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Lorenzo Shines in Second On Fantastic MotoGP Debut

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo sealed a weekend to remember in Qatar at the first ever MotoGP night race by finishing second on an impressive premier-class debut. The reigning double 250cc World Champion started from pole for the fifth consecutive year at this track, following three 250cc and one 125cc pole, and proved he will be a force to reckon with in 2008 with a mature ride to the runner-up spot behind Casey Stoner. Lorenzo made a tentative start and dropped several places from his starting position, crossing the line after the first lap in fourth. The first eight laps were something of a dog-fight with the front six riders trading places back and forth several times, but the Yamaha rookie kept his head through the melee and gradually worked his way forward, eventually passing Rossi to take second behind Stoner on lap 9. He hung on to the World Champion for a while but gradually the stress of the first part of the race took its toll and the 20-year-old began to tire and suffer pain in his arms. He eventually crossed the line 5.323 seconds behind Stoner but the same distance clear of third-placed Dani Pedrosa. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2nd Time: +5.323 "For sure I couldn't have expected a better debut than this and I am very, very excited to be on the podium. Second place is an amazing result for me and I had great fun. The start and first few laps were a bit crazy and really a bit of a scary time for me, but anyway I managed to make it through and get past some riders to get to second. I started to go with Stoner but after a while I became very tired and I started to have a lot of pressure and pain in my arms, so I really couldn't push any more! Anyway he was faster than us and I want to say congratulations to him because he deserved to win tonight. I think if I could have got a better start, maybe I wouldn't have got so tired later on and I would have been able to keep a better rhythm, but anyway I don't think I can ask for more than this tonight. I want to thank Yamaha and Michelin for all the hard work they have put in over the winter to get me to this point, and of course my team for all of their work. I don't want to start talking about the championship yet because this is only my first race, and now we will go to Jerez and do our very best again there and see what happens!" Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "What a weekend! After a long winter it was great to finally arrive at the race and all of us in the team really enjoyed watching Jorge make such a fantastic debut. We couldn't have asked for more and to do what he's done here is really fantastic. From now on it will be easier for him because he will know what to expect from a MotoGP race, and of course we've also collected some important information about his race performance to help us to improve his package. Thank you to the team, to Yamaha and to Michelin for doing a great job throughout the winter and tonight and well done once again to Jorge." Masahiko Nakajima - Team Director "The biggest problem here has been the track temperature but Michelin did a very good job here to counteract a difficult situation and their tyres have worked very well. We managed to find a good set-up for Jorge and we are very pleased with his first race. It's impressive that such a young rookie can do so well in such a tough race so a big congratulations to him for a brilliant second place." Valentino Rossi finished a disappointing fifth tonight, after struggling for pace on the cold track throughout the 22 lap race. Racing on Bridgestone tyres for the first time, Rossi made up two places on the opening lap and for the first few laps looked like he might be a contender for the top spots as he picked his way through the field. On lap five he took the lead and held onto it for three laps, but he was unable to ride his M1 as he wanted to and surrendered first place to Casey Stoner just three laps later. It was downhill for the Italian from then on as his pace dropped off and he began to slip back, unable to keep up with the leaders. Dani Pedrosa passed him for third and Rossi eventually became embroiled in a close battle for fourth with Andrea Dovizioso, with the rookie eventually running out the winner by just a fraction of a second. Valentino Rossi - Position: 5th Time: +13.305 "We expected a difficult race here, but actually not as difficult as this! We haven't been fast here in Qatar since last week's night test but, despite this, I thought we might be able to fight for the podium. Tonight however it was really difficult and now we have to understand the reason for this result. After five or six laps I started doing 56.4 and 56.5 and from then on I couldn't improve on that pace until the end. I was very fast in braking, but not so fast in the corners. We know that we can make our Bridgestone tyres work better than this, because they are winning tyres and tonight they showed it once again. Throughout the winter, at all tracks, we were very fast and this is the only one where we were not. Now our task is to understand why this happened. We had a couple of ideas to try but in the end we decided to stick to what we know because we need some more time to understand how to improve and how to be faster. We know we can do better than this and so we just need to gather all the information and use it in the best way for the next race. Finally I want to say congratulations to Lorenzo for a great debut tonight; honestly I'm not surprised because I knew he was fast and talented, but he did very well tonight in a hard race so well done to him." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "We expected a difficult race here, but actually not as difficult as this! We haven't been fast here in Qatar since last week's night test but, despite this, I thought we might be able to fight for the podium. Tonight however it was really difficult and now we have to understand the reason for this result. After five or six laps I started doing 56.4 and 56.5 and from then on I couldn't improve on that pace until the end. I was very fast in braking, but not so fast in the corners. We know that we can make our Bridgestone tyres work better than this, because they are winning tyres and tonight they showed it once again. Throughout the winter, at all tracks, we were very fast and this is the only one where we were not. Now our task is to understand why this happened. We had a couple of ideas to try but in the end we decided to stick to what we know because we need some more time to understand how to improve and how to be faster. We know we can do better than this and so we just need to gather all the information and use it in the best way for the next race. Finally I want to say congratulations to Lorenzo for a great debut tonight; honestly I'm not surprised because I knew he was fast and talented, but he did very well tonight in a hard race so well done to him." Masahiko Nakajima - Team Director "This was our first experience of a night race and it's been clear that the low track temperatures make controlling the tyre situation quite difficult. Added to that the low air temperatures mean that fuel consumption is also a worry. We spent a lot of time working with Bridgestone to try to find a good package but unfortunately we couldn't do enough tonight. Now we need to investigate exactly what's happened and act on it before the next race." The MotoGP circus heads to Lorenzo's homeland next for the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on 30th April. Toseland Shines on MotoGP Debut as Tech 3 Yamaha Start with Double Top Ten James Toseland kicked off his MotoGP career in superb style tonight, the British rider claiming a well deserved top six finish in the historic first night race in Qatar. Brimming with confidence after he secured a maiden front row grid position yesterday, the 27-year-old showed no signs of any first race nerves with a flying start. Third at the end of a hectic lap one, he then climbed into second on lap two with a daring overtake on Jorge Lorenzo. Toseland briefly lost touch with the leading bunch, but showing great determination he clawed his way back into contention for the podium, setting the fifth fastest lap of the 22-lap race in the process. Riding at a fast and consistent pace throughout, Toseland kept the pressure on Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso right up until the last lap, and he only finished 0.7s behind Rossi at the finish. Edwards was seventh after he too was involved in the thick of the frantic early action. The American, who had started next to Toseland on the front row, lost touch with the leading group shortly after the halfway stage, but his solid performance ensured Tech 3 Yamaha claimed fourth place in the coveted Team World Championship standings. James Toseland - Position: 6th Time: +14.040 "To start off with this result is just great for me. I've realised now that with everybody's support, which I'm getting from the Tech 3 team, Yamaha and Michelin, it is possible to be competitive. To finish just behind Valentino in my very first MotoGP race is surreal. The first couple of laps were pretty hectic and I put a move on Jorge that was quite close. That's just a lack of experience racing against these guys. I've raced against the same boys for seven years and know exactly what they do and when they do it. Jorge put his bike over my nose just as I was committed for the pass. I've just got to get used to how these guys take the corners so I can pass them a bit safer. But he left the door open a bit and I went for it. There was no harm done and after that I was trying everything I had to pass Andrea and Valentino. I was catching up fractions of time all lap and I'd just get with them at the last corner and they'd stretch away from me on the straight. There is nobody bad on the brakes so you can't catch it up really. You can chip away and chip away but the times I got close they were side-byside and it was like a wall for me. And I wasn't prepared to take two of them out in my first MotoGP with sixth place in the bag I'm a bit emotionally drained to be fair but what you learn in 22 laps around these guys is priceless and I can't wait for Jerez." Colin Edwards - Position: 7th Time: +15.150 "I didn't leave anything out there tonight. If you paid me a million dollars I couldn't have gone any faster. I was riding my hardest but at the end of the day it just wasn't fast enough and to be honest I'm not sure why. We'll have to check the computer but I just didn't have the same feeling as I did yesterday. We had a great day yesterday and going into the race I was confident about getting on the podium. But from the second lap it became a race of adapting to cope with the different feeling I had from the tyres. I was at the back of the group and while they weren't really pulling away, I couldn't get any closer. I just didn't have the confidence to push and then I ran wide at the last corner while trying to keep close to the back of James. I lost a bit of time and I couldn't catch back up. Thanks to my guys for they're hard work and we'll try and move closer to the front in Jerez." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "It was a great way to start the championship. The highlight of the weekend was our two riders on the front row which was a very emotional moment and something you dream of to start the championship. It didn't happen to us since 2002 with Olivier Jacque and Shinya Nakano at the Sachsenring. We had great expectations but we knew it would be difficult to get on the rostrum. James showed an incredible fighting spirit and he made a made really aggressive move on Jorge. The whole race he was losing a bit in some parts and catching back to Valentino and he ended up very, very close to beating him. Colin had a great and steady race also and I'd have settled for sixth and seventh before the first race. We know the new engine is coming in Estoril and it won't be such a handicap in Jerez on a track without a long straight. Michelin showed great potential and we look forward with a lot of confidence to Jerez." Losail: Lap Record C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'56.528 Losail: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2007, 1'55.002 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 42'36.587 2, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'5.323 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'10.600 4, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'13.288 5, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'13.305 6, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'14.040 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'15.150 8, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 0'32.505 9, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'33.003 10, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'38.354 11, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 0'44.284 12, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 0'49.857 13, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'49.871 14, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 0'58.532 15, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'58.930 16, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'5.643 17, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, -1 Laps Rider Standings 09/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 25 2, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 20 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 16 4, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 13 5, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 11 6, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 10 7, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 9 8, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 8 9, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 7 10, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 6 11, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 5 12, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 4 13, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 3 14, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 2 15, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 1 Team Standings 09/03/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 93 2, Tech3 Yamaha, 84 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 69 4, Repsol Honda Team, 49 5, JIR Scot Team, 31 6, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 28 7, Honda LCR, 27 8, Honda Gresini, 22 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 12 10, Team Alice, 5 Manufacturer Standings 09/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 25 2, Yamaha, 20 3, Honda, 16 4, Suzuki, 8 5, Kawasaki, 4
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Reed back on top with Yamaha 1-2 in Indianapolis

After missing the top five in an AMA Supercross event for the first time in 88 starts last week Yamaha's Chad Reed bounced back to record his sixth victory of the season and finished ahead of brand-mate Josh Hill at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis last weekend. The Australian headed a YZ450F '1-2' on the podium of the ninth round from seventeen in the series - an FIM World Championship - to give Yamaha their fourth win at the venue and first since 2002. The 25 year old, who took some time to get into a rhythm during practice on a track he helped design, determinedly seized the holeshot and disappeared with the main event Saturday evening in front of Hill and Andrew Short. It was his first ever SX class success in Indianapolis although the result did extend his impressive tally of five podiums in five starts at the Dome. "I struggled in practice - I was second both times - and I think that wasn't cool to design the track and then not be the fastest guy," he commented. "But I redeemed myself in the main, and it just feels awesome to be back up where we belong." "I'm so happy to get this win," added Reed who had gone two rounds without a triumph after previously setting a record with victory in every Californian event. "A second place and a sixth position really isn't that bad, but in my book, it sucks. I just wanted to get back out here and get on top. I'm just looking forward to Daytona now. It's one of my favourite races in the world, and I can't wait." The former champion now leads the standings by 34 points over Kevin Windham. Hill made the podium for the second time while Nathan Ramsey (eighth place) and Josh Hansen (tenth) ensured that the YZ450F scooped four positions in the final top ten; more than any other manufacturer. Grant Langston was still unable to compete, having to sit out with an eye complaint. "It's Kevin Windham," said Hill who had to pass the Honda man and Reed's main title rival for his podium slot. "I've been watching him since I was like seven years old. It's just amazing for me to be up there racing with him and dicing with him. I had to ride really aggressively out there tonight. There was only really one fast line, and it was on the outside, so you had to just push it in there and take a line away." Teenager Tyla Bowers was seventh on the YZ250F in the East Coast Lites class and currently lies fifth in the standings. Round ten takes place this Friday at International Speedway in Daytona. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 16'31.060 2, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'10.621 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'12.276 4, Ryan Dungey, Suzuki, USA, 0'15.083 5, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'22.709 6, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 0'40.264 7, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 0'43.708 8, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 0'44.323 9, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps 10, Josh Hansen, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 11, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 12, Manuel Gomes Rivas, Kawasaki, ESP, -1 Laps 13, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 17, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, -2 Laps 19, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, -7 Laps 20, Bryan K Johnson, Honda, USA, -16 Laps Rider Standings 01/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 209 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 175 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 141 4, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 137 5, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 127 6, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 114 7, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 106 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 84 9, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 84 10, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 80 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 69 12, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69 13, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 53 14, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 52 15, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, 47 20, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 34, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 01/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 210 2, Honda, 190 3, Kawasaki, 175 4, Suzuki, 124 5, KTM, 84
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Corser second in race one as Haga fights hard

