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Yamaha Racing News

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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

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

Crutchlow and Toseland get down to business in Assen

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

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

Crutchlow and Toseland get a wet weather workout in Portimao?

Day two of the first World Superbike test of 2010 saw wet sessions for Yamaha riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland, with dry track only appearing towards the end of the day. Both riders took it easy and enjoyed the opportunity to familiarize themselves with how their bikes worked in the wet for the first time. The second day saw more extensive testing of the electronic settings and also an opportunity to test the wet and intermediate Pirellis tyres for the season ahead. Cal was again one of the quickest riders of the day, finishing in the top five, whilst James took a more relaxed approach, not pushing too hard in the wet weather. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (4th, 1’50.1) “It wasn’t so bad today, it dried up in the end. It was a bit of a last minute thing to get a good time in. In the end we only had two laps on intermediate tyres. We got through some more electronics today but we still have some work to do on chassis and other electronics tomorrow.” James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (15th, 1’55.4) “It was one of those situations today, we had the last ten minutes getting to grips with intermediate tyres, I was getting up to speed as the last session ended. It’s a bit of a risk to get a good time in the wet on those tyres. It’s looking good for tomorrow though so we’re looking forward to some more dry time. Having said that it’s been good to get out on rain tyres and ride in the damp to experience how the bike behaved.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “Today was our first fully wet practice, the second practice started wet and slowly dried out. We worked a lot on the electronics adjustments with both riders. Last year we didn’t have so many wet practices so it has been very helpful today to gather data and information. We’ve had a full day to get a good wet strategy together, so we’re happy and looking forward to some more sunshine tomorrow.”
Alex Asigno

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

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

Lorenzo extends title lead with second place in Mugello

Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo gave the Fiat Yamaha Team a reason to smile in Mugello this afternoon as he brought his M1 home in second position, extending his Championship lead after two wins and two seconds so far this season. Lorenzo took to the podium wearing a yellow number 46 shirt as a nod to his team-mate Valentino Rossi, who watched the race from his hospital bed after breaking his leg in practice yesterday. Lorenzo got a good start behind Dani Pedrosa but soon realised he was not able to keep yesterday's blistering pace, quickly losing ground to his fellow Spaniard as he became embroiled in a fight with Andrea Dovizioso. The Italian passed Lorenzo on lap three but the Mallorcan got his nose back in front three laps later, the pair then remaining locked closely together until three-quarter race distance, when Lorenzo managed to stretch his lead to over half a second. By then Pedrosa was several seconds clear and the 23-year-old had no choice but to settle for a safe runner-up spot, meaning he has taken an impressive 90 points from a possible 100 so far this season. His lead is now 25 points over Pedrosa in the championship, with the injured Rossi in third. This was the first time Rossi has not started a race since he began his illustrious career over fourteen years ago in Malaysia at the age of 16, and the Italian holds the record of 230 consecutive starts. He is currently recuperating at the Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico in Florence following surgery yesterday to repair his broken right leg. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2ndTime: +4.014 "Unfortunately my pace today wasn't as good as yesterday and I could only finish second; something happened and I couldn't ride in the same way but in the circumstances I am happy with my result. Anyway Dani had a perfect race today; he had an amazing pace and I don't know if I could have beaten him even if I had been as fast as yesterday! To take 90 points from 100 is great and I am leading the championship, so I cannot ask for more. I need to make some improvements to my riding style and Yamaha needs to try to improve the power of the bike a bit so we have some things to work on, but I am confident about the next weeks. It was very strange today without Valentino, I am so glad the fans honoured him so well. I wanted to win to dedicate the victory to him but that wasn't possible so all I can do is say 'get well soon!'" Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "After the weekend our team has had with what happened to Valentino this was a good result for us, we have 90 points, two wins and two seconds and we are happy with our season so far. Jorge had some issues today and we need to analyse why it happened and why he couldn't keep the same pace, but we are not too worried and he rode a good race today. We are 25 points clear in the championship which is great but we all know why, because Valentino isn't here, and it's a sad situation. We all wish him the best." Ben Spies battles hard for seventh at majestic Mugello Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Ben Spies got his 2010 world championship campaign firmly back on track with a battling seventh place finish in today's Italian MotoGP race at Mugello. Spies showed his failure to finish the previous two races had done little to dent his confidence as he made a stunning start from the third row of the grid. The 25-year-old slotted into a brilliant fourth place before he slipped back to seventh in a hectic opening few laps. He briefly moved back into the top six with an overtake on Randy de Puniet on lap six but spent the remainder of the 23-lap encounter giving his maximum effort to try and clos e in on captivating battle for fourth position. Spies brilliantly hunted down Casey Stoner, de Puniet and Marco Melandri but despite launching a persistent challenge he was never able to get sufficiently close to mount an attack. The Texan's morale-boosting result though moved him back into the top ten in the world championship standings on 20-points with four of the 18 rounds completed. American team-mate Colin Edwards finished in a brave 13th place despite having to race in extremely difficult circumstances. Edwards suffered a mystery fatigue issue in this morning's warm-up session and it was obvious from the start of the race that his physical condition would prevent him from showing his true potential as he dropped from fifth to 11th. Despite feeling well below his best, Edwards bravely rode to 13th to collect three valuable po ints and preserve his 100 per cent points-scoring record this season. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team now embarks on a new adventure when MotoGP visits the Silverstone circuit in England for the first time since 1986. Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 7thTime: +28.806 "The goal was top ten, so to be eighth I'm pretty happy with, especially leaving here with solid points after the disappointment of the last two races. I got a great start and felt like I rode as hard as I could and didn't make too many mistakes but I just couldn't quite get up close to the battle in front of me and that was a little frustrating. I found myself right on the tail of that pack with Randy, Marco and Casey but I wasn't going to be able to pass them on the straight. I just tried to stay as close as I could for as long as I could in case something happened with them but everybody kept it upright. I was just hoping that the pack was going to break open and I could pick one of them off but they stayed together. It was a good race and what I needed to build my confidence and experience and now I'm looking forward to Silverstone. That's a level playing field with nobody knowing the track, so I'll have less of a disadvantage." Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 13thTime: +1'14.393 "I'm really disappointed and a bit mystified because I've felt good all weekend and we got the bike working really well again after we switched back to the setting we had at Mugello last year. But it was a struggle from the off and I didn't feel great at all. The bike was working well. It goes round the corner good, it brakes good and has good traction but I can't ride in that condition. I felt fatigued really early in the race and was really struggling to change direction with the bike. And at this track you have got a l ot of fast changes of direction that are crucial to help you flow and set good times. I've had a bit of an arm pump issue all weekend for the first time in my career and needed quite a few injections to ease that. But I was way below my best physical condition and not just because of that. All I can do is apologise to Monster Yamaha Tech 3 and I wish I knew what was going on. I'll try and figure it out and be ready to come out fighting strong in Silverstone." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "It was a mixed day for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 because we had high hopes after qualifying. Ben did a great job and it was a shame that he could not really force his way into that exciting fight for fourth place. He did everything he could and he never gave up to show how determined he is to achieve a better result. But I think it was obvious that he had a speed issue on the straight a nd that didn't help him. But it was a race that will be good for his confidence though and he showed that he is capable of easily challenging for the top places. It was a big shame for Colin because it is clear he was not able to ride at his usual level. Colin showed his potential in qualifying with fifth but in the race his physical condition never allowed him to fight at his maximum potential and I feel for him because he too never stop trying to improve his situation. We now look forward to the new challenge of Silverstone hopeful of a positive result." Circuit Length: 5245 Temp: 32 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'50.117 (Max Biaggi, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'42.837 (Valentino Rossi, 04/06/2006) Last Years Winner: Casey Stoner 2010 MotoGP Italy - Mugello 06/06/2010 Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 42'28.066 2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'04.014 3 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'06.196 4 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 0'25.703 5 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'25.735 6 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0'25.965 7 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 0'28.806 8 Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 0'40.172 9 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 0'41.394 10 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0'42.107 11 Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 0'43.095 12 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 0'43.363 13 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'14.393 14 Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 1'24.389 Rider Standings 06/06/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 90 2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 65 3. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 61 4. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 58 5. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 39 6. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 36 7. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 32 8. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 24 9. Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 23 10. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 20 11. Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 19 12. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 19 13. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 18 14. Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 16 15. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 13 Manufacturer Standings 06/06/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 95 2. Honda 77 3. Ducati 52 4. Suzuki 19
Alex Asigno

MX GP: Philippaerts 2nd at French International?

DP and GP Last Sunday Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts gained his second podium in a week and the second from three race appearance so far in 2010 on the new YZ450FM. The 25 year old rode to 4th, 4th and 3rd positions for the overall runner-up position at the Valence International in France. On a cold weekend and across a track that was stony and damp but became drier throughout race day, Philippaerts faced a large number of Grand Prix competitors and produced three consistent and decent outings. The Italian is gaining speed and confidence with his 2010 race-bike and benefitted from more suspension tests last week after his victory in the first round of the Italian Championship at Montevarchi. ‘I am very happy as my riding was good today, better than last week in the Italian Championship,’ he said. ‘We made a test with the suspension in the middle of the week before coming to France and it was a step forwards. We made a change on the rear shock and also discovered a setting for the front fork. I felt comfortable on the bike at Valence and could run the pace I wanted.’ Philippaerts placed behind Antonio Cairoli and in front of Steve Ramon, Anthony Boissiere and Sebastien Pourcel. Team-mate Gautier Paulin swung his leg over the works YZ250FM for just the second time in competition this year and claimed fourth place overall. The Frenchman was pleased with the progress he is making in preparation for his assault on the MX2-GP world championship. ‘Everything went OK,’ he said after taking two 4th places and then was the second best MX2 rider in the Superfinal with the 450s. ‘Frossard was perhaps the fastest MX2 rider on the day but I was not far away from him and I was pleased with the fact that my best moto was the last one; I only needed a little bit more time to overtake him to be the first MX2 bike against the MX1 guys. My fitness is good and we are going in the right direction.’ Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci Motocross Team’s Loic Larrieu enjoyed his first race on the 2010 YZ250F and his first outing since injuring both of his shoulders towards the end of 2009. The French teenager was 11th overall in the MX2 class. Team-mate Ken De Dycker was not able to score points across the Valence leaps after a small mechanical problem. The second round of the Italian Championship takes place next weekend at Castiglione Del Lago with both Yamaha Monster Energy teams set to participate.
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

Brayton makes 5th in championship as SX ends in Vegas

Cunningham The 2010 AMA SX series/FIM World Championship came to an end with the seventeenth and final round of the year taking place at the Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas last weekend. Kyle Cunningham was the surprise top runner on the Valli Motorsports YZ450F with 4th position but Muscle Milk Joe Gibbs Racing's Justin Brayton finished 8th and was able to rise into the top five of the season standings. Texan Cunningham had a career-best race in just his third event in the premier class since taking the vacated seat of the injured Ivan Tedesco. The 21 year old, who had secured 8th place in the East Coast Lites series, had scored 13th and 11th in his two previous outings before coming to Nevada. "I knew I could ride the 450, I just hadn't put a whole race together," he said. "Something just kept happening. Plus, the other two races [seattle and Salt Lake City] were just crazy conditions. But here, with normal conditions, I felt great. I caught a flow about halfway through and I just rode it on in to the finish. I'm pumped." Kyle Chisholm was 7th ahead of Brayton and Michael Byrne managed 11th. Josh Hill was able to score two points more than his two previous outings with 17th place and end a nightmare-ish second half of the campaign in which a rib injury has affected his race stamina. Four Yamaha's finished in the final top ten of the standings with Brayton 5th, Hill 6th, Tedesco in 9th and Kyle Chisholm claiming 10th. 2009 champion James Stewart etched the sole victory for Yamaha at Anaheim 1 but has been out with a broken scaphoid since round four. The AMA Motocross Nationals will now begin in two weeks with the first event taking place at Hangtown in Sacramento, California. Circuit Length: n/a Crowd: NA Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 0'52.030 (Kevin Windham, 01/01/2004) Last Years Winner: Ryan Villopoto 2010 AMA-SX Las Vegas, NV 10/05/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 20'54.883 2 Chad Reed Kawasaki AUS 0'05.034 3 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'20.098 4 Kyle Cunningham Yamaha USA 0'25.155 5 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'27.330 6 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'28.730 7 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 0'33.921 8 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'35.887 9 Thomas Hahn Suzuki USA 0'49.306 10 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 0'51.067 11 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 0'53.306 12 Matt Boni Honda USA -1Laps 13 Chris Blose Honda USA -1Laps 14 Josh Demuth Honda USA -1Laps 15 Weston Peick Yamaha USA -1Laps 17 Josh Hill Yamaha USA -1Laps 19 Jake Anstett Yamaha USA -3Laps Rider Standings 08/05/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 363 2. Kevin Windham Honda USA 293 3. David D Millsaps Honda USA 268 4. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 266 5. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 238 6. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 233 7. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 197 8. Thomas Hahn Suzuki USA 186 9. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 183 10. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 177 11. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 170 12. Andrew Short Honda USA 150 13. Chris Blose Honda USA 120 14. Trey Canard Honda USA 103 15. Jason Thomas Suzuki USA 79 18. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 67 19. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 62 20. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 23. Kyle Cunningham Yamaha USA 36 26. Weston Peick Yamaha USA 30 27. Dan Reardon Yamaha USA 25 38. Kyle Regal Yamaha USA 7 45. Jake Anstett Yamaha USA 2 46. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1 Manufacturer Standings 08/05/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 367 2. Honda 357 3. Kawasaki 341 4. Yamaha 323 5. KTM 3
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike riders kick-off 2010 at Portimao?

New for 2010 Yamaha World Superbike riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland took their first rides of the year today at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. Day one of the three day test saw the riders re-familiarize themselves with their YZF-R1’s and start working on their set-ups for the year. The riders focus for the first day was continuing the development of their preferred settings. Crutchlow was on typically fast form, ending the day in second on the timesheet, less than two tenths of a second from the fastest rider. Team-mate James Toseland was also on form, ending the first ride of the year in fifth just half a second off the front. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (2nd, 1’42.9) “It wasn’t so bad for the first day. We’re still trying to get comfortable on the bike as we progress but we’re getting there. I’m working away at it and I think the times were good enough. To still be working out our settings and have good times near the top of the board is very satisfying.” James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (5th, 1’43.3) “I think I ended up in fifth at the end of the day but only about half a second separates me from first. I’m pretty pleased, we’ve been trying a lot out on the bike and it’s been a really productive day. We’ve tested a lot of things and eliminated a few. I’m hoping the weather holds for out tomorrow but rain is forecast. Having said that, I’ve not ridden this bike in the rain yet so I’m happy for it to rain tomorrow and then be dry on Sunday so we’re testing in all conditions.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “We did a great job today, everything was on schedule as it should have been. The team and riders worked really hard, we tested some tyres and as always also we have some other things in development. Cal was working hard on the positioning for his bike and James continues to get more confidence with bike as he gets used to his change from MotoGP.”
Alex Asigno

Brayton improving, Hill 9th at Indianapolis

Josh Hill The seventh round of seventeen in the 2010 AMA Supercross/FIM SX World Championship took place at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in front of a bumper crowd of more than 60,000 and Yamaha Joe Gibbs Racing's Justin Brayton was the highest-placed YZ450F runner with a career-best 4th place. Yamaha LandM San Manuel's Josh Hill recorded his lowest result of the season so far with 9th. The vast Lucas Oil Stadium entertained an AMA SX Main event for just the second time and the meeting marked the beginning of the East Coast Lites series. Josh Hill went into the weekend co-leading the SX championship and things looked promising after he won his heat race. Unfortunately several mistakes in the main event saw the 20 year old in the second half of the leader-board and he was able to improve his standing by one position on the last lap after passing friend and brand-mate Jason Lawrence. Ninth place meant the end of his streak of five consecutive podium appearances and also drops him to 3rd in the table, ten points from new leader and Indianapolis winner Ryan Villopoto. Justin Brayton Justin Brayton has been steadily increasing his results and has not dropped out of the top eight this season so far. His 4th place drew him into the spotlight as the top Yamaha rider in Indianapolis and he lies in the 6th in the standings, only 30 points away from Hill with the series not yet at the half way stage. 2007 AMA Motocross Champion Grant Langston was 7th for his best Indoor finish since San Francisco and round four of the 2008 campaign. In the Lites category Ryan Sipes took 4th place on the YZ250F. Round eight takes place next Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Circuit Length: 0 Crowd: 60,019 Weather: Dry
 

2010 AMA-SX Indianapolis 21/02/2010
Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 17'20.777 2 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'03.628 3 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'20.293 4 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'28.091 5 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'34.616 6 Chris Blose Honda USA 0'36.399 7 Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 0'39.572 8 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 0'43.728 9 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'48.532 10 Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 0'48.834 11 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'50.125 12 Jarred Jet Browne Kawasaki USA 0'59.547 13 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS -1Laps 14 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA -1Laps 15 Matt Boni Honda USA -1Laps 16 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA -1Laps 19 Dan Reardon Yamaha USA -10Laps  
Rider Standings 20/02/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 145 2. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 145 3. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 135 4. David D Millsaps Honda USA 114 5. Kevin Windham Honda USA 106 6. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 105 7. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 97 8. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 74 9. Andrew Short Honda USA 69 10. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 61 11. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 60 12. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 57 13. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 54 14. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 15. Chris Blose Honda USA 50 18. Dan Reardon Yamaha USA 22 23. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 15 31. Weston Peick Yamaha USA 3 34. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1  
Manufacturer Standings 20/02/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 151 2. Kawasaki 145 3. Suzuki 145 4. Honda 139 5. KTM 3
Alex Asigno

Toseland takes his first podium at Valencia

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

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

MX-GP: De Dycker and Philippaerts log Portuguese top three finishes?

De Dycker in Portugal The Grand Prix of Portugal took place at a challenging Agueda circuit in front of 14,000 spectators as rain on Saturday turned into sunshine on Sunday and Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team's Ken De Dycker grabbed his first top three finish of the season on the new YZ450F with 3rd place in the second moto. Yamaha Monster Energy David Philippaerts was the highest-placed Yamaha runner with 5th overall and aced a rostrum slot in the first race. On Saturday, after refining his set-up with the help of the Ohlins technicians, Philippaerts was able to make a great start in the Qualification Heat and lead world champion Tony Cairoli to the finish line for his second pole position of the season. Showers that lasted most of the day on Saturday caused the track to soften and become rutty and bumpy. As the terrain dried and offered more grip on Sunday more racing lines appeared in the second moto. DP at Agueda 2008 world champion Philippaerts was chasing Clement Desalle hard for second place in the first moto when he inexplicably fell on the landing of a long jump adjacent to the start-straight. The Italian was able to quickly remount and although he secured 3rd was left nursing a painful left hand. The complaint would bother him in the second race and he was unable to run at a similar pace through the rough bumps, eventually finishing 8th. Ahead De Dycker was battling with Evgeny Bobryshev, Max Nagl and Desalle. The Belgian was in a resolute mood after a first lap crash in the opening race had forced his retirement with a damaged radiator and broken front brake. The DNF meant that the 25 year old was 10th by the end of the day although he was pleased with his fight to 3rd. Philippaerts is 3rd in the world championship standings, 28 points from second while De Dycker is 6th. The team will head east across Portugal and into Spain arriving at Bellpuig for the Grand Prix of Catalunya next week and round five of the series. In other news Spain's Carlos Campano still leads the MX3 World Championship after his second win of the season at round three in Argentina last week. In front of a decent 20,000 crowd the former Spanish Champion went 2-1 at La Rioja to clinch his spoils and edge a 6 point lead in the standings. "I am very happy," he said. I won in front of so many spectators and I am still leading the Championship." Ten rounds remain in the contest that is held in conjunction with the MX2 European series. Philippaerts after Moto1 David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 5th: "In the first moto I was following Desalle and my speed was good but on the third lap I had a big crash. I don't know the reason for it, similar to what happened in Mantova, and it was just one second in which my race was decided. I hurt my hand and that affected my feeling on the bike in the second moto. I did not have quite as much control or strength as before and it was not good for my corner speed because the bike was moving around a lot because of the bumps and I needed to hold on. Yesterday was very good but our races are being hit by some surprises. My lap-times are good and I am keeping consistent and now we must all work on getting our set-up right and the results we deserve." Ken De Dycker, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 10th: "I had some bad luck in the first race. I came into the rut and jumped it a little bit but the bike went sideways in the second part and I could not keep it up. The radiator was bent and the front brake was poking into the front wheel so it was not possible to go on. The second moto was better but hard work, and I lost the rhythm in some places. I am quite happy with how it went." Crowd: 14,000 Weather: Sunny
Last Years Winner: Antonio Cairoli 2010 GP of Portugal 09/05/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 40'37.687 2 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'14.633 3 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'17.055 4 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0'18.870 5 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 0'20.685 6 Tanel Leok Honda EST 0'22.020 7 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'45.869 8 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'53.096 9 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 1'04.235 10 Marc De Reuver Suzuki NED 1'06.660 11 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 1'09.663 12 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1'10.618 13 Anthony Boissière TM FRA 1'11.406 14 Nicolas Aubin Kawasaki FRA 1'25.652 15 Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 1'32.088 16 Tom Soderstrom Yamaha SWE 1'32.561 Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 39'57.508 2 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'02.809 3 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 0'04.569 4 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0'06.537 5 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'09.288 6 Tanel Leok Honda EST 0'12.826 7 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 0'23.894 8 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'28.727 9 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'51.791 10 Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 0'52.578 11 Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 0'53.484 12 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'56.710 13 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 1'13.304 14 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1'16.923 15 Anthony Boissière TM FRA 1'26.064 Rider Standings 09/05/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 179 2. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 161 3. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 133 4. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 124 5. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 123 6. Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 114 7. Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 106 8. Tanel Leok Honda EST 96 9. Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 79 10. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 75 11. Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 73 12. Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 63 13. Jimmy Albertson Honda USA 59 14. Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 57 15. Jonathan Barragan Kawasaki ESP 56 17. Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 46 21. Tom Soderstrom Yamaha SWE 19 Manufacturer Standings 09/05/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 197 2. Suzuki 169 3. Yamaha 156 4. Kawasaki 118 5. Honda 113 6. Aprilia 63 7. TM 37 8. CCM 11 RACE REPORT 09/05/2010 Osborne so close to Portuguese MX2-GP podium Osborne at Agueda The fourth round of the FIM MX2-GP World Championship saw Bike it Cosworth Yamaha's Zach Osborne miss a first podium result for the 2010 YZ250F - with increased agility due to a new chassis - by just one point as the American gets closer and closer to his first silverware of the season. Agueda hosted the Grand Prix of Portugal and thanks to copious rainfall on Saturday the course with many jumps, drops and climbs was a rougher prospect than usual for race-day. 14,000 spectators attended the event despite the changeable climate for the first of two back-to-back meetings on the MX-GP schedule. Osborne set a decent pace across a wet and slick layout in practice and qualification and was not far off the speed marked by the leaders in the motos themselves. The 2009 Turkish GP winner chased Shaun Simpson to finish 5th in the first moto and was exercising a degree of caution at the venue where he broke his scaphoid and ended his season twelve months ago. In the second moto Osborne gelled with the track and enjoyed a lengthy skirmish with Dutch GP victor Jeffrey Herlings, only losing out to the teenager after some fraught run-ins with backmarkers. With 3rd position by the flag Osborne gained his first entry into the top three and missed the podium by a single point. Kullas in Portugal Elsewhere Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi's Harri Kullas was 8th overall with a promising start and decent ride to 7th in Moto1. The Finn was slower getting away in Moto2 but persisted to the finish to gain 13th. Team-mate Christophe Charlier steered the third YZ250F into the top ten with 10th place overall. The 2009 European Champion was competing with an injured right hand after damaging thumb ligaments in a mid-week training crash. He defied the pain to reach the flag ahead of Kullas in Moto1 for 6th but a crash at the beginning of the second race dropped him to 15th. Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team's Loic Larrieu crashed in the Qualification Heat and had to enter the gate down in 33rd limiting his options at the start of the motos. The Frenchman also hit the ground during Sunday. Eventually he managed two points for 19th in the second sprint. Alessandro Lupino was 17th and 11th for 14th overall and his best points haul of the season, despite a sore right wrist. Osborne is currently the highest-placed Yamaha rider in the MX2-GP table with 6th position and 2 points from the top five. Kullas and Charlier are 9th and 10th. Yamaha 3C Racing's Chiara Fontanesi was 5th overall in the second round of the FIM Women's World Championship courtesy of two 6th positions and holds 4th in the seven-race series, the third edition of the competition, on the YZ250F. Round five of the world championship will take place at Bellpuig for the Grand Prix of Catalunya next week. Zach Osborne, Bike it Cosworth Yamaha, 4th: "I am a little disappointed that I did not make the podium because it would have been sweet revenge after getting hurt here last year. However a 5th and a 3rd and some good points mean that it has been a good weekend. I think I am catching those guys slowly but surely. My first race was not my best of the year but it was still solid, and in the second I held it out as long as I could up there but ran into some lappers and Herlings passed me. I gained some ground on him a little bit but again got mixed up with slower riders. I enjoyed the rough circuit. It was a GP track; gnarly, rough, hard to predict. It was definitely good. I am so happy with the way things are going with the team. Everyone is pulling together and it is such a joint-effort." Harri Kullas, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi, 8th: "Overall I had one good, one bad. In the first race I had a good start and when Roelants crashed in front of me I had 7th. I could see Christophe in front of me but when I pushed he would do also and I could not get close enough. I was happy with 7th though. In the second moto I started badly and struggled to wake-up and this is something I need to work on. I rode smart but spent too much time behind Karro and Tonkov. Near the end I pushed as hard as I could. 8th overall was a good result for the day and I feel it is progress." Christophe Charlier, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi, 10th: "I did the best I could today but it was definitely hard with my hand. I had a crash at the start of the second moto but the first one was pretty good in the circumstances. I just have to let my hand heal and hope it is a bit stronger for Spain." Crowd: 14,000 Weather: Sunny
Last Years Winner: Rui Goncalves 2010 GP of Portugal 09/05/2010 Race 1 - 19 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 39'09.201 2 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'03.389 3 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 0'03.997 4 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1'02.518 5 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 1'17.802 6 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 1'20.932 7 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1'23.221 8 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1'24.333 9 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 1'47.796 10 Matiss Karro Suzuki LVA 1'50.706 11 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA -1Laps 12 Nikolai Larsen Honda DNK -1Laps 13 Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR -1Laps 14 Aleksandr Tonkov Suzuki RUS -1Laps 15 Petr Smitka KTM CZE -1Laps 17 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA -1Laps Race 2 - 19 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 40'09.015 2 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 0'08.230 3 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 0'14.284 4 Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 0'20.023 5 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'32.628 6 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'50.167 7 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 0'51.004 8 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1'03.928 9 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 1'05.055 10 Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 1'16.926 11 Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 1'19.092 12 Valentin Teillet KTM FRA 1'20.792 13 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1'22.165 14 Matiss Karro Suzuki LVA 1'45.346 15 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 1'46.923 18 Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR -1Laps 19 Loic Larrieu Yamaha FRA -1Laps Rider Standings 09/05/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 179 2. Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 167 3. Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 164 4. Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 133 5. Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 116 6. Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 114 7. Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 105 8. Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 101 9. Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 83 10. Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 81 11. Joel Roelants KTM BEL 80 12. Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 76 13. Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 60 14. Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 45 15. Matiss Karro Suzuki LVA 40 17. Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR 29 20. Loic Larrieu Yamaha FRA 16 29. Rudi Moroni Yamaha ITA 5 30. Ceriel Klein Kromhof Yamaha NED 4 31. Glenn Coldenhoff Yamaha NED 2 32. Ed Allingham Yamaha GBR 2 Manufacturer Standings 09/05/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 200 2. Suzuki 167 3. Kawasaki 135 4. Yamaha 123 5. Honda 40 6. TM 9
Alex Asigno

AMA-SX: Hill takes first 2010 podium?

Josh Hill An LandM San Manuel Yamaha rider finished on the podium of the second round of the 2010 AMA Supercross/FIM World Championship at Chase Field in Phoenix but it was Josh Hill gaining his first silverware for the team instead of defending champion and Anaheim 1 winner James Stewart. Hill gave the 2010 YZ450F its second rostrum appearance in as many weeks last Saturday when he rode to a steady 3rd place in Arizona behind the two Ryans; Dungey and Villopoto. After setting the fastest time in the first practice session Stewart suffered a heavy fall in the qualification Heat and left trackside in some pain. He was able to participate and win the Last Chance race but in discomfort. In the Main Event the Floridian was tussling for a slot just inside the top ten when he tangled with arch-rival Chad Reed causing him to be lapped and drop down the order to 15th. Reed retired for his second DNF and apparently is now on the sidelines with a broken hand. Stewart catching up Stewart was able to obtain 6 points for his efforts in reaching the chequered flag but has slipped from 1st to 7th after 2 of 17 meetings in the 2010 schedule. Hill meanwhile survived his own scare prior to his run to 3rd position: "I had a big crash in practice," he said. "I almost got into a head-on collision with [Fabien] Izoird, but I came out of that and didn't get hurt. I just got good starts, which is something I don't usually do, so it was awesome. I was just able to keep a good track position." The 20 year old celebrated his fifth podium in the supercross class and finished just ahead of Ivan Tedesco, who was 4th, with Justin Brayton taking another top-ten finish with 8th place. Broc Tickle was 5th on the YZ250F in the West Coast Lites series and Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's Gautier Paulin finished the second Main Event of his career in 12th after a mediocre start. Round three will take place next weekend back in the Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Los Angeles. Circuit Length: unknown Crowd: NA Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 0'51.216 (Ricky Carmichael, 01/01/2005) Last Years Winner: James Stewart 2010 AMA-SX Phoenix, AZ 17/01/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 18'09.406 2 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0'06.053 3 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'13.094 4 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'17.388 5 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'22.908 6 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'25.322 7 Austin Stroupe Suzuki USA 0'28.008 8 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'30.858 9 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'43.755 10 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 0'53.034 11 Manuel Gomes Rivas Kawasaki ESP -1Laps 12 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA -1Laps 13 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA -1Laps 14 Jason Thomas Honda USA -1Laps 15 James Stewart Yamaha USA -1Laps 18 Grant Langston Yamaha RSA -3Laps  
Rider Standings 16/01/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 47 2. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 38 3. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 35 4. Kevin Windham Honda USA 35 5. Andrew Short Honda USA 34 6. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 32 7. James Stewart Yamaha USA 31 8. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 26 9. David D Millsaps Honda USA 24 10. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 21 11. Austin Stroupe Suzuki USA 17 12. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 17 13. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 14 14. Manuel Gomes Rivas Kawasaki ESP 10 15. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 9 24. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 4 25. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1  
Manufacturer Standings 16/01/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 47 2. Yamaha 45 3. Kawasaki 38 4. Honda 36
Alex Asigno

Yamaha MotoGP Teams off to a flying start in Malaysia

Lorenzo - Rossi Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi got his pre-season off to the best possible start today, finishing fastest on the first day of testing in Sepang. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate and last season's runner-up Jorge Lorenzo also made a strong start, ending the day in fifth. Both riders concentrated on completing as many laps as possible on the latest evolution of the 2010 YZR-M1 and, with the weather staying dry until just a few minutes before the end of the session, it was a productive day all round. Rossi led the way and was one of four riders to dip under the existing lap record. His time of 2'01.411, set this morning on his 15th of 54 laps, was half a second quicker than second-placed Casey Stoner. Lorenzo found it a little harder to get back into the swing of things and took it gently this morning, but he felt much more comfortable on the new M1 this afternoon and gradually began to improve his time, setting his best time of 2'02.165 on the penultimate lap of the day, leaving him in fifth. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1st Time: 2'01.411 Laps: 54 "Today was very important because this year we have just six days of testing in which to set the bike, so we can not waste any time. This first day was very positive, we tried the new bike for 2010, with a different chassis and a new engine, which can do more kilometres, and it is quite fast. Yamaha has worked very well over the winter. Now we need to spend time on setting some electronics and other things. This is only the start but it seems we're already in good shape." Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 5th Time: 2'02.165 Laps: 57 "After such a long break I found it quite hard to find my rhythm on the bike today - motocross bikes are not the same as the new M1! It was quite a difficult start to the day but little by little i started to feel more comfortable and to improve my pace. This afternoon, when it was a bit warmer, i began to improve my times even more and get closer to the first rider, so in the end I was quite happy with our work. Yamaha have brought some good things for us; the bike is not completely different to the old one but the small details make it easier to ride and this is important. Today was my first day of riding with my new team manager, Wilco Zeelenberg, and I feel good with him. He is an ex rider and so we were able to share a lot of information and he was able to give me some good advice." Colin Edwards makes flying start to 2010 in Sepang Refreshed after a long winter break and boosted by the impressive performance of Yamaha's new 2010 YZR-M1 machine, Colin Edwards produced a stunning return to MotoGP action at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia today. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider ended the first day of 2010 pre-season testing with the third fastest time, a best lap of 2.01.932 only bettered by Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner as the MotoGP paddock reconvened after a three-month winter break. Edwards completed 48 laps in typically demanding Sepang conditions as air temperatures reached close to 40 degrees and track temperatures hitting a searing 60 degrees. Edwards, who finished fifth in last y ear's MotoGP world championship, was one of four riders who managed to lap under the existing lap record and he finished just 0.030s behind Stoner. The Texan was thrilled with the performance of Yamaha's new 2010 YZR-M1 machine, particularly with bottom end performance on the in-line four-cylinder motor. Ben Spies kicked off his 2010 challenge with a fastest lap of 2.03.142 helping the reigning World Superbike champion secure 12th spot. A chronic bout of jetlag after the long trip to Kuala Lumpur stopped Spies from displaying his true potential, with the Texan continuing to adjust to the prototype YZR-M1 machine while also trying to learn the long and technical Sepang circuit.
Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 3rd Time: 2.01.932 Laps: 48 laps “After I blew off a few cobwebs this morning I've got to say the bike worked really great and I've got to say a big thanks to Yamaha. They have impressed me because we knew it was a big challenge to achieve a high level of performance while also getting more durability out of the engine for the new rules. And they have done that and I'm really happy, so I'm already excited about the new season. The engine seems much better off the bottom. Last year I'd open the throttle and nothing really happened, but this year there's a response when you push. I never even touched the bike today, I just got on it and rode it and it felt really natural and I could do what I wanted with the bike. It accelerated how I wanted, I could hold a line how I wanted and I was riding round talking to myself inside my helmet saying ‘how much fun is this?' When the bike does what you ask, it's pretty easy. It was a great way to start what hopefully is going to be another successful year with Herve Poncharal and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.” Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 12th Time: 2.03.142 Laps: 55 laps “I tried as hard as I could for the first day but I've got a little bit of jetlag and I wasn't at 100 per cent. Despite that though the new bike is really good. I got behind a couple of people and the engine performance was really good and that is a real positive. I'm still working on my mid-corner speed and trusting the Bridgestone tyres and today was still a good day even if I'd like to have been a bit further up the timesheets. My times aren't far off on a track that these guys know like the back of their hand, so I know there is plenty more to come from me. My guy's asked me what I need to work on for tomorrow and right now it's just me. There's a good half-a-second just in myself. I've got a lot to learn and it takes time. I've already been getting a lot of help and advice from Colin about the track and that is great for me and for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team that we are working together like that.” Test Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2'01.411 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 2'01.902 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2'01.932 4. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2'02.102 5. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2'02.165 6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 2'02.630 7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2'02.792 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2'02.866 9. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 2'02.987 10. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 2'03.030 11. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 2'03.133 12. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2'03.142 13. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 2'03.456 14. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2'03.558 15. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2'03.609 16. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2'03.609 17. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 2'03.651 Sepang: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2'02.108 Sepang: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2009, 2'00.518
Alex Asigno

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