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Reed 2nd in St Louis to keep title dream alive

Yamaha's Chad Reed battled through the pain of his fractured shoulder to take a decent second position to main title rival Kevin Windham in front of almost 49,000 fans last weekend at the Edward Jones Dome in St Louis for the fifteenth round of seventeen in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship, also an FIM World Championship. Reed seized the lead on the first lap of the main event, taking place just one week after his heavy practice crash in Detroit, but was powerless to prevent Windham from seizing control. The result was nevertheless the Australian's eleventh podium of the season on the San Manuel YZ450F and means that his points lead was only cut to 13 with two races to go. "I was a long way from 100 percent tonight, going from twelfth last week to second is huge for me," he said. "I was back and forth this week seeing doctors and trying to just get everything taken care of. We made huge gains this week, and there were a lot of people who supported me. Unfortunately, we've been in this position a lot, so you learn over the years.Last weekend was just survival, while this weekend, I felt pretty good in practice. The track just got really gnarly in the main event, and the whoops were really tough, and I couldn't hang with Windham. I had to let go of my pride and look at the bigger picture, and that's tough. I felt, for the rest of the track, I had what it took to win; I just didn't have what it took in the whoops." "I feel like I'm still in control of this thing," he added. "To salvage a second this weekend, it was huge for me, and I think it was huge for my competitors. You can see that a lot of them are really motivated, still we got out there, got a good start, and I did what I had to do." Reed's team-mate Nathan Ramsey took a season-best finish with fourth place. Josh Hill was sixteenth. AMA Motocross Champion Grant Langston has missed the entire Indoor campaign with an eye affliction but hopes to begin riding very soon to prepare for his Outdoor defence. "He's coming over this week to start riding so that we can check him out, but we're still not completely sure he's going to be ready for Glen Helen," said team manager Jimmy Perry. "But that is the plan, for him to be ready to go come Glen Helen. His eye seems to be healing very slowly, so we'll have to wait and see." The penultimate Supercross meeting takes place at the Qwest Field in Seattle next weekend. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 18'7.740 2, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 0'7.765 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'16.083 4, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 0'22.079 5, Thomas Hahn, Kawasaki, USA, 0'26.788 6, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'31.473 7, Justin Brayton, KTM, USA, 0'37.787 8, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 0'42.197 9, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 0'51.429 10, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, 0'66.715 11, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 12, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps 13, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Bryan K Johnson, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 17, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 18, Kevin W. Johnson, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 19, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 20, Kelly Smith, Kawasaki, USA, -20 Laps Rider Standings 19/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 318 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 305 3, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 244 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 241 5, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 196 6, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 189 7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 173 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 146 9, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 135 10, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 131 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 120 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 109 13, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 93 14, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, 85 15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 83 25, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 39, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 19/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 339 2, Honda, 327 3, Kawasaki, 267 4, Suzuki, 195 5, KTM, 135
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts takes first podium in rain-hit Spanish GP

David Philippaerts finished as runner-up and gained his first podium result with the YZ450FM, giving the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team their maiden silverware of the FIM 2008 World Championship, after just one moto in a torrid and swampy Grand Prix of Spain at a soaked Bellpuig. Almost eleven hours of rain from the early hours of Sunday morning through to the close of the afternoon rendered the hillside circuit almost un-passable and the second MX1 moto was cancelled as the heaviest period of water lashed the sea of mud. The track had already been cut after numerous MX2 machines could not make the three steep step-ups only 20 minutes prior but the majority of MX1-GP riders were concerned about the conditions and the second sprint was eventually annulled leaving the results from the first race to decide the overall result. Josh Coppins was fourth through the slime and seat-high ruts in Moto1 and ensured that the team had their two riders within the top four in perhaps the hardest race conditions seen this century. It was all a stark contrast to the blue skies and sunshine of Saturday that saw the track, hard, dusty and fast with the top nine qualifiers split by just two seconds. With the drastic change in weather came a different race approach as the slow speed and care used by the riders turned the race into an exercise of survival and in which the wild alterations in the lap-chart, as people slipped and crashed throughout the 15 laps, was confusing to follow. Lap-times almost doubled. Philippaerts rode particularly well after becoming involved in a first corner crash with several others. The Italian soldiered on to move up the standings. He should have been joined in the top three by Coppins who was holding a steady second place behind leader and eventual winner Steve Ramon. The New Zealander however could not avoid two stationary riders on the step-ups and the needed time to remount and restart after his slip. With one just moto completed in extraordinary circumstances the world championship standings show that Philippaerts lies third, 15 points from the lead while Coppins is fourth, just 8 behind his team-mate. Round three will take place at Agueda in Portugal next week. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 2nd "I am very happy. After that start and the crash I did not expect to finish second. The Yamaha is so easy to ride and that is important in these conditions. Being third in the championship is a decent position for me. From the first GP last year I had two zeros in the points, but now I already have a podium. I was ready to race in that second moto but I was also prepared to go along with the majority for what they wanted to do. It was quite dangerous out there, the bike would stick in the mud over the jumps and you had to take some risks, having said that, I had some fun as I quite like the water!" Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: 4th "What a surreal weekend. In those conditions you just have to keep going and going. There is no strategy. You do need some luck but at the same time you have to be smart and not make too many big mistakes or bad decisions. Saturday was completely different and I was actually hoping for a bit of rain in the evening because it would slow the track and make it more technical. The race could have been better but I made a mistake and got caught out by two guys who were stuck on the hill and I could not avoid them. Anything at all could have happened in the second moto so overall, with sixth in the first round and fourth here, I can't be too disappointed. We will head to Portugal straight away Sunday evening and we'll stop somewhere and try to get everything cleaned!" Massimo Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: "It was a really strange GP for everybody but I am happy because David made second and Josh was fourth. Josh had a small problem on one of the uphills and without this then he for sure would have been on the podium also. The difficulty of the race means that we are happy with the results and we made good points for the championship." Race 1 - 15 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 40'49.290 2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'35.461 3, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'49.535 4, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 1'22.141 5, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 2'3.530 6, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 2'25.114 7, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 2'28.305 8, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 2'40.776 9, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, -1 Laps 10, Lauris Freibergs, Yamaha, LVA, -1 Laps 11, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, -1 Laps 12, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, -1 Laps 13, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, -1 Laps 14, James Noble, KTM, GBR, -1 Laps 15, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, -1 Laps 16, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps 17, Marvin Van Daele, Suzuki, BEL, -1 Laps 18, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, -1 Laps 19, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, -1 Laps 20, Loic Leonce, Yamaha, FRA, -2 Laps Rider Standings 20/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 70 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 63 3, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 55 4, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 47 5, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 46 6, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 40 7, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 36 8, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 35 9, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 33 10, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 26 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 22 12, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 20 13, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 20 14, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 20 15, Lauris Freibergs, Yamaha, LVA, 16 16, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 14 17, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 14 18, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 13 19, Marvin Van Daele, Suzuki, BEL, 13 20, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, 11 Manufacturer Standings 20/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Suzuki, 75 2, Yamaha, 55 3, KTM, 51 4, Honda, 48 5, Kawasaki, 45 6, TM, 11
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Coppins back in the groove ahead of motocross Spanish Grand Prix

Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins is ready to lift his push for the 2008 MX1-GP World Championship up a gear this weekend at Bellpuig for the Grand Prix of Spain and the second round of the series after almost two weeks of training and further recuperation from his broken toes. The New Zealander has spent ten days at the home of former world champion Jacky Vimond in the south west of France and has been clocking up track kilometres that he desperately missed in the wake of his injury several weeks before the start of the GP campaign in Holland. Coppins took a brave sixth position at Valkenswaard and insists that the time spent riding and training with coach Vimond, has been a positive experience ahead of the trip to Spain. “I have ridden more in these past two weeks than the five before Valkenswaard. It has been really helpful both physically and mentally. I felt that I was not prepared at all for Holland but now I am actually looking forward to going to Spain,” said the 31 year old who dominated both motos at a rain-hit 2007 Spanish Grand Prix. “My foot has been getting better and even though I have not been able to run or swim yet we are now at a point where I do not need to wear a special boot when I’m on the bike.” “Last year was obviously an awesome race for me, two comfortable moto wins, you can’t ask for more than that,” he added reflecting on his Bellpuig victory. “I like the track when it is a bit wet, technical and rutty as opposed to hard, dusty and fast. I am interested to see what I will be capable of this weekend. Going into Valkenswaard I wasn’t even that sure if I could finish and I took sixth place which I was very satisfied with. The championship will begin for me in these next few races.” Meanwhile team-mate David Philippaerts – after recovering from a cold – was trying to squeeze in riding sessions back at his home near Milan but constant showers across northern Italy did not assist his cause. The 24 year old captured fifth position on his debut with the YZ450F in the sand of Valkenswaard and now heads to several circuits that are a little more to his taste. “Bellpuig is a good track and I quite like it because it is similar to places we have in Italy,” he remarked. “The GP last year was quite strange because the practice was cancelled on Saturday because of rain and we only rode on Sunday. There was not much time to see the different lines coming up.” “I feel 100% now and I’m looking forward to the race,” he enthused when pressed about the illness he suffered in the wake of the first round. “We did not escape the rain in Italy and I was out riding only three times so I hope it keeps dry in Spain; when it rains it helps those Belgians!” Bellpuig, close to the city of Lleida in the west of Catalunya, in the north-east region of Spain, has been the traditional home of the Grand Prix since the turn of the century. The hillside setting involves some steep and spectacular set-ups/downs and can offer a fast layout when dry. Yamaha have won three out of four MX1-GP events there from 2004 and the year that the class was established. The forecast for the weekend predicts overcast skies although decent temperatures with a maximum of 23 degrees.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Gundersen due for knee op and Campano moves to MX1-GP

