Rossi camp look ahead to 2010 in Brno test

Tuesday, 18 August 2009

Looking good in this year’s championship after the weekend’s events at Brno, Valentino Rossi and his team were making early plans for 2010 in the post race test.

After another success story for Valentino Rossi in Sunday’s Cardion AB Czech Republic Grand Prix has put him in a great position in the 2009 championship and the current Fiat Yamaha package is the strongest on the MotoGP grid, but in Monday’s post-race test the Italian and his team were already looking ahead to next year.

Six-time premier class World Champion Rossi got a first chance to test prototype developments for 2010, trying out a new chassis and a new engine specification, setting his best time of the day just before the end of the afternoon session, which had been interrupted by rain.

Rossi’s best time of 1’56.622, was under the new lap record set by his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in Sunday’s race, but was the second best time of the test – 0.451s behind Lorenzo’s best test lap.

Rossi stated, “We had some important work to do as we were testing a 2010 spec engine which is more resistant and should be able to do more kilometers. We also tested the first prototype of the 2010 chassis, but I did just 20 laps in the morning.”

“Unfortunately it rained in the lunch break and so we couldn’t ride for a lot of the afternoon because of the wet rack, but it dried enough for us to do some more work at the end. This time we could really concentrate on doing a proper job testing the chassis and the new engine specification, and I was quite fast.”

Team Manager Davide Brivio added, “We got a lot done and we were able to collect a lot of data about the new chassis and engine spec, which will help the engineers back in Japan with their development for the future and next year’s bike. We also tried some electronic mapping and it was a very useful day for us. We’re now approaching the final stage of the championship and we can’t relax because our rivals are strong, so now everyone can have a well-deserved rest and then we’ll be ready for anything in Indianapolis!”

MotoGP riders enjoy Viennese whirl

As part of the build-up to the Cardion AB Czech Republic Grand Prix a number of World Championship riders called into neighbouring Austria’s capital city of Vienna on Wednesday.

An exciting event witnessed by thousands of local fans in Vienna saw a demonstration ride through the heart of the city with Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha), Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), James Toseland (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Racing) all taking part.

Although MotoGP has visited Vienna before this was the first time in history that the Grand Prix riders were allowed to take their prototype machines along the famous Ringstreet, the main boulevard in the city.

Local government welcomingly treated the event like a state visit, with a clear 5.2km police escort ride through the city, commencing at the Burgtheater on Josef-Meinrad-Place, along Ringstreet and past several important buildings such as the State Opera House, the most famous historical museums and the Austrian Parliament.

Czech 250cc rider Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) and three 125cc competitors - Spaniard Marc Marquez (Red Bull KTM), Austrian Michael Ranseder (CBC Corse) and Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher (Degraaf Grand Prix) – were also present at the event, which included bike presentations, an autograph session and interviews with local and international media.

Afterwards the riders headed across the border to begin their final preparations for the first round since a short summer break, with the action at the Cardion AB Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno set to begin on Friday afternoon.

Lorenzo visits Spanish Riding School in Vienna

Jorge Lorenzo talked about his title battle with Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner’s three race absence on a visit to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna on Wednesday.

Fiat Yamaha’s young Spanish title hopeful Jorge Lorenzo paid a visit to the illustrious Spanish Riding School in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Wednesday, taking some time out to relax ahead of this weekend’s Cardion AB Czech Republic Grand Prix.

Visiting an institution with more than 430 years of tradition in the art of classical horsemanship with his Austrian sponsors GRIZZLY Energy Drink, Lorenzo spoke to motogp.com, with some interesting thoughts on his mind with regard to team-mate Valentino Rossi and his Ducati rival Casey Stoner.

On the temporary absence of his hitherto fellow title candidate Stoner, who misses the next three races due to health problems, Lorenzo remarked, “I felt really bad for him when I heard the news because Casey is such a talented rider and is a really brave guy. We feel for him because it’s a serious issue and we hope he’s ok. For the competition in general it’s also bad because we have one rival less and in this case it’s Casey, who always gives 100% and is always great to race against.”

Asked whether he thought the title battle was now a two-way fight between himself and Rossi, Lorenzo replied, “You never know. Dani (Pedrosa) is currently more than 70 points behind but you can not rule him out, because in this championship a thousand and one different things could happen. It looks like there are two riders with a real chance, especially Valentino, but mathematically you can’t rule anyone out.”

Looking to bounce straight back from his disappointing Donington DNF at Brno, Lorenzo also stated, “I’m really up for it, despite the crash which no-one was expecting. Perhaps it was to be expected in one sense though because the conditions were so difficult and I hit the ground because I made a mistake, but were are still in the fight for the title. Things have got more difficult, but it is not impossible.”

Long and abrasive track of Brno affects tyre choice

Going into their eleventh Grand Prix as the single tyre suppliers in MotoGP Bridgestone are all set for the visit to the Czech Republic.

Having won at Brno for the last three years and having supplied the tyres for the top eight finishers last year in the Czech Republic Bridgestone have a great pedigree at the venue for this weekend’s round eleven action.

The Czech circuit is undulating but fairly evenly balanced, with eight right and six left hand corners. It was resurfaced in 2008 and as a result is now more abrasive, hence Bridgestone’s decision to go with hard and extra hard compound front slicks. By contrast, because of the track’s flowing nature the medium and hard compound rear Bridgestone slicks have been selected.

Hiroshi Yamada, Bridgestone’s Motorcycle Sport Unit Manager, previewed the visit to the Czech Republic saying, “I think we are all looking forward to going racing again after the much deserved summer break, and Brno has traditionally been a good circuit for Bridgestone as we have been very successful there in recent years, with three consecutive wins.”

He went on to say, “We have seen some fantastic races so far this season in the single tyre era, and the championship is still close at the front so I’m sure we’ll continue to see more nail-biting competition.”

Bridgestone’s Motorcycle Race Tyre Development Manager Tohru Ubukata added, “Brno has a long lap but an even balance of left and right handed corners so we will bring symmetric compound tyres again. Since it was resurfaced in 2008 Brno has become a more abrasive circuit, so we will bring harder front tyres this season to cope with the loads generated through the fast and flowing corners.”

“The circuit is characterised by its undulating nature and flowing corners that require a great deal of finesse from the riders. This also places a premium on bike setup so that each rider package can use our tyres to the optimum. This is especially crucial on the more abrasive surface where excess sliding can accelerate wear.”

De Puniet has surgery on broken ankle

LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet has broken his left ankle in a motocross training accident, but after a quick operation it is hoped that he will be fit to ride at Brno on the 14th-16th August weekend.

After Randy de Puniet’s brilliant ride to a surprise podium in MotoGP’s farewell to Donington Park at the British Grand Prix – where he finished in third place behind Andrea Dovizioso and Colin Edwards – the Frenchman has suffered a setback in a private training accident.

Undertaking a summer fitness programme De Puniet was participating in a motocross session last Saturday afternoon with his personal trainer Yves Demaria (a former motocross rider) in Aix en Provence, when he crashed on entering a corner, hitting his left leg heavily.

The 28 year-old was taken straight to hospital and x-rays showed a fracture of the left ankle. After a quick surgery to insert a screw into his ankle De Puniet left hospital on Monday and will meet Clinica Mobile staff in the next few days to organise his rehabilitation. Hopefully we will be racing in Brno in less than two weeks’ time.

De Puniet stated, “Yves and I have a specific training programme to improve my performance on track this year. This programme has helped me a lot so far and through the summer break I didn’t want to stop training. So we went out to do a short motocross session, but unfortunately I had a fall and the impact on the ground caused a fracture of the left ankle.”

“I am very disappointed about this setback but training is very important for me in order to be in good shape in MotoGP. I will do my best to race in Brno and I am sure that the Clinica Mobile staff will support me in the best way.”

Stoner and Hayden stand by British GP tyre gamble

Sunday, 26 July 2009

Ducati Marlboro riders pay the price for running wet weather tyres.

What could have been the tactical masterstroke of the season ended up being a gamble that didn’t pay off for Ducati Marlboro at Donington. The decision to run wet tyres for the British Grand Prix appeared to make some degree of sense -Casey Stoner had topped the wet morning warmup session and Nicky Hayden had been in good form- although in practice the track was not sufficiently sodden for the move.

"Everybody knows I’ve been struggling for the last few races in the dry so I was praying for the rain to come today,” said Stoner after the race, in which he placed fourteenth and suffered the indignity of being lapped at the track where he had twice won MotoGP rounds. “Every single lap we were out there it threatened to pour down and we were very close to having the perfect situation. Unfortunately, even though it got heavier, it didn’t come soon enough and our tyres were destroyed so it ended up being the wrong decision.

“For us, in our current situation, I still think it was a risk worth taking because it could have worked out fantastically but obviously we’re disappointed it didn’t,” he added, sticking by the choice.

Fifteenth-placed Hayden had less to lose than his teammate, with no title challenge on which to focus. He was slightly less convinced as to whether to run the wet tyre risk, but in the end made the final call –despite having been informed that every other rider on the grid would be on slicks.

“We agreed on it together with the team but it was my shout, I thought ‘let’s try and be a hero here!’ The tyre was pretty much destroyed after seven or eight laps but there was no point coming in to pit and it came apart five laps from the end. To be honest it’s amazing how it held together for that long! I don’t want to say it was a mistake; it was just a gamble that didn’t pay off and we’ll learn from it,” lamented the American.

The brave decision had come after the initial sighting lap, during which both riders had expressed concerns over a lack of grip.

*motogp.com

Mixed fortunes for Fiat Yamaha duo

Sunday, 26 July 2009

Title chasers Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo had an eventful day at Donington on Sunday, Rossi emerging with the title advantage.

A mixed day for the factory Yamaha team at the British Grand Prix saw Valentino Rossi ride his luck - to pick up his M1 from a midrace crash to come home fifth - and extend his World Championship lead, whilst his title rival and team-mate Jorge Lorenzo spectacularly crashed out of the race lead.

Describing the slippery conditions and how he was able to remount and fight his way through the field to secure fifth place on the last lap as he overtook home rider James Toseland, having earlier led the race for several laps, Rossi said, “Once Jorge had crashed I was riding to win, as is always my style. In hindsight maybe I should have let Andrea Dovizioso pass me for a while but it was difficult to judge in such strange conditions.”

Rossi continued, “Riding in the rain with slick tyres is always a risk and it was quite slippery, the turns on the left were all wet which made the left side of the tyre cold and that’s why I crashed. After that we made a great recovery, I chose to remain with slick tyres despite the rain and the result was eleven points, which are like gold dust for us because we have extended the lead despite what happened here and we’re going on holiday with a good advantage over our rivals.”

For Lorenzo, meanwhile, his second DNF of the year was a bitter pill to swallow as he touched the white line in the last corner and went down on lap nine. He stated, “I got a good start and the first few laps went well, I was feeling quite comfortable in the lead. Unfortunately on the final corner of the ninth lap I made a small mistake, got my line wrong and touched the white line and there was nothing I could do; it was very slippery. I was okay and wanted to carry on but my bike was too badly damaged.”

“Of course I’m sad and disappointed but this is racing and these feelings don’t help, you just have to learn from a mistake like this and look forwards. Valentino was lucky that he could continue after his crash, but it wasn’t our day. I am going to enjoy the break now despite this and take the chance to do plenty of training so we can come back at full strength in Brno.”

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Dovizioso win “harder after Rossi crash”

Sunday, 26 July 2009

Italian racewinner relied on series leader for early lines.

Dovizioso delighted with Donington win

A maiden win for Andrea Dovizioso in the premier class could not have come at a better time for the Italian. Following three races without claiming World Championship points, a month in which speculation about his future has been debated and some tough times chasing a first podium as a Repsol Honda rider, the sophomore star gave an assured display when some of the more experienced names in MotoGP fell foul of the Donington Park conditions.

The first new MotoGP racewinner since last year’s Portuguese round (won by persistent 250cc rival Jorge Lorenzo) Dovizioso now has a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. However, whilst he may have looked confident when leading the British Grand Prix, things were still tough for ‘Dovi’ on Sunday afternoon.

“This race was very difficult. With these conditions the temperature of the tyres was too low, and the light rainfall for the whole race meant that it was probably the worst scenario for riding on this tyre. We couldn’t change the bikes either, so it was really difficult to manage,” said the Honda factory rider after an ecstatic celebration on the podium. He had led the race since lap nineteen, when reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi went in too hot on the Fogarty Esses, but the lack of a close rival actually made the final eleven laps harder for the eventual winner.

“Before Valentino crashed it was easy, because I just followed him; after that I needed to understand the track better,” he explained. “Wearing a light visor also meant that I couldn’t see clearly which lines were the driest.At the end Randy (De Puniet) and Colin (Edwards) were riding at 100% and catching me, which was difficult to manage. I think maybe for the last two laps I was pushing so hard that they couldn’t risk reaching me.”

And has the win changed Dovizioso’s goals for the year? Not exactly. Speaking pragmatically, he declared that “Today wasn’t a normal situation, so we still have to understand how we can use all the potential of the package. We still need to find some solutions.”

Elías and De Angelis hoping for dry Saturday

Friday, 24 July 2009

Both San Carlo Honda Gresini riders look for improvements after wet-dry Friday run.

Toni Elias and Alex De Angelis were able to test their rain setting on a fully wet circuit at the start of the session following a heavy lunchtime storm but as the track dried it became more and more difficult to find a usefull configuration and tyre combination.

Toni Elias -9th

“In the wet we have to improve in a few areas but I’m sure we’ll get plenty of opportunity this weekend to do that and I am convinced we can make massive improvements because the changes we need to make are pretty obvious ones. In the dry the conditions were really difficult. In the end ninth place isn’t good or bad, it is normal. We’re not far off but it was tricky today – it was just a case of doing what you could when you were out on track. Hopefully tomorrow it stays dry all day so that we can get plenty of laps in but if it doesn’t it will be the same situation for everybody.”

Alex De Angelis -17th

“In the end it was almost completely dry so I decided to come back to my box because there was no useful data to be obtained and we’d just have been out there destroying tyres, which is pointless. On my first two runs, which were in fully wet conditions, I was consistently between fifth and eighth place on the time sheets so that is good. We made some changes to the front and rear to try and find more grip because this circuit in particular is slippery when wet. We solved some things on the front but not so much on the rear so that’s what we’ll be working on tomorrow if it’s wet again. Hopefully it isn’t though because I think we all want it to be dry!”


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Stoner pleased to get wet track time

Friday, 24 July 2009

Casey Stoner was second fastest on Friday at Donington in mixed conditions as the British Grand Prix got underway.

Some typically changeable weather provided a challenge for the MotoGP riders on the opening day of practice for the last ever visit to Donington, with the 2007 and 2008 British Grand Prix winner Casey Stoner dealing well with the wet and wet-dry conditions.

A mixture of sunshine and rain made it tough going on track but Stoner was not distracted as he lapped second quickest overall, just 0.245s behind pacesetter Dani Pedrosa, even though he only put in 17 laps.

“It was good to be able to test the wet setting today because we’ve struggled with it a little this year and we need time to work out the best solution,” Stoner commented. “We’re still far from it at the moment but it felt quite good and we have a good base to work from now.”

The Aussie youngster added, “Once we got some laps under our belt in the wet I decided to sit the rest of the session out because even though the track was drying it was very slippery and it would be foolish for us to risk an unnecessary crash on the first day of an important weekend. Hopefully we’ll get a couple of sessions in the dry tomorrow and ideally, from our point of view, we’d like it to be cool.”

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Last walk in the park as MotoGP makes Donington swansong

Wednesday, 22 July 2009

British Grand Prix takes place this weekend with honour on the line.

This Sunday sees the end of an era in the MotoGP World Championship, as the series makes its final visit to Donington Park for the British Grand Prix. The venue has played host to some classic races in all classes and, with competition at a breathtaking level in 2009, expect another thriller on Sunday 26th July.

World Championship leader Valentino Rossi has his own fond memories of Donington Park, the scene of his first premier class victory back in 2000. He hasn’t won at the track since 2005, but is undoubtedly capable of ending the drought in front of a crowd that have always been heavily behind the six-time MotoGP World Champion.

Rossi holds a fourteen point advantage at the head of the standings, adding a fourth win to his 2009 tally with victory in Germany just days ago. His principal challenge so far this year has been Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, whom he ousted for the triumph in Sachsenring by just 0.099. Lorenzo has won once at Donington Park, in the 2006 250cc race, and placed sixth at the track last year, although previous form counts for little when talking about the flying Spaniard on a run of six consecutive podium finishes.

A further fourteen points separates Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner from the head of the overall classification. The Australian is still out of sorts with a mystery illness, but has kept up his title challenge with some gritty performances over the past month. Off the podium for the past two races in the 2009 season, a return to Donington Park gives Stoner the chance to win his third Grand Prix in as many years on British soil –however much he might dislike the track.

Dani Pedrosa’s bid for the MotoGP crown has picked up as his own physical problems have healed, but the Repsol Honda man is still very much the outside bet of the top four. He needs to pull back forty points just to catch up with third-placed Stoner. Pedrosa’s last win in Britain came back in his rookie season of 2006, riding the 990cc RC211V.

The British Grand Prix is a home race for James Toseland, who has double motivation to get a good result on race day. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider is racing for his future in the MotoGP World Championship, and also has some demons to put to bed following his first lap crash at last year’s race on the Derbyshire-Leicestershire border. Toseland won both 2007 races at Donington in superbike competition.

Although Marco Melandri has since relocated to Italy, the former MotoGP World Championship runner-up can also count this weekend’s round as a home race. He spent a handful of years living just a stone’s throw from the track before the start of this year. He is currently sixth in the standings, behind Toseland’s teammate Colin Edwards.

The British Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 26th July, with practice sessions beginning the preceding Friday.

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Aspar closing in on Ducati MotoGP deal

Tuesday, 21 July 2009

New project could be announced as soon as this weekend.

One of the MotoGP World Championship’s longest running sagas could come to an end as early as this weekend, as Jorge Martinez ‘Aspar’ looks to finalise an arrangement to move his successful lower cylinder category project up to the premier class.

The Spaniard is moving ahead with a potential deal with Ducati to run a satellite team in 2010, explaining to motogp.com at Sachsenring that “the idea is to work with Ducati and we are going forward with this plan. We have to tie up the last few details –the matter of the rider more than anything- and hope to be able to announce something at Donington at the latest.”

Whilst current Aspar 250cc star Álvaro Bautista would be the logical choice and hot favourite for the spot in the new team, his name has not yet been confirmed by either party. The quarter-litre title contender is, however, looking to progress to 800cc competition having engaged in talks with a number of premier class managers.

Aspar expressed his interest in a MotoGP ascension last year, negotiating to run satellite squads for both Yamaha and Suzuki in addition to links with a third Kawasaki bike.

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Talmacsi takes first MotoGP points in Sachsenring

Monday, 20 July 2009

Hungarian writes name in MotoGP history books despite tyre issue.

Four races into his MotoGP career, Gabor Talmacsi took his first premier class point at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on Sunday. Fifteenth in Germany made the Hungarian the first rider from his country to put his name on the MotoGP scoreboard, and historic achievement that has not satiated his desire for bigger and better things before the end of the year.

"I got my first point in MotoGP, today and I'm happy for that,” said the former 125cc World Champion. “It is something that will stay in my record. Nevertheless, we want to progress more.”

Like factory Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, Talmacsi needed to ride around front tyre deterioration over the course of the 30-lap race. A problem encountered already at a few races, the 28 year-old dealt with the issue as well as anyone has so far in 2009, despite his limited 800cc experience.

“Maybe I overrode, but I had some problems with the front tyre, and from a certain moment on I could not keep in contact with my group,” he revealed after the Sachsenring round, in which he was lapped on the final time around the track by Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. “I tried to find a good rhythm and go as fast as I could. I'm confident: we all have the same target: to fight for good positions. We have simply to work hard.”

Talmacsi has, save for his DNF at Laguna Seca two weeks ago, improved his placing at every MotoGP race in which he has competed.

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Elías explains ‘zero to hero’ Sachsenring performance

Monday, 20 July 2009

Spaniard goes from sixteenth to sixth in first third of German round.

Toni Eliás’ efforts in the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland went almost unnoticed as the action heated up at the front of the race, but by the end of the thirty laps he had put in a performance as impressive as anything that was occurring in the fight for the win.

The Spaniard had crashed in qualifying for the Sachsenring race, and was unable to clock a time that would give him anything higher than the last spot on the grid. That was in the wet, and with a dry track on Sunday Elías was able to overtake nine riders in the opening ten laps to turn his situation around.

”I was expecting a fight for a top ten finish, to be honest,” revealed the surprised San Carlo Honda Gresini rider, who came up through the field for sixth place. “I ended up doing much better than I could have imagined!”

Adding to the steep difficulty level of the race was the fact that Elías had been ill in the days prior to the race, in addition to the toughness of rival Marco Melandri. Both these factors coincided in a nervous moment for the Spanish star.

“Once I caught up with Marco I found it difficult to get past him and my stomach pains started,” he continued. “I thought, ‘please no, not now!’ I fought through the pain and over the last few laps we had a great battle, which I was able to win. I want to thank the team because they’ve been doing a great job and we are starting to see the fruit of our hard work.”

Elías is currently twelfth in the overall classification, level on points with teammate Alex de Angelis.

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Unwanted hat trick deflates Dovizioso in Germany

Monday, 20 July 2009

Italian retires from third consecutive race at Sachsenring.

Unprecedented in his MotoGP career, Andrea Dovizioso took an unwanted third DNF in a row at Sachsenring.

Unlike in the previous rounds at Assen and Laguna Seca, this time the Repsol Honda rider did not have too much say in his race retirement. Whereas those two Grands Prix ended early due to crashes, in Germany it was excessive tyre wear and electrical issues that forced his return to the garage.

“We needed a strong result here and at the start of the race I was able to ride at a really good pace,” said Dovizioso after his latest disappointment, which dropped him down to seventh in the standings.

“I made a quick start from the fourth row and got past six riders on the first lap - then I was able to get past (Jorge) Lorenzo for fourth on the third lap. On that lap I did a 1m 22.7s but then, during the fourth lap, the front folded at turn eight and I ran wide.”

From then on it was more a case of Dovizioso v.s. tyre deterioration than any of his on-track rivals. It was a difficulty also experienced by teammate Dani Pedrosa and satellite rider Gabor Talmacsi, but in the Italian’s case the troubles were compounded by a further mechanical setback –one sufficiently serious for him to call it a day.

“Within a few laps after this the performance from the front had dropped dramatically. It meant I couldn’t lean the bike or brake as normal so it was very difficult to control the bike. From then on my target was to finish the race but with five laps to go I had an electrical issue with the machine and I had to pull in.

“Obviously I’m really disappointed with the result because I was feeling fast here and I had a very good feeling from the bike. We really had the potential for a good result here, which is what we need at this moment,” sighed Dovizioso, whose season has taken a downward turn after a promising opening.

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Stoner happy with Sachsenring race

Monday, 20 July 2009

Ducati’s Casey Stoner finished the ninth race of the year in better shape than at recent rounds and felt that he might have challenged for victory had he not experienced a rear end issue.

Although Casey Stoner lost points to Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo in the 2009 MotoGP title fight in Germany the Australian rider appeared to be in better physical shape at the end of the demanding 30-lap Sachsenring contest.

The Ducati Marlboro rider held the lead for ten laps in the middle of the race and cited a rear tyre issue, rather than his recent physical weakness, as the reason for dropping away in the final stages. Stoner eventually crossed the finishing line 10 seconds behind winner Rossi and was seven seconds off the final podium position, which was secured by a resurgent Dani Pedrosa.

Reviewing the race in depth with motogp.com, Stoner explained, “At the beginning I thought I was going to be dropped pretty quickly because the bike didn’t feel too good in the first couple of laps. So I decided to hit the front as soon as I could, if nothing else to just try and hold everybody else up and try to stay in there with a shout. Then I started to lose the front end a few too many times so after the Laguna Seca qualifying crash and a few front end losses this weekend I thought it was better to play it safe and just bring it home.”

He continued, “Jorge and Valentino came past and then the front started to feel better, with a lighter fuel load so I started to push a bit harder, started to catch them and then I made a mistake. Then Dani had one unbelievable lap where he went half a second quicker than any of his other laps just about and then he came past me. I then started struggling on the left hand side of the tyre and lost the rear slightly at the bottom of the hill, but I was lucky enough to pull it up before I hit the gravel trap.”

Summarising the way things had gone, Stoner added, “I was pretty happy with the race to be honest, considering the way things have been going lately. It’s the first time I feel like I have actually been involved in something for a while and if I hadn’t made that problem with the rear I might have been able to dig deep enough to catch Valentino and Jorge.”

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Melandri enjoys busy contest in Germany

Monday, 20 July 2009

Hayate Racing rider Marco Melandri used all his experience to make it up from 13th on the grid and finish seventh at Sachsenring.

Marco Melandri left the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on Sunday afternoon in sixth place overall in the MotoGP World Championship, with another good result adding to his excellent efforts in the first half of the season.

The Italian competitor has battled against the odds through nine tough rounds thus far with the Hayate Racing team and after a disappointing qualifying session on Saturday – in which he crashed and ended up 13th – Melandri made up for it in the race.

On his Sachsenring performance, which saw him push his way through to seventh by the end of the 30-lap contest, Melandri stated, “It was a good race for me and in the dry I knew I had a good pace. Actually I made a good start and then on the first corner quite a few riders took me wide, I almost went off track, I lost a lot time and I was almost in last place. Then I found a good rhythm and I started to recover after battling with several riders.”

“I lost a little bit of focus because of something on my visor and Toni Elías came past me,” Melandri continued. “I tried to get back in front of him because I think I was a bit faster but I couldn’t do it and it was a nice battle anyway.”

Concluding his review of the German visit and looking ahead to the next round in England, where Melandri was resident for several years, he stated, “The bike worked quite well this weekend and it is the first time I have ridden it in really wet conditions, so we got some good information. We are very much looking forward to the next round because I think the bike could work well at Donington so I can’t wait to get back on track.”

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Faultless Rossi holds Lorenzo off for Sachsenring win

Sunday, 19 July 2009

Reigning World Champion denies Spanish upstart victory at Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

Sachsenring 2009 - MotoGP Race Highlights

Valentino Rossi was never under any illusions that he would have it easy in his defense of the MotoGP world title, and once again the Italian was made to fight for glory at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Fiat Yamaha rider took the win at Sachsenring by just the smallest of margins from persistent rival Jorge Lorenzo in a breathtaking race to extend his lead in the World Championship.

After starting from pole for the first time at the German track, Rossi took the lead of the race after thirteen laps. Both the Italian and teammate Lorenzo eked out an advantage to make it a two-way battle to the chequered flag, with a last lap battle reminiscent of the Barcelona round of the series one month ago. Rossi’s definitive pass had come at the end of the home straight with two laps to go, and he brushed off the young pretender’s overtures for his fourth win of the 2009 season.

Starting from eighth on the grid, Dani Pedrosa had established his credentials in the dry with the best lap in the morning warmup. He had another storming start at Sachsenring to move up to the lead group, and put up a bold fight both amongst and behind the Yamaha duo. The Repsol Honda rider completed the podium with a race time under three seconds down on the top two.

Early leader Casey Stoner’s condition lasted longer than he had expected in the dry race, and he was able to mount a serious challenge for the win. With five laps to go, however, he was passed by Pedrosa going into the first turn, and one lap later a sit-up meant that he lost touch of the Spaniard.

Alex de Angelis and Toni Elías had a successful salvage operation for the San Carlo Honda Gresini team, placing fifth and sixth, respectively. Elías was particularly impressive, having started from last place.

The only retirees from the race were Randy de Puniet -who crashed on the opening lap- and Andrea Dovizioso. The latter fell victim to excessive front tyre wear and was forced to call it a day before the end of the 30-lap Grand Prix.

*motogp.com

Stoner surprised with position in crazy German qualifying

Saturday, 18 July 2009

Ducati Marlboro rider maintains front row form with third in Sachsenring qualifying.

Casey Stoner praised rivals Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo after placing on the front row for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, stating that the two were 'on rails' in the soaking session. The Australian starts from third on the grid.

Casey Stoner - 3rd

"That was a crazy session because of all the standing water on the track and the grip levels were minimal. There were riders crashing all over the place so once we knew we had a decent lap time in the bag I decided to sit out the last few minutes of the session because the last thing I needed was a crash. I’m still feeling the effects of the qualifying crash at Laguna two weeks ago so to be honest the first thing I’m pleased about is to have stayed upright today, the second thing is to be on the front row! I have to take my hat off to Rossi and Lorenzo today because whilst everybody else was sliding around all over the place those two looked like they were on rails. They are clearly the guys to beat again tomorrow in wet or dry conditions although to be honest I’d prefer it to be wet – at least that way I know I am physically fit enough to be strong to the end of the race!"

Nicky Hayden – 4th

“In some ways the session was a complete disaster but I ended up with my best grid position of the year so I’ll take it! I went out on the first bike and immediately something happened to the gearbox going into turn one and I almost went down. It was stuck in second gear so I had to ride it all the way back to the pits like that. I didn’t feel as comfortable on my second bike but I knew that was all I had to work with for the rest of the session so I was a little tentative. Then we made a couple of changes and got going pretty good. Things were coming together so I went out with ten minutes to go, got right on the pace and felt I could do something special. I set my best time through the first split but then in the downhill section I lost the rear and there was no way of getting it back, unfortunately it took Niccolo out too. I’m basically okay from the crash and I hope Niccolo is okay too because it was my fault. I was trying too hard when it was getting too slippery – it was raining harder but I felt like I could go faster”

*motogp.com

Rossi and Lorenzo continue qualifying dominance

Saturday, 18 July 2009

Run of Fiat Yamaha riders on front row in 2009 extends to nine.

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo duked it out to be crowned the king of qualifying once more in Sachsenring, taking a one-two at the German track for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. It is the sixth time that the two have shared the front row in 2009, and the seventh time that either of the two has taken pole position.

It was Rossi’s turn to take pole position, his first at the venue in his MotoGP career. In doing so he knocked Fiat Yamaha teammate Lorenzo down to second on the grid, and was delighted to be leading the attack.

“I’m really happy for this pole because it means I’ve already got more than in the whole of last year!” beamed the Italian. “Getting the pole position here is very important for the race because it’s such a hard place to overtake, so I’m really happy. We’ve done some good work today and my team has done a great job to set-up the bike. We’ve made a few small modifications, which have improved the feeling for me and I felt very confident today despite the bad conditions.”

Of the two rivals, Rossi is certainly in the best shape. Lorenzo had a tough Friday and had to face the rain whilst already sore from a collarbone and ankle injury, but rose to the top with a reinvigorated performance on Saturday after putting fears of another fall to the back of his mind.

“Yesterday I was quite worried about my injuries but I am happy to say that today I feel a lot better and I was able to ride much more strongly and brake much later,” said the Spaniard, who leads the BMW M Award competition for qualifying results. “I was really fast in the dry this morning and then this afternoon I did a lot of consistent laps, improving all the time, which is very good because often I struggle in the wet. At the end it was very easy to crash so I didn’t want to push too much or take too many chances, it was important to be careful!”

Either Rossi or Lorenzo have won five of the eight races held to date in 2009.