-
Adults Only Website 18+
If you are under 18 you are not permitted to submit personal information to us or use this website. If discovered you will be banned.
We will ban and report anyone posting illegal content.
We will ban any forum user who breaks our terms.
Freedom of speech should be wide open as long as it doesn't incite violence.
We have a 15 year old thriving community here with 400,000+ members and hundreds of people online at any given moment, we encourage you to join!, there are 1000's of topics to discuss. Please be aware before registering and read our terms of service and privacy policy.
By dismissing this notice and proceeding, you agree to the above.
Good one Magoo, look for the save at 4:30
Lets not forget Magee, Mr Magoo. This way the day I kissed him on top of pit lane. It spun out the brit journo more than Kev.
Rainey’s return to Misano
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
The three time 500cc World Champion will be present at the upcoming Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini this weekend, his first visit to the Misano World Circuit since his career-ending crash on September 5, 1993.
Living legend Wayne Rainey will visit the Misano circuit for the first time in nearly 18 years to see next weekend’s GP at the Misano World Circuit. The former World Champion will find an extensively modified track that now holds races in the opposite direction.
Rainey suffered a career-ending crash in the 1993 Italian GP while well on his way to a fourth-consecutive World title. He was leading the Championship and the race when he crashed and slid into a rutted gravel trap designed as a safety feature for car racing. The high speed tumble against the raked surface fractured the sixth thoracic vertebra in his spine, resulting in paralysis from the chest down.
Rainey’s return will be honored in the paddock on Friday, September 2nd from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, with Yamaha organizing a special event for the unforgettable rider.
Wayne has to be one of the greatest riders of the modern era, sadly by his own admission it cost him dearly.
a few tributes
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
The three time 500cc World Champion will be present at the upcoming Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini this weekend, his first visit to the Misano World Circuit since his career-ending crash on September 5, 1993.
Living legend Wayne Rainey will visit the Misano circuit for the first time in nearly 18 years to see next weekend’s GP at the Misano World Circuit. The former World Champion will find an extensively modified track that now holds races in the opposite direction.
Rainey suffered a career-ending crash in the 1993 Italian GP while well on his way to a fourth-consecutive World title. He was leading the Championship and the race when he crashed and slid into a rutted gravel trap designed as a safety feature for car racing. The high speed tumble against the raked surface fractured the sixth thoracic vertebra in his spine, resulting in paralysis from the chest down.
Rainey’s return will be honored in the paddock on Friday, September 2nd from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, with Yamaha organizing a special event for the unforgettable rider.
Wayne has to be one of the greatest riders of the modern era, sadly by his own admission it cost him dearly.
a few tributes
magoo
Rookie
-- Interview - Mick Doohan
-- It is over a decade since motorcycle racing legend Mick Doohan hung up his leathers, but that steel glint in his eye is still as menacing and intense as ever. Trevor Hedge recently caught up with the five-time World Champion at the launch of the TW Steel Mick Doohan Special Edition watch.
Despite turning 46 earlier this month, Mick Doohan is still the fit and somewhat wiry character many of us remember watching climb - or quite often limp - on to the podium nearly 100 times during his decade-long Grand Prix tenure with Honda.
Doohan’s reign may have lasted a while longer, if not for a crash early in 1999; It was one ‘big one’ too many to come back from. It was almost 18 months before he was off crutches and it would have been at least another six months to regain full fitness. Faced with this prospect, Australia’s greatest ever motorcycle racer retired his leathers.
These days, an average week for Mick Doohan involves 9-5 stints in the office managing his group of companies. His business interests include an aviation charter operation and a Las Vegas nightclub.
Doohan’s home base is a sprawling and luxurious estate on a Gold Coast waterway, complete with his own boat moorings, aircraft hangar and go-kart circuit. It’s a long way from his days installing swimming pools for a living, but there’s little doubt he has earned it. His was no silver-spoon-fed ride to wealth, rather one earned through grit and determination on the back of an awe inspiring level of skill and talent.
There is still an intensity of purpose in Doohan’s demeanour but it’s much easier to get a chuckle and grin out of him than you would have on a race weekend all those years ago. That’s as you would expect, but I was eager to know if he still craves an outlet for his competitive spirit.
“I don’t really feel the need these days; I do get a fair amount of enjoyment out of flying and do a little bit of karting and the Race of Champions events in the cars each year are a lot of fun.”
Doohan’s flying is mostly done in his very impressive black helicopter. Complete with leather seats and better air-conditioning than I have felt in any car, it’s no ordinary chopper. He has a pilot on staff (as you do) and gained his own licence a decade ago for those times he wants to take the controls.
With no official role in motorcycle racing these days, Doohan rarely makes it to a Grand Prix.
“I only made it to two races last year. I wanted to go to Japan this year but that has been put off due to the disaster so I am not sure how many races I will make it to this year.
“I plan to hop over to Silverstone for the MotoGP race right after the Isle Of Man TT to catch up with some old mates and meet some of the race fans. I’ve never visited the place before and with all the new work they’ve been doing to the track and the pits it all looks pretty cool.”
Doohan did some laps for the fans at IOM TT but as for any plans to follow his contemporaries such as the late, great Barry Sheene or 1987 World Champ Wayne Gardner in dabbling with some Historic Road Racing at the Island Classic or Goodwood Revival meets, he doesn’t hesitate to show a lack of interest.
“Goodwood for me is mad. They shut the track down in the 60s due to the danger and now they are back racing on it, on similar bikes, but they are now quicker due to better tyres and suspension, for me it’s just too dangerous. If I was going to race I would prefer to race something that was a bit of fun rather than some old bucket.”
Clearly not one to regale history through a teary eye, Doohan rarely rides at all these days, outside of demonstration laps for crowds when requested. He also hasn’t ridden on the road for five years.
Current day star Valentino Rossi has achieved World Championships with two different manufacturers; something that many fans hoped Doohan would do rather than stick at Honda all those years.
“I always preferred to sign contracts strictly on a one-year basis”, recalls Doohan.
“Other manufacturers often came and talked to me but they were just never really committed enough to convince me they were really serious about winning.
“Wayne Rainey had retired through injury, Schwantz had given racing away and after that pair went those teams just never really got over it and never upped their game to regain their level of competitiveness with another rider. They just dragged their feet and everything they did just seemed a little half-hearted.
“It was only really when Valentino stamped his dominance on the sport that other manufacturers got so sick of losing that they decided to get serious again, and we saw that with the lengths Yamaha were prepared to go to in order to lure Valentino over.
“More recently you have seen Honda start to get a little sick of losing and they have responded by upping their game, signing more top level riders and putting the effort in that is required to truly compete at the top level.”
For us 30-something and above race fans watching Casey Stoner in Repsol livery rekindles those wide eyed memories of watching Doohan at the top of his craft wrestling an evil 500cc two-stroke and making it do things that seemed to overstep the boundaries of what was deemed possible. I asked Mick the somewhat predictable question of what advice he would give to Casey.
“I can’t give him any advice; he’s out there doing it.
“He’s on a consistent platform now while the Ducati was here-and-there and clearly he had to wring its neck and put himself on the line just to make it home across the line. Now he can focus on winning and forget a lot of the little things that he might have had to stay on top of at Ducati.”
-- It is over a decade since motorcycle racing legend Mick Doohan hung up his leathers, but that steel glint in his eye is still as menacing and intense as ever. Trevor Hedge recently caught up with the five-time World Champion at the launch of the TW Steel Mick Doohan Special Edition watch.
Despite turning 46 earlier this month, Mick Doohan is still the fit and somewhat wiry character many of us remember watching climb - or quite often limp - on to the podium nearly 100 times during his decade-long Grand Prix tenure with Honda.
Doohan’s reign may have lasted a while longer, if not for a crash early in 1999; It was one ‘big one’ too many to come back from. It was almost 18 months before he was off crutches and it would have been at least another six months to regain full fitness. Faced with this prospect, Australia’s greatest ever motorcycle racer retired his leathers.
These days, an average week for Mick Doohan involves 9-5 stints in the office managing his group of companies. His business interests include an aviation charter operation and a Las Vegas nightclub.
Doohan’s home base is a sprawling and luxurious estate on a Gold Coast waterway, complete with his own boat moorings, aircraft hangar and go-kart circuit. It’s a long way from his days installing swimming pools for a living, but there’s little doubt he has earned it. His was no silver-spoon-fed ride to wealth, rather one earned through grit and determination on the back of an awe inspiring level of skill and talent.
There is still an intensity of purpose in Doohan’s demeanour but it’s much easier to get a chuckle and grin out of him than you would have on a race weekend all those years ago. That’s as you would expect, but I was eager to know if he still craves an outlet for his competitive spirit.
“I don’t really feel the need these days; I do get a fair amount of enjoyment out of flying and do a little bit of karting and the Race of Champions events in the cars each year are a lot of fun.”
Doohan’s flying is mostly done in his very impressive black helicopter. Complete with leather seats and better air-conditioning than I have felt in any car, it’s no ordinary chopper. He has a pilot on staff (as you do) and gained his own licence a decade ago for those times he wants to take the controls.
With no official role in motorcycle racing these days, Doohan rarely makes it to a Grand Prix.
“I only made it to two races last year. I wanted to go to Japan this year but that has been put off due to the disaster so I am not sure how many races I will make it to this year.
“I plan to hop over to Silverstone for the MotoGP race right after the Isle Of Man TT to catch up with some old mates and meet some of the race fans. I’ve never visited the place before and with all the new work they’ve been doing to the track and the pits it all looks pretty cool.”
Doohan did some laps for the fans at IOM TT but as for any plans to follow his contemporaries such as the late, great Barry Sheene or 1987 World Champ Wayne Gardner in dabbling with some Historic Road Racing at the Island Classic or Goodwood Revival meets, he doesn’t hesitate to show a lack of interest.
“Goodwood for me is mad. They shut the track down in the 60s due to the danger and now they are back racing on it, on similar bikes, but they are now quicker due to better tyres and suspension, for me it’s just too dangerous. If I was going to race I would prefer to race something that was a bit of fun rather than some old bucket.”
Clearly not one to regale history through a teary eye, Doohan rarely rides at all these days, outside of demonstration laps for crowds when requested. He also hasn’t ridden on the road for five years.
Current day star Valentino Rossi has achieved World Championships with two different manufacturers; something that many fans hoped Doohan would do rather than stick at Honda all those years.
“I always preferred to sign contracts strictly on a one-year basis”, recalls Doohan.
“Other manufacturers often came and talked to me but they were just never really committed enough to convince me they were really serious about winning.
“Wayne Rainey had retired through injury, Schwantz had given racing away and after that pair went those teams just never really got over it and never upped their game to regain their level of competitiveness with another rider. They just dragged their feet and everything they did just seemed a little half-hearted.
“It was only really when Valentino stamped his dominance on the sport that other manufacturers got so sick of losing that they decided to get serious again, and we saw that with the lengths Yamaha were prepared to go to in order to lure Valentino over.
“More recently you have seen Honda start to get a little sick of losing and they have responded by upping their game, signing more top level riders and putting the effort in that is required to truly compete at the top level.”
For us 30-something and above race fans watching Casey Stoner in Repsol livery rekindles those wide eyed memories of watching Doohan at the top of his craft wrestling an evil 500cc two-stroke and making it do things that seemed to overstep the boundaries of what was deemed possible. I asked Mick the somewhat predictable question of what advice he would give to Casey.
“I can’t give him any advice; he’s out there doing it.
“He’s on a consistent platform now while the Ducati was here-and-there and clearly he had to wring its neck and put himself on the line just to make it home across the line. Now he can focus on winning and forget a lot of the little things that he might have had to stay on top of at Ducati.”
magoo
Rookie
Another Great Aussie motorcycle hero
http://www.andycaldecott.com.au/Andy.html
http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2011/08/15/3293879.htm
http://www.andycaldecott.com.au/Andy.html
http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2011/08/15/3293879.htm
Capirossi to call it a day at end of 2011 season
Thursday, 1 September 2011
The three-time World Champion will retire from professional motorcycling at the end of the current season, after making an announcement at Misano on Thursday.
An emotional Loris Capirossi confirmed on Thursday at Misano that he will retire from the World Championship at the end of the 2011 season.
During the press conference ahead of the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at Misano, Capirossi announced to the media that he plans to bring the curtain down on a long and illustrious career at the end of the current campaign – his 22nd in the World Championship.
The Pramac Racing rider began by saying: “First of all I want to say this season for us is really tough, we haven’t found the best solution to go quicker. We have six more races and for both myself and the team I will try to do my best. I will try to get some good results.”
“It’s difficult for me to say this because after 22 seasons this will be my last race in Italy because I have decided to stop. It’s also strange to listen to the other riders talk about testing the new bikes, and I won’t do that.”
As the 38 year-old Italian succumbed to tears he received a standing ovation from the packed press conference room at the Misano World Circuit. He continued: “I have thought a lot about stopping and I think this is the right decision for me. We have a lot of strong and fast riders here.”
Turning to Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Ben Spies who were sat alongside him in the press conference, Capirossi joked: “I also want to say to the guys to try and help me in the last few races because I have 99 podiums!”
“I would like to say thank you to everybody who has supported me, and I will try to be my best in the last few races.”
Fellow Italian Rossi added: “I have a lot of memories (about Loris). I remember his first race in Suzuka in 125cc, and I was a great fan of Loris when he was a rival of (Max) Biaggi!”
“Fighting with him on track has been great. We have had a lot of great battles to the last lap and I remember the fight in the 250s for the Championship in 1999, and then in the 500s. What I remember the most is Mugello and Sepang in 2006, fighting with Loris to the last lap. I think he is one of the best riders in this sport.”
Capirossi made his World Championship debut in 1990, bursting onto the Grand Prix scene in the 125cc category and taking the title at his first attempt aged just 17 years old. He successfully defended his crown the following year and was 250cc World Champion in 1998 having already competed for two full seasons in the 500cc category.
A top-three finisher on board a 500cc two-stroke Honda in 2001 and a factory MotoGP Ducati in 2006, Capirossi currently has 99 World Championship podium finishes to his name.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
The three-time World Champion will retire from professional motorcycling at the end of the current season, after making an announcement at Misano on Thursday.
An emotional Loris Capirossi confirmed on Thursday at Misano that he will retire from the World Championship at the end of the 2011 season.
During the press conference ahead of the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at Misano, Capirossi announced to the media that he plans to bring the curtain down on a long and illustrious career at the end of the current campaign – his 22nd in the World Championship.
The Pramac Racing rider began by saying: “First of all I want to say this season for us is really tough, we haven’t found the best solution to go quicker. We have six more races and for both myself and the team I will try to do my best. I will try to get some good results.”
“It’s difficult for me to say this because after 22 seasons this will be my last race in Italy because I have decided to stop. It’s also strange to listen to the other riders talk about testing the new bikes, and I won’t do that.”
As the 38 year-old Italian succumbed to tears he received a standing ovation from the packed press conference room at the Misano World Circuit. He continued: “I have thought a lot about stopping and I think this is the right decision for me. We have a lot of strong and fast riders here.”
Turning to Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Ben Spies who were sat alongside him in the press conference, Capirossi joked: “I also want to say to the guys to try and help me in the last few races because I have 99 podiums!”
“I would like to say thank you to everybody who has supported me, and I will try to be my best in the last few races.”
Fellow Italian Rossi added: “I have a lot of memories (about Loris). I remember his first race in Suzuka in 125cc, and I was a great fan of Loris when he was a rival of (Max) Biaggi!”
“Fighting with him on track has been great. We have had a lot of great battles to the last lap and I remember the fight in the 250s for the Championship in 1999, and then in the 500s. What I remember the most is Mugello and Sepang in 2006, fighting with Loris to the last lap. I think he is one of the best riders in this sport.”
Capirossi made his World Championship debut in 1990, bursting onto the Grand Prix scene in the 125cc category and taking the title at his first attempt aged just 17 years old. He successfully defended his crown the following year and was 250cc World Champion in 1998 having already competed for two full seasons in the 500cc category.
A top-three finisher on board a 500cc two-stroke Honda in 2001 and a factory MotoGP Ducati in 2006, Capirossi currently has 99 World Championship podium finishes to his name.
Racing numbers for the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Facts and statistics ahead of round 13 of the season, the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini in Misano.
54 – Casey Stoner’s win at the Indianapolis Grand Prix was the 54th time he has stood on the podium in the MotoGP class. This places him equal seventh with Randy Mamola in the list of all-time podium finishes in the premier-class. The only six riders who have finished on the podium in the premier-class more times than Stoner are: Rossi, Doohan, Agostini, Lawson, Rainey and Biaggi.
29 – Casey Stoner’s pole position at Indianapolis was the 29th in the MotoGP class. This is the same number of pole positions achieved by Kevin Schwantz during his time riding in the 500cc class. During the modern era of Grand Prix racing, when full pole position records are available (since 1974) only two riders have started from pole position more times than Casey Stoner: Mick Doohan, whostarted from pole on 58 occasions, and Valentino Rossi with 49 .
28 years ago – On race day at Misano it will be exactly 28 years since the 1983 San Marino Grand Prix took place at Imola, at which the 500cc race was won by Kenny Roberts on his last Grand Prix appearance, with Freddie Spencer finishing second to clinch the world title by just two points from Roberts. This made Spencer the youngest ever winner of the premier-class world title – a record that he still holds.
25 – Efren Vazquez celebrates his 25th birthday on the first day of practice at the San Marino Grand Prix..
21 – On the first day of practice at the San Marino GP it will be exactly 21 years ago that Mick Doohan took his maiden GP victory at the first ever Hungarian Grand Prix event in 1990.
15 – There have been fifteen races in MotoGP without an Italian winner. This is the longest barren spell for Italian riders in the premier-class since the seventeen race gap without an Italian winner between Max Biaggi’s win at Brno in 1998 and his victory in South Africa in 1999.
14 – Misano has staged Grand Prix events on fourteen previous occasions, the first of which was in 1980. On the ten occasions that a GP was hosted at Misano up to 1993, the races were run in the opposite direction around the circuit to those held in the last four years.
14 –– San Marino riders have won a total of fourteen Grand Prix races shared between two riders – Manuel Poggiali with twelve wins (7 x 125cc, 5 x 250cc) and Alex de Angelis with two victories (1x 250cc, 1 x Moto2).
14 – With Pol Espargaro and Esteve Rabat finishing on the podium for the first time this year at Indianapolis it means there have now been fourteen different riders who have finished on the podium in the Moto2 class in 2011.
13– There have been thirteen previous San Marino Grand Prix events. The first San Marino Grand Prix was held at Imola in 1981. Three different circuits have hosted the San Marino Grand Prix – Imola twice (1981 & 1983), Mugello four times (1982, 84, 91 and 93) and Misano on seven occasions (1985, 86, 87) and for the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini GP (2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010).
10th – Valentino Rossi’s tenth place finish at the Indianapolis Grand Prix equals his worst result in a dry weather MotoGP race where he has not crashed and re-started. The only other occasion he has finished as low as tenth in the MotoGP class was at the Grand Prix of Turkey in 2007 when he suffered severe problems with the rear tyre.
5 – Marc Marquez’s first Moto2 victory of the year at the French GP made him the youngest ever rider to have won in the intermediate-class of Grand Prix racing. His win in Indianapolis was his fifth win in the class and he is still younger than the previous record holder for youngest intermediate-class winner, Dani Pedrosa. The San Marino Grand Prix will be the last chance to add to his win total before passing the age Pedrosa was at his first intermediate-class GP win.
3 – Spanish riders filled all three podium places in the Moto2 race at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, with Marc Marquez being followed home by two riders making their first appearance on a Moto2 podium – Pol Espargaro and Esteve Rabat. This is the first time that Spanish riders have taken all three places in an intermediate class Grand Prix race.
0 – None of the riders starting the 125cc race at the San Marino Grand Prix have previously won a GP at the Misano circuit.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Facts and statistics ahead of round 13 of the season, the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini in Misano.
54 – Casey Stoner’s win at the Indianapolis Grand Prix was the 54th time he has stood on the podium in the MotoGP class. This places him equal seventh with Randy Mamola in the list of all-time podium finishes in the premier-class. The only six riders who have finished on the podium in the premier-class more times than Stoner are: Rossi, Doohan, Agostini, Lawson, Rainey and Biaggi.
29 – Casey Stoner’s pole position at Indianapolis was the 29th in the MotoGP class. This is the same number of pole positions achieved by Kevin Schwantz during his time riding in the 500cc class. During the modern era of Grand Prix racing, when full pole position records are available (since 1974) only two riders have started from pole position more times than Casey Stoner: Mick Doohan, whostarted from pole on 58 occasions, and Valentino Rossi with 49 .
28 years ago – On race day at Misano it will be exactly 28 years since the 1983 San Marino Grand Prix took place at Imola, at which the 500cc race was won by Kenny Roberts on his last Grand Prix appearance, with Freddie Spencer finishing second to clinch the world title by just two points from Roberts. This made Spencer the youngest ever winner of the premier-class world title – a record that he still holds.
25 – Efren Vazquez celebrates his 25th birthday on the first day of practice at the San Marino Grand Prix..
21 – On the first day of practice at the San Marino GP it will be exactly 21 years ago that Mick Doohan took his maiden GP victory at the first ever Hungarian Grand Prix event in 1990.
15 – There have been fifteen races in MotoGP without an Italian winner. This is the longest barren spell for Italian riders in the premier-class since the seventeen race gap without an Italian winner between Max Biaggi’s win at Brno in 1998 and his victory in South Africa in 1999.
14 – Misano has staged Grand Prix events on fourteen previous occasions, the first of which was in 1980. On the ten occasions that a GP was hosted at Misano up to 1993, the races were run in the opposite direction around the circuit to those held in the last four years.
14 –– San Marino riders have won a total of fourteen Grand Prix races shared between two riders – Manuel Poggiali with twelve wins (7 x 125cc, 5 x 250cc) and Alex de Angelis with two victories (1x 250cc, 1 x Moto2).
14 – With Pol Espargaro and Esteve Rabat finishing on the podium for the first time this year at Indianapolis it means there have now been fourteen different riders who have finished on the podium in the Moto2 class in 2011.
13– There have been thirteen previous San Marino Grand Prix events. The first San Marino Grand Prix was held at Imola in 1981. Three different circuits have hosted the San Marino Grand Prix – Imola twice (1981 & 1983), Mugello four times (1982, 84, 91 and 93) and Misano on seven occasions (1985, 86, 87) and for the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini GP (2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010).
10th – Valentino Rossi’s tenth place finish at the Indianapolis Grand Prix equals his worst result in a dry weather MotoGP race where he has not crashed and re-started. The only other occasion he has finished as low as tenth in the MotoGP class was at the Grand Prix of Turkey in 2007 when he suffered severe problems with the rear tyre.
5 – Marc Marquez’s first Moto2 victory of the year at the French GP made him the youngest ever rider to have won in the intermediate-class of Grand Prix racing. His win in Indianapolis was his fifth win in the class and he is still younger than the previous record holder for youngest intermediate-class winner, Dani Pedrosa. The San Marino Grand Prix will be the last chance to add to his win total before passing the age Pedrosa was at his first intermediate-class GP win.
3 – Spanish riders filled all three podium places in the Moto2 race at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, with Marc Marquez being followed home by two riders making their first appearance on a Moto2 podium – Pol Espargaro and Esteve Rabat. This is the first time that Spanish riders have taken all three places in an intermediate class Grand Prix race.
0 – None of the riders starting the 125cc race at the San Marino Grand Prix have previously won a GP at the Misano circuit.
Embedded media from this media site is no longer available
Embedded media from this media site is no longer available
Sykes Takes First WSBK Race Win On Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R!
WSBK, Nürburgring, Germany, 4 September 2011
Having qualified sixth at the Nürburgring Tom Sykes secured a brilliant debut win for the latest Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and himself in a wet race two, finally red-flagged after 13 soaking laps.
This was Kawasaki’s first WSBK race win since 2006, when Chris Walker took full points at Assen. This was also Tom’s first career WSBK race win and his success in Germany puts him 11th overall in the championship, just one point from the top ten.
Tom had a dramatic day all round, running well in the early laps of a dry race one before slipping back to 11th as he lost rear grip. His right ankle was still not feeling 100% back to normal after his big Silverstone crash, but in a wet race two he rode with composure and controlled aggression in ever-changing track conditions, capitalising when previous race leader Noriyuki Haga fell from the lead. Sykes also repelled occasional pressure from second place finisher Sylvain Guintoli, to win by four seconds.
Joan Lascorz had a strong race one on his Ninja ZX-10R, going seventh after starting from the fourth row as he pulled through the pack in impressive fashion. He did not have the same kind of feel in the rain as Tom in race two and finished 11th. He is 13th in the championship, only three points behind Sykes.
Pedercini Team rider Mark Aitchison was 12th in race one then a faller in race two, after running in high positions for much of the time. His team-mate Roberto Rolfo secured points in each race; 13th in race one then 14th in race two.
Tom Sykes: “To get a first World Superbike win under my belt is fantastic, also with the new Kawasaki. Everybody in the team knows every time I put my leg over the bike it is all or nothing; that is the way I ride, and fortunately today that commitment paid off in race two. I got a gap behind me in the worst conditions but as the track had less water on it for a time, unfortunately our times seemed to tail off and I came under pressure from Sylvain. But as the standing water increased again we found our pace. In race one everything went to plan at the start but both the wrong tyre choice and my physical condition did not help, so when it started raining I had a bit of a grin to myself. We changed the bike quite a lot from the last time in Misano when we got pole position so obviously it was a little bit of a gamble in wet conditions. The guys gave me a great package today.”
Joan Lascorz: “Race one was not so bad, especially given our starting position. I made good pace to come forward. I chose the soft tyre options in race one and I was going to change the some things on the bike for the second race but it proved to be wet anyway. In race two it was difficult in the wet conditions but I am happy for Tom and Kawasaki as this was the best result for the team.”
WSBK, Nürburgring, Germany, 4 September 2011
Having qualified sixth at the Nürburgring Tom Sykes secured a brilliant debut win for the latest Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and himself in a wet race two, finally red-flagged after 13 soaking laps.
Tom had a dramatic day all round, running well in the early laps of a dry race one before slipping back to 11th as he lost rear grip. His right ankle was still not feeling 100% back to normal after his big Silverstone crash, but in a wet race two he rode with composure and controlled aggression in ever-changing track conditions, capitalising when previous race leader Noriyuki Haga fell from the lead. Sykes also repelled occasional pressure from second place finisher Sylvain Guintoli, to win by four seconds.
Joan Lascorz had a strong race one on his Ninja ZX-10R, going seventh after starting from the fourth row as he pulled through the pack in impressive fashion. He did not have the same kind of feel in the rain as Tom in race two and finished 11th. He is 13th in the championship, only three points behind Sykes.
Pedercini Team rider Mark Aitchison was 12th in race one then a faller in race two, after running in high positions for much of the time. His team-mate Roberto Rolfo secured points in each race; 13th in race one then 14th in race two.
Tom Sykes: “To get a first World Superbike win under my belt is fantastic, also with the new Kawasaki. Everybody in the team knows every time I put my leg over the bike it is all or nothing; that is the way I ride, and fortunately today that commitment paid off in race two. I got a gap behind me in the worst conditions but as the track had less water on it for a time, unfortunately our times seemed to tail off and I came under pressure from Sylvain. But as the standing water increased again we found our pace. In race one everything went to plan at the start but both the wrong tyre choice and my physical condition did not help, so when it started raining I had a bit of a grin to myself. We changed the bike quite a lot from the last time in Misano when we got pole position so obviously it was a little bit of a gamble in wet conditions. The guys gave me a great package today.”
Joan Lascorz: “Race one was not so bad, especially given our starting position. I made good pace to come forward. I chose the soft tyre options in race one and I was going to change the some things on the bike for the second race but it proved to be wet anyway. In race two it was difficult in the wet conditions but I am happy for Tom and Kawasaki as this was the best result for the team.”
Rossi rounds off his sixth day of testing on GP12 at Mugello
Thursday, 8 September 2011
The Italian was out on track at the circuit on Thursday as the development of the 2012 Ducati prototype continued.
Valentino Rossi joined the Ducati Test Team at Mugello on Thursday for the third and final day of a special run which continued the development of the Borgo Panigale factory's 2012 prototype.
It was Rossi's sixth of the eight testing days permitted for each factory rider and there was no shortage of work for the nine-time World Champion to get through as he put in 82 laps, trying out an updated electronics package and chassis.
In sunny but not overly hot conditions Rossi rode until 6.30pm local time, unaffected by a minor fall at the Scarperia-Palagio section on his third lap of his first outing on the bike in the morning. Filippo Preziosi and Vittoriano Guareschi were both present in the garage to observe the Test, with official Ducati Test rider Franco Battaini – who had ridden for the previous two days – on track with Rossi.
“It was an interesting day, although it was quite a long one as we were riding until 6.30pm,” said Rossi. “Developing a bike requires a lot of focus and effort but is also very exciting, and it's very fulfilling to be part of a group of people pushing as hard as it can and all in the same direction. Today we confirmed various aspects of the GP12's electronics and chassis, collecting a lot of useful information for Filippo and the guys back at the factory. I think the work is well underway as we prepare for our next steps.”
Thursday, 8 September 2011
The Italian was out on track at the circuit on Thursday as the development of the 2012 Ducati prototype continued.
Valentino Rossi joined the Ducati Test Team at Mugello on Thursday for the third and final day of a special run which continued the development of the Borgo Panigale factory's 2012 prototype.
It was Rossi's sixth of the eight testing days permitted for each factory rider and there was no shortage of work for the nine-time World Champion to get through as he put in 82 laps, trying out an updated electronics package and chassis.
In sunny but not overly hot conditions Rossi rode until 6.30pm local time, unaffected by a minor fall at the Scarperia-Palagio section on his third lap of his first outing on the bike in the morning. Filippo Preziosi and Vittoriano Guareschi were both present in the garage to observe the Test, with official Ducati Test rider Franco Battaini – who had ridden for the previous two days – on track with Rossi.
“It was an interesting day, although it was quite a long one as we were riding until 6.30pm,” said Rossi. “Developing a bike requires a lot of focus and effort but is also very exciting, and it's very fulfilling to be part of a group of people pushing as hard as it can and all in the same direction. Today we confirmed various aspects of the GP12's electronics and chassis, collecting a lot of useful information for Filippo and the guys back at the factory. I think the work is well underway as we prepare for our next steps.”
Embedded media from this media site is no longer available
Embedded media from this media site is no longer available
Embedded media from this media site is no longer available
2012 MotoGP World Championship calendar released
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
A provisional calendar for the 2012 FIM MotoGP World Championship has been released by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme.
A provisional calendar for the 2012 FIM MotoGP World Championship has been released today, and the schedule is as follows:
Date, Grand Prix - Circuit
15 April, Qatar* - Doha/Losail
29 April, Spain (STC) - Jerez de la Frontera
6 May, Portugal (STC) - Estoril
20 May, France - Le Mans
3 June, Catalunya - Catalunya
17 June, Great Britain - Silverstone
30 June, Netherlands** - Assen
8 July, Germany (STC) - TBC
15 July, Italy - Mugello
29 July, United States*** - Laguna Seca
19 August, Indianapolis - Indianapolis
26 August, Czech Rep. - Brno
16 September, San Marino & Riviera di Rimini - Misano
30 September, Aragon - Motorland
14 October, Japan - Motegi
21 October, Malaysia - Sepang
28 October, Australia - Phillip Island
11 November, Valencia - Ricardo Tormo – Valencia
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
A provisional calendar for the 2012 FIM MotoGP World Championship has been released by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme.
A provisional calendar for the 2012 FIM MotoGP World Championship has been released today, and the schedule is as follows:
Date, Grand Prix - Circuit
15 April, Qatar* - Doha/Losail
29 April, Spain (STC) - Jerez de la Frontera
6 May, Portugal (STC) - Estoril
20 May, France - Le Mans
3 June, Catalunya - Catalunya
17 June, Great Britain - Silverstone
30 June, Netherlands** - Assen
8 July, Germany (STC) - TBC
15 July, Italy - Mugello
29 July, United States*** - Laguna Seca
19 August, Indianapolis - Indianapolis
26 August, Czech Rep. - Brno
16 September, San Marino & Riviera di Rimini - Misano
30 September, Aragon - Motorland
14 October, Japan - Motegi
21 October, Malaysia - Sepang
28 October, Australia - Phillip Island
11 November, Valencia - Ricardo Tormo – Valencia
Gran Premio de Aragón racing numbers
Thursday, 15 September 2011
An interesting collection of facts and statistics ahead of round 14 of the season this weekend at Aragón Motorland.
259 – Casey Stoner has 259 championship points after the first thirteen races of the year, ten more than Dani Pedrosa scored in 2008, which was the previous highest points’ total by a Honda rider during the 800cc era of MotoGP
117 – Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi have both made 117 MotoGP starts riding Yamaha machinery. The only rider who has made had more starts in the premier-class on Yamaha than these two riders is Norick Abe with 143 (107 x 500cc, 36 x MotoGP).
100 – At the Aragon Grand Prix, Randy de Puniet is scheduled to make his 100th MotoGP start. He will become the first French rider to reach the milestone of 100 GP starts in the premier-class. De Puniet made his debut in the MotoGP class at the opening race of 2006 at Jerez and had a 100% start record up to missing the Laguna Seca race last year following his crash in Germany.
95 – Spain is the country that has hosted most Grand Prix events; this will be the 95th Grand Prix to be held in Spain. This includes the Grand Prix of Aragon, Spain, Catalunya, Valencia, Madrid, Europe, FIM and Portugal.
61.5% – Marc Marquez has won 16 of the last 26 GP races that he has started in the 125cc and Moto2 classes, starting at the 125cc Italian Grand Prix last year when he took his very first GP win. This represents a 61.5% win rate over this 26 race period.
50 years ago – On the day of qualifying at the Aragon Grand Prix it will be exactly 50 years ago at the Swedish Grand Prix in 1961 at the Kristianstad circuit that Mike Hailwood won the 250cc GP riding a Honda to become the first rider to win a world championship riding a motorcycle manufactured in Japan.
38 – Jorge Lorenzo’s victory at Misano was the 38th GP win of his career. This places him equal 11th in the all-time GP winners list with John Surtees who won the 500cc title on four occasions and the 350cc title three times.
24 – Valentino Rossi has scored points in all 24 races since returning to racing at the German Grand Prix last year, after breaking his leg at the Italian GP.
18 – Harry Stafford will celebrate his 18th birthday on the day before practice starts at the Aragon GP.
17 – Jorge Lorenzo’s win at Misano was the 17th MotoGP victory of his career. This is just one win less in the premier-class than 1987 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner.
8 – Casey Stoner’s pole at Misano was his 8th of the year. Only twice previously have riders had more poles in a single season during the four-stroke MotoGP era, both with nine; Valentino Rossi in 2003 and Casey Stoner in 2008.
6 – There have been six different circuits that have been used for Grand Prix racing in Spain. Other than Aragon, the circuits that have been used in Spain are as follows (with number of GP events hosted in brackets): Jerez (25), Catalunya (20), Jarama (19), Montjuich (17) and the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia (12)
6 – Marc Marquez’s first Moto2 victory of the year at the French GP made him the youngest ever rider to have won in the intermediate-class of Grand Prix racing. On the day of his sixth win in the Moto2 class at the San Marino Grand Prix, Marc Marquez was 18 years and 199 days old. This is still three days younger than Dani Pedrosa was when he set the previous record for youngest winner in the intermediate-class in South Africa in 2004.
3 – The San Marino - Rimini Riviera Grand Prix was the third successive GP event held in Italy at which all three winners have been from Spain: Misano 2011 (Lorenzo, Marquez, Terol), Mugello 2011 (Lorenzo, Marquez, Terol) and Misano 2010 (Pedrosa, Elias, Marquez).
Thursday, 15 September 2011
An interesting collection of facts and statistics ahead of round 14 of the season this weekend at Aragón Motorland.
259 – Casey Stoner has 259 championship points after the first thirteen races of the year, ten more than Dani Pedrosa scored in 2008, which was the previous highest points’ total by a Honda rider during the 800cc era of MotoGP
117 – Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi have both made 117 MotoGP starts riding Yamaha machinery. The only rider who has made had more starts in the premier-class on Yamaha than these two riders is Norick Abe with 143 (107 x 500cc, 36 x MotoGP).
100 – At the Aragon Grand Prix, Randy de Puniet is scheduled to make his 100th MotoGP start. He will become the first French rider to reach the milestone of 100 GP starts in the premier-class. De Puniet made his debut in the MotoGP class at the opening race of 2006 at Jerez and had a 100% start record up to missing the Laguna Seca race last year following his crash in Germany.
95 – Spain is the country that has hosted most Grand Prix events; this will be the 95th Grand Prix to be held in Spain. This includes the Grand Prix of Aragon, Spain, Catalunya, Valencia, Madrid, Europe, FIM and Portugal.
61.5% – Marc Marquez has won 16 of the last 26 GP races that he has started in the 125cc and Moto2 classes, starting at the 125cc Italian Grand Prix last year when he took his very first GP win. This represents a 61.5% win rate over this 26 race period.
50 years ago – On the day of qualifying at the Aragon Grand Prix it will be exactly 50 years ago at the Swedish Grand Prix in 1961 at the Kristianstad circuit that Mike Hailwood won the 250cc GP riding a Honda to become the first rider to win a world championship riding a motorcycle manufactured in Japan.
38 – Jorge Lorenzo’s victory at Misano was the 38th GP win of his career. This places him equal 11th in the all-time GP winners list with John Surtees who won the 500cc title on four occasions and the 350cc title three times.
24 – Valentino Rossi has scored points in all 24 races since returning to racing at the German Grand Prix last year, after breaking his leg at the Italian GP.
18 – Harry Stafford will celebrate his 18th birthday on the day before practice starts at the Aragon GP.
17 – Jorge Lorenzo’s win at Misano was the 17th MotoGP victory of his career. This is just one win less in the premier-class than 1987 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner.
8 – Casey Stoner’s pole at Misano was his 8th of the year. Only twice previously have riders had more poles in a single season during the four-stroke MotoGP era, both with nine; Valentino Rossi in 2003 and Casey Stoner in 2008.
6 – There have been six different circuits that have been used for Grand Prix racing in Spain. Other than Aragon, the circuits that have been used in Spain are as follows (with number of GP events hosted in brackets): Jerez (25), Catalunya (20), Jarama (19), Montjuich (17) and the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia (12)
6 – Marc Marquez’s first Moto2 victory of the year at the French GP made him the youngest ever rider to have won in the intermediate-class of Grand Prix racing. On the day of his sixth win in the Moto2 class at the San Marino Grand Prix, Marc Marquez was 18 years and 199 days old. This is still three days younger than Dani Pedrosa was when he set the previous record for youngest winner in the intermediate-class in South Africa in 2004.
3 – The San Marino - Rimini Riviera Grand Prix was the third successive GP event held in Italy at which all three winners have been from Spain: Misano 2011 (Lorenzo, Marquez, Terol), Mugello 2011 (Lorenzo, Marquez, Terol) and Misano 2010 (Pedrosa, Elias, Marquez).
Similar threads
