Casey Stoner Fast and Steady in Sepang Test Malaysia
Casey Stoner, was the fastest at the Sepang Test Malaysia these whole 3 days. Which on the final day – was the top steadily fast rider.
At the Sepang Test final there’re just 2 riders who’ve break the lap barrier of 2’00” at this Sepang circuit. While Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner – the Repsol Honda duo set 1’59”s by Thursday. Both of them also grabbed the position of top 2 by the end of all those 3 days.
Riders Average Lap Times
Below is a report from motogp dot com, each rider’s longest run average lap times :
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Stoner : fastest on Sachsenring opening practice session
Reigning World Champion Casey Stoner opened the practice action for the MotoGP class in Sachsenring with a 1´22.318 lap.
Frequently impressing in practice, if not quite mirroring the results in the races themselves, Alex de Angelis once again attracted attention onboard the San Carlo Gresini Honda. The San Marino rider recorded a late lap just under three-tenths of a second slower than Stoner´s marker, relegating Valentino Rossi to third on the timing screen.
The winner of the past two Grands Prix, and the dominant rider in free practice and qualifying at said events, continued to impose his will on the premier class in Sachsenring. Casey Stoner emerged from the opening practice session for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland with the fastest time of the morning, a 1´22.318 turn of the German circuit.
Tech 3 Yamaha´s Colin Edwards headed countryman Nicky Hayden, LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet and Fiat Yamaha´s Jorge Lorenzo in the top ten, whilst returning rider Loris Capirossi experienced a slow start in Sachsenring as he tested out his forearm condition fllowing his Assen crash.
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Pedrosa and Stoner All Set for Sachsenring challenge
Dani Pedrosa the World Championship leader and Casey Stoner the MotoGP title holder took centre stage at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on Thursday afternoon’s pre-event press conference.
Pedrosa commented reflecting on his excellent record of three wins from his last four visits to the German track in the MotoGP and 250cc classes,
Well I have done pretty well here in the past few years and it is a track that I try to enjoy. It is a difficult track for the bike and for the rider´s body because you are on your left side for quite a long time. The first part is quite tricky but then it gets a bit better.
Pedrosa looked forward to back-to-back races this weekend and at Laguna Seca a week, when asked about the task of staying ahead of the chasing pack having leapfrogged Valentino Rossi in the standings at Assen,
It would be nice to stay in the lead but we have two difficult races now. They are very important races and we have to face the challenge to do the best we can and try to focus on the two races before the break.
Rossi : No more mistakes in Germany
Fiat Yamaha´s Valentino Rossi hopes that his Assen crash marked his final error of the 2008 season.
Rossi conceded his lead in the MotoGP World Championship with a crash in Assen, coincidentally when trying to pass Randy de Puniet -the same rider whom he attempted a pass before crashing out of the 2007 Sachsenring showdown. The circumstances are not lost on the Italian in the run-up to the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, and Rossi is hopeful of having used up his yearly crash quota.
Rossi said,
Last year in Sachsenring I made a mistake and crashed, and at the last race in Assen I also made a mistake, so I hope that I´ve now had my bad moment for this year!
Sachsenring has been a great track for me in the past and it´s a great place to race at; it´s very tight and twisty but it generally suits the Yamaha very well and in 2006 I had a fantastic race there, winning from 11th. We are going there having lost our championship lead but we’re only four points behind so the situation is certainly much better than it was at this point last season.
Pedrosa: Won´t be easy to repeat 2007 Sachsenring Win
Despite a runaway victory by over 13 seconds in last year´s German race, Pedrosa is not expecting a routine win in 2008.
Leader of the MotoGP World Championship and the winner of last year´s famed Sachsenring circuit race, Dani Pedrosa is one of the heavy favourites for victory at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland this weekend. The Repsol Honda rider is not taking a win for granted, however, fully aware that his rivals also have a strong history at the German track.
He will once again be using the standard spring-valve version of the RC212V engine, having used the motor to take podium finishes at all but one race thus far in 2008. Team-mate Nicky Hayden is using the pneumatic valve engine that Pedrosa has only briefly tested in preseason and post-race runs.
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Hayden assured no Engine Problem repeat
Nicky Hayden is not fearing a repeat of his Assen engine problem at Sachsenring, putting his faith in HRC´s electronic expertise.
Hayden has been using the pneumatic valve version of the RC212V engine over the past two races and, whilst the motor has experienced a couple of blips, an upturn in performance has convinced Hayden that it is a direction certainly worth pursuing.
Assen `s Slow Drag
His slow drag to the line at Assen may have been reminiscent of his Indianapolis inauguration lap – onboard the 1909 Indian in April of this year – but there was only one man smiling at his low-speed run towards the chequered flag in the Netherlands. Colin Edwards was the beneficiary of the Repsol Honda rider´s mechanical woe less than two weeks ago, but Hayden is confident that a repeat of such a scenario is not on the cards at Sachsenring.
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Hopkins Definitely Ruled out for Laguna Seca
John Hopkins is to undergo surgery to help him recover from the leg injuries he sustained in his crash at the A-Style TT Assen and is definitely ruled out for Laguna Seca.
Kawasaki have confirmed that John Hopkins´ injuries, sustained last weekend in a high-speed crash in the Netherlands, will require surgery and will definitely rule him out of the Sachsenring and Laguna Seca, as had been widely anticipated.
Following consultations with Dr Arthur Ting the California-based orthopaedic specialist, who helped Hopkins´ to recover from his groin injury earlier this year, he has been told he will need to go under the knife in order to rectify the damage of his Assen accident.
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Sete Gibernau Positive end to latest Ducati test at Mugello
Another 3-day test session at Mugello has concluded in a positive fashion for Sete Gibernau, with his clocking around 800km on track.
Sete Gibernau, Former Ducati World Championship rider has spent another 3 days successfully testing with the Italian brand in hot sunshine, at their main testing venue of Mugello, in the stunning Tuscan countryside.
Gibernau spent time on both the Desmosedici GP8 and GP9 bikes as he continued to familiarise himself with 800cc riding, following a break of more than a year and a half away from MotoGP machinery.
He undertook numerous 4 and 5 lap runs, demonstrating a high level of physical fitness, in view of the difficult climatic conditions, with air temperatures of over 30°C and track temperatures exceeding 50°C. Despite this, the Spanish rider kept up an excellent pace, lapping consistently in the low 1´51 region.
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Canepa analysed Indy testing`s first day
After topping the timesheet on the first day of the historic MotoGP Indianapolis test on Tuesday, Niccolo Canepa, Ducati´s rider, analysed his day´s work at the famous American venue.
Having set the fastest time on the first ever day of testing at the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) MotoGP track on Tuesday, with a best effort of 1´44.176 on the 81st of 83 laps undertaken, Italian test rider Niccolo Canepa provided his perspective on the proceedings.
Canepa explain :
We did a lot of laps this morning, but in the evening the grip was better, and we found a good set-up and good tyres to do a good lap time. I´m also happy because I was faster today than Ben Spies, the American. Tomorrow we have a lot of work to do, although I think that the lap times will be better.
I don´t know what I did better than the other guys, but I have learned the secret better! I´m younger, so I think I´m ready to be more crazy than the others.
News Riders & Teams: Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Team
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Hand Fracture healed – Capirossi on the mend again
Loris Capirossi is determined to be back at Sachsenring following his DNF at Barcelona and two subsequent races missed due to injury.
After his ill-fated comeback attempt at the A-Style TT Assen, Loris Capirossi is recovering quickly from the forearm injury he sustained in the Netherlands and is highly motivated to return at the next round of the World Championship in Germany.
Miss the trip to Donington
Capirossi has now gone three rounds without being able to score points, after an accident which resulted in a DNF and a fractured a bone in his right hand in Barcelona, causing him to miss the trip to Donington, only for him to crash again in practice last Thursday at Assen and subsequently miss the rest of the weekend due to a nasty puncture wound in his right forearm.
Healed and Return
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Valentino Rossi left Barcelona after an Impressive test
After claiming 20 important points to maintain his general standings lead at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, Valentino Rossi left Barcelona after a successful test on Monday.
Rossi and his Fiat Yamaha crew continued their work at the Circuit de Catalunya on Monday afternoon, following up Sunday´s crucial second place finish in the Barcelona race with five hours of testing at the Montmelo track.
Although he`s undoubtedly one of the greatest riders in the history of the sport, even he has certain weaknesses and is the first to admit that race starts are not his strongest point.
Fought Back
Rossi fought back from ninth position on the grid to finish second on Sunday having had set-up problems earlier in the weekend so the test was an important opportunity to work on settings, race starts and qualifying tyres.
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Catalunya 2008 Photos
The Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya race was just ended today. With Dani Predrosa The Repsol Honda rider as the Winner of this event. Alright, here ‘re Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya 2008 event photos.
There are 41 Photos available. Click on the thumbnail to open the large photos.
Enjoy!
Calendar & Circuits News Riders & Teams: Catalunya Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team
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Pedrosa Won the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya 2008
Dani Pedrosa won the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya 2008 with a terrific ride, taking the holeshot and never looking back. A Peerless display!
A breakaway plan from Dani Pedrosa worked to perfection in the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, as he took the holeshot at his home race and never looked back. The win ended a long premier class run without a local winner in Barcelona, stretching back to 1999 and a popular triumph for Alex Criville in the 500cc category.
Keen to avoid a battle between himself and predicted podium finishers Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi, he burst out of the blocks and set about putting space between himself and the rest of the field. A new circuit record was made by Pedrosa by the second lap, and he kept the pace up throughout the 25 lap race.
A fourth consecutive win proved a wish too far for Rossi, who nonetheless fulfilled expectations by fighting his way up from ninth on the grid. A penultimate lap slipstream of Stoner gave him second place, a sixth consecutive podium and, most importantly, the advantage necessary to maintain the lead in the MotoGP World Championship.
5th & 6th place
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News Riders & Teams: Casey Stoner Catalunya Ducati Marlboro Team
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Casey Stoner sets a new pole record at Catalunya
World Champion Casey Stoner sets a new pole record at Catalunya, for his 1st top spot since the 2007 visit to Misano.
With his first pole position since the Misano race 2007, Casey Stoner broke his top spot drought in qualifying for the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya. He did so with a new record time of 1´41.186, preventing a home pole for Repsol Honda´s Dani Pedrosa.
Last year´s racewinner, Stoner had a spectacular last lap of the Barcelona circuit where he cut his teeth in the Spanish championship, putting behind him any grip problems experienced early on Friday. He had been fastest in the previous two practice sessions.
For Dani Pedrosa, another front row won’t come as too much of a disappointment, with his other immediate title contenders either down the order or out of action. The big worry for him will be a breakaway from the man immediately to his left on the grid, and whether the standard Honda RC212V engine still being used by the factory team has the power to stick with the Ducati Desmosedici GP8 over the long home straight. A bike problem early on left him without time to test his race tyres, and using his 2nd machine.
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News Riders & Teams: Catalunya Fiat Yamaha Team Jorge Lorenzo
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Lorenzo `s Catalunya 2008 Heavy Crash
Jorge Lorenzo suffers heavy crash in the second free practice session at Catalunya. Initial examination suggests that Jorge Lorenzo escaped the incident without suffering any serious damage.
Jorge Lorenzo the Fiat Yamaha´s rider, has been taken to Barcelona´s Clinica Dexeus by helicopter, after a nasty lookie heavy crash in the second MotoGP Free Practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The Clinica Mobile at the track discovered a contusion to his left ankle, the previously injured in Shanghai, and some small damage to his right hand. He played no further part in the session after the crash, although Yamaha expect him to be back in action tomorrow morning.
OUT of Catalunya Race
Rossi `s Catalunya new color, the Azzurri blue.
Valentino Rossi was sporting his new look in Montmelo, Friday morning. Check out the video at motogp dot com.
As announced yesterday, Valentino Rossi was running a very special paint scheme and leathers combination in the opening practice session for the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya.
The Italian and his Fiat Yamaha M1 were decked out in the traditional blue of the `Azzurri´, his home country´s national football team set to open their quest for the UEFA European Championship title on Monday.
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Racing Numbers of Catalunya Circuit
Catalunya Circuit, more exciting racing action, more facts and figures to watch out for, in this week´s Racing Numbers.
46
Race day in Barcelona is the 46th anniversary to the day of Suzuki taking their first ever Grand Prix victory – in the 50cc race at the Isle of Man TT in 1962, ridden by Ernst Degner.
35 Years
On the 8th of June 1973 Jack Findlay took the victory in the Senior TT race in the Isle of Man riding a Suzuki. This win was highly significant in that it was the first ever win in the premier class of world championship motorcycle racing by a rider using Michelin tyres.
14
Marco Simoncelli´s win at Mugello made him the fourteenth rider from Italy who has won Grand Prix in both the 125cc and 250cc classes. The others are: Luca Cadalora, Tarquinio Provini, Valentino Rossi, Carlo Ubbiali, Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri, Loris Reggiani, Andrea Dovizioso, Doriano Romboni, Bruno Ruffo, Emilio Mendogni, Paolo Pileri and Mattia Pasini.
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Stoner Reach the Top after superb race in Catalunya 2007
More than 110,000 fans looked on at the Circuit de Catalunya last June, as Casey Stoner took his 4th victory of the 2007 season following an epic battle with Valentino Rossi & Dani Pedrosa.
Casey Stoner secured the 4th of his ten 2007 wins in last year´s Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, on a hot & sunny June afternoon at the Barcelona track, after an immense battle with Fiat Yamaha´s Valentino Rossi , with Dani Pedrosa finishing a close third.
He produced one of the best performances of his career, closely contesting the race lead with Rossi in an enthralling duel – the Australian eventually crossing the line just 0.069s ahead of the Italian.
Pedrosa had not won a Grand Prix for nearly a year at the time, but he was finding form and was ready to pounce in the event of any errors from the leading pair – ultimately finishing just 0.390s behind Stoner, who increased his World Championship lead to 14 points.
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Michelin put Their Trust in Pedrosa & Lorenzo at Catalunya
Michelin, the French tyre suppliers are hoping, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo, their top two riders in the MotoGP points standings, will perform well in Barcelona.
With 6 races of the 2008 World Championship gone and 12 to go, the 2nd of 4 European rounds in the space of 5 weeks takes place at the Catalunya circuit this weekend, Michelin working hard to get back onto the top step of the podium.
The trip to Italy last weekend saw Bridgestone get the better of things at Mugello with a first pole of the year for them with Valentino Rossi, from Fiat Yamaha and the subsequent success of Rossi in the race, followed home by Casey Stoner from Ducati Marlboro.
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News Riders & Teams: Bridgestone Fiat Yamaha Team Valentino Rossi
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Rossi ‘s final tyre adjustments by Bridgestone and Burgess
Bridgestone had the weight of history add their task, providing Valentino Rossi with race-winning tyres at Mugello.
With the need to keep Rossi´s Mugello winning streak alive, Bridgestone were under pressure on Sunday. Delight and relief were experienced by the Japanese tyre manufacturer upon experiencing a one-two at the Gran Premio d´Italia Alice, with Ducati´s Casey Stoner taking 2nd place behind the local hero.
