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Philippaerts decent 4th in Bulgaria

DP19 David Philippaerts tied on points for 3rd position and had to accept 4th overall on the 2010 YZ450FM at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria at Sevlievo for the first round of fifteen in the FIM MX1-GP World Championship. The Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team rider was 2nd and 7th across a difficult circuit in two hot motos. Rain early on Saturday caused the soft track to become even rougher and the ruts to carve deeper. The terrain mixed slippery hard-pack sections with heavy bumps and was a real test of concentration and physical endurance. 2008 world champion Philippaerts made two impressive launches from the start gate on the new rear-slanting fuel-injected YZ450F and held second position from start-to-finish of the first moto. In the second race the Italian was again maintaining a consistent pace in 3rd place until he lost traction on a downhill section and briefly hit the floor. Remounting he had lost ground but embarked on a brave charge and was crawling over the rear wheel of Clement Desalle for 5th on the final lap. The Belgian held firm and Spaniard Jonathan Barragan caught Philippaerts unaware on the last charge down to the finish line, relegating the 25 year old to 7th mere metres from the flag. Despite the late surprise and misfortune of missing the podium, Philippaerts could gather 36 points and is just 11 behind winner and series leader Max Nagl. De Dycker Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team's Ken De Dycker made his world championship debut for the Italian team and although the Belgian made mistakes and could not find his desired rhythm across the course was able to take 6th overall, with his finish of 4th in Moto1 beating his run to 8th in Moto2. Round two will take place next weekend for the Grand Prix of Lombardia at Mantova, Italy. The event will be the home meeting for the team and the scene of victory for them in 2007. David Philippaerts, 4th Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team: "It was not a bad weekend and we have a lot of points but I am disappointed with how it finished. I just misjudged the last lap and did not know Barragan was so close. This is only the first race and we have fourteen more to go. It was a hard weekend; the track was fast with a lot of bumps but I liked it. In the first moto my riding was good but I made a stupid crash in the second. Without that mistake for sure I would have had the podium. The bike was great and the Ohlins suspension worked so well; I really like what they have given us. The difference in the points with the leaders is small so we will look ahead to the next GP and we only have a few days before Mantova." Ken De Dycker, 6th Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team: "It was a difficult day. The first moto was OK. I had a pretty decent start but was caught in the backmarkers and made mistakes. The track was very different to past years. It was good but demanding. I had a bad start in the second moto. I could not find good lines and was making a lot of mistakes. I don't have any excuses, I train really hard but I could not get going for the second moto." Circuit Length: 1530 Crowd: 20,000 Weather: Sunny
Last Years Winner: Jonathan Barragan 2010 GP of Bulgaria 04/04/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 40'45.442 2 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'08.599 3 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'14.666 4 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 0'18.117 5 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 0'22.864 6 Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 0'38.625 7 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'45.541 8 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0'52.209 9 Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 0'58.900 10 Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 1'05.657 11 Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 1'09.725 12 Tanel Leok Honda EST 1'18.168 13 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 1'27.741 14 Marc De Reuver Suzuki NED 1'39.375 15 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1'42.729 18 Tom Soderstrom Yamaha SWE -1Laps Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 41'06.743 2 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'03.685 3 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'07.060 4 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'12.869 5 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'15.479 6 Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 0'16.441 7 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'16.619 8 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 0'48.535 9 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0'51.452 10 Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 0'58.843 11 Anthony Boissière TM FRA 1'09.907 12 Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 1'17.109 13 Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 1'22.731 14 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 1'32.458 15 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 1'36.296 Rider Standings 04/04/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 47 2. Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 41 3. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 36 4. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 36 5. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 34 6. Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 31 7. Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 30 8. Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 25 9. Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 23 10. Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 20 11. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 18 12. Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 18 13. Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 15 14. Tanel Leok Honda EST 13 15. Anthony Boissière TM FRA 10 23. Tom Soderstrom Yamaha SWE 3 Manufacturer Standings 04/04/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 50 2. Suzuki 40 3. Yamaha 36 4. Kawasaki 33 5. Aprilia 23 6. Honda 20 7. TM 10 8. CCM 4 RACE REPORT 04/04/2010 Osborne rides to 7th in Bulgarian sun Zach Osborne The wide, fast, rippled and bumpy circuit of Sevlievo was surrounded by 20,000 spectators for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria and the first round of fifteen in the FIM MX2-GP World Championship. Bike it Cosworth Yamaha's Zach Osborne gave the new YZ250F, with its agile new handling courtesy of the revised frame, a decent run to 7th position overall in some demanding weather and track conditions. The American, riding after recent recovery from bronchitis, was part of a four way fight for 7th in the first race and ended the 35 minute and 2 lap foray with 8th. The 20 year old found a more effective rhythm in the second outing across a testing terrain and under the warmest sunshine of the day to reach 7th. Osborne - already a Grand Prix winner after just one season with the British team - was Yamaha's best MX2-GP representative and the first of three in the top eleven. Chiara Fontanesi Yamaha Gariboldi Monster Energy's Harri Kullas was 10th on his Grand Prix debut with the squad. The Finnish teenager was 11th and 12th and pushed up to decent speed after sluggish starts. Team-mate Christophe Charlier finished 11th in the final classification. The 18 year old opened his maiden world championship campaign in fine fashion with a solid run to 7th position in the qualification heat on the 2010 YZ250F. The Frenchman then suffered a crash on the second lap of Moto1 which dropped him far down the field but he rode with aplomb to grab 14th. In the second race a more conventional opening phase delivered a 10th position result. Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team's Alessandro Lupino took his time to find his way around the layout and was hindered by a lowly gate position after a DNF in Saturday's qualification heat. The Italian rode to 16th and 15th for 14th at the end of the day. Gautier Paulin is undergoing daily treatment on his broken left leg in a race to be fit for round three at Valkenswaard for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands. Loic Larrieu was unable to compete due to a broken toe and fractured collarbone but the team are hopeful he will also be able to return in Holland. The first round of seven in the FIM Women's World Championship saw Yamaha 3C Racing's Chiara Fontanesi grabbed a pair of 2nd positions to be runner-up on her first Grand Prix flight with the YZ250F. The Italian teenager superbly followed her maiden podium secured on a YZ125 in the sand of Lierop for the final round of 2009. Round two of the MX2-GP calendar will take place next weekend at Mantova, Italy for the Grand Prix of Lombardia. The ladies competition is reactivated at the GP of Portugal on May 9th. Zach Osborne, Bike it Cosworth Yamaha, 7th: "The first race did not go so well. I did not get the best start and had a bad spell in the middle of the moto where I dropped back to 12th from 6th or 7th. I fought back to 8th and put what I had learned from the first race into the second. I got a decent start but it seemed like wherever I went someone was stopped on the track or had a problem. I was 15th but pushed on for a strong race. Overall this was a much better start than last year at Faenza. To take two solid finishes and improve through the weekend is a good way to start the season." Harri Kullas, Yamaha Gariboldi Monster Energy, 10th: "First Grand Prix of the year and I am pretty happy with the result. I started well in the first moto but I have this problem at the moment where I don't wake-up at the beginning! This was pretty bad in the second race as well. When I found my rhythm I could make some good speed. I tried to pass as many riders as possible. I am pretty satisfied with 11th and 12th and I'd like to thank the team." Chiara Fontanesi, Yamaha 3C Racing, 2nd: "I am very happy and very satisfied. I worked hard over the winter and it is great to see that the effort is all worth it. I hope the season can continue in this way. Some of the other girls are very fast but I am learning what I can to try and win a round soon. The YZ250F worked very well. It was better for me to start with the YZ125 to learn my way around but the YZ250F is what I needed to be competitive." Circuit Length: 1530 Crowd: 20,000 Weather: Sunny
Last Years Winner: Steven Frossard 2010 GP of Bulgaria 04/04/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 40'41.977 2 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'12.318 3 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'51.161 4 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 0'57.920 5 Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 1'07.267 6 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 1'35.476 7 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1'44.309 8 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 1'45.037 9 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1'49.656 10 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 1'51.883 11 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 2'01.491 12 Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL -1Laps 13 Nick Triest KTM BEL -1Laps 14 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA -1Laps 15 Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR -1Laps 16 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA -1Laps 17 Ceriel Klein Kromhof Yamaha NED -1Laps 19 Glenn Coldenhoff Yamaha NED -1Laps Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 39'22.409 2 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'07.389 3 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 0'19.178 4 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'26.325 5 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 0'31.223 6 Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 0'48.410 7 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 1'05.621 8 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 1'16.934 9 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1'32.164 10 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 1'34.215 11 Nick Triest KTM BEL 1'38.380 12 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1'43.373 13 Nicolas Aubin Kawasaki FRA 1'48.212 14 Nikolai Larsen Honda DNK 1'59.987 15 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA -1Laps 16 Rudi Moroni Yamaha ITA -1Laps 18 Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR -1Laps Rider Standings 04/04/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 50 2. Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 44 3. Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 38 4. Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 35 5. Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 34 6. Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 31 7. Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 27 8. Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 26 9. Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 24 10. Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 19 11. Nick Triest KTM BEL 18 12. Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 18 13. Joel Roelants KTM BEL 12 14. Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 11 15. Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 11 17. Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR 9 19. Rudi Moroni Yamaha ITA 5 21. Ceriel Klein Kromhof Yamaha NED 4 23. Glenn Coldenhoff Yamaha NED 2 Manufacturer Standings 04/04/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 50 2. Suzuki 44 3. Kawasaki 38 4. Yamaha 27 5. Honda 10
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Paulin ruled out of first 2010 MX2-GP events

