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Highs and lows for Yamaha at Monza

With just four hundredths of a second between them, James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow shot out of the legendary Parabolica curve on the final lap of race one today in second and third respectively to deliver Yamaha Sterilgarda's first double podium of the year. Crutchlow, having qualified second, had initially got off the line in fifth with Toseland two places behind in seventh. They worked their way up as a pair, passing Fabrizio and Corser to take third and fourth by lap three. Toseland then passed his team mate for third on lap four at the end of the high speed start-finish straight, then closed down on Haslam and Biaggi at the front. A brief fight with Haslam with some heart stopping passes saw Toseland take second where he stayed tucked up behind race leader Biaggi. Team mate Crutchlow took second from him briefly on lap 14 having caught up again after a missed chicane dropped him to fourth. Toseland was quick to recover position however and got as far as a look up the inside of Biaggi coming out of Parabolica before settling for second less than three tenths from the front at the chequered flag. Race two was brought short for both riders. Another rider collided with Toseland going into the first chicane on the opening lap, causing a big crash leaving him with light concussion. He was awake following the incident but taken to hospital for a check up to assess if there was further injury. Team mate Crutchlow made a good start and was chasing Biaggi in second place just 0.1 seconds behind the leader. On lap 11 stones from Biaggi's rear wheel were flicked up, peppering Crutchlow's helmet, with one piercing his oil cooler. This caused him to low side going into the first chicane on lap 12. He was uninjured in the fall but unable to continue. After the Monza round Toseland remains in fifth position in the championship on 106 points, now just four points away from Rea in third. Crutchlow remains in tenth position on 65 points, just seven behind Sylvain Guintoli in eighth. James Tosland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (2nd, DNF) " The first race was a good strong race, I just want to congratulate the team, it's their home race and to get two of us on the podium is great. Max Biaggi rode a great race, he had a strong bike here and we expected him to go well, he didn't put a foot wrong. I was hoping on the last lap he was going to make a slight mistake, just enough for me to get alongside but he didn't so fair play to him. We're getting better with each race, moving in the right direction and it's getting frustrating finishing in second and third now!" Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (3rd, DNF) "I felt like I put together a really solid first race, we didn't get the best of starts but made up for it and got stuck in. All credit to Yamaha, they've done a good job to give James and I a competitive package so it was great for us both to deliver them the podiums here for their home round. It was a strong result and we rode well so I was looking forward to the second race. I started really well and didn't take long to get tucked in behind Max, I knew exactly what I was doing and had my strategy sorted to pass him on the last lap. Incredibly some stones flew up off his back wheel, I was so close behind I felt some hit my helmet and unfortunately a big one made a hole in my oil cooler. I made it through another lap, but coming into the first chicane it must have reached my back tyre and I went straight down." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "This has been a really mixed race weekend for us. From Valencia we have been stronger and stronger, it's clear by the podiums the riders have been delivering and the pace of both of them, especially this weekend and in Assen that we have a very competitive, strong bike. The first race was fantastic for us; to take two hard fought podiums at our home round is very special. The second race was incredibly frustrating; to have both riders out for reasons that were completely out of our control is disappointing when we have been the strongest team here. Following James's crash and concussion he was taken to hospital for scans as he complained of a pain in his neck. The first scan revealed no injuries, we are waiting for a second for confirmation. We expect to head to South Africa to fight for more podiums."

Circuit Length: 5777 Temp: 20 Weather: Sunny
Lap Record: 1'42.937 (Cal Crutchlow, 01/01/2010) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'42.121 (Max Biaggi, 09/05/2010) Last Years Winner: Ben Spies
2010 WSB Italy - Monza 09/05/2010 Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 31'07.044 2 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'00.247 3 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'00.297 4 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'00.958 5 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'04.493 6 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'07.343 7 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'07.369 8 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'09.344 9 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'15.338 10 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'16.761 11 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'16.921 12 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 0'22.231 13 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'22.602 14 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0'22.742 15 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'26.266
Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 31'07.122 2 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'04.547 3 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'05.469 4 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'10.267 5 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'15.561 6 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'15.816 7 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'15.861 8 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'20.977 9 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'21.920 10 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 0'21.974 11 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0'27.152 12 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 0'29.315 13 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 0'30.858 14 Roger Lee Hayden Kawasaki USA 0'47.160 15 Broc Parkes Kawasaki AUS 0'48.824
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'43.031  
Rider Standings 09/05/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 181 2. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 178 3. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 110 4. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 110 5. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 106 6. Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 100 7. Troy Corser BMW AUS 92 8. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 72 9. Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 70 10. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 65 11. Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 62 12. Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 58 13. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 47 14. Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 35 15. Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 35  
Manufacturer Standings 09/05/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Aprilia 184 2. Suzuki 181 3. Ducati 149 4. Honda 119 5. Yamaha 113 6. BMW 95 7. Kawasaki 37
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Chisholm makes tops five in Salt Lake City mud

Kyle Chisholm Motoconcepts Yamaha's Kyle Chisholm was the first YZ450F rider across the line at a boggy, slippery and treacherous Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City for the penultimate round of the 2010 AMA Supercross/FIM World Championship. The 22 year old finished 5th in a rain-hit event for a personal best result; leading Michael Byrne and Justin Brayton across the line in 6th and 7th respectively. Floridian Chisholm weathered arguably the most technical terrain the riders have experienced in the sixteen events held so far this year to seal his top five finish by over seven seconds from Australian Byrne. The SX class main event actually had to be shortened due to showers (even snow!) and was run over 15 laps instead of the usual 20 in front of a sodden 38,882 attendance. Josh Hill In the sixth main event to take place in the Utah metropolis, conditions were so tough that new champion and fourth-place finisher Ryan Dungey was actually lapped. Brayton was holding third at one stage but then faded back after his rear brake failed and Chisholm was able to run in the top three before being relegated to fifth. San Manuel Yamaha's Josh Hill had another poor meeting and his 19th spot means that he is virtually resigned to 5th place in the championship after having been in contention for the title thanks to five podiums from the first six events. Despite his misfortune with a rib injury the 20 year old is still Yamaha's highest placed rider in the standings, although Brayton in 6th needs just 4 more points to overtake. "Everything was going good at the beginning of the season," he said. "I got a whole bunch of podiums in a row and I left the western swing of the series tied for the points lead but Indianapolis went horribly. I just didn't ride a good main event there. I was ready to do better in Atlanta, but then I 'endo-ed' in the same rhythm section where Villopoto fell in the main event and broke three ribs. Ever since then I haven't been able to breathe at all after a few laps in the main event. Then, just when my ribs were starting to feel better [before St. Louis], I crashed again and re-broke them. I mean, I can't sleep, much less ride 20 laps in a main event. I'm still fast and every week I feel like I can get on the podium at least, but after a few laps in the main event, I can't breathe." Team-mate and 2009 champion James Stewart has been out of action since round three with a broken scaphoid. The San Manuel rider is allegedly considering some appearances in the AMA Motocross Nationals with a view towards the 2010 Motocross of Nations in Colorado on September 26th. Seattle West Coast Lites event winner Broc Tickle was 6th in Utah, after a bad start, and ends the season with 4th in the championship ranking on the YZ250F. The final round of the Supercross campaign will take place at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas next Saturday. Circuit Length: NA Crowd: 38, 882 Weather: Wet
Last Years Winner: James Stewart 2010 AMA-SX Salt Lake City, UT 02/05/2010 Race 1 - 15 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Kevin Windham Honda USA 14'13.037 2 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'16.271 3 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'56.158 4 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA -1Laps 5 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA -1Laps 6 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS -1Laps 7 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA -1Laps 8 Thomas Hahn Suzuki USA -1Laps 9 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA -1Laps 10 Chris Blose Honda USA -1Laps 11 Kyle Cunningham Yamaha USA -1Laps 12 Kyle Partridge Honda USA -1Laps 13 Troy Adams Honda USA -1Laps 14 Weston Peick Yamaha USA -2Laps 15 Jeff Gibson Kawasaki USA -2Laps 19 Josh Hill Yamaha USA -3Laps Rider Standings 01/05/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 338 2. Kevin Windham Honda USA 273 3. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 266 4. David D Millsaps Honda USA 253 5. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 229 6. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 225 7. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 186 8. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 183 9. Thomas Hahn Suzuki USA 174 10. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 163 11. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 160 12. Andrew Short Honda USA 134 13. Chris Blose Honda USA 112 14. Trey Canard Honda USA 103 15. Jason Thomas Suzuki USA 74 17. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 67 18. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 62 19. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 25. Dan Reardon Yamaha USA 25 26. Weston Peick Yamaha USA 24 28. Kyle Cunningham Yamaha USA 18 37. Kyle Regal Yamaha USA 7 45. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1 Manufacturer Standings 01/05/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 342 2. Honda 337 3. Kawasaki 319 4. Yamaha 305 5. KTM 3
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Lorenzo produces ride of his life to take rousing victory in Jerez

Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo produced one of the rides of his life to take a superb win in Spain today, the grandeur of a full-to-bursting Jerez providing a fitting amphitheatre for his first MotoGP win on home soil. Valentino Rossi finished third, making it a sixteenth double podium for the Fiat Yamaha pair since 2008. Lorenzo got a bad start and had dropped from second to fifth by the second lap, as he struggled to find a rhythm with a full fuel tank. On lap five he was able to pass Casey Stoner and then, five laps on, Nicky Hayden but he looked destined to stay in third as he languished 1.5 seconds adrift of Rossi, who was in turn the same distance from Pedrosa. With a third of the race to go however the Spaniard picked up pace, suddenly the fastest man on track as he stormed up on his team-mate. On lap 22 he despatched the Italian but with only five laps left and a two second gap a victory still looked unlikely. The tenacious youngster was not giving up however in pursuit of a sixth premier-class win and he rapidly gained on his fellow Spaniard to bring himself within striking distance on his penultimate lap. His first attempt to pass resulted in a dramatic moment as they both momentarily looked like running off track and in the end he had to leave it to the last lap to make the definitive move, passing Pedrosa on the brakes at the end of the back straight and crossing the line 0.543 seconds ahead. Lorenzo, who turns 23 on Tuesday, celebrated in hilarious style by leaping into the lake in the middle of the circuit, much to the rapture of the home fans who were already celebrating Spanish wins in the 125cc and Moto2 classes earlier in the day. Rossi was happy to make the podium, having struggled all weekend to overcome his injured shoulder and set-up problems with his M1. The World Champion got a great start from the second row and was second behind Pedrosa for most of the race. He stayed in touch in the early stages but began to drop back as his bike started to slide, eventually giving best to his charging team-mate and settling for the final podium spot and a valuable 16 points, 0.4 seconds behind Pedrosa. The Championship is now led by Lorenzo with 45 points, while Rossi is four points off him in second. The riders now have a three-week break before the French round at Le Mans on 23rd May. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1stTime: 45'17.538 "It has always been one of my dreams to win a MotoGP race in Spain and this was like a movie, everything that could possibly happen did! It was a very hard race because I made such a bad start and then found it very difficult in the first laps - I gave myself a tough job to do. After that I started to feel better and rode like a demon to get to the front. Once I passed Valentino I knew that I couldn't take it easy, I had to try everything to win and it was all I could think about. I had a great fight with Dani and in one moment we nearly crashed so I had to try again, on the very last lap! I know it's better to win races calmly, from the front, but lately that hasn't been the way for us and I have had to fight on every lap. I saw the lake on Thursday and thought it would be funny to jump in and I think the fans liked it, but I didn't really think about how heavy I'd be with wet leathers and for a minute I thought I wasn't going to get out! This has been an amazing day, I can't believe I've achieved this dream of mine, in front of all the Spanish fans at this magical place." Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rdTime: +0.890 "This just wasn't our race this year. We have struggled all weekend, first with my shoulder and then with the bike, and in the race today I couldn't do any more than third. I got a great start and was fast with the new tyre, I tried to go with Dani but then I started to slide a lot and I just had to play it safe. I made no mistakes and I'm happy about my race in the circumstances, these 16 points are very important. At the end I had a front-row seat to the Spanish party and I admit I was sorry not to be involved, Jorge did a great job today and I think it was very exciting for all the fans. I want to say thank you to Dr. Costa and all the staff at the Clinica Mobile, plus everyone back in Italy who has worked on my shoulder to allow me to be able to race this weekend. I will hopefully be back to full strength in Le Mans so I'm looking forward to that." Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "It's fantastic to win this race in this way. The race itself was amazing, especially the last ten laps; a fight on the edge. Before the race started our target was just to be on the podium again and we managed the highest step, so we could not ask for more! Jorge was so fast at the end of the race, really amazing. We have wondered why he seems to get much stronger at the end of races; I think it's a combination of his riding style and confidence, because from a technical point of view there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. Apart from a less than perfect start, he controlled the bike very well during and kept a very good pace. He was able to keep the pace at the beginning and never gave up; he just got better. The target for the season remains the same, to keep aiming for the podium every weekend. We all know there are a lot of great riders out there and they all want to win, so it won't be easy. We have always been confident about our potential and now we are even more so. Well done to Jorge and all the team." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "Considering his recent injury we can see this as a very good result. The shoulder was okay and in fact the setting was the bigger problem, but the team did a great job to improve it as much as they could and we are happy that we made it onto the podium. Valentino got a fantastic start and was fast in the early stages but later on he couldn't keep pace with Lorenzo and Pedrosa so 16 points is good for us today. We have some work to do for Le Mans, when we hope Valentino will be back to full fitness. Well done to Jorge and all his side of the garage, he did a great race today."

Tough Spanish MotoGP race for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team was left to contemplate what might have been after a difficult and disappointing Spanish MotoGP race at the Jerez circuit this afternoon. Colin Edwards fought a determined battle at the rear of a frenetic battle for seventh position in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 122,048 passionate Spanish fans. The Texan eventually had to settle for 12th position after he encountered small rear grip issues in the crucial final stages that left him unable to mount a sustained offensive on the exciting mid-pack dice. It was also a frustrating first Jerez MotoGP experience for 25-year-old Ben Spi es, who had started the race with high expectations after a brilliant performance in practice and qualifying. The reigning World Superbike champion made a blistering start and gained two places on the opening lap to sit menacingly behind former world champion Casey Stoner in sixth position. But just as Spies looked to consolidate his place in the leading group, he encountered a front-end issue that saw him unable to maintain his fast pace. Despite his valiant efforts to continue and score valuable points for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team, Spies opted to retire at the end of lap eight after he'd fallen out of the top ten. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team will be hoping for improved fortunes when the MotoGP world championship resumes in France later this month. The Le Mans clash is the all-important home race for the Monster Yamaha Te ch 3 Team, with high hopes of a strong display in the third round of the 2010 campaign.
Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 12thTime: +38.371 "I think I've had one good race at Jerez in my entire career and today wasn't it. This weekend has been a struggle and I've never been comfortable on the bike to show the pace I know I am capable of. Right from the start I had issues with the rear grip and I couldn't hold any load on the tyre at full lean angle. That also created some problems with the front-end, so I just struggled with the balance of the bike. It's the exact same issue that I had in Qatar even though the set-up I'm running is quite a bit different. I'd just like to be in a race. At the moment I just feel like I'm riding around and suffering. I can only look forward to Le Mans knowing that I go really well at that track and so does the Yamaha." Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: DNF "It's just one of those things that can happen but it's really unfortunate because after coming here and learning the track really quick I thought we had a really good package for the race. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team had worked really hard but I just had some problem with the front-end. I'm not sure what the problem is but I've looked at the data and you can clearly see I had an issue. The bike just wasn't reacting like it should and it is a big shame. I got a really good start and was right behind Casey but pretty much from the first lap I knew I had a problem. I tried to round around the problem but at the end of the day I wasn't going to be scoring any points and I'd have risked crashing if I'd continued. The consolation is that I know we had the speed for a good result and there are a lot of positive points to take from the weekend. We can go to Le Mans confident that I'll be able to show more of my true potential." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "I won't say it's a disaster but it certainly is a big disappointment for us. We had high hopes after we saw how quickly Ben mastered the track and it wasn't unrealistic to hope that he could have been at least in the top five again like in Qatar. He got a good start but after a few laps it was obvious that he couldn't maintain his pace and he was losing ground. He had to pull into the pits and he said he didn't have any feeling with the front. We'll analyse the data and check everything with Bridgestone to see if we can find out exactly what caused the problem. It is a shame for Ben but we have to accept it. Colin was never really comfortable with the bike all weekend. He had an interesting fight but it wasn't the result he wanted, so we'll work hard to understand some of his issues. Hopefully Le Mans will be better because that is a hugely important race for Tech 3 and Monster." Circuit Length: 4423 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'39.818 (Valentino Rossi, 01/01/2009) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'38.189 (Jorge Lorenzo, 30/03/2008) Last Years Winner: Valentino Rossi 2010 MotoGP Spain - Jerez de la Frontera 02/05/2010 Race 1 - 27 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 45'17.538 2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'00.543 3 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'00.890 4 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'09.015 5 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 0'10.034 6 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'23.144 7 Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 0'34.489 8 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'34.687 9 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0'36.160 10 Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 0'36.791 11 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 0'37.155 12 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'38.371 13 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 0'38.371 14 Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 1'02.052 15 Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP -3Laps  
Rider Standings 02/05/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 45 2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 41 3. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 29 4. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 26 5. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 26 6. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 17 7. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 12 8. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 11 9. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 11 10. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 11 11. Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 10 12. Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 9 13. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 8 14. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 7 15. Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 7  
Manufacturer Standings 02/05/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 50 2. Honda 36 3. Ducati 26 4. Suzuki 13
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Successful test for Yamaha Sterilgarda in Misano

The Yamaha Sterilgarda world Superbike Team wrapped up a successful two day test in Misano this afternoon, fresh from James Toseland’s two podiums in Assen. Riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland spent the two days testing further changes to their 2010 R1 race-bikes as they prepare for the next round of the championship at the legendary Monza circuit next week. Toseland spent the first day focussing on the electronics, and ended the day second fastest on unofficial timing (no transponders) with a 1’36.0, only 0.1 behind the fastest time having completed 69 laps. Team mate Crutchlow was working on a general bike set-up, putting in 87 laps on the first day and ending it just behind Toseland, third fastest with an unofficial time of 1’36.3. Day two saw Crutchlow working through a different set up to the previous day, finding advantages with each. He finished the second day of testing in third having put in a 1’35.7 lap on race tyres. Team mate Toseland spent the day working on race pace and durability, using a qualifier towards the end to put in a 1’35.6 and take the second fastest slot of the day yet again. James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda world Superbike Team “We’ve achieved a lot, and ended up second today. Fabrizio did a really good low 35 second lap on a qualifier but I think on race tyres there were definitely consistent 35s to be had for us as well. The fastest race time last year was a 37 so it shows how much everyone has improved, we’re 1.3 seconds under the lap record. Misano is definitely suited to the Ducati, it’s their strongest track I think, however I did ten laps in the low 36s which is great for race pace and the important thing is we’ve moved forward on durability for race pace which is key.” Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team “It’s been quite a progressive two days, we’ve worked through two completely different set ups and found pros and cons to both. I think we’ve found a clear direction to work in which we now need to fine tune. I was pleased with the pace we had, we were consistently in the top three without using a qualifier tyre, so we’re good with race tyres which is important. I have to keep working and hopefully it has put us in a good set for Monza.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda world Superbike Team Manager “We’ve had a really good test here at Misano. We tried some different things in both electronics and bike set up with both riders and in the end we learnt some valuable information and we made improvements. We will use these steps to bring upgrades in both electronics and chassis set up. Misano has been invaluable in finally providing us with some structured testing time to really develop a solid base for the rest of the season. Whilst we have made steps at each round including the new linkage for James in Assen, this has been our first real opportunity to make the next step. We now head forward with a more competitive package for the season and are confident this will benefit us from the next race in Monza”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Double Dutch for Toseland with two podiums at Assen

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider James Toseland made every lap count in Assen today, storming to two podium finishes and claiming hard earned points which move him up the championship table. The first race saw the British rider tear through the pack from his tenth place grid start position, making short work of his competitors with clean decisive overtakes, making up eight places to sit in second by just past mid-race point behind leader Jonathan Rea. An inspired overtake three laps to the end on the penultimate corner saw him temporarily lead the race, however Rea was able to get past at the end of the start straight, securing the win just 1.1 seconds ahead of Toseland. Team-mate Cal Crutchlow had a great start, making it up to sixth on the first corner before a bunched up pack of riders pushed him wide, dropping him to 13th initially. He fought back with a determined push and was the fastest lapping rider mid way through. He finally crossed the line in eighth having made up five positions on the tricky to overtake circuit. Race two and again Toseland charged through the pack, making fifth position by lap seven. He spent several laps following a furious battle in the top four between Haslam, Rea, Corser and Camier before slipping through and fighting his own battle to take third. Positions changed several times in the tightly bunched pack however he held onto third over the line for his second podium of the day. Team mate Crutchlow had a less fortunate race, with a technical issue with the rear suspension forcing an early retirement. Toseland now heads to the next round in Monza having climbed to fifth position in the standings on 86 points, just 17 behind Carlos Checa in fourth. Team-mate Crutchlow remains in tenth position just four points behind Michel Fabrizio in ninth. James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (2nd, 3rd) "We've had another tough weekend, especially Friday and Saturday, but we've pulled through. Once again the team has worked fantastically well, especially this morning, we had a new linkage system on the rear end just to try and sort some issues and it seems to have worked. It's been a long weekend but to come from tenth on the grid and get a second and a third, two podiums is just a great result for me and the team. It's been coming slowly, we've come from far behind in the first two races so it's fantastic to be up there at the front and fighting. There are a lot of Brits out there, and we're all racing at the front and doing a great job, everybody deserves to be in it. I've had great support from my family and friends and want to thank everyone for supporting me in getting back to where I should be." Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (8th, DNF ) "It's been a very frustrating end to the weekend for me, I know I had the pace to achieve really good results and be up there fighting with the front guys in both races. I made a good start in the first but lost a lot of places on the first corner when the pack pushed me wide, but fought back and was one of the fastest riders on the track mid-race. Race two was even more frustrating as I was determined and ready to fight for a podium. Unfortunately the technical issue was out of my control so there was nothing I could do." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "We had a great result today, especially considering how we got it, after a lot of challenges over the last two days. James also put all his heart into his racing today. I'm sorry for Cal, I think he had the ability to have a great two races, especially in the second one. Unfortunately we had a technical issue, we don't know what yet but we will figure it out. We've made big advances with our electronics and also with our chassis which could be seen with James's performance. We are now getting to a point where we have a very competitive bike with a set up that works on different tracks, but obviously we will continue to work for the next level. We head to Misano for testing next week motivated to keep on improving. A big thank you to all the team and the riders who worked so hard this weekend." In the European Superstock 600 Championship MRS Racing rider Jeremy Guarnoni took an impressive second place podium finish, less than two hundredths of a second off the front and earning 20 championship points on his Yamaha R6. He maintains his position as the championship leader, 11 points ahead of his closest rival after three rounds. Circuit Length: 4542 Temp: 20 Crowd: 78000 Weather: Sunny
Lap Record: 2'04.685 (Chris Vermeulen, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'34.944 (Jonathan Rea, 25/04/2010) Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga 2010 WSB The Netherlands - Assen 25/04/2010 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 35'38.483 2 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'01.106 3 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'01.249 4 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0'01.548 5 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'02.738 6 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'02.813 7 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'06.296 8 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'12.022 9 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'12.146 10 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'19.753 11 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'22.204 12 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'22.282 13 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'22.780 14 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'23.364 15 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 0'37.097 Race 2 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 35'43.137 2 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'01.942 3 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'03.928 4 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'04.067 5 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'04.176 6 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0'04.525 7 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'04.682 8 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'07.698 9 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 0'09.903 10 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'11.465 11 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 0'15.489 12 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'23.604 13 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'29.085 14 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 0'35.401 15 Matteo Baiocco Kawasaki ITA 0'44.330 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'36.413 Rider Standings 25/04/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 148 2. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 128 3. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 110 4. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 103 5. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 86 6. Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 85 7. Troy Corser BMW AUS 68 8. Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 55 9. Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 53 10. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 49 11. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 48 12. Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 48 13. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 38 14. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 26 15. Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 25 Manufacturer Standings 25/04/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 148 2. Aprilia 134 3. Ducati 130 4. Honda 111 5. Yamaha 93 6. BMW 69 7. Kawasaki 19
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Crutchlow and Toseland take ninth and tenth on the grid at Assen for raceday

Yamaha Sterilgarda riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland made it through the first Superpole heat this afternoon to secure ninth and tenth place on the third row of the grid for tomorrow's two World Superbike races at the Assen TT circuit. Both riders had spent the previous qualifying sessions working on their set ups for the afternoon's Superpole heats and had headed in to the Superbike shootout with confidence. They both made it through the first heat comfortably on race tyres, then switched to qualifiers midway through the second session. Crutchlow struggled to improve on his time in the second session leaving him just outside the top eight at the end. Team mate Toseland was on form and had nearly completed a hot lap which would have taken him through to the final eight when a violent wheelie three corners from the end at high speed disrupted his time. Cal Cruchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1'36.027) "I struggled with my qualifier tyre in the second Superpole heat, and couldn't make it through to the third. Both James and I are still working on some stability issues which could be seen on track as well. We need to work hard in tomorrow morning's session to see what we can change in the set up to make another step forward. We're all working really hard, and on the positive side the electronics issues we've had in the past are now working very well for us." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (10th, 1'36.061) "Frustrated is the word! It was a real surprise for the bike to do that in a place where I've never had that before, it kicked up and wheelied at over 180mph in fifth gear, it was a bit touch and go there but luckily I was able to save it. The lap was good up to that point, I only had two corners left to go and would have been through to the top eight and the third session. We've had so much work to do to get where we are, the team has done a great job trying to get the bike to work here. Tenth on the grid is not ideal and we're not sure about tyre life, depending on temperature tomorrow we might not be able to use the softer race tyre, everyone is waiting to see how warm it will be. I'm not too worried about race pace, it's all about what happens in those first few laps. The new fast section has effectively deleted a passing place so I'll have to get off the line well and see how we go." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "We still have one practice session left tomorrow morning, for sure we will never give up so we will spend the session working hard to make more improvements ahead of the two races. We will definitely find something to help us. James was very unlucky on his hot lap in the second Superpole session, it was good he managed to save it safely. He's got a good race pace so needs a good start tomorrow and we will see what he can do. Cal has shown this weekend that he also has a competitive pace, especially on worn tyres so we are confident both riders can perform tomorrow."

Circuit Length: 4555 Weather: Sunny
Lap Record: 2'04.685 (Chris Vermeulen, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'34.944 (Jonathan Rea, 25/04/2010) Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga
2010 WSB The Netherlands - Assen 24/04/2010 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'34.944 2 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'35.062 3 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'35.306 4 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'35.330 5 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'35.633 6 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'35.892 7 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'35.909 8 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'36.405 9 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'36.027 10 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'36.061 11 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'36.069 12 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 1'36.094 13 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'36.327 14 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1'36.348 15 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'36.574
Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Nat. QUAL I QUAL II 1 Troy Corser AUS 1'36.489 1'35.621 2 Jakub Smrz CZE 1'36.041 1'35.939 3 Jonathan Rea GBR 1'36.339 1'36.211 4 Carlos Checa ESP 1'36.805 1'36.447 5 Leon Camier GBR 1'37.064 1'36.588 6 Leon Haslam GBR 1'36.618 1'36.891 7 Noriyuki Haga JPN 1'37.462 1'36.644 8 Shane Byrne GBR 1'37.081 1'36.655 9 Cal Crutchlow GBR 1'36.752 1'36.685 10 Michel Fabrizio ITA 1'37.165 1'36.689 11 Lorenzo Lanzi ITA 1'37.344 1'36.774 12 Sylvain Guintoli FRA 1'37.684 1'36.829 13 Max Neukirchner GER 1'37.453 1'36.859 14 Ruben Xaus ESP 1'37.685 1'36.872 15 Luca Scassa ITA 1'37.506 1'36.898 17 James Toseland GBR 1'37.166 1'37.084
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Crutchlow and Toseland get down to business in Assen

Yamaha Sterilgarda riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland spent the first day of the Assen race weekend working hard on setting up their bikes for tomorrow's Superpole heats. Crutchlow got quickly down to fast consistent laps, spending the majority of the first qualifying session in second position. Two crashes resulting from losing the front end disrupted his session although he was unhurt and came away from the heat having demonstrated a consistent fast race pace. Team mate James Toseland spent the session working with his team on two very different bike set ups, exploring both front and rear end feel. They found positive steps in both areas so will work to combine and produce a race package ahead of tomorrow's Superpole session. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (5th, 1'36.752) "It's been a good day speed-wise, I felt quite comfortable keeping the pace I had. We had two stupid crashes, both when I lost the front end. I was using my usual tyre for the first one, I hit a bump and crashed, on the second one I used the new harder front tyre but didn't have any feeling in it, I came into the last chicane maybe 6km slower than usual and just crashed for some unknown reason. Still, as I said I'm happy with the pace so looking forward to tomorrow and seeing if we can improve and achieve something good in the Superpole session." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (10th, 1'37.166) "We've been trying a few things with the geometry to see if we can improve the front feel and the rear feel. Over the last three rounds we've either got the one or the other so we're trying to find a better balance using head angles and offsets. On one bike I had a setting very similar to what we used in Valencia, and the other bike had something completely different, I've been jumping between the two, and towards the end of the session I think we were getting there. My best lap time of the session was on the harder rear tyre which is generally not the quick tyre which is encouraging. I'm pleased with what we've done today, we've got through a lot and we've got some good ideas for tomorrow. There's a lot more time in me and the bike to come." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "For our first day today we saw some good things, for sure tonight the technicians and the riders will continue to work to find ways to improve on the current set up even more. I'm expecting to be in a different position tomorrow afternoon. Cal has really good times through three sectors of the track, he's losing something in the last sector, we know this and so we're studying to understand why so we can fix that. When we do I think he will be really strong. I'm expecting James to take another step forward tomorrow, today he was focussed on comparing two very different bike setups, we found good things in both so we'll work tonight to bring those together."

Circuit Length: 4555 Weather: Sunny
Lap Record: 2'04.685 (Chris Vermeulen, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'37.626 (Ben Spies, 26/04/2009) Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga
2010 WSB The Netherlands - Assen 23/04/2010 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'36.041 2 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'36.339 3 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'36.489 4 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'36.618 5 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'36.752 6 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'36.805 7 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'37.064 8 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'37.081 9 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'37.165 10 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'37.166 11 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'37.344 12 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1'37.434 13 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 1'37.453 14 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'37.462 15 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 1'37.506  
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha head to the iconic Assen TT circuit for round four

Assen circuit The Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team head to Assen this week for round four of the World Superbike Championship. The team prepare for the Dutch round with renewed confidence following rider James Toseland's first podium of the year last week in Valencia and a second Superpole of the season by Cal Crutchlow, signalling both sides of the garage have made significant improvements in making use of the increased performance of the 2010 WSB R1. Toseland's podium in particular was key in moving him several places up the championship table, he arrives in Assen now sixth in the standings and looking to go higher this weekend. Assen is an historic race circuit, although road racing started in the area in 1925, the closed circuit itself was first located there in 1955. It's undergone a number of changes since that day, including a major redesign in 2006, with the exception of the finish line which has never moved. The typical characteristics of the track include fast flat out corners and slow corners. For this year a change to the back section of the track with a fast flowing corner means the circuit is now even faster, with national classes already seeing a two second a lap quicker time over the circuit. "I've always loved racing at Assen," said James Toseland. "I've had some good results and always gone well there. I've won on the Ducati and on the Honda so it would be great to get a win on the Yamaha as well. The bike has come on again from Portugal to Valencia and we knew from the last round what we needed to improve for Assen. We've had to do a lot of work to get competitive but on the positive side there's still room for more and we're not far from the front. We can improve quite a lot more and we're going to be a strong package. On a personal side I always try hard, after the Australia crash where I broke my hand, then my mistake in qualifying in Portugal and missing out on the last Superpole session in Valencia by a thousandth of a second I thought I was going to have one of those seasons. But to go from ninth to third and be up there fighting at the front was a massive boost of confidence for me and the garage so it was good to reward the hard work of the team with a result." "I had a good race in Assen last year in Supersport," said Cal Crutchlow, "but it's going to be difficult this weekend as a couple of other teams have tested there already with the new circuit changes including the new faster section at the back. Hopefully in the first free practice we'll get to grips with it. There are some new changes coming this weekend with the bike so let's hope we've made some progress and see how we get on." Assen technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland's Crew Chief "We managed to make a major breakthrough at Valencia, and are looking for further improvement. We found a good base engine map with a user friendly torque delivery. We also found a traction control setting that uses ignition cut, allowing James to control the spin of the rear tyre. We were on the dyno as early as Monday morning after Valencia to progress further with areas of our electronics. At Assen we will concentrate on tyre life, especially for warmer conditions, as this was an area we suffered in Valencia. Assen has numerous changes of direction, some at very high speeds so we will be also working on making a quick but stable bike. We will be looking to be on the podium both races as we can't afford to lose any more points for the championship!" Assen technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow's Crew Chief "Assen has more grip than Valencia so it should suit our bike better than the last track. Assen has fast sweeping corners which are banked so you have to set up the bike to suit these areas. The rear end needs enough damping support and spring rate to keep it under control in the long fast corners. We will also try a new clutch to improve our starts which is arriving from Japan. We will also try some new electronic adjustments to help with Cal's starts from the line using the launch control system; these include new ignition mappings for Cal's engine management system." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "I think Assen can be a good weekend for us, the characteristics of the track are well suited to our bikes, which is an advantage we have to make the most of. The developments focussed on our electronics areas from the last two races have been steadily progressing forwards which gives me a confidence that we can achieve some good results with both James and Cal. The step forwards with our mapping means we should be able to deliver better corner exits for both riders, and the new clutch we'll be trying this weekend will hopefully mean we can get them off the line quicker to stay at the front in the crucial first corner."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan postponed

Due to the recent volcano eruptions in Iceland and international air traffic from Europe coming to a standstill as a result, the ruling parties in MotoGP have agreed to postpone the Grand Prix of Japan due to be held on April 25th. The proposed date for the Grand Prix of Japan is set on October 3th 2010. The next race for all MotoGP fans on the calendar will be the Grand Prix of Jerez, Spain on May 2nd.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Fiat Yamaha open account with thrilling one-two in Qatar

Valentino Rossi The 2010 MotoGP season got off to a flying start under the floodlights tonight with a gripping Qatar Grand Prix and a perfect opening result for the Fiat Yamaha Team. The indomitable Valentino Rossi took his 104th career victory, his first in the opening round since 2005, whilst Jorge Lorenzo rode a clever race to finish a strong second. The World Champion got a brilliant start from second on the grid and led after the first lap but both Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner were faster on the straight and he was soon relegated to third. On lap five he battled back to pass the Spaniard but Stoner was two seconds in front by then and the Italian looked to be facing a hard task to catch him. On the next lap however Stoner slid out of the race, leaving Rossi in the lead pursued by Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso. His work was far from over however as Dovizioso proved impossible to shake off and mounted a challenge on the straight on lap 16, momentarily getting his nose in front before his more experienced compatriot passed him back on the brakes into turn one. A couple of quick laps from Rossi gave him some breathing space and he was eventually able to pull clear, leaving Dovizioso and Hayden to dice with Lorenzo while he charged over the line to finish 1.022 seconds clear. His win today makes him only the third rider in history to have scored points in 200 Grands Prix. Lorenzo meanwhile had slipped several places at the start, dropping back to sixth before he started to find his rhythm on lap six. The 21-year-old had to contend with some pain in his recovering hand as well as a lap of grip in the rear but he played the waiting game until his fuel load lessened and he was able to push a bit harder. He then put up a gutsy display to gradually reel in the leaders and come within striking distance with two laps to go. A masterful overtaking display on the penultimate lap despatched first Hayden and then Dovizioso and he crossed the line behind his team-mate to the delight of the Yamaha garage. The team now has a short break before heading in high spirits to Yamaha's home race in Japan, with the second round of the MotoGP World Championship coming at Motegi in two week's time. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1stTime: 42'50.099 "I got a fantastic start but I wasn't quite fast enough and was suffering on the straight. I lost some time passing Pedrosa and by then Stoner was quite far from me, I thought then that it was going to be hard to catch him! Then he made a mistake and crashed, which was bad luck for him but crucial for us. After that I expected it would be easier but in fact it was very hard to stay in front of Dovizioso, who was very strong. We had a good battle and then I did three or four laps at the maximum and was able to stay in front, but it wasn't easy! I haven't won at the first race since 2005 and these 25 points at this stage are like gold dust, it's a fantastic result for the team to make a one-two at race one. It's especially good to win here because it doesn't suit our bike, we worked very cleverly throughout the practices and this is the reward, so thanks to all my guys. We definitely have some work to do but this is a good base to start from. I ran out of fuel on the slow down lap, I think I used more than expected early on because I was sliding quite a lot, but it was very funny to come to Parc Ferme riding a scooter!" Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2ndTime: +1.022 "Today I had to disconnect my brain and just ride with my heart, and I am so happy about this second place. My hand was a bit sore but the bigger problem was the rear sliding, and early on with a full fuel tank I found it quite hard. My plan was to take it quietly and not risk too much, but after a while the adrenalin built up and I couldn't do that, I had to ride at the maximum! Once I had less fuel it was easier and I started to get closer, but I was on the limit physically and with the bike, so it was quite risky! I made some good overtakes at the end and this is a fantastic result for our team, with Valentino winning as well. Now we go to Motegi, where I won last year, and I will be in better physical condition by then and ready to be even stronger." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "It's been a very positive weekend for us not only because we won, but because we've worked through our issues very well and been able to confirm that our bike is good. This isn't a good track for us and we know we're suffering a bit in terms of top speed, this is something we need to work on, but to win here shows that we've got a good overall package. Now we will work to lessen the gap to our rivals. It's been a great night for Yamaha; three bikes in the top five and a brilliant start to the season. Now we got to Yamaha's home race in Japan and we're looking forward to maintaining our lead." Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "This is a very good start to the season and Jorge rode a very clever race. He kept his patience when the bike was heavy, realised it wasn't the right time to push and little-by-little he was able to improve his pace and close the gap. With a couple of laps to go he saw his advantage and was able to grab second position. To finish just one second behind Valentino after his interrupted pre-season is very impressive and a great result for our team." Spies lights up 2010 MotoGP opener Ben Spies produced a dazzling performance in Qatar tonight to end a stunning Monster Yamaha Tech 3 debut in fifth position. In an enthralling 22-lap race under the Losail International Circuit floodlights, Spies produced one of the performances of the evening to storm through from 11th on the grid to a career best top five in only his fifth MotoGP start. Spies produced a thrilling first lap to gain four places and claim seventh before he was elevated into the top six by a surprise mistake from race leader Casey Stoner on lap six. Pursuing fellow Yamaha YZR-M1 rider Jorge Lorenzo, Spies once again demonstrated his devastating speed on worn tyres as he threatened to haul himself into contention for the podium battle involving Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso. For several laps, Spies was the fastest man on track and he ended with the fourth best time of 1.56.087 clocked on lap 17. Opting to settle for fifth as a dramatic battle for the podium unfolded in front of him, Spies finished just over two seconds off third position. And impressively on only his second race for Yamaha, the reigning World Superbike champion was less than four seconds away from race winner and reigning world champion Valentino Rossi. Fellow Texan Colin Edwards had a tough start to his eighth MotoGP campaign but rode a determined race despite some minor rear grip issues. Edwards guided his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 to eighth position having brilliantly kept the hard-charging duo of Loris Capirossi and Hiroshi Aoyama at bay. Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 5thTime: +3.903 "I'm happy because I knew we had the bike and I knew I was riding decent. Some things didn't go my way in qualifying and while it wasn't really a smooth weekend, it came together in the race. I gave 110 per cent every lap and that's all I can do and at the end I came out with a decent result. They key was that I knew we had a good pace on race tyres. I got a good start and I was quite aggressive in the first couple of laps to try and make up some places and keep contact with the front group. My confidence was growing in the middle of the race and I could see Jorge and Valentino and those guys not a million miles in front of me. I wasn't catching them a lot, but I knew for a few laps in the middle of the race I was definitely the quickest out of the top five. Maybe if I'd have qualified higher I might have been in that fight for the podium at the end. But I can't be too greedy and this is a good start for me and gives me a platform to build on for the rest of the season." Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 8thTime: +19.867 "Tonight wasn't really any surprise because I struggled all weekend and I never seemed to get on top of the problems we had. We made the bike a little better for the race and it was certainly more comfortable to ride and that showed in the improved lap times, but it obviously wasn't enough to get close to that top five. I rode my hardest but tonight was one of the times when you're just riding around problems. The front grip was great but I was lacking a bit on the rear and I couldn't get a set-up that pushed the tyre on the ground. As soon I accelerated the rear tyre wou ld spin, but we actually found out some things for the future that will help me. The Yamaha is obviously working good when you look at the result and I want to congratulate Ben because he did a great job. Hopefully next time out I'll be a bit closer to the fight." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "Everybody was expecting great things from Ben this year and we have to say already that he has shown what he is capable of tonight. We were a bit disappointed when he was only 11th in qualifying but we knew it would be better for the race because he was so strong on hard tyres and we know this is a major strength of Ben's. And he is a racer who is very aggressive and he made up a few places early on, which is always crucial in MotoGP. His lap times were incredibly fast and was he closing on the leading group for the whole race and this is a fantastic start for Ben with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. It was a tough weekend for Colin but he scored some valuable points and found out some interesting information on the set-up of the bike that will help him for the future. Overall it is a great team performance and we move to Japan now full of confidence in what is a very important race for Yamaha." Circuit Length: 5380 Temp: 24 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'57.305 (Valentino Rossi, 01/01/2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'53.927 (Jorge Lorenzo, 09/03/2008) Last Years Winner: Casey Stoner 2010 MotoGP Qatar - Doha/Losail 12/04/2010 Race 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 42'50.099 2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'01.022 3 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'01.865 4 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'01.876 5 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 0'03.903 6 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0'09.322 7 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'16.508 8 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'19.867 9 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0'20.893 10 Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 0'21.100 11 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 0'31.638 12 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 0'32.573 13 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'40.780 Rider Standings 11/04/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 25 2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 20 3. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 16 4. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 13 5. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 11 6. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 10 7. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 9 8. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 8 9. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 7 10. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 6 11. Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 5 12. Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 4 13. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 3 Manufacturer Standings 11/04/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 25 2. Honda 16 3. Ducati 13 4. Suzuki 7
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts unlucky to take 8th at home GP

P19 Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's David Philippaerts can consider himself unfortunate to end his home Grand Prix with only 8th position after an eventful afternoon at Mantova for the second round of fifteen in the 2010 FIM MX-GP World Championship. The Italian was leading the first moto at the Grand Prix of Lombardia until a crash, which was then followed by an excellent recovery and finally thwarted by a damaged exhaust. He took 2nd place in the following outing. Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci Motocross Team's Ken De Dycker had a consistent day for 4th overall and his best finish yet on the YZ450FM. The weekend began positively with Philippaerts among the fastest riders as the track rapidly began to change, chop and cut-up due to the intense period of activity thanks to the presence of two support classes; the opening rounds of the 125cc European Championship and Veteran's World Cup (won by champion and Yamaha rider Mats Nilsson). The 25 year old enjoyed an entertaining battle with Tony Cairoli and Max Nagl in the Heat race to earn the first Pole Position for the rear-slanting innovative 2010 YZ450FM and put the distinctive black and green motorcycle into the Grand Prix gate first. Philippaerts comfortably fronted the pack in Moto1 for two laps across the rippled and treacherous terrain until catching a bump awkwardly at speed that pitched him onto the floor. Dazed, he remounted in 12th and began an emphatic charge to fly to 5th. With several laps to go the silencer on his exhaust broke free and robbed his machine of power. The 2008 world champion coasted across the finish but was penalised by a minute for failing noise control and classified 19th. Philippaerts again started well in Moto2 and rode a lonely 35 minutes and 2 laps behind winner Tony Cairoli and ahead of Max Nagl. De Dycker In contrast to the fine race had by Philippaerts on Saturday De Dycker suffered two falls in the Qualification Heat that left him ruing 19th place in the gate for the motos. The Belgian shook off the limitation from the line to slot into top ten contention and rise steadily to 4th and 5th positions for his best showing yet in Monster Energy colours. De Dycker is 4th in the world championship standings and Philippaerts is five points behind in 5th. The MX-GP FIM World Championship will now pause for a break after two events in succession. The Grand Prix of the Netherlands will run on April 25th at Valkenswaard. In other news Spaniard Carlos Campano leads the MX3 World Championship on his YZ450F after winning the opening round in Portugal last week and finishing fourth in France today. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 8th: "The first moto was terrible. I had a big crash when I caught a bump at speed and the bike pushed me off. I hit my head on the ground and was dazed for a few moments. The bike was damaged and got worse as I went on. I made some good positions but five laps from the end the silencer broke; I did not feel safe even making the jumps. The second moto was good. I was in second and Nagl was quick at the beginning. I watched my lap-times on the board. Cairoli was too far to catch but I was pleased overall because I know I am fit and the bike is working very well. The track had a lot of ruts and bumps and was dangerous so I am pleased to come away feeling healthy. I will go to Belgium now for some training. Valkenswaard is next and I am fast there. Last year I should have done well but physically I was not 100%. This time I want better than a top five." Ken De Dycker, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 4th: "I am pretty happy because yesterday was a nightmare. I felt better in the morning but I still had to work so hard on the bike and I really pushed to get those results. I feel that we can work from what we have achieved here and get better for Valkenswaard. The track got much drier and was a real mix of hard and soft bumps; it had everything." Crowd: 19,000 Weather: Changeable
2010 GP of Lombardia 11/04/2010 Race 1 - 19 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 40'13.247 2 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 0'04.718 3 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'14.321 4 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 0'13.063 5 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'29.853 6 Jimmy Albertson Honda USA 0'33.123 7 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0'35.055 8 Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 0'37.764 9 Tanel Leok Honda EST 0'43.058 10 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'54.348 11 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 1'11.842 12 Marc De Reuver Suzuki NED 1'19.344 13 Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 1'23.471 14 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 1'24.100 15 Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 1'47.012 16 Tom Soderstrom Yamaha SWE 1'51.102 19 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 2'39.451 Race 2 - 19 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 39'50.854 2 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'08.843 3 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'17.627 4 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'32.466 5 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 0'39.633 6 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0'41.226 7 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'48.453 8 Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 0'55.507 9 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 0'58.109 10 Anthony Boissière TM FRA 1'00.706 11 Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 1'01.396 12 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1'02.494 13 Jimmy Albertson Honda USA 1'03.223 14 Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 1'10.054 15 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 1'13.328 Rider Standings 11/04/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 88 2. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 87 3. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 79 4. Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 65 5. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 60 6. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 59 7. Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 56 8. Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 54 9. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 37 10. Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 37 11. Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 32 12. Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 31 13. Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 31 14. Tanel Leok Honda EST 30 15. Jimmy Albertson Honda USA 29 20. Tom Soderstrom Yamaha SWE 8 Manufacturer Standings 11/04/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 97 2. Suzuki 83 3. Yamaha 76 4. Kawasaki 64 5. Honda 47 6. Aprilia 37 7. TM 21 8. CCM 7 RACE REPORT 11/04/2010 Osborne close to podium with 4th in Italy Osborne in Mantova The MX2-GP category at the Grand Prix of Lombardia, the second round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship, saw Bike it Cosworth Yamaha's Zach Osborne defy a ruthless set of ruts, waves and loose bumps at the Mantova circuit in Italy to finish 4th overall. 19,000 spectators (weekend total) travelled to the second race meeting in the space of a week after the season-opener at Sevlievo, Bulgaria seven days ago. Sadly the sunshine and warm temperatures from Saturday could not extend to race day as wind, clouds and cooler climes altered, but did not lessen, the demands on the MX2-GP athletes. Osborne, on the new 2010 agile and manoeuvrable YZ250F, fought in the higher echelons of top ten during both motos and profited from a mistake by Jeffrey Herlings to register a decent 5th place. He fought with Shaun Simpson and British Championship rival Jake Nicholls to again mark 16 points in the second race. It was only the American's second GP of points in both sprints since he broke his wrist almost one year ago. Harri Kullas Yamaha Gariboldi Monster Energy's Harri Kullas and Christophe Charlier were the next highest-ranked Yamaha representatives in the first ever home GP for the team. The teenagers were 10th and 12th overall. Kullas was consistent and competitive to 9th in Moto1 but suffered some stomach cramps in Moto2 to 13th. Charlier was impressive in Qualification but his overall score was blighted barely seconds into the first race when he was hit from behind out of timing section and damaged his front brake as a result. Needing to visit the pits he was out of contention for points by the time the problem could be repaired. The European Champion's speed was evident in Moto2 as he arrived to 7th place by the chequered flag. Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team's Alessandro Lupino was 12th and 17th for 14th. Osborne is 6th in the world championship standings and only 3 points from the top five. Kullas is 10th and Charlier 11th. Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team's Gautier Paulin has seen some excellent progress on his recovery from a broken left fibula two weeks ago. After continual treatment the 20 year old was able to walk without crutches and was contemplating a return in Italy until wisely deciding to allow another two weeks for the bone to heal before looking at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands as a possible date for his Yamaha world championship debut. The sand of Valkenswaard is next up for Yamaha's MX2-GP world championship collective in two weeks time. Zach Osborne, Bike it Cosworth Yamaha, 4th: "I got two really good starts today but spun slightly coming out of the first turn in both motos. I worked as hard as I could in the first moto and got up to fifth after Herlings made a mistake on the last two laps. I felt really good after that race and with plenty of energy. We had a rougher track in the second moto and maybe I was not as strong as I should have been but to secure two fifth positions and go fourth overall is positive this early in the season. We are not far from the top five in the championship and have to keep building up. Mantova was a more physical track than Sevlievo. In Bulgaria you have to set the layout in your mind, mentally it is technical because you have to be flowing the whole time. Mantova is good; I hated it in practice but once it got rougher I enjoyed it more and more." Harri Kullas, Yamaha Gariboldi Monster Energy, 10th: "The first race was good; I had a decent start and was in 7th. I just tried to keep the same speed and was pretty happy to take 9th. I had contact with another rider in the next start and tensed up at the beginning. I managed to recover but I can be better than that. I felt a bit of a stomach ache and this meant I could not push so much. So, one good moto and one not so good, but I will train now and hope for better in Valkenswaard." Christophe Charlier, Yamaha Gariboldi Monster Energy, 12th: "A rider hit me from behind through the waves and I had to finish the first lap with a broken brake that was stuck. I came into the pits to get it fixed but in the end I was so far behind when I went back out that it was not worth continuing. My start was better in the second moto but I lost too much time stuck behind Simpson. The track was mainly one line and difficult. Once I had overtaken, my lap-times were near those of the leaders. I think I can get near the top five. I just need a bit of luck at the start." Gautier Paulin, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team: "It was hard to watch the race in Bulgaria because I had worked all winter for this championship but now I am only looking forward to getting back on the bike. I knew that if I wanted to fight for the title then I would have needed to race here but that was crazy because I am still struggling to walk normally. Looking at all the ruts and bumps I am glad I did not take the risk! I want to be near 100% before I can come back to the track so I can do something good. I hope that will be at Valkenswaard in two weeks." Crowd: 19,000 Weather: Changeable
2010 GP of Lombardia 11/04/2010 Race 1 - 19 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 39'58.049 2 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'00.370 3 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'50.697 4 Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 0'54.481 5 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 0'56.927 6 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 0'57.314 7 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1'19.818 8 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1'21.141 9 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1'24.840 10 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 1'27.785 11 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 1'28.759 12 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 1'29.087 13 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 1'46.732 14 Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 1'51.133 15 Valentin Teillet KTM FRA -1Laps 17 Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR -1Laps Race 2 - 19 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 39'35.506 2 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 0'04.177 3 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'23.515 4 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 0'45.327 5 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 0'58.516 6 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 1'03.613 7 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 1'14.406 8 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1'30.422 9 Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 1'31.289 10 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 1'37.646 11 Jose Antonio Butron Suzuki ESP 1'44.641 12 Matiss Karro Suzuki LVA 1'47.668 13 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1'51.392 14 Petr Smitka KTM CZE 2'12.138 15 Gianluca Martini Honda ITA -1Laps 17 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA -1Laps 19 Ed Allingham Yamaha GBR -1Laps Rider Standings 11/04/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 100 2. Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 86 3. Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 72 4. Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 69 5. Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 62 6. Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 59 7. Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 53 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 52 9. Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 47 10. Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 39 11. Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 32 12. Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 30 13. Joel Roelants KTM BEL 25 14. Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 24 15. Nick Triest KTM BEL 18 17. Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR 13 26. Rudi Moroni Yamaha ITA 5 27. Ceriel Klein Kromhof Yamaha NED 4 28. Glenn Coldenhoff Yamaha NED 2 29. Ed Allingham Yamaha GBR 2 Manufacturer Standings 11/04/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 100 2. Suzuki 86 3. Kawasaki 69 4. Yamaha 59 5. Honda 19
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha takes more Superstock points at Valencia

Both the Superstock 1000 and Superstock 600 European Championships saw Yamaha take more valuable points this weekend at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. In the Superstock 1000 class French MRS Racing rider Loris Baz put in a solid ride on his Yamaha YZF-R1 to take fourth at the line. He heads to Assen for the third round in fourth on 27 points, trailing the lead by 23. In the 600 class Jeremy Guarnoni rode the MRS Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 in an action packed race, taking a well deserved podium with a second placed finish. His race win at Portimao in the first round means he remains leading the championship and heads to Assen with 45 points and a 20 point advantage at the top of the table.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Toseland takes his first podium at Valencia

James Toseland put in a solid performance in race one today on his Yamaha Sterilgarda R1, starting from ninth on the grid the British rider made short work of the field to take second by the ninth lap. He was hotly pursued by Aprilia rider Max Biaggi for the entire race duration and fought off a number of attacks, holding on to second until just two laps from the end. He finished the race in third, claiming his well deserved first podium of the year, just 3.6 seconds off the race leader. Team mate Cal Crutchlow had a tougher first race. A less than perfect start saw him drop from pole to seventh going into the first corner of the race. He fought hard for the duration despite suffering from a lack of grip, riding as high as fifth before dropping back to claim seventh at the line. Race two was marred with incident, three laps in a high speed crash into the pit wall caused the race to be red flagged. After a delay it was restarted under aggregate timing with Crutchlow and Toseland in ninth and 12th respectively. The hot track temperature proved challenging for grip levels, with both riders fighting hard for position. Toseland crossed the line in seventh having challenged for several positions, whilst team mate Crutchlow hung on to take ninth at the chequered flag. Toseland goes to the next round in Assen with 50 championship points having jumped up the table from 11th to sixth. Team-mate Crutchlow remains in tenth as he heads to the Dutch round with 41 championship points. James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (3rd, 7th) "Race one was great, it's always nice when the team work so hard to be able to repay them with a result. I was probably the widest man out there because I certainly wasn't the quickest after half race distance, I was finding a few things a bit difficult with the bike. It was great though to dig deep and get a podium, my first podium this year and my first since Brands 2007 I think. It's been a while since I took a trophy home so I was very happy. The team are working unbelievably hard, we've got some issues but we're making up a lot of ground in a short space of time. In the second race I got an average start when the clutch grabbed early on the line. I don't know where the front guys got their pace from on the re-start, mid 34's was a second faster than it was in the first race. Assen is next which is fast and flowing which will suit the bike better. We need to keep improving until we're strong at every track." Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (7th, 9th) "Race one was ok, I was just disappointed I lost the tow to the leaders at the start. We've got bad rear tyre problems again, seem to be spinning a lot more than the other competitors from the go. The higher grip levels in Portugal suited us better. We're looking forward to hopefully improving it at the next race in Assen. A difficult weekend, the second race was much the same, no grip from the start." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "We've had an up and down weekend. We had some issues on Friday then came back with the Superpole yesterday. It was great to see James achieve a podium in the first race, he really worked hard and deserved it. The second race was not so good for us, it proved to be more challenging for the riders with less grip levels on the circuit. For sure this weekend we've learnt some more about the bike and we've definitely improved since Phillip Island. We'll study the data from this weekend and we'll come to The Netherlands with something new."

Circuit Length: 4.005 Weather: Hot and Sunny
Lap Record: 1'34.618 (Noriyuki Haga, 23/04/2009) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'33.270 (Ben Spies, 05/04/2009) Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga
2010 WSB Spain - Valencia 11/04/2010 Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 36'47.723 2 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'01.757 3 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'03.621 4 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'04.209 5 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'04.378 6 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'09.834 7 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'10.466 8 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'16.080 9 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'18.382 10 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'18.589 11 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'22.903 12 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'25.203 13 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 0'25.676 14 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 0'26.606 15 Andrew Pitt BMW AUS 0'43.797
Race 2 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 36'51.500 2 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0'00.025 3 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'00.299 4 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'10.100 5 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'12.811 6 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'13.459 7 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'14.845 8 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'14.861 9 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'15.202 10 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'18.071 11 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'25.179 12 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'26.116 13 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'30.189 14 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 0'30.387 15 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'35.741
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'34.750  
Rider Standings 11/04/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 123 2. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 105 3. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 80 4. Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 79 5. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 60 6. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 50 7. Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 50 8. Troy Corser BMW AUS 46 9. Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 46 10. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 41 11. Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 33 12. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 32 13. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 26 14. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 20 15. Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 19  
Manufacturer Standings 11/04/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 123 2. Ducati 107 3. Aprilia 105 4. Honda 61 5. Yamaha 57 6. BMW 47 7. Kawasaki 13
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Crutchlow scores with second consecutive Superpole

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow put the challenges of yesterday's qualifying behind him today, calmly working through the Superpole sessions to lay down the fastest lap of the third heat and claim his second consecutive Superpole of the 2010 season. Unlike many of his rivals Crutchlow saved his Qualifier tyres for the second and third sessions, delivering fast enough laps on a race tyre to make it through the first heat. Team mate James Toseland was on equally impressive form, making it calmly through the first session without using a qualifying tyre. The second heat saw him switch to his first of the sticky tyres, putting in a solid 1'33.988 to claim third with five minutes to go. Unfortunately a flurry of competitive laps as the session closed saw him drop to ninth, a mere one thousandth of a second off eighth and a chance to compete in the third session. A breakdown of the timing screens at the end of the session added to the confusion, making it unclear for some time whether he was through or not. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1'33.615) "It was good last year in Supersport, we had ten poles in total and we've now started the tally with two for this season which is great. The team have worked really hard this weekend as it's been difficult for us, quite like Australia, the grip level is not so good which is where we struggle. We went to Portugal and we had a lot of grip and the bike was fantastic, we've come here and it's hard work again but we're getting there. We'll have another late night tonight and then I'll look forward to the race tomorrow, it's alright doing one fast lap but 23 is a different story. I think we surprised a few people today, I used the same tyres in the first qualification session today as I used yesterday, finishing in 15th but I wasn't so worried. I knew if we could work through the stages we would be ok for the pole." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1'33.988) "Lady luck doesn't seem to be shining on me at the start of this season! To lose out by one thousandth is a frustrating blow, especially as I knew the time was there. I wanted to save my second qualifier for the last Superpole session, for sure we could have done a similar time to Cal. It was definitely possible. Congratulations to Cal for another pole position, putting the bike where it should be. I'm disappointed for the team because we've worked really well this weekend and improved the bike again. To lose out on the top eight by such a small time and then the confusion when the screens went down is very frustrating. We've come a long way with the package so we just need to get a good start tomorrow because we know we have the race pace." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "We made a really good improvement from yesterday to this afternoon with both bikes. I'm so sorry for James, to lose the last Superpole by only one thousandth is something we were not expecting. By the time we realised, it was too late to do anything and go out again. I'm also really impressed with Cal, he made a very good last lap. Tomorrow I think it will be different but we're starting from pole so we will see!"

Circuit Length: 4005 Weather: Hot and Sunny
Lap Record: 1'35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 23/04/2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'33.270 (Ben Spies, 05/04/2009) Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga
2010 WSB Spain - Valencia 10/04/2010 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'33.615 2 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'33.840 3 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'33.860 4 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'33.961 5 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'34.059 6 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'34.073 7 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'34.235 8 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'34.261 9 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'33.988 10 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'34.021 11 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'34.100 12 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'34.246 13 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'34.273 14 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'34.280 15 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 1'34.730
Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Nat. QUAL I QUAL II 1 Max Biaggi ITA 1'34.771 1'34.218 2 Carlos Checa ESP 1'34.220 1'34.433 3 Jakub Smrz CZE 1'34.502 1'34.239 4 Shane Byrne GBR 1'34.690 1'34.265 5 Leon Haslam GBR 1'34.780 1'34.286 6 Michel Fabrizio ITA 1'34.886 1'34.356 7 Noriyuki Haga JPN 1'34.935 1'34.427 8 Lorenzo Lanzi ITA 1'35.049 1'34.441 9 Sylvain Guintoli FRA 1'35.189 1'34.442 10 Jonathan Rea GBR 1'35.232 1'34.458 11 Troy Corser AUS 1'35.279 1'34.476 12 Max Neukirchner GER 1'35.555 1'34.836 13 James Toseland GBR 1'35.203 1'34.894 14 Luca Scassa ITA 1'35.467 1'34.933 15 Cal Crutchlow GBR 1'35.052 1'34.938
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Tough start for Yamaha in Valencia

It wasn't the easiest start to the Spanish race weekend for Yamaha Sterilgarda riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland today. The unforgiving Ricardo Tormo circuit proved challenging for both British riders with low grip on the track surface. Crutchlow made several changes to the bike during the qualifying session, leaving little time for an unbroken run to fully test the changes, ending the heat in ninth. Team-mate James Toseland had found a set-up to test, but then suffered a small crash as he settled in for some quick laps at the end of the session. Although uninjured and able to continue, it left not enough time to improve on his 12th place time. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1'35.052) "Today wasn't easy. We made good progress up to Portimao, unfortunately we are now at a track with much less grip which makes it again more difficult for us. Hopefully we can make improvements over the evening and into tomorrow. I look forward to getting started again in the morning and seeing how it goes." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (12th, 1'35.203) "A frustrating session for me today. I'd just put the softer tyre in at the end of the session, I came out of turn one really well but unfortunately I got my finger stuck under the brake lever and couldn't stop in time. I only just got the bike stopped right up by the barrier and then tipped it over. Luckily no damage to me or the bike so I got back on but by the time I'd cleaned all the dirt off them the performance of them had just dropped slightly. I was three tenths quicker than this morning and the time was there to be had but I ran out of time, frustrating as it was my error. We've got a lot of information from today so I'm looking forward to tomorrow." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "A difficult day, but it seems for many of the 4 cylinder machines it wasn't easy to get good grip here. With chassis set up changes and adjustments in the electronics area we hope to improve this for tomorrow and also help to reduce tyre wear. I'm confident we will be more competitive tomorrow in the next session."

Circuit Length: 4005 Weather: Hot and Sunny
Lap Record: 1'35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 23/04/2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'33.270 (Ben Spies, 05/04/2009) Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga
2010 WSB Spain - Valencia 09/04/2010 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'34.220 2 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'34.502 3 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'34.690 4 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'34.771 5 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'34.780 6 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'34.886 7 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'34.935 8 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'35.049 9 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'35.052 10 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'35.132 11 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'35.189 12 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'35.203 13 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'35.232 14 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'35.279 15 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 1'35.467
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Crutchlow and Toseland get set for round three in Valencia

Valencia circuit After an exciting second round in Portimao which saw both Yamaha Sterilgarda WSB riders make good progress on their bike set up and development, the team are now gearing up for round three in Valencia this weekend. Moving forward from a difficult first round in Australia, round two saw big improvements in the 2010 bike with both riders making good use of the increased power available. Crutchlow caught the attention of the paddock, impressing with a new Best Lap record in Superpole, knocking nearly half a second off last year's time set by Ben Spies. The 25yr old British rider also took the first podium finish of the year for the team in the second race. Team-mate James Toseland made up for a less than perfect grid start position in both races, starting from 15th he pushed hard to break the top ten, delivering a 7th and then a 6th place finish. The Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia is known to both riders, and with Toseland getting back to full fitness as his hand recovers, the weekend has the potential to deliver great results for the team. "After my podium at Portimao I'm keen to get to Valencia," said Cal Crutchlow. I think we can continue our good streak. I don't know how the bike will be there as we used the 2009 bike in our winter test but I'm optimistic. Lots of the teams have tested there recently so we've got some work to do, but hopefully we'll be up there and have a good result." "We've made massive improvements from Australia to Portugal," said James Toseland, "which obviously the podium from Cal proved. The second race in Portimao was particularly good for me, I had a really good race pace but couldn't get to front which was disappointing as I started from too far back. The Valencia test went well in the winter and I've done a lot on the Spanish track compared to Portugal so I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting stuck in, being able to concentrate on the bike set up without having the added focus of learning the circuit." Valencia technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow's Crew Chief "Valencia is one of the WSB circuits with the most stadium character, the track is flat and has some banked corners. The track conditions vary a lot so it is never certain what it will be. The infield is technical and physical for the riders, the last corner is particularly hard for the tyres over race distance so the track is more difficult than it appears. We made some adjustments to the bike in Portimao which Cal really liked, adding weight to the rear to improve the balance for him. We hope that we can find some new improvements again for the coming round." Valencia technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland's Crew Chief "We had a successful test over the winter. We have continued to work extremely hard since Portimao to continue improving the electronics on the bike. Valencia is a very challenging circuit, a good front fork setting is important, and a good handling bike, as a lot of corners link together. We will start on a very similar setting to race two in Portimao, with the biggest change coming from a new electronic strategy for corner exit. James will be one step closer to full fitness, and hopefully with another step of improvement from the bike, we can be challenging at the front!" Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "Our test at Valencia over the winter went well. Following Portimao we will bring some more electronic updates for the bikes to the Spanish circuit in order to continue the progress we made from the first two rounds and be as competitive as possible. The electronics are our focus for development at the moment so these updates will include new maps for both James and Cal. Unfortunately the time is very short between these races but I am confident that we will get more improvements this weekend again."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno