Times
Privateer Ducati rider Jakub Smrz leads the opening day
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Friday, 23rd April 2010, 18:08 GMTJakub Smrz was the fastest rider on his Pata B&G Racing Ducati, setting a new circuit best of 1'36.041 this afternoon at a sun-kissed Assen circuit. The privateer Ducati 1098 rider made the best of the slightly changed Assen layout, adapting to it even more effectively than Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) who had tested on the new track layout last week. Rea was second quickest, despite suffering a late technical issue. The hour long first qualifying session at Assen was halted for a few minutes to clean up an oil spill, leaving only one last flying lap for the riders to improve their early qualifying pace. The official BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000RR of Troy Corser was third quickest at the end of day one, proving that the BMW team has made a repeatable jump in its real world abilities, following the team's best ever fourth place finish at Valencia last time out. Corser was 0.4 from provisional pole man Smrz, on this 4.542km track, which features a faster Ruskenhoek chicane section than last year. Championship leader Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) rounded out the early top four at the 4.542km circuit, proving his prowess once again at another different layout and character of circuit. Cal Crutchlow (Sterilgarda Yamaha) crashed more than once in the first session but still went into the top five, making it five different types of machine in the top handful of spots again. Sixth was the early result for privateer rider Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) and Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) outqualified his team-mate Max Biaggi today, going seventh to Biaggi's 16th. Chris Vermeulen's comeback ride put him 20th on the opening day for the official Kawasaki Racing Team, but his team-mate Tom Sykes was top ZX-10R rider, 12th from the 22 riders. Rider Comments Jakub Smrz: 'I have a very good feeling with this track and every time I come back it is very satisfying to ride here. I like the new section but I do not have the gearing correct yet for that part, so there is more to come. I am ready for the rest of the weekend and I hope I will be battling for the top positions, especially at this track.' Jonathan Rea: 'We did a nice race run this morning and also went through a few tyres to find the best choices for the race, and I think we will try the best combination of front and rear tomorrow. I am really enjoying riding and in a rhythm now. I do not have to ride on the edge to achieve a lap time. We have more grip on the rear after our test here and we still managed to keep a good front end feeling.' Troy Corser: 'The team has done a great job and the traction control is working very well. The bike feels very connected. Both throttle and engine braking systems have given me a good feeling and our engine is pushing strongly. From first to fifth gear the acceleration is really hard. Overall, the bike is a good package now. Unfortunately, someone crashed in the last chicane when I was on my flying lap at the end of qualifying, and I lost another chance to go faster.' Times: Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 R 1'36.041; 2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'36.339; 3. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S 1000 RR 1'36.489; 4. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 1'36.618; 5. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.752; 6. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098 R 1'36.805; 7. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F 1'37.064; 8. S.Byrne (GBR) Ducati 1098 R 1'37.081; 9. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 R 1'37.165; 10. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'37.166; 11. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'37.344; 12. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10 R 1'37.434; 13. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'37.453; 14. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'37.462; 15. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 R 1'37.506; 16. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV 1000 4F 1'37.580 Supersport - Kenan and Michele go 1-2 for local team Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and his team-mate Michele Pirro were first and second respectively at the new-look Assen circuit, making it a dream start for their Dutch-based team. Kenan was the clear leader, by 0.317 seconds, making the most of a recent test at Assen. Third quickest man was Fabien Foret (Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki) boosting his and his team's confidence. Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) was fourth in the early rankings, leading two Triumph riders, David Salom and Matthieu Lagrive. Times: 1. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1'38.250; 2. Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'38.567; 3. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'38.780; 4. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1'39.002; 5. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 1'39.143; 6. Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph Daytona 675 1'39.405; 7. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'39.638; 8. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'39.785 Superstock 1000 - The Max factor comes into play Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Junior Honda) and championship leader Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) went 1-2 in the opening qualifying session of the big Superstock class. Michele Magnoni was third on his Squadra Corse Italia Garvie Image Honda, if not quite into the 1'39s like Berger and Badovini. The first Suzuki was the Team06 Suzuki of Davide Giugliano in sixth place, while the first KTM twin-cylinder machine belonged to Pere Tutusaus (Go Eleven). One more qualifying session remains for all. Times: : 1. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'39.439; 2. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'39.702; 3. Magnoni M.(ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'40.022; 4. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1'40.144; 5. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'40.429; 6. Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 1'40.698; 7. Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10 R 1'40.790; 8. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'40.988; 9. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'41.021; 10. Tutusaus P. (ESP) KTM 1190 RC8 R Superstock 600 - Marino flies to provisional pole Florian Marino (Ten Kate Race Junior) made it a great day for his team when he scored provisional pole at Assen, ahead of Jeremy Guarnoni's MRS Racing Yamaha. Marino's leading margin was an impressive 0.613 seconds, but his rivals have one more session to peg him back before Saturday evening's 10-lap race. Martini Corse Yamaha riders Federico D'Annunzio and Bernardino Lombardi slotted into third and fourth respectively. Frederik Karlsen (MTM Racing Yamaha) was fifth. Times: 1.Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1'42.755; 2. Guarnoni j. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1'43.368; 3. D'annunzio f. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1'43.538; 4.Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1'43.542; 5. Karlsen f.(NOR) Yamaha YZF R6 1'44.111; 6. Major n. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1'44.311; 7. Fanelli d. (ITA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1'44.364; 8. Carrillo C. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1'44.465; 9. Cecchini R.(ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 1'44.903; 10. Krajci t. (SVK) Yamaha YZF R6 1'44.976 Read article
Crutchlow takes second Superpole in succession
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 10th April 2010, 17:42 GMTCal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) took his second Superpole of the year for Yamaha with a 1'33.615 at Valencia, leading a front row that will comprise of Cal, Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati), Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) and Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare). Checa had been even faster around the 4.005km circuit today than Crutchlow was in Superpole 2, but not in the final Superpole session when the final grid places were determined, leaving Carlos second overall. Crutchlow had set pole at the previous round in Portugal but this one was maybe even more of a surprise, as he had only been 15th in regular qualifying before Superpole started. The second row will be headed by Troy Corser on his BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000RR, the best Superpole qualifying result for the German manufacturer in WSBK. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare), Jonathan Rea (HANNspree ten Kate Honda) and Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Ducati) were ranged out behind Corser, with Lanzi crashing in the final section of Superpole, and sticking in eighth place. The top seven places featured machines from six of the championship's seven manufacturers, after a day of incredibly close competition for grid spots. BIG NAMES JUST MISS OUT An intense Superpole 2 session saw some big names out of the final session, notably both factory Ducati riders, Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio, who went tenth and 11th respectively. James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) missed Superpole three by one thousandth of a second, and starts ninth. Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) had a major issue in Superpole 2 and had to pull off the track in a plume of smoke. Michel Fabrizio set the fastest time in Superpole 1, the Suzukis of Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli close behind him. The first four riders to miss the Superpole cut proved to Sheridan Morais, Andrew Pitt, Tom Sykes and Ruben Xaus, with Xaus 17th and only missing out on a higher starting place by one thousandth of a second. CLOSE COMBINED QUALIFYING BEOFRE SUPERPOLE FIGHT Max Biaggi (Alitalia Aprilia) was the fastest man in the final regulation qualifying session, beating Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea) to second place by only 0.002 seconds. The provisional front row was the same as the first day, with Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G Ducati) and Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) third and fourth. Fifth place went to Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki), with the top five separated by only 0.068 seconds. A remarkable 11 riders in total went within 0.258 seconds of each other in combined qualifying, and 18 riders were covered by a single second. Cal