Troy Corser went through one race of joy and endured one non-finish at the challenging Phillip Island circuit in Australia, taking a masterful second place in race one but falling out of contention for the podium places in race two. On his home track, Corser had to work hard with his Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team to find a good raceday set-up and he made adjustments between races to improve it still more, finding great gains until his race finished early. Noriyuki Haga celebrated his 33rd birthday today but not in the way he wished on the racetrack, taking eighth in race one and seventh in race two. He found traction issues in each 22-lap race, following on from similar concerns in qualifying at Phillip Island. A dramatic race one had to be restarted after a startline incident, when Michel Fabrizio's machine stalled on the line and was struck first by the unsighted David Checa (Yamaha GMT94 Team) and then more powerfully by privateer Vittorio Iannuzzo, who was injured in the impact, breaking his left wrist. As Iannuzzo lay trackside the race was red-flagged, and a complete 22-lap restart called. In the second race, Corser was fast off the line, too fast for the race officials, and he was given a jump-start penalty in controversial circumstances. Unsure if the penalty signal was for him, he carried on initially, but fell on lap five, having led for three laps and looking strong for another podium finish at least. Corser was uninjured by his high-speed crash exiting the first left-hand corner, and felt he must have slid off on oil or water lying on the racing line. Fast starting in each race, Haga was forced to go backwards through the field, having a lonely race towards the end of the first contest, but working hard in race two to defend his seventh place finish. Even with his race two no score, Corser is fourth in the championship chase, with 45 points, while Haga, who has scored in every race so far, is on 22 points, holding ninth place. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) was lucky to escape the race one startline incident with only a badly cut left foot, and he recovered from a DNF in the restart to take a fine 12th place in race two. His team-mate Sebastien Gimbert just missed a point in race one, but had a neck-and-neck race with Checa in race two and scored 13th place. Team YZF Yamaha squad rider Shinichi Nakatomi overcame some difficult moments in qualifying to take two points scores, going 15th in each race, approximately thirty seconds behind the leaders each time. Troy Corser (2nd and DNF - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) "There were a few tough passes in that first race, but I never panicked even when I got run wide a couple of times. The bike wasn't perfect and we were moving around a bit too much. We were going as fast as we could sideways! We made changes for race two and it was a lot better. Overall a podium in race one was not too bad. They definitely held the start too long in race two. It was like the starting light was on, on and then on some more, then it went off. It was way too long to wait. I knew I had moved, but I had stopped again. Anyway I felt much more confident on the bike and in control in race two but it seemed to me that there was a small line of oil on the corner and that's what it felt like - tucking the front on oil. I thought there would be bikes coming into the gravel trap after me. We learned many things this weekend and I think we could have finished second in race two at least, maybe even challenged Troy Bayliss." Noriyuki Haga (8th and 7th - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) "My physical condition was OK today because I had a very effective massage from the Clinica Mobile people, so thanks to them. This whole weekend has just been down to a lack of grip. It feels like the first two races this year have just been an exercise for me. We have not had the chance to build our performance on the bike so it feels like our season will start in the European races." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We had a lot of trouble with grip all weekend and I think what Troy achieved in race one was earned by Troy. We made the same settings for Nori in race two as we did for Troy, but he did not feel any great benefit. We always seem to have a struggle in Qatar and here, but we will be back when we get to Europe. We never give up and the season is a long one." Shinichi Nakatomi (21st and DNF - Team YZF Yamaha) "I had a better feel from the tyres in the first race, not so much in the second. We scored points in both races, which was a good reward for the team, who work so hard." Cristophe Guyot: (Team Manager Yamaha GMT94 Team) "As we are still racing these bikes 12kgs over weight and on Endurance specifications mainly, we can be very happy with these results. Unfortunately David Checa was involved in a crash during the start of race one, resulting in pain in his neck and quite a big wound on his foot. For race two both riders did a great job - David with his injuries and Sebastien with a lesser spec YZF-R1. WSB is a perfect experience for the team and is major benefit for our Endurance efforts. Our aim is to be on of the top contenders in WSB. For Valencia we will be able to lose a couple of kilograms and we have some additional YEC (Yamaha racing) kit parts available for our riders and therefore we have great hopes for that race as well." Round 2: Phillip Island, Australia Track length: 4445m Fastest Superbike lap: 1:31.493 (Troy Bayliss, Ducati) Lap record: 1'31.826 (Troy Corser, Yamaha) Last year's winners: Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and James Toseland (Honda) Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 34'22.933 2, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'4.221 3, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'4.738 4, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'5.171 5, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'5.543 6, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'5.895 7, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'5.964 8, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'14.826 9, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'18.899 10, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'20.633 11, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'21.601 12, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'29.281 13, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'29.500 14, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'30.030 15, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'30.223 16, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'30.800 17, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'50.107 18, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'7.385 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 34'35.284 2, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'1.127 3, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'4.395 4, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'6.621 5, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'11.550 6, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'11.620 7, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'12.049 8, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'12.134 9, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'13.462 10, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'15.519 11, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'16.225 12, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'21.959 13, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'21.989 14, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'29.106 15, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'29.219 16, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'32.994 17, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'34.380 18, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'42.537 19, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'46.623 20, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'47.030 21, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 1'8.601 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 1'32.516 Rider Standings 02/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 88 2, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 61 3, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 59 4, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 45 5, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 45 6, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 39 7, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 36 8, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 34 9, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 22 10, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 18 11, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 17 12, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 17 13, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 13 14, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 13 15, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 12 20, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 4 21, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 3 22, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 2 Manufacturer Standings 02/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 95 2, Suzuki, 63 3, Yamaha, 54 4, Honda, 46 5, Kawasaki, 7 ---------- RACE REPORT - 02/03/2008 Foret just misses podium as Parkes crashes out A breathtaking 21-lap World Supersport race at Phillip Island provided very different fortunes for the Yamaha World Supersport Team's riders, Fabien Foret and Broc Parkes. Foret overcame a poor start and went from sixth on lap one to the lead on lap 20, only to be swamped by riders as the finish line approached. He ended round two a strong fourth, only 0.780 seconds from the win, and in a group of six riders covered by only 1.228 seconds. Broc Parkes was looking good for another podium finish to go with his race win at Qatar last weekend until he fell under braking into the tight downhill right hand MG corner on lap two while leading. The tough Aussie rider remounted to try and score some points, but was forced to stop after entering the pits to check his machine over. Andrew Pitt, who was a non-finisher in the opening round in Qatar, won the race and therefore the World Championship battle is still a relatively open one. Parkes is currently fourth, sharing a total of 25 points with two other riders, while Foret's 13 Phillip Island points take him to eight in the championship. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) put his Qatar disappointments behind him with a strong ninth place finish, just over ten seconds from the win after 21-laps of frantic raceday action throughout the field. David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport team) finished out of the points in 18th after taking to the grass on lap two, and he is now 15th on points, one place ahead of Roccoli. Fabien Foret (4th - +0'0.780 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I was happy to be able to catch the leaders even if I did not have so much grip in the race. I could follow them and the plan was to wait for the last lap. Then I was hoping to use the slipstream and use the R6's high top speed to pass and then keep them behind me. But when I saw McCoy coming from behind I knew I could not wait anymore. So I had to push and I got into the lead. It was a hard fight on the last lap but I just wanted points in this race. To get 13 points is not what I wanted but it is better than two no-scores in a row. The championship is open, and the season is long." Broc Parkes (DNF - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I had just got into the lead and I was keen to stay there, just racing the clock. The pace was not strong in the first lap so that's why I decided to go out in front. Entering the MG corner on the second lap everything just felt normal, like every other lap, until the front went away from me. Maybe the tyre wasn't quite warm on the right side. I tried to continue but the handlebar was too bent. By the time I got back to the pits the race was over for me." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "It looked like a good race was coming for Broc because he had a very good pace in morning warm-up. We talked things through and we knew our riders were strong enough to lead. Maybe Broc just went too early. But that's racing, you can't wait sometimes. Fabien's starts are always a bit cautious, but that is not a big problem for him. He always finds his pace early and can catch up. He had to push hard near the end even though it wasn't the ideal time to do it, so he had to try harder in the braking areas. It is impossible for any rider to defend a lead at this track because of the slipstreaming opportunities. Overall the race package we have is good and when we get it all together things will be fine." Massimo Roccoli (9th - +0'10.594 - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "After warm-up the bike felt OK but I had to work hard to gain some positions at the front during the race. Vizziello, Nannelli and I had a very similar pace so we ended up racing together. After 15 laps the rear tyre was sliding more and more and it was impossible to push at the same speed as the beginning. These are my first points of the year, so overall I am happy." David Salom (18th - +36.396 seconds - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "The start was not so bad but in the second lap I passed a rider under braking but I was too fast and my bike didn't stop. I left the track and ran onto the grass. It was like starting all over again but I had a good pace and passed many riders, until I found myself on my own again. The team did a great job and I hope never to make the same mistake under braking again." Round 2: Phillip Island, Australia Track length: 4445m Fastest Supersport lap: 1:34.592 (Andrew Pitt, Honda) Lap record: 1:34.976 (Sebastien Charpentier, Honda) Last year's winner: Fabien Foret (Kawasaki) Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 33'51.257 2, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'0.062 3, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 0'0.597 4, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 0'0.780 5, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 0'0.976 6, Garry McCoy, Triumph, AUS, 0'1.228 7, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'6.590 8, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'10.266 9, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'10.594 10, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'10.991 11, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'16.068 12, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 0'16.245 13, Graeme Gowland, Honda, GBR, 0'16.355 14, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'16.526 15, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 0'17.270 16, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 0'17.480 17, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'20.948 18, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'36.396 19, Lorenzo Alfonsi, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'45.078 20, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 0'46.640 21, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 0'52.165 22, Arnaud Vincent, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'57.732 23, Danilo Dell'omo, Honda, ITA, 0'57.879 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 1'35.429 Rider Standings 02/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 33 2, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 29 3, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 25 4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 25 5, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 25 6, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 16 7, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 14 8, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 13 9, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 11 10, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 11 11, Garry McCoy, Triumph, AUS, 10 12, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 10 13, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 9 14, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 9 15, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 8 16, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 7 Manufacturer Standings 02/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 45 2, Yamaha, 38 3, Triumph, 14 4, Suzuki, 10 5, Kawasaki, 9
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Prumm anticipates exciting 2008 campaign

2008 will be a big season in the short but spectacular career of double Women’s World Cup winner Katherine Prumm. The new Yamaha recruit is busy getting to grips with her new YZ250F in her native New Zealand and will shortly travel over to Europe to begin tests with the Van Beers team in preparation for the first ever FIM Women’s World championship, beginning at the MX1/MX2-GP Bulgarian Grand Prix on May 11th. Articulate and friendly Prumm is a very worthy ambassador for her discipline and a fine figurehead for the rapidly increasing popularity of women’s motocross. The 19 year old speaks here about her transfer to the ‘Blue Army’, her victories in 2007 and the perception of women’s motocross four years after the competition entered the international stage. 2006 was going so well with wins on both sides of the Atlantic but 2007 was probably the harder world cup win. How do you rank your results of last season? 2007 was definitely a harder year for me because I had had six months off the bike with a knee reconstruction to fix my cartilage and snapped ACL ligament. Then my first race back at the end of January at the NZ International Grand Prix I crashed on a big double jump that was wet and compressed the T9 in my back by 60%. This left me with a further 6 weeks off the bike and by the time I got riding again it was only a month out from the first round of the World Cup.
I felt like I had the speed to win the opening round in Germany and should have done so but crashed in moto 1 whilst leading and did the same in moto 2. I was really disappointed with round 1 but the points were still close, so I just focused on trying to come back strong for Sweden. I made sure that I got to Europe with plenty of time to recover before the final round of the World Cup. I waited 5 days before I first rode and my brother, Matthew came along to train with me also. I learnt a lot by riding in the sand as we don’t have sand in New Zealand like that of Europe. Coming into Lierop I didn’t really know how my speed was compared to the other girls but I was confident with my riding and this showed in qualifying when the track was rough and I managed to set the fastest lap time by 5.5 seconds. Sunday I had two bad starts but recovered by the middle of the race to win both motos by 25 seconds. It was really awesome to finish the season on a strong note and also to win my second World title. Afterwards there was no time to rest it was back home to NZ, a week and a half to recover and then into the first round on the NZ Motocross champs where I competed in both the Women’s Championship and the Men’s MX2. I had my best season ever this year and finished 12th overall in the MX2 class and my best race finish was 10th as well as taking my third women’s title. My goal for the season in the Men’s was top 15 and I was really proud to have achieved it. During the NZ Championship I also competed for the country in the Oceania MX Champs in Melbourne where I won the Women’s Championship and finally to finish the year I went across to the WMA American Women’s Cup in Texas where I won both motos in freezing temperatures of 2 degrees! Along with the Aussie title it was a good collection of results through 2007. You were so dominant in the sand of Lierop. How did you manage that? I worked really hard in the sand in the weeks leading up to the race with my mechanic, Serge and also my brother, Matthew. He is a great training partner and can show me areas that I need to work on. We also got to race against each other and this helped me to learn a lot. Have you seen many changes in the conceptions of women's motocross since your involvement on a world level in 2005? The sport has grown a lot in the last three years and the number of women competing has also increased dramatically worldwide. The women’s class was more of a side-show compared with the men in 2005 and now it is of equal importance and a full blown world championship. With Papenmeier and co. coming up, the level of competition in the women's series is expanding beyond the usual trio of girls isn't it? Honestly I think every year the level of competition rises. Being based in New Zealand it is difficult for me to know how my speed is developing compared to everyone else but I am sure that 2008 will be no different to previous years with everyone stepping up their speed. How will it be having 5 rounds in 2008, especially for you being based on the other side of the world? In 2008 I will base myself with the Van Beers Yamaha Team during the World Championship season. This will help me a lot as I won’t be flying 36 hours to Europe from NZ all the time and won’t have to battle the jet lag. I may also have some races in Australia for the Australian Women’s Championship if the dates allow. Will you change anything about your preparation for 2008 in light of the 5 races and also having to be based in Europe for longer periods? I will make sure I have plenty of time to get over the jet lag this year through being based in Holland for the majority of my time with Van Beers. It’s a new bike for me this year so I want to make sure I have everything set up 100% and that I am comfortable for the first round. Any plans for AMA competition again this year? At this stage I will be racing in Australia for the Women’s Motocross Champs, New Zealand in the Women’s and MX2 champs and then in Europe for the FIM World Championship. We haven’t made any plans for the US this year but maybe I can do the race in Texas again. How did the Yamaha deal come about and what was the main factor in making the new switch? Yamaha came up with a really good world-wide package for me so that I would have support in all the countries that I race in. The Yamaha deal is an exciting opportunity that will allow me to be a part of a new environment with a new team and bike. Yamaha is behind me 120% and I feel that they will give me the best chance of success in 2008. Tell us a bit about your link with Yamaha Australia and Yamaha New Zealand? In New Zealand I am part of the Subway Yamaha Racing team which is managed by Darryl King. They are a great team to be a part of and have won many national titles over the years. Yamaha NZ is an amazing company to work with and they are already pushing to have me in the media and involved in PR activities. Last night I did an interview on TV for ‘Pitlane’ which is a motorsport programme in NZ. Yamaha Australia will also play a big part in supporting me and if dates allow I will be competing in the Australian Women’s Championship to defend my title. They are really supportive of Women’s motocross and are looking to boost the industry and women’s level of racing there. The YZ250F is one of the dominant machines in MX2. Have you ridden it yet? What are your impressions? I’ve had my new bike for just over a week now and it took me a while to get used to seeing the blue machines parked up in the work shop! I actually had my first race on it over the weekend at the Valley Champs which is a regional event. I was in the 250cc Men’s class and finished 11, 8, and 7 for 8th overall. I got better and better each race as I got more comfortable on the bike and actually almost got the holeshot in the last race. I am still getting used to everything and every time I learn something new about the set-up or the way I need to attack stuff in the turns. I really liked the way the bike handles in the turns from the first time I jumped on it and I can’t wait to get everything dialled in to exactly how I want it.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Reed podium streak curtailed in Atlanta

Yamaha's Chad Reed finished off the AMA Supercross podium for the first time this year after a crash during the main event of round eight of the series at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta meant that the Australian crossed the finish line in sixth position. The 30th SX event in Atlanta (the first was won by Bob Hannah with a Yamaha) would not see Reed extend his career tally of podium results to 81. The YZ450F rider won his Heat, and also grabbed the holeshot, but slipped off his San Manuel machine while holding the lead after five laps and need the rest of the 17 minute sprint to clamber back to sixth spot. The 25 year old left the Georgia Dome promptly, after gingerly picking up 15 points. Reed saw his lead in the series, also an FIM World championship, cut to 25 points with nine rounds remaining. It was left to team-mate Nathan Ramsey to hold centre stage on the YZ as the veteran posted his best finish of 2008 with fifth position. "It's been like baby-steps since I started riding again, and I haven't quite gotten there yet, but tonight was a good start," said the American, who is sixth in the standings. "I feel my pace is starting to pick up and if I can get up there and race with them, that stuff will all come back to me. I think tonight was another good step in that direction, and it was fun to be racing with those guys." In the East Coast Lites division top the YZ250F finisher was another Australian, Jake Moss, with fourth position. Five riders from the final top ten were making their SX debuts at the Georgia Dome. Sixteen year old rookie Tyler Bowers was among them - representing the Yamaha of Troy squad - and took a very decent fifth spot on his maiden outing. "My race was good," he commented. "Unfortunately, I made the rookie mistake of not breathing for the first three laps and by about the third or fourth lap, I was out of breath. By the time I actually started breathing and was trying to get loose, it was too late. I was tired and a couple guys got around me. My mechanic threw-out the pitboard and told me I was in fifth, and it said, 'Lap 10'. I was like, 'Cool, I've got five more laps in me.' I found that extra little bit of energy and made it around to the finish and pulled it off. I was happy with that."
 
AMA Supercross travels to Daytona for round nine next weekend. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 17'15.100 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'6.051 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'10.236 4, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'11.014 5, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 0'14.607 6, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 0'33.910 7, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 0'35.912 8, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 0'44.317 9, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0'51.481 10, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 11, Ryan Clark, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 13, Bryan K Johnson, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 15, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Cole Siebler, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 17, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 18, Josh Hansen, Yamaha, USA, -2 Laps 19, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, -7 Laps 20, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -12 Laps Rider Standings 23/02/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 184 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 159 3, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 137 4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 123 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 121 6, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 101 7, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 84 8, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 84 9, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 72 10, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 67 12, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 66 13, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 53 14, James Stewart, Kawasaki, USA, 47 15, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 45 16, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 Manufacturer Standings 23/02/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 185 2, Honda, 170 3, Kawasaki, 160 4, Suzuki, 106 5, KTM, 84
Alex Asigno
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
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
Alex Asigno

Corser On Provisional Pole with Haga Fourth

Troy Corser set the early pace at the first round of the 2008 World Superbike season in Qatar, posting a first day qualifying time of 1'59.627 on race tyres and getting to within half a second of the current lap record. Corser's fellow Yamaha rider Noriyuki Haga secured a provisional front row position of fourth, despite falling heavily two-thirds of the way through the hour long qualifying session. Conditions at Losail were problematic for all riders, with a strong and gusting wind blowing down the kilometre-long main straight, holding down top speed potentials and making corner entry a challenge. With both riders inside the top four places, the experienced Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team made the best use of their recent testing experiences in Qatar, and few changes were made to the machine settings since that test at the 5.380km Losail circuit. Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) was on strong form on day one, setting ninth fastest time, with his team-mate Davide Checa (Yamaha GMT94) 17th. Final qualifying and then Superpole qualifying take place tomorrow, Friday 22nd, before Saturday's pair of 18-lap Superbike races. Troy Corser (1st - 1'59.627 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Having the test so soon before the race was good because we got a really strong engine setting with the bike. The chassis feels quite good but it is difficult to know how well things are working, just because of the wind. That is probably the windiest conditions I have ever ridden in.. It wasn't so bad that we shouldn't have been out there, but today was all down to how much you wanted to push. I didn't really change too many settings from the test, just left it to get today out of the way. We just need the wind to die down for tomorrow. The track grip is comparable to what we had here at the test. I think the wind is blowing as much sand off the track as it is blowing sand back on. The only real problem is that the worst direction for the wind to blow here is down the main straight, like it was today. The bike and the team are working well so it's been a positive start." Noriyuki Haga (4th - 2'00.476 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "It was difficult to make the best lap times in these conditions, but the feeling with the bike was very good. Unfortunately I had a big highside at turn one, on water coming from the bike. I landed straight on top of my head. I think before the crash I was half a centimetre taller. I am in a lot of pain but I will rest tonight and be better tomorrow. Top four is a good result for the first day. Our target point for tomorrow is make some changes in suspension, but I think we have the package right now anyway." Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team, Team Manager "We are happy with that for a first day. We have to consider that we had a test here recently, so we should expect good results. Troy's time was great given the conditions and we know we have two very strong riders in all circumstances. We feel for Nori after his crash, we can see he is in pain, but we also know him and he is strong. Now we will look that the bike and see if there was a problem." Qualifying 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 1'59.627 2, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 1'59.853 3, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 2'0.307 4, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 2'0.476 5, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 2'0.599 6, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 2'0.695 7, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 2'0.724 8, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 2'0.744 9, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 2'0.857 10, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 2'0.904 11, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 2'0.937 12, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 2'1.086 13, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 2'1.409 14, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 2'1.677 15, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 2'1.729 16, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 2'1.955 17, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 2'1.984 18, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 2'2.004 19, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 2'2.100 20, Vittorio Iannuzzo, Kawasaki, ITA, 2'2.256 21, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 2'2.494 22, Luca Morelli, Honda, ITA, 2'2.980 23, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 2'3.006 24, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 2'3.542 25, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 2'3.765 26, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 2'3.796 27, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 2'4.264 28, Loic Napoleone, Yamaha, FRA, 2'6.363 ---------- QUALIFYING 1 REPORT - 21/02/2008 Foret Goes Fastest On Day One Of New Season Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport Team) made a fabulous start to his 2008 race season by posting the fastest lap of the opening qualifying session at the Losail International circuit in Qatar. The former World Supersport Champion had to fight high winds and a dusty track surface to set a best of 2'03.495, some 0.346 seconds faster than the next best rider. Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) has been the fastest rider of all in pre-season testing, including here in Qatar only a few days ago, but found unexpected issues in the Losail circuit's many fast corners today. He was 13th overall in the official practice session. One more qualifying session remains for both Foret and Parkes to improve their times tomorrow, before the 18-lap race on Saturday 23 February. Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team rider David Salom was an impressive seventh fastest from the 36 riders in Qatar, making a good job of dealing with the treacherous winds that have plagued the desert circuit since for the past few days. His stand-in team-mate, Josep Pedro, substituting for the injured David De Gea, was 36th on his Qatar debut. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) worked hard to find the right suspension settings and choose a race tyre in the windy conditions, hoping to improve on his 18th fastest time today on the second day of qualifying. Fabien Foret (1st - 2'03.495 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "We worked very hard this winter and now we are seeing the benefits. The conditions are very difficult, for me and for everyone. I tried to be safe and yet push at the same time, trying to manage the wind. It difficult for us to set the bike up in these conditions as the wind is not constant, it changes lap-by-lap. I still have a little bit of chatter but we can improve tomorrow. We are there now and it has been a good start today." Broc Parkes (13th - 2'05.301 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "We are obviously having problems with the bike right now but we couldn't work out what was wrong in this session. I should maybe have hopped on my spare bike and had a go, but we concentrated on my number one bike. We ended up quite a long way out. I think there is something wrong that we will find and tomorrow will be OK." Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team "Fabien was very impressive and as fast as the tests last week, and that was also held in not ideal circumstances. We have different tyres now and everything is reacting a little bit different. Broc is having the opposite experience because all the tests have been great and now he is missing a lot of time compared to his testing pace. He did a 2.02.9 a few days ago here. Both our guys can be fast but everything has to be good, and right now Broc is losing a lot of time in fast corners." David Salom (7th - 2'04.858 - Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "We have many years of hard work behind us all and this good result on the first day is down to the whole team. The Team manager has set up a great team and we have good suspension and telemetry people who are doing a good job. They are helping me to take advantage of everything I have. It is a team effort." Qualifying 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 2'3.495 2, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 2'3.841 3, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 2'4.017 4, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 2'4.017 5, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 2'4.446 6, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 2'4.766 7, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 2'4.858 8, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 2'4.880 9, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 2'4.996 10, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 2'5.211 11, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 2'5.217 12, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 2'5.264 13, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 2'5.301 14, Garry McCoy, Triumph, AUS, 2'5.349 15, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 2'5.445 16, Mirko Giansanti, Honda, ITA, 2'5.495 17, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 2'5.586 18, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 2'5.715 19, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 2'5.742 20, Arnaud Vincent, Kawasaki, FRA, 2'5.941 21, Graeme Gowland, Honda, GBR, 2'6.007 22, Gregory Leblanc, Honda, FRA, 2'6.033 23, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 2'6.139 24, Lorenzo Alfonsi, Kawasaki, ITA, 2'6.406 25, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 2'6.468 26, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 2'6.751 27, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 2'6.755 28, Ilario Dionisi, Triumph, ITA, 2'7.246 29, William De Angelis, Honda, ITA, 2'7.681 30, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 1'7.681 31, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 2'7.935 32, Luka Nedog, Honda, SVN, 2'8.761 33, Gergo Talmacsi, Honda, HUN, 2'9.165 35, Attila Magda, Honda, HUN, 2'11.246
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha rampant in Italian championship opener

YZ450FM, 450F and YZ250F machinery were dominant forces in the first round of the 2008 Italian Motocross championship as Yamaha riders captured all the overall podium places in both MX1 and MX2 categories at a sunny Montevarchi circuit last weekend. It was another successful double-act for Yamaha Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins and David Philippaerts after their 1-2 results at the Mantova Starcross International last week. This time it was Coppins’ turn to take the top step of the rostrum after the New Zealander produced two strong performances to walk away with the chequered flag in both motos. Philippaerts was second on both occasions as is now the ‘provisional’ leader of the standings as his team-mate will not contest the full series. MX1 was largely a contest between the two factory riders. Coppins led the first race with Philippaerts doggedly hanging onto his tail. After 22 minutes Philippaerts took his chance and relegated the winner of five Grand Prix in 2007 to second spot. Coppins remained composed and watched the lines of the Tuscan before counter-attacking within the final two laps to seize the victory. “It was a good race and another step forward for me as I feel my riding is getting better,” said Coppins. “David was on the pace and we were both going fast this weekend. I still have some more meetings before the first GP and we will continue to work and build-up to the first Grand Prix.” The second moto was a straight-forward affair as Coppins set a brace of blistering laps early into the second half of the sprint to break away from the Italian. “I did not win but I am quite pleased with how the day went,” said Philippaerts. “Mainly because I know my current level is good; if I can push Josh hard and also beat Antonio then I am heading down the right path. I feel great on the bike and I know there is better to come.” MX2 World Champion Antonio Cairoli was third in both sprints with just his second appearance steering the Yamaha Red Bull De Carli YZ450F. The 2007 MX2 Italian number one made a steady and solid beginning to his 2008 calendar. “It was a positive meeting,” the Sicilian said. “I knew that David and Josh would have a slight advantage but I must remember that this is my first race and I haven’t done that much training with the 450. I believe we have made the right choice for this year and in the next few races I will be getting better and faster. We have started the season now and I am pleased with how it went. If we continue in this direction then I will be satisfied.” Cairoli’s crown in MX2 looks as though it will be closely fought over this season. In Montevarchi the class was decided between Yamaha Team Ricci’s Nicolas Aubin (the eventual winner with 2nd and 1st positions), Davide Guarneri (5th and 3rd places) and 3C Yamaha’s Manuel Monni (winner of the first moto and 5th in the second).Yamaha Red Bull De Carli’s Matteo Bonini is also likely to play a part – and will try to keep the number one plate within the realms of the Rome-based squad – as his fine second position in the last sprint (and fourth overall standing) reveals. The second round of the series follows quickly with the Yamaha Motocross Team and the three MX2 squads in action next weekend at Castiglione Del Lago. Coppins will head north-west to race the Valence International in southern France. Results Montevarchi Italian Championship Rnd 1 MX1 RACE 1: 1.Coppins (Yamaha); 2.Philippaerts (Yamaha); 3.Cairoli (Yamaha); 4.De Reuver (Honda); 5. Salvini (Suzuki). RACE 2: 1.Coppins (Yamaha); 2.Philippaerts (Yamaha); 3.Cairoli (Yamaha); 4.De Reuver (Honda); 5. Salvini (Suzuki). MX2 RACE 1: 1.Monni (Yamaha); 2.Aubin (Yamaha); 3.Tarroux (KTM); 4.Pellegrini (KTM); 5.Guarneri (Yamaha) RACE 2: 1.Aubin (Yamaha); 2.Bonini (Yamaha); 3.Guarneri (Yamaha); 4.Seistola (Honda); 5.Monni (Yamaha)
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Reed maintains podium record with 2nd position in Houston

