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Valentino Rossi confirms aluminum chassis at Aragon MotoGP
Chassis rumored to have been built by Moto2 specialists FTR to Ducati specs
September 15, 2011
Valentino Rossi confirmed at the pre-race press conference for the Motorland Aragon MotoGP event that he will be riding with a new aluminum chassis in his Ducati GP11.1, after reportedly turning lap times that were under his previous race times with the chassis during a test at Mugello last week. “The front part of the bike is a bit different and is aluminum and not carbon fiber like it was before,” said Rossi. “It’s a question of time with regards to the material. We have to work, to try to understand, and with aluminum we need a lot less time than the carbon. It’s just the first step, we’ll keep working and we’ll try to come back and fight for the front positions.” The chassis is rumored to have been built by Moto2 frame specialists FTR to Ducati’s specs; much of the Ducati Corse team’s fabrication is outsourced due to the limited resources at the factory, so an outside-contracted job such as this really isn’t out of the ordinary.
Rossi seems to be upbeat about his chances for improvement with the new chassis. “We tried something different in the bike to improve the front feeling and turning, I was a bit faster than the last time but especially the feeling is quite good," said Rossi. "So we are looking forward.”
Rossi also hammered one of the final nails in the coffin of the paranoia-led boycott of the Motegi GP when he confirmed that he will attend next month’s Grand Prix of Japan after delaying a decision on whether he would go. “I will go to Japan for the race. All the tests are negative, it looks quite safe so yes, I will go to race at Motegi,” Rossi admitted. With the factory Yamaha team stating that both Lorenzo—who was one of the most vocal proponents of the boycott—and Spies would be racing in Japan, the only real holdout now is championship points leader Casey Stoner. Stoner had already softened his initial stance on not attending at Brno and Indianapolis, and with Lorenzo starting to close the points gap to the Australian, it’s almost a sure bet that all of the Honda contingent will make for a full grid at Motegi.
Chassis rumored to have been built by Moto2 specialists FTR to Ducati specs
September 15, 2011
Valentino Rossi confirmed at the pre-race press conference for the Motorland Aragon MotoGP event that he will be riding with a new aluminum chassis in his Ducati GP11.1, after reportedly turning lap times that were under his previous race times with the chassis during a test at Mugello last week. “The front part of the bike is a bit different and is aluminum and not carbon fiber like it was before,” said Rossi. “It’s a question of time with regards to the material. We have to work, to try to understand, and with aluminum we need a lot less time than the carbon. It’s just the first step, we’ll keep working and we’ll try to come back and fight for the front positions.” The chassis is rumored to have been built by Moto2 frame specialists FTR to Ducati’s specs; much of the Ducati Corse team’s fabrication is outsourced due to the limited resources at the factory, so an outside-contracted job such as this really isn’t out of the ordinary.
Rossi seems to be upbeat about his chances for improvement with the new chassis. “We tried something different in the bike to improve the front feeling and turning, I was a bit faster than the last time but especially the feeling is quite good," said Rossi. "So we are looking forward.”
Rossi also hammered one of the final nails in the coffin of the paranoia-led boycott of the Motegi GP when he confirmed that he will attend next month’s Grand Prix of Japan after delaying a decision on whether he would go. “I will go to Japan for the race. All the tests are negative, it looks quite safe so yes, I will go to race at Motegi,” Rossi admitted. With the factory Yamaha team stating that both Lorenzo—who was one of the most vocal proponents of the boycott—and Spies would be racing in Japan, the only real holdout now is championship points leader Casey Stoner. Stoner had already softened his initial stance on not attending at Brno and Indianapolis, and with Lorenzo starting to close the points gap to the Australian, it’s almost a sure bet that all of the Honda contingent will make for a full grid at Motegi.
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Hey Magoo, have you seen these pics of the current honda yet ? They nice 
Faultless race for winning Stoner
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Casey Stoner took another 25 points home at the Gran Premio de Aragón as the Australian took his eighth win of the 2011 season, with Dani Pedrosa taking second and Jorge Lorenzo third.
Casey Stoner claimed another victory at the MotorLand circuit on Sunday, giving the Australian his eighth win of the season and Repsol Honda their 100th win. The important vicoty puts the Australian 44 points clear of defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing). Dani Pedrosa finished the round in second place behind his team mate, while Lorenzo made his way to the final podium spot.
Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) finished 6 seconds behind Lorenzo to take fourth, a strong finish for the Italian considering he ran off the track on his first attempt at passing the YZR-M1 of Ben Spies on lap 9. The Yamaha rider had a great start off the outside of the first row, leading into turn one in front of fellow front row starters Stoner and Pedrosa, but the two Honda riders got past him by lap two, and the American finally finished the race in fifth place.
Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) finished in sixth off an eleventh place start, passing Hayden (Ducati Team) on lap 10 and holding the position to the finish line. The American and Héctor Barberá had a scrap for seventh, with the Hayden passing the Mapfre Aspar ride on the penultimate lap.
Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) finished ninth, ahead of Valentino Rossi who started his Ducati Team machine from pit lane, and Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) in 11th.
A first lap crash for Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) caused Randy De Puniet to run off track to avoid the Czech rider, the Frenchman rejoining the race to finish 12th ahead of the final race finisher Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) also fell on the first lap and was unable to rejoin, while Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing) collided with Toni Elías (LCR Honda) on lap 15, both riders going down in the gravel, producing another dislocated right shoulder for Capirossi and making the Italian's presence at the next round at Motegi questionable.
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Casey Stoner took another 25 points home at the Gran Premio de Aragón as the Australian took his eighth win of the 2011 season, with Dani Pedrosa taking second and Jorge Lorenzo third.
Casey Stoner claimed another victory at the MotorLand circuit on Sunday, giving the Australian his eighth win of the season and Repsol Honda their 100th win. The important vicoty puts the Australian 44 points clear of defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing). Dani Pedrosa finished the round in second place behind his team mate, while Lorenzo made his way to the final podium spot.
Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) finished 6 seconds behind Lorenzo to take fourth, a strong finish for the Italian considering he ran off the track on his first attempt at passing the YZR-M1 of Ben Spies on lap 9. The Yamaha rider had a great start off the outside of the first row, leading into turn one in front of fellow front row starters Stoner and Pedrosa, but the two Honda riders got past him by lap two, and the American finally finished the race in fifth place.
Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) finished in sixth off an eleventh place start, passing Hayden (Ducati Team) on lap 10 and holding the position to the finish line. The American and Héctor Barberá had a scrap for seventh, with the Hayden passing the Mapfre Aspar ride on the penultimate lap.
Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) finished ninth, ahead of Valentino Rossi who started his Ducati Team machine from pit lane, and Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) in 11th.
A first lap crash for Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) caused Randy De Puniet to run off track to avoid the Czech rider, the Frenchman rejoining the race to finish 12th ahead of the final race finisher Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).
Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) also fell on the first lap and was unable to rejoin, while Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing) collided with Toni Elías (LCR Honda) on lap 15, both riders going down in the gravel, producing another dislocated right shoulder for Capirossi and making the Italian's presence at the next round at Motegi questionable.
Sykes On The Front Row For Imola Races
WSBK, Imola, Italy, 24 September 2011
Tom Sykes headed combined qualifying on his Ninja ZX-10R at Imola before ending up fourth on the grid after posting strong performances through all three Superpole qualifying sessions.
Nürburgring race winner Sykes carried on his good run of form from the first day at Imola, aided by a recent dry weather test at Misano. The English rider's pace has been good on both race and qualifying tyres, building his confidence for race day at one of his all-time favourite circuits.
Joan Lascorz found the nature of the Imola circuit difficult to match his machine settings to, and thus qualified 18th, just missing out on a place in Superpole by a fraction of a second. He was still only 1.386 seconds from Sykes after combined qualifying at this near 5km long circuit. Joan and his crew found improvements in the final afternoon free practice session and he hopes to make great improvements in his final placings on raceday.
Roberto Rolfo and Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki Pedercini Team) had tough times in qualifying, with Aitchison 17th and also out of Superpole. Rolfo was 21st, although only 1.869 seconds from Sykes after combined qualifying. Rolfo also suffered a crash today but the popular Italian rider will be fit to race on Sunday.
Tom Sykes: “We had some success in Germany with a win at the last round but wet conditions are a great levelling factor, and I had a good package to work with as well. The test we did at Misano recently was also good in the dry. We confirmed some geometry and chassis settings there that we had been trying out and I was considerably faster than the race at Misano this year. We kept those settings on the bike and came here with minimal changes, and it all shows that we are getting there now. The 1’47.799 I did to lead combined qualifying this morning I was happy with, as it was done on a relatively hard race tyre. We are not in a bad situation. After Superpole Two I was quite confident to get pole position but I think we had reached our limit. A front row place in dry conditions is another step forward for all of us in the team. We also got away with using a race tyre in Superpole One so that was a refreshing change.”
Joan Lascorz: “We were much better in this afternoon session and it would have been a good enough time to get into Superpole. We had problems stopping the bike because of the settings at one stage and of course it was even worse as there are some downhill braking areas here too. We made the bike a little bit longer to help this and also to help us not wheelie so much. Normally I run the bike shorter than Tom but not at this track. Tomorrow will be complicated as it is difficult to pass here but I hope I can overtake many riders in the early laps.”
WSBK, Imola, Italy, 24 September 2011
Tom Sykes headed combined qualifying on his Ninja ZX-10R at Imola before ending up fourth on the grid after posting strong performances through all three Superpole qualifying sessions.
Joan Lascorz found the nature of the Imola circuit difficult to match his machine settings to, and thus qualified 18th, just missing out on a place in Superpole by a fraction of a second. He was still only 1.386 seconds from Sykes after combined qualifying at this near 5km long circuit. Joan and his crew found improvements in the final afternoon free practice session and he hopes to make great improvements in his final placings on raceday.
Roberto Rolfo and Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki Pedercini Team) had tough times in qualifying, with Aitchison 17th and also out of Superpole. Rolfo was 21st, although only 1.869 seconds from Sykes after combined qualifying. Rolfo also suffered a crash today but the popular Italian rider will be fit to race on Sunday.
Tom Sykes: “We had some success in Germany with a win at the last round but wet conditions are a great levelling factor, and I had a good package to work with as well. The test we did at Misano recently was also good in the dry. We confirmed some geometry and chassis settings there that we had been trying out and I was considerably faster than the race at Misano this year. We kept those settings on the bike and came here with minimal changes, and it all shows that we are getting there now. The 1’47.799 I did to lead combined qualifying this morning I was happy with, as it was done on a relatively hard race tyre. We are not in a bad situation. After Superpole Two I was quite confident to get pole position but I think we had reached our limit. A front row place in dry conditions is another step forward for all of us in the team. We also got away with using a race tyre in Superpole One so that was a refreshing change.”
Joan Lascorz: “We were much better in this afternoon session and it would have been a good enough time to get into Superpole. We had problems stopping the bike because of the settings at one stage and of course it was even worse as there are some downhill braking areas here too. We made the bike a little bit longer to help this and also to help us not wheelie so much. Normally I run the bike shorter than Tom but not at this track. Tomorrow will be complicated as it is difficult to pass here but I hope I can overtake many riders in the early laps.”
Parkes Pole Again As Salom Improves
WSS, Imola, Italy, 24 September 2011
Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com Ninja ZX-6R rider Broc Parkes beat all comers at Imola to take his second pole of 2011 and set a new track best lap time of 1’51.594 in the process.
Aussie Parkes had to do it the hard way, having been taken out on day one when a rider fell and his machine spilt oil in front of Broc, and today the second and final qualifying session was stopped and restarted twice. Parkes also took pole for Kawasaki at Motorland Aragon in June and has now had 13 career pole positions to his credit.
David Salom had a tough first few sessions at Imola also, but analysis of his first practice day and this morning’s untimed session allowed his technical crew to make changes that improved his performance and feel around the undulation Imola circuit. David went fifth in the qualifying rankings and now starts the race from row two.
Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki man Massimo Roccoli was seventh, Vittorio Iannuzzo, his team-mate, was 11th in a good day all round for the locally-based team.
Broc Parkes: “Our second pole of the year so well done to the guys. I got baulked a couple of times in the session, when I had just put on a new tyre. I had two people crash right on front of me. It was on my last new tyre in the second one then I had a yellow flag and only one more chance left. I put the lap together and got the pole. The best thing is that I feel good and consistent in my lap times, so it is good for my confidence to get up the front end. We have done quite a few laps on one set of tyres so we are looking all right. The track is faster than last year, feels better, so to set a quicker lap is good.”
David Salom: “We are better now than when we started yesterday, and again this morning. I had a problem with the suspension settings, as the bike was not entering corners well. I changed the rear shock spring and now we are in better shape. I think the race pace means it will be possible to aim for the podium and for today the mechanics will make even more changes to make us ready for the race.”
WSS, Imola, Italy, 24 September 2011
Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com Ninja ZX-6R rider Broc Parkes beat all comers at Imola to take his second pole of 2011 and set a new track best lap time of 1’51.594 in the process.
David Salom had a tough first few sessions at Imola also, but analysis of his first practice day and this morning’s untimed session allowed his technical crew to make changes that improved his performance and feel around the undulation Imola circuit. David went fifth in the qualifying rankings and now starts the race from row two.
Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki man Massimo Roccoli was seventh, Vittorio Iannuzzo, his team-mate, was 11th in a good day all round for the locally-based team.
Broc Parkes: “Our second pole of the year so well done to the guys. I got baulked a couple of times in the session, when I had just put on a new tyre. I had two people crash right on front of me. It was on my last new tyre in the second one then I had a yellow flag and only one more chance left. I put the lap together and got the pole. The best thing is that I feel good and consistent in my lap times, so it is good for my confidence to get up the front end. We have done quite a few laps on one set of tyres so we are looking all right. The track is faster than last year, feels better, so to set a quicker lap is good.”
David Salom: “We are better now than when we started yesterday, and again this morning. I had a problem with the suspension settings, as the bike was not entering corners well. I changed the rear shock spring and now we are in better shape. I think the race pace means it will be possible to aim for the podium and for today the mechanics will make even more changes to make us ready for the race.”
Torque Button
"boo fucking hoo" "Die in a fire"
This user was banned
Pork Eating Crusader
Keep on Truckin'
Torque Button
"boo fucking hoo" "Die in a fire"
This user was banned
Pork Eating Crusader
Keep on Truckin'
I would have thought he was headed for Repsol
Marco Simoncelli and San Carlo Honda Gresini together for 2012
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Fausto Gresini is delighted to announce that Marco Simoncelli will once again wear the colors of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini in 2012. The new deal sees the continuation of an all-Italian rider-team project that began last year, when Simoncelli made his debut in the MotoGP class, and has continued with excellent results this season.
Next year promises to be a crucial one in terms of Marco's development, as he looks to consolidate his already blossoming relationship with Team San Carlo Honda Gresini and HRC and establish himself as a frontrunner in MotoGP. As always, the cornerstone of the arrangement is the trust shown in the talent of Simoncelli by HRC, who have offered a factory contract to the rider as well as a factory Honda RC213V machine and all the technical back-up he requires to compete at the very highest level.
Fausto Gresini:
“I am really happy to announce that Marco will be back with Team San Carlo Honda Gresini in 2012. Over the past two years together we have been able to appreciate Marco's qualities as a rider, as a man and as an extroverted communicator, which made us keen to continue our collaboration. Obviously in order to make this possible we needed a lot of effort from our sponsors, who have shown such belief in this project and I am grateful to them. HRC are going to offer a general level of support that will be very important as well as making a factory RC213V factory available to Marco. Al l this gives us great pride and is a testament to the close relationship we have built with the Japanese factory over fifteen fruitful years of partnership. Marco's huge determination will give us all a lot of motivation ahead of what promises to be an exciting new season.”
Marco Simoncelli:
“To be wearing the colours of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini for another year and riding a Honda RC213V gives me a lot of satisfaction. To be kept on as part of project that Honda HRC are so supportive of in collaboration with Team San Carlo Honda Gresini gives me a lot of confidence and all the motivation I need to show that I can be amongst the best in MotoGP again. 2012 will be an important season for me and I want to give all those people who have believed in this project plenty to get excited about.”
Press release courtesy of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini
Marco Simoncelli and San Carlo Honda Gresini together for 2012
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Fausto Gresini is delighted to announce that Marco Simoncelli will once again wear the colors of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini in 2012. The new deal sees the continuation of an all-Italian rider-team project that began last year, when Simoncelli made his debut in the MotoGP class, and has continued with excellent results this season.
Next year promises to be a crucial one in terms of Marco's development, as he looks to consolidate his already blossoming relationship with Team San Carlo Honda Gresini and HRC and establish himself as a frontrunner in MotoGP. As always, the cornerstone of the arrangement is the trust shown in the talent of Simoncelli by HRC, who have offered a factory contract to the rider as well as a factory Honda RC213V machine and all the technical back-up he requires to compete at the very highest level.
Fausto Gresini:
“I am really happy to announce that Marco will be back with Team San Carlo Honda Gresini in 2012. Over the past two years together we have been able to appreciate Marco's qualities as a rider, as a man and as an extroverted communicator, which made us keen to continue our collaboration. Obviously in order to make this possible we needed a lot of effort from our sponsors, who have shown such belief in this project and I am grateful to them. HRC are going to offer a general level of support that will be very important as well as making a factory RC213V factory available to Marco. Al l this gives us great pride and is a testament to the close relationship we have built with the Japanese factory over fifteen fruitful years of partnership. Marco's huge determination will give us all a lot of motivation ahead of what promises to be an exciting new season.”
Marco Simoncelli:
“To be wearing the colours of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini for another year and riding a Honda RC213V gives me a lot of satisfaction. To be kept on as part of project that Honda HRC are so supportive of in collaboration with Team San Carlo Honda Gresini gives me a lot of confidence and all the motivation I need to show that I can be amongst the best in MotoGP again. 2012 will be an important season for me and I want to give all those people who have believed in this project plenty to get excited about.”
Press release courtesy of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini
Damian Cudlin aboard Pramac Ducati at Motegi
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Australian Damian Cudlin will substitute for the injured Loris Capirossi at the Grand Prix of Japan.
Loris Capirossi will have to sit out round 15 of the MotoGP Championship after dislocating his right shoulder in his crash at Aragón. The Italian's injuries have not healed sufficiently for him to participate in the Japanese GP. Standing in for Capirossi will be 29 year-old Damian Cudlin.
Randy de Puniet is ready to take on the Motegi track, where he has posted two podium finishes in the past: a third place in 250cc and a second place in MotoGP.
Fabiano Sterlacchini - Technical Director Pramac Racing:
“Motegi is a fairly complex track with its many stop and go sections that will certainly demand a change to the bike’s setup. Randy has done well here in the past, so we expect a good showing from our Frenchman. Meanwhile, it will be a good opportunity for Damian Cudlin to showcase his talents. He’s a good guy and we had the opportunity to get to know him a little last year in Moto2, where he raced at the Sachsenring GP.”
Randy De Puniet:
“I really want to finish out this season as well as possible. I’ve been unfortunate in many races and I’ve committed errors in others. But we worked well in the last race at Aragón and I hope to also start Motegi off on the right foot. It’s one of my favourite circuits and I’ve had some good results there in the past.”
Damian Cudlin:
"It's hard to put into words what this opportunity means to me. I've dreamed about starting in MotoGP since I was a boy, and until now it's been just that - a dream. Now it's become a reality and to be honest, I'm still in shock! I'm under no illusions about how difficult this race will be. I've never ridden a real MotoGP bike before and I've never been to Motegi either, so realistically my expectations can't be too high. I just want to do the best job I can, enjoy the experience, and just see what happens. I've really got nothing to lose, so why not? I don't know what I've done to deserve this. I still can't believe I'll be replacing Loris Capirossi - I had posters of him on my wall as a kid! I just want to thank Sito Pons for recommending me, the Pramac Racing Team for giving me a chance, and also my current BMW Team for allowing me to use this opportunity. I hope I can make everyone proud that they took a chance with a guy like me."
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Australian Damian Cudlin will substitute for the injured Loris Capirossi at the Grand Prix of Japan.
Loris Capirossi will have to sit out round 15 of the MotoGP Championship after dislocating his right shoulder in his crash at Aragón. The Italian's injuries have not healed sufficiently for him to participate in the Japanese GP. Standing in for Capirossi will be 29 year-old Damian Cudlin.
Randy de Puniet is ready to take on the Motegi track, where he has posted two podium finishes in the past: a third place in 250cc and a second place in MotoGP.
Fabiano Sterlacchini - Technical Director Pramac Racing:
“Motegi is a fairly complex track with its many stop and go sections that will certainly demand a change to the bike’s setup. Randy has done well here in the past, so we expect a good showing from our Frenchman. Meanwhile, it will be a good opportunity for Damian Cudlin to showcase his talents. He’s a good guy and we had the opportunity to get to know him a little last year in Moto2, where he raced at the Sachsenring GP.”
Randy De Puniet:
“I really want to finish out this season as well as possible. I’ve been unfortunate in many races and I’ve committed errors in others. But we worked well in the last race at Aragón and I hope to also start Motegi off on the right foot. It’s one of my favourite circuits and I’ve had some good results there in the past.”
Damian Cudlin:
"It's hard to put into words what this opportunity means to me. I've dreamed about starting in MotoGP since I was a boy, and until now it's been just that - a dream. Now it's become a reality and to be honest, I'm still in shock! I'm under no illusions about how difficult this race will be. I've never ridden a real MotoGP bike before and I've never been to Motegi either, so realistically my expectations can't be too high. I just want to do the best job I can, enjoy the experience, and just see what happens. I've really got nothing to lose, so why not? I don't know what I've done to deserve this. I still can't believe I'll be replacing Loris Capirossi - I had posters of him on my wall as a kid! I just want to thank Sito Pons for recommending me, the Pramac Racing Team for giving me a chance, and also my current BMW Team for allowing me to use this opportunity. I hope I can make everyone proud that they took a chance with a guy like me."
Racing numbers: Grand Prix of Japan
Thursday, 29 September 2011
A selection of relevant statistical data to prepare you for the 15th round of the 2011 World Championship taking place this weekend at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.
299 – Casey Stoner’s win in Aragón was the 299th podium finish in the premier-class for Australian riders.
284 – In spite of having a non-score at the Spanish GP earlier in the year, when he was knocked off by Valentino Ros¬si, Casey Stoner’s current points total of 284 is just three points less than he had accumulated at the same stage of 2007 when he took his first MotoGP world title.
99 – The victory by Marc Márquez at Aragón was the 99th victory for Spanish riders in the intermediate-class of Grand Prix racing. Spanish riders won 85 times in the 250cc GP class and now have 14 victories in the Moto2 class.
63% – Marc Márquez has won 17 of the last 27 GP races that he has started in the 125cc and Moto2 classes, starting at the 125cc Italian Grand Prix last year when he took his very first GP win. This represents a 63% win rate over this 27 race period.
50 – Jones Folger is scheduled to make his 50th Grand Prix start at the Japanese GP. If he makes the start at Motegi he will become the third youngest rider ever to reach the milestone of 50 Grand Prix starts; only Scott Redding and Jorge Lorenzo have reached this milestone at a younger age.
44 – On the first day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix it will be exactly 44 years since the Canadian GP took place at the Mosport circuit in 1967. This is the only time that a Grand Prix event has taken place in Canada and becau¬se of the extreme cold weather the 500cc race, won by Mike Hailwood (Honda), was reduced in distance by ten laps, but Hailwood’s winning time was still 1 hr 13 minutes 28.5 seconds. Hailwood also won the 250cc race and Bill Ivy (Yamaha) won the 125cc race.
38 – Casey Stoner’s victory at Aragón was the 38th GP win of his career. This places him equal 11th in the all-time GP winners list with great rival Jorge Lorenzo and John Surtees who won the 500cc title on four occasions and the 350cc title three times.
33 – There have been 33 previous Grand Prix events that have taken place in Japan. In addition to Motegi that has been used twelve times previously, Suzuka has hosted a Grand Prix event on 19 occasions and the Fisco circuit has been used twice.
26 – Dani Pedrosa celebrates his 26th birthday on the day before practice commences at the Japanese Grand Prix.
21 – Dominique Aegerter celebrates his 21st birthday on the first day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix.
14 – Nico Terol’s victory in Aragon was the 14th successive win for Aprilia in the 125cc class. This is the longest se¬quence of successive wins ever achieved by Aprilia in the 125cc class.
13 – This will be the thirteenth occasion that a Grand Prix event has been held at the Motegi circuit. The first Grand Prix at Motegi was held in 1999 and the circuit has been used every year since.
12 – Casey Stoner has finished on the podium at the last twelve successive MotoGP races. In the 63 year history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing only five riders have finished on the podium in more than twelve successive premier class races: Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Wayne Rainey and Jorge Lorenzo.
9 – Casey Stoner’s pole at Misano was his ninth of the year; this equals the record for most poles in a single season in the MotoGP era previously achieved by Stoner himself in 2008 and Valentino Rossi in 2003.
4 – Since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP formula in 2002, Ducati have been the most successful manufac¬turer in MotoGP at the Motegi circuit with four victories. Honda riders have won on three occasions and Yamaha twice.
3 – The three riders who have had most Grand Prix wins at the Motegi circuit, each having won on three occasions, are: Loris Capirossi (3 x MotoGP), Toni Elias (2 x 250cc, 1 x Moto2) and Mika Kallio (2 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc).
0 – None of the riders starting the 125cc race at the Japanese Grand Prix have previously won a GP race at the Motegi circuit.
0 – The number of victories for Honda at Motegi during the 800cc era of MotoGP. Makoto Tamada’s victory in 2004 was the last time that a Honda rider won the MotoGP race at Motegi.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
A selection of relevant statistical data to prepare you for the 15th round of the 2011 World Championship taking place this weekend at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.
299 – Casey Stoner’s win in Aragón was the 299th podium finish in the premier-class for Australian riders.
284 – In spite of having a non-score at the Spanish GP earlier in the year, when he was knocked off by Valentino Ros¬si, Casey Stoner’s current points total of 284 is just three points less than he had accumulated at the same stage of 2007 when he took his first MotoGP world title.
99 – The victory by Marc Márquez at Aragón was the 99th victory for Spanish riders in the intermediate-class of Grand Prix racing. Spanish riders won 85 times in the 250cc GP class and now have 14 victories in the Moto2 class.
63% – Marc Márquez has won 17 of the last 27 GP races that he has started in the 125cc and Moto2 classes, starting at the 125cc Italian Grand Prix last year when he took his very first GP win. This represents a 63% win rate over this 27 race period.
50 – Jones Folger is scheduled to make his 50th Grand Prix start at the Japanese GP. If he makes the start at Motegi he will become the third youngest rider ever to reach the milestone of 50 Grand Prix starts; only Scott Redding and Jorge Lorenzo have reached this milestone at a younger age.
44 – On the first day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix it will be exactly 44 years since the Canadian GP took place at the Mosport circuit in 1967. This is the only time that a Grand Prix event has taken place in Canada and becau¬se of the extreme cold weather the 500cc race, won by Mike Hailwood (Honda), was reduced in distance by ten laps, but Hailwood’s winning time was still 1 hr 13 minutes 28.5 seconds. Hailwood also won the 250cc race and Bill Ivy (Yamaha) won the 125cc race.
38 – Casey Stoner’s victory at Aragón was the 38th GP win of his career. This places him equal 11th in the all-time GP winners list with great rival Jorge Lorenzo and John Surtees who won the 500cc title on four occasions and the 350cc title three times.
33 – There have been 33 previous Grand Prix events that have taken place in Japan. In addition to Motegi that has been used twelve times previously, Suzuka has hosted a Grand Prix event on 19 occasions and the Fisco circuit has been used twice.
26 – Dani Pedrosa celebrates his 26th birthday on the day before practice commences at the Japanese Grand Prix.
21 – Dominique Aegerter celebrates his 21st birthday on the first day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix.
14 – Nico Terol’s victory in Aragon was the 14th successive win for Aprilia in the 125cc class. This is the longest se¬quence of successive wins ever achieved by Aprilia in the 125cc class.
13 – This will be the thirteenth occasion that a Grand Prix event has been held at the Motegi circuit. The first Grand Prix at Motegi was held in 1999 and the circuit has been used every year since.
12 – Casey Stoner has finished on the podium at the last twelve successive MotoGP races. In the 63 year history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing only five riders have finished on the podium in more than twelve successive premier class races: Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Wayne Rainey and Jorge Lorenzo.
9 – Casey Stoner’s pole at Misano was his ninth of the year; this equals the record for most poles in a single season in the MotoGP era previously achieved by Stoner himself in 2008 and Valentino Rossi in 2003.
4 – Since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP formula in 2002, Ducati have been the most successful manufac¬turer in MotoGP at the Motegi circuit with four victories. Honda riders have won on three occasions and Yamaha twice.
3 – The three riders who have had most Grand Prix wins at the Motegi circuit, each having won on three occasions, are: Loris Capirossi (3 x MotoGP), Toni Elias (2 x 250cc, 1 x Moto2) and Mika Kallio (2 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc).
0 – None of the riders starting the 125cc race at the Japanese Grand Prix have previously won a GP race at the Motegi circuit.
0 – The number of victories for Honda at Motegi during the 800cc era of MotoGP. Makoto Tamada’s victory in 2004 was the last time that a Honda rider won the MotoGP race at Motegi.
Ducati bets the farm on its hugely unsuccessful new frame design for new Panigale 1199 V-twin
Ducati's new generation v-twin 1200cc sports bike will be announced at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan this November. What we know for sure is that it will be named the "Ducati 1199 Panigale" and that it will not use the traditional Ducati trellis frame but a roadgoing version of the frameless design which has been raced and evaluated rather unsuccessfully by the world's best rider - Valentino Rossi. It seems like a massive gamble for a company that has traditionally attracted customers with its race-winning superbikes. Rumours suggest that the new road bike will weigh in at 176 kg wet and produce 195 bhp. How well it will handle will be the issue.
Indeed, the 2011 MotoGP season has seen several things brought into question by Ducati's MotoGP program. The first is whether Casey Stoner was riding "above and beyond" in winning 23 times in four seasons on the Ducati - despite ill health and injury, his four years with the team yielded 23 wins, 21 pole positions and 20 fastest laps.
The most successful rider on the Desmosedici other than Stoner was Loris Capirossi who podiumed (meaning he was one of the first three finishers) 23 times including seven wins from 82 starts.
Other top riders employed by Ducati to ride the Desmosedici have had woeful results. Sete Gibernau was a contender for the MotoGP title in 2003 and 2004 but once on the Desmosedici, didn't get the bike on the podium once, and it almost wrecked the career of Italian Marco Melandri who didn't get near the podium during a season of trying. Melandri won five times at MotoGP level on a Honda, went backwards on the Ducati in 2008, then took the only ride on offer on a satellite Kawasaki in 2009, managing to get the uncompetitive Kwaka on the podium in a wet French Grand Prix. His results on the unsupported Kawasaki were significantly better than on the factory Desmosedici.
Superbike champion Troy Bayliss rode the bike in 33 races for four third places and a win. World Champ Nicky Hayden has had 49 starts on the bike for three thirds and no wins.
Since the bike was given a carbon fibre chassis at the beginning of 2009, only Stoner appears to have been able to ride it - from 94 starts by the factory bike (Hayden 49, Rossi 14, Stoner 31 - all world champions at the highest level), Hayden has scored just three podiums (all third place), Valentino Rossi has just one third place to his credit, while Stoner scored 17 podiums including seven wins.
Every one of the riders has criticized the bike for its lack of feedback from the front end. To highlight this lack of competitiveness by the Ducati, Stoner has swapped back onto a conventional bike in 2011 and been even better - eight wins, one second and four third places so far this year. Oh, plus one DNF where Valentino Rossi on the Ducati uncharacteristically lost control and t-boned him, putting him out of the race. On the Ducati, Stoner got on the podium just over 50% of the time - on the conventional Honda, it would be 100%, if not for the Ducati's lack of feel under brakes which caused the crash.
The biggest problem is that by placing the rider everyone perceived as the best in the world on the bike, Ducati has clearly highlighted that only Stoner appears capable of dealing with the Desmosedici's unpredictable nature - all those times Stoner crashed for no apparent reason now take on a whole new perspective, and Stoner is arguably the best rider in the world at the moment in light of the new season results.
The ability of Rossi and his crew-chief Jeremy Burgess to develop a bike to winning speed was thought to be a given at the end of last season but the complete lack of success leaves little doubt that the problem is with the frame design, and even more likely, with the suitability of a composite monocoque chassis for competition purposes. Stoner remains the only person to have won a MotoGP race using a carbon fibre chassis of any description and we discussed the problems Ducati would face at the beginning of 2009.
That Ducati discounted Stoner's input is now painfully obvious. He found it almost impossible to get upgrades and changes to the bike during the seasons in which he rode it and to his immense credit, he didn't whinge about it.
Valentino Rossi's input is getting a lot more cred though, and he tested the fifth brand new chassis of the season at private tests held at Aragon last week. Italian sources claim that the frame was a traditional aluminum frame similar to those used by every other MotoGP machine of the last few decades.
Even if the frame produces good results (difficult to establish because track conditions vary from day to day), Ducati cannot use it in 2011 because the engine is designed for the carbon fibre frame and every time Ducati uses a new motor from this point forward, it will need to start the race from pit lane, just as Rossi did in Aragon on September 18.
That Ducati will suffer due to the Ducati MotoGP programme's failure to produce results is fairly obvious but not necessarily hugely so. Suzuki and Kawasaki aren't unduly penalised in the sale of their road bikes due to lacklustre MotoGP performances, as prototype racing is only vaguely relevant.
Superbike racing is different though. Superbikes are very closely related to the bikes on the showroom floor and Ducati's rise as a sports bike manufacturer is directly linked to its performances in Superbike racing. Its 303 Superbike wins have contributed directly to the success of its road bikes. Indeed, its dominance of superbike racing (all the other manufacturers together only have 283 wins to their credit) has largely been the basis for its success as a manufacturer.
What I find astounding is that the very feature that appears to be the focus of the marque's MotoGP problems (the engine is unquestionably competitive - it's the frame that is the problem) has been incorporated into the next major upgrade for its top-of-the-range roadbike, and hence its superbikes for the future.
As you might have gathered, the Panigale (pronounced "Pan-ee-gah-lee") and named after the Borgo Panigale area of Ducati's home town Bologna, is to feature the same frame design as these Ducati patent drawings show - the same frame design that they can't get to work oin a race bike at the highest level, with the best rider in the world.
Ducati's commitment to the production of the Panigale was obviously made quite some time ago, as can be seen from the patent documents we published more than 18 months ago.
As the time of unveiling has drawn closer, lots of information has been leaking as to the specifications of the bike, and it appears Ducati is purposefully building the suspense with these leaks.
The "rumours" suggest the new 1200cc V-twin superbike replacement for the 1198 range has a radically oversquare (112mm bore) V-twin engine with 195bhp, and the new engine will have lost the toothed belt cam drive in favour of gear-drive, just as the Desmosedici's cams are driven.
The new engine is hence 15 bhp stronger than the existing 1198R and credible rumours also have it coming in at a weight of just 176 kg wet (i.e. ready to roll, with a thimble full of gas). If the numbers are correct, this would give it a better power to weight ratio than any existing 1000cc sports bike and make it 19 kg lighter than the current lightest of that group - the Kawasaki ZX10R.
The Panigale will reportedly have LED lighting, two underbelly exhausts to reduce and centralize weight and a horizontal shock absorber as part of the rear suspension and swingarm construct which bolts to the rear of the motor.
There's no doubt the 1199 will see the trellis frame gone and frame-less construction for the first time - no-one is quite sure whether the box structure between the steering head and the motor will be of carbon composite or aluminum at this stage, but it should be pointed out that Ducati has tried both at MotoGP level this year and neither of them has worked.
The Ducati 1199 Panigale will not make its world superbike debut until 2013, though it will be raced in the 2012 FIM Superstock Championship, a series it currently leads in 2011. A 2012 version of the existing 1198 will be offered to superbike teams, and after Carlos Checa's likely win this year, it'll be interesting to see how many superbike teams are queued up for 2013 when the no-frame model is ready.
The overwhelming evidence is that the new Panigale is a ripsnorter of a machine. The numbers alone suggest it will be extremely fast. Even Troy Bayliss, who has been a major part of the development oif the machine tweeted earlier this week, "Been a while but anyone worried about the new Ducati Superbike need not, matched my best time ever in the arvo when track is bit slower."
Ducati must be very confident of the Panigale to be forging ahead with its introduction in light of the issues being experienced by the best rider in the world, and arguably the best racebike engineer in the world (Jeremy Burgess). If the Panigale fails on the racetrack, it will put a massive hole in Ducati's roadbike sales.
Indeed, anything less than winning could be corporate suicide ... and if the 200 bhp superbike is as good as they say it is, why can't the same frame be made to work even passably on a 250 bhp MotoGP bike.
It's a huge risk to take with the reputation of a successful company.
http://www.gizmag.com/ducati--new-f...aign=e425dd4257-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email
http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...&s1=20090308677&OS=20090308677&RS=20090308677
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXMEoPl-2so&feature=player_embedded
Ducati's new generation v-twin 1200cc sports bike will be announced at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan this November. What we know for sure is that it will be named the "Ducati 1199 Panigale" and that it will not use the traditional Ducati trellis frame but a roadgoing version of the frameless design which has been raced and evaluated rather unsuccessfully by the world's best rider - Valentino Rossi. It seems like a massive gamble for a company that has traditionally attracted customers with its race-winning superbikes. Rumours suggest that the new road bike will weigh in at 176 kg wet and produce 195 bhp. How well it will handle will be the issue.
Indeed, the 2011 MotoGP season has seen several things brought into question by Ducati's MotoGP program. The first is whether Casey Stoner was riding "above and beyond" in winning 23 times in four seasons on the Ducati - despite ill health and injury, his four years with the team yielded 23 wins, 21 pole positions and 20 fastest laps.
The most successful rider on the Desmosedici other than Stoner was Loris Capirossi who podiumed (meaning he was one of the first three finishers) 23 times including seven wins from 82 starts.
Other top riders employed by Ducati to ride the Desmosedici have had woeful results. Sete Gibernau was a contender for the MotoGP title in 2003 and 2004 but once on the Desmosedici, didn't get the bike on the podium once, and it almost wrecked the career of Italian Marco Melandri who didn't get near the podium during a season of trying. Melandri won five times at MotoGP level on a Honda, went backwards on the Ducati in 2008, then took the only ride on offer on a satellite Kawasaki in 2009, managing to get the uncompetitive Kwaka on the podium in a wet French Grand Prix. His results on the unsupported Kawasaki were significantly better than on the factory Desmosedici.
Superbike champion Troy Bayliss rode the bike in 33 races for four third places and a win. World Champ Nicky Hayden has had 49 starts on the bike for three thirds and no wins.
Since the bike was given a carbon fibre chassis at the beginning of 2009, only Stoner appears to have been able to ride it - from 94 starts by the factory bike (Hayden 49, Rossi 14, Stoner 31 - all world champions at the highest level), Hayden has scored just three podiums (all third place), Valentino Rossi has just one third place to his credit, while Stoner scored 17 podiums including seven wins.
Every one of the riders has criticized the bike for its lack of feedback from the front end. To highlight this lack of competitiveness by the Ducati, Stoner has swapped back onto a conventional bike in 2011 and been even better - eight wins, one second and four third places so far this year. Oh, plus one DNF where Valentino Rossi on the Ducati uncharacteristically lost control and t-boned him, putting him out of the race. On the Ducati, Stoner got on the podium just over 50% of the time - on the conventional Honda, it would be 100%, if not for the Ducati's lack of feel under brakes which caused the crash.
The biggest problem is that by placing the rider everyone perceived as the best in the world on the bike, Ducati has clearly highlighted that only Stoner appears capable of dealing with the Desmosedici's unpredictable nature - all those times Stoner crashed for no apparent reason now take on a whole new perspective, and Stoner is arguably the best rider in the world at the moment in light of the new season results.
The ability of Rossi and his crew-chief Jeremy Burgess to develop a bike to winning speed was thought to be a given at the end of last season but the complete lack of success leaves little doubt that the problem is with the frame design, and even more likely, with the suitability of a composite monocoque chassis for competition purposes. Stoner remains the only person to have won a MotoGP race using a carbon fibre chassis of any description and we discussed the problems Ducati would face at the beginning of 2009.
That Ducati discounted Stoner's input is now painfully obvious. He found it almost impossible to get upgrades and changes to the bike during the seasons in which he rode it and to his immense credit, he didn't whinge about it.
Valentino Rossi's input is getting a lot more cred though, and he tested the fifth brand new chassis of the season at private tests held at Aragon last week. Italian sources claim that the frame was a traditional aluminum frame similar to those used by every other MotoGP machine of the last few decades.
Even if the frame produces good results (difficult to establish because track conditions vary from day to day), Ducati cannot use it in 2011 because the engine is designed for the carbon fibre frame and every time Ducati uses a new motor from this point forward, it will need to start the race from pit lane, just as Rossi did in Aragon on September 18.
That Ducati will suffer due to the Ducati MotoGP programme's failure to produce results is fairly obvious but not necessarily hugely so. Suzuki and Kawasaki aren't unduly penalised in the sale of their road bikes due to lacklustre MotoGP performances, as prototype racing is only vaguely relevant.
Superbike racing is different though. Superbikes are very closely related to the bikes on the showroom floor and Ducati's rise as a sports bike manufacturer is directly linked to its performances in Superbike racing. Its 303 Superbike wins have contributed directly to the success of its road bikes. Indeed, its dominance of superbike racing (all the other manufacturers together only have 283 wins to their credit) has largely been the basis for its success as a manufacturer.
What I find astounding is that the very feature that appears to be the focus of the marque's MotoGP problems (the engine is unquestionably competitive - it's the frame that is the problem) has been incorporated into the next major upgrade for its top-of-the-range roadbike, and hence its superbikes for the future.
As you might have gathered, the Panigale (pronounced "Pan-ee-gah-lee") and named after the Borgo Panigale area of Ducati's home town Bologna, is to feature the same frame design as these Ducati patent drawings show - the same frame design that they can't get to work oin a race bike at the highest level, with the best rider in the world.
Ducati's commitment to the production of the Panigale was obviously made quite some time ago, as can be seen from the patent documents we published more than 18 months ago.
As the time of unveiling has drawn closer, lots of information has been leaking as to the specifications of the bike, and it appears Ducati is purposefully building the suspense with these leaks.
The "rumours" suggest the new 1200cc V-twin superbike replacement for the 1198 range has a radically oversquare (112mm bore) V-twin engine with 195bhp, and the new engine will have lost the toothed belt cam drive in favour of gear-drive, just as the Desmosedici's cams are driven.
The new engine is hence 15 bhp stronger than the existing 1198R and credible rumours also have it coming in at a weight of just 176 kg wet (i.e. ready to roll, with a thimble full of gas). If the numbers are correct, this would give it a better power to weight ratio than any existing 1000cc sports bike and make it 19 kg lighter than the current lightest of that group - the Kawasaki ZX10R.
The Panigale will reportedly have LED lighting, two underbelly exhausts to reduce and centralize weight and a horizontal shock absorber as part of the rear suspension and swingarm construct which bolts to the rear of the motor.
There's no doubt the 1199 will see the trellis frame gone and frame-less construction for the first time - no-one is quite sure whether the box structure between the steering head and the motor will be of carbon composite or aluminum at this stage, but it should be pointed out that Ducati has tried both at MotoGP level this year and neither of them has worked.
The Ducati 1199 Panigale will not make its world superbike debut until 2013, though it will be raced in the 2012 FIM Superstock Championship, a series it currently leads in 2011. A 2012 version of the existing 1198 will be offered to superbike teams, and after Carlos Checa's likely win this year, it'll be interesting to see how many superbike teams are queued up for 2013 when the no-frame model is ready.
The overwhelming evidence is that the new Panigale is a ripsnorter of a machine. The numbers alone suggest it will be extremely fast. Even Troy Bayliss, who has been a major part of the development oif the machine tweeted earlier this week, "Been a while but anyone worried about the new Ducati Superbike need not, matched my best time ever in the arvo when track is bit slower."
Ducati must be very confident of the Panigale to be forging ahead with its introduction in light of the issues being experienced by the best rider in the world, and arguably the best racebike engineer in the world (Jeremy Burgess). If the Panigale fails on the racetrack, it will put a massive hole in Ducati's roadbike sales.
Indeed, anything less than winning could be corporate suicide ... and if the 200 bhp superbike is as good as they say it is, why can't the same frame be made to work even passably on a 250 bhp MotoGP bike.
It's a huge risk to take with the reputation of a successful company.
http://www.gizmag.com/ducati--new-f...aign=e425dd4257-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email
http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...&s1=20090308677&OS=20090308677&RS=20090308677
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXMEoPl-2so&feature=player_embedded
IKEA?
Repsol Honda 1-2-3 on day one of practice at Motegi
Friday, 30 September 2011
After the first free practice sessions of the Japanese Grand Prix, Repsol Honda riders Pedrosa, Stoner and Dovizioso took the top three spots in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at the Japanese manufacturers home GP.
As well as setting the fastest lap times of the day, the three Repsol Honda riders also recorded the top speeds with Dani at 293,5 km/h, Casey 291,7 km/h and Andrea 290,2 km/h. Lap times improved from last year due to the new surface which was laid after damage was caused to the Motegi track during the earthquake and tsunami of March 11.
Pedrosa returned back to the track where he was unable to race last year due to his injury sustained on Friday morning, to set the fastest time of the day with a 1'46.790, almost four tenths faster than the circuit record. Stoner, the winner in 2010, finished very close behind, just 0.054 off Pedrosa while Dovizioso, who took the pole position last year, is third just 0.162 off the top time. Fourth position of the day belonged to San Carlo Honda rider Marco Simoncelli, who was just two tenths off Dovizioso.
Dani Pedrosa
"We did a good job today; in the morning we took a good direction and this allowed us to improve a lot in the afternoon, by a second, and this is very important. Tomorrow we have to focus on the set up of the bike; maybe the weather will change a little bit, so we have to be aware of the conditions and try to be fast anytime. In case it does rain tomorrow and we cannot practice anymore in dry conditions, we already have a good set up for the dry. Everybody here at the Motegi circuit has done a very good job with the new surface, the grip is much better than before and this is one of the reasons why the lap times have improved quite a lot already from last year."
Casey Stoner
"The bike felt pretty good this morning and then this afternoon we started the session on pretty much the same setting that we ended on this morning, it felt ok but we felt we could improve. Unfortunately we went in slightly the wrong direction and couldn't get the bike to turn or hook up on the last two exits and then we didn't really have enough time to come in and make a change. We know what direction we want to go in now and hopefully tomorrow we can make the small improvements. The new surface here feels very good, very smooth and the grip level is impressive. It's really great to be racing here on a Honda in front of the home fans and I hope we can get a good qualifying tomorrow to prepare best for the race on Sunday."
Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda
"I am very happy with today's sessions. All the Honda riders are constantly fast and we are all very close. The new tarmac is ok, but totally different feeling from last season, it's still bumpy, even more then before, but anyway we are faster then in 2010. The feeling with the tyres is totally different due to the new tarmac and the biggest problem is to find rear grip entering corners, this is the area where we will concentrate our efforts for tomorrow."
Friday, 30 September 2011
After the first free practice sessions of the Japanese Grand Prix, Repsol Honda riders Pedrosa, Stoner and Dovizioso took the top three spots in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at the Japanese manufacturers home GP.
As well as setting the fastest lap times of the day, the three Repsol Honda riders also recorded the top speeds with Dani at 293,5 km/h, Casey 291,7 km/h and Andrea 290,2 km/h. Lap times improved from last year due to the new surface which was laid after damage was caused to the Motegi track during the earthquake and tsunami of March 11.
Pedrosa returned back to the track where he was unable to race last year due to his injury sustained on Friday morning, to set the fastest time of the day with a 1'46.790, almost four tenths faster than the circuit record. Stoner, the winner in 2010, finished very close behind, just 0.054 off Pedrosa while Dovizioso, who took the pole position last year, is third just 0.162 off the top time. Fourth position of the day belonged to San Carlo Honda rider Marco Simoncelli, who was just two tenths off Dovizioso.
Dani Pedrosa
"We did a good job today; in the morning we took a good direction and this allowed us to improve a lot in the afternoon, by a second, and this is very important. Tomorrow we have to focus on the set up of the bike; maybe the weather will change a little bit, so we have to be aware of the conditions and try to be fast anytime. In case it does rain tomorrow and we cannot practice anymore in dry conditions, we already have a good set up for the dry. Everybody here at the Motegi circuit has done a very good job with the new surface, the grip is much better than before and this is one of the reasons why the lap times have improved quite a lot already from last year."
Casey Stoner
"The bike felt pretty good this morning and then this afternoon we started the session on pretty much the same setting that we ended on this morning, it felt ok but we felt we could improve. Unfortunately we went in slightly the wrong direction and couldn't get the bike to turn or hook up on the last two exits and then we didn't really have enough time to come in and make a change. We know what direction we want to go in now and hopefully tomorrow we can make the small improvements. The new surface here feels very good, very smooth and the grip level is impressive. It's really great to be racing here on a Honda in front of the home fans and I hope we can get a good qualifying tomorrow to prepare best for the race on Sunday."
Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda
"I am very happy with today's sessions. All the Honda riders are constantly fast and we are all very close. The new tarmac is ok, but totally different feeling from last season, it's still bumpy, even more then before, but anyway we are faster then in 2010. The feeling with the tyres is totally different due to the new tarmac and the biggest problem is to find rear grip entering corners, this is the area where we will concentrate our efforts for tomorrow."
Stoner stuns with tenth pole position
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Casey Stoner set a new record for the MotoGP era with his tenth pole of the season ahead of the Gran Prix of Japan. Joining the Australian on the front row will be Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.
The top spot on the MotoGP grid will be occupied for the tenth time this season by Casey Stoner for tomorrow’s race at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. The Repsol Honda rider set a time of 1’45.267, two tenths quicker than pole position challenger Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing), who returns to the front row for the 11th time this season. The Spaniard won the MotoGP race here in 2009, though last year just missed out on a podium finish with a fourth place.
Last year’s pole starter and second place finisher, Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) qualified in third after setting a lap of 1’45.791, edging out team mate Dani Pedrosa who himself had occupied the top spot before losing it to Lorenzo and finally Stoner.
A tenth of a second separated Pedrosa and Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies, who had bounced back after suffered a bout of stomach illness that had him retiring from the second practice session after just 5 laps on Friday. The Texan was followed by Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), who despite going down in turn 5 at the halfway point of the outing, starts from the second row after posting his best lap upon his return to the track on his second bike.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) posted a time just over one second off the pole position time to start from the head of the third row. Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) followed the Italian with a 1’46.586 with Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar) ninth behind his compatriot to take the last spot on row three.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) was final rider in the top ten, with Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) qualifying 11th at his home race, while Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who finished 5th here last year, ran off into the gravel and had a tumble with the first 15 minutes, but was able to rejoin the session to qualify 14th.
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Casey Stoner set a new record for the MotoGP era with his tenth pole of the season ahead of the Gran Prix of Japan. Joining the Australian on the front row will be Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.
The top spot on the MotoGP grid will be occupied for the tenth time this season by Casey Stoner for tomorrow’s race at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. The Repsol Honda rider set a time of 1’45.267, two tenths quicker than pole position challenger Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing), who returns to the front row for the 11th time this season. The Spaniard won the MotoGP race here in 2009, though last year just missed out on a podium finish with a fourth place.
Last year’s pole starter and second place finisher, Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) qualified in third after setting a lap of 1’45.791, edging out team mate Dani Pedrosa who himself had occupied the top spot before losing it to Lorenzo and finally Stoner.
A tenth of a second separated Pedrosa and Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies, who had bounced back after suffered a bout of stomach illness that had him retiring from the second practice session after just 5 laps on Friday. The Texan was followed by Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), who despite going down in turn 5 at the halfway point of the outing, starts from the second row after posting his best lap upon his return to the track on his second bike.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) posted a time just over one second off the pole position time to start from the head of the third row. Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) followed the Italian with a 1’46.586 with Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar) ninth behind his compatriot to take the last spot on row three.
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) was final rider in the top ten, with Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) qualifying 11th at his home race, while Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who finished 5th here last year, ran off into the gravel and had a tumble with the first 15 minutes, but was able to rejoin the session to qualify 14th.
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