team really optimized it. The secret was managing the tires and trying to find clean air when we could. The car felt really good, much stronger than yesterday, and that allowed me to push when we needed to. Fortunately the rain held off at the end because that could have had a big impact on the end of the race. It’s great that we managed to get both cars in the points and we can celebrate tonight.”
Paul di Resta, Sahara Force India Formula One Team
P8 Nico Hulkenberg (VJM05/03) Tyre strategy: New supersoft, new soft
Nico: “It was a pretty messy start with lots of cars touching and I was lucky to make it through because I had to avoid Grosjean, who was in the middle of the track. For the first few laps I was running with Michael [Schumacher] and we were stuck behind Kimi [Raikkonen] who was struggling on the supersofts, but it was difficult to get by. Unfortunately Kimi stopped on the same lap as me so I remained behind him and we came out in a lot of traffic, which is when Paul jumped ahead of me. The rest of the race was quite uneventful and I just focused on looking after the tires. It’s a great result for the team and we should be happy with the result.”
Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal & Managing Director “A very enjoyable Monaco Grand Prix and I am delighted to see both Sahara Force Indias well inside the points. Paul drove a very strong race, making up seven places on his grid position and managing the tires perfectly. Nico was running the reverse strategy to Paul, which also worked out well, and means we leave here with ten important points. Now we look forward to the next race in Canada where we hope to continue our run of points finishes.”
Source: http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/two-points-paying-finishes-bolster-force-india-spirits/
Alex Barros Geoff Barry Hans Bartl Harald Bartol Darren Barton
Harley-Davidson Swept Away During Japanese Tsunami is Headed to H-D Museum After Owner Refuses Its Return
It has been a month since we first reported about the Harley-Davidson motorcycle that washed up on Canadian soil, which was the first major piece of debris to hit North American soil from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Remarkable in its own right, the American-made motorcycle was being stored in the back of box truck before the earthquake, and during the tsunami, the box separated from the vehicle and ended up floating across the Pacific ...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AsphaltandRubber/~3/e-WVq3EgdVA/
Johnny Bengtsson Angelo Bergamonti Werner Bergold Jacques Bernard Adrian Bernetic
Arai Signet-Q Helmet Preview?
It has been rumored and finally confirmed that ther will be a new Arai Helmet for Fall 2011. The Arai Signet-Q Helmet will be the longest oval head shape (5mm longer than the Profile) helmet in the Arai line. Early on it has been leaked that the Arai Signet-Q will be a slightly more feature rich, extreme long oval version of Arai RX-Q. More to come as it breaks but it seems likethe Signet head shape is back - 5mm longer than the profile - and ready to mix it up.
More to come - stay tuned.
Source: http://motorcycleracingtrackdays.com/arai-signet-q-helmet-preview-31845
Carlo Bandirola Alain Barbaroux Hector Barbera Fabio Barchitta Alan Barnett
Monday, May 28, 2012
Smile for the investors…
The board of the Formula One group has voted to promote Nestle’s Peter Brabeck-Letmathe to the role of chairman, as part of its polishing up of the family silver as it aims for a high-speed stock exchange flotation in Singapore. It remains to be seen who is selling shares and how many shares will be [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/smile-for-the-investors/
Juan Bertran Willi Bertsch Paul Berwick Kees Besseling Max Biaggi
Miller Motorsports Park Press Release: 5 Questions With Marco Melandri
After the earlier press conference with Sylvain Guintoli, Miller Motorsports Park also organized a press conference with BMW Motorrad's Marco Melandri. Melandri faced questions on the difference between the V4s and BMW's inline 4, his adaptation to the BMW and that controversial incident in the final corner of race two at Donington Park. Below is the press release interview issued by Miller Motorsports Park with Melandri:
Miller Motorsports Park Presents: Five Questions with Marco Melandri
A switch to BMW for 2012 results in the German marque’s first World Superbike victory
TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 24, 2012) — Miller Motorsports Park will again host the USA Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship on The BigM Weekend, May 26-28. As was the case last year, we will visit with race winners and other notable riders participating in the championship after each race during the 2012 season leading up to The BigM Weekend and bring you a new chapter in the “Five Questions with” series.
The subject of our fourth installment of the season is 29-year-old Italian Marco Melandri, who rides the No. 33 BMW S1000 RR for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Melandri, who came to World Superbike last year with Yamaha, having spent the past seven seasons in MotoGP. Prior to moving up to MotoGP, he won the 250cc World Championship for Aprilia in 2002. He won four races and one pole with Yamaha, but made the move to BMW this year to take the seat vacated by the retiring Troy Corser. He made history at England’s Donington Park circuit on May 13, taking the German marque’s first series victory, and heads into this weekend’s BigM Weekend at Miller Motorsports Park with significant momentum.
Dennis Boulom Christian Bourgeois Philippe Bouzanne Ellis Boyce Helmut Bradl
MOTOGP: Ducati Team completes test at Mugello
Nicky Hayden, Ducati Marlboro Team
The sun was out for the second and final day of a test at Mugello for the two Ducati Team riders, allowing them both to work hard the entire day, with just one break when the temperature was highest. Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden turned 76 and 81 laps, respectively, trying different configurations of the engine, electronics and chassis, among which was a new aluminum swingarm.
The next test for the two Ducati Team riders is scheduled for 4 June in Barcelona, the Monday after the next Grand Prix, with another test set for 6 June at Aragon in order to make up the day lost to bad weather inPortugal.
“I’d say it was a very useful test because we were able to gather interesting information on the different areas of the bike for which we had planned a robust test program,” Filippo Preziosi said. “We worked on different configurations of the electronics, engine and chassis, including an aluminum swingarm. Now we want to go to other tracks, which is exactly what we’ll do in Barcelona and Aragon, to test the validity of the solutions we’ve found, in order to understand if we’ve effectively taken a small step in the right direction.”
Source: http://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/ducati-team-completes-test-at-mugello/
Pierre Bolle Maurice Bolwerk Gianfranco Bonera Bruno Bonhuil Ismael Bonilla
Sunday, May 27, 2012
CRD #14 - BMW R75/5
The guys from Spanish shop Café Racer Dreams are truly making a name for themselves on a global scale. The garage was born out of a lack of vintage custom shops in Spain and founder Pedro Garcia hasn't looked back since opening its doors a few years ago. This is the first BMW to roll out of their small Madrid based garage and we love its stripped down simplicity. The bikes engine has been rebuilt with the expertise of Javier from Maxboxer who specialises in boxers. At this stage it's still a work in progress but we definitely like where they are going with this project. Pedro tells us it should be complete by the end of next month so we'll keep you posted. In the meantime there's a solid build thread worth checking out on the CRD blog.
Source: http://www.pipeburn.com/home/2012/5/6/crd-14-bmw-r755.html
Takuma Aoki Hiroshi Aoyama Shuhei Aoyama Andre Luc Appietto Robin Appleyard
WSBK: Phillip Island: Yamaha Sunday report
Yamaha World Superbike Team rider Marco Melandri ended his podium drought this afternoon, stepping up to take third position in the second World Superbike race, his first podium since 2009. The World Superbike rookie started well from his second row position, closing in on defending World Champion Max Biaggi and pushing him to the race finale, interchanging for second position a number of times before finally settling for third at the line, less than 1.5 seconds from double race winner Carlos Checa. The first race of the day saw both Melandri and his teammate Eugene Laverty start well, Laverty impressing by leading the first two laps of his first ever Superbike race, before dropping back to swap positions with Melandri several times. Laverty claimed fourth and Melandri fifth at the line. Both riders had struggled a bit for rear grip in the first race, and Laverty also from arm pump, problems which were rectified by team set up changes and help from Clinica Mobile prior to race two. Laverty's second race began with the young Northern Irishman pressing on and holding sixth position until lap eight when a false neutral caused him to run wide, losing valuable time and positions. The same issue was repeated on lap 11, dropping him to 20th position by lap 15. Despite the setback Laverty fought back, pushing back up over seven laps to claim 15th at the line. As they head to Donington in the UK for the second round of the championship, they do so with Melandri sitting in third in the overall standings with 27 points, his teammate Laverty sits in ninth with 14 points, 13 behind Melandri.
Marco Melandri, Yamaha World Superbike Team 5th, 3rd
"I'm pretty happy with the end results of today, although I wasn't too happy about race one. We've been struggling all week with a rear grip issue, which could be seen in race one. I think we made a good job before race two, changing our set up to deal with it and we were a little bit more aware of our potential afterwards. The bike was a lot better and I felt a lot more comfortable. It's nice to be back on the podium! I wanted to challenge Biaggi for second but in the end my body was slower than my mind at the end of the race, it felt a bit dangerous to make some passes so I was happy to settle for third." Marco Melandri
Eugene Laverty, Yamaha World Superbike Team 4th, 15th
"In the first race I had problems with arm pump and had just to sit there, I had the possibility to go third but didn't want to risk my arms. I got it fixed at Clinica, it was just really stiff after five days riding on a Superbike this week! Marco upped the pace in second race; it would have been tough to beat, but there was a definite fourth there for me. Unfortunately two false neutrals killed the race leaving me with one point. On the plus side I'm very positive for Donington, we've clearly got a very competitive package and under race conditions we can see that our competitors aren't as fast as the practice sessions suggested."
Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager - Andrea Dosoli
"Today we got confirmation that all the work we have done is in the right direction. We struggled a bit in race one, both riders complained about a lack of rear grip and we could see we where slow in the last sector. With just a few adjustments we improved the bike for race two, so Marco could follow Max and, at the end, the gap to Carlos Checa was not as big as in race one so he kept a good race pace. Eugene did a great job in race one and he was doing in the same in race two. He really impressed us with a fantastic start he showed he could work under pressure and ride in a tough race. He put in the same performance in race two, unfortunately getting a couple of false neutrals and running off, losing ten seconds each time. If not for this he could have been on the podium. We showed this weekend that the performance of the team is high with both riders so we should be proud, especially considering this is the first time they have run a two race event on a Sunday. Thank you to all the team for a good job done so far and we will try to be even more competitive at Donington."
Yamaha R6 returns with instant victory as Scassa Takes First World Supersport Victory
Yamaha ParkinGo rider Luca Scassa made it a day to remember this afternoon, enjoying an adrenalin filled battle in the top five for the duration of the World Supersport race. The Italian World Supersport rookie made good use of the R6's superior performance to charge through the pack, leading for some laps before dropping back again. He then passed Sam Lowes on the final straight for a photo finish, claiming victory by just 0.009 seconds. Scassa's teammate Chas Davies had a less fortunate afternoon. Having found a perfect setup for the Phillip Island circuit, Davies had been in contention for the podium for the majority of the race, fighting alternate for second and third position until a flat tyre forced early retirement on lap 18. Scassa heads to the next round at Donington in the UK leading the championship with a full 25 points, teammate Davies goes keen to get off the points mark and catch up to his Italian stablemate. Today's victory marks the first race for the officially supported Yamaha R6 since it won the World championship in 2009 with Cal Crutchlow. An impressive result for the Yamaha ParkinGO Team considering the collaboration with Yamaha was started just six weeks ago. Luca Scassa
-source: yamaha
Source: http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/phillip-island-yamaha-sunday-report/
Juup Bosman Adrian Bosshard Christian Boudinot Roy Boughey† Dennis Boulom
Trackside: How Soon We Forget
All last season, and for the first three races of 2012, when I’ve walked past the Ducati garage and looked in at Rossi’s side, watching for an interesting moment to photograph, I’ve seen pretty much the same thing: Immensely talented people looking immensely frustrated. I stand there for a moment and think, I’ve already taken this photo, many times. When are things going to change in there? Things changed this weekend at Le Mans. But ...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AsphaltandRubber/~3/9hGs_gK2_00/
Dieter Braun Georg Braun Walter Brehme Jack Brett John Hopkins
WSBK: Phillip Island: Vermeulen praises volunteers
Hundreds of the most dedicated of racing fans make the annual pilgrimage to Phillip Island, the Mecca of Australian Motorcycle Sport, travelling from all over the country to be a part of one of the greatest weekend's on the sporting calendar.
These are the people who make our Australian Round of the World Superbike Championship possible.
It is especially the volunteers, whose dedication makes them the lifeblood of major events such as the WSBK and MotoGP.
Without them we would not be able to see the world's best riders tackle our iconic Phillip Island circuit.
Often the contribution of these unsung heroes is forgotten, but Motorcycling Australia (MA) Ambassador and Kawasaki WSBK star Chris Vermeulen makes it his point to acknowledge the work volunteers do to make his home event a reality.
"Everyone from the Flaggies, to the Sector Leaders do an amazing job, because put simply, without them we have no event," Chris said.
"I make it my business to get down to the Muster Hall whenever I'm competing at the Island to just say thanks to all the people who volunteer their time so that one of the best rounds on the WSBK and MotoGP tour can happen."
With bright blue skies and world-class racing on track, Chris believes it is weekends like this that make being a part of the Phillip Island team a special experience.
"Great action on the track, clear skies and great people; it's a great way for motorcycle fans to immerse themselves in arguably the best motorsport event in Australia.
"I say if you love your Road Racing and want to get right into it, becoming a volunteer is the best way to do the lot."
-source: ma.org.au
Source: http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/phillip-island-vermeulen-praises-volunteers/
Adrian Bernetic Manfred Bernsee Bruno Bertacchini Silvano Bertarelli Albert Bertholet
MOTOGP: Ducati and Rossi celebrate podium finish in wet French GP
Thrilling podium for Rossi at Le Mans, determined sixth place for Hayden
Podium: second place Valentino Rossi, Ducati Marlboro Team
Valentino Rossi was a protagonist in an exciting, hard-fought race in wet conditions during the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, where he climbed from the third row of the grid to the second step of the podium. Nicky Hayden, despite an unfortunate start, worked his way up to sixth by the finish.
Having started from seventh place, the Italian advanced to third by lap three, at which point Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow joined him in a long battle. He picked up his pace around seven laps from the end, eventually setting the fastest lap of the race and closing the gap to Casey Stoner, who he overtook on the final lap. His runner-up finish behind winner Jorge Lorenzo is his best result with Ducati so far.
Hayden was among the riders who spun their tyres on the inside part of the track just after the start, but he pushed hard the entire race, eventually matching his best result of the year.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 2nd
“I’m really, really happy. We knew we had a special opportunity in the wet today, so I tried to ride perfectly and not throw it away. I started well and immediately made up some positions, and then I passed the two Yamahas to get behind Stoner. I was able to match his pace, but then my visor started to fog and I had to slow down for a couple of laps until I was able to clear it by lifting it a little. Once I could see again, I re-passed Cal and then Dovi. When I realized that I could really push hard and that it was possible to catch Stoner again, I went for it. It was a great race and a nice, fun battle with Stoner to the last lap. I enjoyed myself and I’m happy for my team and all the guys at Ducati, who are working so hard for me. Now we must continue giving our all until we’re also able to be competitive in the dry. We found a good base to work from in Portugal, and it wasn’t bad in the dry here, either, although not as good as in the wet. Now our main goal is to take another step forward and make up some more tenths.”
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 6th
“There must have been something on the inside of the track just after the start, because everybody that went on that side either crashed or almost did. My jump was really good, and then just as I was ready to go to second gear, the tyre completely broke loose and the bike started fishtailing. I got buried in the pack and couldn’t see for the first few laps. Once I got through some guys and had a clear track, my rhythm wasn’t too bad. I was bringing Bradl and Pedrosa back a bit, but when I got it down to two seconds, I almost crashed and had to try again. I got to Bradl’s wheel at the end but just couldn’t do anything. It’s frustrating because we’ve got a really good wet bike. I know we had more potential than sixth, but the start hurt me. Congratulations to the team for the podium. They certainly deserve it.”
Valentino Rossi, Ducati Marlboro Team
Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager)
“We’re very pleased with Valentino’s podium, which is of course down to his beautiful race, although it also reflects the great job done by the team over the weekend. It’s also a thank-you to everyone back home who has worked so hard to solve our problems, which we’re overcoming little by little, although we still need to work on them some more. We’ve worked on the chassis well, and now we’ll focus on other important areas of the bike. Today Vale was in a situation where he could ride as he’s capable of doing, and he gave us a great show. It’s a shame for Nicky, who could have also fought for a better position if it weren’t for his bad start. Despite riding at a good pace, he wasn’t able to climb higher than sixth place. Anyway, Nicky showed that he, like Vale and everyone at Ducati, never gives up.”
Source: http://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/ducati-and-rossi-celebrate-podium-finish-in-wet-french-gp/
Manfred Baumann Alvaro Bautista Lenfranco Baviera Richard Bay Jean Michel Bayle
Miller Motorsports Park Press Release: 5 Questions With Marco Melandri
After the earlier press conference with Sylvain Guintoli, Miller Motorsports Park also organized a press conference with BMW Motorrad's Marco Melandri. Melandri faced questions on the difference between the V4s and BMW's inline 4, his adaptation to the BMW and that controversial incident in the final corner of race two at Donington Park. Below is the press release interview issued by Miller Motorsports Park with Melandri:
Miller Motorsports Park Presents: Five Questions with Marco Melandri
A switch to BMW for 2012 results in the German marque’s first World Superbike victory
TOOELE VALLEY, UTAH (May 24, 2012) — Miller Motorsports Park will again host the USA Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship on The BigM Weekend, May 26-28. As was the case last year, we will visit with race winners and other notable riders participating in the championship after each race during the 2012 season leading up to The BigM Weekend and bring you a new chapter in the “Five Questions with” series.
The subject of our fourth installment of the season is 29-year-old Italian Marco Melandri, who rides the No. 33 BMW S1000 RR for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Melandri, who came to World Superbike last year with Yamaha, having spent the past seven seasons in MotoGP. Prior to moving up to MotoGP, he won the 250cc World Championship for Aprilia in 2002. He won four races and one pole with Yamaha, but made the move to BMW this year to take the seat vacated by the retiring Troy Corser. He made history at England’s Donington Park circuit on May 13, taking the German marque’s first series victory, and heads into this weekend’s BigM Weekend at Miller Motorsports Park with significant momentum.
Source: http://www.motomatters.com/interview/2012/05/25/miller_motorsports_park_press_release_5_.html
Takeishi Araoka Adrian Araujo Gilbert Argo Manuel Arias Ken Armstrong
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Live: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix third practice | F1 Fanatic Live
Live: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix third practice is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Follow the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix third practice session on F1 Fanatic Live.
Live: 2012 Monaco Grand Prix third practice is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/kY3ZTCbx9Z4/
Gimmi Bosio Juup Bosman Adrian Bosshard Christian Boudinot Roy Boughey†
2011 Macau GP - More mental than the Isle of Man TT?
This video is an homage to the motorcycle riders who competed in the 2011 Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix.
This video is also a celebration of Michael Rutter's 7th Historic win on the famous Guia street circuit, becoming the rider with the most wins in the race's 45 year old history. Unfortunately he could also be the last.
Long-time bike race coordinator Mike Trimby has said this is his last Macau GP and the organizing committee will now have discussions about whether the two-wheeled part of the festival will continue.
This is well worth checking out.
Santini
Source: http://motorcycleracingtrackdays.com/2011-macau-gp-more-mental-than-the-isle-of-ma
Sergio Boroncini Gino Borsoi Luca Boscoscuro Gimmi Bosio Juup Bosman
2012 Le Mans MotoGP Sunday Post-Race Press Releases
Press releases from the MotoGP teams after Sunday's French Grand Prix at Le Mans:
Year:
2012 Source: http://www.motomatters.com/press_release/2012/05/20/2012_le_mans_motogp_sunday_post_race_pre.html
John Hopkins Norick Abe Hubert Abold Karel Abraham Brian Adams
2012 Le Mans MotoGP Sunday Post-Race Press Releases
Press releases from the MotoGP teams after Sunday's French Grand Prix at Le Mans:
Year:
2012
Jarno Boesveld Jean Paul Boinet Karel Bojer Juan Bolart Gerhard Boll
WSBK: Phillip Island: Kawasaki Sunday report
Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team rider Tom Sykes gave the brand new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R its competitive debut and came away from the opening round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in Australia with a pair of battling top ten placings.
After a good qualifying session which had him as third fastest on combined times, the Huddersfield rider eventually slotted the Paul Bird Motorsport-prepared machine onto row three of the grid for the two races following Superpole with his Spanish team mate Joan Lascorz one row further back on his World Superbike debut.
With overnight rain giving way to drier conditions for Sunday's two 22-lap races at the classic 4.445km circuit near Melbourne, Sykes was looking good in the early stages of race one and eventually crossed the line in eighth position which he followed up with a solid ninth in race two, despite handicapping himself with a poor start.
As a result, the 25 year old Yorkshireman holds eighth place overall going into his and the Penrith-based team's home round at Donington Park in four weeks time.
For Lascorz, who was celebrating his 26th birthday today, it wasn't the best start to his World Superbike career as he crashed out of race one on lap 13 and then had to retire from the second race with a tyre problem.
Tom Sykes: "I'm happy to be eighth in the championship after the first round as you only have to look at the timing sheets to realise there is a real quality field out there. Less than a second covers something like the first 20 riders in qualifying, so it is quite pleasing in many ways to have been in there. I am a racer and I want to progress quickly but this is the first year with the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and I am sure we can make even more progress very soon. Everybody in my garage is keen to win, that is what this whole project is about, but it is early days."
Joan Lascorz: "We had different settings on the bike because the conditions changed and it proved difficult in Superpole. I used a qualifying tyre but it made no real difference to the lap time so we had to gamble in the races. It's unfortunate to come away with no points but I hope for better luck at Donington."
Paul Bird, Team Owner: "Tom finishing in eighth and ninth is OK as it's important to get a result and points on the board at the opening round but a top six would have been better and I think he was capable of that. Joan was unlucky to slip off in the first race but his team made a wrong tyre choice in race two and he paid the penalty for that. Hopefully, we can progress further at Donington next time out and as well as Tom and Joan; we hope to welcome Chris Vermeulen back."
-source: pbm kawasaki
Source: http://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/phillip-island-kawasaki-sunday-report/
Gastone Biscia Norman Black Kenny Blake John Blanchard Ramiro Blanco