Alex Asigno

The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team endured one of their hardest and most dramatic days of the 2008 FIM MX1-GP world championship as Josh Coppins finished 7th and David Philippaerts 10th through the notoriously heavy and difficult sand of the Lommel circuit for the Grand Prix of Belgium and the eleventh round of fifteen in the current campaign. Arguably one of the toughest tests for man and machine on the GP calendar, the rough and absorbing sand in central Belgium was suitably demanding, and the racing conditions were not helped by occasional light showers. 27,000 spectators saw two action-packed MX1 motos in which constant position changes took place thanks to varying race speed across the bumps and crashes and mistakes due to fatigue and miscalculation. It was not a good day for series leader David Philippaerts who took 15th and 6th and described the track as the hardest he has ridden. A racing incident with Ken de Dycker led to the Italian falling to the floor on the first lap and the YZ450FM also being clipped from his hands from a passing rider when he was trying to restart. Philippaerts regained ground to fifteenth place before another error ruined his work. Google-less, he made his way back to fifteenth and lost the red plate to Steve Ramon for the first time since round three in Portugal by just one point. In the second moto he fought with title rival Ramon - both riders falling in the latter stages as tiredness took hold - and crossed the finish line behind the Belgian, meaning that he trails the world champion by two points with four Grand Prix and eight motos remaining. The team's best placed rider was Coppins but the Kiwi was unsatisfied with his results of 5th and 8th. The 31 year old was sick entering the weekend and felt unprepared for the test ahead. He started around the top ten in the opening race and pulled through in strongly and typical style by the end. Like many riders he struggled in the second moto and lost any chance of a top five overall finish after colliding with Billy Mackenzie and falling. Yamaha Van Beers Aigar Leok took his sixth top ten finish of the season with 9th place in the second moto and was 11th overall. In the championship standings Yamaha still head the manufacturers table by 7 points. Philippaerts has a slender deficit to Ramon while Coppins is only 17 points away in 3rd. The Yamaha Monster Motocross Team will only have a few days to recover from their exertions in Belgium with the Grand Prix of Czech Republic at the Loket circuit, round twelve of fifteen, due to occur next weekend. Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 7th: "I had Flu coming into the weekend and it was a bit frustrating knowing I was approaching the hardest race of the year not in the best shape. Overall it was a pretty average GP in terms of riding and fitness but in terms of the championship points it was not the end of the world. To try and be champion I have to be better than this. One is example is the move I tried to make on Billy in the second moto. I went for it but ended up taking him down. It was a bit silly and because I was so tired I miscalculated; so sorry to him. The first moto was OK and I came through a bit at the end but in the second I felt I could only go at ¾. I wasn't surprised by how much of a hard test this track would be. Normally my strength is one of my positive points but this GP I could not keep at my maximum. We go to Loket next and I am looking forward to a hard-pack start. Right now I just want to ride better and hopefully feel 100% going into the race." David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 10th: "What a hard day. I crashed too much and this track was unbelievable. For me it was the hardest track of them all. In the first moto I changed my line in the corner and De Dycker came across and hit my front wheel. There was no time to react. I was so tired in the second that I could not save the bike when the front wheel started to go. I am second in the championship but it is more or less the same and there are four GPs to go. A lot of riders made mistakes today and when you go down in the sand it is hard to recover." Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team: "We knew this weekend would be difficult! Josh was pretty good in the first moto except that his speed was so-so in the first moments of the race but his pace was like the leaders by the end. In the second he was around seventh and doing OK but then came together with Billy when he tried to overtake. He had been really ill during the week so honestly I am happy with what he did today; especially because he took some points away from first position in the championship. David was unlucky with the first moto crash and it was always going to be a very hard and difficult way back from that. We have seen him make some very good recoveries but this was a different scenario. 15th was not good for the championship but it was not a complete disaster with the amount of races we still have. Both Ramon and David exchanged mistakes in the second moto but the result insured that he is not far away at all even if the red plate is gone for the moment. It was a complicated weekend for the bikes as well and we did not have any problems, which was great, and the mechanics and the team worked really hard." Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 41'40.370 2, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'9.075 3, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'12.520 4, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'13.904 5, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'15.320 6, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'15.422 7, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'54.062 8, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 0'55.888 9, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'57.210 10, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 0'58.543 11, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 0'59.584 12, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 1'33.677 13, Patrick Roos, KTM, NED, 1'42.554 14, Cedric Melotte, Aprilia, BEL, 1'51.555 15, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 1'59.985 16, Danny Theybers, Suzuki, BEL, 2'17.298 17, William Saris, Yamaha, NED, 2'30.997 18, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, -1 Laps 19, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, -1 Laps 20, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 40'19.697 2, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'2.470 3, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'31.172 4, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'39.137 5, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'40.906 6, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'42.976 7, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 0'43.557 8, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'57.923 9, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 0'59.150 10, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 1'16.595 11, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 1'21.356 12, Bradley Anderson, Suzuki, GBR, 1'23.764 13, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1'30.584 14, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 1'33.928 15, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'47.989 16, Patrick Roos, KTM, NED, 1'55.287 17, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 2'13.299 18, Danny Theybers, Suzuki, BEL, 2'16.552 19, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 2'19.833 20, Loic Leonce, Yamaha, FRA, -1 Laps Rider Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 362 2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 360 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 345 4, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 336 5, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 331 6, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 306 7, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 290 8, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 257 9, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 245 10, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 214 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 190 12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 173 13, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 148 14, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 139 15, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 118 16, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 107 17, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 97 18, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 93 19, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 72 20, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, 63 21, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 42 Manufacturer Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 426 2, Suzuki, 419 3, KTM, 411 4, Kawasaki, 382 5, Honda, 350 6, TM, 31 7, Aprilia, 12 ---------- RACE REPORT - 03/08/2008 Aubin 7th overall at Lommel but continues progress Nico Aubin now holds Yamaha's main hopes for places of honour upon the YZ250F in the MX2-GP World Championship after the unfortunate injury sustained by reigning number one Antonio Cairoli two weeks ago in South Africa, and the Frenchman responded to his new role with a good showing to 7th position overall and a second moto finish of 2nd place through the demanding sand of Lommel. The eleventh round of fifteen saw the Yamaha Ricci Racing rider tackle the punishing bumps and ruts of the deep sandy circuit for the Grand Prix of Belgium. Aubin fought hard in the first moto under changeable skies and occasional light rain and made a valiant attempt to steal 6th position on the final lap but his last-gasp effort did not pay off and he fell, losing ground to 12th. An excellent start and holeshot in the second sprint saw him lead briefly before settling into a decent and lonely second place behind surprise winner Gert Krestinov. Aubin finished as runner-up and was content with his speed. If his gamble in the opening race would have worked, then he would have claimed overall victory. Team-mate Davide Guarneri was pleased with 10th place in the final classification and handled the physically and technically difficult conditions well considering the weakness of his right knee that misses a ligament. The Italian scored 9th and 13th and is contemplating surgery on the joint after the Grand Prix of Czech Republic next week. An impressive Grand Prix debut was had by America's Zach Osborne. The 18 year old made his first world championship turn for the Utag Yamaha.com squad and could not have picked a harder venue for his baptism! Osborne acquitted himself well though and was holding a top ten position on the YZ250F in the first moto until a mechanical problem ended his participation. In the second race he resumed his speed and gave the team their best finish of the season with a decent 8th spot. World Champion Cairoli was in attendance at Lommel as the Sicilian has an apartment only a few kilometres from the circuit. Still on crutches the 22 year old visited the Grand Prix and was in good spirits, commenting that he hopes to start cycling in the next two weeks. The De Carli team were solely represented by Alessandro Lupino with Matteo Bonini still not recovered from his hand injury. The teenager grabbed two points for 19th place in Moto2. Although out of action Cairoli is still 3rd in the world championship standings and 45 points ahead of fourth position. Aubin is 6th and 5 points away from further promotion. Guarneri is 14th. Round twelve of fifteen (meaning the first of just eight motos remaining) will take place at the Loket circuit next weekend for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic. Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing,7th: "I am quite happy with this week because I made two good starts and physically I felt good; so I am coming back to a level that I want step-by-step. The crash in the first moto means that I have to be a bit disappointed with this GP overall, because I rode well in the second race and the podium would have been possible. Still this is something good to build on." Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 10th: "This was a really hard track, sometimes it felt like Enduro! There was obviously an advantage for the Benelux riders here, and for me it was hard but then again not so bad; I finished both races and had a good ride in the first moto. I had to take it easy in the second moto because I am not 100% with my knee. Still this is one of my best results in the sand. I will hear from my doctor this week so Loket could be my last race as I want to have surgery and get a good winter of training done ready for 2009." Zach Osborne, Utag Yamaha.com, 14th: "I just did my best today. The track was almost indescribable as to how deep, rough and hard it is to ride on. I have never experienced anything like that or fought so hard for a race position. I wanted to put in a good finish for the team because they have been working so hard to get things right for me and I wanted to give them something back for it. I did not know what to expect here but people tell me that the circuit in Loket should be a bit more regular. The set-up is so professional at the world championship and everyone wants such a good image for the sport. I think this is definitely the premier motocross racing series in the world." Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 41'33.589 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'21.537 3, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'34.953 4, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 0'35.986 5, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'41.914 6, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 0'46.263 7, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'20.468 8, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 1'23.275 9, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 1'50.064 10, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 1'58.396 11, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 2'0.154 12, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 2'6.038 13, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 2'19.383 14, Francisco Jose Millan, KTM, ESP, 2'22.476 15, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, -1 Laps 16, Herjan Brakke, Honda, NED, -1 Laps 17, Jason Dougan, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps 18, Jordi Dominguez, Honda, NED, -1 Laps 19, Jake Nicholls, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps 20, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, -1 Laps Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 40'41.049 2, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'25.053 3, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 0'26.226 4, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 0'27.149 5, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 0'45.602 6, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'52.680 7, Matti Seistola, Honda, FIN, 0'55.224 8, Zach Osborne, Yamaha, USA, 1'3.425 9, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1'6.393 10, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 1'16.197 11, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 1'23.800 12, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 1'36.446 13, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 1'38.574 14, Dennis Verbruggen, Yamaha, BEL, 1'40.468 15, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'41.873 16, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 2'1.046 17, Rob van Vijfeijken, Yamaha, NED, 2'1.451 18, Jake Nicholls, Suzuki, GBR, 2'13.075 19, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 20, Herjan Brakke, Honda, NED, -1 Laps Rider Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 452 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 432 3, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 357 4, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 312 5, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 279 6, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 274 7, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 232 8, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 224 9, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 215 10, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 203 11, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 178 12, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 174 13, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 173 14, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 153 15, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 140 16, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 133 17, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 101 18, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 95 19, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 73 20, Gert Krestinov, KTM, EST, 73 24, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 42 27, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 32 28, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 25 43, Deny Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 7 Manufacturer Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, KTM, 519 2, Yamaha, 485 3, Kawasaki, 335 4, Suzuki, 275 5, Honda, 219 Click here to view the news

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) took second and third places respectively after impressive performances in the second Brands Hatch race, both riders changing their tyre choices from race one. An unhappy outcome to a promising first race saw Haga fall on lap seven while Corser dropped back from the leading group to go eighth, on a track surface that had started off slick after a fall of rain shortly before the scheduled 12 midday kick-off. The second race proved to be a great battle for Haga, the determined Yamaha rider fighting almost to the very end of the 25 laps, but he had to give best on the day to Ryuichi Kiyonari. In the second outing Corser rode determinedly and ended up a lonely but safe third, eight seconds from the win. Corser is third in the overall rankings, only ten points behind second thanks to his Brands finishes. He now has 242 points, with leader Bayliss on 334. Haga is fifth, on 230 points. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) was 17th and 20th in today's races, Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) suffered a technical retirement in race one and made up for it with 19th in race two. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) missed out on riding after injuring his wrist in a qualifying fall. Noriyuki Haga (DNF and 2nd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I am happy to take a second place in race two because in the first race my rear tyre choice was not so good, and I was disappointed with that. In the second race I just changed the rear tyre and I had a good feeling with that one. I had a good battle with Kiyo but he was faster than me in some places, then I would catch him up. Congratulations to Kiyo and also my team, because they made a good job to allow me to finish second." Troy Corser (8th and 3rd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Race two was better than the first race, we made some changes to the tyre choice and the bike and they worked well. I just could not run the pace of the guys at the front because they just pulled away. I had a bit of a battle with Bayliss and it took a bit of time for me to get past him, but I am content with third. I'm out there trying to win races but podiums will have to do for now." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We did not get what we expected in the first race but we did a really good second race as a team, with both riders on the podium. We made the wrong tyre choice for both riders on the first one, so in race two one rider went softer and the other one harder. Obviously each choice was a good one! It was a difficult first race because of the weather delay, but we made up for it well in race two. Well done to everyone in the team." Race 1 - 25 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 36'18.607 2, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'0.137 3, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'0.180 4, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'5.733 5, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'6.499 6, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'6.984 7, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'8.300 8, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'10.732 9, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'16.547 10, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'16.569 11, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'18.366 12, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'22.308 13, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'26.788 14, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'26.856 15, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'32.877 16, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'38.329 17, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'46.868 18, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'48.417 19, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'58.986 20, Vittorio Iannuzzo, Kawasaki, ITA, 1'6.028 21, Luca Morelli, Honda, ITA, 1'9.475 22, Jason Pridmore, Honda, USA, 1'9.475 23, Christian Zaiser, Yamaha, AUT, 1'22.214 Race 2 - 25 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 36'14.904 2, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'1.848 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'8.883 4, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'11.180 5, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'12.928 6, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'13.696 7, Tom Sykes, Suzuki, GBR, 0'13.872 8, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'14.009 9, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'19.065 10, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'19.864 11, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'20.479 12, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'20.479 13, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'20.722 14, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'24.512 15, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'32.090 16, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'32.207 17, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'32.815 18, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'33.648 19, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'35.382 20, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'44.866 21, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'53.969 22, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'0.875 23, Jason Pridmore, Honda, USA, 1'1.104 24, Luca Morelli, Honda, ITA, 1'4.329 25, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 1'27.461 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 1'26.560 Rider Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 334 2, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 252 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 242 4, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 233 5, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 230 6, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 183 7, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 166 8, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 165 9, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 161 10, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 148 11, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 109 12, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 94 13, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 91 14, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 83 15, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 64 20, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 29 24, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 7 25, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 7 Manufacturer Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 403 2, Yamaha, 345 3, Suzuki, 303 4, Honda, 297 5, Kawasaki, 64 ---------- RACE REPORT - 03/08/2008 Parkes fourth after a confused WSS race Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) finished in fourth position in what was an aggregated race at Brands Hatch - started late because of an earlier race delay, stopped at one stage due to rain, with the second leg finally also halted early after a red flag due to a high-speed crash. In the aggregate results Parkes was just off the podium, in a race won by Jonathan Rea. Andrew Pitt was third and now Rea is ahead of Parkes in the standings, with Pitt on 149 points, Rea on 117 and Broc on 113. Parkes was closing in on the front group before Craig Jones fell during the second leg of the race and the race was red-flagged, with the result declared after a combined 15 laps. Harris fell in the restarted second leg of the race, and was not classified with a finish, despite running strongly in the first few places in each sector. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) scored eighth place and now has 48 points, which gives him a share of ninth in the series standings. David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) went 21st today. Broc Parkes (4th - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "It was a bit of a mixed bag today, even if near the end of the first race we were riding around in the rain. It wasn't really a good race, but that second one was a lot better. I didn't really have the pace to match the front guys and I had a little problem with my front brake. I adjusted it and started to catch them back up and then I saw Craig crash right in front of me going into the straight. It was not a good day at the office really." Karl Harris (DNF - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I felt really good out there but I had a vague feeling from the front end. It was the same in the first half of the race and I actually preferred that setting. We went with an SC1 front tyre but it didn't feel that good at all. I'm gutted to have fallen but I was running up the front in my first WSS racing for a few years." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "Technically we didn't have a lot of problems in the race. Karl tried to do his best and he was doing a lot under braking to keep up with the guys, but finally he went out. In the first race they should have flagged it three laps before, and Broc had more rain on his visor than he would have liked to see, so he lost two seconds to the guy who won the first heat. He was there with the group but he had some difficulties. Everybody was sliding about a bit to be honest. The final result is very disappointing." Massimo Roccoli (8th - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I took some time to get started in both the first and second legs of the race but when I did get up to speed the bike and everything was OK. But by that time the leading group was gone, so I could not catch them up." Race 1 - 15 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 22'29.935 2, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 0'0.209 3, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 0'0.664 4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 0'2.816 5, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'6.789 6, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 0'9.094 7, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'15.048 7, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'15.048 8, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'15.623 9, Robert Frost, Triumph, GBR, 0'18.393 10, Hudson Kennaugh, Yamaha, RSA, 0'19.528 11, Steve Plater, Triumph, GBR, 0'20.034 12, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'22.696 13, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 0'25.049 14, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'27.102 15, Graeme Gowland, Honda, GBR, 0'35.504 16, Danilo Dell'omo, Honda, ITA, 0'39.023 17, Midge Smart, Honda, NZL, 0'40.820 18, Pawel Szkopek, Triumph, CZE, 0'43.635 19, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'46.776 20, Jesco Gunther, Triumph, GER, 0'47.298 21, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'47.353 22, Denis Sacchetti, Honda, ITA, 0'48.191 23, Balazs Nemeth, Honda, HUN, 0'49.480 24, Javier Hidalgo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'54.083 25, William De Angelis, Honda, ITA, 0'59.436 26, Ruggero Scambia, Triumph, ITA, 1'20.165 27, Lorenzo Alfonsi, Honda, ITA, 1'44.305 28, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 1'55.509 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 1'28.399 Rider Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 149 2, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 117 3, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 113 4, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 112 5, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 100 6, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 97 7, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 83 8, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 51 9, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 50 10, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 48 11, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 48 12, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 41 13, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 36 14, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 36 15, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 23 24, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 9 Manufacturer Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 215 2, Yamaha, 151 3, Triumph, 58 4, Suzuki, 57 5, Kawasaki, 40 ---------- RACE REPORT - 03/08/2008 Pirro fights hard for sixth place A four way fight in a race that started wet but finished dry saw Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) take a sixth place finish in the Superstock 1000 class. Pirro's 83 championship points put him fifth overall, with Brands race winner and new championship leader Maxime Berger now on 109 points. Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) was eighth today, winning his own personal battle with Chris Seaton. Corti is 11th overall, on 33 points. Michelle Pirro (6th - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "The pace that Berger and Baiocco set today in the first laps I could not match and so I had to just go as fast as I could. Sixth was the best I could do in this situation and at least we scored some points." Claudio Corti (12th - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "I had a little problem in braking at the start and that made me run off the track early on. But I got back on, remained calm and went as fast as I could to the end." Baz wins and takes the championship lead Loris Baz (Yamaha YZF Junior Team) took the win at Brands Hatch and in doing so he went into a more comfortable series lead, as his main rival Patrick Vostarek did not score today after crashing. Baz now has 142 points, to Vostarek's 110. Gino Rea was third, for the third time in 2008, and is now fourth in the championship, on 77 points. Loris Baz (1st - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "It is great to win again and I really like this circuit. It was a hard race, but our championship position is much better now, and that is the main thing to take from this weekend." Race 1 - 14 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 21'56.050 2, Sheridan Morais, Kawasaki, RSA, 0'4.172 3, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 0'5.808 4, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 0'18.391 5, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 0'18.629 6, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 0'19.049 7, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 0'19.468 8, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 0'24.682 9, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 0'26.331 10, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'38.554 11, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 0'43.675 12, Michael Savary, Suzuki, CHE, 0'43.891 13, Rene Mahr, Yamaha, GER, 0'44.375 14, Pauli Pekkanen, KTM, FIN, 0'46.011 15, Yoann Tiberio, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'48.886 16, Raymond Schouten, Yamaha, NED, 0'51.075 17, Peter Hickman, Yamaha, GBR, 0'54.111 18, Brank Srdanov, Yamaha, NED, 0'59.631 19, Filip Backlund, Suzuki, SWE, 1'5.063 20, Jure Stibilj, Honda, SVN, 1'5.938 21, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'7.391 22, Matt Bond, Suzuki, GBR, 1'7.391 23, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 1'10.313 24, Aldo Aldrovandi, Kawasaki, ITA, 1'13.534 25, Robert Gianfardoni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'15.792 26, Gregory Junod, Yamaha, CHE, 1'25.570 27, Marko Jerman, Yamaha, SVK, 1'26.518 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Sheridan Morais, Kawasaki, RSA, 1'31.448 Rider Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 109 2, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 109 3, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 95 4, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 94 5, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 83 6, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 57 7, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 55 8, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 48 9, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 36 10, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 35 11, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 33 12, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 30 13, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 24 14, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 24 15, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 21 26, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 4 Manufacturer Standings 03/08/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 137 2, Honda, 131 3, Suzuki, 110 4, Yamaha, 95 5, Kawasaki, 40 6, KTM, 2 Click here to view the news

UFO Corse Yamaha team rider Simone Albergoni finished the sixth round of eight in the 2008 WEC series - a dry Grand Prix of France staged in Uzerche - with two 5th place results as team-mate Cristobal Guerrero claimed his first podium of the season with 3rd on Day2. Looking to finish on the podium as he did in Wales recently title contender Albergoni struggled to master the dry French special tests and as a result failed to perform at his best. Although he was the highest UFO Corse Yamaha team rider on day one Abergoni ended the event far from satisfied with his performances. Despite an 'off-weekend' Albergoni still holds third in the Enduro 1 world championship standings. Making the most of his home support Yamaha France rider Marc Germain finished on the podium on Day1 placing a strong 3rd behind current E1 championship leader Mika Ahola and Spaniard Ivan Cervantes. The first of four Yamaha mounted riders inside the top six, Spaniard Guerrero claimed the UFO Corse Yamaha team's best result with 4th, just 20 seconds behind Germain. With Albergoni finishing 5th Italian Maurizio Micheluz overcame pain from his tendonitis injury to finish 6th. Just as he had on Day1 Cristobal Guerrero delivered the UFO Corse Yamaha team's best result by claiming his first silverware of 2008. With 3rd position and classifying just 11 seconds behind runner-up Ahola, Guerrero rode well throughout the day and battled with Germain. Little separated the two riders as they arrived at the event's final motocross test and Guerrero outpaced his more experienced brand-mate and finished three seconds ahead of him, ending Day2 with the final step of the podium. Behind Germain Simone Albergoni again struggled to shine and although making no major mistakes could do no better than match his Day1 result of 5th. Handicapped by his arm injury Maurizio Micheluz placed 7th having come close to matching his day one result of 6th. Albergoni is 38 points behind leader Ahola with the penultimate round of the series taking place in Italy on September 27th/28th. Guerrero is 5th and 13 points from Germain in 4th. Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 5th, Day 2: 5th "It's been a terrible weekend for me and the worse thing is that I'm not sure why. Normally I ride well in these conditions but this weekend nothing went right for me. Finishing fifth on both days isn't good enough. I was just too slow. I made some small mistakes but overall I just didn't have any speed in the corners. I'm really disappointed." Cristobal Guerrero (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 4th, Day 2: 3rd "It's been a good weekend, and day two was really good. I liked the dry terrain because it is much more like what I am used to in Spain. I enjoyed the first day but I made too many mistakes to get on the podium, but I was riding well most of the time. Although I crashed on two of the three special tests on the first lap, the rest of the day went well. I did catch a slow E3 rider in the final extreme test, but I got my first podium of the year so I am very happy." Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1: 6th, Day 2: 7th "This GP has been really frustrating for me because I know I can be fast in dry conditions but because of the problem with my arm I found it really difficult. I simply couldn't ride as I wanted to. Sixth on day one wasn't too bad but I crashed twice on the extreme test on day two, which dropped me to sixth position. It's not too bad considering my arm, but I am disappointed that I wasn't more competitive." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 50'28.470 2, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 0'20.950 3, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 0'28.110 4, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 0'47.700 5, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'43.920 6, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 2'0.100 7, Julien Gauthier, Honda, FRA, 2'0.320 8, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 2'11.450 9, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 2'13.710 10, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 2'37.150 11, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 2'40.830 12, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 4'1.220 13, Danielle Tellini, Suzuki, ITA, 4'5.080 14, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 6'42.020 15, Francois Ciognac, KTM, FRA, 9'28.430 16, Miguel Maroto, Husqvarna, ESP, 26'57.440 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 59'48.640 2, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 0'51.620 3, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 1'2.660 4, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 1'4.690 5, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'52.090 6, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 2'28.540 7, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 2'36.890 8, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 3'18.970 9, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 3'28.370 10, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 3'45.550 11, Julien Gauthier, Honda, FRA, 3'55.260 12, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 4'24.550 13, Kevin Gauniaux, KTM, BEL, 4'46.600 14, Damien Miquel, Suzuki, FRA, 5'48.770 15, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 7'44.560 Rider Standings 26/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 284 2, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 275 3, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 237 4, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 198 5, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 185 6, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 158 7, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 130 8, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 128 9, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 119 10, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 112 11, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 91 12, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 81 13, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 66 14, Daryl Bolter, Husqvarna, GBR, 58 15, Danielle Tellini, Suzuki, ITA, 50 Manufacturer Standings 26/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 275 2, KTM, 271 3, Yamaha, 252 4, Husqvarna, 139 5, Suzuki, 130 6, TM, 91 7, Kawasaki, 47 8, Sherco, 12 ---------- RACE REPORT - 28/07/2008 Aubert double runner-up at home GP UFO Corse Yamaha's Johnny Aubert continues to lead the competitive Enduro 2 world championship following his home round of the series, the Grand Prix of France staged in Uzerche; the sixth round of eight in the current campaign Having taken control at the top of the E2 championship following the third round of the series in Spain, Aubert finished in 2nd position on both days in France and saw his closest rival Juha Salminen move just one point closer in the all important E2 championship standings. Pleased that the slippery conditions of the GP of Wales were behind him Aubert was confident of a strong result in France but also knew that winning would be anything but easy, and he was proved correct after a thrilling opening day's competition. Johnny missed claiming victory by just over five seconds as former two-time motocross world champion Michael Pichon managed to top the podium. Winning four of the day's tests Johnny and countryman Pichon battled it out at the head of the E2 class while Salminen, the only rider able to match the leading duo, held 3rd throughout the day. Knowing that finishing ahead of title-rival Salminen was more important that risking a crash while trying to beat wild-card rider Pichon, Johnny claimed a solid runner-up result. With the sun blazing down on all riders during the second day, Pichon found things simply too tough and withdrew from the competition after nine special tests, leaving Aubert and Salminen to battle it out, with Salminen setting the fastest pace. Aubert recognised that finishing second to the Finn, having placed ahead of him on day one, he would lose just one championship point and again rode safely to be runner-up. As a result he maintains a healthy 16-point lead in the standings with two rounds of the series remaining. Aubert's UFO Corse Yamaha team-mate, Fabrizio Dini, was among a number of riders to find the extreme test at the GP of France hard-going, and as a result of mistakes on Day1 finished 12th in the E2 class. On Day2 Dini improved his result to 10th but due to more small mistakes was unable to place higher. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 2nd, Day 2: 2nd "I knew that this race would be difficult because there was just one week to recover from the GP of Wales, which was really difficult! But the special tests in France didn't look that tricky when I walked them so it was a surprise that they got as rough as they did. It would have been nice to have won at least one of the days but the most important thing was that I only lost one-point to Salminen in the championship. It was very, very close between Michael Pichon and I on the first day so it was a little bit disappointing not to win. But second, and then second again on day two to Salminen, is a good weekend. Now I must work hard ready for the GP of Italy. The last two years that race has been a disaster for me, and I need to make sure it goes well this year." Fabrizio Dini (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1: 12th, Day 2: 10th "Although I enjoyed the race more than the GP of Wales it has been a very hard event. I didn't do as well as I wanted to, especially on day one. My first lap wasn't the best but then I lost a lot of time on the final extreme test, which put me outside the top 10. Day two was a little better but again I had some disappointing tests that stopped me finishing higher than 10th" Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mickael Pichon, KTM, FRA, 50'2.440 2, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'5.530 3, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 0'25.840 4, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 1'51.820 5, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 2'2.480 6, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 2'19.880 7, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 2'21.580 8, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 2'27.920 9, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 2'28.630 10, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 2'39.400 11, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 2'52.260 12, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 3'6.760 13, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 3'24.690 14, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 3'38.240 15, Felipe Zanol, Yamaha, ESP, 3'57.610 16, Rudy Cotton, Beta, FRA, 4'3.790 17, Aaron Bernandez, Husqvarna, ESP, 4'26.760 18, David Fretigne, Yamaha, FRA, 4'45.580 19, Vincent Turpin, Honda, FRA, 6'0.870 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 58'55.720 2, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'54.970 3, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 2'47.630 4, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 2'51.990 5, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 3'15.470 6, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 3'46.590 7, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 4'8.130 8, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 4'36.190 9, Emmanuel Albepart, Honda, FRA, 5'2.550 10, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 5'18.680 11, Felipe Zanol, Yamaha, ESP, 5'21.220 12, Aaron Bernandez, Husqvarna, ESP, 5'38.710 13, David Fretigne, Yamaha, FRA, 6'6.620 14, Amel Advokaat, KTM, NED, 7'0.110 15, Olivier Pain, Yamaha, FRA, 8'54.870 16, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 9'28.140 Rider Standings 26/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 272 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 256 3, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 185 4, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 165 5, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 160 6, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 153 7, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 142 8, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 129 9, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 126 10, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 115 11, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 110 12, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 96 13, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 87 14, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 78 15, Felipe Zanol, Yamaha, ESP, 54 Manufacturer Standings 26/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, KTM, 281 2, Yamaha, 272 3, HusaBerg, 191 4, Husqvarna, 178 5, Honda, 170 6, TM, 160 7, BMW, 148 8, Aprilia, 115 9, GasGas, 87 10, Beta, 41 11, Suzuki, 26 Click here to view the news

MX2-GP World Champion Antonio Cairoli has undergone surgery on his left knee after scans yesterday in Belgium revealed a damaged ACL. Renowned specialist Dr Claes performed the successful procedure and the repercussions of the injury sustained last weekend in South Africa and the subsequent recovery period mean that the 2008 series is over for the unlucky Sicilian. Cairoli twisted his knee trying to keep control of his YZ250F after being touched negotiating a crowded fourth turn on the first lap of round ten in Nelspruit last Sunday. Despite a lot of pain, early signs appeared not to be too bad with little inflammation around the joint; the reigning number one and winner of four Grand Prix this season showed immense courage to even attempt the second moto but ultimately had to pull into the pits, unable to continue. Upon returning to Europe Cairoli had an MRI which revealed the ligament damage and immediately made a decision together with Yamaha Red Bull De Carli team principal Claudio de Carli to go under the knife and begin the rehabilitation process of between 3-4 months, with an aim to be fully fit over the crucial winter period where he will begin preparations for his assault on the MX1-GP class in 2009. “I was frustrated and disappointed after the accident with my knee in South Africa. The championship is so tight that I knew even missing just one moto was an advantage I could not give to Tommy and Tyla,” the 22 year old said. “I thought I might have some problems with the meniscus and hoped I could come back in Lommel as I did not want to surrender the title but after the scan I knew that the championship had gone for sure. Instead of trying to ride in pain or not being at 100%, I made the decision to have the surgery now and get the recovery out of the way as soon as possible.” Cairoli should be able to start walking with crutches very soon and will have a check-up next week. In less than a month he will be able to start training with a bicycle. In addition to capturing the MX1 Italian championship Cairoli has won the most Grand Prix this year and also tied with title rival Tyla Rattray for most moto victories (7 each). He is currently third in the championship, 70 points ahead of Shaun Simpson in fourth place. Cairoli joined the Yamaha De Carli Team in 2004, and he is the most successful motocrosser in the MX2 class for the last five years taking 24 GP wins and 54 moto victories on his Yamaha YZ250F, not forgetting hisMX1-GP andmoto triumph on the Yamaha YZ450F in Great Britain, 2007. In the past three years (2005, 2006, 2007) he claimed two MX2 world titles, scoring 21 wins from the 46 GPs he rode and 47 moto chequered flags from 92 appearances. He also won two European Supercross titles (UEM SX) in 2006 and 2007. Click here to view the news

Three time British Supersport champion Karl Harris has signed up to the Yamaha World Supersport Team for the British round of the 2008 World Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch on 2nd August. With proven previous Supersport experience and currently riding for the Rob Mac Yamaha British Superbike team, he was a natural choice for the ride. Karl steps in to replace rider Fabien Foret after the Frenchman suffered a serious crash in qualifying at the Brno round of the championship. Foret cracked the C6 and C7 vertebra in his neck after falling heavily at the Czech circuit. He is expected to make a full recovery but will not be riding for approximately three months. Karl will partner Australian rider Broc Parkes, currently 3rd in the championship standings on 100 points. The British rider is no stranger to Supersport, coming 4th in the Hockenheim round of the World Championship in 1999. He won the British Supersport Championship in 2004, 2003 and 2001. In 1999 Karl won the European Superstock Championship. Karl Harris (Yamaha World Supersport Team) “I’m over the moon for the opportunity, it’s been an up and down year so it’s brought my spirits back up again! I’m really looking forward to joining the Yamaha World Supersport Team for Brands Hatch. It’s great to be riding Supersport again, especially as I’ve had some success with three previous British Supersport Championship wins!” Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager – Yamaha World Supersport Team) “We were looking for a strong British rider and Karl fits the bill. He’s already part of the Yamaha family so it’s great to have him in our team for the British round. Karl is a proven rider in Superbike and Supersport, we believe he can do good things for us at Brands Hatch.” Click here to view the news

Jorge Lorenzo will be wearing a cast on his left foot for the next ten days, in order to recover from the clean fractures he sustained to his third, fourth and fifth metatarsal bones last Sunday. The Fiat Yamaha rider was taken directly to the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona upon his return from Laguna Seca, in order to undergo a series of examinations by Dr. Xavier Mir. The Spaniard was injured in a crash on the opening lap of last Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix, the final round before the MotoGP summer break. The findings of a CAT scan to Lorenzo’s left foot “confirmed fractures of the third, fourth and fifth metatarsal bones, without dislocation, with no new injury to the rider’s ankle,” according to Dr. Mir’s team. The recommended treatment for the injury is “immobilisation of the foot with a cast for ten days, followed by the fitting of a weight-supporting splint to allow the rider to walk.” Lorenzo will be able to start functional rehabilitation after his ten days of immobilisation, with the target of regaining complete mobility as soon as possible. He is aiming for a return to full fitness for the Czech Republic Grand Prix, which takes place on August 17th in Brno. Jorge Lorenzo "I am pretty hurt and upset, because once again a crash has halted my progression. I have visited Dr. Mir and he confirmed that it is a painful injury but one that can be cured through rest. I have a cast on my left foot, but I can barely walk because of some pain in the right foot suffered in the crash. Thankfully that is not an injury, just a consequence of the impact. Luckily I have time to recover before Brno, although I won’t be having any holiday time now. For the moment I am going to enjoy following one of my interests – the Tour de France – on television!” Click here to view the news

Starting the second half of the 2008 World Enduro Championship in style Italian UFO Course Yamaha rider Simone Albergoni narrowly missed out on claiming the Enduro 1 class win on day one of the Grand Prix of Wales, claiming an eventual second place behind Yamaha France rider Marc Germain. With the opening day of the fifth round of the series the wettest of the calendar so far, it also proved to be one of the hardest, but despite the atrocious conditions the two Yamaha riders battled one another for the top spot on the podium finishing comfortably ahead of E1 class leader Mika Ahola in third. Due to incredibly difficult circumstances in Wales, being able to complete special tests without any mistakes was the key to good results but seemed impossible to do as over half the event's entry list failed to finish the opening day. Topping the opening two tests on day one it looked like the Germain was going to walk away with the E1 class win but Albergoni maintained pressure on his French rival to ensure the day's result wouldn't be decided until the very last special test. Despite both riders making errors during the outing neither was able to open up and maintain any real advantage with the ninth and final special test deciding the final result. With Albergoni managing to pull back Germain's near 30 second mid-day advantage the two riders were neck-and-neck going into the final test. With just two seconds separating them in Germain's favour the Yamaha France rider collected a well-deserved victory with Albergoni runner-up. Although there was drier weather on Day2 the demanding Welsh course and three challenging special tests ensured the second attempt was almost as difficult as day one. Returning to his best form after placing third on day one Finn Mika Ahola claimed victory followed by Spaniard Ivan Cervantes with Germain and Albergoni 3rd and 4th respectively. Winning three of the day's special tests Germain wasn't able to reproduce the form that had seen him top Day1, missing the second step of the podium by an agonising two seconds. For Albergoni Day2 started well as the Italian looked to be headed toward a repeat of his runner-up result. But a mistake within sight of the finish of the extreme test on lap three cost him close to 20 seconds, which ended his hopes of a podium and saw him place 4th. For UFO Course Yamaha team riders Cristobal Guerrero and Maurizio Micheluz the GP of Wales proved to be a challenging one. Competing with a badly inflamed right forearm Maurizio rode through the pain barrier to claim 8th on both days. Finding the slippery Welsh conditions difficult to master, Cristobal finished 7th on Day1 before improving to sixth on Day2. Simone Albergoni (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 2nd, Day 2 4th: "Day one was really good for me. I had a great fight with Marc Germain, who is really good in slippery, wet and muddy conditions, so to finish second and less than five seconds behind him is not too bad. I made a mistake on the last extreme test on day two, which lost me about 20 seconds. I crashed, had to push the bike, and then fell again. I lost second or third position with that crash but more importantly championship points. It's been a real enduro - very hard but very good." Cristobal Guerrero (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 7th, Day 2 6th: "It's been a tough race for me. It's hard to train in conditions like in Wales when you live in the south of Spain. But I tried to push as hard as I could and I had a pretty good race. The conditions on day one were really hard. With the mud and the rain I found it really hard. I was terrible in the extreme test, having to push my bike at times when I got stuck. It was just a very difficult day. Day two was better for me. I was much closer to the third and fourth place riders, which I was happy about." Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class - Day 1 8th, Day 2 8th: "It's been an especially tough race for me because I have been suffering with my right wrist. It wasn't too much of a problem during the first lap on day one but then it started to become painful. I knew early on that it would be difficult to finish so I was just focused on trying to complete the race. I was eighth on both days but it was so difficult for me. I'm just pleased that I was able to finish." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 54'25.300 2, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'4.340 3, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 0'33.690 4, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 0'40.350 4, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 0'40.350 5, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 1'17.890 6, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 2'22.210 7, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 2'42.040 8, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 4'51.620 9, Graham Jarvis, Sherco, GBR, 7'9.310 10, Robert Jones, Yamaha, GBR, 9'30.860 11, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 11'13.410 12, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 12'7.460 13, Andy Edwards, KTM, GBR, 14'47.090 14, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 18'12.160 15, Richard Hay, KTM, GBR, 40'58.490 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 49'55.000 2, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 0'21.650 3, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 0'23.290 4, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'40.710 5, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 0'47.140 6, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 1'6.370 7, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 1'24.480 8, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 2'25.730 9, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 3'28.110 10, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 3'32.110 11, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 5'1.920 12, Danielle Tellini, Suzuki, ITA, 5'19.410 13, Andy Edwards, KTM, GBR, 7'3.830 14, Robert Jones, Yamaha, GBR, 7'22.680 15, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 7'30.030 16, Gonzalo Reis, KTM, ITA, 8'53.540 17, Richard Hay, KTM, GBR, 10'43.200 Rider Standings 19/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Ivan Cervantes, KTM, ESP, 234 2, Mika Ahola, Honda, FIN, 231 3, Simone Albergoni, Yamaha, ITA, 205 4, Marc Germain, Yamaha, FRA, 160 5, Cristobal Guerrero, Yamaha, ESP, 147 6, Maurizio Micheluz, Yamaha, ITA, 129 7, Eero Remes, KTM, FIN, 112 8, Jordan Curvalle, Suzuki, FRA, 106 9, Tom Sagar, KTM, GBR, 100 10, Mike Hartmann, KTM, GER, 97 11, Luca Cherubini, TM, ITA, 73 12, Bartosz Oblucki, Husqvarna, POL, 58 13, Daryl Bolter, Husqvarna, GBR, 58 14, Jakub Horak, KTM, CZE, 53 15, Gonzalo Reis, KTM, ITA, 47 Manufacturer Standings 19/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 231 2, KTM, 221 3, Yamaha, 212 4, Husqvarna, 116 5, Suzuki, 106 6, TM, 73 7, Kawasaki, 47 8, Sherco, 12 ---------- RACE REPORT - 21/07/2008 Excellent Day2 victory for Aubert UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert showed just how determined he is to claim the 2008 Enduro 2 world championship at the Grand Prix of Wales as the current E2 series leader finished on the podium on both days including a stunning 45-second victory over his title rival Juha Salminen on day two. With conditions on Day1 wetter than they have been at any round of the '08 WEC series so far this season Aubert topped the event's opening special test before recording the second fastest time on test two to lead the E2 class at the end of the first lap. But as conditions worsened Aubert was unable to hold his position at the front of the class and although placing no lower than sixth on any of the day's special tests, found himself behind rival Juha Salminen and wildcard rider David Knight come the end of the day. Winning the final test Aubert claimed an eventual 3rd place result having failed to gel with the slippery extreme test. With conditions a little drier on Day2 Aubert started as he intended to go on and comfortably topped the first motocross special test before then recording the fastest Enduro 2 times on the opening seven tests. Winning on the event's motocross test, the event's enduro test, and on the extreme test (that on day one he'd struggled to master) Aubert failed to win just one section and forged a 45-second winning margin ahead of Salminen with Knight third. He now leads the series by 17 points over Salminen. For Aubert's UFO Corse Yamaha team-mate Fabrizio Dini the demanding Welsh conditions saw the Italian placing 10th on day one and 15th on day two. Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1 3rd, Day 2 1st: "After a difficult first day I'm really pleased to have won on day two. I felt good and everything went well. The first day was really tough for me though, but I couldn't work out why I was having problems. I just didn't have a good feeling. I used a rear mousse that was a little bit too hard on day one, which didn't work well. I changed it for the second day and it was much better. The special tests were also a lot drier on day two, which I liked. The Extreme test was where I struggled the most on day one. I didn't have a good feeling, I couldn't find good lines and I struggled. I pushed hard but all I did was tire myself out. I also found things tough in the enduro test. But day two was great. I hope I can carry my winning result into my home race next weekend." Fabrizio Dini (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class - Day 1 10th Day 2 15th: "This is my third year in the World Enduro Championship and the GP of Wales has been the hardest enduro race I've done. But it's been a good race. It was a real challenge on day one simply to remain on time and not collect any penalties, which I managed to do. In the enduro test I had a problem with my rear mousse because it came out and I had to push the bike to the finish. I changed it at the time control but I lost a lot of time in that special test. The second day was also tough but I didn't have any big problems. I enjoyed the race but it was very difficult." Race 1 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 52'30.260 3, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 2'8.480 4, Paul Edmondson, Honda, GBR, 3'15.320 5, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 3'21.650 6, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 3'56.130 7, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 4'2.660 8, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 4'29.520 9, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 4'54.130 10, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 6'46.580 11, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 7'11.660 12, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 7'16.410 13, Rudy Cotton, Beta, FRA, 8'22.100 14, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 8'54.210 15, Felipe Zanol, Yamaha, ESP, 14'30.110 16, Kevin Murray, Yamaha, GBR, 15'39.080 17, Justin Wilson, Yamaha, GBR, 20'33.720 18, Darren Wheeler, HusaBerg, GBR, 20'37.260 19, Chris Hockey, Honda, GBR, 21'23.320 20, Rich Warner, KTM, GBR, 29'46.000 Race 2 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 48'12.580 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 0'45.310 3, David Knight, KTM, GBR, 1'29.370 4, Paul Edmondson, Honda, GBR, 3'26.700 5, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 3'34.690 6, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 3'38.230 7, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 3'38.730 8, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 3'45.430 9, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 3'57.180 10, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 4'19.290 11, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 4'48.880 12, Felipe Zanol, Yamaha, ESP, 5'51.860 13, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 5'55.150 14, Rudy Cotton, Beta, FRA, 6'1.740 15, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 6'2.880 16, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 7'9.650 17, Hans Vogel, KTM, NED, 8'8.550 18, Chris Hockey, Honda, GBR, 8'17.670 19, Kevin Murray, Yamaha, GBR, 8'24.930 20, Aaron Bernandez, Husqvarna, ESP, 8'38.510 21, Mario Patrao, Suzuki, POR, 10'1.180 Rider Standings 19/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Johnny Aubert, Yamaha, FRA, 228 2, Juha Salminen, KTM, FIN, 211 3, Joakim Ljunggren, HusaBerg, SWE, 155 4, Alessandro Belometti, KTM, ITA, 155 5, Rodrig Thain, TM, FRA, 126 6, Fabrizio Dini, Yamaha, ITA, 122 7, Antoine Meo, Husqvarna, FRA, 115 8, Valtteri Salonen, HusaBerg, FIN, 114 9, Simo Kirssi, BMW, FIN, 100 10, Nicolas Paganon, Aprilia, FRA, 91 11, Jari Juha Mattila, Honda, FIN, 88 12, Fabio Mossini, Honda, ITA, 82 13, Alessandro Zanni, Honda, ITA, 78 14, Nicolas Deparrois, GasGas, FRA, 75 15, Felipe Zanol, Yamaha, ESP, 38 Manufacturer Standings 19/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, KTM, 231 2, Yamaha, 228 3, HusaBerg, 176 4, Honda, 142 5, Husqvarna, 140 6, TM, 126 7, BMW, 119 8, Aprilia, 91 9, GasGas, 75 10, Beta, 36 11, Suzuki, 26 Click here to view the news

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi took his first career win on American soil today, emerging victorious after an epic duel with Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca. The Italian, who signed a new two-year deal with Yamaha this week, has now won four races this season and is 25 points clear at the top of the championship. Rossi started from second and was able to pass Stoner on the brakes during the first lap to take the lead. From then on it was clear that the pair were in a class of their own today as they gradually pulled out a gap from the chasing pack, trading passes with one another but with no one else able to stay with them. Stoner was often faster than Rossi on the straight but the seven-time world champion had the advantage in the twisty parts of the track and he was able to gain the lead back on the brakes each time the Australian passed him. With only 100ths of a second between them most of the time it looked like being a nail-biting race to the end, but on lap 24 of 32 Stoner made a mistake and ran off the track and into the gravel. This allowed Rossi some breathing space for the final eight laps and he eventually crossed the line 13 seconds clear of Stoner, who had been able to remount and still finish second, such was the gap the pair had pulled out from third-placed Chris Vermeulen. It was a black day for the other side of the garage however as Jorge Lorenzo, Rossi's team-mate, took a huge tumble on the first lap and broke the third and fifth metatarsal bones in his left foot. He now faces a battle to be fit for the next race in Brno, in a month's time. With Dani Pedrosa missing the race this weekend, Stoner has now moved into second in the championship behind Rossi with seven rounds remaining. Valentino Rossi - Position: 1 Time: 44'04.311 "What a race today! We made some modifications to our bike after warm-up and these gave us the last few tenths that enabled me to fight with Casey today; the result was just fantastic. I got a good start and I was able to pass him in the first lap, but I knew I had to try and stay in front of him and it was impossible to relax even for one second. My M1 was brilliant and so were my Bridgestone tyres; I really only made one mistake, at the corkscrew when I went a bit wide but in fact the dirt had quite good grip also! Casey was a bit faster on the straight than me but I was stronger on the brakes so I had to make all my passes there. I don't know how many times we changed the lead but it was a lot and it was great, great racing for me and I think also for the fans, because it's been a while since we've been like this. To stay in front I had to do high 21s at least on every lap and I want to thank my team and engineers for giving me a bike that could do this. I had a great rhythm and I am really so happy to win for the first time in America. About the passes, I am sorry that Casey thinks some of them were a bit strong but I really don't agree; I passed only on the brakes, I braked in the same places every time and we never touched. Of course this was an aggressive race, but it was definitely a fair one. Now we have the summer break and I am looking forward to relaxing a bit, but not too much because it's going to be a hard fight for the final seven races and we must keep the concentration!" Davide Brivio - Team Manager "Although it was not there, we saw the "heart" on Valentino's helmet again today! This is a great victory because throughout the entire weekend we were at a disadvantage, but nobody ever gave up and we worked until the very last minute to find a way to help Valentino to fight with Casey. We tried to optimize everything we had and at the end "The Doctor" completed the operation! This was a race Valentino did not want to lose. This is Valentino, one who never gives up and fights until the end. I would like to make big congratulations to him and thank the team and all the technicians! It is good to go on holidays with a 25 point advantage and now we must recharge the batteries for the last seven races. I hope to see battles like this one until the end of the championship. On another note, we're very sorry for Jorge today and we wish him the best and look forward to seeing him back in Brno." Lorenzo's Laguna debut end in gravel after first-lap crash Jorge Lorenzo suffered a dramatic high-side on the very first lap of the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca today, his debut American race ending in the gravel at turn five. The Spaniard broke the third and fifth metatarsal bones in his left foot and will now face a race to be fit for the next race in Brno, in a month's time. Lorenzo made a good start and was looking promising in fourth place when the crash happened. It was immediately clear that he had injured himself, a depressing realisation for a rider who has already had to cope with two broken ankles and a concussion this season. With the summer break coming before the next race however the outlook is good for the 21-year-old, who has flown home tonight for further assessment in Barcelona this week. There was cause for celebration on the other side of the garage as Valentino Rossi won his first ever US Grand Prix, following a scintillating battle with Casey Stoner. Rossi now leads Stoner by 25 points whilst Lorenzo remains in fourth. Jorge Lorenzo - Position: DNF I'm very sad today because I had a lot of confidence for the race after the qualifying session yesterday and, above all, after the very start of the race when I was fourth and feeling good. Then I crashed; my tyre was not up to temperature, I lost the rear and the next thing I knew I was in the gravel, with pain in my foot. It is one more crash, one more injury and it's another moment that I have to forget as soon as possible. I need to look forward. I am so sad but now I must concentrate on the fact that I have a whole month before Brno in order to be fit and to be able to race in good shape. This is my aim. I would like to congratulate to Valentino for his great victory and race today, he did a fantastic job." Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "Unfortunately today's result is not what Jorge and the team deserved, after the progress we made in practice. We could have gone for a better result, but the main problem today was the lack of grip on the rear, which was amplified at the beginning of the race when the tyres were not yet at the optimum temperature. Now let's hope for a good rest for Jorge; we wish him a good recovery and we look forward to seeing him come back at Brno ready to fight again with the top riders." Toseland fights hard for ninth, disappointment for Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha rider James Toseland made a welcome return to the top ten this afternoon with a determined ride to ninth place in the American GP. In sunny but cool conditions, the British rider made a fantastic start from the second row and found himself fourth at the first corner. But while cautiously waiting for his Michelin tyres to reach optimum working temperature, he slipped down to eighth at the end of the first lap. Toseland moved back into sixth by lap six to engage in a long battle with Frenchman Randy de Puniet. He slipped back to seventh on lap 12 but reeled off a consistent pace in the 1.23 bracket to maintain constant pressure on de Puniet. His pace saw him get tantalisingly close to the battle for fourth place, but in the final stages of the 32-lap encounter, he lost two more places and finished ninth. It was a disappointing race for Colin Edwards in front of his home crowd as he ended down in 14th. Sporting a special oneoff livery for his home race, the Texan briefly threatened to break into the top ten, but front-end issues prevented him from running his usual consistent pace. The Tech 3 team now starts a deserved summer break before the world championship resumes in Brno on August 17. James Toseland - Position: 9thTime: +0'43.019 "I'm pretty disappointed with that because I feel have put in a lot of effort and done my best to finish only ninth. I got a fantastic start and was fourth but unfortunately it was a tough race after that and I had to ride more defensive than I wanted to. With the harder compound tyres I knew I'd have to wait to get some temperature into them and that cost me a few places early on. Once I got into my pace in the 23s I was pretty happy because I'd hoped that would be good enough for a top six finish looking at the times from earlier in the weekend. I had a good long battle with de Puniet but our lap times were almost identical and I tried everything I could to close him down. At the end I was just trying to block people from passing me but Spies and Elias got me late on and that is a bit frustrating. On paper ninth doesn't look like a great result, and it doesn't feel like much of a reward for the effort that I have put in with my team this weekend. But I really couldn't have done anything else and I feel I got the best out of the package I had today. We'll hopefully be able to come back much stronger after the summer break and be fighting to be back in the top six again where we belong." Colin Edwards - Position: 14th Time: +1'02.380 "I don't think I need to say that this race was well below what I expected. I've had a lot of great support from Yamaha US, the American fans and my family this weekend and they haven't got the result I wanted to give them. My guys at Tech 3 have worked tirelessly all weekend too but nothing really went for us. To be honest I was struggling from the start with the harder compound front tyre I had. I'd have some moment on the brakes while I was trying pass someone and I'd lose a load of time and a bunch of places. I'd gradually work my way back through only for it to happen again and it was frustrating. I just didn't have any confidence in the front and everybody knows I am a front-end guy. It has been a difficult week with the crash in Germany too, so I'm looking forward to the summer break and being able to return stronger in Brno. I'm still fighting for fourth in the championship and Tech 3 is still fourth in the team standings, so we have got a lot to fight for in the last seven races." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "It was a tough weekend for us. We would have liked to go into the summer break with a better result, but having seen what happened in practice James did a really good race. We didn't expect him to be up there all race long and I'm disappointed for him that he lost two places in the last two laps because he performed to his maximum and as usual he never give up. It was good that he had that kind of race but it was a big disappointment for Colin. His crash in Germany didn't help and he arrived with some neck problems and then had some problems in practice. And he didn't have confidence in the race because that was not the Colin out there that we all know. The only consolation is that he has another race in America later this year where I'm sure things will be better for him. We are still fourth in the team championship and we have to work hard to keep that position. Hopefully the break will be good for everybody and we will be back strong in Brno. Finally, congratulations to Yamaha and Valentino for his first win in Laguna Seca." Race 1 - 32 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 44'4.311 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 0'13.001 3, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'26.609 4, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'34.901 5, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'35.663 6, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 0'37.668 7, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 0'41.629 8, Ben Spies, Suzuki, USA, 0'41.927 9, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 0'43.019 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 0'44.391 11, Jamie Hacking, Kawasaki, USA, 0'46.258 12, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'55.273 13, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'55.521 14, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 1'2.380 15, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 1'8.207 16, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'10.962 17, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, -1 Laps Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'21.488 Rider Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 212 2, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 187 3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 171 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 114 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 103 6, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 100 7, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 89 8, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 84 9, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 72 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 70 11, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 61 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 46 13, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 41 14, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 40 15, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 38 Team Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 326 2, Repsol Honda Team, 255 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 219 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 172 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 152 6, Honda Gresini, 111 7, JIR Scot Team, 103 8, Team Alice, 84 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 54 10, Honda LCR, 40 Manufacturer Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 241 2, Honda, 197 3, Ducati, 192 4, Suzuki, 112 5, Kawasaki, 52 Click here to view the news

Low winter sunshine bathed 20,000 spectators at the scenic Nelspruit circuit for the Grand Prix of South Africa and Yamaha Monster Motocross Team's David Philippaerts finished 4th overall and saw just one point chipped away from his lead at the top of the series; the gap now at eleven. Josh Coppins was 6th on the YZ450FM and remains third in the standings. The tenth round of fifteen in the 2008 FIM MX1-GP World Championship visited the southern hemisphere for the first time since 2006 (after three consecutive events were held at the Sun City resort) and represented the sole non-European outing of this year's calendar. The Nelspruit circuit was immaculately prepared for its inauguration as a world championship venue. The narrow and twisty layout involved many sharp turns and technical additions (such as dividers and plenty of jumps) while the dark red dirt varied between soft and rough to hard and slippery. The biggest obstacle for the riders to face was the sunshine with the light dipping low in the afternoon, throwing many shadows on the track and hiding the ruts and jump take-offs. The glare was also problematic over the jumps. Philippaerts, now more or less recovered from his rib injury, benefitted from two decent starts around the top five. In the first moto he rode well to push through from fourth to close on leader Steve Ramon in the final laps, finally sealing 2nd spot. For Moto2 he was circulating in the top six and for some time alongside his team-mate. With the sunshine and the many backmarkers adding an element of danger to the race, the 24 year old overtook a struggling Ramon (who would drop to 8th) and make sure of 6th; missing out on his seventh trophy of the year by just one point. Coppins, who recently extended his association with Yamaha and will enter a third season in 2009, was again a victim of misfortune on the first corner (after two problematic races last time out in Sweden). A tangle with Sebastien Pourcel left the Kiwi almost last and he had to pick his lines carefully to recover to 9th. A more cautious and improved launch in Moto1 saw the 31 year old blast from the lower depths of the top ten to charge Pourcel all the way to the flag for 3rd place, finally taking 4th. It was an excellent performance in which he was one of the few proactive riders making positions in difficult conditions; the fastest lap testimony to his speed. Nelspruit represented only the second time this season that the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team has not scaled the rostrum. Philippaerts holds an advantage of 11 points over Ramon and 23 over Coppins. Ken De Dycker is 43 further back in fourth. After ten events Yamaha still control the manufacturer's ranking by 16 points. The final third of the series will begin in two weeks time with the first of back-to-back races. Round eleven takes place at the sandy Lommel circuit for the Grand Prix of Belgium before the trip to Loket in the Czech Republic. David Philippaerts, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 4th: "I missed the podium by one point but the positives from this weekend were the good race in the first moto and that my physical condition is getting better after a few small injuries. I was a bit tired early in the second moto and with the sun going down it was hard to find the lines. After about twenty minutes I felt a bit better and pushed to pass Mackenzie but there were so many lapped riders that it was very difficult. I did not want to crash and I had already passed Ramon. I think I will be strong for Lommel. All the GPs will be important for the championship now and I will be looking for good positions and to finish ahead of Ramon as much as possible." Josh Coppins, Yamaha Monster Motocross Team, 6th: "For three motos in a row I have had to start from pretty much last. I knew I had the speed but I lost so many points just from incidents in those three heats. In that second moto today I decided to start a little more cautious, take my turn and then ride my own race. I came out in the top ten but then could start the hunt and move forward; this is not really the way I want to go racing, holeshots would be preferable! It was a tough track but the same for everyone. There were parts that I liked and others that I didn't. I am pleased with that second moto though; if I can improve my starts then I feel that I can push my way back in there for the title." Mino Raspanti, Racing Manager: "It was not an easy Grand Prix by any means but we are happy that David had better starts and was inside the top six in each moto. He took too long to pass Mackenzie in the first race and had to use a lot of energy to overtake. His speed was good and if he could have moved forward quicker then he might have been able to win as he was very close to Ramon. He rode well in the second moto also but was a bit more tired. The result was good for the championship though because he did not make a mistake. Josh had a crash right at the start again and had to come through so it was difficult for him. The second moto was better and although he did not want to take any risks at the start he soon found his speed and actually made the fastest lap of the race. He was physically strong and this showed. We were working out of the crates this weekend but we were well organised and prepared, and overall we can feel content with how things have gone." Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 40'20.469 2, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'2.441 3, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 0'5.874 4, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'9.979 5, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'18.428 6, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 0'19.584 7, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'21.389 8, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'51.965 9, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'57.055 10, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 0'57.055 11, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 1'13.389 12, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'44.019 13, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, 1'52.455 14, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 1'55.312 15, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 2'15.088 16, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, -1 Laps 17, R Van Der Westhuizen, Suzuki, RSA, -1 Laps 18, Anthony Raynard, Yamaha, RSA, -2 Laps 19, Brandon Wheeler, Suzuki, RSA, -2 Laps 20, K Bowen, KTM, RSA, -2 Laps Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 40'35.152 2, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 0'3.151 3, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'6.255 4, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 0'7.594 5, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 0'12.794 6, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 0'18.663 7, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 0'35.635 8, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'36.797 9, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 1'18.244 10, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 1'23.337 11, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 1'28.326 12, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 1'37.322 13, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, 1'42.692 14, James Noble, KTM, GBR, -1 Laps 15, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, -1 Laps 16, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, -1 Laps 17, r Van Der Westhuizen, Suzuki, RSA, -1 Laps 18, Brandon Wheeler, Suzuki, RSA, -2 Laps 19, J De Bruin, Yamaha, RSA, -2 Laps 20, Anthony Raynard, Yamaha, RSA, -2 Laps Rider Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, David Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 339 2, Steve Ramon, Suzuki, BEL, 328 3, Joshua Coppins, Yamaha, NZL, 316 4, Ken De Dycker, Suzuki, BEL, 296 5, Jonathan Barragan, KTM, ESP, 284 6, Sébastien Pourcel, Kawasaki, FRA, 274 7, Maximilian Nagl, KTM, GER, 253 8, Billy MacKenzie, Honda, GBR, 235 9, Tanel Leok, Kawasaki, EST, 234 10, Marc De Reuver, Honda, NED, 178 11, Clement Desalle, Suzuki, BEL, 173 12, Manuel Priem, Kawasaki, BEL, 160 13, Julien Bill, Honda, CHE, 141 14, Kornel Nemeth, KTM, HUN, 115 15, Mike Brown, Honda, USA, 107 16, Aigar Leok, Yamaha, EST, 97 17, Marcus Schiffer, KTM, GER, 95 18, James Noble, KTM, GBR, 93 19, Tom Church, Kawasaki, GBR, 66 20, Steve Boniface, Honda, FRA, 63 21, Carlos Campano, Yamaha, ESP, 42 Manufacturer Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 395 2, Suzuki, 379 3, KTM, 364 4, Kawasaki, 350 5, Honda, 314 6, TM, 31 7, Aprilia, 5 ---------- RACE REPORT - 20/07/2008 Aubin takes first podium as Cairoli suffers Yamaha Ricci Racing's Nico Aubin scored his first top three finish of the 2008 FIM MX2-GP World Championship under typically deep blue skies for the Grand Prix of South Africa - the tenth round of fifteen in the FIM series - at the Nelspruit circuit, more than 300km north-east of Johannesburg. The Frenchman took 3rd position on the same day that reigning number one Antonio Cairoli sustained an injury to his left knee and failed to score points in a GP for the first time since the British Grand Prix in 2004; a run of 65 events. The general reaction to the winding turns and many jumps of the new world championship circuit was extremely positive even if the dirt was a little unpredictable, varying between soft and rutted in places and hard and slick in others. Cairoli immediately gelled with the second of three new tracks on the 2008 schedule and collected his eighth consecutive Lovemytime qualification award for winning the second heat race and going to the gate in second position on Sunday. Sadly number '222' lasted no more than a few laps of the first moto as a near-crash around the fourth corner saw the Sicilian catch and turn his left leg, instantly injuring his knee. He tried to complete a few more circulations but then pulled into the pits with overwhelming pain. During the break between races he underwent an examination and treatment and was encouraged by the fact that there was little swelling. He attempted the second moto and started in second position but too small mistakes aggravated the joint further and he was again forced to withdraw. Cairoli now plans to have a scan and possible surgery on a suspected broken meniscus this week. The procedure should not be complicated and there is a chance he could be back on his motorcycle for the Grand Prix of Belgium in a fortnight. Aubin ensured that a YZ250F kept a place on the podium, and his first silverware of the season came largely thanks to his excellent start and second position in Moto1; the finish represented his second best result of the year having previously taken a race win in Italy. Aubin had actually been leading the sprint but was powerless to match pole-sitter Tommy Searle's speed. In the second race he started in the top five and spent a lonely moto avoiding backmarkers and trying to close to the back of Shaun Simpson in 4th. Aubin is the fourth Yamaha rider this season to scale a Grand Prix rostrum. Ricci Racing team-mate Davide Guarneri continues to admirably fight the odds despite a weakened right knee (missing a ligament) and the Italian scored 8th and 15th positions for 11th overall. He hit his limb on the ground twice in the second moto which caused him to slow and miss out on a double top ten finish. 3C Racing's Manuel Monni was 13th overall and rests 10th in the world championship while team-mate Deny Philippaerts - younger brother of David - scored points for the second time this season. Cairoli's championship plight now faces a test against the odds. The double world number one is third and 59 points away (more than two moto victories) from leader Tyla Rattray with five Grand Prix remaining. Aubin cut a few points to Simpson and fourth place in the ranking with 44 points the difference. The eleventh round of the championship will take place through the sand of Lommel for the Grand Prix of Belgium in two weeks time. The hillside Loket circuit in the Czech Republic will host the thirteenth race seven days later. Tony Cairoli, Yamaha Red Bull De Carli, DNF: "I am really disappointed. I liked the track yesterday and had some decent speed. I didn't have a good start in the first moto and tried to pass some riders in the beginning but it was not easy because the track was slippery from the watering. Tyla and Tommy were ahead so I knew I had to gain ground fast. I went to pass Guarneri but he came wide and cut my line. The bike went sideways down the hill and I put out my foot and felt something pull in my knee. I had so much pain that I had to stop. My doctor made a really good job in the break so I tried to start the second moto and came out of the gate in second place. The knee was not inflamed and not too painful but I was not used to the track and I got one set of bumps wrong and felt the knee react. Tommy passed me and I was starting to catch him when I over-jumped and then had shots of pain, which ended my race. The plan now is to have some surgery this week and I really hope I can come back for Lommel. The doctor thinks the ligaments are OK, just maybe stretched a little bit but the meniscus might be broken. With the operation we have planned he said I might be able to ride after one week. The championship looks difficult now and Tommy and Tyla have worked hard to be going for the title. I want to win when I come back and I hope it will be as soon as possible." Nico Aubin, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 3rd: "I am happy but it is a shame I had to wait ten Grand Prix for my first podium. I have had a few problems getting myself up to speed but I had two weeks to get my head together before this Grand Prix and felt better on the bike. The track is very good and I enjoyed the ground and the jumps. I made a great start in the first moto and tried to push, however Tyla and Tommy are very fast at the moment and I have not had too much time leading a race and could not hold the pace until the end. The results were not bad today and a big improvement on the last GPs. I hope this will be a new beginning for me, we go to Lommel next and I like the sand. I would like a top five there before we go to Loket. I want to finish the season well for my confidence and for the team." Davide Guarneri, Yamaha Ricci Racing, 11th: "I am a little annoyed because I was faster on Saturday but could not take the positions today; overall it was a hard GP for me physically. I started well in the first moto but the track was so difficult for me. There were many ruts in the corners and it was tough for my knee. I tried to push but stayed in sixth for most of the race. Towards the end I felt tired because I cannot stand up on the bike for too long. I started OK in the second moto and was going for tenth when I hit my leg quite hard twice on the ground and had to slow down because of pain. I don't know what really happened with Antonio. On the fourth corner there were many riders together. I went for the inside line but it brought me out on the outside, I did not see him and touched his bike." Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 41'4.235 2, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'11.221 3, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 0'22.991 4, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'30.016 5, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'35.741 6, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1'12.541 7, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'17.182 8, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 1'21.285 9, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 1'22.814 10, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'27.042 11, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 1'29.102 12, Pascal Leuret, Suzuki, FRA, 1'47.438 13, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'57.773 14, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 2'1.662 15, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 2'19.984 16, Jake Nicholls, Suzuki, GBR, -1 Laps 17, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, -1 Laps 18, Deny Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 19, Michael Kok, KTM, RSA, -1 Laps 20, Elliott Banks-Browne, Suzuki, GBR, -2 Laps Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 41'4.739 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 0'4.871 3, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'32.461 4, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 0'37.751 5, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 0'43.469 6, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 0'53.101 7, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 1'3.031 8, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 1'5.999 9, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 1'7.014 10, Pascal Leuret, Suzuki, FRA, 1'8.334 11, Jake Nicholls, Suzuki, GBR, 1'13.750 12, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 1'14.422 13, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 1'22.643 14, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 1'26.306 15, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 1'48.709 16, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 1'52.516 17, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 2'16.563 18, Michael Kok, KTM, RSA, -1 Laps 19, Deny Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, -1 Laps 20, Ross Branch, Kawasaki, RSA, -1 Laps Rider Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Tyla Rattray, KTM, RSA, 416 2, Tommy Searle, KTM, GBR, 395 3, Antonio Cairoli, Yamaha, ITA, 357 4, Shaun Simpson, KTM, GBR, 287 5, Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha, FRA, 243 6, Rui Goncalves, KTM, POR, 241 7, Xavier Boog, Suzuki, FRA, 211 8, Jeremy Van Horebeek, KTM, BEL, 197 9, Steven Frossard, Kawasaki, FRA, 196 10, Manuel Monni, Yamaha, ITA, 187 11, Marvin Musquin, Honda, FRA, 173 12, Stephen Sword, Kawasaki, GBR, 170 13, Anthony Boissière, KTM, FRA, 158 14, Jeremy Tarroux, KTM, FRA, 140 15, Davide Guarneri, Yamaha, ITA, 133 16, Gregory Aranda, Kawasaki, FRA, 101 17, Joel Roelants, KTM, BEL, 99 18, Gautier Paulin, Kawasaki, FRA, 95 19, Carl Nunn, Suzuki, GBR, 73 20, Wyatt Avis, Honda, RSA, 56 22, Evgeny Bobryshev, Yamaha, RUS, 42 27, Alessandro Lupino, Yamaha, ITA, 30 28, Matteo Bonini, Yamaha, ITA, 25 41, Deny Philippaerts, Yamaha, ITA, 7 Manufacturer Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, KTM, 469 2, Yamaha, 451 3, Kawasaki, 316 4, Suzuki, 259 5, Honda, 194 Click here to view the news

Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) moved from fourth to third in the championship standings after securing a second and a fourth place finish at Brno, as his team-mate Noriyuki Haga rode with all his spirit and skill to take sixth in race one and salvage a seventh from a pitlane start in race two. Corser was on top form once more on raceday and in the 500th World Superbike race, the 13 points he took for his race two fourth place put him into overall third place in the championship, 12 points behind Max Neukirchner and 91 behind today's double race winner, Troy Bayliss. Each race saw Corser lead and fight for the podiums, for Haga Brno was a hard fought battle with two brilliant displays of riding to overcome firstly a third row grid position, and then a start from the pitlane. In the first 20-lap race Corser contested the win until the final few laps, when eventual winner Troy Bayliss had taken a lead Corser could not make up, and he had to settle for second. Haga kept his championship points score on the move with a sixth place finish, moving through the field from 12th grid position. In race two Corser's rear tyre spun on the wheel rim, and that caused an out-of-balance vibration that stopped him from taking his second podium of the day and a chance of his first race victory for Yamaha. Haga had a problem with his machine on the sighting lap and had to start the second race from pitlane, slicing through the pack to secure a top seven finish. Haga remains fifth in the championship standings, with a total of 210 points to Bayliss' 309. The battle for second place right now features four riders all separated by only 20 points. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) was a superb 12th in race one at what is his favourite track, but neither David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) nor Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) finished the race, with Gimbert taken to the medical centre for checks. In race two Nakatomi was 15th, Checa was 16th and Gimbert, who was declared fit to ride again, was a retiree in pitlane. Troy Corser (2nd and 4th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "In race one I was reasonably happy and the bike was working well for the first half of the race. The rear tyre just dropped off a little bit and we lost a few tenths after that. When Troy came past I tried to go with him but he had a bit more grip coming off the corners. But other than that we were pretty even. I pushed as hard as I could to stay with him but was careful not to throw away second. In race two we had a problem from about lap four or five. As has happened in the past we have spun the tyre on the rim and there was a vibration through the bike in every part of the track. From then on it was a case of just holding on to see where we ended up. I kept looking back to see who was behind and just kept pushing as much as I could. If the tyre had not have spun on the rim then we would have been up the front. It's just disappointing because I was feeling good and the bike was good. We moved up to third today, which is a positive thing, but it could have been much better." Noriyuki Haga (6th and 7th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "In race one my qualifying position did not help me, but I caught up to pass Neukirchner at the end and got some points. I'm not sure what was the problem with the bike in race two but the engine was not working right and I had to swap my bike. We swapped some settings from race one to race two on that spare bike and it worked quite well. I enjoyed the race because I had to make many passes, which was very exciting. I hope from this point on we can work in a good direction until the end of the year and improve our championship position." Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Troy rode very well today and took a podium finish that puts him third in the championship. So it is good news that he has moved up the rankings even if he had a problems in race two. There is nothing obviously wrong with Nori's bike in race two, we will find out in the workshop, and he rode really well from a start in pitlane, passing many riders because his race pace was very good. With a normal start he would be in front." Shinichi Nakatomi (12th and 15th - Team YZF Yamaha) "For me today race one was best. I like Brno very much to ride on and enjoyed the race very much. I found the second race to be harder but still enjoyed it and was happy with my result." Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 40'22.724 2, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'1.468 3, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'3.272 4, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'3.475 5, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'3.791 6, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'9.120 7, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'9.358 8, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'11.787 9, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'17.228 10, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'17.705 11, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'22.347 12, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'25.563 13, Niccolo Canepa, Ducati, ITA, 0'25.699 14, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'34.064 15, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'36.545 16, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'43.934 17, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'44.349 18, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 0'50.092 19, Jason Pridmore, Honda, USA, 0'58.827 20, Jiri Drasdak, Honda, CZE, 0'59.928 21, Christian Zaiser, Yamaha, AUT, 1'21.587 Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 40'16.436 2, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'0.928 3, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'1.259 4, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'1.785 5, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'3.942 6, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 0'7.910 7, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'11.297 8, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'11.375 9, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'13.103 10, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'18.978 11, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'19.106 12, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'20.556 13, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'21.775 14, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'26.372 15, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'26.922 16, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'27.109 17, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'39.711 18, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 0'39.953 19, Jason Pridmore, Honda, USA, 0'56.812 20, Christian Zaiser, Yamaha, AUT, 1'44.073 21, Milos Cihak, Suzuki, CZE, 1'46.620 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 2'0.298 Rider Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 309 2, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 230 3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 218 4, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 215 5, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 210 6, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 161 7, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 148 8, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 147 9, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 146 10, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 115 11, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 96 12, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 83 13, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 78 14, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 77 15, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 64 19, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 29 23, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 7 24, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 7 Manufacturer Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 373 2, Yamaha, 317 3, Suzuki, 277 4, Honda, 247 5, Kawasaki, 64 ---------- RACE REPORT - 20/07/2008 Parkes fourth in tight Brno race Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) fought hard for a podium finish at Brno but had to settle for a fourth place, and third in the championship standings overall. Parkes did not get his customary strong start from pole position, dropping back to 7th in the pack at the start of the race. He then had to expend energy in the early laps making up places to make sure he was in contention near the end. Parkes was unable to jump out of corners with the same sharpness that had helped him to his fifth pole position in a row after qualifying on Saturday, and was unable to attack in the final few laps. The race was won by Jonathan Rea, from Andrew Pitt and Josh Brookes. In the championship standings Broc is now third, on 100 points with Pitt on 133, Brookes 101 and Broc's injured team-mate, Fabien Foret, on 97. Parkes' team-mate Fabien Foret remains in Hospital under observation following a crash on Friday which left him with cracks in his C6 and C7 vertebrae. He is due to be released shortly but will be out of action for up to three months.The Yamaha World Supersport Team are currently considering alternative riders whilst Foret is recovering. Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) got into the top ten after a disappointing qualifying session yesterday and now sits inside the top ten in the championship standings, ninth on 40 points. David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) held on for the race to score the final point on offer for 15th position. Broc Parkes (4th - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I'm not too happy really. I felt I couldn't battle with other riders today, in the exits of the corners the other riders pulled a bit on me. My start wasn't too good either but I was with the front guys anyway after a few laps. When I got back right to the front group I couldn't fight for the win. I was hoping for a podium on the last lap but I was on the limit, so I was done." Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) "We had some problems with the rear tyre during the warm-up, but we solved those and we decided to stay with the gearing we had because it helped the tyre wear. But after the race it is always easy to say we should have done something different. The pace was OK but on braking Broc could not pass. It was our plan to follow the top group anyway but then you have to be able to pass at the end of the race." Massimo Roccoli (10th - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "Today it was a very good race because the bike was very fast, the settings were OK the grip was good. For me qualifying was terrible and I am sorry for the team because they had to work really hard over these three days. Next Sunday in Misano there will be some Italian championship races, and that will let me prepare my mind for Brands Hatch." Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 37'35.093 2, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 0'0.020 3, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'1.433 4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 0'1.853 5, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 0'2.237 6, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'12.032 7, Russell Holland, Honda, AUS, 0'12.221 8, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'12.787 9, Vesa Kallio, Honda, FIN, 0'15.334 10, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'15.780 11, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'23.645 12, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'23.758 13, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'24.074 14, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'24.621 15, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'26.866 16, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'26.891 17, Danilo Dell'omo, Honda, ITA, 0'29.566 18, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 0'34.218 19, Balazs Nemeth, Honda, HUN, 0'44.347 20, Denis Sacchetti, Honda, ITA, 0'44.650 21, Javier Hidalgo, Yamaha, ESP, 0'51.768 22, Mark Aitchinson, Triumph, AUS, 0'54.336 23, Lorenzo Alfonsi, Honda, ITA, 0'54.351 24, Ruggero Scambia, Triumph, ITA, 1'28.911 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 2'4.062 Rider Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 133 2, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 101 3, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 100 4, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 97 5, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 92 6, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 81 7, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 80 8, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 50 9, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 40 10, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 38 11, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 37 12, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 36 13, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 36 14, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 33 15, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 21 23, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 9 Manufacturer Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Honda, 190 2, Yamaha, 138 3, Triumph, 51 4, Suzuki, 47 5, Kawasaki, 40 ---------- RACE REPORT - 20/07/2008 Pirro sixth after Brno Superstock battle Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) was the top scoring Yamaha rider in the 12-lap Superstock 1000 Cup event, as he took sixth in a lonely race after a bright start. Pirro is now fifth in the championship table on 73 points, 23 points from new leader Brendan Roberts. Brno race winner Maxime Berger was away and clear after Xavier Simeon enjoyed an early lead, with Roberts an eventual second, from Alessandro Polita. Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) ran off track at high speed and skillfully remained on his machine to bring it to a safe halt , but found damage to his bike that stopped him continuing. He scored no points, and is now 12th overall, on 25 points. Michelle Pirro (6th - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "3rd 4th laps were ok but eventually the tyres began to go and it was impossible to turn properly in the corners and get on the power at the same time" Claudio Corti (12th - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "we were ok for the set up and ready to battle for the victory. The podium was possible today. Unfortunately the engine lost a screw and leaked oil causing me to go off. " Baz still leads after Brno podium finish Loris Baz was close to another win in the European Superstock 600 race at Brno, but a loss of front tyre grip in the last lap stopped him from being able to mount a successful last corner challenge on winner Patrick Vostarek. Baz is still in the overall championship lead, on 117 points to Vostarek's 110. More good news came in a race where Five Yamaha machines filled the top six places, as Gino Rea held of his team-mate Dan Linfoot to secure a podium finish in third. Such was the pace of the front two that Rea was 16 seconds down on Baz at the end of only nine laps, and the lap record was beaten by two and a half seconds. Loris Baz (12th - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) "I tried my best to win but in the last couple of laps the front end was tucking under and I had a few slides, so I could not push any more to pass Vostarek. Our bike was good up the hill and it was a close race. We still have the lead in the series, which is the most important thing." Race 1 - 12 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 24'58.402 2, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 0'3.043 3, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 0'3.100 4, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 0'3.367 5, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'5.709 6, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 0'10.032 7, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 0'13.380 8, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 0'19.510 9, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 0'19.724 10, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 0'20.249 11, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 0'20.796 12, Domenico Colucci, Ducati, ITA, 0'20.959 13, Matteo Baiocco, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'21.042 14, Raymond Schouten, Yamaha, NED, 0'21.432 15, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 0'21.609 16, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'28.875 17, Michael Savary, Suzuki, CHE, 0'28.942 18, Matt Bond, Suzuki, GBR, 0'29.741 19, Rene Mahr, Yamaha, GER, 0'30.015 20, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'36.569 21, Roy Ten Napel, Suzuki, NED, 0'36.724 22, Pauli Pekkanen, KTM, FIN, 0'38.541 23, Danny De Boer, Suzuki, NED, 0'40.985 24, Filip Backlund, Suzuki, SWE, 0'46.343 25, Jure Stibilj, Honda, SVN, 0'48.163 26, Gregory Junod, Yamaha, CHE, 0'48.667 27, Marko Jerman, Yamaha, SVK, 0'53.103 28, Aldo Aldrovandi, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'54.618 Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 2'3.676 Rider Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 96 2, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 95 3, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 84 4, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 83 5, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 73 6, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 55 7, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 48 8, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 41 9, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 30 10, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 29 11, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 29 12, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 25 13, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 24 14, Domenico Colucci, Ducati, ITA, 18 15, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 16 25, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 4 Manufacturer Standings 20/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Ducati, 124 2, Honda, 106 3, Suzuki, 103 4, Yamaha, 85 5, Kawasaki, 20 Click here to view the news

Former double world championship runner-up Josh Coppins will enter a third year with Yamaha and the Yamaha Monster Motocross Team after putting pen to paper to extend his current deal this week. The popular New Zealander, who presently sits third in the 2008 FIM MX-1 series as the calendar reaches its tenth stop this weekend in South Africa, has won six Grand Prix in a potent combination with the YZ450FM, including a memorable debut success at Valkenswaard for the opening round of 2007 and almost clinching the ’07 title before an unfortunate injury halted his progress deep into the season. The 31 year old has walked the podium 12 times and won 11 motos in the space of a year and a half and 21 Grand Prix with the factory team. His alliance with the YZ has proved incredibly effective and he topped charts of: Moto wins, Grand Prix wins, Podiums accumulated and rounds led (13) in 2007. He dominated the Grand Prix of Germany several weeks ago and is just 16 points behind team-mate David Philippaerts. Thanks to his efforts and that of the Italian alongside him – who is already confirmed for 2009 - Yamaha lead the Manufacturers’ standings and retain a realistic and viable chance of world championship success this year. “Once I had made the decision I wanted to race another season and another world championship there was no other option in my mind than to continue with Yamaha,” said the Kiwi. “We have had success in a short period of time and that is partly due to the excellent way the team work. The world championship was so close for us last year and we are right there for the 2008 title. I know that the team and Yamaha are right behind me and I could not wish for a more professional set-up. Signing the new deal was pretty quick, I’m glad to get things sorted out early so we can push on with doing the business this season.” “For Yamaha it isa very logical decision to continue with David and Josh next year as we are very happy with the current rider line up,” said Yamaha Motor Europe’s Racing Division Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp. “Josh is a very experienced rider with an amazing fighting spirit and dedication for the sport and that is very valuable for Yamaha. I am confident that he will be a title contender both this year and the next. The aim for 2008 and for 2009 is to win the Rider and Manufacturer’s title, and have both riders at the top of the ranking..” Click here to view the news

Valentino Rossi took the runner-up spot in the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring today and moved back to the top of the championship, after Dani Pedrosa crashed out of the lead on lap five. Rossi's Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was another victim of the first fully wet race of the season, sliding out of the race on the third lap. This morning's practice was run on a damp track but the weather worsened through the middle part of the day and the MotoGP race began in heavy rain. Rossi, starting from seventh on the grid, was caught up in the first lap confusion and lost some time but then made up two places on the second lap, before being elevated to fourth when Pedrosa went down. In the next few laps the Italian passed first fellow Yamaha rider Colin Edwards and then Andrea Dovizioso, which left him in second behind Casey Stoner. Rossi did his best to close the gap to the Australian but with the pair clocking similar lap times he was unable to make any headway into a deficit of more than three seconds, settling for second place and 20 points. Chris Vermeulen loomed behind him at mid-race distance but Rossi's M1 and his Bridgestone tyres were working well in the wet and he was able to step up the pace somewhat, eventually crossed the line 3.708 seconds behind Stoner and more than 14 ahead of third-placed Vermeulen. Today's result sees Rossi back at the top of the standings, 16 points clear of Pedrosa and 20 ahead of Stoner, whilst Lorenzo holds on to fourth despite taking no points today. The MotoGP paddock now packs up and makes the transatlantic trip to California for the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca in a week's time. Valentino Rossi - Position: 2nd Time: +3.708 "I'm really happy with this result, even if racing in the rain today wasn't quite as much fun as I've had in some of my past races here! For the championship this is very, very important; I made a mistake last week in Assen and today Dani did the same. It's unlucky but this is racing and now we are back in front and this is a very good feeling. Dani is tough and we know he will be back fighting at the front, but sincerely at the moment we need to think about how to catch Casey because he has been very fast now for a few races. Once again here we lost some time during the practice trying to find the right setting and we can't afford to keep doing this. Today we started from the third row and this meant that I had to deal with some confusion at the start and lost some time on the front riders. By the time I got behind Casey my M1 was working very well and I had very good grip with my Bridgestone rain tyres; I felt very confident and I tried hard to push but there was no way to catch him at that stage, so our aim must be to start at the front from now on. Thanks to all my team and engineers; now we have to try to extend this lead in Laguna." Davide Brivio - Team Manager "This was a very positive race for us because this result takes us back to the top of the championship standings. I hope that Pedrosa's condition is not too serious and that he will be back at Laguna to fight as he has been doing so far. Today we have seen that we have a good set-up for the wet conditions and this is good news for us, as this was the very first full wet race since the beginning of the championship. Valentino pushed hard till the end of the race and the second place today was the maximum we could do, starting from the third row. Now we go to Laguna Seca, where we will launch another attack!" Unlucky Lorenzo slides off in rainy Germany Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo was one of four riders who failed to finish the German Grand Prix today, falling victim to a soaking track on the third lap of a rainy race at Sachsenring. His team-mate Valentino Rossi meanwhile regained his championship lead by way of an important second place, after series-leader Dani Pedrosa crashed out of the lead early on. Lorenzo had lacked rear grip all weekend but was hopeful that the rain might improve the situation today. Unfortunately however the reverse was true and he was thrown from his M1 when his rear tyre spun up on the exit from turn four, on lap three of 30. The Mallorcan was luckily completely unhurt this time and will not have to wait long to get over his disappointment, as his first competitive visit to Laguna Seca beckons in just a few day's time. The Michelin-shod rider holds onto fourth in the championship despite taking no points today. Jorge Lorenzo - DNF "I felt good this morning because I though that I would have a chance to do a good race in the rain. On the warm-up lap however I felt that something wasn't quite right; I didn't have enough grip and I lost some confidence then. I made a good start and passed two riders in the first corner, but then I ran too deep and lost the places so I had to push to try to make them up again. The crash happened when I opened the gas coming out of turn four and I lost the rear. It was a pity but I didn't hurt myself this time and I am not feeling sad for myself tonight, I just feel very bad for the team because they worked too hard all weekend for a result like this. The positive thing about today is that at each race I am feeling better in myself, even though we're having some problems getting our package work correctly, and now I am just looking forward to racing for the very first time at Laguna.' Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager "Today it was very difficult to find enough grip on the rear, in fact it seems like our problems became bigger in the wet. The rear tyre was spinning a lot under acceleration and Jorge was not able to control the rear grip. We did not have the chance to test in full wet conditions during the weekend and this played an important role for us, because it meant that it was impossible to be completely prepared for a wet race like this. We hope for better weather next week in Laguna Seca so that we can sort out all of our problems, because we absolutely want to come back to the level we know Jorge is capable of." Toseland 11th, Edwards crashes at soaked Sachsenring Today's 30-lap German MotoGP race ended below pre-race expectations for Tech 3 Yamaha duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland at a rain-soaked Sachsenring. Making his wet race debut on board the Yamaha YZR-M1, Toseland gained valuable experience in full rain conditions on his way to a battling 11th place. Edwards' bid though to extend the best run of form in his MotoGP career ended with a crash out of fifth place on lap 21. Toseland made a stunning start from the fourth row to claim fifth by the first corner, but he was unable to match the fast pace of the leaders as he faced the tough task of mastering the conditions, while also adapting to his YZR-M1 machine in the wet. Edwards' crash ended his valiant attempt to claim a sixth successive top five finish in front of a 98,000-strong crowd. Having started from the front row for the fifth time in 2008, he seemed certain to be Michelin's best finisher when he slipped off at the seventh corner while holding off Andrea Dovizioso. Fortunately, Edwards escaped injury and is looking forward to a return to form in his home race at Laguna Seca next weekend. James Toseland 11th - 65 points "That was my first wet MotoGP race and I've got to admit that while I feel I've learned a lot, it was a difficult afternoon. I got an unbelievable start and at the first corner I was fifth and nearly took fourth. I thought I was in business but pretty much straightaway I knew it was going to be difficult to try and go away with the leading group. I had a couple of moments on the opening lap and I started losing places quite quickly. The frustrating thing was I couldn't do anything to respond. I didn't want to push too hard because I'd seen Jorge Lorenzo crash in front of me, so I knew I wasn't the only one struggling for rear grip. I think that coupled with a lack of experience of riding this bike in the rain made it tough. I kind of just got stuck at the pace I was running and couldn't really go any faster. I'm not going to blame anybody because I'm having a bit of a bad period but a positive from the weekend is I feel we have taken some big strides with the set-up of the bike. I was only halfa- second off the front row and I was fourth in the warm-up, so it has not been a bad weekend. We have eliminated a lot of problems and the team has done a great job, so I am looking forward to getting back closer to where I know I am capable of being and the team is capable of being at Laguna Seca. It is a track I know well, and I go there in a positive frame of mind as always despite having this tough run." Colin Edwards DNF - 98 points "All I can is it was a very tough race right from the start. The conditions were not easy but I got a reasonable start and just wanted to get into a steady pace. But it was obvious from quite early on that it was going to be difficult. I didn't have a lot of feel from the rear tyre and I tried everything I could to hang in there and keep a top five finish for the team, who have been great all weekend. It would have also kept my own personal good run going. But as the race wore on it wasn't getting any better and I lost the rear at the downhill left-hander. I had no warning at all and I didn't feel I was particularly pushing too hard because by that stage a podium had already gone. I was trying to keep Dovizioso behind me to at least finish top Michelin rider. I'd tried to follow Casey and Valentino but I just didn't have anything for them. Fifth was going to be the best result I could have managed today and that's a bit disappointing because in the dry I think I could have been fighting for a podium. I'm just grateful I didn't get hurt in the crash because I've got my home race coming up and I desperately want to put on a good performance for the American fans, Tech 3 and Yamaha at Laguna Seca. After this disappointment I'll be looking to bounce straight back." Herve Poncharal - Team Manager "It was obviously not what we expected. We were not too confident for a wet race even though Colin had done another fantastic job to get on the front row again. We also know that Colin is very fast in the rain and the race started quite well and Colin and James were both right up with the leaders. But unfortunately we could easily see that it was difficult for Colin to follow the leaders from very early on and a podium was going to be difficult to achieve. Colin tried his absolute maximum to stay close and he was the first Michelin rider before he crashed. This can happen in such tough conditions and I don't blame him at all. He was trying very hard with a package that wasn't competitive enough to get a podium. Luckily he is okay because he has a very important race for him, the team and Yamaha next weekend in Laguna Seca. James also had some problems and I'm thankful he managed to bring it home and get a few points in such tough conditions in what was his first wet race. We have been on a good run of results and we might have closed on Jorge in fourth in the championship but it didn't happen. Hopefully in Laguna we won't have any rain and I hope Colin and James can be up front and they will only have issues with the heat and not the rain." Race 1 - 30 Laps Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time 1, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 47'30.057 2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'3.708 3, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'14.002 4, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 0'14.124 5, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 0'42.022 6, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 0'46.648 7, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 1'4.483 8, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 1'4.588 9, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 1'16.773 10, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'29.275 11, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, -1 Laps 12, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, -1 Laps 13, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, -2 Laps Best Lap Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'32.749 Rider Standings 13/07/2008 Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points 1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 187 2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 171 3, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 167 4, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 114 5, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 98 6, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 90 7, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 73 8, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 73 9, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 65 10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 64 11, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 60 12, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 38 13, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 37 14, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 34 15, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 32 Team Standings 13/07/2008 Pos., Team, Points 1, FIAT Yamaha Team, 301 2, Repsol Honda Team, 244 3, Ducati Marlboro Team, 199 4, Tech3 Yamaha, 163 5, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 135 6, Honda Gresini, 102 7, JIR Scot Team, 90 8, Team Alice, 71 9, Kawasaki Racing Team, 54 10, Honda LCR, 30 Manufacturer Standings 13/07/2008 Pos., Manufacturer, Points 1, Yamaha, 216 2, Honda, 184 3, Ducati, 172 4, Suzuki, 96 5, Kawasaki, 47 Click here to view the news

Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) used their two days of official testing time at the Vallelunga circuit to prepare for the next races, and came away from Vallelunga with positive results all round. The sessions were a combined official FGSport outing and a Development Teams Test for Pirelli, and both Noriyuki and Troy found some advantages in the latest specification of control tyres. With track temperatures climbing to over 60°C on the final afternoon most riders set their best times during the final day’s morning session. Over the two days, Corser finished top Yamaha rider, with a 1’36.770. Noriyuki had set his fastest lap of 1’37.115 on the afternoon of the first day, which was generally cooler than day two. Despite the incredibly hot track temperatures, each rider found great improvements in the duration of the latest rear tyres during their long runs. The Vallelunga race itself, scheduled for September, is expected to be considerably cooler than it was during this test, but the team learned many valuable lessons for immediate and long-term use. Each rider tried out Öhlins electronic suspension units, which were being tested for the first time in public at this event and despite having limited track time in which to try them out, initial results were declared positive by each rider. The team also ran their latest exhaust developments, which made for a better engine response and slightly more power through the rev range. Troy Corser (5th - 1’36.770 - 127 laps - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I was happy enough with that test. We tried lots of different things with the suspension and the new things we worked with seemed pretty good. Overall the bike was working well and the new tyres they brought seemed to give us more life. They were not that much different in single lap times but they just lasted longer. We did a long run and from the first to the last lap the lap time was pretty good. I think there was more time to come off if we had pushed harder but we are testing, not qualifying. The temperature going up didn’t offer us much grip at all and there seemed to be less track grip than at Misano, which is unusual. It doesn’t feel as hot here but the tarmac obviously holds more heat. The test has been good, no silly mistakes or crashes, so it’s been positive all round.” Noriyuki Haga (8th - 1’37.115 - 131 laps - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I’m happy with the test and we did most of our work on our normal suspension set-up because that is what we will be using in real race conditions. We had a little problem finding a good final set-up to go faster than we did on day one, and we could not improve today. But in our long run the lap times were good, consistent and we had the same experience as Troy with the development tyres. They lasted longer than the regular ones. In this regard we are happy and the important thing is that the track temperature may be different for the race in two months, but we hope to use a similar machine set-up September.” Silvano Galbusera (Technical Chief, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We tested the electronic suspension for the first time and it seems to have good possibilities. Troy was happy with it, and we used it with Nori for a short time. We found a good solution from Pirelli for the races and both riders’ long runs were very good, and maybe Nori was slightly longer. I think he did 20 laps, with good results. Some riders could push harder for a single lap today, and because of that they set a better time, but we are happy with the work we did to make sure we will be ready for the races. Our new exhaust design was a small improvement in all areas. It is hard to do that at this stage of the season so the final result was good all round.” Click here to view the news

The Ricardo Tormo Circuit will host its first international race of the season this coming weekend, with the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship coming to this popular track for its eighth consecutive year. Valencia is a tight and twisty circuit built with spectators in mind. The venue was designed to be a 'circuit within a stadium' and this has been achieved with over 65,000 grandstand seats that allow spectators to view the track, and the action on it, from the one position. The popularity of this circuit is evident, with over 3 million spectators visiting since its opening in 1999. Valencia's complicated track, excellent facilities and favourable winter weather conditions make this circuit ideal for all kinds of racing. It is in demand by national and international championships and is not restricted to just motorcycles. Everything from trucks to Formula One cars use this circuit which means that grip levels can be unpredictable, causing conditions to change by the hour and requiring constant adjustments to the set-up of the bike. Pirelli held their official tyre test here in March, with Yamaha's World Superbike, Supersport and Superstock teams all taking part. The data gathered at this test could be of a big help to put all the Yamaha teams in a good position for their race set-up this weekend. The last round at Donington saw Haga take the team's first win of the season, showing the potential of the new R1. This was supported by Corser's second and third finishes. Haga goes into the fourth round in third place in the championship standings with 88 points with Corser just behind on 81 points. Both riders want to win at this round, so the gloves will be off from the outset. In 2006 Haga claimed two fifth places in Valencia but as he has won here previously in 2000 and 2004, he is keen to add another race win to his one from Donington. "Valencia is one of my favourite circuits and I have won there before," he says. "It is a technically challenging circuit though, and chassis and tyre set-up are very important there. With the testing we have done there recently with Pirelli I am hopeful. After winning at Donington I am feeling very positive and looking forward to winning again!" Team mate, Corser is looking to take some race win glory himself this weekend, after just missing it at Donington. Last year he took second place in both races and is looking to better that result this year. "Valencia has a good layout and the weather is normally makes for good riding conditions, although it can get a bit windy and, depending on which way it blows, it can sometimes be a problem. The track grip is different every time we go there because it depends on what's been racing there previously - trucks or Formula Ford - and what rubber they've left." With regard to the bike, Corser says, "The bike feels good following the testing we have done there, although every team has done testing there so it's going to be a close race." The third round at Donington was a very tough one for the Yamaha World Supersport Team, with both Curtain and Parkes crashing and breaking their collar bones in practice, putting them out for the race. The team goes into the fourth round with a lot of hard work to do. They know they need a good result to put them back into contention for the championship, but are very conscious of both riders still nursing injuries. Both riders had operations immediately following the race and are determined to ride at Valencia if at all possible. Currently, Curtain lies in fifth in the championship with 25 points and Parkes lies in tenth on 16 points. "I'm feeling pretty good despite the crash at Donington. A friend in Belgium helped me get operated on straight away and I now have a late and eight bolts in my left shoulder, which is lucky as I'm right-handed. As soon as I was out of surgery I started exercising the injury because the longer you leave it, the longer it takes to get going again. I now have full movement and a fair amount of strength in my left arm, though the scar is a bit tender," says Kevin of his injuries. When asked about Valencia and his expectations, Kevin said, "I'm looking forward to returning to the championship this weekend. I'd like to get on the podium' that's what I'll be aiming for." At the time of going to print, it is expected that Broc Parkes will race at Valencia, though this will be confirmed in the next 24 hours. Claudio Corti got his Superstock Championship fight off to a good start at Donington with a second place, just in front of Didier van Keymeulen on another new R1. Corti's team mate, Michele Pirro has something to prove this weekend after crashing out of the last race. He had been showing great potential in his rookie season in the Superstock Championship prior to the crash and is keen to make up for his mistakes with a good result at Valencia. Track length: 4005 Tracked opened: 1999 2006 winner: Troy Bayliss (Ducati) 2006 fastest lap: 1'35.374 (Troy Corser, Suzuki) WSB lap record: 1'35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Circuit tel: +34 96 2525220 Click here to view the news

Valencia's notoriously changeable track conditions provided an interesting day at the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship at Valencia. The damp track this morning dried out with slightly warmer and drier conditions this afternoon for the first qualifying session of the weekend. Haga had the most success of the day in the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team, being third fastest in this morning's free practice. He then went on to finish in fourth in qualifying having spent the session focusing on testing various tyre and suspension options. Having finished the morning practice session second fastest, Corser then fought throughout the afternoon session to find the right set-up. He ended the day in sixth position. Shinichi Nakatomi, riding for the French Team Yamaha YZF squad, finished the day in 18th position. Nakatomi was keen to try and find a good set up, so spent the day focusing on small suspension and tyre settings. The day's result is headed by Bayliss (Ducati), who surprised everyone with such a good result in light of the injuries he sustained at Donington. Spaniard Ruben Xaus (Ducati) finished in second today at his home circuit. James Toseland (Honda) finished in third and Haga completes the line up in fourth. The Ricardo Tormo circuit is renowned for being very changeable in its grips conditions due to the variety of vehicles that use the circuit. Any damp brings out the rubber and oil that has been laid down previously, making it very slippery. The rapidly changing conditions were nowhere more evident than towards the end of the day's on-track sessions, when thunder and lightning accompanied a sudden downpour, leaving the track under a couple of inches on rainwater. Noriyuki Haga (4th - 1'35.440 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I managed some improvement in my lap times during today but I struggled with finding the right tyre. We tried three different tyres this afternoon but I didn't find the right one for the race. Although it was still damp on the track this morning, the lower track temperatures actually suited the tyre. I'm not feeling too bad, tomorrow I hope to find the right tyre and I am hoping it is not raining, as this track gets very slippery when it is wet." Troy Corser (6th - 1'35.483 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Today has been tough - all day I have struggled with the engine character. Following the test session here last month and after Donington, we made some engine changes which have completely altered the feel of the bike somehow. The engine character is different between my main and my spare bike, even. I'm glad we found this out today as it gives us tomorrow to sort out the problem so we are ready for race day. We think we have already worked out the problem and are working on a solution, which we will test out in the morning." Shinichi Nakatomi (18th - 1'36.757 - Team Yamaha YZF) "Today we have made many small changes and improvements throughout both sessions. Now we just need to combine the changes for tomorrow's qualifying session. I am hopeful of a higher qualifying position tomorrow - I just hope it is not raining." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 24 Weather: Sunny 2007 WSB Valencia 13/04/2007 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'34.599 2 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'35.023 3 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'35.147 4 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'35.440 5 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'35.453 6 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'35.483 7 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'35.709 8 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'35.767 9 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'35.804 10 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'35.814 11 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'35.856 12 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'36.012 13 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 1'36.016 14 Carmelo Morales Yamaha ESP 1'36.032 15 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'36.094 18 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'36.755 QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 13/04/2007 Curtain and Parkes show their determination in first qualifying Kevin Curtain took third place in this weekend's first qualifying session - only two weeks after breaking his left collar bone in four places at Donington Park. Team mate Broc Parkes struggled with his collar bone injury also, managing 11th place during the 45 minute session. Both riders have broken collar bones - Parkes his right and Curtain his left - after crashing in practice at the previous round at Donington. Since their respective accidents both riders have undergone surgery to plate and bolt the collar bones. They have had less than two weeks recovery since the last round and have surprised everyone by the efforts they have gone to in order to race here this weekend. Having attending last month's Pirelli tyre test, the team preferred to sit out the damp morning practice session rather than aggravate the riders injuries, confident that they have good set up information from these testing sessions. In the dry afternoon session, Kevin had an unexpected but excellent ride and secured third place whilst Broc found his injuries were more aggravated by the many twists and turns in the middle section of the circuit. Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni rider, Massimo Roccoli, had an average performance and only managed to qualify in 16th position. Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) topped today's qualifying session with a best time. Fujiwara (Honda) came in second with Curtain taking third and Riba (Kawasaki) completing the provisional front row in fourth place. Kevin Curtain (3rd - 1'37.885 - Yamaha Word Supersport Team) "My injuries don't feel too bad - until I have to brake hard. I surprised myself in that session, getting third slot, considering I've just had quite a major operation. The doctor has done a good job! I'm happy with securing third position today because, if it rains tomorrow as it is forecast to, the risk of crashing will be higher. I have to consider my injuries and take it a bit more gently if it rains tomorrow." Broc Parkes (11th - 1'38.681 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "My collar bone is giving me some trouble in the middle section of a lap when I have to use my right arm a lot. It really hurts when I have to switch from left to right, which makes changing direction quite difficult. I'm okay on the brakes with it, but then I have a different riding style to Kevin. I'd like to qualify in the top eight; hopefully I can get to the second row in tomorrow's qualifying, depending on the weather." Massimo Roccoli (16th - 1'39.016 - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "Unfortunately today was a bad day for me. There was no technical problem; it was more of a personal issue with me struggling with my feeling of the track. The bike and the tyre is the same when we tested here in March, but for some reason I am 1.5 seconds slower than at that test. The difference is too big to be technical, it is something I need to try and resolve myself for tomorrow." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 19 Weather: Sunny 2007 WSS Valencia 13/04/2007 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'37.521 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'37.729 3 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'37.885 4 Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 1'38.095 5 Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 1'38.478 6 Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 1'38.524 7 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'38.532 8 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'38.564 9 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'38.568 10 Joan Lascorz Honda ESP 1'38.649 11 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'38.681 12 Javier Fores Honda ESP 1'38.734 13 Lorenzo Alfonsi Honda ITA 1'38.753 14 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 1'38.915 15 David Salom Yamaha ESP 1'39.008 16 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'39.016 19 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'39.243 21 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'39.283 24 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'39.575 Click here to view the news

After an exciting opening round in Qatar last weekend, the Superbike World Championship makes its only trip to the southern hemisphere when it visits the fast and flowing Phillip Island circuit for the Yamaha-sponsored Australian round. Following a promising debut with the 2007 YZF-R1 in Qatar, Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team riders Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga are looking to build on their fine start with a good performance on a track that should suit the R1's sweet-handling chassis. Corser marked his debut with the official Yamaha team by winning the superpole event and finishing on the podium in race two, while both riders demonstrated the speed of the new R1. For Corser, the Australian round is the one chance he will get to race in front of his home fans this season. The world superbike veteran actually made his debut at the same circuit 15 years ago in his first stint as a Yamaha rider. Speaking from last Saturday's race in Qatar, he commented: "We're off to Phillip Island next and I think my Yamaha will work really well there. It's a track I really like and I think we can bag a couple of good results there for sure. It's a pity about the first race today, we had a big vibration at the rear (caused by the tyre not gripping the rim correctly) but that's how it goes sometimes. It was so bad that I thought about pulling in, but we could still score some points. It was good to get on the podium in the second race but I guess that I am still a little disappointed, because I felt we could have been there in both races. But don't worry, we'll make up for it in Phillip Island!" Haga too managed to score a fine result in the day's second race with a fourth position. He's due a good result on 'The Island'. The Japanese rider had his first win outside of Japan there in 1998, although to date that is his only victory Down Under. The official Yamaha squad, along with the nominated Pirelli tyre test teams from the other four manufacturers, tested at Phillip Island just over a month ago, something Haga hopes will help them get the most out of their bikes this weekend. "We tested at Phillip Island in January," he says. "We were able to do a lot of laps and work on a setting for the race, so I hope that this will help us this weekend. Remember, we only had our first shakedown at the end of last year and we are learning more about it with every session. We learned a lot about the bike in Australia and, although we could not get good life from the front tyre, it was working very well in Qatar." In the Supersport World Championship, Yamaha World Supersport team rider Kevin Curtain lies second in the championship following his second place in Qatar. The Australian was in spectacular form all weekend and managed to score pole position on Saturday. The R6 man looked impressive in the race too, leading the opening laps but had to settle for second due to a lack of rear end tyre traction. Now the veteran star has vowed to put on a big show for his legions of fans at Phillip Island. He said: "I don't believe in saying 'I'm going to win this or I'm gonna do that' because I believe that it can bring bad luck or bad karma. What I do know is that I am really fired up for my home race and will be giving it absolutely everything I've got. I've ridden this track so many times that if I'm going to win anywhere then it will be there. Our team has made some big progress with the bike over the winter, not so much in terms of outright power but certainly in terms of making it easier to ride. We've tested at Phillip Island earlier in the year and we were able to run some fast laps, so I'm really hoping for more of the same this weekend." Curtain's team-mate and countryman Broc Parkes was also afflicted by grip problems in Qatar. The 25-year-old had to pull in when his rear tyre wore out but is keen to rack up his first points of 2007. "Qatar was disappointing," he said. "But we have to put that behind us. We had a great test at Phillip Island and it's always exciting to be racing at home." Click here to view the news

Yamaha makes steady progress with the new YZF-R1 The all-new YZF-R1 was given its first 2007 testing shakedown by Yamaha Motor Italia riders Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga, at the final official Pirelli tests of the close season. Corser took the equal fourth best time of the three days, with a lap of 1’32.2, set on day two - some 0.2 seconds under the current race lap record pace. Haga also had to rely on a day two best to set his fastest mark of the sessions, a 1’32.8, in what was another largely closely contested outing for the five Superbike teams in attendance. For this second outing with the new R1, the team had limited preparation time. Meaning that not all of the usual adjustments in chassis/ swingarm combination were available to the riders, and thus the ultimate best times were limited. Corser, despite this temporary handicap, was still a force on his home circuit while Haga found a good race set-up on the final day. Both riders managed to gather important information for the final test in Qatar next February. Fastest rider at the test was Troy Bayliss, who scored a new Superbike track best of 1’30.7, with his team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi half a second behind. Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) "The top speed and the engine feel is not bad, but we are struggling a bit with rear grip coming out of corners. We are a bit too sideways. So the lap times are not coming for us at the moment. I’m pretty happy with the bike and the team is working well, but we just need a bit more testing, and this is only the third day of riding a Yamaha at Phillip Island. We need to adjust the swingarm angle. We could use a hard tyre and get the same grip and push as a qualifier. But it’s not that disheartening because despite having some troubles we are not that far away on lap time. I know where I’m losing time and how much time I’m losing, and I’m confident we can fix it." Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Finally I found a good setting and good acceleration, but I still had problems with a few things, same as Troy. Today I made 20 laps in a long run, which went very good, but after eight laps the rear problem started and the tyre started grooving. We need more testing with the new parts.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) " We did not experience a rear grip problem in Qatar during the last test, so this was an important test. Now we can make the necessary changes to the specs to become fully competitive with our new R1. In discussion with the riders and chief mechanics, we know what the solution is for the set-up and we will test the parts here during race weekend. It is not a big thing, but we simply did not have time to bring these parts here now. Noriyuki made a good race simulation today." OFFICIAL WSB TESTS: AUSTRALIA Circuit: Phillip Island Circuit Length: 4.445km Race Lap Record: 1'32.402 (Troy Bayliss, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 30.7 (Troy Bayliss, 2007, at this test) Temp: 25ºC World Superbike 1. Bayliss Ducati Xerox 1’30.7 2. Lanzi Ducati Xerox 1’31.2 3. Toseland Honda Ten Kate 1’31.7 4. Corser Yamaha Motor Italia 1’32.2 5. Laconi Kawasaki PSG-1 1’32.2 6. Kagayama Suzuki Alstare 1’32.3 7. Nieto Kawasaki PSG-1 1’32.3 8. Biaggi Suzuki Alstare 1’32.4 9. Haga Yamaha Motor Italia 1’32.8 10. Rolfo Honda Ten Kate 1’33.2 Pirelli Test Session: Australia Circuit: Phillip Island Date: 13 - 15 January 2007 Temp: 25ºC Weather: Sunny, cooler in mornings Curtain equal fastest and at record pace Yamaha World Supersport Team riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes completed their latest schedule of long haul testing in an ultimately successful fashion, with Curtain setting the joint fastest lap of the test and Parkes carrying out a satisfactory long run to simulate a real race. Curtain tied for the new circuit Supersport best ever lap with Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu, each setting a remarkable 1’33.9 - more in 2006 Superbike territory than Supersport. The new selection of rear tyres the team tested proved able in terms of permitting a few fast lap times, but the rears operated best in the lower track temperatures of the morning sessions. The main competitors had quite some difficulties countering the lap times of Curtain, resulting in many crashes. Parkes suffered a crash on the second day and a trivial problem with his repaired bike on the morning of the final day stopped him improving his still impressive best of 1’34.8 even more. Nonetheless, the team tested all their new equipment and the new tyre solutions, in readiness for the start of the season on February 24th, at Losail, in Qatar. This test was the first outing under direct ownership of Yamaha Motor Europe. Although the team still operates from their Yamaha Motor Germany workshop, the overall management and ownership of the team is transferred to the European headquarter of Yamaha in the Netherlands. This enables the team to benefit from Yamaha Motor Europe’s experience and resources. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I did a 1’33.9, and I was really impressed! Pretty good for a 600. Today was obviously good in terms of the outright lap times but we have quite a big rear endurance problem on the tyres that give the best lap time, and I think most people have the same. We always have a known quantity tyre that we can fall back on for the race and in general my test has been really good right from the start. The front has been good here, and we know what works and doesn’t work. We basically used the setting from the recent Qatar tests as a base point." Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) "A pretty good test but yesterday I crashed one of my bikes and we didn’t use it again that day, and then we put a new gearbox in the other bike. Due to my crash, I suffered a problem with chattering and that cost us a lot of time in the morning, when the conditions where best, so I couldn’t improve my time. In the afternoon we did a race simulation and that was really good. We used a tyre from last year on the back for that and of course the individual times were not as good. Track temperature has been a big question here." Terrell Thien (Team Manager - Yamaha World Supersport Team) “We could only set our very best times when the track temperature is around 20 degrees, and above 30 everything goes slower. So for long runs in these conditions we have to use an older spec tyre, without the same outright grip, but with the endurance. For our work, everything was on schedule, if not a little ahead. That allowed us to work on some electronics, and if we use all the electronics we have, it saves the rear tyre a lot. This may be the way for the future." OFFICIAL SBK TESTS: AUSTRALIA Circuit: Phillip Island Circuit Length: 4.445km Race Lap Record: 1'36.399 (Broc Parkes, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 33.9 (Curtain and Kenan Sofuoglu, 2007, at this test) Temp: 25ºC World Supersport 1. Curtain Yamaha World Supersport Team 1’33.9 2. Sofuoglu Hannspree Honda 1’33.9 3. Nannelli Ducati SC Caracchi 1’34.3 4. Charpentier Hannspree Honda 1’34.4 5. Parkes Yamaha World Supersport Team 1’34.8 6. Veneman Hoegee Suzuki 1’35.6 7. Foret Kawasaki Gil Motorsport 1’35.7 8. Riba Kawasaki Gil Motorsport 1’36.0 9. Kallio Hoegee Suzuki 1’37.0 Click here to view the news

Corser and Haga prove new R1's abilities at Losail test The second significant test session in the run-up to the 2007 season proved to be another giant step for the all-new YZF-R1 and despite poor track conditions in the early sessions and having a mountain of development parts to work through, both Yamaha Motor Italia riders, Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga, were able to set fast times. Corser, highly impressive on the new machine at such an early stage in its development, proved to be second quickest rider overall, with a 1’58.9 best lap, while Haga had to wait until he got close to an optimum set-up to record a 1’59.7, less than a second from Corser. Fastest rider on show was 2006 champion, Troy Bayliss, with a 1’58.1. The Yamaha Motor Italia team had three different chassis specs in Losail, increasing in stiffness from standard to increasingly heavily braced, and the same number of rear swingarms, one near standard and two full race versions. The riders had to work their way through various combinations to choose the best one as a base, as well as try out the new generation of Pirelli tyres. Corser also tried out the full 2007 spec rear suspension unit. Troy Corser - Yamaha Motor Italia "Even given the conditions in the first couple of days this test has been good for us. We tried out three different rear swingarms, and three chassis, and worked our way through the various combinations of each. Trying out various new tyres at the same time makes it a bit harder but we are pretty happy overall. The longest run I did was about ten laps on the final afternoon and I think Troy Bayliss and I were about the only ones who could get the tyres to do a longish run. I only stopped my long run because the tyre had spun on the rim. We still have some things to work though, because we lost time by having to go in and out of the pits so much to change tyres. We still have a few things to go over again at Phillip Island but the main thing is that I feel comfortable on the bike after only a short time riding it. We were not that worried about lap times this test, as it was more about getting a feeling with the bike - but the lap times were coming in any case." Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha Motor Italia "We have new swingarms and chassis to test but it is very hard to evaluate them when the track is the way it was in the first couple of days. But in the end we found a good combination of chassis and swingarm, but we did not get such a good feeling from the tyres as we hoped. We still need to work on the set-up of the back end of the bike because with so little grip from the track it is difficult to know the exact direction to take. On fresh tyres we can do the times. We did a long run but we could have made a longer one if we had more duration from the tyre life." Massimo Meregalli - Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia "We are really happy about the test and the riders have delivered us a good reward for all the hard work we have put in during the last three months on the new R1. We worked really hard and the bike is already good. We go home to do some more work before we got to Australia, where we can make our final preparations for the start of the season." Laurens Klein Koerkamp - Yamaha Racing Manager “The riders had a lot of material to work though, various chassis specs and swing arms to test, and there were a lot of options. Noriyuki found this difficult at first, but near the end he did a large quantity of laps and found a way. He set a constant range of fast laps in his longest run. Troy was fast from the beginning so you can easily see his experience of testing and in set-up. That is what we expected when we signed him, and it is clearly coming out now. His feedback is concise, clear, accurate and easy to understand for the engineers. And he is fast! Now, we need to go to Phillip Island to reconfirm what we found here. The biggest positives are how well the new bike is going, even at this stage, and how well Troy has worked with the team.” OFFICIAL SBK TESTS: QATAR Circuit: Losail, Doha Circuit Length: 5.380km Race Lap Record: 2'00.061 (Noriyuki Haga, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 58.1 (Troy Bayliss, 2006, at this test) Temp: 21ºC Unofficial times 1. Bayliss Ducati Xerox 1’58.1 2. Corser Yamaha Motor Italia 1’58.9 3. Biaggi Suzuki Alstare 1’58.9 4. Toseland Honda Ten Kate 1’59.1 5. Laconi Kawasaki PSG-1 1’59.2 6. Lanzi Ducati Xerox 1’59.3 7. Nieto Kawasaki PSG-1 1’59.5 8. Haga Yamaha Motor Italia 1’59.7 9. Kagayama Suzuki Alstare 2’00.1 10. Rolfo Honda Ten Kate 2’01.7 Pirelli Test Session: Qatar Circuit: Losail, Doha Date: 19 - 21 December 2006 Temp: 21ºC Weather: Sunny, windy on first two days Curtain and Parkes go 1-2 in Supersport Yamaha Motor Germany team-mates Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes had a busy three days in Qatar but found the optimum settings to handle the difficult track conditions, which were present almost throughout the test. The warmer final day provided a window of opportunity for the entire team and all the parts and machine settings scheduled to be tested were finally evaluated, resulting in impressive lap times. Curtain was fastest of all, by a single tenth of a second, setting a 2’02.5 with Parkes on 2’02.6, as they rolled out a new standard in the class at Losail. Despite the fast lap times the track conditions, even on day three, were not ideal for good rear tyre duration, although the team was particularly pleased to have found a front tyre from the new batch of choices, which withstood the demands of a gritty and relatively cold track surface. Kevin Curtain - Yamaha Motor Germany "Today was heaps better than the previous two, in terms of set-up and grip. We made big improvements to the suspension and we had lots of things to test. Unfortunately the first day was like riding around on a sandy tennis court! You couldn’t test anything and the sand chewed out the tyres in two laps. Today the wind went away as well and a bit of rubber on the track helped traction. We got a good gauge on what tyres will work or won’t work but we still have to work on the rears. Pirelli will sort that out, I’m sure." Broc Parkes - Yamaha Motor Germany "It ended up pretty good. You could say perfect except for a crash I had in the morning of day two, but it went pretty well otherwise. We got through everything that we wanted to. The tyres worked well but the distance for the rear is the problem. It was too cold and too sandy on the surface and it needs to be warmer as well. Our times ended up really good but it would have been nice to have some even more competitive bikes around to benchmark us. I feel right on the bike, which is important." Terrell Thien - Yamaha Motor Germany Team Manager “Not such an easy test as it was hard to find tyres, set-up and everything. But on the last day we found a good set-up, good tyres, but we still have some issues with the duration of the rears. For fronts we should be sorted, even if it is warmer or colder in the race. The times are particularly good in the early laps but the track was quite cold at this test, and it should be hotter for the race." Pirelli Test WSS: Qatar Circuit: Doha, Losail Circuit Length: 5.380km Lap Record: 2'03.921 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 2'02.5 (Kevin Curtain, 2006, at this test) Temp: 21ºC Unofficial times 1. Parkes Yamaha Motor Germany 2’02.5 2. Curtain Yamaha Motor Germany 2’02.6 3. Nannelli Ducati SC Caracchi 2’03.3 4. Foret Kawasaki Gil Motorsport 2’04.5 5. Riba Kawasaki Gil Motorsport 2’05.2. Click here to view the news

Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd is delighted to announce that it has signed a new one-year deal with current Tech 3 Yamaha team rider Colin Edwards. Edwards will continue to race with the Tech 3 Team alongside Briton James Toseland in 2009. The Texan has agreed the new one-year contract for the 2009 MotoGP World Championship after enjoying the best spell of his premier class career with Herve Poncharal’s Tech 3 Yamaha squad. The 34-year-old has already scored two podium finishes, four top five finishes and one pole position in 2008. He has been on the front row a further four times and is currently challenging for a top four position in the overall world championship standings. Next year will be Edwards’ fifth season with Yamaha in MotoGP, during which time he has been one of the most consistent performers in the championship, scoring points in all but ten of his 94 MotoGP races. Eight out of ten of Edwards’ MotoGP career podium finishes have been with Yamaha. Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing commented “We are very happy to have been able to secure Colin as a Yamaha rider for 2009. We have been working to improve the quality of the total Yamaha package in the MotoGP class and in 2008 we have achieved the best combined results to date for many years. This comes down to the fact that in the Yamaha Factory Team and the Tech 3 Yamaha Team we currently have two excellent squads, with first-class technical partners, a great bike and four top class riders. Colin’s contribution to the improvement of results in the Tech 3 Team has been very important for the team and for the overall factory results. Colin has also played a very important role in the pre-season bike development for 2008 and we are very happy to have retained his skills and experience for the 2009 campaign. I hope Colin can celebrate this new contract this weekend with a top result here in front of his home fans at Laguna Seca!” Click here to view the news

Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd is pleased to announce that Colin Edwards will continue with the Japanese factory for a third year in 2007, racing in the official Yamaha Factory Team. The 32-year-old American, who has previously won two World Superbike titles and has a best finish of fourth in the MotoGP World Championship with Yamaha, joined the Team in 2005 and has scored points in all but one of his 33 starts for them. Edwards has signed a one-year agreement, which will see him race on Yamaha’s new 800cc bike alongside Valentino Rossi again next season. Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, Lin Jarvis, commented, “We are very happy to have retained Colin for another year. Although he hasn’t had the easiest of seasons in 2006, he has given a strong showing in the last few races and has proven he can fight at the top of the MotoGP World Championship. He fits very well into the Yamaha ‘family’ and we’re sure that he will play a key role in the development of the new 800cc Yamaha MotoGP bike alongside Valentino.” Edwards, who began his international career with Yamaha in the World Superbike series in 1995 before returning to the Factory last year, said “I couldn’t be happier to be staying with Yamaha for another year. It’s no secret that this season we haven’t achieved the results we should have had, but in the last few races I feel that things have started to turn around and we hope to finish on a high in Valencia. I couldn’t ask for a better team-mate or team, I’m really happy at Yamaha and I can’t wait to start working on the new bike!” “The good partnership between Colin and Valentino is one of the strongest assets of our team,” added Davide Brivio, Team Director of Yamaha’s Factory Team. “We think that, for various different reasons, Colin wasn’t able to show his full potential this year and that’s why we’re very glad to have the chance to work again together next year. We are confident that we can offer him the right package to enable him to stay at the top throughout next season. Working with Colin is a real pleasure and we’re very happy to continue with him for another year.” Colin Edwards Statistics: Grands Prix contested in total: 65 First Grand Prix: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, 2003 MotoGP Podiums: 6 World Championships: 2 (World Superbike) 2006: Camel Yamaha Team – MotoGP World Championship 2005: 4th – MotoGP World Championship (Yamaha) 2004: 5th – MotoGP World Championship 2003: 13th – MotoGP World Championship 2002: World Superbike Champion – race wins 11, Winner Suzuka Eight Hours 2001: 2nd – World Superbike Championship – race wins 4, Winner Suzuka Eight Hours 2000: World Superbike Champion – race wins 8 1999: 2nd – World Superbike Championship – race wins 4 1998: 5th – World Superbike Championship – race wins 3 1997: 12th – World Superbike Championship 1996: 5th – World Superbike Championship, Winner Suzuka Eight Hours 1995: 11th – World Superbike Championship 1994: 5th – AMA Superbike Championship – race wins 3 1993: 6th – AMA Superbike Championship 1992: AMA 250cc Champion Click here to view the news

During a presentation in Italy today, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd announced that it has reached a two-year agreement with Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. to become title sponsor of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team in the MotoGP World Championship. The Team’s Official Launch took place in Milan this afternoon and the Team will be known from now on as the “Fiat Yamaha Team”. Yamaha’s two Factory riders, Italian Valentino Rossi and American Colin Edwards were present at the event today as well as Yamaha Motor Company’s Masao Furusawa, General Manager for Engineering Operations, Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing and Davide Brivio, the Fiat Yamaha Team Director. The Yamaha line-up were joined on stage by Luca de Meo, CEO of Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. We’re very excited about our new two-year partnership with Fiat,” said Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “Fiat, like Yamaha, is a truly global brand and we feel that there is a great match between our two companies. It’s good for our sport to welcome a new sponsor of Fiat’s calibre and we feel sure that they will enjoy their involvement with our team. We look forward to working with them over the coming two seasons and hopefully sharing many victories together.” Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio added “It’s nice to be able to finally unveil our new livery and our new sponsorship with Fiat. It’s a new start for us – a new bike, a new sponsor and a new challenge as we try to win back the title! It’s been a long pre-season for us but we’re finally ready for the first race this week; let’s hope we can mark our first outing in Fiat Yamaha Team colours in victorious style!” The Fiat Yamaha Team will contest the opening round of the 18-race 2007 MotoGP championship this Saturday, 10th March in Qatar. Click here to view the news

Yamaha Motor Company Ltd. and Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. marked the second year of their MotoGP partnership today, at the official 2008 Fiat Yamaha Team Launch in Turin, Italy. The presentation was hosted by Italian TV star Simona Ventura and took place at the historic Lingotto building, which was Fiat’s car factory from 1923 until 1982. The building, which features a unique rooftop test track, played host to a different type of wheel power today when the new 2008 YZR-M1s, sporting an updated version of the Fiat Yamaha Team’s eye-catching white and blue livery, were unveiled. Yamaha’s double MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi was present at the ceremony alongside his new team-mate, 20-year-old Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, who is making the step up to MotoGP after two years as 250cc World Champion. Also present today were Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, Masahiko Nakajima, Fiat Yamaha Team Director and YZR-M1 Project Leader, Davide Brivio and Daniele Romagnoli, Fiat Yamaha Team Managers, and Lorenzo Sistino, CEO of the Fiat brand. “I’m very happy that we’re so close to the start of racing,” said Rossi, who will contest this season on Bridgestone tyres for the first time. “This is a very important year for us and our only aim is to win, although it’s going to be hard work. My hand is much better, if not yet perfect, and I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike in Sepang next week. Everyone has been working very hard over the winter and I think our new bike is quite good, although of course we still have a lot of work to do. Everyone is very motivated and I know that we have the best team there is.” Lorenzo, whose M1 will be Michelin-shod this season, enjoyed his first official day as a Yamaha rider. “I’m very happy to be here, with these people, this bike and in this team. I have a long way to go in my development but I have improved each time I’ve ridden the bike and the last test especially was very good. I’m very excited about this season and it’s a great honour to share the garage with Valentino, who is without doubt the most complete talent in our sport.” Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, commented, “We’re very pleased to be continuing our strong partnership with our title sponsor Fiat. Meanwhile, the most important change to our team is the arrival of Jorge Lorenzo as Valentino Rossi’s new team-mate. Our aim is to recapture the title and, as our most experienced rider, this is Valentino’s clear mission. However we also expect Jorge to be fighting at the front as he gains experience. We have two multiple World Championship winning riders in our team and we believe we have optimum chance to realise our ambitions. “As well as continuing with Fiat, we also enter into a second year with Official Sponsors AIA and ACER, and we’re also delighted to announce today the arrival of a new Official Sponsor in solar-energy company KERSELF, with whom we have concluded a two-year sponsorship agreement. Another important new partner is YAMALUBE, Yamaha’s own high performance lubricants brand. Plus, as everyone knows, this season we will be working with both Michelin and Bridgestone tyre brands and we would like to thank them, as well as all our official sponsors and suppliers, for their continued support.” “The Fiat Yamaha initiative has been a success for Fiat from the start,” added Lorenzo Sistino, CEO of the Fiat brand. “The team is young, successful and dynamic and MotoGP brings us very close to our target market and gives us great visibility, not only in Italy but worldwide. We’re looking forward to another great year with Yamaha.” The Fiat Yamaha Team’s 2008 campaign gets underway in Sepang, Malaysia next week with the first of four pre-season tests. The 18-round MotoGP season commences in Qatar on 9th of March. Click here to view the news

Following a very public display of solidarity by the World Superbike Championship riders on the start grid at Assen in support for the Abruzzo community a charity auction is planned to give further help. Yamaha World Superbike Team riders Ben Spies and Tom Sykes have joined others in donating personal items to help raise money for the cause. As an Italian based team, it was only natural that Yamaha wanted to give something special. Following the first free session on Friday at the Monza circuit, Yamaha rider Ben Spies decided he wanted to make it personal so signed the HJC helmet he’d used for the session and handed it over for the auction. Team-mate Tom Sykes took time out after the session to sign some items of Yamaha Racing clothing to join the donations. Both HJC and the Yamaha team were delighted to be able to offer something to help those affected by the tragic earthquake that hit the community of Abruzzo so tragically on April 6th. The items collected from the riders will be up for auction in the World Superbike paddock show at Monza following Superpole on the Saturday afternoon. Racing legend and 2008 World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss will be present to help auction the unique racing items and raise money for the worthy cause. Click here to view the news

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd is delighted to announce that it has signed a new two-year agreement with Valentino Rossi. The seven-time world champion will continue to race with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team for the 2009 and 2010 MotoGP World Championships. The 29-year-old Italian joined Yamaha in 2004 and since then he has won two world championships, 32 races and taken 20 pole positions for the Japanese factory. He is currently leading the 2008 rider championship, having taken three wins and a further five podiums in the first ten races this year. Rossi will continue to race alongside Spanish youngster Jorge Lorenzo in 2009. Rossi and Masao Furusawa, Executive Officer, Engineering Operations of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd, signed the contract today at the Laguna Seca circuit and made the public announcement at Yamaha US’s traditional Laguna Seca party at the Monterey Bay Aquarium this evening. Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis commented, “We are obviously delighted to have secured Valentino for a further two years. I think this news will be very welcome for MotoGP fans and for Yamaha fans around the world. Valentino is an icon in this sport and he is on top form right now as he challenges to win his eighth world championship and his third title together with Yamaha. This signing confirms Yamaha’s four-rider line-up for 2009 so now we can concentrate our full efforts on bike development and team organization to make sure that we are in the best possible shape for next year. “In the meantime we have many races to go this season and I hope that Valentino can win in Laguna Seca for the first time this Sunday to extend his championship lead before the well-deserved summer break – Forza Vale!” Valentino Rossi added, "After so many years spent in racing, fortunately with so many victories, I needed a special motivation to take the decision to sign for two more years. The best place to find this motivation is Yamaha, since I have a great relationship with Yamaha's directors, which comes from a mutual trust and loyalty. In our team there is a special atmosphere and with this new deal I can continue to work with my crew, where I am part of the project and part of the development of my M1. I had other opportunities but due to Yamaha's efforts to give me the best bike in the best environment, I have decided to stay with Yamaha for two more years. This contract means that Yamaha is the manufacturer I will have spent most of my career with. This means more than a thousand words" Click here to view the news

The Yamaha Motocross Team has agreed with the Italian star rider David Philippaerts to ride their factory YZ450FM in the MX1 world championship for 2008 and 2009. Next year David will race alongside present MX1 world championship leader Joshua Coppins to defend the Yamaha Motocross Team’s leading position in the premier motocross class, mixing Coppins’ vast MX1 GP winning experience with Philippaerts’ youthful aggression and future promise. Yamaha are still discussing with current Yamaha Motocross Team rider Marc de Reuver about the continuation of their relationship. Before his rise to GP stardom Philippaerts was racing with Yamaha machinery and the guidance of 1999 Yamaha MX500 world champion Andrea Bartolini, who now currently is test rider for the Yamaha Motocross Team. In 2004 David made his fulltime debut in the MX2 class finishing his first year 19th overall. The following year his progress was quick and impressive, winning his first GP in France (round nine), followed by a further win in South Africa. Last season David’s results further improved and he finished third overall, adding four more MX2 GP victories achieved in Bulgaria, Italy, UK and the Czech Republic to his tally. In 2007 Philippaerts made a very successful switch to MX1 and currently holds fourth position overall, the result of three GP podiums including one win at Teutschenthal, Germany Profile Name: David Philippaerts Date of Birth: 7 December 1983 Nationality: Italian Career highlights 2006: 3rd MX2 World Championship, 2nd Italian International Championship 2005: 4th MX2 World Championship 2004: 19th MX2 World Championship, Italian Champion 2003: Italian Champion 2002: 2nd Italian Championship, 3rd European 125 Championship 1993: Started racing Click here to view the news