Alex

The Yamaha France GMT 94 Yamalube Michelin Team arrive in Le Mans having scored two successive podiums in Oschersleben and Suzuka and sitting fourth in the Championship standings with 74 points, 21 from the lead. A win in Le Mans would make a title victory a possibility. Riders David Checa and Kenny Foray will be re-joined by team member Matthieu Lagrive, now fully recovered from an elbow injury. The Monster Energy Yamaha YART Team prepare for the final race of the year determined to end on a high after a difficult season. Despite two DNFs at Qatar and Suzuka the team are still seventh in the Championship with 42 points and looking to move up the standings with a strong result this weekend. The team displayed strong potential in the last two rounds, taking pole in Suzuka and the overall fastest qualifying time in Oschersleben. A trouble-free race could see riders Steve Martin, Igor Jerman and Gwen Giabbani convert their typically fastest pace into success. The team has a strong record at Le Mans, consistently finishing on the podium with a victory in 2009 and second in 2010. The Yamalube Folch Endurance Team riders Daniel Ribalta Bosch and Arturo Tizon Ilbanez line up in France currently sitting sixth in the Championship despite not having participated in the Suzuka round. Consistently putting their YZF-R1 across the finish line has seen them amass 55 Championship points and puts them in contention for a possible top four position in the final standings. The Superstock class could also see a title victory for the Yamaha YZF-R1 with the DG Sport Herock Team in contention for the top spot. Riders Didier Van Keymeulen, Alex Cudlin, Gianluca Vizziello and Raymond Schouten have put in strong performances so far, finishing just off the podium in fourth at the last round in Oschersleben and coming into the final race just seven points adrift of the Championship leaders with everything to play for. “Our team is very confident after two consecutive podiums, including the magical Suzuka one,” said Yamaha France GMT94 Team Manager Christophe Guyot. “We are motivated and have all the elements for a good race. We will be celebrating our 10-year anniversary with Yamaha at Le Mans, so we’ve chosen to debut our new 2012 R1 with a new colour scheme there." “We will try to leave the bad luck at home this time!” commented Monster Energy Yamaha YART Team Manager Mandy Kainz. “The last years we have always finished on the podium at Le Mans, the highlight being our win in 2009. The same rider line up we have now has always finished on the podium. As it’s the end of the season hopefully we have finished with all the difficulties we’ve experienced and can finish on a high. The last couple of race weekends we’ve always been the fastest but then run out of luck. We will take our normal endurance tactics for the race and hope for the best!” Source: www.yamaha-racing.com Click here to view the news

"I'm really happy to continue with Monster Energy Yamaha because I think it is one of the best teams in the FIM World Championship," said the racer. "I'm also happy that Michele [Rinaldi] and Yamaha Motor Europe wanted to keep me and they trust me. It was an easy decision to sign another contract. We had already been talking since the start of the year and I feel like I have a home here." "Securing Steven was a priority for us because we all saw his pace and potential in a first excellent season with Monster Energy Yamaha," said Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. "I'm happy we have been able to announce the first part of our plan for the MX1 and MX2-GP classes for 2013 and we will have more news very soon on what we believe is a young, exciting and very competitive line-up for the new season." www.yamaha-racing.com Click here to view the news

I feel better but now I’m frustrated because it is not possible to get back on the track again yet. It feels strange to be here [at Matterley] and not be thinking about the races. I have no pain, I feel strong and the doctor is happy with the work that has been done. He says the operation fixed the wrists and made them stronger even more than the surgery I had last year and of course with my job that is important! What’s the next step? I’m due a check-up soon and then together with the doctor we hope to fix a date to get back on the bike and then I’ll be taking it easy and slowly to get back to normal speed. I haven’t been cycling or working too much because the season is over for me, and it doesn’t make much sense to start training at this time. 2013 has to be my focus now. I am doing some light work to stay in shape but I think when I start riding again in September then I will step it up a little bit and do more work on the bike. I am doing physio every day. So what have you been doing over the last month or so? Some work on the house because I’ve never had such a long period at home! I’m sorting out some small things and hanging out with some friends. I walk to the bar everyday to see people and have a talk. It is a different life. You haven’t had any worries or doubts because the injury was a repetition of the one last summer? I was happy with the job last year and the guys in Germany took good care of me but the whole process there was not like being at home. I knew the doctor in Italy I needed this time and called him directly from Sweden after the crash. He told me the operation was difficult because he had to take away the old metal work and place new material. There were two options: an easy operation with a long recovery period of six months or a longer and hard operation with a shorter recovery. The doctor advised me to take the harder operation in the end because he thought it would be better for me. It was a long process but it meant I would be able to look at riding a bike two months afterwards. The doctor was pleased with his work and how it all turned out. Last year after twenty days I could move my hands and this time it was two. This year I was fast. I did the same training and was pushing the same way in the motos as I showed in Mexico and Brazil. So why not the same next year? The operation wasn’t done on a knee joint or a shoulder or any ligaments; it is just the bone and I saw the best specialist for that. I had two different types of plate last time and now they have been switched for the same material in each wrist and it is stronger. My life is motocross and I want to race. You look in good form. If you can ride in September will the Nations on the 30th be possible? No. I hope to be on the bike two weeks before and while I think it would be possible to race I won’t be at the level I want to be to do a job for Italy. For that motivation I cannot do it this time. I will miss Lommel but I should know if I can make another race this year quite soon. www.yamaha-racing.com Click here to view the news

Coppins scored second position overall at Coolum in Queensland last weekend in what was the tenth and final round of the series. The 35 year old picked up seven moto victories and posted fantastic 21 top three finishes in the 30 motos run over the course of the contest. It was the fifth consecutive championship for the Australian CDR team. “This ranks highly for me,” said the New Zealander, who spent three seasons as a factory Yamaha racer in the FIM MX1-GP World Championship. “No domestic championship is easy, even more so when it's not in your home country. The level of the teams impressed me and overall I've had a great time and I am really happy I got to ride here before I retired.” “It felt good to repay Yamaha and all the sponsors,” he added. “I feel at home with Yamaha and have now won races for them all over the world. The latest YZ450F has been one of my favourite bikes of my pro career.” Coppins will represent his country at Lommel in Belgium for the 66th Motocross of Nations on September 30th. The Kiwi has always been in contention to fly his flag since his first appearance back in 1993. ‘The Lizard’ will then contemplate his next steps: “I will stay involved with Yamaha and in mx, mostly back home in New Zealand but also abroad. We are still talking; I think they wanted me to get this championship in the bag before we made to many plans but I'm happy that we have a future laid out.” “I’m excited for Josh that he was able to win this championship,” said CDR Yamaha Team Principal Craig Dack to Yamaha Australia. “I have said it before, but the working relationship I have with Josh is still the best I have had with a rider in doing this role in 20 years. For Josh to secure our 36th championship, in our 20th anniversary of CDR Yamaha is a fitting reward and another historic moment for CDR and Yamaha.” www.yamaha-racing.com Click here to view the news

Jorge Lorenzo Position 2nd - Time: +0.178 “I really enjoyed that race, mainly in the last laps, Dani and I tried everything for the win. We are so close in the Championship that every point is important. It was a very strategic race, in some parts of it I was slowing down to relax a bit and get some air and I think Dani was a little later on as well, staying calm and preparing for the last laps. When Dani was pushing a lot I took a lot of risks to stay with him and finally I had to try to pass him, the victory was so close I had to try. This time Dani was cleverer than me and braver so congratulations to him, next time maybe it will be different! A big thank you to my team as well who worked really hard and made a very competitive bike for me.” Ben Spies DNF “The crash today was no other fault than myself, I was trying to get back into a rhythm and catch the group in front of me because I could see they were coming back and I had a good lap times for coming through. I’m really disappointed not just for me but for the team as they’ve done an excellent job this weekend, we’ve showed speed and motivation all weekend which is hard to do after Laguna and Indy. The race was really over for me before turn one because the clutch overheated off the line. It was no one’s fault; we checked the data and my practice starts are identical to my race starts. We checked the clutch and there is nothing wrong with it, it just overheated and took over two laps to cool down enough to give it 100% by which time the race was over. I still tried to get the best out of it I could and just made a small mistake.” Click here to view the news

Sorry Mike. Don't think you can use it, I'm pretty sure I've restricted it for paid members. Sorry I can't afford to pay the hosting for potentially 36k free members :-(

Hi, I'm going to start a Facebook page it'd be great if you'd like it and comment on what sort of content you'd like to see on there. Preferably comment on the Facebook post ;-) http://www.facebook.com/YamahaOwnersClub Cheers Alex

I've just updated the Gallery software it's got quite a few changes, go check it out and let me know your feedback. http://yamahaclub.com/forums/gallery/ Cheers Alex

Maybe it'll shrink ;-)

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo was back on the podium today, taking second place in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The Championship leader had struggled all weekend to find an optimum set up, only making a step forward in yesterday’s qualifying session. Lorenzo, who was one of only two riders to take a gamble on the softer tyres for the race, dropped a couple of places from the start then worked to get behind his team mate Ben Spies in second. After the Texan’s unfortunate DNF he was promoted to second and began chasing down Pedrosa’s lead. Lacking the pace to stay with the leader he settled for second, taking 20 valuable Championship points. Fellow Factory rider Spies was denied his chance to shine in front of his home crowd following an engine failure early in today’s race. After a strong weekend with impressive pace Spies made a superb start to today’s race, flying past pole man Dani Pedrosa to secure the lead on the second lap. Having then allowed Pedrosa past and tucked in behind disaster struck with an engine failure on lap six. With no time to rest the team now head back across the Atlantic to Europe for the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic in Brno next weekend. Lorenzo leaves Indianapolis leading the Championship by 18 points, Spies remains in tenth place with 66 points. Click here to view the news

Michael Leib entered his first meeting on the YZ250F since recovering from Epstein-barr virus. The American had not seen GP duty since June and the enforced break clearly showed in his stamina levels to last the motos. The Californian attempted both races but did not have the condition to make the chequered flag. On Saturday Kiara Fontanesi wrapped up her first FIM Womens World Championship with first and third positions in the motos on her YRRD-equipped YZ250F. Her remarkable 100% podium record that includes four overall GP victories from the seven rounds held so far and fourteen motos without dropping out of the top three means she was able to confirm the crown with a 72 point advantage and just 50 left to win with the final round in Germany next month. A second corner crash for Mel Pocock in the first of the two European MX2 motos on Friday left the Briton with a lot of work to do. The twenty year old dashed back from dead-last and some distance behind the pack to finish a noteworthy tenth. In front of a bumper crowd on Sunday Pocock took second place to earn fourth overall and miss the podium for the first time this season. The current British Championship leader still holds the red plate after five rounds of seven in the series with a 34 point gap over Stefan Olsen and races in Holland and Italy to go. The Grand Prix of Benelux will constitute round fourteen of the FIM Motocross World Championship and will take place through the rough sandy ripples of Lierop on September 2nd. Zach Osborne: It was a great weekend for me and I gelled with the track straightaway. In the first moto I didnt get such a good start but I closed down a five or six second gap to Jeffrey. I have only done three GPs and it is hard to come back on these guys when they have already done more than twenty-five motos. Im happy with the result I had this weekend and Im continuing to build my fitness and come back to a good level. Arnaud Tonus: I made a mistake on Saturday and had a bad crash. I hurt my back a bit and felt lucky to be able to ride today. I felt good with my arms and that was a positive thing, especially as I didnt have much preparation time for this race. I had two consistent motos and it was hard to get a good jump out of the gate with the position I had. Anyway, the rhythm came back to me today and I was strong at the end of the motos. I will keep on working and hope to be better and better each GP. Michael Leib: I underestimated myself coming back to the GPs early. The plan was to get through the weekend and finish both motos and that wasnt the case and it was a bit more than I expected. I need to crack down and follow my original goal of being able to do well in Italy and Germany. This is not the start I wanted so I just have to put it behind me. My fitness will be better just from the riding I did anyway and it would have been pointless pushing through the limits after the sickness Ive had. Mel Pocock: Obviously Im gutted. I wanted to win here. I was taken out by Olsen in the first moto and it was a hard track to come back from that far down. I was also getting some arm-pump which is really weird. Basically I wasnt myself this weekend and thats disappointing because I had such amazing support. Anyway looking at the bigger picture I got some more points with second place in the second moto and now we go to Lierop and I consider myself more of a sand rider. Click here to view the news

Congratulations... and awesome cake!

Haha, yep two shirts please, one white one black.

“I feel really good and I’m so happy to have won the world championship,” she said. “At the moment I’m pretty emotional and I’m frustrated with my second moto because I feel like it is one of my worst! I crashed and came back from last to third and focussed more on the championship and making sure of it rather than the race itself.” “I think one of the best grand prix of the year for me was in Valkenswaard in Holland for the first round. Italy was special also, but to win in the sand like I did really started the series in the right way,” she added. “I have to give so many thanks to my parents, family and all the people who helped me, especially Michele Rinaldi who I have said is like a second father to me! The support from Yamaha has been great and the bike has so much power. I’ve matured as a rider and the key to the results this year has just been more experience and learning how to be a better racer.” Visit the Yamaha-Racing.com photo gallery or click here to download some special photos from Kiara’s victory celebrations at the British Grand Prix. Click here to view the news

Lin Jarvis - Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing “This announcement is once again excellent news for Yamaha. In June we were able to sign Jorge Lorenzo for the 2013-14 campaign and now we are able to confirm Valentino Rossi for the next two years. In doing so we have been able to put together the strongest possible team to challenge for victories and to promote the Yamaha brand. We have run this ‘super team’ together in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and during that time we achieved the ‘triple crown’ titles with Rider, Manufacturer and Team World Championship victories for three consecutive years. The target for the future is obvious and we will do our utmost to achieve our goals. I have no doubt that with the experience, knowledge, skills and speed of these two great champion riders we will be able to challenge for many race wins and for the 2013 and 2014 World Championship titles. The signing of Valentino completes our future planning for the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team. Now that this is done we will put our 100% efforts into completing the job at hand and to supporting Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo in their search for race victories and for Jorge’s 2012 World Championship title challenge.” Yamaha Factory Racing Press Statement www.yamaha-racing.com Click here to view the news