Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
Yamaha Owners Club

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Yamaha Racing News

Get the latest Yamaha Racing News with the Yamaha Owners Club
Show all categories

Stewart seals first AMA win with YZ450F

James Stewart successfully erased the painful memory of his DNF in Los Angeles last week and ruled the second round of seventeen in the 2009 AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) in Phoenix on Saturday.   The 23 year old gained the lead on his San Manuel LandM YZ450F Yamaha before the end of the opening lap after overtaking rookie winner and brand-mate Josh Grant, who had aced the holeshot at Chase Field. Stewart then worked hard to defend his advantage from reigning champion Chad Reed to obtain his first chequered flag in blue colours, watched by almost 47,000 spectators.   "My goal was to try to win the race and I was able to do that, so it was good," he said. "I just wanted to ride better than I did last week."   "It is nerve-wracking but at the same time, I just had to be composed and ride in my own head," he commented regarding his close duel with Reed. "That's the only way I can get it done. Obviously he was riding good; he had better parts than I did, and I had better parts than he did. The crowd was going wild and I knew when he would get close."   It was the third consecutive triumph for Stewart in Phoenix and the perfect response to his mishap seven days earlier in which he missed a gear exiting a corner and was involved in a collision with Reed.   "There is still a long way to go and a lot of work to do," he said. "If we just think about each weekend and I win races then eventually the points will come. The championship is definitely not going to be given to me and I know I have to work for it. After last weekend, having the bobble that I had, I don't think it was anybody's fault, but I do think I put myself in a small hole and I have to dig myself out."   Grant collected third position for his second podium result in a row and after just two race appearances in the Supercross class. The youngster leads the championship by three points over Reed, with Stewart now starting to make ground and stands seventh. "As long as my starts continue to be this good, I should be fine. I had fun racing with the guys up there, and I can't thank the guys at Joe Gibbs Racing Yamaha enough for what they've done for me," Grant said.   West Coast Lites champion Jason Lawrence had a crash in his qualifying Heat and could not make the cut to the main event.   Round three takes place next week and heads back to the Anaheim stadium in LA.     Race 1 - 20 Laps                  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 17'37.908 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 0'0.591 3, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 0'28.232 4, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 0'35.193 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'41.241 6, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'55.127 7, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 8, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 9, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 11, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, -1 Laps 12, Charles Summey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 13, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 14, Travis Preston, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 15, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 16, Robert Kiniry, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 17, Josh Hansen, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Daniel Blair, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 19, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 20, Matt Boni, Honda, USA, -8 Laps     Rider Standings 10/01/2009   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 45 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 42 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 38 4, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 33 5, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 30 6, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 30 7, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 27 8, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 21 9, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 20 10, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 20 11, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 19 12, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 18 13, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 18 14, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 14 15, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 13       Manufacturer Standings 10/01/2009   Pos., Manufacturer, Points   1, Yamaha, 50 2, Suzuki, 42 3, Honda, 40 4, Kawasaki, 32 5, KTM, 10
Alex Asigno

Yamaha and Fiat to continue together for two more years

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd and Fiat Automobiles Spa have concluded an agreement to continue their partnership for a further two years.   The agreement will see Fiat continue as the title sponsor of Yamaha’s Factory MotoGP Team, which will continue to be known as the Fiat Yamaha Team, for 2009 and 2010.   Fiat joined Yamaha at the start of 2007 and their partnership has been a successful one with 14 grand prix wins to date, culminating in the capture of the 2008 Rider, Team and Manufacturer titles. 2009 will see the same team with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo contesting the championship for the Fiat Yamaha Team.   “I heartily welcome the extension of the agreement with Fiat as title sponsor of our MotoGP Factory Team for another two years” said Masao Furusawa, Executive Officer Engineering Operations of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. “We will be working to continue the great partnership that resulted in the Fiat Yamaha Team winning the triple crown in 2008”.   Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, commented, “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Fiat for a further two years. It remains a very interesting mix for an Italian car manufacturer to be partner of a Japanese motorcycle manufacturer in the world’s premier motorcycle racing series.   "After a tough first season in 2007 we were really happy to win the triple crown titles this year for Yamaha and for Fiat.   "Fiat’s decision to continue for a further two years is a sign of confidence in our activities and a strong confirmation of the value of being involved in the MotoGP championship. Our target for the future is clear: we want to continue with our winning ways and provide even more excitement for the fans of the Fiat Yamaha Team”.
Alex Asigno

Loris Baz wins European Superstock 600 Championship with Yamaha

The fifteen year-old star-in-the-making Loris Baz (Yamaha France Junior Team) took a hard fought second place in Saturday’s European Superstock 600 Championship race, and in taking the podium he also took the championship in his rookie year. The close race was a constant battle with fellow Yamaha riders Linfoot and Gines, and Baz was only outbraked by Linfoot on the entrance to the final corners of the Magny-Cours circuit. Baz happily shares the success of his championship victory with Martial Garcia’s Yamaha France Junior Team, who have provided strong support and a fast R6 Yamaha to Loris all season long, providing him with the opportunity to shine on track. This season the young rider won 3 races out of 8, at Valencia, Monza and Brands Hatch. He finished second at the Nürburgring, at Brno and finally this weekend at Magny-Cours. He also took third at Misano, giving him a respectable 7 podiums in 9 races. Loris Baz (Yamaha France Junior Team)  “This race was for me like the others. We are all young, so the start is always hot. I didn't want to take chances. I had a good security margin. On my pit board, I saw that at one point I was 3rd and Bussolotti 7th. Then I was 4th and he was 5th. So I passed two riders to have a good gap. In the last lap, I could have tried to win, but I wanted to play it safe. Thank you to my team, to Yamaha, to Jean-Claude Olivier, to my parents, to all the people who help me and to my fan club who came all the way from Spain." This is now the third consecutive European Superstock 600 Championship win for Yamaha as the manufacturer continues to dominate the class.Year on year the challenge of competitor machines has been met with a further leap forward by the legendary YZF R6 taking it to the next level again. Straight out of the box, the new for 2008 R6 has proved itself a formidable track weapon in the hands of the talented young riders of the future, featuring chassis and swing-arm improvements which raised corner speed and improved handling. The YCC-I system improved performance, particularly mid-range, again offered serious advantages to the riders on track.The Superstock class itself is as close to production as possible in racing, only minor differences separate the winning R6 on track and the road going Supersport machine found in the Yamaha dealer.
Alex Asigno

Gentleman theif to race with Lorenzo in Motegi

To celebrate the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi this Sunday, Jorge Lorenzo’s no. 48 Fiat Yamaha will race with an unusual and original livery. The Spanish rider’s YZR-M1 will carry the image of comic-book hero Arsenio Lupin III, the celebrated ‘Gentleman Thief’ made famous in the Japanese Manga series created by Kazuhiko Kato, or ‘Monkey Punch’. The celebratory fairing is the creation of the team’s title sponsor Fiat and the image will also appear on a limited series of Fiat 500 cars, due in the second half of 2009. Lorenzo’s M1 will be unveiled in Pit Lane of the Motegi circuit at 0930 Japanese time on Sunday, 28th September 2008.
Alex Asigno

Register today

Register Now with the Yamaha Owners Club, view the benefits below you will have with your new membership.
Benefits for joining the Yamaha Owners Club Free Member £0
YamahaClub Sponsor £5
Professional Member £10 Corporate Member £50 Access our free forum areas. Learn, share and participate in lively discussions. Personal avatar image in the forums   Send private mail to another member   Access to our classifieds section, where you find many good parts to buy and friendly, quality minded members interested in buying your bike or parts   Personal signature image in the forums   Receive a special Membership status located beside your user name in the community   Access to to special offers and discounts     Access to the Garage, where you can showcase your pride and joy     Your own image Gallery to upload and manage your images and create your own public and private albums.     Upload and store images in forums     Show personal gallery images in forums     Access to Members only forums     Membership valid for 12 months     Post corporote advertisements in the classifieds       Post corporote discounts in the offers forums       Click here to Register Now
Alex Asigno

2009 De Carli line-up presented in Italy

The 2009 Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team was officially presented to press and partners in Italy this week. The forthcoming FIM World Championship will see the successful squad entering new ground with their priorities aligned to the premier MX1-GP category for the first time. After two MX2-GP world championships in the last four years with the YZ250F, De Carli – with riders Antonio Cairoli and Tanel Leok – has been applying his technical tuning expertise to the YZ450F for an attempt at the crown that Yamaha has owned for all but one of the five years since the inception of the class.   Many eyes will be on the full-time maiden MX1-GP season of former double MX2 champion Cairoli who sensationally won the 2007 British Grand Prix in a one-off wild-card appearance with a near-standard YZ450F. The Sicilian has been working and training diligently to master the physical demands of the larger machine over the winter and is now hungry to take to the start gate for the first time since rupturing his knee ligaments at the 2008 South African Grand Prix; an injury that ruined his quest for a third MX2-GP title. Cairoli is also the defending MX1 Italian champion in 2009.   Tanel Leok – winner of the 2008 Irish Grand Prix – begins his sixth season in MX1 and his first with the YZ450F. The strong and aggressive Estonian is expecting to add to his impressive tally of six GP podiums.   With a long and impressive heritage in the MX2-GP division (formerly 125cc) De Carli has not abandoned his roots and teenager Alessandro Lupino will begin his second year with the team after showing encouraging results during the latter half of 2008.   “We have been a world championship team since 1995 and often with good results.It gives me great satisfaction that now, following the maturing of our athletes such as Cairoli, we can enter the premier class with full commitment and logistic strength; this is mainly thanks to our technical partners,” said Team Principal Claudio de Carli.   "Tony will be making his first season in MX1 and will need to acclimatise himself but he is a fast learner,” he continued. “Tanel already has some years of experience and arrived in the team with a lot of motivation to improve and to reach top results.We will also continue to help Alessandro grow in MX2.I am convinced that with our technicians, riders and contributors, we have created a solid group and we are determined to continue to do well."
Alex Asigno

Prumm on the mend after surgery

Yamaha rider and one of the leading figures in Women’s World Championship motocross, Katherine Prumm, was given good cause for optimism after a seven hour operation to repair three broken vertebrae was successful earlier this week.   The 20 year old New Zealander is now facing a six month period of recuperation and rehabilitation.   Prumm damaged her T6, T9 and T12 in a practice crash last week and the subsequent surgical procedure involved reparation through her back and extensive work to fix the tendons surrounding the troublesome and most seriously affected area around the T12. Prumm has full feeling and use of her legs and can look ahead to recovery after being fitted with a custom-made brace for her torso that must be worn for three months.   After the shock of the accident and the aftermath – in which she briefly lost sensation in her limbs – the post-op news and perspective at last provided some much needed hope for the racer. ‘Somebody was watching over me, I was really lucky not to be paralysed and I am looking forward to getting fit and strong and to being back where I want to be,’ she said.
Alex Asigno

Corser Podiums and takes second in the championship

Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) finished the 2008 WSB season second in the championship standings after securing a podium finish in the first race at Portimao, then following that up with a safe sixth in race two.   The all Yamaha battle for the runner-up spot behind champion Troy Bayliss saw Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) drop out of contention after serving a ride-through penalty for jump-starting in race two, having already been forced out of race one. Both races were won by three-time champion, Troy Bayliss.   In the first 22-lap race Corser was in the leading mix from the start and rode aggressively in the messy early laps to stay in contention, but could not quite get back on terms with second place rider Carlos Checa towards the end. Haga was also looking good for a podium finish until he was forced out on lap 18, having started to slow on lap 16.   Race two put Corser in with the leaders again for some time but he eased up when he realised that overall second place was safe, particularly in a race filled with determined wild cards. Each race was run in the dry, but on a relatively slippery track surface, which was still recovering from a largely wet first two days of action.   Haga was looking good for a strong result in race two until he had to pull in for his penalty, but he recovered to post a 14th place finish and score two championship points. He was thus 15 points behind Corser after 28 individual races, and third overall.   Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) went 13th in race one, but 17th in race two. He ended his last WSB season 19th, top Yamaha rider behind Corser and Haga.   David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) and Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) finished the season on 12 points apiece, as neither scored at Portimao.  Troy Corser (3rd and 6th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "All I had to do in race two was finish near Nori and that was all I was doing. Once he went out, all I had to do was stay consistent and not crash. We all worked so hard to get to second this season I was not prepared to take too many risks. The bike was actually better in race one than the second, as we had good front grip then. We changed the bike and had less grip in the rear, so I had to modify the way I was riding completely. Finishing second in the points means more than trying to finish on the podium in race two and risk crashing. Second is better than third and both of those finishes are better than nothing. The action was scary sometimes today and it can be like that when the tracks have a lot of undulations. The asphalt was pretty slippery in some places because of all the rain and mud washed on it during practice."   Noriyuki Haga (DNF and 14th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "In race two they said I jump started and for sure I moved a bit, but before the lights changed I stopped again. Overall, in the first race we had a problem and I had to pull out. But I had the chance to do a bit of work on the suspension setting for race two, and we went one step harder on the rear tyre too. It worked better but we still had some chatter. We lost a lot of practice time, unfortunately, because of the rain. Our pace in race two was much better. I have to say thank you very much to all the Yamaha staff for the past four years, it has been very enjoyable and we have had many great days. I wanted to get a victory for them but that was the most I could do today." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Today's overall results are so-so but in the championship we finished second and third and most importantly, we had the top four-cylinder riders. We had some good and some not so good results this year but still very positive, because nobody else made the same. We had seven wins, a lot of podiums from both riders, sometimes in the same race. As a team we did a really good job. Thanks to everyone in the squad for this year, to Yamaha and for all the support from our sponsors and fans."   Shinichi Nakatomi (13th and 17th - Team YZF Yamaha) "In the first race I lost some grip from the rear tyre and in the second race I got a bad start but tried to progress. Thanks to the team for three years of competition in WSB."     Race 1                  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 38'48.373 2, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'2.207 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'6.972 4, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 0'15.228 5, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'16.126 6, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'18.152 7, Leon Haslam, Honda, GBR, 0'18.939 8, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'20.942 9, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'32.018 10, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'32.871 11, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'36.778 12, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'36.848 13, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'41.667 14, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'41.806 15, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'48.337 16, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'50.295 17, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'50.840 18, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'5.928 19, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 1'6.813 20, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 1'7.007 21, Luis Carreira, Suzuki, POR, 1'48.681   Race 2                  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 38'26.125 2, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'3.638 3, Leon Haslam, Honda, GBR, 0'4.356 4, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'4.983 5, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'6.775 6, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'7.403 7, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'7.578 8, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'16.113 9, Cal Crutchlow, Honda, GBR, 0'16.284 10, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'16.446 11, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'21.633 12, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'22.098 13, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'24.089 14, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'24.117 15, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 0'31.003 16, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'31.136 17, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'31.330 18, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'32.272 19, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'34.049 20, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'35.028 21, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'41.669 22, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'44.889 23, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'47.366 24, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'48.733 25, Thomas Bridewell, Suzuki, GBR, 1'7.702 26, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'14.242 27, Luca Scassa, Honda, ITA, 1'34.781     Best Lap   Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 1'43.340   Rider Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 460 2, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 342 3, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 327 4, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 313 5, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 311 6, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 256 7, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 238 8, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 223 9, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 206 10, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 178 11, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 154 12, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 135 13, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 117 14, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 109 15, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 77 19, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 51 28, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 12 29, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 12       Manufacturer Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Manufacturer, Points   1, Ducati, 570 2, Yamaha, 487 3, Honda, 415 4, Suzuki, 408 5, Kawasaki, 94 ---------- RACE REPORT - 02/11/2008   Parkes fifth after tough fight at new circuit   After running in the leading pack for some of the 20-lap race at Portimao Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) could not stay in contention for the podium and finished fifth.   The Australian rider had been slowed by a crash which happened right in front of him and after that he was unable to catch the leading group again and slowly dropped back as his tyres lost optimum grip. He held off a late challenge to finish in the top five and end his season fourth overall, on 150 points, with one win to his credit.   Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport Team) could not get into contention after starting 16th on the grid and despite finishing tenth, he was disappointed by his final raceday of the 2008 season. He also scored a single win in the championship chase this year, and despite missing four races through injury, he was sixth overall, on 111 points.   Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) crashed out of contention on lap five, remounted, but eventually retired in the pits, ending his season in overall 12th place. David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport) only just missed out on a point for 16th place today.   Broc Parkes (5th - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I really wanted to win the last one for Yamaha and I tried my best. I got caught up with the crash of Veneman and got separated from the front bunch. Once I had lost them, I basically had to keep my position. At the end I was losing some time when I started losing rear grip, and I had to work hard to keep Nannelli behind me, but I beat him to the line. I gave it my best."   Fabien Foret (10th - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "The track was very challenging in the dry over the full race and to be honest I was not expecting a great result after qualifying. I wanted to ride, find some feeling from the bike and have fun but it was not so easy. I am not happy with how the set-up was. I am just happy that this season is now over and I can start working to 2009 now."  Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "A very disappointing race of course for us, rear tyre grip dropped quite dramatically and Broc couldn't do anything to keep up with the first three. It was the same story for Fabien, we saw that the rear tyre is really bad at the moment, for our bike especially. Qualifying was ok, but after eight or nine laps the tyre went off very hard, we've not had that so bad this year."   Massimo Roccoli (DNF - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "It was very disappointing not to finish and it has not been the happiest experience this weekend, especially at this new circuit. I lost the front end and tried to continue after but it was not possible. The gear linkage was too badly broken and I would have got no points."     Race 1                  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 35'39.851 2, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 0'3.844 3, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'7.403 4, Josh Hayes, Honda, USA, 0'7.445 5, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 0'17.271 6, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'17.297 7, Simone Sanna, Honda, ITA, 0'25.803 8, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'29.749 9, Mark Aitchison, Triumph, AUS, 0'29.960 10, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 0'30.155 11, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'30.697 12, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 0'30.719 13, Garry McCoy, Triumph, AUS, 0'40.033 14, Russell Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'40.839 15, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'44.266 16, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'45.672 17, Jesco Gunther, Triumph, GER, 0'46.765 19, Balazs Nemeth, Honda, HUN, 0'51.626 20, Patrick Vostarek, Honda, ITA, 0'57.092 21, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'57.584 22, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 1'4.848 23, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 1'26.940 24, Chris Martin, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'27.010     Best Lap   Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 1'45.156   Rider Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 214 2, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 164 3, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 162 4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 150 5, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 121 6, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 111 7, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 100 8, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 92 9, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 79 10, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 71 11, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 60 12, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 58 13, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 56 14, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 39 15, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 36 30, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 9       Manufacturer Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Manufacturer, Points   1, Honda, 315 2, Yamaha, 203 3, Suzuki, 102 4, Triumph, 77 5, Kawasaki, 46 ---------- RACE REPORT - 02/11/2008   Pirro fourth in Portugal and fifth overall   Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) rode to within less than a second of a podium position at Portimao and in earning 13 points he finished fifth in the championship rankings, the top YZF-R1 rider on show. Pirro also set the new best lap in practice, a 1'48.466.   Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) was eighth today, having started on the sixth row, and battling through the pack for the after a couple of early problems.   In the final rankings, Brendan Roberts was champion on 147, Maxime Berger second on 140 and Alessandro Polita third with 137.  Michelle Pirro (4th - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I started the race with dry tyres and early on that was a bit of a problem because there was still some water around and I was sliding in some places. But it improved as the race went on and I made a good finish."   Claudio Corti (8th - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "I went straight on under braking a couple of times but I rode very aggressively to recover and really enjoyed it today. I made up a lot of places and I think it was the best I could do today."   Baz and Rea battle it out as the Superstock finale sees a Yamaha 1-2-3 podium Gino Rea (Stonebaker Yamaha) and Loris Baz (Yamaha France Junior Team) ended up battling for the win in the ten lap Superstock 600 contest, and after a seriously combative final lap the English rider took the win, by a mere 0.060 seconds.   In third place, Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) was also on a YZF-R6, three seconds off the win. In the final rankings, Baz has 186 points, Bussolotti 134 and Rea 132.   Loris Baz: "It was a very hard race and I ran off on the last lap and had to work really hard to bet back to Gino. I won the championship last time out and I wanted to win here to finish the season in the perfect way."     Race 1                  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 22'23.040 2, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 0'2.995 3, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 0'3.938 4, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 0'4.773 5, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 0'17.166 6, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 0'17.482 7, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 0'19.452 8, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 0'19.878 9, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'22.892 10, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 0'23.050 11, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'31.698 13, Franck Millet, MV Agusta, ITA, 0'35.502 14, Filip Backlund, Suzuki, SWE, 0'37.798 15, Sheridan Morais, Kawasaki, RSA, 0'42.098 16, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'45.953 17, Rene Mahr, KTM, GER, 1'0.432 18, Ondrej Jezek, Honda, CZE, 1'0.595 19, Marko Jerman, Yamaha, SVK, 1'2.708 20, Danny De Boer, Suzuki, NED, 1'4.134 21, Brank Srdanov, Yamaha, NED, 1'5.601 22, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 1'12.642 23, Matt Bond, Suzuki, GBR, 1'12.690 24, Michael Savary, Suzuki, CHE, 1'12.821 25, Niccolo Rosso, Honda, ITA, 1'18.918 27, Michal Drobny, Honda, CZE, 1'24.144 28, Jure Stibilj, Honda, SVN, 1'26.189 29, Roy Ten Napel, Suzuki, NED, 1'28.272 30, Pauli Pekkanen, KTM, FIN, 1'28.903 31, Gregory Junod, Yamaha, CHE, 1'28.989 32, Tommaso Lorenzetti, Suzuki, ITA, 1'32.965     Best Lap   Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 1'48.466   Rider Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 147 2, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 140 3, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 137 4, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 136 5, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 102 6, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 84 7, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 72 8, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 62 9, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 60 10, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 57 11, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 57 12, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 39 13, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 32 14, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 30 15, Domenico Colucci, Ducati, ITA, 26 16, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 22       Manufacturer Standings 02/11/2008   Pos., Manufacturer, Points   1, Ducati, 195 2, Honda, 182 3, Suzuki, 166 4, Yamaha, 139 5, Kawasaki, 50 6, MV Agusta, 13 7, KTM, 2
Alex Asigno

Rossi roars through the field to take second on the island

Fiat Yamaha rider and 2008 World Champion Valentino Rossi recovered from yesterday's mishap to charge through the field from the fourth row at Phillip Island today, eventually taking second behind Casey Stoner. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo took a second consecutive fourth place after a race long battle with several other riders. A mistake during qualifying yesterday had left Rossi with strained neck muscles and a grid position of 12th, but the Italian relishes a challenge and he was already up to eighth by the end of the first lap, despite narrowly missing a collision when Alex de Angelis crashed out in front of him. On lap four Rossi found himself the back marker of a Yamaha trio, behind his team-mate Lorenzo and Tech 3 rider James Toseland. He despatched the Spaniard within two laps and got by Toseland soon after but the Briton put up a spirited challenge, wresting third back and hanging on for five more laps until Rossi eventually got the better of him. With a podium place secure the eight-time champion could have been forgiven for coasting home but he is never one to take the easy option and, with clear air and his M1 and Bridgestone tyres working perfectly, he gradually began to close on Nicky Hayden, who was nearly six seconds ahead. Little-by-little he made up the gap until he was within striking distance, making his move on the very last lap to take second and his 14th podium of the season. After an intense two weeks the MotoGP paddock now has a two week rest before the penultimate round in Malaysia on 19th October. Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: +6.504  "That was a very exciting race for me, from start to finish! Unfortunately I made a small mistake yesterday and I paid a high price for it - both with my starting position and with my body! This morning my neck was okay but I had a lot of pain in my head, so I have to say thank you to Dr. Costa and the Clinica Mobile because they gave me a lot of massage and some medicine and I was in better shape for the race. I got a good start and I was lucky to miss de Angelis by just a couple of centimetres, and then I arrived to Lorenzo and Toseland. The first time I passed James I thought I would be able to go but then he passed me back and I realised that his pace was not so bad, and we had a great battle! He was very strong and difficult to pass but once I did get by I was able to go and then I just kept pushing and gradually Nicky got bigger and bigger. It was fun to keep fighting till the last lap and I am very happy with this second position because it's always a great emotion to be on the podium here. Thanks to my team and to Bridgestone, with Casey as strong as he was I think this was the best we could have done today and I really enjoyed the race." Davide Brivio - Team Manager  "We didn't win but this was another incredible performance from Valentino, demonstrating once again how he never gives up. The championship is secure, he was starting from the fourth row and the podium would have already been a good achievement but he still pushed at the maximum and was able to come second! He wasn't in perfect shape but the Clinica Mobile helped him a lot and he was able to do his best once again. We're racing to have fun now and we had a lot of fun today in a race that was exciting from start to finish." Fourth place for Lorenzo after island battle  Jorge Lorenzo was disappointed to miss out on the podium at Phillip Island today, despite prevailing in a race-long battle for fourth place. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi stormed through the field after starting 12th to finish second behind Casey Stoner. Lorenzo started from second on the grid but he did not quite have the outstanding rhythm he had yesterday and he slipped to fourth on lap one. He then traded places with Tech 3 Yamaha rider James Toseland a couple of times before settling in behind the Briton as Rossi loomed behind. By lap 13 of 27 Lorenzo's world champion team-mate had dispatched his Yamaha compatriots and was disappearing off and it then became a battle for fourth between the Spaniard, Toseland, Andrea Dovizioso and Shinya Nakano with the foursome trading passes at times more reminiscent of a 125cc race. In the last few laps Lorenzo was able to take control of proceedings somewhat and he was able to hang on to fourth, just ahead of Nakano with Toseland in sixth. The rookie is 27 points off third in the championship and also has a mathematical chance of second, with two rounds remaining. The next battle comes in two week's time at Sepang in Malaysia. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 4th Time: +11.500  "I'm not very happy with the race because I know I should have been able to fight for the podium today. I didn't ride like I know I can, Toseland was in front of me many times and I couldn't pass him, and then I couldn't follow Valentino when he came through. I think I had the rhythm to have been with Valentino but it didn't work today. Even though it's mathematically still possible, I think that the second and third places in the championship are probably lost to me now. I think that the most important thing now is to get good results in Malaysia and Valencia so that we finish the season in the right way. The team, the tyres and the bike are all working well, we're getting good results but we know they can be better. I like Malaysia a lot, I rode there in the winter and I think it will be good for Michelin, so I'm looking forward to it." Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager  "We're a bit disappointed about today's result because we definitely had the potential to be on the podium and that's what we were hoping for. We had a few more problems than yesterday with grip in the rear and in the hard braking areas we weren't as good as the others, so we suffered for this. Aside from this it was a good race and Jorge had a great battle for fourth, so despite the result we've enjoyed it and now we're looking forward to the next one." Birthday boy Toseland celebrates in style at Phillip Island  James Toseland celebrated his 28th birthday in fantastic fashion today, the Tech 3 Yamaha rider equalling his best MotoGP result in a pulsating Australian MotoGP race. Toseland played a starring role from the start of an enthralling 27-lap race as he charged into third place on the first lap. He briefly surrendered third to fellow Yamaha YZR-M1 rider Jorge Lorenzo on lap three, but retaliated superbly with a bold move at the first corner on lap five. Toseland then led a three-way Yamaha dice that included a hard-charging Valentino Rossi as he rode magnificently to keep the world champion at bay for six laps. Twice Rossi passed Toseland in quick succession, only for the British rider to respond with inch-perfect moves to reclaim third in what proved to be the battle of the race. Toseland's determined pursuit of Rossi thrilled a large Australian crowd, but as he lost touch with the Italian on lap 13, he was then locked in another terrific battle with Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Shinya Nakano. Just when it looked like his faultless display would be rewarded with his career best result, he dropped from fourth to sixth on a frantic lap 25. Toseland continued to push hard but was unable to improve on sixth, but his performance was arguably the outstanding ride of the day. Colin Edwards also made a great start from the third row of the grid as he tried to mark his 100th Grand Prix appearance with a top six. Fifth on the first lap, he quickly encountered some traction issues, and his reward for a hard fought race was a battling eighth place. Today's result saw the Tech 3 Yamaha team move back into fourth place in the Team World Championship standings. James Toseland - Position 6th - 100 points  "That was an unbelievable race. I got a really good start but Casey and Nicky were incredibly fast at the start. They really put the hammer down and I was wary that I needed to save my tyre for the last few laps, which are always difficult on this track with so much wear on the left side. I just wanted to stay out of trouble but I had some incredible battles out there. The one with Valentino was something special. When he passed me I knew I had to get straight back by him. If I had let him go I knew I'd have to push right at the limit and that would wear my tyre too quickly. The rear was already spinning at that point and I tried everything I could to keep him behind me. When he did pass me and he pulled a gap, I did push a bit too hard and that cost me towards the end of the race. But it was an honour to be racing with Valentino and passing him. In the last three laps I'd just lost a bit of grip and that was crucial because it probably cost me those two places. I knew fourth was up for grabs so I tried to pass Andrea at Honda Hairpin on the last lap. We ran a bit wide and Andrea seemed a bit upset but I passed him without touching him. I am sorry if he is upset, but he is upset for no reason. I was fighting for the best result of my MotoGP career so I had to try something. Shinya came by as I ran wide but I passed him back at Siberia, only for him to come right back underneath me because I ran a bit wide again. I am just happy with the way I rode. I rode hard and I am really pleased that on my birthday I put a good show on and I could enjoy it. I was riding my heart out and when I have a ride like that and I pass Valentino it encourages me even more." Colin Edwards - Position 8th - 126 points  "I got a really good start and I thought I could hang in with the battle for third and fourth, but pretty much from the first couple of laps I knew it was going to be a really difficult race. I couldn't even keep them close to me because I couldn't get in the corner and I couldn't get out of the corners. Quite early on I had a moment on the front-end and that hadn't happened all weekend. After that I just couldn't push and I just stayed at the same pace. I couldn't really do more than a 31.5 and it didn't matter what I did I kept falling back. Right at the end I could see de Puniet was running into a few problems with his rear tyre and I was slowly reeling him back in. I managed to pass him and make it stick. It is severely disappointing because I really believed that I could run up close to the podium today. I was riding really hard so to finish eighth is frustrating. I felt like I was on the absolute limit at the pace I was running and it wasn't good enough. This isn't the way I wanted to celebrate my 100th Grand Prix, but congratulations to James. He rode a great race and I'll be looking for a lot more in Malaysia." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager  "James was absolutely incredible today and he could not have done anymore to get his best result of the season. It was a shame he was sixth again, but again he showed what a true fighter he is. We were quietly confident going into the race after we had a very strong qualifying session with James fifth and Colin seventh on the grid. James made an incredible start and when we saw him fighting in third we couldn't believe it because we weren't sure whether he could maintain the pace knowing how tough this track is for the tyres. But he kept his pace and that was impressive. He also fought very hard with some of the top guys in this championship. His fight with Valentino was extra special and terrific to watch. Not a lot of guys get passed by Valentino and then pass him straight back, so it was incredible to see him do this. We were dreaming of a podium at one point but the way he rode, I think he gave the fans a really special show. It was a great way to celebrate his birthday and I think he gave himself a good present with that ride. Colin didn't finish where we expected but he fought hard to the end and his result has helped us move back into fourth in the Team World Championship, which is very important for us. I'd also like to congratulate Mike di Meglio for winning the World 125 Championship. As a French team it is special to see home grown talent succeed on the world stage." Race 1  Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 40'56.543 2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'6.504 3, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'7.205 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'11.500 5, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'11.914 6, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'12.243 7, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'12.780 8, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'25.920 9, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'26.037 10, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'26.799 11, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 0'27.027 12, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 0'47.808 13, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'48.333 14, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'48.899 15, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'48.935 16, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'11.767 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'28.665 Rider Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 332 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 245 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 209 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 182 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 145 6, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 131 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 126 8, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 118 9, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 106 10, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 102 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 100 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 91 13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 60 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 55 15, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 54 Team Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 514 2, Repsol Honda Team, 340 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 296 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 226 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 222 6, Honda Gresini, 161 7, Team Alice, 151 8, JIR Scot Team, 145 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 96 10, Honda LCR, 54 Manufacturer Standings 05/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 361 2, Ducati, 286 3, Honda, 275 4, Suzuki, 165 5, Kawasaki, 81
Alex Asigno

Osborne set for Mallory Park return

Utag Yamaha.com’s Zach Osborne has made a startling recovery from the left radius bone he chipped in practice for the Grand Prix of Portugal two and a half weeks ago and is now return to return to MX2-GP World championship action for his team at Mallory Park for their home event this weekend. The British Grand Prix represents the seventh round of the series and the first of five events in the next six weeks. Osborne, who was originally given a recovery estimation of between 4-6 weeks, has regained enough strength and confidence in the wrist to mount his YZ250FM this week and attempt his first GP on UK turf for the English squad. The American and winner of the Turkish Grand Prix has been undergoing intense laser treatment and oxygen tank sessions to speed up recovery of the fracture. “Zach has kept his training up and has been having a lot of treatment,” said Team Principal Steve Dixon. “He feels his wrist is healing well but at the moment his movement is still restricted so we will have to see at the weekend about his manoeuvrability.” “Zach will ride a small amount on Thursday and then ride wisely on Saturday to build up for Sunday,” he continued. “He will push to do as well as he can but understands equally that two potential top 10 rides will help towards his final championship goal.” “After the British GP and then France there is a chance to miss the British championship round at Hawkstone to have another full two weeks off to be fully fit and repaired ready for the German GP. One thing for certain is that Zach is not a person to opt out at the first hurdle and he deserves full credit for putting himself back in contention.
Alex Asigno

Fantastic Stewart takes fourth win

The fifth round of seventeen in the 2009 AMA Supercross Championship (also an FIM World series) in San Francisco was owned by LandM San Manuel rider James Stewart with his YZ450F for the fourth time this season and for the fourth meeting in a row. The 23 year old has soared up the standings since his unlucky DNF at the opening event and now lies a clear second and just six points behind Chad Reed.   Stewart - who had previously won in Los Angeles, Houston and Phoenix - rode the perfect race after acing the holeshot around the first corner of the open-air AtandT Park stadium. He was able to pull away and beat Reed by almost five seconds by the chequered flag. The main event was the seventh to be held in the picturesque city and was the third victory for Yamaha.   "I'm starting to feel like my old self and I've just been training as hard as I can. Right now it's showing, and we'll see what happens. It has definitely been better the last couple of weeks than in weeks past, so we'll see what happens," said Stewart who increased his career win haul to 29. "We're going to Anaheim soon and we're just going to have to try to keep it going. We're still six points back and there's still a long way to go."   Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant maintained his 100% record of top five positions in each event. The 2009 rookie is having an impressive campaign to-date and added 4th place in San Francisco to his tally of 1st, 3rd, 5th and 5th. Grant is third in the table, seven points behind his brand-mate.   Stewart will be looking to gain further points over Reed and possibly seize control of the championship for the first time this year at Anaheim (for the third and final visit) in Los Angeles next weekend.     Race 1 - 20 Laps                   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 16'46.443 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 0'4.528 3, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 0'7.561 4, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 0'15.112 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'17.309 6, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'20.361 7, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'25.242 8, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'27.586 9, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 0'31.450 10, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 0'43.354 11, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 12, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps 13, Cole Siebler, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 15, Daniel McCoy, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Tyler Bowers, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 17, Josh Hansen, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 19, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, -11 Laps 20, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, -14 Laps     Rider Standings 31/01/2009   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 108 2, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 102 3, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 95 4, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 88 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 87 6, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 73 7, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 68 8, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 58 9, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 56 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 55 11, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 51 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 40 13, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 39 14, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 31 15, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 26       Manufacturer Standings 31/01/2009   Pos., Manufacturer, Points   1, Yamaha, 125 2, Suzuki, 108 3, Honda, 94 4, Kawasaki, 90 5, KTM, 13
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Gariboldi ready with potent Youth MX attack

The Yamaha Gariboldi Racing Team will be making a credible push for the 2009 European Motocross Championship and therefore helping to strengthen the future of Yamaha’s off-road racing programme.   With the age limit of 23 years coming into force for the 2010 FIM MX2-GP Motocross World Championship, a shrewd view to the new generation of competitive talent has become a even higher priority for Yamaha and their aim in continuing a distinguished line of success at the top of the motocross ladder. The Italian Gariboldi set-up will be fielding a multi-national roster of four riders, all supported with YZ250F YRRD (Yamaha Rinaldi Research and Development, a partnership between Yamaha Motor Europe and the Rinaldi Group) kitted machinery and taking the advice and tutelage of Yamaha’s 2007 MX3 World Champion Yves Demaria.   Slovenian Klemen Gercar (18 years old and European Junior Champion in 2007) won a moto and finished second in two races during the 2008 campaign while Spaniard Jose Antonio Butron (17 years old and Spanish Junior champion in 2007) also took notable results by winning the Spanish round and taking a further four top three moto finishes. The duo will be joined by two new French riders for 2009 with Christophe Charlier (17, 2007 French Supercross champion) who was 8th overall in the ’08 European championship, racing alongside national junior champion Mathias Bellino (17 years old).   Charlier and Butron both qualified for world championship events in 2008 while Gercar actually scored an impressive 6 points for 15th position at Faenza in Italy for the final meeting of the series.   “We are delighted to have these 4 youngsters for 2009, we have big hopes for them and we believe they are quite special,” remarked Team Manager Giacomo Gariboldi. “They have been selected together with the co-operation of Yamaha Motor Europe and the Rinaldi group and for us it's really great to launch this new program with them and try to shape new champions starting from the European Championship, which is becoming more and more like a MX2-GP feeder class. The top six riders can easily take points in a GP; signifying how competitive it is right now.”   “With the age restriction coming into place it's very important to nurture young riders and have them ready in time to compete at top level in the world championship and this is the goal for the team,” he added.
Alex Asigno

Rossi rounds out world championship season with 16th podium

Valentino Rossi brought the curtain down on a spectacular season with a third place in Valencia today, his 16th podium from 18 races in a year which saw him win his eighth world title. The 29-year-old Italian has taken nine wins, five seconds and two thirds this year, surpassing the all-time premier class win record and the record for the most points in a season in the process. His outstanding performances this season also helped the Fiat Yamaha Team to secure the Teams' title and Yamaha the Manufacturers' title. Rossi had struggled to find a good set-up for his M1 during yesterday's qualifying and he started from 10th on the grid. However some last-minute changes paid dividends and he was able to get a good start, climbing to seventh in the first lap and then making a characteristic charge through the field to move into third on lap six. Unfortunately from then on he was unable to make a dent in the gap to second-placed Dani Pedrosa and he had to settle for the final podium position, 12 seconds off winner Casey Stoner. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo secured the Rookie of the Year title with eighth place today, rounding off an eventful but impressive season for the 21-year-old. Both riders will be in action tomorrow as work for the 2009 season gets underway immediately with a two-day test at Valencia. Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rdTime: +12.194 "I don't think that was so bad today! Unfortunately we had some problems yesterday and that meant we had to start from the fourth row, which left us with a very difficult task. As always though we found a way and my team gave me a good bike, which meant I was able to get a great start and then have some fun passing people. Once I got to third there was no way to catch Dani and so it wasn't such an exciting race from then on. This has been an amazing season for us and to finish with another podium, the 16th, is great and we cannot complain. I am so happy with what we have done this year, as I said it's definitely one of my greatest championships and I want to thank everyone once again - Yamaha, my team, the engineers, Bridgestone and everyone who helped us to get this result. Tomorrow we will try the new bike which means we can't have as big a party as we would like, but it is important to try to find a base for it so I am looking forward to it." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "I think it would have been difficult to have done more than this today, because we were starting from the fourth row and the setting still wasn't perfect. Anyway it was a great end to the season and we scored another podium, making 16 in total, nine of the them wins. We have the triple crown and this all makes it a fantastic season. Thank you very much to Valentino first of all and then all the engineers in Japan, who have worked so hard, and to all the team members for this huge effort. Luckily we had a big party in Japan because tomorrow we start to think about 2009 and start to test, and it's going to be important to make the most of it and to give good information to the engineers about the new bike. But we will still have some celebrations tonight so let's all enjoy ourselves! Thanks again to everybody, it's been a wonderful season." Lorenzo secures Rookie Of The Year at season finale Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo took a deserved Rookie of the Year title by finishing eighth at Valencia today, his fourth position in the championship the highest finish for a premier-class newcomer since the advent of four-stroke MotoGP. The Spaniard's first season in MotoGP has seen him win a race and take a further five podiums and four pole positions, helping Yamaha to secure the Team and Manufacturers' titles to add to his team-mate Valentino Rossi's World Championship. After struggling for grip yesterday Lorenzo started from seventh on the grid and things got worse as the race got underway. He was unable to find a rhythm and slipped to11th until mid-race distance. From then on he began to improve and he was able to make up three places, finishing strongly to set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap. The team gets straight back to work tomorrow with the very first test of the 2009 season, during which Lorenzo will have his first chance to try the new prototype 2009 YZR-M1. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 8thTime: +35.661 "I feel a bit disappointed with this result today because I really wanted to finish the season with a podium, but in the end we couldn't manage it here. We had some problems though so I have to be happy that I was able to finish the race strongly, passing people and doing my best lap of the race on the last lap, especially when you consider that yesterday in qualifying I was the slowest on race tyres! The best thing about today is that I am the leading rookie, so I get a trophy all the same and this makes me very proud of my first season in MotoGP with Yamaha. I want to thank all of my team, engineers and everyone who has helped us. I also have to say a special thank you to Michelin for their work this season because this is our last race with them. I am very proud that I was able to win my first MotoGP race with them. Tomorrow we begin straight away to work on the 2009 bike and I am very excited to try it." Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "We expected to finish in a better position for this last race, but unfortunately the problem we had in qualifying persisted, although we were able to improve it somewhat from yesterday. Jorge was able to keep a good pace during the second half of the race and he was able to finish strongly and make his best lap on the very last lap. This has been a fantastic year for us because we were able to make four pole positions, win a race and take five more podiums, helping Yamaha to win the triple crown, and Jorge is the year's leading rookie. I want to thank Yamaha very much for the huge effort they made in order to give us such a competitive machine, and I also want to thank Michelin for their support - we wish them all the best for the future. Finally thanks to everyone in our team for doing a fantastic job all year and we look forward to coming back even stronger next year." Fantastic finale for Tech 3 Yamaha in Valencia claimed a superb fourth place in the Team World Championship standings in today's Valencia MotoGP race. The 15-point haul collected by Edwards and Toseland in today's 30-lap battle saw the Tech 3 squad seize fourth position by a single point from Suzuki's official factory team, ending the 18-round campaign as the highest placed independent team. American Edwards played a starring role in the success, his superb start from the second row of the grid giving him the perfect platform to mount a bid for his first top six finish since he took third in Assen back in June. Edwards quickly claimed third from Nicky Hayden on the first lap to settle in behind Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa. But with minimal dry set-up time after another weather-hit weekend, Edwards quickly encountered some rear grip issues to find himself back in sixth on lap six. He quickly adapted to the decreasing grip and crucially began to pull away from Suzuki's Loris Capirossi, maintaining a constant pace to the end. Toseland also played a critical role in today's fantastic finale as he closed his rookie campaign with a hard fought 11th position. The British rider shadowed fellow Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo for the opening fifteen laps in a close dice for 11th place, twice passing the Spaniard momentarily. Toseland also ran into grip issues in the closing stages, but he rode a brilliant final three laps to fend off Sylvain Guintoli, John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen. Colin Edwards - Position: 6thTime: +32.209 "It has been a while since I finished in the top six and for this result to help the team finish fourth in the Team World Championship makes it extra rewarding. I'm pleased for Herve Poncharal and the team because they deserve it. We had a couple of races where we gave a lot of points away, but for an independent team we have done a fantastic job together and it was a year to remember. I got a great start and rode around the outside of Nicky at the first corner to slot in behind Casey and Dani. I actually felt pretty comfortable at that point. Nicky passed me though down the front straight and I started to spin the rear tyre a bit just as the other guys started to get into the groove. The next thing I know, everybody was disappearing up the road and there was nothing I could do. With so little dry track time we gambled with the setting and I ran a softer tyre and at the end I was having a few problems. My bike felt great but I just didn't have a lot of grip and this isn't the best track for Yamaha. We don't have the initial raw grunt that you need on a tight and twisty track like this with a lot of low speed acceleration points. I'd like to thank all my guys for their hard work throughout the season and to Yamaha for their continued support. Finally I'd like to say a big thanks to Michelin. I had the greatest moments of my career with them and I've enjoyed our time together. I'm looking forward to a bit of a break now before coming back in Jerez next month to begin working as hard as ever for 2009." James Toseland - Position: 11thTime: +52.107 "It was a hard race to finish a pretty hard season and while it wasn't how I wanted to finish on a personal note, it was great that I contributed to the team getting fourth by a point. I'm glad I managed to hang on at the end there because I was coming under a lot of pressure. In the first half of the race I was probably a bit quicker than Jorge but I just couldn't make a pass on him stick. I got him a couple of times but I made mistakes and let him back through. One time I put my hand in the air to apologise for a close move going into the first corner, and as I put my hand back for the second corner I missed my braking marker. So I'm annoyed with myself about that. I was in a real fight at the end and I was just struggling for a bit of grip. We tried quite a big change on the set-up and it worked well for the first half of the race, but towards the end I had to ride a bit defensive and make sure I didn't lose too many places. The team deserve to be fourth in the championship this year and I was determined to help them achieve it. Tech 3 and Yamaha have given me unbelievable support in my rookie year and I was pleased to battle right to the last lap to get that result for them. I have learned a lot in 2008, and I'm looking forward to working hard in the winter and making a big impression next season." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "It was a fantastic way for us to end the season and I really want to thank Colin and James for their effort. It was a tough weekend with the weather conditions but it was very important to end on a positive note and we were reasonably confident when both of them qualified on the second row. Colin made a great start and he did a good race, keeping a really good rhythm. In the first half of the race, James looked even a little bit quicker than Jorge but he couldn't quite pass him. He pushed really hard throughout even though he didn't have 100 per cent confidence, but it was a strong result and by hanging on at the end under a lot of pressure he helped us get fourth in the Team Championship and we beat two full factory teams. That was our target before this weekend and we achieved it. I'd like to congratulate Yamaha again for an incredible season. They gave us a great bike in 2008 and I'd also like to say a big thanks to Michelin for their support. Thanks to them and Yamaha we had one pole position and two podium finishes. We will miss Michelin but we now must look forward to a new era. Everyone at Tech 3 is now looking forward to a quick break and we will be back raring to start our 2009 preparations in Jerez at the end of November." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 46'46.141 2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'3.390 3, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'12.194 4, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'24.159 5, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'26.232 6, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'32.209 7, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'34.571 8, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'35.661 9, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'38.228 10, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'47.583 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'52.107 12, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'52.350 13, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'52.833 14, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'53.227 15, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'53.411 16, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'8.387 17, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'11.181 18, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 1'37.055 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'32.582 Rider Standings 26/10/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 373 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 280 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 249 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 190 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 174 6, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 155 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 144 8, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 128 9, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 126 10, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 118 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 105 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 92 13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 67 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 63 15, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 61 Team Standings 26/10/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 563 2, Repsol Honda Team, 404 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 331 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 249 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 248 6, Honda Gresini, 189 7, JIR Scot Team, 174 8, Team Alice, 159 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 107 10, Honda LCR, 61 Manufacturer Standings 26/10/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 402 2, Ducati, 321 3, Honda, 315 4, Suzuki, 181 5, Kawasaki, 88
Alex Asigno

Stewart series leader after Seattle drama

With just two rounds to go in the 2009 AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) LandM San Manuel Yamaha's James Stewart has moved to the top of the standings after scoring the runner-up position last Saturday at the Qwest Field in Seattle. The Floridian recovered from a poor start to run through the field and scoop 22 points for his 13th rostrum appearance so far in the seventeen-race schedule. Stewart's night of hard work and decent race-craft on the YZ450F across a sandy and rough track on the west coast was further buoyed by the news that main title rival Chad Reed could only take 7th place - his worst finish of the season - after a first turn tumble. The 23 year old gained nine positions in fifteen laps after being held up around a tight opening corner. "They told me how far I was back - fifteenth or something like that - and it was crazy," he recalls. "I bent my clutch lever as soon as I got hit in that first corner, and it was just like, 'Man, just try to stay up.' The first couple laps were carnage, with guys trying to pass each other. I'm pretty stunned that I was able to come up and get second because I saw how far ahead those guys were." Stewart had trailed the Australian by five points coming to Seattle but the classification from Saturday evening mean that the pair have swapped positions at the top of the championship standings and the Yamaha rider has a 3 point advantage with only trips to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas in the next two weeks left to run. "We've had 15 races and I've been in the points lead twice now," said Stewart who is still hoping to be the first rider to give Yamaha 11 victories in one season (he currently has 10 and a career total of 35). "At the end of the day, it's for the championship. It's all about the championship right now. I've won a lot of races this year, and I always found myself in second place in the points - always catching up - so it feels good to be in the points lead, but we've got a long way to go still." Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant took 6th position on his YZ450F and is 4th in the points table. The penultimate round of the 2009 campaign will take place next Saturday at the Rice Eccles Field in Salt Lake City. Circuit Length: n/a Crowd: 50, 016 Weather: Dry Last Years Winner: Kevin Windham 2009 AMA-SX Seattle, WA 19/04/2009 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos.     Rider     Manu.     Nat.     Total Time 1     Ryan Villopoto     Kawasaki     USA     18'28.902 2     James Stewart     Yamaha     USA     0'07.873 3     David D Millsaps     Honda     USA     0'09.359 4     Mike Alessi     Suzuki     USA     0'10.735 5     Andrew Short     Honda     USA     0'23.027 6     Josh Grant     Yamaha     USA     0'29.702 7     Chad Reed     Suzuki     AUS     0'38.537 8     Paul Carpenter     Kawasaki     USA     0'43.705 9     Ivan Tedesco     Honda     USA     0'47.632 10     Kevin Windham     Honda     USA     0'52.394 11     Nicholas Wey     Yamaha     USA     0'54.538 12     Heath Voss     Honda     USA     1'06.764 13     Thomas Hahn     Kawasaki     USA     -1Laps 15     Jason Thomas     Honda     USA     -1Laps 16     Kyle Chisholm     Yamaha     USA     -1Laps Rider Standings     18/04/2009 Pos.     Rider     Manu.     Nat.     Points 1.    James Stewart    Yamaha    USA    332 2.    Chad Reed    Suzuki    AUS    329 3.    Andrew Short    Honda    USA    241 4.    Josh Grant    Yamaha    USA    208 5.    Kevin Windham    Honda    USA    204 6.    Mike Alessi    Suzuki    USA    203 7.    Ivan Tedesco    Honda    USA    199 8.    Ryan Villopoto    Kawasaki    USA    190 9.    David D Millsaps    Honda    USA    188 10.    Josh Hill    Yamaha    USA    146 11.    Tim Ferry    Kawasaki    USA    100 12.    Heath Voss    Honda    USA    95 13.    Matt Boni    Suzuki    USA    83 14.    Nicholas Wey    Yamaha    USA    80 15.    Kyle Chisholm    Yamaha    USA    79 18.    Broc Hepler    Yamaha    USA    70 20.    Jason Lawrence    Yamaha    USA    43 30.    Nathan Ramsey    Yamaha    USA    15 38.    Sean Hamblin    Yamaha    USA    3 Manufacturer Standings     18/04/2009 Pos.     Manufacturer     Points 1.    Yamaha    363 2.    Suzuki    333 3.    Honda    280 4.    Kawasaki    235 5.    KTM    73
Alex Asigno

Stewart closes on series lead with third AMA win

James Stewart raced to his third straight victory in just his fourth appearance in the AMA Supercross series with the San Manuel LandM YZ450F Yamaha. The 23 year old conquered the fourth round of the 2009 contest (also an FIM World Championship) at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas; the first time the '09 competition had left the west coast of the USA.   In front of a little more than 48,000 spectators Stewart started reasonably well and was fourth around the opening turns. He needed another two laps before he relegated Ryan Villopoto and was then able to control the remaining 17 circulations in the 16 minute sprint.   The 2009 edition was the 44th Supercross meeting to be held in Houston with Pierre Karsmakers winning the inaugural event in 1974 with a Yamaha. Stewart's success increased Yamaha's tally to 15 triumphs in the State since the mid-1970s. In taking the chequered flag he also registered the 27th AMA SX win of his career.   "The bike was definitely better this weekend," he said. "I just felt more comfortable when we first got here, and we changed some stuff, and it's coming along. I think it was definitely a better weekend for me, and I'm just going to try and keep on improving and see what happens."   Supercross class rookie Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant finished fifth to maintain his streak of a top five finish in each round so far. "I told myself coming into this season that I wanted to be top-five every weekend, and so far, I've been better than that," he reflected. "We had two good races at the beginning, and that's about it, but the last two tracks, I haven't really felt comfortable on, so for me to not feel comfortable on a track and still get top-five and still ride the way I've been riding is good."   Stewart has risen from fourth to second in the standings and now lies just 9 points behind leader Reed. Grant is in third place but level on points with his brand-mate.   Round five takes place next weekend at the ATandT Park in San Francisco.     Race 1 - 20 Laps                   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time   1, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 16'45.374 2, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 0'9.787 3, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 0'14.364 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'18.490 5, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 0'24.809 6, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 0'28.060 7, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 0'31.428 8, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'33.838 9, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'40.082 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'42.851 11, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'44.486 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 0'54.668 13, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 14, Cole Siebler, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Matt Boni, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, -1 Laps 17, Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 18, Charles Summey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 19, Manuel Gomes Rivas, Kawasaki, ESP, -2 Laps 20, Josh Hansen, Honda, USA, -2 Laps     Rider Standings 24/01/2009   Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Suzuki, AUS, 86 2, James Stewart, Yamaha, USA, 77 3, Josh Grant, Yamaha, USA, 77 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 71 5, Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, USA, 68 6, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 62 7, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 56 8, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 53 9, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 46 10, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 42 11, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 37 12, Paul Carpenter, Kawasaki, USA, 37 13, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 30 14, Nicholas Wey, Yamaha, USA, 26 15, Benjamin Coisy, Honda, FRA, 22       Manufacturer Standings 24/01/2009   Pos., Manufacturer, Points   1, Yamaha, 100 2, Suzuki, 86 3, Honda, 78 4, Kawasaki, 70 5, KTM, 13
Alex Asigno

Prumm suffers back injury

Double Women’s World Cup winner Katherine Prumm will undergo surgery in the coming days after a practice crash in her native New Zealand left the 20 year old with several broken vertebrae.   The YZ250F rider, who led the 2008 FIM Women’s World Championship before her season was curtailed by a broken collarbone, over-jumped a triple step-down and in the ensuing tumble caused damage to her spine with the T6, T9 and T12 most affected.   Prumm who was training in preparation for attempts at the 2009 title as well as national success both in New Zealand and Australia was naturally shell-shocked with the injury set-back. Until the exact date and nature of surgery is known the duration and form of rehabilitation is difficult to determine.   A further update will be issued next week.
Alex Asigno

Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.