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Yamaha Racing News

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

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

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

Jorge Lorenzo injures hand in training accident

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo has undergone surgery in his right hand following an accident whilst training near his home in Barcelona yesterday, Thursday 11th February. The 22-year-old was riding his motocross bike at the practice course near Montmeló during a routine training session as part of his pre-season preparation. He fell in a slow corner, doing approximately 30km/h, and hurt his right hand as he landed. He was taken immediately to the Capio Hospital General de Catalunya and found to have a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal and a displaced thumb. Dr. Augusto J. Casanovas made an open reduction and osteosynthesis with a small titanium plate. Lorenzo will require hand protection for four to six weeks. The Spaniard is leaving the hospital this morning and will return to his home in Barcelona to recuperate. He will not participate in the next Sepang test but he is expected to make a full recovery in time for the final pre-season test at Qatar in March.
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

Successful test for Yamaha Sterilgarda in Misano

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

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team to unveil 2010 livery in Italy

2010 WSB R1 The Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team is pleased to announce that the new 2010 livery will be unveiled on Friday 12th of February at the Sterilgarda plant in Italy. Riders James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow will present the 2010 livery on their bikes to an audience of international media on Friday, in advance of shipping out to Australia for the second test of 2010 and the first race of the season at Phillip Island. Yamaha are delighted to be able to launch the new livery at the Sterilgarda headquarters in Castiglione delle Stiviere following Sterilgarda’s continued commitment as sponsor of the successful World Superbike Team. Sterilgarda is Italy’s second largest manufacturer of UHT dairy products. Photography of the bikes in their new livery along with riders Toseland and Crutchlow will be available for download from Yamaha-racing.com from Friday late afternoon.
Alex Asigno

Rossi smashes pole record on final day of Sepang test

Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi signed off the second pre-season test of the year on top once again in Malaysia today, meaning he has been fastest at all four days of testing so far this year. The Italian smashed his own pole record by almost three tenths of a second, proving that he and the new YZR-M1 are on track for the season's start in a month's time. Rossi spent the final day of the test trying electronic packages, a new tyre for Bridgestone and just double-checking all the work done so far. He also had time to do a few laps on the Japanese test team's bike, providing them with important feedback for the future development of the M1. The 31-year-old set his best lap of 2'00.271 on his 12th of 39 laps, with Casey Stoner second once again in a time of 2'00.512. It was a good day for Yamaha, with Tech 3 riders Colin Edwards and Ben Spies fourth and fifth respectively. The next and final pre-season test comes at Qatar on 18th and 19th March, by which time Rossi's injured team-mate Jorge Lorenzo hopes to have made a full recovery and to be back in action. Rossi pit box Valentino Rossi - Position: 1st Time: 2'00.271 Laps: 39 "I'm really happy to have beaten my pole record, it's a good feeling to be this fast in testing. I did this with an old tyre but we also got the chance to try a very good new tyre from Bridgestone today, which I hope we will use from the first race. Our bike is in great shape; we need to do a bit more work on the electronics but in general everything is better, especially the rear grip and the engine. Yamaha have been very clever to develop this new bike whilst keeping the best parts of the old one, I'm very happy about it. It was good to get the chance to try the Japanese test bike, hopefully the feedback I gave them will help us in the future. Now we go to Qatar and then we will see our level because it is not one of mine or Yamaha's best tracks! But we're in great shape and this is very important at this stage of the season. I'm really looking forward to it." Edwards and Spies shine in Sepang sauna The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team concluded the second of three 2010 pre-season tests in Sepang today in confident mood after Colin Edwards and Ben Spies both finished in the top five on the timesheets. In searing hot temperatures that peaked at an exhausting 37 degrees, Edwards rode his 2010 YZR-M1 machine to the fourth fastest time, the experienced American finishing with a best lap of 2.00.988. After completing 35-laps, Edwards declared himself delighted with his performance after he made significant progress in improving electronics and handling with his YZR-M1 machine. He was also happy with the performance of a new Bridgestone rear tyre he evaluated this afternoon to finish just under 0.3s away from a top three finish. Spies once again proved what a phenomenally fast learner he is after posting a series of consistently competitive lap times on only his second visit to the long and technical Sepang circuit. A best lap of 2.01.014 was just 0.026s slower than Edwards and the reigning World Superbike champion was able to significantly reduce the gap between himself and the best time clocked by Valentino Rossi to just over 0.7s. Spies was also able to showcase his prowess on worn race tyres when he completed a long distance run today, the 25-year-old reeling off consistent and fast laps in the 2.01 bracket. Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 4th Time: 2'00.988 Laps: 35 “It felt really hot out there today and I don't think anybody was going to do a lot of laps in those conditions. I did 35 laps and all of them were productive and I'm leaving this test really happy. I worked on the electronics and a bit of suspension work today and I was happy with the new Bridgestone rear tyre. We did full race distance on it in the middle of the day when it was really hot and I was still doing 2.02s on the last lap. So it really keeps a good level of grip for a long time. I feel ready to race right now. We've got the bike sorted out and the last test in Qatar should be another positive test to set us up nicely for the first race. We're ready to go because Yamaha has done a fantastic job. Everything they have done has improved the bike and that's a great achievement. I want to thank my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 again for all their hard work and congratulate Ben too. This is a tough track to learn but he's doing a great job and he is impressing a lot of people. We're working really closely together and that is going to be great to help the team have another great year.” Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 5th Time: 2'01.014 Laps: 44 “It has been a positive test for me again because I have been able to improve my lap time by quite a bit. I'm 0.8s quicker than yesterday so that is a good step in the right direction. I did a race simulation and all my laps were in the 2.01s. I've always felt good at the end of races and I think that is what my strong point has been in the past. In Valencia when I raced the Yamaha for the first time I came on strong at the end. When the tyres go off I feel a little bit better. I didn't quite get to improve on my overall position but I'm convinced I had the speed to get into the high 2s, but I was only able to use one of the softer Bridgestone tyres. But all in all it has been a positive day and the gap to the front has become smaller again.” Test Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2'00.271 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 2'00.512 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2'00.703 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2'00.988 5. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2'01.014 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2'01.320 7. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 2'01.439 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2'01.478 9. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 2'01.692 10. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2'01.732 11. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 2'01.980 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2'02.078 13. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 2'02.080 14. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 2'02.082 15. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 2'02.367 16. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2'03.689 Sepang: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2'02.108 Sepang: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2009, 2'00.518
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

Crutchlow and Toseland make progress at Phillip Island

Cal Crutchlow Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland made a purposeful start to the first race weekend of the season today at the Phillip Island circuit. The riders faced a day of serious heat with track temperatures hitting 45°C. Having now solved the chatter issues that dominated the test last week, both Crutchlow and Toseland spent both the practice and qualifying sessions exploring the limits of the 2010 bike. With significant power increases across the rev range through off-season engine development, this was the first real opportunity for the riders to experience the changes and work on the set up of their bikes in advance of race day. The high track temperatures drastically reduced grip on the track surface, causing Toseland to lose the back end of his R1 in turn 11, becoming one of seven riders to fall in the session. He was unhurt and came back out on his second bike. One of the developments of the bike for 2010 include a lighter carbon fuel tank, this was changed to the heavier 2009 tank for today's sessions, seeming to help eliminate the chatter issue. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (10th 1'33.038) "I think we've worked hard and got rid of the chatter problem. The 2009 parts that we've used seem to have helped us in that way. The tank and the seat unit seemed to have stopped the chatter now. If you look at our times, although we're not initially fastest straight away we've got consistency across the sessions. We've got some more areas to work on and I'm looking forward to making the bike even better tomorrow. We've got a good direction to work in, it was just a little unfortunate that the track temperature was so hot today. Even so we were still doing the same times as Ben's race pace from last year. Hopefully it will cool off over the next couple of days and work better for us." James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (13th 1'33.422) "Unfortunately had a big crash today coming out of the penultimate corner which didn't help things. I did go back out on the other bike but had a pain in my hand so came in as I wanted to make sure it was ok. We're definitely making improvements, we've just had a lot to do in one day to work through the package. We're only a bit over a second off pole now so we'll focus down and keep moving forward tomorrow." Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager "Today we rode two practice sessions without chattering which is a very good improvement, so now the riders have to find the limits of the 2010 bike. Last weekend they couldn't as the chatter held them back. Looking at this as the first day I think we've improved quite a lot. Unfortunately James crashed but he is fine, so we will see what they can both do tomorrow." Circuit Length: 4445 Weather: Hot
Lap Record: 1'32.402 (Troy Bayliss, 01/01/2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'31.069 (Ben Spies, 01/03/2009) Last Years Winner: Ben Spies
2010 WSB Australia - Phillip Island 26/02/2010 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'32.155 2 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'32.162 3 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'32.373 4 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'32.635 5 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'32.703 6 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'32.850 7 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'32.884 8 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'32.902 9 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'32.905 10 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'33.038 11 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'33.296 12 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 1'33.389 13 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'33.422 14 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'33.454 15 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1'33.492
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

MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan postponed

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

Hill runner-up in San Diego

Josh Hill in San Diego Yamaha San Manuel LandM Team's Josh Hill scored his fourth consecutive podium result and his second runner-up position in a week at a wet Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego for the fourth round of seventeen in the AMA Supercross series, also an FIM World Championship. The visit to southern California was a good one for Yamaha and the 2010 YZ450F as Valli Motorsports' Ivan Tedesco rode to third place for his first piece of silverware of the season. Joe Gibbs Racing's Justin Brayton steered the third YZ inside the top five to a personal-best of 5th spot. Mike Bell won the first San Diego SX on a Yamaha 30 years ago and Hill tried his best to add another garland in what was the 28th Main Event in the city. He was part of a five rider dice across a slippery and rutted track caused by rainfall. While Davi Millsaps would eventually become the fourth different winner in the first five outings of the championship, Hill rode smartly to hold off the attentions of Tedesco and continue his impressive consistency since climbing aboard the YZ450F and joining the LandM crew. 'I felt really good out there but I spent way too much time trying to pass Ivan and I think that let Davi get away a bit too far for the time I had left,' he said. 'I just coming into every week thinking about doing my best and so far that's working but I haven't won one yet. I hope to soon, and I really think I will, but I just need to put everything together at the same time.' Ivan Tedesco at the Qualcomm 'I'm happy that I finally got on the box because I've been close this year but haven't gotten up here until now,' said Tedesco. 'I'm pumped, though. This is some momentum that I can build on for next week before we head east.' In the West Coast Lites category British teenager and rookie Max Anstie took a career-best 4th position on the YZ250F, one rank ahead of Broc Tickle. The American is currently 4th in the points table. Max Anstie Hill has gained ground on SX standings leader Ryan Dungey who could only finish 6th. The Yamaha man is just four points from the lead of the competitive AMA contest and is flying the flag for the team with defending champion James Stewart on the sidelines with a broken right scaphoid. Tedesco is 5th and Brayton 6th. 'I'm pumped to be that close in points now but I know Dungey isn't going to keep having these weekends, so I need to win soon,' commented Hill. Round six goes back to the Angel Stadium, Anaheim in Los Angeles next week for the third and final visit of the 2010 calendar.  
Crowd: 51, 843 Weather: Wet
Lap Record: 0'47.448 (James Stewart, 01/01/2006) Last Years Winner: James Stewart

 
2010 AMA-SX San Diego, CA 07/02/2010
Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 David D Millsaps Honda USA 18'27.078 2 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'03.696 3 Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 0'04.983 4 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0'26.210 5 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0'29.377 6 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'30.048 7 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 0'39.073 8 Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 0'41.504 9 Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 0'44.469 10 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA -1Laps 11 Chris Blose Honda USA -1Laps 12 Fabien Izoird Kawasaki FRA -1Laps 13 Dan Reardon Yamaha USA -1Laps 14 Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS -1Laps 15 Bobby Bonds Kawasaki USA -1Laps  
Rider Standings 06/02/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 105 2. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 101 3. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 95 4. David D Millsaps Honda USA 82 5. Ivan Tedesco Yamaha USA 77 6. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 72 7. Andrew Short Honda USA 69 8. Kevin Windham Honda USA 66 9. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 56 10. James Stewart Yamaha USA 51 11. Nicholas Wey Kawasaki USA 50 12. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 39 13. Michael Byrne Yamaha AUS 36 14. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 32 15. Chris Blose Honda USA 26 21. Dan Reardon Yamaha USA 8 25. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 4 30. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 1  
Manufacturer Standings 06/02/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 111 2. Suzuki 105 3. Honda 99 4. Kawasaki 95 5. KTM 3
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

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

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

Philippaerts 5th at MX season opener

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

Rossi tops the test times once again in Malaysia

Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi continued from where he left off at the last test in Malaysia today, setting the fastest time once again on the first day of the second pre-season outing at Sepang. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo is not in action at this test as he is currently recovering at home in Spain from a hand injury. It was a dry day in Sepang with temperatures reaching 37 degrees and 31-year-old Rossi made the most of it, completing 47 laps. He and his crew continued to work on the development of the 2010 YZR-M1 prototype, checking different settings and trying some new electronic maps. The Italian’s best time of the day was 2’01.068, just a fraction off his best time at the last test and 0.151 ahead of Casey Stoner in second place. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1st Time: 2'01.068 Laps: 47 “We started well today and we’re already very fast, so we’re quite happy about this. We’ve confirmed that the work we did at the last test was good and it’s clear we’re in good shape at this track. We worked on two or three different settings and today we’ve more or less made a decision about the right way to go with balance, suspension etc so this is good progress. We also tried some new electronic maps, to try to improve acceleration, but we need to do more work on this again tomorrow. It’s good to be fast at this stage and now we’re really just waiting to go to another track, to see how this new M1 will perform there. Tomorrow we will do a long run, maybe not race distance but just quite a few laps together, which will be the final part of our work at this track.” Spies and Edwards storm top six in Sepang Ben Spies and Colin Edwards continued their 2010 MotoGP preparations in impressive fashion in Malaysia today, the American duo both occupying a place in the top six on the timesheets. In typically hot and humid conditions at the 5.548km Sepang circuit, Spies was one of the fastest and most consistent performers on track, the Texan clocking a best time of 2.01.843 to finish fifth overall. The ideal track conditions presented Spies with the perfect opportunity to continue learning more about his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine. The 25-year-old spent time working on revised geometry settings to improve rear grip and he managed to shave close to 0.4s off his best time when he made an impressive debut at the technical Sepang circuit just three weeks ago. Just one place and 0.054s further back was Edwards, who clocked a best time of 2.01.897 despite a minor technical issue this morning costing him precious track time. Edwards still had a positive day, making big strides with a new YZR-M1 swingarm while also evaluating new electronics as Yamaha works tirelessly to ensure it remains the dominant brand in MotoGP this season. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team has one more day of testing tomorrow in Sepang before the reduced pre-season schedule concludes in Qatar next month. Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 5th Time: 2'01.843 Laps: 42 “It was hot out there today but I'm happy with how I performed and I feel I've accomplished a fair bit. I automatically picked up where I left off here because my fourth lap today was only three-tenths slower than my best time at the first test. I'm close to half-a-second faster than the last test and I'm more consistent. My fastest laps were all on tyres that had done race distance and that makes me happier than anything else. It's not so much that I got under the 2.02 barrier but I did it on worn tyres and I think that will be one of my big strong points this season. I feel like I'm getting closer to finding the limit of the Bridgestone tyres and I'm getting more comfortable on them, but we still need to do more work. Today we played around with the bike a bit more than previously just to understand a few things but it was nothing major. Some changes were good and some were bad and I feel we made some important progress and I definitely had more grip. Everyday I'm trying to learn something and go a little bit quicker and that's what I achieved.” Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 6th Time: 2'01.897 Laps: 35 “After the small problem I had this morning I had to play catch up pretty quick to the rest of the guys but I managed to do some good laps and I'm happy with my pace. It was a productive day and I feel like we've learned a few things. Everybody is testing electronics and Yamaha have done another good job because what I tried definitely has some good points and they are moving in the right direction. Yamaha might have dominated last year but they definitely haven't just taken the easy option and sat back. They've worked really hard on improving what was already a great bike, and some of the improvements have really helped me. I did more work on the new swingarm and I like it. It seems to help the front and the rear of the bike and it gives me a lot more confidence. And it helps a lot with my front feeling, which I had an issue with a bit last year.” 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2'01.068 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’01.219 3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 2’01.631 4. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’01.687 5. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.843 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.897 7. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2’02.036 8. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Racing Team 2’02.038 9. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’02.078 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’02.086 11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’02.22 12. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 2’02.419 13. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Racing Team 2’02.447 14. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 2’02.485 15. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 2’02.535 16. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’03.254
Alex Asigno

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