ALL ABOUT OF SPORTS

Repsol Honda 1 – 2 On The Podium

2011-06-13T02:18:00.000+07:00

It was a Repsol Honda 1 – 2 on the podium, with Casey Stoner taking his 27th victory and the Championship lead in the AirAsia British Grand Prix MotoGP race with team mate Andrea Dovizioso in second. Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) rode a brilliant race with a broken collarbone, to land third on the podium.

Silverstone 2011 - MotoGP - Race - Full session
Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) lead a rainy start of the Silverstone race, chased by the two Hondas of Dovizioso and Stoner, with Marco Simoncelli on the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team Honda close behind. But Lorenzo made a mistake on the first lap, allowing the Repsol bikes to pass and clearing the way for Simoncelli to challenge the Championship leader, who passed the Mallorcan for third several corners later.

Stoner contended Dovizioso for the lead on lap two, with the Italian holding the top spot for several corners until pole position starter Stoner took over the lead from his team mate. Meanwhile, Simoncelli, who started from second position, positively hunted down the Repsol Hondas from his third position in the field until he ran wide on the 4th lap and lost the position back to Lorenzo.

With rain steadily falling and conditions worsening, Lorenzo highsided out of third position on lap 8, making the Silverstone race the first he did not finish since 2009.
This put the 25 year old Simoncelli in third position, but not content to settle for his first podium position to be a third, he pushed to pass Dovizioso until he lost the front under braking on lap ten.

Stoner stretched a gap of 15 seconds ahead of field, eventually lapping Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar) and Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing) with three and a half laps left in the race, the two of whom finished 11th and 12th respectively.

The surprise of the weekend came with Colin Edwards piloting his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bike to a podium finish. The 'Texas Tornado', who broke his collarbone last week in practice at Catalunya, started from eighth on the grid to ride a consistent race. Edwards benefited from the setbacks of Lorenzo and Simoncelli, thus earning his first podium of the season.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team), who set the fastest lap of the race, followed fellow American Edwards across the line in fourth.

Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) in fifth. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) finished sixth, in front of Czech rider Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing).
Toni Elias made a good launch off the start, putting his LCR Honda into eighth on the first lap from his 14th grid position. The Moto2 Champion crossed the line in eighth position, with Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) in ninth and Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing) in tenth.
Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) crashed out of the race on lap 14.
source:motogp.com

Valentino Rossi takes ninth championship title with brilliant podium after dramatic Malaysian GP

2009-11-17T18:51:00.002+07:00

Valentino Rossi
The indomitable and irrepressible Valentino Rossi took his ninth World Championship crown in Malaysia today, riding to third place in a dramatic rain-hit race at Sepang. It was the Italian’s seventh title in the premier class, his fourth for Yamaha - more than he has won with any other manufacturer - and his 163rd career podium. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was forced to start from the back of the grid after a sighting lap problem but he recovered brilliantly and rode a superb race to chase Rossi home in fourth place.

After three dry practice sessions the heavens opened thirty minutes before the race started and a torrential downpour ensued. The race was delayed forty-five minutes, by which time the rain had abated to a steady drizzle, but with no wet track time during practice the race had become something of a lottery. Rossi seemed to get away well but at turn one he ran wide and exited in eighth position. He then surrendered two more places, including one to his charging team-mate, and finished the first lap in tenth. For the next few laps he tailed Lorenzo as the Spaniard charged his way through the field, the pair putting on a scintillating display of overtaking in the wet until they arrived in fourth and fifth on the seventh lap. Rossi now set his sights on a podium and passed Lorenzo, surviving a huge slide in the process, before quickly pulling a gap of a second on his team-mate. He slowly began to close the gap to Andrea Dovizioso in third and looked like he would soon be within striking distance when his fellow Italian slid out, leaving Rossi in the final podium spot. He didn’t give up there however and started to reel in Dani Pedrosa, who was second, but with the track by then almost dry and the championship in the bag he decided in the final few laps to take the safe option and came home behind the Spaniard, with Casey Stoner the clear winner out in front.

Lorenzo’s troubles began when a problem with his race bike meant he had to switch to his spare at the last minute, meaning he left the pit lane a little late. He planned to do two sighting laps, as Rossi had, to get a better feel for the wet track but by the time he came through for the second one the pit lane had closed, meaning he then had to start from the back of the grid. The 22-year-old surged through the field at the start however and rode one of the races of his life to pass twelve riders and come home fourth behind Rossi. Lorenzo will clinch second place in the championship by taking just one point at the final round in Valencia, in two week’s time.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rd Time: +19.385
“It’s great to be World Champion again, I am very proud to have done this nine times in my career. I want to thank everyone in my team, Furusawa-san, Davide Brivio, Lin Jarvis, Jeremy…everybody! This season has been very hard and Lorenzo especially has pushed me to new limits, but I think it’s been a great duel for everyone to watch. Today was unbelievable, when the rain came it was scary for everyone because all the work we’d done was then useless and we were riding ‘blind’ with the setting. I made a mistake at the first corner and then I was a long way back, so I think I did a great race to finish third! I was going to try to pass Dovizioso when he fell and then for a few laps I thought I would try to get Pedrosa but with wet tyres on a drying track it was a bit risky by then and so I decided to be safe. It’s a fantastic feeling to take this title with Yamaha again and I also must thank Bridgestone, who have done a great job with the tyres all year. My celebration was because in Italy we say an old chicken makes good soup but can no longer lay eggs! I am like the old chicken - 30 years now - but I have made another egg! That’s nine!”

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 4th Time: +25.850
“I want to start by giving my congratulations to Valentino and all his team. He is the champion. As for the race, today was a difficult day. We improved in the warm-up and I was hoping to have a good race, but when it started to rain we had problems to turn on the bike. We had planned to ride two laps, but I didn’t have enough time and the pit-lane was closed. Then had to begin from last position, but I did one of my best ever starts! The first corner was incredible, but as time went on I began to have some grip problems, like during the whole weekend. However it was a great race for me in difficult circumstances and we finished fourth, not so bad. It’s been a great season and I could never have expected to be fighting with Valentino like this so early in my career. Now I just need one point in Valencia and I will have my goal of being the vice-champion.”

Davide Brivio - Team Manager Fiat Yamaha
“Every year is special but this year was very interesting because we realised from the start of the season that our strongest rival was in our garage! It hasn’t been easy but it’s been a fascinating season for everyone and we are very proud at Yamaha. We have to give huge congratulations to Valentino because this year we’ve seen him work harder than ever, and when the level goes up he puts even more effort in and this means that we, too, have all had to work even harder to keep up with him! Working with Valentino is always great fun and we are very lucky in our team. Today he showed his talent once again after a bad start to come home on the podium and we are so happy that all our work has paid off. Congratulations to Valentino and thank you to everyone in the team, at Yamaha and at Bridgestone for a fantastic job.”

Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
“Congratulations to Valentino for his ninth title! We’ve given everything we have this year to make his life difficult on track but now he has won and he deserves this victory. This year has been great for Jorge and today he did a brilliant race from last on the grid. Unfortunately we had trouble with the race bike and had to change to the back-up one, and then Jorge wasn’t in time to exit the pit lane after his second sighting lap. It was a pity but he put on an exciting show and did so well to finish fourth. Now we will focus on confirming the second place in Valencia and then look forward to next year, when I am sure Jorge will be even stronger.”

Edwards and Toseland collect points in Sepang
Colin Edwards remains firmly in the hunt for a top five world championship finish in 2009 after a tough Malaysian MotoGP race this afternoon.

Optimistic of a top six challenge in the dry, two days of hard work and preparation in hot and humid conditions counted for nothing after a torrential downpour saturated the 5.548km circuit just 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the 21-lap race.

The deluge forced Race Direction to delay the start for 40 minutes but once underway, Edwards was mounting a determined challenge for a top ten in front of 59,206 fans when he encountered small front-end issues with the wet setting on his Monster Yamaha YZR-M1.

He climbed as high as 12th place on lap 13 but was unable to maintain his pace in much cooler conditions than normal for the Malaysian GP, the intervention of the rain dropping temperatures to 27 degrees.

Edwards ended the penultimate race of the campaign in 13th position, the American closing the gap on Andrea Dovizioso in fifth in the overall standings to just four points heading to the season’s final race in Valencia on November 8.

British rider James Toseland ended a difficult weekend with 15th position to extend his impressive points-scoring run to seven successive races. The 28-year-old also ran into front-end grip problems but fought hard in tricky conditions to claim a single point, Toseland confident he can finish the season in style at Valencia next month.

Colin Edwards - Position: 13th Time: +1′10.778
“The weekend wasn’t great to be honest. The bike wasn’t fast in the dry for some reason and I just couldn’t get going all weekend. We tried a different setting this morning and it felt better, but it certainly wasn’t a miracle spark. But with the rain coming like it did it just made it a guessing game. I did two warm-up laps behind Valentino (Rossi) p to check the conditions and from that moment the front feeling wasn’t great. Even then I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get any weight on the front and that’s exactly what happened. I could carry the lean angle I wanted but the front wouldn’t load at all, so I couldn’t get the bike turned. When it was properly wet I felt like I was upping my pace and closing in on the group for tenth, but then the tyres started heating up and I was sideways all of the time. In the final laps I was losing a lot of time. I’m going to Valencia still fighting for fifth in the championship wi th (Andrea) Dovizioso) crashing, but I don’t like taking profit from the mistakes of other people. I just want to say congratulations to Yamaha and Valentino. He’s done another amazing job and nine world titles is just a phenomenal achievement.”

James Toseland - Position: 15th Time: +1′50.672
“I wasn’t too sorry when I saw the rain to be honest because it had been a tough weekend in the dry. We went with the base wet setting but I had the same problem in the rain that I did in the dry. I just didn’t have any grip on the rear and in the wet the problem was on corner entry to the apex. So my corner speed was just way too slow to make a decent lap time. I am not out there just riding around at the back. I was doing my absolute best and trying my hardest but it was impossible for me to go any faster with the feeling I had. It has been a tough weekend but I’ll look to bounce back and finish strongly in Valencia for my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“It has been a very disappointing weekend and easily the worst for us this season. We were struggling in the dry so I can’t say I was unhappy to see the rain because I thought this would give us a chance of improving our results. Unfortunately our performance was even worse in the rain and we can’t be happy. Now we have to understand why we struggled so much this weekend. The only good thing is that we go to Valencia with Colin still fighting for fifth in the championship and the whole team is motivated to finish the season on a positive note. Finally I’d like to pass on my congratulations to Valentino and Yamaha. They have done another incredible job this season. Valentino has proven once again what a formidable rider he is, and Yamaha has undoubtedly the most dominant bike in MotoGP.”

Loris Capirossi focused after Estoril frustration

2009-10-06T19:56:00.003+07:00

Rizla Suzuki rider Loris Capirossi is remaining focused on the final championship run-in following his forced retirement at Estoril.

Loris Capirossi’s disappointing DNF at Estoril has failed to dampen the veteran Italian rider’s positive assessment of the progress his GSV-R machine has made this season.

The Rizla Suzuki rider – who will continue with the same outfit next campaign – retired on the 20th lap of the Portuguese GP, following a technical fault with his bike which made it impossible to continue.

Capirossi was closing in on the battle for sixth place, which was ensuing between Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) as he attempted to further secure his championship standing of seventh.

The 36-year-old remains seventh in the overall riders’ rankings for the season, but his points advantage over nearest rival Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) has now been cut to four, with a chasing pack of six other riders all capable of catching Capirossi in the final three races of the season.

Capirossi – who qualified in seventh place on the grid in Portugal – is maintaining an upbeat outlook ahead of the forthcoming Iveco Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, and said, “The Estoril race wasn’t too bad - until we stopped! I started quite well and was with the front group, but I then lost control on turn six and lost a few places. I tried to get my rhythm back and I managed to overtake a few riders and I caught up with Toni and Andrea. I know I was quicker than them and could have got past to score a good result.”

“Then I don't really know what happened to the bike, because it lost power, so all I could do was return to the pits. We have worked really hard this weekend to find the best way to go quicker on the GSV-R and overall our position this weekend was to fight for fifth or sixth, which is not too bad for us because this is one of the worst tracks for us in terms of performance.”

“Everything seems to be improving and we are now looking forward to the next race,” he concluded.

Capirossi’s Suzuki team-mate Chris Vermeulen, who is also hot on the trail of the Italian in the championship, finished tenth - from 15th on the grid - having worked his way through the race field. He echoed his colleague’s sentiments ahead of his home race at Phillip Island.

“I am quite happy with the way I rode and the fact that I moved up through the field,” he said. “We’ve definitely made improvements with the GSV-R at this track and I’m really looking forward to going to Phillip Island with those improvements.”

Lorenzo cuts Rossi’s title advantage with Estoril triumph

2009-10-06T19:50:00.001+07:00

Estoril 2009 - MotoGP Race Highlights
A great win for Jorge Lorenzo at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal saw him reduce the gap to Valentino Rossi in the standings to 18 points.

Jorge Lorenzo repeated his 2008 Estoril victory from pole on Sunday to significantly boost his title chances as Valentino Rossi could only manage fourth place at the challenging Portuguese circuit.

The Fiat Yamaha pair got away in first and second places on the grid but Rossi was unable to match the pace of Lorenzo as he pulled away quickly at the front. On his return to action Ducati’s Casey Stoner rode brilliantly to follow Lorenzo across the line in second place, whilst Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was third.

Lorenzo will now feel that with three races to go and an 18 point deficit to Rossi the championship is far more achievable than before the visit to Portugal. The Spaniard was in unstoppable form in the Atlantic Coast sunshine and his fourth win of the year was eventually secured by a 6.3s margin.

Stoner performed admirably on his return to action after two months away due to illness, achieving his first podium since Assen in June – and he now has his home race at Phillip Island to look forward to in a fortnight’s time.

Pedrosa rode smoothly from fourth on the grid, taking the holeshot with one of his traditionally rapid starts onboard the factory RC212V and briefly holding the lead before Lorenzo slipped through. Pedrosa’s third place was his eighth podium of 2009.

World Champion Rossi appeared to be off-colour throughout the race, finishing off the podium for the first time at Estoril in the premier class. The championship leader will undertake a comprehensive inquest into his lack of competitiveness with his Fiat Yamaha crew after finishing 23 seconds behind Lorenzo.

Behind the MotoGP big guns at the front, Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was 10 seconds back on Rossi in fifth place, whilst Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) held off Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) for sixth on the line.

The top ten also featured Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), with Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing) crashing out early on and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) retiring due to technical problems.

Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso renew HRC contracts

2009-09-07T17:15:00.002+07:00

HRC is delighted to confirm that Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have re-signed for the factory Honda MotoGP team.

After the basic agreement announced by Honda Racing Corporation at Brno last month, the details of the contracts have duly been finalised and both riders have signed the agreements at Misano during the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini weekend.

Pedrosa has agreed a one-year extension to his contract which will see the 23-year-old Spaniard riding for the factory Honda squad for a fifth consecutive season. Dovizioso has signed a deal with HRC for 2010 with options to extend for 2011. With this young and talented pairing, HRC is convinced it has the rider line-up needed to recapture the MotoGP World Championship title.

Tetsuo Suzuki, HRC President

“We are very pleased that both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have re-signed for the factory Honda team and we have total confidence that these two riders possess the talent to help us fight for the MotoGP World Championship. They both have long and successful careers with Honda in Grand Prix racing and we are happy this partnership will continue. Although we have struggled this season, we will continue the challenge until the very last Grand Prix. Since this year is the 50th anniversary of the start of Honda’s participation in the World Championships, we must remind ourselves once again that Honda has been striving to compete at the top level in the world since the day of its founding. As HRC we will, of course, reinforce the development of our machine, and together with every team member, we will continue to fight with Honda’s challenging spirit in our hearts.”

Dani Pedrosa

This new agreement with HRC is great news for me and I’m very pleased to be staying with the team that I’ve ridden for since 2006. We have now established an effective way of working and I’m confident that we can become even more competitive in the future. The target has always been to win the World Championship and that of course stays the same. We have proved before that we can be the fastest and beat the best in the world, and I still believe we can get to a level where we are challenging for that at every race. That is what the whole team must work towards. HRC has a very impressive racing heritage and I still have confidence that they can produce a bike that can win the World Championship.

Andrea Dovizioso

I’m very happy to be continuing with HRC in the factory Honda team. The experience of being involved with such a prestigious team has been very important for me and, as soon as we began discussing the future, my target was to continue with Honda. My first year as a factory rider has taught me a lot. I’m confident that with the direction we’ve agreed for machine development we can reach a level where we are fighting for victory every Sunday. Honda is a company that has achieved huge racing success and there are a lot of very talented and passionate people behind this effort. I’m sure we have the potential to fight for the world title.

Successful end to busy weekend for Andrea Dovizioso

2009-09-07T17:11:00.002+07:00

Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso had an eventful time at his home Grand Prix, which ended with him moving up to fifth place in the championship.

The Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini was an important weekend for Andrea Dovizioso, with the highly gifted young Italian being confirmed as a Repsol Honda rider for 2010 before Sunday’s race - in front of a passionate Italian crowd.

Dovizioso’s hometown of Forli is a one hour drive (75km) drive from the Misano circuit and he had plenty of friends and family members looking on from the stands as he successfully battled with another popular Italian in the final stages, eventually outpacing the veteran Suzuki rider on the final lap to take fourth place by two-tenths of a second.

Dovizioso had worked diligently over the course of the weekend to incorporate his new Ohlins suspension system onto the factory RC212V, meaning that he appeared not to be riding at 100% until the race itself, having qualified down in eighth place.

Dovizioso seems to be a specialist a finishing fourth, having now done so on six occasions this year, thrice in the last three races, but this time the result was enough to lift him above crasher Colin Edwards in the standings into fifth position overall.

Summarising his home GP, Dovizioso stated, “I’m reasonably happy with this weekend. This was the first time with Ohlins and of course we couldn’t have the perfect set-up but this is just the start and I’m very confident for the future. I’m happy too because I renewed my contract with Honda. This is my first year in the factory Honda team and I feel that I still haven’t shown my full potential. I know the machine better now and we are working together in preparation for next year.”

Describing his race, he commented, I pushed 100 per cent in the first laps. I had a good feeling with the bike but unfortunately on lap seven I made a mistake at turn 11 and I lost contact with the front riders. This mistake compromised the race as after that I couldn’t stay with the leaders. In the last laps I had quite a battle with Capirossi for fourth place. He was braking very hard but in the end I passed him and closed every gap so that he couldn’t get past again.

MotoGP trio react to costly crash

2009-09-07T17:08:00.001+07:00

Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden and Alex de Angelis all gave their reactions to the first lap crash at Misano which immediately ended their quests for points on Sunday.

There was drama early in the MotoGP contest on Sunday at Misano when home rider Alex de Angelis hit Colin Edwards at the start of the first lap, with the crash also taking Nicky Hayden into the gravel and instantly ending the race for all three riders.

Following their good performances in practice and qualifying each of the talented trio had looked well set to earn a decent points total at round 13, but it was not to be – with De Angelis accepting the blame for the crash and later apologising to both Americans.

However, Edwards was in no mood for sympathy and described De Angelis’ riding as unacceptable. The Texan fumed, “I thought I had the pace to easily be fourth and maybe fight with Dani Pedrosa for a podium but we are in Italy and occasionally you have to deal with an Italian rider who wants to be a hero and today that was De Angelis. Turn one at the start with 17 bikes is not the place to be going at race pace and he was never going to make through there. Today De Angelis is the guy who needed to be wearing Valentino’s donkey helmet.”

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider continued, “I didn’t know what had happened until I was sliding through the gravel. Turn one is the most dangerous time to crash with so many bikes around you, it is unacceptable. I’ve been fighting with Andrea Dovizioso in the championship most of the season and now he has ten points on me with four races to go. That’s racing.”

Hayden, meanwhile, was similarly disgruntled and was particularly dismayed to have missed the chance to give the thousands of Ducati supporters at Misano something to shout about. The Kentuckian competitor remarked, “It’s easy to say it now but I just know I was set for a good race so I’m extremely disappointed. Maybe I wasn’t going to win but at least I could have run with the front guys for a while and given all the Ducatisti something to cheer, as well as picking up some vital experience and data for this machine.”

He added, “To be honest I had a feeling De Angelis might create some drama here. He’s at home and fighting for his job and when I saw him in the corner of my eye I just tried to gas it and get out of his way. Unfortunately he slightly clipped my rear wheel and that was the last I knew about it. I know in racing people can make mistakes and I have done plenty in my life but I’m not happy with Alex because this wasn’t racing - it was just stupid to try and pull a move like that on cold tyres, on the first lap. Anyway, we’re all okay and looking forward to Portugal.”

For his part it was a highly costly error and De Angelis has now failed to finish the race on both occasions he has ridden in his home event as a MotoGP rider, having also crashed out last year.

He ruefully stated, “I got a decent start and thought I could make some more ground up on the inside on the turn but I went in too deep. Colin cut in front of me and I braked as hard as I could to avoid him but the front folded and I hit him. Unfortunately Nicky was hit as well and I apologise to both of them. Unfortunately these things happen in racing and I am desperately disappointed because this is my home race, there were a lot of people here supporting me and I wasn’t able to deliver a good result. It is especially frustrating because we had the potential to put a really good race together here after another excellent weekend, but we’ll take the positives out of it and try to continue with our recent progress at Estoril.”

Valentino Rossi comments on 2011 Ducati rumours

2009-09-07T16:55:00.002+07:00

MotoGP World Champion and Misano winner Valentino Rossi was asked about a potential move to Ducati in 2011 after Sunday’s race, but says he is still to decide on his future.

Speculation in the press linking Italian national hero Valentino Rossi with a move to Italian factory team Ducati resulted in the World Champion inevitably being asked about the subject following yet another victory in Italy, but the MotoGP title holder insists the rumours are just paper talk at present.

The 30 year-old rider took another step closer to what would be a fourth premier class title with his current Fiat Yamaha team and a seventh premier class crown in total on Sunday, and when asked about the 2011 Ducati rumours he replied, “I haven’t decided yet about my future, I will decide in the next year. I have a contract signed already with Yamaha (for 2010). For sure it is a great dream for everybody, to see Valentino with Ducati. We will see, I don’t know.”

Commenting on the superb atmosphere at Misano, which is situated close to his hometown of Tavullia, Rossi enthused, “It is fantastic. This year I really feel like this is my home Grand Prix. Before it always felt more like Mugello was home, but here with all this crowd it is brilliant. It is great for MotoGP to have so many fans and to see everyone with their 46 flags was amazing.”

On whether he had expected a harder battle with his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo during the race he stated, “Jorge is always strong but we saw in the practice that we had a little bit of an advantage, so we were able to go a bit faster than him.”

Loris Capirossi disappointed to lose fight with Dovizioso

2009-09-07T16:15:00.004+07:00

Capirossi unhappy with fifth
An all-Italian battle between Loris Capirossi and Andrea Dovizioso for fourth brought the crowd to their feet in the final stages at Misano, but there was ultimately frustration for the veteran Suzuki rider.

Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Cpairossi produced another excellent performance at Misano on Sunday, crossing the fifth, having started tenth on the grid, but the ultra-competitive Italian was not happy after the race as he had lost out in a duel for fourth place with Andrea Dovizioso on the last lap.

Indeed, there were just two-tenths of a second separating the pair as they crossed the line, prompting Capirossi to say afterwards, “"I am very disappointed and quite upset to lose fourth place on the last lap, I think we deserved it and it would have been a great result for the whole team, Suzuki and all the sponsors. Dovizioso was a little bit faster than me on the last lap and although I tried to close the door he overtook me quite fast. I tried to get him back but just didn't do it.”

Summarising the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini overall, Capirossi also remarked, “We got better all weekend and it was a great race for us today and although I am upset at losing out on fourth, because that would have been the best result this year, we are certainly getting closer all the time and I think very soon we will be right up there.”

Dani Pedrosa describes tough Misano race

2009-09-07T15:24:00.003+07:00

Dani Pedrosa interview after race in Misano
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa gave it all he could at round 13 but he could not match the pace of his Fiat Yamaha rivals.

On the day he officially renewed with HRC to continue in the factory Honda team in 2010, Dani Pedrosa gave it his best shot at the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, but could only manage third place at Misano.

The former 250cc and 125cc World Champion made one of his signature superb starts and led the race in the early laps, but was eventually hunted down by title chasers Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, who appeared to have an advantage in terms of lap times on their Yamaha M1 machines.

Explaining what had occurred Pedrosa stated, “I gave it my maximum in the race. I tried to do everything I could and I wanted to stay with them (Rossi and Lorenzo) at the beginning, but in the middle of the race I started to go slower and they were just faster. They were braking better and cornering better, so I couldn’t keep up with them.”

At the end of the race the Barcelona rider had to be brought back to the pits by fellow Catalan Toni Elías after his machine cut out on the warm down lap. Pedrosa commented, “From the beginning I had some misfiring on a couple of corners and in the end I was very lucky because my bike stopped on the ‘in-lap’ and it was very strange. I don’t know if it was lack of fuel or something else, but I think I was lucky to finish the race and get third! Anyway, thanks to my team and the people around me.”

Jorge Lorenzo acknowledges Rossi competitiveness

2009-09-07T15:15:00.001+07:00

Jorge Lorenzo interview after race in Misano
Jorge Lorenzo believes second place at Misano was a good result considering Valentino Rossi’s form throughout the weekend.

Having lapped sixth fastest in the Sunday warm up Jorge Lorenzo said he knew there was a very tough race ahead of him, also considering the pace of his team-mate and title rival Valentino Rossi throughout the weekend, and that proved to be the case once the real action got underway.

Lorenzo rode steadily after an early scare when Alex de Angelis, Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden crashed out next to him, the Spaniard then hunting down Dani Pedrosa and chasing Rossi for the lead, but eventually falling two and a half seconds short.

The Majorcan rider is the only rider to have been on the podium every time he has finished a race this year and the Misano contest took him onto the rostrum for the tenth time in 2009.

Afterwards he said, “After the pace in warm up I knew it was going to be a difficult race. I had a not bad start, but then I almost crashed on the second corner, because (Alex) de Angelis was going so fast and his bike touched me. Fortunately I didn’t go down and I wanted to relax, so that I could recover, without taking too many risks.”

“I think today was the day to finish second and not to win, because Valentino had the best pace all through the weekend. So I had to concentrate on getting second place because I didn’t have the perfect set-up for my bike and I couldn’t brake so late. Because of that it was difficult to get around Dani (Pedrosa), as the Honda was accelerating very well. Anyway, second place is good.”

Valentino Rossi: ‘It was a perfect weekend’

2009-09-07T15:05:00.001+07:00

Valentino Rossi interview after race in Misano
Valentino Rossi will make the short drive home to Tavullia from Misano with a 30 point advantage in the title race ahead of a three week break, with four rounds to go.

A fantastic performance this weekend at the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini from standings leader and reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi allowed him to put the disappointment of Indianapolis firmly behind him in the Italian sunshine.

The ideal response from Rossi to his Indy DNF was a dominant display of his competitiveness and talent over the three days of the GP, climaxing in a solid race victory in front of his home fans, to wedge a 30 point gap between himself and runner-up Jorge Lorenzo.

Afterwards a delighted Rossi stated, “I am so happy because this victory is more important than normal, coming after a bad mistake in Indianapolis just seven days ago and especially because my team and I did a great job, from Friday afternoon. It was a perfect weekend, we were always very fast in all the practices and we are always proud of all the fans here in Misano. Thanks to them for all their support.”

Describing how the race had worked out from his perspective, Rossi also commented, “I hoped to make a better start and get to the front but Dani (Pedrosa) and Toni (Elías) overtook me on the first corner and then Jorge at the end of the first lap, so I was fourth and in a little bit of trouble. I had a full fuel load and wasn’t 100% confident.”

“I decided to find my rhythm and get the right temperature into the tyres, then I started to push and it was a great race. It was a great battle with Toni, Jorge and Dani. When I got in front I couldn’t see everything behind me but I saw Jorge overtake Dani. I had three or four corners where I was very fast so I tried to use that advantage to the maximum.”

Valentino Rossi hits back with Misano triumph

2009-09-07T14:36:00.002+07:00

Misano 2009 - MotoGP Race Highlights
It took Valentino Rossi just one week to bounce back from his Indianapolis disappointment with brilliant win at Misano on Sunday.

World Champion Valentino Rossi delighted the home crowd at Misano on Sunday with his second successive victory at the Italian circuit, to reassert his authority in the MotoGP title race.

A 2.4s win at the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini over his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was the perfect response to his Indy DNF and Rossi now leads the Spaniard by 30 points in the standings, with four rounds to go.

Lorenzo did his very best to stay with his illustrious team-mate over the course of the 28 lap contest, having overtaken Dani Pedrosa after a short battle, but The Doctor was unstoppable in the Italian sunshine.

Having held the lead in the early stages Repsol Honda’s Pedrosa could not match the pace of the powerful Fiat Yamaha pair, eventually crossing the line ten seconds behind Lorenzo to complete the podium.

Early in the race there was drama - and heartbreak – when Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) appeared to misjudge the first corner and crashed out, with American pair Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) unfortunately sliding out with him.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) had a fierce fight behind the rostrum finishers, with Dovizioso eventually coming out on top by two-tenths of a second for his third fourth place finish in a row.

The top ten was rounded off by early race leader Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Mika Kallio (Ducati Marlboro), Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) and James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), whilst temporary Pramac Racing representative Aleix Espargaró did very well in eleventh place in just his second MotoGP race.

Valentino Rossi stays on top on Sunday morning

2009-09-07T14:33:00.001+07:00

As the MotoGP riders made their final preparations for battle at Misano on Sunday morning it was Valentino Rossi’s name which appeared at the head of the timesheet again.

World Champion Valentino Rossi warmed up for his home race with the best practice time on Sunday morning at Misano, with a 1’34.894s best effort keeping him ahead of the pack.

Below him on the timesheet Dani Pedrosa was three-tenths of a second behind in second place, whilst the Spaniard’s Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was third fastest courtesy of a lap around half a second slower than Rossi’s.

Americans Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden completed the top five, whilst Jorge Lorenzo was down in sixth place on this occasion.

Pramac Racing's young Spanish replacement rider Aleix Espargaró crashed during the session and ended up 16th on the timesheet, but is expected to be fit to race.

Toni Elias hoping for luck in Misano race

2009-09-06T15:17:00.003+07:00

Elias on second row result
San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elías believes he needs some good fortune to get on the podium on Sunday having qualified fourth at Misano.

Battling to secure a future in MotoGP at present, Toni Elías was going the right way about things on Saturday at Misano, as he placed his San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V fourth on the grid.

The Spanish rider was just 0.099 off the front row at a circuit where he finished third in last year’s MotoGP race and he was philosophical about how Saturday’s proceedings had panned out when he spoke to motogp.com after qualifying.

“Yesterday we started badly, with a lot of problems, but we improved the bike overnight and made some more improvements for this afternoon,” Elías explained. “I feel much better today on the bike and we lost out on the front row in the final moments because Valentino Rossi took the pole late on.”

Previewing Sunday’s 13th race of the season, Elías added, “We are still happy because the second row is perfect. We’ll try to start well in the race and follow the best riders. We know it will be difficult but our target will be to lead the second group, try to beat them and if it is possible and we get some ‘presents’ arrive like in Brno, we could get on the podium. It depends on luck a little bit.”

Valentino Rossi delighted with pole for home race

2009-09-06T15:13:00.002+07:00

Rossi over the moon with home pole
The MotoGP title holder, standings leader and 2008 Misano race-winner Valentino Rossi was highly satisfied with his qualifying performance on Saturday afternoon.

Having taken his sixth pole of 2009 on Saturday at Misano a delighted Valentino Rossi thanked his Fiat Yamaha crew for their nimble work which allowed him to make late dash to secure top spot on the grid.

A final effort on a new tyre paid off for the Italian who was under pressure again from his Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa and his own team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who also ended up on the front row.

Afterwards an excited Rossi commented, “I am very happy to get the pole position here in Misano. I was able to do a great lap on my final tyre and that was enough for pole, and the team changed the tyre in the time of an F1 pit stop so thanks to them! We know that it's going to be a very tough race tomorrow, but we are in good shape.”

Describing his general Saturday work he added, “We expected it to be a bit cooler today but in the end it wasn't so different from yesterday and it's still very hard work for all the riders. This afternoon the grip wasn't great and we found it a bit harder with the race pace, but then we made a second round of modifications and everything felt very good.”

In his typically self-deprecating manner, Rossi explained the new helmet he is sporting this weekend, stating, “I have the donkey on it because in Italy, if you make a stupid mistake we say that you are a donkey. I made a mistake in Indy so this is why!”

Nicky Hayden on second row for important race

2009-09-06T14:56:00.003+07:00

Hayden feeling good on Ducati in Italy
Ducati Marlboro’s Nicky Hayden had a decent day in front of the Ducatisti at Misano on Saturday.

Temporary Ducati team-mates until the return of Casey Stoner, permanent factory rider Nicky Hayden and Stoner’s replacement Mika Kallio are confident of putting on a strong performance in Sunday’s Misano race, after qualifying sixth and eleventh respectively in Saturday’s qualifying session.
Nicky Hayden – 6th

“This morning I had a really good feeling with the bike and put together a good rhythm – I was fastest in T4 and that’s the first time this year I’ve been fastest at anything in the dry! I’d hoped to improve and do my best dry qualifying of the year this afternoon but to begin with the track was a little warmer and I didn’t get that same level of feeling, so we had to make some tweaks to the set-up. Like I say, I’d hoped to do better than what I did but we got on the second row and our focus turns to tomorrow. I need to get a great start because those first two or three turns are going to be harsh – everybody will be fighting for positions and there’s a good chance of some drama there! We want to get through that cleanly and as high up the order as possible in the early stages. From there it’s a case of giving my maximum for all the Italian fans and trying to put their bike up front. It is great to have their support here and all the staff from Bologna – Claudio (Domenicali), Filippo (Preziosi), Vitto (Guareschi), Alan (Jenkins)… It’s fun and I’m enjoying having them around so hopefully we can celebrate a result together tomorrow.”

Mika Kallio – 11th

“We have improved by eight tenths of a second on yesterday, which isn’t bad but clearly isn’t enough because the other guys have improved more. We’ve tried many things this weekend to try and get a better feeling with the front but we’re still not getting the feedback we would like and we’re struggling to work out why that is. Now we need to think carefully about what we try in the morning because confidence is a big issue and if we go completely in the wrong direction it can be damaging. We’ll make some small modifications that I hope can be enough to help me push more and get more out of the bike in the race.”

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo on hot first session

2009-09-06T14:32:00.004+07:00

Rossi happy despite Friday heat
In the heat at Misano on Friday afternoon Valentino Rossi made an immediately good start to the weekend and was just ahead of his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo on the timesheet.

Both Fiat Yamaha riders, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, mentioned the heat at Misano on Friday afternoon after they successfully got the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini weekend underway.

In uncomfortably hot and humid conditions local favourite Rossi set his best time right at the end of the session, with a 1’35.304 lap, to put him just over a tenth of a second ahead of Lorenzo – who had registered his fastest time a few minutes earlier.

Having scored the first psychological blow of the weekend, Rossi stated, “Today was unbelievably hot. The first session was much better than in Indy though and I am quite happy. We did a few experiments with different settings and then at the end when we put everything together with the right tyre, I was able to do three fast laps and finish first.”

The legendary Italian added, “It’s a good sign to be in this shape already on Friday and now we just have to improve a bit more tomorrow because it’s very important here to be on the front row. It’s quite a tricky track and you have to be quite careful in some places, but my bike felt good today.”

Lorenzo provided his perspective, remarking, “Today was very hot which meant it quite hard to ride, and also the track is quite slippery here. I felt comfortable on my bike from the start and I was able to be quite fast, which is always encouraging, but I think we have some more work to do because we’re not perfect yet and the front could be better, especially on the entry to the corners.”

“Tomorrow we will try to work on this and especially on T2 and T3, because these are the areas where we are losing some time. Valentino is very strong, as I expected because it’s his home and he won last year, so we will have to be at the maximum to be able to fight with him.”

Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo ready to hunt down Valentino Rossi

2009-09-06T14:19:00.003+07:00

Pedrosa hoping to improve race pace
Spanish pair Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo will both try to prevent another Valentino Rossi victory at Misano on Sunday.

Having qualified on the front row for the fourth GP in succession Dani Pedrosa will try to spoil Valentino Rossi’s party at Misano on Sunday as he goes in search of his second victory of 2009.

Pedrosa looked to have snatched pole position from the illustrious Italian at the end of Saturday’s Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini qualifying session, but the Italian immediately grabbed it back with a late lap which was just over two-tenths of a second quicker than that of the Repsol Honda rider.

Reflecting on the session Pedrosa commented, “It’s great to get a front row start here and we weren’t far away from pole position which is a good result from this afternoon because our rivals are very strong again here. During the session we were working on race set-up and we still have a little way to go to improve my race pace and consistency compared to the others. In qualifying I was able to up my speed towards the end and I was pushing really hard because it’s very important to get on the front row here and give yourself the best chance of a clean getaway.”

“It’s sure to be an exciting race tomorrow and I hope we can find that little bit extra so we can challenge for the win again.”

Meanwhile, continuing his incredible run of starting on the front row at every round so far this year, this time in third place, Lorenzo added his perspective, stating, “Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough with the soft tyre right at the end, but we are still on the front row once again and this is the most important thing. My race pace is very good and I did some consistent runs, even though we still have some areas that we need to improve a bit because our setting isn’t perfect yet.”

"I think the race tomorrow is going to be quite painful in this heat and the physical condition is going to be very important! It will be a long race but we are in good shape and I am looking forward to the challenge".

Kurtis Roberts Profile

2009-09-01T18:49:00.001+07:00

KURTIS ROBERTS
Born: November 17th, 1978
Residence: Turlock, California

2006 Competed in World Superbike Championship
2005 Two podium finishes in Formula Xtreme
2004 Rode for Proton KR Team, MotoGWorld Championship
2003 Three AMA Superbike wins & one AMA Supersport win
2001 Three AMA Superbike podiums. Four top five finishes in Supersport
2000 AMA Supersport Champion and Formula Xtreme Champion
1999 AMA Formula Xtreme Champion
1998 Three AMA 250 Grand Prix Race wins
1997 Raced in World 250cc Grand Prix Series

Andrew Pitt Career

2009-09-01T18:24:00.004+07:00

2008 Rides for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda in the World Supersport championship.

2007 Returns to MotoGP with Ilmor, for what should be the team's first full season of racing - only for it to withdraw from competition after the opening round due to 'financial problems'. Pitt reappears as a stand-in for the injured Sebastien Charpentier at Ten Kate Honda's World Supersport team and as a Michelin MotoGP test rider. Impresses Ten Kate with two second place finishes, securing a full time ride for 2008.

2006 Remains with Yamaha Motor Italia in WSBK, alongside Noriyuki Haga, and enjoys his best season yet - taking his first WSBK win, and Yamaha's first of the season, at Misano. Haga finishes higher in standings due to consistency but also wins one race. Pitt, who scored six podiums during the season, is expected to keep his seat but is shocked to find out, at the Magny Cours season finale, that he will be replaced by countryman Troy Corser. With few top WSBK seats left, Pitt grabs the chance to test for the new Ilmor MotoGP team and subsequently signs to ride alongside Jeremy McWilliams.

2005 Moves to WSBK with the official Yamaha Motor Italian team. Just misses out on a podium as he finishes debut season in a solid, if unspectacular, 7th.

2004 12th World Supersport Championship Yamaha Italia, 27th MotoGP championship Moriwaki Honda.

2003 Starts first full MotoGP season with Kawasaki.
2002 5th World Supersport Championship and makes MotoGP debut with Kawasaki at Sepang and races in final three rounds claiming 4 points.
2001 World Supersport Champion.
2000 10th World Supersport Championship.
1999 Australian Supersport Champion. 2nd in Australian Superbike championship.
1998 2nd Australian Supersport Series. Winner of the Shell Advance 6 Hour. Winner of the South African Superbike International Challenge.
1997 1st NSW State 250 Production Series.
1996 2nd NSW State 250 Production Series.
1995 2nd NSW State 250 Production Series.

Nobuatsu Aoki Biography

2009-09-01T18:17:00.002+07:00

Nobuatsu Aoki, born August 31, 1971 in Sumaga) is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Aoki began his Grand Prix career in 1990 and won his first and only Grand Prix at the 250cc Malaysian Grand Prix. His best season was in 1997, when he finished third in the 500cc world championship behind Mick Doohan and Tadayuki Okada . He is the oldest of three Aoki brothers who have competed in motorcycle Grand Prix races.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing career
Active years 1990 - 2008
Teams Honda, Suzuki, Proton
Grands Prix 167
Championships
Wins 1
Podium finishes 7
Career points 1005
Pole positions 1
Fastest laps 1
First Grand Prix 1990 250cc Japanese Grand Prix
First win 1993 250cc Malaysian Grand Prix
Last win 1993 250cc Malaysian Grand Prix
Last Grand Prix 2008 MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix

Michel Fabrizio

2009-09-01T18:11:00.002+07:00

Name: Michel Fabrizio
Nationality: Italian
Birth Date: 9/17/1984

Fabrizio had a pretty good rookie season, finishing 11th overall, providing a youthful balance on the 2006 D.F.X. team alongside Frankie Chili. With the popular Chili now retired, Fabrizio is partnered up with another veteran in Martin. During his rookie year in WSB, the former MotoGP backpacker tallied perhaps the most unexpected double-podium of the season at Brno (the same crazy round which saw Kagayama's double victory).

In 2007 Fabrizio was respectable aboard the D.F.X. Honda. Impressive enough to get tapped out by the factory Xerox Ducati squad for 2008. After a solid 8th place finish in 2008 Fabrizio returns in 2009 with the Ducati Xerox team partnering with Noriyuki Haga after Bayliss' retirement.

Career Highlights:
2008 - 8th WSB
2007 - 11th WSB
2006 - 11th WSB

Jeremy McWilliams Biography

2009-09-01T18:01:00.003+07:00

Jeremy McWilliams (born 4 April 1964 in Belfast, Northern Ireland), is a motorcycle road racer. Until Scott Redding's win at the 2008 125cc British Grand Prix, he remained the only British rider to win a race or pole in an FIM MotoGP World Championship class in the 2000s.

For 2007, he was to race in the MotoGP series for the Ilmor team,despite a heavy crash in testing in late 2006. He had to miss the first race of the season in Qatar, due to another crash, near the end of the Losail International Circuit. After this round the team suspended its racing operations and has not returned. He is currently involved in development work for motorcycle and tyre manufacturers and also in coaching young riders through his Masterclass race schools.

Shane Byrne Biography

2009-09-01T17:55:00.002+07:00

Full Name: Shane Byrne
Nickname: 'Shakey'
Date of Birth: 10th December 1976
Place of Birth: Lambeth, London
First Race: 1996
British Superbike Debut: 1999
Grand Prix Debut: 2004

Shane Brown was born on the 10th December 1976 in London, although he now lives in Zurich, Switzerland. He was the British Superbike Champion in 2003 riding for Monstermob Ducati.

Shane began his career in 1988 winning one event out of four in his trails riding debut year. In 1993 he had four wins in five months on Schoolboy motorcross. It wasn't until 1996 when Shane had his road racing debut with a Kawasaki. He won his race first time out but ended the season with a broken wrist.

By 1997, Shane was the Supersport 600 Champion and won his first national race on a Supersport Honda at Cadwell Park. He competed in the British Supersport Championship in 1998 finishing in 6th place on a Yamaha Thundercat, winning at Snetterton in the same season.

Shane started the 1999 season on a Honda in the Supersport class but moved up to riding a Kawasaki in the British Superbike Championship for the first time. He scored several point-scoring finishes including two 7th places and two 8th places. At Donington Park for the final round, Shane finished in 5th and 6th places and ended the season with 67 points, 15th place overall.

Injury in 2000 meant that Shane missed several mid season races, although he did finish in 14th place with ten top ten results scoring 80 points.

Three 5th and 4th places at both Oulton Park and Brands Hatch were some of the highlights from Shane's 2001 season. In fact he had twenty finishes in the top eight. He rode his GSX-R750 to 22 class wins out of 26 races. Scoring 204 points put him in 8th place overall, and won him the Superbike Cup.

Riding his first year for Team Renegade Ducati on a full works Superbike in 2002, Shane became a regular front-runner on the 998R TestaStretta. His first win was at Donington in round three. This season he also won at Knockhill and Thruxton, and was in the top five at no less than sixteen races. Shane also had the three fastest laps, making his final points tally 294 1/2 points and giving him 4th place overall. He also raced a Ducati in the British World Superbike rounds with results of 5th place, 9th place and two 10th places.

2003 saw Shane's best year. He was riding for MonsterMob Ducati, taking over the reigning titleholder, Steve Hislop's, machine. He started the season with nine wins in eleven races, and by the sixteenth race he had achieved six 2nd places. Shane was now 135 points in front of Suzuki's John Reynolds. When he won at Cadwell Park his total was sufficient to take the title. He also recorded three pole positions and seven fastest laps on his way to the BSB title.

During 2003 he also raced for Ducati in the Brands World Superbike round as a wildcard and won both races, placing him in 15th place after nine rounds.

Joining fellow Brit Jeremy McWilliams in 2004 in MotoGP with Aprilia, he missed several races again through injury and made headlines accused of stealing a fan's girlfriend. Most of 2005 Shane raced for Kenny Roberts' team on a MotoGP bike, but unfortunately the team was forced to pull out due to the internal dispute between the chassis and engine manufacturers. He finished off 2005 by racing in Malaysia and Qatar for Camel Honda but his results did not earn him a ride in 2006.

Returning to the British Superbike Championships in 2006 saw Shane now riding for Rizla Suzuki. Although suffering from a severe stomach bug he managed a podium place in the 7th race. After a brake failure causing a crash at 187mph he missed races 11 and 12, although he wasn't seriously hurt. The team's bikes were stolen and dumped in a barn next to horse manure a week before Knockhill. He qualified in 2nd place and followed this with a 2nd place finish in race one, with the team's first win of the season in race 2. In the season's final round, Shane was in 3rd place when he highsided and was knocked unconscious at Paddock Hill bend at Brands Hatch. Again, the injuries were not serious but prevented him racing in the final race which meant he ended up dropping to 6th place overall in the championship.

Byrne was not retained by Suzuki for 2007 and instead was signed by Paul Bird for the Stobart Honda team in British Superbikes. Some strong results for the satellite team, including a win at Mallory Park, ensured that Byrne remained at the sharp end of the Championship table. Unfortunately he was not able to match the pace of the two factory Hondas and Ducatis and it was those that finished in front of him.

Caught up in the merry-go-round at the end of the season which saw most riders switching teams, Byrne was signed by Airwaves Ducati. The team had lost Lavilla to World Superbikes (and coincidentally, Paul Bird's team) and Haslam to HM Plant Honda. Byrne was happy to sign on, with Leon Camier, to race the new Ducati 1098R for 2008.

The move proved a good one on Byrne's part as his proved his detractors wrong and romped away with the title. Leon Haslam finished as his closest rival on 357 points but he was a long way adrift of the 474 points which Byrne amassed aboard the Ducati 1098R. The larger capacity bike was subjected to much scrutiny and even had a 10kg weight penalty imposed on it mid season (briefly prompting Airwaves Ducati’s threat to withdraw on safety grounds).

When left to compete on the track Byrne never looked likely to be caught. He won 9 out of the opening 14 races and it was only a bad crash at Knockhill which gave him his first non-podium finish. By that time his dominance was such that the rest of the field was fighting for second place. He went on to claim his second BSB title, finishing the season with a double win at Brands Hatch.

Having never disguised his wish for a World Superbike ride, he was signed by the Sterilgarda Ducati team to partner Alex Polita for 2009.

Career Highlights
2008: 1st - British Superbike Championship
2007: 5th - British Superbike Championship
2006: 6th - British Superbike Championship
2005: 24th - MotoGP World Championship
2004: 20th - MotoGP World Championship
2003: 1st - British Superbike Championship
2002: 4th - British Supersport Championship
2001: 1st - British Superbike Cup
2000: 14th - British Superbike Championship
1999: 15th - British Superbike Championship
1998: 6th - British Supersport Championship
1997: Club Supersport Champion

Neil Hodgson Biography

2009-09-01T17:52:00.002+07:00

British-born Neil Hodgson worked his way through the ranks of the European club racing series before eventually catching a ride on the Harris Yamaha Grand Prix team in 1995. After a year of crashing and getting beat up on the burly 2-strokes he made the switch to Ducati World Superbike in 1996.

During the next decade, Hodgson would become one of the more successful Superbike racers in Europe. Starting with his British Superbike Championship in 2000 and ending with his World Superbike Championship in 2003, Neil had secured his place as one of the greatest Superbike riders of all time.

Highly skilled both as a racer and as a development rider, Hodgson becomes a member of the Honda Racing team at an ideal time. With Honda's rollout of the all-new CBR1000RR, he joins teammate Miguel Duhamel in the role of adapting the street bike into a winning Superbike platform.

Career Highlights:
2008 - 6th AMA Superbike
2007 - Did not race
2006 - 5th AMA Superbike
2005 - 6th AMA Superbike
2004 - 17th MotoGP
2003 - World Superbike Champion
2002 - 3rd World Superbike
2001 - 5th World Superbike
2000 - British Superbike Champion
2000 - 12th World Superbike
1999 - 4th British Superbike
1998 - 11th World Superbike
1997 - 9th World Superbike
1996 - 10th World Superbike
1995 - 11th 500 Grand Prix

Kenny Roberts Jr Biography

2009-09-01T17:42:00.002+07:00

Number: 10
Nationality :American
Birth place: Modesto, California
Birthday: 25.07.1973.
Team: Kenny Roberts Jr in action
Residence: Modesto, California
Height: 170cm
Weight: 67kg
Championship points(2009): 0

Kenny Roberts Jr-250ccm
Kenny Roberts Jr made his racing debut in 1988, but on motocross bike. Year later, in 1989, Roberts got first taste of road racing on Mini Bikes. Once Kenny Roberts Jr got on the tarmac, he continued racing on it until these days. In 1990, he raced full season in Willow Springs, riding in 250cc category and managed to take 5 victories.

In following season, 1991, Kenny Roberts Jr contested WERA Formula II championship on Yamaha, and finished this season in 2nd place. Being American, Roberts had to try his skils in AMA 250cc GP championship, again with Yamaha, and manages to finish 1992 season in 4th place.

In 1993, Roberts gets first taste of MotoGP championship, as he gets wild card ride at Laguna Seca for Yamaha Team Roberts, and finishes this race in 10th. In this year, he also contests Spanish Ducados Open 250cc championship, where he finishes in 2nd place.

In 1994 Kenny Roberts Jr rode last four races of the season, finishing three of them and scoring 23 points, which was enough to finish season in 18th place overall.

In 1995 Roberts stayed with Marlboro Team Rainey, this time full season, and finished season in 8th place. Best result for Kenny Roberts in this season was 4th place in Germany.

Kenny Roberts Jr-500ccm
In 1996, Kenny Roberts moved to royal class, riding for team owned by his father: Marlboro Yamaha Roberts. In this season, Roberts started racing from third race, and managed to gather points to finish season as 13th overall. Not bad result for rookie season.

In 1997, Roberts Senior decides to build his own bike, KR3, and was joined by his son Jr in this adventure. Despite fact that he rode brand new bike, Roberts managed to finish this season in 16th, picking up 37 points. Kenny stayed with same team in 1998, this time picking up 59 points. More points was not result of improved machine but Kenny's consistency, which put him to 13th place in championship.

Suzuki offered competitive ride to Kenny in 1999, who didn't think twice and accepted offer which made his career rise balistic. From the start of the season, Kenny Roberts started hard, winning first two races in front of dominating Criville-Doohan duo. Until end of the season, Roberts won 4 races in total, but at the end finished season in 2nd place.

In 2000, Kenny Roberts won his first MotoGP title with Suzuki, scoring 4 victories and 9 podium finishes. His greatest rival in this season vas Valentino Rossi, who made MotoGP debut in this season. However, Kenny's conistency was the key for the title, as he managed to gather 258 points and bring another title in Roberts family.

After best ever season, Roberts started series of dissapointing results in 2001, which lasts until these days. In 2001, when he should defend his title, Roberts barely managed to make one podium result. In this season, Roberts picked 97 points, which placed him to 11th place in championship.

Kenny Roberts Jr MotoGP
Suzuki prepared GSV-R racer for 2002 season, which was outpaced by Honda and Yamaha, but has shown some promissing performance as Roberts picked one 4th place and one 3rd, and gathered 99 points to finish in 9th place in the MotoGP championship.

In 2003 season, Suzuki GSV-R project has not made any progress, and fact that team sponsor Telefonica Movistar left the team did not help either. With best result of 9th in Australia, Roberts finishes this season demoralized in 19th place, with only 22 points.

Suzuki stayed unreliable in 2004 season, in which Roberts was able to finish only 6 of 16 races and pick 37 points, enough for 18th place in the championship. Despite beeing team first rider, Kenny Roberts Jr was shadowed by promissing performance of the John Hopkins, young American team-mate. In off-season, some reorganization is done in the Suzuki MotoGP team, which led to promissing results in testing.

In 2005, Kenny stays in Suzuki, but in off season friendly warning wrapped in sweet words was issued to him that he must find motivation in this season. So far, Roberts finished 2 of 4 races and lays in 18th place in championship, 2 places behind team-mate. Scenario of Suzuki's failure stayed the same in 2005 so far: early lead in opening laps, soon followed by engine troubles...

Ruben Xaus Biography

2009-09-01T17:33:00.003+07:00

Number: 11
Nationality :Spanish
Birth place: Barcelona (Spain)
Birthday: 18.02.1978
Team:
Residence: ST.CUGAT DEL VALLES (Barcelona)
Height: 183
Weight: 76
Championship points(2009): 0

Ruben Xaus-125ccm
Ruben Xaus started racing in 1992 in national championship of Catalonia in 125ccm class. In year 1993, Xaus took title in Supermotard 80cc Championship of Catalonia and raced in the Solo Moto 125cc Criterium.

Ruben Xaus-250ccm
Ruben Xaus got first taste of World Motorcycle racing championship in 1995 with Honda Fortuna Pons team on NSR Honda 250cc. This year he took four races in this class, making debut in British GP.

Ruben Xaus-Superbike
Ruben Xaus gathered his four-stroke expirience mainly in SuperSport racing, where he was mainly riding Honda CBR 600. He made debut in 1994 in Open Ducados Supersport Championship, and finished this season 17th. In following years, he has become high profile Supersport rider:
1995. 12th - Fim Thunderbike Trophy - Team Dhoda Wanty
1996. Thunderbike Trophy - Team Rumi Honda
1997. 12th in World Supersport series - Team Rumy Honda
1999. World Supersport Championship - Yamaha Dee Cee Jeans Racing - Team/Yamaha R6 600cc
Ruben Xaus Also had succesful Superbike career, where he built high profile in four seasons:
1998. 6th - German Pro-Superbikes Championship - Team Alpha-Technik - Suzuki GSX R 750cc
2000. 7th - World Supersport Championship - Team Ducati Infostrada
2001. 6th - World Superbike Championship - Team Ducati Infostrada
2002. 6th - World Superbike Championship - Team Ducati Infostrada

Ruben Xaus-MotoGP
In his Debut season in MotoGP championship, Ruben Xaus took rookie of the year title and managed to get first podium finish in Qatar, where he took third place. On the same track, Xaus got his best grid position, 7th. In satelite Ducati team he completely outperformed his team-mate Neil Hodgson and currently is 10th in championship standings.

Alex Barros Biography

2009-09-01T17:24:00.003+07:00

Number: 4
Nationality :Brazilian
Birth place: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Birthday: 18.10.1970.
Team:
Residence: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Height: 174
Weight: 68
Championship points(2009): 0

Alex Barros-125ccm
Alex Barros started racing in Brazilian moped championship in age of 8, in 1988. In his second season, 1989, he won title in this category, as well as next year. In 1991, Alex Barros became 50ccm Brazilian champion. His 125ccm career started in 1982, when he finished season in 4th place, advancing to second championship position in 1983.

Alex Barros-250ccm
Alex Barros moved to 250ccm Brazilian championship in 1984 to finish his first season in this class as 4th, before winning Brazilian 250ccm championship title in 1985. In 1986 and 1987 Barros made international appearance in 80ccm world championship, finishing seasons in 16th and 17th, respectively. He returned to 250ccm class in 1988 in Latin-American 250ccm Championship with Yamaha, and finished season 3rd overall. In 1989, Alex Barros entered 250ccm world championship with Yamaha, and finished his debut season 18th.

Alex Barros-500ccm
Alex Barros got factory Cagiva 500ccm ride in 1990, and stayed here for three seasons, finishing 12th, 13th and 12th, riding two years as team-mate of Eddie Lawson. In 1993 he changed Cagiva for Suzuki, and scored first 500ccm win in same year, finishing season in 6th place. Barros stayed one more season with Suzuki to finish 8th in general standings. From 1995 Barros moved to Honda, where he had constant problems with lack of founds for 5 years, finishing those seasons 7th, 4th, 9th, 5th and 9th, and taking podium finishes in more occasions. In year 2000 Alex Barros entered Sito Pons team, and finished 4th in 2000, 2001 and 2002, taking five victories.

Alex Barros-MotoGP
After encouraging debut on Honda RC-211V in 1992, Alex Barros decided to go to Yamaha, where he struggled all season and finished 9th in championship standings, before returning to Honda in 2004 for factory team. Much was expected from Barros in this season, but he managed to get only four podium finishes, with even three non-scoring races. Barros finished three races in third place: Spain, Portugal and Malaysia, and once he finished in second place, in Germany. At the end of the 2004 season, Barros was 4th in general standings with 165 points, almost twice less than 2004 Champion, Valentino Rossi.

2005 MotoGP Season
Barros once more changed team in this year, this time riding for Camel Honda. Start of the 2005 MotoGP season was not bad at all for Alex Barros, as he finished first race in 4th place, and next one in Portugal with a victory. However, promissing start of the season did not transformed to title chase, as he only once more finished on podium in Britain. Barros ended season 2005 in 8th place in general classification, with total 147 points.

2006 Season
At the end of the 2005 season, Alex Barros was not offered MotoGP ride, so he switched to World Superbike series with Klafi Honda Team. Even though Barros had to found his ride in WSBK team, he shown great performance in his debut season in Superbike series. He did not wait too long to get onto podium, as he got pair of them (2nd and 3rd place) in second round of the Superbike championship that took place at Phillip Island circuit. After starting success, Barros also picked two second places in Italy and San Marino, before crowning his superbike season with victory at race 1 and second place at race 2 in Imola.

Carlos Checa Biography

2009-09-01T17:11:00.003+07:00

Number: 7
Nationality :Spanish
Birth place: Barcelona, Spain
Birthday: 15.11.1972.
Team:
Residence: Yorkshire, England
Height: 174
Weight: 69
Championship points(2009): 0

Carlos Checa-125ccm
Carlos Checa started his racing career in 80ccm class of Spanish championship in 1990, and finished his first season as 7th. It took only one year for him to adapt before becoming champion in this class in 1991.
Carlos Checa entered 125ccm European Championship in 1992, and finished his season as 8th. In 1993, Checa entered 125ccm World Championship, and raced in this category to middle of the season, when he switched to 250ccm category. He was 27th in 125ccm world standings this year. Checa also contested in Spanish national 125ccm championship this year and finished 3rd overall.

Carlos Checa-250ccm
Carlos Checa started racing in 250ccm world championship in mid-season of 1993, and finished his first season in this category as 23rd. 1994 was his first full season in 250ccm, and he manages to finish it in 12th place. In 1995, Carlos Checa raced in 250ccm until the middle of the season, before switching to 500ccm. In this season he finished 13th overall.

Carlos Checa-500ccm
Carlos Checa switched to 500ccm World Championship in middle of 1995 season, and finished this season as 16th. Season 1996 saw Checa picking his firs podium and win in 500ccm class, and finishing 8th overall. Year 1997 had not brought any improvement in Checa`s classification in World Championship standings, he finished 8th again. 1998 was last season Checa has ridden the Honda, and was his best in premier class, when he finished 4th in overall standings. Carlos Checa switched to Yamaha in 1999, and finished this season in 7th place. Following two seasons, Checa was 6th in general standings.

Carlos Checa-MotoGP
In 2002, Checa gets Yamaha brand new M1 four-stroke, and in strong Honda dominance finishes season 5th overall. Season 2003 saw Checa finishing 7th in world championship standings, after increased Honda dominance. Carlos Checa got Valentino Rossi as team-mate in 2004, but so far was unable to transform M1 progress to some decent results, except one 2nd place in France.

James Haydon Biography

2009-09-01T16:38:00.002+07:00

James Haydon
nationality • English
born • 2 November 1974
grand prix début • 1992
world superbike début • 1997

James Haydon is still one of the fastest and most committed men in British championship racing, and with plenty of wider experience, even if he is also known for over-stepping the mark a bit too often. But the crashes appear to be mostly in the past now, and when given the right equipment he is a dependable performer, and someone who several teams have turned to in their hour of need. He has ten British Superbike race wins to date, but there could easily be more in the future.

1986-1990
Schoolboy motocross

1990
Road racing début at Mallory Park in 125cc Ministocks Clubmans championship, finishing second; first win at Snetterton; won the title

1991
9th in British 125cc championship, with Team Cotoni Honda - 5th at Donington Park, one pole; 9th in MCN Superteen championship, with Suzuki RGV 250 - two wins; British Supersport 400, with Suzuki RGV 250 - 10th at Cadwell Park

1992
6th in National 250cc championship, and 8th in British 250cc Supercup, with Team Great Britain Yamaha - first race win; won EMRA 250cc title; 250cc Grand Prix début as wildcard at Donington

1993
2nd in British 250cc Supercup championship, with Team Great Britain Yamaha - three wins; won EMRA 250cc title; 500cc Grand Prix début as wildcard - youngest ever British points scorer with 11th at Donington on a ROC-Yamaha; British Superbike début with Fast Orange Yamaha

1994
17th in British Superbikes - selected rounds with the Medd Racing Honda RC45, including the bike’s first ever win worldwide, in the wet at Snetterton; selected rounds of the British 250cc championship - wins at Brands Hatch and Donington, two lap records; won EMRA 250cc title; four 250cc Grands Prix for Team Beckett, best result of 16th on the Honda RS; 500cc GP wildcard at Donington, with Team Elit ROC-Yamaha

1995 Harris Grand Prix, number 69 Harris-Yamaha
In a full 500cc Grand Prix season as a privateer, James scored points in three races, with a best finish of tenth in the European round in Barcelona. His best qualifying efforts got him onto the back end of row three at Donington, but he crashed there when racing in the top six, and his eleven-point tally placed him 24th overall

1996 W.C.M., number 18 ROC-Yamaha
A second year in 500s saw an improvement to sixteen points and joint 20th place, but James also managed a few crashes. The last of these gave him a broken leg, and put him out for the final three races. His best result was ninth at Paul Ricard in France

1997 Team Gio.Ca.Moto, number 14 Ducati
For 1997 James moved into World Superbike racing, but his chances of success were not helped by an excess of mechanical problems with the bike, some of which caused him to crash, and he ended up leaving the team with two rounds still to run. Nineteen points left him 25th overall, with best results of twelfth three times, and eleventh in San Marino’s race two

1998 Team Sony Suzuki, number 8 Suzuki
Haydon’s next move was to return to British competition, riding the GSX-R Superbike for Crescent Racing. He started off with third in race one, and secured a run of top five results in the first six rounds, including second and third at Donington. A bit of a lull followed, but he bounced back with victory in the first Silverstone race, and in the final table he was seventh, on 228 points, and with two fastest laps
Also raced as a World Superbike wildcard, with bike number 38, scoring seven points in the UK rounds

1999 Team Clarion Suzuki, number 8 Suzuki
Staying with Suzuki and the GSX-R, James had an even better 1999. After four races he was at the top of the table, thanks to two wins, a second and a fifth. He would add five more podium results, two of them wins, but would drop to fifth overall behind four all-conquering Ducati V-twins. His final points score was 289, and he added another five fastest laps
Also raced as a World Superbike wildcard, with bike number 42, getting ninth and eleventh at Brands

2000 Rêve Red Bull Ducati Team, number 5 Ducati
Haydon’s success continued on the 996 as he joined the Rêve Ducati outfit. The team had been set up around lead rider John Reynolds, but James wasn’t about to play the role of dutiful second rider, and it wasn’t an entirely harmonius relationship. In addition, he was afflicted with a neck injury picked up as a passenger in a car accident. Nevertheless, three wins were added to another seventeen top five results, and four fastest laps, and 341 points placed him fourth overall
Also raced as a World Superbike wildcard at four meetings, with bike number 45 - was sixth twice at Donington, and added four points in Germany; did some BBC commentary in the same series

2001 Virgin Mobile Aiwa Yamaha, number 4 Yamaha
The next move took James to Yamaha’s R7 in BSB, where again successful outings were counterbalanced by the odd crash, not least when leading. There were no actual race wins, but four seconds and eight thirds helped him to fourth overall, and there were also three fastest laps. 316 points put him just ten behind Sean Emmett, making an engine failure in the penultimate race quite costly
Also raced as a World Superbike wildcard, with bike number 70, but scored no points

2002 Foggy Petronas, number 44 Foggy
James signed on as Carl Fogarty’s second World Superbike rider, for the new team’s Petronas-backed FP1 machine. The plan was to have enough bikes homologated ready to join the series mid-season, but in the event neither Haydon nor lead man Troy Corser got to race, and their activity was limited to testing duties

2003 Foggy Petronas Racing, number 8 Foggy
2003 marked the début proper for the FP1, but the season didn’t work out too well for Haydon. Although he scored the bike’s first points with 12th in the very first race, most subsequent outings proved less productive. Where Corser got onto the first two rows a few times, and broke into the top eight with race results, James struggled. This led to a few crashes, and he consequently missed meetings through injury. The high point was a solitary ninth place in Japan, but no more points followed. Twelve points in total left him way behind Corser, and he was not retained.

2004 ETI Racing / Virgin Mobile Samsung
Without a ride, James started the year as the BBC’s World Superbike co-commentator, but soon found himself substituting for ETI Racing’s Stuart Easton at Snetterton in the British series, with the number 19 Ducati 998 F02. He finished tenth and fourteenth, which led to a more permanent role. This time he filled in for Steve Plater at Virgin Mobile Samsung, on the number 36 Yamaha YZF-R1. James’ experience started to pay off in his third meeting on the bike, when he was twice in the top six. Wet conditions at the following Knockhill round were opportune as he recorded second and first places. He was retained to the season’s conclusion, even after Plater’s return, ending up eighth overall with 181 points - top in the four-man Virgin team
Also raced in MotoGP, with three late season outings for Proton Team KR - 12th in Qatar.

2005 Airwaves Ducati / Rizla Suzuki / Virgin Mobile Samsung
The current season has evolved into another round of ‘super-sub’ musical chairs. A pre-season hand injury delayed James’ début for GSE with the 36 Airwaves Ducati 999 F04, and then he stepped aside for substitute Gregorio Lavilla to continue. He went on to fill in for injured riders at Rizla Suzuki (Reynolds) and Virgin Yamaha (Emmett), before being signed to partner ‘JR’ on the number 18 GSX-R1000, as replacement for the disappointing Scott Smart
Also carries on his commentary role in WSB

Anthony West Biography

2009-09-01T16:24:00.002+07:00

Name: Anthony 'Ant' West
Nationality: Australian
Birth Date: 7/17/1981

Australian, fast, young, need we say more? Well Mr. Doohan believs that this kid is on his way up and should be contending in the GP ranks very soon. He began his career racing dirt track where he earned two national titles by age 15. At that point his roadracing career began.

West's big break came in 2007 when he was tapped out by Kawasaki midseason to replace Olivier Jacque on the ZX-RR. The Aussie impressed and gets a full season aboard the 2008 machine.

Career Highlights:
2007 - 15th 250 MotoGP (only 11 races)
2006 - 11th 250 MotoGP
2005 - 7th 250 MotoGP
2004 - 11th 250 MotoGP
2003 - 7th 250 MotoGP
2001 - 18th 500 MotoGP
2000 - 6th 250 MotoGP
1999 - 12th 250 Moto GP
1998 - Australian 250 Production Champion
1998 - Australian Rider of the Year

Solid seventh for battler Capirossi

2009-09-01T16:06:00.002+07:00

Loris Capirossi worked extremely hard in Sunday’s MotoGP race at The Brickyard to earn seventh place, despite an early incident which left him down in 14th place on lap one.

The Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix weekend started with Loris Capirossi’s future in MotoGP being confirmed for at least one more season when his 2010 contract with Suzuki was announced - and it ended with the tough Italian securing another solid top ten result for his team. However, there were some considerable obstacles to overcome in between.

The Suzuki team did not appear to be able to find a competitive setting at the famous American venue and Saturday concluded with Capirossi and his colleague Chris Vermeulen qualifying 11th and 14th respectively, only for things to get worse when the race started.

In incident on the second corner saw both Rizla Suzuki riders run off track, with Capirossi running in 14th place at the end of lap one, but the 36 year-old battled back brilliantly over the subsequent 27 laps to eventually finish seventh.

“The final position is not too bad, but I am disappointed with my start because it was not very good and on turn two I was involved in a big mess with some other bikes! I kept up a good pace and I overtook a lot of guys, I had a good rhythm throughout the race and if I'd had that rhythm without the incident early on and the bad start I think I could have challenged for a top five place.”

“I want to thank all my guys for another good job this weekend and they are all working hard to discover the best performance for the new chassis, I already think it is a lot better than the old one, but we still don't know its full potential. We got good data from the race and it was a better result than the grid position, but we expect more and we will be pushing hard in Misano!”
source:motogp.com

Rossi 'dirty' fall

2009-09-01T15:24:00.003+07:00

Valentino Rossi was left disappointed after crashing out of victory contention on lap 10 of Sunday's Indianapolis Grand Prix.

The Italian, who inherited the lead after Dani Pedrosa fell just in front of him on lap four, dropped out of a close second behind Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo when he lost the front into turn two (see below for more pictures).

The 30-year-old hit the asphalt hard with his right shoulder before sliding onto the grass. A stunned Rossi attempted to continue but his M1 was too badly damaged and he was eventually forced to accept his first DNF (and second non-score) of the season.

“Today is a disappointment of course,” said Rossi. “We struggled here with the setting all weekend, but we made an improvement today and I got a good start and was able to stay in touch with Pedrosa.

“Once he fell, I knew it would be between Jorge and I but I honestly don't know how it would have finished, because Jorge was very fast today. Of course, it would have been better to have finished second than not to finish at all!”

Upon returning to the pits, Rossi immediately began checking the telemetry to try and find out what he had done wrong. The answer, it seems, is that the six time MotoGP champion had been a little off-line.

“Unfortunately I ran wide on to a dirty part of the track at turn one and lost the front,” confirmed Rossi. “I tried to carry on but there was a problem with my throttle and it wasn't possible.”

“It was a bit of a strange crash, and this is why as soon as Valentino got back he wanted to check the data,” added team manager Davide Brivio. “It seems he just found himself on a dirty part of the track and so when he braked he lost the front and that was it.”

Rossi's surprise error has halved his world championship lead to 25 points over Lorenzo heading into Misano, just a few miles from Rossi's home town.

“I want to congratulate Jorge for his victory and now we look forward to coming back to the front at Misano. We are still leading the championship and this is the most important thing,” Rossi concluded.

Lorenzo wins Indianapolis MotoGP

2009-09-01T15:06:00.002+07:00

Spain's Jorge Lorenzo gave his slim hopes of catching Yahama teammate Valentino Rossi for the Moto GP world championship a big boost Sunday with a triumph in the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Spain's Jorge Lorenzo gave his slim hopes of catching Yahama teammate Valentino Rossi for the Moto GP world championship a big boost Sunday with a triumph in the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Before the race the 22-year-old said making up a 50-point deficit on Rossi was "impossible."

It looked a little more feasible after Lorenzo, who had crashed in his last two races, recorded his third victory of 2009 and Rossi failed to score a point after crashing early in the race.

"His misfortune was good for me. It makes a difficult thing for me a little more possible," said Lorenzo, who has five more races to catch his teammate.

"This is fantastic for me," he added. "I've had two crashes in a row, but now I've won and my closest rivels have crashed instead. I'm sorry for them, but these are the highs and lows of racing and it is an amazing result for me."

Lorenzo, who was the series rookie of the year in 2008, won the 28-lap, 118.104 km race by more than nine seconds over runner-up Alex De Angelis of San Marino.

American Nicky Hayden, who finished second in the inaugural Indianapolis race last year, was third, fending off the late challenge of Andrea Dovizioso.

Lorenzo averaged 149.976 km/h on his Yamaha to win in 47min 13.592sec.

De Angelis was 9.435 seconds behind the leader as he earned his first podium finish on the circuit.

Eight-time world champion Rossi of Italy, Lorenzo's Fiat-Yamaha teammate and the current points leader, had his bid for a second consecutive Indianapolis victory come to a premature end when he crashed and slid onto the grass on the 10th lap.

He managed to remount, but soon pitted and walked away.

Pole sitter Dani Pedrosa of Spain pulled away at the start and led Rossi after the first four laps with Lorenzo third.

Pedrosa slid out of the lead with a crash in Turn 15 and eventually finished 10th.

Rossi and Lorenzo then dueled for the lead with Lorenzo in front when Rossi went down.

"A disappointment of course! We struggled with the settings all weekend, but we made an improvement today and I got a good start," Rossi said. "I knew it would be between Jorge and I, but I honestly don't know how it would have finished because Jorge was very fast."

Rossi, seeking his seventh world championship in the premier MotoGP class, said he "ran wide onto a dirty part of the track" and lost the front of his motorcycle.

"I tried to carry on, but there was a problem with my throttle and it wasn't possible."

Despite his fall, Rossi retains his overall lead in the standings with 212 points, but Lorenzo reinforced his position as the only rider with any realistic chance of catching him with five races remaining.

Lorenzo halved his deficit from 50 to 25 points as he took his total to 187.

Australian Casey Stoner, who missed his third straight race with a mystery illness, is third with 150 points.

Team Green support from Kawasaki

2009-08-30T18:48:00.002+07:00

Eventually Jamie earned Team Green support from Kawasaki, which provided some much needed parts and advice. His outstanding performance later attracted factory Honda support, which no other rider in the district had earned. They provided him with 2 dirt bikes and parts, which were greatly appreciated and helped him improve his performance and further develop his skills. He went on to win many races, which was quite an accomplishment considering he was running only a limited schedule.

Jamie with parents Brian and Jenny
Jamie’s family, especially his father Brian, has always been a major influence on him and his career. From a very early age, Brian challenged him and instilled a competitive drive and spirit that would serve him well throughout his racing career. With this attitude, Jamie had never been satisfied with his performances and had always driven himself to be the best. If he were not winning, he felt that he had let himself down as well as everyone else around him. Unfortunately, that same attitude had caused Jamie to push himself and his body beyond the limits of his equipment and the track, resulting in mistakes and injuries.

By his senior year in high school, the stress of traveling, injuries, and school commitments had taken its toll. Jamie was burned out and decided to take a break from racing, but like any true racer it wasn’t long before his competitive spirit came back. This time though, it would take the form of a road racing career rather than motocross.

In 1994, a couple of Jamie’s friends convinced him to enroll in a certification class conducted during a CCS (Championship Cup Series) event in Savannah, GA. This class would certify him to ride in the CCS club races. He had only ever sat on a street bike a couple of times in his life, and he’d never been on a track or ever rode competitively. Jamie was a natural and passed the class with flying colors, even passing his teacher on one occasion. The teacher was impressed and later that day pulled Jamie aside, telling him he could go far in the sport.

Later that year, with the help of his friends, Jamie entered the last CCS race of the season He piloted his own 1990 Kawasaki ZX7 street bike, his only means of transportation, which vapor locked before the end of the race and he fell out. While this wasn’t exactly a stellar beginning to a road racing career, Jamie had received a taste of what was possible and was hooked.

Jamie Hacking biography

2009-08-30T18:36:00.005+07:00

Jamie “The Hacker” Hacking was born June 30, 1971, in Oswaldtwistle, a small town in England. He grew up spending his younger years at his grandparents’ chippy, which is what they call a fish & chip shop in England. Unlike many other road racers, Jamie did not come from a family with a background in motorcycle racing. His interest in motorcycles came all on his own.

First Bike Italijet 50
At the age of 5, Jamie had begged his father, Brian and granddad, Harold, to buy him a motorbike. While they weren’t sure he was old enough to start riding, they pooled their resources, purchased an Italjet 50, and gave it to him on a cold, icy Christmas morning. Just like any 5 year old on Christmas, he wanted to play with his new toy right away. So they took him to the local football field (or soccer for those of us in the States), a nice wide open place where he could ride without fear of running into anything. As with any first time rider, he didn’t quite have the feel of the clutch-accelerator combination and kept stalling the engine. This happened so many times his grandpop told him that if he couldn’t keep the bike running, they would take it back, and he had one more chance. Jamie revved the engine up, dumped the clutch and took off around the field. He rode around for a little bit and then lost control on the slick, icy grass, ran into one of the goal posts, denting his brand new fuel tank. He left the field in tears and while this was not exactly a stellar start to a motorcycle racing career, it sparked the desire to try again and keep riding.

In 1980 at the age of 9, Jamie’s life changed when his father was offered a job in the United States and the family moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Jamie’s competitive spirit didn’t go away with the move across the ocean and by the age of 12 he found himself racing BMX and motocross, in the red Carolina clay. Success followed. After only 8 months of competing, he won the tri-state BMX Championship.

His ambitions then turned to motocross. His parents drove him all over the Southeastern US to motocross races every weekend and, with their full support, he won almost every race he entered.

Randy De Puniet Biography

2009-08-30T18:18:00.002+07:00

Rider: Randy De Puniet
Nationality: French
Team: LCR Honda
Machine: Honda RC212V (#14)
Born: February 14, 1981 in Maisons-Laffitte, France

De Puniet became a hometown hero when won the French 125 Championship in '97 and '98. From 2001-2005 he labored in the 250 class before making the leap to MotoGP in 2006.

The lone Frenchman in the MotoGP paddock, De Puniet was one of the stand-out crop of 2006 MotoGP rookies. The former 250 rider may have finished back in 16th overall, but he showed some flare in testing and qualifying, starting on the second row of the grid on more than one occasion. As the second-year rider continued his development in the premier class aboard the Kawasaki, the highlight of 2007 was a second-place podium in Japan.

During 2008 Randy impressed everybody during preseason testing and official practices, but his championship scores did reflect his potential. De Puniet has the notorious title of most crashed rider from the 2008 season, hitting the deck 22 times last year.

2009 marks Randy's fourth season in MotoGP, and his second aboard the Honda RCV bike. The power increase thanks to a new engine in the RC212V should put Randy in a better position during race meetings. The team should also attract a great deal of attention due to one of their new title sponsors - Playboy! It's actually Playboy.it, the Italian division of the media mogul. Some very provocative photos have already hit the Internet and the meaning of "umbrella girl" has just been taken to a whole new level.

Career Highlights:
2008 - 15th MotoGP (Honda)
2007 - 11th MotoGP (Kawasaki)
2006 - 16th MotoGP (Kawasaki)
2005 - 8th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2004 - 3rd 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2003 - 4th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2002 - 9th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2001 - 13th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2000 - 17th 125 MotoGP (Aprilia)
1999 - 18th 125 MotoGP (Aprilia)
1998 - 1st French National 125 (Honda)
1997 - 1st French National 125 (Honda)

Loris Capirossi Biography

2009-08-30T18:08:00.002+07:00

Number: 65
Nationality :Itallian
Birth place: Bologna, Italy
Birthday: 04.04.1973.
Team: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
Residence: Montecarlo
Height: 165
Weight: 59
Championship points(2009): 77

Loris Capirossi-125ccm
Loris Capirossi started his racing career in 125ccm European championship, and finished immediately in 4th place. His World 125ccm Championship debut in 1991 was even better, as he finishes first season as champion! That this was not just luck, Capirossi has proved in 1992, when he again won 125ccm world championship.

Loris Capirossi-250ccm
Loris Capirossi moved to 250ccm championship in 1993, and similarly as in 125ccm, impressed in first season in new class, finishing 2nd overall. Next season also did not brought title to Capirossi, as he finishes 3rd overall. After making two year switch to 500ccm world championship, Capirossi has returned to 250ccm to finish what he started in 1993. In season 1997, he finishes 7th in general standings with Aprilia, but next season is the one where he takes 250ccm world championship title after collision with team mate Tetsuya Harada. Although he got the title, he was released by Aprilia, so in 1999 he Joins Honda and finishes season in third before definitive move to 500ccm class.

Loris Capirossi-500ccm
Loris Capirosi has two-part appearance in 500ccm class: first time he rode seasons 1995 and 1996, finishing 5th and 10th respectively. Second time he moved to 500ccm was in 2000, when he joined Emerson Honda Pons team and finished 7th. In 2001, Loris Capirossi had one of best seasons in 500ccm class, finishing championship in 3rd position. Next season saw him struggling with two stroke against new four stroke machines, and nasty injury from Assen put him of the track for few races, enough to finish 8th in overall standings.

Loris Capirossi-MotoGP
Season 2003 was the season of great hopes and great success for Loris Capirossi, as firs Italian rider to ride new Italian machine, Ducati Desmosedici. This combination proved to be remarkable in its first season, as Italian combination took 12 front row positions, 3 pole positions, 6 podium positions and 1 victory, and 4th position in general standings.
Season 2004 was season of many expectations from both Capirossi and Ducati, but new Desmosedici machine GP04 proved not to be as good as expected, but it seems as end of the season approaches, team is finding some good directions, as may be seen from Capirossi`s performance.

Sete Gibernau Biography

2009-08-30T17:59:00.003+07:00

Number: 15
Nationality :Spanish
Birth place: Barcelona
Birthday: 15.12.1972
Team: Grupo Francisco Hernando
Residence: Switzerland
Height: 177
Weight: 70
Championship points(2009): 12

Sete Gibernau-125ccm
Although he was surrounded by motorcycles for his whole life, Sete Gibernau started racing at age of 19, when he entered Spanish 125cc Production Racing championship and Catalan championship, and won both titles in the same year in junior category. In Year 1992 Sete Gibernau was second in 125cc Spanish Gilera Championship.

Sete Gibernau-250ccm
Sete Gibernau Entered European 250ccm championship in year 1992. In year 1993, he was third in the Spanish 250ccm Championship on Yamaha, and in the same year he had wild card entry in world 250ccm racing championship on Spanish GP. In following two years, Gibernau raced in Spanish 250ccm championship, and finished seasons as fifth and third, respectively. Sete Gibernau entered world 250ccm racing championship full time in 1996, when he started on Honda, and switch to Rainey Yamaha in closing stages of championship. He finished this season in 22nd place.

Sete Gibernau-500ccm
Sete Gibernau started his 500ccm world championship racing career in 1997 in Rainey Yamaha team, and finished 13th in general standings. Following year saw him move to Factory Honda team, and finishing season in 11th place. In the year 1999, Gibernau continues to ride for Factory Honda, and takes fifth position in championship standings. In year 2000, Sete Gibernau was Repsol Honda rider, and finishes season in 15th place, deciding to move to Team Telefonica Movistar Suzuki for year 2001, where he finished 9th in championship standings. In This year Gibernau takes his first ever Moto GP victory at the Valencian Grand Prix.

Sete Gibernau-MotoGP
Sete Gibernay entered new MotoGP class with Suzuki four stroke in year 2002, and had no much success in his first season, finishing 15th overall. In Year 2003 Sete Gibernau returns to Honda, with Telefonica MoviStar Honda Gresini team, and immediately shows impressive performance by finishing this season in second place. In this season he took four first places. After this great season, Sete Gibernau became one of main title pretenders for 2004 MotoGP season and currently he is second in championship standings, 29 points behind Rossi.

Troy Bayliss Biography

2009-08-30T17:44:00.002+07:00

Number: 12
Nationality :Australlian
Birth place: New South Wales
Birthday: 30.03.1969.
Team:
Residence: Monaco
Height: 174
Weight: 68
Championship points(2009): 0

Troy Bayliss-250ccm
As many other MotoGP riders, Troy Bayliss felt taste of motorcycle racing on dirt bikes, at the age of 10. After some time on dirt and motocross bikes, Troy spent one part of his life in surfing, bicycle racing and similar sport activities, before deciding to try road racing in 1992, at age of 23. He rode Kawasaki KR1 in the 250 Sports Production class in his first year of road racing, and in same year he won few Australian National Sports Production 250ccm races. After moving to bigger bikes in 1993, Troy Bayliss got his chance to briefly return to 250ccm in 1997, and did that in world championship 250ccm race held in Philip Island as wildcard rider for Suzuki, finishing in impressive 6th place.

Troy Bayliss-Superbike
Troy Bayliss started racing with Kawasaki 600 in 1993 in Australian national championship. In following season, 1994, Bayliss finished 6th in Australian national championship in 600ccm class, and took his first win in this category in Bathurst.
Year 1995 was even more successful for Troy Bayliss, as he took 2nd position in Australian 600ccm championship. This success opened doors of Team Kawasaki Australia to Troy Bayliss, and he entered Australian SuperBike championship in 1996, finishing his debut season in 3rd place. In following season, 1997, Bayliss finished 2nd in same championship on Ansett Air Freight Suzuki. In same year, he got wildcard ride in World Superbike series in Philip Island, and impressed the world by taking 5th place in both races.
In 1998 Troy Bayliss entered one of most prestigeous Superbike championships, British Superbike series, riding for Team GSE Ducati. Bayliss finished this season in 8th place, just as preparation to take British Superbike Championship title in 1999, by taking 6 wins and 14 podium finishes.
Year 2000 saw Troy Bayliss moving to American AMA Superbike series, where he impressed by taking pole position on his first appearance in series, but crashed during the race. He repeated pole position in second race, which was canceled due to weather conditions. At this time, World Superbike legend Carl Fogarty had bad accident in Philip Island, and Troy Bayliss was chosen as replacement by Ducati Infostrada team, role which he accepted and proved to be best choice. In this season, Bayliss took two wins and finished World Superbike championship in 6th, despite having a lot of crashes and not finishing even 6 races.
One season in World Superbike championship series was enough for Bayliss to prepare for ultimate goal: World Superbike title. And he did that in 2001! Year 2002 saw Troy Bayliss fighting to defend his Superbike title, but this time he did not succeed, as he lost it in breath-taking last race in Imola from his great rival Colin Edwards.

Troy Bayliss-MotoGP
After proving himself on Ducati in World Superbike series, Troy Bayliss entered MotoGP World Championship in 2003 with Ducati on brand-new Desmosedici prototype. In ultimate class of motorcycle racing, MotoGP, Troy Bayliss made success that no one has expected: he finished 6th in championship, took two front-row starts and three podium finishes.
Year 2004 was year of struggle for Troy Bayliss. After great success in 2003 season, it seems that Desmosedici GP04 machine development gone in wrong direction for almost whole season, before some improvements are made just at the season end, which gave Bayliss the chance to finish 3rd in last race in Valencia. However, this was not enough to impress Ducati Team owners, as he finished championship in 14th place, so Baylis was released from Ducati, and most likely he is going to ride for Camel Honda in 2005.

Alex Hofmann Biography

2009-08-30T17:30:00.002+07:00

Number: 66
Nationality :German
Birth place: Mindelheim, Germany
Birthday: 25.05.1980.
Team:
Residence: Zurich, Switzerland
Height: 180cm
Weight: 68kg
Championship points(2009): 0

Alex Hofmann-125ccm
Alex (Aleksander) Hofmann started racing at early age of 4 in motocross, and continued in this discipline for whole 10 years, until 1994. Hofmann roder his first road race back in 1995.

Alex Hofmann made 125ccm World Championship debut in 1997, when he made wildcard appearance on Yamaha on German GP, where he finished in 14th place.

Alex Hofmann-250ccm
After one year in 125ccm, Alex Hofmann moved to 250ccm category in 1998, and in same year won two titles: German and European. Same year, Hofmann rode wildcard race in Germany in same class and finished in 10th place, which was enough to put him in 29th overall.

Year 1999 was first full season for Hofmann in 250ccm world championship, and he finished it in 16th place, scoring 51 points. In this season, he rode TSR Honda and his best finish was in France, where he ended race in 8th place.

In 2000, Alex Hofman swapped TSR Honda for Aprilia, but due the fact that he scored points on only three races, he ends up in 25th place. His best finish for this season was 10th place in Malaysia.

For 2001, Hofmann decided to stay with Aprilia, and ends this season in 12th place with 55 points, finishing 9 of 16 races.

Alex Hofmann-MotoGP
In 2002, Hofmann makes four wild card appearances for Yamaha, scoring points on two races. Best finish in this season he made on his home GP in Germany, where he finished in 10th place.

It was logical step from Germany based Kawasaki MotoGP team to hire Alex Hofmann as test rider in 2003, and they did that. Test rider role allowed him to make 4 wildcard rides, and to score points for Kawasaki on two races, making best result in Dutch TT at Assen, where he finished in 10th place.

Promissing results from 2003 were convincing enough for Kawasaki MotoGP team to hire Alex Hofmann as official rider in 2004 alongside Shinya Nakano, and German rider finishes this season in 15th place, with total score of 51 points. His best result in this season was 9th place in Qatar.

In 2005, Hofmann stays with Kawasaki, and finishes first race in Spain in 11th place, but misses following three races due to injury sustained in promotional ride for GP of Portugal.

Marco Melandri Biography

2009-08-30T17:22:00.003+07:00

Number: 33
Nationality :Itallian
Birth place: Ravenna, Italy
Birthday: 07.08.1982.
Team: Hayate Racing Team
Residence: Derby, England
Height: 166
Weight: 58
Championship points(2009): 79

Marco Melandri-125ccm
Marco Melandri started racing in motocross when he was only 6 years only, and became national champion in his category. In 1989, he was second in European Motocross championship. Marco Melandri started minibike racing in 8 years of age, in 1990, and became two times national champion.
125ccm racing career of Marco Melandri started in 1996, when he contested European championship. In 1997, he was fourth in European championship, and also has won Honda trophy 125cc Grand Prix. The same year he made 125ccm world championship debut.
Marco Melandri finished his first full 125ccm world championship season in 1998 on respectable 3rd place. Same year he became Italian national champion in this class.
In 1999, Marco Melandri finished second in 125ccm world championship.

Marco Melandri-250ccm
Marco Melandri moved to 250ccm world championship in 2000, riding Aprilia. He finished his first season in this class as 5th.
In 2001, Melandri was third in world 250ccm championship.
Marco Melandri wins 250ccm world championship in 2002, in his third attempt.

Marco Melandri-MotoGP
Marco Melandri made his debut in MotoGP category in 2003 with Yamaha, after wining 250ccm championship. In his debut season, Melandri has no luck, and breaks leg in practice for first race, which puts him away from track for two races. In other races, Melandri shows great potential, but also has many crashes and finishes his first season as low as 15th.
In 2004 season, Marco Melandri rides for Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Yamaha, and once again shows promising performance, but again with lot of crashing.

Shinya Nakano Biography

2009-08-30T17:02:00.003+07:00

Number: 56
Nationality :Japanese
Birthday: 10.10.1977.
Team:
Residence: Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Height: 167
Weight: 65
Championship points(2009): 0

Shinya Nakano-125ccm
Shinya Nakano start racing early as many other Japanese riders, riding pocket bikes. In age of eight, in 1985, he won Eastern Kanto Regional Pocket Bike Championship. Shinya Nakano started his 125ccm racing career in 1994, when he contested Kanto Regional SP125 Championship, and finished this season 3rd. In year 1995, Nakano entered All Japan 125cc National Championship, and finished his first season in this prestigeus championship 12th. In Following season, Shinya Nakano improved in Japanese 125 championship to 6th.

Shinya Nakano-250ccm
Shinya Nakano shown quick progress in 250ccm category, which seemed to suit his riding style very well. Nakano started racing in this category in 1994, in parallel to 125ccm racing, and made some great results. In this year, Nakano was 6th in Kanto Regional SP250 Championship, and became Suzuka Sunday Auto-bai Race SP250 Class Champion.
Shinya Nakano entered 250ccm All Japan 250cc National Championship in 1997 and finished his first season in 5th, just before taking championship title in 1998. In the same year, 1998, he made appearance in 250ccm world championship as wildcard in Japan.
Year 1999 was start of international career for Shinya Nakano, as he contested 250ccm world championship with Yamaha and finished his debut season as high as 4th, claiming rookie of the year title. In this season, Nakano got his first win in Japan, scored two second places in France and South Africa, and two third places, in Malaysia and Great Britain.
In his second year in 250ccm world championship, Shinya Nakano finished season as second, 7 points behind his Yamaha team-mate Olivier Jacque. In this season, Nakano scored 5 wins, 3 second places and 4 third places, making total 272 points in championship standings.

Shinya Nakano-500ccm
Swift progress of Shinya Nakano in 250ccm category of word motorcycle racing championship did not became unnoticed, so he got his chance to race in premier class of motorcycle racing, 500ccm, in year 2001. Nakano got his place in Yamaha Tech 3 team and finished his debut season as 5th, with total 155 points. In his debut 500ccm season, Nakano scored his first podium finish in Germany, and also took four 4th places. In this tough category of motorcycle racing, Nakano once more shown his consistency well known from his 250ccm racing, as he finished all races in season except one, in Czech Republic. All this was enough for Nakano to get Rookie of the year title.

Shinya Nakano-MotoGP
Year 2002 introduced four-stroke machines into MotoGP championship, and was year of struggle for Shinya Nakano, as he rode YZR500s almost whole year against powerful four strokes. At the end of the year, Nakano got Yamaha YZR-M1 for last few races, and was unable to fight for high placement, finishing season 11th with 68 points. One more fact that describes his struggle in this year is fact that he did not finished 6 races in this season.
Year 2003 saw Shinya Nakano getting back his consistency on YZR-M1, as in this season he finishes all races except one. Best result for Nakano is two 5th places, in Italy and Spain, and he finished this season in 10th place with 101 points.
Shinya Nakano moved into Kawasaki team in 2004, and made great success in his debut season on Ninja ZX-RR by taking 10th place in championship, on early stage of Kawasaki development. Magnitude of this achievement may be seen if you compare it to 2003, where Garry McCoy was 22th overall with Kawasaki. In 2004, Shinya Nakano managed to take first ever podium position for Kawasaki, by finishing 3rd on his home GP in Japan. In 2005, Shinya Nakano continues his MotoGP racing career with Kawasaki.

Chris Vermeulen Biography

2009-08-30T16:44:00.004+07:00

Rider: Chris Vermeulen
Nickname: The V, Chris V
Nationality: Australian
Team: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
Machine: Suzuki GSV-R (#7)
Born: June 19, 1982 in Brisbane, Australia

The charismatic Australian started his path to MotoGP by claiming the World Supersport Championship in 2003 and moving up to the Superbike class the following season. After two years in SBK, Vermeulen made the jump to MotoGP at the start of the 2006 season, signing with Rizla Suzuki MotoGP. MotoGP is where the Aussie always wanted to be, allowing him to prove his worth on the biggest stage of all.

Vermeulen spent 2006 transitioning from a successful career in WSB. There were times in 2006 when Chris the V upstaged his American paddock-mate, John Hopkins, the most noticeable moment being Laguna Seca, where the Aussie snagged the pole position and almost the podium before falling short in the final laps. Vermeulen claimed the pole position at Turkey as well, and also had a great run at Phillip Island, his home track, where he charged up through the ranks to finish second.

2007 saw the introduction of the smaller 800cc GP bikes with improved traction control, which required a different riding style and a focus on maintaining corner speed. Chris V adapted well and won a maiden victory at a wet Le Mans circuit in France. It was also Suzuki’s first victory in the four stroke category. He finished the 2007 season in 6th place with three other podium finishes for the year.

2008 found Chris V struggling to achieve the power he needed from his Suzuki GSV-R. Despite this he managed two third place finishes at Sachsenring and Laguna Seca and finished 8th overall for the season. He also penned a monthly column called Vermeulen's Inside Line for a cool online magazine by the name of MotorcycleUSA.com.

Provided the Suzuki project continues to develop in the right direction, Vermeulen has proven he has the talent to pilot the baby blue ride to the top of the steps. Considering their impressive performances in offseason testing, we could be seeing some blue up front in 2009.

Career Highlights:
2008 - 8th MotoGP (Suzuki)
2007 - 6th MotoGP (Suzuki)
2006 - 11th MotoGP (Suzuki)
2005 - 2nd World Superbike (Honda)
2004 - 4th World Superbike (Honda)
2003 - 1st World Superpsort (Honda)
2002 - 7th World Supersport (Honda)

2009 MotoGP Motorcycle Racing Schedule - Calendar

2009-08-30T16:26:00.004+07:00

August 16, 2008 - This is the race schedule for the 2009 MotoGP Motorcycle Road Racing Grand Prix World Championship. There will be 18 races in 2009. The season starts on April 12.

1. April 12 Losail Qatar
2. April 26 Motegi Japan
3. May 3 Jerez Spain
4. May 17 Le Mans France
5. May 31 Mugello Italy
6. June 14 Catalunya Spain
7. June 27 AssenHolland
8. July 5 Laguna Seca USA
9. July 19 Sachsenring Germany
10. July 26 Donington Park Great Britain
11. August 16 Brno Czech Republic
12. August 30 Indianapolis USA
13. September 13 Misano San Marino
14. September 20 Lake Balaton Hungary
15. October 4 Estoril Portugal
16. October 18 Phillip Island Australia
17. October 25 Sepang Malaysia
18. November 8 Valencia Spain

John Hopkins Biography

2009-08-30T16:08:00.003+07:00

John Hopkins (born May 22, 1983) is an American motorcycle racer in Superbike World Championship as well as previously in motoGP. He first raced in MotoGP in 2002 for the Red Bull Yamaha WCM team on a two-stroke 500 cc bike, and joined the factory Suzuki squad a year later, for a five-year spell. He raced for the Kawasaki MotoGP team in 2008, but they dropped him for 2009 due to the global economic crisis and the company's uncompetitive showings.

Biography
Hopkins began riding Motocross bikes as a child and won his first race on a MiniBike on 1986, switching to road racing full time in 1999. Hopkins proposed to his girlfriend Ashleigh in the summer of 2007 on her 21st birthday. They married in Las Vegas in December 2007.

He is featured in the 2003 documentary film, Faster.

MotoGP career

2002
The 2002 season saw Hopkins join the WCM RedBull Yamaha team alongside multiple race winner Garry McCoy. The team was using Yamaha YZR500 motorcycles on lease from Yamaha. Overall the YZR500 was considered to be uncompetitive that year, due to a change in the regulations allowing 990 cc four-stroke motorcycles to race against 500 cc two-stroke motorcycles. Although the two-strokes held (on average) a 10 kg weight advantage over the four-strokes, they had between 30 and 50 less hp depending on the engine configuration used for the racetrack. Hopkins finished the season ranked 15th, with 58 points, which put him 25 points clear of his teammate McCoy.

2003
In 2003 Hopkins joined the Suzuki factory racing team. This year he would ride a 990 cc V4 four-stroke. In 2003 John was teamed with 2000 500cc world champion Kenny Roberts, Jr.. Although he was racing a four-stroke this year, the results didn't seem to come as one would have expected. There are many theories for this, including the Suzuki's lack of power and its tendency to wear out tires faster than other bikes. This year also saw Hopkins involved in a turn 1 crash at the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, he was accused of causing this crash, and was suspended for one race. This suspension resulted in a DNS (did not start) at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Also noteworthy for the 2003 season was the crash in Italy where Kenny Roberts, Jr.'s GSV-R Suzuki suffered an engine management failure and the bike launched into Hopkins, putting both GSV-R's out of the race. At the end of the season, Hopkins finished in 17th place with 29 points. This finish put him 2 places and 7 points ahead of his teammate Kenny Roberts, Jr.

2004
The technology and technical advancement of the GSV-R was further developed in 2004. Most of the refinements took place in the engine management package, making the bike easier to ride. Towards the end of the year, the GSV-R was showing clear improvements, allowing Hopkins to move up the standings. Unfortunately it also saw several mechanical failures, which effectively undid the hard work to develop the motorcycle. Having qualified on the front row at Motegi, he was eliminated in a first-corner crash. Of note is that John was crashed into by Loris Capirossi, one of the same riders he himself had hit at the very same turn 1 at Motegi in 2003. Overall he finished 16th.

2005
John continued with Suzuki in 2005, as the team showed promising signs after the arrival of Paul Denning as team boss following Denning's success with Suzuki's British Superbike team. John briefly lead at Donington, but his best result was a 5th place at Motegi, and he was 14th overall. Qualifying results were often better than race results, largely due to Bridgestone tyres being better suited to short runs.

2006
Remains at Suzuki, now backed by Rizla, where he is joined by new team-mate Chris Vermeulen. Enjoys his best season yet. Hopkins finished the 2006 season in 10th place overall with 116 points. Hopkins has had one pole position this season, at Assen. His best finishes were in China and in Catalunya, where he finished fourth.

2007
Continuing with Rizla Suzuki, Hopkins set near-lap-record times aboard the new 800 cc motorcycle, and was labeled the dark horse by Colin Edwards. On 15 February 2007 he fractured his wrist after falling while testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain, but returned for the start of the season.
Hopkins completed his long-overdue first MotoGP podium finish at the Shanghai circuit in China, finishing in 3rd place - 3.6 seconds behind Valentino Rossi but 7.6 seconds ahead of 2006 event winner Dani Pedrosa. He finished as 4th overall in the 2007 season, two places ahead of Vermeulen and one behind Rossi.

2008
For 2008 he joins Kawasaki Racing Team. Explaining the decision, Rizla Suzuki boss Paul Denning suggested that "There are reasons for that other than performance".[1] He crashed heavily at Assen, fracturing his ankle.
Prior to 2009 season, Kawasaki made the decision to halt Motogp racing activities because of the global economic crisis, meaning that John Hopkins will not have a ride for the 2009 season.

2009
After the Kawasaki team pulling out of MotoGP, Hopkins secured a ride on SBK's team Stiggy Racing Honda.

Toni Elias Biography

2009-08-30T15:50:00.002+07:00

Rider: Toni Elias
Nationality: Spanish
Team: San Carlo Honda Gresini
Machine: Honda RC212V (#24)
Born: March 26, 1983 in Manresa, Spain

Elias emerged as a force to be reconed with in the 250 class during the 2002 season. The Spanish rider performed well throughout the campaign, even winning at Motegi and finishing fourth in the standings behind 3 of the best riders in the paddock.

Moving into the MotoGP class, Elias was 12th for the Fortuna Yamaha in his rookie 2005 campaign. the Spaniard improved to 9th overall with the Fortuna Honda team in 2006, and was the most improbable race victor of '06 when he rode like a madman to the checkers at Estoril - his first-ever MotoGP podium.

For 2007, Elias returned alongside teammate Marco Melandri on the Hannspree Honda team, where just as soon as you'd forget about him the Spaniard come out of nowhere for a surprise podium. The 2008 sesaon sees Elias riding a Ducati for the satellite Alice squad.

Career Highlights:
2008 - 12th MotoGP (Ducati)
2007 - 12th MotoGP (Honda)
2006 - 9th MotoGP (Honda)
2005 - 12th MotoGP (Yamaha)
2004 - 4th 250 MotoGP (Honda)
2003 - 3rd 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2002 - 4th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2001 - 3rd 125 MotoGP (Honda)
2000 - 20th 125 MotoGP (Honda)
1999 - 33rd 125 MotoGP (Honda)

Colin Edwards Biography

2009-08-30T15:31:00.004+07:00

Full Name: Colin Edwards
Date of Birth: 27th February 1974
Place of Birth: Houston, USA
First Race: 1990
World Superbike Debut: 1995
Grand Prix Debut: 2003

Colin Edwards was born on the 27th February 1974 in Houston, Texas and now lives in Conroe, Texas with his wife, Alyssia and their four-year-old daughter, Gracie Kayte, and a one-year-old son, Hayes, who was born in December 2005. He has two World Superbike titles to his credit and currently competes in MotoGP. His nickname is the 'Texas Tornado'.

Colin was introduced to minibikes at the age of three by his Australian father, Colin Edwards Snr, who was an amateur motorcycle racer himself. He entered his first motocross race at the age of four. Over the next ten years he became one of the top ranked junior motocross competitors in America. He raced in the 50cc and 80cc categories winning dozens of races in local, regional and national events.

At the age of fourteen Colin ceased motocross racing as he got heavily involved in the usual teenage demands. In 1990 his father took him to see a road race event in northern Texas, which rekindled his love for bikes and racing.

By 1991 Colin was competing in amateur road racing. This was on a local level but he soon progressed to racing at national events. Winning every amateur event he entered he was offered a sponsored ride with South West Motorsports and turned professional just before the 1992 season.

In 1992, his first season as a professional, Colin raced in the AMA 250cc National Series riding a Yamaha TZ250 for SoutWest Motorsports. He won five of the nine races thus securing the title infront of Kenny Roberts Jr.

For 1993 and 1994, Colin rode for Vance and Hines Yamaha in the AMA Superbike series. He finished in 6th and 5th place respectively for the two seasons.

Colin rode in his first World Superbike season in 1995 which proved not to be an easy one for him. He struggled to come to grips with competing in a global competion. Unfortunately, when his team mate, Yasutomo Nagai was killed in an accident at Assen the team withdrew from the last two races in the competition. Colin finished in 11th place overall with 141 points. Colin also finished in 4th place in the Daytona 200, and 5th place in the Suzuka 8 hour.

The following season saw Colin's racing greatly improved with an achievment of 6th place overall in the World Superbikes. Teaming up with Noriyuki Haga, Colin won his first victory in the Suzuka 8 hours endurance race repeating this victory twice more, in 2001 with Valentino Rossi and in 2002 with Daijiro Kata.

1997 proved a bad season for Colin. After eight races he had scored 79 points and was in 5th place. Following this quite good start he was then involved in a crash that was to keep out of racing for the rest of the year. Despite a good start to the season he finished in 12th place overall. He was replaced in the Yamaha World Superbike Team and failed to negotiate for a place in the 500cc Grand Prix Competition. Fortunately for the 1998 season he was able to fill a gap left by John Kocinski in the Castrol Honda WSB team. Racing on a RC45 he had a double victory in Italy and a third victory at Brands Hatch Ten more top six results left him in 5th place overall with 279 1/2 points. Colin also finished in 3rd place in the Susuka 8 hours with Tadayuki Okada and 4th place in the Japanese Superbike race at Sugo.

1999 saw Colin becoming a regular visitor to the rostrum. Riding the new SP-1, which replaced the RC45, Colin had a total of twenty top six finishes. Carl Fogarty took his fourth title this season but Colin and Troy Corser tied for 2nd place with 361 points overall. With Aaron Slight he also finished in 2nd place at the Suzuka 8 hours.

In 2000 Carl Fogarty was unable to ride through injury so Colin and Noriyuki Haga both fought hard for the title. Colin achieved six pole positions, six fastest laps, eight wins and a further ten top six finishes gaining 400 points and was 65 points clear of Noriyuki and the World Superbike Championship. Colin and Valentino Rossi also qualified in 6th place at the Suzuka 8 hours.

Defending his title in 2001, Colin's new rival was Ducati's Troy Bayliss. He finished the season with 333 points but had to be satisfied with 2nd place against Troy's 369 points. Colin, with Valentino Rossi and Manabu Kamada, won the Suzuka 8 hours.

Now riding for Honda for the fifth year, Colin found that Troy had won fourteen of the first seventeen races. He kept up the pressure on Troy managing nine consecutive race wins and, when Troy had problems at Assen, Colin managed to clinch his second World Superbike Championship. With Daijiro Kato he also won the Suzuka 8 hours again.

In 2003 Honda pulled out of the World Superbikes Championships and because they couldn't find him a position in the Grand Prix, Colin opted for Aprilia's four-stroke GP machine. The only change he insisted upon was his favourite Michelin tyres. Colin improved on their 2002 best (which was 8th place) by finishing in 6th place overall, as well as achieving a couple of second row qualifications. Continuing his steady results, Colin switched to Honda for 2004 which gave him the chance to take on the leaders. Regularly in the top seven, Colin scored 157 points and finished in 5th place overall.

Colin joined Valentino Rossi in the Yamaha MotoGP team for the 2005 season and contined to show steady form. The final result was 179 points making him in 4th place overall.

2006 found Colin once again with the Camel Yamaha factory team contending the MotoGP championship. Edwards came cloest to his debut MotoGP win at Assen. He took the lead at the start, and led until Nicky Hayden overtook him on the penultimate lap. He caught back up to his countryman on the last lap, and managed to pass him a few corners from the end. When Hayden attempted to pass him again in the final chicane, Edwards ran across the gravel and lost control of his bike, which briefly continued on without him. He remounted to finish 13th. Hayden, who ran across the gravel on the final chicane himself, managed to keep control of his bike and won the race. Colin finished the season in 7th place overall for the Championship.

For 2007 Colin remained with the Yamaha team, and Valentino Rossi, as the series moved to 800cc bikes under the new rule changes. Edwards was in need of a strong season in order to retain his ride but did not get it. His best result was a second place at Donington Park, but he was twelve seconds behind Casey Stoner. The only other time he climbed onto the podium was in third position at Jerez.

His final position of ninth place ultimately cost him his ride for 2008 as he was replaced by 250cc Champion, Lorenzo. Yamaha did reward his loyalty by moving him into the satellite Tech 3 team, alongside James Toseland.

Edwards once again proved to be a reliable team rider during 2008. MotoGP newcomer and team mate, James Toseland, cited the American's advice as a big help during the early part of the season. Consistent results for Edwards, including podiums at Assen and Le Mans, saw him finish the season in seventh position. Many will remember his season simply for the stunning lowside which he saved during qualifying at Jerez - picking the bike up on his leg and lapping up the cheers from the Spanish fans.

In 2009 he remains in an unchanged Tech 3 Yamaha team.

Career Highlights
2008: 7th - MotoGP Championship (Yamaha)
2007: 9th - MotoGP Championship (Yamaha)
2006: 7th - MotoGP Championship (Yamaha)
2005: 4th - MotoGP Championship (Yamaha)
2004: 5th - MotoGP Championship (Honda)
2003: 13th - MotoGP Championship (Aprilia)
2002: 1st - World Superbike Championship (Honda)
2001: 2nd - World Superbike Championship (Honda)
2000: 1st - World Superbike Championship (Honda)
1999: 2nd - World Superbike Championship (Honda)
1998: 5th - World Superbike Championship (Honda)
1997: 12th - World Superbike Championship (Yamaha)
1996: 5th - World Superbike Championship (Yamaha)
1995: 11th - World Superbike Championship (Yamaha)
1994: 6th - AMA Superbike Championship (Yamaha)
1993: 6th - AMA Superbike Championship (Yamaha)
1992: 1st - National 250cc Championship (Yamaha)
1991: Amateur racing in 600cc, 750cc and 250cc classes

James Toseland Biography

2009-08-30T15:09:00.004+07:00

James Toseland, World Superbike Champion at just 23 years old, has rocketed into a league of biking legends, following in the footsteps of Carl Fogarty, Troy Bayliss and Neil Hodgson.

Despite his relative youth, the Doncaster-born rider has more racing experience under his leathers than some of the series' other veterans. Early competition in trials and motocross awarded him an impressive haul of trophies and ultimately laid the foundations of a promising career in road racing.

James quickly worked his way up through the ranks of 125cc racing and into British Supersport and shone in the European Championship. However, it was in 1998, at the tender age of 17, when he was given his big break and was chosen by Castrol Honda to ride the CBR600 in the World Supersport series.

Never one to turn down a challenge, over the next two seasons, James finished 18th and 11th overall before returning to Britain to ride in the 2000 British Superbike Championship.

Despite missing almost half the season through injury, the Yorkshireman finished 12th and was quickly snapped-up by GSE Racing for its World Superbike campaign. An impressive 13th place in the 2001 series, including sixth at Brands Hatch, was enough to confirm the rider as a clear World Superbike contender.

Since then, James has emerged as a world-class rider. In only his second year in the World Superbike series in 2002, he made his name as a regular top-six finisher and scored his first-ever podium finish at Assen. In 2003, he ended fellow Brit Hodgson's winning streak with an impressive win at Oschersleben and earned his first pole position in the final round at Magny-Cours.

An extraordinary 2004 season with Ducati followed, with James making the history books as the youngest-ever World Superbike Champion. Despite a relatively tough 2005 season with the Ducati team - when he finished fourth overall - James bounced back in 2006 to take second position overall with Winston Ten Kate Honda.

2007 heralded his seventh consecutive, and final year as a permanent fixture on the Superbike grid - this time with HANNspree Ten Kate Honda. After a thrilling season of racing, James once again lifted the World Superbike crown, with a winning margin of just two points over Noriyuki Haga. The win ensured James left the World Superbike stage in the best possible manner.

For 2008, the two-time WSBK champion makes the step up to MotoGP where it is certain his talents will be put to the test. The elite level of motorcycle racing in the premier class will ensure that James takes his rightful place in the spotlight as one of the most successful British riders of his generation.

James Toseland profile
Name: James Toseland
nationality: English
born: 5 October 1980
world supersport début: 1998
world superbike début: 2001
grand prix début: 2008

James Toseland was a virtual unknown when first picked to ride a GSE Ducati in World Superbikes, but he has moved forward at every step from that point onwards. At 22 years-of-age he had proved that he could match the best, and win races against them, and all before he even sat on the best bike. Now twenty-seven, James is just the third Englishman to win the World Superbike title, and only the second man to win it on two different makes of bike. With that achievement, he earned the move into MotoGP, where he has already made a good impression

1989
Started a five year spell in trials riding, winning youth championships in South East, North West and East Midlands regions; also competed in motocross, retiring mid way through 1993

1992
6th in Inter 100cc Youth series; best newcomer award

1994
Road racing début on a 125cc Yamaha

1995
Junior Road Race Champion

1996
11th in Superteen championship

1997
British Honda CB500 Cup Champion; 3rd in British Supersport 600 championship, with a Honda; also won a national Supersport race at Snetterton

1998
18th= in World Supersport championship, with Castrol Honda; best result of eighth

1999
11th in World Supersport championship, with Castrol Honda; scored in nine of eleven rounds, with a best of sixth place in round one

2000 Demon Vimto Honda, number 52 Honda
2000 was James’ first year in the British Superbike series, riding a Honda VTR1000 SP-1. He contested the first seven rounds, missing four more through injury, and over the course of these picked up 101 points. Altogether, this placed him twelfth in the final table, not far behind riders who had done the entire championship. James’ results included seven in the top eight, with sixth place in two separate Oulton Park meetings, both times behind Steve Hislop

2001 GSE Racing, number 52 Ducati
Toseland’s potential had been enough to attract the interest of Darrell Healey of GSE, who were taking lead rider Neil Hodgson into the World Championship with the Ducati 996 RS/00. They opted for Toseland as a back-up man, and the youngster didn’t disappoint. Although Hodgson converted his British title winning form into several podiums, the inexperienced James did well to get into the top ten on a handful of occasions. These included a seventh in the United States and a sixth at Brands Hatch, and he finished the series thirteenth, with 91 points

2002 HM Plant Ducati, number 52 Ducati
In 2002, the GSE team’s 998 F01 machines were entered under the HM Plant banner, in deference to their new prinicipal sponsor. Hodgson continued as the number one, piloting his way to third overall, behind the dominant duo of Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss. Under Colin Wright’s guidance, James improved his racecraft and became a regular top six finisher on the Dunlop-shod bikes, taking a fifth in Italy, and ending the season on the podium in the Netherlands. His upward progress was confirmed by notching up seventh in the final standings, with 195 points, ahead of the experienced Frankie Chili

2003 HM Plant Ducati, number 52 Ducati
In the absence of factory-supported entries from the usual Japanese manufacturers, 2003 saw the HM Plant team become effectively the second strongest in WSB. Paired with the more experienced Chris Walker, Toseland was soon looking the stronger of the two, perhaps helped by being part of the same team for a third straight year. With their 998RS F02 bikes still running on Dunlops, as opposed to the better regarded Michelins of the works team, the two riders were top six regulars. Toseland’s eight finishes of fifth or better, culminating in his first win at Oschersleben, actually took him ahead of Rubén Xaus on the factory 999, before a late burst from the Spaniard. 271 points gave him third overall, and he also achieved his first pole position.

James Toseland in 2004 - photo by Raceline photography
2004 Ducati Fila, number 52 Ducati
With Hodgson and Xaus moving to MotoGP, Toseland joined Régis Laconi as a full works Ducati rider, racing the dominant 999 F04 motorcycle. Laconi looked stronger for outright pace, but James put together a consistent series to stay with him all the way, and ahead at several stages. The final races at Magny-Cours saw the youngster out-ride his experienced team-mate, giving Toseland the title by a nine point margin. A final tally of 336 included three wins and eleven other podium results

2005 Ducati Xerox, number 1 Ducati
Toseland’s title defence was not especially easy, with the Alstare Suzuki team now setting the pace. It was round four before James got on the podium, and he didn’t win until race ten. But that was a home victory at Silverstone, after third in race one, and it led to a more competitive period with the Ducati 999 F05. His qualifying pace was good in the season’s second half, and there were four more podium results. 254 points meant fourth place overall.

2006 Winston Ten Kate Honda, number 52 Honda
Ducati went for an all-new pairing in 2006, with James therefore taking over on a Honda CBR1000RR after Chris Vermeulen swapped to MotoGP. A winning start made him into a title challenger, but a couple of poor rounds saw him lose touch with Troy Bayliss and Troy Corser. But he then went on to add to his podium tally, take pole in round six, and a couple of late wins meant he overtook Corser and Noriyuki Haga to finish runner-up to Bayliss, with 336 points.

James Toseland © Raceline Photography
2007 Hannspree Ten Kate Honda, number 52 Honda
There was a stronger start for James in 2007, with five wins and four seconds from twelve races, but not without a useful challenge from both Haga (Yamaha) and Max Biaggi (Suzuki). James was up to eight wins when the Japanese rider started to come back at him. A few lesser results made it close, but despite a double in the last round from Haga, James scored enough to win his second title by two points, 415 to 413

2008 Tech 3 Yamaha, number 52 Yamaha
James gets his first chance in MotoGP on the semi-works 800cc Yamaha M1 with a Michelin tyre deal.

Andrea Dovizioso Biography

2009-08-30T14:52:00.002+07:00

Andrea Dovizioso: Biography of a World Champion
Birth date: 23/03/1986
Birth place: Forli, ITA
First Grand Prix: 2001 ITA 125cc
First Pole Position 2003 FRA 125cc
First Race Fastest Lap 2004 FRA 125cc
First Podium 2003 RSA 125cc
First GP Victory 2004 RSA 125cc
Grand Prix Starts: 47
125cc Starts: 47
Grand Prix Victories: 4
125cc Victories: 4
2nd Placements: 6
3rd placements: 3
Podium: 13
Pole Positions: 8
Race Fastest Lap: 2
World Championship wins: 1
2004 125cc
Total Points: 447

Having started out on a minibike at the age of seven, Andrea Dovizioso won the Italian Junior B category in 1997 and 1998 before finishing runner-up in the Senior A category in 2000. After winning the Aprilia Challenge in 2000, when he also made his Grand Prix debut as a wildcard riding an Aprilia at Mugello, the youngster was snapped up by Team Scot to ride a Honda in the 125cc World Championship in 2002. Dovizioso's professional career got off to a discreet start, with a best finish of ninth in his debut season, but he scored fifth in the first round of 2003 and took his first ever podium at the next race in South Africa. Three more podiums followed that season and the youngster was promoted to a factory ride for 2004, inheriting the machine which had taken Daniel Pedrosa to the title. MotoGP CAREER 2001: World Championship debut at the 125cc Italian GP riding an Aprilia as a wildcard rider. 2002: First full season in the 125cc Championship riding a Honda for the Scot Racing Team. Final Championship position: 16th with 42 points 2003: Second season riding a Honda for the Team Scot. Championship position: 5th with 157 points. Takes his first podium in South Africa. 2004: Wins his first 125cc World Championship for the Kopron Team Scot. Championship position: 1st with 248 points after 14 of 16 rounds. Four wins: South Africa, France, Great Britain and Japan. Other facts about Dovizioso's career: - Dovizioso is the fourth youngest World Champion in the history of Grand Prix racing, behind Loris Capirossi, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi. - Not since Haruchika Aoki won the title in 1995 has any other rider led the championship all the way through the year. - Dovizioso has started from pole seven times this year. Only two other riders have had more than a single pole position - Marco Simoncelli and Jorge Lorenzo, who have two each. - No other rider in the 125cc class has won more races and had more podium finishes than Dovizioso this season.

Indianapolis MotoGP qualification result

2009-08-30T14:27:00.002+07:00

Aug 29 (Reuters) - Indianapolis MotoGP qualification result on Saturday
1. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 1min 39.730secs
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 1:40.236
3. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 1:40.609
4. Alex de Angelis (San Marino) Honda 1:40.620
5. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Yamaha 1:40.961
6. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Ducati 1:41.067
7. Toni Elias (Spain) Honda 1:41.283
8. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 1:41.309
9. Marco Melandri (Italy) Kawasaki 1:41.530
10. James Toseland (Britain) Yamaha 1:41.620

(Compiled by Infostrada Sports; Editing by Tom Pilcher)

Nicky Hayden Biography

2009-08-29T16:57:00.005+07:00

Nicky Hayden Profile
Nationality · United States
Born · 30 July 1981
World superbike début · 2002
Grand prix début · 2003

Nicky Hayden, also known as ‘the Kentucky Kid’, is from a family of motorcycle racers. His two brothers are top AMA competitors, but his parents and one sister also have backgrounds in the sport. Nicky has gone all the way from success on dirt tracks to road racing Superbikes and finally to the Moto Grand Prix title - beating none other than Valentino Rossi - and is likely to be a feature on the scene for many years to come, as he is still only 25 years old.

1985
Minibike dirt track racing début; multiple dirt track titles over the next six years in various small capacity classes

1992
Minibike road racing début; ‘senior’ road racing début, with Honda RS125 GP bike; would continue racing on dirt and roads with 250cc, 125cc and small capacity bikes

1997
Horizon dirt track award winner, with Harley-Davidson; AMA National road racing début, with Kawasaki

1998
4th in AMA Supersport 750, with Suzuki; 4th in AMA Supersport 600, with Suzuki - won Willow Springs

1999
AMA Supersport 600 Champion, with Honda CBR600 F4 - five wins; 2nd in AMA Formula Xtreme, with Honda - seven wins; 22nd in AMA Superbike, with Honda - 3rd at Pikes Peak; AMA Grand National Dirt Track Rookie of the Year; AMA/Speedvision Pro Athlete of the Year

2000
2nd in AMA Superbike, with number 69 Honda RC51 - three wins, three seconds

2001
3rd in AMA Superbike, with number 69 Honda RC51 - four wins

2002 American Honda, number 69 Honda
AMA Superbike Champion, with the Honda RC51 and nine race wins; also a World Superbike wildcard at Laguna Seca - fourth in race one

2003 Repsol Honda, number 69 Honda
Nicky moved straight to MotoGP with Honda’s factory team, as partner to title holder Valentino Rossi. He achieved ‘rookie of the year’ status with an ever-improving run of results on the RC211V, and had made it onto the front row of the grid by the last event of the year. Race results started with a couple of sevenths, and mid-season saw him begin a run of top six finishes, with third in Japan and Australia. 130 points placed him fifth overall.

2004 Repsol Honda Team, number 69 Honda
There was another experienced team-mate for Hayden in 2004, in the shape of Alex Barros. For a works rider, the season did not really represent a step forward for Nicky, even if he was in the top five many times. Third place results came this time in Brazil and Germany, but there were crashes and six no-scores, which meant 117 points and a drop back to seventh equal. His best qualifying to date came with second in Italy

2005 Repsol Honda Team, number 69 Honda
2005 was a proper breakthrough year for Nicky, and this time he out-performed his third Repsol team-mate, 13-time race winner Max Biaggi. Hayden only missed top six qualification twice, and was on pole position three times. Biaggi had the edge in the first five races, but then the younger man eased into the top five twice before heading to his first GP on home soil. Laguna Seca returned to the calendar for the first time since 1994, and was the scene of Nicky’s best form as he won convincingly. This launched him into a run that included another five podiums, and 206 points meant third overall. There were also two fastest laps

2006 Repsol Honda Team, number 69 Honda
Yet another new partner came in the form of Dani Pedrosa, graduating from a successful 250cc career with two consecutive titles. Nicky put together a consistent run of top results - only twice outside the top three in the first eleven races, and this built him a good lead as Yamaha’s Rossi had mixed fortunes. The Assen race saw a thriller, with Hayden getting the better of Colin Edwards in a last lap duel, and his first race win in Europe. Another followed at Laguna, after which he had 34 points over Pedrosa, with Rossi fourth. The Italian came back strongly, and a clash of the Repsol riders in Portugal seemed to have cost Hayden the title. But Rossi did not perform in Valencia, and the crown was Nicky’s by five points. He scored a total of 252, as well as taking one more pole position.

Nicky Hayden Biography
From the Beginnings to MotoGp and the World Championship season
With 2008 marking his sixth season racing the fiercely competitive, international Moto GP series, Nicky Hayden is one of motorcycle racing's true standouts! In just his fourth year competing within the world renowned Moto GP race series, the charismatic 25 year old made motorcycle racing history winning the overall series and title of MOTO GP CHAMPION for the 2006 season!

Indeed a racing prodigy, earlier in his career, Nicky became the youngest rider in the 27-year history of Superbike racing to win the 2002 AMA U.S. Superbike Championship. Just 2 weeks after his 21st birthday, Nicky finished the 16 round series with nine wins and four additional podium finishes thereby moving him into a third place spot on the all-time AMA

U.S. Superbike wins list...with a career total of 17 Superbike victories!
In the 2003 season, Nicky continued to define motorcycle racing history, moving up to the World Moto GP circuit and completing the season with Rookie of the Year honors. For all four seasons of his Moto GP career, Nicky has raced as part of the prestigious Honda Repsol team traveling to international tracks, in 13 different countries, during the nine-month series. He garnered his first career Moto GP win on July 10, 2005 at Laguna Seca, in front of a record setting U.S. crowd and finished that year a very respectable third place overall.
The young phenome hailing from Owensboro, Kentucky comes from a true racing family - Nicky's two brothers Tommy and Roger also compete in several classes of AMA motorcycle racing series, his father, Earl was a dirt track racer for 20 years and even his mother, Rose rode the Powder Puff class for five years.

Riding since the age of three and racing since five, Nicky turned pro in 1997, with the 1998 season marking his first season of professional racing. At just 16, Nicky stormed the AMA Supersport classes, taking five victories during his rookie season.
The following season, Nicky competed within three different classes of the AMA race series, taking the AMA 600 Supersport title, while also competing within the Grand National Flat Track series and was awarded the Ricky Graham Rookie of the Year award and was also presented with the 1999 AMA SpeedVision Athlete of the Year award for his incredible athleticism across the various race series'. The 2000 and 2001 seasons brought Nicky second and third place finishes with the 2002 season culminating with the series championship.

As if winning the most coveted title in United States motorcycle racing wasn't an arduous challenge, Nicky furthered fueled his immense race desires by competing within the Grand National Flat Track series during his off weekends and finishing and winning five of the nine nationals he competed in.

In addition to an illustrious race career, Nicky has collaborated on a book, Hayden Brothers from OWB to Moto GP and he recently completed work on his MTV special, The Kentucky Kid. Nicky even has his own signature line of clothing featuring -- t-shirts, caps and other casual wear designed with race-inspired influences unique to Nicky Hayden! In spare time, Nicky enjoys motocross, XR50's, playing basketball and spending time with friends and family.

Dani Pedrosa Biography

2009-08-29T16:47:00.002+07:00

Full Name: Dani Pedrosa
Height: 158cm
Weight: 43kg
Date of Birth: 29th September 1985
Place of Birth: Castellar del Valles, Barcelona, Spain
First Race: 1996
Grand Prix Debut: 2001

Dani Pedrosa was born in Castellar del Valles, a small village near Sabadell in the province of Barcelona, Spain, although he now lives in London. He is the youngest world champion in the 125cc and 250cc Grands Prix classes.

At the age of four, Pedrosa got his first motocycle, an Italjet 50. He got his first racing bike, a replica of a Kawasaki, at the age of six but it wasn't until he was eleven before he experienced real racing. Pedrosa entered the Spanish Minibike Championship in 1996, finishing the season in second place. In 1997 he entered the Championship again and finished third. He won the Spanish Minibike Championship in 1998.

Pedrosa briefly toyed with mountain bike racing due to a lack of funding, when a friend learned of the Movistar Activa Cup in 1999. Pedrosa entered and, in his first race on a geared bike and on a circuit, finished the race in eighth place. He was selected as one of three riders for Alberto Puig's Team.

In 2000 Pedrosa took part in the 125cc Spanish Championship with the Movistar Junior Team. He managed four finishes (from six races), took four pole positions and finished in fourth place overall.

In 2001, Pedrosa was promoted into the 125cc World Championship. He managed to take two podiums for third places (in Valencia and Motegi). Despite his lack of experience, he battled at the front. He finished in eighth place overall in the Championship.

Pedrosa finished third in the 125cc Championship in 2002.

The following year, in 2003, Pedrosa clinched the title in Malaysia with two GPs remaining. He took a total of five victories and six podium finishes. Unfortunately, just one week after his victory he had a bad accident during the practice session for the Australian GP. The bad accident left Pedrosa with both his ankles broken.

Pedrosa moved into the 250cc class in 2004. In his rookie season he became the 250cc World Champion in Australia, and the youngest racer in history, at the age of 19, to win the title. He only finished off the podium three times all season, twice in fourth place and a crash at Jerez.

Despite struggling during some wet races and several crashes, Pedrosa was able to retain his title in 2005. He won the Championship with two rounds remaining.

Career Highlights
2008: 3rd place - MotoGP World Championship
2007: 2nd place - MotoGP World Championship
2006: 5th place - MotoGP World Championship
2005: 1st place - 250cc Grand Prix World Championship
2004: 1st place - 250cc Grand Prix World Championship
2003: 1st place - 125cc Grand Prix World Championship
2002: 3rd place - 125cc Grand Prix World Championship
2001: 8th place - 125cc Grand Prix World Championship
2000: 4th place - 125cc Grand Prix Spanish Championship
1999: 8th place - MoviStar Activa Joven Honda Cup
1998: 1st place - Spanish Pocket Bike Championship
1997: 3rd place - Spanish Pocket Bike Championship
1996: 2nd place - Spanish Pocket Bike Championship

Having won three titles in a row (125, 250 and then 250cc) Pedrosa remained with Honda and moved into MotoGP for 2006. He started the season strongly, taking second place in his first race and his first win at Shanghai. A low came from Pedrosa when, with an outside chance of the title, he crashed into his team mate, Nicky Hayden, at Estoril. Hayden had been leading the Championship and the crash meant that he was overtaken by Rossi, on the Yamaha, with one round remaining. Under intense scrutiny, Pedrosa vowed to help Hayden win the Championship. As it transpired Rossi crashed during the final race and Hayden was able to comfortably take the title, relieving the pressure on the Spaniard.

For 2007 Pedrosa was again teamed with Nicky Hayden in the Repsol Honda garage on the new capacity 800cc MotoGP machines. On the smaller machines Pedrosa was deemed one of the favourites before the start of the season but, in truth, the Honda never really delivered. The Spaniard was able to snatch second position from Rossi at the final round by taking the win but, along with everyone else, he played second fiddle to an utterly dominant Casey Stoner on the Ducati.

2008 would again see Pedrosa lining up on the Honda together with deposed Champion, and team mate, Nicky Hayden. It was a season of ups and downs. By Assen, round nine of the Championship, he had been on the podium in all but one of the races and he lead the title race by four points from Rossi. The next round, at the Sachsenring, was a turning point. On a wet track Pedrosa flew into the lead from the start and by the end of the first lap had amassed a stunning two second lead. Rather than hold the position he continued to pull away at the front and within six laps he had a seven second lead. Unfortunately for the tiny Spaniard he was obviously pushing too hard and he lost the front of his Honda, crashing heavily into the gravel. The subsequent injuries meant that he scored no meaningful points until Misano, three races later. By that time he had dropped to third in the title race and with Rossi starting a run of six victories in seven races the Championship was out of sight.

Eyebrows were raised when Pedrosa switched from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres mid-season but he was able to adapt to the change very well.

2009 sees Pedrosa remain at Repsol Honda and be joined by Dovizioso, replacing the departed Nicky Hayden.

Casey Stoner Biography

2009-08-29T16:15:00.002+07:00

Name: Casey Stoner
Age: 19
DOB: 16/10/1985
Nationality: Australian
Martial Status: Single
Birthplace: Kurri-Kurri
Place of Residence: Barcelona
Height: 171cm
Weight: 58kg
First Motorcycle: Pee Wee 50

Team: Carrera Sunglasses LCR
Category: World 250cc Championship
Bike: Aprilia
Number: 27
Grand Prix Debut: Donnington 2001 - 17th
Wins: 2 - 125cc 2 - 250cc
Podiums: 10 - 125cc 2 - 250cc
Fastest laps: 3 - 125cc 0 - 250cc
Pole Positions: 2 - 125cc 1 - 250cc

Favourites
Actress: Meg Ryan
Actor: Mel Gibson
Movie: Maverick
Band: The Offspring
Car: Holden Commodore
Animal: Kangaroo
Holiday Place: Australia
Book series: Harry Potter
Character: Ronald Weasley
Race Track: Catalunya because of the variety of corners

Casey Stoner has come from a family of motorcycle fanatics, who left their hometown of Kurri-Kurri to Europe to catapult Casey into the riding industry overseas. His World championship debut was as a wildcard in the Donnington and Phillip Island rounds in 2001. He finished 17th and 12th respectively.

In 2002 he began his World Championship campaign in the 250cc class under the watchful eye and guidance of team boss and racing veteran, Lucio Ceccinello in the Salfio Carrera LCR (now known as Carrera Sunglasses LCR). He didnt do as well as he could have but a great rookie season was spent in the championship.

2003 began and he moved down to the 125cc Championship with the same team. He went alot better than when he was in the quarter-litre class, winning in Valencia and proving to be a threat in the 2004 season. Then the announcement came that Casey would be riding for the Austrian Red Bull KTM squad alongside Finland's Mika Kallio in the '04 season.

2004 proved not to be Casey's year, with a broken Clavicle (collarbone) from a practice crash at the Sachsenring circuit proved to be the downfall. He was sitting comfortably in 4th spot in the championship with a great chance of taking the crown away from other contenders, Andrea Dovizioso (later crowned champion at the Sepang circuit), Hector Barbera, and Roberto Locatelli. With his injury to the left clavicle, he couldnt race in the Sachsenring race and then the following one in Great Britain. then a disasterous 3 rounds followed, crashing out in Brno, A coming together with Simone Corsi (for which our Casey took the blame, missing a gear) and Motegi.... But in Malaysia, a twist of fate happened and he wrenched the lead of Andrea Dovizioso and won his second race in the class (Also the first win for KTM in the class). A well-deserved third (well he came equal second but was relegated to third due to the fact that Jorge Lorenzo clocked a faster time on that last lap) on his home turf at Phillip Island was amazing to watch, I was lucky to witness it in person! But in Valencia (the site of his first win) he wasnt as lucky, crashing out.

in 2005, he re-appeared in the 250cc category and immediately took it to reigning champion Dani Pedrosa, sitting in a comfortable 3rd place in the opening round in Jerez.

Valentino Rossi Biography

2009-08-09T19:06:00.004+07:00

Date of Birth : 16/02/1979
Place of Birth : Urbino, Italy
Nationality : Italian
Residence : London, UK
Height : 182 cm
Weight : 59 kg
Marital Status : Single
Hobbies : Soccer, radio-controlled toys
Total Races GP starts : 174 (114 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Victories : 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
Pole Positions : 45
Podiums: 127
Wins : 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
First Race : 1991
First Grand Prix : Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
First Pole : 1996

correct as of 2007
Valentino Rossi starts his fourth campaign as a Yamaha Factory Team rider in 2007 with the clear target of recapturing the MotoGP World Championship title after being dethroned by Nicky Hayden last year. After winning two consecutive World Championships with Yamaha in 2004 and 2005, following on from three previous back-to-back title successes, Rossi finished runner-up to the American despite scoring ten podiums and winning five races - more than any other rider. Now the record-breaking Italian, widely regarded as the finest motorcycle racer of his generation, starts the season without the crown to defend for the first time in five years.

Rossi’s five wins in 2006 took his premier-class career tally to 58, leaving him within striking distance of the legendary Giacomo Agostini’s all-time record of 68 – another enticing target for the 2007 season. For the third consecutive campaign Valentino will be ably assisted by his trusted team-mate and great friend Colin Edwards, as the pair apply their highly effective development partnership to Yamaha’s all-new 800cc machine and attempt to regain the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles they won together in 2005.

Rossi’s World Championship debut came at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 1996 and he finished his first international season in 9th place with one race win. The following year he became the youngest ever rider to win the 125cc World Championship, winning eleven races along the way with Aprilia. The pattern continued when he moved into the 250cc class, taking second place in his first year before becoming World Champion in 1999, once again with Aprilia.

In 2000 he entered a new phase of his career when he joined forces with Honda in the 500cc class. He proved his worth once again by finishing second, before becoming the last ever 500cc World Champion in 2001. Rossi held onto his crown four the next four consecutive seasons, taking the MotoGP World title in 2002 and 2003, before moving to Yamaha and winning again in 2004 and 2005.

Rossi made history by moving to Yamaha in 2004 and winning the season-opening Grand Prix in South Africa, becoming the first rider in the history of the sport to win back-to-back premier class races for different manufacturers. He went on to win nine out of 16 races, finally clinching the World Championship title, Yamaha’s first for 12 years, with victory at the penultimate Grand Prix in Phillip Island. A final win at the Valencia Grand Prix also ensured that the Yamaha Factory Team won the team title. Rossi followed up that triumph with a season of unprecedented success in 2005, when he successfully defended the title once again with a total of eleven race wins and five pole positions - only finishing off the podium once.

Rossi turned 28 in February 2007 and remains the youngest rider to have won World Championships in all three classes. He continues to have the support of his long-standing Crew Chief, Jeremy Burgess, who moved from Honda to work with him at Yamaha Factory Racing.

One of the most popular members of the paddock, ‘The Doctor’ has a wide fan base all over the world. A keen football fan and an accomplished rally driver, he is based in London between races.

Valentino Rossi turns 30 today, 16th February 2009

2009-07-26T15:18:00.000+07:00

Happy birthday, Valentino Rossi!. The Fiat Yamaha rider has had an immensely successful career to date, winning eight world championships, 97 races and becoming the most successful premier-class rider of all time. As he enters his 14th season in the world championship, his sixth with Yamaha, he is still the dominating force in the sport, having recaptured the title in typically exciting style last season.

Below is a collection of quotes from colleagues, fellow riders, family and a few of his more famous fans. Some are recollections of favourite moments with Valentino, whilst some are simply messages for him on the day he turns 30. All are different ways of saying ‘Happy Birthday, Valentino!’

Davide Brivio (Fiat Yamaha Team Manager)
“I don’t really have a favourite memory of Valentino, or at least it’s difficult to choose the ‘absolute best!’ The first one that comes to mind however is just after the Welkom race in 2004, his famous first MotoGP race with Yamaha. Before Valentino finally joined Yamaha, during one of the meetings the previous September, he said that he wanted to win his first race with Yamaha! This immediately created a lot of pressure for me and for Yamaha, but anyway I promised him that we would all try all our best. Honestly at that time I felt that it was going to be a very difficult thing to achieve! During the final few pre-season tests the chances of doing it began to look better and better, but in a race itself anything can happen. Incredibly, he won that race in Welkom and just after it, after the technical meeting had finished, we were alone in his changing room. Somebody had left a bottle of wine in the fridge and we opened it and raised a toast to that day way back in September, when he had first said that he wanted to win this race. “We did it!” I said to him. It was a very emotional moment for me because it was the moment we achieved our very first target together. Happy Birthday!”

Cesare Cremonini (Singer and friend)
“Vale is a fighter, but armed with a smile. I’ve never seen him lose his humanity, even in the most difficult moments. One time I found him making gags and jokes as if he was at home with friends, when in fact he had just a couple of minutes to go before a decisive race. While he was putting on his leathers, ready to go out and challenge the world, he transmitted a joy for life, listening to a song on his ipod. “Ciao Ragazzi! See you later!” He said. Then came a sweeping victory at the limits of possibility and a long night of partying together! Happy Birthday, Vale!”

Tom Cruise (Actor and Rossi Fan)
“Valentino, You are a true champion. You keep raising the bar, relentlessly pursuing the next race, the next challenge, the next championship. I also know that the victories don’t necessarily become easier. You have to dig deeper, work even harder, become more focused to overcome the distractions. That’s what you do. And I, like countless others, know that when you’re on that track anything is possible. It was my great pleasure to be there at Laguna Seca and see you take that victory. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it! You certainly don’t disappoint! Thank you for all the great races you have given us, and for all the great races yet to come. Happy Birthday.”

Daniel-Day Lewis (Actor and Rossi Fan)
“Every race, every win, every championship! Vale the kid in the portaloo is an old favourite, always irresistible in victory and gracious in defeat (not that he had to prove it very often!) But the all-time favourite memory for me would be him at Laguna Seca going inside Stoner through the dirt. Death or glory; the whole race an answer to those daft enough still to have a question. And to have shaken the hand of that man - that I won’t forget either.”

Aldo Drudi (Designer and Rossi Fan)
“Cattolica, August 1996, 2pm, very hot. I’m travelling by motorbike on a deserted road towards the sea, when a small and colourful outline appears from an intersection ahead, going very fast. A young boy on a scooter ‘closes’ the corner, accentuates the bend, runs around the pavement, straightens up and pulls a wheelie… he holds the wheelie on the aqua-green Zip for more than 200 metres, still on the gas. I accelerate and catch him up. The boy lets go of the left handlebar and lifts the left hand in a sign of victory. I recognise him and follow him. Finally he lowers the wheel and with his feet on the footrests he throws embraces and salutes all around the road to his imaginary fans. He notices me, right beside him, and smiles. Happy Birthday Vale!”

Colin Edwards (Team-mate 2005/06/07 and now Tech3 Yamaha rider)
“I have a few fond memories of Vale starting from 2000. Our 2002 victory at the Suzuka 8-Hour was something special, but I’d have to say my one memory that stands out is Laguna 2005. Basically, we were both healthy and fighting for every inch. I did have a slight advantage knowing the track since 1992. As I can recall, it was the first time we were together on track racing close; as most would confirm, he was usually ten seconds in front of me leading by this point in the race! Then he mounted a charge on the last two laps that came up just short…I was happy we didn’t have one more lap! Haha!!!! It’s not really a memory that I beat him, it’s more of a memory of racing side by side with what I consider “The Goat”, which translates as The Greatest Of All Time. Happy birthday, you old man!”

Carmelo Ezpeleta (CEO, Dorna Sports)
“My favourite “Valentino moment” is remembering the unique human quality that he showed after his battle with Nicky Hayden for the 2006 MotoGP Championship. It is very easy to behave like a champion when you win, but Rossi’s attitude after losing was admirable and impressive.”

Lin Jarvis (Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing)
“It’s difficult to think of a single moment but I guess one of the most memorable moments was during the 2003 season when Valentino had his first meeting with the Yamaha YZR-M1. We had started our secret discussions earlier that year for a possible future move to Yamaha. Vale said he wanted to have a real look at the Yamaha M1 bike so we agreed to organize a secret rendezvous in the paddock at the Donington GP. To keep it secret we arranged to meet on Saturday night in the Yamaha Factory Team pit box. After midnight Vale arrived in a dark parka jacket with the hood up. He looked like a burglar coming to steal our stuff! Once inside he greeted everybody there and introduced himself and then took his time to look at Carlos Checa’s M1 from every angle before asking our permission if he could sit on the bike. We were so surprised by his humility and modesty and even more surprised when he paid a complement to us by stating that it was “not so bad” after all. His attitude on that first night time meeting said a lot about the man. Since then I have seen a hundred more examples… Happy Birthday, Vale!”

Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team-mate, 2008/09)
“I want to say Happy Birthday to my team-mate Valentino. It is great for me to be racing with a legend like him, but maybe now he’s 30 he might slow down a little bit!”

Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan football player and friend)
“We met thanks to Inter, but we became friends thanks to motorbikes: our two great passions! Now the stadium and the circuit are occasions to be fans for one another and to try to bring good luck; you for me and I for you. But the moment in which we feel the truest friends is when we’re having dinner together at my house, sitting together at the same table. There we are just Marco and Valentino, two who for many reasons see life in the same way. Today I am just like you, when you put your number on to race it is the double of me when I put mine on to play, because I have 23! For your 30th I give you ‘double’ greetings. And one more special thing to remember, to succeed in keeping our ‘secret’ promise, the one which we can only tell when we’ve achieved it! Happy birthday Vale!”

Guido Meda (Italian TV commentator and friend)
“The end of testing, the slow-down lap. Valentino sees you from the track and goes to wave at you. It’s a quick movement and it seems trivial, but it’s a sign, a sign of how he focuses his attention; on the bike while he needs to, on the man when he can. He separates the moments, detaches them, changes and reasons. This is why everyone always wants him as their poster boy. The Valentino I know above all defeats what is normal while the legend grows. Now he turns 30, what can I say? As before, he still has his feet on the ground. He is ruthless and very much a perfectionist. He is easy-going and always curious with his own taste for an interesting life, but he is normal. After eight titles and 97 victories, I would like to be sure that I tell the story in the right way and, although the legend continues to grow, I can always find simple words.”

Stefania Palma (Mother)
“I have thought about what to tell you through the media for your 30th birthday… I could have dealt with sun, stars, mountains, love and happiness… but I feel it is more right to say, simply… HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

Carlo Pernat (Journalist and friend)
“How could I not love you, Valentino? The champions know exactly what they have to do, instinctively. I remember in 1997, when we were making your first TV advert. You had to endure a day with a fussy and long-winded director, who couldn’t finish and had to adjourn until the next day. You left and, with your friend Uccio you called to warn that you were already home at your house, and where you were staying also the next day! Straugurissimi, Legend!”

Wayne Rainey (World Champion with Yamaha 1990/91/92)
“Happy 30th birthday Valentino! I love to watch when the odds are against you, the battle is on. Your passion to win is visible and I respect that very much. 30 years old…life is just beginning for you!”

Kenny Roberts Senior (World Champions with Yamaha 1978/79/80)
“Valentino, when I first saw you ride at the ranch in Barcelona… I thought Kevin Schwantz was tall and skinny! You were very impressive then as you are now! Good luck and Happy Birthday!”

Graziano Rossi (Father)
“Simply… I would like to wish him to get to 40 without growing up anymore and then after 40… let’s see!”

Rino Salucci (Friend and president of official fan club)
“Am I asking too much if I ask for 30 more years of excitement? Well, I can live with half!

Uccio Salluci (Best friend)
“I hope that for the next 30 years Vale will be as fast as he has been in the previous 30 and that he gives us more passes and excitement like we had at Laguna Seca 2008. 30 more Corkscrews, Vale!”

Marco Simoncelli (250cc World Champion and friend)
“Happy Birthday, Bomber! Although you are now 30, try to give us as much excitement as you have given to us until you were 29! Auguri! Sic58″

Gigi Soldano (Official photographer and friend)
“I know that every time I work with him something different will happen once again. One more time his image is in front of my lens and once again I have a different feeling and taste to be working with him. His little wrinkles, his determined gaze with his piercing eyes, which look right through you if you are not quick to change the shot. We play a game and by now he knows what expression I want before I have even asked, just like a team-mate in a match. The expressions stay in my mind as memories. This is what having Vale in front of the camera means, every time. I am always happy that I have the good fortune to work with him. Today he is posing for me with a chocolate cake to celebrate his 30th birthday. I shoot it as simply as possible; It’s not necessary to have anything else to make it a unique shot. A white background is enough, and once again we relax into the ‘groove’. A song comes into my head: “When you have a sunny day in December, you can say that summer is already here! Congratulations, Vale!”

James Toseland (Tech3 Yamaha rider)
“30 is a big milestone for a racer because, even though you’re not really old as a person, you’re starting to be one of the older ones in professional racing and you start to feel that you can’t go on forever! I don’t think it’s a problem for Valentino however, he seems to still feel 25 so as long as that continues he’ll be just fine! Happy Birthday and have a great party!”

Laguna Seca MotoGP - Qualifying times

2009-07-26T15:16:00.000+07:00

ull qualifying times from the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, round eight of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship.

Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner both suffered huge highsides in the closing minutes and were taken to the medical centre.

Mika Kallio is absent due to a finger injury, while Gabor Talmacsi will be Scot Honda’s only rider from this event onwards.

1. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 1min 21.678 sec
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 1min 21.845 sec
3. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 21.910 sec
4. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 1min 22.113 sec
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 1min 22.135 sec
6. Toni Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1min 22.146 sec
7. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1min 22.490 sec
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 22.540 sec
9. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 22.633 sec
10. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 22.662 sec
11. Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team 1min 22.842 sec
12. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 1min 23.004 sec
13. Sete Gibernau SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando 1min 23.106 sec
14. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 1min 23.147 sec
15. James Toseland GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1min 23.390 sec
16. Niccolo Canepa ITA Pramac Racing 1min 23.912 sec
17. Gabor Talmacsi HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 1min 24.528 sec

Fastest practice time:
Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha 1min 21.799sec (FP2)

2008 US Grand Prix - 20/7/2008:
Pole position:
Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro (B) 1min 20.700sec
Fastest race laps by manufacturer:
Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro (B) 1min 21.488sec
Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha (B) 1min 21.713sec
Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki (B) 1min 22.499sec
Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda (M) 1min 22.915sec
Jamie Hacking USA Kawasaki Racing (B) 1min 23.063sec

Monterey County declares ‘Valentino Rossi day’

2009-07-26T15:12:00.000+07:00

Sunday at Laguna Seca saw reigning six time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi presented with a proclamation on behalf of Monterey County, declaring 5th July ‘Valentino Rossi Day’ from now on.

The Mayor of Monterey County, Chuck Dalla Sala, came to the circuit to present the Italian with the honour.

At the same time Ken Lofink, president of SCRAMP (Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula) awarded Rossi the ‘key’ to the circuit.

“I want to thank the people of Monterey and the Laguna Seca track for these great honours!” said the 2008 US Grand Prix winner. “I love racing here and I have enjoyed it ever since we first came in 2005 so I am very proud to have this day named after me. I hope I can put up a good performance this afternoon to thank everyone for this.”

Rossi will start second on the grid behind Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who is planning to race this afternoon despite injuries sustained in his huge Saturday accident.

MotoGP returns to Europe with Fiat Yamaha leading the way to Sachsenring

2009-07-26T15:06:00.000+07:00

After their American foray to Laguna Seca just ten days ago, the Fiat Yamaha Team is preparing for a return to European shores with the first of a double-header of races this weekend at the Sachsenring in Germany. It will be the start of a tough fortnight for the riders, with this race followed immediately by the British Grand Prix at Donington. Now at its halfway point, the MotoGP World Championship remains tight at the top but Fiat Yamaha continues to lead the way with Valentino Rossi nine points ahead of 22-year-old team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who in turn holds an advantage of seven points over Casey Stoner.

The wooded hills of the Sachsenring have produced some stunning racing over recent years, not least in 2006 when Rossi started from 10th to produce a master class of overtaking and lead home the closest ever finish in MotoGP, with the top four separated by just 0.307 seconds. The 30-year-old has three other wins at the German track and last year finished an important second in torrential rain as several riders slid out. With three wins under his belt so far this season he will be hoping for career victory number 101 this weekend, as he looks to extend his lead at the top of the standings and give himself some breathing space as the paddock goes into its summer break in two week’s time.

Mallorcan-born Lorenzo put up a brilliant performance last time out in the States to finish third after a crash in qualifying left him with a separated shoulder and a badly bruised foot. A week of rest at home in Barcelona has left him in better shape and, while he does not expect to be back to full fitness this weekend, he is confident that with the help of the Mobile Clinic he will be able to play a major part in the weekend’s proceedings. Last year he slid out early on in the rain-struck race and with only one previous podium at the Sachsenring to his name, he will be looking to improve his German record this weekend with a trip to the podium despite his injuries.

Located in the heartland of the former East Germany’s once illustrious motorcycle racing industry, the Sachsenring is built right next to the old road course, a characteristic the track shares with Brno in the nearby Czech Republic, which the paddock will visit in mid August. It is the second shortest track on the calendar and features a series of tight and relatively slow corners mixed in with some dazzlingly fast ones – including a stomach-churning downhill right hander which was added in 2003.

Valentino Rossi - “Rested ans recharged”
“Thank goodness we’ve had some time to rest after the last two races because I was really quite tired after Laguna! The next two races are back to back and again it will be very hard, and it’s also a very important stage of the championship, the halfway point. Sachsenring isn’t one of my favourite tracks but I’ve had some great races there and generally it suits Yamaha well, which is good. We need another good result to keep our lead because our rivals are so strong and we can’t afford to make any mistakes. Last year there was a lot of rain in Germany but in fact we were able to take a great second place. I hope this year we can go one better.”

Jorge Lorenzo - “In better shape”
“Germany is one of the circuits where I’ve never done particularly well, in fact I’ve only had one podium there, in 2006 when I was third in 250cc. Last year it rained a lot and unfortunately I fell on the third lap, so it wasn’t a weekend to remember but I hope this one will be very different. Following my injuries in Laguna Seca, I am feeling a lot better after a week of rest but I won’t be at 100% this weekend; I have some pain in my foot when walking and also in my shoulder joint, so the first thing I will do when I get to Sachsenring is go to the Clinica Mobile! My aim as ever this weekend is to be on the podium and to try to get as many points as possible compared to the rivals that are in front of me.”

Davide Brivio - “A positive moment”
“Sachsenring isn’t one of our favourites but we’re going there after good results in the last few races and we’re enjoying a positive moment so hopefully we can continue the momentum this weekend. As always our first target is the podium and we’ve achieved this at all but one race this season so we will look to continue that trend! Last year it was very wet in Germany but we were able to take an important second place, which gave Valentino key points for his championship battle. This time we arrive in the lead but we have to maintain focus because these are two very important races before the summer break and it’s important to everyone that we go into the ‘holiday’ at the top.”

Daniele Romagnoli - “An exciting stage”
“We’re happy to report that Jorge’s condition is a lot better after a week of rest. He won’t be in perfect condition but he will be a lot stronger and therefore able to push harder on the bike this weekend than he could in Laguna. In America Jorge showed once again that he has a great determination to achieve his potential whatever condition he is in and so we hope that in Germany we can be in good shape once again, be at the front and fight for the podium. We need to try to recover some points as we look to the summer break. It’s an exciting stage of the championship and everyone is dedicated to our goal and working very hard.”

Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 30
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 100 (79 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 217 (157 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 53 (43 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)
Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 22
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 24 (3 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 118 (24 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 33 (7 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Sachsenring: Record Lap
D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2007, 1′23.082

Sachsenring: Best Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1′21.067

Grand Prix Results: Sachsenring 2008
1. C. Stoner (Ducati) 47′30.057
2. V. Rossi (Yamaha) +3.708
3. C.Vermeulen (Suzuki) +14.002

J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) DNF

German MotoGP - Race results

2009-07-26T14:54:00.000+07:00

Race results German Grand Prix at Sachsenring, round nine of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship.

The Grupo Francisco Hernando team, which had been running Sete Gibernau, has withdrawn from the championship.

1. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 41min 21.769 sec
2. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 41min 21.868 sec
3. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 41min 24.668 sec
4. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 41min 31.995 sec
5. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 41min 43.291 sec
6. Toni Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 41min 52.621 sec
7. Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team 41min 53.070 sec
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 41min 53.495 sec
9. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41min 54.634 sec
10. James Toseland GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 42min 5.695 sec
11. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 42min 19.144 sec
12. Niccolo Canepa ITA Pramac Racing 42min 22.308 sec
13. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 42min 25.414 sec
14. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 42min 25.924 sec
15. Gabor Talmacsi HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 41min 22.338 sec

DNF:
Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP lap 1
Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 35min 10.150 sec