Spaniard
Lorenzo’s Return Lights Up Final Test
Source: The Latest Motorcycle News - Thursday, 18th March 2010, 19:18 GMTThe MotoGP World Championship runner-up Jorge Lorenzo makes a welcome return to the track at the final test session of the pre-season under the Qatar floodlights on Thursday. The tough Spaniard broke his right hand in a motocross accident six weeks ago but plans to ride in the two day test before the 18 round MotoGP season gets underway at the Losail International circuit in Qatar on April 11. Read article
THERE ARE STILL ISSUES TO SOLVE, SAYS PEDROSA
Source: Bike Sport News RSS Feed - Monday, 15th March 2010, 0:00 GMTThe tiny Spaniard says there is still some stuff to work out Read article
LORENZO WILL TAKE PART IN MOTOGP QATAR TEST
Source: Bike Sport News RSS Feed - Monday, 15th March 2010, 0:00 GMTThe injured Spaniard will ride at the tests using carbonfibre protectors Read article
Two up two down for Triumph riders
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Tuesday, 9th March 2010, 8:13 GMTIt was a busy period in the winter for the BE1 Triumph effort in the Supersport World Championship. First of all it was split into two distinct team efforts and then expanded to include four riders of proven ability - 2009 recruit Chaz Davies and Sebastien Charpentier in the ParkinGO Triumph BE1 team and Jason Di Salvo and David Salom in the ParkinGO BE1 Triumph side of the garage. The logistics involved in bringing eight machines and enough personnel to look after four riders - and still go for podium finishes - proved to be a big challenge, but one with a positive outcome for Salom. The Spanish rider was a fine fourth in a race that was stopped and then restarted, making his return to the class a pleasing one after spending a tough year in the Superbike World Championship in 2009. But being a racer, Salom always wants more, as his post-race comments attested. "I knew I could score a good result but, given the race outcome, a podium result would've been possible," said the 25-year-old Spaniard. "However, I'm sure there'll be other opportunities but the important thing is that we kicked off the season with a good result, which puts me fourth in the standings. I'm sorry I couldn't get a better start in the re-run. I'm sure I could've battled with Lascorz and Sofuoglu for the podium." Salom actually missed the first day of practice after a mix-up with his racing licence prevented him from starting with the rest of his peer group. The American interest in Supersport racing at this level resides in Jason Di Salvo, who was eighth in his first ever race in this class. "I started the race pretty far in the back, but I improved a lot," said Di Salvo. "I battled with riders who went faster than me in practice and I had a really nice duel with Miguel Praia in the end." For Briton Chaz Davies (who had an oil line let go in race one and was relegated to his spare bike) and returnee Supersport World Championship legend Sebastien Charpentier, the race was less kind. Davies could only post 12th after finding some electronics issues, while Charpentier was 13th. Having retired from this level of racing for two years, Seb still has to get more track time in before he can get back to his very best. Sebastien has 13 career wins, making him the second most successful rider of all time. Read article
Injury no big blow for Jorge Lorenzo, says Yamaha boss
Source: | Motorcycle Sport | MotoGP - Wednesday, 3rd March 2010, 10:49 GMTValentino Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team boss Davide Brivio doesn’t believe Jorge Lorenzo’s early 2010 MotoGP title assault will be badly hindered by the Spaniard missing a third of pre-season testing. The 22-year-old missed last month’s second Sepang test in Malaysia... Read article
Haslam and Checa share Aussie spoils
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash » Bike News - Sunday, 28th February 2010, 15:18 GMTLeon Haslam and Carlos Checa shared the opening round victories in the World Superbike Championship today, after two thrilling races from Phillip Island. After securing his very first Superpole in yesterday’s eventful qualifying sessions, Haslam rode his Team Suzuki Alstare GSX-R1000 to his first win in the Superbike class in the opening race of 2010 - but not before confusion rained around the Australian circuit. Despite controlling the pace of the race from the off, Haslam was pressured throughout by the Ducati Xerox machine of Michel Fabrizio, with the Italian eager to be the first to take the top step of the podium this season. As the riders enjoyed their final lap of the twenty-two lap distance, Fabrizio saw his chance to edge into the lead, and lunged alongside the young Brit as they raced to the chequered flag. With the two riders crossing the line so close together it was initially difficult to separate them, until Fabrizio was handed the win. Upon closer inspection, and a number of replays, it was acknowledged that Haslam was actually the victor, by just 0.004 seconds. After two celebrations from two different riders and teams the eventual outcome of the race was determined, allowing Haslam to take to the top step of the podium for the first time in the WSB championship. Despite his earlier celebration, Fabrizio was forced to settle for second place, while his Ducati Xerox counterpart, Noriyuki Haga, followed him across the line in third. Brit Jonathan Rea enjoyed a fierce battle with his rivals, eventually taking fourth ahead of Max Biaggi, Sylvain Guintoli and Carlos Checa. Not too far behind, Jakub Smrz took the chequered flag eighth, while Troy Corser fought his way up to ninth from a thirteenth place grid start. Lorenzo Lanzi completed the top ten in this first race of the season. Returning British hot shot James Toseland was enjoying a strong race, until a twitchy back end on his Sterilgarda Yamaha forced him into a crash and out of the race. Commenting on his dream start to his 2010 WSB campaign, Haslam said: “It’s not sunk in just yet, especially as it was such a close finish and not knowing if I had won for a while. That definitely added to the anticipation. I can’t thank my team enough they have been solid since day one and to repay them with this is great. I’m a little speechless now. I changed my style towards the end and I rode as smoothly as possible. It worked, but it was close at the end.” Race two brought even more exciting action, with a number of race long battles going on throughout the field for the entire race. As the field set off for the second time Haslam and Haga both enjoyed strong starts, with Haga attempting to launch into the lead ahead of the Suzuki rider. However, fully committed to maintaining his advantage, Haslam flew around the outside into turn one, enabling him to hold onto his number one spot. Behind, Chris Vermeulen stormed up to fourth, while Fabrizio muscled his teammate out of the way for second, demoting Haga to third once again. Just two laps into the race saw the first retirement, with British rider Tom Sykes slowly making his way away from the racing line, bringing his Australian experience to an abrupt end. Having seen his teammate doing well out in front, Guintoli decided to follow suit and stormed passed his rivals as if they weren’t there. Determined to emulate the triumph of Haslam in the first race, Guintoli slipped through into the lead, forcing Haslam to play second fiddle for a number of laps. As the top four began edging away from the rest of the field, another battle began forming slightly further back. Despite the early pace of Vermeulen, he gradually began losing ground, with the rejoining Toseland being the first to demote the Australian down the order. Next in line was Leon Camier; having seen his countryman pass Vermeulen just laps earlier Camier decided to have a go himself, promoting himself to fifth in the process. After setting the early pace in qualifying yesterday, Carlos Checa was determined to prove his worth in this second race and was soon the man to watch. Checa began picking off the riders in front of him one at a time, until he was riding with the front runners, eager to find a way into the lead. As the race developed Vermeulen suffered a crash, hitting the tyre barrier in unison with his Kawasaki. He was carried off on a stretcher, but no further news has been released yet. With the second batch of twenty-two laps nearing completion, the ending to race one was almost mirrored in this second race. As the riders progressed onto their final tour Haslam came under increasing pressure from second place, this time it was Checa piling on the pressure. As the pair entered the final section of the lap Checa lunged passed the Suzuki rider. Unable to catch the Spaniard, Haslam was forced to accept second, while Fabrizio again made it into a podium spot in third. A strong performance from Sylvain enabled him to cross the line fourth, with Haga pushed back to fifth. After losing ten seconds to his rivals earlier in the race due to running wide, Jonathan Rea fought back to finish sixth, while veteran Troy Corser succeeded with a seventh place finish. Max Biaggi secured eighth, while Sterilgarda teammates Cal Crutchlow and Toseland crossed the line ninth and tenth, with Crutchlow just managing to get the better of the Yorkshireman. Camier, having been forced off the track earlier on had a lot of time to make up but fought back to eleventh place at the flag. Having secured the maiden win for his privateer Althea Ducati team, Checa said: “The plan was to start the second race well and we chose a softer tyre. We changed the bike and we improved in the braking points, so I could overtake people. When you are close to four other riders it is not easy to overtake and make it permanent but I passed in the right time and at the right places. This was one of the best races in my life, so thanks to my new team.” Fabrizio commented: “I thought I had won the race. When I saw the big screen after the finish I saw my family and the crew chief celebrating, so I thought I had it.” He added: “We didn’t make any changes to the bike between race one and race two. I think it would have been very difficult for me to win, but if Carlos had not been in the mix I may have been able to push in the last three or four laps. I was having some problems by that time so it was very difficult to try and win.” Read article
Jorge Lorenzo’s crew chief enters secrecy debate
Source: | Motorcycle Sport | MotoGP - Wednesday, 24th February 2010, 10:57 GMTJorge Lorenzo’s factory Yamaha crew chief Ramon Forcada has stepped into the debate about the ban on information sharing between the Spaniard and team-mate Valentino Rossi in 2010. Yamaha confirmed earlier this month at the opening test in Sepang that... Read article
Jorge Lorenzo’s crew chief enters secrecy debate
Source: | Motorcycle Sport | MotoGP - Wednesday, 24th February 2010, 10:57 GMTJorge Lorenzo’s factory Yamaha crew chief Ramon Forcada has stepped into the debate about the ban on information sharing between the Spaniard and team-mate Valentino Rossi in 2010. Yamaha confirmed earlier this month at the opening test in Sepang that... Read article
Yamaha duo ready for Indianapolis
Source: HighRevs.net - MotoGP news - Tuesday, 23rd February 2010, 23:51 GMTThe Fiat Yamaha pair are separated by 50 points but with six rounds remaining the title is far from decided and it promises to be another exciting weekend for the Italian and the Spaniard. Read article
Debon vows to be fit for next Moto2 test
Source: MCN Sport - Tuesday, 23rd February 2010, 16:28 GMTSpaniard Alex Debon insists he’ll be fit to ride the British-built FTR M210 in the official Moto2 tests as Valencia on March 1-3. Debon crashed in testing at Catalunya last week and fractured his left collarbone. He underwent surgery to... Read article