Crutchlow: "I hope when we get to Silverstone I will have a reception like Carlos had here! We had a lot of pole positions in Supersport and had one here last year, so to come again and do it on the Superbike is really good. I feel we could have been quicker, but that is just me. If someone gets away at the front we could be in trouble so if we keep it a close race it should be good." Carlos Checa: "It is fantastic to be here in front of a home race crowd especially with the performance of this year, because I am feeling very strong with this bike. I really like this track and I hope to make a good race weekend. We worked quite well in practice and the bike works here. We are on the pace with the other people and it will be a very close race, I believe." Max Biaggi: "I feel good on the bike and Portimao was a good race for us last time out. I was happier for the team than myself. Back in Valencia we have not such good memories of last year but in the winter test we were pretty good, and now we are quite consistent with out lap times. Front row was the real goal because at this track it is very difficult to overtake. I think we have not such a bad pace and we will try our best. Our target is to put many heavy points on the table." Leon Haslam: "Our main objective was to get on the front row, and at Valencia there are such tight times, from front four to tenth place. We messed up a little bit in Superpole two, I used my qualifying tyre but got balked on my lap and had to use a second qualifier, which meant In the last part I was using a two or three lap old qualifier. I am feeling pretty good for tomorrow." Times: 1. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'33.615; 2. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1198 1'33.840; 3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F 1'33.860; 4. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'33.961; 5. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'34.059; 6. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'34.073; 7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'34.235; 8. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1198 1'34.261; 9. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'33.988; 10. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1198 1'34.021; 11. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1198 1'34.100; 12. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1198 1'34.246; 13. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F 1'34.273; 14. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1198 1'34.280; 15. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1198 1'34''730; 16. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'34.394; 17. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'34.756; 18. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'34''894; 19. Pitt A. (AUS) BMW S 1000 RR 1'36.088; 20. Morais S. (RSA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'36.072; 21. Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'36.104; 22. Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'36.117; 23. Andrews S. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'36.329; 24. Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'36.524; 25. Resch R. (AUT) BMW S1000 RR 1'36.639 Supersport Qualifying Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) set the pole time with the final throw of the dice in the second qualifying session, posting a 1'35.658, a new track best that took him by surprise. Just behind was long-time qualifying leader Joan Lascorz (Motocard.com Kawasaki), with Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Katsuaki Fujiwara (Motocard.com Kawasaki) filling the front row places. The best Triumph machine belonged to local rider David Salom (ParkinGOBE-1 Triumph) 1.Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR 600RR 1'35.658; 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'35.740; 3. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR 600 RR 1'36.002; 4. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'36.015; 5. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 1'36.252; 6. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 1'36.291; 7. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'36.346; 8. Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR 600 RR 1'36.593; 9. DiSalvo J. (USA) Triumph 675 Daytona 1'36.698; 10. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR 600 RR 1'37.064 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Qualifying Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) took pole with his Friday best time of 1'36.952, making this his second pole success in two attempts. Andrea Antonelli (Team Lorini Honda) was second quickest, and Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Race Junior Honda) third. Davide Giugliano (Team06 Suzuki) improved his time today but starts fourth in tomorrow's race. Times: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'36.952 (148,713 kmh); 2. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'37.418; 3. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'37.482; 4. Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 1'37.495; 5. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'37.502; 6. Barrier S.(FRA) BMW S 1000 RR 1'37.594; 7. Lussiana M. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1'37.784; 8. Lammert D. (GER) BMW S 1000 RR 1'37.886; 9. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'37.984; 10. Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 1'38.491 Superstock 600 European Championship Race Florian Marino (Ten Kate Race Junior), Fred Karlsen (MTM Yamaha) and Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Racing Yamaha) battled it out in the 11-lap Superstock 600 race in Spain, but there was to be a late change of the final result. Marino finally took the win, by 0.413 seconds from Karlsen, although Karlsen was later disqualified for non-conformity to technical regulations. Guarnoni is now classified second, and Bernardino Lombardi (Martini Corse Yamaha) third. In the championship Guarnoni now leads on 45 points, while Marino and Lombardi are tied on 25. Times: 1. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR 600 RR 18'31.319 (142,711 km/h); 2. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 0.441; 3. Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 4.668; 4. D'Annunzio F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 16.637; 5. Fanelli D. (ITA) Honda CBR 600 RR 16.883; 6. Elliot J. (GBR) Honda CBR 600 RR 17.410; 7. Krajci T. (SVK) Yamaha YZF R6 23.806; 8. Le Coquen S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 26.262; 9. Vrajitoru (ROU) Yamaha YZF R6 35.197; 10. Carvalho (POR) Yamaha YZF R6 39.683 Championship standing (after 2 Rounds of 10): 1. Guarnoni 45; 2. Marino 25; 3. Lomabardi 25; 4. Fanelli 22; 5. Lanusse 20; 6. D'Annunzio 20; 7.Karlsen 16; 8. Elliot 14; 9. Carlero Perez 13; 10. Major 13 Stk600 - Pirelli BEST JUMP FORWARD Davide Fanelli (All Service System by QDP), from 15th to 6th (9 positions). Read article
Final Moto2 Test Jerez Overall Times – Corti Edges Elias, Top 16 Within 1 Second
Source: MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks - ... that mayhem will be unleashed in the first corner of the Moto2 race at Qatar - Monday, 29th March 2010, 20:41 GMTAt the end of the three days of testing for the Moto2 class at Jerez, Forward Racing's Claudio Corti comes away at the top of the timesheets. The Italian, riding a Suter for the former Hayate team ended the final day as the fastest rider, just a fraction ahead of the time Toni Elias set on Saturday. Elias himself dominated much of the test, but a nasty crash in the final session saw the Gresini rider forced off track between turns 1 and 2 when a much slower 125cc rider blocked Elias' line, leaving him no choice but to hit the deck. Elias was immediately flown back to his hometown of Barcelona to undergo medical examination and and treatment if necessary. Elias has a suspected fracture of his left hand, as well as heavy bruising to his left hand and left foot. The Gresini rider is expected to be fit enough to race in the season opener at Qatar. read more Read article
Final 125 Test Jerez Overall Times – Marquez And Espargaro The Class Of The Field
Source: MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks - ... that mayhem will be unleashed in the first corner of the Moto2 race at Qatar - Monday, 29th March 2010, 19:59 GMTMarc Marquez leaves the final round of testing for the 125cc class with a new lap record and a strong lead over his rivals after testing. The Red Bull Ajo Motorsport rider took over half a second off Mattia Pasini's best ever lap of the circuit dating from 2006. The only man to get close was Pol Espargaro on the Tuenti Racing Derbi, Espargaro finishing just over a quarter of a second off Marquez' time. Bancaja Aspar's Nico Terol was third fastest overall, three quarters of a second behind Marquez, and at the head of a much closer group including Sandro Corteze, Efren Vazquez and Esteve Rabat. Terol's Aspar teammate Bradley Smith, runner up in last year's championship, continued to struggle in testing, ending the Jerez test in 8th, 1.6 seconds behind Marquez and over three quarter of a second behind his teammate. Fellow Briton Danny Webb ended the test in 10th, just over 2 seconds down on Marquez. The next time the riders take to the track, it will be in earnest, in the desert at Qatar. Then, the times will really mean something. Results: read more Read article
Crutchlow takes first pole and new best lap
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 27th March 2010, 20:20 GMTCal Crutchlow (Sterilgarda Yamaha) took his first career pole at Portimao with a new best lap, 1'42.092, beating Ben Spies' previous record in the last session of Superpole qualifying. Crutchlow even had a qualifying tyre left in his pit box as he had completed the first two Superpole sessions using race tyres, having spent most of practice riding on worn tyres to find a strong set-up for raceday. Aprilia Alitalia rider Max Biaggi went second quickest on his vee-four machine in a session when the top five riders were competing with five different makes of machinery - Yamaha, Aprilia, Ducati, Suzuki and Honda. With both factory Ducati Xerox machines ruled out early from the reckoning, after a Superpole 1 crash for Michel Fabrizio and a tough Superpole 1 session in general for Noriyuki Haga, Carlos Checa was once more best Ducati rider, taking his private Althea machine to third-best grid placing. Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) could not make the most of his qualifying tyres and was fourth on the grid, but still starts from the front row for Sunday's 22-lap races. Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was a battling fifth, ahead of Pata B&G Ducati rider Jakub Smrz, and Checa's fast team-mate Shane Byrne. The last place on the second row went to Troy Corser, who recovered from a technical problem in Superpole 1 to finish eighth overall. Top Kawasaki starting slot belongs to Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) after he was 12th in Superpole. James Toseland (Sterilgarda Yamaha) crashed in Superpole two, and Max Neukirchner also had a fast fall, destroying his number one bike. He finished 13th, Toseland 15th. Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team) will not race at Portimao, still suffering effects from his Phillip Island crash. Cal Crutchlow: "We made some changes since the last race. Yamaha has worked really hard in the last month to work out our problems as well. The track here is better and better and our bike is also improving. I was quietly confident I could get pole and we even had one qualifying tyre left at the end because we used race tyres in the first two sessions. Pole is a bonus." Max Biaggi: "We made a good race here last year so we know what our level would be. Now we are back where we should be, fighting with the best guys on the top. We did not make many changes just got the set-up to work as best we can. The layout of the track and the tarmac just means that our bike is working better." Carlos Checa: "I think it is open tomorrow, because many riders have good pace with a chance to win and be at the front. We will see how the race turns out, but hopefully we will be there at the end and have a chance." Times: 1. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'42.092; 2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'42.513; 3. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098 R 1'42.586; 4. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'42.596; 5. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'42.807; 6. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'42.8897. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'42.960; 8. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'43.152; 9. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'42.984; 10. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'42.999; 11. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'43.039; 12. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'43.199; 13. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1'43.380; 14. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'43.568; 15. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R11'49.401; 16. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'44.249 Supersport World Championship - Laverty on pole at his team's home track Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) pushed his way to the pole time at Portimao, with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro second and third. Top Kawasaki rider was Joan Lascorz in fourth, with the best Triumph BE1 machine under the control of Chaz Davies, sixth on the timesheets. Local rider Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) was eighth and now starts from the second row. Times: 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1'45.169; 2. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1'45.313; 3. Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'45.828; 4. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'45.903; 5. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'46.082; 6. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 1'46.161; 7. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'46.415; 8. Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1'46.566 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) will start Sunday's race from pole position, having held off the push of Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Race Junior) in combined qualifying. Marco Bussolotti (All Service System Honda) went third and Eddie La Marra (Team Lorini Honda) was fourth, each having moved up from Superstock 600 racing this year. Times: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'45.773; 2. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'46.241; 3. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'46.609; 4. La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'46.759; 5. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'46.821; 6. Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'46.839; 7. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'46.884; 8. Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'46.895 Superstock 600 Race - 10 Laps In the first race of the season for the Superstock 600 riders pole man Florian Marino (Ten Kate Junior Honda) was a first lap faller, leaving Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Racing Yamaha) a clear run to the win. Second was Romain Lanusse (MRS Racing Yamaha) and third Frederik Karlsen (MTM Racing Yamaha). Times: 1. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 18'18.901 (150,434 kph); 2. Lanusse R. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 6.101; 3. Karlsen F. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R6 6.277; 4. Calero Perez N. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6 6.527; 5. Fanelli D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 7.916; 6. Cecchini R. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 10.090; 7. Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 10.724; 8. Major N. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 14.105 Read article
2010 Qatar Test Day 2 Times – Stoner Beats Rossi, Dovizioso And Hayden
Source: MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks - ... that at least there's a track at Aragon - Friday, 19th March 2010, 21:13 GMTCasey Stoner finally managed to break Valentino Rossi's stranglehold on testing on the final day at Qatar, the Australian putting his Marlboro Ducati on top of the timesheets early on, and only occasionally ceding the lead to the Fiat Yamaha man. The Australian was fast throughout the session, not even a minor crash slowing Stoner down. Despite finishing half a second down to the rider he has annointed as his main challenger, Rossi pronounced himself happy with the way the test went, telling GPone.com that he believed the new Yamaha M1 had proved it was competitive at Qatar. The Italian also tested some tires for the 2011 season; after testing a hard front Read article
2010 Qatar Test Day 1 Times – Rossi Beats Out Stoner And Spies
Source: MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks - ... that at least there's a track at Aragon - Thursday, 18th March 2010, 21:49 GMTThe first day of the final test for the MotoGP class before the season commences saw Valentino Rossi continue his domination of testing, ending the session three tenths ahead of his nearest rival Casey Stoner. The Fiat Yamaha rider was constantly at the top of the timesheets, only really ceding the top spot when he paused for dinner late on in the evening. Despite the track cooling and the evening dew which started to form, Rossi took another half a second off his best time to stamp his authority on the session. Casey Stoner found himself demoted to second, at a track where he has won three years in a row, but the Australian pronounced himself happy with the test, telling GPOne.com that the bike was working really well, especially on used tires. The Ducati Marlboro rider did comment that he would like some more power with the long-life engines, as would everybody, but he praised the new engine character, which made the Ducati much easier to ride. read more Read article
Moto2 Test Day 3 Times – De Angelis Leads Depleted Field
Source: MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks - ... that the winter is now officially over for racing fans - Wednesday, 3rd March 2010, 18:11 GMTThe final day of testing started a washout, with the overnight rain continuing into the morning, and leaving the track soaked. For about half the field, this was the signal to pack up and head to Jerez, where the Moto2 class will continue to test from Saturday, but a sizable group remained. Only a few braved the wet conditions of the morning, Ant West topping the timesheets early, the Australian renowned for wet weather riding, having taken his only 250cc victory in a downpour in 2003. Once the track dried up in the afternoon, the track saw more action, but few riders bettered their times from Tuesday. Alex de Angelis was one exception to the rule, and the three tenths of a second he took off yesterday's time put him firmly atop the timesheets, exactly half a second quicker than Monday's fastest man Toni Elias, and nearly nine tenths faster than Tech 3's Yuki Takahashi. read more Read article
Moto2 Test Day 2 Times – Simon Fastest, Noyes And Elias Follow
Source: MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks - ... that the winter is now officially over for racing fans - Tuesday, 2nd March 2010, 17:00 GMTThe second day of testing at Valencia saw some fairly big shakeups in the timesheets, with some riders making big steps while others barely improved, but at the end of the day, the same bunch of names sat at the top of the timesheets that had been there at the end of Monday. The order, though, was slightly different, with Julian Simon the fastest man of the day, the Aspar rider getting stuck just outside the 1'36s, his best time a lap of 1'37.156, which would have qualified him in 7th place at the last 250cc race here at Valencia. Simon's progress was matched by Kenny Noyes of the Banderas Jack&Jones team, both men improving their times by some three tenths of a second, despite considerably cooler temperatures at the Cheste circuit. Yesterday's fastest man, Toni Elias, could not go any faster on Tuesday, ending the day with a time a hundredth slower than his best lap yesterday. Claudio Corti of the Forward Racing team - the remnants of last year's Hayate squad - once again finished 4th, while Tech 3's Yuki Takahashi improved to 5th place, less than half a second off Simon's best time. read more Read article
Moto2 Test Day 1 Times – Elias Leads Simon And Noyes
Source: MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks - ... that the winter is now officially over for racing fans - Monday, 1st March 2010, 20:41 GMTThe first day of testing with the official Honda engine is over for the Moto2 class, and finally we have some kind of indication of both what the lap times and what the relative strengths of each rider, team and chassis are. And those indications are throwing up some very interesting surprises. The name at the very top of the timesheet is very far from a surprise: Ever since it was clear that Toni Elias would be returning to MotoGP's middle class, he has been favorite to take the title. Elias got his campaign off to a good start, lapping in the mid 1'37s, a respectable pace which would have put him in 12th on the grid for the last ever 250cc race here just over 4 months ago. The name of Julian Simon, reigning 125cc World Champion is no real shocker either, the Mapfre Aspar rider also being hotly tipped by both fans and insiders. Read article
