Alex

This wondrous search and thirst for torque quickly fed into a new format of the sport as 125, 250 and 500cc categories – classes that had come to define the shape of motocross across the decades from the 1960s to the end of the century – morphed into MX1 and MX2. The four-stroke era blossomed from the early ‘00s. The bikes became lighter, more powerful and quieter and also influenced a generation of young and fast talent who learned a different style of motorcycle racing. But were the marginalised two-strokes really on their last legs? There might be discrepancies with the manufacturers with regards to the production of the engines – Yamaha is the only Japanese firm to still offer a comprehensive line-up from 85 to 250cc for example – but the controllers of the sport at FIM level and also in the burgeoning European Championships are putting the onus back on to the screamers. At the root of motocross (and perhaps all motorcycling as off-road is normally the easiest first step for any youngster to twist a throttle) the two-stroke motorcycle didn’t quite die-off as expected. 65 and 85cc machinery provided a natural progression for those who had taken their initial steps with special and heartfelt bikes like the Yamaha PW50. Two-strokes were still the ideal entry level to the two-wheeled world as the bikes held aloft principals that stand strong to this day: manageable technology, low cost maintenance, lighter riding experience and skill-set building. “Two-stroke motocross bikes are important to Yamaha, in particular for the kids and young customers in general,” affirms Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Manager. “They offer a relatively affordable start in the motocross world, are easy to maintain – for example by the father - and are a good base for youngsters to learn how to control the throttle. Sometimes I have the feeling that people think that only some European manufacturers still make two-strokes but Yamaha is offering a full range of very competitive YZ85, 125 and 250cc models.” YZ125 Motocross in Europe is angled directly towards the FIM Motocross World Championship and sees the two-stroke playing an essential role in the path of any ambitious junior athlete or kid with eyes on professional status. Regional European series on 65s and 85s lead into the eight round EMX125cc championship that is run at Grand Prix events and on the best stage possible. The FIM and Youthstream – promoters of Grand Prix – even announced a new European Championship to sit alongside the MX1 and MX2 division from 2014 that will see two-strokes up to 300cc take to the line. Youth development has become a more important and visual side of any brand’s work in the sport over the past five years. With the MX2 class carrying an age limit of 23 years and the elevated status of the European competitions, teams like the Kemea Reytec Van de Laar Yamaha squad - that functions in EMX85, EMX125, EMX250 and MX2 – provide a well-supported and professional ‘ladder’ for aspiring racers. At the core of the Belgian team’s work is their attitude to the development of Frederik Van Der Vlist (Dutch) and Cyril Genot (Belgian). With two other important ingredients also in place: the YZ two-strokes and the presence of former GP winner Marnicq Bervoets. “I think what we are doing here it is really good,” says the experienced and knowledgeable Belgian. “Two years ago I was working with a young kid who had to move straight onto a 250 four-stroke to continue his progress and you could see the difference in what he had to handle. They are heavier and more powerful, too much actually. Kids need a lighter bike to make a better step. They are still growing in their mid-teens and they might not be strong enough at that age for a four-stroke. There had to be a decent stage between moving from 85cc to the four-strokes and the 125 is pretty essential for that and their career. It is also important to try and avoid big injuries. I think it is a very good system now in terms of progression.” Marnicq Bervoets So far the team have enjoyed fruits of their labour with Peter Van de Laar looking after the tuning of the engines from his Dutch workshop. The highly-rated Genot is currently second in the 85cc Dutch Open Championship, scoring a double win in the last round and already catching the eye with his speed in the European regional series. Van Der Vlist is proving to be formidable force on Dutch soil and is leading the 125cc points table by a hefty margin. He is also third in the EMX125 standings with three of the eight rounds already in the bag. In France the YZ125 is the choice of more than half the field in the national series. The French Federation’s ‘L'equipe de Franc de motocross Espoir’ fields Nicolas Dercourt on a YZ125 and the teenager has finished on the podium in the last two rounds of the EMX125 contest after also lifting silverware in 2012 and currently lies fourth in the championship. All the youngster are making good progress on the YZs. “The bikes are fast and hugely reliable and through our YRRD Rinaldi racing parts programme we offer 125cc kits which are very popular, particularly in France,” said Klein Koerkamp. “The Yamaha YZ125 hasn’t changed that much out of Japan but we have a set-up with Yamaha Netherlands and Van der Laar with a different sub-frame and of course overall tuning and we are very competitive,” says Bervoets. “The development has been small but we have worked hard. Van der Laar is very interested in helping young riders on two-strokes. They are always tuning and working on the bikes but usually the modifications are small because it is not easy to make big steps with the engine. The power is good though and strong enough to be competitive and serve its purpose as being the next educational step. At the last EMX125 round in Latvia in early July we saw four YZ125s in the top ten, all with different tuning.” “You know, kids can change so much and so quickly between the ages of 13 and 17,” continued Bervoets. “It is a crucial stage of a career and the two-stroke allows the riders to play more with the bike and develop their technique. Yamaha have the right approach with their two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycles. I hope one day manufacturers will bring modern two-strokes right up to the level alongside the advanced technology on the four-strokes so it means absolutely all riders have a good choice.” Photos courtesy of Kemea Reytec Van de Laar Yamaha/Christophe Desmet and Max Zanzani

The result puts Rossi on 101 Championship points, six behind Crutchlow in fourth. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo now sits in third position in the Championship on 127 points having missed the race through injury. Despite the set back he is just 11 points behind leader Marquez. No decision has yet been made for Lorenzo’s participation in the Laguna Seca race as he recovers from yesterday’s collarbone surgery in Barcelona. His team will travel to the USA and set up as normal should the reigning World Champion decide to ride in next weekend’s Grand Prix. Valentino Rossi 3rd / +9.620 “It's a good result, to stay on the podium is always a good result but I expected something more and to do a better race. During the weekend we made some choices, yesterday we decided to set up the bike in one way and today after some laps I started to suffer too much. The first ten laps were not so bad but after I started to have problems and it was too difficult to turn the bike, especially on the left I was sliding too much. We have to work to try and make another step to stay with the top guys. Next we will have Laguna, a very special track, and we will try to have better results there. We are five very fast riders and we are closer now because unfortunately Dani and Jorge are injured and we have another race next week. If I want to fight for the Championship I have to go faster and I have to be constantly faster so I have to make another step.” Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “We worked the entire weekend to manage the tyre life in the best way possible but we couldn't make it as we wanted. We had a decent pace and in the end we got a podium, that is an important result and we got points. We knew at the beginning that this circuit was not one of the favourites for us and we had to manage it. We are looking forward to Laguna to fight for the positions that we are used to be fighting for. We are pleased that Jorge’s surgery was completed successfully yesterday and we wish him a very speedy recovery. We have made no decision yet on when he will return to race however we will bring his crew to Laguna to be prepared for any eventuality.” Crutchlow and Smith equal season best in Germany Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith equalled their season best results at Germany’s Sachsenring today, the British duo storming to a fantastic double top six finish for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Crutchlow raced to an outstanding fourth podium in the last five races to continue his amazing record-breaking exploits in the 2013 World Championship, while Smith showed tremendous speed and consistency to secure a second top six finish in his rookie campaign. On form Crutchlow produced a scintillating surge through the field after he’d been dropped back to sixth in a frenetic opening to the 30-lap race. The 27-year-old’s brilliant charge gathered momentum on lap four when he dived underneath Alvaro Bautista to slot into fourth at the final corner. He then pressured home crowd favourite Stefan Bradl into a mistake at the final corner on lap 10 to move into the top three. With adrenaline and the non-stop action taking his mind of numerous cuts, bruises and friction burns he suffered in two heavy practice crashes, he then executed a brave but perfect pass on Valentino Rossi at Turn 12 on lap 16 to snatch second. At that stage of the race, Marc Marquez had established a comfortable advantage of 2.8s. But demonstrating his never give up attitude and fighting spirit, Crutchlow launched a relentless pursuit of the Spaniard that kept fans on the edge of their seats right to the chequered flag. Crutchlow narrowed the gap to 1.5s but Marquez was unflappable, though Crutchlow’s second place helped him secure another personal milestone in his third premier class season. Today's result saw him become the first British rider to score four or more podium MotoGP finishes since the legendary Barry Sheene in 1982. Not be to be outdone, Smith’s eye-catching ride ensured he played an important role in a landmark result, with today’s race the first time two British riders have finished inside the top six in a premier class encounter since the Donington Park round back 1993. Starting from seventh on the grid, the 22-year-old held onto that place while he was comfortably able to streak away from a chasing pack that included MotoGP race winners Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden. He moved into the top six on lap seven and feeling comfortable and confident on the YZR-M1 machine he pushed hard to try and bridge a gap of close to three seconds to Bautista in fifth. He kept the Spaniard firmly in his sights throughout the race but was happy to settle for a richly deserved top six. The most pleasing aspect for the rookie was the 25-second gap to race winner Marquez, which was the closest Smith has finished to first place in 2013, and provides further proof of his rapidly growing confidence with the YZR-M1 machine. Cal Crutchlow 2nd– 107 points : “I am really happy to be on the podium again because it was a hard race in my physical condition. The two crashes in practice took a lot out of me but I dug deep and it is great to get another podium for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. I actually made a really good start but I had to roll off the throttle when Marc came towards me and that cost me a few places. The bike worked really well in the first few laps and I was able to fight my way through and I really enjoyed it. In the second half of the race the bike felt great and I was fast. I came on strong and pulled away from Valentino and I did absolutely everything I could to close down Marc. I couldn’t have done anything more but credit to him because he didn’t make a mistake, he controlled the gap to me very well and he deserved to win. I just kept on pushing and at the end second is another fantastic result. It is my fourth podium and I am not so far back in the Championship, so I can’t really ask for anything more. Now we go to Laguna trying to fight for another podium and hopefully that first win.” Bradley Smith 6th– 51 points : “I am truely happy with this sixth place. I got a good start and I was really pleased with my pace for most of the race. It is particularly pleasing because this is a track where I expected to struggle more because it has a lot of left-hand corners and you are constantly pushing with the left part of your body. That’s where my injury is but I felt strong for the whole race. I’m also pleased that we managed to reduce the gap to the winner by another seven seconds and I think 25 seconds is not too bad at the moment. There were so many positives but I had a little bit of an issue with rear grip and I think we can still improve our setting to make that better. I still believe I did a really good job and now the next objective is to get closer to Bautista on the satellite Honda. This result has given me a lot of confidence and I am really looking forward to going to Laguna Seca. It is a very difficult track and while I did test there earlier this year on a production bike I am still expecting a tough weekend.”

While his teammate rightly deserved the honours for an amazing victory, Jorge Lorenzo also shone today. The World Champion gave everything he had and more, defying the pain from collarbone surgery just 36 hours ago in a heroic effort to race. Lorenzo had started from 12th on the grid but had risen to eighth by turn three. By the second lap he had climbed to fifth and was chasing down satellite Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow in fourth. With 23 laps to go he had passed Crutchlow and began to close the gap to Marquez in third. As the laps wound down exhaustion set in and with 11 to go Lorenzo was re-passed by Crutchlow. With grim determination he managed to maintain pace for fifth position and rolled into the Yamaha pits to an applauding team. The remarkable feat means Lorenzo holds second in the Championship and is just nine points behind Pedrosa as they head to Sachsenring in two weeks time. Valentino Rossi 1st / 41'25.202 / 26 Laps “Today was something special, this is one of the best victories in my career because it is one of the most wanted and expected for such a lot of time. I’m so happy because I won a real race where all my opponents were very strong and very fast, apart from Jorge with his injury. It was great from the beginning, I had a good feeling, I could overtake on braking and I felt good on the bike. It was difficult but the finish line was calling me so I had to arrive as fast as possible. We have made a step with the bike, I can ride in a better way so we have to try and stay with the top guys every weekend. Jorge rode an incredible race, we have to say a special great congratulations because he had great courage to do this and also he made an important step for his Championship.” Jorge Lorenzo 5th / +15.510 / 26 Laps “It would have been impossible to believe some minutes after my crash that this could happen. We were brave to make the operation the same day, if I had waited to Friday the doctors would not have let me race. We made the race today and I was very brave in the first laps because passing the riders with a collarbone like this under braking was really hard. I felt quite good physically at the beginning of the race but after lap seven every lap was worse; it was more difficult to change direction, to brake and to accelerate so I couldn't do more than fifth position. We only lost two points to Dani who is leading the Championship. This fifth position is better than any victory I have had in my career. I hope to have a good recovery for Germany, I will not be 100% but I hope to be better than here. The victory for Valentino and the third for Crutchlow are good for the Championship, I would have preferred Cal to finish in front of Marc but you can’t always have perfection! I am happy for Valentino, more than two years without winning has been hard for him so I’m happy for my box partner. After Aragon I think he made some improvements and here he took profit from the opportunity. Lets see what happens in Sachsenring as last year we had some issues and the Hondas were strong but I think if I can improve my physical condition I can be more competitive than this race.” Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager “If you would have asked me a quote before the race I would have said we need to finish and get some points. To fight for the first fifteen laps at least and to be there with the front boys was unbelievable for Jorge. Finishing fifth, having Vale winning the race and having Cal also on the podium is great for Yamaha. The result is great for us as we lose just two points to Dani. I think that is what this race was all about, damage control, we had to try to finish and for sure not to crash.” Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “It has been a double victory today, so great for both results. Vale is back with a victory after two years and eighth months and the last one was also with Yamaha so it has been a great result for all of us. We were also able to gain some points against our competitors so for me it was a very special victory. Jorge did something really incredible. He showed he has the determination that is not normal. That he could race having had surgery just two days ago, has been very impressive, I know what a rider can physically feel when you are on the bike and injured. At the end we also only lost two points to Pedrosa. For me this is going to be an unforgettable weekend. We will leave this place in a really good mood and for sure we are going to start the next weekend totally full gas.”

The Italian circuit enjoyed a Grand Prix reawakening as it welcomed the FIM series for the first time this century. The steep hills housed a typically hard-pack terrain but the corner ruts were still long, deep and hard and the bumps ensured a degree of technical challenge under high temperatures. Charlier set the fastest lap in the second moto as he rode similar races; recovering ground from top ten starts to make some effective overtaking moves and registering 5th and 6th positions. The Corsican needs a little more aggression in the vital formative phases of the motos to vie for his second podium of the season but his consistency has become a strength and he now hold fourth in the championship; 24 points from his goal of reaching a top three slot. Dean Ferris was less than two seconds from a second consecutive pole position on Saturday but was still able to enjoy the second pick in the gate for the 35 minute and 2 lap motos. The Australian had a problem with his front suspension in the first race that prevented him forcing a top five result; ending the distance in 7th. ‘111’ pushed in customary fashion in the next sprint and again breached the top seven with the same ranking. He is sixth in the MX2 table. Mel Pocock was limping around the paddock with a sore right heel as a consequence of his accident at the French GP last week. The Briton lodged a decent top ten finish with 8th place at the first time of asking but suffered a big ‘one’ in the second moto descending one of the downhills and managed to arrive to the chequered flag in sixteenth and holds eleventh in the MX2 standings. Maxime Desprey was unlucky to suffer a mechanical glitch in the first race and then struggled to cope with the track after a mediocre start and registered just one point for 20th. The French youngster is fifteenth in his rookie GP term. Maggiora also entertained round three of seven for the women and Kiara Fontanesi faced little opposition in her quest for a perfect first half of her FIM title defence. Maggiora went crazy for their local star and ‘Fonta’ responded in kind with a confident and error-free run to a memorable victory. She leads the standings by 32 points. The Uddevalla circuit north of Gothenburg will once more host the Grand Prix of Sweden and round ten of the series on July 1st.

The third round of the FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship on the island of Sardegna took place over five days of special stages covering a total of 1600km with over 800km of special stages. The route took the 74 competitors from Alghero to Arborea, Chia and Sa Itria before finishing in San Teodoro. Having announced the new partnership with Yamaha just last week, Despres used the rally to get to grips with the YZ450F based machine and get used to racing again having not competed since the Dakar in January. Despres was quick to show the potential of the Yamaha in Sardegna, completing the first day of the five-day competition in second position, just 55 seconds behind the leader. Botturi was also on the pace, riding a standard WR450F with only minor modifications to suspension, fuel tank and exhaust, he finished the day in third overall behind Despres and just over a minute from the leader. The second day of two special stages saw strong performances again from the Yamaha pair with Botturi leading overall and Despres in third just 58 seconds behind. The second stage of the third day saw both Yamaha riders overcome a time loss after a mix up at an assistance point. Despite the setback Despres fought back to complete the day second overall with Botturi again behind in third. Botturi shone on day four, making up for lost time on the first stage the Italian was a potential stage winner until running out of fuel metres from the finish line. He made up for it by winning the second stage of the day. Despres was unfortunate to fall on the fourth day and bang his head but was able to continue, losing some time but holding third position overall. Botturi saved the best for last, taking his Yamaha WR450F to the top of the final day’s standings with a lead of 1’22 seconds to secure fifth overall in the Rally. Despres was just over two minutes behind in fourth position, confirming fourth overall, just 11 seconds off third place on the podium. Italian Yamaha rider Andrea Mancini finished the final day in fifth position, making it three Yamahas in the top five standings. Cyril Despres “To be perfectly honest I was a little bit surprised to have finished second on the first day after just one day’s competition aboard my new Yamaha– it certainly wasn’t on the programme! My priority was just to get a feel for the bike and get used to racing again after not having ridden a bike in anger since January. Of course I’m a racer at heart and so never happier than when competing and then there was the pleasure of discovering the YZ450F. Of course I am disappointed to have missed the final podium by just 11 seconds but over five days that’s nothing, a couple of micro-errors of navigation. But as they say in this game, ‘that’s rally-raid’, there are always plenty of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’. At least I can console myself with the knowledge that I didn’t make many mistakes yesterday and was able to fight hard all the way to the end. For me the rally was lost a couple of days ago and here, once you have given away time, it’s very hard to pull it back again. Looking at the bigger picture, the really positive aspect of these last five days has been how good I have felt on my new bike. I’d only done a few practice hours on the Yamaha YZ450F before coming here but now I have a much better understanding of how the machine functions and coming away from Sardegna my impressions are extremely positive. Obviously there is plenty of work still left to do on our Dakar bike but both the Yamaha’s engine and chassis are really strong and those are the essential ingredients of any bike. Now we will go back to France and start getting ready for next month’s Rally dos Sertoes which is an event much closer, both geographically and in format, to the Dakar and therefore a much more useful open-air laboratory.” Alessandro Botturi “I am satisfied, I did all I could, I cannot complain for anything or ‘give blame to bad luck’. The final day was especially a good day; I expressed myself during the race and those who wanted have seen it. At the end I was pushing a lot, and a slide with such a pace can happen. Congratulations to the winners, Marc, Paul and Joan, who earned their successes. I raced this Rally thanks to the team GB Spare parts, the extraordinary mechanical and strategist Franco Picco and Yamaha Italy who made the WR450F available. I still have something to complete here, and next year I will be here to settle.” Credit yamaha-racing.com

Jorge Lorenzo, 1st “The conditions and the circumstances were good for us and I didn't make a mistake, I made my best performance even if the conditions were much hotter than this morning. We are still struggling so much when the conditions get hotter. Anyway the key of the race was in the middle where I improved my riding, I was able to brake later with less fuel in the tank so I was able to improve the lap time by two tenths, from this moment Dani gave up a little pace and I could get away and win the race, more or less like last year. It’s very special; I won the last three years here so this track is magic for me and very positive for Yamaha. It also reminds us to keep working on the bike as at the tracks which are not so flowing like Mugello we will struggle. I’m very happy to give this win to Yamaha Motor Racing President Shigeto Kitagawa because this was his last race here in Grand Prix, as he will retire. He has done a great job for the team in the last years and it is a big loss for us. I hope he will enjoy the different life he will have. Our president Yanagi-san is also lucky for me, I won the 2010 Championship in Malaysia when he was there on the track and again today a victory with his presence.” Valentino Rossi, DNF “Unfortunately in the start I had a problem with the clutch spinning and I lost two or three positions. Then I was attacking because we had a good pace and I was fast. On the second corner I was on the outside already in front of Bautista. For me, from the inside he opened the throttle to close the line so he doesn't lose another position but I was already in front so he came to me and took me on the boot. I was lucky because it was a bad crash and I arrived at the wall but I’m ok. We will try next week in Barcelona, but it is a pity because firstly it is Mugello and secondly I think we could have done a good race and maybe arrived on the podium.” Crutchlow storms to majestic Mugello podium Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow stormed to a second successive podium in 2013 after a fantastic late attack in today's Italian MotoGP race was rewarded with a richly deserved third position. The British rider quickly seized fourth position from former Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate Andrea Dovizioso on the second lap, but leading trio Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez had already established a lead of over one second. Crutchlow showed tremendous fighting spirit and blistering speed in the second half of the 23-lap race to superbly cut into a big advantage held by Pedrosa and Marquez, who were locked in an exciting battle for second. The 27-year-old's stunning charge paid off when Marquez was unfortunate to tumble out of second with just three laps remaining, just as Crutchlow was sizing up an attack on Pedrosa. With a brilliant third place secured to follow up his career best second in Le Mans last time out, Crutchlow called off his pursuit of Pedrosa to collect 16 priceless World Championship points that consolidated his fourth position in the rankings. Award for the bravest and most courageous ride of the day went to outstanding rookie Bradley Smith, who demonstrated amazing determination to bounce back from two heavy crashes ahead of the fifth round of the Championship. Nursing a nasty left hand injury after a heavy fall in Friday's FP2, Smith suffered another bruising crash during this morning's warm-up session. Way below his peak physical condition, it seems nothing can knock the 22-year-old's confidence and he showed he has desire and determination to match his talent by riding his YZR-M1 machine to a heroic top 10. Smith, who will undergo skin graft surgery in San Marino to repair damage to his left little finger tomorrow (Monday), finished in ninth position and he will now begin a period of rest and recuperation to be in the best physical condition for the next race in Catalunya. Cal Crutchlow, 3rd "I am really happy to be back on the podium because Mugello is one of the blue riband races on the calendar and that makes it feel a bit more special. It is an awesome result and I have to pay a big tribute to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew who did an incredible job this weekend. I've not felt comfortable on the bike but today they gave me a package that was really competitive. In the second half of the race I was really strong and consistent and I could see for the last 10 laps I had the pace that was bringing me closer to Dani and Marc. I was in a really fast and consistent rhythm but I hate to be gifted a podium like that. I'm sorry Marc crashed because he was doing an amazing job again but to be honest I felt I could have caught Dani and taken third anyway. When I saw Marc crash I slowed down to not risk losing a second podium in a row, which is a fantastic achievement for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and me. I'm fourth in the Championship, top non-factory rider again, so it has been another great way to finish the weekend and continue our very strong start to the season." Bradley Smith, 9th "To be honest ninth position was obviously a really good result considering the circumstances of today. This morning's crash was the last thing I needed, so to be able to go the whole race distance with just one mistake was positive for me. I had a lot of problems with my left hand as well as with my wrist and it was magnified with Mugello being such physically demanding track. So I believe I did a really good job. It would have been good to beat (Aleix) Espargaro at the end but considering the whole weekend I should be satisfied with another top 10 result. After a very difficult weekend for my body I just need to rest as much as I can to put me in the best possible condition for Barcelona. We still learned a lot during these tough days, especially from the big crashes, but I suppose that's all part of the game on my way to becoming a better MotoGP rider."

Top billing went to Yakhnich Yamaha Motorsport’s Sam Lowes in the World Supersport class. The young British rider shot to pole position in Saturday’s qualifying with a blistering 1'38.375, making it three from three for the 2013 season so far and his seventh career pole. The race itself saw Lowes and rival Kenan Sofuoglu contest a tight two-man battle for the lead, the riders swapping lead repeatedly and rarely more than 0.3 seconds apart over the 21-lap run. Lowes saved the best for the end, taking the inside line through the final chicane on the final lap to take victory on his Yamaha YZF-R6. The result puts Lowes in third position, just nine points away from Fabien Foret at the top of the standings. Sam Lowes “I always enjoy the battle with Kenan and Fabien. The team and Yamaha really deserved this; they’ve given me a really fantastic bike all year so thank you very much to everyone. I think Kenan and I tried many things on the last lap so I’m really happy to come out on top.” MTM Racing Team Yamaha’s Gauthier Duwelz took his second consecutive pole position in qualifying on his R6 with a 1’42.255. Guwelz dominated the entire session, the Belgian rider consistently dropping his time in response to any potential threat. Duwelz’s teammate Adrian Nestorovic was also clearly enjoying the challenge of the Assen circuit on his R6, wrapping up qualifying just 0.222 seconds behind the pole sitter. The incident packed race proved to be a hotly contested duel between the two teammates at the front with Duwelz ultimately emerging the victor after a decisive move on the final lap. The result keeps Duwelz firmly at the top of the Superstock 600 standings. MTM Yamaha Team Owner Ludo van der Veeken “It’s been a really positive weekend, very successful. After the practices we discussed with both riders about our race approach. There were no team orders but we expected both riders to ride fairly and take no high risks to overtake a teammate if the other is clearly faster. Both riders rode very professionally, and we are very proud of the 1-2 results. Now we have to stay focused, it’s nice to win both first races but it’s a long season.” Source: yamaha-racing.com

It was mission accomplished for Bradley Smith in the 21-lap race as he gained priceless experience by guiding his YZR-M1 machine home to his first point scoring finish in his rookie campaign. Opting to run Bridgestone’s hard compound front tyre for the first time all weekend, Smith gradually built up his confidence and an impressive charge in the second half of the race saw him set a personal best lap of 2.06.415 on the penultimate lap to finish in 12th position. That was 0.3s faster than his best qualifying lap and the confidence and experience gained this weekend means Smith heads to Jerez next month optimistic that he can battle for a maiden top 10 finish. Cal Crutchlow, 4th “I’m very pleased and we did a better job than any of us expected before we arrived in Texas. With no testing here I was worried that it would be more of a struggle and the fire in the garage on Wednesday meant we couldn’t do any of our normal preparation work. So to finish fourth and be behind Marquez, Pedrosa and Lorenzo is a great achievement for all of us and I want to say a massive thanks to my crew. We qualified well and I rode very well in the race and the most pleasing aspect was my consistency. Unfortunately I ran wide while trying to pass Bradl but I managed to fight my way back through and I was running the same speed as Lorenzo for a long time and that gives me a lot of confidence to take into the next few races. I’m giving it my all and I’ll never give up and I think this weekend again we showed how competitive the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 package is. Now we go to Jerez and I was quickest at the winter test a few weeks ago, so it is going to be another big battle that I’m excited about.” Bradley Smith, 12th “I am really happy to finish the race because what I learned over a full race distance was priceless. I ran the hard front tyre on the advice of Bridgestone and while it was definitely the right choice, it took me a few laps to understand how it was working. The last thing I needed was to push too hard and make another mistake like in Qatar but the best thing about the race is I got faster and faster. I was quicker as in qualifying on the penultimate lap of the race, and that’s a sign of how much better I was riding the bike. I am learning more and more about the bike on each lap and I can go to Jerez now confident that I can be even more competitive and the goal will be to get closer to the top 10. Finally I can’t praise my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team enough. After the garage fire on Wednesday night it really put everybody on the back foot, but we all rallied round and it is nice to see both Cal and I finish in the points to reward their hard work." Herve Poncharal – Team Manager “That was a very good first race here in Texas and Cal did an amazing job. He was in a very hard battle in the early laps and after he ran off the track his recovery was fantastic. He was back on his pace immediately and he brilliantly passed both Bradl and Bautista, even though it was clear that they had a very competitive package at this track. What was very impressive was the way Cal pulled away and he was able to run the same pace as Lorenzo in front of him, which is not an easy task and something he should be really proud of. Bradley also had a good race and he did exactly what he had to do after the crash in Qatar. He was calm at the beginning but once his confidence grew he got faster and faster and at the end he was as quick as a lot of those inside the top 10. This will give him a big boost and also the experience he is lacking, so we can look forward to an even stronger challenge from him in the next few races. Cal and Bradley did an awesome job but so did the whole Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. We didn’t test here and that put us at a disadvantage and after the fire on Wednesday night our preparations were far from ideal. So to get this result in a crucial race for Yamaha and Monster Energy is extremely satisfying.”

Having started form eighth on the grid, Valentino Rossi got involved in an early fight with the mid pack, including riders Crutchlow and Stefan Bradl, eventually bettering the German rider to move up and hold on to sixth place to the finish line. Rossi had to contend with a vibration from his front brakes during the race and had battled all weekend to find the best setup for the demanding circuit. The result places him in fourth place in the overall standings with 30 points, 3 behind Dani Pedrosa in third. Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd “Yesterday we were so far from Marc and Dani but this morning in the warm up we found something. The hairpin corners we normally take in first gear we made in second so it improved a lot the feeling and the acceleration, but it was not enough. Just a little bit more, maybe two tenths quicker and I could have fought with Dani and Marc. Today third position was the best we could do. I want to congratulate Cal who didn't give up until the end and also Marc, he’s the youngest rider in history to win a Grand Prix; he is a phenomenon. It’s an important day for me; I never thought to get this unbelievable number of podiums so today is a magic day. Time flies very quickly, it seems like it was just yesterday that I got my first victory, which was my first podium in Brazil in 2003 ten years ago and now today my 100th.” Valentino Rossi, 6th “This is a difficult track for us. We expected to do better, but I had a lot of problems in the race because I had a problem with the brakes. I had a vibration in braking because I lost one part of a disc so this didn't help. We knew that we had to defend here; we know that when we cannot attack we need to try and arrive in the top five but today it was sixth. The balance of the first two races is positive and we arrive in Jerez optimistic for the next few races as the tracks are better for us.” Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager “This was our target, to be on the podium. To be honest to be just three seconds behind the lead is very nice. When you are ten seconds behind and you finish third you are quite happy but if it’s just three seconds you think you might have been able to get a bit more. Apart from that we must be very pleased with the result, to be on the podium was our target and that will continue to be our target for the next couple of races. We struggled a lot here and everyone could see our competitors were strong; we had it the other way round in Qatar. Let’s hope at the end of the season that the balance is in our favour.” Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “We knew since the beginning that this race was going to be really tough for us but I think the team has worked really well and we could manage it in the best way. To finish third, with only three second gap to the leader is for me really good. Jorge did a really intelligent race without a lot of risk. Now we are going back to Europe where the circuits are more suitable to our M1. Vale’s team worked really hard to try and fit the bike to his riding style; they improved the bike through each practice. Unfortunately we made another step from the warm up to the race that didn't work as we expected. He also had a vibration on the front from his brakes. I think we are leaving Austin in a really good shape and we are really looking forward to the Jerez race.”