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Alex Asigno
2010 YZR-M1 The Fiat Yamaha Team unveiled its new 2010 livery today, on the morning of the first MotoGP test of the pre-season in Sepang, Malaysia. The championship-winning team will field the same line-up as last year with World Champion Valentino Rossi and runner-up Jorge Lorenzo once again spearheading its attack. The two-day test began today, 4th February, the first of three pre-season tests before the first race at Qatar on 11th April. The new 2010 YZR-M1 of both Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo as well as several videos of the riders and Team Managers are now available for you online. Go to www.yamaha-racing.com, visit the MotoGP photo and video gallery and be the first to discover the new 2010 livery! Lin Jarvis - Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing "2009 was the most successful year for Yamaha's racing activities for many years. It will be difficult to follow such a performance but we are intending to try! We are lucky to have the same fantastic rider line-up with Valentino and Jorge and we are looking forward to getting started with our work on track. "Of course, Yamaha has not been able to escape the global economic situation but MotoGP forms a key part of the company's recovery plan. It is a very important brand image tool and MotoGP will remain a flag-waving activity for Yamaha worldwide. "We are extremely fortunate to have retained all of our existing loyal sponsors and even to have added a few more to the team. Our title sponsor Fiat is with us for a fourth year and Petronas, Packard Bell and Yamalube will continue as major sponsors of the team. We have two new sponsors in the form of Yamaha Indonesia, who join us with the aim of promoting their activities in Indonesia, the most important market for Yamaha at the moment, and Iveco. We have also retained all of our existing technical sponsors and suppliers. "Last but not least I would like to welcome back to all of our team members and staff and also extend a warm welcome to our two new team members; Wilco Zeelenberg joins from the successful Yamaha World Supersport team as Jorge's new team manager and Davide Marelli comes in as his new Data Technician."
Alex Asigno
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The Fiat Yamaha Team is pleased to announce that it will unveil its final 2010 livery on the morning of the first MotoGP test day in Sepang, Malaysia. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo will ride at the test in this new livery. On Thursday 4 February at 9am (CET), studio photography of the 2010 YZR-M1s and of riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo will go live on www.yamaha-racing.com. There will also be video interviews on the site with both riders as well as with Lin Jarvis, Davide Brivio and Wilco Zeelenberg.
Alex Asigno
Josh Hill LandM San Manuel Yamaha were down to single rider representation at the ATandT Park in San Francisco for the fourth round of seventeen in the AMA Supercross/FIM World Championship series as Josh Hill captured his third podium result in a row with second position. Hill was left to steer the 2010 YZ450F after team-mate and defending champion James Stewart required surgery on a broken scaphoid in his right wrist and will now assess his recovery and fitness on a weekly basis. Over 41,000 spectators were present in the scenic city of northern California for only the eighth AMA Supercross event to take place in the metropolis. Ryan Villopoto won his first Main event of the season on the open and exposed track after a crash by rookie and points-leader Ryan Dungey but Josh Hill had started brightly and kept a strong pace to push Villopoto all the way to the chequered flag. The 20 year old is currently second in the standings and 11 points adrift of Dungey. 'Those guys were riding great, but with James out, any of us could've won tonight,' said Hill who has taken 6th, 3rd, 2nd and 2nd in 2010 so far. 'Villopoto was tough tonight and I did what I could to hold him behind me but I didn't want to do anything dirty. This is my second second-place in a row, and that's good. It's not a win, but it's good.' Justin Brayton (6th) and Ivan Tedesco (7th) were other YZ450F campaigners notably placed on the San Francisco leader-board. Stewart, who broke his wrist in a Heat race incident in Phoenix two weeks ago and then raced to a brave 3rd place the following week in LA, is 9th in the table and is facing an steep uphill task to retain his crown. Broc Tickle On the same evening Yamaha's Broc Tickle gave the YZ250F its first podium in the West Coast Lites division with 3rd spot. British rookie Max Anstie was 8th. Tickle sits 4th in the Lites ranking and 12 points away from further promotion. 'It's funny because I know this is my first podium of the season, but I think third place is as far back as I should ever finish this year,' said Tickle. 'So even tonight I can't really be that happy about it. I could've and should've done better. At least there's next week.' The fifth round takes place next Saturday at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Circuit Length: unknown Crowd: 41, 872 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'09.187 (Ricky Carmichael , 01/01/2006) Last Years Winner: James Stewart 2010 AMA-SX San Francisco, CA 31/01/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 18'12.229 2 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'03.885 3 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'06.328 4 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'08.563 5 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'22.443 6 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'24.594 7 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'25.899 8 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 0'33.298 9 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 0'35.101 10 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 0'44.732 11 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'55.550 12 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA -1Laps 13 Jason Thomas Suzuki USA -1Laps 14 Cyrille Coulon Kawasaki FRA -1Laps 15 Fabien Izoird Kawasaki FRA -1Laps  
Rider Standings 30/01/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 90 2. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 79 3. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 77 4. Andrew Short Honda USA 68 5. Kevin Windham Honda USA 61 6. David D Millsaps Honda USA 57 7. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 57 8. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 56 9. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 10. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 42 11. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 38 12. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 29 13. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 28 14. Jason Thomas Suzuki USA 22 15. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 19 23. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 4 28. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1  
Manufacturer Standings 30/01/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 90 2. Yamaha 89 3. Kawasaki 77 4. Honda 74 5. KTM 3
Alex Asigno
Choosing Motorbike Insurance
Motorcycle insurance is compulsory on all public roads because without it the biker will be liable for bodily injury and property damage. Although it’s possible to get cheap motorbike insurance by simply getting Third Party Motorcycle coverage, there are many more options to choose from for better coverage. Types Of Motorcycle Insurance Comprehensive motorcycle insurance, this costs more but offers the most coverage. In the event of an accident, it not only covers both the motorcyclist and their motorcycle but it also covers other people injured by the collision and any damage to their property. Third Party Fire and Theft Motorcycle Insurance is for both fire and theft coverage. In the event of an accident, it also covers you for personal injury, as well as other people who may be injured and their property. However, it does not cover your motorcycle. Third Party Motorcycle Insurance offers basic coverage, excluding fire and theft. Motorbike Insurance Quotes It’s always a great idea to get insurance before you ride your motorbike. Although a motorcycle dealer may offer you a quote, usually these policies are not as good as those you can get from finding an insurance agency on your own because dealerships rarely work with the best insurance companies. In shopping for the best motorcycle insurance, begin by asking your current car and home insurance agent if they also offer motorcycle insurance. Besides asking your current insurer, you can look for motorcycle insurance online, a motorcycle magazine, or the phone book. Incidentally, if you have a Yamaha, do an online search for “Yamaha motorbike insurance” for some great price quotes. Top 5 Questions to Ask an Insurance Provider When seeking an insurance provider, what are some pertinent questions to ask? Here is a quick list of the top five questions you may want to ask your provider to get the best coverage at the lowest premiums. 1. What is the difference between the various types of insurance policies? Your goal is to get a very clear understanding on what is covered and what is not covered under each type of insurance. If you have an older bike, possibly a vintage model, check into the benefits of classic motorcycle insurance. 2. If I get comprehensive insurance, is it enough, or can I get something that is more thorough, covering all possibilities? 3. How do I make claims? 4. What happens to my premiums if I have an accident and need to make a claim? 5. Can I get a package deal by combining my motorcycle insurance with my other insurances and how much will my discount be?
Alex Asigno
Essentials of Motorcycle Breakdown Cover
When your motorcycle breaks down, especially if you are in a remote location, you are not alone if you have excellent motorcycle breakdown cover. First, and perhaps most important, is roadside rescue. Waiting out in the elements after a breakdown, especially in unfamiliar territory, is very unpleasant, to say the least. Most policies for motorcycle breakdown guarantee only a 40 minute wait for a rescue, and most bikes can be fixed roadside. Most classic motorcycle breakdown coverage plans will send a mechanic to you, if you are only a mile or less from home, and fix your bike on the spot. If that cannot be managed, then your bike will be taken to the nearest garage. Motorcycle breakdown cover on a bike that cannot be fixed roadside will ensure that you are not stranded, and that you, your bike, and passengers are taken to a local garage service to repair your bike. The best motorcycle breakdown cover will take you and your party on to your destination or back home, or else put you all up in a hotel. The best motorcycle breakdown cover will insure other drivers on your bike, not just you. This gives you peace of mind when someone else rides your bike. If you yourself drive many different bikes, perhaps it is a good idea to cover yourself as well. If you become injured in a motorcycle accident, some breakdown covers for motorcycles in the UK will even pay to have a driver return your bike to your home. If you are stranded, motorbike breakdown cover can also contribute a fair amount to pay for vehicle hire until your bike is repaired. Key cover can even replace your house keys in the event that they are lost or stolen.
 
European Breakdown Cover
For European breakdown cover you can add to your home policy a special single trip cover, with roadside assistance, return home guarantee, and English speaking operators to help you with any breakdown you may experience while on the continent, and your cover begins on the day of the trip, from home, to the ferry across and back home again. You could also buy European coverage that will cover multiple trips to Europe. European cover is available for both car and motorbike breakdown, and most are available 24 hours every day, and can deliver replacement parts, trip continuation, replacement vehicle, and even bed and breakfast expenses. If necessary, the return of your entire party to home in the UK can be covered. Be aware that some policies do not cover a motorcycle of more than a certain size engine. If you have a bike with a larger engine, you would do well to search around for a policy that has no limitation or upper limit on engine size.
Alex Asigno
Choosing the Right Motorbike Finance
Whether you are trying to purchase your first bike, add to your current collection, or purchase a bike for the best graduation present for your son or daughter, actually getting the bike involves choosing the right motorbike finance options for you and your budget. Bikes can be a bit pricey, so getting motorbike loans that will help you purchase the bike without breaking the bank and causing you to end up filing bankruptcy is very important. You want a guaranteed motorbike finance that you will understand and that will not cause you several penalties. The first thing you want to do is evaluate your credit rating and figure out what exactly you are scoring these days. You should be fairly aware of your credit score, but with so many influencing factors, your score is always subject to change without your notice. Having an excellent credit score will assist in landing 0% finance deals on motorbikes that will save you hundreds while giving you smaller monthly payment. If you have not so good credit and you still want to buy a motorbike on finance, there are various bad credit loans out there for you, but try improving your credit a bit first. Make sure that when searching for finance deals on motorbikes, you are not afraid to ask a lot of questions. There are no stupid questions other than the ones not asked so ask what you want to know. Chances are if you don’t ask, the lenders will not tell you so ask as many questions needed to give you the best understanding of what you are in for. Several questions would include: • How will this loan affect my credit score and rating? • Will the interest change during my loan term? • Will there be a pay in full request before the end of the term? • What will be the monthly payment? Asking these questions should not be a nuisance on the lender and if they begin to act frustrated, you may want to find another lender, after all they are just giving you the information you need to know about getting the finance for a motorbike. Loans for motorbikes are dependent on, yes, motorbikes. This means you need to make sure you are shopping for the right bike. Getting a brand new bike will obviously call for a higher loan, but this can be done through your credit union or bank very easily if you have good standing. There are many online lenders that specialize in used motorbike finance and will assist in getting the right used motorbike loans. When shopping for loans, remember not to murder your credit score with too many inquiries.
Alex Asigno
Josh Hill at A2 LandM San Manuel Yamaha pair, Josh Hill and James Stewart, gave the new YZ450F a double podium appearance respectively at Angel Stadium, Anaheim in Los Angeles for the third round of seventeen in the AMA Supercross/FIM World SX Championship. On the second visit of three to the venue in California, Hill took his second rostrum result in as many weeks with the runner-up position behind Ryan Dungey. Reigning champion Stewart nursed a sore right hand - a consequence of his Heat race fall last week in Phoenix - to take third place and rise to fifth in the standings. After continuous rainfall during the week on the west coast there were fears that the latest instalment of the Anaheim trilogy would be a muddy one. However some decent track prep and effective use of covers provided a reasonably tacky surface for the riders. Yamaha LandM riders Stewart's hand seemed to bother him in practice but he was able to make the most of a bright start to lead the first quarter of the Main Event. Team-mate Hill was not far away and powered into the lead by lap seven. Dungey was the quickest rider on the track and battled with Hill entering the final five laps. The youngster was denied his second career SX triumph but his runner-up slot, some three seconds ahead of Stewart, means that he is now second in the series. Stewart is still chasing his 38th AMA Supercross victory after his initial success at Anaheim several weeks ago. The 24 year old is currently 22 points adrift of Dungey, and left the arena promptly after finishing the Main Event. 'I don't know if I wasn't breathing in the beginning or what but that pace was ridiculous and I couldn't do it for 20 laps,' remarked Hill, who lies 15 points behind Dungey. 'By the time Dungey passed me, I had nothing left. I'm pretty bummed because with James hurt, I know I have a limited time to get up there and start winning. Hopefully next week.' Paulin in LA Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's Gautier Paulin negotiated his third and final AMA Supercross West Coast Lites outing and was able to leave LA with 6th place; his highest finish to-date on the YZ250F as the best Yamaha rider that evening. The Frenchman, who had been schooled by AMA winner and fellow countryman David Vuillemin in the US, will now return to Europe to fully prepare for his FIM Motocross World Championship MX2-GP title assault. 'I had a big crash in the whoops and David had been telling me to not be so timid in them, so it felt good in my last supercross this year to put in my best finish in the Main,' he said. 'I think I could have done better but it was my best by far. Hopefully, if I can come back next year, it won't be so new to me then.' British rookie Max Anstie was right behind Paulin with 7th place; the best Indoor classification so far for the teenager. Round four takes place next Saturday at the ATandT Park in San Francisco.
Crowd: NA Weather: Humid
Lap Record: 0'44.601 (Ricky Carmichael , 01/01/2006) Last Years Winner: James Stewart 2010 AMA-SX Anaheim, CA 24/01/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 19'47.620 2 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'03.139 3 James Stewart Yamaha USA 0'06.109 4 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'10.812 5 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'15.871 6 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'16.861 7 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0'18.240 8 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'34.697 9 Michael Byrne Kawasaki AUS 0'36.971 10 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'40.461 11 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 0'43.942 12 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 0'49.176 13 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 0'50.618 14 Jason Thomas Suzuki USA 0'53.532 15 Chris Blose Honda USA 1'01.518 16 Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 1'03.896  
Rider Standings 23/01/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 72 2. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 57 3. Andrew Short Honda USA 52 4. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 52 5. Kevin Windham Honda USA 51 6. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 7. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 43 8. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 41 9. David D Millsaps Honda USA 37 10. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 30 11. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 25 12. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 19 13. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 19 14. Michael Byrne Kawasaki AUS 18 15. Austin Stroupe Suzuki USA 18 22. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 4 25. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1  
Manufacturer Standings 23/01/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 72 2. Yamaha 67 3. Honda 54 4. Kawasaki 52
Alex Asigno
Riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland completed their final day of testing today at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. The two British riders have worked hard over the three days, experiencing a variety of weather conditions from dry to wet to intermediate as they and the team worked through various electronic and bike set ups ahead of the 2010 season. The final session saw Cal fall victim to the drastically reduced grip of the track following yesterday’s rain. Fifty minutes from the end he lost the front of the bike on the slippery surface on the last corner before the home straight. In typical form he was back on his spare bike shortly afterwards for the remainder of the session. Team-mate James was consistently fast all day, ending the last test day just outside the top five in sixth position. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (4th, 1’42.9) “it was frustrating to fall today, the track so was so slippery it was unavoidable, but it cost me some time on the track. Having said that we’ve had a really good test, we’ve worked through a lot of things and I think we’ve got closer to a good set-up for the first race. I’m really keen to get to Australia and start the next test before we kick-off racing.” James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (6th, 1’43.1) “I’m really pleased overall. We’ve worked through a lot of stuff over the last three days and I feel I’ve got a lot more understanding of the bike. The team has worked really well and I’m pleased we’ve managed to keep consistent fast pace over the test. I think there’s more to come so I’m looking forward to getting started again!” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “Unfortunately the grip level was much less than Friday, so until the soft tyres went on the lap times were not as fast as when we started the test. All the riders struggled to find good grip, so the problem was with the track, not the riders. Cal lost some time after his fall, he switched bikes but had no experience on the tyre on the second bike so couldn’t push so hard. James rode really well today, he is always consistent and was definitely fast enough for the conditions out there. Overall we go to Australia feeling confident and with a good spirit. We’ve had a really successful test, we’ve got some great feedback and have made a good start to 2010.”
Alex Asigno
Day two of the first World Superbike test of 2010 saw wet sessions for Yamaha riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland, with dry track only appearing towards the end of the day. Both riders took it easy and enjoyed the opportunity to familiarize themselves with how their bikes worked in the wet for the first time. The second day saw more extensive testing of the electronic settings and also an opportunity to test the wet and intermediate Pirellis tyres for the season ahead. Cal was again one of the quickest riders of the day, finishing in the top five, whilst James took a more relaxed approach, not pushing too hard in the wet weather. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (4th, 1’50.1) “It wasn’t so bad today, it dried up in the end. It was a bit of a last minute thing to get a good time in. In the end we only had two laps on intermediate tyres. We got through some more electronics today but we still have some work to do on chassis and other electronics tomorrow.” James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (15th, 1’55.4) “It was one of those situations today, we had the last ten minutes getting to grips with intermediate tyres, I was getting up to speed as the last session ended. It’s a bit of a risk to get a good time in the wet on those tyres. It’s looking good for tomorrow though so we’re looking forward to some more dry time. Having said that it’s been good to get out on rain tyres and ride in the damp to experience how the bike behaved.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “Today was our first fully wet practice, the second practice started wet and slowly dried out. We worked a lot on the electronics adjustments with both riders. Last year we didn’t have so many wet practices so it has been very helpful today to gather data and information. We’ve had a full day to get a good wet strategy together, so we’re happy and looking forward to some more sunshine tomorrow.”
Alex Asigno
New for 2010 Yamaha World Superbike riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland took their first rides of the year today at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. Day one of the three day test saw the riders re-familiarize themselves with their YZF-R1’s and start working on their set-ups for the year. The riders focus for the first day was continuing the development of their preferred settings. Crutchlow was on typically fast form, ending the day in second on the timesheet, less than two tenths of a second from the fastest rider. Team-mate James Toseland was also on form, ending the first ride of the year in fifth just half a second off the front. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (2nd, 1’42.9) “It wasn’t so bad for the first day. We’re still trying to get comfortable on the bike as we progress but we’re getting there. I’m working away at it and I think the times were good enough. To still be working out our settings and have good times near the top of the board is very satisfying.” James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (5th, 1’43.3) “I think I ended up in fifth at the end of the day but only about half a second separates me from first. I’m pretty pleased, we’ve been trying a lot out on the bike and it’s been a really productive day. We’ve tested a lot of things and eliminated a few. I’m hoping the weather holds for out tomorrow but rain is forecast. Having said that, I’ve not ridden this bike in the rain yet so I’m happy for it to rain tomorrow and then be dry on Sunday so we’re testing in all conditions.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “We did a great job today, everything was on schedule as it should have been. The team and riders worked really hard, we tested some tyres and as always also we have some other things in development. Cal was working hard on the positioning for his bike and James continues to get more confidence with bike as he gets used to his change from MotoGP.”
Alex Asigno
Josh Hill An LandM San Manuel Yamaha rider finished on the podium of the second round of the 2010 AMA Supercross/FIM World Championship at Chase Field in Phoenix but it was Josh Hill gaining his first silverware for the team instead of defending champion and Anaheim 1 winner James Stewart. Hill gave the 2010 YZ450F its second rostrum appearance in as many weeks last Saturday when he rode to a steady 3rd place in Arizona behind the two Ryans; Dungey and Villopoto. After setting the fastest time in the first practice session Stewart suffered a heavy fall in the qualification Heat and left trackside in some pain. He was able to participate and win the Last Chance race but in discomfort. In the Main Event the Floridian was tussling for a slot just inside the top ten when he tangled with arch-rival Chad Reed causing him to be lapped and drop down the order to 15th. Reed retired for his second DNF and apparently is now on the sidelines with a broken hand. Stewart catching up Stewart was able to obtain 6 points for his efforts in reaching the chequered flag but has slipped from 1st to 7th after 2 of 17 meetings in the 2010 schedule. Hill meanwhile survived his own scare prior to his run to 3rd position: "I had a big crash in practice," he said. "I almost got into a head-on collision with [Fabien] Izoird, but I came out of that and didn't get hurt. I just got good starts, which is something I don't usually do, so it was awesome. I was just able to keep a good track position." The 20 year old celebrated his fifth podium in the supercross class and finished just ahead of Ivan Tedesco, who was 4th, with Justin Brayton taking another top-ten finish with 8th place. Broc Tickle was 5th on the YZ250F in the West Coast Lites series and Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's Gautier Paulin finished the second Main Event of his career in 12th after a mediocre start. Round three will take place next weekend back in the Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Los Angeles. Circuit Length: unknown Crowd: NA Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 0'51.216 (Ricky Carmichael, 01/01/2005) Last Years Winner: James Stewart 2010 AMA-SX Phoenix, AZ 17/01/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 18'09.406 2 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0'06.053 3 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'13.094 4 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'17.388 5 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'22.908 6 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'25.322 7 Austin Stroupe Suzuki USA 0'28.008 8 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'30.858 9 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'43.755 10 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 0'53.034 11 Manuel Gomes Rivas Kawasaki ESP -1Laps 12 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA -1Laps 13 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA -1Laps 14 Jason Thomas Honda USA -1Laps 15 James Stewart Yamaha USA -1Laps 18 Grant Langston Yamaha RSA -3Laps  
Rider Standings 16/01/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 47 2. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 38 3. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 35 4. Kevin Windham Honda USA 35 5. Andrew Short Honda USA 34 6. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 32 7. James Stewart Yamaha USA 31 8. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 26 9. David D Millsaps Honda USA 24 10. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 21 11. Austin Stroupe Suzuki USA 17 12. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 17 13. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 14 14. Manuel Gomes Rivas Kawasaki ESP 10 15. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 9 24. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 4 25. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1  
Manufacturer Standings 16/01/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 47 2. Yamaha 45 3. Kawasaki 38 4. Honda 36
Alex Asigno
Fretigne in the dunes Portugal’s Helder Rodrigues has completed the 9000km, 14 stage loop through Argentina and Chile that formed the 2010 Dakar rally in a fine fourth place on the WR450F. The 30 year old was one position ahead of France’s David Fretigne who added to his Dakar stage win tally by earning victory on the second day. The WR accumulated 10 top three results in total through the endurance and skill of both riders in the 32nd edition of the historic and challenging event. Rodrigues was hunting for a podium place in the latter half of the two-week rally and traversed a variety of terrain and conditions in what was the second year of the spectacle being based in South America. The Enduro expert finished in the top three in four stages and dropped out of the first ten only once across the entire fourteen. Helder Rodrigues “I am really happy because I proved I have the speed and consistency to run at the front of the Dakar,” he said. “I am in good shape and arrived to the finish without any injuries or physical problems and I am really motivated to do well again here. I am one of the youngest riders among the leaders and after this result I feel that I win the Dakar; this will be a dream and I hope I can achieve it soon.” Although Rodrigues could not topple Cyril Despres, who had led from the third stage, to give Yamaha their tenth Dakar triumph he was nevertheless the highest runner for the brand, just over half an hour in front of Fretigne. The Frenchman, a former winner of seven Dakar stages prior to the 2010 trek and also a victor in the old 450cc classification, had a bittersweet run through the continent. Celebration in stage two and a further four more runner-up positions were ultimately undone by an electrical problem on stage three that cost the Dakar veteran the better part of two hours. “I did not achieve my goal of third place but to finish fifth despite losing one hour and forty-five minutes with a problem in the dunes, well, I could not hope for better,” reflected ‘Fretos’, who had charged from 20th place in the standings after his misfortune. “I won a stage and was pretty consistent throughout. I showed that I can be considered a candidate for victory.” Fretigne and Pain 2010 was the first year in which all motorcycles were operating near a level ‘playing field’ with a technical limit of 450cc; larger capacity machines faced air restrictions. Only 450cc bikes will be permitted in 2011. “Next year we will all be on 450s so I am already impatient for 2011 when we will all be on equal machines; the competition has been revived,” added Fretigne. Fellow Frenchman Olivier Pain was 9th overall, placing three Yamahas in the final top ten. Yamaha dominated the quad category thanks to the skills of Argentinean brothers Marco and Alejandro Patronelli respectively with their YFM700Rs. Marco, runner-up in 2009, clinched the title with a commanding lead of over two hours. Along with his older brother the South American’s ruled six stages. Yamaha filled five positions in the top six with Spain’s Juan Manuel Gonzalez in third, Poland’s Rafal Sonik in fifth and Argentina Sebastien Halpern in sixth. In total Yamaha grabbed ten stage wins from a possible fourteen. “In my dreams I could not have imagined this; two brothers finishing first and second at the Dakar! I think it is a bit of history for the rally,” said the winner. “This was a really hard Dakar and the toughest part was the climb through the north of Chile and Antofagasta, navigation was tricky and it seemed to never-end. I want to thank my team and my family who always supported me.”
Alex Asigno
Yamaha Motor Racing Srl is pleased to announce the appointment of Wilco Zeelenberg as Team Manager for Jorge Lorenzo in the Fiat Yamaha Team. Dutchman Zeelenberg joins the team from Yamaha's World Supersport Team, where he won the World Championship in 2009 with Cal Crutchlow. Zeelenberg previously had a successful career as a rider, contesting 100 Grands Prix from 1986 to 1995, racing with three different manufacturers including Yamaha. From 1995 to 2000 he then raced in the World Super Sport championship. On retirement from racing he joined Yamaha Motor Europe as Technical Coordinator and Test Rider until 2008, when he took over the role of Team Manager for the Yamaha World Super Sport Team. Zeelenberg lives in Holland and is married with two children. Lin Jarvis, Managing Director for Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, added, "I would like to congratulate Wilco on his appointment and wish him every success in his new challenge. I am confident that the Team and Jorge will benefit from Wilco's long experience as a rider, a Yamaha racing technician and more recently as a successful Team Manager. We look forward to integrating him into the Fiat Yamaha Team working alongside Davide Brivio, both Team Managers being under the supervision of Team Director Masahiko Nakajima." "After nine years working for Yamaha I am very proud to be joining the official Yamaha MotoGP team," said Zeelenberg. "It's a big reward and I am very excited about this new challenge. Jorge is a fantastic rider and I cannot wait to start working with him and the crew. The team is already a well-oiled machine and I am thrilled to be fitting into it. It's clear that there are four main contenders for the title and Jorge is one of those four. I am a very competitive person, I will do everything I can in the team to create the right atmosphere and fight for the championship title."
Alex Asigno
Stewart wins 2010 Rnd1 The opening round of the 2010 AMA Supercross/FIM SX World Championship at the Angel Stadium, Anaheim in Los Angeles was won in fine style by defending champion L and M San Manuel's James Stewart. The Floridian gave the new Yamaha YZ450F its first victory in a major series. The 51st supercross race in Anaheim and the first of three visits in the 2010 schedule saw a tense beginning to the current campaign that runs almost every week across the US and into Canada until the beginning of May. Stewart was dominant in practice and took first pick in the gate for Saturday's main event that was attended by more than 43,000 people. James Stewart The 24 year old started in second place and hunted the rear wheel of rookie Ryan Dungey for 17 of the 20 laps before making his play for the lead in the closing stages. He crossed the line for his seventh win in Los Angeles by nearly four seconds from Dungey with Kevin Windham over thirty seconds adrift in third. Stewart's arch-rival, Chad Reed, retired on the second lap after a collision left him with broken wheel spokes. "The first few laps, I was trying to settle in and see where everything was, checking out the bike and everything was cool, but I messed up a rhythm section and then he [Dungey] got a pretty good gap," Stewart recalled. "I looked up and it was like lap 13, so I had to put in another charge. I felt like I had a lot left in the tank and I was able to catch him, pass him, and then he ended up trying to pass me back, but I was able to hold him off until the end of the last lap and win the race." "I feel like my endurance is really good, and that's what I really work for hard every week. I felt way better at lap 17 than I did at the beginning." "It's going to be a long season," he added. "Unfortunately, Chad DNF-ed tonight, so there were a lot of crazy things going on but I'm happy to be out of here with a win and the points lead." Josh Hill Stewart's success could start another Anaheim 'clean sweep' for Yamaha as the champion claimed two events last year and Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant was another victor. Grant on this occasion did not start the Main Event after feeling the ill-effects of a practice crash on Tuesday before the meeting. Other YZ450Fs were present in the top half of the leader-board with Stewart's new team-mate Josh Hill running to 6th place and being followed by Ivan Tedesco in 7th and Paris Bercy SX winner Justin Brayton in 8th. Paulin in AMA-SX debut Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team's Gautier Paulin made his AMA SX debut at Anaheim in the West Coast Lites class. The Frenchman, supported for the event by Yamaha Star Racing, made the first of three scheduled appearances as part of his winter build-up to the FIM MX2-GP Motocross World Championship and finished in 15th, the victim of two falls, the first coming through contact with another rider while holding 4th spot. "I felt good," he said. "It was my first time. But Trey Canard hit me and knocked me down, and then I fell again later. My speed was good, but I need to be more consistent next week." Broc Tickle was the highest YZ250F runner with 6th position. Round two of seventeen takes place at Chase Field in Phoenix next Saturday.
Crowd: 43,841 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 0'44.601 (Ricky Carmichael , 01/01/2006) Last Years Winner: James Stewart 2010 AMA-SX Anaheim, CA 10/01/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Stewart Yamaha USA 18'59.724 2 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'03.423 3 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'37.074 4 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'41.282 5 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0'44.902 6 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'49.151 7 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'50.266 8 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'57.308 9 David D Millsaps Honda USA 1'00.003 10 Grant Langston Yamaha RSA -1Laps 11 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA -1Laps 12 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA -1Laps 13 Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA -1Laps 14 Fabien Izoird Kawasaki FRA -1Laps 15 Justin Keeney Kawasaki USA -2Laps 17 Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA -16Laps 20 Josh Grant Yamaha USA -20Laps  
Rider Standings 09/01/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. James Stewart Yamaha USA 25 2. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 22 3. Kevin Windham Honda USA 20 4. Andrew Short Honda USA 18 5. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 16 6. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 15 7. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 14 8. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 13 9. David D Millsaps Honda USA 12 10. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 11 11. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 10 12. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 9 13. Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA 8 14. Fabien Izoird Kawasaki FRA 7 15. Justin Keeney Kawasaki USA 6 17. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 4 20. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1  
Manufacturer Standings 09/01/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 25 2. Suzuki 22 3. Honda 20 4. Kawasaki 16  
Alex Asigno
Rodrigues The 2010 Dakar Rally has reached the half way point and Yamaha can count on some consistent and decent performances from the likes of Helder Rodrigues and David Fretigne on WR450Fs who currently hold lofty positions in the motorcycle class. The toughest Rally in the world is once more occurring on a different continent – South America for the second year in succession – but the 9000km, 14-stage route on a loop through Argentina and Chile, beginning and ending in the Argentina capital, offers a diverse and challenge topography worthy of the title ‘Dakar’. The 32nd edition of Dakar is the first with a new regulation of cylinder size in the motorcycle division with the limit pegged at 450cc (bigger machines must be air restricted); allowing the potency of the WR450F to come into its own on a ‘level playing field’. With almost 6000km negotiated, Rodrigues is currently second in the overall standings after 2009 winner Marc Coma was handed a six hour penalty on Friday. The Portuguese, who has only dropped out of the top ten in two stages, has notched best positions of 2nd and 3rd on Stages 2 and 6 respectively up until the mid-rally break of one day. Rodrigues attempted his first Dakar in 2006 and won the 450 class in 2007. He now faces a margin of more than one hour to leader Cyril Despres who has been leading since Stage 3. The 30 year old Yamaha representative heads David Fretigne in 6th place overall. The French Yamaha stalwart is unlucky not to be higher in the classification after earning his eighth triumph on the second day. Fretigne tackled 626km through technical terrain and made the most of some familiar turf to surge ahead. “It was difficult to see at the beginning because of the weather but visibility became better later in the stage and thanks to the tracks being similar to those in which I have trained on in France I was able to increase my rhythm,” he said. Fretigne Sadly the next day Fretigne clocked in with 42nd place after an electrical problem cost him valuable time. “I remain motivated even if my position is not so favourable,” he commented at the time after being bumped outside the top twenty of the overall ranking “but this is the Dakar; you can laugh one day and be crying the next.” Since then Fretigne has been fighting his way back up the table, with 3rd position on Stage5 and 2nd spot through Stage 7 keeping him with a chance of a podium honour. After Stage 7 Spaniard Jose Manuel Pellicer is 8th on another WR while 29th year old Frenchman Oliver Pain is 10th and the fourth Yamaha inside the leading group. Patronelli In the Quad category Yamaha-powered machinery is racing clear with the first five positions of the group of fourteen participants by Stage 7. Marcos Patronelli has a mammoth lead of almost two and a half hours over older brother Alejandro; the Argentines have taken four stages between them. In third is Spaniard Juan Manuel Gonzalez ahead of Rafal Sonik from Poland in fourth. After working their way north and the highest point of the route in Chile, the competitors of the ’10 Dakar will now begin the path down the coast and through the Atacama Desert and dunes until swerving back across the border into Argentina on Wednesday. The Rally finishes with Stage 14 and the entry into Buenos Aires on Saturday 16th.
Alex Asigno
R1 Basic Engine Kit The perfect chance to hone your edge on the racetrack with Yamaha Racing Parts for the YZF-R6 and YZF-R1 is drawing nearer with the second ordering deadline for receiving these indispensible YEC kit sets to close on January 15th. Forged through the efforts of world champions Ben Spies and Cal Crutchlow with their respective title winning teams in World Superbike and World Supersport, the high-performance engine and chassis components as well as the specialist tools are now in demand and any remaining orders must be received by the end of next week for delivery by late April. The total YEC line up consists of over 120 parts for the latest generation R1 and over 110 parts for the current R6 such as race camshafts, ECU units and wire harnesses, gears, valve springs and generators. Also available in 2010 are optimum selected sets of uniform weight production pistons and connecting rods and well balanced production crank shaft sets. As in previous years, the range includes a selection of race parts for former model year R1 and R6 machines too. R6 Piston set Yamaha's YEC Racing Parts are sold through the official Yamaha dealer network and are for closed-circuit use only. For further information on specifications and availability teams and riders must contact local Yamaha dealers or national distributors without delay to ensure priority on these essential tools for racing ambition and success. The third and final ordering deadline is May 15th for delivery in August.
Alex Asigno
Stewart This weekend the sensational show that is the AMA Supercross/FIM Supercross World Championship gets underway at its spiritual home of the Angel Stadium, Anaheim in Los Angeles for its 37th edition. The first visit of three to the venue in the 17-race 2010 schedule will see defending champion James Stewart of the L and M Team wield the new Yamaha YZ450F into its maiden major international campaign. Stewart will be backed by new team-mate and Yamaha mainstay Josh Hill while also being supported by brand-mates Josh Grant and Bercy SX winner Justin Brayton as members of the Joe Gibbs Racing squad. Yamaha clinched the AMA/FIM title in 2008 and 2009 and with Stewart’s undoubted status as the fastest rider of the Indoor discipline they will be aiming for a hat-trick come the final round in May in Las Vegas. The Floridian missed the podium only twice from seventeen occasions in 2009 and collected 11 wins setting a new record in Blue colours. The story of last season was the current-24 year old’s duel with Chad Reed, and the arch-rivals are set to clash again on Saturday as the series then heads from West to East coasts with a visit to Toronto, Canada also part of the calendar. With a total of 36, Stewart is presently third in the all-time winner’s list, needing two more victories than Reed for further promotion and has to accumulate thirteen triumphs to hit the number one spot ahead of Ricky Carmichael. Yamaha has a long standing association with Supercross as Pierre Karsmakers won the inaugural championship on a DT250 in 1974, Jeremy McGrath ruled the class for three years in succession from ‘98 to ’00 and Doug Henry famously took the YZ400F to four podiums in 1998 introducing the wave of four-stroke technology that dominates the sport today. A pacy track awaits the riders in Los Angeles and the priority for Stewart surely has to be to improve on his 2009 result in which he tangled with another rider and crashed out of the Main Event. Josh Grant was the surprise victor twelve months ago and the 23 year old followed up his achievement with some decent speed and a rack of top-five finishes. The opening round of the championship will also witness the first competitive outing for Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s new rider Gautier Paulin. The French teenager – who finished 3rd in the 2009 FIM Motocross MX2-GP world championship – plans to contest the initial three meetings of the West Coast Lites series for further experience in the sport.
Alex Asigno
The all British line up of Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland wrapped up a successful final day of testing in Valencia this afternoon. Both Crutchlow and Toseland had spent the two day test at the Ricardo Tormo circuit working through electronic and chassis settings on their R1 superbikes ahead of the 2010 season next year. Day two saw big improvements from both riders as the times came down, covering some 60 laps each, despite neither of them getting the opportunity to take advantage of the faster tyres towards the end of the day. They will now head home for Christmas before joining up with their new team again in Portugal in January for the first test of 2010 at the Portimao circuit in the Algarve. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1’34.0) “Today was even better than the first day, we worked through a lot more settings in the sessions. I’m disappointed with my final time though as I think I could have been fastest at the end of the day but I didn’t get a chance to use the fastest tyre. I’m happy enough with my overall pace and consistency. We’ve still more to do so I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike in January and keeping up the development.” James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1’34.3) “A really encouraging test for me, again I’m happy being on a track I know so I can concentrate on the bike set up. I feel we’ve come on quite a bit with the bike over the last two days. I didn’t utilize the quick tyre to its full potential as I got held up which is a shame as I was quite confident of getting into the 33s. I ended up on 34.3, which was a good pace. I’m getting used to the way of riding the bike and getting confident with the team as well. I think if we had a race tomorrow we’d be in with a shout!” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “For the second test for both riders and last test of the season I’m very satisfied. We’ve made some good improvements to the feel of the electronics and suspension, with some very useful feedback from the riders. We’ll take a break now and come back to it in January in Portimao and I think we will achieve even more.”