As the victory sank in, Hiroshi Yamada, the Motorcycle Sport Unit Manager said:
“What a great result. It is fantastic to see two Bridgestone riders on the top two steps of the podium for the first time this season. Valentino produced one of his trademark Mugello performances and his victory was a great achievement. With Valentino´s unbeaten record in Mugello, and his pole position from Saturday, we were under a lot of pressure today, so I am glad our tyres were up to the job.”
Valentino Rossi takes seventh consecutive at Mugello
Valentino Rossi, World Championship leader took his seventh premier class home victory at Mugello, in a dominant display.
The script had been written, but it was still up to the Fiat Yamaha rider to perform when the lights went out. Taking the lead from 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner on the fourth lap, Rossi then set about creating a gap between himself and the chasing pack.
He did so with a series of increasingly faster times, and eventually crossed the line with a comfortable advantage for Mugello premier class victory number seven. His rivals must now wait another year to attempt to dethrone the `King of Mugello´.
The supporting cast to the Rossi show was headed by Ducati Marlboro rider Stoner, on the podium at Mugello for only the second time in his Grand Prix career. The result helps Stoner make up ground in the MotoGP standings, in which he maintains fourth place but narrows the gap between himself and Jorge Lorenzo.
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Rossi at buoyant confidence levels for Mugello after important test
Focusing mainly on working with Bridgestone during his 2 days stay in Le Mans, Rossi concentrated on qualifiers, Monday and race tyres, Tuesday, with his findings boosting his already buoyant confidence levels.
He has never doubted his own ability over the past two inconsistent and fruitless seasons, but the current competitiveness of his Yamaha M1 and his blossoming relationship with Bridgestone mean he `s looking particularly strong at present.
Hoping to maintain the momentum of successive victories at Shanghai and Le Mans in his home race at round six in Italy next time out, Rossi hopes apply more pressure on his rivals at Mugello by starting on pole for the first time with Bridgestone, having seen Michelin riders take a clean sweep of 5 straight poles thus far in 2008.
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Rossi `s hard work after celebrations continues
As recorded his 90th career victory on Sunday, Rossi remained 2 days at Le Mans, for testing, putting in 68 laps on Monday.
After equalling Angel Nieto´s career, total of 90 GP wins at the Alice Grand Prix de France on Sunday, Valentino Rossi continued to put in the hard graft in a post-race test at the French track.
Monday was the first of two days of testing for Rossi, who was the sole occupant of the Fiat Yamaha team garage, as colleague Jorge Lorenzo flew back to Spain after his hard-fought second place in France on Sunday, to continue the rehabilitation of his fractured ankles.
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Rossi : I´ll continue for one or two years with Yamaha `very likely´
Valentino Rossi, Le Mans racewinner and current MotoGP World Championship leader, moved one step closer, confirming his future, with Yamaha the most likely outcome.
Valentino Rossi´s future in MotoGP has yet to be decided, but the Le Mans racewinner appears to be heavily leaning towards an extended stay with the factory Yamaha team.
His current 2 year deal was signed before his Mugello home race in 2006, and a decision is expected to be made before the 2008 Gran Premio d´Italia Alice. Rossi hinted to channel TVE´s `MotoGP Club´, Spanish television, that it’s just a matter of negotiating terms with Yamaha for an extension to be confirmed, one that would see him riding for the Japanese factory through 2009 and perhaps beyond.
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Dani Pedrosa, fastest rider in French test
Dani Pedrosa the Repsol Honda´s rider, recorded the fastest time in his first and only day of post-race testing in France.
Dani Pedrosa concluded the 1st day of post-Grand Prix testing, which also his final day at the Le Mans circuit- at the head of the 11 regular rider-strong field of MotoGP stars. He clocked a 1´33.106 lap in the late afternoon, before the session concluded at 6pm local time.
2nd Timesheet, Rossi
Second on the timesheet was Le Mans racewinner Valentino Rossi, who set his fastest time of 1´33.661 just before 3pm. The Italian was the only Fiat Yamaha rider to perform laps of Le Mans, as teammate Jorge Lorenzo prudently decided against risking further damage to his injured ankles.
3rd Fastest, Stoner
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News Riders & Teams: Alice Grand Prix de France Fiat Yamaha Team Le Mans Valentino Rossi
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Nieto`s Tribute to Rossi
Angel Nieto was paying a tribute to Rossi after he equaled his Grand Prix win tally of 90 victories.
Rossi´s equaling of Angel Nieto 90 Grand Prix victory milestone may `ve seen the Spaniard relinquishing his legacy as the 2nd most successful rider ever. But the MotoGP Legend wasn ‘t to be excluded from the celebrations in Le Mans.
Rossi was inviting Nieto to join him on a victory lap of the historic French circuit, and Nieto gave the Italian racewinner a well-deserved rest by taking the bars of the Yamaha M1 himself. It was Nieto´s 1st time riding an 800cc machine, with Rossi as his passenger displaying a flag, that commemorated their both achievements.
Nieto spoke about the unique celebration and Rossi´s achievement, after pulling into parc ferme:
“When I was on the bike with Valentino, he told me `this is history´. He is right, it is a fantastic story for us both. We´ve won 180 Grands Prix between us.
Valentino paid homage to my sporting career, and I am delighted to be part of his celebration, and to continue watching these amazing races. Congratulations to Valentino on the 90 wins. He deserves it as he is a star. He´ll be up there this season, of this there is no doubt.”
Calendar & Circuits News Riders & Teams: Alice Grand Prix de France Fiat Yamaha Team Le Mans Valentino Rossi
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Rossi takes 90th victory, World Championship lead, equalling Angel Nieto, at the Alice Grand Prix de France
Valentino Rossi took a second consecutive race victory at the Alice Grand Prix de France, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Colin Edwards.
Equalling Angel Nieto `s Record
Rossi took a runaway triumph at the Alice Grand Prix de France, equalling Angel Nieto `s record of 90 World Championship wins with a superb solo run.
In a selfless display, Rossi shared the limelight with the MotoGP Legend, asking Nieto to take him on a parade lap onboard the Yamaha M1. Aside from equalling the historic milestone, the win also allowed the five-time MotoGP World Champion to assume the leadership of the overall standings for the first time this season.
Whilst second row starter Rossi had broken away from the pack early, the battle for the podium was closely contested right up to the line. The Italian´s Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo once again took his share of the limelight, bursting through the field to take second place in spite of a catalogue of injuries. His latest rostrum means that he is now the highest rookie point scorer from an opening five races in history, overtaking hero Max Biaggi.
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News Riders & Teams: Alice Grand Prix de France Fiat Yamaha Team Jorge Lorenzo Le Mans
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Lorenzo suffered Crash, Again. Saturday Morning, Le Mans.
Jorge Lorenzo suffered crash on Saturday morning in the second free practice session at Le Mans, but is still expected to take part in qualifying this afternoon.
Fiat Yamaha´s Jorge Lorenzo will participate in qualifying this afternoon at the Alice Grand Prix de France despite suffering a second crash of the Le Mans weekend in this morning´s final practice session.
A high-speed Lowside
Lorenzo suffered a high-speed lowside at the end of the back straight approaching turn nine, which is one of the hardest breaking points on the French track, with the riders hitting the brakes around 200 meters before the apex of the turn.
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Calendar & Circuits News Riders & Teams: Alice Grand Prix de France Dani Pedrosa Le Mans Repsol Honda Team
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Pedrosa the Fastest of Friday timesheets
Dani Pedrosa, the MotoGP World Championship consolidated his morning advantage with a further mercurial time on Friday afternoon.
Fastest both the morning and afternoon
Dani Pedrosa holds the early advantage ahead of the Alice Grand Prix de France as being the fastest in both the morning and afternoon MotoGP sessions in Le Mans. The Repsol Honda rider and current leader of the MotoGP World Championship recorded a 1´34.227 lap of the newly-modified Bugatti circuit to end the day one step ahead of his premier class rivals.
He did so in the afternoon run by the slimmest of margins, less than five-hundredths of a second ahead of reigning MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner. Only a further eleven-thousandths of a second down was 2007 poleman Colin Edwards, who rounded off one of the closest top three´s one is likely to see.
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Calendar & Circuits News: Alice Grand Prix de France Calendar Le Mans
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Alice Grand Prix de France Time Schedule
Alice Grand Prix de France Time Schedule
Friday, 16th May 2008
125cc
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250cc
125cc
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250cc
Saturday, 17th May 2008
125cc
MotoGP
250cc
125cc
MotoGP
250cc
Sunday, 18th May 2008
125cc
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MotoGP
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Time schedule in local time (GMT + 2 / CET).
News Riders & Teams: Alice Grand Prix de France Fiat Yamaha Team Le Mans Valentino Rossi
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Rossi and Fiat Yamaha, Unfinished business at Le Mans
Valentino Rossi arrives in France on a roll, with the intention of adding to his win haul and putting some ghosts to rest. He’s about out to avenge previous French disasters.
Valentino Rossi´s victory in China has put him right back into the World Championship mix, at just nine points behind leader Dani Pedrosa and on a positive run of form.
Entering the Eurocentric seven-race miniseries stage of the season that has traditionally been his most prolific in terms of points, the Italian and Team Manager Davide Brivio feel that Le Mans will once again be the start of a crucial section of the year.
Rossi says:
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News Riders & Teams: Alice Grand Prix de France Fiat Yamaha Team Jorge Lorenzo Le Mans
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Jorge Lorenzo race Le Mans, confirmed.
It’s been rubberstamped by Doctor Xavier Mir about Jorge Lorenzo´s participation in this weekend’s round of MotoGP action, confirming their initial expectations.
Jorge Lorenzo will definitely play a part in this weekend’s Alice Grand Prix de France, having been given the all clear from Doctor Xavier Mir in his final pre-Le Mans check up.
The decision to officially permit the Lorenzo to race comes as little surprise, with Dr. Mir having said himself that there would be as much chance of a breakage of any other bone as there was of re-injuring the fractured astralagus picked up in his Shanghai highside.
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News Photos & Videos: Dani Pedrosa Le Mans Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda Team
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Pedrosa and Hayden, Share similar approaches to Le Mans
Current MotoGP series leader and 2006 World Champion, highlight tyres and first section as key to mastering Le Mans.
Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden are in some ways polar opposites. Their bike setup, riding style and builds are markedly different despite bringing the Honda factory team equal amounts of success.
With this in mind, the pair have an incredibly similar approach to the upcoming Alice Grand Prix de France, round five of the MotoGP World Championship. Expect some aggressive riding and hard braking from Messrs. Pedrosa and Hayden this weekend, particularly in the first sector of the historic Le Mans circuit.
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Le Mans Circuit: Historical Hi-Lites
Heading to round five in France, here’re some of the recent highlights of Grand Prix racing at Le Mans.
Having hosted a motorcycle Grand Prix event on 20 previous occasions Le Mans has a great history.
Le Mans, The first GP
The first GP at Le Mans took place in 1969 and there was a something of a one-horse race in the premier class contest, with Giacomo Agostini lapping all the other riders on his all-conquering MV Agusta, but the racing has been much closer in the modern era.
Three races in recent memory stand out in particular in the history books:
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Jean-Philippe Weber & 2008 Tyre tailoring
The fight for supremacy between Bridgestone and Michelin is a fierce battle, and advantages are sought in a number of manners, as Michelin´s Jean-Philippe Weber explained.
Michelin´s director of motorcycle racing Jean-Philippe Weber has a huge task on his hands in 2008, as the French tyre giant attempt to reclaim their status as the dominant force in MotoGP, in competition with Bridgestone.
Tweaking the design of their tyres depending on the demands of the highly varied World Championship circuits and the specific needs of their individual riders, there are three main elements the tyre suppliers can alter, those being compound type, casing and shape.
As Weber explained in China :
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Injured Lorenzo confident to race at Le Mans
Following pretty closely behind Dani Pedrosa at the MotOh! BCN 08 motorshow this week, as he does in the MotoGP standings, Jorge Lorenzo briefly spoke about the Le Mans race.
Jorge Lorenzo was in a buoyant mood as he visited the MotOh! BCN 08 motorshow to help Yamaha Spain launch a new scooter named after him.
The Lorenzo Replica Scooter, based on the Yamaha Jog, is likely to be a big hit in the 21 year-old rider´s native country such is the following he enjoys, and in his typically upbeat style on Thursday he re-stated his determination not to let the injuries from his spectacular highside crash, in free practice at Shanghai last Friday, slow him down.
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Dani Pedrosa at the MotOh! Repsol stand Barcelona
At the Repsol stand at Barcelona´s MotOH! bike fair, courtesy of the Spanish fuel company´s title sponsorship of the factory Honda team, Dani Pedrosa gave his latest thoughts on the premier class title race on Wednesday afternoon.
Having gone seven points clear in the title fight with his second place finish behind race winner Valentino Rossi in Shanghai on Sunday, Pedrosa commented:
“It´s been a good start but I just want to keep it going in the coming rounds.
“We´re going into a packed series of races in Europe and it will be a key period as they will be crucial to the championship. Everything has gone very well up to now and we are hoping to maintain this form.”
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News Photos & Videos Riders & Teams: China Fiat Yamaha Team Jorge Lorenzo Shanghai
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Lorenzo’s Crash Photos
The current MotoGP World Championship leader, Jorge Lorenzo suffered a huge highside in the second half of the opening practice session, last saturday. The action captured by the MotoGP World Championship’s official trackside photographer. In this collection of snaps, see freeze-frame footage of the Friday practice crash from a new perspective.
There’re 25 photos available. Click thumbnail to enlarge, bigger picture will opened in new window.
News Riders & Teams: China Fiat Yamaha Team Jorge Lorenzo Shanghai
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Lorenzo’s right ankle, more seriously injured.
Examined in Barcelona, Jorge Lorenzo’s right ankle, more seriously injured than in original diagnosis. Which originally thought to be the least damaged.
Jorge Lorenzo, directly upon his return from Shanghai to Barcelona, was taken to the Spanish city´s Institut Universitari Dexeus by ambulance for further inspection of the injuries suffered last Friday in a huge highside crash.
Dr. Xavier Mir, The man in charge of the Fiat Yamaha rider´s medical issues, submitted Lorenzo to an examination of both his left and right ankles, and found a further fracture of the right astragalus (the bone that articulates with the tibia, fibula, calcaneus, and navicular) and a broken ligament in the left ankle.
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News Riders & Teams: China Chris Vermeulen Loris Capirossi Pramac Grand Prix of China Rizla Suzuki Shanghai
by Jars
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Technical problems plagued the Rizla Suzuki
Capirossi´s 9th place and Vermeulen´s retirement leave team ruing misfortune in Shanghai.
Technical problems plagued the Rizla Suzuki garage in Shanghai, as Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen both saw their race adversely affected by the misfortune with the GSV-R.
Capirossi lost places at the end of the race, whilst a broken chain ended Vermeulen´s hopes of points in China.
Vermeulen´s retirement and Capirossi´s 9th place leave the Rizla Suzuki team ruing misfortune in Shanghai.
Loris Capirossi – 9th
- It´s difficult to say that this was a positive day, but we did improve a lot and if it wasn´t for my mistake early on it could have been a lot better. I didn´t want to lose touch with the top guys and my rhythm was really good, but I ran off and that cost me some places. I got back up to seventh and then I had a technical problem and I lost two positions right at the end. Now we will go to Le Mans and make sure that we are competitive there – we had the potential to do much better today!