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Alex
Yamaha filled a place on the podium of the world’s toughest and most prestigious rally for the second year in succession as Portugal’s Helder Rodrigues claimed third position overall on his WR450F Rally. The 32 year old pushed through almost 9000km from Buenos Aires in Argentina to Lima in Peru via Chile in fourteen days and thirteen stages of the 33rd edition of the Dakar.

Rodrigues gathered two stage victories as the test of endurance, strength, belief and navigational skill took the competitors through the diverse topography of the three countries. From desert dunes to the Andes mountain range, 97 motorcycle riders were able to reach Plaza de Armas and the chequered flag in Peru.

“Making it to the end of a Dakar is always terrific,” the Yamaha rider said to the official website www.dakar.com. “So finishing on the podium is simply incredible. There are two great riders, Marc and Cyril, and they're tough nuts to crack. I lost 20 minutes in stage 4 and 20 more two days later. I was 40 minutes back, so I knew catching up with them would be hard. Winning the Dakar requires perfect preparation all year round and making sure everything goes well during the race. I'll try and find the solution to be as good as they are.”

Helder started the rally with a conservative speed but after 15th and 12th places on the first two timed ‘specials’ embarked on a run that saw him drop out of the top four only four times over the next ten days. He won stages eight and thirteen to consolidate his second podium result in a row and take his record to 4th, 3rd and 3rd from the last three attempts. The record – together with 2011 FIM Cross Countries Rally World Championship - establishes the Portuguese as one of the best rally specialists in the world.

Elsewhere in the two wheeled division Olivier Pain snared his best stage result of the rally at the final time-of-asking – with 6th – that cemented his final ranking of 9th and means that Yamaha technology filled two spots at the higher echelon of the leaderboard. The Frenchman posted ten finishes in the top fifteen. David Casteu was hunting a slot in the first five for almost half of the rally but ran into some technical trouble and could never regain the ground he has worked hard to grasp. Pain’s team-mate eventually rolled into Lima with the final position of 41st.

Also of note from the 2012 contest was Yamaha Dakar legend Stephane Peterhansel. The veteran put himself into the record books once more. The Frenchman won the car class of the rally for his tenth success. The win was his first in five years. “My finest victory will always be my first win in the motorcycle category, but this one has something special to it,” the 46 year old said.
Alex
Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies kicked off their one day visit to Jakarta this morning with a special visit to meet potential racing stars of the future. They shared some of their valuable knowledge with up and coming racers in the Indonesian Yamaha R Series Cup as part of a unique Yamaha Coaching Clinic. The MotoGP stars gave tips on rider positioning, cornering and overtaking to the delighted local riders.

Following the morning coaching session Lorenzo went on to help Yamaha Motor Indonesia launch the new Yamaha Byson motorcycle to an audience of over 3000 Indonesian Yamaha Dealers at a special event just outside Jakarta. The 150cc Byson street bike is Yamaha’s star new machine for 2012 in Indonesia. Spies was due to co-host alongside his team mate however a bout of food poisoning unfortunately meant he was unable to participate.

“It’s been a pleasure to meet the new Indonesian racers of the future,” said Lorenzo. “I think with good teachers they can be professional riders in world championships. It was important as well for us to see all the dealers here in Indonesia this afternoon who sell all the Yamaha bikes; I hope we helped to motivate them to achieve success in 2012.”

“It’s been extremely cool to come here and meet the Indonesian people” commented Spies. “They’ve been so warm and welcoming to me. I’m really sorry to have not been able to meet all the dealers this afternoon, just my luck to get struck down with a bug today. I’m off to Bali now to recover and take a few days rest but I’m already looking forward to another opportunity to come back here again and see everyone.”
Alex
The 2012 AMA Supercross series was launched in front of a capacity 45,000 crowd at the Anaheim stadium in Los Angeles last weekend and Joe Gibbs Racing’ James Stewart took his YZ450F to sixth position in the opening main event of seventeen on the U.S. calendar.

The former Champion endured a dramatic first evening of the season. He had marked the fastest lap-time in the second qualifier but was undone at the beginning of the 20 lap sprint when a poor start left him deep in the pack. Behind runaway leader and winner Ryan Villopoto Stewart worked up to third position and then enjoyed a tight battle with 2010 champion Ryan Dungey.

The Floridian made a small mistake on the approach to a table-top jump and hit the hay bales at the side of the track, causing a crash and some light damage to his motorcycle. He was hit in the stomach by his handlebar but had no other problems. By the time he could rectify his radiator plastic shroud and regain his composure he had lost several places and needed to push again to reach sixth.

“James showed a lot of patience out there tonight,” said JGR/Toyota Yamaha team manager Jeremy Albrecht. “He didn’t get the best of starts, but he did a really good job of being patient and catching the leaders without taking too many risks. But the track was changing a lot throughout the night and he just got caught out over there and landed in the Tuff Blox. He was missing a radiator shroud when he got up, and the front end was kind of tweaked, but he still made the most of it. Championships are won on your bad days, and this wasn’t a good day, but he still salvaged sixth place. That’s pretty good.”

Ryan Morais and Davi Millsaps filled 15th and 16th places under the Anaheim lights. Ryan Sipes (5th spot) and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Zach Osborne – completing several West Coast events as warm-up for the FIM MX2 World Championship – (9th) posted finishes on the YZ250F in the Lites division.

Round two takes place next weekend at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Alex
An exciting season finale in Doha, Qatar saw the Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone team with riders David Checa, Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive power their YZF-R1 to the finish line and snatch their first victory of the year and as a consequence earn the third place overall in the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship.

The GMT 94 R1 was quick off the mark for the eight hours of Doha on Saturday, battling for the lead from the very beginning with fellow Yamaha riders Igor German, Steve Martin and Katsuyuki Nakasuga from Monster Yamaha YART. In a dramatic ninth lap Monster Yamaha YART’s Nakasuga went down in a tussle with Sébastien Gimbert, sending the Austrian team to the back of the pack with a one lap deficit. Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone managed to avoid the collision and took advantage to push their Yamaha into the lead. Thanks to some slick pit work and consistent runs from Checa, Foray and Lagrive, the team managed to maintain this lead. Holding off constant advances from the Suzuki Endurance racing team, the French Yamaha squad gradually created a comfortable gap and completed a total of 231 laps to take a well-earned first step on the season finale podium.

Despite the collision at the early stages, Monster Yamaha YART riders put in an outstanding performance to push back through the field to complete the final race of the season just shy of a podium position, in fourth place. Closely following was the Spanish Yamaha of YMES Folch Endurance with Dani Ribalta, Pedro Vallcaneras and Jose Manuel Luis Rita, crossing the line in sixth place.

Belgian’s Yamaha DG Sport Herock Team took a beautiful victory in the Superstock category, giving the YZF-R1 ‘the double’ in Doha. Riders Raymond Schouten, Hugo Marchand and Josep Monge all completed trouble free stints and were able to run a perfect race following the lined out strategy.

Four out of the entered seven Yamaha YZF-R1 machines completed the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship in the top ten with Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone, Monster Yamaha YART, YMES Folch Endurance and Maco Racing Team wrapping up the season in third, fifth, sixth and ninth places respectively.
Alex
Yamaha Factory rider Ben Spies delivered a sensational performance today to take second in the Valencia Grand Prix. The Texan was quick to tuck in behind the fighting duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa, pacing the two as they fought for position. With seven laps to go he made his move and began to close down race leader Casey Stoner. Capitalising on a small mistake by the race leader, Spies moved to the front and managed to create a small gap. Unfortunately the last corner saw Stoner fight back, charging to cross the finish line just 0.015 seconds ahead.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga put in a brilliant performance today in his first ever premier class MotoGP race. The Japanese rider has faced challenging weather conditions all weekend on his first visit to the Valencia circuit. Faced with a grid of experienced GP riders and hugely changeable track conditions, Nakasuga-san delivered, holding his own and fighting through to take a very respectable sixth place finish.

Todays Grand Prix at Valencia was not only the last of the season, but also the last of the 800cc era. Although unable to ride for the last two Grand Prix, Jorge Lorenzo has amassed enough points to seal second in the Championship standings with 260. Team mate Ben Spies takes fifth place with 176 points.
Alex
Helder Rodrigues toasted a fantastic FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship victory on his WR450F thanks to second position in the Pharaoh’s Rally in Egypt last weekend. The Portuguese led the four round series coming into the hot and testing terrain and completed an emphatic 100% podium record for the 2011 campaign to lift his first FIM title.

Rodrigues had finished as runner-up in Abu Dhabi, emerged victorious from the round in Tunisia and then was third in Sardinia to head to the Middle East with an excellent chance of securing the honours. He started the competition not wanting to test fate but soon settled into a rhythm and through the six stages eventually managed to conquer three of them to classify behind Marc Coma. Helder was pronounced Portugal’s very first champion of the discipline.

“More than ever I wanted to race without taking any risks and happily I was able to come through the six stages problem-free,” he said. “I worked so hard to try and reach the top and this title is a fantastic reward and now we have a new challenge to improve our classification at the Dakar.”

Incidentally Yamaha dominated the Quad class in Egypt with four riders claiming the six stages and filling the overall top six of the final standings. Camelia Liparoti was third to become FIM Women’s World Champion for the third year in a row.

Rodrigues can now fully focus on the 2012 Dakar rally, beginning once again in South America in the first days of January. The new FIM number one will be aiming to better his third place from this year’s edition of arguably the toughest race in the world.
Alex
Multi Dakar winner and Yamaha rally legend Stephane Peterhansel was on hand at St Jean D’Angely for the Motocross of Nations last weekend to unveil the 2012 WR450F enduro motorcycle in public for the first time.

The Frenchman took advantage of a small gap in the busy timetable at the traditional season-closing event to ride the new bike up onto display in front of a generous section of the estimated 68,000 crowd. Peterhansel then chatted about the light sensation and nimbleness of the WR. This was hardly surprising considering the brand new fuel injected 450cc engine has been bolted into a fresh 250 class bilateral beam frame.

With the high-torque five-valve powerplant nestling in this small and compact chassis the onus has been on delivering maximum tractability and performance with a feeling of light, fast and fun riding. The 2012 WR450F could not have asked for a better endorsement than Stephane’s and on one of the most important off-road racing stages.
Alex
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Steven Frossard will sadly not be able to contest the Grand Prix of Italy at Fermo this weekend for the fifteenth and final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.

The Frenchman had initially planned to enter the meeting after feeling no ill effects in the wake of his crash last Sunday at Gaildorf in Germany. The winner of the Swedish and French rounds of the MX1-GP series this year went for further examination on his chest in Belgium this week and was found to be suffering from a lung infection that was causing a bubble to appear. Medical specialists advised that it would be dangerous to consider participating at the scenic hard-pack circuit near the east coast.

Frossard has had an immense first season in MX1-GP and also with the factory team on the YZ450FM. He picked up six podiums and is currently second in the series; a standing he will retain if fourth-placed Max Nagl cannot amass more than 33 points in the final two motos of the year. He is guaranteed a top four finish.

Frossard will have another x-ray on Monday to determine whether he will be able to represent his country at the 65th Motocross of Nations at St Jean D’Angely the following week.
Alex Asigno
WR450F rider Helder Rodrigues is fronting the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship after two rounds thanks to his victory last week at the OiLibya Rally of Tunisia. The Portuguese Dakar stage winner finished second at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge during April (the opening event of four in the 2011 schedule) but was able to go one better through the North African dunes – six stages and 1800km of riding - heading Jakub Przygonski and Jacek Czachor on the podium. Fellow Yamaha rider Jordi Viladoms was able to reach the finish line first in the final stage but just missed out on the top three. “I am so happy,” said Rodrigues. “I have been waiting a long time for this moment. I want to thank all my partners and the people who believed in me. If I'm here today it’s mainly thanks to all those people. It is obvious that my season has started very strongly and this is great in our preparation for the 2012 Dakar.” Rodrigues heads the standings by five points from Przygonski at the half way stage with riders award points similar to a motocross grand prix event; the winner taking 25, second place 22 and third 20 and so on. Round three will take place over a week at the end of May on the island of Sardinia with the final meeting occurring in Eygpt for the Pharaoh’s Rally in October.
Alex Asigno
Romain Lanusse (MRS Yamaha Racing France), put on a spectacular display of racing under the Italian sunshine in Monza yesterday, to take the first victory of his Superstock 600 European Championship career. The young Frenchman got off to a perfect start from his pole position on the grid and continued to impress throughout the 10 lap race before powering his Yamaha R6 to victory. Lanusse was shortly followed by the Italian Dino Lombardi (Martini Corse Racing Team), also riding a Yamaha YZF-R6, crossing the finish line to take a second place on the podium.
Lanusse heads to round three in Misano leading the Championship standings on 45 points, Lombardi in second place on 33 points.
The Yamaha protagonists of the Superstock 600 category are riding Yamaha YZF-R6’s which are almost identical to the R6 “off the shelf” production seriesversion. The above mentioned impressive Superstock 600 performances, clearly demonstrates, yet again, the strength of the bike that has dominated the category in the previous years, with Jeremy Guarnoni taking the championship title in 2010.
Alex Asigno
San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart has finished the 2011 AMA SX series – also an FIM World Championship – in 4th position after suffering a crash and DNF at the seventeenth and final round of the competition in Las Vegas last Saturday. Stewart did not break into the podium positions for the title after an exciting and unpredictable campaign but he did capture five victories and was the first of four YZ450Fs in the top ten of the season standings. 39, 506 spectators filled the Sam Boyd stadium for a tense climax to a schedule that has been relentless since the second week of January. Stewart started well and moved from third position into the lead where he stayed for three laps until a mistake through the whoops section caused him to fall and ended his evening. 2011 has seen ‘JS7’ experiencing the highs and lows of the racing spectrum and now the Floridian will make a late decision on whether to enter the AMA MX Nationals, due to start in two weeks at Hangtown. “We didn’t end the season like we thought we would,’ he said afterwards. “I got a good start but struggled through the whoops. I dropped the front end. I have been crashing a lot in the whoops lately and I’m not really sure what is going on. We will keep trying to get better. We have some other things going on now that I am excited about. It’s a bummer year but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I appreciate all the support I’ve had this year and we’ll step it up.” Austin Stroupe was the best Yamaha runner in Las Vegas with 6th position and finished one second ahead of Nick Wey while Kyle Regal was 9th. In the 2011 points table JGR’s Davi Millsaps managed 8th in his first season on the YZ450F. His team-mate Justin Brayton took 9th while Wey made sure of 10th on his VMS Rockstar Yamaha. Ryan Sipes used his YZ250F to confirm 3rd overall in the AMA Supercross Lites East category.

2011 AMA-SX United States Sam Boyd Stadium 09/05/2011 20 Laps race I 1 Chad Reed Honda AUS 20'20.082 2 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'01.351 3 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0'35.302 4 Chris Blose Kawasaki USA 0'48.142 5 Andrew Short KTM USA 0'51.374 6 Jake Weimer Kawasaki USA 0'52.939 7 Austin Stroupe Yamaha USA 0'55.504 8 Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA 0'56.597 9 Kyle Regal Yamaha USA -1Laps 10 Tye Simmonds KTM USA -1Laps 11 Tyler Bowers Kawasaki USA -1Laps 12 Weston Peick Yamaha USA -1Laps 13 David D Millsaps Yamaha USA -6Laps 14 Michael Byrne Suzuki AUS -12Laps 15 James Stewart Yamaha USA -14Laps 17 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA -17Laps 19 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA -18Laps AMA-SX World Standing Rider Standings After Race 17 of 17 1. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 338 2. Chad Reed Honda AUS 334 3. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 328 4. James Stewart Yamaha USA 301 5. Trey Canard Honda USA 255 6. Andrew Short KTM USA 230 7. Kevin Windham Honda USA 207 8. David D Millsaps Yamaha USA 180 9. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 155 10. Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA 152 11. Ivan Tedesco Kawasaki USA 134 12. Mike Alessi KTM USA 117 13. Chris Blose Kawasaki USA 112 14. Kyle Regal Yamaha USA 107 15. Brett Metcalfe Suzuki AUS 107 16. Michael Byrne Suzuki AUS 74 17. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 70 18. Austin Stroupe Yamaha USA 69 20. Weston Peick Yamaha USA 54 22. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 46 29. Vince Friese Yamaha USA 17 39. Jeff Alessi Yamaha USA 3 40. Ben Lamay Yamaha USA 2 41. Antonio Balbi Yamaha BRA 2
Alex Asigno
Yamaha World Superbike Team rider Marco Melandri ended his podium drought this afternoon, stepping up to take third position in the second World Superbike race, his first podium since 2009. The World Superbike rookie started well from his second row position, closing in on defending World Champion Max Biaggi and pushing him to the race finale, interchanging for second position a number of times before finally settling for third at the line, less than 1.5 seconds from double race winner Carlos Checa. The first race of the day saw both Melandri and his teammate Eugene Laverty start well, Laverty impressing by leading the first two laps of his first ever Superbike race, before dropping back to swap positions with Melandri several times. Laverty claimed fourth and Melandri fifth at the line. Both riders had struggled a bit for rear grip in the first race, and Laverty also from arm pump, problems which were rectified by team set up changes and help from Clinica Mobile prior to race two. Laverty’s second race began with the young Northern Irishman pressing on and holding sixth position until lap eight when a false neutral caused him to run wide, losing valuable time and positions. The same issue was repeated on lap 11, dropping him to 20th position by lap 15. Despite the setback Laverty fought back, pushing back up over seven laps to claim 15th at the line. As they head to Donington in the UK for the second round of the championship, they do so with Melandri sitting in third in the overall standings with 27 points, his teammate Laverty sits in ninth with 14 points, 13 behind Melandri.
Marco Melandri, Yamaha World Superbike Team 5th, 3rd “I’m pretty happy with the end results of today, although I wasn’t too happy about race one. We’ve been struggling all week with a rear grip issue, which could be seen in race one. I think we made a good job before race two, changing our set up to deal with it and we were a little bit more aware of our potential afterwards. The bike was a lot better and I felt a lot more comfortable. It’s nice to be back on the podium! I wanted to challenge Biaggi for second but in the end my body was slower than my mind at the end of the race, it felt a bit dangerous to make some passes so I was happy to settle for third.” Eugene Laverty, Yamaha World Superbike Team 4th, 15th “In the first race I had problems with arm pump and had just to sit there, I had the possibility to go third but didn’t want to risk my arms. I got it fixed at Clinica, it was just really stiff after five days riding on a Superbike this week! Marco upped the pace in second race; it would have been tough to beat, but there was a definite fourth there for me. Unfortunately two false neutrals killed the race leaving me with one point. On the plus side I’m very positive for Donington, we’ve clearly got a very competitive package and under race conditions we can see that our competitors aren’t as fast as the practice sessions suggested.” Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager - Andrea Dosoli
“Today we got confirmation that all the work we have done is in the right direction. We struggled a bit in race one, both riders complained about a lack of rear grip and we could see we where slow in the last sector. With just a few adjustments we improved the bike for race two, so Marco could follow Max and, at the end, the gap to Carlos Checa was not as big as in race one so he kept a good race pace. Eugene did a great job in race one and he was doing in the same in race two. He really impressed us with a fantastic start he showed he could work under pressure and ride in a tough race. He put in the same performance in race two, unfortunately getting a couple of false neutrals and running off, losing ten seconds each time. If not for this he could have been on the podium. We showed this weekend that the performance of the team is high with both riders so we should be proud, especially considering this is the first time they have run a two race event on a Sunday. Thank you to all the team for a good job done so far and we will try to be even more competitive at Donington.” Yamaha R6 returns with instant victory as Scassa Takes First World Supersport Victory Yamaha ParkinGo rider Luca Scassa made it a day to remember this afternoon, enjoying an adrenalin filled battle in the top five for the duration of the World Supersport race. The Italian World Supersport rookie made good use of the R6’s superior performance to charge through the pack, leading for some laps before dropping back again. He then passed Sam Lowes on the final straight for a photo finish, claiming victory by just 0.009 seconds. Scassa’s teammate Chas Davies had a less fortunate afternoon. Having found a perfect setup for the Phillip Island circuit, Davies had been in contention for the podium for the majority of the race, fighting alternate for second and third position until a flat tyre forced early retirement on lap 18. Scassa heads to the next round at Donington in the UK leading the championship with a full 25 points, teammate Davies goes keen to get off the points mark and catch up to his Italian stablemate. Today’s victory marks the first race for the officially supported Yamaha R6 since it won the World championship in 2009 with Cal Crutchlow. An impressive result for the Yamaha ParkinGO Team considering the collaboration with Yamaha was started just six weeks ago. PHILLIP ISLAND RACE ONE RESULTS 1. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1098R 34mins 16.503s 2. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +4.365s 3. Leon Haslam GBR BMW Motorrad S1000RR +10.719s 4. Eugene Laverty IRL Yamaha WSBK YZF R1 +11.266s 5. Marco Melandri ITA Yamaha WSBK YZF R1 +11.293s 6. Michel Fabrizio ITA Suzuki Alstare GSX-R1000 +12.039s 7. Jakub Smrz CZE Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R +20.294s 8. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki RTS ZX-10R +20.742s 9. Noriyuki Haga JPN PATA Aprilia RSV-4 +22.421s 10. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +25.822s 11. Roberto Rolfo ITA Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +29.270s 12. Jonathan Rea GBR Castrol Honda CBR1000RR +31.059s 13. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +31.721s 14. Ayrton Badovini ITA BMW Italia S1000RR +36.389s 15. Bryan Staring AUS Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +36.470s 16. Ruben Xaus ESP Castrol Honda CBR1000RR +41.928s 17. James Toseland GBR BMW Italia S1000RR +55.239s 18. Josh Waters AUS Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 +1min 00.312s 19. Mark Aitchison AUS Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 00.316s 20. Maxime Berger FRA Supersonic Ducati 1098R +1min 30.125s
PHILLIP ISLAND RACE TWO RESULTS 1. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1098R 34mins 15.041s 2. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +1.188s 3. Marco Melandri ITA Yamaha WSBK YZF R1 +1.406s 4. Jonathan Rea GBR Castrol Honda CBR1000RR +10.563s 5. Leon Haslam GBR BMW Motorrad S1000RR +10.885s 6. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +16.914s 7. Noriyuki Haga JPN PATA Aprilia RSV-4 +17.558s 8. Michel Fabrizio ITA Suzuki Alstare GSX-R1000 +17.679s 9. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki RTS ZX-10R +18.070s 10. Ruben Xaus ESP Castrol Honda CBR1000RR +19.053s 11. Jakub Smrz CZE Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R +19.060s 12. Roberto Rolfo ITA Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +23.771s 13. Josh Waters AUS Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 +23.956s 14. James Toseland GBR BMW Italia S1000RR +28.713s 15. Eugene Laverty IRL Yamaha WSBK YZF R1 +32.673s 16. Mark Aitchison AUS Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +33.226s 17. Bryan Staring AUS Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +42.598s 18. Maxime Berger FRA Supersonic Ducati 1098R +51.819s 19. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +55.738s
WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1. CARLOS CHECA DUCATI 50 2. MAX BIAGGI APRILIA 40 3. MARCO MELANDRI YAMAHA 27 4. LEON HASLAM BMW 27 5. MICHEL FABRIZIO SUZUKI 18 6. JONATHAN REA HONDA 17 7. NORIYUKI HAGA APRILIA 16 8. TOM SYKES KAWASAKI 15 9. EUGENE LAVERTY YAMAHA 14 10. JAKUB SMRZ DUCATI 14 11. LEON CAMIER APRILIA 13 12. ROBERTO ROLFO KAWASAKI 9 13. RUBEN XAUS HONDA 6 14. TROY CORSER BMW 6 15. JOSHUA WATERS SUZUKI 3 16. JAMES TOSELAND BMW 2 17. AYRTON BADOVINI BMW 2 18. BRYAN STARING KAWASAKI 1
Alex Asigno
Yamaha Factory Racing unveiled its new livery today, a day in advance of testing tomorrow at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The team, which starts the season defending its third consecutive triple crown victory, fields a new rider in 2010 Rookie of the Year Ben Spies alongside the defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The 2011 YZR-M1 features a Yamaha corporate blue colour scheme incorporating the iconic Yamaha speed block design. The press conference, held at 1800 local time at the Sepang International circuit, included welcome speeches by Lin Jarvis, new team director Massimo Meregalli, and team manager Wilco Zeelenberg. They were joined by Shigeto Kitagawa, Masahiko Nakajima, Kouichi Tsuji and riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies. Tomorrow's test, running from 22nd to 2 4th February is the second of three pre-season tests, with the third and final at Qatar on the 13th March in advance of the opening round of the 2011 championship the following week. "I'm very happy to be here again preparing to start another season riding with Yamaha," said Jorge Lorenzo. "Winning the World Championship last season was an incredible feeling, but now we start again. I have a great crew and with the hard work of the Japanese engineers over the winter I feel confident we can fight for more success this year." "We worked really hard last year to earn the seat with the Yamaha Factory team so it's a great feeling to be here alongside Jorge," commented Ben Spies. "It's obviously a special year for Yamaha with the 50th Anniversary of GP racing celebrations so I'm really stoked to be par t of it. The bike's feeling really good, we've got a few days more of testing now to really shake it down and fine tune the set up and we'll be ready to go. I'm loving the corporate blue colour scheme, I'm a big fan of the design." "I'm proud to be here for the 2011 Yamaha Factory Racing launch and the start of a new era for the team," said Lin Jarvis, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing Srl. "This is an important year for us being our 50th anniversary of involvement in Grand Prix racing and we start the season not only with the reigning MotoGP World Champion but also welcoming Ben Spies, last year's Rookie of the Year to the Factory Team. It's fitting that we will line up for the start of this special year in our corporate colours."
Alex Asigno
The European motocross scene cranked into life last weekend with chilly and adverse weather conditions affecting the Valence and Starcross International races in France and Italy respectively. The first bout of action for the 2011 FIM World Championship Yamaha line-up was a very positive one with Monster Energy Yamaha’s David Philippaerts and Gautier Paulin winning the MX1 and MX2 classes on their YZ450FM and YZ250FMs at the sandy circuit just north of Bologna while new team-mate Steven Frossard won the Superfinal in France and was runner-up overall in MX1 in his first ride on the factory motorcycle. Bike it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha’s Arnaud Tonus – another debutant on YZ machinery – claimed the MX2 division just south of Lyon for an all-round impressive list of results. “My starts were not so good but my lap-times were fast and I was able to pass riders and come to the front,” said Philippaerts who won all three races through drizzle at Mantova. “It is a little bit hard to judge my level at the moment as we did not have so many GP riders here but I felt good and the bike was working very well. This was a good test and for sure it always feels nice to win. We will test some more on the Yamaha now in the coming races and I’m looking forward to Ponte e Egola next week.”
 
While Philippaerts was leading the way in Italy Steven Frossard was fighting a larger quota of world championship peers with at least nine grand prix teams present at Valence. Rain lashed down Saturday night and through Sunday morning and although a persistent wind dried the muddy terrain in the afternoon the layout was greasy and one-line. Frossard – making his MX1-GP debut in 2011 – went 8-2-1 in the three sprints, finishing the day with the chequered flag and second overall to Clement Desalle. “I hit the gate in the first heat so I had a really bad start,” he recounts. “It was hard to come back because the track was so slippery and dangerous. I was better in the second moto and when Pourcel crashed I moved into second but Desalle already had too much of a gap ahead; I also had a bit of arm-pump. I found it very easy to ride quickly in the last moto and this is a good start for me with Yamaha.”
The third member of the Monster Energy Yamaha MX1-GP crew, Anthony Boissiere, took third place in the final MX1 ranking at Mantova. Gautier Paulin shone against the bigger 450 bikes in Italy to record 4-3-3 and capture the winner’s spoils in the MX2 division. Harri Kullas was also on the podium with third position while Christophe Charlier was sixth. “It was a pretty easy day and being the first race I did not want to take any big risks so I just rode within myself and got a feel for the bike in the conditions,” said 2010 Grand Prix of Benelux victor Paulin. “I did not push myself so it was satisfying to finish the day as MX2 winner.” At Valence Swiss Tonus gave the British Bike it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha team a triumphant start to 2011 by setting a mean pace through the French ooze. The nineteen year old hit 1-3-4 results for a noteworthy start to his career as a Yamaha pilot. His fourth spot in the Superfinal was creditworthy considering it was against a split field of MX1 and MX2 machines and Tonus ripped the uphill start on his YZ250F. “My start was amazing in the last moto and I got a lot of traction,” he said. “I was almost in front of the 450s so that was pretty cool. The track was really slick so my aim was just to stay on two wheels and there were people crashing around me. I fell twice in the second moto and was pushing a bit too much so I didn’t want any more mistakes. Overall this is a great way to start and the bike was strong; which gives me confidence for the coming races.” Monster Energy Yamaha will see all six of their riders competing at Ponte e Egola, close to Florence, for the first Italian Championship round (of four) next weekend. Tonus is committed to the opening races of the British Championship, which begins in two weeks and will also see the first European outing of reigning champion Zach Osborne who returns from training in his native USA.
Alex Asigno
Following a successful 2010 season where Monster Energy became the ‘Official Energy Drink Supplier’ for the Yamaha World Superbike Team, the relationship has been extended for the new season. The 2011 team sees new rider pairing Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty both sporting strong Monster Energy branding on their helmets and as the team’s relationship strengthens the YZF-R1 race bikes of Melandri and Laverty will also now carry subtle M-claw logos on their fairings. Monster Energy will continue to have a strong presence in the Yamaha World Superbike Team hospitality. Monster Energy continues to drive a global fanbase by supporting action sports, motorsports and music. Its commitment to 2 wheel motorsports includes Motocross, Supercross, Superbikes and MotoGP plus relationships with some of its greatest athletes. Its action sports roots are unmistakable and the brand continues to work with awesome talent across skate, bmx, surf, FMX and many more sports besides. Having arrived on European shores in 2008, Monster Energy is continuing to grow at speed outside of its US base and brings an unmistakably fresh and fun loving approach to the scenes it supports. The hugely successful relationship between Yamaha Motor Europe and Monster Energy is now entering its fourth year in World Motocross, in 2011 no less than six Monster Energy Yamaha riders will be challenging for world titles in both the MX1 and MX2 world championships. Yamaha World Superbike team supported by Monster Energy – - Marco Melandri (Italy, YZF-R1) - Eugene Laverty (Northern Ireland, YZF-R1) Yamaha Monster Energy team in World Motocross – - David Philippaerts (Italy, MX1 class, YZ450FM) - Steven Frossard (France, MX1 class, YZ450FM) - Anthony Boissière (France, MX1 class, YZ450FM) - Gautier Paulin (France, MX2 class, YZ250FM) - Harri Kullas (Finland, MX2 class, YZ250FM) - Christophe Charlier (France, MX2 class, YZ250FM) In the MotoGP World Championship the Yamaha Tech3 Team continues its partnership with Monster Energy this season and alongside Colin Edwards takes on MotoGP rookie Cal Crutchlow who was also supported by Monster Energy last year when riding the Yamaha YZF-R1 in World Superbike. About Monster Energy The no.1 by-volume sales energy drink in the United States, Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it Superbikes, MotoGP, Formula 1, supermoto, skis, boards, snowmobiles, SX, rally, insane distance jumping, MX, off-road, trial, FMX, skate, MTB, wake, surf, snow, BMX - name it - the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types - Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Ripper, Monster Khaos, available in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Monaco, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, South Africa and UAE. The Monster Energy-backed riders putting it on the line dig 'em - so will you. Check us on the Net at www.monsterarmy.com and www.monsterenergy.com.
Photography of the new Yamaha World Superbike Team Monster Energy branded YZF-R1 race bikes and riders Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty are now available for download at www.yamaha-racing.com/gallery
Alex Asigno
The 2011 Yamaha World Superbike Team has unveiled the livery they will run for the upcoming World Superbike season. The new design features a Yamaha blue corporate racing colour scheme. The livery takes its inspiration from both the famous Yamaha speed block design and also one of the colours of the current production model YZF-R1, giving the bike a modern sleek appearance whilst emphasizing Yamaha’s racing image. The team features an all new rider line up for the 2011 championship with 28yr old Italian rider Marco Melandri, a previous 250cc World Champion, stepping across from MotoGP to partner 24yr old rider Eugene Laverty from Northern Ireland who steps up from the World Supersport Championship. The new livery will feature prominently on the leathers of both riders. The team continues its winter testing schedule on the 21st and 22nd February at the Phillip Island circuit in advance of the opening round of the championship in Australia on 27th February.
Extensive photography of the new Yamaha World Superbike Team livery including detailed technical images of the 2011 YZF-R1 Superbike are now available for download at www.yamaha-racing.com/wsb/photo
Alex Asigno
2011 witnesses a landmark of World Championship Grand Prix racing for Yamaha, having successfully competed at the highest level for 50 years. From the very first Grand Prix entry in the French GP of 1961 to today, Yamaha has been an icon at the forefront of Grand Prix racing with countless victories delivered the world over to the delight of the many loyal and dedicated fans. Yamaha will commemorate this incredible achievement over the course of this year with a number of actions. A special 50th Anniversary logo has been created using Yamaha's corporate colours and will be used during the season. The logo will be proudly displayed on the 2011 YZR-M1 fuel tank, on all Yamaha Factory Racing Team uniforms, within the pit garage of riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies and also on the Yamaha Factory Racing trucks. The World GP 50th Anniversary will also be celebrated online with a special dedicated website - 50TH YEAR OF ROAD RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND PRIX - live from tomorrow, 1st February 2011. The website features an impressive archive tracking the history of Yamaha's involvement with racing along with detailed historical information. Throughout the season the site will be regularly updated with columns and videos along with exclusive messages and interviews of key people involved in the Yamaha story. Several exciting events are also planned to bring some of the glorious racing history to life. A special demonstration run for the public and global media at Motegi in Japan will see iconic machines back on track. The legends on the circuit for this special event will include the 1974 YZR-500 (OW20), Yamaha's first 500cc factory bike and the 1978 YZR-500 (OW35K) which delivered three championships at the hands of Kenny Roberts. This event will also be scheduled for Assen to allow European fans to take part in the celebrations and see Yamaha's racing history come alive. When Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies take their places on the grid to contest the Dutch TT at Assen, their YZR-M1 race bikes will wear a unique Yamaha 50th Anniversary livery design, reflecting Yamaha's legendary GP racing activity.
Alex Asigno
A triumphant 2010 MotoGP racing season witnessed Yamaha Factory Racing Team rider Jorge Lorenzo charge to World Championship victory with an incredible nine race wins and a record breaking 383 championship points earned. The status of reigning MotoGP World Champion gives the young Mallorcan rider the unique opportunity to change his racing number to No 1 as he defends his title this season. Lorenzo today confirmed his intention to run the coveted No 1 on his Yamaha Factory Racing M1 race bike, revealing a clever design incorporating his JL initials. This will be the first time a Yamaha MotoGP rider has worn the No 1 since Wayne Rainey defended his World Championship title in 1993 for the third consecutive time. "Today I can reveal my No 1," said Jorge Lorenzo. "I am very proud because you have to work very hard to have the option to wear it. I have been lucky with my design because the No 1 works really well with my JL initials, maybe with different letters it would have been difficult to make it look right, I hope my fans will like it! I won't forget my No 99 this season, it will be there somewhere on my leathers because No 99 is in my heart. It was a difficult choice to change my number but I have earned the right for this unique opportunity to wear it."
Alex Asigno
The 2011 World Supersport Championship will witness the welcome return of the championship winning Yamaha YZF-R6 to the grid with the Yamaha ParkinGO Team. In 2009 the Yamaha YZF-R6 was the track weapon of choice, dominating the World Supersport Championship in the hands of 2011 rookie MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow. The pairing proved unbeatable with Crutchlow using the full potential of the Yamaha Supersport machine to score ten pole position starts and ten podiums, including five race wins, on his way to the title. The Yamaha World Supersport Team was withdrawn by its owner Yamaha Motor Europe from the championship during 2010.
For the 2011 season Yamaha Motor Europe will provide the 2009 championship winning Yamaha R6 race bikes along with Yamaha genuine racing parts to the privately owned ParkinGO Team, for 2011 to be named Yamaha ParkinGO Team. The race bikes will be refreshed and bought up to 2011 level at Yamaha’s racing workshop in Germany before being delivered. Yamaha technical staff will provide behind the scenes support on an ongoing basis throughout the season while the team itself will take responsibility for organization, rider selection and race entry. The Yamaha ParkinGO Team will continue partnerships with some of its own technical partners, although Yamaha Motor Europe will also support negotiations with it’s former technical partners and the team for the season ahead.
The ParkinGO Team entered the last three seasons of the World Supersport Championship with a different manufacturer, performing strongly in 2010 with four podiums by rider Chaz Davies and a victory at Imola snatched away by technical problems. The season end saw a top five finish for the team with Davies fourth in the standings and teammate David Salom just behind in fifth. The 2011 line up sees British rider Davies remain with the team, joined by new Italian teammate Luca Scassa who impressed in 2010 as one of the top privateer World Superbike riders.
Team owner Giuliano Rovelli, Chief Executive Officer of Oasi S.r.l. Servizi Aeroportuali, was a rider himself in the early nineties and is involved in a number of activities including the ParkinGO Company, the first network of airport parking facilities in Italy.
"This is a great opportunity for officially supported R6 machinery to return to the World Supersport Championship,” said Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “The R6 is a winning machine which, after taking the World Supersport Championship in 2009, has continued in 2010 with many national titles alongside the European Superstock 600 Championship title, despite not competing at world level. It is our belief and our vision that in today’s circumstances supporting a private team with the materials needed to compete is the appropriate involvement in World Supersport for a manufacturer. I have known Giuliano for a few years now; in the past we could not find the possibility to do something together. The respect for each other has continued however and when the opportunity became available we were able to come to an agreement within a very short time. It is definitely a challenge to start at this late stage with the preparations, but the team and riders are professional and they will have full access to our information database for setup to progress quickly into the season. We consider the test in Portimao this week mainly as a shakedown for both bike and riders.”
“We managed to reach a mutually satisfying agreement with Yamaha Motor Europe in just ten days time,” said Giuliano Rovelli, Yamaha ParkinGO Team owner. “Having the opportunity to work with a manufacturer that has racing in its philosophy makes a big difference. I shared this important decision with the whole team. Chaz Davies and Luca Scassa are professional riders and are looking forward to having the chance to win the World Supersport Championship with a very competitive Yamaha R6!”
Alex Asigno
After thirteen stages of racing and more than 9000km covering two countries and a sizeable chunk of South America the 33rd Dakar rally has finished with Yamaha present on two of the final podiums. As the teams and riders celebrated the end of another gruelling event Yamaha Racing France Ipone’s Helder Rodrigues was thrilled to take a personal best result of 3rd overall in the motorcycle category while Yamaha machinery filled all three slots on the rostrum of the Quad competition. Portugal’s Rodrigues classified 2nd in the last stage of the two week trek that traversed the Andes and cut through the Atacama Desert. When technical misfortune struck closest rival Francisco Lopez Contardo the WR450F rider was able to improve on his 2010 ranking of 4th overall and open the champagne. Rodrigues claimed victory on Stage 6 and battled against adversity in the forms of a problem with delayed assistance, fuel shortages and navigation difficulty. The 31 year old was consistently quick and claimed top five finishes in seven of the stages. "I had imagined a different Dakar while leaving Buenos Aires two weeks ago,” said Rodrigues who has taken 5th, 5th, 4th and now 3rd in the last four Dakars. “I wanted this place on the podium. While starting the last stage I was somewhat resigned to the fact that I would have try for the top three another time but when I arrived to the special and someone told me ‘Chaleco’ had a problem then I felt excited. He must be disappointed but this can happen at the Dakar. In any case I reached my objective. I will be able to stick something else apart from a ‘4’ on the bike and this means a lot because it represents a real achievement at the Dakar. I want to thank my team and the Team Yamaha Racing France Ipone for their work but also my partners and my fans.” Yamaha saw three other WR450Fs in the top twenty of the class with America’s Jonah Street making it to the Argentine capital in 12th and with the distinction of claiming Stage 9. Rodrigues’ team-mate, Jordi Viladoms, placed 14th and another Spaniard, Jose Pellicer, sealed 19th spot. The third member of the Yamaha Racing France Ipone squad, Olivier Pain, was setting times close to the leaders when he unfortunately crashed in the formative phases of the race and broke his wrist.
The name ‘Patronelli’ was again confirmed as a Quad winner at Dakar with Alejandro (pictured) eclipsing his brother Marcos’ success twelve months ago. The latter had to withdraw early in this year’s rally but Alejandro weathered a tough second half of the contest with an injured hand to bring his YFM700R home with an advantage of one hour over Sebastian Halpern and with Lukasz Laskawiec in third. Yamahas won eleven of thirteen stages with Patronelli, Halpern, Josef Machacek, Tomas Maffei and Laskawiec all reaching the top of the time sheets. Patronelli led nine stages and all the way to the line from the eighth leg. “It was hard, very hard,” said the triumphant Argentine. “If you analysed what happened then it is unbelievable. I had lost some morale and Marcos had fallen so I had to climb back up the slope, rediscover hope and then lost again it when I broke my hand and accelerating became almost impossible. I had to complete 400 kilometres that day and then 7 or 8 more stages. I said right then that ‘if the hand could manage the next 400ks then it must last the next 5000’ and here I am as champion with a hand and half! I am number one at the Dakar! I cannot believe it." From the twenty-eight quads that reached the conclusion of the first stage only twelve where classified upon reaching Argentina’s capital city. Among that group was Camelia Liparoti who diligently guided her YZM700R through the wide range of terrain, dust, rocks, dunes and mountains to achieve her goal of surviving the world’s toughest race. She was one of eight Yamaha pilots in the final collective. “My main memory will be of a hard rally,” she said. “With a lot of stones and not enough dunes! We had a lot of mud in the last few days but I kept a high speed on the last stage because I did not want to lose my ninth place!” “The Dakar has been a very strong and personal experience,” she added. “Now we are here at the finish the Yamaha quad still seems like new and a part of me feels like I could do it again.” Photos courtesy of Michel Maindru/Yamaha Motor France
Alex Asigno
Yamaha playing prominent role as Dakar nears finale Stages 12 and 13 and almost 700km of special are all that remain in the 2011 Dakar – the 33rd edition of the world’s toughest race – and Yamaha are on the edge of another top-of–the-leader-board finish thanks to the skills and exertions of Helder Rodrigues and his Yamaha Racing France Ipone team. During the eleven stages held so far the Portuguese has been almost ever-present in the top ten on his WR450F and has notched five top four finishes including victory on Stage 6. Through more than 8000km of mountainous terrain, rocks, dust and of course the immense dunes of the Atacama, Yamaha has been among the protagonists of the class with Rodrigues frequently setting the pace alongside leaders Marc Coma and Cyril Despres but coming unstuck with navigation issues that have cost him further spoils. The 31 year old now has to reduce a margin of 46 minutes to climb over Francisco Lopez Contardo and enter the first three of the general standings of the bike category. At the same time he has a cushion of 1hr 7 minutes over the fifth-placed rider. “This year’s edition of Dakar is already in the home straight,” he said. “Tomorrow I know that I will start the penultimate stage with one of my very last opportunities to try and break into the podium positions. I realise that I have my current standing consolidated but if anything the history of the Dakar shows us that it is never over until the end of the final kilometre!” Rodrigues claimed Stage 6 but he wasn’t the only winner on the WR450F as Jonah Street aced the relatively short leg 9 to emerge victorious in what has been an inconsistent competition for the American so far. “We didn't have any bike problems, everything went really smooth so I'm happy,” he said after making the headlines. “It's awesome. You know what? We've been capable of this, it just hasn't fallen onto our plate.” Elsewhere Jordi Viladoms is 11th overall and hopeful of a top ten finish as he lies 9 minutes from 9th. The Spaniard would be easily holding this rank if it were not for a fuel shortage on Stage 8 that cost his valuable time.
Yamaha has dominated the Quad category thanks to its YFM700R technology and the skills of Argentineans like Alejandro Patronelli (pictured), Sebastian Halpern and Tomas Maffei; first, second and eighth in the standings respectively and the trio have claimed nine stages between them with Yamaha owning ten of the eleven held (Czech Josef Machacek triumphed in the opening sprint but has since retired). Patronelli has not dropped out of the first two positions overall since the second leg and has been fronting the pack from Stage 8 onwards despite some adversity. “I hurt my hand and I'm having difficulty flexing my wrist,” he told www.dakar.com. “I struggled over the finishing line and I thank God that I was able to finish. I'm taking it easy now, riding almost gently. I'm trying to finish and avoid any errors. I'm just concentrating on preserving the quad and my physical health and getting to Buenos Aires.” YMF700R machinery also currently own fourth and fifth in the overall standings with Pole Lukasz Laskawiec and Pablo Sebastian Copetti from Argentina, both chasing the third step of podium. Camelia Liparoti (shown here) is one of the few female competitors remaining in the rally and has risen to 9th overall from just 13 riders left on four wheels (originally 28 finished Stage 1). “It has been difficult and I never imagined I would find so many stones but I feel good with my Yamaha and everyday I have been taking more confidence,” she said. “The quad is extremely reliable, during our rest day we simply cleaned the air filter and that was all. I am pushing at about 70% because my main goal is to arrive back to Buenos Aires on Saturday. The number of people who have abandoned the race at this Dakar shows you how tough it is and I don’t want to add myself to that list! Now so close to the end I realise that making it through every day is a big part of it.” Standings after Stage 11 Bike (with time difference to leader) 1. Marc Coma 19:14: 55 2. Cyril Despres 00:15:49 3. Francisco Lopez Contardo 00:49:24 4. Helder Rodrigues (Yam) 01:35:10 5. Juan Pedrero Garcia 02:42:55 11. Jordi Viladoms (Yam) 04:32:16 15. Jonah Street (Yam) 05:50:30 Quad 1. Alejandro Patronelli (Yam) 2. Sebastian Halpern (Yam) 3. Christophe Declerck (Pol) 4. Lukasz Lascawiec (Yam) 5. Pablo Copetti (Yam) 9. Camelia Liparoti (Yam)
Alex Asigno
AMA-SX Race Report - 10/01/2011 Stewart opens 2011 campaign with 3rd at Anaheim The 2011 AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) got underway in front of a capacity crowd at the Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Los Angeles on Saturday with Yamaha LandM San Manuel rider James Stewart taking third position on his YZ450F. The 25 year old Floridian was competing in his first Main Event for almost a year and the 2009 champion needed to exercise patience and caution in recovering from a mid-pack start to work his way onto the podium. “There were only two spots on the track where you could do it [overtake] and I was just trying to make sure I made clean passes,” he said. “You know, it’s hard; you get in one side of the track and just follow all the way from the sand section until you get back through the whoops. Overall I’m happy though. Coming from 17th to third, I think that’s pretty good and lets me know that I still have the speed. Get a couple good starts and I think we’ll be right there.”
While Stewart needed half of the twenty laps to reach the leading group and was then unable to shut-down the four-five second gap to defending number one Ryan Dungey and winner Ryan Villopoto other Yamaha riders such as Kyle Chisholm and Nick Wey found the difficult track even harder going as they placed 11th and 12th respectively. Stewart’s new team-mate, Kyle Regal, was 13th. Nick Paluzzi was the highest runner on the YZ250F with ninth place in the first round of the West Coast SX Lites. The second round of seventeen in the thrilling indoor-racing spectacle takes place next Saturday at Chase Field in Phoenix. 2011 AMA-SX United States Angel Stadium 10/01/2011 20 Laps 1 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 19'55.986 2 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'03.671 3 James Stewart Yamaha USA 0'05.700 4 Trey Canard Honda USA 0'09.832 5 Chad Reed Honda AUS 0'27.453 6 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'32.742 7 Ivan Tedesco Kawasaki USA 0'37.591 8 Brett Metcalfe Suzuki AUS 0'45.981 9 Josh Grant Honda USA 0'49.902 10 Andrew Short KTM USA 0'54.349 11 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 0'58.861 12 Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA -1Laps 13 Kyle Regal Yamaha USA -1Laps 14 Mike Alessi KTM USA -1Laps 15 Jason Thomas Suzuki USA -1Laps 16 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA -1Laps 19 David D Millsaps Yamaha USA -2Laps 20 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA -17Laps AMA-SX World Standing Rider Standings After Race 1 of 17 1. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 25 2. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 22 3. James Stewart Yamaha USA 20 4. Trey Canard Honda USA 18 5. Chad Reed Honda AUS 16 6. Kevin Windham Honda USA 15 7. Ivan Tedesco Kawasaki USA 14 8. Brett Metcalfe Suzuki AUS 13 9. Josh Grant Honda USA 12 10. Andrew Short KTM USA 11 11. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 10 12. Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA 9 13. Kyle Regal Yamaha USA 8 14. Mike Alessi KTM USA 7 15. Jason Thomas Suzuki USA 6 16. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 5 19. David D Millsaps Yamaha USA 2 20. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 1 Crowd: 45,000
Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 0'44.601 (Ricky Carmichael , 01/01/2006)
Last Years Winner: Ryan Dungey
Manufacturer Standings 10/01/2011 1 Kawasaki 25 2 Suzuki 22 3 Yamaha 20 4 Honda 18 5 KTM 11
Alex Asigno
Helder Rodrigues Yamaha WR450F rider Helder Rodrigues has completed a decent ‘warm-up’ for the 2011 Dakar by taking the runner-up position overall after six stages of the Rally of Morocco. Wedged in between Cyril Despres and Marc Coma, Rodrigues can feel confident of his form and condition in the final weeks of preparation until the ‘toughest rally in the world’ kicks off in Argentina on new year’s day. More than 150 competitors attempted the desert setting, dunes and rocky paths of the 2300km route over six days last week and the Portuguese was able to demonstrate that his WR450F is fettled for the new regulations at Dakar which sees the motorcycle category restricted solely to the 450cc capacity. The Rallye de Maroc has over 75 years of history. The 31 year old completed a consistent run and broke into the top three twice; finishing as runner-up on day two and then third on day four. In the final classification Rodrigues – who recently secured 3rd in the 450cc division of the 2010 FIM Rally World Championship - was just over five minutes behind Despres. “I am really happy to be part of such a prestigious podium and this proves we are heading in a good way for Dakar,” Rodrigues said. “I have to take my hat off to the organisers of this Rally as it was superb and full of variety.” Spaniard Jordi Viladoms was fifth overall for two WR machines to place at the top end of the leader-board. “It was a good week and I got to know the new bike really well,” he said. “I was really confident in the technical sections but we need to work a bit more to make the most in the quick parts and through the dunes. We will carry on testing to get ready.” France’s Olivier Pain classified 4th in the sixth and last stage and stood seventh in the final table giving Yamaha a sizeable presence in the top ten.
Alex Asigno
Cal Crutchlow Having wrapped up the 2010 World Superbike Championship on a high in Magny Cours with a race win and a second place finish on his YZF-R1 two weeks ago, Cal Crutchlow ended his season with the Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team by clinching fifth in the standings and claiming the ‘rookie of the year’ title. With just a few days rest under his belt he has started his move up from World Superbike to MotoGP with Yamaha by getting straight to business, today completing a one and a half day test of the Yamaha YZR-M1 race bike at Yamaha’s test track in Fukuroi, Japan. Despite mixed weather conditions with a damp or wet track Crutchlow had the opportunity to try the M1 on both full wet and slick Bridgestone tyres, impressing everybody with his speed on the wet test track. The rising Yamaha star also took some time to practice with the M1’s launch control to test starts. Cal Crutchlow “The M1 felt a lot smaller than my Yamaha R1 superbike,” said Cal Crutchlow. “I actually found the positioning more comfortable than the WSB machine. There is a lot of power but it feels very useable, it felt very different to a production based machine in terms of its delivery. In the wet we used the normal steel brakes but when it started to dry I had a chance to try the carbon ones which were cool, I managed to get quite comfortable with them. I found the chassis very stiff, it was really easy to change direction and the electronics were really different, even more advanced than the high level I’m used to in Superbike! It was a shame the weather wasn’t great so I wasn’t able to push to the bike’s full potential, I’m really looking forward to the Valencia test so I can get back on it and give it a proper work out!” Whilst in Japan Crutchlow also took time out to visit The Yamaha Motor Company headquarters and the Communication Plaza in Shizuoka where he had an opportunity to get up close to some of Yamaha’s historic and iconic machinery from past and present. The Valencia test will be on the 9th and 10th November. For 2011 Crutchlow will be entering the MotoGP World Championship in the Yamaha Monster Tech3 team, alongside Colin Edwards.
Alex Asigno
Jorge Lorenzo A double podium for the Fiat Yamaha Team today sealed the second leg of the 2010 Triple Crown, as World Champion Jorge Lorenzo finished second and Valentino Rossi third behind winner Casey Stoner in the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. After a sopping wet weekend the weather finally cleared up today, as the sun came out and temperatures rose above 15 degrees for the first time. Lorenzo got a good start into turn one, losing one place to Marco Simoncelli but passing the Italian back soon after to retake second. As the World Champion had feared however he was unable to match Stoner's pace today, despite trying his best in the early stages. Once he realised he could not catch the Australian he contented himself with an uneventful but enjoyable race, unchallenged throughout to finish in second place. It was the 23-year-old's 50th start in the MotoGP class and his 32nd podium from those races. A small set-up tweak in warm-up had left Rossi slightly more hopeful of his chances today but the nine-time champion was left with all to do when he dropped to ninth on the first lap. He gained two places on the next three laps and on lap five found himself on the end of a four-man group in sixth, with third in his sights. He dealt with Simoncelli first, passing his countryman on the brakes into turn one, dispatched Nicky Hayden on lap seven and then fellow Yamaha man Ben Spies on the eighth. His task was not over however and he had his work cut out to hold onto the final podium spot with Hayden hard on his heels. On the third last lap the American got by the Italian but a brilliant last-lap move from Rossi secured him an incredible 13th podium in 14 years at Phillip Island. Stoner's win means Rossi slips one place to fourth in the standings, with a deficit of eight points from the Australian. After a hard three weeks the paddock now heads home for ten days, with Jorge Lorenzo due to take part in a parade through his home city of Palma de Mallorca on Wednesday when he returns victorious as the new World Champion. Today also saw American Tech 3 Yamaha rider Ben Spies, who will join the Factory Team in 2011, secure the Rookie of the Year title.

Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2ndTime: +8.598 "We knew Casey would be hard to beat today! I tried my best, riding as hard as I could at the start and occasionally it seemed like I was closing a little bit, but then on the next lap Casey would extend his lead again by a few tenths. I kept trying but I didn't have much hope and half way through I decided it was better not to take risks. I really enjoyed riding here and sliding a bit on my M1, it was fun but this was Casey's race today. It was good to be on the podium and now we are heading back and I have my first chance to go home to Mallorca as World Champion and to celebrate with my friends and family. Today we won the Teams' Title and this shows what a great season it has been for us all, with everyone working at the maximum."
Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rdTime: +17.997 "To start eighth and finish third is not a bad result and, considering the trouble we had this weekend, we can be happy. Today Casey was riding in a different sport and I want to say congratulations to him - the podium was the maximum for us but it was still a hard fight to get there. We made some good changes to our set-up this morning and I knew I had a better chance, but we still lacked grip and the bike started to slide a lot after a bit. I had great fun with Nicky at the end because in some places he was faster than me and I really had to push, but the podium here is so important for me and I couldn't give it up easily. This is my 13th podium in 14 years racing at Phillip Island and I am very proud of this record. We have had three podiums in a row, including one win, and after this difficult season I am happy about this. Today we won the Team title and I am happy for us all and for Yamaha." Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "Today the podium was the most we could do. Jorge tried his hardest at the start and his lap times were quick; we had a good set-up today but Casey was just faster than us. Jorge really enjoyed himself out there and he had a big gap behind him so it was a successful day. Considering the difficult circumstances we've had all weekend we can be satisfied with what we've achieved. We are happy to win the Team title and now we are going home, finally, and everyone deserves a good rest!" Davide Brivio - Team Manager "This morning we did a good job and we were able to find a much better setting. Unfortunately the difficult conditions this weekend and the bad luck we had in qualifying yesterday meant that we were starting from the third row so we had a big job to do. Valentino did very well to get this podium. These three races have gone well for us and we're heading back to Europe satisfied. Congratulations to the whole team tonight for another Team Championship." Super Spies claims top rookie award in Australia Ben Spies set another personal milestone in his stunning 2010 MotoGP world championship campaign today, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider's hard fought fifth place in the Australian Grand Prix securing him the coveted Rookie of the Year award. After a weekend of typically unpredictable conditions at Phillip Island, today's 27-lap race started under sunny skies with temperatures hitting a weekend high of 15 degrees. Spies made a flying start from the front row of the grid but slipped back to sixth after nearly touching new world champion Jorge Lorenzo as the field jostled for position at turn two. The 26-year-old was back in the hunt for his third podium by lap five, Spies executing thrilling overtakes to move by fellow American Nicky Hayden and Marco Simoncelli. But a small mistake under heavy braking for the perilously fast first turn dropped Spies back to sixth on lap eight. He quickly regained his composure but was unable to restart his rostrum challenge with Hayden and Valentino Rossi pulling clear. Spies had a determined Simoncelli to occupy his mind though, the Italian seizing fifth on lap 19. Content to shadow Simoncelli, Spies quickly realised he could lap much faster and claimed back fifth on lap 23. Displaying his expertise on worn tyres, a magnificent late attack broke Simoncelli's resolve to ensure Spies lifted the Rookie of the Year title with two races remaining. And his latest top six result means he will also finish top non-factory rider in 2010. Colin Edwards got his bid for a top ten world championship finish back o n track today, the experienced Texan claiming seventh. Edwards was hopeful of fighting for a top six finish but he spent the majority of the race adapting his riding style to counter a small rear grip issue. With just two races remaining at Estoril and Valencia, Edwards is just three-points away from an overall top ten finish. Ben Spies Ben Spies - Position: 5th Time: +22.221 "Jorge and I got super close coming out of the first corner and he almost touched my brake lever. It made me run wide in turn two and a couple of people came by. It didn't ruin the race but it ruined me building up some momentum. I fought my way back into third and was pretty comfortable when I ran wide at the first corner on lap seven. I got in there a bit hot and the rear came round. Everybody got a run on me and came by and dropped me back to sixth. I then had a good battle with Simoncelli. I kind of towed him around and h e picked up his pace and came by me. Once I knew nobody was behind me, I just waited until a few laps from the end to push and pass him back. I made sure I got a decent gap and chilled out in fifth. At the end I was running times that if everything had gone smoothly, I feel like we could have battled for the podium. Towards the end of the race I was running similar times to those ahead of me and that's all I can do. I'm happy to be Rookie of the Year too. I beat a lot of good guys for that and it will be an achievement I can be proud of at the end of the season. I've had some good results on this three-week stretch and I'm now looking forward to the last two rounds." Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 7thTime: +35.168 "The pace I'd run all weekend was pretty much the pace I was able to run in the race. Conditions changed so much over the weekend that we never really got enough time to work on findi ng a decent set-up. I was confident going into the race and got a decent start but pretty much from the second corner I was having some spinning from the rear tyre. I tried to adjust my riding style because I didn't want to lose contact with the group in front of me. I settled into a comfortable rhythm but I just couldn't go any faster. I was trying different lines but I couldn't enter the corner like I wanted to. My speed was basically dictated by what the rear was doing, but we'll look at the data and figure a few things out for the final part of the season. I want to thank my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3. This has been a tough period of the season but we've worked really hard together and I'm happy with the way I've performed. Congratulations to Ben too for getting Rookie of the Year. He's rode awesome all year and he's beaten a lot of good guys to achieve that." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "Ben's amazing season just gets better and better. To win the Rookie of the Year title with two races to go is a fantastic achievement for him and all of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew. A lot of very talented riders came from the 250cc class into MotoGP this year and they knew all the tracks, which Ben didn't. He's done a magnificent job and done it with another impressive top five finish. Simoncelli never gave up but Ben was too strong for him and showed how strong he is on used tyres. Without a couple of problems in the early laps, I think he could have battled with Valentino and Nicky for the podium. I'd like to thank Colin for all his efforts in this run of three races because he has been very consistent, qualifying very well and showing strong form in the races. He might have expected to be a bit higher up today but he never stopped pushing and I'm delighted with his attitude. Congratulations to Yamaha too on winning another Triple Crown fo r the third year in succession. The competition is so high in MotoGP and that is an amazing accomplishment." Circuit Length: 4445 Temp: 15 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'30.332 (Marco Melandri, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'28.665 (Casey Stoner, 05/10/2008) Last Years Winner: Casey Stoner 2010 MotoGP Australia - Phillip Island 17/10/2010 Race 1 - 27 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 41'09.128 2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'08.598 3 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'17.997 4 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'18.035 5 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 0'22.211 6 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 0'25.017 7 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'35.168 8 Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 0'46.194 9 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'46.294 10 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0'59.635 11 Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 0'59.664 12 Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 0'59.732 13 Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 1'05.029 14 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 1'05.053  
Rider Standings 17/10/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 333 2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 228 3. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 205 4. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 197 5. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 179 6. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 163 7. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 152 8. Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 102 9. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 100 10. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 93 11. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 90 12. Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 76 13. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 73 14. Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 60 15. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 47 21. Wataru Yoshikawa Yamaha JPN 1  
Manufacturer Standings 17/10/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 354 2. Honda 315 3. Ducati 255 4. Suzuki 96