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Yamaha Racing News

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YZF-R1 takes double victory at eight hours of Doha

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

Sensational Second for Spies in Valencia for 800cc Grand Prix Finale

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

Rodrigues celebrates World Championship success

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

2012 WR450F gets high profile ‘launch’

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

Frossard ruled out of final 2011 Grand Prix

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

Spies Strikes Back to Score Home Podium at Indianapolis

Home hero Ben Spies put in a superhuman effort today, coming back from ninth place to take a hard fought podium spot for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Starting from second on the grid the Texan rider was caught up in first a bottle neck of riders in turn one, then came together with Andrea Dovizioso in turn four, dropping him back to ninth as he fought to stay on the bike. Despite the setback Spies went on to deliver one of the star performances of the day, taking an impressive number of overtakes and setting some of the fastest laps of the race. He finally took the chequered flag in third place and stood on the podium to a huge applause from the US crowd. Team mate Jorge Lorenzo’s race was a battle not with his competitors but with the resurfaced Indianapolis track. The reigning World Champion continued to be plagued with a rapidly wearing front tyre causing critical control issues from as early as lap four. Lorenzo battled on regardless, having made a great start he eventually had to relinquish position to team mate Spies and crossed the line in fourth, pushing to stay ahead of Dovizioso to the line. The results of today see Lorenzo’s gap to Casey Stoner in first extended to 44 points with six races remaining. Team mate Spies picks up 16 points, moving up to fifth in the standings, just five points behind Dani Pedrosa in fourth. The team now head across the Atlantic with no break to the Grand Prix of San Marino at Misano next weekend.

Ben Spies - Position 3rd - Time +10.603
“My actual start wasn’t too bad, just a couple of people got into turn one too hot and I got bottled in. I think Dovi came across in front of me in turn four and I was just glad to stay on the bike. I never even saw him. After that happened we just had to pluck away and not get ahead of ourselves. We rode well but just needed to be up there in the first four turns. I rode as fast as I could; it was tough to pass out there as we couldn’t get it done on the straight so we had to figure out some different spots. I was happy to be able to do that and still run good pace at the end.”

Jorge Lorenzo - Position 4th - Time +16.576
“It's a shame; I thought I could reduce my gap with Casey at Indy but since the first practice I have had many problems with the asphalt and the front tyre. I've tried everything with my team to fix it, but we couldn't. After four or five laps the front tyre was destroyed. I saw the other three front riders and their tyres were perfect. I don't know if it was because of the track and I’m not the only one complaining. Now the Championship is much more complicated, but hope is the last thing you can lose. Next weekend we ride again at Misano, I looking forward to forgetting this result."

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“A disappointing weekend, fourth place I think was the maximum we could get out of it. It was clear that even one lap more might have meant finishing fifth; the front tyre was completely gone, that’s basically the whole story. It was also disappointing that Ben was not able to fight for the win. He did a fantastic sixteen last laps but the first ten were very hard for him after the start. I think he could have fought with Casey. Anyway, third and fourth we have to swallow and we will look to Misano.”

Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“I think the race could have had a different final result, but the start compromised it. Ben made some great passes, I don’t think he could have done better under the circumstances. He did a good job, there’s nothing bad I can say. Jorge unfortunately fought all weekend with tyre management. He still managed to get fourth place and more valuable points for the Championship. Everything is still open and for sure he is a really tough rider and will go to Misano with good expectations.”

Consistent Edwards delivers another top ten in Indianapolis
Colin Edwards extended his impressively consistent run of results in the 2011 MotoGP World Championship this afternoon, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider racing to a hard fought seventh position at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Texan made a fast start from the second row of the grid but as the pack jostled for position in the tight first section of the 2.62 miles track, Edwards was bumped back to eighth.

He was involved in an exciting early battle with factory riders Alvaro Bautista, Ben Spies and Valentino Rossi before the field began to stretch out at the halfway stage of the 28-lap encounter.

With temperatures reaching close to 30 degrees, Edwards was left in a personal duel with Spaniard Bautista until lap 23 when a big front-end slide cost him crucial time. With his front tyre starting to push more and more, Edwards decided to slow down his pace to secure a deserved seventh place, which moves him into eighth place in the World Championship standings ahead of Marco Simoncelli on 84-points.

Cal Crutchlow's reward for a weekend in which he worked tirelessly to improve the front-end feeling with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 machine was his best finish since the Catalunya race in early June.

He maintained a consistent pace throughout the race having led Loris Capirossi, Toni Elias, Randy de Puniet and Hiroshi Aoyama in a frantic opening few laps. And a series of strong laps in the final stages saw him snatch 11th from Marco Simoncelli on the final lap to end his recent run of disappointing results.

Colin Edwards - Position 7th - Time +36.690
“I thought I got a fantastic start but the problem is the Yamaha is lacking a bit of grunt. I needed Fred Flinstone behind giving me a push to go faster, so I had a few people come by me on the run to the first corner. The first few laps I felt I could go faster but with Bautista sitting in front of me, I'd get close and then coming out of the corner he would just grab a few metres on me. In the twisty stuff at the end of the lap I was gaining it all back and at the last corner I almost ran into him. But by the time we got to the first corner he'd pull a few bike lengths on me again. I really wanted to beat Bautista but he started to ride really well in the second half of the race. I was on his back wheel and looking for an opportunity to make an overtake but I lost the front at the end of the back straight and that was a warning just to back off and take seventh. The front tyre lost a fair bit of grip in the last few laps though I wasn't the only one to have a problem. But I was top non-factory rider, I got another top ten and I moved up another place in the Championship, so it wasn't a bad afternoon's work. We go to Misano now and see if we can fight for the top six."

Cal Crutchlow - Position 11th - Time +57.184
“Firstly I want to say a big thanks to all my guys in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. They never gave up all weekend, even when we were struggling a little bit and it might sound silly but I don't think any of us in the garage have ever been so pleased to get an 11th place. After the bad recent run it was important to finish the race and I did that. The result wasn't the best but my speed at the end of the race was really good and I'm happy about that, so there are a lot of positives to take to Misano. At the end of the race I was lapping faster than Jorge Lorenzo. I was a long way behind him but that still gives me a lot of encouragement. Like a lot of people I had a few issues with the front tyre and in the early part of the race it wasn't easy but I never gave up and pushed right to the end. This result at least gives us something to build on for the next races, starting at Misano, which is a track that at least I don't have to learn. I've needed to finish races to gain some experience and I'm glad we did because I learned a lot this afternoon and gave the Team a lot of good feedback to hopefully improve the bike in Misano.”

Herve Poncharal - Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager
"I am very happy with the performance of Colin and Cal today and I think both of them got the best result we could have hoped for. Colin rode full of determination and I think at some stage he could have passed Bautista, but it was difficult. It was very wise from Colin not to push anymore with five laps to go as he had a big lead over the riders behind. This puts him in eighth position in the Championship standings and he passed Marco Simoncelli, who is one of the fastest riders in MotoGP. He deserved to have a strong race in front of his home crowd and he has been pushing all weekend and I want to thank him for that. Cal was a lot better than in previous races and he did a good, solid job. At the beginning he struggled but he got a lot better throughout the race lap and at the end he was faster than the group in front of him. That race was just what he needed after the bad period to clear of his mind a little bit. I believe he had a great race and that will put him back on the track. We go to Misano now where he knows the track and that will be another positive. Today he has learnt a lot and he was faster at the end of the race than at the beginning and this experience helps him prepare for next year.”
Alex

Lorenzo keeps podium record intact while Rossi seals remarkable fourth place

Jorge Lorenzo The German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring today provided a thrilling afternoon's racing, with Jorge Lorenzo finishing second and his resurgent Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi rounding off a remarkable return from injury to finish fourth by a mere whisker. A red flag after nine laps meant the race was restarted, with Dani Pedrosa eventually taking the win after a 21-lap 'second' race. Starting from pole for the fourth race in a row, Lorenzo lost ground to Pedrosa at the start but retook the lead on the first lap and led the way by a couple of tenths for the first nine laps. Rossi meanwhile, back racing just six weeks after breaking his leg, had dropped two places on his grid position to seventh. On the second lap he passed Hector Barbera and then loomed up behind Marco Simoncelli, passing his fellow Italian to take fifth on lap four. The World Champion had more than a second's gap to Andrea Dovizioso but he quickly started to close down on him and was in range on the ninth lap, passing him on the tenth. By then however an incident involving three riders had caused the race to be red-flagged and, with positions then taken from the end of the ninth lap, that left the top five in almost their original grid order of Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Stoner, Dovizioso and Rossi. Thirteen riders restarted the race and it was the same story all over again, with Pedrosa passing Lorenzo into turn one but the championship-leader getting back through before the end of the first lap. The next few laps saw the two Spanish riders in some superb wheel-to-wheel action as Lorenzo tried and failed to shake Pedrosa off, the pair maintaining a nail-biting distance of about a tenth for several laps. After three wins in a row however Lorenzo finally succumbed today and on lap nine he was unable to hold his compatriot off any longer, sensibly deciding to bring his M1 home in second place for 20 points. The 23-year-old has now finished in first or second place at every one of the eight rounds this season. The restart saw Rossi again lose some ground but he passed Hayden second time around to retake fifth and set off in pursuit of the leaders. On the sixth lap he got by Dovizioso but with a near two-second gap to Stoner it looked unlikely that the Italian would make much headway on the Australian. Rossi is always one to amaze however and he was soon lapping at the same pace as the leaders to bring himself within striking distance of Stoner with a third of the race remaining. The final six laps saw some superb action between the two rivals, with Rossi looking as if he had never been away and several brilliant overtaking manoeuvres from both riders. On the penultimate lap Rossi took the lead in what looked like a decisive move but on the final corner Stoner somehow found a way back through and the nine-time Champion was forced to settle for fourth, albeit probably the most impressive fourth position of his career. Lorenzo's championship lead now stands at 47 points from Pedrosa, whilst Rossi moves up one place to sixth. The paddock now heads directly to Laguna Seca in California for the US Grand Prix in one weeks time.
 
 
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2ndTime: +3.355 "It's always difficult when a race is split like this and I think I didn't ride quite as well in the second race as I felt I had been doing in the first. Dani was very, very strong and I was on the limit trying to stay ahead. When he passed me I tried briefly to stay with him but he was much faster than me today and I was going to have to take a lot of risks to stay with him; the safest thing for me to do was finish second and take 20 points for the championship. I am happy because I never really liked this track and now I've been second here two years in a row. Now we go to Laguna and I am very excited about racing there again."
Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi - Position: 4thTime: +5.623 "I didn't expect this! I thought it was maybe possible to make fourth or fifth place but I thought it would be very difficult. In the end I was fourth but I had a great battle with Casey and I was so close to the podium, so this is a fantastic result after missing four races. I need some more kilometres to really recover the feeling and feel completely okay with the bike again, but I think I did a great job and this was a very good comeback, better than we could wish for. I felt a bit of pain in my shoulder but more in the leg when changing direction, but at the end the battle with Casey was such fun that I didn't think about it. Unfortunately though he just got the better of me on the last corner! Thanks to all my team for helping me come back and be competitive like this, we will try to do even better in Laguna." Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "I said before this weekend that we can't win them all and today Jorge rode another very sensible race to finish second and bring home 20 valuable points for the championship. It's a pity about the restart because the final third of the race is generally Jorge's strongest and with the shortened race he didn't have that bonus, but he rode a great race nonetheless and tried his best to stay with Pedrosa, who was a bit faster than us today. This hasn't been one of his best tracks in the past and he had some problems the first day so this is a good result for us all." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "In the end this race was something completely unexpected; one week ago we didn't know if we'd be able to ride here at all and then day by day our targets changed. We would have been happy whatever with a top five today but finally we were really competitive and so close to the podium. It's unbelievable and even more so because we were lapping at the same pace as the leaders. We've never been so excited by a battle for third position! It was very positive; Valentino worked so hard to be here and he made it in style, so now we will continue our plan in Laguna next weekend." Spies storms to battling eighth in Sachsenring Ben Spies continued his fantastic charge towards the top five in the MotoGP world championship standings this afternoon after a richly deserved eighth place in a restarted German MotoGP race. Facing a difficult challenge after starting in a lowly 13th position following an incident-packed qualifying session, Spies was in hot pursuit of a top eight finish when the scheduled 30-lap race was red flagged on lap ten after a three-rider incident. The race was restarted over 21-laps and Spies lost contact with the group in front of him when Mika Kallio crashed at the first corner. The 26-year-old sat in tenth position for the open ing seven laps before he managed to expertly guide his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine by Marco Melandri on lap nine having already disposed of Hector Barbera. At that stage Spies was over five seconds behind compatriot Nicky Hayden, but the reigning World Superbike champion was able to embark on a stunning charge in front of 98,477 fans. His lap times were only bettered by the leading quartet at one stage and Spies was able to lap over a second faster than the group contending fifth spot in front of him. By the end he'd closed to within two seconds of Hayden and Spies was delighted with his pace, confident had he not started so far down the field that he would been able to seriously threaten for a place in the top five. A difficult weekend for Colin Edwards ended in disappointing fashion. Despite numerous changes to the set-up of his Monster Yamaha YZR-M1 machine throughout the weekend, Edwards was unable to discover a setting that allowed him to push at the fast pace he is capable of. And his hopes of maintaining his proud record of scoring points in every race were ended when he crashed out of 16th position shortly before the race was red flagged. Spies and Edwards now turn their attention to the all-important American MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. It is the eagerly anticipated home race for the Texan duo and both are determined to deliver strong results for an expectant and partisan crowd. Ben Spies - Colin Edwards Ben Spies - Position: 8thTime: +20.957 "Eighth place does not reflect what happened on track today and it was quite clear that I could have been much higher. I had the misfortune in qualifying yesterday that was nobody's fault, but starting that far back h urt me today. It wasn't easy to pass Melandri because his bike accelerates really well but once I got by and could run my own race, I was really happy with how I performed. Dovizioso, Simoncelli and Nicky were five seconds clear at that point but I got to just over a second away from them. I was pretty much the fifth fastest guy on the track and I definitely had a fifth place result in me today, but I just had bad luck with the qualifying crash. But I leave with a top eight result and I'm not that far away from fourth in the championship now. Now I'm really looking forward to going home and racing at Laguna Seca. I love the circuit and I will have a lot of support and I genuinely believe I can run in the top five." Colin Edwards - Position: DNF "I got pushed around a bit at the start and lost a bit of time and I was just pushing because what I would lose on acceleration I wo uld try and catch it all up on the brakes. It was my mistake. I ran into the last corner wide and was probably a metre off line and when I tried to pull it back I lost the front. This wasn't the result I wanted going into my home race next week at Laguna Seca but I'm more motivated than ever to get back on track and recover from a pretty difficult period in the season for me. I love Laguna and the atmosphere created by the fans and rest assured I'll be aiming to get myself much closer to the front where I know I belong in front of my home crowd." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "Ben was once again very impressive this weekend and he showed that he is an expert at learning new tracks. Unfortunately his race was dictated by his qualifying position and being so far down through no fault of his own was difficult. It was a pity because we saw that he had the pace to run in t he group battling for fifth. He was catching them a lot and as always he was very fast at the end of the race. He finished the weekend on a high note and he is really fired up for Laguna Seca next week now. It was a shame that Colin crashed in the first part of the race and unfortunately he has not been able to reach the level of performance we know he can this weekend. He's never given up and worked really hard with his crew but thankfully he wasn't hurt in the crash and I know he is incredibly motivated to perform better at Laguna Seca. The whole Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is looking forward to Laguna Seca because the support for Ben and Colin will be incredible." Circuit Length: 3671 Temp: 21 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'23.082 (Daniel Pedrosa, 01/01/2007) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'21.067 (Casey Stoner, 13/07/2008) Last Years Winner: Valentino Rossi 2010 MotoGP Germany - Sachsenring 18/07/2010 Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 28'50.476 2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 0'03.355 3 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 0'05.257 4 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'05.635 5 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'17.158 6 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 0'17.757 7 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'17.935 8 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 0'20.957 9 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 0'22.000 10 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'35.217 11 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0'45.042 12 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 0'45.204  
Rider Standings 18/07/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 185 2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 138 3. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 102 4. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 83 5. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 78 6. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 74 7. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 69 8. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 67 9. Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 49 10. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 45 11. Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 41 12. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 39 13. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 30 14. Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 28 15. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 25 20. Wataru Yoshikawa Yamaha JPN 1  
Manufacturer Standings 18/07/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 190 2. Honda 162 3. Ducati 113 4. Suzuki 42
Alex Asigno

Crutchlow comes out on top at Imola test

The Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team headed straight off to Imola following last weekend’s race at Misano, and today completed a two day test in the sweltering Italian sunshine. The team spent the two days testing further areas of electronics, including traction control, wheelie control and launch control. They also worked to find improvements in the chassis, in particular the balance of the bike. At the end of the test it was Cal Crutchlow who came out fastest of the World Superbike riders, recording a time nearly half a second faster than closest rivals. Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1’47.478, 125laps) “I’m happy with result of the test but we’ve got to win the races as well. We’ve tried a lot of different settings here, finally the best are close to how we started at the beginning. Hopefully over the summer break we’ll get some new parts and make more of a difference. We’re going to Brno with good confidence and we’ll take away from this test some good positives.” James Toseland James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (11th, 1’49.031, 127laps) “It’s been a bit of a frustrating test for me. We’ve been concentrating over the two days on trying various different settings to try and maximise the grip on the bike as opposed to focussing on getting the fastest lap time. At the end of it I don’t feel I’ve managed to get closer so I’ve been struggling a bit.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team “We tested quite a lot of different things here at Imola, including various areas of electronics, we’ve also looked at the chassis to see what we can do to improve the balance. Both riders also spent some time testing some new tyres that Pirelli bought to the test. Cal finished fastest at the end and put in an impressive performance. James was not as fast so we need to look at our data and see what we can do to improve this.”
Alex Asigno

Victory quotes Masao Furusawa and Lin Jarvis

Masao Furusawa Masao Furusawa - Executive Officer, Engineering Operations "First of all, I want to congratulate Jorge Lorenzo for clinching the 2010 MotoGP World Championship title here at Sepang, with three rounds still remaining in the season. As a member of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team, I am very proud to have had the pleasure of watching Jorge progress from Rookie of the Year in 2008, when he first moved up to MotoGP, to finishing second in the 2009 series to now becoming the 2010 MotoGP World Champion. "In Japan last week Jorge signed a new two-year contract that will see him continue to ride for Yamaha in 2011 and 2012, and we hope to see him win the championship again in the two years to come." Lin Jarvis Lin Jarvis - Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing "Firstly let me say it gave me great satisfaction today to see a young athlete achieve his dream! I would like to congratulate Jorge on his excellent season, resulting in him winning his first MotoGP World Champion title. Today was a super result for the Fiat Yamaha Team, with Valentino winning the race and Jorge coming home safely in third spot, giving us two important victories at the same moment. The points haul today is also very important for the Team and Manufacturer Championships. "I would also like to take this opportunity to say congratulations and a big thank you to all of our corporate and team staff who have worked so hard and to all of our sponsors, partners and the Yamaha fans around the world that have supported us on and off the track to bring us victory again this year; this is our 3rd MotoGP rider's title in a row. "Now that the first, and most important, title is ours we will try our best to win the next three races and hopefully in the process the Manufacturer and Team titles to complete another 'triple crown' year."
Alex Asigno

MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo confirms he will race with No 1

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

Yamaha rider Loris Baz leaves a big impression in the British Superbike Championship

Loris Baz 17yr old European Superstock rider Loris Baz took on a big challenge last weekend, taking advantage of opportunities within the Yamaha Racing fraternity he stepped up to ride the Motorpoint Yamaha R1 in the British Superbike Championship in place of injured rider Andrew Pitt. The 2008 European Superstock 600 champion, currently 6th in the Superstock 1000 World Cup on a close to production R1, got straight down to business at the Croft circuit, the youngest rider on the grid adapted quickly and impressed the Motorpoint Team by qualifying eighth on the grid for a second row start for the two races on Sunday. Undaunted by the high level of competition the young Frenchman fought hard to take a well earned seventh place finish at the line in race one. Race two saw Baz initially dropping to 22nd after getting caught up in a first corner battle and getting hit by another rider. He fought back to climb nine places but was unable to finish the race after crashing out on a slow corner. Loris Baz “This was an incredible weekend for me,” said Loris Baz. “The crowds, the pace, the riders, the whole atmosphere was amazing. The first race couldn’t have gone better for me but in the second race I got hit by Kagayama and nearly fall off the bike. Thankfully I stayed onboard and fought my way through to 13th position but then I pushed too hard at the slow corner and crashed. I am sorry for the team for the crash. I wanted to get a good result for them but tried a little too much. Hopefully I can get another chance to race at BSB and make amends!” "Loris definitely exceeded our expectations, qualifying on the second row and finishing 7th for a 17 year old complete rookie to the bike and the track was amazing,” said Motorpoint Yamaha Team Manager Rob McElnea. “He got caught up in a battle for the first corner in the second race and came off worse, from 22nd position we saw some real determination battling through to 13th before a bit too much youth full exuberance let him down!"
Alex Asigno

Flawless Lorenzo romps to victory as Rossi makes triumphant return to podium

Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo took a brilliant sixth victory of the season at Laguna Seca today, romping home to win by over three seconds from Casey Stoner. His team-mate Valentino Rossi made a triumphant return to the podium just seven weeks after breaking his right leg, overhauling Andrea Dovizioso during a thrilling last ten laps to finish third. Starting from pole for the fifth time in a row, Lorenzo lost ground to his rivals at the fearsome downhill turn one and was relegated to third first time around. For the first few laps there was little he could do except hang on behind Pedrosa and Stoner but on the sixth lap Stoner ran wide and Lorenzo stormed through to take second. By now Pedrosa was nearly a second clear but Lorenzo's pace had begun to improve and he started to push as hard as he could and exert some pressure on his fellow Spaniard. On lap twelve, with the gap now narrowed to half a second, Pedrosa crashed out and left Lorenzo in the lead and from then on it was plain sailing for the 23-year-old as he expertly controlled his advantage over Stoner to bring it home and take his second win on US soil. Today's victory was his 11th in MotoGP, his 32nd in all classes and his 10th successive podium. Rossi had suffered all weekend with pain in both his leg and his shoulder and today looked like it was going to be a tough day for the reigning champion, unable as he was to make any further headway after passing Nicky Hayden for fifth position. Once Pedrosa had crashed out however and with Ben Spies exerting pressure on him from behind Rossi's fighting instinct kicked in as he spied a podium possibility, gradually closing down a two second gap to Dovizioso to come within striking distance with six laps remaining. On the 27th lap he made his move and passed his countryman, managing to hold him off over the last couple of laps to make a popular return to the podium. With exactly half of the season gone Lorenzo heads the championship with an impressive 72-point lead over Pedrosa, whilst Rossi is 120 points adrift of his team-mate in fifth position. Both riders will enjoy a two and a half week holiday now and the Italian will be more glad than anyone for the time off, during which he will be working on his fitness in an effort to be back to his best next time out in Brno. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 1stTime: 43.54.873 "I am so happy to win here at Laguna Seca, it's something I've always dreamed of. I rode so well today, right on the limit and I had to push very hard to stay in touch with Dani. He is always so strong on race day but I knew if I kept the pressure on him then there was a chance he would make a mistake and I would be able to catch him. I'm sorry he crashed but from then on it was very easy for me because I had a big gap from Casey. I really enjoyed riding my M1! I have a big lead in the championship but there is half of the season left and it wouldn't be the first time a rider has lost the title with such a big lead, so we can't take anything for granted. I am really looking forward to some time to relax now after two very busy months. Thanks to everyone in my team for doing a brilliant job." Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rdTime: +13.420 "The start of the race was very hard for me because I had a lot of pain and I was far from the podium. But then I saw Pedrosa on the gravel and I just had to try to catch Dovizioso! I just pushed as hard as I could for a few laps and that brought me closer to him and then I couldn't give up, somehow I caught him and it was a great feeling to pass him to take third. It's a great result after my injury and it felt so good to be back on the podium in front of the fans. There are so many people I have to thank who have helped me to get back to this position. I am very happy that we have some time off now because I have a lot of work to do on my body to try to be back to my best for Brno, which I love. Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager "This was a fantastic ride from Jorge. It was clever to push Dani to the limit but not easy as well because Jorge is the championship leader and he had the most to lose, he really had to ride at the maximum to do this. We're happy Dani isn't hurt and now we have an amazing 72-point lead as we break for the half-way point of the championship. Six victories and three seconds is brilliant, thanks to Jorge for doing such a great job but also to all of the team, everyone deserves their holidays! Davide Brivio - Team Manager "This was a great race and the result is so much more than we expected today. These were supposed to be the two 'rehabilitation' races for Valentino after his big injury while he just got used to being back on the bike, but he's come fourth and then third which has amazed us all. This track was very demanding on his body and he had a hard time all weekend but he was still able to battle for the podium. It was brilliant and we're so happy now. Everyone is looking forward to a break but also to coming back strongly in the second half of the season." Super sixth for Spies, seventh for Edwards at Laguna Seca Ben Spies had a big home crowd on the edge of their seats at the spectacular Laguna Seca track today after the Texan produced a brilliant podium challenge in the American MotoGP race. The 26-year-old made a fantastic start from the second row and instantly gained three places by the first corner. Spies lost a few places as the frantic pace increased in the early laps, but gradually building his confidence with his rear Bridgestone tyre, he started a rousing fightback in front of a passionate home crowd of 51,436 fans in California. Spies was over half-a-second adrift of an intense battle involving compatriot Nicky Hayden and fellow Yamaha YZR-M1 rider Valentino Rossi shortly before the halfway stage. Reeling off a series of impressive fast laps, Spies was able to hunt down Hayden and expertly pass the 2006 world champion on lap 21. Next in Spies' sights was reigning world champion Rossi, who was himself honing in on Italian Andrea Dovizioso in an exciting battle for the podium. But just as Spies was preparing to make a decisive move on Rossi, he made a small mistake in the braking zone for the final corner on lap 25. Spies lost over three seconds and despite a heroic effort in the closing stages he was unable to regain the fifth place lost to Hayden. Spies though was still satisfied with his performance, his pace as the race reached its climax undoubtedly good enough to have put him in podium contention. Colin Edwards produced his best result of the season in front of his home crowd to score a thoroughly deserved seventh position. The 36-year-old showed all of his experience to patiently stalk Marco Simoncelli and Marco Melandri in the opening laps as the trio became embroiled in a thrilling fight for seventh. Edwards passed Melandri on lap 10 exiting the spectacular Corkscrew section and he grabbed seventh from Simoncelli on lap 15. Edwards' superior pace saw him immediately pull away from the Italian duo to secure a seventh that puts him on the fringes of the top ten in the overall standings. Ben Spies - Position: 6thTime: +19.037 "I got a really good start and was third but then for the next couple of laps I just couldn't get my speed up fast enough. The group in front pulled a bit of a gap on me but once I found my rhythm I caught Nicky and Valentino pretty quickly. I passed Nicky and got right on the back of Valentino and it was a good fight with him. I was actually going to attack him on the next lap when I had a problem entering the final corner on lap 25. I ran wide and lost out and although it wasn't the podium I wanted in front of my home crowd, I'm happy because I had the speed to come through the field and I had the speed to be on the podium. I couldn't quite finish the job and that was down to me. But I'd rather leave here knowing I could have been on the podium rather than leave here in eighth place and not on the pace. I can't ask for a lot more because I'm in the top six again, leading non-factory rider in the race again and putting up a strong fight, so I'm not too upset." Colin Edwards - Position: 7thTime: +40.721 "I'm really happy with the way I rode all weekend and there was nothing more I could have done. Fighting for seventh is not really where I wa nt to be in my home race, but compared to where I have been recently it is a big improvement and thanks to all my guys at the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew for all their effort. I had a good early battle with Melandri and Simoncelli and that was fun and I made a couple of good moves on them because I was quite a bit faster. Once I got by Simoncelli I put my head down to see if I could break them and that's what I did. But I couldn't even see the group in front of me and I just slowed my pace up a little bit because it made no sense to crash out of my home race when I was never going to catch them up. I was pretty much stuck in seventh all weekend and I never really had the pace of the leading group. But I'm closer to where I know I should be and the upgrades from Yamaha were a help and I can look forward to a good break confident of a strong second half of the season." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "We can't deny that we leave for the well earned summer break with a small amount of disappointment because Ben was looking really strong and I think he had a great chance of claiming the home podium he desperately wanted. He got a great start and it took him a few laps to find his best rhythm like a few times this season. But then he was able to set some really fast lap times and he was able to pass Nicky and close right on Valentino. We were hoping for a podium at that stage though we know it would not have been easy because Valentino was riding at an incredible level. Ben was right behind him and looking strong for the last few laps and the home fans were super excited by his attacking riding. Unfortunately Ben ran wide in a couple of places and lost crucial time and that was something out of his control. He is a little disappointed and I understand that because he couldn't fight right to the end. But we're happy with his performance because his spe ed was undoubtedly good enough for the podium. I'm really happy with Colin's performance and I think it was easily his best weekend of the whole season. He was pushing at his maximum every lap of every session and he was strong in the race, passing Melandri and Simoncelli, who don't just lie down and make it easy. A sixth and seventh is a decent result for us and helped us consolidate our fourth position in the Team World Championship, so we can return refreshed and ready for a strong second half of the season in Brno Circuit Length: 3610 Temp: 23 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'23.915 (Colin Edwards, 01/01/2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'20.700 (Casey Stoner, 20/07/2008) Last Years Winner: Daniel Pedrosa 2010 MotoGP United States - Laguna Seca 26/07/2010 Race 1 - 32 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 43'54.873 2 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 0'03.517 3 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'13.420 4 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'14.188 5 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'14.601 6 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 0'19.037 7 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'40.721 8 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'47.219 9 Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 0'52.813 10 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 0'52.814 11 Roger Lee Hayden Honda USA 1'14.089 12 Alex De Angelis Honda SMR 1'14.666 Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'21.376 Rider Standings 25/07/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 210 2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 138 3. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 115 4. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 103 5. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 90 6. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 89 7. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 77 8. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 69 9. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 53 10. Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 49 11. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 48 12. Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 41 13. Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 36 14. Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 31 15. Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 28 21. Wataru Yoshikawa Yamaha JPN 1 Manufacturer Standings 25/07/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 215 2. Honda 175 3. Ducati 133 4. Suzuki 48
Alex Asigno

Philippaerts out, Paulin in for Motocross of Nations

DP and GP Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team’s David Philippaerts is unable to contest the 64th Motocross of Nations for Italy at Thunder Valley, Lakewood, Colorado on September 26th after suffering a second-degree strain of the media lateral ligament in his right knee. In another late development less than two weeks before the meeting team-mate Gautier Paulin will represent France in the MX1 category with a works YZ450FM and is currently testing in Italy. Philippaerts had been called up for selection last Saturday at Fermo during his home Grand Prix to turn-out for his country for the sixth time at the biggest event of the season but upon entering a hard rut at speed in the second moto twisted his right leg. Philippaerts was able to complete the race and confirm his third position in the FIM MX1-GP World Championship on the factory YZ450FM but went immediately back to his home north of Milan for a medical opinion. A scan yesterday revealed the damage that will not require an operation but needs the 2008 world champion to rest for a period of twenty days before he can then begin light cycling and running with a view towards improved fitness for the team’s planned off-season testing schedule. “This is the last thing I wanted to happen because the news at Fermo that we could go and race for our country was fantastic for us and all the fans,” he said. “I’m lucky that the injury is not a third-degree tear because that would mean surgery. However I cannot ride nor do anything for nearly three weeks now; if the ligament has any more stress then it might go completely and that would put me out for quite a while,” he added. “I want to thank all the people that supported me at the weekend and through the season and I am sorry I cannot do the Nations for them, the team and all our sponsors. I really hope that Italy can do well.” After a successful second half of the 2010 MX2-GP campaign with victory for the YZ250FM in Holland and four podium results from the final five rounds Gautier Paulin is now ready to try and repeat his 2009 Nations race win on the larger machine. The 20 year old was called into the French line-up after a shoulder injury to Christophe Pourcel and now has only few days to get his YZ450FM dialled-in before flying across the Atlantic for the third time this year. “While I am sorry for Christophe this is exciting news for me and I am proud to represent France as part of a strong team,” said ‘21’ who was one of the most exciting stars of the 2009 edition at Franciacorta. “There is not much time to prepare but we are working hard now to get ready on the bike and be as fast as possible for Thunder Valley.” The Motocross of Nations will see over 30 countries field their three fastest riders in a three moto contest. The historic event has been won by the Americans for the last six editions with France runners-up for the last three.
Alex Asigno

Lanusse Takes Maiden Victory in Monza

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

Philippaerts 6th at Latvian Grand Prix

DP at Kegums A hot and hard Grand Prix of Latvia at the Kegums circuit, flanked by a 17,000 attendance, saw Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's David Philippaerts score 5th and 6th positions for 6th overall at the ninth round of fifteen in the 2010 FIM MX-GP World Championship. The Italian is currently 3rd in the MX1-GP standings. Winner last week at Teutschenthal, Ken De Dycker took his Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX team YZ450FM to 12th overall and was uncomfortable in the races after tweaking his back in Saturday's Qualification Heat. The racing at Kegums took place on a fine and powdery surface with a shifting terrain and loose berms on top of a hard base; creating a curious mix of sand and hard-pack. It was a tough course physically, simply through the demands of the pointed bumps combined with the fast speed and hefty jumps and waves sections. Philippaerts, who had fully recovered from the effects of a cold that had left him weakened in Germany last weekend, rode hard and fought closely with Tony Cairoli for 4th in the first moto, eventually crossing the finish line in 5th. In a static second race he circulated too far from the rear wheel of Xavier Boog but far enough ahead of Max Nagl to set a comfortable rhythm. De Dycker in Latvia De Dycker, so aggressive, attacking and pro-active at Teutschenthal where he picked up his first win of the season and the second for the YZ450FM had to unveil the same spirit in the first moto after a slip on the opening turn left him last. The Belgian determinedly worked his way up to 10th place. A sore back through a mistimed jump on Saturday counted against him in the second race and after another average start he completed the race distance with 14th spot. The world championship standing is headed by Tony Cairoli, holding a 61 advantage over Clement Desalle and 86 from Philippaerts. De Dycker is 6th and 29 points from the first three. Yamaha Monster Energy MX Teams will catch the ferry north in the coming days to land in Sweden and head to the Uddevalla circuit for the tenth round of the series next weekend. A three week break will follow in July before the final third of the campaign will take place with races in Belgium, Czech Republic, Brazil, Holland and Italy. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Energy MX Team, 6th: "It was a difficult day and I did not like the track. There were many jumps with soft take-offs and landings. To finish fifth and sixth is pretty good because this was a bad GP for me last year so I am happy overall. My riding was good; I was slower than some other riders today but the position was OK. Now I will relax and do a bit of practice for Sweden. Uddevalla is a good circuit for me and I expect to be able to attack more there and go for more points." Ken De Dycker, Yamaha Monster Energy Ricci MX Team, 12th: "Yesterday in qualifying I came up short on a jump and hurt my back. It wasn't too bad in the first moto but I really felt it in the second race. I had pain and couldn't hold on anymore. I made a mistake in the first moto and the front wheel just slid away after that it was a difficult race but it went OK. There were a lot of small bumps out there but there was grip on the track and it was good." Circuit Length: NA Crowd: 17,000 Weather: Sunny
Last Years Winner: Antonio Cairoli 2010 GP of Latvia 27/06/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 38'54.633 2 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 0'12.451 3 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'24.131 4 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 0'33.514 5 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'39.071 6 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0'44.621 7 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'46.826 8 Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 0'48.973 9 Tanel Leok Honda EST 0'50.444 10 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 0'54.965 11 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 0'56.368 12 Jimmy Albertson Honda USA 1'05.594 13 Anthony Boissière TM FRA 1'15.581 14 Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 1'15.767 15 Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 1'35.429 17 Tom Soderstrom Yamaha SWE 1'57.472 Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 39'44.581 2 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 0'13.410 3 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'25.118 4 Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 0'32.040 5 Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 0'37.404 6 David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 0'41.379 7 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'42.842 8 Tanel Leok Honda EST 0'44.219 9 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 0'50.391 10 Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 1'09.611 11 Anthony Boissière TM FRA 1'11.865 12 Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 1'16.517 13 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1'18.612 14 Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 2'08.195 15 Matthias Walkner KTM AUT -1Laps 17 Tom Soderstrom Yamaha SWE -1Laps Rider Standings 27/06/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Antonio Cairoli KTM ITA 384 2. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 323 3. David Philippaerts Yamaha ITA 298 4. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 277 5. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 276 6. Ken De Dycker Yamaha BEL 269 7. Xavier Boog Kawasaki FRA 248 8. Tanel Leok Honda EST 207 9. Davide Guarneri Honda ITA 189 10. Evgeny Bobryshev Honda RUS 189 11. Anthony Boissière TM FRA 134 12. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 134 13. Gareth Swanepoel Honda RSA 126 14. Joshua Coppins Aprilia NZL 120 15. Rui Goncalves KTM POR 104 21. Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 46 25. Tom Soderstrom Yamaha SWE 31 27. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 20 28. Alvaro Lozano Yamaha ESP 14 29. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 12 31. Matteo Bonini Yamaha ITA 11 Manufacturer Standings 27/06/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 413 2. Suzuki 373 3. Yamaha 351 4. Honda 289 5. Kawasaki 275 6. TM 134 7. Aprilia 128 8. CCM 11 9. Husqvarna 4 RACE REPORT 27/06/2010 Paulin 5th at Kegums for Latvian GP Paulin in Latvia Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team's Gautier Paulin registered a 5th position finish overall at Kegums for the Grand Prix of Latvia, attended by 17,000 spectators for the ninth outing of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship. The talented Frenchman was the highest-ranked 2010 YZ250FM rider from three Yamaha machines in the top ten of the MX2-GP class. The loose terrain - almost sandy and constantly shifting and churning into new bumps and ruts - presented a hard and physical outing for the riders and although the sunshine brought high temperatures, a breeze and relatively low humidity offered some relief. Despite less than ideal starts that saw him mid-pack in both motos, Paulin marked some decent speed in the tricky conditions. He diligently rose from 15th to 7th in the first race and needed a few circulations to overtake Jake Nicholls and Joel Roelants at the beginning of the second to then lap alone in 4th. Kullas at Kegums In 7th overall for one of his best results of the season was a reinvigorated Harri Kullas who guided his Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi YZ250F to 6th and 12th; a brilliant start in the top four in the first moto helping the Finnish teenager to equal a personal best race result. Just behind him in the ranking was Christophe Charlier who rode quickly and sensibly in the wake of several crashes on Saturday. The Frenchman, and European Champion, was 10th and 9th in what was a good Grand Prix for the Italian squad new to the Grand Prix paddock in 2010. Bike it Cosworth Yamaha's Zach Osborne could not stretch his decent run of form to four consecutive podiums. The American crashed on the first corner of the first moto and damaged his silencer. He entered the pits shortly after and fitted a new exhaust but lost almost two laps and was too far adrift of the rear of the field. In the second race he built up his speed slowly and attacked Roelants on the last lap to obtain 5th place (13th overall despite the DNF). Osborne is the highest-ranked MX2 rider in the current world championship standings with 5th and trails Jeffrey Herlings by 37 points. Kullas is 10th and Charlier 12th - both riders in their rookie GP campaigns - while Paulin has dragged himself up to 13th although missed the first four events. Round ten starts the final third of the 2010 FIM MX-GP World Championship next week at Uddevalla for the Grand Prix of Sweden. Gautier Paulin, Yamaha Monster Energy Motocross Team, 5th: "My best lap-time of the second moto was 0.8 away from the leaders so I know I have the pace. I lost too much time behind Roelants and Nicholls in the second moto so the first three had gone by the time I got into fourth. The track was so difficult and technical and for my style of riding it was physically very tough because you had to be so precise. My concentration, speed and physical condition was good and normally I ride very well on this kind of track but I need to improve my starts and then I will live with the leaders for sure and be going for the podium. I have been training hard to come back to the feeling I know on the bike and I am confident. I will have some rest this week and have a play on the bike to come to Sweden determined to get good results." Harri Kullas, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi, 7th: "I am happy about this weekend because for the last few GPs I have not had much luck. In one month I had two small concussions! In the first race I had a good start and was third in the beginning. I pushed to see what I could do and had a good battle with Roelants for fourth but he was just a bit too fast. I finished sixth by the end and that was OK for me. In the second moto I was in the top ten again but I wasn't so sharp on the first lap and dropped a few places. I worked on getting my rhythm together and overtook a few people including Simpson on the last lap. Seventh overall is a good result but the second race could have been better." Christophe Charlier, Yamaha Monster Energy Gariboldi, 8th: "I was pushed out on the first corner of the first moto and I almost crashed. I had already gone down a few times on Saturday so I wanted to be more careful but I pushed back anyway and had some pain in my back and my arm. The second race was pretty good and I felt like my speed was decent. I had to calm down a bit after Saturday and after some bad luck recently I think this was a step in the right direction." Zach Osborne, Bike it Cosworth Yamaha, 13th: "The crash was my fault. I shouldn't have been in that position and someone ran over the back of the bike and broke the pipe. I stopped in the pit thinking that I could get back out and run on the track with the leaders because when people see them coming they tend to move over and that would have helped win positions but it took a bit longer to change the pipe than we thought and it would have been impossible to get near the points. It seemed pointless to grind out a race on an already difficult track. The second moto was decent. It took me a few laps to get going because I hadn't had a chance to set my pace in the first race. After twenty minutes or so I felt quite comfortable and confident and made some passes. I was not podium material this weekend and I can accept that and go on to next weekend and try to do a bit better. Sweden is a new track but I am keen to do well there." Circuit Length: NA Crowd: 17,000 Weather: Sunny
Last Years Winner: Rui Goncalves 2010 GP of Latvia 27/06/2010 Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 40'02.269 2 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'00.701 3 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 0'10.349 4 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'32.455 5 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 0'53.511 6 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1'08.966 7 Gautier Paulin Yamaha FRA 1'21.629 8 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1'42.337 9 Valentin Teillet KTM FRA 1'43.915 10 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 1'52.417 11 Khounsith Vongsana KTM FRA 2'05.823 12 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE -1Laps 13 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR -1Laps 14 Matiss Karro Suzuki LVA -1Laps 15 Nick Triest KTM BEL -1Laps 17 Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR -1Laps Race 2 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 39'22.107 2 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 0'02.998 3 Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 0'05.224 4 Gautier Paulin Yamaha FRA 0'39.306 5 Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 0'48.873 6 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 0'50.140 7 Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 0'53.176 8 Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 1'06.550 9 Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 1'11.730 10 Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 1'21.620 11 Michael Lieb Kawasaki USA 1'33.475 12 Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 1'42.631 13 Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 1'49.386 14 Valentin Teillet KTM FRA 2'07.758 15 Matiss Karro Suzuki LVA -1Laps 17 Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR -1Laps Rider Standings 27/06/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Marvin Musquin KTM FRA 404 2. Ken Roczen Suzuki GER 330 3. Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 308 4. Jeffrey Herlings KTM NED 286 5. Zach Osborne Yamaha USA 249 6. Shaun Simpson KTM GBR 246 7. Arnaud Tonus Suzuki CHE 236 8. Joel Roelants KTM BEL 214 9. Jeremy Van Horebeek Kawasaki BEL 209 10. Harri Kullas Yamaha FIN 182 11. Jake Nicholls KTM GBR 177 12. Christophe Charlier Yamaha FRA 153 13. Gautier Paulin Yamaha FRA 132 14. Dennis Verbruggen KTM BEL 127 15. Alessandro Lupino Yamaha ITA 111 20. Mel Pocock Yamaha GBR 44 24. Loic Larrieu Yamaha FRA 25 28. Travis Baker Yamaha USA 15 32. Ceriel Klein Kromhof Yamaha NED 9 33. Max Anstie Yamaha GBR 9 34. Vince Friese Yamaha USA 8 38. Rudi Moroni Yamaha ITA 5 44. Glenn Coldenhoff Yamaha NED 2 45. Ed Allingham Yamaha GBR 2 Manufacturer Standings 27/06/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 442 2. Suzuki 347 3. Kawasaki 316 4. Yamaha 310 5. Honda 72 6. TM 18
Alex Asigno

Lorenzo storms to stunning Silvestone victory

Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo ran away with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this afternoon, storming home to win by 6.743 seconds to take his first UK win in the Premier Class. The Fiat Yamaha Team's sole representative in the absence of the injured Valentino Rossi, Lorenzo led from the first lap to come home ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Ben Spies, who took his maiden podium in MotoGP. The Mallorcan got a strong start from pole position and led out of turn one but it was not all plain sailing as he became embroiled in a feisty first-lap battle with Dani Pedrosa. The pair traded the lead several times but it was Lorenzo who eventually led over the line and he was unchallenged from there on in, gradually extending his lead lap-by-lap and leaving his rivals trailing in the wake of his blue and white M1. With two laps remaining the gap to Dovizioso stood at more than eight seconds but Lorenzo slowed down on the final two laps to ensure he came home safely, which he duly did to the delight of the 70,000 British fans who are quickly adopting the spirited Spaniard as one of their own. His third win of the season and another 25-point haul extends Lorenzo's lead to 37 points over Dovizioso in second, with Pedrosa now third. The absent Rossi falls to fourth in the championship but Lorenzo's consistency ensures that the Fiat Yamaha Team still leads the Teams' standings and Yamaha the Manufacturers'. The MotoGP paddock now faces a quick turnaround in order to get to Assen in time for next weekend's Dutch TT, which is as always a Saturday race. Jorge Lorenzo - 1st, 41'34.083 "This was an important day for me and an important win, because I felt so strong and I enjoyed riding my Yamaha so much. I had a different feeling today; I felt that it was going to be a good race. It was quite hard to be fast at the start and the first lap with Dani was difficult, but once I got past him I felt very relaxed and comfortable. I thought he would follow me for a bit longer but he didn't and then I was on my own, so I just had to focus on myself; I didn't even know who was behind me! I never dreamt of taking three wins from five races but here we are and I am feeling very strong mentally at this moment. I want to thank my team, Yamaha and Bridgestone for this victory. The Beatles celebration was something fun for the fans, I love their music and I thought it was nice to make a homage to them, since we're in England!" Jorge Lorenzo Wilco Zeelenberg - Team Manager Jorge Lorenzo "This was a great performance by Jorge. The start was a little bit interesting, with us on the hard Bridgestone and some of the others on the softer one, but Jorge rode so well, kept his head and brought it home safely. Our bike is working very well and it was great to see Spies taking a podium on the Yamaha too, well done to him. It is impressive to have a 37-point gap at this stage but now we have four more races in very close succession so we can't relax. Well done to Jorge and to everyone for today." Spies storms to maiden Silverstone podium Ben Spies stormed to a stunning debut MotoGP podium for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team this afternoon after a thrilling battle at the spectacular Silverstone circuit.Competing in only his ninth MotoGP race, Spies was locked in an early battle with fellow rookie Marco Simoncelli for sixth place before he became embroiled in an epic fight for second place. Spies passed Dani Pedrosa on lap nine and then launched a brilliant pursuit of the group in front dicing for second that included Andrea Dovizioso, Randy de Puniet and fellow American Nicky Hayden. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider stalked the trio befo re he began a breathtaking late attack, firstly overtaking de Puniet for fourth place on lap 17. That clinical pass left Spies hounding Hayden's Ducati and the 25-year-old timed his crucial attack to perfection, the Texan ignoring the discomfort of a small fracture in his left ankle that he aggravated in a big qualifying crash yesterday. Spies produced a daring overtake on Hayden at the fast Abbey Corner on the final lap and then defended supremely under immense pressure to claim third and his first premier class rostrum. The result moved Spies into seventh place in the overall world championship standings with 36-points and helped the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team close the gap on fourth place in the all-important Team World Championship classification. Texan team-mate Colin Edwards rode a determined 20-lap race after a difficult w eekend where he never found the optimum setting with his YZR-M1 machine. He also encountered a repeat of the arm pump issue that hindered him at the last round in Mugello, but he was satisfied having rode to a creditable ninth position to maintain his record of scoring points in every race so far in 2010. Ben Spies Ben Spies - 3rd +7.097 sec. "I didn't expect to get my first podium so quickly, especially after yesterday which wasn't the best for me. I got a decent start but once I got by Dani and Simoncelli I just tried to stay on the back of the group battling for the podium. Once I realised I could stay in contention I just tried to save the rear tyre as much as I could and it all worked out. The last few laps I pushed as hard as I could and made some good passes and it is great for Yamaha and the Monster Tech 3 Team. I'm also pretty happy about it too and this is good for my confidence. That last lap was difficult to pass Nicky but I got a really good drive onto the back straight and tried to pass him at Stowe Corner but he came back by. On the next straight I managed to get by him and then had to ride quite defensively on the last part of the lap. I was on the edge but I had to go for the podium and it worked out. It will be hard to duplicate this but right now I'll let it sink in and make the most of it. But on this day I can say I was the third best rider in the world and it is a good feeling." Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - 9th +27.954 sec. "I don't want to be finishing in ninth at all but honestly I'm reasonably happy with the way I rode and it was a lot better than I expected after what has been a tough weekend. I'm still a fair way behind the top group but I had so many problems this weekend that even a top ten was looking lik e a difficult result to achieve. I didn't leave anything out there and I went better than I did in qualifying but it was still not easy. The bike isn't agile enough and having to muscle it around gave me a small arm pump problem, but not as bad as Mugello. If I could get the bike to go where I want it to go I could save lots of time, but we've got some ideas for the future. It was a bit of a lonely race but I rode as hard as I could for as long as I could. I want to congratulate Ben though because he did an awesome job and I've got nothing but admiration for him. He showed today what a great rider he is and it is great for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team to be back on the podium." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "We knew Ben really liked this circuit and we thought he could do a good race. But he rode an incredible race because he didn't get a fantastic start but he was v ery aggressive in the first two laps and got himself into contention. He never let that group in front of him go away and we know his strength is on worn tyres, so we expected him to hang in until the end. He was quickest on track at one stage but I was worried a little bit because Casey was catching quite quickly. But he kept his cool and made some good passes and the best was on the last lap to beat Nicky. It his first podium in MotoGP and certainly not his last because he is such a bright talent for the future. I'd like to say thanks to Yamaha and to Bridgestone and also to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team because since the start of the season it has been a little bit up and down. But we've never stopped trying hard and today we got a big reward. Colin rode a steady race and as always he never stopped trying to improve his situation and we know better results will come for him soon. Now we look forward to Assen that both Colin and Ben like a lot and we are confident of anot her competitive weekend." Circuit Length: 3619 Temp: 17 Crowd: 70000 Weather: Dry
Lap Record: 1'56.459 (Chris Vermeulen, 01/01/2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'56.096 (Jurgen van den Goorbergh, 01/01/2003) 2010 MotoGP Great Britain - Silverstone 20/06/2010 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 41'34.083 2 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 0'06.743 3 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 0'07.097 4 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'07.314 5 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 0'07.494 6 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 0'09.055 7 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 0'14.425 8 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'15.313 9 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'27.954 10 Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 0'42.394 11 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 0'43.365 12 Alvaro Bautista Suzuki ESP 0'43.408 13 Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 0'43.580 Rider Standings 20/06/2010 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 115 2. Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 78 3. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 73 4. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 61 5. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 52 6. Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 46 7. Ben Spies Yamaha USA 36 8. Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 35 9. Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 32 10. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 32 11. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 26 12. Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 24 13. Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 22 14. Hiroshi Aoyama Honda JPN 18 15. Mika Kallio Ducati FIN 15 Manufacturer Standings 20/06/2010 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 120 2. Honda 97 3. Ducati 65 4. Suzuki 23
Alex Asigno

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