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Alex Asigno
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) finished the 2008 WSB season second in the championship standings after securing a podium finish in the first race at Portimao, then following that up with a safe sixth in race two.   The all Yamaha battle for the runner-up spot behind champion Troy Bayliss saw Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) drop out of contention after serving a ride-through penalty for jump-starting in race two, having already been forced out of race one. Both races were won by three-time champion, Troy Bayliss.   In the first 22-lap race Corser was in the leading mix from the start and rode aggressively in the messy early laps to stay in contention, but could not quite get back on terms with second place rider Carlos Checa towards the end. Haga was also looking good for a podium finish until he was forced out on lap 18, having started to slow on lap 16.   Race two put Corser in with the leaders again for some time but he eased up when he realised that overall second place was safe, particularly in a race filled with determined wild cards. Each race was run in the dry, but on a relatively slippery track surface, which was still recovering from a largely wet first two days of action.   Haga was looking good for a strong result in race two until he had to pull in for his penalty, but he recovered to post a 14th place finish and score two championship points. He was thus 15 points behind Corser after 28 individual races, and third overall.   Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) went 13th in race one, but 17th in race two. He ended his last WSB season 19th, top Yamaha rider behind Corser and Haga.   David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) and Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) finished the season on 12 points apiece, as neither scored at Portimao.  Troy Corser (3rd and 6th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "All I had to do in race two was finish near Nori and that was all I was doing. Once he went out, all I had to do was stay consistent and not crash. We all worked so hard to get to second this season I was not prepared to take too many risks. The bike was actually better in race one than the second, as we had good front grip then. We changed the bike and had less grip in the rear, so I had to modify the way I was riding completely. Finishing second in the points means more than trying to finish on the podium in race two and risk crashing. Second is better than third and both of those finishes are better than nothing. The action was scary sometimes today and it can be like that when the tracks have a lot of undulations. The asphalt was pretty slippery in some places because of all the rain and mud washed on it during practice."   Noriyuki Haga (DNF and 14th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "In race two they said I jump started and for sure I moved a bit, but before the lights changed I stopped again. Overall, in the first race we had a problem and I had to pull out. But I had the chance to do a bit of work on the suspension setting for race two, and we went one step harder on the rear tyre too. It worked better but we still had some chatter. We lost a lot of practice time, unfortunately, because of the rain. Our pace in race two was much better. I have to say thank you very much to all the Yamaha staff for the past four years, it has been very enjoyable and we have had many great days. I wanted to get a victory for them but that was the most I could do today." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Today's overall results are so-so but in the championship we finished second and third and most importantly, we had the top four-cylinder riders. We had some good and some not so good results this year but still very positive, because nobody else made the same. We had seven wins, a lot of podiums from both riders, sometimes in the same race. As a team we did a really good job. Thanks to everyone in the squad for this year, to Yamaha and for all the support from our sponsors and fans."   Shinichi Nakatomi (13th and 17th - Team YZF Yamaha) "In the first race I lost some grip from the rear tyre and in the second race I got a bad start but tried to progress. Thanks to the team for three years of competition in WSB."     Race 1                  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 38'48.373 2, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'2.207 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'6.972 4, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 0'15.228 5, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'16.126 6, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'18.152 7, Leon Haslam, Honda, GBR, 0'18.939 8, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'20.942 9, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'32.018 10, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'32.871 11, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'36.778 12, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'36.848 13, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'41.667 14, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'41.806 15, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'48.337 16, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'50.295 17, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'50.840 18, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'5.928 19, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 1'6.813 20, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 1'7.007 21, Luis Carreira, Suzuki, POR, 1'48.681   Race 2                  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 38'26.125 2, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'3.638 3, Leon Haslam, Honda, GBR, 0'4.356 4, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'4.983 5, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'6.775 6, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'7.403 7, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'7.578 8, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'16.113 9, Cal Crutchlow, Honda, GBR, 0'16.284 10, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'16.446 11, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'21.633 12, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'22.098 13, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'24.089 14, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'24.117 15, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 0'31.003 16, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'31.136 17, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'31.330 18, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'32.272 19, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'34.049 20, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'35.028 21, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'41.669 22, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'44.889 23, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'47.366 24, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'48.733 25, Thomas Bridewell, Suzuki, GBR, 1'7.702 26, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'14.242 27, Luca Scassa, Honda, ITA, 1'34.781     Best Lap   Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 1'43.340   Rider Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 460 2, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 342 3, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 327 4, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 313 5, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 311 6, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 256 7, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 238 8, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 223 9, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 206 10, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 178 11, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 154 12, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 135 13, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 117 14, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 109 15, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 77 19, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 51 28, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 12 29, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 12       Manufacturer Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Manufacturer, Points   1, Ducati, 570 2, Yamaha, 487 3, Honda, 415 4, Suzuki, 408 5, Kawasaki, 94 ---------- RACE REPORT - 02/11/2008   Parkes fifth after tough fight at new circuit   After running in the leading pack for some of the 20-lap race at Portimao Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) could not stay in contention for the podium and finished fifth.   The Australian rider had been slowed by a crash which happened right in front of him and after that he was unable to catch the leading group again and slowly dropped back as his tyres lost optimum grip. He held off a late challenge to finish in the top five and end his season fourth overall, on 150 points, with one win to his credit.   Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport Team) could not get into contention after starting 16th on the grid and despite finishing tenth, he was disappointed by his final raceday of the 2008 season. He also scored a single win in the championship chase this year, and despite missing four races through injury, he was sixth overall, on 111 points.   Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) crashed out of contention on lap five, remounted, but eventually retired in the pits, ending his season in overall 12th place. David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport) only just missed out on a point for 16th place today.   Broc Parkes (5th - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I really wanted to win the last one for Yamaha and I tried my best. I got caught up with the crash of Veneman and got separated from the front bunch. Once I had lost them, I basically had to keep my position. At the end I was losing some time when I started losing rear grip, and I had to work hard to keep Nannelli behind me, but I beat him to the line. I gave it my best."   Fabien Foret (10th - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "The track was very challenging in the dry over the full race and to be honest I was not expecting a great result after qualifying. I wanted to ride, find some feeling from the bike and have fun but it was not so easy. I am not happy with how the set-up was. I am just happy that this season is now over and I can start working to 2009 now."  Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "A very disappointing race of course for us, rear tyre grip dropped quite dramatically and Broc couldn't do anything to keep up with the first three. It was the same story for Fabien, we saw that the rear tyre is really bad at the moment, for our bike especially. Qualifying was ok, but after eight or nine laps the tyre went off very hard, we've not had that so bad this year."   Massimo Roccoli (DNF - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "It was very disappointing not to finish and it has not been the happiest experience this weekend, especially at this new circuit. I lost the front end and tried to continue after but it was not possible. The gear linkage was too badly broken and I would have got no points."     Race 1                  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 35'39.851 2, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 0'3.844 3, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'7.403 4, Josh Hayes, Honda, USA, 0'7.445 5, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 0'17.271 6, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'17.297 7, Simone Sanna, Honda, ITA, 0'25.803 8, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'29.749 9, Mark Aitchison, Triumph, AUS, 0'29.960 10, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 0'30.155 11, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'30.697 12, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 0'30.719 13, Garry McCoy, Triumph, AUS, 0'40.033 14, Russell Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'40.839 15, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'44.266 16, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'45.672 17, Jesco Gunther, Triumph, GER, 0'46.765 19, Balazs Nemeth, Honda, HUN, 0'51.626 20, Patrick Vostarek, Honda, ITA, 0'57.092 21, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'57.584 22, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 1'4.848 23, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 1'26.940 24, Chris Martin, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'27.010     Best Lap   Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 1'45.156   Rider Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 214 2, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 164 3, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 162 4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 150 5, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 121 6, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 111 7, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 100 8, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 92 9, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 79 10, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 71 11, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 60 12, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 58 13, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 56 14, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 39 15, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 36 30, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 9       Manufacturer Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Manufacturer, Points   1, Honda, 315 2, Yamaha, 203 3, Suzuki, 102 4, Triumph, 77 5, Kawasaki, 46 ---------- RACE REPORT - 02/11/2008   Pirro fourth in Portugal and fifth overall   Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) rode to within less than a second of a podium position at Portimao and in earning 13 points he finished fifth in the championship rankings, the top YZF-R1 rider on show. Pirro also set the new best lap in practice, a 1'48.466.   Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) was eighth today, having started on the sixth row, and battling through the pack for the after a couple of early problems.   In the final rankings, Brendan Roberts was champion on 147, Maxime Berger second on 140 and Alessandro Polita third with 137.  Michelle Pirro (4th - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I started the race with dry tyres and early on that was a bit of a problem because there was still some water around and I was sliding in some places. But it improved as the race went on and I made a good finish."   Claudio Corti (8th - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "I went straight on under braking a couple of times but I rode very aggressively to recover and really enjoyed it today. I made up a lot of places and I think it was the best I could do today."   Baz and Rea battle it out as the Superstock finale sees a Yamaha 1-2-3 podium Gino Rea (Stonebaker Yamaha) and Loris Baz (Yamaha France Junior Team) ended up battling for the win in the ten lap Superstock 600 contest, and after a seriously combative final lap the English rider took the win, by a mere 0.060 seconds.   In third place, Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) was also on a YZF-R6, three seconds off the win. In the final rankings, Baz has 186 points, Bussolotti 134 and Rea 132.   Loris Baz: "It was a very hard race and I ran off on the last lap and had to work really hard to bet back to Gino. I won the championship last time out and I wanted to win here to finish the season in the perfect way."     Race 1                  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 22'23.040 2, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 0'2.995 3, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 0'3.938 4, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 0'4.773 5, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 0'17.166 6, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 0'17.482 7, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 0'19.452 8, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 0'19.878 9, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'22.892 10, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 0'23.050 11, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'31.698 13, Franck Millet, MV Agusta, ITA, 0'35.502 14, Filip Backlund, Suzuki, SWE, 0'37.798 15, Sheridan Morais, Kawasaki, RSA, 0'42.098 16, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'45.953 17, Rene Mahr, KTM, GER, 1'0.432 18, Ondrej Jezek, Honda, CZE, 1'0.595 19, Marko Jerman, Yamaha, SVK, 1'2.708 20, Danny De Boer, Suzuki, NED, 1'4.134 21, Brank Srdanov, Yamaha, NED, 1'5.601 22, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 1'12.642 23, Matt Bond, Suzuki, GBR, 1'12.690 24, Michael Savary, Suzuki, CHE, 1'12.821 25, Niccolo Rosso, Honda, ITA, 1'18.918 27, Michal Drobny, Honda, CZE, 1'24.144 28, Jure Stibilj, Honda, SVN, 1'26.189 29, Roy Ten Napel, Suzuki, NED, 1'28.272 30, Pauli Pekkanen, KTM, FIN, 1'28.903 31, Gregory Junod, Yamaha, CHE, 1'28.989 32, Tommaso Lorenzetti, Suzuki, ITA, 1'32.965     Best Lap   Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 1'48.466   Rider Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 147 2, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 140 3, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 137 4, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 136 5, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 102 6, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 84 7, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 72 8, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 62 9, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 60 10, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 57 11, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 57 12, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 39 13, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 32 14, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 30 15, Domenico Colucci, Ducati, ITA, 26 16, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 22       Manufacturer Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Manufacturer, Points   1, Ducati, 195 2, Honda, 182 3, Suzuki, 166 4, Yamaha, 139 5, Kawasaki, 50 6, MV Agusta, 13 7, KTM, 2
Alex Asigno
Valentino Rossi brought the curtain down on a spectacular season with a third place in Valencia today, his 16th podium from 18 races in a year which saw him win his eighth world title. The 29-year-old Italian has taken nine wins, five seconds and two thirds this year, surpassing the all-time premier class win record and the record for the most points in a season in the process. His outstanding performances this season also helped the Fiat Yamaha Team to secure the Teams' title and Yamaha the Manufacturers' title. Rossi had struggled to find a good set-up for his M1 during yesterday's qualifying and he started from 10th on the grid. However some last-minute changes paid dividends and he was able to get a good start, climbing to seventh in the first lap and then making a characteristic charge through the field to move into third on lap six. Unfortunately from then on he was unable to make a dent in the gap to second-placed Dani Pedrosa and he had to settle for the final podium position, 12 seconds off winner Casey Stoner. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo secured the Rookie of the Year title with eighth place today, rounding off an eventful but impressive season for the 21-year-old. Both riders will be in action tomorrow as work for the 2009 season gets underway immediately with a two-day test at Valencia. Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rdTime: +12.194 "I don't think that was so bad today! Unfortunately we had some problems yesterday and that meant we had to start from the fourth row, which left us with a very difficult task. As always though we found a way and my team gave me a good bike, which meant I was able to get a great start and then have some fun passing people. Once I got to third there was no way to catch Dani and so it wasn't such an exciting race from then on. This has been an amazing season for us and to finish with another podium, the 16th, is great and we cannot complain. I am so happy with what we have done this year, as I said it's definitely one of my greatest championships and I want to thank everyone once again - Yamaha, my team, the engineers, Bridgestone and everyone who helped us to get this result. Tomorrow we will try the new bike which means we can't have as big a party as we would like, but it is important to try to find a base for it so I am looking forward to it." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "I think it would have been difficult to have done more than this today, because we were starting from the fourth row and the setting still wasn't perfect. Anyway it was a great end to the season and we scored another podium, making 16 in total, nine of the them wins. We have the triple crown and this all makes it a fantastic season. Thank you very much to Valentino first of all and then all the engineers in Japan, who have worked so hard, and to all the team members for this huge effort. Luckily we had a big party in Japan because tomorrow we start to think about 2009 and start to test, and it's going to be important to make the most of it and to give good information to the engineers about the new bike. But we will still have some celebrations tonight so let's all enjoy ourselves! Thanks again to everybody, it's been a wonderful season." Lorenzo secures Rookie Of The Year at season finale Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo took a deserved Rookie of the Year title by finishing eighth at Valencia today, his fourth position in the championship the highest finish for a premier-class newcomer since the advent of four-stroke MotoGP. The Spaniard's first season in MotoGP has seen him win a race and take a further five podiums and four pole positions, helping Yamaha to secure the Team and Manufacturers' titles to add to his team-mate Valentino Rossi's World Championship. After struggling for grip yesterday Lorenzo started from seventh on the grid and things got worse as the race got underway. He was unable to find a rhythm and slipped to11th until mid-race distance. From then on he began to improve and he was able to make up three places, finishing strongly to set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap. The team gets straight back to work tomorrow with the very first test of the 2009 season, during which Lorenzo will have his first chance to try the new prototype 2009 YZR-M1. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 8thTime: +35.661 "I feel a bit disappointed with this result today because I really wanted to finish the season with a podium, but in the end we couldn't manage it here. We had some problems though so I have to be happy that I was able to finish the race strongly, passing people and doing my best lap of the race on the last lap, especially when you consider that yesterday in qualifying I was the slowest on race tyres! The best thing about today is that I am the leading rookie, so I get a trophy all the same and this makes me very proud of my first season in MotoGP with Yamaha. I want to thank all of my team, engineers and everyone who has helped us. I also have to say a special thank you to Michelin for their work this season because this is our last race with them. I am very proud that I was able to win my first MotoGP race with them. Tomorrow we begin straight away to work on the 2009 bike and I am very excited to try it." Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "We expected to finish in a better position for this last race, but unfortunately the problem we had in qualifying persisted, although we were able to improve it somewhat from yesterday. Jorge was able to keep a good pace during the second half of the race and he was able to finish strongly and make his best lap on the very last lap. This has been a fantastic year for us because we were able to make four pole positions, win a race and take five more podiums, helping Yamaha to win the triple crown, and Jorge is the year's leading rookie. I want to thank Yamaha very much for the huge effort they made in order to give us such a competitive machine, and I also want to thank Michelin for their support - we wish them all the best for the future. Finally thanks to everyone in our team for doing a fantastic job all year and we look forward to coming back even stronger next year." Fantastic finale for Tech 3 Yamaha in Valencia claimed a superb fourth place in the Team World Championship standings in today's Valencia MotoGP race. The 15-point haul collected by Edwards and Toseland in today's 30-lap battle saw the Tech 3 squad seize fourth position by a single point from Suzuki's official factory team, ending the 18-round campaign as the highest placed independent team. American Edwards played a starring role in the success, his superb start from the second row of the grid giving him the perfect platform to mount a bid for his first top six finish since he took third in Assen back in June. Edwards quickly claimed third from Nicky Hayden on the first lap to settle in behind Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa. But with minimal dry set-up time after another weather-hit weekend, Edwards quickly encountered some rear grip issues to find himself back in sixth on lap six. He quickly adapted to the decreasing grip and crucially began to pull away from Suzuki's Loris Capirossi, maintaining a constant pace to the end. Toseland also played a critical role in today's fantastic finale as he closed his rookie campaign with a hard fought 11th position. The British rider shadowed fellow Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo for the opening fifteen laps in a close dice for 11th place, twice passing the Spaniard momentarily. Toseland also ran into grip issues in the closing stages, but he rode a brilliant final three laps to fend off Sylvain Guintoli, John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen. Colin Edwards - Position: 6thTime: +32.209 "It has been a while since I finished in the top six and for this result to help the team finish fourth in the Team World Championship makes it extra rewarding. I'm pleased for Herve Poncharal and the team because they deserve it. We had a couple of races where we gave a lot of points away, but for an independent team we have done a fantastic job together and it was a year to remember. I got a great start and rode around the outside of Nicky at the first corner to slot in behind Casey and Dani. I actually felt pretty comfortable at that point. Nicky passed me though down the front straight and I started to spin the rear tyre a bit just as the other guys started to get into the groove. The next thing I know, everybody was disappearing up the road and there was nothing I could do. With so little dry track time we gambled with the setting and I ran a softer tyre and at the end I was having a few problems. My bike felt great but I just didn't have a lot of grip and this isn't the best track for Yamaha. We don't have the initial raw grunt that you need on a tight and twisty track like this with a lot of low speed acceleration points. I'd like to thank all my guys for their hard work throughout the season and to Yamaha for their continued support. Finally I'd like to say a big thanks to Michelin. I had the greatest moments of my career with them and I've enjoyed our time together. I'm looking forward to a bit of a break now before coming back in Jerez next month to begin working as hard as ever for 2009." James Toseland - Position: 11thTime: +52.107 "It was a hard race to finish a pretty hard season and while it wasn't how I wanted to finish on a personal note, it was great that I contributed to the team getting fourth by a point. I'm glad I managed to hang on at the end there because I was coming under a lot of pressure. In the first half of the race I was probably a bit quicker than Jorge but I just couldn't make a pass on him stick. I got him a couple of times but I made mistakes and let him back through. One time I put my hand in the air to apologise for a close move going into the first corner, and as I put my hand back for the second corner I missed my braking marker. So I'm annoyed with myself about that. I was in a real fight at the end and I was just struggling for a bit of grip. We tried quite a big change on the set-up and it worked well for the first half of the race, but towards the end I had to ride a bit defensive and make sure I didn't lose too many places. The team deserve to be fourth in the championship this year and I was determined to help them achieve it. Tech 3 and Yamaha have given me unbelievable support in my rookie year and I was pleased to battle right to the last lap to get that result for them. I have learned a lot in 2008, and I'm looking forward to working hard in the winter and making a big impression next season." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "It was a fantastic way for us to end the season and I really want to thank Colin and James for their effort. It was a tough weekend with the weather conditions but it was very important to end on a positive note and we were reasonably confident when both of them qualified on the second row. Colin made a great start and he did a good race, keeping a really good rhythm. In the first half of the race, James looked even a little bit quicker than Jorge but he couldn't quite pass him. He pushed really hard throughout even though he didn't have 100 per cent confidence, but it was a strong result and by hanging on at the end under a lot of pressure he helped us get fourth in the Team Championship and we beat two full factory teams. That was our target before this weekend and we achieved it. I'd like to congratulate Yamaha again for an incredible season. They gave us a great bike in 2008 and I'd also like to say a big thanks to Michelin for their support. Thanks to them and Yamaha we had one pole position and two podium finishes. We will miss Michelin but we now must look forward to a new era. Everyone at Tech 3 is now looking forward to a quick break and we will be back raring to start our 2009 preparations in Jerez at the end of November." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 46'46.141 2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'3.390 3, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'12.194 4, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'24.159 5, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'26.232 6, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'32.209 7, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'34.571 8, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'35.661 9, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'38.228 10, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'47.583 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'52.107 12, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'52.350 13, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'52.833 14, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'53.227 15, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'53.411 16, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'8.387 17, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'11.181 18, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 1'37.055 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'32.582 Rider Standings 26/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 373 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 280 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 249 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 190 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 174 6, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 155 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 144 8, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 128 9, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 126 10, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 118 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 105 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 92 13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 67 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 63 15, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 61 Team Standings 26/10/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 563 2, Repsol Honda Team, 404 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 331 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 249 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 248 6, Honda Gresini, 189 7, JIR Scot Team, 174 8, Team Alice, 159 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 107 10, Honda LCR, 61 Manufacturer Standings 26/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 402 2, Ducati, 321 3, Honda, 315 4, Suzuki, 181 5, Kawasaki, 88
Alex Asigno
2008 AMA Motocross Champion, Motocross of Nations winner and undoubtedly one of the main stars of American motocross and supercross, James Stewart, will make his first European appearance on his new Yamaha YZ450F at the Bercy SX in Paris, France, in just over two weeks time. The 22 year old from Florida only recently joined up with his San Manuel Band of Mission Indians/Land M Racing Supercross team and displayed that his combination with the 2008 AMA Supercross title-winning YZ450F will be a forceful one by winning both nights of the lucrative US Open indoor event in Las Vegas, beating reigning AMA champion Chad Reed. “You always want to do good for the first time; to be fast on this track, and to be winning, it’s a good step. I had four days on the bike, and I’m stoked. I think we’re going to be really good going into the future,” said six-time champion Stewart who completed a perfect 2008 outdoor motocross campaign by winning every single moto (24) of the 12 rounds. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” he added. “I’ve got a lot of time to figure this thing out though, and everybody from Yamaha and San Manuel, helped me out and they made it really easy to get on.”  “Seeing James Stewart start out on a winning note with the Yamaha YZ450F was a real high point,” said Supercross team manager Jim Perry afterwards. “With his brilliant speed and his charisma, he’s a true champion and I’m glad to have him on our team.” Stewart joined Yamaha several weeks ago in a Hollywood presentation that also saw fellow Florida native, Kyle Chisholm, introduced as his team-mate. The tall former amateur winner will make his professional debut in the senior class in 2009. “I know I face a tough challenge, but I’m really excited about riding a YZ450F and proving myself in the AMA Supercross class,” he said. “I am excited by the change. It is a new beginning for me but it is a strong team,” Stewart said at the unveiling of his famous number ‘7’ in blue, where he confirmed he will be contesting both AMA Motocross and Supercross series’ as well as the X-Games and being available for the ’09 Motocross of Nations. “Larry Brooks (team owner) has just come out of a supercross championship and I have just won a motocross championship so hopefully with both of us together we will be able to win again. I know I have the ability to win and I know this bike is more than capable of it. I will still be the same old James, and now it will be even more fun so I hope the fans like it.” “Our relationship with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians/L and M Team has been great,” said Racing Division Manager Keith McCarty. “With a supercross championship in 2008 and the addition of James and Kyle for 2009, we’re sure it will be an exciting season”. The 26th Bercy SX, the most prestigious supercross event in Europe with a glittering list of former winners, will see Stewart again go head-to-head with Reed – the defending ‘King’ of the French spectacle. It will be Stewart’s second trip over the Atlantic this season after he helped Team USA in a successful defence of their Motocross of Nations title in the UK at the end of September.
Alex Asigno
2008 World Champion Valentino Rossi rode an inch-perfect race in energy-sapping conditions at Sepang today to take his ninth win of the season and his 150th career podium. He is only the second rider in the history of the sport to pass this milestone, the other being Giacomo Agostini, whose all-time win record Rossi has already broken this season. Rossi's Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo meanwhile had a disappointing day, with his challenge ending in the gravel trap on lap 12. With temperatures in excess of 40 degrees as the riders lined up on the grid, today's race was clearly going to be a test of endurance, both for riders and tyres. Rossi, starting from second, crossed the line for the first time in third but was able to pass Andrea Dovizioso on the next lap, setting the fastest lap of the race in the process, and set off on the heels of Dani Pedrosa. The pair gradually began to open out clear air from the chasing pack but the gap between them remained at just a few tenths of a second for next eight laps. Rossi eventually made his move at mid-race distance, was able to pass Pedrosa on the brakes into the hairpin at turn nine and was then unchallenged to the chequered flag, crossing the line 4.008 seconds ahead of the Spaniard with Dovizioso in third. The paddock now heads straight to Valencia in Spain for the 18th and final round of the season, with Rossi looking to avenge two bad years at the track and Lorenzo determined to secure the title of Leading Rookie with a positive performance to make up for today's disappointment. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1st Time: 43'06.007  "I am so happy with this win today because all of the toughest championship of my career, including with Yamaha in 2004, have been won with nine victories. Of course that doesn't mean I don't want to win again next week, but for now I like this number! Today was incredibly hard because it was so hot. Once I got behind Dani I tried to pass many times but he was very fast and very consistent and I had a good battle to get by him. Lap-by-lap I understood better where it was possible and eventually I could make my move and go away from him. Everything worked very well today in such conditions, my M1 and my Bridgestone tyres and I want to thank everyone for making me so fast all weekend. I love winning here because it's such a great track but today was really a test, especially the last five laps when I really had to make an effort to keep my concentration in such incredible heat. Anyway, it was important to win here because when we came here in the winter I did a very fast race simulation and I promised my new Bridgestone tyre technician, Peter, that we would win the race! I took a gamble in February so I had to win today! Finally I want to congratulate my friend Marco Simoncelli for winning the 250cc World Championship today. I know how hard he has worked to get here and he really deserves it - I am very happy for him." Davide Brivio - Team manager  "Nine wins sounds good! Now that we've won the world championship it's great to race for fun and to think only of winning and today was just like that. Valentino rode a perfect race; he started well, followed Dani for some time then passed him and escaped and he did a good job to keep his concentration and rhythm in such hot conditions. This has been another great day in a fantastic season for us and now we're looking forward to one more in Valencia." Disappointing day for Lorenzo as he slides out of Malaysian GP  Jorge Lorenzo's high hopes for a podium in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang today ended in the gravel trap on lap 12, when the Fiat Yamaha rookie slid out of sixth position. His team-mate and 2008 world champion Valentino Rossi meanwhile led from the middle of the race to take his ninth win of the season. After being fast all weekend and qualifying on the front row for the fifth race in succession, Lorenzo was determined to make a return to the podium after just missing out at the last two rounds. He got a poor start however, which left him in seventh, and he lacked the grip he'd had all weekend which meant he was unable to replicate the fast race pace he had shown in the practice sessions. By mid-race distance the Michelin-shod rider had begun to improve his rhythm somewhat and he was able to pass Shinya Nakano to move into sixth, but at turn one on lap 12 he lost the front and slid out. Lorenzo remains fourth in the championship and still leads the Rookie of the Year standings with one round remaining. The final race of the season takes place in Valencia, Spain in just one week's time. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: DNF  "I didn't feel good today and I was riding much worse than yesterday. I was having some problems in braking and acceleration and this is really a pity because I thought I had the chance to be on the podium today. I had many problems with my tyres in the first few laps and in fact I had a lot of warnings about the crash, but in the end I just couldn't avoid it. I got a bad start and it seems this part of the race is getting more difficult every time. If I had a better start I could have tried to go with Valentino and Pedrosa but today was terrible. We have to change something here because at the moment it's quite difficult. Apart from these problems I know I didn't have the same feeling in myself as I had yesterday, so it really wasn't a good day! It's a little sad now that we can only be fourth in the championship, but I can still be rookie of the year so I will focus on this because it's important for all of my team. Congratulations to Valentino for another triumph and now let's look onwards to Valencia." Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager  "We're quite disappointed with this result because we thought we had a good chance to be on the podium today. Unfortunately Jorge lacked grip compared to yesterday, especially in the front, and he wasn't able to ride in the same rhythm. He didn't get a good start and then lost a lot of places at turn one, so this also didn't help. He had finally begun to improve his pace and start to catch up when he crashed at turn one, so this was a great pity. Luckily he's not hurt however and now we're just focusing on Valencia and finishing the season on a high." Edwards claims top ten, Toseland crashes in scorching Sepang  Colin Edwards rode his Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1 machine to his best ever Malaysian MotoGP result today, the American finishing a scorching hot 21-lap encounter in eighth position. With air temperatures nudging an energy sapping 40 degrees, Edwards lost four places in a frantic jostle for positions at the first corner, but quickly found the pace that saw him top the timesheets on the opening day of free practice. The 33-year-old immediately dropped his lap times into the 2.02 bracket and seized eighth place from Loris Capirossi with a clinical move at the second corner on lap four. That move left Edwards glued to the back wheel of fellow Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo as an exciting six-rider dice from third to eighth unfolded in front of 38,500 fans. Edwards was promoted to seventh when Lorenzo was unlucky to tumble out on lap 11 at the first corner, but he slipped back down to eighth on lap 15 when Capirossi pounced. With track temperatures hitting 42 degrees, Edwards began to encounter small grip issues and was unable to mount a counter attack. He kept a consistent pace in the extreme heat for the final few laps, but despite a determined ride, he couldn't close back in on the group in front. James Toseland was unable to capitalise on significant steps he made with the set-up of his Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1 in this morning's warm-up session. He improved front-end braking stability, but the 28-year-old slipped down to 16th after a hectic opening two laps while he tried to get the better of Anthony West and Randy de Puniet. Pushing hard to move back into the points, Toseland crashed out when he lost the front-end at turn six on lap three. He emerged unscathed from the spill, and will be looking to end his rookie season in style in next weekend's final round in Valencia. There is still plenty to fight for the Tech 3 Yamaha team in Spain next Sunday, with Edwards still pursuing a top six World Championship finish, and Toseland a top ten overall placing. Tech 3 Yamaha is also still firmly in the hunt for fourth place in the Team World Championship. Colin Edwards - Position: 8th Time: +0'18.802  "I thought I'd got a good start and I must have done because I nearly tangled with Jorge off the line and he was on the front row. It was pretty close but luckily we didn't touch. But at the first corner people started coming around me and there was a bit of bumping and barging and I lost a couple more places. Nakano and Capirossi came by but in the first eight laps I felt pretty good and I got into the high 2.02s. I was right on the back of the bunch but I felt like I was losing a bit on acceleration. As much as I'd close up on the brakes, I'd lose coming onto the back straight and the front straight. It was so hot and the track temperature was so high that the balance of the bike changed around the halfway point. Once the rear grip goes down a bit, it stops transferring weight on the front. When Jorge crashed I almost went down in the exact same circumstances going into the first corner because the rear tyre wasn't holding as well as it did at the start of the race and it wasn't driving the front tyre into the track. And when that happens it is hard to turn the bike. That was my issue and after that it was difficult. I kept my head down and tried to push because I could still see the group in front. But I couldn't get any pace going coming out of the corners and I made a couple of little mistakes. I'm really disappointed even though it is my best result ever at this race. But eighth is well below where I want to be. I leave here knowing I did the best I could do and I hope I can give the team and Yamaha a strong finish in Valencia next week before we starting looking to 2009." James Toseland - Position: DNF  "Things never clicked from the start of the weekend, although this morning we found a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. But getting it nearly right on Sunday morning means you don't have time to get a proper feeling with the setting and we made a big change with the front. We raised the front and got it to steer better because that was the main issue we had. It was causing me a problem on the brakes and entry and that was messing me up for the rest of the corner. I could brake better and it made the bike more balanced for the entry and exit. Qualifying 12th though makes it tough, especially here and I got boxed in a bit at the first corner. I braked after everybody else and made a couple of places up but ran wide and then it was a real dogfight. I was having a close battle with de Puniet and West but then when I picked up my pace I went down. I had to run a harder front tyre to make the race distance and I think it just needed another lap to get the temperature in it. I just pushed it too hard and lost the front at turn six. I paid for pushing too hard trying to make up the time I'd lost. I was confident after this morning when I was eighth and we'd make progress with the bike, so it is a bit disappointing. But I'll be going all out to make amends in Valencia and finish on a high." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager  "Honestly it is a bit of a disappointing outcome because we started the weekend very well. Colin was very competitive on race tyres from Friday and he performed very well in qualifying to get on the second row. We were pretty confident that he could make a good challenge in a dry race and possibly fight for the top five. Colin didn't get a great start but he always looked in contention behind the group. He rode hard but he just couldn't get close enough to mount an attack. With James we also thought we might have got both of them in the top ten, because James was confident after the warm-up this morning that the changes he made with his crew were a big step in the right direction. Unfortunately it didn't happen for him. James didn't get the start he wanted and he was pushing hard and crashed. But if you don't try then you only follow everybody, so while it was a disappointing for him, at least he was fighting. It has been a difficult race but will try and finish the season in Valencia on a high note. Fourth in the Team World Championship is still a possibility and everyone at Tech 3 will be giving their maximum effort as always next weekend." Race 1 - 21 Laps  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 43'6.007 2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'4.008 3, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'8.536 4, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'8.858 5, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'10.538 6, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0'13.640 7, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'15.936 8, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'18.802 9, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'23.174 10, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'25.516 11, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'27.609 12, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 0'41.399 13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'45.617 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'49.003 15, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 0'59.139 16, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'3.328 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 2'2.249 Rider Standings 19/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 357 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 255 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 229 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 182 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 161 6, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 144 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 134 8, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 125 9, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 117 10, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 111 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 100 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 92 13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 63 14, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 60 15, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 57 Team Standings 19/10/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 539 2, Repsol Honda Team, 373 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 306 4, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 238 5, Tech3 Yamaha, 234 6, Honda Gresini, 174 7, JIR Scot Team, 161 8, Team Alice, 155 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 105 10, Honda LCR, 60 Manufacturer Standings 19/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 386 2, Ducati, 296 3, Honda, 295 4, Suzuki, 174 5, Kawasaki, 86
Alex Asigno
After dominating for the entire 2008 season, German Yamaha rider Nina Prinz has takenthe title on her YZF-R1, her second consecutive championship win, at the third and final round of the Women’s European Championship at Albacete (Spain) on Sunday. The reigning European champion from Mannheim / Leutkirch was in predictably consistent form all weekend, despite the atrocious qualifying and racing conditions. Nina went into the final round leading the championship with 50 points, followed by second ranked Lara Cordioli on 33 points. Nina finished the race a respectable 5th position, but first in her class, in less than perfect race conditions, with unpredictable weather affecting the weekend’s track action. The position gave her 11 points, giving her a 61 point total for the 2008 championship and a much deserved Championship title victory. Nina dominated the Saturday qualifying session, another day of difficult weather conditions, with storms and heavy rain hampering the riders. Nonetheless she managed an excellent pole position, qualifying with a time of 1’33.345 on her Yamaha machine, a full three seconds clear of second place Spanish Honda rider Elena Rosell. Nina Prinz – “The second race of the championship was easy compared to Spain this weekend, the weather was much better! This last race however was not my best but I didn’t make any mistakes. The only issue I had was running a dry rear tyre and a rain tyre on the front, not a good combination! The race was ok I finished 5th but in the 1000c class I was 1st so it was ok for me. It’s a great win for the team and for Yamaha and now I have won the European Championship for the second time so it’s really great for me. I’m now going home to relax for a few days!” Michael Galinski (Team Manager – Yamaha Motor Germany Team) – “The weather conditions were very difficult so we are very happy with the end results. Nina was riding with a difficult tyre set up which was far from perfect in hindsight! For the previous races there wasn’t so much pressure but this weekend there was so we are very happy to have won the title! She has proved she is the fastest woman in the championship again!” Laurens Klein Koerkamp (Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division Manager) – “This is a well earned victory for Nina Prinz and the Yamaha Motor Germany Team. Yamaha’s support of her racing career is a great example of the importance we place on having women involved in motorcycling. We will continue to reach out to this sector of the market and nurture its development.”
Alex Asigno
Yamaha dominated in style at the finale of the UEM Road Racing European Championship last weekend.The formidable YZF-R1 and YZF-R6 have proved again this year to be the ultimate track weapons for racing success. The top four riders in the Superstock 1000 class where all riding Yamaha YZF-R1 machines. Carmelo Morales and Javier Del Amor (Team L’Oreal Men Expert LGS) took first and third respectively on their Yamaha machines whilst Bernat Martinez (Team Bernat) took a well deserved second on his YZF-R1. Fourth place went to Yamaha Motor Germany’s top rider, Jörg Teuchert. For the Supersport race it was rider Angel Rodriguez (Team L’Oreal Men Expert LGS) aboard a Yamaha YZF-R6 that took the chequered flag. The next placed Yamaha rider was fourth position David Salom (Team Yamaha Spain). In a field of 36 riders there were no less than 24 Yamaha YZF-R6 Supersport machines competing, six of which made the top ten at the finish. Loris Baz proved the competitiveness of the R6 earlier this month, winning the European Superstock 600 Championship in Magny-Cours on 5th October, the final race seeing all podium finishers riding the unbeatable Yamaha. The World Superbike Championship heads towards its final round in Portugal next month. In the hands of riders Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser the R1 sits in second and third place respectively, making it the top performing 4cyl 1000cc bike in racing. The 2008 Women’s Road Racing European Champion Nina Prinz led her class all year, taking the championship comfortably aboard her Yamaha YZF-R1 with strong support from Yamaha Motor Germany. “It’s an unrivalled accomplishment,” said Laurens Klein Koerkamp (Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division Manager). “The results across the board clearly show the Yamaha Superbike and Supersport machines are designed to win on track. We’ve shown not just at the European level but also in MOTOGP, WSB and World MX and AMA-SX that our machinery is at the top spot throughout. We’re confident that we are going into 2009 with strong teams at all levels of racing to repeat more of the winning success we’ve shown in 2008.”
Alex Asigno
The final round of the '08 World Enduro Championship, staged in Mende, France, proved to be a challenging one for UFO Corse Yamaha team riders Simone Albergoni and Maurizio Micheluz as both were unable to secure podium finishes at the GP of Europe. However Yamaha France rider Marc Germain performed well finishing in a strong runner-up position on Day1 and 3rd on Day2. With the French event bringing the '08 WEC series to a close, Albergoni, Germain and Micheluz, as well as injured UFO Corse Yamaha rider Cristobal Guerrero, officially claimed 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place positions respectively in the Enduro 1 world championship. For Albergoni hopes that the final event of the season would bring with it rewarding end-of-season results failed to materialise as Italy's number one enduro rider was unable to finish in the top three. Despite performing well throughout the opening day's competition, including a test win early on, Albergoni finished 4th. On day two Albergoni dropped one position to 5th despite riding consistently during the day. Having set his sights on claiming his first enduro world championship title this season, and having started the year with impressive results at the first three rounds of the series, Albergoni's disappointment was clear after the event. Improving on his '07 world championship position of 7th, Maurizio Micheluz' outing in France were typical of several of those he endured during 2008 as he spent much of both days battling for the fourth place before he ended up finishing 7th on both days. Although disappointed at having not finished higher, Maurizio was pleased to have ended the year 5th in the competitive Enduro 1 world championship standings. Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 4th, Day 2: 5th "From the mid-way point of the season I've found it hard to ride at my best. I've not really enjoyed a single corner of any special test since the middle of the season. I don't know why. I have just struggled and it's a mystery. My season started in a good way but after Poland my motivation went downhill and although I finished third in the championship I'm just not happy with things. When your target is to win it's hard when you realise that's not going to happen." Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 7th, Day 2: 7th "I finished seventh on both days but I was also fighting for fourth and fifth position on both days. I crashed three times on the enduro test on the first day, as well as twice on day two. I lost everything in the enduro test. On both days fourth position wasn't too far away. It's just disappointing that I didn't finish higher. The beginning of the year things didn't go so well but the end of the year things have gone better." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 52'16.390 2, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 0'20.430 3, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 0'21.400 4, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'16.090 5, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 1'17.170 6, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 1'23.460 7, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 1'40.710 8, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 2'25.540 9, Julien Gauthier, Honda, FRA, 2'31.020 10, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 2'36.210 11, Damien Miquel, Yamaha, FRA, 3'42.840 12, Raphael Andre, Kawasaki, FRA, 3'59.180 13, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 8'11.740 14, Charles Feyrit, Honda, FRA, 9'14.630 Race 2  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 51'11.530 2, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 0'2.500 3, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 1'5.130 4, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 2'5.330 5, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 2'15.470 6, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 2'21.370 7, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 2'35.560 8, Julien Gauthier, Honda, FRA, 2'41.350 9, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 2'50.080 10, Thomas Oldrati, KTM, ITA, 2'50.640 11, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 3'6.280 12, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 3'31.340 13, Damien Miquel, Yamaha, FRA, 4'40.790 14, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 7'20.300 15, Charles Feyrit, Honda, FRA, 9'31.020 Rider Standings 11/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 375 2, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 364 3, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 301 4, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 284 5, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 224 6, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 185 7, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 171 8, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 163 9, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 154 10, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 140 11, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 139 12, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 102 13, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 97 14, Damien Miquel, Yamaha, FRA, 62 15, Daryl Bolter, Husqvarna, GBR, 58 Manufacturer Standings 11/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 375 2, KTM, 351 3, Yamaha, 338 4, Husqvarna, 197 5, Suzuki, 153 6, TM, 102 7, Kawasaki, 56 8, Sherco, 12 ---------- RACE REPORT - 12/10/2008 Aubert wins world championship UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert is the 2008 Enduro 2 World Champion. Having held the lead in the E2 series on his WR250F from the third round the former French motocross racer has now lifted his first ever world title, continuing an excellent season of racing for Yamaha after MotoGP and MX1 Motocross world championship success. Competing against Juha Salminen, the rider widely regarded as the best enduro racer of all time, Aubert put the finishing touches to what has been a near faultless season finishing 2nd on Day1 in Mende, France and then 3rd on Day2. Starting the final round of the '08 WEC campaign with a commanding lead in the E2 class Aubert realistically needed just a handful of points from both days of competition to secure the coveted E2 title. Competing in front of a hugely enthusiastic home crowd, Aubert pushed hard on day one but was clearly riding well within his limits as he opted not to challenge for the class win. Finishing over one-minute behind winner Salminen, Aubert ensured that on day two he needed to collect only the required points in order to take the crown. By finishing 4th, and earning his 16th podium finish of the year, Aubert did exactly what he needed to do and joined Finns Mika Ahola and Samuli Aro as a '08 World Enduro Champion. Not having such a good weekend was Italian rider Fabrizio Dini. Although scoring 7th in the final Enduro 2 world championship ranking Fabrizio found the French event's enduro test extremely challenging and saw several mistakes prevent him from finishing closer to the podium. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 2nd, Day 2: 3rd "It's amazing to be able to say that I'm world champion. It hasn't sunk in yet but I know in a few days I will be so, so happy when I realise what I've achieved. It's been a long, hard year. I was nervous on day one, but on day two it wasn't so bad. I put in some good tests but I was really only thinking about the championship. I have to thanks the team for doing a great job this year. They have helped me do what I have always dreamed of, becoming world champion." Fabrizio Dini (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 9th, Day 2: 8th: "It's been a nice race but not a good one for me. I didn't like the enduro test. It was really slippery and hard to understand. I felt like I was the slowest rider in the event on that test. I crashed many times on day one, which gave me a pretty bad result. I stalled my bike on the enduro test on day two and I lost 40 or 50 seconds. After that things went ok because I was fast on the extreme and motocross tests. I finished seventh in the world championship, which is the same as last year. I'm not overly happy with my final position but I've enjoyed the year." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 51'7.800 2, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 1'19.620 3, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 1'43.150 4, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 2'15.150 5, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 2'25.540 6, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 2'51.170 7, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 3'0.330 8, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 3'17.140 9, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 3'24.320 10, Jean Francois Goblet, BMW, BEL, 3'51.570 11, Mickael Metge, HusaBerg, FRA, 5'1.490 12, Rudy Cotton, Beta, FRA, 5'9.440 13, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 5'18.180 14, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 5'54.250 15, Christophe Robert, KTM, CHE, 6'28.700 16, Hans Vogel, KTM, NED, 7'30.100 17, Nicolas Joye, HusaBerg, CHE, 8'38.650 Race 2  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 50'31.820 2, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 0'51.600 3, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 1'1.540 4, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 2'3.620 5, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 2'14.720 6, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 2'16.930 7, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 2'43.270 8, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 3'12.030 9, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 3'12.930 10, Jean Francois Goblet, BMW, BEL, 4'28.110 11, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 4'34.760 12, Mickael Metge, HusaBerg, FRA, 4'39.990 13, Rudy Cotton, Beta, FRA, 6'3.770 14, Hans Vogel, KTM, NED, 6'17.650 15, Christophe Robert, KTM, CHE, 6'49.930 16, Nicolas Joye, HusaBerg, CHE, 9'47.790 Rider Standings 11/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 361 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 353 3, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 259 4, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 226 5, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 222 6, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 217 7, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 196 8, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 173 9, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 147 10, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 139 11, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 134 12, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 134 13, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 110 14, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 78 15, Jean Francois Goblet, BMW, BEL, 70 Manufacturer Standings 11/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, KTM, 378 2, Yamaha, 361 3, Husqvarna, 248 4, HusaBerg, 243 5, TM, 226 6, Honda, 221 7, BMW, 191 8, Aprilia, 173 9, GasGas, 134 10, Beta, 66 11, Suzuki, 26
Alex Asigno
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) took a race win and a second place at the Magny-Cours races to go second in the championship with one round remaining. Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) recovered from sixth in race one to finish third in race two and now sits third overall, nine points behind his team-mate Haga. Haga was imperious in race one after his strong qualifying performances and Superpole win, taking the lead from fast-starting Troy Bayliss before blasting away to record a margin of victory of six seconds. Fonsi Nieto was second, with Bayliss third. Corser was sixth after crash in Superpole saw him start 12th on the grid. In race two, Haga led for most of the 23-laps, but could not hold onto the fleeing Bayliss in the last sector, and had to settle for second, one place up on a resurgent and determined Corser. Bayliss had already won the championship outright after his first race podium, leaving Haga and Corser to fight out the overall second place in the championship rankings at the final round in one month's time. Bayliss now has 410 points, Haga 325, and Corser 316. Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) went 13th in the opening race at his home circuit, but retired in the pits in race two. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) did not finish either race, retiring in race one and crashing out of race two. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) went 14th and scored two points in race one, but just missed out on a points scoring finish in race two, by one place and less than one second. Noriyuki Haga (1st and 2nd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)  "The weather conditions have been not so good this weekend but the team gave me a good bike and I could compete well all weekend. I was riding comfortably at the front in race one to win so thanks to Yamaha and congratulations to Troy Bayliss, the champion of the world. Thanks to all in the team for all the hard work, and for the support from the fans. The last five laps of the second race I could not open the gas the way I wanted but Bayliss and I had a great fight for the win." Troy Corser (6th and 3rd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)  "Starting from the third row was always going to be tough for these races. I got a good start in race two and got though quickly but I had a little bit of a tussle with Rolfo and Checa. When the rain started to come I could see the guys in front had started to slow down, and I knew I had a chance to make up some time. I really didn't care if I crashed or not I just went as hard as I could. I caught those guys but once I had I really couldn't go much further. The lap times came down again to mid 1'40s. The bike was pretty consistent but I just couldn't push any harder on the front tyre because the right-hand side was almost finished. I nearly took Troy out down the hill at one time so I had to let the brake off or I would have taken both of us out. Lucky enough there was enough room to get through. But race two was good and we go to the next race to see if I can win one there." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)  "We won the first race and were nearly there in race two. It was a really good race for both riders in the second race. In the last few laps our tyres started to drop off and it was impossible for our guys to get back to Tory at the end. Over the weekend as a whole we got pole, a win in race one and then two podiums in race two, so it's been positive. The next race will be a challenge for everyone on a new circuit. Today's results are thanks to a lot of hard work from the team so a thank you to them as well." Shinichi Nakatomi (14th and 16th - Team YZF Yamaha  "In race 1, I had some chattering problem after 10 laps. It was difficult to push. For race 2, we changed the set up but the chattering problem came back. I crossed the front a few times. It was a difficult race. Magny-Cours was not so good, Portimao will be better." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 38'33.367 2, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'6.223 3, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'6.875 4, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'7.237 5, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'8.925 6, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'10.714 7, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'16.176 8, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'22.661 9, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'27.224 10, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'31.300 11, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'35.558 12, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'35.774 13, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'36.078 14, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'36.289 15, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'40.472 16, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'40.497 17, Martin Bauer, Honda, AUT, 0'43.350 18, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'54.263 19, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 0'54.382 20, Ivan Silva, Honda, ESP, 0'54.513 Race 2  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 38'33.579 2, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'0.909 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'2.966 4, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'2.966 5, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'12.822 6, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'13.004 7, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'18.876 8, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'19.512 9, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'19.627 10, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'21.425 11, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'25.133 12, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'30.538 13, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'35.334 14, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'38.453 15, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'40.008 16, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'40.802 17, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'46.941 18, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'50.172 19, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'58.616 20, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'0.422 21, Ivan Silva, Honda, ESP, 1'2.852 22, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'21.378 23, Vittorio Iannuzzo, Kawasaki, ITA, 1'32.289 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 1'38.444 Rider Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 410 2, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 325 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 316 4, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 298 5, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 284 6, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 235 7, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 234 8, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 203 9, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 193 10, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 171 11, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 153 12, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 117 13, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 113 14, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 109 15, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 75 19, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 48 26, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 12 27, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 12 Manufacturer Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 520 2, Yamaha, 461 3, Suzuki, 384 4, Honda, 379 5, Kawasaki, 82 ---------- RACE REPORT - 05/10/2008 Foret takes an impressive eighth place on his return to World Supersport Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport Team) made a great return to World Supersport competition at his home race, finishing eighth after ending the first lap down in 15th place. Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) was running with the leading group until he was knocked off by a crash between two other riders on lap ten. Parkes returned to the pits but his machine was too damaged to continue with any chance of scoring a point, and he retired from the race, losing his last chance of taking the world title this season. Andrew Pitt won the title today, by winning the 22-lap race. Foret's result was remarkable on many levels, and even through he finished the race exhausted by his intense race experience, he finished higher in the order than he had dared dream after being out since the Brno race in July. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) had a great ride to sixth, leading Nannelli home in tight midfield race. He was the top Yamaha finisher today. David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport) was 17th and just missed out on a point. Fabien Foret (8th - Yamaha World Supersport Team)  "Eighth place and I am really happy with that. One month ago I was at home with a neck brace on and feeling not so good, but today has made me glad I came back for this race. In the middle I had a lot of pain but I was fighting and I did not want to give up. I made some small mistakes because I am not so relaxed, a bit rigid on the bike and not so confident, but it was a good result. I can go home now and get ready, because we have one month until the next race." Broc Parkes (DNF - Yamaha World Supersport Team)  "The crash was really not what we needed and there was nothing I could do to avoid it. I felt good and knew we were going to be competitive if we could have finished the race. We just have to look to the final race now and finish as well as we can." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team)  The bike was too badly damaged for Broc to carry on without repairs. He would not have scored points even if he started again. It is a shame. It was a bad move at a bad moment and the Championship has been decided by it. We are happy for Fabien; he really improved and he even did a 1'43.6 lap near the end, which is almost as fast as the leaders. Eighth is a great position when he was not sure if he could even finish the race. He will be mentally and physically stronger at Portimao. I think it was a pity to end our championship challenge this way because there could have been a good battle still with the other guys and Broc, but Andrew deserved it because he won even when Rea was well down." Massimo Roccoli (6th - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni)  "That was a good result for us today and I was pleased to come out on top of the fight with Nannelli. I had a bit of a problem with some other riders on the first laps but after three or four laps I got a good rhythm going and ended up with the best result of the year." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 37'57.929 2, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 0'1.250 3, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'1.514 4, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'1.685 5, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'5.075 6, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'13.171 7, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'13.386 8, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 0'19.563 9, Josh Hayes, Honda, USA, 0'19.677 10, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 0'21.686 11, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'22.599 12, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'24.967 13, Patrick Vostarek, Honda, ITA, 0'28.888 14, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'29.351 15, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 0'38.000 16, Chris Martin, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'40.934 17, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'43.876 18, Jesco Gunther, Triumph, GER, 0'46.230 19, Balazs Nemeth, Honda, HUN, 0'58.762 20, David Perret, Honda, FRA, 0'59.258 21, Russell Holland, Honda, AUS, 1'1.131 22, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 1'14.306 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 1'41.543 Rider Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 194 2, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 164 3, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 157 4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 139 5, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 105 6, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 105 7, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 100 8, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 92 9, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 71 10, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 69 11, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 58 12, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 56 13, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 52 14, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 38 15, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 36 28, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 9 Manufacturer Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 290 2, Yamaha, 192 3, Suzuki, 101 4, Triumph, 70 5, Kawasaki, 46 ---------- RACE REPORT - 05/10/2008 Corti on the podium at Magny-Cours The aggression and commitment shown by Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) throughout the 14-lap Superstock 1000 race at Magny-Cours paid off with a third place finish that puts him tenth in the championship standings, on 49 points. Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) finished tenth in the race, and stays 15th in the championship fight as the final round looms at Portimao in early November. Claudio Corti (3rd - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team)  "We have had some bad luck recently so it is fantastic to be able to get back onto the podium for the first time this year. Now we move forward to Portimao in determined mood for the last round." Michelle Pirro (10th - Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni)  "After the start there was a lot of confusion and I had a clash with another rider which put me back a bit. In the early part of the race the set-up was not the best. Until half the race was finished I did not have so much feel from the bike." Race 1 - 9 Laps  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 24'7.794 2, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'0.463 3, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 0'0.543 4, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 0'1.001 5, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'1.792 6, Franck Millet, MV Agusta, ITA, 0'2.556 7, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 0'8.425 8, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'8.701 9, Michael Savary, Suzuki, CHE, 0'12.636 10, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 0'12.776 11, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 0'14.352 12, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 0'22.002 13, Domenico Colucci, Ducati, ITA, 0'23.114 14, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 0'23.739 15, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 0'27.654 16, Raymond Schouten, Yamaha, NED, 0'27.893 17, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 0'28.672 18, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 0'29.861 19, Filip Backlund, Suzuki, SWE, 0'31.655 20, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 0'39.173 21, Peter Hickman, Yamaha, GBR, 0'42.859 22, Pauli Pekkanen, KTM, FIN, 0'43.156 23, Matt Bond, Suzuki, GBR, 0'43.591 24, Marko Jerman, Yamaha, SVK, 0'49.153 25, Niccolo Rosso, Honda, ITA, 0'50.458 26, Gregory Junod, Yamaha, CHE, 0'53.215 27, Jure Stibilj, Honda, SVN, 1'1.096 28, Tommaso Lorenzetti, Suzuki, ITA, 1'1.390 29, Roy Ten Napel, Suzuki, NED, 1'4.057 31, Danny De Boer, Suzuki, NED, 1'9.815 32, Brank Srdanov, Yamaha, NED, 1'10.142 33, Michal Drobny, Honda, CZE, 1'12.430 34, Cameron Stronach, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'26.143 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 1'41.994 Rider Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 131 2, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 127 3, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 124 4, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 122 5, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 89 6, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 73 7, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 72 8, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 57 9, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 55 10, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 49 11, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 40 12, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 33 13, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 32 14, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 30 15, Domenico Colucci, Ducati, ITA, 26 22, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 13 Manufacturer Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 170 2, Honda, 166 3, Suzuki, 146 4, Yamaha, 126 5, Kawasaki, 49 6, MV Agusta, 10 7, KTM, 2
Alex Asigno
The fifteen year-old star-in-the-making Loris Baz (Yamaha France Junior Team) took a hard fought second place in Saturday’s European Superstock 600 Championship race, and in taking the podium he also took the championship in his rookie year. The close race was a constant battle with fellow Yamaha riders Linfoot and Gines, and Baz was only outbraked by Linfoot on the entrance to the final corners of the Magny-Cours circuit. Baz happily shares the success of his championship victory with Martial Garcia’s Yamaha France Junior Team, who have provided strong support and a fast R6 Yamaha to Loris all season long, providing him with the opportunity to shine on track. This season the young rider won 3 races out of 8, at Valencia, Monza and Brands Hatch. He finished second at the Nürburgring, at Brno and finally this weekend at Magny-Cours. He also took third at Misano, giving him a respectable 7 podiums in 9 races. Loris Baz (Yamaha France Junior Team)  “This race was for me like the others. We are all young, so the start is always hot. I didn't want to take chances. I had a good security margin. On my pit board, I saw that at one point I was 3rd and Bussolotti 7th. Then I was 4th and he was 5th. So I passed two riders to have a good gap. In the last lap, I could have tried to win, but I wanted to play it safe. Thank you to my team, to Yamaha, to Jean-Claude Olivier, to my parents, to all the people who help me and to my fan club who came all the way from Spain." This is now the third consecutive European Superstock 600 Championship win for Yamaha as the manufacturer continues to dominate the class.Year on year the challenge of competitor machines has been met with a further leap forward by the legendary YZF R6 taking it to the next level again. Straight out of the box, the new for 2008 R6 has proved itself a formidable track weapon in the hands of the talented young riders of the future, featuring chassis and swing-arm improvements which raised corner speed and improved handling. The YCC-I system improved performance, particularly mid-range, again offered serious advantages to the riders on track.The Superstock class itself is as close to production as possible in racing, only minor differences separate the winning R6 on track and the road going Supersport machine found in the Yamaha dealer.
