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Yamaha Racing News

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Official Yamaha YZF-R6 back on the grid with the Yamaha ParkinGO Team

The 2011 World Supersport Championship will witness the welcome return of the championship winning Yamaha YZF-R6 to the grid with the Yamaha ParkinGO Team. In 2009 the Yamaha YZF-R6 was the track weapon of choice, dominating the World Supersport Championship in the hands of 2011 rookie MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow. The pairing proved unbeatable with Crutchlow using the full potential of the Yamaha Supersport machine to score ten pole position starts and ten podiums, including five race wins, on his way to the title. The Yamaha World Supersport Team was withdrawn by its owner Yamaha Motor Europe from the championship during 2010.
For the 2011 season Yamaha Motor Europe will provide the 2009 championship winning Yamaha R6 race bikes along with Yamaha genuine racing parts to the privately owned ParkinGO Team, for 2011 to be named Yamaha ParkinGO Team. The race bikes will be refreshed and bought up to 2011 level at Yamaha’s racing workshop in Germany before being delivered. Yamaha technical staff will provide behind the scenes support on an ongoing basis throughout the season while the team itself will take responsibility for organization, rider selection and race entry. The Yamaha ParkinGO Team will continue partnerships with some of its own technical partners, although Yamaha Motor Europe will also support negotiations with it’s former technical partners and the team for the season ahead.
The ParkinGO Team entered the last three seasons of the World Supersport Championship with a different manufacturer, performing strongly in 2010 with four podiums by rider Chaz Davies and a victory at Imola snatched away by technical problems. The season end saw a top five finish for the team with Davies fourth in the standings and teammate David Salom just behind in fifth. The 2011 line up sees British rider Davies remain with the team, joined by new Italian teammate Luca Scassa who impressed in 2010 as one of the top privateer World Superbike riders.
Team owner Giuliano Rovelli, Chief Executive Officer of Oasi S.r.l. Servizi Aeroportuali, was a rider himself in the early nineties and is involved in a number of activities including the ParkinGO Company, the first network of airport parking facilities in Italy.
"This is a great opportunity for officially supported R6 machinery to return to the World Supersport Championship,” said Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “The R6 is a winning machine which, after taking the World Supersport Championship in 2009, has continued in 2010 with many national titles alongside the European Superstock 600 Championship title, despite not competing at world level. It is our belief and our vision that in today’s circumstances supporting a private team with the materials needed to compete is the appropriate involvement in World Supersport for a manufacturer. I have known Giuliano for a few years now; in the past we could not find the possibility to do something together. The respect for each other has continued however and when the opportunity became available we were able to come to an agreement within a very short time. It is definitely a challenge to start at this late stage with the preparations, but the team and riders are professional and they will have full access to our information database for setup to progress quickly into the season. We consider the test in Portimao this week mainly as a shakedown for both bike and riders.”
“We managed to reach a mutually satisfying agreement with Yamaha Motor Europe in just ten days time,” said Giuliano Rovelli, Yamaha ParkinGO Team owner. “Having the opportunity to work with a manufacturer that has racing in its philosophy makes a big difference. I shared this important decision with the whole team. Chaz Davies and Luca Scassa are professional riders and are looking forward to having the chance to win the World Supersport Championship with a very competitive Yamaha R6!”
Alex Asigno

Lorenzo keeps podium record intact while Rossi seals remarkable fourth place

Jorge Lorenzo The German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring today provided a thrilling afternoon's racing, with Jorge Lorenzo finishing second and his resurgent Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi rounding off a remarkable return from injury to finish fourth by a mere whisker. A red flag after nine laps meant the race was restarted, with Dani Pedrosa eventually taking the win after a 21-lap 'second' race. Starting from pole for the fourth race in a row, Lorenzo lost ground to Pedrosa at the start but retook the lead on the first lap and led the way by a couple of tenths for the first nine laps. Rossi meanwhile, back racing just six weeks after breaking his leg, had dropped two places on his grid position to seventh. On the second lap he passed Hector Barbera and then loomed up behind Marco Simoncelli, passing his fellow Italian to take fifth on lap four. The World Champion had more than a second's gap to Andrea Dovizioso but he quickly started to close down on him and was in range on the ninth lap, passing him on the tenth. By then however an incident involving three riders had caused the race to be red-flagged and, with positions then taken from the end of the ninth lap, that left the top five in almost their original grid order of Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Stoner, Dovizioso and Rossi. Thirteen riders restarted the race and it was the same story all over again, with Pedrosa passing Lorenzo into turn one but the championship-leader getting back through before the end of the first lap. The next few laps saw the two Spanish riders in some superb wheel-to-wheel action as Lorenzo tried and failed to shake Pedrosa off, the pair maintaining a nail-biting distance of about a tenth for several laps. After three wins in a row however Lorenzo finally succumbed today and on lap nine he was unable to hold his compatriot off any longer, sensibly deciding to bring his M1 home in second place for 20 points. The 23-year-old has now finished in first or second place at every one of the eight rounds this season. The restart saw Rossi again lose some ground but he passed Hayden second time around to retake fifth and set off in pursuit of the leaders. On the sixth lap he got by Dovizioso but with a near two-second gap to Stoner it looked unlikely that the Italian would make much headway on the Australian. Rossi is always one to amaze however and he was soon lapping at the same pace as the leaders to bring himself within striking distance of Stoner with a third of the race remaining. The final six laps saw some superb action between the two rivals, with Rossi looking as if he had never been away and several brilliant overtaking manoeuvres from both riders. On the penultimate lap Rossi took the lead in what looked like a decisive move but on the final corner Stoner somehow found a way back through and the nine-time Champion was forced to settle for fourth, albeit probably the most impressive fourth position of his career. Lorenzo's championship lead now stands at 47 points from Pedrosa, whilst Rossi moves up one place to sixth. The paddock now heads directly to Laguna Seca in California for the US Grand Prix in one weeks time.
 
 
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2ndTime: +3.355 "It's always difficult when a race is split like this and I think I didn't ride quite as well in the second race as I felt I had been doing in the first. Dani was very, very strong and I was on the limit trying to stay ahead. When he passed me I tried briefly to stay with him but he was much faster than me today and I was going to have to take a lot of risks to stay with him; the safest thing for me to do was finish second and take 20 points for the championship. I am happy because I never really liked this track and now I've been second here two years in a row. Now we go to Laguna and I am very excited about racing there again."
Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi - Position: 4thTime: +5.623 "I didn't expect this! I thought it was maybe possible to make fourth or fifth place but I thought it would be very difficult. In the end I was fourth but I had a great battle with Casey and I was so close to the podium, so this is a fantastic result after missing four races. I need some more kilometres to really recover the feeling and feel completely okay with the bike again, but I think I did a great job and this was a very good comeback, better than we could wish for. I felt a bit of pain in my shoulder but more in the leg when changing direction, but at the end the battle with Casey was such fun that I didn't think about it. Unfortunately though he just got the better of me on the last corner! Thanks to all my team for helping me come back and be competitive like this, we will try to do even better in Laguna." Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "I said before this weekend that we can't win them all and today Jorge rode another very sensible race to finish second and bring home 20 valuable points for the championship. It's a pity about the restart because the final third of the race is generally Jorge's strongest and with the shortened race he didn't have that bonus, but he rode a great race nonetheless and tried his best to stay with Pedrosa, who was a bit faster than us today. This hasn't been one of his best tracks in the past and he had some problems the first day so this is a good result for us all." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "In the end this race was something completely unexpected; one week ago we didn't know if we'd be able to ride here at all and then day by day our targets changed. We would have been happy whatever with a top five today but finally we were really competitive and so close to the podium. It's unbelievable and even more so because we were lapping at the same pace as the leaders. We've never been so excited by a battle for third position! It was very positive; Valentino worked so hard to be here and he made it in style, so now we will continue our plan in Laguna next weekend." Spies storms to battling eighth in Sachsenring Ben Spies continued his fantastic charge towards the top five in the MotoGP world championship standings this afternoon after a richly deserved eighth place in a restarted German MotoGP race. Facing a difficult challenge after starting in a lowly 13th position following an incident-packed qualifying session, Spies was in hot pursuit of a top eight finish when the scheduled 30-lap race was red flagged on lap ten after a three-rider incident. The race was restarted over 21-laps and Spies lost contact with the group in front of him when Mika Kallio crashed at the first corner. The 26-year-old sat in tenth position for the open ing seven laps before he managed to expertly guide his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine by Marco Melandri on lap nine having already disposed of Hector Barbera. At that stage Spies was over five seconds behind compatriot Nicky Hayden, but the reigning World Superbike champion was able to embark on a stunning charge in front of 98,477 fans. His lap times were only bettered by the leading quartet at one stage and Spies was able to lap over a second faster than the group contending fifth spot in front of him. By the end he'd closed to within two seconds of Hayden and Spies was delighted with his pace, confident had he not started so far down the field that he would been able to seriously threaten for a place in the top five. A difficult weekend for Colin Edwards ended in disappointing fashion. Despite numerous changes to the set-up of his Monster Yamaha YZR-M1 machine throughout the weekend, Edwards was unable to discover a setting that allowed him to push at the fast pace he is capable of. And his hopes of maintaining his proud record of scoring points in every race were ended when he crashed out of 16th position shortly before the race was red flagged. Spies and Edwards now turn their attention to the all-important American MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. It is the eagerly anticipated home race for the Texan duo and both are determined to deliver strong results for an expectant and partisan crowd. Ben Spies - Colin Edwards Ben Spies - Position: 8thTime: +20.957 "Eighth place does not reflect what happened on track today and it was quite clear that I could have been much higher. I had the misfortune in qualifying yesterday that was nobody's fault, but starting that far back h urt me today. It wasn't easy to pass Melandri because his bike accelerates really well but once I got by and could run my own race, I was really happy with how I performed. Dovizioso, Simoncelli and Nicky were five seconds clear at that point but I got to just over a second away from them. I was pretty much the fifth fastest guy on the track and I definitely had a fifth place result in me today, but I just had bad luck with the qualifying crash. But I leave with a top eight result and I'm not that far away from fourth in the championship now. Now I'm really looking forward to going home and racing at Laguna Seca. I love the circuit and I will have a lot of support and I genuinely believe I can run in the top five." Colin Edwards - Position: DNF "I got pushed around a bit at the start and lost a bit of time and I was just pushing because what I would lose on acceleration I wo uld try and catch it all up on the brakes. It was my mistake. I ran into the last corner wide and was probably a metre off line and when I tried to pull it back I lost the front. This wasn't the result I wanted going into my home race next week at Laguna Seca but I'm more motivated than ever to get back on track and recover from a pretty difficult period in the season for me. I love Laguna and the atmosphere created by the fans and rest assured I'll be aiming to get myself much closer to the front where I know I belong in front of my home crowd." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "Ben was once again very impressive this weekend and he showed that he is an expert at learning new tracks. Unfortunately his race was dictated by his qualifying position and being so far down through no fault of his own was difficult. It was a pity because we saw that he had the pace to run in t he group battling for fifth. He was catching them a lot and as always he was very fast at the end of the race. He finished the weekend on a high note and he is really fired up for Laguna Seca next week now. It was a shame that Colin crashed in the first part of the race and unfortunately he has not been able to reach the level of performance we know he can this weekend. He's never given up and worked really hard with his crew but thankfully he wasn't hurt in the crash and I know he is incredibly motivated to perform better at Laguna Seca. The whole Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is looking forward to Laguna Seca because the support for Ben and Colin will be incredible." Circuit Length: 3671 Temp: 21 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'23.082 (Daniel Pedrosa, 01/01/2007) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'21.067 (Casey Stoner, 13/07/2008) Last Years Winner: Valentino Rossi 2010 MotoGP Germany - Sachsenring 18/07/2010 Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 28'50.476 2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'03.355 3 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 0'05.257 4 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'05.635 5 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'17.158 6 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 0'17.757 7 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'17.935 8 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 0'20.957 9 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 0'22.000 10 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'35.217 11 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0'45.042 12 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 0'45.204  
Rider Standings 18/07/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 185 2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 138 3. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 102 4. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 83 5. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 78 6. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 74 7. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 69 8. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 67 9. Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 49 10. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 45 11. Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 41 12. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 39 13. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 30 14. Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 28 15. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 25 20. Wataru Yoshikawa Yamaha JPN 1  
Manufacturer Standings 18/07/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 190 2. Honda 162 3. Ducati 113 4. Suzuki 42
Alex Asigno

Yamaha World Superbike Team unveil 2011 livery

The 2011 Yamaha World Superbike Team has unveiled the livery they will run for the upcoming World Superbike season. The new design features a Yamaha blue corporate racing colour scheme. The livery takes its inspiration from both the famous Yamaha speed block design and also one of the colours of the current production model YZF-R1, giving the bike a modern sleek appearance whilst emphasizing Yamaha’s racing image. The team features an all new rider line up for the 2011 championship with 28yr old Italian rider Marco Melandri, a previous 250cc World Champion, stepping across from MotoGP to partner 24yr old rider Eugene Laverty from Northern Ireland who steps up from the World Supersport Championship. The new livery will feature prominently on the leathers of both riders. The team continues its winter testing schedule on the 21st and 22nd February at the Phillip Island circuit in advance of the opening round of the championship in Australia on 27th February.
Extensive photography of the new Yamaha World Superbike Team livery including detailed technical images of the 2011 YZF-R1 Superbike are now available for download at www.yamaha-racing.com/wsb/photo
Alex Asigno

Rodrigues leads FIM Rally World Cup after Tunisia event

WR450F rider Helder Rodrigues is fronting the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship after two rounds thanks to his victory last week at the OiLibya Rally of Tunisia. The Portuguese Dakar stage winner finished second at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge during April (the opening event of four in the 2011 schedule) but was able to go one better through the North African dunes – six stages and 1800km of riding - heading Jakub Przygonski and Jacek Czachor on the podium. Fellow Yamaha rider Jordi Viladoms was able to reach the finish line first in the final stage but just missed out on the top three. “I am so happy,” said Rodrigues. “I have been waiting a long time for this moment. I want to thank all my partners and the people who believed in me. If I'm here today it’s mainly thanks to all those people. It is obvious that my season has started very strongly and this is great in our preparation for the 2012 Dakar.” Rodrigues heads the standings by five points from Przygonski at the half way stage with riders award points similar to a motocross grand prix event; the winner taking 25, second place 22 and third 20 and so on. Round three will take place over a week at the end of May on the island of Sardinia with the final meeting occurring in Eygpt for the Pharaoh’s Rally in October.
Alex Asigno

Rossi cleared to ride in Germany

Valentino Rossi has been officially cleared to ride at this weekend's German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring, six week's after his accident in Italy. The Fiat Yamaha rider was examined by the Chief Medical Officer for this event, Dr. Huber Fischer, who found him fit enough to compete this weekend. Rossi will be present at the Official Press Conference at Sachsenring at 1700 CET today.
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Factory Racing unveils 2011 team livery in Malaysia

Yamaha Factory Racing unveiled its new livery today, a day in advance of testing tomorrow at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The team, which starts the season defending its third consecutive triple crown victory, fields a new rider in 2010 Rookie of the Year Ben Spies alongside the defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The 2011 YZR-M1 features a Yamaha corporate blue colour scheme incorporating the iconic Yamaha speed block design. The press conference, held at 1800 local time at the Sepang International circuit, included welcome speeches by Lin Jarvis, new team director Massimo Meregalli, and team manager Wilco Zeelenberg. They were joined by Shigeto Kitagawa, Masahiko Nakajima, Kouichi Tsuji and riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies. Tomorrow's test, running from 22nd to 2 4th February is the second of three pre-season tests, with the third and final at Qatar on the 13th March in advance of the opening round of the 2011 championship the following week. "I'm very happy to be here again preparing to start another season riding with Yamaha," said Jorge Lorenzo. "Winning the World Championship last season was an incredible feeling, but now we start again. I have a great crew and with the hard work of the Japanese engineers over the winter I feel confident we can fight for more success this year." "We worked really hard last year to earn the seat with the Yamaha Factory team so it's a great feeling to be here alongside Jorge," commented Ben Spies. "It's obviously a special year for Yamaha with the 50th Anniversary of GP racing celebrations so I'm really stoked to be par t of it. The bike's feeling really good, we've got a few days more of testing now to really shake it down and fine tune the set up and we'll be ready to go. I'm loving the corporate blue colour scheme, I'm a big fan of the design." "I'm proud to be here for the 2011 Yamaha Factory Racing launch and the start of a new era for the team," said Lin Jarvis, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing Srl. "This is an important year for us being our 50th anniversary of involvement in Grand Prix racing and we start the season not only with the reigning MotoGP World Champion but also welcoming Ben Spies, last year's Rookie of the Year to the Factory Team. It's fitting that we will line up for the start of this special year in our corporate colours."
Alex Asigno

Yamaha grace two podiums at 2011 Dakar

After thirteen stages of racing and more than 9000km covering two countries and a sizeable chunk of South America the 33rd Dakar rally has finished with Yamaha present on two of the final podiums. As the teams and riders celebrated the end of another gruelling event Yamaha Racing France Ipone’s Helder Rodrigues was thrilled to take a personal best result of 3rd overall in the motorcycle category while Yamaha machinery filled all three slots on the rostrum of the Quad competition. Portugal’s Rodrigues classified 2nd in the last stage of the two week trek that traversed the Andes and cut through the Atacama Desert. When technical misfortune struck closest rival Francisco Lopez Contardo the WR450F rider was able to improve on his 2010 ranking of 4th overall and open the champagne. Rodrigues claimed victory on Stage 6 and battled against adversity in the forms of a problem with delayed assistance, fuel shortages and navigation difficulty. The 31 year old was consistently quick and claimed top five finishes in seven of the stages. "I had imagined a different Dakar while leaving Buenos Aires two weeks ago,” said Rodrigues who has taken 5th, 5th, 4th and now 3rd in the last four Dakars. “I wanted this place on the podium. While starting the last stage I was somewhat resigned to the fact that I would have try for the top three another time but when I arrived to the special and someone told me ‘Chaleco’ had a problem then I felt excited. He must be disappointed but this can happen at the Dakar. In any case I reached my objective. I will be able to stick something else apart from a ‘4’ on the bike and this means a lot because it represents a real achievement at the Dakar. I want to thank my team and the Team Yamaha Racing France Ipone for their work but also my partners and my fans.” Yamaha saw three other WR450Fs in the top twenty of the class with America’s Jonah Street making it to the Argentine capital in 12th and with the distinction of claiming Stage 9. Rodrigues’ team-mate, Jordi Viladoms, placed 14th and another Spaniard, Jose Pellicer, sealed 19th spot. The third member of the Yamaha Racing France Ipone squad, Olivier Pain, was setting times close to the leaders when he unfortunately crashed in the formative phases of the race and broke his wrist.
The name ‘Patronelli’ was again confirmed as a Quad winner at Dakar with Alejandro (pictured) eclipsing his brother Marcos’ success twelve months ago. The latter had to withdraw early in this year’s rally but Alejandro weathered a tough second half of the contest with an injured hand to bring his YFM700R home with an advantage of one hour over Sebastian Halpern and with Lukasz Laskawiec in third. Yamahas won eleven of thirteen stages with Patronelli, Halpern, Josef Machacek, Tomas Maffei and Laskawiec all reaching the top of the time sheets. Patronelli led nine stages and all the way to the line from the eighth leg. “It was hard, very hard,” said the triumphant Argentine. “If you analysed what happened then it is unbelievable. I had lost some morale and Marcos had fallen so I had to climb back up the slope, rediscover hope and then lost again it when I broke my hand and accelerating became almost impossible. I had to complete 400 kilometres that day and then 7 or 8 more stages. I said right then that ‘if the hand could manage the next 400ks then it must last the next 5000’ and here I am as champion with a hand and half! I am number one at the Dakar! I cannot believe it." From the twenty-eight quads that reached the conclusion of the first stage only twelve where classified upon reaching Argentina’s capital city. Among that group was Camelia Liparoti who diligently guided her YZM700R through the wide range of terrain, dust, rocks, dunes and mountains to achieve her goal of surviving the world’s toughest race. She was one of eight Yamaha pilots in the final collective. “My main memory will be of a hard rally,” she said. “With a lot of stones and not enough dunes! We had a lot of mud in the last few days but I kept a high speed on the last stage because I did not want to lose my ninth place!” “The Dakar has been a very strong and personal experience,” she added. “Now we are here at the finish the Yamaha quad still seems like new and a part of me feels like I could do it again.” Photos courtesy of Michel Maindru/Yamaha Motor France
Alex Asigno

Yamaha victorious at Bol d’Or

Biker’s Days Team Last weekend saw Yamaha’s Biker’s Days Team take a decisive one/two victory in the Superstock class at the 74th Bol d’Or 24HR Endurance Race at Magny Cours in France while the Yamaha Folch Endurance Team climbed the podium in the overall ranking. Finishing sixth overall, the Belgian/Dutch Biker’s Days squad claimed the top Superstock spot with Yamaha YZF-R1 riders Gregory Fastre (BEL), Raymond Schouten (NED) and Marc Fissette (BEL) riding a clever and consistent race through the night to take the chequered flag. Biker’s Days Team Four laps behind was the YZF-R1 of the LTG 57 Team that crossed the line to take second in Superstock with riders Kevin Denis (FRA), Bastien Mackels (BEL) and David Perret (FRA) managing to build a seven lap lead over the third place finishers. “This victory gives us wings for the future” commented Biker’s Days Team boss Christian Jupsin. “This is a wonderful achievement in our first year of World Endurance and I’d like to thank everyone that has supported us and had the confidence in us from the start. With this win under our belt we will do our utmost best to be able to participate in the next and last round in Qatar as well, which was initially not foreseen”. Folch Endurance In the overall ranking the Spanish Folch Endurance scored a sound third position after tough qualifying sessions had put them on a 19th starting position. Spanish riders Jordi Almeida, Pedro Vallcaneras and Jose M. Luis took their well deserved podium after 766 laps on the 4.400 meter long track of Magny Cours. Folch Endurance “After our July victory in the 24 hours of Catalunya, a race not listed for the Endurance World Championship, this third place here is great and very important for us” explains Folch Endurance Team Manager Josep M. Folch. “Our R1 was perfect for a 24hr race! You obviously need a machine that is fast but more importantly it needs to have a smooth power delivery which is easy to control in order to be consistent for over 3.000 kilometres”. With Yamaha France GMT94 Ipone Team notching a fifth position overall there were three R1 teams in the final top six. Next and last round of the 2010 FIM Endurance World Championship will be the 8 Hours of Doha, taking place on Saturday 13th of November in Qatar.
Alex Asigno

Rossi update from Dr. Buzzi

Dr. Roberto Buzzi, head of Trauma at the CTO Careggi (Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico) in Florence, Italy, made the following statement about Valentino Rossi today: "Today Valentino underwent another small operation to close the wound, which is looking good. We closed it with 15 stitches and our overall medical judgement is positive. We used a short general anaesthetic and when he woke up he was in good shape. The healing process of the injury is going well and as expected in Valentino's condition." Rossi crashed on Saturday in practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, breaking his lower right leg.
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts out, Paulin in for Motocross of Nations

DP and GP Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts is unable to contest the 64th Motocross of Nations for Italy at Thunder Valley, Lakewood, Colorado on September 26th after suffering a second-degree strain of the media lateral ligament in his right knee. In another late development less than two weeks before the meeting team-mate Gautier Paulin will represent France in the MX1 category with a works YZ450FM and is currently testing in Italy. Philippaerts had been called up for selection last Saturday at Fermo during his home Grand Prix to turn-out for his country for the sixth time at the biggest event of the season but upon entering a hard rut at speed in the second moto twisted his right leg. Philippaerts was able to complete the race and confirm his third position in the FIM MX1-GP World Championship on the factory YZ450FM but went immediately back to his home north of Milan for a medical opinion. A scan yesterday revealed the damage that will not require an operation but needs the 2008 world champion to rest for a period of twenty days before he can then begin light cycling and running with a view towards improved fitness for the team’s planned off-season testing schedule. “This is the last thing I wanted to happen because the news at Fermo that we could go and race for our country was fantastic for us and all the fans,” he said. “I’m lucky that the injury is not a third-degree tear because that would mean surgery. However I cannot ride nor do anything for nearly three weeks now; if the ligament has any more stress then it might go completely and that would put me out for quite a while,” he added. “I want to thank all the people that supported me at the weekend and through the season and I am sorry I cannot do the Nations for them, the team and all our sponsors. I really hope that Italy can do well.” After a successful second half of the 2010 MX2-GP campaign with victory for the YZ250FM in Holland and four podium results from the final five rounds Gautier Paulin is now ready to try and repeat his 2009 Nations race win on the larger machine. The 20 year old was called into the French line-up after a shoulder injury to Christophe Pourcel and now has only few days to get his YZ450FM dialled-in before flying across the Atlantic for the third time this year. “While I am sorry for Christophe this is exciting news for me and I am proud to represent France as part of a strong team,” said ‘21’ who was one of the most exciting stars of the 2009 edition at Franciacorta. “There is not much time to prepare but we are working hard now to get ready on the bike and be as fast as possible for Thunder Valley.” The Motocross of Nations will see over 30 countries field their three fastest riders in a three moto contest. The historic event has been won by the Americans for the last six editions with France runners-up for the last three.
Alex Asigno

Valentino Rossi Update

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi sent the following message today from his home in Italy. The reigning World-Champion is currently convalescing after breaking his leg at the Italian MotoGP round three week's ago. "Three weeks have passed since the accident and two since I was discharged from hospital, and I am very happy about how my recuperation is progressing. I am feeling a lot better and I'm starting to live a semi-normal life again, although for a completely ‘normal' life I will have to wait until I'm back on my bike! I am walking with crutches and since a few days I've been able to put my foot to the floor. Honestly, I didn't expect to feel this good just a few weeks after the incident, and I mean both physically and in my ‘spirit.' "The rehabilitation is continuing as usual, both sitting in the hyperbaric chamber and with some exercises in the gym. Unfortunately my shoulder is still giving me some pain but I am working on the muscles to reduce the pain a bit. If the rehabilitation proceeds without trouble and if everything continues in this way, then my objective is to return at the Czech Grand Prix in Brno. "I have started to leave the house and my good friends haven't left me on my own for even a minute, although I'm not used to spending so much time in Tavullia! I miss my bike, my team and the paddock a lot and this ‘new' sensation is pushing me to get better as quickly as possible. "I'll speak to you, but more importantly see you, soon. Ciao, Valentino Rossi."
Alex Asigno

Yamaha enters 50th year of Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix

2011 witnesses a landmark of World Championship Grand Prix racing for Yamaha, having successfully competed at the highest level for 50 years. From the very first Grand Prix entry in the French GP of 1961 to today, Yamaha has been an icon at the forefront of Grand Prix racing with countless victories delivered the world over to the delight of the many loyal and dedicated fans. Yamaha will commemorate this incredible achievement over the course of this year with a number of actions. A special 50th Anniversary logo has been created using Yamaha's corporate colours and will be used during the season. The logo will be proudly displayed on the 2011 YZR-M1 fuel tank, on all Yamaha Factory Racing Team uniforms, within the pit garage of riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies and also on the Yamaha Factory Racing trucks. The World GP 50th Anniversary will also be celebrated online with a special dedicated website - 50TH YEAR OF ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX - live from tomorrow, 1st February 2011. The website features an impressive archive tracking the history of Yamaha's involvement with racing along with detailed historical information. Throughout the season the site will be regularly updated with columns and videos along with exclusive messages and interviews of key people involved in the Yamaha story. Several exciting events are also planned to bring some of the glorious racing history to life. A special demonstration run for the public and global media at Motegi in Japan will see iconic machines back on track. The legends on the circuit for this special event will include the 1974 YZR-500 (OW20), Yamaha's first 500cc factory bike and the 1978 YZR-500 (OW35K) which delivered three championships at the hands of Kenny Roberts. This event will also be scheduled for Assen to allow European fans to take part in the celebrations and see Yamaha's racing history come alive. When Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies take their places on the grid to contest the Dutch TT at Assen, their YZR-M1 race bikes will wear a unique Yamaha 50th Anniversary livery design, reflecting Yamaha's legendary GP racing activity.
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team re-signs Philippaerts and Paulin for 2011

DP and GP for 2011 Yamaha Motor Europe is happy to announce that David Philippaerts and Gautier Paulin will again represent the factory Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team for the 2011 FIM MX-GP World Championship. The Italian and Frenchman will extend their current association with the Italian set-up into next year’s campaign. Philippaerts will be aiming to recapture the MX1-GP title he secured in his first season with Yamaha in 2008 while Paulin is slated to attempt the MX2-GP series in which he was primed to be a major protagonist this term until an unfortunate pre-season leg break caused him to miss the first four rounds. Philippaerts gave the new and innovative rear-slating YZ450FM its debut Grand Prix win last month in France and is currently third in the world championship table with four podium appearances from the ten rounds run so far. The 25 year old has also grabbed two pole positions. Paulin has been building up to speed since his return at the Catalan round in mid-May and grabbed his first silverware (and for the team since they last contested the MX2-GP category in 2005) with third position on the YZ250FM last week in Sweden. “2011 will be my fourth year with Yamaha and I am happy to have made a new deal,” said Philippaerts. “We have been working hard this season to get the new bike up to its best level and we have had some very good races and some moments of bad luck on the way. The important thing for me is that I feel at home with the team. They want to win as much as I do and the support is there every week for me to be able to do my best. I think we will have an even better year in 2011.” "The accident at the start of season was a big shame because we had all been working hard to be in the best shape but we are returning now to the level we originally planned for,” commented Paulin. “I am pleased we have reached a deal for 2011 and I know I am in the best place to achieve what I want and reach the same goals that Yamaha and Monster Energy are also pushing for." “We are really happy that David and Gautier will again be among our main title contenders for 2011,” commented Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Manager Laurens KleinKoerkamp. “They are two professional and pleasant individuals and are doing a good job in 2010 with the new machinery and some difficult circumstances in the case of Gautier who was so unlucky with his injury. We will be in the second year of developing the YZ450FM and the YZ250FM and to have riders who are already down the road with this technology is of course an advantage.” “It is clear that signing these two very good riders for another year is important and positive for the team and Yamaha,” said Rinaldi Group Principal Michele Rinaldi. “David will enter another year with what is now still a new bike, and Gautier will be at the form and speed that he is reaching at this moment. I would also like to thank Yamaha Motor Europe and our sponsors, especially Monster Energy, for their excellent support and for allowing our project and team to go on at the highest level.”
Alex Asigno

MX GP: Philippaerts and Paulin win Italian Championship first round?

Philippaerts Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts took a perfect 1-1 set of results at a cold and dark Montevarchi circuit for the first round of four in the Italian MX1 Championship. Completing a decent day of competition for the team Gautier Paulin enjoyed a successful debut on the 2010 YZ250F and in Monster Energy colours by also claiming two victories in the MX2 category. Ken De Dycker meanwhile triumphed at Lommel in Belgium. Philippaerts beat former Yamaha GP rider Davide Guarneri in both motos for an encouraging scorecard in what was just his second outing on the new fuel-injected rear slanting YZ450F. The Italian took to the tight, twisty and hard-pack track in order to gather more data and learn more about the settings of the machine under race conditions. It was a useful day as the wet terrain as slick and bumpy and far from easy. ‘I am happy with today, we had two good results and the races were not so easy,’ the 2008 MX1-GP World Champion said. ‘We worked a little bit on suspension and I am pleased with how everything is going. Even though there were not too many Grand Prix riders here the pace was still pretty good.’ Paulin In MX2 Paulin, who only returned from the USA and his brief outing in the AMA West Coast Lites SX series last week, was unstoppable in an emphatic opening statement for the team. He took the holeshot in both motos and won the first sprint by almost half a lap, going on to celebrate another victory later in the afternoon. ‘Two good starts and a positive way to begin the year with the team,’ he remarked. ‘I am pleased with what we did here and now we head to Valence and will continue to work and get ready for the season ahead.’ In second place behind Paulin was 2009 European Champion and Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi Racing’s Christophe Charlier. The French teenager will enter his first world championship term in 2010 and begin his racing activities this year with 3rd and 2nd positions. Team-mate Harri Kullas was an encouraging 4th overall. Further north in Belgium Ken De Dycker showed his customary precision in Belgian sand by taking the 2010 YZ450F to first place overall at a snowy and icy Lommel. The Belgian took a 3rd and 1st and celebrated his first garland with Yamaha by virtue of his second moto classification. Both Yamaha Monster Energy teams will line-up again this coming weekend, this time just south of Lyon for the Valence International.
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts 5th at MX season opener

DP in Mantova Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team and the Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team kicked off their 2010 schedules at the Starcross International at Mantova last Sunday. After revealing the new black and green liveries and designs to be worn by the YZ450F and YZ250F the Friday prior to the gathering at the venue, the 2010 MX1-GP machine made its debut in front of a reasonable attendance that braved the temperate conditions. David Philippaerts was 5th overall under the Italian sunshine in what was very much a shake-down outing for the team. The 2008 MX1-GP World Champion started well in all three motos (of 20 minutes and 2 laps duration) and his finest finish was a determined push through to the runner-up slot in the first race. The sand was bumpy and rough after heavy rainfall. A small crash in the next outing dropped him to 8th while a steady run to 6th in the last moto of the day – with low sunshine obscuring some of the jumps - assisted in his priority to further refine the set-up of his new machinery. De Dycker at the Starcross Ken De Dycker was the sole representative of the Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX crew with Loic Larrieu still recovering from his shoulder injury and Alessandro Lupino nursing a sore wrist. French 19 year old Larrieu started riding three weeks ago. De Dycker, making his maiden appearance in Monster Energy colours and with Yamaha, again used the motos to flex his muscles after the off-season and learn more about his new mount in race conditions. He finished 9th twice before struggling slightly in the last race that necessitated a visit to the pits. He ended the day 12th overall. The opening round of the Italian Championship takes place next weekend at Montevarchi and will see a virtually full entry of the Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Teams. Larrieu will hold off participation until the International event at Valence in France in two weeks. Gautier Paulin will compete with the 2010 YZ250F for the first time after arriving back from the United States last week. Mantova Starcross International Classification: Moto1 1. Tony Cairoli, ITA 2. David Philippaerts, ITA, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team 3. Marc de Reuver, NED 9. Ken De Dycker, BEL, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team Moto2 1. Tony Cairoli, ITA 2. Clement Desalle, BEL 3. Tanel Leok, EST 8. David Philippaerts, ITA, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team 9. Ken De Dycker, BEL, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team Moto3 1. Tanel Leok, EST 2. Clement Desalle, BEL 3. Tony Cairoli, ITA 6. David Philippaerts, ITA, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team 38. Ken De Dycker, BEL, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team David Philippaerts: “I am pretty happy. Today the first moto was good and we did some work with the bike. My main goal was to get time on the track and running the speed with the others. Many riders crashed and I did not want to make mistakes; the track was difficult. We collected some data, which was important and we are ready for the next step. The season has started earlier this year and I am not 100% but this is fine and I am pleased with the level we have.” Ken De Dycker: “Today was a start. We did some work and development of the bike to get the setting right for me and that was the main reason for coming here. The last moto was not going well and it was a little dangerous with the sun so low. We will continue with what we need to do and I may travel down to race at Montevarchi next week.”
Alex Asigno

Wilco Zeelenberg joins Fiat Yamaha as Lorenzo's Team Manager

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

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