Two Wheels

[wino]

Pedrosa wins dramatic Japan GP





Sunday, 2 October 2011
Dani Pedrosa took his third victory of the season in an eventful race at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit with Jorge Lorenzo second and Casey Stoner third.


Pedrosa crossed the line to take the win at a dramatic Grand Prix of Japan, where the only two of the top seven riders did not either run off track or incur a ride through penalty. The GP began with pole setter Stoner launching into turn one ahead of the field, while team mate Dovizioso jumped the start from the front row, with Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) and Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) both following suit.
Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi crashed out of the first lap, forcing Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) off track, dropping the American down the order. Meanwhile Stoner appeared set to take another victory, leading clear and free until running off the track on lap five. Shortly thereafter Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar) went down, while Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) ran off track after lapping in fourth position.
Lorenzo made his way across the line in second, while Stoner rose to third. Simoncelli and Dovizioso took their ride through penalties and then engaged in a battle to the finish, with the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider holding off Dovizioso to take fourth.
Three Americans followed next, with Spies sixth in front of Hayden and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3). Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) avoided any drama to finish ninth as did Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing) who finished tenth. Crutchlow was 11th despite a runoff in addition to his ride through penalty.
That left Kousuke Akiyoshi (LCR Honda) to take 12th, as his team mate Toni Elías crashed out after lapping in sixth position. Shinichi Ito (Honda Racing Team) was the final finisher of the race in 13th, while Damian Cudlin who rode in place of an injured Capirossi on the Pramac Racing team crashed near the end of the race, and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) went down while running in fourth position.
Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) did not participate in the race after taking the decision not to ride. The Czech rider was still feeling the after-effects of a light head concussion sustained in a crash in the opening lap of the Aragón race.
Stoner’s lead at the top of the Championship over Lorenzo now stands at 40 points with three rounds of the 2011 season remaining.

 

[wino]

wtf?

Embedded media from this media site is no longer available

 

[wino]

Embedded media from this media site is no longer available

 

[wino]

Iveco Grand Prix of Australia racing numbers





Thursday, 13 October 2011
Interesting facts and statistics ahead of Round 16 of the MotoGP World Championship at Phillip Island.


985.5 –Following his second place at the Japanese Grand Prix, Nico Terol career point total is 985.5. A podium finish at the Australian Grand Prix would make him only the sixth rider to reach the milestone of 1000 career points in the 125cc class. The other riders to have done this are: Noboru Ueda, Kazuto Sakata, Angel Nieto, Fausto Gresini and Jorge Martinez.
400 –Dani Pedrosa’s win in Japan was the 400th Grand Prix win for Spanish riders across all solo classes. Spain is just the second nation to reach this milestone; the other nation to do this is Italy who have taken 733 GP wins.
97 – Dani Pedrosa’s win in Japan was the 97th time that he has stood on the podium in Grand Prix racing, all of which have been riding Honda machinery. This is just one less Grand Prix podium finish than Jim Redman who is the rider that currently holds the record for most podium finishes on motorcycle manufactured by Honda.
61 – Arriving at the Australian GP Honda have a 61-point lead in the MotoGP constructors championship. If any Honda rider finishes on the podium at Phillip Island it will guarantee that Honda win the constructors title for the first time since 2006.
57 – Casey Stoner’s third place finish in Japan was the 57th time he has stood on the podium in the MotoGP class. One more podium finish will take him to equal sixth with Max Biaggi in the all-time premier-class podium list. The only riders who have more podiums than Biaggi are; Valentino Rossi, Mick Doohan, Giacomo Agostini, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey.
50 years – On the day of qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix it will be exactly 50 years to the day that Tom Phillis rode a Honda to the 125cc race win at the 1961 Argentine Grand Prix, clinching the world title in the process and becoming the first rider to win the 125cc world title riding Japanese machinery.
26 – MotoGP Championship leader Casey Stoner will celebrate his 26th birthday on race day at his home Grand Prix.
14 – Johann Zarco’s win at the Japanese Grand Prix was the first for Derbi since Marquez won in Portugal last year. The win ended a run of fourteen successive wins by Aprilia, which is the longest sequence of successive wins ever achieved by Aprilia in the 125cc class.
13 – Casey Stoner has finished on the podium at the last thirteen successive MotoGP races. In the sixty-three year history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing only four riders have finished on the podium at more than thirteen successive premier-class races: Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan and Wayne Rainey.
10 – At the Japanese Grand Prix, Casey Stoner took his tenth pole position of the year. Only once has a rider taken more than ten poles in the premier-class in a single season – Mick Doohan started from pole in the 500cc class on twelve occasions in 1997.
7 – Marc Marquez and Stefan Bradl have each started from pole on seven occasions this year. These two riders have shared all of the poles in the Moto2 class so far in 2011.
6 – At Motegi, Johann Zarco became the sixth French rider to win a Grand Prix in the 125cc GP class, joining: Arnaud Vincent, Guy Bertin, Mike di Meglio, Jean Aureal and Jean-Claude Selini.
4 – Phillip Island is one of just four current circuits where Rossi has not won during the 800cc era of MotoGP; the others are Silverstone, Aragon and Valencia.
4 – Casey Stoner has won for the last four years in Australia. A victory this year and he would equal Valentino Rossi’s record of five successive Australian GP wins from 2001 to 2005.
3 – Phillip Island is one of just three current circuits where Honda have not had a MotoGP win during the 800cc era. The others are Assen and Sepang.
2 – Phillip Island is one of just two current circuits where Yamaha have not had a MotoGP win during the 800cc era; the other is Aragon.

 

[wino]

KTM signals Moto3 entry with an exclusive motor





Wednesday, 12 October 2011
KTM signaled its return to top level road racing with a new engine designed exclusively for the Moto3 category. The motor draws all on the power and experience of the company’s proven research and development expertise and experience of the KTM Racing Department.


KTM’s return to the new MotoGP Moto3 class and the development of the engine by KTM engineer Wolfgang Felber and his team is supported by a strong partnership with KALEX Engineering of Southern Germany, the company that will be the exclusive chassis manufacturer for the KTM engine. The constructor of the newly unveiled M32 racing motor is Kurt Trieb, who among other important tasks was responsible for the construction of the KTM MotoGP V4 motor.
KTM’s exclusive partnership with KALEX Engineering represents a joint combination of skills and passion to develop two different but parallel concepts for the 250cc single cylinder four-stroke bike. The fully Mattighofen developed KTM machine will feature an innovative KTM frame, and will be in the hands of Ajo Motorsport headed by experienced Finn Aki Ajo, while the KALEX-KTM machine is being offered to various customer teams.
The ‘made in Austria’ road racing bikes are no strangers to the MotoGP paddock. KTM competed in the 125cc and 250cc classes until these categories were phased out in favour of Moto2 - and subsequently from 2012 - the Moto3 classes. In fact, KTM has continued a presence in the paddock through its ongoing commitment to the highly successful Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Cup competition. KTM supplies the 125 RR bikes for the youngest competitors in international level road racing as they launch their careers.
KTM has already proven their expertise in the smaller MotoGP categories. The company not only has a Manufacturer’s World title to its credit in the small bike category, it is also proud to have played an important role in nurturing young riders of the caliber of Casey Stoner, Mika Kallio, Hiroshi Aoama and Marc Marquez who all competed for the KTM factory team. By returning to competition in Moto3, KTM also signals its passion to continue to support talented young riders, a core value of the company’s philosophy.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer:
“We are pleased to return to the MotoGP paddock with a product that reflects the all engineering and technological development expertise that has earned our brand 203 world titles. But we are also passionate about supporting talented young riders - not only because of KTM’s racing DNA but also because they represent the future of top level motorsports.”

 

[wino]

I'm looking forward to this the first one was brilliant

 

[wino]

Stoner dominates Down Under





Friday, 14 October 2011
Casey Stoner kept the rest of the field at bay once again on Friday at Phillip Island, leading the times from start to finish to close the first day of practice nearly three tenths of a second clear of Jorge Lorenzo, with Marco Simoncelli third.


The first day of the Iveco Grand Prix of Australia saw Casey Stoner lead both the morning and afternoon sessions to put his #27 Repsol Honda three tenths clear of Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) in the combined times. Stoner’s morning time of 1’30.475, just under a tenth faster than his FP2 pace, stood as the fastest lap of the day as the Australian joined the other one third of the field who did not improve upon their earlier times.

Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) stepped up his pace by four hundredths to slot himself ahead of Lorenzo in the afternoon despite a repeat of the morning’s misfortune of an early crash. The Italian was followed by Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) with a time of 1’31.495, an improvement of four tenths, though it wasn’t enough to knock Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) out of fourth, leaving Spies to rank fifth behind his compatriot in the combined times.
Sixth for the day was Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) thanks to his time he set in the morning, while team mate Dani Pedrosa ranked seventh with a lap of 1’31.543 set in the afternoon. Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) ranked eighth for the day, with Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) following the Japanese rider by 0.080s with his time set in the morning to rank ninth.
Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing) took the tenth spot ahead of Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki), while Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) lingered in 13th, a second and a half behind leading man Stoner.
Home rider Damien Cudlin, who is replacing an injured Héctor Barberá for the Mapfre Aspar team, paced one second behind Toni Elías on the LCR Honda in 16th.

 

[wino]

I haven't seen the footage yet but it looks like a bad prang, and a minute penalty is just what Bradel needs at this piont of the championship

Márquez handed qualification penalty at Phillip Island





Friday, 14 October 2011
The Moto2 Championship leader will have one minute added to his qualifying time at the Iveco Australian Grand Prix, after Race Direction ruled he rode irresponsibly during the first practice session on Friday.


Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol rider Marc Márquez will have one minute added onto his best lap time in Saturday’s qualifying session at the Iveco Australian Grand Prix, after being penalised by Race Direction for an incident involving Ratthapark Wilairot during the Friday morning practice session at Phillip Island.
Márquez and Wilairot collided at the end of the session once the chequered flag had been passed by both riders, in an incident in which Márquez crashed into the back of the Thai rider. After reviewing the incident Race Direction decided to hand Márquez the one-minute penalty.
In a statement the FIM said that Márquez had ridden in “an irresponsible manner, causing danger to Wilairot which is an infringement of Article 1.21.2 of the 2011 FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations”.
An appeal was lodged by Márquez’s team, following which FIM Stewards confirmed the decision of Race Direction. The decision of the FIM Stewards is final.

 

[wino]

just found these

 

[Torque Button]

Wino have you ever ridden one of these POS's?

 

[wino]

yeah why ? I cant really remember much about it except for the sound, I also borrowed one of these around the same time. I remember the Guzzi more cause of the way it ossilated in corners.

I used to go to rallies with a bloke who had a 750 ss 2 stroke ?!?!?!?!

do you like woodwork Tork ?

 

[wino]

Salom And Parkes Earn A Superb 1-2 In Qualifying

WSS, Portimao, Portugal, 15 October 2011
Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com duo David Salom and Broc Parkes qualified ahead of all their many rivals in Portugal, setting up an epic fight as they each now try to take second in the final standings.

For Salom qualifying in Portugal has gone well, with his machine well suited to the elevation changes and hot temperatures experienced during some welcome unseasonably hot weather for October. Salom and Parkes pushed each other on, with only new 2011 champion Chaz Davies able to stay close behind them.

Parkes made improvements as the weekend went on and nearly nailed a pole lap himself and he declared himself happy to be able to start the final round from the first row.

Sunday’s 20-lap Supersport race offers many opportunities to the lead Kawasaki duo, as they are currently tied on points in third and fourth place overall and each have their own designs on going for overall second before Sunday night.

In a strong show of prowess by the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R in general, Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki rider Massimo Roccoli posted fifth place in qualifying. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Roccoli’s Lorenzini by Leoni team-mate, was 15th on the grid.

David Salom: “A very good performance from our team today and we enjoyed a great starting position. For me pole is very important for tomorrow as this is the last race of the year. I think these kinds of practice lap times will not be possible in the race, but I think we can keep a good pace. Broc, Chaz and other riders are also very fast, and it is all very close. Tomorrow there will be a big fight in the race for the second place in the championship.”

Broc Parkes: “Qualifying went all right even though we have not had the best pace all weekend. We made a lot more time up today in the morning and in the afternoon we really arrived. The bike feels quite good but maybe my qualifying lap wasn’t the best one. That said I am happy to be where I am on the grid for the race tomorrow. We’re on the front row, so we cannot complain. Congratulations to David and I think we gave each other a good 'race' in qualifying, but we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

 

[wino]

yeah the penalty fits the crime

 

[wino]

Australian Grand Prix : update

Lorenzo is out of the race due to a accident in morning warm up.

Looks like he may have lost the first knuckle off his little finger off left hand.

Track officals are looking for the glove now with the rest of the finger in it. Honest.

Stoner just has to finish 6th to take title.

Go Stoner.

 

[wino]

Stoner wins World Championship in all Honda podium





Sunday, 16 October 2011
Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner has clinched the 2011 MotoGP World Championship title 2011 with a superb victory in the Australian Grand Prix, in front of 43,880 spectators who cheered him on his way to his ninth win of the season and the first World title for Honda in the 800cc era.

Andrea Dovizioso, third, returned to the podium for the first time since Brno, and Dani Pedrosa, fourth, just missed out after four podiums in a row. Honda occupied the top four spots today in Phillip Island with Stoner, Simoncelli, Dovizioso and Pedrosa.
With Jorge Lorenzo out of the race due to his injury sustained in warm up this morning, Stoner needed just 10 points to be crowned Champion, but he remained loyal to his style and secured his fifth consecutive win at Phillip Island within the first seven laps, after he managed to pull away and took an advantage of seven seconds from the rest of the field.
With the dominance of Stoner up front, the excitement moved to the group of Simoncelli, Dovizioso and Pedrosa in the fight for the podium and remained undetermined until the end when the rain came with four laps to the checkered flag . At that time, Andrea was three seconds ahead of Dani and caught Simoncelli, with whom he has fought for second place until the last lap.
Today Honda also claimed their 60th Constructor's World Title and with the Rider's Title in Stoners' hands, Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa maintain their fight for third place in the Championship. The Italian remains third, now four points ahead of Dani who is in fourth place.
Casey Stoner:
"I don't think anyone could plan things to happen better than they have today! The race was incredibly difficult, the conditions we're very tough. I built up an early lead as I saw the rain coming in, but I wasn't sure if it would hit us. I basically ran into a wall of rain, there wasn't any warning at the back part of the circuit and I came into the last turn and the rain started hard. I nearly lost control and thought for sure I was going to end up in the gravel. I managed to control it and maintain the gap to everyone and thankfully bring it home for the win, but it was a little bit nerve-racking for sure. I'm really sorry that Jorge had the accident this morning, he's great competitor and I think if he'd been here racing today things might not have turned out the way they have, I hope his operation goes well and he's back racing as soon as he feels fit. I can't thank everyone enough, my team, Repsol, all our sponsors, everyone that has worked so hard all year, thank you!"
Andrea Dovizioso:
"It was a difficult race as we expected, this track is very tricky, as are the weather conditions. To return on the podium and arrive in front of Dani here at Phillip Island is a very good result for us and it was our target before getting here. I think we could have even finished in second position but when Dani overtook me in the middle of the race we lost contact with Simoncelli, then I retook the position when the rain came, but on the final lap I didn't have enough grip to push hard in the last few corners. Anyway we are still fighting for the third place in the Championship and I'm sure Dani will be strong in the last two races, but we will try to do our best until the end. Casey has had an amazing season, he is the fastest rider at the moment, so congratulations to him for the title."
Dani Pedrosa:
"It's been very tough today, I didn't feel comfortable throughout the weekend and the race didn't start in the best way either. I had a problem with the wind at the start, I almost lost balance and I had to put the left foot on the floor at the same time as the red light went out, so I had a bad start. The first few laps were not so good, then I recovered slightly, I overtook Andrea and fought with him but the front tyre was finished in the last laps. When I tried to pull away I was loosing the front, so I couldn't keep him behind and then the rain arrived. It's not been a good weekend for me, I want to say congratulations to Casey for his title, he's been the strongest this season, always on the podium, with no mistakes, so he deserves it."
Shuhei Nakamoto – HRC Executive Vice President:
"The feeling is of course very happy, today I can relax little bit, because almost every night I wake up thinking about something, doing some memo to remember to check or do something... this is my first feeling after the race! I want to say to all Honda fans and sponsors, thank you very much for your support and especially to all Honda people and in particular to everyone at HRC and in Honda R&D centre. Then I'd like to thank the Repsol Honda Team crew, all of them! A big thanks to all our Honda riders that push each other during this season and achieved great results. Then of course I want to thank Casey Stoner. He did a great job since the first day he rode the RC212V and he brings great enthusiasm to everybody in HRC. Tonight we will celebrate, but starting from tomorrow morning we will start working again to finish this season at top, win the Team Championship and to prepare th e 2012 new challenge with the 1000cc."

 

[wino]

Casey Stoner: An interview with the World Champion





Sunday, 16 October 2011
The 2011 MotoGP World Champion speaks to motogp.com following victory in his home race in Australia, which secured him his second premier class title.


Congratulations Casey, how does it feel to be the 2011 MotoGP World Champion?
“It feels pretty good actually! This is something we’ve been waiting for the last few races, we knew we had a chance to do it here but the possibility of it happening was very slim. Jorge has been so consistent and solid this season and he finally slipped up this morning. It wasn’t a good way to go out, with an injury like he’s got, but it did open the door for us to win the Championship today and we managed to do it, we managed to go out with a win, in my home GP, on my birthday… it’s something really special.”
How special does it feel to do it on home soil?
“It’s definitely something that not too many people are able to do, in their home Grand Prix, and especially on their birthday and to win five in a row all in one day is something very special and I’m sure it will be in our minds for a long time to come.”
This is your second MotoGP World title, with a four-year wait since the last one, how does this one compare to the one from 2007?
“This one definitely feels a lot more special. In 2007 people tried to belittle me a little bit, and sort of take the credit away from me and my team and what we achieved. Since then, especially this year, I think people have really realised what we’ve got, what we’re capable of, and this year we’ve had 11 poles, nine wins so far, and it’s just been a dream season so a big thanks to my team, everybody, and a big thanks to Repsol Honda for giving me this opportunity.”
Is there one moment during the season you’ll look back on as a definitive moment or as a turning point in the Championship?
“I think too many people look at defining moments and turning points. I think the season just progresses as it does and the only turning point is when the Championship is over. I think there has been no real turning point or anything during this season and I don’t find them during any other season, so we’ve just been keeping our heads down and slowly racking up the wins and podiums and that’s got us that points lead that we have now. Coming from so many points down at the beginning of the season is something we’re really happy with, we pulled the points lead back and got it into our own grasp, and from there held it and kept it going until now.”
What has been the sweetest victory for you this season?
“I’d say Laguna Seca was the sweetest victory. Race one in Qatar was fantastic, the first race on the bike, but people seem to consider me as a bit of a Qatar specialist so I think Laguna this year, when we were pretty much down and out of the race and nobody really expected us to be competitive, and we were there, we sat there patiently throughout the race, tried to learn a few tricks and try and ride the bike a little differently. Then when we found our speed we decided to put the hammer down and we managed to come out with the win, so that was by far my best.”
Just talk us through this race here in Australia. You built up a good lead and then the weather started to change, what came into your mind when the rain started coming down?
“At the beginning of the race everything was really good. I think we would have struggled a little bit more if Jorge was still racing in this one, I think he was a lot more competitive in the dry conditions and was riding really well this weekend so we would have maybe had to push a little bit harder at the beginning of the race. We sort of managed that gap and were pulling out a fairly big lead without risking anything so everything felt comfortable and the rain came. When the first part of the rain came I really just managed the gap and tried to keep it exactly the same as it was and we managed to do that, but then the rain came the second time and it was a lot heavier and nearly caught me out so we had to take it very gingerly, very cautious over those next laps but then the track dried out again. Again I wasn’t too sure how hard to push and I just did all that was necessary to bring it home for the win.”
We know from what you’ve said at each GP throughout the season that you have been focusing on each race at a time, but was there one moment in the season where the Championship entered into your consciousness?
“Yes, I think to a certain degree every race it does. It sort of holds you back from pushing that little bit further, and that said I think when things have been an absolute disaster for us we have finished third so we’ve had to deal with that and swallow that, which didn’t taste too good sometimes, but they were our worst days we could possibly have so I think we would accept those positions for Championship points and then move onto the next race and see if we could win the next one.”
What were your expectations coming into the season?
“I think I don’t really have any expectations, I don’t look at the season as a whole, I look at it race by race. If you look at the end of the season you’re only at the beginning, it’s not really the best way to start, so we just took it race by race, tried to build up as many points as we could and at the beginning of the season we lost a lot of points and had to really pull them back so that was our main focus for a while, just going out there and winning as many as we could, take as many points as we could, and then at times when things weren’t right we still had to relinquish positions and settle for positions that we weren’t happy with. But all in all we did a great job this season and managed to hold that Championship lead.”
You seemed very relaxed, calm and focused throughout the season but were there any particular moments where you did start to feel a bit of pressure or anything like that?
“Not too much to be honest. I think the pressure came probably after the Jerez Grand Prix at being so many points down and then we went to Portugal and I struggled, didn’t feel too good in that race and struggled a little bit with a back injury there and pulled ourselves back onto third, but we weren’t too happy with the pace so I think since that moment we just started looking forward and everything was good. Knowing how strong and consistent Dani and Jorge are, we definitely knew it was going to be hard to pull back points and without Dani there a lot of the time this year actually was a lot more difficult to pull back points on Jorge or take any advantage – Dani taking points off him, or Dani taking points off me. It changed the way the Championship flow went. We still managed to come out on top more times than not, and it’s been great for us.”
You grew up as a Mick Doohan fan watching him, how does it feel to emulate him in the same team colours?
“This has been a big dream of mine, to be riding for Repsol Honda, and to follow in Mick’s footsteps and race for this team. In his first year in these colours he won the Championship and the same goes for me. We managed to win Repsol Honda’s 100th Grand Prix this year and it’s just been a fantastic year for us – so many achievements, milestones, and hopefully it continues like this. But we have a lot of hard work again.”
Many factors contribute to winning a World title but are there one or two key aspects you can pick out about this season of what has worked so well to help you claim the title?
“I think the two things are not to think too far ahead, or too far sideways. You just have to look at what you have achieved on the day or on that weekend, you can set your goals high but not set your steps too far forward so that’s what we’ve done this year and just taken it step by step and we have managed to get there.”
Your birthday and the World Championship on the same day. How are you going to celebrate that tonight?
“We’ve had my birthday around this time every year since 2001 so I’m pretty used to my birthday being around this stage of the season. But to win it all, the Championship, five in a row here, on my birthday, home Grand Prix, it doesn’t get a lot better than that so I’m sure we’ll enjoy it tonight!”

 

[wino]

A Champion in profile: Casey Stoner





Sunday, 16 October 2011
Casey Stoner’s second MotoGP title could not have been achieved in more fitting circumstances, after the Repsol Honda rider secured the 2011 crown on the day of his 26th birthday and at his home race, the Iveco Australian Grand Prix.


The first and only Honda rider to win the MotoGP title in the 800cc era – this year being the last of the engine capacity before an increase to a 1000cc limit in 2012 – Stoner adds to his 2007 title which came in Ducati colours. In taking the 2011 crown Stoner also becomes only the fifth rider to have won premier class titles with two different manufacturers, the others being Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Geoff Duke and Eddie Lawson.
Big things were heralded for Stoner when, as a 15 year-old, he made his World Championship debut as a 125cc wildcard at Donington Park in 2001. Having graduated through the same academy system that also produced his future factory Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa, Stoner fully capitalised on the bold move made by his family of moving to Europe to further his fledgling career.
A full time Grand Prix career started in the 250cc category under Lucio Cecchinello’s guidance in 2002, but it was a step down to the 125cc class the following season that saw Stoner’s talent begin to fully flourish with four podiums and a first victory in the final round of the campaign. In 2004 he challenged for the title, taking KTM’s first ever Grand Prix win and ending the season fifth overall.
A step back up to 250s with Cecchinello’s team in 2005 produced a thrilling battle with Pedrosa for the title as Stoner amassed five wins on the Aprilia, and the next year he and the LCR team debuted in the premier MotoGP class on board a Honda as the Australian displayed flashes of brilliance – which included a pole position in only his second race at Qatar and second place in Turkey – mixed with a few disappointing crashes, all part of the learning experience. He had shown enough to encourage Ducati to make an offer to ride on their factory team the next season, and what followed was a stunning campaign.
A maiden MotoGP victory in the first race of 2007 at Qatar was a self-confessed surprise for both rider and team, but once he followed this up with wins at Turkey and China a title challenge became a more than realistic target. His standout performance at Catalunya, where he battled toe-to-toe with five-time champion Valentino Rossi will go down as one of the great races in history, whilst he dominated the mid-season with pole-to-flag victories at three consecutive races at Laguna Seca, Brno and Misano. Stoner went on to secure the title with four rounds to spare, and ended 2007 with a total of 10 wins, 14 podiums and 5 poles.
Defending his title in 2008, Stoner fought rival Rossi intensely as the pair crossed swords on a number of occasions, their duel at Laguna Seca still being talked about as one of the greatest battles of recent years, and the Australian eventually ended the season runner-up to his Italian adversary despite taking 6 wins and 9 poles in a strong second campaign on the Desmosedici.
2009 did not run a smooth course for Stoner, a mid-season three-race break due to fatigue uncovered a lactose intolerance that had affected his physical condition on the bike, and he ended the season 4th overall in the standings. 2010 was to prove not much easier as he took only three wins – all in the final third of the season – on an increasingly hard to tame Desmosedici. By that stage it had already been announced that Stoner would ride for the factory Repsol Honda team in 2011.
The switch has proved a resounding success as the 2007 World Champion displayed the same kind of dominant form that delivered him his first title four years earlier. Pole position and victory in the opening round in Qatar was a sign of things to come, and by the time Stoner won the race in Phillip Island to clinch the title with two more rounds to spare he had already taken nine victories. Added to that race success has been an incredible consistency, which has seen him finish off the podium just once – in the second round at Jerez where he crashed out through no fault of his own.
Winning his home race in Australia for a fifth consecutive season handed Stoner not only his second World title, but his 32nd career MotoGP victory, as he took victory from another pole position – his 11th of the season; this represents a new record for the most poles in one season in the MotoGP four-stroke era.
Some facts about Casey Stoner’s achievement
- Casey Stoner is the first Honda rider to win the MotoGP title during the 800cc era of MotoGP.
- Stoner last won the MotoGP championship in 2007 and in winning the title this year becomes the first rider to regain the premier class world title after a three year gap.
- He has been on pole 11 times during 2011, which is a new record for most poles in one season in the MotoGP four-stroke era.
- He becomes only the fifth rider to win the premier class title on motorcycles from two different manufacturers. The other riders to have done this are Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Geoff Duke and Eddie Lawson.
- Casey Stoner has 32 career victories in MotoGP, placing him fifth in the all-time premier-class Grand Prix winners list, after Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan and Mike Hailwood.

 

[wino]

Rossi falls out of fifth at Phillip Island, Hayden seventh





Sunday, 16 October 2011
The Iveco Australian Grand Prix was marked by a number of incidents related to the unpredictable weather, including the unfortunate fall of Valentino Rossi on the fourteenth lap.

Nicky Hayden got a great start off his second row finish to enter turn one second to Casey Stoner. The former 2006 World Champion had dropped to sixth place when rain arrived and the white flag was presented, taking a gamble to pit for his wet weather bike, which cost him a position to fellow American Colin Edwards and the American finished the race seventh. Valentino Rossi passed inside Alvaro Bautista for fifth but crashed just after the pass on lap 14.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th:
“Conditions were really tough today, with wind and rain off-and-on at different parts of the track. My start actually wasn’t amazing, but I think everybody else got away worse than I did. I was in a good position, but I really had no grip at the rear from the very beginning, and although I tried as hard as I could, I couldn’t defend much when guys started coming past. Eventually I blistered the rear tyre and was just trying to make it to the finish, and then when it started to rain harder, it felt really slick. I just about lost it, and when I saw Bautista go down, I decided to come in and change bikes rather than risk doing the same. It’s another seventh place, but I was closer to the front than I’ve been in most races. I felt good apart from a few places, like Turn 6, and the bike was fast. We’ll try to base our future work on those positives.”
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) DNF:
“The crash was really a shame because I could have finished fifth. After a pretty good start, I lost some ground to Nicky and Bautista, but then I found my rhythm and managed to get them both. Unfortunately, I lost the front when I passed Alvaro, and I’m really disappointed because I didn’t expect it. Evidently, despite all our hard work, we still haven’t solved this problem. Anyway, both in Japan and here, we could have collected some good points, and instead we leave with none. That said, we’re still working, and we’ll have a number of important things to try in the next tests.”
Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager):
“Just like at the Japanese Grand Prix, there are also positives to consider here in Australia, despite the fact that it was a challenging weekend. Vale struggled in the practice sessions, but he was fast in this morning’s warm-up. He also found a good rhythm in the race and had climbed as high as fifth place when he fell. Nicky had his best qualifying session of the season, he started the race well and we saw him have some good battles in the early laps. We expected something more here in Australia, but we’re also aware that we’re working on a number of different fronts in these races, gathering information that will be useful in the future.”

 

[sincisor]

yeah why ? I cant really remember much about it except for the sound, I also borrowed one of these around the same time. I remember the Guzzi more cause of the way it ossilated in corners.

View attachment 32205

I used to go to rallies with a bloke who had a 750 ss 2 stroke ?!?!?!?!

do you like woodwork Tork ?

heh, i liked guzzi's for their low center of gravity, and the funkyness in corners... i test rode one just like the one in the pic. haven't seen one in a long time.

 

[wino]

I wouldn't say no to one, nothin wrong with Guzzi bikes just to plod around on.