Alex Asigno
Fiat Yamaha rider and 2008 World Champion Valentino Rossi recovered from yesterday's mishap to charge through the field from the fourth row at Phillip Island today, eventually taking second behind Casey Stoner. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo took a second consecutive fourth place after a race long battle with several other riders. A mistake during qualifying yesterday had left Rossi with strained neck muscles and a grid position of 12th, but the Italian relishes a challenge and he was already up to eighth by the end of the first lap, despite narrowly missing a collision when Alex de Angelis crashed out in front of him. On lap four Rossi found himself the back marker of a Yamaha trio, behind his team-mate Lorenzo and Tech 3 rider James Toseland. He despatched the Spaniard within two laps and got by Toseland soon after but the Briton put up a spirited challenge, wresting third back and hanging on for five more laps until Rossi eventually got the better of him. With a podium place secure the eight-time champion could have been forgiven for coasting home but he is never one to take the easy option and, with clear air and his M1 and Bridgestone tyres working perfectly, he gradually began to close on Nicky Hayden, who was nearly six seconds ahead. Little-by-little he made up the gap until he was within striking distance, making his move on the very last lap to take second and his 14th podium of the season. After an intense two weeks the MotoGP paddock now has a two week rest before the penultimate round in Malaysia on 19th October. Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: +6.504  "That was a very exciting race for me, from start to finish! Unfortunately I made a small mistake yesterday and I paid a high price for it - both with my starting position and with my body! This morning my neck was okay but I had a lot of pain in my head, so I have to say thank you to Dr. Costa and the Clinica Mobile because they gave me a lot of massage and some medicine and I was in better shape for the race. I got a good start and I was lucky to miss de Angelis by just a couple of centimetres, and then I arrived to Lorenzo and Toseland. The first time I passed James I thought I would be able to go but then he passed me back and I realised that his pace was not so bad, and we had a great battle! He was very strong and difficult to pass but once I did get by I was able to go and then I just kept pushing and gradually Nicky got bigger and bigger. It was fun to keep fighting till the last lap and I am very happy with this second position because it's always a great emotion to be on the podium here. Thanks to my team and to Bridgestone, with Casey as strong as he was I think this was the best we could have done today and I really enjoyed the race." Davide Brivio - Team Manager  "We didn't win but this was another incredible performance from Valentino, demonstrating once again how he never gives up. The championship is secure, he was starting from the fourth row and the podium would have already been a good achievement but he still pushed at the maximum and was able to come second! He wasn't in perfect shape but the Clinica Mobile helped him a lot and he was able to do his best once again. We're racing to have fun now and we had a lot of fun today in a race that was exciting from start to finish." Fourth place for Lorenzo after island battle  Jorge Lorenzo was disappointed to miss out on the podium at Phillip Island today, despite prevailing in a race-long battle for fourth place. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi stormed through the field after starting 12th to finish second behind Casey Stoner. Lorenzo started from second on the grid but he did not quite have the outstanding rhythm he had yesterday and he slipped to fourth on lap one. He then traded places with Tech 3 Yamaha rider James Toseland a couple of times before settling in behind the Briton as Rossi loomed behind. By lap 13 of 27 Lorenzo's world champion team-mate had dispatched his Yamaha compatriots and was disappearing off and it then became a battle for fourth between the Spaniard, Toseland, Andrea Dovizioso and Shinya Nakano with the foursome trading passes at times more reminiscent of a 125cc race. In the last few laps Lorenzo was able to take control of proceedings somewhat and he was able to hang on to fourth, just ahead of Nakano with Toseland in sixth. The rookie is 27 points off third in the championship and also has a mathematical chance of second, with two rounds remaining. The next battle comes in two week's time at Sepang in Malaysia. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 4th Time: +11.500  "I'm not very happy with the race because I know I should have been able to fight for the podium today. I didn't ride like I know I can, Toseland was in front of me many times and I couldn't pass him, and then I couldn't follow Valentino when he came through. I think I had the rhythm to have been with Valentino but it didn't work today. Even though it's mathematically still possible, I think that the second and third places in the championship are probably lost to me now. I think that the most important thing now is to get good results in Malaysia and Valencia so that we finish the season in the right way. The team, the tyres and the bike are all working well, we're getting good results but we know they can be better. I like Malaysia a lot, I rode there in the winter and I think it will be good for Michelin, so I'm looking forward to it." Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager  "We're a bit disappointed about today's result because we definitely had the potential to be on the podium and that's what we were hoping for. We had a few more problems than yesterday with grip in the rear and in the hard braking areas we weren't as good as the others, so we suffered for this. Aside from this it was a good race and Jorge had a great battle for fourth, so despite the result we've enjoyed it and now we're looking forward to the next one." Birthday boy Toseland celebrates in style at Phillip Island  James Toseland celebrated his 28th birthday in fantastic fashion today, the Tech 3 Yamaha rider equalling his best MotoGP result in a pulsating Australian MotoGP race. Toseland played a starring role from the start of an enthralling 27-lap race as he charged into third place on the first lap. He briefly surrendered third to fellow Yamaha YZR-M1 rider Jorge Lorenzo on lap three, but retaliated superbly with a bold move at the first corner on lap five. Toseland then led a three-way Yamaha dice that included a hard-charging Valentino Rossi as he rode magnificently to keep the world champion at bay for six laps. Twice Rossi passed Toseland in quick succession, only for the British rider to respond with inch-perfect moves to reclaim third in what proved to be the battle of the race. Toseland's determined pursuit of Rossi thrilled a large Australian crowd, but as he lost touch with the Italian on lap 13, he was then locked in another terrific battle with Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Shinya Nakano. Just when it looked like his faultless display would be rewarded with his career best result, he dropped from fourth to sixth on a frantic lap 25. Toseland continued to push hard but was unable to improve on sixth, but his performance was arguably the outstanding ride of the day. Colin Edwards also made a great start from the third row of the grid as he tried to mark his 100th Grand Prix appearance with a top six. Fifth on the first lap, he quickly encountered some traction issues, and his reward for a hard fought race was a battling eighth place. Today's result saw the Tech 3 Yamaha team move back into fourth place in the Team World Championship standings. James Toseland - Position 6th - 100 points  "That was an unbelievable race. I got a really good start but Casey and Nicky were incredibly fast at the start. They really put the hammer down and I was wary that I needed to save my tyre for the last few laps, which are always difficult on this track with so much wear on the left side. I just wanted to stay out of trouble but I had some incredible battles out there. The one with Valentino was something special. When he passed me I knew I had to get straight back by him. If I had let him go I knew I'd have to push right at the limit and that would wear my tyre too quickly. The rear was already spinning at that point and I tried everything I could to keep him behind me. When he did pass me and he pulled a gap, I did push a bit too hard and that cost me towards the end of the race. But it was an honour to be racing with Valentino and passing him. In the last three laps I'd just lost a bit of grip and that was crucial because it probably cost me those two places. I knew fourth was up for grabs so I tried to pass Andrea at Honda Hairpin on the last lap. We ran a bit wide and Andrea seemed a bit upset but I passed him without touching him. I am sorry if he is upset, but he is upset for no reason. I was fighting for the best result of my MotoGP career so I had to try something. Shinya came by as I ran wide but I passed him back at Siberia, only for him to come right back underneath me because I ran a bit wide again. I am just happy with the way I rode. I rode hard and I am really pleased that on my birthday I put a good show on and I could enjoy it. I was riding my heart out and when I have a ride like that and I pass Valentino it encourages me even more." Colin Edwards - Position 8th - 126 points  "I got a really good start and I thought I could hang in with the battle for third and fourth, but pretty much from the first couple of laps I knew it was going to be a really difficult race. I couldn't even keep them close to me because I couldn't get in the corner and I couldn't get out of the corners. Quite early on I had a moment on the front-end and that hadn't happened all weekend. After that I just couldn't push and I just stayed at the same pace. I couldn't really do more than a 31.5 and it didn't matter what I did I kept falling back. Right at the end I could see de Puniet was running into a few problems with his rear tyre and I was slowly reeling him back in. I managed to pass him and make it stick. It is severely disappointing because I really believed that I could run up close to the podium today. I was riding really hard so to finish eighth is frustrating. I felt like I was on the absolute limit at the pace I was running and it wasn't good enough. This isn't the way I wanted to celebrate my 100th Grand Prix, but congratulations to James. He rode a great race and I'll be looking for a lot more in Malaysia." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager  "James was absolutely incredible today and he could not have done anymore to get his best result of the season. It was a shame he was sixth again, but again he showed what a true fighter he is. We were quietly confident going into the race after we had a very strong qualifying session with James fifth and Colin seventh on the grid. James made an incredible start and when we saw him fighting in third we couldn't believe it because we weren't sure whether he could maintain the pace knowing how tough this track is for the tyres. But he kept his pace and that was impressive. He also fought very hard with some of the top guys in this championship. His fight with Valentino was extra special and terrific to watch. Not a lot of guys get passed by Valentino and then pass him straight back, so it was incredible to see him do this. We were dreaming of a podium at one point but the way he rode, I think he gave the fans a really special show. It was a great way to celebrate his birthday and I think he gave himself a good present with that ride. Colin didn't finish where we expected but he fought hard to the end and his result has helped us move back into fourth in the Team World Championship, which is very important for us. I'd also like to congratulate Mike di Meglio for winning the World 125 Championship. As a French team it is special to see home grown talent succeed on the world stage." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 40'56.543 2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'6.504 3, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'7.205 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'11.500 5, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'11.914 6, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'12.243 7, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'12.780 8, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'25.920 9, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'26.037 10, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'26.799 11, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 0'27.027 12, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 0'47.808 13, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'48.333 14, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'48.899 15, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'48.935 16, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'11.767 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'28.665 Rider Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 332 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 245 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 209 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 182 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 145 6, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 131 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 126 8, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 118 9, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 106 10, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 102 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 100 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 91 13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 60 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 55 15, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 54 Team Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 514 2, Repsol Honda Team, 340 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 296 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 226 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 222 6, Honda Gresini, 161 7, Team Alice, 151 8, JIR Scot Team, 145 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 96 10, Honda LCR, 54 Manufacturer Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 361 2, Ducati, 286 3, Honda, 275 4, Suzuki, 165 5, Kawasaki, 81
Alex Asigno
The 62nd Motocross of Nations saw the biggest media attendance of the year for a European race and a large contingent of the press corps crowded the Monster Energy hospitality unit on Saturday to see David Philippaerts select a canvas print from a dedicated gallery compiled to celebrate a title-winning campaign and present it to the Wings for Life foundation. Ten images of the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team including action shots of Philippaerts and Josh Coppins as well as photographs from the victory scenes at the decisive Grand Prix Citta di Faenza were displayed to the press and public inside the hospitality. The World Champion then signed and gave one of the pictures to former number one Heinz Kinigadner for auction to generate more funding for the foundation that works for research and prevention of spinal injuries. “It was great to see the gallery and reminded me of some of the good times we had this season,” said the Italian. “It was a nice gesture by Yamaha Motor Europe and I am pleased that we could show it off at the same time as the race replica,” he added referring to the new 2009 YZ450F Yamaha Motocross Team Replica that was launched at the same moment. “Wings for Life is an important organisation and to give them one of the pictures was no problem at all, it was good that Heinz could be there also; it was a special moment,” he added.
Alex Asigno
American racing sensation Ben Spies has signed up to the Yamaha factory World Superbike Team to partner 23 yr old British rider Tom Sykes for the 2009 season. The 24yr old American rider from Dallas is fresh from a record third championship win in a row, taking the AMA Superbike Championship crown again for 2008. Spies is only the fourth rider in the history of AMA Superbike to win three consecutive titles and 3rd on the all-time AMA Superbike wins list with a total of 28 AMA Superbike wins. This now completes the Yamaha World Superbike team for 2009. Spies has been racing and winning in the AMA Superbike Championship since 2005, and has an unrivalled 90% podium finish rate for racing, the highest for any AMA rider in the history of the championship. He took second place in his rookie year followed by the three successive championship wins. Prior to this he had a three year stint in the AMA Supersport Championship,. Spies turned pro in 2000, racing in the AMA Superstock Championship for two years before joining AMA Supersport in 2002. Spies has also ridden in MotoGP in 2008, starting in place of injured Loris Capirossi at the British GP, finishing 14th place scoring his first MotoGP points. He had a further 2 wildcard outings, achieving 8th at Laguna Seca and an even more impressive 6th at Indianapolis. “I’m very excited about joining Yamaha in World Superbike,” Spies said. “This is a positive step for the direction of my career. I’ll have a great opportunity to race on many of the top road racing circuits in the world. Riding with a company as passionate about racing as Yamaha is going to put me in a good position to contest for a world championship right from the start.” “Superbike racing originated in America, but it’s been a while since we’ve had an American world champion. There’s a great tradition of American riders in World Superbike and I hope to put my name alongside great champions like Fred Merkel, Doug Polen, Scott Russell, John Kocinski and Colin Edwards. “ “After considering my offers it became obvious to me that Yamaha would be a great home. Yamaha was excited about the possibility of me joining them and they just made me feel like I was coming into a great family. You look at how Yamaha treats its riders and how, even after their careers are over, they’re always part of the Yamaha family. That was really important to me. I’m looking forward to the challenge at hand and to work with Yamaha to produce a winning team and ultimately a World Superbike Championship.” Massimo Meregalli (Yamaha’s factory Superbike Team Manager) – “We’re really enthusiastic to have signed Ben Spies for the 2009 team. He’s proved to be a very skilful and successful rider in AMA Superbike, he has been one of the riders we have followed closely this year. We are sure he will be a great combination with Tom Sykes, the team are looking forward to starting with them both next year. There will be a lot to learn with new circuits and new bikes but we also have new motivation as a fresh team and will give 200% to help the riders win in 2009. ” “We’re very excited to have Ben join the team” said Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “He’s proved to be a top rider with his AMA titles and recent rides in MotoGP, we believe he’s got a long future ahead of him at the highest levels in motorcycle racing.“
Alex Asigno
Despite being down to just two riders for the penultimate round of the 2008 World Enduro Championship due to the injury sustained by Spaniard Cristobal Guerrero at this year's ISDE in Greece, the UFO Corse Yamaha team put in a strong showing at their home round of the WEC series in Piediluco, Italy with Maurizio Micheluz claiming the team's best E1 class results with 3rd on Day1 and 4th on Day2. With Albergoni riding just 15 days after cracking a shoulder blade at the ISDE, Maurizio Micheluz led the UFO Corse team on Day1 claiming his first podium result of the year. With many riders struggling to get to grips with the hard, dry Italian terrain, Maurizio gelled with each of the event's special tests to finish the opening day just 48 seconds behind eventual winner Mika Ahola and ahead of former double E1 world champion Ivan Cervantes. Winning one of the day's extreme tests, finishing 3rd on two of the enduro tests, as well as 2nd on the opening motocross test, Maurizio put in his strongest performance of the season. On Day2 Maurizio dropped one position to 4th in the E1 class despite continued good riding. With one round of the '08 WEC series remaining, Maurizio sits 5th in the E1 championship standings. For Simone Albergoni the GP of Italy was a tough one. Having been unable to ride since the ISDE where he crashed on the final day and cracked one of his shoulder blades Simone was unable to perform at his best and despite his efforts could place no higher than 4th on Day1 and 7th on Day2. Starting well on the first day and winning the first timed extreme test Simone saw his pace decrease as the day wore on. On Day2 several crashes, including one big accident on the final enduro test, stopped Albergoni placing higher than 7th. Despite being extremely disappointed Simone remains third in the E1 championship standings and sits 20 points ahead of Yamaha France rider Marc Germain. Despite being best known as a mud specialist Germain claimed a creditable runner-up result on Day1 finishing just 24 seconds behind winner Mika Ahola. On Day2 Marc matched his day one result to finish as runner-up. Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 5th, Day 2 7th: "It's not been a good weekend for me, mainly because I broke my shoulder blade when I crashed in the final motocross race at the ISDE. With just 15 days between the two races I've struggled. Half way through every special test I had no power, I just couldn't push. I wasn't able to train before the race so I was getting very tired. I had several crashes on day two, one of which was very big. I was lucky not to hurt myself. Although my results weren't what I wanted for my home GP it's not been too bad as far as the championship is concerned because I only lost 10 points to the rider behind me." Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 3rd, Day 2 4th: "I'm really happy to have got my first podium of this season at my home race. It's also the second podium of my career so it's great to be back once again. I tried to push as much as I could on day one because I was really enjoying the conditions. I was second until the last lap on day one so I am very happy with the way it finished. Some of the other riders were a little faster on day two, but I still managed to finish fourth so it has been a very good weekend for me. It's been a very difficult race. We had more than one-hour of special tests as well as a tight time check on each lap. It's been a typically Italian race and I've really enjoyed it." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 69'21.900 2, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 0'24.710 3, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 0'48.910 4, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 1'11.880 5, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'14.450 6, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 1'49.380 7, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 2'48.760 8, Damien Miquel, Suzuki, FRA, 3'23.830 9, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 3'50.530 10, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 3'52.740 11, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 4'17.270 12, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 5'7.860 13, Giuliano Falgari, Honda, ITA, 5'46.500 14, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 7'39.950 Race 2  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 84'40.140 2, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 0'44.850 3, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 0'51.730 4, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 1'52.160 5, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 2'54.160 6, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 2'55.350 7, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 3'7.260 8, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 3'35.800 9, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 4'12.010 10, Damien Miquel, Yamaha, FRA, 4'50.510 11, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 9'1.480 12, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 12'3.410 Rider Standings 27/09/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 325 2, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 322 3, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 267 4, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 242 5, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 196 6, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 185 7, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 145 8, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 140 9, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 140 10, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 137 11, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 109 12, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 102 13, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 82 14, Daryl Bolter, Husqvarna, GBR, 58 15, Danielle Tellini, Suzuki, ITA, 50 Manufacturer Standings 27/09/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 325 2, KTM, 309 3, Yamaha, 296 4, Husqvarna, 167 5, Suzuki, 153 6, TM, 102 7, Kawasaki, 47 8, Sherco, 12 ---------- RACE REPORT - 29/09/2008 Aubert close to title after Italian win With just one round of the 2008 World Enduro Championship remaining UFO Corse Yamaha team rider Johnny Aubert holds a 16-point lead over Finn Juha Salminen having finished the GP of Italy as the E2 class winner on Day1 and as runner-up on Day2. Having suffered both injury and mechanical troubles at the UFO Corse Yamaha team's home round of the world championship in past years, this time around Aubert did exactly what he needed to do and finished without problems as he closed in on his first ever world championship title. Winning the first three special tests on day one to open up an important lead over rival Salminen, Aubert then maintained his position at the front of the class throughout the course and adding a further three test wins to his name claimed an eventual 18 second winning margin. On Day2 Aubert again started strongly by winning four of the first five special tests. Looking as if he was headed towards a second victory he found himself trailing Salminen as the day neared it's close and on the very last extreme test of the event parted company with his bike in spectacular fashion, losing well over one-minute. Luckily uninjured following his spill, Johnny held on to the runner-up position and now heads to his second home GP of the season in France with a 16-point lead at the top of the E2 championship standings. Ensuring Yamaha enjoyed a strong presence in the Enduro 2 class at the GP of Italy, Fabrizio Dini placed a creditable 5th on Day1 having held 3rd in class for much of the opening two laps. Looking to secure strong results at his home round of the WEC the WR450F-mounted rider rode exceptionally well on the extreme test where he placed 3rd in the class on two separate occasions. Also performing well on the motocross and enduro tests the former motocross racer was consistent throughout the day. Disappointingly, Day2 started badly for Fabrizio as, after the opening three special tests, he was placed down near the bottom of the E2 standings. During the day however he managed to pull himself back up the results, helped again by impressive riding on the extreme test. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1 1st, Day 2 2nd: "It's been a really good weekend for me. I was 21 seconds faster than Juha in the first lap on day one, which was a great start. I was faster on the motocross and extreme tests and he was faster on the enduro test. I ended the day 18 seconds ahead and it was a good run. I was having a good day again on Sunday, having a decent battle with Juha, and it looked like I was going to finish second. I arrived at the final extreme test and made a huge mistake. I crashed on one of the big rock steps and lost more than one minute. Thankfully, I made a good final motocross test and managed to hold my second place. I have just one race to go now, my second home race in France. I'm a little more relaxed now, but maybe that will change when the final race of the season gets a little closer." Fabrizio Dini (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1 5th Day 2 8th: "The first day was really good for me. I was third for two laps. After that I had a small problem on the enduro test and finished fifth, which isn't so bad. I was really looking forward to the second day, but things didn't go as well as I hoped they would. I crashed five times including two big crashes in the enduro test. After that it was very difficult. I finished eighth, which I'm happy with because after the first three tests I was last in the E2 class. It's been a very difficult race with lots of special tests and one very challenging and tight time control." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 69'0.880 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 0'17.990 3, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 1'24.980 4, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 1'31.680 5, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 1'59.840 6, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 2'8.160 7, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 2'46.350 8, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 3'15.930 9, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 3'17.340 10, Jean Francois Goblet, BMW, BEL, 4'50.160 11, Aaron Bernandez, Husqvarna, ESP, 4'57.600 12, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 5'7.190 13, Rudy Cotton, Beta, FRA, 5'13.840 14, Dario Cardinali, Husqvarna, ITA, 30'39.780 Race 2  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 84'8.990 2, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 1'21.880 3, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 1'41.530 4, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 1'41.880 5, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 1'54.760 6, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 2'19.710 7, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 3'16.480 8, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 3'37.900 9, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 3'39.930 10, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 3'47.590 11, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 5'34.330 Rider Standings 27/09/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 319 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 303 3, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 223 4, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 196 5, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 189 6, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 180 7, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 171 8, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 143 9, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 139 10, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 126 11, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 126 12, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 111 13, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 110 14, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 78 15, Aaron Bernandez, Husqvarna, ESP, 59 Manufacturer Standings 27/09/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, KTM, 328 2, Yamaha, 319 3, HusaBerg, 215 4, Husqvarna, 206 5, Honda, 200 6, TM, 196 7, BMW, 169 8, Aprilia, 143 9, GasGas, 111 10, Beta, 49 11, Suzuki, 26
Alex Asigno
Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins took 4th position overall in the MX1 class at a cloudy and sometimes wet Donington Park for the 62nd Motocross of Nations, assisting his country, New Zealand to a final finish of 8th place. MX1 World Champion David Philippaerts steered his YZ450FM for Italy and fought with American number one James Stewart in the first moto taking 3rd spot but a brace of crashes in his second race left him the outside the top twenty. The circuit that hosted the 2007 British Grand Prix and regularly entertains MotoGP and World Superbike events had been altered and changed for the biggest and most historical meeting on the off-road motorcycle racing calendar. 60000 spectators flocked to England’s East Midlands and the cosmopolitan crowd remained in good spirits despite a period of rainfall in the morning. The hard terrain from a warm and sunny Saturday became soft and very rough after Sunday’s climate change and the surface provided a technical test for a gathering of the best rider’s in the world. Coppins was a protagonist in the top ten during both of his races. The 31 year old had taken a break after an arduous Grand Prix season and lacked a little race sharpness. He was as high as 3rd in the second sprint for the MX1 riders but ended the day 7th and 6th to be the Kiwi’s best performer. Philippaerts, just two weeks after winning the MX1-GP World championship, put in a good first moto for Italy and was one of just two riders to keep pace with Stewart in the two outings for the MX1 category. His 3rd place involved a small crash when the front end of the bike slipped away on the greasy mud and this was a prelude to a problematic second outing in which he felt the exertions of a long 2008 season and hit the floor twice, crossing the line in 22nd. He was 10th in the MX1 overall ranking. Italy would end the day with 5th position in the final classification of countries and their efforts were assisted enormously by 3C Racing’s Manuel Monni. The MX2 Italian champion took his YZ250F to 3rd place in the division. Yamaha were present on the Nations podium as Nico Aubin rode a YZ450F in the Open class for France. He joined his two team-mates in celebrating the runner-up step of the rostrum behind winners USA and ahead of Belgium. Aubin rode admirably across the rutted red mud and although the physical demands of the bigger machine took their toll he was able to finish 3rd in the category. Utag Yamaha.com’s Zach Osborne also swapped his YZ250F for a YZ450F and was 7th in the MX Open classification for Puerto Rico and his Nations debut. His flight from almost last on the first lap of his first race to 6th was a highlight for the teenager. His team-mate Martin Barr won the B-Final for Ireland. In other news Utag Yamaha.com’s Kenneth Gundersen has been forced to retire from the sport as a result of the weakened condition of his cartilage. The Norwegian was present at Donington Park to see his team enter the B-Final and commented that the repercussions of two knee injuries and a damaged cartilage were behind his decision, after his knee swelled while training two weeks ago. “It is a tough situation but after I had some inflammation I saw the doctor and he said the cartilage was not in good shape. I am only sorry for Steve (Dixon, team manager) because he believed in me and we were hoping for a decent 2009. I have had ten years in the world championship and many good times and met many good people. I really don’t know what I will do now but I hope I can stay in the sport.” “I am very sorry for Kenneth that he has to stop his career because of injury,” commented Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “When he came to Yamaha it was clear that he had a lot of talent and we were hoping he could come back from some difficult times. We wish him all the best, there is more to life than motocross and I will always see him as a Yamaha man.” With the international schedule now over Philippaerts has a host of media and personal appearances lined up into the month of November while Coppins has committed to several beach race events and a race in his native New Zealand in October. Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team (New Zealand) 4th in MX1: “The day was OK, nothing more. My starts were good and the motos were pretty consistent. I crashed in the first race and felt a bit tired in the second half of the next one. I did not really have the year I wanted so after the last GP I felt a bit down and took some time off and it showed today. However I think I gave the Kiwi team quite a solid ride, it was just a shame I could not maintain that good speed of the second moto until the end. I am happy a long season is over!” David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team (Italy) 10th in MX1: “I started well in the first moto and was riding fast but Stewart and Pourcel were just a bit better. I was pleased with third position, it was good for the team. The second moto was a disaster. After three laps I crashed and afterwards pushed hard to get as many positions as possible but made another mistake. It was not my day today and it is disappointing. I wanted a lot more from this race. The last two weeks have been pretty crazy and I am really tired now. I did not train so much after Faenza, and so I am quite content with the speed. It was a long season and after 15 races of always pushing to be near the top I did not have any more to give.” Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, (France) 3rd in MX Open: “We were really determined to try and beat the US and we tried as hard as we could. Anthony and Sebastien rode really well and I was pretty satisfied with my motos. I rode a bit too tense and not as relaxed as I would like but we took a good result and I liked racing the 450F today.” Zach Osborne, Utag Yamaha.com, 7th in MX Open: “I came together with Brett Metcalfe in the second turn of my first race and went down. I fought my way back to 6th but it meant that I was spent for the second moto. I did my best and finished the race and I think people are happy with what I did. I feel really drained and with the small amount of time between the races I was not able to recover properly. The track was really rough for the second race; I could not believe it, but I really enjoyed riding here.” Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Division Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe: “We have reached the end of a long season and looking back we are delighted to have won the MX1-GP title and with Valentino Rossi claiming the MotoGP championship we are extremely happy that Yamaha have enjoyed so much success both off and on the road. 2008 has been a special year for us but now we will focus on the preparation for the coming season and both David and Josh will be pushing for more acclaim in 2009.” MX1 Overall Result 1. Sebastien Pourcel, FRA, Kawasaki 2. Ken de Dycker, BEL, Suzuki 3. Julien Bill, SUI, Honda 4. Josh Coppins, NZL, Yamaha 5. Jonathan Barragan, ESP, KTM 10. David Philippaerts, ITA, Yamaha MX2 Overall Result 1. Ryan Villopoto, USA, Kawasaki 2. Tommy Searle, GBR, KTM 3. Manuel Monni, ITA, Yamaha 4. Brett Metcalfe, AUS, Suzuki 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek, BEL, KTM 6. Carlos Campano, ESP, Yamaha MX Open Overall Result 1. Tim Ferry, USA, Kawasaki 2. Steve Ramon, BEL, Suzuki 3. Nicolas Aubin, FRA, Yamaha 4. Alex Salvini, ITA, Suzuki 5. Cody Cooper, NZL, Suzuki 7. Zach Osborne, PUR, Yamaha Final Motocross of Nations classification 1. USA 2. France 3. Belgium 4. Great Britain 5. Italy
Alex Asigno
“I think it’s difficult to say, but maybe this is even better than the first championship with Yamaha in 2004. In 2004 I arrived after three championships in a row; the change was very big and no one expected me to win then, not even us to be honest! But this year is great too because I didn’t start as the number one favourite after losing for two years. The taste of this is something special. “In 2006 I lost because of bad luck; I still won the most races and was the fastest on track for most of the time, but in 2007 Stoner was a lot faster than us and so we got to the end with a big of disadvantage. Winning this championship was very difficult but also very, very important. “The decision to change to Bridgestone tyres, which I took together with Jeremy, my team and all the Yamaha crew, was very important, as were the changes to the bike because the first 800cc M1 last year was not competitive enough. We spoke a lot during last season and I remember a strange meeting in Valencia last year, me with a broken hand, speaking with Furusawa about 2008. From then we started to work on the improvements for this season. It’s also been important to have the right people in the right place and this year everything has been correct. It’s been step-by-step. “I think I have made a lot of good decisions this year and we have been competitive from the start. Qatar was the worst race of the season but I knew our potential was good so, although we were a bit worried at that point, we weren’t desperate because we knew if we fixed a few problems we could try to win. “I grew up a lot in the last two years, because at the end of 2005 I had a great career and I had won all the important targets so far. 125, 250 and then five titles in a row in MotoGP with two different bikes – I felt unbeatable. But in 2006 and 2007 I learnt to lose and this has been very important. I came out much stronger and my level of concentration and effort to win this championship has been higher than ever before. “This season has had some different periods. At the beginning of the year we had some important results when Bridgestone wasn’t the strongest: Jerez, Portugal and others, and in that period we took a big advantage from Stoner. After Barcelona Casey started to ride like a demon and dominated three races in a row, and then we went to Laguna which was the turning point of the season. Laguna was a real battle and from then on we have flown. “The show after the race was one of my friends pretending to be a ‘notary’, signing and certificating the eighth championship ‘deed’. It was very exciting to be planning the championship t-shirt and celebration once again with my friends and fan club and the one we came up with is funny I think, it says ‘I’m sorry for the delay!’ “I am very content at Yamaha and this is why I signed for two more years. I had some good offers at other factories, but I already changed bike once and proved everything I wanted to and so there is no need to do that again. Also I am no longer 20 years old and I need a good atmosphere in my team in order to keep me focused and happy, and I have this at Yamaha. The atmosphere in our team, from the Japanese all the way down to the garage is fantastic and this is what makes me want to stay. “I think 2009 will be even more difficult than this year. Now I am the world champion again and I have demonstrated that I am still very fast; I think I rode the best of my career this year apart from the mistake in Assen, but next year is another story, it depends on how the winter is and how Stoner, Pedrosa and also Lorenzo are next year, as well as the other riders because there are many fast people in this championship. I think it will be a great championship and I’m looking forward to it, but first I want to finish this year and try to win the final three races! “As I said, there are many strong riders but of course I hope that in the future nobody will win like Valentino Rossi! Maybe my brother Luca will be as strong as me…I wanted to take him on my bike on the celebration lap, but they did not allow it. Maybe I will wait for him to be a MotoGP rider before quitting, then I will beat him in the first year, and then I will stop riding! “When you are 20 or 22 yrs old, you live everything in a different way. It’s different… In 2000, maybe, I could have won on my debut, but I underestimated myself! In 2001 it was the last chance for me to win in 500, so I gave it my best and did that. In 2001 it was the year of the battle with Biaggi, in 2002 it was the year when everybody said that I won because of my bike, then 2003 was the year of Gibernau, it was hard until the end. They were fantastic years but with Yamaha it is different. I enjoy it more. “During 2003 I started thinking about Yamaha. Of course I was scared about the new challenge, it was a big question mark. This year, when I tested the new bike and the new tyres, I understood that I could win. In 2004, however, when I tested the new bike I understood we had to work a lot. Sincerely, the feeling of winning in Welkom in 2004 was the strongest emotion of my career; more so than in Laguna Seca this year. The 2005 the M1 was very fast and that one and the 2008 one are the best Yamaha bikes ever. “I think Stoner next year will be back stronger again, so maybe he is the hardest rival I have ever had, more than Gibernau and all the others I fought against in the past. Last year I was sorry that after so many successful years, some people thought Valentino was finished and Casey was the new Valentino. As I said, until I stop riding a bike, my objective will always be to win. I like this life and I always try to do my best in it.” Statistiscs on Valentino Rossi's career  In becoming only the second rider ever to win the MotoGP World Championship following a two-year gap, Valentino Rossi has cemented his place amongst the legends of motorcycle racing. A return to the form that won him five consecutive premier-class titles between 2001 and 2005 has seen the Italian reinstated at the very pinnacle of the sport, with a host of career milestones reached along the way. Here is a full list of Rossi’s historic MotoGP achievements in 2008: Rossi has joined Giacomo Agostini as one of only two riders to have taken six or more premier-class World Championships. Rossi is only the second rider to regain the premier-class title after a two year gap – the other rider to do this was also Agostini. This is Rossi’s eighth world title across all classes.Only Agostini with 15, Angel Nieto, with 13, Mike Hailwood and Carlos Ubbiali, with nine each, have won more. Rossi is the first rider to win the premier-class title on four different types of motorcycle: 500cc 4-cylinder two-stroke, 990cc 5-cylinder four-stroke, Yamaha 990cc 4-cylinder four-stroke and a Yamaha 800cc 4-cylinder four-stroke. It is eleven years since Rossi’s first World Championship success in the 125cc class in 1997.The only rider with a longer period between his first and last titles is Angel Nieto, who won the 50cc crown in 1969 and the 125cc equivalent in 1984. With his 69th career MotoGP win at Indianapolis, Rossi broke Giacomo Agostini’s record for the most premier-class victories; a record that has stood since the legendary Italian’s final victory at the West German Grand Prix in 1976. With 37 wins, Rossi has had more success with Yamaha than any other factory in his career Rossi is also Yamaha’s most successful rider, having scored 13 more premier-class wins for the factory than Kenny Roberts. With three races to go he is the only rider to have scored points in every round of the 2008 season. Rossi’s sequence of five straight race wins since Laguna Seca is his longest run of wins since 2005, when he also scored five successive victories. Other facts about Rossi’s career.  In 1997 Rossi became the second youngest ever 125cc World Champion after scoring 321 points and eleven wins. Two years later, he became the youngest ever 250cc World Champion with nine wins. In 2001 Rossi joined Phil Read as one of only two riders ever to win the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc titles. Rossi’s debut victory for Yamaha at the opening race of 2004 in South Africa made him the first rider in history to take back-to-back wins for different manufacturers. After winning the MotoGP World Championship three times with Honda, Rossi took his fourth premier-class title with Yamaha in 2004 and became the only rider other than Eddie Lawson to win consecutive premier-class titles for different manufacturers. Valentino Rossi - Career  Nationality: Italian Born: 16th February 1979 in Urbino, Italy World Championships: 8 (6 x MotoGP/500cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc) GP victories: 96 (70 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) GP podiums: 148 (112 x MotoGP/500cc, 21 x 250cc, 15 x 125cc) GP Pole Positions: 51 (41 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) First GP win: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 207 (146 x MotoGP/50cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Alex Asigno
Valentino Rossi rode a perfect race to win Yamaha's home Grand Prix in Japan today, claiming the 2008 MotoGP World Championship title in the process. In doing so the 29-year-old Italian became only the second rider in history to recapture the title after two years, the other being Giacomo Agostini, whose all-time victory record Rossi surpassed at the last race in Indianapolis. This is Rossi's third title with Yamaha, his sixth in the premier class and eighth in total in a career spanning 12 years. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished a fighting fourth and today's results also secured the triple crown of Rider, Manufacturer and Team titles for Yamaha and the Fiat Yamaha Team. Rossi slipped some places at the start and was in fifth first time around. He soon found his rhythm however as his Bridgestone tyres warmed up and he passed Lorenzo and Nicky Hayden on the next lap before settling in behind Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, the three contesting the next four laps within a few tenths of a second of one another. On lap six both Rossi and Stoner got by Pedrosa and from then on the Italian was on his championship rival's tail, determined to find a way to pass him and win the race despite the title being his with a podium finish. With ten laps to go Rossi did just that and it was then a straight run to the finish as he pulled away from Stoner, crossing the line 1.943 seconds and 92 championship points ahead to seal a very special title after two barren years. Rossi has won eight races this season and, with three remaining, he is still in with a chance of matching the 11 he won in his second season with Yamaha in 2005. Today's win was his 70th in the premier class, his 96th in total and his 148th career podium. Valentino Rossi - Position:1st, Time:43'09.599  "It's a great victory and a great achievement; I think it's at the same level as the first title in 2004 with Yamaha, maybe even better! This championship has been very long and hard and all of the team and all of Yamaha have worked very well, never giving up for one moment. We have been able to put a great bike onto the track in all conditions and at all circuits, and this has allowed me to ride like this and to win so many races. I am very happy! The race was a great battle and I had to ride at 100%, like I have through all through the season! Pedrosa and Stoner today were very strong and it was fun to fight with them like this, I am happy that it was a good race for the fans. It was a fantastic feeling to take the title with a win, like I did in 2001 and 2004. I think this is the hardest I have ever had to work to win a world championship and I have to say a huge thank you to Yamaha, my mechanics, the team and everyone involved for working this hard alongside me. Of course I also have to say a special thank you to Bridgestone, they have done a great job with the tyres all season and the decision to be with them has been a big part of our success this season. We have lost for two years and I don't think I was the favourite this season, but we have shown that we are a great team and that we never give up. I am so happy that I have now won three titles with Yamaha because this is how many I won with my last team and I want Yamaha to have the same merit - I am a Yamaha rider and I feel different with Yamaha than with anyone else before - I hope we will have more together! Now I have to get used to being World Champion again!" Davide Brivio - Team Manager;  "Simply amazing! Every time he surprises us. We've already been working together for five years and what he can deliver on the track is always unbelievable. This year is another demonstration of how strong Valentino is, especially to come back to this level of performance after two very hard years. We knew we had to improve the bike and make it faster after last year and Yamaha have done this, but Valentino worked very hard in the winter too and, together with Bridgestone, we were able to start very strongly and get better as the season progressed. 2006 and 2007 made everyone stronger, including the relationship between Valentino and Yamaha; we knew that we didn't want to be in this situation again and so this has been a great motivation for this victory. Congratulations to Valentino, to all the team and Yamaha engineers, and thank you to Bridgestone, Fiat and all of our sponsors and partners. Congratulations also to Jorge's team and to Tech 3, they have all played a big part in winning the Triple Crown." Jorge Lorenzo just missed out on a podium at Motegi today, finishing fourth after a hard fight with Dani Pedrosa. His team-mate Valentino Rossi won the race to take his eighth world championship title and Yamaha and the Fiat Yamaha team also secured the Team and Manufacturer's titles, both of which Lorenzo has played a significant part in during his rookie season. After dominating qualifying, the young Spaniard was looking forward to being able to fight for the win today but much lower temperatures made things harder for him and he was unable to keep up quite the same pace as he had yesterday. He slipped to fourth at the start, was relegated to fifth by Rossi on his charge to the front on the second lap and then took six laps to pass Nicky Hayden to regain fourth. The determined rookie was then 1.6 seconds from third-placed Pedrosa but he put his head down and pushed as hard as he could to bring himself into touching distance for a showdown on the last lap. Lorenzo made his move at the hairpin but was unable to make it past Pedrosa today and had to settle for fourth and 13 points, leaving him 40 points adrift of his fellow Spaniard, who is third in the championship, with three rounds remaining. Jorge Lorenzo - Position:4th, Time:+6.165  "I am very happy with this fourth position; it was impossible to do more today. I tried so hard to pass Dani and the hairpin before the back straight was the only place I had the chance, but I couldn't do it. Yesterday I thought I had a chance to win and I was very confident, but this morning I saw the weather, much colder and yesterday, and I knew that it would be more difficult than in the qualifying session. The track was colder and for Michelin and for me this was more difficult. I have to improve my starts because once again I had problems and lost some places, but anyway I think I'm in good form for the last three races. The team worked very well this weekend, as always, so thanks to them and to Michelin. Big congratulations to Valentino and the other side of the box, to do what he has done is almost impossible! Finally well done to everyone for winning the Team's and Manufacturer's titles as well, I am so happy that I have played a part in this during my first season with Yamaha." Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager  "Obviously, after yesterday's qualifying, we hoped for a better result, but today Jorge did the best he could. He rode in a very fast and aggressive way but the weather, with the colder ground temperature, didn't help us and we achieved as much as we were able. Many thanks to the team for their work because the bike setting was very good, but we do need to work on our race start. Congratulations to Valentino for the world championship title, won so far in advance, but we are also happy about the 'triple crown' of Team and Manufacturer's titles because we have played an important role in these titles." Takashi Kajikawa - President and CEO Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.  "It gives me great pleasure to announce today that Valentino Rossi has reclaimed the championship title in MotoGP after two years of unfortunate near misses, and that we have also achieved the ultimate goal of adding the team and constructor titles to win the coveted "triple crown" in this premier class of international road racing. For us at Yamaha Motor Company, this great achievement is especially great because it comes at our home GP here in Japan. "We owe this great achievement to Valentino Rossi, who won the championship today, as well as to Jorge Lorenzo, who won his first victory earlier this year in his first season in the MotoGP, and to Colin Edwards and James Toseland, who also rode hard throughout the season and won points on the Yamaha YZR-M1. "I want to take this occasion to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of the people who have made this achievement possible, including not only the team members who have worked so hard to realize it but also the Yamaha fans around the world who have cheered them on consistently through the season and the sponsors who have supported them so generously. "At Yamaha Motor Company, we believe that the racing arena is more than just a stage for technological development. It is also a theatre that helps nurture employee skills and traits such as the spirit of challenge that we value so much. For these reasons, racing has been an important symbol of our corporate culture that we have continued to pursue actively throughout our history., I also believe firmly that racing is a challenge that helps us bring Kando to many people around the world. "I hope that everyone will continue to give us their support in this ongoing challenge." Tech 3 perform well in Yamaha's home race  Capitalising on a strong start from the third row of the grid, Tech 3 rider Edwards reeled off a series of consistently fast lap times to mount a serious assault on the top six in the second half of the race. The American managed to claw back a three second deficit on Loris Capirossi to shadow the Italian from lap 12 onwards. Edwards exerted intense pressure on the Italian, winner of the last three races at the challenging Twin Ring Motegi circuit, and he cut the gap to Capirossi by 0.5s in the last two laps. But Edwards had to settle for seventh, a result which is still a big confidence boost with today's 24-lap race his best result since the Dutch GP at Assen in June. He moved back into the top six in the overall standings ahead of Chris Vermeulen. Team mate James Toseland also rode a strong race in front of an appreciative crowd of 57,865 fans as he was embroiled in a nail-biting battle with John Hopkins. Toseland rode superbly to keep his more experienced rival at bay for 15 laps before he slipped to 11th on the last lap. Today's result saw the Tech 3 Yamaha squad remain firmly in the hunt for fourth place in the Team World Championship. Colin Edwards: Position:7th, Time;+25.918  "I got a good start and settled in behind Valentino and Jorge at the first corner and I was happy because I've been caught up in a couple of incidents there in the past. I threw it in and then I just saw this front wheel staring straight at me. It was Dovizioso but luckily we all made through but the first lap I was just trying to get some heat into the rear tyre. I got it working and got into a good pace and saw that Loris was coming back to me. I was pushing hard but I was having a few issues with the rear spinning, which has been a problem all weekend. But then Loris made a mistake and he was right out to the kerb at the first corner. He was nearly in the dirt and I was right on his tail. I was behind him for what seemed like forever but it was fun. I could almost reach out and touch his back wheel but I couldn't do anything to get by him. Loris's bike was really good coming off the corner. It obviously has some bottom grunt because all I could do was watch him and I couldn't do anything with him. I couldn't get close enough to out-brake him and with the spinning problem I couldn't get any acceleration grip out of the corner to line him up for a pass. I put my head down and I was riding as hard as I could, but with the spinning issue I was losing a bit of corner speed, so I was braking extra deep to keep all the weight on the front to run some momentum in the corner Seventh is not where I want to be but it feels good to get a solid race under my belt. It feels forever since I did that, so it is something to build on for the last three races." James Toseland - Position:11th, Time:+37.574  "I gave it my all on every lap and I stayed consistent without making any mistakes. But with that lack of dry track time on Friday it cost me because I was only a couple of tenths slower than fifth position and that time you can find on a dry day with the set-up. But the guys in front were so consistent that I couldn't really get close. One slight problem like a wet day makes it really difficult to get right on the pace. I was with Colin and Shinya early on but I'd been playing with the rear shock all weekend to try and get some grip at full lean angle. It was the best it has been but I was still losing a lot of time on the exit and they were just pulling away from me a bit. And because it is so stop and start here, if you can exit the corners better it gives you a good advantage and you can pull a couple of tenths a lap. I really wanted tenth but John came underneath me at turn one on the last lap and I tried to pass him back in the second part of it down the straight. But he came back on my side and he put my clutch on. It slipped my clutch and he was just able to get a bit of an advantage. I tried to get him back but he didn't put a foot wrong for the rest of the lap. It's disappointing to have worked so hard to keep that place and lose it at the end. At least now I can look ahead to three races where I know the tracks, so hopefully we can end the season on a high." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager  "First of all I want to say very big congratulations to Yamaha and Valentino for such a great world championship success. Yamaha has a great bike with a great champion, and it is great for them to win the title in Yamaha's home race. I'm also very happy with our performance today. Colin did one of his best races of the season when you consider the recent run he has been on. He was pushing hard right to the end and he survived a lot of pressure from behind and at one stage we thought he might pass Loris and get a top six. I'm happy he climbed oneposition in the championship to get some points back on Suzuki in the team championship, so after the disappointment of Indianapolis and Misano I think we saw Colin back where he belongs. James also rode a really strong race and he fought very hard as always. It was another hard weekend on his first time at this track, not helped again by losing some dry track time. I think both of them gave their maximum and that's all we can ask and we can look forward to Australia now with high hopes of even better results." Race 1 - 24 Laps  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 43'9.599 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0'1.943 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'4.866 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'6.165 5, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'24.593 6, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'25.683 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'25.918 8, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'26.003 9, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'26.219 10, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'37.131 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'37.574 12, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'38.020 13, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 0'39.768 14, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'45.846 15, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 0'55.748 Rider Standings 28/09/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 312 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 220 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 209 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 169 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 136 6, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 118 7, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 117 8, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 115 9, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 96 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 95 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 90 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 86 13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 58 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 55 15, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 51 Team Standings 28/09/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 481 2, Repsol Honda Team, 324 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 271 4, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 215 5, Tech3 Yamaha, 208 6, Honda Gresini, 150 7, Team Alice, 144 8, JIR Scot Team, 136 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 89 10, Honda LCR, 47 Manufacturer Standings 28/09/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 341 2, Ducati, 261 3, Honda, 259 4, Suzuki, 159 5, Kawasaki, 77
Alex Asigno
A packed Monster Energy hospitality facility within the Donington Park paddock for the 62nd Motocross of Nations witnessed Yamaha Monster Motocross Team riders David Philippaerts and Josh Coppins draw away the covers on the brand new 2009 YZ450F Yamaha Motocross Team Replica. The special limited edition motorcycle - a mirror image of the factory bikes that were steered to 1st and 5th positions in the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship - were unveiled to a hoard of the world’s media at the biggest off-road motorcycle race of the year. The Yamaha Motocross Team Replica is a project born from the fruitful collaboration between Yamaha Motor Europe, the race team and Yamaha Rinaldi Research and Development. Based on the extremely potent and title-winning YZ450F, the distinctive black and grey identical plastic and graphics are enhanced with carbon fibre elements covering the chain, front mudguard, front disc and sump. 100 of these exclusive machines will be made and sold in Europe and they are expected in dealerships from mid-October. “It looks fantastic and there is virtually nothing to tell apart from my bike,” said World Champion Philippaerts. “It is a bit unreal to see a mirror-image of your race-bike but I think it is a great treat for Yamaha fans who want the closest possible thing to what we use ourselves,” remarked Coppins. The Replica comes complete with a gift set including a signed jersey and preferred entry to the new ‘Yamaha Motocross Masterclass’ concept initiated by Yamaha Motor Europe that will see Philippaerts and Coppins giving expert tuition at 3 or 4 venues across Europe in2009. “It is a good idea to be able to give something else to the fans,” added Coppins “normally we can give a signature or a photo but to actually show riders around a track is a great way of bringing Grand Prix closer to the people that matter.” “It seems an interesting project and not something I have done before,” commented Philippaerts “it should be good fun!”
Alex Asigno
To celebrate the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi this Sunday, Jorge Lorenzo’s no. 48 Fiat Yamaha will race with an unusual and original livery. The Spanish rider’s YZR-M1 will carry the image of comic-book hero Arsenio Lupin III, the celebrated ‘Gentleman Thief’ made famous in the Japanese Manga series created by Kazuhiko Kato, or ‘Monkey Punch’. The celebratory fairing is the creation of the team’s title sponsor Fiat and the image will also appear on a limited series of Fiat 500 cars, due in the second half of 2009. Lorenzo’s M1 will be unveiled in Pit Lane of the Motegi circuit at 0930 Japanese time on Sunday, 28th September 2008.
Alex Asigno
The Yamaha World Supersport team has signed British Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow to partner Frenchman Fabien Foret for the 2009 World Supersport Championship. The 22yr old British rider is highly competitive and is no stranger to championship success. In the current British Superbike Championship Crutchlow has scored a respectable ten podiums including two wins and three pole position starts. He is fourth in the standings on 265 points, chasing third place fellow Brit Tom Sykes, who also steps up to Yamaha next year as he joins the World Superbike team. Crutchlow’s career has been nurtured by Yamaha from the start, it was through The Virgin Mobile Yamaha R6 Cup that he first had the opportunity to showcase his talents, taking 2nd place in the 2003 competition, and getting the help up to premier British road racing, making it fitting that he now returns to the Yamaha family to continue developing his career. He moved on to race in the British Supersport Championship, finishing 10th in 2004, 3rd in 2005 and winning the championship in 2006. Championship wins have marked his career from the start, including 1st place in the 1999 UK Junior Challenge and 1st place in the 2001 Aprilia RS 125 Challenge. Cal Crutchlow “I’m really looking forward to the experience. To go into what is in my eyes the top team in the World Supersport paddock and have the opportunity to challenge for a world title with Yamaha is very exciting. I’m really looking forward to next season, I can’t wait!” Wilco Zeelenberg (Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager) “We’ve been talking to many strong riders over the last couple of months and have beenfollowing Cal’s progress this year in The British Superbike Championship, he’s really impressed us. We’re convinced that his riding style will suit our YZF R6 very well. He’s a very good Supersport rider, we know that coming from Superbikes to Supersport riders don’t have any issues with speed. The 2009 championship will be tough again and we have seen him prove on track that he is happy to get in the middle of the pack and fight for the win.” Laurens Klein Koerkamp (Racing Division Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe) “With Cal we are confident that we have another title challenger next to Fabien Foret for the 2009 season. At only 22yrs old he has a wealth of experience on both Superbikes and Supersport machines already. It is also really pleasing for us to see a rider from the R6 Cup stepping up to a world level competition on a Yamaha.”
Alex Asigno
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) had an outstanding raceday at Vallelunga, scoring a double win and promoting himself to third in the championship after two 24-lap races of full drama. Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) also had a successful raceday, taking two podium finishes in third, and making up ground on long time points leader Troy Bayliss. The Ducati rider fell in race two, without injury, and in doing so scored no points, despite restarting. Corser now has 290 points to Bayliss's 369, with Haga equal on points with Max Neukirchner, on 280. The overall result of the Vallelunga weekend is that each Yamaha rider is still capable of winning the championship, with four races and 100 points left. In the first 24-lap race Haga and Corser were ever-present in the fight for podium places, with long time race leader Haga taking the reward of victory, by 0.129 seconds from Max Biaggi. Corser looked capable of winning himself as he finally made up all the ground he lost in the mid section of the race in the last few laps, but was unable to get close enough to Biaggi to secure second. Race two was a classic three-way fight in the early laps, with Haga, Corser and Bayliss close together. Later in the race Haga and Bayliss swapped the lead repeatedly, but on the final lap Bayliss crashed and Haga went on to win by 1.5 seconds, from Michel Fabrizio, and Corser, who was another second behind. Haga continued to use the new Ohlins electronic rear shock for both Vallelunga races, the system worked well for the Yamaha rider, an improvement on the standard shock. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) had his best result of the year with an eighth place finish, followed by tenth. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) went 17th in race one and ran off on race two, finishing 20th. His team-mate Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) retired in race one but scored two points for 14th in race two. Noriyuki Haga (1st and 1st - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)  "I could hear Biaggi's bike all the way but my bike was working very well and I am very happy with the result. In race two I had a very big fight with Troy Bayliss, and I am sorry for his crash. But I enjoyed our battle while it lasted. It was a great day today for our team and thanks to all the team and the fans for the reception. For sure we will be pushing hard at the next round, as we did at this one." Troy Corser (3rd and 3rd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)  "In race one I got a good start, pushed hard and the tyres were working well, so I felt comfortable. Then I had a bit of a moment when I lost a place to Checa. I went for second gear but hit a neutral and that lost me some time. I was lucky to stay on and I lost a lot of ground to the leaders. I got past Checa again and caught them but I could not get past the leaders. In race two we changed the bike a bit but I lost some time through the Esses. It was a shame for Troy crashing but it kept the championship alive for us." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)  "Another great raceday after a strong weekend for our team, which shows how well we work. Noriyuki had another magic weekend and took full points. Troy rode well and two podiums is a good result. Our riders are second and third in the championship and it is not over yet. I am sorry for Troy Bayliss because he is a fantastic racer, and does not want to give up, but the championship is not closed yet." Shinichi Nakatomi (10th and 8th - Team YZF Yamaha)  ""Yesterday, we had problems with the settings. This morning, the feeling was better. We made more changes in the right direction. The first race was good. In the second race, I lost a lot of time in the beginning because of Biaggi's early crash. Then I progressed forward. On the average, it's not so bad. The test we did in July at Vallelunga was useful. I hope to have a good result at the next race in Magny-Cours because this is my French team's home track." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 39'25.030 2, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'0.129 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'0.535 4, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'5.188 5, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'6.693 6, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'7.993 7, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'16.976 8, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'18.359 9, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'19.214 10, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'19.386 11, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'21.230 12, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'24.956 13, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 0'25.186 14, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'31.799 15, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'33.949 16, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'34.050 17, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'34.665 18, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'52.420 19, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'2.555 20, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 1'6.475 21, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 1'16.985 22, Matt Lynn, Honda, USA, 1'40.616 Race 2  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 39'10.265 2, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'1.507 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'2.268 4, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'11.813 5, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'17.922 6, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'18.281 7, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'19.368 8, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'19.717 9, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'23.868 10, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'24.198 11, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'25.426 12, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'28.384 13, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'30.436 14, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'36.490 15, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'42.903 16, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'43.758 17, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 0'44.993 18, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'48.469 19, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'58.868 20, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 1'18.547 21, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 1'42.272 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 1'37.537 Rider Standings 21/09/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 369 2, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 290 3, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 280 4, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 280 5, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 262 6, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 212 7, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 206 8, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 201 9, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 193 10, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 160 11, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 136 12, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 110 13, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 107 14, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 104 15, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 71 18, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 46 26, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 12 27, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 9 Manufacturer Standings 21/09/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 479 2, Yamaha, 416 3, Honda, 357 4, Suzuki, 355 5, Kawasaki, 77 ---------- RACE REPORT - 21/09/2008 Parkes and Laverty win hard fought podiums in Italy Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) and Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Supersport Team) earned a podium finish apiece after a dramatic WSS race at Vallelunga, eventually capitalising on their strong qualifying performances to go second and third respectively in the race. Parkes was 2.971 seconds from the win, with Laverty hanging on for third, despite riding with broken bones in his feet. Starting from pole, Parkes was held up by other riders in the early laps, letting eventual winner Jonathan Rea run to a clear victory, even though Parkes set a new race lap record more than once in his attempt to catch the start-to-finish leader. Parkes' new record is 1'39.419, set on lap 19 of 22. Laverty and World Championship leader Andrew Pitt collided on lap 19 and Laverty was lucky to stay on, while Pitt slid into the gravel and was unable to restart. Laverty's first WSS podium came in only his second WSS race, as he made a stand-in ride for injured team regular, Fabien Foret. In the overall championship, Parkes is still in with a chance of the title itself, as he sits fourth overall, 30 points from Pitt with a maximum of 50 left to play for in the final two rounds. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) missed points by finishing 17th, while David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport) finished two places behind. Jason Crowe (Yamaha Spain World Supersport) was 24th. Broc Parkes (2nd - Yamaha World Supersport Team)  "It was a great race but at the start of it I was not able to push hard enough to get through the pack quickly enough and there were a few crazy guys in the bunch! I should have probably got past them and away with Jonathan a bit quicker. My bike felt better when it was a bit lighter, but I was a little too far back right at the end to get to Jonathan. Second was great anyway today and the Yamaha worked really well this weekend. We pulled the bike out of the box this weekend and it was great from the start." Eugene Laverty (3rd - Yamaha World Supersport Team)  "I had a little bit more pace on me than Andrew in some places and on one corner I had run a little bit deeper than normal. When I had come back Andrew was there. It was just a racing accident but I am sorry for Andrew. It's brilliant to be on the podium so thanks to the Yamaha team for giving me this opportunity and I have been able to make the most of it." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team)  "Two good results for us today and it was a pity that Jonathan managed to get away because of all the traffic and overtaking, but we were able to keep the package together for both riders. Broc's feeling became better at the end off the race, he was put under pressure after his team mate past him and I believe that made him sharper as well. Near the finish he was doing 1'39s, faster than the beginning. Eugene did really well to get on the podium and I know we will hear a lot about him in the future. After Andrew's unfortunate crash, we are 30 points behind the leader, so the championship is not over yet. All in all a good weekend for us." Massimo Roccoli (17th - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni)  "It is very disappointing not to get any points this weekend, because I had no feeling on the bike today. I felt fast, and the bike felt fast, but the time was not competitive and I could not push hard at the front or the rear. I will improve my mind before the next WS race, as I will race in the Italian series next week at Misano before we go to Magny-Cours." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 36'48.656 2, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 0'2.971 3, Eugene Laverty, Yamaha, GBR, 0'6.461 4, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'7.135 5, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 0'10.945 6, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 0'14.412 7, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'14.557 8, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'19.286 9, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 0'23.854 10, Josh Hayes, Honda, USA, 0'31.193 11, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'31.327 12, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'39.771 13, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 0'40.957 14, Terence Toti, Suzuki, ITA, 0'41.196 15, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'41.337 16, Russell Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'43.421 17, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'44.790 18, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'45.564 19, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'54.098 20, Chris Martin, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'58.063 21, Graeme Gowland, Honda, GBR, 1'1.773 22, Patrick Vostarek, Honda, ITA, 1'16.595 23, David Perret, Honda, FRA, 1'16.917 24, Jeremy Crowe, Yamaha, AUS, 1'17.279 25, Balazs Nemeth, Honda, HUN, 1'17.539 26, Denis Sacchetti, Honda, ITA, 1'28.143 27, Alex Cudlin, Triumph, AUS, 1'29.485 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 1'39.417 Rider Standings 21/09/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 169 2, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 158 3, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 141 4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 139 5, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 105 6, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 100 7, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 97 8, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 72 9, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 70 10, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 60 11, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 48 12, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 47 13, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 43 14, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 36 15, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 27 27, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 9 Manufacturer Standings 21/09/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 265 2, Yamaha, 182 3, Suzuki, 81 4, Triumph, 68 5, Kawasaki, 42
Alex Asigno
After a lengthy and exciting 2008 FIM MX-1 World Championship the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team were able to celebrate their fourth title in five years thanks to David Philippaerts’ results with the YZ450FM. For Philippaerts an eventful and thrilling first season (only his second in MX1-GP) was drawn to an emotional finish at Faenza. The previous six months had seen the 24 year old produce some electrifying performances such as his charges through the pack at Mantova, in Great Britain and at Loket in the Czech Republic where he flew from last to 3rd in the first moto and won the next outing for his second of two overall victories in 2008. “I think Loket was my best grand prix of the year,” he said. “At Lommel I had lost the red plate and on the Monday after the GP I said to my girlfriend Alice that I really wanted to win again at the next race which was in the Czech Republic and the team gave me such a strong bike. The changes that were made gave me a lift, and I rode as hard as I could in that first moto.” “At the start of the year I saw that Faenza would be the final race on the calendar and I imagined that it could be special, and it was more than I could have hoped for,” he added. “Many people helped me get to this point and to see all of them around me at the finish was so emotional. It is hard to describe. It was too much, overwhelming.” “For the media, the team and the rider the victory in Italy was something special,” echoed Yamaha Monster Motocross Team owner Michele Rinaldi, a former world champion and now a man with a phenomenal record of success from the other side of the fence. “The title was the most important thing but we also wanted to prove that we have a very good machine, the right staff and the potential to be very competitive. David was stronger than everyone else through all the season and I am really pleased for him, Yamaha and the sponsors. “We wanted Josh to be fighting for the championship at the last round as well but this was not possible because of some factors throughout the season and therefore we cannot be 100% happy with what we achieved there. We know that Josh is a very determined and professional rider and without some bad luck it would have been a different story for him in 2008. I still want to say thanks to Josh for what he did,” he added. With three victories and a total of ten podiums in a season in which nine different riders won Grand Prix, Rinaldi, the team and Yamaha Motor Europe can feel proud of this latest accomplishment and how the YZ450FM again was one of the most competitive machines in the category. “The MX1 class was nice to watch this season as we had many different winners and the competition was tough,” continued the Italian. “We, as Yamaha, made a good choice in signing David and it is a good trend for us that we have managed to stay at the top for eight seasons.” “Our riders were really happy with the bike at the beginning of the season and as we went on we saw that we could offer them even more engine performance,” he commented. “The chassis was perfect and the riders never complained about anything to do with the handling. The suspension was also very good. We made a step up at the time of the Grand Prix in Loket with the engine specification and I think the bike was great.” “MX1 is the top off-road racing class and we have won this title so many times in the past that we feel it is almost back where it belongs,” claimed Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “The guys in the team have done a tremendous job; we have won 8 titles in the last 10 years which is an incredible record. We are so happy, and once again have proved that the YZ450F is one of the best.” “We are really proud of this title,” he continued. “Yamaha were the pioneers of four-stroke technology in the sport. In the beginning we won the championship with Andrea Bartolini and then a lot with Stefan Everts, so it was important for us that we continue to show that we are the leading brand when it comes to four-strokes. We are at the highest level of off-road racing here. We want MX1-GP success just as much as we want it in a series like MotoGP.” Concerning the potent relationship with Rinaldi and his Parma-based YRRD group, which has yielded so much silverware in the course of more than a decade, he explained: “We have a really open relationship and it is fantastic to work with Michele and his team. He is very demanding but this is what you need for success; all the little details have to be right and you have to strive for perfection in each area, whether it is the bike, the mechanics, the relationship with the rider and so on. Michele will always give the maximum.” Leading the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team in day-to-day operations is Mino Raspanti, a key person in the accomplishments racked-up in 2008 and a man who can take credit for his coaching of Philippaerts. “David learned very fast when to push and when to hold back. His approach to the season was very good and his execution even better,” he revealed. “Josh also never gave up and he had so many things to deal with during the year. He has all the team’s respect for what he did. We are really happy to have the title back and to have a team with two very strong riders.” Fettling the YZ450FM with the number ‘19’ on the front was Gerald Wever, one of the few non-Italian staff in the team. The German has been located in Italy for four years now and his easy-going and fruitful partnership with Philippaerts was again another important ingredient in the cause of the Faenza furore. “This feels so good and I think part of the reason is because we won in Italy and there is a lot of emotion,” he remarked. “I am lucky to work with this team and I appreciate my position. David had some outstanding races this season but for me his comeback at Loket in the Czech Republic and how he rode to beat Steve in the Lierop sand really stand-out. Even though we celebrated at Faenza, I think he won the title at those events.” To say Josh Coppins did not have an easy season is an understatement. A pre-season injury, some personal problems and poor luck on the track (goggles breaking in Czech Republic and a handful of incidents in which he was knocked down at race starts) made 2008 a tough term. The steadfast and likeable New Zealander still rallied to remain in contention for the title up until three rounds before the finish, and his grabbed three podiums including an emphatic double victory in Germany. “Too many problems, too many mistakes, some injuries and some bad luck this year,” he evaluated. “I always did my best, I never gave up and kept training. Top five is not where I want to be but I still gave it my best shot. I found that when I did well and lifted my confidence then something else would come along to set me back and that was how the season, the year even, went along.” “Germany was my best race and I was happy to win there,” he said. “Now we just need to re-group and come back and have another go next year. I am happy for Yamaha because 2007 was a low point with my late injury while leading the championship, not just for me but perhaps even more so for the team. It is a great team so I am pleased that we are successful again.” Coppins, as well as Philippaerts, will again be a Yamaha Monster Motocross team rider in 2009 for his third season with the manufacturer but things will be a little different as he is expecting the birth of his first child with partner Lisa this coming January: “My life is changing and I am very glad that there will be a major highlight for me just around the corner. Next year I will be back and working harder than ever to give that title another shot.”
Alex Asigno
Valentino Rossi wrote another chapter in his ever-expanding history book at Indianapolis today, claiming his 69th premier-class win and becoming the most successful rider in premier-class history in the process. His hat trick of pole position, fastest lap and race victory made for a perfect first Indianapolis Grand Prix for the Italian and a third place for Jorge Lorenzo rounded off an exceptional weekend for the Fiat Yamaha Team. More bad weather in the early afternoon led to the 250cc race being abandoned and the early part of the MotoGP race was run on a very wet track. Rossi dropped to fourth at the start and then surrendered another place to Lorenzo on the next lap, but he soon found his rhythm and made his way back past Casey Stoner, Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso into second behind Nicky Hayden by lap six. Passing Hayden was no mean feat and it took the seven-time world champion another eight laps to finally get by the American, at which point he quickly began to pull away. Hurricane Ike was not finished with Indianapolis however and on lap 16 of 28 it started to rain heavily once again, accompanied by strong gusts of wind which became very dangerous. The race was eventually red-flagged after 20 laps and, after a few minutes confusion as to whether there would be a restart, Rossi was confirmed as the first ever MotoGP winner at the Brickyard. Rossi's 69th win takes him ahead of his fellow countryman Giacomo Agostini to the top of the all-time premier class winners list, a record which has stood for more than 30 years. Agostini claimed the 1975 500cc title with Yamaha and won six of his 68 victories with the Japanese factory. Rossi is now 87 points clear of Stoner, who finished fourth today, which means he is able to win the championship at the next round in Motegi by finishing fourth or above. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1 Time: 37'20.095  "This is fantastic because it's been a long time since I won in the rain and even longer since I won four in a row! To win the first race here at Indianapolis is a great emotion and to beat Agostini's record is also incredible, now I hope my record will stand for 30 years like his! It was an amazing race and, once I was able to pass Stoner, I knew I had the chance to win so I pushed very hard. I had a great race with Nicky; he was really hard to pass so congratulations to him. When the wind and rain came it became very hard, I think I could have kept going for another eight laps okay but there were things flying through the air - beer cans, plastic glasses - so really I think it was the right decision to stop the race! Sincerely I don't think I've ever ridden in conditions like these and I was lucky because I was far in front and therefore didn't have to take any big risks. It's been a perfect weekend for us despite the weather because we made the pole position, the fastest lap and we won, so I want to congratulate my team once again for a fantastic job, today and all year. Also thanks to Bridgestone because my tyres were very good today. I've really enjoyed racing here in Indy and I am looking forward to coming back next year. Now we have a big advantage and it would be great to win the championship in Motegi, but it's not over yet so we will keep our concentration and keep working! Finally I want to dedicate this victory to my Grandfather Dario, who sadly died today aged 82." Davide Brivio - Team Manager  "We're very happy that we were able to race at this historic track, despite the terrible weather! This is very important for the championship and now we have the chance to try to win in Motegi in two week's time. Valentino was fantastic today and he showed once again how strong he is this season; he has won seven times in many different conditions so we're in good shape. Well done to the team for their hard work and congratulations to Jorge and his crew as well, Yamaha is very strong!" First ever wet podium for Lorenzo in Indianapolis downpour  Jorge Lorenzo made the podium in a wet race for the very first time in his entire career today, claiming third place at the inaugural Indianapolis Grand Prix at the famous 'Brickyard'. The 21-year-old Spaniard has now finished on the podium on each of the five occasions he has qualified on the front row in his rookie season and he was joined once again by his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi, who took his seventh victory of the season with a masterful display of wet-weather riding. Lorenzo has always been uncomfortable riding in the wet but he got a good start and was quickly able to settle into his rhythm, passing Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner in the first three laps. Rossi passed him back soon after but the Spaniard kept pushing and he soon got past Andrea Dovizioso to claim third place. He then rode most of the race out on his own until heavy rain and high winds began to batter the field with 12 laps remaining and he gradually began to close the gap to Nicky Hayden, who was in second. It looked like he might pass the American before the end but the race was eventually red-flagged with eight laps remaining, after part of the safety fence blew down and conditions became too dangerous. A second podium in a row for the leading rookie consolidates fourth place in the championship for him, 37 points adrift of Dani Pedrosa with four races remaining. Rossi, who surpassed Agostini's 30-year record of 68 premier class wins today, is now 87 points clear of Casey Stoner and can win the championship in Motegi by finishing fourth or better. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 3 Time: +7.858  "This is the first wet podium in my career, including the European, Spanish and even Mallorcan Championships! To be honest, I really didn't want to leave my motorhome before the race because I was so warm and comfortable and I really don't like to race in the rain, but today I think things have changed! I got a good start, which surprised me, and then I was able to pass Dani and then Valentino, which surprised me even more! I am so happy to finally discover that I can be fast in the rain as well. After Valentino passed me back I tried to follow him but he was a bit too fast so I concentrated on keeping my pace consistent, then the rain and especially the wind came and it was quite crazy! I was still fast though I closed the gap to Nicky, who I think had some problems by then, and maybe I could have passed him with some more laps but it was very dangerous and so better to stop the race. We are still not perfect but our bike and Michelin tyres were very good today so I want to thank Yamaha and Michelin again, and my team for their hard work. Well done to Valentino and I hope we can continue like this for the last four races." Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager  "This is a great result; a first podium in the wet for Jorge and at such a famous track. He rode very well today in difficult conditions, not only the rain but with high winds as well. He also had a very good pace at the end of the race when the conditions were at their worst so he did a great job, as did the team for finding the right set-up and Michelin for giving us the right tyres. It's great to be on the first MotoGP podium at Indianapolis and great for Yamaha to have two riders on the podium for the second race in a row. Congratulations once again to Jorge for a fantastic ride, well done to the team and of course well done to the other side of the garage and to Valentino for another great win." Difficult day for Tech 3 Yamaha in stormy Indianapolis  The Tech 3 Yamaha team had a difficult day in atrocious conditions during a weather-hit inaugural Indianapolis MotoGP race today. Texan Colin Edwards battled driving rain and fierce and unpredictable winds to claim 15th place, while British team-mate James Toseland couldn't convert a promising early part of the 28-lap race into a point-scoring finish. Edwards recovered several positions as his confidence grew in the tricky conditions to keep his place in the top seven in the world championship standings. Toseland had a strong start and found himself eighth for the opening laps, fighting hard to remain in contention with the group battling for fifth place. But as rain abated and parts of the new circuit started to dry, he was unable to sustain his impressive early speed with the changing conditions not suited to the set-up of his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine. He finished 18th in the shortened race, which was halted with eight laps remaining with conditions rapidly deteriorating from lap 15 onwards. A planned eight-lap restart was abandoned because of the high winds. Colin Edwards - Position: 15 Time: +1'00.613  "We spent too much time trying to make a new setting work, and because we'd had so much time on it we went for it in the race. But I couldn't get the bike to turn. My tyres felt great and I didn't have a problem with them at all, but I couldn't carry any corner speed. I'd get into the corner and I kept running wide. The only way to fix that is to go slower so you can hold the line and it wasn't really fun out there. I thought I'd got a good start and I got behind a couple of guys but everybody seemed to check up. They were right in front of me and the next thing I know, six guys are flying around the inside and outside of me. I was almost last by the second corner and I just put my head down to try and make some progress but I couldn't do anything. It is disappointing because I'm not out there not trying and running around in fifteenth. I'm out there trying my absolute hardest. The conditions were unbelievable. There was all kinds of debris at the end and you didn't know if it was gong to hit you because the wind was so unpredictable. It was a smart decision to stop it and maybe it could have come a lap or two earlier." James Toseland - Position: 18 Time: +1'07.968  "I didn't get off the line very well but I was a bit aggressive into the first turn and went round the outside and passed a few people. I felt pretty good but when it wasn't raining and the track started to dry out, my lap times just stayed the same. And is it dried out everybody else got quicker and I couldn't go any faster. It was spinning and obviously I was a bit too soft fith the rear setting. I had the same tyre as Andrea Dovizioso, so it was obviously the setting. I know I was running a softer setting than Colin and Jorge. When it was quite wet at the start it was obviously pretty good, but as it dried out it was just spinning. When it rained again I found a bit of pace again and could so similar times to the people in front, but by that time I'd lost a lot of places. At the end the wind was unbelievable. And the problem was it wasn't always in the same direction. It was totally unpredictable and it was gusting to the point where you had to anticipate something happening. They ran it for as long as they could but it was getting a bit hairy out there. It is a disappointing result but we'll move onto Japan for the next race, where I am obviously hoping to give Yamaha a positive result." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager  "I am very disappointed with the race. We saw that a rider with our package has done really, really well. James started quite well but he started to lose a lot of ground while, Colin was again very cautious in the first laps like in Misano. When we remember what we were doing in the first part of the season and we see what we are doing now, I am not happy. We have to find some solutions because we shouldn't be finishing where we are. "Looking at the race it was run in incredibly difficult conditions. There will be some debate about whether the race should have been restarted but with safety the prime concern, I think it was the right decision because the wind was playing a big part. It is a shame that the 250 race wasn't run because the fans came to see all the races. But I'd like to thank everyone associated with the Indianapolis circuit. All the people who have worked with us have been trying tremendously hard to make this a fantastic weekend. Unfortunately the weather has played a big part and nobody deserved this. Finally, congratulations to Valentino for breaking the all-time winning record in MotoGP. It is an incredible achievement and great to see him do it riding for Yamaha." Race 1 - 20 Laps  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 37'20.095 2, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'5.972 3, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'7.858 4, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0'28.162 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'28.824 6, Ben Spies, Suzuki, USA, 0'29.645 7, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'36.223 8, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'37.258 9, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'38.442 10, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'42.437 11, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 0'47.179 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 0'55.962 13, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'57.366 14, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'58.353 15, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 1'0.613 16, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 1'5.620 17, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 1'5.854 18, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 1'7.968 19, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'21.023 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 1'49.668 Rider Standings 14/09/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 287 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 200 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 193 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 156 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 129 6, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 117 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 109 8, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 104 9, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 87 10, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 86 11, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 86 12, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 85 13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 56 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 55 15, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 48 Team Standings 14/09/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 443 2, Repsol Honda Team, 297 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 248 4, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 205 5, Tech3 Yamaha, 194 6, Honda Gresini, 142 7, Team Alice, 142 8, JIR Scot Team, 129 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 82 10, Honda LCR, 43 Manufacturer Standings 14/09/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 316 2, Honda, 243 3, Ducati, 241 4, Suzuki, 149 5, Kawasaki, 71
Alex Asigno
The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team celebrated a fantastic end to a wonderful season of racing as David Philippaerts became world champion and went home permanently with the red plate as MX1-GP series leader after the fifteenth and final round at the Faenza circuit in Italy. The 24 year old fronted the FIM world championship for 13 of the 15 events and was crowned 'number one' with the YZ450FM for the first time in his career in front of 30,000 wiling spectators. The Italian, in his first season with the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team and only his second in the MX-1 GP class after moving up from successful exploits in MX2-GP, defied the pressure of expectation by his home crowd and also the last-gasp attentions of main rivals Steve Ramon and Ken De Dycker to take results of 3rd and 9th for 5th overall across the damp soil. The tight and compact Faenza circuit (some 50km east of Bologna) did not offer a typical Italian test thanks to some changeable weather conditions and outbreaks of rain that left the terrain a mixture of slippery and soft parts. Philippaerts rode determinedly in Moto1 to rise from 8th to 3rd by mid-distance and leave nearest challenger Ramon in his wake. Finishing one position behind De Dycker meant that the champion-elect needed just three points to claim his prize. An understandably cautious approach in Moto2 saw Philippaerts settle for a safe top ten slot. After jumping for joy at the finish line he was mobbed by an army of fans, media and well-wishers at the finish line in scenes not witnessed at a motocross Grand Prix for many years. His achievement in 2008 represented the fourth crown in five years for the Yamaha factory team with the potent and conquering YZ450FM. From the 30 motos of the 2008 FIM world championship Philippaerts recorded 3 wins and 13 top three finishes. From the 15 Grand Prix he obtained 7 overall podiums and was victorious twice. He is the first Italian to win the title in the blue ribbon category since Alex Puzar eighteen years ago in 1990. Josh Coppins ended the season with 6th place at Faenza. The New Zealander earned 5th in the final championship standings despite an unlucky campaign. He appeared twice on the rostrum, winning once and scoring 2 moto victories. The 31 year old had a problem with his front fork in the opening race and had to slow his speed; he took 10th by the flag. In the second outing he was back to form and held off several riders in an intense fight for 3rd place. The racing calendar is not yet quite over for both Yamaha Monster Motocross Team riders. Coppins competes in the Belgian Championship next weekend before travelling to Donington Park to represent New Zealand at the 62nd Motocross of Nations. Philippaerts will also be in the UK and wearing Italian colours. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 5th, 1st in championship: "It has been a long, long year and now I am so happy. Steve and Ken were really fast all week and kept the pressure on. I wanted to take decent points at every GP and I only really believed that the title was in my grasp during that second moto today. I had looked at Steve's season in 2007 and I knew that consistency was the key to the title. I am so pleased for the team, Yamaha, Michele and my sponsors. I also want to say a big thank you to my girlfriend Alice. I am happy and it was so emotional to win the championship here in Italy and in front of those fans. I do not know what else I can say!" Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th, 5th in championship: "It has not been my year but I am happy for the team and for Yamaha to regain the championship. With the fork problem in the first moto my braking points were off and the traction was affected; I struggled basically and crashed twice. I was disappointed when I came in and we made some changes during the break. My start was again good and in the second race I showed that I am capable of running near the front. I am happy the season is over and that I finished the year injury-free. I finished in the top five but this is not that much of a consolation for me. Anyway, we will now look towards next season." Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: "This is a fantastic day, for many people connected with the team and with Yamaha. David was excellent in the first moto and was really dedicated and brave with his approach; many riders in the same position would have thought about the points but he pushed hard for the top three. He went for the safe result in Moto2 and he deserves all the acclaim. I am really happy for him. We knew he might win a few GPs this season but '08 was about gaining experience, so he has done an immense job, especially considering he led the championship from round three. Josh had a good second moto and it was a decent way to finish a season in which he has been so unlucky. After last year I am glad we have the title back and now we will continue working hard in the winter for a defence in 2009." Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Division Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe: "Last year we were so close to the championship and now I really feel that the title is back where it belongs. MX1-GP is the top class in off-road racing and we wanted the championship back for 2008. It has been an incredible year and an exciting season. David came into the team as the new rider but he was leading the series from round three and had to weather that pressure all year. To finish it off like this, here in Italy, is really fantastic." Race 1 - 22 Laps  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 38'49.652 2, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'31.860 3, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'35.891 4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'42.932 5, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'44.356 6, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'45.635 7, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0'46.998 8, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'49.515 9, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 0'57.967 10, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 1'0.552 11, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 1'1.630 12, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'41.127 13, Martin Michek, TM, CZE, 1'42.414 14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'48.962 15, Luis Correira, Yamaha, POR, 2'23.116 16, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps 17, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, -1 Laps 18, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, -1 Laps 19, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, -1 Laps 20, Loic Leonce, Yamaha, FRA, -1 Laps Race 2 - 22 Laps  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 39'20.428 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'5.714 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'10.748 4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'13.861 5, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'15.936 6, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'17.332 7, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'48.880 8, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 0'56.674 9, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'57.990 10, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'57.990 11, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 1'1.352 12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'12.192 13, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 1'19.864 14, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'43.409 15, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1'52.048 16, Scott Columb, Suzuki, NZL, -1 Laps 17, Jacob Saylor, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 18, Youhei Kojima, Suzuki, JPN, -1 Laps 19, Martin Michek, TM, CZE, -1 Laps 20, Matteo Dottori, Kawasaki, ITA, -2 Laps Rider Standings 14/09/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 509 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 495 3, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 490 4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 455 5, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 446 6, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 444 7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 392 8, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 352 9, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 320 10, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 292 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 290 12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 261 13, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 183 14, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 164 15, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 159 16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 147 17, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 109 18, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 107 19, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 94 20, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, 75 21, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 74 Manufacturer Standings 14/09/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Suzuki, 587 2, Yamaha, 583 3, KTM, 575 4, Kawasaki, 518 5, Honda, 470 6, TM, 43 7, Aprilia, 23 ---------- RACE REPORT - 14/09/2008 Aubin ends 2008 championship with 3rd With 7th position overall at the Faenza circuit in Italy for the last round of the MX2-GP World Championship Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin guided his YZ250F to 3rd place in the series. The Frenchman was 9th and 8th in the two motos under changeable but mainly bright skies and was able to fulfil his pre-season aim of securing a 'podium' finish behind champion Tyla Rattray and Tommy Searle. Despite a grim weather prediction of continual rain all day, the clouds emptied only in the morning during Sunday and made the track a mixture of slippery ground and sticky mud providing decent traction. First Yamaha rider in the classification was Utag Yamaha.com's Zach Osborne. The American took pole position on Saturday with victory in his heat race and then produced two decent moto performances (only blighted by an average start in Moto1) to place 7th and 3rd, for 4th overall. The teenager has impressed since coming to Europe for the eleventh round of the championship and has already signed to race for the British crew in 2009. Aubin was 7th and was expecting a victory at this last round but a crash in Moto1 and not finding a satisfactory rhythm with the track kept him away from the leaders. Team-mate Davide Guarneri was unable to complete the first moto after catching and twisting his weakened right knee. The Italian, who will have surgery on Tuesday and then face a 3-4 month rehab period before he can ride again, did not start the second race and ended the year 15th in the final table. 10th overall in Faenza belonged to the continually improving Alessandro Lupino, of the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli Team. The teenager marked a career-best with finishes of 10th and 12th after his first full season in 2008. Outgoing world champion Antonio Cairoli was on-hand at his home Grand Prix to present new winner Tyla Rattray with his number one plate. The Sicilian pulled out of the series at round ten with a knee injury and ended the year with 6th in the standings, registering 7 moto wins (from 20), 4 victories and 6 podiums from 10 events. Elsewhere 3C Racing's Manuel Monni finished 11th in a term where he gained a Grand Prix podium (in Spain) and also became MX2 Italian champion. He was disappointed with his 12th place result in Faenza, commenting that the track was very different from tests one month before and he could not find the speed to enter the top ten. His low point haul meant that he lost the chance of a top ten slot in the championship. Aubin (France), Monni (Italy) and Osborne (Puerto Rico) will contest the 62nd Motocross of Nations at Donington Park in two weeks time. Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing 7th and 3rd in the championship: "I won a round in 2007 and I really wanted another victory before the end of 2008 but I was riding stiff on the bike and was not quick enough. The goal then became to keep third place in the championship and I got the job done. I am quite satisfied but the truth is that if Antonio Cairoli was not injured then I would likely have finished fourth." Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing, DNF and 15th in the championship: "The track was really rough and this is not the way I wanted to end the season. It has not been a lucky year for me and now I just want to finally have the surgery and get my body fit and well again for next time." Zach Osborne, Utag Yamaha.com, 4th and 22nd in the championship: "Just one point from the podium so it was quite a positive way to end the season. I was disappointed with my start in the first race; I made a complete mess with my technique and everything. I did better in the second moto and stayed in third for pretty much the whole way. I had one really big moment that cost me about four seconds and maybe that last spot on the podium but the result was OK. I enjoyed the track; it was really rough towards the end." Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 10th and 23rd in the championship: "I am really happy and I had some nice races today. I started the first moto very well and although I dropped back a little bit I was strong at the finish for 10th; it was a lot of fun. My second start was awful and I was 28th and practically last! I pushed really hard and came back to 12th. The season has ended quite well for me and now I will go to Belgium to train this winter and be stronger for 2009." Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 6th in the championship: "My knee is much better and I am working on getting the strength back in my leg. I hope to be able to start riding at the beginning of November and will get on the 450 right away. It is a shame to be here at my home GP and not going for the championship, I knew it would go right until the end but I always thought I would be a part of it. It is great to see the fans again though! I am really happy for David, it has been quite a while since Italy had a really fast rider in the class and I would like to congratulate him for a good season." Race 1 - 22 Laps  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 40'15.199 2, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'1.247 3, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 0'2.732 4, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'13.268 5, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 0'31.918 6, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'34.575 7, Zach Osborne, Yamaha, USA, 0'35.071 8, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 0'45.389 9, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'50.920 10, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 0'52.194 11, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 0'59.374 12, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1'7.923 13, Gareth Swanepoel, Kawasaki, RSA, 1'10.840 14, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'20.902 15, Klemen Gercar, Yamaha, SVN, 1'41.598 16, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'48.914 17, Jake Nicholls, Suzuki, GBR, 1'49.997 18, Deny Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 19, Marcus Norlen, Suzuki, SWE, -1 Laps 20, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, -1 Laps Race 2 - 22 Laps  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 40'8.026 2, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 0'5.185 3, Zach Osborne, Yamaha, USA, 0'10.637 4, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'14.105 5, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'15.501 6, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'19.513 7, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 0'52.490 8, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'56.786 9, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'58.613 10, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'58.887 11, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 1'9.641 12, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 1'10.768 13, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'16.069 14, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1'18.339 15, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'22.599 16, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 1'25.793 17, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps 18, Marcus Norlen, Suzuki, SWE, -1 Laps 19, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 20, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, -1 Laps Rider Standings 14/09/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 636 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 613 3, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 406 4, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 394 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 380 6, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 357 7, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 307 8, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 299 9, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 291 10, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 289 11, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 277 12, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 263 13, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 216 14, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 189 15, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 181 16, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 169 17, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 118 18, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 118 19, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 101 20, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 96 23, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 75 24, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 71 28, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 48 43, Deny Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 11 49, Martin Barr, Yamaha, GBR, 6 Manufacturer Standings 14/09/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, KTM, 716 2, Yamaha, 631 3, Kawasaki, 464 4, Suzuki, 371 5, Honda, 265 6, Husqvarna, 1
Alex Asigno
The Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team has signed promising young British rider Tom Sykes for the 2009 season with the option to extend for 2010. The 23yr old from Huddersfield in England will ride the all new 2009 Yamaha YZF R1 in next year’s World Superbike Championship. Sykes has proved to be a competitive and talented rider in the 2008 British Superbike Championship, showing an intelligent and mature riding style beyond his years.Two wildcard rides in WSB this year have seen him qualify an impressive sixth at Brands Hatch and seventh on the grid at Donington. At Brands he went on to score a sixth place in race two, whilst at Donington he had a storming race one, finishing up in second place after some close racing with Championship leader Troy Bayliss. Sykes raced in British Supersport for four years from 2003 to 2006, ending second in the championship in the final year. In 2007, his first year in British Superbike, Sykes finished the season a respectable sixth in the standings, and was named Rookie of The Year. He is currently second in the 2008 championship and the first rider on a four-cylinder machine. Massimo Meregalli – “Tom Sykes is an excellent signing for the team, he is the most interesting young rider in circulation in the racing world this year. I’ve had time to appreciate his riding qualities during the season and Brands Hatch was the confirmation of his talent for me. His brilliant result at Donington strengthened our conviction. We know that there will be much work next season because the new YZF-R1 arrives and it will have to learn the tracks. We have a lot of faith in being able to obtain good results quickly and the presence of a young person with a lot of ambition will give new motivation to the team.” “We are delighted to be able to offer Tom the next step in his racing career with Yamaha’s World Superbike Team” said Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “We are sure he has the qualities needed to be a star rider of the future on the world stage. With the launch of the new R1 just three days ago, we are very excited about the potential for next year. We are looking forward to developing both the rider and the bike for championship success in 2009 and beyond.”
Alex Asigno
 
The British Utag Yamaha.com team have secured the services of vibrant young American Zach Osborne for the 2009 FIM MX2 World Championship. The 18 year old from Abingdon, Virginia will steer a YZ250F in next year’s series after impressing in a several outings this season. The teenager reeled off a series of excellent lap-times on his world championship debut through one of the hardest tracks of the schedule – Lommel, in Belgium – and was then again quick seven days later on the hard-pack of Loket for the round in the Czech Republic. He reached the front of the pack with emphatic determination two weeks ago in Ireland and won the first moto in what was only his third international appearance for the team. “I am happy that we have reached a deal,” said Osborne. “Steve Dixon and the team have been superb for me so far; their support has been great. I am looking forward to the challenge next season. I do not want to make any predictions but I will be doing my best for the guys and for Yamaha.” “We had already spoken with Zach about 2009 a couple of weeks ago and his win in Ireland showed that his commitment to us and the effort we have made in supporting him should hopefully lead to a promising full attempt next season,” said Team Principal Steve Dixon. “We are already working on development for next year and we are really happy to have a rider of Zach’s potential on board. I want us to keep on getting good results for Yamaha so that we can contribute and continue the company’s strong name and presence in the MX2-GP category.” “We are delighted that Zach will be racing for Yamaha in the MX2-GP World Championship,” said Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “After very encouraging results as a junior he has recovered from some bad luck with injury and has started to show his potential on the Grand Prix scene and with Utag Yamaha.com. He should be an exciting addition to our line-up in the class for 2009.”