Gautier Paulin Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team’s Gautier Paulin will miss the opening rounds of the 2010 FIM MX2-GP World Championship after breaking his left fibula in a training accident today. The recently turned 20 year old, who finished 3rd in the ’09 series, was just days away from making his Grand Prix bow for the factory team on the 2010 YZ250FM when he twisted his ankle traversing a rut at La Fare-les-Oliviers circuit, near Aix-en-Provence in his native France. Paulin swiftly halted his training moto and an x-ray revealed a clean break that will require an estimated four weeks of convalescence, signifying his absence from at least the first two Grands Prix. It is a disappointing blow for the former European champion who had negotiated the off-season in fine form with two victories in the Italian MX2 Championship and round one of the Dutch national competition. The 2010 FIM MX-GP World Championship will kick off at the Sevlievo circuit for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria this coming weekend. “I feel pretty devastated by this but now that it has happened I am totally focussed on healing as quickly as I can and making my Grand Prix debut for Yamaha,” Paulin said. “I didn’t do anything wrong on the bike and didn’t even crash but when I caught my ankle I knew something was wrong. I was, and still am, completely dedicated to this MX2-GP championship for the Yamaha Monster Energy MX team and now I will set myself a new goal of getting back on the bike as soon as possible.”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha dominates the Superstock European 600 Championship opening round

Yamaha made a clean sweep of the podium yesterday, taking all three top spots in the Superstock 600 class at the opening round in Portimao. An action fuelled race saw French riders Jeremy Guarnoni and Romain Lanusse, both of the MRS Racing Team fight it out for the top two spots on their Yamaha Superstock YZF-R6s. Guarnoni eventually won out with his team-mate Lanusse crossing the line 6.1 seconds later. Lanusse took the second spot by just .1 of a second from Norwegian rider Frederik Karlsen also riding an R6 for the MTM Racing Team. Jeremy Guarnoni, MRS Racing Team (1st) “I was second on the grid and I was going to try and have a good start. Last year I struggled with my starts so I’ve been practising for this season. I had a good start, I didn’t lose position in the first and was behind Marino but in the second corner he made a mistake and I got the first position. I pushed hard for the rest of the race but after the fourth lap my mechanics told me to take it easy. I had a good feeling with the bike so I got a good rhythm so ended up with a six second lead at the end.” Adrien Morillas, MRS Racing Team Manager “The weekend was perfect, the results were better than expected. The progression of the team is better and better from pre season to now and we saw that this weekend. We have good materials from Yamaha with great support. We are so happy with the result. There’s still a lot of work to do but we hope everything will continue as we have started.”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

AMA-SX: Tedesco earns top five finish in Jacksonville

Tedesco in Jacksonville Valli Motorsports Ivan Tedesco was the top YZ450F runner at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida for the twelfth round of seventeen in the 2010 AMA Supercross series, also and FIM World Championship. The veteran took 5th position after seizing the Holeshot and enduring an intense battle with Davi Millsaps to the flag. Over 38,000 spectators enter the open-roofed stadium and witnessed some exciting action across a challenging circuit that offered grippy terrain. While Tedesco enjoyed a brief run at the front and vied for his second podium result of the season, San Manuel LandM Yamaha's Josh Hill was also trying to gain as many points as possible in his fight back to fitness. The 20 year old was able to take 7th and remains one of just two riders to have taken a top ten classification in all events to-date. 'We've been working on the bike a lot lately, and I think it's starting to pay off,' commented Tedesco, who had recovered from a complaint with his right index finger. 'It's no excuse, but this deal with Valli Motorsports came together pretty late, so I feel like we've been playing catch-up since round one. But with more rides like this, maybe it will show that we've caught up. I want to put this thing back up on the box before we head outdoors.' Hill in Florida 'I haven't been riding that much during the week because I've been trying to heal up,' said Hill 'this coming week off is going to do me a lot of good. I hope I'm feeling a little better for Houston because I want to end this series more like how I started it.' Muscle Milk JGR's Justin Brayton was 9th in Jacksonville and Michael Byrne was another Yamaha rider in 10th place. Reigning champion James Stewart - still out of action with an injured wrist - won the first ever SX main event at Jacksonville on a YZ450F last year. Stewart was however present at the meeting in his home state to publicise his new reality TV show 'Bubba's World' that aired for the first time on the channel Fuel TV Sunday evening. In the championship standings Hill keeps third place and is 34 points away from Ryan Villopoto in second spot. Hill had earlier taken five consecutive rostrum finishes on the 2010 YZ450F but has struggled to break into the leading group since his crash and rib ailment five races ago. After twelve weeks without respite the AMA juggernaut rolls to a stop for Easter weekend and will commence once more with the thirteenth race of the campaign in Houston on April 10th. Circuit Length: NA Crowd: 38, 321 Weather: Dry
Last Years Winner: James Stewart 2010 AMA-SX Jacksonville 29/03/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 16'19.516 2 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'05.978 3 Trey Canard Honda USA 0'07.590 4 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'07.732 5 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'12.603 6 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'12.942 7 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'29.127 8 Thomas Hahn Suzuki USA 0'30.918 9 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'33.192 10 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 0'38.134 11 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 0'40.912 12 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA -1Laps 13 Matt Boni Honda USA -1Laps 14 Chris Blose Honda USA -1Laps 15 Justin Keeney Kawasaki USA -1Laps 17 Weston Peick Yamaha USA -1Laps 19 Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA -16Laps 20 Kyle Regal Yamaha USA -20Laps Rider Standings 27/03/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 261 2. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 240 3. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 206 4. David D Millsaps Honda USA 189 5. Kevin Windham Honda USA 179 6. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 164 7. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 159 8. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 131 9. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 115 10. Thomas Hahn Suzuki USA 113 11. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 110 12. Trey Canard Honda USA 103 13. Chris Blose Honda USA 86 14. Andrew Short Honda USA 69 15. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 67 17. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 19. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 42 22. Dan Reardon Yamaha USA 25 27. Weston Peick Yamaha USA 17 39. Kyle Regal Yamaha USA 2 40. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1 Manufacturer Standings 27/03/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 261 2. Kawasaki 249 3. Honda 243 4. Yamaha 234 5. KTM 3 AMA-SX: Tedesco earns top five finish in Jacksonville
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha bounce back with the first podium of the season

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow showed solid race craft in the second superbike race today, confidently sticking with race leaders Max Biaggi and Leon Haslam to stand on the World Superbike podium for the first time. After dropping to fourth initially Crutchlow capitalised on his opportunity to move up when Johnny Rea was pushed wide by Haslam going into the first corner on lap three. He was never more than 0.3 seconds from the lead, taking his well earned podium in third at the finish line. Team-mate James Toseland wrapped up the day in race two with style, charging through the pack from 15th, overcoming a number of competitive riders to cross the line in sixth, nearly ten places up from the start. Race one proved to be a display of consistency and determination from British rider Toseland. Starting from a less than perfect 15th on the grid, Toseland gradually worked his way through the pack. The final lap saw him close down a half second gap, taking Haga on the last corner to steal a well deserved seventh place finish at the line. His team-mate Crutchlow spent the majority of the race in third until an unfortunate low-side crash three laps from the end dropped him to 15th. He managed to pass 14th placed rider Tom Sykes on the last lap to stay in the points. Crutchlow heads to Valencia in tenth position with 25 points, Toseland heads to the third round in Spain in 11th, tied on points with his team-mate with 25. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (14th, 3rd) "It was a tough day today from the first race, I made a stupid mistake, my own fault I was pushing too hard. We've made big steps from Australia, all credit to Yamaha they've done a fantastic job. We came here fighting but unfortunately in the first race I went down and Johnny Rea got through and got the podium. I'm looking forward to the next weekend in Valencia, if we can continue doing a good job and getting the success we're starting to experience it'll be a good season, let's keep the ball rolling. The team have put in a sterling effort this weekend. Well done to Max Biaggi and Leon Camier as well." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (7th, 6th) "We've still got a lot of work to do but we've made massive improvements. We really deserved the third and sixth in that last race, After Cal's Superpole he was unlucky to crash in the first race so I'm really pleased with his result in the second. The potential of the bike is very good, once we use the full power of the engine we're right up there. It was only my crash that stopped me being on the front row I think. I was a bit sore today and my head was bit fuzzy after its knock yesterday so I wasn't completely on form. Considering that and starting from 15th on the grid we achieved some good results. It's a shame we started on the back foot this year but we're moving on and we're keeping on pushing." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "For sure we've made a great improvement after Australia, we got a Superpole and we got our first podium. I think this will be helpful in continuing to improve. I'm optimistic that what Cal achieved today can be what we expect to have for the next races. James is also improving, I'm sure that without the crash in Superpole he would have been starting from the first or second row and would have achieved even more during the races. He showed us that he's finding his rhythm with the bike. A big thanks to all the guys in the team who have done a great job getting us back to being competitive, it's something I really appreciate."

Circuit Length: 4.592 Weather: Sunny
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'42.092 (Cal Crutchlow, 28/03/2010) Last Years Winner: Michel Fabrizio
2010 WSB Portugal - Portimão 28/03/2010 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 37'59.283 2 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'00.200 3 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'06.901 4 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0'07.457 5 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'07.564 6 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'11.420 7 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'18.391 8 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'18.536 9 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'24.514 10 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'32.427 11 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'35.045 12 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'36.816 13 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'36.841 14 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'44.678 15 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'44.942
Race 2 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 38'06.128 2 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'00.191 3 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'00.658 4 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0'01.015 5 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'03.123 6 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'09.131 7 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'11.033 8 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'13.452 9 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'13.964 10 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'16.377 11 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'26.351 12 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'27.964 13 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'33.566 14 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'33.823 15 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 0'37.372
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'42.774  
Rider Standings 28/03/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 85 2. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 69 3. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 60 4. Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 46 5. Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 43 6. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 39 7. Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 33 8. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 32 9. Troy Corser BMW AUS 29 10. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 25 11. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 25 12. Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 25 13. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 15 14. Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 10 15. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 8  
Manufacturer Standings 28/03/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 85 2. Ducati 71 3. Aprilia 69 4. Honda 40 5. Yamaha 32 6. BMW 29 7. Kawasaki 7
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Crutchlow conquers the first European Superpole of 2010 at Portimao

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow set himself apart from the class this afternoon, storming through the Superpole heats to take pole and breaking the Best Lap record in the process. Crutchlow unleashed the full potential of the Yamaha R1's power in ideal track conditions, leaving a gap of over four tenths of a second to second placed Aprilia rider Max Biaggi. Team-mate James Toseland had also been progressing well through the sessions with fast consistent speed until an unfortunate high-side on the last corner of the circuit in heat two relegated him to 15th on the grid for tomorrow's two Superbike races. Although bruised Toseland was luckily uninjured in the high speed crash. The second qualifying session of the race weekend earlier in the day saw both riders focussing on the set up for race day whilst ensuring they remained within the times for the subsequent Superpole sessions. Incredibly the first 14 riders of the session were within 0.7 of a second of each other. Crutchlow's time, just 0.6 off the front man was particularly impressive considering the entire session was run on just one set of tyres. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1'42.092) "The Superpole lap wasn't really a surprise to me to be honest, we had a good session beforehand and I knew we could go really well in the qualifying session this morning. We left a lot in reserve, so down in 14th place I wasn't panicking. I knew we had a good pace for the pole session, I only used one qualifying tyre and we only needed one lap to do it. Yamaha's done a fantastic job in the last month, it was hard work but we've got there in the end, all working together. I'm quietly confident we'll do a good job tomorrow as well." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (15th, 1'49.401) "What a disappointing end to what has been a great qualifying so far this weekend. The Sterilgarda Yamaha Team have been brilliant in how they've transformed the bike from where we were in Phillip Island and I want to thank them for that. The mistake for me was that I was on the second lap on the qualifier tyre and I was trying to make it work hard on the last turn as if it had been the first lap on it. Unfortunately it was a mistake, I suffered a lack of grip and the consequence is I'm now 15th on the grid." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "first of all I think a big thanks to the guys to have done such a good job since our not so great performance in Australia. I have to say Cal did a fantastic lap, we are confident that we will be in there tomorrow. The pace Cal had in practice was really good so I'm expecting good things. Unfortunately James had a big high-side during the second Superpole session which was unfortunate, but he has a good race pace which will help. For sure it will be harder for him to start from the back but I think he knows how to fight his way through. Let's see what happens tomorrow.

Circuit Length: 4692 Weather: Sunny
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'42.092 (Cal Crutchlow, 28/03/2010) Last Years Winner: Michel Fabrizio
2010 WSB Portugal - Portimão 27/03/2010 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'42.092 2 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'42.513 3 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'42.586 4 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'42.596 5 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'42.807 6 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'42.889 7 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'42.960 8 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'43.152 9 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'42.984 10 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 1'42.999 11 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'43.039 12 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1'43.199 13 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 1'43.380 14 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'43.568 15 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'49.401
Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Nat. QUAL I QUAL II 1 Jakub Smrz CZE 1'43.932 1'43.003 2 Max Biaggi ITA 1'43.688 1'43.003 3 Michel Fabrizio ITA 1'43.508 1'43.010 4 Leon Haslam GBR 1'43.476 1'43.037 5 Jonathan Rea GBR 1'44.042 1'43.053 6 Carlos Checa ESP 1'43.645 1'43.115 7 James Toseland GBR 1'43.755 1'43.320 8 Noriyuki Haga JPN 1'44.098 1'43.418 9 Tom Sykes GBR 1'44.559 1'43.485 10 Troy Corser AUS 1'44.203 1'43.491 11 Shane Byrne GBR 1'43.881 1'43.588 12 Sylvain Guintoli FRA 1'44.423 1'43.589 13 Ruben Xaus ESP 1'45.406 1'43.589 14 Cal Crutchlow GBR 1'43.769 1'43.616 15 Leon Camier GBR 1'44.041 1'44.037
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha riders step up their pace in Portimao

The hard work of the Yamaha Sterilgarda Team following the opening round last month in Phillip Island was clearly seen in today's first Superbike sessions at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. Both James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow made the most of the ongoing set up developments to put in highly competitive times, improving on their Phillip Island performances. The first free practice session of the day gave the riders the opportunity to test out new electronic settings on their R1s. As the session progressed the improvements were clear as Toseland moved steadily up the times, taking the top spot with a 1'44.3 as the clock hit zero. Team mate Crutchlow was just over half a second behind in ninth having tested out some different tyres to Toseland during the session. The first qualifying session of the weekend saw both riders take turns at the top of the time sheet finding ever more speed as the grip levels increased. Intelligent tyre choices and a more effective electronics package saw both delivering consistently fast, competitive laps with the potential for more improvement in tomorrow's second session and subsequent Superpole. The session drew to a close with Toseland in fifth, less than three tenths off provisional pole and team mate Crutchlow less than one tenth of a second behind in sixth. James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (5th, 1'43.735) "We've made some really good progress with our testing last week in Misano, we've gone in the direction we wanted to with the engine and electronics. We had a lot to try today, and we've gone in a really positive direction for the race set up with tyre life and things like that. We've got a little bit more to do but I'm really pleased with the work Frankie and the team have done since Australia to here so a massive thank you to the team and hopefully we can keep it going in the top five now." Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (6th, 1'43.769) "I'm a lot happier today. We have definitely made improvements from Australia and we've also come back to a track with lots of grip. As the grip levels of the track improved over the sessions so have we. We still need to work on our bike to improve on really slippery track conditions and optimize our settings and performance. Tyre life is looking better, and there was no chatter here so that's that problem cured. We intend to keep working on our electronics and progress even further tomorrow." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "it seems that the work we've done since Australia is working well. To see where both riders are is very encouraging. This gives us real satisfaction. I think we've worked very well with our tyre choice and we're pretty happy with how they are working. Tomorrow we'll work again on the set up to see which will tyres we'll choose for the distance. For today we are satisfied."

Circuit Length: 4692 Weather: Sunny
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'42.412 (Ben Spies, 25/10/2009) Last Years Winner: Michel Fabrizio
2010 WSB Portugal - Portimão 26/03/2010 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'43.476 2 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'43.508 3 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'43.645 4 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'43.688 5 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'43.755 6 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'43.769 7 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'43.881 8 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'43.932 9 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'44.041 10 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'44.042 11 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'44.098 12 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'44.203 13 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 1'44.272 14 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'44.423 15 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1'44.559
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Charlier seals Italian MX2 title

Christophe Charlier Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi Racing’s Christophe Charlier gathered the first significant honour for the 2010 YZ250F after confirming the ’10 Italian MX2 Championship with a result of 2nd place overall behind team-mate Harri Kullas at San Severino Marche. The final round of the four-event Italian series took place over the weekend at a damp and rutty circuit and Charlier had to stay ahead of main rival Marcus Schiffer to earn his second senior title. The 2009 European champion, who will enter the FIM MX2-GP World Championship for the first time this season, finished 4th in the first moto, less than two seconds behind the German after recovering from an early fall which meant he was at the rear of the pack. Kullas had a similar slender margin over Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci Motocross Team’s Alessandro Lupino as he took the chequered flag. In the second moto Charlier was dominant and led Kullas to the finish by more than thirty seconds. “Of course this is a great championship to win and a good way to start the year,” he said. “Gautier (Paulin) was very strong in the first two races but I stayed with him as best as I could. Overall this is excellent preparation for our first world championship and I have to give a big thanks to the team and the people who helped us like the Rinaldi Group, Kayaba and all the partners that we have. I am really motivated for this season and cannot wait to start the GPs now.” Despite missing one round due to injury Kullas managed to obtain 3rd in the classification of the domestic contest. “I came back after my shoulder injury and took 3rd at Malpensa for the third round which was pretty good,” he commented. “This track here was great for me and I had two good starts with my Yamaha which helped me a lot.” Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi Racing are gearing-up for their first FIM world championship campaign after being a major player on the European championship scene for the last few seasons. With the age limit of 23 coming into force for 2010 the efforts and progress of Charlier and Kullas (both 18 years old) and the emphasis on developing young talent has become paramount for Yamaha to continue their fine reputation and status in the MX2-GP division.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Brayton earns 5th at Dallas SX

Justin Brayton in Dallas The 30th AMA Supercross event to be held in Dallas and the first to be hosted by the impressive monolith that is the Cowboys Stadium saw Muscle Milk Joe Gibbs Racing's Justin Brayton finish 5th on his YZ450F. The eleventh round of seventeen in the 2010 series (also a FIM World Championship) took place in front of 49,082 spectators and witnessed San Manuel LandM Yamaha's Josh Hill continue to persevere through injury and claim 6th. Hill started well in the main event but again the rib complaint he has been carrying for the last four meetings affected his speed and saw him circulate just outside the top five, taking sixth place by the end of the twenty laps. Brayton at one stage fought with the winner of the last two races, Ryan Villopoto, and would finish three seconds behind the rider from Seattle. 'I got an okay start but then I was trying to make something happen and nothing much was happening,' said Brayton. 'Before I knew it, I had Villopoto all over me, so it was all I could do just to try and hold my position, and I almost held onto it. I don't feel I rode that well but I still grabbed a top-five, so that's positive I guess.' Valli Motorsports Ivan Tedesco did not complete the full distance after becoming involved in the aftermath of a crash by team-mate Kyle Regal. Kyle Chisholm (eighth) and Jason Lawrence (ninth) were other YZ450F runners in the first ten riders classified. Sipes going for the win A YZ250F made the podium for the first time in the East Coast Lites competition as Ryan Sipes battled for the lead with Blake Bagget and eventually went on to finish runner-up for his first set of silverware this season. Two YZ250Fs claimed top four positions in Dallas as Martin Davalos crossed the finish-line jump in fourth. In the SX standings Hill remains 3rd, 47 points away from Ryan Dungey in first position and 23 from Villopoto in second. Brayton is sixth and Tedesco seventh. Round twelve takes place next Saturday at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. ircuit Length: n/a Crowd: 49, 082 Weather: Dry 2010 AMA-SX Arlington, TX 21/03/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 16'35.375 2 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'01.322 3 Trey Canard Honda USA 0'01.647 4 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0'11.946 5 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'14.775 6 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'21.972 7 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'24.026 8 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 0'36.399 9 Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 0'40.108 10 Thomas Hahn Suzuki USA 0'42.982 11 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 0'49.012 12 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA -1Laps 13 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA -1Laps 14 Chris Blose Honda USA -1Laps 15 Heath Voss Honda USA -1Laps 20 Kyle Regal Yamaha USA -16Laps Rider Standings 20/03/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 239 2. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 215 3. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 192 4. David D Millsaps Honda USA 174 5. Kevin Windham Honda USA 161 6. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 152 7. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 143 8. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 122 9. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 105 10. Thomas Hahn Suzuki USA 100 11. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 99 12. Trey Canard Honda USA 83 13. Chris Blose Honda USA 79 14. Andrew Short Honda USA 69 15. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 67 17. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 18. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 40 22. Dan Reardon Yamaha USA 25 29. Weston Peick Yamaha USA 13 39. Kyle Regal Yamaha USA 1 40. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1 Manufacturer Standings 20/03/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 239 2. Kawasaki 224 3. Honda 223 4. Yamaha 218 5. KTM 3
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Sterilgarda Team get set for the first European round of 2010 at Portimao

The World superbike paddock sets down in Portimao this week for the first of the European rounds of the 2010 season. This will be the third outing for Superbikes at the Portuguese circuit, and the first race there for the Yamaha team since they secured the 2009 World Superbike Championship title at the end of last season with rider Ben Spies. The track also has a special significance for Cal Crutchlow as it was here at the end of the season last year that he crossed the line to take the World Supersport Championship title for Yamaha on his R6. The team also enjoyed a very positive test here in January, wrapping up with Cal Crutchlow fourth fastest and James Toseland sixth, both delivering fast, consistent and competitive lap times. After solving unexpected chatter problems in the race weekend during the first round, the team then also found difficulties in the electronics area in combination with the increased power found during the winter and low grip levels at the Phillip Island circuit. The team have continued to work hard to further develop the 2010 R1 including a short test at the Misano circuit in San Marino last week. Riders James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow are now keen to get straight onto the track and close the points deficit to current championship leader Leon Haslam. Round one at Phillip Island saw both riders fall in the first race, regrouping for race two with Crutchlow scoring a ninth place finish and Toseland right behind in tenth. The month break following has given Toseland's hand injury, sustained in Phillip Island, a chance to recover ahead of Friday's first sessions on track. "I'm really keen to get to Portugal and get back on the bike," said Cal Crutchlow. "Last time I raced here I won the world title in Supersport so I have good feelings for the track. I'm going to put 100% into my efforts this weekend as always and we'll see what happens with the progress the guys have made over the last couple of weeks." "I'm really looking forward to it," said James Toseland. "We had a tough time in Australia but I believe the team has been working really hard in the meantime and the test went well in Misano. My hand is nearly back to normal although there's still a bit of pain. I'm basically looking forward to getting out on track and seeing what progress we've made to catch up." Portimao technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland's Crew Chief "Portimao is a very challenging circuit to set-up for. It requires good handling in the middle section, but also a very good stable and braking bike in the first sector. From a chassis point of view, we are very close to where we need to be. The biggest area the team have been working on is the electronics and smoothening the power delivery to make it more user friendly for James. This will also help the tyre life for the latter part of the race. The team have worked hard since Philip Island to find solutions for the areas that needed improving. Hopefully we can be challenging for the podium positions." Portimao technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow's Crew Chief "Portimao is a track with three distinct characters, the long straight with hard braking, the mid-part with enormous altitude changes and the last part, especially the last corner with a long sweeping radius. So the key point for us with Cal is to find the right balance of setup to suit major areas of the circuit. We will start with one bike on the setup from the test that worked well and one with some new ideas to match it better with Cal's needs. The main concentration is on the electronic side to improve ride ability and also endurance of the tyres. As with all races it depends on the weekend conditions how much we will be able to do. We will work hard to challenge the podium!" Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "It hasn't been a perfect start to the season for us, but as always with new bike developments it can take some testing to get the best results. During the Portimao circuit test in January we did not have the problems that haunted us in Phlillip Island. The team has worked incredibly hard this month and we have achieved positive results in our Misano test. We go to Portimao confident that we can achieve good results with both riders. I'm happy that James's hand is much better so he can concentrate on riding without pain."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi and Lorenzo conclude pre-season with second and sixth in Qatar

The Fiat Yamaha Team riders concluded their pre-season preparation this evening with another strong performance in the humid Qatar night, Valentino Rossi finishing second and Jorge Lorenzo sixth. This was the last time the riders will be on track before the first race, back at the same circuit in three weeks time. Rossi concentrated largely on finalising his race preparation today, also finding time to try a new tyre compound for Bridgestone. The Italian completed 20 laps in a long run late in the evening with the aim of gathering more information for the race, which will help the team during the practice sessions when they return here. He set his best time of the day earlier in the evening, slightly slower than his time from yesterday, and finally had to settle for second behind Casey Stoner. The Italian has been fastest on five out of six test days this year however and he and his crew are now looking forward with confidence to the first race. Lorenzo continued to make progress and to push as hard as his injured hand would allow, the Spaniard managing to test some new electronic settings amongst other things and improve on his time from yesterday. He still felt some pain in the hard braking areas and needed to take a painkilling pill, but he was happy to finish sixth in the circumstances and is confident that he will be back to full strength in time for the race. The first race of the 2010 MotoGP season takes place at Losail, Qatar on 9th, 10th and 11th April. Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: 1'55.860 Laps: 57 "This has been another good day. We've concentrated mostly on the race preparation and it feels like we're now ready for the first race. We did a long run at the end of the session and we got some good information, which will help us in the race. Now that testing is over I am very excited about the season. We've been strong throughout the six days of practice and it feels good to have been fast here also, where we have struggled in the past. We have only tested at two tracks so we need to wait for another different one to fully understand the new bike, but we're in good shape. My M1 feels great and I'm looking forward to racing!" Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 6th Time: 1'56.504 Laps: 44 "Today my hand felt okay, maybe a bit worse than yesterday. Of course it's not as good as before the accident but this is to be expected! It's hard for me in the braking areas and I can't push any harder than I have been today at the moment, but I hope it will have improved a lot by the time of the first race. Our bike is great, Yamaha have done a fantastic job and you can see this from the strong performance of all the Yamaha riders. We've done a lot of work and tried many things, so I hope that these will help us when we come back here in three weeks. I will keep working to strengthen my hand and I hope to be in much better condition by then." Davide Brivio - Team Manager We're really happy about this final test. Although we were fast in Sepang we didn't know what to expect here but we found that we were quick here as well - more than a second faster than last year in fact and this is encouraging! We've done some more work on the setting during this test and then today concentrated on race preparation, including doing a long run and trying some different combinations of bike and tyres. The waiting is nearly over now and we're ready!" Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "We have been happy here to see that Jorge feels better than expected, even if his thumb is still not perfect. To be able to finish in the top six when he's not in the best shape is a great achievement. We know there is improvement to make but considering the situation we can be happy with this test. Jorge feels good on the bike and we have made some good steps forward in these two days; he can feel the difference already. At the moment these tiny steps are very important. Now we have almost three weeks until the race and this gives Jorge time to improve further, so hopefully we will be in good shape when we return." Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team end 2010 preparations in Qatar The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team end its pre-season preparations for the 2010 MotoGP world championship in high spirits on a hot and humid night at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. With humid conditions reducing grip levels from the opening night, both Colin Edwards and Ben Spies were unable to improve their times tonight. The Texan pair were still able to carry out some valuable testing on the set-up of their Yamaha YZR-M1 machines and also assess a range of soft and hard compound front and rear Bridgestone tyres ahead of the first race under Qatar's spectacular floodlights on April 11. Edwards ended tonight's six-h our session with the eighth fastest time, a best lap of 1.56.722 less than 0.5s away from the top five. Spies was just two places further back in 10th with a best lap of 1.56.780. That was less than 0.1s away from Edwards' pace. Spies' best lap of 1.55.954 from the opening night was still good enough to secure him a top five place on the overall timesheets and boost his confidence ahead of his much-anticipated debut for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team next month. Both Edwards and Spies escaped injury in identical crashes at Turn Two tonight. Colin Edwards - Position: 8th Time: 1'56.722 Laps: 48 “It wasn't the ending to testing I was looking for but it wasn't too bad. I just didn't really have a great feeling with the bike tonight and we need to have a think about things before we come back for the race next month. We've got some work to do because I just didn't feel as comfortable on the bike as I did last year, mainly with the front-end. And I know I go good at this track because I had a good race last year and finished fourth. I'm not sure what happened with the crash but I did exactly the same as Ben. I was on the soft front tyre that I'd not really run that much on the first night. But I was on my sixth lap on the tyre, so it should have been ready to push. But I was down before I knew it and it is a fast crash, even if you're only in second gear. I'm just glad I didn't get hurt so close to the first race because that was a fast crash. I'm really excited about going racing now. It seems like a long time since Valencia and I'm sure we can have another great year with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team." Ben Spies - Position: 10th Time: 1'56.780 Laps: 44 “I didn't have a great night really but that can happen. Everything that could go wrong went wrong tonight. But I've have had a great winter and this was the first session where it didn't go the way we wanted it to. I'd had some small issues early on and went into Turn Two again and just lost the front. I wasn't really sure what happened but then four people crashed in the next 30 minutes so it must have got really humid really quick because something wasn't right with that many people going down in the same place. I did a few more laps to clear my head and got down to some decent times and I'm happy I did that. But it was still a successful test and I leave confident that I'll be competitive for the race next month. I want to thank my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 for all their effort in the winter. We've done a good job and I feel we're in a position to have a competitive start to the season.” Test Times 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'55.353 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'55.860 3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 1'55.879 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'56.115 5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'56.195 6. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'56.504 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'56.504 8. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'56.722 9. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 1'56.767 10. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'56.779 11. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 1'56.897 12. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'56.898 13. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'56.935 14. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.222 15. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'57.223 16. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 1'57.251 17. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.379 Losail: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'55.153 Losail: Best Lap J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'53.927
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Monster Energy Army now online!

Gautier Paulin The official 2010 photoshoot for the factory Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team and the Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi Team took place recently at the Mantova circuit in Italy. The host venue for the second round of the 2010 MX-GP FIM World Championship - that starts on April 3rd-4th in Bulgaria - saw David Philippaerts and Ken De Dycker flick the ’10 YZ450F across the sandy jumps while the new YZ250F was handled to dazzling effect by Gautier Paulin while other MX2-GP riders Loic Larrieu, Alessandro Lupino, Christophe Charlier and Harri Kullas also demonstrated their skills. To see a gallery of the Yamaha Monster Energy collective and download some impressive photographs please click on this link: http://www.yamaha-racing.com/Racing/mx1/photo/
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi continues pre-season domination as Lorenzo makes his return

Valentino Rossi Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi continued his domination of the pre-season testing programme in Qatar today, finishing the opening day of the final test 0.3 seconds ahead of Casey Stoner. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo made a welcome return from injury to finish the day a creditable seventh and with Ben Spies third and Colin Edwards fourth, it was four Yamahas in the top seven. Testing began at 6pm under the floodlights at the desert track and Rossi was in command from the word go, finding yet more improvement in the 2010 M1 at what is not generally one of his best tracks. A break for dinner saw both Stoner and Spies better his time but the Italian was determined to finish the day on top and improved again on his last run to regain first place. Lorenzo missed the last test after breaking his hand and he was unsure how much strength he would have today, but the 23-year-old Spaniard was happy to find himself in better shape than expected and he steadily improved all night. He found the hard braking areas the most difficult but he was able to ride well enough to continue with his interrupted testing regime, and he is hopeful of further improvement tomorrow. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1st Time: 1'55.402 Laps: 64 "I am so happy today because this isn't one of our best tracks and to come here and be fastest shows what a great job Yamaha has done with this new M1. To start with the track was quite slippery but anyway we were still fast, and as the track started to improve I felt better and better. We are quite competitive and this gives me a good feeling, and I was happy to make this quick lap right at the end. We still have to decide the right tyre and the best setting for it, and we will keep working on the electronics but the most important thing is that we're faster than last year! Tomorrow we will continue with our work and try to finalise everything before the race." Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 7th Time: 1'56.838 Laps: 45 "It's really good to be back on my bike and actually when I went out on track the first time today my hand felt better than I had expected. The pain has decreased a lot in the last few days and I've been doing a lot of physio to make sure I'm in the best possible shape for this test. I was able to do quite a lot of laps today and my time is not so bad in the end, it's definitely interesting and important to be here and see our level after missing the last test. Dainese have made me a bigger glove and I have some protection on the hand; changing direction is okay, it's just the hard braking areas where I have some problems. I need more practice but I think we have made a good start." Ben Spies and Colin Edwards light up Qatar night test Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo Ben Spies and Colin Edwards produced dazzling performances under the Losail International Circuit floodlights in Qatar tonight. Spies was in sparkling form to post a best time of 1.55.954 that secured him a stunning third place on the timesheets. Earlier on a balmy night in Doha, Spies had topped the timesheets for a brief period in the six-hour session that ran from 6pm to midnight. What made the reigning World Superbike champion's performance even more remarkable was he'd never ridden under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit before. Yet Spies finished just over 0.2s behind circuit specialist and triple Qatar race winner C asey Stoner with Valentino Rossi once again quickest on his factory Yamaha YZR-M1 machine. The 25-year-old was forced to finish early after a crash at the second corner in the final hour while using a hard compound Bridgestone front tyre. But he declared himself delighted with progress in his 44-lap stint. Fellow Texan Colin Edwards was equally impressive in fourth position after he posted a best time of 1.57.541 in a 59-lap stint. Edwards continued to fine-tune the race-set-up of his YZR-M1 machine, working on Yamaha's new swingarm and Bridgestone's new hard compound front tyre. Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 3rd Time: 1'55.954 Laps: 44 “I know this track from last year but riding under the floodlights is definitely a bit different and nothing I've experienced before. The perception of speed is much faster with it being at night but I'm having a lot of fun. It's really well lit up but there are a couple of darker spots on the track that you have to get used to but I've not done too bad in adjusting to the lights. I know the track but any track I go to on a MotoGP bike makes it definitely different because of the lines you take. Some of the lines I'd take on the superbike just don't work but I felt like it was coming together good and following a couple of people it felt like I was doing more of the right things than I was in Malaysia. Obviously it is great for me to be high up the timesheets but I'm still taking baby steps to improve and not getting carried away. The crash was nothing too serious. I was running the hard front and I wasn't getting a good feeling from it. We changed the pressure to try and help for my second run but I just lost the front at the second corner. But to be third is fantastic for my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3. They have been giving me great support.” Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 4th Time: 1'56.541 Laps: 59 “It was a good night. It didn't start off too great and it took me a while to get into the groove. We played around with the set-up using some of the new parts I'd liked in Sepang and also running some of last year's pieces to get some good information. The lap time was about the same so around this track the new parts aren't making the difference like they did in Malaysia. I did a long run on the hard front and I like it. I did race distance on it and it felt really good. I ended up doing 27-laps on it, which is five more than race distance, and it still felt really good. I'm getting the feedback I need at full lean angle and it holds the turn much better." Test Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'55.402 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'55.717 3. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'55.954 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'56.540 5. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'56.588 6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 1'56.811 7. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'56.838 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'56.855 9. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 1'56.923 10. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'57.047 11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'57.099 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.605 13. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 1'57.822 14. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 1'57.888 15. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.891 16. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 1'57.898 17. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'57.960 Losail: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'55.153 Losail: Best Lap J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'53.927
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

MX GP: Larrieu out of first 2010 Grand Prix

Loic Larrieu Talented French teenager Loic Larrieu will miss the first Grand Prix of the year at Sevlievo in Bulgaria on April 3rd-4th. The 19 year old suffered a fall at Malpensa for the third round of the Italian Championship last weekend that left the Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX rider with a fractured left collarbone. Luckless Larrieu was coming back to speed and fitness after his shoulder injury during the winter but his accident, while attempting a downhill double at the steep circuit close to the Italian airport in Milan, means that he now needs further recovery time and will sit out the 2010 FIM MX2-GP World Championship opener on Easter weekend. Larrieu, who scored an impressive podium finish at the 2009 French GP in what was his first world championship campaign, had also been carrying a small fracture to his right big toe after a blameless spill the previous week at Sommières for the first round of the French national series. Before this latest setback Larrieu had been steadily developing the 2010 YZ250F for the Italian team whose MX2-GP efforts he will spearhead this term for his second season as a Yamaha rider.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

2010 Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team riders

DP19 David Philippaerts and Gautier Paulin offer their thoughts on the off-season and the rapidly-approaching 2010 FIM MX-GP World Championship... David Philippaerts’ record in the premier MX1-GP category is enviable. The 25 year old Italian has won Grand Prix in each of his three seasons and finished 6th, 1st and 4th in that time. A mix of steely determination, acute fitness, a tidy but occasionally explosive riding style and a hint of Latin temperament create a formidable rider and one of the very best competitors in the division. Philippaerts will be aiming to regain his crown in 2010 while also refine the new YZ450F. You are the only MX1-GP rider for the team in 2010. Will this be an inconvenience? No, I don’t think so. Having a team-mate in MX2-GP instead of MX1-GP is not much different for me to be honest. We have different goals. The new bike means we have had more work to do for the set-up but overall I am very happy with how things are and how they look for 2010. How do you feel now that the pressure of being defending champion has gone? The sense of pressure is the same because I will continue to do my best, like I did in 2009, and again there are many riders that can do well in this championship. It was an up-and-down season last year. I pushed a lot in the winter-time and maybe this caused some of the physical problems that begun during the early GPs. I had a virus which meant that my body’s performance was not consistent. This was the big problem and then little things like the broken finger in Portugal did not help. I stayed at home a little bit more this winter, instead of training and working away and in Belgium, and did not go into the mountains for ski training until the New Year. Philippaerts The new 2010 YZ450F has proven a worthy machine so far... Yes, the bike has been kept quite close to the standard bike because it is already a strong machine. We have worked a lot to make the YZ450F personal and special for me and every time I ride or test I feel happy. The fuel injection makes it more responsive and feels very different to the carburettor; I like it. Ohlins suspension was a new feature for all of us but they work very hard and we will get some good data on this and other areas of the bike in the races we have ahead. The real test will be at the first GP. It is a new bike so we still have some things to learn when we compete at the highest level. The second Grand Prix is the first of two home races in 2010, at Mantova then Fermo... The track at Fermo is very natural and I know they have been working on the facility to make it ready for the GP but I think the layout will be different when we arrive. Fermo will be a new track for everyone, even the Italians! With the Starcross and Grand Prix we will have Mantova twice and then onto Fermo for the last round. The last time we ended a season in Italy was in 2008 and if we could have the same situation as we did (he was crowned champion at Faenza) then this is very good for me! What will be the key to another championship? I have to keep taking points and keep getting near the front in the races, cutting down the mistakes by not making small crashes and keeping pressure on the other riders. I will be doing my very best this year. I will have to push more than I did in 2008 because the level of the competition is higher with both the riders and the technology. I know I will have to win heats if I want the title. Gautier Paulin Soon-to-be 20 year old Frenchman and former BMX star Gautier Paulin brings his remarkable talents to the Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team and the 2010 YZ250F for his third attempt at the MX2-GP series. The likeable and professional youngster took a step into exploration of the AMA-SX championship with three appearances at the beginning of the year and a sustained period of training and preparation in the US. Paulin will be the first MX2-GP representative for the team since Cedric Melotte in 2005. Your first outings on a Yamaha were in an AMA SX arena. How was that for you? It was a really good experience and I had some great races. I was a bit tired after the first round in Anaheim because I had been training and recovering from my injury after the Motocross of Nations but I did OK in Phoenix and then again in Anaheim II. I had a good sensation about what I could do there and it was a boost to my confidence. I knew the level of the speed and competition would be very high, the tracks would be difficult and they all want to win, so I wasn’t surprised. I learnt where I was gaining and losing my time. If I can go back then I know what I have to do to be at the front. Supercross benefits from being inside a stadium and that helps with the image presentation but I think it says a lot about the world championship that our sport is very close for the organisation and overall good impression. So you trained and spent most of the winter in America? Yes, I was there more than two months and I felt my fitness improving and it is better than ever now; which is really cool. I have never felt in as good as shape as I currently am. When I got back from America and went running for the first time at home I killed my personal best time; all of this helps mentally. No. 21 How is it working with the Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team? To join a team like this is a great opportunity. I will be in a lot in Italy. I only live about 500km from the workshop, so it is not too far. They really are a ‘Team’; all the people are close, like brothers, and all totally have the same goal which is to provide the best for the rider. I like the image of the team and they have won and achieved so much. Last winter when I was deciding what to do for 2010 I asked to test the new bike and the next day I signed the contract because my mind was made-up. My dream is to go and race in America but with a team like this, when I see the organisation, the motivation and work that is done on the bikes, then I can stay in Europe. I have never had team treating me like this. What are your thoughts on the 2010 YZ250F... I was riding a lot on the Yamaha before I left and then did a lot of Supercross and motocross in California. The chassis on the production bike was the first really good point for me - it is crazy - it feels like a bicycle. The standard engine had a very strong bottom end which was also a big positive. We are now fine-tuning the race-bike. We have been working with Ohlins on the suspension. I don’t think that this team has to prove that they know what they are doing with the preparation of the bikes. It must have been tempting to switch to MX1-GP, especially after your win at the ’09 Nations... For sure I am fast on a 450 and many people like to tell me! They also say I am too big for MX2, but I had one eye on Supercross with the 250 and I knew that a full season on a 450 would very different; we have to be careful with the extra power and 15 GPs is different to just one race. I am young, still 19, and my goal is to get that MX2-GP title this season and think directly about MX1-GP. I had a strict diet over the winter and have made sacrifices to keep my weight down and keep fit and I have never taken these steps before. I really want to be at the front this season and will do whatever it takes. What will be the key to championship success? To be really fit, try not to be nervous and use some experience in the races. I know I am fast and I know I can have the best bike possible. I know I have the physical condition to race two motos at 100% so when I am on the bike I just need to pay attention to my technique and think about my riding.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts and Paulin rule Dutch championship opener

DP Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts and Gautier Paulin again sampled victory upon their works YZ450FM and YZ250FM machines, this time in the sand of Holland as the Italian and Frenchman won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively in the first meeting of the national series at Mill. After triumphant runs in the first two rounds of the Italian Championship both riders transferred their attentions to northern Europe and the sand as they continue to dial-in their new motorcycles ahead of the FIM World Championship on April 3rd/4th. Mill represented the last pre-season outing for the team. Philippaerts was ruthless through the soft and rutted terrain to obtain two race wins and easily claim the overall. He charged from third to first in the opening moto in as many laps, defeating world championship rivals like Marc de Reuver, Kevin Strijbos and Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team’s Ken De Dycker. In the second moto he was masterful and pulled away to take the flag from sand-specialist De Reuver by more than five seconds. “I am happy with this race and especially to beat riders like De Reuver and De Dycker here,” said Philippaerts. “We made some tests in the sand to find a good set-up during the week and everything worked well, so that is very good. The sand was not too deep and pretty hard underneath but it was still bumpy and rutty. I was pushing quite a bit to win as De Dycker kept close in the first moto and De Reuver was chasing me in the second. Overall this was a good way to end the pre-season and now we will think only about Bulgaria.” After taking 2nd to Philippaerts in the first race, DeDycker did not finish the second as the stomach virus he had been suffering in the days leading up to the event finally took its toll and he pulled out. Paulin Paulin was less than a second behind Joel Roelants on his first competitive race with the YZ250FM in the sand but improved his runner-up slot by one position in the second Heat. The 19 year old set the fastest lap and escaped to win by 24 seconds. “Yes, I am quite pleased although my start was not great in the first moto and I wasn’t so happy by the fact that I could take the lead but Roelants could keep attacking,” said the overall MX2 winner. “I improved my performance for the second race and it was good to end the day in this way.” The first three Grands Prix of the season will take place in Bulgaria (hard-pack), Italy (sand) and Holland (sand) throughout the month of April. Philippaerts and De Dycker will give the 2010 YZ450F its MX1-GP World Championship debut at Sevlievo on Easter weekend. Meanwhile in Italy, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi’s Christophe Charlier won the third round of the MX2 Italian Championship at Gallarate and now leads the contest by 16 points with one race remaining.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno