Casey Stoner Holds off Valentino Rossi to Take Australian Grand Prix Win
Australian Casey Stoner held off world champion Valentino Rossi to win a hattrick of Australian MotoGPs here on Sunday.
The 2007 world champion, riding a Ducati, led for all but one lap of the 27-lap GP to claim victory by 1.935 seconds from championship leader Rossi on a Fiat Yamaha. AFP
He said his decision to take a 10 week break to overcome his mystery ailment was now paying off, with his win Sunday moving him into third place on the world standings.
“I think without taking that time off we wouldn’t be anywhere near the podium step today, things would have been too difficult for me and physically I wouldn’t have been able to last the race,” Stoner said.
“It’s just been fantastic to come back and get a second in Portugal and almost enough pace to win it, and here have the pace to win. I can’t ask for more,” he added. “We definitely made the right decision to take that time off and find our way.” USA Today
Rossi’s second place was achieved despite personal tragedy, the Italian hearing of his stepfather’s death before qualifying Saturday, and lifted him closer to retaining the title.
Crossing the line well clear of Dani Pedrosa in third, Rossi stretched his championship lead over nearest challenger Lorenzo to 38 points with two races remaining after the Spaniard crashed out before the first turn. New York Times
“It was the most fun second-place of my career because it was a great battle with Casey,” said Rossi.
“I tried with all my energy, all my speed, but Casey rode very well and at the end it was impossible, and I also have to think of the championship.
“With Jorge out, we had a good advantage.”
Spain’s Dani Pedrosa finished third, while Honda team-mate Alex de Angelis of San Marino came fourth. American Colin Edwards (Yamaha) took fifth spot.
Two rounds of the world championship remain - Malaysia and Valencia - with a maximum of 50 points available. BBC Sport
SOURCE:
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Australia MotoGP: Casey Stoner revels in home success
Valentino Rossi lost this race?
Casey Stoner became the second most successful Australian rider in Grand Prix history with a stunning victory over Valentino Rossi at Phillip Island.
Making only his second appearance since returning from a three-race illness lay-off, the 24-year-old fought off a fierce challenge from Rossi to claim his 19th MotoGP success for Ducati.
His victory in front of 50,094 fans moved him ahead of the on-looking Wayne Gardner and the 2007 world champion could barely contain his delight at beating by Rossi by 1.935s for a third straight Phillip Island success.
"I’d forgotten how good that winning feeling is and of all my victories this is perhaps the most special.
"I can honestly say that from a physical perspective I can’t ever remember feeling this strong after a race, which shows that the work we have done and the time we took out has been spot on.
"This has been a really tough season for us. The start of the season we were competitive enough to fight for the championship.
"By the time we got halfway through we were just collecting points. We weren’t even really fighting for anything.
"And that’s why we decided to take that decision to have time off and this is the result of it. I think without taking that time off we wouldn’t be anywhere near the podium today.
"Things would’ve been too difficult for me and physically I wouldn’t have been able to last the race.
"It’s just been fantastic. To come back and get a second in Portugal and almost enough pace to win it and here, to have enough pace to win it, its just fantastic.
"I can’t ask for more. We definitely made the right decision to take that time off and find our way.”
Stoner said he never had any worry about the fatigue issues that dogged him earlier in the season would return and hinder his bid for a third win of 2009.
“Every time I went on the brakes into MG or Honda Corner, I kept expecting my arms to start buckling and just things start to get real hard, but it just never came.
"And five races doesn’t sound like a long time, but when week after week you have the same problem and not being able to fix it and for no reason, it was very, very difficult. Today was just fantastic.
"It was the same in Portugal. I was definitely a little bit more exhausted in Portugal. Of course the weather was a little hotter.
"And we hadn’t had any physical training. We done a little bit this last week just to get myself back up there again and there were no problems for the race. So we were able to just stay consistent throughout.”
Stoner said he expected the pace to be a little faster as he strived to keep a determined Rossi at bay.
But like the majority of the field, Stoner and Rossi both ran into grip problems with the left side of their Bridgestone tyre.
It made for some spectacular but rare sliding in the 800cc era and Stoner said: “I thought the track conditions were good enough to go a little bit faster than what we were.
"We were definitely struggling with rear end grip. I think everybody was to a certain point.
"But that’s something we struggle with in general with our bike at the moment. The bike turns well and brakes well, but we just can’t get grip out of the corners at most of the circuits we go to.
"So its something were still working on each week and when we solve that I think things are going to come a long a lot better and it’ll work a lot more smoothly at most circuits.
"We’re having small pumping issues again recently, because we’re trying to get the bike to hook up but its not hooking up consistently, so it’s causing the bike to move a little bit. Once we solve that we should be fine.
"But anyway the bike was working well enough to stay at the times we were today and hopefully next week in Sepang we can try to stay at the front as well.”
Stoner’s victory promoted him to third in the championship with the fast starting Dani Pedrosa fading to finish a distant third.
As well as trying to secure third in the final standings, Stoner said his other target in the final two races would be to give crucial information to Ducati’s technical staff for the 2010 Desmosedici.
“Now my aim is to help them as much as I can over the last two races and give Filippo (Preziosi) as much useful data as I can so that he can work his magic and improve the bike even more for next year,“ said Stoner.
SOURCE:
Casey Stoner became the second most successful Australian rider in Grand Prix history with a stunning victory over Valentino Rossi at Phillip Island.
Making only his second appearance since returning from a three-race illness lay-off, the 24-year-old fought off a fierce challenge from Rossi to claim his 19th MotoGP success for Ducati.
His victory in front of 50,094 fans moved him ahead of the on-looking Wayne Gardner and the 2007 world champion could barely contain his delight at beating by Rossi by 1.935s for a third straight Phillip Island success.
"I’d forgotten how good that winning feeling is and of all my victories this is perhaps the most special.
"I can honestly say that from a physical perspective I can’t ever remember feeling this strong after a race, which shows that the work we have done and the time we took out has been spot on.
"This has been a really tough season for us. The start of the season we were competitive enough to fight for the championship.
"By the time we got halfway through we were just collecting points. We weren’t even really fighting for anything.
"And that’s why we decided to take that decision to have time off and this is the result of it. I think without taking that time off we wouldn’t be anywhere near the podium today.
"Things would’ve been too difficult for me and physically I wouldn’t have been able to last the race.
"It’s just been fantastic. To come back and get a second in Portugal and almost enough pace to win it and here, to have enough pace to win it, its just fantastic.
"I can’t ask for more. We definitely made the right decision to take that time off and find our way.”
Stoner said he never had any worry about the fatigue issues that dogged him earlier in the season would return and hinder his bid for a third win of 2009.
“Every time I went on the brakes into MG or Honda Corner, I kept expecting my arms to start buckling and just things start to get real hard, but it just never came.
"And five races doesn’t sound like a long time, but when week after week you have the same problem and not being able to fix it and for no reason, it was very, very difficult. Today was just fantastic.
"It was the same in Portugal. I was definitely a little bit more exhausted in Portugal. Of course the weather was a little hotter.
"And we hadn’t had any physical training. We done a little bit this last week just to get myself back up there again and there were no problems for the race. So we were able to just stay consistent throughout.”
Stoner said he expected the pace to be a little faster as he strived to keep a determined Rossi at bay.
But like the majority of the field, Stoner and Rossi both ran into grip problems with the left side of their Bridgestone tyre.
It made for some spectacular but rare sliding in the 800cc era and Stoner said: “I thought the track conditions were good enough to go a little bit faster than what we were.
"We were definitely struggling with rear end grip. I think everybody was to a certain point.
"But that’s something we struggle with in general with our bike at the moment. The bike turns well and brakes well, but we just can’t get grip out of the corners at most of the circuits we go to.
"So its something were still working on each week and when we solve that I think things are going to come a long a lot better and it’ll work a lot more smoothly at most circuits.
"We’re having small pumping issues again recently, because we’re trying to get the bike to hook up but its not hooking up consistently, so it’s causing the bike to move a little bit. Once we solve that we should be fine.
"But anyway the bike was working well enough to stay at the times we were today and hopefully next week in Sepang we can try to stay at the front as well.”
Stoner’s victory promoted him to third in the championship with the fast starting Dani Pedrosa fading to finish a distant third.
As well as trying to secure third in the final standings, Stoner said his other target in the final two races would be to give crucial information to Ducati’s technical staff for the 2010 Desmosedici.
“Now my aim is to help them as much as I can over the last two races and give Filippo (Preziosi) as much useful data as I can so that he can work his magic and improve the bike even more for next year,“ said Stoner.
SOURCE:
Friday, December 25, 2009
Rossi relishing prospect of endurance tussle
Rossi relishing prospect of endurance tussle
ROME: MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi was relishing the prospect of competing in his first endurance car race after Friday's practice with the
Kessel team in a Ferrari 430 GT3. "In the first session I focused on getting to grips with the commands of the car, which is really quick," Rossi told the website of the Vallelunga track near Rome, where he will take part in a six-hour race on Sunday.
"In the second I started to step on it and I really enjoyed myself trying to get the set-up right.
"We haven't studied the right strategies for the race yet, but I'm really excited about the tussle in store."
The 30-year-old Italian, who has won nine motorcycling world titles, is no stranger to competition on four wheels.
He has taken part in many rallies and has not completely ruled out one day racing for Ferrari in Formula One after turning down the chance three years ago following promising tests.
SOURCE:
ROME: MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi was relishing the prospect of competing in his first endurance car race after Friday's practice with the
Kessel team in a Ferrari 430 GT3. "In the first session I focused on getting to grips with the commands of the car, which is really quick," Rossi told the website of the Vallelunga track near Rome, where he will take part in a six-hour race on Sunday.
"In the second I started to step on it and I really enjoyed myself trying to get the set-up right.
"We haven't studied the right strategies for the race yet, but I'm really excited about the tussle in store."
The 30-year-old Italian, who has won nine motorcycling world titles, is no stranger to competition on four wheels.
He has taken part in many rallies and has not completely ruled out one day racing for Ferrari in Formula One after turning down the chance three years ago following promising tests.
SOURCE:
Rossi raises money for a cause
Rossi raises money for a cause
A charity motocross event organized by Valentino Rossi drew over 10,000 supporters, raising money for a children’s hospital in Italy.
The event was called “motocross dei Campioni, 30 anni dopo” (translation: “Motocross Championship, 30 years after”) and took place Nov. 15 in Cavallara, Italy. The name refers to a similar charity event organized by Rossi’s father, Graziano Rossi, in 1979.
MotoGP racer Andrea Dovizioso won the event, beating out other Italian racers such as Rossi, Marco Melandri, Loris Capirossi, Marco Simoncelli and Mattia Pasini, Spanish racer Julian Simon and former 500cc Grand Prix Champion Kevin Schwantz.
Simon took the first heat of the day ahead of Dovizioso and Melandri. The results were repeated in the second moto. Simon had a chance to take the overall victory but the 125cc Grand Prix Champion had to leave to catch a flight to Spain. Dovizioso took the third heat to claim the overall win. Melandri finished again in third, this time behind Rossi. The host and 2009 MotoGP Champion finished sixth in the first race and fourth in the second.
The real winners though were the children at the hospital in Pesaro, Italy, which treats leukemia sufferers. The event drew more than 10,000 paying spectators but the total amount of money raised was not released.
“This was important because it was a charity event for children. We are thrilled by the response, and it is exciting to see all these people here in Cavallara. It’s also nice to compete with the other riders!” Rossi told MotoGP.com. “I thank all the riders who wanted to come. I think it was a good show and we’ve been fortunate this year because it didn’t rain, so we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed it.”
A video with highlights of the event can be seen on MotoGP.com.
SOURCE:
A charity motocross event organized by Valentino Rossi drew over 10,000 supporters, raising money for a children’s hospital in Italy.
The event was called “motocross dei Campioni, 30 anni dopo” (translation: “Motocross Championship, 30 years after”) and took place Nov. 15 in Cavallara, Italy. The name refers to a similar charity event organized by Rossi’s father, Graziano Rossi, in 1979.
MotoGP racer Andrea Dovizioso won the event, beating out other Italian racers such as Rossi, Marco Melandri, Loris Capirossi, Marco Simoncelli and Mattia Pasini, Spanish racer Julian Simon and former 500cc Grand Prix Champion Kevin Schwantz.
Simon took the first heat of the day ahead of Dovizioso and Melandri. The results were repeated in the second moto. Simon had a chance to take the overall victory but the 125cc Grand Prix Champion had to leave to catch a flight to Spain. Dovizioso took the third heat to claim the overall win. Melandri finished again in third, this time behind Rossi. The host and 2009 MotoGP Champion finished sixth in the first race and fourth in the second.
The real winners though were the children at the hospital in Pesaro, Italy, which treats leukemia sufferers. The event drew more than 10,000 paying spectators but the total amount of money raised was not released.
“This was important because it was a charity event for children. We are thrilled by the response, and it is exciting to see all these people here in Cavallara. It’s also nice to compete with the other riders!” Rossi told MotoGP.com. “I thank all the riders who wanted to come. I think it was a good show and we’ve been fortunate this year because it didn’t rain, so we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed it.”
A video with highlights of the event can be seen on MotoGP.com.
SOURCE:
The Secret of Rossi's winner bike
The Secret of Rossi's winner bike
WITH ANOTHER rider and manufacturer championship under their belt, and at least one machine on the rostrum at every race of the year, it's easy to see why Yamaha's M1 racer is the bike everyone wants to ride.
Explaining the success behind the company’s racing-winning machine, Yamaha's team director and MotoGP group leader Masahiko Nakajima told reporters after the final round in Valencia how the company had developed the devastatingly fast M1 racer.
“We determined that we needed to enhance maximum tyre performance by modifying the chassis, and to improve the engine management system: engine performance was improved by 12 percent and fuel consumption by six percent,” he said. But stability was compromised, and engine reliability suffered.
For 2009, the chassis was modified, with increased vertical rigidity, and a longer wheelbase that gave improving stability.
Wind tunnel engineers improved the fairing's CdA (drag factor to you and me) by five percent and the machine's top speed by one percent.
At the sharp end, the airbox was enlarged, and fuel pressure increased, while the injector positions were also altered. Fuel consumption was addressed with a more efficient combustion chamber design, and by reducing internal friction with new surface treatment for crankshaft and crankcase, said Nakajima, who added: “we focused on part-throttle performance.”
Further advanced analysis showed the “piston temperature was reduced by 30 degrees,” doubling engine life but provoding lacklustre performance, according to some riders. Yamaha's main man, Valentino Rossi, said his new bike's long-life engine felt 'tired'.
“Now, 2,200 km is no problem for the engine,” said Nakajima. “For next year, we need to achieve 2,400 km. Before Brno [when the regulations came into force] engine life was 1,000km without trouble, but with a loss of performance after 600 km.
Asked why Pedrosa’s Honda generally took the hole shot at every race, Nakajima responded: “When the clutch is engaged the Honda is faster – we need more horsepower”. He also praised Honda’s late-season development, after Brno. “I think they are very strong to get reliability while maintaining performance,” he said.
SOURCE:
WITH ANOTHER rider and manufacturer championship under their belt, and at least one machine on the rostrum at every race of the year, it's easy to see why Yamaha's M1 racer is the bike everyone wants to ride.
Explaining the success behind the company’s racing-winning machine, Yamaha's team director and MotoGP group leader Masahiko Nakajima told reporters after the final round in Valencia how the company had developed the devastatingly fast M1 racer.
“We determined that we needed to enhance maximum tyre performance by modifying the chassis, and to improve the engine management system: engine performance was improved by 12 percent and fuel consumption by six percent,” he said. But stability was compromised, and engine reliability suffered.
For 2009, the chassis was modified, with increased vertical rigidity, and a longer wheelbase that gave improving stability.
Wind tunnel engineers improved the fairing's CdA (drag factor to you and me) by five percent and the machine's top speed by one percent.
At the sharp end, the airbox was enlarged, and fuel pressure increased, while the injector positions were also altered. Fuel consumption was addressed with a more efficient combustion chamber design, and by reducing internal friction with new surface treatment for crankshaft and crankcase, said Nakajima, who added: “we focused on part-throttle performance.”
Further advanced analysis showed the “piston temperature was reduced by 30 degrees,” doubling engine life but provoding lacklustre performance, according to some riders. Yamaha's main man, Valentino Rossi, said his new bike's long-life engine felt 'tired'.
“Now, 2,200 km is no problem for the engine,” said Nakajima. “For next year, we need to achieve 2,400 km. Before Brno [when the regulations came into force] engine life was 1,000km without trouble, but with a loss of performance after 600 km.
Asked why Pedrosa’s Honda generally took the hole shot at every race, Nakajima responded: “When the clutch is engaged the Honda is faster – we need more horsepower”. He also praised Honda’s late-season development, after Brno. “I think they are very strong to get reliability while maintaining performance,” he said.
SOURCE:
Valentino Rossi to sign new range for Packard Bell
Valentino Rossi to sign new range for Packard Bell
Great news from Packard Bell for all Valentino Rossi fans. The nine-times world champion of Moto GP will sign a new and exciting line of Packard Bell products designed for the on-the-go lifestyle of all those who love exclusive, unique, top-performance objects.
Under the agreement a new dedicated line of Packard Bell notebooks and netbooks will be created. Packard Bell, as is well known, is targeted to those users seeking style, design, and elegance combined with a reliable and prestigious brand name.
The range of Packard Bell products signed by Valentino Rossi, is being developed now and the line’s exclusive name will be announced upon its market launch. The range has been designed by the creative genius of ALDO DRUDI, Valentino Rossi's graphic designer, and will integrate the most advanced technologies available on the market. Drudi Performance is credited with hundreds of creations that have amused and thrilled all the champion's fans and Moto GP enthusiasts.
A forceful style, swift and brimming with vitality, evokes the brightly coloured world of Valentino Rossi and the universe of Packard Bell users.
“We are absolutely convinced that users are always seeking an affinity that links the choice of a product to their personal aspirations, to what they want to be and the way they are perceived” - commented Gianpiero Morbello, Acer Group Vice President of Marketing & Brand - "What they buy is above all the idea that rotates around the product, conjured up by the brand and the ‘visual details in which they manage to identify themselves. The ‘Valentino Rossi brand’ has now attained such an international fame that is immediately recognized by most people. As far as we are concerned, being able to offer our customers the opportunity to experience the ‘Valentino dream’ through Packard Bell products is extremely rewarding for us, making us very proud.”
These Packard Bell notebooks and netbooks will be a must-have as soon as they are made available to the general public, as they will sport the signature of Valentino Rossi on the shell, as well as the number 46, or perhaps the Sun & Moon that distinguish the champion's helmet, or even the now famous nickname ‘The Doctor’.
“Technology is now an integral part of all our lives. In my job, the need to continually compete against talented opponents pushes me to improve and, without a doubt, technology was a substantial factor in all the results I have achieved and laurels I have collected. On the job and at home, a computer is something we can no longer do without” – confirms Valentino Rossi.
Packard Bell is highly specialised in the creation of devices that perfectly fulfil the needs of modern users always on the go: innovative products that keep pace with the times, rich in design details, simple to use and reliable.
The Packard Bell notebooks and netbooks signed by Valentino Rossi will certainly become a statement as well as making their owners’ personality known to the world. Facing new challenges. Like a true champion.
SOURCE:
Great news from Packard Bell for all Valentino Rossi fans. The nine-times world champion of Moto GP will sign a new and exciting line of Packard Bell products designed for the on-the-go lifestyle of all those who love exclusive, unique, top-performance objects.
Under the agreement a new dedicated line of Packard Bell notebooks and netbooks will be created. Packard Bell, as is well known, is targeted to those users seeking style, design, and elegance combined with a reliable and prestigious brand name.
The range of Packard Bell products signed by Valentino Rossi, is being developed now and the line’s exclusive name will be announced upon its market launch. The range has been designed by the creative genius of ALDO DRUDI, Valentino Rossi's graphic designer, and will integrate the most advanced technologies available on the market. Drudi Performance is credited with hundreds of creations that have amused and thrilled all the champion's fans and Moto GP enthusiasts.
A forceful style, swift and brimming with vitality, evokes the brightly coloured world of Valentino Rossi and the universe of Packard Bell users.
“We are absolutely convinced that users are always seeking an affinity that links the choice of a product to their personal aspirations, to what they want to be and the way they are perceived” - commented Gianpiero Morbello, Acer Group Vice President of Marketing & Brand - "What they buy is above all the idea that rotates around the product, conjured up by the brand and the ‘visual details in which they manage to identify themselves. The ‘Valentino Rossi brand’ has now attained such an international fame that is immediately recognized by most people. As far as we are concerned, being able to offer our customers the opportunity to experience the ‘Valentino dream’ through Packard Bell products is extremely rewarding for us, making us very proud.”
These Packard Bell notebooks and netbooks will be a must-have as soon as they are made available to the general public, as they will sport the signature of Valentino Rossi on the shell, as well as the number 46, or perhaps the Sun & Moon that distinguish the champion's helmet, or even the now famous nickname ‘The Doctor’.
“Technology is now an integral part of all our lives. In my job, the need to continually compete against talented opponents pushes me to improve and, without a doubt, technology was a substantial factor in all the results I have achieved and laurels I have collected. On the job and at home, a computer is something we can no longer do without” – confirms Valentino Rossi.
Packard Bell is highly specialised in the creation of devices that perfectly fulfil the needs of modern users always on the go: innovative products that keep pace with the times, rich in design details, simple to use and reliable.
The Packard Bell notebooks and netbooks signed by Valentino Rossi will certainly become a statement as well as making their owners’ personality known to the world. Facing new challenges. Like a true champion.
SOURCE:
Stoner beats Rossi for home victory, Lorenzo falls
Stoner beats Rossi for home victory, Lorenzo falls
Casey Stoner returned to the top step of the MotoGP podium after a race long battle with Valentino Rossi during the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, which ended with Stoner's third home victory in a row and Rossi on the brink of his seventh MotoGP crown.
The race began with drama when Rossi's only remaining title rival, Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, crashed out at the very first turn.
Starting fourth on the grid, Lorenzo was passed on either side by Ducati riders Nicky Hayden and Mika Kallio on the approach to turn one, then clipped the back of Hayden as the field hit the brakes.
Unable to make the turn, Lorenzo lost control of his M1 and was dumped onto the asphalt before bouncing through the grass and gravel. Hayden also ran off track, but remained on two wheels.
Rossi, whose title advantage had been cut to 18 points over Lorenzo heading into the event, was immediately informed of the Spaniard's exit via his pit board - allowing him to focus on fighting Stoner for victory.
Stoner had taken the lead from fast-starting Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa on lap two, with Rossi soon pushing the Spaniard back to third.
As predicted, the two world champions soon broke away from the field, with Stoner - riding in a special white livery with an Australian flag on the side of his Ducati - just half a second ahead of Rossi by the halfway point of the 27 laps.
The race proved the toughest test possible for Stoner's improving physical condition, having missed three rounds due to fatigue problems, and the #27 proved more than up for the task - absorbing intense pressure from Rossi for the rest of the race.
The 24-year-old kept his sliding Desmosedici just out of The Doctor's reach to take his third victory of the season - but first since round five at Mugello - by 1.935sec, after Rossi backed off in the final turns. Stoner has now retaken third in the championship by six points from Pedrosa.
Rossi, rocked by the news of his stepfather's suicide in Italy, now holds a 38 point lead over Lorenzo and can afford to lose 13 points to the Spaniard in next weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix and still claim his ninth world title before the Valencia season finale.
After being overtaken by Stoner and Rossi, Pedrosa rode to a lonely third place, a massive 22.6sec from victory but ten seconds in front of satellite Honda rider Alex de Angelis.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3's Colin Edwards fought back from a poor first lap to finish where he began, in fifth - with Pedrosa's factory Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso sixth, Hayate's Marco Melandri seventh and LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet eighth.
de Angelis, de Puniet and Loris Capirossi are now all tied for seventh in the world championship standings.
Capirossi was demoted to the back of the grid after becoming the first rider to break the new MotoGP engine limit and went on to finish the race in twelfth place, one spot behind Rizla Suzuki team-mate Chris Vermeulen.
Mika Kallio held sixth for the first half of the race, before slipping back to ninth at the flag for Pramac Ducati, with Toni Elias tenth on the second San Carlo Honda Gresini machine.
James Toseland was pulled in to serve a jump start penalty on lap ten - something the Tech 3 rider indicated he didn't deserve - and went on to finished 14th, a fraction behind Scot Honda's Gabor Talmacsi. A lapped Hayden was 15th and last.
Niccolo Canepa, who injured his arm in Friday practice, watched the race from the Pramac Ducati pits and is also expected to miss the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Aleix Espargaro, who has taken Canepa's seat for 2010, is on standby to replace the Italian should he be unfit for Sepang.
Australian Grand Prix:
1. Stoner
2. Rossi
3. Pedrosa
4. de Angelis
5. Edwards
6. Dovizioso
7. Melandri
8. de Puniet
9. Kallio
10. Elias
11. Vermeulen
12. Capirossi
13. Talmacsi
14. Toseland
15. Hayden
SOURCE:
Casey Stoner returned to the top step of the MotoGP podium after a race long battle with Valentino Rossi during the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, which ended with Stoner's third home victory in a row and Rossi on the brink of his seventh MotoGP crown.
The race began with drama when Rossi's only remaining title rival, Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, crashed out at the very first turn.
Starting fourth on the grid, Lorenzo was passed on either side by Ducati riders Nicky Hayden and Mika Kallio on the approach to turn one, then clipped the back of Hayden as the field hit the brakes.
Unable to make the turn, Lorenzo lost control of his M1 and was dumped onto the asphalt before bouncing through the grass and gravel. Hayden also ran off track, but remained on two wheels.
Rossi, whose title advantage had been cut to 18 points over Lorenzo heading into the event, was immediately informed of the Spaniard's exit via his pit board - allowing him to focus on fighting Stoner for victory.
Stoner had taken the lead from fast-starting Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa on lap two, with Rossi soon pushing the Spaniard back to third.
As predicted, the two world champions soon broke away from the field, with Stoner - riding in a special white livery with an Australian flag on the side of his Ducati - just half a second ahead of Rossi by the halfway point of the 27 laps.
The race proved the toughest test possible for Stoner's improving physical condition, having missed three rounds due to fatigue problems, and the #27 proved more than up for the task - absorbing intense pressure from Rossi for the rest of the race.
The 24-year-old kept his sliding Desmosedici just out of The Doctor's reach to take his third victory of the season - but first since round five at Mugello - by 1.935sec, after Rossi backed off in the final turns. Stoner has now retaken third in the championship by six points from Pedrosa.
Rossi, rocked by the news of his stepfather's suicide in Italy, now holds a 38 point lead over Lorenzo and can afford to lose 13 points to the Spaniard in next weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix and still claim his ninth world title before the Valencia season finale.
After being overtaken by Stoner and Rossi, Pedrosa rode to a lonely third place, a massive 22.6sec from victory but ten seconds in front of satellite Honda rider Alex de Angelis.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3's Colin Edwards fought back from a poor first lap to finish where he began, in fifth - with Pedrosa's factory Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso sixth, Hayate's Marco Melandri seventh and LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet eighth.
de Angelis, de Puniet and Loris Capirossi are now all tied for seventh in the world championship standings.
Capirossi was demoted to the back of the grid after becoming the first rider to break the new MotoGP engine limit and went on to finish the race in twelfth place, one spot behind Rizla Suzuki team-mate Chris Vermeulen.
Mika Kallio held sixth for the first half of the race, before slipping back to ninth at the flag for Pramac Ducati, with Toni Elias tenth on the second San Carlo Honda Gresini machine.
James Toseland was pulled in to serve a jump start penalty on lap ten - something the Tech 3 rider indicated he didn't deserve - and went on to finished 14th, a fraction behind Scot Honda's Gabor Talmacsi. A lapped Hayden was 15th and last.
Niccolo Canepa, who injured his arm in Friday practice, watched the race from the Pramac Ducati pits and is also expected to miss the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Aleix Espargaro, who has taken Canepa's seat for 2010, is on standby to replace the Italian should he be unfit for Sepang.
Australian Grand Prix:
1. Stoner
2. Rossi
3. Pedrosa
4. de Angelis
5. Edwards
6. Dovizioso
7. Melandri
8. de Puniet
9. Kallio
10. Elias
11. Vermeulen
12. Capirossi
13. Talmacsi
14. Toseland
15. Hayden
SOURCE:
Rossi and crew chief rubbish Ducati rumours
Rossi and crew chief rubbish Ducati rumours
With one hand now firmly on the 2009 MotoGP title, Valentino Rossi strenuously denied his other hand was poised to sign a mega money deal to join Ducati in Phillip Island.
He told MCN: "There are a lot of rumours in Italy that I will race for Ducati next year, but that is impossible because I already have a contract with Yamaha and I want to stay with them for next year. For the future I will decide by June if I continue and with which bike."
Rossi's crew chief Jerry Burgess described suggestions that he'd joined the Italian star in shock negotiations with Ducati bosses recently as 'laughable'.
Burgess said the spreading of gossip about Rossi¹s future was harmless but ludicrous. "Lets break it down to what it is. It's a bunch of dickhead Italian journalists trying to out-scandal each other," he said.
"Apparently I was seen in a car with Uccio and it had blacked out windows at the back, so the assumption was made that Valentino was in the back. But to be in Bologna the week when I was at home in Australia is laughable. I've got my plane ticket to prove it."
SOURCE:
With one hand now firmly on the 2009 MotoGP title, Valentino Rossi strenuously denied his other hand was poised to sign a mega money deal to join Ducati in Phillip Island.
He told MCN: "There are a lot of rumours in Italy that I will race for Ducati next year, but that is impossible because I already have a contract with Yamaha and I want to stay with them for next year. For the future I will decide by June if I continue and with which bike."
Rossi's crew chief Jerry Burgess described suggestions that he'd joined the Italian star in shock negotiations with Ducati bosses recently as 'laughable'.
Burgess said the spreading of gossip about Rossi¹s future was harmless but ludicrous. "Lets break it down to what it is. It's a bunch of dickhead Italian journalists trying to out-scandal each other," he said.
"Apparently I was seen in a car with Uccio and it had blacked out windows at the back, so the assumption was made that Valentino was in the back. But to be in Bologna the week when I was at home in Australia is laughable. I've got my plane ticket to prove it."
SOURCE:
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Is Rossi getting ready for retirement?
Do a quick google search and you will see that rumours are rife linking the Italian, Valentino Rossi to a move to Ducati. The two-wheeled genius has come out rubbishing reports along with his crew chief Jeremy Burgess stating that he has a contract with Yamaha for next year.
Me personally, I think that Rossi is ready to hang up his leathers and make the move to rallying. Rossi has mentioned that he would like to end his career on an Italian bike and that is what he is doing methinks. Rewind a few years back to 2003 and remember how he denied rumours that he was moving to Yamaha – we all know how that turned out.
Then there were the rumours before Yamaha popped up that he was planning a move to Ferarri in Formula 1. That stemmed from Rossi’s boredom in MotoGP and lack of any form of challenge – then came Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner, the latter who won a World Championship crown during Rossi’s tenure. There is no doubt that Rossi will win this year’s title against Pedrosa and Stoner…what challenge is now left?
The Yamaha denial aside, can we take what Rossi denies at face value – he did after all state that he will never race with cigarette sponsorship on his bike…what are Camel and Gauloises?
SOURCE:
Me personally, I think that Rossi is ready to hang up his leathers and make the move to rallying. Rossi has mentioned that he would like to end his career on an Italian bike and that is what he is doing methinks. Rewind a few years back to 2003 and remember how he denied rumours that he was moving to Yamaha – we all know how that turned out.
Then there were the rumours before Yamaha popped up that he was planning a move to Ferarri in Formula 1. That stemmed from Rossi’s boredom in MotoGP and lack of any form of challenge – then came Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner, the latter who won a World Championship crown during Rossi’s tenure. There is no doubt that Rossi will win this year’s title against Pedrosa and Stoner…what challenge is now left?
The Yamaha denial aside, can we take what Rossi denies at face value – he did after all state that he will never race with cigarette sponsorship on his bike…what are Camel and Gauloises?
SOURCE:
Rossi on course to claim title in Malaysia
Valentino Rossi is on track for his seventh premier title from this weekend's Malaysian MotoGP with a 38-point advantage.
A top-four ride in Sepang, south of the capital Kuala Lumpur, will be enough for the 30-year-old Italian to be crowned 2009 World champion on Sunday.
Rossi, fresh from second place in Australia last weekend, has sweet memories of wins in Sepang - the season's penultimate event and a circuit he has repeatedly said is a personal favourite.
"Phillip Island was like gold dust for us in terms of points and now we go to Malaysia, another of my favourite tracks," he said
Rossi has a history of good form in the Malaysian heat
.
"Of course anything can happen but it's a great track for me and the Yamaha works well there. We have a good chance but there is no chance to relax - everybody is focused, motivated and excited."
Rossi has a history of good form in the Malaysian heat. He won from second on the grid in 2008 and has had seven podium finishes there, including five wins.
Second place in Australian extended his championship points tally to 270 after title rival and Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo's first-lap crash.
Lorenzo's inability to complete the race means that, even if he wins in Sepang, Rossi only needs to finish fourth to take his ninth World title across all classes. Lorenzo is second with 232 points.
He is the only rider who can stop the Italian from taking the title on Sunday but there will also be interest in the battle for third in the championship
'It's not easy to find the perfect set-up there' - Stoner
.
Dani Pedrosa was overtaken by Casey Stoner at Phillip Island, whose win on home soil moved the Ducati rider up to third in the standings at Pedrosa's expense.
Stoner said: "Sepang will be a tough race. It's not easy to find the perfect set-up there but that's always been the case and with every day that passes I feel stronger and more confident that I can be competitive in both of the two races that remain."
Honda rider Pedrosa, six points behind Stoner on 195, is determined to beat Stoner. This is the penultimate outing of the season so he knows how crucial the race is.
First free practice will be on Friday, the race on Sunday. - AFP
Championship points
MotoGP
1 Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 270
2 Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Yamaha) 232
3 Casey Stoner (AUS/Ducati) 195
4 Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 189
5 Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Honda) 152
6 Colin Edwards (USA/Yamaha) 145
7 Alex de Angelis (RSM/Honda) 101
8 Randy de Puniet (FRA/Honda) 101
9 Loris Capirossi (ITA/Suzuki) 101
10 Marco Melandri (ITA/Kawasaki) 100
250cc
1 Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN/Honda) 227
2 Marco Simoncelli (ITA/Gilera) 215,
3 Alvaro Bautista (ESP/Aprilia) 198
4 Hector Barbera (ESP/Aprilia) 194
5 Mattia Pasini (ITA/Aprilia) 128
125cc
1 Julian Simon (ESP/Aprilia) 239
2 Bradley Smith (GBR/Aprilia) 183.5
3 Nicolas Terol (ESP/Aprilia) 162.5
4 Pol Espargaro (ESP/Derbi) 142.5
5 Sergio Gadea (ESP/Aprilia) 128
SOURCE:
A top-four ride in Sepang, south of the capital Kuala Lumpur, will be enough for the 30-year-old Italian to be crowned 2009 World champion on Sunday.
Rossi, fresh from second place in Australia last weekend, has sweet memories of wins in Sepang - the season's penultimate event and a circuit he has repeatedly said is a personal favourite.
"Phillip Island was like gold dust for us in terms of points and now we go to Malaysia, another of my favourite tracks," he said
Rossi has a history of good form in the Malaysian heat
.
"Of course anything can happen but it's a great track for me and the Yamaha works well there. We have a good chance but there is no chance to relax - everybody is focused, motivated and excited."
Rossi has a history of good form in the Malaysian heat. He won from second on the grid in 2008 and has had seven podium finishes there, including five wins.
Second place in Australian extended his championship points tally to 270 after title rival and Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo's first-lap crash.
Lorenzo's inability to complete the race means that, even if he wins in Sepang, Rossi only needs to finish fourth to take his ninth World title across all classes. Lorenzo is second with 232 points.
He is the only rider who can stop the Italian from taking the title on Sunday but there will also be interest in the battle for third in the championship
'It's not easy to find the perfect set-up there' - Stoner
.
Dani Pedrosa was overtaken by Casey Stoner at Phillip Island, whose win on home soil moved the Ducati rider up to third in the standings at Pedrosa's expense.
Stoner said: "Sepang will be a tough race. It's not easy to find the perfect set-up there but that's always been the case and with every day that passes I feel stronger and more confident that I can be competitive in both of the two races that remain."
Honda rider Pedrosa, six points behind Stoner on 195, is determined to beat Stoner. This is the penultimate outing of the season so he knows how crucial the race is.
First free practice will be on Friday, the race on Sunday. - AFP
Championship points
MotoGP
1 Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 270
2 Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Yamaha) 232
3 Casey Stoner (AUS/Ducati) 195
4 Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 189
5 Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Honda) 152
6 Colin Edwards (USA/Yamaha) 145
7 Alex de Angelis (RSM/Honda) 101
8 Randy de Puniet (FRA/Honda) 101
9 Loris Capirossi (ITA/Suzuki) 101
10 Marco Melandri (ITA/Kawasaki) 100
250cc
1 Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN/Honda) 227
2 Marco Simoncelli (ITA/Gilera) 215,
3 Alvaro Bautista (ESP/Aprilia) 198
4 Hector Barbera (ESP/Aprilia) 194
5 Mattia Pasini (ITA/Aprilia) 128
125cc
1 Julian Simon (ESP/Aprilia) 239
2 Bradley Smith (GBR/Aprilia) 183.5
3 Nicolas Terol (ESP/Aprilia) 162.5
4 Pol Espargaro (ESP/Derbi) 142.5
5 Sergio Gadea (ESP/Aprilia) 128
SOURCE:
Monday, November 23, 2009
Casey Stoner edged out world MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi to claim pole position at his home Australian Grand Prix on Saturday and boost his chances of a third successive victory at Phillip Island.
Casey Stoner played down his chances of claiming a third successive win at Phillip Island.
The 2007 world champion will start from the front of the grid for the second year in a row after continuing his superb form following a three-race absence due to a mystery illness.
The Queenslander, who was second in Portugal on his comeback two weeks ago, set a fastest time of one minute 30.341 seconds on his Ducati -- just 0.050 seconds ahead of Rossi after an engrossing battle with the Italian.
Stoner, who turned 24 on Friday, was quick to play down his chances of winning on Sunday.
"We don't have the same grip levels that we have had the last two years here," he told the official MotoGP Web site. "With the stiffer chassis which we have now it works very well at some circuits, but not so well at others. So we have lost that advantage.
"We definitely have more corner speed, but we are spinning a lot as we come out of corners and we can't get it to hook up so we're working a lot on the rear end.
"We've shortened the bike, we've changed some of the pivot positions, we've dropped the riding height, all sorts of things, but we are still searching for something for tomorrow. The warm-up session is going to be very important."
Honda's Dani Pedrosa survived a crash to secure third place after having to use a second bike as he edged past Rossi's Fiat Yamaha teammate and main title rival Jorge Lorenzo.
Lorenzo, who closed to within 18 points of Rossi with three races remaining after his victory at Estoril, missed out on a front-row start for the first time this season.
"We still don't have enough grip on the rear and the tire is spinning too much, which makes it difficult to be fast enough. Tomorrow I will try to adapt my riding style instead in order to try to make it onto the podium," he said.
"I feel better than yesterday but I'm still not at 100 percent. I feel quite weak still because I haven't been able to eat much."
The Spaniard will be joined on the second row by Monster Yamaha Tech 3's veteran American rider Colin Edwards and Honda's Alex de Angelis, who bounced back after an early spill.
The rest of the top-10 qualifiers was made up by Stoner's teammate Nicky Hayden, LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet, Mika Kallio of Pramac Racing and Repsol Honda's Andrea Dovizioso.
SOURCE:
Casey Stoner played down his chances of claiming a third successive win at Phillip Island.
The 2007 world champion will start from the front of the grid for the second year in a row after continuing his superb form following a three-race absence due to a mystery illness.
The Queenslander, who was second in Portugal on his comeback two weeks ago, set a fastest time of one minute 30.341 seconds on his Ducati -- just 0.050 seconds ahead of Rossi after an engrossing battle with the Italian.
Stoner, who turned 24 on Friday, was quick to play down his chances of winning on Sunday.
"We don't have the same grip levels that we have had the last two years here," he told the official MotoGP Web site. "With the stiffer chassis which we have now it works very well at some circuits, but not so well at others. So we have lost that advantage.
"We definitely have more corner speed, but we are spinning a lot as we come out of corners and we can't get it to hook up so we're working a lot on the rear end.
"We've shortened the bike, we've changed some of the pivot positions, we've dropped the riding height, all sorts of things, but we are still searching for something for tomorrow. The warm-up session is going to be very important."
Honda's Dani Pedrosa survived a crash to secure third place after having to use a second bike as he edged past Rossi's Fiat Yamaha teammate and main title rival Jorge Lorenzo.
Lorenzo, who closed to within 18 points of Rossi with three races remaining after his victory at Estoril, missed out on a front-row start for the first time this season.
"We still don't have enough grip on the rear and the tire is spinning too much, which makes it difficult to be fast enough. Tomorrow I will try to adapt my riding style instead in order to try to make it onto the podium," he said.
"I feel better than yesterday but I'm still not at 100 percent. I feel quite weak still because I haven't been able to eat much."
The Spaniard will be joined on the second row by Monster Yamaha Tech 3's veteran American rider Colin Edwards and Honda's Alex de Angelis, who bounced back after an early spill.
The rest of the top-10 qualifiers was made up by Stoner's teammate Nicky Hayden, LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet, Mika Kallio of Pramac Racing and Repsol Honda's Andrea Dovizioso.
SOURCE:
Pesaro, Italy - Authorities in Italy ordered Saturday a post-mortem on the body of Moto GP world champion Valentino Rossi's stepfather who is believed to have committed suicide, news reports said.
The 52-year-old Mauro Tecchi was found Friday lying on a bed in his house in the central Italian town of Pesaro with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the ANSA news agency reported.
Tecchi, who married Rossi's mother Stefania Palma in 2007, apparently placed a pillow on his chest before pulling the trigger of a 12-gauge shotgun which was found near his body, the reports said.
Tecchi died either Tuesday or early Wednesday but his body was only discovered Friday when Palma, who was at the time out of town, alerted neighbours after repeatedly trying to phone her husband.
News of Tecchi's death came ahead of Sunday's Australian Moto GP race in Sydney where Rossi has qualified third on the starting grid.
Rossi has an 18-point lead in the championship standings over his Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo who qualified fourth quickest.
SOURCE:
The 52-year-old Mauro Tecchi was found Friday lying on a bed in his house in the central Italian town of Pesaro with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the ANSA news agency reported.
Tecchi, who married Rossi's mother Stefania Palma in 2007, apparently placed a pillow on his chest before pulling the trigger of a 12-gauge shotgun which was found near his body, the reports said.
Tecchi died either Tuesday or early Wednesday but his body was only discovered Friday when Palma, who was at the time out of town, alerted neighbours after repeatedly trying to phone her husband.
News of Tecchi's death came ahead of Sunday's Australian Moto GP race in Sydney where Rossi has qualified third on the starting grid.
Rossi has an 18-point lead in the championship standings over his Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo who qualified fourth quickest.
SOURCE:
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Lorenzo seeks help to beat Rossi
MILAN: Jorge Lorenzo hopes Ducati’s Casey Stoner will do him a favour as he bids to beat Yamaha teammate and defending champion Valentino Rossi to the MotoGP title.
Rossi: Raikkonen is not fast enough burning rubber
Valentino Rossi's voice was familiarly squeaky and high-pitched with the usual rushed eccentric delivery that suggests he wants to stress his opinion before he forgets what he is talking about.
This time the biker, who is fast becoming a legend on two wheels, was opining not about his beloved
MotoGp but about Formula One, Ferrari and the Prancing Horse outfit's puzzlingly faded force, Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn, as gloomy a personality as you would hope never to find yourself alone with if you were trapped in an elevator, has been turfed out by Ferrari after hitting a series of low spots following his 2007 season.
One win in Belgium in August was not enough to save the 29 year old who has fallen short of any justification for a £30m-a-year salary — and he has been hoofed out to make way for double-champ Fernando Alonso on the same wage.
Rossi, who rumour has it has been earmarked to link up with Ferrari when he eventually quits motorbike racing, though in what capacity is not clear, reckons Raikkonen is simply not quick enough.
Coming from a daredevil biker whose blistering speed, ability and bravery at 200-plus mph on two wheels, that is indeed conditioned criticism.
It is not as if Rossi doesn't know what he is talking about: He has been tested by Ferrari and earned plaudits from the team for his performance in the unfamiliar surroundings of a 220-mph flyer of an F1 missile.
Ferrari kingpin Luca Montezemolo would dearly love to have Rossi in his team's red livery — and I am told that could happen, but as a test driver with only an outside chance of his being frontline in Formula One.
Whatever… he certainly would not have the long-gone Raikkonen as his teammate and he said: "After Michael Schumacher left, Ferrari put everything on Kimi — but he is not very fast."
Rossi, hunting down his seventh premier classs championship as MotoGp's top-paid rider on £15 million, pondering seriously on Montezemolo's keeness to have him and bolstered by F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone's pleas to do it, reveals: "I really enjoyed the test runs I had. And they gave me a good feeling for Ferrari and Formula One — but at the moment I am happy in MotoGp. Who knows what the future holds?"
I don't know him personally — but maybe I'll get the chance in the future.
SOURCE:
This time the biker, who is fast becoming a legend on two wheels, was opining not about his beloved
MotoGp but about Formula One, Ferrari and the Prancing Horse outfit's puzzlingly faded force, Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn, as gloomy a personality as you would hope never to find yourself alone with if you were trapped in an elevator, has been turfed out by Ferrari after hitting a series of low spots following his 2007 season.
One win in Belgium in August was not enough to save the 29 year old who has fallen short of any justification for a £30m-a-year salary — and he has been hoofed out to make way for double-champ Fernando Alonso on the same wage.
Rossi, who rumour has it has been earmarked to link up with Ferrari when he eventually quits motorbike racing, though in what capacity is not clear, reckons Raikkonen is simply not quick enough.
Coming from a daredevil biker whose blistering speed, ability and bravery at 200-plus mph on two wheels, that is indeed conditioned criticism.
It is not as if Rossi doesn't know what he is talking about: He has been tested by Ferrari and earned plaudits from the team for his performance in the unfamiliar surroundings of a 220-mph flyer of an F1 missile.
Ferrari kingpin Luca Montezemolo would dearly love to have Rossi in his team's red livery — and I am told that could happen, but as a test driver with only an outside chance of his being frontline in Formula One.
Whatever… he certainly would not have the long-gone Raikkonen as his teammate and he said: "After Michael Schumacher left, Ferrari put everything on Kimi — but he is not very fast."
Rossi, hunting down his seventh premier classs championship as MotoGp's top-paid rider on £15 million, pondering seriously on Montezemolo's keeness to have him and bolstered by F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone's pleas to do it, reveals: "I really enjoyed the test runs I had. And they gave me a good feeling for Ferrari and Formula One — but at the moment I am happy in MotoGp. Who knows what the future holds?"
I don't know him personally — but maybe I'll get the chance in the future.
SOURCE:
Rossi: An Inside Look
Valentino Rossi’s ability to co-develop his Yamaha YZR-M1 closely with his Chief Mechanic at Fiat Yamaha, Jeremy Burgess, has formed the basis of the pair’s success at the Japanese manufacturer, says the Australian. Ahead of the Iveco Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island on the weekend of October 16th-18th in his homeland, Burgess has spoken of the importance of Rossi’s input in turning his bike into a three-time world title winning machine to date.
Burgess joined Rossi in his switch from Honda to Yamaha for the 2004 season, as they continued their winning formula, and Burgess maintains the six-time MotoGP champion’s input has been just as crucial as his own technical expertise.
“I think Motorcycling will never be the same because Valentino Rossi showed that he could win on a Honda that other riders could win on, and he could then take the Yamaha machine that no other riders could consistently win on and win on it,” said Burgess.
“I couldn’t go into Yamaha and scream and yell and change the way they did things, it was necessary to work together with Valentino and the Yamaha Engineers to solve the problems they had. We had to take a step back and analyse why we at that time, or they at that time, had not been as competitive as their opposition. We had to diplomatically change the direction without making anybody look as if they had been making mistakes.”
Burgess continued, “Certainly, my objective from an engineering perspective is to make a bike that all riders can ride. It’s a very well tuned bike which has been developed by Valentino Rossi, and any rider coming in to ride this bike doesn’t have to worry about development. They have the ability and the information that we have put together over many years, combined with the settings we have from the last two especially – and particularly with the Bridgestone tires – so it’s not as easy to develop the bike as it is to ride the bike. We have a rider in Valentino who develops the bike and we have on the other side of the garage one guy who just has to ride.”
SOURCE:
Burgess joined Rossi in his switch from Honda to Yamaha for the 2004 season, as they continued their winning formula, and Burgess maintains the six-time MotoGP champion’s input has been just as crucial as his own technical expertise.
“I think Motorcycling will never be the same because Valentino Rossi showed that he could win on a Honda that other riders could win on, and he could then take the Yamaha machine that no other riders could consistently win on and win on it,” said Burgess.
“I couldn’t go into Yamaha and scream and yell and change the way they did things, it was necessary to work together with Valentino and the Yamaha Engineers to solve the problems they had. We had to take a step back and analyse why we at that time, or they at that time, had not been as competitive as their opposition. We had to diplomatically change the direction without making anybody look as if they had been making mistakes.”
Burgess continued, “Certainly, my objective from an engineering perspective is to make a bike that all riders can ride. It’s a very well tuned bike which has been developed by Valentino Rossi, and any rider coming in to ride this bike doesn’t have to worry about development. They have the ability and the information that we have put together over many years, combined with the settings we have from the last two especially – and particularly with the Bridgestone tires – so it’s not as easy to develop the bike as it is to ride the bike. We have a rider in Valentino who develops the bike and we have on the other side of the garage one guy who just has to ride.”
SOURCE:
Lorenzo: "Rossi copies my settings"
PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX victor Jorge Lorenzo has claimed reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi often copies the Spaniard's race settings. In an interview with Italian magazine 'Riders' Lorenzo states: “My truth is that Valentino has developed the Yamaha from 2004, but if we’re talking about setting up the bike during race weekends, it’s absolutely not true that I copy his settings.”
“I have my crewchief, he sets my bike up. To tell the truth in some races, it’s Valentino’s team that copies my settings. It’s normal. I can see Valentino’s telemetry data and he can see mine; we can look at his settings and he looks at ours.”
With just three races remaining on the 2009 calendar and just 18 separating Lorenzo and arch rival Rossi, it's easy to see why the Spaniard is keen to stand his ground:
“I’d like to say that from one race to another, I change very few things, and I’m almost sure that in some races, Valentino’s team has changed his set-up to follow our indications. Each weekend I’m fast from Friday. If I copy his, I’d be fast only on Saturday or Sunday.”
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“I have my crewchief, he sets my bike up. To tell the truth in some races, it’s Valentino’s team that copies my settings. It’s normal. I can see Valentino’s telemetry data and he can see mine; we can look at his settings and he looks at ours.”
With just three races remaining on the 2009 calendar and just 18 separating Lorenzo and arch rival Rossi, it's easy to see why the Spaniard is keen to stand his ground:
“I’d like to say that from one race to another, I change very few things, and I’m almost sure that in some races, Valentino’s team has changed his set-up to follow our indications. Each weekend I’m fast from Friday. If I copy his, I’d be fast only on Saturday or Sunday.”
SOURCE:
Rossi wary of refreshed Stoner
The immediate return to form of Australian MotoGP star Casey Stoner has reinforced series leader Valentino Rossi's fear of being overtaken by the sports young guns before he can achieve his ultimate goal.
Rossi is headed towards his seventh world title in the elite class and at the age of 30 has given himself just two more years to break the record of eight held by fellow Italian Giacomo Agostini.
Stoner, 23, stunned his rivals by finishing second in the recent Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril on his return from a 10-week break from the sport to try to resolve a mystery illness.
The race was won by 22-year-old Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, who, with Stoner, is one of the new force of young riders Rossi is trying to keep at bay.
"If I am not strong, I know that Casey and Jorge will eat me in one bite," Rossi said.
"Earlier this season I was not very strong, not fast enough, so it was like when you start to lose blood in front of a shark.
"In this case, Stoner and Lorenzo are the sharks and they look at me with a little bit of blood flowing and maybe they thought, 'OK, now is the time'.
"They both finished ahead of me in Mugello (in Italy) in May and they thought now we have beaten Valentino in Italy we can beat him everywhere.
"But fortunately I became stronger."
After treading water early in the season, Rossi has now won six times from 13 races. Combined his main rivals Lorenzo (4), Stoner (2) and Dani Pedrosa (1) have won seven.
"This is very important because I now have more wins than Stoner and Lorenzo combined so I have to continue like this," Rossi said.
"But even with six wins from 13 races it is a very tough championship.
"I have strong rivals who give everything to try and beat me so I have to give more than 100 per cent to stay at the top."
Both Stoner and Lorenzo had each won two early-season races to get a jump on Rossi before Stoner was slowed by an unknown virus which sapped his energy at the Barcelona GP.
To try to recover he took a mid-season break and was been missing from racing since finishing 14th in the British GP in late July.
Because of his absence on sick leave Stoner has slipped to fourth in the standings with the championship now out of reach.
Rossi holds an 18-point lead over Lorenzo with three races remaining, including next week's Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
SOURCE:
Rossi is headed towards his seventh world title in the elite class and at the age of 30 has given himself just two more years to break the record of eight held by fellow Italian Giacomo Agostini.
Stoner, 23, stunned his rivals by finishing second in the recent Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril on his return from a 10-week break from the sport to try to resolve a mystery illness.
The race was won by 22-year-old Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, who, with Stoner, is one of the new force of young riders Rossi is trying to keep at bay.
"If I am not strong, I know that Casey and Jorge will eat me in one bite," Rossi said.
"Earlier this season I was not very strong, not fast enough, so it was like when you start to lose blood in front of a shark.
"In this case, Stoner and Lorenzo are the sharks and they look at me with a little bit of blood flowing and maybe they thought, 'OK, now is the time'.
"They both finished ahead of me in Mugello (in Italy) in May and they thought now we have beaten Valentino in Italy we can beat him everywhere.
"But fortunately I became stronger."
After treading water early in the season, Rossi has now won six times from 13 races. Combined his main rivals Lorenzo (4), Stoner (2) and Dani Pedrosa (1) have won seven.
"This is very important because I now have more wins than Stoner and Lorenzo combined so I have to continue like this," Rossi said.
"But even with six wins from 13 races it is a very tough championship.
"I have strong rivals who give everything to try and beat me so I have to give more than 100 per cent to stay at the top."
Both Stoner and Lorenzo had each won two early-season races to get a jump on Rossi before Stoner was slowed by an unknown virus which sapped his energy at the Barcelona GP.
To try to recover he took a mid-season break and was been missing from racing since finishing 14th in the British GP in late July.
Because of his absence on sick leave Stoner has slipped to fourth in the standings with the championship now out of reach.
Rossi holds an 18-point lead over Lorenzo with three races remaining, including next week's Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
SOURCE:
Rossi not happy with set-up yet
Rossi not happy with set-up yet
Valentino Rossi complained of braking issues with his Yamaha following today's first practice for the Portuguese MotoGP.
The reigning world champion was third fastest in the session but nearly half a second slower than team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.
He puts some of that time down to not yet having found a good brake balance and is confident he can close the gap in Saturday morning's sessions.
"The first practice was not so bad but we had some problems, especially in the braking," said Rossi. "We are not strong enough and suffer quite a lot with stopping the bike.
"This track is difficult for braking so we have to find the right balance. But we have some ideas for tomorrow and we hope to be more competitive.
"My laptime is not so bad for the first practice but we have some disadvantage and we have to improve the base. The work we do in practice will make the difference so the first target is to arrive on Sunday with a good setting."
SOURCE:
Valentino Rossi complained of braking issues with his Yamaha following today's first practice for the Portuguese MotoGP.
The reigning world champion was third fastest in the session but nearly half a second slower than team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.
He puts some of that time down to not yet having found a good brake balance and is confident he can close the gap in Saturday morning's sessions.
"The first practice was not so bad but we had some problems, especially in the braking," said Rossi. "We are not strong enough and suffer quite a lot with stopping the bike.
"This track is difficult for braking so we have to find the right balance. But we have some ideas for tomorrow and we hope to be more competitive.
"My laptime is not so bad for the first practice but we have some disadvantage and we have to improve the base. The work we do in practice will make the difference so the first target is to arrive on Sunday with a good setting."
SOURCE:
Friday, October 2, 2009
MotoGP Friday Practice
MotoGP Friday Practice
In good conditions at Estoril, on the opening day of the round 14 weekend, it was Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo who set the pace in the first MotoGP free practice with a best time of 1’37.185s in the closing stages, after heading the timesheet for most of the session.
Lorenzo needs to pile as much pressure as possible on his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi this weekend to stay in the title hunt and the Spanish star will be happy to have started practice in first place, at a venue where he took his first Moto GP win last year.
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was the second quickest participant, demonstrating his pace once again with a 1’37.544 time which was 0.359s down on Lorenzo’s hot lap.
Rossi will not be too disappointed to have commenced the Estoril weekend in third place, with a similar time to Pedrosa’s best, 0.421s behind his championship rival Lorenzo - at a circuit where he has scored five premier class wins.
Casey Stoner was back on track after a three round break, taking his beloved Desmosedici GP9 machine round in a best time of 1’37.966 as the fastest Ducati rider on Friday.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards was fifth once again, a position he has found himself in on several occasions in 2009, going round in just over 1’38 on the satellite Yamaha M1 which he will ride again next year.
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) were sixth and seventh respectively, whilst James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) made a late surge from lower down the order into eighth place. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis and Pramac Racing’s Mika Kallio completed the top ten.
The MotoGP riders will be back on track at 9.55 a.m. local time at Estoril on Saturday morning for Free Practice 2.
SOURCE:
In good conditions at Estoril, on the opening day of the round 14 weekend, it was Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo who set the pace in the first MotoGP free practice with a best time of 1’37.185s in the closing stages, after heading the timesheet for most of the session.
Lorenzo needs to pile as much pressure as possible on his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi this weekend to stay in the title hunt and the Spanish star will be happy to have started practice in first place, at a venue where he took his first Moto GP win last year.
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was the second quickest participant, demonstrating his pace once again with a 1’37.544 time which was 0.359s down on Lorenzo’s hot lap.
Rossi will not be too disappointed to have commenced the Estoril weekend in third place, with a similar time to Pedrosa’s best, 0.421s behind his championship rival Lorenzo - at a circuit where he has scored five premier class wins.
Casey Stoner was back on track after a three round break, taking his beloved Desmosedici GP9 machine round in a best time of 1’37.966 as the fastest Ducati rider on Friday.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards was fifth once again, a position he has found himself in on several occasions in 2009, going round in just over 1’38 on the satellite Yamaha M1 which he will ride again next year.
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) were sixth and seventh respectively, whilst James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) made a late surge from lower down the order into eighth place. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis and Pramac Racing’s Mika Kallio completed the top ten.
The MotoGP riders will be back on track at 9.55 a.m. local time at Estoril on Saturday morning for Free Practice 2.
SOURCE:
MOTOGP Ten years of MotoGP at Estoril
MOTOGP Ten years of MotoGP at Estoril
MOTOGP Ten years of MotoGP at Estoril
2009 will be the tenth year that the Portuguese Grand Prix has been held at the Estoril circuit.
Prior to moving to Estoril there had been two previous Portuguese Grand Prix events, both hosted in Spain; at Jarama in 1987 and Jerez in 1988.
The first Grand Prix event at Estoril was in 2000 and it has been on the calendar every year since.
Below are the highlights of the previous nine Grand Prix events held at Estoril:
2000 Garry McCoy had the honour of winning the first 500cc race at Estoril riding a Yamaha, after qualifying on pole for the only time in the premier-class. In the 250cc class Daijiro Kato took his first GP victory outside of Japan from Olivier Jacque, with Marco Melandri finishing third to become the youngest ever rider to finish on a 250cc podium.
2001 Each of the races were won by riders on their way to winning their respective world titles: 500cc Valentino Rossi, 250cc- Daijiro Kato and 125cc Manuel Poggiali.
2002 Valentino Rossi won a race that was run in very wet conditions, after Sete Gibernau had led for most of the race only to crash out with four laps to go. Fonsi Nieto had an incredible win in the 250cc race after crashing on lap 13 and re-joining the race down in seventh place.
2003 Valentino Rossi won in the premier-class for the third successive year at Estoril. Spanish riders were successful in the smaller classes, with Toni Elias winning the 250cc race and Pablo Nieto taking his one and only GP victory in the 125cc class.
2004 Both Valentino Rossi and Toni Elias repeated the victories of the previous year. The 125cc race was won by Hector Barbera ahead of current MotoGP riders Mika Kallio and Jorge Lorenzo.
2005 Alex Barros dominated proceedings by winning the race from pole position and setting the fastest lap as well as being fastest in every practice session. This was the last time that Barros stood on the top step of the podium in grand prix racing. Casey Stoner won for the first time in the 250cc class, while Mika Kallio took his first ever Grand Prix win in the 125cc class.
2006 After qualifying 11th on the grid, Toni Elias scored his one and only MotoGP victory to date by just 0.002 seconds from Valentino Rossi to equal the closest ever recorded finish in the premier-class since the introduction of electronic timing. Alvaro Bautista's win in the 125cc race was his 14th podium of the year - a new record for most podium finishes in a single season in the 125cc class.
2007 Valentino Rossi won for the fifth time at Estoril after a great battle with Pedrosa. Alvaro Bautista took the 250cc victory after finishing lap one down in twelfth place. Hector Faubel won the 125cc race from championship rival Gabor Talmacsi, with Pol Espargaro taking his first ever GP podium in third.
2008 Last year the Portuguese Grand Prix was the third event of the year and gave Jorge Lorenzo his first MotoGP win after he had qualified on pole for the third successive race. With his victory, Lorenzo became the 100th different rider to win a premier-class grand prix. Alvaro Bautista took his first win of the year in the 250cc class while Simone Corsi took back-to-back wins to extend his lead in the 125cc championship chase.
SOURCE:
MOTOGP Ten years of MotoGP at Estoril
2009 will be the tenth year that the Portuguese Grand Prix has been held at the Estoril circuit.
Prior to moving to Estoril there had been two previous Portuguese Grand Prix events, both hosted in Spain; at Jarama in 1987 and Jerez in 1988.
The first Grand Prix event at Estoril was in 2000 and it has been on the calendar every year since.
Below are the highlights of the previous nine Grand Prix events held at Estoril:
2000 Garry McCoy had the honour of winning the first 500cc race at Estoril riding a Yamaha, after qualifying on pole for the only time in the premier-class. In the 250cc class Daijiro Kato took his first GP victory outside of Japan from Olivier Jacque, with Marco Melandri finishing third to become the youngest ever rider to finish on a 250cc podium.
2001 Each of the races were won by riders on their way to winning their respective world titles: 500cc Valentino Rossi, 250cc- Daijiro Kato and 125cc Manuel Poggiali.
2002 Valentino Rossi won a race that was run in very wet conditions, after Sete Gibernau had led for most of the race only to crash out with four laps to go. Fonsi Nieto had an incredible win in the 250cc race after crashing on lap 13 and re-joining the race down in seventh place.
2003 Valentino Rossi won in the premier-class for the third successive year at Estoril. Spanish riders were successful in the smaller classes, with Toni Elias winning the 250cc race and Pablo Nieto taking his one and only GP victory in the 125cc class.
2004 Both Valentino Rossi and Toni Elias repeated the victories of the previous year. The 125cc race was won by Hector Barbera ahead of current MotoGP riders Mika Kallio and Jorge Lorenzo.
2005 Alex Barros dominated proceedings by winning the race from pole position and setting the fastest lap as well as being fastest in every practice session. This was the last time that Barros stood on the top step of the podium in grand prix racing. Casey Stoner won for the first time in the 250cc class, while Mika Kallio took his first ever Grand Prix win in the 125cc class.
2006 After qualifying 11th on the grid, Toni Elias scored his one and only MotoGP victory to date by just 0.002 seconds from Valentino Rossi to equal the closest ever recorded finish in the premier-class since the introduction of electronic timing. Alvaro Bautista's win in the 125cc race was his 14th podium of the year - a new record for most podium finishes in a single season in the 125cc class.
2007 Valentino Rossi won for the fifth time at Estoril after a great battle with Pedrosa. Alvaro Bautista took the 250cc victory after finishing lap one down in twelfth place. Hector Faubel won the 125cc race from championship rival Gabor Talmacsi, with Pol Espargaro taking his first ever GP podium in third.
2008 Last year the Portuguese Grand Prix was the third event of the year and gave Jorge Lorenzo his first MotoGP win after he had qualified on pole for the third successive race. With his victory, Lorenzo became the 100th different rider to win a premier-class grand prix. Alvaro Bautista took his first win of the year in the 250cc class while Simone Corsi took back-to-back wins to extend his lead in the 125cc championship chase.
SOURCE:
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Valentino Rossi to make 100th Yamaha start
Valentino Rossi to make 100th Yamaha start
Valentino Rossi will start his 100th MotoGP race for Yamaha this weekend at Estoril.
After leaving Honda at the end of 2003, the Italian shocked MotoGP with a stunning victory on his M1 race debut in the 2004 season-opening Africa's Grand Prix.
Rossi went on to win the world championship for Yamaha in both 2004 and 2005, before losing out on the 2006 title to Nicky Hayden at the very final round - then slipping to a MotoGP worst of third during the first season of 800cc racing in 2007.
The Italian superstar fought back to claim his third Yamaha title in 2008 and is on course for a fourth in 2009, holding a 30 point lead over team-mate Jorge Lorenzo with four rounds to go.
Prior to joining Yamaha, Rossi won three premier-class titles for Honda - the last 500cc crown in 2001, then the first two 990cc MotoGP titles in 2002 and 2003.
During his 99 Yamaha starts to date, Rossi has taken 44 wins (including six in 2009), 71 podiums and 27 pole positions.
Rossi's most successful Yamaha season, in terms of race wins, was in 2005 when he matched his Honda record of 11 victories in one season.
As well as his six premier-class titles, Rossi won the 250cc championship in 1999 and the 125cc title in 1997, both with Aprilia.
Rossi made 64 race starts for Honda between 2000 and 2003, winning 33 times, and 60 starts for Aprilia between 1996 and 1999 (in 125 and 250) when he took 26 wins.
The following list shows the riders who have made most starts in the premier-class riding Yamaha machinery:
1. Norick Abe 143
2. Carlos Checa 112
3. Valentino Rossi 99
4. Christian Sarron 98
5. Eddie Lawson 86
After leaving Honda at the end of 2003, the Italian shocked MotoGP with a stunning victory on his M1 race debut in the 2004 season-opening Africa's Grand Prix.
Rossi went on to win the world championship for Yamaha in both 2004 and 2005, before losing out on the 2006 title to Nicky Hayden at the very final round - then slipping to a MotoGP worst of third during the first season of 800cc racing in 2007.
The Italian superstar fought back to claim his third Yamaha title in 2008 and is on course for a fourth in 2009, holding a 30 point lead over team-mate Jorge Lorenzo with four rounds to go.
Prior to joining Yamaha, Rossi won three premier-class titles for Honda - the last 500cc crown in 2001, then the first two 990cc MotoGP titles in 2002 and 2003.
During his 99 Yamaha starts to date, Rossi has taken 44 wins (including six in 2009), 71 podiums and 27 pole positions.
Rossi's most successful Yamaha season, in terms of race wins, was in 2005 when he matched his Honda record of 11 victories in one season.
As well as his six premier-class titles, Rossi won the 250cc championship in 1999 and the 125cc title in 1997, both with Aprilia.
Rossi made 64 race starts for Honda between 2000 and 2003, winning 33 times, and 60 starts for Aprilia between 1996 and 1999 (in 125 and 250) when he took 26 wins.
The following list shows the riders who have made most starts in the premier-class riding Yamaha machinery:
1. Norick Abe 143
2. Carlos Checa 112
3. Valentino Rossi 99
4. Christian Sarron 98
5. Eddie Lawson 86
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Rossi: 800cc MotoGP's biggest mistake for 15 years
Valentino Rossi has labelled the decision to cut MotoGP engine capacity from 990cc to 800cc for 2007 as 'the biggest mistake in the last 15 years'.
In an interview with Dennis Noyes for Spain's Motociclismo publication, the reigning six time MotoGP world champion - a premier-class title winner on a 500cc two-stroke, then 990cc and 800cc four-strokes - stated:
The 990 motorcycle was 'rough' and wild, but with a great motor and a lot power. The 800 is worse, simply worse, it is the same motorcycle with less power. I was very sad at the beginning, now it has improved, yes... But the power from the 990 made it a lot more fun".
Rossi was then asked how the show can be improved for fans watching trackside and on TV - and has answer made painful reading for those behind the change to 800cc.
"For me the spectacle with the 990 was the same as with the 500. There were big battles and large slides - this is what the public wants, no? The 990 slid a lot on the entry to the turns, but above all on the exit of the corners.
With the 800... I believe that the 800 are the biggest mistake the world championship has made in the last 15 years. We have lost a great part of the spectacle and part of this is because electronics have advanced so much.
For me the manufacturers committed a great error when they changed to 800cc. The 990s were better in every way.
The cut in engine capacity was designed to limit top speeds, but has resulted in higher cornering speeds and greater dependency on electronics.
To rub salt into the wound, Dani Pedrosa took his factory Honda to a new all-time Motorcycle Grand Prix top speed of 349.3 km/h in the opening practice session for this year's Italian Grand Prix.
No satellite rider has yet won an 800cc race, while it took until this year's Catalan Grand Prix for an 800cc race to be won with a last lap pass.
The following table also shows how the change to smaller engines has halved the number of different race winners (from 14 to 7).
Note that weather was a factor in the single 800cc wins for Chris Vermeulen (fully wet), Loris Capirossi (wet/dry) and Andrea Dovizioso (damp).
MotoGP race winners: 990cc (2002-2006)
Honda: 10 riders - Valentino Rossi (20 wins), Sete Gibernau (8), Marco Melandri (5), Nicky Hayden (3), Max Biaggi (3), Dani Pedrosa (2), Alex Barros (2), Makoto Tamada (2), Toni Elias (1), Tohru Ukawa (1).
Yamaha: 2 riders - Valentino Rossi (25), Max Biaggi (2).
Ducati: 2 riders - Loris Capirossi (6), Troy Bayliss (1).
Suzuki: 0
Kawasaki: 0
Aprilia: 0
Roberts: 0
WCM: 0
Moriwaki: 0
MotoGP race winners: 800cc (2007 onwards)
Yamaha: 2 riders - Valentino Rossi (19 wins), Jorge Lorenzo (4).
Ducati: 2 riders - Casey Stoner (18), Loris Capirossi (1).
Honda: 2 riders - Dani Pedrosa (5), Andrea Dovizioso (1).
Suzuki: 1 rider - Chris Vermeulen (1).
Kawasaki: 0
Roberts: 0
Ilmor: 0
Valentino Rossi is he still the best Motogp rider? Will there be any second best to valentino rossi?
In an interview with Dennis Noyes for Spain's Motociclismo publication, the reigning six time MotoGP world champion - a premier-class title winner on a 500cc two-stroke, then 990cc and 800cc four-strokes - stated:
The 990 motorcycle was 'rough' and wild, but with a great motor and a lot power. The 800 is worse, simply worse, it is the same motorcycle with less power. I was very sad at the beginning, now it has improved, yes... But the power from the 990 made it a lot more fun".
Rossi was then asked how the show can be improved for fans watching trackside and on TV - and has answer made painful reading for those behind the change to 800cc.
"For me the spectacle with the 990 was the same as with the 500. There were big battles and large slides - this is what the public wants, no? The 990 slid a lot on the entry to the turns, but above all on the exit of the corners.
With the 800... I believe that the 800 are the biggest mistake the world championship has made in the last 15 years. We have lost a great part of the spectacle and part of this is because electronics have advanced so much.
For me the manufacturers committed a great error when they changed to 800cc. The 990s were better in every way.
The cut in engine capacity was designed to limit top speeds, but has resulted in higher cornering speeds and greater dependency on electronics.
To rub salt into the wound, Dani Pedrosa took his factory Honda to a new all-time Motorcycle Grand Prix top speed of 349.3 km/h in the opening practice session for this year's Italian Grand Prix.
No satellite rider has yet won an 800cc race, while it took until this year's Catalan Grand Prix for an 800cc race to be won with a last lap pass.
The following table also shows how the change to smaller engines has halved the number of different race winners (from 14 to 7).
Note that weather was a factor in the single 800cc wins for Chris Vermeulen (fully wet), Loris Capirossi (wet/dry) and Andrea Dovizioso (damp).
MotoGP race winners: 990cc (2002-2006)
Honda: 10 riders - Valentino Rossi (20 wins), Sete Gibernau (8), Marco Melandri (5), Nicky Hayden (3), Max Biaggi (3), Dani Pedrosa (2), Alex Barros (2), Makoto Tamada (2), Toni Elias (1), Tohru Ukawa (1).
Yamaha: 2 riders - Valentino Rossi (25), Max Biaggi (2).
Ducati: 2 riders - Loris Capirossi (6), Troy Bayliss (1).
Suzuki: 0
Kawasaki: 0
Aprilia: 0
Roberts: 0
WCM: 0
Moriwaki: 0
MotoGP race winners: 800cc (2007 onwards)
Yamaha: 2 riders - Valentino Rossi (19 wins), Jorge Lorenzo (4).
Ducati: 2 riders - Casey Stoner (18), Loris Capirossi (1).
Honda: 2 riders - Dani Pedrosa (5), Andrea Dovizioso (1).
Suzuki: 1 rider - Chris Vermeulen (1).
Kawasaki: 0
Roberts: 0
Ilmor: 0
Valentino Rossi is he still the best Motogp rider? Will there be any second best to valentino rossi?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Valentino Rossi looking for error free finish
Valentino Rossi looking for error free finish
Valentino Rossi is determined to eradicate some of the crucial mistakes that have dogged him in 2009 as he prepares to wrap up a ninth world title.
With just four races of the campaign remaining in Portugal, Australia, Malaysia and Spain, the 30-year-old is firm favourite to capture his seventh premier class world title.
Following his sixth win of 2009 in Misano recently, the Fiat Yamaha rider holds a comfortable 30-point advantage over team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.
Rossi though is determined to avoid a repeat of mistakes in Le Mans, Donington and Indianapolis as he looks to end Lorenzo’s brave challenge.
The Italian said: "The important thing is not to make any mistakes and arrive on the podium at every race and maybe try to win before Valencia. But anything can happen, any rider can make a mistake so I don't know if it is possible to win before Valencia.
"I had the chance to make things a lot easier but Indy was a big disaster. There are four races and 30-points is a good advantage. But also I was 50 in front and it is very easy to make a mistake at this level."
SOURCE:
Valentino Rossi is determined to eradicate some of the crucial mistakes that have dogged him in 2009 as he prepares to wrap up a ninth world title.
With just four races of the campaign remaining in Portugal, Australia, Malaysia and Spain, the 30-year-old is firm favourite to capture his seventh premier class world title.
Following his sixth win of 2009 in Misano recently, the Fiat Yamaha rider holds a comfortable 30-point advantage over team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.
Rossi though is determined to avoid a repeat of mistakes in Le Mans, Donington and Indianapolis as he looks to end Lorenzo’s brave challenge.
The Italian said: "The important thing is not to make any mistakes and arrive on the podium at every race and maybe try to win before Valencia. But anything can happen, any rider can make a mistake so I don't know if it is possible to win before Valencia.
"I had the chance to make things a lot easier but Indy was a big disaster. There are four races and 30-points is a good advantage. But also I was 50 in front and it is very easy to make a mistake at this level."
SOURCE:
Rossi increases lead
Valentino Rossi led home a Fiat Yamaha one-two as he stretched his lead in the FIM MotoGP World Championship to 30 points over team-mate Jorge Lorenzo with victory at the San Marino Grand Prix.
Rossi and Lorenzo were well clear of the Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa at the chequered flag at Misano as the Spaniard's team-mate Andrea Dovizioso came in fourth.
Fifth went to veteran Rizla Suzuki rider Loris Capirossi as the fast-starting Toni Elias, on the San Carlo Gresini Honda, finally faded from second to finish the race in sixth.
Victory stretched Rossi's lead over title rival Lorenzo as Pedrosa's third place moved him up to third in the standings over Ducati Marlboro's Casey Stoner who is taking a break from the series to recover from illness.
A delighted Rossi said: "It was a perfect weekend and thanks to all the fans because it was a very important victory for me."
Lorenzo admitted he had been second best to his team-mate, as he said: "He was the number one this weekend because he is the fastest."
Pedrosa was quickest off the start line ahead of Elias and Rossi as the drama unfolded behind them.
Lorenzo managed to stay on his bike despite being hit in the second corner by Alex De Angelis whose Gresini Honda wiped both Colin Edwards (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) out of the race.
Rossi moved up from third to take the lead on lap eight of 28 and Lorenzo was up to second by half-distance.
Lorenzo was never able to close the gap enough on Rossi to challenge for the lead as Pedrosa finished a lonely third as his Honda appeared to run out of fuel on the slow-down lap.
SOURCE:
Rossi and Lorenzo were well clear of the Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa at the chequered flag at Misano as the Spaniard's team-mate Andrea Dovizioso came in fourth.
Fifth went to veteran Rizla Suzuki rider Loris Capirossi as the fast-starting Toni Elias, on the San Carlo Gresini Honda, finally faded from second to finish the race in sixth.
Victory stretched Rossi's lead over title rival Lorenzo as Pedrosa's third place moved him up to third in the standings over Ducati Marlboro's Casey Stoner who is taking a break from the series to recover from illness.
A delighted Rossi said: "It was a perfect weekend and thanks to all the fans because it was a very important victory for me."
Lorenzo admitted he had been second best to his team-mate, as he said: "He was the number one this weekend because he is the fastest."
Pedrosa was quickest off the start line ahead of Elias and Rossi as the drama unfolded behind them.
Lorenzo managed to stay on his bike despite being hit in the second corner by Alex De Angelis whose Gresini Honda wiped both Colin Edwards (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) out of the race.
Rossi moved up from third to take the lead on lap eight of 28 and Lorenzo was up to second by half-distance.
Lorenzo was never able to close the gap enough on Rossi to challenge for the lead as Pedrosa finished a lonely third as his Honda appeared to run out of fuel on the slow-down lap.
SOURCE:
Rossi’s Final Challenge?
Rossi’s Final Challenge?
"My dream is to end my career with Yamaha," said a buoyant Valentino Rossi just two seasons ago, yet if rumours in the media are to be believed from the past week, the eight times world champion could be ready to make a dramatic and shock switch to Italian manufacturer Ducati when his current deal runs out at the end of 2010.
Valentino stunned the world at the end of the 2003 season with the shock announcement that after four successful seasons with Honda he was leaving to join arch rivals Yamaha. It was a move which re-ignited the fuse on the championship, as Rossi battled valiantly against his foes on what was considered inferior machinery and won.
The journey experienced by the Yamaha factory since 2004 has been very varied, with a mixture or highs and lows, joy and pain, the collaboration has seen the pair secure three premier class titles in the five years they have been together, matching Rossi’s title haul at Honda.
Yamaha have spent vast sums of money developing the various evolutions of the M1 motorcycle with the help and technical input from Valentino Rossi, analysing and perfecting the performance of the motorcycle to the point where it is now considered the best bike in the paddock. Which begs the question, why would Valentino Rossi want to leave?
To fully understand any rational reasoning behind that question, we need to take a look at why Rossi decided to leave his former employer Honda. At the end of 2003, Rossi decided that his own accomplishments were being overshadowed by the company. The RC211V had managed to dominant the series since its inception to the premier class and while other teams attempted to chase Rossi down utilising 500cc two strokes or other manufacturers four stroke 990cc equipment, Rossi felt that Honda undervalued his input into the project.
It was mentioned during the 500cc era that the bikes performance amassed to about 20% of the final race outcome, while the rider made up the other 80%. Although in the current era that figure may be closer to 50/50, it was clear that Valentino felt his own input and performance at Honda had being short changed and belittled.
It led to the classic break-up between the two parties, with Honda vowing to crush their former employee in the following season. Rossi and his team moved to Yamaha and worked tirelessly over the winter to develop the M1 into a competitive and competent package capable of winning the title, which he did in 2004 & 2005.
After two seasons without winning the premier class title and with a catalogue of mechanical malfunctions, Yamaha burst back to the front in 2008 with their third evolution of the 800cc prototype M1. It enabled Rossi to battle consistently with Ducati’s Casey Stoner and Honda’s Dani Pedrosa making for a thrilling Championship, which Valentino eventually clinched at Motegi.
However, Yamaha had started to invest in their future with the signing of double 250cc champion, Jorge Lorenzo, which caused a small amount of friction within the team. A dividing wall was initially constructed at the start of 2008 because the two riders were on different makes of tyre. However, the wall has remained intact in 2009 despite the one make tyre regulation and it appears that the camps are drifting apart.
Yamaha has also investing in the progress of another multiple champion in the form of current World Superbike Championship leader, Ben Spies. It has been widely suggested that Ben may become part of the Yamaha satellite project in 2010 with the option of being groomed for a factory seat in the future. It may be the case that with the company investing and courting all this new talent that Valentino is once again feeling a bit underappreciated.
It is important to remember that in the five years that Valentino has been with Yamaha, he is one of only two riders to win a race on their machinery, the only other rider being Jorge. When Rossi joined in 2004 Yamaha hadn’t won a race for over a year. Valentino and his team could rightly feel that they have contributed their 50% and have helped to make the motorcycle the pick of the paddock in the present day.
SOURCE:
"My dream is to end my career with Yamaha," said a buoyant Valentino Rossi just two seasons ago, yet if rumours in the media are to be believed from the past week, the eight times world champion could be ready to make a dramatic and shock switch to Italian manufacturer Ducati when his current deal runs out at the end of 2010.
Valentino stunned the world at the end of the 2003 season with the shock announcement that after four successful seasons with Honda he was leaving to join arch rivals Yamaha. It was a move which re-ignited the fuse on the championship, as Rossi battled valiantly against his foes on what was considered inferior machinery and won.
The journey experienced by the Yamaha factory since 2004 has been very varied, with a mixture or highs and lows, joy and pain, the collaboration has seen the pair secure three premier class titles in the five years they have been together, matching Rossi’s title haul at Honda.
Yamaha have spent vast sums of money developing the various evolutions of the M1 motorcycle with the help and technical input from Valentino Rossi, analysing and perfecting the performance of the motorcycle to the point where it is now considered the best bike in the paddock. Which begs the question, why would Valentino Rossi want to leave?
To fully understand any rational reasoning behind that question, we need to take a look at why Rossi decided to leave his former employer Honda. At the end of 2003, Rossi decided that his own accomplishments were being overshadowed by the company. The RC211V had managed to dominant the series since its inception to the premier class and while other teams attempted to chase Rossi down utilising 500cc two strokes or other manufacturers four stroke 990cc equipment, Rossi felt that Honda undervalued his input into the project.
It was mentioned during the 500cc era that the bikes performance amassed to about 20% of the final race outcome, while the rider made up the other 80%. Although in the current era that figure may be closer to 50/50, it was clear that Valentino felt his own input and performance at Honda had being short changed and belittled.
It led to the classic break-up between the two parties, with Honda vowing to crush their former employee in the following season. Rossi and his team moved to Yamaha and worked tirelessly over the winter to develop the M1 into a competitive and competent package capable of winning the title, which he did in 2004 & 2005.
After two seasons without winning the premier class title and with a catalogue of mechanical malfunctions, Yamaha burst back to the front in 2008 with their third evolution of the 800cc prototype M1. It enabled Rossi to battle consistently with Ducati’s Casey Stoner and Honda’s Dani Pedrosa making for a thrilling Championship, which Valentino eventually clinched at Motegi.
However, Yamaha had started to invest in their future with the signing of double 250cc champion, Jorge Lorenzo, which caused a small amount of friction within the team. A dividing wall was initially constructed at the start of 2008 because the two riders were on different makes of tyre. However, the wall has remained intact in 2009 despite the one make tyre regulation and it appears that the camps are drifting apart.
Yamaha has also investing in the progress of another multiple champion in the form of current World Superbike Championship leader, Ben Spies. It has been widely suggested that Ben may become part of the Yamaha satellite project in 2010 with the option of being groomed for a factory seat in the future. It may be the case that with the company investing and courting all this new talent that Valentino is once again feeling a bit underappreciated.
It is important to remember that in the five years that Valentino has been with Yamaha, he is one of only two riders to win a race on their machinery, the only other rider being Jorge. When Rossi joined in 2004 Yamaha hadn’t won a race for over a year. Valentino and his team could rightly feel that they have contributed their 50% and have helped to make the motorcycle the pick of the paddock in the present day.
SOURCE:
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Valentino Rossi: I've had to raise my game
Valentino Rossi: I've had to raise my game
Valentino Rossi says he is riding better now than when he won his first MotoGP titles, and has had to dig deeper than ever to beat his current opposition.
The reigning champion - who currently holds a 30-point lead in this year's championship race - said the emergence of Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo had forced him to raise his game.
"I think this year the level is incredible," Rossi told AUTOSPORT.com in an exclusive interview.
"It is very high - especially the first four. First four are potentially world champion level. Because me, Lorenzo, Stoner and Pedrosa have enough performance in the throttle and the head to win the MotoGP championship.
"Also the bikes are very fast - Yamaha, Honda and Ducati are very strong - so this creates a high level of championship."
He said Stoner's title-winning performance in 2007 and the challenge from Lorenzo at Yamaha this year in particular had spurred him on to new heights.
"It is a great, great motivation for trying to improve," said Rossi. "Like with Stoner in 2007 and '08 I have to make a step. I have to make a clear improvement and to make an improvement at 29 years of age you have to work and struggle a lot – and make something more than in the past.
"And this year it is the same with Lorenzo. He is also my team-mate, with the same bike, so it means more concentration, more time dedicated to try and win. It is difficult, it is bad when you lose, but it is a lot, lot more exciting when you are able to win."
Rossi also thinks the races are more physically demanding now than when he won his first MotoGP titles with Honda in the early 2000s.
"Usually you don't make all the race at 100 per cent. Especially in those years, it was more about tactics, battle and afterwards push," he said.
"So if you make all the race at 100 per cent you crash for sure. But now the races change a lot. The rhythm is very fast from the beginning, from the first lap. The start is important, because with these bikes it has become more difficult to overtake. So now is very close to staying at 100 per cent for all the race."
Valentino Rossi is really riding his best now?
SOURCE:
Valentino Rossi says he is riding better now than when he won his first MotoGP titles, and has had to dig deeper than ever to beat his current opposition.
The reigning champion - who currently holds a 30-point lead in this year's championship race - said the emergence of Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo had forced him to raise his game.
"I think this year the level is incredible," Rossi told AUTOSPORT.com in an exclusive interview.
"It is very high - especially the first four. First four are potentially world champion level. Because me, Lorenzo, Stoner and Pedrosa have enough performance in the throttle and the head to win the MotoGP championship.
"Also the bikes are very fast - Yamaha, Honda and Ducati are very strong - so this creates a high level of championship."
He said Stoner's title-winning performance in 2007 and the challenge from Lorenzo at Yamaha this year in particular had spurred him on to new heights.
"It is a great, great motivation for trying to improve," said Rossi. "Like with Stoner in 2007 and '08 I have to make a step. I have to make a clear improvement and to make an improvement at 29 years of age you have to work and struggle a lot – and make something more than in the past.
"And this year it is the same with Lorenzo. He is also my team-mate, with the same bike, so it means more concentration, more time dedicated to try and win. It is difficult, it is bad when you lose, but it is a lot, lot more exciting when you are able to win."
Rossi also thinks the races are more physically demanding now than when he won his first MotoGP titles with Honda in the early 2000s.
"Usually you don't make all the race at 100 per cent. Especially in those years, it was more about tactics, battle and afterwards push," he said.
"So if you make all the race at 100 per cent you crash for sure. But now the races change a lot. The rhythm is very fast from the beginning, from the first lap. The start is important, because with these bikes it has become more difficult to overtake. So now is very close to staying at 100 per cent for all the race."
Valentino Rossi is really riding his best now?
SOURCE:
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Home News News by Country Top News Sport World Oddly Enough Blogs Investing AlertNet Humanitarian News Do More With Reuters RSS Professional Products Financial Media Support Partner Services Career Centre About Thomson Reuters Rossi says talked with Ferrari about Monza
MILAN (Reuters) - Valentino Rossi talked with Ferrari about racing in the team's second car at next weekend's Formula One Italian Grand Prix but decided against it, the MotoGP world champion has said.
"I talked with Ferrari about racing at Monza. But without testing... it would not have been logical," he told Saturday's Gazzetta dello Sport.
Ferrari instead opted for Force India's Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella, who will race for the world champions for the remainder of the season.
He replaces Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer, who struggled in his two races after coming in for the injured Felipe Massa.
Badoer only filled in because original choice Michael Schumacher had to abort his comeback plans because of an injury to his neck, which needs to be strong to cope with F1 G-forces.
Formula One teams are not allowed to test their current cars during the season.
"We already decided that to enter Formula One without testing is more risky than fun. You can't go there and do everything to understand the car in three days," Rossi said.
"I also don't know if I could have finished the race with my neck. And also, because we're fighting for the MotoGP championship, the race at Monza would definitely have been a big stress and it's better to stay in MotoGP."
Rossi, Italy's best-paid sportsperson, has tested for Ferrari in the past and was close to joining them at the end of 2006 but decided to stick to two wheels.
He considered being the test driver for 2007 and then racing in 2008 but said his Ferrari dream was over for good after opting to stay in MotoGP.
The 30-year-old has though expressed interest in a career in rallying.
Rossi shocked his Yamaha MotoGP team on Friday by casting doubt on his long-term future after they announced last week that Jorge Lorenzo will be his team mate again next season.
The Spaniard is Rossi's main rival for this year's title.
"I don't know (if I'll change team). I have a year of my contract still to run and then I'll decide what to do," he said after clocking the fastest time in Friday's practice for Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix.
"The end of this season and all of the next one risk becoming a torment."
Ferrari, a disappointing third in the constructors' standings with five races left, are hoping to change Formula One rules and race three cars next season instead of two.
Team boss Stefano Domenicali said last month that Schumacher could race a third car while Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has said Fisichella would be the ideal choice given he will be the team's reserve driver next term.
With Rossi's future unclear, he could become a candidate.
SOURCE:
"I talked with Ferrari about racing at Monza. But without testing... it would not have been logical," he told Saturday's Gazzetta dello Sport.
Ferrari instead opted for Force India's Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella, who will race for the world champions for the remainder of the season.
He replaces Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer, who struggled in his two races after coming in for the injured Felipe Massa.
Badoer only filled in because original choice Michael Schumacher had to abort his comeback plans because of an injury to his neck, which needs to be strong to cope with F1 G-forces.
Formula One teams are not allowed to test their current cars during the season.
"We already decided that to enter Formula One without testing is more risky than fun. You can't go there and do everything to understand the car in three days," Rossi said.
"I also don't know if I could have finished the race with my neck. And also, because we're fighting for the MotoGP championship, the race at Monza would definitely have been a big stress and it's better to stay in MotoGP."
Rossi, Italy's best-paid sportsperson, has tested for Ferrari in the past and was close to joining them at the end of 2006 but decided to stick to two wheels.
He considered being the test driver for 2007 and then racing in 2008 but said his Ferrari dream was over for good after opting to stay in MotoGP.
The 30-year-old has though expressed interest in a career in rallying.
Rossi shocked his Yamaha MotoGP team on Friday by casting doubt on his long-term future after they announced last week that Jorge Lorenzo will be his team mate again next season.
The Spaniard is Rossi's main rival for this year's title.
"I don't know (if I'll change team). I have a year of my contract still to run and then I'll decide what to do," he said after clocking the fastest time in Friday's practice for Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix.
"The end of this season and all of the next one risk becoming a torment."
Ferrari, a disappointing third in the constructors' standings with five races left, are hoping to change Formula One rules and race three cars next season instead of two.
Team boss Stefano Domenicali said last month that Schumacher could race a third car while Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has said Fisichella would be the ideal choice given he will be the team's reserve driver next term.
With Rossi's future unclear, he could become a candidate.
SOURCE:
Monday, August 31, 2009
Lorenzo capitalizes on Rossi's U.S. crash
Jorge Lorenzo kept the MotoGP title race alive with victory at the Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday as world champion Valentino Rossi crashed out.
Valentino Rossi ploughed into the grass alongside the Indianapolis circuit when he crashed out.
Valentino Rossi ploughed into the grass alongside the Indianapolis circuit when he crashed out.
Rossi saw his lead halved to 25 points with five races remaining as the Italian failed to finish for the first time since 2007.
He went down on lap nine of 28 when battling for the lead with Yamaha teammate Lorenzo, and was able to remount -- but then had to retire two laps later due to his damaged motorcycle.
Lorenzo had started the American race from second on the grid, ahead of Rossi but behind his fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa.
Pedrosa, who won at Laguna Seca in California earlier this year and is fourth overall, suffered a crash on just the fourth lap while still leading.
He picked up his Repsol Honda machine and rejoined the race in last place, but could only finish 10th.
Don't Miss
Lorenzo cruised to victory more than nine seconds clear of Alex de Angelis, who earned his first podium finish after starting fourth on the grid for San Carlo Honda Gresini.
The 22-year-old now has 187 points, behind eight-time world champion Rossi's 212.
"Before this race I was telling the press that it was almost impossible, whereas now I would say it is difficult, but not impossible," Lorenzo told the MotoGP Web site of his title chances.
He was delighted after having himself failed to finish the last two races at Brno and Donington.
"Today the situation has changed completely and now it has happened to Valentino and Dani, unfortunately for them. However, for me, the situation is good," Lorenzo said.
"It was difficult to keep my concentration for 20 laps, because it was a little bit boring. Bit you cannot relax when it is like that because if you think about something else you could crash. Anyway, I had some fun on the last lap and it is a very nice feeling!"
Former world champion Nicky Hayden finished third in his best result since joining Ducati, with the American having finished second in the inaugural Indianapolis event last year before switching teams.
He managed to hold off a late challenge from Andrea Dovizioso, his replacement at Repsol Honda, while American Colin Edwards came home in fifth on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3.
British rider James Toseland equaled his best finish in MotoGP when he claimed sixth for Edwards' team after Italian Marco Melandri crashed late on.
Did Valentino Rossi new that he is going crash? Valentino Rossi put on his best on that game.
Valentino Rossi ploughed into the grass alongside the Indianapolis circuit when he crashed out.
Valentino Rossi ploughed into the grass alongside the Indianapolis circuit when he crashed out.
Rossi saw his lead halved to 25 points with five races remaining as the Italian failed to finish for the first time since 2007.
He went down on lap nine of 28 when battling for the lead with Yamaha teammate Lorenzo, and was able to remount -- but then had to retire two laps later due to his damaged motorcycle.
Lorenzo had started the American race from second on the grid, ahead of Rossi but behind his fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa.
Pedrosa, who won at Laguna Seca in California earlier this year and is fourth overall, suffered a crash on just the fourth lap while still leading.
He picked up his Repsol Honda machine and rejoined the race in last place, but could only finish 10th.
Don't Miss
Lorenzo cruised to victory more than nine seconds clear of Alex de Angelis, who earned his first podium finish after starting fourth on the grid for San Carlo Honda Gresini.
The 22-year-old now has 187 points, behind eight-time world champion Rossi's 212.
"Before this race I was telling the press that it was almost impossible, whereas now I would say it is difficult, but not impossible," Lorenzo told the MotoGP Web site of his title chances.
He was delighted after having himself failed to finish the last two races at Brno and Donington.
"Today the situation has changed completely and now it has happened to Valentino and Dani, unfortunately for them. However, for me, the situation is good," Lorenzo said.
"It was difficult to keep my concentration for 20 laps, because it was a little bit boring. Bit you cannot relax when it is like that because if you think about something else you could crash. Anyway, I had some fun on the last lap and it is a very nice feeling!"
Former world champion Nicky Hayden finished third in his best result since joining Ducati, with the American having finished second in the inaugural Indianapolis event last year before switching teams.
He managed to hold off a late challenge from Andrea Dovizioso, his replacement at Repsol Honda, while American Colin Edwards came home in fifth on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3.
British rider James Toseland equaled his best finish in MotoGP when he claimed sixth for Edwards' team after Italian Marco Melandri crashed late on.
Did Valentino Rossi new that he is going crash? Valentino Rossi put on his best on that game.
Friday, August 28, 2009
MotoGP racers in Indy aim to give fans better show
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Valentino Rossi will never forget his first motorcycle race in Indianapolis.
Yes, the 30-year-old Italian won last year's rain-shortened event, surviving the gusty winds that sent debris flying across the track's road course. The poor conditions forced competitors to play it safe rather than push the limits - not the way MotoGP organizers wanted to introduce new fans to the sport.
So Rossi, the six-time world champion and current points leader, wants to show Midwestern fans what real international motorcycle racing is like.
"If we have good weather (Sunday), all the people, all the crowd will see another type of show,'' Rossi said before Friday's first practice session. "This track is great, especially because the surface has an incredible grip. We also have some different surfaces during the lap. So I think if we have sun it is a lot more enjoyment than last year.''
Unfortunately for competitors, the rain returned Friday.
It started during a practice round for one of circuit's developmental series, and a steady, light rain persisted while the headliner riders spent an hour fine-tuning their equipment. Spain's Dani Pedrosa, fourth in the points this season, posted the fastest lap on a day rooster tails were commonplace. The Repsol Honda rider finished 2.621-mile course in 1 minute, 51.07 seconds, 84.58 mph.
Rossi, the defending race winner and early favorite, was third. He turned the lap in 1:51.814.
Weather has dominated the talk at the track.
Forecasters are calling for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s for Saturday's qualifying and partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 60s are expected for Sunday's race. The best news: Zero percent chance of rain Sunday.
If it actually plays out that way, the competitors will finally have an opportunity to make a better second impression.
"Last year was difficult for everybody on the track, but it looks like this year it's going to be better,'' Pedrosa said. "So we hope we can have the three races this time and the fans can enjoy all the classes.''
The big question is whether Rossi will be as dominant in good conditions at Indy as he was in the rain.
Last year, Rossi posted the best speed in practice, won the pole and beat American Nicky Hayden by nearly six seconds before the remnants of Hurricane Ike stopped the race early.
This season, Rossi has won five of the first 11 races and holds a 50-point lead over Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, of Spain. Rossi also has won five poles this season and won the series' most recent race in the Czech Republic.
He has enough experience to know what it takes to win - rain or shine.
"When there's a lot of rain, there's a big amount of water on the track, and it's quite dangerous,'' Rossi said. "This track is funny, and a good way from dry. Everybody hopes for a good condition after the bad condition of last year.''
American fans will be following Hayden, the 2006 world champion who competes for the Ducati Team and lives about three hours away in Owensboro, Ky. The only other American expected to make the field is Houston's Colin Edwards of Monster Yamaha Tech 3.
Both have higher expectations, for themselves and the spectators this year.
"Apart from the weather and the cooler styrofoam lids flowing across the track and tents falling over, I think everybody was pretty surprised how many people did show up,'' Edwards said. "This should be should be a lot better.''
SOURCE:
Yes, the 30-year-old Italian won last year's rain-shortened event, surviving the gusty winds that sent debris flying across the track's road course. The poor conditions forced competitors to play it safe rather than push the limits - not the way MotoGP organizers wanted to introduce new fans to the sport.
So Rossi, the six-time world champion and current points leader, wants to show Midwestern fans what real international motorcycle racing is like.
"If we have good weather (Sunday), all the people, all the crowd will see another type of show,'' Rossi said before Friday's first practice session. "This track is great, especially because the surface has an incredible grip. We also have some different surfaces during the lap. So I think if we have sun it is a lot more enjoyment than last year.''
Unfortunately for competitors, the rain returned Friday.
It started during a practice round for one of circuit's developmental series, and a steady, light rain persisted while the headliner riders spent an hour fine-tuning their equipment. Spain's Dani Pedrosa, fourth in the points this season, posted the fastest lap on a day rooster tails were commonplace. The Repsol Honda rider finished 2.621-mile course in 1 minute, 51.07 seconds, 84.58 mph.
Rossi, the defending race winner and early favorite, was third. He turned the lap in 1:51.814.
Weather has dominated the talk at the track.
Forecasters are calling for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s for Saturday's qualifying and partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 60s are expected for Sunday's race. The best news: Zero percent chance of rain Sunday.
If it actually plays out that way, the competitors will finally have an opportunity to make a better second impression.
"Last year was difficult for everybody on the track, but it looks like this year it's going to be better,'' Pedrosa said. "So we hope we can have the three races this time and the fans can enjoy all the classes.''
The big question is whether Rossi will be as dominant in good conditions at Indy as he was in the rain.
Last year, Rossi posted the best speed in practice, won the pole and beat American Nicky Hayden by nearly six seconds before the remnants of Hurricane Ike stopped the race early.
This season, Rossi has won five of the first 11 races and holds a 50-point lead over Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, of Spain. Rossi also has won five poles this season and won the series' most recent race in the Czech Republic.
He has enough experience to know what it takes to win - rain or shine.
"When there's a lot of rain, there's a big amount of water on the track, and it's quite dangerous,'' Rossi said. "This track is funny, and a good way from dry. Everybody hopes for a good condition after the bad condition of last year.''
American fans will be following Hayden, the 2006 world champion who competes for the Ducati Team and lives about three hours away in Owensboro, Ky. The only other American expected to make the field is Houston's Colin Edwards of Monster Yamaha Tech 3.
Both have higher expectations, for themselves and the spectators this year.
"Apart from the weather and the cooler styrofoam lids flowing across the track and tents falling over, I think everybody was pretty surprised how many people did show up,'' Edwards said. "This should be should be a lot better.''
SOURCE:
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Spectacular Indianapolis Grand Prix Awaits MotoGP
he second ever World Championship visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes place this weekend following 2008’s historic inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, with last year’s race-winner Valentino Rossi looking for another victory to augment his standings lead at the twelfth round of the season. It is another special occasion for MotoGP as the event coincides with Indy’s 100th anniversary, the circuit having been constructed in 1909.
In the first ever premier class MotoGP World Championship contest at the famous ‘Brickyard’ last year Rossi took maximum points as he was awarded the win, leading by six seconds when the scheduled 28 lap race was curtailed on the 20th lap, with Nicky Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo placing second and third respectively.
Rossi and his MotoGP rivals will hope for good weather this time out - following last year’s event when the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit raceday at the iconic American venue – with the Italian star hoping to increase his current 50 point championship advantage, on the back of yet another success story in the Czech Republic at the last round.
Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo finished just in front of him on the timesheet in the second and final post-race test of the year on the Monday after the Czech race and the Spaniard will aim to bounce back from his two DNFs at Brno and Donington Park, as he attempts to claw his way back into the title battle with six Grands Prix remaining. Lorenzo is to compete at Indianapolis with his 2010 ride already sorted, following the news that he is to continue with Yamaha for another year.
In the continued absence of the recuperating Casey Stoner, who remains in Australia and is expected back on track at Estoril early in October, the bookies’ favourite to feature on the podium with Rossi and Lorenzo is Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa – who was second in the Brno race and sits fourth in the general classification, 77 points adrift of Rossi.
For Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards the second U.S. visit of the year gives him the chance to consolidate his top five championship position as he attempts to improve on a disappointing 15th place finish in last year’s Indy race. Edwards’ fellow American Hayden - 14th in the championship at present - would love to repeat his 2008 Indianapolis result and get on the podium for the first time with Ducati.
Also aiming for the same goal is Pedrosa’s team-mate and Hayden’s replacement at Honda, Andrea Dovizioso, who just missed out on the rostrum again at Brno and was fifth in the inaugural MotoGP Indianapolis contest last September. Dovizioso lies sixth in the standings, just ahead of Honda satellite counterpart Randy de Puniet who has ridden consistently in 2009 and is due to make a decision soon on where he will ride next year.
Eighth placed Marco Melandri will compete at Indianapolis safe in the knowledge that a ride with San Carlo Honda Gresini has been confirmed for next year, whilst his fellow top ten representatives Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen, of the Rizla Suzuki team, are also likely to confirm their future plans in due course, with both hoping for strong Indy performances.
The weekend will see Finnish rider Mika Kallio continue in the factory Ducati team as Stoner’s temporary replacement, whilst young Spaniard Aleix Espargaró gets an exciting chance to ride for the Pramac Racing team on the satellite Ducati Desmosedici GP9 vacated by Kallio.
250cc
For 250cc standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama and the majority of his World Championship rivals this Sunday’s race will be their first ever at The Brickyard, after last year’s cancellation of the intermediate category’s racing due to the intervention of the aforementioned Hurricane Ike.
With six rounds remaining Aoyama’s closest threat for the championship lead comes from Álvaro Bautista, who has just announced that he will move into MotoGP with Suzuki in 2010. Japanese rider Aoyama could be making the move up to the premier class too, but first comes the business of this year’s World title, with Indianapolis next up.
Scot Racing’s Aoyama, who was fourth at Brno in the last round, holds a 12 point lead over Spaniard Bautista, with the Mapfre Apsar rider having closed the gap slightly with his third place finish in the Czech Republic.
World Champion Marco Simoncelli re-emerged in the title race at Brno with his third victory of the year, as he seeks to defend his crown before joining San Carlo Honda Gresini in MotoGP next year. Simoncelli would have started last year’s 250cc Indy race in pole position had it not been cancelled and he will aim for another high level performance as he seeks to chase down a 32 point deficit against Aoyama.
Héctor Barberá trails Simoncelli by a further 17 points in fourth place in the standings and he qualified in second place last year at Indianapolis, before a serious back injury ended his season prematurely at the subsequent round in Japan. The Spaniard has bravely returned to action this year and earned himself a MotoGP ride with the new Ducati-Aspar team for 2010.
In fifth place in the championship, Italian rider Mattia Pasini has just had a first ever taste of MotoGP himself, riding for Pramac Racing in the Monday test in the Czech Republic – having crossed the line just 0.684s behind compatriot Simoncelli in second position in the 250cc Brno race.
The category’s current top ten also comprises Raffaele de Rosa, Alex Debon, Héctor Faubel, Roberto Locatelli and Thomas Luthi.
125cc
Julián Simón will also make his Indianapolis race debut on Sunday in the 125cc class, having been part of the 2008 250cc field which was unable to race due to the weather conditions.
Nonetheless, the clear title favourite will go into the weekend in a confident mood, having secured his eighth podium of the season last time out in second place in the Czech Republic – which gave him a 54.5 point standings lead with six races remaining. Simón had qualified in tenth place last year at Indy on a 250cc machine, but the Spaniard has proved to be far more effective on 125cc machinery this season.
Nico Terol sits second in the championship behind his countryman and he too will be brimming with self-belief as he heads across the Atlantic Ocean to Indiana. Terol was last year’s 125cc winner in the historic first ever Indianapolis race (a contest also shortened due to the weather) and was victorious in the Czech Republic just over one week ago.
Below Terol in the standings are Simón’s Aspar team-mates Bradley Smith and Sergio Gadea, with Smith eight points behind Terol and Gadea just half a point adrift of the Englishman.
Ongetta Team ISPA’s Andrea Iannone - who is fifth in the championship - saw his rollercoaster season continue with third place in Brno, whilst Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) was fifth in the Czech Republic and will look to repeat or better his 2008 result of second place at Indianapolis. Completing the present 125cc top ten are Sandro Cortese, Marc Márquez, Jonas Folger and Stefan Bradl.
The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix takes place from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th August, with free practice commencing on Friday afternoon.
SOURCE:
In the first ever premier class MotoGP World Championship contest at the famous ‘Brickyard’ last year Rossi took maximum points as he was awarded the win, leading by six seconds when the scheduled 28 lap race was curtailed on the 20th lap, with Nicky Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo placing second and third respectively.
Rossi and his MotoGP rivals will hope for good weather this time out - following last year’s event when the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit raceday at the iconic American venue – with the Italian star hoping to increase his current 50 point championship advantage, on the back of yet another success story in the Czech Republic at the last round.
Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo finished just in front of him on the timesheet in the second and final post-race test of the year on the Monday after the Czech race and the Spaniard will aim to bounce back from his two DNFs at Brno and Donington Park, as he attempts to claw his way back into the title battle with six Grands Prix remaining. Lorenzo is to compete at Indianapolis with his 2010 ride already sorted, following the news that he is to continue with Yamaha for another year.
In the continued absence of the recuperating Casey Stoner, who remains in Australia and is expected back on track at Estoril early in October, the bookies’ favourite to feature on the podium with Rossi and Lorenzo is Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa – who was second in the Brno race and sits fourth in the general classification, 77 points adrift of Rossi.
For Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards the second U.S. visit of the year gives him the chance to consolidate his top five championship position as he attempts to improve on a disappointing 15th place finish in last year’s Indy race. Edwards’ fellow American Hayden - 14th in the championship at present - would love to repeat his 2008 Indianapolis result and get on the podium for the first time with Ducati.
Also aiming for the same goal is Pedrosa’s team-mate and Hayden’s replacement at Honda, Andrea Dovizioso, who just missed out on the rostrum again at Brno and was fifth in the inaugural MotoGP Indianapolis contest last September. Dovizioso lies sixth in the standings, just ahead of Honda satellite counterpart Randy de Puniet who has ridden consistently in 2009 and is due to make a decision soon on where he will ride next year.
Eighth placed Marco Melandri will compete at Indianapolis safe in the knowledge that a ride with San Carlo Honda Gresini has been confirmed for next year, whilst his fellow top ten representatives Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen, of the Rizla Suzuki team, are also likely to confirm their future plans in due course, with both hoping for strong Indy performances.
The weekend will see Finnish rider Mika Kallio continue in the factory Ducati team as Stoner’s temporary replacement, whilst young Spaniard Aleix Espargaró gets an exciting chance to ride for the Pramac Racing team on the satellite Ducati Desmosedici GP9 vacated by Kallio.
250cc
For 250cc standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama and the majority of his World Championship rivals this Sunday’s race will be their first ever at The Brickyard, after last year’s cancellation of the intermediate category’s racing due to the intervention of the aforementioned Hurricane Ike.
With six rounds remaining Aoyama’s closest threat for the championship lead comes from Álvaro Bautista, who has just announced that he will move into MotoGP with Suzuki in 2010. Japanese rider Aoyama could be making the move up to the premier class too, but first comes the business of this year’s World title, with Indianapolis next up.
Scot Racing’s Aoyama, who was fourth at Brno in the last round, holds a 12 point lead over Spaniard Bautista, with the Mapfre Apsar rider having closed the gap slightly with his third place finish in the Czech Republic.
World Champion Marco Simoncelli re-emerged in the title race at Brno with his third victory of the year, as he seeks to defend his crown before joining San Carlo Honda Gresini in MotoGP next year. Simoncelli would have started last year’s 250cc Indy race in pole position had it not been cancelled and he will aim for another high level performance as he seeks to chase down a 32 point deficit against Aoyama.
Héctor Barberá trails Simoncelli by a further 17 points in fourth place in the standings and he qualified in second place last year at Indianapolis, before a serious back injury ended his season prematurely at the subsequent round in Japan. The Spaniard has bravely returned to action this year and earned himself a MotoGP ride with the new Ducati-Aspar team for 2010.
In fifth place in the championship, Italian rider Mattia Pasini has just had a first ever taste of MotoGP himself, riding for Pramac Racing in the Monday test in the Czech Republic – having crossed the line just 0.684s behind compatriot Simoncelli in second position in the 250cc Brno race.
The category’s current top ten also comprises Raffaele de Rosa, Alex Debon, Héctor Faubel, Roberto Locatelli and Thomas Luthi.
125cc
Julián Simón will also make his Indianapolis race debut on Sunday in the 125cc class, having been part of the 2008 250cc field which was unable to race due to the weather conditions.
Nonetheless, the clear title favourite will go into the weekend in a confident mood, having secured his eighth podium of the season last time out in second place in the Czech Republic – which gave him a 54.5 point standings lead with six races remaining. Simón had qualified in tenth place last year at Indy on a 250cc machine, but the Spaniard has proved to be far more effective on 125cc machinery this season.
Nico Terol sits second in the championship behind his countryman and he too will be brimming with self-belief as he heads across the Atlantic Ocean to Indiana. Terol was last year’s 125cc winner in the historic first ever Indianapolis race (a contest also shortened due to the weather) and was victorious in the Czech Republic just over one week ago.
Below Terol in the standings are Simón’s Aspar team-mates Bradley Smith and Sergio Gadea, with Smith eight points behind Terol and Gadea just half a point adrift of the Englishman.
Ongetta Team ISPA’s Andrea Iannone - who is fifth in the championship - saw his rollercoaster season continue with third place in Brno, whilst Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) was fifth in the Czech Republic and will look to repeat or better his 2008 result of second place at Indianapolis. Completing the present 125cc top ten are Sandro Cortese, Marc Márquez, Jonas Folger and Stefan Bradl.
The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix takes place from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th August, with free practice commencing on Friday afternoon.
SOURCE:
Monday, August 17, 2009
MOTOGP Brno MotoGP test times - Monday
Following Sunday's Czech Republic Grand Prix, round eleven of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship, most riders returned to Brno for a day of testing on Monday.
Jorge Lorenzo set the fastest lap time during the morning, with rain showers interrupting the afternoon.
The test was the second and last to be held during the present racing season and saw 250GP star Mattia Pasini making his MotoGP debut for Pramac Ducati, Repsol Honda trying Ohlins suspension and David de Gea testing (and crashing) the Blusens BQR-Honda Moto2 machine.
As well as the sidelined Casey Stoner, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards and James Toseland, LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet and Gresini Honda's Alex de Angelis also skipped the test.
Round twelve of the world championship, the Indianapolis Grand Prix, takes place on August 30.
1. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team min 56.171 sec
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team min 56.622 sec
3. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team min 56.747 sec
4. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP min 57.543 sec
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team min 57.764 sec
6. Toni Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini min 57.841 sec
7. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP min 57.891 sec
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team min 57.928 sec
9. Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team min 58.045 sec
10. Mika Kallio FIN Ducati Marlboro Team min 58.051 sec
11. Niccolo Canepa ITA Pramac Racing min 58.120 sec
12. Gabor Talmacsi HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP min 59.008 sec
13. Mattia Pasini ITA Pramac Racing min 59.614 sec
2009 Czech Republic Grand Prix:
Pole position:
Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha 1min 56.145sec
Fastest race laps by manufacturer:
Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha 1min 56.670sec
Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda 1min 57.228sec
Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki 1min 57.964sec
Mika Kallio FIN Ducati Marlboro (B) 1min 58.105sec
Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team 1min 58.153sec
SOURCE:
Jorge Lorenzo set the fastest lap time during the morning, with rain showers interrupting the afternoon.
The test was the second and last to be held during the present racing season and saw 250GP star Mattia Pasini making his MotoGP debut for Pramac Ducati, Repsol Honda trying Ohlins suspension and David de Gea testing (and crashing) the Blusens BQR-Honda Moto2 machine.
As well as the sidelined Casey Stoner, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards and James Toseland, LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet and Gresini Honda's Alex de Angelis also skipped the test.
Round twelve of the world championship, the Indianapolis Grand Prix, takes place on August 30.
1. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team min 56.171 sec
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team min 56.622 sec
3. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team min 56.747 sec
4. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP min 57.543 sec
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team min 57.764 sec
6. Toni Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini min 57.841 sec
7. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP min 57.891 sec
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team min 57.928 sec
9. Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team min 58.045 sec
10. Mika Kallio FIN Ducati Marlboro Team min 58.051 sec
11. Niccolo Canepa ITA Pramac Racing min 58.120 sec
12. Gabor Talmacsi HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP min 59.008 sec
13. Mattia Pasini ITA Pramac Racing min 59.614 sec
2009 Czech Republic Grand Prix:
Pole position:
Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha 1min 56.145sec
Fastest race laps by manufacturer:
Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha 1min 56.670sec
Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda 1min 57.228sec
Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki 1min 57.964sec
Mika Kallio FIN Ducati Marlboro (B) 1min 58.105sec
Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team 1min 58.153sec
SOURCE:
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Rossi races to MotoGP pole despite Brno fall
World MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi overcame a fall late in qualifying to take pole position for Sunday's Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno.
Valentino Rossi is seeking to extend his championship lead over Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo.
The Italian will head the grid for the fifth time in 11 races this season as he edged out Yamaha teammate and closest title rival Jorge Lorenzo in Saturday's session.
Rossi, who leads the Spaniard by 25 points in the overall standings, clocked a circuit-record time one minute 56.145 seconds on the 21st of his 23 laps after a fierce battle between the two.
He is expected to be fit for Sunday's race despite suffering a minor finger injury when he went down in the closing minutes, sliding along the track after his bike flipped.
"Pole position is great, but the most important thing is that I'm okay after the crash. I have a bit of pain in my right thumb but that's all, so I think I've been quite lucky," Rossi told the MotoGP offical Web site.
"I'll get it checked out later but I don't think it's anything bad. This weekend only one of the front tires is working well for us, which means we only have four for the weekend, so we're putting quite a lot of stress on just a few tires.
"I arrived to brake very deep and just lost the front, it was unlucky. Anyway, we did a great job in the session and being on pole again is important. We have a good race pace and I think it's possible to be competitive tomorrow."
Lorenzo, who set the fastest pace in Friday's practice session, was 0.05 seconds adrift with compatriot Dani Pedrosa third on his Repsol Honda 0.383s behind Rossi.
Toni Elias, who will not be retained by San Carlo Honda Gresini for next season, was fourth ahead of American former world champion Colin Edwards and young Italian Andrea Dovizioso.
Elias and Alex de Angelis will be replaced by Marco Simoncelli and his fellow Italian Marco Melandri, who returns to the team he raced for from 2005-07.
The 27-year-old Melandri was runner-up in the world championship in 2005 but was less successful last year with Ducati and has done well with limited resources at Hayate this season.
Rounding out the top-10 on Saturday were De Angelis, Ducati's former world champion Nicky Hayden of the U.S., Italian Loris Capirossi on a Suzuki and Finland's Mika Kallio -- despite a crash in his stint as a temporary stand-in rider for Ducati.
SOURCE:
Valentino Rossi is seeking to extend his championship lead over Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo.
The Italian will head the grid for the fifth time in 11 races this season as he edged out Yamaha teammate and closest title rival Jorge Lorenzo in Saturday's session.
Rossi, who leads the Spaniard by 25 points in the overall standings, clocked a circuit-record time one minute 56.145 seconds on the 21st of his 23 laps after a fierce battle between the two.
He is expected to be fit for Sunday's race despite suffering a minor finger injury when he went down in the closing minutes, sliding along the track after his bike flipped.
"Pole position is great, but the most important thing is that I'm okay after the crash. I have a bit of pain in my right thumb but that's all, so I think I've been quite lucky," Rossi told the MotoGP offical Web site.
"I'll get it checked out later but I don't think it's anything bad. This weekend only one of the front tires is working well for us, which means we only have four for the weekend, so we're putting quite a lot of stress on just a few tires.
"I arrived to brake very deep and just lost the front, it was unlucky. Anyway, we did a great job in the session and being on pole again is important. We have a good race pace and I think it's possible to be competitive tomorrow."
Lorenzo, who set the fastest pace in Friday's practice session, was 0.05 seconds adrift with compatriot Dani Pedrosa third on his Repsol Honda 0.383s behind Rossi.
Toni Elias, who will not be retained by San Carlo Honda Gresini for next season, was fourth ahead of American former world champion Colin Edwards and young Italian Andrea Dovizioso.
Elias and Alex de Angelis will be replaced by Marco Simoncelli and his fellow Italian Marco Melandri, who returns to the team he raced for from 2005-07.
The 27-year-old Melandri was runner-up in the world championship in 2005 but was less successful last year with Ducati and has done well with limited resources at Hayate this season.
Rounding out the top-10 on Saturday were De Angelis, Ducati's former world champion Nicky Hayden of the U.S., Italian Loris Capirossi on a Suzuki and Finland's Mika Kallio -- despite a crash in his stint as a temporary stand-in rider for Ducati.
SOURCE:
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sick Stoner forced out of MotoGP races
Australian Stoner, the 2007 champion, has been suffering from severe fatigue since the Grand Prix of Catalunya in June -- and was a dismal 14th in the British round at Donington in his last race.
Doctors have now advised the 23-year-old Marlboro Ducati rider, who lies third in the standings behind Fiat Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, to sit out the next three rounds beginning at the Czech MotoGP in Brno this Sunday.
Stoner told the official MotoGP Web site: "After five extremely difficult races due to my health, I have returned to Australia to visit the sports doctors who have looked after me for many years.
"We have taken the difficult decision not to contest the next three rounds of the championship, to allow my body time to recover from the recent stress.
"The doctors believe that during the Barcelona race I was suffering from a virus, and that I subsequently pushed my body too hard, leading to problems that have caused my fatigue since then.
Don't Miss
"The doctors are continuing with many tests to try to understand these problems and make sure it does not happen again. I have spoken with Ducati and thank them for their understanding at this time.
"I feel very sorry for the factory, my team, my sponsors and the fans and I am also disappointed because the bike in the last few races has been very competitive. I will be doing everything possible to come back at full strength for Portugal."
His place, alongside Nicky Hayden in the factory Ducati side, will be taken by Finnish rider Mika Kallio, who has been competing for the Pramac Ducati team.
SOURCE:
Doctors have now advised the 23-year-old Marlboro Ducati rider, who lies third in the standings behind Fiat Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, to sit out the next three rounds beginning at the Czech MotoGP in Brno this Sunday.
Stoner told the official MotoGP Web site: "After five extremely difficult races due to my health, I have returned to Australia to visit the sports doctors who have looked after me for many years.
"We have taken the difficult decision not to contest the next three rounds of the championship, to allow my body time to recover from the recent stress.
"The doctors believe that during the Barcelona race I was suffering from a virus, and that I subsequently pushed my body too hard, leading to problems that have caused my fatigue since then.
Don't Miss
"The doctors are continuing with many tests to try to understand these problems and make sure it does not happen again. I have spoken with Ducati and thank them for their understanding at this time.
"I feel very sorry for the factory, my team, my sponsors and the fans and I am also disappointed because the bike in the last few races has been very competitive. I will be doing everything possible to come back at full strength for Portugal."
His place, alongside Nicky Hayden in the factory Ducati side, will be taken by Finnish rider Mika Kallio, who has been competing for the Pramac Ducati team.
SOURCE:
Friday, August 7, 2009
Dorna claims it would not be concerned if Silverstone hosted the British MotoGP and F1 events next season.
Having apparently lost the F1 grand prix to Donington Park from 2010, Silverstone helped engineer a switch in the other direction for MotoGP - making it Silverstone's new headline event.
However, with Donington a long way from finishing the extensive track and infrastructure modifications needed for F1, it would be far from surprising if F1 stayed at Silverstone next season - when the first MotoGP event at the Northamptonshire track since 1986 will be held on a modified version of the present F1 circuit.
When asked about the possibility of Silverstone hosting both F1 and MotoGP next year, Dorna managing director Javier Alonso insisted he had 'no concerns' about such a scenario.
The only venues both MotoGP and F1 currently race at are Sepang (Malaysia) and the Circuit de Catalunya (Spain), but Alonso stated that the decision to leave Donington for Silverstone had not been made simply to avoid 'sharing' with F1.
“We started talking about [Silverstone] nearly three years ago,” he revealed. “We've been going to Donington for 23 years now, and we believed we had to make a change.
“We've been growing MotoGP at Donington for the last five, six or seven years and we believed this was the right time for a change.”
Dorna now wants MotoGP to stay at Silverstone for the foreseeable future.
“We like long contracts. We have a five-year deal at the moment, but we really like to be at places for long periods of time,” said Alonso. “It helps to grow the sport in the country.”
Silverstone previously hosted the British motorcycle grand prix round from 1977 to 1986.
SOURCE:
Having apparently lost the F1 grand prix to Donington Park from 2010, Silverstone helped engineer a switch in the other direction for MotoGP - making it Silverstone's new headline event.
However, with Donington a long way from finishing the extensive track and infrastructure modifications needed for F1, it would be far from surprising if F1 stayed at Silverstone next season - when the first MotoGP event at the Northamptonshire track since 1986 will be held on a modified version of the present F1 circuit.
When asked about the possibility of Silverstone hosting both F1 and MotoGP next year, Dorna managing director Javier Alonso insisted he had 'no concerns' about such a scenario.
The only venues both MotoGP and F1 currently race at are Sepang (Malaysia) and the Circuit de Catalunya (Spain), but Alonso stated that the decision to leave Donington for Silverstone had not been made simply to avoid 'sharing' with F1.
“We started talking about [Silverstone] nearly three years ago,” he revealed. “We've been going to Donington for 23 years now, and we believed we had to make a change.
“We've been growing MotoGP at Donington for the last five, six or seven years and we believed this was the right time for a change.”
Dorna now wants MotoGP to stay at Silverstone for the foreseeable future.
“We like long contracts. We have a five-year deal at the moment, but we really like to be at places for long periods of time,” said Alonso. “It helps to grow the sport in the country.”
Silverstone previously hosted the British motorcycle grand prix round from 1977 to 1986.
SOURCE:
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Chris Vermeulen to teach Prince Harry to ride!
Prince Harry has asked MotoGP star Chris Vermeulen for riding tips after meeting him at the British MotoGP round.
Vermeulen’s mother told the Brisbane Times the Rizla Suzuki rider invited the bike-mad Royal to the Donington MotoGP round after seeing a picture of Harry riding his Triumph Daytona 675 wearing a Vermeulen-replica Shoei X-Spirit helmet.
Julie Vermeulen told the local newspaper: Harry's asked him to give him some lessons. He's got a Triumph he rides and he looking at getting a Ducati."
Chris Vermeulen also handed Prince Harry the helmet he wore for his 13th-place finish at the Donington race, plus another to give to his older brother Prince William – to keep the peace in the Royal household!
She added that a date hasn’t been set for the one-to-one training, but it will take place on a UK circuit.
SOURCE:
Vermeulen’s mother told the Brisbane Times the Rizla Suzuki rider invited the bike-mad Royal to the Donington MotoGP round after seeing a picture of Harry riding his Triumph Daytona 675 wearing a Vermeulen-replica Shoei X-Spirit helmet.
Julie Vermeulen told the local newspaper: Harry's asked him to give him some lessons. He's got a Triumph he rides and he looking at getting a Ducati."
Chris Vermeulen also handed Prince Harry the helmet he wore for his 13th-place finish at the Donington race, plus another to give to his older brother Prince William – to keep the peace in the Royal household!
She added that a date hasn’t been set for the one-to-one training, but it will take place on a UK circuit.
SOURCE:
Monday, August 3, 2009
MotoGP mid-season stats.
With ten of 17 rounds gone, the 2009 MotoGP World Championship is currently enjoying its summer break before round eleven begins at Brno on August 16.
Here are some stats from the season so far...
Note that Pramac’s Mika Kallio missed Laguna Seca due to injury; Sete Gibernau started six races before the Grupo Francisco Hernando team folded; Yuki Takahashi made seven starts before being dropped by Scot Honda; Gabor Talmacsi has made five race starts for Scot and Toni Elias has a factory spec RCV21V at Honda Gresini.
Le Mans and Mugello saw the whole grid change bikes during the race, while a handful of riders changed bikes at Donington Park. Qualifying at Motegi was cancelled due to bad weather and free practice times used to determine the grid.
Wins, Podiums, Poles and Fastest Laps.
The stats that matter most. Ranking by championship order.
1. Valentino Rossi: 4 (wins) 8 (podiums) 4 (poles) 3 ('laps)
2. Jorge Lorenzo: 2 (wins) 8 (podiums) 4 (poles) 2 ('laps)
3. Casey Stoner: 2 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 2 ('laps)
4. Dani Pedrosa: 1 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 3 ('laps)
5. Colin Edwards: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
6. Andrea Dovizioso: 1 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
7. Marco Melandri: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
8. Randy de Puniet: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
9. Chris Vermeulen: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
10. Loris Capirossi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
11. Alex de Angelis: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
12. James Toseland: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
13. Nicky Hayden: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
14. Toni Elias: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
15. Mika Kallio: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
16. Niccolo Canepa: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
16. Sete Gibernau: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
18. Yuki Takahashi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
2009 Summary:
Most race wins: Valentino Rossi (4)
Most podiums: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo (8)
Most poles: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo (4)
Most fastest laps: Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa (3)
Different race winners: 5
Different podium finishers: 8
Different pole position qualifiers: 4
Different riders with a fastest lap: 4
How close is the 2009 competition?
Closest, largest and average figures for pole position, race victory, top 3 and top 10 for 2009 rounds so far, the first season of a single-tyre rule. Figures for previous 800cc seasons also given
2009 - victories:
Closest race victory: 0.095sec (Rossi - Catalunya)
Largest race victory: 17.710sec (Lorenzo - Le Mans)
Average victory margin: 3.775sec
2008:
Closest race victory (full season): 1.817sec (Lorenzo - Estoril)
Largest race victory (full season): 15.004sec (Rossi - Brno)
Average victory margin (full season): 5.428sec
2007:
Average victory margin (full season):5.748sec
2009 - Top 3:
Closest top 3 finish: 1.600sec (Dovizioso, Edwards, de Puniet - Donington)
Largest top 3 finish: 23.113sec (Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner - Assen)
Average top 3 finish: 9.091sec
2008:
Closest top 3 finish (full season): 3.343sec (Pedrosa, Rossi, Stoner - Catalunya)
Largest top 3 finish (full season): 26.609sec (Rossi, Stoner, Vermeulen - Laguna Seca)
Average top 3 finish (full season): 11.041sec
2007:
Average top 3 finish (full season): 11.041sec (the same as 2008)
2009 - Top 10:
Closest top 10 finish: 34.814sec (Mugello)
Largest top 10 finish:53.218sec (Le Mans)
Average top 10 finish: 43.615sec
2008:
Closest top 10 finish (full season): 25.516sec (Sepang)
Largest top 10 finish (full season):89.275sec (Sachsenring)
Average top 10 finish (full season): 40.356sec
2007:
Average top 10 finish (full season): 44.788sec
2009 - Pole positions:
Closest pole position: 0.005sec (Pedrosa - Le Mans)
Largest pole position: 0.640sec (Rossi - Sachsenring)
Average pole margin: 0.161sec
2008:
Closest pole position (full season): 0.032sec (Stoner - Assen)
Largest pole position (full season): 1.189sec (Stoner - Brno)
Average pole margin (full season): 0.328sec
2007:
Average pole margin (full season): 0.215sec
2009 Factory v Satellite.
Wins, podiums, poles and fastest laps for factory riders compared with satellite riders. Factory riders were classed as those riding for a factory team.
Factory riders: 10 (wins) 27 (podiums) 10 (poles) 10 ('laps)
Satellite riders: 0 (wins) 3 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
Average qualifying position for the top satellite rider in a 2009 grand prix: 6th
In 2008 (full season): 4th
Average race position for the top satellite rider at a 2009 grand prix: 5th
In 2008 (full season): 4th
Average time difference between the top factory rider and the top satellite rider during 2009 qualifying: 0.905sec
In 2008 (full season): 0.623sec
In 2007 (full season): 0.713sec
Average time difference between the top factory rider and the top satellite rider at the end of a 2009 race: 23.208sec
In 2008 (full season): 17.611sec
In 2007 (full season): 19.462sec
2009 Team-mate v Team-mate
Team-mate vs. team-mate in terms of who finished higher in qualifying and race results. Only events where both riders were present are included. If both riders failed to finish, both received 0. Ranking by least difference, shown in brackets.
1. Repsol Honda:
Qualifying: Pedrosa 6 - Dovizioso 4 (2)
Race: Pedrosa 5 - Dovizioso 4 (1)
2. Fiat Yamaha:
Qualifying: Rossi 5 - Lorenzo 5 (0)
Race: Rossi 7 - Lorenzo 3 (4)
3. Rizla Suzuki:
Qualifying: Capirossi 6 - Vermeulen 4 (2)
Race: Capirossi 6 - Vermeulen 4 (2)
4. San Carlo Honda Gresini:
Qualifying: de Angelis 3 - Elias 7 (4)
Race: de Angelis 6 - Elias 4 (2)
5. Pramac Racing:
Qualifying: Kallio 8 - Canepa 1 (7)
Race: Kallio 3 - Canepa 6 (3)
6. Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Qualifying: Edwards 10 - Toseland (10)
Race: Edwards 9 - Toseland 1 (8)
7. Ducati Marlboro:
Qualifying: Stoner 10 - Hayden (10)
Race: Stoner 10 - Hayden 0 (10)
Team Scot, Grupo Francisco Hernando, Hayate and LCR Honda one-rider teams
Satellite stars.
Top satellite rider in 2009 races to date:
1. Colin Edwards: 4 times
=2. Marco Melandri: 2 times
=2. Alex de Angelis: 2 times
=4. Randy de Puniet: 1 time
=4. Toni Elias: 1 time
=6. James Toseland: 0
=6. Mika Kallio: 0
=6. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=6. Sete Gibernau: 0
=6. Yuki Takahashi: 0
=6. Gabor Talmacsi: 0
Top satellite rider in 2009 qualifying:
1. Colin Edwards: 4 times
2. Randy de Puniet: 3 times
3. Toni Elias: 2 times
4. Alex de Angelis: 1 time
=5. Marco Melandri: 0
=5. James Toseland: 0
=5. Mika Kallio: 0
=5. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=5. Sete Gibernau: 0
=5. Yuki Takahashi: 0
=5. Gabor Talmacsi: 0
2009 v 2008.
Who is doing better this year than last? Whose 2009 team change turned bad? 2009 v 2008 for wins, podiums, championship position and points after the first ten rounds of both seasons. Ranking by points improvement.
Key: +1 means one more than at same point in 2008, = means the same number as in 2008, -1 means one less than in 2008 etc
1. Jorge Lorenzo: +1 (wins) +4 (podiums) +2 (championship) +48 (points)
2. Marco Melandri: = (wins) +1 (podiums) +9 (championship) +47 (points)
3. Randy de Puniet: = (wins) +1 (podiums) +9 (championship) +44 (points)
4. Alex de Angelis: = (wins) = (podiums) +1 (championship) +22 (points)
5. Toni Elias: = (wins) = (podiums) -1 (championship) +10 (points)
6. Loris Capirossi: = (wins) = (podiums) +1 (championship) +6 (points)
7. Colin Edwards: = (wins) -1 (podiums) = (championship) +5 ('points)
8. Andrea Dovizioso: +1 (wins) +1 (podiums) = (championship) +4 (points)
9. Valentino Rossi: +1 (wins) = (podiums) = (championship) = (points)
10. Chris Vermeulen: = (wins) -1 (podiums) -2 (championship) -6 (points)
11. James Toseland: = (wins) = (podiums) -3 (championship) -10 (points)
12. Casey Stoner: -2 (wins) -2 (podiums) = (championship) -17 (points)
13. Nicky Hayden: = (wins) = (podiums) -5 (championship) -26 (points)
14. Dani Pedrosa: -1 (wins) -3 (podiums) -2 (championship) -56 (points)
Best and worst 2009 race finish.
Best and worst race finish of the year so far for each rider, not including DNFs. Ranking order decided by best race finish, then worst.
1. Jorge Lorenzo: 1st - 3rd
2. Andrea Dovizioso: 1st - 8th
3. Dani Pedrosa: 1st - 11th
4. Casey Stoner: 1st - 14th
5. Valentino Rossi: 1st - 16th
6. Colin Edwards: 2nd - 12th
7. Marco Melandri: 2nd - 14th
8. Randy de Puniet: 3rd - 14th
9. Alex de Angelis: 4th - 15th
10. Loris Capirossi: 5th - 11th
11. Chris Vermeulen: 5th - 13th
12. Nicky Hayden: 5th - 15th
13. Toni Elias: 6th - 15th
14. James Toseland: 6th - 16th
15. Mika Kallio: 8th - 14th
16. Niccolo Canepa: 8th - 17th
17. Sete Gibernau: 11th - 15th
18. Yuki Takahashi: 12th - 15th
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 12th - 17th
Best and worst 2009 qualifying.
Best and worst qualifying positions of the year so far. Ranking order decided by best qualifying, then worst.
1. Jorge Lorenzo: 1st - 3rd
=2. Valentino Rossi: 1st - 4th
=2. Casey Stoner: 1st - 4th
4. Dani Pedrosa: 1st - 14th
5. Loris Capirossi: 3rd -14th
6. Andrea Dovizioso: 4th - 11th
7. Chris Vermeulen: 4th - 13th
8. Nicky Hayden: 4th - 16th
9. Colin Edwards: 5th - 7th
10. Randy de Puniet: 5th - 16th
11. Alex de Angelis: 5th - 16th
12. Toni Elias: 5th - 17th
13. Marco Melandri: 7th - 17th
14. James Toseland: 9th - 15th
15. Mika Kallio: 10th - 17th
16. Yuki Takahashi: 10th - 18th
17. Sete Gibernau: 12th - 16th
18. Niccolo Canepa: 13th - 18th
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 16th - 19th
2009 DNFs.
'To finish first, first you must finish'. This shows the number of times a rider has failed to reach the finish so far in 2009. 0 means a rider finished every race he started. Ranking by least DNFs, then number of race starts.
=1. Valentino Rossi: 0
=1. Casey Stoner: 0
=1. Colin Edwards: 0
=1. Marco Melandri: 0
=1. Chris Vermeulen: 0
=1. Alex de Angelis: 0
=1. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=8. Randy de Puniet: 1
=8. James Toseland: 1
=8. Nicky Hayden: 1
11. Gabor Talmacsi: 1*
=12. Jorge Lorenzo: 2
=12. Dani Pedrosa: 2
=12. Loris Capirossi: 2
=12. Toni Elias: 2
16. Sete Gibernau: 2*
17. Andrea Dovizioso: 3
18. Mika Kallio: 3*
19. Yuki Takahashi: 3*
* Did not take part in all 10 rounds.
Bike v Bike.
2009 tally of wins, podiums, poles and fastest laps for each bike so far this year. Ranking by wins, then podiums etc
1. Yamaha YZR-M1: 6 (wins) 17 (podiums) 8 (poles) 5 ('laps)
2. Honda RC212V: 2 (wins) 7 (podiums) 1 (poles) 3 ('laps)
3. Ducati Desmosedici GP9: 2 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 2 ('laps)
4. Kawasaki ZX-RR: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
5. Suzuki GSV-R: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
SOURCE:
Here are some stats from the season so far...
Note that Pramac’s Mika Kallio missed Laguna Seca due to injury; Sete Gibernau started six races before the Grupo Francisco Hernando team folded; Yuki Takahashi made seven starts before being dropped by Scot Honda; Gabor Talmacsi has made five race starts for Scot and Toni Elias has a factory spec RCV21V at Honda Gresini.
Le Mans and Mugello saw the whole grid change bikes during the race, while a handful of riders changed bikes at Donington Park. Qualifying at Motegi was cancelled due to bad weather and free practice times used to determine the grid.
Wins, Podiums, Poles and Fastest Laps.
The stats that matter most. Ranking by championship order.
1. Valentino Rossi: 4 (wins) 8 (podiums) 4 (poles) 3 ('laps)
2. Jorge Lorenzo: 2 (wins) 8 (podiums) 4 (poles) 2 ('laps)
3. Casey Stoner: 2 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 2 ('laps)
4. Dani Pedrosa: 1 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 3 ('laps)
5. Colin Edwards: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
6. Andrea Dovizioso: 1 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
7. Marco Melandri: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
8. Randy de Puniet: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
9. Chris Vermeulen: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
10. Loris Capirossi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
11. Alex de Angelis: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
12. James Toseland: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
13. Nicky Hayden: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
14. Toni Elias: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
15. Mika Kallio: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
16. Niccolo Canepa: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
16. Sete Gibernau: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
18. Yuki Takahashi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
2009 Summary:
Most race wins: Valentino Rossi (4)
Most podiums: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo (8)
Most poles: Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo (4)
Most fastest laps: Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa (3)
Different race winners: 5
Different podium finishers: 8
Different pole position qualifiers: 4
Different riders with a fastest lap: 4
How close is the 2009 competition?
Closest, largest and average figures for pole position, race victory, top 3 and top 10 for 2009 rounds so far, the first season of a single-tyre rule. Figures for previous 800cc seasons also given
2009 - victories:
Closest race victory: 0.095sec (Rossi - Catalunya)
Largest race victory: 17.710sec (Lorenzo - Le Mans)
Average victory margin: 3.775sec
2008:
Closest race victory (full season): 1.817sec (Lorenzo - Estoril)
Largest race victory (full season): 15.004sec (Rossi - Brno)
Average victory margin (full season): 5.428sec
2007:
Average victory margin (full season):5.748sec
2009 - Top 3:
Closest top 3 finish: 1.600sec (Dovizioso, Edwards, de Puniet - Donington)
Largest top 3 finish: 23.113sec (Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner - Assen)
Average top 3 finish: 9.091sec
2008:
Closest top 3 finish (full season): 3.343sec (Pedrosa, Rossi, Stoner - Catalunya)
Largest top 3 finish (full season): 26.609sec (Rossi, Stoner, Vermeulen - Laguna Seca)
Average top 3 finish (full season): 11.041sec
2007:
Average top 3 finish (full season): 11.041sec (the same as 2008)
2009 - Top 10:
Closest top 10 finish: 34.814sec (Mugello)
Largest top 10 finish:53.218sec (Le Mans)
Average top 10 finish: 43.615sec
2008:
Closest top 10 finish (full season): 25.516sec (Sepang)
Largest top 10 finish (full season):89.275sec (Sachsenring)
Average top 10 finish (full season): 40.356sec
2007:
Average top 10 finish (full season): 44.788sec
2009 - Pole positions:
Closest pole position: 0.005sec (Pedrosa - Le Mans)
Largest pole position: 0.640sec (Rossi - Sachsenring)
Average pole margin: 0.161sec
2008:
Closest pole position (full season): 0.032sec (Stoner - Assen)
Largest pole position (full season): 1.189sec (Stoner - Brno)
Average pole margin (full season): 0.328sec
2007:
Average pole margin (full season): 0.215sec
2009 Factory v Satellite.
Wins, podiums, poles and fastest laps for factory riders compared with satellite riders. Factory riders were classed as those riding for a factory team.
Factory riders: 10 (wins) 27 (podiums) 10 (poles) 10 ('laps)
Satellite riders: 0 (wins) 3 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
Average qualifying position for the top satellite rider in a 2009 grand prix: 6th
In 2008 (full season): 4th
Average race position for the top satellite rider at a 2009 grand prix: 5th
In 2008 (full season): 4th
Average time difference between the top factory rider and the top satellite rider during 2009 qualifying: 0.905sec
In 2008 (full season): 0.623sec
In 2007 (full season): 0.713sec
Average time difference between the top factory rider and the top satellite rider at the end of a 2009 race: 23.208sec
In 2008 (full season): 17.611sec
In 2007 (full season): 19.462sec
2009 Team-mate v Team-mate
Team-mate vs. team-mate in terms of who finished higher in qualifying and race results. Only events where both riders were present are included. If both riders failed to finish, both received 0. Ranking by least difference, shown in brackets.
1. Repsol Honda:
Qualifying: Pedrosa 6 - Dovizioso 4 (2)
Race: Pedrosa 5 - Dovizioso 4 (1)
2. Fiat Yamaha:
Qualifying: Rossi 5 - Lorenzo 5 (0)
Race: Rossi 7 - Lorenzo 3 (4)
3. Rizla Suzuki:
Qualifying: Capirossi 6 - Vermeulen 4 (2)
Race: Capirossi 6 - Vermeulen 4 (2)
4. San Carlo Honda Gresini:
Qualifying: de Angelis 3 - Elias 7 (4)
Race: de Angelis 6 - Elias 4 (2)
5. Pramac Racing:
Qualifying: Kallio 8 - Canepa 1 (7)
Race: Kallio 3 - Canepa 6 (3)
6. Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Qualifying: Edwards 10 - Toseland (10)
Race: Edwards 9 - Toseland 1 (8)
7. Ducati Marlboro:
Qualifying: Stoner 10 - Hayden (10)
Race: Stoner 10 - Hayden 0 (10)
Team Scot, Grupo Francisco Hernando, Hayate and LCR Honda one-rider teams
Satellite stars.
Top satellite rider in 2009 races to date:
1. Colin Edwards: 4 times
=2. Marco Melandri: 2 times
=2. Alex de Angelis: 2 times
=4. Randy de Puniet: 1 time
=4. Toni Elias: 1 time
=6. James Toseland: 0
=6. Mika Kallio: 0
=6. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=6. Sete Gibernau: 0
=6. Yuki Takahashi: 0
=6. Gabor Talmacsi: 0
Top satellite rider in 2009 qualifying:
1. Colin Edwards: 4 times
2. Randy de Puniet: 3 times
3. Toni Elias: 2 times
4. Alex de Angelis: 1 time
=5. Marco Melandri: 0
=5. James Toseland: 0
=5. Mika Kallio: 0
=5. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=5. Sete Gibernau: 0
=5. Yuki Takahashi: 0
=5. Gabor Talmacsi: 0
2009 v 2008.
Who is doing better this year than last? Whose 2009 team change turned bad? 2009 v 2008 for wins, podiums, championship position and points after the first ten rounds of both seasons. Ranking by points improvement.
Key: +1 means one more than at same point in 2008, = means the same number as in 2008, -1 means one less than in 2008 etc
1. Jorge Lorenzo: +1 (wins) +4 (podiums) +2 (championship) +48 (points)
2. Marco Melandri: = (wins) +1 (podiums) +9 (championship) +47 (points)
3. Randy de Puniet: = (wins) +1 (podiums) +9 (championship) +44 (points)
4. Alex de Angelis: = (wins) = (podiums) +1 (championship) +22 (points)
5. Toni Elias: = (wins) = (podiums) -1 (championship) +10 (points)
6. Loris Capirossi: = (wins) = (podiums) +1 (championship) +6 (points)
7. Colin Edwards: = (wins) -1 (podiums) = (championship) +5 ('points)
8. Andrea Dovizioso: +1 (wins) +1 (podiums) = (championship) +4 (points)
9. Valentino Rossi: +1 (wins) = (podiums) = (championship) = (points)
10. Chris Vermeulen: = (wins) -1 (podiums) -2 (championship) -6 (points)
11. James Toseland: = (wins) = (podiums) -3 (championship) -10 (points)
12. Casey Stoner: -2 (wins) -2 (podiums) = (championship) -17 (points)
13. Nicky Hayden: = (wins) = (podiums) -5 (championship) -26 (points)
14. Dani Pedrosa: -1 (wins) -3 (podiums) -2 (championship) -56 (points)
Best and worst 2009 race finish.
Best and worst race finish of the year so far for each rider, not including DNFs. Ranking order decided by best race finish, then worst.
1. Jorge Lorenzo: 1st - 3rd
2. Andrea Dovizioso: 1st - 8th
3. Dani Pedrosa: 1st - 11th
4. Casey Stoner: 1st - 14th
5. Valentino Rossi: 1st - 16th
6. Colin Edwards: 2nd - 12th
7. Marco Melandri: 2nd - 14th
8. Randy de Puniet: 3rd - 14th
9. Alex de Angelis: 4th - 15th
10. Loris Capirossi: 5th - 11th
11. Chris Vermeulen: 5th - 13th
12. Nicky Hayden: 5th - 15th
13. Toni Elias: 6th - 15th
14. James Toseland: 6th - 16th
15. Mika Kallio: 8th - 14th
16. Niccolo Canepa: 8th - 17th
17. Sete Gibernau: 11th - 15th
18. Yuki Takahashi: 12th - 15th
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 12th - 17th
Best and worst 2009 qualifying.
Best and worst qualifying positions of the year so far. Ranking order decided by best qualifying, then worst.
1. Jorge Lorenzo: 1st - 3rd
=2. Valentino Rossi: 1st - 4th
=2. Casey Stoner: 1st - 4th
4. Dani Pedrosa: 1st - 14th
5. Loris Capirossi: 3rd -14th
6. Andrea Dovizioso: 4th - 11th
7. Chris Vermeulen: 4th - 13th
8. Nicky Hayden: 4th - 16th
9. Colin Edwards: 5th - 7th
10. Randy de Puniet: 5th - 16th
11. Alex de Angelis: 5th - 16th
12. Toni Elias: 5th - 17th
13. Marco Melandri: 7th - 17th
14. James Toseland: 9th - 15th
15. Mika Kallio: 10th - 17th
16. Yuki Takahashi: 10th - 18th
17. Sete Gibernau: 12th - 16th
18. Niccolo Canepa: 13th - 18th
19. Gabor Talmacsi: 16th - 19th
2009 DNFs.
'To finish first, first you must finish'. This shows the number of times a rider has failed to reach the finish so far in 2009. 0 means a rider finished every race he started. Ranking by least DNFs, then number of race starts.
=1. Valentino Rossi: 0
=1. Casey Stoner: 0
=1. Colin Edwards: 0
=1. Marco Melandri: 0
=1. Chris Vermeulen: 0
=1. Alex de Angelis: 0
=1. Niccolo Canepa: 0
=8. Randy de Puniet: 1
=8. James Toseland: 1
=8. Nicky Hayden: 1
11. Gabor Talmacsi: 1*
=12. Jorge Lorenzo: 2
=12. Dani Pedrosa: 2
=12. Loris Capirossi: 2
=12. Toni Elias: 2
16. Sete Gibernau: 2*
17. Andrea Dovizioso: 3
18. Mika Kallio: 3*
19. Yuki Takahashi: 3*
* Did not take part in all 10 rounds.
Bike v Bike.
2009 tally of wins, podiums, poles and fastest laps for each bike so far this year. Ranking by wins, then podiums etc
1. Yamaha YZR-M1: 6 (wins) 17 (podiums) 8 (poles) 5 ('laps)
2. Honda RC212V: 2 (wins) 7 (podiums) 1 (poles) 3 ('laps)
3. Ducati Desmosedici GP9: 2 (wins) 5 (podiums) 1 (poles) 2 ('laps)
4. Kawasaki ZX-RR: 0 (wins) 1 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
5. Suzuki GSV-R: 0 (wins) 0 (podiums) 0 (poles) 0 ('laps)
SOURCE:
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