Two Wheels

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WSBK »
WSBK Thailand: Sykes bites back as Rea runs ragged
13 March 2016

Tom Sykes produces a masterful display of defensive riding against a ragged Jonathan Rea to prevail in a thrilling second WSBK race in Thailand.
image: http://media.crash.net/original/PA1862310.0008.jpg

WSBK Thailand: Sykes bites back as Rea runs ragged

CLICK HERE for WSBK Race Results (2) from Buriram, Thailand

Tom Sykes kept his cool in the humidity of Buriram to take an exhilarating first World Superbike Championship win of the year after team-mate Jonathan Rea fluffed his chances in an unusually ragged performance by the defending champion.

Having finished runner-up to Rea in race one despite leading for much of the opening race, the second encounter appeared destined to follow a similar plot as a superb start from third saw him grab the hole-shot before proceeding to resist his close-following team-mate thereafter.

Setting a fierce pace but taking Rea with him, of the two it was the Ulsterman that appeared the more comfortable on the Kawasaki ZX-10R, Sykes' robust defending appearing fairly futile against a team-mate seemingly biding his time.

However, with Sykes seemingly distracted by Rea's overbearing presence behind him, lap times would begin to suffer as a result, allowing an inspired Chaz Davies and Michael van der Mark – who had been more than two seconds adrift at one stage – to haul themselves back into contention, though the latter pole sitter would eliminate himself from the victory battle when he ran wide at turn three and slipped back into what would become a lonely fourth.

Sensing pressure from behind, Rea used the moment to put plans into action with a firm move for the lead into turn eight on lap 14. A pass with savvy timing, it left his team-mate now having to contend with the fast approaching Ducati.

However, while a Rea 'stalk-to-pounce' method to victory has proven fruitful for the defending champion over the past twelve months, a rather ragged weekend thus far – which saw make more than one error in race one – would reoccur in race two, beginning with him running wide at the tricky turn three hairpin, allowing Sykes and also Davies through.

Unleashing Sykes back into the lead, Rea quickly gathered himself together to regain second place from Davies – now wilting somewhat after his earlier charge – and set about trying to recover the lead from his stubborn team-mate.

However, Rea would come up against some robust defending from the 2013 champion, Sykes proving solid on the brakes and fairly 'bold' with his lines to prevent Rea from getting a clean run on him.

Building to a crescendo over the final two laps, Rea struck into the fast turn four left-hander on the penultimate revolution, but Sykes would come straight back him. Rea then attempted the same at turn five but again Sykes would grab it back on the undercut.

With one lap remaining, Rea attempted the same pass, but while he made it stick initially in what appeared to be a conclusive move at the death, he would proceed to run wide at the next corner and allow Sykes back through yet again.

With limited opportunities over the remainder of the lap to make another bid, a rather aggressive sweep by Sykes on the exit of turn seven across the bow of Rea would subsequently prove unsettling enough to prevent him from attempting a pass into turn eight.

With Sykes keeping it neat around the final corners, he surged across the line for arguably one of the more satisfying wins of his career over his arch rival, victory marking his first since Jerez 2015.

With Rea clinging onto second place, a result that still sees him extend his already healthy championship lead, Davies crossed the line third, an impressive bounce back having finished 17secs down on the leaders in race one.

Having shown such impressive pace throughout the weekend, van der Mark will be frustrated to end his weekend with a fourth place finish, though Honda team-mate Nicky Hayden will take pleasure from a fine fifth place on his Thai debut.

Behind them, Sylvain Guintoli kept the points ticking over for Yamaha in a solid sixth, going some way to making up for team-mate Alex Lowes, who saw his race ended by technical issues.

Markus Reiterberger prevailed in the battle of the Althea BMWs once more after passing Jordi Torres for seventh on the final lap, while Lorenzo Savadori notched up another top ten finish on the Ioda Aprilia, ahead of a disappointing Davide Giugliano, who slipped back early on and never recovered.

Leon Camier turned in another points' finish in 11th for MV Agusta, ahead of the ever-consistent Roman Ramos, Matteo Baiocco and Alex de Angelis – who was running inside the top ten when he ran off track late on -, while Karel Abraham beat Milwaukee BMW team-mate Josh Brookes to the final point.


by Ollie Barstow

Read more at Sykes bites back as Rea runs ragged | WSBK Race Report

 

[ESABATM]

 

[wino]

I dont know ? are you referring to the spoiler bud ?

and we need to hook you up to live stream the bikes so you know what your next ride will be. Also to get you to watch the awesome racing that is going on atm. MotoGP this weekend hope you can find the time to watch it. I think it's going to be naughty.

 

[wino]

MotoGP »
Qatar MotoGP Test: Crutchlow talks electronics, Redding, Marquez
9 March 2016

“We are so far away from Ducati electronics-wise at the moment, that to be doing what we're doing is not bad”
image: http://media.crash.net/original/PA1858107.0008.jpg

Qatar MotoGP Test: Crutchlow talks electronics, Redding, Marquez

LCR's Cal Crutchlow finished MotoGP pre-season testing holding seventh on the timesheets in Qatar, 0.782s behind Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo but only 0.190s from the fastest Honda of Marc Marquez.

In typical no-nonsense fashion, the Englishman - who also suffered a painful Friday fall - gave his opinion on three of the main talking points for Honda heading into the new season at Losail on March 17-20.

Electronics:
“The electronics were a lot better in the first two days, and now [on the final night] we've found some problems. But it's good, because now they've got another week to look through it.

“We are so far away from Ducati electronics-wise at the moment, that to be doing what we're doing is not too bad. Because still, on all the straights, we're having the traction control coming on, because the parameters are wrong, or something like that. And that's in a straight line, or from corner to corner. So we still haven't got that right yet. We will, but it takes time. It takes a lot of time.

“From what they've done from Sepang and Phillip Island is a good step. But there's still another good chunk they could do, there's no doubt about that.

“The bike is very physical to ride, same as last year. Maybe even worse than last year, when we wanted it to be easier. We fight a lot with the bike still. We know Qatar is special, and it's not been the greatest for Honda over the years. So maybe at some other circuits it might be a little bit better.”

Former Honda rider Redding second fastest for Ducati:
“The problem is our reference at the moment, and Honda's reference, is Scott Redding. He was doing 1m 57s and 1m 58s last year in the race on a Honda, and he's now doing 1m 55s. And not to take anything away from Scott, because he's doing a fantastic job and he's riding really really well, but he's not better than Marc Márquez. That has to be the reality we have at the moment.

“[Redding's] flying, and we can give him some tenths for motivation from changing teams, but you don't give him the whole lot. He's riding fantastic, but there has to be something you can show to Honda. He didn't suddenly just become probably the fastest rider over this test overnight. It's because he's changed manufacturers.

“I'm more positive and looking forward to the race weekend than I was yesterday or the day before. But it's going to be a slog. But we know Honda are working, and honestly, they're listening, which is the main thing. And they're listening to me, which is another good thing. And that's why I like Honda.

“I could have left at the end of last year, but I know they are listening to me. I'm not stupid, I know I'm a satellite rider, I don't get a shout on anything, but they are trying their best at the moment.”

Marquez happier after final night of testing:
“The thing is, Marc followed Jorge and could stay with him, that's the only reason why he's happy. It's as simple as that. There's nothing different, there's nothing changed. Sure, they've worked on the setting, same as what we did.

“But Marc stuck on the arse of Jorge, which was a bit rude, but so what? That's the way it is. If I was Jorge I would have pulled over and let him go, whatever. But because he sat there and was OK with it - if Jorge is going to win the race, Marc knows he can stay with him at the minute.

“That's the reason why he's more positive, I'm sure. But if he hadn't have done that long run, with Jorge, maybe he wouldn't be in the same frame of mind. He knows he can be competitive now. Marc's a winner, he wants to win, and he probably has the feeling he has the opportunity to win, or at least he's closer.”

Read more at Crutchlow talks electronics, Redding, Marquez | MotoGP News

 

[wino]

Ryder Notes: Things Could Get Weird, People
by julian ryder on the ground in qatar
Wednesday, March 16, 2016

So, the first press conference of the season, the first time Rossi and Marquez have been in the same room since you know what .... The incident that we dare not speak its name was diplomatically avoided by all concerned, ie Valentino and Marc. Were they respecting the new FIM/Dorna edict that no-one must make statements prejudicial to the sport? Well, as none of the riders present knew anything about the changes in disciplinary procedure or the penalty point system apparently not. On behalf of his riders, Lin Jarvis told me that the meeting is tomorrow...


There were a couple of coded references to each other, delivered in a controlled manner in a good tempered event. After all, both men had resumed hostilities with newspaper interviews last week, repeating the old accusations. This time, Rossi, flattered by a comparison with the Senna-Prost battles in Formula 1, smiled sweetly and said 'nothing special will happen.' Marquez, trying hard to smile, noted that 'I have twenty opponents in MotoGP.' Both comments translate roughly from Racer Speak to mean "He is nothing to me."

It is worth noting that the pair did not interact at all.

Unusually, Valentino turned up first and waited til Maverick Vinales and Andrea Iannone arrived before taking his seat. Pedrosa arrived next with Marc, who immediately started chatting to Iannone to avoid acknowledging the bloke on on his other side. As befits the champion, Jorge Lorenzo arrived fashionably late.

Away from the bad blood, there was general agreement on the profound changes that we will only start to understand when racing begins. The Michelins will not tolerate the sort of early-lap pressure the Bridgestones did, thus tactics and riding styles will have to change. The electronics—"A little bit more basic", Valentino Rossi—will also make life very different—"Much more difficult to control, especially with the throttle", Jorge Lorenzo.

Interestingly, both Repsol Honda riders agreed that they are on the back foot compared to the opposition. Marquez noticed that a bad weekend previously meant finishing fourth of fifth, this year it could easily mean seventh or eighth. Andrea Iannone said the situation reminds him of the first Moto2 race, which he was in here at Qatar, when the unheralded Shoya Tomizawa won. Remember the first ever MotoGP race? That had a wild card on the rostrum, on a Suzuki fitted with Dunlops. I'm not saying things could get that weird, but we can expect a few random events as the factories amass the data they need to impose order—probably after the first test, which happens post-Jerez.

I'm not saying we're going to get something as heroically random as that, but the Suzuki's (well, Maverick) and satellite Ducatis look primed for good results. And the riders? Well by tomorrow they'll probably know the rule changes. When asked about the organisers' intention to stifle anyone saying something deemed prejudicial to the sport, the same bunch broadly agreed.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you never let the people who play a sport write the rules.

ENDS

Buy Julian Ryder's 2015 MotoGP Season Review Here.
Eight-page reports of each MotoGP race, complete with full statistics and lap-chart graphics.

 

[wino]

 

[wino]

Qatar MotoGP Quote Machine: First Day In The Desert
by staff
Thursday, March 17, 2016 These just in:
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP START FIRST QATAR FP SESSION WITH PERFECT 1-2
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP took its first strides towards the 2016 MotoGP title challenge today at the start of the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar. Riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi made their intentions for the new season clear in the first free practice session of the season under the scenic floodlights at the Losail International Circuit, securing first and second place respectively.

Losail, Qatar - 17/03/2016
FREE PRACTICE
19:55 LOCAL TIME GMT+3 AIR 22°C / TRACK 23°C NIGHT CLEAR / HUMIDITY 47%
1st
JORGE LORENZO
1:55.440 / 15 LAPS

2nd
VALENTINO ROSSI
1:55.707 / 17 LAPS

Losail (Qatar), 17th March 2016
After positively concluding pre-season testing a fortnight ago, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team's Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi returned to the Losail International Circuit today to officially start the 2016 MotoGP season. As if the winter stop never happened, the teammates instantly fell back into their old groove and placed their YZR-M1s 1-2 in the ranking order.
Lorenzo felt confident and in a good physical shape after completing pre-season testing and his eagerness to get back into 'racing mode' didn't go unnoticed at this evening's free practice session once he hit the track. Having given the field a 'head start' to be guaranteed some clear space on track, he left his box as the second to last rider and immediately shot to the top of the leader board with his first flying lap. The Majorcan continued to set the bar high, dropping a 1'55.693s, more than 0,6s faster than all his rivals, around the midway stage of the session. As the pace picked up during the end of the session, the reigning World Champion responded almost with ease and wrapped up the proceedings with a best lap of 1'55.440s for the provisional lead in the standings.
Rossi was also not shy in claiming a key protagonist position in the first 45-minute practice session. Similar to his teammate he left his departure from pit lane late, but was quick to turn up the heat as soon as his tyres were warmed up. Fully focused on getting his setting exactly to his liking, he worked on the balance of the YZR-M1 with the new electronics and Michelin tyres and gradually moved up the timesheets. He ended the day with a long stint during which he skillfully made the traffic on the track work to his advantage. climbing up to second position as the session came to an end and finishing 0,267s from the leading time.
As Sunday's race will be held at 21:00 (GMT+3), the format of the race weekend has been changed to enable the riders to be fully prepared for the night event. There will be a second and third free practice session held tomorrow evening.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR

The new MotoGP season is now well and truly underway and we can be very satisfied with the results of today's first free practice session. Whenever we arrive at this track it takes a few sessions to get the initial dust and debris from the desert off the track, but today the conditions and level of grip were OK. Jorge started the season where he left off the previous year and showed his fast and consistent pace throughout the whole session. Vale was also fast right from the get go and his motivation showed in the lap times. Though there are still areas of the setting that we aim to improve on, we will try to sort this out before tomorrow's FP2.
JORGE LORENZO

I had a good start. From the first run I was able to have the best lap time and probably also the best pace, but we still have a margin for improvement both in lap time and pace. We will keep working on the setting and the electronics to improve in some areas for tomorrow. The track will also be better with more grip level tomorrow and the lap times will be faster.
VALENTINO ROSSI

The first practice was positive. I'm quite satisfied, it was a strong way to start the season, because the second position is good and also the lap times are already not so bad. They're in the 1'55s and the pace is quite good. We start working from what we did in the test. This means that we did a good job during pre-season and we begin with a good base, but now we have to keep focus. The condition of the track changes a lot session by session and together with the team we have to deliver good work so we will be ready when the grip becomes better. I'll try to improve the feeling and also try to make the right decision for the tyres.
********
Repsol Honda
Qatar GP gets underway in Losail for Repsol Honda Team
The 2016 MotoGP World Championship officially commenced this evening in Qatar, with a single free-practice session for the premier class. Rain had fallen on-and-off all day Wednesday, but the track was in generally good condition when action got underway at 8:55 p.m. Thursday local time.
At the end of the 45 minute session, Repsol Honda Team riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez were classified seventh and eight respectively, with Dani setting his fastest time of 1'56.098 on his seventh lap and Marc recording a 1'56.258 time on his 15th and final lap.
FP2 and FP3 will commence tomorrow at 6 p.m. and 8:55 p.m. local time, respectively.
Dani Pedrosa
7TH 1'56.098
"Luckily, the track was in good condition and this practice was a useful start for us to gather information, because we started working on the setup we used on the last day of test and then decided to try a big change. We need to work more on this idea and I hope tomorrow we'll be able to build on it. We'll study the data we've gathered very thoroughly in order to improve in the direction we feel could make the bike faster. We'll try to reduce the gap, tenth by tenth, working on power delivery and chassis settings."

Marc Marquez
8TH 1'56.258
"Today the 2016 season started for real. It was not the easiest FP1 I've ridden in, but we tried to improve gradually. The feeling was not very good, but we worked hard and we tried a lot of things out, so now we have to see what has changed between the test and today. We know that in Qatar the track conditions change a lot, so we will try to continue to evolve and get close to the top riders."

*********
Ducati
Iannone third, Dovizioso ninth after first day of free practice action at Losail for the GP of Qatar
The first race weekend of the 2016 season got off to a positive start for the Ducati Team riders at Losail. In Thursday's first and only free practice session, Andrea Iannone was classified third while Andrea Dovizioso finished his run in ninth place.

The MotoGP riders started up their engines at 7.55 pm local time this evening for the first 45 minute run and Iannone lapped throughout with the hardest rear tyre available. He set his quickest time on his eighth lap, 0.296s behind leader Lorenzo. His team-mate Dovizioso, on the other hand, used the softer rear tyre option and he ended up 0.947s off the pace of the Spanish world champion.

Tomorrow there are two further sessions of free practice, which together with today's, will determine the ten riders who will go directly into Saturday evening's Q2 session.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) - 1'55.736 (3rd)

"Today we went well but didn't improve on the time we set in the tests and so we still need to find something extra in order to be quicker and more competitive. It was in any case a positive session, even though towards the end we made a modification that didn't give the results we had been hoping for but did help us get a clearer idea of the direction to take and the work we will have to do to make more improvements in corner turn-in under braking. I preferred to only use the hard rear tyre, seeing as we've still got a bit more margin, and tomorrow we'll try and understand if we can also do the race on the soft tyre."

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) - 1'56.387 (9th)

"It was a bit of a strange session because the conditions were quite different to the ones we found here during the tests at the start of the month. We started off by using tyres that today produced a bit of front-end vibration and so now we will have to work to try and understand the cause. However I am not worried about my position because I still had some margin and in some corners I preferred not to take too many risks in this first practice session because I still haven't reached a perfect feeling with the bike."
************

 

[wino]

Marc VDS
Mixed fortunes for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS on opening day in Qatar

Losail, Qatar - 18 March 2016: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Jack Miller and Tito Rabat have completed a busy first free practice session in advance of the season opening Qatar Grand Prix.
Both Miller and Rabat will be making their first MotoGP appearances for the team aboard a pair of Honda RC213Vs in Sunday's race.
Miller, 21, is entering his second season in the premier class while 2014 Moto2 World Champion Rabat is a MotoGP rookie.
While Miller is still recovering from fractures to his lower right leg suffered in a pre-season motocross accident the 21-year-old Australian is feeling much more comfortable on the predominantly right-hand Losail Circuit.
Despite his injury delayed start to the season Miller is happy with his progress and finished the opening session 14th with a time of 1'56.939.
Rabat's focus is to find a confidence-inspiring set up for his Honda RC213V after a bruising series of front-end crashes during the pre-season test in Qatar. He did not push for a lap time today and finished 20th.
Track conditions were less than ideal after heavy rain showers hit the Losail circuit the day prior to the first free practice session.
Jack Miller: 14th - 1'56.939
"I am feeling better on the bike with my right leg compared to the test here two weeks ago but I'm still not satisfied, I want to be closer to the front. But we have made some positive steps in the set up to find a direction that should be good for qualifying and the race. I need to get the front-end more stable and have the confidence to push for faster times. The track was a little bit dirty from the rain yesterday and it was windy but overall a good start to the weekend."
Tito Rabat : 20th - 1'57.916
"We tried a different direction from the test but I still lack confidence on the front, I feel I am always on the limit. We made some big changes but we need to look at some different set up options for tomorrow. At the moment it makes no sense to push and have another crash, we still have two more sessions and plenty of time to find some solutions."
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
"It was difficult session for Tito because we made some big changes to the bike, we needed to do something after his crashes during the test here. He feels he is sitting too much over the bike and we will make some more adjustments for this tomorrow but we made some positive steps. For Jack it was a nice practice session and he is not that far behind the other Honda riders. He did a good job considering he is not yet 100% fit so we are yet to see his full potential."
*******
Aprilia
APRILIA ON THE TRACK LOOKING TO IMPROVE THE NEW 2016 RS-GP
16 LAPS AND A GOOD LAPTIME FOR BAUTISTA, 15 LAPS FOR BRADL
Losail (Qatar), 17 March 2016 - With the first free practice session that is held on Thursday only in Qatar, the first round of the 2016 MotoGP season kicked off. For Aprilia it was the competition debut for the new 2016 RS-GP. With only a couple of test sessions under its belt, the prototype from Noale stood its ground well for what was just the first step in a season where, according to Aprilia Racing's plans, it must grow in terms of performance. During this début weekend the goal is maximum reliability for the technical base on which to build and develop.
The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders took to the track under the Losail artificial lighting in search of the best feeling with a vehicle that is still waiting to be discovered, and therefore with the goal of achieving consistent performance. At the end of the day Alvaro Bautista put in a total of 16 laps, whereas Stefan Bradl finished 15. The Spaniard, who also tried out a few updates with respect to the bike that was used in the last tests, also had a good time result, stopping the clock at 1'57,129 to keep the gap from the front-runners within a second and 68 hundredths. Bradl's best time was 1'57,989.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
"We lapped for the entire session without any problems and that is very important since our top priority is gaining familiarity with the bike. Today we made a few changes to continue development so I didn't have the same feeling as the last tests because with these changes the character of the RS-GP was slightly altered, but that is all part of the testing that needs to be done. Tomorrow we'll glean from what we learned today".
STEFAN BRADL
"This was a good day of practice for us. We got a lot of laps in. At the beginning of the session we were a bit shaky, but toward the end my feeling began to improve both with the bike and with the tyres. I'm pleased because we got off to a good start. Now we will have to try and push to improve in tomorrow's sessions".
*******
Tech 3
Espargaro shines brightly on opening day at Qatar
The Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team riders Pol Espargaro and Bradley kicked off their 2016 campaigns and hit the track with instant speed in the first shakedown in Qatar as they began setting up their Yamaha MotoGP bikes for Sunday's first round battle.
Pol Espargaro wasted no time in getting straight on the pace as he aims to win the fight for the leading satellite rider battle this year. The young Spaniard lapped the track 18 times and set his personal best on the final run which left him in 6th, just three tenths back from third, marking a promising start to the weekend. Meanwhile, Bradley Smith leapt into gear as he confidently began the 2016 season and after consistently gaining speed, he set his fastest time on his 13th lap whilst aiming to improve further. Yet, a small crash at turn 13, close to the end of the session, prevented Smith from ascending any higher. However, the young British remains fully confident of bouncing back strongly tomorrow.

Pol Espargaro
Position : 6th Time : 1'56.051 Laps : 18
"It definitely feels good to open the weekend in this way, even if I was a bit nervous at the start of the session. I had a small issue with one of my gloves, which disturbed my concentration and I really wanted to set a fast lap time straight away. Yet, due to this, I wasn't really relaxed so I came back to the garage, to calm down before going out again. After that, I tried to remember every single detail that we focused on during the test, corner by corner, and then things got a lot better. By the close of the session, we were able to post a good lap time on used tyres and I feel confident for tomorrow. Still, we have a large margin of improvement to make, but overall I'm feeling satisfied and looking forward to the next sessions."

Bradley Smith
Position : 11th Time : 1'56.524 Laps : 17
"It was a positive start to this Grand Prix, but it was really unfortunate to end the first night with a crash. I felt very comfortable and confident with the Yamaha along with the hard Michelin tyre and I did a long run at the beginning of the session. We then changed to the tyres that I preferred to use at the test here, and unfortunately, I made a small mistake in turn 13 which caused me to lose the front. Anyway, for me it was vital to get the data about both tyre options during the first night, in order to have a clear direction to follow for the remainder of the weekend. We will continue to push forward inside the top ten, because I am convinced that without the crash, I could have ended the session there. This is a good step forward compared to the test, so now we will repair the bike, check the data and come back a bit stronger tomorrow.
************
Suzuki
TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR ON TRACK AT QATAR MotoGP
Mar 17th, 2016

 

[wino]

Team Suzuki Press Office - March 17.

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR's Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró put their GSX-RRs on track tonight under the floodlights of Losail International Circuit in Qatar for the opening Free Practice session of the 2016 MotoGP season.
Viñales set his best time of 1'55.847 on his final lap to place fifth overall, while Espargaro recorded a lap-time of 1'57.096 for 16th position in the session.
Both the riders started their job from where they left off earlier this month at the Qatar test with their new GSX-RRs that look to be in a good shape. Viñales spent 16 laps out on the track testing with only one set of tyres and checking the consistency of the performance through the distance. Although the drop of tyres, the young Spaniard could find better and better feeling lap after lap, scoring his best time in the very last lap.
A different job has been brought on by Aleix Espargaró, who started back from the positive improvements he registered in the last laps of the previous test in Losail. His struggle in finding a perfect feeling with the machine still continues, but his improvements are consistent and the team is working hard to best support him.
Davide Brivio - Team Manager:
"Obviously it has been a positive beginning of the weekend for Maverick who could be very fast especially at the end of the session using hard tyre. This is a good sign, but we still have work to do; there is room for improvements in the electronics and we will test the different options in tyres and some more little details we want to check. A little harder for Aleix, we thought to start a little better but with him we are still trying to find a better set-up for the bike. Today we have done only one session, we have the whole night to work on the data and we definitely want to deliver him a machine that could better suit his needs, as this performance his not where he belongs and we believe his potential is much higher."
Maverick Vinales:
"It's been a positive first session, we started from where we left-off at the tests and I feel quite confident with the bike. Today I tried only one set of tyres, with the harder compound, both to verify the performance consistency and to keep some softer for the next sessions. Although they got worn I managed to improve my lap times consistently and I scored my best at the last one, which is positive for me both for the race and for the feeling that I have. I have also tested the full seamless, but we still need to work on its set-up, our objective is to adopt it definitively as soon as possible, this is why we will continue testing and try to find a good set -up. It's only the beginning, but my feelings are positive and the improvements are consistent, which gives me good hopes for the next days."
Aleix Espargaro:
"It's been a hard first session, I can't find the feeling with the front end and this prevents me braking hard and enter fast into the corners, which is a peculiarity of my riding style. This is the main problem, but the confidence with the front is also one of the hardest parts in motor racing. Today there was the problem that the track was much slipper, we tested only with the hardest tyre in order to keep the softer for better conditions on the track, which will for sure improve tomorrow. I spoke a lot with my engineers, my trust in them is total and we have already some ideas about what to change to improve the feeling. I'm sure we will get in better places soon because we only need time to find the right direction, the technical package and my potential are much higher than where we are now."
*******
Pramac
Petrux is back: "I'm happy. Thanks to everyone who helped me".
Scott in Top 10 with confidence
On the Losail International Circuit of Doha (Qatar) lit by the energy produced by 44 Pramac GSW generators, the 2016 MotoGP season has finally began.
The first day of activity was characterized by the tenth place of Scott Redding, great protagonist of the last pre-season test less than two weeks ago, and the great satisfaction for Danilo Petrucci, returned riding his Ducati Desmosedici GP only 28 days after the big crash at Phillip Island and the fracture of the second, third and fourth metacarpal of his right hand.
Petrux has successfully passed the exam of Fp1 and after having removed the brace from his right hand at the end of lap two, he managed to complete 17 laps finishing well by setting on his final lap a crono of 1:56,981 that earned him 15th position but above all gave him so much confidence.
Positive indications from Scott Redding. Following an initial phase without good feeling with the rear hard tire, on his last run he managed to find a good pace. The British rider has finished his first day of activity in tenth place with a time of 1:56,412 (17 laps completed).
10th Scott Redding
1:56.412 - 16 laps
The feeling is a bit different from that of the tests. But I must say that with the team we have very clear ideas about what we should do and we know the direction we need to take tomorrow. With hard tyre things have not gone very well and this is to work. But with the soft tire we did better and tomorrow we want to start from this point. The track? Conditions are different from those of the tests. Probably not better or worse, just different. At the end the laptime it is not bad but tomorrow I expect to do better.
15th Danilo Petrucci
1:56.981 - 17 laps
After a month off the bike it was difficult to start again. I confess that until one hour before the start of the Fp1 I was very worried. After the first lap I removed the brace and things got better. Now I'm really happy. I have to recover confidence and obviously overcome the fear of crashing. There is always a little fear, especially in right-corner entry. But I'm happy because I did not think I could run so well. I thank those who helped me in this difficult time, the doctors that I have operated me in Australia, Dr. Zasa and the Clinica Mobile who followed me in therapies, Dr. Catani for medical consultations and valuable advice. As for the feeling with the bike it was immediately positive. My team have done a great job during testing. Now I just have to find the courage and confidence to brake a little later and open the throttle a bit before..
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MotoGP season fires up in Losail
Yonny Hernández and Eugene Laverty feeling optimistic of improvements after finishing opening session of GP of Qatar in eighteenth and nineteenth position

The first 45 minutes of the MotoGP season took place tonight as the opening free practice session for the Grand Prix of Qatar signalled the start of 2016. Jorge Lorenzo continued his dominant form from preseason testing, spending virtually the whole session at the top of the time sheets and finishing with a benchmark of 1'55.440. Intense wind and some rainfall over the past couple of days meant that the track was not in as good condition as the recent test, making for lap times that were around seven tenths slower. Lorenzo's advantage stands at three tenths over his team-mate Valentino Rossi and Ducati factory rider Andrea Iannone. It has been a competitive start to the new season throughout the grid, with just over 2.5 seconds separating first to last place around a circuit measuring over five kilometres.
Yonny Hernández and Eugene Laverty were glad to get back on track in Qatar after some important preseason testing work here almost two weeks ago. The ASPAR Team riders were able to take advantage of the information gathered during that test to establish a base setting for their bikes, clocking up 14 laps apiece in the limited time available tonight. The Colombian saved his best lap until last after a busy session that saw him swap bikes twice, as he overcame a problem with a traction control sensor and got his first feel for the new Michelin front tyre. Meanwhile the Irishman clocked his fastest time on his eleventh lap as he closed in already on his best effort from the test.
18th Yonny Hernández 1.57.192 (14 laps): "We have had some problems that made it a tricky session for us. The traction control sensor gave us a little work at the start of the session and I had to come in and change the bike. We were able to try out the new front tyre that Michelin have brought here but I didn't like it much and so I came back in to switch bikes again. After that I started picking up my pace when I realised that the front brake wasn't working as I like. Every now and again I had to let it cool so I could stay on track The positive thing is that we have set a decent lap but I am sure that tomorrow when we solve the little setbacks we've had today we will be able to improve a lot more."
19th Eugene Laverty 1.57.421 (14 laps): "It was a really positive first night of the season for us. We have started the first Grand Prix with a new engine, which is the first time I am riding with the same engine as the other riders on the Desmosedici 14.2 and now I understand the problems I have had up to now - it changes so much on the bike. It is braking better and turning better, which are the areas I was struggling with, so now we have reason for optimism and we understand how we can move forward. Even with the rain yesterday the grip wasn't so bad tonight. It is hard to get up to speed in just one session but the lap time was similar to the test on an old tyre so that's good. We have some work to do because the change in characteristics of the engine means we have to alter lots of other parameters with the bike, so this will be our main focus tomorrow night."
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ENDS

 

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[wino]

 

[wino]

Ryder Notes: First Day of 2016
by julian ryder on the ground in qatar
Thursday, March 17, 2016

Because of the strange climatic conditions in Qatar that force the event to be spread out over four days in a country that has no interest in motorcycle racing, there was only one MotoGP practice session today.


Far be it from me to draw too many conclusions from the first session of the first day of the first race of the season, but a few things happened that confirmed the suspicions we had after pre-season testing. It has rained hard here on the previous couple of days and it is noticeably cooler than previous years, so the track was a good deal slower than last year. There isn't a lot to be said about the new Michelins yet, but the common electrics appear to have had an effect.

What to make of the sight of Maverick Vinales on a long run towing Valentino Rossi and Hector Barbera? Ducati didn't waste the opportunity to study the new software as used by their satellite team last year, and it showed. Maverick used one hard tyre for the whole session, justifying his comment at the Thursday press conference that he can do good things on the Michelins.

As everyone expected, Jorge Lorenzo dominated the session with Rossi a respectful distance back in second and the factory Ducati of Iannone just in front of Barbara.

Both factory Honda riders have already said that this track doesn't suit the bike and they are behind the eight ball. So far, no reason to doubt them.

In the smaller classes, Moto3 has taken in a wave of teenage rookies who are blazingly fast. Valentino Rossi's protege Nicolo Bulega reminded everyone of the man himself despite looking like David Carradine in Kung Fu—he fell at the end of free practice on the last corner what was going to be by far the fastest lap of the day. For Spain, Joan Mir and Aron Canet are the last eat products off the Spanish Moto3 Championship production line. Add in Red Bull Rookies champ Bendsnyder from Holland and Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup graduate Pawi from Malaysia and you have as impressive a crop of rookies as I can remember. Moto 2 surely cannot be a repeat of Johann Zarco's domination of last season. Rins, Lowes, Luthi, Morbidelli, Baldasarri et al will see to that.

And after all the hype, there wasn't a hint of a reason to call in Race Direction or even the new panel of FIM stewards.
The only amusement on that front came from the videos of various incidents sent out to teams pre-season to ask for their opinions on suitable disciplinary action against those involved (you may remember reading about this from about the time we were being told anyone making a statement prejudicial to the sport would be sanctioned.)

Entertainingly, the collection of racing incidents didn't include the Rossi-Maequez fandango in Sepang. Really.

ENDS

 

[wino]

 

[wino]

 

[msr]

 

[wino]

if you like road racing msr you might want to watch this movie.

 

[wino]

AMCN Heritage Issue: Five Years Of GPs Between 1960 And 1964

• By Kellie Buckley
• Mar 15, 2016
• News

To celebrate Australian Motorcycle News’ inaugural Heritage Issue we recap the bits you probably forgot about the five Grand Prix seasons between 1960 and 1964.

1960
Honda debuts its impressive four-cylinder 250cc and twin-cylinder 125cc grand prix machines and signs Australian riders Tom Phillis and Bob Brown to pilot them. However in July that year, 30-year-old Brown crashed at the West German Grand Prix and died as a result of his injuries. Brown would still finish up sitting sixth overall in the 350cc world title and fourth overall in the 500cc class.

For the third consecutive year, MV Agusta-mounted John Surtees was untouchable as he claimed both the 350cc and 500cc world titles. Italian rider Carlo Ubbiali, also riding MV Agusta machinery, claimed both the 1960 125cc and 250cc world titles.

Englishman Derek Minter, riding a Steve Lancefield Norton, became the first-ever bloke to lap the Isle of Man at 100mph (160km/h) on a single-cylinder motorcycle.

Jack Ahearn won both the Australian Junior and Senior TTs at Bathurst in 1960.

John Surtees

1961
Count Agusta caused a sharp inhale around the motorcycling world in January of 1961 when he announced that MV Agusta would quit world championship racing. A month later Benelli and Morini followed suit. Of course the three factories eventually changed their minds and Gary Hocking won the 350cc and 500cc titles on 1960-model MV Agusta machinery with the word ‘Privat' painted on the tank to indicate the fact the bikes weren’t full factory machines.

Australian rider Tom Phillis won Honda’s first-ever Grand Prix race and went on to take the 1961 125cc World Championship. Mike Hailwood took the first of his nine world titles to be crowned the 250cc World Champion ahead of Phillis.

In the same year, Hailwood also became the first rider to win three TT races in one week. He gave Honda its first TT wins over the mountain in both 125 and 250 classes (the 125cc win was Hailwood’s first-ever TT victory) and he also notched up a Senior TT victory aboard Norton machinery in the same week.

Jack Ahearn won the Senior GP at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama.

Jack Ahearn

1962
The 50cc tiddler class was introduced in 1962. The three-lap 50cc Isle of Man TT was won by Ernst Degner with an average speed of 75.12mph (120.89km/h). The German rider would go on to become the first-ever 50cc World Champion.

Jim Redman and Honda’s plan to win the 250cc title included supporting teammate Bob McIntyre to the 350cc TT victory at the Isle of Man. Redman however, a vocal opposer of the Mountain circuit, refused to race which saw reigning 125cc champ Aussie Tom Phillis step up to support McIntyre’s plight. During the race, and while chasing his mate Gary Hocking, Phillis crashed at the fast Laurel Bank curve and was fatally injured. He was just 28 years old.

Hocking struggled with Phillis’ death that he quit motorcycle racing shortly afterwards and switched to what he believed was a safer career in car racing. Tragically, not 12 months later, Hocking was killed in a racing crash.

Jim Redman went on to win both the 250cc and 350cc world titles that year, Hailwood wrapped up the 500cc on an MV Agusta and Swiss rider Luigi Taveri nabbed the 125cc crown, also on a Honda.

Ernst Degner

1963
German manufacturer Kreidler came this close to winning the 50cc title with Hans-Georg Anscheidt with a 12-speed 50cc two stroke! Mechanical problems in the last race of the season handed the title to New Zealand’s Suzuki-mounted Hugh Anderson.

The Anderson and Suzuki duo, too, claimed the 125cc world title while the 250cc title ended up being a spectacular cultural stoush between Japan and Italy. At a time when the Honda multis were dominating, Italian rider Tarquino Provini started proving competitive on his single-cylinder Morini. Provini survived many unexplained setbacks; dramas surrounding visas, customs impounding his bike, Suzuka making him pay track hire fees if he wanted to learn the circuit — which he couldn’t afford and as he lined up for the final race of the year at Suzuka, Redman and Provini were tied on points.

Redman won the race on a new lighter bike and nabbed the 1963 250cc crown, but would go down as one of the most fascinating 250cc seasons.

Mike Hailwood won his second consecutive 500cc world title on board the MV Agusta, it was the third of his eventual nine.

It’s hard to believe nowadays, but it wasn’t until 1963 that Isle Man TT officials deemed it necessary to have a rescue helicopter on stand by. Aussie Jack Ahearn finished fifth in the Junior TT on board a Norton in a race that was won by Redman.

Mike Hailwood

1964
Mike Hailwood was in command of the 500cc championship yet again, he won the first six races on his works MV Agusta and had the title wrapped up with two rounds to go. However, there was a determined little Australian on his privately entered Manx Norton by the name of Jack Ahearn who finished runner up to Hailwood in the 1964 title.

Playing the role of both rider and mechanic, Ahearn won the Finish GP at Imatra, and finished on the podium at Solitude in West Germany, Ulster Grand Prix at Belfast and Nations at Monza. His victory in Finland meant he became just the second Australian to win a 500cc Grand Prix race after Ken Kavanagh did it 12 years prior.

The same year was the first world championship win for both Phil Read and Yamaha when the pair proved successful over Honda in a 250cc grand prix season which went down to the wire. Much like the previous year, Honda air-freighted a brand-new six-cylinder machine to give Jim Redman the best chance of defending his title against Read, though it proved fruitless as the bike suffered reliability issues and handed Read the win.

Redman claimed the 350cc world title that year, Honda-mounted Luigi Taveri edged out Redman for the 125cc title, and Kiwi Hugh Anderson retained his 50cc crown on the Suzuki.

Phil Read

 

[wino]

MotoGP »
MotoGP Qatar: Iannone doubles up to hold sway in FP3
18 March 2016

Andrea Iannone retains top spot in FP3 on Ducati GP16 to set benchmark ahead of qualifying for Qatar MotoGP at Losail from Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo.
image: http://media.crash.net/original/PA1866693.0008.jpg

MotoGP Qatar: Iannone doubles up to hold sway in FP3

Ducati's Andrea Iannone made it a Qatar double on Friday as he remained on top in FP3 at the Losail International Circuit, heading off Jorge Lorenzo by 0.137 seconds.

Iannone, also fastest in FP2, improved his time to a 1m 54.639s lap to edge out the Movistar Yamaha of Lorenzo, while Marc Marquez remained in touch on the Repsol Honda, just under two tenths behind the leader.

Marquez struggled to make an impact during FP1 on Thursday but has clearly found a way forward on day two in Qatar with the RC213V after a lap in 1m 54.8325s.

Andrea Dovizioso was a big improver on the second of the factory Desmosedici machines as the Italian hauled himself up to fifth place, three tenths behind his team-mate. The Ducati pair headed the top speed charts, with Iannone clocking 350km/h while Dovizioso managed 349km/h – a huge 14km/h faster than Lorenzo's M1.

Suzuki's Maverick Vinales, touted by Valentino Rossi on Thursday as capable of running at the front throughout Sunday's opening round of the MotoGP World Championship, was fifth fastest on the GSX-RR, one place ahead the improving Dani Pedrosa, who actually toppled Iannone from the head of the times with 30 minutes to go in the session. Marquez was holding third, 0.4s back, with Vinales and Lorenzo next.

Pedrosa kept his nose in front on the Repsol Honda by a mere 0.03s to Iannone until Dovizioso powered through to take up the running with around nine minutes remaining as the pace intensified.

Lorenzo, fastest in the Qatar test by half-a-second from nearest challenger Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich Ducati GP15), then produced a blistering lap to move top from Dovi after a scorching final sector saw the reigning world champion gain five places on the time sheets.

The Mallorcan then turned the screw further on his next lap, breaking the 1m '55 barrier to stretch his advantage to 0.4 seconds, with a lap in 1m 55.776s, although Marquez also dipped into the 1' 54” bracket to go second.

Pedrosa bettered his time to slot into third but during a dramatic closing few minutes, Iannone found something extra to knock Lorenzo off the top while Marquez finished a confident-boosting third from Dovizioso and Vinales, with Pedrosa rounding out the first six.

Rossi, ninth at one stage as the session reached a conclusion, was safely inside the top ten in seventh to secure straight passage to Q2 on Saturday. Hector Barbera (Avintia Ducati GP14.2), Redding and Monster Tech 3 Yamaha's Pol Espargaro also sealed their place in Q2, completing the top ten.

Redding was among the fallers after a tumble at turn 13 right at the end of the session, escaping unhurt.

British rider Bradley Smith came off for the second time on the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha, going down at turn 6 after appearing to lose the front. Smith was credited with the 12th fastest time behind Aleix Espargaro (Ecstar Suzuki), with Loris Baz (Avintia Ducati GP14.2) and Danilo Petrucci on the Octo Pramac Yakhnich Ducati 13th and 14th respectively.

Cal Crutchlow also finds himself in Q1 after ending FP3 in 15th on the LCR Honda, 1.3s adrift of Iannone.

Jack Miller, who came off at turn 9 at the end on the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda, was 17th behind Yonny Hernandez on the Aspar Ducati, with Miller's team-mate and rookie Tito Rabat in 18th.

Aprilia duo Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl were 19th and 20th respectively, while Eugene Laverty brought up the rear on the second Aspar Ducati GP14.2.

Read more at Iannone doubles up to hold sway in FP3 | MotoGP News

 

[wino]

MotoGP »
MotoGP Qatar: Rossi, Lorenzo: ‘What you f**king want?’
19 March 2016

“The problem is that I say 'why?', and I expect 'sorry', but he [look] to me like say 'what you f**king want?'" - Valentino Rossi.
image: http://media.crash.net/original/PA1868051.0008.jpg

MotoGP Qatar: Rossi, Lorenzo: ‘What you f**king want?’

UPDATE: The obvious friction between Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo continued when asked about 2017 contracts.

Lorenzo commented that Rossi's decision to re-sign was easier since he had no other options. Rossi responded to rumours that Lorenzo may leave Yamaha for Ducati by saying 'changing bikes takes balls, so he will remain'.

Just hours after re-signing for Movistar Yamaha, Valentino Rossi found himself tangling with team-mate and reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo.

The pair crossed paths during final practice for this weekend's Qatar season-opener, Rossi immediately gesturing his frustration to Lorenzo at being held up. The arm-waving then continued at the end of the session, as they lined-up to do a practice start.

“He exited from the pit without looking at the track and when he arrived at the first corner he tried to slow down, but he was on the line,” Rossi explained. “The problem is that I say 'why?' and I expect 'sorry', but he [look] to me like 'what you f**king want?'

“Then when we try the practice start I go to him again, but anyway...”

Speaking in the earlier press conference, Lorenzo - who is yet to accept his new Yamaha contract offer - said he was confused as to why Rossi appeared so agitated by the incident:

"In my opinion he had no reason to complain. Everyone knows when you exit the pits you cannot stop [completely] to let them past. The only thing you can do is stay on the white line. I cannot be in the gravel. What can I do? If he is still angry with me I don't know the reason, you have to ask him."


But Rossi still clearly remembers when the roles were reversed at Misano last season.

“The problem is that this situation happened exactly the same in Misano qualifying, where I did the same mistake. He was very angry with me after and in the end they gave me one [penalty] point. But they don't give to him one point.

“I don't go to Race Direction to say 'one point', but I saw [race director] Mike Webb here [in the paddock] so I said, 'why one point to me and not to him!' I don't know why, but it is not a big problem.”

That penalty point went on to have major implications for Rossi's 2015 title hopes since, when he later received three penalty points for the incident with Marc Marquez at Sepang, it triggered a back of the grid start for the Valencia finale.

“Anyway, I am already f**ked [about] last year! Unfortunately, it won't change the situation,” Rossi laughed.


While Lorenzo went on to claim pole position for Sunday's race, Rossi qualified in fifth place, albeit just 0.272s slower.

“Top five is not so bad. I can do better because it is slow close, but anyway I'm happy because from the second row if you have good pace you can have a good race,” Rossi said.

“But like during practice a lot of riders have a good pace, so will be hard. But I think today Marquez demonstrated that he is a little bit faster. He has a better pace. So if I look just at FP4 he is the faster, but also Lorenzo for sure and I hope me, Vinales, the Ducatis so it will be interesting.”

Reflecting on the surprise early announcement of his new two-year Yamaha deal, the Italian star added: “I spoke with Yamaha after the test. They said they are very happy if I continue. In my mind I want to continue. The contract was more-or-less ready and so we said 'why wait!'”

Rossi, who won last year's Qatar race and went on to lead the points until the final round in Valencia, said he is 90% certain it will be his last MotoGP contract.

While Rossi - who believes Marquez assisted Lorenzo last year - says his relationship with the Honda rider will never be the same, The Doctor had claimed there would be no problem continuing to work with Lorenzo to improve the Yamaha.

Read more at Rossi, Lorenzo: ‘What you f**king want?’ | MotoGP News

 

[ESABATM]

Love the pictures. The exposed twin cam chain drive was crazy.