San Manuel Yamaha rider Chad Reed saw his run of five consecutive victories come to an end in Houston for the seventh round of seventeen in the 2008 AMA Supercross series, a FIM World Championship, but the Australian continued his 100% podium record with second position and guards a 32 point lead in the competition. The 42nd Supercross in Houston did not witness a fourth straight sweep for Yamaha in both classes even though Jason Lawrence did also climb the rostrum in second spot in the Lites West Coast category to remain poised at the top of the standings with one round to go. In 1974 Pierre Karsmakers marked Yamaha's first success in Houston and the manufacturer has enjoyed thirteen more triumphs since then, Reed himself contributing two of those. In a so-far-dominant campaign the number '22' was not able to increase his season statistics at the Reliant Stadium. Kevin Windham, who helped design the short layout, gained his first 25 points of the year after taking the lead on the first lap and setting the pace at the front. Reed, who had started badly, pulled through the pack to pass brand-mate Josh Hill and secure second place at mid-race distance but could not close to Windham's rear wheel. Tim Ferry was third.
"That's a tough one to swallow. I gave it everything I've got. Kevin rode a good race, and I want to congratulate him but this is a disappointment," said Reed, who took his third career runner-up position at Houston and has never dropped out of the top three at the event. "It was just one of those nights," added the 25 year old who has totalled 31 victories and became the first racer to win all the Californian rounds with his chequered flag last week in San Diego. "Once I got into second, I couldn't cut into Kevin's lead. We've had a good season, and it's still good to be up on the podium." 18 year old Hill was running as high as second before being overtaken by Reed and Ferry. With Broc Hepler and Grant Langston still absent with physical ailments (broken hand and an eye problem respectively) the teenager produced a positive showing for his second best result of the season so far. In the Lites category Yamaha of Troy's Jason Lawrence again made the podium for the fourth meeting in succession. His second position on the YZ250F behind Austin Stroupe and some costly mistakes by title rival Ryan Dungey means that the 20 year old stretched his advantage in the championship by five points, to six in total. The final round of the West coast series will take place on 26th April in Seattle as the East coast championship now cranks into life. "I think that might be my main advantage, being smart - something Dungey hasn't been all year. That's four races in a row that he's crashed out," said Lawrence. "He's handing me this title, and I've got one more race to hold it together. I'm going to go to that race and do exactly what I did right here. Dungey can win it by a mile, but I'm going to get the title." The schedule refuses to ease for the riders and teams and they continue onto Atlanta for round eight next weekend. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 16'3.700 2, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 0'3.078 3, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'13.680 4, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'17.600 5, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'23.850 6, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 0'41.159 7, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 8, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 9, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 10, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps 11, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 12, Ryan Clark, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 13, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 14, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Dusty Klatt, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 17, Bryan K Johnson, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 18, Antonio Balbi, Honda, USA, -3 Laps 19, Josh Hansen, Yamaha, USA, -4 Laps 20, Travis Preston, Honda, USA, -16 Laps Rider Standings 16/02/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 169 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 137 3, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 119 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 101 5, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 98 6, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 85 7, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 82 8, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 77 9, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69 10, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 60 11, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 53 12, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 53 13, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 53 14, James Stewart, Kawasaki, USA, 47 15, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 Manufacturer Standings 16/02/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 169 2, Honda, 145 3, Kawasaki, 142 4, Suzuki, 94 5, KTM, 77
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Cairoli hungry for third MX2-GP world championship

The 2007 FIM MX2-GP Motocross World Championship was very much a success story for Yamaha De Carli rider Antonio Cairoli. The Sicilian blazed a path through the season’s statistics book on his YZ250F. Along with the 10 GP wins and 21 moto chequered flags the double world champ’s consistency meant that he only dropped out of the top two twice from 28 MX2-GP races. Add an MX1-GP debut triumph, an Italian MX2 title and a European Supercross championship and it hard to believe how Cairoli can top this performance in 2008. Despite his many races and vast amount of silverware gained through the past twelve months the popular rider insists that his motivation for an attempt at a third MX2-GP crown (to equal the quantity set by former Yamaha great Alessio Chiodi) remains high, not to mention keeping his hoards of native fans content with his endeavours on Italian soil. “I did a lot of races in 2007 but I feel fresh and ready for another challenge in 2008,” the 22 year old said. “My main goal is of course another world title but I also want to retain an Italian championship. The Supercross was a lot of fun at the end of the year although I am still not sure if I will do the tour again at the end of this season.” An arduous 2007 saw ten months of racing in three separate series leave Cairoli with little time to recharge his batteries and take stock. The racer, who splits his time between his Sicilian home and bases in Rome and Belgium, did manage to hit the ski slopes for several weeks and also think about the competition he faces onboard his new Red Bull-backed YZ come Holland on April 6th for round one of fifteen in the FIM world championship.
“It was good to get some holidays,” he commented “I did not travel far and instead chose to relax for three weeks at home and do some snowboarding in northern Italy.” “I think this season Tommy Searle, Nicolas Aubin and Davide Guarneri will be real threats. I think we will have some surprises and there will be some young riders that can fight with me for the championship; it will be fun.” For the second year in a row the De Carli team fields Cairoli, Matteo Bonini and Alessandro Lupino in both international and national competitions. The squad get their 2008 calendar underway this weekend with the first round of the Italian championship at the Montevarchi circuit. In perhaps something of a preview as to his future plans Cairoli will be steering a YZ450F in the MX1 category. “Of course we are looking towards 2009 and MX1 for Tony,” said Team Manager and Owner Claudio de Carli. “It is crucial that he starts to adapt to riding the 450 and that we can get the bike set-up for him in racing conditions. The Italian championship starts early and they are important races for us but it is also a way in which we can build up to the world championship.”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha riders all ready to race after final test

Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser (both Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) made their final pre-race preparations for the 2008 World Superbike season at the Losail International Circuit today; the same venue that serves as the championship kick off on Saturday 23 February. The Losail track surface was not in as good condition as it was for the team’s previous winter test around the 5.380km circuit in Qatar, but the main objective of this showing was to ensure that all the latest equipment would be in prime condition when points become available for real next week. The team brought four all-new machines and all of the latest specification, but as this was not an official test the riders had to use a more limited stock of tyres than usual. Corser was second fastest rider of all on the final day, posting a 1’59.0, with Haga only marginally behind with a time of 1’59.3. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) was also out testing in preparation for the start of the year, running his latest spec of Yamaha YZF-R1 machine in his one-man team. He set a best of 2’00.7, on off-the-shelf Pirelli control tyres. Yamaha’s second French WSB team GMT94 did not attend this last pre-season test. Troy Corser (2nd - 1’59.0 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “We tried a few new things with the variable intake settings for example, but only a little bit at this test. That said, we still found a lot of positive stuff over the past two days. It was mostly a shakedown test, with a bit of back-to-back comparison of the different bikes and I feel really confident with our starting package for this coming season. The only downside was that I felt a bit feverish this afternoon, aching a bit, like am catching the ‘flu, so it wasn’t that much fun on the bike sometimes. The results were still good, so I’m confident in the bike and team. With what we found today, I would be happy to go and start the championship tomorrow.” Noriyuki Haga (3rd - 1’59.3 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “It has been good to test so close to the start of the season and things went well with the bike. We only really had one type of tyre to test so we had to make changes in our suspension settings to be able to work with them. We found a setting that worked, which shows that we know how to adjust the bike in a good way. We will see how we get on during the race weekends but my long run this morning went well. I think when we get the real race tyres, we will be ready to go.”
 
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Things went well, a positive test for us all. We arrived here with four completely new bikes, so the first day was spent mostly running things in and checking the bikes over. On the final day we did some long runs and in the end we were quite satisfied with the performance of both riders and the bikes. We used tyres that we didn’t use in the previous Qatar tests as well. The times were not as good as they were in November but the track conditions at this circuit are quite changeable. The important thing was to make our final preparations and I can say that we are ready to race now.” Preparations complete for Parkes and Foret Broc Parkes and Fabien Foret (both Yamaha World Supersport Team) declared themselves ready to take the 2008-specification Yamaha YZF-R6 into competitive action after their final pre-season test was completed earlier today in Qatar. Although the ever-changing Losail track provided the team with less than perfect conditions in the pursuit of absolute lap times, the last-minute alterations to the all-new machine provided both riders with a confidence-boosting set of results, especially when simulating real race conditions. Parkes was the faster of the two on the stopwatch, setting a best of 2’02.9, with Foret 0.6 seconds from his team-mate. Foret, the 2002 World Supersport Champion, found improvements in two main areas of performance and each rider is now ready for the task of qualifying and then racing, at the first round on 23 February. David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team), recovering from a hand injury he sustained in a recent test at home in Almeria, was also fast on the slippery Losail circuit yesterday, setting a 2’03.1 after his two days of testing. Salom’s regular team-mate David De Gea could not make this test due to a serious injury to his left leg, but his place was taken by Spanish Championship regular, Josep Pedró, who will substitute for De Gea in the opening two WSS rounds of the season. Pedró set a best of 2’09.2 on his first visit to the fast and tricky Losail circuit. Broc Parkes (2.02.9 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I’m happy with how the test progressed. We were really lucky to have this test now to get everything ready at the same place we’re having the first round. We had some new equipment and parts to get bedded in and the test was good. The track was a bit slippery over both days, and that’s why we only got into the high 2’02s. That wasn’t bad considering how different the grip was. The main thing here was to get the bike the way we wanted it and to find out all the little things you don’t want to find a week from now. We basically ran the same set-up as the Phillip Island test, so it’s very positive that it also worked here.” Fabien Foret (2’03.5 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "We fixed a lot of small but important things and it helped me gaining confidence, mainly in the area of the rear traction and corner entry. I have a bit more feedback than before on the front, so I have to be happy. We will always be searching for better and better, but we learned a lot at this test and I feel good going into the first race.” Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "Our test went quite well, even if our times were not as fast as the last time out here. We didn’t find any problems, no crashes, and we found some good points to focus on. It was important to give the riders this test or they would have had a month off the bikes, so it was very helpful to be here so soon before the race. Because it was not an official Pirelli test, we could not use a lot of new tyres but this was useful to us as well, because we could see the behaviour of the bike with worn tyres. We found some benefits compared to when we were here before, and we can say that we are fully ready to start the season.” David Salom: (2’03.1 Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "I am very satisfied with the whole test. I have improved 1.8 seconds from last year's lap time and we have made good times with a race set-up. I feel optimistic. I am also very happy with the work of the team, especially with the improvements in suspension and the engine."
Alex Asigno
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
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
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
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts building up to Yamaha debut

As the first ever winner of both MX1 and MX2 Grand Prix there is a lot of hope for new Yamaha Motocross Team recruit David Philippaerts as the 24 year old opens the ‘blue’ chapter of his career this weekend at the Starcross International at Mantova in Italy. The first Italian representative for the crew since the inception of the MX1 category in 2004, Philippaerts is ideally placed to continue his impressive climb in world championship motocross since bursting onto the scene with a volley of MX2-GP podiums in 2005. The Tuscan has spent the winter working with the Rinaldi-helmed squad in preparation for the 2008 MX1-GP season, only his second in the premier class since entering the competition in 2007 and after adapting immediately to the demands of the 450cc four-stroke with six podiums, two moto victories and a single Grand Prix success at the Teutschenthal circuit in Germany.
 
Mantova this weekend – also host of the Italian Grand Prix on May 17/18 - will witness Philippaerts’ christening with the potent YZ450FM. The multi-title winning machine will carry the Italian and team-mate Josh Coppins for the 2008 campaign. “I was really pleased when I first rode the Yamaha because I found it light and easy to handle but with an engine and power output that was very manageable,” he commented. “It meant that I did not have to change anything with regards to my riding style, and this level of comfort gives you confidence.” “The standard bike was already very good from the outset and since then we began to work with pieces and upgrades for the race machine,” he added. “The team are well organised and professional and they provide a perfect working environment.There is always somebody to take care of things and they have good ideas; I’m very satisfied.” The feeling of well-being currently in the set-up is echoed by Co-ordinator ‘Mino’ Raspanti. “Even though we are just at the start of the year we already feel strong as a team and David is an easy guy to work with; he is always kind and professional,” he remarked. “We did some engine and suspension testing but we have not made any big changes to the bike compared to last year, our work was mainly focussed on adapting the YZ450FM to suit his style and to get him comfortable,” he further added. While the expectation of regaining Yamaha’s MX1-GP crown falls mainly in the lap of team-mate Josh Coppins, Raspanti believes that Philippaerts is capable of a few surprises: “We believe that David is one of the fastest riders in MX1 but he still needs some more experience. He is only 24 and potentially has a good career ahead of him. His strengths as a rider are his skills on the bike, his strong character and his fighting spirit. We expect a forward step in 2008 and we will support him totally to help achieve that.” Mantova will be the first of several race appearances for Philippaerts before the world championship gets underway at the Valkenswaard circuit for the Grand Prix of Netherlands on April 6th. “I want to get a lot of race time and hours so that I am completely ready to go at the first round,” the seven-time Grand Prix winner said “so I will be racing the pre-season international events and using them very much as testing opportunities.”
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno