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will find the other links when I got a bit more time bloke
meanwhile at Kawasaki
Kawasaki Racing Team Adopts New Rule Lightning Fast
Newsflash, 29 June 2012
KRT is the first SBK team to adopt a new rule, officially planned for 2013. From next year on, all SBK bikes should feature headlamp-shaped stickers in the form of their real world counterparts.
Kawasaki Racing Team will debut the new stickers from this race weekend on. Kawasaki wants to be the first manufacturer to adopt the new rule, creating a better link between the road bike Ninja ZX-10R and the SBK version of it. Next year, the SBK rules will ensure the racing machines stay closer to the standard road bikes, for example with the adoption of 17" aluminium wheels. This should reduce costs for the teams, as well as making it easier for customers and fans to enjoy seeing their favourite bike, whether in road or race trim.
Kawasaki believes in the concept of racing street bikes at the highest level and has been a passionate supporter of the series for a long time. Giving people the opportunity to purchase the basic street version of the World Superbike race machine is attractive for both manufacturer and customers.
The strategy of Kawasaki for several years now has been to concentrate on the SBK Championship. All in the spirit of promoting production street bikes. The same principle is used for Kawasaki motocross bikes.
Kawasaki Racing Team team manager Guim Roda said: “We’ve created the new Ninja ZX-10R in this spirit and since last year we have been working hard to develop the bike and its technology. In the end, this bike is the SBK racing version of the bike that we sell in the shops, and we try to improve the Ninja ZX-10R year by year. In the end, the customer benefits from our developments, no doubt about that.”
meanwhile at Kawasaki
Kawasaki Racing Team Adopts New Rule Lightning Fast
Newsflash, 29 June 2012
KRT is the first SBK team to adopt a new rule, officially planned for 2013. From next year on, all SBK bikes should feature headlamp-shaped stickers in the form of their real world counterparts.
Kawasaki believes in the concept of racing street bikes at the highest level and has been a passionate supporter of the series for a long time. Giving people the opportunity to purchase the basic street version of the World Superbike race machine is attractive for both manufacturer and customers.
The strategy of Kawasaki for several years now has been to concentrate on the SBK Championship. All in the spirit of promoting production street bikes. The same principle is used for Kawasaki motocross bikes.
Kawasaki Racing Team team manager Guim Roda said: “We’ve created the new Ninja ZX-10R in this spirit and since last year we have been working hard to develop the bike and its technology. In the end, this bike is the SBK racing version of the bike that we sell in the shops, and we try to improve the Ninja ZX-10R year by year. In the end, the customer benefits from our developments, no doubt about that.”
Lorenzo and Stoner neck and neck as MotoGP™ hits Germany
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
As the dust settles on an eventful and incident-packed Dutch Grand Prix, the MotoGP™ contingent has only a few days off before heading across the border to the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring to do battle once more for championship supremacy.
Following Yamaha Racing Team’s Jorge Lorenzo’s DNF in Assen due to being taken out by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, and Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner taking a win, both Lorenzo and Stoner are points even at the top of the championship standings with 140 a piece, albeit with Lorenzo in first place due to having one more win under his belt. This has added yet further spice to the Sachsenring race, as the pair will look to get one over on each other for the lead. Last year it was Lorenzo who got the better of Stoner to take second, while the Australian’s teammate Dani Pedrosa recorded his fifth win at the track.
Pedrosa, who has taken victories in the last two years at the circuit, will be hoping to break his duck this season, and take his maiden win of 2012 to catch up to the leading pair. Behind him the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso are separated by just one point as the teammates continue to tussle for inter-team top honours. Dovizioso will be brimming with confidence after recording his second podium of the season, whilst Crutchlow looks to be on full pace despite his fractured ankle.
The satellite Hondas will aim to put a disastrous weekend behind them, with LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl keen to impress in front of his home crowd after his Assen crash. Bautista, who was handed a penalty after his Lorenzo crash, meaning he will start from the back of the grid, will no doubt look to keep his head down and pick off where he left off after a successful Silverstone.
Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi continue their struggle with the Desmosedici, as they seek to overcome rapid rear tyre degradation issues. The Italian outfit will however be buoyed by Hayden’s pace last time out, and will hope that the tyres can last the distance in Germany. Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá lines up his satellite machine alongside official Ducati Test rider Franco Battaini, who is substituting for Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham, who is still suffering from a serious hand injury sustained some weeks back.
The CRT grid will be itching to get to the tight and twisty Sachsenring, which is one of the slowest tracks on the MotoGP calendar. With outright pace being their biggest issue, many will no doubt be confident of closing the gap somewhat on their prototype counterparts. Power Electronics Aspar pair Aleix Espargaró and Randy de Puniet still head the CTR group, but San Carlo’s Michele Pirro and Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini are lurking just behind. They will be joined on the grid by Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci, Paul Bird Motorsport’s James Ellison, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards and Avintia Blusens pair Yonny Hernandez and Iván Silva.
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
As the dust settles on an eventful and incident-packed Dutch Grand Prix, the MotoGP™ contingent has only a few days off before heading across the border to the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring to do battle once more for championship supremacy.
Following Yamaha Racing Team’s Jorge Lorenzo’s DNF in Assen due to being taken out by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista, and Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner taking a win, both Lorenzo and Stoner are points even at the top of the championship standings with 140 a piece, albeit with Lorenzo in first place due to having one more win under his belt. This has added yet further spice to the Sachsenring race, as the pair will look to get one over on each other for the lead. Last year it was Lorenzo who got the better of Stoner to take second, while the Australian’s teammate Dani Pedrosa recorded his fifth win at the track.
Pedrosa, who has taken victories in the last two years at the circuit, will be hoping to break his duck this season, and take his maiden win of 2012 to catch up to the leading pair. Behind him the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso are separated by just one point as the teammates continue to tussle for inter-team top honours. Dovizioso will be brimming with confidence after recording his second podium of the season, whilst Crutchlow looks to be on full pace despite his fractured ankle.
The satellite Hondas will aim to put a disastrous weekend behind them, with LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl keen to impress in front of his home crowd after his Assen crash. Bautista, who was handed a penalty after his Lorenzo crash, meaning he will start from the back of the grid, will no doubt look to keep his head down and pick off where he left off after a successful Silverstone.
Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi continue their struggle with the Desmosedici, as they seek to overcome rapid rear tyre degradation issues. The Italian outfit will however be buoyed by Hayden’s pace last time out, and will hope that the tyres can last the distance in Germany. Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá lines up his satellite machine alongside official Ducati Test rider Franco Battaini, who is substituting for Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham, who is still suffering from a serious hand injury sustained some weeks back.
The CRT grid will be itching to get to the tight and twisty Sachsenring, which is one of the slowest tracks on the MotoGP calendar. With outright pace being their biggest issue, many will no doubt be confident of closing the gap somewhat on their prototype counterparts. Power Electronics Aspar pair Aleix Espargaró and Randy de Puniet still head the CTR group, but San Carlo’s Michele Pirro and Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini are lurking just behind. They will be joined on the grid by Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci, Paul Bird Motorsport’s James Ellison, NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards and Avintia Blusens pair Yonny Hernandez and Iván Silva.
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fool ^
want one of these so bad
^ nice bikes but i think in your country you would be better off with this.
http://www.autoevolution.com/mengine/ktm-525-sx-2005-510.html
http://www.autoevolution.com/mengine/ktm-525-sx-2005-510.html
MOTOGP »
Valentino Rossi: Pedrosa deal 'doesn't change anything'
Valentino Rossi dismisses chances of a 2013 Repsol Honda MotoGP return
Struggling seven time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi insists Dani Pedrosa's rumoured new Repsol Honda deal makes no difference to his 2013 plans.
Rossi won the 2002 and 2003 MotoGP titles as a Repsol Honda rider, but left for Yamaha after feeling his achievements were undervalued at HRC.
The Yamaha switch immediately netted two further premier-class titles, with Rossi's sixth and seventh premier-class championships also won at Yamaha in 2008 and 2009.
Rossi's 2011 switch to Ducati has proven far less successful, with just two podiums to date, and the Italian has been linked with a move back to a Japanese bike for 2013.
With Yamaha re-signing Jorge Lorenzo, the Rossi rumours swung briefly to Honda, which needs a new rider due to the retirement of reigning double champion Casey Stoner.
However HRC bosses had said Rossi's only Honda option would be with a satellite team and the man himself claims no contact has been made.
“[Pedrosa's expected new deal] doesn't change anything for me. I was never in contact with HRC, and so going there was never an option for me,” GPOne.com quotes Rossi as saying.
The recent removal of the rookie rule has already cleared the way for Pedrosa's fellow Spaniard, Moto2 star Marc Marquez, to move directly to the Repsol Honda team in place of Stoner, although that is also yet to be made official.
Rossi's remaining 2013 factory options are thus to remain at Ducati, his publically stated intention, or move back to Yamaha alongside Lorenzo.
The only officially confirmed deals for next season are Lorenzo (Yamaha), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Yamaha).
Rossi, who has recently questioned Ducati's development plan for its underperforming GP12, added that he feels 'more relaxed' after being told that both chassis and engine upgrades will soon be available.
The Doctor starts this weekend's Sachsenring round sixth in the world championship.
MOTOGP »
Lorenzo to limit track time after engine loss?
"I hope we can manage to make all the practice sessions, but it's going to be difficult for sure" - Jorge Lorezo.
Joint MotoGP title leader Jorge Lorenzo could be forced to cut back on practice during the remainder of the 2012 season, in order to compensate for the loss of a new engine during the first turn accident at Assen.
The Yamaha star saw a 25-point lead vanish when he was taken-out by Alvaro Bautista at the start of last Saturday's Dutch race, which was won by title rival Casey Stoner.
A huge cloud of smoke emitted from Lorenzo's factory M1 as it lay on its side signaled a cruel double-blow for the Spaniard.
With just six new engines allowed per rider, per season for the manufacturer riders, Lorenzo is now facing the prospect of a pit lane start (with a ten second delay) should he need a seventh engine in the remaining eleven rounds.
To try and avoid such a penalty, the Spaniard and his team are sure to revise tactics to try and stretch their reduced engines to the end of the season.
And that could mean Lorenzo spends more time in the pits.
“It's a problem. The engine that blew up in Assen was almost new, it had 150 kilometres, and it's going to be difficult to finish the championship with the engines we have,” said Lorenzo.
“But I'm going to speak to Ramon [Forcada, crew chief] and Yamaha to find out the strategy to follow. I hope we can manage to make all the practice sessions, but it's going to be difficult for sure. Some laps, some kilometres maybe we need not to do.”
An alternative option would be to exceed the planned mileage on his existing engines in practice, but that would mean an increased risk of a technical failure and resulting risk of an accident.
A tamer tactic would be to slash the revs to try and extend engine life. “I don't think taking out some revs will be the solution,” he said.
After the accident, for which Bautista has been punished with a back-of-the-grid start in Germany on Sunday, Lorenzo suggested Race Direction might allow him to replace the engine.
But he now concedes that will be impossible without agreement from Yamaha's rivals.
“It will be difficult to recover this engine - I think almost impossible. The only way to recover this engine is if the other brands want me to give me this engine, so I think it is quite difficult,” confirmed Lorenzo.
The 2010 world champion made clear he doesn't expect the rules to be changed and is now more motivated than ever following the set back.
“The rules are the rules, and I want to accept the rules,” he said.
“The [championship] situation is much more difficult than before Assen, but I like difficult things. I don't like easy things. So now I have even more motivation to keep working and to keep trying to win races. We will go up again.”
Nevertheless, Lorenzo could be forgiven for smiling should the on-off rain that has kept riders in the pits at so many events this year - and which fell at the Sachsenring on Thursday - continue.
Lorenzo was walking with the aid of crutches on Thursday, but believes he will be okay to ride.
"When I crashed in Assen I just felt some pain, but not too much, then after a few hours [the ankle] swelled up," he explained.
"Then when I went to the doctor in Barcelona they told me my ligaments were stretched, and I still cannot put the foot on the ground.
"Anyway I hope tomorrow it will be ok on the bike, because you put less force on your feet. We'll have to see how I feel."
Sachsenring – Racing Numbers
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Brush up on your MotoGP™ knowledge before this weekend’s eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland with some interesting facts and figures from motogp.com.
140 – With his victory at the Dutch TT, Casey Stoner goes equal with Jorge Lorenzo at the top of the championship classification with 140 points – this is four more points than Stoner had accumulated at the same stage last season on his way to winning the world title.
49 years – On the day of qualifying at the German GP it will be 49 years ago to the day that Fumio Ito gave Yamaha their first ever Grand Prix victory, in the 250cc class at the Belgium Grand Prix in 1963 at Spa-Francorchamps.
43 – Casey Stoner’s victory at the Dutch TT was the 43rd win of his Grand Prix career. This puts him in eighth place in the all-time GP winners list with one more victory than Jorge Lorenzo, Max Biaggi and Toni Mang.
34 years – Prior to the Dutch TT, it was 34 years since Britain had podium finishers in both the lightweight and intermediate classes at a single GP event, at the British GP at Silverstone in 1978 when Clive Horton finished second in the 125cc race and Tom Herron second in the 250cc race.
26 – Michele Pirro will celebrate his 26th birthday on the day before practice begins at the German Grand Prix.
22 – Casey Stoner’s win at Assen was the 22nd successive race that he has finished in the top four. This equals the longest sequence of top four finishes in the 500cc class achieved by Giacomo Agostini during his GP career. Since the world championship series started in 1949 only two riders have had a longer sequence of successive top four finishes in the premier-class; Valentino Rossi with 28 successive top four finishes and Jorge Lorenzo with 25.
6 – Since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP class in 2002, Honda have been the most successful manufacturer at the Sachsenring circuit with six wins, followed by Yamaha with three and Ducati with a single victory in 2008.
5 – Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa are the two riders with most victories at the new Sachsenring circuit, each having won 5 times; Rossi - 1x 250cc & 4 x MotoGP, Dani Pedrosa - 2 x 250cc & 3 x MotoGP.
4 – Four riders in the Moto2 class have scored points at each of the seven races so far in 2012 – Andrea Iannone, Scott Redding, Mika Kallio and Bradley Smith.
2 – Two German riders won at the old Sachsenring circuit: Ernst Degner (MZ) won the 125cc race in 1961 and Dieter Braun won the 250cc race in 1971 riding a Yamaha.
Valentino Rossi: Pedrosa deal 'doesn't change anything'
Valentino Rossi dismisses chances of a 2013 Repsol Honda MotoGP return
Struggling seven time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi insists Dani Pedrosa's rumoured new Repsol Honda deal makes no difference to his 2013 plans.
Rossi won the 2002 and 2003 MotoGP titles as a Repsol Honda rider, but left for Yamaha after feeling his achievements were undervalued at HRC.
The Yamaha switch immediately netted two further premier-class titles, with Rossi's sixth and seventh premier-class championships also won at Yamaha in 2008 and 2009.
Rossi's 2011 switch to Ducati has proven far less successful, with just two podiums to date, and the Italian has been linked with a move back to a Japanese bike for 2013.
With Yamaha re-signing Jorge Lorenzo, the Rossi rumours swung briefly to Honda, which needs a new rider due to the retirement of reigning double champion Casey Stoner.
However HRC bosses had said Rossi's only Honda option would be with a satellite team and the man himself claims no contact has been made.
“[Pedrosa's expected new deal] doesn't change anything for me. I was never in contact with HRC, and so going there was never an option for me,” GPOne.com quotes Rossi as saying.
The recent removal of the rookie rule has already cleared the way for Pedrosa's fellow Spaniard, Moto2 star Marc Marquez, to move directly to the Repsol Honda team in place of Stoner, although that is also yet to be made official.
Rossi's remaining 2013 factory options are thus to remain at Ducati, his publically stated intention, or move back to Yamaha alongside Lorenzo.
The only officially confirmed deals for next season are Lorenzo (Yamaha), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Yamaha).
Rossi, who has recently questioned Ducati's development plan for its underperforming GP12, added that he feels 'more relaxed' after being told that both chassis and engine upgrades will soon be available.
The Doctor starts this weekend's Sachsenring round sixth in the world championship.
MOTOGP »
Lorenzo to limit track time after engine loss?
"I hope we can manage to make all the practice sessions, but it's going to be difficult for sure" - Jorge Lorezo.
Joint MotoGP title leader Jorge Lorenzo could be forced to cut back on practice during the remainder of the 2012 season, in order to compensate for the loss of a new engine during the first turn accident at Assen.
The Yamaha star saw a 25-point lead vanish when he was taken-out by Alvaro Bautista at the start of last Saturday's Dutch race, which was won by title rival Casey Stoner.
A huge cloud of smoke emitted from Lorenzo's factory M1 as it lay on its side signaled a cruel double-blow for the Spaniard.
With just six new engines allowed per rider, per season for the manufacturer riders, Lorenzo is now facing the prospect of a pit lane start (with a ten second delay) should he need a seventh engine in the remaining eleven rounds.
To try and avoid such a penalty, the Spaniard and his team are sure to revise tactics to try and stretch their reduced engines to the end of the season.
And that could mean Lorenzo spends more time in the pits.
“It's a problem. The engine that blew up in Assen was almost new, it had 150 kilometres, and it's going to be difficult to finish the championship with the engines we have,” said Lorenzo.
“But I'm going to speak to Ramon [Forcada, crew chief] and Yamaha to find out the strategy to follow. I hope we can manage to make all the practice sessions, but it's going to be difficult for sure. Some laps, some kilometres maybe we need not to do.”
An alternative option would be to exceed the planned mileage on his existing engines in practice, but that would mean an increased risk of a technical failure and resulting risk of an accident.
A tamer tactic would be to slash the revs to try and extend engine life. “I don't think taking out some revs will be the solution,” he said.
After the accident, for which Bautista has been punished with a back-of-the-grid start in Germany on Sunday, Lorenzo suggested Race Direction might allow him to replace the engine.
But he now concedes that will be impossible without agreement from Yamaha's rivals.
“It will be difficult to recover this engine - I think almost impossible. The only way to recover this engine is if the other brands want me to give me this engine, so I think it is quite difficult,” confirmed Lorenzo.
The 2010 world champion made clear he doesn't expect the rules to be changed and is now more motivated than ever following the set back.
“The rules are the rules, and I want to accept the rules,” he said.
“The [championship] situation is much more difficult than before Assen, but I like difficult things. I don't like easy things. So now I have even more motivation to keep working and to keep trying to win races. We will go up again.”
Nevertheless, Lorenzo could be forgiven for smiling should the on-off rain that has kept riders in the pits at so many events this year - and which fell at the Sachsenring on Thursday - continue.
Lorenzo was walking with the aid of crutches on Thursday, but believes he will be okay to ride.
"When I crashed in Assen I just felt some pain, but not too much, then after a few hours [the ankle] swelled up," he explained.
"Then when I went to the doctor in Barcelona they told me my ligaments were stretched, and I still cannot put the foot on the ground.
"Anyway I hope tomorrow it will be ok on the bike, because you put less force on your feet. We'll have to see how I feel."
Sachsenring – Racing Numbers
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Brush up on your MotoGP™ knowledge before this weekend’s eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland with some interesting facts and figures from motogp.com.
140 – With his victory at the Dutch TT, Casey Stoner goes equal with Jorge Lorenzo at the top of the championship classification with 140 points – this is four more points than Stoner had accumulated at the same stage last season on his way to winning the world title.
49 years – On the day of qualifying at the German GP it will be 49 years ago to the day that Fumio Ito gave Yamaha their first ever Grand Prix victory, in the 250cc class at the Belgium Grand Prix in 1963 at Spa-Francorchamps.
43 – Casey Stoner’s victory at the Dutch TT was the 43rd win of his Grand Prix career. This puts him in eighth place in the all-time GP winners list with one more victory than Jorge Lorenzo, Max Biaggi and Toni Mang.
34 years – Prior to the Dutch TT, it was 34 years since Britain had podium finishers in both the lightweight and intermediate classes at a single GP event, at the British GP at Silverstone in 1978 when Clive Horton finished second in the 125cc race and Tom Herron second in the 250cc race.
26 – Michele Pirro will celebrate his 26th birthday on the day before practice begins at the German Grand Prix.
22 – Casey Stoner’s win at Assen was the 22nd successive race that he has finished in the top four. This equals the longest sequence of top four finishes in the 500cc class achieved by Giacomo Agostini during his GP career. Since the world championship series started in 1949 only two riders have had a longer sequence of successive top four finishes in the premier-class; Valentino Rossi with 28 successive top four finishes and Jorge Lorenzo with 25.
6 – Since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP class in 2002, Honda have been the most successful manufacturer at the Sachsenring circuit with six wins, followed by Yamaha with three and Ducati with a single victory in 2008.
5 – Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa are the two riders with most victories at the new Sachsenring circuit, each having won 5 times; Rossi - 1x 250cc & 4 x MotoGP, Dani Pedrosa - 2 x 250cc & 3 x MotoGP.
4 – Four riders in the Moto2 class have scored points at each of the seven races so far in 2012 – Andrea Iannone, Scott Redding, Mika Kallio and Bradley Smith.
2 – Two German riders won at the old Sachsenring circuit: Ernst Degner (MZ) won the 125cc race in 1961 and Dieter Braun won the 250cc race in 1971 riding a Yamaha.
Pedrosa charges to first season win in dramatic Sachsenring race
Sunday, 8 July 2012
At the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring it was Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa who took victory in a dramatic race in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.
It was Pedrosa who got the best start as he led into turn one ahead of teammate Casey Stoner and the Yamaha Factory Racing duo of Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo. The grid was tightly bunched early on, with Stoner soon passing his teammate for the lead, as the Australian looked to have more pace in the opening stages.
Many early two-way tussles ensued, including the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso, as well as Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl. With 27 laps to go, San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro retired with a mechanical issue, while a lap later Spies ran wide and let Lorenzo into third, to chase down the Repsol Hondas.
As Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini crashed out of the race with 25 laps left, Spies’ mistake had let the tussling Monster Yamaha Tech 3 pair catch up, with Dovizioso and Crutchlow switching places as they looked for a way past Spies. The following group was joined by Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi and Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá, as they made it another four-way scrap with Hayden and Bradl.
Two laps on, both Dovizioso and Crutchlow made it past Spies, who looked to be slowing, as the Repsol Honda pair started to pull out a gap at the front. Meanwhile, San Carlo’s Álvaro Bautista, who had started at the back of the grid, had made his way up to 11th in front on the CRT contingent.
With 17 laps remaining, with Crutchlow all over the back wheel of his Italian teammate, Spies had caught back up to the pair, as the trio fought a three-way Yamaha scrap. At the front, Stoner and Pedrosa were engrossed in an inter-team battle, while Lorenzo was dropping off slightly in third, though still with a significantly margin over the following group.
And with 12 laps left Pedrosa made his move past Stoner into turn one, shortly after which the Austrian had a big wobble on his bike trying to keep up with the Spaniard. However, this was just momentary, as Stoner continued to stick to Pedrosa’s rear wheel. With just seven laps remaining the three-way Yamaha tussle was getting ever more fierce as Crutchlow continued to look for a way past Dovizioso in fourth. It was however not to be as the Brit out-braked himself going into turn one and ran into the gravel. He managed to keep his bike upright yet re-joined behind Bautista, leaving Spies and Dovizioso to fight it out alone.
The last few laps were a thrilling affair as Stoner and Pedrosa were neck and neck, but there was huge drama in the final turns as Stoner crashed out chasing down the Spaniard. Pedrosa was setting a record pace as he fought hard for his maiden win of the season, and crossed the finish line first in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, who recorded his third podium this season. This result puts Lorenzo 14 points clear at the championship with Pedrosa now in second, a further four points ahead of Stoner in third. The first non-podium finisher was Ben Spies in fourth, followed by Bradl and Rossi, whose sixth place was his best dry result this season. Bautista, Crutchlow, Barberá and Hayden complete the top ten, while Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet finished as top CRT bike in 11th.
Sunday, 8 July 2012
At the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring it was Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa who took victory in a dramatic race in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.
It was Pedrosa who got the best start as he led into turn one ahead of teammate Casey Stoner and the Yamaha Factory Racing duo of Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo. The grid was tightly bunched early on, with Stoner soon passing his teammate for the lead, as the Australian looked to have more pace in the opening stages.
Many early two-way tussles ensued, including the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso, as well as Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl. With 27 laps to go, San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro retired with a mechanical issue, while a lap later Spies ran wide and let Lorenzo into third, to chase down the Repsol Hondas.
As Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini crashed out of the race with 25 laps left, Spies’ mistake had let the tussling Monster Yamaha Tech 3 pair catch up, with Dovizioso and Crutchlow switching places as they looked for a way past Spies. The following group was joined by Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi and Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá, as they made it another four-way scrap with Hayden and Bradl.
Two laps on, both Dovizioso and Crutchlow made it past Spies, who looked to be slowing, as the Repsol Honda pair started to pull out a gap at the front. Meanwhile, San Carlo’s Álvaro Bautista, who had started at the back of the grid, had made his way up to 11th in front on the CRT contingent.
With 17 laps remaining, with Crutchlow all over the back wheel of his Italian teammate, Spies had caught back up to the pair, as the trio fought a three-way Yamaha scrap. At the front, Stoner and Pedrosa were engrossed in an inter-team battle, while Lorenzo was dropping off slightly in third, though still with a significantly margin over the following group.
And with 12 laps left Pedrosa made his move past Stoner into turn one, shortly after which the Austrian had a big wobble on his bike trying to keep up with the Spaniard. However, this was just momentary, as Stoner continued to stick to Pedrosa’s rear wheel. With just seven laps remaining the three-way Yamaha tussle was getting ever more fierce as Crutchlow continued to look for a way past Dovizioso in fourth. It was however not to be as the Brit out-braked himself going into turn one and ran into the gravel. He managed to keep his bike upright yet re-joined behind Bautista, leaving Spies and Dovizioso to fight it out alone.
The last few laps were a thrilling affair as Stoner and Pedrosa were neck and neck, but there was huge drama in the final turns as Stoner crashed out chasing down the Spaniard. Pedrosa was setting a record pace as he fought hard for his maiden win of the season, and crossed the finish line first in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, who recorded his third podium this season. This result puts Lorenzo 14 points clear at the championship with Pedrosa now in second, a further four points ahead of Stoner in third. The first non-podium finisher was Ben Spies in fourth, followed by Bradl and Rossi, whose sixth place was his best dry result this season. Bautista, Crutchlow, Barberá and Hayden complete the top ten, while Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet finished as top CRT bike in 11th.
and who is this on 1 wheel ?
Superb win for Pedrosa but despair for Stoner
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Dani Pedrosa took his maiden victory of the 2012 season at the Grand Prix of Germany in a dramatic race which saw teammate Casey Stoner crash out just two turns from the chequered flag whilst running in second position.
The Repsol Honda riders set an incredible pace from the beginning that no one else could match and they arrived at the final lap neck and neck, almost fifteen seconds ahead of Lorenzo in third position. Riding on the limit, Pedrosa and Stoner were matching times in a fantastic battle and on this occasion Pedrosa emerged victorious, celebrating his third victory in a row (fourth in MotoGP and fifth in all classes) at Sachsenring.
Dani Pedrosa
"I'm really very happy with this win. We finally made it happen and it's great not only for me, but also for my team that never gave up, for my family and fans that have been pushing and supporting me all this time when we were taking second and third places, but missing out on the victory. The podiums we had this season were very important, but I really wanted to give a victory to my team and it arrived today at a circuit that I always enjoy. It's been a really hard day though. Casey had a superb race also and put a lot of pressure on me at the end, but I knew that I had the pace and that we both would need to fight for the victory until the last turn. I tried to brake hard, close all the doors and to take the win."
Casey Stoner
"I'm pretty disappointed, I had planned to go for my 'win or bin' effort in the last corner, not that one! I was happy on the bike and felt we had a few tenths a lap over Dani and confident I could pull him back in. On the final lap I made a mistake going into the first turn and I had to push a little more than I wanted through some of the sections but I got on to Dani exactly where I wanted and planned to make my overtake in the last corner, if I didn't have an opportunity earlier in the lap. I felt confident but as soon as I tried to turn in a little more, the front went. I was already off the brakes and not in the hard braking area, as soon as I eased of the brakes I guess the weight came off the front and down I went. I'm frustrated I wasn't allowed to get up and try and score some points, the bike was perfect, but the marshals pushed me away. It's our first crash in a race, down to our own mistake, for the first time in a long time so I'm disappointed for sure, but we knew we had the pace. If we can continue this momentum for the rest of the season then we shouldn't be so worried for the Championship."
Press release courtesy of Repsol Honda Team
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Dani Pedrosa took his maiden victory of the 2012 season at the Grand Prix of Germany in a dramatic race which saw teammate Casey Stoner crash out just two turns from the chequered flag whilst running in second position.
The Repsol Honda riders set an incredible pace from the beginning that no one else could match and they arrived at the final lap neck and neck, almost fifteen seconds ahead of Lorenzo in third position. Riding on the limit, Pedrosa and Stoner were matching times in a fantastic battle and on this occasion Pedrosa emerged victorious, celebrating his third victory in a row (fourth in MotoGP and fifth in all classes) at Sachsenring.
Dani Pedrosa
"I'm really very happy with this win. We finally made it happen and it's great not only for me, but also for my team that never gave up, for my family and fans that have been pushing and supporting me all this time when we were taking second and third places, but missing out on the victory. The podiums we had this season were very important, but I really wanted to give a victory to my team and it arrived today at a circuit that I always enjoy. It's been a really hard day though. Casey had a superb race also and put a lot of pressure on me at the end, but I knew that I had the pace and that we both would need to fight for the victory until the last turn. I tried to brake hard, close all the doors and to take the win."
Casey Stoner
"I'm pretty disappointed, I had planned to go for my 'win or bin' effort in the last corner, not that one! I was happy on the bike and felt we had a few tenths a lap over Dani and confident I could pull him back in. On the final lap I made a mistake going into the first turn and I had to push a little more than I wanted through some of the sections but I got on to Dani exactly where I wanted and planned to make my overtake in the last corner, if I didn't have an opportunity earlier in the lap. I felt confident but as soon as I tried to turn in a little more, the front went. I was already off the brakes and not in the hard braking area, as soon as I eased of the brakes I guess the weight came off the front and down I went. I'm frustrated I wasn't allowed to get up and try and score some points, the bike was perfect, but the marshals pushed me away. It's our first crash in a race, down to our own mistake, for the first time in a long time so I'm disappointed for sure, but we knew we had the pace. If we can continue this momentum for the rest of the season then we shouldn't be so worried for the Championship."
Press release courtesy of Repsol Honda Team
even if your a Honda fan or not here is a very interesting site a current Moto bike, it's a good read.
http://world.honda.com/RC-V/RC212V/
D
dankhead
Internet Warrior
Sweet drag/exit. Thunder hill made me respect drifting.
D
dankhead
Internet Warrior
I was already off the brakes and not in the hard braking area, as soon as I eased of the brakes I guess the weight came off the front and down I went. I'm frustrated I wasn't allowed to get up and try and score some points, the bike was perfect, but the marshals pushed me away.
Copy pasta, buuttttttttttttttt, i think he would've learned this mistake when he had ran against Valentino Rossi. He wiped out on the sand, got back up man like status, but still. Dropped the bike on the sand. He got up pro like. I think it occurred out on Laguna Seca. If i made a mistake, my bad.
Copy pasta, buuttttttttttttttt, i think he would've learned this mistake when he had ran against Valentino Rossi. He wiped out on the sand, got back up man like status, but still. Dropped the bike on the sand. He got up pro like. I think it occurred out on Laguna Seca. If i made a mistake, my bad.
Inline Fours: The Height Of Fast Fashion
Newsflash, 11 July 2012
There was a recent consensus in Superbike World Championship racing that the days of the ‘conventional’ four-cylinder race machine were coming to a close. And closing day was accelerating towards us.
If you didn’t use a twin, a vee, or a simulated twin, you were about to become an endangered species on the SBK podiums.
Given the overall results of the races in 2012 so far, with the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R well in the leading group, that thinking is already out-of-date.
Why?
Largely because of the arrival in the inline four-cylinder SBK world of another three word phrase connected by hyphens - ride-by-wire. Or, if you go back to its original engineering application, fly-by-wire. Or, in the terminology of KHI's Kawasaki Racing Chief Ichiro Yoda, drive-by-wire. Hereafter we will be calling it DBW, but whatever you call it, its adoption by all the top manufacturers in SBK racing as the way to control final throttle opening is probably the main reason why so far conventional fours have won six races, spread across three manufacturers. Four riders of these types of machines find themselves inside the top six places just after the halfway point of the season.
“I can say that the biggest difference between last year and this year is engine management,” said Yoda-san, who has already seen Tom Sykes win a race on a DBW-equipped Ninja ZX-10R in 2012 and finish on the podium six times. Six pole positions can also be added to the haul of measurable and increasing success for Kawasaki’s DBW ‘screamer’.
“Basically, the DBW concept is a big help for the racing four-cylinders,” continued Yoda. “Normally they have good power but it is difficult to get the best power delivery from zero throttle to maybe 40-50% throttle. In this area the four-cylinder is a bit aggressive, and there is also some delay in response. So from throttle to rear tyre the linearity is a little bit less than others - the vee-four engine and the vee-twin engine. With this DBW system, it helps in this area. Kawasaki did not have this last year. So DBW and Engine Management systems help a lot. Honda started at the end of last year, Suzuki now also, BMW already has it - and all these four cylinder machines go forward. So, it looks like together they realise that what we can do, they can do, and vice-versa.”
The good news for fans of the Kawasaki Racing Team is that there is still more to come from the official Kawasaki entry. “Even if we put out more power the DBW system can manage it,” said Yoda. “It can make things more friendly to the rider and more easy to ride, so it looks like with the in-line fours, the current package, we can increase the power. That means we can still be better in the future. Our bike is a year-and-a-half old but it still has more potential.”
Another part of the reason for Kawasaki’s recent improvements in SBK is the experience of some of the personnel involved, and a more direct path back to the home factory – KHI – in Japan. “I think there is a lot of knowledge from MotoGP in this paddock now, in our teams and others. As far as the software for the engine management and DBW is concerned, KHI makes the software back in Japan, from MotoGP experience. We found some good hardware when we worked in MotoGP, so we brought the complete package over here. We have basically the same number of sensors on the Superbike too. We have DBW but ours is a bit different from the others, I imagine. We also found this out in MotoGP.”
It is a two-way street back to Japan of course, as what is learned in the racing world also helps with street machine development back home.
“The factory effort from Kawasaki has increased and also with these kinds of good results the factory has more interest. When I go back to Japan I feel they have more interest. They watch the results and they like to use this kind of direction for the next model. Kawasaki aim to continuously develop the Ninja ZX-10R and we will use SBK to do this. Our new models will benefit directly from our race inputs. The current technology we are using means our production engineers have a lot of interest. So they would like to pick up some answers for the next model.”
One clear unique joint effort in the design of the latest Ninja ZX-10R is the rear suspension and swingarm set-up, called the Horizontal Back Link. In racing, it helps in a few ways. “In the sessions we do not change the shock often, but it is an advantage to be able to do it so quickly. This shock location came from the production idea, so it is not so much for the racing. But it also looks like this layout has some benefits for racing at the moment.”
As Superbike is a production-derived category, albeit a silhouette class most of all, the bike you start off with has a lot to do with ultimate track success, as Yoda explains. “We design the bike to be as good as it can without the electronics, and have as much power as possible. We are always looking for maximum power. In KHI full racing engineers are not so many, around seven or eight, and with Akira Technology, our engine partner, maybe three or four. But KHI is a very big company and we have many connections to other departments. We have a good connection to the overall R&D centre. So if we have some issue, we can put it on the table and we can discuss together. The main engineer numbers are small, but the group is big; big enough.”
The other key to success in modern SBK racing is co-operation with partners, other technical collaborators who help each other and learn from each other. In this, Kawasaki also believes it has made good technical agreements. “Our suspension partner Showa has quite an involvement. Other brands are a little bit less involved for each team because they have a lot of customers in the SBK paddock, but Showa only has Kawasaki. Showa wants to produce better equipment so they put in a lot of energy to progress their products. So they progress quite quickly. This is also our advantage. For the engine, Akira Technology and Kawasaki have a good relationship. Regular maintenance is done by Akira, and other things on the engine side. We also get great product development from our other partners, like LeoVince and MRA, plus Brembo and many others.”
In summary, given the performance of the straight fours and with Kawasaki one of the shining examples, we can say hello again to the latest engine concept to make a real push for the title in SBK racing. The reborn inline transverse four-cylinder. In the showrooms, and on the podiums again, near you.
Newsflash, 11 July 2012
There was a recent consensus in Superbike World Championship racing that the days of the ‘conventional’ four-cylinder race machine were coming to a close. And closing day was accelerating towards us.
Given the overall results of the races in 2012 so far, with the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R well in the leading group, that thinking is already out-of-date.
Why?
Largely because of the arrival in the inline four-cylinder SBK world of another three word phrase connected by hyphens - ride-by-wire. Or, if you go back to its original engineering application, fly-by-wire. Or, in the terminology of KHI's Kawasaki Racing Chief Ichiro Yoda, drive-by-wire. Hereafter we will be calling it DBW, but whatever you call it, its adoption by all the top manufacturers in SBK racing as the way to control final throttle opening is probably the main reason why so far conventional fours have won six races, spread across three manufacturers. Four riders of these types of machines find themselves inside the top six places just after the halfway point of the season.
“I can say that the biggest difference between last year and this year is engine management,” said Yoda-san, who has already seen Tom Sykes win a race on a DBW-equipped Ninja ZX-10R in 2012 and finish on the podium six times. Six pole positions can also be added to the haul of measurable and increasing success for Kawasaki’s DBW ‘screamer’.
“Basically, the DBW concept is a big help for the racing four-cylinders,” continued Yoda. “Normally they have good power but it is difficult to get the best power delivery from zero throttle to maybe 40-50% throttle. In this area the four-cylinder is a bit aggressive, and there is also some delay in response. So from throttle to rear tyre the linearity is a little bit less than others - the vee-four engine and the vee-twin engine. With this DBW system, it helps in this area. Kawasaki did not have this last year. So DBW and Engine Management systems help a lot. Honda started at the end of last year, Suzuki now also, BMW already has it - and all these four cylinder machines go forward. So, it looks like together they realise that what we can do, they can do, and vice-versa.”
The good news for fans of the Kawasaki Racing Team is that there is still more to come from the official Kawasaki entry. “Even if we put out more power the DBW system can manage it,” said Yoda. “It can make things more friendly to the rider and more easy to ride, so it looks like with the in-line fours, the current package, we can increase the power. That means we can still be better in the future. Our bike is a year-and-a-half old but it still has more potential.”
Another part of the reason for Kawasaki’s recent improvements in SBK is the experience of some of the personnel involved, and a more direct path back to the home factory – KHI – in Japan. “I think there is a lot of knowledge from MotoGP in this paddock now, in our teams and others. As far as the software for the engine management and DBW is concerned, KHI makes the software back in Japan, from MotoGP experience. We found some good hardware when we worked in MotoGP, so we brought the complete package over here. We have basically the same number of sensors on the Superbike too. We have DBW but ours is a bit different from the others, I imagine. We also found this out in MotoGP.”
It is a two-way street back to Japan of course, as what is learned in the racing world also helps with street machine development back home.
“The factory effort from Kawasaki has increased and also with these kinds of good results the factory has more interest. When I go back to Japan I feel they have more interest. They watch the results and they like to use this kind of direction for the next model. Kawasaki aim to continuously develop the Ninja ZX-10R and we will use SBK to do this. Our new models will benefit directly from our race inputs. The current technology we are using means our production engineers have a lot of interest. So they would like to pick up some answers for the next model.”
One clear unique joint effort in the design of the latest Ninja ZX-10R is the rear suspension and swingarm set-up, called the Horizontal Back Link. In racing, it helps in a few ways. “In the sessions we do not change the shock often, but it is an advantage to be able to do it so quickly. This shock location came from the production idea, so it is not so much for the racing. But it also looks like this layout has some benefits for racing at the moment.”
As Superbike is a production-derived category, albeit a silhouette class most of all, the bike you start off with has a lot to do with ultimate track success, as Yoda explains. “We design the bike to be as good as it can without the electronics, and have as much power as possible. We are always looking for maximum power. In KHI full racing engineers are not so many, around seven or eight, and with Akira Technology, our engine partner, maybe three or four. But KHI is a very big company and we have many connections to other departments. We have a good connection to the overall R&D centre. So if we have some issue, we can put it on the table and we can discuss together. The main engineer numbers are small, but the group is big; big enough.”
The other key to success in modern SBK racing is co-operation with partners, other technical collaborators who help each other and learn from each other. In this, Kawasaki also believes it has made good technical agreements. “Our suspension partner Showa has quite an involvement. Other brands are a little bit less involved for each team because they have a lot of customers in the SBK paddock, but Showa only has Kawasaki. Showa wants to produce better equipment so they put in a lot of energy to progress their products. So they progress quite quickly. This is also our advantage. For the engine, Akira Technology and Kawasaki have a good relationship. Regular maintenance is done by Akira, and other things on the engine side. We also get great product development from our other partners, like LeoVince and MRA, plus Brembo and many others.”
In summary, given the performance of the straight fours and with Kawasaki one of the shining examples, we can say hello again to the latest engine concept to make a real push for the title in SBK racing. The reborn inline transverse four-cylinder. In the showrooms, and on the podiums again, near you.
One of my fav tracks this weekend Carn " Casey
Racing Numbers: Mugello
Thursday, 12 July 2012
As the MotoGP™ grid heads into its final weekend of the triple-header at Mugello at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM, motogp.com brings you some facts and figures about the event.
63 – Dani Pedrosa’s win in Germany was the 63rd time he has stood on the podium in the MotoGP class. This is just one premier-class podium less than achieved by three times 500cc world champions Wayne Rainey during his GP career.
59 – Following his sixth place finish in Germany, Zulfahmi Khairuddin has scored 59 points so far in 2012, which is already the greatest number of points achieved by a Malaysian rider in a single season of Grand Prix racing; a record previously held by Shahrol Yuzy who scored 58 points in the 250cc class in 2002.
28 – Ben Spies celebrated his 28th birthday on the Wednesday before the Italian Grand Prix and Yuki Takahashi’s 28th birthday is on the Thursday.
22 – Casey Stoner’s crash in Germany resulted in him not finishing a race for the first time since the Spanish GP last year, since when he had finished in the top four at twenty-two successive races.
20 – Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa have both qualified on pole on 20 occasions in the MotoGP class, jointly holding the record for most premier-class poles by a Spanish rider.
16 – At least one Italian rider has stood on the podium in the premier-class GP race at Mugello for the last sixteen years. The last premier-class podium at Mugello without at least one Italian rider was 1995.
16 – Dani Pedrosa’s win at the Sachsenring was his 16th in the MotoGP class. This is one win more in the premier-class than fellow Spanish rider Alex Crivillé. Jorge Lorenzo, with 21 MotoGP wins, is the only Spanish rider with more premier-class GP victories than Pedrosa.
14.996 seconds – Dani Pedrosa’s winning margin at the German GP was the second largest of the four-stroke MotoGP era in dry weather conditions. The only race that has a larger winning margin was the Czech GP at Brno in 2008, when Valentino Rossi won from Toni Elias with a margin of 15.004 seconds.
5 – Five riders in the MotoGP class have scored at every one of the opening eight races of the year: Dani Pedrosa, Cal Crutchlow, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Hector Barberá.
3 – At the German GP, Andrea Dovizioso finished on the podium for the third time in 2012. The last rider from a satellite team to have three podium finishes in a season was Marco Melandri in 2007.
Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez to race together in Repsol Honda Team
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Honda Racing Corporation is pleased to officially announce Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez as the two factory Honda riders for 2013 and 2014.
Pedrosa, who currently lies 2nd in the World Championship as the season reaches the halfway point, will extend his contract with Honda with whom he has raced with his debut in the World Championship in 2001. Dani is a three time World Champion (2003 in 125cc, 2004 and 2005 in 250cc) and made his debut in MotoGP in 2006, claiming the Rookie of the Year title and fifth position in the Championship. He has been runner up twice and has also finished third in the premier class on two occasions. After celebrating his maiden win of the 2012 season last weekend in Germany, Dani has shown he is certainly one of the contenders for the title in the premier class this year.
Marc Márquez, born on 17th of February 1993, will make his debut in MotoGP with the Honda factory team at just 20 years old. Already recognised as one of the biggest young talents in the World Championship, Marc has signed for two years with HRC. He was 125cc World Champion in 2010, runner up on his debut year in Moto2 class and is currently leading the Moto2 World Championship by 43 points.
Dani Pedrosa
"I'm very happy to be able to announce my renewal with the Repsol Honda Team for the next two years. It's been a very long relationship with Honda and I had a strong desire to stay here. The fight for the Championship this year is still open and the next two seasons will be very interesting for me. My whole career has been linked to Honda, since I entered into the World Championship in 125cc, then in 250cc and since 2006 in MotoGP. I'm perhaps one of the riders with the longest history with Honda, which makes me feel very proud. I want to thank HRC once again for their support; I'm sure that we have great things to do together.”
Marc Márquez
“To reach MotoGP next season with Repsol Honda is a dream come true and I want to thank HRC for their confidence in me. I am very proud to be a part of the big Honda family for the future and I don’t want to forget all the people have helped me since I began to ride motorbikes. Now my focus is on Moto2 where my team and I are working very hard and we are excited to achieve our goal, which is to win the World Championship in 2012.”
Shuhei Nakamoto - HRC Executive Vice President
"We are very pleased to renew our contract with Dani and welcome Marc to the Repsol Honda Team. Dani is enjoying a very strong season and currently fighting with Casey and Lorenzo for the Championship, we are very pleased with his performance. Marc has already proved how fast he is in 125cc and Moto2, and we believe that, giving him the right time to adapt to the new class, he will also be able to show this in MotoGP in the future.”
Press release courtesy of Honda Racing Corporation.
Ducati Team extra motivated ahead of Mugello race
Thursday, 12 July 2012
The Ducati Team has travelled from Germany back home to Mugello, where the Italian Grand Prix—the ninth of eighteen rounds on the calendar—will take place on Sunday.
The circuit that twists through the Tuscan hills north of Florence is one of Valentino Rossi’s favourites, and the Italian has no fewer than nine wins there across all classes. Nicky Hayden, who made the Mugello podium in 2006, is also fond of the circuit. At the Sachsenring, both riders made some promising adjustments to the setups of their GP12s, and now they hope to also confirm the effectiveness at of those changes at the fast Italian circuit.
Valentino Rossi
"Last Sunday at the Sachsenring, we used a setup that enabled us to be more consistent and to stress the rear tyre a bit less so that we still had a decent pace at the end of the race. It was our best result of the year so far in the dry, so now we’ll start from that base in an effort to improve at Mugello. It’s the Italian Grand Prix, so everyone, including myself, must make an extra effort to do well in our home race. It’s one of the nicest tracks in the world, in terms of the layout of the circuit, the atmosphere and all the fans that come to watch us and support us. We really have to try to do our best."
Nicky Hayden
"Although I still have a bitter taste in my mouth about last week’s race, I’m very much looking forward to Mugello. It’s one of the best tracks and races of the whole year, especially being there on a Ducati. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of support, and it’s a pretty busy weekend, but it’s a race and an event that I enjoy. It’s certainly not an easy track, as it’s very technical and you’ve really got to be on your marks there. It will be one of the tracks where we really get to open up the 1000s, and I’m expecting some pretty high top speeds. It hasn’t been an easy track for me with Ducati, but I like it a lot. We need to try to put the whole weekend together and do a good result on Sunday, when it really counts."
Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager
"Racing at home, at the end of a stretch of three races in a row, is truly a big responsibility for both the team and the riders, but at the same time, it gives us extra motivation. There’s a big difference between a short, narrow track like the Sachsenring, and one that’s old-style, with long straightaways and big, fast corners like Mugello, but we must manage to find the positive aspects of the setup that we identified in Germany. In this way, we can make it possible for Vale and Nicky to do their best, and also to enjoy themselves in a race that means a lot to both of them."
Press release courtesy of Ducati Team.
Racing Numbers: Mugello
Thursday, 12 July 2012
As the MotoGP™ grid heads into its final weekend of the triple-header at Mugello at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM, motogp.com brings you some facts and figures about the event.
63 – Dani Pedrosa’s win in Germany was the 63rd time he has stood on the podium in the MotoGP class. This is just one premier-class podium less than achieved by three times 500cc world champions Wayne Rainey during his GP career.
59 – Following his sixth place finish in Germany, Zulfahmi Khairuddin has scored 59 points so far in 2012, which is already the greatest number of points achieved by a Malaysian rider in a single season of Grand Prix racing; a record previously held by Shahrol Yuzy who scored 58 points in the 250cc class in 2002.
28 – Ben Spies celebrated his 28th birthday on the Wednesday before the Italian Grand Prix and Yuki Takahashi’s 28th birthday is on the Thursday.
22 – Casey Stoner’s crash in Germany resulted in him not finishing a race for the first time since the Spanish GP last year, since when he had finished in the top four at twenty-two successive races.
20 – Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa have both qualified on pole on 20 occasions in the MotoGP class, jointly holding the record for most premier-class poles by a Spanish rider.
16 – At least one Italian rider has stood on the podium in the premier-class GP race at Mugello for the last sixteen years. The last premier-class podium at Mugello without at least one Italian rider was 1995.
16 – Dani Pedrosa’s win at the Sachsenring was his 16th in the MotoGP class. This is one win more in the premier-class than fellow Spanish rider Alex Crivillé. Jorge Lorenzo, with 21 MotoGP wins, is the only Spanish rider with more premier-class GP victories than Pedrosa.
14.996 seconds – Dani Pedrosa’s winning margin at the German GP was the second largest of the four-stroke MotoGP era in dry weather conditions. The only race that has a larger winning margin was the Czech GP at Brno in 2008, when Valentino Rossi won from Toni Elias with a margin of 15.004 seconds.
5 – Five riders in the MotoGP class have scored at every one of the opening eight races of the year: Dani Pedrosa, Cal Crutchlow, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Hector Barberá.
3 – At the German GP, Andrea Dovizioso finished on the podium for the third time in 2012. The last rider from a satellite team to have three podium finishes in a season was Marco Melandri in 2007.
Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez to race together in Repsol Honda Team
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Honda Racing Corporation is pleased to officially announce Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez as the two factory Honda riders for 2013 and 2014.
Pedrosa, who currently lies 2nd in the World Championship as the season reaches the halfway point, will extend his contract with Honda with whom he has raced with his debut in the World Championship in 2001. Dani is a three time World Champion (2003 in 125cc, 2004 and 2005 in 250cc) and made his debut in MotoGP in 2006, claiming the Rookie of the Year title and fifth position in the Championship. He has been runner up twice and has also finished third in the premier class on two occasions. After celebrating his maiden win of the 2012 season last weekend in Germany, Dani has shown he is certainly one of the contenders for the title in the premier class this year.
Marc Márquez, born on 17th of February 1993, will make his debut in MotoGP with the Honda factory team at just 20 years old. Already recognised as one of the biggest young talents in the World Championship, Marc has signed for two years with HRC. He was 125cc World Champion in 2010, runner up on his debut year in Moto2 class and is currently leading the Moto2 World Championship by 43 points.
Dani Pedrosa
"I'm very happy to be able to announce my renewal with the Repsol Honda Team for the next two years. It's been a very long relationship with Honda and I had a strong desire to stay here. The fight for the Championship this year is still open and the next two seasons will be very interesting for me. My whole career has been linked to Honda, since I entered into the World Championship in 125cc, then in 250cc and since 2006 in MotoGP. I'm perhaps one of the riders with the longest history with Honda, which makes me feel very proud. I want to thank HRC once again for their support; I'm sure that we have great things to do together.”
Marc Márquez
“To reach MotoGP next season with Repsol Honda is a dream come true and I want to thank HRC for their confidence in me. I am very proud to be a part of the big Honda family for the future and I don’t want to forget all the people have helped me since I began to ride motorbikes. Now my focus is on Moto2 where my team and I are working very hard and we are excited to achieve our goal, which is to win the World Championship in 2012.”
Shuhei Nakamoto - HRC Executive Vice President
"We are very pleased to renew our contract with Dani and welcome Marc to the Repsol Honda Team. Dani is enjoying a very strong season and currently fighting with Casey and Lorenzo for the Championship, we are very pleased with his performance. Marc has already proved how fast he is in 125cc and Moto2, and we believe that, giving him the right time to adapt to the new class, he will also be able to show this in MotoGP in the future.”
Press release courtesy of Honda Racing Corporation.
Ducati Team extra motivated ahead of Mugello race
Thursday, 12 July 2012
The Ducati Team has travelled from Germany back home to Mugello, where the Italian Grand Prix—the ninth of eighteen rounds on the calendar—will take place on Sunday.
The circuit that twists through the Tuscan hills north of Florence is one of Valentino Rossi’s favourites, and the Italian has no fewer than nine wins there across all classes. Nicky Hayden, who made the Mugello podium in 2006, is also fond of the circuit. At the Sachsenring, both riders made some promising adjustments to the setups of their GP12s, and now they hope to also confirm the effectiveness at of those changes at the fast Italian circuit.
Valentino Rossi
"Last Sunday at the Sachsenring, we used a setup that enabled us to be more consistent and to stress the rear tyre a bit less so that we still had a decent pace at the end of the race. It was our best result of the year so far in the dry, so now we’ll start from that base in an effort to improve at Mugello. It’s the Italian Grand Prix, so everyone, including myself, must make an extra effort to do well in our home race. It’s one of the nicest tracks in the world, in terms of the layout of the circuit, the atmosphere and all the fans that come to watch us and support us. We really have to try to do our best."
Nicky Hayden
"Although I still have a bitter taste in my mouth about last week’s race, I’m very much looking forward to Mugello. It’s one of the best tracks and races of the whole year, especially being there on a Ducati. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of support, and it’s a pretty busy weekend, but it’s a race and an event that I enjoy. It’s certainly not an easy track, as it’s very technical and you’ve really got to be on your marks there. It will be one of the tracks where we really get to open up the 1000s, and I’m expecting some pretty high top speeds. It hasn’t been an easy track for me with Ducati, but I like it a lot. We need to try to put the whole weekend together and do a good result on Sunday, when it really counts."
Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager
"Racing at home, at the end of a stretch of three races in a row, is truly a big responsibility for both the team and the riders, but at the same time, it gives us extra motivation. There’s a big difference between a short, narrow track like the Sachsenring, and one that’s old-style, with long straightaways and big, fast corners like Mugello, but we must manage to find the positive aspects of the setup that we identified in Germany. In this way, we can make it possible for Vale and Nicky to do their best, and also to enjoy themselves in a race that means a lot to both of them."
Press release courtesy of Ducati Team.
Lorenzo extends championship lead with convincing win at Mugello
Sunday, 15 July 2012
In a hard-fought MotoGP™ race at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM at Mugello it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo who stormed to a dominant victory ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso.
Repsol Honda Team’s Pedrosa led into turn one, however Lorenzo got past into the lead within a few bends, as the grid diced for positions in the early stages. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso also pushed past Pedrosa, as Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl fought for fourth. Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner, the only rider to use the special construction rear hard tyre, did not have a great start, and had to fight his way past Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá to make up positions. Meanwhile San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro was black flagged due to a cutting the track as he was heading back into pit lane with a technical issue.
Two laps on, Pedrosa was all over the back of Dovizioso, as Lorenzo started to pull out a small gap at the front. Ducati’s Valentino Rossi had fought his way up to seventh, much to the delight of the home crowd, yet was having no easy ride, as Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow was looking for a way past on his satellite Yamaha. With 15 laps remaining Stoner’s tyres had come up to temperature, and the Australian managed to push his way past Hayden into fifth. A lap later Bradl put in a brave move on Dovizioso in turn one to slot into third. This was followed up by big drama as Stoner ran off track into the gravel, managing to keep the bike upright and re-joining in tenth.
Avintia Blusens’ Yonny Hernandez meanwhile crashed out of 18th place, but managed to walk away unhurt. NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards also had his race cut short as he retired with a mechanical issue. With eight laps remaining the grid had spread out, yet Crutchlow was still dicing with Rossi. A lap later Stoner had caught up to the back of San Carlo’s Álvaro Bautista, and put in an aggressive move, pushing the Spaniard wide and moving up into ninth. The final three laps promised further excitement as Dovizioso went past Bradl on the brakes into third, while Hayden, and the pursuing duo of Rossi and Crutchlow closed in on the podium battle. In the final lap Hayden made his way past Bradl, who fought back with a hard move, which pushed the American wide. This let Rossi through into fifth, with Crutchlow also taking advantage to nip into sixth.
Yet ultimately it was Lorenzo who took the chequered flag for his second successive victory at the track in front of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, who recoded his fourth podium of the season. Bradl was however one of the happiest riders, as he recorded his best ever finish in the premier class. Fifth spot went to Rossi, followed by Crutchlow, Hayden, Stoner, Barberá, Bautista and Yamaha’s Ben Spies, who was suffering from food poisoning. Top CRT spot went to De Puniet in 12th. Lorenzo now has a 19-point gap at the top of the championship ahead of Pedrosa and 37 ahead of Stoner.
Podium for Pedrosa, difficult 8th for Stoner
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa took an important second position in the Grand Prix of Italy, but teammate Casey Stoner could only manage 8th in a warm race at Mugello circuit.
Pedrosa made a good start but was unable to hold off Lorenzo who led every lap from of the race, Dani - who set a new fastest race lap (1'47.705 on lap 10) kept within reach of the leader but in the end found himself in a race alone, after Lorenzo opened up a gap of 5 seconds and Dovizioso was a further 5 seconds behind.
Stoner, starting from 5th on the grid, lost a few spots on the first corner but gradually made his way up to 5th by lap 9. Then a mistake on lap 10 saw him run on at the 'Correntaio' turn, which dropped him down to 10th but he fought back to pass Barberá and Bautista to finish 8th.
Dani Pedrosa
"I braked late at the first corner but I missed something and Jorge was already there. Then a few corners later I was surprised by Dovizioso, he passed me also and it took a few laps for me to make the overtake on him as he was very strong in the first corner so I had to pass him in another part of the circuit. By this point Jorge had already opened up a small gap but I tried to get back in my rhythm and I started to lap in the 1'47's. When I started to drop into these times though, my tyre began to spin a lot in the rear and I got some chatter so I was worried for the tyre. At this point I decided to slow down a little because to catch Jorge meant laps in 1'47's. He was riding very strong so I have to congratulate him, finally for me a second place is a good result overall and I want to thank all the team for their hard work this weekend."
Casey Stoner
"It's definitely not the way we planned it, we thought today we could be fighting for the podium and maybe have the pace to stay with Dani. Jorge has ridden fantastically all weekend and hasn't really put a foot wrong but I think a third position would have been good today. However, we just couldn't get the bike working. During our last attempts in warm up we couldn't get anything to work, we weren't very happy with the bike today and I just didn't feel comfortable. I made a mistake in the race, I had a bit of a shake exiting turn 11 and when I arrived at turn 12 I had no brakes, I was squeezing them as hard as I could and thought I had enough brake power to stop before the edge of the track but I had too much momentum and had to ride through the gravel trap which wasted a lot of time. I'm sorry for the incident with Álvaro, I went to make the pass into turn 2 and he started to close my front off and I couldn't do anything."
Press release courtesy of Repsol Honda Team
Sunday, 15 July 2012
In a hard-fought MotoGP™ race at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM at Mugello it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo who stormed to a dominant victory ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso.
Repsol Honda Team’s Pedrosa led into turn one, however Lorenzo got past into the lead within a few bends, as the grid diced for positions in the early stages. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso also pushed past Pedrosa, as Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl fought for fourth. Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner, the only rider to use the special construction rear hard tyre, did not have a great start, and had to fight his way past Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá to make up positions. Meanwhile San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Michele Pirro was black flagged due to a cutting the track as he was heading back into pit lane with a technical issue.
Two laps on, Pedrosa was all over the back of Dovizioso, as Lorenzo started to pull out a small gap at the front. Ducati’s Valentino Rossi had fought his way up to seventh, much to the delight of the home crowd, yet was having no easy ride, as Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow was looking for a way past on his satellite Yamaha. With 15 laps remaining Stoner’s tyres had come up to temperature, and the Australian managed to push his way past Hayden into fifth. A lap later Bradl put in a brave move on Dovizioso in turn one to slot into third. This was followed up by big drama as Stoner ran off track into the gravel, managing to keep the bike upright and re-joining in tenth.
Avintia Blusens’ Yonny Hernandez meanwhile crashed out of 18th place, but managed to walk away unhurt. NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards also had his race cut short as he retired with a mechanical issue. With eight laps remaining the grid had spread out, yet Crutchlow was still dicing with Rossi. A lap later Stoner had caught up to the back of San Carlo’s Álvaro Bautista, and put in an aggressive move, pushing the Spaniard wide and moving up into ninth. The final three laps promised further excitement as Dovizioso went past Bradl on the brakes into third, while Hayden, and the pursuing duo of Rossi and Crutchlow closed in on the podium battle. In the final lap Hayden made his way past Bradl, who fought back with a hard move, which pushed the American wide. This let Rossi through into fifth, with Crutchlow also taking advantage to nip into sixth.
Yet ultimately it was Lorenzo who took the chequered flag for his second successive victory at the track in front of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, who recoded his fourth podium of the season. Bradl was however one of the happiest riders, as he recorded his best ever finish in the premier class. Fifth spot went to Rossi, followed by Crutchlow, Hayden, Stoner, Barberá, Bautista and Yamaha’s Ben Spies, who was suffering from food poisoning. Top CRT spot went to De Puniet in 12th. Lorenzo now has a 19-point gap at the top of the championship ahead of Pedrosa and 37 ahead of Stoner.
Podium for Pedrosa, difficult 8th for Stoner
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa took an important second position in the Grand Prix of Italy, but teammate Casey Stoner could only manage 8th in a warm race at Mugello circuit.
Pedrosa made a good start but was unable to hold off Lorenzo who led every lap from of the race, Dani - who set a new fastest race lap (1'47.705 on lap 10) kept within reach of the leader but in the end found himself in a race alone, after Lorenzo opened up a gap of 5 seconds and Dovizioso was a further 5 seconds behind.
Stoner, starting from 5th on the grid, lost a few spots on the first corner but gradually made his way up to 5th by lap 9. Then a mistake on lap 10 saw him run on at the 'Correntaio' turn, which dropped him down to 10th but he fought back to pass Barberá and Bautista to finish 8th.
Dani Pedrosa
"I braked late at the first corner but I missed something and Jorge was already there. Then a few corners later I was surprised by Dovizioso, he passed me also and it took a few laps for me to make the overtake on him as he was very strong in the first corner so I had to pass him in another part of the circuit. By this point Jorge had already opened up a small gap but I tried to get back in my rhythm and I started to lap in the 1'47's. When I started to drop into these times though, my tyre began to spin a lot in the rear and I got some chatter so I was worried for the tyre. At this point I decided to slow down a little because to catch Jorge meant laps in 1'47's. He was riding very strong so I have to congratulate him, finally for me a second place is a good result overall and I want to thank all the team for their hard work this weekend."
Casey Stoner
"It's definitely not the way we planned it, we thought today we could be fighting for the podium and maybe have the pace to stay with Dani. Jorge has ridden fantastically all weekend and hasn't really put a foot wrong but I think a third position would have been good today. However, we just couldn't get the bike working. During our last attempts in warm up we couldn't get anything to work, we weren't very happy with the bike today and I just didn't feel comfortable. I made a mistake in the race, I had a bit of a shake exiting turn 11 and when I arrived at turn 12 I had no brakes, I was squeezing them as hard as I could and thought I had enough brake power to stop before the edge of the track but I had too much momentum and had to ride through the gravel trap which wasted a lot of time. I'm sorry for the incident with Álvaro, I went to make the pass into turn 2 and he started to close my front off and I couldn't do anything."
Press release courtesy of Repsol Honda Team
Ducati to use new engine at Laguna Seca
Preziosi: "New Ducati engine for Laguna"
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Following its home-race at Mugello last weekend, the Ducati team is currently in an important test period, where it will decide which parts to use in its new engine, which will be sealed just before the Laguna Seca race in under two weeks time.
Filippo Preziosi, General & Technical Director of Ducati Corse, spoke with motogp.com after the official MotoGP™ test at Mugello on Monday, after which the team would be staying for a further three days at the Tuscan circuit with its test team. The work to be carried out across the four days is extensive. Preziosi commented: "Now we are working on both the chassis and engine driveability. The problem is really huge. Last weekend was a step, but we know we have to work very hard to improve."
As announced earlier in the season, the race in Laguna Seca will see Ducati start using its number four engine, which is to be sealed before the race. This gives the Italian outfit the chance to use some of the tested items for the race. Preziosi outlined the plan: "In Laguna we will seal engine number four as planned. Engine number four is ready to use some additional parts we are developing. Some parts could be delivered directly to Laguna, and some other parts will be delivered in the following races. This depends on the final result, and only when we are sure that these parts give us an improvement in terms of performance."
The test did not start particularly well on Monday, with rider Valentino Rossi suffering an ECU failure, yet Nicky Hayden was able to put in some good laps and gave some good feedback. Preziosi was however pleased with both the riders’ and the team’s showing: "Monday was a half test with Valentino because unfortunately we had a hardware problem. So for safety reasons we stopped his test. So we got only half the information we need. It was a good test for Nicky, because we tested a lot of interesting things. At the end he was quite happy. To be honest, Nicky was good all weekend. Valentino did a wonderful race, starting unfortunately far back, but the pace was really good. Overall it was a nice weekend."
Apart from the items that could be introduced at the Laguna Seca round, Ducati is also working on further development in the four-day test, which Preziosi says will be made available for the next available testing slot. He did however remain tight-lipped on what the possible upgrades were: "Now we have to finish the test and try some new things. We will offer them to our riders in the next test they will do in August…but it’s a secret."
Preziosi: "New Ducati engine for Laguna"
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Following its home-race at Mugello last weekend, the Ducati team is currently in an important test period, where it will decide which parts to use in its new engine, which will be sealed just before the Laguna Seca race in under two weeks time.
Filippo Preziosi, General & Technical Director of Ducati Corse, spoke with motogp.com after the official MotoGP™ test at Mugello on Monday, after which the team would be staying for a further three days at the Tuscan circuit with its test team. The work to be carried out across the four days is extensive. Preziosi commented: "Now we are working on both the chassis and engine driveability. The problem is really huge. Last weekend was a step, but we know we have to work very hard to improve."
As announced earlier in the season, the race in Laguna Seca will see Ducati start using its number four engine, which is to be sealed before the race. This gives the Italian outfit the chance to use some of the tested items for the race. Preziosi outlined the plan: "In Laguna we will seal engine number four as planned. Engine number four is ready to use some additional parts we are developing. Some parts could be delivered directly to Laguna, and some other parts will be delivered in the following races. This depends on the final result, and only when we are sure that these parts give us an improvement in terms of performance."
The test did not start particularly well on Monday, with rider Valentino Rossi suffering an ECU failure, yet Nicky Hayden was able to put in some good laps and gave some good feedback. Preziosi was however pleased with both the riders’ and the team’s showing: "Monday was a half test with Valentino because unfortunately we had a hardware problem. So for safety reasons we stopped his test. So we got only half the information we need. It was a good test for Nicky, because we tested a lot of interesting things. At the end he was quite happy. To be honest, Nicky was good all weekend. Valentino did a wonderful race, starting unfortunately far back, but the pace was really good. Overall it was a nice weekend."
Apart from the items that could be introduced at the Laguna Seca round, Ducati is also working on further development in the four-day test, which Preziosi says will be made available for the next available testing slot. He did however remain tight-lipped on what the possible upgrades were: "Now we have to finish the test and try some new things. We will offer them to our riders in the next test they will do in August…but it’s a secret."
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