Alex Asigno

A weekend of close racing beckons at the Grand Prix of China as the first day of practice finished with the top fourteen MotoGP riders separated by less than a second in Shanghai today. Fiat Yamaha team-mates Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were right in the mix and ended the day sixth and seventh fastest respectively in the combined standings, with Edwards just 0.2 seconds off the day's fastest time, set by John Hopkins. With rain forecast for the afternoon this morning's Free Practice looked like being a crucial one and Rossi got things off to a strong start by finishing third fastest. Despite overcast skies and humid conditions however the rain stayed away and this afternoon's practice remained dry throughout, giving the riders further time to concentrate on set-up and tyre work with Michelin, conscious that bad weather could still arrive tomorrow to play havoc during Qualifying. Both riders were pleased with how quickly they were able to adapt their YZR-M1's to the demands of the stop-and-go circuit and will aim to make further improvements tomorrow, aware that every tiny advantage here could spell the key to success over their rivals. Valentino Rossi Position: 6thTime: 2'01.390Laps: 47 "I'm not so happy with sixth position but the difference from the top is very small, only 0.18 seconds, and so the actual time is not so bad. All the riders are very close and already you can see that it's going to be a hard battle. For this reason we have to find every millimetre of difference in every corner of the track in order to have an advantage and it's also going to be important to start from the front. We're working hard to get the bike in the best possible shape but I can already ride my M1 quite well. We are missing a little bit of top speed on the straight but we're obviously making it up in other areas of the track where our bike is strong, because our overall times are similar to our rivals. Of course we've also been working closely with Michelin on the tyres and tomorrow we have a few more things to try; a couple of possibilities remain for us and from them we will decide our final race tyre. We were lucky with the weather today because we were waiting for rain but now it looks like it will come tomorrow or on Sunday instead. It's a pity; of course it's always better to race in the dry but we have had success here before under the rain and I think our bike is fast in the wet this year so lets wait and see." Colin Edwards Position: 7thTime: 2'01.409Laps: 46 "I've got a small engine modification to try here but actually I only managed a few laps with it at the end of the second session today. Tomorrow we'll use it a bit more and see how we get on with that. Anyway my time wasn't too bad today; it's ridiculously close amongst the top group so it looks like we could see some pretty exciting racing this weekend! I feel pretty good overall - we made a small modification to the geometry this afternoon and that's improved things a bit and we've got a couple more ideas just to finally tweak the setting a little more tomorrow. As for the tyres, we've found something good but we've got a couple more things to check before we make our final decision about the race tyre. However what we can do tomorrow might well depend on the weather!" Davide Brivio - Team Director "All the riders are very close today so it's going to be very important to really fine-tune the bike and try to find the perfect setting. We've got both Valentino and Colin in the first group of riders and so far the bike seems to be working quite well for both of them. Now we need to work on the final tyre selection for both riders. Today we were expecting some rain but luckily it didn't come and we were able to use all the practice time we had. Now it looks like tomorrow could be wet so the information we got today is going to be very important for us." Circuit Length: 5451 Temp: 24 Weather: Hazy 2007 MotoGP China - Shanghai 04/05/2007 Free Practice Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 2'1.204 2 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 2'1.303 3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 2'1.333 4 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 2'1.346 5 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 2'1.365 6 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 2'1.390 7 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 2'1.409 8 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 2'1.460 9 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 2'1.771 10 Carlos Checa Honda ESP 2'1.881 11 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 2'1.896 12 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 2'1.991 13 Alex Barros Ducati BRA 2'2.051 14 Toni Elias Honda ESP 2'2.114 15 Makoto Tamada Yamaha JPN 2'2.242 17 Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha FRA 2'2.768 Click here to view the news

Following on from the injuries Kevin Curtain sustained at Valencia, fellow Australian Steve Martin will ride as a replacement in the Yamaha World Supersport Team at this weekend’s Assen round. Martin has ridden for the DFX Honda Team for the first four rounds of the World Superbike Championship this season, but the team has since informed him that they are unable to give him the opportunity to ride in Assen. The Yamaha World Supersport Team has snapped up this highly experienced rider to maintain the pace and work alongside Broc Parkes while Kevin recovers from his injuries. Curtain suffered ripped muscles and a large cut in his right thigh when his bike hit him during a race incident at the Spanish round less than two weeks ago. He has certain limitations in muscle movement as well as hip pain and has flown home to Australia to rest and recover. It is hoped that he will be back with the Yamaha World Supersport Team at the next round at Monza on 13th May. Steve Martin has a proven track record with over ten years experience in the World Superbike Championship including 168 race starts, 3 pole positions and 5 podium finishes. He knows the Assen circuit well and is looking forward to a positive weekend at Assen. Steve says, “I can’t believe the way this all came about, but when Kevin also asked me personally to fill in for him I was in shock as it was the last phone call I was expecting. No one likes to fill in under these circumstances, especially when it’s one of your mates, but I will do the best job possible to help Kevin, Broc and the Yamaha World Supersport Team. I know the team and they are very professional so I’m sure they will make it as easy as possible for me in every way. Already from the small dealings I have had with them I feel more settled than I have all year.” Martin’s career highlights include winning the Australian Superbike Championship in 1999 and he has a wealth of experience across many types of manufacturers and championships. Prior to Pirelli becoming the single tyre supplier to the WSB/ WSS championships Steve had been a development rider for them for several years. With his versatile background Steve is expected to adapt swiftly to the Yamaha YZF-R6. Click here to view the news

After the disappointment of an unrewarding weekend in Istanbul, the Fiat Yamaha Team take their quest for glory even further east this week as the MotoGP World Championship points-chase stops off in Shanghai. The Grand Prix of China is the fourth round of eighteen on this year's gruelling calendar and it promises to be one of the most challenging, with the horsepower-sapping nature of the circuit and the unpredictable weather of the world's ninth largest city sure to play their part. The past two visits to Shanghai have provided almost polar extremes in the conditions, with a torrential downpour virtually flooding the circuit in the inaugural event of 2005 and then the intense heat of a year ago, when ambient temperatures during the race touched 31ºC, presenting an altogether different challenge. The event has also seen stark contrasts in fortunes for Valentino Rossi, who navigated his way to victory ahead of Olivier Jacque two years ago but suffered front tyre problems in the heat-wave of 2006 and was forced to retire from the race. Colin Edwards provided some cheer for the team last year by clinching third place in what would prove to be his only podium finish of the campaign. This year the Texan heads to China with a rostrum already under his belt, thanks to his third place at Jerez, following an encouraging start to the season that was only spoiled by an unfortunate crash in Turkey, when he was knocked out of the leading group by another rider on the first lap. Edwards suffered a cut and swollen knee in the incident and was forced to skip a day of testing at Istanbul Park last Monday but he will be fit to resume action in Friday morning's opening free practice session. Despite being drawn by the same hand as the Istanbul Park Circuit in Turkey, Shanghai has different characteristics that bring to mind closer comparisons with the other Herman Tilke circuit of Sepang. Combining fast straights and hard braking zones with a series of slow and difficult corners, bike set-up is a question of finding a compromised balance and enough horsepower to deal with the longest straight on the calendar, measuring 1202 metres. The unpredictable conditions and mixed data from previous seasons mean grip levels will be a complete mystery, making life even more difficult for Michelin's engineers as they try to adapt to new tyre restrictions in the most demanding of circumstances. Valentino Rossi - "Mixed memories but clear focus" Valentino Rossi heads to Shanghai with his mind still fully focused on the job despite tyre problems at Istanbul and in this race last year. Other than when he fell and re-mounted to take 14th at Jerez last season, tenth place in Turkey was the Italian's worst-ever dry weather result since his rookie premier-class season in 2000 and he is keen to make amends this Sunday. "We had a bad result in Turkey which we weren't expecting after being on pole, but Michelin have been working very hard to understand what went wrong and to ensure that it won't happen again," says Rossi. "We had a good test on Monday and tried a lot of new tyre combinations with China in mind, so we are going there with some ideas about what we think will work. Now it's a case of making what is hopefully the right tyre choice and then seeing how things go on Friday morning. "Last year we had a big problem in China and I couldn't finish the race, but in 2005 I had a great victory there in the wet so I have some nice memories of this track as well as some bad ones! We know it's not ideal for our bike and maybe they're going to have to split the main straight in two - one part for Ducati and one part for the rest of us! Joking aside though, it's a very long straight and we know that we're going to lack some top speed on it but the new engine modifications we had in Turkey worked well and there's a good improvement, so hopefully it won't be too serious. We're second in the championship and we've lost a few points so we need to aim for a podium to get back on track." Colin Edwards - "Punching back!" Colin Edwards insists he will be back up and fighting in China despite being knocked to the canvas on the first lap of the Grand Prix of Turkey. The Texan has boxed clever throughout testing and the opening three rounds of the season to give himself an optimum chance of success this season and he is hoping his excellent relationship with Michelin can pay dividends in a race that will place huge emphasis on tyre choice. "Turkey was a real shame because I felt I could have challenged for a podium, but that's racing and there's no point getting angry and stewing over it," reflects Edwards. "I didn't test on Monday because my knee was pretty painful but a few days resting up at home has helped a lot and it's feeling a lot better. After starting the season pretty well it was disappointing to have such a bad time in Turkey for the team but that's our 'bogey' circuit and now we're looking forward to punching back in China! "Shanghai last year was good for me and I ended up on the podium and of course I'm aiming to repeat that with improvement this year! We know it's going to be a tricky track for us with the long straight but hopefully we can make it up on the other parts of the track. Again the tyres are going to be a big factor but Valentino and Michelin worked seriously hard on Monday in Turkey, while I was chair-bound, and I think they've got some good plans about what's going to work." Davide Brivio - "Defence the priority" Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio says his riders face an uphill challenge in their battle for honours this weekend and admits the onus will be on defence rather than attack in the final 'flyaway' race before the start of the European term. The Italian pinpoints the long straights of Shanghai as a potential sticking point for the YZR-M1 but says his team are putting their faith in a new direction of development with Michelin tyres - aimed at an assault on the top positions during the decisive run of races up to summer. "Turkey was disappointing but at the same time very important to get information and data about where the limit of the tyres is with these new bikes and where they can be improved," says Brivio. "We had a very good meeting with Michelin and developed some ideas during the test last Monday. Time will tell but it seems we have identified a new direction to work in and we are all keen to get to China to verify those ideas and help Michelin find a tyre that is most suitable for our bike and for our riders' style. "China will be a very difficult race for us because of the long straight. It is not a track that allows us to maximise the potential of our bike, which is perhaps stronger at smaller, more 'rideable' circuits. We really have to go there and defend as much as possible and focus on getting the bike and tyres ready to attack when we return to Europe once more. Hopefully then we can be back fighting for the victory." Valentino Rossi : Information Age: 28 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 85 (59 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 177 (117 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 47 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 33 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japón, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 69 x MotoGP World Championships: 2 World Superbike Shanghai: Lap Record D.Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1'59.318 Shanghai: Best Lap D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1'59.009 Grand Prix Results: Shanghai 2006 1. D. Pedrosa (Honda) 44'07.734 2. N. Hayden (Honda) +1.505 3. C. Edwards (Yamaha) +14.634 . Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha DNF Click here to view the news

Both Haga and Corser suffered a day of ups and downs in today's round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen. Haga took second place in race one but suffered a technical failure in race two and was forced to retire. Corser suffered a mechanical fault in race one causing him to crash at high speed but rode through pain in race two to take fourth slot. Race one started so well for Haga, who had qualified in 15th following a mistake during his Superpole lap yesterday cost him valuable seconds. By the end of the first lap he had already pushed through the field to take seventh and he then carried on through to first place but settled back in fourth with team mate Corser just behind in fifth. On lap 15 Haga made another charge for the front of the pack and overtook Bayliss for second place with only two laps to go. He also contended for first place but had to settle for second. Corser put in a strong performance and was in a comfortable fifth place for much of the race, moving up to third on the penultimate lap when he overtook Bayliss and Xaus. Both riders were on track for podium finishes but Corser suffered a broken radiator hose clip causing fluid to spray over his rear tyre and making him high-side at a fast part of the circuit. Both riders got a good start in race two with Corser moving up to fourth and Haga taking fifth slot on lap one. Haga went through to challenge Lanzi and then Bayliss using his usual wild sliding riding style. Haga then focused on closing the gap between him and front man Toseland and he took the lead on lap nine. The two riders were battling for first place when Haga had to pull off the track on lap 11 with an electrical-based engine problem. Corser spent the main part of the race in a battle for fifth place with Lanzi but took fourth when Lanzi crashed out. The Australian fought the pain of his injuries received in race one to bring his bike home in fourth. The weekend finished on a good note for Team Yamaha YZF rider Shinichi Nakatomi with him finishing in the points in both races. Settings alterations made throughout the weekend gave the team one of their best results so far this season with the Japanese rider taking seven points away from Assen. The weekend's results means that Haga goes to Monza third in the championship, 20 points behind Biaggi who is in second. Corser lies in fifth in the championship. Noriyuki Haga (2nd and DNF - Yamaha Motor Italia) "In race one I got a good result considering where I started. From the fourth row to the podium isn't bad for one race! The bike was feeling good and the suspension modifications we made worked well. In race two I made a good start but then a problem forced me to retire which is unlucky as I was on target to get a good result again. This has been a bit of a mixed day but I am sure Monza will be better." Troy Corser (DNF and 4th - Yamaha Motor Italia) "The incident in race one was so unlucky. I can't believe that such a small part can do that - it shouldn't have happened. That just put me out of serious contention for race two. I have a very sore left hip which has been X-rayed and they say nothing is broken. I am going to get further checks tomorrow as I can't believe how sore it is. Everything else feels okay at the moment, we will see." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia) "Race one was going very well until a really minor problem on Troy's bike cost him a podium position and caused him some injuries. In the same race Haga got a really good start from fifteenth to finish second. It was a very mixed result for the team. In race two Haga was making similar progress as he had done in the first race but a different problem to Troy's forced him to retire and lose valuable points. Corser did a good job under the circumstances in race two. After his race one crash he had to have painkillers and was still in pain during the second race. He has definitely shown his determination today." Shinichi Nakatomi (13th and 12th - Team Yamaha YZF) "In race one I got a good start, gaining a couple of positions until I nearly had a high-side on the back part of the circuit. For race two we changed the front tyre compound and it was better. I am confident the next race will be better as we are working on some modifications which are sure will help." Martial Garcia (Team Manager, Tam Yamaha YZF) "Race one was satisfying, we are starting to bear the fruits of our hard work. We had the second top speed of the race even though we made a wrong choice for the front tyre. The bike is working well and Nakatomi's confidence is much improved. For race two we made some small modifications which helped further. Shinichi has better confidence with the frame and the engine now." Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 19 Weather: Sunny 2007 WSB Assen 29/04/2007 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Toseland Honda GBR 37'2.097 2 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'0.663 3 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 0'3.698 4 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 0'7.134 5 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'9.312 6 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'9.534 7 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'18.286 8 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'18.403 9 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'19.873 10 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'22.914 11 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'29.602 12 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'40.961 13 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'41.008 14 Dean Ellison Ducati GBR 1'12.714 15 Marek Svoboda Yamaha CZE -2 Laps Race 2 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 36'54.133 2 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'0.009 3 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'7.439 4 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'12.379 5 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'23.052 6 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'23.158 7 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'23.311 8 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'24.147 9 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'29.660 10 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'32.301 11 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'32.389 12 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'39.091 13 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 0'39.128 14 Luca Morelli Ducati ITA -1 Laps 15 Marek Svoboda Yamaha CZE -1 Laps Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'39.906 Rider Standings 29/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. James Toseland Honda GBR 196 2. Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 164 3. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 144 4. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 128 5. Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 114 6. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 99 7. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 98 8. Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 70 9. Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 64 10. Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 47 11. Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 46 12. Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 43 13. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 41 14. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 37 15. Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 35 16. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 19 Manufacturer Standings 29/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 205 2. Ducati 173 3. Yamaha 167 4. Suzuki 164 5. Kawasaki 69 RACE REPORT 29/04/2007 Yamaha put up a spirited fight but are unlucky Everything was looking positive today for the Yamaha World Supersport Team when on the penultimate lap Parkes crashed out while in second, dashing the teams hopes of a podium finish. Up until that point the young Australian had been having a great race and was looking very strong. With Parkes crashed out it was left up to Steve Martin to grab six points for the team's championship cause. Broc got a good start from third and found himself in a race-long battle at the front between Sofuoglu, Pitt, Foret and Charpentier. A fierce fight with Charpentier on lap eight saw Parkes challenging for third position with the riders swapping places every turn but he was unable to maintain the pace and moved back to fifth place when Foret overtook. He settled in fifth for the middle part of the race waiting for the last few laps before making a charge on lap 17. It was on lap 20 that Parkes lost the front going into the left-hand bend of Strubben corner and crashed out. Martin had an unlucky start off the line from sixth place and went down to 14th. He then spent the remainder of the race trying to make up places and succeeded in overtaking to tenth place. This was a good achievement considering the rider had only had three hours on the bike since being taken on as a replacement rider for Kevin Curtain last week. After Parkes' crash Sofuoglu went on to win the race with Pitt behind in second and Foret in third. Roccoli had a disappointing result today after a very good weekend of practice and qualifying. Having qualified fifth the rider then struggled in the race due to a wrong tyre choice and had to settle for the points rather than the race win. He finished in 14th. Having come to Assen fifth in the championship Parkes goes into the sixth round in two weeks in ninth place with 27 points and everything to work for. Yamaha also had a very good result today in the FIM Superstock 600 Cup with eight R6-shod riders finishing in the top ten. Steve Martin (10th - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I got a very bad start and just couldn't come back from there. I got stuck in a group and didn't feel I had enough rear grip to really push it or brake hard. I wanted to be more aggressive but there wasn't much I could do. If I had to do that race again I would try and get more rear grip - that was the only problem on an otherwise good bike and set up. The team has been really good to work with all weekend, I'm sorry I couldn't re-pay their efforts with a higher end result." Broc Parkes (DNF - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I got away okay at the start and found myself in a big battle with the front runners. Some of the Honda guys in that group were very committed and I was just trying to avoid being taken out. I did my best to conserve my tyres and then make a late charge at the end. The problem was I wasn't confident in the front brakes and I lost the front as I started to push harder. I'm gutted to crash out of second place." Massimo Roccoli (14th - Yamaha Team Italia) "I decided to try a medium rear tyre in the race which was a gamble and didn't work because the tarmac temperature was lower today than yesterday. I was very fast at the beginning of the race but after the first three laps the rear tyre was finished. The second half of the race was very difficult and I focused on just finishing in order to provide the team some more data to work from." Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 19 Weather: Sunny 2007 WSS Assen 29/04/2007 Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 36'4.418 2 Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 0'4.043 3 Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 0'5.479 4 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 0'8.140 5 David Salom Yamaha ESP 0'8.900 6 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 0'11.090 7 David Checa Yamaha ESP 0'14.847 8 Vesa Kallio Suzuki FIN 0'19.545 9 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 0'19.880 10 Steve Martin Yamaha AUS 0'20.084 11 Lorenzo Alfonsi Honda ITA 0'21.940 12 Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 0'26.792 13 Simone Sanna Honda ITA 0'36.477 14 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'37.156 15 Arie Vos Honda NED 0'39.459 18 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 0'41.140 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'42.096 Rider Standings 29/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 120 2. Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 67 3. Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 43 4. Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 40 5. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 39 6. Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 30 7. Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 30 8. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 28 9. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 27 10. Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 26 11. Craig Jones Honda GBR 25 12. Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 25 13. David Salom Yamaha ESP 24 14. Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 23 15. Vesa Kallio Suzuki FIN 21 17. David Checa Yamaha ESP 18 21. Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 10 22. Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 9 Manufacturer Standings 29/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 120 2. Kawasaki 77 3. Yamaha 66 4. Suzuki 37 5. Ducati 30 RACE REPORT 29/04/2007 Yamaha 1, 2 and 3 in Superstock 1000 at Assen Yamaha dominated the podium in today's third round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup with the rookie rider Pirro taking his first win on the R1. Team mate Corti finished second and TTSL-MGM rider van Keymeulen took third to round up an excellent day for the three diapason manufacturer. The three Yamaha riders, all using the new 2007 R1, had already taken the top three qualifying slots in yesterday's qualifying session with Corti in pole, van Keymeulen second and Pirro third. Belgian rider van Keymeulen got a good race start to take the lead but was quickly overtaken by Pirro by lap three. Corti rounded up the front group. New to the Yamaha Team Italia squad this season, Pirro came to Assen keen to show that his second place at Valencia was no fluke and he proved this by setting the fastest lap twice by lap five before van Keymeulen responded to knock over two seconds off the lap record. By lap 11 the three Yamaha-shod riders had left the rest of the pack nine seconds behind and on lap 12 Corti took the opportunity to pass van Keymeulen before sizing up and passing his team mate for the race lead on the penultimate corner of the last lap. Corti took the race win but was subsequently penalized 0.3 seconds for overtaking van Keymeulen under a waved yellow flag. This penalty pushed Corti back into second, providing Pirro with his first win for Yamaha Team Italia in his first season on the YZF-R1. Matteo Baiocco, riding an R1 for the Umbria Bike Team, had an excellent weekend finishing in fifth. Pirro's win today means he leaps from sixth in the championship to second with 45 points where he is just six points behind Canepa. Corti lies in third, also on 45 points with Baiocco in fifth and van Keymeulen in seventh. Van Keymeulen's finish is a good result considering the rider came to Assen with injuries sustained at the Le Mans 24hr race last week. Yamaha now leads the championship with 65 points to Ducati who are on 51 points. The next round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup is in two weeks at Monza, Italy. Michele Pirro (1st - Yamaha Team Italia) "I am very happy. I think that my victory is my rightfully mine because I stayed in front for virtually the whole race. I lost the lead on the last lap because the back marker Corti and I were overtaking didn't respect the signals. I am sorry for Claudio for the penalty but those are the rules." Claudio Corti (2nd - Yamaha Team Italia) "I didn't see the yellow flag. I am very angry because to win was very important for me. The positive things are that I am now very near the top of the leader board and I am now in a position to challenge for the title." Didier van Keymeulen (3rd - TTSL-MGM Racing) "At Le Mans I burnt my foot badly because the exhaust made contact with the foot peg which got hot and burnt through my boot. I also have very sore arms because of the length of time I was riding for. I had five injections for the pain in my arms today which helped. In the race I was able to keep up well with the other riders but I started to lose control of the front from lap six onwards. I had to back off, which is when Pirro and Corti passed me. I know I can compete with both these riders but I felt it was wiser to finish on the podium today than to risk not finishing at all." Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 19 Weather: Sunny 2007 Superstock Assen 29/04/2007 Race 1 - 13 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 22'27.536 2 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 0'0.920 3 Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 0'0.513 4 Ilario Dionisi Suzuki ITA 0'9.257 5 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 0'13.319 6 Nicolo Canepa Ducati ITA 0'14.996 7 Brendan Roberts Ducati AUS 0'15.569 8 Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 0'15.796 9 Matej Smrz Honda CZE 0'19.816 10 Danilo Dell'omo MV Agusta ITA 0'20.396 11 Raymond Schouten Yamaha NED 0'27.508 12 Ronald ter Braake Kawasaki NED 0'28.404 13 Rene Mahr Yamaha GER 0'30.659 14 Cederic Tangre Yamaha FRA 0'30.863 15 Marko Rohtlaan Honda EST 0'35.346 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 1'42.548 Rider Standings 29/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Nicolo Canepa Ducati ITA 51 2. Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 45 3. Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 45 4. Mark Aitchison Suzuki AUS 38 5. Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 35 6. Ilario Dionisi Suzuki ITA 34 7. Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 32 8. Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 27 9. Rene Mahr Yamaha GER 18 10. Matej Smrz Honda CZE 15 11. Cederic Tangre Yamaha FRA 11 12. Marko Jerman Suzuki SVK 11 13. Sheridan Morais Ducati RSA 10 14. Arne Tode Honda GER 9 15. Brendan Roberts Ducati AUS 9 Manufacturer Standings 29/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 65 2. Suzuki 51 3. Ducati 51 4. Honda 23 5. MV Agusta 10 6. Kawasaki 4 Click here to view the news

High hopes for Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards went unfulfilled today as the Fiat Yamaha Team riders, who started from first and second on the grid, were both victims of bad luck at Istanbul Park. The pair got a good start and were leading the pack into turn one before Edwards dropped back as he was unable to get enough heat into his tyre and Rossi made a mistake and ran wide at turn eleven. Disaster then struck for Edwards as he was hit from behind by another rider and sent tumbling into the gravel trap in a crash that involved four riders in total. Rossi meanwhile seemed to be going well and had fought back to second behind eventual winner Casey Stoner, before he suffered a serious rear tyre problem that forced him to roll off the gas and drop right back through the field. The Italian had to use all his talents to keep himself in the race and he eventually brought his Yamaha home in tenth position, taking what were a creditable six points under the circumstances. Rossi now drops to second place in the championship standings, ten points behind Stoner and 15 ahead of Dani Pedrosa, who was also involved in the first-lap crash. Edwards' unlucky non-finish, only the second in his Yamaha career, means he drops down to sixth. The Fiat Yamaha Team have a one-day test planned tomorrow although Edwards will wait until the morning to confirm if he will ride after badly bruising his knee when he was knocked down. Valentino Rossi Position: 10thTime: +18.999 "We are very disappointed today because we had high expectations for this race, but instead we had some unexpected problems with the tyre and it's been a disaster for us. Yesterday and this morning the same race tyre felt good but unfortunately today something happened to it after some laps and I couldn't fulfil the potential we had here. We don't know the reason yet for the problem but now Michelin are trying to understand what happened. I had a great start and was leading on the first lap, although I made a mistake at turn eleven when I ran wide and dropped to fifth. However at that stage my bike was working very well and I was able to fight back to second; I felt sure that I was going to have a good battle with Stoner! Sadly though, after ten or eleven laps, the tyre started to lose all grip and I had to slow right down because I was quite scared. It felt like there was a big problem with the tyre and I had to go very carefully just to finish. We were very unlucky today, we started first and second but Colin crashed when he was hit and then I had this problem. I'm also quite unhappy with Elias today because I think he was quite dangerous - more than once he passed me on the inside and then altered his line. This is not a correct way to race. We're all quite sad tonight but we have many more races so we will look forward now to China." Colin Edwards Position: DNFTime: "I got a great start but I had some problems getting heat into the rear tyre, which we were expecting at the start anyway. As a result I couldn't corner so well and I slipped right back on that first lap. Then Valentino ran off the track a bit at the fast right turn and I think everyone was checking up a bit and looking at him instead of thinking about the next corner! It seemed that everyone around me ran a bit wide into turn 12 but I braked normally and went underneath them when Jacque hit me from behind and I went down. I'm not badly hurt but my knee took a bit of a bang and it's swollen up quite a lot. It's pretty disappointing because we know my bike was working well and once I got some heat into the tyre it might have been a good race." Davide Brivio - Team Director "A very difficult and disappointing race for us! Colin was very unlucky as he was hit from behind through no fault of his own and there was no way for him to avoid the crash. He has some bad bruising to his knee but we hope it's nothing too serious. Valentino made a mistake on lap one but he recovered well and it looked like he was set for a good race, but we had some problems with the tyre. We'd chosen the hardest and best tyre that we had available to us but it wasn't enough to fight with our competitors today. We now have to work with Michelin during tomorrow's test to understand why this happened and learn from the mistake. It was very hard for Valentino to keep going until the end in this situation but he didn't give up and took some valuable points; we're still second in the championship so let's move on from here and look forward to China." Turkish delight for Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team After a drama charged Grand Prix of Turkey the Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team can leave Istanbul extremely satisfied as riders Makoto Tamada and Sylvain Guintoli scored more championship points finishing in 14th and 15th spots respectively. In what is shaping as the most intensely contested MotoGP Championship on record, both riders were extremely fortunate not to be involved in a spectacular opening lap crash that caused three riders to retire, as the Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 pilots were forced to take evasive action to stay in the race. Losing vital seconds in the melee, both riders recovered composure rapidly to give chase to the quickly disappearing pack and with determined rides closed the gap to the leaders over the remainder of the race to finish just 30 seconds from a podium finish. Confirming the continuing development of both the new generation Dunlop tyres and the 800cc Yamaha's that have made their debut in the new look championship in 2007, both riders consistently lapped the 5.340km Istanbul Park circuit over a second quicker than last year. Makoto Tamada Position: 14thTime: +38.540 The race wasn't so bad for me after Jerez but I need to find more consistency in myself. I had a good tyre as in the first few laps I could push very hard. It then dropped off a little but then the consistency remained the same. In the first lap I lost a bit as I had to ride around a long way to avoid the bikes on the track. I rode very hard to try and make up the difference but this is where I think I used a bit of the rear tyre trying to catch up to everyone. During the race I had a good battle with Shinya Nakano and my teammate Sylvain so things are getting better but the tyre remained consistent in its level of grip. I am working well with the team as we get to know each other and I am getting more and more confidence with the Dunlop tyres after being on other makes of tyres for many years. I feel that with the improvements we are making with the bike and the help from Dunlop that our results will improve at every race, as long as there are not too many crashes in front of me! Sylvain Guintoli Position: 15thTime:+39.337 Overall it was a good weekend. After Qatar and Jerez where we did some testing, this track was completely new to me. In the first lap I had to do a bit of gardening to miss the accident in front of me on the first lap and I think I lost about 10 seconds so it was a race against the clock to come back to the pack. On the last lap I had passed Makoto but unfortunately braking at the end of the straight I hit a bit of footpeg from the big crash that was still on the track and I lost the front and nearly crashed. One point is good again, especially here where I thought it would be more difficult but I think I could've been closer to the front than 30 seconds except for missing the crash and that little incident on the last lap. We always knew we had a good front tyre and now we have found some new information to improve the front but especially the most important was the rear tyre. Dunlop has made some big improvements with the rear tyre as it was very consistent the entire race and allowed us to go much faster than last year as I have done faster lap times than Carlos Checa did last year in the dry. This weekend has given me a lot more confidence as I feel these tyres are much better than a lot of people think so I am hoping for a race soon where we can get everything to gel together. Herve Poncharal - Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team Director I am reasonably satisfied with the result of the weekend as we are again in the points and towards the end of the race, we were quicker than a few riders in front of us and this proves that we are becoming more competitive at each race and that the new tyre rules are working. I am extremely happy with Sylvain and feel that if he wasn't involved in the first lap drama that he would have scored more points than the single one that he claimed. He came back strongly and was very consistent the entire race, competing together with Shinya Nakano and Carlos Checa. The most encouraging sign for us was that we were only 30 seconds from third place and this proves to me the improvement that is being made to the entire package as last year we struggled here and this year it is a lot better result for us We are staying here to test tomorrow and we have quite a few things to test especially in the tyre department. We have to keep it in perspective though as we are not going to climb ten steps at once but from the beginning of the season we are consistent and we are steadily improving. Circuit Length: 5378 Temp: 23 Weather: Dry 2007 MotoGP Turkey - Istanbul 22/04/2007 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 42'2.850 2 Toni Elias Honda ESP 0'6.207 3 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 0'8.102 4 Alex Barros Ducati BRA 0'8.135 5 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'8.289 6 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 0'10.186 7 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'10.239 8 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 0'14.734 9 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 0'16.042 10 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'18.999 11 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'26.249 12 Carlos Checa Honda ESP 0'29.546 13 Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 0'36.922 14 Makoto Tamada Yamaha JPN 0'38.540 15 Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha FRA 0'39.337 Rider Standings 22/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 61 2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 51 3. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 36 4. Toni Elias Honda ESP 35 5. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 30 6. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 26 7. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 26 8. Alex Barros Ducati BRA 25 9. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 23 10. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 21 11. Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 20 12. Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 15 13. Carlos Checa Honda ESP 14 14. Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 12 15. Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 11 16. Makoto Tamada Yamaha JPN 4 19. Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha FRA 3 Team Standings 22/04/2007 Pos. Team Points 1. Ducati Marlboro Team 81 2. FIAT Yamaha Team 77 3. Honda Gresini 65 4. Repsol Honda Team 62 5. Rizla Suzuki 44 6. Pramac D'Antin 37 7. Kawasaki Racing Team 15 8. Konica Minolta Honda 15 9. Honda LCR 14 10. Tech3 Yamaha 7 11. Team Roberts 3 Manufacturer Standings 22/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 61 2. Honda 56 3. Yamaha 51 4. Suzuki 30 5. Kawasaki 15 6. KR212V 3 Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards put themselves in the best possible starting positions for tomorrow's Grand Prix of Turkey with a one-two in today's Official Qualifying. Shaking off the mild set-up problems they had encountered on yesterday's dirty track, the pair worked steadily on fine-tuning their 800cc YZR-M1s throughout the majority of the hour-long session before posting the best flying laps on qualifying tyres to take the top two spots on the grid for tomorrow's 22-lap race. With the weather staying dry once again the grip on track was considerably better than yesterday and Rossi's eventual pole time of 1'52.795 was just inside the existing lap record, although still slightly slower than last year's pole time. The Italian moved into pole with eight minutes remaining after his first flying lap before consolidating his position with another even faster lap on his second qualifying tyre soon after. Rossi's second pole of the season and ninth consecutive front row start puts him in a strong position to challenge for a win at one of only three circuits on this year's calendar where he has yet to stand on top of the podium. Edwards' second qualifying lap of 1'52.944 was good enough for second position behind his team-mate and the American will start ahead of Dani Pedrosa, who mounted a strong challenge in the closing stages but finished 0.027 adrift of the American. Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 1'52.795 Laps: 24 "I'm very happy to have a pole position at this track, which has never been one of my favourites! I've had some bad moments here in the past but this year it feels like a different track for me and I'm having great fun! My M1 is very competitive, a lot more fun to ride here than in the past and the new modifications we have for our engine have made an important difference to our overall performance. The team has done a great job because we had some problems yesterday but they've found some good solutions and now Colin and I are first and second. My tyres are working well and we've found the right front for tomorrow. We need to make a final decision about the rear in the morning. With the qualifying tyre my bike really flew and I was able to do a very good lap; I started my first lap a few minutes earlier than the others and then I knew that I could improve a little bit more with the second qualifying tyre. Anyway all three of us are very close on the front row so I think it's going to be a tight battle tomorrow. Let's hope for good weather and see what happens." Colin Edwards Position: 2nd Time: 1'52.944 Laps: 21 "Well after the problems we had yesterday I've got to say a massive thanks to my team. They looked at the issues, got out their protractors, did their maths and worked their magic like always! The Michelin qualifier really sticks like glue for us this year and I was able to really push it. I thought I was going to run into traffic at one point on my last lap but I just kept my head down and somehow came out the other side in front. It was definitely a mistake-free lap. As for tomorrow, we need to work a little bit on our race pace - two tenths would be good but three would be even better! I think we're losing it in T3 so we need to concentrate on that part of the track. We've moved onto a different front from the 'old faithful' we've been using so far this year because that one was a little bit too close to the limit here, but it's working really well so we just need to make a final decision on the rear. It's a great result for the team to have us both on the front row again so let's hope to make the most of it with a similar result tomorrow!" Davide Brivio - Team Director "Of course this is a great qualifying result for us and it's really good to be starting tomorrow's race like this. This year our bike is working very well and both Valentino and Colin are able to enjoy the qualifying in a way that they weren't always able to last year. Our bike seems to be in great shape for qualifying this season as is shown by the results - Valentino has been on the front row in all three races and Colin twice. The team have done a great job as usual as they had a few problems to fix after yesterday, so well done to them. Our situation for tomorrow's race isn't so bad either but it's very important to be starting in front as it's going to be a hard battle. We have a few things to check with both riders in the warm-up tomorrow and some fine-tuning to do, but we can definitely be competitive and fight until the end." 2007 MotoGP Turkey - Istanbul 21/04/2007 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'52.795 2 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'52.944 3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'52.971 4 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'53.375 5 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'53.559 6 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'53.613 7 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'53.637 8 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1'53.706 9 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'53.771 10 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'53.835 11 Olivier Jacque Kawasaki FRA 1'53.847 12 Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 1'53.988 13 Alex Barros Ducati BRA 1'54.082 14 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'54.143 15 Makoto Tamada Yamaha JPN 1'54.206 19 Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha FRA 1'54.845 Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi finished the first day of practice for the Grand Prix of Turkey in fourth position today, the top Michelin rider in the 19-strong MotoGP field at Istanbul Park. After heading the standings in this morning's practice, Colin Edwards struggled with front-end problems this afternoon and the American could only manage 15th in the combined standings. Although the sun shone all day, an overnight rainstorm and cool temperatures this morning meant the track was still wet for first practice and, although it had dried out somewhat by the afternoon, it remained quite dirty and the poor conditions meant that lap times were considerably slower than the existing lap record. Without any testing at this track this season, the team face a hard task to find the correct set-up and tyre combination before Sunday's 22 lap race and the tricky track conditions today complicated their task. After losing much of this morning's session to the wet track both crews worked hard throughout this afternoon's practice, which was interrupted by a red flag for a short time after Shinya Nakano fell. Team-mates Casey Stoner and Loris Capirossi topped the time sheets, whilst third spot ahead of Rossi went to John Hopkins. Valentino Rossi Position: 4thTime: 1'55.120Laps: 33 "The conditions today weren't ideal for us as the track was very, very dirty. However we're not in such a bad position in fourth and when you compare it to last year, when we had some serious problems here, things are much better and I can ride the bike very well, in fact I like the track a lot more with this bike! Stoner especially was very fast today and I think that tomorrow is going to be a hard battle for qualifying. We need to work on the tyres and the set-up but I am confident that we can improve things quite a bit more tomorrow. The Japanese engineers have been working very hard during the break and today we tried out some new modifications for our engine. My first impressions are that it's a definite improvement and we can go a little bit faster. It's not a big difference but it's very important, especially here at this track. Now let's see what we can do tomorrow." Colin Edwards Position: 15thTime: 1'56.320Laps: 28 "Strangely I felt more comfortable with the front end this morning, when the track was wet and even dirtier than it was this afternoon! Unfortunately we've got some problems to deal with in the front-end and we didn't quite get to the bottom of them today. This afternoon I stayed on the same front as we used this morning and we've been playing with the setting but at the moment it's not working great and I can't ride it how I want to. We need to look at both the setting and the tyre situation and make some adjustments in order to be in a position to challenge tomorrow. Apart from that the bike feels okay and I'm confident that once the team work their magic tonight, as they always do, things will be working good." Davide Brivio - Team Director "The conditions today weren't good because of the rain overnight and so we lost a lot of this morning's practice. Unfortunately the track remained quite dirty and so the lap times are quite a lot slower than the last couple of years. Anyway, we have to work in these conditions so the team have tried to make the best of it and we're trying to analyse the problems we've encountered today. This afternoon Colin was suffering more than Valentino and he has some set-up problems which we need to work through. Of course the tyres are also very important here because it's the first track that we've been to this year without testing and our choice is also limited by the new regulations. However Valentino was able to improve his set-up a bit this afternoon and hopefully we can do the same with them both tomorrow." Circuit Length: 5378 Temp: 18 Weather: Dry 2007 MotoGP Turkey - Istanbul 20/04/2007 Free Practice Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'54.200 2 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'54.979 3 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'55.062 4 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'55.120 5 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'55.158 6 Olivier Jacque Kawasaki FRA 1'55.158 7 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'55.707 8 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 1'55.736 9 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'55.865 10 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'55.910 11 Kenny Roberts KR212V USA 1'56.071 12 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1'56.225 13 Alex Barros Ducati BRA 1'56.233 14 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'56.312 15 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'56.320 17 Makoto Tamada Yamaha JPN 1'56.923 19 Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha FRA 1'57.245 Click here to view the news

The efforts of Joshua Coppins, Antonio Cairoli and Yves Demaria in the FIM MX1, MX2 and MX3 Championship respectively have ensured a fantastic start to the international off-road racing calendar for Yamaha; with the manufacturer leading the standings of each series and remaining unbeaten in the two Grand Prix run so far in MX1 and MX2. The Yamaha Motocross Team, reigning champions in the MX1 class, has extended their run of victories to 16 Grand Prix from the last 17 run over the past twelve months. New signing for 2007, Joshua Coppins, has gelled immediately with the YZ450FM and has won three of four motos in total, contested in Holland and Spain last weekend; climbing the top step of the overall rostrum on both occasions. The 30 year old New Zealander has shown an impressive rate of speed in sand and also muddy conditions at Bellpuig on Sunday, and is currently fulfilling many pre-season predictions that the Kiwi is number one favourite for the ’07 title. The Rinaldi-helmed crew are chasing their seventh championship this century and Team Manager Carlo is pleased with the progress thus far: “Josh was steady in the sand and stayed consistent in difficult conditions on Sunday; this was the best we could have expected from him. Josh believes in himself so much and is very motivated and focussed; we trust that we can have a very good season with him.” Coppins’ achievements on the eve of entering the third round of fifteen at the Agueda circuit for the Grand Prix of Portugal this weekend have only been matched by the flamboyant and incredibly popular Antonio Cairoli in the MX2 competition. The exciting Sicilian – steering the potent YZ250F for Team De Carli Yamaha – has also won three from four motos and is undefeated in terms of GP wins. The 21 year old has raised his career tally of successes to 12 with a dominant set of victories at Valkenswaard two weeks ago and then sensationally beating Christophe Pourcel by passing the Champion on the last lap in Spain. “I am really happy with how things have been going,” the 2005 World Champ commented, “and I want to try and continue in this way. I know I have to be consistent for the championship and not repeat the mistakes I made last year. I am in good shape and the team is working very hard; we are heading in a good direction.” With second and third positions captured in French and Italian Grand Prix events the MX3 series is currently being led by multi champion and reigning number one in the category Yves Demaria. The experienced French rider, who first gained the MX3 crown in 2004, is fielding adapted YZ450F machinery within his own team structure this season. He returns to the ‘blue’ fold after winning in 250cc Grand Prixs last century and the 2001 Motocross of Nations at Namur with the Yamaha brand. For 2007 the 35 year old is battling with some younger names such as Benjamin Coisy (victor in Italy) and main title rival Sven Breugelmans. “It is good to see some young faces in this ‘old’ championship,” he commented “They get the chance to re-establish themselves and it is positive for the series. I am leading the standings after two rounds and I don’t think I could ask for any more at the moment.” “The Yamaha is a good bike and it was only a case of sorting out some suspension settings at the start of the year. I think Breugelmans, Vehvilainen and Lozano will be my main competition for the rest of the season,” he added. “Off course I am delighted with the results of our riders in all the MX world-championships,” said Huub Forschelen, Off-road Racing Manager of Yamaha Motor Europe. “After consecutive titles in MX1 with one specific rider, I am happy that we can prove that it is not just the individual who makes this possible. Now we can show also that the perfect team organisation and engineering qualities of YRRD (Yamaha Rinaldi Research Development) are a substantial part of the success, which Josh is now continuing for us. The quality of YRRD racing parts are proven as well in the MX3 championship, where Yves is leading, as a privateer, with his YZ479F kit-equipped Yamaha. While, as well, Team De Carli show the high level that a good team can tune a YZ250F. It is a motivation for a rider like Tony to work with such a team and to continue his victory tour.” The MX1 and MX2 Grand Prix of Portugal takes place in the dark red soil of Agueda with practice commencing this Saturday. The World Championship then pauses for a week before heading for consecutive meetings in Italy and Germany. MX3 also continues this weekend with the Spanish Grand Prix occurring near Madrid at Talavera de la Reina. Click here to view the news

Noriyuki Haga brought 36 more points and two podiums home for Yamaha in today's World Superbike Championship round at Valencia. Having battled to find the right set-up all weekend, Haga went out today and claimed second in race one, with Corser in fourth. He then had an excellent second race, finishing in third after a race-long battle with James Toseland. In race one Corser made a good start and took the lead by the first turn until lap six when it became evident that he had a grip problem. He maintained as much pace as he could though, to stay in the four-way battle for top spot between Xaus, Haga, Bayliss and himself. Eventually Haga and Xaus dropped Bayliss and Corser and continued the battle, with Haga taking the fastest lap on lap eight before taking the race lead. Corser and Bayliss fought for third place until Bayliss broke free to re-join the top two runners. A close race with Xaus, Haga and Bayliss saw all three of them dice for position but Xaus managed to take the win, with Haga second and Bayliss third. Corser held on to fourth with a decent margin back to Toseland in fifth. In race two Nitro Nori, lived up to his name getting the hole-shot off the line to take the lead. Corser made a good start as well to follow up in second, with Xaus and Toseland again close behind. By the end of lap one Toseland and Xaus had both passed Corser and by the end of lap three Bayliss had managed the same move, pushing Troy back to fifth. Ruben Xaus made it past Haga on lap four and Toseland and Haga touched fairings as the Honda rider also squeezed through. For the next ten laps all three riders swapped places at almost every turn until Bayliss ran briefly into the gravel after hitting the white line and dropping down to sixth. Haga and Toseland continued to fight for the win, with Noriyuki leading again from lap 19 until a mistake let James through on the penultimate lap. Team Yamaha YZF rider, Shinichi Nakatomi, had a disappointing weekend after retiring in race one with tyre problems and finishing 16th in race two. The team has really felt the lack of winter testing this weekend, coupled with Nakatomi's lack of confidence with wet weather riding. Noriyuki Haga (3rd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "In race two I had a good start, getting the hole-shot from the start line into first place. During the race I was looking for a good pace - I was not concerned if someone came past me, I was watching them (Xaus and Toseland). But they weren't carrying the same speed as me, and slowed down the pace. I was fighting side by side with Toseland but also looking to save my rear tyre to push in the last five laps. During the last two laps I had a good fight with Toseland for first place, and when I was planning to overtake James at the last corner I was not expecting Biaggi to be there, which prevented me from passing. For me, today was good but not perfect." Troy Corser (9th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "In race one I had a problem with our mapping choice, which is why I couldn't keep the pace with the front runners. But in race two the problem was different. I had exactly the same tyre as I had in race one, but I had absolutely no grip. I don't know why. I just can't believe my result today." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Troy's tyre problem aside, this was a positive weekend for me. We got some good points especially closing the gap to Biaggi and Suzuki in the Manufacturers' standings. The progress we saw in Donington, we saw again here. Nori rode very well, he lead 14 of 23 laps in the second race, always very focused. Two podiums is an excellent step towards our goal - the Championship. Unfortunately Troy had tyre problems in race two. His rear tyre didn't seem to work very well, giving him no grip at all. Otherwise, we are sure he would have been on the podium today. I am sure he will be up there in Assen. I'm looking forward to the next race, we are confident in good results there." Shinichi Nakatomi (18th - Team Yamaha YZF) "Race one was bad for me, we needed more test time to find the right tyre but we did not have it so made a wrong choice. Race two was not a good result, but it was better than race one at least. At least I know where we need to make improvements now. This weekend has been tough, I hope Assen is better." Martial Garcia (Team Coordinator - Team YZF Yamaha) "In race one, we made the wrong tyre choice, which was too soft and had finished after only five laps. The tyre we chose for race two was much better, but it is just unfortunate we couldn't get into the points even with our improved lap times. We are paying for the lack of winter testing before this season. For Assen we hope for good weather and for Nakatomi to improve his confidence in riding in the wet." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 17 Crowd: 39,000 Weather: Cloudy 2007 WSB Valencia 15/04/2007 Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 37'14.606 2 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'1.997 3 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 0'6.330 4 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'8.780 5 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'17.040 6 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'24.272 7 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'25.822 8 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'26.087 9 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 0'28.778 10 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'32.754 11 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'37.084 12 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'37.141 13 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 0'37.563 14 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'38.544 15 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'53.049 Race 2 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Toseland Honda GBR 37'35.825 2 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'0.287 3 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'0.375 4 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 0'6.637 5 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'7.991 6 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 0'10.210 7 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 0'10.861 8 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'14.366 9 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'15.511 10 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'19.716 11 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'25.287 12 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'26.437 13 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'34.992 14 Carmelo Morales Yamaha ESP 0'39.987 15 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 0'42.445 16 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'43.467 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'35.746 Rider Standings 15/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. James Toseland Honda GBR 151 2. Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 138 3. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 124 4. Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 101 5. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 90 6. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 87 7. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 83 8. Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 55 9. Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 46 10. Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 37 11. Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 33 12. Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 32 13. Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 30 14. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 27 15. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 25 18. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 12 Manufacturer Standings 15/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 160 2. Suzuki 138 3. Yamaha 134 4. Ducati 132 5. Kawasaki 53 RACE REPORT 15/04/2007 Parkes brings it home in sixth, Curtain crashes out Broc Parkes rode through the pain barrier today at Valencia to bring his R6 home in fifth place despite his recent collar bone injury. His team mate, Kevin Curtain, was not so fortunate, crashing out of the race on lap nine whilst battling for first place. The wet conditions that had plagued much of the weekend's track sessions had cleared going into the Supersport race. With this in mind, both riders were confident of a good ride in the fourth round of the World Supersport Championship today but in the end they were to have quite different results. Kevin got off a good start and maintained his third place, moving quickly up to second on lap two. Feeling comfortable with the bike and track conditions, he was able to put in a determined ride and was in a four-way battle for first place with Sofuoglu (Honda), Pitt (Honda) and Riba (Kawasaki). On lap five Kevin, showing no sign of discomfort from his broken collar bone, took the lead and temporarily set a new lap record. The battle continued until, on lap nine, Curtain and Riba collided catching Riba's brake lever and taking both riders out as well as Fujiwara Parkes' race also got off to a good start with him climbing up to eighth place from his start position of 11th. His injuries though, pampered him throughout the race, with him straining to change direction in the twisty middle section of the circuit. He moved up to fourth position as a result of Curtain and Riba's accident and then found himself embroiled in the middle pack of riders for the remainder of the race. He fought on and finished the race in a very credible fifth position, considering the short recovery period he has had since Donington. Massimo Roccoli, riding in the Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni squad, found himself alongside Parkes for much of the race, with the two riders swapping positions throughout. The dry conditions suited Roccoli's style more than the rain and he was able to much improve his start 16th start position to eventually finish in a solid seventh slot. Following his crash Curtain was taken to hospital where it was confirmed that his collar bone injury has not been made worse. A long 20cm cut deep into his thigh, caused by his foot peg, has had to be stitched - it was close to an artery but missed it. Following Curtain and Riba's collision the remaining to riders went on with Sofuoglu finishing in the top spot and ex-Yamaha WSB rider Pitt putting a good performance for second. Rounding up the podium positions was Nannelli (Ducati) who had a good fight with Pitt for second place and narrowly missed out. Broc Parkes (5th - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I was sore for sure during that race and when the pace picked up I had trouble keeping up because I couldn't change direction so easily due to my shoulder. I had a pack of riders around me for much of the race, which I didn't like as it would have been so easy to collide with one of them, like Kevin did. I'd rather have been in front of them, but I couldn't get past. At least I got some points, which I am happy about and kept it upright this weekend." Massimo Roccoli (7th - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I had a good start and jumped to sixth position. I was riding with the leading group and after a very difficult practice, I am pleased with my final result. I took some points and have saved the weekend." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 19 Crowd: 39,000 Weather: Cloudy 2007 WSS Valencia 15/04/2007 Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 38'8.523 2 Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 0'4.911 3 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 0'5.200 4 Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 0'5.619 5 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 0'12.776 6 David Salom Yamaha ESP 0'14.913 7 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'15.178 8 Joan Lascorz Honda ESP 0'25.356 9 Vesa Kallio Suzuki FIN 0'28.454 10 Craig Jones Honda GBR 0'29.885 11 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 0'30.422 12 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 0'30.810 13 Lorenzo Alfonsi Honda ITA 0'31.204 14 David Checa Yamaha ESP 0'35.273 15 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 0'37.610 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'37.570 Rider Standings 15/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 95 2. Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 51 3. Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 43 4. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 39 5. Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 30 6. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 27 7. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 26 8. Craig Jones Honda GBR 25 9. Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 25 10. Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 22 11. Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 20 12. Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 17 13. Yoann Tiberio Honda FRA 15 14. Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 14 15. Lorenzo Alfonsi Honda ITA 13 20. Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 10 21. David Checa Yamaha ESP 9 22. Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 9 Manufacturer Standings 15/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 95 2. Kawasaki 61 3. Yamaha 55 4. Ducati 30 5. Suzuki 24 RACE REPORT 15/04/2007 New boy Pirro shows his potential with a second place Rookie Superstock rider Michele Pirro showed his race-winning potential today with a superb ride over a challenging two-part race to take second place. In contrast, team mate Corti had a difficult weekend, eventually finishing in 11th place. This result doesn't do credit to the actual first he got in the second half of the race - a bad first heat brought his overall finishing position down. At the initial race start, Pirro got a good start to take the lead from his second qualifying place. He then proceeded to pull out a lead of almost six seconds by lap three before the rest of the pack regained their composure to attach back. British rider Mark Aitchison (Suzuki) took the lead on lap six but then the race was red flagged after Badovini (MV Augusta) crashed. The race was re-started with a five-lap sprint to the chequered flag. Pirro once again got a good start, taking the lead briefly before Yamaha-shod rider Baiocco passed him. Corti came back from his first heat difficulties in the re-start to show the fighting spirit that got him second place in the 2006 Superstock Championship. A close battle ensued with van Keymeulen, Corti, Aitchison and Baiocco for the lead with Corti succeeding while van Keymeulen crashed out of second on the penultimate lap. The final aggregate result, taking into account the re-start, put Aitchison in first place; Pirro in second and Canepa in third. Michele Pirro (2nd - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I had no grip at the front with my front tyre destroyed. I tried to keep hold of first place but it was impossible. I am satisfied though, because my second position has put me back in the fight for the championship." Claudio Corti (3rd - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "My big problem was the first start. I took a big risk and almost crashed at one point losing position. I had no such problems in the second heat though and I am pleased to have grabbed some points today." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 16 Crowd: 39,000 Weather: Changeable 2007 Superstock Valencia 15/04/2007 Race 1 - 10 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Mark Aitchison Suzuki AUS 18'4.561 2 Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 0'0.566 3 Nicolo Canepa Ducati ITA 0'8.556 4 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 0'12.741 5 Ilario Dionisi Suzuki ITA 0'13.883 6 Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 0'14.606 7 Rene Mahr Yamaha GER 0'15.604 8 Matej Smrz Honda CZE 0'23.290 9 Cederic Tangre Yamaha FRA 0'25.773 10 Marko Jerman Suzuki SVK 0'26.178 11 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 0'26.428 12 Denis Sacchetti MV Agusta ITA 0'29.667 13 Sheridan Morais Ducati RSA 0'33.732 14 Marko Rohtlaan Honda EST 0'34.541 15 Arne Tode Honda GER 0'41.693 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 1'38.369 Rider Standings 15/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Nicolo Canepa Ducati ITA 41 2. Mark Aitchison Suzuki AUS 38 3. Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 25 4. Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 24 5. Ilario Dionisi Suzuki ITA 21 6. Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 20 7. Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 19 8. Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 16 9. Rene Mahr Yamaha GER 15 10. Marko Jerman Suzuki SVK 11 11. Sheridan Morais Ducati RSA 10 12. Arne Tode Honda GER 9 13. Cederic Tangre Yamaha FRA 9 14. Matej Smrz Honda CZE 8 15. Marko Rohtlaan Honda EST 5 Manufacturer Standings 15/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 41 2. Yamaha 40 3. Suzuki 38 4. Honda 16 5. MV Agusta 4 Click here to view the news

The enchanting city of Istanbul opens its gates to the MotoGP World Championship for the third time next weekend as the new 800cc era enters a third chapter shrouded in mystery. Unlike the opening two rounds at Losail and Jerez, the Fiat Yamaha Team and their rivals will be racing at a circuit where they have no pre-season testing experience with this year's machines. Not only will they have to set the bikes up from scratch but new regulations limiting the number of tyres each rider can use over the course of the weekend also come thundering into the equation. Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards will each have just seventeen rear tyres and fourteen fronts at their disposal throughout the four hour-long official practice sessions, 25-minute warm-up and 22-lap race. A variety of different compounds will be available, based on Michelin's assessment of the characteristics of the spectacular 5.378 kilometre track and data gathered during tests following the Grand Prix at Jerez, but the rubber manufacturers will not be allowed to alter each rider's allocation after 5pm on Thursday evening. The battle against the clock will start on Friday morning, when the riders and their engineers will work methodically through the available tyre options and adjust their bike set-up to the best available choice. Their job will not be made any easier by the demanding nature of the circuit, which features fourteen turns - eight lefts and six rights - several of which are based on famous bends at other circuits, such as the 'Senna Esses' at Sao Paolo, the 'Spoon Curve' at Suzuka and the 'Eau Rouge' at Spa. Like Phillip Island and Laguna Seca, it also has the unusual characteristic of running anti-clockwise. The challenge is further enhanced by dramatic changes in elevation, with the track built on four different ground levels, and the fastest corner in MotoGP - a 270km/h bend that the riders may even take with the throttle wide open in sixth gear on the new 800cc machines. That hair-raising turn eleven is followed by three ultra-slow chicanes, calling for a balanced set-up that provides front-end confidence as well as the rear-end stability required to cope with the high-speed changes of direction. A run of six different winners from the last six MotoGP races makes this weekend's proceedings even harder to predict but both Rossi and Edwards are confident of maintaining their strong early season form. After two rounds Rossi defends a World Championship lead of nine points over Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, with Edwards another ten points further back in fourth place. The Italian's victory at Jerez was his 46th of the four-stroke MotoGP era and made him the first man to win on three different capacity machines in the premier-class; 500cc, 990cc and 800cc. Valentino Rossi - "Putting the record straight" Istanbul Park is one of only three circuits on the current calendar where Valentino Rossi has yet to take victory in the premier-class of MotoGP, the others being Laguna Seca in the USA and Misano in Italy, which will this year host a Grand Prix for the first time since 1993. It is a figure the 28-year-old is looking to reduce as he aims for his first back-to-back victories since Mugello and Catalunya last year." "The next two races, Turkey and China, are ones that I don't like so much and I have never won at Istanbul, but it's a great circuit with some very fast corners," says Rossi. "If the bike works well then it will be great fun I think. Last year I made an error early in the race and it cost me the chance for a podium, but I won't be making the same mistake this year! We are leading the championship but it's a long season and we have to aim to get on the podium at every race." "The difficult thing over the next two races is going to be horsepower, because both Istanbul and Shanghai have very long straights. We tried some new things at the Jerez test to improve this and I know that Yamaha have been working very hard in Japan so hopefully we will have a little bit of improvement in this area when we get to Turkey. The other question is for the tyres, because it's the first time this season that we're going to be racing at a track that we haven't tested at. With the new restrictions it's going to be very important to make the right choices and also we don't know what the weather will do." Colin Edwards - "We're counting on Michelin" Colin Edwards heads to Turkey brimming with confidence after his return to the podium in Spain three weeks ago. Third place at Jerez was the Texan's first rostrum finish since the Grand Prix of China almost one year ago and, after relaxing at home during the extended Easter break, Edwards is determined to make sure the team don't have to wait that long for his next visit to those hallowed steps. "It's been good to have some time at home, relaxing and in the knowledge that we did well in Jerez," reflects Edwards. "Now it's time to get back to work and prove that wasn't a fluke by getting amongst the champagne again in Turkey. It's definitely not one of my favourite tracks and it was a really hard race for us last year, but we had a lot of problems then and things are very different this year. We know we're going to lack a bit on the straights but we also know that our bike is working pretty well and hopefully we can make up time in other parts. "Obviously everyone's going to be talking about the tyre factor in Istanbul but we're all in the same boat. Nobody has tested there so everyone's going to have to take some risks with their tyre choices. Basically we've just got to trust Michelin - we thought we were in trouble in Jerez but they were confident they had 'the' tyre and they were right. They know what they're doing so hopefully everything will be ok!" Davide Brivio - "Let's stay on the attack" With the Fiat Yamaha Team leading both the individual and team World Championship standings after two rounds, Team Manager Davide Brivio is backing his team to keep on the front foot in Turkey. With the long straights of Shanghai sure to provide a stern challenge for the nimble YZR-M1, Brivio has highlighted the need to get another solid pair of results in the bag before the long trip East." "We head to Turkey looking to attack because China might be difficult for us and we may have to defend more," conceded Brivio. "Of course the big challenge for everybody this weekend is about finding a set-up quickly and making the right choice with the tyres. Istanbul has not been a good track for Yamaha and the cold conditions won't help either, but we have a team of very shrewd engineers and a fantastic relationship with Michelin so we are in a good position to make the difference." "Even though we haven't tested at Istanbul we have gathered data at a lot of varied tracks during the winter and the bike has worked fairly well everywhere, which is crucially important when it comes to making a consistent challenge for a World Championship. It is still early in the season but the new M1 seems to have a solid base, so we'll see on the Friday what we need to work on. Both our riders are very motivated after their excellent results in Jerez so we are looking forward to another strong challenge from them this weekend." Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 28 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 85 (59 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 176 (116 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 46 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 33 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japón, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 68 x MotoGP World Championships: 2 World Superbike Istanbul : Lap Record D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1'59.318 Istanbul : Best Lap S. Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1'52.334 Grand Prix Results: Istanbul 2006 1. M. Melandri (Honda) 41'54.065 2. C. Stoner (Honda) +0.200 3. N. Hayden (Honda) +5.458 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +6.209 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha +22.847 Click here to view the news

Noriyuki Haga gave Yamaha their first race win of the season today at Donington by winning race two, which was made all the sweeter by Troy Corser following it up with a third place at the same time. With Haga taking fourth and Corser romping home second in race one it is just what the team have been working towards all season. In race one Corser made good progress from eighth place and charged through the field to take second place by only lap six. Haga's start was marred by his tyre struggling to warm up in the first few laps. As the tyre warmed up, Nori worked his way through the field taking fourth. A comfortable gap between the top four riders saw little change with Toseland (Honda) taking the win, Corser second and Biaggi (Suzuki) third. Bayliss failed to finish after a nasty high-side at Coppice corner in which he took injuries that made him fail to take part in race two. Race two was virtually a dream race for the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team. Haga took the leading place on the first lap after a great start but was swiftly overtaken by Toseland to put him in second. Corser moved from eighth place to third within the same lap due to better drive off the start line. The team mates rode shotgun in second and third until a technical problem forced leading man Toseland to stop suddenly, resulting in a near miss as both Haga and Corser shot past the Honda rider - one either side. With Biaggi making up third place in the group, the front pack started to break away from the rest of field. All three riders diced with each other in a very close race with all the positions changing frequently. Biaggi put in several passes on lead-man Haga but only made it stick at the Old Hairpin. Haga stayed on Biaggi's tail, though and took it right to the wire, passing him on the last corner of the last lap. Corser remained in a comfortable third position throughout the lead battle. Shinichi Nakatomi had a difficult weekend at Donington, managing a best result of 14th in race two. The young Japanese rider spent the initial part of the weekend learning the Donington circuit, which was totally new to him and got a good start from 23rd place up to 15th in the opening stages of race two. He remained there for the duration of the race, battling it out with Bussei and Martin, taking 14th towards the end of the race. Today's results mean the teams go into the fourth round at Valencia in two weeks with Toseland in 1st place (115 points) and Biaggi second (110 points). Haga lies in third place after this weekend's excellent results with 88 points and Corser is just behind on 81 points. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I could not get the tyre to work in race one for the first few laps so could not push. If the tyre had worked in race one like it had in race two then I would have had a podium finish for certain." I am very happy with my win and the race overall, my father is also very happy. With my number being 41, and after getting fourth place in the first race, I had to get 1st place! And with it being my father's birthday today on 1st April I had to get the win for him too." Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I'm reasonably happy with today's results but I would have liked to do the double here at Donington as I like the track and have achieved it before. I felt comfortable throughout all the practice sessions this weekend and feel I should have got higher. In race one I didn't get off the line well so found it hard to make up places. Race two was a better start, but the tyre didn't work as well as in the first race. I had initial spin and had to slide the bike into corners whereas I could see Biaggi and Nori had more grip. To come out with two podium finishes is good, though, and I am pleased that Nori won the second race for the team and Yamaha. Nori and I have worked closely together, sharing set-up information. But now I know that he can beat me on these settings I am going to have to be more secretive! It was important to get the bike and team working well but I want to win the Championship also so must now focus on that." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We have really done a lot of work this weekend so it is the best re-payment to have both riders on the podium at the same time. We made up some distance in the championship today, with Toseland and Bayliss both out in the second race. But I would like to say I am sorry for Bayliss and we wish him well and hope he is back for Valencia. I would like to thank everyone for all their efforts - from the team staff and riders to our sponsors." Shinichi Nakatomi (Team Yamaha YZF) "I chose the wrong rear tyre compound for race one and I had very little grip so I could not push the bike. Race two went better as I chose a better compound. I had a good close race with Bussei and Martin but I couldn't pass them due to the lack of grip. I have a good feeling for Valencia as I feel we are making good progress. I hope for a better position there." Martial Garcia (Team Coordinator - Team Yamaha YZF) "This has been a difficult weekend as we have had chassis set up problems. The engine set up is fine, but we have a grip issue which we need to sort out. I am optimistic for the next round at Valencia in two weeks but only if we can make some progress on the chassis set-up in the meantime." Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 13 Crowd: 51.000 Weather: Dry 2007 WSB Donington Park 01/04/2007 Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Toseland Honda GBR 35'28.222 2 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'1.368 3 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'2.448 4 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'9.249 5 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'18.028 6 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'18.956 7 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'29.998 8 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'30.296 9 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'30.525 10 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'36.661 11 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'39.389 12 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 0'48.045 13 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'51.290 14 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 0'51.402 15 Dean Ellison Ducati GBR 1'0.156 17 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN -1 Laps Race 2 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 35'26.734 2 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'0.111 3 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'1.100 4 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 0'5.927 5 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'9.834 6 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'12.203 7 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'22.287 8 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'30.060 9 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'37.734 10 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'39.893 11 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 0'41.524 12 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'45.617 13 Steve Martin Honda AUS 0'52.547 14 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'1.669 15 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'20.586 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'30.370 Rider Standings 01/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. James Toseland Honda GBR 115 2. Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 110 3. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 88 4. Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 81 5. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 66 6. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 64 7. Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 45 8. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 45 9. Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 36 10. Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 30 11. Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 24 12. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 23 13. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 23 14. Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 19 15. Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 16 18. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 12 Manufacturer Standings 01/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 124 2. Suzuki 110 3. Yamaha 98 4. Ducati 94 5. Kawasaki 40 RACE REPORT 01/04/2007 Yamaha have difficult weekend in Supersport With neither rider in the Yamaha World Supersport Team participating in today's race, the pressure was on for all other Yamaha-shod riders to try and get a good result for the manufacturer. Following accidents during Friday's free practice, both Curtain and Parkes were ruled out of any further riding this weekend due to broken collar bones. The remaining key Yamaha riders in the field - Roccoli, Checa and Gimbert - rode a solid race and battled it out in the middle of the field to gain eight, ninth and 11th.places respectively. They played a safe race; a good achievement considering the race was red flagged halfway through the race due to a three rider pile up at the first corner. After a restart the times were calculated on aggregate. Sofuoglu (Honda) won the race, while Harms (Honda) came second and Fujiwara (Honda) took third in what was a close battle in the closing stages. Overall, Yamaha claimed eight points in the manufacturer standing going forward into Valencia, where it is hoped that Curtain and Parkes will be fit enough to return. Parkes had a successful operation Saturday afternoon. Curtain will see a specialist on Monday morning. Massimo Roccoli (8th - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "It went better than expected after a difficult practice with two crashes. The set-up was good and I had a good race after two perfect starts. I took some important points today and am feeling positive about Valencia." Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 13 Crowd: 51,000 Weather: Dry 2007 WSS Donington Park 01/04/2007 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 34'56.601 2 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 0'0.764 3 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 0'1.343 4 Craig Jones Honda GBR 0'10.215 5 Simone Sanna Honda ITA 0'12.135 6 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 0'12.982 7 Yoann Tiberio Honda FRA 0'16.642 8 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'16.664 9 David Checa Yamaha ESP 0'22.965 10 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 0'23.852 11 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 0'24.862 12 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 0'26.053 13 David Salom Yamaha ESP 0'26.512 14 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 0'29.445 15 Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 0'29.448 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'33.848 Rider Standings 01/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 70 2. Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 43 3. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 39 4. Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 38 5. Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 25 6. Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 22 7. Craig Jones Honda GBR 19 8. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 17 9. Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 17 10. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 16 11. Yoann Tiberio Honda FRA 15 12. Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 14 13. Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 13 14. Simone Sanna Honda ITA 11 15. Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 10 17. Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 8 18. David Checa Yamaha ESP 7 Manufacturer Standings 01/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 70 2. Kawasaki 48 3. Yamaha 44 4. Suzuki 17 5. Ducati 14 RACE REPORT 01/04/2007 New R1 proves its strength with a second and third at Superstock season opener Corti got his season off to a good start with a second place at today's opening round of the 2007 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. Didier van Keymeulen, riding for the TTSL-MGM Racing Team and former Superstock champion, rounded up a Yamaha dominated podium in third. Rookie Superstock 1000 rider Michele Pirro showed a strong ability running in the top three, before a crash on the penultimate lap. All three riders had already shown the YZF-R1s capability in qualifying earlier in the weekend, with Pirro taking pole position in his debut race and van Keymeulen lining up in third. Corti started just off the front row in fifth. From the start Pirro showed great potential, maintaining his lead and putting some distance between him and the rest of the pack. Unfortunately a red flag on lap four dictated a restart so Pirro lost his advantage. With the race reduced to an eight lap sprint Pirro set a new lap record of 1'34.653 on lap two of the re-started race. The three Yamaha riders diced for position in the top five throughout the race. Unluckily a mistake by Pirro on the penultimate lap saw him crash out whilst trying to overtake Badovini (MV Augusta) for second place. He re-mounted to finish 30th. This mistake pushed Corti and van Keymeulen up to second and third positions respectively. Corti made a final attempt to take first place on the last corner of the last lap but settled for second. Canepa (Ducati) won the race with Corti second and Didier van Keymeulen completing the podium. Claudio Corti (2nd - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I had a very good start but after two laps with good tyres I then had trouble running at the top of the pack. After passing van Keymeulen I managed to get close to Canepa. I tried to pass him but it wasn't possible. In any case, I am happy with 20 points." Didier van Keymeulen (3rd - TTSL-MGM Racing) "My first race start wasn't perfect and I went down to fourth, but I felt I had good corner speed, which is important as it is so difficult to overtake at this track. I knew I could do better and was happy with my second position at the next start. When I was overtaken by Pirro I tried to slipstream but I couldn't find a good opportunity to overtake so I settled for third. I am very happy with this result in my first race back in Superstock. The 2007 R1 feels similar to the 2006 model but much better. I like the handling in the corner and for me it is one of the strongest bikes out there." Michele Pirro (30th - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "The bike was good and I tried to get away, but following an error I waited until the penultimate lap, where I then tried to overtake Badovini. I made a mistake in braking, though, and crashed into him. I am sorry to my team and also to Badovini." Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 7 Crowd: 51.000 Weather: Dry 2007 Superstock Donington Park 01/04/2007 Race 1 - 4 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Nicolo Canepa Ducati ITA 12'46.272 2 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 0'0.147 3 Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 0'0.983 4 Mark Aitchison Suzuki AUS 0'2.355 5 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 0'4.199 6 Ilario Dionisi Suzuki ITA 0'6.635 7 Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 0'6.927 8 Arne Tode Honda GER 0'9.402 9 Sheridan Morais Ducati RSA 0'10.150 10 Rene Mahr Yamaha GER 0'10.846 11 Marko Jerman Suzuki SVK 0'11.145 12 Dario Giuseppetti Yamaha GER 0'11.578 13 Marko Rohtlaan Honda EST 0'11.922 14 Cederic Tangre Yamaha FRA 0'16.027 15 Nicky Moore Ducati USA 0'18.843 30 Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 1'24.092 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 1'34.653 Rider Standings 01/04/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Nicolo Canepa Ducati ITA 25 2. Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 20 3. Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 16 4. Mark Aitchison Suzuki AUS 13 5. Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 11 6. Ilario Dionisi Suzuki ITA 10 7. Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 9 8. Arne Tode Honda GER 8 9. Sheridan Morais Ducati RSA 7 10. Rene Mahr Yamaha GER 6 11. Marko Jerman Suzuki SVK 5 12. Dario Giuseppetti Yamaha GER 4 13. Marko Rohtlaan Honda EST 3 14. Cederic Tangre Yamaha FRA 2 15. Nicky Moore Ducati USA 1 Manufacturer Standings 01/04/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 25 2. Yamaha 20 3. Suzuki 13 4. Honda 8 Click here to view the news

Noriyuki Haga will start tomorrow's round of the World Superbike Championship in second place after an impressive Superpole performance today. Troy Corser will start from eighth position after sliding off during his Superpole lap, though he had been among the top three riders all weekend. Dry weather today allowed Haga to make the most of his wild lines and focus on getting the right race set-up. Having qualified eighth this morning Haga went on to put in a hard to beat Superpole lap time. Only Troy Bayliss, the last man out, could better the Japanese rider's time, pushing him to second position. Haga goes into tomorrow's race with already 148 World Superbike race finishes in the points under his belt, dedicated to extending that number to 150 by the end of the day. Troy Corser's fortunes were almost reversed to Noriyuki's during the day. He battled with Bayliss for the top spot throughout the practice and qualifying sessions only to crash out on the first corner of his Superpole lap due to a severe cross-wind. He will start tomorrow's race on the second row in eighth position. This is in accordance with the rules stating that if a rider starts Superpole in the top eight, he cannot drop lower than eighth position. Shinichi Nakatomi had difficulties in finding the correct feeling, resulting in a disappointing qualifying session today. Tomi managed to improve only one position from yesterday's qualifying despite knocking almost four seconds off his best time. He will start in 22nd position, though with 50 laps completed is hopeful of a better end result. Troy Corser (8th - 1'31.132 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "The wind kicked me out on the first corner and I just couldn't keep it up; it just means that I'll start from the second row. I'm feeling confident about the bike; it really feels like mine now. Since we lost time yesterday due to the weather we've still got a final rear tyre option for the race to test tomorrow morning during warm up." Noriyuki Haga (2nd - 1'31.084 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We only needed to make some small changes to the bike from yesterday and it is feeling good now. I had problems yesterday with the weather because it was still wet on my line so I could not push too much. Today the dry weather has given us a better opportunity to set the bike up well." Shinichi Nakatomi (22nd - 1'34.985 - Team Yamaha YZF) "I am happy today because the weather has been better but I have only had two hours experience around this track. I am improving but we still have not found the best set up for the race. With my results slowly getting better I am hopeful for tomorrow." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I am confident in both Troy and Noriyuki for tomorrow's races. They are both happy with the set-up; all we need to see is if the tyre can support the distance. We're checking all the data we have gathered so far to see if there is anywhere where we can improve during tomorrow's warm-up." Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 13 Weather: Dry 2007 WSB Donington Park 31/03/2007 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'30.370 2 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'31.084 3 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'31.377 4 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'31.399 5 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'31.504 6 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'31.686 7 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'31.689 8 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'31.999 9 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'32.077 10 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'32.178 11 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'32.185 12 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 1'32.744 13 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'32.750 14 Steve Martin Honda AUS 1'33.536 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'13.052 2 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'31.132 3 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'31.479 4 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'31.655 5 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'31.695 6 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'32.182 7 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'32.188 8 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'32.199 9 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'32.360 10 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'32.724 11 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'32.847 12 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'32.857 13 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 1'32.877 14 Steve Martin Honda AUS 1'33.071 15 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'33.092 23 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'34.985 QUALIFYING 2 REPORT 31/03/2007 Yamaha GMT94 Team lead the way for Yamaha at Donington With the Yamaha World Supersport Team out of this weekend's race, it fell to other Yamaha-shod teams to try and gain the best qualifying today for the manufacturer. Both Curtain and Parkes suffered broken collar bones in yesterday's free practice resulting in a premature end to the factory-supported team's weekend. David Checa, of the Yamaha GMT Team, is the highest placed Yamaha rider in ninth place on tomorrow's grid. The younger brother of MotoGP star Carlos is contesting his second year in the World Supersport Championship, having finished overall in 11th position in 2006. His team mate, Sébastien Gimbert will start tomorrow's race in 10th position, having qualified just over half a second behind Checa. Massimo Roccoli, the sole rider for the Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni Team, had a very disappointing qualifying after crashing both his main and spare machines. Although he was third fastest in this morning's free practice he could only manage a qualifying position of 20th in the afternoon session. Despite having had such a successful day in yesterday's qualifying in fairly wet conditions, Arnaud Vincent starts tomorrow in 28th position. Although he improved his time by over three seconds today, the overall pace was much faster. Pere Riba (Kawasaki) is in pole position for tomorrow with a best time of 1'34.066, with Simone Sanna (Honda) in second and Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) in third. The front row is completed by Dutchman Barry Veneman (Suzuki). Massimo Roccoli (20th - 1'35.944 - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I crashed after a few minutes at the start of the practice because I touched the kerb at the last corner (Goddards). It was my mistake. I returned to the garage and took the second bike but I crashed again in the slower section of the track, where I lost the front. I don't know why that happened, but I am okay I have a good set up for the race after we made changes today to front and I am confident for tomorrow." In the table on the bottom of the page, the Friday Qualifying-I results are mentioned. Please find below the Qualifying II results: 1 Riba P. Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'34.066 2 Sanna S. Honda 1'34.195 3 Sofuoglu K. Honda 1'34.382 4 Veneman B. Suzuki 1'34.470 5 Tiberio Y. Honda 1'34.609 6 Alfonsi L. Honda 1'34.670 7 Foret F. Kawasaki 1'34.737 8 Fujiwara K. Honda 1'34.953 9 Checa D. Yamaha 1'34.959 10 Gimbert S. Yamaha 1'35.038 11 Harms R. Honda 1'35.165 12 Nannelli G. Ducati 1'35.220 13 Lagrive M. Honda 1'35.282 14 Giugliano D. Kawasaki 1'35.327 15 Vizziello G. Yamaha 1'35.433 16 Lascorz J. Honda 1'35.657 17 Salom D. Yamaha 1'35.679 18 Fores J. Honda 1'35.704 19 Jones C. Honda 1'35.706 20 Roccoli M. Yamaha 1'35.944 21 Boccolini G. Kawasaki 1'35.950 22 Ivanov V. Yamaha 1'36.050 23 Talmacsi G. Yamaha 1'36.148 24 Kallio V. Suzuki 1'36.172 25 Peris C. Yamaha 1'36.316 26 Velini A. Yamaha 1'36.701 27 Leblanc G. Honda 1'36.862 28 Vincent A. Yamaha 1'37.128 29 Lauslehto T. Honda 1'37.249 30 Günther J. Honda 1'37.336 31 Praia M. Honda 1'37.442 32 Polzer Y. Ducati 1'38.358 33 Milovanovic N. Honda 1'38.392 34 Forner D. Yamaha 1'38.882 Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 12 Weather: Dry 2007 WSS Donington Park 31/03/2007 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 1'40.239 2 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 1'41.208 3 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'41.621 4 Arnaud Vincent Yamaha FRA 1'41.639 5 Craig Jones Honda GBR 1'42.465 6 Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 1'42.539 7 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'42.556 8 Vesa Kallio Suzuki FIN 1'42.967 9 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'42.989 10 Lorenzo Alfonsi Honda ITA 1'43.004 11 Simone Sanna Honda ITA 1'43.040 12 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'43.171 13 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'43.916 14 Chris Peris Yamaha CAN 1'44.016 15 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'44.114 Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi returned to the top step of the podium today after leading for all 27-laps of the Grand Prix of Spain, taking his first victory since Sepang last year and his 46th win of the four-stroke MotoGP era. Rossi's 26th win for Yamaha also makes him the most successful rider at Jerez in the premier class, with five wins at the Spanish track. He was joined for the podium celebrations by his team-mate Colin Edwards, who rode a strong race from fourth on the grid to stay in contention behind Dani Pedrosa, eventually finishing third and taking his seventh MotoGP podium in front of a record crowd of 138,000. Both Yamahas got a good start off the line, Edwards riding around the outside of Carlos Checa to take third at turn two and Rossi passing pole-sitter Pedrosa to take the lead shortly after. By the fourth lap the leading trio had begun to pull away from Nicky Hayden and John Hopkins and Rossi had started to stretch his lead on Pedrosa, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap five. Despite a strong showing from the Spaniard in front of his home crowd, Rossi's lead never looked in jeopardy and he eventually crossed the line 1.246 seconds in front. Edwards meanwhile never stopped pushing in third place, spurred on by the looming Honda of Toni Elias in the latter stages. Tyre worries for the pair proved unfounded as their Michelins worked well to the flag and Rossi and Edwards now take first and fourth in the Championship after two rounds of the eighteen-race season. Valentino Rossi Position: 1stTime: 45'53.340 "After the situation at this race last year, this is much, much better! Our first priority today was to get points and I knew that to win I would have to ride at the maximum, but today my Yamaha really flew and I was able to do a great race. It feels like a long time since I last won and this is a great emotion and a very special victory for me, especially in Jerez in front of this great crowd. Qatar was good but to taste victory again is a wonderful feeling. We had some problems on Friday and again yesterday and then after this morning's warm-up we made some more small modifications; I have to thank my team, from Jeremy Burgess to all my mechanics and engineers. They did a fantastic job for me this weekend and they all deserve this win. My tyre worked very well today and Michelin have done a good job too in difficult conditions, so thank you to them. I got a great start, didn't make any mistakes and had a good battle with Pedrosa, who we knew would be the danger today. I'm really happy for Colin too and to have both Yamahas on the podium shows that we're in good shape for what's going to be a long season. Now we have two race tracks which might be difficult for us so it's very important to leave here leading the championship." Colin Edwards Position: 3rdTime: +2.701 "On Friday morning you wouldn't have thought we would end up on the podium, but here we are and it was a good race for me. I've got to say an enormous thank you to all my guys because they worked non-stop all weekend and came up with some pretty good solutions to the problems we had. Michelin also had something up their sleeve for us and seemed to know what would work and they were proved right - they've done a good job for us this weekend. I got a good start and my best move was getting past Checa so quickly; I knew I had to find some clear air and try to hang onto the back of Valentino and Pedrosa. I made a couple of small mistakes and they were able to pull away from me a bit which was a pity, but my bike was working well so I was able to keep a pretty good pace throughout. Towards the end I could see Elias had appeared behind me and I didn't like the idea of him getting spurred on by his home fans and trying to snatch a podium, so I really had to keep hammering away! The last few laps were a little hairy at times as I started to slide but anyway we managed to make it and it feels great to be up here on the podium again." Davide Brivio - Team Director "It's great to be back with both riders on the podium and especially here in Jerez where we struggled so much in last year's race. It's a really positive sign and shows what a good job our Yamaha engineers have done with our new bike. Everyone has worked very hard over this weekend and the entire team deserves congratulations. The new tyre regulations mean we have to manage what we have very carefully and this is a great result for us. It's also a very important result because we now have two tricky circuits and it's good to be going into this stage of the season in front. Thanks again to all the team and everyone involved, we're very happy today!" More championship points for Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 Team There were smiles aplenty in the Spanish sunshine for the Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team when both riders, Sylvain Guintoli and Makoto Tamada finished in the points at the Spanish Grand Prix, held in front of over 131,000 screaming fans at the technically demanding Jerez circuit. It wasn't only the points that made the team happy as both riders on the new smaller capacity 800cc machines completed the race in a faster time than 2006 confirming the constant improvement of the Dunlop tyres. Both riders became embroiled in their own duel that lasted until the flag as they both exchanged places a number of times, Makoto pipping Sylvain for 14th position by just 0.091 of a second after 27 gruelling laps of the 4.423km track. In his rookie year of MotoGP, Guintoli, 24-year-old Frenchman, improved his performance every time he left the pit box replicating his efforts of the previous race in Qatar confirming that it will be a season that produces every improving results. His Japanese team mate is now moving in the same direction as he becomes attuned to his return to Dunlop tyres and with this confidence producing result both riders expect to be closer to the leading battles with the championship now moving to Istanbul for the Grand Prix of Turkey on April 22. Makoto Tamada Position: 14thTime: +36.653 "Although it wasn't perfect I am happy with the result as I was held up by another rider during the early laps. He was faster in some spots and I was faster in others which caused me to lose a little bit of time but when I got past him I could get away quickly and come back to where Sylvain was so we fought out the rest of the race together which was very good. I was very happy with the bike setting as we used a new front tyre that I hadn't used before. I had a very good feeling with it although the rear spun a little but even at this early stage of the season I know that this will improve as well. Saying that, it was very consistent during the entire race. We have a gap of just three tenths of a second each lap compared to the mid pack so it was only a small gap in comparison to the last race. Being three seconds faster than my race time last year made me happy as well. The fight with the field this year is a lot more than last year and I know my team are happy with me because I kept fighting until the end. This will help everyone because it is important to fight until the very end so we can give the information to Dunlop so they can continue to improve." Sylvain Guintoli Position: 15thTime: +36.744 "We had had a pretty good weekend and to score another point scoring place is very encouraging. In reality, we have done a much better job here because we are only 36 seconds from the win and six seconds quicker than the time Checa did last year considering the race was four seconds quicker as well. For me it is a big improvement because Jerez is a place I have never done very well at as I've had many troubles here in the past. The entire weekend was a big improvement tyre-wise and I am getting more used to the bike as well. I had a bad first lap but then I caught the group in front of me that were fighting for 10th but I just couldn't manage to stay with them. I had a good fight towards the end with my teammate Makoto which was a lot of fun. I had a very good front tyre which gave me the confidence to push hard throughout the race. The rear was excellent for the early laps which allowed me to catch the group in front and do low 42's. Then like everyone else the grip level dropped off slightly but I could still maintain a rhythm in the high 42's. I am confident of continuing the improvement at the next Grand Prix in Turkey." Herve Poncharal - Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team Manager "I'm very happy today as I think both our riders had a very good and consistent race. Sylvain had a great start and pushed really hard but Makoto was a bit more cautious. By mid race they were both together and had a very good battle between them so that was great to see. With both riders in the points it's a very good result for us as there was only one crash during the race - that says a lot for the progress we are making. Also more importantly the group in front of us with Capirossi, Barros and De Puniet was very, very close and with just 0.3 second a lap quicker we would've been with them so that's very encouraging - and don't forget Capirossi won here last year. We have made a big step forward especially compared to the previous race, so we are happy. We know the points aren't easy to come by this year considering how close the lap times are, so with both our guys in the points this is a good result and a good boost to our confidence. I am also happy with the lap times throughout the race because they are very consistent doing mid to high 1'42's which is very close to the pack, so I think if we can achieve a better grid position and have a bit more speed in the first five or six laps we will have better results. We are staying here to test for the next couple of days. Unfortunately the weather forecast is for rain, but Dunlop have a big wet test program for us anyway." Circuit Length: 4423 Temp: 19 Weather: Sunny 2007 MotoGP Spain - Jerez de la Frontera 25/03/2007 Race 1 - 27 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 45'53.430 2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'1.246 3 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'2.701 4 Toni Elias Honda ESP 0'4.351 5 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 0'4.993 6 Carlos Checa Honda ESP 0'10.000 7 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'14.146 8 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'19.969 9 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'24.786 10 Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 0'24.955 11 Alex Barros Ducati BRA 0'25.008 12 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 0'25.852 13 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 0'26.445 14 Makoto Tamada Yamaha JPN 0'36.653 15 Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha FRA 0'36.744 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'40.905 Rider Standings 25/03/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 45 2. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 36 3. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 36 4. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 26 5. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 19 6. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 17 7. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 16 8. Toni Elias Honda ESP 15 9. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 13 10. Alex Barros Ducati BRA 12 11. Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 12 12. Carlos Checa Honda ESP 10 13. Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 5 14. Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 4 15. Olivier Jacque Kawasaki FRA 4 18. Makoto Tamada Yamaha JPN 2 19. Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha FRA 2 Team Standings 25/03/2007 Pos. Team Points 1. FIAT Yamaha Team 71 2. Repsol Honda Team 53 3. Ducati Marlboro Team 40 4. Honda Gresini 34 5. Rizla Suzuki 29 6. Pramac D'Antin 17 7. Konica Minolta Honda 12 8. Honda LCR 10 9. Kawasaki Racing Team 7 10. Tech3 Yamaha 4 11. Team Roberts 3 Manufacturer Standings 25/03/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 45 2. Ducati 36 3. Honda 36 4. Suzuki 20 5. Kawasaki 7 6. KR212V 3 Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi will start from second position for tomorrow's Grand Prix of Spain in Jerez after an exciting and extremely close qualifying battle today, while his team-mate Colin Edwards will be just behind him in fourth having lost out on third position in the dying moments of the session. It is Rossi's eighth consecutive top-three start for Yamaha, the Italian having started from the front row in the final six races of 2006 and at this season's opener in Qatar. After struggling for grip once again this morning and finishing free practice way down the order in 18th position, it was clear from the start this afternoon that warmer temperatures and the latest changes made to the setting of his M1 had improved Rossi's package and he quickly posted his fastest time of the weekend so far. Edwards and his crew had made drastic changes to his bike setting overnight and he too showed a marked improvement to his race pace both this morning and again this afternoon, as he and Rossi used the improved track conditions in their quest to find the right tyre package ahead of tomorrow's 27-lap race. With eight minutes to go Rossi moved into pole position with the first of his two Michelin qualifying tyres, only to be ousted by his team-mate less than a minute later as the Texan set his first flying lap. The last five minutes saw the usual flurry of quick laps and position-changing amongst the leading protagonists before Rossi took the top slot once again with a lap of 1'39.453, before being pushed into second by Spaniard Dani Pedrosa (Honda), who set the eventual pole time of 1'39.402. Edwards' final lap seemed sure to give him a front-row slot alongside his team-mate but he fell victim to another local favourite as Carlos Checa (Honda) claimed third in the last seconds of the session. Valentino Rossi "It's been an up and down weekend for us so it's good that we've achieved our number one goal of getting onto the front row. It's going to be very important for tomorrow's race I think. It was a good qualifying session and my lap was quite good, but we know it's possible to be a lot quicker because last month at the test I was more than one second faster! We knew it would be difficult to match the 1'38.394 I did then however, because then we had four qualifying tyres and with the new tyre restrictions now we only have two. With the race tyre we were struggling quite a bit yesterday and this morning it was even worse, so we were a bit worried, but we looked at the situation together with Michelin and found a good solution and this afternoon we were in much better shape. I think tyres are going to be the biggest issue tomorrow and the last ten laps especially are going to be very hard and difficult for everyone. I think it's going to be an exciting race for the fans!" Colin Edwards "I'm pretty annoyed to have missed out on the front row by so little! I didn't have quite enough speed into turn one with my last qualifying tyre and so lost a little bit of time in the first section and that proved to be the difference that mattered. Anyway, you live and learn! We were a bit worried last night but my team turned the bike upside down overnight and it felt much better this morning. Then this afternoon we used the tyre we're planning to use for the race and things improved again, so I'm feeling quite happy about my race pace now. We've still got a few things to tweak and a couple of decisions to make before tomorrow afternoon but we're more or less there so hopefully we're going to be able to get a good start and run a good race. It was pretty close today and everyone's really stepped up their game, I think it's going to be one hell of a race tomorrow! Finally I want to say thank you again to my team for working so hard last night to come up with a good setting - they did a great job." Davide Brivio - Team Director "Well things are much better when it's warmer! This afternoon we could really work properly and get some proper testing done. In fact Colin was much better this morning and again this afternoon, he seems happy with his tyre choice now so I think he can do a good race tomorrow. Valentino had some troubles this morning but we found a good solution and this afternoon the situation was more normal. It was a shame Checa pushed Colin off the front row and we missed having them both there, like in Qatar, but anyway second and fourth is not so bad and I think they both have the pace to fight at the front now. We're in a good position for the race." Qualifying 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 1'39.402 2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 1'39.453 3, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 1'39.406 4, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 1'39.486 5, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'39.524 6, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 1'39.625 7, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 1'39.632 8, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 1'39.660 9, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 1'39.722 10, Kenny Roberts, KR212V, USA, 1'39.727 11, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 1'39.834 12, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'39.883 13, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 1'40.196 14, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 1'40.328 15, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 1'40.391 16, Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'40.405 17, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, 1'40.617 18, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 1'40.710 19, Kousuke Akiyoshi, Suzuki, JPN, 1'41.202 20, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 1'41.219 Click here to view the news

The first European race of the season got off to a slightly shaky start for Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards today, with the Fiat Yamaha Team riders struggling for rear grip at the Andalucian circuit of Jerez. The Italian and the American finished the day in sixth and ninth respectively and the weekend promises to be a close battle, with the top 12 riders all within half a second of each other after two free practice sessions. Despite clear skies and sunshine, this morning's first practice was run in cold temperatures and, with the track temperature reaching a maximum of only 15 degrees, the conditions did not provide the riders with much chance to really get to grips with bike and tyre set-up. This afternoon was considerably warmer and both Rossi and Edwards improved their times and their general race-pace, but neither rider was able to find the perfect tyre combination with the current setting on their M1 and will hope to make considerable improvements tomorrow. The best time of the day was recorded by Honda rider and Spanish favourite Carlos Checa, who set a best lap of 1'40.851. Rossi, "Today was quite difficult for us, compared to how we began in Qatar! Unfortunately the situation with the tyre is not perfect, we don't have enough grip and the problem is made worse because the condition of the track isn't so good either. We have a lot less grip than we had at the test here so now we need to work more on the setting of the bike in order to improve the grip with the tyres we have. This morning the problem was a lot worse and we were quite worried after the first session, but we've worked very hard today and the situation this afternoon is a lot better. Anyway we're not that far away at the end of the day, only sixth, and all the riders are very close together so I don't think we need to worry yet. It's clear that some of our rivals are very strong and it's going to be a hard battle, so we need to make the most of the time we have left. I hope that the track grip will improve tomorrow as more rubber is laid down and I hope it will also be a little bit warmer in the morning so we can work properly during free practice." Edwards, "We've definitely got a little bit of a problem to deal with and I can't say we're in the same shape we were in at this stage of the Qatar race! We know what tyre worked here at the test and the bike is basically the same, with a few improvements, but the conditions here today are pretty different and it seems things aren't quite working the way we expected. The main problem is that we can't get the rear to hold on and we're just sliding around a bit. It's disappointing because at the test here our grip and our speed through the corners was our best thing, but here it seems we've lost that a bit and we're not entirely sure why at the moment! We've tried quite a few different tyres but we couldn't find something that worked perfectly today. We're obviously restricted with our tyre choice because of the new rules, so now we're going to need to make some changes to the bike in order to get it to work with what we've got. The bike feels great and I'm happy with it, it's just a matter of grip. We've got a lot of ideas and we'll have a good chat about it tonight and start again in the morning. I am sure we'll be able to come up with something!" Davide Brivio - Team Director "Compared to the test we have a lot less grip so now we have to work at 100% to find a way to make the bike work with the tyres we've got. The team and riders are working hard together to find the right combination between the elements and tomorrow we will keep going. Obviously the situation isn't perfect and we need to come up with some good ideas as at the moment we're not in the best race-shape, but we're confident we can make some big improvements tomorrow. This morning was very cold and it was difficult to work properly like that so really we only had the afternoon. Let's hope it's warmer tomorrow!" Free Practice Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 1'40.851 2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 1'40.906 3, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 1'40.972 4, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'41.171 5, Kenny Roberts, KR212V, USA, 1'41.182 6, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 1'41.198 7, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 1'41.245 8, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 1'41.305 9, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 1'41.339 10, Alex Barros, Ducati, BRA, 1'41.362 11, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 1'41.409 12, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 1'41.418 13, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 1'41.536 14, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'41.666 15, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 1'41.835 16, Makoto Tamada, Yamaha, JPN, 1'42.097 17, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 1'42.199 18, Sylvain Guintoli, Yamaha, FRA, 1'42.311 19, Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'42.402 Click here to view the news

The second round of the MotoGP World Championship welcomes the Fiat Yamaha Team to Europe next weekend with Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards looking to continue their strong start to the season at Jerez. After starring in an intriguing curtain-raiser to the season in Qatar, where the pair dominated in practice only to see Casey Stoner (Ducati) storm to his debut victory in the race, the Italian and the American will be looking to use data from positive tests at the Spanish circuit just over three weeks ago to propel them to victory next Sunday. Second place for Rossi in the desert dust of Doha leaves him lying second in the championship, five points behind the Australian youngster, whilst Edwards holds sixth place after suffering grip problems on the unpredictable Losail surface in the race. Both riders lapped well at Jerez in the final Official Test of the pre-season, when Rossi took the top spot in a televised 'qualifying' session - smashing the pole record with a best lap of 1'38.394. Rossi's record at Jerez in competitive action is unmatched, the 28-year-old having won there on six occasions riding five different types of motorcycle since his first appearance in the 125cc class in 1996. Edwards, meanwhile, had never ridden at the Spanish venue previous to his debut MotoGP appearance in 2003 and the Texan has enjoyed limited success at the circuit since then, his best finish coming with seventh spot in a wet race three seasons ago. Jerez could barely provide a starker contrast to the scenes at Losail, with the rolling green Andalusian hills providing the ideal setting for a natural amphitheatre that has become known as the Spanish Mecca of motorcycle racing, with upwards of 120,000 fans making the annual pilgrimage. The track itself challenges the riders to pick the most effective racing line, with few hard braking points and little opportunity to fully open the throttle. The 4.423km layout features regular and quick changes in direction, meaning that the rider requires a responsive overall set-up and good grip at maximum lean angles. Valentino Rossi - "We're in good shape" Valentino Rossi has reiterated his confidence in the ability of Yamaha's engineers to respond to the top-speed challenge laid down by Ducati at Qatar as he looks to end his longest run without a win since his debut victory at Donington Park in 2000. Stoner's machine had the top speed advantage over Rossi's down the long Losail straight but 'The Doctor' fully expects the deficit to reduce over the coming weeks and says that the extra corner speed of his M1 will prove crucial at tighter circuits such as Jerez. "I think Qatar showed that, although we have some areas to improve, our bike is working well and we won't be making the same mistakes as last year," said Rossi. "I'm feeling confident for Jerez, I think it will suit our bike very well, even better than Qatar, and we were very strong there in the test. We know we lack a bit of horsepower but I think this will improve race-by-race and Yamaha are working very hard. I don't expect it to be a big problem in Jerez as it's a different type of track". "Jerez is one of my favourite circuits and I've had some great races there in the past so I hope this is another good year for me there. Qatar was very quiet, which was a good way to start the season because there were no distractions for me, but Jerez is always a great party with a fantastic atmosphere, so now I am really looking forward to that and I hope we can give the fans a good show. I expect that Pedrosa will be very fast here, as he was in the test, and I expect a big battle with him at his home race." Colin Edwards - "Learn and move on" Despite his unexpected problems in the race at Losail, sixth place for Colin Edwards was still a decent points haul for the opening round and the Texan is confident of adding considerably to that tally at Jerez. The more predictable nature of the Spanish track conditions should allow the 33-year-old to fully exploit the excellent set-up work he completed there during pre-season testing and allow him to once again run at the top of the time sheets throughout the Grand Prix. "I'm looking forward to Jerez, our bike worked pretty well there during the test and we made some good changes to it there so I am expecting to be running at the top again - just this time I hope to be able to do it in the race, too!" says Edwards. "Qatar was disappointing of course because we were so good all week and then the race didn't work out. It wasn't what we expected but we just have to learn from it and move on". "Last year Jerez wasn't great for us, I got a good start but then got caught up in Valentino's crash and ran through the gravel at turn one but both he and I will be looking to avoid anything like that this year! We've got a good setting to start with in Jerez and we'll go from there. We know we need to work on a few things and I know Yamaha are working hard to improve our top speed a bit, but hopefully that won't be too much of an issue in Jerez". Davide Brivio - "Podium priority" Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio outlined the importance of Rossi's opening-race podium in what promises to be another unpredictable season of MotoGP racing. Whilst the team's focus is clearly on winning races, Brivio points out that the priority is to be on the rostrum in as many events as possible as the team put together another championship tilt. The Italian added that his staff are now looking forward to the next challenge, with Jerez high on the list of favourite venues for any paddock regular. "We're happy with the way the season started in Qatar because we saw that our bike is competitive and ready to win races " says Brivio. "We were on the podium and that is our target at every race this season because that's where the serious points are. Now we're looking forward to Jerez, a circuit where we tested well at and got lots of good information, so hopefully there will be no surprises. We're also confident that the difference between our bike and others in straight-line speed won't be as much of an issue there". "Qatar is a nice place to go but it clearly doesn't have the atmosphere and sense of occasion of Jerez. It's nice to be in such a great motorcycling arena, with lots of people bustling around the paddock and thousands of screaming fans in the grandstand. I think it is the kind of atmosphere Valentino responds to and he will want to put on a great show for the fans. It's a great motivation for all the riders and there is no reason why Colin can't repeat his form at the tests and challenge with Valentino for the podium this Sunday." Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 28 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 174 (115 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 46 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 33 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 67 x MotoGP World Championships: 2 World Superbike Jerez Lap Record (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1'40,596 Jerez Best Lap (800cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2007, 1'38,394 2006 Spanish Grand Prix Results 1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 45'57.733 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda +4.375 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda +9.996 11. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha +37.930 14. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +1'05.766 Click here to view the news

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi finished second in the inaugural Grand Prix of the 800cc era today after losing out in a close battle with Casey Stoner (Ducati), who took his first MotoGP win. After starting from pole position for the 46th time in his career, Rossi got a good start but surrendered his lead to the eventual winner as they crossed the line at the end of the first lap with Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and John Hopkins (Suzuki) in close contention. From then on seven-time World Champion Rossi stalked the Australian youngster with both showing their strength in different parts of the track; Rossi's Yamaha was generally faster in the corners whilst the Ducati claimed the advantage on the straights. With four laps to go Rossi made his move and passed but Stoner passed him back over the line and Rossi was unable to stay with him in the final few laps. Stoner eventually took the chequered flag 2.8 seconds clear of Rossi with Pedrosa just holding on for third ahead of Hopkins. After being consistently fast throughout the practice sessions and also starting from the front row in third, today was not to be Colin Edwards' day and a small slide off the start line saw him lose his grid position into turn one before dropping to seventh by the end of the first lap. The Texan had a few problems during the race and was unable to make it back up to the front group, settling into a best position of fifth before Marco Melandri (Honda) eventually relegated him to sixth with three laps to go. Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: +2.838 "It was a great race today and a good battle, although of course we would have preferred to start the season with a win! After the practice this morning we were a little bit scared because we had some problems with the tyre, but we understood what to do and I definitely made the right tyre choice with Michelin, so I am happy for that. I got a great start and my M1 worked very well, I could ride it how I wanted on the limit and keep pushing. I wanted to push Casey and try to take the fight to him more, but in fact he was perfect today. He didn't make a single mistake as far as I could see and he rode very well; he deserved to win so congratulations to him. I could see that he was faster on the straight and so I knew that if I got in front I was going to need to make a gap from him, but in fact he was too strong! In the last few laps we were getting faster and faster and I thought I still had a chance, but then he kept on going and my tyre started to slide a little bit so I wasn't able to stay with him to the finish. Anyway, we only waved the white flag right at the end so I am happy about this! Of course it's not perfect but my team have worked very hard and it's much better to have 20 points like this than two like last year! Now we need to find a little bit more horsepower, but Yamaha is working very hard and I am confident that we will continue to improve." Colin Edwards Position: 6th Time: +18.647 "I spun off the line on the dirty part of the track and so my start wasn't great, which was annoying. I had a bit of a feeling just before we went out that we would be slower in the first few laps as the tyre was going to take time to heat up and unfortunately that was the case; I just couldn't push hard enough in those vital first few laps. Anyway after that I was holding pace okay and thought I could stay with the top group but then I had a near crash on lap seven or eight coming into turn seven, to the extent when I was holding the bike up on my knee and elbow! I somehow figured out how to get it back up after 30 metres but we lost quite a bit of time. From then on my rhythm was okay and honestly the race as a whole wasn't so bad, but the tyre felt a bit greasy and I was lacking some front grip, which was strange after it had been perfect all weekend. We definitely need more power - that was obvious today, so that's priority number one for Yamaha I guess! Anyway, we've learnt a lot this weekend so let's go forward from here." Davide Brivio - Team Director "It could be a better start for us and it's not what we hoped for after starting on the front row with both riders, but anyway it's not so bad! Our bike is good and we can fight for the victory as Valentino showed today, but we have some more work to do. Colin unfortunately wasn't able to match the potential he showed during the practices, but I am sure he will be back at the top in Jerez. In some areas our bike is very strong and in other areas less so; now we will do our best to even this out. We gathered a lot more important information this weekend which will help our engineers over the coming days and I am sure we will be ready to fight again in Jerez." Circuit Length: 5380 Temp: 29 Weather: Dry 2007 MotoGP Qatar - Doha/Losail 10/03/2007 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 43'2.788 2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'2.838 3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'8.530 4 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 0'9.071 5 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'17.433 6 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'18.647 7 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'22.916 8 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'23.057 9 Alex Barros Ducati BRA 0'25.961 10 Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 0'28.456 11 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 0'35.029 12 Olivier Jacque Kawasaki FRA 0'42.948 13 Kenny Roberts KR212V USA 0'42.977 14 Toni Elias Honda ESP 0'42.989 15 Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha FRA 0'51.639 16 Makoto Tamada Yamaha JPN 0'57.853 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'56.528 Rider Standings 10/03/2007 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 25 2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 20 3. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 16 4. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 13 5. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 11 6. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 10 7. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 9 8. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 8 9. Alex Barros Ducati BRA 7 10. Shinya Nakano Honda JPN 6 11. Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 5 12. Olivier Jacque Kawasaki FRA 4 13. Kenny Roberts KR212V USA 3 14. Toni Elias Honda ESP 2 15. Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha FRA 1 Team Standings 10/03/2007 Pos. Team Points 1. FIAT Yamaha Team 30 2. Ducati Marlboro Team 25 3. Repsol Honda Team 24 4. Rizla Suzuki 22 5. Honda Gresini 13 6. Pramac D'Antin 12 7. Konica Minolta Honda 6 8. Kawasaki Racing Team 4 9. Team Roberts 3 10. Tech3 Yamaha 1 Manufacturer Standings 10/03/2007 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 25 2. Yamaha 20 3. Honda 16 4. Suzuki 13 5. Kawasaki 4 6. KR212V 3 Click here to view the news

Yamaha's James Stewart stands on the brink of capturing the 2009 AMA Supercross and FIM World Championships after clinching his eleventh win of the season and the thirty-sixth of his career at the Rice-Eccles Stadium and watched by 40,612 spectators in Salt Lake City for the penultimate round of the campaign. The 23 year old guided his YZ450F - a motorcycle that has owned 12 of the 16 races run thus far - to the chequered flag ahead of main title rival Chad Reed and now holds a 6 point advantage with just one meeting remaining. Stewart became the first rider to give Yamaha eleven victories in a season and have increased the manufacturer's total to 67 triumphs since the turn of the century, more than a third more than their nearest competitor. "My biggest thing is just to try to stay away from the drama because at the end of the day, you want to race a guy and go to sleep knowing that you raced him as hard as you could, and clean, and didn't take anybody out," said Stewart on the tense situation between himself and Reed. "He wanted to win tonight, and I wanted to win tonight, and I think I just got lucky enough and I was able to pull it off, so I feel great," added the LandM San Manuel rider who won the sixth main event to take place in Utah and became the first rider to gain victories in both classes at the venue. Stewart dealt Reed a swift blow as the reigning champion gained the holeshot but was unable to sprint away from the challenger. With half the Main Event gone, Stewart pounced for the lead and defeated the Australian in a straight shoot-out. Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant was sixth and now stands a good chance of confirming 4th place in the championship thanks to a 5 point gap over Kevin Windham. The season curtain closer will fittingly take place on a spectacular stage with the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas hosting round seventeen this weekend. Circuit Length: NA Crowd: 40,612 Weather: Dry 2009 AMA-SX Salt Lake City, UT 27/04/2009 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    James Stewart    Yamaha    USA    17'39.037 2    Chad Reed    Suzuki    AUS    0'03.732 3    David D Millsaps    Honda    USA    0'31.107 4    Ryan Villopoto    Kawasaki    USA    0'35.629 5    Andrew Short    Honda    USA    0'42.756 6    Josh Grant    Yamaha    USA    0'46.607 7    Kevin Windham    Honda    USA    0'50.524 8    Matt Boni    Honda    USA    0'51.605 9    Thomas Hahn    Kawasaki    USA    0'54.277 10    Ivan Tedesco    Honda    USA    0'55.365 11    Paul Carpenter    Kawasaki    USA    -1Laps 12    Nicholas Wey    Yamaha    USA    -1Laps 13    Billy Laninovich    Kawasaki    USA    -1Laps 14    Heath Voss    Honda    USA    -1Laps 15    Broc Hepler    Yamaha    USA    -1Laps 20    Kyle Chisholm    Yamaha    USA    -20Laps Rider Standings    25/04/2009 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Points 1.   James Stewart   Yamaha   USA   357 2.   Chad Reed   Suzuki   AUS   351 3.   Andrew Short   Honda   USA   257 4.   Josh Grant   Yamaha   USA   223 5.   Kevin Windham   Honda   USA   218 6.   Ivan Tedesco   Honda   USA   210 7.   David D Millsaps   Honda   USA   208 8.   Ryan Villopoto   Kawasaki   USA   208 9.   Mike Alessi   Suzuki   USA   203 10.   Josh Hill   Yamaha   USA   146 11.   Heath Voss   Honda   USA   102 12.   Tim Ferry   Kawasaki   USA   100 13.   Matt Boni   Honda   USA   96 14.   Nicholas Wey   Yamaha   USA   89 15.   Paul Carpenter   Kawasaki   USA   88 16.   Kyle Chisholm   Yamaha   USA   80 17.   Broc Hepler   Yamaha   USA   76 20.   Jason Lawrence   Yamaha   USA   43 31.   Nathan Ramsey   Yamaha   USA   15 38.   Sean Hamblin   Yamaha   USA   3 Manufacturer Standings    25/04/2009 Pos.    Manufacturer    Points 1.   Yamaha   388 2.   Suzuki   355 3.   Honda   300 4.   Kawasaki   253 5.   KTM   73 Click here to view the news

Yamaha rider James Stewart has won the 2009 AMA SX Championship (also an FIM world championship) thanks to third position taken at the seventeenth and last round of the series in front of almost 40,000 spectators at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. The 23 year old claimed his second SX title and the sixth of his career while successfully defending Yamaha's crown in the premier class. The 19th Supercross event to take place in Las Vegas saw a tense final face-off between points-leader Stewart and defending number one Chad Reed; the pair had been trading places at the top of the standings throughout the campaign. Stewart carried a six point advantage and could afford to ride conservatively and within distance of Reed. He led for the opening laps of the Main Event but relinquished control to Ryan Villopoto and then withstood close pressure from Reed, no doubt hoping to force a mistake, before settling for third behind the Australian and confirming the championship by just four points. "I might not have ridden the best tonight, but I did what I had to do, and I'm so happy," said Stewart who had previously won in both classes at Las Vegas and managed to stretch his career tally of wins to 36 through his efforts in 2009. "It's so emotional. There is so much hard work that went into this, and honestly I'm exhausted right now because it's been the toughest year for me. Every race this year, I've had to win, and that's hard mentally. I don't think anybody's ever been in a situation where they had to win every race. Chad has been on the podium 16 out of 17 races this year, so I had to win after Anaheim I, and then after Daytona. It pays off to have a great team, a great trainer, and a great supporting cast. I'm so happy." 2009 was the first season for the Floridian on the YZ450F and he already forged a milestone by becoming the first rider to give Yamaha 11 victories in one term (an achievement not even seen in the dominant era of Jeremy McGrath, although '09 was only the sixth season since the inception of the sport in 1974 in which the calendar stretched to 17 rounds). Stewart only finished off the podium twice and his DNF at Anaheim for round one was the sole blight on his scorecard. "I've said it before, but I don't care if I win by 100 points or one point, I won it, and I don't care what anybody says," he added. "I won this championship, and my team won this championship, and I won it fair and square. I had the most race wins, and I had the most points. I won't take anything away from Chad. Hat's off to him, he rode great this year, but the number-one plate's mine now." Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant registered a twelfth top ten finish of his rookie season with 7th in Las Vegas. The youngster's victory at Anaheim 1 meant that Yamaha owned 12 of the 17 races in 2009 and Grant was able to cap the year with 4th overall in the championship. Circuit Length: n/a Crowd: 39,506 Weather: Dry Lap Record: 0'52.030 (Kevin Windham, 01/01/2004) Last Years Winner: Chad Reed 2009 AMA-SX Las Vegas, NV 03/05/2009 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Ryan Villopoto    Kawasaki    USA    22'25.438 2    Chad Reed    Suzuki    AUS    0'08.090 3    James Stewart    Yamaha    USA    0'28.033 4    Kevin Windham    Honda    USA    0'35.783 5    Ivan Tedesco    Honda    USA    0'43.639 6    Mike Alessi    Suzuki    USA    0'55.968 7    Josh Grant    Yamaha    USA    1'00.509 8    Andrew Short    Honda    USA    -1Laps 9    Nathan Ramsey    Yamaha    USA    -1Laps 10    David D Millsaps    Honda    USA    -1Laps 11    Jason Thomas    Honda    USA    -1Laps 12    Nicholas Wey    Yamaha    USA    -1Laps 13    Paul Carpenter    Kawasaki    USA    -1Laps 14    Matt Boni    Honda    USA    -1Laps 15    Jesse Casillas    KTM    USA    -2Laps Rider Standings    02/05/2009 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Points 1.   James Stewart   Yamaha   USA   377 2.   Chad Reed   Suzuki   AUS   373 3.   Andrew Short   Honda   USA   270 4.   Josh Grant   Yamaha   USA   237 5.   Kevin Windham   Honda   USA   236 6.   Ryan Villopoto   Kawasaki   USA   233 7.   Ivan Tedesco   Honda   USA   226 8.   David D Millsaps   Honda   USA   219 9.   Mike Alessi   Suzuki   USA   218 10.   Josh Hill   Yamaha   USA   146 11.   Heath Voss   Honda   USA   103 12.   Matt Boni   Honda   USA   103 13.   Tim Ferry   Kawasaki   USA   100 14.   Nicholas Wey   Yamaha   USA   98 15.   Paul Carpenter   Kawasaki   USA   96 16.   Kyle Chisholm   Yamaha   USA   80 17.   Broc Hepler   Yamaha   USA   76 20.   Jason Lawrence   Yamaha   USA   43 25.   Nathan Ramsey   Yamaha   USA   27 40.   Sean Hamblin   Yamaha   USA   3 Manufacturer Standings    02/05/2009 Pos.    Manufacturer    Points 1.   Yamaha   408 2.   Suzuki   377 3.   Honda   318 4.   Kawasaki   278 5.   KTM   79 Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi took a stunning win in Jerez today, his first of the season and the 98th of his career taking him 11 points clear at the top of the championship. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo had a disappointing home race, crashing out on lap 24 when closing on the final podium position. The reigning World Champion had looked in trouble yesterday but an overnight set-up change saw him fastest in warm-up and he lined up confident that he would be able to mount a challenge. Starting from fourth on the grid, Rossi held his position at the start and managed to pass Lorenzo on the final turn of the second lap. Casey Stoner was the next target and the Italian quickly began to close the gap, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap four. Rossi and Stoner exchanged a couple of entertaining passes in the next few laps before the Yamaha rider made it stick at the end of the seventh lap, with the gap to Dani Pedrosa in the lead then standing at 1.2 seconds. The middle section of the race saw Rossi making little headway into the Spaniard's lead but at two-thirds distance he suddenly found a new rhythm and started shaving tenths off the gap, making the definitive move and claiming the lead with 10 laps to go. From then on there was only one winner and the irrepressible 30-year-old brought his M1 home 2.7 seconds clear of second-placed Pedrosa. Ever the joker, Rossi took advantage of the moment to replicate one of his most famous post-race stunts ten years on, making a stop on his victory lap to pop into a track side portable toilet, to the delight of the 120,000-strong crowd. After his dazzling pole position Lorenzo was fully expecting to challenge for the win but the higher track temperature today caused problems and he lacked the grip and pace of yesterday. The Mallorcan, who turns 22 tomorrow, spent most of the race in a lonely fourth position but in the final stages began to close on Stoner and looked like he might have a podium chance. With the gap down to under half a second the excitement began to build in the 99 side of the garage but with just four laps to go he lost the front and went down, emerging unhurt from the gravel trap but with damage to his foot peg and throttle meaning there was no chance to finish the race. Rossi now leads Stoner by 11 points in the standings, whilst Lorenzo slips to third, 13 points adrift of the Australian. The MotoGP paddock will reconvene on French soil in ten days time for round four in Le Mans. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1stTime: 45'18.557 "This is a wonderful victory because yesterday we were really quite worried! I couldn't ride how I wanted to and it was very hard. We had to work all together to understand how to fix the problem and finally we made a big change to try to make the bike feel how I like in the corner, which worked, so I have to say a huge thank you to Jeremy and all my guys. This morning we could tell immediately that things were much better and then we made a couple more small changes after warm-up, which made my M1 and my Bridgestone tyres feel even better. The race was long and quite hard - I lost some time getting past Lorenzo at the start and then I had a good battle with Stoner, which I enjoyed. After that I wasn't so fast and I couldn't close the gap to Pedrosa for a while; he was very quick but finally things improved and I was able to catch and pass him. It's great to win again and especially here in Jerez, which I love. It's ten years since I made the joke with the toilet here and so I thought it would be funny to do it again if I won - I liked that a lot! Now I hope that the changes we've made here will help us for the rest of the season. Thanks again to everyone!" Jorge Lorenzo - Position: DNF "I am very sad, because I was so fast all weekend and on pole position. Unfortunately today the temperature meant that our setting did not work in the same way and at the moment we don't understand why. This is really more disappointing than the actual crash. Fourth position wouldn't have been so bad but when you're in front of your fans, at home with so much adrenalin on the bike of course you try to do the maximum. I could see that the podium was possible and maybe the right thing would have been to go more gently and not push so hard in that moment, but I always want to do my best. Then I made a mistake and I threw all my good work away. We have to try to forget this and wake up feeling positive tomorrow because Le Mans is near. I'm sorry to all the fans who came to see me, to my team, family and to everybody!" Davide Brivio - Team Manager "This is a very important victory and after two second places everyone in the team was waiting for it and really wanted it. To win like this is something special; after being in trouble and quite sad on Saturday there was a lot of effort, long meetings, hard work by all the engineers, mechanics and technicians and finally we were able to give a good package to Valentino. If you can make Valentino feel happy on the bike then he will always give you this kind of performance and today it was wonderful to watch. This has to be our target every time. I am very happy and proud of all our guys, and of course of Valentino!" Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "We're very disappointed for today's result. After excellent practice and qualifying sessions we expected to be on the podium but with the warmer temperature Jorge lost grip on the rear. At the end he was catching Stoner but then he lost the front and that was that! Now we need to make a deep analysis of why we had these unexpected problems and make sure they don't happen again. It's bad luck but now we will look forward to Le Mans, where we had a great result last year." Seventh for Edwards in scorching Spain, Toseland battles to 13th The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team ended a scorching hot Spanish MotoGP race with hard fought points scoring finishes for Colin Edwards and James Toseland. Texan Edwards starred in one of the most fiercely contested battles of the 27-lap encounter, dicing throughout with Italian duo Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 123,340 fans. Edwards expertly moved his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine by Capirossi to take seventh on lap ten, and four laps later he passed Melandri to set about securing his second top six in the opening three races. Small issues with his rear suspension setting though saw Edwards lose a superb last lap battle with Capirossi that left him only 1.3s away from a superb top five finish. Today's result though keeps Edwards in the top six in the championship standings and leading non-factory rider. British rider Toseland rode a determined race to finish 13th, the 28-year-old unable to progress any further through the field as he never found a comfortable set-up on his YZR-M1 machine. He showed his battling qualities though to fend off a persistent challenge from Alex de Angelis. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team now takes a deserved break before its home race at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans on May 17, with expectations high after Edwards finished third in 2008. Colin Edwards - Position: 7th Time: +0'34.421 "I got a really good start but right from the first lap I knew I wasn't going to be able to run the pace I needed. The guys in front just gapped me immediately and I couldn't get the bike to turn. We went in the wrong direction yesterday when it was hot, so for the race we went back to the setting I'd had in the morning when the track temperature was a bit cooler. In the cooler temperatures that setting was fine, but once the temperature goes up I just couldn't get into the rhythm I want and know I was capable of. I wanted to be smooth and precise but I couldn't do that. I was having to adjust my style to get some weight on the rear to help the bike turn, but it wasn't enough for me to get into the top six and that's a bit frustrating." James Toseland - Position: 13th Time: +0'53.683 "It has been a tough weekend and we have got some issues to sort out. We're still trying a few things on the bike and I'm still searching for a comfortable setting over a race distance. I still need a second or so on race pace but I need to sort out qualifying too. I can do the same times as four or five guys in front of me, but when you're all lapping at the same pace, it's hard to come through. I'm giving myself too much to do from qualifying and being too far back. You don't need to be too far off but if you start at the back you stay at the back in a competitive class like this. It has not been a great start to the season but I don't feel we're that far away. We've got a lot of information from this weekend and we're eliminating things that we know don't work. I'm confident we're close to finding the setting I need and working hard with my guys to find it." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "It was a difficult race and in the first two races I have to say we were a little bit closer to the front. It's a shame that Colin wasn't quite comfortable enough with the setting to fight closer with (Loris) Capirossi and (Marco) Melandri at the end. A top six would have been well deserved for his hard effort and maybe fifth was achievable. It was also a tough weekend for James. His lap times in the race were not too bad but it is clear he must improve in qualifying. He is capable of a much stronger performance, but it is difficult when you don't qualify well. The start of the race now is crucial and qualifying is something that he will work on with his team. Everybody at Tech 3 is now looking forward to our home race. We know Le Mans is very good circuit for Yamaha and last year Colin was on the podium behind Jorge (Lorenzo) and Valentino (Rossi). I'd also like to thank Mark Hall from Monster Energy for his support this weekend. The Yamaha Tech 3 team is delighted to have Monster Energy as our title sponsor, and I'm sure our partnership will bring success in the future." Circuit Length: 4423 Temp: 27 Weather: Sunny Lap Record: 1'40.596 (Valentino Rossi, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'38.189 (Jorge Lorenzo, 30/03/2008) Last Years Winner: Daniel Pedrosa 2009 MotoGP Spain - Jerez de la Frontera 03/05/2009 Race 1 - 27 Laps Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Valentino Rossi    Yamaha    ITA    45'18.557 2    Daniel Pedrosa    Honda    ESP    0'02.700 3    Casey Stoner    Ducati    AUS    0'10.507 4    Randy De Puniet    Honda    FRA    0'31.893 5    Marco Melandri    Kawasaki    ITA    0'33.128 6    Loris Capirossi    Suzuki    ITA    0'34.128 7    Colin Edwards    Yamaha    USA    0'34.421 8    Andrea Dovizioso    Honda    ITA    0'34.625 9    Toni Elias    Honda    ESP    0'42.689 10    Chris Vermeulen    Suzuki    AUS    0'45.183 11    Sete Gibernau    Ducati    ESP    0'48.192 12    Yuki Takahashi    Honda    JPN    0'51.875 13    James Toseland    Yamaha    GBR    0'53.683 14    Alex De Angelis    Honda    SMR    0'53.941 15    Nicky Hayden    Ducati    USA    1'01.237 Rider Standings    03/05/2009 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Points 1.   Valentino Rossi   Yamaha   ITA   65 2.   Casey Stoner   Ducati   AUS   54 3.   Daniel Pedrosa   Honda   ESP   41 4.   Jorge Lorenzo   Yamaha   ESP   41 5.   Andrea Dovizioso   Honda   ITA   30 6.   Colin Edwards   Yamaha   USA   26 7.   Randy De Puniet   Honda   FRA   24 8.   Marco Melandri   Kawasaki   ITA   23 9.   Chris Vermeulen   Suzuki   AUS   21 10.   Loris Capirossi   Suzuki   ITA   19 11.   Mika Kallio   Ducati   FIN   16 12.   Alex De Angelis   Honda   SMR   15 13.   Toni Elias   Honda   ESP   14 14.   James Toseland   Yamaha   GBR   10 15.   Sete Gibernau   Ducati   ESP   8 Manufacturer Standings    03/05/2009 Pos.    Manufacturer    Points 1.   Yamaha   70 2.   Ducati   54 3.   Honda   47 4.   Suzuki   28 5.   Kawasaki   23 Click here to view the news

Italian food brand Sterilgarda has joined up to sponsor the Yamaha World Superbike team for selected races of the 2009 championship season. Starting with the upcoming Monza race, the Sterilgarda brand will feature on the bikes and leathers of both Ben Spies and Tom Sykes. Sterilgarda is a food production company based in Italy, providing products for over 40 years and today producing over 1200 tons of foodstuffs daily. Core product lines include cheese, milk, yogurt and fruit juices. Sterilgada are a familiar face in the WSB paddock, having been keen supporters and partners of racing teams and riders for some time. The 2009 Yamaha World Superbike Team has had a strong start to the 2009 season with a new bike and new riders, making it an attractive proposition for sponsors, the team have already won four out of the eight races run so far with rookie Ben Spies who is regularly fighting at the front of the pack for the race win and currently sits second in the championship.    Sterilgarda Sponsorship Sterilgarda Sponsorship “We are really happy to be able to link our brand with The Yamaha World Superbike Team,” said Nando Sarzi, the owner of Sterilgarda Alimenti. “We’re really excited to be able share the racing emotions and success with the team, starting with Monza this weekend, the home race for both the team and our company. Professionalism and quality are two common, shared elements that drive both Sterilgarda and Yamaha in the search for great success.” “It’s fantastic to have Sterilgarda onboard,” said Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division. “It’s very positive to have such a well known brand in the paddock recognize how successful the Yamaha World Superbike Team is and want to be part of it. We’re looking forward to working together and this being the start of a long term relationship.” Click here to view the news

Yamaha World Superbike rider Tom Sykes gave a tantalizing glimpse of his race pace today in the first qualifying session at the historic Monza circuit. The British rider put in strong consistent fats laps for the duration of the session, ending it in second place, just over 0.3 seconds behind leader Michele Fabrizio. Sykes had been fast all day and had spent the morning and the qualifying session fine tuning the set up for the weekend's racing. He finished the morning 's free practice session in third place, just behind his team-mate. Ben Spies was in equally reliable form in the Italian sunshine, focusing on tyre wear and race pace he ran consistent laps all day, finishing the afternoon's qualifying session in seventh position, less than 0.3 of a second off Sykes. The American rider spent the entire qualifying session on a single set of tyres to test the wear rate on the warm circuit. The morning's free practice session saw Spies predictably fast on a circuit he's coming to know well through testing, he finished the session second, less than 0.3 seconds behind the leader. Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (2nd, 1'45.758) "A fairly decent day to day to be honest, we came here with a big change from the test we had here which has taken a fair bit of balancing but I think we've done it. Overall I'm very happy with my race tyres, we're doing consistent fast laps over race distance so I'm confident in the team's ability and tomorrow I think we'll come out even stronger. I'm going to have a good sleep tonight and come back tomorrow with a fresh head and be even better!" Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (7th, 1'46.013) "It was a really good session for us. We pretty much found our race tyres , we only ran one set for the whole session and put in some really good lap times. We weren't really worried about fast lap times today, we just wanted to get consistent laps so we should be good for Sunday. It's an 18 lap race and our fastest lap today was the 22nd one so it's looking good. The bike's working really well so we'll step it up tomorrow and see what happens." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager "A good session for us, we were working to find the best set up for the race I think we're pretty ready. We've made no major changes from the previous test here, just some small changes to improve and fine tune. The race pace was good so we're satisfied, I think we are 90% there for Sunday." Circuit Length: 5792 Lap Record: 1'47.434 (Troy Bayliss, 01/01/2002) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'44.931 (Troy Bayliss, 11/05/2008) Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga 2009 WSB Italy - Monza 08/05/2009 Qualifying 1 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Michel Fabrizio    Ducati    ITA    1'45.447 2    Tom Sykes    Yamaha    GBR    1'45.758 3    Noriyuki Haga    Ducati    JPN    1'45.790 4    Jonathan Rea    Honda    GBR    1'45.919 5    Max Neukirchner    Suzuki    GER    1'45.962 6    Yukio Kagayama    Suzuki    JPN    1'45.985 7    Ben Spies    Yamaha    USA    1'46.013 8    Max Biaggi    Aprilia    ITA    1'46.054 9    Carlos Checa    Honda    ESP    1'46.140 10    Shane Byrne    Ducati    GBR    1'46.164 11    Ryuichi Kiyonari    Honda    JPN    1'46.171 12    Leon Haslam    Honda    GBR    1'46.208 13    Jakub Smrz    Ducati    CZE    1'46.363 14    Ruben Xaus    BMW    ESP    1'46.545 15    Troy Corser    BMW    AUS    1'46.565 27    David Checa    Yamaha    ESP    1'48.920 FREE PRACTICE REPORT    08/05/2009 Crutchlow and Foret get straight down to it in Monza Both Cal Crutchlow and Fabien Foret got down to business quickly in Monza today. Crutchlow used the free practice session to familiarize himself with yet another new circuit, something he managed to do in just a few laps as his searingly quick pace showed at the end of the session. A small tumble early in the session did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm. His last lap of the day turning out to be the fastest of the Supersport riders, sending a clear message to his competitors that he means business on Sunday. Team-mate Foret was well and truly back on form, having picked up his pace dramatically in Assen and showed his old racing style, he got down to it quickly in Monza today and put in consistently fast laps at the top of the pack, leading the session briefly before settling for fourth at the end, less than 0.5 of a second off his team-mate. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team (1st, 1'50.594) "It was good enough for me over the session, but I had a little bit of an off which I'm disappointed about. Every time I stick new boots on I crash! We worked hard this afternoon and done a lot of laps in the session. The race distance was good on the tyres so I'm happy enough, hopefully we can go into the weekend confident now. The second corner is weird, it's absolutely flat out, you don't shut off at all on a 600 and it took a bit of getting used to, there's barrier all the way round and it kind of suck s you in! It's nice to be quickest on the last lap and on one set of tyres, let's hope we can keep that up over the weekend." Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team (4th, 1'50.934) "It was good for me, I found my pace pretty easily, I used a very similar bike set-up to last year which was very good. Obviously we tried to update it a bit but right now it's working really well and I'm not pushing 100% yet so I would say everything is under control and good up to now. I enjoyed being out there on the bike and having fun on the track today, . I'm pretty happy and looking forward to tomorrow." Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager "It seems to be that Cal likes the track, not bad for his first time here and on provisional pole. Both the riders are happy, Fabien particularly likes this track. They both tried some different things in the session, including an Assen setting and the Monza setting from last year. We have a good direction as a result of the session, we've got a good combination of tyres which we didn't have last year so everything seems to be under control! Cal had a little off, he started with a tyre which was probably not the best and had a small front end slide. The problem here is that anything is a high speed incident but he's ok, no injuries so we're looking forward to tomorrow with confidence." Circuit Length: 5792 Lap Record: 1'52.635 (Chris Vermeulen, 01/01/2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'49.868 (Broc Parkes, 11/05/2008) Last Years Winner: Fabien Foret 2009 WSS Italy - Monza 08/05/2009 Free Practice Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Cal Crutchlow    Yamaha    GBR    1'50.594 2    Joan Lascorz    Kawasaki    ESP    1'50.605 3    Mark Aitchison    Honda    AUS    1'50.749 4    Fabien Foret    Yamaha    FRA    1'50.934 5    Matthieu Lagrive    Honda    FRA    1'51.474 6    Danilo Dell'omo    Honda    ITA    1'51.783 7    Katsuaki Fujiwara    Kawasaki    JPN    1'51.860 8    Andrew Pitt    Honda    AUS    1'51.920 9    Kenan Sofuoglu    Honda    TUR    1'51.929 10    Michele Pirro    Yamaha    ITA    1'51.939 11    Eugene Laverty    Honda    GBR    1'52.027 12    Massimo Roccoli    Honda    ITA    1'52.073 13    Franco Battaini    Yamaha    ITA    1'52.122 14    Garry McCoy    Triumph    AUS    1'52.154 15    Gianluca Vizziello    Honda    ITA    1'52.383 24    Doni Tata Pradita    Yamaha    IDN    1'54.392 26    Yannick Guerra    Yamaha    ESP    1'54.957 29    Jose Morillas    Yamaha    ESP    1'57.147 Click here to view the news

To the delight of The Yamaha World Superbike Team's home crowd rider Ben Spies effortlessly rode his R1 to take an incredible fifth consecutive Superpole of the year, again breaking the lap record in the process. Having spent the two qualifying sessions fine tuning his set up for race day, Spies took it relatively easy for the first two Superpole heats, ensuring he made it through to the final eight without using a qualifier tyre. As the final heat started, out came the new Pirelli qualifier tyre with its distinctive yellow stripe, and the lap time tumbled as Spies displayed what is now becoming almost expected, a scorching Superpole lap and a new lap record. Team-mate Tom Spies had a more frustrating Superpole experience, having started well on a qualifier in the first session he made it through safely to the second. The young British rider's flying lap saw him quick enough through the first two splits to go through to the final session, however he came up against another rider on a slow down lap halfway round the infamous Parabolica corner, losing nearly half a second in the process and sealing his fate outside the top ten for the final heat. Sykes will now start tomorrow's races from the third row of the grid. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1st, 1'44.073) "It's been really good here at Monza this weekend. The approach has been a bit different, we've kind of tried to sneak up on everyone and been working really hard on the race setup through the sessions. We've been working quietly away in the garage and I think the bike is going to be really good in the race. I really wanted to get this one for Yamaha on their home track so it was great to be able to take the Superpole for the team. It looks like it could be a bit of a dogfight tomorrow, hopefully we'll have some guys up there to mix it up and shake up the points a little bit." Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (10th 1'45.383) "Qualifying was a fairly steady session, we tried a couple more things to cross some boxes, so it was constructive. We got some more information out of it which helped towards the Superpole. We did the first Superpole heat ok, the aim of the game was to get into the top sixteen and we did that. I was fairly confident for the second one, I knew I was on a good lap and everything felt really nice and smooth but coming into the last corner, Kiyonari was in front of me. He was going pretty slowly and then sat up and we nearly came together. I lost half a second there and didn't have time to get back and change tyres for another go. I'm very disappointed as I feel that our race pace for tomorrow is quite strong and we are having to start from row three. Hopefully we can get a good clean start and get through the first chicane and try and go with the leading bunch as I know we can stay with them." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager "After the pole position we are quite confident that tomorrow we can run a good race. Here in Monza the two races will be really close at the start with a lot of riders in a tight pack for the first half but I think after that just a few riders will fight for the win. I think tomorrow we will see two very good races." Circuit Length: 5792 Lap Record: 1'47.434 (Troy Bayliss, 01/01/2002) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'44.073 (Ben Spies, 10/05/2009) Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga 2009 WSB Italy - Monza 09/05/2009 Superpole Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Ben Spies    Yamaha    USA    1'44.073 2    Michel Fabrizio    Ducati    ITA    1'44.270 3    Ryuichi Kiyonari    Honda    JPN    1'44.642 4    Max Neukirchner    Suzuki    GER    1'44.900 5    Noriyuki Haga    Ducati    JPN    1'45.096 6    Jonathan Rea    Honda    GBR    1'45.170 7    Max Biaggi    Aprilia    ITA    1'45.605 8    Yukio Kagayama    Suzuki    JPN    1'45.861 9    Carlos Checa    Honda    ESP    1'45.166 10    Tom Sykes    Yamaha    GBR    1'45.383 11    Troy Corser    BMW    AUS    1'45.543 12    Regis Laconi    Ducati    FRA    1'45.663 13    Broc Parkes    Kawasaki    AUS    1'46.638 14    Ruben Xaus    BMW    ESP    1'46.571 15    Shane Byrne    Ducati    GBR    1'46.593 Qualifying 2 Pos.    Rider    Nat.    QUAL I    QUAL II 1    Michel Fabrizio    ITA    1'45.447    1'44.974 2    Max Neukirchner    GER    1'45.962    1'45.224 3    Jonathan Rea    GBR    1'45.919    1'45.373 4    Noriyuki Haga    JPN    1'45.790    1'45.448 5    Max Biaggi    ITA    1'46.054    1'45.748 6    Ben Spies    USA    1'46.013    1'45.755 7    Tom Sykes    GBR    1'45.758    1'45.941 8    Leon Haslam    GBR    1'46.208    1'45.919 9    Yukio Kagayama    JPN    1'45.985    1'46.069 10    Ryuichi Kiyonari    JPN    1'46.171    1'45.988 11    Regis Laconi    FRA    1'47.078    1'46.103 12    Carlos Checa    ESP    1'46.140    1'46.337 13    Shane Byrne    GBR    1'46.164    1'46.690 14    Jakub Smrz    CZE    1'46.363    1'46.264 15    Karl Muggeridge    AUS    1'46.690    1'46.319 25    David Checa    ESP    1'48.920    1'47.868 QUALIFYING 1 REPORT    09/05/2009 Crutchlow and Foret claim the front row Cal Crutchlow made it an incredible fourth consecutive pole position start in a row today. The Yamaha World Supersport rider and the R6 continue to be a devastating combination on any circuit. Crutchlow was on the pace from the word go and never ventured far from the top spot for the duration of the session. In taking pole position he also broke the lap record of 1'49.868 set here last year by Broc Parkes on the Yamaha R6. Team-mate Fabien Foret was also on top form, having won here at Monza last year, the French rider set out today to show he means business and wants the podium again on race day. A fast, consistent qualifying session ensured Foret starts on the front row with his team-mate tomorrow, in 3rd position. Foret also came in under last year's lap record set by his previous team-mate Parkes. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team, (1st, 1'49.706) "It was a good enough session, I wasn't really happy with the time at the end because I could have gone a lot quicker. We had a few problems with the bike throughout the session. We did our fastest time on the 14th lap of the tyre and then went slower on a brand new tyre so it was a bit weird how that worked. Race pace is good though, I'm looking forward to the race, I think we can hopefully win it tomorrow and gain a bigger lead in the championship." Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (3rd, 1'49.803) "We have a few things we're trying to improve a little bit but I'm actually pretty happy with the package now and tyre wise it's also not too bad so it's looking good. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I've started in fifth a few times now with hardly any time between me and the front row so this time I wanted to make sure I could finish in the front. For me though what is important is to finish on the podium tomorrow." Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager "it was a good qualifying heat. Fabien had a good session, he was happy and fast which was great. Cal is pole again which is fantastic, he still had some difficulties to solve but nothing major. They are both capable of doing a good race tomorrow and it's brilliant to have them both on the front row, the first time this year." Circuit Length: 5792 Lap Record: 1'52.635 (Chris Vermeulen, 01/01/2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'49.706 (Cal Crutchlow, 10/05/2009) Last Years Winner: Fabien Foret 2009 WSS Italy - Monza 09/05/2009 Qualifying 1 Pos.    Rider    Manu.    Nat.    Total Time 1    Cal Crutchlow    Yamaha    GBR    1'49.706 2    Joan Lascorz    Kawasaki    ESP    1'49.739 3    Fabien Foret    Yamaha    FRA    1'49.803 4    Eugene Laverty    Honda    GBR    1'50.006 5    Mark Aitchison    Honda    AUS    1'50.407 6    Kenan Sofuoglu    Honda    TUR    1'50.636 7    Andrew Pitt    Honda    AUS    1'50.733 8    Gianluca Nannelli    Triumph    ITA    1'50.798 9    Garry McCoy    Triumph    AUS    1'50.828 10    Katsuaki Fujiwara    Kawasaki    JPN    1'50.861 11    Matthieu Lagrive    Honda    FRA    1'50.907 12    Michele Pirro    Yamaha    ITA    1'51.281 13    Franco Battaini    Yamaha    ITA    1'51.429 14    Massimo Roccoli    Honda    ITA    1'51.517 15    Miguel Praia    Honda    POR    1'51.682 23    Doni Tata Pradita    Yamaha    IDN    1'53.025 27    Yannick Guerra    Yamaha    ESP    1'53.351 28    Jose Morillas    Yamaha    ESP    1'56.328 Click here to view the news

Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards completed a hard day's work with their Yamaha YZR-M1 machines today, as preparations got underway for the Malaysian Grand Prix with two free practice sessions. Both riders were eager to test the performance of their bikes at this circuit after a positive recent test in the Czech Republic, however it quickly emerged that the setting the team found at Brno was not as well suited to this layout or track temperatures in excess of 45ºC, which put the tyres under extreme stress. After making dramatic changes to the bike for the afternoon session, reigning World Champion Rossi was able to knock almost a full second off his time within the first six laps, giving him renewed confidence after a disappointing morning when he could only manage the eleventh fastest time. Edwards suffered similar problems but was unable to solve them in time for an assault on the top positions today. The American is hoping to find a quick solution in tomorrow morning's final free practice before qualifying takes place in the afternoon. Last year's winner Loris Capirossi (Ducati) set the pace today, dipping under pole record time with a lap of 2'01.711. There was bad news, however, for fellow title candidate Dani Pedrosa (Honda), who suffered a knee injury in a high-speed crash this afternoon. Valentino Rossi (6th - 2'02.970; 41 laps) "It's been a difficult first day - more so in the morning than the afternoon, which means we are working in the right way. I was confident after the Brno test, especially about the tyres and the way they are working now with our M1. Unfortunately in the conditions we have found here that setting doesn't work so well and we had a few problems with tyre life. So in the afternoon basically we adapted the setting using the data we gathered in the January tests, when I was very fast, and things improved a lot. Tomorrow we'll move even closer to that setting and I'm very confident we can make a big improvement again. Loris was very fast today and it looks like it will be a tough challenge to beat him, but we have good base data for this circuit and I'm sure we can get back to the pace I know I am capable of here." Colin Edwards Colin Edwards (12th - 2'03.355; 41 laps) "That was a really hard day and not what we were hoping for at all. I'm pretty disappointed after the good test we had at Brno because I expected to be in good shape from the start here. I couldn't find the right set-up today and there was no way for me to ride the bike properly. We're going to have to work in a completely different direction tomorrow and try to sort the situation out before qualifying. Valentino seems to have improved by going back towards the settings from January, despite the fact that the bike we have now is very different from the one we had then, so maybe this is the way to work. We will have a think about things tonight and start again tomorrow!" Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Today everyone has had to work very hard! Both riders have been testing different things and now we have to put it all altogether to find the right package and make sure we are competitive both in tomorrow afternoon's qualifying session and Sunday's race. Valentino is very close to the top and I think with a little bit more work he can be in good shape tomorrow. Colin is struggling a little at the moment but hopefully he too can improve in the morning. Tomorrow the weather might change things but we hope that it stays dry so that we can continue to make progress." Circuit Length: 5548 Temp: 32 Weather: Dry 2006 MotoGP Sepang 08/09/2006 Free Practice Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 2'1.711 2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 2'2.021 3 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 2'2.563 4 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 2'2.710 5 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 2'2.918 6 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 2'2.970 7 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 2'2.981 8 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 2'3.100 9 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 2'3.171 10 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 2'3.199 11 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 2'3.248 12 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 2'3.355 13 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 2'3.418 14 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 2'3.432 15 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 2'3.706 18 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 2'5.403 Click here to view the news

Round seven of the 2006 World Enduro Championship, the GP of Slovakia held in Krompachy 380km from the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, saw Spaniard Ivan Cervantes move closer to his second Enduro 1 world championship title after the KTM rider topped the E1 class on both days in Slovakia having performed faultlessly during the weekend. Finishing 42 seconds ahead at the end of the opening day's competition Ivan upped his pace on day two and extended his wining advantage to just over one minute. In claiming two class wins Cervantes is all but assured of winning the 2006 E1 world championship crown on day one at the series' final event in France. Placing as runner-up on day one was Cervantes' KTM team-mate Italian Alessandro Belometti. With Belometti looked in a day long battle with countryman Simone Albergoni just two seconds separated the pair, in favour of Belometti, at the end of day one. On day two it was Albergoni who placed in second position to Cervantes as Belometti had to fight his way back to third from fifth having crashed on the day's second enduro test. With UFO Corse Yamaha rider Arnau Vilanova unable to compete in Slovakia due to suffering a form of hepatitis, Italian Maurizio Micheluz was again the team's only competitor in the Enduro 1 class. Again performing consistently against more experienced WEC competitors aboard his WR250F Micheluz finished the opening day in sixth position having struggled to get on the pace early in the day. On day two, having started well, Maurizio made a small mistake during the second extreme test and after getting rope wrapped around his rear wheel lost five minutes. Placing in an eventual ninth position Maurizio finished as high as second on one special test, indicating that had it not been for his misfortune he might well have placed close to, or even on, the E1 class podium Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) - Day 1: Sixth, Day 2: Ninth "Day one went pretty good for me. I finished in sixth position but didn't ride so well on the first three special tests, I don't know why. At the end of the day I was just three seconds behind the fifth place rider, which I was happy with after my poor start to the day. Day two started much better than day one and I was confident that I could finish fifth or better. On the second extreme test I lost five minutes when I got some rope wrapped in my rear wheel. I was extremely disappointed because after my problem I was fast enough to finish fourth and I finished in second on some special tests. This is racing and apart from that I am really happy with the way I was riding." Temp: 20 Crowd: 12750 Weather: Sunny 2006 Enduro 1 Slovakia 03/09/2006 Race 1 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 41'57.650 2 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 0'42.160 3 Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 0'44.520 4 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 0'50.940 5 Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 1'12.270 6 Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 1'16.050 7 Mike Hartmann KTM GER 2'20.000 8 Tomi Peltola Suzuki FIN 2'59.730 9 Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 3'4.970 10 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 3'8.810 11 Peter Podhorsky Yamaha SVK 7'29.510 12 Peter Katai KTM HUN 8'39.550 13 Rostislav Ondracka Husqvarna CZE 19'28.550 Race 2 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 49'5.740 2 Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 1'2.030 3 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 1'22.220 4 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 1'42.230 5 Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 1'50.960 6 Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 2'12.360 7 Mike Hartmann KTM GER 2'12.830 8 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 2'21.220 9 Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 6'33.670 10 Peter Katai KTM HUN 11'9.010 11 Peter Podhorsky Yamaha SVK 15'25.940 Rider Standings 03/09/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 338 2. Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 296 3. Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 254 4. Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 244 5. Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 222 6. Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 166 7. Mike Hartmann KTM GER 139 8. Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 121 9. Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 102 10. Freddy Blanc KTM FRA 74 11. Anthony Roberts Yamaha AUS 58 12. Peter Bergvall Suzuki SWE 52 13. Shane Cuthbertson KTM CAN 49 14. Julien Gauthier Honda FRA 43 15. Frederik Georgsson KTM SWE 41 40. Arnau Vilanova Yamaha ESP 10 Manufacturer Standings 03/09/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 338 2. Honda 296 3. Husqvarna 254 4. Yamaha 228 5. TM 166 6. Suzuki 90 7. Kawasaki 41 8. GasGas 23 9. Christini 19 RACE REPORT 03/09/2006 Yamaha dominates in Slovakia Johnny and Stefan on podium UFO Corse Yamaha team mates Stefan Merriman and Johnny Aubert claimed a Yamaha one-two in the Enduro 2 class on day one of the GP of Slovakia as the Australian and Frenchman placed in first and second positions respectively separated by an eventual 33 seconds. With Finns Samuli Aro and Mika Ahola making it a four-way fight it was reigning class champion Aro who eventually joined Merriman and Aubert on the podium in third but the day was all about the two UFO Corse Yamaha team riders Merriman and Aubert. With Merriman having the upper hand from the start the former world champion produced his best form of the season and during the second half of the day opened up what would become an unbeatable lead. Johnny Aubert On day two the same two riders placed at the head of the Enduro 2 class, but unlike on day one it was Aubert who topped the E2 class results. Winning six of the day's special tests in the E2 class and enjoying the rougher conditions Aubert placed 18 seconds ahead of his team-mate Stefan Merriman to prove himself once again in his first season of World Enduro Championship competition. With the Yamaha mounted duo finishing in first and second Finn Aro again placed in third. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha)- Day 1: Second, Day 2: First "It's been a great weekend for me. I am so pleased with my result, especially as the next round of the world championship is my home race in France. Day one went well but Stefan was just too fast so it wasn't possible to fight with him for the win. Day two was perfect for me. From the first enduro test I felt really good and was as fast as Stefan. I knew that I could win the day then so I pushed as hard as I could. The race was a little more technical, the tests were rougher and rutted. I seem to go better on the second day. I am really happy with my result." Stefan Merriman Stefan Merriman (UFO Corse Yamaha)- Day 1: First, Day 2: Second "I've had a really good weekend. The event itself was really enjoyable, the special tests were typically Slovakian and thankfully it didn't rain. It's been a more traditional world enduro event. Day one went really well. I felt good right from the start of the day and didn't make any mistakes, which enabled me to win. On day two I wasn't quite quick enough to beat my team-mate Johnny Aubert but I was still happy with the way I rode. On Sunday I rode pretty much the same as I did on day one but Johnny went faster. Of course I would have liked to have won on both days but finishing in first and second is much better than my results at the last GP in the USA." Temp: 20 Crowd: 12750 Weather: Sunny 2006 Enduro 2 Slovakia 03/09/2006 Race 1 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 41'19.050 2 Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 0'33.090 3 Samuli Aro KTM FIN 0'37.780 4 Mika Ahola Honda FIN 0'38.770 5 Fabien Planet KTM FRA 1'14.430 6 Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 1'27.120 7 Jari Juha Mattila Honda FIN 1'54.310 8 Xavier Galindo KTM ESP 2'12.790 9 Valtteri Salonen HusaBerg FIN 2'28.100 10 Thierry Klutz Sherco BEL 2'28.300 11 Stefan Svitko KTM SVK 2'55.290 12 Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 3'4.560 13 Christophe Nambotin Husqvarna FRA 3'5.440 14 Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 3'6.730 15 Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 3'10.520 17 Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 3'36.400 Race 2 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 48'34.360 2 Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 0'18.130 3 Samuli Aro KTM FIN 0'37.430 4 Mika Ahola Honda FIN 0'43.620 5 Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 1'39.850 6 Fabien Planet KTM FRA 1'40.650 7 Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 1'48.370 8 Valtteri Salonen HusaBerg FIN 2'1.730 9 Christophe Nambotin Husqvarna FRA 2'18.870 10 Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 2'22.990 11 Jari Juha Mattila Honda FIN 2'24.220 12 Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 2'26.290 13 Xavier Galindo KTM ESP 2'37.440 14 Thierry Klutz Sherco BEL 3'13.830 15 Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 3'16.570 Rider Standings 03/09/2006 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Samuli Aro KTM FIN 315 2. Mika Ahola Honda FIN 283 3. Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 278 4. Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 277 5. Fabien Planet KTM FRA 202 6. Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 195 7. Xavier Galindo KTM ESP 185 8. Valtteri Salonen HusaBerg FIN 134 9. Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 124 10. Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 123 11. Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 117 12. Euan McConnell TM GBR 84 13. Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 75 14. Paul Edmondson Honda GBR 74 15. Kurt Caselli KTM USA 66 Manufacturer Standings 03/09/2006 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 316 2. KTM 315 3. Honda 283 4. GasGas 195 5. Husqvarna 135 6. HusaBerg 134 7. Aprilia 117 8. Beta 89 9. TM 84 10. Suzuki 52 11. Sherco 50 12. Kawasaki 16 Click here to view the news