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Yamaha Racing News

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2008 Dakar rally cancelled amid safety concerns

The 2008 Dakar rally has been cancelled just one day before the 30th edition of the historic competition was due to start in Lisbon, Portugal. The late move was initiated over security concerns with at least eight of the fifteen stages passing through Mauritania in western Africa. An announcement issued by the event organisers A.S.O today stated that: “Based on the current international political tension and the murder of four French tourists last 24th of December linked to a branch of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, but also and mainly the direct threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organisations, no other decision but the cancellation of the sporting event could be taken by A.S.O.” “A.S.O.’s first responsibility is to guarantee the safety of all: that of the populations in the countries visited, of the amateur and professional competitors, of the technical assistance personnel, of the journalists, partners and rally collaborators.” 52 Yamaha riders from a list of more than 250 were set to take the start in Lisbon. A.S.O has vowed that the future of the rally is not at threat. “The Dakar is a symbol and nothing can destroy symbols. The cancellation of the 2008 edition does not endanger the future of the Dakar,” the statement also read.
Alex Asigno

Haga and Corser move forward at Phillip Island

Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) completed a tough but successful three day test at Phillip Island in conditions which varied from relatively cool to exceptionally hot, finding real improvements while using Yamaha’s YCC-I variable intake system in full race trim. Noriyuki Haga (Position: 6th – Best time: 1’32.4) “It’s gone very well. We spent the days testing new parts, the results are good so now I am just waiting for the race. I’ve tried new suspension, new swing arm linkages and many tyres and the variable inlet trumpets. Before coming to Phillip Island I tested the variable inlet trumpets for two days in Japan and the feeling is very good. We can see from the power curve that it is better and as a rider it gives me a better feeling. It gives us increased adjustment and for sure we will use this from now on.” Haga’s personal best time of 1’32.4 was only 0.3 seconds from the best over the three days of testing, while Corser set a 1’32.7, both concentrating their efforts on finding good race settings and tyre options in the constantly changing track conditions. Corser in particular found the surface uncharacteristically bumpy in places, and the final day of testing, run in ambient temperatures of 38°C at times, was hard work for all.
As well as successful trials of the YCC-I system, the team evaluated swingarm and linkage developments, with Corser also trying out new braking components. The very high temperatures of the final day are not expected to be experienced at the Phillip Island race itself, on 2 March. Troy Corser (Position: 7th – Best time: 1’32.7) “We’ve had a lot to test but we’ve seen a direction - some were good and some not so good. I’ve been working to improve the stability on the bike and we’ve also been trying some new discs to give us better braking. We’ve had a whole range of front forks, rear shocks and a different swing arm link and tyres to test. The actual one lap fast times on the final day didn’t really come but we gained a lot of data, a lot of feedback and have a good race speed. I only spent the final afternoon using the variable inlet but I’ve been able to feel a bit different power. I think we’ve still got a bit of work to do to find the best bike balance here but it’s definitely been a positive test.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We have to be happy with this test because we are better than last year and the year before and in particular over a race distance our speed is good. Still this circuit remains difficult for us because it offers not the grip level that makes are bike work perfect. It is difficult to say the difference between us and the competition, because we did our long run at around 12 noon, most others did theirs at a different time. We were happy with ours, especially the one from Noriyuki, so we are leaving Phillip Island feeling optimistic. Both riders used the variable intake system properly for the first time and both of them were very happy with it. It is a positive step and for sure we will use it at the first race in Qatar.” Circuit Length: 4.445km, Temp: First day 20°C, rising to last day 38°C Weather: Dry, sunny Parkes hot at home as Foret continues progress Broc Parkes left his home circuit of Phillip Island with the best lap time of the three day test in the Supersport category, while his new team-mate, Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport Team) also made great progress with the new Yamaha YZF-R6. Parkes set a blistering 1’34.6, some 0.4 seconds faster than his closest rivals, and easily inside the previous lap records. Foret found the set-up changes he needed to set his best of 1’35.2 on the very last day. It had been a tough test because of the every increasing temperature, and the fact that since the last test there, the track has become bumpy in places. A lot of effort was focused on finding suspension setting that worked effectively, as the previous test of the brand new machine was conducted on the smooth and flat circuit at Qatar, in late November. Broc Parkes (Position: 1st – Best time: 1’34.6) "It’s been a good test and we’ve been working really well. The engine, chassis and suspension is all working together, we’ve tried a lot of things and it seems that every direction we went in was a good one and we kept improving. The new bike is a big improvement especially the engine, it’s got more torque which makes it more user friendly and it’s also giving us better tyre life. All in all I’m really happy, at the Qatar test I was quickest and I’ve been fastest all three days here in Phillip Island so hopefully we can keep the momentum going until the first race.” Fabien Foret (Position: 4th – Best time: 1’35.2) "My test was much better on the final day and I did a few fast laps at the end, so I am a bit happier than I was on day one or two. I am still working on the feel and feedback from the front and because of the very hot conditions everyone seemed to be looking for grip. Turn one was very bumpy, but the grip was the biggest thing for me in the heat.” Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Coordinator - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "The test went OK even if the conditions changed each day and the track was quite bumpy in places compared to the experience we had at the Qatar tests. It was very smooth and flat there. It was 20°C on the first day, 30°C on the second and then 38°C today, so we have tested the new bike in every condition except rain. We had to work hard for three days to find the best suspension settings and we still have work to do to be exactly where we want to, but we still have the time and space to do that. We have been fast, so that is not an issue. We also did some successful long runs to choose tyres.” Circuit Length: 4.445km Temp: First day 20°C, rising to last day 38°C Weather: Dry, sunny Superbike times combined 1. Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Suzuki) 1’32.1 2. Troy Bayliss (AUS-Ducati) 1’32.2 3. Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1’32.3 4. Ruben Xaus (ESP-Ducati) 1’32.3 5. Fonsi Nieto (ESP-Suzuki) 1’32.3 6. Noriyuki Haga (JPN-Yamaha) 1’32.4 7. Troy Corser (AUS-Yamaha) 1’32.7 8. Max Biaggi (ITA-Ducati) 1’32.8 9. Regis Laconi (FRA-Kawasaki) 1’33.0 10. Makoto Tamada (JPN-Kawasaki) 1’33.4 11. Max Neukirchner (GER-Suzuki) 1’35.5 Supersport times combined 1. Broc Parkes (AUS-Yamaha) 1’34.6 2. Jonathan Rea (GBR-Honda) 1’35.0 3. Andrew Pitt (AUS-Honda) 1’35.0 4. Fabien Foret (FRA-Yamaha) 1’35.2 5. Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN-Kawasaki) 1’35.6 6. Chris Walker (GBR-Kawasaki) 1’35.7 7. Josh Brookes (AUS-Honda) 1’35.7 8. Garry McCoy (AUS-Triumph) 1’35.9 9. Robbin Harms (DEN-Honda) 1’36.4
Alex Asigno

Coppins eager to start pre-season work

Yamaha Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins is more determined than ever to see his FIM World Championship dreams come to fruition in 2008 after coming so desperately close last year. The 30 year old will shortly return from an active winter of training in his native New Zealand to embark on a busy pre-season spell of international races and tests before the first Grand Prix of fifteen in Holland on April 6th. “At the moment I am starting to work more on my riding and getting the hours on the bike but also keep up my physical training,” he said. “I leave New Zealand on the 28th of January and go straight to Italy where I will test my race bike. Then we have races at Mantova, Montevarchi , Valance and Hawkstone, all in a row. This year I will also work with Jacky Vimond (former 250cc World Champion). After this I will have three weeks off from racing and I will see what areas I need to work on; they may be speed, or the bike or fitness. I will do the first round of the Belgium championship the week before Valkenswaard and then we hit Grand Prix 1.” Coppins has been honing his physical condition since December in his town of Motueka, with some local race appearances – including domination of Supercross outings in Australia and New Zealand - thrown in for good measure. His gym and cardiovascular itineraries have seen an intense timetable of activities from cycling and riding to rock-climbing. “To be honest every year it gets better,” he said of his programme. “Every year we step-up the training and try to prepare better, but then so do my competitors! I did pretty much the same as the previous two years except I rode the motorbike a bit more and basically did more training than in the past. Last year we were struggling to do twenty hours a week, this year almost every week was well over that.”
 
The winner of five Grand Prix in his maiden season with the YZ450FM first had to let his broken shoulder heal. The injury meant that the Yamaha Motocross Team surrendered the MX1 crown they had owned since in 2004 and halted their phenomenal run of six titles. Coppins lead fourteen of fifteen rounds in 2007 until being forced to withdraw from the final race of the year. He insists that the ‘downtime’ he needed to recover from the break was a positive experience for his mental state approaching 2008. “I spent some time doing nothing at home waiting for my shoulder to heal,” he revealed. “In that time I thought about the highs and the lows of 2007, the good and the bad parts of my season and most of all how I could improve for ‘08. I have a bit of a different approach now, mostly mentally, I think I am a stronger person now.” In terms of his work with the Italian crew of YMT, Coppins also stresses that the 2008 version of his race motorcycle means he will be even more of a potent force come April. “The new 2008 bike is a really good and I am happy because Yamaha addressed the few little issues we have from last year,” he remarked. “I tested the new bike for two weeks before I left Europe at the end of ‘07. There are only small changes but mostly to the chassis. They have made a big difference and it is a nicer bike to race.” “There is not too much testing to do now as I am happy with how things are,” he continued. “We will try a few modifications that I have asked the team to try over the winter, but mostly it will just be getting time on the bike and getting comfortable again in Europe.”
Alex Asigno

Tech 3 make progress in mixed conditions at Phillip Island

Mixed weather conditions couldn’t stop Tech 3 Yamaha duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland from making good progress at the Phillip Island circuit today. The second morning was dominated by persistent rain showers, but typical of the fast changing conditions experienced at Phillip Island, the grey and gloomy skies gave way to sunny but blustery conditions by midafternoon. The day’s unpredictable weather gave Toseland his first taste of Yamaha’s YZR-M1 in full rain conditions, with the British rider gaining valuable experience and data in the wet. Toseland completed 21 laps to post a 1.43.719 for the 11th quickest time. Edwards was eighth quickest in the wet with a new Michelin front rain tyre helping him register a best lap of 1.42.547.
 
After spending over two hours waiting for scattered damp patches to dry out, by the time Edwards and Toseland returned to the track, the rain and lower track temperature significantly reduced grip levels. Toseland ended the day with the sixth fastest time, clocking a 1.31.451 in the last hour. Edwards was 10th fastest with a best time of 1.31.593. Forecasts for the final day tomorrow predict sunny conditions throughout, with only a 20 per cent chance of light rain showers. James Toseland 6th 1.31.451 – 55 laps “It was important to try the bike in the wet for the first time and I got to grips with it quickly. Luckily I did a lot of wet tyre testing for Michelin last year at the Suzuka Eight-hour. I had five days of testing and three-and-a-half days were completely wet and I got a bit of time on the Michelin wets so I got a pretty good feeling pretty quickly. The electronics work very well and I had a lot of grip. The track was really dirty once it had dried. I don’t know whether the rain brought some sand with it but the track was really slippery. I went out and couldn’t break a 1.35 and it was completely dry. I got back down to some decent times but the conditions were still not as good as yesterday. There was just no drive grip exiting corners, so it was more difficult to make a lap time. Quite slow corners lead onto the fast straight sections on this track and if you can’t get good grip on the exit, you can’t carry momentum on the straight and that can cost a lot of time. It also got quite windy in the afternoon and that makes it difficult as well. I got some good experience of riding in the rain, and but hopefully it will be dry tomorrow so I can try a full race simulation.” Colin Edwards 10th 1.31.593 “It was a difficult day with the weather but we still managed to take something positive out of it. I tried a new front rain tyre from Michelin that I was asking about and they produced one out of the back of the truck and I was really happy with it. Michelin seem to have really taken steps forward with slick and wet tyres. The tyre was different to what I had in the wet last season and it felt more natural for my style. The electronics in the rain are so much better too. The bike is easier to ride. I came in after the first run and gave my electronics guys a hug because I was so happy with it. I liked the ’08 chassis in the rain too. It gives me a lot of confidence and I can understand more what’s going on with the front tyre. This afternoon the track was slippery as hell. I tried a few tyres from Michelin but it was hard to gauge with the track being so greasy. At the end of the day I think we have learned something for Michelin and Yamaha and that’s the key.” Results: 1. Stoner, Ducati Marlboro - 1'29.938 (45) 2. De Angelis, Honda Gresini - 1'30.449 (54) 3. Dovizioso, JiR Team Scot - 1'31.074 (60) 4. Nakano, Honda Gresini - 1'31.316 (74) 5. Haydon, Repsol Honda Team - 1'31.373 (72) 6. Toseland, Yamaha Tech3 - 1'31.451 (55) 7. Melandri, Ducati Marlboro - 1'31.478 (80) 8. Capirossi, Rizla Suzuki - 1'31.545 (62) 9. De Puniet, LCR Honda - 1'31.575 (72) 10. Edwards, Yamaha Tech3 - 1'31.593 (44) 11. Vermeulen, Rizla Suzuki - 1'31.774 (50) 12. West, Kawasaki Racing - 1'32.242 (75) 13. Elias, Alice Team - 1'32.246 (59) 14. Guintoli, Alice Team - 1'32.431 (64)
Alex Asigno

World’s fastest female motocrosser joins Yamaha for 2008

Yamaha Motor Europe (YME) is very pleased to announce a new partnership with current FIM Motocross Women’s World Cup winner Katherine Prumm.The 19 year old New Zealander will steer a YZ250F for 2008 and strive to add the very first FIM female world championship to the two World cup titles she claimed in 2006 and 2007. Prumm’s union with Yamaha four months ahead of the inaugural FIM endorsed championship is a major coup as the women’s competition will enjoy top billing alongside the MX1 and MX2 world series and embark on a five round schedule as part of the 2008 Grand Prix campaign. The Kiwi will work from the Dutch Van Beers Yamaha set-up in the paddock, alongside Aigar Leok (MX1) and Evgeny Bobryshev (MX2), using YRRD (Yamaha Rinaldi Research and Development) parts on her number one plated YZ250F. With her victories in Europe, (two from two rounds in 2006 and two from three outings in 2007) numerous female Australasian titles, and several female AMA wins on the other side of the Atlantic, Prumm is presently one of the leading figures in Women’s motocross.
“The move to Yamaha is really exciting for me,” said the reigning champ. “It will be a whole new bike and new team and I am really looking forward to being part of the Yamaha environment. Yamaha is behind me 100% and I feel that they can give me the best chance of success in 2008.” “I cannot wait for the upcoming season and the FIM Women’s World Championship where I will try for my third title on my new Van Beers YZ250F,” she added. “At the end of the year I will also compete in the Men’s New Zealand Motocross Championship under the MXDK Subway Yamaha team banner and my goal is a top ten finish in the Men’s MX2 class after having attained a 12th place in 2007. I will also be going for my fourth New Zealand Women’s championship. For my activities back home I am officially supported by Yamaha Motor Australia and Yamaha Motor New Zealand.” “Yamaha is happy to see that the number of women riding and racing our machines is growing along with their interest and participation in off-road motorsport,” commented YME Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “The upgrade of the FIM Women’s World Cup to a World Championship is a good example of how the sport is progressing and we are very much looking forward to competing in this new class with Katherine as well as promoting women and motorcycling in general.” The Women’s World Championship was officially sanctioned towards the end of 2007 after the World Cup had seen growing entry lists in its three year existence and an increasing level of interest from female competitors across the globe. The series now has the recognition it deserves and is no longer merely a sideshow to the MX1 and MX2 motos. The 2008 calendar will see the ladies in action in Bulgaria, Italy, France, Germany and Holland. The first event will be at the Sevlievo circuit for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria on May 11th. Katherine Prumm Date of Birth: 04/06/1988 Place of Birth: Johannesburg, South Africa Residence: Auckland, New Zealand Nationality: New Zealand Height: 172cm Weight: 66kg Hobbies: Cycling, running, Graphic design, spending time with friends and family Career Highlights 2007: FIM Women’s World Cup winner, AMA WMA Women’s Cup winner, Australian Champion 2006: FIM Women’s World Cup winner, winner of two WMA (USA) rounds 2005: FIM Women’s World Cup runner-up, Oceania Champion, Australian Champion, NZ Champion 2004: New Zealand Women’s Champion senior and junior classes
Alex Asigno

James Toseland third as Tech 3 Yamaha finish on high note

James Toseland produced arguably the most outstanding performance on the final day of testing in Phillip Island today as the Tech 3 Yamaha team successfully concluded the long haul phase of its pre-season testing campaign. Making only his fourth appearance for the Tech 3 Yamaha team, Toseland took full advantage of his vast Phillip Island track knowledge to finish with the third fastest time of 1.29.754. His best was set on a Michelin qualifying tyre, with only world champions Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden lapping faster on the final afternoon. Toseland was one of only five riders to break the 1.30 barrier over the three days. Toseland also gained more crucial experience by completing his first full race simulation on board the 2008 Yamaha YZR-M1. He lapped consistently in the 1.31 bracket during his 27-lap run, as he assessed new front and rear suspension settings and a revised electronics set-up in full race conditions. His best lap on race tyres today was a 1.31.012.
American Edwards was fifth quickest today, also using a Michelin qualifying tyre to set his best time of 1.29.795 in sunny but windy conditions at the 4.445km circuit. Experimenting with chassis set-up to try and improve rear grip, Edwards was satisfied enough with progress to stop just before 2pm having completed a distance run of 20 laps. Just five days of testing remain for Toseland and Edwards in Jerez and Qatar, before the new season’s spectacular start under floodlights in Doha on March 9. James Toseland 3rd 1.29.754 – 89 laps “I’m really happy. I was always looking forward to coming here with my track knowledge and its nice to see the difference where I stand in the order with that experience. To be at the sharp end of the times and see my name up there has put a bigger smile on my face. Knowing the track I can be on the same line each lap and that’s helped me relay my feedback on the bike a lot more precisely to my team. On other tracks I’ve been finding my way round as well as trying to make a lap time. I was happy with my pace in the race simulation but those extra five or six laps over what I’ve been used to in superbike were a bit strange. My body just isn’t used to that distance but I felt good and wasn’t too tired at the end. It is all good experience and its all coming together nicely. I will sleep well tonight on the plane after this performance. Even one of my mechanics said that it is so good to see an English rider at that end of the timesheets rather than at the other end. And the best thing is I can only get faster and stronger. I’m still waiting for some new parts from Yamaha, so there is still plenty of room for improvement, also from Michelin. Everybody is working hard and I’m riding on a wave at the moment.” Colin Edwards 5th 1.29.795 – 56 laps “I did a long run to give Michelin some information to see what the tyres could handle. The 20 laps I did I was 20 seconds faster than in the race last year which is positive. This track is a little bit strange because you spend so much time on the side of the tyre trying to build up speed. And that’s where Michelin needs to concentrate their efforts so we can generate a little bit of speed. But I’m more motivated than ever because I can see my team and Yamaha working, but to see Michelin put in the same effort and work just as hard adds a lot of motivation. Everybody is working equally hard with me and for me. These guys are putting in the hard days at the moment and I’m really happy with my team. After these six days of testing in Sepang and Phillip Island I’m excited and I’m really looking forward to the first race in Qatar.”
Alex Asigno

Fantastic 1-2 results at first 2008 race for Yamaha Motocross Team

The 25th edition of the Starcross International at Mantova in Italy kick-started the 2008 European motocross calendar last weekend and it was a positive meeting for the Yamaha Motocross Team as David Philippaerts took his first overall victory on the YZ450FM and Josh Coppins filled second position. The inaugural race of the year saw factory representation from all the manufacturers and a large quota of world championship riders line the gate. Across the three 20 minute and 2 lap motos on the rough and hard-pack sandy Italian terrain, Philippaerts rode strongly and did not drop out of the top three to post finishes of 2nd, 1st and 3rd. Coppins suffered from a spill in Saturday’s qualification heat that left the New Zealander with a sore shoulder. The 30 year old slipped off again on a chaotic first lap of the opening sprint but recovered to obtain a set of 7th, 4th and 4th positions. Philippaerts was a convincing winner in Moto2 and should have perhaps won the first race also if he did not need to briefly slow while in second place to sort out a brake concern. In the final outing he was unable to chase Jonathan Barragan but the Spaniard had mechanical trouble early in race two and was physically fresher than his peers. The team were testing for two days this week prior to their first competitive appearance of 2008 and will be clocking up kilometres again on the YZ450FM in the days after Mantova. The new Kayaba suspension units have had a benefit, and the improvement in the front end feeling of the chassis - helping the bike turn quicker - has been met with all-round approval from both riders.
Aside from the motos, that took place under bright sunshine but in modest temperatures, spectators were also treated to the ‘One-on-One’ contest in which selected riders from each class fought over one lap. Coppins was particularly sharp with his starts and won three face-offs (including a defeat of 2007 title rival Steve Ramon) to reach the final against 2007 pole position specialist Tanel Leok. Only a brave move from the Estonian through the triple on the second part of the lap prevented Coppins from walking away triumphant from this particular novelty, unique to the Starcross meeting. In the MX2 category Martin Barr was Yamaha’s top performer with a decent seventh place overall. Manuel Monni was also in the top ten with ninth position. Yamaha Motocross Team will be action again next week with the first round of the Italian championship taking place at the Montevarchi circuit. Yamaha Red Bull De Carli rider Antonio Cairoli was present as a spectator in Mantova and will join his team-mates Matteo Bonini and Alessandro Lupino at Montevarchi as the Italian squad open their account for 2008. David Philippaerts, 1st position: “This is a good start to the year and I am very happy for the team and everybody. The bike was really good today. It is very fast, maybe too fast for me at the moment! In the first race I had a small problem with the brake and had to stop quickly but my riding was good after that and I had some nice lines. In the second I was determined to win and passed many riders in the first corners. It was quite easy in the end. Barragan was fast in the last race but because he had a problem earlier he might have been fresher than the rest of us. We still have some time before the first Grand Prix and we are going in the right direction; my condition is getting stronger and the bike feels better each week. I am especially pleased with my starts today.” Josh Coppins, 2nd position: “I am happy it is all over as I don’t really like this track and I crashed on Saturday and hurt my shoulder. It was a tough weekend. I got to the last round of the ‘One on One’ but Leok just got by me on the triple. In the first moto I went down on the first lap and did pretty well to come back to 7th from 15th or 20th; something like that. I fought hard and my shoulder was tight afterwards. The second race was going OK and I moved past Pourcel for third at the end but unfortunately I got caught up with a lapped rider and that pushed me back. In the last I felt the pace with my shoulder. Overall there were too many mistakes and having two crashes was not good. However, we are on the podium so it was not a waste. We also rode the bike for the first time this week and I am pleased with what we have so far.” Mino Raspanti, Team co-ordinator: “I am really happy for the riders. The results were not really important this weekend but it was still good to do well and take the momentum we had from testing onto the race track. We had made some changes to the bike but the practice track is always different to the races where everything is much rougher and quicker. We have started our programme now and can begin counting down to the first Grand Prix."
Alex Asigno

Third straight AMA-SX sweep for Yamaha

Yamaha owned the top steps of the podiums in both the AMA Supercross and Lites West Coast classes last Saturday in San Diego. Chad Reed clinched his fourth victory in succession on the San Manuel YZ450F, and fifth from the six rounds of seventeen held so far. Jason Law steered the Yamaha of Troy YZ250F to his third win on the trot and of his career. In front of more than 64,000 fans in the Qualcomm stadium Reed edged his lead in the standings of the AMA series (also an FIM World Championship) to 35 points while Lawrence leapt to the top of the Lites table for the first time and has a margin of 2 points over Ryan Dungey. Australian Reed continued Yamaha's splendid record in San Diego, notching the 12th win for Yamaha in a history that stretches back to Mike Bell's first success in 1980. It was Reed's fifth personal triumph in the southern Californian city and forged a landmark 100% ratio for the racer across the state. The 25 year old took part in an entertaining 20 lap main event with Honda's Davi Millsaps. The pair traded the lead in the opening circulations before Reed assumed control for nine laps but then he slipped off the Yamaha and handed the initiative back to Millsaps. Showing calmness and determination Reed reeled off a steady four laps to draw the American back to his front wheel and regained the advantage with only a few minutes of the race remaining.
"I was horrible all day, and I'm so happy to get this win," said the rider who now has 31 victories - just one of three riders to have accumulated more than 30 in the history of the sport. "I got out front, and Davi passed me back, and I knew I needed to get in behind him and let the race deepen for a few laps, and then try and make a pass and a break. I got a pretty decent gap, and then I just lost concentration and lost it. But I'm pumped to get another win in San Diego, and to win all of the rounds in California - I don't think anyone else has ever done that before." Millsaps was also passed by Tim Ferry before the chequered flag. Reed's advantage in the championship over Kevin Windham (fifth position in San Diego) means that the 2004 champion can even afford to miss a race and still hold control. Yamaha factory team's Josh Hill was sixth in the main event. AMA Motocross Champion Grant Langston was out of action with an eye complaint while the third member of the crew, Broc Hepler, is expected to be out of the Lites series for six weeks after breaking his hand last weekend in Los Angeles. The growing confidence and form of Jason Lawrence hit a peak in San Diego when the 20 year old hole-shotted and led all fifteen laps of the main event on his YZ250F, seizing control of the series from Ryan Dungey in the process, who had previously headed the championship since the opening race. "I had the 18th gate pick and I was way out here on the outside, but I got to the first turn first, somehow. I don't know how. I was amazed to see a clear track. From there on I was just trying to be smart and not crash," he said. "I was trying to keep tabs on Dungey and he actually crashed again. That's the third race in a row that he's cracked under some pressure, so we have two more races, and I'm up by two points - I'm just trying to win the title." Round seven takes place next weekend in the Reliant stadium as the AMA/FIM competition travels east to Houston. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 17'0.000 2, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'2.300 3, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'4.100 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'5.800 5, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'9.600 6, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'19.200 7, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0'25.500 8, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 0'30.000 9, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 0'38.500 10, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, 0'49.000 11, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, 0'52.600 12, Kevin W. Johnson, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 13, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Travis Preston, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Jeff Alessi, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 17, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Josh Hansen, Yamaha, USA, -2 Laps 19, Gregory Crater, Honda, USA, -3 Laps 20, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, -19 Laps Rider Standings 09/02/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 147 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 112 3, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 99 4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 85 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 85 6, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 70 7, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69 8, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 65 9, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 64 10, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 53 11, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 49 12, James Stewart, Kawasaki, USA, 47 13, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 43 14, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 39 15, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 Manufacturer Standings 09/02/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 147 2, Kawasaki, 122 3, Honda, 120 4, Suzuki, 83 5, KTM, 65
Alex Asigno

New Era Dawns for Yamaha World Supersport Team

The 2008 World Supersport Championship season will witness a rejuvenated official Yamaha presence through all 14 rounds of the series, with long time Yamaha servant Broc Parkes now joined by 2002 World Champion Fabien Foret (both Yamaha World Supersport Team). The experienced squad now enters the fray equipped with a freshly sharpened Yamaha YZF-R6 under its expert care. Both Parkes and Foret won World Supersport Championship races last year, and their most important priority is to see who can be first to give the comprehensively re-designed YZF-R6 its first World Championship race win of the 2008 season. After two intense winter test sessions, one in Qatar and one in Australia, the team faces one last two-day try-out this week in Qatar before the season starts for real. Parkes was fastest rider in each of the two previous tests, with Foret close behind, easing himself into the groove after rejoining Yamaha from another manufacturer. In line with the Supersport Championship’s largely production based regulations, the team has now elected to run with a production-derived blue livery in 2008; a classic colour scheme, instantly recognisable on many Yamaha competition machines of the recent past, and one which will become even more closely linked with Yamaha in the future. As well as a new model to work with the team have instigated many changes in technical partners this season, with the overall effort coming under the control of Team Manager Wilco Zeelenberg. Wilco, himself a proven WSS race winner for Yamaha during an illustrious riding career, took over the reins of team management with only a couple of rounds remaining in 2007, and he now starts his first full season in charge of the Yamaha World Supersport Team.
The 2007 campaign featured many high points for the official Yamaha entry, but injury to Parkes in the early season held back his push for ultimate championship glory. A continuous programme of improvement to the previous model of YZF-R6 allowed Parkes to score two race wins among his five podium finishes, with another pair of maximum points scores going to temporary stand-in Yamaha World Supersport Team rider Anthony West. Parkes earned second in the championship overall, with Foret third on points. The Germany-based team has been hard at work recently getting their latest machines ready to be shipped out for the final shakedown test, on 12 and 13 February, before the first points become available at round one in Qatar, on 23 February. Broc Parkes - Yamaha World Supersport Team “This is the happiest I’ve ever been starting a season and the best thing is the new organisation of the team. All the new equipment and the way we are using it has allowed us to be fastest in the Qatar test over three days, and then fastest at Phillip Island over three days. I have the best set-up I have ever had. I don’t want to be too confident right now but so far it's all been very good. I have been working hard over the winter back home in Australia, with a personal trainer; to make sure I am as fit as I can be. After a couple more days of preparation in Qatar, we will be ready for the first round.” Fabien Foret - Yamaha World Supersport Team “I think I once more have a bike which is capable of winning races and hopefully the championship. I am not putting any pressure on myself but I know I have everything to do a really good job. We have one more test before the first race to try to set-up the bike as well as possible for my style. We have two races in quick succession so it is important to be ready for not just Qatar but Phillip Island also. We have spent most of our testing time making the whole package work for race distance. I want to be consistently fast not just really fast for one lap, and I have been happy with how consistent our pace can be over a lot of laps on race tyres. I feel that I need the two days of track time at Losail to help me finalise my front-end set-up, but I am also just looking forward to going racing again afterwards. I think it is fair to say I am more of a racer than a single lap qualifier. I just try to get comfortable on the bike and I love the pressure of the race. I love to fight!” Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager Yamaha World Supersport Team “We have signed the two riders who finished second and third in the championship last year - and the clear aim this year is to win the world title back for Yamaha. The riders are both very strong and we are aiming for more consistency in our performances. The new bike has a lot to do with that. The 2008 YZF-R6 has many changes compared to the 2007 machine, even if it may look quite similar from the outside. One big difference is the chassis and the swingarm, giving us a significant step up in overall handling, particular in corner entry. The 2008 roadbike YZF-R6 arrived quite early from Japan so the guys have been able to do a lot of engine development already, and concentrate their efforts on the YCC-I system – the variable air intake. That has been another area where we have seen real progress in a short time, improving in particular performance in the mid-range. I think we are in a good position to start the year, and now we just need the two-day test in Qatar to finalise everything. “For the 2008 season we have full support directly from Öhlins and we’re very confident that this will bring us valuable benefits. The full race suspension package that they have provided to us for the two tests gave the riders a much better front end feel compared to the 2007 package. We also changed the brake supplier to Brembo, which Broc started using during the middle of the season last year. There are a lot of other detail improvements that add up to a much more race-ready machine from the start.”
Alex Asigno

Corser Takes Race One Podium to Add to Superpole Win

Troy Corser had mixed fortunes on raceday at Losail, taking a fine third in race one but slipping backwards in race two to finish seventh as his tyres lost grip at half race distance. His team-mate Noriyuki Haga recovered from a crash in race one to secure an eventual 14th, and he was also in a leading position for much of race two, before the same lack of traction experienced by Corser made him drop through the field. He ended up 13th. Corser, the Superpole winner yesterday, was in sparkling early form in each race, looking set for a double podium finish at least. Haga 's race one crash came after Max Biaggi made a strong pass on the Japanese rider, and forced him wide, off the ideal racing line. Haga had set the best lap of the race in the first 18-lap contest, with a 1'59.217, before the lap record was broken in race two, by race winner Fonsi Nieto. Troy Bayliss won the first race, from Max Biaggi. Corser now leaves the Losail circuit fifth in the championship chase, on 25 points, with Haga 14th on five points. Troy Corser (3rd and 7th - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) "We made a tyre change between race one and race two just to be on the same tyres as everyone else. But it wasn't better it was worse. There was just no grip after a while and you can't race when you can't push hard. I'm really disappointed after getting Superpole yesterday, and it was obvious we had the speed to be competitive. That's about all I can say." Noriyuki Haga (14th and 13th - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) "Not such a great day after we started so well in each race. In the first race Biaggi took my front tyre and what can I say, it was a mistake. In race two I was following Troy and saving my time until the end but after nine laps I had chatter from the rear, then more the next lap, then it started moving, then there was no grip and I could not push any more. My wrist is sore so I have to rest that before the next race." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "This morning we made a choice of harder tyres, and this afternoon we went to the softer tyres of the other riders. Troy said that the traction was not enough in race one, so we decided to go with the ones that gave more performance. After ten laps, they were gone." Shinichi Nakatomi (21st and DNF - Team YZF Yamaha) "There was nothing I could do in race one because the tyre choice didn't give me any drive. In race two it started OK but then I was forced off the track. Disappointing but it is a strange circuit here." Martial Garcia(Team Manager, Team YZF Yamaha) "We were only in 21st position in race one because Shinichi chose a C tyre, the same as many riders, but it didn't have enough grip. In the second race somebody crashed in front of him and went into to gravel and rejoined after 30 seconds had passed. He carried on to test the tyre but when the grip dropped down he pulled in." Round 01 Losail, Qatar Track length: 5.380m Opened: 2004 Fastest Superbike lap: 1:58.053 (Troy Corser, Yamaha) Lap record: 1'59.156 (Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki) Last year's winners: Max Biaggi (Suzuki) and James Toseland (Honda) Ambient temperature: 24 degrees Weather: dry, sunny Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 36'11.468 2, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'0.396 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'1.878 4, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'4.487 5, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'7.505 6, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'9.639 7, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'9.725 8, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'19.537 9, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'23.156 10, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'24.429 11, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'27.595 12, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'27.979 13, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'28.237 14, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'30.205 15, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'31.882 16, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'32.067 17, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'40.745 18, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'41.280 19, Vittorio Iannuzzo, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'41.333 20, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'41.743 21, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'43.183 22, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'43.569 23, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'43.892 24, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'50.380 25, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'12.884 Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 36'12.963 2, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'0.301 3, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'1.321 4, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'6.452 5, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'7.627 6, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'9.117 7, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'10.806 8, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'11.661 9, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'13.269 10, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'14.563 11, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'15.953 12, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'16.748 13, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'18.356 14, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'26.311 15, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'26.560 16, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'26.683 17, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'26.821 18, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'28.650 19, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'33.150 20, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'36.656 21, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'42.633 22, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 0'55.352 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 1'59.156 Rider Standings 23/02/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 38 2, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 36 3, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 34 4, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 33 5, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 25 6, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 19 7, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 18 8, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 15 9, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 13 10, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 10 11, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 10 12, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 8 13, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 6 14, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 5 15, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 5 Manufacturer Standings 23/02/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 45 2, Suzuki, 36 3, Yamaha, 25 4, Honda, 16 5, Kawasaki, 5 ---------- RACE REPORT - 23/02/2008 Parkes Wins On new YZF-R6 As Foret Is Forced Out Broc Parkes scored a win on the 2008 Yamaha YZF-R6 first time out in World Supersport Championship, in a dramatic race that seemed almost certain to go the way of his team-mate Fabien Foret until the very last lap. Foret and Parkes had been looking for a one-two finish almost throughout, with Foret looking all set to win the 18-lap race, until he ran out of fuel on the very last lap. At that time he was leading by over two seconds from Joan Lascorz, Parkes and Craig Jones. Foret and the new Yamaha leave the circuit with the new lap record to their credit, a 2'02.626, set on lap nine. Unable to cross the finish line, Foret was not classified with a finish, but Parkes redoubled his efforts on a tense last lap to re-pass Lascorz on the home straight, and gain maximum points in round one. He now heads off to his home race at Phillip Island next week as the championship leader, on 25 points. David Salom continued his good form in qualifying through to raceday, earning a strong eighth place after a race-long fight with two other riders. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) retired on lap one with a clutch problem. Broc Parkes (1st - 37'05.271 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "A good result for our side of the garage and the new YZF-R6 because at the end I was struggling a little bit for grip and when I saw Fabien go our I knew it was up to me to win so I pushed on anyway. I had a few front end slides on the last lap just because I was trying so hard, even though the tyres were good all race. I could still push them that hard at the end of the race and on the last corner I got into the slipstream and used the power of my Yamaha to get Lascorz over the line. It was a great win for me and we have struggled sometimes this weekend, but we got this season off to a good start. " Fabien Foret (DNF - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "It was really disappointing to be out of the race in such a fashion, especially as we had done so well all through practice, qualifying and the race itself. It was just fuel running out, not the bike, but it is still hard for the team and myself to take." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "It looked like two good results for almost all the race but bad luck for Fabien at the end. We filled the tanks completely before the race, that is sure, and our calculations showed we would have a safe amount of fuel left at the end of the race, obviously we used more. I am really happy for Broc to take the win and it is a relief after Fabien's misfortune. The season is long and we have two guys who can fight for the championship, but only one was able to get the result today. We won first time with an all new bike so we are happy, but we obviously have mixed feelings." Laurens Klein Koerkamp - YME Racing Division Manager "The story of raceday is clear - the bike was nearly perfect, the riders were nearly perfect, qualifying had been great and we just had some bad luck for Fabien at the end. It's a great result for Broc to win, especially in the first race for the new Yamaha YZF-R6, showing that the new roadbike technology works on the track as well." David Salom (8th - +17.888 seconds - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "Not a bad race but my I didn't started very well and I could not make up the time in the first few laps. It was too late to go any higher than my group of riders, but it took us eight or nine races last year to reach the level that we have started this season at." Round 01 Losail, Qatar Track length: 5380m Opened: 2004 Fastest Supersport lap: 2:01.928 Fabien Foret (Yamaha) Lap record: 2:02.949 Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) Last year's winner: Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 37'5.271 2, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'0.048 3, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 0'0.755 4, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'9.502 5, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'11.962 6, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 0'17.428 7, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 0'17.660 8, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'17.888 9, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'25.883 10, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'32.236 11, Gregory Leblanc, Honda, FRA, 0'32.573 12, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'35.117 13, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 0'36.390 14, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 0'36.608 15, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'37.096 16, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'38.526 17, William De Angelis, Honda, ITA, 0'42.675 18, Lorenzo Alfonsi, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'43.375 19, Mirko Giansanti, Honda, ITA, 0'44.319 20, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 0'45.924 21, Ilario Dionisi, Triumph, ITA, 0'47.277 22, Attila Magda, Honda, HUN, 1'24.963 23, Danilo Dell'omo, Honda, ITA, 1'25.440 24, Josep Pedro Subirats, Yamaha, ESP, -1 Laps Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 2'2.626 Rider Standings 23/02/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 25 2, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 20 3, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 16 4, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 13 5, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 11 6, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 10 7, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 9 8, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 8 9, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 7 10, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 6 11, Gregory Leblanc, Honda, FRA, 5 12, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 4 13, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 3 14, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 2 15, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 1 Manufacturer Standings 23/02/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 25 2, Honda, 20 3, Suzuki, 10 4, Kawasaki, 7 5, Triumph, 4
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts and Coppins continue victory run

Yamaha Motocross Team riders again picked up more silverware in the 2008 pre-season period with David Philippaerts winning both motos at a bright Castiglione Del Lago for the second round of the Italian championship while Josh Coppins swept all three races at the Valence International meeting in southern France; beating a host of world championship peers including 2007 number one Steve Ramon. The New Zealander won the popular French event for the second year in succession and took holeshots in two of the three motos, enjoying small battles with Sebastien Pourcel, Julian Bill and Ramon across the race programme to mark his perfect score-card. It was the second time that the 30 year old (31 next month) walked the top step of the rostrum after his proficiency last Sunday at Montevarchi in Italy and in spite of discomfort in his left shoulder than he aggravated at Mantova. ”It was an enjoyable race because the weather was good for once and the track offered near Grand Prix conditions which meant that I could really go for it,” said the YZ450FM rider. “I cannot complain with the build-up I’ve had. We have been using the race-bike for three weeks now and I am coming to grips with it. My shoulder is not 100% and I will go for a scan tomorrow. It has become better since Mantova but gave me some trouble on the long and rough down-hills at Valence. I will find out this week what I have to do, whether it be physio or rest, and there is plenty of time before the first Grand Prix to get back to normal. I am in great shape, so my confidence is good.” Further south Philippaerts was busy stamping his authority over the MX1 class of the Italian Championship and, like Coppins, proved the YZ450FM’s prowess from the start-line by hole-shotting both motos. Yamaha Red Bull De Carli ace Antonio Cairoli took positions of 7th and 4th in the two heats and pushed Philippaerts in the first sprint until a mistake saw him crash and lose places. 24 year old Philippaerts was able to forge ahead of Alex Salvini in the second affair. “I could not be happier with how things are going,” said the Italian, who also picked up overall victory with his Yamaha debut at the Mantova International two weeks ago. “I took two holeshots, that made things easier, but Tony was chasing me and I had to ride well to keep ahead. I pushed hard for a few laps and made the break. We used the same set-up as Montevarchi and the Yamaha is really working well for me.” “I was doing well and holding onto the back of leader Philippaerts until I caught the wrong rut on a jump and crashed,” commented MX2-GP World Champion Cairoli. “It was a freak thing because I was not taking any risks. I suffered a bit from this in the second moto because I felt tired. Overall at this stage of my preparation for the season I am not yet ready to push 100% but my sensation with the 450 is improving.” The MX2 class was once more an all-Yamaha story as 3C Racing’s Manuel Monni claimed the chequered flag in the first moto and Yamaha Team Ricci’s Davide Guarneri guided his YZ250F to victory in the second outing. Red Bull De Carli’s Matteo Bonini was also well-placed with second and fourth positions while highly-rated teenager Alessandro Lupino secured a brace of top six finishes with fifth and sixth places. A close championship tussle looks most certainly on the cards as Monni heads the standings by just five points from Guarneri and nine points from Bonini. The next round of the Italian series will take place in two weeks at Ponte a Egola, while the Yamaha Motocross Team will travel to the UK for the last major International meeting of the pre-season period at the sandy Hawkstone Park next Sunday. “We will head to Belgium this week,” said Team Co-ordinator Mino Raspanti “as we have a sandy race for both riders at Hawkstone Park so we will use Tuesday and Wednesday to test some suspension ahead of that meeting.”
Alex Asigno

Swedish stage launches 2008 WEC this weekend

With just days to go before the 2008 FIM World Enduro Championship begins with the Grand Prix of Sweden, the UFO Corse Yamaha team are busy putting the final touches to what they are confident will be a successful season with their WR450F and WR250F machinery. The series opener is being staged for the third successive season in Ostersund, deep within the heart of Scandinavia’s frozen north, the 16-day championship only weeks later will head to warmer climes in Portugal and Spain before continuing to travel through southern Europe eventually ending in France in mid-October. The only event of the year in which competitors are required to use spiked tyres to wade through the snow and ice, the Grand Prix of Sweden will once again present many unique challenges to the world’s best riders as they battle against the winter conditions. The expected sub-zero temperatures and heavily rutted snow-covered special tests require a dedicated approach and mindset. With the demands of the course and climate taken into consideration the first round of the ’08 WEC campaign will undoubtedly be a memorable one. For the UFO Corse Yamaha team’s number one Enduro 2 class rider, Johnny Aubert, 2008 is set to be a hugely important - and extremely challenging - season as he bids to claim his first enduro world championship. A proven WEC race-winner, the Frenchman will face the world’s most successful enduro rider – seven-time world champion Juha Salminen - in what is expected to be the closest fought tussle in any of the WEC classes this year. Having showed that he has the speed at the highest level following several dominant wins during the ’07 series, Aubert, who enters his third full term of international enduro competition, knows that winning the chilly season-opener will be a tall order but is confident that he has what it takes to win the coveted E2 crown. “My goal is nothing less than to win the Enduro 2 world championship this season,” comments Aubert. “Last year I proved that I could win races and although I wasn’t able to take the E2 title I ended the season well by topping the last round of the series and by winning the International Six Days Enduro in Chile. It certainly won’t be easy to beat Salminen but I am ready to fight.” In the Enduro 1 class the UFO Corse Yamaha team are also looking for success with Italian Simone Albergoni leading a three-rider assault on the category. Runner-up in 2007 Albergoni, now fully fit following a back injury that forced him to miss the ISDE late last season, has been training hard all winter in readiness for the start of the eight-round championship. Just like Aubert, Albergoni will face stiff competition in the division, not only from three-time world champion Ivan Cervantes but also reigning E2 number one Mika Ahola. “I’ve spent one full season racing for Yamaha and I’m ready for the start of the world championship,” offers Albergoni. “The first race in Sweden isn’t one that I have enjoyed the last two years but I’m looking forward to the championship returning to southern Europe. There are some really fast riders in the E1 class this season, but I’m looking forward to challenging for the title.” In addition to Albergoni’s plight the UFO Corse Yamaha team are also expecting Spaniard Cristobal Guerrero to regularly challenge for podium positions having sampled the view from the top step during 2007. Despite sustaining a shoulder injury at the final round of this winter’s Indoor Enduro World Cup, Guerrero, along with the UFO Corse Yamaha team’s third rider Maurizio Micheluz, is looking to ensure Yamaha is the dominant player in the Enduro 1 class this season, just as they were in 2007. 2008 Maxxis World Enduro Championship 15-16 March, GP Sweden, Östersund 29-30 March, GP Portugal Vale de Cambra 05-06 April, GP Spain Sitges 14-15 June, GP Poland Kwidzyn 19-20 July, GP Wales Llanidloes GB 26-27 July, GP France Uzerche 27-28 September, GP Italy Piediluco 11-12 October, GP Europe Alès - France
Alex Asigno

Prumm leads decent weekend of results for Yamaha

Double FIM Women’s World Cup winner Katherine Prumm took her new YZ250F to first position in the opening round of the Australian Women’s championship at Tivioli in Brisbane and the 19 year old’s success was just one of several eye-catching results for the ‘Blue Army’ last weekend as Antonio Cairoli earned his MX1 spurs in Italy, and Kenneth Gundersen enjoyed a maiden MX1 bow for his new team in Great Britain. Prumm comfortably owned the first Australian national on the hard and difficult circuit near the east coast. On her Subway YZ250F Prumm holeshotted and won both motos for an encouraging start to her career as a Yamaha rider. “It was a great weekend of racing,” she said. “I was really happy with how the bike was handling and got to grips with the surface a lot better as the day progressed. It wasn’t one of my favourite tracks and I was glad to get through the day safely, it is always good to learn something new on a tricky surface like that.” “I got the holeshot in race one and tried to get used to the terrain as the corners were really demanding with slippery rocks covering the top soil,” the New Zealander continued. “I experimented with some new lines and techniques and rode away from Kristy Gillespie. During the course of the day the track disintegrated, as large clods of dirt would break out of the ground forming big squared-edged holes and bumps. I got the holeshot again in the second moto. I made some mistakes on the first two laps but I changed my lines and rode smoothly away from the rest of the field to a good lead of almost fifty seconds.” The second round of three takes place at Newry in Victoria on May 25th. Yamaha Red Bull De Carli rider and current MX2-GP World Champion, Antonio Cairoli, dominated both MX1 motos on his YZ450F at a damp Ponte a Egola for the third round of the Italian Championship last weekend. The Sicilian claimed his first chequered flags in the national series – his maiden MX1 campaign – and now leads the competition. Cairoli mounted the podium ahead of MX1-GP rider Marc de Reuver after blitzing both motos from start to finish. "After Castiglione Del Lago we went to Belgium to train on the sand.We were working a lot, and my physical condition has improved; I am getting more confidence when I ride the 450,” he said. “I like this track and I marked the best time yesterday in practice.In the first moto I did not have any problems and won by a big advantage.In the first few turns I pushed hard to break away.The second race was special because there was a lot of mud and the track was difficult; to do exactly the same was good for my head.” Yamaha Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts raced the previous week in the UK and spent days testing in Belgium, electing to miss the trip to Ponte a Egola. Caroli heads the championship by 4 points from Alex Salvini with Philippaerts now 30 behind in third. The MX2 class saw Ricci Racing and 3C Racing’s Davide Guarneri and Manuel Monni climb the rostrum on their YZ250Fs. Monni now has a 3 point lead over his fellow Italian in the championship while teenager – and De Carli pilot - Alessandro Lupino lies third after finishes of sixth and ninth at Ponte a Egola. Unfortunately Matteo Bonini – who was third in the championship chase – dislocated his left shoulder during Saturday practice. In northern Europe the British Championship got underway at the venue of the 2008 Motocross of Nations, Donington Park, and Kenneth Gundersen made his MX1 debut for the UTag.com Yamaha squad. The Norwegian took a decent second place overall with race results of second and third in the two motos. In the MX2 division Martin Barr was fourth on the YZ250F with two fifth positions.
Alex Asigno

100th premier class podium for Rossi in Jerez

Valentino Rossi reached another milestone in his career today, joining an elite group of riders who have stood on the premier class podium 100 times today after riding his Fiat Yamaha M1 to second place in Jerez. The seven-time world champion formed part of a podium double for the Fiat Yamaha Team as his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished third, claiming his second consecutive podium in his rookie season. Starting from fifth, Rossi did not get the best of starts and finished the first lap in sixth, but he soon settled into a good rhythm and was stalking Lorenzo, then in second, by lap three. On the next lap he passed his team-mate and set off after Dani Pedrosa, who had led from the start. The Spaniard was too quick today however and Rossi was unable to catch him, lapping comfortably in second until crossing the line at the end of the penultimate lap, when he mistakenly thought the race had finished and slowed down as he crossed the line. He quickly realised his error however and luckily had enough of a cushion from Lorenzo to hang on to second, eventually finishing 2.883 seconds behind Pedrosa. Rossi moves into third place in the championship, whilst Lorenzo holds onto second and the Fiat Yamaha Team leads the team's championship. Valentino Rossi 2nd - Time: +2.883 "I'm really happy with this podium because, even though it hasn't been so many races since the last one, it's been quite a lot of months! I am also very happy to have reached 100 podiums in MotoGP; now I am wondering if I can get to 200! It's a pity we couldn't win today and maybe I was a little bit too cautious at the start because I wanted to take care of my tyres, but in the end they worked very well from start to finish and so this is great for the future. It's always better to win but after the poor result in Qatar this is a very important second place to us, also because it's my first podium with Bridgestone. Thanks to my team, to Yamaha and to Bridgestone because we've made a lot of progress this weekend, continuing right up to making some small but important adjustments after warm-up this morning. My bike and tyres are working very well, we're third in the championship with a very long way to go and I'm feeling quite confident." Davide Brivio Team Manager "We are very satisfied with today's result, especially because this second place arrives after Qatar, where we learnt a lot. The Team, all the engineers and the technicians made a great job and used the information we got in Qatar in the best way to make a big step forward. Now we want to look at this race in Jerez as the start of our championship. Of course we still have a lot to learn about the Bridgestone/Yamaha combination, but I think both parties did an excellent job here and Valentino rode a great race and kept a very consistent rhythm. Tomorrow we will have one day of testing and we will do our best in order to be in good shape for Estoril. This is Valentino's 100th podium and also the first one with Bridgestone, so it's a special day, but we hope that there will be many others! Today I would really like to say "Bravi a tutti!" Fiat Yamaha Team new-recruit Jorge Lorenzo proved his Qatar podium was no fluke by taking third marking a great day for the team in front of over 130,000 Spanish fans and King Juan Carlos of Spain. Lorenzo started from pole for the second race running but was unable to keep pace with his countryman Dani Pedrosa, who led over the line for the first time. Meanwhile Rossi had moved to within striking distance of his team-mate by the third lap, making his move on the next lap and passing the Mallorcan to take second. Lorenzo rode strongly in third for the remainder of the race but was unable to get close enough to Rossi to mount a challenge, crossing the line 1.456 seconds adrift of the Italian. Jorge Lorenzo 3rd - Time: +4.339 "Of course I'm a little bit disappointed today because we thought that we might be able to make more of a challenge, but I can't complain because it's only my second race and I've had two podiums and two pole positions, so it's still a great result! To race today in front of so many Spanish fans and also The King was something incredible and I have really enjoyed myself a lot here. Dani was a fair winner today, his pace was very strong and I couldn't stay with him, but I am learning all the time and I will be stronger again at the next race. It's a very long championship and this is an important result for us. Thanks to my team and to Yamaha and Michelin, everyone worked very hard and I think we've done a very good job so far. To be second in the championship at this point is still far more than I expected and now I am just looking forward to the next race." Daniel Romagnoli _ Team Manager "Today's result is a great one! This was just the second race of Jorge's MotoGP career and he got his second consecutive podium! He rode the race of an "old" MotoGP rider today, in a very clever way. He concentrated on taking home the best result he could, without making any mistakes or wasting the great pole position he started from. The Team did an excellent job and, together with Michelin, we were able to find a good package for this track. Now of course motivation is running high and we will use today's result and data in order to improve things further and to go to Estoril in the best shape possible." Masahiko Nakajima - Team Director "Today I am very happy because we were able to get back onto the podium with Valentino and Jorge! This year is not easy because we don't have experience between the Bridgestone tyres and our M1, but after Qatar we investigated the problem with our set-up in order to make the tyres work better and improve our performance. This weekend we tested many solutions and finally we reached a very good set-up. As I said, I am very happy for Valentino because he can now fight again at his maximum level. In tomorrow's test we will work again to fine tune the set-up of his M1 with the Bridgestone tyres; we now want Valentino back on the highest step of the podium!" "Jorge's performance today was quite impressive. During the race it seems that he lost a little bit of the feeling with the bike that he had yesterday and on Friday, but anyway it is clear that he is ready to win a race, already! One of the team's tasks is to maintain a good atmosphere around Jorge and to make him feel relaxed and concentrated, and so far it seems that this is the case. As far as tomorrow's test is concerned, we will keep on working on the electronic setting and on testing more tyres with Michelin, as we look to continue to improve our package ahead of the next race." Heroic performance of James Toseland Tech 3 Yamaha's James Toseland produced a heroic performance in a sun drenched Spanish GP today, the British rider fighting illness to claim a deserved top six finish. In what proved to be a mentally and physically draining 27-lap race for Toseland, the rookie showed great strength of character to become the first British rider since 1990 to score successive top six premier class finishes. Weakened by a serious chest and throat infection all weekend, Toseland slipped down to 10th from eighth on the grid in a frantic opening, but then he produced a series of brilliantly executed overtaking moves to move into fifth by the penultimate lap. Toseland's never-say-die attitude saw him delight a 131,563-strong crowd with passes on Chris Vermeulen, Andrea Dovizioso and Loris Capirossi in quick succession at the Curva Sito Pons. Fifth going into the last corner, he had to settle for sixth after losing a place in a chaotic finale. Capirossi was the chief benefactor from a tangle between Dovizioso and Toseland as he snatched fifth from the 27-yearold. Having claimed his second consecutive front row start yesterday, Colin Edwards had a disappointing afternoon, crashing out of sixth on lap five at the Curva Sito Pons. He remounted but retired on lap six. Toseland's result leaves him sixth in the world championship standings, while Tech 3 Yamaha remain fourth in the team championship points. Toseland and Edwards are now looking forward to their first appearance on Yamaha's improved pneumatic valve engine at the next round in Estoril, Portugal. James Toseland 6th - Time: +27.808 "I really had to dig deep in that race. There are two groups of people that kept it together this weekend and they are the Tech 3 team and the Clinica Mobile people. I want to thank them for helping me get out there. At one point it looked like I might not be able to ride so to finish sixth is a great result. What I was worried about was if I couldn't breath properly then that might have made me dizzy in the race but luckily I was fine. The bike felt great and the front Michelin tyre worked great. That's why I was able to pass all the guys at the same place coming onto the back straight. I couldn't pass anybody down the straight and the only place I could pass was where I did. I was getting good drive off the corner but I still couldn't get side by side on the straights to line them up for a pass on the brakes. It would have been do-or-die on the brakes, but because my front tyre was so good it really hooked well mid-corner round turn five onto the back straight and my corner speed carried me underneath Vermeulen, Dovizioso and Capirossi. I was disappointed not to keep fifth, especially after I'd battled so hard for it. The last corner was a bit manic and I don't know how Andrea stayed on the track because he was in there so hot. I got a bit pushed out and Loris came up the inside. To finish sixth like in Qatar and back that result up on a track I've never raced at in my condition is really good for me. This bike and this team are capable of being in the top six, even with a touch of bronchitis. I'm looking forward to getting the new engine now. We are one of the few that can actually look forward to getting something new for the next race and I can't wait for the new engine." Colin Edwards DNF I'm disappointed. I didn't get a good start and compared to every start I've done this weekend it was a lot slower and I got caught up and tangled with Nicky and Stoner right off the start. I got in behind them and I just couldn't do anything. It's just what we are lacking in the motor. We can run the pace on our own but as soon as we get in traffic to where we can't carry the momentum round the corner, then we have a problem. We are just waiting for the new engine at the next race and that is going to make a big difference because now it is hard at the moment with the deficit we have got. I can get off the corner but when you have got somebody road blocking you midway through the corner it is hard to carry the momentum that we have to carry. You can't out-brake any of these guys from five bike lengths back. It is just not going to happen, so I was kind of stuck for a little bit and Capirossi motored by me into turn one. Then I was pretty angry because I didn't want to get stuck behind him. But I'd come off the corner and he'd just pull away. I was pushing trying get up there with the guys in front and I made a mistake. I lost the front coming onto the back straight but that's racing I guess. Before yesterday I hadn't had any moments on the front tyre. We had that big moment yesterday and today I was a bit unlucky. We've looked at the data and I was actually slower than the lap before but I must have hit a little but I'm not sure what happened. It didn't look like I should have crashed but I did. I felt really confident and thanks to my guys because they worked hard all weekend and it's a shame it turned out how it did." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "I am speechless about James today. He has been in a really bad condition and we were really doubtful about whether he would ride this weekend. For the race distance on this physical track we had a big question mark, but what he did today shows the mark of a true champion. He was fighting very hard at a pace he was never at in practice because of his physical condition. He never gave up and was very strong throughout the whole race. He was almost fifth but the last corner is always a difficult place here. Dovizioso tried a bit too hard to pass but I'm still happy. James is improving all the time and for sure with the new engine and feeling fit in Estoril he will be even better. It was a very eventful weekend for Colin. Of course we are a bit frustrated and disappointed about Colin because he was so good all weekend. We had the memory of his podium from last year so we were hoping he could repeat it. We have to take the positive out of it and he has been fast all weekend and I think the good thing is that we will have the new engine from Estoril and it will be easier to race." Race 1 - 27 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 45'35.121 2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'2.883 3, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'4.339 4, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'10.142 5, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'27.524 6, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'27.808 7, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'28.296 8, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'28.449 9, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'32.569 10, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'35.091 11, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0'42.223 12, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 0'44.498 13, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 0'45.807 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'45.871 15, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 1'9.558 Rider Standings 30/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 41 2, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 36 3, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 31 4, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 30 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 21 6, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 20 7, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 19 8, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 19 9, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 13 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 10 11, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 9 12, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 9 13, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 7 14, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 6 15, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 3 Team Standings 30/03/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 67 2, Repsol Honda Team, 60 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 39 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 29 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 25 6, JIR Scot Team, 21 7, Kawasaki Racing Team, 16 8, Honda Gresini, 12 9, Honda LCR, 7 10, Team Alice, 4 Manufacturer Standings 30/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 41 2, Yamaha, 40 3, Ducati, 30 4, Suzuki, 19 5, Kawasaki, 13
Alex Asigno

Double podium and first 2008 win for Albergoni

UFO Corse Yamaha team rider Simone Albergoni continued his impressive form in the 2008 World Enduro Championship claiming two podium finishes at the second round of the series, the Grand Prix of Portugal staged in Vale de Cambra. Earning a well-deserved victory on Day1 Simone battled hard on Day2 to place 2nd and finished less than six seconds behind winner Ivan Cervantes despite a costly mistake on the extreme test. Having recorded his best ever start to a world championship season at the recent GP of Sweden, Simone showed in Portugal that no matter how challenging the conditions he is certainly ready to take the E1 title fight to his class rivals. Winning 6 of the opening day's 9 special tests, Simone took control of the Enduro 1 class early on with a winning performance on the opening enduro foray. With world champions Mika Ahola and Ivan Cervantes applying considerable pressure to the Italian throughout the opening day the Yamaha rider remained error- free and managed to maintain his lead. Knowing that just one mistake on the challenging Portuguese terrain would easily end his hopes of victory, Simone topped two of the third and final lap's three special tests to claim a well-deserved victory. Albergoni placed ahead of round one winner Mika Ahola with former E1 world champion Ivan Cervantes third. Proceedings took a turn for the worse on Day2 as heavy rain ensured the three Portuguese special tests became heavily rutted and even harder to ride than on Day1. Despite the atrocious conditions Simone again performed extremely well aboard his WR250F. Winning the first special test as he had on day one, Simone wasn't quite able to match Cervantes for pace during the opening lap. On lap two a mistake in the extreme test saw him lose six seconds to the Spaniard and despite his best efforts he wasn't quite able to repeat his Day1 achievement. Finishing the second day less than six seconds away from the top step of the podium Simone importantly again placed ahead of round one winner Mika Ahola. Albergoni is currently second in the standings, just three points behind Ahola. For Albergoni's UFO Corse Yamaha team mates Maurizio Micheluz and Cristobal Guerrero the GP of Portugal was one of mixed fortunes. Not pleased with his performances at the opening round of the series in Sweden, Micheluz claimed a solid 5th place finish on Day1 but then disappointingly failed to finish Day2 with an ignition problem. For Guerrero, who following his early season shoulder injury is still not 100 per cent bike fit, the Portuguese event was extremely hard. The Spaniard was 7th on Day1 and managed to improve his result by one position on Day2 but was far from happy with his results. The next stop of the 2008 WEC series is Cristobal's home race - the GP of Spain at Sitges, just south of Barcelona. Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 1st, Day 2 2nd: "It's been another good race for me. My speed is good but importantly my confidence also now. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season because I know I can compete against the two world champions that are in the Enduro 1 class - Cervantes and Ahola. I had two small crashes on day one but I was still able to win by one second so I am really pleased with that. After a small mistake in the extreme test I pushed as hard as I could but Ivan Cervantes was really fast. I finished five seconds behind, which is good but a little bit disappointing as I could have won again without that mistake." Cristobal Guerrero (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 7th, Day 2 5th: "It's been a really tough race for me because I haven't been able to do as much training ahead of the world championship races as I needed to do because of my shoulder injury. I took as many points as possible here in Portugal but I still don't feel completely comfortable in all of the special tests. The next race is my home race in Spain, so I hope that there I can get the kind of results I know I'm capable of." Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 5th, Day 2 DNF: "The first day was tough but I am pleased with my fifth place result. After the first race of the world championship in the snow I was looking forward to competing in more normal conditions. I was close behind fourth position so I was very happy. Day two was very difficult and disappointingly I had a problem with my bike on the first lap. The problem was the ignition and I wasn't able to finish the day." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 50'11.120 2, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 0'2.430 3, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 0'11.800 4, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 0'45.340 5, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 0'56.790 6, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 1'4.120 7, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 1'14.430 8, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 2'13.820 9, Daryl Bolter, Husqvarna, GBR, 2'19.010 10, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 2'31.880 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 53'59.090 2, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'5.510 3, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 0'29.420 4, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 1'6.940 5, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 2'12.570 6, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 2'43.330 7, Paulo Felicia, Kawasaki, POR, 4'8.490 8, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 4'20.080 9, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 4'35.060 10, Fernando Ferreira, Yamaha, POR, 6'28.340 Rider Standings 29/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 92 2, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 89 3, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 82 4, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 74 5, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 54 6, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 48 7, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 44 8, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 29 9, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 29 10, Niklas Gustafsson, Honda, SWE, 28 11, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 24 12, Paulo Felicia, Kawasaki, POR, 14 13, Daryl Bolter, Husqvarna, GBR, 12 14, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 12 15, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 11 Manufacturer Standings 29/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 92 2, Yamaha, 89 3, KTM, 87 4, Husqvarna, 41 5, Suzuki, 24 6, Kawasaki, 14 7, TM, 12 ---------- RACE REPORT - 30/03/2008 Albert seizes first win in double podium outing Johnny Aubert knew before the 2008 E2 World Enduro Championship started that to beat seven-time world champion Juha Salminen he would have to perform at his very best and on day one of the GP of Portugal that's exactly what the UFO Corse Yamaha rider produced. Following decent outings at the first round of the championship in Sweden the former motocross racer claimed his first Enduro 2 class victory of the year following a solid opening day performance in Portugal. Locked in an intense battle with his Finnish E2 class rival, the Frenchman emerged from the opening day less than one second ahead having topped 5 of the day's 9 special tests. On Day2 Aubert started well by winning 2 of the opening lap's 3 special tests, but despite his hardest efforts a double class win eluded him as he placed as runner-up to Salminen at the end of a demanding competition. Showing that the Enduro 2 title fight is likely be a two-rider tussle, Aubert, with Salminen right behind him, placed more than two minutes ahead of third placed competitor Joakim Ljunggren. Aubert was runner-up to Salminen at the end of the first special test with no other rider posing any real threat to the duo. He then managed to top test two to claim a small but decisive advantage. With little to separate the rivals throughout the day, Aubert arrived at the ninth and final special test trailing Salminen. Aubert recorded a time just under two seconds faster, which was enough for him to take the lead and the day win. A wet and technical Day2 started with Aubert looking as if he was headed towards another E2 class victory as he headed the first two special tests from Salminen. However the Finn claimed the following four tests by the mid-way point of the day. Aubert was in second, but comfortably ahead of third place rider Valtteri Salonen. Despite taking the event's penultimate test, Johnny was unable to repeat his success of the previous 24 hours, but nevertheless claimed a solid runner-up result to continue his good start to the '08 WEC series. He is lies second in the standings, three points behind Salminen. Aubert's Italian UFO Corse Yamaha team-mate, Fabrizio Dini, performed well at the GP of Portugal with 7th and 6th place results in the Enduro 2 class. Starting Day1 badly, Dini had to battle his way back from 15th position on lap one to an eventual 7th - a result that would have been better if it wasn't for a mistake on the final extreme test. Despite the worsening conditions on day two Dini improved his result and placed a deserved 6th. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1 1st, Day 2 2nd: "Winning the first day was really good. It was really close between me and Juha. Before the last special test of the event there was only one and a half seconds between us, but I was behind Juha. I pushed as hard as I could and managed to win the day. I didn't have any real problems on day two, only that Juha Salminen was really fast. It's been a hard race. I didn't have any problems, apart from a small mistake in the first extreme test, but it was very wet. You had to keep pushing hard all day; there was no time to rest. For my championship it has been another good weekend." Fabrizio Dini (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - day 1 7th, Day 2 6th: "It's been a nice race but very hard. The time controls were tight and it meant that there wasn't much time to relax during the day. Both days were extremely difficult. It was a strange race for me. I started day one very badly, in 15th position. By the end I was in sixth, but then I fell on the last extreme test and dropped to seventh. Considering the way my day started it wasn't such a bad result. The second day wasn't so bad. It was really difficult because of the weather but it was the same for all riders. I didn't have too many problems although I didn't like the mud on the motocross test so much. I hope that in Spain we have better conditions." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 49'13.710 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 0'59.000 3, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 2'4.870 4, Andrea Belotti, KTM, ITA, 2'6.550 5, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 2'37.970 6, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 2'54.000 7, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 2'54.600 8, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 2'58.560 9, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 3'0.100 10, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 3'22.760 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 54'12.030 2, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'30.980 3, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 1'56.970 4, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 1'57.240 5, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 2'15.120 6, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 2'57.940 7, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 3'8.920 8, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 3'53.440 9, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 4'20.390 10, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 4'44.320 Rider Standings 29/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 92 2, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 89 3, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 67 4, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 56 5, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 51 6, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 46 7, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 41 8, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 41 9, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 31 10, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 31 11, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 28 12, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 27 13, Fritz Andersson, KTM, SWE, 24 14, Andrea Belotti, KTM, ITA, 18 15, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 11 Manufacturer Standings 29/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, KTM, 92 2, Yamaha, 89 3, HusaBerg, 87 4, Honda, 56 5, TM, 51 6, Aprilia, 31 7, Husqvarna, 31 8, BMW, 27 9, GasGas, 11
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

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