Alex Asigno
Sterilgarda Yamaha world Superbike riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland settled in for their second test with their new 2010 team today at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. The British pairing spent the day working through various electronic settings on the bike, including the anti wheelie control and the traction control to find a smoother feeling on the throttle of the championship winning R1. Crutchlow also spent some time working with the team to perfect his positioning on the R1, a larger bike than his championship winning R6. James Toseland James Toseland, Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike Team (1’34.8) “It’s nice being on a track I know so I could really concentrate on the bike, unlike Portimao in the last test where I was learning the circuit as well. I think we’ve been really competitive today, the times I’ve been doing have been really comfortable, so a sign for me that the bike and team is working well. We’ve been mainly working on the electronic side of things today. It’s such a new bike, there were a lot of things the team wanted to try out during the 2009 season but didn’t have time to do, so the team are taking the opportunity to try some new things with a new rider to see if there’s an improvement.” Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike Team (1’35.0) “We worked through some stuff today, mostly positioning on the bike, it felt a bit different from Portugal so it’s been harder to get comfy today. I didn’t use any good tyres in today’s sessions so I think I got some decent times which I’m pleased with, the times were consistent 35’s over the day. We’ve got some more stuff to try tomorrow and we’ll keep working hard methodically through everything.” Massimo Meregalli, Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “I think the first day of the test went well, we got some good information from both riders. On Cal’s side we tried to fit him better on the bike as he’s very small. So we’ve made some changes to suit him. We’ve also bought along some new parts which we will continue to test. James is getting more confident with the bike and performing well so we’re looking forward to continuing tomorrow.”
Alex Asigno
YART in action The Yamaha Austria Racing Team took yet another race win last weekend at the 8h of Doha, Qatar for the final round of the 2009 FIM World Endurance Championship. The impressive ride to victory by YART riders Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Gwen Giabbani, who led the entire race from the first lap, gave Yamaha enough points to claim the 2009 FIM World Endurance Manufacturer title. The Team had already sealed the championship title at the previous round in September but kept the pressure on for the final race to take a clean sweep for Yamaha to add to their already impressive list of world championship title wins this year. “We had some problems at the Bol d’Or round and Suzuki passed us in the manufacturer’s championship standings,” said YART Team Manager Mandy Kainz. “So we came here to Qatar to win. The race was perfect, there were no mistakes and it was a good weekend for us, as it was usually over the year! We also wanted to finish on the podium on Sunday, it was the best way to finish the year.”
Alex Asigno
Ohlins and YZ450F The Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team will be able to count on the technical expertise of renowned Swedish suspension specialists Ohlins for the 2010 FIM MX1 and MX2-GP World Championship after an alliance between the two parties was recently confirmed after successful initial tests. The new YZ450FM of David Philippaerts and 2010 revised YZ250F of fresh recruit Gautier Paulin will embrace the technology of the firm established in 1976. Testing will continue extensively with a view towards achieving optimum set-up for the beginning of the pre-season campaign in February and then the first Grand Prix of fifteen in Bulgaria on April 4th. For the Rinaldi Group a union with Ohlins will signify a return to earlier glory days in which Michele Rinaldi – then as Team Manager – grasped the first world titles for the squad and Yamaha in the early 1990s (1994, 125cc with Bob Moore, and 1992, 250cc with Donny Schmit). Ohlin and Rinaldi “I have pleasant memories of working with Ohlins and of course their reputation in the motorcycle sport world is very highly regarded,” commented Team Principal and Owner Michele Rinaldi. “We have two new motorcycles with the latest generation of the YZ450F and the 2010 YZ250F and we are confident that the support and knowledge of Ohlins will help us achieve our goals both on and off the track.” “This new co-operation is very exciting for us. We have a completely new damping system ready for the team along with our high level of technical service and support - we believe that a forceful combination has been created,” said Ohlins Racing Manager Mats Larsson. “The factory team has a fantastic racing history and we look forward to similar success in the future. We are also very much looking forward to being part of the competitive development for the new YZ450F and YZ250F.” Created by Kenth Ohlin in the mid-1970s, Ohlins won their first world championship in motocross in 1978; it would be the first of 200 titles gained across many disciplines of motorsport. Today the firm has three hubs, in Stockholm, Sweden, North Carolina and in Germany and employees more than 230 people. They have more than 30 employees dedicated to high-end racing support and service.
Alex Asigno
A year of hard work finally came to an end for the Fiat Yamaha Team today with the last day of testing in Valencia. Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi finished the day first and third, signing off for the winter in strong form. Both riders continued to work on the new evolution YZR-M1, as well as doing some laps on their 2009 bikes in order to compare the new updates. Lorenzo set his best lap towards the end of the day's work and was 0.256 seconds faster than Casey Stoner, with Rossi 0.333 seconds behind the Australian. Having swept the board of trophies this season, the team will now enjoy a hard-earned break before reconvening at Sepang, Malaysia in early February for the next test. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1st Time: 1'31.939 Laps: 62 "I am happy that we are so competitive here with this new version of the bike. I was able to do some very fast laps and it feels good to be the fastest on the last day of the season. There is a long time now until the next text and it is good for me mentally to know that I was fast today. We have worked on some electronics and the suspension, and we have compared the new chassis to the old one and taken a lot of important information for our engineers. I am so happy about my season, I've won three races, taken many podiums and finished second in the championship. I think this is a great achievement by us and now I would like to wish everyone a good holiday to recover so we all come back in February at the maximum ready to work again!" Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rd Time: 1'32.528 Laps: 55 "I am happy about what we have so far with the new evolution of the bike, because it's already faster and already feels better than the old one. The throttle is easier to open and I think that Yamaha has done a good job so far. We were quite fast today and I'm happy about the work we have done over these two days. I think that we have given our engineers plenty to work on over the winter and I am looking forward to the next updates in February. It's good to finally finish work and now we have some months to relax and recharge the batteries ahead of next year, which for sure is going to be a big, big fight!" Test Times 1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'31.939 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'32.195 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'32.528 4. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'32.942 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'32.981 6. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 1'33.025 7. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'33.111 8. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Racing 1'33.125 9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'33.211 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'33.326 11. Alex Espagaro (SPA) Pramac Racing 1'33.345 12. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda 1'33.456 13. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'34.206 14. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'34.230 15. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'34.540 16. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Scot Racing Team 1'35.261 Comunitat Valenciana: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'32.582 Comunitat Valenciana: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1'31.002
Alex Asigno
One day after sealing the Triple Crown of titles for 2009, the Fiat Yamaha Team was back at work in Valencia today looking towards the next season. World Champion Valentino Rossi and runner-up Jorge Lorenzo tested this afternoon and will continue tomorrow before finally getting the chance to take some time off. Lorenzo finished the day second fastest behind Casey Stoner and Rossi was just behind him in third. Both riders had a new evolution of the 2010 prototype YZR-M1 to try alongside a 2009 bike, a step on from the first version they tried in August in Brno. They both reported back positively to the Yamaha engineers and were able to set some good times on the prototype bikes. Lorenzo's best time was just 0.025 seconds off Stoner, with Rossi 0.141 seconds behind his team-mate. Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: 1'32.685 Laps: 45 "I was really excited to try this new version of the M1 today and I had a lot of motivation to get back to work. The feeling out of the corner is much better and we have more grip already in the rear so it's a big improvement for me. We still need to work on accelleration but I like what we have so far and I think we will continue to be competitive like this year. We have to wait and see the comparison between the old and new bike at a different track next year, but I am excited. I'm quite tired because this is already our fourth day riding here, but I am happy to have one more day of testing." Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 3rd Time: 1'32.826 Laps: 37 "It was quite hard work to get back on the bike today but it's a very important test for us. The new prototype we have already feels better than what we tried in Brno, so this is positive. I was faster than with the old bike straight away so we know we're working in the right way and hopefully we can improve some more tomorrow. Of course we still have a 2009 specification engine and we won't have an update until the next test in February, but the bike already feels more stable and has more rear grip. Tomorrow we have quite a lot to get through and it will be an important day before we can finally relax." Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team begin 2010 preparations Less than 24 hours after the conclusion to a successful 2009 MotoGP world championship campaign, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team was back in action at the Valencia circuit today to begin preparations for next season. With track action not commencing until 1pm, this morning gave the team chance to welcome new rider Ben Spies, who will partner fellow Texan Colin Edwards in 2010. It was also an opportunity for his mechanics to acquaint themselves with new crew chief Tom Houseworth, who has been a fundamental part of Spies' successful career to date. Spies raced to a brilliant seventh place on his Yamaha debut yesterday and his impressive pace cont inued in sunny but blustery conditions today. For Spies, this afternoon's four-hour session was all about continuing to familiarise himself with Yamaha's YZR-M1 machine. The World Superbike champion opted to work more on refining his own riding style than making alterations to the set-up of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine. The 25-year-old completed 50 laps with a best time of 1.33.496 making it a positive and productive first day with Tech 3. His time was the sixth quickest today and only 0.8s away from fastest rider Casey Stoner and he knocked a massive 0.6s off his best time posted in yesterday's race. Fresh from a brilliant fourth place in yesterday's 30-lap Valencia MotoGP race, which secured fifth overall in the final rankings, Edwards completed a short stint of 35 laps while experimenting with wheelbase and front-end settings on his YZR-M1. Ben Spies - Position: 6th Time: 1'33.496 Laps: 50 “I am really happy to finally make my debut for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. They are a great team and it feels good to finally get to work with them. Today I was obviously on a different bike but with the same setting that I raced on and it felt good. I improved on my qualifying time so it was a positive and productive day. I really just focused on doing a couple of things different with my style and in the last two sessions I tried to do some things very different and it worked. I was slowly able to chip away at the lap times, so it is encouraging that I'm getting faster and more comfortable without even making any changes to the set-up of the bike. We'll make some changes to the bike tomorrow, more for me to see what I can feel, than looking for big improvements.” Colin Edwards - Position: 12th Time: 1'33.929 Laps: 35 “First of all I want to welcome Ben to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team, or should that be Team Texas. He's joined a fantastic squad and we already love him here because his brilliant Yamaha debut in the race helped me get fifth in the world championship. Personally I'm really excited about working with him in 2010 because he's a talented rider, and I'm sure we'll be motivating each other a lot. I didn't too many laps today and all I did was work on the wheelbase and some different front-end geometry. The bike felt good and we definitely learned a couple of things by making the bike longer. I've got a couple of other things to check on the bike tomorrow and then it will off for a hard earned winter break.” Test Times 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'32.660 2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'32.685 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'32.826 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 1'33.088 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'33.358 6. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'33.496 7. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda 1'33.675 8. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Racing 1'33.726 9. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'33.775 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'33.839 11. Alex Espagaro (SPA) Pramac Racing 1'33.878 12. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'33.929 13. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'34.144 14. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'35.229 15. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'35.772 16. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'36.204 17. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Scot Racing Team 1'37.964 Comunitat Valenciana: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'32.582 Comunitat Valenciana: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1'31.002
Alex Asigno
"It gives me the greatest pleasure to announce that, for the second consecutive year, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. has achieved its ultimate goal in MotoGP competition by winning the Triple Crown of rider, team and manufacturer championship titles. "We owe this great achievement today to the spirited support of the many Yamaha fans and our sponsors, and I would like to take this opportunity to extend to all of you my heartfelt appreciation. "We at Yamaha Motor believe that our participation in MotoGP and our challenge to win titles makes it possible to share the excitement and deep satisfaction we call Kando with people all over the world, while also contributing to the marketing of our motorcycles. "In these efforts, I ask for your ongoing support of our company and our teams."
Alex Asigno
Double podium sees Fiat Yamaha seal triple crown in Valencia as Edwards scores fourth and Spies seventh place. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo finished second and third in the season-ending Grand Prix of Valencia this afternoon, the ninth time the pair have shared the podium this season. It ensured that Yamaha won the Triple Crown for the second year running after Rossi took the Riders' title, Fiat Yamaha the Teams' and Yamaha the Constructors'. Today's result also sealed Lorenzo the runner-up spot in the Championship in just his second year in MotoGP. Between them the Italian and the Spaniard have taken ten wins and a further seventeen podiums, Yamaha's most successful year ever in MotoGP. With pole-man Casey Stoner crashing on the warm-up lap the first corner shuffle saw Dani Pedrosa take the lead followed by Toni Elias, Rossi and Lorenzo, who quickly passed Rossi to re-take third. The first few laps were a mini battle between the Yamaha team-mates as Lorenzo fought to hold off Rossi and look for a way past Elias at the same time. He passed his fellow Spaniard in the last sector of lap three and Rossi followed quickly in his footsteps, overtaking Elias on the brakes into turn one on the fourth lap. A huge slide by Lorenzo soon after however left the 22-year-old unbalanced and shaken up and Rossi went through, leaving Lorenzo to take a bit of time to find his rhythm again. The World Champion set off after Pedrosa and for a little while looked like he was gaining but Valencia is a notoriously tricky track to make up ground on and in the end he was content to chase home the Spaniard for second place, his best result at Valencia since 2004. Lorenzo finished just three tenths off Rossi but was delighted to seal second in the championship in front of his home fans. As well as Yamaha sealing the Triple Crown and filling the first two spots in the championship, a brilliant performance from Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards today saw him take fourth and ensure fifth place in the championship, the top non-factory rider. Yamaha wild-card Ben Spies finished a brilliant seventh in his first MotoGP race on the M1 and James Toseland finished 12th in his farewell race for the team. Quote from Lin Jarvis, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing "It gives me a great personal satisfaction for Yamaha and the Fiat Yamaha Team to have achieved "back to back" titles for 2008 and 2009. Our strong performances throughout this year's MotoGP championship are the result of a good cocktail of essential ingredients all being blended together in the right way. The performances of our riders have been incredible. Vale has won his 9th World Championship, making it 4 titles with Yamaha in his 6 seasons with us. Jorge has again surprised and thrilled us all year and made fantastic progress to claim the runner's-up position in only his second MotoGP season. Our engineers have used every single input from our riders' feedback over the past years and throughout this season to develop the YZR-M1 bike into the "bike of reference" in the MotoGP paddock. Our Team staff have worked tirelessly at every test and every Grand Prix to provide the optimum circumstances for our riders to be ready to win. Our corporate staff in Japan and Italy have also provided the essential "base camp" support to provide the back-up for all of the "troops" in the front line. Last but not least, Fiat Auto and our official sponsors and suppliers have also provided the essential support to enable us to go racing in the best possible way. I would like to personally thank everybody for the great team work that has allowed us to achieve all our targets." Valentino Rossi - Position: 2ndTime: +2.630 "I'm really happy about this result because it was fantastic to be able to ride well at Valencia and it's my best finish here since 2004. Of course it would have been better to win but I lost some time at the start battling with Elias and Lorenzo and by that time Pedrosa had gone and at this track it's almost impossible to make up a two second gap. It's not one of our best tracks but after the problems we had all weekend we can be very pleased, we made a great modification in warm-up so thanks to all my guys for this. We've ended the championship on the podium and it's been a great season, another world title and the triple crown for Yamaha, I am very proud. Thank you to Yamaha, all my team, Bridgestone and everyone else, now we will have a little party before we start work on the 2010 bike tomorrow!" Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 3rdTime: +2.913 "I had some good fights at the start and I was feeling quite strong but then I made a big mistake in the slow corner and I was lucky not to crash, so Valentino got by. I was in a bit of pain and I took some time to recover,\ and by then the gap was a bit too big to catch him. Anyway I'm happy to get another podium in Spain and I am so proud to have finished second in the championship; I want to thank everyone, Yamaha, Bridgestone and all my team, because we have worked so hard and this is a great achievement in just our second season. Now I can't wait to start testing the new bike and I look forward to being even stronger next year." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "After two days of struggling with the setting this was a very good race for us. I think the team and the engineers did a very good job to change the bike completely and find a way that worked for Valentino and we're happy to finish second here in Valencia, which has never been one of our best results. Now if we arrive here next year needing a good result, we'll be a bit more confident! It's been a great season, a historic one for Yamaha because we won everything we could and our riders won the most races and the triple crown, it's a season to remember. Now we're looking forward to the next one, which starts tomorrow for us, and we will try to repeat the result!" Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "This was a good end to the championship for us and a good way to celebrate a wonderful season with Jorge and the fantastic job the whole Yamaha team have done this year to win the triple crown. We've shown all season how strong Yamaha is and the job everyone has done has been fantastic. This is my last race with Yamaha so I want to take the chance to thank everyone here, it's been a great eight years and I wish Jorge and all the team all the best for the future." Jubilant Edwards claims fantastic fifth overall Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Colin Edwards produced a stunning final race in Valencia today to clinch a dramatic fifth place in the final 2009 MotoGP world championship standings. Starting from fifth on the grid in front of 94,177 vocal Spanish fans, all eyes were on the Texan and his fight for fifth in the points-standings with Andrea Dovizioso. In sunny but blustery conditions, the Texas Tornado held fifth place until lap seven when he passed Toni Elias to move into fourth. At the time, Dovizioso was back in 11th. Edwards maintained an impressive pace to sit comfortably in fourth position and remain on course for fifth overall. But Dovizoso then produced a dazzling charge through the field to move into seventh position on lap 16. That meant fifth place would go to Dovizioso with no further position changes. But there was one final dramatic twist in arguably Edwards' best ever MotoGP campaign, thanks to new Monster Yamaha Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies. The Texan's brilliant Yamaha debut ended with him passing Dovizioso on lap 25, a move that secured Edwards his hard earned but thoroughly deserved fifth place in the final points tally. British rider James Toseland produced a gallant ride in his final appearance for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team that saw him in contention for a top ten finish throughout the 30-lap encounter. A stunning start and skilled overtaking on the first lap saw him climb into 11th position and he was lock ed in a thrilling dice with Spies, Dovizioso, Mika Kallio, Alex de Angelis and Marco Melandri in the first half of the race. But a small rear tyre issue prevented Toseland from maintaining his fast and consistent pace and he slipped back to finish 12th. Colin Edwards - Position: 4thTime: +32.515 "Things really fell my way today but over the course of the season I feel like I really deserve fifth place in the championship. At best I was thinking I could finish fifth in the race but then I saw Casey wasn't on the grid and immediately I thought 'well, there's some more points up for grabs.' I got a great start and the bike was working awesome but those three out front were untouchable. I don't know how they do it, what they've got or what they eat for breakfast, but I couldn't run their pace. In the middle of the race I couldn't carry the corner speed I wanted to so I tried to smooth myself out and just rode out of my skin. I was doing the best I could but wasn't sure where Dovizioso was. It turns out Ben got by him and that point proved crucial. I gave him a big bug after the race and anything he wants me to buy him, he can have it. I'm glad he adapted so quickly to the Yamaha because him riding so well is what got me that fifth overall and I'm really looking forward to working with him. To finish fifth in the championship is a great feeling when you look at the talent in front of me. I was consistent all season and feel like I rode some of my best races to get this final position. I'm happy for myself and for my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3. We are a really close unit and they always give me 100 per cent, so hopefully they can take a lot of satisfaction out of this result as well. I wish James all the best for the future too and am convinced he can carry on Yamaha's success in World Superbikes." James Toseland - Position: 12thTime: +50.226 "I really enjoyed my last race. I wanted to give my team everything I had and I'm proud to say I did that. I had a good first few laps and took a few risks with not a lot of temperature in the tyres and got myself into a good position. But unfortunately on about lap 15 the rear tyre turned on the rim and I wasn't able to keep the pace and stay in the bunch that were battling for seventh place. I'd like to congratulate Colin for fifth in the championship because he has done a brilliant job. I'd like to thank everybody working with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team for all the effort and support they have given me. I've had an absolutely fantastic time with them and I'll take a lot of interest in how they perform in the future. I've made a lot of friends in MotoGP and at Tech 3 and the team will always hold a special place in my heart. Now I've got to look to the futu re and I do so relishing a new challenge with Yamaha." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "I can't congratulate Colin enough for the amazing job he has done this season. To finish behind those four guys is an incredible feat and one that gives the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team a lot of pride to have been involved in helping achieving fifth position in the championship for him. He has been consistent all year long and hardly ever outside the top six, and I would say this has been his best ever season. I'm so happy he is still with us next year because he brings so much to the team. Not just in terms of his results but his personality has been a great asset to the team, Yamaha and MotoGP. The sport needs more people like Colin and I can't wait for next season when we have the full Texan team. I am really excited about the prospect of working with Ben. What he did this weekend w as amazing. By passing Dovizioso as well he did a great favour to Colin and a great job for our team. I also want pass on my heartfelt thanks to James for all his hard work since he joined us at the end of 2007. We've had some up and downs but he brought a lot to the team. He is a true gentleman and he has been one of the hardest working and highly motivated riders ever to be at Tech 3. He has plenty to proud of in MotoGP. He is staying in the Yamaha family and I would like to wish him all the best in 2010. I'm sure he will keep Yamaha on top in World Superbikes." Spies takes well earned seventh in Valencia GP Ben Spies made a good job of silencing any critics he may have today as he set about putting his mark on the GP field ahead of his racing year in 2010. Starting from ninth on the grid he had a good start to hold his position until Marco Melandri passed him towards the end of the first lap. As he got used to his race tires and settled into his pace he dropped further until lap eight where he held 12th behind Andrea Dovizioso. As lap 11 got under way the American wildcard tucked in and got down to business, taking Melandri for 11th and beginning to chase down Mika Kallio. He caught him on lap 17 to take 10th then swiftly dispatched De Angelis on the next lap for ninth. By lap 19 Spies was turning in a 1'34.1 second lap, quick enough to be running with Colin Edwards in fourth. The speed enabled him to catch Randy De Puniet by lap 21 for eighth and close in on Dovizioso in seventh. With six laps to go, he capitalized on a mistake as the Repsol Honda rider ran wide, passing on the inside to take seventh and hold it to the line, claiming his first top ten MotoGP race finish for Yamaha. Ben Spies Sterilgarda Yamaha Team - Position: 7thTime: +37.706 "It was a good day. We got a good start which something I didn't think was going to happen. For the first six or seven laps I wasn't really on it, I wasn't used to the way the tires come in so I was halfway taking it easy and halfway getting pushed around because I didn't want to do anything silly. Once we got into a rhythm I got to follow some people and it was ok, then I slowly started to pass some people and got my eyes set on the guys in front. Once I got passed Dovizioso I could see Nicky Hayden and Tony Elias up ahead. I knew I wasn't going to catch them but I tried to keep my pace going and was able to keep it steady. It's been a dream first weekend for us, to get seventh on a track I don't particularly favour is pretty cool, the feeling is the same as winning a superbike race. I'm happy we've kept the bike off the ground and made solid progress all weekend which was our number one goal. I just want to thank Yamaha for giving me this opportunity, and all the sponsors that helped put this together for the weekend, especially Sterilgarda, BM Group, Fimer, Parts Europe and everybody else who made it possible to get this thing going, I think we did a good job for them." Massimo Meregalli, Sterilgarda Yamaha Team Manager "Another impressive weekend from Ben. He improved steadily in all the sessions, we knew this morning that he would finish the race higher than he started. I think soon he'll pick up full confidence in the bike and tires and in time will reach his full potential on the track. I'm pretty sure that next week he'll improve some more and get closer to the pace. I know he's a very clever rider and he's going to achieve his goals in MotoGP. I too want to thank all the sponsors who made it possible for us to come and race here this weekend, Sterilgarda, BM Group, Fimer, Parts Europe and everyone else have been brilliant."