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Yamaha Racing News

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Reed seventh in Daytona quagmire

Reed seventh in Daytona quagmire The heavens opened and created a swamp at the Daytona Speedway for the tenth round of the 2008 AMA Supercross series, a FIM World Championship. Yamaha San Manuel's Chad Reed was three corners from his seventh victory of the season before being forced to retire. To make matters worse for the Australian he was later penalised for cutting the sodden track and dropped to seventh place for his lowest standing of the season so far. Despite the drama and eventual outcome, the 25 year old still leads the championship by 23 points with seven rounds remaining. The deluge of rain on Saturday ruined the outdoor course partly designed by AMA legend Ricky Carmichael. The races in both Supercross and Lites classes were only just able to start, with some American sources describing the conditions as the worst ever seen for a SX event. Reed - like most of the riders - was barely recognisable after the first few corners and fought in the early stages with Kevin Windham before being able to make a break, although the battle of attrition would be lost mere metres from the flag. "It just sucked water and mud through the air boot," said Larry Brooks, San Manuel Yamaha team manager. "There was standing water on the track, and the bike sucked water and dirt, and when he stopped to line up for a rut, it just had no compression, got stuck in some mud and stopped. He had a minute and 15 second lead with three corners to go and couldn't finish, so obviously he's upset, but stuff happens. We should be happy that he got those points and move on to the next one." Brand-mate Josh Hill has a similar problem after four laps. Reed was still the top ranked Yamaha finisher with seventh while Nathan Ramsey managed to take twelfth. There were no top ten entrants in the Lites division. Round eleven takes place next weekend at the HHH Metrodome in Minneapolis. Race 1 - 12 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 19'48.890 2, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'22.420 3, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, 0'111.833 4, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0'137.726 5, Antonio Balbi, Honda, USA, 0'151.760 6, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 7, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, -1 Laps 8, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 9, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 10, Ryan Dungey, Suzuki, USA, -2 Laps 11, Bryan K Johnson, Honda, USA, -2 Laps 12, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, -2 Laps 13, Dusty Klatt, Kawasaki, USA, -3 Laps 14, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, -3 Laps 15, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -4 Laps 16, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, -4 Laps 17, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, -5 Laps 18, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, -5 Laps 19, Cole Siebler, Honda, USA, -7 Laps 20, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -11 Laps Rider Standings 07/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 223 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 200 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 154 4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 149 5, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 137 6, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 123 7, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 110 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 102 9, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 89 10, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 86 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 72 12, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69 13, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 67 14, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, 61 15, Ivan Tedesco, Honda, USA, 53 21, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 33, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 07/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 224 2, Honda, 215 3, Kawasaki, 183 4, Suzuki, 142 5, KTM, 89
Alex Asigno

Swedish stage launches 2008 WEC this weekend

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

Prumm leads decent weekend of results for Yamaha

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

Yamaha factory MX team unites with Monster Energy

The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team will be hoping to strike extra fear into their FIM Motocross World Championship rivals in 2008 thanks to a new alliance with Monster Energy drinks. The factory-backed Grand Prix squad – now entitled ‘Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’ thanks to the title sponsorship - will benefit from a high-profile three year joint programme with one of the new powerful movers in motorcycle racing for their attempt on the MX1-GP title. Monster Energy, a product of California-based subsidiary Monster Beverage Co. part of the Hansen Beverage Company, have also lent their backing to the AMA Supercross series (an FIM World Championship) and have now extended their reach into the motocross Grand Prix paddock with the team responsible for winning three of the four titles since the MX1 class was born in 2004. “It's fantastic to have Monster Energy on board with us,” said Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “Our results with the team over a long period have shown that we can offer Monster - as a partner - the top level successful image that they are looking for in Europe. During the discussions it was clear we were speaking to a company dedicated to supporting us in getting the best results and above all passion for off-road sport. Monster is a young and fresh brand, relatively new to Europe. It will be also exciting from a marketing point of view to work with them and raise their awareness on this side of the world.” The works YZ450FMs of Joshua Coppins and David Philippaerts will run a new design and livery for 2008 that will be unveiled in a special presentation on Friday evening prior to the first Grand Prix in Holland on April 6th. The team rightfully fill a position of prominence in world championship motocross racing having won the MX1-GP crown three times in succession with the potent YZ machinery from 2004 to 2006. Prior to the inauguration of the MX1-GP class they were also responsible for three 500cc titles in 1999, 2001 and 2002. They dominated races in the short-lived MXGP competition (a forerunner to MX1-GP) in the 2003 season when Stefan Everts also made history by winning three motos on a Yamaha in three different categories on the same day at the Grand Prix of France. In 2006 they helped the Belgian to record ten world championships and 101 career victories before his retirement. The crew were desperately close to a fourth crown in 2007 until Coppins sustained an untimely injury deep into the second half of the campaign while leading by a mammoth 107 points. With five overall triumphs and nine moto wins the New Zealander was still an outstanding performer of last year’s championship with more trophies than anyone else. Monster Energy is emerging to become one of the premier energy drink brands on the planet. Popular in the United States, the drink first appeared on the market in 2002 and has expanded both in terms of its distribution, profile and range of flavours and products on offer. They are currently birthing and evolving their network in Europe and the association with Yamaha as one of the most successful motorcycle brands in off-road sport and one of the most prolific teams within the last ten years of motocross, is sure to assist in their blossoming project. “We view the partnership between Monster Energy, Yamaha and the Rinaldi brothers as a European version of Monster Energy’s relationship with Mitch and Pro Circuit,” said Monster Energy spokesman Scott Sepkovic. “The Rinaldi Yamahas enjoy great racing heritage on the GP circuit, dating back to championships won by Donny Schmit and Bobby Moore. Monster Energy is looking forward to teaming up with this fine racing tradition as we continue to expand the Monster Energy brand globally. Here’s to a strong and healthy season for Josh Coppins and David Philippaerts the best of luck to both racers at their quest for the MX1 class championship. We’re pumped to have Yamaha Motor Europe and their team on board with Monster Energy.”
Alex Asigno

Albergoni takes podium at frosty Sweden

UFO Corse Yamaha team rider Simone Albergoni got his 2008 Enduro 1 World Championship campaign off to an impressive start at the Grand Prix of Sweden, staged in Ostersund, where the Italian was runner-up on day one and then again finished on the podium with third place on day two. The series' only winter enduro is typically an event in which many southern European riders struggle, due to the frozen terrain and sub-zero riding conditions. Albergoni defied expectations and showed just how determined he is to win this year's E1 title by posting two solid results despite admitting that he certainly doesn't feel at home racing with spiked tyres. Heading to Finland ten days prior to the Swedish opener for preparation, Simone mixed consistency with speed on day one and never dropped lower than fifth in the class on any of the day's seven special tests. Finishing just eight seconds behind eventual E1 class winner Mika Ahola on the event's opening test, Simone held off hard charging WEC newcomer Eero Remes from Finland and after one-hour of special test action placed as a deserved runner-up. On day two Simone was again quick, despite the unfamiliar conditions. Although not starting Sunday as well as he had on Saturday, and not managing to get to grips with the fast motocross test, three solid enduro test performances saw him end the day third, just 18 seconds behind former double E1 world champion Ivan Cervantes. Up next on the WEC tour are the second and third rounds of the series, which will take place in Portugal and Spain - events that will be much more to Simone's liking. Competing alongside Albergoni for the UFO Corse Yamaha team in the E1 class Maurizio Micheluz placed in seventh on both days - results the Italian was pleased with considering the frozen terrain. Performing well on the motocross test on day one, Maurizio was again at his best on the motocross tests on day two managing to record the third fastest E1 class time on the last lap of the event. Although consistent on both days, and like Micheluz riding strongly on the event's fast and flowing motocross section, Spaniard Cristobal Guerrero was unable to perform as well as he'd hoped as several crashes hampered his results. Cristobal preparations for the meeting were hampered due to the shoulder injury he sustained at the final round of the Indoor Enduro World Cup but he was still able to secure two top ten results with eighth on day one and ninth on day two. Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 2nd, Day 2: 3rd "I'm really pleased with my results this weekend. In 2007 and 2006 I really struggled with the conditions and my results were bad, which made things difficult for me for the rest of the season as I was always trying to catch up lost points. Finishing second on day one and third on day two is fantastic. I hoped that I would get two podium results but to get them is a really great start to the championship. Day one went really well. I wasn't as fast on the motocross on day two as I was on day one, but my enduro tests were still good. I didn't expect to be as fast as I was. I have to thank Mika Ahola because I spent some time training with him in Finland before this GP." Cristobal Guerrero (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 8th, Day 2: 9th "Things didn't go as well as I hoped they would here in Sweden - it is difficult riding in these strange conditions. Although there wasn't as much snow as there could have been it was still difficult. My training before the race was also not the best because of my shoulder injury. I hoped for better results but I crashed too many times. I hope I can perform better in Portugal and Spain." Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 7th, Day 2: 7th "The most important thing for me this weekend was simply to survive. I knew that the race would be tough for me so I just wanted to finish both days as well as I could. I finished seventh on day one, but not too far behind the other southern European riders. My special test times on day two were quite good and I finished seventh again, which I'm happy with. I am looking forward to the rest of the championship now and won't miss coming back to the winter enduro next year!" Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 68'8.110 2, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'43.120 3, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 1'45.280 4, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 2'20.120 5, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 2'33.780 6, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 2'45.370 7, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 2'48.650 8, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 3'49.450 9, Niklas Gustafsson, Honda, SWE, 4'22.660 10, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 5'50.220 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 49'15.050 2, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 1'44.580 3, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 2'3.320 4, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 2'7.990 5, Niklas Gustafsson, Honda, SWE, 2'21.280 6, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 3'5.140 7, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 3'14.430 8, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 3'30.560 9, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 3'51.050 10, Frederik Georgsson, KTM, SWE, 3'57.280 Rider Standings 15/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 50 2, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 42 3, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 38 4, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 37 5, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 33 6, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 29 7, Niklas Gustafsson, Honda, SWE, 28 8, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 28 9, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 25 10, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 11 11, Frederik Georgsson, KTM, SWE, 11 Manufacturer Standings 15/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 50 2, KTM, 42 3, Yamaha, 42 4, Husqvarna, 29 5, Suzuki, 11 ---------- RACE REPORT - 16/03/2008 Albert takes podium double in Sweden Chasing his first World Enduro Championship Frenchman Johnny Aubert got his 2008 WEC season off to a decent start at the Grand Prix of Sweden where the UFO Corse Yamaha rider placed on the podium on both days having claimed a well deserved 2nd spot on day one and a 3rd place finish on day two. Coming into the '08 series havng claimed the outright win at last year's ISDE in Chile, Aubert, who enjoyed solid results at the GP of Sweden in both '07 and '06, again showed that despite his relative lack of experience in winter conditions he can certainly produce the goods. Just 28 seconds behind E2 class winner Joakim Ljunggren on day one, Johnny overcame a less than perfect opening test to remain ahead of seven-time world champion Juha Salminen, despite the Finn's best efforts to push Aubert back into third. Hoping that he would be able to finish on the podium as he had in seasons past, Johnny surprised even himself by finishing ahead of several experienced Scandinavian participants. Although he wasn't able to repeat his runner-up result on day two, Aubert dropped just one position to again finish on the podium. With only 30 seconds separating the top three E2 class riders at the end of the second outing, Johnny again placed behind Ljunggren but both riders were overtaken by Salminen as the Finn took the top slot. Starting the championship with two podium results Aubert now heads to Portugal and Spain for rounds two and three of the WEC; events he won in '07. Finishing in 9th position on day one and in 12th position on day two, Fabrizio Dini managed to complete both days of the WEC opener without major problems - something that several riders were unable to do. Never expecting to enter the top section of the standings, Fabrizio scored a handful of hard earned championship points and now looks forward to returning to more standard race conditions. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 2nd, Day 2: 3rd "I am pleased with my weekend. Finishing second on day one was a great start to the championship and finishing third on day two is also really good. With some very fast Scandinavian riders in the E2 class, to finish on the podium on both days is good. I hoped before the race that I could take a podium, so to do that is very pleasing. There was a little bit less snow this year, which helped me. I only spent a few days training before the race, so I'm pleased with the way my bike was. I am looking forward to the next two rounds of the championship now. Last year I won rounds two and three, so of course I would like to do the same again this year. I am not sure what type of special tests there will be but my physical condition is really good so if the races are hard I am ready for that." Fabrizio Dini (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 9th, Day 2 12th "Finishing ninth on day one was quite good for me. It was much better than my results the two previous years. The conditions were very strange because there wasn't so much snow on the special tests and there was a lot of water and mud. But it was the same for everyone. I was 12th on day two, which wasn't as good but I started the day badly and crashed about five times. Things got better after the first lap but I am just pleased that there will be no more snow at the next rounds of the series." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 61'10.080 2, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'28.550 3, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 0'40.180 4, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 0'45.360 5, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 0'46.140 6, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 2'56.200 7, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 3'37.120 8, Fritz Andersson, KTM, SWE, 4'9.870 9, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 4'50.890 10, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 5'22.840 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 49'34.020 2, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 0'21.080 3, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'30.520 4, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 0'41.290 5, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 0'44.880 6, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 1'19.490 7, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 2'23.260 8, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 2'36.930 9, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 2'49.210 10, Fritz Andersson, KTM, SWE, 2'55.900 Rider Standings 15/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 47 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 45 3, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 42 4, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 36 5, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 31 6, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 28 7, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 27 8, Fritz Andersson, KTM, SWE, 24 9, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 16 10, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 13 11, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 12 12, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 11 Manufacturer Standings 15/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, HusaBerg, 47 2, KTM, 45 3, Yamaha, 42 4, Husqvarna, 31 5, Honda, 27 6, TM, 27 7, BMW, 13
Alex Asigno

Hill takes first SX victory in Minneapolis

Yamaha's Josh Hill toasted a fine maiden AMA-SX triumph in front of almost 41,000 fans at the Metrodome in Minneapolis last Saturday for round eleven of seventeen in the 2008 championship. The 18 year old steered his YZ450F to the chequered flag ahead of Ryan Dungey and Kevin Windham. Series leader Chad Reed was a protagonist in the Main Event but a crash dropped him down the race order and he finished seventh for the second week in succession. Reed, who was struggling with sickness and sat out second practice, was hounding the back wheel of early leader Hill as the Yamahas formation-flew in the first half of the sprint. The Australian then made an uncharacteristic mistake at the end of the whoops section, and his slip caused him to plummet down the leader-board to ninth position. Hill was then free to continue his fine rhythm to the finish line. "I knew that I had to get going because somewhere in the mix, Chad would be there," said Hill, a first ever debut-winner in Minneapolis who is currently negotiating his first season in the SX class. "I was just in the right place at the right time. Chad made a mistake, and I just cruised along to victory, pretty much. After I broke away from Dungey, I kind of just was able to get into a smooth pace and keep it going." "Chad had problems," he continued. "I haven't beaten Chad straight-up. Has anybody? He's gnarly! It's not going to be easy at all to do this again, and with my rollercoaster-ride season... if I keep my track-record, I should be 17th next weekend! But I think my program has really improved to a point where I'm mentally in the game a lot more when I show up to the race. Before, I'd really work hard during the week, and I'd do my homework, but I'd show up at the race and either be drained or just mentally not focused and I think Ryan Hughes has really helped me out with that." As for Reed it was the first time he has missed the podium for two races this season. His error also sliced his advantage in the overall standings down to 17 points with six rounds left to run. AMA Motocross Champion Grant Langston is still unable to compete due to an eye problem. Another Yamaha-mounted teenager, Tyler Bowers, was sixth in the East Coast Lites division on the YZ250F. The AMA-SX (also an FIM World Championship) campaign now enjoys a break for the first time this year. The teams and riders will have two weeks to recollect over Easter weekend before the trip to the Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 29th. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 16'7.800 2, Ryan Dungey, Suzuki, USA, 0'5.397 3, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'12.134 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'14.319 5, Thomas Hahn, Kawasaki, USA, 0'24.287 6, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'28.537 7, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 0'31.192 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 0'32.536 9, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, 0'33.729 10, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 11, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 12, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 13, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 14, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 15, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, -1 Laps 16, Tyler Bright, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 17, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps 18, Dusty Klatt, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps 19, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -5 Laps 20, Manuel Gomes Rivas, Kawasaki, ESP, -12 Laps Rider Standings 15/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 237 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 220 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 172 4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 164 5, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 137 6, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 135 7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 134 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 115 9, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 96 10, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 95 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 81 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 74 13, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69 14, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, 61 15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 55 23, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 36, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 15/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 249 2, Honda, 235 3, Kawasaki, 199 4, Suzuki, 164 5, KTM, 95
Alex Asigno

Coppins in fitness race for first Grand Prix

Yamaha Monster Motocross Team’s Joshua Coppins is facing a rush to be fully fit for the opening round of the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship in two weeks after an incident while training Saturday morning (22nd March) caused the New Zealander to break two toes on his right foot and undergo immediate surgery. The 31 year old travelled to the Dunkirk circuit in France to begin his motos in the early stages of Saturday morning to avoid a crowded venue later in the day. However his intentions were curtailed after he crested a hill only to find a local rider picking up his machine. Coppins’ right foot bore the brunt of the subsequent collision as he caught the other bike’s footpeg. With counsel from renowned motocross surgeon Dr Claes, Coppins went under the knife successfully the same afternoon and did not require the insertion of any metalwork into the two smallest toes on his foot. The natural healing process means that one of the strongest favourites for the MX1-GP title is now staring at the possibility of missing the first meeting of the GP series at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands on April 6th. “I cannot believe my luck, this is the third injury in a row that I have had that was not my fault,” he said. “Valkenswaard is 50-50 at the moment. My foot has to heal naturally and we might run out of time; I’m not too sure how things will go at the moment. We will have to assess things over the next few days. I am trying to stay positive but clearly this was not what I wanted. It is a long season though and we have to keep looking ahead.” Coppins had won races in Italy and France over the last six weeks in a promising pre-season period on the works YZ450FM. He claimed five grand prix victories in 2007 and was leading the world championship by 107 points until a freak accident at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic, four rounds before the end of the campaign, caused him to surrender what would have been his first crown.
Alex Asigno

Perfect start for Lorenzo while Rossi follows in second

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo began his first ever MotoGP race on home soil in perfect fashion today, finishing the first day of practice in Jerez in first position at the front of an all-Yamaha top three. The young rookie, who lies second in the championship after an impressive debut in Qatar, was under lap record pace in the afternoon session and looks on-course to give his passionate home fans an exciting weekend. Lorenzo was fifth fastest in the morning session but gradual work on his set-up, starting from a good base following the February test here, led to an improved pace in the warmer afternoon session and a best time of 1.40.321. It was a good day for Yamaha as Lorenzo's team-mate Valentino Rossi was just 0.043 seconds behind him, with Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards in third. Jorge Lorenzo - 1st - 1.40.321 "The first day has gone very well and I'm really happy to have had a day like this here at Jerez. My bike feels great and it's a huge emotion for me to be here riding 'at home' in front of all the Spanish fans. I feel like all of Spain is watching us this weekend and I hope that we're going to be able to give them a great show here over the weekend. We have a good base setting after the test here and the first race and, although of course we have more work to do, I think that we're on the right track. My team is working well, the bike and the Michelin tyres also are very good and I feel that there is great energy, excitement and motivation in our garage. After today I think we're in good shape for the weekend and my hope is that we will be able to fight at the front. The weather today was fantastic and I really hope this continues, for the fans and for us! Danielle Romagnoli - Team Manager It's been a very important and perfect first day in Spain for us. Jorge has done many laps at a very good pace throughout and we're very happy with our performance on this first day. We're still not at our full potential but we've got a good base setting from the test and so we will keep working like this and keep improving. The set-up is okay but we need to concentrate a little bit on the front feeling, so this will be one of the main targets tomorrow. Anyway, a great first day and let's hope we can continue with more of the same tomorrow." MotoGP's return to Europe began in promising fashion for the Fiat Yamaha Team and Valentino Rossi today, as the Italian finished the day second fastest with Yamaha riders filling the first three spots on the time sheets. Rossi, who won this race for Yamaha in 2005 and 2007, got straight down to business this morning, working on a variety of improvements to bike and tyres following his tricky season-opening race in Qatar and finishing the first session third. It was immediately clear that things were improving for him and this afternoon he continued in the same vein, lapping consistently fast and finishing the day with a best time of 1'40.364. Valentino Rossi - 2nd 1.40.364 "After Qatar, to be third this morning and second this afternoon on just the first day makes me quite happy! I feel comfortable on the bike and tyres, although we need to work a little bit harder to find the perfect race rhythm for Sunday. I had fun on the bike today and I am quite fast so I think we have a good base to build on. To have three Yamaha's at the top again is great and once again shows how good our bike is. With the Bridgestones it feels quite good and I think we're improving the package all the time but we can't afford to stop working so tomorrow we will do the maximum once again. It's great to be riding here in the sunshine and I think it's going to be a great show this weekend for everyone!" Davide Brivio - Team Manager "Today the team did a very good job. After the Qatar race our engineers have made a deep analysis of the issues we had there and they and have come here with some different ideas to try and they seem to be working well. It looks like we've found the right way to combine our bike and the tyres together and so we have a good base on which to build for the rest of the weekend. Now we have to concentrate on making the best tyre choice for the race, we already have a good pace but it's going to be very competitive on Sunday so we need to be in the best possible shape!" C olin Edwards right behind Fiat Yamaha duo An impressive performance from American Colin Edwards saw the Tech 3 rider help Yamaha make a dominant startto the Spanish GP in Jerez today. Edwards was a central figure throughout the opening day's free practice, claiming the third fastest overall time. Edwards, who was third in last year's Spanish GP, showed impressive form earlier when he posted the fastest time this morning as the European leg of the 2008 season got underway. Edwards bettered his morning time of 1.40.714 with a 1.40.584 this afternoon, and was only beaten by factory Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi on combined times. Team-mate James Toseland had a tough start to his first European MotoGP clash. Fresh from his stunning debut in Qatar when he claimed a front row start and top six finish, the British rider was badly hampered by a severe bout of bronchitis. But despite a small crash at the second corner this afternoon, Toseland showed his battling qualities again, finishing just 0.707s off the fastest time in eighth. He underwent lengthy treatment in the Clinica Mobile after this afternoon's session, and is confident he will be close to full fitness for Sunday's 27-lap race. Colin Edwards 3rd 1.40.584 "I'm really happy with today. I started well this morning with the fastest time, which was good as it showed the work the team did in testing during the winter has paid off. All we really did this morning was work on the electronics tying to make it as consistent as we can. As far as the chassis goes we really didn't do much, but we've got another setting option to try tomorrow just to confirm we are going in the right direction. But I'm happy because instantly I had a good feeling with the bike and was able to do some good lap times. Today just confirmed that this is a really strong track for Yamaha. Valentino and I were on the podium here last year and the bike has a good record in the past. We've got three Yamahas in the top three here today and it was the same in qualifying for Qatar, so Yamaha has really worked hard on improving the bike for this season. I've got one more rear tyre from Michelin to try tomorrow but I think I've already found something decent for the race. Hopefully the tyre for tomorrow will be another step. As far as the front goes I couldn't be happier with that. Michelin has really improved the front and I've got a lot of confidence." James Toseland 8th 1.41.028 "Unfortunately I have come down with bronchitis which is just what I need for my second race. I was really bad yesterday and honestly I don't think I'd have been able to ride. I woke up this morning a bit better but after riding twice I've hit a brick wall. I'm drained of energy and my temperature got up to 38.7 degrees, so they were a bit worried about that and put me on a drip in the Clinica Mobile. The problem is I can't take a full breath and just riding breathing at half the normal rate really tires you out quickly because of the lack of oxygen going to your brain. Considering how I feel, to be only 0.7s off is pretty good. I just need to find half-a-second and that can come from me just feeling better. We are in the ballpark and Colin has proved how competitive the package is at this track. The crash was a small mistake. I just pushed a bit too hard on the front in turn two and went down. The grip was better on the front tyre I was using and it just bottomed out on the forks under braking. I should have done a couple of laps and then changed the front suspension setting to cope with the better grip." Jerez lap Record - V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1'40.596 Jerez best Lap - L. Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 1'39.064
Alex Asigno

Lorenzo smashes Jerez lap record to take 2nd consecutive pole

Home hero Jorge Lorenzo continued his impressive rookie assault on the MotoGP class with an outstanding pole position in Jerez today, smashing the existing pole record by almost a second aboard his Fiat Yamaha M1 in front of thousands of Spanish fans. The youngest rider on the grid produced a masterful qualifying display to take his second consecutive pole position and his 3rd at this circuit. After topping the time sheets yesterday, Lorenzo continued gradually refining his set-up throughout this morning's free practice and the early part of the afternoon session, before setting the fastest lap so far on the first of three Michelin qualifying tyres with 20 minutes remaining. He bettered himself once again soon after before an inch-perfect final lap on his third soft tyre saw him improve another half a second to consolidate pole position. Dani Pedrosa was over half a second slower in second place whilst third spot was filled by Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards for the second race running. Lorenzo's team-mate Valentino Rossi had looked on course to join him on the front row before an electronic problem caused him to abandon his final hot lap, and he will start from fifth for tomorrow's 27-lap race. Jorge Lorenzo 1st 1'38.189 "The pole position and the second place in Qatar were like a dream, so it's an amazing surprise for me to repeat that pole position here, and even better because it's in front of my home fans! I was really happy with the last qualifying lap, my earlier ones were already quite good but not perfect, so I was really excited to make such a great final lap. Our race pace is good as well and I am feeling very comfortable on the bike and with my Michelin tyres. My rivals are very strong and will be trying hard to beat me, but I will definitely be fighting for the podium! Thanks to my team for doing a great job; I am really excited about tomorrow and I hope we have more weather like this and a fantastic show." Daniele Romagnoli - Team manager "Today was a perfect day. We watched today's qualifying with great emotion as Jorge demonstrated an excellent race pace and then beat the pole record in fantastic style on his qualifying laps. We were amazed! Yamaha and Michelin were able to provide a perfect package for us today, enabling Jorge to do an excellent job and ride in an incredible way. After today's result it's clear that we have the possibility to be on the podium tomorrow, and we will try our best to be there." Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi will start the Spanish Grand Prix from fifth position tomorrow. The Italian's last flying lap was cut short by an electronic issue but he nevertheless has an excellent race pace and looks on course to be a protagonist in tomorrow's 27-lap race. Rossi spent the first half of this afternoon's session refining set-up and testing Bridgestone tyres ahead of the race tomorrow, before strong laps with his first two qualifying tyres saw him on the provisional front row. He was confident of dipping under the 1'38 mark with his final try, but the electronic problem saw the end of his challenge and he will start from the middle of the second row. His time of 1'39.064 was dead-on the existing pole record, which was meanwhile bettered by almost a second by his young team-mate Jorge Lorenzo. Valentino Rossi 5th 1'39.064 "Our target today was the front row and I think we could have done a 1'38 and maybe been second, but unfortunately I had an electronic problem on my last qualifying lap and I had to stop, which was unlucky. This is a pity and of course it would be better to be on the front, but anyway we're not far away, the second row is not so bad and I think we can be competitive tomorrow. Our race pace is okay, I think with some small adjustments we can improve a bit more but we're close. Congratulations to Lorenzo, I don't know if we can be quite as fast as him on race tyres and he will be hard to beat tomorrow, but let's see! We still haven't decided on our final race tyre, we have to wait and see how the temperature is tomorrow, but it's going to be a very exciting race and we're all looking forward to it!" Davide Brivio Team manager "It was a pity that Valentino couldn't finish his final qualifying lap today but unfortunately he had a small electronic issue, which we're now looking into to work out exactly what happened so that we can avoid it in future. The good news is that, apart from this lap, we were fast with the qualifying tyre as well as on race tyres and so this bodes well for the rest of the season's races. We still have to finalise our tyre choice for the race and make a few final adjustments, so we will be using the warm-up for this." Colin Edwards secures front row again Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards emerged from an eventful Spanish GP qualifying session this afternoon with the third fastest time to maintain his 100 per cent front row starting record in 2008. The American ran into the gravel trap and then produced an early contender for save of the season at turn one before logging a best lap of 1.38.954 to secure a second successive front row clean sweep for Michelin this season. A dramatic session for Edwards began when he ran off track at the Curva Dry Sack after six minutes. He then produced a memorable moment just 17 minutes later, somehow producing a miraculous save when he lost the front of his Yamaha YZR-M1 at the first corner. Digging his right knee and elbow into the tarmac, Edwards saved the big front tyre slide, much to the delight of fans packed in the trackside grandstand. Edwards has now finished in the top three in every session so far in Jerez this weekend, raising expectations that he can clinch a second successive Spanish GP podium in tomorrow's 27-lap race. Weakened by a severe bout of bronchitis, team-mate James Toseland produced a performance full of grit and determination, and he was only 0.3s off the front row. He clocked a best lap of 1.39.334 to finish just 0.048s behind reigning world champion Casey Stoner in eighth position. Far from being in peak condition, Toseland is still determined to become the first British rider since 1990 to claim successive top six finishes in MotoGP tomorrow afternoon. Colin Edwards 3rd 1.38.954 "It was very, very eventful to say the least. I was in the gravel once, somehow saved myself from crashing at the first corner and still managed to get on the front row. After all that I had to get on the front row for the team. My guys at Tech 3 and Yamaha have been awesome and they are doing a great job. I started the session with a rear tyre that had a few laps on it but with a new front. But a few laps in the bike didn't feel perfect. I came in and put a new rear in and I just got a little bit carried away. I started pushing and obviously got into turn one too hot. It went, came back, went away again and I thought I was down. I tried to dig my elbow in but it kept going so I kind of lifted my arm up and pulled it up on the handlebars. And it came back somehow. The crowd loved it anyway. I've done it a few times but this is the first time it has been caught on camera. I was a bit upset with the first incident. I was pushing and I saw Jorge Lorenzo in front of me and I thought he was on a new rear tyre. I'd done 15 laps on mine but I still wanted to keep him in sight. I came to the end of the back straight and I knew the second I hit the brakes I was running off. I just thought 'oh no, this is about ten metres too deep' and off I went into the gravel. After Qatar this is my second front row and I'm ready for the race. My pace for the race was a bit better this morning when it was a bit cooler, but we are still looking good." James Toseland 8th 1.39.334 "I'm disappointed with eighth after I got a front row in Qatar but I am rough. I don't like to make excuses but I am not feeling at my best at all. To be only three-tenths off the front row and eighth is a bit frustrating. I'm losing three-tenths just with the way I'm feeling. But when you feel this rough it just shows that if you are not fully on it you can be eighth pretty easy because it is so close. I feel a bit better than yesterday and hopefully my condition will have improved a bit more tomorrow for the race, but I've never taken so many drugs in my life. It will be a tough race in my condition but my guys are doing a great job and I'm sure the bike will be great. I feel for the team because I'm not feeling on top of the world. It is so close though. Jorge did an unbelievable lap but from second to thirteenth the gap is less than a second. I don't think I've ever seen anything that close in all the classes I've raced in. It is unbelievably competitive. We have a good direction for the race set-up tomorrow but the tyres will be critical. We are just trying to pick the best one for the endurance because the temperature is a lot higher than when we tested here. It is unusually high for this time of year and I think we could do with something a bit stronger. But everybody is in the same boat. Colin showed what this package is capable of but I paid the price for not feeling too great. But credit to Colin because he got the job done." Qualifying 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 1'38.189 2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 1'38.789 3, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 1'38.954 4, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 1'39.061 5, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 1'39.064 6, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 1'39.122 7, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'39.286 8, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 1'39.334 9, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 1'39.439 10, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 1'39.484 11, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 1'39.559 12, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 1'39.704 13, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 1'39.767 14, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 1'40.037 15, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'40.088
Alex Asigno

100th premier class podium for Rossi in Jerez

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

Double podium and first 2008 win for Albergoni

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

Reed back on top in Canada

Yamaha's Chad Reed got back to winning ways with his seventh victory of the 2008 AMA Monster Energy Supercross championship in Toronto last weekend. The Australian reengaged his title quest to claim the twelfth round of the campaign and lead the series by 20 points with just five events remaining. After missing the podium for the two last races Reed was faultless across an extremely difficult, muddy and rutted terrain that saw many of his peers taste Canadian mud at some stage. Yamaha's Josh Hill was running as high as second before a mistake caused him to lose positions and he eventually crossed the finish line in fifth. Reed though cautiously led from start-to-finish for his ninth set of silverware this year. After the 'Monsoon' conditions at Daytona this was the second time the riders had to traverse a tricky circuit after the frozen dirt that was imported into the stadium began to melt and fall apart. "The dirt was horrible! It was survival out there," laughed the recently-turned 26 year old former champion. "It was important to get that holeshot and try to get out front, and I just tried to control the race. I watched the pitboard and attempted to keep [the gap] at 10 seconds, and when it go to anything under that, I tried to pick it up a little bit. I think the key tonight was that slow was fast." "I'm happy. It's going great. I've had some ups and downs, but I've got seven wins now, and like I said, I want to get this thing over and done with," added Reed who used the first break in the Supercross calendar to fly home to Australia for a holiday last week. After beating main threat Kevin Windham, Reed was able to add a further three points to his advantage in the standings. The first of the five remaining races takes places next weekend at the Texas Stadium in Dallas. Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 20'53.073 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 0'4.168 3, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 0'6.400 4, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 0'40.972 5, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 0'49.413 6, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 0'51.814 7, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 0'80.748 8, Troy Adams, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 9, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, -1 Laps 10, Jason Thomas, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 11, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 12, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 13, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps 14, Travis Preston, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 15, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 16, Jeff Gibson, Kawasaki, USA, -1 Laps 17, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, -1 Laps 18, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, -2 Laps 19, Jiri Dostal, Kawasaki, USA, -2 Laps 20, Dusty Klatt, Kawasaki, USA, -3 Laps Rider Standings 29/03/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Chad Reed, Yamaha, AUS, 262 2, Kevin Windham, Honda, USA, 242 3, Andrew Short, Honda, USA, 190 4, David D Millsaps, Honda, USA, 184 5, Josh Hill, Yamaha, USA, 151 6, Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, USA, 151 7, Nathan Ramsey, Yamaha, USA, 137 8, David Vuillemin, Suzuki, FRA, 123 9, Nicholas Wey, KTM, USA, 110 10, Paul Carpenter, Honda, USA, 106 11, Charles Summey, Yamaha, USA, 93 12, Heath Voss, Honda, USA, 80 13, Mike Alessi, Suzuki, USA, 69 14, Jacob Marsack, Honda, USA, 65 15, Eric Sorby, Honda, USA, 64 23, Grant Langston, Yamaha, RSA, 38 36, Broc Hepler, Yamaha, USA, 3 Manufacturer Standings 29/03/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 274 2, Honda, 257 3, Kawasaki, 213 4, Suzuki, 172 5, KTM, 110
Alex Asigno

Fiat Yamaha Team riders fastest at Jerez test

The Fiat Yamaha Team's young Spanish rookie Jorge Lorenzo, who boasts an outstanding record of two pole positions and two podiums from his two MotoGP starts, put in more impressive work today during a one-day test in Jerez. After joining his team-mate Valentino Rossi as part of a Fiat Yamaha double podium yesterday, he posted the fastest time of the day and completed a total of 94 laps. Another day of Andalucian sunshine today provided Lorenzo and his crew with the chance to work on general setting and their all-important tyre testing programme with Michelin amid slightly more relaxed surroundings. The Mallorcan continued to show his ability and fast rate of progress, not only topping the time sheets on a qualifying tyre but lapping consistenly fast on race tyres. His best time on a race tyre was 1'39.59, over half a second faster than the fastest lap record recorded in yesterday's race and he was the only rider to dip under the 1'38 mark on a qualifying tyre. Danielle Romagnoli - Team Manager of Jorge Lorenzo "It was a another really good day today; Jorge's progress is almost unbelievable for us to watch and every day is enjoyable. The most impressive thing today is that we were able to improve on Jorge's race pace from Saturday, which was the best pace of the whole weekend. We continued to work on set-up and improved the front feeling with the help of a new fork setting, and with race tyres today he was very consistent and very fast. We also refined some engine mapping and through this it seems that we've been able to obtain improvement with tyre wear. Michelin had planned a very interesting tyre test for us today with Estoril in mind and we found some good things, especially concerning the rear tyre. Jorge has done a great job at just his second race and today's test gave us a chance to check out some important things that will help us at the next race in Estoril. We're already looking forward to the next challenge but for now I want to thank all the team and Yamaha for their hard work; they deserve a good rest before Portugal!" After claiming his 100th premier-class podium with a strong second place in the Spanish Grand Prix yesterday, it was straight back to work for Valentino Rossi and the Fiat Yamaha Team as they undertook a full day's testing at Jerez today. With just two races under their belts since joing forces with Bridgestone, the primary focus of Rossi's crew still remains developing the union between the 2008 Yamaha M1 and the Bridgestone rubber. Yesterday's podium proves they are on the right track but today offered a chance to spend some uninterrupted hours concentrating on just this, with satisfying results all round. Setting was improved in general and Rossi was pleased with some of the new compound tyres he tried, both front and rear and including qualifying tyres. He completed 85 laps in total and his best lap, set with a qualifying tyre, put him second in a time of 1'39.117. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo also had a good day after his third place yesterday, topping the time sheets with a best lap of 1'38.679. The team will now have a short break before heading to Estoril in Portugal in ten days time, confident that they are in good shape at this early stage of the season. Davide Brivio - Team Manager of Valentino Rossi "Today gave us the chance to spend a whole day working closely with our engineers and Bridgestone on tyres and general bike setting. It's still early days in the Bridgestone-Yamaha relationship so we are still focusing on adapting these two elements in order to create the best package. We got some good feedback today and it seems we improved the feeling in both areas. It's been very important to stay this extra day because the first two races have been quite intense for everyone, so it's good to have time to test in relaxed surroundings without the pressure that comes during a race weekend. We were able to go through things step by step, analyse the details and take on board some information which we hope will be useful in Estoril and beyond. We worked with different front and rear compounds today, and we also tested some qualifying tyres. Of course we're always looking to improve the setting and today we were also abe to improve the stability of the bike in the fast corners. Valentino is happy with the days work and now he and all of the team will have some well deserved rest before the next race." 1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team1'38.679 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team1'39.117 3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro1'39.218 4. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP1'39.484 5. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing1'39.569 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP1'39.747 7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini1'40.034 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda1'40.116 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda1'40.389 10. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP1'40.394 11. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki1'40.534 12. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini1'41.308 13. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro1'41.396 14. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing1'42.132 15. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team1'42.240 16. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing1'42.562 17. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team1'42.624 Jerez Lap Record - D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2008, 1'40.116 Jerez Best Lap - J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2008, 1'38.189
Alex Asigno

Yamaha force commence MX World Championship this weekend

The Grand Prix of the Netherlands at the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard, close to the city of Eindhoven, opens the 2008 FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend and Yamaha’s strong arm faculty equipped with potent YZ machinery will go to the start-gate in earnest for the first time this year. The first round of fifteen in an ’08 series that visits thirteen countries and two continents will see Yamaha once more fit the role of protagonists in the MX1-GP (premier class with 450cc four-stroke motorcycles) and MX2-GP (250cc four-stroke motorcycles) categories. The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team bring their freshly painted YZ450FMs to Holland hoping to re-capture the title they narrowly missed out on in 2007 and add to their splendid tally of three championships from four years since the MX1-GP classification was established. Josh Coppins and new recruit David Philippaerts have had an excellent pre-season with four wins through events in Italy and France. Coppins, who won five Grand Prix, took nine podiums and led more laps than any other rider in his first season with Yamaha last year, has been recovering from two broken toes on his right foot after a freak accident while training two weeks ago. “Things are coming along well, it should be OK to race although the weekend will be more about damage-limitation for the championship instead of setting myself any specific targets,” said the recently turned 31 year old who won In Valkenswaard to mark a memorable Yamaha debut twelve months ago. “At first I thought I had broken my foot and my championship was ruined again but I’m happy with the rate of recovery. The bones have been healing well it is just the wound and the skin tissue that is causing discomfort. I have no idea what it will be like until I get to the track though and start practice. Let’s just see what we can get from this weekend and then move on. It can only get better.” For Philippaerts Valkenswaard will not only kick-off his second season in the premier class (after taking 6 wins in 2 terms as a factory-supported racer in MX2-GP) but his first with his new bike. “I like Valkenswaard, it is a difficult track but I had a good race there in 2004 when I finished sixth, which was my best result up to that point,” said the 24 year old Italian who won the 2007 German MX1-GP Grand Prix. “They changed the direction of the circuit last year and it worked well even if I did not have the best GP!” he adds remembering his fall through the sandy waves section that ended with a spot of fire-fighting to his stricken motorcycle.“At the start of the season in the past I have said that I want to go for a win or a podium and it has not turned out that way, so this time I will simply say that I want to do my best. I am confident with the bike and very happy with the team and we will see on Saturday how fast we are.” The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team will be unveiled to the media on Friday evening. Adding to Yamaha’s presence in MX1-GP will be UTag Yamaha.com’s Kenneth Gundersen. The Norwegian is a former Grand Prix winner in the old 125 and 250cc divisions and climbs aboard the YZ450F after two years in MX2-GP. The British squad have a representative in the class for the first time since 2005. Dutch set-up Yamaha Van Beers will again count on the services of promising youngster Aigar Leok for the second season in succession. The Estonian is hoping to shake-off his injury woes of 2007 and supersede his highest race finish of 10th taken at Teutschenthal for the Grand Prix of Germany last May. Yamaha’s excellent track record in the MX2-GP class with two Rider’s world championships and three manufacturer’s titles with the YZ250F in the last four years has been largely thanks to the talents of Antonio Cairoli, and the Sicilian is aiming for his third crown this season onboard his Red Bull De Carli-tuned equipment. ‘Tony’ decimated the 2007 competition with a phenomenal tally of numbers including 10 wins from 14 events and 21 motos victories from 28, overall making the podium 13 times, not forgetting of course his triumphant debut in the MX1-GP class at Donington Park. The Italian – who will glide into the paddock this weekend with a new motorhome purchased recently from MotoGP racer and friend Marco Melandri – has been turning heads on the YZ450F in the Italian championship but will get back to serious business on his 250 through the sand of Valkenswaard this weekend – a GP in which he owned both motos at a canter last season. “It has not been a bad pre-season period for me and we have been working with both the 250 and the 450,” he said. “I did not regain the championship in 2006 after winning in 2005 and I won’t be making the same mistakes that I did back then. I expect the competition to be harder this year and people like Tommy Searle and Nicolas Aubin will be quick. It will be interesting to see what the younger riders can do as well,” commented the 22 year old. Team-mate Matteo Bonini will miss the Grand Prix this weekend after undergoing an operation on his dislocated left shoulder several weeks ago in Italy. The luckless racer is expected to give an estimated time for return to the track shortly. Yamaha’s MX2-GP rider roster is largely unchanged. The third member of the Red Bull De Carli team, Alessandro Lupino, starts his second year with the Italian crew and within the world championship paddock. The teenager, who is currently lying third in the MX2 Italian series, will be optimistic of continuing his race education at the highest level. Great hopes are expected from the Yamaha Ricci Racing duo of Nicolas Aubin and David Guarneri both of whom have been collecting chequered flags in France and Italy respectively over the pre-season period with YZ250FMs. Aubin had a decent first season with the Italian team in 2007 where he scored his first ever GP win in the Czech Republic and took a career-best sixth in the world championship. He is now arguably France’s fastest rider in the category. Guarneri recovered from a broken ankle in the first months of ‘07 to rapidly gain pace and results, culminating in his maiden success at Namur in Belgium. Both will have special YRRD GP engine parts. Utag Yamaha.com’s Martin Barr – who has been flying high with personal best finishes in the Maxxis British Championship (2nd position overall two weeks ago) – again stands alongside former Spanish Champion Carlos Campano for the UK squad. The 20 year old’s speed and form has come-on leaps and bounds over the last twelve months and he could be one of the wide young select in the class to keep an eye on for 2008. Campano should travel to Valkenswaard fully fit and raring to go after two difficult seasons with injury niggles. Yamaha Van Beers welcomes two new signings to their fold with Russian champion Evgeny Bobryshev embarking on his first MX2-GP campaign and double FIM Women’s World Cup champion Katherine Prumm wears the number one plate on her blue machine for the inaugural Women’s World Championship; the first round of five getting underway at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria next month. 3C Racing complete the YZ250F pack with Italian championship leader and recent MX3 Grand Prix winner Manuel Monni looking strong and David Philippaerts’ younger brother, Deny, starting a second GP term making an all-Italian effort for 2008. 3C Racing, Van Beers and UTag Yamaha’s personnel will steer YZs with customer YRRD Racing part kits. The Eurocircuit will host the championship ‘curtain-raiser’ for the second year in succession and is the first of two visits to the Netherlands in 2008. The track was shortened and reversed for the 2007 Grand Prix and the radical changes – with a relocated start-gate – were well received by the riding fraternity. The terrain itself can get extremely rough and technical as the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos for each class wear on. Although the Dutch sand is not as notoriously deep and energy-sapping as other venues in the area, Valkenswaard is still a very tough physical and mental first test for the world championship aspirants. 2007 saw an excellent day for Yamaha with victories in both classes. Varying weather conditions are predicted for the weekend ahead.
Alex Asigno

European Women Champion Nina Prinz on Yamaha R1

Yamaha has long recognized that not only many women ride motorcycles, but that they like to ride fast on a race track too. The most recent proof comes in the shape of current Womens’ Road Racing European Champion in the 1000 class Nina Prinz, who will team up with Yamaha in 2008. Twenty-five-year-old Nina, from Mannheim/Leutkirch in Germany, won all three 2007 European Women Championship races sanctioned by the UEM (European Motorcycle Union). This success landed her with the opportunity to defend her title on Yamaha’s YZF-R1 Superbike flagship, which she will race for the first time at Misano (I) on 13 April, then Assen (NL) on 15 June and the final Championship round will be held at Albacete (ESP) on 12 October. Nina and her R1 will also be competing in the male-dominated IDM German Superbike Championship for Team Yamaha Motor Germany, riding alongside former 2000 World Supersport champion Jörg Teuchert and Polish rider Andrzej Pawalec. On her signing Nina says; “I am very please to have signed with Yamaha for this season! During my first two outings on the R1 at Misano and during the Yamaha Race Training in Valencia last week, I was really impressed by the bike in terms of power and stability. The team has prepared a perfect bike for me and being part of this outfit hopefully enables me to progress further. With experienced riders as Jörg aboard, I can really learn a lot. Both championships are very competitive but my goal is to score as many points as possible in the IDM and consolidate my championship title status in the Womens Championship this year. The fact that Yamaha actively supports female riders is a very positive development for the sport and for us women in particular!” Nina got into motorcycle racing via minibikes and got really serious when she entered the national ADAC Junior Cup in Germany in 2000. Since then she has graduated through National Supersport racing, improving all the time, before adding some IDM Superbike experience and European Womens’ Championship rides to her portfolio in 2006. Nina simply dominated the 2007 UEM series. Nina is the second female star that is officially supported by Yamaha. Reigning FIM Motocross Women’s World Cup champion Katherine Prumm from New Zealand will race on a Yamaha YZ250F in the newly established 2008 Women Motocross World Championship. Both Nina and Katherine hope to continue their success with Yamaha and contribute to the increasing popularity of female motorcycle riding and competition.
Alex Asigno

Corser and Haga make up ground on day one

Having missed the official FGSport tests in March the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team had to work particularly hard on the first day of the Valencia race weekend to set times just inside the top ten of the 30 riders who entered this third round of the 2008 season. Corser's best time was only 0.618 seconds from fastest man Max Neukirchner (Suzuki) and put him ninth in a session where the top 15 riders qualified within a second of provisional pole. Haga was tenth, only 0.124 seconds from Corser, as each attempted to match their machine's settings and initial tyre choices against the unpredictable Valencia track surface. Both Corser and Haga are proven race winners at this challenging stadium-style circuit, and with their experienced team behind they fully expect to find fully competitive race set-ups for Sunday's two 23-lap Superbike races. The GMT94 team had received new parts in time for the Valencia race allowing them to run 4 kilo's lighter compared to previous race and therefore closer to a Superbike spec than the Endurance machines they have been running up to now.Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) finished 15th in the first timed session and should he keep this position or better it in tomorrow's session, he will qualify for Superpole. His team-mate David Checa was only 1.260 seconds from pole but finished the opening day 19th. In a remarkably close opening qualifying session, run on race tyres throughout, Team YZF Yamaha rider Shinichi Nakatomi finished 21st fastest, but only 1.282 seconds from provisional pole. Troy Corser (9th - 1'35.424 - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) "The engine feels not so bad even on the first day and we just need to get the chassis settings right. We haven't got it quite there yet, but that is to be expected after only two sessions. The grip from the track is about normal for Valencia on the first day of practice and I think it will get better as the weekend goes on. We are really starting from day one and some other people are further along. I'm not worried, because I know the track and I know what to do, so we just need to get it right tomorrow." Noriyuki Haga (10th - 1'35.548 - Yamaha Italy WSB Team) "We have found it a little bit more difficult than we expected to find a set-up right away because in some parts of the circuit we have a little bit less grip than others. We should have had more grip in the timed session than we did in the morning session but right now we don't. That is because of the combination of the setting and the tyres. We have to check suspension settings one more time tonight to let us move on tomorrow." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "For me, all we are missing is the two day test. Because of that the gap between our two riders and the rest is what we could expect. I am not worried about it and I know there is enough left in the bike and set-up changes for us to catch up tomorrow. Troy and Nori are close on times and we are not so far from the leading rider." Qualifying 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 1'34.806 2, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 1'34.932 4, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 1'35.060 5, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 1'35.080 6, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 1'35.085 7, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 1'35.262 8, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'35.278 9, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 1'35.424 10, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 1'35.548 11, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 1'35.550 13, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 1'35.634 14, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 1'35.756 15, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 1'35.766 16, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 1'35.766 17, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 1'35.892 18, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 1'35.939 19, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 1'36.066 20, Carmelo Morales, Honda, ESP, 1'36.070 21, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 1'36.088 22, Russel Holland, Honda, AUS, 1'36.150 23, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 1'36.268 24, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 1'36.305 25, Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki, ESP, 1'36.711 26, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 1'36.749 27, Loic Napoleone, Yamaha, FRA, 1'37.288 ---------- QUALIFYING 1 REPORT - 04/04/2008 Parkes in the opening day top four Yamaha World Supersport Team riders Fabien Foret and Broc Parkes had vastly differing experiences during their first day of practice at Valencia, with Parkes finishing fourth on the time sheets and Foret suffering a slight concussion after a crash. Despite not riding in the recent FGSport tests at Valencia on 13 and 14 March, both Parkes and Foret started brightly in the opening unofficial session this morning, with Parkes fastest of all and Foret only 0.6 seconds behind. Against expectations, the overcast afternoon session meant that it was only slightly warmer than the morning but the times of the top riders dropped significantly in any case. Andrew Pitt set a new track best of 1m 36.773 to take provisional pole, with Parkes setting a best of 1m 37.436 to go fourth fastest. Foret rode for only four laps in the official session in the afternoon before he fell. He suffered a highside when his rear end slid and then finally snapped sideways on the exit of the first right hander of the circuit, while he was trying out a new tyre at a high pace. Foret recorded a time of 1m 38.351 was ranked 14th. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) was the closest YZF-R6 rider to Parkes, going 11th quickest with a 1m 38.007 lap. Roccoli had been joint fastest qualifier in the recent official test at Valencia, but was unable to replicate those kind of lap-times today. Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team rider David De Gea only did a handful of laps before being forced to stop riding due to the effects of a previously fractured lower left leg, which had not healed up enough to allow him to put pressure on it. De Gea's team-mate Davide Salom was a disappointed 29th after setting only 12 laps in total in the timed session. Broc Parkes (4th - 1m 37.436 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "Not too bad for Friday and we knew we would be doing a little bit of catching up because we didn't test here. When we got the end of the session we found a way to go forward but we didn't have enough time left to try it. We found some good and bad things today, so tonight we will absorb it all. I know we can be a lot better." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "We've started well, although we need to be a little bit faster still. We need to improve some points with the front-end feel and also the rear-end is sitting a little bit too far down right now. Nothing dramatic, but every time you speed up you have to make changes. It looked a bit better this morning, when we were right there in terms of lap times. Fabien hit his head quite hard when he fell and had a short concussion. He came back into the garage with time left in the session but we thought it would be better for him to wait until tomorrow to ride again." Massimo Roccoli (11th - 1'38.007 seconds - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "We are slower than we were in tests here last month but the temperatures on the track are very different, in the morning and the afternoon, and we didn't choose the best rear tyre to work with. I am confident that we can find a better way tomorrow and move up the grid." David De Gea (Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) "I broke my left leg in February and last week the doctor advised me not to enter this weekend. But I wanted to at least try and I tried to test this morning. Under braking it was particularly painful. I have to say that right now my leg is not ready and it does not help that here in Valencia we have a lot of left-hand corners. It´s a shame, but now we have to wait for Assen, where I hope to be ready to ride." Qualifying 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 1'36.773 2, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 1'37.068 3, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 1'37.233 4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 1'37.436 5, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 1'37.449 6, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 1'37.538 7, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 1'37.551 8, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'37.810 9, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 1'37.899 10, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 1'37.985 11, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 1'38.007 12, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 1'38.042 13, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 1'38.108 14, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 1'38.211 15, Graeme Gowland, Honda, GBR, 1'38.255 16, Gregory Leblanc, Honda, FRA, 1'38.263 17, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 1'38.315 18, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 1'38.565 19, Miguel Praia, Honda, POR, 1'38.604 20, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 1'38.628 21, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 1'38.659 22, Angel Rodriguez, Kawasaki, ESP, 1'38.666 23, Garry McCoy, Triumph, AUS, 1'38.739 24, Arnaud Vincent, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'38.791 25, William De Angelis, Honda, ITA, 1'38.871 26, Gergo Talmacsi, Honda, HUN, 1'39.083 27, Ilario Dionisi, Triumph, ITA, 1'39.324 28, Mirko Giansanti, Honda, ITA, 1'39.330 29, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 1'39.486 30, Lorenzo Alfonsi, Kawasaki, ITA, 1'39.578 31, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 1'39.661 32, Luka Nedog, Honda, SVN, 1'39.710 33, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 1'40.070 34, Adrian Bonastre, Yamaha, ESP, 1'40.431 35, Danilo Dell'omo, Honda, ITA, 1'40.628 36, Attila Magda, Honda, HUN, 1'41.151
Alex Asigno

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