UTag Yamaha.com’s Kenneth Gundersen is likely to miss the rest of the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship after he was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and further damage inside the joint. His place on the YZ450F will be taken by team-mate Carlos Campano this weekend at Bellpuig for the Grand Prix of Spain while the British crew find a replacement. Gundersen – who missed almost two campaigns of racing after a cartilage problem with his right leg in 2004/05 – landed awkwardly during Saturday practice for the season-opening Grand Prix two weeks ago at Valkenswaard in Holland. The Norwegian, a GP Yamaha rider for the last two years, had a lot of pain and travelled back to his home on Sunday. Examinations revealed the extent of the injury and he is set to go under the surgeon’s knife in the first week of May after swelling around the knee has subsided. "It is a real shame for Kenneth, Yamaha, the team and all our sponsors,” said Team Manager Steve Dixon. “Kenneth had worked so hard over the winter and leading up to the first GP we were looking forward to some good results. I have never worked with someone as dedicated and as professional as Kenneth, he is so determined to achieve his goal and whilst he stayed in England I have witnessed that commitment.” “I really hope Kenneth can make a full recovery and we will hope to finish what we set out to do in 2009, albeit a year later.” Dixon also confirmed the new role for current MX2-GP rider and former Spanish Champion Carlos Campano. “We have moved Carlos up to the MX1 class so we can fulfil our MX1 obligations, as there simply does not seem to be any replacement riders around this early in the season,” he said. “We will have to adapt as the season goes on to maximise our coverage and profile on the track."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Lorenzo receovering well after successful operation on right arm

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo is recovering well after undergoing a successful operation on his right arm. The 20-year-old has suffered from pain due to Compartmental Syndrome, often referred to as ‘Arm Pump’, during the first three races and the operation was performed yesterday afternoon by Dr. Xavier Mir, head of arm surgery at the Institut Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona. The procedure, which is fairly common amongst MotoGP riders, aims to loosen the muscle compression inside the arm in order to relieve pain and loss of strength, which typically occurs with Compartmental Syndrome when the muscle is under stress. The decision was taken yesterday to go ahead whilst the joint world-championship leader has the maximum possible time to recover before the next race, which is in China on 4th May. Lorenzo held a press conference this afternoon in Barcelona together with his manager Dani Amatriain, his mother María Guerrero and Dr. Xavier Mir. He will fly to London within the next few days to continue his recuperation programme at home. Dr Mir commented this afternoon: “The operation has been a success and the wounds are healing quickly. We decided to only operate on one arm because we believe it is better to enable Jorge to arrive in the best shape in China. Many riders have had this kind of operation and time has shown that they often don’t need the operation on the other arm. Jorge now starts his recovery and, with an elite athlete such as him, we expect it to be quicker than usual.” Jorge Lorenzo “I was a little bit scared before the operation but today I’m very happy because it seems that everything has gone as well as we could have hoped! It was a hard decision to make but I think it was the best one for us because China is close, but not too close and we have time to recover. I have had pain at all three races, including Portugal, and at times it was very hard to ride the bike at the maximum, so we knew that the operation was the right course of action. “Together with my surgeon we decided to operate on only one arm, the right, because in this way the recovery will be quicker than if we had done both. It seems that, with many other riders, doing just one arm has solved the problem. At the moment we believe that this is enough, but we will reassess after the next race. “The doctor assures me that I will be in China and able to ride. There isn’t so much time but this is the last possible opportunity before the summer break, without having to miss races. I have some time to recover now and I will be doing the maximum to make sure I am in good shape in China – in fact I’ll be there whatever, even if I have to ride with only one hand! “Now I will return to my home in London as soon as possible and relax there before I fly to China. The biggest problem at the moment is that it’s quite hard to do things for myself, so my mother is going to have to look after me!”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Valuable day's work for Rossi sets him up for Chinese challenge

After his hard fought third in yesterday’s Portuguese Grand Prix, Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi was back out on track today for a one-day test at Estoril. The team are anxious to take every chance to continue the crucial development process between the Yamaha M1 and the Bridgestone tyres and today’s test was focused on just this. Rossi tested a wide range of new rubber compounds with an eye to the next race in China, at which Bridgestone has a strong record, and the 29-year was very pleased with the day’s results. He tested new front and rear tyres as well as some qualifying tyres, and improved set-up and feeling in all areas. After 90 laps his best time of the day, 1’36.707, put him second behind Dani Pedrosa and he also bettered his fastest lap from yesterday on race tyres. Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino’s team-mate and the impressive winner of yesterday’s Grand Prix, did not test today as he flew to Barcelona to have an operation on his right arm after suffering pain due to Compartmental Syndrome in the last three races. The procedure is a common one amongst MotoGP riders and Lorenzo and his team of specialists decided to go ahead with it today as he will now have nearly three weeks of recovery time before the next race. Together with his surgeon, Dr Xavier Mir, Lorenzo will hold a press conference at 1500 hours tomorrow and further information will be available immediately afterwards. Davide Brivio - Team Manager “Today was all about tyres, set-up and our ongoing task of improving the Yamaha-Bridgestone package. We tried new front and rear race tyres and also some new qualifying tyres, and we found some good solutions to take with us to China. We were able to improve rear grip and durability especially and these are two key areas for us. Valentino worked very hard today and completed 90 laps, and he deserves to be happy with a job well done. Of course we are always working on the general setting and we hope that we’re going to be arriving in China now with an even better bike than we had this weekend. Thank you to everyone for another long weekend of hard work and now there’s some time to relax before we make the trip to China.” Test Times 1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 1'36.455 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'36.707 3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP 1'36.791 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 1'36.928 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 1'37.145 6. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'37.146 7. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro 1'37.330 8. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki 1'37.617 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'37.725 10. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha 1'37.767 11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'37.781 12. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'37.782 13. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing 1'38.023 14. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team 1'38.695 15. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing 1'39.065 16. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team 1'39.223 17. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro 1'39.725 Estoril: Lap Record J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'37.404 Estoril: Best Lap J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'35.715
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Nina Prinz takes impressive win at Misano on YZF-R1

During the first round of the European Championship Road Racing Women’s 1000cc held at Misano Adriatico (Italy) last weekend, Nina Prinz (Team Yamaha Motor Germany) debuted on the R1 and took it to an impressive victory. The reigning European champion, from Mannheim/Leutkirch in Germany, had been consistently fast during all qualifying sessions and dominated throughout the weekend, even during qualifying where she competed against many men from the open class. Starting from pole-position in the Women’s round, Nina led the entire race lapping a considerable three seconds per laps faster than her rivals, some on 1000ccc machinery other on 600cc. Over the race distance of 10 laps she managed to create a comfortable 32 second gap and thus take victory with relative ease. Susie Grayson from Great Britain finished 3rd aboard her YZF-R1. With the first round completed in the women’s championship the team looks forward with confidence towards the remaining two rounds, the next being held in Assen (the Netherlands) on the 15th of June. A secondary championship that the team attends with riders; Jorg Teuchert, Andrzej Pawalec and Nina Prinz, is the German Superbike Championship (IDM) starting in two weeks time at the Lausitzring. Nina will be competing among 58 other (male) riders in a very competitive field. With the official support of the promising Nina Prinz, Yamaha is aiming to increase the popularity of female motorcycle riding and racing. Nina Prinz “This first race was really perfect! The bike worked great and we had no problems at all during any of the sessions. In qualifying it was quite difficult to put in a fast lap as it was busy on the track with 36 riders, of which only 10 were reasonably competitive. It was a nice experience to be the fastest one out there, even faster than the men in the open class. The woman’s championship is nice but the real challenge for me will be the IDM. I think I will be able to learn a lot there. I hope to score some points in IDM but it for sure will not be easy.”
Michael Galinski (Team Manager - Team Yamaha Motor Germany) “It is a great result for Nina and the team! The bike really worked perfect this weekend. During the sessions we have been working on the best set-up and it obviously worked out well, also thanks to the threaded Dunlop tyres that performed very well. Nina is very analytical and capable of setting her bike up, pretty amazing for a 25-year-old. We now look forward to the two remaining races in this class and of course the IDM Superbike races ahead. I think it will be possible for her to score some points in that class as well. We now have a three day test at Lausitzring with 30 other teams where she can get accustomed to the slick tyres for the next IDM Superbike race. We will do our very best to give Nina the best package possible.”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Reed takes brave 12th in Detroit after practice spill

Yamaha's Chad Reed defied chest and back pain to score 12th position in Detroit for the fourteenth round of the 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship last weekend. The Australian crashed heavily in practice and had to visit hospital prior to being released to take his slot in the gate for the main event at Ford Field. Reed used his AMA provisional 'joker' (that enables riders in the top ten of the standings to miss one qualification and still be eligible to compete) after his accident that saw a diagnosis of a fractured scapula (shoulder blade), and likely some lung bruising among other small ailments. The 25 year old was coughing up blood at one point but was determined not to miss the race. Gingerly placing his YZ450F - on which he has taken eight victories this season - into the gate, further misfortune struck the series leader when he went down with a gaggle of other riders on the first corner. From that moment Reed looked to salvage what he could by working his way through the pack to claim 12th and lose just 11 points to main title rival Kevin Windham. "I just put my head down and went for it; I tried to be the best lapper out there," Reed commented. "I can't believe I crashed in the first turn. That's unbelievable. To feel the way I do, crash in the first turn and come back to 12th, this is a win right here. If we're standing in Vegas and we're the champions, this is the one that got it done." "I've been here before," he added. "With a 27-point lead, I'm not going to just stand and watch it go. I've always been able to go out there and grit my teeth, but this was possibly the worst race of my life. I spent four hours in the hospital, and I was scared for my life, to be honest. I've never coughed up so much blood in all my life. I'm happy to be here." Reed now holds an advantage of 16 points over Windham. There will be precious little time for the former champion to recover however with the final three rounds in St Louis, Seattle and Las Vegas taking place in the next three weeks. It is unlikely that AMA Motocross champion Grant Langston will make a return to supercross before the end of the season. The South African had a retinal problem that has kept him on the sidelines for most of the campaign and he is now looking towards a defence of his outdoor crown next month. Josh Hill was fourth and is the second highest Yamaha rider in the standings. The Detroit event was only the fourth race from fourteen in which a YZ450F has not made the top three. In the Lites division Ryan Morais was able to obtain his best finish of the year so far with second place. Also in the United States, Yamaha held a high profile at the Moto X World Championships in San Diego. YZ machinery ruled Supermoto X (Mark Burkhart), Speed and Style (Nate Adams), Moto X Racing (Broc Hepler) and Freestyle (Nate Adams) competitions. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 17'0.620 2, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'2.267 3, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'12.172 4, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'24.752 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'27.848 6, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 0'49.485 7, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0'49.795 8, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 9, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 10, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 11, Kelly Smith, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 12, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, -1 Laps 13, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 14, Ryan Clark, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Keith Johnson, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 17, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 18, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 19, Shaun Skinner, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 20, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, -3 Laps Rider Standings 12/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 296 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 280 3, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 229 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 221 5, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 191 6, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 189 7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 155 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 137 9, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 122 10, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 121 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 120 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 101 13, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 81 14, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 76 15, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, 74 23, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 38, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 12/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 317 2, Honda, 302 3, Kawasaki, 251 4, Suzuki, 186 5, KTM, 121
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Lorenzo takes spectacular maiden victory at Estoril

Jorge Lorenzo topped off an incredible opening month in MotoGP with his maiden premier class victory today, his first ever career win at Estoril. After three pole positions and two podiums, the Fiat Yamaha Team rookie went one step further to win the Portuguese Grand Prix in fine style, taking joint first in the championship standings in the process. It was also the second double podium of the season for the team, with Valentino Rossi finishing third. The first lap was a close battle between Lorenzo, Rossi and Dani Pedrosa with Lorenzo just prevailing over the line. Rossi however then passed him into turn one and pushed on ahead, leaving his team-mate to defend second position from Pedrosa, who was right on his tail. It began to spot with rain but Lorenzo kept his head and kept in touch with Rossi, despite pressure from Pedrosa behind him. On lap 11 Pedrosa made it past Lorenzo and stayed in front of him for two laps, but the Mallorcan was clearly cruising and, after setting the fastest lap of the race so far on lap 12, the Michelin-shod rider passed Pedrosa into turn one and set off after Rossi. He made his move later that lap in typically flamboyant fashion with a bold pass at the chicane and from then on it was a one-man-show as he extended his lead and eventually crossed the line 1.817 seconds in front of Pedrosa, who had passed Rossi on lap 15. At just 20 years of age, Lorenzo's victory today makes him the youngest rider in premier-class history to take three successive podiums and he now shares the championship lead with Dani Pedrosa on 61 points. Rossi consolidates third with 47 points whilst Fiat Yamaha top the Team's table and Yamaha the Constructor's. Jorge Lorenzo 1st - 45'53.089 "I feel like I'm in heaven! First of all I have to say thank you to Yamaha and to Fiat because without their confidence in me I wouldn't be here now. I can't believe it and it's really impossible for me to describe my feelings, I'm so happy for everyone! My team did a fantastic job and my Yamaha and my Michelin tyres worked very, very well today. The start of the race was quite crazy because there were some drops of rain and it looked like it might get worse. Anyway I just carried on and really I can't remember the details of exactly what happened…I remember making my pass on Valentino; I know it was quite a risk so I'm sorry to him but at that point I felt that I could make it and get away from him, so I took the chance and it worked. I'm so proud of everyone, to be here after just three races and at the top of the championship as well is something that I could never have even dreamed of. We can't afford to relax now however because Pedrosa and Rossi are here as well and they are two very fast and clever riders. I had some pain again in my arms today so tonight we will make a decision about whether or not I will have the operation before China, but for now I'm just going to enjoy this moment!"
Danielle Romagnoli - Team Manager "This is a dream come true for all of us; Jorge rode an unbelievable race. Watching him fight with the others it was impossible to believe that it is only his third race and now here he is, already a winner! Thanks to the team because they did a fantastic job to set the bike up and Yamaha and Michelin together gave us a fantastic package to work with. We had planned a test tomorrow but this will depend on the decision about Jorge's operation. There are three weeks until the next race so there is plenty of time for him to recover if he chooses to go ahead with it. Now we're looking forward to another exciting weekend with Jorge in China!" Valentino Rossi extended his Estoril podium record with third place today, meaning he has now finished on the podium at all of his nine career visits to the Portuguese track. Valentino Rossi 3rd +12.723 "At the end of the day this isn't a bad result for us because we expected this to be quite a difficult track for us. My M1 worked well today; I got a good start and was able to stay at the front to begin with and have some fun. My Bridgestone tyres were working well but I was thinking about trying to conserve them as much as possible because I knew 28 laps was going to be hard. Unfortunately I couldn't stay with Lorenzo and Pedrosa in the later stages and I started to slide a little bit, but anyway to have two podiums in a row with Bridgestone is very important because we're still in the learning stages of our relationship. I think we've made another step forward this weekend and we have an important test tomorrow - I hope in China we will be able to fight for the win!" Davide Brivio - Team Manager "Valentino defended very well today despite difficult conditions for us and we took a good podium and some important points. We expected it to be hard and I want to thank the team and our engineers for working hard all week and keeping the level of our Yamaha-Bridgestone package at the maximum. We're looking forward to another 15 races and we hope that in China we'll be in attacking form and able to get our first win with Bridgestone! We will work on tyres and settings for China tomorrow and then everyone will have a good rest before the next challenge." Masahiko Nakajima - Team Director "Very impressive! This weekend Jorge has been very consistent and to get a third pole position and then go on to win is fantastic. He showed a strong drive in the race and proved that he can keep his concentration at the maximum for the entire race. I want to congratulate him for a great achievement and thank him on behalf of everyone at Yamaha. "Unfortunately for Valentino we are still struggling a bit in some areas but anyway the combination between our chassis and the Bridgestone tyres is improving race by race. Step-by-step we are making progress and for sure here in Estoril everything went even better than in Jerez. This is a very unusual track; it requires a very delicate chassis balance because it has the slowest average speed in the world championship but also some very high-speed areas. In conclusion, I am happy with Valentino's podium in these difficult conditions and I am confident that next time we will improve even more together with Bridgestone. Fighting fourth for Edwards, Toseland seventh Colin Edwards claimed his best result of 2008 with a determined ride to fourth place in Estoril today, while a hard fought seventh moved James Toseland into the top five of the MotoGP world championship standings. Lying sixth and tantalisingly close to the leading bunch for the opening nine laps, Edwards comfortably held onto the fourth place that he seized on lap 17 after a mistake by fellow American Nicky Hayden. He briefly threatened to close on Valentino Rossi in third as he posted his fastest lap on lap 19 of 28 with a 1.38.083, but settled for his best result since the German GP last July. The race started in tricky and unpredictable conditions as light rain showers fell at several sections on the circuit, leaving riders unsure of exactly how hard to push in the early stages. The light rain certainly had an impact on Toseland's normal aggressive start. He slipped down to 11th on lap one, but fought back to overtake Loris Capirossi, Chris Vermeulen and Casey Stoner. The British rider only lost his chance of a third consecutive top six finish when Stoner passed him with eight laps remaining. Toseland and Edwards though ensured that Yamaha claimed four of the top seven places, and today's result strengthened Tech 3 Yamaha's fourth position in the all-important Team world championship standings. Colin Edwards 4th +17.223 "When you are sitting on the grid with big rain spots on the visor, it is the worst feeling because you just don't know what to expect. I actually got a good start but then somebody was out of the seat in turn one in front of me and then somebody else did the same at the second corner. I thought, 'it must be real slick because of the rain.' And it was a bit like being on ice. I just got my head down but it seemed they were just driving away from me. I was on it and the electronics were kicking in and working but I wasn't really going anywhere. Basically I couldn't build any heat in the tyre early on. Running that different tyre from Michelin for acceleration grip instead of maximum corner speed, for those conditions it didn't really work. Had it been dry from the start we'd have been good to fight for the podium. But with a bit of moisture I couldn't get any heat in the side of the tyre and no edge grip in the middle of the corner. Once I got heat into it I was motoring, which proved had it been dry, I'd gone for a good direction with Michelin. I wanted to be on the podium but I'll settle for fourth. It' something to build on and now we have got the new engine we can look forward with a lot of confidence. It was my best result for a long time so thanks to Tech 3 Yamaha and Michelin for that." James Toseland 7th +32.361 "It is another solid finish and I've moved into fifth in the championship, so I've got to be pleased with that. But it was a tough weekend. Losing that hour of dry set-up time on Friday was pretty crucial, but I still got a second row and top seven on a track I don't know. Honestly though I wasn't aggressive enough at the start. When we were coming to the grid I saw Rossi pointing to the sky but it was only spitting, and I thought they'd take it a bit easy at the start. I'd got spots of rain on my visor and those conditions are not nice and not knowing the track and a bit of inexperience with the tyres I just didn't realise how hard you can push. But I didn't get a great start and that lack of experience cost me because I wasn't sure where to brake for the first corner. I braked too early and got baulked. I got into a consistent pace and was running 38s but losing that hour on the first day meant the set-up wasn't spot on. It wasn't bad but it could have been better. The rear shock was too soft under acceleration and pumping. So when I opened the throttle that pumping just ran me a bit wide on the exit. The package I have got now with the new engine is better than that, and that's what makes it frustrating. I'm not as happy with this as my other results because the bike is capable of more. It was another good day for the Tech 3 team and Michelin so I'll be looking to get closer to the front in China." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "What an incredible day for Yamaha, and I am glad Colin and James contributed to that. I have to say a big thanks to both of them because it was a very difficult race in extremely demanding conditions with the light rain making it hard to gauge how hard to push. Both of them rode a very strong race and fourth and seventh is a great result for the team. It is easily our best of the season so far and gives us a great platform to build on for the rest of the season. We are clearly moving forward together as a team and the future is looking very promising. Now we have everything clear with James and Yamaha we can look forward to getting better and better, particularly now we have the new engine from Yamaha to help us achieve the results we want. I'd also like to offer my warmest congratulations to Jorge Lorenzo on his first win for Yamaha and Michelin. I'm sure it won't be his last." Race 1 - 28 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 45'53.089 2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'1.817 3, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'12.723 4, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'17.223 5, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'23.752 6, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0'26.688 7, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'32.631 8, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'36.382 9, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'38.268 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'39.476 11, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 1'1.306 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 1'3.867 13, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'9.525 14, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 1'9.634 15, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 1'11.542 Rider Standings 13/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 61 2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 61 3, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 47 4, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 40 5, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 29 6, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 26 7, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 24 8, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 22 9, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 21 10, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 19 11, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 16 12, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 14 13, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 12 14, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 8 15, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 7 Team Standings 13/04/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 108 2, Repsol Honda Team, 80 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 52 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 51 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 40 6, Kawasaki Racing Team, 27 7, Honda Gresini, 23 8, JIR Scot Team, 21 9, Team Alice, 10 10, Honda LCR, 8 Manufacturer Standings 13/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 65 2, Honda, 61 3, Ducati, 40 4, Suzuki, 27 5, Kawasaki, 24
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

6th Yamaha Race Training sees biggest turn-out yet in Valencia

Last week at a sunny Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia on Spain’s east coast, a gathering of Yamaha racing teams and riders from thirteen countries occupied thirty-one pit-boxes at the MotoGP venue to take part in the sixth edition of the distinguished YRT (Yamaha Race Training) programme. Fifty teams and one hundred and one riders from national Supersport standard to FIM Superstock 1000 level meant that over three hundred personnel filled the site. The objective was to improve the participant’s understanding in terms of the technical set-up and tuning of the 2008 YZF-R6 or the 2007/2008 YZF-R1 for Supersport, Superbike and FIM Superstock competition. The tuition was geared to helping racers and their teams learn about their machinery and how to optimise set-up with the use of the latest range of Yamaha’s YEC racing parts. Racing engineers from Yamaha Motor Corporation and Yamaha Motor Europe and specialists from Ohlins and 2D were on-hand to lend their expertise and advice. At the flat and twisty Spanish track every rider was able to count on at least seven hours of testing over the three day period to apply the theory to practice. For the practical elements of the course a full tyre service was available and the only time that the action ground to a halt over the three days was when the group paused to take-in the second round of the 2008 MotoGP championship occurring that same weekend further south at Jerez (in which Fiat Yamaha M1 riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo obtained podium positions). The other hours in the programme were filled by workshops dealing with: - Fuel Injection Matching System: How to use the possibilities of fuel injection mappings, ignition mappings, altering engine braking, gear-shift timing, throttle opening speed and other characteristics via a YEC ECU and laptop - YEC Tools: The correct working procedure and how to use the tools for piston and piston ring installation, camshaft attachment, valve timing adjustment and other alterations - YEC Racing Parts: What was new and how best to use the valuable components found at www.yamaha-racingparts.com Funded by Yamaha Motor Europe and Yamaha Motor Corporation, once again YRT proved to be a big success and with the participating numbers continuing to grow annually, the gathering has now become an integral fixture on the pre-season schedule for many European campaigners. “The Yamaha Race Training again has been a very successful event and we were lucky with the weather this year as all of the track sessions were dry and clean,” commented Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Communications Manager Leon Oosterhof. “We have been organising this unique occasion since 2002 and this year we had more participants than ever before; this is very rewarding for us.” “As with every year we wanted to offer the YRT to a select group of our racing customers to help them become more competitive for the 2008 racing season,” he continued. “During the intensive three-day test, our race engineers were able to impart their experience and knowledge to the teams to help them reach better performance, with a special focus this year on how to utilise and benefit from the tuning options that our 2008 YEC ECUs offer.” “The 2008 YEC ECU set permits us to adjust many parameters to achieve the best engine set-up and maximum control, and the workshops at the YRT helped us to refresh our technical knowledge and that was very welcome, it was a great event,” remarked the Peko Racing team from Switzerland. “YRT is important for us to reach maximum performance for the highly competitive Spanish Championship,” commented local crew Laglisse. “The three days were very busy with the track sessions and workshops, thanks to Yamaha for investing in this!” “We owe big thanks to Yamaha, we learned how to reach a better set-up of the bike by adjusting our mappings with the laptop,” said the Yam74 set-up from France. “The overall feeling of the bike after the three days is better.”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Weather restricts Yamaha riders at Monza test

A two day test for the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team at their home circuit of Monza was expected to be an opportunity to run the latest Pirelli development tyres in readiness for the Monza round on 11 May. With the high-speed 5.793km track drenched with rain on both days, however, the team had to adapt their plans. Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser went to these tests, held at a circuit only a short distance from their Gerno di Lesmo team headquarters, with the natural confidence that a race win (for Nori) and a podium finish (for Troy) at the most recent Valencia round gave them. However, each was to leave disappointed with their complete lack of dry track time, albeit glad to not have fallen on such a treacherous surface. Claudio Corti, a Yamaha Superstock 1000 FIM Cup regular and the team’s new test rider, continued on track on day two, but neither Haga nor Corser added to their respective 25 and 29 first day lap totals, such was the ferocity of the rain and the amount of standing water on the Monza asphalt. Next stop for the team is the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship, at Assen on April 27. Troy Corser (29 laps - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) “The whole track is like swimming pool, too much water sitting around the place to be safe. We did some tests on the electronics and the traction control yesterday, got a feel for how the chassis is, but you can’t get too much out of a test like that when it is that wet. You simply can’t push hard enough to get any bike to do what you want to do, and it was easy to have a small crash - or a big one. We did no laps at all on day two. Yesterday was bad enough and it really wasn’t worth the risk today.” Noriyuki Haga (25 laps - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) “We hoped and expected to have good weather here, but it wasn’t to be! Rain and more rain, you could easily have a shower it is so heavy. Monza is a very high-speed track so we were careful and only rode some laps yesterday to do some running-in of parts and checks on a few other things. The track surface was like a river on day two so we decided not to run.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “What terrible weather! On day one the guys did only a few laps. The main reason to come here was to test some new tyres, but it was just impossible. So we worked on some electronics, but pretty much that was it. Day two was even worse than today and neither Troy nor Nori rode. Just Claudio, but he has been doing two or three laps then into the pits. We’re a bit disappointed but only about the rain.”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Reed becomes 3rd most successful AMA-SX rider after Dallas win

Chad Reed moved up to third place in the all-time AMA Supercross victories table after clinching the 34th win of his career and the eighth of the 2008 championship at the Texas Stadium in Dallas last Saturday. The Australian led from the second lap until the chequered flag for his second triumph in the space of a week. The 25 year old owned the thirteenth round of seventeen and now stands 27 points ahead of Kevin Windham. In front of more than 46,000 fans, Reed enacted a fine performance to form part of yet another excellent night's racing for Yamaha with young hotshot Josh Hill taking second position for the third '1-2' of the campaign for the YZ450F. Hill fought with Davi Millsaps (even surviving a scary moment when the Honda rider landed on him) and Kevin Windham and was understandably excited to capture the fourth podium of an impressive season so far. "I feel like I've given a lot of wins away this year - four, to be exact - and we're just trying to go out there and win this title," said Reed who now needs another 14 wins to match Ricky Carmichael's total (Jeremy McGrath has a mighty 72). "Tonight was awesome. I'm so happy for Josh Hill to get up here and put Yamaha 1-2." "It should be a lot more, but I made a lot of mistakes," he added regarding his points lead of more than one main event (a win counts for 25). "I really want to win this title, and before this season ever started, we did our work and put our heads down and we never shied away from the goal. We lost a competitor [James Stewart], but we're still out there fighting for this thing, and that's all that counts." "The track was real slick, and I just spun off that double, and he was already committed," said Hill remembering the clash with Millsaps. "I think I have a tire mark on my shoulder from it. I actually still jumped the rhythm section. It was kind of a hectic main event. I was making mistakes all over, but I had the stamina to finish it." "It's awesome," he added about his achievement and the fact that he has become a regular protagonist; now fifth in the points table. "These guys are the guys I looked up to my whole life, and it's just awesome to be racing with them." Tyler Bowers was fifth in the Lites class and lies seventh in the standings. The AMA schedule, also an FIM World Championship, moves to MI Ford Field in Detroit next weekend with only four races remaining. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 17'56.530 2, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'1.872 3, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'3.670 4, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'4.572 5, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'18.308 6, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'21.398 7, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 0'31.811 8, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 0'43.715 9, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, 0'49.143 10, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 0'50.911 11, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 0'52.685 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 0'58.930 13, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Dusty Klatt, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 17, Antonio Balbi, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 19, Bryan K Johnson, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 20, Keith Johnson, Yamaha, USA, -2 Laps Rider Standings 05/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 287 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 260 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 205 4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 204 5, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 173 6, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 167 7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 147 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 123 9, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 119 10, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 117 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 107 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 89 13, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, 72 14, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 70 15, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69 23, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 36, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 05/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 299 2, Honda, 277 3, Kawasaki, 229 4, Suzuki, 172 5, KTM, 117
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Albergoni takes third podium in a row

As with the opening two rounds of the '08 World Enduro Championship, Simone Albergoni recorded the UFO Corse Yamaha team's best results in the Enduro 1 class at the Grand Prix of Spain in Sitges. Narrowly missing out on a podium result on day one when he finished fourth, Albergoni placed a comfortable third on day two and now holds the same position in the E1 championship standings. Although unsatisfied with his performances on the opening day, Simone showed that he had the speed to run with his E1 class rivals and were it not for several costly mistakes he would have finished on the podium. Mixing good and average form during the special tests throughout the opening day, two crashes - one on the third motocross test and another on the final extreme test, prevented Simone challenging eventual day one winner Mika Ahola or runner-up Ivan Cervantes. Simone eventually finished fourth. Determined to make up for his opening day disappointment Simone started day two well before again swinging between up and down results on the tests. Not a fan of the extremely high-speed enduro test the Italian managed to win one of the day's specials before going on to place third. Despite his frustration at seeing several mistakes prevent him from recording better results on each day Simone now sits just 15 points behind E1 class leader Mika Ahola Finishing just two places behind Albergoni on Day1 and three positions behind on Day2 Cristobal Guerrero performed well at his home round of the '08 WEC series despite still not being 100 per cent fit following his early season shoulder injury. Sixth on day one, Cristobal frustratingly missed a fifth place result by less than one second. Performing consistently throughout the duration he was then slightly off the pace in the final extreme test and this prevented the former Enduro Junior world champion from placing higher than sixth. On day two Cristobal again was sixth - a result that would have been better were it not for a costly mistake in the final extreme test. UFO Corse Yamaha rider Maurizio Micheluz was seventh on both days and was another rider who saw his results spoiled by a mistake on the extreme test. On day two he was holding fifth for most of the time before dropping to seventh following a last lap crash. Round four of eight takes place on June 15th in Poland. Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 4th, Day 2: 3rd "I made a lot of mistakes this weekend. I would have one good test and then one bad test, all the way through the event. I didn't like the enduro test - I think it was too fast and not technical enough for a world championship special. On day one I crashed on the last extreme test, but also on the third motocross test. I'm not really happy with my results. I know I have good speed but it wasn't my weekend. I hope I can improve things at the next GP in Poland." Cristobal Guerrero (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 6th, Day 2: 6th "It's not been a really good race for me, but also not a really bad one. Sixth on both days is ok, but I was less than one second from fifth on day one and not so far from fifth on day two. I had some good special tests but also some that were not so good. I hope that with some more training I can be faster in Poland." Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 7th, Day 2: 7th "It's been an unbelievably dusty GP, but it has been quite good for me. It wasn't as hard as many riders thought it might be, but it was incredibly dusty, especially on the motocross test. I finished in seventh on both days, which isn't too bad, but I was fighting for fifth position all day on Day2. I made a big mistake on the first extreme test, which stopped me finishing higher than seventh. It is really close between a group of about four riders in the E1 class, without my mistakes I could have got a better result." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 44'47.430 2, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 0'5.650 3, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 0'44.050 4, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'53.130 5, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 1'18.050 6, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 1'18.130 7, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 2'1.590 8, Daryl Bolter, Husqvarna, GBR, 2'45.390 9, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 2'48.170 10, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 3'0.340 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 39'25.570 2, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 0'0.620 3, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'25.310 4, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 0'53.100 5, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 1'9.630 6, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 1'23.180 7, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 1'24.900 8, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 2'17.640 9, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 2'27.290 10, Daryl Bolter, Husqvarna, GBR, 2'37.720 Rider Standings 05/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 142 2, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 127 3, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 126 4, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 112 5, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 84 6, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 80 7, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 72 8, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 41 9, Daryl Bolter, Husqvarna, GBR, 36 10, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 35 11, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 29 12, Niklas Gustafsson, Honda, SWE, 28 13, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 24 14, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 24 15, Paulo Felicia, Kawasaki, POR, 14 Manufacturer Standings 05/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 142 2, KTM, 131 3, Yamaha, 127 4, Husqvarna, 65 5, TM, 24 6, Suzuki, 24 7, Kawasaki, 14 ---------- RACE REPORT - 07/04/2008 Aubert aces Spain with double victory UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert's hopes of winning the 2008 Enduro 2 world championship title took a very sizeable step in the right direction at the Grand Prix of Spain, staged in Sitges, as the Frenchman claimed a convincing double E2 class win. Riding almost faultlessly in the dry and dusty Spanish conditions, Aubert saw bad luck strike his closest championship rival Juha Salminen on Day1 as the multi-world champion failed to finish. Winning Day1 comfortably before going on to beat Salminen by almost 16 seconds on Day2 Aubert now sits 25 points clear at the top of the Enduro 2 championship standings. As expected Aubert and Salminen quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the Enduro 2 class riders on Day1, with Aubert not quite able to match the pace of his Finnish rival. With little to separate the battling duo on any of the first day's special tests, Johnny took the lead as the day neared a conclusion to claim a sizeable eventual winning margin over countryman Antoine Meo and Italian Alessandro Belometti. Despite winning four of the day's special tests Aubert, by his own admission, wasn't expecting to claim the day win but following Salminen's retirement saw his hard work rewarded with a perfect result. The Enduro 2 class was again dominated by Aubert and Salminen on Day2 as they broke free from the pack by over a minute. However unlike on Day1 where Aubert had been unable to match Salminen's blistering pace, on Day2 it was the Yamaha rider who was the man to beat as he won three of the opening four special tests to open up a lead that wouldn't be caught. Never placing lower than second in the class throughout the whole day Johnny claimed a deserved E2 class win finishing 16 seconds up on Salminen and in doing so separating himself from Salminen in the E2 championship standings by some 25 points. The GP of Spain was also a good one for Aubert's UFO Corse Yamaha team mate Fabrizio Dini. Sixth on Day1, but only five seconds behind the fifth-placed rider, on Day2 Fabrizio moved into the fifth place position and were it not for a couple of costly crashes would have grabbed fourth. Nevertheless Dini claimed two solid results and now sits seventh in the E2 world championship standings. Round four of eight will occur in Poland on June 15th. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 1st, Day 2: 1st "It's been a great weekend for me. On day one Juha was riding really well and if he hadn't had the problem with his bike I think he would have won and I would have been second. But I had some luck and Juha didn't finish the race. It's not a nice way to win but that's the way it can go sometimes. I'm so happy to have won on day two - in the right way! On the first lap I rode really well on the enduro and motocross tests and was about eight or nine seconds ahead of Juha. I kept pushing and slowly managed to open up a 16 second advantage coming into the final extreme test. I knew then that it was my day. Things are good for me at the moment but I'm not thinking about the championship. I know Juha won't give up." Fabrizio Dini (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 6th, Day 2: 5th "I crashed a lot on day one but I still finished sixth. I felt good most of the day and I'm quite happy with my result. Day two started badly for me. I crashed in the first motocross test and made a mistake on the logs on the extreme test but after that I rode well. I finished fifth but I was only a few seconds behind the fourth place rider. I'm pleased with my results." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 44'35.970 2, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 1'21.250 3, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 1'24.360 4, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 1'44.930 5, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 2'2.410 6, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 2'7.630 7, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 2'8.590 8, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 2'12.800 9, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 2'19.750 10, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 2'52.210 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 38'36.740 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 0'15.760 3, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 1'21.890 4, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 2'10.010 5, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 2'13.010 6, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 2'13.790 7, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 2'16.770 8, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 2'21.610 9, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 2'35.930 10, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 2'40.280 Rider Standings 05/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 139 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 114 3, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 99 4, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 85 5, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 81 6, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 81 7, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 73 8, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 72 9, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 51 10, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 41 11, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 40 12, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 36 13, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 31 14, Fritz Andersson, KTM, SWE, 24 15, Andrea Belotti, KTM, ITA, 18 Manufacturer Standings 05/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 139 2, KTM, 134 3, HusaBerg, 119 4, Honda, 82 5, TM, 81 6, Husqvarna, 73 7, BMW, 40 8, Aprilia, 31 9, GasGas, 11
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Top six finishes for YMMT pair

The opening Grand Prix of the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship has been a busy but positive outing for the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team as David Philippaerts and Josh Coppins took fifth and sixth positions respectively through the deep, dark and technically challenging sand at the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard today. After unveiling the new all-black liveries for the YZ450FMs in front of an extravagant fire display on Friday evening for a group of international media, (a gallery of images can be seen on www.yamaha-racing.com) Philippaerts and Coppins encountered cold, rainy conditions and negotiated a flooded and heavily rutted track on Saturday. After working their way through two free practice sessions the Italian was able to set the third fastest time while Coppins - using padding in his boot to protect his damaged toes and feeling somewhat unprepared after spending more than two weeks inactive - was content with eighth place in the gate. Sunshine blessed the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, the first round of fifteen in the 2008 campaign, but a cold wind was also present and the terrain provided a very physical test over the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos. In the first race Philippaerts started well and was running as high as second before he survived a big 'moment' that caused him to drop to fourth behind Coppins who was steadily making consistent laps and producing an excellent performance in the conditions. The two team-mates circulated together on the works YZ450FMs for several laps until Philippaerts tried an audacious manoeuvre to grab third and clipped the side of Coppins in the process, causing the Kiwi to briefly fall to sixth. Philippaerts' moto was not quite finished as he was slowed by a backmarker on the last two laps and Steve Ramon was able to pounce and obtain third. The eventful first race was followed by calmer set of laps for Moto2 as Ken de Dycker won once more and Coppins and Philippaerts were again together for a long periods. Towards the end of the duration the 24 year old moved past to take sixth leaving a satisfied Coppins in seventh. The overall standing also formulates the early championship table and Philippaerts lies just 5 points from second while Coppins is 21 points from leader De Dycker. Utag Yamaha.com's Kenneth Gundersen was dealt a hard blow on Saturday after an awkward landing on the sand caused the Norwegian to damage his left knee.The 26 year old flew back to Scandinavia on Sunday for further examination on a suspected ruptured ligament. An initial x-ray at the track revealed a chipped piece of bone in the joint but it is still not clear whether it is the rear or frontal ligament at this stage. Van Beers Yamaha's Aigar Leok was eleventh overall on the YZ450F with finishes of twelfth and tenth. The world championship will head south through Europe to the Bellpuig circuit in Catalunya for the Grand Prix of Spain in two weeks time. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 5th: "I have to say that I am happy. For my first GP I had good speed and also a nice feeling on the bike. The first moto was not great because I made some small mistakes and was quite nervous but I was glad to see that I could go at the front. In one corner I almost crashed and was completely off the side of the bike; that caused me to lose a lot of time. I pushed hard again but had a problem with my goggles and that was a hassle with the sand. It was because of this I hit with Josh. I wanted to go on the outside but I ran out of room. It was not something I meant to do and just one of those racing incidents. I wanted third position but Pyrhonen blocked me and I lost speed, so Ramon passed me starting the last lap. I was frustrated by this but after I calmed down I was actually content because my goal had been top five and I had taken fourth. In the second heat I started well but lost a lot of positions by getting blocked in the second corner. I came up behind Josh and it took a lot of energy to pass him. I was being extra careful because I did not want to touch again. When I got through I was physically finished. I am happy with the points I took this weekend. I am not far from second place and the championship has started quite well for me." Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th: "I did not feel comfortable coming to this GP. I pride myself on being one of the best prepared and hardest working riders out there and the difficult part for me was arriving to this race knowing that I wasn't ready and hadn't done the work; for me that was unacceptable but I had no choice because of the injury. If you had told me at the team launch if I could have sixth position overall on Sunday then I would have taken that result with both hands, especially here in the sand. You know that if you are sitting looking at the bones sticking out of your feet then you have something serious, so to be able to be here and have those finishes is great. I was disappointed after the collision with David in the first moto. I did not have the energy to recover from that. I saw Mackenzie, David and Nagl fighting ahead and I thought 'you just get on with it!'. I was riding my own pace and staying out of trouble. I lost five points there, but anyway, you have to accept these things. Spain should be easier in two weeks and by the time we get to Portugal I should be near the level I want to be." Massimo Raspanti, Team Manager: "For Josh I am really happy, until one week ago we did not know if he would race or not. He could have had third and the collision with David was an unfortunate incident. The second moto was also positive for him and to be honest it is a little bit like a win because he has hardly ridden in the last three weeks. David was quite nervous in the first moto and seemed to tire when he passed Josh but it was not a bad GP for him. I think the next few tracks will be better for both riders and we will be looking at the top three in Spain." Kenneth Gundersen, UTag Yamaha.com: "Obviously I am so disappointed but I have experienced things like this before to know that it is part of racing and you have to accept it. I did not even crash, I just landed at an angle but I knew straight away that something was wrong. The x-ray shows some damage but I don't know how bad it is yet. If it is only the back ligament then this will not be such a disaster." Race 1 - 17 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 40'34.767 2, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'7.745 3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'38.467 4, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'38.772 5, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 0'55.614 6, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'57.506 7, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 0'58.590 8, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 1'22.566 9, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1'31.608 10, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 1'40.716 11, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1'45.295 12, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1'56.711 13, Bas Verhoeven, Kawasaki, NED, -1 Laps 14, Marvin Van Daele, Suzuki, BEL, -1 Laps 15, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, -1 Laps 17, Antti Pyrhonen, Suzuki, FIN, -1 Laps 18, Pierre A. Renet, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps 19, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, -1 Laps 20, Alex Salvini, Suzuki, ITA, -1 Laps Race 2 - 17 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 40'21.042 2, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'8.194 3, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'17.689 4, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'26.506 5, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'30.358 6, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'57.488 7, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 1'5.791 8, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'16.539 9, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 1'28.810 10, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1'36.497 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 1'44.295 12, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 2'1.241 13, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 2'24.816 14, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, -1 Laps 15, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, -1 Laps 16, Lauris Freibergs, Yamaha, LVA, -1 Laps 17, Antti Pyrhonen, Suzuki, FIN, -1 Laps 18, Alessio Chiodi, TM, ITA, -1 Laps 19, Marvin Van Daele, Suzuki, BEL, -1 Laps 20, Bas Verhoeven, Kawasaki, NED, -1 Laps Rider Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 50 2, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 38 3, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 38 4, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 33 5, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 33 6, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 29 7, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 29 8, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 24 9, Kevin Strijbos, Kawasaki, BEL, 21 10, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 20 11, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 20 12, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 14 13, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 13 14, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 11 15, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 10 16, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 10 17, Bas Verhoeven, Kawasaki, NED, 9 18, Marvin Van Daele, Suzuki, BEL, 9 19, Antti Pyrhonen, Suzuki, FIN, 8 20, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 6 Manufacturer Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Suzuki, 50 2, KTM, 42 3, Honda, 35 4, Yamaha, 33 5, Kawasaki, 29 6, TM, 3 ---------- RACE REPORT - 06/04/2008 Cairoli launches title defence with runner-up position Yamaha Red Bull De Carli's Antonio Cairoli, the defending MX2-GP World Champion, took the second step of the podium at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands on his YZ250F at a sunny but cold and breezy Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard, a short distance from Eindhoven. Watched by 26,000 spectators Cairoli duelled with title rivals Tommy Searle and eventual winner today Tyla Rattray in both motos after going to the gate in third position. The dark Dutch sand was considerably rough and penalised small mistakes. It provided a harsh physical and mental test for many riders both excited and nervous at the first round of fifteen on the six month calendar. Cairoli had to be content with two second positions today as Rattray proved to be a worthy opponent. The lead changed frequently in the early stages and the first half of the opening moto was particularly riveting as six riders tussled for control. The Sicilian was encouraged by a strong late charge in the second race as he hunted the rear wheel of Rattray on the last two laps; with just one more circulation he might have seized the lead and the GP win. Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nicolas Aubin was one of the protagonists but the Frenchman crashed in the first race when he lost control of the front-end descending one of the heavily rutted hills. He was edged off-line by Searle and fell again in the second race but results of ninth and sixth helped him to seventh overall and the second highest Yamaha representative. Team-mate Davide Guarneri had a tough time through the rutted sand and a first lap crash meant he could do no better than fifteenth in Moto1. He improved this to eleventh in the second sprint and was content to leave Holland with points as he has faced injury problems for the last two seasons. UTag Yamaha.com were unlucky on Saturday. Both Martin Barr and Carlos Campano crashed in their heat races and were not able to make the qualification cut negotiating a wetter and boggier terrain. The 2008 Grand Prix of the Netherlands was a small landmark for new Yamaha Van Beers racer Evgeny Bobryshev as the Russian scored his very first world championship point with a hard-fought twentieth place in Moto2. The next round on the 2008 schedule will take place at Bellpuig for the Grand Prix of Spain in two weeks time. Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, 2nd: "I am happy with this result because we have been making a lot of tests and effort towards MX1 during the pre-season. I still need a bit more time on my 250, particularly in the sand. At the beginning of the first moto I was not so sharp and Tyla got away. He is really fast on this kind of track I just tried to be as fast as I could without making mistakes. Overall I am feeling good with the bike though and I know much better is to come, especially because I like the next few tracks in Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria and Mantova." Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 7th: "I did not race at my real level today. The bike is good and I am very happy with the engine because I took two very good starts but I could not find a good feeling on the sand. I took some good points for the championship. Tommy went past me and I did not close the gas, I touched his rear wheel and went down but it was one of those things. I like Bellpuig and I am hoping for the podium there." Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 11th: "It is not a great day but I really do not like the sand so it is not a disaster. There were so many ruts out there and I found it hard to go quickly. I tried to get good starts but my gate position was not great I took some points in the first moto after the crash. I fell again in the second race but could recover for more points. I know that on more 'normal' tracks I can do much better." Race 1 - 17 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 40'59.119 2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'15.146 3, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'35.267 4, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 0'39.399 5, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'42.142 6, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'47.601 7, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'0.720 8, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1'1.488 9, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 1'12.157 10, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 1'25.585 11, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'51.275 12, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 1'56.631 13, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 1'58.303 14, Rinus Van de Ven, KTM, NED, 2'1.988 15, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 2'8.903 16, Pascal Leuret, Suzuki, FRA, 2'18.796 17, Joaquim Rodrigues, KTM, POR, 2'26.404 18, Wyatt Avis, Honda, RSA, -1 Laps 19, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 20, Rob van Vijfeijken, Yamaha, NED, -1 Laps Race 2 - 17 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 39'49.877 2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'1.246 3, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 1'8.488 4, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 1'9.622 5, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 1'25.853 6, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 1'26.419 7, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'48.366 8, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1'55.118 9, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 2'20.438 10, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, -1 Laps 11, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 12, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 13, Mike Kras, Suzuki, NED, -1 Laps 14, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, -1 Laps 15, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, -1 Laps 16, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, -1 Laps 17, Rob van Vijfeijken, Yamaha, NED, -1 Laps 18, Rinus Van de Ven, KTM, NED, -1 Laps 19, Marcus Norlen, Suzuki, SWE, -1 Laps 20, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, -1 Laps Rider Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 50 2, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 44 3, Erik Eggens, Suzuki, NED, 38 4, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 36 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 33 6, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 28 7, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 27 8, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 26 9, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 22 10, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 21 11, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 16 12, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 14 13, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 13 14, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 11 15, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 10 16, Rinus Van de Ven, KTM, NED, 10 17, Anthony Boissiere, KTM, FRA, 9 18, Mike Kras, Suzuki, NED, 8 19, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 6 20, Pascal Leuret, Suzuki, FRA, 5 25, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 1 Manufacturer Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, KTM, 50 2, Yamaha, 44 3, Suzuki, 38 4, Kawasaki, 14 5, Honda, 3
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Haga wins and Corser scores a podium

Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team rider Noriyuki Haga could not have had two bigger contrasts in his raceday at Valencia, taking a superb win in the second 23-lap contest, but crashing out of the opener at high speed. His team-mate Troy Corser was rewarded for a consistent first race ride with a podium finish in third, and then went on to score a fighting fifth in race two. Corser's podium came in a race where 20 riders finished and there were many high profile incidents. Corser was a lonely third eventually, some seven seconds from the win. Haga crashed out of race one, losing the front at the first corner on lap four as he tried to make up for qualifying 10th in Superpole. In race two Haga led for the second half of the race, and his margin of victory over championship leader Troy Bayliss was 1.551 seconds. Corser, who had been pushing hard throughout and got tangled up with Ruben Xaus for some time, found it impossible to keep his early pace and finished eight seconds from his team-mate. Shinichi Nakatomi secured a fine 11th place in the incident-strewn first race, then finished 16th in race two. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) followed up his qualifying place of 14th with a point for 15th place, while his team-mate Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) was involved in a three rider crash on lap two of race one and did not start race two, as he only had one machine at his disposal here. Noriyuki Haga (DNF and 1st, 6th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I was upset after race one because I was not expecting to lose the front at that point and I felt the bike was working OK. In the early laps of race two I was a bit worried because I had to use my second bike and I had to get my confidence back in the front. It was OK and when I understood that it was possible to win I pushed hard and didn't make any mistakes, which kept Bayliss behind me." Troy Corser (3rd and 5th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We got a podium in race one but we were lucky. We have struggled with grip, more on the rear and when we spin we don't seem to push. It's OK for the tyre to spin but it didn't have any forward momentum coming off the corners. It feels like I am trying to ride the bike too hard yet not getting the optimum results we want." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We got two podiums this weekend and despite having some troubles in practice and qualifying those are two reasons why our optimism yesterday was deserved. Even if Nori fell in race one, I think in the end we can be very positive about his race two performance." Martial Garcia (Team Manager Team YZF Yamaha) "I was happy with the first race because Nakatomi was only 19 seconds behind the winner and that's progress. We are definitely getting closer to the performance of the top guys and we were only about one second per lap slower than Haga in race two." Christophe Guyot (Team Manager Yamaha GMT94 Team) "We had to stop Sebastien from riding in race two because we only had one bike for him this weekend and the Le Mans 24 hours is coming up soon, so we had to prioritise that. Davide scored a point at home so we are all happy for that." Round 3: Valencia, Spain Track length: 4005m Opened: 1999 Fastest Superbike lap: 1:33.805 (Max Neukirchner, Suzuki) Lap record: 1'35.007 (Neil Hodgson, Ducati) Last year's winners: Ruben Xaus (Ducati) and James Toseland (Honda) Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 37'1.894 2, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'2.987 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'7.287 4, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'11.992 5, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'12.824 6, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'13.125 7, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'13.191 8, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'13.906 9, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'17.254 10, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'18.606 11, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'19.858 12, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'23.350 13, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'23.577 14, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'24.082 15, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'26.611 16, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'41.168 17, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'44.405 18, Luca Morelli, Honda, ITA, 0'57.045 Race 2 - 23 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 37'3.590 2, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'1.551 3, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'2.903 4, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'7.277 5, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'8.051 6, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'9.223 7, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'10.164 8, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'10.614 9, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'17.234 10, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'18.100 11, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'18.288 12, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'18.826 13, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'21.770 14, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'22.872 15, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'25.224 16, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'25.224 17, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'25.509 18, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'25.615 19, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'26.503 20, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'35.171 21, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'53.240 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 1'35.131 Rider Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 128 2, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 80 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 72 4, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 72 5, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 68 6, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 47 7, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 44 8, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 42 9, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 39 10, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 37 11, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 32 12, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 30 13, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 22 14, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 20 15, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 18 21, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 7 22, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 5 23, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 140 2, Yamaha, 95 3, Suzuki, 86 4, Honda, 73 5, Kawasaki, 22 ---------- RACE REPORT - 06/04/2008 Foret second at Valencia and Parkes second on points Fabien Foret secured a battling second place for the Yamaha World Supersport Team at Valencia today in a delayed race at the 4.005km circuit in Spain. In addition to Foret's podium, which looked unlikely after he suffered a big crash and slight concussion on Friday, his team-mate Broc Parkes went second in the championship overall by taking fourth place after a solid race. Although neither rider felt that they had the perfect set up to maximise grip on the ever-changing Valencia circuit, each was able to secure important points on yet another day when many of the pre-season favourites made no scores. Foret had Craig Jones for company close behind for much of the 23-lap race that started 40 minutes later than schedule to allow for track repairs from an earlier Superbike crash. Broc Parkes was in line for a podium finish for most of the race and set the race's fastest lap until he was forced to slow because of a reduction in front tyre grip. In the championship, after three rounds, Parkes takes second position with a total of 38 points, while Foret is now third overall, on 33. Despite being 18th on lap one starting from 7th position, Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) was seventh in the race today. He was looking to charge into the top five for some time but had to settle for seventh due to a lack of front tyre grip. Yamaha Spain rider David Salom finished 16th and just out of the points. Fabien Foret (Positon: 2nd - Time: +0'1.125 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I was much better physically today, just a little tense because I knew that I really could not crash and lose points, especially after a no-score in Qatar in round one. I didn't make a great start off the line but in the first couple of corners I just went around some other riders and soon I was about fifth or sixth. I was able to put together a good race and hold off Craig Jones, who pushed me very hard. In the championship we have taken some good points but I could really do nothing about winning the race today." Broc Parkes (Positon: 4th - Time: +0'10.514 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "Although fourth is not a bad result, today wasn't my day. I chose the wrong front tyre and that was a big problem in the middle of the race because I had no front grip. I tried to bring it home on the podium but even on the rear I didn't feel I had the perfect set-up. I tried to go with the guys in second and third but I had to settle for fourth, because I didn't have the pace. I saw a lot guys who chose the same front tyre as me go down and I can understand why. I'm second in the championship anyway, so that is a good confidence booster for us all." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "It was a bit of a hot race here and it was really important not to crash as a lot of people went off without any warning. You can lose a lot here and I think we won a lot, because of what we did and because of some other guys falling. Our riders did well to wait and see what was happening, that was our target for the first five or six laps. Second and third in the championship is a good finish to our race weekend." Massimo Roccoli (Position: 7th - Time: +0'19.636 - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I had a terrible start but I made up a lot of places very quickly. About half way through the race my front tyre was finished so I had to slow down and lost any more chance I had of a better finish." Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 37'58.607 2, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 0'1.125 3, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 0'1.530 4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 0'10.514 5, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'17.492 6, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 0'17.602 7, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'19.636 8, Angel Rodriguez, Kawasaki, ESP, 0'19.694 9, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'25.230 10, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 0'25.702 11, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'32.370 12, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'33.370 13, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'34.706 14, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 0'39.956 15, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 0'40.227 16, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'40.357 17, William De Angelis, Honda, ITA, 0'41.411 18, Arnaud Vincent, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'53.810 19, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 0'56.968 20, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'59.575 21, Gergo Talmacsi, Honda, HUN, 1'13.069 22, Luka Nedog, Honda, SVN, 1'27.385 23, Attila Magda, Honda, HUN, 1'29.031 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 1'37.590 Rider Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 54 2, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 38 3, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 33 4, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 33 5, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 32 6, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 25 7, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 25 8, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 21 9, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 18 10, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 17 11, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 16 12, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 16 13, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 14 14, Garry McCoy, Triumph, AUS, 10 15, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 10 19, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 8 Manufacturer Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 70 2, Yamaha, 58 3, Triumph, 20 4, Kawasaki, 17 5, Suzuki, 10 ---------- RACE REPORT - 06/04/2008 Corti fifth after 13-Lap thriller Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team rider Claudio Corti scored a strong fifth in the first race of the 2008 season, after an exciting three rider fight for the last podium place that lit up the final few laps of the race. Corti, now also a test rider for the Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team, took his near-stock Yamaha YZF-R1 to the limit in the final few turns, but in a contest that could have went any of three ways he finished just behind Xavier Simeon and Alessandro Polita. Sylvain Barrier riding for the YZF Yamaha Junior Team scored two point in his opening race, starting from 20th position and finshing in 14th. Claudio Corti (Position: 5th - Time: +0'7.680 - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "I'm satisfied with fifth place because it is a long season and my goal is the championship, not one race. We had some problems with the front fork settings and the bike felt a little sensitive on the straights sometimes. Third would have been possible but I was not helped after colliding with Simeon.It was a tight and great fight in the last few laps but unfortunately I could not finish third." Sylvain Barrier (Position: 14th - Time: +0'24.896 - YZF Yamaha Junior Team) "I had a good start and I was 12th in the early stages. I tried to have the same rhythm than my opponents but I had a difficult feeling with the tyres. I had some chattering on the back. I liked a lot to race with the other riders." Race 1 - 13 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 21'17.585 2, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 0'3.795 3, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'6.865 4, Alessandro Polita, Suzuki, ITA, 0'7.272 5, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 0'7.680 6, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 0'11.646 7, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 0'13.281 8, C Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 0'17.294 9, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 0'17.487 10, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'18.254 11, Fabrizio Perotti, Suzuki, ITA, 0'19.910 12, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'24.142 13, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'24.451 14, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 0'24.896 15, Yoann Tiberio, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'24.934 16, Raymond Schouten, Yamaha, NED, 0'25.955 17, Matteo Baiocco, Yamaha, ITA, 0'27.450 18, Filip Backlund, Suzuki, SWE, 0'31.520 21, Danny De Boer, Suzuki, NED, 0'36.987 22, Matt Bond, Suzuki, GBR, 0'41.607 24, Marko Rohtlaan, Honda, EST, 0'42.871 25, Marko Jerman, Yamaha, SVK, 0'45.216 26, Denis Sacchetti, MV Agusta, ITA, 0'51.360 33, Robert Gianfardoni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'16.455 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 1'36.610 Rider Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 25 2, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 16 3, Alessandro Polita, Suzuki, ITA, 13 4, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 11 5, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 10 6, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 7 7, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 4 8, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 2 Manufacturer Standings 06/04/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 25 2, Suzuki, 16 3, Yamaha, 11 4, Honda, 7
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Fiery launch for Yamaha Monster Motocross Team

The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team will be hoping to strike extra fear into their FIM Motocross World Championship rivals in 2008 thanks to a new alliance with Monster Energy drinks. The factory-backed Grand Prix squad – now entitled ‘Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’ thanks to the title sponsorship - will benefit from a high-profile three year joint programme with one of the new powerful movers in motorcycle racing for their attempt on the MX1-GP title. On the eve of the first Grand Prix of fifteen in the 2008 MX1-GP World Championship the heart of the press corps headed north of Valkenswaard – location of the Eurocircuit, venue of the GP of the Netherlands – to see Philippaerts, Coppins and key personnel from Yamaha Motor Europe and Monster Energy present the new all-black factory YZ450FMs for the imminent season. After the beach demonstration that saw Philippaerts manfully steer a snowmobile for the first time and Coppins actually getting some air under his wheels on the ATV, the riders and team took the covers off the works machinery and then joined in a small Q+A before a dinner took place. Over forty journalists and photographers from Europe, USA and Japan gathered to witness proceedings. “For six years we have been pushing hard for titles with a lot of success, and as this is the first time that we will be wanting our red plate back everyone is more motivated than ever this season,” said Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “In Josh Coppins we have a strong and fast rider who came so close to our fourth championship in four years last season and with David we have some new young blood that we hope will be capable of some very good results. We will be on the attack in the premier-class in 2008. I would also like to extend a deep welcome to Monster Energy and we look forward to a prosperous relationship together.” “Yamaha’s team in MX1-GP is one with a fantastic heritage and a record of results that we like to be associated with,” said Monster Energy spokesman Scott Sepkovic. “We have a strong belief in allying our product with motocross and supercross and this can be seen in our support of youth programmes right through to our top athletes. I want to wish Josh and David all the best for the coming season.” “The main difference you can see with the 2008 race machinery compared with 2007, is the colour,” joked Team Principal Michele Rinaldi, alluding to the departure of the Yamaha blue. “The bike has undergone some modifications to the chassis and suspension, we have gone from 50mm to 48 on the front end, and the engine has also had some work to the cylinder head, valve and exhaust among other things to improve the torque which gives more traction and stability. The noise limit has also been lowered from 96 to 94 decibels and this presented another technical challenge. As ever I am indebted to the work of the team and also our technical crew behind-the-scenes. We will see tomorrow the fruits of our work and hopefully even more so on Sunday afternoon.” “I did not think I could be hungrier than I was last season to win the championship,” said Josh Coppins who came through his outing on the ATV without any problems regarding his healing toes. “However it is obvious that I have some unfinished business from last season. This is the not best start I could have hoped for,” he added referring to the support cast on his right foot “but I will be out there and ready to get this year underway.” “The 2007 bike was already good but I feel the changes we have produced for this year have made it more user friendly - certainly for me - and it is good for your confidence to go to the gate with something you know is capable of delivering the goods,” the 31 year old commented on the 2008 YZ450FM. “It is great to be part of this team, especially for me being Italian; it is so easy to work with them and I feel very comfortable,” admitted Philippaerts, who makes his Grand Prix debut for the team over the weekend. “I think the good feeling I have has been obvious with some decent pre-season races. I am excited to start the season now and can’t wait for tomorrow.” The first day of practice and qualification at the Valkenswaard circuit takes place on Saturday before the two 35 minutes and 2 lap motos for the MX1-GP and MX2-GP classes commence on Sunday.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno