Two Wheels

[wino]

Lorenzo leads the way at Estoril on day one

Friday, 29 October 2010
The Fiat Yamaha rider and 2010 MotoGP World Champion capitalised on improved weather conditions in the afternoon to set the fastest time in FP2 at the bwin Grande Premio de Portugal, ahead of Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi.


Estoril 2010 - MotoGP - FP2 - Highlights
After a morning session that was effectively written off by heavy rain and storms the MotoGP class was able to make progress at Estoril on Friday afternoon in the second practice at the bwin Grande Premio de Portugal.
World Champion and race winner at Estoril for the past two seasons Jorge Lorenzo was the fastest rider round the track in the 45-minute run, as he posted a best lap of 1’48.522 on his factory M1 to get his weekend off to a solid start. Ducati rider Nicky Hayden was also on form as he finished just 0.135s behind the Spaniard, with Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) completing the top three and the final rider to get under the 1’49” barrier on day one.
Casey Stoner, who is going for a fourth win in five races this weekend, was fourth with an effort of 1’49.061, which made the Ducati man the last to get within a second of Lorenzo. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Ben Spies and San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Marco Melandri were separated by just six-hundredths of a second as they rounded out the session and day one as the fifth and sixth fastest riders respectively.
LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet had led the session early on and his final time of 1’50.043 placed him seventh in the order, with Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) setting top-ten times.
Despite the appearance of the sun late in the session the track remained wet due to the constant earlier rain, and as such there were four crashers in the session. Héctor Barberá (Paginas Amarillas Aspar), Dovizioso, Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) all had falls on a surface that continued to cause some problems.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was on track as he continues his recovery from injury and he placed 13th, with Carlos Checa 17th as he started his two-race stint with the Pramac Racing Team. Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP) – who along with Checa was the only rider to complete a lap in the morning – completed the session 14th and 15th fastest respectively.

 

[wino]

2011 Kawasaki Line-Up Confirmed

Newsflash, 28 October 2010
Kawasaki has great pleasure in confirming the line-up of its factory-supported teams in both WSBK and WSS classes for the 2011 racing season.

Tom Sykes will ride alongside Chris Vermeulen and Joan Lascorz essentially forming a three-man WSBK effort for KRT. The team, being run by the Paul Bird Motorsports squad once more, will be using the all-new Ninja ZX-10R.

Broc Parkes and David Salom will be running in World Supersport for the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com team, competing on the well-proven Ninja ZX-6R.

Sykes, like Vermeulen, has been retained for the 2011 Superbike World Championship season, as part of a determined attack on the title with the new Ninja ZX-10R. He is already taking part in an extensive winter test programme, including the current track outings at Aragon in Spain. Vermeulen will start his second season with the factory Kawasaki after he finishes his rehabilitation from reconstructive surgery on his right knee. Promoted from the Supersport division, rising star Lascorz is preparing himself for his latest challenge, in the Superbike class, after several successful seasons for the Spanish rider in WSS racing.

Tom Sykes: “It’s great to be staying with Kawasaki as a manufacturer and ride for the Paul Bird team again for 2011. We have done some good work together this year and exceeded some of our expectations, so it is nice to stay with PBM Kawasaki team in what will be an important year for us all. The new bike is already showing massive potential in testing and we have a lot of sessions planned through the winter. Roll on 2011!”

Chris Vermeulen: “I am working hard to get ready for next year. Kawasaki has been great; they have stood behind me and given me great support. With three riders Kawasaki is keen to move forward and Tom did a great job on the 2010 bike at the end of the year. It is all good to see, and I have already had a close look at the new bike. It looks cool and it certainly seems to be working well already. It’s exciting and I can’t wait to get on the new bike.”

Joan Lascorz: “It’s my dream to continue my relationship with Kawasaki and now I have the chance to ride in World Superbike, on an exciting new machine. I am recovering well from the injuries I picked up in Silverstone and I am looking forward to getting on the Superbike as soon as I can. I want to say thank you to Kawasaki for the help and support and I hope to repay them with good results in my rookie year in WSBK racing.”

Paul Risbridger: World Superbike Team Manager: “I think we have a great mixture of riders, with different backgrounds, different skills, different styles and they will each bring their own approach to the new bike. I think that will not only help us develop it faster, but it should give us an edge from track-to-track. Sometimes maybe one rider will be the stronger at one circuit, then another rider will be stronger at another circuit, and so on through the year. We are very pleased with the 2011 bike and it has been performing well in testing.”

In Supersport Parkes, already confirmed as a 2011 rider for the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com team, will be joined by Spanish rider Salom. David has much experience in this class and is thrilled to be in a factory squad with the strong recent track record enjoyed by Kawasaki.

Broc Parkes: “It’s a great feeling to be riding for Kawasaki in 2011 and we have already done good work in testing, finding new set-ups to take forward to next year. This is a great opportunity for me and both the bike and team are well proven in this class. We will be a strong package together in 2011.”

David Salom: “I'm very happy with the opportunity. I know many riders want to ride the official Ninja ZX-6R so I am a little lucky to be the one chosen. I hope my experience in World Supersport can be a good point to add to the team and next year improve my results a little. I want to say thanks to Kawasaki and Motocard.com for giving me this great opportunity.”

Guim Roda: World Supersport Team Manager: "We decided that David Salom should be the team mate for Broc next year. He has enough experience, and the correct attitude to understand the opportunity he will have. He will listen and learn to the advice offered by the team. That way he will find the maturity in his riding style to fight for the podium every race. We are all ready to go for Championship next year.”

Ichiro Yoda: KME Racing Manager: “We believe that three riders giving information inside the PBM team will speed up the process of developing the all-new Ninja ZX-10R, and help tune up the new bike’s potential very quickly! Then, obviously, we hope to be highly competitive from the very beginning of next season. For WSS, we are very happy to work with Broc Parkes, who was ex-WSB rider for us, and along with David Salom there is a big racing passion and high motivation to succeed next year. We feel confidence with them and the Provec team management to achieve our target of winning that championship.”

 

[sincisor]

i would like to see hayden back on the podium.. he's slipped a bit since 2006.

great thread.. thx

 

[wino]

i would like to see hayden back on the podium.. he's slipped a bit since 2006.

great thread.. thx

well he just missed out at the Island, could be this wend he gets there.

 

[p4irs]

i would like to see hayden back on the podium.. he's slipped a bit since 2006.

great thread.. thx

well thats the only year he reached the top

 

[sincisor]

yes, was an exciting season. he won because rossi crashed out on the last race..

 

[wino]

Test Sessions Complete At Aragon

Newsflash, 29 October 2010
After three days of track action at the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain the official Kawasaki Racing Team has made further progress with the all-new Ninja ZX-10R.

Team regular Tom Sykes and test rider Katsuaki Fujiwara lapped at a good pace throughout, with Sykes making great strides in terms of lap times and machine set-up, while Fujiwara tried out some new parts to continue the development curve of the all-new Ninja ZX-10R. Aragon is a new circuit on the 2011 Championship trail, which made this test a doubly useful one for the official team.

Sykes set a personal best lap on the final day, a 1’58.5, which put him just about half a second from the fastest rider. That was a more than encouraging result given that the new Kawasaki still has lots of potential to be unleashed in full WSBK race trim.

Tom’s fellow official Kawasaki WSBK riders for the 2011 season, Chris Vermeulen and Joan Lascorz, were interested spectators at the test, as each continues on their personal trail towards full race fitness.

Tom Sykes: “We were pleased with the test and to be this close to the front at this stage was promising. Overall we had a good understanding of the complete package and we got through quite a few things. Finding a good base setting was the main objective, but at the end we also tried something a bit different on the bike, and again found quite a significant improvement. Overall, I am very pleased with the way things went.”

Paul Risbridger: Team Manager: “We got through everything we wanted to try. Tom and Katsuaki each did good work, with Tom doing more set-up work in readiness for the season, and Katsuaki trying some new general development parts. The lap times were particularly good for Tom, and we recorded him setting a 1’58.5, which is very competitive. The track conditions were reasonably consistent for us and we were really encouraged by the results of this test.”

In the Supersport class, the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com pairing of Broc Parkes and new signing David Salom pushed on with the task of tailoring their machine settings to their own riding styles, while learning a new circuit.

More winter testing on the Ninja ZX-6R is planned for both Broc and David, as they make their preparations for a full-on assault on the championship in 2011.

Broc Parkes: “I rode on the first and final days of the test, and David rode on the second day. This was a really good opportunity to test at a new circuit that we will be racing on next year. We also wanted to work on a few things that we do not normally get to try during the season. It went pretty well and we did what we needed to do by the end of the test. We were not that concerned about lap times; it was much more important to learn the new track and find good settings.”

 

[wino]

Lorenzo, Hayden and Rossi react to Estoril front row positions

Saturday, 30 October 2010
After the qualifying sessions for the bwin Grande Premio de Portugal were cancelled due to the weather and based on the combined practice times, the front row starters gave their reactions to a disrupted day at Estoril.


Relentless rain and high winds at Estoril on Saturday made it another difficult day for the MotoGP World Championship riders, and after careful consideration from Race Direction the decision to cancel qualifying in the afternoon meant the starting grid was decided on the combined times of the practice sessions.
Thanks to his best effort of 1’48.522 in the second session on Friday afternoon Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo gained his seventh pole position of the season, the 42nd of his World Championship career which equalled Jorge Martínez Aspar’s record as the Spanish rider with the best qualification record.
“It’s just too bad with the wind and the water on the track, so I think it better to cancel the session,” said the 2010 MotoGP World Champion. “It’s good for us because we have our seventh pole of the season! It may be one of the easiest, but I’m very happy and we’ll see what the weather offers us tomorrow.”
At just 0.135s off Lorenzo, Ducati rider Nicky Hayden will start from the front row for the third time this season, and the American acknowledged the decision to cancel the session was the correct one given the treacherous conditions.
“As riders of course we want to be out there but it’s too windy and people would just get hurt. They’ve made the right decision to call it off and we’re on the front row so we’ll take it!” he said, before allaying any concerns about not having had enough time to sound out the track.
“We’re all professionals and have been riding these bikes for years, so we have some information on this track. It would be a gamble if it is dry tomorrow but even if it is wet we have practiced in it. We will see what weather we get tomorrow and line up and try to work!”
Valentino Rossi will complete the front row after taking his factory M1 round in the third fastest time in the practice sessions, 0.361s off Lorenzo’s marker, and the Italian was in confident mood that he can put in a good race on Sunday.
“It’s clearly the right decision because it’s impossible to ride in these conditions, there’s too much water on the track,” he started. “It’s a shame of course because it would have been good to have another go on the wet track and go for pole, but I am happy to be on the front row and I have a good pace and balance on the bike. I hope for better conditions for the race.”
The warm up sessions have been rescheduled to last 30 minutes for each class on Sunday, and Rossi continued: “We will have the warm up, and it may be better if there is rain because everybody has their set-up for this! I have a good wet setting on the bike, we tried a few small things today, and we have good potential in the wet. If it’s dry we will try anyway!”
The MotoGP practice session is due to start at 9.20am local time, with the race scheduled at 1pm local time.
TAGS

 

[wino]

West tops difficult final Moto2 session

Saturday, 30 October 2010
The Australian was quickest in poor conditions in the third and final practice at Estoril, as a whole host of riders struggled to deal with the wet conditions which led to a series of falls.


Estoril 2010 - Moto2 - FP3 - Highlights
The poor weather conditions that have so far been a major factor in the bwin Grande Premio de Portugal continued through the third and final Moto2 practice at Estoril, as a high number of riders crashed on the wet track during the one-hour session.
With worsening rain making it hard to focus on registering good times Anthony West (MZ Racing) used his ability to ride in such conditions to set the fastest lap of the session with a 1’56.176, which was unsurprisingly just over five seconds off Gabor Talmacsi’s FP2 time and the one that remains the best of the weekend so far.
Completing the top five in the session were Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2), Kenan Sofuoglu (Technomag-CIP), Raffaele De Rosa (Tech 3 Racing) and Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Racing), all of whom experienced crashes throughout the difficult practice.
There was a lengthy list of other crashers with Alex Debón (Aeroport de Castelló-Ajo) coming off the worst, and a fractured right collarbone resulted in him being declared unfit for the race. Others falling included Mike di Meglio (Mapfre Aspar), Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing), Claudio Corti (Forward Racing), Roberto Rolfo (Italtrans STR), Yuki Takahashi (Tech3 Racing), Héctor Faubel (Marc VDS Racing Team), Ricky Cardús (Maquinza-SAG), Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing), Axel Pons (Tenerife 40 Pons), Carmelo Morales (Racing Team Germany) and Xavier Simeon (Holiday Gym Racing) as the conditions played havoc with grip.
Also battling the conditions as they rode cautiously were Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up) and Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar), who are both vying for runner-up spot in the Championship and who ended the session in 12th and 19th positions respectively, with World Champion Toni Elías 14th on the timesheet.
The Moto2 class is scheduled to return to the track at 3.10pm local time for qualifying.

 

[sincisor]

thanks for this thread... who would have thought keeping up with racing is easiest on a gore site..

 

[Michael Cheika]

that green motorcycle is pretty

 

[wino]

that green motorcycle is pretty

lol,and I hope its pretty fucking angry next year and wins a race !


Rossi all set for “emotional weekend” in Valencia

Wednesday, 3 November 2010
The Fiat Yamaha rider is targeting a victory in his final race with the Japanese factory after seven success-packed years.


The latest chapter of Valentino Rossi’s incredible career will draw to a close this weekend at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, when the Italian brings to an end a highly successful seven-year partnership with Yamaha.
After 46 wins and four World Championships together the final round of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship will also be the 31 year-old’s last race with Fiat Yamaha, and both he and his team are determined to ensure that what has been a relationship built on accomplishments bears one final victory.
"So here we are, my last race with Yamaha and it will be an emotional weekend for all!” said Rossi, who won at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in his first season with Yamaha in 2004. “Of course I would really like to try to win this final race because it would be a great end to this partnership, which has had so many beautiful moments.”
Rossi comes into the final round off the back of four consecutive podium finishes, the most recent being last weekend’s second place in Portugal, and he is confident of being in a good position to put on a strong display.
“We improved the setting of our bike again in Estoril so I hope we will be in good shape in Valencia, although it hasn't been the best track for me in the last few years,” he said. “Anyway this is a special weekend so we will do everything that we can. I am third in the Championship after Estoril and second is not impossible, although we know Dani is strong in Valencia and he is still 19 points ahead."

 

[wino]

any one see that 125 race last wend ?

funniest thing I have seen in years ! Be good if the kid can win it.

Spanish rider to be crowned 125cc Champion on home soil

Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Either Marc Márquez or Nico Terol will be confirmed as the 125cc World Champion at Valencia this weekend, with the former of the two holding a 17-point lead over his rival going into the final round of the 2010 season.


The 2010 125cc World Championship will be decided this weekend at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, where the home crowd will see a Spanish rider claim the title. Seventeen points separate leader Marc Márquez and now his only title rival Nico Terol, following a thrilling previous round in Portugal.
In a highly eventful Estoril appointment Red Bull Ajo Motorsport rider Márquez took his tenth win of the season, and this weekend could equal Valentino Rossi’s 1997 record as the rider with the most wins in the 125cc class in a single season (11). Such a result would emphatically deliver him the title, and if the 17 year-old were to accomplish the achievement he would become the second youngest World Champion ever.
Márquez has only raced once before at Valencia, last year, when he placed 17th following a crash when fighting for fourth, whilst Terol has a best finish of second in 2008. If Terol were to win the race Márquez would need to finish no lower than eighth to claim the title.
Pol Espargaró’s title hopes ended in Portugal but the Tuenti Racing rider will still be going for victory as he aims to sign off from the 125cc class in winning style, while Bradley Smith is still in search of his first win of the season and will likewise want a winning end to the 125cc chapter of his World Championship career.
Meanwhile Efrén Vázquez (Tuenti Racing), Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) and Sandro Cortese (Avant Mitsubishi Ajo) are still contesting positions five to seven. Niklas Ajo (Ajo Motorsport), Juan Perello (SAG Castrol), Jonny Rosell (SAG Castrol), John McPhee (KRP Bradley Smith Racing) and Taylor Mackenzie (KRP MMCG) are the five wild card entries at Round 17.

 

[wino]

thanks for this thread... who would have thought keeping up with racing is easiest on a gore site..

we are here to make life just that little bit easier for ya

 

[wino]

Lorenzo takes big step forward in second Valencia session

Friday, 5 November 2010
The World Champion’s best effort in FP2 was also the fastest lap of the opening day at the GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, with Casey Stoner and Colin Edwards in the top three.


Valencia 2010 - MotoGP - FP2 - Highlights
Jorge Lorenzo’s hot lap of 1’32.690 at the end of the second free practice at Valencia on Friday handed the Fiat Yamaha rider the best time of the session and day, as the World Champion set about preparing himself for an attempt at an eighth pole position of the season on Saturday.
Following Lorenzo on the timesheet in the afternoon was Casey Stoner, who had been the fastest rider in the morning run. The Ducati man was the only rider in the session who did not improve on his time from earlier in the day and ended FP2 at 0.314s off Lorenzo’s pace. However, thanks to his earlier time he and the Spaniard were the only two under the 1’33” marker on Friday.
In third position Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was almost half a second off Stoner by the end of the session with his time of 1’33.466, with Italians Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) both within four-thousandths of a second of the American as they completed the top five.
Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was back on his M1 after a fall during the morning, and the American placed sixth in the order, with Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) – who had an early run-off – in the top eight. In unfamiliar territory in ninth position was Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha), who was almost a full second off Lorenzo’s pace. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) completed the top ten.
Dani Pedrosa was 12th as he made a gradual improvement of almost two-tenths of a second on his morning effort whilst establishing a more comfortable feel on his RC212V.

 

[wino]

these fuckin things give me the shitz

 

[sincisor]

these fuckin things give me the shitz

View attachment 12383

um, not recommended for use in asia.

 

[wino]

Stoner storms to pole at Valencia

Saturday, 6 November 2010
A superb qualifying display from the Ducati rider sealed him pole position for the final race of 2010 ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Marco Simoncelli, the latter of whom secured his first front-row start. Valentino Rossi will start the race from fourth.


Valencia 2010 - MotoGP - QP - Highlights
Casey Stoner put on a stunning display in his final qualifying session with Ducati to take pole position for the last race of the 2010 season at Valencia, posting the only sub-1’32” lap of the weekend so far in a strong 45-minute run. The Australian’s hot lap of 1’31.799 left him 0.331s clear at the top of the timesheet, and came after he had dealt with an early run-off as he pushed hard for his fourth pole of the campaign.
World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, sporting a special edition helmet for the final-round occasion, followed Stoner onto the front row with a best effort of 1’32.130 on his Fiat Yamaha M1 having led for a large portion of the session.
Carrying his progress from the practice sessions into qualifying was Marco Simoncelli and the Italian rookie’s display was rewarded with his first front-row start in the premier class. The San Carlo Honda Gresini rider was just over a tenth of a second off Lorenzo.
A late surge from Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) placed the Italian fourth (+0.531s on Stoner) as he battled to find enough pace to challenge near the top end, with American duo Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) and Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) also taking places on the second row of the grid.
Completing the top ten in the session were Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini).
Sunday’s season-ending Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana gets underway at 2pm local time.

 

[wino]

Lorenzo collects BMW M Award in Valencia

Saturday, 6 November 2010
With 380 points Jorge Lorenzo topped the qualifying table for 2010, his prize: a brand new BMW M3 Coupé.


In a season already marked down as a huge success for MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, the Spaniard’s seven poles and 17 front-row grid starts contributed to his 380 points which made him the best qualifier for 2010.
In Valencia the BMW M Award winner was presented with his reward, a brand new BMW M3 Coupé, following his final qualification of the season – second on the grid for Sunday’s season finale the GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana.
Having led the session for a large part Lorenzo eventually finished 0.331s off pole man Casey Stoner with his best effort of 1’32.130, and the Fiat Yamaha rider said: “When I made the 32.1 lap I thought it would be really difficult for Casey to beat me, but he really put in the perfect lap and 31.8 in these conditions is very quick.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, he continued: “So let’s see what happens tomorrow, but for today I’m really happy to be on the front row in front of the Spanish crowd and we’ll try at the maximum tomorrow. Cheste is not one of my favourite tracks, I have always had difficulty getting good results here, but this year it seems I’m in better shape so I will push at the maximum from start to finish.”
Lorenzo placed third in last year’s race at the circuit, and it is one of just three tracks on the current calendar at which he is yet to win in any class.

 

[wino]

remember this ?

http://www.flurl.com/video/34085998_banned_from_tv_fatal_motorcycle_stunt.htm