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Perfect street credentials with racing replicas

Close correlation of products between the track and the street is a source of pride for Yamaha. Not only do the Aerox and JogRR scooters contain cutting-edge technology, but now the bikes themselves even physically resemble their distant racing ‘cousins’. Four replicas from the glamorous and exciting spheres of MotoGP and World Superbike now fill a prestigious place in Yamaha’s Scooter catalogue. The liquid-cooled 50cc two-stroke-powered AeroxR boasts two official colour schemes; one of the Fiat Yamaha team, who are enjoying tremendous success in this year’s MotoGP championship and are the only squad to-date in which both riders (Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo) have sampled victory, and another of Yamaha’s team in World Superbike who, with the irrepressible and electric Noriyuki Haga onboard, provides some of the most-eye-catching and breathtaking action in the series. Both Aerox Race Replicas have telescopic forks hold grippy 12” front wheels, flanked by disc brakes, while the rear end of the chassis benefits from a piggy-back remote reservoir shock. The Aerox Team Yamaha WSB Race Replica in particular houses a wealth of impressive features underneath the distinctive livery and lines; totally befitting this high performing and sporty model. The Japanese Sultan of Slide would feel content seeing the sharp red and black transplanted from his race machine carrying that identifiable ‘41’. The sleek seat, black wheels, white touches to upper fairing and seat and carbon-fibre effect applied to the dash, equally convey the impression that the AeroxR takes its appearance direct from the track. An alternative shade is provided by the model dedicated to the MotoGP team and the recognisable ‘clothing’ of the Fiat Yamaha crew, the Aerox Team Yamaha Race Replica. The logos - including partners and sponsors like Brembo and Wudy - and blue and white tones have made the transgression directly from the YZR-M1 causing this specific AeroxR stand-out instantly. Also available in a Fiat Yamaha Team ‘outfit’ is the JogRR Team Yamaha Race replica. Aside from the styling dedicated to one of the youngest and most sensational new riders in the series this year (he is now officially the ‘best starting’ MotoGP rookie in the history of the sport with more points after five races than his idol Max Biaggi, who held the previous honour) the JogRR is also 50cc liquid cooled – pumping out a third more power than the equivalent air cooled unit - and boasts a precisely calibrated hydraulic single rear shock, adding to performance while a tight, short-wheelbase and viable chassis dynamics combine with highly responsive braking for a safe and secure ride. Spacious and practical while still keeping a strong sporting identity, the JogRR retains a double place of stature within the MotoGP world. As well as carrying the ‘48’ (incidentally a number that Lorenzo adopted from his manager who used to compete with the same digits) the JogRR is also proud to carry the mantle of official MotoGP scooter. The JogRR MotoGP not only has a special dedicated design of black and white, with official logos and circuit layouts, but is also the model that is used and relied upon by paddock staff at venues across Europe. From the bustling ambience of Jerez to the tight confines of Donington Park, the heat of Misano and the majesty of Mugello, the JogRR plays a valuable and varied role in the vast MotoGP logistical machine.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts third after impressive Italian GP charge

Yamaha Monster Motocross Team's David Philippaerts was not able to win his home Grand Prix at a wet Mantova circuit but certainly captured the admiration and attention of the 29,000 spectators with a captivating flight from last position to fifth spot in the first moto. The performance on his YZ450FM was backed-up by a strong second place in the following race to allow the series leader to tread the third step of the podium and increase his advantage in the standings even further. Josh Coppins was content with sixth position overall. Usually a safe bet for reliable weather the Italian round of the series, on this occasion hosting the fifth round of fifteen in the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship, was wet and overcast for both days. Frequent light rain tested the resolve of the sandy all-weather venue and the Monster Energy-backed riders had to contend with both dry and wet motos during Sunday. A slippery, rough and rutted terrain provided a formidable prospect. Philippaerts, winner of the Starcross International here in February - an event that represented his race debut for the team - was just over half a second from his first pole position on Saturday but second place still marked his best qualification performance in MX1-GP. Coppins had a difficult time on the first day. Set-up issues caused him to lose track time and then he was unable to post a satisfactory lap in qualification. The New Zealander was unable not to get into a groove with the track, of which he openly professes a dislike, but also admitted that the slower, more technical conditions thanks to the rain were more to his benefit. Nevertheless he went to the gate in sixteenth. Considering his handicap Coppins produced two excellent starts. The 31 year old almost had the holeshot in Moto1 and actually accomplished the honour in Moto2. Philippaerts' was holding third position approaching the fourth turn of the opening lap in Moto1 when a rider fell in front of him. The pack was still very congested and the hold-up caused another person to hit the Italian and put him on the ground. Restarting from last the 24 year old took almost two laps to steady himself but then exploded on a 30 minute whirl of lap-times and overtaking moves that saw him pass 16 riders and arrive to fifth position behind his team-mate. His progress was cheered by the crowd on virtually every lap and he deservedly earned plaudits from the team and his followers. Coppins hit the front in Moto2 but was passed by eventual winner Max Nagl. Philippaerts, in third spot and through the first turns safely this time, gave chase to the German but it wasn't until the final circulations that he was able to break down a barrier of some five seconds to the back wheel of the leader. Coppins took another top-five finish with a relatively lonely ride but was satisfied with his day's work. Van Beers'Aigar Leok obtained his best moto result of the season with a decent eighth place in the first moto but the Estonian was unable to finish the second outing. The points table makes favourable reading for the team and also for Yamaha. In just his second season in the category Philippaerts is already setting a high pace for the title. With 28 points advantage over world champion Steve Ramon Philippaerts has a gap of just over one moto. Coppins is keeping close and is only 10 points adrift of the Belgian. Yamaha head the manufacturer's standings by 8 points. The world championship now pauses for a week before the series reconvenes at the new Mallory Park circuit for the British Grand Prix on June 1st. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 3rd: "Someone went down in front of me and when I was hit from behind I went over the bike that was lying on the ground. It was a big crash and also disappointing because I knew it would be hard to win the GP after that. I tried as hard as I could. I was watching my lap-times and I knew they were fast; I did the best lap of the race near the end and that was a good thing. In the second moto I pushed to get near to Nagl so that he would see me and maybe make a mistake but it was raining a lot and I did not want to make a mistake. I thought of the points and did not take any risks. I wanted to win here but to be on the podium is OK. The bike and the team are so good and this is a big reason why we have this lead in the championship." Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th: "It is quite close at the front of the championship and we saw another new winner this weekend. I am the only guy from the first few in the standings who has not won yet, but it will come. I think everyone knows that I have had a hard couple of weeks and I am not riding as well as I would like, so I think we did a good job in the motos; I believe fourth and fifth was not too bad. I closed some points to Ramon and pulled away from Mackenzie. I was pleased with my starts today even if I did ride badly in the first ten minutes of both motos; I was just too slow. In the last ten minutes I am as fast as the leader but I am too stiff and not relaxed in the first moments of the races. My confidence is getting better though. I don't like this track and it is the only one of the fifteen that I struggle with, so that's another reason why I am pleased with the result. I am looking forward to England now; that is like a home GP for me. I like to think I have a chance to win there." Massimo Raspanti, Racing Manager: "This was good for us because from a bad day David still make a positive result. After the first two laps his speed was fantastic in the first moto. Josh was a different rider to the one we saw on Saturday so we are happy for him. He is still third in the championship but gained some points on Ramon." Race 1 - 19 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 41'10.667 2, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'6.173 3, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'8.384 4, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'10.939 5, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'20.259 6, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'24.082 7, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'26.078 8, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 0'39.106 9, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'41.779 10, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'45.875 11, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 0'49.613 12, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'51.609 13, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 1'1.909 14, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1'25.208 15, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1'30.363 16, Loic Leonce, Yamaha, FRA, 1'37.412 17, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1'40.828 18, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'44.755 19, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 1'55.139 20, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 2'13.916 Race 2 - 19 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 40'35.621 2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'5.258 3, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'29.696 4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'36.498 5, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'40.720 6, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'43.055 7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'43.392 8, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1'3.004 9, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 1'5.679 10, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'25.490 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 1'39.479 12, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'47.193 13, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'51.099 14, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, 1'57.335 15, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 2'6.591 16, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 2'9.944 17, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 2'11.116 18, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 2'12.155 19, Lauris Freibergs, Yamaha, LVA, 2'14.916 20, Scott Columb, Suzuki, NZL, -1 Laps Rider Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 187 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 159 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 149 4, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 135 5, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 130 6, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 129 7, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 116 8, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 114 9, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 105 10, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 98 11, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 74 12, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 73 13, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 70 14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 67 15, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 59 16, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 41 17, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 38 18, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 36 19, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 31 20, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 29 25, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 15 Manufacturer Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 189 2, Suzuki, 181 3, Kawasaki, 170 4, KTM, 161 5, Honda, 158 6, TM, 26 ---------- RACE REPORT - 18/05/2008 Cairoli lights-up Mantova with second 2008 victory MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli bounced back from his mishap in Bulgaria, defied two injured ribs and also recovered from a second corner crash - similar to countryman David Philippaerts in MX1-GP - to win his second Grand Prix of the season at Mantova. The fifth round of fifteen in the 2008 series was again cursed by rain; bad weather has now affected four of the five events run so far. 29,000 people still braved the damp conditions to watch the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli rider take his second success in a row after victory in 2007 at the Italian Grand Prix. Despite the grey clouds and rain overnight the MX2-GP motos were thankfully devoid of showers. Cairoli started the weekend positively with a strong performance in his Heat race to earn his third consecutive pole position. The Sicilian needed a pain-killing injection for both days of action but even the rutted and rough Mantova sand did not seem to put him off his stride. The first race started dramatically as the reigning number one - using special colours on his kit and helmet - was felled by Erik Eggens in the second corner. Retrieving his YZ250F Cairoli began one of his 'comeback specials' and over the course of the next 35 minutes and 1 lap passed more than 20 riders to reach an incredible fourth place. The only chance of triumph in front of his many fans lay in his capabilities to own the second moto and the double world champion duly obliged. He set a distance from the pack almost immediately and clinched his fourth race win of the year, and fourth from the last six. Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin was unfortunate not to take his first podium finish of the season after he rode brilliantly to celebrate his first chequered flag by beating Tommy Searle in Moto1. The Frenchman led the opening stages of the race before the Briton took control. Aubin was able to keep in his rival's wheel tracks and on lap 14 of 18 regained the advantage. The next sprint was a different affair as Aubin could not find sufficient speed to enter the top five and ended up sixth, for fourth place overall. The top four were separated by only three points in the closest GP ranking of the season. Team-mate Davide Guarneri was disappointed to have to withdraw from the Grand Prix. The Italian suffered a slow but awkward crash on Saturday and immediately feared he has broken a ligament in his right knee. Although the extent of the damage will not be known for a few days and when the Spanish GP winner has a scan, Guarneri - who has already suffered a similar type of injury - was understandably feeling low after this latest set-back. The rest of the De Carli team made the qualification cut. Matteo Bonini, still finding his way back to full speed after recovering from a dislocated shoulder, endured a hard day of work. He was out of the points in Moto1 but rallied to take fifteenth for six points in Moto2. Alessandro Lupino finished in the points on both occasions for the first time in 2008. The teenager was twentieth in each moto. The MX2-GP stars, like their MX1-GP counterparts, will be in action again in two weeks time when the British Grand Prix, at a new track within the Mallory Park motorsports venue, hosts the sixth stop in the 2008 FIM competition. Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 1st: "For sure I wanted to win both races but the second corner was a big problem. Out of the gate I started well but then I had some contact with Tommy. I tried for a good line in the second corner but Eggens was on the inside of me and decided to come across to the outside and hit my front wheel. I lost time taking and restarting the bike but then I pushed hard. I thought that it might still be possible to win the GP so I gave it everything I had. I put my head down and concentrated on good lap-times and catching the next rider. We have had a lot of wet races now and these are not my favourite conditions; although the track was not as slippery as Bulgaria!" Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 4th: "I was very happy with that first moto. When Tommy passed me he was very fast but he was attacking so much and I could still follow him. I knew he would not be able to do that the whole race so I kept close and picked the right moment. I don't know what happened in that second moto. I did not get the start I wanted but it was not that bad. I just could not find the same speed as the first heat. I tried some new lines but it wouldn't come. It was positive to get that win but my goal right now is to make good results in both races." Matteo Bonini, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 21st: "During the week I could not train well because I was very tired after Bulgaria, which was my first GP of the year. I did not get a good start in the first moto and there were a lot of problems in the second corner that held me up. I tried hard to push and regain positions but I felt short of breath and had to lower my rhythm. Things were better in the second moto, including my start but after 20 minutes I felt tired and then just looked to getting as many points as I could. I took one more position on the last lap which was good but overall I still frustrated because I worked very hard in the winter and because of the injury it is like I am starting at zero. At least it can only get better." Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 39'32.202 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'0.972 3, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'22.192 4, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'40.411 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'52.926 6, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'16.135 7, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 1'20.448 8, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'24.259 9, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1'30.111 10, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'31.529 11, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'39.228 12, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'45.136 13, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'45.719 14, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'49.505 15, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'56.218 16, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 1'56.758 17, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 2'3.286 18, Kounsith Vongsana, Kawasaki, FRA, 2'8.805 19, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 2'12.605 20, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 40'31.009 2, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'18.667 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'23.490 4, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 1'8.418 5, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'10.863 6, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 1'21.967 7, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'36.613 8, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 1'55.742 9, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 2'1.461 10, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 2'7.780 11, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, -1 Laps 12, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 13, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, -1 Laps 14, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, -1 Laps 15, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 16, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, -1 Laps 17, Elliott Banks-Browne, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps 18, Jason Dougan, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps 19, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, -1 Laps 20, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps Rider Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 199 2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 196 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 191 4, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 146 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 132 6, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 124 7, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 113 8, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 109 9, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 99 10, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 97 11, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 97 12, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 86 13, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 63 14, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 55 15, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 54 16, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 51 17, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 50 18, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 48 19, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 46 20, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 43 23, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 20 28, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 12 29, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 10 Manufacturer Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 236 2, KTM, 228 3, Kawasaki, 147 4, Suzuki, 138 5, Honda, 67 ---------- RACE REPORT - 18/05/2008 Prumm makes the podium in Italy Double FIM Women's World Cup number one Katherine Prummtook her Van Beers Racing YZ250F to second position for her first podium result of the season at Mantova for the Italian Grand Prix and the second round of five in the first ever FIM Women's World Championship. The 19 year old underwent a scan during the week that confirmed the ACL in her right knee has detached but made the decision to compete in Mantova regardless and aim for her first podium. After taking third position in a wet practice - indeed the whole weekend would be hit by rain, creating a rougher and slower sandy terrain - Prumm launched out of the gate inside the top four of both motos. The first race saw her trailing winner Stephanie Laier for second place and she enjoyed a brief but entertaining tussle with series leader Livia Lancelot in the second moto until the French rider stalled her machine. Prumm, naturally, still lacks a little confidence and speed in the corners but took another runner-up position to Laier to strengthen her position in the standings. The points table has narrowed and Prumm lies just two behind Lancelot. Prumm heads back to her home this week and will begin a programme of physical work to build-up the required muscles in her knee to help compensate for the missing ligament. She will not be in Europe again until mid-June to prepare for round three of the series which will take place at the Teutschenthal circuit for the Grand Prix of Germany. Katherine Prumm, Yamaha Van Beers Racing, 2nd: "It was good to make the podium this weekend but to be honest I am not so happy with my riding. My confidence had taken a hit in Bulgaria and while things were better this weekend I still did not find the speed I know I am capable of and that I do in practice. I fought with Livia and she did not have the best day so it is positive that I am back in the championship hunt. Despite the knee I want to be here fighting for the championship. I will work the muscles I need to and I hope I can build my confidence to get faster. It is good to see how the championship is progressing. I was surprised when I came over for the first GP and found a lot of the girls are now members of teams and it is great that the manufacturers are supporting us. It was a big change for me to switch to Yamaha but I love the engine of the YZ and every weekend I am learning something new about the bike with the different conditions that we find." Race 1 - 10 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Stephanie Laier, KTM, GER, 25'52.655 2, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 0'22.005 3, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 0'31.040 4, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 0'39.712 5, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 0'44.853 6, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'53.707 7, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 1'34.577 8, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 1'43.842 9, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 1'46.214 10, Brenda Wagemans, KTM, BEL, 2'4.474 Race 2 - 10 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Stephanie Laier, KTM, GER, 25'39.392 2, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 0'17.045 3, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'22.528 4, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 0'25.084 5, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 0'25.835 6, Sandra Adriansson, Suzuki, SWE, 1'32.232 7, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 1'36.685 8, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 1'49.657 9, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 1'51.538 10, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 1'53.496 Rider Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 82 2, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 80 3, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 72 4, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 61 5, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 58 6, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 53 7, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 51 8, Stephanie Laier, KTM, GER, 50 9, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 45 10, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 37 11, Sandra Adriansson, Suzuki, SWE, 30 12, Marielle De Mol, Yamaha, NED, 12 13, Anne Borchers, Suzuki, GER, 11 14, Niki Scott, Kawasaki, NZL, 11 15, Brenda Wagemans, KTM, BEL, 11 Manufacturer Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Kawasaki, 85 2, KTM, 81 3, Yamaha, 80 4, Suzuki, 76 5, Honda, 72
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi tops all Yamaha podium in Le Mans

Valentino Rossi made another historic step in his incredible career today when he took his 90th career victory in Le Mans, equalling the record set by the great Angel Nieto, to move into second in the all-time winners list behind Giacomo Agostini. It was an outstanding display from the Fiat Yamaha Team rider and he celebrated in fine style when Nieto joined him on his slow-down lap, the Spaniard taking charge of the bike with Rossi riding pillion behind him. It was a superb day for Yamaha in general as Jorge Lorenzo once again defied his injuries to ride into an astonishing second place behind his team-mate and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards joined the pair on the podium in third place. Rossi had an average start and was tailing the lead group in fifth at the end of lap one. It was soon clear how well his Yamaha-Bridgestone package was working however and he picked off first Nicky Hayden then Edwards and Dani Pedrosa to move into second behind Casey Stoner, before passing him too on lap eight. From then on Rossi was too strong for the chasing pack, stretching his lead lap after lap until some spots of rain forced him to slow slightly in the last third of the race. The sun soon came back out however, allowing the riders to continue without changing bikes and the Italian to cross the line 4.997 seconds in front to take his first back-to-back victory since 2006. The 29-year-old's 90th win moves him two points clear at the top of the championship with 97 points, whilst Lorenzo and Pedrosa are just behind him with 94 points each. Rossi will now stay here for two days of testing to ready himself for his home race at Mugello in Italy in two week's time, when he will be looking for his 7th consecutive win at the track.
Valentino Rossi 1st 44'30.799; "To arrive at 90 wins like this and equal Angel's record is a dream for me. I had quite a lot of pressure because Angel was waiting with the special leathers to join me on the bike, so I really needed to win! It was great to ride with him - I think maybe with some practice he can be as fast as us! 180 victories together on one bike is quite impressive I think! Honestly I didn't expect to be so fast today but together with Jeremy and my guys we decided to make some small modifications this morning and in the race my M1 and my Bridgestone tyres worked brilliantly from start to finish. When is started to rain a little bit I thought "oh no!' and so I steadied a bit and tried to ride very sweetly; I had such a good rhythm and I really didn't want to have to change bikes. Luckily the rain soon stopped and I was able to continue in the same way. It's great for Yamaha to have the first three and I want to congratulate Jorge especially for doing such a good job in his condition. Thanks to everybody in the team; the job that Yamaha has done in three months is incredible. I enjoyed myself so much today, the atmosphere in our garage is perfect and now we will make two important days of testing, try to improve even more and then head to Mugello." Davide Brivio Team Manager; "What a day for Yamaha and for Valentino! This is a great victory, Valentino was even stronger than in China and now we are leading the championship. Our team, engineers and Bridgestone are doing a fantastic job and now we need to maintain this form through the busy run of races coming up. Next stop Mugello, which is a very important race for all of us, so we'll be working hard at the test here to make sure we are in the best shape to try to repeat this result!" Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo once again stunned onlookers by riding to second place in Le Mans today with two fractured ankles. The 21-year-old rookie has found it increasingly difficult to ride through the pain during the course of the weekend but today he found his rhythm and was able to take his fourth podium in five races. It was a Yamaha whitewash in France as Valentino Rossi took his 90th career victory, equalling Angel Nieto with the second highest number of wins in the sport's history, and Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards rode a strong race to finish third. Lorenzo's race was a carbon copy of China as he dropped back through the field at the start, struggling off the line and unable to find his rhythm in the early stages. He had lost five places from fifth on the grid at the end of lap one but on lap eight he suddenly found the feeling with the bike and began to make headway, passing three riders in one lap and setting off after Chris Vermeulen, who was some distance ahead. It took the Michelin-shod rider seven laps to reel in the Australian and then another five to pass Edwards, before he leap-frogged both Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner on lap 21 to move into second. Some spots of rain caused a flurry of activity in the pits as the mechanics readied the second bikes with rain settings, but the sun reappeared and Lorenzo eventually crossed the line just under five seconds adrift of his team-mate. Jorge Lorenzo 2nd +4'997; "Firstly I want to say congratulations to Yamaha because it's fantastic to have three on the podium and it demonstrates how strong our bike is. After the weekend I have had, with the crashes and so much pain, I can't believe I'm here! All last night I worried about this race because I really thought it might be too hard. It was a dream to finish sixth or seventh, especially when I could only manage 11th in the warm-up. I knew I had to try however and on the grid one of my mechanics reminded me that my rivals were just the same ones as in Portugal; this was a good motivation! I had some problems at the start and it's clear that we need to work on these, but after a while I found my rhythm and once again I was able to make my way through the field and pass some riders. I think the rain helped me for the first time in my life because everyone was a little bit slower for a few laps, but second is unbelievable and I think I look a bit happier this afternoon! Now we have to work as hard as possible to heal my injuries and improve my physical condition, so that we can be back to our best in Mugello." Danielle Romagoli Team Manager; "Once again Jorge has done an incredible job in his condition and today is a great result for Yamaha and for the team. Our job this weekend has been very difficult because two crashes have meant less time to perfect the bike, but the team did a great job, found the best possible set-up and then Michelin gave us the best tyre for the race. Thanks to all of them! Now everyone needs some rest but Jorge most of all and we will all be hoping that he is able to relax and recuperate over the next ten days so that he can be back to full strength in Italy." Edwards claims home podium for jubilant Tech 3 Yamaha Colin Edwards stormed to his first podium finish of the season in Le Mans today to hand a jubilant Tech 3 Yamaha squad its first premier class top three finish since 2004. Edwards finished third in a rain-affected 28-lap race to give Tech 3 its first home podium since 2003, while the American also helped Yamaha to its first clean sweep of the rostrum since 2001. Starting from the front row of the grid for the fourth time in five races, the American was immediately in contention for the lead as he pursued reigning world champion Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa. Relegated to fourth by eventual Valentino Rossi on lap four, Edwards then spent 15 laps closely pursuing Stoner and Pedrosa, and in the process he clocked the second fastest lap of the race. Rain started to fall on lap 16, dampening the track at certain points, though not hard enough for a second successive flag-to-flag race to be played out in front of a large French crowd. Edwards briefly slipped back to fifth on lap 20, but he moved back into fourth when Stoner encountered technical problems and secured his ninth podium when he passed Pedrosa on lap 22. The result helped move Edwards into fifth place in the points, while Tech 3 Yamaha is now level on points with Ducati's factory squad in the Team World Championship standings. James Toseland's Le Mans debut ended in disappointment after the British rider crashed out of ninth place following a tangle with Andrea Dovizioso on lap three. Toseland had made a fantastic start to jump to fifth by the end of the first lap, but in the frantic early exchanges slipped back to ninth before he crashed unhurt. Colin Edwards 3rd +6.805; "I honestly thought that today was going to be my day with the pace I'd been able to run all weekend. I was fastest in free practice, fastest in the warm-up and second on the grid so I had high expectations. I really thought I could have got my first win out there, but I'll still settle for third because it was a tough race. I thought I'd got a good start and then Casey and Dani came flying by and it was almost impossible to pass them. I tried everything, but they just didn't make any mistakes and I couldn't get close enough. I wanted to get by them because looking at my lap times I know I had more in the locker, but I couldn't pass. They just had the jump on me coming out of the corners with acceleration and it would have taken a risky move for me to do it. I'm an experienced rider and those guys are fighting for the world title while I'm in fifth, so I wasn't going to do anything stupid. And when Valentino came blazing by like a cowboy with his guns shooting I knew he was going to push hard and that it would be tough for me. Casey had a problem and I got by him and then I passed Dani, as he seemed to check a bit at the first corner because of the rain. I didn't think the rain was that bad and the lap times were not that much slower. I got to say a huge thanks to my team because I've wanted to give them a podium, and I guess there is no better to do it than in their home race. They've worked so hard and I'm glad to give them that podium. Congratulations to Yamaha as well because to have a 1-2-3 is fantastic. My Michelin tyres worked great too, so hopefully next time I can be closer to the win." James Toseland DNF; "I'm pretty frustrated because a little mistake ruins all the hard work myself and the team have put in. I wish I could have a second go at it now like you get in World Superbikes! I got a great start and really wanted to try and get away with the leaders but I lost a couple of places when John Hopkins came by with a hard but fair move. Andrea then made a small mistake and went slightly wide at the fourth corner and as I tried to go underneath him he came back on line and took my front wheel. It was just a racing incident but very disappointing because after that good start I felt like I could have got a good result. I'm already looking forward to coming back strongly at Mugello and having done a bit of testing there before it won't be completely alien for me. Congratulations to Colin because he has been awesome all weekend. He has been on the pace since pre-season testing and he's deserved that podium, as has the team for all their effort. It was great for Yamaha to dominate the podium so it proves what great work was done in the winter. Herve Poncharal Team Manager; "It has been a fantastic weekend for Tech 3 and for Yamaha. It has been a long time since our last podium and we had almost forgotten what it was like to celebrate after the race! But Colin has done a great job and I want to thank him for that. He almost got pole position yesterday but second was great and in qualifying this year he has been incredible. We knew it was going to be a tough race because this is a high calibre championship and to get a podium against such quality opposition is a great achievement, and all the more satisfying because this is our home race. Colin never gave up and in the end he was rewarded because he rode a sensible but fast race. It was an exceptional day for Yamaha and congratulations to them and Masao Furusawa. The Yamaha staff put in a tremendous amount of effort over the winter after a tough 2007 so to claim all the places on the podium is incredible. We are not 100 percent happy because of James' crash but we always knew this was going to be a tough part of the season but he did a good job in qualifying and his start was very impressive. He was right in the heart of the battle and riding well before the incident. I am 100 per cent confident things will get better for him and I believe today he could have finished around sixth. He is a true champion and I know he will never give up." Race 1 - 28 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 44'30.799 2, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'4.997 3, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'6.805 4, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'10.157 5, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'21.762 6, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'22.395 7, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'27.806 8, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'27.995 9, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'29.344 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'30.822 11, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 0'35.154 12, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'36.216 13, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'52.038 14, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'29.307 15, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, -1 Laps Rider Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 97 2, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 94 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 94 4, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 56 5, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 47 6, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 42 7, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 37 8, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 36 9, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 33 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 28 11, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 26 12, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 25 13, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 24 14, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 20 15, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 18 Team Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 191 2, Repsol Honda Team, 131 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 80 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 80 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 67 6, Honda Gresini, 39 7, JIR Scot Team, 36 8, Kawasaki Racing Team, 31 9, Team Alice, 27 10, Honda LCR, 18 Manufacturer Standings 18/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 115 2, Honda, 94 3, Ducati, 61 4, Suzuki, 45 5, Kawasaki, 28
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Lorenzo gets green light to race at Le Mans

Jorge Lorenzo has been given the official 'thumbs up' to participate in this weekend’s French Grand Prix, after undergoing assessment in Barcelona this afternoon by Doctor Xavier Mir. The Fiat Yamaha rider paid a visit to the Dexeus Institute where Doctor Mir assessed the injuries to both ankles, sustained in Shanghai less than two weeks ago, before taking his flight to Paris. X-rays confirmed that the astragalus in Lorenzo's right ankle and torn lateral internal ligament in his left are both healing well. The edema and post-traumatic bruising suffered by the current second-placed rider in the MotoGP World Championship have also reduced significantly. The 21-year-old will continue to have physiotherapy on the two joints, which will remain immobilised, before he takes to the track for first free practice at Le Mans on Friday morning. "Not enough time has passed yet for the injuries to fully heal, but Jorge's pain threshold will allow him to compete without too much risk this weekend," commented Doctor Mir.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Official recognition for the Yamaha Classic Racing Team

Yamaha Motor Europe NV has officially announced its support for the Yamaha Classic Racing Team, founded and managed by former Yamaha GP mechanic Ferry Brouwer. In addition to a financial element, the support will include technical as well as promotional aspects. The Yamaha Classic Racing Team (YCRT), born out of passion for racing heritage is aimed at conserving Yamaha’s history from their early golden years of road racing. This truly magnificent period started in the sixties and continued into the seventies. Ferry Brouwer, now 59 yrs old has been into racing since he was 6 years old after being introduced to it by his father. He's been a big fan of Yamaha road racing 2 strokes ever since, and worked as a Yamaha factory mechanic from 1968 to 1973 for riders such as Jarno Saarinen, Phil Read, Chas Mortimer and Tepi Lansivuori. In 1982, Netherlands based Dutchman Ferry founded "Arai Helmet Europe BV". His passion for classic racers never died however and he remained active in that field, working on an impressive collection of classic Yamaha racers and founding a dedicated team to race his machines. In 1998 Ferry was the driving force behind the "Assen Centennial TT", bringing together many famous former GP stars to ride their restored racers. Recently he retired from Arai and now focuses all his time on the Yamaha Classic Racing Team (YCRT).He owns an impressive list of 14 classic Yamaha racers, all in superb condition, and has plenty of plans to extend this line up The machines are of course the real stars, some of them painstakingly restored production machines, all in absolute mint condition and completely original. Others are reconstructions of works machines that had to be built from scratch, as the original work bikes were, as was the custom of the day, destroyed. Examples include the unique YZ634 350 cc 2 cylinder 2 stroke bike, the factory racer in 1972 and the 500cc YZR500 OW45 GP bike ridden so successfully by Kenny Roberts in 1979. The 1972 screaming 2 stroke YZ623C 125cc and the YZ634A 500cc 2 stroke GP bike of the same year are race bikes that were completely recreated by the team. Yamaha fully endorsed the building of these replicas.The absolute stars of the team are the breathtakingly beautiful 125 (RA31A) and 250 cc (RD05A) works 4 cylinder machines which in the hands of Phil Read gave Yamaha a double world championship in 1968. The Yamaha Classic Racing Team riders form an incredible roll call of those glorious racing days. Amongst the regular riders such as Dieter Braun, Svend Andersson, and former Yamaha Factory riders Michelle Duff, Rodney Gould and Chas Mortimer, guest appearances will take place at events with star riders as Giacomo Agostini, Steve Baker, Christian Sarron and Luca Cadalora. They will ride the machines of the Yamaha Classic Racing Team in the style that made them winners in their time. Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp stated, "The relation between Yamaha, the Yamaha Classic Racing Team andFerry Brouwer has been close for many years and continues to grow in strength. The step to make it official is a logical one. The passion for the Yamaha brand, the technology of the bikes and its racing history is something we all share To be able to see these iconic, historical machines still racing at these events remains a very special and unique opportunity. It’s fantastic to see that also younger people are attracted by the technology of the past and can appreciate the variety of machinery of former days, 4 cylinder 250cc or even 125cc engines as well as 750 2strokes, etc. Our aim is not so much to increase the quantity of our classic racers appearances, but to ensure that our racing history remains available in riding condition for Yamaha racing fans to enjoy now and in the future”. Ferry Brouwer commented, “1973 was the last time I worked with Yamaha as mechanic for Jarno Saarinen on the official factory team. Exactly 35 years later I am so happy to be officially associated with Yamaha again. But not just me; through YCRT guys like Rod Gould, Chas Mortimer, Michelle Duff are also back with Yamaha. The official support from Yamaha is recognition of what we do, but above all recognition from Yamaha to and for Yamaha’s own history. Once again Yamaha is leading the way as a Japanese manufacturer they definitely live and act by their own slogan “ Touching your Heart” as an enormous amount of people’s hearts will be touched by seeing those classic machines riding again. We wish to be a source of inspiration for others carrying the past into the future.“ Event schedule 2008 at present:– May 24th-25th,Coupe Moto Legend, Dijon, France July 5th-6th,Bikers’ Classics 2008, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium July 19th-20th,Salzburg, Austria August 9th-10th, Oschersleben, Germany August 16th-17th, Schotten, Germany
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts takes first win with Yamaha

In changeable weather conditions and across a tricky Sevlievo circuit, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team's David Philippaerts scored his first success on the YZ450FM with first and second positions in the two motos at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. After four rounds of fifteen in the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship the Italian has extended his lead in the series to 17 points and also placed Yamaha first in the manufacturer's standings. Josh Coppins was sixth overall and currently lies third. The hard and fast layout situated deep in the Bulgarian countryside offered two different tests to the riders of the MX1-GP category as the first moto of 35 minutes and 2 laps took place in sunshine but a grey sky and rainfall created a slick and greasy terrain for the second outing. Philippaerts made the most of two decent starts to obtain his prize. The 24 year old escaped the attentions of Billy Mackenzie and Marc de Reuver to lead the first sprint from start to finish. In the second wetter race he fought with Jonathan Barragan and was ultimately unable to match the Spaniard's pace. Entering the last lap Philippaerts was resigned to his second consecutive runner-up position until the leader crashed and allowed Sebastien Pourcel and the Yamaha representative to pull through. Second spot in the moto was enough to secure the overall and his second career MX1-GP success. Josh Coppins ended the day disappointed with sixth position but a set of average starts and some hesitancy on the first lap of Moto1 meant that a better placing was not possible. The Kiwi qualified quite well, (Philippaerts was eighth after being baulked on his two flying lap attempts) with the sixth best lap-time on a dry track that saw the protagonists of the class separated by very little. However he was, by his own admission, 'too slow' in the opening stages of Moto1 and although he pulled through the pack well and was all over the back wheels of Marc de Reuver and Barragan contesting second place, he crossed the finish line in fourth. The second moto was even tougher as he touched with his team-mate along the start straight and had to be determined to cut through from a mid-pack position on the first lap. The course was not easy for overtaking, making Coppins' job even harder; he took 14 points for seventh at the flag. The 31 year old is still well in touch with the title chase. Yamaha Van Beers' Aigar Leok was 17th, one place ahead of UTag Yamaha.com's Carlos Campano. The world championship table still shows both Yamaha Monster Motocross team members within the top three. Philippaerts holds a bigger margin over world champion Ramon and Coppins is 34 points away. Yamaha head the manufacturer's standings by 5 points. The squad are well-placed for round five and their home Grand Prix at Mantova in Italy next week. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 1st: "This is a really good result for me. I tried to win both races but Barragan was very fast in that second moto and I had some luck when I saw him crash. I was pretty tired by that point and I could not stop Pourcel taking the lead. The track was very different in the afternoon. The rain had made it very slippery and some more lines appeared. The mud went softer and got bumpier. The bike is really good and the team are working hard. I'm happy for this; a good day!" Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th: "I thought that things would turnaround for me this weekend but I am really disappointed with how the motos went. My starts were not good, which is unusual for me, and I was too slow at the beginning of the first moto. I wanted to do better for the second moto but David cut across me coming out of the gate; that's OK though because I would have done the same if I also had the holeshot. I was stuck in the middle of the pack and by the time I passed riders there was too big a gap to rise any further. This is not what I wanted ahead of Mantova, which is perhaps the hardest track of the year for me and I am losing my patience; it has been a hard start to this championship." Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager: "A very good weekend. David won the GP with some luck, thanks to Barragan's crash. He was already looking quick and motivated through the practice sessions and playing with the bike but found two slower riders in the Timed Practice that ruined his laps. Anyway, he still got the starts from eighth in the gate. Josh was fourth in the first race which wasn't so bad and his speed in the last ten minutes was very good. His start was a handicap and he could not find his pace like before. The bikes performed well and the riders felt good; we just need to understand why Josh couldn't get going in that second moto." Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 40'7.606 2, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'5.616 3, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'6.650 4, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'8.084 5, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'14.351 6, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0'29.896 7, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'31.501 8, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'36.148 9, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'39.608 10, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'43.629 11, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'45.507 12, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0'48.676 13, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 0'59.604 14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'1.597 15, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 1'9.729 16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'17.854 17, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1'19.659 18, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1'22.498 19, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1'24.738 20, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1'40.124 Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 39'28.719 2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'6.913 3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'8.068 4, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'21.486 5, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'27.233 6, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'34.377 7, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'43.440 8, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 0'44.277 9, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'44.803 10, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0'48.434 11, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'53.504 12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 0'55.953 13, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'6.237 14, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1'8.493 15, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1'11.843 16, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1'16.105 17, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1'17.858 18, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1'22.384 19, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1'26.089 20, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, 1'28.192 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 149 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 132 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 115 4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 100 5, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 98 6, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 94 7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 90 8, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 80 9, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 76 10, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 71 11, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 62 12, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 62 13, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 56 14, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 55 15, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 40 16, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 38 17, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 36 18, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 28 19, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 23 20, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 20 26, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 14 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 149 2, Suzuki, 144 3, Kawasaki, 131 4, KTM, 125 5, Honda, 118 6, TM, 19 ---------- RACE REPORT - 11/05/2008 Cairoli seventh after first corner incident MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli finished off a Grand Prix podium for the first time since Namur, August 2007 after suffering a first corner crash in a wet second moto at Sevlievo for the Bulgarian round of the FIM series. The fourth round of fifteen took place under changeable weather conditions that saw the first race occur in sunshine and the second on a slippery and soggy terrain. The Sicilian was seventh overall but had already banked some points with a comprehensive victory in Moto1. The Bulgarian dirt was hard and flat and together with the layout created a fast course that left little room for error. The start and initial corners were vital in determining the leading positions as lap-times generally remained fairly close and overtaking was difficult. Cairoli enacted a fantastically close duel with Tommy Searle during the Saturday qualification Heat and got the better of the Briton to secure his second consecutive pole position. The pair briefly resumed their fracas in the first GP moto but the Yamaha De Carli rider unearthed a series of rapid circulations on his YZ250F to break free from his English rival and win his third moto in succession. The second race could not have started more differently. The 22 year old slid off in front of the pack entering the first right turn and was hit by Tyla Rattray. Then, while pushing to regain positions, was struck from behind by another rider and again hit the ground, losing time to restart. He finished down in nineteenth. Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin also had a contrasting set of results. The Frenchman could not recover well from a start that left him in the bottom half of the top twenty on the first lap of Moto1 and scored thirteenth. He did however reverse his fortunes in the second sprint when he chased Shaun Simpson and Tommy Searle and was less than three seconds from first position by the end of the race. His third place meant a ranking of fifth overall. Team-mate Davide Guarneri was sixteenth in the final GP standing. The Italian had to qualify via the Last Chance session after a heavy crash during Saturday's Heat race. A fall in Moto1 meant that he was unable to restart, while he was one of the casualties of the first corner mayhem in Moto2. The 23 year old did manage to capture a hard-won tenth by the end of the 35 minutes and 2 laps. Cairoli's team-mate, Matteo Bonini, made a welcome return to Grand Prix action only two weeks after he recovered sufficiently from a dislocated shoulder. The Italian is lacking race speed and fitness but registered a total of six points with nineteenth overall. 3C Racing's Manuel Monni was a consistent figure around the top ten and earned eleventh position thanks to finishes of twelfth and eleventh. Cairoli lost a little ground in the world championship standings and rests 4 points behind new leader Tyla Rattray. Aubin is fourth and 43 away from the top three. Guarneri is seventh. The MX2-GP elite will be in action in the space of seven days as the Italian Grand Prix at the jumpy Mantova circuit constitutes round five. Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 7th: "Of course, after the first moto, I expected more from this GP. I had a really good start in the second moto and when I cut tight for the corner my front wheel slipped away. Everyone was really close and Tyla hit me in the back, which caused a lot of pain. I lost time restarting but worked my way back to 12th, and that was OK because Tyla was in the same group and I felt like I was riding really well. Then when I came down one of the hills a rider had stopped in the line in front of me so I had to slow also and I was hit from behind. The handlebars were covered with mud, so I quickly had to clean them and try to go again. I wanted to keep positive and try for points so I kept pushing and reached 19th. I am now second and four points behind Tyla. This is manageable, and the next GP is in Italy so we will be strong. I want the red plate again in Mantova." Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 5th: "I was missing something today. I started badly in the first moto and could not get a rhythm. I tried to push hard but could not pass the other riders, thirteenth was a poor result. In the second race I felt better and faster and was in the fight for first position which was good. I like Mantova and I must get better because we have had four GPs now and I have not made the results that I want. I have a good bike and my physical condition is OK. I just need a little something extra and that second moto was good for my head." Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 16th: "A bad weekend; too many crashes. I like this track but I had a big crash in the heat on Saturday and hit my head so I had to go through the last chance. My gate was far to the outside. I started way back in the first moto and after a few laps I was up to 14th but I lost the front wheel on a jump and I could not restart the bike. Many riders fell at the start of the second moto and I got pushed outside and also crashed, again! It was very slippery there. I pushed and I rode pretty well to finish 10th which was OK. I lost points today but the championship still has a long way to go." Matteo Bonini, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 19th: "I did not feel too bad out there. My shoulder was OK, considering I only started training two weeks ago. I pushed so hard in those two weeks to make this GP that I think it left me very tired today. I gained some points at least and things can only get better. I wanted to make this GP to get some race time before Mantova. The track there is difficult but now I am a little bit more familiar with the speed the guys are making now." Race 1 - 19 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 39'3.953 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'2.943 3, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'3.719 4, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'18.419 5, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'20.386 6, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 0'24.837 7, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 0'27.211 8, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 0'31.010 9, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 0'36.679 10, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'42.073 11, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'47.949 12, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'50.738 13, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'56.220 14, Jason Dougan, Suzuki, GBR, 1'0.504 15, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'5.079 16, Kounsith Vongsana, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'7.458 17, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'9.300 18, Elliott Banks-Browne, Suzuki, GBR, 1'12.926 19, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 1'15.677 20, Shannon Terreblanche, Suzuki, RSA, 1'16.915 Race 2 - 19 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 39'48.824 2, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'0.430 3, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'2.811 4, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 0'16.230 5, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'22.889 6, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 0'25.473 7, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'27.206 8, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'12.440 9, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'14.557 10, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 1'18.343 11, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'21.577 12, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'35.750 13, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1'38.871 14, Jason Dougan, Suzuki, GBR, 1'45.436 15, Shannon Terreblanche, Suzuki, RSA, 1'46.912 16, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 1'48.078 17, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 1'54.455 18, Wyatt Avis, Honda, RSA, 2'4.616 19, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 20, Julien Vanni, KTM, FRA, -1 Laps Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 157 2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 153 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 149 4, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 106 5, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 106 6, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 98 7, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 97 8, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 92 9, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 87 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 82 11, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 79 12, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 64 13, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 54 14, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 50 15, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 47 16, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 38 17, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 38 18, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 36 19, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 35 20, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 23 22, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 20 30, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 8 31, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 6 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 186 2, KTM, 184 3, Kawasaki, 116 4, Suzuki, 113 5, Honda, 52 ---------- RACE REPORT - 11/05/2008 Prumm bravely takes fourth in Bulgaria Sevlievo and the Grand Prix of Bulgaria witnessed the opening round of five in the inaugural FIM Women's World Championship and Yamaha Van Beers Racing's Katherine Prumm battled adversity to take fourth overall. The double World Cup winner was not afforded a fair debut on her YZ250F after rupturing her right anterior cruciate ligament in the days leading up to the Grand Prix. Putting aside her pain and discomfort it was an uneasy weekend for Prumm who tried to compete but was clearly frustrated by the handicap and being unable to run at her normally impressive speed. She made two mistakes in the first moto that saw her having to work hard to make fifth position, recovering from a second lap placing of twelfth. A slower and wetter second race saw her net a decent third. The 19 year old will now have an MRI scan on Tuesday to determine the extent of the damage to her knee joint and then make a decision as to whether she can fulfil a five month campaign of races internationally and in her native New Zealand. UTag Yamaha.com's Megan Lewis grabbed two points on her GP debut. The 15 year old was nineteenth in Moto2. As with the MX1-GP and MX2-GP classes, round two for the ladies will occur next week at Mantova for the Italian Grand Prix. Katherine Prumm, Van Beers Racing, 4th: "I am actually disappointed with the result. My preparation for the world championship had been perfect. I was feeling very good on the bike, with my training and making good lap-times. I knew I was three or four seconds off my usual pace today. It is hard to go out there and not be able to give 100% and not feel 100% and this showed in my results. I had pain and swelling and I tried to put it to the back of my mind but it was difficult not to let it affect my riding. The world championship is what I want but if the knee is damaged then we will have to make a decision about it this week." Race 1 - 11 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 26'24.860 2, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'1.760 3, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 0'8.863 4, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 0'11.812 5, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 1'24.099 6, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 1'34.522 7, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 1'46.280 8, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 1'48.229 9, Marielle De Mol, Yamaha, NED, 1'52.804 10, Anne Borchers, Suzuki, GER, 2'20.564 Race 2 - 11 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 25'59.026 2, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 0'8.182 3, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 0'25.098 4, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 1'29.889 5, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 1'39.693 6, Sandra Adriansson, Suzuki, SWE, 1'59.825 7, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 2'1.008 8, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 2'3.755 9, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 2'5.178 10, Niki Scott, Kawasaki, NZL, 2'10.404 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Livia Lancelot, Kawasaki, FRA, 47 2, Maria Franke, Kawasaki, GER, 40 3, Ashley Fiolek, Honda, USA, 38 4, Katherine Prumm, Yamaha, NZL, 36 5, Elin Mann, KTM, SWE, 31 6, Elien De Winter, KTM, BEL, 28 7, Marianne Veenstra, Suzuki, NED, 26 8, Larissa Papenmeier, Suzuki, GER, 25 9, Sandra Adriansson, Suzuki, SWE, 15 10, Nicky Van Wordragen, KTM, NED, 12 11, Marielle De Mol, Yamaha, NED, 12 12, Anne Borchers, Suzuki, GER, 11 13, Niki Scott, Kawasaki, NZL, 11 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Kawasaki, 47 2, Suzuki, 40 3, Honda, 38 4, Yamaha, 36 5, KTM, 31
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Haga takes win number two

Noriyuki Haga overcame some early weekend set-up issues to power his way to a superb race two win for his Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team at their home track of Monza. Having already scored second in the first race this was Haga's best weekend of the year so far and pushed him further up the championship table. He now sits third overall, on 112 points. In the first race Haga pushed hard in the early laps, taking the new lap record of 1'45.882, beating his previous 2007 recordas he brought himself forward to join what had been a breakaway trio of eventual winner Max Neukirchner, Yukio Kagayama and eventual third place rider, Troy Bayliss. Haga was in contention for race two almost from the start, taking the lead over the line on lap three, and after some close action riding with Neukirchner and Ryuichi Kiyonari, he held Kiyonari off over the line, with Neukirchner second, by only 0.009 seconds. Corser had a tough weekend at Monza, starting well in race one but slowly dropping back to 12th. In race two he was in more competitive form but a close moment under braking with another rider saw him run wide at the first chicane and lose places. He finished eighth, and is now sixth overall, on 101 points. Team YZF Yamaha rider Shinichi Nakatomi was 13th in race one and 12th in race two, in two 18-lap contests with a host of non-finishers. This was also Nakatomi's best race of the 2008 season so far. Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) scored points in each race, posting 15th and 14th places. The team's stand in rider Michel Beck acquitted himself well, finishing race one 19th and race two 15th, scoring a point in only his second ever WSB Championship race. Noriyuki Haga (2nd and 1st - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "In the first race I tried to ride 100% but the feel was not really there. We had a team meeting and we altered the chassis settings and suspension for race two. We got a better feeling and I could push everywhere. I could not calculate for the last few laps I just knew I had to keep in front of everyone. On the last lap I tried to brake hard into the last corner and then passed Kiyonari. I am really happy today because everybody in the garage made a good job, so my thanks go to them." Troy Corser (12th and 8th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I struggled to get a good set-up today and the bike didn't feel as fast as we hoped it would. The bike felt unbalanced so I found it difficult braking into corners, the tyre seemed to spin up more on exit making it harder to drive out. I just couldn't get comfortable with it. The bike was better in race two but it didn't really feel better." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "An unbelievable win for Noriyuki. His fender was touching his wheel and that was why we saw smoke coming from his machine a couple of times. We were all worried it was something else at one stage! We made the machine shorter between races and it seemed that the tyre was rubbing, but only sometimes. Nori rode really well today and we worked well to give him a winning bike. Troy had some problems that we could not get right for raceday. A huge thank you to everyone on the Yamaha team, we worked really hard at Monza this year, I'm very proud of the team." Shinichi Nakatomi (13th and 12th - Team YZF Yamaha) "We changed the settings on the bike to make it easier. I made a mistake and lost positions in race one. In race two I had a good start but after five laps the rear tyre started to drop off. So we need to work on the electronics and the suspension to balance this." Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 32'2.851 2, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'0.058 3, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'0.672 4, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'0.771 5, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'3.869 6, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'5.995 7, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'8.788 8, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'9.374 9, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'10.667 10, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'10.771 11, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'12.180 12, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'14.719 13, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'32.734 14, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'36.550 15, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'36.607 16, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'52.464 17, Luca Morelli, Honda, ITA, 0'56.929 18, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'27.543 19, Michael Beck, Yamaha, USA, 1'28.342 Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 32'7.576 2, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'0.009 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'0.051 4, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'4.489 5, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'10.272 6, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'10.376 7, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'10.496 8, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'12.498 9, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'19.429 10, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'26.373 11, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'26.544 12, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'26.895 13, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'27.761 14, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'29.661 15, Michael Beck, Yamaha, USA, 1'29.001 16, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, -3 Laps Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 1'45.882 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 194 2, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 116 3, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 112 4, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 111 5, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 107 6, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 101 7, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 90 8, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 65 9, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 65 10, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 59 11, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 55 12, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 54 13, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 49 14, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 41 15, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 35 20, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 16 23, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 6 24, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 5 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 217 2, Yamaha, 171 3, Suzuki, 158 4, Honda, 135 5, Kawasaki, 44 ---------- RACE REPORT - 11/05/2008 Foret wins in style at Monza Both Fabien Foret and Broc Parkes posted heroic performances in race conditions at Monza, with Foret taking his first win of the 2008 season, by 1.199 seconds, and Parkes finishing third. Parkes was unsure if he could even ride at all on Wednesday, so his podium finish, his second of the year, was an impressive performance from the tough Australian rider. Foret pulled through from fifth after an imperfect start to overhaul early leaders Josh Brookes and Parkes, and after taking a firm grip on the lead on lap nine the winning result was never really in doubt. Parkes had a pretty lonely race after putting up a spirited defence of his early leading position, fighting with Brookes for much of the time. He finished only six seconds from victory, and five seconds ahead of the next best rider, Andrew Pitt. Foret's win places him second in the championship on 71 points to Joan Lascorz's 77, with Parkes third on 65. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) had a fighting ride at his home track, taking seventh after riding in a group of warring riders, looking for fourth place. Yamaha Spain rider Angel Rodriguez had a solid tenth place but his team-mate David Salom just missed out on a point again, going 16th for the second race in succession. Fabien Foret (1st - 29'38.261 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I am very pleased to win here. After a tough time in round one at Qatar, I needed points - but I also wanted to win. This was my race; I love this track. I was a bit nervous after problems with my start in previous races so I didn't push it for a bit, but then it started to happen for me. I tried to push every lap from then on. There is still a long way to go in the championship but I am very happy with the win. A big thanks to the team!" Broc Parkes (3rd - +0'6.736 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I had an accident on my mountain bike a short while ago and my arm's still quite sore. That made it very difficult today. It was good for the first half of the race, but then it just got harder and harder to push under braking and during changes of direction. Considering how things were a few days ago, I'm happy to take the points and move forward." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "We are very happy of course with Fabien's first win. He deserved it at the first race in Qatar, because he was fighting so hard for that first win in February, but it didn't happen. He had the whole package to win today and he made the most of it. We took lots of points from Lascorz and the championship is open again. Broc had a brave and fast ride. He tried to pull away to let him relax a little on the final laps but he couldn't, just because of his injured arm. A first and third today was a good result for the whole team." Massimo Roccoli (7th- +0'11.757 - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "The race was not great and not bad, but for sure I could not get to the pace of the top three guys today, they were just too fast. I was a little disappointed not to get to the front of the group I was racing in at the finish." Angel Rodriguez: (10th - +0'15.175 - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "Since yesterday I started to feel pain in my forearms. During the race, 6 or 7 laps to go, it was painful again so I settled for the 10th position. I didn't want to risk another crash like Assen, today it was important to finish. I tried to follow Lascorz but he had a little more rhythm and escaped, but at the end we finished almost together. Everything has been OK, team and bike has worked well." David Salom: (16th- +0'46.152 - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "I was fighting with a riders group and I couldn't escape them. The rear tire slid a lot and it was impossible to find a rhythm. But anyway I think it would have been difficult to escape. In the last laps I was very slowly because we were fighting with each other so much." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 29'38.261 2, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'1.199 3, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 0'6.736 4, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 0'11.398 5, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 0'11.477 6, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 0'11.716 7, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'11.757 8, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'12.186 9, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'14.847 10, Angel Rodriguez, Yamaha, ESP, 0'15.175 11, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 0'21.256 12, Cristiano Migliorati, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'24.899 13, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'25.077 14, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 0'25.160 15, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'26.429 16, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'46.152 17, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'46.160 18, Mirko Giansanti, Honda, ITA, 0'46.192 19, Danilo Dell'omo, Honda, ITA, 0'46.262 20, Kev Coghlan, Honda, GBR, 0'46.327 21, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'46.509 22, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 0'57.599 23, Gregory Leblanc, Honda, FRA, 0'58.057 24, William De Angelis, Honda, ITA, 0'58.415 25, Lorenzo Alfonsi, Honda, ITA, 1'11.614 26, Luka Nedog, Honda, SVN, 1'19.957 27, Gergo Talmacsi, Honda, HUN, 1'19.985 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 1'50.430 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 77 2, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 71 3, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 65 4, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 63 5, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 63 6, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 49 7, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 41 8, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 39 9, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 28 10, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 26 11, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 25 12, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 20 13, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 20 14, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 20 15, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 19 19, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 8 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 115 2, Yamaha, 96 3, Triumph, 30 4, Kawasaki, 24 5, Suzuki, 19 ---------- RACE REPORT - 11/05/2008 Yamaha contenders taken out at Monza A promising race at Monza for top Yamaha qualifier Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) and his fellow R1 runners was ended at the first chicane, in a double crash, which also put out Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni YZF-R1) and Sylvain Barrier (YZF Yamaha Junior Team). No fewer than 11 riders were halted by the results of these crashes, with Corti and Pirro hit by a bike that ran across the infield as another incident took place behind. Claudio Corti (DNF - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "I'm very depressed about this result because we were set for a good race until I got taken out. After a no score at Assen as well, the championship has become very difficult. We will try our best to get back into contention from Germany onwards." Michelle Pirro (DNF - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "After the first corner crash behind me I thought I had got away with it at the front, but then a Ducati came across the grass and knocked me off. The bike bashed into my groin and stomach very hard and that was it finished." A fantastic ride at Monza in the Superstock 600 European Championship for young YZF Yamaha Junior Team star Loris Baz. Having qualified on pole, the talented young rider went on to take the chequered flag at Monza in his debut season. This was his second win of the year, adding to his Valencia victory. Baz leads the championship with 61 points, a 19 point lead over second placed rider Daniele Beretta. Race 1 - 11 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 20'14.707 2, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 0'2.109 3, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 0'2.147 4, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 0'6.656 5, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'10.849 6, Fabrizio Perotti, Suzuki, ITA, 0'11.070 7, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'11.143 8, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'14.501 9, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 0'15.802 10, Michael Savary, Suzuki, CHE, 0'16.593 11, Aldo Aldrovandi, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'19.172 12, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 0'19.315 13, Filip Backlund, Suzuki, SWE, 0'28.267 14, Gregory Junod, Yamaha, CHE, 0'28.874 15, Jonathan Gallina, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'29.029 16, Roy Ten Napel, Suzuki, NED, 0'39.472 17, Michal Drobny, Honda, CZE, 0'41.145 18, Brank Srdanov, Yamaha, NED, 0'43.629 19, Jure Stibilj, Honda, SVN, 0'44.176 20, Robert Gianfardoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'44.609 21, Cameron Stronach, Kawasaki, AUS, 0'56.517 22, Denis Sacchetti, MV Agusta, ITA, 1'20.649 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 1'49.418 Rider Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 57 2, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 42 3, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 38 4, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 34 5, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 30 6, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 29 7, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 28 8, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 18 9, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 17 10, Fabrizio Perotti, Suzuki, ITA, 15 11, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 15 12, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 13 13, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 11 14, Raymond Schouten, Yamaha, NED, 10 15, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 9 27, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 2 Manufacturer Standings 11/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Suzuki, 61 2, Honda, 54 3, Ducati, 54 4, Yamaha, 42 5, Kawasaki, 7
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Prumm injures knee before first WMX-GP

The fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship will take place at one of the best circuits on the calendar this weekend as the visit to Sevlievo not only kicks the series back into life after a two week break but also initiates the first meeting of five in the first ever Women’s World Championship. Van Beers Yamaha’s Katherine Prumm, a double Women’s World Cup winner, is struggling for full fitness after rupturing her right ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) while practicing this week. Prumm has been based in Holland since mid-March and even attempted several meetings against male opposition as part of her preparation for this weekend. The news is a bitter blow to her ambitions although the lack of swelling means she will endeavour to compete at Sevlievo with a special brace and sufficient taping. “Everything had gone really well recently and I could not have been better prepared for the first Grand Prix,” she said. “I was three laps away from finishing my practice moto when I lost traction on the ramp of a jump which put me at 90 degrees. I came down at strange angle and my right leg was off the pegs and took most of the impact. I felt something go ‘pop’ and I knew pretty much right away what had happened. I could ride back but when I stopped I had some pain and could not straighten the leg.” “A scan revealed the broken ACL, thankfully it is not as bad as my left knee which I injured in 2006 but at the end of the season I will need a reconstruction,” she added. “Obviously it is not the way I wanted to start the world championship but I will try and do my best at the weekend and see what happens.” The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team – currently holding 1st and 3rd positions in the premier MX1-GP category thanks to their riders David Philippaerts and Josh Coppins respectively – will travel to the venue where they sampled victory with Coppins in 2007 and will also be following the progress of MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli after his dominant win in Portugal a fortnight ago and now who leads the class. World championship leader Philippaerts – the first Italian to head the MX1-GP series since its inception in 2004 – has been using the recent good weather in his native country to steadily train through the hiatus and claims that he will enjoy wearing the ‘red plate’ this weekend for the first time in his career. “We are only three rounds into fifteen so it does not mean much to lead the championship at this stage, but it does mean that we are competitive and it is always nice to look at the bike with the red plate on!” he said. “I’ve been riding in Italy and physically I feel fantastic, my confidence is good and I’m very pleased with how things are going.” Philippaerts finished 5th and 3rd last year at Sevlievo, which was his first encounter with the track on a 450cc machine. “It has similarities to some Italian tracks and has been hard and dry in the past,” he remarked “normally it is quite fun to race there and the riders are close in the times; it should be a good GP.” Coppins has spent the time after the Grand Prix of Portugal, where he seized third place and his first podium of the season by passing world champion Steve Ramon on the last corner of the final lap of the second moto, at his Belgian base recovering from a bout of flu. “I felt the flu coming thought it would disappear in a few days so I kept on riding and doing some training, which perhaps wasn’t the smartest move as the virus stuck around a bit longer, but I am more or less back to normal now,” he said. “Obviously I’m happy after the podium in Portugal and, more than just the result, the progress of my race fitness; to be strong like that at the end of the motos was really encouraging.” “I like the track, it’s fast and jumpy; my kind of place,” he added about Sevlievo. “I won last year and have also taken another podium a few years ago. The weather forecast is not the best so I really hope the rain stays off for us.” The impressive Sevlievo circuit has a copious hard-standing paddock, immaculate facilities and grandstands within the natural amphitheatre. The government-backed racecourse provides one of the premium examples of 21st century motocross. The track itself has a wide and fast layout with plenty of jumps and steep uphill and downhill drags; forging a lap-time of almost two minutes. The hot and sunny conditions of 2007 are likely to give way to a cooler Grand Prix for the 2008 edition (the third year in succession the world championship has visited Bulgaria) with even rainfall predicted on Saturday.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Update on Lorenzo's ankle injuries

Having flown straight back to Spain on Sunday night following his stunning ride to fourth place in Shanghai last weekend, Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo visited the Dexeus Institue in Barcelona on Monday morning for further examination by world-renowned specialist Dr. Xavier Mir. Dr. Mir, who had only operated on Lorenzo two weeks ago to relieve compartmental syndrome in his right forearm, was keen to carry out his own diagnosis on the injuries sustained during free practice for the Grand Prix of China, which the Clinica Mobile had treated to great effect in Shanghai in order to allow Lorenzo to ride. The injuries were confirmed to be slightly worse than first thought, especially to the right ankle, which was originally thought to have escaped fracture. A 3D CAT scan of both ankles revealed the following further injuries: - Fracture of the Astragalus in the right ankle (no displacement) - Torn lateral internal ligament in the left ankle Treatment now consists of a solid cast for Lorenzo’s right ankle and an elastic support for his left, temporarily confining him to a wheelchair. "Next Monday we will carry out more tests and make a detailed evaluation of the injuries suffered to both ankles,” commented Doctor Mir. Lorenzo lies second in the MotoGP World Championship after taking a victory, a second place, a third and a fourth from the opening four rounds. He now faces a battle to be fit for the next chapter of his incredible rookie story - the Grand Prix of France at Le Mans on 18th May.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Reed 2008 champion with Las Vegas victory

Chad Reed is the new 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross /FIM World Championship number one after registering his ninth victory of the season in front of more than 39,000 spectators at the Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas last weekend. The Australian, still recovering from a broken shoulder blade, went into the final round of seventeen with a ten point lead over main rival Kevin Windham but blitzed the field once more aboard his YZ450F to clinch his second crown in the class (the other obtained in 2004). Reed obtained his 13th podium of the season after an electric start that saw him pull through from outside the top five on the first lap to pass Windham and motor to the chequered flag by over six seconds. The track inside the Nevada venue was one of the longest and trickiest of the season but Reed coped with the pressure of seeing Windham take victory in the two previous races to produce a vintage and deserving performance when it counted. "I didn't really think about winning until I saw that Kevin [Windham] wasn't really riding away," he commented. "I didn't know what he was doing, or what his gameplan was, but I felt really confident from the Heat race that I had a lot more speed than him. It seemed like any time, I could just pull up right alongside of him, and I was stronger in the whoops. Then we made some changes to the bike to make it easier on me, and I just came out in the main event and knew I could ride a fast pace if I had to." "I'm a lot better now, but I still had to be careful, and it's the experience," he said regarding his fractured shoulder. "I've been there before, unfortunately. I broke my scapula before, and I knew that I needed to get through those first two weekends, and then I'd be a lot stronger." "Coming into the season, I knew I could be strong, and I knew that it was a race between James Stewart and I, and Kevin, but once James went out, the season got really tough," Reed added concerning his 2008 campaign. "I think I lost focus. Winning became really easy. I felt like I was on a roll, and no one was going to beat me. I just got too content. It was just becoming kind of easy, and I made mistakes." "Next year is a long way away, and there's a lot of stuff that needs to happen between now and then. I want to put my head down and just enjoy the experience. It's been a rough season, and there have been a lot of ups and downs. I just want to thank everybody." The 25 year old ends a comprehensive and record-breaking - but also difficult - season with a thirteen point gap over Windham. Josh Hill was fifth and Nathan Ramsey finished with seventh. Thanks to Jason Lawrence's title in the West Coast Lites division Yamaha have claimed championships in two of the three supercross classes in 2008. The AMA Motocross championship - in which Yamaha and the YZ450F are defending champions - begins at Glen Helen on May 25th. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 23'18.500 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'6.629 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'10.544 4, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'20.546 5, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'24.700 6, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 0'27.700 7, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 0'35.916 8, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 0'46.244 9, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'65.687 10, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0'70.010 11, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 12, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 13, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Kelly Smith, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 15, Ryan Clark, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Kevin W. Johnson, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 17, Tyler Bright, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Josh Hansen, Yamaha, USA, -2 Laps 19, Robbie Reynard, Honda, USA, -14 Laps 20, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -17 Laps Rider Standings 03/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 365 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 352 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 281 4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 278 5, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 228 6, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 217 7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 173 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 169 9, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 159 10, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 144 11, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 144 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 130 13, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 109 14, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, 100 15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 84 26, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 41, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 03/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 386 2, Honda, 374 3, Kawasaki, 296 4, Suzuki, 218 5, KTM, 163
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Perfect ride in China sees Rossi to top of the podium

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi took an impressive victory in Shanghai today, his second at the circuit having won the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix with Yamaha in 2005. It was Rossi's 89th career victory but his first in seven races, since Estoril last year, as well as his first on Bridgestone tyres. Rossi had looked strong from Friday morning and he was clearly in good shape for the race, but after two days of high temperatures and sunshine, heavy rain throughout the morning threatened to turn the established order on its head. The rain ceased in the late morning however and the track began to dry out with the aid of a warm wind, meaning the race was finally declared dry. Starting from second on the grid behind Colin Edwards, Rossi crossed the line first time in fourth but had made it back to second by the end of the third lap, passing Casey Stoner and pole-sitter Colin Edwards in the process. His next target was Dani Pedrosa and he made his move on the Spaniard at the end of the back straight to take the lead. From then on the Italian led to the chequered flag but it was nail-bitingly close for the majority of the remaining 17 laps, with less than half a second between them and the pair the only two lapping consistently in the 1'59s. On lap 19 Pedrosa began to tail off and Rossi eventually took victory by 3.890 seconds, with Casey Stoner over 15 seconds back in third. The other side of the garage had an almost equally happy day as Jorge Lorenzo shook off the pain from his fractured ankle to take a brave fourth place, something that was unimaginable after his crash on Friday morning. Rossi is the fourth different rider to win in four races this season and the championship is wide open, with Lorenzo seven points off Pedrosa in second and Rossi just two points behind him in third.
Valentino Rossi - Position: 1 Time: 44'08.061 "After seven races it is a great feeling to win again; I am very happy! This is a very important result for us because above all I was able to ride exactly how I wanted from start to finish and this was great fun for me. I had a great battle with Pedrosa and he pushed me hard and to be doing 1'59s until the end was unbelievable! All weekend we were hoping the rain wouldn't come so when we saw it this morning we were quite disappointed, then it started to dry out so we were praying that it would dry completely; we were lucky today! We worked very well with Bridgestone and together with their technicians we made a late tyre change and it was the right choice because my tyre worked very well until the end, as my times showed! It's the first win for us with Bridgestone so this is a great moment also for this reason and I want to say thank you to them. We were fast from Friday morning here and step by step we've found the perfect set-up and today the hard work paid off for everyone. We've had four races and four different winners so this shows how close the championship is, now we need to keep going because our rivals are all very near. Lorenzo did a great race today with his injuries, so this is a good day for everyone in the team. Thank you to my team and everyone at Yamaha, it's great to be here again."
Davide Brivio - Team Manager "We needed this! It's a fantastic feeling for everyone to win again and Valentino did a perfect job today. There are many good things about this particular win; it's the first with Bridgestone, the first for a long time and also it's put us right back in touch for the championship after a poor start in Qatar. It's important that we continue like this but everyone has a great motivation and confidence is running high in our garage. Congratulations to Jorge for a great result in his condition, it's just the fourth race but our team is in good shape!" Jorge Lorenzo, the Fiat Yamaha Team's outstanding rookie, shook off the injuries he suffered in his crash on Friday to take a superb fourth place in China today on his 21st birthday. After fracturing his left ankle and badly bruising parts of his right leg, it was easy to forget that the Spaniard had also undergone surgery on his right arm less than a fortnight ago, leaving him to contest today's race with only one limb in full working order! With the weather turning bad today it was a nervous morning for the riders but it gradually dried out throughout the middle of the day and the 22-lap race was run in the dry. Lorenzo started from fourth but the early part of the race was a trial of endurance for the Michelin-shod rider as he slipped back through the field to as low as 9th at one stage. He then settled in 8th for seven laps before suddenly finding his rhythm on lap 12 and going on to pass four riders in as many laps.With Casey Stoner some way in front of him, fourth was as far as he could go but it was a brilliant result for the youngest rider on the grid after what has been one of the most difficult weekends of his career. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 4 Time: +0'22.494 "Without a doubt, this result today is like a victory for me. On Friday I couldn't imagine being able to ride, then yesterday it was a little bit better and then finally today I was not able just to ride, but to be competitive and enjoy myself as well! I've ridden with a lot of pain in both legs but the staff of the Clinica Mobile made it possible for me to keep going, so I want to thank them. I lost a lot of places early on but in the second half of the race I found my rhythm and then step by step I started to move forwards; in fact I think I made more overtakes than in any race so far in this category! I stalled the engine on the start line for the warm-up lap, which was a scary moment, but luckily I was able to restart and it wasn't a problem. I want to say congratulations to Valentino for a great victory today as well, I think it's going to be an exciting year. I didn't have any pain in my arms today so hopefully the recent operation has been a success. Now I'm flying back to Barcelona to have treatment on my ankles and I will do everything I can to be back to my physical best in Le Mans. I want to thank Michelin, because my tyres were very good today, as well as Yamaha and all of my guys. I've had a great 21st birthday!" Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "Jorge did an incredible job today, I don't think that anyone expected him to do this well after what happened on Friday and in his current physical condition. We were luckily able to find a good set-up very quickly despite missing out on the first day, and overall I think that we can be very happy with a job well done. We found a good tyre with Michelin and it seems that Jorge was able to find a good rhythm. Thank you to the staff of the Clinica Mobile because they played a huge part in enabling Jorge to ride like this. Congratulations to Valentino for his win, I hope that we can all keep going strongly!" Masahiko Nakajima - Team Director "We've waited a long time to get back to winning ways! All of the Yamaha staff are very happy to win again with Valentino and I want to share this moment with Valentino's fans around the world! It's been a tough weekend and it was a big battle with Pedrosa, but it was an exciting and impressive race. I really want to congratulate Valentino and now we want to continue to improve the bike for the championship fight. We've done a great job with Bridgestone this weekend and we really appreciate their work, they helped us to win today! For Jorge it was a very tough weekend but he tried his best throughout to ride the bike and the team staff did an excellent job to make a bike which could be ridden by such an injured rider. It was very good team-work and an amazing result today. It was a hard, hard race for him but he showed how strong he is. Michelin provided us with good tyres, both for qualifying and the race, and I am very happy for all of our staff and look forward to the next race." Edwards and Toseland secure solid points for Tech 3 in Shanghai The Tech 3 Yamaha team consolidated fourth position in the Team world championship today after Colin Edwards and James Toseland collected a solid points haul in a tough Shanghai MotoGP race. Edwards, who started from pole position for the third time in his career, had to settle for eighth place after his podium challenge ended when he ran off track at the end of the back straight on lap six. Edwards was holding a comfortable third place at the time and pulling away from reigning world champion Casey Stoner. Edwards lost four places, which he was never able to recover despite a determined ride in the second half of the 22-lap race. James Toseland had a tough Shanghai debut as today's race was run in much cooler conditions than the first two days. Heavy rain that fell earlier the 125 and 250 races cleared in time for the MotoGP clash, but despite a typically dogged display, the British rider finished 12th. Colin Edwards - Position: 7 Time: +0'29.780 "I'm not particularly happy with that if I'm being honest. I knew what pace I could run and was just pushing as hard as I could in the beginning to try and get away from the guys behind me. I knew Casey was going to be there but I don't know what Valentino and Dani had but they were flying. As soon as they passed me they were gone. I was running third and I came into the hairpin after the back straight and braked at the same place but the rear end came up and I did the longest nose wheelie I've ever done in my entire life. I kept waiting for it to come back but at the end I had to let the brake off to get the rear wheel on the ground and I ran wide. I only lost three seconds but it was the places I lost that mattered. I rode as hard as I could and I'm tired of saying it, but I could not do anything else. We just missed something in the package today. At the end we needed to refine a couple of things to make it a little bit better but at the end of the day I made a mistake. But if I hadn't made it I still wasn't going to be on the podium. It just wasn't going to happen today. I wanted the temperature to be cooler but maybe not as cool as it was. I was licking my lips in the beginning because I thought some other guys had packages that would have worked better when it was hotter but it didn't happen. I have to say thanks to my guys for their effort this weekend. We got a pole position but obviously I expected more in the race. We'll look to put things right in Le Mans when I'll be giving it my all for Tech 3 and Michelin in their home race." James Toseland - Position: 12 Time: +0'43.191 "I don't want to be finishing 12th but in my first season this type of result is going to happen. I had a few problems with the set-up all weekend, which hasn't helped with me learning the track. I got a decent start but really found it difficult with the setting I had. We were going to try something this morning but it was wet and we gambled with it for the race. On paper it looked really good but unfortunately it wasn't quite right. You don't need too many problems to finish 12th in MotoGP. I had a small problem and it was costing me a lot of time in the important places and that was the difference between a top eight finish and being down in 12th. On the brakes the weight transfer was really fast. As I was on the brakes and turning in the rear was skating and not planted on the way into the corner. I was waiting too long for it to load up again before I could get on the power. The problem with the 800s is they don't have a great deal of torque so you have got to keep the corner speed up. If you are struggling to get into the corner and carry that corner speed you can't square anything off so I was finding it difficult on the entry and exit. Because of that I was slow mid-corner and on the exit, but losing that time costs you a second a lap and that is massive against these guys. That is the disadvantage of not knowing the track though. My guys worked really hard to help me learn the track and I'll try and pay them back with a good result in France next time out. This is a French team and I'll be desperate to do well for them." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Manager "It was an incredible feeling yesterday to get our first pole position since 2002 and thanks to Colin and Michelin for that. Colin did a great job but we knew it was going to be a difficult race. Colin had a really good start and he led the first lap, and even when Valentino and Dani pulled away we were confident we could get a podium finish. Casey wasn't catching Colin and at one stage Colin was pulling away. But then he went straight on at the hairpin and he lost a bit of time. It is a great shame because although we were not going for the win, I think a podium was a possibility. We missed it this time but I'm sure there will be other opportunities. We still got some good points from both riders and I am not too disappointed. James had a tough weekend but as always he applied himself 100 per cent and he never stopped trying to improve. He will have learned a lot again and he was aggressive as usual in the first few laps. Overall it was a good weekend. We got a pole position, James and Colin are sixth and seventh in the championship so now we have to keep working and getting more confident. Colin was the first non-factory rider today so there are a lot of positives to be taken from the weekend." Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 44'8.061 2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'3.890 3, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0'15.928 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'22.494 5, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 0'26.957 6, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'28.369 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'29.780 8, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 0'30.225 9, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'31.440 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'35.969 11, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'36.246 12, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'43.191 13, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'43.442 14, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'45.855 15, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'46.330 16, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'50.593 17, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'5.593 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 1'59.273 Rider Standings 04/05/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 81 2, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 74 3, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 72 4, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 56 5, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 33 6, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 33 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 31 8, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 29 9, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 26 10, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 26 11, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 23 12, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 22 13, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 15 14, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 14 15, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 11 Team Standings 04/05/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 146 2, Repsol Honda Team, 110 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 79 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 64 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 47 6, Honda Gresini, 29 7, Kawasaki Racing Team, 29 8, JIR Scot Team, 26 9, Team Alice, 19 10, Honda LCR, 11 Manufacturer Standings 04/05/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 90 2, Honda, 81 3, Ducati, 56 4, Suzuki, 34 5, Kawasaki, 26
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Reed takes 10 points to season finale, Lawrence Lites champion

A title-worthy performance from Yamaha's San Manuel rider Chad Reed, after pulling back from a first corner crash to finish second, at Qwest Field in Seattle for the penultimate round of the 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) means that the Australian carries a ten point advantage to Las Vegas in search of his second crown next week. Yamaha of Troy's Jason Lawrence claimed the West Region Lites series with his YZ250F. Reed embarked on one of his finest rides this season - a term that has seen him net eight victories and twelve podiums - rallying from last position to exchanges some brusque moves with Andrew Short on the final lap and obtained the runner-up slot for the second week in succession. The 25 year old was still not at optimum fitness with his YZ450F after suffering a broken shoulder during practice in Detroit. "I don't know what's going on with my crashing, but I ran into the back of Millsaps and went down, and I just tried to come through and be smart. This result feels good; I'd rather take a 10-point lead into the final than be 10 points down," said the former champion who has set records this season and had led the title chase since the first round in Los Angeles. "I knew the start was going to be really important tonight, and I didn't think it was going to be possible to come through and get back up on top. There's another race, and another opportunity, and we minimized the points-loss as much as possible," he continued. "This title is going to be a lot of fun in Vegas, and I want to thank Shorty - that was a nice little move at end there, and it ripped the bars right out of my hands. We fought back and got him in the last corner, so that felt pretty good." "It's going to be fun in Vegas," he added. "The opposition has taken this title to a whole new level, and I can't wait." Reed holds ten points over Seattle victor Kevin Windham. Even if his rival wins in Nevada then he needs only to finish sixth to wrap up the championship. Yamaha had cause to celebrate when Jason Lawrence placed a blue machine on the second step of the podium the same evening and in doing so picked up his first West Coast Lies crown. The teenager managed the feat with six podium results, including three wins from a total of eight events. He was joined on the podium by Broc Hepler in third place. "I'm happy about that. That was our goal," the champ said of his success. "I would've never thought that I would win the supercross title before I would win the outdoor title, but maybe I'll get them both in one year!" The seventeenth and final round (including the East-West Lites Shootout) will take place at the Sam Boyd stadium this weekend. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 17'45.680 2, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 0'2.374 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'3.792 4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'7.761 5, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'8.982 6, Josh Grant, Honda, USA, 0'19.748 7, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'33.303 8, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 0'34.478 9, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0'36.645 10, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 0'40.270 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 0'53.909 12, Ryan Clark, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 13, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 14, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Manuel Gomes Rivas, Kawasaki, ESP, -1 Laps 16, Chris Gosselaar, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 17, Tyler Bright, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps 19, Dusty Klatt, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps 20, Bryan K Johnson, Honda, USA, -3 Laps Rider Standings 26/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 340 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 330 3, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 262 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 261 5, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 210 6, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 205 7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 173 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 158 9, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 144 10, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 135 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 130 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 120 13, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 96 14, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, 92 15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 83 26, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 41, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 26/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 361 2, Honda, 352 3, Kawasaki, 283 4, Suzuki, 207 5, KTM, 148
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts new series leader after double podium in Portugal

A sun-blessed and roasting Grand Prix of Portugal at the stunning Agueda circuit was the perfect remedy for the FIM Motocross World Championship after the sea of rain and mud that washed out the Spanish visit last weekend. The splendid stage for round three of fifteen, south of the city of Porto, witnessed the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team score a double podium result with David Philippaerts finishing second and Josh Coppins third on the works YZ450FMs. Philippaerts won a moto and was second in the other race, while Coppins seized his first silverware of the season after a thrilling move past champion Steve Ramon for third spot on the final corner of the last lap. On the podium Philippaerts picked up the red-plate to signify his new status as MX1-GP championship leader for the first time. He is also the first Italian to sit at the top of the points table since the inception of the MX1-GP class in 2004. The dry circuit provided a technical test for the riders with the combinations of jumps and alternate line options meaning that the 'perfect' lap was tough to find and mistakes were heavily punished by the high pace. Philippaerts suffered a fast crash on Saturday that left the Italian with a sore back and lack of sensation in his arms during the qualification practice. He was still a bit stiff Sunday morning but put aside any discomfort to remain one of the protagonists in the first moto. After hunting down Billy Mackenzie and taking the lead on the seventh lap of twenty-one the 24 year old kept a good rhythm to retain control of the race until the chequered flag. It was his first moto success for the team and his first set of '25' points since the Grand Prix of Belgium last August. In Moto2 the Italian did not have the best first lap and had to work hard from fifth position to take advantage of another error by Mackenzie and also a crash by Jonathan Barragan to rise to second place. Although he tied on points with overall winner Sebastien Pourcel, the second moto ranking determined the final standing. It was the second consecutive runner-up position for Philippaerts. Josh Coppins tried a new rear suspension set-up on Saturday as well as some experimentation with different Pirelli tyres. The New Zealander was unable to match the pace of his peers at the start of both motos (even though he exited the gate in the top five both times) but was easily one of the strongest riders at the end of the races. In the first he pushed Mackenzie hard to take fifth but it was his determination and dogged pursuit of the lagging Ramon in the final two laps of the second sprint that really gave an indication of the Kiwi's 'steel'. Closing down some four seconds to the back of the Belgian, Coppins took the fight for third right to the last corner where he cut tighter and snatched the position - and the last podium spot - by four tenths of a second. The result was a message but the manner in which he delivered it was equally devastating, that Coppins - who missed five weeks of riding through two broken twos on his right foot prior to the start of the campaign - is hungry for the title. The championship standings now make good reading for the team. Philippaerts holds a 6 point gap over Ramon while Coppins is third and just 19 behind. Yamaha are second in the manufacturer's standings by 6 points. The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team now travel back to their Italian base near Parma for several days and a free weekend before packing up and heading east across to Europe to the impressive Sevlievo circuit and the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. The meeting will precede the squad's home round at Mantova seven days later. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 2nd "I am really happy to have the red plate because this is the first time for me. The first moto was unbelievable. My start was pretty average but I passed Mackenzie and Barragan and found some effective lines. When Sebastien came near in the last moments I looked to pull another second on him and controlled it until the end. I started well in the second moto but on the second corner my line meant that I had to be careful and lost some time, which let Sebastien and Mackenzie escape. It was a long race so I did not want to go crazy at the beginning and also the track was not easy. I knew the others would slow their pace by the end so I wanted to be strong the whole distance. My aim now is to try and stay in the top five each GP and this will be good for the championship." Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 3rd "It was an exciting end to the Grand Prix and one that even I did not expect. I could see that Steve was fading and, of course, after last year I always like to pass Steve, so I put in that extra effort. He went wide in the last corner and I could not believe that. My eyes lit-up and I made the pass. We tried a new rear shock during Saturday which was a bit softer and suited me better. We also tested some tyres with a different compound moose and also sliced some of the nobs on the rubber. I think we had a pretty good set-up so I was happy with the bike. The extra options the team provided made things even better, which I was surprised about. It was finally nice to have a real race; a race where the best rider wins instead of the terrain being good for some or just being a lottery. Today it was Pourcel but it was a GP where the degree of racing fitness and skill comes into it and that was really positive. It has been a tough season for me so far with a few 'downs'. I don't quite have the speed at the moment, especially at the start of the race; all I have is the consistency in the laps I make. I have to be patient, which is hard because I am not a patient person! With sixth, fourth and third things have gone well but you always want better. Everyone around me has been really supportive and I am sure I will get up to a higher level very soon. I was one of the strongest out there at the end, and this makes me proud." Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: "I really great Grand Prix for us; to have both riders on the podium is really good. They continue to work hard and perform well. David's win was deserved I am very happy for Josh also. These are some difficult moments for him but he is trying so hard. David and Josh are both happy with the bikes and Josh more so after we made a small change with the shock. We will work now and look ahead to Bulgaria, and Mantova the week after." Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 38'56.063 2, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'4.287 3, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'12.368 4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'16.139 5, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'17.169 6, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'34.548 7, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'40.307 8, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'41.921 9, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0'44.229 10, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'46.637 11, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 1'3.842 12, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 1'6.481 13, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'9.133 14, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 1'11.582 15, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1'12.339 16, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 1'13.578 17, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'16.105 18, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1'18.885 19, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1'26.162 20, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1'28.134 Race 2 - 21 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 39'42.975 2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'8.473 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'11.360 4, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'11.774 5, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0'16.237 6, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'22.697 7, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'29.193 8, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'35.176 9, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 0'39.940 10, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'48.334 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'50.370 12, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'52.219 13, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1'2.410 14, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1'14.846 15, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1'22.129 16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'31.529 17, Paulo Goncalves, Honda, POR, 1'38.142 18, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 1'44.695 19, Marvin Van Daele, Suzuki, BEL, 1'48.894 20, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'51.571 Rider Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 102 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 96 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 83 4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 79 5, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 77 6, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 58 7, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 54 8, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 52 9, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 50 10, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 48 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 43 12, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 42 13, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 40 14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 40 15, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 36 16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 27 17, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 20 18, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 20 19, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 20 20, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 19 28, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 8 Manufacturer Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Suzuki, 108 2, Yamaha, 102 3, Kawasaki, 92 4, KTM, 85 5, Honda, 82 6, TM, 13 ---------- RACE REPORT - 27/04/2008 Sensational Cairoli sweeps Portuguese GP MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli stormed the Grand Prix of Portugal at a sun-soaked Agueda circuit in front of 18,000 spectators to win both motos and claim his first victory of the season and also take the lead in the 2008 standings after three rounds of fifteen. Despite still suffering from the last affects of a throat infection - he only stopped taking antibiotics on Friday - Cairoli was back to his stylish and ruthless best; the sort of form and spectacular flamboyance that won 13 from 14 Grand Prix in 2007. The Sicilian of the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team defeated main title rivals Tyla Rattray and Tommy Searle with two dominant displays on his YZ250F. Across the dry, stony and technical terrain the reigning number one shone as brightly as the blue sky overhead. A fantastic duel with Searle in the first laps of Moto1 was decided when Cairoli attempted and succeeded with an audacious overtaking move that saw him gain the lead and brake away from the Briton. The second moto was over from the second corner, when number '222' was in no mood for further games. Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin, who celebrated his 20th birthday yesterday with a pit-board salutation from his team in the first session Saturday morning and also received a pie in the face from his French peers in the evening, was 5th overall with results of 8th and 4th. The Frenchman suffered from a crash in the first moto that caused him to lose positions but was more consistent in the second after sprinting away from Stephen Sword. Team-mate and Grand Prix of Spain victor Davide Guarneri admitted that the heat of the scorching Saturday timetable left him fighting for breath during the qualification race in which he captured third. The Italian rode to a decent 5th after vying for fourth during one stage of the moto but had to pull up to avoid his fallen team-mate which kept him outside the top four. In the second race a poor start meant a lot of work but he came through the pack before being hit to the ground by local hope Rui Goncalves. From that point 12th was all he could salvage to take 7th. Cairoli's triumph means that he now holds an advantage of 5 points from Rattray. Guarneri is fourth and Aubin in seventh. Alessandro Lupino qualified for his second Grand Prix of the season and just the third of his career. The teenager scored two points with 19th position in Moto1. Some good news for the De Carli crew is that Matteo Bonini has recovered from his dislocated shoulder and subsequent operation and will begin to ride this week. The Italian could be in action as early as the Grand Prix of Bulgaria in a fortnight but will almost certainly bring the team back to full strength for their home round at Mantova on May 18th. The fourth round of the FIM World Championship will take place at the Sevlievo circuit in two weeks time. The Grand Prix will also witness the start of the inaugural Women's World Championship. Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli: 1st "I am starting to get a much better feeling with my bike because in the winter we tested and practiced a lot with the 450. It was nice to have a 'normal' race because with the sand and then the mud last week I did not get a chance to have a look at my condition. I am really happy with the race today though. We had some fun in that first moto and Tommy had some good lines. His style is similar to mine; we both play a lot with the bikes on the jumps. We fought for three or four laps but then I had some more speed through one section and decided to make the break once the move worked. I only stopped taking antibiotics for my throat infection on Friday, so physically it was a hard day and now I can look after my body with the free weekend we have. Taking the lead in the championship is important but there is a long journey ahead still." Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing: 5th "The result is not so good and I could not take two top four positions, which I was capable of. I need better starts in the next GP. I'm pleased with my speed and physical condition I just need to get nearer the front right at the beginning. The level in MX2-GP this year is very close so getting those good starts is more important than ever." Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing: 7th "It was so hot and hard today. In the first moto I made a good start, around the top seven. When I was in sixth I tried to pass Sword but in one corner I found Aubin had crashed and was right there in the middle of the line and I lost some time there, fifth was OK though. In the next moto I was quite far back at the start and after two laps I pushed hard and passed many riders. I was in the top seven and tried Goncalves for sixth but in one corner he went straight on and took me out. I was a bit tired when I restarted and took twelfth." Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 40'22.503 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'6.909 3, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'10.391 4, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'43.783 5, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 0'46.371 6, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'47.906 7, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'55.172 8, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'55.725 9, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'9.019 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'18.458 11, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1'19.138 12, Wyatt Avis, Honda, RSA, 1'33.412 13, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 1'37.467 14, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'39.138 15, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1'40.158 16, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 1'41.942 17, Elliott Banks-Browne, Suzuki, GBR, 1'52.164 18, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'57.571 19, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 20, Shannon Terreblanche, Suzuki, RSA, -1 Laps Race 2 - 22 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 39'45.757 2, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'12.867 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'17.992 4, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'33.529 5, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'44.135 6, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'50.537 7, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 0'56.905 8, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 1'0.459 9, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'3.120 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'7.252 11, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'12.610 12, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 1'21.877 13, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'25.215 14, Shannon Terreblanche, Suzuki, RSA, 1'28.935 15, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'38.980 16, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 1'49.453 17, Julien Vanni, KTM, FRA, 1'58.650 18, Elliott Banks-Browne, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps 19, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, -1 Laps 20, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, -1 Laps Rider Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 126 2, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 121 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 102 4, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 86 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 81 6, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 80 7, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 78 8, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 60 9, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 60 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 57 11, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 55 12, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 49 13, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 48 14, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 38 15, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 34 16, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 27 17, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 23 18, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 23 19, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 23 20, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 22 21, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 20 27, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 8 Manufacturer Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 141 2, KTM, 137 3, Kawasaki, 86 4, Suzuki, 81 5, Honda, 28
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts new series leader after double podium in Portugal

A sun-blessed and roasting Grand Prix of Portugal at the stunning Agueda circuit was the perfect remedy for the FIM Motocross World Championship after the sea of rain and mud that washed out the Spanish visit last weekend. The splendid stage for round three of fifteen, south of the city of Porto, witnessed the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team score a double podium result with David Philippaerts finishing second and Josh Coppins third on the works YZ450FMs. Philippaerts won a moto and was second in the other race, while Coppins seized his first silverware of the season after a thrilling move past champion Steve Ramon for third spot on the final corner of the last lap. On the podium Philippaerts picked up the red-plate to signify his new status as MX1-GP championship leader for the first time. He is also the first Italian to sit at the top of the points table since the inception of the MX1-GP class in 2004. The dry circuit provided a technical test for the riders with the combinations of jumps and alternate line options meaning that the 'perfect' lap was tough to find and mistakes were heavily punished by the high pace. Philippaerts suffered a fast crash on Saturday that left the Italian with a sore back and lack of sensation in his arms during the qualification practice. He was still a bit stiff Sunday morning but put aside any discomfort to remain one of the protagonists in the first moto. After hunting down Billy Mackenzie and taking the lead on the seventh lap of twenty-one the 24 year old kept a good rhythm to retain control of the race until the chequered flag. It was his first moto success for the team and his first set of '25' points since the Grand Prix of Belgium last August. In Moto2 the Italian did not have the best first lap and had to work hard from fifth position to take advantage of another error by Mackenzie and also a crash by Jonathan Barragan to rise to second place. Although he tied on points with overall winner Sebastien Pourcel, the second moto ranking determined the final standing. It was the second consecutive runner-up position for Philippaerts. Josh Coppins tried a new rear suspension set-up on Saturday as well as some experimentation with different Pirelli tyres. The New Zealander was unable to match the pace of his peers at the start of both motos (even though he exited the gate in the top five both times) but was easily one of the strongest riders at the end of the races. In the first he pushed Mackenzie hard to take fifth but it was his determination and dogged pursuit of the lagging Ramon in the final two laps of the second sprint that really gave an indication of the Kiwi's 'steel'. Closing down some four seconds to the back of the Belgian, Coppins took the fight for third right to the last corner where he cut tighter and snatched the position - and the last podium spot - by four tenths of a second. The result was a message but the manner in which he delivered it was equally devastating, that Coppins - who missed five weeks of riding through two broken twos on his right foot prior to the start of the campaign - is hungry for the title. The championship standings now make good reading for the team. Philippaerts holds a 6 point gap over Ramon while Coppins is third and just 19 behind. Yamaha are second in the manufacturer's standings by 6 points. The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team now travel back to their Italian base near Parma for several days and a free weekend before packing up and heading east across to Europe to the impressive Sevlievo circuit and the Grand Prix of Bulgaria. The meeting will precede the squad's home round at Mantova seven days later. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 2nd "I am really happy to have the red plate because this is the first time for me. The first moto was unbelievable. My start was pretty average but I passed Mackenzie and Barragan and found some effective lines. When Sebastien came near in the last moments I looked to pull another second on him and controlled it until the end. I started well in the second moto but on the second corner my line meant that I had to be careful and lost some time, which let Sebastien and Mackenzie escape. It was a long race so I did not want to go crazy at the beginning and also the track was not easy. I knew the others would slow their pace by the end so I wanted to be strong the whole distance. My aim now is to try and stay in the top five each GP and this will be good for the championship." Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 3rd "It was an exciting end to the Grand Prix and one that even I did not expect. I could see that Steve was fading and, of course, after last year I always like to pass Steve, so I put in that extra effort. He went wide in the last corner and I could not believe that. My eyes lit-up and I made the pass. We tried a new rear shock during Saturday which was a bit softer and suited me better. We also tested some tyres with a different compound moose and also sliced some of the nobs on the rubber. I think we had a pretty good set-up so I was happy with the bike. The extra options the team provided made things even better, which I was surprised about. It was finally nice to have a real race; a race where the best rider wins instead of the terrain being good for some or just being a lottery. Today it was Pourcel but it was a GP where the degree of racing fitness and skill comes into it and that was really positive. It has been a tough season for me so far with a few 'downs'. I don't quite have the speed at the moment, especially at the start of the race; all I have is the consistency in the laps I make. I have to be patient, which is hard because I am not a patient person! With sixth, fourth and third things have gone well but you always want better. Everyone around me has been really supportive and I am sure I will get up to a higher level very soon. I was one of the strongest out there at the end, and this makes me proud." Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: "I really great Grand Prix for us; to have both riders on the podium is really good. They continue to work hard and perform well. David's win was deserved I am very happy for Josh also. These are some difficult moments for him but he is trying so hard. David and Josh are both happy with the bikes and Josh more so after we made a small change with the shock. We will work now and look ahead to Bulgaria, and Mantova the week after." Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 38'56.063 2, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'4.287 3, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'12.368 4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'16.139 5, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'17.169 6, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'34.548 7, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'40.307 8, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'41.921 9, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0'44.229 10, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'46.637 11, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 1'3.842 12, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 1'6.481 13, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'9.133 14, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 1'11.582 15, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1'12.339 16, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 1'13.578 17, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'16.105 18, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1'18.885 19, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 1'26.162 20, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1'28.134 Race 2 - 21 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 39'42.975 2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'8.473 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'11.360 4, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'11.774 5, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 0'16.237 6, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'22.697 7, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'29.193 8, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 0'35.176 9, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 0'39.940 10, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'48.334 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'50.370 12, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'52.219 13, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 1'2.410 14, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1'14.846 15, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, 1'22.129 16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'31.529 17, Paulo Goncalves, Honda, POR, 1'38.142 18, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 1'44.695 19, Marvin Van Daele, Suzuki, BEL, 1'48.894 20, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'51.571 Rider Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 102 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 96 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 83 4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 79 5, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 77 6, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 58 7, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 54 8, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 52 9, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 50 10, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 48 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 43 12, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 42 13, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 40 14, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 40 15, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 36 16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 27 17, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 20 18, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 20 19, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 20 20, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, 19 28, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 8 Manufacturer Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Suzuki, 108 2, Yamaha, 102 3, Kawasaki, 92 4, KTM, 85 5, Honda, 82 6, TM, 13 ---------- RACE REPORT - 27/04/2008 Sensational Cairoli sweeps Portuguese GP MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli stormed the Grand Prix of Portugal at a sun-soaked Agueda circuit in front of 18,000 spectators to win both motos and claim his first victory of the season and also take the lead in the 2008 standings after three rounds of fifteen. Despite still suffering from the last affects of a throat infection - he only stopped taking antibiotics on Friday - Cairoli was back to his stylish and ruthless best; the sort of form and spectacular flamboyance that won 13 from 14 Grand Prix in 2007. The Sicilian of the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team defeated main title rivals Tyla Rattray and Tommy Searle with two dominant displays on his YZ250F. Across the dry, stony and technical terrain the reigning number one shone as brightly as the blue sky overhead. A fantastic duel with Searle in the first laps of Moto1 was decided when Cairoli attempted and succeeded with an audacious overtaking move that saw him gain the lead and brake away from the Briton. The second moto was over from the second corner, when number '222' was in no mood for further games. Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin, who celebrated his 20th birthday yesterday with a pit-board salutation from his team in the first session Saturday morning and also received a pie in the face from his French peers in the evening, was 5th overall with results of 8th and 4th. The Frenchman suffered from a crash in the first moto that caused him to lose positions but was more consistent in the second after sprinting away from Stephen Sword. Team-mate and Grand Prix of Spain victor Davide Guarneri admitted that the heat of the scorching Saturday timetable left him fighting for breath during the qualification race in which he captured third. The Italian rode to a decent 5th after vying for fourth during one stage of the moto but had to pull up to avoid his fallen team-mate which kept him outside the top four. In the second race a poor start meant a lot of work but he came through the pack before being hit to the ground by local hope Rui Goncalves. From that point 12th was all he could salvage to take 7th. Cairoli's triumph means that he now holds an advantage of 5 points from Rattray. Guarneri is fourth and Aubin in seventh. Alessandro Lupino qualified for his second Grand Prix of the season and just the third of his career. The teenager scored two points with 19th position in Moto1. Some good news for the De Carli crew is that Matteo Bonini has recovered from his dislocated shoulder and subsequent operation and will begin to ride this week. The Italian could be in action as early as the Grand Prix of Bulgaria in a fortnight but will almost certainly bring the team back to full strength for their home round at Mantova on May 18th. The fourth round of the FIM World Championship will take place at the Sevlievo circuit in two weeks time. The Grand Prix will also witness the start of the inaugural Women's World Championship. Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli: 1st "I am starting to get a much better feeling with my bike because in the winter we tested and practiced a lot with the 450. It was nice to have a 'normal' race because with the sand and then the mud last week I did not get a chance to have a look at my condition. I am really happy with the race today though. We had some fun in that first moto and Tommy had some good lines. His style is similar to mine; we both play a lot with the bikes on the jumps. We fought for three or four laps but then I had some more speed through one section and decided to make the break once the move worked. I only stopped taking antibiotics for my throat infection on Friday, so physically it was a hard day and now I can look after my body with the free weekend we have. Taking the lead in the championship is important but there is a long journey ahead still." Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing: 5th "The result is not so good and I could not take two top four positions, which I was capable of. I need better starts in the next GP. I'm pleased with my speed and physical condition I just need to get nearer the front right at the beginning. The level in MX2-GP this year is very close so getting those good starts is more important than ever." Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing: 7th "It was so hot and hard today. In the first moto I made a good start, around the top seven. When I was in sixth I tried to pass Sword but in one corner I found Aubin had crashed and was right there in the middle of the line and I lost some time there, fifth was OK though. In the next moto I was quite far back at the start and after two laps I pushed hard and passed many riders. I was in the top seven and tried Goncalves for sixth but in one corner he went straight on and took me out. I was a bit tired when I restarted and took twelfth." Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 40'22.503 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'6.909 3, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'10.391 4, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'43.783 5, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 0'46.371 6, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'47.906 7, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'55.172 8, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'55.725 9, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'9.019 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'18.458 11, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1'19.138 12, Wyatt Avis, Honda, RSA, 1'33.412 13, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 1'37.467 14, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'39.138 15, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 1'40.158 16, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 1'41.942 17, Elliott Banks-Browne, Suzuki, GBR, 1'52.164 18, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'57.571 19, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 20, Shannon Terreblanche, Suzuki, RSA, -1 Laps Race 2 - 22 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 39'45.757 2, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'12.867 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'17.992 4, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'33.529 5, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'44.135 6, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'50.537 7, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 0'56.905 8, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 1'0.459 9, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'3.120 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'7.252 11, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'12.610 12, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 1'21.877 13, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'25.215 14, Shannon Terreblanche, Suzuki, RSA, 1'28.935 15, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'38.980 16, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 1'49.453 17, Julien Vanni, KTM, FRA, 1'58.650 18, Elliott Banks-Browne, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps 19, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, -1 Laps 20, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, -1 Laps Rider Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 126 2, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 121 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 102 4, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 86 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 81 6, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 80 7, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 78 8, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 60 9, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 60 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 57 11, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 55 12, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 49 13, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 48 14, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 38 15, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 34 16, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 27 17, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 23 18, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 23 19, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 23 20, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 22 21, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 20 27, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 8 Manufacturer Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 141 2, KTM, 137 3, Kawasaki, 86 4, Suzuki, 81 5, Honda, 28
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Haga Takes Second At Assen

Noriyuki Haga secured a second place for his Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team after another unsettled race day for the Japanese star, with a crash in race one preventing him from a potential double points score at one his favourite tracks. In the first race Haga fell on lap two, after colliding with Ruben Xaus at the slow De Strubben left hand corner, while Corser went on to fight in the leading group for most of the race, only dropping back to fifth in the later stages and finishing 11 seconds from the win after 22 laps. The second race of the day was run in warmer conditions than the first, with a track temperature of 31 degrees, and it offered Haga a real chance to make up for his first race disappointments. He ran eventual race winner Troy Bayliss close, taking second place by a margin of 0.082 seconds. Corser experienced a drop in front tyre performance and slipped back from a possible podium finish to tenth. Bayliss won both races to extend his championship lead. Corser remains third in the championship standings, thanks to his Assen scores, on a total of 89 points. Haga holds on to sixth position, with 67 points, as thoughts now turn to the team's home race in Monza. Team YZF Yamaha rider Shinichi Nakatomi was 15th in each Assen race, scoring points both times as he battled hard in the midfield, finding a better race two set-up than he had in the opener. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) dislocated his hip after a heavy fall in race one. It is very likely he will need to sit out Monza race weekend and perhaps even the American round. His team-mate Sebastien Gimbert was close to two points scores, but missed out by placing 17th in each event. Noriyuki Haga (DNF and 2nd - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) "When I overtook Ruben I touched with him and then we fell. In race two I pushed hard all through the race and when I was following Bayliss he tried to get away near the end. But I could stay with him and even caught back up with him. I was following, waiting to see where I could pass but in the last few laps he rode the corners on a tight line and had good acceleration. I am disappointed with the first race and satisfied with the second, but not satisfied enough." Troy Corser (5th and 10th - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) "Towards the end of race one the rear tyre, maybe after two-thirds distance, lost grip on the right hand side. On the long rights, onto the back straight, it was spinning but not pushing. In race two I struggled with the front tyre a bit and used it up. I had no front left at the end. It was a bit rough with a couple of riders at one point, but that's normal, just racing." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "After yesterday we were expecting really good results, but we did not have good fortune on raceday. Nori did a fantastic second race and he showed his true desire and ability to go for the win - and he was only 0.082 seconds away. Troy worked hard to find good settings all weekend, and he had issues with grip on race two. Now we go home and race at Monza next time. We would like to do what we did last year, take a double win…" Shinichi Nakatomi (15th and 15th - Team YZF Yamaha) "I had a front tyre problem after ten laps and it became impossible to push. For race two we fitted a different front tyre, and it was better, but some riders were difficult to overtake. Overall, not so good, but we took points in both races. Next event we will change the settings and go for a better position." Christophe Guyot (Team Manager Yamaha GMT94 Team) " A difficult weekend for us on balance after some high points. Davide Checa has dislocated his hip after his crash and we will have to see how he is before the next race at Monza. Sebastien rode as hard as he could but he just missed out on points." Round 4: Assen, Netherlands Track length: 4555m Opened: 1955 Fastest Superbike Lap: 1:38.355 (Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 2008) Lap record: 1'39.395 (Max Neukirchner, Suzuki) Last year's winners: Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and James Toseland (Honda) Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 36'50.907 2, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'2.132 3, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'2.179 4, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'10.919 5, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'11.051 6, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'11.979 7, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'15.184 8, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'18.395 9, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'18.634 10, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'20.699 11, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'25.759 12, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'26.064 13, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'35.582 14, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'36.266 15, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'37.215 16, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'37.286 17, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'39.037 18, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'45.162 19, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'4.895 20, Arie Vos, Ducati, NED, 1'5.022 21, Loic Napoleone, Yamaha, FRA, 1'22.777 22, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, -2 Laps Race 2 - 22 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 36'46.238 2, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'0.082 3, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'6.336 4, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'7.575 5, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'8.011 6, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'13.999 7, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'15.215 8, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'16.376 9, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'17.269 10, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'18.380 11, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'18.926 12, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'21.452 13, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'23.794 14, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'29.847 15, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'30.252 16, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'31.249 17, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'31.328 18, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'39.814 19, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'49.956 20, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'51.554 21, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 0'51.642 22, Loic Napoleone, Yamaha, FRA, 1'2.682 23, Arie Vos, Ducati, NED, 1'2.729 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 1'39.395 Rider Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 178 2, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 108 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 89 4, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 85 5, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 81 6, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 67 7, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 66 8, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 54 9, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 48 10, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 42 11, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 41 12, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 39 13, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 37 14, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 35 15, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 28 21, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 9 22, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 5 23, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 190 2, Yamaha, 126 3, Suzuki, 113 4, Honda, 109 5, Kawasaki, 37 ---------- RACE REPORT - 27/04/2008 Foret and Parkes Almost There At Assen Fabien Foret and Broc Parkes, both from the Yamaha World Supersport Team, were tantalisingly close to a podium finish apiece at Assen, after a classic high-speed multi-rider battle for the win, which finally went to Andrew Pitt. Foret was only 0.201 seconds from victory itself, in fourth place after 21-laps. He had fought through from a bad start, completing the first lap down in 13th place. Parkes finished only 0.283 seconds from the win and his fifth place means that both riders scored good points in the championship chase, after starting from the front row of the race. Parkes had to ride with a fractured left hand, after a Friday practice crash, and battled manfully in the first few places for almost the entire race, even after losing power from his left hand as the race progressed. In the championship Parkes is third on 49 points, Foret is fourth on 46 points, with leader Joan Lascorz on 70, after taking third place today. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) fell from his machine on lap two, while sitting inside the top ten places. Yamaha Spain riders Angel Rodriguez and David Salom left Assen without any points, as Rodriguez crashed on lap 9, while ranked 11th, and Salom just missed a point by finishing 16th. Fabien Foret (4th - +0'0.201 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I had another bad start and my fault, I don't know why. I had to push very hard and that made the tyres wear more. I don't think I found the perfect machine settings, and I am not sure if I made the right choice of front tyre. It may have been better with the other one I considered today, but it is always easy to speak about what could have been after the race. The fourth place is not so bad, and the championship is long. It will be better in the next tracks. No big drama today but I expected something better." Broc Parkes (5th - +0'0.203 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "It was chaos out there today and everyone just wanted to go at each other. At one stage, lap ten maybe, I felt not too bad then after that my hand just started to get more and painful and once the tyres started to go I couldn't move around like I wanted to, I just had to sit on and ride it. Even with a painkiller you just can't use your hand properly when it's injured. The worst parts were during braking. I just couldn't do what I wanted to. A good race, but we always want to be on the podium. I actually thought there were a couple of more laps to go because everyone had their pit boards out at the same time, so I could hardly see my own one!" Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "Some race for sure, and a there was a big line up of riders fighting for the win. We are little bit disappointed not to be on the podium, but our main rivals were fast all the time in the whole race so we have to accept that we were fourth and fifth. Fabien still struggled a bit settings wise, and Broc with a broken hand, so what can we say about finishing so close to the podium places? A lot of good riders finished behind us. David Salom: (16th- +0'27.619 - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "In the start I´ve been beaten by two riders. It was like starting all over again from the 19th position. I didn´t feel comfortable during the race, I couldn´t find my rhythm. It´s a pity because this is my third race just out of the points" Massimo Roccoli (DNF - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I was happy with the way the bike was set-up after the warm-up this morning. I was running well after the first lap and feeling calm and ready for a long race. Then I lost the front on one of the fast right-handers and that was me finished, because the bike went ever and over in the gravel." Angel Rodriguez: (DNF - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "My start was not so bad, I was fightingwith the riders ahead but in the final line I´ve braked too strong and I crashed. It´s a shame because I had a good rhythm and my bike, my tyres and team had worked very strong to achieved a better result" Round 4: Assen, Netherlands Track length: 4555m Opened: 1955 Fastest Supersport lap: 1:40.130 (Gianluca Viziello, Honda) Lap record: 1:42.096 (Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda) Last year's winner: Kenan Sofuoglu, (Honda) Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 36'10.751 2, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 0'0.014 3, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'0.150 4, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 0'0.201 5, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 0'0.283 6, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'0.447 7, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 0'2.050 8, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'2.346 9, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 0'2.714 10, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'3.073 11, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 0'4.070 12, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'4.863 13, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 0'5.088 14, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'16.644 15, Ilario Dionisi, Triumph, ITA, 0'21.630 16, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'27.619 17, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 0'27.773 18, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 0'27.898 19, Graeme Gowland, Honda, GBR, 0'39.320 20, Mirko Giansanti, Honda, ITA, 0'39.321 21, Kev Coghlan, Honda, GBR, 0'41.111 22, Danilo Dell'omo, Honda, ITA, 0'46.341 23, Lorenzo Alfonsi, Honda, ITA, 0'48.878 24, Ron van Steenbergen, Honda, NED, 0'56.714 25, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 0'57.194 26, Jurjen Uitterdijk, Yamaha, NED, 1'7.115 27, William De Angelis, Honda, ITA, 1'8.851 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 1'42.130 Rider Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 70 2, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 50 3, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 49 4, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 46 5, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 43 6, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 41 7, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 39 8, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 28 9, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 26 10, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 20 11, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 20 12, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 19 13, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 17 14, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 16 15, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 15 19, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 8 Manufacturer Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 95 2, Yamaha, 71 3, Triumph, 25 4, Kawasaki, 20 5, Suzuki, 19 ---------- RACE REPORT - 27/04/2008 Pirro scores first podium of the season Michele Pirro was second in today's race with an impressive ride on a Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni YZF-R1. It was his first podium for 2008 after strong performances and two podium finishes in the previous season. The young Italian was the top finishing Yamaha rider after Sylvain Barrier (YZF Yamaha Junior Team) crashed at post 15. Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team rider Claudio Corti looked set for this first race win of the season but finished the weekend on a low after crashing out on lap ten of the Assen circuit. Michelle Pirro (2nd - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I have to learn to start better and to take advantage of having a clear track in front of me because I can lap very fast and make it difficult for the guys to keep up. There is much risk in the field with lots of contact between riders. I'm very happy because I didn't make any mistakes and I've taken a very important podium for the championship." Claudio Corti (DNF - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "I'm sorry for the team as the bike was working perfect. It was the worst moment for the crash. I'm sorry I made the mistake but we will be in front at Monza on track." Race 1 - 13 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 22'24.450 2, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 0'0.904 3, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'2.848 4, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 0'4.811 5, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 0'5.481 6, Raymond Schouten, Yamaha, NED, 0'9.544 7, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 0'16.932 8, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 0'17.289 9, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'17.672 10, Marko Rohtlaan, Honda, EST, 0'19.588 11, Domenico Colucci, Ducati, ITA, 0'19.898 12, Matteo Baiocco, Yamaha, ITA, 0'23.074 13, Danny De Boer, Suzuki, NED, 0'25.288 14, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 0'25.595 15, Yoann Tiberio, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'29.279 16, Rene Mahr, Yamaha, GER, 0'30.097 17, Fabrizio Perotti, Suzuki, ITA, 0'31.915 18, Gregory Junod, Yamaha, CHE, 0'37.255 19, Denis Sacchetti, MV Agusta, ITA, 0'38.303 20, Ronald ter Braake, Honda, NED, 0'40.461 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 1'42.076 Rider Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 34 2, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 32 3, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 30 4, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 28 5, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 26 6, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 25 7, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 11 8, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 11 9, Raymond Schouten, Yamaha, NED, 10 10, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 10 11, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 9 12, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 8 13, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 7 14, Marko Rohtlaan, Honda, EST, 6 15, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 6 22, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 2 Manufacturer Standings 27/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 38 2, Suzuki, 36 3, Honda, 34 4, Yamaha, 31 5, Kawasaki, 2
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Cairoli now turning heads on four wheels

MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli recently took delivery of Yamaha’s extreme 4x4 Rhino vehicle to continue his off-road exploits, although perhaps with less need for a helmet and boots! The 22 year old Sicilian, of the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team, travelled to the headquarters of Yamaha Motor Italy to pick-up his new mode of transportation. “I asked Yamaha last year ‘if I won the world championship, would I be able to have a Rhino?’ and they were very helpful,” he said. “After the season finished I got a nice call saying that the Rhino would be ready for me.” I had tested one in France before and I really liked it. It feels a little similar to an ATV but obviously it is a little easier to drive and is not something for competition.” The Rhino houses a 660cc four-stroke engine and boasts four-wheel drive in order to help it conquer the trickiest and most difficult of terrain. The vehicle has gathered a cult following upon its launch and has popped up at several Motocross Grand Prix in recent years. Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP rider Colin Edwards even has a special customised paint-job with his version. “I’m having a lot of fun with it,” continued Cairoli. “We had a special edition unit. It is a quick little thing and the engine is strong. I asked if it can be made ready for use on the road and now I keep it back home in Sicily. It is fantastic for making the 3km trip from my house to the beach!”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno